| Previous Post
I have to say upfront that I was underwhelmed and not impressed. I will still give this series my standard 3-issue commitment to see if it can hook me, but based on the premiere issue I don't think I will be staying with it very long.
Anyone who has watched the show "Scrubs"(a favorite in my house) knows that for the bulk of the show the characters joke, play practical jokes, flirt, daydream/fantasize, and conduct themselves in what could be widely considered as unprofessional behavior. Then, all of a sudden, the show can take a serious turn. This sudden change in tone either works or it doesn't, and your overall enjoyment of the episode usually hinges on how well this sudden shift is executed. To me, most of the time it works, because the writing and the cast are talented enough to pull it off.
How does this relate to the Avengers? Well, when I think Avengers, I certainly don't think of them as the "Scrubs" of the Marvel Universe. Bendis' attempts at snappy banter and tongue-in-cheek action just doesn't work for me. The transitions in tone from joking to serious also fail. The team just doesn't seem to be approaching situations very seriously. This seems like "Avengers light" to me and I've just never cared for that approach with this team. Having two very unlikeable characters on the team doesn't help-Stark and Sentry. For Tony and Carol's conversation concerning the Sentry, they may have well just labelled Tony "Bendis" and Carol as "typical Marvel fan". Marvel is determined that this character will eventually be great one day and they constantly need to try to sell the reader on that idea. Sentry sucks, that's the bottom line.
Stark has become such a despised character in my mind that I just didn't care about his predicament at the end of the book. We all know that he'll emerge from this, so let's enjoy his pain while it lasts. Between this and the last issue of Illuminati it's been a good few weeks for Stark-haters. Thanks Bendis!
I enjoyed Cho's artwork and it is obvious he enjoys drawing the ladies. Female Ultron looks like Jan to me, now maybe she'll become a basket case like her ex-husband. I agree with other poster's comments that joking about Hank Pym and any other Avengers who's struggled through personal problems is very unprofessional and out of character for both Carol and Stark.
I truly think that we need a new writer on at least one of the Avengers' titles. If Bendis can turn things around in 2 issues I'll be pleasantly surprised. For now his mixture of action and character development is too light and fluffy for me.
At this point my hopes for a decent Avengers title hinges on Avengers: The Initiative by Slott.
The Illuminati series has proven that Bendis can write a good action/adventure yarn. I've also been reading Ultimate X-Men stories thanks to the fact that I bought the cd-rom with the first 70 issues. His two arcs on that title were very good. With Mighty Avengers he just seems like he's having silly fun. That just doesn't appeal to me.
>
|
> Anyone who has watched the show "Scrubs"(a favorite in my house) knows that for the bulk of the show the characters joke, play practical jokes, flirt, daydream/fantasize, and conduct themselves in what could be widely considered as unprofessional behavior. Then, all of a sudden, the show can take a serious turn. This sudden change in tone either works or it doesn't, and your overall enjoyment of the episode usually hinges on how well this sudden shift is executed. To me, most of the time it works, because the writing and the cast are talented enough to pull it off.
Believe me when I say that Scrubs is the greatest thing on television at this time ( possibly at any other time ), and that anyone with any interest in serial entertainment should try it to see an example of how to properly do character drama/comedy. Also believe me when I say that an Avengers run done in the tone of Scrubs would be a book that, done properly, would be among the most entertaining superhero comics ever made.
What makes Scrubs work isn't just that it's so witty and off-the-wall, but that the characters are incredibly well-portrayed, and continue to be. Regardless of whether or not the show is being absurd or ( in rare but prominent cases ) serious, the characters have a lot of varying traits that all work together, relationships without being convoluted, and reactions that seem authentic. Even though J.D. is a fictional character in a sit-com, you can understand and appreciate him to a degree surpassing the way you know most real people.
An Avengers book with that kind of emphasis on interrelationships between characters would be utterly awesome.
> How does this relate to the Avengers? Well, when I think Avengers, I certainly don't think of them as the "Scrubs" of the Marvel Universe. Bendis' attempts at snappy banter and tongue-in-cheek action just doesn't work for me. The transitions in tone from joking to serious also fail. The team just doesn't seem to be approaching situations very seriously. This seems like "Avengers light" to me and I've just never cared for that approach with this team. Having two very unlikeable characters on the team doesn't help-Stark and Sentry. For Tony and Carol's conversation concerning the Sentry, they may have well just labelled Tony "Bendis" and Carol as "typical Marvel fan". Marvel is determined that this character will eventually be great one day and they constantly need to try to sell the reader on that idea. Sentry sucks, that's the bottom line.
Bendis wishes he could write team books as well as the Scrubs writers portray their characters; for example, I't'd be fun to see the modern Iron Man portrayed as Dr. Kelso , with Ms. Marvel more like Dr. Cox, constantly busting his chops.
