Comics The New Avengers Thread

[Kirk Langstrom]

EXACTLY!!!!! Pre-Clone Saga Buscema is some of my favorite Spidey art EVER. He's like the missing link between John Romita Sr. and Jr. Let's get him back on a Spidey title (with a good inker) please.

I think he was inking Spider-Girl shortly before that book's re-launch..

 

[Sebastos]

This has already been posted.

Not in this thread.

 

[freemadison]

I think he was inking Spider-Girl shortly before that book's re-launch..

I knew that but i want him on pencils damnit!!!! t:

 

[Donald Thomas]

Crivelliman = The Hype's #1 Detective.

Aloha,
Agreed. Always a pleasure to read a Spidey fan's well thought out ideas.Let's see how close you come.
Spidey rules

 

[Donald Thomas]

EXACTLY!!!!! Pre-Clone Saga Buscema is some of my favorite Spidey art EVER. He's like the missing link between John Romita Sr. and Jr. Let's get him back on a Spidey title (with a good inker) please.

Aloha,
I think the inker during CS was Senkiowitz(sp). I cannot stand that guy. Check out PPSS-M and see Buscema shine.
Spidey rules

 

[crivelliman]

Aloha,
Agreed. Always a pleasure to read a Spidey fan's well thought out ideas.Let's see how close you come.
Spidey rules

Thanks Don! And Cap, and anybody else who might have at least been intrigued by my ideas! I have a feeling there will be a connection between all the Bendis stuff, but I'd be surprised if they literally had anything to do with the Beyonder. I do still think

Spoiler

Fake-Hulk attacking them in Illuminati #3 is foreshadowing the chaos that inevitably follows when you try and control the world around you for too long (i.e. World War Hulk and revenge against the Illuminati).

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

Apparently Dr. Strange is going up against the Hulk at some point in WWH...there's rumors of a truce between the two at some point though...i wonder if the New Avengers will side with The Hulk against Iron Man, or vice versa?

 

[SpideyInATree]

Not in this thread.

Red X could have possibly mistaken this New Avengers thread in the Spidey comics forum for the New Avengers thread in the Marvel comics forum. Because that cover was posted like three times in the other New Avengers thread.

 

[kguillou]

Like i said, Crivelliman's theory is very intriguing and i fear he might be right. I dont like the idea of people orchestrating events because it feels like there is no natural order and people dont have control over their actions. As crazy as Civil War was, I thought it was a very interesting piece on how people fear those who are more powerful than them and demand control. People have had enough of innocents dying needlessly, so they want control over the heroes. That seems perfectly realistic, but if Beyonder is somehow controlling the people's minds to think this, i dunno, to me it seems like a serious cop-out.

People say that the heroes were all acting out of character, like Cap giving up at the end of civil war. I dont really see it that way, Cap realized he was fighting a losing battle, whether Cap beat tony or not, registration would've been law. He was basically just looking at reality, he wasnt about to continue to fight the very people he sworn to protect. To me thats perfectly in-character, i dont wanna find out that beyonder made Cap give up.

Like i said Crivelliman, your theory is scary to me because i think you might be right. But we'll find out in avengers #31...

 

[Sebastos]

Red X could have possibly mistaken this New Avengers thread in the Spidey comics forum for the New Avengers thread in the Marvel comics forum. Because that cover was posted like three times in the other New Avengers thread.

Maybe. I guess alot of people liked the cover for what was displayed about the characters.

 

[crivelliman]

People say that the heroes were all acting out of character, like Cap giving up at the end of civil war. I dont really see it that way, Cap realized he was fighting a losing battle, whether Cap beat tony or not, registration would've been law. He was basically just looking at reality, he wasnt about to continue to fight the very people he sworn to protect. To me thats perfectly in-character, i dont wanna find out that beyonder made Cap give up.

Like i said Crivelliman, your theory is scary to me because i think you might be right. But we'll find out in avengers #31...

I take issue with Cap's giving up, only because it was apparently the "Joss Whedon save from the Heavens." Cap gives up because he wants to prevent more casualties? That's not exactly mind-blowingly deep for a story that's supposed to be a big political allegory with major social commentary. I'm actually kind of curious about what they originally had planned.

