Young Avengers appreciation 2019

[Wiccan]

I'm just plain confused about this Death's Head thing.
Also, I can't even tell that its Billy & Teddy in the images they provided.
I'll definitely pick up that issue of the Wasp though. What month?

I don't think they're anywhere on the Death's Head preview. Looks like the writer just announced on the con that they're on it.

It's Unstoppable Wasp #7, so, May.

[Beetle]

I find the Death's Head announcement pretty exciting. I mean there would be no reason to include them in a book like this unless the writer was a huge fan of them, so that already a great start.

Plus this is probably the strangest and most oblique title any volume 1 Young Avenger has been involved in. It's just so out there, probably the biggest risk Marvel has taken with these characters in years
Up until now the boys have only been in team books, now we can see them in a new context

[Drops Of Venus]

The differences between the two and their respective dramas is striking, and not, IMO, terribly flattering to Billy. He gets the lion's share of the focus, and has both an adoptive 'spiritual family' in Wanda, and a real family in the Kaplans, and a destiny that may well include someday becoming Demiurge and / or Sorcerer Supreme. Teddy is his arm-candy, watching his only parent figure die in front of him, amd has a destiny as 'space prince' that he has more or less abandoned to hang out with Billy on Earth. I sometimes feel like the young man is a volcano, and avoiding all of his issues (and potential) to focus entirely on Billy's dreams and goals and life, which is hardly unrealistic or anything (women married to powerful men do it all the time, pretty much sacrificing their own lives to puff up and support their husbands careers and ambitions), but kind of tragic, and quite possibly headed for an explosion of some sort, when his neglected potential / responsibilities / ambitions come around and bite them both.

It feels like the story could be told that Teddy isn't being neglected by the writers, but tweaked so that he's actively avoiding the focus, because he doesn't want to confront this 'Skrull prince' or 'King of Space' or 'Last son of Mar-Vell' business, he just wants to be a young hero in love.

I could actually see Teddy being like this, honestly. I mean, back in the first Young Avengers volume, I get that he wasn't ready for the whole space thing. He was a high schooler and his whole life was turned upside down overnight. It was just too much for him to take in at the time. But then flashforward to New Avengers, when he's older, more experient and a full-fledged Avenger. It still seemed like he wanted nothing to do with all of that responsibility because he preferred to be chilling on Earth with Billy. I definitely feel like this coming back to haunt him at some point could be a good story to tell.

Yeah, I get the feeling that both the question and answer are incomplete, not noted down properly by the person running the live newsfeed from the event.

I did some digging and according to people on Twitter, what Cebulski said was ''it's definitely going to be a good year for Young Avengers fans''. That makes more sense.

Looks like YA isn't happening... it turned out Wiccan and Hulkling are starring in a DEATH'S HEAD book!?!
https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/03...iccan-hulking/

... oh, I see I've been ninja'd.

WHAT IN THE WORLD??? This is the last title literally anyone would expect to see them on. But hey, I'm not complaining. Also, according to the cover artist, they are co-starring in the book, so it definitely seems like we can expect to see them in all or most issues. But oh boy, I'm gonna be so pissed if all of that YA teasing is leading up to just this. WE DESERVE MORE, MARVEL!

"The book starts out when Death's Head realizes he's not as good as he used to be,” said Howard during the announcement. “He's told all the newer models do it better than you, and I was thinking about who would be a good character to pair with him. Wiccan and Hulkling team with him in this."

What the hell?
Why the hell would Billy and Teddy help him?

Seems like the writer just liked the characters and wanted to use them (and bless her soul for that!). It's probably one of the most common things in the comic book industry, we're just not used to Billy and Teddy being the receivers of that kind of attention.

In other news, looks like Billy and Tommy are showing up on Wasp after all!

https://twitter.com/jrome58/status/1109929578930364418
Plus Viv.

JEREMY WHITLEY, ANOTHER BLESSED SOUL DOING THE LORD'S WORK! Look at the background, it certainly looks like it could be Kate and America!!! He also tweeted that if we want a Young Avengers book, we should buy that Wasp issue. Definitely looks like he set up a small YA reunion there. God, this better lead up to something bigger. CEBULSKI, YOU BETTER DELIVER OR I'LL KICK THE AKIRA YOSHIDA OUT OF YOU!

Holy canoli! Tommy survived Secret Wars?! #BuyWaspYouPunks

Now that you mention... We haven't seen Tommy after Secret Wars, have we? Holy crap.

