So, this was what Frank Cho had to say about Mighty Avengers when the book was announced, last summer:
Marvel has given me healthy head start. I’m hoping that it’s enough that I won’t need a fill-in artist anytime soon. My goal is to stay on this book until my Marvel contract runs out in March 2008.
(And that was before all of the Civil War delays, which made his head start at least three months longer…)
But now, news leaks that Angel Medina has apparently been picked as Cho’s replacement on the book already, a couple of months before the book even launches:
No traveler’s magazine stuffed in the seat back needed here. Angel Medina had special reading material for the plane ride out west for the Phoenix Cactus Comicon.
It was the script for his first issue as artist of Marvel Comics’ Mighty Avengers. Medina told The Continuum on Sunday that he will be following the opening arc by Frank Cho on Mighty Avengers for the next storyline.
Plans change, I guess.
January 30th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
Maybe he and Medina are alternating arcs? Still, this is… expected. I wonder if with Medina, who’s not a bad artist by any means, but not a high selling one like everyone else who’s been on Bendis’ Avengers, readers will start noticing the abysmal quality of his scripts and start quitting the book.
On the other hand, perhaps Bendis has gotten that metaphorical second wind and his scripts for Mighty Avengers are good. We can always hope.
January 30th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
Angel Medina is a bad artist by every standard imaginable. Actually he’s worse–he’s very good at imitating the art of a very bad artist.
January 30th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
Maybe Marvel and DC are slowly starting to wise up when it comes to hiring renowned slowpokes. If you can’t bat out a monthly, you have no business working on one.
January 30th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Medina? Oh yuck.
January 30th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
What’s with the Medina hate? I love his work–his characters are overmuscled, yes, but it’s very lively and energetic. A welcome change from the board-stiff traces of porn models that’s so prevalent today.
As for Cho, I’m not surprised he’s out already…the guy talks a lot of trash, but like most overhyped artists, he chokes when it comes to producing.
January 30th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Cho explains on his board . . .
http://apesandbabes.com/frankchoforum/viewtopic.php?t=2034
January 30th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
Medina is only going to be doing a fill-in during issues 7-9.
Cho will be back in ish #10 and is on the book for the duration of his contract with Marvel.(it’s in the thread.
That bein’ said…..Angel Medina’s art is pretty cool,IMO and I look forward to seein’ him on the book for a few issues.
With the sweet line-up and artists like Cho and Medina ,this is definitely gonna be the Avengers book to beat.IMO.
January 30th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
From Cho’s board: “This is one of the best scripts I’ve ever read.”
Better than Evan Dorkin and Rick Veitch???
January 30th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Curious. Its being written to Medina’s strengths?
I’ve liked some of his work on Spectacular (save a panel here or there) but I’m not sure what his strengths are exactly? Maybe its a story with the Grim Reaper and he gets to draw zombies. He has some experience with that no?
January 30th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
I figure every book should have two artists who alternate every storyarc. This gives each artist months of lead time.
January 30th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
Cho had already even responded on a Newsarama.com thread about this before the blog was posted.
January 31st, 2007 at 1:17 pm
settle down people
Frank Cho: “Angel was kind enough to give me some breathing room for me to shoulder extra Mighty Avengers work. (Mighty Avengers Annual #1)”
and an Annual is double-sized so we are only missing a month of Cho