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Post by woodside on Apr 25, 2012 22:36:56 GMT -5
Whew! Got the latest issues and this one is going to be a hard one! There are some weird story conflicts. The events in New Avengers and Avengers conflict a little with Secret Avengers and AvsX. And AvsX conflicts with Secret Avengers!
So I'm going to do the best I can. Bare in mind this is a read order and not a chronological listing. It's a bit like I handled Siege, where the goal is to create the best way to read the crossover without sacrificing storytelling.
So far, this is the highly tenative list:
PRELUDE Marvel .1 Avengers: X-Sanction # 1-4 Avengers 24.1
ROUND ONE AvsX # 0 AvsX # 1 Wolverine and the X-Men # 9 New Avengers # 24 Avengers # 25 AvsX # 2 (pages 1 - 10, panel one) AvsX: Avengers vs X-Men # 1 AvsX # 2 (rest of issue) Uncanny X-Men # 11 Secret Avengers # 26 New Avengers # 25
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Post by woodside on Apr 24, 2012 0:19:31 GMT -5
Having just read the second issue, I would be inclined to agree with you all. The issues tend to lose their impact when read on their own! So, feel free to ignore my review above and I'll have a new one for the whole story in a few days (hopefully).
It's funny, because when this series was coming out, I didn't start to read it until issue 7. I became interested when I read a review of the comic and went to a comic con and picked up the first six issues. I salivated over them and when I reached the current issue, I was craving more.
So, you guys make a good point!
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Post by woodside on Apr 22, 2012 22:10:51 GMT -5
Avengers Forever # 1
The Avengers head back up to the Blue Area of the moon with Rick Jones in tow, who recently fell into a coma. They figure out that what is putting him in a coma and it's the same energy that Rick exhibited during the Kree/Skrull War. The Avengers take him to the Supreme Intelligence, who demands the Avengers leave him alone with Rick so he can work his magic.
Libra shows up and the two agree that humanity is facing a turning point. Libra heads off. Immortus summons Tempus to destroy Rick Jones, but Kang arrives and kills Tempus. Immortus gets pissed and uses Tempus' body to channel warrior from across time to challenge Kang and send him away. Kang gladly aceepts this challenge and takes them on. Then Rick awakens, unleashes his power, and summons Avengers from throughout time!
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I really debated if I want to read this mini-series as one or an issue at - a - time. Ultimately, I decided to do one issue, as evidenced above.
This issue is largely set-up and is very plot-driven. I'm not a big of the exposition in the beginning -- it wasn't very dramatic and not as engaging as it could have been.
Additionally, the conversation between Supremor and Libra was kinda dull and flat. Luckily, the encounter between Kang and Immortus is excellent. Kang shines through quite a bit and is definetly the best of all the characters in this issue. He also shows off some bad-assery when he takes on the warriors.
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Post by woodside on Apr 20, 2012 0:12:04 GMT -5
Avengers # 11
Wanda returns to the mansion to find the zombie Avengers waiting for her. They tie her up and are about to beat her up when she uses her powers to remind them of their heroism and "Avenger"-ness. The zombie Avengers then fly off to Central Park and rescue the living Avengers. They battle it out with the Grim Reaper and his hordes.
Agatha advises Wanda that she needs to use her love of Simon come through to stop the zombie Avengers and send them back to their resting place. She does this and the threat is ended and Wonder Man returns in physical form.
Simon snags the Grim Reaper, revealing that it was his brothers love for him that kept them both alive. Grim Reaper goes to jail and Wanda cuddles with Simon on the couch with Vision stares creepily on.
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This was a pretty decent issue with a fairly logical conclusion to the two-parter. I felt that Grim Reaper was a more fearsome foe than many of the previous ones, but still nothing to write home about. I liked that the Simon stuff has been wrapped up at last.
The last moments with the zombie Avengers were well done. I gotta wonder what Mockingbird was trying to say, in the the context of what's been revealed. "Tell him that he's got to ---"
Got to what? Find the real Mockingbird since she's Skrull? Hmm.
The "true love" conquers all is probably up there with the "Avengers"-ness that was used in the first story, but I can live with it. It works for this story.
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Post by woodside on Apr 17, 2012 23:31:15 GMT -5
Avengers # 10 Before we begin . . . Fellow Jarvis-Heads! Please go into your basement/nerd room/what have you and pull out this issue. Flip through the amazing story and get to the letters page. Don't get distracted by the awesome art, Perez is great, but let's go right to that letters page. Read the second letter. Read the post-script. I saw that and flipped out! YAY! Anywho -- onward with the issue! NYC is celebrating Avengers Days! It's commemorates the founding of the Avengers and their return from the Heroes Reborn universe. The current members, including Giant-Man and Wasp, bask in the moment! We get nice little side POVs with Spider-Man, the X-Men, Daredevil, Bruce Banner, the Fantastic Four, and Daredevil, which adds so much to the story. We also get small references to tiny events, two splash pages of the Avengers and their greatest foes, and - of course - its ends with a big ol battle. The Grim Reaper appears and brings out various zombie Avengers, including Thunderstrike, Swordsman, Mockingbird, Hellcat, Doctor Druid, Captain Marvel . . . and Wonder Man?! SAY WHAT?! These dead Avengers take down the alive Avengers! Meanwhile, Wanda goes to see Agatha Harkness, who she had previously believed was dead. Happy to see the woman alive, Agatha explains Wanda's powers and origins in a new way. She tells Wanda that the demon Chiton formed a connection with Wanda on the day she was born and imbued into her some his own chaotic magic. Wanda has been tapping into his over the years and recently, it was the cause of Simon's reappearance. The only way to bring Simon back is to love him like he loves her. ------------- The Avengers Day material is pretty fun. It's a little odd to see the Avengers being celebrated so passionately after being called fakes just a few issues before hand, but it was good none the less. I loved all the little appearances, from both the heroes and the villains. The zombie Avengers were kinda gruesome and having Simon among them is pretty shocking. I did like that the zombie Avengers brought their baggage back with them and immediately start throwing their issues at the current Avengers. I really enjoyed the Wanda origin and it's very interesting it read in light of certain events. So Wanda was imbued with chaos magic from Chiton? Very interesting. It's worth noting that Wanda's actions during Avengers Disassembled were influenced by an unnamed entity. Could it be that - as of this story - Wanda begins to tap into the chaos magic, that she becomes more and more under the influence of Chiton? It would explain quite a bit -- Chiton could have forced her hand into contacting Doom so to be freed. He/it could have made Wanda destroy the Avengers. Hmmm. I really enjoyed this issue. Lots of neat appearances by other heroes and villains; nods to recent events; a classic Avenger villain in the Grim Reaper; more information on Wanda's background; and a great cliffhanger.
