Comic Book Purchases and Thoughts for March 19th

[RockSP]

Once I heard that J'onn wasn't going to stick around, I didn't even bother picking up the first issue. The art does look great, though.

J'onn should be in the League, anyway.

 

[Manic]

Sorry, but Secret Invasion lost my money when a Skrull managed to effectively fool the entire Illuminati into believing he was Black Bolt. Fooling Doctor Strange AND Professor X? And not just blocking Chuck's telepathy, which makes a lot of sense, but finding ways to fake his own thoughts. Not to mention the Skrull apparently fooled Medusa. Not to mention the Skrull Empire barely even exists, anymore.

So screw it. Secret Invasion means they can turn any character into a Skrull and fans will just have to eat it up with no real explanation as to why/how it happened.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

They're a race with a penchant for advancement pretty consistently throughout their existence. They obviously advanced right around any detection methods. It's cheap, but it makes sense to some extent.

 

[Manic]

I can already hear the legions of pissed off fans revving their engines, and then dropping money every week to keep up with it, anyway.

"How dare they do that to my favorite character!! I'll show them. I'll only buy one variant cover along with the original cover! Okay, maybe two copies of the variant, just in case. And all the tie-in minis and all of their variants. But believe you me, I'll write an angry review on the internets!"

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Yeah, I'm not going that far. I'm going to buy the main mini and whatever else I was reading beforehand.

 

[RockSP]

Bought:

Justice League 19
Clandestine 2
100 Bullets 89
Un-Men 5
Captain Marvel 4
Brave and the Bold 11
Invincible 49
Iron Fist 13
The Order 9
Ex Machina 35
Loveless 22
Perhapanauts Annual 1
Captain America 36
Bird of Prey 116
Checkmate 24
Batman and the Outsiders 5
Incredible Hercules 115
Thor 7
X-Factor 29
Astounding Wolf-Man 5

Thought:

The Order - I''ll get the last issue just to complete the thing but this book was just aaaaaaiiiiiiight. Won't miss it. And if Heavy is a Vietnam vet, why is he drawn so young?

100 Bullets - Looks like we may be seeing a Rain versus Wolf showdown as this book reaches it's end. Nice to see something not go Graves' way for once.

Astounding Wolf-Man - I pretty much forget what has happened in the previous issue thanks to the bi-monthly schedule. The "elder brood" thing seems to be an interesting sub-plot...

 

[Themanofbat]

Well, I bought a bunch of books, but I've just read Amazing Spider-Man #554, and despite what Egosh1thead thinks on page 1, it's still a good read to me... Gale has been the weakest of the three writers thus far, but the third part of his month was by far better than the first two, and it brought along many other sub-plot elements, especially with Dr.Curt Connors, who's been missing from the Spidey books for far too long...

I think Zeb Wells' arc in a fortnight will be fun, and then it's my opinion that things will start to pick up (with both action and answer wise) with Slott's next part... especially with the long-awaited return of MJ, and an old classic villain.

 

[Egotastic]

I actually feel really bad for you BND lovers. I mean, imagine how a steadfast, firm believer in Christ would feel if, somehow, irrevocable proof that He did not exist was produced. Would the person continue to believe in spite of it? I see some of you doing just that in the face of Gale's absolutely abysmal 3 issues.

Really, guys. You've got my sympathies.

 

[Blader5489]

I actually feel really bad for you BND lovers. I mean, imagine how a steadfast, firm believer in Christ would feel if, somehow, irrevocable proof that He did not exist was produced. Would the person continue to believe in spite of it? I see some of you doing just that in the face of Gale's absolutely abysmal 3 issues.

Really, guys. You've got my sympathies.

You like Jeph Loeb's Hulk, so you're certainly not one to criticize other people's taste in comics.

 

[Egotastic]

You like Jeph Loeb's Hulk, so you're certainly not one to criticize other people's taste in comics.

Haha. Touche. Still, there's bad comics, and then there's bad comics. ASM's last three issues fall into the latter category.

 

[Themanofbat]

Haha. Touche. Still, there's bad comics, and then there's bad comics. ASM's last three issues fall into the latter category.

So, one mediocre 3 parter makes you feel bad for the people that like the reboot as a whole?

Inasmuch as I had great disdain for OMD, and the possible irreversable effects on Spidey continuity, BND has been a sweet sweet breath of fresh air that's been lacking in the Spidey books during the last 25 years (barring a few exeptions)... and you don't have to feel sorry for us because we're loving it.

