New Avengers #1 *Spoilers*

[Juggernaut Punch]

So according to Hickman, we've never seen Black Swan before.

http://www.formspring.me/JonathanHic...03597214636149

[Wellman]

I wonder when if at all the current storyline running through Fantastic Four/FF will hit New Avengers and Reed will no longer show up?

[jackolover]

For those that are curious, I translated the Sumerian in this issue.

Page 10 :

"Ki Wassuru" : Ki means Earth and I'm presuming that "wassuru" is supposed to be "wussuru" which means abandon/release, which in the context would mean somthing like "abandon Earth".

"Sharur?" : Sharur means "supreme hunter". This may be referring to the one who's "appetite is endless". She's asking the soldier if he sees Sharur.

"Nuru ul sharur" : The soldier responds "nuru ul sharur". "Nuru" means light and "ul" is roughly translated as "the". "Nuru ul" means "see". The soldier is telling Black Swan that he sees the Supreme Hunter.

"Damiq" : Black Swan answers "damiq" which means "good".

Page 11

"Nadanu" : Black Swan tells Manifold "Nadanu" which means "give". She's telling him to give her the device.

Page 12

"Suharruru" : When Kimo greets her, Black Swan yells "suharruru" which means "be quiet".

"Rabum Alal" : which translates into "The Great Destroyer". He's the one that seems to be behind the "incursion" and whose "appetite is endless".

Page 13

"Ana simtum alaku" : After Black Panther tells her that he'd do more than try to stop her, she says "ana simtum alaku". "Simtum" by itself means fate and in the sentence Hickman is trying to convey, it ought to be "ana simtim alaku" which when translated word for word is something like "to go to ones fate" and means "die". Going by what Black Swan says next ("kill them"), she's either telling the Wakandans to die/go to their fate, or telling her soldiers to kill them.

Page 19

"Ana simtim alaku Ersetu" : We've already covered what "ana simtum alaku" means. "Ersetu" means Earth. She's saying "Die/Go to your fate, Earth".

Mad props to Hickman for including Sumerian. In my opinion Mesopotamian mythology is extremely under utilised in modern fiction.

Also, I'm sure someone's already mentioned this but I'm too lazy to scroll through the thread, so just incase no one has mentioned it, "Memento Mori", the sentence in the opening is latin for "remember your mortality".

I add my thanks to the others as well. Much appreciated.

I was a big fan of the book The 12th Planet, where the translation of the Sumerian myths was literally associated with astral phenomena, and Nibira was a large planet "raider", that visited the solar system every 3000 years. One visit smashed Mars by destroying it wit one of Nibira's moons, and sent Earth into the Moons orbits from a higher orbit than Mars, thus all the dead dynosaurs. I always loved that interpretation, and wanted someone to do something with that.

[klinton]

Oh, wow! Thanks Juggy, for posting all of that. It def enriches the experience knowing what was being said. :D

[dupersuper]

Much better than Avengers 1+2. My ONLY complaint is the last page with Cap and his effing shield. That moron does not need to be anywhere near the Illuminati.

What's wrong with Cap?

So according to Hickman, we've never seen Black Swan before.

I've seen...parts of Black Swan before....

[Rasengan2000]

Good, if extremely confusing, issue. I had to reread it 3 times before it made any semblance of sense, but it was good enough that I was fine with rereading it straight away. While I don't like the focus on Black Panther, (never liked the character really) it seems interesting.
I really liked the callback to the last page of his Avengers #1, with the last page.

[Bushido Brown]

I enjoyed this very much. This was a much better issue compared to The Avengers #1 even though I liked that as well.

I gotta say, I'm beginning to understand the folks on here who say that some comic fans can get a little extra when it comes to anything Black Panther related. Just reading certain comments from different websites about this issue made it kinda apparent. And that's all I'm going to say about this.

[Desaad]

I like that Hickman took a different approach to his two Avengers books -- Avengers is very much "Grant Morrison JLA", this is very much "Warren Ellis Planetary".

To the quality of the issue itself, I'll say it displays Hickman's strengths and weaknesses. Obviously he's an intricate plotter and does his research thoroughly. He's writing some smart books, with some oddly stupid (though unimportant) mistakes (like Black Panther speaking English amongst the Wakandans -- does that really make sense? And if so, doesn't that stink of imperalism?).

