I like to have a theme with each new edition of this column. The first two themes were my two personal favorite titles at the moment and two books that I had never looked at before that caught me by surprise with how excellent they were respectively. This week’s theme, based on my two picks, is progressiveness. Young Avengers from Marvel and Thief of Thieves from Image are both quality books from some of the industry’s best talents, and they represent the future of the medium in a number of ways.



When it was first announced as part of the Marvel NOW! initiative, I can’t imagine anyone who was not excited for Young Avengers. It promised a stellar creative team featuring indie darlings and a main stage for young, interesting characters to grow; something that the Big Two are in desperate need of. In the world of comics, new characters are so often and unfortunately ignored and forgotten. So a book featuring a team of nothing but fresh characters is nothing short of genius on Marvel’s part. Every one of the characters featured in this book has so much potential, the potential to become the next breakout stars for Marvel like the Punisher, Wolverine, and Deadpool before them. All they need is the time and effort.



That brings me to the creative team, because without such strong and capable individuals behind these characters, this book would be doomed. Writer Kieron Gillen in particular is the absolute perfect choice to mold and nurture the Young Avengers. He has already had much success with such characters such as Kid Loki, a character here in Young Avengers, who he spearheaded into being a full-fledged star in Journey into Mystery instead of just Thor’s mischievous adopted brother resurrected as a boy.



With issue one of this new series, he is already doing the same with the entire cast. Each character has been given a unique voice (complete with ever-witty dialogue). As a young person myself (suck it, oldies!), I was drawn to and identified with each character on one level or another. The overall tone of the book is also so very attractive. I don’t believe I’ve read a single issue, let alone a first issue, so new, fun, exciting, and lively in my entire comic reading existence, for which Kieron Gillen is largely to thank.



Gillen’s artistic partners for Young Avengers are also a big reason for the book’s success. Together, Jamie McKelvie and Mike Norton bring a sleek, modern style to the book not only sets it apart from a lot of the other titles on the shelves today. It is also very new reader friendly. These potential new readers will be people amazed at how hip the stars of this comic look, how easily the artists are able to express emotion on their faces, and how each panel and page appears very simply put together when in fact the entire book is bursting with eagerness.



Over at Image Comics, everyone’s favorite comic book writer, Robert Kirkman, is the figurehead of Thief of Thieves, a crime book that features a strong art team and a revolving door of co-writers. First and foremost, the important thing that this book is doing is showing people that comics are not all about superpowered demi-gods punching things. Thief of Thieves is a crime book and doesn’t feature a single character with strange abilities. This book’s only concerns are its very human characters and their internal and external struggles with their lives.



What I really like about this title is the fact that the writer is constantly changing with each arc. Of course, Kirkman’s name still appears, but he’s more of a plotter, I believe. Since the comic’s debut a year ago, it has seen two very different writers, which kept the title fresh. And this trend will continue, meaning that there should be little to no risk of Thief of Thieves ever becoming stale because each succeeding writer will bring their own flair and style to this already wonderfully plotted book.



One aspect of the comic that has been consistent is its art team, headed by Artist Shawn Martinbrough. Martinbrough renders the world of Thieves eloquently and succeeds and making it look and feel like the real world, another key to its success. These believable characters must exist in a wholly believable world in order to drive home the point of the book. This is a comic about real people.



It’s also important to examine the creative team of Thieves as a whole. Besides Robert Kirkman, the talent involved in this book is new talent. So, like Image Comics, Thieves is becoming a sort of breeding ground for the talent that will steer the industry for years to come.



What Young Avengers and Thief of Thieves have in common is the forward thinking behind them. Young Avengers and the creators behind it are working to bring into vogue a new way of telling superhero stories in comics with new characters. This is so important going forward into the coming decades, which will have enough obstacles to overcome, for comics.



Thief of Thieves is working to showcase the talents of up and coming talent as well as to show readers—new and old alike—that there is more out there in the world of comics than superheroes. This is so important. There are so many cynical and unenlightened people that dismiss the medium as a whole for a genre only practiced by two companies out of many. Thief of Thieves is a prime example of alternative options, and it really is only the tip of the iceberg, especially when it comes to its publisher, Image Comics.



Both of these titles have been well received by critics and fans. Given that, and the quality of both, the future of comics is looking very bright.