Are there too many Avengers books?

Uncanny Avengers: an Avengers team mixing Avengers and mutants to adress storylines from Remender's Uncanny X-Force.
Avengers: The usual Avengers team
Avengers Assemble: An Avengers team for moviegoers with a strong feminine presence
New Avengers: Not an Avengers team, but the Illuminati.
Young Avengers: Not an Avengers team
Secret Avengers: Not an Avengers team, a SHIELD series with some Avengers as operatives
Avengers Arena: Not Avengers, not even a team

Avengers AI: An Avengers team with an artificial intelligence theme. Well, that's stupid, why would an Avengers team limit itself to a specific kind of problem? It's sort of trying to replicate Uncanny Avengers that hasn't been that good because of its narrow focus on mutant affairs. In other words Uncanny Avengers took what was wrong with the X-Men family of titles for the last decades and applied that formula to Avengers. (When Claremont built the X-Men, he did the reverse, he had them as globetrotters handling world crises and saving the universe, exactly like the FF and Avengers). Avengers AI took a similar concept "let's treat artificial intelligence like mutants" thus compounding a bad idea.

Mighty Avengers: We don't know yet but it sounds like a street-level community type team except they assemble to stop an alien invasion (which might save them from a miscasting).

Past writers like Roy Thomas and Steve Englehart have expanded the range of Avengers stories so that we can have sword and fantasy (Arkon), space opera, time travel, etc.

I think there is room for different series, especially with different characters. Hickman is going to tell one story and Avengers fans need more than that one story. But don't put them in a conceptual ghetto.

La mort de Peter Parker

Il y a un mois on apprenait que la série Amazing Spider-Man allait s’arrêter au numéro 700 pour être remplacée par Superior Spider-Man. Marvel avait déjà joué ce tour en 1996 lorsque ASM avait été remplacé par Scarlet Spider pour marquer le fait que Ben Reilly, le clone de Peter Parker, reprenait le flambeau. Les spéculations allaient bon train pour savoir qui était la nouvelle personne sous le masque. Le scénariste actuel avait même lancé une fausse piste selon laquelle c’était le Spider-Man de l’an 2099.

Dans le numéro 698 on apprenait à la fin que le Docteur Octopus avait échangé son esprit avec celui de Parker et  qu’il habitait le corps de celui-ci en ayant accès à tous les souvenirs de son ennemi tandis que Parker était lui dans le corps mourant de son vieil adversaire. L’épisode s’arrêtait sur l’arrêt cardiaque du mourant.

J’avais alors écrit:
« Il me semble évident que Parker va revenir au numéro 700 et perdre. »
Et on m’a répondu :
« Cela n’a rien d’évident. Il arrachera une forme de victoire, très probablement à un coût personnel très élevé. »
C’est la marque de l’ingéniosité de Dan Slott qu’il arrive à concilier ces deux idées apparemment antithétiques (opposées).

L’épisode illustre en effet la notion de victoire à la Pyrrhus. C’est une des marques de la série que Spider-Man remporte ses victoires au prix cher. Cet aspect du personnage est souvent contesté du côté américain qui, vivant dans le culte de la réussite, trouve anormal que le personnage continue d’être un loser après des années. Ainsi on voit des demandes pour que Parker se marie, ait des enfants et que sa tante meurt, autrement dit pour clore le chapitre du drame familial qui est à l’origine du personnage. Une telle évolution a pour désavantage de changer le personnage et de lui reconstituer une famille, ce qui explique sans doute la raison pour laquelle Marvel est toujours revenu sur de telles évolutions.

La nature d’un héros est de triompher en dépit des obstacles. Spider-man dispose d’une force surhumaine mais ses meilleurs combats ne sont pas ceux qu’il remporte par la force. Les fans saluent d’ordinaire son intelligence et dans ce numéro 700 Octopus et Parker rivalisent d’intelligence comme Holmes et Moriarty mais ce n’est ni à son intelligence ni à sa ténacité que Parker arrache une sorte de victoire, c’est grâce à la totalité de son vécu qu’il fait revivre à son ennemi. La vie de Parker n’est plus alors une simple banque mémorielle dans laquelle Octopus va puiser des informations mais une suite de souffrances morales qui lui instillent de façon indélébile le respect de la vie humaine.

