The Mighty Avengers #1

[Mojambo]

Did anyone else pick up this book?

Another Avengers book by Bendis! This one following the registered heroes, while the New Avengers continue to consist of anti-registration guys going underground.

Anyway, the new team is led by Ms Marvel and consists of Iron Man (that douche), Sentry, The Wasp, Black Widow, Wonderman, and Ares.

A weird quirk of the new book is that Bendis is re-introducing the long dead (and mostly for good reason) thought bubble as a story-telling technique. It wasn't overdone at all in the first issue. Should be interesting to see how that goes.

[Orrex]

1. Long dead thought bubble?

How widespread has this trend been? I'm delighted to hear it, but since I don't read any comics regularly anymore, I was unaware of it.

Have they really disappeared, or did they simply transform to those rectangular narrative boxes in every frame? If the latter, then those are just as egregious as the little mind-clouds, and there's more of a temptation to suffer verbal diarrhea IMO.

[Mojambo]

2. The rectangular narrative boxes have replaced them

But I would disagree that they have been just as egregious.

At least based on my reading over the last couple of years there is very little similarity between the boxes and the old thought bubbles of the 70's and 80's.

I always found the boxes sharper and more to the point than the meandering thought bubbles, where the character would essentially think what they needed to do and then do it. I don't really have a problem knowing what's knocking around in a character's head, I just don't want them to "think" the action.

I think Bendis is returning the thought bubbles with much the same approach.

[Orrex]

3. Yeah, my complaint was poorly expressed

I should have said "can be just as egregious." But I suppose that they don't lend themselves to abuse as readily as thought bubbles.

It seems that thought bubbles and narrative boxes are clearly analogous to voiceover narration in film; used sparingly and as a complement to the action, they can be effective. But when overdone and used (as you wrote) "to 'think' the action," then they do nothing but clutter the pace. Narration is a poor substitute for weak plotting, in film or in comics.

But if Bendis is carrying it off, then props to him!

[Mojambo]

4. Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say he's "carrying it off" just yet.

Interestingly, he's using it more to supplement the dialogue than for narrative effect.

It's mostly just little comments attached to what the character's saying. Often showing that the character is thinking differently than they are letting on. I suspect it will work out well with the newer more conflicted loyalties that have arisen in the post Civil War Marvel U.

As long as the writers don't get carried away, I think the bubbles could make a bit of a comeback. If anyone can bring them back into style, it's BMB.

[semillama]

5. I've enjoyed both books, but can't afford to add them to my pull list

Guess I'll have to read them at the bookstore or wait for the TPBs. Bendis is a great writer, and I really like these teams.