Let's get a tally for the new guy:
T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents ongoing
Iron Man 2.0 ongoing
Morning Glories ongoing
and now Secret Avengers. That is one fast rise to mainstream ubiquity.
Today it was announced that starting in April, Nick Spencer, along with artist Scot Eaton, will take over Secret Avengers, the book previously helmed by Ed Brubaker. Your first look at their work, will be in issue #12.1, a Fear Itself tie in. It'll be a new group of heroes, lead by our own Cap'n Steve. (Spencer might go on just calling him Steve Rogers. Whatever.) The announcement didn't specify the team, but, there are some covers, so you can make some pretty strong assumptions.
I assume we'll figure out sometime later this year if Spencer will be going for the ongoing world record of writing 64 regular comic book series, previously head by Geoff Johns in 2006. We're waiting to confirm the math on that one, but it seems about right.
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I think this’ll be a good jumping off point for me. I like Spencer’s work on T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, but I’m not buying into this Fear Itself event. Flashpoint is sufficient for me.
In contrast: is it my own slanted perception, or is Ed Brubaker disappearing?
I already dropped T.H.U.N.D.E.R Agents this week and hopped off Morning Glories for trade waiting… this is annoying. Brubaker had just started to turn this book around after the boring first arc (it was the amazing Max Fury issue that did it) and now he’s leaving us.
As much as I love Spencer, his ideas and great imagination… well most of his characters come across as unsufferable dicks (Infinite Vacation/Thunder Agents/ to an extent Morning Glories as well). Maybe I’ll drop this and start picking up Avengers Acd… although obviously I’ll give Spencer a two issue chance 🙂
So I get to drop it then. Cool.
This is a really, really good fit.
While I’ve yet to really get into much of Spencer’s work (dropped Morning Glories after issue 4) I’m interested in this. Secret Avengers always seemed like a great concept, but Brubaker never really played up what makes this team different from the 40 other Avengers teams out there. Here’s hoping Spencer can bring us some awesome covert action.
Does anyone think it’s kinda funny that Beast’s face it framed by Steve’s armpit?
I’ll keep picking it up, but I hate to see Brubaker leave the title. I enjoyed the action movie goodness of Secret Avengers.
Looks like I’ll be trying out an Avengers book again.
I was going to drop this but with a new creative team it might be worth it to keep reading. Will brubaker be writing anything new?
He’s our James Franco
i wish i could say im surprised how quick people will drop something before theyve read it.
Wow, nick spencer is going to get me to buy two comics i have absolutely no interest in. But, yay, marvel comics i want to read!!!!!! I really really hope mr.spencer goes the BKV route doesn’t sign an exclusive contract with either of the big two and hopefully does another DC ongoing.
Yet he could not stay on Supergirl because he had too many books?
Still going to read it anyways… picked it up because Moon Knight was on the team but Brubaker kept me going with solid writing.
Not fully on the Spencer wagon yet, (and it is due to my own lack of reading) but maybe this book will do the trick!
Not only framed by arm pit but beast is totally checking black widows rack out.
I really liked the first issue of Infinite Vacation and his new Supergirl Arc, but hot damn, if in Secret Avengers Spencer writes about another iPHONE App gone wrong, I’m done with him.
This is an interesting idea for a series, and I’m reading it, but I wonder what kind of legs this series has in the ling run.
Black ops super heroics? Looooong legs
@Jimski Let’s hope he goes to DC!! haha
God dammit. I just dropped this. Looks like I’m picking it back up.
Great new. I’m a big fan of Spencer’s work on Morning Glories, and Thunder Agents. I’m not in love with Brubaker’s Secret Avengers so I’m glad it’s getting a fresh start with Spencer. The team, as constituted, has great potential, but Brubaker, for me, has failed to utilize the other members of the team.
@RocketRacoon Ditto!
FINALLY! A reason to get excited for this title!
Is Brubaker slowly sneaking away to movies?
I can’t wait until all the Secret Avengers are using iPhone apps to fight evil! Spencer’s a good talent, but there’s a point when his stories tend to look a little too similar. Hell, his one-night-only stint on Supergirl was just a mishmosh of Infinite Vacation and Morning Glories. Though I guess this explains why he left Supergirl.
I might give this title another shot with the switch. I bailed after a couple of issues even though I like the concept.
