From Allan Heinberg, writer. Andrea DiVito, penciler. Drew Hennessy, inker. Justin Ponso, colors. VC’s Cory Petit, letters. Published by Marvel Comics.

This was a random pull from the comic book boxes but also, why not read a Young Avengers comic right now? Wiccan maybe possibly is on a TV show right now. Kate Bishop will be on an upcoming series. There’s a lot in the news.

The Young Avengers team is fighting Mr Hyde. Hyde is pumping himself full of Mutant Growth Hormone and so is Patriot. Turns out the Young Avenger leader, Patriot, doesn’t actually have some Super Solider Serum inside of him. He’s been pumping himself up with MGH to play the hero. Meanwhile, the rest of the team is trying to take down Hyde but they’ve drawn some attention. Part of that attention in the form of the grown up Avengers who have already told the “kids” to leave this to the grown ups. Now here is media coverage of the team breaking that order.

As a comic, I enjoyed the whole thing. Lots of action, lots of character development, well written, well drawn. It did exactly what it’s supposed to do, entertained me and made me want the whole series.

What it also did was make me wonder why Marvel keeps doing this story where the grown up heroes tell the kids to stop. I remember the New Warriors being questioned. Power Pack of course, but that might be more valid. The New Mutants didn’t want to be seen as kids anymore and Cable was all the more willing to help them grow up fast. In current comics the Champions have banded together after the minor super hero ban.

Marvel also doesn’t have the history of teenage heroes and sidekicks that DC always has. When Robin is so well established it’s easier to support the Teen Titans, Outsiders, or Young Justice. Marvel has never had that. Spider-Man was the teenager when he started. The X-Men were young, the Human Torch, but they also didn’t have as many older heroes who have been at it for years lording over them. Bucky was a dead side kick for a lifetime and was even long dead before Marvel in that name officially existed.

Maybe that’s Captain America’s point though. He’s usually the first to judge the teenage heroes. Because he has experienced the loss. For as long as Spider-Man has been around as the face of Marvel he had that weird sidekick character for less than a year and then never again.

But all the Avengers, either young or old, need to do is look at changes happening in the world. It’s been done this way for decades and that isn’t working. Let’s try it a different way. There might not be anything more motivating for a teenager than to be told you can’t change the world. Watch me.