REVIEWS!!!
Great writers on Daredevil do not make great writers on big team books, like Avengers. Times like this, I miss Busiek writing this book.
Shadowland: Power Man #1
I have mixed feelings. The story was pretty good, and I love how the tie-ins to Shadowland do tie-in really well with the main storyline. But, I hate replacing existing characters with younger versions. Sure, Luke Cage will always be around (Bendis willing), and this Power Man is just taking his previous name and money-lovin' Heroes-For-Hire identity; I'm just not a fan of the concept. (I still have bad memories about that younger Tony Stark. Who knows what would have become of that, if not for Heroes Reborn making everything back to normal without any explanation for the change back to regular Tony.)
Still, as I said, this story was good. Shadowland is impressing me so far.
That's actually an interesting line about DD writers not always being as natural for team books. Team books are a different beast than solo hero titles, and I think few writers or editors seem to realize that. Just because Brubaker can juggle additional heroes when they pop up in a CAPTAIN AMERICA story doesn't mean he's a natural on a squad book.
As for SHADOWLAND: POWER MAN, I do have one point of contention with you. While I can understand the hesitancy to see an older character "replaced" with a newer one, your Marvel example is off. In the 90's, Tony Stark was not only made evil, but retconned into ALWAYS having been a mole of Immortus. The 19 year old Arno Stark that was plucked from time was essentially another version of the same character, and the elder Stark died at the end of his intro arc. In SL:PM, Victor Alvarez is his own character. He is a new character with his own family and while it's hinted he has a connection (grudge) with Luke Cage, he may have more to do with Iron Fist than Luke Cage (since he somehow is empowered by chi). Luke Cage will NOT die and be replaced by Victor. You won't see Victor filling his spot on NEW AVENGERS or THUNDERBOLTS. If anything, it is a sign that Cage has moved up a bit. Clearly, Cage has benefited more from Bendis' attention than Iron Fist has. While he still can't sell his own series, he's gotten a higher profile and more to do in the bigger books. More to the point, Cage has very rarely been a "hero for hire". Usually when he is, he is usually just out to back up Iron Fist (who was always less about the cash, since he was rich) or the Daughters of the Dragon (who are still bounty hunters). Cage has gone more "legit", especially being the official commander of the Thunderbolts. He doesn't need to box scabs for cash anymore. He also hasn't really gone by "Power Man" since the 90's, even if he still likes to make inmates scream it when he beats them down during break-outs.
I understand being wary of it, but I don't see it as putting Luke Cage to pasture. If anything, I see it as a sign of how far Cage has been elevated in 5-6 years that someone could take his old codename and it won't hinder him at all, because that era is behind him. Honestly, Victor is there to give Iron Fist someone to mentor, I think. He hasn't done much in the past year. I also try to support new blood, as Marvel can always use new characters. It may smell similar to when DC shoehorns in a legacy, but Marvel has played that card a lot less often. The last major time they did, they dusted off Bucky Barnes rather than bring in a "new guy" again like John Walker.
And I'd like to call for some comparisons between Brubaker and Bendis at this stage. Bendis and Brubaker apparently had some good crime indies, I don't know due to my never having read them, but I've heard great things from them. Both of them then had a great acclaimed run on a major solo title. Bendis did Daredevil and Bru did Captain America. At the time Bendis paced his stories well, though Bru tended to start dragging out his stories at that time. Bendis was still hitting pretty good though, despite Bru dudding with X-Men. Now, we have the Avenger books. Bendis was ridiculed early, most notoriously, for bad characterisation and for the use of threats under Avengers level, apparently Ninjas, despite their barely being used by Bendis. Bru is failing much of his characterisation in Secret Avengers and has had the team facing threats under Avengers level with the nick fury drones and other nobodies in the first issue. Their one threat was Nova possessed, rediculously overpowered, but easily defeated in an anti-climactic way... much like how Bendis is always being accused of, such as with Sentry. Also, people complain that Bendis's original New Avengers team was too random and didn't unite believably, but at least he tried to give us an origin story. Bru just threw his team together without much rhyme or reason. Also, with the exception of Secret Avengers, Bru has the same formula in everything he writes... A) kill someone, or B) bring someone back from the dead... and go. Also, randomly kill someone, such as Nomad and Banshee... much like how Bendis was yelled at over killing Alpha Flight.
So here's my thoughts. I like Bendis's Avengers, but I'm not exactly a huge Bendis fan. However, I see the same mistakes throughout Brubaker's run in comics as Bendis's, and while both have had their high moments they're both about the same quality of writer in my eyes. So why the double standard? Why is Bru heraled as a GREAT writer and Bendis is ridiculed as a joke?
I do like that you're reading AVENGERS ACADEMY, although a shame you're not feeling THUNDERBOLTS. I guess because I never really had a "anti-villain Juggernaut" run before, I don't mind it. I never bought the idea of Marko just turning around on a dime, or for the most Hollywood reason of all, to look good in front of some kid (the means for all bad boys in movies to shape up since 1940). Parker writes Cain as someone on the fence, who could go either way and isn't sure yet, and that's what I like. But to each their own.
