Pipeline #1119: “New Avengers: Illuminati” by Brian Bendis and Jim Cheung

Let’s try something new this week.

I’m going to review a comic book as I read it. It originally came out 12 years ago, so I don’t remember too much about it. I saw it in a longbox the other day and felt like re-reading it, so here’s a good excuse.

The book is “New Avengers: Illuminati” #2, from 2007. (Time flies). This was a mini-series written by Brian Bendis featuring art by Jim Cheung.

Feel free to open the issue and read along with me. Let’s see how far this can go.

Page 1: In some reviews of “Young Justice” #1 last week, I saw people comment on the use of logos for characters’ names inside word balloons. Some didn’t like it, or thought the issue used it too much.

I’m OK with it. It’s a comic book, so it should be able to use all the tools in its tool belt. Using those logos by way of introduction feels like a very comic booky thing to do. Since this is an issue about Infinity Gems, that feels right.

It’s used on this first page of the story to introduce the major players, which works just fine until — “Professor Charles Xavier” is a logo? Sure, it wouldn’t be right to leave him out, but how many books has he headlined on his own?

Come to think of it, by 2007, I don’t know that Black Bolt ever headlined a title of his own, either.

Page 2: Reed Richards is so correct when he says of the Infinity gems, “We are alive today… because of dumb luck.”

There’s no reason Thanos should ever have “lost” in “Infinity Guantlet,” other than his own undoing. Ultimately, the heroes did nothing.

As a plot device, the Gems are just too powerful and writers have to find ways to work around them. To get through it inside of one issue, Bendis creates some new rules like, “Once you get the rest of the gems, the last gem will magically appear for you” and “The gems call out to each other, so you’ll know how to get to them. And get two at the same time so they don’t know what’s going on.”

Page 3:

The sight of the Infinity Gauntlet in a hardened case with cut-outs for the Gems is both awesome and slightly giggle-worthy. Here’s this incredibly all-powerful thing surrounded by some squishy foam to keep it from breaking from the vibrations inside the case during travel? Also, where do you go to buy one of these? I guess Richards made it out of unstable molecules?Or, heck, he’s in New York. I’m sure there’s someone near the fashion district who can do artisanal cases for the professional superhero’s gear.

The irony of King Namor telling Reed Richards that he’s just a man and has limited powers is funny, too. Usually, that level of hubris is reserved for Imperius Rex.

Page 6: Some people complain about heroes bickering in the classic Keith Giffen/J.M. DeMatteis “Justice League” books, but that’s still some of the funniest stuff from that series. I love it. Give me more.

That’s why I find the patter back and forth between Namor and Xavier so strong on this page. It makes sense. They’re polar opposites. One is the powerful tyrannical protector of his people, quick to anger and act. He also has a thing for married blondes. The other is the tranquil mental might who thinks through everything. He’s relaxed, almost serene, and super smart on his own. He also has a thing for teenage redheads.

So when Namor says he’s only at the mansion in Westchester “because Richards doesn’t want me near his lab… or his wife,” I cracked up.

The rest of the page gets into the mechanics of the plot. Like Namor, it all sounds rather hokey to me. I’m sure Bendis had it worked out and could look you in the eye with a straight face and explain how the collective unconscious works on the Astral Plane and all, but this is always the part where I start skimming over the details to get to the gist of it.

Pages 9 and 10: This is where we start to go back and forth between two things. We have Xavier, Namor, and Doctor Strange traipsing about for the Mind Gem, while Iron Man, Black Bolt, and Namor go digging for the Reality Gem.

I’m getting a little ahead of myself now, but that’s mostly because I got into the story and kept reading it, not thinking about what I was going to say. That’s a good thing, right?

I like the way Bendis structures the plot here to alternate between the two storylines, running them in parallel, each with its own desperate drama requiring strong action. Cutting back and forth keeps the energy up in the issue.

So let’s just skip the live reading and get to the end of things: The Watcher shows up and tells Reed how disappointed he is in him.

OUCH!

That’s like when your parent tells you that they’re not mad at you, just disappointed in you. Cuts right to the bone, doesn’t it?

Uatu speaks in blue text, though his word balloons and tails remain black. It still works, though, particularly with Uatu’s icy cold demeanor and the fact that he’s from the Blue Area of the moon and all…

Anyway, Reed has a point. The Illuminati came together for occasions exactly like this. They’re pro-actively doing the dirty work today to keep from having to save the world later. Why is everyone all of a sudden so skittish? Not dealing with the problem is only delaying the inevitable.

Let them deal with their evil duplicates and half the population being wiped away again. Then we’ll see what they think of Reed’s plans…

I’m out of space and I haven’t even talked about Jim Cheung’s art or Justin Ponsor’s colors or Mark Morales’ inks.

Let’s do a Part Two next week.

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