Le choix d’Octopus comme successeur
Thématiquement, les adversaires de Spider-Man étaient des versions plus âgés de lui-même, des scientifiques victimes d’expérience scientifique. La similarité des origines entre Spider-Man et le docteur Octopus était telle que John Byrne décida de combiner les deux événements en un seul en 1999 dans Chapter One, sa reprise des origines du personnage. Le docteur avait la distinction d’être le premier super-vilain à vaincre Spider-Man et à le démasquer. Il était aussi proche de sa tante et causa indirectement la mort du capitaine Stacy. Il est donc en bonne place pour être son plus grand ennemi. Et si le docteur Connors, le docteur Morbius, Norman Osborn sont aussi des scientifiques, aucun d'eux n'était décrit comme rivalisant avec Octavius.

Chronology for characters from The Twelve

Here's the chronology for every character:

BLACK WIDOW/CLAIRE VOYANT
TWELVE 8-FB (1928)
[MYSTIC COMICS 4/5]
[MYSTIC COMICS 5/5]
[MYSTIC COMICS 7/3]
[USA COMICS 5/2]
MARVELS 1 (1943?)
[ALL SELECT COMICS 1/5]
TWELVE SPEARHEAD (April 1945)
TWELVE 1 (April 25, 1945 - August 2, 2008)
TWELVE 2
TWELVE 3
TWELVE 4
TWELVE 5
TWELVE 6
TWELVE 7
TWELVE 8
TWELVE 9
TWELVE 10
TWELVE 11 (2009)
TWELVE 12

BLUE BLADE/ROY CHAMBERS
TWELVE 8-FB
[USA COMICS 5/5]
TWELVE SPEARHEAD
TWELVE 1 (1-21) (April 25, 1945 - August 2, 2008)
TWELVE 2
TWELVE 3
TWELVE 4
TWELVE 5
TWELVE 6-FB
TWELVE 7
TWELVE 8
TWELVE 9=TWELVE 1 (22) = TWELVE 2 (1) (dies)

CAPTAIN WONDER/PROFESSOR STEVE JORDAN
TWELVE 7 (5:5-7)-FB
[KID KOMICS 1]
[KID KOMICS 2]
TWELVE 2-FB
TWELVE 7 (8:3)-FB
TWELVE SPEARHEAD
TWELVE 1 (April 25, 1945 - August 2, 2008)
TWELVE 2
TWELVE 3
TWELVE 4
TWELVE 5
TWELVE 6-FB
TWELVE 6
TWELVE 7
TWELVE 9
TWELVE 10
TWELVE 11 (2009)
TWELVE 12

DYNAMIC MAN/CURT COWAN
TWELVE 10-FB
[MYSTIC COMICS 1/7]
[MYSTIC COMICS 2/3]
[MYSTIC COMICS 3/8]
[MYSTIC COMICS 4/8]
TWELVE SPEARHEAD
TWELVE 1 (1-10) (April 25, 1945)
TWELVE 9-FB=TWELVE 10-FB
TWELVE 1 (12-21) (August 2, 2008)
TWELVE 2
TWELVE 3
TWELVE 4
TWELVE 5-FB
TWELVE 5
TWELVE 6
TWELVE 8
TWELVE 9
TWELVE 10
TWELVE 11 (dies) (2009)

