Bendis Avengers Appreciation

[jackolover]

I would just like to say thanks for the last Osborn arc after Fear Itself, for giving us one more look at Norman Osborn.

But seeing as Bendis has had 7 years on Avengers, I'd just like to show my appreciation for making Spidey and Wolverine Avengers, things that have never been tried before. I'm not that fussed with the Ultron stuff because he hasn't been that big a villain I like. But I am grateful he killed off Janet the Wasp, (and thus allowed Hank Pym to be used in a most controversial manner by Slott), used Jessica Jones in Avengers,, saw the Infinity Gems used, and gave us the conclusion to the Sorcorer Supreme story.

I'm not sure I enjoyed Sentry's use and demise. Paul Jenkins created this character who was an enigma and Bendis explored that in Bendis' inimitable style, and made him into a train wreck. But then what could you do with Sentry? Look at Blue Marvel. Nobody has attempted to make anything of him, but Bendis made the effort with Sentry.

[Frank]

jack, jack, jack.

Yes he went there.

[XPac]

I give credit to Bendis for putting some spotlight to characters that otherwise would have completely vansihed into limbo. Guys like Sentry, Ares, Marvel Boy and Hood got a second shot. And I think because he used them (even in ways some readers might not like), it vastly increases the odds of them being used again. And I even say that about the characters Bendis killed. He put them on other people's radar... and that vastly increases the odds of them being picked up again post Bendis.

Characters like Cage and Spider-Woman also benefits from the exposure. Even outside Bendis, Cage now leads the Thunderbolts. And Spider-Woman is repowered and back in the mantle.

Thor, Cap, and Iron Man always got a good bit of spotlight... but even they ended up being elevated. They went from being the Avengers Big 3 to frankly Marvel's Big 3 in a lot of ways. They got elevated to the level of a Hulk or a Wolverine, which is pretty huge. That's not entirely because of Bendis of course... but writing the top franchise for the better part of a decade was certainly the backbone of that push.

Bendis will have one of the strongest legacies in the Avengers franchise... I don't think anyone can dispute that.

[EuphemismForSex]

To celebrate Bendis' tenure on the Avengers, here are pictures of a dude and a dining table:

[manymade1]

I give credit to Bendis for putting some spotlight to characters that otherwise would have completely vansihed into limbo. Guys like Sentry, Ares, Marvel Boy and Hood got a second shot. And I think because he used them (even in ways some readers might not like), it vastly increases the odds of them being used again. And I even say that about the characters Bendis killed. He put them on other people's radar... and that vastly increases the odds of them being picked up again post Bendis.

Characters like Cage and Spider-Woman also benefits from the exposure. Even outside Bendis, Cage now leads the Thunderbolts. And Spider-Woman is repowered and back in the mantle.

Thor, Cap, and Iron Man always got a good bit of spotlight... but even they ended up being elevated. They went from being the Avengers Big 3 to frankly Marvel's Big 3 in a lot of ways. They got elevated to the level of a Hulk or a Wolverine, which is pretty huge. That's not entirely because of Bendis of course... but writing the top franchise for the better part of a decade was certainly the backbone of that push.

Bendis will have one of the strongest legacies in the Avengers franchise... I don't think anyone can dispute that.

I'm personally not one of the biggest Bendis Avengers fans but I have to say I fully agree with this.

[DebkoX]

Credit to Bendis, He has made my introduction to comics easy.

[Quaker]

Bendis-written Avengers stories were the first single issue comics I ever read. Props to the man for getting me into the game.

[Goldgeller]

I was relatively new to Marvel comics at the time-- New Avengers had maybe it's first or second hardcover out, and how can you beat Spider-man and Wolverine on the cover of a book? Plus David Fence and Steve McNiven art? The book was designed to sell and it was fun to read. I can't take that from Bendis. I really enjoyed much of what he did on the Avengers. Not all of it was great. The decompressed style of his writing wore thin quickly, and he uses a lot of characters in ways that are questionable. Not everything he did worked, but it is what it is. I read the first two trades of New Avengers and then I read Disassembled and House of M and I was kinda hooked. His work on Dark Avengers was overall very good.