I find the Death's Head announcement pretty exciting. I mean there would be no reason to include them in a book like this unless the writer was a huge fan of them, so that already a great start.

Plus this is probably the strangest and most oblique title any volume 1 Young Avenger has been involved in. It's just so out there, probably the biggest risk Marvel has taken with these characters in years
Up until now the boys have only been in team books, now we can see them in a new context

Yeah, the more I think about it, the more into it I am. It's something fresh and new for them, which can be good. I doubt it's going to be a commercial success, but hey, if some critical acclaim comes from it, it could put them back into the spotlight and more writers could want to use them.

[legion_quest]

I do hope that the Wasp issue, and the Death's Head stuff sells at a level where Marvel do feel that it's worth giving the Young Avengers a book again.

However, I do think they could do with a re-brand. I think Marvel missed a trick not just making them the West Coast Avengers.

[Magmaster12]

If Apollo and Midnighter could get there own solo series I don't see why they couldn't just do that with Billy and Teddy hopefully this is Lockjaw all over again.

I actually voted for Teddy on the poll because I related with him more, I relate with him for trying to fit in and his impatient, kind personality and he also had the best solo issue in the Young Avengers Presents line the exchanges between him and Captain Marvel felt so genuine. I liked how Teddy stayed as a superhero after the team broke up because of the loss he has experienced he was the only one who really did not want to give up.

Also I've been looking back at the series yet again and I can't get over how good the team's chemistry was, there's very little context for why they would all get along so well but they always manage to pull it off barring Cassie's out of nowhere attraction to Iron Lad.

[Digifiend]

I do hope that the Wasp issue, and the Death's Head stuff sells at a level where Marvel do feel that it's worth giving the Young Avengers a book again.

However, I do think they could do with a re-brand. I think Marvel missed a trick not just making them the West Coast Avengers.

Yeah. Or if they're based in New York, call them the New Avengers. Billy and Teddy were on the last team with that name, so it would make sense. The Champions have replaced the YAs and New Warriors as Marvel's teen team, but that doesn't mean the YAs can't still be a team. DC has two Titans teams (though one of those books has been cancelled and ends next issue) as well as Young Justice. So there's room for both Kate and Kamala's teams to co-exist. Kate just currently has the wrong team (that's obvious - it's not selling and has been cancelled), which is due to executive meddling - this WCA roster isn't what was originally pitched, it was supposed to be Kate and America joining a bona fide Avengers second team, editorial asked for something YA-like instead which is why Clint was the only adult in the end - so why not just do YA?

Hopefully Unstoppable Wasp #4 and #5 making headlines, and Whitley finding himself with insufficient supplies of the TPBs at C2E2, are good signs for that book, and that people stick with it after those issues and see the YAs in issue #7.

[Drops Of Venus]

I do hope that the Wasp issue, and the Death's Head stuff sells at a level where Marvel do feel that it's worth giving the Young Avengers a book again.

And it's honestly ridiculous that we even have to think that. I mean, wasn't the success of their last two ongoings enough for Marvel to realize that it IS worth relaunching the YA? It shouldn't take a Wasp book and Death's freaking Head for them to know this.

If Apollo and Midnighter could get there own solo series I don't see why they couldn't just do that with Billy and Teddy

Oh, they absolutely could. If they can give Death's Head a book, they abso-freaking-lutely could give Billy and Teddy their own title. We just have to accept that they don't want to.

(...) this WCA roster isn't what was originally pitched, it was supposed to be Kate and America joining a bona fide Avengers second team, editorial asked for something YA-like instead which is why Clint was the only adult in the end - so why not just do YA?

Yeah, I read about editorial telling Kelly they wanted a Young Avengers-like group, which is how we ended up with the recent WCA. It's such a Marvel thing to do to wish for a Young Avengers team and then proceed to NOT use the actual Young Avengers for that. Hopefully they learned their lesson.

Anyway, negativity aside, here's what Tini Howard had to say about the premise of Death's Head, which explains how Billy and Teddy fit into the book:

https://twitter.com/TiniHoward/statu...89860965486593

It's an interesting take on those characters. Also, I feel like I'm gonna relate to this soooo bad. LOL

[Fokken]

In Marvel's defense (of not blessing us with the coveted Billy/Teddy book) it could very well be that folks don't have a good pitch. The few that do, might not be strong enough. The few that are interested might be already committed to other books. It could just be a matter of timing. They could be postponing for reasons. It could conflict with events going on. I'd hate for something like that to fail because of...I dunno...War of the Realms(?) getting all the advertising and outshining any attempt to spotlight the boys.