ELECTRO, Marvel of the Age
Marvels Project 3-BTS (Summer 1940)
TWELVE 9-FB (14:1-6)
MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 4/5 (cover dated Feb 1940)
MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 5/5
MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 6/5
MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 7/5
MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 8/5
[MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 9/4]
[MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 10/5]
[MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 11/7]
[MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 12/5]
[MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 13/5]
[MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 14/6]
[MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 15/6]
[MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 16/3]
[MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 17/2]
[MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 18/5]
[MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 19/5] (cover dated May 1941)
MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 70TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL (Spring 1941)
MARVEL PROJECTS 6 (Summer 1941)
TWELVE 9-FB (15:4) Zog starts working for the military
TWELVE SPEARHEAD (April 1945)
TWELVE 1 (1-10) (= 9-FB 15:6 - 16:6)
TWELVE 9-FB (17)
TWELVE 1 (12-21)
TWELVE 2
TWELVE 3
TWELVE 4
TWELVE 5
TWELVE 7
TWELVE 8
TWELVE 9
TWELVE 10
TWELVE 11
TWELVE 12

PROFESSOR PHILO ZOG
TWELVE 9-FB (14:1-6)
MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 4/5
MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 5/5
MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 6/5
MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 7/5
MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 8/5
[MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 9/4]
[MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 10/5]
[MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 11/7]
[MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 12/5]
[MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 13/5]
[MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 14/6]
[MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 15/6]
[MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 16/3]
[MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 17/2]
[MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 18/5]
[MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 19/5]
MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 70TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL (Spring 1941)
Marvels Project 3-BTS
TWELVE 9-FB (15:4)
TWELVE SPEARHEAD (April 1945)
TWELVE 1 (= 9-FB 15:6 - 16:6) (dies)

FIERY MASK/DR. JACK CASTLE (1912-2009)
TWELVE 9-FB = TWELVE 3 (16:3)-FB, TWELVE 3 (16:5-17:1)-FB
DARING MYSTERY COMICS 1 (1-6:5)
TWELVE 3 (17:2-17:3)-FB
DARING MYSTERY COMICS 1 (6:6-7:3)
TWELVE 3 (17:4-18:2)-FB
DARING MYSTERY COMICS 1 (7:4-8)
TWELVE 3 (18:3)-FB
DARING MYSTERY COMICS 1 (9-10)
Daring Mystery Comics 70th Anniversary Special
[DARING MYSTERY COMICS 5]
[DARING MYSTERY COMICS 6]
HUMAN TORCH 2/6
TWELVE SPEARHEAD
TWELVE 1 (April 25, 1945 - August 2, 2008)
TWELVE 2
TWELVE 3
TWELVE 4
TWELVE 5
TWELVE 6
TWELVE 7
TWELVE 8
TWELVE 9
TWELVE 10
TWELVE 11 (dies)

LAUGHING MASK/DENNIS BURTON
DARING MYSTERY COMICS 2/6
DARING MYSTERY COMICS 3/3 (as the Purple Mask)
DARING MYSTERY COMICS 4 (as the Purple Mask)
TWELVE 3 (13:3-13:4)-FB
TWELVE 3 (14:3-14:5)-FB
TWELVE SPEARHEAD
TWELVE 1
TWELVE 2
TWELVE 3
TWELVE 4-FB
TWELVE 4
TWELVE 5
TWELVE 6
TWELVE 8-FB
TWELVE 9
TWELVE 10
TWELVE 11
TWELVE 12

MASTER MIND EXCELLO/EARL EVERETT
TWELVE 12-FB
[MYSTIC COMICS 2]
[MYSTIC COMICS 3/5]
TWELVE SPEARHEAD
TWELVE 1
TWELVE 2
TWELVE 3
TWELVE 4
TWELVE 5
TWELVE 6
TWELVE 7
TWELVE 8-FB
TWELVE 8-BTS
TWELVE 9
TWELVE 10
TWELVE 11
TWELVE 12

MISTER E./VICTOR J. GOLDSTEIN/”VICTOR JAY”
DARING MYSTERY COMICS 2/5
TWELVE 3 (7:4-7:5)-FB
TWELVE 3 (6:2)-FB
MARVELS PROJECT 6 (Summer 1941)
TWELVE SPEARHEAD (April 1945)
TWELVE 1
TWELVE 2
TWELVE 3 (1-9)
TWELVE 3 (21:2)-FB
TWELVE 3 (21:4)-FB
TWELVE 3 (10-23)
TWELVE 4
TWELVE 6
TWELVE 9
TWELVE 10
TWELVE 11

