Bought/Thought September 14th

[runawayboulder]

I will admit the narration in New Avengers #16 worked. Actually it finally worked after seeing it 5 or 6 times already. It's not something that Bendis should use every issue but from a single issue standpoint - in NA#16 it worked perfectly. The device came full circle at the end with DD being interviewed in the last panel.

 

[Drz]

Yeah it was an awesome ending.

 

[CConn]

Legion #1

Was an extremely disappointing read for me. I came into the book pretty excited about the possibilities of having a pretty awesome artist in Pete Woods paired with an generally awesome writer in Fabian.

Before the series premiered, Fabian even gave an interview to Newsarama where he admitted he was pretty pissed off at DC for canceling Red Robin, and it was only the quality of LL's basic concept that brought him back into the fold of writing for DC. It sounded pretty promising.

Sadly, the first issue was anything but. Both Woods and Fabian were uncharacteristically off. Both the art and writing seemed incredibly rushed and outright confusing. The issue features no real introduction to who these characters are and what their current predicament really is.

Instead, we're rushed through page after page of characters prattling on about past events and characters that are never really explained or fleshed out, and ultimately the issue ends on nearly the exact same note as it begins.

More disappointing was the fact that none of the characters in the issue really shined through as characters you'd want to read more about. While titles like Demon Knights might not have had much plot advancement in it, characters like Etrigan and Madame Xanadu really shine in that issue and make you want to read more purely to learn more about them. While there's a bakers dozen of characters in LL #1, not a single one is given a moment to really become intriguing or interesting enough to elicit that feeling of interest and excitement.

Suffice it to say, I won't be buying another issue.



Batwoman #1

I was as curious and hesitant to JH Williams' writing as anyone. He had a hard task on his hands as Greg Rucka is not only a very gifted writer, but he's one who generally writes very deep and multilayered stories. That's a hard quality to recapture. Especially for a newbie writer.

But, amazingly, JH did just that. He not only continued his fabled and acclaimed art style from his Detective run, but he also did a bang up job of not only continuing the storylines from Rucka's run, but also introducing his own concepts to the Batwoman mythos that are just perfect representations of Rucka's style of bridging the gap between comics and legitimate mythologies and fables.


Green Lantern #1

GL #1 is a story of it's two main characters; Sinestro and Hal Jordan. For Sinestro's portion of the issue, Johns does a very admirable job of continuing his previous storylines in GL and really making a logical and intriguing transition from Hal to Sinestro. Sinestro's characterization and motivations are spot on, and Johns sets up some plotlines and character struggles that should make for at least two or three compelling arcs.

Unfortunately, Hal's portion of the story takes a totally different tact. Johns tries to detail how reliant Hal is on the ring, and how out of touch he is with normal life. And I guess Johns succeeds...it the same way that writers from the 50s succeeded in making Superman look like a jerk for denying Aquaman a drink in the desert. Not that Hal comes off as a jerk, per say, but his entire characterization is exaggerated to a downright laughable extent. His scenes play off as more of a spoof on the character and comics in general than a legitimate description of Hal's post-GL life...and in that respect the issue fails horribly.

Aside from that however, Doug Mahnke continues to deliver phenomenal art in every page, and while the Hal portions of the issue are enough to make me shudder, there's enough good aspects to make the second issue worth picking up.

 

[hippie_hunter]

I finally got to reading all my comics now and this time, Marvel actually published stuff this week that were interesting enough for me to break up my DC batch. Not that it's good news though.

Amazing Spider-Man #669
I feel rather mixed on the Spider-Island event. On one hand, the story is pretty damn good and I'm loving how the story shows that even though Peter isn't unique anymore, he's still the best because of his heroic heart.

On the other hand, I can't stand how Peter is such a dick to those close to him by hiding his identity as Spider-Man. Also I really hate Carlie Cooper. I hate her with all my hate. I hate her so much that even my hate has hate for her! So I really hate it when a story gives her so much prime time. I imagine that if I had a conversation with her it would go like this:

Carlie: Got a lead I want to follow. I know who's behind all this.

hippie_hunter: ZZZZZZ....um....oh.....what?

