Avengers-Related Comics of 2006

[johnnyzemo]

Here's my first effort at a list of eligible comics. Let me know if you see any obvious omissions, or stuff that I've included that I shouldn't have.

Thanks!

• Agents of Atlas #1-5
• Amazing Spider-Man #528-536
• All New Off Handbook Marvel Universe A To Z #1-12
• Ares #1-5
• Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes II #1-4
• Avengers Next #1-4
• Avengers/Power Pack #1-4
• Black Widow II #5-6
• Beyond #1-6
• Black Panther #12-23
• Bullet Points #1-2
• Captain America #14-24
• Captain America 65th Anniversary Special
• Civil War #1-5
• Civil War: Front Line 1-9
• Civil War: Choosing Sides
• Civil War: War Crimes
• Fantastic Four/Iron Man Big In Japan #4
• Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #4-15
• Incredible Hulk #91-101
• Iron Man #5-14
• Iron Man: The Inevitable #2-6
• Iron Man/Captain America: Casualties of War
• Irredeemable Ant-Man #1-3
• Marvel Adventures Avengers #1-8
• Marvel Knights Spider-Man #22
• Marvel Team-Up #16-25
• Marvel Zombies #2-5
• Moon Knight #1-6
• Ms. Marvel #1-10
• New Avengers #15-26
• New Avengers Illuminati Special
• New Avengers: Illuminati #1
• New Thunderbolts #17-18
• Pulse #13-14
• Runaways #12–22
• Sensational Spider-Man #23-33
• Sentry #5-8
• She-Hulk II #4-14
• Son of M #2-6
• Spider-Woman: Origin #2-5
• Thing #3-8
• Thunderbolts #100-109
• Ultimates 2 #8-12
• Ultimate Vision #1
• Wolverine #38-49
• Wonder Man: My Fair Superhero #1
• Young Avengers #10-12

[johnnyzemo]

Gah! Here's an addition:

• Civil War: Young Avengers/Runaways #1-4

[The Night Phantom]

Thanks, Johnny, for posting your list. Your list and mine differ a little bit. At the moment I don’t have time to comment specifically on the differences; I’ll just post my list and criteria, and we can proceed from there.

When compiling my own list of “Avengers-related” comics of 2006, I tried to keep certain criteria in mind. For one, I restricted myself to new works published in 2006 (my arbiter for dates was Diamond’s shipping lists). I also tried to stick to issues that related to the Avengers in at least one of the following ways:

• The comic stars the Avengers team (e.g., New Avengers—even though some recent issues are teamless!). Comics (typically crossovers) that give equal “star” team-up treatment to the Avengers and one or more other groups or characters qualify (e.g., Civil War, at least as long as the team lasts).
  
• The comic guest-stars the Avengers team (as a team).
  
• The comic stars an alternate-continuity Avengers team (e.g., Ultimates). Again, a “star team-up” qualifies (e.g., Avengers & Power Pack). This is the only category in which alternate continuities play a role—the criteria below apply only to the “mainstream” (“616”) continuity, to try to keep a focus on the “real” Avengers.
  
• The comic stars an Avengers member (past or present) on his or her own. A comic would qualify under this criterion if it stars two or more Avengers members together on their own (think Captain America & the Falcon), though for 2006 I didn’t find any examples except for some features within anthologies (see some of the I (heart) Marvel one-shots). Instances in which an Avenger is paired with a non-Avenger (e.g., Spider-Man & Araña) or Avengers appear together within a non-Avengers team (e.g., the Beast and Wolverine in Astonishing X-Men or the Thing, Mister Fantastic, and the Invisible Woman in Fantastic Four) don’t qualify.
  
• The comic features an Avengers reunion—basically, at least three Avengers (past or present, but not all currently serving) show up together in a story (still excluding groupings within a non-Avengers team such as the FF). This criterion especially may need some refinement, to avoid being overbroad.
  
• The comic is an Avengers spinoff—granted, a rather loose category, though I tried to be restrictive in applying it.
  
• The comic offers Avengers reference information à la The Official Handbook.
  
