Bought/Thought for November 3rd(ish), 2010 - SPOILERS

[Watchman]

Nah, I think Morrison should drop writing all together. Professional finger painting maybe. Man obviously doesn't know anything about the comic book medium.

 

[Tron Bonne]

So, are you guys saying Morrison isn't good for the comics medium since he tends to write for the long run?

Nah, I think Morrison should drop writing all together. Professional finger painting maybe. Man obviously doesn't know anything about the comic book medium.

Shadow Puppeteer

 

[Watchman]

Shadow Puppeteer

One half will call it brilliant. The other will say it is nothing more than just random, nonsensical blobs against the wall.

 

[Themanofbat]

Putting the fate of the Spider-verse 100% in Dan Slott's hands has to be an improvement from the back and forth. Maybe I am full of it for judging what is at best a base summary of a lot of material; I mean, a handbook bio for RUNAWAYS likely makes it sound mundane. But it's the editorial whims that seem to effect this series the most, and they're what keep me away. They've what have kept me away for most of the last 15 years, and they'll be what continue to keep me away until they get some new blood or half a clue. The problem was never trying to fix what wasn't broken. It was in getting too scared to take the character to logical conclusions, and execute it well. And even if that begins in the Slott era, needlessly irritating a third of the audience with all these stunts can't have been ideal. No Marvel franchise can shrug off the threat of losing a third of it's audience; most can't even survive losing 5% of their audience.

Saying that it "wasn't broken" is very subjective... while the marriage had a lot of fans, some people didn't like it... and by suggesting that Marvel should take the story of Spider-Man to its "logical conclusion" is the death knell to Spider-Man... which is something Marvel wants to avoid.

Just sayin'....

 

[Dread]

I've read every issue of B&R, and yet I have NO idea what happened in the overall story. I agree on the Morrison sentiments; dude should switch to books.

Dude should toke up after he writes his scripts, not before.

Saying that it "wasn't broken" is very subjective... while the marriage had a lot of fans, some people didn't like it... and by suggesting that Marvel took Marvel to its "logical conclusion" is the death knell to Spider-Man... which is something Marvel wants to avoid.

Just sayin'....

I genuinely feel that while ASM may have been "broken", Marvel diagnosed the wrong cause, and the implemented a cure that was almost as bad, at best. They still could have had Stark, Reed, and Strange "re-mask" Spidey and do a worldwide wipe of his identity. They could have ended the marriage in other ways than a deal with Satan. If being divorced "ages" Parker, then Britney Spears is ****ing ancient (and if Marvel thinks someone who is pushing 29 is ancient, then they need to look at the mirror). There were other ways to save May, etc. It's just the manner with which they did it all and the way things seem to just endlessly repeat for him that I felt from the summary is awkward.

You're a fan of the run, so to you it's gravy, and that's cool. I can't tell you what to like. I'm sure there's good stuff in there. Despite all the issues, there has been top talent on the books.

It's just...I look at the HEROIC AGE, and while the idea is to "get back" to the pre-2004 days, and I see a lot of characters in Marvel who are not the same as they were in 1980, moving forward, some in bold new ways. And then I see Spider-Man, stuck in 1970's spin cycle. There is no way he will be married again, or even be allowed to be engaged or, gasp, go steady with someone. There is no way he will even age to 29. There is no way he will die, or retire, or whatever. He will never say "I love you" to someone and have it mean much because the lady dies, or vanishes, or is brainwashed by Satannish. For a character who was once the cutting edge of superheroes, these days he seems very behind the times to me. And for a character who was once an "everyman" having "real life problems", his marriage ended in perhaps the MOST comic book fashion possible. I've seen better issues of SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSON resolve how he wasn't an elastic balloon anymore. I mean, Spidey could have been the first superhero to pay alimony!

 

[Dark Victory]

I'll never understand how some can't get into Morrison at all...

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

Maybe we're just too simple and he's too heady.

 

[runawayboulder]

Does anybody who's avoided ASM since OMD plan on trying Big Time?

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

I'll give Slott a chance, but I'm not expecting much. Only an editorial reversal will get me back on the book 100%.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Does anybody who's avoided ASM since OMD plan on trying Big Time?

Not I.

 

[Iron Man]

Does anybody who's avoided ASM since OMD plan on trying Big Time?

Me!

 

[JewishHobbit]

Nope. I debated on it but not for the extra price and not with the current continuity in tow.