Personally though, I'm more offended by Spider-Man's involvement from the switch-over to the end. We've had tons of Spidey stories in which, during a fight with one of his more physically imposing rogues, he intentionally diverts the fight into areas where there are fewer people so innocents aren't harmed. Spider-Man is all about protecting people who are casualties of someone else's responsibility. Hell, immediately following the end of Civil War, he comes home and one of his only family members is gunned down, an innocent bystander in a fight that has nothing to do with her. But during the actual conflict, it takes The Thing to be the voice of reason who says to everyone, "You're all fighting for no reason, and regular people are getting hurt!" For God's sake, Peter Parker is the MU's living embodiment of that very ideal.

I predicted that once Spider-Man got home after having "lost the war" or whatever, he is the victim of this collateral damage and reacts to both sides, saying, "I got involved and both of you were f'ing idiots. You weren't doing it for the people. You were doing it for yourselves." This gave him the chance to ditch the New Avengers, become entirely distrusted by both sides, and essentially go back to the era of being a wanted criminal that no one (especially those in his super-community) is sure they can trust. But no. We got Cap realizing something that Spider-Man does all the damn time, and the only words of encouragement that are uttered at all in Cap's direction, coming from Spider-Man himself, are the immature whining of, "But we were winning! Just seemed like the folks were winging it by that point. And with the ringing endorsement the former Spider-Man editor gave us ("Oh yeah, I just f'ed that whole Aunt May's maiden name thing up. My bad!"), I wouldn't be terribly surprised.

 

[kguillou]

Originally posted by Crivelliman

I predicted that once Spider-Man got home after having "lost the war" or whatever, he is the victim of this collateral damage and reacts to both sides, saying, "I got involved and both of you were f'ing idiots. You weren't doing it for the people. You were doing it for yourselves." This gave him the chance to ditch the New Avengers, become entirely distrusted by both sides, and essentially go back to the era of being a wanted criminal that no one (especially those in his super-community) is sure they can trust. But no. We got Cap realizing something that Spider-Man does all the damn time, and the only words of encouragement that are uttered at all in Cap's direction, coming from Spider-Man himself, are the immature whining of, "But we were winning! Just seemed like the folks were winging it by that point. And with the ringing endorsement the former Spider-Man editor gave us ("Oh yeah, I just f'ed that whole Aunt May's maiden name thing up. My bad!"), I wouldn't be terribly surprised.

Excellent point Crivelliman. Thats how Spidey SHOULD'VE acted. That woulda been perfect. Spiderman was supposed to be the middle man between Tony and Cap's war, seeing the advantages and disadvantages of both sides, but in the end spidey chose to just stick with one side. Spidey shoulda been like Ben Grimm and said " Screw the both ya's!".

And what really gets me is, if civil war has taught us ANYTHING, its that despite everything the heroes have been through together, they simply cannot trust each other. So whats the point of even having a new avengers team, or a mighty avengers team?? Civil war proved that deep down inside nobody trusts each other, so whats to say this time the heroes will be able to trust each other? If you ask me, i'm surprised all the heroes haven't gone solo. Whats the point of being on a team if there's no trust between you and your teammates?

 

[crivelliman]

Excellent point Crivelliman. Thats how Spidey SHOULD'VE acted. That woulda been perfect. Spiderman was supposed to be the middle man between Tony and Cap's war, seeing the advantages and disadvantages of both sides, but in the end spidey chose to just stick with one side. Spidey shoulda been like Ben Grimm and said " Screw the both ya's!".

I completely agree. This is why, I think, there may be merit to my theory about

Spoiler

the Beyonder's influence

control over people's decisions and actions. This way, at the very least, they can explain why the current Marvel administration just threw "character" out the window, without simply admitting, "Oh well, we just kind of didn't care. We wanted to tell a story, we wanted the Iron Man demographic to care, and in spite of his actions being more like Kang the Conqueror, we knew the percentage of Iron Man readers would buy the issue if they knew Iron Man was the antagonist. Same deal with putting Spider-Man front and center on the beginning covers of Civil War, in spite of him really having absolutely no influence over the conflict, or the characters, in any way." It gives a viable excuse, like the whole thing being story-driven, as opposed to absolutely no excuse, like the Powers that Be just admitting they don't care about their characters.

Because if the Editors can just do what they want with whatever characters, in spite of the rules and limitations they originally set in place (and outwardly praise for having), how can we confidently buy a story without worrying that it'll all be "retconned," or ignored in the following story, ostensibly taking place in the same continuity?

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

I take issue with Cap's giving up, only because it was apparently the "Joss Whedon save from the Heavens." Cap gives up because he wants to prevent more casualties? That's not exactly mind-blowingly deep for a story that's supposed to be a big political allegory with major social commentary. I'm actually kind of curious about what they originally had planned.

