How do you pick your Avengers NOW comic?

[Kieran_Frost]

Dark Avengers - Not sure why I should buy it.

Because Jeff Parker is AWESOME! He is original in his ideas, adds a great deal of humour, doesn't just re-use, but creates and reinvents characters and villains, and makes less-known characters EPIC! He made the Doctor Doom of Africa! How AMAZING is that?!!!

[USERNAME TAKEN]

WILL 100% BUY, AND ALWAYS BUY... SOOOO EXCITED!!!
> Dark Avengers by Jeff Parker
Moonstone... nuff said. Add = I love Jeff Parker's work on this team, and really enjoy Ai Apaec, U.S Agent, Trickshot and Dr. June Covington... there is no reason under the sun I would ever not buy this.
> Thunderbolts by Daniel Way
Thunderbolts is "my team", always has been. I love Agent Venom, enjoy Elektra and Red Hulk, and while I find Way's Deadpool very shallow, I also think it's a lot of fun... so hey, I'm all on-board. Plus, adding the Leader as a team member is soooo interesting! I like the red covers too. Mwwwhahaha! Everyone needs a guilty pleasure now and then.
> Young Avengers by Kieron Gillen
I love Wiccan. I love Kid Loki. And I love Kieron Gillen. Already this is a match made in heaven. Add Kate Bishop, Noh-Var, Hulkling and the glorious Miss America Charvaz... and some gorgeous art, great concept... honestly this comic has NO flaws. Great cast, great writer, great concept, great art. I cannot wait!!!

WILL TRY
> New Avengers by Jonathan Hickman
Hickman writing T'Challa sounds epic; and include the wonderful Namor makes me so happy... the rest of his cast is less impressive. No women (even though Abigail Brand makes more sense than nearly all the rest), and no LGBT characters... and no Doctor Voodoo. So I'll totally try it for T'Challa and Namor... but it needs to be AMAZING to keep me.
> Secret Avengers by Nick Spencer
I like the idea of the comic, I like the cast (minus the horrible idea that is Marcus Johnson); but nothing is "grabbing" me yet. I don't think I know Spencer's work, so I will happily give it a go; and hope I am surprised.

ALREADY DROPPED
> Uncanny Avengers by Rick Remender
While I think the pairing of Remender and Cassady is sinfully glorious, I found the first issue utterly unlikeable. Wolverine is THE WORST person to speak at any funeral, Wanda (who I loved under Heinberg and Busiek's pen) was a smug, unlikeable b*tch here. And it also stars the mutant hating/gay bashing Steve Rogers. I love Wolverine under Remender in Uncanny X-force, but here he was offensive. Biggest disappointment of Marvel NOW! to date.

I DON'T CARE HOW GOOD THE REVIEWS ARE, I WILL NEVER BUY THESE!!!
> Avengers by Jonathan Hickman
22 slots, and yet he's still made such a boring cast. How is that even possible??? I think it's waaaay too many characters to make any story work without a) ignoring most your cast, or b) substituting character work, for plotting. His choices are nearly all uninspiring, and the fact that we know at-least 18 members NONE OF WHICH are LGBT... Hickman went on record saying he'd add more diversity... I guess he falls into the "diversity only means skin colour" camp. Epic fail, Hickman, and once again the Avengers main teams have no LGBT characters. Surprise, surprise... and yet it's the X-verse that gets accused of being bad on diversity. Puuuur-lease!
> Avengers Arena by don't know, don't care!!!
As if!


I always keep my pull list to 10 comics, not for money reasons, but purely keeping it at 10 means I am ALWAYS getting comics I love, avoiding the trap of supporting out of habit rather than love. It also means that any new comic must REALLY shine, to make me bump out one of my ten. A little competition never hurt anyone.

I pick my comics by: (in order)
1) THE CAST. I need to have someone on the team I adore, and at-least one other I really enjoy. There is no one character that would prevent me from getting a team comic (obviously I don't buy solo series of a character I don't enjoy)... but a completely new team would need a great writer for me to give them a go (SEE: Agents of Atlas)
2) THE WRITER. If it's Rick Remender, Jeff Parker, Warren Ellis or Kieron Gillen, I'll probably give it a look; since I always find their work worth reading. If it's by Loeb, I will never read it; and Matt Fraction, Christos Gage and Brian Michael Bendis have really left me very unimpressed recently (so I would have to love MOST of the team, to try their comic -- an example of this is if Bendis IS doing a Dark X-men comic with Emma, Storm and Magneto... then yes, I'd give that a go).

