I recently read the first volume in Brian Michael Bendis’s first run on New Avengers. I have also read the first couple of issues in his new Avengers Assemble series. Nevertheless, I have no frikkin’ clue which to read next, or even if I should bother reading more of Bendis’s various Avengers-related series.
This is not a statement on their quality – I really enjoyed both New Avengers (the premise, writing and especially artwork are pretty great) and Avengers Assemble (a lot of fun and a really interesting lead-off story and villain). It’s just, well, I have no idea how I’m supposed to read them all. There are just so many, and they seem to be a bit of a mess for new readers…
New Avengers Volume 1 (2005) & Volume 1 (2011)
As it turns out, New Avengers was re-booted. So was Avengers. And then along came Avengers Assemble this year. And next year, we’re going to get all of the new “it’s not a re-boot” re-boots for the Marvel NOW! initiative… At the same time, there have been Dark Avengers, Avengers Academy, Secret Avengers, a couple of Avengers titles in the Ultimate Comics lines, and I’m sure there are probably even more that I just haven’t found, yet.
The same thing seems to have happened with Captain America, but that’s a little less confusing. (Not the numbering, though, which makes no sense – it jumps from #50 to #600 for no apparent reason.) So I’ll be finishing off Ed Brubaker’s first run on Captain America before starting on the post-re-boot series. Which will, soon, also end and re-boot, following Avengers vs. X-Men… (Again, see Marvel NOW!)
Captain America Volume 1 (2006) & Volume 1 (2011)
This is why DC were so successful with the New 52 – they were all perfect jumping-on points, and as a result I have been seduced by a whole swathe of new and hitherto-unknown-to-me characters and series. That being said, delving into DC’s Batman catalogue can be a little confusing, given the switches and changes – different Robins, different Batmans, etc.
Back to Avengers, then – maybe I should just pick one series and read it through, or maybe I should use Avengers vs. X-Men as my “starting point” and just go from there?
I'm also pretty new to the Avengers comics, and agree that it is all overwhelming -- Avengers, New Avengers, AvX, Avengers Academy, etc., etc. I can't afford to buy all of them. I decided to read Avengers and AvX. I think AvX is a decent place to start. The main thing bothering me about AvX right now is that I generally like to buy the tie-ins from other series, and they are published hopelessly out of sync with the main AvX storyline, and that can be confusing and annoying.
ReplyDeleteNot only that, but often the "tie-in" issues feature a page or two of actual tie-in story, so they're often a bit of a waste of money and time, especially if you haven't been reading the series along the way.
DeleteYES! I'm buying fewer tie-ins as the series goes on, and that's part of the reason.
DeleteYea, Marvel is doing an awful job with the way they are setting up their lines. There is to many and it is very confusing for new readers. Hopefully they learn from DC in this area and step it up with Marvel NOW. As for now, my advice is to read whatever comics appeal to you from the start. You see a New Avengers cover that looks sweet? Start reading that line. You see that your favorite character is gonna be in a few Avengers Assemble issues? Pick up that line. You don't have to read EVERY line to follow the main story. This is why I read Secret Avenger, New Avengers, Avengers, and Avengers Assemble but not some of the others (Dark and Academy). Those lines don't interested me, but leaving them on the shelf doesn't make the overall stories any worse.
ReplyDeleteI agree, but the problem I had is when the series are re-booted in the middle, or without anything to TELL you that it's been re-booted. I thought the two New Avengers Vols.1 (pictured in the post) were just different editions...
DeleteSadly, this is exactly why I don't read comics anymore. I want to, and I will actually go to the comics store. But then I get overwhelmed, buy a couple of one-shots and indie comics, and then not come back for months. I miss the days when Spider-Man was "oversaturating the market" with a mere three titles.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried DMZ? I love that series, and it's now finished. Fables is another one I'd highly recommend.
DeleteThe New 52 re-boot does make things easier on the DC side of things. Marvel's just a bit of a mess, it seems.
The problem with Marvel is that their titles are too concentrated. There's the Spiderman series, X-Men series, Avengers series...and that's it! There's almost nothing else and that's the problem because the same characters appear in the same series which make it confusing for readers (old and new).
ReplyDeleteWhat they need to do is to expand their range of titles. Take chances like DC did with Demon Knights, Swamp Thing, Men of War etc.
I agree.
DeleteApparently, there's a running joke among some other publishers about the sheer number of titles Wolverine appears in...