Bought/Thought May 11th 2011
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Dread
TMNT 1984-2009
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This week was a gasp of air from my wallet after two weeks with 8-11 books. Next week is another 8 book week, but 7 of them are $2.99, so it won't be quite as bad.
Spoilers as usual.
DREAD's BOUGHT/THOUGHT for 5/11/11!
THE STANDARD #1: This is a new independent creation published by ComixTribe, available via download for $1.99 from Wowio and DriveThruComics (with Graphic.ly, Iverse, MyDigitalComics and Oxicomics set to offer it soon) and print-to-order physical copies at $3.99 from IndyPlanet. New creators John Lees (or Hype's very own Keyser Soze) and Jonathon Rector write and draw, respectively, this tale of the trials and legacy of a superhero mantle in the fictional Sky City.
This was a solid debut for Lees and Rector onto the comic book scene as well as for a new superhero story that may offer something a bit different than what Marvel or DC are doing right now. The website of the series will offer more direct links and ordering information (http://thestandardcomic.com/). The Internet has been a godsend to independent creators, and hopefully THE STANDARD lives up to that potential. If you are someone who wants to support "indie" comics but isn't into the supernatural or angst ridden gothic things, this is the title for you.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #660: Despite the "Infested" banner at the top, this is in reality the conclusion of an arc in which Dan Slott and Fred Van Lente capitalize on Spider-Man being a member of Jonathan Hickman's FF series to feature an FF style adventure. After the events of last issue, Spider-Man and the rest of the Foundation (adults and kids, and Dragon Man) find themselves on an island under the attack of not just zombie pirates, Spider-Man's old rogues gallery, the Sinister Six! Artist Mike McKone (AVENGERS ACADEMY) draws most of this 20 page story, with Stefano Caselli only contributing the final three pages. Marte Garcia's colors manage to tie it all together so it all gels together. Despite the kids of the Foundation mostly being geniuses, such as Val Richards and Alex Power, their intervention actually plays right into Dr. Octopus' long term plans. Given that prior alliances of the Sinister Six have warranted team-up's with the Fantastic Four and a slew of other heroes during the 90's, Slott is doing wonders in booting their threat level beyond simply plaguing Spider-Man solo. An ending bit where the Foundation counter Spidey's usual "over responsibility" even in a victory is an amusing moment. A bit in which dimensions flux around the heroes offers all sorts of fun cameos. Less amusing is an obvious typo (unless Ben Grimm really meant to say, "rouge's gallery" instead of "rogue's gallery") and a subplot with Carlie Cooper and a tattoo that "broke the internet in half" last week which now becomes much ado about nothing. While Carlie Cooper, Peter's first major love interest since his marriage ended (or never existed) is a character who needs a subplot to get attention, this probably could have been handled better.
The "Infested" build up continues in another two page bit following Jackal's experiment, where he seems to have sought to create genetically enhanced bugs to bite New Yorkers and grant them powers similar to Spider-Man's, against their will and knowledge. Given that Jackal has become infamous for the Clone Saga of the 70's and 90's, another plot in which he seeks to endlessly duplicate Spider-Man in another way is both in character and a bit too on the nose - like when the Penguin decides to steal a bird shaped statue.
Rob Williams and Lee Garbett also finish their Ghost Rider/Spider-Man team up back up strip, which is essentially a promotion for GHOST RIDER #0.1 that is coming soon. Given that next issue begins a two part guest run by Christos Gage featuring the AVENGERS ACADEMY, and it is easy to see that AMAZING SPIDER-MAN is once again seen as a launch pad to promote new or current ongoing series, as well as upcoming mini series like POWER MAN AND IRON FIST. Given that it has steadily sold about 52k copies an issue or more since 2008 and been a solid Top 10-25 presence in the sales charts, this makes a degree of sense. This was a solid conclusion to this three issue arc, although the extra AVENGERS ACADEMY story in issues #661 and #662 are even more eagerly appreciated.
FEAR ITSELF: YOUTH IN REVOLT #1: As an event, FEAR ITSELF has manifested into several reflections of Marvel's current editorial strategies. It has sought to insert mumblings about current social trends and climates to feel as if it is in "the world outside your window" - or rather, to make a plot simple enough for a wrestling match sound more weighted. It has focused on Thor and Steve Rogers, two characters who, surprise, get films from Marvel Studios this summer. After a year of HEROIC AGE, the tone of the Marvel Universe as a whole is back to panic and bleakness, which has usually been what Marvel has utilized for stories since about 2004-2005. The main FEAR ITSELF mini series is strictly obligatory reading, and while the first spin off, FEAR ITSELF: THE HOME FRONT has been interesting, it is hardly a base hit thus far. This second spin off mini series, however, finally hits one into the outfield. Sean McKeever and artist Mike Norton, the team who launched GRAVITY in 2006, reunite here to follow the stories of the younger Marvel heroes in this epic struggle. While AVENGERS ACADEMY is the proper sequel to AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE, this mini series features many of the younger characters who were part of that Initiative; several of whom were co-created by Dan Slott or Christos Gage. Veronica Gandini lends superb color work to Norton's pencils and inks. McKeever has gotten to return to Gravity by including him in the short lived YOUNG ALLIES and the ONSLAUGHT UNLEASHED mini series (which has one issue left), and naturally the character returns here. Besides former Initiative creations like Cloud 9, Komodo, Hardball, and Boulder, there are other "young" characters who are actually older than many readers realize. Firestar, for instance, is an immigrant from the mid 1980's NBC cartoon "SPIDER-MAN AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS", while Ultra-Girl, created by Peter David and Leonard Kirk, is almost 13 years old. The alien Tarene, or Thor-Girl, who is front and center on the cover, was created by Dan Jurgens and John Romita, Jr. is almost 11 years old - created before the controversial 2000 Presidential election, in fact. Yet in a universe that still relies heavily on characters created in the 60's and 70's, these are all still considered "young'uns" who often remain on the outskirts of the major action.
To get the negative out of the way, the title for this six issue mini series is terrible. Certainly nothing is going to encourage retailers and fans to order copies in advance like a subtitle such as "YOUTH IN REVOLT". Younger characters often struggle to become sales draw, and part of the dilemma can be misleading, old, or uninspired titles to the series they appear in. These are characters who were all connected to AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE, which ran over two years - why not put that in the title, even if AVENGERS ACADEMY is the spiritual sequel? How would it make any less sense than splitting up THOR and JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY, or HULK with INCREDIBLE HULKS? Or even inserting BLACK PANTHER into DAREDEVIL, MAN WITHOUT FEAR? For the first half of the decade, any comic that had anything remotely to do with the X-Men, even if it was just a single character or a subject, had X-MEN in the title. Marvel recently dithered with a title to a 3 issue crossover between AVENGERS ACADEMY and the canceled YOUNG ALLIES, and wasted time initially trying to sell it as ARCADE: DEATH GAME and not have the strongest franchise in the title. Did any reasonable fan need three months to figure out AVENGERS ACADEMY was the best thing to stick in the title? Someone in the marketing department is not earning their paycheck when the best they can come up with for characters loosely related to the Avengers is "YOUTH IN REVOLT". Why not "THEM UPPITY BRATS" while they were at it?
Aside for the title, the story itself is rather good for those who enjoy seeing characters younger than their parents. The gist is that after FEAR ITSELF #2, with evil Asgardian hammers falling around the world like meteors (that possess superhumans into acting as monsters for the Serpent), panic in America is at an all time high. Steve Rogers realizes the Avengers alone aren't enough, so he asks Richie Gilmore, who was formerly the disgraced hero Prodigy (of THE SLINGERS from 1999), to quit a dead end government desk job to lead a volunteer super-hero force to stem riots and opportunistic criminals during this crisis. Fortunately for him, many of his fellow Initiative trainee heroes are still active, such as Thor-Girl and Ultra-Girl as part of Atlanta, Georgia's official team, the Cavalry. Gravity and Firestar still seek to distance themselves from admitting that they're full time heroes, but remain reliable to pitch in. Yet at least one former Initiative graduate has no interest in returning to a life of spandex, and Tarene learns that this isn't the best time to pattern oneself after a Norse hero in terms of public relations. Above all, a guy like Gilmore whose previous superheroic endeavors have never ended well is suddenly thrust into a major leadership role that he may not be prepared for, despite himself. Plus, look out for cameos by obscure heroes new and old, such as the Order, Red 9, Stunt-Master, Rage, and even Frog-Man!
The artwork by Norton and Gandini is terrific; Norton is at times an underappreciated penciler whose solid lines and simple fundamentals should be appreciated by the same fans who enjoy the artwork of Mark Bagley or even John Romita Jr. He isn't the flashiest artist, but his lines are clear, his action is easy to follow and he draws energetic, distinct characters. In terms of the story, McKeever continues on his usual flare for writing young heroes, and is able to continue where other writers recently left off with some of them (such as in last week's AVENGERS ACADEMY #13). While there are many characters here, he has chosen about a half dozen as his leads so far, which is a wise choice. Despite all of the Thor-related stories that have come over the past year and change, Tarene has been a fairly neglected character; here she seems to be getting her due at long last in a major role. Every character has a solid voice, and the tension of the overall situation is broadcast well - especially after Sin (Red Skull's daughter and heir), as Skadi, leads an army of Nazi robots into Washington, D.C. Plus, unlike many other FEAR ITSELF books, this is priced at $2.99, making it one of the cheaper ones to enjoy.
FEAR ITSELF: YOUTH IN REVOLT has become the best comic launched from Marvel's 2011 event thus far, and given McKeever's usually solid track record, that looks to continue. Readers who desire new blood in the Marvel Universe or are even looking for something FEAR ITSELF related that is good, and not just "important" from cover to cover, need to give this a look.
FF #3: This is technically the third issue of “Future Foundation”, the series that has taken over for FANTASTIC FOUR in the wake of the death of the Human Torch, but in practice this is really issue #26 of Jonathan Hickman’s run on the Fantastic Four as a franchise. In fact, FF is so reliant on readers having paid attention to Hickman’s work on the “final” 18 issues of FANTASTIC FOUR that extra readers who have jumped upon this book due to the hype could find themselves a bit lost. Steve Epting continues his phenomenal work as penciler, with Paul Mounts on colors and Butch Guice and Rick Magyar aiding on inks.
The premise of the Future Foundation, for those who forgot or don’t know, is that the death of Johnny Storm was so great that the rest of his surviving team mates and family members couldn’t just find a replacement, slap a “4” on their chest and continue as before – even if that is very close to what they have done by obeying Johnny’s “living will” wish to have Spider-Man fill his spot on the active roster. Instead Reed Richards has expanded the team to include his own two children (the super genius Valeria and the reality warping Franklin), Alex Power from POWER PACK, Diablo’s creation Dragon Man (now with a “sentience” app), Wizard’s cloned son, Artie, Leech, and some evolved Moloids (minions of Mole Man). Reed had organized them as a think tank to solve the problems of the future, as well as a way to allow his kids to be more active while keeping an eye on them – Val especially. In this he has failed. Val has gone snooping around where she shouldn’t have, and discovered one of Reed’s inventions – the Bridge (introduced in DARK REIGN: FANTASTIC FOUR), which he used in prior material to meet a council of inter-dimensional counterparts who all abandoned their families to solve the problems of the universe with super-science. Val also gained knowledge from a future version of her elder brother, who informed her that Dr. Doom would be key to an upcoming battle. Thus, she has encouraged her father to help restore Dr. Doom’s intellect; a move that irritated his wife and Ben Grimm. Val is essentially a 2-3 year old girl (or about 4-5 depending on how the artist draws her) with vast intelligence that borders on the same level as Reed’s or Doom’s.
This issue offers a flashback to a prior story in which Val had utilized the bridge to find the “Alternate Reed Council”, and found them under attack by Celestials. The angle with that story is that the Reed from “our” universe loved his family too much to abandon him to the council, an act that all of his counterparts undertook. However, doing so has made those counterparts a bit less sympathetic to the needs of others and, as this issue shows, practitioners of the philosophy of “the ends justify the means”. Only four of them (by coincidence) survived the Celestial assault and they have all formed alliances with different kingdoms that the Four had recently discovered, with their intent to sacrifice this world to regain access to their own.
Thus, what is the best strategy for trying to combat several evil alternates of yourself? Get advice from your greatest enemies, apparently, as a who’s who of evil geniuses who have all matched wits with Reed are assembled. In an improvement from previous issues, “our” Reed lays down the law that he will not tolerate any betrayals and will not hesitate to sic the Avengers on any of them for the slightest whiff of evil. On the other hand, the Watcher has become the most overused sign-post of supposed importance in the Marvel Universe, and Hickman indulges in it as well. This is more of a “setting up issue” than anything else, putting the pegs into motion for the next several issues. They will apparently feature the FF in the midst of a war manipulated by the alternate Reed’s – including one against Annihilus, whose hordes killed Johnny (seemingly). Still, for “geniuses”, the fable of a scorpion being unable to hide it’s true nature comes to mind when they team up with a room full of arch enemies. For the smartest man in the room, trusting your arch enemies with the fate of the world seems to be a blunder even a common man would avoid. Hickman’s stories often operate on a broader scale, and it could make sense in those terms later on. The High Evolutionary, at the very least, is rarely an outright criminal fanatic.