Carlie: I know who's behind all this. The Jackal, old Spidey villain. Messes around with genetics. Makes perfect sense.

hippie_hunter: Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention. I was mesmerized by watching the paint dry on this wall, which is far more fascinating than anything you have to say. Did I miss something vitally important?

Carlie: THE JACKAL!!! He's the one behind this

hippie_hunter: ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......

I think this quote from a Scans Daily poster sums it up for me with Carlie "Carlie is just not a well thought out character, I hate to say it I wish someone would break them up so she could just marry God already and bring out the new Utopia based on herself because she always perfect."

So yeah, my absurd level of hatred for this character just really brings down this story for me, in which she is prominently featured.

Artist Humberto Ramos does a good job on art here as well. He's a big hit or miss, but he's really suited for Spider-Man.

Batman & Robin #1
This book was already on a rather wary place on my pull list. I found writer Peter Tomasi's previous arc on the previous Batman & Robin book to be extremely underwhelming. But overall Tomasi is a great writer so I decided to get it with reservations that if this arc was underwhelming, it would be dropped immediately.

Luckily Tomasi knocks it out of the park this time around. The previous dynamic between Batman and Robin has taken a total 180 with Bruce Wayne taking over the starring role of Batman from Dick Grayson and treats Robin vastly different than Bruce's predecessor in the book. Bruce treats Damian as his son, not his partner and I'm really liking the direction this new dynamic is taking. A lot of people are complaining how Damian is taking a step back with this book, but I completely disagree. It's not that Damian is taking a step back, it's that Bruce doesn't put up with any of his crap.

But the shining moment in this issue is how Bruce also progresses as a character. Instead of mourning over his parents and remembering them dying in a dark and dingy alley, he has decided to remember his parents the way they lived. Instead of going to Crime Alley every year with his memorial service, he'll remember them on their wedding anniversary. Pure brilliance and a great way to show that Batman is not a symbol of vengeance and anger that many view him as.

Batwoman #1
I'll often say that Greg Rucka's run on Detective Comics starring Batwoman is one of the greatest runs in all of comics. And I often say how Rucka's run on Detective Comics rescued Kate Kane from being one of DC's biggest blunders to one of their greatest successes. It has been far too long since we've seen a continuation of Batwoman's story since Rucka left DC Comics. This time around artist J.H. Williams III has taken over the writing duties with W. Haden Blackman.

While not as perfect as Rucka's tenure with the character, Williams and Blackman do a fantastic job in continuing Batwoman's story from where Rucka left off. The biggest problem though is that this book just really doesn't fit with the New 52. It's obvious that this book has been written quite a while ago and DC decided to push it back and launch it with the rest of their new ongoings. As a result, I really don't consider this book to be new reader friendly with reading Batwoman: Elegy to be essential to understand what is going on (that said, everyone should be reading Batwoman: Elegy anyways). Williams' art on this book is as great as ever with his unique layouts and beautiful style.

I say that every fan of Batwoman must get this book. And those who have never read Batwoman, go buy Batwoman: Elegy and get this issue anyways. It's one of the best that the New 52 has to offer.

Black Panther: The Man Without Fear #523
I think I made a rather detailed review on why I hated the initial issue of writer David Liss' take on Black Panther. But with Storm Hunter, while I absolutely loathe the Storm/Black Panther marriage, I felt that the title was at least going in the right direction.

Then Fear Itself came along, and just like how it dragged down many good books like Iron Man 2.0, Invincible Iron Man, the Avengers books, Heroes for Hire, etc., Black Panther has gone back into the suckage territory with Hate Monger (an awful character to begin with) and the ridiculous xenophobic American Panther (at least this book doesn't confuse xenophobia with racism like many on the left do ). Up next, a change in the title now that Daredevil is back and a tie-in with Spider-Island, which isn't going to save this book.

