Busiek/Perez Avengers

Avengers 1-12, Avengers Annual 1998, Squadron Supreme: New World Order

The Kurt Busiek/George Perez Avengers!

• Busiek is clearly channeling the Avengers of old.  His stories would fit in perfectly with Stern’s Avengers from a decade past.  That isn’t necessarily a good thing; The pages are filled with words - expository dialog, expository narration, and expository captions.  And it’s not like Busiek isn’t aware of what he’s doing:

Not practicing what he used to preach.

• Perez is clearly channeling the Perez of old, and it is awesome.  Busiek writes to his partner’s strengths, calling for huge team splash pages in just about every issue.  Also, no one draws rubble like George Perez.  It’s very distinctive rubble.

• Busiek uses broad strokes to paint his characters’ personalities.  I appreciate how it creates distinctive voices for each of them, but the lack of subtlety annoys me.  Carol Danvers’ defensiveness when covering for her alcoholism makes it hard to sympathize with her.  She lashes out at everyone around her, and whether it's an accurate depiction of someone confronted by an intervention or not, it makes it extremely difficult to see things from her point of view.  

• The same goes for Justice’s eagerness to be an Avenger.  His motivations come across as less from a drive to succeed and more like a pathetic need to please his teammates.  It’s painful to watch.  On top of that, he ignores the feelings of his girlfriend Firestar, and comes across as every other inattentive boyfriend in the world. Which may be realistic, but it's no fun to have a putz for one of the main characters on the book.

 

• Avengers 2
• A really off-putting page.  The words of the guards and the depiction of a captured Scarlet Witch suggest some kind of bondage rape fantasy that I’ve found disturbing every time I’ve read this issue.

Gross.

Just...ew.

• Avengers 3
• I’m pretty sure the only reason Busiek wrote this story was to give Perez a chance to design and draw medieval versions of 39 Avengers.

"So George...seeing as how you did such a nice job on the cover..."

"...I have this idea for our first story together..."

• Wow, he really went with the “everyone somehow transfers their energy to a single person through the power of touch to defeat the big bad in a show of teamwork and unity” win condition.

Care Bears Stare!

• Avengers 4
• How are we back to Wanda sitting at the bedside of a disabled Vision?  (This happened in Stern’s run, too.) At least he doesn’t try to take over the world this time.

• Avengers 5
• There’s always room for a boomerang arrow.

• Hawkeye says what we’re all thinking:

He recognizes a comic book trope when he sees one.

• Avengers Annual 1998
• I still don’t know how Firestar sent a message out with ants.  There’s nothing in her power set that would have made it possible.

Seriously, what was the idea?  I want to know.
And Justice continues to be an idiot.

• Squadron Supreme: New World Order
• I did not need this issue in any way. Cutting it.
• Avengers 7
• I hate the circuitry effect on Vision.  It makes my skin crawl.

*Shudder*

• Avengers 8
• Heh.  Love the cannon fodder’s reaction to a classic line.

• Avengers 12
• It’s the culmination of the Hawkeye/Cap tension that’s been building for the past year.  And unlike the previous characterizations that I complained about, the relationship between these two Avengers was balanced; Captain America doesn’t make any stupid decisions as the chairman of the team, and calls out Hawkeye for questioning his commands in the field.  Hawkeye is struggling to take orders after his stint as West Coast Avengers leader, and realizes that he’s is capable of more.  There’s mutual respect despite their differences, which adds depth to the conflict throughout the issue, which is way less about Dominex and way more about the ability of the Thunderbolts to reform and whether they deserve that chance.  Bravo.

Cap and Clint's dynamic in one panel.

• Heh.  Moonstone’s still Starscreaming after all these years.

Avengers 1-11

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Fine

Squadron Supreme: New World Order

Regret buying? Yes

Would buy again? No

Would read again? No

Rating: Didn’t Suck

Avengers 12

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Pretty Good