The Boughtinest/Thoughtinest, June 8thinest Thread You Ever Did See! (Spoilers)

[Phaedrus45]

Okay, well then he didn't do anything adulterous. He and Mockingbird broke up at the end of their recent ongoing series. He's a free agent, as far as Spider-Woman is concerned.

Breaking up and getting a divorce are two seperate things. Some people might think that it's not adulterous if you're seperated; but, that's just justifying your own need to satisfy a baser urge.

Show me Hawkeye's divorce papers, and I'll take away my statement!!!!

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Oh, okay, I guess if you're weird like that, they are technically still married. Unless it was the Skrull Clint married. I can't remember exactly when the switch took place...

 

[Phaedrus45]

Oh, okay, I guess if you're weird like that, they are technically still married. Unless it was the Skrull Clint married. I can't remember exactly when the switch took place...

As I remember it, Clint and Mockingbird were discussing breaking up before she was taken by the Skrulls. They got back together; but, it was a Skrull who did that, not the real Mockingbird.

And, I'm not "weird like that." Here is the first definition I found concerning adultery:

Adultery (also called philandery) is a form of extramarital sex. It is sexual infidelity to one's spouse. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Yeah, but the marriage at this point is a piece of paper. It means nothing. I guess I just don't subscribe to that strict a definition of adultery. If the marriage is over in both parties' minds and hearts, the fact that a formal divorce hasn't come through is merely a technicality to me. I'd never hold anyone accountable for "adultery" in that sense.

 

[Phaedrus45]

More adulterous reviews!

The Iron Age Alpha

Wow! I'm not going to say this is a fantastic issue; but, I sure didn't go in expecting much from this book. First, I'm glad to say that it is a 616 story, not one of those Marvel Adventure-ish type books. Second, it's a straight up Iron Man story that doesn't have that Fraction, "long-and-dragged-out" feel.

In this one-shot, Alpha issue, Tony Stark is taken captive by a man who claims he ruined his life many years ago, who was fired by Tony early on and who now has cancer. His purpose in life before he dies is to exact his revenge on Stark; and, he accomplishes this by using one of Dr. Doom's time machines. He brings back the most destructive force in the Universe: Dark Phoenix. By issue's end, the Earth is destroyed; but, not before Tony is able to jump into the time platform and escape.

Very good beginning of a straight forward action adventure. It reminded me very much of previously cancelled Iron Man Legacy.

Wolverine #10

Not a great issue; but, I've read so much worse. I think my problem is that Aaron is dragging out the "Wolverine Goes To Hell" storyline; and, right now, I just want it to be over with. Heck, too often, we get stories of Wolverine going after those who did him wrong in the past; and, with this issue, we get a double-dose, as Wolverine is being attacked by those who think he did them wrong...so, then he has to return the favor by hunting them. It's all the bad guy's master plan, naturally.

I did find the backstory rather interesting; it's just the current battle is just the usual crap we've seen many times before. A mild .

PunisherMax #14

I'm excited about Rucka taking over 616 Punisher; but, I cannot see it replacing my love for this title. It's just amazing how damn good Aaron is with this book; and, how his other titles just don't compare. I love how the storyline isn't rushed, and we get equal amounts of Frank's current problems in prison with the backstory of his life after coming back from his military service. The book is just beautifully done, and I don't miss Ennis one bit. I think Aaron has topped him, in fact.

Empowered Special One-Shot

I've never read this comic before; but, I've been interested in it. The artwork looks cute; and, I have to say I wasn't disappointed. Funny and cute, I might just have to hunt down past issues. My only complaints are the smaller format they used for the book, and how the pages switch from black and white to color.

The Stand: No Man's Land #5

One of the more boring issues of this long series of minis. Mother Abigail wakes up to preach her vision of those who must go do battle with the Dark Man before she dies; and, it's just the seque into the big final battle to come. It's important; but, like some portions in a Stephen King novel, tends to drag a bit before getting to the juicy stuff.

