Bought/Thought for September 1st - SPOILERS

[Tron Bonne]

Did no one else read Scarlet #2? I bought it, along with the first issue, and read both in a single sitting. I was skeptical, but it actually turned out to be really good.

Yeah, I liked it, but I felt the first one was a little more catching. Despite that, I do feel as if there's an actual direction now, instead of just a neat idea, which is all I really took back from the first one, even though I still liked it.

 

[Aesop Rocks]

Can anyone tell me how Young Avengers: Children's Crusade #2 is? I'm extremely excited to read it.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Yeah, I liked it, but I felt the first one was a little more catching. Despite that, I do feel as if there's an actual direction now, instead of just a neat idea, which is all I really took back from the first one, even though I still liked it.

I loved the first issue, but just haven't gotten around to reading this weeks, yet. It's coming up on my reading list, though.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Was this issue of Boys more visually provocative than usual or something? My shop doesn't bag anything on the new shelf and I tend to like rooting through just about everything, including The Boys. But this issue was bagged for some reason. I know the comic can be risque, but was this issue worse?

You get some comic book boobs from Queen Maeve, and you see her being done in the backside by one of The Seven. Not too unusual for this title to have a little bit of sex in an issue, though. It's definitely not for kids.

 

[runawayboulder]

Was this issue of Boys more visually provocative than usual or something? My shop doesn't bag anything on the new shelf and I tend to like rooting through just about everything, including The Boys. But this issue was bagged for some reason. I know the comic can be risque, but was this issue worse?

It was pretty run of the mill for The Boys. Nothing compared to the Herogasm mini.

 

[runawayboulder]

Can anyone tell me how Young Avengers: Children's Crusade #2 is? I'm extremely excited to read it.

I had a real problem with how some of the Avengers and Quicksilver came across. Most of the Children's Crusade stuff was on page 1 of the thread.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Dean Koontz's Frankenstein: Prodigal Son Vol. 2 #1

Continuing where the Dabel Bros. last 4-issue mini left off, Dynamite picks up the story...and, as the first volume left me a bit unimpressed, this issue does the same. This story and the characters keep me at a distance. Thankfully, even though it's been almost a year since I read the first volume, this issue did enough to help me remember much of the story and get me back into it. When Prodigal Son is done, though, I'm not sure if I'll be continuing. It's just not my kind of thing.

Freedom Fighters #1

I was excited to see Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters getting another mini. I loved the first one....and, while many didn't like the second, I did. This first issue, though, didn't grab me like the other two. Now it just feels like another team book, giving the Freedom Fighters an assignment (find a bunch of artifacts that could be some kind of super weapon used against the U.S.) and keep them out of the hands of some mysterious enemy. Don't we all know what's gonna happen? As the team goes to get the artifacts, the mysterious enemy will somehow get his hands on them, and in a final battle, the Freedom Fighters will survive within an inch of their lives as all the artifacts are brought together.

Still, I like this team. Seeing them again made me smile; and, although I might find the plot rather generic, I'm excited to read about them again.

Choker #4

This comic has hit some serious delays; and, while the story is a bit "out there," each new issue gets me a little more intrigued about what's gonna happen next. Templesmith's art goes well with the story, even though I sometimes think McCool must have been on some serious drugs when he came up with it. My biggest complaint might be that none of the characters are particularily likeable..thus, I keep a bit of distance from really getting into the story.

Scarlet #2

In contrast, I'm really interested in Bendis' Scarlet. He's gotten me very invested in his main character..and, part of that is thanks to Maleev's fantastic art. (It might help that redheads are my one weakness when it comes to women.) Everything works with this comic, even with Scarlet breaking the fourth wall. I love how her past is unraveling to us; and, my biggest complaint is having to wait two months between issues. This beats anything Bendis is doing with the Avengers easily. t:

Our Army At War One-Shot

This comic features Sgt. Rock; but, it's the modern story mixed in that shines brightest. Alternating panels, we get scenes with Sgt. Rock And Easy Company during WWII and another group, calling themselves Captain Duncan And His Gods Of War, who are fighting in the Middle East. Each story's focus is on a particular soldier whose memories of back home are closely linked to their feelings about a gal they left behind in the U.S.