PHANTOM REPORTER/DICK JONES
Daring Mystery 70th Anniversary Special-FB-FB (3:6-4:3)
Daring Mystery 70th Anniversary Special-FB (2-21)
DARING MYSTERY COMICS 3/4
TWELVE 2-FB
TWELVE SPEARHEAD
TWELVE 1 (1-21) (April 25, 1945 - August 2, 2008)
TWELVE 2
TWELVE 3
TWELVE 4
Daring Mystery 70th Anniversary Special
TWELVE 5
TWELVE 6
TWELVE 7
TWELVE 8
TWELVE 9=TWELVE 1 (22)=TWELVE 2 (1)
TWELVE 10
TWELVE 11 (2009)
TWELVE 12

ROCKMAN
TWELVE 6-FB
USA COMICS 1/4
USA COMICS 2/5
USA COMICS 3/5
USA COMICS 4/6
TWELVE 4-FB
TWELVE SPEARHEAD
TWELVE 1 (April 25, 1945 - August 2, 2008)
TWELVE 2
TWELVE 3
TWELVE 4
TWELVE 6
TWELVE 8
TWELVE 9
TWELVE 10
TWELVE 11 (2009)
TWELVE 12-BTS

WITNESS/
TWELVE 5-FB
[MYSTIC COMICS 7/2]
[MYSTIC COMICS 8/4]
[MYSTIC COMICS 9/2]
TWELVE SPEARHEAD
TWELVE 1 (April 25, 1945 - August 2, 2008)
TWELVE 2
TWELVE 3
TWELVE 4
TWELVE 5
TWELVE 6
TWELVE 10
TWELVE 11 (2009)
TWELVE 12

COLONEL DEXTER
TWELVE 2
TWELVE 3
TWELVE 5
TWELVE 6

LAURA GOLDSTEIN
TWELVE 3
TWELVE 10 (dies)

ROBERT GOLDSTEIN
TWELVE 3
TWELVE 10

Lt David Rose
TWELVE 7
TWELVE 8
TWELVE 9
TWELVE 10
TWELVE 12

Elizabeth ZOGOLOWSKI
TWELVE 5
TWELVE 7
TWELVE 8
TWELVE 9
TWELVE 10
TWELVE 12-BTS

TIM MULROONEY
TWELVE 7-FB (5-7)
[KID KOMICS 1]
[KID KOMICS 2]
TWELVE 7-FB (8, 10-11)
TWELVE 7 (dies)

The Twelve Index Second Part

Here's the second part of the Twelve index:
The first part is here http://comicspeak.blogspot.fr/2010/08/marvels-twelve-index.html

THE TWELVE #9 (cover)
Cover Date: April 2012
Cover: Paolo Rivera (cover artist)
Story: No title given (22 pages)
Credits: J. Michael Straczynski (scripter); Chris Weston (penciler); Chris Weston (inker); Chris Chuckry (colorist); Jim Betancourt (letterer)
Feature Characters: Phantom Reporter, Black Widow, Fiery Mask (origin), Blue Blade (dies), MasterMind Excello, Mister E, Captain Wonder (from #7), Laughing Mask, Rockman, Dynamic Man
Supporting characters: Elizabeth Zogolowski,, Professor Zog (flashbacks)
Villains:
Other Characters: Detective Rose
Paraphernalia: Electro the Marvel of the Age
Synopsis:
1 Claire Voyant brings coffee to Phantom Reporterin his room, the bell rings
2 Earl Everett enters the house to join Mister E, Laughning Mask, Rockman and Captain Wonder, then they are joined by Voyant and Phantom Reporter. Mister E is informed of his wife's death
3 Phantom reporter reflects on changing times
4 Blue Blade, Elisabeth Zogolowski discuss the coming show involving Electro the Marvel of the Age
5 Dynamic Man shows up on a stadium, Blue Blade rehearses
6 Dynamic Man addresses the crowd, Blue Blade is attacked by Electro
7-8 Blue Blade is killed
9 Dynamic Man makes a demonstration of his powers. Corpse of Blue Blade under the rain
10 Phantom Reporter gets a phone call from Detective Rose informing him of the murder. PR leaves, he sees MasterMind Excello, Rockman and Captain Wonder in the lobby
11 PR identifies Blue Blade for Rose on the crime scene
12 Rose shows the security camera footage involving Electro to PR and Elisabeth Zogolowski
13 Zogoloski connects PR to Electro's cerebro-records
14 2nd flashback: Zog, Electro
15 flashbacks 3-7 on panels 1-5
15:6 - 16:6 8th fb: The Twelve enter the bunker from issue #1
17 9th fb While the Twelve are in stasis in The Bunker an intelligence (Dynamic Man) connects with Electro
18 Det. Rose disconnects PR from Electro, he faints before he can tell Elisabeth Zogolowski what he saw
19 MasterMind Excello talks with Fiery Mask
20-22 Fiery Mask tells him the origin of his powers

