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Thursday, August 11, 2011

'Dark' Days Ahead for the Avengers


What makes me feel like a kid? Super team crossovers and team selection issues.

There are only two ways to properly conduct a selection process for entry on a super team: 1) One or more iconic heroes stand around a table and look at pictures or cards with mug shots of the would-be allies. 2) Same process, but all of the photos appear on an IMAX-sized monitor (when one is removed from the running, the picture does not disappear—it is covered with a capital ‘X’).

Marvel hosted one of their “Next Big Thing” press conferences—this one on the Brian Michael Bendis’ Avengers/New Avengers crossover storyline called “Hammer War.” Norman Osborn is out of prison and decides to go on the straight and narrow—just kidding! Nope, he immediately puts a new Dark Avengers team with new villains with Avengers-likenesses; there will be evil versions of Hulk, Thor, Spidey, Hawkeye and Iron-Man. What else makes me feel like a kid? Superhero teams going up against supervillain teams!

The adventure begins in Avengers 16.1 featuring art by the great Neal Adams who, according to Bendis, hadn’t worked on an Avengers book since the “Kree/Skrull War” storyline. In the story Hydra and A.I.M. join forces with Osborn at the head of the table, calling all the shots.

“Avengers is taking a huge line-up change,” said Bendis, who wouldn’t divulge more to prevent spoiling the end of Fear Itself. While both Avengers teams will be fighting the same war, the battlefields will initially not be the same. “The New Avengers will primarily deal with the Dark Avengers,” said Bendis. “The Avengers will deal with some new technology and weapons that deal with a lot of the modern history of comics.”

I’m always excited for two-fisted superteam get-togethers and it sounds like that is what Marvel has planned when The Avengers and The New Avengers go dark this November.

Don't tease us! Put Black Panther back on the team!

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