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Post by woodside on Apr 16, 2012 23:02:53 GMT -5
Avengers # 9
The Avengers are contacted by Triathlon and are pointed to the location of Moses Magnum -- an advanced cruise liner. The Avengers sneak in. Hawkeye teams up with the newbie and end up taking on Moses Magnum head on. The Avengers enter the fray and the battle explodes. Scarlet Witch gets injured and Wonder Man emerges, knocking Moses Magnum to land. The Avengers head over and Moses Magnum gets swallowed into the Earth by Apocalypse.
The Avengers head home. Triathlon heads off. Silverclaw goes back to school. And Hawkeye . . . leaves the team?!
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I kinda liked this issue, but I had hoped it was a leading someplace bigger and better. I don't think we've seen Moses Magnum since this issue. I remember reading this and hoping that it was going to lead into an Avengers/Apocalypse battle.
It didn't . . . BUT we did get a strange sort of follow-up in the pages of Cable. The Avengers helped Cable fight Apocalypse's harbinger. In fact, the opening chapter of this team-up featured a major earthquake that was more than likely the work of Mr. Magnum. It's a fun, classic Marvel tale by Joe Casey that you guys should check out.
Character wise, the Avengers shine as always. I liked Triathilon a lot. His origin is fairly unique and I liked that some of his cocky arrogance was coming through. Silverclaw left me rather nonplussed.
Hawkeye's departure was pretty abrupt, but it makes sense in the context of the story. Its certainly been building and I'm glad it was amicable.
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Post by woodside on Apr 11, 2012 23:03:09 GMT -5
Avengers # 8
We are plodding right along, aren't we?
This issue starts off with Jarvis asking for a day off so he can pick up his sponsor child from the airport. The Avengers happily send him on his way, but of course, things go awry when a strange new super-powered lady busts onto the scene, leading a well-armed strike force. The woman, Silverclaw, helps the strike force create as much confusion as possible. Jarvis gets trapped in the crossfire, but surprisingly, no one is hurt.
The Avengers, meanwhile, deal with their own business. Wanda ponders her own place on the time, considering the departure of Carol and the breakdown in her relationship with Vision. She gets a new, most sexy costume . . . while Firestar hates her own new look because of its cleveage. Cap gets a new energy shield, Thor gets a new alterego. Then they get a call from Jarvis and rush off to JFK airport and enter the battle. Cap fights Silverclaw and the Avengers seem to be on the ropes . . . when yet ANOTHER new super-hero shows up: Triathlon. He helps the Avengers battle the bad guys (who are revealed to be cronies under the employ of Moses Magnum) and once Thor and Iron Man show up, the battle turns for the good guys. As the Avengers turn their attention to saving the civilians, Triathlon sneaks aboard the bad guys plane.
Silverclaw reveals that she was blackmailed into helping the bad guys because they had hostages. It also turns out that she's Jarvis' sponsor child. The Avengers regroup at the mansion, and Vision spots Wanda macking with energy Simon.
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I enjoyed the issue. Despite the fact that OF COURSE Jarvis' sponsor child was a super-hero, I really didn't mind Silverclaw's introduction at all. I felt the end of a bit of a stretch and the way the Avengers just took her in is a little awkward, but it's forgivable.
Triathlon's introduction was great too. I really liked how he just leapt in and was like "Hey, I'm fighting these guys too." And that was that.
We get a nice nod to the events in both Thor and Captain America. I loved Firestar's reaction to her costume and her solution of wearing a turtleneck underneath it. I also liked that we got another tip-off that her powers might be having a negative effect on her body.
So two decent characters introduced? Yep. Nice character moments? Yep.
But again, Busiek gives us some terrible villains. Moses Magnum's minions? Really?
Really?
I'll rant more about these guys when I get to next issue.
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Post by woodside on Apr 8, 2012 10:55:32 GMT -5
Avengers/Squadron Supreme Annual 1998
The Avengers are called in to help the Squadron Supreme after the latter were almost mind-controlled again. The two team track down the attempt to the estate of Imus Champion. Imus Champion challenges the Avengers and Squadron Supreme into stopping from before he reaches his tower and blows up the world. The teams break up into smaller teams, but each are defeated. Imus Champion gets to his tower, but finds that Giant Man has broken his machines and Champion is then arrested. The Avengers also find a teleportor inside Champion's lair and use it to send the Squadron Supreme home. Also, the Swordsman and Magdalene go off to their home dimension too.
