Dark Avengers #3 Review

DARK AVENGERS #3
Written by Brian Bendis
Art by Mike Deodato

Dark Avengers #3 is starting show cracks around the edges as Bendis falls back into his familiar writing patterns.

This is most apparent in the forced and contrived Norman Osborn-led therapy session with the Sentry, whereby were given a flashback to where Osborn convinces the Sentry to join his Dark Avengers. How does he do this? By telling Sentry that they are both the same (aka nut jobs) and that Void isn't real before taking him out for some hamburgers. No, I didn't make the hamburger part up.

Dialogue is usually one of Bendis' strong points, at least when he can stay away from the 'Bendis-speak', and the therapy scene did have some decent dialogue. However, I just can't buy anyone believing a word that comes out of Norman Osborn's mouth and the fact that everyone and their mother has known the Sentry was off his rocker and have tried convincing him that the Sentry isn't real. To honestly expect me to believe a five minute chat with Osborn and being told you're the same as the Green Goblin is supposed to make Sentry all better and to fall in line with what Osborn's selling is just insulting as a reader.

Aside from the Sentry pyschobabble, we were treated to a protracted and drawn out fight sequence with Morgana and the Dark Avenger team where nothing new was really offered to the reader. It was drawn incredibly well and Deodoto should be commended for the job he's done, but there was nothing really brought to the table storywise here and it felt like we were just biding our time and padding out the story for the trade as opposed to actually continuing our fight.

In the end, the only thing we were shown was Osborn basically forcing the immobilized Dr Doom to give up access to his armour's technology so they could travel back in time to stop Morgana at her source in the past. Why didn't Doom just do this from the start?

Verdict - Check It. Despite the negative tone of the review, I didn't hate this issue and it was still much better than any of Bendis' recent New Avengers work. I was just disappointed that he's fallen back into his NA writing patterns when he had been doing something unique, for a change, with the Dark Avengers.

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