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AICN COMICS REVIEWS X-FACTOR! MYSTERIUS THE UNFATHOMABLE! MIGHTY AVENGERS! TERMINATOR! + MORE!
| #37 | 1/21/09 | #7 |
(Click title to go directly to the review)
X-FACTOR #39
TERMINATOR: SALVATION MOVIE PREQUEL #1
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #584
THE MIGHTY AVENGERS #21
MYSTERIUS THE UNFATHOMABLE #1
ASTONISHING X-MEN #28
Big Eyes For the Cape Guy presents THE KUROSAGI CORPSE DELIVERY SERVICE Vol 8
Indie Jones presents…
CHEAP SHOTS!
X-FACTOR #39
Writer: Peter David
Artist: Valentine DeLandro (pencils), Craig Yeung (inks)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
A Two-In-One Review from Ambush Bug and BottleImp
AMBUSH BUG (BUG): Damn. Just...damn.
BOTTLEIMP (IMP): I’d like to second that “Damn,” and add my own “Holy F#*%ing Crap.”
BUG: This book reminds me of a George Foreman fight I saw quite a few years ago. Foreman was once known as a powerful fighter in his day. Big, mean, nasty. Anyone who watched the documentary WHEN WE WERE KINGS knows what I mean. But when George resurfaced during the nineties, he had one of those pleasant demeanors, presenting as a teddy bear of a guy, nothing like the jackhammer punching machine of old. But then, when the bell rang and George went out to fight that comeback fight, shades of the old Foreman started to surface and by the end of the match, the fighter with teeth and a punch that could shatter mountains proved that he still had what it took to hang with the big dogs.
X-FACTOR #39 proves that Peter David, one of my all time favorite writers, has what it takes to still write stories as powerful as a Foreman right to the jaw. This issue hits hard and doesn't pull back. In a time when event books give new meaning to the words light and fluffy, David is still churning out stories with heft, leaving the characters changed and not on some kind of hokey comic book level where most writers only know how to deconstruct and rebuild stuff. David's X-FACTOR started out with a bang. Or better yet his MADROX miniseries did so. I loved what David did with a once B-list character. He recognized the cool powers he had and the potential for the character. Now I would definitely class Madrox as an A-Lister in the Marvel U or he's at least damn near close.
IMP: I totally agree with you, although I’m sure most readers (even those who are fans of X-FACTOR) would hesitate to put Madrox in the same list as Wolverine, Spider-Man or Captain America. It all comes down to how one defines an A-List character—and I think that while you can base your ranking on how many books the character appears in each month, the flashiness of a costume, or how “badass” a character is in a fight, both you and I look at the facets that make Madrox a genuinely intriguing person rather than a four-color cutout of a superhero. And that’s what Peter David has done with X-FACTOR all along, starting way back with issue #71 of the series’ first volume, when he took a bunch of mutants that were the idiot bastard children of the X-World and molded them into deeper, more human characters than Cyclops or Wolverine had ever been.
BUG: Yeah, but the last year has been rough on the book. Crossovers with the other X-books and the Skrull Invasion along with artwork that was less than good (Sorry, Stroman, but this latest set of issues you did were just plain bad) had me debating about whether or not to keep this series on my pull list.
Then an issue like this one comes along and I'm glad I stuck through the hard times.
IMP: You and me both. I get the feeling that every time he’s forced to tie his writing into whatever crossover event Marvel is pushing at that particular time, a little bit of David’s soul shrivels up and hides in the corner. I’m just glad that he toughed it out through the “Messiah Complex” and “Secret Invasion” nonsense and came out swinging. Remember when Peter David left his first run of X-FACTOR in the middle of a Genosha story arc? Let’s all be thankful that he’s not abandoning the best-written X-title because of another case of “crossover-itis.”
BUG: Then we wouldn’t have gotten such a perfect issue like this. In the intro, Mr. David requested for people not to rush to their computers and give away the ending. Out of respect for Mr. David who wrote such a powerful and memorable story, I don't want to give a damn thing away about this issue other than the fact that it deals with the birth of Madrox and Siren's baby. And that it is such a GOOOOOOOOD story.
IMP: A lot of comics out there try for “The Moment”—you know, a few panels or a page or two that reach out and grab the reader by the throat and plant themselves indelibly in the brain. Grant Morrison really tried for that with the “death” of Batman in FINAL CRISIS…but just compare that scene with the last seven pages of X-Factor #39. Sweet zombie Jesus. There’s been a lot of talk about Morrison and his “experimental” comic book stories, but David has done more to turn superhero comics on their head in those seven pages than Morrison has in CRISIS’ six published issues.
BUG: And, finally, the art is up to par too. With DeLandro's pencils and Yeung's inks, no one looks alien and you can make out what's going on. And that's all I ask for when it comes to art in this comic. His characters are clear and this art team highlights the best part of this book--Peter David's fine story. X-FACTOR has had some difficulty keeping its artist on board for a while. Here's hoping this team sticks around.
IMP: I’ll say it again: X-FACTOR is home to mutantdom’s…hell, I’d even venture to say comicdom’s most deeply faceted and human superheroes. It’s only fitting that this series has an artist like DeLandro who so well conveys visually that attitude of extraordinary people in an everyday world.
BUG: I wish I could say more and maybe when a week passes (when this review is posted on AICN) and more people have read the book, we can talk more, but rest assured that Peter David is writing at the top of his game again. He promises huge ramifications and cliffhangers. He's promising that X-FACTOR is going to be something to shout about again. If this issue is any indication, he's keeping his word.
IMP: Even though I really love the current dynamic of the team, I can’t resist putting in one plea to Mr. David: bring back Layla Miller and Quicksilver! Those One-Shots whetted my appetite for these two fantastic characters (well, one fantastic character and one who was MADE fantastic only when Peter started writing him) and I’m hoping that X-FACTOR has room set aside for them. But with David’s writing and DeLandro’s art as good as they are, this title remains tops on my list.
BUG: These old writers (I'm sure Mr. David would object to being called old, but I consider him one of the elder wise men of comics), they may have been writing for years and some may think that the glory days of those old great HULK stories are behind him, but then he comes out of nowhere with a haymaker like this issue and as you put down the book with a blown mind, you remember why he will be remembered as one of the greats.
IMP: Shall we say it together?
BUG & IMP: X-FACTOR's good again. Woo-hoo!
TERMINATOR: SALVATION MOVIE PREQUEL #1
Writer: Dara Naraghi
Artist: Alan Robinson
Inker: Alan Robinson
Publisher: IDW comics
Reviewer: William
It’s been over two decades since the iconic T1 and T2 first came into theaters, and only a few years since the lukewarm T3 finished out the original trilogy. (Hey I liked T3, but I never truly loved it. It gave its best effort but everything always came out as being sort of “meh”, as if it was just one step away from creating anything truly memorable). Now we have the beginning of a whole new Terminator trilogy, starting with Terminator: Salvation and this prequel comic limited series associated with it. Being a huge Terminator fan, and one who is excited but still cautious about the upcoming movie, I decided to pick up a copy and see what kind of whole new world is being brought to us by the McG/Bale team.
First off it’s interesting to note how much of a different, and yet similar, environment this apparent Terminator trilogy will be. Different in that we’re finally going to see the much discussed, but seldom seen, Judgement Day wars. Forget the whole living in the present, one Terminator sent after John Connor thing. We’re finally able to see the day to day battles that made up the epic Judgement Day war (whether or not that’s a good thing is still up for debate, as there once was a time that fans everywhere had so many exciting notions about what the Clone Wars were like, at least since Alec Guiness first mentioned that casual throwaway line in the first Star Wars movie. Now that we’ve seen the results, were they truly up to expectations?).
Similar in that much of this film will apparently have a Mad Max kind of theme going with it, where the lives of a few survivors from a catastrophic event will be chronicled throughout various desolate and desert-like atmospheres. Mix Mad Max along with the last Resident Evil movie and you’ll get the sense of how this comic is previewing the upcoming movie.
So with all that was mentioned what does this comic then bring along as a surprise? Well it’s interesting to see how much of a downgrade the Terminators will get within this new saga. What I mean is that one can easily follow the progressive technological trend that the Terminators had within the original Trilogy. There was the basic Terminator in T1; the upgraded T-1000 in T2, and finally the combo T-101/T-1000 that was the T-X in T3. Now, at least according to this comic, we’re backpedaling to a more basic Terminator, as we’ll see the beginnings of the first human-disguised Terminators used by Skynet for its infiltrations. And let me tell you this, the results are horrific. The first panel of this Terminator makes it look like someone awkwardly stuck a bald Michael Myers type mask over its head, only they forgot to cover his easily identifiable red robot eyes with a human’s. (If you’ve seen the recently leaked Terminator: Salvation toys, then you know who I’m talking about). The scared comment by one of the poor saps who first discovers it is “it’s one of them new models that supposed to look like us”, which makes me wonder who the hell Skynet is fooling with these models. We’re also introduced to a cool-looking Sidewinder Terminator, apparently a serpent-like robot that is used by Skynet within desert parts of the world.
At least on the human side it’s fun to read how certain characters are responding to the recent war. There’s the usual “we need to save the world” civilians that join John’s army, but what’s really interesting is the new angle brought along from others. These so-called “Survivalists” have instead chosen not to fight alongside John but rather ride out the war, seeking to hide as long as they can by living “under the radar”. Whether or not they play an important part of the upcoming movie is still left to be seen, but it’s still interesting to see.
The artwork by Alan Robinson is decent enough, with hints of Mike Mignola apparent throughout the pages. In the early parts of the comic we see the worldwide results brought about by the Terminators on some famous landmarks, and it’s impressive enough to see. Dara Naraghi’s writing is crisp and clear. Within the first few pages of the comic we’re properly introduced to all the new settings and players, with just enough info given when needed without spoiling any upcoming events. If you’re looking for anything John Connor related, though, forget about it. He gives a brief voice over at the beginning of this issue, and is seen in an even more brief flashback later on, but that’s it. This series seems to be devoted to the all new concepts and characters coming from the new movie, and even without a devotion to John Connor things still seem very interesting thus far.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #584
Writer: Marc Guggenheim
Artist: John Romita Jr.
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Humphrey Lee
Culminating about - god can you believe it already - a year's worth of nearly weekly Spidey stories, "Character Assassination" is here to finally shake things up a bit and give us some revelations. Really, what it is here to do is make me fess up a bit. You see, I was definitely one of those detractors that said that after "One More Day" (mind you, still one of the biggest FUBARs and worst story arcs I've ever read) I probably wasn't going to be buying any Spider-Man comics any time soon. I wavered slightly when I saw that Dan Slott, a man I figured was born to write Spidey, was announced as part of the "Brand New Day" crew, but for a handful of months I was pretty stalwart in my stance. But I kept my eye on the book. I watched as Slott and Guggenheim mostly did the heavy lifting and started reintroducing characters and developing all these storylines we're starting to see come to a head here with this big arc. I saw lots of artists rotate in on the book that I absolutely love, including the astounding Marcos Martin and the return of JRJR to the pages of this book. And recently we've seen some of the guys I wasn't too thrilled to see as part of the BND squad slowly rotate out a bit and peeps like Mark Waid and Joe Kelly show up from time to time to put in their input on the guy in the red and blue PJs...
And that's how they started to win me over...”One More Day” might have been a giant brown stain in the bowl, but now that bit of porcelain has been all scrubbed down and is sparkly and smells Winter Green fresh...
... okay, that was a horrible analogy. But the book is good, and as much as I want to be all fanboy rage about the shitty way they got to this point, I can't. I'm not forgetting it, and part of me will always hold it against them, but these are good Spidey stories we're seeing here. Damn good ones at times too (i.e. The Joe Kelly-penned Flash Thompson issue. God that was emotional). There's good creative crews that are working here and there's direction. There's lots of plots and sub-plots roaming about here, as we're seeing with this first part of “Character Assassination” here. There's the mayoral race that has been an underlying theme for several months now, the Spider-Tracer killer that has been a mystery for just as long and put Spidey even more on the run than usual because of it. Then there's Menace, J. Jonah's father, Harry and his shenanigans...there's just a bunch of good material here and it's been juggled very well the past several months because the thrice-monthly format actually really does work for a book like this; I really don't know if it would work for any other ongoing Big Two character, just because Spidey has definitely been the character that has benefited most from his more "grounded" roots and his interaction with tons of supporting characters. There's been a couple lackluster issues out of the thirty or so since we've started this format, and some stuff like the whole Jackpot hullabaloo has failed miserably, but I'd say 80% of them are just good Spidey comics.
Now, this issue itself - again the first part of an arc that apparently is going to give us a lot of answers - is another pretty good read. Despite it trying to cover a bunch of those plot points I mentioned earlier, particularly the Spider-Tracer Killer (which gave us a great lead-in involving Shocker and Boomerang to kick it off) this issue doesn't really feel that crowded. Actually, if anything comes out of this arc, I'm almost afraid that too much will be resolved and we'll be facing a whole slew of brand new themes and plots which may be a little jarring, though I don't think that will be the case. At the least I imagine we'll see more material involving Mr. Negative and I'm sure Norman Osborn will rear his now all powerful head again, but I digress. There's a bunch of great little character moments in here, from Spidey's quipping as he flees from the cops (again) to the villains I mentioned earlier, to J to the third power as he's rehabbing his heart issues against a punching bag, to a revelation at the end that might be a little too out of nowhere, but at the same time works kind of nicely. And yes, the book looks fantastic under JRJR's pencils, as we all know the man was pretty much born to draw Spidey (and it also helps that he's got the field legend Klaus Janson inking him, which always makes his work "pop" that much more when they're teamed for some reason).
So yes, Spidey comics are good. "Character Assassination" is starting off good as well. This book is by no means the best thing I read every time it comes out, but sometimes it comes close and that combined with the consistency of it means a heck of a lot considering how many issues come out over a month, year, etc. Really, right now the only thing I'm hoping that comes out of this, like I said before, is that we don't come out of this with so many plot threads tied up that it becomes a case of "Okay, here's a whole bunch of new shit now to follow all that shit!". And I hope this doesn't get too bogged down in “Dark Reign” either. I know it's a no-brainer given the whole Osborn situation and the past with Spidey, but I think we're juggling enough as it is. Spidey, and Peter Parker himself really, are in a good place right now. He's got enough on his plate to give you that feeling he's stressed, but it's nothing so overwhelming that the book has sunk back into the depressing, overly melodramatic schlock this book was peddling up to and including “One More Day”. But so far Slott and Guggenheim and crew have really nailed that balance, and I have faith they can keep it going for a good while longer. As long as that happens, I'm willing to keep giving this book the benefit of the doubt.
