I agree with you Dread on the mishandling of Colossus over the years, but just recently in Uncanny X-Men, he was the focus of a story that handled him wonderfully. He even beat the snot out of a rather nasty villian and did so without resorting to turning to metal.
It was pretty awesome.
Oh, and why no love for a Rocket Raccoon mini...or maybe an odd couple type book with Bug and Rocket Raccoon...it would be sweet.
Yeah, a Bug & Rocket mini could be fun, depending on the writer. Giffen or "DnA" could handle it well.
Colossus needs some incredible feats and victories in steel form I think. I mean, Cyclops was doing his ripoff FIREFLY captain schtick without his powers in AXM, and it really didn't help him at all. People criticize Mark Millar's ULTIMATE X-MEN years after the fact now, but while it wasn't perfect, that guy knew how to give Colossus moments. From pummeling Magneto to a double page splash of lugging a submarine from the bottom of the ocean, you were very clear on how tough he was. Granted, then came bits where Falcon poked out his eyes, and things got downhill when Millar left. The writing got lighter, but some of the characters lost their edge to Wolverine.
Above all, though, Colossus needs some sort of direction beyond moping or stoic quiet man. I know the X-Men have long embraced anti-heroism as a model, but there's still a place for Piotr somewhere.
I really loved the hell out of that mini.To me it was Brain K. Vaughn's best superhero work and it left Dr.Strange in a good position for an ongoing.But then came Bendis.
Yeah, along came Bendis. Although to be fair, Strange getting his hands mangled and turning to Zom was all Greg Pak in WORLD WAR HULK.
I do agree, BKV at least left Marvel with a bang with THE OATH. I'd love a sequel from him.
Dr. Strange, the Silver Surfer, Quasar, the Young Avengers, and plenty of others. Marvel's got tons of great characters who could rock a series.
Quasar? Seriously? I think he's doing fine as a supporting character on NOVA personally.
I miss Silver Surfer having his own series.
I really wish D & A would attempt to tackle one.
Yeah, I'm surprised he never got his own series after the Annihilation stuff. There's no excuse whatsoever for him not to have one now.
It could be that Abnett & Lanning could feel that Silver Surfer already had his time as one of the leads of the space era, alongside Adam Warlock in the 90's, and want to devote time to other characters in the spotlight. And in a way I agree; I never gave two spits about Marvel space in the 90's because I usually found Warlock and Surfer to be quite boring. In some ways they're still boring, but "DnA" have managed to find a good niche for Adam Warlock as part of GOTG. ANNIHILATION CONQUEST frankly suffered because Adam was not the best of male leads.
The Silver Surfer is a different beast. He's Dr. Manhattan with a surfboard, only blander because he has zero sexual desire. He's usually had a few story types:
"Woe is me, I am slave to a planet eater."
"Woe is me, I am blocked from exploring the cosmos by a planet eater."
"Woe is me, I am free but can never be free of my guilt from the planet eater."
"Woe is me, I fit in no where, because my life was taken by the planet eater."
See a pattern? Right now he is back to the first, and while it was a shrewd move in the wake of FANTASTIC FOUR 2 being in theaters, I am not sure it really helped. Granted, it had been some 40 years since Surfer was in that status quo, so one can suppose it was about time. While I agree Surfer could make a good cog in an ensemble cast, I don't see much appeal in him for an ongoing series. There is only so much you can do with him being Galactus' herald again. One supposed he could act as a counter-balance to Stardust, who usually doesn't care what kinds of planets Galactus eats, but in the end it is still a series about someone choosing which planets get to die or doing the bidding of an emotionless cosmic entity. I'm sure it would be fine for a mini or a one shot but I am not sure there is enough there for an ongoing.
But, who knows. I just never cared for Surfer, but there are people who find Colossus boring, so to each their own.
Is IF's book really ending?
It seems that way, along with GHOST RIDER and likely CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI-13. Both IMMORTAL IRON FIST and GHOST RIDER are entering "hiatus" and then are getting a 5-6 issue mini to allow their storylines to be finished, and then after that, who knows? CB&MI13 is solicted until the end of their Dracula arc and there is also a one-shot to solve a subplot, but after that who knows. The only book Marvel has seemed to outright axe in a similar sales range without a scam in terminology has been MOON KNIGHT, which hasn't been solicted for two months now.
It is a shame about IRON FIST. The new writer really managed to pick up the ball well from Fraction & Brubaker, but the audience fled steadily. Shame when a solid creative team isn't supported after the launch ones leave. It justifies Marvel and DC's idea that no series can thrive without the launch team, and that can keep some properties in limbo, like YOUNG AVENGERS.
