Boughticus/Thoughticus for 10 August MMXI

[El Bastardo]

If you were reading Butcher Baker, it'd probably make more sense.

I'm pretty sure Butcher Baker is basically the blueprint of whatever-the-**** is going on inside Joe Casey's mind these days.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I'll take your word for it. All I know is Ms. America seems kind of cool and there are some good villain cameos lined up in the next few issues. That's enough for me to keep reading, what with all the free space in my pull list that DC has been so happy to create lately.

 

[Dread]

In spite of the event being called Fear Itself and the Serpent supposedly feeding on fear, there hasn't been any indication whatsoever that the Serpent is working some kind of fear mojo on the heroes. Rather, it seems like he's employed his Worthy to terrorize the world and blow s*** up, thus making the ordinary people of the world scared so the Serpent can feed on their fear. The heroes all seem to be relatively normal, except for these weird, ill-fitting moments Fraction's given a few of them.

And it's not like this is the first time he's done it with some of them. Fraction's Thor, for example, is a coarse, ill-tempered brute pretty much everywhere I've ever read him. He's fighting the Silver Surfer over in The Mighty Thor right now and yelling "SILVER BASTARD!!!" or just flat-out roaring like an animal on every page. It's a stark contrast to JMS and Gillen and Busiek and virtually every other modern writer's well-spoken Thor of recent years.

Indeed. Marvel engaged in some borderline bait and switch promotions and advertising for FEAR ITSELF, claiming that the heroes would "literally face their fears". That's very different from what really happened, which was they'd literally face a bunch of possessed superhumans with magic hammers on a rampage. The Serpent supposedly has the ability to sow fear in mortals, but it isn't described as any sort of direct ability (like, say, Mr. Fear or Scarecrow or many of the Fear-Lords have). He apparently sows fear by sending a bunch of his minions on berserker rampages.

And while that is easily horrifying for civilians and maybe some lower level heroes, figures like Thor, Cap, even Spider-Man have seen far, far worse. KANG DYNASTY was probably worse than anything earth has seen in FEAR ITSELF thus far - and yet that didn't spark anything near as massive as Stamford did. In fact, Marvel's citizens forgot about it with disturbing speed. The U.N. was blown up, virtually every man, woman, and child in Washington, D.C. was killed and cities all over the world ravaged and occupied by a time tyrant, but what gets everyone in a hopeless tizzy NOW? A school blowing up or some guys with hammers smashing Yancy Street.

Thor's a brute, and I don't buy Cap just backing down like that. His primary characteristic was never backing down. Is the Serpent really worse than Korvac or Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet? C'mon, now. He's a GOD OF WAR reject. I keep waiting for prompts to hit the X and A button to come up when he's on panel.

I've come to the conclusion that Marvel has some of the worst editors on the planet. It makes me wonder if they read comics as a kid.......

They just can't seem to keep things straight. Same as no two writers/editors could agree on what the SHRA entailed, no two can agree on how the Worthy are supposed to speak. Some have them just speak in Norse letters and others have them speak fairly normally, like in AVENGERS ACADEMY.

I see Marvel now as similar to parents who grew up strict. What happens? They "rebel" by letting their own kids be spoiled monsters. So afraid of another Jim Shooter reign that everyone in the bullpen now does the opposite. We now have an era of Marvel where the occasional typo gets published, for heaven's sake. Nobody wants to be the bad guy, nobody takes responsibility, nobody acts professional because everyone wants to be buddies. Well, that **** doesn't work in business, in the real world. Thankfully, comic book people rarely have to visit it.

At first I felt this way. A lot of DC books feel like they failed to deliver a proper conclusion. Batgirl and Red Robin feel like they are ending prematurely because the way they have been written, it's obvious that the writers had more plans for those books and they are not being given the opportunity to continue on.

But with Booster Gold, at least Dan Jurgens is writing Justice League International with Booster as the leader. Instead of feeling like an abrupt halt, it does feel like Jurgens will continue on with the same general direction the character has taken since 52. Which is something that is not happening with Red Robin, who is being shipped off to Teen Titans; Batgirl, who is being replaced by Barbara Gordon; Superman, who is being completely revamped by Perez and Morrison, Wonder Woman, see Superman, etc.

I imagine other DC books had it worse.

I don't plan on getting JLI, or even BLUE BEETLE. I don't feel like going into a comic having to piece together what counted and what doesn't anymore. Blue Beetle only had 3 years of stories behind him, and he's being ****ing relaunched. I don't want to go through another ****ing origin. I don't want to watch him meet Peacemaker or Traci 13 again. I already read that ****ing ****. I don't want to pay three ****ing dollars to read the same **** over and over and over and over and over and over and over until I die. And if that makes me unworthy of DC's attention, then so be it. Not everyone in comics or in their readership is a scared old man with no b***s. Some of us don't mind growing up and moving on with our characters. Not all of us want to relive some era before we were born every ten years.