As I mentioned, the modern story hits strong, as it links in heavily with the events of 9/11. The ending comes as a bit of a shock, and the emotion is very heavy. It's so easy to go back to that time...not so long ago...and, feel for those who lost their lives, and those who lost loved ones on that tragic day. Giving this comic a smiley face doesn't feel appropriate to the feelings it gives off...but, for my reviews, I give it a .

Kevin Smith's Green Hornet #7

Actually, I finally read issues 2-7, as the first issue didn't impress me enough to put this comic at the top of my reading list each month. Last night, I broke down...mainly because I'm seriously thinking about dropping the Green Hornet line of books from my pull list. (With so many books being put out by Dynamite...and, each one at $3.99...I could save a nice chunk of change at the end of the year if I didn't get them.)

Well, my plan didn't work out too well; because, I'm now hooked on this title. Kevin Smith does a good job making the characters interesting; and, I wonder how much of his original script influenced the new movie coming out next year, as I see elements of it that have been shown in the trailer. I do see that Phil Hester has lent his support to Smith's script...and, I wonder how much of the writing is Smith and how much is Hester. (That might have been answered with the last comic I'll review next.)

As I said, my plan didn't quite work out. I thought I'd read this comic and probably tell my shop to take Green Hornet off my list from now on. Now, I'm thinking I'll just be a bit more selective in the Green Hornet titles I get.

Green Hornet Annual #1

So, Phil Hester wrote this annual...and, it nowhere as good as Kevin Smith's Green Hornet. That makes me think that Smith might have quite a bit of input in his book. This issue takes place during the pages of Issue #3 of Smith's book, mixing some old school Hornet action with current scenes involving Britt's son, after Britt's death but before he meets the original Kato for the first time. It's one of those "the past teaches a lesson in the present" stories; and, it's not done very well. It sure isn't worth the $4.99 price tag.

 

[JewishHobbit]

My thing with Freedom Fighters is that I'm REALLY curious about Ray I like him in every event I see him in. But I don't give a lick about anyone else on the team so it's hard for me to put my money in an ongoing for one character who has to split the page with 5 or 6 other people I DON'T care about.

 

[fifthfiend]

You love the spacef***ing. Spacef***ing would be your new religion if it could.

The only thing that would have made the space****ing better would be if it had been between two incredibly ugly, misshapen people OH WAIT Georges Jeanty drew it, BAM wish granted

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Haha, I love Georges Jeanty's art.

 

[Dread]

I am glad a few other people are trying and appreciating TASKMASTER #1. It was really something special, I thought.

Can anyone tell me how Young Avengers: Children's Crusade #2 is? I'm extremely excited to read it.

My review of it is on page 1 of this topic. But I'll be nice and copy it here:

Spoiler

AVENGERS: THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADE #2: Has it been two months already? I love that cover, in which every character is facing or reacting to the right, yet Wolverine has decided to leap off and try to stab something to the left. He just has to feel special, doesn't he? And perhaps that matches how he is depicted in this Heinberg & Cheung reunion series, as I've probably not seen Wolverine written as this much of a jerk in years. In my defense, I haven't read a lot of his comics lately.