Perhaps you may think yourself somewhat superior as far as you're comic book tastes goes, but I typically do not judge a person for any comics they read, because any and all comics people buy provide gowth for the industry and is good for the comic business as a whole.

I like the fun fun goodness that ASM provides, similarly to what I get from Invincible, and yet I can enjoy a complex comic like Rex Mundi or The Secret History... and wouldn't knock anyone down nor feel sorry for someone who read the PowderPuff Girl comics...

The reality is that there are NO bad comics... different comics exist for a varying genre of fans, and if ASM is not your cup o'tea, that's cool... I can respect your opinion, but please... don't feel sorry for me.

Thanks for your time...

Mike

 

[Themanofbat]

I actually feel really bad for you BND lovers. I mean, imagine how a steadfast, firm believer in Christ would feel if, somehow, irrevocable proof that He did not exist was produced. Would the person continue to believe in spite of it? I see some of you doing just that in the face of Gale's absolutely abysmal 3 issues.

Really, guys. You've got my sympathies.

Yet people still believe that he exist when there isn't any concrete proof that he does exist neither... other than man's word in a book written by man...



So I fail to understand your point...

 

[Dread]

Go for it. If nothing else, I can join in with the legions of fans who'll no doubt ***** about it and actually sound informed.

We'll be in the same boat, man. Welcome to the sad, continuity-obsessed fanboy club.

I actually feel really bad for you BND lovers. I mean, imagine how a steadfast, firm believer in Christ would feel if, somehow, irrevocable proof that He did not exist was produced. Would the person continue to believe in spite of it? I see some of you doing just that in the face of Gale's absolutely abysmal 3 issues.

Really, guys. You've got my sympathies.

I've still never picked up BND. And even if I had, I probably would've just read the Slott months.

 

[Manic]

For all the complaining spider-fans do about OMD, they continue to say BND is one of the best things to happen in a Spider-Man comic in years. So apparently what was done in OMD doesn't anger anyone but a few of us, since so many of you consider it a necessary evil.

 

[El Bastardo]

I don't read BND! And I didn't read OMD either!

Give me cookie?

 

[Dread]

For all the complaining spider-fans do about OMD, they continue to say BND is one of the best things to happen in a Spider-Man comic in years. So apparently what was done in OMD doesn't anger anyone but a few of us, since so many of you consider it a necessary evil.

But that is the kicker. It WASN'T a necessary evil. Had Marvel simply gotten talent involved who could have written the pre-OMD status quo in a bold and exciting way, while still being in-character, it would have worked. OMD was just an excuse to go back to the way things were in 1971, just like CHAPTER ONE was, just like ULTIMATE was, just like MARVEL ADVENTURES is.

But, whatever, Marvel got the sales, so they are happy.

 

[kguillou]

I have a question though. Marvel is concerned about sales right? Weren't ASM's sales going through the roof when JMS was on board? I could've sworn ASM was already a top-seller when JMS was writing and when Peter was still MARRIED. So, if all was well, why ruin a good thing? Usually Marvel tries something drastic when a title is in danger.

 

[Blader5489]

I have a question though. Marvel is concerned about sales right? Weren't ASM's sales going through the roof when JMS was on board? I could've sworn ASM was already a top-seller when JMS was writing and when Peter was still MARRIED. So, if all was well, why ruin a good thing? Usually Marvel tries something drastic when a title is in danger.

Sales on ASM are more or less the same since BND started, though now you've got two additional issues that are obliterating Friendly and Sensational in terms of sales. So on the whole, sales are an improvement on what they used to be.

 

[FatalEnergy]

Sorry, but Secret Invasion lost my money when a Skrull managed to effectively fool the entire Illuminati into believing he was Black Bolt. Fooling Doctor Strange AND Professor X? And not just blocking Chuck's telepathy, which makes a lot of sense, but finding ways to fake his own thoughts. Not to mention the Skrull apparently fooled Medusa. Not to mention the Skrull Empire barely even exists, anymore.

So screw it. Secret Invasion means they can turn any character into a Skrull and fans will just have to eat it up with no real explanation as to why/how it happened.

Yea, I was wondering about that. I wonder if Annihilation will be mentioned at all. I hope so.

 

[Dread]

I have a question though. Marvel is concerned about sales right? Weren't ASM's sales going through the roof when JMS was on board? I could've sworn ASM was already a top-seller when JMS was writing and when Peter was still MARRIED. So, if all was well, why ruin a good thing? Usually Marvel tries something drastic when a title is in danger.