Daredevil #3
God I love this book. Some will complain how writer Mark Waid is taking away the depressing grim and grittiness that has become associated with Daredevil, but it got tiring. Waid delivers a much needed fresh, brighter, and more optimistic take on the character with gorgeous visuals from artist Paulo Rivera.

The stories are short simple and brief, which is also a breath of fresh air in a world dominated by writing for the trade. And if you aren't buying this book, slap yourself for not doing so, go to your comic book store and get it. This is one of Marvel's best books.

Deadpool #43
I have grown tired of Daniel Way's take on Deadpool. What had a great promising start has gotten old and stale making miss the character progression that Fabian Niceza gave to the character in Cable & Deadpool. Way's Deadpool is just a horrible person who gets put into kooky situations for the sake of kookiness. Please come back Joe or Fabian.

What I can't stand the most about this issue is just how horrible Wade treats his therapist, Dr. Ella Whitby, who has psychotically fallen in love with him. It bothers me how he's physically abusive towards her, which shows that Way doesn't get that deep down Wade has a bit of a good person within him. Blegh. Anyone who is not a religious Deadpool fanatic should just pass on this.

Demon Knights #1
The sister series to writer Paul Cornell's Stormwatch series set centuries in the past in the DCnU, Paul Cornell delivers yet another hit in Demon Knights. Cornell presents an excellent take on Arthurian lore, great characterizations for Etrigan, Jason Blood, Shining Knight, and Vandal Savage (as a hero), and witty dialogue. Artist Diogenes Neves delivers great art to show off what Cornell is doing here.

It's such a shame that this book isn't going to last very long .

Fear Itself #6
My god does this event SUCK. I'm not even going to bother getting into it. I'll just go into a long tirade of how much I hate this event after Fear Itself #7.3. Yes, I said issue #7.3. The worst part is that this book is required Marvel reading if you want to know what is going on with the universe.

Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1
I was initially going to pass on this book because I really wasn't interested in the character of Frankenstein, but after Jeff Lemire wrote the great Animal Man last week, I had to give his other book a shot.

After reading this book, I immediately regretted not getting Flashpoint: Frankenstein & the Creatures of the Unknown because I feel like I really missed out on Lemire's take on the character. I just love the flat out bizarre concepts that Lemire is bringing to the table here. With Swamp Thing, Animal Man, Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E., and Demon Knights, DC's The Dark line is really shaping up to be the highlight of the New 52.

My major complain lies with artist Alberto Ponticelli. With a book that is going out and presenting bizarre concepts to an outlandish degree, the art just seems a little too gritty for a book like this. It kinda drags the book down.

Green Lantern #1
You know how I said that Batwoman really isn't new reader friendly? Green Lantern is even worse at being new friendly. At least with Batwoman, all you really have to do is pick up Batwoman: Elegy and you're all caught up. Or take Batman, another character who is not being rebooted and builds upon what was already established, but is taking a new direction that allows new readers to easily jump on. With Green Lantern though, in order to fully get into this book you have to have read Green Lantern: Rebirth, the previous 67 issue Green Lantern series, Blackest Night, and the various tie-ins to the Sinestro Corps War, Blackest Night, and War of the Green Lanterns to fully understand what is going on.

That said, writer Geoff Johns delivers a solid story with the relaunched Green Lantern now starring Sinestro as the title character. He presents great conflict for Sinestro by having him deal with the fact that all the other Green Lanterns hate him for what he's done and his former Sinestro Corps who have enslaved his beloved Korugar instead of protecting it.

The other side of the story deals with Hal Jordan. A lot of Hal's detractors will complain how Johns tries to make Hal a Gary Stu character despite his many character flaws. Well, here's the kicker for you guys, without his ring and without the Green Lantern Corps, Hal Jordan is nothing. He's been kicked out of the Air Force because he went M.I.A. due to his Green Lantern duties, no place will hire him as a pilot due to his reckless behavior, he's kicked out of his apartment, his girlfriend Cowgirl has left him, he can't even get a car due to his financial situation being complete crap, and he is out of touch with everyday life and people.

