Self-Awareness Saturday--New Avengers #31

From this week's New (New) Avengers #31:

In the story, Daredevil is addressing this to Luke Cage.

But it's pretty damn hard not to read this as his questioning writer Bendis, right? Bendis moved heaven and Earth and the laws of rationality around to get DD onto the Avengers, and now Bendis is leaving the series??

Of course, foisting us with unlikely Avengers, and then proceeding to do absolutely nothing interesting with them--or anything AT ALL with them--has been one of Bendis' motifs on his Avengers titles.

Remember when Echo joined, and...? Really, she was a member--look it up!!

Or Storm? Oh, the grand adventures we had with Ororo as an Avenger, right? Right?!?

Noh-Varr, or Protector, or whatever he was called any given week? Vital member, well used...

Quake? Hello, remember Quake? Of course you don't...

Interesting but sad fact: Squirrel Girl received more time and attention than the above 5 combined.

So congratulations on your time as an Avenger, Daredevil...long will it be remembered as an obscure line in your Wikipedia entry...

Bold Fashion Choices--The New, New, New, New, NEW Captain Marvel!!

I've seen some bad costume designs in my day. But the new costume for Noh-Varr, the new Captain Marvel*, as debuted in Dork Avengers Annual #1, is extra-special bad, I think:

No, this isn't some Sin City-style black and white & red comic. This is seriously what Marvel has the new Captain Marvel wearing. Let's take another look:

Man, as bad as Mar-Vell's original costume was, at least that had some color in it (albeit an icky green). But this? Maybe Marvel's running low on colored ink?

I'm not sure who designed this costume...Bendis wrote the issue, Chris Bachalo penciled it, Tim Townsend "with Jaime Medoza and Al Vey" inked it, and Antonio Fabela & Bachalo colored it. But no one takes credit for the new, hideous costume. No big surprise there...

*Noh-Varr is never referred to as Captain Marvel in the actual story. But in the issue's text piece**, Bendis continually refers to him as Captain Marvel...so Noh-Varr becomes the 5th person to use that name in Marvel history, and the third within the past 5 years. Got to maintain that damned trademark, after all...

**By the way, thank you, Marvel. The "text piece" in the issue is a verbatim reprint of a 4-month old interview with Bendis on CBR that anyone could read for free on-line. Thanks, Marvel--that "added value" really justifies the $4.99 price point...