Young Avengers Appreciation 2020

[Drops Of Venus]

OMGGGG LOOK WHO GOT THE ACTION FIGURE VARIANT YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS



Now turn these into real merch, Marvel! Do it now!

Poor Johnny. Hidden by the logo.

I noticed that. I hate when that happens.

[Waking Replica]

Reminds me of that Death's Head cover where Billy got Mike Wazowski'd.

But IDK if you all saw, but James McKelvie is doing the cover for the second printing of #4, so I'm excited for the BillyTeddy goodness (hopefully)

Also, can I say I dig the recoloring of Teddy's uniform to pink instead of purple, makes his outfit look less like Hawkeye merch lol.

[Fokken]

GIVE US THE BOX SET MARVEL LEGENDS MARVEL AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

Please?

[Beetle]

Yes it is Teddy beside him. Thanks!

I also enjoy the power/belief narrative very much. When it comes to characters who are commonly considered OP (which I've never gravitated toward until Billy), providing them with reasonable and relatable flaws and challenges make them all the more entertaining to read.

Awesome work as always.

Sometimes I feel like Billy has become too OP, so the writing for him between different writers becomes inconsistent since the editors never impose actual rules.

Which is why I love the way Ewing writes Billy, he's powerful but due to his own internal struggles (his depression, anxiety and his fear of his power) are what limit him more than anything else. It can allow for inconsistency in a way that mirrors real life struggles with mental illness. As long as he's confident in himself and what he's doing, he can do anything.

As for the actual nature of his power, I tend to prefer magic to be quantifiable and have rules and whatnot. Invocations like the Crimson Bands of Cytorrak and Winds of Watoomb and Vapors of Valtorr are my jam.

But for Billy, that all goes out the window. He's got the power of possibility. Of potential made reality. No invocations of extra-dimensional yobbos need apply. What he does can be called magic, but while Dr. Strange has a finely tuned set of spells memorized and codified over centuries by other sorcerers, drawing power from all sorts of diverse sources, Billy's just got a big firehose of magic and watch out!

To be fair Marvel hasn't really had proper rules about magic in about 15 years. Remember Jason Aaron and Donny Cates' Doctor Strange where "magic always has a price" was constantly repeated like a bad mantra but never consistently applied in a way that made sense? Or during that era when Wanda grew older with each spell and then her Ghost mommy the previous Scarlet Witch fixed it and now she doesn't have that problem anymore or need to pay any cost.

Which is why I really enjoy the concept of "metaphor combat". Because it means that there doesn't have to be rules or power levels as long as you can justify it with symbolism
(It's the whole Individual < Group < King < God < Nonbeliever thing)

That being said I've always felt like Billy should spend time learning traditional magic, just so that we can get a better understanding of the difference between him and other sorcerers. And it can't hurt to learn the "Crimson Bands of Cytorrak"

I don't know why Cassie is randomly paired with Tommy, but I guess they just wanted an excuse to add all the classic YA members there.

I want to know why Tommy is still dressed like that. You have time to change!

[Digifiend]

Now would be a good time for YA to relaunch - both Teen Titans and Young Justice are ending in November!

[Fokken]

Awesome work as always.

Thanks Beetle!

Sometimes I feel like Billy has become too OP, so the writing for him between different writers becomes inconsistent since the editors never impose actual rules.

Which is why I love the way Ewing writes Billy, he's powerful but due to his own internal struggles (his depression, anxiety and his fear of his power) are what limit him more than anything else. It can allow for inconsistency in a way that mirrors real life struggles with mental illness. As long as he's confident in himself and what he's doing, he can do anything.

I loooooove reading everyone's opinions and ideas and appreciations of Billy's powers.
Ewing (and Oliveira) are my favorite when it comes to Billy. Ewing has the edge because of what you so eloquently explained regarding his self-enforced limitations and how well he writes that -- inadvertently providing an explanation for inconsistencies in the execution of his powers by any given writer. And of course Ewing has written him way more than Anthony.

I want to know why Tommy is still dressed like that. You have time to change!

Ha ha ha you kill me.

[Storm17]

OK, valerio was doing the art for a new #1. Refused to say what it was, then responded to me saying it was not YA... but he would've loved it to be.

Sadness.

[Magnito]

OMGGGG LOOK WHO GOT THE ACTION FIGURE VARIANT YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS



Now turn these into real merch, Marvel! Do it now!



I noticed that. I hate when that happens.

