By Ben Morse
Every week, a secret cabal of Marvel staffers gathers to discuss the best of the best when it comes to the House of Ideas. This week on the agenda: the top ten team of 2007, what made them rock, key turning points, and awesome comics you can check out on Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited for more breathtaking brutality.
10. THE ORDER
Where They Appeared: THE ORDER
Roster: Anthem (team leader), Aralune,
Calamity, Heavy, Hera,
Mulholland Black,
Supernaut,
Veda
Why They Make The List: What do you get when you throw Hollywood's elite and wannabes alike into a team responsible for safeguarding California and throw super powers into the mix? Scandal, romance, revenge and all the other stuff tabloids love.
No team in the Marvel Universe but the Order keeps their publicist busy hiding sex tapes and alcohol addictions while they're defending the bay area from zombies and
Russian super soldiers. Since each member of the Order will only have their powers for a year, they're cramming as much living into 12 months as they can.
Finest Moment: Zobos—that's "zombie hobos" for the uninitiated—would cause even a veteran
Avengers team no small amount of consternation, but the Order managed to save California with only minimal beachfront destruction.
For More Teamwork, Check Out… TALES OF SUSPENSE #91, future Order member Pepper Potts, aka Hera, marries Happy Hogan to form a team of their own.
9. ROGUE'S X-MEN
Where They Appeared: X-MEN, "
X-Men: Messiah CompleX"
Roster: Rogue (team leader),
Iceman,
Cannonball, Cable, Mystique,
Lady Mastermind,
Omega Sentinel,
Sabretooth
Why They Make The List: There's really no reason an X-Men team where the historically unstable Rogue serves as leader, Iceman and Cannonball represent the "veterans," and unrepentant killers like
Mystique and Sabretooth round out the roster should work—and it didn't, but provided for some memorable moments. This unlikeliest of X-Lineups caused property damage aplenty against Pandemic and the Hecatomb before imploding spectacularly when the
Marauders swiped
half the team to their side.
Finest Moment: The Hecatomb dwarfed the power of even a mummudrai, a psychic entity that had previously decimated both the X-Men and
Imperial Guard, but Rogue and company threw everything they had against the extraterrestrial menace on
Cable's island stronghold of Providence. Ultimately two supreme sacrifices made the difference, with Cable allowing the mummudrai to possess him and throw his powers into turmoil while Rogue absorbed eight billion psyches at the cost of her sanity.
For More Teamwork, Check Out… X-MEN v2 #188, Rogue's squad assembles for their first mission, going up against the mysterious Children of the Vault.
8. X-FACTOR
Where They Appeared: X-FACTOR, "X-Men: Messiah CompleX"
Roster: Jamie
Madrox (team leader),
Strong Guy, Wolfsbane, Monet, Siryn, Rictor,
Layla Miller
Why They Make The List: Marvel's most multi-faceted mutant detective and his oft-dysfunctional support team found themselves on the front lines this year, defending Mutant Town from varied threats like X-Cell and the Isolationist. However, beyond the punching and sleuthing, it's the personal entanglements of these inimitable investigators that keep things interesting, from Layla's continued quirkiness to Jamie sleeping
Siryn and Monet at the same time…
with two different bodies!
Finest Moment: The X-Cell, a group of de-powered mutants making up for their lack of abilities with technological stand-ins, had the element of surprise and the aid of the deranged
Quicksilver on their side when launching a campaign against
X-Factor, but thanks to the ingenuity of Layla Miller coupled with unselfishness and bravery of Rictor, who gave up a chance at regaining his own powers to defeat the radicals, the good guys won out.
For More Teamwork, Check Out… X-FACTOR v2 #13, the
X-Factor Investigations team gets a visit from super shrink
Doc Samson in the sequel to writer Peter David's classic "X-Aminations."