Hickman’s run on Fantastic Four, whether in Dark Reign mini’s or this sequel series, is a work that is often better than the sum of its parts. This issue was a good step towards that. The dilemma is that at times the characters are lost to the sweeping arc, and then it can seem like exposition porn. But, that gives Epting an excuse to draw a lot of epic things, at least.
Spoilers as usual.
DREAD's BOUGHT/THOUGHT for 5/11/11!
THE STANDARD #1: This is a new independent creation published by ComixTribe, available via download for $1.99 from Wowio and DriveThruComics (with Graphic.ly, Iverse, MyDigitalComics and Oxicomics set to offer it soon) and print-to-order physical copies at $3.99 from IndyPlanet. New creators John Lees (or Hype's very own Keyser Soze) and Jonathon Rector write and draw, respectively, this tale of the trials and legacy of a superhero mantle in the fictional Sky City.
The Standard is the world's first super hero, a creation of fate and science during the late 1960's. The first half of this 28 page issue offers the summary of the past, while the other half is set in present day. The segments set in the 60's are full of vigor and corn-ball expectations of what heroes were, while the present segments have more dark tones and gore. The original Standard was a scientist empowered by a freak meteor that hit his laboratory and doused him with chemicals and alien radiation; the current Standard is his former sidekick grown up. While the original Standard was all about stoic one-liners and punching giant robots, the newer Standard has to resort to frequent injections to maintain his power, and has a grimy reality show career after revealing his identity to the world. There is also another vigilante in town who is creepy and violent, and a missing child who causes a conflict of morals for this issue's lead character. The ending offers a splash of blood and a bit of a twist as to who the real star of the next five issues may be. The colors by Mo James and Ray Dillon enhance Rector's artwork very well, from bright colors to heavy shadows when needed.
The art styles of several ages of superhero comics are homaged within this issue, from Neal Adams to "Kirby dots" in the origin sequence, to the newer Standard's costume that very much looks like something Jim Lee might have designed for the X-Men in 1992. The bright superheroics of yesteryear contrast greatly with the gore of the present day bits, which is deliberate. If this issue has one flaw, it is that in the attempt to cover all of the vital information for the series in this issue, the reader has to get past a bit of exposition. The flashback sequences are paced better with the current segments later on in the issue, but the beginning bit can feel a bit obligatory and possibly turn off some people if they feel it is too retro - even if that is exactly the point. What the issue accomplishes is setting up the hero, the world he/they take part in, and a central mystery to propel the rest of the story forward.
The art styles of several ages of superhero comics are homaged within this issue, from Neal Adams to "Kirby dots" in the origin sequence, to the newer Standard's costume that very much looks like something Jim Lee might have designed for the X-Men in 1992. The bright superheroics of yesteryear contrast greatly with the gore of the present day bits, which is deliberate. If this issue has one flaw, it is that in the attempt to cover all of the vital information for the series in this issue, the reader has to get past a bit of exposition. The flashback sequences are paced better with the current segments later on in the issue, but the beginning bit can feel a bit obligatory and possibly turn off some people if they feel it is too retro - even if that is exactly the point. What the issue accomplishes is setting up the hero, the world he/they take part in, and a central mystery to propel the rest of the story forward.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #660: Despite the "Infested" banner at the top, this is in reality the conclusion of an arc in which Dan Slott and Fred Van Lente capitalize on Spider-Man being a member of Jonathan Hickman's FF series to feature an FF style adventure. After the events of last issue, Spider-Man and the rest of the Foundation (adults and kids, and Dragon Man) find themselves on an island under the attack of not just zombie pirates, Spider-Man's old rogues gallery, the Sinister Six! Artist Mike McKone (AVENGERS ACADEMY) draws most of this 20 page story, with Stefano Caselli only contributing the final three pages. Marte Garcia's colors manage to tie it all together so it all gels together. Despite the kids of the Foundation mostly being geniuses, such as Val Richards and Alex Power, their intervention actually plays right into Dr. Octopus' long term plans. Given that prior alliances of the Sinister Six have warranted team-up's with the Fantastic Four and a slew of other heroes during the 90's, Slott is doing wonders in booting their threat level beyond simply plaguing Spider-Man solo. An ending bit where the Foundation counter Spidey's usual "over responsibility" even in a victory is an amusing moment. A bit in which dimensions flux around the heroes offers all sorts of fun cameos. Less amusing is an obvious typo (unless Ben Grimm really meant to say, "rouge's gallery" instead of "rogue's gallery") and a subplot with Carlie Cooper and a tattoo that "broke the internet in half" last week which now becomes much ado about nothing. While Carlie Cooper, Peter's first major love interest since his marriage ended (or never existed) is a character who needs a subplot to get attention, this probably could have been handled better.
The "Infested" build up continues in another two page bit following Jackal's experiment, where he seems to have sought to create genetically enhanced bugs to bite New Yorkers and grant them powers similar to Spider-Man's, against their will and knowledge. Given that Jackal has become infamous for the Clone Saga of the 70's and 90's, another plot in which he seeks to endlessly duplicate Spider-Man in another way is both in character and a bit too on the nose - like when the Penguin decides to steal a bird shaped statue.
Rob Williams and Lee Garbett also finish their Ghost Rider/Spider-Man team up back up strip, which is essentially a promotion for GHOST RIDER #0.1 that is coming soon. Given that next issue begins a two part guest run by Christos Gage featuring the AVENGERS ACADEMY, and it is easy to see that AMAZING SPIDER-MAN is once again seen as a launch pad to promote new or current ongoing series, as well as upcoming mini series like POWER MAN AND IRON FIST. Given that it has steadily sold about 52k copies an issue or more since 2008 and been a solid Top 10-25 presence in the sales charts, this makes a degree of sense. This was a solid conclusion to this three issue arc, although the extra AVENGERS ACADEMY story in issues #661 and #662 are even more eagerly appreciated.
FEAR ITSELF: YOUTH IN REVOLT #1: As an event, FEAR ITSELF has manifested into several reflections of Marvel's current editorial strategies. It has sought to insert mumblings about current social trends and climates to feel as if it is in "the world outside your window" - or rather, to make a plot simple enough for a wrestling match sound more weighted. It has focused on Thor and Steve Rogers, two characters who, surprise, get films from Marvel Studios this summer. After a year of HEROIC AGE, the tone of the Marvel Universe as a whole is back to panic and bleakness, which has usually been what Marvel has utilized for stories since about 2004-2005. The main FEAR ITSELF mini series is strictly obligatory reading, and while the first spin off, FEAR ITSELF: THE HOME FRONT has been interesting, it is hardly a base hit thus far. This second spin off mini series, however, finally hits one into the outfield. Sean McKeever and artist Mike Norton, the team who launched GRAVITY in 2006, reunite here to follow the stories of the younger Marvel heroes in this epic struggle. While AVENGERS ACADEMY is the proper sequel to AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE, this mini series features many of the younger characters who were part of that Initiative; several of whom were co-created by Dan Slott or Christos Gage. Veronica Gandini lends superb color work to Norton's pencils and inks. McKeever has gotten to return to Gravity by including him in the short lived YOUNG ALLIES and the ONSLAUGHT UNLEASHED mini series (which has one issue left), and naturally the character returns here. Besides former Initiative creations like Cloud 9, Komodo, Hardball, and Boulder, there are other "young" characters who are actually older than many readers realize. Firestar, for instance, is an immigrant from the mid 1980's NBC cartoon "SPIDER-MAN AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS", while Ultra-Girl, created by Peter David and Leonard Kirk, is almost 13 years old. The alien Tarene, or Thor-Girl, who is front and center on the cover, was created by Dan Jurgens and John Romita, Jr. is almost 11 years old - created before the controversial 2000 Presidential election, in fact. Yet in a universe that still relies heavily on characters created in the 60's and 70's, these are all still considered "young'uns" who often remain on the outskirts of the major action.
To get the negative out of the way, the title for this six issue mini series is terrible. Certainly nothing is going to encourage retailers and fans to order copies in advance like a subtitle such as "YOUTH IN REVOLT". Younger characters often struggle to become sales draw, and part of the dilemma can be misleading, old, or uninspired titles to the series they appear in. These are characters who were all connected to AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE, which ran over two years - why not put that in the title, even if AVENGERS ACADEMY is the spiritual sequel? How would it make any less sense than splitting up THOR and JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY, or HULK with INCREDIBLE HULKS? Or even inserting BLACK PANTHER into DAREDEVIL, MAN WITHOUT FEAR? For the first half of the decade, any comic that had anything remotely to do with the X-Men, even if it was just a single character or a subject, had X-MEN in the title. Marvel recently dithered with a title to a 3 issue crossover between AVENGERS ACADEMY and the canceled YOUNG ALLIES, and wasted time initially trying to sell it as ARCADE: DEATH GAME and not have the strongest franchise in the title. Did any reasonable fan need three months to figure out AVENGERS ACADEMY was the best thing to stick in the title? Someone in the marketing department is not earning their paycheck when the best they can come up with for characters loosely related to the Avengers is "YOUTH IN REVOLT". Why not "THEM UPPITY BRATS" while they were at it?
Aside for the title, the story itself is rather good for those who enjoy seeing characters younger than their parents. The gist is that after FEAR ITSELF #2, with evil Asgardian hammers falling around the world like meteors (that possess superhumans into acting as monsters for the Serpent), panic in America is at an all time high. Steve Rogers realizes the Avengers alone aren't enough, so he asks Richie Gilmore, who was formerly the disgraced hero Prodigy (of THE SLINGERS from 1999), to quit a dead end government desk job to lead a volunteer super-hero force to stem riots and opportunistic criminals during this crisis. Fortunately for him, many of his fellow Initiative trainee heroes are still active, such as Thor-Girl and Ultra-Girl as part of Atlanta, Georgia's official team, the Cavalry. Gravity and Firestar still seek to distance themselves from admitting that they're full time heroes, but remain reliable to pitch in. Yet at least one former Initiative graduate has no interest in returning to a life of spandex, and Tarene learns that this isn't the best time to pattern oneself after a Norse hero in terms of public relations. Above all, a guy like Gilmore whose previous superheroic endeavors have never ended well is suddenly thrust into a major leadership role that he may not be prepared for, despite himself. Plus, look out for cameos by obscure heroes new and old, such as the Order, Red 9, Stunt-Master, Rage, and even Frog-Man!
The artwork by Norton and Gandini is terrific; Norton is at times an underappreciated penciler whose solid lines and simple fundamentals should be appreciated by the same fans who enjoy the artwork of Mark Bagley or even John Romita Jr. He isn't the flashiest artist, but his lines are clear, his action is easy to follow and he draws energetic, distinct characters. In terms of the story, McKeever continues on his usual flare for writing young heroes, and is able to continue where other writers recently left off with some of them (such as in last week's AVENGERS ACADEMY #13). While there are many characters here, he has chosen about a half dozen as his leads so far, which is a wise choice. Despite all of the Thor-related stories that have come over the past year and change, Tarene has been a fairly neglected character; here she seems to be getting her due at long last in a major role. Every character has a solid voice, and the tension of the overall situation is broadcast well - especially after Sin (Red Skull's daughter and heir), as Skadi, leads an army of Nazi robots into Washington, D.C. Plus, unlike many other FEAR ITSELF books, this is priced at $2.99, making it one of the cheaper ones to enjoy.
FEAR ITSELF: YOUTH IN REVOLT has become the best comic launched from Marvel's 2011 event thus far, and given McKeever's usually solid track record, that looks to continue. Readers who desire new blood in the Marvel Universe or are even looking for something FEAR ITSELF related that is good, and not just "important" from cover to cover, need to give this a look.
FF #3: This is technically the third issue of “Future Foundation”, the series that has taken over for FANTASTIC FOUR in the wake of the death of the Human Torch, but in practice this is really issue #26 of Jonathan Hickman’s run on the Fantastic Four as a franchise. In fact, FF is so reliant on readers having paid attention to Hickman’s work on the “final” 18 issues of FANTASTIC FOUR that extra readers who have jumped upon this book due to the hype could find themselves a bit lost. Steve Epting continues his phenomenal work as penciler, with Paul Mounts on colors and Butch Guice and Rick Magyar aiding on inks.
The premise of the Future Foundation, for those who forgot or don’t know, is that the death of Johnny Storm was so great that the rest of his surviving team mates and family members couldn’t just find a replacement, slap a “4” on their chest and continue as before – even if that is very close to what they have done by obeying Johnny’s “living will” wish to have Spider-Man fill his spot on the active roster. Instead Reed Richards has expanded the team to include his own two children (the super genius Valeria and the reality warping Franklin), Alex Power from POWER PACK, Diablo’s creation Dragon Man (now with a “sentience” app), Wizard’s cloned son, Artie, Leech, and some evolved Moloids (minions of Mole Man). Reed had organized them as a think tank to solve the problems of the future, as well as a way to allow his kids to be more active while keeping an eye on them – Val especially. In this he has failed. Val has gone snooping around where she shouldn’t have, and discovered one of Reed’s inventions – the Bridge (introduced in DARK REIGN: FANTASTIC FOUR), which he used in prior material to meet a council of inter-dimensional counterparts who all abandoned their families to solve the problems of the universe with super-science. Val also gained knowledge from a future version of her elder brother, who informed her that Dr. Doom would be key to an upcoming battle. Thus, she has encouraged her father to help restore Dr. Doom’s intellect; a move that irritated his wife and Ben Grimm. Val is essentially a 2-3 year old girl (or about 4-5 depending on how the artist draws her) with vast intelligence that borders on the same level as Reed’s or Doom’s.
