Panels of Awesome!

Imagine a time when superheroes were just becoming a popular thing. People started picking up comics every month and reading about their favorite characters. Everything was fine and dandy but something was missing. Eventually, someone came up with a really good idea:

Batman comics are great. Superman comics are great. What would happen if we tossed them both into one comic?

Well, you have the ingredients to make some of the greatest stories ever written. It really only makes sense to break down the biggest and best that comics has to offer in terms of superhero teams. To the list!

#10 - Young Avengers
While the team may not have a permanent comic to call their own…yet, the couple series’ that they’ve been a part of are regarded by many fans as some of the most well written and drawn. Coupled with the drama of Civil War and their own mini-series currently being written by Ed Brubaker, I think it’s safe to say that the Young Avengers are here to stay.

Notable Members (Past / Present):
- Hulkling
- Iron Lad
- Patriot
- Wiccan
- Hawkeye (Kate Bishop)

#9 - The Outsiders
As you can tell from the name of the team, the outsiders are made up primarily of characters who don’t really belong in any other place or team in the DC world. Originally formed by Batman as a Black Ops unit of the Justice League, the Outsiders have gone through a number of different transformations but, as of 2007, continue to be featured in comics.

Notable Members (Past / Present):
- Green Arrow
- Metamorpho
- Ralph Dibny
- Geo-Force
- Batgirl

#8 - The Teen Titans
Comprised of DC’s young guns, the Teen Titans are the heroes of tomorrow. Similar to the Young Avengers of Marvel, the titans are comprised of a number of sidekicks and family member of main DC heroes such as Batman and Superman. Don’t let their status fool you though as these kids have just as much power and ability as the greatest heroes in the DCU.

Notable Members (Past / Present):
- Robin
- Superboy
- Nightwing
- Wonder Girl
- Kid Flash

#7 - Thunderbolts
Alright, so the Thunderbolts might not be the best example of a functioning team…or even a team that gets along with one another but they’re just as effective as the other groups in the Marvel universe. You’d be amazed what super villains can do when you toss some restraining collars on them.

Notable Members (Past / Present):
- Helmut Zemo
- Moonstone
- Swordsman
- Radioactive Man
- Venom (Mac Gargan)

#6 - Green Lantern Corps
It’s really difficult to consider the Corps as a team. Usually superhero groups consist of a couple people, usually no more than 10, and are limited to regions of Earth. The Corps currently has 3600 members and is charged with guarding the galaxy. That’s a pretty daunting task if you ask me. Although, it would really be a crime to keep the Green Lanterns out of this countdown now wouldn’t it?

Notable Members (Past / Present):
- Hal Jordan
- John Stewart
- Kyle Rayner
- Guy Gardner
- Rond Vidar

#5 - Fantastic 4
Marvel’s greatest family also happens to be one of it’s greatest superhero groups. You might not be a fan of the Fantastic 4 but without them, we might not have a number of other teams coming out of the house of ideas. The Fantastic 4 was Stan Lee’s answer to the JLA in DC and I’d say it payed off pretty nicely.

Notable Members (Past / Present):
- Mr. Fantastic
- Invisible Woman
- Human Torch
- The Thing

#4 - Justice Society of America
It would have been a fairly difficult task to talk about the best superhero teams without mentioning the team that started it all. Created in 1940, the JSA was the model for all other superhero teams to follow. Needless to say, they set a pretty solid example and thanks to writers like Geoff Johns, the JSA is still alive and well today.

Notable Members (Past / Present):
- Green Lantern
- The Flash
- Power Girl
- Hawkman
- Doctor Fate

#3 - X-Men
Xavier’s team has always been at the top of anyone’s list. They work great as a team and the great mix of characters and powers that make up the team, create an entertaining and exciting world to read about. While they’re currently on somewhat of a hiatus, it’s only a matter of time before the X-Men return to the Marvel U.

Notable Members (Past / Present):
- Cyclops
- Emma Frost
- Wolverine
- Jean Grey-Summers (Phoenix)
- Beast

#2 - The Avengers
The Avengers, original, New or Mighty, have always been the biggest team in the Marvel world. While I don’t think their name has as much of a cultural impact on comics as the JLA, The Avengers have always been and probably will always be the best that Marvel has to offer in terms of characters.