Humphrey Lee has been an avid comic book reader going on fifteen years now and a contributor to Ain't It Cool comics for quite a few as well. In fact, reading comics is about all he does in his free time and where all the money from his day job wages goes to - funding his comic book habit so he can talk about them to you, our loyal readers (lucky you). He's a bit of a social networking whore, so you can find him all over the Interwebs on sites like Twitter, The MySpaces, Facebookand a Blogger Account where he also mostly talks about comics with his free time because he hasn't the slightest semblance of a life. Sad but true, and he gladly encourages you to add, read, and comment as you will.
THE MIGHTY AVENGERS # 21
Written with the usual Dan Slott madness
Drawn with the usual Khoi Pham magnificence
Published with the usual Marvel marvel
Reviewed with the usual Stones Throw mendacity
This was a great issue of THE AVENGERS, building expertly upon the momentous events of previous issues, while establishing a new roster that already looks like being one of the most exciting in the title’s history. I have to say, I was surprised with some of the characters in the new team. Captain America’s back and he’s heading a group that looks like it won’t be able to stop fighting amongst itself long enough to fight any villains. Cap and Hawkeye engage in some classic rivalry for the team’s alpha male position, while you get the sense that Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are both quietly disdainful of them.
I was pleased to see Hawkeye in his most famous costume, and you understand perfectly why a former circus performer and criminal would have to act with such an inflated sense of ego around the WWII vet and national hero Captain America, who he calls “Methuselah”. Insult of insults, Clint asks him “how’d we ever win the war with you on our side?” Hawkeye’s the only character that can provoke the normally placid Cap like this. But when the Scarlet Witch confronts him about his behavior, he thinks (in a great use of the thought balloon) “She’s right! But I’ll be hanged if I’ll admit it!”, a wonderful bit of character writing.
Don’t get me wrong, though, there’s a villain, and a pretty damn cool one at that. Resurrecting a plot device from all the way back in AVENGERS (vol. 1) #9, a mercenary employed by Baron Zemo stumbles across the machinery that turned Simon Williams into Wonder Man. We don’t need any complex motivations with this guy--he’s out for power and power alone, and when that’s combined with the machinations of the Enchantress, the Avengers are in trouble.
The art was great, bold and expansive, impressing especially in the frequent, fast-moving fight scenes (which feature, in no particular order, an exploding train carriage, a super-speed chase and a return of Cap’s heli-car).
I laughed when Erik Josten said he didn’t want his superhero name to be “anything as corny as Wonder Man” and the Enchantress picked Power Man (I guess since Luke Cage mostly goes by Luke Cage these days). I also liked the idea of a whole room of Kirby-style machinery going on the blink because of a short fuse. Pretty funny.
Best of all, though, was the twist ending, which leaves you wondering if Captain America, accused of treachery by scheming city politicians, unable to control a rebellious young team and upstaged by a villain posing as a hero, is still cut out for early 21st century life. I can’t wait to see where they go next with this, and I’m looking forward to many more AVENGERS issues from this team!
MYSTERIUS THE UNFATHOMABLE #1
Writer: Jeff Parker
Art:Tom Fowler
Publisher: DC Wildstorm
2 in 1 Reviewers: Humphrey Lee and steverodgers
Bug note: Sometimes two @$$Holes dib the same book for review. In those instances, a Thunderdome-style death-match is held to see which one gets to review it. But occasionally, as with today’s case, there’s a draw, so we said “What the hell, let them both review it…” Enjoy the double dibbage.
steverodgers: A fun, light-hearted magic comic from Jeff Parker and Tom Fowler that centers on a mysterious magic-type for hire named Mysterious and his new partner, a former snarky alt-paper reporter who has curious abilities of her own. The art has a Mad Magazine feel to it, with everyone expressively faced with lank limbs and bendy joints and our hero sporting a wild booze nose. The backgrounds are richly-detailed, giving the comic a timeless feel, even though it’s set in the present day. The thrust of the story is not super clear, but there is a séance and a humorous trip to Hell that goes very badly.
Mysterious plays fast and loose with his magic (never a good idea, says John Constantine), and has a hard time paying his bills. The comic ends on a rather bland cliff-hanger, but there is enough happening, humor and quirk that I am willing to give the second issue a shot to see where things go.
And now for another opinion…
Humphrey Lee: The best way to describe this book is "Quirk". Pure, unadulterated quirk. From the way we're introduced to our title character - via his new assistant, Ella - all the way to his "aloof" and kind of downright scoundrel-like ways of treating all those around him. I know it's not exactly the most effective term to describe something, but this is one neat little book. It's humorous and pretty creative and whimsical as it goes through the paces. If anything, I can say this book has probably the most unexpected sense of casualness I've seen when it comes to a scenario of someone getting damned to purgatory due to a FUBARed seance. That's really the best way I can kind of sum up this little ditty.
And the Tom Fowler art really nails all this home too. If there's any big reasons to recommend this book, which by now if you haven't figured out I'm giving this book a pretty enthusiastic thumbs up, it's Fowler's comical and slightly exaggerated pencil work. This looks to be a pretty fun and under the radar ride. A "fantastical distraction" from the norm to put it one way.
I highly recommend checking this out in some way or the next. A trade wait wouldn't be a bad idea to see if it pans out and is able to keep up the pace, but I think it'll make a great afternoon read when it's all done and collected.
ASTONISHING X-MEN #28
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Simone Bianchi
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: Optimous Douche
You can truly sum up this latest issue of parallel earth searching X-Men with one simple phrase: a great story, suffocated by heavy lines and claustrophobic panels.
Many have voiced their distaste for Bianchi’s panels since Ellis took over AXM. And it’s understandable to see a certain amount of resistance when a style breaks convention, as Bianchi has with the almost charcoal feel he puts on the page. Don’t believe me on this theory about resistance to change – just look at the number one retort from any vehement defenders of FINAL COLITIS.
We all hate certain art for whatever reason. Personally, I can’t stand manga/anime for the gaping piehole eyes and over-the-top expressions that make the “Facts of Life” cast look like Shakespearean actors. Others find Quitely an ugly artist, where I think he bleeds genius on every page. Bianchi seems to be one of those equally polarizing artists inciting either glee or nausea with every deep deep push of his pen.
Prior to this issue I wouldn’t have called myself a Bianchi fan, but I also was not quite sure why there was so much fanboy venom spewing in his direction. Were his panels a wee bit dark and dusky? No doubt. But the grand sweeping panels of the alien graveyard or the new X-Complex made me forgive a room or two bathed in black. His detailed and unique face work made me look past the fact that Beast likes to work by blacklight. There was always a balance of Bianchi’s strong suit to counterbalance his shortcoming of defining tight spaces. This issue, though, unfortunately drew a neon sign around the chink in Bianchi’s talent armor by taking place all indoors.
Like I said, I love Bianchi’s close-ups, and this book is wrought with them. I applaud the fact that Wolverine actually looked like he was wearing a mask instead of his costume appearing to be a second skin as most artists tend to do these days (seams, boys--seams). However an entire issue of close-ups simply becomes boring after a point. Yes, there were a few moments of action as the X-Men explored the Chinese temple once powered by mutant talents, but they were all darker than a 1970s New York Porn theater.
The real shame in all this is the fact Ellis continues to unravel the mysteries behind the Ghost Boxes and the lack of mutants across the multiverse with his trademark great dialogue and humor. There is also an awesome “rosebud” moment that gave me anticipatory sweats for the next issue. It’s just that when every great line is delivered from a ¾ face against a back drop of mossy green blurs, you begin to wish you were just reading Ellis’ script of the book so you could imagine your own background and setting.
When Optimous Douche isn’t reading comics and misspelling the names of 80’s icons, he “transforms” into a corporate communications guru. "What if the whole world had superpowers? Find out in the pages of Optimous’ original book AVERAGE JOE. Read the first full issue on Optimous’ New Blog and see original sketches by fellow @$$hole Bottleimp. If you are a publisher or can help these guys get AVERAGE JOE up, up, and on the shelves in any way, drop Optimous a line."
THE KUROSAGI CORPSE DELIVERY SERVICE Vol 8
Written by Eiji Otsuka
Art by Housui Yamazaki
Release by Dark Horse Manga
Reviewer: Scott Green
Though volume eight is not THE KUROSAGI CORPSE DELIVERY SERVICE’s strongest, it does underscore what's significant about the manga. Horror is often at its best when directed towards a social statement. Yet, I question some of what's said by horror anime and manga. For example, there are airs of social withdrawal and/or authoritarianism in a lot of the horror manga that concern revenge, the consequences of breaking taboo or hidden dangers. People are dangerous... The rules of the universe are actively malevolent... Your desires will destroy you... This manga stands in stark contrast. One look at Housui Yamazaki's illustrations of a rotting corpse is sure to dissuade any thoughts THE KUROSAGI CORPSE DELIVERY SERVICE being sugar coated, yet the subtext to the manga is about opening your eyes to the world and becoming socially engaged. I've called THE KUROSAGI CORPSE DELIVERY SERVICE a liberal arts inspired manga, but the tone of the manga is also essentially liberal. It's a neat trick to make horror scary and not about hiding or running away, but Eiji Otsuka pulls it off with whit and irreverence.
Though THE KUROSAGI CORPSE DELIVERY SERVICE remains a superlatively literate, intelligent horror manga, I don't feel that volume eight is the series' strongest. It's not a matter of narrative momentum, because while the manga has been developing an overarching plot concerning opposing forces and history catching up with the titular supernatural problem solvers, the appeal of the manga has always been the short stories featuring Eiji Otsuka's hybrids of buried cultural phenomena and current concerns, along with Housui Yamazaki's disturbing images. Volume seven may have hit a zenith with celebrity branding grafted onto plastic surgery, the ear mouse, jinmenso (a supernatural tumor with a human face) and multiple revenge plots in one particular story. I suspect Otsuka has too many interest, too many opinions and too much knowledge ever to present anything entirely simplicity. However, volume eight is something of a step back to basics.
THE KUROSAGI CORPSE DELIVERY SERVICE has moved from one anthology to another a number of times during its Japanese serialization. It's been in KADOKAWA MYSTERY and SHONEN ACE (home of many manga adaptations of anime, such as SAMURAI CHAMPLOO and NEON GENESIS EVANGELION, as well as other violent manga such as MPD PSYCHO). It became part of Comic Charge, a manga anthology for young businessmen launched in 2007. If you've been following recent manga industry news, Comic Charge has recently been cancelled, and THE KUROSAGI CORPSE DELIVERY SERVICE, along with writer Eiji Otsuka's MPD-PSYCHO and Yakumo Hyakkai are slated to move to a new anthology this summer.
The relevance of this history is that I strongly suspect that volume eight catches THE KUROSAGI CORPSE DELIVERY SERVICE in the wake of one of these transitions. The first story in particular has the hallmarks of an introduction for new readers. "A Cafe in a Campus Town" finds the members of THE KUROSAGI CORPSE DELIVERY SERVICE handing out fliers for what they're calling the Kurosagi CMM (Cash-Money-Makin') Club at the enrollment ceremony for the Chiyoda School of Buddhism. You could call this ploy to cast themselves as an entrepreneurial venture in order to lure in new students at the Buddhist collect "half clever", except, perspective members might be a little wary when they see that KCMMC's flyers read "Why be broke when you could stack up bills like bodies? You must have one of the following qualifications to join: 1) like or have interest in corpses. 2) Can speak with spirits. 3) Have special abilities that others do not." Still, five potential newbies are misguided enough to show up at the Kurosagi welcome party. Kursagai's scant budget puts off most of these trial members. Then, they begin meeting the members of the group. Ao Sasaki is the manager and IT specialist or "hacker". She is quick to show off her abilities by pulling up coroner's photos from a tracker accident in California. Then there's Makoto Numata, who can dowse, but only corpses. As such, he's not too impressed by a newcomer who's good at finding lost wallets. Yuji Yata can channel an alien, who speaks vulgarities through a sock puppet. Keiko Makino is an American trained embalmer, and has a sample of her work on hand. Finally, Kuro Karatsu is an itako, a priest who can call up spirits of the deceased. In response to being over-educated and underemployed, Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service was established to transport the bodies of the deceased to where they need to be. The business is about as profitable as it sounds. So, after weirding out, grossing out or offending most of the prospective recruits, the survivors are taken to the group's familiar stomping grounds of Aokigahara Forest, where, as in previous stories, they locate the remains of a suicide victim. After some grisly illustrations from Yamazaki examine the results of leaving a corpse in a wooded area, the plot launches into a nice ghost story from Otsuka, concerning the spiritual resolution of the body's owner.
I've written this description in such a way as to strip out the clues to nature of the haunting the haunting because, ultimately, it's the kind of ghost story that litters folklore. In most of THE KUROSAGI CORPSE DELIVERY SERVICE stories, this would be embellished with some esoteric anthropology or unexpected modern issues. Here, the simplicity puts the focus on the particulars of the manga: the unique characters that comprise the titular business, and the unflinchingly graphic depictions of the business' cases.
It's a fine horror anthology story, but not an outstanding entry in THE KUROSAGI CORPSE DELIVERY SERVICE. Though reduced from the manga's potential, it's a moving story, with bittersweet notes of reconciliation that suit THE KUROSAGI CORPSE DELIVERY SERVICE. Few, if any, North American readers are going to start with volume eight of the manga, but if anyone did, they'd find that the story eased them into the premise.
Other stories in the volume aren't Kurosagi's best either. The center piece pulls from Otsuka's acedemic study of folklore. It concerns Shigo Kekkon. As Sasaki describes it
"They did it in Northeastern Japan. Similar rites existed in Okinawa... China, Taiwan, and Korea, too. You can find instances of it throughout East Asian Society.”
