From THE CHAMPIONS to THE ORDER

[PhotoJones]

You'll still hate The Umbrella Academy, just so you don't forget.

 

[Dread]

You'll still hate The Umbrella Academy, just so you don't forget.

We'll see if I even manage to find it.

I just realized we are both stubborn.

 

[PhotoJones]

You'll also hate Scalped and Fell. Don't ever bother with those. Also, stay the hell away from Hellboy and BPRD. Those are so good you'd hate the **** out of them.

 

[Dread]

You'll also hate Scalped and Fell. Don't ever bother with those. Also, stay the hell away from Hellboy and BPRD. Those are so good you'd hate the **** out of them.

You're very bad at getting people to try books.

I have thought about Hellboy trades since I liked the movie and the animated DTV's. If the Cap Omnibus hadn't come out I may have bought those. It's on my mental "Want to Get To" list.

We've also been at this for like 2 pages now.

 

[PhotoJones]

Dude, Hellboy has zero tights in it and the colors are muted. It's like a comic book for the anti-Dread.

 

[Dread]

Dude, Hellboy has zero tights in it and the colors are muted. It's like a comic book for the anti-Dread.

It is about a bunch of supernatural creatures fighting against others like themselves to protect people with a government agency. It has traces of horror but mixes in a lot of pulp action and doesn't always take itself too seriously. At least that is what I got from the stuff I'd seen so far.

You make me seem far more rigid about my tastes than I am. Which is like an Asgardian feat.

 

[PhotoJones]

It is about a bunch of supernatural creatures fighting against others like themselves to protect people with a government agency. It has traces of horror but mixes in a lot of pulp action and doesn't always take itself too seriously. At least that is what I got from the stuff I'd seen so far.

You make me seem far more rigid about my tastes than I am. Which is like an Asgardian feat.

Hellboy's more about fighting back the efforts of the Nazis even to this day as well as tackling creatures/deities/beings from various bits of folklore around the world. Yeah, the more think about it, the more I think you'd hate it.

 

[Dread]

Hellboy's more about fighting back the efforts of the Nazis even to this day as well as tackling creatures/deities/beings from various bits of folklore around the world. Yeah, the more think about it, the more I think you'd hate it.

The more I think about it, the more I find my time in this topic wasted.

Thanks for bumping it, at least.

 

[PhotoJones]

I love me some Matt Fraction comics.

 

[Dread]

I love me some Matt Fraction comics, too. Especially this one.

Reposting my thoughts, with spoilers:

THE ORDER #4: I may resort to begging to save this book, one of those rare Marvel books that introduces new characters, isn't set in NYC, and offers great superheroics with great art and isn't bleak at all, post-Initiative. Sales indicate it won't last past issue #12, but damn it, I want it to.

Spoiler

This issue focuses on Maggie Marie, a.k.a. Veda, who has the power to create earth-golems that she commands. As par for the course, the character focus of each issue introduces you to these new faces and really gets you to empathize with them. Maggie is an actress/supermodel/stuntwoman who plays the Hollywood game so she can donate her rich earnings to her charity, which takes care of orphans and teaches them karate (which she has mastered herself). Unable to physically bare children herself, she compensates with her devotion to her orphans, as well as can "feel" her golems when they are destroyed, being upset every time. Fraction also keeps the main subplot going; the invasion of "Zobo's" continues, and they figure out that someone, most likely a rogue government faction led by "The M.A.N. from S.H.A.D.O.W." is testing their defenses with military precision, and the civilians who get hurt along the way are a non-issue (nor are the leagues of homeless turned into "zobo's"). Henry/Anthem and Pepper also have to deal with local politicians trying to evict them from their landmark building, and a sex tape of Aralune that will inevitably hit the media a-la' Paris Hilton. There also is the crisis of one of the ex-Order teammates having been murdered by one of the other rejects, one of which has been hired by the enemy. The subplot between Calamity and the guy who crippled him is concluded with some textbook effective suspence pacing by Fraction and I won't ruin it here; let's just say it plays on the fan trend to assume the worst in their heroes nowadays.