I'm curious to see how long this status quo will last. New readers stay away because Johns isn't making it easy for you guys, but those who have been reading Green Lantern, definitely pick it up.

Herc #7
You know what Herc really lacked compared to the Incredible Hercules? Fun. Herc since it started has been kind of a dull and generic drag. The good news here is that the fun that has been lacking in Herc is back in full swing. The bad news is that this book is getting cancelled with issue #10. Le sigh

I also find it funny how Herc has gone from a Fear Itself tie-in to a Spider-Island tie-in. Which was unable to save the book. Learn a lesson from this Marvel. Let the books do their own thing, don't drag it down by ****** crossovers.

Journey into Mystery #627
For all my hatred and criticism of Fear Itself, there are a couple of bright spots with the event. The biggest and brightest of these is writer Kieron Gillen's Journey into Mystery starring Loki. It's such a fantastic book that I think Gillen should have done the writing duties to Fear Itself instead of Matt Fraction.

This issue though puts the spotlight on Mephisto which puts a fantastic take on his place in Hell. Marvel tries to justify One More Day by saying that Mephisto isn't the Devil, well here he is in this issue saying that he is. He may be just one of many devils, but he is the greatest Devil in the Marvel Universe. So suck it Marvel.

Gillen delivers solid characterization for Mephisto and making him a major player in the book beyond just Fear Itself. And artist Richard Elson does a great job here. I hope he says on the book longer because I find regular artist Doug Braithwaite to be an absurdly boring artist. This is another book that I would call one of Marvel's bests.

Legion Lost #1
This issue really was just one big meh from me. I'm a fan of the Legion of Super-Heroes, but I felt disappointed by this issue with just about everything. I expected better from writer Fabian Nicieza, I expected better with this cast of characters, overall I just expected better from everything with this book. The biggest problem is that if you're a new reader and not a long time reader of the Legion of Super-Heroes, particularly of Levitz's run, you're not going to know who these characters are. The book doesn't delve into that which is something that is needed for a cast as large and eclectic as this. It's not bad, but I feel really indifferent with this title and if things don't pick up, this book is dropped after one arc. Unless they heavily intertwine this book with Legion of Super-Heroes, making this book integral reading, in which case I'll get pissed off.

Also, I don't get why the Legion just doesn't send a rescue time sphere to save these guys. And I don't get why there are two Legion books either considering how poorly Legion of Super-Heroes and Adventure Comics sold.

New Avengers #16
Finally Daredevil joins the Avengers! Plus Daredevil being written by writer Brian Michael Bendis again!

Why the **** does this issue suck . Oh yeah, because it's tied in with the god awful Fear Itself event. Bendis has Daredevil using guns and killing people instead of upholding his Spider-Man like views on not killing people! And we get those stupid interview segments that Bendis has been putting in his Fear Itself tie-ins for his Avengers books.

The only thing good in this book is the end where Daredevil is given membership into the Avengers. **** Fear Itself.

O.M.A.C. #1
This was last weeks book so I won't dwell on it for long. I initially passed on it since I hated writer Dan DiDio's run on Outsiders, but after hearing that it was good, I thought I'd give it a try.

Turns out it was surprisingly good.

Uncanny X-Force #15
I cannot heap enough praise on this title. Not only is writer Rick Remender's Uncanny X-Force the best X-title out there, it is also one of Marvel's best books. At least with all the crap Marvel has put out this week, the stuff that was great, is really really great.

The Dark Angel Saga goes into full swing by showing what Archangel and his Four Horsemen plan to do in destroying the world. Remender provides great inter-character conflicts and characterization such as portraying Archangel as a polite and courteous villain or showing how Deadpool actually cares while trying to be goofy at the same time, and a thrilling ride that puts you to the edge of your seat by incapacitating Wolverine, imprisoning Psylock, and leaving only Deadpool, Deathlok, and Fantomex to save the world, to fuel this story with Jerome Opena does a fantastic job in portraying how grim and depressing it all is. I just can't say how much I love this book - PICK OF THE WEEK

X-Men: Legacy
Havok, Marvel Girl, and Polaris are back. That's all there really is to say with this arc. After upping the ante with the previous arc, writer Mike Carey drags it back down with Age of X-levels of dullness. I feel the same as others in the belief that I'm tired of seeing the X-Men in space. On the bright side, at least this story arc will bring back Havok, Polaris, and Marvel Girl, so after this there won't be anymore X-Men in space. Just like with Legion Lost, it's not bad. Just one big gigantic meh and a sense of disappointment for expecting better. I wonder if this book is going to continue once Carey leaves. And if it does, who will replace him.

