Dark Avengers: The Complete Collection

Dark Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis #1-3

by Brian Michael Bendis, Mike Deodato (Illustrator), Greg Horn (Artist)

Collects Dark Avengers (2009) #1-6, #9-16 and Annual #1. Dark times call for Dark Avengers! As Norman Osborn's Dark Reign begins, he assembles a terrifying team in his own image! Who are his handpicked Hawkeye, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Ms. Marvel and more? The answers will shock you! Donning the armor of Iron Patriot, stormin' Norman leads his Avengers into action - but soon they'll face a foe they can't the deadly, deranged Molecule Man! Meanwhile, Marvel Boy joins the new regime, but he has no idea how sinister a gang the Dark Avengers actually is. How will he react when he finds out? After years of mystery, the secrets of the Sentry are finally revealed! Dark Avengers assemble!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

350 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 26, 2017

About the author

A 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.

Reviews

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. So I’ve been reading this and and the New Avengers in order. Bouncing back and forth between the two. This was pretty good. It was cool seeing Osborne recruit his Dark Avengers. Plus I enjoyed the story arc that started back in the other book with Doom and Morgan le Fay. The stuff with those rouge Atlantians attacking was just ok. But the stuff with Phobos, Ares and Nick Fury was a nice touch. But that brings us to the story bit about Owen Reece, the Molecule man. I’m not sure if there was another book with him in it that showed why he was where he was and doing all that stuff he was doing, but this part felt shoe horned in. It came out of nowhere which made it kind of jarring. I feel like it might have only been put in here to show off the Sentry’s power set. I did like the Annual with Noh-Varr. The end of this book did focus a lot on the Sentry. There was some confusing things going with him earlier in here that was luckily explained later. But, if I’m not mistaken, when the new Ultron showed up I remember him killing The Sentry’s wife. So how was she alive after that? Did I miss something or did Bendis? Anyhoo another solid entry from Bendis.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collects Dark Avengers (2009) issues #1-6, #9-16, and Dark Avengers Annual #1

The first section of this book is about the creation of the Dark Avengers. In the wake of "Secret Invasion," Norman Osborn has been given the proverbial keys to the kingdom. As the leader of the Thunderbolts, he helped lead humanity to victory against the Skrull invasion. Tony Stark and the real Avengers have been kicked out of power by the American government, and Norman Osborn was given the authority to form his own team of Avengers. Osborn decides to use a mixture of real Avengers and some of his former Thunderbolt teammates. Disguised as the true Avengers, below I have a list of the line-up for Osborn's Dark Avengers, including their true identities:

-Iron Patriot = Norman Osborn
-Ms. Marvel = Moonstone
-Hawkeye = Bullseye
-Spider-Man = the Mac Gargan version of Venom
-Wolverine = Daken (Logan's son)
-Captain Marvel = Noh-Varr
-The Sentry
-Ares

In this collection, they come to the aid of Dr. Doom, while trying to figure out this new team's dynamics.

The conclusion of this series ties into the Marvel event, "Siege." This collection brings a close to the "Dark Avengers" series, while also filling in some holes for the story happening in the "Siege" event.

Before reading this collection, I had never read about the true origin of Sentry before, so I appreciated those issues.

This volume also had me realizing that Victoria Hand isn't so much a villain, as she is a patriot with her own views on what will make the country (and world) safer. For some reason she believes that Norman Osborn can make the world better, so in a lot of ways her actions are heroic.

SPOILERS:

Even Captain America recognized this in Hand, and I was happy to see what happened for her at the end of this volume.

I read this collection after reading "Siege," and I think the story would have benefited from reading the books side-by-side.

[David Muñoz · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the craziness of the ‘Secret Invasion’ event, Norman Osborn takes a new position in power as the leader of the Avengers, and director of the now defunct S.H.I.E.L.D. He’s replaced all the heroes with some previous baddies and even two previous Avengers. The team consists of Hawkeye (Bullseye), Ms. Marvel (Moonstone), Wolverine (Daken), Spider-Man (Venom), Captain Marvel (Marvel Boy), and already members being Sentry and Ares. To top it off Norman Osborn embodies the two faces of the original Avengers and becomes the Iron Patriot. Together they form a Thunderbolts-like team, where their identities are hidden and whether or not their intentions are good, is unknown. They save Doctor Doom from Morgana Le Fay, defeat some Atlantean Terrorists, and best the all powerful Molocule Man. They seem to do well with all these missions, making the only thing in their way, themselves.

Brian Michael Bendis is the writer on this project which makes a lot of sense since he was the main writer on ‘Secret Invasion’ and ‘New Avengers’. So with that it really shows his shine in writing an Avengers/team book. The chemistry between the characters was great (even though they didn’t get along) and the drama was perfect! Of course with it being Bendis, the dialogue and flow was a 10/10, making moments that were more plot driven still very entertaining. I never felt much of a dull moment and each issue left me wanting more. I will say one problem I had with the overall read was its placement of being in between 2/ kinda 3 tie-in events. It takes place right after ‘Secret Invasion’, 2 issues are a part of the ‘Utopia’ X-men event (not included in this collection), and ends with the ‘Siege’ event. Bendis does a pretty decent job of making sure the series feels self-contained, but towards the end it gets tough unless you’ve read these other events. Now sure you could just simply read those, but I was under the impression this would be a nice standalone read. If it wasn’t for how enthralling the read was, and Bendis giving us great entertainment, It probably would’ve lost a whole star. So good job Brian.

