Review: Avengers Spotlight #1

I bought last month's issue of Wizard because Mark Millar was the guest editor. My wife commented that the magazine is getting thinner every month. There is an overall lack of features - in fact, it seems that the magazine largely features comic-related movies, Mark Millar and Green Lantern news. Other than that, you get the usual toilet jokes and ad pages.

Therefore, it is with some trepidation that I picked up "Avengers Spotlight" earlier today. Surprisingly, it is everything that Wizard should be but isn't! I remember when Wizard Magazine used to clock in at about 300 pages and was filled with reviews, creator interviews, feature articles that covered history of comics, etc. Avengers Spotlight is a wonderful tribute to creators who have worked on the title past, present and future. I enjoyed the piece on Roy Thomas' magical year of 1968 when he literally revolutionised the Avengers title with the introduction of Yellowjacket, the Vision, Ultron, the Grim Reaper, etc. So many things that make the Avengers special today were first introduced by Roy Thomas, who took over the title from Stan Lee in the late 1960s. The article is so reverent and thorough that I feel like running to the stores and pick up some Marvel Masterworks immediately.

After that, we get several more articles covering the Steve Englehard era, the Roger Stern era (chiefly on the West Coast Avengers and "Under Siege"), and the artwork of Big John Buscema (with commentaries by the man's grand-daughter, Stephanie Buscema). To me, the iconic Avengers will always be that of John Buscema, Sal Buscema, Don Heck and George Perez. Also, the best Avengers scribes will always be Roy Thomas, Steve Englehart, Roger Stern, Jim Shooter and Kurt Busiek. There's even a lengthy interview with Tom Brevoort on his history as editor of the Avengers book since 1998.

Finally, the book also included surprising entries on the whole "Heroes Reborn" era of the Avengers as well as the Busiek-Perez relaunch. As for previews of upcoming titles, we get features on Brubaker's "Secret Avengers", Jim McCann's "Hawkeye & Mockingbird", Joe Casey's "Avengers: The Origin" and "New Avengers: Luke Cage". The very fact that the book packed in so many goodies make it a must-read for all Marvel and Avengers fans. This one is a keeper... :)

Why I *Heart* Marvel

Best. News. Ever.

This is why I love Marvel.

I grew up with the "West Coast Avengers" (affectionately referred to as the Wackos) led by Clint and Bobbi Barton (affectionately referred to as Hawkeye and Mockingbird). The title was renamed "Avengers: West Coast" to tie it into the whole Avengers franchise in the 1990s and it eventually ended with the death of Mockingbird. By then I had lost all interest.

Then came Brian Bendis' "Secret Invasion". Mockingbird was back and better than ever. Marvel celebrated the reunion of the sexiest Marvel couple with a miniseries called "New Avengers: The Reunion" by Jim McCann and David Lopez. It was a blast to read and I picked up the hardcover collection as soon as it hit the stores. McCann wrote them as the Marvel version of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" and David Lopez, fresh off DC's Catwoman, drew them with a madman's glee. Reading through it, I kept wishing that it would lead into an ongoing monthly.

Finally, my wish has come true. Marvel is publishing a monthly Hawkeye/Mockingbird book by the same creative team of Jim McCann and David Lopez. This will be even better than the mini because Clint Barton is finally back as Hawkeye rather than in the ridiculous Ronin identity. You can bet that I'll be picking up every monthly issue + the hardcover collections! :)

[Read an interview with Jim McCann at Newsarama.]