Magneto has arrived to basically abduct Billy and Tommy, and use them to help them find Wanda. He is convinced that they're his spiritual grandsons and seems to accept them as such (or at least is exploiting that to win their trust). While Tommy is eager to work with the former villain, and Billy starts to turn around, the rest of the Young Avengers are undecided. Fortunately for them, the New Avengers show up and make it an easy choice by blasting away - a fact even Magneto complements. Wolverine is the most aggressive of the bunch, outright trying to tackle Wiccan out of the air and being the most passionate supporter for gutting Wanda AND any of her so-called children with the slightest justification. While Iron Man wastes no time blasting at Magneto (feeling he is kidnapping children), Wolverine's utter disdain for Wanda was actually a bit surprising for me, even for him. But perhaps that is part of the long term problem that arose from DISASSEMBLED and HOUSE OF M - it cast a cloud over Scarlet Witch's entire long term career as a heroine, which far outnumbered her time with the Brotherhood or prior bouts of insanity. Now it seems all of her previous feats and actions as a loyal Avenger mean nothing, because she went mad this one time. Admittedly, killing three Avengers and warping the reality of an entire globe are a bit serious, but there seems to be little consideration for her tenure as an Avenger or any sympathy for her situation, or even as a living creature. There's NO option to handling Wanda besides killing her? These are the same Avengers who let Kang live for years after he BLEW UP ALL OF WASHINGTON D.C. for heaven's sake! The same Iron Man who, during CIVIL WAR, justified the SHRA by claiming the only thing that kept him from killing people while he was drunk inside his armor was luck and a few inches (and, by the way, the same Iron Man who opened a Pandora's Box of technology that has funded or inspired no end of dangerous super villains, including personal adversaries who blow up batches of innocent people just to tick Stark off). The only one who seems to care is Luke Cage, which is in character as he's been dealt no end of bad breaks (imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit, once falsely accused of Iron Fist's murder, etc.) and had to rise above them. The Avengers seem to want to kill Wanda more so than any other super villain they have ever faced, and to me that seems batty. You would think Wolverine would complain the least, as Wanda's meddling allowed him to finally remember his past (a quest in which he has literally killed people to get to in prior stories) - now instead he seems to be the most aggravated because he learned it's all ugly, he was never a nice guy before Weapon X, and he was saddled with a lame son in Daken and a lamer arch nemesis in Romulus. Ignorance was better? This is the guy who Cyclops lets mentor children and lead them into hit squads? Given how Wolverine himself is perhaps the biggest example of the argument of zero tolerance for anyone dangerous, given how often he's brainwashed into a killing machine and how many people he's slaughtered over the years (or gotten killed), you would think he'd have an ounce's understanding for at least a few others - he sure seemed to think Charlie, the professional Commie assassin, was dealt a bad hand in SPIDER-MAN VS. WOLVERINE in the 80's. Instead he has the least. You'd think even Steve Rogers, who whitewashed Bucky's entire history as a Commie hit man and domestic terrorist, would have at least more of a sense of mercy. Goes to show you the sins that many heroes will ignore when it suits them.

On the other hand, it could be argued that making the Avengers and Wolverine come off as hypocritical, merciless jackasses is an easy way to make Magneto come off as sympathetic and encourage the kids to want to accompany him. If so, that's quite lazy writing for a writer who was supposed to be so immaculate that this entire franchise had to grind to a halt for half a decade for him to gift Marvel with his presence again, as soon as "GRAY'S ANATOMY" ended.

Fortunately, after that, the issue improves significantly. Once in Transia, the story has time for a sense of humor with Wiccan's "SOUND OF MUSIC" disguises (which suit Vision Jr. poorly). Jonas and Cassie have a good moment together, and things actually get more fun when Quicksilver shows up. He seems to actually want to kill Magneto, and it does seem funny that if he's so adamant about it, why he hasn't attacked Magnus on Utopia already. In fairness, Quicksilver perhaps has the most reason to want to kill Magneto, as M-Day was unleashed specifically because Wanda was appalled that Magneto was about to murder Pietro. This, however, allows Quicksilver and Speed to interact for the first time, and it's actually quite fun. Speed is eager to race his "uncle" and respects his cred as a former villain. Even after Magneto is clearly effecting the ground under Pietro, Speed is eager to claim he's faster. Pietro's MIGHTY AVENGERS costume actually allows him to be color coordinated with Speed, and there's an intentional use of the word, "flash" when Pietro arrives. Along with the Cassie/Jonas moment, it's likely the highlight of the script before the cliffhanger. Eli and Kate have an argument, as Eli's the only one who is adamantly against working with Magneto, and Kate highlights just how badly the Avengers have screwed up in dealing with the youngsters, and seem to make no attempt to rectify it. And they wonder why the kids never get along with them, or go evil. The only one who even begins to try to bridge the gap with them is Spider-Man, and guess what? The rest of the Avengers treat him like the team joke, too, just because he's under thirty.

The big reveal is that the "Wanda" who has occasionally popped up in Transia is a robot, created by Dr. Doom. It's unknown how long that this has been, so it calls into question whether the "Wanda" that Clint Barton and Beast were able to find was also a robot. It certainly wouldn't be beyond the capabilities of Dr. Doom to fool Beast or especially Hawkeye, given that even a trickster god like Loki often treats Doom as a peer. I mean, Beast's a scientist, but Barton's just a carnie with an awesome arrow set - you could fool him with slight of hand. At least it would give Barton and Hank Pym something to discuss at the next "ROBOTS AND THE MEN WHO LOVE THEM" social mixer. The major question is, what has Doom done with her and why has he done nothing useful with her since obtaining her in 2005?

