Avengers #26

This sure feels more like a missing chapter from Secret Avengers than the newest Avengers title. Perhaps it’s because of the odd way the Secret Avengers title has been pre-empted by a bunch of “core” Avengers, but this was an odd issue.

It sure looks like Bendis is getting ready to move Protector off the main stage. He hasn’t made a full heel turn yet, but betraying your teammates is a good way to get booted off the team. There are a whole lot of pages dealing with Protector saying goodbye (and perhaps setting up his girlfriend as a replacement), but my problem is I’ve never really loved the character. So the quiet, poignant moments are a bit lost on me.

The rest of the issue was portrayed more strongly in last month’s Secret Avengers. I appreciate that Thor is once again the big dog putting down the threat, but the story seems oddly split.

Walter Simonson is still a great artist, but this issue looks really rushed. The pages with Protector on Earth are sketchy, and the faces in the space bound portions are inconsistent. For every great panel of Thor bringing it to the Phoenix, we’ve got a chubby-cheeked Ms. Marvel looking too young. The Beast’s look is pretty inconsistent too, going from ape to cat from page to page. Clearly, Simonson can bring it, look at that cover. I wonder why the inside doesn’t hold up as nicely.

Average