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I think I liked this one better than the previous outing with Squadron Supreme, based solely on the fact that we got some nice closure to this subplot and some good character interaction and development.
But Imus Champion was not a good villain. Swordsman, Magdalene, and Giant-Man were all very much forced in there. So far, Busiek has done an amazing job with characters, but a real poor job with the bad guys. Kinda disappointed.
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Post by woodside on Apr 8, 2012 10:45:29 GMT -5
Happy Easter!
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Post by woodside on Apr 7, 2012 21:22:48 GMT -5
Live Kree or DIE!
Iron Man # 7, Captain America # 8, Quicksilver # 10, Avengers # 7
Some Kree renegades called the Lunatic Legion go to the Supreme Intelligence in the Blue Area and have a chat with him about their vegeance for the lives lost during Operation Galactic Storm. The Supreme Intelligence has his misgivings, but keeps them to himself.
Meanwhile, Iron Man meets up with Carol and talks to her about leaving the way she did and her alcoholism. She yells at him and Tony leaves. He heads over to an energy company that Stark Enterprises started up. Carol drops by, hammered, and the two are then suddenly faced with a bunch of Kree. The Kree use a Sentry to battle Warbird and Iron Man and in turn, steal an experimental generator (turns out the head of the company made a deal with the Kree and built the generator for them). Iron Man deals with the collapsing building, but Warbird goes after the escaping Kree.
She follows them to their base in Florida, where they are conducting experiments on innocent humans with Terrigen Mists. Warbird calls in Cap and lies to him about calling in the rest of the Avengers just to show him that she's a good super-hero. Cap and Warbird battle the Lunatic Legion and free the humans, but Warbird wants to prove herself again and is captured by the Kree.
Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Hawkeye teleport up to the Blue Area with Lockjaw and once there, learn from the Supreme Intelligence that the Lunatic Legion are planning on changing humanity into Kree in an effort to restart their species. They hope to accomplish this with the Terrigen Mists and Warbird's own hybrid DNA. Quicksilver rescues Carol and while the Avengers go after the Terrigen Mists and destroy the generator, Carol gets blind stinking drunk on Kree booze. The mission a - somewhat - success, they head back to Avengers mansion.
The Avengers hold a tribunal and vote to kick Carol out of the team until such a time she gets control of herself. The team receives a transmission from the moon, telling them that the Kree are preparing to fire their Omni-Wave Generator on the Earth. The team rushes up there, fight with some Kree, and then most of them sacrifice themselves to fuel the machine. The machine begins to launch and Thor opens a portal, but is ambushed. Firestar uses her power to fuel the portal and Justice helps lift into the portal, thus ending the threat. In the epilogue, SHIELD agents arrive to station the Blue Area and to work with the Supreme Intelligence. Cap also figures out that the Supreme Intelligence contacted them in the first place. Meanwhile, Carol, having failed to fly to the moon and help, considers having another drink.
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WOW! That's a lot! I was originally going to break this up into four issues, but I decided to keep on truckin' so we got one big ol' entry for ya!
The Iron Man issue was pretty good. I've always liked Sean Chen and felt that his work with the sci-fi elements is better than most artists (spaceships, aliens, and giant robots). Busiek does a good job of overlapping his own story with the crossover in a neat, logical manner. Carol's actions are a little over the top, but it works for the story context.
I've always been a Mark Waid fan, so I did enjoy his Captain America story. He does an excellent job giving Cap a voice and continuing Carol's characterization in perfect step with Busieks. My biggest criticism with this issue is the Holocaust parallels. They just felt so on-the-nose and unnecessary.
"Quicksilver" is the weakest point in the crossover. The story is way too rushed, there's far too much exposition, and Carol acts like a crazy person. I understand, yes, she's a lush . . . but drinking Kree booze? Really? Plus I didn't care for the art.
"Avengers" is the best one out of the four. The battle with the Kree is pretty cool and the ending of the story is very big and epic and helps solidify Justice and Firestar as Avengers. The tribunal was a little dorky, I have to admit, but it served its purpose. Kicking Carol out was obviously a tough choice for everyone but Quicksilver, but it was the right one. I loved her in this issue, with her vain attempts at getting to the moon to help. There's a great three panel sequence where we see her arms outstretched, trying to get higher; then we see face, which is strained and harsh; and then final panel, with the moon in her eye. Just a great sequence in a fun book.
This is a major chapter in one of Busiek's bigger story-arcs. While the Lunatic Legion was pretty much canon fodder, we got a good feeling of manipulation from the Supreme Intelligence. We know he's the true threat . . . but we have no idea what he's up to.
Good stuff!
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Post by woodside on Apr 4, 2012 20:55:15 GMT -5
Very interesting, HB! I have only passing knowledge of Quasar, and didn't know Squadron Supreme was involved in that title.
I know that Warbird (argh, hate that name! ) was in an issue of X-Men or two about year before she showed up in Avenger and was pretty well-powered.
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Post by woodside on Apr 4, 2012 0:05:40 GMT -5
Avengers # 6
The Avengers are still reeling from the accusations made by Squadron Supreme. Hawkeye and Cap argue about Clint's leadership input, but come to an understanding. Wanda continues to push Vision away and takes notes of Carol's drinking.
The team heads off to Project Pegasus, where the Squadron Supreme has been living. The Avengers literally go through the team's things while Squadron Supreme is in Washington. The Squadron Supreme returns, fights with the Avengers, but they eventually figure out that the Corruptor has been mind-controlling the Squadron Supreme on behalf of the mysterious Imus Champion (but no one knows that).
