One of the more surprising announcements took place at tonight’s “Cup O’ Joe” panel when it was revealed that Brian Michael Bendis and his Brilliant/Ultimate Spider-Man penciller Mark Bagley will be reuniting once again for Avengers Assemble, a brand new ongoing Avengers title launching in March of 2012. The specific lineup of the team includes Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow and reminds me of a movie trailer I recently watched. Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will convene for their opening arc to battle a new Zodiac, a group of villains that has not gotten a lot of attention lately and must be itching for conquest.
The panel also discussed the upcoming split of FF and Fantastic Four into two separate books. They also dropped the bombshell that Jeph Loeb and Simone Bianchi, last seen together killing Sabretooth, will be reuniting to resurrect Sabretooth. “The story we told was not the whole story,” says Mr. Loeb.
Finally, a mysterious slide showing “It’s coming….” and a distinctly Phoenix-esque shape flashed long enough to tantalize, but not long enough to communicate much else. Watch this space.
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- Avengers Assemble #1
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- FF #14
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- Fantastic Four #602
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- What is?
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So are both Fantastic four books being written by Hickman?
I believe so.
Yes.
a THIRD Bendis written Avengers book?!
Yeah, I’m not a fan of that. Bendis either should stop writing Avengers or New Avengers or this should be the new status quo in Avengers. I like Bendis but this is too much.
I think Bendis is a great fit for Avengers, but this is just another book that someone else now can’t write.
Realistically does Bendis need to be writing two core Avengers titles and a spin-off? Not really. A new voice could be could for the line
Was wondering when the “Let’s make the comics more like the movies” thing would start.
Bendis and Bagley? Bagley is not a “movie tie in” level comic artist.
Hmm. I wish FF would just switch back to Fantastic Four, but I’ll probably end up getting both.
As far as the Avengers announcement, I’ll try it out because I love Bendis and Bagley, but it’ll be a very short leash.
Every time Jean Grey is brought up, I am shocked that she hasn’t been brought back since Morrison killed her.
Bagley is definitely not an artist worth paying $3.99 for.
I HIGHLY disagree but to each their own.
I disagree as well. Bendis and Bagley are a well proven team. I do wonder if yet another Avengers book is needed.
What are you two talking about? Bendis and Bagley’s previous work on an Avenger title was totally forgettable… or did you forget?!
I hope jean grey doesn’t come back,it’s probably just me but I really don’t like her as a character. Maybe it might be hope using the pheonix force.
Count me out of the avengers book for the movie, I already read avengers, new avengers, secret avengers and avengers accademy but i cant find any excitment for this.
I’m torn between my love for Bagely and my hatred for Bendis’ Avengers
So is Clint ditching the mask and getting yet another update to the Hawkeye costume? I mean, because of Dark Reign, it’s public knowledge that Clint Barton is Hawkeye/was Ronin, so I guess a mask is pretty much pointless.
I find it hard to get excited about Marvel’s announcements when I know that there’s about a 50% change they’ll be $4 books.
Marvel’s BIG announcement SHOULD have been…… Hey guys we are dropping our prices to $2.99. I’d like to steal a line from Starz TV show Spartacus…….. These comic book companies (specifically Marvel Comics) need to remove c@$% from a%& with their pricing scheme and wake the F up. The sad truth is that things aren’t going to change until us, the late 20-somethings and up either quit (not likely) or die. They are going to bleed this generation dry getting all the money they can. The bizarre theory that fiction consumers outside of comics would be willing to pay that much for slow building monthly storing telling makes me laugh-out-loud. Tom hit the nail on the head with his most recent article. I need to stop settling for comics that I’m buying out of routine alone, and starting spending my hard earned money on the stuff I actually enjoy reading.
Without knowing the actual numbers it’s hard to criticize them, they’re running a business. There’s inflation involved in every aspect of their business; rent, paper, ink, salaries, even gas. Prices of comics of course are going to go up here and there, 3.99 books have been around for 5 years at this point. Maybe by charging 3.99 on popular books enables them to offer FF and Daredevil at 2.99. We don’t know their margins, their risks, or the actual cost of a comic, and “well DC does it” isn’t a very good argument.
cutty I’ll buy some of those examples for the print versions, but lay your case for charging the same amount for the digital version. and saying ” DC does it ” is pretty damn hard to argue against. Also, if you are not agreeing with my comment, do you enjoy paying this much for comics ?