I'm not usually one for variant covers, but I like this one.

[mreddie]

OK, valerio was doing the art for a new #1. Refused to say what it was, then responded to me saying it was not YA... but he would've loved it to be.

Sadness.

Knowing our luck this year, it's for X Men.

[Drops Of Venus]

But IDK if you all saw, but James McKelvie is doing the cover for the second printing of #4, so I'm excited for the BillyTeddy goodness (hopefully)

I saw that! It HAS to be a YA-focused cover, right? I refuse to believe they'd put McKelvie to do the cover for this very special issue for any other reason.

Also, can I say I dig the recoloring of Teddy's uniform to pink instead of purple, makes his outfit look less like Hawkeye merch lol.

Agreed. I also like more color being added to his waist area and legs, besides the very colorful cape. His previous design was too predominantly black for my taste.

Now would be a good time for YA to relaunch - both Teen Titans and Young Justice are ending in November!

I mean, it's BEEN a good time to relaunch for a while, but now they would at least get less competition from DC, seeing they are cutting down their line for unfortunate reasons. Although the long term effects of this scare me. A lot of people are speculating that comic book shops might go under as a result of this, and if the industry is forced to change and Marvel is put in a similar position that DC is in right now, Young Avengers might just be one of those titles that are not prioritized by the company. They already have a hard time getting a new book as it is, I don't even like to imagine how many years we would have to wait for a new book if Marvel chooses to drastically reduce their line.

[Digifiend]

The reduced competition was my point there, yes. Two less books in opposition. And the readers of those titles will be looking for a replacement.

[Waking Replica]

Knowing our luck this year, it's for X Men.

I saw it mentioned in passing on my Twitter tl that Al was once again spotted in an x-office call, so I suspect he's doing something there with Valerio (which, good for them, but sad for us if he is doing that).

That being said, if it isn't YA, there's always a chance for it to just be a BillyTeddy series! *he says delusionally*

I mean, it's BEEN a good time to relaunch for a while, but now they would at least get less competition from DC, seeing they are cutting down their line for unfortunate reasons. Although the long term effects of this scare me. A lot of people are speculating that comic book shops might go under as a result of this, and if the industry is forced to change and Marvel is put in a similar position that DC is in right now, Young Avengers might just be one of those titles that are not prioritized by the company. They already have a hard time getting a new book as it is, I don't even like to imagine how many years we would have to wait for a new book if Marvel chooses to drastically reduce their line.

This is probably a weird point to extrude from what you said, but this made me think of who might actually end up on the title. If Marvel is really playing the numbers game, it seems like they'd go for someone whose name they know can sustain sales as much as the YA title can on its own. As much as I'd want Anthony on it, without a more well known co-writer like Chip there, they might not want to risk relaunching without a recognizable name.

The next best scenario, for me, would be Allan coming back, but chances are probably slim to none with his Hollywood work going on (though since he was thought of for the cameo, along with Jim, maybe there's still a chance).

Al and Chip would be my next two. Both are very talented and recognizable names. Al loves BillyTeddy, and I'd trust he'd make everyone cool and badass as hell in addition to some out of left field plot for them. Chip's mentioned he's pitched a YA idea before, so if it's anything like his other work, I'd absolutely be down. Only problem would be that they may not have the time to do so with their other marvel work and original work.

[Drops Of Venus]

I saw it mentioned in passing on my Twitter tl that Al was once again spotted in an x-office call, so I suspect he's doing something there with Valerio (which, good for them, but sad for us if he is doing that).

Al's mind is incredible and I wouldn't mind sharing that with the X-books. I'm sure he could do an amazing job there. I just hope that this doesn't mean they'll keep him away from other titles. I don't think any current X-writer has other ongoing books outside of the X-line, right? Tini had Strikeforce, but we all know how that ended, so... I hope Ewing doesn't get so swallowed by the X-Men that he doesn't have time for other stuff. We need him on Marvel Cosmic and Avengers-related titles, because lord knows he is the best thing that happened to both in the last few years.

I still stand by my opinion that he should be the head of Avengers titles, much like Hickman is for the X-titles. The Avengers seriously need to be more organized right now, because I feel like it's a mess how Aaron's run just feels completely disconnected from every Avengers appearance outside of there. Look how easily he just skipped over Empyre, even though the Avengers are having a central role in it. We need someone to get the Avengers line back in order. Put him on the flagship Avengers title, and let him oversee any spin-offs like Young/New/Uncanny/Secret Avengers, and I'm sure we could get some good material out of it.

