Avengers (Vol. 4) #8 (Story 1)
Background
The Hood is gathering the Inifinty Gems in his newest bid for power. The Avengers have just found out about it via the Red Hulk dropping into Avengers tower beaten into a pulp.
The only problem is that Iron Man and the other members of the Illuminati are the ones responsible for hiding and securing the Inifinity Gems in the first place. The Illuminati are a secret gathering of some of the most powerful heroes who have kept their existence and activities a secret from the rest of the Earth's heroes.
Story Details
Avengers (Vol. 4) #8 (Story 1)
| Editor: | Tom Brevoort |
| Writer: | Brian Michael Bendis |
| Pencils: | John Romita, Jr. |
| Inker: | Klaus Janson |
| Cover Art: | Dean White, John Romita, Jr., Klaus Janson |
Tony Stark calls the Illuminati together, a few of who are unhappy to be meeting again. Black Bolt is dead, so his wife Medusa turns up instead. They discuss what they know about the missing infinity gems. We see in flashback, the deatils of the fight between Red Hulk and the Hood. We also see how Iron Man reacts to the Red Hulks tale and suspiciously leaves the rest of the Avengers to call the Illuminati together. Steve Rogers, still not totally trusting of Tony, has Tony tracked.
The Illuminati's discussion concludes and they teleport to the former site of Attilan to see if there is any evidence of who it is that is stealing the gems. They find the people the Hood murdered and some of the things he left behind, but not enough to identify the Hood. Their investigation is halted by the arrival of Steve Rogers and members of the Avengers and New Avengers team. Steve asks, "Tony... what are you doing?" In other words, the Illuminati are totally busted!
General Comments
A good issue, but also one where not a lot really happens.
There are some great interactions, particularly between the Illuminati. And the way Steve Rogers is suspicious of Tony and then totally busts him and the other Illuminati members, bodes well for some tense and awkward situations in the upcoming issues.
The highlight for me was John Romita, Jr's rendition of the Red Hulk and Hood fight. Then end splash page was also awesome.
In the end though, a bit more progression in the main storyline would of been good. I would hate for this storyline to get towards the end and feel rushed, like the last storyline.
Overall Rating 
Good stuff.