There's no way around it: "Mighty Avengers" #2 is still in the early, setting-things-up stage of development. The old days of a team coming together in the first issue are long gone, and Al Ewing and Greg Land try to bring together their new team of Avengers in a natural, organic way. While character interactions and connections are still forming, "Mighty Avengers" has a lot of long-term promise.

The core group of characters from the first issue -- Luke Cage, Spectrum, Spider-Man, and "Spider Hero" -- have a good interplay with one another, and that bodes well for "Mighty Avengers." While the new Power Man and White Tiger aren't back this month, their eventual re-introduction feels like they can fit in, too. This issue also heralds the arrival of the Blue Marvel, a character with whom I was unfamiliar. Honestly, he's currently the weak link in this issue; it doesn't help that he's off on his own apart from the rest of the cast, but he also feels like a bit too good to be true. I know that Ewing didn't create the character, but he still feels like an attempt to have a cast member that is a strange combination of Tony Stark and Reed Richards. His overpowered nature is one that Ewing's inherited, but I'm hoping that with time these traits are toned down a bit.

As far as "aliens invade New York" go, the story is solid if not spectacular. It's certainly fun to read, and I feel like Ewing understands how to keep the flow moving forward. There's enough of a threat that it doesn't feel like a cakewalk for our heroes, and I like how Ewing understands that if he keeps increasing the level of danger, it feels like the stakes are still there. Of course, how he's going to top his cliffhanger here is another question entirely, but I guess that's a good a way as any to have everyone come back for "Mighty Avengers" #3.

Land's pencils are just what you'd expect; they're very slick and smooth, with a good ink line from Leisten. I did appreciate that these felt much less posed or stiff than often seen from Land; these look much more natural, and the large crowd shots are easy to follow and draw the eye across them. Hopefully that'll continue, because it's a good start to the series from Land.

All in all, "Mighty Avengers" #2 has the series on a strong path. The issue makes me want to come back for #3, and all in all it's fun. With "Avengers" and "New Avengers" being decidedly more grim these days, it's nice to have a series that can have huge earth-shattering events but still have a lighter touch, too. Check it out.