The New Avengers (comics)

This article is for the comic entitled New Avengers. For the team starring in it, see Avengers (comics)

For the TV show, see The New Avengers (TV series).

New Avengers
File:NA1DirectorsCut.png Cover art to New Avengers #1: Director's Cut. Art by David Finch
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Ongoing
Publication date	November 2004 - present
No. of issues	19 + two specials as of June 2006
Main character(s)	Avengers
Creative team as of June 2006
Written by	Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller(s)	Mike Deodato Jr

New Avengers is a comic book published by Marvel Comics. It was launched in November 2004, initially written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by David Finch. It is a relaunch of Avengers Vol. 3, in a [successful] attempt to boost sales by restarting with a new issue 1 and a variant cover program which occurred throughout the first ten issues.

Issues 1-6: "Breakout"

Synopsis

With the Avengers team disbanded after the Avengers: Disassembled arc, and the Fantastic Four and the X-Men unable to act, the supervillain Electro shuts down the S.H.I.E.L.D Raft installation, a maximum security prison for super-powered criminals.

Trapped on the island were S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Jessica Drew (formerly Spider-Woman), Matt Murdock, Foggy Nelson and Luke Cage, there to visit Sentry (Robert Reynolds) , a superhero who had himself imprisoned for killing his wife.

As the villains run amok, heroes Captain America, Spider-Man and Iron Man arrive to calm the situation down. Foggy, locked in with Sentry, asks him to please help, because he is a hero. Sentry finally assents, taking Spider-Man foe Carnage into space and seemingly ripping him in half, although the host is unseen, so Carnage may return. The Sentry then disappears, not returning to the prison.

The riot is quelled with only some forty-two inmates escaped, and Captain America and Iron Man decide that fate has brought this group together, just as it had brought the original team. All heroes but Daredevil, and the Sentry (who is missing at the moment) accept the offer, and the Avengers are reformed.

Spider-Woman questions some of the captured criminals about who Electro was really after, and the inmates reveal that he came to free Sauron.

The Avengers then go to the Savage Land, where they encounter Wolverine, who is searching for Sauron as well: the X-Men recently received a call that the villain was why the breakout occured. After they defeat Sauron and his allies, the team finds out that a rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. faction led by Yelena Belova, the second Black Widow, is in the Savage Land mining vibranium, using the native inhabitants as slave labor.

Iron Man seeks approval from the Illuminati and headquarters the new team in Stark Tower. They allow Wolverine, a known killer, to stay, because he will cross lines that the others will not, and he is what Captain America was to the original team, long ago.

Variant covers

"Young Guns" variants

A selection of "incentive" variant covers, each based on a segment of a sketch by Joe Quesada of the assemb;ed Avengers team by an artist Marvel was pushing as part of its short-lived "Young Guns" promotion, caused controversy when it was announced that the number of variants retailers would be allowed to order would be dependent not only on the number of "normal" versions of each issue (by David Finch) ordered, but on the shop's orders of the prior issues of the arc [1]. As a result, this was quickly revised to be dependent only on orders of the particular issue, in decreasing ratios as the arc went on [2]:

#1 - Steve McNiven (Spider-Man) - 1:20 (ratio in the form 1 variant:number of "regular" issues a shop was required order to be allowed to order one variant)

#2 - Trevor Hairsine (Sentry) - 1:19

#3 - Olivier Coipel (Wolverine) - 1:18

#4 - Jim Cheung (Ronin) - 1:17

#5 - Adi Granov (Luke Cage and Spider-Woman) - 1:16

#6 - Bryan Hitch (Captain America and Iron Man) - 1:15

Other variants

The Quesada image which formed the basis for the "Young Guns" covers was also made available as a cover for issue 1 in its' own right, not tied to orders of the standard or Young Guns cover for the issue [3].

Issue 1 was also reprinted twice after release - with the same interiors as the earlier versions, but a cover by David Finch originally solicited for issue 2, and as a "Directors' Cut" with a partially-coloured version of the original cover art and additional "Behind the Scenes" material.

Issues 7-10: "The Sentry"

Synopsis

Iron Man and Captain America track down the Sentry, who is hiding in a cave. They bring Paul Jenkins, a comic book writer, and Lindy Reynolds, his supposedly dead wife, with them.

Paul Jenkins reveals that he has written a comic book, called the Sentry, for Marvel Comics, which is a company that publishes comic book adventures based on 'real life' superheroes (a long-standing element of Marvel Comics' meta-fiction).

It is revealed that the Sentry's powers are so great that he can change reality to suit him. He has used these powers to make every hero he ever teamed up with forget he exists, and he has made Reed Richards forget a recommendation for Sentry to hide out in the Raft facility.

The Sentry is shocked that his wife is alive, and leaves, but the Fantastic Four, X-Men, Inhumans and Avengers show up to help him. Emma Frost, of the X-Men, reads Robert's mind and finds that a mysterious enemy of his obtained help from mutant mind-controlling villain Mastermind to defeat the Sentry, and cause him to use his powers to make everyone forget he exists.

