Bought/Thought September 30th, 2009

[runawayboulder]

I wonder how long it will be until he goes totally bat**** crazy and the entire Marvel U has to kill him?

 

[random_havoc]

woops

 

[random_havoc]

Just read my advanced copy of the upcoming Moon Knight issue with Sentry in it, here's an intentionally vague commentary on Sentry's role in it:

Spoiler

This issue actually has the Sentry as a truly impressive and imposing figure. Seems a little contradictory to how he's been acting in Dark Avengers but maybe he's a little more lucid this issue than usual. The art even suits Sentry (and moon knight) perfectly. I was impressed.
That's the good, the bad is that Sentry is only in four pages of the issue. So obviously the cover of the issue (and the ads) were pretty misleading.
I'm still picking this ish up though.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Some of those first dozen issues were slow. Good but slow. And I still contend that there was a better way to have Loki trick everyone without having Thor and Balder be such gullible, non-confrontational suckers.

High politics, my friend. People in real politics often have no recourse but to do the stupid thing because there's so much red tape or potentially bad PR blocking every other avenue. I like that Asgard is a political system now rather than an absolute dictatorship. Granted, JMS could've done better actually laying out how that system works, but Balder's speech about his people getting restless in Oklahoma and longing for the wintry feel of Asgard a few issues ago did a decent job of it. He's a new leader and revolt is a potent danger to him. Thor, on the other hand, was just more concerned with Earth than Asgard most of the time. He was barely even around to politick so Loki basically had free reign.

 

[Dread]

High politics, my friend. People in real politics often have no recourse but to do the stupid thing because there's so much red tape or potentially bad PR blocking every other avenue. I like that Asgard is a political system now rather than an absolute dictatorship. Granted, JMS could've done better actually laying out how that system works, but Balder's speech about his people getting restless in Oklahoma and longing for the wintry feel of Asgard a few issues ago did a decent job of it. He's a new leader and revolt is a potent danger to him. Thor, on the other hand, was just more concerned with Earth than Asgard most of the time. He was barely even around to politick so Loki basically had free reign.

And here I thought Thor was a doer of things, a fighter of evils and threats. Not sitting on a throne going, "Woe is me, I cannot confront Loki because his lawyer is not present and Mjolnir is not notarized."

Thor was a complete idiot in this entire situation. He has lived in Asgard for longer than Midguard has been civilized (mostly) and he could not fathom that a desert was not an ideal environment for Norse men and women. Loki only caused the last Ragnarok and even went as low as to personally kill Thor's personal chariot goats, yet when Loki is found Thor has ZERO misgiving about his motives, why he is in a mysteriously pale female body with black hair when Sif, who has black hair and fair skin is mysteriously missing and remained the only Asgardian of note missing since. He allowed Loki to tie him around his little finger. Thor could have then decided to cut his losses and reveal the secret to Balder; instead he waited until Loki did it, so he could look like a chump. Loki is not watched; Loki has no probation after centuries of ills. Thor lets Loki talk himself into agreeing to a technicality and then Loki goes about his business. Personally I don't know why Loki has such a grudge against Thor; at this rate he could have talked Thor into killing himself.

Balder has less guts and initiative than Spider-Man. No, not just 616 Spider-Man...ULTIMATE Spider-Man. The one who needs MJ and Kitty Pryde to save him from all of his enemies when it counts. Yeah, him. He at least gets more confrontational. Instead Balder hems, haws, sighs and moans instead of does. Thor may be dumb, but Balder is Loki's puppet completely and does nothing about it that is constructive. Balder is the type of hapless dupe who hems and haws until Loki literally unleashes the Midguard Serpent in his living quarters and then mumbles, "Perhaps my actions should have been bolder."

William the Third is the only one on Asgard with a pair besides Loki. There, I said it. And I dislike the idea that even an average mortal has more common sense and wisdom than a gazillion year old god. At least gods who didn't used to be this slow, or this unwilling to bend rules for a common good. Did Surtur have to be read his rights before being pummeled to death last time?

Now, I'm assuming there will be some sort of climax in JMS' final issue. The issue is how we got to this point. He padded out his story a lot; at 17 issues, I imagine it could have been done in 14. And from how they have been written, Hercules has proven wiser and more self-aware than Thor has been in a long, long, long time. He isn't dumb enough to trust his ancient enemies. He at least is aware he's not always the smartest. Thor, however, is that pretentious jock who's just as dumb as the one who boozes all the time, but doesn't think he is and thus seems twice as dumb.

Yes, Loki and Thor were once allies and friends...for maybe 15 years out of the last 5,000. Get the **** over it, Odinson. Thor deserved every ounce of wickedness Loki heaped on him, because he did nothing to protect himself, his friends, Asgard, or Midguard. You can't leave the door to the hen-house wide open, lead the fox to it, trust the fox to walk inside and only "live peacefully, swear to Odin" with them and then only be angered at the fox when the hens wind up eaten. Not even Eric Masterson was that foolish. I bet he wouldn't have fallen for that, either.

