Bought/Thought for the Eighteenth of February in the Year Two Thousand Nine SPOILERS

[yenaled]

Fair enough. I tend to favor realism in the presentation but an idealistic core or message. I know how much the real world sucks. I want my fictional heroes to make me believe people can be better.

This is basically why I adore Superman, he is the image of idealism and hope - he believes more in humanity than it believes in itself (the classic line from All Star Superman "you are much stronger than you think you are"). When all **** is going down Superman is there striving to do what's right and beliving "there is always another way".

People see this as easy writing black/white but infact it's completly the opposite - and to quote Flex Mentallo "Only a bitter little adolescent boy could mistake Pessimism for Realism" - I think it is the easiest thing in the world to write the world as a horrid moralless place where the easy answer is to kill people so readily. I think it is a hard thing to write someone who passionately believes in Idealism

 

[Ipodman]

i actually felt that Trinity wasnt that bad... i will be getting the collected editions...

 

[Brainiac 8]

Except...we know that the Starjammers have to escape relatively unharmed, and so does Vulcan and his guard. That limits casualties to minor villains, and makes the climax seem methodical. But you could say that about any popcorn action movie, and that doesn't mean they can't be fun. Despite feeling obligatory, I am enjoying another space action romp. The series at least has reframed Vulcan's ruthless insanity and made Havok and Polaris look more competant (although her line to Lilandra about being on meds was unintentionally hilarious). And it is good that Lilandra is surrounded by all these figures because by herself she usually is very boring. I am curious if Havok will be allowed to get his "Indigo Montoya" moment with Vulcan at the end of WAR OF KINGS, as that would seem to be the natural progression of this arc. I got annoyed that Havok's sibling rivalry would hinder his efficientness and I do like how he is capable here even when powerless (and half shirtless). The last issue should have a lot of action and that should at least be entertaining.

Dread, I truly hope so. I know the covers and promos have shown it more being a Vulcan vs. Blackbolt, and I'm sure they'll battle at some point...but I really hope that the final blow or last fight gets to be between Havok and Vulcan. I think that Alex deserves to finally shine in this series as a leader and field commander, to finally break that "big brother" complex once and forall.

In fact, I would love to have Alex say at the end: "Hello, my name is Alex Summers, you killed my father; prepare to die."

 

[Brainiac 8]

edit..oopsies.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

To which Vulcan would be all, "He was my father too... but he didn't love me!"

Do Vulcan and Alex's powers work on each other? Scott and Alex's don't. It'd be cool if Havok got to beat Vulcan because of that--their powers don't work on each other so they're reduced to fighting it out like men.

 

[CaptainCanada]

Yeah, they've been shown working (Vulcan was able to fight Cyclops and Rachel as well); Scott and Alex's are just sufficiently similar that their systems can absorb them.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Aw. So much for that idea.

 

[CaptainCanada]

Eh, you could have them both max-out or whatever if you wanted to (it's a good idea, though I imagine some people would complain about ripping off Sinestro Corps (which wasn't the first to do it either)).

The one thing that I'm worried about in WoK is that they'll have Black Bolt be the one to defeat Vulcan, which would give a massive middle-finger to Havok (and the other Starjammers), who have a far more personal and longstanding vendetta.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

On the one hand, it's more appropriate for Havok to beat Vulcan because he's his brother and there's a long-standing personal grudge between them. But, on the other hand, the event is called War of Kings, and Havok is only the king of guys who live in the shadow of their big brothers, if anything.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Ultimate Fantastic Four #60: This week has quite a few comics that are coming to an end, this being one of them. Of course, with this being a tie-in with Ultimatum, we shouldn't expect a real ending; there is still Ultimatum #3 & #4, and later a special Requiem issue.

As the Ultimate line goes, Fantastic Four has been consistently one of the good ones. While Ultimate X-Men has been pretty bad most of it's run, and Ultimate Spider-Man has been known to have it's down-points, this title has been my favorite for the past few years. If not for this title, Marvel Zombies wouldn't have been born. I'll definitely miss it.

This issue has Thing and Sue searching for Johnny and Reed, with the focus being more on finding Johnny, as the Invisible Woman pretty much says she's through with Reed. There is a pretty good battle with some Atlantians, and we get some nice flashbacks of Johnny and Sue as kids and their relationship with their mom.

8/10

Spider-Man Noir #3: Of the two Noir titles, this is the best. X-Men Noir is interesting enough; but, there are too many characters, and I find myself confused at times with who is who. This is more simplistic, especially since it can focus itself on a single hero and his origin. Plus, the villians are classic ones we all remember. The standout is, surprisingly, The Vulture. The writer took a character who hasn't been interesting in ages and made him pretty terrifying. Also, I like this take on Spidey, making him much more like Daredevil than the wise-cracking Spider-Man we all know.