ASM was selling very well before OMD. However, his two "sister" titles, FNSM and SSM, were not selling nearly as well. They all sold within the Top 50, but sometimes barely. In terms of raw sales, "Back in Black" outsold OMD overall, which should tell you something that a story where Peter changes his costume sells better than one of those "nothing will be the same again!" moments.

However, in terms of raw sales for BND, sales are up. While ASM was selling great, mostly due to relying on crossovers for over 2 years straight, the other titles drove down the average. The 3 titles combined sold over 2 million copies last year, and the math worked out so that in order for BND to match that, every weekly issue had to sell about 65k or so, give or take. That is a low figure for Spider-Man comics; they could sell 65k and never hit the Top 20. As it is, BND issues debuted strongly and while they are better at the beginning of the 3 weeks than the end, they all are selling well over 90k each. In terms of raw sales, BND has been a success.

Of course, one wonders if with proper promotion, merging the books might have still produced this result without OMD. I mean, the buzz on Slott coming aboard was HUGE. But that is a moot point now.

Sales on ASM are more or less the same since BND started, though now you've got two additional issues that are obliterating Friendly and Sensational in terms of sales. So on the whole, sales are an improvement on what they used to be.

What I said just now, in less words.

 

[xisaacx]

Sorry, but Secret Invasion lost my money when a Skrull managed to effectively fool the entire Illuminati into believing he was Black Bolt. Fooling Doctor Strange AND Professor X? And not just blocking Chuck's telepathy, which makes a lot of sense, but finding ways to fake his own thoughts. Not to mention the Skrull apparently fooled Medusa. Not to mention the Skrull Empire barely even exists, anymore.

So screw it. Secret Invasion means they can turn any character into a Skrull and fans will just have to eat it up with no real explanation as to why/how it happened.

Well considering he had one of the most powerful items in the universe(one of the infinity gems) I think thats enough to explain how he could have avoided everyone and detection, but thats jut my opinion.

 

[Themanofbat]

But that is the kicker. It WASN'T a necessary evil. Had Marvel simply gotten talent involved who could have written the pre-OMD status quo in a bold and exciting way, while still being in-character, it would have worked. OMD was just an excuse to go back to the way things were in 1971, just like CHAPTER ONE was, just like ULTIMATE was, just like MARVEL ADVENTURES is.

But, whatever, Marvel got the sales, so they are happy.

But ASM is not a return to 1971... maybe in a storytelling sense, but that's not a bad thing. We've been subjected to decompressed storytelling for the trade mode for so long now that some of us have forgotten how exciting the never-ending storytelling saga can be... BND certainly does feel retro, but it still has a nice modern day feel to it...

And as for what OMD really was... it was a lonf-awaited return of a single Spider-Man... something that has been Marvel Comics Inc.'s agenda (and NOT Joe Quesada) since the early 90's, a mere few year after the wedding.

And the proof of that was the Clone Saga, which was what started out to be a 6 month storyline that would have sent a then revealed Peter Parker as a clone to Portland Oregon, powerless, with his wife MJ to make babies and live happily ever after... and the "real" Peter Parker aka Ben Reilly would have taken on the role of a single Spider-Man with a new supporting cast, as well as the old ones.

I've highlighted that last part, because it reads just like what BND is like, and it's just proof to me that Marvel was forced by Stan to marr Pete & MJ via the comic strip, and it was a sales gimmick to sell more books... christ, they had a guy dressed up as Spidey with a red-headed actress in a wedding gown show up before a Mets' game at Shea Stadium in the summer of 1987. But soon thereafter, they realized that it was an error, and has been trying to rid themselves of the marriage for over 15 years.

Cheers...

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Well considering he had one of the most powerful items in the universe(one of the infinity gems) I think thats enough to explain how he could have avoided everyone and detection, but thats jut my opinion.

Skrullektra avoided Wolverine and Spider-Man's senses, too. It seems all the Skrulls presently invading Earth can go unnoticed by Earth's superheroes now, so I doubt it's anything to do with an Infinity Gem.

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

Wouldn't the user be able to use the gem to hide all the Skrulls on Earth?

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

Skrullektra avoided Wolverine and Spider-Man's senses, too. It seems all the Skrulls presently invading Earth can go unnoticed by Earth's superheroes now, so I doubt it's anything to do with an Infinity Gem.

Im betting magic.

Remember when the Skrulls captured the Illuminatti, they examined Dr. Strange's Eye of Agamotto? The...ALL-SEEING Eye of Agamotto?

Their mystics obviously came up with a spell to counter it's abilities, and even counter sense and psychic ability as well.