7. THE MARAUDERS
Where They Appeared: X-MEN, "X-Men: Messiah CompleX"
Roster: Mr. Sinister (leader),
Arclight,
Blockbuster, Harpoon, Malice, Prism, Riptide,
Scalphunter, Scrambler, Vertigo, Gambit, Sunfire, Lady
Mastermind, Mystique
Why They Make The List: The vicious Marauders have always been among the X-Men's worst nightmares, but with the infusion of good guys gone bad like
Gambit,
Sunfire and Mystique,
Mr. Sinister's team of mutant heavies got even more terrifying this year. With inside intel on the Children of the Atom, more firepower than ever before and, worst of all, a plan beyond just causing random chaos, the Marauders emerged as key players in the "Messiah CompleX" saga.
Finest Moment: While Gambit and Sunfire blew up Cable and half of his Providence island HQ on one side of the world, Mystique and her team buried most of the X-Men under a house on the other—synergy!
For More Teamwork, Check Out… UNCANNY X-MEN #213, old school X-Men vs Marauders action.
6. THE INITIATIVE
Where They Appeared: AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE
Roster: War Machine (instructor),
Yellowjacket (instructor), Justice (counselor), Gauntlet (drill sergeant),
Henry Peter Gyrich (administrator), Armory, Cloud 9,
Hardball, Komodo, MVP, Trauma...and many more
Why They Make The List: Less a team and more of an army, the Initiative has quickly become the Marvel Universe's one stop shopping hub for any kind of adventure you're keen to hop aboard. Looking for all out action against classic foes? Yellowjacket and about 80 flying super heroes just thwarted a
Hydra incursion in Texas. Black Ops more your speed? The mysterious Scarlet Spiders and the rest of the Shadow Initiative has a recon mission into the heart of the
Hulk's warship
at 0600 hours. Jonesing for a good mystery? Well somebody just kicked the crap out of Gauntlet and it's gonna take a team effort to figure out who.
Finest Moment: Defying all conventional odds and any rules of logic, the fledgling Shadow Initiative and half a dozen new recruits actually held their own against the Hulk longer than
Iron Man and half the Avengers! Thanks to Trauma's fear-inducing powers and his teammates array of unique abilities, the kids actually had the Green
Goliath on the ropes for about two rounds longer than they had any business.
For More Teamwork, Check Out… CIVIL WAR #1, the road to the Initiative begins.
5. THE RUNAWAYS
Where They Appeared: RUNAWAYS
Roster: Sister Grimm (team leader), Karolina Dean,
Molly Hayes, Chase Stein,
Victor Mancha,
Xavin
Why They Make The List: 2006 saw the
Runaways endure their greatest tragedy to date when founding member and heart of the team
Gertrude Yorkes died, but 2007 saw the kids from L.A. rebound, regroup and emerge to take on new challenges. With the unexpected—and unrevealed—help of deceased teammate Alex Wilder, the kids prevent Chase from sacrificing himself to the
Gibborim and actually defeat the monsters that killed their parents. Not skipping a beat, soon after their big triumph, the Runaways hit New York City and embarked on perhaps their greatest adventure to date, tumbling backwards in time to the dawn of the 20th century!
Finest Moment: With the Gibborim about to consume Nico—Sister Grimm—as a sacrifice, Molly and Victor improvise their own version of the X-Men's "Fastball Special," with the pint-size powerhouse hurling her half-robot pal at the big nasties.
For More Teamwork, Check Out… RUNAWAYS v2 #22, the kids confront their greatest enemies.
4. THE NEW AVENGERS
Where They Appeared: NEW AVENGERS
Roster: Luke Cage (team leader), Ronin,
Spider-Man, Spider-Woman,
Wolverine,
Echo, Dr. Strange, Iron Fist
Why They Make The List: With no government funding, fancy tower HQ or heavy hitters from Avengers rosters past, Luke Cage's ragtag band of underground heroes fought on to keep the dreams of the fallen Captain America alive and take out some bad guys in the process.
Tested externally by the Hand and the Hood as well as internally by the growing Skrull conspiracy, this truly new breed of Avengers has hung tough and held their own.