I am hardly a DC fan, yet the NEW 52 confuses the **** out of me, and I'm as close to a newcomer as one can get without being a total newbie to comics, period. And if not even I give a **** enough to wade through a cluster**** of DC editorial playing WHEEL OF CONTINUITY as to what counts and what doesn't, it doesn't bode well for the event as a whole, IMO.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Detective Comics #881

Scott Snyder continues to amaze! Fantastic ending to this storyline; and, even though it's a buck more, I felt it well worth my money. What sucks is that come the New 52, Scott is off this title. I know there's lots of Tony Daniel love; but, Snyder blew him away, in my opinion. t:

PunisherMax #16

Good conclusion to this storyline, too. It's amazing that Aaron can do such a great job with this title; and, then be hit or miss with others. I guess he was just born to do Punisher. I think it's great we have this version; and, then Rucka will give us something else entirely. The Punisher franchise is in two good hands!

Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths #3

A note at the beginning of the book makes sure that readers are aware that events in this book are from a different continuity than Godzilla: Kingdom Of Monsters. That's good, because this book is so much better than the other. (Although, I'm starting to come around to KoM more and more, as I get used to Powell's quirky writing style.) In this issue, all Hell breaks loose, as the detective loses control of Mothra; and, Godzilla arrives to create ultimate havok.

American Vampire: Survival Of The Fitteset #3

Have I mentioned how great Scott Snyder is? Well, he continues to amaze. While American Vampire started out a bit slow, things have really picked up. It's becoming one of the best Vertigo titles; and, with so many tales to tell with the extensive cast already introduced in the first bunch of issues, it makes sense that we get an off-shoot mini set during WWII. We discovered last issue that the Nazi's are using vampires to fight the Allies; and, this issue, we find out the how and whys. Even though this was mainly talk, I didn't mind it one bit. Snyder knows how to tell a great tale.

The Red Wing #2

I really don't know what to say about this book by Hickman that Image is putting out. It's a bit confusing at times, as it all deals with a war being waged throughout time; and, the big reveal at the end just adds to it all. It's also not the smoothest flowing book, as we get flashes throughout time connected with the main character. I'm thinking it's one that would be better when read as a whole. Still, it interests me.

A mild .

Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force #2

This book has done nothing for me. Remender is so much better; and, the art is even more of a distraction. (It uses such dark, ugly colors.) The connection with Fear Itself is very weak, also.

Black Panther: The Man Without Fear #522

I cannot believe that I'm going to say this, especially after that first Black Panther issue was one of the worst I've read from Marvel all year; but, I'm loving this book. Liss was given a direction (at least, I would think he would be told what that would be), and while the set up sucked, the resulting book has continued to get better and better. Also, even though the American Panther is a Nuke/Captain America rip-off, it also works very well. It's an interesting new character, and he plays well with Hate Monger.

I know a lot of you dropped this book after that first issue many months ago; but, I gotta say it's worth another look. It's dialogue heavy; but, that's nice with so many books that can be read in 5 to 10 minutes.

 

[Phaedrus45]

A good week of Flashpoint books! It does make me more excited to see what the future of DC is going to be like, especially since the Flashpoint tie-ins have been decent to very good, generally. (Those happy-ending issues from last week really ruined two of the books, though.)

Booster Gold #47

Dan Jurgens and the tie-in brought me back to this title, and I have to say I'm pretty happy with the results. The ending wasn't really strong; but, it's not like Dan had a lot to work with. The true ending will have to be done by Johns in a few weeks.

Of all the Flashpoint books, this might be the weakest. A mild .

Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown #3

Lemire did a good job with these three issues. I'm excited to read more of Frankenstein's adventures next month in the New 52; as, this title very much resembled the best parts of Marvel's FrankenCastle. I fondly remember reading the Creature Commandos when I was a kid; and, it was nice to see a fresh take on them.

Flashpoint: Citizen Cold #3

Kind of the ending I was expecting. It's not happy, at least; but, I never really grabbed onto this book as much as I was hoping to. It was a nice concept of where to take Captain Cold in this alternate reality; but, Johns really didn't touch on him much in the main title; and, this does feel like an afterthought.

Flashpoint: Emperor Aquaman #3

While I'm not as gung-ho as others with this final issue, it's still an important part of the Flashpoint storyline. I love how this and the Wonder Woman book filled us in on the past. It's just the previous issue was so much better. This one just didn't flow as well, especially with that big, final battle between both foes.

Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons #3

My second favorite Flashpoint title this week (with Frankenstein being my fav); and, the only thing to keep it from the top spot is that it was all very predictable. What's nice is that it's a good, sad ending. But, it's also an origin story for Deadman and Dick Grayson.


