The real #1 of The Avengers came out in 1963. So what has changed? I've never read that first issue, but I have read the first dozen issues of The Amazing Spider-Man from that era. The thing that I've noticed is the ironic, tongue-in-cheek, wink-wink comedy is much more prominent now. This book is more or less akin to a one-hour stand-up set by a comedian. Even the fearsome villain, Kang, shows up and Steve Rogers admits that he's “before your time, Bucky.” Wasn't Bucky around for WW2? Marvel wasn't even invented yet. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing that this issue is chock full of one-liners. Kang tells The Avengers that he has “words from the future that you need to hear.” Spider-Man quips: “Do I ever find true love?” In one sense, an action-packed, serious, dramatic superhero-book might not be as entertaining, but on the other hand, do we really want to pay $3.99 every month for a joke book? Writer Brian Bendis has tackled super-serious stuff in the past (most notably in his book Powers), so I hope that this “fun” book eventually fleshes itself as something more important with all of the elements that make a book work instead of just the lighthearted stuff. The story is basically The Avengers assembling. We've got Iron Man and Spider-Man and Hawkeye and both Captain Americas and Thor and Wolverine and Spiderwoman. Obviously, it's a lot of great characters to work with. Kang is the villain from the future, but the last page reveals that an evil Hulk might be the mastermind. The story is fairly lame but the art by John Romita, Jr. is epic, awesome stuff. It's a fun book so far but has a long way to go to before it becomes anything more than a colorful romp. **1/2
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