Flashback to the courtyard meeting from last issue we get details on the proposed alliance between yashida/hydra/hand. Silver samurai is hesitant to accept however and then a ninja informs them of the intruder.
In the present the new avengers face off with the hand ninja who have tracked Ronin back to stark industries Japanese branch. The fight is hectic with Hand ninja outnumbering them 100-1. They manage to throw cage off the building while stark gets Jarvis to safety. The team holds the line the best way they can.
Back in the courtyard Viper reveals to Silver Samurai that he was kidnapped by powers running shield and their alliance may be the only chance they have of fighting off this unseen forces. She even relents that the alliance will also face her beloved Hydra which has also been taken over by these unseen powers. He wants to know who these unseen foes are but she won't tell until she is sure he can be trusted. The hand ninja reports that the battle with the intruder is underway as are his allies the American superheroes. Viper is pissed as she never ordered them to engage!
Back at the penthouse Cage is taking the elevator back to the top floor to battle once he does they gain a semblance of a draw before the hand ramps up the attack they pull a retreat. The new avengers lament why they retreated as they check their numbers hey realize Jessica Drew is gone. We see here flying to the courtyard where she meets up with Viper. Viper reveals that Jessica is her agent after Hydra gave her' her powers she was to report everything her team does to her but Jess laments thing happened so fast she never got time to do it. Viper tells her to shoot her down and then release here when ordered as her hero friends have arrived. She does as she's ordered. As the team question how she took down viper so easily after they saw them talking she gives a flippant lie right before Silver Samurai all dolled up arrives to party!
New Avengers is a joy to look at and read. Bendis again turns out some great banter between teammates playing everyone against each other perfectly. The twist with Jessica Drew is unexpected and takes readers on a super agent thrill ride! There's a reason Bendis is marvels new big wig. He gets marvel characters, he respects continuity and uses it to his advantage and frankly the man has serious skills. This was a great action pack issue with mystery after mystery piled high up on a plate you really didn't even think could be piled much further.
Another good thing was the exclusion of Wolvie, frankly eh has to disappear every now and then cause he's on every major team…..its always been a stretch to me and Bendis gets that so hat off for not including Wolvie in this story.
Again where is Sentry? We spent issue 7-10 that's four issues getting him on the team and then we have a series of issue where he's not even mentioned? C'mon is he necessary for this team or what? What has he been doing? Sitting in his tower perhaps?