And that is also part of what makes the book so special. The characters bicker sometimes, but they are all in their own ways decent people. They're not *****ebags. Even the military hardliners like Supernaut and Heavy aren't complete insensitive jerkbags like most military types are written as. These are superheroes as they should be: compelling without being rotten; noble without being perfect; flawed without being crippled by said flaws; and diverse without being divisive. So far, at least. Yeah, the era of Bendis/Millar/Joe Q has jaded most Marvel fans, and at least Fraction knows how to play on that for twists. All of these new characters, within the span of 4 issues or less, have become far better characters than Sentry has in YEARS of comic appearances. Yet Sentry is about to get to fight the Hulk in a top selling comic, and The Order are slipping down the Top 100 like they're printed on oil and need Dan Slott to be acknowledged elsewhere. As Aralune may say, "Life isn't fair, y'all." Anyway, the issue was another great installment that furthered the story and got me to appreciate Veda as a character, which is good because you rarely see too many "earth golem summoners" on superhero teams anymore (unlike, say, speedsters, tanks, armored types, etc. who are the norm). And Kitson's art matches the book very well, and I doubt he could be replaced. BUY. THIS. BOOK! It is the best thing Fraction writes solo.

 

[PhotoJones]

I'm glad to see that someone else is enjoying this book as much as I am. It's one of the best books Marvel's putting out, and I honestly think that #4 may be it's best issue yet. It's so well paced and the characters are all interesting and fresh. I love it.

You're wrong, though, Dread. Fraction's best solo effort is Casanova; a book that, surprise surprise, you're not reading.

 

[Dread]

I'm glad to see that someone else is enjoying this book as much as I am. It's one of the best books Marvel's putting out, and I honestly think that #4 may be it's best issue yet. It's so well paced and the characters are all interesting and fresh. I love it.

You're wrong, though, Dread. Fraction's best solo effort is Casanova; a book that, surprise surprise, you're not reading.

Yeah. Naturally, all my statements are opinion. Which should be obvious. Anything someone says is opinion. Just some are backed by facts and others emotion.

THE ORDER's awesomeness is backed by both.

Yeah, #4 was good; Veda was very likable. It is a great book, with great art, with new characters. What's not to like?

I just hate seeing books like these tank.

 

[PhotoJones]

I can't find a flaw in it, to be honest. And yeah, Veda is extremely likeable. Her last bit of dialogue in the last panel is tops.

 

[Dread]

I can't find a flaw in it, to be honest. And yeah, Veda is extremely likeable. Her last bit of dialogue in the last panel is tops.

Yeah, it was cool, and the Zobo's catered to her well.

Like I said, so far all of The Order have been likable characters. That isn't to say they don't have flaws or quirks, or don't bicker. Just they aren't the sort of abysmal *****es that Bendis & Millar like saying all superheroes are. And that is refreshing.

Plus, a sense of humor is mixed in.

 

[GNR]

I dropped Slott's Avengers title months ago for this and I'm glad I did.

I just don't get Slott's take on that book,as serious and dire as the situations were,I just couldn't take it seriously.I love Slott's writing,but I wasn't really loving his soft approach to writing a hard edged military style book like this.Gauntlet was especially annoying.

Mags is probably my fav of the bunch so far along with Becky.Looking forward to the most to Milo's story.

 

[Dread]

I get both AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE and THE ORDER, and that doesn't make me a dull boy.

Still, glad you're aboard. THE ORDER needs all the excited readers it can get. It had a solid debut; issue #1 sold 57k and was in the Top 40-50. However, in September, issue #3 had dropped to just under 34k. It is leveling out a bit, but hopefully can maintain enough of a steady audience to remain in the Top 80-90 and keep on trooping. Because I would hate to lose it with #12. These are some great new characters here, and those can be rare for the Big Two.

