Bought/Thought, April 22, 2010: Agent of S.P.O.I.L.E.R.S.

[El Bastardo]

I wouldn't say that Ellis phones his Marvel work in. It's like saying Grant phones his mainstream DC work in because none of it is (with the possible exception of the 52 space journies) quite as oddball or out there or great as his Seaguy or Joe the Barbarian.

I would call Ellis the biggest "professional writer" in mainstream comics today. He takes his job, he does his job, and it's dependent only on what characters fit what roles as opposed to which characters he likes most, because he's not a fan and he has no crushes on any characters. I think it works perfectly, but then I'm a fan of objectivity.

It's what makes his Thunderbolts run so damn good, though. There's no authorial attachment there. It's just characters on a stage. The same thing goes for his Astonishing run, really, although it is inherently weaker a work than his Thunderbolts was. What hurts Ellis's Astonishing is no different than what hurt Whedon's Astonishing - artist delays. What most people tend to complain about is it's no longer Whedon's Astonishing. Well, no. Because Whedon isn't writing it anymore.

Most of the time, though, you just have to be prepared for tons of technobabble. It didn't flare up badly in Thunderbolts, but it's definitely there in Astonishing. And still none of it's as bad as Ellis's own independent work. Look up the graphic novella "Aetheric Mechanics" sometime. Then you can prepare for head-exploding.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

The characters didn't fit the roles in Nextwave. Ellis twisted them around to the point of absurdity to suit the comedic nature of the series, and it sucked because the characters were rendered unrecognizable.

 

[Dark Victory]

I'm a big fan of Fell and Planetary. I think Ellis' Marvel work generally sucks, though. Haven't gotten around to reading Transmetropolitan yet.

...

 

[TheCorpulent1]

The more people tell me how great it is, the less inclined I am to read it because it'll never live up to the hype.

 

[CantThinkOfAName]

That's totally how I felt about Thor

 

[CantThinkOfAName]

"Extremis" was all right, but I personally thought the Knaufs did a much better job on Iron Man's comic. Nextwave was incredibly stupid to me. I haven't read the others.

I enjoyed the Knauf's run too, I'm glad I stuck around after Ellis left. But Extremis was still great in its own right.

I don't have any affinity for Monica Rambeau or Boom Boom so I didn't mind Nextwave using them for comedic effect. And as far as I remember it wasn't supposed to be in continuity anyway. And it was quite hilarious.

 

[El Bastardo]

The characters didn't fit the roles in Nextwave. Ellis twisted them around to the point of absurdity to suit the comedic nature of the series, and it sucked because the characters were rendered unrecognizable.

I thought that was the literary point of Nextwave, though. Wasn't it supposed to be something of a satirical nature?

 

[CantThinkOfAName]

Yup. One of the best scenes was when Captain America tells Monica to go home and make him a sandwich


Clearly, the real Captain America would not do such a thing

 

[El Bastardo]

I'd make a mocking statement here, but I actually like Corp, so I shan't.

Plus, he has great cosmic modly powers (but itty bitty living space!). Poor Corpy. <3

That is the right Genie quote, isn't it?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I don't have any affinity for Monica Rambeau or Boom Boom so I didn't mind Nextwave using them for comedic effect. And as far as I remember it wasn't supposed to be in continuity anyway. And it was quite hilarious.

I still didn't find it particularly funny, but I guess the onus for Nextwave's primary source of suckage is on whichever moronic editor decided it should be in continuity, not Ellis.

 

[CantThinkOfAName]

I'd make a mocking statement here, but I actually like Corp, so I shan't.

Go for it, it's always great fun

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Some people are actually capable of being nice once in a while.

 

[El Bastardo]

Waitaflarkinminute here, did you just call me NICE?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Yes, but I intended its archaic meaning--reticent, saying only what you mean briefly, etc. You're still a jerk like the rest of us, just more concise.

 

[El Bastardo]

Oh. Well, if THAT's the case, I guess we can get by with that. I guess.

But I'm still watching you. EVIL EYES, man. Watching you.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Really? Sure they're not... private eyes?

 

[Phaedrus45]

Well, we can't have a Page 2 with absolutely no reviews! (Plus, when you are feeling a bit under the weather, it gives you a great time to catch up on your comic reading, especially late at night when you can't sleep.)