• The comic features a group of Avengers doppelgängers (within mainstream continuity), e.g., people disguised as Avengers or obviously patterned after the Avengers. Offhand I’m not aware of any qualifying comics in this category that don’t already qualify under a different category (e.g., the kids playing Avengers in Ms. Marvel #1, which qualifies under the “stars Avengers member” category).

The above categories are roughly defined as a guide, not as an intended final word, as to what comics are significantly “Avengers-related”, with the hope of drawing out the most relevant publications. Of course there is room for argument. My list of qualifying comics below is flawed also because my knowledge and memory of all Marvel comics for 2006 is limited. Furthermore, keep in mind that even a “perfect” list would exclude some comics that are legitimate fodder for some voting categories (e.g., “the one comic book everyone should be reading” might have nothing whatever to do with the Avengers; and even something like “the best Avengers single panel” could conceivably occur outside an “Avengers-related comic”, for instance as a clever line of dialogue in an issue that otherwise contains no Avengers references).

Here’s the list I came up with:

• Agents of Atlas #1–5 [Avengers spinoff (so-called “1950s Avengers”)]
  
• All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #1–12 [Avengers reference information—but I confess I didn’t check every issue for Avengers-ness]
  
• Amazing Spider-Man #528–536 [stars Avengers member]
  
• Avengers & Power Pack Assemble #1–4 [stars alternate-continuity Avengers team]
  
• Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes II #1–4 [stars Avengers team]
  
• Avengers Next #1–4 [stars alternate-continuity Avengers team]
  
• Beyond! #1–6 [Avengers reunion; also arguably Avengers spinoff (“Secret Wars”)]
  
• Black Panther #12–23 [stars Avengers member]
  
• Black Widow #5–6 [stars Avengers member]
  
• Captain America #14–24 [stars Avengers member]
  
• Captain America 65th Anniversary Special [stars Avengers member]
  
• Civil War #1–5 [stars Avengers team/Avengers reunion]
  
• Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways #1–4 [Avengers spinoff (Young Avengers)]
  
• Civil War Files [Avengers information]
  
• Fantastic Four #539 [Avengers reunion]
  
• Fantastic Four: The End #1–2 [arguably “stars” alternate-continuity Avengers team (see cover to #2)]
  
• Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #4–15 [stars Avengers member]
  
• Giant-Size Hulk #1 [stars Avengers member]
  
• Giant-Size Ms. Marvel #1 [stars Avengers member]
  
• Giant-Size Wolverine #1 [stars Avengers member]
  
• Heroes for Hire #2–3 [Avengers reunion]
  
• I (heart) Marvel: Marvel Ai [stars Avengers members (Vision & Scarlet Witch)]
  
• I (heart) Marvel: Masked Intentions [stars Avengers members (Justice & Firestar)]
  
• I (heart) Marvel: Web of Romance [stars Avengers member (Spider-Man)]
  
• Incredible Hulk #91–101 [stars Avengers member]
  
• Iron Man #5–14 [stars Avengers member]
  
• Iron Man: The Inevitable #2–6 [stars Avengers member]
  
• Last Planet Standing #1–5 [stars alternate-continuity Avengers team]
  
• Marvel Adventures Avengers #1–8 [stars alternate-continuity Avengers team]
  
• Marvel Knights Spider-Man #22 [stars Avengers member]
  
• Marvel Legacy: The 1960s Handbook [Avengers reference information]
  
• Marvel Legacy: The 1970s Handbook [Avengers reference information]
  
• Marvel Legacy: The 1980s Handbook [Avengers reference information]
  
• Marvel Team-Up #22–25 [#22–24: guest-stars Avengers team; #25: Avengers reunion]
  
• Marvel Westerns: Two-Gun Kid [stars Avengers member]
  
• Marvel Zombies #2–5 [arguably stars alternate-continuity Avengers team]
  
• Moon Knight #1–6 [stars Avengers member]
  
• Ms. Marvel #1–10 [stars Avengers member]
  
• New Avengers #15–26 [stars Avengers team]
  
• New Avengers: Illuminati #1 [Avengers spinoff]
  
• New Avengers: Illuminati Special [Avengers spinoff]
  
• New Avengers Annual #1 [stars Avengers team]
  
• New Thunderbolts #17–18 [Avengers spinoff]
  
• Onslaught Reborn #1–2 [not sure—guest-stars Avengers team?]
  