In the aftermath of the fight, Cap confront Warbird about her Binary powers. She flips out, yells at him, and flies off.
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I'm sorry, but this two-parter with Squadron Supreme just didn't do anything for me. Cap doesn't bother trying to talk to the Squadron Supreme about their accusations. Likewise, Squadron Supreme doesn't, I don't know, stop by the mansion and continue their battle. And the Avengers creeping around Squadron Supreme's bedrooms? What?
Neither the Corruptor or Imus Champion are very impressive and don't instill in me any sense of danger or threat.
The best moments are actually the interplay between the characters. Even though the foes thus far are pretty lame, the characterizations of the Avengers are great. I like seeing the friction between the team members and array of emotions they are displaying towards each other. I also loved it when Cap went off on Hyperion for his piss-poor leadership skills.
Lots of questions are raised, like what is up with Wandas powers, how is Wonder Man still alive, and just how long will it be until Warbird decides that Warbird is a stupid code name?
We got a lot of bubbling beneath the surface with these different character interactions and that's what holds the book together . . . but the villains just aren't interesting at all.
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Post by woodside on Apr 2, 2012 22:04:55 GMT -5
Avengers # 5
The Avengers are called in from personal business (Cap and Warbird training; Clint and Wanda shopping) to go on a mission to rescue Project: Pegasus scientists who were on their way to investigate the remains of a crashed spaceship.
During the mission, the Squadron Supreme show up, denounce the Avengers as frauds, and they battle it out. The Avengers are eventually victorious and are able to rescue the scientists. In the wake of this battle, the general public begins to question if the Avengers are who they say they are.
Also someone mysterious is very pleased to know that his own mission to recover technology from the spaceship was a success.
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To be honest, I was pretty let down with this issue. It felt very short. I really liked the tension between Cap and Hawkeye, and Warbird's awkwardness around everyone while trying to keep her secrets.
The Squadron Supreme is pretty cool and their accusations made sense (considering the Skrulls appearing in Cap and the revelation that the Thunderbolts were bad guys). I also liked that the Avengers had a hard time getting it together.
But overall? Meh. The story was fairly lackluster and aside from the action sequence with the Squadron Supreme, there wasn't much here to latch onto and draw me in.
Perez's art is still pretty great, though.
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Post by woodside on Mar 31, 2012 14:38:06 GMT -5
Avengers # 4 The world having returned to normal, the mansion is full of Avengers who have nothing else to do but hang out and beat up Whirlwind. Except that goes completely awry and it becomes time to chose a new team. Assisted by Duane Freeman, the Avengers begin to widdle down the team as members go off to do their own thing. In the meantime, Justice and Firestar go off to take down Whirlwind, which Hawkeye takes notice of. He decides to endorse their entry into the Avengers. Ms. Marvel also wants to enter the team, even though her Binary powers are burning out. As the team comes together, conflict rises and tension becomes evident. Hawkeye throws a fuss about there not being enough room on the team (and not being let in on the selection committee). We see evidence of Ms. Marvel, er, Warbird's burgeoning drinking problem. Vision and Wanda fight over the state of their marriage -- or lack there of. Eventually, the team is decided: Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Warbird, and Vision with Justice and Firestar as reserve members. ------------ So right off the bat, we get another amazingly detailed issue by the incredible George Perez. I love his attention to detail. Take a look at the computer monitor in the four panel of the first page. It has stuff on it! It's a tiny, little detail, but it's there! There's a lot of story here, so I'll just be skimming the top. I like the use of the reporters to convey the outside POV of the selection process. The snippets with all the Avengers and their reasons for leaving are well done. D-Man taking groceries back to Zero City; Tigra, Starfox, and Moondragon heading into space; Quicksilver and Crystal going off to meet with the rest of the Inhumans (which they do and its awkward ).
A lot of the little moments stand out. I really liked Hawkeye standing up for Justice and Firestar and his entire mood throughout the story. The "too many Avengers" battle with Whirlwind was hilarious (I LOL'd pretty hard with Machine Man had his hand blown off by Ms. Marvel).
I also liked Duane Freeman -- but I really liked their reaction to his pure fanboyism!
I'm not biggest Warbird fan and I find her twist into alcoholism and her name change to be kinda loopy.
The Vision and Wanda scene was interesting. The Vision just seems so cold and dispassionate towards her . . . and then we see him break a little after she leaves.
The crowning moment of the issue is when the Avengers are revealed. It's a bold, beautiful moment that ties the entire issue together.
As a whole, this issue is my favorite out of the first four. It's a nice mixture of drama, fun, and characterization -- and combined with amazing art and realistic dialogue, it made for the best thus far.
I think one weakness of this introductory storyline overall is that for so much of it Earth's Mightiest Heroes are, in fact, not really on "Earth"-- or even strictly in "reality" on the whole. And I think that undermines its impact, especially as the inaugural arc, as it places it about a half-heartbeat away from being an Imaginary Story event. Certainly those have their place. . . I suppose. . . maybe. . . in a way. . . but they absolutely need to be done as a counterpoint or an accent to a more strongly-established realistic or normative setting. And as we all recall, we'd just spent a bajillion months trapped in the alternate Franklin/Liefeld-verse, as it was, and were starving for bread & butter Avengers action in our good ol' MU. But I do get what Busiek was going for, and I think he executes it pretty darned well within the framework he created for the story. The whole "feeling of being an Avenger" mental resistance thing? Sure, I'll buy it. I'm a sucker for Triumph of the Intagible-type resolutions. It's sentimental and a little corny-- but with Busiek and Perez, it comes across as dead-honest and sincere. And if they convey their own belief in it, then I'm able to buy into it as well. Same with Simon being rescued by the power of Wanda's love. Part of me goes "give me a break"-- but part of me also recognizes that that stuff carries some weight in how the MU operates (Cap "healing" his shield in Secret Wars I-?), so I'm happy to surrender to it. HB
You hit a lot of great points. Alternate realities are indeed best when used as a counter-point to the existing universe. This one didn't quite it get right, unfortunately.
