I feel like there's a fair amount of negativity out there about this book right now, and I want to redress the balance as I still look forward to and enjoy every issue.  Bendis has made a clear delineation between the bombastic superheroing of Avengers and the covert, shadowy proactive work being done here and together I find it makes an effective view of the franchise in today's Marvel U.

As it has for months the issue is split into present day and 50s set storylines.  I've no idea if the aim is to tie the two together or if Bendis is just enjoying himself, and I really don't care as I love them both.  It's the Fury storyline that feels the most fun, a pure slice of fanboy indulgence.  It's nazi hunting by a mismatched group of sometimes obscure Marvel legacy characters drawn by Howard Chaykin.  I'm not quite sure what's not to love. I'm a long time fan of the artist, to the extent that I don't even believe there is good and bad Chaykin.  It's all good, and never more so than when he's drawing the past and the Red Skull.  The Skull (whether he's the genuine article or not) flips perfectly between outrage, anger, fear and malevalence, until that gorgeous last page of his head floating in the sea sans body.

Running alongside is the present day storyline which deals with the fallout of the abortive assault on the HAMMER operation.  Primarily character work it is, at heart, the kind of stuff Bendis can do in his sleep as it's all about script.  It's what he excels at and, while it doesn't necessarily move the story along too quickly I still find it a gripping read.  Even the art by Deodato is more scratchy and shadowy which I think hides his reliance on photo ref to his benefit.

There's a final scene twist that I find a little disappointing, although it could quite easily be a Bendis double bluff.  I just kind of like Victoria Hand as a well intentioned thorn in the Avengers side, butting up against Luke Cage's differing opinions rather than an out and out villain.  Other than that I for one am still on board, and I'm still very much a fan.