Bought/Thought for 1/23/08

[Dread]

Some X-men I just don't like. Bishop, Storm, Rogue, Gambit, Psylock.....then they all got put on X-Treme X-men and I still ****ing read it......

That's devotion. The art was often the best thing about that run.

Astonishing X-Men #24
Thank you. Thank you. However, one thing I didn't call was the big bad doomsday weapon being a giant bullet. Wow. That's like the perfect weapon, so long as it doesn't accidentally run into any passing asteroids, large spacecraft, or any one of countless planets and stars that likely lie between Earth and some planet on the opposite side of the galaxy. I'll be buying the Giant Size, so I guess I can look forward to that in about 5 months.

The Order #7
Others: "Hey, Manic. Pick up The Order! It's good!"
Manic: "Okay."
*one month later*
Manic: "I've read an issue of The Order, and I like it. I'm adding it to my pull list!"
*one month later*
Marvel: "We're cancelling The Order."
Manic: "F***!"

X-Men First Class #8
I miss Cruz's art. Otherwise, another fun romp for the Original 5. As always, the Mini Marvels page in the back is a joy. "Yeah, let's go fight the master of magnetism with the entire team dressed head-to-toe in metal. ... Dude, just get out of here."

- Good point on AXM that I missed. Still, considering how Kruun treats his subjects, a giant bullet is really the best kind of planet-busting missile the Breakworlders could have invented.

- I agree, that really stinks about THE ORDER. I've been pissing and moaning about it for nearly a week now. Or at least it has felt like a week.

- I missed Cruz on XM:FC too.

Exactly why Marvel needs to let new series have more time, word of mouth doesn't spread instantanously. Only 6 issues were released before Marvel made it's decision on the book - the normal length of one story arc. Marvel haven't even let the series graze on TPB. Utter lack of support.

Exactly. But besides that, new franchises are healthy for the market at large, and for the MU as a whole. I mean, really, was Marvel going bankrupt over THE ORDER? Was BLUE BEETLE outselling it that badly yet?

The panel of Cap kicking his head into the ground in CW was the best thing ever.

I forgot that. Yeah, that was cool. Note that Bishop was the only active X-Man who was Pro-SHRA. Considering he came from an oppressive future run by Sentinels and fascists, it made no sense to me, but whatever.

It was decent up until the last chapter. And for as bad as the last chapter was, I like what it set up for future stories.

Fair enough.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

So anyone else think the baby is Jean?

I think we're supposed to think that.

Ugh. UGH!

 

[PhotoJones]

What?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Jean needs to just stay dead. The X-Men have been better off without all her stupid drama. I'll take Emma as the snarky matriarch over Jean's Phoenix bull**** any day.

 

[PhotoJones]

Emma is a better character, but Jean is who I grew up reading about. I'd rather have her in Scott's life and as headmistress. It doesn't matter anyway, seeing as how Carey all but confirmed it's a fakeout.

 

[Doc Destruction]

Jean comes back, hooks up with Logan and gives the AOA vibe. THAT I could deal with. Just leave Scott and Emma the F alone.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Christ on a stick, if Jean and Logan got together I'd be pretty upset. Maybe--maybe--Jean and Warren would be okay. But after that Scott/Jean/Logan thing was drawn out for decades before she finally chose Scott, if she went back and started shagging Logan, it'd piss me off.

Either way, I just don't think she's really a necessary part of the X-Men mythos anymore.

 

[PhotoJones]

I do. She's an original.

 

[Dread]

I haven't missed Jean, but that is because she rarely had a personality for ages. The problem was that she started out as "token girl" and hardly established more for herself besides Scott's girlfriend for ages, then Phoenix happened and that defined her for even longer. If she ever does return, some writer will have to figure out a way to make her work when she's not the token female, relying on Phoenix or even Scott's eternal love. That isn't easy, but should we hire writers who want easy gigs, or who have the skill to rise to challenges?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I'd be fine with her coming back on a few conditions: 1) No more Phoenix ever, 2) Scott stays with Emma, 3) Jean takes her rightful place as matriarch of the school. I think 2 and 3 together could create a fun new dynamic, where Scott and Jean have some tension over Scott staying with Emma while having to continue working together as co-heads of the school, or with Jean as head of the school while Scott focuses on ops for the X-Men. But her coming back and just spinning her wheels until someone whips out another overblown, convoluted Phoenix plot to spice things up again would make my eyes bleed.