The "feeling of Avengers" does work in Busiek's realm. I just found it kinda hooky.
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Post by woodside on Mar 25, 2012 16:45:43 GMT -5
I think this is the only AVSX thread so I guess this comment will work here. I have nothing against the whole AVSX thing but I do resent having 5 pages of every book I buy taken up by the exact same preview. We're payng for this stuff to just be reprinted over and over. I read it the first time. I agree! And if you go on-line, those five pages are the only pages you'll see. It's crazy. And it's not like these are the most exciting pages ever, y'know.
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Post by woodside on Mar 24, 2012 9:24:22 GMT -5
Well, you guys knew this was coming: the Avengers vs X-Men read order! I'm pretty psyched for this crossover. I've been slowly getting back into comic after a hiatus and this was just the thing to get me nice and energized.
And, truthfully, I've always had a strange desire to see the Avenges and the X-Men come to blows!
So without further ado . . . the read order thus far . . .
PRELUDE Marvel .1 Avengers: X-Sanction # 1-4 Avengers 24.1
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Post by woodside on Mar 24, 2012 8:42:19 GMT -5
Avengers # 3
Cap takes the Avengers into the woods for some good ol' fashioned training. Soon enough, though Morgan broadcast out in the woods that even though they've gained the Scarlet Witch, they won't win the day. The Avengers scratch their heads -- they don't have Wanda! So where is she? Cap decides to attack tonight!
Meanwhile, Wanda and the pure energy form of Wonder Man chat about what he's been doing since he died in Force Works a billion years ago. He says that he clung to life until Wanda was able to channel his energies back to the real world. Wanda decides to attack tonight!
The Avengers sneak into the castle, but it all goes to heck in a hand basket quickly when the Queen's Vengeance decides to attack tonight!
Er, counter-attack.
The Avengers and the Queen's Vengeance tie into it and then Wanda shows up and uses her powers against Morgan. Mordred yells at Morgan to just flippin' kill the Avengers and for his insolence, she blasts and him and keeps on battling the Avengers. Wanda brings Wonder Man into the fray, but begins to run out of power during the fight.
Luckily, the fight has taken a lot out of Morgan and she loses her control over the Queen's Vengeance. They all give Scarlet Witch some of her power and Wanda channels it into Wonder Man, who defeats Morgan. The world returns to normal, with Wonder Man, Mordred, and Morgan LeFay nowhere to be found. Thor takes the Twilight Sword back to Asgard and the Avengers now have to figure out who they want on their team.
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This was a satisfying end of the threat of Morgan LeFay. As a villain, she seemed more arrogant than most and it was her ego that eventually was the end of her. I've never liked her, to be honest, and Busiek writes her well, but she doesn't click for me.
I did really like how Mordred was the voice of reason throughout this saga. I remember being surprised that he didn't try and one-up his aunt, but he never really had the chance to.
The Wonder Man stuff is nicely addressed, although a lot of is swept under the rug (with the promise of returning to it later).
The Avengers had to come together at the end, as that was a central theme of this story. I do have some issue with what exactly the Avengers were doing when they were giving some of their power to Wanda (was she absorbing it? converting it into something she could take? I'm just a little confused), but it made for a great visual and a fun coming-together scene.
The art was, as always, great. Perez brings a lot of energy and excitement to the fight scenes.
Overall, a satisfying conclusion to the threat of Morgan LeFay and a pretty good single issue!
