SWORD Ongoing Series

[Manic]

I remember seeing a picture of Beast walking with a bag slung over his shoulder recently on a solicitation or something. I figured he would probably leave the X-Men over the ordeal with Warren and the fact that Scott's adopting more and more extreme methods. You gotta figure a super-cosmic base out in space where he just has to deal with the occasional alien threat would be better for his super-science, which seems to be his main focus lately, than constantly fighting the X-Men's neverending stream of enemies.

Plus Agent Brand is there to slide him some nookie nook.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Yeah, that's gotta put him in a better mood. I hope. Please, Mr. Gillen, make Beast fun again.

 

[BrianWilly]

My dream is that all the X-Men would eventually leave San Francisco for space, leaving Scott and Emma alone in an empty mansion to be as annoying and mean as they want.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

But Scott can't be as annoying if he doesn't have anyone to send on black ops. Unless he tries to send Emma, which could potentially be hilarious.

 

[BrianWilly]

Oh, Wolverine will be there. And in space. At the same time.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Of course, silly me. Wolverine is always there.

 

[Manic]

My dream is that all the X-Men would eventually leave San Francisco for space, leaving Scott and Emma alone in an empty mansion to be as annoying and mean as they want.

But I like the X-Men in the Bay Area. They's my people now.

 

[Dread]

Beast sadly isn't enough of a draw for me for a team book. I'd like at least one or two other characters I can at least stand. I defy anyone to tell me the difference between Brand and Maria Hill beyond the physical. They're the same exact character. And said character is boring. They're smarmy, aggressive, tactically perfectionist military Femizons; that is a cipher, not a character.

Then again, Matt Fraction actually managed to make Hill interesting in INVINCIBLE IRON MAN, but whatever. I err on the side of pessimism.

I don't like Lockheed at all, and Gyrich is more a functional team annoyance than a useful member. The other members of SWORD were only "characters" in the technical sense. Casssaday designed them, and Whedon gave them things to say, usually functional technobabble to move the plot along, but nothing distinctive. Aside for Brand I couldn't tell you the name of anyone else at SWORD.

Again, for me I need another good reason to throw $4 to the wind for this.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Brand is apparently a bit kinky in the sack. She strikes me as more of a female Tony Stark or Nick Fury than a Maria Hill clone.

Anyway, Beast is enough reason for me to try anything. He's my favorite X-Man by far.

 

[Dread]

Isn't Maria Hill just a female Nick Fury? I wouldn't say Stark because he at least occasionally knows how to have fun; Nick Fury hasn't smiled since the 80's. At any rate, I don't see Brand as a massive departure. All we know about her "kinkiness" is that she was attracted to Beast, which is due to her half-alien heritage, something she explains in AXM. Hill apparently was into Stark and made out with him. Dating someone doesn't grow you a personality. You either have one going in, or you don't.

Many writers figure the best way to make a original character, Whedon included at times, is to take what works for a male or female character cliche and swap genders. But that isn't enough. A bland action movie cipher character is the same regardless whether or not they wear a cup or a bra. It's not the 1980's anymore. Saying a splash page caliber joke and blowing something up isn't enough to be a character. Its the start of one, but not all there is. No one's told that to Mark Millar, though.

SWORD seems to be a Brand book, co-starring Beast and Lockheed, from how the interview sounds. Which I guess is fine for some people, but not for me unless I hear some epic reviews. Seeing if some writer I have never heard of picks up the ball from Whedon on Brand isn't worth $4. I mean, I wasn't interested in She-Hulk enough to ever give so much as one issue a try, whether her title was written by John Bryne or Dan Slott. What chance does Brand have?

I am curious what the sales expectations are. I am also curious why X-MEN is not in the title. It usually is for any loosely related spin-off, like KINGBREAKER (which was only about the X-Men because it involved Havok, Polaris, and Marvel Girl). I do see this as a positive editorial decision, getting some X-Men characters out of that box and into some other elements of Marvel again where they may be successful or have some new vigor to them. I just don't quite see it as something I would be willing to buy, at least not yet.

I've have loved for Colossus to go somewhere else. He hasn't since EXCALIBUR in the 90's. The decade-plus since hasn't been kind to him, or exceptional.

 

[Manic]

Actually, Brand showed up in an Ellis/Bianchi issue. In it, she said she and Hank play "Alien Science Pervert," once joking said Hank could call her his "xenophiliac experimentation partner" instead of "girlfriend," and kinda smirked when Scott called when Brand and Beast do "crimes against nature." So she's definitely a freak between the sheets with something resembling a sense of humor. At least now that Ellis has written her for an issue.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Well, Brand's only had, what, 10 or 12 issues' worth of appearances, and mostly as a side character with a few pages at most in those? That's not a whole lot to establish a character's personality. I imagine part of the point of this series is to flesh her out, given that people inside Marvel seem to have taken a liking to her. A female Nick Fury set on a cosmic/alien backdrop does have potential, even if it doesn't amount to a characterization.