Looks like I’ll finally get a chance to check out this Nick Spencer everyone’s been talking about.
Well I guess I’m drooping the book in April. Shame, I was enjoying this series but I do not care for Nick Spencer’s writing.
I’m sure it’s going to be plots filled with hipsters and somehow iPods will be involved. Guess my Avengers run is over.
@TheNextChampion That’s so reductive of the work, and patently untrue.
Well, now that Mike Dedato is leaving the book, I can hope right back in. But then again, he’s doing New Avengers. Crap..
I’m guessing there were some iphones involved in his one issue of Supergirl?
I hope Fraction doesn’t put an iphone app in another one of his books or people are going to jump all over him too.
Evil iPhone free Nick Spencer works: Existence, Morning Glories, THUNDER Agents, also no hipsters in any of those. I assume there’s no evil iphones in Forgetless, not sure about hipsters though.
No hipsters (featured prominently) in Infinite Vacation either
You all have nothing to worry about. Steve Rogers is more of a Blackberry guy.
ZING!
Pretty funny to read some of this “don’t like the typical spencer” type comments. He’s been around in the industry for what…4 or 5 months?
That being said–i’m obviously going to give his secret avengers run the chance it deserves. However, it’s a shame Bru will be leaving the title as the last 4 or 5 issues have been truly awesome.
Hopefully this mean bru will do a follow up for the Marvels Project??? One of my favorite minis of recent years and he mentioned he hoped to follow it up with something in his recent word ballon interview..
@jdudley About a year, but either way he’s got a pretty wide variety of books out so far, I’m not sure what a “Typical Nick Spencer” book is, aside from maybe “high concept”
@gobo I couldn’t have said it any better myself. Morning Glories, and Thunder Agents couldn’t be more different. I haven’t read Iron Man so I can’t speak for that, and Infinite Vacation only has one issue, and the premise of that book that people can use their phone to access alternate realities; so yes, that book has a phone, but who cares?
Guess I’m dropping Secret Avengers then. Pity that Brubaker is going. The Shadow Council story really felt like it had a lot of story in it.
I’ve been meh on Secret Avengers so far and have almost dropped it a couple times. So either this is a good time to drop it, or this might be the change that makes it more interesting to me. I guess I’ll bank on the latter. Especially if the roster changes a bit.
Damn. I just dropped this title, but I am digging Nick Spencers work. Well never mind, I’ll stick with what I’ve got. I don’t want too much of a good thing.
@josh: Reading issues of Thunder Agents, Morning Glories and listening to your talks about Infinite Vacation and Supergirl; it’s led me to believe he likes to reuse plot devices and characters.
If the Secret Avengers aren’t smug and they aren’t going to use anything ‘i’ related then I will be shocked.
@tnc Why would you think that? There isn’t any more smugness in his current books than any other writer, and because he’s used smartphones twice?
@TheNextChampion Having characters use smartphones makes sense because they are so prevalent now. Spencer is moving these characters and stories into modern times.
Complaining about a current writer using smart phones in a story is like complaining their characters drive cars or have beards sometimes.
I only like my avengers using telegraphs, also smoke signals are acceptable.
@gobo: In what I’ve read, pretty much everyone is a jerk the way I see it. No one is likable and some people are really overbearing. Also, with @conor as well, I think that using those things are just a gimmick. He isn’t letting them use it for anything realistic, it just states to me like:
“Hey look, Iphones and such are big right now so let me show a character using it as a plot device!”
Yes I’ve also seen people use those devices in other comics but it’s was used for an actual purpose. Not to create apps to defy logic. It’s like how comic writers were using twttier, and still to this day, to show how ‘hip’ it was to use. It brought nothing to the comic other then it’ll show how dated the issue will be in the future. That’s how I feel about Spencer using those devices in his work anyways.
I just want to stress it’s my opinion of the guy so I hope I didn’t come across rude to anyone who likes him. I just feel that, in a way like I do with Bendis, that I can instantly see how he writes every book he’s on and it becomes way to predictable for me.
Also those cans connected by taut string. It’s always neat when Nick Fury calls Black Widow on one of those.
@nickspencer That comment just convinced me I’ll be reading this book. Keep up the good work 🙂
@TimmyWood High five.