It was most prevalent in China, where a woman's death expenses are the responsibility of the family she's married off to. If you died single, there's no one to bury or mourn for you. So, by marrying her to someone's son who's died single, the son is honored with a wife... in exchange for footing the cost of his new bride's burial."
Otsuka repackages Shigo Kekkon as Afterlife Marriage, marketed to the well-to-do. At the same time, the story pulls in what's happening among the economically challenged, specifically a struggling artist taking menial jobs and spending his nights in manga cafe's.
The plot is informed by a deep foundation of knowledge and opinion. In a way, Otsuka's work is a bit like MASAMUNE SHIROW without cluttter or MAMORU OSHII without the hang-ups. Manga readers are accustomed to seeing this sort of knowledge with science, machinery or the specific subject of a title. For example, GUNSMITH CATS is refined by Kenichi Sonoda's precise depictions of firearms and cars. Yakitate!! Japan has more about bread making than you'd ever want to know. Seeing this interest and knowledge applied to anthropology definitely distinguishes THE KUROSAGI CORPSE DELIVERY SERVICE among manga titles. The problem is that the volume does not distinguish itself among Kurosagi's more inspired stories. It does feature plenty of ghostly manifestations, which allow Yamazaki to work the sort of cinematic "J-horror" frights that are typically reserved for his solo-created sibling manga Mail. In addition to Kurosagi's physical horror, trading in disturbing notions of the body gone awry, Yamazaki works the disconcerting notion of the out of place, such as arms reaching out from the ground to trip a victim down a staircase. Yet, Otsuka doesn't seem to be fitting together elements as disparate as the ones pulled into previous stories. Shigo Kekkon seems like the kind of ceremony that he'd know about. By merely updating it, the uses as if he was simply crossing off a bullet point from a list of ideas. Simply updating it doesn't hit the high standard set by earlier THE KUROSAGI CORPSE DELIVERY SERVICE stories. This isn't helped by the final story that offers Kurosagi's second narrative about babies abandoned in coin lockers (volume four offers the previous one). It's connected to traditional midwives this time, which is a new theme, but having read this the same weekend as volume three of Osamu Tezuka's BLACK JACK, which had its own coin locker baby story; it feels like a played premise. Again, I suspect that Otsuka might be easing into a new anthology. It's a slightly disappointing volume in a highly recommended manga.
Scott Green has been writing for AICN ANIME for over seven years. If you like what you see here and love anime & manga, be sure to check out his latest AICN ANIME column here.
Hey folks, Ambush Bug here. This pair of comics is why I like this Indie Jones section so much. You couldn’t find two more different comics. In fact, the only thing they have in common is that they’re featured here in our books on the fringe section. Check them out.
WHY I KILLED PETER
By Alfred (art) & Olivier Ka (story)
NBM Comics Lit
Devastating and powerful; that's what this book is. It’s a gut punch that reverberates in your brain and sparks a variety of emotions. The subject of child molestation is heavy one. If handled amateurishly in fiction, it could come off as exploitative or melodramatic. But this book is neither. Olivier Ka tells a terribly personal tale of how one selfish act by an adult can cripple a child for a lifetime. This book will anger you. It will make you cry. It will make you sick. And in the end, it will make you applaud the makers of this book for being brave enough to put this story into graphic art form. The images by Alfred are wispy and loose, utilizing a variety of styles by the last page to convey different modes of understanding the author experienced though his tragic life. Occasionally, I felt as if the story, told in the present tense for the most part, uses some words and phrases that were a little bit too mature coming from a child’s mouth. But this is a minor distraction in an autobiography that was probably very cathartic to put to print and definitely memorable to read.
STONE RABBIT: B.C. MAMBO V1
STONE RABBIT: PIRATE PALOOZA V2
By Erik Craddock (art/words)
Random House Children's Books
STONE RABBIT is one of those fun characters with a universal appeal. Younger readers will love the offbeat adventures and the exaggerated antics of said bunny. But these books are also loaded with jokes and references that adults will enjoy as well. Volume One is a time-bending trek into the past as Stone Rabbit falls through a hole in his bathroom floor and lands in the Neolithic Era. Prehistoric fun follows. Volume Two pits Stone Rabbit against a crew of ghost pirates. Erik Craddock has created a memorable and fun rabbit in Stone Rabbit. It's definitely geared more towards the younger reader, but this oldie had fun reading it too.Ambush Bug is Mark L. Miller, reviewer and co-editor of AICN Comics for over seven years. Check out a five page preview of his short story published in MUSCLES & FIGHTS 3 (AVAILABLE NOW at Muscles & Fights.com.) on his ComicSpace page. There you can also see a five page preview of his short story in MUSCLES & FRIGHTS! Bug was recently interviewed here and here at Cream City Comics.
THE MIGHTY AVENGERS #21
Marvel Comics
The best of the three "Dark Reign" tie-ins this week, this new roster issue pulls no punches and is so densely packed with story, it almost deserves its $3.99 price tag. I said almost. Slott puts the cool in old school as he flashes back to Wundagore mountain, some of the Avengers’ earliest days, introduces a pair of new villains, and has some of the coolest back and forthings you're likely to read this week as Hank Pym and Amadeus Cho go back and forth trying to find out who's smarter than the other. The new line-up is sure to make sparks too. All that and the return of Scarlet Witch. All in all, a fantastic debut issue. - Bug 
HELLBLAZER #251
DC Vertigo
Every time a new creative team comes on to handle old Johnny boy, there's that bit of panic and doubt. There's been so many great runs, so many great creative teams - really, this has probably be the best handled ongoing out there for pretty much all it's twenty(!!) years now - that you can't help think: "Okay, this has to be it. This is finally going to go in the shitter, or worse, it's about to start reveling in mediocrity. It's just the law of averages y'know?" But this actually was a pretty good start. It could easily go into the old porcelain god of course, but Milligan made a couple moves that surprised and actually delighted me. I like the idea of giving John a love life again. It's been near 200 issues since Kit walked into and out of his life, so it doesn't feel like this is just another cycle of things. And I like how it looks like this is going to get somewhat socio-political again as, well, look at the cover. Yes, it has a double meaning as you'll see if you flip through the pages, but one of those is definitely what you think it is and is a good flashback to the Jamie Delano days. All in all, including Camuncoli being picked up on the art chores (I've been digging on his stuff for a long while now), I like this as a start of things to come. – Humphrey
DARK AVENGERS #1
Marvel Comics
Missed opportunity. That's what this book was. Sure it was pretty obvious who the members of this team of Avengers dopplegangers were from the shaded poster, but Bendis could have played into the mystery and had a big last page reveal the original series became famous for in its earliest issues. But no, Bendis doesn't really know subtle. He'd rather explain it all with tons and tons of word balloons. Despite this story being the equivalent of having a joke explained to you, the potential for fun is there and it's what's going to keep me around for future issues. Seeing Osborne's team of villains in disguise face off against the real heroes will be good fun. I just wish Bendis would look at some of those old Fabian Nicieza books and realize what fun he could be having if he weren't so in love with his own words. Deodato's art is another reason why this book will definitely be in my pull box for now. - Bug 
ZOMBIE COP OGN
Image Shadowline
For the most part, zombie stories are broad strokes storytelling, trying to show how an entire society deals with an apocalyptic event and facing their own death chomping for their brains. You don't see too many smaller, more personal tales like ZOMBIE COP, which is firmly planted in a world overrun by the undead, but never loses focus of being a story about one man on a mission. Officer Joe Mundy is bitten and doesn't have long before he turns completely into a drooling zombie, so he does what he can in order to solve one last mystery, a mystery that could uncover the reason for the zombie plague itself. That's right, while other zombie stories never explain why the dead walk, ZOMBIE COP treats it as a mystery, which is a refreshing and new spin on the genre. Occasionally, writer Jeff Mariotte overwrites this done-in-one original graphic novel. Lines like "My thoughts squirm around my brain like worms through a corpse." fall a bit redundant and clunky, but for the most part I was entertained by this one. The art by Szymon Kudranski is top tier. The artist doesn't hold back on the gore. Blood and brains splatter right into the reader’s face as you read this one. There were a few action sequences toward the beginning that I found hard to follow, but for the most part this is one OGN that looks and reads well. - Bug 
THUNDERBOLTS #128
Marvel Comics
Much like last year, when Tony Stark had to be in every issue of every series Marvel puts out, now it looks like Norman Osborne is following suit. Those Stark appearances wore out their welcome quick and I myself am a bit sick of him already. But Marvel has always been a company to suckle until the teat was dry. Despite another appearance of Osborne, Andy Diggle does what he did best in Vertigo's THE LOSERS here as he assembles a team of badasses who will act as Osbourne's black ops team. So far we've only seen a handful of them and the enigmatic group shot on the cover (done by the amazing artist and my pick for best artist of 2007 in last year's @$$ies, Clint Langley) has yet to be revealed, but I like what I've seen so far. I want to know who else is on the team though and for that reason alone, I'll be back next month. But with the promise of this book getting its Diggle on, I must declare myself a T-Bolt fan again. - Bug Proofs, co-edits & common sense provided by Sleazy G
Remember, if you have a comic book you’d like one of the @$$holes to take a look at, click on your favorite reviewer’s link and drop us an email.
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Do you not understand that I get nothing done until having read this?
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...would be Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #2. I enjoyed it a lot. I'm sure it won't convert anyone who hasn't been enjoying the event so far, but it was a highly imaginative story, and Doug Mahnke's artwork was wonderful.
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20 years of Hellblazer - man, that makes me feel old... :(
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EPIC FAIL, DC
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Oh, I get it. You're reviewing the original "Avengers #21" instead of "Mighty Avengers #21". Why is that?
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http://handofmessi.blogspot.com/
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Jan 28, 2009 9:54:00 AM CST
Final Crisis #7 is gonna piss off alot of people
by most excellent ninja
Wow. If a book ever said Editorial rape, this is it.
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could somebody tell me, what the FUCK is going on?
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Let me catch you up: One of the biggest 'egg-on-your-face' , 'does-nothing-like-what-it-was-hyped-to-do', failures in recent comics history. Goddamn, Secret Invasion sucked, so how bad do you have to suck to get your ass kicked by that event? And I don't mean in 'ass-kicked' only in sales.
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I'm glad Mr. Bendis handled the first issue of 'Dark Avengers' the way he did. If he had done it the way you described it might have been too much of a copy of the original 'Thunderbolts'. I was suprised how much I really enjoyed the newest 'Thunderbolts' and 'Dark Avengers', although you are right about overusing Norman Osborne.
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great, but I'm really hoping they change Dr. Pym's costume really soon. There isn't anything wrong with a clunky cybernetic helmet.
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Or, in this case, a few times. By the way, did you hear about DARK AVENGERS #1? It's a new Avengers team formed by one of the Marvel universe's most fearsome villains. Basically, Loki wants to lure Thor out of hiding, so he gets the townsfolk to think the Hulk destroyed the train tracks...
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That was the most complex longwinded worthless sentence I have ever read. For someone who "didnt get" Final Crisis, your posting read alot like it
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So he was dead for one issue. That's gotta be some kind of record.
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Thanks, Lasehead!!
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We led ourselves (and were led along) to believe there would be a grander scope to what was essentially a nice return to flights and tights.
Final Crisis on the other hand... I still blame Brad Meltzer... It seems so long ago that Identity Crisis started this mess. -
Then you don't read nearly enough. Chump.
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Who said I "didn't get Final Crisis"?!? I never said that. I totally get everything in Final Crisis. And it finally sucked. Also, I wrote two sentences, not one. You sure you took the right meds today, dawg?
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...but I'm going to wait for the trade. I just can't be bothered buying individual issues of Bendis' material anymore.
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so is batman back? thats fucking hilarious.
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Supes undergoing a Cosmic Evolution through ultimate destruction ("Hate Crime meet Selfless Act") to battle the Vampire Gods?! Holee shit! That was AWESOME. Instead of trying to tie it into anything, they shoulda made FC into a self-contained universe thing and not had a two year build up to a story that has nothing to do with what went before. Because looking at FC as some bizarre, surreal off-shoot, its GREAT; as an integral part of general continuity, its a disaster.
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Regarding the AXM review's assertion that:
"You can truly sum up this latest issue of parallel earth searching X-Men with one simple phrase: a great story, suffocated by heavy lines and claustrophobic panels."
Really? A "great story"? Just what is so great about it? The part where they wandered about for 18 pages, or the part where they fought nondescript monsters for 4? If Astonishing is still supposed to be the X-Men's showcase book over Uncanny, this is one huge blunder. -
currently
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if you aren't smart enough to understand SB, than don't write a review on it. what is he, 8?
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Messi's just honest about his perceptions as a reader, and he gave SB a very detailed, and very positive review. This bullshit about having to be smart to understand Morrison doesn't scan. That is, the people that seem to champion FC don't strike me as smart at all, but rather apologetic for the story's myriad shortcomings. And the people who "understand" it, and thus must be smart, don't seem to do anything extraordinary in their working life. Most of the time they can't even compose coherent posts.Anyway, UNDERSTANDING CURRENT MORRISON IS NOT AN ISSUE OF 'SMART' OR 'STUPID': Most of the misunderstanding in Morrison's current work comes down to THE ART. The art simply cannot or will not accomplish all the things Morrison wants; it doesn't clearly make its story points; it doesn't provide the exposition or focal details he needs (judging from his scripts). "The Filth" was more coherent, dramatic, and narratively successful than Final Crisis. That's something I never thought I'd write.
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that is all.
PAD should be writing more X-titles. -
You bring up good points man, this was a little slow, but I also understand sometimes you need a slow issue to do some much needed set-up.
Again, though I blame the art. What action there was, did it suck becasue of the "story" or the art. I think the latter.
Likewise with teh panels, did Morrison write inthe script "have this line delievred by a 3/4 face"?
I don't have answers. But I did enjoy elarning more about the city from a text stand-point, but you're right that the visual imagery was a snore.
Sorry for typos.... -
X-Factor #39 is Book Of The Year 2009. Buy It Now!
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...makes me so glad I stopped buying mainstream DC books months ago.
