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The New Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis: The Complete Collection
The New Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis: The Complete Collection, Vol. 3
Brian Michael Bendis' long-running Avengers saga continues! The Civil War is over, and America is transformed. As Iron Man's Mighty Avengers serve as the vanguard of the Initiative, a group of rebel Avengers begin their new lives as outlaws! The hunt is on for Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Spider-Woman, Doctor Strange, Iron Fist -and someone taking on the mantle of Ronin! But when the rebel team finds a huge clue to the threat that has faced them since the day they banded together, will the truth destroy them from within? COLLECTING: CIVIL WAR: THE INITIATIVE, NEW AVENGERS (2004) 26-37, NEW AVENGERS ANNUAL (2006) 2, NEW AVENGERS: ILLUMINATI (2007) 1-5
496 pages, Paperback
First published December 12, 2007
12 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
Brian Michael Bendis
4,416 books2,569 followersA comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim (including five Eisner Awards) and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For over eight years Bendis’s books have consistently sat in the top five best sellers on the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts.
Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.
Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.
Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.
Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.
Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.
He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.
Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.
Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.
Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.
Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.
Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.
He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 12, 2018
Covers the New Avengers from post Civil War up to Secret Invasion. Ronin's character design is fantastic. Marvel really needs to bring the character back. The revelation at the end of The Hand story actually made me gasp the first time I read it. I like how the book dovetails with what is happening over in Mighty Avengers. Bendis makes brilliant use of The Hood. He seems to be the only person who knows how to handle the character. I really like how Bendis leads us up to Secret Invasion in both the main book and Illuminati.
The New Avengers, Volume 6: Revolution
The New Avengers, Volume 7: The Trust
The New Avengers: Illuminati
The New Avengers, Volume 6: Revolution
The New Avengers, Volume 7: The Trust
The New Avengers: Illuminati
June 29, 2022
This is some great stuff! Particularly the Illuminati bits toward the end.
Sign me up for the whole long run!
Sign me up for the whole long run!
September 8, 2020
This volume of the New Avengers takes place in the middle of the Civil War story line and does suffer a little for it. The story tends to get a bit jumbled with everyone fighting everyone. There is also a feeling of an over-reliance on splash pages. Jesus, you undermine the emotional response of the splash page but employing it endlessly for no reason.
Still many of the stories are entertaining. The art is all over the map from good to not good. The Illuminati part was interesting, though I am not sold on the whole Beyonder as an Inhuman. A good enough volume, though I must admit I am getting a bit New Avengered out. Time for a break. However, those of you that are still interested in this- it's a good read. Collecting the Civil War coflicts and the Illuminati manuverings, it is a fun read though nothing amazing.
Still many of the stories are entertaining. The art is all over the map from good to not good. The Illuminati part was interesting, though I am not sold on the whole Beyonder as an Inhuman. A good enough volume, though I must admit I am getting a bit New Avengered out. Time for a break. However, those of you that are still interested in this- it's a good read. Collecting the Civil War coflicts and the Illuminati manuverings, it is a fun read though nothing amazing.
July 26, 2018
Civil War: The Initiative. Despite the name, this is a pretty transparent setup for two post-Civil War series, Omega Flight and the newest incarnation of The Thunderbolts. There's also a tiny bit of Avengers in there that's a setup for Mighty Avengers, but for some reason it's not flagged like the others. In any case, this is an entirely pragmatic "story" that's nonetheless a good transition from the Civil War to what comes next [3/5].
Hawkeye (#26). A nice bit of continuity here, revealing the current status of the missing Clint Barton and Wanda Maximoff. There's not a lot of plot here, but this was a great signal that Bendis wasn't letting these plotlines go, and it had beautiful artwork by Alex Maleev, my favorite of Bendis' artistic partners [4/5].
Revolution (#27-31). The first time I read this arc, I found it confusing, but on later reads I can better appreciate its unorthodox plot structure. This story does a great job of laying out the status of all the Avengers post-Civil War, of having an exciting return to Japan and Echo, and of setting up the Secret Invasion with a stunning revelation. (Sadly, Secret Invasion drops the ball, but that's literally another story.) By juggling all these plot points, "Revolution" creates a story that always interesting [4/5].
Prelude to Invasion (#32). This issue really should have gone with "Revolution" in the original trades, since it's the story of Spider-Woman's sudden-but-inevitable betrayal. Beyond that, it's a lot of talking, but it's good talking because it tries to tie together the strings of Bendis' story to date, where both SHIELD and Hydra had been compromised. Mind you, I think that Bendis strung his story out for too long, because by the time I'd gotten to this 32nd issue, I'd lost most of the threads, going back to the first arc, but when you reread them all, you can see he was headed to the Secret Invasion the whole time [4/5].