Mike Deodato is the main artist on this small run and he delivers a solid job. Deodato is a classic name from the 2000’s that was one of the biggest faces for Marvel at the time. The work in this read shows why. His character designs are awesome along with the dark tone he’s able to display. I remember seeing Deodato all over my LCS shop as a kid so there’s also that nostalgic feeling I have with his work that really helps with the enjoyment of this book. I will say there were a handful of copy and paste panels, but with his pacing and flow, it wasn't something I was too mad about.

Overall; The start of the book is some really great stuff and it only falls a tiny bit due to all the tie-in stuff happening at the time. It’s still very enjoyable however and Bendis’s writing saves it all around. Artwork is also very solid and helps with the flow and feel of the read. I’d still recommend checking out, but maybe read this one in the order it’s “supposed” to be read in. 3.5 Stars.

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a exiting turn to the Avengers, but could have a better ending.

[Caleb Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great marvel multiverse story showcasing the humanity of these (anti)heroes. Good and evil is never truly black and white, and the Dark Avengers really dive right into the shades of grey that are behind tough decisions amidst highly tense situations. The evils of bureaucracy can be much more cut and dry than individual motivations when you can see the intentions and motivations the characters are faced with. I really enjoyed the concept and formation of the Dark Avengers.

[Judah Radd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really didn’t expect to like this; instead, I ended up loving it. It was spectacular.

Pro-tip; if you read Siege without also reading this, you are doing yourself a disservice. They are both equally essential to Bendis’s vision.

The characterizations of Osborne and his Dark Avengers were so deep and dark. Victoria Hand also ended up being a fantastically flawed character. There were so many personality collisions... it really was a thing to behold.

The Sentry is remained true to form. His story was 100% a tragedy, and it took Paul Jenkins’s original concept to it’s natural conclusion. The art was amazing.

This is a must read.

[Dony Grayman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Casi que integral de Dark Avengers, que trae del 1 al 16 más el anual, salvo los números 7 y 8, que seguro están en el tomo de su correspondiente crossover

[Aaron Brand · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting take on what the Avengers would be like if run by an insane egomaniac (as opposed to the noble egomaniac of Tony Stark). Unfortunately I missed out on some important back story that led to Norman Osborne being given the keys to SHIELD and The Avengers; fortunately, the book opened with a one-page explainer to fill me in.

The material covered in this omnibus graphic novel was exceptional. The problem, as is usually the case when reading the collected comics around a storyline rather than a single run event, is that it feels very disjointed at times. The Sentry figured prominently, which was cool, but then just tailed off at the end with no closure. Noh-Varr seemed pretty pointless early on, only to be revived midway through the book and given new powers, but then never factored into the story again. The changes that Mac Gargan were undergoing were never fully hashed out, nor was Moonstone's motivations within the team. These were all concepts introduced within the book, so filling in gaps with supplemental literature does not really suffice as an excuse.

I also found it difficult on many a two-page spreads whether I was to read all the way across or down the left page and over to the right (traditional layout). The scene borders lined up too many times but there wasn't any consistency on when to expect it and when to ignore it.

Still, 3/5 for keeping me entertained and diving into the minds of a few well-known but under utilized characters.

[Jordan Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dark Avengers is probably one of my favorite newer Marvel superhero lines. Unlike the goody twoshoes regular Avengers, Norman Osbourn’s motley crew of replacement superheroes are made up of flawed criminals, and, are for the most part dangerous to others, and themselves. Totally different than typical good guys and I think that’s why I’ve enjoyed what Bendis was able to produce.

Dark Avengers: Complete collection takes the minuscule 16 issues and puts them all together in a coherent and chronological timeline, though this publication does seem to be missing a chunk of the X-Men/X-Force storyline that sets up more things down the line. Also missing is the phenomenal Siege issues...thank god I read that batch of stories before this, cuz it definitely wouldn’t have made sense otherwise.

Still though, great story with some of the most consistent artwork makes for an easy 4 stars from me.

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's so much story here that it wound up shunted into other books (e.g., Dark Wolverine, Dark Spider-Man, Dark Jarvis). And I think Bendis's Norman Osborn as a pseudo-Tony Stark / master tactician levels him way up. That happened in Earth X, too. I wonder if it's anywhere else.

Norman is a guy who hired Fancy Dan to kill Spider-Man. Norman is a guy who throws pumpkin bombs and has a goofy costume. Norman is a guy who followed around a teenager because he had a grudge and kidnapped his girlfriend. He's not really a leader of men or someone with deep insight into psychology. He usually thinks people are psychopaths like him are tools to be trampled underfoot.

