Slott's Mighty Avengers effectively is the West Coast Avengers, to some extent. Pym, US Agent, a Vision, and a Scarlet Witch are prominent members of the team. All they'd need is Hawkeye, War Machine or Iron Man, and for the Scarlet Witch to actually be the Scarlet Witch and they'd be set. I think that's part of why I still like them so much, even though I haven't really thought Slott's plots (lulz, rhyme!) were particularly great.
I think Slott's plots (it does rhyme) on MIGHTY AVENGERS have gotten better the longer he has been on them. They all have been more entertaining for me than anything Bendis wrote in that title, so it was all was uphill for me. At least Slott wasn't the man who had the Avengers storm into Latvaria to try to beat Doom with a plan so stupid, the Hulk could have come up with it, and it actually worked! Slott at least utilizes more timeless elements, rather than chasing fads like Bendis did (really does anyone give a spit about symbiotes anymore? He's a good decade too late there).
Unfortunately, Tom Brevroot doesn't like the title "AVENGERS WEST COAST", so I think if this book were to be called anything, it wouldn't be that.
I wouldn't even compare it to Avengers West Coast; because, I just don't find any of these characters particularily "mighty," even Hercules. When Herc was with the Avengers in the past, he was pretty much a poorer man's Thor. He never really caught on. And, while many people love Incredible Herc, I wouldn't cry if it was cancelled. I'm not a Herc fan, and I definitely not an Amadeus fan.
Still, I do give it up to Slott for actually doing stories that link into those old Avenger's stories I remember from the past. It's just that all the major characters are being taken up by Bendis or the various events. Used to be the Avengers used to have a few of these characters that weren't major stars, and the reader would start to become interested in them; like Justice or Rage. I just don't think you can have a full team of them without a true leader.
With all due respect, you seem to read a great many books every week that are consistently far, far worse than Slott's MIGHTY AVENGERS has been. IMO, of course.
I considering Pym a "leader"; he is a founding Avenger after all. I certainly adore INCREDIBLE HERCULES and feel Hercules is in some ways more relatable than Thor. He was once a mortal, for one, and he actually isn't as stupid as Thor, in that he never trusts his own evil relatives who have been trying to kill him for centuries, while Thor & Balder are always, "good heavens, did Loki really LIE to us" when not even a vegatable on a respirator would fall for Loki with equal experience. One could argue out of everyone on MIGHTY AVENGERS, Hercules is the only one who actually has his own solo title right now.
It seems to me you would have preferred either Hulk or Iron Man stuck around as teased from the first arc. I haven't missed them, and in fact I thought they distracted things from the main arc, making the finalized team seem like more of a bait and switch than it had to be.
I don't mind Slott's roster and take on it because the big Avengers will always be around, and anything that is done right or wrong with them never lasts forever. But the B and C listers? They can be ruined forever with one or two bad stories if enough care isn't taken with them. Probably the only one of the cast who isn't working 100% for me is John Walker; he's great for punchlines because he's hopelessly extreme right wing, but beyond that there's little more to him. Frankly I'm expecting more when he guest stars in Jeff Parker's THUNDERBOLTS soon. Considering the mileage Slott has gotten out of Pym, Quicksilver, even Jocasta, I am a bit surprised that Walker has come off as one note. He may not be returning to the title, and I may not miss him.
My pondering; will Bendis' Avengers title get BOTH Captain America's? Since whatever NEW AVENGERS relaunches into, Bendis WILL be allowed the Big Three. Without a doubt. I imagine Hawkeye, Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Wolverine, and Spider-Woman will fill out the roster. But what about Barnes? Could he end up replacing Walker for whatever MIGHTY AVENGERS relaunches into? I mean, Marvel likely won't outright cancel a book that has been going over two years and still sells in the Top 40. Marvel has never said or acted under a philosophy of, "sure, we can sell 3-5 titles of this, but it would be better thematically if we got it down to 1-2 titles"; if they did, why do we still have 3 X-Men titles? Or 5 Deadpool books? Hell, Web of Spider-Man is back, for heaven's sakes!
I mean, it's not a big deal either way, but that seems nitpicky. The title clearly sold the comic well enough for several years...
