| A-Next | |
|---|---|
 The A-Next Team | |
| Group publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics'MC2 |
| First appearance | What If? #105 |
| Created by | Tom DeFalco Ron Frenz |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) | Avengers Mansion |
| Agent(s) | Current roster American Dream Bluestreak J2 Kate Power Sabreclaw Thena Thunderstrike Warp Reserve members Argo the Almighty Blacklight Coal Tiger Earth Sentry Spider-Girl Former members Ant-Man Captain America Crimson Curse Freebooter Hawkeye Mainframe Scarlet Witch Stinger Vision |
| Roster | |
| See:List of A-Next members | |
| A-Next | |
| Series publication information | |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Limited series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | (A-Next) Oct.1998 – Sept.1999 (Avengers Next) Jan. – March2007 |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Tom DeFalco Ron Frenz (A-Next) Ron Lim (Avengers Next) |
| Penciller(s) | Ron Frenz (A-Next) Ron Lim (Avengers Next) |
| Inker(s) | Brett Breeding,Al Milgrom (A-Next) Scott Koblish (Avengers Next) |
| Letterer(s) | Jim Novak (A-Next) Dave Sharpe (Avengers Next) |
| Colourist(s) | Bob Sharen (A-Next) Rob Ro,Avalon Studio (Avengers Next) |
| Creator(s) | Tom DeFalco Ron Frenz |
| Editor(s) | Bob Harras (A-Next) Molly Lazar (Avengers Next) |
A-Next is a team of superheroes appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. It is theMarvel Comics 2 universe version of theAvengers. The team made its first appearance inWhat If? #105, the first comic featuringSpider-Girl, and the team's origin story was told inA-Next #1 (Oct. 1998).[1]
The first issue ofA-Next paid homage toThe Avengers #1, with anAsgardian menace prompting new superheroes to band together, all of them analogues to the original team. Future stories introduced new heroes and villains, most of them based on pre-existing Marvel characters. Characters and story elements created by DeFalco in the comic were used in other comics in theMC2 Universe.
A five issue miniseries entitledAvengers Next ran from November 2006 to January 2007, written byTom DeFalco and with artwork byRon Lim, that followed on from the events ofLast Hero Standing andLast Planet Standing. It reunited the remaining members ofA-Next and added new members to the team, namelySabreclaw,Kate Power (ofPower Pack),Thena, the daughter ofThor, and a former criminal teleporter called Warp.
The new team comes together when Avengers Museum (formerly Avengers Mansion) is attacked byAsgardiantrolls commanded byLoki, prompting the museum's caretaker and former butlerEdwin Jarvis to send out a distress signal.
The summons is responded to by several heroes includingThunderstrike (Kevin Masterson, son of the original Thunderstrike, who was visiting the mansion at the time of the attack);Stinger (Scott Lang's daughter Cassie Lang, now anentomologist, who was testingAnt-Man's old uniform);Mainframe (a mysterious armored individual);J2 (Zane Yama, high school student and teenage son of theJuggernaut) and the adultSpeedball,Jubilee andJolt.
