Dark Avengers #2: Norman Osborn, "noble knight"???

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The comic today came out two months ago.

Dark Avengers #2

by Brian Bendis and Mike Deodato

Ever since Iron Man's idiocy brought the Skrulls to invade Earth, and Spidey made a deal with Mephisto, the devil, our Marvel heroes just haven't been the same. No comic book captures the Marvel zeitgeist better than Dark Avengers. In a climate where our heroes have failed and the "villains" take their place, I am definitely enjoying some schadenfreude at Marvel Heroes's expenses!

You take Spidey's archnemesis and call him Spider-Man. Take a mastermind backstabber and call her Ms. Marvel. Take Iron Man's armor, give it Captain America's colors, and let Norman Osborn, formerly the Green Goblin, wear it! I give you the Avengers! (-- link to Dark Avengers #1).

In this second issue, things are slower-paced, and the story suffers for it. Norman Osborn rallies his H.A.M.M.E.R. troops much like Nick Fury would rally his former S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, except it turns out that some of the HAMMER members are from Hydra, a terrorist group, which, um, sounds a little strange, because Osborn's supposed to be weeding those guys out.

Thereafter, the issue involves the Avengers meeting Morgana Le Fay, a sorceress who has a grudge against Doctor Doom. They say some ridiculous dialogue and eventually confront Morgana.

I love, love, love how she refers to Norman Osborn. Just four years ago, this "noble knight" had Peter Parker's Aunt May buried alive, and was about to toss his wife Mary Jane over the George Washington Bridge after forcing Peter to bail him out of prison!

This comic book gets as comic book-y as you get. Even if the Avengers rip Morgana's head off, she can travel back from her time (Medieval period) and come back. Then she lets loose a bunch of spells that spell havoc for the Avengers!

Heh. I certainly enjoyed this issue, but probably for the wrong reasons. 4 bucks is way too much to spend on 22 pages, plus you have the ever-dreaded Bendis-speak. 

Brian Bendis tends to write all his dialogues the same way -- quick, back-and-forth question and answers. The problem is, this fits teenagers and maybe crime stories better. NOT stories where you have a diverse number of characters with their own dark backgrounds. Here's an excerpt:

Victor?
He alright?
Is it really him?
It is.
What's wrong with him? I thought this was the big 'ol Doctor Doom. I thought he--
She took him down. She got him.
Doom?
Never thought I'd be looking at him.

All things considered though, even despite the Bendis-speak, I am love, love, loving this "villains-as-heroes" inversion, especially with Norman Osborn. The third issue actually does a better job!

Read all of my Dark Avengers reviews:
Issue #1: the perfect middle finger
Issue #2: Norman Osborn, noble knight
Issue #3 and 4: There is no Void!
Issue #5: starring Tommy Lee Jones