Personally though, I'm more offended by Spider-Man's involvement from the switch-over to the end. We've had tons of Spidey stories in which, during a fight with one of his more physically imposing rogues, he intentionally diverts the fight into areas where there are fewer people so innocents aren't harmed. Spider-Man is all about protecting people who are casualties of someone else's responsibility. Hell, immediately following the end of Civil War, he comes home and one of his only family members is gunned down, an innocent bystander in a fight that has nothing to do with her. But during the actual conflict, it takes The Thing to be the voice of reason who says to everyone, "You're all fighting for no reason, and regular people are getting hurt!" For God's sake, Peter Parker is the MU's living embodiment of that very ideal.

I predicted that once Spider-Man got home after having "lost the war" or whatever, he is the victim of this collateral damage and reacts to both sides, saying, "I got involved and both of you were f'ing idiots. You weren't doing it for the people. You were doing it for yourselves." This gave him the chance to ditch the New Avengers, become entirely distrusted by both sides, and essentially go back to the era of being a wanted criminal that no one (especially those in his super-community) is sure they can trust. But no. We got Cap realizing something that Spider-Man does all the damn time, and the only words of encouragement that are uttered at all in Cap's direction, coming from Spider-Man himself, are the immature whining of, "But we were winning! Just seemed like the folks were winging it by that point. And with the ringing endorsement the former Spider-Man editor gave us ("Oh yeah, I just f'ed that whole Aunt May's maiden name thing up. My bad!"), I wouldn't be terribly surprised.

That would have been so cool. God damn it!

 

[crivelliman]

Well, it looks like my little theory from a couple of weeks ago just got shot to hell, thanks to Bendis' newest issue of New Avengers #31, which had some big, important last page in it. Just picked it up, and apparently

Spoiler

Elektra's a Skrull. Maya got her mind back and stabbed Elektra (ala Bullseye, once again) and she reverted back to a Skrull form. Clearly, this is not our usual Elektra Nachios; it's a Skrull imposter. And of course, one can only wonder: if this Skrull is in a position of power (i.e. Leader of the Hand), are there more of them in other higher authority position, perhaps preparing for some kind of hostile takeover? For example, as perhaps... leaders of S.H.I.E.L.D.?

I don't think Stark is out of the woods in that department. Sure, it'd be a great way to explain away his behavior, but I think it's just too simple. I think even Stark himself would say it's too simple. Sadly, it appears that I may need some major tweaking on my previous theory involving the Beyonder. And by "tweaking," I think I mean, "Complete f'ing revisions."

 

[Sebastos]

Not to sure about the whole Skrull idea...

 

[moraldeficiency]

Benndis interview explaining some of the skrull thing:

http://comics.ign.com/articles/796/796467p1.html

Didn't they do this in the Ultimates already?

 

[SpideyInATree]

A pretty good issue. I'm just getting more and more disappointed with Yu's pencils. It's really making it tough to read the book and it's actually good again...so, you know. But that was definitely a huge revelation at the end of the issue and it seems that Bendis is following up on the little thing he wrote at the end of New Avengers: Illuminati # 1. Looks like the Skrulls are going to get their revenge.

 

[ragingdemon155]

A pretty good issue. I'm just getting more and more disappointed with Yu's pencils. It's really making it tough to read the book and it's actually good again...so, you know. But that was definitely a huge revelation at the end of the issue and it seems that Bendis is following up on the little thing he wrote at the end of New Avengers: Illuminati # 1. Looks like the Skrulls are going to get their revenge.

The pencils are the main reason I'm having problems with this book. I mean, jeez...they're so damn messy and inconsistent. Half the time I don't even understand what the hell is going on. It looks like Spider-man and crew taking on a bunch of red paint spots....

Are there any plans for a new artist to hop on board?

And the ending was pretty shocking. Didn't see that coming at all. This "Skrull" event actually has some good potential.

 

[ragingdemon155]

Another thing, after going back and reading this storyline....I've come up with the conclusion that Spider-man is utterly useless. What does he actually do in New Avengers? Has he done anything of actual importance since the series began? It's a shame that Bendis can't write a 616 version of Spider-man at all. I love how Luke Cage, Spider-Woman and the others are written...but damn my favorite character is a complte joke in the series.

31 issues in and Spider-man is still telling weak jokes and being uesless.