The heroes are transported to Asgard by Loki, who wants to retrieve the Thunderstrike mace's powers for himself, but Kevin disrupts the spell, absorbing the mace into himself and transforming into a new Thunderstrike in the process. Loki and the trolls are then defeated by the heroes, with assistance from Thor, now the King of Asgard. Thunderstrike, Stinger, J2, and Mainframe decide to stay together as the new Avengers. The adult heroes decline to stay with the reformed team.[2]
A downedKree spaceship leads to the transformation ofBill Foster's son John intoEarth Sentry, an analog ofCaptain Marvel.[3] Doc Magus, the new Sorcerer Supreme, then recruits the Avengers into fighting the reformedDefenders.[4]
Four new members are then inducted into the Avengers by Mainframe and Jarvis. The new members:American Dream, (a female analogue ofCaptain America); Freebooter (who modeled himself onHawkeye and theSwordsman); Crimson Curse (an analogue to theScarlet Witch) and Bluestreak (an analogue toQuicksilver); known collectively as theDream Team, saveN'kano, theWakandan ambassador, from the racist Soldiers of the Serpent (an amalgam of theSons of the Serpent and elements from the Egyptian godSet), with the assistance of theCoal Tiger, the son of theBlack Panther.[5]
Afterwards, the team investigates the apparent return of Doctor Doom, who is revealed to beKristoff Vernard in disguise.[6] The team is then attacked byArgo, who claims to beHercules' son,[7] followed by an encounter with the villainous Ion Man, prompting Mainframe to reveal he is a sentient computer program based onTony Stark's personality.[8]
The new Avengers discover the Scarlet Witch in suspended animation in the mansion's subterranean levels, powering a gate to analternate Earth.[9] After defeating the Soldiers of the Serpent again, with the help of Blacklight (the daughter ofMonica Rambeau), the Avengers travel to the alternate dimension, which had been conquered byRed Skull after World War II, and was now ruled by the Skull's adopted son, Dr. Doom, who had murdered the Skull.[10] During the battle, they discover Captain America is alive and leading the resistance, and the Avengers help them defeat the Nazi forces, including the Thunder Guard, an alternate version of the Avengers.[11]
Thunderstrike elects to stay on the alternate Earth, and the remaining Avengers return to Earth, receiving a reprimand from Tony Stark and Clint Barton.[12] Immediately afterwards, they're attacked by a team of villains known as theRevengers, led by Red Queen and Big Man, the children of Hank and Janet Pym, out for revenge. The Avengers, alongside their reserve members Earth Sentry, Coal Tiger, Argo and Blacklight, defeat the Revengers.[13]
The team was occasionally seen aidingSpider-Girl, and also appeared duringLast Hero Standing andLast Planet Standing. The team also made a cameo withinFantastic Five vol. 2 #4, in which they were fighting one of the cosmic-poweredDoombots.
The onlyminor in the team, J2 isZane Yama, a 15-year-old high school student and the son of the originalJuggernaut (Cain Marko) and district attorney Sachi Yama. Picked on by bullies at school, he manifested the ability to grow to a huge size, in which he gains super strength and invulnerability. His uniform, which includes his father's favoriteflannel shirt tied around his waist over his armor, manifests itself automatically upon metamorphosis. He can only stay this way for about an hour.
Mainframe is a self-aware computer program, created byTony Stark, which inhabits a series of identical armors. When an armor is damaged or destroyed, he simply transfers his consciousness to another body. His robot body utilizes Stark technology similar to the one found in the Iron Man armor. His personality is based on his creator's, possibly created by the same process as theVision's.
Dr.Cassandra Lang is the daughter of the secondAnt-Man, Scott Lang. Although she is the oldest member, in her mid-20s, and the only one on the team with a professional life and a scientific background, she is still doted on by her father, who constantly worries about her new-found superhero life. She possesses many abilities originally engineered by Henry Pym, including resizing, flying, communication with insects and artificial "stingers", all based on her costume and helmet.
18-year-oldKevin Masterson is the son of the originalThunderstrike. He absorbed his father's mace into his body, and has gained the ability to produce "thunderclaps"; bursts of concussive force from his hands. He can use them to simulate super strength or to propel him in huge Hulk-like leaps. Although he doesn't possess real super strength, he has limited invulnerability. In his civilian identity, he is a college student.
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TheDream Team is a fictional group of heroes in theMarvel ComicsMC2 universe. They first appeared inA-Next #4, and are based upon the "kooky quartet" of replacement Avengers introduced inAvengers #16. In their first appearance,Mainframe accepts them as members of the Avengers without consulting the existing members, which initially creates conflict between the original A-Next team and the Dream Team.
The team roster comprises:
Shannon Carter is the niece ofSharon Carter. Her uniform design is based onCaptain America's and includes a set of stun discs (similar toNomad's) that can be thrown at opponents. She does not possess any powers, but is anOlympic-level athlete, a skilled fighter and a strategist. American Dream was later rewarded the shield of an alternate-reality Captain America after saving that world from destruction.[12]
Blue Kelso is impatient and straightforward.[14] Her main power is superspeed. She was once affiliated with theX-People (successor to theX-Men), until she joined the Avengers when she realized she would not get much publicity.