That's really it. I love various artists, but I would never pick up a comic just for them (nor drop a comic, unless it's that awful ani-manga-art). So while art matters a great deal, it doesnt' effect my pull list. And "Story/Concept" is down to the writer; so I lump that in with "good writers."

Captain America gay bashes? When did this happen?

[Kieran_Frost]

Captain America gay bashes? When did this happen?

"Gay bashing" was probably too extreme... a more detailed response: Cap doesn't seem to include very many LGBT superheroes in his teams. Ms. Victoria Hand is the only one I can think of, off the top of my head. In how many years of his leadership? It's not a good percentage.

[USERNAME TAKEN]

"Gay bashing" was probably too extreme... a more detailed response: Cap doesn't seem to include very many LGBT superheroes in his teams. Ms. Victoria Hand is the only one I can think of, off the top of my head. In how many years of his leadership? It's not a good percentage.

Oh...you actually had me worried there for a minute.

[klinton]

"Gay bashing" was probably too extreme... a more detailed response: Cap doesn't seem to include very many LGBT superheroes in his teams. Ms. Victoria Hand is the only one I can think of, off the top of my head. In how many years of his leadership? It's not a good percentage.

Steve is probably the very last person in the MU you could accuse of any sort of predjudices. He may not be explicitly for your cause (there are only so many hours in a day, and he has 25 teams to manage), but he's def against anyone trying to take it from you.

Unless you're a Skrull. Everyone hates the Scrulls.

[Kieran_Frost]

Steve is probably the very last person in the MU you could accuse of any sort of predjudices. He may not be explicitly for your cause (there are only so many hours in a day, and he has 25 teams to manage), but he's def against anyone trying to take it from you.
Unless you're a Skrull. Everyone hates the Scrulls.

I think Steve has, at the very least, a prejudice of sorts against mutants (House of M and AvsX). And for someone "okay" with gay people... he doesn't ever seem to want them around him...

[klinton]

I think Steve has, at the very least, a prejudice of sorts against mutants (House of M and AvsX). And for someone "okay" with gay people... he doesn't ever seem to want them around him...

No. He has an anti-Phoenix bias. There's a difference.

Arnie Roth called to remind you that Steve was his best friend.

Then ther's Wiccan, mutant and gay (oh, my...that's gotta be rough in high school), who Steve went to the mat to protect in CC.

[Kieran_Frost]

No. He has an anti-Phoenix bias. There's a difference

Steve's faith in mutants to handle the situation was... lacking. If Galactus was coming, would Steve a) talk to the Fantastic Four about a strategy or b) attack Baxter building to kidnap Franklin because Doctor Doom counciled Steve that Reed Richard's has lost the plot... COME ON! The only reason Steve wouldn't talk to Cyclops or give him ANY benefit of the doubt was down to prejudice and lack of investment in mutant causes (which Steve himself admitted he had never been good at caring about).

Arnie Roth called to remind you that Steve was his best friend.

But was Arnie Steve's best friend? Don't think so... when did we see Arnie last?

Then ther's Wiccan, mutant and gay (oh, my...that's gotta be rough in high school), who Steve went to the mat to protect in CC.

What story did you read? WHEN did Steve "go to the mat" for Wiccan??? Is this before or after he stood with Wolverine discussing the need to take the kid out? Or after Steve locked Wiccan and the others away, even though they committed NO CRIME!

BUT... we shouldn't derail the thread too much. This is about why we pick Marvel Now! comics, not whether Steve Rogers isn't the shining light of acceptance he claims to be.

Why have you not included Thunderbolts or Dark Avengers in your list? You say you buy things for characters, do none of the characters interest you?

[Movieartman]

Steve's faith in mutants to handle the situation was... lacking. If Galactus was coming, would Steve a) talk to the Fantastic Four about a strategy or b) attack Baxter building to kidnap Franklin because Doctor Doom counciled Steve that Reed Richard's has lost the plot... COME ON! The only reason Steve wouldn't talk to Cyclops or give him ANY benefit of the doubt was down to prejudice and lack of investment in mutant causes (which Steve himself admitted he had never been good at caring about).

but the thing is...... and stay with me here............. THE X-MEN HAD NO INTENTION OF HANDLING IT......... im sure steve would be fine letting the x-men handle the phenoix problem if it was to them what galactus is to reed but THE X-MEN WANTED THE FORCE OF DEATH (and rebirth blah blah blah) TO COME HERE, they didnt give a DAMN that every living thing (human AND mutant) on the planet would die if there where wrong.