 

[Eros]

Does anybody who's avoided ASM since OMD plan on trying Big Time?

why bother? we knows how its gonna go, Peter must balance his super hero work, with his normal life. He will have to explain to carlie why hes always late etc, shes will nag etc. Peter will meet new exciting people, and battle new and old villians. 5 to 10 years from now, Spider-man will still be doing the same thing, only carlie will either be dead, gone, or wathever, and Spider-man still be a loveable loser.

 

[Dread]

Does anybody who's avoided ASM since OMD plan on trying Big Time?

I've considered it.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Stay strong, Dread.

 

[JewishHobbit]

Slott hasn't saved the franchise since OMD, why believe he'll save it now?

 

[runawayboulder]

Well it's squarely on his shoulders now. There's no other writers to conflict with what he's trying to do.

 

[Spider-Jay420]

I'm still buying. If anyone can make Spidey great again, it's Slott. That preview with the Avengers looks great. Better than anything Bendis wrote with them.

 

[JewishHobbit]

Well it's squarely on his shoulders now. There's no other writers to conflict with what he's trying to do.

True... he can be unique and imaginative taking Spider-Man in directions he's never been in before!!! Like a costume change, and facing off against yet again ANOTHER Hobgoblin who's identity is a mystery!

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I'm still buying. If anyone can make Spidey great again, it's Slott. That preview with the Avengers looks great. Better than anything Bendis wrote with them.

Given Bendis' history with the Avengers, that's not really saying much.

 

[Themanofbat]

True... he can be unique and imaginative taking Spider-Man in directions he's never been in before!!! Like a costume change, and facing off against yet again ANOTHER Hobgoblin who's identity is a mystery!

lulz... you can roll yer eyes all you want, but the costume "changes" (yes, there will be a few of them) will happen because of specific needs that those costumes can provide depending on the situation at hand... so that will be new and cool to see... and the HobGoblin mystery will be all of ONE issue, as Slott has informed everyone that the identity of HG will be revealed in the first (or maybe the second) issue of his run...

 

[Phaedrus45]

haha. Love hearing Roy Williams of the Dallas Cowboys saying he believes his team can "run the table" and win the final 9 games, making it to the playoffs. Makes me REALLY hope to see the Cowboys lose their next game.

Anyway, looking at my budget, I noticed I had enough money to get a good bunch of my comics. Here's the ones I've read so far.

X-Men: To Serve And Protect #1

This was much better than I thought it would be, especially if you would have told me I'd enjoy the first story, featuring Anole and Rockslide, the most. Yost does a good job making me actually like these two characters, and his dialogue is very humorous. My only complaint? I'm almost as tired of Mr. Negative as I am with ninjas. They sure are pushing that villian down our throats...and, he's just a bad knockoff of some classic gangster villians of Marvel's past, like Kingpin and The Rose.

Emma Frost vs. Man-Drill was also funny. (I loved her comment on his name, Man-DRILL.) Cyper's story wasn't anything special; but, the final one, featuring Fantomex and Batroc was cute.

Red Hood: The Lost Days #6

Meh. This comic is a little too late, especially as I doubt there is a big Red Hood fan left, after DC butchered that character in recent years. This mini wasn't bad...it just wasn't significant any longer.

This final issue sees Jason seeking his revenge on The Joker. The ending isn't surprising at all...especially since we know he won't kill that villian in the end. But, it does take us right to the point of how Hush learns Batman's identity and where Jason gets his Red Hood disguise. I give it a mild recommendation; and, a lot of that has to do with DC charging a reasonable price ($2.99) for this mini..whereas Marvel would have me shelling out an extra buck.

Brightest Day #13

Doesn't this title seem to have gone though a slight change since it first came out? Before, we complained how not much happened each issue, as we got many different scenes involving the numerous characters involved. Now, we get one or two of the main stories, giving the reader more satisfaction...unless you aren't really that crazy about the week's featured character.

That's the case with another issue of Brightest Day. My least favorite in this book is Hawkman and Hawkgirl. Their history is rather confusing..especially when a couple years ago it was revealed that Hawkman's history really doesn't go back as far as we've been lead to believe. (This was during the mini that Jim Starlin wrote...and, I believe a Hawkman one-shot got heavily into.) I guess all that is being written off, because it's not even mentioned, and we're back to "the many lives of Hawkman and Hawkgirl."