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dude, I gave superman beyond #2 a good review, I really liked that comic, I thought it was great. I don't get Final Crisis 7 and it's not that I don't get it because of it's story, but because the storytelling and the art for that story is dodgy. It took reading the new Morrison interview on newsarama to understand that Earth 51 is the Kamandi universe now though it's never made clear and the tiger squad that Kalibak lead from the evil factories are the same tiger squad from Kamandi but it's never made clear because they appear in one small panel next to Kamandi. And there are two ruined earths, one being rebuilt, and the other, the Kamandi universe but it took Grant Morrison telling me this to understand it. Fuck you.
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don't let it deter you, Green Lantern is still probably the best comic you can buy. That and Green Lantern Corps are the only books that achieve greatness at DC.
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Are pretty much the only thing DC has going now that are worth reading consistently. (Although I liked FC in terms of it being an almost totally incomprehensible, surreal, trainwreck that may have just put the final nail in DCs mainstream coffin). Luckily for us, they're also two of the greatest mainstream comics being created today.
Oh, and btw, I do "get" what Morrison was *trying* to do, he just epicly failed to write a coherent narrative. As a piece of surreal art, its kinda neat, but as Big Deal Event Book that was supposed to Change Everything? It's an Epic Failure. -
I can't stand Geoff Johns anymore, man. I tried, but I just can't. I'm sticking with the Fables books and Ex Machina, but that's about it for DC. Too many other good books from other companies, anyway, like Doktor Sleepless, RASL, Captain America, Resurrection, etc.
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Douche, I am with you on Astonishing. Some of the panels were just amazing, I’m thinking specifically of the close ups of Logan’s mask, but Jesus the rest, especially the fight scenes, were just muddled, muddy and ugly. Despite the fact that Ellis seems to be telling one of my favorite types of stories, as evidenced by the Ghost Box minis, Astonishing is consistently on my drop bubble and it is solely and completely due to the art. Its just ugly. I haven’t been so consistently disappointed that a good story was being ruined by the art since way back when Rick Leonardi would fill in for Silvestri, coincidently, on X-men as well, during the Genosha storyline. Man, I wish Cassidy or Quietly were doing this book…
Mighty… hmmm… I really like the team (except Scarlet Witch, but then, I’ve never liked Wanda… just… something about her… fucking hate that bitch and her stupid, vague, no limit powers, I was so glad she was gone, but alas…) Anyway, I’m really excited to see what they do with this team, although I’m unsure where it fits in with the greater Marvel Universe. Are they sanctioned or are they outlaws, as well? It seems like they’re forming their own team, independent of the government, but wouldn’t that just make them a cheerier silver-age-ish version of the New Avengers? And if so, what’s the point? Are they just going to NOT acknowledge the new status quo of the Marvel Universe? I don’t understand how that’s going to work. Also, to me, a lot of the dialogue seemed a bit heavy handed. The Cho/Pym stuff was funny, but the rest? Overly expository, unnatural and a little forced. I mean, why did the Wanda make him say the words to release the other members? Its just a “force” to make Pym say the battle cry, but its an Avengers “Team reboot” issue, so why does he even need a reason to sound the battle cry? Its tradition, its at the end of every reboot. Then the Hulk buried under snow, “oh well, too bad” Wait! He’s free! Join the Avengers! Ok! Why the extra page wasted? Also, when did Hulk get stupid again?AND when did Wanda become not a dangerously over powered nut ball?Hey Hank! Join Avengers? No, I can’t. Come on! …well, ok.I’m sticking with the book for now, but if something pushes me off it, its going to be the hammy, forced situations and stilted dialogue.
Dark, I liked (surprise) and I disagree with Bug that reveal should have been at the end for three reasons.1. Because it wasn’t meant as a mystery to us, its meant to be a “mystery” to the populous of the Marvel U.2. Its been done before, most specifically in the very issue Bug mentioned and then… gee… I wonder what all the fanboys would have complained about… hmmm….3. We would have just had to do this issue ANYWAY, as the “how they all got on the team” issue is a classic, necessary, and demanded component of books like this and that just would have meant an extra added issue before we got to the actual good stuff, so all in all, I’m glad we weren’t insulted by having to sit through another “mystery” and then spend even more time introducing them all once it was all revealed. I will say though, that I am also unsure what is supposed to happen in this book. I really like the set up and dynamic, but where do they go? Do they pretend to be good? Do they fight bad guys? Do they do secret evil stuff and narrowly avoid being caught. I’m curious, but as much as I like Bendis, I don’t think he can do what Ellis did in Thunderbolts, its not his thing… However, I don’t expect Bendis to try either, so I assume he has something else plan. We’ll see.
Thunderbolts. I think Ellis wrote a phenomenal book. I also think the SI tie in was written and drawn by two retarded kids. So I was real unsure about Diggle and what he was going to do, but I really enjoyed this one and the continuation of the previous storylines and all that… good stuff. BUT, I don’t think its fair to bitch about Osborn being in too many comics, though, I do agree the comparison to Stark is fair. See, much like Stark was last year, Osborn is THE most important character in the Marvel Universe currently. His actions have ramifications through out the line. I mean, come on, its not like the 90s where Wolverine and/or the Punisher were showing up everywhere as a gimmick. Fanboys aren’t clamoring for more Norm, no, much like Stark, they’re whining like little girls for just the opposite, but Norm keeps showing up and its because he is integral to the storyline. He’s the eye of the storm, a driving force. At the moment, he’s important. Besides, this is Thunderbolts, its his book, much like Dark Avengers is as well, complaining about it is like complaining about Stark being in Iron man and Mighty Avengers.
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Though it now makes the arc's ending pretty obvious (White).
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First off, The Flash cover up top? It looks like an old vaudeville song and dance on acid. With Flash doing a high kick Rocketeers dance and the spiderman doing jazz hands as he sings. Why Bela Lugosi is in green face, wearing an old prop from an Ed Wood movie and sporting a pimp mustache is a tale the world will never be ready to know. Yet it is a tale which makes more sense than Final Crisis.
I'm usual disappointed when The Joker misses out having a significant role in these major events. But I am proud of him for having the good taste to stay home. I'm sure he is plotting for a better scheme when this is all over. -
at Newsarama; the way he describes his designs makes me once again very, very appreciative of this writer's spirit and imagination. It's just that I used to also admire his way with storytelling and characterization.
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Yeah, he's odd that way, sometimes he's so on and other times, its like he's had a seizure and just sort of wandered off. I think its like he has all these ideas and he does these books and after awhile he has all these left over random ideas that never got used, so his next book just ends up becoming this barf bag of prose as he purges himself of the clutter.
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I kind of enjoy the art, truth be told. It gets a bit wacky, and I certainly wouldn't be able to stomach much more than one monthly (err...) in that style, but it has its charm. The costumes are a bit too elaborate, though. All sorts of unnecessary piping and ribbed bits. It's like Cassaday's designs with a bunch of unnecessary lines thrown in. Things get especially awkward when these Bianchi designs show up in other comics.
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In the first Ellis penned issue of Astonishing? God, that was so nerdily out of touch, the embarassment almost made me quit comics forever.
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Is that supposed to be Captain Carrot, Pig-Iron and Yankee-Poodle?Really?
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Well, as I said last week, I loooved Mighty Avengers. I still think the return of Wanda Maximoff is too good to be true, but we will see. This is one of the best line-ups ever.
Dark Avengers was just too dark for me. Especially with the Thunderbolts also existing. As said in the review, that's a lot of Norman Osborne. Apparently, Marvel U's new m.o. is to ridiculously give one person total power over everything, then eventually knock them off their post. So now it is total lunatic Osborne, who I can stomach in one book, but not two. Haven't decided yet which one to drop, but will probably give DA the axe.
X-Factor was good, but I can also see why people call Peter David a douchebag sometimes. What a pompous little note he put on there. Smug self-aggrandizement wrapped in faux-humility. But, yeah, the story was pretty entertaining.
Identity Crisis was horrid, the absolute worst part of DC's years of crisis, IMO. I even preferred Countdown. I will reserve judgment on FC, I bet it isn't as bad as all that, but it probably isn't that great, either.
Someone recommmended Brubaker's Incognito here, and whoever it was, thanks. It's the bomb and I recommend it to others who like "realistic super heroes" (probably an oxymoron) but not necessarily a bunch of unlikable, unrelatable psychopaths running the USA. -
Is #2 out yet?As for Dark Avengers, I'd say wait, because I think the all the Dark Illuminati stuff will happen there... if that stuff interests you, that is.
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Not "like" as in: You want to have a beer with him, but "like" as in: He's a great villian. He's totally become the system now, so what does a hero do? What do you do if a supervillian is able to confiscate your parents house because you've been classified as a terrorist because you fight crime in a mask? If you attck him, then you really are a criminal. The kind of situation Norman is creating is the type of situation where you really see Heroes pushed, where they really show what they are made off. I think this is a fantastic set up.
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He is a totally insane, evil person. A complete villain. So I am not supposed to like him.
As a character, I don't mind him. But the current situation is just too much for me to stomach. Going with what you say, that he is THE most important guy in the MU currently, then the Marvel U has given the keys to the kingdom to a known psycho super-villain.
I had a problem with the endorsement of using psycho killers like Venom and Bullseye to round up rebels like American Eagle, etc. But since it was at least kind of on the down low,I could kind of accept it.
Norman Osborne, big hero? No. At least Tony Stark had some credibility. I know many readers like this "new" direction, but to me it is more of the same, with a different and even more reprehensible leader. -
Seriously?I'm not sure if SUPPOSED to be a "dark" time for the heroes. Norman getting the keys to the kingdom is a "bad" thing for the marvel universe, but its a "good" thing for us readers because of the potential conflicts and stories. Plus, this is something else Tony has to atone for.Look, all your complaints about Norm and the others are true, but thats the point.I'm not sure if you realize or not that you're supposed to feel bad. You supposed to feel bad because Norm is a bad guy. Think of Norm, like the Empire and the various Heroes like the Rebellion. You honestly don't think there's going to be some fun there? See, we aren't supposed to cheer for them, not Norm or Bullseye or Venow. We're supposed to root for the outgunned, outnumbered, outmanuevered and surrounded Heroes like American Eagle or Stark or the New Avengers. Because despite the odds and the seeming inevitability of the outcome, they keep fighting. Anybody can "hero" on a bright and sunny day, its when the chips are down that the real heroes shine.
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IT should read: "I'm not sure if you're joking with me, but this is SUPPOSED to be a "dark" time for the Heroes."
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It is a bit much to stomach that the president would give Osborn such authority, but I think they're starting to deal with this very issue in Thunderbolts. I mean, I'm willing to give them that conceit for the sake of some cool stories, particularly if they *do* come up with some half-assed explanation for it.
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Although I am curious - the average Joe *does* know Osborn was the Green Goblin, right? Doesn't that bother anybody?
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I think Norm is setting shit up to cause a little "plausible deniability" in a classic superhero way in the current issue of Thunderbolts right now.But, I think the public DOES know, but then, that was the point of the Thunderbolts program, right? Rehabilitation.
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Where did that go???
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You're right, of course, Joe, he is supposedly rehabilitated. It is just too much for me. Rehabilitated to be out of jail, fine.
But in "reality" a politician can't even cheat on his wife, be gay, be non-Christian and still keep a viable career, so even in comic-reality, I have a hard time with Osborne's current role.
And I am just tired of this "Dark" time. It's been going on forever, with no end in sight. Exception: I did quite enjoy the first issue of Dark Reign. -
And on TV no less? I mean, look what happened post 9/11...Too dark, too long? Bah! Five years. Thats a drop in the bucket. But since you loved Mighty and I was luke warm and you were luke warm on Dark and I loved it, thats probably just a personal taste thing.
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Anybody out there know WTF happened to The Twelve from Marvel?
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Please stop drinking Didio Kool-Aid, you're turning into his not-so Mini-Me. Please.
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JMS couldn't finish a series if his life depended on it. He's Mr. Never-follow-through.
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You totally delivered on those earth shattering, rock the DCU to it's core promises. What? Batman didn't die? Darkseid didn't end up enslaving all of humanity? Patrick Duffy woke up and claimed the whole Final Crisis event was just a dream? Oh. Well, just don't cancel Secret Six and I"ll forgive you DC. But just this once.
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I agreed that the new story line is promising and the art is interesting. Hellbalzer is still the best longest running title in the Vertigo line. I mean, what other comic, in any of the other companies, can boast such a great run. Aside from the artwork which was sometime really crappy, Hellblazer has never disapointed me. Even the weaker stories have been above average. I hope it is still there and as good for another 20 years.
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I just can't buy him bring given so much power either. Even if he is supposed to be a rehabilitated psychopath. As for the "he saved the world on TV" bullshit, just... no. He shoots the alien queen after everyone and his brother has done all the heavy lifting and everyone thinks he's a savior? The hell? Is everyone in the Marvel Universe a drooling idiot? Well, given some plot lines mayhaps that's not all that far off. But it's just hard to swallow. Not that I don't think a few of the best writers won't get a few good stories out of it, but it's still too silly for me.
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I have to agree with pretty much what you said this week, except for Norman Osborn. Sorry, but I just can’t believe him as this Machiavellian villain. I always thought the biggest mistake, bigger than bringing back Bucky (which I admit Brubaker did a great job with) or Jean Grey/Phoenix, was bringing back the original Green Goblin. To me he worked better when he was dead, a kind of horrible legacy that was always being passed on (his son Harry, the Hobgoblin, etc.), and the fact that he actually killed Peter Parker’s love of his life kind of demanded that he too pay the ultimate price.
The other problem with him, which I admit is completely subjective, is that he seems so out of character now. I first started reading the reprints of the Green Goblin stories in the late 70s, and the character from that era is so unlike the Norman Osborn of today. I mean, the Green Goblin was so crazy he thought by dressing up like a green elf using Halloween decorations as weapons and killing Spider-Man that would somehow make him become the mob boss of NY city! I’m sure all the wise guys in their suits would love taking orders from him. Plus the limit of his plotting was always get Spider-Man somewhere and kill him; it never was take over the city, get away with a robbery or do some master plan like brainwash millions. Just somehow kill Spider-Man and all his dreams would come true. He was completely obsessed with one guy and I loved that.