Finest Moment: Outnumbered and outgunned by the Hood's super villain army, Cage has Dr. Strange create the illusion of unexpected backup consisting of every white hat from
Thor to Howard the Duck long enough to distract the baddies and let Iron Fist,
Ronin, Wolverine and friends get down and dirty.
For More Teamwork, Check Out… NEW AVENGERS #27, a new team of Avengers spins out of
Civil War and into conflict with the Hand.
3. THE NEW X-MEN
Where They Appeared: NEW X-MEN, "X-Men: Messiah CompleX"
Roster: Surge (team leader),
Elixir,
Prodigy, Dust,
Hellion, Mercury,
Rockslide, X-23, Anole, Gentle,
Pixie
Why They Make The List: The X-Men's next generation stepped up to the plate big time this year, hitting one home run after another even when the adults kept insisting they stay on the bench. After dispatching one of their mentors' deadliest foes by sending Nimrod back in time, the depleted
New X-Men squad pulled together despite the shared tragedy of seeing so many friends and teammates die to
save
Mercury from the Facility, prevent Belasco from taking control of Limbo, and enter the fray of "Messiah CompleX."
Finest Moment: They don't come much badder than the Facility, the warped geniuses who created
X-23, and their latest monstrous experiment, Predator X, would have even the most seasoned X-Man shaking in their boots. But under Surge's leadership, the New X-Men fearlessly raided the Facility and blew a Predator X prototype sky high in order to liberate Mercury.
For More Teamwork, Check Out… NEW X-MEN #20, Cyclops and
Emma Frost have the students battle it out to decide the New X-Men roster.
2. THE THUNDERBOLTS
Where They Appeared: THUNDERBOLTS
Roster: Norman Osborn (leader),
Moonstone (field leader), Songbird,
Radioactive Man,
Swordsman,
Bullseye, Penance, Venom
Why They Make The List: Being bad never looked so good—or so sinfully enjoyable. This team of government-sanctioned psychos and mass murderers may be a ticking time bomb, but waiting for them to go off provides more entertainment than an all-day "American Gladiators" marathon. Whether it's Norman's gradual slide back into his psychotic past, Moonstone and
Songbird's ongoing
behind-the-scenes catfight and power plays or Venom's growing cannibalistic tendencies, there's always something nasty going down in
Thunderbolts Mountain, and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Finest Moment: The T-Bolts had their share of dropped balls in the field over the past year, needing Bullseye to "save the day" against D-lister
Jack Flag and struggling against the likes of the Steel Spider, but hey—their new action figures keep flying off the shelves! Get your Terrorist Captain America today!
For More Teamwork, Check Out… THUNDERBOLTS #109, Civil War lays the final groundwork for a new team of T-Bolts.
1. THE ASTONISHING X-MEN
Where They Appeared: ASTONISHING X-MEN
Roster: Cyclops (team leader), Beast,
Colossus, Wolverine,
Kitty Pryde, Emma Frost,
Armor
Why They Make The List: Not even Unstable telepathic teammates, alien prophecies of doom and their most implacable foes aligning could derail Marvel's premiere team of unstoppable mutants in 2007. Under the mental domination of
Cassandra Nova, Emma Frost almost singlehandedly brought down her team and pushed Kitty Pryde over the edge, but the last second—and gutsy—intervention of Cyclops and a good ol' fashioned steel-spitting firearm saved the day just in time for the gang, including new rookie member
Armor, to rocket off to the Breakworld and face an army of hostile extra-dimensional enemies.
Finest Moment: Without a word exchanged between them, the Astonishing X-Men pulled off perhaps the most intricate and ingenious plan of the year, with Cyclops utilizing Emma's telepathy to have the team fake out the spying denizens of Breakworld with talk of a non-existent super weapon, allowing Scott Summers to leap to his own death, get resurrected behind enemy lines, and clear the way for the rest of his squad—astonishing!
For More Teamwork, Check Out… ASTONISHING X-MEN #5, Colossus returns from the dead.
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