But anyway, this Norman is a good villain and these villains playing dress-up stop short of being full "edgy" dystopia.

[Ronan The Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one BMB’s most consistently well written series. Every character was distinct and convincing, and he really made Norman Osborn a complex character. With the sociopathic, volatile ingredients used to construct these Dark Avengers, it was bound to blow up in everyone’s face. Osborne and Hand, however, did a relatively good job of keeping the ship steered. While it is hard to believe the world would be ok with Osborne’s rise to power, and his Avengers team, once you get past that, it’s all fairly fascinating. They take on real threats, like Molecule Man. And The Sentry was, to be fair, already an Avenger and a ticking time bomb. This collection doesn’t include Siege (which is great), and the event that sums up this whole era. I would highly recommended that event, and this collection.

[Lucas · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Dark Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis takes place after the Skrull Invasion. Since Green Goblin killed the Queen Skrull and Tony Stark resigned, Norman Osborn took over the Avengers and assembled his own team of “heroes”.

The concept itself sounds very entertaining but sadly, the story does not do it justice. The biggest problem I had with the book was how they DIDN’T EVEN DRAW the most important action chapters; the fight between the Dark Avengers and the X-Men and the final fight between the Dark Avengers and the Avengers both WEREN’T DRAWN. Because of the lack of action scenes in the complete collection, the story was short, lame, and overall kinda boring. Also, apparently, Captain America comes back to life but the story DOESN’T EVEN MENTION HOW. In summary, the Dark Avengers is a 3.5/5 story AT BEST. I would NOT RECOMMEND to anyone unless you’re really bored or you’re a huge fan of Marvel Comics.

Thanks for reading my review!

[Omar Gómez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark Avengers The Complete Collection

Dark Avengers calificación 4/5 estrellas.

  Al parecer lo mejor de Bendis, me agradaron Iron Patriot (Osborn), Sentry /the Void, Hawkeye (Bulleyes), Spider-Man (simbiote), Wolverine (Daken) y Victoria Hand.

  Debieron continuar la historia con esta alineación en una carrera más larga. Mi favoritos Osborn (intentó hacer las cosas correctas aunque no fueran tan éticas sus acciones) y the Void (enfrentando a Molecule Man).

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars and rounding up. Great story of the new Dark Avengers under Norman Osborn's leadership. This group of misfit criminals pose as heroes but can't stop fighting amongst themselves. Now I'll have to see if I can track down the graphic novels which fill in some gaps.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly (maybe not so surprisingly) I enjoyed this...a good comic "yarn." Interesting, I think, to finally learn a little bit about Sentry...and I'm always up for some Molecule Man.

[The_J · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gritty psychological look under the other sides hoods, because why be yourself, when you can just pretend to be someone else?

[Alam]

Read

[Steven W · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good series!!

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good but it was odd missing issues in it

[Cédrick Pelletier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une équipe plutôt intéressante, je m’attendais à plus.

7/10

[Eldon Farrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good lead in to the Siege event! Well written and atmospheric too :)

[Daniel Citron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended by Douglas Wolk as a book which evokes what it’s like when the government is captured by bad actors.

[Christian Oliverio · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dark Avengers is what it would look like if the Avengers were all secretly villains controlled by the government.

The premise is what sold me on looking into this collection of stories. We get to see Osborn form his own Avengers for his own nefarious purposes... except, is he actually nefarious? The series does a good job showing Osborn trying to redeem himself from the Green Goblin, fighting madness and trying to do a genuinely good job. This is great when paired with the Sentry, who is insane and Osborn is the only one keeping him in check. I loved how each of them were given such nuance amid the selfish villain teammates, leading to some interesting conflict within the team.

Another thing I appreciated is when a major event happened (like Utopia and Siege), the book would pause and summarize them. This was great, although you would need to carefully google the story without spoiling it, so you could read it yourself. While Utopia wasn't 'necessary' (but still read it), Siege was very important as it wraps up this whole era of Marvel.

But what about what we read in this volume? Well, we get the Dark Avenger's first mission, which is to protect Dr. Doom from Morgana. This was largely a giant fight scene, but was well done as we got to see how the villains worked together and how ruthless they were in dealing with enemies. It was a great example of character-building through action. It was just a fun ride.

There is a standalone with Ares and his son, which was okay. We got to see Nick Fury being awesome, which was nice, but largely inconsequential. Then there was a story with small town mysteriously disappearing. This was pretty solid as we get to see how well Osborn and Victoria Hand work together in their problem solving skills and it may have set up Siege. Plus the Sentry truly shines.

Which leads us Sentry's retconned origin (part 1). It was very interesting seeing this as his dangerous nature kept building during the whole story. While his backstory is explained, we also get to see the true villain manipulating the whole Cabal... Won't spoil it, but if you like fun villain centered stories, this is a fine collection.

[Index Purga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Complete Edition que aparentemente contiene exactamente los mismos números que el Dark Avengers: Omnibus.