Marvel's doing a great job with this retelling of King's classic novel. Whereas Del Rey's attempt failed and they went out of business, Marvel did it right with a great artist and not rushing things.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I can't wait to see what Rucka does with the Punisher. If anyone can rekindle my interest in that character, it's him.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Yeah, but the marriage at this point is a piece of paper. It means nothing. I guess I just don't subscribe to that strict a definition of adultery. If the marriage is over in both parties' minds and hearts, the fact that a formal divorce hasn't come through is merely a technicality to me. I'd never hold anyone accountable for "adultery" in that sense.

That is a contract that you've made with another person. Until that contract is nullified, you are still accountable for your actions. And, just because it's not adultery in your mind, it is still the definition of adultery, as I've shown. It kind of reminds me when Clinton tried to explain his affair with Monica Lewinsky by claiming that oral sex was not sex. The word "SEX" is in the two words??!!??

It's just trying to justify one's actions. Now, I'm not judging anyone who strays in the contract of their marriage; but, they should at least realize that their reasoning cannot change what will essentially define them in someone's mind. Sure, I can see how a divorce can be dragged out for a long time (I think mine lasted about 2 years) and you can fall in love with someone else in that time; but, regardless of that, by definition it's still adultery. Plus, once we start excusing that behavior, we have other's who take it a step farther. "Yes, I'm married...but, my wife has not had sexual relations with me for years; so, I'm being forced to go outside my marriage for fullfillment. I still love her; and, I could never leave her. It's just not fair to deny me my marital rights."

 

[TheCorpulent1]

You're right, it is a contract made with another person. And Clint and Bobbi both agreed that their relationship was over as of the end of their ongoing series. So your analogy at the end there makes no sense; neither is saying they're "forced" to go outside of marriage but they would never really leave each other. They've both agreed that their marriage is over. The contract is done in their minds, just not in the actual courts or church (not sure if they got married religiously or just civilly). So yes, as far as the letter of the law goes, it is technically adultery, but not so under the spirit of the law, which assumes that the married parties know best when their actual relationship is over, regardless of what a piece of paper says.

Of course, this is all assuming they didn't actually already get divorced. Just because we haven't seen the divorce papers in a comic, doesn't mean they don't exist.

 

[Dread]

The only saving grace is that when Bendis finally gets bored and leaves all these books his replacements will be totally free to IGNORE every single thing he ever did. I know I already am.

This would be sales suicide for Marvel. True, Bendis' Avengers titles seem to be averaging 60-63k as of April; without variant covers or other gimmicks, sales drop at 3-4.5% a month, which is somewhat high for books that have lasted this long. Sales for NEW AVENGERS are down almost 50% from five years ago. But the fact remains that sales are down for the entire industry (monthly comics, at least the Top 300, saw another 3% sales slip in May) and Bendis' Avengers titles are still Top 10 sellers.

There are some who have noted that sales for the Avengers books, sales rank aside, are not too far from where they were in 2004 when Bendis came in (and after Marvel let Geoff Johns go). Thus some feel a relaunch with a new writer couldn't do any harm. As a fan I'd be game for it, but looking at it from a company perspective, it would be a risky gambit unless Bendis was absolutely unhappy with Avengers books and threatens to jump to DC if he isn't relieved of duty on them. I just don't see that happening. Sure, he left DAREDEVIL, but he also has remained on ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, and likely will until either he or the Ultimate line dies - whichever comes first. I imagine the purpose of putting Bendis on MOON KNIGHT as well as allowing him time to do BRILLIANT and TAKIO is to appease his "creative" muscles while he works on his "big paycheck rut" comics in Avengers.

