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And Then There Were 3…

// March 4th, 2010 // Comics, Rumor, commentary

A few weeks ago one of Marvel’s editors (I forget who, maybe Brevoort) mentioned in an interview (I forget where) that when all is said and done there would be 4 Avengers books on the market.   We’d already been aware for a month or so that Bendis and John Romita Jr would be launching Avengers #1 post-Seige and that Ed Brubaker and Mike Deodato Jr would follow with their own book, Secret Avengers.

Well, as of 3 days ago we have confirmation on the third book, New Avengers.  And believe it or not, this may be the most confusing re-launch yet.  The creative team is exactly the same as the current one.  Bendis and Stuart Immonen (who are KICKING ASSSSSSSS) will return for the reboot.  Which leads to the logical question, why reboot it?  Another bit of confusion is that Spider-man and Wolverine have already been announced as members of the main Avengers team, yet they were the 2nd and 3rd announcements for New Avengers.  For those of you updating your scorecards, that means that Logan is now on every X-Men and every Avengers team. No wonder the guy drinks so much. He has more resposnibilities than Octo-mom’s ‘baby daddy’.

The first NA roster announcement was Luke Cage.  He’ll be taking over as leader of the Thunderbolts now that Norman Osborn is outed, but they’d already suggested he would be an Avenger as well.

And finally this morning, in a move that surprised no one (particularly me, although I predicted she’d be on the other team) who has been reading New Avengers, Jessica Jones Cage is a New Avenger. Jessica has been a mainstay of the Avengers (as a supporting character, not an actual Avenger) since the end of The Pulse, when she and husband Luke Cage had a baby.   This announcement is a mixed blessing for me.  I regard Alias as by-far Bendis’ best work, but since the cancellation of her original series, Alias, Jessica has not been nearly the same character. In most ways, Mrs. Cage lacks the fundamental charm and relatability that defined Jessica.  It is my hope that by making her an official team member, Bendis will have the page space necessary to introduce new readers to the greatness of that character.

Newsarama has implied that she’s going back to her original code-name, Jewel.  Since the statement is uncredited, I’m going to assume they’re basing that on the costume.  I can’t imagine Bendis would saddle one of his favorite creations with that shiteous name. Between the two identities she’s had, I’d even prefer Knightress.   But honestly, can we just Jean Grey her and call her Jessica? It works.

It remains to be seen who will occupy the rest of the two teams.  As mentioned previously, the main book has a stunning lack of vaginas, so expect Ms Marvel, Mockingbird and possibly a left field choice to be included.

Now, no one has been announced as team leaders thus far.  I’m sure I’m in the minority here, but I’d like to see Spider-man head up the NA squad.   One of the few things I dislike about NA’s is the constant playing of Peter as a buffoon.  He’s one of the most respected heroes in the Marvel 616, and for good reason.  Let’s give the kid a shot, Bendis.  Luke Cage blew his.

Marvel has also announced an Avengers Prime miniseries.  Read about it here.

As for the last book, I can only guess it will be one of two things.  Dan Slott has been a crew member since The Initiative.  He’s currently writing Mighty Avengers.  Since Bendis has two books and Bru has one, it’s possible they’ll toss the final one his way.  I don’t get the impression Hank Pym’s team is done yet.  On the other hand, there’s been rumors of Young Avengers returning with both Alan Heinberg and Jim Cheung for a couple of years.

That said, Heinberg is always way too busy to turn a script in on time.  I’m betting Mighty Avengers will be back with a new roster and Slott at the helm.