Review- AVENGERS BY BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS VOL. 3

AVENGERS BY BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS VOL. 3 (Marvel, 2012; Hardcover)

Collects Avengers Nos. 18-24, 24.1 (cover dates December, 2011- May, 2012)

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Artist: Daniel Acuna (18-20, 23, 24), Renato Guedes (21, 22), and Brandon Peterson (24.1)

It's the Norman Osborn, Red Hulk, and S.H.I.E.L.D. show! Lots of bad Bendis talking head dialogue to be had here, only this time Bendis doesn't have heavyweights like Neal Adams or Mike Deodato to save his sorry ass with their artwork. Daniel Acuna is mediocre, while Renato Guedes turns in some interesting work. 

I guess that Storm is now an Avenger, which is totally stupid. Why is Bendis so intent on cross-pollinating The Avengers with every other team out there? He has made being an Avenger meaningless. They'll probably have Deadpool become a member next. Why not? It couldn't suck any worse than it does now. At least Bendis brought the Vision back. Oh wait, he's the one that killed him 8 years ago. I suspect that this is all set-up for the Age of Ultron mini-series being released next year. You can't really do Ultron without the Vision and/or Henry Pym (a/k/a Ant-Man/ Giant-Man/ Goliath/ Yellowjacket). 

There is a lame scene where the Vision threatens Magneto that supposedly sets the stage for the Avengers Vs. X-Men mini-series. I'm passing on that one, as the oversized hardcover has glued binding, which is a joke for a book that large. Plus, I am having a hard time stomaching all of this Bendis writing lately.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 2 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Typical Marvel Premiere Edition Hardcover, with the same production values, advantages and shortcomings that the format has to offer.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Nice thick coated stock, perfect for this material.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. It's glued, but it's a thin hardcover, so it's no biggie. It's not like it's going to fall apart or anything. I normally lose sleep over books with glued binding, but not with these Premiere Hardcovers.

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