The best "Avengers" though? Millar's Ultimates. It was crazy good. Ultimates 2 was a high-water mark he probably couldn't reach again, but Ultimate Comics Avengers was also great!

[tigerkaya]

Well this APPRECIATION thread is a joke.

[whiteshark]

Bendis made the Avengers the most popular franchise of Marvel.
Something that nobody would guess before Bendis took over the writing of the Avengers.
Many cool and under rated characters achieved to be on the spotlight due Bendis Avengers,as Luke Cage or Spider Woman.
He provided more well crafted characterisation to characters which gave them another importance in the marvel universe,Luke Cage as a leader,Wolverine and Spider-Man being Avengers.

[pepper]

[pepper]

[Zen-aku]

[turtletrekker]

Bendis is the reason I'm reading comics today. I was an avid collector through the 80's and early 90's, but eventually for various reasons stopped collecting.

It was Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men that got me back into the comic-shop, but I had zero intention of reading beyond his title. However, when I saw New Avengers #1 on the shelf, I was immediately intrigued. The "Previously" page told me exactly what the long-term story was going to be-- "The Fall and Rise of Earth's Hightest Heroes". The line-up had just enough classic to still be considered Avengers, but the rest of the line-up was just intriguing and different enough to make me pick up the first issue, and I never looked back.

To be honest, If I had picked up the book and it had been the same old line-up hanging about the mansion being served tea by Jarvis while waiting for the UN to call, I never would have bought it at all. Been there, done that.

[Frank]

I give credit to Bendis for putting some spotlight to characters that otherwise would have completely vansihed into limbo. Guys like Sentry, Ares, Marvel Boy and Hood got a second shot. And I think because he used them (even in ways some readers might not like), it vastly increases the odds of them being used again. And I even say that about the characters Bendis killed. He put them on other people's radar... and that vastly increases the odds of them being picked up again post Bendis.

Characters like Cage and Spider-Woman also benefits from the exposure. Even outside Bendis, Cage now leads the Thunderbolts. And Spider-Woman is repowered and back in the mantle.

Thor, Cap, and Iron Man always got a good bit of spotlight... but even they ended up being elevated. They went from being the Avengers Big 3 to frankly Marvel's Big 3 in a lot of ways. They got elevated to the level of a Hulk or a Wolverine, which is pretty huge. That's not entirely because of Bendis of course... but writing the top franchise for the better part of a decade was certainly the backbone of that push.

Bendis will have one of the strongest legacies in the Avengers franchise... I don't think anyone can dispute that.

It's the opposite, he tarnished all these characters, made them worse. Sentry, Ares, Marvel Boy and The Hood were all more interesting before Bendis touched them. It's like he was a kid in a candy store because he liked the original story but like a kid not understanding why he likes stuff, he produced to trip away everything that was interesting about them. Marvel Boy is not early Captain Marvel green-clad boyscout, under Morrison he was Namor only even more crazy and a one man super-weapon. He invaded the planet and declared war. Sentry was a disturbed man where you didn't even if he was a super-hero or if it was in his mind, who couldn't be a super-hero because it could unleash a great evil. Going back and trying to give an origin is missing the point. Even worse making him a boring Fabio wannabe. Hood was such an interesting take on a lowly characters trying to make big. He was like a dark Peter Parker. All that charm was washed away when suddenly the guy controls every criminals. Being the Avengers, Bendis should have used the Crimson Cowl instead. Or Taskmaster.

Also Cage and Spider-Woman were not lucky either. It became his pet characters and it felt like shoved on everyone's throats. Hell he didn't even write them well either. For characters he is supposed to like, i'll take the Azzarello take on Cage.