New Avengers #5 is a solid issue with a main focus on Black Swan. She has proven to be the key player in this storyline being someone that knows more than she lets on and allowed herself to be held captive even though her strength shows that she could break free any time she likes. In this issue Hickman takes us through the history of Black Swan and what her importance is to what is going on now.

This felt like one of the weaker issues of this series so far. Not because of the lack of action or importance, but for the fact that the information she gave didn’t seem all too useful. It seemed as if the solution is something the reader would have expected to hear from her and they avoided getting to the point just for the sake of prolonging the suspense. Though is is not to say that they are building up to something bigger because not only does everything push them towards doing the unthinkable, but the next issue throws them into the heart of Latveria where Doom will not make their situation any easier. We all know them as men of science yet even they can be pushed to do something that goes against what they stand for and sacrificing their world is what Black Swan is trying to convince them is the best path. A path that those like other versions of Beast have taken for what they thought is the greater good.

The artwork was great as usual, between the solid colors and the shading which adding to that end of the world vibe that they try to consistently portray.

Score: 8.8/10