The Sentry, meanwhile, uses his powers to create an entity, the Void, appear, who fights the superhero teams while Emma repairs his mind. The Sentry is cured, finally, although he still sometimes cannot handle the stress of his arch-foe's manipulation of him.

Variant covers

Startling Stories featuring the Sentry covers

Incentive variants released in a 1:15 ratio, featuring "Startling Stories" logos and "retro" trade dress [4] [5]

#7 - Neal Adams (originally announced as a Dave Cockrum cover [6])

#8 - John Romita, Sr

#9 - Marie Severin (originally announced as a Herb Trimpe cover)

#10 - Sal Buscema (NB: Arc was originally three issues long)

Issues 11-13: "Ronin"

The enigmatic Ronin, recommended by Matt Murdock, joins the team on an expedition to Japan to seize the Silver Samurai. Ronin has not spent much time with the team since, staying in Japan to monitor the Hand, while the Sentry still suffers from his own identity problems, giving him "good days and bad days."

Issues 16-20: "The Collective"

In Alaska, Michael Pointer is hit by the Collective, a massive amount of energy from depowered mutants, a result of the House of M event. He seemingly kills Alpha Flight, and when the Avengers arrive to stop him, Spider-Man discovers that the Collective has the power signatures of the powerless mutants.

The telepaths for S.H.I.E.L.D. read Spider-Man's mind, and find out what happened to reality. The Avengers arrive to free Spider-Man, right as he is released from custody. Collective, meanwhile, arrives in Genosha, home to many depowered mutants, including Magneto.

New Avengers: Illuminati

Published the same month as New Avengers #17

New Avengers: Illuminati is a one-shot, published as part of the "Road To Civil War".

The book begins in flashback with Iron Man calling a meeting in Wakanda immediately following the Kree-Skrull War. Among those present are Iron Man, Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards), Professor Charles Xavier, Black Bolt, Prince Namor of Atlantis, Doctor Strange, and the Black Panther (T'Challa). Iron Man proposes the creation of a governing body of superheroes that will organize the heroes when large events, such as the Kree-Skrull War, so that lives will be saved. Namor shoots down the idea, saying that there are too many "questionable" heroes. "You think you can put these people up as role models and delegates for the entire planet Earth? That is completely deluded," says Namor. However, the heroes agree that there is a need for a common sharing of information. All but T'Challa agree that those currently in the room are trustworthy enough to share information and secrets with. Thus, the formation of the Illuminati.

Years later, the Illuminati meet is to determine the fate of the Hulk. Deciding that there is no hope for Bruce Banner, all but Namor agree that shooting him off into space is the best and most humane way of dealing with him, leading into Planet Hulk. Following this, Namor violently quits the group.

The final time the Illuminati meet is prior to the passing of the Superhuman Registration Act. The group becomes even more divided as to whether to support the act or not. Iron Man suggests they should support the act, and Richards agrees, but Namor, Dr. Strange and Black Bolt all disagree and leave (Professor Xavier was MIA due to the after-effects of House of M, and was not involved); with most of the members gone, it implied that the team was over, with Mr. Fantastic telling Iron Man that it "was fun while it lasted" before leaving.

The issue also contains a preview of Civil War #1.

New Avengers Annual #1

Published the same month as New Avengers #18

In the New Avengers Annual, Yelena Belova, the Black Widow is given the powers of the Super-Adaptoid by agents of HYDRA for her to use against the Avengers.

She attacks a meeting of the Avengers just as Jessica Jones announces her agreement to Luke Cage's proposal, absorbing first the powers of the Sentry and then the rest of the Avengers including Luke Cage and Ms. Marvel. She is defeated by Iron Man's use of automated versions of his suit and the Sentry's apparent command of the Void persona to overwhelm her mind.

This leads to her HYDRA controllers engaging a self-destruct device so she can't be traced back to them.

The book ends with the marriage of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones, officiated by a Stan Lee lookalike.

Hardcover/Trade Collections

The issues are collected in hardcover format, later released in trade paperback format.

Volume 1: Breakout (New Avengers 1-6)

• Hardcover: ISBN 0785118144, August 17, 2005
• TPB: ISBN 0785114793, January 18, 2005

Volume 2: The Sentry (New Avengers 7-10, New Avengers Most Wanted Files)

• Hardcover: ISBN 0785119388, February 8, 2006
• TPB: ISBN 0785116729, July 26, 2006

Volume 3: Secrets and Lies (New Avengers 11-15)

• Hardcover: ISBN 0785119396, March 15, 2006
• TPB: ISBN ?, Release Unknown, Probably August 2006.

Volume 4: The Collective (New Avengers 16-20)

• Hardcover: ISBN 0785119868, October 4, 2006
• TPB: ISBN ?, Release Unknown, Probably March 2007.

Note: New Avengers: Illuminati will be reprinted in a Civil War trade paperback.