Secret Avengers - Part 1

[TheCorpulent1]

I now look at the Mars arc as the bone Brubaker threw to Avengers fans who checked the series out expecting an Avengers comic. Unfortunately, it seems he just doesn't know how to write good Avengers stories; it's low-level espionage or bust.

 

[Franklin Richards]

You'd think that he'd be able to come up with some sort of courtly drama. Dracula is perfect for that sort of thing. Black Panther and Doom as well. It's real easy to insert espionage in that sort of arc.


I dunno. I'm spitballin'. This team should be taking on more Defendery villains.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I agree. Minus the Defenders fanboyism.

 

[Franklin Richards]

Everyone is a Defenders Fanboy. Even if they don't know it yet.

 

[Scourge2099]

So does anyone hope we can get Blade to join the Secret Avengers?

Isn't Blade busy doing MI 13 work in Britain ?

 

[RockSP]

Characters can be on multiple teams as we see all the time with Spidey, Wolvie, etc. It's not like he would have to be on every mission. Hell Nova was busy on the other side of the galaxy but made time for Steve.

 

[Scourge2099]

Pete Wisdom loaned Captain Britain out to the Avengers , but why give us Yanks two of their operatives ? I don't see Steve Rogers loaning out any American heroes out.

 

[Dread]

I now look at the Mars arc as the bone Brubaker threw to Avengers fans who checked the series out expecting an Avengers comic. Unfortunately, it seems he just doesn't know how to write good Avengers stories; it's low-level espionage or bust.

Yet he keeps dabbling in the space stuff. He put the X-Men in space for his year on UXM and all that.

Brubaker just doesn't handle a team very well, I think. It is a different beast than solo heroes with guest stars or a supporting cast of other heroes. He doesn't rotate the focus. It is always Steve Rogers and friends. He also over relies on aimless minion brawls which is a shame because when he DOES have a hero vs. villain fight it is usually always paced well. Hell, he paces a lot of his minion fights well enough that he can get away with relying on them a lot. Just not forever.

He's a good writer, but team books aren't his bag, and at least he knows that enough to not overstay his welcome here. Nick Spencer won't enjoy his sales success, but I hope he improves the quality.

You'd think that he'd be able to come up with some sort of courtly drama. Dracula is perfect for that sort of thing. Black Panther and Doom as well. It's real easy to insert espionage in that sort of arc.


I dunno. I'm spitballin'. This team should be taking on more Defendery villains.

Eh, between MI-13 and X-MEN, Dracula has probably gotten too much play.

I have said this before, but Count Nefaria is a criminally underutilized villain. He is an international mobster don and he has enough physical power to challenge Thor and Wonder Man. You could do a story in which you have a team taking on an international crime syndicate, but instead of them just being guys with guns, they're ionically powered and working for a guy who may as well be Superman Lite with a monacle and an N belt buckle. If the Kingpin, who is just a sumo in a suit, can be the baddest boss around, why is a villain who has flattened a city by himself hiding off in limbo somewhere? Especially when a guy like The Hood just needs some guns and a demonic bed-sheet to be a boss these days?

Isn't Blade busy doing MI 13 work in Britain ?

Yes. He also just teamed up with the X-Men and watched them basically knowtow to Dracula for stupid reasons.

Y'know what Blade should do? Cut a deal with Mr. Sinister for some mission he needs to do and then when the X-Men gawk, he goes, "Now we're even."

 

[Drz]

Well the latest issue gave Valkyrie a good moment, but yeah next issue is Bru doing what he loves: Flashbacks of Steve Roger's past. Ant Man still gets the best one-liners, but right now i'm just waiting and hoping Spencer can deliver a better job. =(

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I'm actually excited for the next issue. I'm interested in what drew John Steele to the Shadow Council, plus the best issue before this one was the one with flashbacks to Max Fury's past.

Pete Wisdom loaned Captain Britain out to the Avengers , but why give us Yanks two of their operatives ? I don't see Steve Rogers loaning out any American heroes out.

The Black Knight got loaned out to MI-13. By... um... going to England and joining the team entirely on his own. That still counts, right?

 

[Scourge2099]

I'm actually excited for the next issue. I'm interested in what drew John Steele to the Shadow Council, plus the best issue before this one was the one with flashbacks to Max Fury's past.


The Black Knight got loaned out to MI-13. By... um... going to England and joining the team entirely on his own. That still counts, right?

Is the Black Knight still considered an Avenger though ? If he is I guess that counts.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

He should be. Dude served longer than most except for the biggest of the big names.

 

[Scourge2099]

I'm surprised Hank didn't ask Dane to join when he became leader of the Mighty Avengers during Dark Reign.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Well the latest issue gave Valkyrie a good moment

I forgot she was on the team till this week's issue. I like her though, tough bird.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I'm surprised Hank didn't ask Dane to join when he became leader of the Mighty Avengers during Dark Reign.

