Does anybody miss the simpler days?

[Darthphere]

Well, in order for the stories to be good, I like my characters well written. X-Force is a good example of this. I'm not seeing it in any flagship titles right now.

And what you says go? What character is being miswritten ina flagship title? Name one and how.

 

[Doc Destruction]

Spider-Man would never have unmasked.
The heroes wouldn't be thrown INSTANTLY into fisticuffs over a potential law.
Thor wouldn't give a crap about this entire thing.
Reed and Sue splitting up is the crappiest thing ever.
Wanda's insanity was bullcrap.

And what I says goes for my pocketbook, and that's good enough for me. I'm CERTAINLY not even close to the only person who thinks that the characterization has been utter crap, no matter how much the comic sells.

 

[KingOfDreams]

Civil War is really the last straw for me. I definitely miss the simpler days right now.

 

[Darthphere]

I asked for flagship titles, you only gave me Spider-Man and the Reed/Sue thing which hasnt even happened yet.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Spider-Man would never have unmasked.
The heroes wouldn't be thrown INSTANTLY into fisticuffs over a potential law.

Huh? What universe have you been reading??!!?? Heroes have "thrown...fisticuffs" for lesser things than that through the years. The proverbial hero vs. hero has been done since Spidey first introduced himself to the Fantastic Four. Now, at least, they have a reason.

Thor wouldn't give a crap about this entire thing.

Thor has thrown himself into the middle of situations for the longest time. Heck, the last storyarc before Disassembled lasted about 2 years, it seems, and it had Thor taking over the world.

Reed and Sue splitting up is the crappiest thing ever.

Let's examine the situation. Reed totally focuses on himself and his work since Fantastic Four first came out. And, Reed has constantly not explained his actions to his wife. Now, couple the facts that Johnny got hurt and Sue's put up with this Reed's behavior and secrets for years, I'd say the honeymoon would be over, and Sue would say enough is enough.

Wanda's insanity was bullcrap.

Yeah, lose your kids, who supposedly never existed in the first place, and see how stable you'd be. Couple this with the fact that she's buried her emotions on the subject for years, her family situation isn't the most healthy, and she's a mutant...I can see her going a little (or a lot) nuts.

 

[Sabretooth]

I find myself loosing intrest in the hobby. Marvel's mismanagement of their characters annoys me to no end. I didnt even go to my LCS last Wed and it's not even bothering me.

Wow. Same here. For the past few months I rarely walk into the store on Wednesdays. ANd a year ago,Wed couldn't come fast enough. Now I go to the store on like Saturday because I just don't care at this point. Right before I dropped my comics all together,I decided to try out some Vertigo books before I leave it. And well,I'm still reading. But still not going on Wednesdays.

 

[Darthphere]

Wow, I can honestly say that I havent been this excited for comics in a long time.

 

[KingOfDreams]

Wow. Same here. For the past few months I rarely walk into the store on Wednesdays.

Same here. I used to go without fail and now I have an attitude where if I miss something I want one week I'll just get it later when I feel like driving to the shop. I read on here and other places about what Marvel's doing to my favorite characters and it's such a turn-off that part of me just wants to stay away from the shop as much as possible. I barely read any new comics these days as it is because of Civil War. I was always more of a Marvel person.

 

[Elijya]

KoD, I know you're a Vertigo fan, aren't you picking up Fables, Y-TLM, or any of their other titles? What about books like Ex Machina, Runaways, Fell, Daredevil, etc.?

 

[KingOfDreams]

KoD, I know you're a Vertigo fan, aren't you picking up Fables, Y-TLM, or any of their other titles? What about books like Ex Machina, Runaways, Fell, Daredevil, etc.?

I read Runaways. It's one of the few Marvel titles I still read. I can't get into Fables...same with Daredevil. In fact, I have no Daredevil comics at all. I like the character but I never really like any of the comics I read. I would like to check out the Frank Miller era though. Ex Machina is off and on with me. Same with Y-The Last Man. I do read Testament...and Swamp Thing occasionally. Fell looks interesting but I've never felt a big desire to buy it. I've been thinking about getting DMZ in tpb.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Thor has thrown himself into the middle of situations for the longest time. Heck, the last storyarc before Disassembled lasted about 2 years, it seems, and it had Thor taking over the world.

Bad example. Thor was missing his humanity at the time. He never would've been so extreme if he were normal.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Bad example. Thor was missing his humanity at the time. He never would've been so extreme if he were normal.

But, look at Thor's past. His title is a history of unstableness. He's gone crazy, he's been replaced TWICE by Thunderstrike and Beta Ray Bill, and to put it simply, Thor is a man, or God, of emotion. The last example was just one example.

And, for the example above, even if he was missing his humanity, there was a part of him that still feels that way, like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde.

 

[Elijya]

I read Runaways. It's one of the few Marvel titles I still read. I can't get into Fables...same with Daredevil. In fact, I have no Daredevil comics at all. I like the character but I never really like any of the comics I read. I would like to check out the Frank Miller era though. Ex Machina is off and on with me. Same with Y-The Last Man. I do read Testament...and Swamp Thing occasionally. Fell looks interesting but I've never felt a big desire to buy it. I've been thinking about getting DMZ in tpb.

I'm pretty sure we've got similar tastes from comments you've written over the months. Think you might trust me with a good starting point on some of these titles?

 

[Darthphere]

Trust in Peck, KOD.

 

[KingOfDreams]

Think you might trust me with a good starting point on some of these titles?

I think I would.

