New Avengers: Illuminati #1 (of 5)

Writers: Brian Michael Bendis & Brian Reed
Penciler: Jim Cheung
Inker: Mark Morales
Colorist: Justin Ponsor

Years ago six of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe - Dr. Strange, Black Bolt, Namor, Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic and Charles Xavier – joined together to form the secret organization called The Illuminati. Together they worked towards shaping the future of the superhuman community and the world itself. Now their mysterious history is being revealed, starting with their involvement in the outcome of the Kree/Skrull War.

I was incredibly impressed with the original Illuminati one-shot that came out earlier this year, which established the existence and a tiny bit of the history behind the secret and somewhat scary organization. The idea that some of the most powerful and intelligent heroes in the world had come together to secretly steer the course of superhuman events was fascinating and ripe with potential stories. The one-shot even had me excited about the big Civil War event. Though Civil War ultimately proved to be a big letdown I was still anxious to see more stories involving the Illuminati and so this new mini-series was something I just had to read.

The story, set in the early days of the Marvel Universe, is incredibly fun and epic. My hat goes off to Bendis and Reed who manage to make the story both accessible and revealing as they explore just what lengths these six men will go to in order to protect their world. Rather than follow Marvel’s recent trend of rewriting history and ignoring years of characterization the writing duo blend the story seamlessly with established continuity and no one seems to act out of character at all. Bendis has been somewhat less than impressive lately so it’s nice to read one of his books and not be disappointed with the result.

However, as much as I enjoyed the writing in this first issue I was even more enamored by the incredible art. Jim Cheung has come along way since his early days at Marvel and has evolved into one of the most exciting and impressive artists in the industry. And his take on each of the characters, especially Iron Man is brilliant. Amazingly detailed pages, flawless storytelling and extraordinary scenes of action make Illuminati one of the best-drawn books on the stand. Combine that with such a cool story and I can’t wait to see what’s coming up in the remaining four issues.
 

Special thanks go out to Jeremy Shorr, owner of Titan Comics for allowing us to use his advance preview books for review purposes.

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