What writers could Marvel put on 2 Avengers titles that they had a reasonable hope could sell above 63k a month for longer than the debut month with that new #1 on the (variant) cover(s)? Right now the only two Marvel writers out-selling Bendis are Matt Fraction and Johnathan Hickman, neither of which are doing so without major editorial backing and neither are likely seen by fans as preferable alternatives to Bendis. Hickman's FANTASTIC FOUR sales had fallen to 35k, the lowest in recent memory, before Marvel started shifting editorial focus to it and their "Death Of Human Torch" story. Sales (and reprints) on the THREE arc jumped back north of 41k, and sales for FF are now at 69k, at least as of April. While hard sales are not known for May yet, FF #3 was in the Top 5 sellers list (at #5), and issue #4 was still in the Top 10 (at #7), which means the sales drop may not be that major. Two issues shipped in May, and while they outsold NEW AVENGERS, they did not outsell AVENGERS.

Matt Fraction, meanwhile, is on FEAR ITSELF, but the majorly promoted line wide crossover will always sell regardless if you have anyone writing it. MIGHTY THOR #1 did well in April, but is gone from the Top 10 by May, suggesting a drop.

Hickman is a writer who does a lot of stories in which it is all about the cerebral stuff and many of his characters remain detached; he also is a writer who on a team book seems to pick 1-2 leads to focus 75% of his energy on, and any other team members are just there by obligation. His FF could be titled MR. FANTASTIC AND THE OTHER THREE and it would remain accurate. Fraction, on the other hand, seems to have caught onto Bendis' disease of needlessly extending every story longer than it can bare while simultaneously botching the execution of his stories when they matter most. People tell me MIGHTY THOR is off to a better start than his first THOR arc. Well, I'm not being suckered again. His INVINCIBLE IRON MAN was a ratio of one great issue to three bad to mundane ones, and I'm not giving Thor a chance to equal that. Sorry.

We all have a wish list of better writers on Avengers, but none besides Hickman or Fraction would have any hope of at least matching Bendis' sales on them, much less beating them. And to be honest, I'm not thrilled about either as replacements. I enjoy Hickman's FF, don't get me wrong, but mostly because I am invested and he has wild, long term ideas. Short-term, he can be frustrating. Fraction, on the other hand, I have completely given up on for consistent quality anymore as the New Bendis. Marvel has a habit of elevating a writer, allowing them to go hog wild, and without editorial restrictions they devolve into absolute rubbish, like a child trying to build a sand castle without the need for a mold, water, or adult supervision.

I could imagine a Hickman Avengers title in which he chose to focus 75% of his energy on one character - probably Iron Man or whoever is the most brilliant - and the rest are just sort of there, showing up for obligatory 2-4 page sequences and battle scenes. On the upside, he probably has some imaginative ideas, even if he takes forever to get there.

 

[Drz]

I could imagine a Hickman Avengers title in which he chose to focus 75% of his energy on one character - probably Iron Man or whoever is the most brilliant - and the rest are just sort of there, showing up for obligatory 2-4 page sequences and battle scenes. On the upside, he probably has some imaginative ideas, even if he takes forever to get there.

Hickman's Ultimates centerpiece character is Thor due to Hickman liking the whole Liberal stance on the character.

PS. Hey Dread what do you think of the new Haunt creative team? I guess most Haunt readers will drop the title after #18, shame it had to end so soon.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Dread won't stay on board for it, undoubtedly, but Joe Casey taking over will probably be pretty awesome. At least more awesome than the book actually was. Just assuming, but yeah...probably.

 

[Dread]

Hickman's Ultimates centerpiece character is Thor due to Hickman liking the whole Liberal stance on the character.

So, I was right about Hickman's idea of a team book is focusing 75% on one character and having the rest sort of just be there. To be fair, that was Brubaker's idea of a team book for SECRET AVENGERS.

PS. Hey Dread what do you think of the new Haunt creative team? I guess most Haunt readers will drop the title after #18, shame it had to end so soon.