 

[Dread]

I finally got to reading all my comics now and this time, Marvel actually published stuff this week that were interesting enough for me to break up my DC batch. Not that it's good news though.

Amazing Spider-Man #669
I feel rather mixed on the Spider-Island event. On one hand, the story is pretty damn good and I'm loving how the story shows that even though Peter isn't unique anymore, he's still the best because of his heroic heart.

On the other hand, I can't stand how Peter is such a dick to those close to him by hiding his identity as Spider-Man. Also I really hate Carlie Cooper. I hate her with all my hate. I hate her so much that even my hate has hate for her! So I really hate it when a story gives her so much prime time. I imagine that if I had a conversation with her it would go like this:

Carlie: Got a lead I want to follow. I know who's behind all this.

hippie_hunter: ZZZZZZ....um....oh.....what?

Carlie: I know who's behind all this. The Jackal, old Spidey villain. Messes around with genetics. Makes perfect sense.

hippie_hunter: Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention. I was mesmerized by watching the paint dry on this wall, which is far more fascinating than anything you have to say. Did I miss something vitally important?

Carlie: THE JACKAL!!! He's the one behind this

hippie_hunter: ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......

I think this quote from a Scans Daily poster sums it up for me with Carlie "Carlie is just not a well thought out character, I hate to say it I wish someone would break them up so she could just marry God already and bring out the new Utopia based on herself because she always perfect."

So yeah, my absurd level of hatred for this character just really brings down this story for me, in which she is prominently featured.

Artist Humberto Ramos does a good job on art here as well. He's a big hit or miss, but he's really suited for Spider-Man.


Daredevil #3
God I love this book. Some will complain how writer Mark Waid is taking away the depressing grim and grittiness that has become associated with Daredevil, but it got tiring. Waid delivers a much needed fresh, brighter, and more optimistic take on the character with gorgeous visuals from artist Paulo Rivera.

The stories are short simple and brief, which is also a breath of fresh air in a world dominated by writing for the trade. And if you aren't buying this book, slap yourself for not doing so, go to your comic book store and get it. This is one of Marvel's best books.

Fear Itself #6
My god does this event SUCK. I'm not even going to bother getting into it. I'll just go into a long tirade of how much I hate this event after Fear Itself #7.3. Yes, I said issue #7.3. The worst part is that this book is required Marvel reading if you want to know what is going on with the universe.

Herc #7
You know what Herc really lacked compared to the Incredible Hercules? Fun. Herc since it started has been kind of a dull and generic drag. The good news here is that the fun that has been lacking in Herc is back in full swing. The bad news is that this book is getting cancelled with issue #10. Le sigh

I also find it funny how Herc has gone from a Fear Itself tie-in to a Spider-Island tie-in. Which was unable to save the book. Learn a lesson from this Marvel. Let the books do their own thing, don't drag it down by ****** crossovers.

Some counter points:

- I find it amusing how the same people who were calling Cooper "an irredeemable **** character" for even CONSIDERING getting a tattoo of the Green Goblin while intoxicated and egged on by her friends now complain that she's "perfect". I say getting wasted and getting a tattoo out of revenge is a flaw; Carlie didn't know Peter was Spidey and thus it was harmless. Had Spidey "really" been someone else who is Peter's friend, it would have driven a wedge.

I still find Carlie boring, though. If I hated her, it would demand more emotional energy directed at her.

- DAREDEVIL is excellent, and FEAR ITSELF is terrible, agreed.