But when they brought him back from the dead, they turned him into this Lex Luthor wannabe whose secret identity is a Joker wannabe, and revealed that he had been behind all these incredible plots in the past. Just didn’t seem like it could be the same guy. To me it is kind of like loving the Darth Vader in Episodes IV-VI, and then seeing the prequels and seeing that Vader once was an obnoxious, whiny hipster; doesn’t seem plausible that they could be the same person.
I admit that some writers out there might have been able to work wonders with Osborn, and that his current incarnation might make sense because of those people work, but I obviously haven’t read it and I just can’t pick up must comics with him in it because I find his current portrayal so off the mark of how his character once was, it is hard for me to suspend disbelief.
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Two words: Mission Accomplished
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I've read that both JMS and Weston are working on other projects which have mind-bogglingly taken precedence over finishing this series. I think the blame can be split evenly between the writer, the artist, and the a-hole editors at Marvel who don't do their jobs of making sure the creators are doing their jobs and keeping on schedule.
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I think the thing tht really put it in perspective for me, as far as to how the normal people of the Marvel U see the heroes world was, I don't remember which title it was, but Post-SI, it might have been while Jessica was flipping out about the baby, but in the background the News is on and the newscaster is saying: "we can't see much... it looks like the battle is done, there's lots of people milling around... I think that ship just opened..." yadda, yadda, yadda... which to me says: the majority of the populace only get second hand tales at best, think of it like celebrity gossips shows. Was Paris Hilton drunk driving? I thought she did, but there she is driving a Bentley. Did Norman Osborne used o dress up in green and purple tigts and throw blondes off buildings? I thought so, but then again, now he's got a governement position, so... I don't know.I mean, I bet there's "truth" sites out there frothing at the mouth about Osborne, but to the majority of Americans... Name the person now in charge of H.A.M.M.E.R.? Uh... Hillary?Keep in mind, Norm was appointed, not elected and also, it looks like he's working hard to keep that appointment with the current new administration in the latest issue of Thunderbolts.Finally... thats just the way it is... for now.
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True. I agreeI was always against bringing him back, but that clone saga days and what the hell can you do about it now... oh wait... I bet Peter could make a deal with one of the devils of the Marvel U: Mephisto!Also, yes, he definitely isn't the same guy, that is totally true, BUTBUT... I think the Marvel U needs that villian. They have world conquerors like Doom. They have street thugs like The Wrecker. They have crime bosses like the Hood and the Kingpin. They have true Machiavellian (which I don't think Norm is) like Magneto. They have theives like Sandman. They have assasins like Bullseye, etc, etc. What they don't have is the Corporate sleeze, the Man with the Plan, the guy behind the guy, the System. The guy who does't need to rule the world because he already has access to all the best stuff.Right now, orman Osborne is THE most dangerous man in the entire Marvel U. He is a near untouchable villian, a sociopath and a psychopath and right now, the Heroes are fucked and scrambling for cover. I'm excited to see what happens.So, true, I agree they shouldn't have resurrected him, as his death was actually a big moment in Spidey's story, but they did. And true he's not the same anymore, BUT I do think he's a lot more interesting now then when he was just some loony goon on a flying skiff, throwing flaming pumpkins. Now, he's dangerous. He's a real threat. He's not a pale shadow of the Joker and while yes, you could say that he's following in Luther's footsteps, I'd say that he is doing it better than Luthor ever did.
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1. In regards to Osborne, thats why I loved Supreme Power, because it addressed the elephant in the room: if Superman existed, he would simply kill Osborne. There is nothing Osborn or anyone else could do about it if Superman put his mind to it. Thats why I dont collect alot of mainstream stuff, as I've grown older its become harder and harder for me to overlook the obvious. The idea of these heroes plotting these elaborate schemes to stop Osborne when a simple bullet in the head would do the deed gets more and more laughable. 2. The reason Joe hates Scarlet Witch is the reason I suspect I've never been able to fully buy into Green Lantern: vague, limitless powers that enable him to do pretty much anything. 3. Although I'll drop in on the DC universe from time to time, stuff like Final Crisis, with the yearly DC promise that "after this.....EVERYTHING CHANGES!!" reminds me why I'm just not that into them. Elaborate, impenetrable continuity, a flagship character who is basically an invincible god, and that infamous DC "frozen in amber" feel (Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved), just elicits a giant shrug. Although Secret Six was pretty cool a year ago or so, gotta check out the trade on that one.
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was entertaining but always a little overrated. Its not like the "heroes out of time" storyline hasnt been done a million times, and better. It was entertaining though, I'm not happy it barely got halfway done before dying out....and as an FYI, looks like I dropped X-Factor just a few issues too early, dammit. Fuck you Stroman for putting the nail in my coffin just as it got good again!!
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Jan 28, 2009 6:43:09 PM CST
Zombie Cop? Wasn't that a Joe Piscopo/Treat Williams film?
by catlettuce4
I sure seem to remember that plot from the 1980s
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As someone who is the biggest defenders of old fashioned, squared-jaw superheroes and the nobility they represent, I have to agree with gooseud that it is about time for heroes to start killing some villains. I am not saying they should be ruthless vigilantes, but sometimes the moral thing to do is actually kill a man.
How many times have we seen Batman bring in the Joker only to have him escape and go on another killing rampage? After awhile I would start to hold Batman responsible for the Joker’s victims; he knows that the Joker is a psychotic killing machine that won’t stop, that he has been declared legally insane so he never has to face the death penalty no matter what, and he knows that sooner of later the Joker will escape from Arkham and kill more people, because he has done that again and again. It is inevitable; unless Batman does something that the courts and police for some reason won’t do and kill him. And when I hear that horrible excuse from Batman and his apologist, “If you kill him, the Joker has won” I think to myself, let him win just as long as his prize is six feet of dirt.
(Fuck. If I was a citizen of Gotham, I would be pissed as hell at Gordon and Batman for how many times they could have killed the Joker and chose not to. Think how many people would still be alive if they had killed him years ago? Jason Todd (well he got better), Gordon’s wife, all those people he ran over in the Robin Christmas issue, all the cops he has killed, all the people he has poisoned over the years. Fuck, Batman is such a douche for resuscitating him after Nightwing beat him almost to death).
And it isn’t just the Batman, but almost every hero out there who is guilty of this. I mean, if US soldiers fond Bin Laden and arrested him, only for him to escape and launch further terrorist attacks, or if Charlie Manson somehow managed to escape from prison and go on a killing rampage every time he was arrested, and I would think the standing order would be “kill on sight.” The immoral thing to do would be to let them live knowing that they are always a potential threat to innocent people, and have proven time and time again they will escape and kill again.
Of course, I don’t won’t the heroes to indiscriminately kill people out there like they are the Punisher; to me that opens another can of worms that hasn’t really been dealt with (such as, has the Punisher accidentally killed an innocent person or the wrong person?). But the fact is, to quote Jane’s Addiction, “Some people deserve to die/That is just unconscious knowledge.”
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One thing that did bum me out last year was the ending of the Zoo Crew mini. I didn't get the point of bringing them back, only to end by turning them into regular animals in the regular DCU. It seemed like pissing on the (probably very few) Zoo Crew fans for no apparent reason.
I had put that out of my mind until I read here that they apparently return in FC7. God no! As a semi-kind of- sort of defender of FC, this may really flip me to the "total suckage" viewpoint.
Much like the misogynist, throwback conclusion to Identity Crisis soured me so much that I will never, ever purchase anything written by Brad Meltzer again. -
Considering the way the universe works in the DC world, killing the Joker would simply be futile since he'd just pop back up a few months later after the annual near-apocalypse.
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Let me say this with the knowledge that cops are people too. Having said that, are cops immoral? Because if a bank robber has a gun to a civilian's head, in the words of Pacino in Heat, "Brother, you are goin down". Does that make them immoral? Do the cops sit and discuss ways to take down the bank robber without killing him? Im not some Punisher serial killer fan, but there comes a time where simply, the guy has it coming. I was going to mention that Batman example, but I wanted to wait to see if anyone would bring it up. Plainly put, Batman has blood on his hands. He had opportunities to kill Joker and didn't do it.
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pretty much everybody they saw as a threat. That's what was great about them. They had the idea that they would actually do something to change the world and they did it. And usually left a trail of bodies to do it. At the time this was completely counter to what you would think of a "normal" super team. But considering the type of villians they fought/fight if you don't kill them things would only just get worse for everybody.
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Sorry I posted before I was finished because I thought the laptop was gonna die......take Nova. He isnt out looking to kill anyone obviously. That title is the definition of a combo of new school and old school awesomeness.....BUT when the time comes for Nova to regulate on some bitches (Annihilation), he comes to play. Or Thor....hes not looking to kill, but in the Secret Invasion crossover, he showed if you get out of line, he will drop Asgard on your fucking head and squish you and not think twice. And I honestly believe, if Cap had asked him to kill Stark a few issues back, he would have. Its all about moderation: not everyone is the Punisher, but constantly havng to come up with these tortured explanations for why Tony wouldnt just smoke Osborne like a Cuban cigar gets old quick.
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yeah, and Batman knows this. This has been known since DKR, remember in that book he realizes it and knows he should kill the joker but he can't bring himself to do it.
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I agree that Batman has let the Joker off too many time. Nobody would live in Gotham City considering that psycho keeps leaving Arkham Asylum like it has a revolving door.
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Thats why an incredibly badass scene with Batman outsmarting the most evil, powerful villain in the DCU gets ruined by people whining "but he would never use a gun!!!" Really? Never? He would let the entire multiverse go down in flames to evil rather then simply use a gun? Really? I mean, this is hypothetical, because in the end Morrison made the 100% correct story decision and had him pull the trigger. Honestly, any character too dumb to use the gun in that situation is a character I dont really want to read about.
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my bad. I should have read FC7 before commenting on it. Now that I have, I take back the "pissing on the fans" comment, but I have other questions I'll save for a week.
Now that I have finished FC7...it was...ok. -
Did he completely abandon Powers yet? I mean what is it now, 3 issues a year? Powers is the only Bendis comic I care about and its the one he pays no attention to. If it wasn't for comics like Powers he wouldn't have his job at Marvel so he should really show the fans some respect and actually work on it sometime! If he is not going to just hand it down to someone else who has the balls to take over!
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Bendis and Oeming are working on volume 3 now to assure it comes out on a monthly schedule, with a launch scheduled for sometime this year. Oeming is also busy as fuck with Mice Templar, which he draws and co-writes.
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The difference between police and superheroes is that police represent the authority of the local, state and federal government, and because of that they are given the authority to use force, including lethal force, when it is deemed necessary. They have strict guidelines they are supposed to follow and oversight, and in theory they can be held accountable for their actions, something that you can’t say about all superheroes.
Most superheroes are by definition vigilantes, it is just that the majority of them do not consider themselves completely above the law, unlike the Punisher who doesn’t believe in the law and instead believes in justice, acting as judge, jury and executioner. In the real world someone like Bernhard Geotz would represent the Punisher, wishing to kill or seriously injure criminals at his discretion, and either the Guardian Angels or some sort of neighborhood watch program would represent the other superheroes, wishing only to prevent crime and make citizens arrest when necessary. Both sides have their obvious drawbacks.
That is why I liked what you said about Nova or Thor, or the new rules concerning the Green Lantern Corps concerning lethal force against the Yellow Lanterns. At least they acknowledge this reality. The funny thing is that one of the most “aw-shucks”, goody-goody heroes was actually one of the few who was willing to use lethal force if absolutely necessary, and that was the original Captain America, Steve Rogers.
Besides killing in WWII or the time he unloaded an Uzi on a bunch of Ultimatum members who were killing civilians, Captain America has never had a problem with killing his arch-foe, the Red Skull. While I know in past issues he has mentioned he wanted to take him in alive so he would finally face the charges for the crimes he has committed, I also remember comments about how he can’t let the Red Skull escape, no matter what. Unlike Batman, Captain America at least seemed to recognize the danger and psychotic nature of his archenemy, and realized that it was more immoral for him to let the Skull get away then it would be for him to break his pledge of not taking a life.
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"Of course I’m aware of a perpetual and chronic discontent from a particular jaded minority on the internet but I try to overlook their constant expressions of dissatisfaction on the grounds that it’s depressing and often personally abusive.
Surely part of the fun of comics includes following stories across titles? If you like comics, what’s so awful about buying another one to see what happens next? And if you don’t want to buy it, don’t bother. Do something else. Buy cigarettes or booze or bananas. I don’t know!
Every time I read about the agonizing pains of ‘event fatigue’ or how ‘3-D hurts my head...’ or how something’s ‘incomprehensible’ when most people are ‘comprehending’ it just fine, it’s like visiting a nursing home. ‘Events’ in superhero comic books FATIGUE you? I’m speechless. Admittedly they do tend to be a little more exciting than the instruction leaflets that come with angina pills but... ‘fatigue’?
Superhero comics should have an ‘event’ in every panel! We all know this instinctively. Who cares ‘how?’ as long as it feels right and looks brilliant?" -
I love Grant.Here's why Stark hasn't killed Osborne. Two reasons:1. Because its been a while since Osborne has done anything illegal that they know of. Sure, he killed some CSA guards in Thunderbolts mountain, but who saw that? No one. Norman got his position due to heroism during S.I. He hasn't acted outside the law. True, he has a history of crime, but recently, he hasn't done anything that the Heroes that could put him down know of. Thats important and it leads me to Reason 2.2. Its a big deal to kill, don't pretend like it isn't. Fuck the Batman thing with the Joker, because I don't care... But Tony Stark, I think, will kill... he just needs a reason. A REAL reason, something more than "I suspect Osborn has some nefarious plots." If Osborne was about to destroy the world or kill a bunch of people, I think Stark would put him down, BUT... for accepting a position appointed by the President? You can't kill a guy for that, come on.
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for all his bullshit, Hyperion didn't actually DO anything in Supreme Power. Although, it was a great comic and yet another example of JMS dropping the ball like the lame ass fuckwad that he is. How is it that people working in comics can just... NOT do their job and still get paid and then hired for more work? How does that happen?
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I agree with you about Osborn (Norman, not Ozzy) and his "untouchable" position. The heroes may know he is a douchebag and a psychopath, but they have no evidence that he is up to no good. A lot of people thought that Donald Rumsfield was an asshole and evil, but very few people were actually willing to try to off him, especially when they know he is protected by the federal government and would be hunted down if they even tried to kill him.