First flashback: 3:1 life in 1940
Second flashback: 14:1-6 Pr Zog talks to Electro for the first time
Third flashback: 15:1 Electro helps two kids (during Marvel Mystery Comics #4-19)
4th fb: Electro fights gangsters (during Marvel Mystery Comics #4-19)
5th fb: Zog talking about his loneliness
6th fb: Electro talks to a general who welcomes him to the war effort
7th fb: Electro looking at a nazi tank
8th fb: same as #1, The Twelve enter the bunker in Berlin
9th fb: The Twelve in stasis
10th fb: Jack Castle saves an injured man and gets his power because he didn't call an ambulance to try to save him (overlaps with Twelve #3 flashbacks)

THE TWELVE #10 (cover)
Cover Date: May 2012
Cover: Paolo Rivera (cover artist)
Story: No title given (22 pages)
Credits: J. Michael Straczynski (scripter); Chris Weston (penciler); Chris Weston (inker); Chris Chuckry (colorist); Jim Betancourt (letterer)
Feature Characters: Phantom Reporter, Black Widow, Fiery Mask, The Witness (from #6), MasterMind Excello, Mister E, Captain Wonder, Laughing Mask, Rockman, Dynamic Man
Supporting characters: Elizabeth Zogolowski, Robert Goldstein
Villains:
Other Characters: Detective Rose
Paraphernalia: Electro the Marvel of the Age
Synopsis:
1-2 Phantom Reporter wakes up in the hospital with Det. Rose and Ms. Zogolowski
3 At Laura Goldstein's burial, Mister E reconnects with his son
4-5, 7-10, 12-22 Phantom Reporter, Captain Wonder, Dynamic Man join Electro, Mister E, The Witness, Rockman, Black Widow, Laughing Mask, Mastermind Excello, Fiery Mask in the lobby where he recaps the events, reveals DM as the murderer

First flashback: 6:1 The Twelve vs Nazis in Berlin (between pages 2 and 3 of #1)
Second flashback: 6:2-4 The Twelve trapped (6:2 = #1 6:6; 6:3 = #1 7:2; 6:4 = #1 8:4)
Third flashback: 7:3-4 (= #1 8:5) Electro alone
4th fb: 9:1-3 Pr Simon Goettler creates DM's body
5th fb: 11 Pr Goettler injects energy in DM and DM is born
6th fb: 14:1-3 (= #2 18:4-:6, 19:1) DM fails to stop a thief
7th fb: 14:5-6, 15:1-3 (= #6 12:1-6) A gay man gets fresh with DM
8th fb: 15-5 (= #6 22:3) patrons murdered in gay bar
9th fb: 15-6 (= #6 21:4) DM's alibi during the murder
10th fb: 16:2 (= #7 16:2) grass is noticed on Electro's boot
11th fb: 16:3 (= #7 3:5) police notice burn marks outside the bar
12th fb: 17:1-2 (= #9 17) An intelligence connects with Electro in the bunker
13th fb 18, 20:1 (= #10 11:1-4) Pr Goettler injects energy in DM and DM is born
14th fb 20:2 (= #6 12:2) A gay man touches DM's butt
15th fb 30:3 Electro in its crate
16th fb 20:4 (= #6 22:4) Electro wrecks the gay bar
17th fb 20:6 (= #9 7:3) Electro attacks Blue Blade

