Cut-and-Paste

Doug: Today's edition of the Open Forum is a fantasy draft of sorts. Today we're going to let you choose a super-team of your own making. It can be a team built for power, stealth, fun, silliness, really whatever you are in the mood for. It can be classically outfitted, or a mix of retro. and contemporary.

Let's use that old stand-by of the Henry Peter Gyrich-led Avengers by-laws: you have to have seven (7) members. No more, no less. And just for kicks, name your leader/chairperson/team captain.

I know that I would like to have Captain America and Mon-el on my team. Cap is the best leader of any team from any comics company. Mon-el? I've just always liked him, mostly because he was Superboy without the Superman Silver Age baggage (man, I loved Superboy but just could not stand Superman when I was a kid!). And I think Mon-el has one of the coolest super-suits around. Yeah, I know it's plain, but it's a clean, classic look.

I keep wanting to put Tarzan on my team, but I'm afraid he'd be even more limited than Aquaman, and I don't want to have to imagine juicing-up his character with Batman-like gizmos. So instead I'll have to go with T'Challa, the Black Panther. Stealth, intelligence, nobility -- he fills an important character-driven role.

To fill out my roster, I'd like to have Hawkman, the Hawkworld version -- a flawed, intergalactic policeman. He is also tech-driven, has some great characterization potential, and would provide a bit of an edge. I'd like a two-fer in the draft by taking Havok and Lorna Dane. I've always thought that they would have made great Avengers. Havok's raw power is a plus, and the couple dynamic within the team could be good.

Lastly, we'll need someone who can carry their weight yet provide a little comic relief. No one does that better than Benjamin J. Grimm, the ever-lovin' blue-eyed Thing!

I know I'm Marvel-heavy, but that doesn't surprise me. Sure, I could have gone with other fave DC characters like Batman, Superboy, or Colossal Boy. But this is my first impression so I'll stick with it.

So OK -- who do you have?