Secondly, in the real world it would be easy for an Iron Man or some other super-hero to off the President or a director of the an agency such as the CIA or the FBI. They would be the only ones with any sort of powers or advanced weapons. But in a comic book universe like Marvel, the U.S. government has access to all types of hi-tech weapons and super-powered agents.
Any superhero in Marvel who tries to mess with the government or off a high rank official is going to have to deal the Office of National Emergency (O*N*E), Mandroids, Sentinels, Guardsman, SHIELD/HAMMER agents armed with Forge neutralizers, a bunch patriotic heroes who don’t question orders like U.S. Agent, Nuke, Thunderbolts, and other pro-government heroes, and finally every other hero out there who believes in upholding the laws and doesn’t believe your rants about a government conspiracy. A pretty hard task to do all on your own, even if you are Iron Man or some other super hero.
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final crisis is shit. superman beyond is too much for his delicate little brain, which is ok, he just shouldn't try to review it.
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Jan 29, 2009 5:26:48 AM CST
messi ninja, as I said FC sucks [and your review of it was fine]
by ironic_name
but you fucked up with SB. mostly. if you don't feel you can understand a bloody comic then don't review it.
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1. Joe, you had to have read the Nighthawk/Hyperion mini. Basically, an African Rwanda-style dictator is talking shit to Hyperion about how he cant do anything about his raping, pillaging, klling, etc, due to his U.N./U.S. connections, Hype basically turns to him, like "Hmmmm.....interesting"....and then proceeds to incinerate him. Then turns to the dictators 2nd in command and is like "are you next?" Fantastic scene. 2. Osborne is perhaps a bad example on the killing argument.....or is he the best example? He hasnt done anything to clearly warrant it, but the heroes know he is evil and cant be "touched". I totally understand the argument that he hasnt done anything glaring....but those untouchable guys pulling strings are exactly the people that Supreme Power was talking about, with Hyperion simply tiring of the red tape and politics and simply smoking them. 3. I think Nova/Annihilation illustrated it best, as i mentioned. Richard Rider clearly isnt a killer. It showed the emotional toll that war and killing took on him. However, when it came time to strap up, there was no tedious internal debate on the rightness of his actions. Clearly, he had no other choice in the circumstances and was doing what needed to be done. I dont believe every character is the same. Spider-MAn, I totally buy it. He was a lab rat before, after all. In fact, the "kill or not" debate has been handled absolutely pitch perfect n the past with Spidey, there were moments he got really pissed and wanted to kill, but didnt, IT was always handled very well. 4. Cap is exactly who i was thinking of as well. Clearly, if given the chance, Cap would kill the Skull. He wouldnt enjoy it, but.......
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is actually the perfect test case in this debate, he seems in the middle between pro (Wolvy, Cap, Bucky, Thor) and Con (Spidey, Mr. Fantastic). There is nothing in Tony's past that would seem to prohibit him from klling, nor encourage it. Thats a very interesting question: would Tony kill if his back was against the wall or circumstances dictated?
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He explains how he wanted to break "rules" of current comics writing, the "screenplay format" used by so many now (like he's trying to write the polar opposite of what someone like Bendis could do), and he says "Why not compose a comic like a piece of music? Or an opera?" And he goes on to explain how he tried to do that, mimic the structures of opera and music. I understand that experiment. I even admire its ambition, though I think it's misguided. Anyway, here's the answer to his rhetorical question:BECAUSE A COMIC DOESN'T REPRODUCE THE EFFECTS OF AN OPERA OR A PIECE OF MUSIC. It achieves its own effects through its own materials. And things like "drama" and "characterization" aren't "rules" of some ossified past, they're PRINCIPLES of storytelling, and they only got to be that way because they are what has been shown to work throughout time immemorial.And still, I love his work (minus FC, which as time passes will eventually come to be seen as a kooky, enjoyable experiment-- right now we're all let down by the marketing vs. the experience).
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Is ultra-lame.
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You're right, I forgot about that Darfur series, however didn't that scene happen only after Nighthawk pointed out how Hyperion hasn't done anything to affect the world? Eithe way, I only brought it up as a general gripe about the book, it started so good and then it just started drifting... away...I think Tony wouldn't hesitate to kill, especially if he saw it as the best way to save the most people, the greater good, if you will. He allowed himself to be villified for the good of the World by taking the lead with Hero Registration, remember? In fact, I think, given Tony's history of maybe somewhat rushed decisions thast sometimes backfire on him (Civil War, Illuminati, SI) and lack of self control (alcoholism) that Tony is actually the most likely to use extreme force when the situation warrants and most likely to the shock and horror of his teammates. ESPECIALLY because, until recently, I always claimed that Iron Man was the Wonder Woman of Marvel, great on a team, but completely unable to go solo. Of course now the Fraction book is awesome, but at the time... Anyway, Wonder Woman killed when she had to and so would Tony Stark.In fact, the one only way I could see Norm getting killed now is if Tony decides to chuck it all and sacrifice himself and his legacy by assasinating Norm. Because after that, Tony would be done.I haven't read the Nova stuff. I plan on checking it out. Where did it start?Cap's a soldier. He'd do what he had to, if he had to.
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It helps to be familiar,somewhat, with Nova from before (New Warriors and all that) but basically, just Wiki the character to get some background info, and start with the Annhiliation minis. There were four Annihilation minis leading up to the Annihilation main series, the minis are a must to understand anything. Not all feature Nova, obviously. Just read those first, then read Annihilation proper, and go from there. That was literally one of the best things Marvel has put out in years, everything Secret Invasion wanted to be and wasnt, and has several of the most genuinely surprising "HOLY SHIT!!" moments I can remember (one featuring Galactus late in the series that was truly bad ass).
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I think I need to stop reading anything any artist I like says. It inevitably affects my ability to enjoy their work. I used to enjoy Chuck Dixon's writing, for example, but won't read it anymore.
I never really read any comments by Morrison before, but for him to cry about "jaded" fans not appreciating his work, just...sucks. Who does he think reads his work? Newbies to comics? He can't possibly actually think that.
Morrison appears to be one of many artists who now resents his own fans, the same people who enabled him to become a "name." Apparently, all of us "jaded" internet people are just losers with nothing to do except "personally abuse" him. Of course, we are the same people buying his books and keeping him flush.
Would he prefer we not buy his books? Of course not. He (and many, many others) want us to buy his product, sing it's praises or shut the f*** up. How dare we fans be so ungrateful. Screw us! We suck.
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Put a bad taste in my mouth all around.
Newsarama seems to just let them spout whatever drivel they want.
I'm a huge proponent of free speech (one of the reasons I started theybannedme.com). I would not want my opinion shackled for the sake of getting more comps.
He states it was on of DCs best-selling books of 08. That's great, but what about the industry as a whole. I seem to remember reading that FC got its ass kicked by Secret Invasion.
Not following convention is fine, but to completely disregard a cohesive storyline is Alan Moore's bag. -
Most recently, most famously, and most goddamned stupidly, Happy Fucking Hogan.
So I guess that puts the whole "would he/wouldn't he" thing to rest. He has, he does, he will. Nuff said. -
Ah... New Warriors... its funny how much that comic comes up. Is New Warriors the ACTUAL center of the Marvel universe?I make it a rule to never read the opinions of any "celebrity" whose work I enjoy, even if I agree with them. I mean, I'm totally with Vigo Mortenson, but just hearing his whiny actor boy voice going on about shit that he's just too fucking dumb to really understand... I'm just not interested.So, I don't really read interviews or listen to commentaries... HOWEVER, I do listen to the Word Balloons whenever Bendis is on, because he's funny. Also, Bendis never whines about his detractors, he takes it in stride. Plus, he's really funny.
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nobody cares about Happy...
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They care a lot, if they ever cared about Iron Man in the slightest. They care about the idiocy of Pepper being turned into a cheap Oracle knock-off, too, but not nearly as much as they care of Happy being killed by Tony in what was clearly the stupidest goddamned thing any writer has ever done in an Iron Man story ever.
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Okay, I've been pretty lenient towards Morrison up until now. WTF just happened? Also, how are DC books continuing? How do people remember Batman's death? What's the deal with the vampire? How'd supergirl get there? Uh, what happened? I seriously read this book four times and I cannot figure out what happened. I've definitely been a cheerleader for this series, but this ending is a mess. An absolute mess. And when did comics companies stop shipping books on time, for Christ's sake? When did that become cool?
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nobody cares about Happy...
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don't spoil it... I want to be surprised by my sense of vague confusion.
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I read it and my head exploded. I feel like i woke up in a hotel bathtub full of ice with my organs missing.
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Doesn't matter what character you have; he or she is someone's favorite. Could be because the character was in the first issue they ever bought. Could be because for some reason that character struck a chord in a reader. That's why it's important to have writers like Dan Slott who don't want to make their mark by pissing on characers that have been around for years (I'm looking at what Bendis did to Alpha Flight here). The problem with writers today is that they a)want to make their mark in the industry (and to their short-sighted viewpoint that means killing a character off) and b)don't consider stories of the past and think that anything that occurred before Kevin Smith wrote Daredevil doesn't count.
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Are you TRYING to claim that their were comics written before Kevin Smith that count? WHATEVER!
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Little know secret.
You know, Morrison came across as a pretty likable and cool guy who really enjoyed comics when he was talking about FC at the DC panel at 2008 Comicon. He might be seeing the ideal form of FC in his head and not totally get that its execution in form was somewhat flawed. -
Just a lot of stuff that doesn't have any explanation. Nothing really to even "spoil."
Definitely errors do occur. For example, one prominent character is wearing a mask which covers the lower half of the face, then a few panels later, the character removes a full face mask and crushes it. This one is on the part of the artist. Why this character was ever wearing the mask is one of the questions that is never explained, but it isn't a major point or anything. Lots of stuff like that. -
You're a fucking idiot. Do me a favor and please self distruct so I can ban you and forget you.
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Is getting your Comic Con ticket in the mail.
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Morrison's quote - the one Laserhead mentioned - reminds me of a part in David Mamet's book on directing film. I should mention that I consider Mamet a great screenwriter and playwright, but average director. This was a good book though.
But anyway, he does have a great section comparing the avant-garde and experimental artists and filmmakers who want to do away with dramatic structure with the Counterculture Architects who felt that traditional architecture was to “stifling”. They didn't design houses based on purpose, but on how they "felt".
Of course all those Counterculture buildings fell down over the years, because there is a reason for traditional designs. They serve a purpose. A building has to at the very least stand up and not fall apart before you start worrying about its aesthetic beauty and how to move away from the traditional.
The same could be said about some experimental comics, where there are a lot of them that don’t hold up and fall apart, and they don’t age as gracefully as the “old-fashioned” comics made at the same time. I am not a huge Watchmen fan and think its status as the greatest comic ever is overrated, but I will say this about it: you can follow the damn thing. It didn’t try to invent a new way of telling a comic book story, it told the story with the same structure and rules that had been used before. Only this time it changed the content and subject matter, that is all.
I admire Morrison for trying to move away from the classic comic structure model, but he can’t get upset at the audience if they look at it and say, “It fell apart.”
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I actually thought Joenathan has been especially polite this talkback, compared to his usual self. Sure the Happy Hogan line was a bit snide, but in his defense a lot of people would say the same thing. The majority of comic book fans really don't care about Happy Hogan, unfortunately.
As for his Kevin Smith line, that was obvious sarcasm. -
Seems a bit over the line? Maybe you should ban yourself?
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That is spot on. I admire him for doing what he did, and I had his back with Batman, RIP. I thought what he did there was like magic. But here, it's just a garbled mess, and it really negates what (I had thought) he'd accomplished with Batman. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but honestly, I don't understand what happened. I literally don't know what happened. I cannot explain it to you. It's that much of a mess. I mean, I'm maybe not the brightest guy in the room, but...I feel like it's really incomprehensible. Things really don't make sense.
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If Superman Beyond is part of the story, then, you know, MAKE it part of the story. But even WITH those issues, I feel like this is a mess.
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The end of Seven Soldiers? Or the end of Seaguy?
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This makes SEVEN SOLDIERS look like DICK AND JANE.
Morrison thinks that showing just a panel here, a page there of a bajillion disjointed things somehow lends his story "scope".
He is wrong.
The only way one can appreciate the scope of something is if we can also grasp the context of the events and have some idea how the characters--*any* of them, even one--relate to and play a part in that context or scope.
This issue takes the problems the first six issues had, squeezes them all into a single issue, doubles or triples them, and gives you not one reason to give a shit about a single word or image. No characterization, no context, no scope, nothing...just the mad ravings of a guy who's disappeared so far up his own arse he forgot somebody had to read what he was writing.
FINAL CRISIS is a jumbled mess. It tries to go in a dozen directions at once and ends up going nowhere at all. In fact, all those people who said the first four issues were setup and all the big stuff would happen in the last three issues and all would be explained? Boy, were they wrong. Nothing is explained because none of it makes any damned sense at all--not even the big "oooh, Batman with a gun! Kickass!" moment. It's all pointless and incomprehensible and it gets dumber and dumber with every issue, right up to the final shitheaded last panel. Hell, reading issue 7 made me long for those hopeful, potential-filled days of the first three or four issues. -
so is FC more like that or more like the final issue of Seven soldiers, where... I'm not quite sure happened, but it was fun?
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It's not wacky, it's not surreal, it's not fun. You may have a fairly good idea of what happened here, but the execution is execrable. This is an awful, awful book. It's not fun, exciting, interesting, groundbreaking, universe-changing, or any goddamned thing else. It's just an unwieldy, ugly, stupid, poorly-executed abortion of a story.
The painful thing here is that I was one of the people really, really looking forward to this. I thought it was gonna kick all kindsa ass, and instead it just left me disgusted at the waste of time, effort and money. -
Happy Hogan was a Jimmy Woo type pre Agents of ATLAS (people may have recognized him but, with some exceptions, sorta supporting SHIELD cast). Now, say they just killed Subdirector Woo off and did not do the whole Agents of A.T.L.A.S story line - it would have been the Happy treatment - taking the easy way out, taking an established supporting character, treating him like one of Matt Murdoch's girlfriends, and sending him back to imagination land. Instead, they did something interesting (and, yeah, brought him back from the dead), but the point is C list characters DON'T have to be dramatic cannon fodder for lazy writers.
