New Avengers #61

I'm pleasantly surprised at how well Bendis handles every character who shows up in this issue. Winter Cap is heroic and hard-core, like he should be. The Real Cap is quick, efficient, and inspirational, plus he picks up his old Waid-era photonic shield! Spider-Man and Spider-Woman have a series of amusing conversations on a roof-top, and dang if Bendis doesn't write a great Spider-Man. He's so quirky and clever that Spider-Woman actually seems uncomfortable with him, which is a fun dynamic. And best of all Bendis gets his villains right too. The Living Laser uses his powers the same way we've always seen them, as does the Corruptor. They face down the two Caps and lose, of course, but neither seems to be killed. Mandrill is as creepy and shocking as we expect and I loved seeing him take command of Spider-Woman. (It is interesting that there are two mind-controllers in this issue with Corruptor and Mandrill). I will say I didn't think the Griffin was this inteligent anymore, I thought he was a crazy animal, but I suppose I can go along with him as a hard-working crook who just wants to get paid; I think that is what he was in his first appearances in Marvel Team-Up.

The art by Stuart Immonen is as wondeful as always, he handles most of the Cap sequences. Daniel Acuna draws the spidery portions of the issue, and he's a fantastic fit for the Avengers. His style looks almost photo-realistic except that he's a master of capturing the madness of comic book design. His Mandrill looks like a perfect blend of super-villain and actual monkey.

Good