Avengers #503 (2004)
I'm breaking format of "Bargain Bin" just a bit, to chime in on one of the most controversial
CURRENT comic topics. "Avengers Dissambled" is Marvel's latest attempt to re-tool
the Avengers line. I've been reading "Avengers" since the ripe age of 5 and have
almost the entire run of the title. If there's one title I'm enclined
to chime in about, it's this one.
The basis of the "Dissambled" story is that the Avengers are dissolved (wow..imagine that). Even with the
title's issue numbering finally returning to the original count, the title is coming to
an end at issue 503. Longtime Avengers member/plot element, the Scarlet Witch, lost it
and caused "Chaos" for the team. In the span of one day, four Avengers died, one
went bezerk and one was placed in a coma. Their headquarters/mansion was also destroyed.
For those kepeing score: Jack of Hearts, Ant-Man II, Vision and Hawkeye all died.
She-Hulk went nuts and the Wasp went into a coma due to injuries. More fun: Tony Stark/
Iron Man appeared belligerent and drunk before the United Nations, and Hank Pym/Yellowjacket
is being torn apart by self-doubt and guilt (once again). Avengers
past and present, along with several allies, all converged on the disaster. With the help
of Dr. Strange, they managed to subdue the Witch and put an end to the "Chaos". "New
Avengers" debuts next month, with the team consisting of Captain America,
Luke Cage, Sentry, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) and Wolverine.
In my Internet comic "travels", this storyline has been widely bashed by fans.
Complaints range from "this isn't the Avengers" to "How could they KILL Superhero X".
"The Avengers have never folded before..why now?!"
Keep in mind that I'm a HUGE Avengers fan...yet I'm not reacting negatively to these changes.
I'll admit that the actual "Dissambled" storyline did seem a little bit forced. Scarlet Witch
suddenly loses it, due to an off-handed comment from the Wasp about children.
Witch gave birth to two "children" in the mid-80's, who turned out to
be physical manifestations of her imagination. The memory was wiped clean from
her mind, but she suddenly began to remember. For the 79th time in Avengers history,
a member has turned against the team.
Not a novel idea...and one that first appeared in
Avengers #3, when former member Hulk attacked the team with the Sub-Mariner. Avengers
#9 saw Wonder Man join the group as part of a betrayal plan from Baron Zemo.
Around issue #20, the Swordsman joined the team and turned on them. Swordsman
joined again around issue 111 and again screwed the team. Things quieted
down for awhile until issue 214, when a year-long plot about Yellowjacket unwillingly
becoming a traitor hatched. A few years later, the Vision was briefly a bad guy, trying
to take over the world while possessed by ISAAC. Shortly after, it was Quicksilver's
turn to go rogue. Two years later, the Scarlet Witch turned for the first time, donning
a new costume in "Avengers: West Coast". The team had a six-year dry spell of
traitors..until 1995 when Mantis had the honors. Around this time, it was revealed that Mantis
manipulated Iron Man into becoming a traitor, also. That's a pretty big roll call of
Avenger heel turns. Having the group being attacked by one of its own is
nothing new.
I wasn't crazy about the "Chaos" story..but wasn't insulted by it. It was just a standard
plot device. But here's the kicker...for the first time I can recall, a
supposed "BIG EVENT" actually changed things. Since the Avengers inception,
roster turnover has been a constant. To a limited extent, however. The team
has always included at a few "core" members. You know the
crew: Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Yellowjacket, Wasp, Wonder Man,
Vision and the Scarlet Witch. Along the way, they've added a secondary
"B-core" group: Hercules, Black Knight, She-Hulk, Black Widow,
Warbird/Ms Marvel, Falcon and Black Panther are just a few. Whenever Marvel
woudl announce "the Old Order Changeth", it was never a big deal. The Avengers
would just be re-shuffled among the core and b-core groups. Every so often, they'd
add a new hero, like Jack of Hearts, Triathlon, Firestar, Quasar, Moon Knight or Darkhawk. These
characters never lasted too long and weren't seen as distinctive Avengers members.
Besides, was it really a big deal to pull a throwaway hero out of limbo, like Firebird,
Tigra, Dr. Druid or Gilgamesh?!