Bendis is my favorite writer but the guy just can't handle the 616 version of Spider-man. He needs to look at JMS or some other writers to see how to write the character.

 

[AmaznSpider-Fan]

What sucks is that with such a huge ensemble cast, someone has to take a hit, and since Spider-man is funny he's the comic relief. I thought the banter between him and Ronin was funny though.

 

[SpideyInATree]

The pencils are the main reason I'm having problems with this book. I mean, jeez...they're so damn messy and inconsistent. Half the time I don't even understand what the hell is going on. It looks like Spider-man and crew taking on a bunch of red paint spots....

Are there any plans for a new artist to hop on board?

And the ending was pretty shocking. Didn't see that coming at all. This "Skrull" event actually has some good potential.

Yu is good though! That's what I don't understand. When he was doing the Ultimate Hulk vs. Wolverine I was thinking to myself, "This guy is the next big thing". But I think some posters over in the Marvel New Avengers thread have hit it on the head...that Yu is just with a pretty crappy inker....

But still...everything does look a little chaotic and some of the characters are drawn horribly misproportioned. If this were Humberto Ramos drawing it I'd understand because that's his STYLE. But Yu, I just expect better from.

And I'm asking the same question you are, "So, who's the new artist after Yu?".

Heh.

 

[AmaznSpider-Fan]

All his stuff looks like it's sketched. His art is easier to follow than Bachalo's though.

Ugh, I've seen enough Ramos' art to last me a while, let's not mention him and Spidey in the same sentence. :P

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

Good issue. The rumor is that Bendis is setting up a new Kree/Skrull War, with the Skrulls beginning to infiltrate Earth as a base...

It may be that they somehow instigated the recent Civil War to turn Earth's heroes against each other....

Cant wait to see where this goes!

 

[MattXG]

Rumor no more...

Interview: Marvel's Massive Avengers Conspiracy
Brian Bendis brings us first details on the storyline that leads to 2008's huge event. Who Can You Trust?
by Richard George

June 14, 2007 - WARNING: This entire article deals with the events in New Avengers #31. Plot points from issue #32 are also discussed. You have been warned.

Seriously, you want to go away. Right. Now.

It starts when Elektra is stabbed by Echo in the midst of a massive battle between the ninjas of the Hand and the New Avengers. Elektra falls to the ground. As the ninjas flee the scene, the team is shocked to discover that Elektra is not what she seems.

In fact no one had any idea of what was about to occur. Not even the heightened senses of Wolverine, Spidey's spider-sense or Dr. Strange's mystic arts detected this deception...

(This is your last chance not to be spoiled...)

This "Elektra" is in fact a Skrull, a member of a shape-shifting alien race that was first introduced in the 1960s. As Iron Fist says two pages later, "What - what does this mean?" We had the very same question, so we tracked down Brian Bendis late one night and convinced him to spill the goods on what this seemingly simple revelation means for the Marvel Universe. Simply put - it's not so simple.

And what the hell is up with Luke Cage's baby?




IGN Comics: So… New Avengers #31! The big secret is… the baby? What's going on there?

Brian Bendis: -laughs- Well, the idea that was put forth, and a lot of this will be delivered neatly in New Avengers #32, was that, it's not just that Elektra is a Skrull, it's that - okay - there have been a lot of shenanigans going on lately. Even since the formation of the New Avengers, with the Raft, S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury's gone. A lot of things are upside down. A lot of people have done a lot of damage. There are also a lot of people in the Marvel Universe acting in a way that could be seen as contradictory to ways they've acted in the past. Some of that may be genuine, as that happens in life, but there has been that overall sense that, as Luke Cage explained a couple issues ago, that strings are being pulled. He feels like a puppet, and he doesn't know who's doing it. They even argue back and forth about that! You know, hey man, this is life! They were the bad guys!

So this reveal of Elektra is about the shadowy conspiracy that's been dealing in New Avengers and other places. This is the first visual thing that we're showing you that something big has been cooking. This is just the beginning!

IGN Comics: Wow. Okay. So Elektra's a Skrull… what's up with the baby?