THE TWELVE #11 (cover)
Cover Date: June 2012
Cover: Paolo Rivera (cover artist)
Story: No title given (23 pages)
Credits: J. Michael Straczynski (scripter); Chris Weston (penciler); Chris Weston (inker); Chris Chuckry (colorist); Jim Betancourt (letterer)
Feature Characters: Phantom Reporter, Black Widow, Fiery Mask (dies) (1912-2009 on tomb), The Witness, MasterMind Excello, Mister E, Captain Wonder, Laughing Mask, Rockman (also in flashbacks)
Villains: Dynamic Man (dies)

1-20 Dynamic Man fights the heroes and collapses the mansion on them. Rockman saves them but is buried. Phantom Reporter, Fiery Mask, MasterMind Excello and Captain Wonder track him to the lab he came from. Fiery Man is fatally hurt and transfers his powers to Phantom Reporter who helps Captain Wonder destroy Dynamic Man though the Captain is badly burnt in the process.
21 Back to the collapsed mansion, after clearing the wreckage they find a round hole in the basement and no trace of Rockman.
22-23 Castle's burial, Mister E quits. Captain Wonder is permanently burnt on the right side of his face.

THE TWELVE #12 (cover)
Indicia Date: June 2012
Cover: Paolo Rivera (cover artist)
Story: No title given (23 pages)
Credits: J. Michael Straczynski (scripter); Chris Weston (penciler); Chris Weston (inker); Chris Chuckry (colorist); Jim Betancourt (letterer)
Feature Characters: Phantom Reporter, Black Widow, The Witness, MasterMind Excello, Captain Wonder, Laughing Mask, Rockman (bts)
Guest appearance: Nick Fury
Supporting characters: Elizabeth Zogolowski (bts)
Other Characters: Detective Rose
Paraphernalia: Electro the Marvel of the Age
Synopsis:
1-4 Electro, Laughing Mask, MasterMind Excello, Phantom Reporter have been relocated to an army camp, Black Widow leaves it
5 Detective Rose, Laughing Mask has to make a deal operating Electro for the army, who leased it from its new owner (Elizabeth Zogolowski) but she found remote control systems unstable with their test subjects
6-11:3 MasterMind Excello tells his origin to Phantom Reporter and leaves
11:4-12 Phantom Reporter is contacted by the Witness who is works with Nick Fury
13-14 Captain Wonder gets a message from Rockman when rescuing youth from a cave
15-18 Phantom Reporter moves to a hotel where he's joined by Black Widow
19-20 They go to MasterMind Excello's office to work for him
21 Captain Wonder rescuing people, Laughing Mask operating Electro in Middle East war zone
22:1 Witness frightening a man
22:2 Rockman's voice coming from the abyss
22:3-23 Phantom Reporter (in new costume with a flame) and Black Widow (in modernized costume) (maybe as "Fire and Shadow")

flashback: MasterMind Excello's origin (6-10)

Nick Fury's appearance should probably worked out amidst his 2009 appearances (given the date at the end of issue #11). He mentions SHIELD as paying for the Witness's work.

Fantastic Four by Byrne Omnibus Annotations

Marvel Team-Up 61 September 1977

This story doesn't feature the Fantastic Four, but the Human Torch was a regular co-feature. Indeed Marvel Team-Up started as a series featuring Spider-Man and the Human Torch before it became a Spider-Man vehicle. A series with guest-stars was considered the best way to avoid continuity problems for characters who already appeared in their own series. After three issues together, Spider-Man started teaming-up with other characters. In 1974, when Marvel launched Giant-Size Spider-Man, once again he was teamed up with other characters so as to write continuity-free adventures. Therefore, for its five-issue duration, on the months when the quarterly GS Spider-Man was released, the Human Torch took Spidey's spot as guest in Marvel Team-Up (#23, 26, 26, 32, 35).