Quicksilver's "throw wooden planks into a crowd of people to kill Magneto" ploy was about as reckless and ruthless as about anything Wolverine did, but I'll let it slide because it exposed the Doombot connection. A "happy accident" as the JOY OF PAINTING guy used to say. Remember, kids; it's okay to endanger innocent civilians if it exposes another villain's scene by pure luck. I can imagine an amusing one page WHAT IF story if in another universe, that was really Wanda and everyone glares at Pietro, going, "Way to go hero," and so on.

The artwork is quite good, good enough that I can forget the whole costume issue, as the Avengers sit out half the book. The color and ink work really pop and it's a very pretty book to read. Heinberg's writing, though, isn't winning me over entirely. He has a lot of characters act in extreme ways just to further the plot along, and while that may suffice for a weekly TV soap opera, that doesn't fly so easy in comics. I could imagine any other writer who has worked on YA material such as Zeb Wells, Paul Cornell, or Chris Yost coming up with a similar story and at least doing it no worse, so it doesn't justify Marvel's endless patience. Marvel waited 5 whole years and is releasing this overdue project over 18 months to cater to Heinberg, and for all that beyond some moments of brilliance, is so far producing something that plenty of other more reliable writers could have done three years ago, and I'd dare say could have done better. Perhaps the Cheung artwork on a 9 issue run was worth some wait, but so far, Heinberg's story isn't. It's hardly bad, and Heinberg naturally has a handle on the Young Avengers characters he created. I am still genuinely interested in where this goes, and it was long overdue that Pietro & Speed met. Still, when an entire franchise waits half a decade for a writer, said writer really has to provide more than "pretty good, but". He has to hit a ****ing grand slam. So far, Heinberg's gotten on base due to a defensive error, and while that's good for the hitting team, that's not good enough for me to completely praise it. It sold quite well in July, so at least in the short term, Marvel won't learn anything about integrity or professionalism. I want to really enjoy this series, but Heinberg's hiccups in the script phase keep raising demerits so that it moves into the column of "above average, with a few great moments" rather than all around greatness, at least to me.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Green Hornet Strikes #2

This actually came out a long time ago; but, as I'm reading all my saved up Green Hornet books, I thought I'd give recommendations on which ones readers might be interested in with the new movie coming out in January, I think.

Skip this. First, it's severely delayed. Second, it's just not that good. It's a future Green Hornet, and I'm already completely bored. The origin is being completely strung out, as Green Hornet doesn't even make an appearance in this issue. I'll tell my shop to drop me off the list for this book.

Kato #1-3

This title is also suffering from delays; but, the story is much better than Strikes. Plus, it's also good that it ties in with the story that's being told in Kevin Smith's Green Hornet. These events take place right before K.S.'s Green Hornet, and are meant to show us how similiar the new Kato and new Green Hornet's origins are. Kato's mother is murdered by the Black Hornet (but, he goes by his own name, avenging the shame Green Hornet and Kato...the originals...brought on his family), and she begs her father to exact revenge. By the end of issue three, she claims she is prepared to not question his training; and, her father says he'll train her.

While Green Hornet Strikes isn't very good, and I find Kevin Smith's Green Hornet nicely done, this is somewhere in the middle. It's not essential reading, just a loose tie-in to the main story; and, I wouldn't feel like I'm missing anything if I stopped reading. The story is a bit predictable, especially as we know what these characters are going to be doing in the future with the main title. This first storyline will end with issue #5, and I'm not sure if it goes on from there. I'll probably end getting it then.

Namor, The First Mutant #1

I had a feeling I wouldn't be feeling this book like I did Namor's previous series. (I loved that series from the 90's, where you got to see Namor as more than just an "avenging son." Plus, that series brought back Iron Fist!)

If you're enjoying Curse Of The Mutants, I guess this first issue is slightly essential to that storyline, as Namor recovers the head of Dracula, just as Storm and Gambit recovered the body in that one-shot. Where the book will continue is in recovering the head, Namor has ended a pact with the underwater vampires, thus causing a war between them and his own people.