All these issues got the same ranking, and only small points set them apart. It's kind of how Flashpoint is. It's not exactly spectacular; but, it's much better than Fraction's Fear Itself.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Now, that's a hell of a lot of Ultimates thread that popped up today!

Alpha Flight #3

While DC is getting all the publicity, I think Marvel has done the same "starting over" with a lot of their b-list (and, even a-list) franchises lately. Just off the top of my head, you have FF, Daredevil, Punisher, Moon Knight, Ghost Rider, and Spider-Girl. Oh, and (of course) Alpha Flight. Thing is, except for FF, I've been enjoying all the new directions, with this title being no exception. We do have another Fear Itself tie-in that is pretty loosely tied-in; but, he story is good, and these are characters that I loved back in the 80's. About my only complaint would be sometimes the artistic interpretations of some characters is lacking, namely Marrina.

Ghost Rider #2

Well, Johnny Blaze will be coming back; but, it seems as more of a mentor for the new Ghost Rider. That's good, because one of the beauties of that early 90's relaunch of this title was getting the Rider out of Blaze and into Ketch. Now, we have a new version (female version, naturally); and, the concept has breathed new life in this almost dead franchise. I liked seeing Mephisto pop up in this issue; even though he did come across a bit corny at times.

New Avengers #15

Squirrel Girl fans must be rejoicing. Finally, we get a full issue devoted to her; and, Bendis does a great job. While I hate the interview technique he's been using in the two Avengers books, I didn't mind it as much here. It just shows that if Bendis is given one character to focus on, he's so much better at what he does. Of the 15 issues so far, this is the best of them. I even give it my top grade, I enjoyed it so damn much. t:

New Mutants #29

Not sure what I think about Nate Grey being a member of the New Mutants. I guess the concept is kind of neat, seeing as how Cable once took over this team back in the early 90's. (Ah, it's another book that is going back in time, essentially.) Naturally, the tie-in for this book should be obvious for everyone who knows their New Mutant history. One of the most popular storylines ever was when the New Mutants and the X-Men went to Asgard. (I reread it again a few years back, and it still holds up nicely.)

Not sure I'm fully onboard with Abnett and Lanning's new New Mutants. I'm still not feeling the Nate Grey aspect; but, I'm open to changing my mind. And, it does seem like ever few years, someone at Marvel gets one of the New Mutants to do something Asgardian; so, that's nothing new. A mild .

Batman - 80 Page Giant 2011 One-Shot

My shop put it in my box; otherwise, I'd be tempted not to pick up any of DC's 80 Page Giant issues. It's all the same, having various writers do decent to subpar short stories of the character(s) in question. Usually, I feel I haven't gotten my $5.99 worth; and, that's the case with this issue, too. A couple stood out above the others; but, I'd rather get one or two good stories than this hodgepodge that's overpriced.

The Iron Age #3

The best mini-event that nobody is reading! Hell, maybe the best Iron Man story to come across in ages. It's very reminiscent of the recently cancelled Iron Man Legacy, as the current version of Tony Stark is sent hurling back in time to fix Dr. Doom's time machine and preventing a disaster that destroyed Earth. Along the way, he's meeting classic versions of some late 70's/early 80's characters; and, this month, we see Dazzler (before she got her own title) and Dark Phoenix (during the events in the Hellfire Club). Unlike the previous issues, this final one before the Omega conclusion is one full story. Tony is always trying to deal with seeing people he knows are now dead, like Jean Grey and Nightcrawler; and, the battle within to try and save their lives in the future by warning them in the past is a constant theme throughout.

I've been loving this story. The $4.99 price tage will keep many away; but, readers do get two issues worth of story in one comic; so, essentially they are saving an extra buck in what could have been split into two issues. (Sadly, I think Marvel would have been smarter by doing that, getting the extra dollar per month, and charging $2.99 per issues.)

Batgirl #24

Stephanie learns her father is alive, and this final issue deals with that issue. It's a nice end to this book; and, I'm sad to know that Stephanie will no longer be Batgirl. Barbara Gordon is really too old to be a Bat "girl." But, who knows, maybe they are going to anti-age her. I did like Steph's memories of the alternate reality versions of herself. No words had to describe the full page artwork. We just could use our own imagination as to what they'd be like.

Red Robin #26

That said, I found this final issue disappointing. Like Batgirl, the writer decided to use his final issue to deal with an issue close to Tim's heart, that being the man who murdered his father. Will Tim end up killing him? No question as to the outcome, even though we're suppose to be shocked that he had to think about it; and, the obvious Bruce Wayne chastising. I would have prefered the writers to go out on a limb, with everything being shaken up next month, and give us a shocker that makes us hate we won't see what happens next.