Aerika Harkness is related to the witchAgatha Harkness, former teacher to theScarlet Witch. She possesses control over magical energies, although the exact nature of those energies is not known. They appear similar to the way the Scarlet Witch's powers wereoriginally portrayed, and she can control it with relative ease. She died stopping an alternate Doctor Doom from attempting to use theCosmic Cube to invade the Avengers' Earth.[11]
Brandon Cross was trained byHawkeye andSwordsman and has shown proficiency with a variety of weapons as well as athletic skills. His costume design draws from both Hawkeye and the Swordsman. Freebooter was romantically linked to Crimson Curse.
Kate Power, originally known as Energizer, is the youngest member ofPower Pack, a team of pre-teen superheroes formed by her and her three siblings after gaining their powers from a Kymellian named Aelfyre Whitemane. Her abilities involve disintegrating matter, absorbing its energy and unleashing it as powerballs. Kate joined the Avengers after Franklin Richards recommended Kate to them in their search for Thunderstrike.[15]
Hudson Logan is the son ofWolverine and half-brother toWild Thing. He possesses claws and a healing factor similar to Wolverine's. He was once a member of theRevengers, but joined the Avengers when he claimed to have reformed.[2]
Thena is the daughter ofThor. She was sent to Earth by Thor to search for Kevin Masterson and restore his powers. Initially, she showed great dislike for J2, especially so, after she realized her abilities had no effect on him, and broke her hammer on his helmet. After J2 saved her from Sylene's cauldron, she was more amicable with him, even giving him a kiss.
Warp is a thief with the power toteleport. He originally worked for Sylene (the daughter ofLoki) andUlik. When he learned that they planned to turn Earth into a new version of Asgard, he defected to the Avengers.
Argo is the son of former AvengerHercules. Argo is trying to find his missing father and, needing help, turns to A-Next. Using theirS.H.I.E.L.D. contacts, the team is able to locate Hercules, who is suffering from mental trauma from witnessing an event which nearly destroyed the Avengers. Argo attacks his father, enraged that his father "abandoned" his mother and his son, but Thunderstrike intervenes. When Argo sees the emotional state his father is in, the two reconcile. Argo states that he was going to help his father recover, and try to bring his family back together. Later, when A-Next is attacked by theRevengers, Argo fights for his friends (along with other allies of A-Next) and when they won the battle, Argo accepts membership in A-Next.
Kandra Freeman is the daughter ofPhoton and Derek Freeman. Blacklight has the ability to manipulate solid light constructs, and use it to fire blasts of destructive energy. She can also focus her energies into solid form and create energy-constructs out of dark force in virtually any form she can envision (ramps, stop signs, giant shovels, etc.). She can also use her energy powers to fly at high speed.
Coal Tiger is the son ofBlack Panther - named after hisgrandfather - and the prince of Wakanda. He is able to transform into a humanoid cat-like being. In this feline form, he has superhuman strength and agility, enhanced senses and retractable razor-sharp claws on his fingers and toes.[16][17]
The character has received accolades from critics.
John Foster is the son ofBill Foster. When John and his fatherBill were investigating aUFO crash site, they discovered aKree space probe. When they neared the ship, the automated defenses activated, and a robotic sentry was released. Bill activated a distress signal which was picked up byMainframe and the rest of A-Next.
Spider-Girl is the daughter ofSpider-Man andMary Jane Watson.
Mainframe appears inHulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., voiced byJeffrey Combs.[19] This version is a gaming A.I. created byIron Man that gained sentience. In the episode "Wheels of Fury", he threatened to destroy a city if Iron Man lost his real-life game, which Mainframe merely saw as continuing Iron Man's challenge as ordered. In response, the agents of S.M.A.S.H. went up against Mainframe's robots in aroller derby. After the agents of S.M.A.S.H. and Iron Man defeat Mainframe's robots, Mainframe is persuaded not to attack the city. Desiring to learn more about the real world, Mainframe creates a new body and leaves to see the world. In the episode "Planet Monster" Pt. 2, Mainframe is among several heroes who help the agents of S.M.A.S.H. and theAvengers fight theSupreme Intelligence's forces.
| Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spider-Girl Presents Avengers Next Volume 1: Second Coming | A-Next #1-6 | August 2006 | 978-0785121312 |
| Avengers Next: Rebirth | Avengers Next #1-5 | June 2007 | 978-0785125181 |
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