Despite some slightly confusing storytelling in issue 8, Wolverine and the X-Men is a high-octane blend of merry mutant mayhem. I am enjoying so many of the elements in this comic: the banter between Iceman and the Shi'ar Warbird; Wolverine's unbreakable broken legs; Quentin Quire's psychic shotgun- the focused totality of his psychic powers. And there are further ominous plotlines developing: poor Broo's bloodlust indicates once a omnivorous killer insect, always etc, etc. Meanwhile Kade Kilgore, the 12-year-old Black King of the Hellfire Club, takes lessons in strategy from Sabretooth...
My favourite moody Marvel noir Moon Knight is fast approaching its conclusion. Madame Masque, Count Nefaria's daughter, has made off with the head of Ultron. Unfortunately for her, "The craziest Avenger on the West Coast" has developed another new personality: the recently deceased Echo. After a brutal duel, we discover Masque isn't disfigured after all. When did this happen? Is she crazy too? Interesting...
The Merry Marvel Age of Misleading Covers redux. Not actually a scene from inside...
The New Dark Avengers/HAMMER storyline finally ended in Avengers/New Avengers.Victoria Hand was revealed to be a triple agent and Skaar, Son of Hulk turned out to be a mole on the Dark Avengers. Another Hulk in the Avengers? Really? The ease with which Osborn manipulated the public via the media has been interpreted by some commentators as political satire. I think it's part of a bigger plan to cause an implosion of the team, prior to a post-Bendis relaunch.
I was somewhat disappointed by the conclusion to this epic. In a twist reminiscent of a Mark Millar Amazo story in JLA, Osborn's Adaptoid powers simply overloaded. However, Bendis has revived Steranko's Madame Hydra as a compelling and frightening adversary.
Both books are, naturally, tied into this summer's Marvel event A V. X. There was a big meeting where Red Hulk talked like a General and Storm left. Must be a contender for one the shortest tours of duty ever. However, Avengers 24.1 was more satisfying. It featured a spotlight on the Vision, repositioning him as a tragic hero, despite a touching reconciliation with She-Hulk. Also, for the first time in years, we saw a chilling portrayal of Magneto.
Avengers Assemble continues to look a lot like an Alan Davis comic and the story spans both the cosmic (Galactus' Ultimate Nullifier!) and the worldly (a Latverian arms deal). A fun ride; this feels like the Earth's Mightiest heroes to me.
This movie-friendly assemblage and the under-use of several recent additions to the Avengers- Protector, Mockingbird, Red Hulk, Storm- got me thinking about Avengers rosters again. A plethora of mediocre Justice League titles hindered that concept in the 90s. But how to make best use of all the great characters who've served as Avengers?
One idea of Bendis' tenure that makes sense to me is The MU Illuminati. So Reed Richards sits down with Cap, Tony Stark and Hank Pym and they structure a response to the threats "no single super hero could withstand". The first level of that response is designed to deal with "super-crime.". This is the swashbuckling, public face of the Avengers Initiative.The next comprises the real "heavy hitters" for planetary-wide catastrophe, like a war between The Eternals and The Inhumans.
The Bendis New Avengers operate like Batman's Outsiders: they'll sneak into the Latverian Embassy, if need be, or rough up an AIM scientist for intel. Finally, out on the West Coast, there's a Black Ops squad that Cap oversees with plausible deniability. They operate out of a haunted Hollywood mansion and exist for the unpleasant realities of "wetwork" in a world with Sabretooth, Mystique and the Red Skull.
The Mighty Avengers:
Avengers Infinity:
The New Avengers:
The Secret Avengers:
Hawkeye would supervise the Thunderbolts: super-crooks who wanted to go straight while The Avengers Academy would train new young superhumans for one of the squads above. It makes sense to me for it to be situated at The Jean Grey School or the Massachusetts Academy. I'm happy for the faculty to continue as Hank Pym, Tigra, Quicksilver, Justice and Firestar plus any other retired/inactive Avengers.
What would be your perfect Avengers line-up? Or JLA for that matter?
Coming soon: Power Comics.
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