- HERC was doomed when sales for #2 dropped. Sure, it was a FEAR ITSELF tie-in sorta, but I don't think that helped or hurt sales. Retailers overestimated demand, that or either fans didn't like HERC's new idea or Hercules cannot sell without Cho in a solo series (and vice versa). Maybe it's like selling CLOAK and DAGGER without each other.

 

[Thebumwhowalks]

I got the first two issues of Daredevil, and will probably get a few more, but one thing that has been bugging me is the inking...it is like the guy is just using different sized marker pens, instead of nib pens and brushes, the lines just look really bland.

It's the same with the latest issue of Wolverine(first time i have bought Wolverine since 2006), just looks like the person has sat there with a bunch of different sized ink markers, really awful boring line work...what is going on, is this some new trend in comics, folk have just stopped using nib pens and brushes because they are more difficult to use?

that's one of the things i like about comics, looking at all that great line work. Now, you hold up the latest issue of JL, man, that is old school inking, just does not compare, beautiful linework, you can sit there and just soak it in.

and as for the DD writing, aye, having a more lighthearted DD is fine, I just wish the artwork was more to my taste, i mean, back in the old days, no-one inked like that, everyone inked with nibs and brushes, I guess they ink like that for a high turnover of issues? well, I'd rather wait and get better artwork.
I'm sorry, but when you ink like that, using marker pens, it's just tracing, there is no artistry to the work.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Amazing Spider-Man #669
I feel rather mixed on the Spider-Island event. On one hand, the story is pretty damn good and I'm loving how the story shows that even though Peter isn't unique anymore, he's still the best because of his heroic heart.

On the other hand, I can't stand how Peter is such a dick to those close to him by hiding his identity as Spider-Man. Also I really hate Carlie Cooper. I hate her with all my hate. I hate her so much that even my hate has hate for her! So I really hate it when a story gives her so much prime time.

I'm the rare individual that finds one of the best parts of Spider-Island is Carlie Cooper. I think Slott really brings the fun back to the book this relationship between her and Peter.

Deadpool #43

I have grown tired of Daniel Way's take on Deadpool. What had a great promising start has gotten old and stale making miss the character progression that Fabian Niceza gave to the character in Cable & Deadpool. Way's Deadpool is just a horrible person who gets put into kooky situations for the sake of kookiness. Please come back Joe or Fabian.

What I can't stand the most about this issue is just how horrible Wade treats his therapist, Dr. Ella Whitby, who has psychotically fallen in love with him. It bothers me how he's physically abusive towards her, which shows that Way doesn't get that deep down Wade has a bit of a good person within him. Blegh. Anyone who is not a religious Deadpool fanatic should just pass on this.

You took the words out of my mouth for my review of Deadpool #43. This title has gotten down-right boring; and, this storyline has brought the book to an all new low. You're right in how Wade is very abusive to Dr. Whitby; but, I also found it completely out of character for him. Heck, he's had relationships with much worse women in the past (Bertha, if I remember right), and I saw Deadpool more embracing this fling than shunning it so much. It's too bad the cancelled Deadpool Team-Up; because, I enjoyed that title so much more than this one.

Spider-Island: Spider-Girl #2

Another good issue. I love how Tobin goes back to Spider-Girl's (Arana's) past, and brings back those old enemies. And, while we've seen a hero being forced to team up with an enemy to defeat an even greater enemy many times before, it bother me here. It's nice to see Kingpin back, who's a much more interesting mob boss than the overused Mr. Negative.

Journey Into Mystery #627

While we get a well-written issue here, I didn't particularily care for it. First, Mephisto is starting to get a little overused of late; and, second, we get a story that is just wasting time while Fear Itself just drags on. It was just a tad too boring.

Buffy, The Vampire Slayer #1

I promised to drop this title after being so disappointed with how the last half of the previous volume turned out. But, I'm a sucker, and decided to see if anything improved.

It didn't.

Too many characters with a too much talking and pretty much zero action. Buffy needs to go back to doing what she does best: Kill vampires!

