What makes an Avenger? It has nothing to do really with the heroes themselves, but it has to do with perception. You can say I’m an old man or a traditionalist or just stubborn, but when I think Avengers, I have some very specific heroes in mind, and lately, I’m not getting them in any of the comics out there at the moment calling themselves Avengers.

You could say I’m resistant to change. You could throw the Silver Age example of Cap’s Kooky Quartet at me, and say that I accepted that change without bitching, but that’s not quite true. Captain America and that trio of ex-villains still had to prove themselves in combat against Doctor Doom, Kang, Attuma, and the Masters of Evil, before anyone really believed they were the Avengers.

Here’s the bottom line. When Ultron and an army of Ultroids are incinerating your neighborhood and threatening the human race with extinction, do you want to see the Falcon with Captain America’s shield, a woman dressed like Thor, and Spider-Man, who for years the Daily Bugle has told us was a menace – or do you want Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man? What’s your confidence level?

Meet me after the jump, and we’ll see how the newest heroes to call themselves Avengers, and Champions, are working out, are they worthy?

Read the rest of this entry →