It was a jumbo-sized week of intriguing things, so let’s get into a few of my favorites in another edition of Comics Disassembled, as I wrote about the things I liked or didn’t like — sometimes in the very same point! — from the week of comics, led by some characters assembling for one reason or another.

The Avengers! The Avengers? The Avengers.

As has often been the case with Marvel of late, even their wins feel muted because of process-based decisions. Case in point. Marvel announced Avengers #1 last Friday, and there’s a whole lot to celebrate about it. It’s Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto teaming up for a series starring a wild, New Avengers-like team of Spider-Man, Wolverine, Luke Cage, Daredevil, and Captain Marvel, as well as an “all-new hero” who will be introduced later on. There’s a reason for that squad being unusual, as the press release states that “the world order” will be “completely rewritten after the events of Avengers: Armageddon,” one that finds this “new group of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” teaming up “to avenge the Marvel Universe.”

That’s all very cool! The creative team is excellent, the Avengers team is fun, and it sounds genuinely built from the story that precedes it. It probably won’t surprise you to learn that I know a bit more about this than is currently advertised and have for a bit, but there are excellent plans for this book and I’m very excited to read it. That’s the first time I can say that about an Avengers titles for a while, which is a real win for Marvel. I will be reading when it debuts in November.

*record scratch*

“Did you say November?!” you might be asking.

That’s right, and that is the reason my read on this announcement is so muted. Marvel announced the team that will spin out of Avengers: Armageddon before that event event debuted, it announced this new title three months before it can actually be ordered by shops (orders open in September), and its press release heavily alludes to what will happen in this grand story Zdarsky and artists Delio Diaz and Frank Alpizar are telling. Basically, it gave us the entire endpoint of Armageddon before a single issue was available to read. Now, the journey is what matters in comic stories, and I still picked up Avengers: Armageddon #1 because I’m going to enjoy the ride. But this announcement feels unnecessarily early, and in a way that won’t benefit the Avengers title, the excitement around it, or even Armageddon itself.

I heard from some folks who were like, “This will help sell that event.” Sure, it may raise enthusiasm in it to some degree, and convince some readers to buy it who might not have otherwise. But orders from shops closed in April, so even if demand does rise, supply stayed the same, meaning there’s a hard ceiling on whatever it will do. It’s just a weird decision, and a frankly bizarre way to promote an event and what should be a crown jewel debut for the remainder of the year. So, I’ll leave you with this. Avengers, the upcoming title from Chip and Marco, is a win. The process? The promotion? And the timing of this announcement? A bewildering choice that I cannot help but label as an unforced error.

Energon Universe, Saying Good (Space) Knight

I just want to start this off by apologizing. I spent more time than I care to admit trying to come up with a headline for this point that was a play on words involving ROM or something related to ROM. I don’t know why, but it felt necessary. And all I came up with…was this. Which is fine. But it’s disappointing, and I’m sorry. I owed you and myself more than this.

But that belabors the real point which is that the lovable scamp that is Robert Kirkman is up to his classic shenanigans once again. He and his team at Skybound went into the lab and thought, “How can we make the debut of M.A.S.K. #1 and its blind bag a little more fun?” and then came up with a wild idea: “What if we randomly inserted a one-shot of an entirely different Energon Universe comic in there???” More specifically, amidst the varying covers — and there were many — you could also get the second issue of M.A.S.K. (which is a trick they pulled with the Invincible Universe: Battle Beast #1 blind bag as well), a comic called M.A.S.K. Origins #1 (which included all the M.A.S.K. & V.E.N.O.M. appearances to date in the Energon Universe), and a standalone issue in ROM #1 from Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici.

Yes, that ROM. As in the Space Knight, one who some feel great nostalgia for after a long run over at Marvel in the 1980s (and others that are less remembered). That guy will now be a part of the Energon Universe going forward, with Kirkman and De Felici developing this new take together, with the writer saying, “I can’t wait for fans to see our long-range plans for the character!” We’ll see what that entails, but this was one of those surprises that managed to a) be known by retailers in advance so they could order properly and b) not leak to comic readers too far in advance. Which is perfect. As per usual, Skybound has managed to walk that line quite nicely, even alluding to something like this (specifically, how one of the surprise comics in the blind bag would be a very in-demand first appearance) at ComicsPRO earlier this year.

Now, I think it’s safe to assume that ROM’s entry into the Energon Universe is lower on the leak scale than, say, Void Rivals #1 stealthily launching the Energon Universe with Transformers and G.I. Joe or the surprise ending of The Walking Dead with its 193rd issue (especially considering they created solicitations for issues that would follow but never did). But still, kudos to all involved. I’ll be interested to see where this goes, as ROM and his assorted space knights lack the spice of a G.I. Joe or Transformers. They will definitely add to the appeal and intrigue of the Energon Universe, although I’ll be curious to see how robust the plans really are for the character. Regardless, I love this brand of tomfoolery Kirkman and Skybound always get up to, as it adds a little je ne sais quoi to these types of launches, giving them a NOS like boost when there’s already robust interest.

And, again, they handled it the right way. I saw some hemming and hawing online about how disappointing it’d be to get that comic or M.A.S.K. #2 or M.A.S.K. Origins #1 when all you wanted was the first issue. But if you just wanted the first issue, you didn’t have to buy a blind bag. There were plenty of regular covers. This just adds to the chase and fun for the people who enjoy blind bags, which is definitely not me, but it’s clear there’s someone out there who loves them. A lot of someones!