The objective flaws (or flawed approach) of Countercultural art and architecture manifest themeselves in Countercultual poltics,i.e., tearing everything down, and severing links to instutions, mores, norms, on the basis of adolescent disatisfaction, worship of naked progress, and the urge to create a perfect world; it's a lot of egg breaking but you never really get the damn omlette.
You know, I thought Red Belt was pretty good (which I think Mamet directed, but maybe not, to lazy to google). -
This is why I read Marvel.Remember how awesome The Invisibles, We3, All Star Superman and the beginning of Seven Soldeirs was?Ahhh... in with the good... out with the bad...
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Nova, actually ,is that they DO look fondly back on the New Warriors, its one of the more continuity based, referential books out there. They dont pretend the character just popped out of nowhere, they look back on his New Warrior days with affection and fully acknowledge how things have changed since then. Knowing how he was back in the day makes the bad ass soldier Nova seem like even more of a bad ass. Its called character development, some books should look into it. And oh yeah, the Pepper Potts as Oracle thing is literally one of the lamest things I've ever laid eyes on, I stumbled across a few Order back issues and checked em out, pretty good book but damn is that lame.
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My problem with JoeGnat has been built over a span of time. This talkback sure, he's fine. But the next you guys are arguing with him like children in a schoolyard. And he's loving every sad, pitiful minute of it. Plain and simple, I don't like him, or at least the person he presents himself as in this and every talkback he participates in.
And Joe, I can insult because I've worked for AICN for eight years. You don't like it, fuck off and buzz away. You've been trolling around for months, trying to stir things up, then shutting up when I have to threaten you with a ban. You don't pay to log on and participate on this site, this is a free forum and over time, I've built enough trust from Harry and the guys for them to allow me to moderate AICN Comics and that includes ban when I feel it is best for the our column. It's not about disagreeing with me or having differing opinions. It's about making the talkbacks a fun place to be. Inciting arguments and then playing innocent is childish shit I won't stand for. Or would stand for if it were anyone but JoeGnat, a sad person who lives to annoy and be mentioned in this talkback.
I'm sure he's loving it that he's the topic of this conversation and I am breaking my mantra of not feeding the trolls just by acknowledging his existence, but you get me on the wrong day and it won't matter if it's for that column or the twelvth prior, he's already gone in my mind. I'm just waiting for the day he messes up. -
Re-read the interview, the key sentence was "Whats wrong with having an event on every panel?" Thats the problem, Morrison is writing to scenes, not a cohesive story. He has a series of "beats" that he wants to hit, and shoehorns the rest of the story in around those beats. The beats themselves are awesome (Green Arrow's last stand, Batman with the gun) but the problem is surrounding then with a horseshit incomprehensible story. Its the opposite of how Brubaker tells a story, which is why Bru is the man and Morrison is an overrated mess.
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a long time, possibly loved, but ultimately without impact supporting character is really nothing but dead weight. Removing them makes room for the possibility of newer supporting characters that might have more to bring to the table, more to give to the story and dynamic. Think of it like the Frenchwoman and Carl and Alex on Lost. Once, their stories were front and center, but now their story is done and they're reduced to just kind of hanging out and doing nothing. Its better with them gone. The cast is leaner and the story more focused.
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I have to second what deadbatter and Ambush Bug have said, especially the part that somewhere out there is a character who is someone's favorite. It reminds me of something Stan the Man once said, "There is no such thing as bad characters. Just bad writers."
While obviously classic Stan hyperbole, I think there is a grain of truth there. Good writers can take "bad" characters and make them interesting again. Despite all the criticism I have against Morrison, I give his a lot of props for talking the ultimate symbol of dated Batman mythos, the Club of Heroes, and make them relevant and interesting again.
That is why I hate to see people bad mouth old villains or heroes, claiming they are lame or corny or boring. Sure you might not like the Porcupine and think he is corny as hell, but I get goosebumps every time I hear that name. -
No, I agree with you that sometimes there is nothing to do with a character. My only complaint with that is that it is lazy writing to just kill him off. I mean, in real life the friends you have grown past or drifted away from just don't always die - they move away or live their own lives.
Look at Wyatt Wingfoot. He was a bit supporting character in the FF as Johnny Storm's college roommate and then drifted away, back to his reservation. Years later they were able to bring him back to great effect, having him eventually become a love interest to She-Hulk. If they had just killed him off after his usefulness was done, then wow, a couple issues of shock but that is it. This way they had someone re-enter the FF's lives, which in many ways is more interesting than someone's death. -
The Porcupine was one of my most favorite villains. Why? Becaus ehe was in one of the very first AVENGERS comics I ever bought. He's obscure. Sure he died a stupid death long ago (by falling on one of his own quills), but still he's a cool character with a fun comic booky costume. That's why I didn't like it when Fraction killed off Stilt-Man. Goofy yes, but he gave THE CHAMPIONS a run for their money, so dammit, the guy deserves a little respect.
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between the "lazy writer" and a character clutter. Sure, you can revamp Shaggy man and make him cool, but when you re-vamp Happy Hogan or Pepper... it just seems false.
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Remember he fought Thor once in a suit of Adamantium Alloy armor. Plus he once had a chance to crush Spider-Man's head but decided against it because he felt like he owed the web-spinner.
I also loved the time Turk stole his armor and got his ass handed to him by DD.
Aw Stilt-Man, we hardly knew ye. -
Why not just let Happy and Pepper live peacefully away from Tony Start, and only once in awhile bump into him or visit?
The thing about Lost is that they are trapped on an island. There you have to kill characters to get rid of the clutter (its not like they figured a way home without telling anyone else). -
...it's *how* you do it. The story surrounding Tony's decision to killy Happy was some of the flat-out stupidest, most out-of-character bullshit I've ever read, which is why it pisses me off to know end. Just so we're clear on what happened:
Tony Stark, one of the smartest guys in the Marvel U? His best friend is on life support. So Sue Storm, wife of one of the other smartest guys in the Marvel U Reed Richards, meets with Tony Stark in secret. Why? Because they're on opposite sides of a WAR. And their topic of discussion? Not, "Hey, Tony, why don't you and my braniac husband work together to save your best friend." Nope, it's Sue Storm, mother to two small children, always sympathetic to others and never one to surrender, saying "hey, you FUCKING GENIUS, you should go KILL YOUR BEST FUCKING FRIEND."
So, y'know, Tony does.
It's just beyond stupid, and a total betrayal of several characters at once. It's not just the what, it's the how and the why. -
The only reason they got Hap out fo the way anyway was to make it more like the movie and build Pepper up as a love interest in the comics. So Hap was killed. And Sleayz's problem with it wasn't even that he was killed. Sleazy and I both agree that it's the way he was killed that was the most idiotic. Hap in in a coma, so Sue Storm crosses Civil War lines (they were on opposite sides of the fence then) to have a lunch date with Tony and she convinces him that the guy who knows more tech than anyone on the planet and saved both himself and Pepper from death with his technology now has no other option than to kill one of his best friends and put him out of his misery rather than leave him in a coma. He even had the shitty Extremis virus in him and the writers couldn't come up with any other alternative than to have Tony pull the plug on Hap. That's just bad, bad writing.
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Remember after he died trying to help Cap, Captain America put his armor on display in Avengers Mansion with a plaque that read something like, "Porcupine's Armor. Honored Foe of the Avengers" or something like that.
And then the Masters of Evil took over the mansion and the Wrecking Crew were smashing it and the Wrecker saw the armor and said "Look at that! They got his armor hanging up like a trophy!" -
Who wrote that? I assume you're paraphrasing, but what reason did she say that for?
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The thing is, the Marvel U is an island too, sometimes called a sandbox and sometimes, the sandbox gets too cluttered. Besides, friends dying, thats the type of character building moments a superhero needs!
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...Is Gwen Stacy. Yes she was Spider-Man's big love interest, his Lois Lane if you will, but the writers realized she reached her limit as a potential character and felt they couldn't just keep doing the same soap opera routine they had been doing between them. So they decided to kill her.
And what a death it has been. She is still constantly mentioned or referenced in Spider-Man than most characters still living ex-girlfriends are (when is the last time you seen or heard about Bernie Rosenthal or Doris Evans?). Her death still haunts Peter Parker and, excluding the return of the Green Goblin and his “rape” of Gwen Stacy, you can’t think of a better comic book legacy than being Peter Parker’s tragic young love.
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Or did they kill her off for the gimmick? I'm inclined to say the gimmick, because it lead into a myriad of classic spider-man stuff that is intregral to who he is. Meaning, they took the second fiddle Gwen Stacy character and used her to further the drama and the story, which is as it should be, because when its done right, your main character only benefits.
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Yes, supporting characters can die if it is character building. But how often do we see poor writers just kill a character off just to make room or because he doesn't like someone.
Plus it isn't a character building moment if no one gives a shit 10-20 issues later that person died.
Remember when Kevin Smith killed Karen Page? Despite how some writers try to bring it up or have DD display remorse over her lose, I don't think the fans really believe it means anything. It was such an obvious bad stunt by Smith to show what a "edgy" writer he is.
But when Peter David had Jim Wilson die from AIDS related illness, that actually struck a cord. I think his death has had a longer term affect on the Hulk than Karen Page's death has had on DD (except for improving his status as the superhero no woman should date). -
When its done good, its good and when its done bad, its bad?Come on.
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Thats just comics. I think all writers fight against the apathy and inertia of the comic readers cynical expectations. What can you do? Never kill anyone? Revel in death? All you can do is tell the story to the best of your ability and weather a bunch of dorks snarking about it... I'm not familiar with how Hogan died, but whether it was handled good or bad, my point is, Hogan had reached his end, he'd reached it years ago and now all he did was stand in the background and occasionally say something. It was time, too bad it was (apparently) mishandled, though.
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I wonder how many dates have ended early after the: "Are you friends with any of your ex's?" question."Oh sure... you know... the ones that are still alive..."
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...that creates the lasting impression. Gwen Stacy's death is so memorable because Spider-Man thought he snagged her with his web and saved her. In fact, Spider-Man probably killed he by stopping her fall so abruptly. It is irony.
Bull's-eye killing Karen Page isn't ironic. It is just him being a dick and Kevin Smith doing a bad job of writing. Had Karen Page been murdered by a man that Matt Murdock defended, that would be ironic.
Or in the case of Happy Hogan, the character had to make a decision that went against his basic ethics, then that would be truly memorable. Tony Stark pulling the plug is just a cheap gimmick; Matt Murdock pulling the plug on Foggy wouldn't, because it would go against Matt's well established Catholic faith. If Tony Stark had launched missiles at super-villains satellite where he knew Happy was being held because he felt like he had no choice, his friend or millions of innocent lives, that would have been powerful and fit his character. -
That's all I am going to say about Final Crisis 7. Now you'll excuse me my head just exploded.
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Not any more than Alfred or Jarvis or Jimmy Olsen or dozens of others, really. All it would take to make Happy work is one good story. Just one good story, by one good writer, and Happy would have been completely rehabilitated. Instead, a coupla hack writers killed off a character that fans of Iron Man actually care about, and the writers will be forgotten in a year or two.
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In fact I love it. I love pulling out my reprints of New X-Men from the 70s re-reading those stories. Two people from the team died during that run, and both death’s had lasting impact. Bad writers just kill people for the shock value (I’m looking at you Kevin Smith) but good writers see if that character’s death will have a lasting effect on other characters and if in death he or she will be become more interesting.
I think you can say that both X-Men who died in the 70s, Thunderbird and Phoenix, fit those criteria. I can see Claremont arguing for Thunderbird’s death by saying, “Look, I want him to die on the first mission. We have always been saying that being a superhero and a X-Men is dangerous. Well, I think we should show how dangerous it could really be, by making one of the X-Men make the ultimate sacrifice. From then on, readers will know how dangerous and how much at risk these characters are at. If I was making a war movie and I wanted to show how dangerous war is, I would have on the guys in the squad die. That is what we are doing here. And like in war, a comrade in arms who falls in battle will always be remembered.”
As for Phoenix, I think her death had left a huge impression on the X-Men for years (until they fucked it up again by bringing Jean Grey back). So many moments were of the Cyclops, Wolverine, Prof. X or someone else thinking about Jean, remembering Jean or missing Jean. And like Gwen Stacy, I think Jean did more in death to develop the X-Men’s character than she could have done in life.
Once again, my problem isn’t with death, but what you get out of it. If you just treat death as a “gimmick” (which I know ultimately it is, but it doesn’t have to be a cheap gimmick) it has no power and is so forgettable. It is the reason why the movie “Psycho”, which has characters you invest in and has them die for more than just shock value, will be remembered years from now while My Bloody Valentine 3-D, which treats its characters as generic cannon fodder, will be forgotten in just a couple of months.
Going back to Happy Hogan, I don’t mind that he died but that nothing came out of his death. No greater character development for anyone, no lasting impact. If the story had been something like Tony had an affair with Pepper and Happy found out about it, and because of this became reckless and died because of his recklessness that would mean something. Because now Tony would be filled with guilt over his actions contributing to his friend’s death, and even if he got over Happy’s death he still would probably have a drastic change in his character. He no longer would be the carefree Tony, but instead a character who truly worries about how his actions would affect others. That is something that would have lasting affect on the character for years, but right now all they got is a little shock for a couple of issues and than back to the same old.
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Homer, I just wanted to throw this in here; I didn't like IC-- not because of misogyny, but because it was a terribly plotted mystery. BUT-- I recently read the "Sword of the Atom" TP, and I gotta say: Jean Loring was batshit crazy in the 80s, too. I have to go find the book, but there's scene after scene of her behaving crazily-- cheating on Ray and blaming him; then when he's presumed dead, fucking her lover in their bed-- right after she got the new that he was supposed to have died! Then, he's dead, she's fucking her adulterous lover, and she says something like, "It'd be just like Ray to turn out to be alive!" Like, it would be just like that jerk not to be dead. I mean, she's so fucking crazy in that series that I wondered if Jan Strnad was going through some kind of horrible, soul-warping divorce or something at the time he wrote it. I think she's actually crazier in '80s Atom than in IC.
