Broken Frontier

In a bid to calm his team mates down, Dr. Strange utilizes a spell to reveal the inner truth of each Avenger just in time before the Hood makes his next move.

Well, the machinations behind a Skrull invasion on Earth are in full swing, causing every member on the team to mistrust each other. Of course this is all counter balanced with the mysterious villain known as the Hood making bold moves to become the new Kingpin of crime. Now with these two seemingly unrelated events intertwining together in this issue, you would think these New Avengers really have their hands full.

Perhaps they do, but they also manage to take some time out to allow the good Dr. Strange to cast a spell revealing the inner essences of every team member. This is supposed to be done to give each team member proof that they are all who they say they are and not really gone Skrully in disguise. For a few laughs this is great, but when it counts the most our heroes get pressed into action once they realize the imminent threat approaching Avengers Tower.

Like the proceeding two issues, the dialogue for this script is laced with heaping amounts of wit. Writer Brian Michael Bendis truly knows how to deliver that effective one-two punch of terse plotting mixed with memorable moments to give his characters a chance to really shine. Much of the interactions in this issue are centered upon the team accepting the dubious plans set in motion by the Skrulls, and it’s great to watch each hero quibble while scrutinizing each other’s individual eccentricities. Sometimes comedic moments are needed to push everything through and in this case it was great to see how every member reacted to the spell put forth by Dr. Strange.

With those kinds of moments permeating through in the script, artist Leinil Yu was given plenty of ammunition to render the proceedings accordingly. Personally I loved the first few pages that opened the story and it was high octane action that got things off to a rousing start. So there is probably no better of way to see Wolverine grunting his way through a pivotal confrontation with the Hood, and I thought this scene served to fill out a quality artistic outing overall.

As far as the impact of this arc is concerned, the quality of story and situation these New Avengers perceive around them is pure stroke of genius. My only one complaint though is that too much talking is going on and not enough action. Perhaps though, the ending of the issue gives readers massive clues as to what lies ahead, so let’s hope it turns out to be non-stop action for a change.