The Trust (#33-37 + A#2). The Hood was one of the most interesting characters in the Bendis Avengers run, and this major story shows him to full effect, as a demon, as a failure, and as a leader, all in different parts. Bendis also has some fun deconstructing standard heroic tropes in his treatment of Tigra, something that would follow her for the next few years. However, the story has more depth than that thanks to its sidelines about skrulls and the Mighty Avengers. Put it all together and you have an arc that feels like a major milestone for the Avengers storyline [4/5].
Illuminati. The Illuminati mini-series is a fun romp through Marvel history, retconning the Illuminati group into several historical events, from the Kree-Skrull War to the arrival of Marvel Boy. The plot is a little light, which weakens these stories on reread, but the history is fun, and it turns the Illuminati into a concrete group, much to the benefit of Hickman's future Avengers run. The last issue is something else: it's a direct response to the discovery of skrull-Electra, and it's a great setup for the Secret Invasion to come [3+/5].
Hawkeye (#26). A nice bit of continuity here, revealing the current status of the missing Clint Barton and Wanda Maximoff. There's not a lot of plot here, but this was a great signal that Bendis wasn't letting these plotlines go, and it had beautiful artwork by Alex Maleev, my favorite of Bendis' artistic partners [4/5].
Revolution (#27-31). The first time I read this arc, I found it confusing, but on later reads I can better appreciate its unorthodox plot structure. This story does a great job of laying out the status of all the Avengers post-Civil War, of having an exciting return to Japan and Echo, and of setting up the Secret Invasion with a stunning revelation. (Sadly, Secret Invasion drops the ball, but that's literally another story.) By juggling all these plot points, "Revolution" creates a story that always interesting [4/5].
Prelude to Invasion (#32). This issue really should have gone with "Revolution" in the original trades, since it's the story of Spider-Woman's sudden-but-inevitable betrayal. Beyond that, it's a lot of talking, but it's good talking because it tries to tie together the strings of Bendis' story to date, where both SHIELD and Hydra had been compromised. Mind you, I think that Bendis strung his story out for too long, because by the time I'd gotten to this 32nd issue, I'd lost most of the threads, going back to the first arc, but when you reread them all, you can see he was headed to the Secret Invasion the whole time [4/5].
The Trust (#33-37 + A#2). The Hood was one of the most interesting characters in the Bendis Avengers run, and this major story shows him to full effect, as a demon, as a failure, and as a leader, all in different parts. Bendis also has some fun deconstructing standard heroic tropes in his treatment of Tigra, something that would follow her for the next few years. However, the story has more depth than that thanks to its sidelines about skrulls and the Mighty Avengers. Put it all together and you have an arc that feels like a major milestone for the Avengers storyline [4/5].
Illuminati. The Illuminati mini-series is a fun romp through Marvel history, retconning the Illuminati group into several historical events, from the Kree-Skrull War to the arrival of Marvel Boy. The plot is a little light, which weakens these stories on reread, but the history is fun, and it turns the Illuminati into a concrete group, much to the benefit of Hickman's future Avengers run. The last issue is something else: it's a direct response to the discovery of skrull-Electra, and it's a great setup for the Secret Invasion to come [3+/5].
August 6, 2025
Odlično i dalje, uvod u Secret invasion koji baš volim
August 23, 2017
I liked this Post - Civil War story line and the beginning of the Secret Invasion storyline, The last couple of issues collected here are the Illuminati issues, so not technically New Avengers.
Also a couple of the Jessica Jones storyline issues of her new mother experiences, that end with her leaving the new Avengers and going to Avengers Tower for protection. (Part of which I read in Jessica Jones: Avenger )
Also a couple of the Jessica Jones storyline issues of her new mother experiences, that end with her leaving the new Avengers and going to Avengers Tower for protection. (Part of which I read in Jessica Jones: Avenger )
June 4, 2025
The third volume of the New Avengers Modern Era Epic Collection line follows up on the fallout of Civil War. Captain America is dead and the New Avengers are wanted criminals, illegal vigilantes being hunted down by Iron Man and SHIELD.
The first few issues of the story felt messy in their pacing and storytelling. Despite that I enjoyed the interactions between the cast, as they battled villians and ninjas across New York and Japan. There is a particularly interesting storyline about villians organising under the villian "The Hood", taking advantage of the fact that the "heroes" are spending more time fighting each other than crime.
Once the Skrull plot line begins, the story really gains focus, as tensions rise and no one knows who to trust. The build-up to Secret Invasion is further developed in the "Illuminati" issues. I really enjoyed the murky, morally dubious actions of the Illuminati, as these "heroes" pull the strings behind the scenes, and their actions come back to haunt them.