 

[Doc Destruction]

Wow, I can honestly say that I havent been this excited for comics in a long time.

Me neither...I just wish it was for my favorite characters.

Oh and I forgot Avengers for my flagship list.

 

[Dread]

I read Runaways. It's one of the few Marvel titles I still read.

Good. It's a great book. Sadly, with the cancellation of THE THING and MTU, it's now officially Marvel's worst selling ongoing title. We need to get more people on it. Hopefully the CW mini helps, even if YA/RUNAWAYS so far is selling at about the same level that YA was, this replacing that book on haitus.

 

[Elijya]

I think I would.

Ok, well, you say you like DD, which is good, because he really is a brilliant character, arguably Marvel's best, thanks to Frank Miller and others. If you want the perfect starting point, go to the begining of Bendis' run. Alex Maleev's artwork during this period is just mouth-watering (look here at his covers and drool http://milehighcomics.com/cgi-bin/b...ist&title=21268951208&publisher=MV&snumber=41 ). Bendis and Maleev started with issue #26 of the current volume, which, in softcover, is collected in the book Daredevil: Underboss and DD: Out, but personally this storyline is so well written and so visually beautiful, I HIGHLY recommend reading it in the oversized hardcover format (DD Hardcover vol 2, which you can get for as low as $13 from half.com)

 

[Darthphere]

You know, Ex Machina is such a damn good title. Ive actually bought trades for friends to get them to read that book.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

But, look at Thor's past. His title is a history of unstableness. He's gone crazy, he's been replaced TWICE by Thunderstrike and Beta Ray Bill, and to put it simply, Thor is a man, or God, of emotion. The last example was just one example.

And, for the example above, even if he was missing his humanity, there was a part of him that still feels that way, like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde.

Those are kind of irrelevant examples for the most part, but I agree that Thor intervenes in human affairs more often than not. It's nothing new on his part. I was just clarifying the previous example, which was also not a very good one. And I'd like to note that he went crazy after millennia of emotional and physical abuse of myriad kinds from daddy Odin. I'd say the fact that he hasn't gone on the rampage more often is a testament to his strength of character more than anything else, actually.

 

[KingOfDreams]

Ok, well, you say you like DD, which is good, because he really is a brilliant character, arguably Marvel's best, thanks to Frank Miller and others. If you want the perfect starting point, go to the begining of Bendis' run. Alex Maleev's artwork during this period is just mouth-watering (look here at his covers and drool http://milehighcomics.com/cgi-bin/backissue.cgi?action=list&title=21268951208&publisher=MV&snumber=41 ). Bendis and Maleev started with issue #26 of the current volume, which, in softcover, is collected in the book Daredevil: Underboss and DD: Out, but personally this storyline is so well written and so visually beautiful, I HIGHLY recommend reading it in the oversized hardcover format (DD Hardcover vol 2, which you can get for as low as $13 from half.com)

That is some cool art I have to say. I'll definitely check them out next time I'm in the shop.

 

[Valechan]

Nice thread!!!

I find myself liking comics more and more each day, and all I read is Marvel. I do like crossovers, it's what makes the Marvel Universe unique. You have all this heroes running around and well, they do coexist in the same world, so it's logical they'd bump into each other every now and then.

As a huge Wanda fan, I did not enjoy Disassembled too much, but I can't wait for her return (which will happen very soon).

You all mentioned great titles like Runaways, or Young Avengers... yet you failed to name one of the greatest titles out there... Thunderbolts!!!! That title is still great, even after all this time. Also... AStonishing X-Men!!! And the new creative teams on Uncanny and Adjectiveless are terrific!!! It is really a great time to be a comic book fan.

 

[The Llama]

Spider-Man would never have unmasked.
The heroes wouldn't be thrown INSTANTLY into fisticuffs over a potential law.
Thor wouldn't give a crap about this entire thing.
Reed and Sue splitting up is the crappiest thing ever.
Wanda's insanity was bullcrap.

And what I says goes for my pocketbook, and that's good enough for me. I'm CERTAINLY not even close to the only person who thinks that the characterization has been utter crap, no matter how much the comic sells.

I agree with you strongly. The unmasking goes against the basic concept of the character. His identity's been revealed to a few people before, that's easy to fix, but the public in general? That's too much.
Civil War, same thing, the heroes usually at least somewhat stick together. You wouldn't think that just because they disagree about a law it would erupt into violence. Even when Daredevil was going on his whole 'Kingpin' thing, they tried to help, but they didn't go and assault him.
Reed and Sue breaking up, I haven't heard about, but it doesn't sound good. At least it's easy to fix.
And Wanda's insanity/Disassembled in general bugs me because it seems like the whole thing was just for sales.

 

[Phaedrus45]

As for Spidey's unmasking, it something I don't like, either...and, I'm sure it will change. But, I could easily see it happening after events from The Other. Obviously, Peter is always looking for a father figure, and Tony has provided that for him. In fact, Tony has bailed him out and assisted him so much after Peter joined The New Avengers, that if you take events after Disassembled, it makes sense Tony could convince him to change his views. And, we have to remember that we aren't even sure about all the changes to Peter after events from The Other. It might not be the same old Peter we've always known.

 

[Cyclops]

I think a compromise needs to be met. Comicbooks today are too focused on shock value, too focused on shaking things up and focusing more on the creator over the creation.

But the fans buy. After all, if it wasn't Bendis writing New Avengers, would it have become number one? Likely not.

I'd like to find the middle ground. The fun of the old days with the storytelling flair of modern times.