Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis: What is your verdict?

[SomeBodyAtCBR]

I have said this in another post but I might as well retell it again.

I was once a Bendis fan hell I even loved his New Avengers during Secret Invasion and I was even a Bendis apologist. Eventually I started getting tired of his New Avengers during Dark Reign to Siege and to his Avengers Heroic Age line. It became a chore reading his work, his stories became lackluster and downright extended. His dialogue became repetitive especially the annoying stuttering pattern. When his Avengers of the heroic age came I thought I might give him a second chance, sadly it was just the same but with poor artwork with inconsistency. Plus his characterization of the team are obvious and irritating whenever he writes the dialogue for Bucky and Stark.
Soon I decided exploring other parts of Avengers lore from Busiek, to Sterns Avengers Siege, and Heindbergs Avengers Children's Crusade to realizing that Bendis has no clue as to write the Avengers at all. I soon became I fan of the classic version even denouncing Bendis's lousy Avengers Disassembled. Let Bendis keep New Avengers, its time that Bendis give The Avengers to another writer one who understands the team and hopefully have a cast with more classic and B-list type members. Till than I'll wait.

I'm basically the same way, although while I prefer pre-Bendis plots and storylines, I'm not bitter about him over what he's done to the franchise. But of course, you and I are completely wrong. There's nothing wrong with Bendis's writing, this is the way it's supposed to be. Therefore, we are both clinging onto the past and our opinions are invalidated for that.

[hysang]

I'd rather have Kurt Busiek back, to be honest. I used to chastise the constant Bendis-bashing, but now I have to agree. He needs to go.

[tigerkaya]

One thing I don't get is how is Bendis fans can read his Avengers and New. I feel they take an entire three months just to finish and arc and when the next comes out, the expectation is utterly disappointing. Sure Heindberg is doing the bi-monthly but at least he deliveries, with Bendis he seems to drag the plot and expects people to shell out 3.99 for his comics. The same is said for Fraction, editors need to get these high profile writers to cut down their arcs to three to four issues not seven or eight and expect people to buy it for 3.99.

[Mia]

One thing I don't get is how is Bendis fans can read his Avengers and New. I feel they take an entire three months just to finish and arc and when the next comes out, the expectation is utterly disappointing. Sure Heindberg is doing the bi-monthly but at least he deliveries, with Bendis he seems to drag the plot and expects people to shell out 3.99 for his comics. The same is said for Fraction, editors need to get these high profile writers to cut down their arcs to three to four issues not seven or eight and expect people to buy it for 3.99.

Wow! I thought I was the only one who dropped the book because I thought that my time and money was being wasted. I'm not a long time Avengers reader. But when the Heroic Age started, I was just left with an overwhelming feeling of so what?

[hysang]

Bendis has been on the Avengers books for what - five, six years? That's more than enough time to figure out how to handle the characters properly and not get their voices wrong.

He needs to go, but he won't, because he still sells books. The second he doesn't, he'll be out of there and it'll be on to the next hot writer(s).

I personally wish the books would try "done in one" stories, but that's just my preference.

[Science Cat]

Between Bendis' grating circular dialogue and Romita's chicken scratch artwork, I find it unreadable, to be honest. Don't even get me started on the Hood.

[Will.S]

I'd rather have Kurt Busiek back, to be honest. I used to chastise the constant Bendis-bashing, but now I have to agree. He needs to go.

I don't think it would be wise to go home again in Kurt's case outside of say a limited series or something. To me it seems like he's said everything he wanted to say with the Avengers and it can be read and re-read for people to enjoy.

One thing I don't get is how is Bendis fans can read his Avengers and New. I feel they take an entire three months just to finish and arc and when the next comes out, the expectation is utterly disappointing. Sure Heindberg is doing the bi-monthly but at least he deliveries, with Bendis he seems to drag the plot and expects people to shell out 3.99 for his comics. The same is said for Fraction, editors need to get these high profile writers to cut down their arcs to three to four issues not seven or eight and expect people to buy it for 3.99.

Depends on any given issue but Brian's inconsistent in that regard.

I've said this before but there are times where I feel like I got bang for my buck and then others where I feel like I got ripped and that mostly happens when he spends a little too much time meandering in the plot/dialogue and uses too many splash pages.

[Nomads1]

I don't think it would be wise to go home again in Kurt's case outside of say a limited series or something. To me it seems like he's said everything he wanted to say with the Avengers and it can be read and re-read for people to enjoy.

I agree. Busiek is one of my favorites, but let's see someone new try their hand. Some poster suggested Joe Kelly. I Think that would be amazing. I also wouldn't mind seeing what Mark Waid can do with the title ( those fill-in issues prior to Heroes Reborn really don´t count). Slott and Gage might also show us something interesting on the main book. DnA would also be cool.

There are options, I just wish Marvel take a bold risk similar to what they claim they did when they allowed Bendis to come in and change everything. Plus, I hope they give the new writer the same kind of support that they gave Bendis, otherwise, this won't work.

