The New Avengers Illuminati #5 By Hervé St-Louis Jan 12, 2008 - 10:21:29 AM

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The New Avengers Illuminati #5
Marvel Comics
Writers: Brian Michael Bendis, Brian Reed
Penciler: Jim Cheung
Inker: Mark Morales

Iron Man convenes a meeting with his fellow Illuminati Avengers to discuss the discovery of a Skrull alien shape shifter having taken the form of Daredevil’s former girl friend, the assassin known as Elektra. He fears that the Skrulls which they had attacked way back in the first issue of this mini-series are trying to infiltrate the Earth. But before the Avengers can draw a plan, one of them reveals his true nature, making the rest of doubt in each others’ honesty.

Although a great ending to this mini-series, it’s mostly a prologue to the next Marvel Comics’ crossover event of 2008. And this is the main problem with this series. Instead of being something that can be enjoyed on its own and revisited years later, it’s but a brick in a bigger plot.  As for the fight scene and the tricks used by Tony Stark, it’s part of a wider movement to make technology more important than the characters and their powers. At this point being a sorcerer supreme or the world’s leading telepath is useless, because Tony Stark can pre-empt anything you do. I wish the series had concluded with more of the consequences of the Illuminati and the secrets they kept, than as a stepping stone to a non finished major storyline to be disseminated throughout 2008.

The artwork is more solid than when it began. Although it’s the same inker, it feel s less slippery and the character look solid. Cheung is good at staging action using double page spread and although there are quite a lot in this issue, it’s still easy to figure out how the panels were meant to be read.

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