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Post by woodside on Mar 18, 2012 8:19:22 GMT -5
1st off, congrats on the upcoming new little w. Thanks! ;D --------------------- Avengers # 2 The Avengers wake up to a new world, the House of M, the House of Morgan LeFay, a Renaissance Festival gone wrong a medieval version of their own. The Marvel Universe – or at least Earth – has been warped into a world was Morgan is queen and the Avengers serve her as the Queen’s Vengeance. Luckily, the stubborn and super-charged Scarlet Witch struggles against Morgan’s control and is able to push Cap into seeing the truth. Cap goes off and is able to get Hawkeye on his side. They figure out that those that were the most passionate and dedicated to being an Avenger will be easier to free from Morgan’s spell. They proceed to confront other members of the Queen’s Vengeance, but things go awry when they meet up with Tony Stark. The freed Avengers (Cap, Photon, Hawkeye, and Wasp) are quickly faced with the Queen’s Vengeance in full, and Cap tries to stir up their feelings about being an Avenger to get them to remember. A few of them do – but Namor jumps in and punches Cap with trying to stir up trouble. A fight ensues. Thor then shows up, the spell of deception gone. Photon distracts everyone and the Avengers escape. Meanwhile, in the dungeon, Scarlet Witch’s hours of struggle come to an end as her powers restore Wonder Man to life! *** While not a terrible read, this issue was not nearly as strong as issue one. I thought the warped reality to be extremely clichéd and felt like something out of an old movie – and not in a good way. Don’t get me wrong: Busiek brings it to life with lots of background characters and backstory. Perez fleshes it out with his always-awesome artwork. But it just didn’t seem like the right fit. Morgan’s relaxed attitude about the Avengers bothered me too. I don’t even really see her as a threat anymore; she’s more of just one of the mill bad guy. Mordred, for all his posturing last issue, has the right idea – the Avengers must die. And, to be honest, the “feeling of being an Avenger” felt a little cheesy to me. But I understand that Busiek was making it clear that being a part of the Avengers was such a huge honor and a thrill and for certain people, it was such an emotional thing, it would break them out of Morgan’s control. On the other hand, it was an interesting Namor that was the one that leapt in and punched Cap in the face for trying to get them all to remember the Marvel Universe as it once was. Here’s a character that, as king of Atlantis, is extremely dedicated to the idea of a monarchy. Of course he would be the first (or second, I guess, after Iron Man) to refuse to believe this! And then there’s Justice, who hilariously jumps in too. Hawkeye’s comment about that was pretty funny. He wasn’t even an Avenger, but I guess as an Avenger fanboy, he gets roped in too. On the art end of things, we have another great issue by George Perez. There’s not as much detail as issue one, but that first issue was jam-packed while this one less detail-oriented, so it’s understandable. Perez brings this new world to life, anyways, and he makes up for it by re-designing the entire cast of the Avengers as medieval super-heroes. Also, take a quick glance at Tony Stark’s bedsheets. I laughed when I saw these. I know that bringing Wonder Man is a big deal and was a bigger deal back then, but I never knew that he had died before I read this issue. So the impact of his return was less than what it should have been, I guess. Overall, this issue was a bit of a mixed bag. I don’t care for the altered reality, but Busiek and Perez flesh it out despite my negative feelings towards it. The passion and memory of being an Avenger being what breaks them from Morgan’s control is a little cheesy, but it makes for some fun results and moves the story forward.
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Post by woodside on Mar 17, 2012 17:25:58 GMT -5
What an enjoyable post, WS! (One assumes that little ToddlerSide has finally gotten to the point where you can snag the odd 40 minutes here and there to read a comic and post an analysis, eh? I lost about two years when each of the LittleBellies were babies. . . ;D) Yeah, for the most part. Having Mrs. W around really helps too. Of course, with that being said, I suppose it's time I mention that we are now expecting a second baby. Sorry for the miscommunication. I have actually read about 99% of this run, I was just missing a few issues (issues 11, 12, the Live Kree or Die crossover, and some Thunderbolt crossover issues). But this is the first in probably 10-12 years I've dragged out them out and re-read them. Oh yeah, I was a big fan of those two. They worked in a way that Kyle Rayner/Green Lantern worked in JLA. It's nice to have an amateur mixed in with the big guns to give us a fresh, fish out of water, holy-crap-look-at-these-guys POV. I seem to remember some other artists helped fill in that gap, too, right? Steve Epting was one of them, if I recall.
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Post by woodside on Mar 17, 2012 10:13:39 GMT -5
Hey everyone! So I said it was coming and here it is: an issue-by-issue review of Busiek's Avengers run! I may end up doing the Johns issues too, but we'll worry about that when the time comes.
Before we start with issue # 1, I'd like to talk a little bit more about my entry into the Avengers and my history with the title before volume three. I, of course, knew about the Avengers, but my only real experience with them came from their occasional crossovers with the X-Men ("Bloodties," in particular).
In 1996, I got all wrapped up in the Onslaught saga/crossover, which the Avengers played a central role. I loved their scenes during their battle with Onslaught -- Thor's bravery and strength; Cap's leadership and inspiration; Iron Man's self-sacrifice; and, as a whole, the Avengers willingness to give up their lives to defeat the monster that threatened to truly destroy the world.
I, like many, was upset with Heroes Reborn. I found the books to be rather bland and uninteresting (though I do recall that Iron Man was at least somewhat interesting). I eagerly anticipated their return to the mainstream MU and was overjoyed when they came smashing through the dimensional barrier and they all came home.
I picked all of the Heroes Return books, but Avengers struck a cord with me. It felt like such a great introduction to the other side of the Marvel Universe that I, as an X-Fan, had only glimpsed.
Since this issue (or I guess, technically, Avengers volume 2 # 12), I've read Avengers up until issue # 71. I picked it back up shortly after that to read the majority of Bendis' run -- up until the Siege crossover. Recently, I was able to complete Kurt Busiek's run, who was the writer who got me into Avengers with Volume Three # 1.
Having recently completed reading the Morrison/Waid/Casey runs on JLA, it only seemed logic for me to read my other favorite super-team of that era: the Avengers!
So, without further ado . . .
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AVENGERS # 1 (Volume Three)
Quite suddenly, all the Avengers old and new are mysteriously attacked by Asgardian creatures -- Trolls, beasts, warriors, and all the like. The foes are defeated and all vanish at the same time. Cap, Wasp, Giant-Man, and Iron Man get together at Avengers Mansion to compare notes and figure out what's going on. Thor then busts through the door, having been missing since their return.
Thor fills everyone in on what he knows: Asgard is empty and in ruins; the Norn Stones are missing; and the Twilight Sword has been stolen! With such a huge threat looming over their heads and with all these Avengers attacked, Cap summons a full roster of Avengers to the mansion.
