I've noticed with many of Geoff Johns's books that it takes one story arc to really get started, and that the first story arc is often a little weaker than the others. Sadly, that seems to be the case with the Avengers as well, because the "World Trust" story starts off with some intriguing roster changes and an unusual premise, but in this issue ties up the mysteries too quickly and easily and focuses more on cosmic super-heroics that we've all seen before, while giving the "Avengers put in charge of the world" idea one page of recap. Dwyer and Remender are on more than off this month, with fantastic depictions of some of the characters and a strong finish that makes for a good lead-in to the next issue, and Johns's story definitely has its strong moments of characterization, but the book hasn't gelled yet, in my opinion.
Where Johns has excelled so far, and what gives me hope that I might start to enjoy the book more, is in the characterization of the team. Whether it's the slightly more confident and wise-cracking Yellowjacket, the outsider hero archetype that fits Ant Man so well or the guiding leadership of Captain America, there's a lot of potential in seeing these different characters interact. I wasn't as sure about Jack of Hearts, but I seem to recall that his energy could drive him insane if he wasn't stuck in some special sort of chamber, and it seems like maybe Johns was hinting at that with the friction between Jack and Ant Man last issue.
By far the best moments of this issue come in small doses. Black Panther's surprise ally is perfectly in keeping with his characterization in Priest's series, and the revelation of the villain behind the whole thing is nicely done, with a strong visual from Dwyer and Remender. Unfortunately, even these strong moments are tinged with some disappointments. Iron Man's reaction to the ally seems violently over-the-top (although, oddly, I bought the same type of thing from the Sub-Mariner) and the revelation of the villain is too easy. While I'm all for short story arcs, it seems like a little more of a mystery might have given this story a little more weight. As is, it seems like there was really no time for real instability to develop.
Mind you, that might be because we've largely been confined to Avengers Mansion for much of this storyline. Without a look at what is going on in the outside world with citizens and cities missing, it feels like business as usual. One page is given this issue to a TV news report about the effects the Avengers have been having, but the use of Thor just reminds me that this type of story is being done more effectively in those pages at the moment, and the solid characterization comes at the expense of not having a solid plot.
The visuals of the book are stronger this issue than they have been in the past, with some spectacular work on the full-page shots. However, when the pages are made up of sequential panels, they're considerably weaker, generally looking either sketchy or with way too much black ink, and the colors are generally a little bland as well. In particular, when the art is trying to convey a mystical background energy, as in the opening sequence or the confrontation with the Order being, the colors look a little pale and unimpressive.