This issue sets everything up for the action-packed final issue. The truth about JJ's death is shown, those involved in Norman's corruption are revealed, and everyone in Peter's life is in dire circumstances by this issue's end. Best of all, it only takes Marvel four issues to tell this tale, and it doesn't feel drawn out, like many of Marvel's other minis.

8/10

Amazing Spider-Man #587: Oddly enough, while I've never been a Guggenheim fan, he really does a good job on this title. I love that all the stuff we've been reading for the last year is being wrapped up nicely in "Character Assissination." From the truth about the Spider-Tracer Killer to revealing the identity of Menace, it all leads up to next issues double-sized finale. I know there are still hold-outs who prefer to stomp up and down, lamenting the whole Mephisto angle; but, this has been a great year to be a Spidey fan.

9/10

The Amazing Spider-Man Family #4: Five stories in this issue, the best being at the end, a two-issue reprint of Amazing Spider-Man #97 & #98. For those alone, I would say the $4.99 cover price is worth it. The other four stories are nothing too spectacular. The first fills in the gap created by Brand New Day, showing the days after Peter Parker learned that Harry Osborn was alive, and Harry's attempts to reconcile with him. It's filled with many past memories of how Peter and Harry first became friends. The second story is a "Mr. & Mrs. Spider-Man" one, and is cute. A robber with extremely bad luck tries to steal pharmacuticals, but breaks into the biophysics lab instead of the pharmacy school. The third story is another Aunt May "Amazing Spider-Ma'am" adventure. Finally, Peter Porker returns, but it's really the origin and first appearance of Swiney-Girl, a take off on the May Parker adventures in Spider-Girl. The last two did nothing for me.

As this is the "Spider-Man Family," I wish they'd take the book in a different direction. I love the Brand New Day Spider-Man tale that is in the first part of the book, and I love the reprints of classic issues at the end; but, it's the middle that they should do away with. Instead, they should do stories from Spider-Man family members who have had their own titles in the past and put them here. If Spider-Girl will just continue to get cancelled or risk cancellation, what better place to present her adventures than here? Plus, they could continue with Arana's adventures in this title, or even secondary Spidey characters, like The Black Cat.

7/10

 

[Phaedrus45]

Ghost Rider #32: Ha! Just because it says it's the conclusion to a storyline, don't believe it! This issue is the (supposed) final confrontation between Danny and Johnny, and with Heaven supposedly on Danny Ketch's side, there will be hell to pay. Of course, Danny was being duped by Zadkiel, and in the end, even though he wins, they all lose. Now, the walls of heaven have been knocked down, and it looks like doom and gloom, with both characters powerless.

While not a fan of the art, I got used to it. I'm just not a fan of this whole Heaven vs. Hell vs. Angels vs. Demons with a bunch of Ghost Riders mixed in kind of thing they have been doing with this title. It has gotten a little bit better of late; and, this issue has peeked my interest in seeing what happens next; but, it almost feels as if the writer is trying to copy the success of Iron Fist in his writing.

7/10

Punisher #67: Kind of like the movie, Crash, this storyline finds Frank Castle with just six hours to live, and in the process, he's going to kill everyone he can. Sure, Ennis left, but this title is still a lot of fun to read. It's Punisher doing what he's best at, and all of it in Marvel Max style.

8/10


The Warriors #1: Based on the cult classic movie, Dabel Brothers an official movie adaptation of a film about 30 years old. The first issue isn't anything that special. The art isn't that great, though it does it's best to capture the look of the original actors; and, the dialogue seems very corny in this adaptation. It's better to buy the DVD for ten bucks than by all five issue of this series for $19.95. (Or, if you want, you can probably find the video game that came out a few years back for the same price or cheaper in a local Gamestop.)

3/10

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I just watched The Warriors movie two nights ago.

 

[Doc Destruction]

PSsst the movie is Crank, Phaed.

 

[Doc Destruction]

I just watched The Warriors movie two nights ago.

CAAAAN YOOOOOUUU DIG IT???

Love that movie.

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

I just watched The Warriors movie two nights ago.

Cor-pu-leeent....come out to...play-ay!

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Haha, yeah, people kept telling me how good it was but I kept falling asleep when I tried to watch it. I finally gave it a try when I wasn't dog tired and it turned out to be really good. It sucked that Ajax got pinched, but it made sense for the character. Being that reckless is bound to f*** you over at some point.

 

[Phaedrus45]

PSsst the movie is Crank, Phaed.

Thanks! I always get that name wrong, even though I own the DVD. Did you see that there is a sequel to Crank coming out soon? I couldn't believe it when I saw the preview about a month ago in the theaters.

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

Haha, yeah, people kept telling me how good it was but I kept falling asleep when I tried to watch it. I finally gave it a try when I wasn't dog tired and it turned out to be really good. It sucked that Ajax got pinched, but it made sense for the character. Being that reckless is bound to f*** you over at some point.