I'm not thrilled; Joe Casey can be hit or miss. I may just drop it. I was really on HAUNT for Kirkman, and initially Ryan Ottley. It maybe isn't fair to not give the new creative team a chance, but...even I have to trim some books off my list, and this may not be something I'd miss as much without Kirkman. I suppose I may give issue #19 a chance since my shop has it on my pull list.

 

[SpideyForPrez]

How is Haunt? I read about it awhile back and liked the premise but completely forgot about it until now. Is it worth picking up the collections?

 

[Dread]

How is Haunt? I read about it awhile back and liked the premise but completely forgot about it until now. Is it worth picking up the collections?

Without giving much away, imagine if Robert Kirkman handled SPAWN from the start and you're close to what it reads like. It does seem very much like a 90's Image comic, but one that's actually decent. It isn't the best comic ever, or the worst. It has its moments, with a lot of action and gore. It is a bit humorless, but gets slightly better with that as it goes along. If you're someone who may have initially liked SPAWN and then fell out of it, it might be worth a look.

Image, very wisely, offers the first trade of many of their series cheap - often 5-7 issues for $9.99, which is an excellent deal (especially if you buy it with further discounts, like at Amazon - some 3rd party sellers are offering it for about $6 with S&H). Buy that, and if you like it, continue. If not, well, you spent about as much as 2-3 comics from Marvel that were $3.99.

That said, Greg Capullo (the second artist) and Kirkman himself are leaving as of issue #18. I likely will, too, unless I feel the urge to give Joe Casey a chance.

Honestly, I liked ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN more.

 

[SpideyForPrez]

Thanks. I'll probably get one cheap from Amazon.

And I'm waiting on Astounding Wolf-man at my library.

 

[Phaedrus45]

I've got to just crank through all these books I read. Gonna try and be quick about them.

Batman And Robin #24

Might just be the worst issue of this series. Animal people were just a bore; and, Red Hood hasn't been interesting in years. Just feels like the writer is trying us an old, popular storyline to gain some interest. (But, that's what DC does nowadays, as seem with Doomsday.)

Anita Blake: Circus Of The Damned - The Ingenue #4

I've been thinking about ALL the series that come out, like this book. Retelling a novel, and doing it in mini-series chunks. Thankfully, the Anita Blake ones are the best. (Dynamite's are really hit or miss...and, since they picked up Dabel, there are a lot of them.) The only problem is that you cannot come into this series, unless you've either read the previous comics...or if you've read the book series.

Birds Of Prey #13

Really, I do love Gail Simone. I've met her three times, and each time she's just the nicest person. BUT...I'm bored with her writing. Each story is alright; but, it does really go anywhere. You could throw any DC female character in this book, and the writing is so generic, it wouldn't matter. There is no "ummph" to these stories..and, I'm not sure if that's because she's not allowed to do a "Bendis" and give these characters some personal drama, or if it's just not her writing style.

This could be cancelled tomorrow...and, I'd probably be happy. Personally, I'd love to see what she could bring to Marvel. A new setting might be just what she needs.


Flashpoint Books!

Gotta say, DC is doing a slightly better job with their tie-ins than Marvel. Neither is exactly blowing me away; but, the DC books do get my interest a bit more.

Booster Gold #45

Jurgens just eases back into this book like a nice, worn pair of shoes. This tie-in might not be ground-breaking in any way; but, it does make the reader interested in what's happening in the main story. If I was a regular Booster Gold reader, I'd be wanting to check out Flashpoint.

Flashpoint: Creatures Of The Unknown #1

I was expecting disaster with this title, especially after reading the terrible Fear Itself: Fearsome Four. "What, another tie-in monster title???" This one just works, though. It's much like Remender's FrankenCastle, where each monster has a distinct personality..and, I can't wait for the next issue. Heck, I'd probably buy this one each month if it was somehow turned into a regular series!!!

Flashpoint: Emperor Aquaman #1

One of the more essential readings, if you're enjoying the main Flashpoint storyline. This mixes in past accounts of what led up to Europe being flooded with Aquaman's current adventure. Bedard keeps me interested.