Part of the lack of enjoyment of this first issue is I'm not a fan of this style of art. It's all well and good; but, the colors and character depictions just look a bit creepy to me, for some reason. I can't put my fingers on it, and not sure if anyone else knows what I'm talking about. It just doesn't look drawn, I guess.

Still, I give this issue a decent grade. I realize my apathy towards it is due to the art and my love of the previous series. The story itself wasn't bad. It's just that Namor is back to being his old self, where he's a real tool. It's almost old school Fantastic Four Namor.

Marvel Universe Vs. The Punisher #4

This is a fun little story; but, it's nowhere as good as that first issue. This issue, Spider-Man (or Patient Zero) strikes a deal with Frank to take out The King Of Death, a mysterious person who's wiping out all the other tribes. This King is revealed at the end of this issue, and it should come as no surprise if the reader really thinks about the clues.

Spoiler

It's the Kingpin.

Now, the reader really has to suspend their disbelief with this story; because, on various levels, I don't see things panning out like they are with the scenario's given. But, like I said before, it's just a fun story to read...and, Maberry really isn't dragging it out that much. Each issue has some nice twists near the end, like when we realize who Patient Zero's girlfriend is...and, what kind of state she's in.

Young Avengers #4

Loved this issue! BUT...I have two gripes.

One...What is up with so many comics these past couple months using the B-word??!!?? It's like DC and Marvel got permission from the editors to throw the word around in their comics, and I must have read it about ten times this month. Now, I'm not the kidn of guy who's against swearing; but, when it's being done so much, I take notice. Just because you can use it doesn't mean you have to.

Two...here is another comic that gives away the surprise ending by anyone who happens to take a look at the cover. (Luckily, I didn't bother to glance that much at what appeared to be a rather boring, generic cover.) Who is the mysterious leader of the Bastards? Totally given away!

That said, this was just a great issue. We got tons of action, and the team finally comes together as a group. I can't wait for next issue, and find out who has led these Bastards into believing they're the sons and daughters of famous bad guys. After a less-than-impressive stint at DC, McKeever's doing great things with this title.

 

[JewishHobbit]

I'm assuming that would be the Young ALLIES?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Heh, yeah, that confused me for a bit as well. I was wondering how Phaed had gotten his hands on #4 of Young Avengers when it's not supposed to be released for another 3 or 4 months.

 

[Specter313]

Did anyone else get the X-Men: Smoke and Blood one shot? The art wasn't that good, but I thought the writing was excellent. I know a lot of people think the X-Men vs Vampires thing is just bandwagon jumping with the vampire trend, but I've really been liking a lot of the X-Club stuff lately, and this really was no exception. Here's a few of the gems:

Emma: You mean fangs, creepy eyes, all that?
Nemesis: Extra credit to the cleavage in the corner.

Nemesis: I'd go into more detail, but I hate to see a woman in pain.
Emma: How's it delivered smartass?

Kavita: Eat scalding gene therapy, you dentally atavistic morphologically challenged *****!
Jeffries: Good science cussin', K.
Kavita: I've been practicing.

Kavita: Emma says the only psyches she can detect in the labs are either human or mutant, and even those are "fuzzy".
Nemesis: Tolja.
Kavita: She also says she bets Dr. Nemesis looks constipated when he's smug.
Jeffries: She's good.

Nemesis: Frost! I am about to be unwillingly Lestatified! You will stop interrupting and do as I say or my first act as a functioning haemovore will be to murder every bondagewear manufacturer on the planet! Tremble and obey!

Frost: But why, I wonder, isn't his highness here to explain all this himself?
Kavita: He, ah...
Nemesis: Telepathymutterwretchedwomangrumbledamnindignitygrowlneverheartheendofthis...
Kavita: He's cranky.

 

[JewishHobbit]

I couldn't get past the art to justify the $4 price tag. But it's good anytime people mock or put down Emma. I can't stand her character.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

If Beast were still in the X-Club, I might've considered picking that up. I can never get enough Beast. He should be on every team and have a solo series. Two, even.

 

[Phaedrus45]

I'm assuming that would be the Young ALLIES?

