Brian Michael Bendis had quite a run of killer comics for Marvel around 2009, with some of the most memorable arcs of the last two decades attached to his name. Picking up where Mark Millar left off with Civil War, Bendis crafted the universe-shattering Secret Wars, followed by the highly regarded and influential Secret Invasion. These crossovers reshuffled the entire Marvel line, establishing the new status quo that the universe would embrace. In that wake came the outstanding Dark Avengers, seeing the ubiquitous team reformed in the Norman Osborn’s vision. In addition to the first Dark Avengers arc, this trade also collects Matt Fractions Uncanny X-Men tie-in issues, making this a hefty and satisfying collection.
Dark Avengers Modern Era Epic Collection: Osborn’s Reign collects Dark Avengers #1-16 and Annual #1, the Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia one shot, Uncanny X-Men #513-514, and Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus. This might be one of the largest Epic Collections I’ve had the chance to review: both in its sheer weight, but also in the wealth of storyline and plotting in one book. From a price perspective, you really can’t do better than a collection like this when it comes to the bang for your buck.
Plot wise, most of these issues focus on the aftermath of Secret Invasion, where Norman Osborn (the villainous billionaire), is given the reins to the Avengers. Expectedly, Osborn uses this newfound access to build a dark-mirror version of the heroic force, with Norman taking on an Iron Man-like mantle as the Iron Patriot. An entire rogues gallery is brought on as replacements for our heroes: Moonstone becomes Ms. Marvel, Bullseye is now Hawkeye, Wolverine is replaced by Daken. Throw in hyper-powered wildcards like The Sentry, and the Dark Avengers look well primed to rule the Marvel Universe. It’s only when they launch their attacks on mutantkind and Asgard does Osborn’s winning hand begin to crack.
Clearly, Bendis was building on the incredible work Kurt Busiek did on Thunderbolts in the mid-’90s, where Baron Zemo forges a team of villains into what appears to be an upstanding superhero group. There are more than a few nods to that previous work, but Bendis adds his epic touch to the existing premise. Mike Deodato Jr., whose realistic, stately visuals perfectly complement the Bendis script, also gives this run narrative heft. The story looks big and expensive, and it’s clear why so much of the MCU pulled from this era of Marvel when fashioning the tone and look of their films. Not every Epic Collection deserves the moniker, but it’s a perfect descriptor for this Dark Avengers collection.
The X-Men tie-ins written by Fraction and predominately drawn by Marc Silvestri, Terry Dodson, and Chris Bachalo, are perfect companions to the main storyline. There is a clear throughline between the titles, and only adds to the trade’s imposing scope.
Dark Avengers Modern Era Epic Collection: Osborn’s Reign is a collection that finds Brian Michael Bendis firing on all cylinders. Not only is this an engaging superhero epic, but one that pays respect to the lore it erects its plot on without turning it into a continuity slog. It’s a great storyline that should be used as a recruitment tool to bring fans of the MCU into the comic reading community.
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