I think it was Avengers #222, from around 1982. The cover announced "who will be the
new Avengers" and included weird choices like Wolverine, ROM, Luke Cage, Spider-Man,
Black Bolt, Silver Surfer and Daredevil. As a kid, I was thrilled and
remember gazing at that cover while thinking how different it'd be to
have some of those guys as Avengers. It turned out to be... Hawkeye and She-Hulk, joining
Cap, Thor, Iron Man and the Wasp. Zzzzzzzzzz.
I'm glad that Marvel finally has the courage to shake things up for once.
I've read enough "core/b-core" Avengers rosters for over 20 years now. I'm a little
sick of Jarvis attending to the same ol' crew at the mansion. I'm glad to see
a NEW Avengers team that emphasize the word "NEW". Of the new team, only Captain America
has had substantial time as an Avenger (Spider-Man was a reserve for
a few years in the early 90's).
Fans are also complaining that the Avengers have never broken up and it's
out of character to do so. Not so. Without much research, I can think of
two previous times when the team dissolved. Around issue 298, when
She-Hulk, Black Knight and Captain Marvel all walked away and the team
was ended. In 1996, during the whole "Onslaught" debacle,
the Black Widow chose to dissolve the team, rather than continue on. That's not to
mention a few plot gimmicks where the Avengers have temporarily disbanded. There have
been a few lulls in the team's actions, but they've always returned within a month.
Same thing applies here: "New Avengers" starts next month. No mansion? Big frickin'
deal..the thing's been destroyed several times in the past, as well.
I look at Marvel's recent character shakeups. Then I look at DC. Two years ago,
the JLA storyline "Obsidian Age" promised to "re-define the JLA and their place
in the DCU. This is something that has never been done before!". It was
the JLA fighting a buncha' bad guys..and if having Plastic Man resign from the team
counts as "re-defining", then I suppose it braved new ground.
Recently DC has returned Supergirl, Aquaman, Krypto, Hal Jordan, Metamorpho, Green Arrow, and
the rumor is that Barry Allen, the Silver Age Flash will be back as well. DC is even
bringing back the Crime Syndicate of Amerika and an alternate earth. With the exception
of Batman's world, DC seems
to be reverting to the status quo they had from 1978 to 1983. Essentially,
"pre-crisis". Only detail is that the JSA and JLA are on ONE earth, now. But that
dual earth issue never prevented them from teaming up in those days. DC is running
stupid stuff like "Green Lantern: Rebirth" and "Identity Crisis" to accomplish this.
On top of the numerous specials they've run over the years, like "Return of the JSA".
They should have saved everyone ALOT of time, money and aggravation: have a
special, TWO-PAGE story entitled "Cosmic Treadmill". Here's the plot:
all the heroes meet in a bingo hall. Flash fires up a cosmic treadmill
and EVERYONE and EVERYTHING jumps back to 1978. Problem solved, story over. There's
your precious pre-Crisis stuff all in working order. "Cosmic Treadmill"
would double as both plot-device and perfect metaphor.
Thank you for wasting your time from 1984 to 2004. (of course, this deal
predicates that DC re-hire Bob Rozakis as "the Answer Man". Then it'd be complete)
"Avengers" has had some high and lows over the years and I've enjoyed most of them.
Good stuff: the Busiek/Perez nostalgia trip. The late 70's run. "Cap's Kooky
Quartet".
Bad stuff: anything from 1992 to 1997. The drawn out "Red Zone".
Starfox.
I plan to stick around for "New Avengers". For the next few months, I'll
have a little extra kick in my pedals, as I bike down to my comic shop
for the latest issue. I'm glad to see the "old order changeth" for once. The team
is legitimately "re-defined".
Besides...I know that within three years, some dork will "re-boot" the
Avengers, and we'll be back to the same ol' Cap, Thor, Iron Man,
Wasp, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch and Vision stuff (Viz and Hawk were killed
by "magic". Easy to bring 'em back. And what's the old comic cliche about
"if you don't see the body...") At least Marvel is
getting off their cosmic treadmill for awhile.
Avengers Dissassembled TPB
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