Cap and the gang fill everyone in on the threat. Thor finds the Norn Stones and the Avengers split up the find them, knowing full well it's a trap. Cap takes his team (consisting of Crystal, Quicksilver, Quasar, Scarlet Witch, Hercules, and D-Man) to Tintangel Head. They fight Mordred, who is able to capture Scarlet Witch, and then are faced with the true foe: Morgan LeFay! She uses the Norn Stones and the Scarlet Witch to access the power of the Twilight Sword. The world then burns to white!
***
Right off the bat, this issue packs in a lot! We get tons of characters, all of whom are clearly defined and full of personality. There's a good, strong sense of history here, but it's very easily accessible to any comic book fan.
The opening sequences are pretty cool and I really liked seeing all of these previous Avengers members being attacked at the same time, and yet, all of them prevailing. Using the Maximoffs as a framing device for this was a good choice too, as it helps to humanize the Avengers (a family going out to dinner is relatively normal).
(one thing I thought about while reading this was if Avengers on other worlds were attacked? or if Jessica Jones was attacked as well?)
The scene with Cap, Wasp, Giant-Man, and Iron Man is very nicely atmospheric and you can just feel the warmth of Tony's study. Jarvis seems so quietly content with having the Avengers back in the mansion. Thor's entry into the the mansion is very dramatic (a little too much), but I loved their scene where the five of them agree to get the gang back together.
Hawkeye is very nicely defined and it's kinda clear from the onset who are the Avengers that Busiek is going to focus on -- the five founders, Hawkeye, and the Maximoffs. That being said, once all the of the Avengers are assembled, he gives everyone a nice nod. Quasar, D-Man, Hercules, Black Panther, Namor, Justice, Firestar, Beast, Binary, etc etc, all get small moments of characterization. There are nods to the Avengers not there, as well as those fallen and those unwilling to show.
I liked Cap's speech, but I actually really loved the panel just after it. Aside from the hilariousness of giving D-Man space, you can really read something into everyone's body language and position throughout the room. I also loved Justice throughout this entire issue. His viewing of the Avengers as being so much bigger than him, as well as his incredible awkwardness at being there makes him very relatable and gives readers (new readers, in particular) someone to help guide them through the world of the Avengers.
The small scene with Rick and Jarvis is pretty good, too.
Cap's team arriving the island is fun and typical super-hero stuff. The sequences wraps up quickly and I liked Morgan LeFay's plan of attack for the other Avengers (Thor battling non-Asgardian monsters and the like). The reality warp is extremely reminiscent of House of M, though Wanda only played a role in this one and didn't do it herself.
Of course, we have a cliffhanger.
Overall, this is a fine issue, with lots of little details and interesting and fun scenes. The characterization is top-notch, the pacing is steady, and we have a nice blend of large-scale super-heroics and humanizing, normal moments. The captions are a little over-dramatic at times and come off as unnecessary to me, but I can live with it.
The art, though, is beyond words. The extreme detail and scope of George Perez is amazing. Look at the cups at the Maximoffs dinner or the expression on Hawkeye's face or the detail of ALL the battle scenes. Perez dedication to creating this world is amazing and his illustration of it is to be applauded.
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So that's all I got for issue one! I'm not sure if every issue is going to be as in-depth of if I'll even review them one issue at a time (I may end up doing it by story arcs, but we'll see).
Thoughts?
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Post by woodside on Mar 12, 2012 22:18:16 GMT -5
I'm confident that it's a Stan Lee invention. It has a very Stan Lee-vibe to it (along with "Excelsior!" and my personal favorite, "'Nuff Said")
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Post by woodside on Mar 10, 2012 13:37:58 GMT -5
Avengers # 1 - 7 Avengers Annual # 1 Avengers # 8 - 11 Avengers Forever Avengers # 12 Avengers Annual # 2 Avengers # 13 - 34 (also some Thunderbolts issues in here) Avengers Infinity Maximum Security Avengers # 36 - 40 Avengers: Ultron Imperative Avengers # 40 - 56
Does that look about right? If I remember correctly, Ultron Imperative's place is a little funky and takes place during the Kang Dynasty timeframe, but I ultimately decided it might be best to put it before hand, so as to better maintain the flow of Kang Dynasty.
I'll be starting this week, if all goes as planned.
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Post by woodside on Mar 2, 2012 22:30:13 GMT -5
Thanks! The last of the run on their way. I'll be starting pretty soon.
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Post by woodside on Feb 28, 2012 20:50:48 GMT -5
So, starting next month, I'm going to jump in and completely re-read the classic and amazing Busiek run on Avengers. But before I jump right in, I need a little bit of help. Where do the first two annuals fit in? How about Avengers Forever?
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Post by woodside on Feb 24, 2012 21:49:38 GMT -5
Really don't know how I feel about this.
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Post by woodside on Feb 20, 2012 23:24:39 GMT -5
You inspired me to go look up who ACCESS is/was. He's sort of the connector character that indeed gave some sort of in-continuity plausability to any crossover stories, yes? Including the Amalgam Comics specials, which I'd completely forgotten about. Boy, I'll just bet he's been rendered superfluous by DC-- 'cause they've re-booted their reality again, it looks like-- and moot by Marvel, 'cause heck, they've so completely lost interest in their own in-house continuity that I can't imagine justifying crossover continuity is even remotely a shadow of a priority anymore. Sure it's a little forced, a little hokey, a bit of a stretch to say the least-- but I absolutely applaud and appreciate the commitment to integrity that it represents. "This happened in our universe, and here's how we've set it up and justified it." Hey, nice to have you poppin' up again, WS! HB Thanks HB! Gotta challenge you on the continuity comment, though. I would say that there are certain writers that ignore the history and skip certain parts of the past MU, BUT post-2004/2005 MU continuity has been very tight and consistent within itself. Pre-2004/2005 is a little less certain, but stories told within the past 7-8 years have been pretty tight with each other. As for Access, I absolutely loved this character when I was younger. I thought he was really cool and believed he had a TON of potential. Personally, I like to think he's slipped into the cracks of the Marvel and DC universes and continues to strengthen the barrier between them. Maybe the post-Flashpoint timeline has removed him completely from the multi-omniverse, as the new merged timeline has erased even the events of Marvel vs DC and all previous Marvel/DC crossovers ever. Or I'm thinking about it all too much.
