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Okay, I did say I'd explain why the Secret Avengers are the real Avengers in my last article - and I do hope you read Greg's reviews too... because if you did, by now you'd realize that the title shows a lot of promise for traditional Avengers fans long suffering from poor characterization under Bendis' disassembling, all the way until his dark reign.
Before we continue, what makes an Avengers issue a worthy one? Well for starters, how about a team filled with recognizable Avengers... this would normally mean the likes of Thor (Don Blake), Iron-man (Tony Stark), Captain America (Steve Rogers), Hawkeye (Clint Barton), Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff), the Vision, Black Panther (T'challa), Giant Man/Ant Man/Yellow Jacket (Hank Pym), the Wasp (Janet Van Dyne), Wonder Man (Simon Williams and a whole lot more.
Naturally, this line-up has been revolving - with new faces coming in and out... sometimes even a real shake-up happens... as Cap's Kooky Quartet did to the membership way back when the original members (which included the Hulk (Bruce Banner) for a while, decided to live life aside from being Avengers. I guess this would be one of those traditions that the writers could play with... Bendis included, and I don't fault him for that.
But one other tradition started to happen with Cap's Kooky Quartet... first, it was the start of really creating the Avengers 'Esprit de Corps' - with Steve Rogers teaching the young team of Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver some lessons in heroics. Sure they fought each other at times... with two hot heads, it was bound to happen. But when it really mattered most... these heroes fought as a team. In fact the concept of team work was one strong indicator of the Avengers... it's what differentiated them from other teams - including the Distinguished Competition's A-team, the JLA.
With Captain America shaping and training the team, mutual respect ensued... after all, Steve Rogers was very much an officer and gentleman - not just for himself, but for the symbol he upheld as Captain America. This likewise rubbed off on the team. So too did Cap's never say die attitude.
Another tradition? The Avengers did not prejudice their membership against ex-villains, of which 3/4 of Cap's team happened to be. So the Avengers were a team for second chances and redemption.
Some other traditions came into light as the team's history started forming... but it is also this same word; 'history' that I would like to focus on. Any fan of the Avengers has a clear idea of how certain characters are supposed to act... after all, they've acted that way... historically. Sure, there have been some stellar character moments... and some forgetful moments... but there were consistencies... at least, Marvel's editor of olde took care of that.
Not so in the recent years - in fact, the last time characterization was even considered to be part of the package was during the Busiek period... and even if he's had a few misses, he was - at least, consistent with most characterization... and he definitely respected history. Hell, he even took pains to repair inconsistencies with some histories as well. Bendis was coming in after a forgettable run... and many had hopes that this popular writer could turn the franchise around. He did... and he didn't.
He did by disassembling the current team - a move more geared for shock value than drama. Then in a marketing scoop, pulled in the most popular characters into the New Avengers. Sure, his team still had Iron Man and Captain America (Thor was M.I.A. having just gone through Ragnarok) - but unfortunately, these guys were complete strangers, and it became apparent from day one that Bendis did not have a clue to how to handle the characters of his New Avengers. Sure... he could write a passable Luke Cage and Jessica Drew - but come on, these characters were tabula rasas... so they were safe bets. But Steve? even Spider-man (Peter Parker) - they were pale shadows of who they were supposed to be.
Five years later, it still seems that Bendis is clueless to writing characters. Little wonder that I have little love for his run on New and Mighty Avengers. Sales figures to these titles somehow say I'm in the minority... but how many of these people were buying Avengers with false hopes of Bendis improving? How many were buying for completist's sake? how many bought for love of the characters (even if they were really not there)?
In comes Ed Brubaker by way of becoming the latest Captain America writer - it was interesting... after all, Ed was known for writing in DC, not Marvel... so how would he fare in writing one of the seemingly most difficult characters to write in Marvel?
Well, let me say that Ed did marvelously capture the essence of Steve Rogers / Captain America... in fact, he brought the title to greater heights... and I was glad to stay with his journey since issue 1. I liked what I read, and gave Ed a chance. Nice to see I wasn't wrong.
This great rendition made the plight of Bendis' titles all the more obvious. And on those rare occasions that Ed would pull in a cameo or two of Steve's colleagues, I saw glimpses of Avengers of old. Ed had a way of researching past stories and giving them a new angle - and his characterization was spotless. Sure, Steve may act slightly different... but it was a believable version. This was great writing... and I'm not even bringing in the coup the Ed did by brining back Steve's long dead partner - Bucky Barnes. Again I was hesitant... after all, Bucky's death was sort of sacred. To bring him back would be to cheapen it. But Ed did come up with a credible manner that I just had to had to shake my head and say 'wow, he got away with it'.
Now Ed jumps into the Secret Avengers... and what does he bring into this new title? More of the same brilliance... great characterization, great story telling (even if the pacing is slow at times), great historical depth...even if some of them are his adjustments, and new, exciting twists.
With Steve Rogers leading a new team of veterans and newbies, with a seemingly flexible roster (in the first arc we had Nova, in this new arc we have Shang Chi and the Orphan of Shadows (a character he introduced in his Iron Fist run) - plus a villain that promises to outdo his long running villain in Captain America... it's no small wonder that with just seven issues out, I already feel that the real Avengers are back.
Note: Images of characters appearing here - via the covers and drawings are copyrighted by Marvel. Mine is just to make the place a bit more interesting than just mu ramblings.
