I have read enough by Abnett and Laning to know that anything they write is worth at least sampling.  DnA don’t bat a thousand, but they have a very high percentage, and this issue of “Heroes for Hire” is a home run.  It has a perfect balance of character development, action and dialogue.  The heroes use brute force, but they also employ their brains, their will, and their determination.  I have only a passing familiarity with characters like Paladin and Silver Sable, but DnA tell a meaty story that allows the reader to relate to unfamiliar characters.  DnA provide psychological insight into characters both through what the heroes do and what they say.   Silver Sable is a tough broad and Paladin proves himself to be clever and resourceful.  The last I saw Puppet Master, he was killed in the late “Ms. Marvel” series, so I’m interested in DnA’s explanation for his survival or resurrection.  The concept of a rotating roster of mercenaries is intriguing enough that this incarnation of the title may endure for at least a reasonably long run.  I do hope that a core crew of heroes hangs around for a while so that the writers can proceed with some in depth character development.  This comic is coming out during a relatively light week for Marvel, when most of the publisher’s biggest sellers are off.  I don’t know if that is an intentional strategy, but it makes sense if Marvel is hoping readers will try this new ongoing.

            The art is for the most part appealing.  Brad Walker’s women are not always pretty, but different female characters do look distinctive.  The coloring heightens the supernatural mood of much of the comic, with Ghost Rider often looking like he is roaring out of a dark, Italian Renaissance painting.