The Equinox mentioned by Spider-Man is a reference to the previous Marvel Team-Up issues #59-60. This story takes place just after that one.

The villain is the Super-Skrull, a shape-shifting alien with all the powers of the FF. This is therefore an opportunity for Byrne to draw their powers in action. Reed Richards and the Thing even appear in flashback. This is likely the reason that warranted the inclusion of this issue.

NYPD Captain Jean DeWolff was created earlier in this same series by Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema. She was the first woman police captain of the Marvel universe. She mainly appeared in stories by Mantlo and Claremont (in MTU) in the 70s.

Lt Scarfe was created by Chris Claremont for the Iron Fist story in Marvel Premiere #23.
DeWolff and Scarfe both appeared in MTU #60. Here, Scarfe mentions the Equinox case is wrapped up as he is subject to psychiatric evaluation at Bellevue hospital. This is a progressive evolution of this villain from criminal to unbalanced.

Lt Kris Keating was created in Defenders #44, February 1977. He also appeared in Defenders #51 published the same month as this issue of MTU. Was that why Keating is unavailable to deal with the crisis? Was Claremont aware of what Kraft was writing? Whatever the case, Claremont did his homework on the NYPD of the Marvel universe.

Both DeWolff and Keating would be revealed by Peter David in the late 80s as having been murdered, while Scarfe recently (in the crossover Shadowland) became a criminal, even threatening his former partner, Misty Knight. There is no respect for secondary supporting characters.

The flashback with Tigra wraps up a storyline from the cancelled Marvel Chillers. Tigra started featuring in #3 under Tony Isabella. Claremont wrote #4, pitting her vs Kraven (as he would again in MTU #67). Isabella returned for #5 and #6, introducing Joshua Plague, revealed as Super-Skrull in the latter illustrated by Byrne. Issue #7 was by Shooter where Super-Skrull is trapped by the soul-catcher (which appears on page 1 of MTU 61). Claremont and Byrne both returned to Tigra in MTU #67.

Actually, under Claremont Marvel Team-Up featured a record number of co-feature female characters (#59-60, #62, #64, #67, #77, #79-82, #85, #88) as he demonstrated early on his knack for writing strong female characters.

Carol Danvers first appeared as a Security Officer in Marvel-Super Heroes #13 (March 1968) as a supporting character for the Captain Marvel feature. Becoming a female version of that character in Ms. Marvel #1 (Jan 1977), she started a late 70s trend that would include Spider-Woman and She-Hulk. Claremont started writing her adventures in Ms. Marvel #3 (March 1977). Those three panels announce her appearance in the next issue.

Here, the Super-Skrull receives his powers from an energy beam as in FF #18. While this is mostly forgotten by other writers, its use here may have been suggested by Byrne who mined the early FF work more than anyone else.

Kick-Ass 2 #3

From reading the preview pages, I got the distinct impression that the Asian bad guys aren't really bad guys, and I thought Millar was going to play a twist on us. As others have remarked, Millar's comic is inferior to the movie adaptation and this second opus reads as a disappointment so far. I still hope there's a twist coming like there was in the first one.

Tom Palmer completes the layouts and his finishing and inking look like what I was used to see from him in the previous decades. Romita Jr's art is so crude that it's Palmer's finishes and colorist Dean White's painted color that prevent the art from looking too cartoony.

Megasauria

Inventé par Jack Kirby pour être adapté en série télé pour enfants, Devil Dinosaur s'arrêtera avec le départ de Kirby à la fin de son contrat avec Marvel. Le personnage n'a fait que d’éphémères apparitions depuis, toutes en dehors de son milieu d'origine. En fait les auteurs essaient de le plonger dans l'univers Marvel où il détonne. Paru en France dans le magazine phare d'Arédit, Etranges Aventures, la série semble avoir marqué Jean-Marie Arnon qui, avec Megasauria, paru en 2009, nous offre pour la première fois, une suite thématique. Passionné de préhistoire et de science fiction, l'auteur a le profil idéal pour cette série.