Marvel Comics Solicitations For January 2008

[TheCorpulent1]

photojones2 has been claiming it is Kang for months now. I wouldn't mind it, even if there is zero connection between the Phalanx and Kang.

Connection shmonnection. The Phalanx could easily be Kang's lackeys. He can rope superheroes from across time into working for him; I'm sure it wouldn't be so hard to convince a bunch of Borg wannabes to do the same.

 

[PhotoJones]

He's the Conquerer, dammit. He does what he wants.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Exactly. Some pissant little robots aren't gonna tell him otherwise.

 

[Dread]

Connection shmonnection. The Phalanx could easily be Kang's lackeys. He can rope superheroes from across time into working for him; I'm sure it wouldn't be so hard to convince a bunch of Borg wannabes to do the same.

He's the Conquerer, dammit. He does what he wants.

I know. I am just saying that aside for "the title hint" from last time, it seems a bit random.

ANNIHILATION did wonders for Annihilus, though, so if it is Kang I won't mind. He needs to do something epic to maintain his A-List bad guy status and shouldn't just be collecting dust waiting for YA vol. 2. I just hope whatever artist does ANNIHILATION CONQUEST has the skill and cajones to redesign his armor a bit while still maintaining the influence of his classic gear so he looks like Kang, but an updated Kang. I mean he's from the 41st century yet wears that 60's costume that, at best, looks like Liberace as an Umpire. I mean, it worked wonders for Thanos last time around (he realized no one is scared of bright blue and orange). I'm not asking for a top-down redesign of Kang; just a tweak. It is doable.

 

[PhotoJones]

Kang's costume looks fine the way it is, to me.

 

[Dread]

Kang's costume looks fine the way it is, to me.

I always thought it needed a tweak. It looks a bit silly. I mean it depends on the artist, but it kind of still looks silly to me most times. That is not meaning I want him with shoulderpadded armor like in 1999's AVENGERS UNITED THEY STAND cartoon, but I would be open to some sort of redesign. He should look futuristic and intimidating, not tacky.

 

[CantThinkOfAName]

Banned?

sorry, i dont swing that way

 

[CantThinkOfAName]

While Im not feeling another Ultimate mini, especially since Ultimate Origins started like a month before (what the hell happened to that anyway?), Ill probably still give it a try. I mean, Warren Ellis is sexiness. As is Cary Nord (although Ive never seen anything outside of Conan and that cover looks ok)

 

[PhotoJones]

I always thought it needed a tweak. It looks a bit silly. I mean it depends on the artist, but it kind of still looks silly to me most times. That is not meaning I want him with shoulderpadded armor like in 1999's AVENGERS UNITED THEY STAND cartoon, but I would be open to some sort of redesign. He should look futuristic and intimidating, not tacky.

I just reread Avengers Forever a few weeks ago, so that's the freshest Kang in my mind. I don't think Pacheco made him look silly or tacky. I suppose I wouldn't mind a redesign, as long as it wasn't a complete overhaul of the character.

While Im not feeling another Ultimate mini, especially since Ultimate Origins started like a month before (what the hell happened to that anyway?), Ill probably still give it a try. I mean, Warren Ellis is sexiness. As is Cary Nord (although Ive never seen anything outside of Conan and that cover looks ok)

Cary Nord is a great artist. I first saw his work in Daredevil years back and then he reemerged on Conan. I hope he continues to work for Marvel, but not if it's Unverse garbage that I'll never read.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Nord was excellent on Mutant X.

As for Kang, I could stand a redesign that ditched that tunic/blanket thing he wears over his torso and those ridiculously high boots in favor of a more armored look. The helmet must remain unchanged, though. Kang is the blue face.

 

[PhotoJones]

Oh, that's right. I completely forgot about that. Yeah, he was great on that book; much better than Raney.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Yep.

 

[PhotoJones]

I should reread that series. I remember about half of it sucked balls and the other half was pretty enjoyable.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

The back half was much better than the beginning, I thought. It always works better for me when X-books open up to the larger universe, which is what happened about halfway through Mutant X. Alex reforged the somewhat questionable Six under that universe's proper Havok into one of the most respected superhero teams under himself. That brought other major heroes into the fold, like the Mutant X-verse's Captain America, Spider-Man, and others. Then they all worked together frequently. Good times.

 

[PhotoJones]

Good times drawn by Cary Nord.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Better times.

 

[PhotoJones]

And speaking of rereading, I've been catching up on Detective Comics, post-NML. It's pretty great stuff.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Didn't I recommend a bunch of that stuff to you?

 

[PhotoJones]

You recommended NML, which I'd read before, and basically any Rucka written Bat-title. This would be one of them. Gotham Central (with Brubaker) would be another one, which I still haven't gotten around to yet.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Gotham Central is one of my favorite comics ever. The Two-Face and Joker arcs are especially good.

 

[PhotoJones]

Yeah, I'm looking forward to that. Brubaker and Lark are a killer combo, as is the entire GCPD. I loved the Montoya and/or Gordon heavy Detective Comics issues.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Yeah, the whole thing is like a TV cop procedural seamlessly implanted into the DC universe. They do the same sort of stuff that CSI or Law & Order cops would do, only they do it for cases involving Mr. Freeze and the Joker. It's really interesting to see how all of the different cops look at Batman, too.

 

[PhotoJones]

What stood out to me in Rucka's Detective Comics is that Batman will swoop down in plain site in the middle of an active crime scene to talk to Gordon and everyone else in the background either doesn't notice him or they don't care. That's awesome. I like the idea of him being a de facto cop. Also, in one of the issues Bullock mentions that the GCPD has just decided that Batman, while a vigilante, is someone that they're not going to put any effort into stopping. I really enjoy the relationship between Batman and Gordon and the rest of the GCPD. To most of them, he's one of them.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

To a lot of them, like Montoya and Bullock, he was. But since Gotham Central takes place in post-Gordon Gotham, its group of cops have more diverse opinions. Some respect what he brings to the war on crime but are uncomfortable about his vigilantism. Others think he's an outright criminal. Others are just terrified of him and hope they never see him up close. There are times when even those who like Batman want him to stay out of their business, though, like when cops get killed. Cop pride takes over and they want to handle it internally. There are a lot of situations that really bring out the complexities of the cops' relationships with Batman and the inherent paradox of being a cop in a city that's known for having its crimes solved by a vigilante more than its detectives.

 

[PhotoJones]

I'm in.