Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis: What is your verdict?

[Kasper Cole]

Yeah... I find it kind of annoying when people imply that people who like Bendis book aren't old school Avengers fans, or real Avengers fans or whatever.

Also agree about Stern... I think that's my favorite Avengers run. I like Bendis, but he's a bit uneven at times. And I liked Busiek... but I can't shake the feeling that a big part of the appeal for that run was the naustalgia and the Perez art.

I still get a chuckle when people talk about the "REAL" Avengers, considering some of the characters who have had Avengers membership over the years....I didn't realize Silverclaw, Machine Man, Darkhawk, and Sersi were so much more popular and avengery than the first New Avengers team.

[Will.S]

I'm pretty confident that Bendis' Avengers run will be viewed, in hindsight, along the same lines as Liefeld's output and a lot of the 90s. People will kind of embarrassingly admit they read it, hide it in dusty longboxes, and you'll see it $1 bins.

I can't see that happening.

[XPac]

I'm pretty confident that Bendis' Avengers run will be viewed, in hindsight, along the same lines as Liefeld's output and a lot of the 90s. People will kind of embarrassingly admit they read it, hide it in dusty longboxes, and you'll see it $1 bins.

Also, I never read the older Avengers so I'm hardly a victim of nostalgia. I did try reading the Kree/Skrull War and found it to be pretty much par for the course as far as older superhero comics go, slightly unreadable.

I personally think Bendis will end up the Avengers equivalent of Claremont (to the X books). But time will tell.

[Twigglet]

I personally think Bendis will end up the Avengers equivalent of Claremont (to the X books). But time will tell.

Oh definitely. Is there any writer which has wrote a book for 100+ issues and not been remembered fondly? Bendis' is now THE Avengers writer.

[Ziggy Stardust]

Great points, especially the part that I quoted above. It's revealing that many fans of New Avengers practically brag about how they never liked the Avengers until Bendis wrote them. That's because Bendis never liked the Avengers either, and basically gave them the boot in favor of a squad of his favorite characters. His run started with Disassembled, which is a bad story by any reasonable standard, and a freaking nightmare for real Avengers fans. He tore down Earth's Mightiest Heroes because he is more comfortable writing street-level characters, so even guys like Doctor Strange get taken down several notches when written by Bendis.

Exactly.

That's why I think he should have been given free rein to restart a team called Marvel Knights and put his faves in it and left the Avengers to be written by someone who actually likes and gets the Avengers.

[Ziggy Stardust]

I still get a chuckle when people talk about the "REAL" Avengers, considering some of the characters who have had Avengers membership over the years....I didn't realize Silverclaw, Machine Man, Darkhawk, and Sersi were so much more popular and avengery than the first New Avengers team.

Much as I hated Silverclaw, I'd take her on a team over Sentry.

Frankly, I'd take all of those on a team together over New Avengers.

[Ziggy Stardust]

Oh definitely. Is there any writer which has wrote a book for 100+ issues and not been remembered fondly? Bendis' is now THE Avengers writer.

You realize if it wasn't for the long, uncompressed storytelling, his run would only be about 35 issues, right?

[Will.S]

You realize if it wasn't for the long, uncompressed storytelling, his run would only be about 35 issues, right?

The "uncompressed" storytelling isn't only limited to Bendis, it's almost become the standard these days.

[Ziggy Stardust]

The "uncompressed" storytelling isn't only limited to Bendis, it's almost become the standard these days.

And? That makes his doing it better?

[LabRat]

I like Bendis' run, I find it fun and entertaining to read but when it comes to the actual plot and storylines, only a few really made an impact on me. Looking back, here's what happened:

- the breakout
- the savage land adventure to retrieve Sauron
- the sentry story arc
- facing Hand ninjas in Japan
- facing the Collective
- the super adaptoid battle
- the civil war tie-ins

Of the above, I only really liked the battle with the super-adaptoid and the Collective arc. Then followed the next incarnation of the New Avengers led by Luke Cage:

- The Revolution
- the confrontations with The Hood
- the Secret Invasion tie-ins (does this count as New Avengers storylines?)

Looking back, Bendis' run doesn't seem to have storylines that have a lasting impact on the Marvel U. At least, to me it doesn't.

[Brandon McKinnis]

You realize if it wasn't for the long, uncompressed storytelling, his run would only be about 35 issues, right?

That's a pretty dumb thing to say. His run is exactly how long it is, all these what ifs make no sense because they are counterfactual with no bearing on what's actually taken place. You know if Stan Lee's run wasn't so decompressed cap would have joined in issue 2. You know if my aunt had a package she'd be my uncle.

[Ziggy Stardust]

That's a pretty dumb thing to say. His run is exactly how long it is, all these what ifs make no sense because they are counterfactual with no bearing on what's actually taken place. You know if Stan Lee's run wasn't so decompressed cap would have joined in issue 2. You know if my aunt had a package she'd be my uncle.

How is it dumb?

If he could be more concise, storylines would be wrapped up in three issues, like it used to be done.

Now, it takes 12 issues to get a story done?

[Brandon McKinnis]

How is it dumb?

If he could be more concise, storylines would be wrapped up in three issues, like it used to be done.

Now, it takes 12 issues to get a story done?

But that's not how he chose to write the story. Just because you don't like the method doesn't invalidate it. You don't get to randomly throw out issues because you didn't like the pacing. He's almost to 60 issues meaning he's been writing for 5 years, despite any fans complaints those are the facts.

[Twigglet]

How is it dumb?

If he could be more concise, storylines would be wrapped up in three issues, like it used to be done.

Now, it takes 12 issues to get a story done?

Good, I much prefer this writing to old school writing.

I mean, I'm pretty sure a Simpsons episode could be done in ten minutes, that won't make it good at all.

[Ziggy Stardust]

Let's go the opposite route then and have each page have only one panel, then.

MoGGG!!Z?!?!? Bednis' run is 2,500 issues and he puts out 12 Avengers books a month.