Okay, I did say I'd explain why the Secret Avengers are the real Avengers in my last article - and I do hope you read Greg's reviews too... because if you did, by now you'd realize that the title shows a lot of promise for traditional Avengers fans long suffering from poor characterization under Bendis' disassembling, all the way until his dark reign.Before we continue, what makes an Avengers issue a worthy one? Well for starters, how about a team filled with recognizable Avengers... this would normally mean the likes of Thor (Don Blake), Iron-man (Tony Stark), Captain America (Steve Rogers), Hawkeye (Clint Barton), Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff), the Vision, Black Panther (T'challa), Giant Man/Ant Man/Yellow Jacket (Hank Pym), the Wasp (Janet Van Dyne), Wonder Man (Simon Williams and a whole lot more.
Naturally, this line-up has been revolving - with new faces coming in and out... sometimes even a real shake-up happens... as Cap's Kooky Quartet did to the membership way back when the original members (which included the Hulk (Bruce Banner) for a while, decided to live life aside from being Avengers. I guess this would be one of those traditions that the writers could play with... Bendis included, and I don't fault him for that.
But one other tradition started to happen with Cap's Kooky Quartet... first, it was the start of really creating the Avengers 'Esprit de Corps' - with Steve Rogers teaching the young team of Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver some lessons in heroics. Sure they fought each other at times... with two hot heads, it was bound to happen. But when it really mattered most... these heroes fought as a team. In fact the concept of team work was one strong indicator of the Avengers... it's what differentiated them from other teams - including the Distinguished Competition's A-team, the JLA.
With Captain America shaping and training the team, mutual respect ensued... after all, Steve Rogers was very much an officer and gentleman - not just for himself, but for the symbol he upheld as Captain America. This likewise rubbed off on the team. So too did Cap's never say die attitude.
Another tradition? The Avengers did not prejudice their membership against ex-villains, of which 3/4 of Cap's team happened to be. So the Avengers were a team for second chances and redemption.
Some other traditions came into light as the team's history started forming... but it is also this same word; 'history' that I would like to focus on. Any fan of the Avengers has a clear idea of how certain characters are supposed to act... after all, they've acted that way... historically. Sure, there have been some stellar character moments... and some forgetful moments... but there were consistencies... at least, Marvel's editor of olde took care of that.
Not so in the recent years - in fact, the last time characterization was even considered to be part of the package was during the Busiek period... and even if he's had a few misses, he was - at least, consistent with most characterization... and he definitely respected history. Hell, he even took pains to repair inconsistencies with some histories as well. Bendis was coming in after a forgettable run... and many had hopes that this popular writer could turn the franchise around. He did... and he didn't.
He did by disassembling the current team - a move more geared for shock value than drama. Then in a marketing scoop, pulled in the most popular characters into the New Avengers. Sure, his team still had Iron Man and Captain America (Thor was M.I.A. having just gone through Ragnarok) - but unfortunately, these guys were complete strangers, and it became apparent from day one that Bendis did not have a clue to how to handle the characters of his New Avengers. Sure... he could write a passable Luke Cage and Jessica Drew - but come on, these characters were tabula rasas... so they were safe bets. But Steve? even Spider-man (Peter Parker) - they were pale shadows of who they were supposed to be.
Five years later, it still seems that Bendis is clueless to writing characters. Little wonder that I have little love for his run on New and Mighty Avengers. Sales figures to these titles somehow say I'm in the minority... but how many of these people were buying Avengers with false hopes of Bendis improving? How many were buying for completist's sake? how many bought for love of the characters (even if they were really not there)?
In comes Ed Brubaker by way of becoming the latest Captain America writer - it was interesting... after all, Ed was known for writing in DC, not Marvel... so how would he fare in writing one of the seemingly most difficult characters to write in Marvel?
Well, let me say that Ed did marvelously capture the essence of Steve Rogers / Captain America... in fact, he brought the title to greater heights... and I was glad to stay with his journey since issue 1. I liked what I read, and gave Ed a chance. Nice to see I wasn't wrong.This great rendition made the plight of Bendis' titles all the more obvious. And on those rare occasions that Ed would pull in a cameo or two of Steve's colleagues, I saw glimpses of Avengers of old. Ed had a way of researching past stories and giving them a new angle - and his characterization was spotless. Sure, Steve may act slightly different... but it was a believable version. This was great writing... and I'm not even bringing in the coup the Ed did by brining back Steve's long dead partner - Bucky Barnes. Again I was hesitant... after all, Bucky's death was sort of sacred. To bring him back would be to cheapen it. But Ed did come up with a credible manner that I just had to had to shake my head and say 'wow, he got away with it'.
Now Ed jumps into the Secret Avengers... and what does he bring into this new title? More of the same brilliance... great characterization, great story telling (even if the pacing is slow at times), great historical depth...even if some of them are his adjustments, and new, exciting twists.
With Steve Rogers leading a new team of veterans and newbies, with a seemingly flexible roster (in the first arc we had Nova, in this new arc we have Shang Chi and the Orphan of Shadows (a character he introduced in his Iron Fist run) - plus a villain that promises to outdo his long running villain in Captain America... it's no small wonder that with just seven issues out, I already feel that the real Avengers are back.
Note: Images of characters appearing here - via the covers and drawings are copyrighted by Marvel. Mine is just to make the place a bit more interesting than just mu ramblings.
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