And, for the record, Maria Hill strikes me as more of a female Gyrich. She's very anal and by-the-book until she grows attached to Stark and starts breaking rules for him. Fury and Brand are more from the maverick, Han Solo mold. They're ultra-competent (except for Fury not figuring out that he was working for HYDRA for 40 years, which I will always bring up when I mention him because it's so stupid) but they clothe it in a veneer of nonchalance and are very independent. Their way or the highway, basically.

Plus, in Brand's case, her being a bit of a freak with Beast is part of her character. The same way Tony Stark being a colossal man-****e is part of his character, Brand being unafraid to wear her sexuality on her sleeve, in contrast to a lot of her high-level female authority-type peers (*cough*Hill, Hand, Val Cooper, etc.*cough*) sets her apart and becomes a distinctive part of what makes her her.

 

[Tron Bonne]

I'm totally unfamiliar with this Brand character. I don't believe I've ever even heard of her before this thread that my memory recalls. So she'll basically be a clean slate of a character for me if I pick this up.

So, how much tie-in do you guys think this will have to the X-corner of the MU?

They're ultra-competent (except for Fury not figuring out that he was working for HYDRA for 40 years, which I will always bring up when I mention him because it's so stupid)

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I imagine it'll probably have a lot of ties to the X-titles initially, given the characters involved. But I hope it'll branch out and do its own thing. It doesn't quite fit with the X-titles because it's in space, but it doesn't quite fit with the cosmic titles because it's in space right above Earth, which is pretty far removed from the usual GotG/Nova stomping grounds. So it should really just be its own thing to some extent. Maybe some fallout from the cosmic and X-titles could naturally make its way into the book from time to time, though.

 

[Tron Bonne]

I hope so too, I don't really have much interest in the X-titles and their bi-monthly events anymore. Outside of a few select X-characters, which of course Beast is one of.

 

[Manic]

I imagine it'll sorta resemble Stargate SG-1. Their base will probably be used for diplomatic meetings with aliens, but will serve as a command center as they try to defend Earth from outsiders who mean the planet harm. Probably more spaceships than wormholes, though.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Never seen Stargate SG-1. I saw the movie Stargate though, but I assume it's not the same since that description doesn't sound remotely what I remember that movie being, but it has been awhile since I've seen it.

That sounds like an interesting concept. If the series is set up like that I'll probably definitely at least give it a try. I like stuff like that

 

[Dread]

Actually, Brand showed up in an Ellis/Bianchi issue. In it, she said she and Hank play "Alien Science Pervert," once joking said Hank could call her his "xenophiliac experimentation partner" instead of "girlfriend," and kinda smirked when Scott called when Brand and Beast do "crimes against nature." So she's definitely a freak between the sheets with something resembling a sense of humor. At least now that Ellis has written her for an issue.

So Brand and Beast are more "friends with benefits" or what my ex hippie mother used to call, "**** buddies" than an actual "couple"? That's interesting. Granted, that is assuming Gillen follows from Ellis. Some writers do and some don't. But, yeah, I didn't read the AXM issues after Whedon/Cassaday.

Well, Brand's only had, what, 10 or 12 issues' worth of appearances, and mostly as a side character with a few pages at most in those? That's not a whole lot to establish a character's personality. I imagine part of the point of this series is to flesh her out, given that people inside Marvel seem to have taken a liking to her. A female Nick Fury set on a cosmic/alien backdrop does have potential, even if it doesn't amount to a characterization.

And, for the record, Maria Hill strikes me as more of a female Gyrich. She's very anal and by-the-book until she grows attached to Stark and starts breaking rules for him. Fury and Brand are more from the maverick, Han Solo mold. They're ultra-competent (except for Fury not figuring out that he was working for HYDRA for 40 years, which I will always bring up when I mention him because it's so stupid) but they clothe it in a veneer of nonchalance and are very independent. Their way or the highway, basically.

Plus, in Brand's case, her being a bit of a freak with Beast is part of her character. The same way Tony Stark being a colossal man-****e is part of his character, Brand being unafraid to wear her sexuality on her sleeve, in contrast to a lot of her high-level female authority-type peers (*cough*Hill, Hand, Val Cooper, etc.*cough*) sets her apart and becomes a distinctive part of what makes her her.

It does say something about modern comics when showing up for a year isn't enough to establish a personality. It reminds me of when I am critical of some TV show or series; if I don't wait until the end of Season 1 I am being too "impatient", and if I then criticize after Season One, that is again too soon and I am told of no end of shows that become brilliant in Season 2, 3, or 15. If you use time well as as writer, you can define characters well even in supporting roles. This is true for comics as well as TV. No one should wait decades for a character to actually be a character.