I quoted your Bendis = Brubaker point because while I still prefer Brubaker overall, it is a valid point and there are connections to the two. Both of them wrote acclaimed runs on DAREDEVIL and at least one solo title after it (Brubaker on CAPTAIN AMERICA and, for some, Bendis on at least the first few years of ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN). Then both went to team books and found it harder than expected. I haven't forgotten the colossal dud that was DEADLY GENESIS or the wasted death of Banshee, given that he was one of my top 10 favorite X-Men. I like Brubaker as a writer and I have defended him from criticism (such as from the Zemo bits in CA, even if I admit the start could have been executed better). That said, there are other writers who I probably feel are more consistent who haven't won an Eisner or gotten a hot Avengers book, like Christos Gage, Jeff Parker, or Fred Van Lente, or probably others I am forgetting.
I will say one difference is that, aside for Nova, Brubaker hasn't written any of his team members in SECRET AVENGERS out of character. There's no Spider-Man being an incompetent moron, no Iron Man all gung-ho to get a murderous Wolverine on the team, and so on. Nova was wasted, and I imagine Shang Chi (a lessor character who hasn't had his own series since the 70's) will likely look FAR better in that rotating roster spot than Nova did. The other Avengers on Brubaker's line up aren't written poorly or out of character. My criticism is they're barely written at all; they all serve functional roles, but the interaction has been slight. Teams need to feel like each member has a specific purpose that no other hero could have, and their adventures need to be unique. This arc was in space to imply that this was still an Avengers team that did the "big stuff", but in the end it was really about building up the Shadow Cabinet or whatever which Nick Fury is seemingly a part of. The lack of a major villain did hurt the arc a lot. But I wouldn't call Brubaker a Bendis on Avengers quite yet. At least the team, as silent as many of them are, were all assembled within one issue, not 6-7. Sure, Rogers is very clearly the star and main focus, but at least I can appreciate him being a hog over War Machine, Valkyrie, or Moon Knight, while it was sometimes tough to swallow Bendis pushing whatever pet character he had over some of the bigger characters. Eric O'Grady has probably had the most focus aside for Rogers himself, and that's been fine so far. Technically, both Black Widow and Moon Knight have their own ongoings or upcoming mini series to be fleshed out in. War Machine is a regular on INVINCIBLE IRON MAN. On the other hand, Valkyrie probably had more defining character in her one scene in AVENGERS ACADEMY than she has in the last two issues of SECRET AVENGERS.
I wouldn't equalize Brubaker to Bendis on Avengers yet. And to be fair, while many on Hype may "ridicule Bendis as a joke", we are a minority of a minority of comic book fans. That said, I tore into this last issue of SA's first arc and I am glad that I wasn't alone in that. I really do hope that the arcs improve from there. Nick Fury being a villain really wouldn't work, so I am hoping Brubaker is going with a good twist. Otherwise, well, wouldn't it mess up SECRET WARRIORS a lot?
He can be good at slow burn plots, but he also can be decompressed at times, although not as bad as Bendis or Fraction. I hope he understands the natural length for this one. I have to say, though, that so far the SA have not fought too many worthy opponents. The Serpent Crown I guess is a worthy Maguffin to chase and thwarting some space demon is alright, although that is also staunch DEFENDERS territory (fighting vague, one note threats to the universe who never show up again). But aside for that, the only villain they fought was Captain Barracuda, and that was in an issue of MOON KNIGHT (and he was some wonky pirate the Fantastic Four tangled with on rare occasions). I mean, Brubaker trucked out all the big guns for CA (Red Skull! Arnim Zola! Baron Zemo!) and even Rogers' solo title has Machinesmith. I'm hoping he has a big gun for the SA besides a stand in for Fu Manchu. After all, while Bendis may have used Ultron poorly in his first arc of MIGHTY, he still used Ultron (and Mole Man). Kang popped up in AVENGERS #1. Even Chthon was a capable threat for the first arc of Slott's book, given he's a major demon who usually messed with the Maximoffs and the Avengers. I was hoping for more in the first arc than a bewitching crown and some tentacles (and Nova's wasted cameo). I even would have taken the Young Masters.
REBORN was actually a bit of a mess by the end, which was probably Brubaker's first unofficial Avengers story (given that by the end, Clint Barton, Falcon, Black Widow, Vision II, Pym, Barnes and Rogers were all united against Red Skull's ridiculously over the top battle in D.C., which included the Skull's turn as a Godzilla villain). But at least it was the Avengers vs. Red Skull and a horde of MODOK robots. I'd have taken that over a bewitched Nova being spanked by Nova Prime Rogers.
I know Brubaker can use big villains and tell big stories, and he can also pace great battles (although he relies on mooks WAY too often). Hopefully he can pull together the execution better as the next arc of SA begins. It's my "main" Avengers title, as it is "more important" than AVENGERS ACADEMY, so it does need to step up a bit.