 

[hippie_hunter]

Some counter points:

- I find it amusing how the same people who were calling Cooper "an irredeemable **** character" for even CONSIDERING getting a tattoo of the Green Goblin while intoxicated and egged on by her friends now complain that she's "perfect". I say getting wasted and getting a tattoo out of revenge is a flaw; Carlie didn't know Peter was Spidey and thus it was harmless. Had Spidey "really" been someone else who is Peter's friend, it would have driven a wedge.

I don't find her perfect, it's that the writers attempt to make her perfect. In the process, she comes off as absurdly boring. The writers still had Carlie be such a great person that despite being egged on and intoxicated, she still did not get it. She's still irredeemable for merely considering getting a tattoo of the Green Goblin though

- HERC was doomed when sales for #2 dropped. Sure, it was a FEAR ITSELF tie-in sorta, but I don't think that helped or hurt sales. Retailers overestimated demand, that or either fans didn't like HERC's new idea or Hercules cannot sell without Cho in a solo series (and vice versa). Maybe it's like selling CLOAK and DAGGER without each other.

I think that Herc can survive without Amadeus, the problem is that before the Spider-Island issues, it just wasn't fun which the previous books were. The lack of fun is what I think drove fans away.

Also, I don't think that Fear Itself hurt or helped sales, but Fear Itself has been dragging down the quality of most books. That was my criticism. I just found it amusing how it went from one tie, straight into another one, yet sales still didn't pick up.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Yeah, a mopey Herc is not a good Herc. I mean, the Point One issue that's supposed to entice people to pick the series up focused primarily on Herc being utterly depressed and drowning his sorrows in alcohol.

 

[moraldeficiency]

He works better as a happy drunk

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Yup.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Pretty much.

 

[Dread]

I don't find her perfect, it's that the writers attempt to make her perfect. In the process, she comes off as absurdly boring. The writers still had Carlie be such a great person that despite being egged on and intoxicated, she still did not get it. She's still irredeemable for merely considering getting a tattoo of the Green Goblin though

I don't think she's perfect; I do agree that she's boring. I just don't find the energy to get irritated at her. She's the Designated Girlfriend to me. Now that OMIT is "law", virtually anyone Peter dates will seem like one unless it's a named superhero like Ms. Marvel - and from what I have seen, Peter frankly couldn't handle a strong superheroine like her. If he's freaking out over tag-teaming with his cop girlfriend, all of his own inhibitions would be displayed to the world if he had a superhero girlfriend who was with him on the Avengers and who was just as powerful as him (if not much more so).

I imagine there is a better way to have written a Designated Girlfriend than how Carlie has been written since 2008. However, I don't believe the audience would be terribly welcoming no matter how one was written, and in the end the finite status of Peter's relationships is plain to see. It's why Peter's love life is usually what I care about the least.

I think that Herc can survive without Amadeus, the problem is that before the Spider-Island issues, it just wasn't fun which the previous books were. The lack of fun is what I think drove fans away.

Also, I don't think that Fear Itself hurt or helped sales, but Fear Itself has been dragging down the quality of most books. That was my criticism. I just found it amusing how it went from one tie, straight into another one, yet sales still didn't pick up.

I see it as Herc lacked angst when he was a demigod, but he has it as a human because humans have angst. It's what they do.

I haven't minded the shift to HERC, but clearly I represent a minority of INCREDIBLE HERCULES readers. I haven't minded the return to "more fun" stuff. The issue is without more comedy, it's just straightforward action, and there's just too much of it.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Um... I think Herc is angsty as a human because he, more than pretty much any other being with godlike powers, f***ing loved having those powers. Dude enjoyed his balls-to-the-wall lifestyle immensely, and now he's barred from that because like 97.3% of that lifestyle would kill a mortal.

 

[Dread]

Um... I think Herc is angsty as a human because he, more than pretty much any other being with godlike powers, f***ing loved having those powers. Dude enjoyed his balls-to-the-wall lifestyle immensely, and now he's barred from that because like 97.3% of that lifestyle would kill a mortal.