Tons of reasons for why it doesn't exist. I just hope it does eventually. With a considerate and talented writer and an appropriately consider and talented artist to match.

[Dermie]

In Marvel's defense (of not blessing us with the coveted Billy/Teddy book) it could very well be that folks don't have a good pitch. The few that do, might not be strong enough. The few that are interested might be already committed to other books. It could just be a matter of timing. They could be postponing for reasons. It could conflict with events going on. I'd hate for something like that to fail because of...I dunno...War of the Realms(?) getting all the advertising and outshining any attempt to spotlight the boys.

Tons of reasons for why it doesn't exist. I just hope it does eventually. With a considerate and talented writer and an appropriately consider and talented artist to match.

Exactly. I don't think it is fair or accurate to say they aren't doing one because they don't want to. We just have to hope that eventually the stars align properly and they get their own book.

[Drops Of Venus]

Exactly. I don't think it is fair or accurate to say they aren't doing one because they don't want to. We just have to hope that eventually the stars align properly and they get their own book.

I'm not saying it's never going to happen, but I don't think it's something they particularly want to do right now, otherwise they simply would've by now. Characters don't stay in limbo for two entire years of publication if editorial wants to do something with them. And it's really hard for me to believe that they couldn't do it when Marvel's approach in the last few years has been to throw SO MANY titles on the wall hoping something would stick, specially titles led by diverse and legacy characters, both of which they are. I mean, the fact that America Chavez, who got popular because of a Young Avengers story mostly about Billy and Teddy, got her own book but not them, and she's STILL getting a bigger push than both of them even after her book ended kinda tells you where they fall on their list of priorities. And as excited as I am for their upcoming role in the Death's Head book, the fact that it took an obscure, random pitch like that for them to have a relevant book again also speaks volumes about how they don't really have much else going on for them.

I mean, I HOPE I'm wrong. Maybe Death's Head will be a game-changer for them and mark a new era for those characters in the Marvel Universe. There is nothing I'd love more than editorial to prove me wrong on this.... but yeah, until I see it, I will remain skeptical.

[Journey]

Side note while scrolling through the Twitter the whole age thing really resonated. Especially when someone pointed out that Teddy can look however he pleases, and Billy with his powers can probably stop aging physically whenever he pleases especially with the whole "future God of the multiverse thing he's got goin on." So bringing that pairing together with Deathhead is a very intresting concept. An older replaceable model interacting with 2 beings who could literally be around forever is so curious to me.

Also about Billy's fear of becoming "Obsolete" again for someone who's destined to become a God I find weird. Have we figured what it is exactly Billy has going on? I thought it was just depression, or is it something bigger like really mentally concerning? I can't recall if it was ever officially diagnosed on page.

[scourge]

This whole age thing is throwing me off. Billy and Teddy were 18 at the most when they last showed up and event hat was just them being suddenly aged up during Gillen's run along with the others. Either of them being worried about being "Obsolete" doesn't make sense either, both already recognized as full Avengers so its not like they've only ever been 'Young'.

[Journey]

This whole age thing is throwing me off. Billy and Teddy were 18 at the most when they last showed up and event hat was just them being suddenly aged up during Gillen's run along with the others. Either of them being worried about being "Obsolete" doesn't make sense either, both already recognized as full Avengers so its not like they've only ever been 'Young'.

In Billy's case I can kind of understand with the whole depression/whatever the **** he has goin on. But Teddy is a prince wanted desperately by the skulls plus the mofo is like perfect as a person so in his case I'm kind of like whatever you're being dramatic. And I think there like 19-21 at this point college age. Billy was still in schools during the whole who murdered the Watcher event so I'm assuming he had probably graduated before becoming a New Avenger. So yeah 19 or 20 is probably the age.

[Dante Milton]

Either of them being worried about being "Obsolete" doesn't make sense either, both already recognized as full Avengers so its not like they've only ever been 'Young'.

This is where i'm at as well, the in story motivation for them being here doesn't make a lot of sense to me. It seems to me the characters were added to the book because Marvel knows a Death's Head solo is a non-starter, so with W&H they are hoping to appeal to a larger audience. Of course, I'm probably biased because I couldn't give less of a **** about Death's Head and I'm irritated I have to buy this for the characters I actually want to see.

[scourge]

Of course, I'm probably biased because I couldn't give less of a **** about Death's Head and I'm irritated I have to buy this for the characters I actually want to see.

I am there with you on that. It happens way too often.