There’s something about Marvel’s magical characters that just doesn’t sit right in the world of Mutants and Spider-Men. Brian Michal Bendis doesn’t seem to have this view, though, as he keeps diving back into the world of mysticism with this arc, effectively a sequel to his more recent Sorcerer Supreme arc from the first volume of New Avengers.

This issue had a lot of exposition to give us, and as a result, it’s probably the weakest issue of the first arc to date. That said, it’s still head-and-shoulders above the other Avengers books being published, as we get the line-up we’ve grown accustomed to dealing with the problems we’ve seen them encounter previously.

The way Bendis writes Wolverine and Iron Fist in this issue is commendable, particularly when you consider how often people complained about his Wolverine characterisation a few years ago. This Wolverine is a mad, mad psychopath; but, he’s here to save the world, too, and as a result, he takes centre stage as the book progresses.

Stuart Immonen has been one of the top tier artists at Marvel for some time now, and this book is a showcase of his best artwork to date. The full-page splashes are gorgeous, the attention to detail is staggering and the portrayal of the characters within the art is fantastic.

New Avengers stands head-and-shoulders above all the other Avengers titles being published at present, and while this is easily the weakest issue of the run so far, it still overshadows the majority of Bendis’ current work at Marvel.