Irony and the Young Avengers

I've recently been re-reading the Young Avengers with the launch of the Young Avengers Presents mini-series, and in the introductory story arc I was just struck full in the face by irony. In the Sidekicks story arc, Kang the Conqueror is attempting to recover Iron Lad, who is his younger self. He's arguing that Iron Lad must return to his own time so that he can grow into Kang or the damage to time will be disastrous.

Yet in the Avengers Forever maxi-series, Kang himself was willing to risk the universe itself to himself avoid becoming Immortus, the lord of Limbo.

Kang, a despot whose hypocrisy is greater than Time itself. That's irony.

Avengers Assemble! Assemble! Assemble!

In a freak occurance rivaling an obscure astronomical alignment, we received not one, not two, but three Avengers books in a single week! But which Avengers book should I really be reading, and which one is just another excuse to kill a tree? Good question. Let's take a look at them and find out.

In this year's New Avengers Annual, we're treated to a super-villain gang-up which almost rivals the invasion of Avengers Mansion by the Masters of Evil in the excellent Under Siege story. The only thing that holds this one back is that despite having even more and bigger bruisers than Baron Zemo, The Hood's gang is trounced in a single issue by Dr. Strange. Ouch. Still, it's nice to see this particular team fight something instead of bicker over who's acting 'Skrully'. But it's still a bit unclear when this story falls. Spider-Man's still wearing his black suit, so I guess it's pre-One-More-Day. Too bad Mephisto's spell couldn't fix Marvel's shipping schedule.

And who can make fun of an Avengers book's shipping schedule without a good belly-laugh at The Mighty Avengers. While it's certainly not as late as the legendary All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder, it's still worth noting that this issue ties in with an issue of the New Avengers that I bought over three months ago. If it were my call, I might have dropped this issue, and just tried to pull a bit closer to getting this book on track. But I guess the fun of seeing a massive Wasp-symbiote beating on the Avengers is fun... and it's nowhere near as decompressed as so many of Bendis' other Avengers titles. It's still probably the weakest of the week in my book though, since the New Avengers Annual's carnage is a bit more satisfying.

Which leaves the big A for Avengers: The Initiative - a book that has yet to disappoint me. I've read other folks commenting on the fact that new characters are such a difficult proposition for the big two comic publishers in a market where people want Spider-Man three times a month, and where Batman appears in no fewer than three books of his own. Matt Fraction's The Order is an example of an extraordinary book comprised almost entirely of new characters that's just been flushed. The Initiative is another title that's chock full of characters, many of whom haven't existed for a year and if you'll allow me the pun... it's a Marvel. Start with a bunch of fresh faces, looking to be the next Avengers, add in a bunch of super-powered trainers (with an excellent nod to Taskmaster as the current drill seargent) and top it all off with Henry Peter Gyrich's paranoid layers of conspiracy and you've got enough content for years. What's better, it's written by Dan Slott, who is one of the writers who seems to have the firmest grasp on the concept that people read comic books for fun. Hands down, it's your best Avengers book despite the fact that most of the front-line Avengers fail to put in any kind of appearance. It's always one of the first books I reach for when I've got it.

So that's a Triple-A Wednesday. Now I'm off to get some sleep.

What did you expect me to talk about, the New Captain America?

New Comic Day 01/30/08

Wow... a week without Spider-Man? What's up with that? Add in the conclusion of Messiah Complex, and finally things are starting to quiet down on my anticipated purchase list.

• BATMAN #673
• BLACK ADAM THE DARK AGE #6 (OF 6)
• DEATH OF THE NEW GODS #5 (OF 8)
• TRIALS OF SHAZAM #11 (OF 12)
• AVENGERS INITIATIVE #9
• CAPTAIN AMERICA #34
• DAREDEVIL #104
• MIGHTY AVENGERS #8
• NEW AVENGERS ANNUAL #2

The big news this week, is of course the debut of the new Captain America. I won't go into specifics in case there's someone reading who actually doesn't know. I will say, sadly, that it isn't Steven Colbert.

Picks for the Week 1/24/08

While I'll confess that I haven't finished reading this week's comics (still got a couple to read) I think I've figured who the big standouts are, at least to my point of view. I do have to say that maybe one of them hasn't struck me as a downright great read... but that at least gave me a resurrected Zombie Captain America... and you've got to award bonus points for that.