[Movieartman]

AVENGERS - JEROME OPENA F##K YEAH!!!!, and after the hickman bringing GLORY AND HONOR back to the Ultimate universe im stoked as Hell for his avengers

UNCANNY AVENGERS - remender has done fantastic work on venom, secret avengers and ESPECIALY uncanny x-force so very interested here, and plus john cassady

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NEW AVENGERS - interested mostly for the matters of hickman but probably wont buy

SECRET AVENGERS - dont care about the new writer or artist...... so No

YOUNG AVENGERS - DO NOT CARE! (slightly interested in what happens with loki but other than that)

AVENGERS ARENA - DO NOT CARE!

[Kieran_Frost]

but the thing is...... and stay with me here............. THE X-MEN HAD NO INTENTION OF HANDLING IT......... im sure steve would be fine letting the x-men handle the phenoix problem if it was to them what galactus is to reed but THE X-MEN WANTED THE FORCE OF DEATH (and rebirth blah blah blah) TO COME HERE, they didnt give a DAMN that every living thing (human AND mutant) on the planet would die if there where wrong.

I'm not derailing this thread anymore. We've done the AvsX dance; and we simply must agree to disagree. I'm not getting Uncanny Avengers because Steve Rogers, Wolverine and Wanda are far too unlikeable in it (and I think Steve's VERY prejudice against mutants, and seeing him "suddenly" care and act like he's always been mutants best friend really makes it unreadable). That's MY opinion, of course; I'm sure many love Steve Roger's suddenly caring about a group he's never seen to give a damn about before.

[BrotherUnitNo_4]

"Gay bashing" was probably too extreme... a more detailed response: Cap doesn't seem to include very many LGBT superheroes in his teams. Ms. Victoria Hand is the only one I can think of, off the top of my head. In how many years of his leadership? It's not a good percentage.

Doesn't Living Lightning count? I don't think that was ever an Avenger under Steve but I'm pretty sure he's on Reserve status. Moondragon was also an Avenger for a spell, but that was before she started to flirt with the fairer sex. Herc swings in all directions. This is known by many.

Beyond that, the bigger problem is probably that there aren't that many LGBT heroes to begin with that aren't X-Men.

[BrotherUnitNo_4]

To answer the OP, it starts with the creative team for me. A good creative team can make a potentially toxic premise work.

After that comes characters and premise tied for second.

Third comes price. I'm passing on pretty much all $3.99 books for trades with the exception of UXF so far, as I'm really interested in the creative team with that particular mix of characters.

Hulk is definitely getting pulled in trades. I may check out Thor as well, alongside Hickman's Avengers.

[SuperCooper]

Avengers: Sounds too good to pass up. So there are a lot of characters, Hickman sounds interested and invested in the ways he has in the line-up, especially since he's noted the necessity of the movievengers. If the others are ones he wanted, we're in for some good story-telling.

Avengers Arena:Mettle, Reptil, Nico, Chase and Darkhawk? Yes please! I know others aren't keen on the concept but Kev Walker is aces and the story should keep everyone and everything on the edge of their respective seats.

New Avengers: Never a huge fan of the Illuminati, but the cast of characters is interesting and if you've read Hickman's formspring, well, it should be good.

Young Avengers: Everything. Everything about this book has me excited.

[YouthofToday]

I just look for the characters I want to follow.

Avengers: Nat, Sam, Steve
Uncanny Avengers: Wanda, Steve, Alex
Avengers Assemble: Nat, Steve
Young Avengers: Kate, Noh, Teddy
Secret Avengers: Nat, Maria
Avengers Arena: the reason SB/DB is crying all over the boards this week.

I'll be getting New Avengers too because I'm sure the story will be important in the overall structure of things.

pretty much the same with me as well..

Avengers- too many to list
Uncanny- Cap, Wolverine, Wanda, Havok
New- Tony, BP, Strange
Secret- like most of the cast(even Fury Jr!), but probably won't have room for it in the budget.
Assemble- again, like most of the cast, but I can read them all in the main book so I'll be skipping
Arena- no interest at all.
young- I like Wiccan and Teddy, but don't care enough or have room in the budget.