This issue offers a flashback to a prior story in which Val had utilized the bridge to find the “Alternate Reed Council”, and found them under attack by Celestials. The angle with that story is that the Reed from “our” universe loved his family too much to abandon him to the council, an act that all of his counterparts undertook. However, doing so has made those counterparts a bit less sympathetic to the needs of others and, as this issue shows, practitioners of the philosophy of “the ends justify the means”. Only four of them (by coincidence) survived the Celestial assault and they have all formed alliances with different kingdoms that the Four had recently discovered, with their intent to sacrifice this world to regain access to their own.
Thus, what is the best strategy for trying to combat several evil alternates of yourself? Get advice from your greatest enemies, apparently, as a who’s who of evil geniuses who have all matched wits with Reed are assembled. In an improvement from previous issues, “our” Reed lays down the law that he will not tolerate any betrayals and will not hesitate to sic the Avengers on any of them for the slightest whiff of evil. On the other hand, the Watcher has become the most overused sign-post of supposed importance in the Marvel Universe, and Hickman indulges in it as well. This is more of a “setting up issue” than anything else, putting the pegs into motion for the next several issues. They will apparently feature the FF in the midst of a war manipulated by the alternate Reed’s – including one against Annihilus, whose hordes killed Johnny (seemingly). Still, for “geniuses”, the fable of a scorpion being unable to hide it’s true nature comes to mind when they team up with a room full of arch enemies. For the smartest man in the room, trusting your arch enemies with the fate of the world seems to be a blunder even a common man would avoid. Hickman’s stories often operate on a broader scale, and it could make sense in those terms later on. The High Evolutionary, at the very least, is rarely an outright criminal fanatic.
Hickman’s run on Fantastic Four, whether in Dark Reign mini’s or this sequel series, is a work that is often better than the sum of its parts. This issue was a good step towards that. The dilemma is that at times the characters are lost to the sweeping arc, and then it can seem like exposition porn. But, that gives Epting an excuse to draw a lot of epic things, at least.
Keyser Soze
AW YEEEAH!
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Thanks so much for the review, Dread! After reading people's Bought/Thoughts for so long, it's totally surreal and awesome to see my own comic up here too.
Phaedrus45
Avenger
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The Flash #12
Ah, the series comes to an end...thank GOD! Ever since Johns came back to The Flash, it's been extremely average. That's too bad, because the previous series was hands down much better than this one. I can understand DC wanting to go with their hot property; but, the past couple years of kicking good people off of their books for the "hot name" has been nothing but disasterous.
This storyline did set up Flashpoint rather nicely; but, I still cannot get into the characters. Johns tries to create a bit of drama by having Barry withdraw into himself, especially as he comes to terms with his mother's death; but, maybe I'm just worn out on superheroes with mommy and daddy issues.
An okay issue that will make the reader a bit interested in picking up Flashpoint. The main draw, though, is my happiness that this series ends. Here's hoping Johns stays away from the Flash for a while after Flashpoint is done.
Flashpoint #1
Another event that makes you think, "Haven't we been here before?" It was no secret what this story was going to be about, especially as we saw pictures of different versions of many of our favorite characters leading up to this. Yep, it's another alternate reality, where certain characters don't exist, and those that do are tweaked a bit differently than we're used to. DC and Marvel have done this premise TO DEATH! (Heck, last year we returned to the Tangent Universe...and, DC's alternate worlds constantly have this kind of premise.) Naturally, nobody knows a thing about The Flash. Oh, and just to make things more dramatic, Barry sees his mother alive again. (That's been done enough, too. This time, though, it's so very undramatic. Barry doesn't gush over her return, but quickly asks about various superheroes he must talk to. Even more idiotic...especially after the recent events in The Flash...Barry acts confused about what could have caused all of this.)
I did like one thing about the book: The ending. Spoiler beware, but Bruce Wayne doesn't turn out to be Batman...but, it's Thomas Wayne instead. Nothing to go crazy over, sure...but, the reveal was handled much better than Barry coming across his mother in a crowded city.
I give the first issue a mild. All this lead-up to the big DC event; and, it's nothing that needed such a big to-do. We'll get all the various tie-ins, showing characters for this world, and how they different from the versions we know...and, even that's been done to death. (Anyone remember Amalgam? Heck, even THEY didn't put out as many of those one-shots as DC is gonna.)
Astonishing X-Men #37
I've been waiting to review this title, as I just read the previous issue the day before and was blown away by how much I liked Way's story. Seriously, the fun is back in the X-Men...and, I think Way is a perfect fit for this team book. (Plus, it should come out on time now.) For the first time, I'm actually interested in Armor...and, we get some good, old-fashioned X-Men kicking butt.
Just as I recommended Skaar recently for bringing back the fun, I give Way's Astonishing the same recommendation. The only downside...the art sometimes sucks.
The Stand: No Man's Land #4
Harold and Nadine's plan to blow up the Free Zone Committee finally comes to fruition; but, thankfully, Mother Abagail's return helps save some lives. This book is fast reaching its conclusion; and, I'm very happy with the time and effort Marvel has put in retelling King's classic tale (and, my favorite book by him).
New Avengers #12
This story has just draaaaaagged along. It doesn't help that we are getting two stories in one...and, that the current storyline isn't nearly as interesting as the one in the past. The main villian, Superia, is about as interesting as her name (NOT interesting, if you're wondering)...and, the big "to be continued" moment at the end did nothing for me. (In no way do I believe that Victoria Hand is going to betray the Avengers.)
New Mutants #25
A new creative team!!!! Which, this book sorely needed. Getting Abnett and Lanning has got me interested in this title again; and, the first issue grabs me into the new storyline. At times new readers might be a bit confused by some of the things happening, like the scene between Scott and Illyana; but, that's really not crucial to the future of the book. It just serves as a transition point, where we learn later that the New Mutants are going to be the team that "ties up loose ends." The first loose end? Finding Nate Grey!
Abnett and Lanning have hit a goldmine if they continue with this idea of taking all the loose ends that have been created throughout the X-Men's many years and tying up those many old storylines. This is a perfect start, especially after the previous mini that featured Nate Grey. I can't wait for the next issue...something I haven't said about New Mutants since....the first volume came out!
Ah, the series comes to an end...thank GOD! Ever since Johns came back to The Flash, it's been extremely average. That's too bad, because the previous series was hands down much better than this one. I can understand DC wanting to go with their hot property; but, the past couple years of kicking good people off of their books for the "hot name" has been nothing but disasterous.
This storyline did set up Flashpoint rather nicely; but, I still cannot get into the characters. Johns tries to create a bit of drama by having Barry withdraw into himself, especially as he comes to terms with his mother's death; but, maybe I'm just worn out on superheroes with mommy and daddy issues.
An okay issue that will make the reader a bit interested in picking up Flashpoint. The main draw, though, is my happiness that this series ends. Here's hoping Johns stays away from the Flash for a while after Flashpoint is done.
Flashpoint #1
Another event that makes you think, "Haven't we been here before?" It was no secret what this story was going to be about, especially as we saw pictures of different versions of many of our favorite characters leading up to this. Yep, it's another alternate reality, where certain characters don't exist, and those that do are tweaked a bit differently than we're used to. DC and Marvel have done this premise TO DEATH! (Heck, last year we returned to the Tangent Universe...and, DC's alternate worlds constantly have this kind of premise.) Naturally, nobody knows a thing about The Flash. Oh, and just to make things more dramatic, Barry sees his mother alive again. (That's been done enough, too. This time, though, it's so very undramatic. Barry doesn't gush over her return, but quickly asks about various superheroes he must talk to. Even more idiotic...especially after the recent events in The Flash...Barry acts confused about what could have caused all of this.)
I did like one thing about the book: The ending. Spoiler beware, but Bruce Wayne doesn't turn out to be Batman...but, it's Thomas Wayne instead. Nothing to go crazy over, sure...but, the reveal was handled much better than Barry coming across his mother in a crowded city.
I give the first issue a mild
. All this lead-up to the big DC event; and, it's nothing that needed such a big to-do. We'll get all the various tie-ins, showing characters for this world, and how they different from the versions we know...and, even that's been done to death. (Anyone remember Amalgam? Heck, even THEY didn't put out as many of those one-shots as DC is gonna.)Astonishing X-Men #37
I've been waiting to review this title, as I just read the previous issue the day before and was blown away by how much I liked Way's story. Seriously, the fun is back in the X-Men...and, I think Way is a perfect fit for this team book. (Plus, it should come out on time now.) For the first time, I'm actually interested in Armor...and, we get some good, old-fashioned X-Men kicking butt.
Just as I recommended Skaar recently for bringing back the fun, I give Way's Astonishing the same recommendation. The only downside...the art sometimes sucks.
The Stand: No Man's Land #4
Harold and Nadine's plan to blow up the Free Zone Committee finally comes to fruition; but, thankfully, Mother Abagail's return helps save some lives. This book is fast reaching its conclusion; and, I'm very happy with the time and effort Marvel has put in retelling King's classic tale (and, my favorite book by him).
New Avengers #12
This story has just draaaaaagged along. It doesn't help that we are getting two stories in one...and, that the current storyline isn't nearly as interesting as the one in the past. The main villian, Superia, is about as interesting as her name (NOT interesting, if you're wondering)...and, the big "to be continued" moment at the end did nothing for me. (In no way do I believe that Victoria Hand is going to betray the Avengers.)
New Mutants #25
A new creative team!!!! Which, this book sorely needed. Getting Abnett and Lanning has got me interested in this title again; and, the first issue grabs me into the new storyline. At times new readers might be a bit confused by some of the things happening, like the scene between Scott and Illyana; but, that's really not crucial to the future of the book. It just serves as a transition point, where we learn later that the New Mutants are going to be the team that "ties up loose ends." The first loose end? Finding Nate Grey!
Abnett and Lanning have hit a goldmine if they continue with this idea of taking all the loose ends that have been created throughout the X-Men's many years and tying up those many old storylines. This is a perfect start, especially after the previous mini that featured Nate Grey. I can't wait for the next issue...something I haven't said about New Mutants since....the first volume came out!
moraldeficiency
Maxwell's Demon
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New Avengers...
Why did I pick this up you may ask? Not because of the avengers story which is just a traditional bendis thingy for the avengers, if you've seen them fight the hood any time then you get what's going to happen here, complete retread. I pick this up cause of the awesome team from the past. Loving this stuff. Wish the whole issue was just this. Bendis can write when he's not writing a pet project of his and this shows it. Honestly it's the only good thing in it, but good enough for me to keep reading till this is phased out.
FF...
Ok, I'm done. There's a good concept here but too much jarring to really hit on things. Doom back is just weird. Peter Parker has seemingly no use or point on this team (and quite frankly him messing with doom would have made me pick up another issue or two). Evil reeds are a good concept, but the FF themselves are just not a focal or useful team in this.
Journey into Mystery...
If you're not reading this you should be forced to have a three way with charlie sheen and some form of porcupine/rabid badger hybrid, that's the only fair punishment. This is the best of the Thor stories by far. Loki/Volstagg interaction? Could it be anything less than pure gold? No it couldn't but god it's entertaining. I'm getting all I need out of fear itself right here and probably a better story than in that book. Cannot recommend this highly enough.
Spider-Man....
It's ok, I was hoping for more out of the fight, but octavius shines here at least with his planner role. Why on earth since doom is back with the FF do they not have some interaction between the two? This is a major missed opportunity for any writer. The carlie thing is resolved, at least it isn't jarring and offputting like last issues cliffhanger but it's also pretty pointless. It detracts from the story with something that serves no purpose and can't lead to much. The jackal extra thing was good, spider-island looks pretty creepy. Personally I've always liked the jackal as a villain. Yes, clone saga, I know. But that was a writer thing, not really a villain thing. The original clone stories were actually very good, and the jackal is an extremely unrated villain. As far as big brains in the MU he's one of the biggest and the only one that can properly clone other than the high evolutionary, he's outdone mister sinister in this area, which also makes me think if other writers wanted to use him he'd be really compelling (X-Men anyone?). In fact I got this wild idea on that train of thought of a new Hellfire Club being put together with a group consisting of sabastian shaw, the jackal, diablo and the mandarin. But I digress. The issue is alright, I just wanted more.
Why did I pick this up you may ask? Not because of the avengers story which is just a traditional bendis thingy for the avengers, if you've seen them fight the hood any time then you get what's going to happen here, complete retread. I pick this up cause of the awesome team from the past. Loving this stuff. Wish the whole issue was just this. Bendis can write when he's not writing a pet project of his and this shows it. Honestly it's the only good thing in it, but good enough for me to keep reading till this is phased out.
FF...
Ok, I'm done. There's a good concept here but too much jarring to really hit on things. Doom back is just weird. Peter Parker has seemingly no use or point on this team (and quite frankly him messing with doom would have made me pick up another issue or two). Evil reeds are a good concept, but the FF themselves are just not a focal or useful team in this.