Steve extended the same offer that made Captain Britain a reserve Avenger to Dane, but I think Dane ultimately decided he was happy in England.

 

[Scourge2099]

He's better off in Britain anyway. The Brits treat their heroes with respect while Americans are more picky. They love the FF and all the Avengers, but if you're a mutie who isn't an Avenger , then it sucks to be you. Sucks if you're Spidey too.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

He's also dating one of MI-13's other members, so there's that. Although, Blade is still dating Spitfire, as far as I know, yet he's been all over the place since Captain Britain and MI-13 ended.

 

[Scourge2099]

He's also dating one of MI-13's other members, so there's that. Although, Blade is still dating Spitfire, as far as I know, yet he's been all over the place since Captain Britain and MI-13 ended.

Didn't Pete Wisdom bring him over to deal with the threat presented by Dracula and now he only does s*** with MI-13 on the side now ?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I don't think so. Blade was a member of the team before Dracula became a threat and he seemed to be hanging out with them all the time, not just freelancing.

 

[Scourge2099]

Oh , I thought he came in during the Dracula arc.

They should totally bring back Captain Britain MI:13 though. I always found it interesting when they have superhumans as agents of the government. That's why I like Secret Warriors so much. Sure they aren't working for any government , but they do similar things.

 

[Anubis]

He's better off in Britain anyway. The Brits treat their heroes with respect while Americans are more picky. They love the FF and all the Avengers, but if you're a mutie who isn't an Avenger , then it sucks to be you. Sucks if you're Spidey too.

Well, to be fair, Spidey and the X-Men are c**ts.

 

[Scourge2099]

Well, to be fair, Spidey and the X-Men are c**ts.

Yeah who likes filthy muties who hole up in an artificial island that was used by a mutant terrorist and dudes that "sell" their marriage to a demon to save their 80 something year old aunt ?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Not I, certainly. Wipe 'em all out, I say!

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Nick Spencer on his Secret Avengers plans

Nrama: Getting to write these characters for the first time, especially Steve Rogers, must be a treat.


Spencer: Yeah! I especially got to deal with a lot of Steve in the Point One issue. The Point One issue is very much about Steve and some of these questions I had been asking myself about how his dynamic has changed post-Siege. To me one of the most fascinating things about Steve is, despite decades of existence as a character, this is really the first time that he’s been a general in a war. He’s always been an on-the-field guy, and he’s always been a symbol. Now he’s in a role that’s been occupied by guys like Nick Fury, and Norman Osborn, and that is a very different kind of role, and it’s a very different kind of job. Steve is finding himself confronted with questions and problems that are very different from what he’s used to. He’s trying to hold to those values and those principles that have served him so well as Captain America, but at the same time now he’s dealing in a world of covert operations, and espionage, and black-ops, and all these things that he’s either not been a part of or had a very limited role in previously. Now he’s the guy orchestrating them and engineering them. For a guy like Nick Fury, a guy who’s comfortable in the shadows and comfortable with the shades of grey, that’s one thing. But for a guy like Steve, who has such a strong moral fiber to him, this job is presenting him with a number of new headaches and new doubts.

I think he’s trying to stay true to his ideals and do the right thing, but the interesting thing is this is not a job that Steve sought, it’s not a job that he campaigned for. When the world was falling apart around him, basically the president came to him and asked him to do this. It’s something that we haven’t gotten a chance to really talk about yet. For the Point One issue, I really wanted to do a nice, self-contained, done-in-one story that can stand on its own and could give you an overview of the team, what they do, and what they’re about, but also just have sort of a satisfying beginning, middle and end within 22 pages. That was a real good opportunity to focus on that particular question about Steve.

I have to say, I'm a little apprehensive now. One of his main points is apparently going to be about Steve having to deal with the realities of his new job, which sounds like writer-speak for, "I'm going to make the formerly white knightly Captain America super-gray." That's exactly what I was worried about when it started looking likely that Steve would take over the job as leader of all the US' superhumans after Osborn and Iron Man. It certainly revealed an even more cutthroat and morally questionable version of Iron Man when he was in the job, but that worked for him because being a beacon of morality wasn't as central to his character as it is to Steve's.

On the other hand, Spencer's comics have been pretty good so far. Hopefully he can manage to make the story interesting while keeping Steve's moral fiber relatively unscathed.

 

[Drz]

It's also nice to see Valkyrie getting some spotlight, but is anyone else worried about Asgardian deepest secret retcons for twists? I mean whats up with the wave of new hammers? Did Odin make more than Mjolnir and Bill's Hammer? Or is it just a thing in Asgard to make plenty of Hammers? >_>