Thanks for the point, though.

Isn't that awesomely hilarious?

But Engelhart wins, handily, in heart, brains - And in terms of pushing the limits of what you can do with superhero comics.

In any case, (any case ever) I'll generally go with the smarter, braver, more flawed piece of work over the more workmanlike. So Engelhart over Stern, here.

Like a lot of the posters here I grew up reading Sterns Avengers, so I'm REALLY biased toward his run. I heven't read as much of Englehart's but nothing I read of his hit me like that Masters of Evil storyline. Hyde torturing Jarvis in front of Cap and Hercules beaten into a coma. Over two decades later that feeling of shock sticks with me.

And I have to distance myself waaay far away from Englehart's later West Coast run. Hard to find a clearer example of how you can't go home again.

My Suicide Squad:

The Calculator, who has been captured and is under constant observation in a top-security facility, personally watched by the Wall, acts as tactician, information gatherer, and communications specialist for:

Bane. Acts as field leader, has been promised US backing of an invasion of Santa Prisca as well as a pardon.

Killer Croc: Attempting to reform, is having trouble controlling his natural instinct to rip out people's jugulars.

Metallo: Would kill everyone on the team in a heartbeat, except that the Calculator has him filled with viruses, trojan horses, and stealth programs to make him behave. (For now.)

Deadshot: Because I gotta.

Batgirl: Nobody trusts Cassie Cain anymore, not even her. She's gone someplace where she knows she'll be watched unrelentingly, to make sure that if she goes bad again, she'll be surrounded by people who can take her down.

Even if this isn't it, I think dhole just won the whole column.

Stern's Avengers gets the nod from me, partially because the art was better. But Stern also had the classic "Under Siege" arc, and did some good character stuff with Namor, Captain Marvel and Black Knight. It's still one of my favorite "Avengers" runs.

Admittedly, wasn't SURE until #4, but I was thinking one of the various LexCorp or Stark CEOs from question #1.

Stern gave me Hercules and Namor, plus Buscema and Palmer together again. Never cared for Captain Marvel. Her strange powers confuse me. Needed more Hawwkeye.

My vote goes to Steve Englehart. I thought David Michelinie's run was awesome as well.

Suicide Squad:
Cheetah
Poison Ivy
Harly Quinn
Catwoman
Giganta
Deadshot

1) MIRROR MASTER – The Grant Morrsion Scottish mercenary version.
2) DEATHSTROKE THE TERMINATOR – Why? ‘Cause he’s stone cold awesome.
3) DOCTOR POLARIS – I’ve loved him ever since I’ve seen him in Crisis on Infinite Earths.
4) DOCTOR LIGHT – Extremely powerful, and it’d be fun to see him back on the Squad now that he’s a badass instead of a joke.
5) SCARECROW – Why? As Unca Cheeks put it so well:
"Anyone talks...
"... anyone bolts...
"... anyone turns traitor...
"... yours to... play with, Professor Crane."
6) CLAYFACE III – Another great Marshall Rogers character design, plus, he disintegrates people!

On the "Suicide Squad", I'd start with Rick Flag and Bronze Tiger. Their dynamic both with Waller and each other was always interesting. Ben Turner was the best second-in-command in comics and Flag was most fun when he had the freedom to be a bit unstable. Add Deadshot, who has to be one of the coldest blooded characters in comic history. You need a second-tier, Silver Age-y villain who gets no respect. Captain Boomerang (either version) always fills that role nicely.

That leaves two roster spots. To sound out the classic super-team skills, you need at least one character who flies, one who is super-strong and one with some kind of psychic (or super-sensory) abilities. From a group dynamic perspective, you need someone really dangerous and someone with a grudge. Finally, you need at least one 'redshirt'. Lashina (or Duchess) was fun. She fills strength and grudge slots. She is also semi-disposable. I loved the treatment of the Thinker, but he is dead. The Enchantress is too easy, since she was an original member.

Hmmm ... I'm stumped.

Ooooh, my ideal 6-member Suicide Squad team. This is going to be fun.

OK, first of all, Amanda Waller is in charge of the team, but I would not count her as a member, since she doesn't go on field missions.

1) DEADSHOT - Duh. It just ain't the Suicide Squad without him. Great costume, and his amorality & death wish make him wonderfully fascinating.
2) BRONZE TIGER - Cool martial artist, conflicted history & excellent right-hand man.
3) CHESHIRE - One of the best femme fatales in the DCU.
4) COUNT VERTIGO - Cool powers, GREAT costume and I just love the idea of a manic-depressive supervillain.
5) KATANA - The team needs another woman, and how she hasn't made into the Squad before now is beyond me. Katana is one of those great characters who blurs the line between hero & villain. Is Halo still in a coma? There's your justification for Katana joining up right there - finding a way to revive her.
6) DOCTOR DESTINY - The team needs a potential powerhouse, and who better than a guy who can invade dreams and has faced down the entire Justice League?

I'm extremely tempted to put Nemesis in there, since I LOVE Nemesis, and he's hardly ever done well (His original back up in Brave & The Bold & Ostrander's Suicide Squad is about it, really). Ooh, and the Mark Shaw Manhunter would be great to have as a bounty hunter/liason. And of course, you need some periodic cannon fodder as well.

Because he who controls cool points controls the world.