Amazing Spider-Man #628

I have not been a big fan of Gauntlet...but, this Juggernaut 3-parter has been a real highlight! I love the appearance of Captain Universe, and this is the Juggernaut I've know and loved. (Not the wimpy one they made a good-guy in the X-men books a few years back.) I really don't need revamped characters, especially all the new versions of classic Spidey villians...just give me a good story, a witty Spidey, and him desperately trying to stay alive, and I'm hooked. (Face it...Spidey does not have the best track record at the beginning of a fight. And, he really doesn't do that great in his first battles with other characters. It's why I always think that if you have a mock battle where he faces someone he's never fought before, he'd lose.)

Dark Wolverine #85

This crossover with Wolverine Origins starts out well enough. Daken feels as if he's pulled one over on his father, by telling Romulus all of Wolverine's plans...but, unbeknownst to him, Wolverine was expecting that. I guess this will be the conclusion of the Romulus Saga, which is fine by me. Maybe that's why I'm enjoying this story a bit more than the others.

The Spirit #1

After last week's dreadful Doc Savage first issue in the First Wave line of books, I figured things couldn't get much worse. Thankfully, it does get better with this Spirit relaunch. Sadly, though, this comic is missing much of the humor and silliness of that previous series. The Spirit is much more serious this time around.....but, maybe that's what new readers would want. (After all, the movie was panned by critics and viewers alike...I'm about the only person who did enjoy it; but, I knew what the character was going in, and thought the movie stayed pretty true to the current series, at the time it was released.)

The issue wasn't bad; but, it won't blow you away, either. So far, First Wave is a big disappointment.

DV8 #1

DV8 gets a relaunch under the Vertigo brand, and they declare "A new era begins!" Now, while I do own issues 1-4, 6-10 of the original series, I have never read them before. Still, I was able to get into this first issue, and found it much better than the Wildstorm titles, like Gen13 and Authority. In this, the members of DV8 have somehow fallen to a world where the people aren't that advanced, and the various member have gone to different tribes; because, their powers make them out to be gods among men. It's a good beginning.

HER-oes #1

This is definitely the stand-out comic in this bunch. Just as Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane and Tobin's Marvel Adventure series have taken the classic character we all know and love, and made them younger and more accessable to a different generation, so has Randolph done with this series. The main character is Janet Van Dyne (The Wasp), who is depicted as a (mutant?) going to High School, and who's pretty much an outcast at her school. Her one friend is Jenny Walters (She-Hulk), while her nemesis is Namorita, a pretty blonde gal who is extremely popular. The story is told with much humor and love for the characters, and I came away very impressed at this first issue. So shocked I was at my enjoyment of this comic, it might just be my favorite of the week. If you miss McKeever's Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, pick this comic up. You won't be disappointed. t:

 

[JewishHobbit]

Oh yeah... forgot about Ellis's Thunderbolts. That was great as well.

 

[fifthfiend]

Seriously at this point they could blow me away with a GOTG issue with a cover saying IN THIS ISSUE: NOBODY DIES!!!!!!

 

[CantThinkOfAName]

Some people are actually capable of being nice once in a while.

I just want to be loved

 

[Ipodman]

Ultimate Spider-Man #9

AWESOME ISSUE!!!! Again, many spoilers.

I love Spider-Woman, even though it's kind of creepy to think that she's actually Peter Parker with boobs. The question is whether Bendis would make her embrace her femaleness or be a lesbian. (For me, I think lesbian would have to be the way to go.) This issue starts out with her taking on a mother/daughter team of armored car robbers (the girl is a lot like Hit Girl), and along comes Johnny Storm to help out. Naturally, Johnny being Johnny, he totally flips for Jessica, and pursues her for a date. This leads to Johnny proclaiming his love for her in front of Peter and friends...and, Peter runs out of the house disgusted when Johnny says that he made out with her. (No proof about that, though. So, we don't know if he's making up stories or not.)