At 33-34k, The Order #3 sold within the Top 65-70 (out of the Top 100 selling comics), around where IMMORTAL IRON FIST, a title Matt Fraction co-writes, sells.

 

[PhotoJones]

Yeah, it was cool, and the Zobo's catered to her well.

Like I said, so far all of The Order have been likable characters. That isn't to say they don't have flaws or quirks, or don't bicker. Just they aren't the sort of abysmal *****es that Bendis & Millar like saying all superheroes are. And that is refreshing.

Plus, a sense of humor is mixed in.

Oh, I didn't mean the characters are flawless, I meant the overall book was damn near flawless. I enjoy reading it very much.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I was surprised that Magdalena was so normal. All the other characters have had some seriously ****ed up **** going on in their heads, but Magdalena seems to be perfectly normal and practical about everything.

So I predict she's going to go crazy and try to kill everyone.

 

[PhotoJones]

Calamity's relatively normal. It sure didn't seem like it in #3, but apparently he didn't kill that dude. Heavy's just a notmal guy, too. Same with Henry and...actually, everyone's of a pretty sound mind. What do you mean they're all ****ed up?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Henry's an alcoholic, James choked and ran from a fight, Heavy we haven't learned much about because we haven't gotten an issue from his POV yet, Becky is the standard broken ex-teen pop princess, etc. They've all got some darkness or baggage to them. James didn't kill the guy who took his legs, but he was all broody about it last issue. Plus, I mean, the guy was a baseball player and he lost his legs. That's instant baggage right there.

Magdalena's the first one who's basically like, "I figured out what I wanted to do as a kid and now I do it every day. Period." No shattered dreams or traumatic incidents to speak of. Yes, she's incapable of having kids of her own, so her charities are all probably some desperate bid to be a "parent" however she can, but that's not really a big deal. That's taking a problem handed to you and turning it into something incredibly positive, which is a good thing.

 

[PhotoJones]

Henry's an alcoholic, James choked and ran from a fight, Heavy we haven't learned much about because we haven't gotten an issue from his POV yet, Becky is the standard broken ex-teen pop princess, etc. They've all got some darkness or baggage to them. James didn't kill the guy who took his legs, but he was all broody about it last issue. Plus, I mean, the guy was a baseball player and he lost his legs. That's instant baggage right there.

So, that makes them "seriously ****ed up"? I think it makes them normal people with normal problems. Yeah, Henry's an alcoholic, but he's a sober one. Becky's not broken down, she's just lost because the first time in her life, she can choose what she wants to do and she's choosing to help people.

Magdalena's the first one who's basically like, "I figured out what I wanted to do as a kid and now I do it every day. Period." No shattered dreams or traumatic incidents to speak of. Yes, she's incapable of having kids of her own, so her charities are all probably some desperate bid to be a "parent" however she can, but that's not really a big deal. That's taking a problem handed to you and turning it into something incredibly positive, which is a good thing.

Again, a normal person with a normal problem. People get dealt what she did everyday and she had no choice but to accept it and move on and she did. The thing I like about these characters is that they really are "everymen".

 

[TheCorpulent1]

All right, yeah, their level of ****ed-up-ness was an overstatement on my part. Still, Magdalena seems to be the most balanced of the lot of them. While the rest of them have gone to dark places over what's happened to them, Magdalena's managed to stay 100% positive and put all her efforts into helping people. She seems the most in control of her life, given that she's literally doing exactly what she said she wanted to do when she grew up as a little girl. She saves the world 100-some-odd times before breakfast.

 

[PhotoJones]

Yeah, Maggie's got it together pretty well. I can't wait for Heavy and Supernaut's stories, though. Both of them seem pretty well adjusted.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Supernaut's should be good for me. I keep forgetting he's a guy and not a robot.

 

[PhotoJones]

He's a guy in a robot.