Back to topic, love Brubaker but ended up falling off this title. I might give another shot with Spencer on board. Lovin the Thunda’ Agents. Seriously, that’s some good comic book writing right there and CAFU is DOPE!
I agree that Thunder Agents is probably the best indication that Spencer is a top notch choice for this book.
@tnc I don’t think you and I are reading the same books (everything he’s written that I know of). The shit I’ve read has been fresh and highly engaging. Modernity is not a gimmick.
I’m fucking excited to see what this guy can do in the future. His only direction is up, in my opinion. I mean, who the fuck are the T.H.U.N.D.E.R Agents and who gives a shit about them? Well, 3 issues in and they have my undivided attention.
I’m out.
The only book that of Spencer’s I’ve really connected with thus far is his THUNDER Agents. So, that’s actually good, as they seem somewhat similar in nature. I’ll give it a shot. Also good to have synergy with the whole Iron Man 2.0 series and Secret Avengers, I guess (though I’m not really interested in the 2.0 series).
I guess I’m one of the few who just continues to dig the Brubaker run. It’s pulpy/70’s Marvel fun.
Also: On Twiter Bru said he had a LOT of stuff in the works this year, so I don’t think he’s disappearing. And now I’m even MORE sure that the whole “Mystery Men” teaser is for a new Brubaker series.
@TNC i hate when people use telephones in comics. i mean, dont shove your new age technology gimmicks down my throat. Write letters like normal people.
dont even get me started on TVs….
@PaulMontgomery I agree with you about cars, but I draw the line on beards!
Dammit, I want him to do more DC work. Why the hell isn’t he on Batman Beyond.
@ChrisB: It’s time for the telegraph to make a come back.
It’s interesting to hear Jeff Parker in the word balloon podcast talk about not doing to many teams books, and Nick is doing the opposite. I am of the opinion he may be taking on to many titles, and he doesn’t have the experience of Geoff Johns. I hope he is not headed for disaster.
@nickspencer He’s that Blackberry guy that has one because some business man (Tony Stark) told him it would be a great smart phone for him to have. He has no clue how to use it and in general hates it.
In other words I assume it would be like watching my dad use a Blackberry. There’s some swearing, hitting of buttons, and then ultimately tossing it aside and waiting to check things later where the process starts all over.
I don’t think I’ve read anything by Spencer yet (trade waiting on Morning Glories and Iron Man 2.0 ain’t out yet), but I see no reason to expect that I won’t continue to enjoy the book. Also, Scot Eaton was doing a bang-up job on whatever X-book he was penciling a couple years ago, so I know the art won’t suck.
All this really means is that, in addition to having a great Avengers book continue, we’re going to get something else by Brubaker that’s going to be TOTALLY AWESOME.
Quick question: Isn’t Greg Rucka back at Marvel?
I only ask because I think he would be perfect for this series. I mean, if you can’t have great Brubaker espionage then get the equally great Rucka espionage in it’s place.
@TNC He’s just not exclusive to DC anymore, not sure what he’s working on.
Been enjoying Spencer on all his books, dropped this an issue or two in just wasnt doing it for me. Going to pick this back up, hopefully Spencer does a good job(im sure he will) IM IN!!!
I’m disappointed to see Brubaker go, as I think his run has been pretty good for the most part. I have been reading “Thunder Agents,” and I find it to be reasonably entertaining, but I’m surprised that Marvel is going to give a relative newcomer a high profile title like “Secret Avengers.” I am wondering how editorial at Marvel is deciding what to assign to whom. Why not have a more proven writer like Christos Gage, Mike Carey, Sean McKeever or Peter David take on “Secret Avengers?” Abnett and Lanning would be a great choice for an Avengers or X-Men book. This is the second writing assignment from Marvel that made me go hmmmm. Gillian becoming the writer on “Uncanny X-Men” also seemed a bit premature to me.
@invasionforce Gillen’s written a bunch of stuff at Marvel over the last couple of years, plus he’s writing the (sort of) companion book Generation Hope. Not to mention years of independent stuff before that.
@Invasionforce Simply put, those names aren’t “hot” and Spencer is.
I just want a Nick Spencer Olsen ongoing.
@NawidA Me too!!!!!!!! I would do horrible terrible things for a nick spencer written Jimmy Olsen ongoing.