The problem with mavericks is once they are in charge of an organization, some of the maverick qualities have to go in order to be a commanding presence and not make people rebel against them. Gyrich I always saw as one of those overconfident middle-management types; the ones who are more competent and anal than those beneath them, or at least they think they are, but are nowhere near imaginative or creative enough to be at the top. I didn't see Brand do anything especially maverick in AXM. She had a mission. She did nothing but bark orders to the X-Men during said mission. Had a few trademark Whedon smarmy lines, which he believes makes any mediocre plot interesting (sometimes they do, and most times they don't, but get overrated). Honestly her attraction to Beast felt very tacked on and out of nowhere, like Whedon wanted to have Beast do something else beyond have a conflict with his "cat" side. Or at least that was what it seemed to me because of the shipping schedule.

Being kinky isn't enough to have a personality. Female characters in mainstream superhero comics usually come as "oversexed" or "undersexed" anyway, usually reflective of the Madonna/****e complex that many men, especially comic book writers, have or express or think the audience has. We can all think of characters who were above cipher mode after a year's worth of stories.

My POV stands. I dealt with Brand during Whedon & Cassaday's four year epic on AXM and nothing I saw of her there made her any more distinctive than the no end of imitations of Ripley from ALIEN. Male characters who are nothing but competent wise-cracking action sequences are boring after a while, and so are female characters who do the same thing. I've never heard of the creative team before and I'd need more incentive about the cast or the storyline right now to be willing to take a $4 plunge on it. Maybe subsequent interviews at NEWSARAMA or CBR will help, but right now I think it's not a bad idea in practice for some X-characters, but not one I particularly want to invest in yet.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

To each his own. I'm not saying Brand's a sparkling gem of personality at this point, but I think she has diamond in the rough potential. I like the bits of personality I've seen from her so far. She reminds me of a competent Star-Lord whom the universe doesn't seem to hate quite as much.

As for the f***-buddies thing, I don't think that's it. Gillen described them as Nick and Nora Charles in space, and Nick and Nora were devoted to each other, even though Nick flirted with anything that moved. Although I suspect Nora will do the flirting in this case.

Never seen Stargate SG-1. I saw the movie Stargate though, but I assume it's not the same since that description doesn't sound remotely what I remember that movie being, but it has been awhile since I've seen it.

That sounds like an interesting concept. If the series is set up like that I'll probably definitely at least give it a try. I like stuff like that

lulz

No, but Stargate SG-1 is pretty much like the movie in episodic format. Just imagine that they built a base around the Stargate and use it regularly, and not all aliens are hostile, so they have diplomatic relations with some. And everyone speaks English. And it's funny.

 

[Tron Bonne]

lulz

Aw, words betray me again

No, but Stargate SG-1 is pretty much like the movie in episodic format. Just imagine that they built a base around the Stargate and use it regularly, and not all aliens are hostile, so they have diplomatic relations with some. And everyone speaks English. And it's funny.

Oh, well I can only remember bits and pieces of the movie. I thought they went to the past and found aliens, and pyramids...or something. Kurt Russell was in it, that much I remember

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Nope, not the past, another world. Although you can easily mistake it for the past, what with the pyramids and general ancient Egypt-ness of it. The aliens' technology happens to look like Egyptian stuff because they came to Earth long ago and enslaved the people of Egypt, presenting themselves as the Egyptian gods.

Anyway, in the show, Kurt Russell is replaced by MacGyver, which actually works out a whole hell of a lot better than you'd expect it to.

 

[Manic]

Never seen Stargate SG-1. I saw the movie Stargate though, but I assume it's not the same since that description doesn't sound remotely what I remember that movie being, but it has been awhile since I've seen it.

You know how in that movie they walked through a big ring of water that sent them to another planet that looked like ancient Egypt, and they found out the Egyptian god Ra was an alien?

In the TV show, they basically said the stargate could send them to thousands of other planets as well. The UN secretly went to war with aliens resembling ancient Egyptian gods, made allies out of Roswell Grey aliens who had the names of Norse gods, and eventually found the lost city of Atlantis in another galaxy (see the spinoff: Stargate Atlantis). Crazy blend of mythology, modern military action with little use of wacky alien weapons, and typical sci-fi technobabble. Richard Dean Anderson (yes, MacGuyver) played the same character Kurt Russell played in the movie.

 

[Tron Bonne]

MacGyver? Is that the show with the guy who built bombs and stuff out of like gum and shoelaces?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Yes. The star, Richard Dean Anderson, took the role of Colonel (now General after 10 seasons of SG-1) Jack O'Neill from Kurt Russell for the TV series.

 

[Manic]

And everyone speaks English.

Remember how they tried to use different languages in maybe the first 3 episodes of the series before giving up completely? After that, it just became an issue of translating writings that always seemed to be an ancient variant of something Latin or Scandinavian.