That scene where he and Cowboy are running through the park from the Baseball Furies justs EXHAUSTS me every time i see it, lol...imagine having those maniacs after your ass, lol...t:

 

[Dread]

Dread, I truly hope so. I know the covers and promos have shown it more being a Vulcan vs. Blackbolt, and I'm sure they'll battle at some point...but I really hope that the final blow or last fight gets to be between Havok and Vulcan. I think that Alex deserves to finally shine in this series as a leader and field commander, to finally break that "big brother" complex once and forall.

In fact, I would love to have Alex say at the end: "Hello, my name is Alex Summers, you killed my father; prepare to die."

Thanks for being the first to catch my PRINCESS BRIDE reference. (I own THE WARRIORS too; you can't live in Brooklyn, NY only 20 minutes from Coney Island by subway and NOT own THE WARRIORS in some format.)

While plenty of figures have reason to be angry with the Shi'ar and Vulcan, Havok has the most emotional drive, and it would be a shame to cheat him of his big moment. Editors wouldn't be as willing to do that if he were Cyclops or Wolverine in the same situation.

On the one hand, it's more appropriate for Havok to beat Vulcan because he's his brother and there's a long-standing personal grudge between them. But, on the other hand, the event is called War of Kings, and Havok is only the king of guys who live in the shadow of their big brothers, if anything.

That is true, but Havok could still manage to finish the guy off. Black Bolt may be a king, but Alex is technically head of the Starjammers now. A CBR article started mentioning that not all of the important figures in this event are "kings".

And yes, Havok and Vulcan's powers work on each other. That scar that Vulcan has on his face was caused by his last battle with Havok. As for why this is true when neither Alex or Scott can hurt each other with their powers, a good No-Prize could be that Vulcan's DNA was effected by being merged with Darwin in space for so long and then being awakened by that surge of "mutant energy" that Wanda released at the end of HOM.

I see Black Bolt and Vulcan fighting a lot in promo material, and I am sure they go a few rounds, but there is no emotional connection there. It would have been like someone else killing Annihilus other than Nova, considering that Nova had to basically watch Annihilus kill Quasar in front of him (and left him the Nova Corps' only survivor). No one liked that Adam Warlock and Phyla were the ones to beat Great Ultron in the sequel, but Ultron had been chasing after Adam's "perfect" organic form for much of the series, so it made sense.

Besides, there are plenty of other people involved in War of Kings for Black Bolt to beat SOMEONE and still look cool. That is part of the fun of these space events in a way.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Well, if they're downgrading from kings to just leaders, I hope Star-Lord has an important role in WoK as well. He's sort of taken backseat to Nova and then Phyla/Warlock in the Annihilations. It'd be nice to see him get a bigger piece of the pie this time.

Also, Blastaar's a king. Maybe Black Bolt could curbstomp him.

That scene where he and Cowboy are running through the park from the Baseball Furies justs EXHAUSTS me every time i see it, lol...imagine having those maniacs after your ass, lol...t:

For real. The look in the lead Fury's eye in one scene is downright chilling. But then the Warriors live up to their name, so it's all right.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Bought/Thought of the Week!!!

You asked for it!

You got it!!!

The biggest comic of the week, hell, OF THE MONTH!!!

New Exiles #18!!!!!!!

There is a God in heaven; because my wish has FINALLY been answered. New Exiles is officially done! Claremont goes out with a whimper, as he has his final issue be nothing but a lot of talking and Exile "hooking-up." The Exiles version of Rogue stays on the last planet, because she's hooked up with a saurian; Morph stays on the same planet, falling for Nerimani....but, comes back later in the book after a lengthy passage of time; Valeria Richards returns and joins the New Exiles, because she's got a thing for Gambit (the Namor version); Gambit then leaves because his father dies and he must rule his kingdom; Sage (which I believe is 616 version) combines her spirit with the Crystal Palace; Psylocke bumps uglies with the Exile version of Sabretooth; and, that's about it. 18 issues of utter crap is finally finished. Here's hoping the New New Exiles can get things back on track.

3/10 for this issue

10/10 because it's finally over!

 

[Manic]

So... Sage is gone forever?

*sings "A Brand New Day" from The Wiz*

 

[BrianWilly]

I feel almost sorry for Claremont, even though if you'd asked me a few years ago I would've been all "DIE HELLTHING DIE" about him. It's like, y'know, sometimes you wonder what happens to aging writers who don't have a place anymore and, well, this is what happens.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Guys, just remember: Jeff Parker is a good writer.

 

[Manic]

I feel almost sorry for Claremont, even though if you'd asked me a few years ago I would've been all "DIE HELLTHING DIE" about him. It's like, y'know, sometimes you wonder what happens to aging writers who don't have a place anymore and, well, this is what happens.

Yeah, you can't help but feel sorry for him. Maybe it's time for him to move on from the X-Men, though. Go off into the world of independent comics or convince Marvel to give him an Icon title, and create some new characters. Go off and do something new so fans won't constantly judge him by the way he writes franchise characters he hasn't touched since 1990.


*sings "You Can't Win" from The Wiz*

Okay, I need to see that movie now...