Journey into Mystery...
If you're not reading this you should be forced to have a three way with charlie sheen and some form of porcupine/rabid badger hybrid, that's the only fair punishment. This is the best of the Thor stories by far. Loki/Volstagg interaction? Could it be anything less than pure gold? No it couldn't but god it's entertaining. I'm getting all I need out of fear itself right here and probably a better story than in that book. Cannot recommend this highly enough.
Spider-Man....
It's ok, I was hoping for more out of the fight, but octavius shines here at least with his planner role. Why on earth since doom is back with the FF do they not have some interaction between the two? This is a major missed opportunity for any writer. The carlie thing is resolved, at least it isn't jarring and offputting like last issues cliffhanger but it's also pretty pointless. It detracts from the story with something that serves no purpose and can't lead to much. The jackal extra thing was good, spider-island looks pretty creepy. Personally I've always liked the jackal as a villain. Yes, clone saga, I know. But that was a writer thing, not really a villain thing. The original clone stories were actually very good, and the jackal is an extremely unrated villain. As far as big brains in the MU he's one of the biggest and the only one that can properly clone other than the high evolutionary, he's outdone mister sinister in this area, which also makes me think if other writers wanted to use him he'd be really compelling (X-Men anyone?). In fact I got this wild idea on that train of thought of a new Hellfire Club being put together with a group consisting of sabastian shaw, the jackal, diablo and the mandarin. But I digress. The issue is alright, I just wanted more.
TheCorpulent1
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Journey into Mystery is becoming the spiritual successor to iHerc for me: a series that I knew would be good just from the description and the characters involved but is instead turning out to be great. There have been several great stories featuring Loki. Robert Rodi's Loki mini-series revealed the complex, twisted depths of Loki's soul and how he got to be the way he is magnificently. Thor: Son of Asgard showed us Thor and Loki's relationship at an interesting time, when Loki had already begun to actively work against Thor but Thor didn't realize it (or, in my opinion, loved Loki too much to believe it).
Journey into Mystery seems to be taking its place as the Loki story that shows us the greatness Loki has inside him. Take away his single-minded devotion to taking revenge on Odin, Thor, and Asgard for perceived slights and you're left with a god who can accomplish practically anything. Even better, I think Loki, though now an innocent again, is too clever not to see and maybe even feel his mischievous nature lurking somewhere within him. That's neither good nor bad, though; it's all in how he channels it. Before, he channeled it into his aforementioned hatred of Odin, Thor, et al. and Gillen is revealing that those petty jealousies may have kept him from becoming a truly great man in his own right. Now he's free of those influences and channeling it into other areas, like (ironically) combating the injustice he sees in Odin's abandonment of Earth. And now we're starting to see the potential greatness in him as he goes on this quest. This is a commonly implied trope but one that's rarely explored; it's Dr. Doom minus his hatred of Reed Richards, Lex Luthor without the hangups about Superman. What could any of these super-geniuses with one giant flaw accomplish if you take that flaw away? Gillen seems keen to find out with Loki.
By the end of the issue, Loki's harrowed the new World Tree's noxious depths for forbidden knowledge and tamed the Hel Wolf almost casually. Throughout the issue, he's clever, witty, charming; it's no surprise Thor loved him so much when they were children. If the cards weren't inherently stacked against him by the circumstances of his birth, he could've easily been the golden child and Thor little more than the meatheaded jock. Gillen's doing a fantastic job of making me re-examine Loki as a potential hero and, even better, he's not forcing it, he's just exploiting what's always been there. Much like Milton used Satan's inherent qualities to flip people's perception of him from arch-villain of all Creation to tragic hero in Paradise Lost, Gillen's giving us a Loki who's familiar but recontextualized in fascinating new ways. As someone who's often considered Loki the most interesting of all the Asgardians, it's a real pleasure to watch. I can't wait to see where Gillen takes this new yet equally complex Loki next.
Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt was okay. Kind of neat to see Prodigy brought back in such a big way, but the actual issue is kind of bland and has that plodding feel that screams "setup." Necessary, sure, but the really great writers can make it a bit more engaging than this. It is nice to see Tarene again, and it's even nicer to see that McKeever knows her backstory. The new, voluntary Initiative is a great idea, although frankly I thought it was one they were already using given that Steve Rogers can and does call on pretty much any hero under the sun to help out from time to time and they always come a-runnin', pleased as punch to be of help. But I suppose organizing them in a more coherent way makes sense. And although the majority of the issue is a little ho-hum, things get pretty intense toward the end, with Tarene facing arrest and probably some charges due to that cop getting hit by his own ricochet. Basically, there's nothing particularly new here but it's all organized well under a shiny new coat of paint to make it somewhat interesting. I'll definitely pick up the next issue, at least, which I guess is as good as a "mission accomplished" for the first issue of any mini-series.
Journey into Mystery seems to be taking its place as the Loki story that shows us the greatness Loki has inside him. Take away his single-minded devotion to taking revenge on Odin, Thor, and Asgard for perceived slights and you're left with a god who can accomplish practically anything. Even better, I think Loki, though now an innocent again, is too clever not to see and maybe even feel his mischievous nature lurking somewhere within him. That's neither good nor bad, though; it's all in how he channels it. Before, he channeled it into his aforementioned hatred of Odin, Thor, et al. and Gillen is revealing that those petty jealousies may have kept him from becoming a truly great man in his own right. Now he's free of those influences and channeling it into other areas, like (ironically) combating the injustice he sees in Odin's abandonment of Earth. And now we're starting to see the potential greatness in him as he goes on this quest. This is a commonly implied trope but one that's rarely explored; it's Dr. Doom minus his hatred of Reed Richards, Lex Luthor without the hangups about Superman. What could any of these super-geniuses with one giant flaw accomplish if you take that flaw away? Gillen seems keen to find out with Loki.
By the end of the issue, Loki's harrowed the new World Tree's noxious depths for forbidden knowledge and tamed the Hel Wolf almost casually. Throughout the issue, he's clever, witty, charming; it's no surprise Thor loved him so much when they were children. If the cards weren't inherently stacked against him by the circumstances of his birth, he could've easily been the golden child and Thor little more than the meatheaded jock. Gillen's doing a fantastic job of making me re-examine Loki as a potential hero and, even better, he's not forcing it, he's just exploiting what's always been there. Much like Milton used Satan's inherent qualities to flip people's perception of him from arch-villain of all Creation to tragic hero in Paradise Lost, Gillen's giving us a Loki who's familiar but recontextualized in fascinating new ways. As someone who's often considered Loki the most interesting of all the Asgardians, it's a real pleasure to watch. I can't wait to see where Gillen takes this new yet equally complex Loki next.
Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt was okay. Kind of neat to see Prodigy brought back in such a big way, but the actual issue is kind of bland and has that plodding feel that screams "setup." Necessary, sure, but the really great writers can make it a bit more engaging than this. It is nice to see Tarene again, and it's even nicer to see that McKeever knows her backstory. The new, voluntary Initiative is a great idea, although frankly I thought it was one they were already using given that Steve Rogers can and does call on pretty much any hero under the sun to help out from time to time and they always come a-runnin', pleased as punch to be of help. But I suppose organizing them in a more coherent way makes sense. And although the majority of the issue is a little ho-hum, things get pretty intense toward the end, with Tarene facing arrest and probably some charges due to that cop getting hit by his own ricochet. Basically, there's nothing particularly new here but it's all organized well under a shiny new coat of paint to make it somewhat interesting. I'll definitely pick up the next issue, at least, which I guess is as good as a "mission accomplished" for the first issue of any mini-series.
Dread
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No prob, dude. You may have to get used to it if I get my hands on more issues.
I was a little curious about this segment. "Rarely explored"? Dude, I'd argue it has been explored to death with a lot of big scale villains.
What would Baron Zemo be if he rejected his heritage, which he's been taught from birth, and let go of those flaws like revenge and zealous ambition? Why, he'd be the best hero ever. What would Venom (Eddie Brock) be if he let go of his revenge fetish for Spider-Man, as done in the 90's? Why, he'd be a slightly deranged anti-hero. What would Dr. Doom be without his hatred of Reed? Iron Man, only more successful. What would Juggernaut be without his jealous of Xavier? Why, a standard super-strong hero. What would Sandman be if he reformed? A standard Avenger and Wild Pack member! It's a question that has been answered no end of times, and if you can't see where Gillen is going with Loki, then you haven't read enough comics. The moral of EVERY VILLAIN who ever abandons their key flaw is they become a hero; that's often because they only BECAME a villain because of that flaw.
Of course Loki would be the most awesome god ever without his revenge fetish; he has nowhere else to go.
The dilemma with these sorts of stories is they get into corners quickly. There's nowhere to take Zemo once you make him a hero. Then he's interchangeable with Iron Man or Steve Rogers. Juggernaut as a hero is literally the same as Colossus, or Wonder Man, or D-Man, or any other modestly strong super hero. If their "babyface turn" takes and their bad past is forgotten or forgiven, there's nowhere else to go. The bigger dilemma is whether Marvel will have the editorial strength to even take things that far. Usually they lose the nerve and have the baddie revert back to being a baddie. Thus, Sandman will become a baddie again via a zap of Wizard's Id machine, an explosion and that alien will make Venom a psychopath again, and a magic hammer will make Juggernaut back to being an unstoppable menace. Thus, all of that aforementioned development is less than useless. It becomes moot, a waste of time.
I have to admit I fell for it despite myself on THUNDERBOLTS. I usually never get invested in "Juggernaut goes good" stories because it has been done a few times before, from EXILES in the 90's to EXCALIBUR later on to T-Bolts, and it never, ever EVER sticks. Yet I followed Jeff Parker aboard and actually liked how he was treating Juggernaut. Well, now all that's a waste of pages. He's back to being a menace again. Not a single character would or should give him ANOTHER chance after FEAR ITSELF, and if they do, they're morons.
I haven't gotten onto JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY for a few reasons. The first being I really can't afford another ongoing series right now. The second being I don't like Loki enough to pay cash money to read about him. If not even Dan Slott could get me to read a SHE-HULK series, which was only the work of his career, Gillen really has no chance of getting me on a Loki series. The final reason is, especially with "THE AVENGERS" coming in 2012, I have no faith that anything Gillen does with Loki will last long. There is literally no one else to replace him on Thor's rogues gallery, same as there was nobody to replace Zemo in Cap's gallery. No writer is able to create a new villain that the fans embrace and no editor has the stones to back amping up a neglected one. I have no doubt JIM is probably good; SIEGE: LOKI was probably one of the best Loki stories of that era. The thing is, I'm not in the mood to waste dozens of dollars on stories that will be undone and unwritten by some big writer on another event, or for another series. Who's to say Matt Fraction himself won't undo it next year? Or the year after?
Of course Loki will become the ultimate god without his flaw. That's the only place a villain can go if you remove their flaw. Otherwise, it'd seem like a waste of time. It's like Spider-Man Unmasked. Yeah, it got some great moments with his supporting cast for one or two scenes, like J.J. But then what? There's literally nothing to do. It's a dead end plot. No wonder you have to do a 180 with all the grace of a bull in a china shop.
moraldeficiency
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Venom, Doomsday, Bane, Black Mask, Sin, the Hood, Clor, matibusha (the japanese fear god) have all been fairly recent and done well.
Ultron, annihilus, the green goblin, black adam, sinestro have all been neglected and brought back to some pretty good prominence.
I find your point to be a bit moot. I mean end of the day we all know how any superhero story will turn out. The hero will win. If he or she dies, they will come back. The earth will go on a spinnin'. All progression will only be allowed to a point because if it goes to far, inevitably the story will have to come to an end. Isn't it the journey, not the destination, that makes a story worth reading? What's your favorite comic story of all time? I'm guessing in it the hero won, the bad guy lost and any major changes became fairly moot over a long enough time span. Does that make it worthless? Or does the fact that the story was awesome make all that secondary? I'm hoping it's the later for you or all comic reading must be excruciating.
Dread
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Despite modern revamps and stories, Black Mask first appeared in BATMAN in 1985; right before CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS.
Eddie Brock first appeared in 1986 in a WEB OF SPIDER-MAN cameo, and in 1988 as Venom in ASM.
Despite Brubaker's usage of her, Sin's first appearance in CAPTAIN AMERICA was in 1989.
Doomsday is from 1992.
Bane is from 1993.
If by "recent", you mean villains created during the Reagan or Bush Sr. administrations, then you probably have the same feelings about what makes a character "new" or not as Tom Brevoort, who sounds like he would consider VHS a "new" technology sometimes. I do not consider a character nearly (or over) 20 years old "recent". Maybe that's because I'm still not 30 yet, but I don't know.
The last two characters do better for that argument. The Marvel version of Amatsu-Mikaboshi is from 2006. The Hood is from 2002 (and by the time "THE AVENGERS" hits theaters, he'll be nearing his 10th anniversary). Ragnarok/Clor is from 2006. Two of these are quite dead. The Hood just won't go away. But, as noted, The Hood will be 10 years old next year; is a 9 year old character really "new"? And if it takes a good DECADE for a character to "penetrate", what does that say about Marvel's innovation? Firestar is older than I am, yet she's still considered an also-ran rookie.