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Not in Norman or Harry's last name. Maybe if his first name is Ozzy.
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The misogyny in that series was overrated. What, rape would never occur, ever? Your surrounded by super villains at all times, but it would never happen. And then, a long-time batshit crazy character turns out to be bat shit crazy and its anti-woman? Oh, and I'd like to apologize, I re-read "Extremis" and Tony clearly will kill, it shows Tony killing 50 terrorists in his escape, and killing the Extremis terrorist when the guy leaves him no other option. Clearly, he falls on the Captain America side of this debate, and I should have known, honestly, EXtremis wasnt that long ago
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Sometimes people do bad things. Sometimes those people are women.But I can't think of a worse-written mystery. To actually resort to the "murderer-says-something-they-wouldn't-know-unless-they-were-the-murderer" breaks the hack barrier.
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Say it ain't so! I thought these stories featuring women with uber perfect bodies, GIGANTIC boobs, wearing costumes that are either a) painted on, b) fetish-y, or c) barely even visible, getting smacked around by guys in similar odd, fetishy, exploitative costumes was the very height of gender equity in fiction.
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Final Crisis is a disaster, it's a mess. I honestly cannot tell you, reading the DC books now, what the hell just happened or why I should care at all. I gather there's a multiverse now, but...wasn't there a multiverse after the Infinite Crisis? Batman's... sorta dead? It's a mess.
But it's nowhere near the putrid turd that was Identity Crisis. Final Crisis is harmless, and at least some aspects of it are interesting. (The Batman torture stuff that tied into the Bat Books was, frankly, brilliant––). Identity Crisis was not only a terrible mystery, ("Wait a minute, I never told you about...!") but it was also shamelessly gratuitous, exploitative, and really, at the end of the day, NOT that big of a deal. Everybody was wetting their pants because some schlock NY Times author was slumming in comics. I think it was absolutely a step in the wrong direction. -
Man, I remember when you read the first Batman, 'Last Rites' issue, and you had me so stoked for what Morrison might be doing... and then none of that happened. I was left wishing that he'd actually gone with your idea for the storyline.
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It's all MISANTHROPY. Let's stop segregating hate.
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I'd put forth that, despite the potentially mishandled death, Happy's passing has affected Tony. Check out his current actions in Factions Most Wanted arc that is going on right now. He's going to kill himself rather than take the chance that anyone else be hurt. Now, will it actually happen, well... but the intent is there and a line "could" be drawn back to Hogan. Although I'm still unclear as to the reasons behind his death. I'll have to go digging and look it up.
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Sure the mystery part was stupid, but there were some really well paced scenes of tension. I still love the scene where Boomerang finds TIm's father and he's racing to get to his house in the Batmobile. A really tense and cinematic scene. The resolution is what everyone thinks when they think IC and I think that's why many dislike it. It also had amazing art by Rags Morales.
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Why the fuck he became a target, I'll never understand.
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and made him an orphan like all Robin's have to be, or something.
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reverting to type. It made more sense when he had his own home.
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By repeating my complaint with Identity Crisis, I just want to follow up. I did not know that Jean Loring had been crazy for many years, and that does make some difference, but IC still concluded with a woman killing another woman to keep her man, and I just had/have a problem with that. I don't have a reason
I don't think the rape was misogynist, and I certainly don't think the big chested, barely dressed females are either. It is objectification, sure, but I don't mind that so much. Also, I found IC to be morose and ponderous in general, although it did have nice art. -
Was editing, accidentally posted. Incomplete sentence says "i don't have a reason" should say I don't have a problem with women killers, just the way it was done.
By the way, Joe, I actually would say that "when it's done good, it's good and when it's done bad, it's bad" is generally true for so many things...except pizza, which is good even when it's done bad. -
About the only thing they didn't do in Identity Crisis is show penetration. It was lurid trash. Final Crisis was pretentious trash. I don't know what's going on with the big 2 these days. I think Joe Q. and Dan Didio have run their course. I think they're out of ideas. Bendis's shtick is getting tired. Ultimate line is now becoming just like the mainstream line. Ultimatum is crap. Geoff Johns seems to be on a creative roll right now. Action comics was, without a doubt, the best mainstream title of the last 24 months. I'm interested to see if "Black Lanterns" sucks. Other than that, I see very few highlights in the two companies. They've become stunt factories, and for god's sake, they can't even deliver the trash they're putting out on time. When did 4, 12, or 50-week delays become standard practice? If they're going to shovel shit in my mouth, at least they could be professional about it.
Secret Invasion? Turd. World War Hulk? Turd. Final Crisis? Mess. Action Comics? Awesome. I'd take 1 Action Comics over every single stunt they've pulled in the last five years. -
Instead of Pizza, I've always said: blowjobs, because really... even a bad blowjob is a good blowjob.
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Anyone? Anyone? Does anyone else think it's bullshit? It shouldn't be when they feel like it. They're charging an arm and a leg, and don't tell me they're not making money. Quesada and Didio have cultivated an unprofessional atmosphere at both companies. Some books are better than others. Ultimate Spiderman seems to be on time, all the time. Action, too, seems to be on time. But I could never tell when Final Crisis was coming out, OR Secret Invasion, and I'm not even going to mention Kevin Smith or Frank Miller, who should just be removed forcibly from the medium. It shows such a lack of respect to the audience, and to the customer. Put the damn books out on time!
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What about Captain America?What about Old Man Logan?What about Daredevil?What about Invincible Iron Man?What about Ultimate Spider-manThose are all good books. And honestly, is Marvel, at least, in a worse state know than it was five years ago? Ten? fifteen? You have to admit Joe Q has brought Marvel to new places and more exposure. You may not approve or like some of the creative decisions, bu you can't deny that they haven't been successful and ultimately, thats for the good of the industry.
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those started around the time of Image. Remember Joe Mad? J. Scott Campbell? JMS? Thats where tht shit started.And I've never understood it. Why wouldn't you want to work at this job? why be in it? Why can't you put out 22 pages month? How can you still get a job in comics? How come I can't NOT go to my job for weeks at a time and then act indignant when someone calls me on it?
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I love Quesada. I love what he did. I just worry that he's maybe pulled all the rabbits out of the hat. I can't deny they've been more successful. I wonder how long that success will last, though, if they keep issuing poorly conceived stunt-books that are 6 months behind schedule.
And you're right, okay, I have omitted Brubaker,who's got to be given some massive creds. The books he's touched are golden, no question. Iron Fist, Daredevil, and Cap... great. I did give credit to ultimate spiderman, a title I still enjoy. But I do NOT enjoy some of the other stuff Bendis is doing now. Secret Invasion sucked, in the end. And everybody Bendis writes sounds the same. Ultimate Spiderman sounds like 616 Namor sounds like the White Queen sounds like Dr. Doom. It's wearing thin, is all.
As for what's "good for the industry," I don't doubt there's been more commercial success, that's good, people should get paid more...but if there's more money, then at least, for god's sake, PUT THE DAMN BOOKS OUT ON TIME!!! -
I've had some genuinely bad pizza--so bad I wish I never ate it, and never would again. And y'know what? I've had one or two blowjobs that were bad enough I wouldn't want to revisit them, either. Bad is bad, man, and I' don't know why some guys think this "pizzas and blowjobs" thing is witty when it's so blatantly false.
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I have never, NEVER had a bad blowjob. I've had less skilled blowjobs, but ultimately its still good. Pizza, I'm with you, but blow jobs? You sir, are wrong.
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There just seems to be this sort of cycle in comics... periods of creative genius, then solid, mainstreaming, then disintegration into whorish messes. And what I fear I'm seeing right now is the creative push of the early 2000s disintegrating into a whorish mess, where Final Crisis and Secret Invasion are exhibits A & B. Maybe it's time for some new blood to come in and "reboot" things again.
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No doubt,they exist. One word: TEETH.
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Yes, Bendis does have his times where he goes to the "oh no he didn't" well a little too often, but its not all the time, at least, I don't think so.As for the stunts, well... I mean... A. Events are a staple comics and its going to happen, and B. The exposure depends on it. No news outlet is going to talk about whether or not Pepper and Tony are going to become an item, but they will talk about the death of Cap, so... events happen.But yes, I agree, the lateness is inexcusable. Completely inexcusable. I don't understand why the fuck that is allowed to go on.
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I forgot to mention. I think Dark Reign is a deep well of potential, so I don't worry about how many rabbits are left in Joe Q's hat.
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Yes, an injury does constitute a bad blowjob, god help me, you're right there.
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Not condoning comics being late - but I feel there are two things going on besides unprofessionalism. The first is that in the end there are only so many people that can draw comics at a high level, you have to be a total freak, so editors have to put up with a certain amount of bullshit because there is just not that many people that can draw 25 super-heroes fighting on a exploding helicarrier, that is also being attacked on all sides by Kree warships. That guy is not just walking through the door at Marvel/DC every day. The other thing which is my new pet theory is that the scripts now are so tight, each panel is described - whereas before they were much looser and the artist good draw whatever for 22 pages and the writer had to go back and make it all work with caption, thought balloon, and dialogue etc. I wonder if Kirby(obviously he can do anything, he is a god) would be able to have such an amazing output if he had to put up with writers describing every panel in insane detail. I would think it would be a bit of a speed bump. I would be interested to know if artist prefer a detailed script vs. a loose old school marvel way type. All that said, comics should come out on time.
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I would propose that everyone just not buy the next issue of All Star Batman & Robin. Seriously. No one buy it.
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it definitely has some, which will without question be squandered horribly, because Bendis is masterminding it. Bendis has a long, long history at Marvel of pitching potentially interesting ideas with potential and then executing them so very, very poorly that I've just stopped giving a shit about him, his books, and his events. He talks a good game and plays like he's a 7th grader who still has to go to gym with the 4th graders because he keeps flunking gym. THE BOY CAN'T PLAY. His dad must have naked pitchers o' the coach, cuz I dunno how else he gets to be the starting QB every week.
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Nope, doesn't excuse it. Look, I have pretty big demands at my job, and they don't involve drawing Superman. Other people have jobs and deadlines, too. Get it together. And you'd better believe those dudes in the sixties churned that shit out on time for peanuts. If artists can't make deadlines, they shouldn't be on books....OR, here's a novel concept: the company should get a few issues AHEAD before they start releasing books. There is no excuse. None. It's unprofessional and it's insulting. My suggestion stands: NO ONE BUY ASB&R!
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I remember Doug Mahnke at one point rolling his eyes a bit on a panel at a convention, because he likes scripts that give him some room to be, y'know, an *artist*. I mean, these guys are supposed to have some idea of how to do this thing, y'know? So he was talking about Grant Morrison, who apparently subscribes to the Alan Moore "describe every pixel of every shadow of every object in every corner of every panel" approach, and it was obvious from Doug's wry comments that yeah, it would have been nice if Grant maybe trusted him with the work a bit more. Y'know, like a camera angle, or what the lamp on the nightstand looks like, or whatever.
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Which is, like, five issues or some shit?
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Maybe it's coming out late because Jim Lee finally woke up and said ,"Frank this is an utter pile, I'm not drawing another damn thing until you write something that isn't total garbage - I can't be attached to this - it's bringing me down, I haven't had a solid shit in two years its so awful" - thats what I hope anyway.
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Ever.
Right now it's because he's too busy working on designs for the DCU MMORPG, which is hilarious cuz none of the in-game shots so far look even the slightest bit like Lee's shit art. -
Here's the secret to comics today: 90% are shit. The other 10% are fucking fantastic. You have to stay the fuck away from the big name mainstream stuff. If your buying anything X-Men related, or Fantastic Four related, or Spidey related, or Avengers Related, or major company wide crossover related, they are going to suck, period. You will always be let down. There are moments of greatness (Whedon's Astonishing run, Slott's current Spidey run, David's Madrox/early X-factor run- one of the great 25 issue runs I've ever read) but they will inevitably be fucked up by editorial intereference. Honestly, why in God's friggin name would anyone buy anything Batman related in 2009?!?! What can possibly be said with that character that hasnt already been said a million times over, since they refuse to kill him? I love Bats as much as the next guy, but come on. I mentioned this before, but my pull list is down to 10 or 15 books a month, if that. BUT those 10 to 15 are just killing it. Thor, Cap, Nova? Slaughtering it. Walking Dead, Ex Machina, Incognito? Curb Stomping it like they were Ed Norton in American History X. Just find the good stuff that no one is paying attention to (thats why Sinestro Corps War and Annihilation was cool, because no one cared til it was too late to fuck it up) and get those. Or, just Buy anything by Brubaker.
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Yeah, thats no excuse. Its your job, fucking do it or find a new one. As for All Star Batman... I stopped buying that shit on issue #2. P to the motherfucking U.
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Ted Kaczynski's got nothing on you....
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I buy Ellis, Bru, Bendis, Millar and a few others depending on the title. If I don't like the book, I drop it.
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Joen - I took a listen. Pretty fun.
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but that whole thing about Electro's mask was pretty funny
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Anything with Bru's name on it rocks the house. I too have pared waaaaay down in recent weeks; not due to the bad economy, but to weak-ass books. Batman? Done - WTF is going on??? I don't read Final Crisis, maybe that would explain? But too many insane issues after one another. Dark Reign - sorry. I have Event Fatigue. Liked how Secret Invasion started, but it wrapped up horribly. And Norman Osborn as emperor of the Marvel Universe?? I'm done. Thankfully, there are standalone titles like Daredevil & Captain America, that have not been sucked into crossover-hell. And if you haven't checked out what's going on with the Inhumans, it's AWESOME. Loved the 4-part Secret Invasion tie-in (and flipped for Medusa's new hot costume) - but the War of Kings one-shot - holy crap! Inhumans pissed off and out for blood?? IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!!!! Black Bolt has always had insanely cool potential, but he's been this tortured soul who's left everyone stomp all over him and chain him up left and right. But watching him unleash his voice through Maximus's device - with him and his Mad brother on the same page?? Goosebumps. Bring it, Inhumes! Can wait to see them go up against Vulcan - with Havok & Polaris too? I'm there.
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