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Post by woodside on Feb 20, 2012 18:40:09 GMT -5
This is an excellent question. I do wonder if there's anyone left at Marvel that this could be put to? Anyone, at least, that's trustworthy & has the knowledge to make that call. Honestly, though, I've never taken those DC/Marvel crossovers as strictly canonical. I'm trying to think if any of them have ever been referred to outside of the crossover stories themselves. They seem to fall into the realm of "Huge Event That Fades From the Participants' Minds Once It's Ended". Just barely this side of a What If-? or an imaginary story. Otherwise, man-- what an even MORE complicated mess the Omniverse becomes! HB I believe it is canonical, at least on the DC side of things. Busiek followed up on the cosmic egg thing in JLA a few months later. In retrospect, I know that the early Marvel/DC crossovers (the two Superman/Spider-Man special, Hulk/Batman, X-Men/Teen Titans) take place in the old, shared Marvel/DC universe that was subsequently destroyed and split. We see the split off in X-Men Adventures # 12 and is detailed in the Marvel vs DC crossover. The majority of the 90s crossovers fall under the circumstance you mentioned -- "fades from memory over time." Which is convenient! You could even make the claim that this is done by Access. We know that he is supposed to go down a "darker" path and perhaps his way of preventing future crossovers (and abuse of his power) is by erasing the memories of those involved. In reference to JLA/Avengers, one could make the argument that Wanda re-watching of the fate of her children caused her to block the whole thing out again -- perhaps even reactivating the magical memory blocks that Agatha put in there in the first place. Since she obviously "forgot" about the twins as of Avengers 500ish, and we need an explanation for it, this is as good as any. Obviously, this all just theoretical and I'm just pulling it out of the air and making observations on unrelated stuff.
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Post by woodside on Feb 20, 2012 9:54:06 GMT -5
Well now, technically, it happened in Avengers West Coast Annual #7, and I quote "Our Agatha Harkness briefly erased from my mind all memory of my children, to spare me pain. I'm so glad she soon realized that that was a mistake, however much I sorrowed at my loss, for pain is a part of living- Just as much as joy is." It happened again in Avengers #503 after you-know-who failed to acknowledge that the memory he returned wasn't gone. I knew it! I KNEW it!! I knew I had read at some point in the past that Wanda's memory of her kids was intact. I absolutely remember that moment by the pool in issue #503, and Jan's accidental "revelation" making no sense to me at that time. Didn't even understand what the significance was. I mean, obviously I picked up on it pretty quickly thereafter-- but I assumed I had missed some crucial personal development in Wanda's backstory. Good job, SW. I wonder--- wasn't Janet a couple of mai-tai's past her limit in that scene (which I also find appalling). . . and was this also the issue where she and Hawkeye started fooling around? Man, was this even Jan at all?? Wow-- maybe SHE was a Skrull, too-- and THAT'S who got so blithely killed off! Hate to say it, but I would welcome that as a retcon at this point. . . HB Thanks for the answers, everyone! I'll have to track down that issue. As for Jan in Avengers # 503 . . . she was no Skrull, but she was probably suffering from post-Chuck Austen syndrome. I think everyone needed a few drinks after that run.
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Post by woodside on Feb 19, 2012 20:25:15 GMT -5
Do you guys know what issue it was that Wanda remembered that she had non-kids? Thanks!
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Post by woodside on Feb 19, 2012 20:24:05 GMT -5
Crap! I had a nice, long, well-written response to this -- and then the computer ate it. The long and short of it: the mini-series isn't done yet, so we might get a better understanding of the circumstances. I'm sure it was an eloquent and marvelous reply, but unless Wanda's kids have some greater purpose in the universe, beyond her own want and need to have them back, then she's doing this for the wrong reasons. She's conspiring with a mad dictator, who despite the occasional lapse into morality has done stuff like kill his own subjects for no other reasons than he can. Wanda tapped into a powerful force because she heartbreakingly missed her kids, who by most accounts, don't really exist- they're a manifestation of her power and some other power she tapped into- at least according to everything I've ever read (it's probably retconned at this point...). I won't argue that they're not human,they're the Vision's kids after all, so they could never be fully human, but bringing persons back from the seemingly dead or non-existence is a very tricky concept, and while it happens from time to time through some manipulation of events, it shouldn't be allowable. I mean why didn't Wanda bring back Scott Lang too? Bet his daughter misses him. Should Cassie go to Dr. Doom and get his help to tap into that power. wanda should help as it is her fault to a degree. And what about Jack of Hearts,the power Wanda tapped into restored him, couldn't it do it again? They both deserve their chance to live again too. I appreciate that Wanda is on the side of the angels again- I don't like Bendis and Heinberg deciding that losing her kids made her into a) a raving lunatic several years back and then b) the revised version who tampered with forces beyond her control and less actively still ended up hurting practically every one she loved. I think in order to redeem a character they need to be pursuing a greater good than their own self interest. The latest issue dealt with this pretty thoroughly. Just FYI.
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