Right. That, and the gods no longer respect him as a mortal. Which is apparently different from them not respecting him because he was a moron or because he kept adventuring on earth.

I mean, I see it as Pak and Van Lente having been stuck between a rock and a hard place. CHAOS WAR was the finale of their long saga, but Marvel's editors either tasked or approved of a pitch for more material. They had two choices. They could have simply kept the status quo of INCREDIBLE HERCULES exactly the same and merely thrown in a THREAT OF THE ARC every few issues and hope that the fans didn't become bored or apathetic, or do something new with the status quo. It is possible that Pak and Van Lente would have been bored themselves merely going with the former strategy. So, they chose to go with the latter, drastically chance Herc's set-up and hope that doing so would jazz people up. The downside of change, though, is that it can repel people.

There's also a third angle. CHAOS WAR sold decently because it had a slew of guest star and editorial promotion. It is possible that the fans of INCREDIBLE HERCULES just decided the series ran it's course after 2-3 years and nothing Pak and Van Lente do would make an ongoing series survive long. After all, this is an audience that was originally reading INCREDIBLE HULK and were close to tricked to trying out Herc for ages. However, realizing when something has run it's course and allow it a rest with dignity is literally an unfathomable proposition in big two comics. Especially in the rush to out-publish the other by sheer volume.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Haha, that was a great line.

Demon Knights was all right. Not as good as I was hoping for. It's a cool concept, but, as I'm finding with several of the new 52 stuff, the characters are slightly off. The Madame Xanadu I came to enjoy was Matt Wagner's Vertigo version, who was much more vibrant (and tied to the whole Camelot situation) than Demon Knights' weary, put-upon version who seems to just be sick of everything (except, apparently, Etrigan's demonic pee-pee). Etrigan himself is a bit awkward, given that he doesn't rhyme and that, in this version, he's apparently summoned by Merlin to help defend Camelot, then casually bound to Jason Blood for... well, no reason at all, it seems. When it becomes clear Camelot is lost, Merlin's just like, "What to do with you? Oh, hi, Jason! Here, you take this demon for all eternity. Toodles!" Then he disappears. No betrayal theme with Etrigan as penance for Jason inadvertently causing Camelot's doom. Granted, I'm not sure if that was the original origin or not, but it worked really well in the cartoon and it's probably the version most are acquainted with. Anyway, Vandal Savage was cool, although he's still living up to his last name; he apparently hasn't acquired the sophistication associated with his modern-day version just yet. Makes for a fun departure from the norm while retaining enough familiarity to not be offputting. The Shining Knight as a Celt who's disdainful of Saxons should be good for a few laughs and potentially more, depending on how Cornell plays her. Not a huge fan of the caricaturized, man-hating Amazon just yet, but she may develop into something decent. The Arabian dude and the archer woman didn't really do much, so I haven't formed much of an opinion of either yet. So, in short, it was okay with the potential to be more, but I was a little put off by the unexpected character changes. I'll stick with it and see how it goes. It's certainly more fun than Cornell's other effort in the new 52, at the very least.

Sounds like me and you are on point again for Cornell's second book. I was hit by a lot more disappointment for this one, though, since I was looking forward to it a lot as opposed to always being tepid about Stormwatch. I'm sticking with this one, too, at least for the first arc, but was not all that impressed. And it definitely sucks that it seems Wagner's Xanadu stuff has been thrown out; that was just pure gold, son.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Eh, I was only mildly disappointed since I saw the potential for a good read in Demon Knights. Stormwatch is an almost surefire drop for me at this point because, frankly, I find most of the characters annoyingly arrogant and I doubt that will change. Cornell's confirmed in interviews that J'onn's main reason for being on Stormwatch is to express his warrior side, which is not really something I'm interested in seeing from J'onn, so that eliminates him as my main reason for even trying the book in the first place. Also, thanks to Sepulveda, the book just doesn't look good. Demon Knights' art is more pleasing to the eye than Stormwatch's.