The problem I think, is that the end of DARK REIGN sort of relies on Loki and Doom being together, so I imagine JMS' final issue will have Thor and Sif beat down the robots, Thor declare, "I have had enough, Loki, I would have words with thee!" and then bravely hand it over to the next sucker while he departs to write for DC. The best part about franchise comics is akin to real politics; no matter how good or bad things get in your tenure, there always is some fresh sucker to lay it on when you depart. And Gillen's only staying six issues, so it hardly will be addressed during his run, either; nothing happens in six issues anymore, least of all on THOR. Heck, if not for the price reduction, I would consider just using JMS' final issue as a jumping off point and merrily picking INCREDIBLE HERCULES as my solo Marvel God book.

THOR hasn't been a bad book, but lord have the miscues in execution been irritating because it's not a bad book. How many issues did the Sif subplot simmer and then we only get about a page and a half with them here?

 

[Phaedrus45]

The new Soliel book, Spin Angels, is pretty darn good. It's too bad Marvel started out their Soliel line of books with mediocre ones, like Sky Doll and Samurai. The lastest ones are much, much better. Definitely, my two favs is Ythaq and Spin Angels.

Spin Angels is basically Laura Croft meets DaVinci Code. There are members of the Catholic Church who don't want certain documents and artifacts to get into the wrong hands...or the public's awareness. In the first two issues, they are trying to make sure another part of the church trying to get their hands on The Book Of Judas fails..or is killed. (Of course, the group being hunted is the Spin Angels.)

What's cool about the Soliel books is even though you are paying $5.99 an issue, they shove so much into them, it takes as long to read one issue of a Soliel comic as it would to read the entire 15 or so issues of the current Hulk series.

If you are interested in something different, I'd recommend Ythaq first. (Remember, there are two 3-part books of that one, the second being called Ythaq: No Escape..can't remember what the first is called.) If you are a big fan of DaVinci Code, try this latest, Spin Angels.

 

[sandwraith]

the artwork doesnt look remotely European though.

 

[Tron Bonne]

The new Soliel book, Spin Angels, is pretty darn good. It's too bad Marvel started out their Soliel line of books with mediocre ones, like Sky Doll and Samurai. The lastest ones are much, much better. Definitely, my two favs is Ythaq and Spin Angels.

Spin Angels is basically Laura Croft meets DaVinci Code. There are members of the Catholic Church who don't want certain documents and artifacts to get into the wrong hands...or the public's awareness. In the first two issues, they are trying to make sure another part of the church trying to get their hands on The Book Of Judas fails..or is killed. (Of course, the group being hunted is the Spin Angels.)

What's cool about the Soliel books is even though you are paying $5.99 an issue, they shove so much into them, it takes as long to read one issue of a Soliel comic as it would to read the entire 15 or so issues of the current Hulk series.

If you are interested in something different, I'd recommend Ythaq first. (Remember, there are two 3-part books of that one, the second being called Ythaq: No Escape..can't remember what the first is called.) If you are a big fan of DaVinci Code, try this latest, Spin Angels.

I've always wanted to try them out, but the high price kept me away. If there's that much content I guess it wouldn't be too bad. I probably will pick some of them up in trades.

the artwork doesnt look remotely European though.

What do you mean? Is there a distinct way only Europeans draw? I'm sure they are similar to America where there are various amounts of styles

 

[GNR]

Sleeper Season 2
Zorro Vol.1

 

[Phaedrus45]

OMG!!! Just when I thought Hulk couldn't get any worse, Loeb throws in Red She-Hulk. I really don't know what he's drinking or smoking...but, I could swear Marvel is purposefully trying to turn Hulk into a farce. It's some grand experiment...how ridiculous can we make it??

 

[Ace of Knaves]

And while he was at it, it seems he crapped on another two characters...

 

[Drz]

OMG!!! Just when I thought Hulk couldn't get any worse, Loeb throws in Red She-Hulk. I really don't know what he's drinking or smoking...but, I could swear Marvel is purposefully trying to turn Hulk into a farce. It's some grand experiment...how ridiculous can we make it??

Sadly it seems Marvel doesn't care since Loeb's name sells.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Whether it's Loeb's name or the content or the artists, Hulk is still selling lots of copies every month. You know the best way I've found to deal with it? Stop reading the comic.

 

[Dread]

Whether it's Loeb's name or the content or the artists, Hulk is still selling lots of copies every month. You know the best way I've found to deal with it? Stop reading the comic.

I did you one better. I never bought or read the comic in the first place.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I never bought it, but I read a page or two of the first issue in the shop out of morbid curiosity.