The end of this issue shows the return of Batman, which further duplicates the Marvel fiasco with Captain America last year. (Seriously. Don't these comic companies EVER look at the things that readers dislike intensely?) Heck, I almost expect DC to have a storyline featuring Darkseid coming to Superman and Lois Lane, making their marriage nullified in comic's history. (It's one thing when you are the first to make the mistake...but, quite another to follow up with your own idiotic move....not that I'm calling the nullification of Spidey's marriage a mistake. I think that made the Spidey comics finally get a breath of fresh air, and the controversy has only helped people talk about it more.)

Amazing Spider-Man #647

Speaking of Spidey! This was a pretty darn good issue of ASM, and I didn't even mind shelling out $4.99 for such quality. This issue gets the reader ready for Slott's run on this comic, wrapping up some storylines (and characters), while advancing others. (Harry is gone, but Peter finally has a lady-love!)

Yep, I liked that first story...but, it was the little Epilogue and stories in the second half of this book that made me enjoy it more. Vinnie confronting Harry was fantastic, and we got to see that old side of Harry return. The new city ordinance by Jonah on city operations was hilarious. I LOVED seeing Joe Kelly and JM Ken Niimura get another short story..that art reminding me so much of I Kill Giants. And, the final story featuring the girl who kissed Peter101 issues ago...also very funny. The only story I didn't like was the overly sentimental Flash Thompson one. We've seen this type of story twice already...and I didn't need another. (It's like the only storyline they have when it comes to Flash's character.)

Captain America: Man Out Of Time #1

Not a bad retelling of Cap's origin...not the Timely Comics one, but when he'd finally make his reappearance in Avengers. It's nice we get a new version of the events which supposedly killed him and Bucky; and, we get taken to the point in time he's awakened from that infamous block of ice. (Part of me hates when things get updated too much. I don't think Cap should be seeing people on cellphones...that's much too current.) Waid does a decent job; but, with the amount of material we're given, it should be a buck cheaper. $3.99 is a bit too much.

Sweet Tooth #15

I really can't get enough of this title. It's what Jeff Lemire will be remembered for, and obviously why he's now writing Superboy. Again, we don't get a lot in terms of advancing the story; but, we do get quite a few interesting or nice moments. Sweet Tooth's relationship with the pig-girl, Wendy, is so touching; and, then we get the shared dream between Sweet Tooth and Mr. Jepperd.

What's funny is that this art isn't particularily great; but, it's now as much a part of this book as Lemire's writing. It has added such beauty to the book. This is definitely why I read comics! t:

Superboy #1

And...that brings us to Superboy. Oh, man. I was extremely excited when I heard Lemire would be writing this title; but, now...not so much.

Don't get me wrong. This isn't a bad first issue; but, I think it's clear that Sweet Tooth is a story from Lemire's heart, and this one is for his wallet. I don't feel the inspiration that we get with the previously reviewed issue, and this first issue relied more on having some guest appearances from The Phantom Stranger, Parasite, and Poison Ivy than really getting us into Conner.

The good thing about this comic is a) the price is right, and b) while it didn't "wow" me, it didn't drive me away from getting the next issue. A mild review for me.

 

[Texas]

why bother? we knows how its gonna go, Peter must balance his super hero work, with his normal life. He will have to explain to carlie why hes always late etc, shes will nag etc. Peter will meet new exciting people, and battle new and old villians. 5 to 10 years from now, Spider-man will still be doing the same thing, only carlie will either be dead, gone, or wathever, and Spider-man still be a loveable loser.

So, your never gonna read this or any other comic ever again 'cause its been done before Brillant

 

[Harlekin]

I was a little surprised when the cover to Chaos War told me it was issue three of four. Honestly, I might've preferred that to be true. The third issue could've been condensed into the second so that this issue didn't feel like a time-waster. Sure it had the punches and some of the emotion, but hardly anything happened that could not have been told in half the amount of pages. Still looking forward to the rest of the event though, because duh... Herc and Cho!

 

[runawayboulder]

lulz... you can roll yer eyes all you want, but the costume "changes" (yes, there will be a few of them) will happen because of specific needs that those costumes can provide depending on the situation at hand... so that will be new and cool to see... and the HobGoblin mystery will be all of ONE issue, as Slott has informed everyone that the identity of HG will be revealed in the first (or maybe the second) issue of his run...

Even though we already know who it is