Those are big gun villains. Osborn took a 20 year dirt nap, and then kept popping up endlessly since Mackie resurrected him; making him huge in DARK REIGN was just furthering a trend that started before Joe Q's tenure as EIC.
But what happens when you remove those big gun villains? What would happen if someone came up with an innovative story in which Ultron turned good. He realized his quest was illogical and decided to no longer be a threat. Maybe we come up with the most brilliant Eisner winning story in the universe about that - and considering one of Ultron's duplicates, "Mark 12" I believe, actually WAS good, this isn't far fetched - and it gets a lot of buzz. But what happens to the Avengers? Who fills that gap?
The ugly reality is old or new heroes tend to keep coming back more than villains. Newer villains are killed off almost immediately and the Marvel Handbook is full of villains who never got anywhere. Take a look at the figures sacrificed for CIVIL WAR; sure, Microbe was a new hero, but Coldheart was a Howard Mackie villain from Spidey books who was still a blank slate. You could have made her into anything. Instead Millar made her a corpse. And that is typical for no end of villains. This is such a horrendous trend that if I was assigned to write any franchise that was around longer than 10-15 years, I would not create any new villains. I would research all those abandoned shells of newer villains from prior years, amp them up and make them awesome. But that's just me, and I'm probably digressing.
But the hero's journey is one that can have growth overall, via subplots with the supporting cast, or new threats. And that's the key. NEW. THREATS. If Marvel were capable of creating a new villain that was actually decent and finding a way to propel them to Kingpin/Green Goblin/Apocalypse status, I wouldn't mind stories like JIM. But the reality is that isn't happening. As much as I fault Bendis a lot, he has genuinely tried to amp up some forgotten villains like the Hood and Purple Man. Do I think he goes too far - yes. The concept for the Hood does not imagine him fighting the Avengers on the moon with half the Infinity Gauntlet. But nobody else was using this character. Same for Purple Man, who was a cast-off from the 80's who did little before ALIAS.
I know Marvel is a universe that doesn't really change, but I like that illusion of change. But having a villain as big as Loki play babyface for a while is almost the definition of short-term. Same for Magneto. He worked with the X-Men in the 80's, too, wearing a lame get up and mentoring the New Mutants. I wonder how that turned out.
That's why I don't instantly hate on new characters, such as Massacre in ASM, like some readers do. That's why I support newer characters in stuff like AVENGERS ACADEMY, YOUNG AVENGERS, YOUNG ALLIES and this week's YOUTH IN REVOLT. The sad thing is we don't get new villains nearly as fast.
moraldeficiency
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Well I guess my idea of recent would be dependent on the character's history. I mean for someone like Spider-Man, Superman, Captain America or Batman that have been around since WW2 and have villains older than my father, yes the 90's would be recent in relation.
Obviously hero's created later would have a more stringent time frame on them but I think those hold up considering most of their villains were created so long ago. It's hard to have an overnight sensation especially for an older hero, so you may need ten years for them to pick up real steam but that can be true for heroes as well. How many times has Green Lantern series been cancelled but now there's a crapload of them.
Hood started as a minor villain (in a great mini) then a hero, then bendis made him a villain again a lot more recently. So that timeframe is a bit off.
You seem to be expecting instant fire for a character, that just doesn't really happen. Something becomes better over time. Few characters even the most popular ones just exploded off the page. Can it happen? Sure, but that's the exception not the rule. The point is can you create a character for an established hero and make them big? Yes, but it won't happen immediately. But if they do make it big then you've succeeded and it makes it worth it.
Osborn was spider-man only until Ellis started making him big for the T-Bolts. He specifically called up and said, hey I'm going to make osborn big so if you want to use him for something more you should and that's how he got dark reign.
The others have been as you asked reinvented into much bigger threats and become vastly more popular. Anniliation made the cosmic marvel cool again. I was just doing what you asked. Remade villains that are now much more popular. They are. What did you want? Examples of how the stiltman is now a beloved mastermind by all?
Now you're just being silly. Plenty of hero's have suffered the same fate as the villains you mentioned. Also eventually every villain and hero comes back in some way. Hell DC just had all their villains and hero's brought back as zombie monsters in Blackest Knight. Was the Black Hand guy someone who you've heard of before that? How about Final Crisis? Heroes and Villains both get forgotten and recycled and back and forth all the time. It just depends on the writer.
Do you really define all good stories by new threats? Do you really think any heroes have made so much progress in terms of character? Please name a few. If you can name one that has I can name twenty that have not. It's just the nature of the beast. Again, what's your favorite story? Does it have some all new exciting villain with an unexpected outcome that's never been undone? Betting it doesn't.
Hey, like I said, end of the day everything goes back to relatively status quo. You may take a trip but eventually you come home. Does that make the trip useless? No, it's the journey into mystery (if you will) that makes the story worthwhile. If you really base everything off that standard you've mentioned then you've never liked any comic ever and all stories are worthless.
Massacre isn't new, he's that james bond villain guy. Personally I like some new characters in ASM. I dig Mr. Negative. I really liked the bookie, but they killed him, stupid stupid, a lot could have been done with that concept. I also quite like the new hobgoblin. The thing about villains is they have to be like, good. They need to stand out. It's true for any character. What's the hook? Thought like that needs to be put into any character or they just become white noise. We get new villains all the time, but don't expect them to be instant Dr. Doom's, it's not how it works. Any character, hero/villain/supporting cast needs time to be developed and with villains/supporting cast that can't happen as fast as with the hero, cause it's the hero's comic. That's just common sense. You can create any villain for Spider-Man, but don't expect them to be in the comic every month, or for them to get the page time the hero does cause it's the hero's comic. So obviously it takes longer to develop a villain than a hero, nature of the beast.
CrimsonMist
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I dropped Amazing Spider-Man for the time being. The last two issues I just didn't enjoy. Like a few others here, I took an issue with how Spidey was written like a hyper-active, obnoxious 5 year old, as opposed to the witty smart-ass that Hickman writes him as in FF. I don't necessarily blame Slott for this though, as Fred Van Lente has been doing the dialogue for these few issues and I LOVED the issue where Spidey joins the FF, which was written by Slott. When Van Lente is off, i'll check it out again. We'll see.
anyways,
FF#3: Good stuff once again. I felt a little out of the loop, since I don't know who any of those other, alternate Reeds were, but the story atleast still made sense, and the ramifications were still effective. I like how they assembled all their enemies to come up with plans to defeat all the Reeds. That should be fun. I'm really digging this series.
PunisherMAX #13: Jason Aaron delivers once again, as Frank Castle begins to doubt himself even further. We get more flashbacks of Frank trying to adjust to normal society and trying to come to terms with who he is, and who he should be. So far, this has been one of the more emotional Punisher stories written, as we never really get thrown into Frank's head like this, and we hardly, if ever, see Frank on the edge like this. This arc, as far as I know, marks the end of one big arc Aaron has had in mind. I hope it doesn't lose steam within the next 4 issues. This is pure gold.
Hellboy: Being Human one-shot: Not my favorite of the recent bombardment of Hellboy one-shots, but if it's got Mignola and Corben doing it, i'll buy it. It was nice to see Roger the Homunculus again. He's very sorely missed. We get a tale of voodoo revenge and a lesson about what it means to be human and not a monster. I'm not sure if it ends on a positive note or a bleak one, but I think the point is to show that the difficulty in making a decision is what makes us...us. It was an alright story. It's a nice holdover until next month though. That's when The Fury starts up, and that'll be glorious, no doubt. Apparently Corben and Mignola are working on a Hellboy graphic novel due out in the Fall sometime. I'm looking forward to that. If it's successful, they may do a series of them. The more Mignola/Corben Hellboy stuff the better, I say.
The Death of Zorro #3: Haven't read this one yet. I still don't have issue 2. When that issue came out, they arrived at my shop damaged so they ordered new ones and there's been some issues trying to get new copies in.
anyways,
FF#3: Good stuff once again. I felt a little out of the loop, since I don't know who any of those other, alternate Reeds were, but the story atleast still made sense, and the ramifications were still effective. I like how they assembled all their enemies to come up with plans to defeat all the Reeds. That should be fun. I'm really digging this series.
PunisherMAX #13: Jason Aaron delivers once again, as Frank Castle begins to doubt himself even further. We get more flashbacks of Frank trying to adjust to normal society and trying to come to terms with who he is, and who he should be. So far, this has been one of the more emotional Punisher stories written, as we never really get thrown into Frank's head like this, and we hardly, if ever, see Frank on the edge like this. This arc, as far as I know, marks the end of one big arc Aaron has had in mind. I hope it doesn't lose steam within the next 4 issues. This is pure gold.
Hellboy: Being Human one-shot: Not my favorite of the recent bombardment of Hellboy one-shots, but if it's got Mignola and Corben doing it, i'll buy it. It was nice to see Roger the Homunculus again. He's very sorely missed. We get a tale of voodoo revenge and a lesson about what it means to be human and not a monster. I'm not sure if it ends on a positive note or a bleak one, but I think the point is to show that the difficulty in making a decision is what makes us...us. It was an alright story. It's a nice holdover until next month though. That's when The Fury starts up, and that'll be glorious, no doubt. Apparently Corben and Mignola are working on a Hellboy graphic novel due out in the Fall sometime. I'm looking forward to that. If it's successful, they may do a series of them. The more Mignola/Corben Hellboy stuff the better, I say.
The Death of Zorro #3: Haven't read this one yet. I still don't have issue 2. When that issue came out, they arrived at my shop damaged so they ordered new ones and there's been some issues trying to get new copies in.
TheCorpulent1
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I'm not gonna bother quoting those massive posts between Dread and MD, but I will say this:
MD's totally right. It's the journey that matters. The fact that I hate how Brubaker steamrolled right over Zemo's recent characterization to return him to 1-dimensional villainy doesn't make me love his growth into a genuine (but still very flawed) hero any less. Those were great comics exploring new facets of a great character.
I'm certainly not deluding myself into believing Loki will remain a hero--or even become a hero in the first place. Notice how I said that Gillen's JiM seemed to be setting itself up as the quintessential story about Loki's potential greatness, not his heroism. You can do great things and be morally bankrupt. Indeed, I'm enjoying JiM in part because I'm not sure which way new-Loki will end up going in the end. Right now he seems to be in a very malleable state, trying to reconcile his innocent, childlike desire to help with all of the terrible things he knows his previous self did and everyone keeps expecting him to do. That's the fun of this story: the possibilities that are open to Gillen. We've just had about 3 or 4 years of Loki being the devious master manipulator behind everything, so there's no rush to get him back into the position of being super-evil. That and the rather ingenious idea of returning him to his youth (even if the means by which Fraction got him there was utterly, utterly terrible) free Loki up to be examined from new angles. Just because the end result is inevitably going to be the same--Loki as villain, Thor as hero, hero beating villain, etc., etc.--doesn't mean there's not still room for some novelty, which Gillen is doing an exceptional job of providing so far. At the end of the day, I find it pretty easy to remove myself from the metatextual concerns about where the story's going and what it'll mean in the long run to just enjoy the story as it's being told. That's especially true with Journey into Mystery right now, since Gillen's giving me so much to enjoy.
MD's totally right. It's the journey that matters. The fact that I hate how Brubaker steamrolled right over Zemo's recent characterization to return him to 1-dimensional villainy doesn't make me love his growth into a genuine (but still very flawed) hero any less. Those were great comics exploring new facets of a great character.
I'm certainly not deluding myself into believing Loki will remain a hero--or even become a hero in the first place. Notice how I said that Gillen's JiM seemed to be setting itself up as the quintessential story about Loki's potential greatness, not his heroism. You can do great things and be morally bankrupt. Indeed, I'm enjoying JiM in part because I'm not sure which way new-Loki will end up going in the end. Right now he seems to be in a very malleable state, trying to reconcile his innocent, childlike desire to help with all of the terrible things he knows his previous self did and everyone keeps expecting him to do. That's the fun of this story: the possibilities that are open to Gillen. We've just had about 3 or 4 years of Loki being the devious master manipulator behind everything, so there's no rush to get him back into the position of being super-evil. That and the rather ingenious idea of returning him to his youth (even if the means by which Fraction got him there was utterly, utterly terrible) free Loki up to be examined from new angles. Just because the end result is inevitably going to be the same--Loki as villain, Thor as hero, hero beating villain, etc., etc.--doesn't mean there's not still room for some novelty, which Gillen is doing an exceptional job of providing so far. At the end of the day, I find it pretty easy to remove myself from the metatextual concerns about where the story's going and what it'll mean in the long run to just enjoy the story as it's being told. That's especially true with Journey into Mystery right now, since Gillen's giving me so much to enjoy.
Phaedrus45
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Next Men #6
Another great issue that had me captivated from beginning to end. Best thing about it, for the first time we got to follow a single member of the Next Men in their travels in the past; and, it's the most interesting of all the stories. The worst thing? The cover ruins this issue, somewhat, as you know the main character will try and save Lincoln from being shot by Booth. I'm enjoying this book so much, I think I'll be somewhat disappointed when they are return to the present and the team comes back together.