Overall probably not as strong as some of the earlier New Avengers, but the buildup to Secret Invasion is exciting and tense.
The first few issues of the story felt messy in their pacing and storytelling. Despite that I enjoyed the interactions between the cast, as they battled villians and ninjas across New York and Japan. There is a particularly interesting storyline about villians organising under the villian "The Hood", taking advantage of the fact that the "heroes" are spending more time fighting each other than crime.
Once the Skrull plot line begins, the story really gains focus, as tensions rise and no one knows who to trust. The build-up to Secret Invasion is further developed in the "Illuminati" issues. I really enjoyed the murky, morally dubious actions of the Illuminati, as these "heroes" pull the strings behind the scenes, and their actions come back to haunt them.
Overall probably not as strong as some of the earlier New Avengers, but the buildup to Secret Invasion is exciting and tense.
April 5, 2020
My first graphic novel of 2020 and, to be honest, I’m a bit disappointed.
It goes without saying that Bendis is a freaking genius when it comes to compelling storylines. His previous New Avengers and even Jessica Jones MAX comics were exciting, readable, and told stories that made you want to read the next installment.
With the third collection of The New Avengers, though, that streak has ended.
The problem with vol. 3 is that it’s not nearly as cohesive or well told as the first 2 volumes. With the civil at storyline wrapped up, and with the Avengers fractured, there’s just too many divergent plot threads and too many characters now to be able to tell something that feels 100% cohesive. I get that trying to rope in something like 40+ superheroes is a daunting job, but Bendis is better at it then this particular collection shows.
I also know this one stands as a prologue for the “Secret Invasion” so trying get that one going and conclude the events from Civil War and have throwbacks to the “Secret War” stuff and mash it all together is a huge undertaking. To be honest, this could have been a lot worse.
It goes without saying that Bendis is a freaking genius when it comes to compelling storylines. His previous New Avengers and even Jessica Jones MAX comics were exciting, readable, and told stories that made you want to read the next installment.
With the third collection of The New Avengers, though, that streak has ended.
The problem with vol. 3 is that it’s not nearly as cohesive or well told as the first 2 volumes. With the civil at storyline wrapped up, and with the Avengers fractured, there’s just too many divergent plot threads and too many characters now to be able to tell something that feels 100% cohesive. I get that trying to rope in something like 40+ superheroes is a daunting job, but Bendis is better at it then this particular collection shows.
I also know this one stands as a prologue for the “Secret Invasion” so trying get that one going and conclude the events from Civil War and have throwbacks to the “Secret War” stuff and mash it all together is a huge undertaking. To be honest, this could have been a lot worse.
May 11, 2024
This volume suffered exactly what I feared would happen in the aftermath of Civil War, in that the series has to establish a whole new tone and status quo now that the team are all fugitives on the lam, and it just doesn't hit the same. At the same time though, it has to turn right around and start setting up Secret Invasion, and it just leaves no room for anything resembling the New Avengers in their heyday. The Illuminati miniseries at the end of the volume had its strong moments, it's a story I've wanted to read for a long time, but even it was eventually reduced to just being a Secret Invasion tie-in at the very end. If only just because this book feels so drastically different from what it was when it started, I have to say this is easily the weakest volume of this run so far.
June 21, 2020
Bendis for some reason doesnt always work for me. I liked parts of this but at times I feel he does his heavy dialogue.
July 16, 2020
The Illuminati stuff at the end really saved this for me
February 1, 2021
Love Leinil Francis Yu's art.
July 21, 2022
Great build-up to Secret Invasion and setting up The Hood as a solid villain.
June 30, 2024
it's a good book, a lot of winding in parallel to events rather than being its own narrative. but it's got good art and Bendis is a pretty good plotter.
February 1, 2021
This one was a little messier than the previous two, but the highs for me were really high. On the one hand, it does an amazing job setting up the Secret Invasion event, which you can see foreshadowed as early as the first volume and which really ramps up here. On the other, it's dealing with the direct aftermath of Civil War. And although that situation increases the paranoia, it's also something I get the feeling Bendis didn't particularly want or plan as much for, and makes the volume a little less focused. I also continue to love the Illuminati material. They're just so bad at this, but in an understandable and entertaining way.
February 9, 2021
Mostly good stuff, but the Illuminati stretch was pretty ho-hum.
September 14, 2023
(Read in 2014, review from 2023)
The New Avengers series by Brian Michael Bendis ebbed and flowed throughout the run but it was overall a fantastic take on the Avengers.
The New Avengers series by Brian Michael Bendis ebbed and flowed throughout the run but it was overall a fantastic take on the Avengers.
September 24, 2025
A collection of Bendis storytelling that shows us how great comics can actually be!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews