Comic book teams pose challenges which need to be overcome by writers for a successful run. There are issues which are unique to writing comic book teams which are rarely found in comics featuring one superhero or a superhero duo. To gain a better understanding, let’s relate the challenges for comic book teams to current titles on the market today.
Suicide Squad is on of my favorite current comic book teams only because of Harley Quinn.
Comic Book Teams with a Team Savior
While it is good to bring favored characters onto comic book teams, the team should not rely solely on one or two characters. If the “Team Savior” falters in popularity, the entire comic can be held back or (in a worst case scenario) become unimportant.
Take a look at Suicide Squad for this example. The title continues to hold onto a spot in the Top 100 via Diamond, but that spot is low on the list. As of the March 2013 numbers, the title was hanging on at the #94 mark. Fans were originally excited to hear about Deadshot making the team, but he could not hold the comic on his own. Currently, this is one of the comic book teams being held together by one character in Harley Quinn. If she loses popularity, or is taken off the title again, I see the Suicide Squad exiting the Top 100 for good.
Comic Book Teams and Problems Introducing New Characters
New characters are introduced to comic book teams all the time and creators often have a tough job developing the character fast enough without taking away from the main characters on the title. Take a look at Goldball in Uncanny X-Men. He has an interesting power in which he can shoot gold balls of various sizes out of his body. If he is not developed quickly, he will be forgotten. Of course, it is even more difficult to introduce new characters when a major storyline such as the X-Men schism is going on.
Too Many Storylines
Batman Inc. is currently on the chopping black and the title has faced major hurdles over the last few months. Batman Inc. suffered from what I call “Avengers Syndrome.” You have a team made up of characters who have the own titles and you have to try to carry over the storylines from various publications while allowing for a storyline in the comic book team title. The result is a comic which has to neglect certain storylines in the character’s lives while picking and choosing on others.
Comic Book Teams with a Revolving Door
The Fearless Defenders worries me since it shares the Defenders title with the team which became known for having a revolving door policy. Every arc, and often every issue, had new team members. Fans were not given enough time to become used to particular chemistries in the book and the team which began as one of the most powerful ever in comics (Doctor Strange, Namor, and Hulk) ended in a hacked failure. Will Fearless Defenders live up to or in spite of the Defenders curse?
Comic Book Teams as a Solo Career Killer
What is going on with Gambit right now? The sales on the title continue to slide. Note, this is not the character’s first solo title and that all of the others have (you can argue this) failed miserably. There are characters that have been developed as team players over the years and are not able to break off on their own. Of course, the opposite of this would be found in Hawkeye, but that can all depend on the writer and the creative storylines given to the character.
Comic book teams are fun to follow as long as they are written correctly. If creators can get over these hurdles, they can create a memorable team which will last and that people will talk about for many years.