Cable And Deadpool #1 and Fantastic Four #570
These dollar comics are a great way to revisit these old storylines cheaply, as I have pretty much forgotten much of what happens. F4 #570 is really a key issue...and, those people who might be confused by much of what's happening in FF #3 this week should spend the extra buck to purchase this issue. You'll find out about the Wizard's mysterious kid; plus, you can find out about all those Reeds.
A big! It's cheap, and both issues are pretty good reads.
FF #3
I've seen the negative reviews on this book...and, while I do understand where those people are getting at, I've been enjoying the title quite a bit. I believe the main problem with many of the negatives is that Hickman did himself a disservice by continuing his old, confusing storylines with the relaunch of this title; and, those who came aboard after the events of Johnny's death are going to be left scratching their heads and wondering what the holy heck is going on. (Again, for them, pick up the Dollar Issue available this week at your local comic shop!)
This issue was filled with so many different choice bits; and, I'm so happy to see those old storylines finally expanding and (hopefully) coming to a conclusion. FF is not a new beginning, as I mentioned. It's just a promotional device to gain new readers. Sadly, I think they'll lose those readers rather quickly. This book isn't for everyone; but, right now, it's for me.
Journey Into Mystery #623
Sure, it's a rip-off of DC's Action Comics, by making the villian the lead character of a book...and, thus, making that book more interesting than it has been in years...but, it's EASILY the PICK OF THE WEEK! (Heck, I haven't even finished reading all my books...but, I feel fairly confident that this one will blow away all the competition.) Everything about this issue is perfect, especially how Volstagg's tale holds particular relevance at the end. (And, as someone mentioned, the interaction between Loki and Volstagg is classic.) Hard to believe how much I hated "young Loki" when he first came on the scene...but, how a good writer can make you love just about anything. (Kind of like how Spencer made me like Jimmy Olsen for the first time with his back-up stories in Action Comics.)
Come on, people! Look at the reviews on this site, pick up this excellent series while it's still easy to grab, and reward yourself! Sheesh, you can't even complain about the price!!!! This really might be the best book Marvel is currently putting out.
t:
Total Recall #1
If you haven't seen the movie, skip this comic. Hell, if you have seen the movie, you might be best advised to do the same thing. This book picks up right where the movie left off, right down to the kiss at the end. Of course, old characters return rather quickly; and by issue's end, the main bad guy's children take over as the rulers of Mars. You get some action along with a whole lot of dialogue...but, it only tarnished a pretty good movie that should have stayed ended where it did.
Lone Ranger #25
I've read 24 previous issues...waited months and months for this final issue...all for this steaming pile of crap??!!?? Oh, boy! Does this series come to one hell of a crappy conclusion!!! We get the big, final fight in the end; but, it's choppy as hell...and, at times you'll feel as if big chunks of scenes are missing. The only good thing is I won't have to spend my hard earned cash on this book any longer. It's done, it's over, and unless a new writer comes along, you won't see me picking up a new series any time soon. (Thankfully, Death Of Zorro is so much better.)
This was truly one of the worst final issue to a series I've ever read.
Fear Itself: Youth In Revolt #1
Not essential to the main story at all; but, while it doesn't exactly grab you, I did enjoy Mckeever's newest team book. It's a nice Young Allies/Initiative off-shoot; and, I was most happy to see the return of Thor Girl. (That poor gal gets the shaft all the time nowadays...and, I felt so bad for her at the end.)
It's not bad...but, it also won't scream, "BUY ME," either. It's nicely priced, though, and it entertained me well enough for a.
Superman #711
I really hate how DC continues to put Straczynski's name on the cover of his two old titles...and, we all know he's got nothing to do with them any longer. Heck, this book hardly even resembles his original purpose, especially since this issue seems him fly off to rescue Jimmy Olsen (yes, another lame Jimmy Olsen segment, further making me hate that character even more). He's not grounded! And, this book probably has never been as bad as it currently is in all my years of reading Superman. You'd think Straczynski would be embarrassed that his name is even on the cover!
So, in this section of reviews, I have my Pick Of The Week....and, my Goat Of The Week. The pick is easily Journey Into Mystery...but, while it might appear to be close between Superman and Lone Ranger, I have to give the Goat to Lone Ranger...simply because it took them so long to put out such a crappy issue, and Superman will at least save you an extra dollar.
Another great issue that had me captivated from beginning to end. Best thing about it, for the first time we got to follow a single member of the Next Men in their travels in the past; and, it's the most interesting of all the stories. The worst thing? The cover ruins this issue, somewhat, as you know the main character will try and save Lincoln from being shot by Booth. I'm enjoying this book so much, I think I'll be somewhat disappointed when they are return to the present and the team comes back together.
Cable And Deadpool #1 and Fantastic Four #570
These dollar comics are a great way to revisit these old storylines cheaply, as I have pretty much forgotten much of what happens. F4 #570 is really a key issue...and, those people who might be confused by much of what's happening in FF #3 this week should spend the extra buck to purchase this issue. You'll find out about the Wizard's mysterious kid; plus, you can find out about all those Reeds.
A big
! It's cheap, and both issues are pretty good reads.FF #3
I've seen the negative reviews on this book...and, while I do understand where those people are getting at, I've been enjoying the title quite a bit. I believe the main problem with many of the negatives is that Hickman did himself a disservice by continuing his old, confusing storylines with the relaunch of this title; and, those who came aboard after the events of Johnny's death are going to be left scratching their heads and wondering what the holy heck is going on. (Again, for them, pick up the Dollar Issue available this week at your local comic shop!)
This issue was filled with so many different choice bits; and, I'm so happy to see those old storylines finally expanding and (hopefully) coming to a conclusion. FF is not a new beginning, as I mentioned. It's just a promotional device to gain new readers. Sadly, I think they'll lose those readers rather quickly. This book isn't for everyone; but, right now, it's for me.
Journey Into Mystery #623
Sure, it's a rip-off of DC's Action Comics, by making the villian the lead character of a book...and, thus, making that book more interesting than it has been in years...but, it's EASILY the PICK OF THE WEEK! (Heck, I haven't even finished reading all my books...but, I feel fairly confident that this one will blow away all the competition.) Everything about this issue is perfect, especially how Volstagg's tale holds particular relevance at the end. (And, as someone mentioned, the interaction between Loki and Volstagg is classic.) Hard to believe how much I hated "young Loki" when he first came on the scene...but, how a good writer can make you love just about anything. (Kind of like how Spencer made me like Jimmy Olsen for the first time with his back-up stories in Action Comics.)
Come on, people! Look at the reviews on this site, pick up this excellent series while it's still easy to grab, and reward yourself! Sheesh, you can't even complain about the price!!!! This really might be the best book Marvel is currently putting out.
t:Total Recall #1
If you haven't seen the movie, skip this comic. Hell, if you have seen the movie, you might be best advised to do the same thing. This book picks up right where the movie left off, right down to the kiss at the end. Of course, old characters return rather quickly; and by issue's end, the main bad guy's children take over as the rulers of Mars. You get some action along with a whole lot of dialogue...but, it only tarnished a pretty good movie that should have stayed ended where it did.
Lone Ranger #25
I've read 24 previous issues...waited months and months for this final issue...all for this steaming pile of crap??!!?? Oh, boy! Does this series come to one hell of a crappy conclusion!!! We get the big, final fight in the end; but, it's choppy as hell...and, at times you'll feel as if big chunks of scenes are missing. The only good thing is I won't have to spend my hard earned cash on this book any longer. It's done, it's over, and unless a new writer comes along, you won't see me picking up a new series any time soon. (Thankfully, Death Of Zorro is so much better.)
This was truly one of the worst final issue to a series I've ever read.
Fear Itself: Youth In Revolt #1
Not essential to the main story at all; but, while it doesn't exactly grab you, I did enjoy Mckeever's newest team book. It's a nice Young Allies/Initiative off-shoot; and, I was most happy to see the return of Thor Girl. (That poor gal gets the shaft all the time nowadays...and, I felt so bad for her at the end.)
It's not bad...but, it also won't scream, "BUY ME," either. It's nicely priced, though, and it entertained me well enough for a
.Superman #711
I really hate how DC continues to put Straczynski's name on the cover of his two old titles...and, we all know he's got nothing to do with them any longer. Heck, this book hardly even resembles his original purpose, especially since this issue seems him fly off to rescue Jimmy Olsen (yes, another lame Jimmy Olsen segment, further making me hate that character even more). He's not grounded! And, this book probably has never been as bad as it currently is in all my years of reading Superman. You'd think Straczynski would be embarrassed that his name is even on the cover!
So, in this section of reviews, I have my Pick Of The Week....and, my Goat Of The Week. The pick is easily Journey Into Mystery...but, while it might appear to be close between Superman and Lone Ranger, I have to give the Goat to Lone Ranger...simply because it took them so long to put out such a crappy issue, and Superman will at least save you an extra dollar.
TheCorpulent1
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I really wish we could get a "Thor family" comic. Thor, Beta Ray Bill, Thunderstrike, Valkyrie, and Tarene together for one adventure. That's all I want. Just one. Superman teams up with his related characters all the friggin' time and Batman's comics are all about that s*** now, so why can't Thor just get one fun little tale with his compatriots?
JewishHobbit
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So what the heck is the deal with this new-Loki thing? I don't know squat about it.
TheCorpulent1
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During Gillen's run, Loki made deals with Mephisto, Hela, and the Disir (pre-Valkyrie Valkyries who eat Asgardian souls) to ensure that his soul, if he died, would not wind up in Hel. There wasn't really much rhyme or reason to it at the time, but it eventually pays off because after he died, Thor resurrected his life force in the form of the new child Loki while some aspect of the old Loki remained behind. So new-Loki is effectively a new person, absolved of Loki's old sins, who has Loki's soul but not his memories. New-Loki found the old-Loki aspect and turned it into a crow called Ikol to act as an adviser as he basically tries to discover who he's going to be this time around.
hippie_hunter
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New-Loki is freaking awesome.
JewishHobbit
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That does sound interesting. I have little interest in Thor sadly but if I cut some things I may give the book a shot.
TheCorpulent1
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Thor appeared for like 2 pages in this week's JiM. It's Loki's book, make no mistake.
Phaedrus45
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More reviews. Some of these might be from the previous week, since I'm pretty far behind on a lot of my reading.
Astonishing Thor #4
I'm just not feeling this story. As I've mentioned before, I cannot stand sentinent planets; and, Ego and Alter Ego (that name just makes me groan) really take the cake. Plus, not a whole lot really happens from issue to issue. Thankfully, we only have one more issue to go.
Marvel Zombies #4
The best Marvel Zombie story in years!!! Heck, maybe ever. I'm loving this ultra-violent book, and it's been made even better with the return of Jack Of Hearts. (I have no idea if this is some alternate world version; but, his past history describe pretty much follows what we've learned about Jack in the past, right up to his last appearances in The Avengers.) Another "one more issue to go" book...but, this one I'll miss.
Fear Itself: Spider-Man #1
From last week, this has probably been my least enjoyed tie-in to the event yet. (Not that we've had a whole lot yet.) Yost does his normal, adequate job with the story; but, it doesn't grab you. Even the return of Vermin wasn't all that exciting. He's a C-list Spidey villian, at best.
I give this issue a very mild.
Marvel Backlist Reading Chronology One-Shot
This was released about...I think...three weeks ago? I can't quite remember, but my shop didn't order any...and, since I get all things Marvel, I told them to find me a copy. Well, it came in this week, and while it's clearly not for many, I liked looking through it. Before, Marvel released this book as a free give-away. It's a promotion for their many trade paperbacks; but, this one is much larger...and, they do not charge a ton of cash (only $1.99). It's a great resource for those people who don't want to either spend a lot of money tracking down the back-issue bins at your local comic shop, or those who like buying trades over single issues. It also lets readers know if some of their favorite stories are available in trade.
Undying Love #2
Two issues in, and I'm liking this new mini from Image quite a bit. The problem is that we're bogged down with supernatural comics lately; so, I don't know people are exactly clamoring for another book about vampires. This second issue wasn't quite as good as the first; but, we get some good action. Plus, I love the Image isn't charging too much for the book.
Amazing Spider-Man #660
Slott took a big step back when he wrote these last four FF issues. I found myself quite bored, and his few twists and turns in this tale didn't do a darn thing for me. The back-up feature with Ghost Rider was pretty much a throw-away, too. (Someone explain how Spidey would have been able to drive Ghost Rider's bike last issue??) And, the "Road To Spider Island" features the past two issues have only been two page stories.
Hopefully, things will pick up next issue. Hopefully, Slott hasn't lost the audience he gained in the meantime.
Robert Jordan's Wheel Of Time #10
I caught up big-time on this title. Reading issues 4-10 (and, the 1.5 issue that came out after issue #7), I'm ready to read this book monthly; although, it's a much better book read in chunks...or altogether. Like Anita Blake and many other of these books based on a particular author's novel series, things just aren't rushed; and, if you haven't been following since issue #1, there is no sense picking up later in the series. (You'll just be lost, and you'll wonder what all the fuss is about.) Counting the #0 and #1.5 issue, there have been 12 books put out, and in all that time, not a whole lot has happened. This issue kind of explains the villian more indepth; and, we get some premonitions of things to come. (It's made me realize that this book is not ending any time soon.) I'm glad Dynamite has picked up these old Dabel series; but, it baffles my mind how they can keep them going. I don't expect very many copies are being made; and, as mentioned, with them not being new reader friendly, your readership will only continue to dwindle.
