With Marvel rejiggering its Avengers lines after Siege, readers have been introduced to a number of same ol', same ol' new recruits. If we had our druthers, how would we arrange the Avengers roster?

DC's hyper-successful Blackest Night series will, we know now, be followed by a year-long series/event called Brightest Day. But is this really DC's answer to Marvel's "Heroic Age" era of optimism, or should we expect something more ambitious?

The Avengers titles have long been Marvel's cash cows, but with the advent of Siege, every one of them will fall under the editorial ax this April.

The first issue of Marvel Comics' big event, Siege, hits stores this week, bringing to a close storylines that've been going on for the last few years. But if you've missed those stories, don't worry: We're here to help.

Following Marvel's Civil War, the superheroes of Marvel's United States found themselves offered a choice: Either register their secret identities with the government and become federal employees, or else consider themselves criminals and be hunted down like rabid dogs if necessary. Of course, with Iron Man in charge…

Unlike Captain America and Iron Man, Thor managed to miss out on the overgrown hissy fit that was Marvel's Civil War by, essentially sleeping through it. Not that that mattered, because he had already previously fallen out with both heroes over the subject of religious freedom of a small European nation (Admittedly,…

Even though he won, Iron Man was left massively damaged by the events of Marvel's Civil War. Seen by many heroes - and even more fans - to have trended towards the fascistic in his pursuit of those who opposed the Superhero Registration Act, his placement as Director of SHIELD coincided not only with the return from…

For years, Captain America fought a terrorist organization called Hydra, whose motto was "Hail HYDRA! Immortal HYDRA! We shall never be destroyed! Cut off one limb and two more shall take its place!" Apparently, Cap learned from their example, because even though one Cap was assassinated on the steps to a courthouse…

Almost all of the status quo that Siege seeks to overturn got its start in 2006's Civil War event: Iron Man and Captain America falling out (and, in fact, coming to blows on more than one occasion)? That was here. An over-present government seeking to control the activities of superheroes? From here. Norman Osborn's…

It's the last week of new comic releases of the year (Well, kind of, but I'll get to that later), so it's a good thing that tomorrow's haul at your local comic store is full of comfort and joy. Almost.