@Joshua – Digital is a whole ‘nother argument. Personally I think the $3 pricepoint is kind of ridiculous, but again I really don’t know their expenses or business model so it’s tough to feel too strongly one way or another. It’s safe to assume that it doesn’t cost nearly as much as a floppy though, so I’d rather see a $1 pricepoint (but then you get into some other issues like whether a company’s strong digital sales would decrease floppy sales and lower the bottom line)
As far as Marvel vs. DC, you can’t just assume that it takes the same amount of money to produce a comic. Sure material and distribution costs *might* be the same, but there are so many other variables beyond that. I have no idea how many people each company employ, the differences in pay, or their sales margins.
Personally, I hate $4 comics as much as the next guy and I am much more quick to drop AVENGERS, CAPTAIN AMERICA, or UNCANNY X-FORCE than say FABLES or DAREDEVIL. But $4 books have been around for a long time and I think it’s safe to say that Marvel isn’t experiencing a drop in overall profit because they would have changed by now. I think most people are just going to buy AVENGERS no matter what, afterall, its just a dollar. To go back to your original point, I don’t think that Marvel and DC having a handful of $4 on their roster (books typically with big time creative talent) is going to kill them, they would have changed it by now.
The biggest assumption out there is that “Marvel is just greedy”, and I just can’t go that far. None of us know how their business works
Called it. I knew it was going to be the movie Avengers.
You know, I like Bendis in general, and have really enjoyed some of his Avengers stories, only, well, I think that it’s time for the guy to move on. Seige was advertised as the culmination of everything Bendis had been building for years, and as that it worked. New Avengers still has strong issues, but I am continually underwhelmed by the flagship Avengers. I say let some new blood at the franchise — Bendis can keep New Avengers if he must, but why not free up his committments a litte? I’d love to see his Icon books come out on something resembling a more regular basis. How long has it been since we had a new issue of Powers?
I’m trying to stay positive about FF being split into two titles, though I doubt I’ll buy both. The funds simply are not there . . .
The Avengers are just too watered down and played out for me right now to have any interest in another Avengers book. They need to drop it back down to one book and make it strong and I’m in….But I bet it’ll make a great trade.
that Phoenix slide featured quite a few choice names too:
Bendis, Fraction, Aaron, Coipel, Kubert. there were about eight, those are the five I can remember for sure.
Ha, my four year old just said, “Look Dad, it’s Purple Arrow!” He’s got a point…
do you always force your child to watch as you browse iFanboy.com? That poor kid, somebody call child services
Sabertooth is back to cause trouble and hopefully Jean is also coming back
i have no problem with bendis on avengers but this a little overkill but what the hey ill buy it
For each brand that Marvel does they need to stick to one core title otherwise it just gets way too watered down. Lately I’m really contemplating dropping most every $3.99 book from them since most are just not worth that price.
Hahaha, bendis on another avengers book!? Holy shit this is getting hilarious. Sucks for him as I dropped all his avengers nonsense a few months back. Sorry bags, you my hometown hero but I can’t handle any more bendis avengers.
I kinda like the announcement though. You know he realizes how annoying this is to some people. The audacity to take on another avengers book is endearing, even though I won’t be reading it.
I’m down with loeb bringing sabertooth back, because I won’t be reading it and it’ll free up the character for better writers to use after the fact.
Look at me staying positive. Remember, Remender and Hardman on secret avengers!! Woohoo!!!
That sounds like the next logical progression of where the main title has been heading — hell that actually might make it more enjoyable than some of the other more recent arcs & it would play to one of Bendis’ strengths . . .
Is it just me, or does the Avengers Assemble cover look like another recent and important cover?
*Cough…Justice League #1…cough*
I’m glad I’m not the only one that thought that.
At first, I just glanced at it and thought they accidentally put up the JL cover.
Why has Thor been edited out of that cover? You can see the outline of his hammer in the speed lines.
Ohhhhh…good eye.
The rumor mill starts here! Celebrity rehab!!!
HOLY CRAP the names on that Pheonix…
So what’s this new Avengers title called ? Movie Avengers? Makes it easy for the movie-goers to know which title to get on the news-stand right?
I guess it was only a matter of time before i dropped all the x-books again… errrr… the phoenix was ‘reborn’