Thursday, May 20, 2010

brand new age

drive-by readings

Avengers #1 (Marvel)
Brian Michael Bendis
John Romita Jr.
Klaus Janson
Dean White
Cory Petit
and they're off! a reconstituted and reconfigured Avengers team debuts in the 616 Universe, kicking off the Heroic Age and all the great things it connotes. do i hear grumbles from the corners of the Internet? ah sure. but this is the status quo now. deal with it.

Captain America ... sorry, Steve Rogers, formally creates the new Avengers team, with Maria Hill running things (i assume Victoria Hand will be his second-in-command for the his Secret Avengers, creating some tension with Sharon Carter despite Hand playing for the other team. hey who knows?). i am insanely curious to know what he actually told each of the heroes he approached in that montage - obviously, Luke is pissed he's not on the main team, because he's been asked to run the T-Bolts. looks like Jess won't be bringing baby Danielle to Daddy's workplace frequently, and not just because Mommy's gonna be busy doing superheroics as well as part of the new "New Avengers".

why does he look like Quasar?

i'm most curious about the following: Tigra (because she just smiles), Bobbi (she disowns her former affiliation in a heartbeat, but i thought she was going to S.H.I.E.L.D. anyway), Doc Strange (ummm, where's Brother Voodoo? don't they need magic?), and the-Scientist-Supreme-Formerly-Known-As-Ant-Man (i'm not sure whether he's coming or going). also, is that Firestar on the second panel, or is that Natasha?

Bendis finds new ways to give a nod to the past, and three of them stand out immediately because its highlights villains or potential villains. Kang, obviously. Wonder Man, surprisingly, despite his past. and the first opponent ever that the Avengers were formed to deal with, although its not exactly who you think. maybe think along the lines of "Maestro".

personally, i am more intrigued and bothered by the Simon Williams revelation. has he gone over the edge again? is the Scarlet Witch somewhere in there manipulating him? he seems so angry (someone took his safari jacket? or his movie career is dead?) and he's back to rocking his late '80s mullet/long hair. viva West Coast Avengers!!!


as for team boss duties, it'll be interesting to see how Tony handles being a team player once again, considering he's been recruited (again) by his best friend, and will be working under the auspices of a strong-willed woman he had a brief affair with, and now conveniently forgot about.


right in the beginning, Tony's already being second-guessed by his teammates on his wisdom with building things. i mean, Bruce Wayne got de-pantsed only when his secret files got stolen by Ra's Al Ghul, but Tony's like always under the microscope. moments like these are gonna be hilarious.


but then if he says he can't do it or doesn't have it, it kind of slides down his manliness quotient a lot. weren't he and Reed Richards bragging about being futurists, prior to Civil War, and pushed the SHRA because they knew what was going to happen if they operated as is? this looks like a repudiation of what you wrote, Mark Millar. (ok, fine, fine, blame Fraction's reboot)


also look out for JRJr goodness! reminds me of their Thor run circa 1998/99 with Dan Jurgens.


whenever the Avengers are brought together, something big is about to happen that merits their attention. in this case, ironically, its longtime nemesis Kang who brings it to their attention, and the problem isn't him, but apparently, their future kids gone wild. ah, youth. he also promised that if they solve this thing, he won't be bothering them again. promises, promises.

question: since when did Maria Hill go up against Kang in one form or another, that makes her claim she "hates him"?


looks like a great start, and as long as they keep the art team consistent, this should be another (hopefully long) great ride.


what's the one thing i regret about Avengers #1? well, there's the matter of not being selected as part of the faces that appear in the end. bah!

on the other hand, i won't need to endure this, just in case.


(hey, wait, there's still three books to watch out for! hooray!!)

2 comments:

Gloria said...

"and he's back to rocking his late '80s mullet/long hair"

Blame JRjr for that. He's a fine draftsman, but he seems to dig 80s sthetics quite a lot (look at his early X-men run: I have to confess that the over-Eightyness of its look put me down quite a lot)

grifter said...

hahaha, you're right, Gloria. "draw what you know" is probably the maxim he adheres to. and do you know JRJr was once voted Marvel Hunk of the Month during the '80s? he was buff and totally had that hairdo.

look! somebody found it and posted it on Flickr!