OK, counting Toxin and the new story arcs in Marvel Knights Spider-Man and Amazing Spider-Man, this marks the fourth New Avengers spinoff set in Spidey's corner of the Marvel Universe this month. New Avengers is popular, and Marvel wants to cash in -- I get it. But enough is enough. I have to admit, though, that the core plot to this book has something going for it in that it's not about a super-hero's effort to fight bad guys. It's about bad guys versus more bad guys, with a hero caught in the middle. Bedard does a decent job of establishing why these super-ex-cons have a bone to pick with one another. However, this first issue is far from the most accessible read, and the art fails to really grab me.
Back when the Vault was America's foremost superhuman criminal prison facility, a small group of inmates, led by Vector of the U-Foes, planned a jail break, thanks to the assistance of an anonymous guard. That attempt was thwarted, and Vector believes a fellow villain, Crossfire, is responsible, but Crossfire's contingent believes Vector and his U-Foes screwed it up for everyone else. Now, with the recent breakout at the superhuman criminal holding facility at Ryker's Island in New York, the same groups of baddies are back on the street, and Crossfire and his allies opt to hunt the U-Foes down. Meanwhile, a certain friendly neighborhood wall-crawler patrols the streets, unaware of the chaos that's about to erupt.
Manuel Garcia boasts a somewhat realistic style that's appropriately dark, given the tone of the story and the corrupt nature of most of the characters. The problem is that most of the villains that serve as key players in this story are rather inhuman in appearance -- a wise move, as it makes them easier to identify when they're in prison, stuck in prison-issue uniforms rather than colorful costumes. Unfortunately, Garcia tries to make them look like regular people, and the attempt falls flat. The line art also looks a little rough, maybe even rushed at times.
The breakout from New Avengers and from which this title derives its title really has little to do with the plot, much to my relief. It's more about a mystery, about discovering who the real villain is among the villains. What's interesting about the plotting is that the reader isn't sure who to cheer for. The U-Foes behave more like regular people who want their lives back, while Crossfire's guys are being vindictive. But their anger, in context, makes sense. The reader doesn't applaud their violent reactions, but he understands them. This story is about two warring factions of super-villains, and it's an interesting dynamic.
I'm pleased that Bedard doesn't resort to including a bunch of A-list villains to get people's attention; this is about the story, not the popularity of characters. Still, it's a shame he doesn't try to provide more information and background on these classic B-list Marvel baddies. Newer readers are bound to be a bit lost, trying to figure out whom all the players are. 6/10