That said, a good issue. I'll keep buying.
Formic Wars #5
Reading issues #2-5 yesterday, I'm enjoying this prelude to Ender's Game quite a bit more than Ender's current adventures in the other mini being put out right now. This book nicely explains how the first war with the alien invaders came about, and how certain aspects of Earth life (on and off planet) were handled before the invasion. Even better, we get some decent action..which is missing from most of the previous Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow books. (Plus, it's a mini that new readers can pick up and enjoy, without needing knowledge of what's happened before.)
Ender's Game is much like the current Halo minis...but, better. Much, much better!
Astonishing Thor #4
I'm just not feeling this story. As I've mentioned before, I cannot stand sentinent planets; and, Ego and Alter Ego (that name just makes me groan) really take the cake. Plus, not a whole lot really happens from issue to issue. Thankfully, we only have one more issue to go.
Marvel Zombies #4
The best Marvel Zombie story in years!!! Heck, maybe ever. I'm loving this ultra-violent book, and it's been made even better with the return of Jack Of Hearts. (I have no idea if this is some alternate world version; but, his past history describe pretty much follows what we've learned about Jack in the past, right up to his last appearances in The Avengers.) Another "one more issue to go" book...but, this one I'll miss.
Fear Itself: Spider-Man #1
From last week, this has probably been my least enjoyed tie-in to the event yet. (Not that we've had a whole lot yet.) Yost does his normal, adequate job with the story; but, it doesn't grab you. Even the return of Vermin wasn't all that exciting. He's a C-list Spidey villian, at best.
I give this issue a very mild
.Marvel Backlist Reading Chronology One-Shot
This was released about...I think...three weeks ago? I can't quite remember, but my shop didn't order any...and, since I get all things Marvel, I told them to find me a copy. Well, it came in this week, and while it's clearly not for many, I liked looking through it. Before, Marvel released this book as a free give-away. It's a promotion for their many trade paperbacks; but, this one is much larger...and, they do not charge a ton of cash (only $1.99). It's a great resource for those people who don't want to either spend a lot of money tracking down the back-issue bins at your local comic shop, or those who like buying trades over single issues. It also lets readers know if some of their favorite stories are available in trade.
Undying Love #2
Two issues in, and I'm liking this new mini from Image quite a bit. The problem is that we're bogged down with supernatural comics lately; so, I don't know people are exactly clamoring for another book about vampires. This second issue wasn't quite as good as the first; but, we get some good action. Plus, I love the Image isn't charging too much for the book.
Amazing Spider-Man #660
Slott took a big step back when he wrote these last four FF issues. I found myself quite bored, and his few twists and turns in this tale didn't do a darn thing for me. The back-up feature with Ghost Rider was pretty much a throw-away, too. (Someone explain how Spidey would have been able to drive Ghost Rider's bike last issue??) And, the "Road To Spider Island" features the past two issues have only been two page stories.
Hopefully, things will pick up next issue. Hopefully, Slott hasn't lost the audience he gained in the meantime.
Robert Jordan's Wheel Of Time #10
I caught up big-time on this title. Reading issues 4-10 (and, the 1.5 issue that came out after issue #7), I'm ready to read this book monthly; although, it's a much better book read in chunks...or altogether. Like Anita Blake and many other of these books based on a particular author's novel series, things just aren't rushed; and, if you haven't been following since issue #1, there is no sense picking up later in the series. (You'll just be lost, and you'll wonder what all the fuss is about.) Counting the #0 and #1.5 issue, there have been 12 books put out, and in all that time, not a whole lot has happened. This issue kind of explains the villian more indepth; and, we get some premonitions of things to come. (It's made me realize that this book is not ending any time soon.) I'm glad Dynamite has picked up these old Dabel series; but, it baffles my mind how they can keep them going. I don't expect very many copies are being made; and, as mentioned, with them not being new reader friendly, your readership will only continue to dwindle.
That said, a good issue. I'll keep buying.
Formic Wars #5
Reading issues #2-5 yesterday, I'm enjoying this prelude to Ender's Game quite a bit more than Ender's current adventures in the other mini being put out right now. This book nicely explains how the first war with the alien invaders came about, and how certain aspects of Earth life (on and off planet) were handled before the invasion. Even better, we get some decent action..which is missing from most of the previous Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow books. (Plus, it's a mini that new readers can pick up and enjoy, without needing knowledge of what's happened before.)
Ender's Game is much like the current Halo minis...but, better. Much, much better!
Dread
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Sales wise, Dan Slott's BIG TIME has remained in the higher end of ASM's usual sales range per issue in the post-OMD era, which is about 53-59k (back when it shipped thrice a month). With reprints, the debut of BIG TIME has sold over 79k. There has actually been a 0.7% gain in sales over the past six months. That said, many issues before BIG TIME sold over 60k an issue (basically from March to September 2010). On the other hand, this is a year in which Marvel's top selling Bendis Avenger title, without the aid of short term boosts like FF #1 or FEAR ITSELF have, sells about 66k as the peak of Marvel ongoing title sales in 1st Quarter 2011. Next to that, ASM has been damn stable.
Tom Brevoort has claimed that the gains BIG TIME has seen are partly to do with the steady presence of one writer, versus a rotating cast of 3-4 writers that ran from 2008 until 2010. This may be true, and Slott was the kick-off writer of BRAND NEW DAY. However, the last few issues have been co-written by Fred Van Lente, and Christos Gage is about to take over for two issues. Explain THAT, Tommy B. Partly, it could be due to some extra material stretching Slott's schedule, such as the .1 issue or the FBCD issue, or material for SPIDER-ISLAND.
As I mentioned elsewhere, it could be that in terms of collaborators, Dan Slott works better with Christos Gage than with Fred Van Lente, which is odd since I usually like Lente solo or tag teamed with Greg Pak. I haven't disliked these last few issues of ASM overall, but I wouldn't claim they're the prime of BIG TIME at all.
That said, FF had a great sales debut (114k, or about what SIEGE sold for it's latter half per issue), so a tie in made sound sense from a marketing perspective. ASM's sales have been solid for so long that I think Marvel is using it to launch or promote new titles, such as SPIDER-GIRL, VENOM, the upcoming GHOST RIDER, and even mini's like POWER MAN & IRON FIST. Out of those, only VENOM has seen success, at least as a debut (just under 54k, one of Marvel's healthiest debuts of a relaunched series in a while). The AVENGERS ACADEMY stint is likely to continue trying to promote it, after a year of leaving to fend for itself. It debuted at nearly 46k and has dwindled to above 23,600 copies - although it has begun to steady itself around that level ("diminishing returns" have fallen to under 1% for the last month, when it double shipped). It is good to see Marvel give strong editorial support to a book that features new characters, an under-appreciated writer and is very good to boot.
FEAR ITSELF hasn't been dazzling me, so I decided to be sparing on some of the tie-in's I get, only diving in if I like the character(s) and/or the creative team on it. I have nothing against Chris Yost, but I figured if Spidey's FI segment were REALLY important, they'd have asked Slott to tie in with ASM proper. They didn't, and that's telling.
Tom Brevoort has claimed that the gains BIG TIME has seen are partly to do with the steady presence of one writer, versus a rotating cast of 3-4 writers that ran from 2008 until 2010. This may be true, and Slott was the kick-off writer of BRAND NEW DAY. However, the last few issues have been co-written by Fred Van Lente, and Christos Gage is about to take over for two issues. Explain THAT, Tommy B. Partly, it could be due to some extra material stretching Slott's schedule, such as the .1 issue or the FBCD issue, or material for SPIDER-ISLAND.
As I mentioned elsewhere, it could be that in terms of collaborators, Dan Slott works better with Christos Gage than with Fred Van Lente, which is odd since I usually like Lente solo or tag teamed with Greg Pak. I haven't disliked these last few issues of ASM overall, but I wouldn't claim they're the prime of BIG TIME at all.
That said, FF had a great sales debut (114k, or about what SIEGE sold for it's latter half per issue), so a tie in made sound sense from a marketing perspective. ASM's sales have been solid for so long that I think Marvel is using it to launch or promote new titles, such as SPIDER-GIRL, VENOM, the upcoming GHOST RIDER, and even mini's like POWER MAN & IRON FIST. Out of those, only VENOM has seen success, at least as a debut (just under 54k, one of Marvel's healthiest debuts of a relaunched series in a while). The AVENGERS ACADEMY stint is likely to continue trying to promote it, after a year of leaving to fend for itself. It debuted at nearly 46k and has dwindled to above 23,600 copies - although it has begun to steady itself around that level ("diminishing returns" have fallen to under 1% for the last month, when it double shipped). It is good to see Marvel give strong editorial support to a book that features new characters, an under-appreciated writer and is very good to boot.
FEAR ITSELF hasn't been dazzling me, so I decided to be sparing on some of the tie-in's I get, only diving in if I like the character(s) and/or the creative team on it. I have nothing against Chris Yost, but I figured if Spidey's FI segment were REALLY important, they'd have asked Slott to tie in with ASM proper. They didn't, and that's telling.
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JewishHobbit
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Yeah, this was probably the best of the FF plot in Amazing Spider-Man but not by much. I'm actually debating on dropping the book after this issue. I tend to find myself more annoyed than happy when I read it and the only things that are making me question are Hobgoblin and Jackal.
And being the Peter/MJ fan that I am I was totaly turned off the book by this week's final page. That page alone took me from "considering dropping but it's unlikly" to "will most likely drop."
Plus the stupid tatoo plot was a rediculous and pointless bait and switch. Seriously, if they got rid of the marriage due to lack of story potential with MJ and substituted it with crap like this we got a bad deal. Not to mention the lack of a consistent look for Carlie is just getting old. I honestly have no idea what she looks like. I liked her best under Martin's pencils but that was only in one or two issues.
And being the Peter/MJ fan that I am I was totaly turned off the book by this week's final page. That page alone took me from "considering dropping but it's unlikly" to "will most likely drop."
Plus the stupid tatoo plot was a rediculous and pointless bait and switch. Seriously, if they got rid of the marriage due to lack of story potential with MJ and substituted it with crap like this we got a bad deal. Not to mention the lack of a consistent look for Carlie is just getting old. I honestly have no idea what she looks like. I liked her best under Martin's pencils but that was only in one or two issues.
Dread
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I agree that Marvel having no firm artistic policy for a few characters is a hurdle. I get irritated when no two artists seem to agree on what sort of feline, real or imagined, Beast's head resembles. Housecat? Lion? Puma? Thundercat? It varies. Carlie suffers much the same way. While she does have to take off her glasses sometimes, she does shift from artist to artist. The problem is that many of the regular ones, such as Caselli and Ramos, now that Martin is gone, tend to draw her as looking a bit...stock in some ways. Especially without the glasses. Maybe the freckles need to be added. Has Peter ever dated someone with freckles before?
The next two issues will be written by Christos Gage, and will feature Spidey teaching the Avengers Academy. I know you dropped ACADEMY, but I love it, so I am psyched. Gage has tended to roll with Slott better than Van Lente, I think. I mean I could be wrong and for all I know their co-writing sessions go better. But Slott & Gage co-wrote AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE and MIGHTY AVENGERS (a couple times) and they often seemed more gelled. Or at least they complimented each other. Of course, I also feel A:TI became a better book once Gage was in command of it solo despite my liking of Slott's work on it.
Going into BIG TIME, the romantic subplot was the subplot I was least interested in and I considered the least important - if it was to be the focus, I likely wouldn't have stayed. Thankfully, it isn't the focus. Even these FF issues, you can't say they're 11 pages of romantic stuff and 11 of action; Carlie's subplot only gets a few pages. Spidey was all over space and time and fighting zombie pirates for most of it. But perhaps BIG TIME shows that what was holding ASM back wasn't a marriage, but a lack of ideas on the part of new blood writers as well as editorial will to roll with some of them a while. Additions to supporting cast, developments with old villains, new villains, even new jobs all happen regardless of who Peter is dating. Now with Slott in the position of solo writer, or at least the MAJOR solo writer who occasionally has a co-writer or a few issues off, the tone can maintain a consistent focus and, in theory, the stories can flow better than when there was a round robin of 3-4 guys writing it.
Yet in the end, I think Peter's romantic subplot has traded one dead end for another. Married, Peter couldn't date - period. And as few writers seemed to treat the marriage as "fun", a lot of time was spent on the two of them angsting or arguing or whatever. Fine, so now Peter is single. The dilemma is the audience, writers, and editorial KNOW that if a 20 year old marriage isn't sacred, there's no bloody way any new romance can go steady for long. The title has gone back to the 60's to the 80's era in which no end of things were done to prevent Peter from hitching up. Betty would take a vacation or date someone else. Gwen would be killed. Debra and Felicia would be "revealed" to be mentally unstable and thus not "worthy" (Felicia even teamed up with Foreigner and tried to kill Spidey at one point). It was almost a game seeing what could be come up with. Thus, Peter's love life is also static - just instead of the partner always being the same woman, it can be a different woman going through the obligatory motions. That's Carlie's problem to me. It isn't Goblin tattoos or whatever, it's that she's going through the role of Designated Girlfriend almost too firmly. She's squarely in the "angst" session where the lies don't add up.
