Avengers has been by far one of my favorite running series ever since around Avengers Disassembled. Brian Micheal Bendis keeps throwing curve balls to these titles and continues to entertain. In Avengers 7 he even goes so far as throwing a new Hulk into the mix. Did I think this book is starting to wear out it’s welcome or is this yet another brilliant move in a long line of great story telling. Read on to find out true believers!
This issue opens pretty strongly with a group of men out in the middle of a Hoth like snowstorm looking for the remains of the Inhumans city of Attilan. Then after the guide points it out all hell breaks loose and the other man turns on him. This man as we soon find out is none other then The Red Hood. Still hungry for power after having a big gulp of the Nordstones that Loki gave him during Osborns rule of the Marvel Universe. We see as The Red Hood is looking in every inch of what was the royal palace for …something. That something turns out to be One of the Infinity Gems!! Now I am going to take a quick break and just tell you how much I used to LOVE the whole Infinity Gauntlet back in the day. I was a fan! I got all geeky when they showed the glove at comic con last year and you better believe when the Hood found the first of the six Infinity Gems I was a very happy man!
Hoods first gem was Reality in which he has control all of the reality around him. He uses this gem to find the next one that as it turns out is being hidden by Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four in a mini Universe. This is no problem however for The Hood as he already has the reality gem. He soon gets the second gem which turns out to be Power and promptly uses it on Red Hulk to beat the living snot out of him.It is at this point that the story switches up modes a bit and starts to turn the focus away from the Hood and back on our Avengers as they are dealing with Wonderman’s concern for the Avengers being reformed. Both Ironman and Thor are confronting Simon aka Wonderman and they just can’t seem to change his mind into thinking the reformation of The Avengers is a good thing. They then head back to Avengers tower where it looks like The Protector (AKA formerly Captain Marvel of the Dark Avengers) has brought home a girl and they are all having what seems like a very civil conversation…until Red Hulk comes flying through the window covered in his own blood and utters one phrase before passing out. “Infinity”. End Comic.
As you can imagine I can NOT wait til the next issue as hopefully we will see The Red Hood going after the other gems and Earths Mightiest Heroes trying to stop him. This could be a great cat and mouse story for a while until the mouse turns on the cat and tries to eat it! I simply can’t resist a good Infinity Gem/Gauntlet story and I have a distinct feeling like we are going to get doozy crafted by Bendis himself!
Final Verdict:Go pick this up and stay put for what is sure to be an epic tale by the masters of comicdom Bendis and Romita Jr.
Sheldon Lee
Sheldon@comicimpact.com