Notable Members (Past / Present):
- Captain America
- Iron Man
- Hawkeye
- The Vision
- Scarlet Witch

#1 - Justice League of America
To me, there’s no greater team than the JLA. They’ve always, for the most part, been made up of the greatest heroes that DC had to offer and therefore made them one of the most impressive teams ever assembled. When you think of superhero group, the first thing that should come to mind is the JLA.

Notable Members (Past / Present):
- Batman
- Superman
- Wonder Woman
- Green Lantern
- The Flash

With most of the other countdowns here on POA, we usually have a nice list of people or various other objects that didn’t quite make the cut. In this case, there’s really very few other groups out there that could have been considered. So, it’s up to you. Can you think of any super hero groups that should be on this list? Leave me a comment and let me know who they are and why they should be here!

I hope you enjoyed this countdown and, as always, if you have an idea for a future countdown, let us know!

“Don’t the Avengers need help saving the world? Or maybe one of the half-dozen groups you run with?”

With a quote like that, it looks like Jason Aaron’s been paying attention to Wolverine’s place in the Marvel Universe. All jokes aside though, this isn’t about how many books Wolverine is in. This time, I’m reviewing the one book that still sits on the fence as it relates to my pull list. With a strong first outting in Wolverine #62, could Aaron and Garney keep the trend going long enough to see to it that this title becomes a regular pick-up of mine? Let’s find out.

Once again, Jason Aaron’s writing is top notch. Between the main story of Wolverine tracking Mystique and the constant flashbacks showing the evolution of their complicated relationship together, this comic is a great followup to the previous issue. Like I said in my review of Wolverine #62, Aaron’s seamless transitions from the past, in Wolverine’s flashbacks throughout the issue, and the present are really something to admire. Many writers seem, in my opinion, to have trouble sometimes shifting not only the reader but the whole story as well into a different time frame and then return to the main story sometime later. With Aaron’s writing, it’s all done so well that you can’t help but wonder how long it will last before you’re thrown back in Wolverine’s time line and don’t realize what’s going on. In the meantime though, it’s a well written story that’s entertaining and exciting while not stressing out your brain too much trying to figure out what’s going on.

Next to the overall writing of the title so far, Ron Garney’s artwork has been one of my favorite parts about this arc and this issue is no exception. Continuing the trend from the previous issue, Garney paints a wonderful canvas of artwork for Aaron’s great storytelling to come alive. It’s easy to see that he and Aaron work well together and tell one of the better stories that the title has seen recently.

Wolverine #63 is a great issue. If you read Messiah Complex or Wolverine #62 you’ll definitely enjoy this comic. If you’re like me and didn’t read anything Messiah Complex related at all, you’ll probably still like this one. You’ll have to have read Wolverine #62 to really understand what’s happening here but both issues, in my opinion, are worth the $3 cover price. This arc is half over and looks like it only gets better from here.

Wolverine #63

8.4/10 (How’d you get that?)

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It might seem like I’ve been piling on a hefty dose of Wolverine over the past week, which I have, but I just can’t help it. Wolverine #63 hit the shelves yesterday and I’ve been itching to get my hands on it. If you’ve been following this site for a while, you know that I recently dipped my foot into the waters of the X-Men, more specifically Wolverine’s solo series currently being written by Jason Aaron and penciled by, one of my favorites, Ron Garney. The anticipation is killing me here.

When we last saw Wolverine, he was wandering the barren deserts of Afghanistan in search of Mystique. This mission, given to him by Cyclops at the end of Messiah Complex, was proving to be much harder than originally thought. Wolverine kills an innocent civilian he’s convinced is Mystique and then wanders into a church that is then blown up by Mystique from the outside. At the issue’s conclusion, Wolverine comes face to face with her only to be confronted by some of the locals regarding his killing of the villager earlier in the issue. When we join Wolverine in the opening pages of issue #63, he’s been ripped to shreds by the hail of gunfire he received last issue and is thrown into a pit, left to die.

Apparently, the locals have no idea who Wolverine is or what he’s capable of.

If you’re like me and have to wait an extra day to get your comics, why not check out the preview that Marvel has on their site including several demo pages of the comic that will be hitting store shelves later this afternoon. As I said in my previous Wolverine related rant, if this 4-part series pans out the way it looks like it will, Wolverine will be a surefire addition to my pull list.