The Van Lente Avengers thread

[bored]

The news just came out that Fred Van Lente is going to take over an "Avengers" book, and I thought we may as well get a new thread going for speculation, news, and when it finally starts, discussion of the title itself.

Here's the story, from Newsarama:

Fred Van Lente on an Avengers book?
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July 7th, 2010
Author David Pepose

It’s looking like Marvel is putting in one more star in its Avengers constellation, as it looks like Fred Van Lente might be taking on Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

“So it’s official,” Van Lente wrote on Twitter today. “I’m writing an AVENGERS book.”

That’s not all he’s writing, either — he’s a member of the Amazing Spider-Man Webheads, he’s co-writing Incredible Hercules/Prince of Power/The Chaos War with Greg Pak, he’s working on Iron Man Legacy, the Halo comic and Marvel Zombies 5…

But here’s what I’m curious about with this — what does this mean for Van Lente, and Marvel’s catalog of books? I don’t necessarily think he’ll be taking over any of the recently relaunched books: Van Lente did go on to say, that when the book is announced, “it’s the most “Van Lentean” AVENGERS title ever…” So let the speculation commence! What say you, Rama readers? Let us know what you think!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 7th, 2010 at 9:43

Note: If it does just turn out that he's taking over writership of an existing title, I'll understand if this gets merged into another thread.

 

[runawayboulder]

Hopefully it's NNA. Bendis doesn't need 2 books as it is with his never ending struggles with continuity. If it's a new ongoing, I may skip it depending on the cast.

I have a feeling it's just gonna be a mini.

 

[Dread]

http://blog.newsarama.com/2010/07/07/fred-van-lente-on-an-avengers-book/

Sounds great! Music to my ears!

Fred Van Lente, at least for my money, has proven more consistently good than even Ed Brubaker. Nothing I've yet read from him was even average. Even Greg Pak, who has some epic stuff in his body of work, also has duds like X-MEN: PHOENIX: WARSONG or MARVEL NEMESIS IMPERFECTS within the last few years. Probably the "worst" thing I ever read from Van Lenta was a DEADPOOL TEAM UP issue, and even that was good (just not great).

This could be New Avengers, Mighty Avengers, Space Avengers, Great Lakes Avengers, or whatever Avengers. This will be a must buy for me.

 

[Jennifer Walters]

Van Lente on Young Avengers. They need a new title anyways after Children's Crusade, surely.

 

[Jennifer Walters]

Damn, double posts.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Hopefully it's NNA. Bendis doesn't need 2 books as it is with his never ending struggles with continuity. If it's a new ongoing, I may skip it depending on the cast.

I have a feeling it's just gonna be a mini.

What? No, no, no. Let Bendis keep New New Avengers to dick around with his pet characters and give Van Lente Avengers so Avengers fans can actually get a decent take on the flagship team again. We haven't had one since Geoff Johns left in like 2002. I think we deserve it now.

 

[iloveclones]

I really like when FVL writes Spidey, so I hope he is on one of the teams that he's on. I would agree with Corpy that I would rather him be on Avengers proper, and let Bendy have his fun on New New Brand-New New&Improved with Anti-Oxidants Avengers.

Although I wouldn't pass up another Great Lakes Avengers.......

 

[TheCorpulent1]

There's a thought. Maybe Spider-Man could screw up on the main Avengers and get booted down to the GLA.

 

[iloveclones]

I would buy THAT book twice.....

 

[Tron Bonne]

It'd be cool if this were a God-based Avengers, similar to the God Squad in Herc.

 

[runawayboulder]

What? No, no, no. Let Bendis keep New New Avengers to dick around with his pet characters and give Van Lente Avengers so Avengers fans can actually get a decent take on the flagship team again. We haven't had one since Geoff Johns left in like 2002. I think we deserve it now.

There's not a chance in hell Bendis would hand over Avengers to anybody.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

He was willing to step away from the whole franchise after Siege before he realized he still had ideas for it. Maybe he got bored again.

 

[Brainiac 8]

I hope they are giving him the flagship Avengers title, and let Bendis just much around NNA.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Hey, you know what just occurred to me? Maybe they're doing an all-ages Avengers series. Van Lente never mentioned that it would definitely be one of the regular continuity Avengers titles...