But his desire to string along the audience and create mystery is in full force here, and not in a good way. There has to be a balance between story and mystery, and what we got here was very thin on the former and very heavy on the latter. Some tantalizing bits for sure, but not enough was truly done or learned, IMHO.

I'm on board - and whoever asked, no, this isn't double shipping, it's 12 issues a year - but I'm hoping for a bit more content in the future.

I did prefer this to HIckman's opening Avengers issue, though -- I think there was more content here.

[ekie]

My reasons are VERY minor, but:
a) the use of "Manifold" (a character Hickman is using in Avengers... this can't be a coincidence) and the symbol on his chest, against something we saw in Avengers
b) the fact she isn't "Black Swan" she is A Black Swan (as in not her codename, but a title); coupled with Hickman making it clear (in the very same issue) T'Challa hasn't been the only Black Panther, but there have been many before him. I mean, considering that character died, it was completely unnecessary to tie his ancestry to the Black Panther line, unless Hickman was making a point.

It's a vague idea, but one I like.



YEY! I'm not alone in this idea.

It's the same 616 Tchalla. You must not have read FF when he absorbed the memories and powers of all the previous Black panthers and became king of the dead. Any differences you picked up on his personality and reactions are due to that.

[Deus ex Chris]

Yeah, that was a Johnathan Hickman superhero comic, alright. Slow, ponderous, characters who speak in plot points, "big ideas", etc. Reads kinda like a blueprint for a better book. An illustrated rough draft.

Have you tried Manhattan Projects? It's a bit more personal, raw and vivacious and a bit less precious than his Marvel work. It's also pretty great.

I'm hoping he gets dirtier in this series. Both of his Avengers books feel like such museum pieces right now. I need some heart.

[T'Kyl]

I like that Hickman took a different approach to his two Avengers books -- Avengers is very much "Grant Morrison JLA", this is very much "Warren Ellis Planetary".

To the quality of the issue itself, I'll say it displays Hickman's strengths and weaknesses. Obviously he's an intricate plotter and does his research thoroughly. He's writing some smart books, with some oddly stupid (though unimportant) mistakes (like Black Panther speaking English amongst the Wakandans -- does that really make sense? And if so, doesn't that stink of imperalism?).

But his desire to string along the audience and create mystery is in full force here, and not in a good way. There has to be a balance between story and mystery, and what we got here was very thin on the former and very heavy on the latter. Some tantalizing bits for sure, but not enough was truly done or learned, IMHO.

I'm on board - and whoever asked, no, this isn't double shipping, it's 12 issues a year - but I'm hoping for a bit more content in the future.

I did prefer this to HIckman's opening Avengers issue, though -- I think there was more content here.

NA does double shiop in January. But only in January.

[Kieran_Frost]

It's the same 616 Tchalla. You must not have read FF when he absorbed the memories and powers of all the previous Black panthers and became king of the dead. Any differences you picked up on his personality and reactions are due to that.

I haven't read Hickman's Fantastic Four, no... but I'm not sure what your post is about? When did I imply I didn't think it was the same 616 T'Challa???

What's wrong with Cap?

Oh... where to begin...

[jackolover]

But his desire to string along the audience and create mystery is in full force here, and not in a good way. There has to be a balance between story and mystery, and what we got here was very thin on the former and very heavy on the latter. Some tantalizing bits for sure, but not enough was truly done or learned, IMHO.

I'm on board - and whoever asked, no, this isn't double shipping, it's 12 issues a year - but I'm hoping for a bit more content in the future.

I did prefer this to Hickman's opening Avengers issue, though -- I think there was more content here.

Yes, I do agree with you there, because I kind of missed the Sumerian connection until others began to elaborate on it a little more. Maybe Hickman's balance will get better, or, he likes the mystery more than the elaboration? Maybe the Avengers will be more obvious, and New Avengers will be the slow revelation, and that's what Hickman means by the 2 books being the two sides of the same coin?

[Desaad]

NA does double shiop in January. But only in January.

Didn't realize that, but as you say it will be the only time. Hickman specifically went bi weekly on Avengers so he could get an understanding of the rhythm he would be working; his contract demands 36 issues a year, so 24 + 12. One bi weekly, one monthly. He really seemed to not like the haphazard double shipping of before, when suddenly a new issue would be due.

[CelosBeats]

It was a very strong first issue. Check out my reviews at www.youtube.com/SouthsideReviewBoys and SUB for comic contests.