Superhero Sunday: Dark Avengers, Etc.

I don't know much about the Dark Avengers. I do know I like the art connected with it.

Especially, this variation of cover art by Rain Beredo:

Here's a list of the characters appearing in the series:
Main character(s)	Iron Patriot (Norman Osborn) Ms. Marvel (Moonstone) Hawkeye (Bullseye) Wolverine (Daken) Spider-Man (Venom) Sentry (Void)

Each character is posing as a good guy but, in fact, is now a baddie (their secret villainous identity is in parenthesis). Sounds a bit confusing to me. 


This is a synopsis from Wikipedia of the convoluted plot. Can't keep track of the game without your tip sheet, eh?
The initial line-up consists of the Sentry, who is now fully under the Void's control, Ares, Noh-Varr (now Captain Marvel) as well as disguised supervillains Moonstone (portraying Ms. Marvel), Venom (Mac Gargan, portraying Spider-Man after being given a formula that resets the symbiote to the size it was when it possessed Spider-Man), Bullseye (portraying Hawkeye) and Wolverine's disgruntled son Daken taking on the Wolverine mantle. Osborn also takes on the identity of Iron Patriot in a red-white-and-blue-themed Iron-Man-like armor.^[6]

Art by Adi Granov:

Here is The Iron Patriot, now Norman Osborn AKA The Green Goblin (Spidey's arch-fiend enemy), wrapped up in the flag for all it's worth considering he is actually working against the good of the people. I imagine this character represents what Tea Partiers think about Obama, but fail to recognize in the politicians and pundits who are leading them by their angry noses. The citizens don't trust government, but want the benefits of Social Security and Medicare. Programs that would have never seen the light of day in the current divisive political climate. Okay, I'll get off my "leftist" soapbox now . . .

I don't know what is going on in this picture, nor do I really care, but I sure do love that shiny blue backside on the right bottom (no pun intended).

Art by Daniel Acuna:

This is Hawkeye with his "alter ego", Bullseye, behind him.

Even Spider-Man is rotten. Character and universe reinvention are consistent and constant stock and trade of comic book writers. Without them characters and the situations they function in would grow stale. Still, I think it's not such a bad thing that most of these reworkings never get to animation or digital reality. This series went bust after 16 issues. Maybe it was all too much for fans to wrap their sensibilities around.

Wolverine is replaced by his son, Daken. Son? I know nothin' 'bout no sons! Shows you how much I keep up with anything other than the way these guys look in brightly colored skin-tight costumes.

It would be very hard to live in the superverse when the Gods of Writing, Art, and Production reshape your entire life at a whim and a sniff of the aroma of improved sales.