It's Either In You Or It's Not a.k.a. The Defenders

[Kevin]

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/marvel-teaser-iron-fist-110711.html

 

[Kevin]

I am now wondering if this has anything to do with that magic event marvel was hinting at ALL those years ago.

 

[Spidermatrix53]

Perhaps.

 

[venom892]

I'll take anything that returns Strange back to his former glory.

 

[JewishHobbit]

1) Potential new titles launch initiative.

2) Potential upcoming New Avengers storyline.


My guess is #2. The first arc was magic based and it ended with Voodoo's brother vowing revenge, which Bru said he was going to come back to. Now we see New Avengers's two magical characters as the focus mentioning what may be in them. I say it's the continuation of that story.

 

[hippie_hunter]

I think that it will have something to do with the Mighty, considering that the reveals of what these teasers mean will be during the Fear Itself panel. And both Iron Fist and Dr. Strange are part of the Mighty.

 

[Dread]

By December 2011, a few struggling ongoing series will likely be canceled, so Marvel will have to replace them. If I had to guess which, I imagine HERC will be canned or need another relaunch, and HEROES FOR HIRE should be long dead by then. A 12th issue of that was solicited for September, but sales are below cancellation level now (Marvel often pulls the plug on an ongoing once sales slip below about 18k with no end in sight). IRON MAN 2.0 and GENERATION HOPE are also hovering dangerously close and may be done by December as well. BLACK PANTHER: MAN WITHOUT FEAR could also be toast by then if it's sales are still dropping at a rate of 3-9% a month like it is now. Also, by December a few mini's will be wrapped up.

My point is that while this could merely be an arc of NEW AVENGERS, it could also be genuine new launches of mini's or ongoing series. For any title Marvel cancel, they replace it with two more. Their current publishing scheme is based on the mythological Hydra, and has been for some time - especially with X-Men titles.

In fairness to Marvel, both Iron Fist and Dr. Strange are characters who have not had stabs at ongoing series in some time. By 12/11, it will have been almost 2.5 years since IMMORTAL IRON FIST called it a run after 27 issues. Dr. Strange hasn't had a reliable ongoing series since the 90's. While both characters have struggled in sales when it comes to mini's - the sales on the last POWER MAN AND IRON FIST mini series started out decently and then sank like a stone immediately afterward - they are also characters that Marvel always tries again with every few years. They merely don't get ongoing series relaunches as often as Moon Knight, Black Panther, or currently Hercules.

Considering that Disney has genuine interest in pursuing Dr. Strange for a feature film, to desperately ape the success of HARRY POTTER for Warner Brothers, it is inevitable that Marvel returns him to some semblance of his typical power level and corporately approved garb sooner rather than later. You could also say the same for Iron Fist. Tom Brevoort often claims that comics imitating films - from the X-Men's black leather look from 2001 to Capt. America's helmet in FEAR ITSELF - are not things directly mandated but seem to happen by sheer luck or circumstance, but any reasonable person acknowledges that is a bold faced lie (because to suggest Tom is Marvel's #2 and THAT blissfully ignorant or incompetent is much more disturbing than him merely lying to the media). It was not coincidence that Iron Man's armor got a major redesign in time for a film. It is not coincidence that Thor seems to lose his helmet a lot more often lately after his own film. For Brevoort to insist otherwise is to insult the intelligence of Marvel fans...which means it's a Tuesday.

At any rate, I'm always game for more Iron Fist. The dilemma is a $3.99 debut issue won't do it any favors, and it is a franchise that has struggled. Sure, IMMORTAL IRON FIST did well enough, but it spring-boarded from CIVIL WAR, and had Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction and David Aja on it. Plus, the comic market as well as the entire economy was vastly different in 2007 than it will be in December 2011.

For the record, Marvel claimed last year in their counter to DC's "Holding The Line At $2.99" that they would no longer sell #1 issues to ongoing series at $3.99, at least after the spring. I am waiting for Marvel to oblige by their own word.

 

[runawayboulder]

Please be Defenders
Please be Defenders
Please be Defenders
Please be Defenders
Please be Defenders
Please be Defenders
Please be Defenders

 

[Dread]

Good heavens, the Defenders is a franchise that has struggled even longer than Dr. Strange and Iron Fist have alone. Nobody could keep the magic going after Steve Gerber left it, and it hasn't ever rebounded since ending in the mid 1980's. There are reunions and mini's and whatnot in other books - hilariously, the cast of SECRET AVENGERS are closer to a Defenders roster than an Avengers one - but there hasn't been much in the way of Defenders material in ages.

