Avengers #200

So recently Avengers #200 has been thrust back into fan consciousness again, partly because Jim Shooter, the editor-in-chief at the time, and one of the creditted writers, gave an apology for the issue. A rather unsatisfying apology, at least I thought so.

Avengers #200 is a rather loathesome comic, but what's loathesome about it has been pretty thoroughly covered by other people, so what can 80 Page Giant possibly bring to the table that hasn't already been said? Well we'll get to that after the jump. First, I want to make sure you have a nice grounding in the currently accepted view of Avengers #200 (I say currently accepted, because people sure didn't see this comic this way when it came out.)

So here's a few links, some articles to read to get some context before you come back here:
http://www.fortunecity.com/tatooine/niven/142/trulyawf/tac03.html

http://carolastrickland.com/comics/msmarvel/index.html

And finally, Jim Shooter's apology:
http://www.jimshooter.com/2011/12/avengers-200.html

So now you have the story, come on back and let's see if I don't have something unique to say about the issue myself.

Avengers #90 And the Stream of Consciousness.

Spoiler: This cover references
the LAST PAGE of the comic!

Avengers #90 is a Silver Age Super Hero comic. In fact it's probably one of the most Silver Age Super Hero comics I've ever read. A lot of people try and describe what makes a Silver Age comic. They usually use words like "Goofy" or "Silly" or even "Unrealistic", and I think that's missing the point, really.

Silver Age Super Hero comics had a certain style of writing to them which for various reasons is very stream-of-consciousness. Reading a lot of old DC and Marvel comics is like reading an Axe Cop story. Things flow from one idea to the next without even a sign of how the ideas connected in the writer's mind. Things travel from point to point at breakneck speed, and if you don't keep up you'll be completely freaking lost.

This can be the most glorious thing ever, or it can be horrible.

So, before we talk more about the origins of this writing style, and the differences between Marvel and DC let's take a little looksee at Avengers #90.

There won't be enough left of you to fill a pillbox hat.

So Hasbro's been putting out some nifty action figure two-packs as part of its Marvel Universe line - and in each two-pack, they include a comic reprint.  One of the latest is Quicksilver and Wonder Man, which comes with a reprint of Avengers West Coast #60, written by Roy and Dann Thomas, with art by Paul Ryan and Danny Bulanadi.  While it does feature both Pietro and Simon pretty prominently, it occurs in the middle of a story where Magneto has turned the Scarlet Witch evil, and also Immortus is doing something confusing because that is all Immortus ever does.  It's a little hard to pick up, even for a seasoned Marvel Zombie like myself - and for an extra dose of kid-unfriendliness, JFK gets shot three pages in!

But the most notable thing is that the first page features...

Spider-Mannotations: Spider-Island: Avengers #1, Spider-Island: I Love New York City #1

Spider-Island rolls on, and so do the Spider-Mannotations!  Let's get it on.

Spider-Island: Avengers #1

"For the last time, Hawkeye, I don't know 'Rainbow Connection'."
(art by Leinil Francis Yu)

Sal's Sunday Punch #4

Well it's that time again, so what's say we take a stroll down kick-butt lane with our fine friend Sal Buscema? How about a battle between brothers? Being brothers is great, but there's always a bit of sibling tension. Especially when there's a woman involved.

But what happens when one of the brothers is a photonic man, and the other one is an android? What happens when the woman is a witch who dresses all in sexy, sexy red? Surely any tensions would be resolved rationally -- between friends.

I know, Viz. What kind of BEAST would be
friends wth Wonder Man?

Guess not...

I felt like writing about Swarm today.

Some villains have to work for greatness.  You might think that a guy with the unlikely name of "Dr. Doom" whose primary motivation is resentment towards his college roommate might be a lame villain, no?  Well, if you would, you'd be a Communist, because Dr. Doom rules.  But some villains just have a great concept - and even if their subsequent adventures don't turn out to be world-shattering epics, they're still cool.  One such villain is Swarm - because he is a Nazi made of bees.

Don't ask how the bees support that cape.  Or, uh, how he has eyes.

Gut-wrenching embarrassment.

Everybody loves Magneto.  He's universally recognized as the X-Men's greatest foe, even if he's a member sometimes.  He's in basically every X-themed cartoon and video game, he was played by Ian McKellen for three movies, and now he's killing Nazis and looking badass doing it in X-Men: First Class.  But before Chris Claremont revitalized him in the late '70s, he had some rough years.  He fought Captain America, and recruited a new highly-generic, albeit charmingly Jack Kirby-y, Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.  He fought the Defenders and turned into a baby.  He was in an incredibly embarrassing episode of the '70s Fantastic Four cartoon, where Reed Richards defeated him with a wooden gun.  Here's a taste:

And there's this, where Magneto's mad at a flunky, and...well, I'll let this panel speak for itself.

(Avengers #47, written by Roy Thomas, art by John Buscema and George Tuska)