Avengers Assemble! Who could resist the infamous call known throughout the Marvel Universe as a summons to all those who fight for justice. Most recently, in the pages of Avengers #1, when Steve Rogers assembled everyone from Wiccan, to Thor, to your mother, fans of the everlasting Avengers ideal were invigorated with a breath of fresh air into the book. Heralding the coming of a new age, dubbed the “Heroic Age,” the Avengers have been given four brand new titles, with brand new rosters and purposes. I will be looking at Avengers Academy and Secret Avengers, while Billy starts us off with Avengers, and ends with New Avengers!
Take us away Billy:
There came a day when Earth’s Mightiest Heroes had to blah, blah, blah. Yeah, I know it’s the millionth time the Avengers have had a new team, but who cares, it’s the Avengers for crying out loud! In this segment I’ll be taking a look at the first issue of the relaunch of Avengers #1. OK, so before anybody gets wise, I know Spider-Man and Wolverine are overexposed, but hey, at least Deadpool isn’t in either of these books…yet. You actually have top notch talent in both of these books, as well as the biggest characters, so it should be a can’t-miss with both. I think everyone should dust off their Peaches and Herb albums and play “Reunited” during the reading of this piece, so get to it.
Avengers #1
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: John Romita JR.
OK, so first off, I’ll admit I’m not the world’s biggest JRjr fan. I like his Spider-Man work, but that’s about it. I do on the other hand like Bendis’s writing, so I had high hopes and they were almost met in this book. In the beginning, we have Steve Rogers telling some heroes that they’ve been picked to be on the Avengers roster. There are twenty-six heroes to be exact, and all but one respond positively about the appointment. For some reason, Wonder Man tells Steve he’s out of his mind and it will only end in tragedy. Later, back at Avengers Tower, Steve is talking to the “inner circle” of the team. Iron Man, Thor, Spider-Man, Hawkeye, Wolverine, Spider Woman, and Bucky. He tells them how great they are, and then Tony and he get into somewhat of an argument over leadership. Steve tells Tony that Maria Hill will run the team. Before you know it, Kang shows up and everything goes down the toilet. Kang brings a message from the future that the children of these heroes will bring about the fall of the universe, and that they obviously have to be stopped. Bendis has taken a very safe approach with this first arc, using long time and original members against a huge Avengers villain. I don’t necessarily have a problem with it, as long as the story is good and doesn’t seem to be something recycled from twenty years ago.
Marvel has really brought out the big guns for this book, so it better pay off. I mean, if Thor, Wolverine, Spider-Man, and Iron Man can’t sell a book with even a decent story, well then, it’s time to pack it up.
Next segment, we will be looking at the Avengers Academy! With Camp Hammond dissolved, who is the new crop of teachers and students?? Stay tuned to find out!
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net
Mike Parente
mike@comicattack.net
i like the fact that Bendis blended the past (Kang) with the future (Next Avengers, something i thought was a good standalone story), with a wildcard (Maestro). i’m a little ambivalent about turning Simon into a potential villain (although he started as one).
I like the impending doom feeling that you get from Simon’s warning to Steve. I think I’d enjoy seeing Wonder Man takin’ it to his buddies.
@Grifter- It was a good angle for sure to include the “Avengers kids” in this first arc.
@Eli- I just hope Wonder Man’s reason for attacking his friends is better than…”because it will end bad”. I mean, that’s kinda weak for a reason. Hopefully Bendis will get deeper with this part of the story. 😀
Well, I’ve got ideas about that. I mean, it has to be deeper than just because it’ll end badly, I agree. I mean, there are a few very intriguing ideas about why Simon is opposed to this so violently. Could definitely make for some cool stories after this whole thing with Kang & Maestro is done with.
@Eli- Maybe Simon is still peeved about Wanda. lol
Billy he could also be upset about wearing that damn Members Only jacket and rocking a mullet for over 10 years lol
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