This is probably a weird point to extrude from what you said, but this made me think of who might actually end up on the title. If Marvel is really playing the numbers game, it seems like they'd go for someone whose name they know can sustain sales as much as the YA title can on its own. As much as I'd want Anthony on it, without a more well known co-writer like Chip there, they might not want to risk relaunching without a recognizable name.

The next best scenario, for me, would be Allan coming back, but chances are probably slim to none with his Hollywood work going on (though since he was thought of for the cameo, along with Jim, maybe there's still a chance).

Al and Chip would be my next two. Both are very talented and recognizable names. Al loves BillyTeddy, and I'd trust he'd make everyone cool and badass as hell in addition to some out of left field plot for them. Chip's mentioned he's pitched a YA idea before, so if it's anything like his other work, I'd absolutely be down. Only problem would be that they may not have the time to do so with their other marvel work and original work.

I think this whole thing of writers being chosen based on how profitable they can be is.... complex. Like, I could see them thinking like that for a new Young Avengers title, but there have been instances that proves that this isn't so black and white. I mean, think about Allan Heinberg himself: he made a name for himself in Hollywood over the years, but when he wrote the Young Avengers for the first time, he wasn't exactly known, specially in the comics industry. Putting him on a title with various brand new superheroes was a gamble, but it worked. The first Young Avengers volume did some solid numbers on the direct market at the time.

Now think about Al Ewing: he is basically Marvel royalty at this point, because everyone loves the man and his work. That hasn't really translated into success on ALL of his titles, though. The Ultimates was so acclaimed, but it never got a third volume because the sales just weren't impressive. In comparison, his Immortal Hulk run has been a smashing hit, in both critical acclaim AND sales. So if we put Ewing on a Young Avengers title, how do we know if it's gonna be like The Ultimates or The Immortal Hulk? I guess that would entirely depend on how much the title is valued in today's market. They have two previous volumes that could give Marvel confidence that they can sell again, but times are uncertain right now, and many books are getting the axe, so they're probably being more careful with what they publish. I like to think the Young Avengers would be more lucky than the Champions were due to the Avengers brand, but at the end of the day... we just don't know. I hope Marvel at least tries. They relaunched so many teen/young books in recent times; the YA deserves a shot too.

And I didn't know Chip had pitched for a YA book. I recall him saying that he was a fan during a podcast with Anthony, so I guess that makes sense. Jeremy Whitley said he pitched for the team too (although I dislike the pitch he described, sorry LOL). Makes you wonder how many writers have pitched a new YA book and Marvel is just being dumb and sitting on the title like that. RELAUNCH THEM ALREADY!

[Wiccan]

Now think about Al Ewing: he is basically Marvel royalty at this point, because everyone loves the man and his work. That hasn't really translated into success on ALL of his titles, though. The Ultimates was so acclaimed, but it never got a third volume because the sales just weren't impressive. In comparison, his Immortal Hulk run has been a smashing hit, in both critical acclaim AND sales. So if we put Ewing on a Young Avengers title, how do we know if it's gonna be like The Ultimates or The Immortal Hulk? I guess that would entirely depend on how much the title is valued in today's market. They have two previous volumes that could give Marvel confidence that they can sell again, but times are uncertain right now, and many books are getting the axe, so they're probably being more careful with what they publish. I like to think the Young Avengers would be more lucky than the Champions were due to the Avengers brand, but at the end of the day... we just don't know. I hope Marvel at least tries. They relaunched so many teen/young books in recent times; the YA deserves a shot too.

And I didn't know Chip had pitched for a YA book. I recall him saying that he was a fan during a podcast with Anthony, so I guess that makes sense. Jeremy Whitley said he pitched for the team too (although I dislike the pitch he described, sorry LOL). Makes you wonder how many writers have pitched a new YA book and Marvel is just being dumb and sitting on the title like that. RELAUNCH THEM ALREADY!

Oh what was Whitley's pitch?

[Drops Of Venus]

Oh what was Whitley's pitch?

He said once on Twitter that it was basically the original Young Avengers going missing for whatever reason and then Cassie + a bunch of other young heroes would team up to rescue them. It honestly felt like an excuse to do another G.I.R.L. kind of team but using the Young Avengers name... and I'm not here for it. Now, to be completely fair, I don't know what his full plans were. Maybe the original team would still have a big role in future arcs, but I just feel like that's not a good way to start a new YA book.