• Runaways #12 [guest-stars Avengers team]
  
• Sensational Spider-Man #23–33 [stars Avengers member]
  
• Sentry #5–8 [stars Avengers member]
  
• She-Hulk #4–14 [stars Avengers member]
  
• Son of M #2–6 [stars Avengers member (Quicksilver)]
  
• Spider-Man Unlimited #13–15 [stars Avengers member]
  
• Spider-Woman: Origin #2–5 [stars Avengers member]
  
• Thing #3–8 [stars Avengers member]
  
• Thunderbolts #100–109 [Avengers spinoff]
  
• Ultimate Power #1–3 [stars alternate-continuity Avengers team (Ultimates)]
  
• Ultimates 2 #10–12 [stars alternate-continuity Avengers team]
  
• Ultimates Annual #2 [stars alternate-continuity Avengers team]
  
• What If: Avengers Disassembled [stars alternate-continuity Avengers team]
  
• Wolverine #38–49 [stars Avengers member]
  
• Wolverine: Origins #1–9 [stars Avengers member]
  
• Wonder Man #1 [stars Avengers member]
  
• Young Avengers #10–12 [Avengers spinoff]

In addition, the Avengers team starred in “A New Light”, the Guiding Light crossover story that appeared in several October and November comics (the same story each time). I believe it originally appeared concurrently (the same week, Oct. 25) in the following issues: Civil War: Choosing Sides, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #11, Marvel Select Flip Magazine #18, and Marvel Tales Flip Magazine #17.

[johnnyzemo]

nightphantom said:

Thanks, Johnny, for posting your list. Your list and mine differ a little bit. At the moment I don’t have time to comment specifically on the differences; I’ll just post my list and criteria, and we can proceed from there.

I think your criteria are excellent. No need to explain more; I think your list is very clear.

I am happy to officially declare your list the official list of eligible comics.

Does anyone want to make the case for a book not included on Night Phantom's list?

[The Night Phantom]

Thanks, Johnny; you’re too kind!

Devising criteria is in itself a challenge, and I think that to a certain extent “Avengers-ness” is in the eye of the beholder. Although it’s one of the major criteria I used, actually “stars an Avengers member” is on the borderline for me personally—but I went with it since our forum has sections dedicated to some solo series. “Avengers spinoff” is also questionable in its nebulosity; although I feel comfortable with including the likes of Agents of Atlas and Thunderbolts on that basis, I would understand someone’s preferring to exclude them. By the same token, I could see including Irredeemable Ant-Man (which you listed but I did not) as a spinoff too.

As I mentioned before, we also have the problem that there’s a lot to keep track of. Your list included some Civil War titles that I did not. Since I’ve not been following CW specifically and haven’t read some of the comics you cited, it’s hard for me to judge their “Avengers-ness” for myself. For that matter, there easily could be publications that we both have missed.

Still, between the two of us, I think we have a strong start. If anyone wishes to add issues or question issues, please feel free.

[johnnyzemo]

nightphantom said:

As I mentioned before, we also have the problem that there’s a lot to keep track of. Your list included some Civil War titles that I did not. Since I’ve not been following CW specifically and haven’t read some of the comics you cited, it’s hard for me to judge their “Avengers-ness” for myself.

I've read most of the Civil War stuff, and there are probably a couple of books that you excluded that should be included based on your criteria.

For example, Civil War: War Crimes is a one-shot which is essentially an Iron Man/Kingpin story. So, I would include it under the "stars an Avenger" criteria.

Civil War: Choosing Sides is a series of short stories that examine how Civil War has affected characters like U.S. Agent, Howard the Duck, Venom, and Iron Fist. So, in a situation like that I would argue that the U. S. Agent story is eligible, but not the rest of the issue. (Although... the Venom story is a set up for the new Thunderbolts status quo, so you could make a case for including it as well.)

[johnnyzemo]

Hey Night Phantom, have you read the recent Winter Soldier one-shot?