Bendis: Well, the baby… what's going on is last summer the slogan was "Whose Side Are You On?" This year it's "Who Do You Trust?" What we've seen is that Elektra was a Skrull. Wolverine couldn't tell. Spider-Man couldn't tell. Dr. Strange couldn't tell at first glance. So the Skrulls have evolved or done something to themselves to make themselves undetectable to the most potent superhuman powers. A lot of that was hinted at in the Illuminati series when that group went to the Skrull Homeworld around the Kree/Skrull War and said, "Hey, we mean it. You're not coming to Earth anymore." But through the Illuminati and Annihilation series, a lot has been done to the Skrulls. They have no world now. They religiously believe the Earth to be theirs. It's been written in their scriptures.

So it's not so much, "Bwahaha, we're going to take your planet," but, "It's been said! It's been written! This is ours!" All of this is coming to a head on a level that Marvel's never done before. There have been Skrull stories, and most of them have the Skrulls with their laser guns and spaceships. It's kind of contradictory to the idea of a shape-shifting race! A shape-shifting race would use their theories and philosophies as weapons. They'd get in here and get us to do as much damage to ourselves as possible.
on error resume nextFor mp_i=11 To 8 Step -1If Not IsObject(CreateObject("ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlash." & mp_i)) ThenElse mp_swver=mp_i Exit ForEnd IfNext

That said, I can promise you that the Civil War, and other giant events such as World War Hulk, happened - we did that to ourselves. There's not going to be a reveal later on that says, "Ohhhh!! The Skrulls were behind the Civil War!" That's just crappy writing. That's just bull****. That I can promise you. But something like Civil War, if it's an easy nudge, and the Skrulls can sit back and let us beat each other up and kill Captain America, that certainly would help them in their quest.

A lot will be revealed quickly over the next few months in New Avengers, Mighty Avengers and the Illuminati book, which ends with a mighty big chapter on this. It begins with Skrulls and ends on Skrulls.

Starting with issue #32, the team splinters in mistrust. You have people leaving the team and people switching teams. A lot is discussed and a lot is put to the test. There will be people who went alllll the way through the War who then say, "Oh, I think I made a huge mistake," to quote Arrested Development.


IGN Comics: What causes these splinters? Merely seeing Elektra as a Skrull sets this off?

Bendis: Well, no, the conversation immediately leans towards, "No, it's not just Elektra that's a Skrull. We've been invaded and we don't even know it!" The other half is saying, "No, it's just a Skrull and it was making the most of it! You're always assuming the worst!" Someone like Wolverine, who has been through the ringer, is saying, "No. This is a war. We may have lost already. If that's the case, then we can't even continue this conversation because I don't know who the **** you people are and I don't know who the **** I'm talking to!"

That's how quickly it devolves. You look at your loved ones, you look at your family, you look at any living organic creature and you say, "Okay. What is that?"

IGN Comics: Since the New Avengers are an underground team, do they even bother approaching Tony Stark?

Bendis: Well, that's the question! Who's been acting the most "Skrully" of all?

IGN Comics: Okay… let's see… [pauses] Sorry, there's so many possibilities it's hard to snag one question…

Bendis: I know! Sorry! But look, initially people are going to look at it and say, "Oh that's just a Skrull! **** you, Bendis! I don't give a ****!"And I'm saying go ahead and yell at me. I know you will, that's fine.

What I'm saying is that a question is being posed here. An elaborate plan is being hatched unlike anything that's been done before. And a big story is going to be told over the course of a year. We're very excited about this. It's been massaged for… years! Literally, since the beginning of New Avengers. And I'm talking about if you go back to shadowy people on page two of New Avengers #1. That's what I'm talking about. I'm talking about Savage Land and all that stuff.




IGN Comics: I feel like you just showed me the Matrix or something…

Bendis: Yeah, you know, there are a lot of people who just buy comics casually, and they're just happy enough to read the latest Avengers "punch 'em up". But there are a lot of people who really support books like this. And if you can deliver a story that makes a re-read possible, then whatever they have purchased has now doubled in value because they can revisit the old books with a new understanding. That's exciting. That's money well spent. And I'm very conscious of that. How can I make there be levels of entertainment in the pages and then six months from now, when we're just getting to the really, really big story, they can re-read again with all of the information they've gotten from issues #31 - 37.

IGN Comics: Basically it's like those movies with the big reveal at the end…

Bendis: Yeah! People like going back. A great example would be with The Sopranos. People are sifting looking for all the people who are in the diner in the last episode. I don't know if you saw it, but there's a diner with all these people, and it's like a painting where everyone can take away their own meaning. As a storyteller I marvel when other people do it, so I certainly think that comic book readers, and fans of these characters, more than deserve it. So we should try to do something with that. They're online, they're screaming, they're having fun with the books, so let's make it an elaborate story for them to discuss.

