Original Human Torch getting mini by Alex Ross and Mike Carey

[Spider-ManHero12]

Sounds awesome! I'll pick it up.

 

[Dread]

What makes robots stand out as especially resurrectable to you when we've got the likes of Colossus, Bucky, Mockingbird, the Red Skull, Wonder Man, Hawkeye, and a boatload of other fully organic, once-dead characters running around? Substitute "rebuilt" with "revealed that they never died in the first place" or "magically reappeared after timeline rewrites" and the principle is the same.

To be fair, Colossus technically was dead. The Breakworlders simply swapped corpses and used alien technology to revive him.

The difference is that with an organic character, you usually need quite an explanation. There usually is a more difficult effort to undo the death or work around it or whatever. In theory at least, the death of mortal "fleshies" is supposed to stick more often than not. With a robot, all you really need is a good enough scientist and a screw-driver. As far as resurrections go, those of robots/androids/synthesoids for me are always the most perennial and really the hardest to make in any way dramatic. Robots always come back. It doesn't matter how many times Red Tornado blows up, you can always just find his atoms and fuse them together with a blow-torch and he's good as new. Frankly I'm amazed the Victor Shade Vision hasn't been revived yet. You just need some hokum about his "original program" being in a Pym pocket somewhere and a new body, and ZAP, done.

I mean I have nothing against robot characters, they're cool like any other. But it's like getting worked up over a resurrection in DRAGON BALL Z where all you need is enough dragon orbs and a wish and anyone can come back from the dead (and has). While I am sure Carey and Brubaker have a solid story behind reviving Jim Hammond and whatnot, and it's been four years since he blew up, the event itself is sort of an "about time" kind of thing for me. Robots are easy to revive, as far as resurrections go. Lord knows Ultron's been exploiting that for decades.

Two mini's at once, though, seems iffy. Curious what the deal is.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

To each his own. Organic characters are resurrected as often as or more than robotic ones, so I don't see any distinction in their inevitable resurrections anymore. At least not in comics.

 

[Harlekin]

I care little for the return of the original Human Torch - writers have tried to fit him in the modern Marvel U for ages and have failed pretty much each time - but he's a cool character, so meh.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Carey's writing? That means Rogue will be in it and probably end up saving the day

 

[Harlekin]

That's quite unfair to Carey, who is an excellent writer. As to taking Rogue as his main focus on the X-Titles, doesn't every writer pick one out of the pack?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Carey focused on Iceman a lot, too. I wish we'd gotten to see more of his Iceman, to be honest.

 

[THANOSRULES]

I wonder if this mini is a bit of damage control, as while REBIRTH has been kept under wraps, solicits for SPOTLIGHT and some other bits hinted at the original Human Torch being reborn. It would follow from a CA Brubaker story so it would make narrative sense. It does puzzle me that if that is what Marvel is doing, they would have ANOTHER mini based around the same character. Granted, that sort of logic has never stopped them with, say, Wolverine.

Jim Hammond's had the "Human Torch" name since the 40's, so it's his name to keep if he wishes.

My only caveat is making a big deal about the "rebirth" of a robot character since robots can always be rebuilt anyway. Is there a "quest" for a key part or something? Even Optimus Prime returned in the last season of the G1 TRANSFORMERS cartoon (after his death in the movie). Anyone with any experience in comic fiction knows that robots are essentially eternal, they can be resurrected with a new body or a download or whatever. I suppose Jim Hammond was a bit ahead of his time, as he was enough of a "synthesoid" that he even had blood, which is near Data (from ST: NEXT GENERATION) level in terms of robots. But, given that THE TWELVE has gone nowhere, I don't mind the idea of some more 40's characters being dusted off. DC's gotten a lot out of some crusty JSA members, after all (JSA still outsells a slew of other DC books right now).

Carey's work is...okay. I've read some of it, albeit more of his Ultimate FF stuff than anything, and he's usually fine, although he has his misses. Alex Ross' talent has been eclipsed by his ego for a few years now, but one supposes with his past work and praise, it isn't too unusual. I'll probably just wait for the Brubaker REBIRTH series, though.

Not too sure I agree with you about Hammond's status as the torch...

Johnny Storm as human Torch is "spider man old" ...he's been everyone's torch for ages.

John Byrne botched Hammond's return to comics in the early 90s..and his subsequent appearences were all forgettable. They did some damage to future attempts at the character.

The 40's Torch is a redundent character..with no real place in the marvel U. That's my thoughts...although I wouldnt mind Marvel proving me wrong.

I fully agree with you about Ross. His work has looked rushed. Nothing can ever compare to his Kingdom Come. His work at Marvel has never seen the kind of creative level or heart that his DC stuff has. The cover's for Avengers/Invaders looked vanilla and bland. Everytime I see Ross work at marvel I am dissapointed..hoping for that Kingdom Come level of majesty. Heck I'd even take a Justice level.

I could explain the 2 series a few ways.

1 is that REBIRTH is going to be about somthing different...and marvel has some tricks up there sleeve.

2 is that REBIRTH will focus on modern storyline of his rebirth, and this series will focus on old stories or back story..refreshing everyone on exactly who Hammond is.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

That's quite unfair to Carey, who is an excellent writer. As to taking Rogue as his main focus on the X-Titles, doesn't every writer pick one out of the pack?

Carey's the only x-writer I've seen favor 1 character so hard. I didn't mind at first b/c Rogue could have used a bit of time in the spotlight but it's just confusing now. Rogue's out in the desert talking to herself in the form of Mystique....what? And the only break we get from that is Xavier and Gambit doing God-knows-what with Danger only to meet up with Rogue. Hooray

Carey focused on Iceman a lot, too. I wish we'd gotten to see more of his Iceman, to be honest.

I'll give Carey props for being a fan of Iceman and Cannonball too

 

[Harlekin]

Claremont had/has Storm, just to name one X-Writer.

As to that recent arc, really, if you just keep up, it's not that difficult to understand at all.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

CC loves x-women in general lol. Maybe my boredom keeps me from keeping up. I guess I have gotten to the point of just skimming it. Guilty.