 

[PhotoJones]

I'd be fine with her coming back on a few conditions: 1) No more Phoenix ever, 2) Scott stays with Emma, 3) Jean takes her rightful place as matriarch of the school. I think 2 and 3 together could create a fun new dynamic, where Scott and Jean have some tension over Scott staying with Emma while having to continue working together as co-heads of the school, or with Jean as head of the school while Scott focuses on ops for the X-Men. But her coming back and just spinning her wheels until someone whips out another overblown, convoluted Phoenix plot to spice things up again would make my eyes bleed.

I agree that the Phoenix needs to stay dead forever. But I think a more interesting dynamic would be to see Scott leave Emma for Jean, his "true" love. I'd like to see Emma cope with not getting what she wants for the first time in her life.

 

[CaptainCanada]

No, let's not start that soap opera again, because as soon as Scott gets back with Jean they'll rev up the old Scott/Jean/Logan triangle.

 

[PhotoJones]

No, let's not start that soap opera again, because as soon as Scott gets back with Jean they'll rev up the old Scott/Jean/Logan triangle.

Well, I were in charge of things, that wouldn't happen.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I think Cyclops has been far more exciting and alive with Emma than he's ever been with Jean. He and Jean are far too much of a storybook couple. There's no drama there.

 

[PhotoJones]

I think Cyclops has been far more exciting and alive with Emma than he's ever been with Jean. He and Jean are far too much of a storybook couple. There's no drama there.

Wow, you didn't read the X-Men in the 90's did you?

 

[Dread]

The only problem is that if Jean ever comes back and Scott is allowed to be with Emma, she will be hitched up to Logan within 14 pages.

If they wanted to be original, she could look at Angel another way, as he used to pine for her in the 60's (Iceman too, technically). But that'd never happen. Too original. It has no chance.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Wow, you didn't read the X-Men in the 90's did you?

They've had their problems, but they've got too much of a destiny vibe. You know Scott's going to wind up with Jean. Scott always winds up back with Jean. I can even accept that Scott would wind up back with Jean if she came back and consider it okay. I just wouldn't want it to be immediate. Have him man up and realize that he's committed to a relationship with Emma and, even before Jean died, they were having problems. Eventually, his stance could break down over time and he and Jean could fall back in love and blah-dee-blah, but at least for a little while, a Scott/Emma/Jean triangle would be more interesting than just Scott and Jean together and happy for all time or another Scott/Jean/whichever other X-Man has a crush on Jean triangle.

 

[PhotoJones]

They've had their problems, but they've got too much of a destiny vibe. You know Scott's going to wind up with Jean. Scott always winds up back with Jean. I can even accept that Scott would wind up back with Jean if she came back and consider it okay. I just wouldn't want it to be immediate. Have him man up and realize that he's committed to a relationship with Emma and, even before Jean died, they were having problems. Eventually, his stance could break down over time and he and Jean could fall back in love and blah-dee-blah, but at least for a little while, a Scott/Emma/Jean triangle would be more interesting than just Scott and Jean together and happy for all time or another Scott/Jean/whichever other X-Man has a crush on Jean triangle.

I disagree. I do find it odd that you prefer Scott to stay away from Jean, but you liked the Spider-Marriage, and even argued in support of it.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I thought there was a lot of rich material that no one ever really touched on with MJ. Stories like the one in that annual where she's willing to go to jail to keep Peter out of SHIELD hands, or another one where she stares down some muggers on a train while Peter sleeps, were few and far between, but they were the best kind of MJ story; the kind of story that shows the incredible strength of character she must have to be able to put up with Peter all these years. She's the ultimate cop's wife.

Jean is just another superhero going out and doing all the same things Scott does. I'm not saying she and Scott couldn't be interesting together; I'm just saying that Scott's already more interesting with Emma, so why screw up that relationship to have him take a step backward?

 

[PhotoJones]

Whatever happened to just making it interesting? I mean, these are fictional characters who do whatever the writer makes them do. Get a better writer.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

That could work too. I'm just enjoying Scott and Emma and I see a lot of potential for them. Scott and Jean feels kind of stale after being exposed to Scott and Emma now. But a good writer can make anything work.

 

[PhotoJones]

I don't think I'm as into Emma as you are, or at least, Emma with Scott. I grew up reading Emma and Banshee slowly developing a sweet, organic relationship. Her relationship with Scott still seems forced to me.

 

[CaptainCanada]

Banshee sleeps with the fishes, so Emma has to go somewhere else.

 

[PhotoJones]

Yeah, I hate Brubaker for that.

 

[Anubis]

If they bring Jean back, she should hook up with Rogue.