NOW, I have been moaning and groaning about the artist in this book, especially when it comes to Peter's hairstyle. (I have stated it's the worst hairdo I've ever seen on him.) YES! Kitty and Gwen grab Peter at high school and give him a haircut!!! They even make a joke about that awful drawing of Spider-Man with a completely round head...so, it sure sounds like Bendis has listened to the complaints of the fans, and he's responded! Very funny, and just in seeing the hair get cut, I became an instant fan of this issue.

To end things this issue, we see some (feds?) coming to pull Kitty out of school, simply because she's a mutant. Things get intense...so intense, I cannot WAIT for the next issue.

Definitely the best issue of this series. I loved it, especially since I think it shows Bendis does listen to his critics. Others might not give it so high of a review...but, for me: t:

I dont want her to be a les,

Yes, the little one seems like Hit girl alot

And yes, I hated his "Ultimate Comics hair". Glad they turned it into a light hearted joke that even Aunt May can chip in to the humour t:....

 

[CantThinkOfAName]

Aside: I love some of the reviews for ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #9. They roughly translate to this: "Bendis wrote a situation in this comic that was irritating and annoying, that all fans hated, and that anyone with a shred of common sense would find stupid. After a mere three quarters of a year, Bendis gets around to fixing it, and commenting in story how terrible it was. That's awesome! To be a brilliant writer, you only have to write something that you know is crap, and then later have the characters call it out as crap a mere half year after everyone in the audience has!" To me, a brilliant writer is not one who intentionally writes crap, and then acknowledges and fixes it, then expects an Eisner for it. A brilliant writer is one who avoids writing crap, for any reason. I know, I'm bonkers. The Bendis writing method merely rewards slow paced mediocrity and lowers audience expectation for greatness, and that is part of many reasons why his work annoys me. It takes no skill to serve something terrible, then to take it away, and expect a cheer. That's basic. That's uninspired. Inspired is bringing back Bucky in a way that not only everyone loves, even cynics, but in a way that boosts the parent title's sales 20-50%. Inspired is in making space comics awesome again by amping up forgotten characters. Inspired is writing a demi-god and a kid sidekick in adventures that can make you laugh and cry within one issue. Inspired is NOT merely doing the mundanely obvious, and taking 6 issues minimum to get there, and constructing your own triumphs with carefully planned underwhelming rubbish.

Are you talking about Peter's hairstyle?

Because, really, I don't know what else you're talking about.

 

[Dread]

Are you talking about Peter's hairstyle?

Because, really, I don't know what else you're talking about.

Yes.

If Bendis did not want Peter to have a crappy hair style, he would have told LaFuente in script or email, "do not give Peter a crappy hair style" and if the initial pencils showed it, would have asked for a bit of a do-over. Instead he let it go and then suddenly "fixed" it, and now calls it good writing. Allowing, at best, a bad situation to happen on your watch and then belatedly correcting it is NOT the same as being efficient and effective in the first place.

 

[CantThinkOfAName]

Haha, seriously? You're blaming Bendis for the way LaFuente drew his hair? You're complaining about hair. Haha, okay.

 

[hippie_hunter]

It's what makes his Thunderbolts run so damn good, though. There's no authorial attachment there. It's just characters on a stage. The same thing goes for his Astonishing run, really, although it is inherently weaker a work than his Thunderbolts was. What hurts Ellis's Astonishing is no different than what hurt Whedon's Astonishing - artist delays. What most people tend to complain about is it's no longer Whedon's Astonishing. Well, no. Because Whedon isn't writing it anymore.

No, what hurts Ellis' Astonishing is that under Whedon, Astonishing X-Men was the flagship title of the X-Men franchise.

Under Ellis, Astonishing X-Men has had no relevance whatsoever with the flagship title going rightfully to Uncanny X-Men. But while it lost it's prominence it could have still contributed something to the X-Men mythos.

It wasn't bad, but like what plagues most of the Batman books is that it feels pointless. And when you have multiple book franchises like Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, the Avengers, X-Men, Wolverine, and Deadpool, you need to make sure that the books have a point.

Complain about Deadpool having three ongoings, but at least they all have a specific purpose: Deadpool is the flagship book, Deadpool Team-Up is Deadpool teaming up with obscure characters in the Marvel Universe and give various writers a shot, and Deadpool Corps is about the multiple Deadpools.