tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142199900369238852.post522888682479990942..comments2024-03-25T05:26:47.764-04:00Comments on The Peerless Power of Comics!: Avengers: DismissedComicsfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10064955427593820783noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142199900369238852.post-6289388447674926772018-12-17T10:59:40.132-05:002018-12-17T10:59:40.132-05:00It's not the fault of "third-tier" c...It's not the fault of "third-tier" characters in the roster. As you say, CF, it should have been a grand time for bringing "lost" characters up to the spotlight.<br /><br />It's all down to third-tier writing and artwork. Either the writer or artist is a no-name hack or they've done good work, but they turning in half-arsed efforts. Actually, I'll bump the blame up a level in the chain of command. If I handed in work like that, I would be told in no uncertain terms to do it again. Or, the client would accept it, but oddly enough, I'd never-ever receive another phone call from that client. Comics apparently don't operate like that, with mediocre to awful output passed on to the printer again and again.<br /><br />This, of course, applies to so many titles across the history of both comic companies. Today, plug in the name "West Coast Avengers".<br /><br />It was, also, the 1990's. When comic creators suffered severe brain damage from carbon monoxide leaks in their main offices (or something).Big Murrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03311467081145732439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142199900369238852.post-63565578724778468282015-07-06T09:03:22.973-04:002015-07-06T09:03:22.973-04:00Sir, quite agreed on your reasoning.., it's gr...Sir, quite agreed on your reasoning.., it's great when 3rd Tier heroes get their 'time in the sun', with hopes that they'll develop a following for future titles, merchandising, etc.. Totally tracking.<br /><br />It's... just that they're considered '3rd Tier' for a reason. Not many writers have given 'em any good storylines in the past, and while this was Englehart's chance to fix that.., none of it really got traction. You still need to have top heroes on the masthead for anyone to pick up the book, and other than Clint, perhaps IM.., you unfortunately didn't have any. <br /><br />(Perhaps Simon, who had his own title during this time.., but I still didn't feel he was strong enough an established character, partially due to all the incredible uniform changes...).<br /><br />Great review, as always.<br /><br />As a book, WCA still punched the same tickets as other team books (involved with cross-overs, etc..), but ultimately, as a visual media with (or even sometimes without) engaging storylines.., WCA had neither going for it.david_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00218727673816200051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142199900369238852.post-12807551133542133242015-07-02T20:53:53.351-04:002015-07-02T20:53:53.351-04:00david, the reasons you mention for your disappoint...david, the reasons you mention for your disappointment at Englehart's run on WCA are actually some of the things I appreciated him bringing to the table on the book. As you point out, several of the team members were indeed "weak 3rd tier heroes"; and one of Englehart's strengths is focusing on such characters and keeping them from blending into the background. In Tigra's case, for instance, Englehart was continuing Shooter's work with the character by giving her plenty of exposure and dialog; while he adapted Mockingbird's SHIELD training to make her an effective fighter on the team, rather than just "Mrs. Hawkeye." Oddly enough, the only character who seemed out of place to me was Iron Man, whose normal initiative was notched down and who should have had more interaction and interplay with Hawkeye; instead, he inexplicably ended up feuding with Wonder Man, which seemed like a waste of his presence on this team.<br />Comicsfanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10064955427593820783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142199900369238852.post-58034342187308638512015-07-01T12:01:46.760-04:002015-07-01T12:01:46.760-04:00Ok, day has arrived.. Where to start, where to sta...Ok, day has arrived.. Where to start, where to start..<br /><br />A busy work day today so I'll be brief. The first regular ish of WCA came just as I started collecting comics again at college. Big Hawkeye fan, so I thought it would be a nice title. Soon got the limited series.., and filled some of my Avenger holes with those terrible Milgrom art issues. Never quite warmed to a smiling Vision. But to add quickly, I DO love the return-to-brooding Vish in those '90s panels with the team dismantling scene, really don't know what happened to Wanda, but Vish is once again the 'cool-android-outsider' on the team.<br /><br />As for WCA, just couldn't handle the 'seemingly-spiraling-downward' of storylines after the first half-dozen issues. Terrible covers, terrible banter, just very... disingenuous. I would have lasted longer with the phoned-in writing if the art was better.<br /><br />It's been long discussed just how bad Englehart came across here on this title. It's like nothing stuck. Most of us loved him on CA&F and Avengers.., even Doc Strange. Don't know what to say here, hope others chime in.<br /><br />Part of my issues were team members I never liked, such as Tigra, USAgent, Mockingbird, Spiderwoman, just weak 3rd tier heroes. The spawning of 'Force Works' was a knee-jerk, insipid pandering attempt at mimic independent comics prevalent in the '90s, and stayed pretty much generic. <br /><br />Add that to lingering storylines with Master Pandemonium (yawn...), the Cat People (gawwwd, more yawn..), time-travel to the Old West again and again ("...kill me now...."), the 'Ben Grimm as Avenger' bit, and finally Doc Pym striving to have someone (ANYONE..) pat him on the back for merely getting up in the morning.., which nearly resulted in the first graphically-depicted hero-suicide? <br /><br />If I didn't know better, I'd suspect the Bullpen purposefully throwing ideas specifically-designed by teams of scientists to annoy and depress me. <br /><br />The arrival of Byrne to fulfill Shooter's desire to dismantle Vision seemed interesting at the onset, but much like the post-Perez NTT, there was nothing there to interest me much. Then of course Vish was 'rebooted' so Shooter could give readers a chance to 're-explore' Vish from scratch or something...? <br /><br />'You.. just.. killed.. off.. a.. beloved.. character, dude..?'<br /><br />Sooo again, the WCA seemed like 'THE comic' to test-run every change fans would cringe at the most. <br /><br />Not sure how many 'creative teams' were involved during it's run, but as 'Avengers'..? Blech. Of course, until the arrival of Stern/Buscema on the main title.., that book wasn't faring much better. No wonder they couldn't help but throw Spidey, Wolvie or any of the mutants into the picture best they could to get sales up.<br /><br />Once you added the Midwest Avengers idea and the Avengers Spotlight title to the mix. it was all just a saturated mire. <br /><br />Sooo hence, I'd just prefer to remember WCA with the nifty Limited Series book, the occasionally-funny Wonder Man title, and forget the rest.<br />david_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00218727673816200051noreply@blogger.com