Avengers: Disassembled TPB Review
 
   Brian Michael Bendis has the Avengers franchise monopolized. He writes the series entitled "The New Avengers", and will soon be launching the "Mighty Avengers" title which spins out of the Civil War mega event. Marvel handed Bendis the keys to the corvette for a reason. He understands the Avengers. "Disassembled" was met with rage from longtime comic book fans because of a couple things. The Avengers weren't how they remembered them. They didn't like change. I have one thing to say, and that is that change is good, and change is necessary. 

   

   Without change, things become stale. The Avengers were stale, and Brian Michael Bendis saved them. He gave them a fitting end with the "Disassembled" storyline, and then he later rejuvenated them with the launch of "New Avengers." The Avengers are a classic staple of the Marvel Universe, but they needed to be reinvented. The Avengers couldn't continue to last on nostalgia alone, and "Disassembled" solves this issue. The story of "Avengers: Disassembled" revolves around the worst day in the history of the Avengers. Between the deaths, the destruction of the Avengers Mansion, and the revelation of who is behind all the chaos and destruction, this story packs more punch than Captain America, and it truly changed the Marvel Universe. 

   

   Joe Quesada has said that this story serves as the first part of a trilogy (the other two parts being House of M, and now Civil War), and when I read this story, I feel that it really gets the ball rolling well. In similar fashion to the first part of another famous trilogy, the story introduces you to the main players that will shape the universe in the future. Captain America is Luke Skywalker, Iron Man serves as Han Solo, and the Scarlet Witch plays the part of everyone’s favorite black clad villain (minus the wheezing).    
   Now, I've spoken extensively on the writing, so I should probably mention the art too. David Finch has a unique style. He has the ability to convey the quieter, character moments, but he really shines when you give him a huge action scene, or detailed splash page to draw. He gets plenty of chances to draw some action sequences, and plenty of splash pages, so his art is definitely a plus. The only complaint I have is that at times, everything seems kind of dark. This may be due to the coloring, but I really think that some of the art could have looked a little better if it wasn't as dark.

   
 
   The final issue of the collection is the "Avengers Finale." This is basically a jam issue with art by just about every superstar artist that has ever worked on the Avengers. Some of the pages that stand out include the ones by Steve Epting, and Steve McNiven. It is a nice send off to what I like to call the era of the "Classic Avengers." This story is well written, solidly drawn, and still reverberates through the Marvel universe. I could nitpick about certain small issues, but it’s not worth ruining the good feeling I had after finishing this trade. It's not perfect, but it is a very enjoyable read.

Grade: 8/10
Review by Christopher Hoerdemann