I enjoyed it and would consider nominating it for an award or two, but it's right on the borderline as to whether or not it's Avengers-related.

It stars the Winter Soldier (Bucky Barnes), along with three of the Young Avengers. Namor appears on a few pages and Captain America appears in flashbacks.

What do you think?

[The Night Phantom]

johnnyzemo said:

I've read most of the Civil War stuff, and there are probably a couple of books that you excluded that should be included based on your criteria.

For example, Civil War: War Crimes is a one-shot which is essentially an Iron Man/Kingpin story. So, I would include it under the "stars an Avenger" criteria.

Civil War: Choosing Sides is a series of short stories that examine how Civil War has affected characters like U.S. Agent, Howard the Duck, Venom, and Iron Fist. So, in a situation like that I would argue that the U. S. Agent story is eligible, but not the rest of the issue. (Although... the Venom story is a set up for the new Thunderbolts status quo, so you could make a case for including it as well.)

I’ve read neither War Crimes nor Choosing Sides; judging from your descriptions, I would agree they should be included. In the case of Choosing Sides, the Venom story strikes me as iffy at best, but the USAgent story could qualify à la the I (heart) Marvel anthologies Marvel Ai and Masked Intentions.

johnnyzemo said:

Hey Night Phantom, have you read the recent Winter Soldier one-shot?

I enjoyed it and would consider nominating it for an award or two, but it's right on the borderline as to whether or not it's Avengers-related.

It stars the Winter Soldier (Bucky Barnes), along with three of the Young Avengers. Namor appears on a few pages and Captain America appears in flashbacks.

What do you think?

No, I’ve not read this either. My guess would be that it’s not Avengers-related enough to be on The List. The titular character has never been an Avenger, and so it’s not a “stars an Avenger” comic. He’s not a spinoff character either (of Cap, yes, but not of the Avengers). The Cap and Namor appearances don’t seem to fit any of my other suggested criteria (they’re not the stars; it sounds like they don’t appear as a team guest shot; they don’t fit my description of an “Avengers reunion”…). As for the Young Avengers, the title of the one-shot (Winter Soldier: Winter Kills) suggests they are not the stars or co-stars of the comic. While I’m willing to consider spinoffs eligible, I think that, if we are trying to keep the list Avengers-focused, we risk losing our focus when we start following the spinoffs’ guest appearances.

One can argue about the categories I delineated—I certainly don’t think they’re perfect—but I think what they boil down to is this: does the comic seem to be an Avengers comic? In this case, I say no—but then, I haven’t read it.

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I appreciate this discussion because, not only does it help us choose the ’06 awards, but it can also help us for ’07 and beyond.

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For what it’s worth, this is my 666th post on Avengers Assemble! Evidently the old saying is true: the devil is in the details…

[johnnyzemo]

nightphantom said:

As for the Young Avengers, the title of the one-shot (Winter Soldier: Winter Kills) suggests they are not the stars or co-stars of the comic.

Hmmm... the Young Avengers are not the stars, but they are featured prominently.

This one is a tough call for me because virtually every scene features the Winter Soldier interacting with either an Avenger (Cap or Namor) or the Young Avengers.

I think I would be inclined to include it.

[dlw66]

As a new category for next year, and as a public service to all readers/voters, I'd like to add "best Avengers-related reprint". This could be a trade paperback or hardcover, it could be a poster made from an existing image, somewhere down the line it could be the Captain America, Thor, or Iron Man DVD-ROMs, etc.

Another "point of information" category, for which we could just publish all of the nominations made so people again have a nice idea of what's out there beyond our usual scope, might be "best Avengers-related non-print item". For example, I've seen the new Marvel Legends from Hasbro are out, but I've not seen the Hercules figure yet (but when I do, he's mine!!). There are other various products that some of us might collect, and it would be a nice consumer-friendly way to review or give a plug to something we liked in a given year.

Just throwing this out there -- I like this annual survey, and hope it continues! Thanks to all who are taking an active roll!

[johnnyzemo]

dlw66 said:

As a new category for next year, and as a public service to all readers/voters, I'd like to add "best Avengers-related reprint".

Good idea! Another possible category would be "Best Cover!"