I will tell you that the plan is set as far as who is a bad guy and who is a good guy. So you can read through these books, sift through clues and I promise you that there will be no last minute shenanigans.

IGN Comics: So skeptics and cynics should put down their signs?

Bendis: No, no, no. I am offering to you - go ahead. Re-read and post your theories. Do what you will.

IGN Comics: Now, you mentioned not messing with Civil War, but then you said that automatically the most suspicious is Tony Stark…

Bendis: The events of House of M, Civil War, Secret War and World War Hulk - whenever we've done a big story - those characters have done that. That's a promise. It would be tantamount to, if on the last page of Civil War #7, the woman whose kid died, she pulled off her head and she was the Red Skull. You'd be like "Ahhhh, go **** yourself!!"

We've gone so far with these things and we'd never pull bull**** like that. I know there have been a lot of stories like that, and they've been fun, but what's going on here is we're taking some pages from some of the great sci-fi epics of the past. You know how Star Trek took the Klingons, and tried to make them into a more serious threat with a definite agenda, not unlike the Cylons in the new Battlestar Galactica? They were changing into a legitimate, scary thing? We're trying to do the same thing with the Skrulls. Yeah, they are beady-eyed green aliens, but there's something more here.

IGN Comics: So what changes the Skrulls then? Is this just a reinterpretation of them?

Bendis: It's just more that they are without a world, literally at their last ebb. That certainly puts them in a situation where it's now or never. Going back as far as the Kree/Skrull War, and what a punishing defeat that was… you know, they're a warrior race. They've been pummeled by the Kree, humans and the Inhumans. They don't just take that. And poor Hulkling…

IGN Comics: You mentioned you've been planning this for quite some time, incorporating hints into your stories. Have other writers been doing the same?

Bendis: Ummmm… I'm not at liberty to say. Here's what I can say - you can't do this so much that people don't trust what they're reading. There's a fine line there. Everyone at Marvel has been aware of this for a couple years. This has been discussed at every retreat since before Civil War was planned. And this has been so set up that even when Civil War came about there was an extra level where we said, "Oh! This fits in!" So I could sit back for another summer, let that story be told, and incorporate that into the overall story. It was pretty exciting.

IGN Comics: So did you know this was exactly what was happening when you started New Avengers or did you come up with it a bit later?

Bendis: Nah, I did say right away that this was what was happening. Because when you say "shadowy figure" everyone else in the room says, "Who is the shadowy figure?" So if you wanted it to be Dr. Doom, other people in the room might have Dr. Doom plans, so you have to have a plan.

IGN Comics: Touching on Mighty Avengers then - when do they get pulled into this?

Bendis: Pretty quickly, actually - issue #6.

IGN Comics: Wow. Well that is pretty fast… Now, I know Doom is coming up in that book. Is he factoring into this Skrull plot?

Bendis: Well, once the cat is out of the bag, and no one knows who to trust or what to do, a lot of people start making plays.

IGN Comics: Interesting…

Bendis: You're asking great questions. These are the questions that, as the books continue… I mean as people read this interview, and as discussion happens, issue #32 will hit and ask a lot of the questions you're asking. Everyone will have different answers, but these are the questions to ask.

IGN Comics: Yeah, I mean it's interesting trying to ask questions in the first place because I'm sitting here going "Holy ****… alright…"

Bendis: Yeah. But the only one we know who isn't a Skrull is Captain America. He died and didn't turn into anything. So Cap's dead. And Iron Man turned into a robot woman… unless that was plotted by a little Skrull trick…?

A few months ago, when Mighty Avengers was launching, I said a larger story was being told. After the books launched, I said people would see that the same story is being told from different perspectives - the books are kind of heading towards each other. This is what I was talking about.

IGN Comics: Should fans expect to need to read both New and Mighty then?

Bendis: You know, it's one of those things where you don't want to make people buy stuff. So genuinely you can just read one or the other. But we got the sales figures for Mighty #3 and #4, right, and they're literally within a few thousand of New. So 95% of the audience is buying both. So, for the other 5%, I'm not trying to **** you over, I genuinely think that if you're liking one or the other, that having both will make you very, very excited.

So you can kind of look at it, as both get closer and closer to the "Big Boom," as one Avengers book that ships twice a month, with awesome artists. Oh, Bagley's pages are awesome by the way…

Sounds cool.