Yes. Thanks for pointing out my brainfart!

Green Hornet Year One #3-4

Ok, that catches me up on all the Green Hornet titles. The other three (Kato Origins, Green Hornet Parallel Lives, and Green Hornet Remastered) I was already up to speed on. Not sure if I've missed one...but, I know more minis are coming out soon.

If I had to pick just two of six that are currently being solicited, it would be Kevin Smith's Green Hornet and this title. Matt Wagner does the writing duties, and just like with his on-hiatus title, Zorro, it's fantastic. This is the original Green Hornet and Kato from their first year together; and, just as he did with the first bunch of issues of Zorro, we get current action mixed in with how the Green Hornet becomes a superhero and how he meets Kato. It's amazing how well Wagner writes these classic heroes. While he doesn't get the hype of Kevin Smith, and his Zorro never achieved the success of Lone Ranger, he's in a class of his own by making these stories very interesting. (Plus, he doesn't need to modernize them as much as other writers feel the need to. He respects the originals, and his writing shows that.)

So. Green Hornet is done. If you are interested in checking out this character before the movie starts, get Kevin Smith's and Matt Wagner's Green Hornet books. If you then want more, check out Kato and Kato: Origins. Both of those fill the readers in on the two Katos featured during both eras. Green Hornet: Parallel Lives has also been a decent read; but, I'd rank that fifth in my reading order. And, definitely skip Green Hornet Strikes, which is set in the future. (Oh, and only get the Remastered Green Hornet if you're someone interested in reading the old original adventures from many years ago. For me, it's interesting to read, but not worth the $3.99 price tag.)

Jonah Hex #59

So, I'm now skipping my next set of comics to read, and have jumped down to those on the bottom of my reading list. (I like to mix things up; and, I'm interested if these comics will change my mind about them.) Now, these aren't bad books; they're just books that I'm getting bored with or don't wow me like the others.

I've always loved this Jonah Hex series; but, after 59 issues, something has got to change. Gray and Palmiotti don't give the readers enough incentive to come back next month and see what's gonna happen next with this character. Sure, there are a few supporting characters who show back up for a single issue...but, that's rare. Part of the appeal of this title is that you get one-off stories...but, I also need that desire to read the next issue right NOW, not in a month's time. (Like with Taskmaster #1. I cannot wait for what happens next.)

So...this issue was good. We get introduced to the Grey Ghost; and, it seems like he's a character we might meet again later down the road. (Not the same person in the suit; but, the character.) It's weird. We had a big two-page set-up for the Grey Ghost; then, he finally shows up at the very end of the story and gets gunned down. I almost felt cheated.

Gorilla-Man #3

Can someone at Marvel please get Jeff Parker away from the damn Agents Of Atlas? Sure, his Atlas series is somewhat interesting; but, it's always at the bottom of my reading list. If it went away, I wouldn't shed a tear. It's just something about these characters that don't appeal to me. And, these one-shots and minis devoted to the various members have bored me. Thankfully, this issue ends the Gorilla-Man mini..and, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, BUT a serious fan of the Agents. We get another retread of Gorilla-Man's origin mixed in with a current adventure. The current adventure does nothing to spark my interest in this character; and, I feel like Parker is just promoting something that most readers aren't that interested in.

Iron Man 2: Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. One-Shot

This comic takes place before the events in Iron Man 2, as we get three short-stories featuring three agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The most interesting is the final one, featuring the Black Widow. We get to see how she infiltrated Tony's company, and it takes us right to the point where she was introduced to the company. The other two stories are ok, too; but, not really worth the $3.99 price tag.

 

[Dread]

Don't worry, Jeff Parker will very much be taken off "the damn Agents of Atlas". ATLAS will be dead after next issue, and beyond an issue of DEADPOOL TEAM-UP, it may be the last we see of the franchise in a major way. Marvel gave it a good try, but most readers didn't care for it (like you, Phaed). After all, the universe is better served by having fewer books like AGENTS OF ATLAS and more books for Wolverine, Spider-Man, Deadpool, the Punisher, or X-Men vs. Vampires.

Every time I see such harsh reactions to anything that offers even a hint at imagination, I realize just why the same damn characters get endless spin-offs and mini's.