Peace

[lobsterj]

I would love to see Parker and Gage on the two core Avengers titles and Bendis given a top-tier artist and his pick of his favorite pet characters to launch a new book. Avengers is strong now, why not let it coast without him and let him build up a new franchise? Defenders: featuring Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Echo, Spider-woman, Sentry, Maria Hill, Daisy Johnson, and that lady who was Osborn's right hand who is now somehow involved with the Avengers. They can alternate between fighting the Hood and ninjas.

[direction9]

Between Bendis' grating circular dialogue and Romita's chicken scratch artwork, I find it unreadable, to be honest. Don't even get me started on the Hood.

ripping on romita jr artwork gets you nowhere in a discussion about good comics

[direction9]

Soon I decided exploring other parts of Avengers lore from Busiek, to Sterns Avengers Siege, and Heindbergs Avengers Children's Crusade to realizing that Bendis has no clue as to write the Avengers at all. I soon became I fan of the classic version even denouncing Bendis's lousy Avengers Disassembled. Let Bendis keep New Avengers, its time that Bendis give The Avengers to another writer one who understands the team and hopefully have a cast with more classic and B-list type members. Till than I'll wait.

well let's hear what these essential avengers ideas are that bendis just doesn't get, what he fails to understand about the team
also you don't get more b-list than most of the current avengers roster

[direction9]

I would love to see Parker and Gage on the two core Avengers titles and Bendis given a top-tier artist and his pick of his favorite pet characters to launch a new book. Avengers is strong now, why not let it coast without him and let him build up a new franchise?

basically this is what will happen when he starts running out of steam and wild ideas for these books.
that hasn't happened yet.

edit: dude has earned it for as long as he wants it, at this point

[Nomads1]

well let's hear what these essential avengers ideas are that bendis just doesn't get, what he fails to understand about the team
also you don't get more b-list than most of the current avengers roster

" Earth's Mightiest Herores banding together to fight foes no single super-hero could fight alone. " Pure and simple.
Also, drop the little psycho. Although there are Avengers who have killed before, and, if called for, are capable of doing so, all of them abide to the team's charter, which frowns upon killing.
All that aside, it's the spirit of the team that Bendis most fails in capturing. It's never been about the make-up of the team. Hell before Bendis took over, there had been over fifty members on the team, and while everybody had their favorites, and least favorites, they always upheld this team spirit. It's not something that is supposed to be hip, mostly it's based on old fashioned values, but it worked.
See, the Avengers were never about gathering around a table, eating talking trash and occasionally getting out of their fat assaes to go fight a two-bit kingpin wanna-be and his gang, a a bunch of ninja, for dozens and dozens of issues. They had spark, they had energy, hell, they were the world's greatest.
Geez, sorry, didn't want to extend myself so much.

Peace

[direction9]

" Earth's Mightiest Herores banding together to fight foes no single super-hero could fight alone. " Pure and simple.

sounds like what we've got, minus the spelling errors that is. kang, infinity gems, skrull invasion, loki, sentry.......

Also, drop the little psycho. Although there are Avengers who have killed before, and, if called for, are capable of doing so, all of them abide to the team's charter, which frowns upon killing.

that guy isn't a psycho and he also frowns upon killing. but yeah you just can't sustain any hardline stance about killing with cap leading the team. WWII, dawg.
the team has continued to frown upon killing for just about every second since he joined, too. hasn't changed.

All that aside, it's the spirit of the team that Bendis most fails in capturing. It's never been about the make-up of the team. Hell before Bendis took over, there had been over fifty members on the team, and while everybody had their favorites, and least favorites, they always upheld this team spirit. It's not something that is supposed to be hip, mostly it's based on old fashioned values, but it worked.
See, the Avengers were never about gathering around a table, eating talking trash and occasionally getting out of their fat assaes to go fight a two-bit kingpin wanna-be and his gang, a a bunch of ninja, for dozens and dozens of issues. They had spark, they had energy, hell, they were the world's greatest.
Geez, sorry, didn't want to extend myself so much.

their are probably fewer panels of avengers sitting on their fat asses in bendis's run than in any other we can name. and in between some more street level guys (wrecking crew/masters of evil were full of loser jobbers, btw), there's been cosmic threats. the guy did write the beyonder in illuminati.
basically, you can't possibly back up a statement about spark and energy being absent from this run. that's ludicrous. it's just not the spark or energy you'd like to see.

[Nomads1]

that guy isn't a psycho and he also frowns upon killing. but yeah you just can't sustain any hardline stance about killing with cap leading the team. WWII, dawg.
the team has continued to frown upon killing for just about every second since he joined, too. hasn't changed.

Later, if I have time or feel like it, I'll adress (much more politely, I'd like to add) your other remarks, but I can't believe you just compared a soldier to a killer. Wow. If you really don't know the difference, I'm not gonna be the one to explain it to you.
As for the team frowning upon his killing, that was the brilliant justification Bendis came up with for bringing him to the team. Don't believe me, go check the first story arc of New Avengers vol. 1. And I'm sure Superia's hench man appreciated Wolvie's restraint when he was killing and maiming them in the most recent New Avengers. Oh, yeah. I also noticed the frown on the face of the other "New Avengers" as he was doing it.

Peace