I think the first stand-out is The Order. I know I just posted about this series going away, but this issue was just great. The main thrust of the issue is an interview between Anthem, head of The Order, and Namor as the King of Atlantis waits for a higher profile super-team to come and pick him up. And for an issue where the main action consists of two men sitting at a table, talking this was just great stuff. Matt Fraction's dialog, and the interspersed flashback panels do a lot to make this a very readable issue. I've read every issue of the Order to date, and the last two are no-brainer purchases. I mean seriously, the only excuse to not buy this book is to be sans brain. Not even Zombie Captain America has that excuse anymore!

Young Avengers Presents #1 was also a really good read. While the book does have a plot, and moves from beginning to end, the whole issue is really a character study of this young, angry black man who dresses up in the colors of the American flag, calls himself Patriot, and for the moment at least, isn't precisely sure why anymore. I've missed these characters in the Marvel Universe, and I'm glad to see them getting some attention. (It doesn't hurt that Matt Fraction will be writing the last issue of this mini-series.)

Lastly, I've got to continue to give the thumb's up to the Blue Beetle. Appearing not only in his own book this week, but also in the Teen Titans, just the character of Jaime Reyes is something that the DC Universe has needed for as long as I've read it. The Spider-Man parallels are all over the place... both are bug-themed, neither are terribly experienced or confident, and both frequently come out as being incredibly out of their depth, but like a young Peter Parker, Jaime's earnestness makes me love the character. Now Jaime's trying something pro-active and taking the fight to the Reach, the creepy aliens out to enslave Earth. John Rogers' writing has really made me a believer in this series, and I'm rooting for the bug as he takes on the Reach... I just hope that he's not overly successful. Part of the new Blue Beetle's charm is that he doesn't really know what he's doing any more than your or I would. I think that the character needs to stay in, just over his head... but I'm absolutely in love with the series.

I've still got a couple books to read. Maybe I'll have to post an ammendment if either She-Hulk #25 or Legion of Super-Heroes #38 beat out one of these three... but I think I'm probably pretty safe.

Sadly Prophetic

What's the old line... that they only stop making something once they know that I like it? I think everybody's felt that way at least once in their life, but sadly I've just been hit with that sensation again.

Per this Newsarama article (which itself is paraphrasing the latest Word Balloon podcast), Matt Fraction's The Order will end with issue #10.

I guess all there is to say is, Thanks Matt! You gave us a superhero team book that had some different team dynamics. The Order was a more interesting read than the New Avengers, and a much more timely read than Mighty Avengers. (I'm not even going to compare it to the Justice League titles, which have only in recent months approached something I'd read.)

New Comic Day 01/23/08

Well, I find myself stuck around the house sick, imagining just what might await me on Wednesday. (Though it'd be nice if I had some new comics to read today.) So looking forward to that far-off Wednesday, this is what I saw in my future:

For starters, I didn't see New Warriors last week, so hopefully that was delayed until this week. If I can't find it at the Dragon, I'll just have to check online for it. Here's the other stuff I can picture myself buying:

• BLUE BEETLE #23
• TEEN TITANS #55
• AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #548 BND
• ASTONISHING X-MEN #24
• ORDER #7
• SHE-HULK 2 #25
• X-MEN #207 MC
• YOUNG AVENGERS PRESENTS #1 (OF 6)

So what is there to say about it? There's the obvious slant towards Marvel... but that's not really surprising me at this point. I've been aware for a few months that the Marvel books have held a bit more appeal for me than DC lately. Teen Titans is up on the chopping block, though. While the Titans of Tomorrow... Today story arc was pretty middle-of-the-road at best, it did hearken back to the story arc that got me interested in the Teen Titans as a whole. Unless this issue impresses me, I think it's going to be one more DC book that has a date with the axe.

I always look forward to a new issue of The Order. It seems to be a real challenge in either Marvel or DC to start a new title that uses entirely original characters. And the way Fraction ignores the typical group dynamics of a super-team gives the book very different feel. The closest comparison I can come up with is DC's sadly short series, The Power Company as another title that was made up of (I believe) new characters with a very different group dynamic.

And that's about it for my new comic plans for the week. Looks like a light one, which will be appreciated by the wallet. Time for Jason to go dig through the stuff he hasn't filed away yet. I know there's some stuff I haven't read yet in there somewhere.

Sick (Again!)

Well, once again I find myself ill, and it actually has nothing to do with One More Day. (Unless MJ secretly asked Mephisto to give me the flu. Again.) I guess that's what I get for working at the homeless shelter.

Looks like it's going to be time to try cashing in on the paid time-off I should have accrued in the full year I've now worked for the company. That should be about as difficult as repulsing Galactus, Devourer of Words with a turkey baster.