The difficulty of that franchise is while everyone laughs about it being a "non-team", it actually has something of a consistent roster overall. The problem is that consistent roster are not of big name characters. The Hulk is the biggest name on it, and who knows where the character will end up when his title relaunches. But after that? Dr. Strange, Namor, and Silver Surfer haven't sold an ongoing series in about 10-15 years. And then after them, you have those notable C-List characters like Nighthawk, Hellcat, Hellstorm, and Valkyrie (and to lessor extents, Beast and Moon Knight). Again, SECRET AVENGERS seems to be occupying a few of those other characters.

I don't mind the Defenders, but then again, I never minded MARVEL TEAM UP. That doesn't mean I think it'd sell.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Namor has an ongoing that is getting cancelled.

 

[Specter313]

I've been working on unscrambling the highlighted letters as well:

Iron Fist = The, everyone, fight, and one that could be several possiblities h-u-s-t (shut, thus, tush, huts)

Strange = The, universe, you, to

 

[THANOSRULES]

Good heavens, the Defenders is a franchise that has struggled even longer than Dr. Strange and Iron Fist have alone. Nobody could keep the magic going after Steve Gerber left it, and it hasn't ever rebounded since ending in the mid 1980's. There are reunions and mini's and whatnot in other books - hilariously, the cast of SECRET AVENGERS are closer to a Defenders roster than an Avengers one - but there hasn't been much in the way of Defenders material in ages.

The difficulty of that franchise is while everyone laughs about it being a "non-team", it actually has something of a consistent roster overall. The problem is that consistent roster are not of big name characters. The Hulk is the biggest name on it, and who knows where the character will end up when his title relaunches. But after that? Dr. Strange, Namor, and Silver Surfer haven't sold an ongoing series in about 10-15 years. And then after them, you have those notable C-List characters like Nighthawk, Hellcat, Hellstorm, and Valkyrie (and to lessor extents, Beast and Moon Knight). Again, SECRET AVENGERS seems to be occupying a few of those other characters.

I don't mind the Defenders, but then again, I never minded MARVEL TEAM UP. That doesn't mean I think it'd sell.

what about Devil Slayer amd manslaughter?

But how many viable examples of new marvel single hero books in the last 10-15 years have really taken off? I 'd guess maybe Deadpool would be the only one to speak of.

 

[RaZaTrOn]

 

[runawayboulder]

Oh, f**k. There goes the neighborhood.

 

[Kevin]

Well. Not magic.

 

[Sebastos]

These teasers are really interesting, love the words that describe the heroes as who they are today and what is apart of them. So far this makes three characters from the mighty, assuming one of the females is Red She-Hulk. More Iron Fist and Dr. Strange? Yes please.

Anyone piece together the letters so far?

 

[Red]

Are these all part of the 'The Mighty'?

 

[bored]

This is all an ad-campaign for the new "Avengerade" sports drink.

 

[runawayboulder]

No, Iron Fist and Strange def aren't. Red Shulkie was speculated as possibly the 2nd female. I think it's Valkyrie personally.....

 

[runawayboulder]

The folks at CBR have been decoding these teasers:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=33259

If only Marvel was as creative with their events as they are the teasers......sigh.

 

[Sebastos]

So what we have so far:

Orange message -- "Thus (or Shut) the engines…"
Yellow message -- "The universe will…"
Red message -- "Everyone you love…"
Maroon message -- "Fight to save…"

Could take maybe one or two more teasers to complete the message.

 

[roach]

This is all an ad-campaign for the new "Avengerade" sports drink.

I thought I was imagining things when I thought the catch phrase was from a past Gatorade campaign

 

[Dread]

Red She-Hulk, interesting. I don't especially care for Betty being a She-Hulk Lite, but it is what it is. I prefer her to A-Bomb, or either of Hulk's kids.

Technically, Iron Fist is "more than likely" one of THE WORTHY, while Dr. Strange and Red She-Hulk are rumored to be. What evens some odds is that Fraction co-wrote Iron Fist in IMMORTAL IRON FIST, had Dr. Strange in INVINCIBLE IRON MAN and has featured Red She-Hulk within the pages of FEAR ITSELF, which is something that cannot be said for other guessed heroines like Valkyrie (even if she would make sense).

 

[IFryKids]

This reeks of a Defenders relaunch to me, like previously said.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Dr. Strange is definitely a part of the worthy.