The Agents are a trillion times more interesting than X-23 or Daken, least to me.

 

[Phaedrus45]

It's not that it's a bad team book. It's that the Agents are being shoved down our throats in mass quantities without any numbers that show it's a good idea. Much like Dynamite having six Green Hornet titles, Agents keep stuggling to survive, and giving us these minis and one-shots that are only "ok reads" isn't going to up the interest in casual fans. Yes, Atlas has been pretty darn good...but, these other things have stories that quickly leave your mind after reading them. (And, not helped by being over-priced, too.)

At least X-23 and Daken have seen some support from the fans. And, X-23's two minis were pretty fantastic, imo.

 

[TimBisley]

It's not that it's a bad team book. It's that the Agents are being shoved down our throats in mass quantities without any numbers that show it's a good idea. Much like Dynamite having six Green Hornet titles, Agents keep stuggling to survive, and giving us these minis and one-shots that are only "ok reads" isn't going to up the interest in casual fans. Yes, Atlas has been pretty darn good...but, these other things have stories that quickly leave your mind after reading them. (And, not helped by being over-priced, too.)

At least X-23 and Daken have seen some support from the fans. And, X-23's two minis were pretty fantastic, imo.

Thats how I feel about Wolverine, his kids, Hulks, and Deadpool. I fail to see how they are "being shoved down our throats". There isn't 4 different Atlas ongoings every month. Sure, there is a mini every now and then, but thats it. They aren't showing up in crossovers or main titles

I'm glad I can blame "casual fans", whatever that is, for the demise of a book I really enjoy. But hey, at least there are a few Hulk, Wolverine, Deadpool books I can pick up every month in its place. Theres nothing like a lack of variety and quality.

 

[TimBisley]

The Agents are a trillion times more interesting than X-23 or Daken, least to me.

Agreed, but I'd add all the Hulks and Deadpool and Bendis' Avengers to the list.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Yeah, it seems impossible to shove something down your throat if it's limited pretty much solely to comics that are clearly labeled and intended to feature them. The Agents of Atlas are not a case of, say, wanting to read an Avengers comic but having Bendis' street-level bulls*** with Wolverine, the Sentry, and a few other terrible characters as your only option for the last few years. If you don't like the Agents of Atlas, avoid comics with "Atlas" or their members' names in the titles and you'll be treated to literally nothing about them except maybe one or two short stories in those anthology books Marvel's been putting out lately. They're not exactly ubiquitous.

 

[runawayboulder]

Don't worry, Jeff Parker will very much be taken off "the damn Agents of Atlas". ATLAS will be dead after next issue, and beyond an issue of DEADPOOL TEAM-UP, it may be the last we see of the franchise in a major way. Marvel gave it a good try, but most readers didn't care for it (like you, Phaed). After all, the universe is better served by having fewer books like AGENTS OF ATLAS and more books for Wolverine, Spider-Man, Deadpool, the Punisher, or X-Men vs. Vampires.

Every time I see such harsh reactions to anything that offers even a hint at imagination, I realize just why the same damn characters get endless spin-offs and mini's.

The Agents are a trillion times more interesting than X-23 or Daken, least to me.

Hey, hey, hey! I like Punisher/FrankenCastle and the X-Men vs Vampires and I don't criticize AoA.......

 

[JewishHobbit]

Atlas wasn't as interesting to me but I'd be willing to give it a shot if not for the $4 price tag I know it's at least had at one point when I was kinda curious. So if anything, blame Marvel for their pricing strategy, not the fans.

Besides that, X-23 started kinda lame but became a fairly interesting character. And yeah, her two origin minis were both actually really good. Daken I can't say much about, I only read him in Dark Avengers and that's not much to go on.

And how's Hulks being shoved down our throats? We have a title for Red Hulk, a title for Banner/Skaar/ and others, and soon a title for the She-Hulks. They're each differant characters. It's not at all like Wolverine or Deadpool with so many minis and ongoings at a time. Yeah, there were quite a few minis with the World War Hulks and Fall of Hulks thing, but that was an event and to be expected, same as with Shadowland. It's over though.


And while I wasn't too hot on the X-Men vs Vampires thing, surprisingly it's the best the franchise has been in a few years at least. And it's got good art to top it off.