Team ingredients

[dlw66]

There's been lots of talk around here about our favorite teams, line-up changes, eras, storylines, etc. There's also been some discussion by pros and fans alike as to the positives/negatives of the line-ups coming out now in the New New Avengers as well as the Mighty Avengers.

Looking over all of Avengers history (including the WCA, etc.) how do you respond to the poll question? What was on your mind when you made your choice -- certain era, writer, great run of stories...?

[redstatecap]

"Raw Power" to me is totally irrelevant, bearing in mind that the stories should be solvable by the characters on hand. Unlike *cough*Bendis*cough*.
Iconic leadership is only really relevant in that Cap is thought of as the perennial leader.
Diversity of skills -- Nice to have but not a deal maker. You at least wouldn't want too much duplication.
Number of members -- Almost irrelevant to me, so long as the number is workable. I don't think 7 has to be the magic number.
Diversity of personalities -- ehhhhh....nice to have to some extent, but you don't have to go overboard and make up a roster of the 6 or 7 most divergent people you can think of.

I voted "team chemistry."
Perhaps that's a little imprecise, but it covers it well enough.
I believe that comics are not about powers -- they're about characters and their relationships with other characters.
The writer should make us really care about what the characters are going through and how they interact with each other.
The current writer has done exactly nothing along those lines, which to me is a more egregious failure than his others.
Hence the Avengers circa 150-200 might be the best run ever, because that was an era where the writers really promoted great team chemistry.

RSC

[Shiryu]

They are all important, sometimes even indispensable, but I voted for "diversity of skills", because a team with 7 or more people who all do the same thing sounds rather useless. Is it JLA that often has to choose between Elongated Man and Plastic Man because their powers are similar and there is no need for 2 ?

Close second is a tie between chemistry of members and iconic leader. Of course, team work is essential in a team, or it's just 7 people doing the same thing at the same time, but chemistry outside the action time doesn't seem too important (the early Avengers were always bickering, and they always made it). A good leader makes the team work as such, and exploits the power of each member in the best possible way.

[redstatecap]

shiryu said:

Close second is a tie between chemistry of members and iconic leader. Of course, team work is essential in a team, or it's just 7 people doing the same thing at the same time, but chemistry outside the action time doesn't seem too important (the early Avengers were always bickering, and they always made it)

Team chemistry does not necessarily have to mean that everyone gets along with everyone all the time.
All it means is that there are well-developed dynamics between characters on the team that keep us interested in what is going to happen next between them.

RSC

[Yellowjacket]

Chemistry of members, after all it is a team book.

And redstatecap is right, they even must not be friends (at least not in a close way) as long as they are working together. Think of the often hawked paradigm Cap/Hawkeye/Quicksilver/Scarlet Witch.
Most important (as always) is a good and credibly characterization.

[Nutcase65]

gotta go with skill combo. Because it isn't always power that takes the bad guys down. Also have to agree with Shiryu that the iconic leader is a close second. You gotta have someone who can blend those powers and inspire the team.

[ultron69]

I went with chemistry. I like it when teams have a "family" feel- bickering and all.