Had Bendis been able to keep all of his titles for this month 5 star, I would have been overly impressed.  But this issue is the filler of the series.  It’s a “character” issue, where we get to spend some time with Luke, Jessica, Bobbi, and Clint.  I like all four of those characters quite a bit, but this issue didn’t grab me at all.  The convention of going back and forth between tnow (a fight at Asgard!) and yesterday (in the safety of their homes!) wasn’t exectued well, and the idea that Bendis hints that any of them are in danger is laughable.  I avoid reading previews, and checking solicits, but Marvel and Bendis have been slathering future Avenger lineups all over The Internet, so we know all these characters are going to be fine.  If he wanted to tease us with the possibility of anything in this issue having long lasting effects, he should have focused this issue on…wait, are there any New Avengers he hasn’t already spoiled for us?

McKone’s art on this is solid when it comes to the characters, but the fight scene layouts are a mess.  What’s supposed to look cool just looks crowded.  And the panel breaks felt really forced, and didn’t add anything to the structure of the story.

While I think the last two New Avengers issues were important to the understanding of Seige, this one is totally skippable.  It’s easily the least inspired, and least crucial issue of The New Avengers since The Secret Invasion Flashback series.