Review: Avengers #21

It’s pretty fast-paced here as Osborn’s HAMMER continues to subdue Steve Rogers’ unit. It’s hostile and tentatively a holistic strike of deft tactics here as all of the big hitters Rogers had in mind crumble. A bit too easily. But Osborn has seemed to come better this time around as the New Avengers could attest to.

Guedes’ art is decent but not topnotch like his Wolverine material. He does lay out some obtuse and acute panels with a diagonal array that
really impresses. Seeing Iron Man compromised as well as the other Avengers broken down to primordial states remind us of when Batman’s secret files got leaked in TOWER OF BABEL as the Avengers here are incapacitated with some ease. Nonetheless, it’s a well-worked issue, but still swims on a plot where little progression has been made. It seems a whole 23 pages was dedicated to a swarm of attack that could have filled a few pages. That aside, not even the romantic banter and sexual tension between Hawkeye and Jess Drew could upturn an arbitrary attack of conscience from Bendis to have HAMMER spanking Rogers with a threat he should have seen coming and been ready for…miles away. It seems elementary to have all Avengers incapacitated so easily, but that’s Bendis for you. One minute, they can stop Siege, the next…they can’t wipe their own asses. (7/10)