 

[runawayboulder]

Van Lente shouldn't be wasting his time with an all-ages book.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

He might enjoy it, to be honest. The all-ages books are free from having to worry about all the stuff the main books have to worry about, and the stories are usually a bit brighter and more fun.

 

[bored]

I'm holding out hope that, at some point, he'll get to take over one of the main books. He'd bring something good to them.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Yes: quality writing.

 

[Dread]

I'm hoping FVL's Avengers title isn't a Marvel Ages one; they may be fun but I don't waste my time with them. Some of Marvel's better writers have worked there before jumping to other stuff, like Jeff Parker, but I already buy too many books to bother with the kiddie ones. It's another universe, anyway. If Marvel wants to boost FVL, and they do since he's written on ASM, then sticking him on a Marvel Ages book would be a demotion to the minor leagues. Which is what those books are; and that's not a problem. Every writer who has come up from them has been decent if not great, so I don't mind them existing as a minor league line, prepping writers for the majors. Heck, Dan Slott wrote his way up from various cartoon books like the BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES sort of title DC had for years.

I sincerely doubt Bendis will be leaving AVENGERS in under a year. I can't imagine him leaving NEW AVENGERS, but he didn't leave MIGHTY AVENGERS until he'd written 20 issues. I would be stunned if he left AVENGERS before a year was up. I'd be pleased, but stunned. Bendis usually equals sales on Avengers books, which is why he is usually always given at least two. I'd imagine editorial would rather he did anything but leave an Avengers title. Even DARK AVENGERS lasted about a year or more.

Marvel sees the Avengers as what the X-Men were back in the 90's, when you could spam a million titles and they'd all sell. It is possible he could be given his own book with some B-List characters, perhaps as an extension to the end of CHAOS WAR for Hercules, Cho, and Sersi to be on alongside some others. Maybe as the INCREDIBLE AVENGERS

 

[Specter313]

Maybe this could be the Avengers team that Captain Britain ends up on?

 

[bored]

I'm hoping FVL's Avengers title isn't a Marvel Ages one; they may be fun but I don't waste my time with them. Some of Marvel's better writers have worked there before jumping to other stuff, like Jeff Parker, but I already buy too many books to bother with the kiddie ones. It's another universe, anyway. If Marvel wants to boost FVL, and they do since he's written on ASM, then sticking him on a Marvel Ages book would be a demotion to the minor leagues. Which is what those books are; and that's not a problem. Every writer who has come up from them has been decent if not great, so I don't mind them existing as a minor league line, prepping writers for the majors. Heck, Dan Slott wrote his way up from various cartoon books like the BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES sort of title DC had for years.

I sincerely doubt Bendis will be leaving AVENGERS in under a year. I can't imagine him leaving NEW AVENGERS, but he didn't leave MIGHTY AVENGERS until he'd written 20 issues. I would be stunned if he left AVENGERS before a year was up. I'd be pleased, but stunned. Bendis usually equals sales on Avengers books, which is why he is usually always given at least two. I'd imagine editorial would rather he did anything but leave an Avengers title. Even DARK AVENGERS lasted about a year or more.

Marvel sees the Avengers as what the X-Men were back in the 90's, when you could spam a million titles and they'd all sell. It is possible he could be given his own book with some B-List characters, perhaps as an extension to the end of CHAOS WAR for Hercules, Cho, and Sersi to be on alongside some others. Maybe as the INCREDIBLE AVENGERS

Heh, let FVL basically take over the Harras line-up from the early 90s. That'd be pretty sweet.

 

[Dread]

Maybe this could be the Avengers team that Captain Britain ends up on?

Heh, let FVL basically take over the Harras line-up from the early 90s. That'd be pretty sweet.

Possibly? Black Knight was on that Harras line-up. I suppose it would make sense if they were another international sort of team like Hank Pym's Mighty Avengers were (a squad that Hercules and Cho were a part of).

 

[JewishHobbit]

Herc and Cho on another Avengers book would please me, and if Captain Britain ends up on the team then I'd be sold (like I need another book, let alone another Avenger book).

I'm curious what will come of this.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Dang, an international team with Herc, Cho, Captain Britain, the Black Knight, and possibly Sersi (since she's coming back with the God Squad soon), written by Van Lente, would be unbelievably awesome. I would buy that so hard it would bleed.

 

[Dread]

That does sound quite good, doesn't it? I'd like it with a side of SECRET AVENGERS, please.