Designated Girlfriend stages:
1- Initial Meeting/Hooking Up = The Fun Zone
2 - Secret Identity Lies Exposed/Not Adding Up = The Angst Zone
3 - Aftermath = This is where the writers will do something to break things up if they're not serious about long term
4 - She's Survived This Long, May As Well plan an Engagement!
Carlie is now in stage 2. To be fair, it can be possible to keep a character in the first two stages for years of time, but usually at the decade marker most editors will either crap or get off the pot, if not much sooner.
This time I actually see this route as a little confusing. Usually Peter would be hesitant, at best, to reveal his identity to a lady for a variety of reasons. However, the problem here is that under BIG TIME, a lot of those reasons don't exist anymore. Even after ONE MOMENT IN TIME explained how he was "re-masked", a great score of fellow superheroes know who Spider-Man is, including the Fantastic Four (or Future Foundation) and at least half his Avengers buddies. Thus, the "my loved ones will be in danger" fear is lessened because Spidey KNOWS he now has comrades who will protect his loved ones if he rings - which came up in "SPIDER-SLAYER" when the New Avengers pitched in to help protect May and the rest. Marla was killed, and Peter felt responsible, but he still had that help. Furthermore, Carlie is a member of the NYPD and thus has access to a firearm and at least basic self defense training, as well as fellow officers. Secondly, unlike a few of Peter's girlfriends from the past, Carlie actually LIKES Spider-Man in her civilian guise. It doesn't even wash that Spidey would fear that telling Carlie would result in his identity being leaked like Daredevil's was, since he has that "spell" that prevents others from figuring it out unless Peter unmasks for them (which he explained ON PANEL before BIG TIME). Thus, the only reason Peter hasn't told her, if he is honest with himself, is because he is for some reason not ready for her to know - either because of his own hang-up's or because he fears she'll reject him. I've seen it explained as Peter liking that Carlie "loves me for Peter, not Spider-Man". In all due respect, web-slinger...grow the **** up. You ARE Spider-Man. Embrace it, be happy, and try to allow some woman to be happy with you, if only for a short time. In real life, women are thrilled to find out they're dating a guy with a cool car, a motorcycle or a badge - yet in comics, finding out they're dating a super hero seems to become some horrendous deal. He's Spider-Man - it isn't like he's a leper. If Peter is afraid of having his identity compromised if he and Carlie break up after he unmasks for her, well...it would be silly if the same Avengers who have absolutely zero problem with having mass murders like Wolverine and Red Hulk on their active roster disagreed if Dr. Strange had to make someone "forget" for their own safety. That's like allowing a serial killer to join your football team, but fretting if another player wants you to help him lie to his wife for a night. Besides, as Peter said, Carlie HAS to keep certain secrets as a CSI, and while they're not as big as his own, they're still bigger secrets than the average civilian has to keep, some of which mean life or death.
Thus, I think a dilemma is that this new "single Peter" status quo comes with it's own rut that can be about as bad as a marriage. If he tells Carlie who he is, that ups things to another level and puts the onus to either have them go steadier or break them up already and move on. But since editorial can't consider the first option for long and is in no mood to do the latter, that means things have to be strung along for no reason than to string them along - and I think the audience notices.
I like BIG TIME because of Slott's big ideas in terms of villains and Peter's Horizon job, and linking up his ties to the wider Marvel Universe that he's established over the last decade. The romantic subplot is still an afterthought, the Obligatory Train Robbery portion of the Western. Carlie is the Designated Girlfriend, and the problem is, even if you switched her with someone else, I think anyone would be the Designated Girlfriend. Unless she was herself a superhero, but even that might just distract from the overall limitation for a short while. I think almost any "non-caped" lady would struggle to be accepted by the fan base, but I don't think Carlie is.
Peter needs a little pep talk from Hercules about not over thinking **** and having some fun with "co-heroes". Peter talks a lot about being sensitive and looking for "the one" and not being a player, but he's left a trail of ex's longer than Gambit has. Sometimes magic can come in odd places. Paladin's sudden crush on Misty Knight in HEROES FOR HIRE is out of DAMN NOWHERE, but it is taking the character into different routes and allowing Abnett & Lanning to play with the idea that he may be more than a paycheck hound.
Or, of course, Carlie could just have better subplots. I just don't think they'll matter, for the above reasons. To be fair, most super heroes remain single, and marriages are still a rare thing for the majority of them. We just place a lot of focus on that element on Peter Parker since that was how he was distinct from a lot of heroes of the time. Granted, it is funny that he idolizes Reed Richards so much, yet fails to imitate his success in that area - even if Reed probably had it easy being attached to Sue from the onset, beyond some occasional second glances at Namor from her.
The next two issues will be written by Christos Gage, and will feature Spidey teaching the Avengers Academy. I know you dropped ACADEMY, but I love it, so I am psyched. Gage has tended to roll with Slott better than Van Lente, I think. I mean I could be wrong and for all I know their co-writing sessions go better. But Slott & Gage co-wrote AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE and MIGHTY AVENGERS (a couple times) and they often seemed more gelled. Or at least they complimented each other. Of course, I also feel A:TI became a better book once Gage was in command of it solo despite my liking of Slott's work on it.
Going into BIG TIME, the romantic subplot was the subplot I was least interested in and I considered the least important - if it was to be the focus, I likely wouldn't have stayed. Thankfully, it isn't the focus. Even these FF issues, you can't say they're 11 pages of romantic stuff and 11 of action; Carlie's subplot only gets a few pages. Spidey was all over space and time and fighting zombie pirates for most of it. But perhaps BIG TIME shows that what was holding ASM back wasn't a marriage, but a lack of ideas on the part of new blood writers as well as editorial will to roll with some of them a while. Additions to supporting cast, developments with old villains, new villains, even new jobs all happen regardless of who Peter is dating. Now with Slott in the position of solo writer, or at least the MAJOR solo writer who occasionally has a co-writer or a few issues off, the tone can maintain a consistent focus and, in theory, the stories can flow better than when there was a round robin of 3-4 guys writing it.
Yet in the end, I think Peter's romantic subplot has traded one dead end for another. Married, Peter couldn't date - period. And as few writers seemed to treat the marriage as "fun", a lot of time was spent on the two of them angsting or arguing or whatever. Fine, so now Peter is single. The dilemma is the audience, writers, and editorial KNOW that if a 20 year old marriage isn't sacred, there's no bloody way any new romance can go steady for long. The title has gone back to the 60's to the 80's era in which no end of things were done to prevent Peter from hitching up. Betty would take a vacation or date someone else. Gwen would be killed. Debra and Felicia would be "revealed" to be mentally unstable and thus not "worthy" (Felicia even teamed up with Foreigner and tried to kill Spidey at one point). It was almost a game seeing what could be come up with. Thus, Peter's love life is also static - just instead of the partner always being the same woman, it can be a different woman going through the obligatory motions. That's Carlie's problem to me. It isn't Goblin tattoos or whatever, it's that she's going through the role of Designated Girlfriend almost too firmly. She's squarely in the "angst" session where the lies don't add up.
Designated Girlfriend stages:
1- Initial Meeting/Hooking Up = The Fun Zone
2 - Secret Identity Lies Exposed/Not Adding Up = The Angst Zone
3 - Aftermath = This is where the writers will do something to break things up if they're not serious about long term
4 - She's Survived This Long, May As Well plan an Engagement!
Carlie is now in stage 2. To be fair, it can be possible to keep a character in the first two stages for years of time, but usually at the decade marker most editors will either crap or get off the pot, if not much sooner.
This time I actually see this route as a little confusing. Usually Peter would be hesitant, at best, to reveal his identity to a lady for a variety of reasons. However, the problem here is that under BIG TIME, a lot of those reasons don't exist anymore. Even after ONE MOMENT IN TIME explained how he was "re-masked", a great score of fellow superheroes know who Spider-Man is, including the Fantastic Four (or Future Foundation) and at least half his Avengers buddies. Thus, the "my loved ones will be in danger" fear is lessened because Spidey KNOWS he now has comrades who will protect his loved ones if he rings - which came up in "SPIDER-SLAYER" when the New Avengers pitched in to help protect May and the rest. Marla was killed, and Peter felt responsible, but he still had that help. Furthermore, Carlie is a member of the NYPD and thus has access to a firearm and at least basic self defense training, as well as fellow officers. Secondly, unlike a few of Peter's girlfriends from the past, Carlie actually LIKES Spider-Man in her civilian guise. It doesn't even wash that Spidey would fear that telling Carlie would result in his identity being leaked like Daredevil's was, since he has that "spell" that prevents others from figuring it out unless Peter unmasks for them (which he explained ON PANEL before BIG TIME). Thus, the only reason Peter hasn't told her, if he is honest with himself, is because he is for some reason not ready for her to know - either because of his own hang-up's or because he fears she'll reject him. I've seen it explained as Peter liking that Carlie "loves me for Peter, not Spider-Man". In all due respect, web-slinger...grow the **** up. You ARE Spider-Man. Embrace it, be happy, and try to allow some woman to be happy with you, if only for a short time. In real life, women are thrilled to find out they're dating a guy with a cool car, a motorcycle or a badge - yet in comics, finding out they're dating a super hero seems to become some horrendous deal. He's Spider-Man - it isn't like he's a leper. If Peter is afraid of having his identity compromised if he and Carlie break up after he unmasks for her, well...it would be silly if the same Avengers who have absolutely zero problem with having mass murders like Wolverine and Red Hulk on their active roster disagreed if Dr. Strange had to make someone "forget" for their own safety. That's like allowing a serial killer to join your football team, but fretting if another player wants you to help him lie to his wife for a night. Besides, as Peter said, Carlie HAS to keep certain secrets as a CSI, and while they're not as big as his own, they're still bigger secrets than the average civilian has to keep, some of which mean life or death.
Thus, I think a dilemma is that this new "single Peter" status quo comes with it's own rut that can be about as bad as a marriage. If he tells Carlie who he is, that ups things to another level and puts the onus to either have them go steadier or break them up already and move on. But since editorial can't consider the first option for long and is in no mood to do the latter, that means things have to be strung along for no reason than to string them along - and I think the audience notices.
I like BIG TIME because of Slott's big ideas in terms of villains and Peter's Horizon job, and linking up his ties to the wider Marvel Universe that he's established over the last decade. The romantic subplot is still an afterthought, the Obligatory Train Robbery portion of the Western. Carlie is the Designated Girlfriend, and the problem is, even if you switched her with someone else, I think anyone would be the Designated Girlfriend. Unless she was herself a superhero, but even that might just distract from the overall limitation for a short while. I think almost any "non-caped" lady would struggle to be accepted by the fan base, but I don't think Carlie is.
Peter needs a little pep talk from Hercules about not over thinking **** and having some fun with "co-heroes". Peter talks a lot about being sensitive and looking for "the one" and not being a player, but he's left a trail of ex's longer than Gambit has. Sometimes magic can come in odd places. Paladin's sudden crush on Misty Knight in HEROES FOR HIRE is out of DAMN NOWHERE, but it is taking the character into different routes and allowing Abnett & Lanning to play with the idea that he may be more than a paycheck hound.
Or, of course, Carlie could just have better subplots. I just don't think they'll matter, for the above reasons. To be fair, most super heroes remain single, and marriages are still a rare thing for the majority of them. We just place a lot of focus on that element on Peter Parker since that was how he was distinct from a lot of heroes of the time. Granted, it is funny that he idolizes Reed Richards so much, yet fails to imitate his success in that area - even if Reed probably had it easy being attached to Sue from the onset, beyond some occasional second glances at Namor from her.
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runawayboulder
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I'm really far behind in my reading so I'm gonna be brief.......
First and foremost, I'm done with New Avengers. This book turned to total s**t after it's promising first arc. The 50's Avengers is a horrible idea and makes no sense. I hope it gets ignored in the future like it's Peter and MJ's kid. Next issue is a HUGE maybe and I usually hate to drop something in the middle of an arc as a matter of principle.
Punisher MAX on the other hand is absolutely magnificent. I never really understood why some people held Jason Aaron in such high regard but this book nixed that notion. It's terrific in it's simplicity.
DD: Reborn has got no conversation about it, understandably, considering how Shadowland disappointed. Reborn has been a well done ending to this long dark chapter in Matt Murdock's life. It was nothing overly special or terrible, just a happy medium. Now Mark Waid has to convincingly get Matt back as a lawyer. Given his track record, he should do fine.
First and foremost, I'm done with New Avengers. This book turned to total s**t after it's promising first arc. The 50's Avengers is a horrible idea and makes no sense. I hope it gets ignored in the future like it's Peter and MJ's kid. Next issue is a HUGE maybe and I usually hate to drop something in the middle of an arc as a matter of principle.
Punisher MAX on the other hand is absolutely magnificent. I never really understood why some people held Jason Aaron in such high regard but this book nixed that notion. It's terrific in it's simplicity.
DD: Reborn has got no conversation about it, understandably, considering how Shadowland disappointed. Reborn has been a well done ending to this long dark chapter in Matt Murdock's life. It was nothing overly special or terrible, just a happy medium. Now Mark Waid has to convincingly get Matt back as a lawyer. Given his track record, he should do fine.
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