Flashpoint: Citizen Cold #1

Not bad, especially if you want to get some insight into what kind of character Captain Cold is. Nice extension of the main storyline, again.

Flashpoint: Deathstroke and the Curse of the Ravager #1

Skip this one. It does tie-in to the main story, as Deathstroke's apparent death at the end of Flashpoint #2 ends this issue...so, I'm thinking Deathstroke won't die after all; but, it's boring...and, a little too much on the silly side. (Really, why would The Warlord even be involved in this event? It takes him completely out of the Warlord environment, and makes no sense why he'd still have that name.)

 

[Phaedrus45]

More, before I pick up a new batch today.

Netherworld #2

New series from Image..and while the first issue sparked my interest, this one made it wane a bit. Still, see enough to continue on. It's set in a type of purgatory..a place between Heaven and Hell, where souls can set about to redeem themselves; but, Kane is amassing a large following, and wants to turn it into his own vision. (Naturally, that vision isn't a good one.)

A mild .

Incredible Hulks #630

More red, green, and blue Hulks; and, I'm just excited that Pak is leaving this book very soon. We need a new writer who'll start over from scratch; and, while they're at it, get rid of Amadeus Cho, also.

Annililators #4

After being a bit bored with Thanos Imperative, this miniseries has really brought my interest back to the franchise. Both stories were great; and, better yet, so different from each other. It was great to see the Dire Wraiths come back (great, old Marvel villian from Rom), and while the various heroes were basically interchangable and uninteresting, the return of the SpaceKnights were worth picking it up. The real gem, though, was Rocket Racoon's story. Funny and adventurous, I loved every second of it. for the Annihilators, and for Rocket Racoon and Groot!

Black Panther: Man Without Fear #519

Liss actually tells a decent story, if you can just get past the ridiculousness of why the Panther is even in Hell's Kitchen. My problem with this issue is how after being revived from the dead, Kraven is popping up everywhere. But, that's what Marvel does. Villians disappear for a while, then it seems as if everyone starts to use them for a six month period.

Super Heroes #15

One of Tobin's better issues, as Captain America teams up with Chat. In fact, Chat is better here than she's been in the stagnant Spider-Man. Sad to see that Tobin seems to have abandoned his Avengers format that used to appear in this title.

Ka-Zar #1

I was so excited about his mini. Not only has Ka-Zar been making a fantastic appearance in Skaar's latest mini, but Jenkins would be writing this book.

That's where all the excitement ends. This book SUCKS! I was bored to tears with the "save the Savage Land" theme, and the art looks awful. Skip it, skip it, skip it!!!

Dean Koontz Nevermore #3

After the last two reprint issues from Dabel Bros. defunct title (good idea of Dynamite to provide the previous material, thus not losing readership who are thinking, "why are they starting with issue #3, and what happened in the first two issues"), we get new material. I'm glad this book is still continuing, as I am really interested in this time travel storyline. Some might be disappointed that the shift in focus is less on the main character trying to get back his dead wife; but, we get some good action with the monsters. I'm still aboard, and can't wait for more.

Orson Scott Card's Formic Wars #6

Much better than Speaker Of The Dead, this book has gone back in time to show readers how the Formic Wars began. Best of all, new readers didn't have to worry about all the other Ender's Game books, as this is a story in and of itself. I've enjoyed it very much.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Flashpoint: Creatures Of The Unknown #1

I was expecting disaster with this title, especially after reading the terrible Fear Itself: Fearsome Four. "What, another tie-in monster title???" This one just works, though. It's much like Remender's FrankenCastle, where each monster has a distinct personality..and, I can't wait for the next issue. Heck, I'd probably buy this one each month if it was somehow turned into a regular series!!!

There's actually a Frankenstein series by the same team amongst the 52 relaunch titles.