The New Improved Official Stupid Question Thread Marvel Edition

[moraldeficiency]

Apparently any book about mutants that doesn't whine constantly, have people slashing things, or lead to Messiah/Onslaught/SuperMutantTragedy or asteriod islands with future babies just sucks. Reading something that's fun and actually surprises you rather than seeing the same build up and result and isn't clearly predictable means the writer and book sucks. That's why bendis is such an awesome writer, I know where his story is going to end after the first issue and it always changes everything, plus mucho whining = greatest comics evah!

 

[Ace of Knaves]

I'm pretty sure the Great Lakes are still located between America and Canada, like they've always been. /jackassery powers activate!!

You cheeky monkey!

 

[Anubis]

I don't want to go back to over 9000 years ago, probably just either pre or post Civil War.

I want to read some delicous Avengers stuff. Give me the best Avengers read.

Hell, be a loose cannon poster with a heart of gold and even recommend me some current Avengers.

Check out Kurt Busiek's epic run on Avengers, which is collected in about four or five hardcovers called Avengers Assemble.

Also, here were two minis that came out awhile ago that kinda went over certain periods in the Avengers history. They were called Avengers: Earth's mightiest heroes part one and two. One focused on the first year and Two focused on Pym's slide into madness.

Avengers Forever. Arguably the greatest Avengers story ever written. Time tossed Avengers, Rick Jones, and Kang the f**kin' conqueror try to save humanity from being wiped out from reality.

For current good Avengers, try Mighty Avengers. Classic feel, truly the only real Avengers book on the stands.

 

[BrianWilly]

I've been enjoying it just for the character work. Did the team ever really have much of a direction? The idea that they're a detective agency has always basically been lip-service. PAD threw these characters together under the guise of a detective agency, but really he's just been writing the equivalent of a TV soap opera/dramedy right from the start--simple underlying plot, heavy focus on characters.

I mean, I loved Boston Legal, but what was the direction of that show? A bunch of people work at a law firm. I enjoyed the show because I was invested in the characters and enjoyed seeing them go through their ups and downs. Same with X-Factor. A bunch of people work at a detective agency but the focus is on the characters. I've been enjoying Madrox and the rest of the team's ups and downs. Why does it necessarily have to be more than that?

But really, what has the character work been like in this series? Random, inexplicable, purposeless events happen to these characters, and boy howdy does it suck being them. The end. No seriously, the end. Is this fun? I suppose it must be, by sheer force of dialogue, but certainly not due to anything that is unique to the story or even the characters. PAD is a writer of such skill that he could write about two rocks in a field being a*****es to each other and it would be the funniest, cleverest thing in recent memory, but it would be fun and clever in spite of the circumstances, not because of them.

I can't stand series with no direction. It's, quite frankly, a waste of my time. And I'm not talking great spanning arcs and meticulously-plotted runs and I'm not looking for galloping status quo shifts -- lord knows X-Factor doesn't need any more of those -- I'm talking about something as basic and simple as being able to trust that the writer actually knows what the heck he's doing issue for issue and isn't making **** up as he goes along. I don't think there's actually anything that makes me drop a book faster than suspicion that a writer is making things up as he goes.

 

[LouFerignoDemon]

But really, what has the character work been like in this series? Random, inexplicable, purposeless events happen to these characters, and boy howdy does it suck being them. The end. No seriously, the end. Is this fun? I suppose it must be, by sheer force of dialogue, but certainly not due to anything that is unique to the story or even the characters. PAD is a writer of such skill that he could write about two rocks in a field being a*****es to each other and it would be the funniest, cleverest thing in recent memory, but it would be fun and clever in spite of the circumstances, not because of them.

I can't stand series with no direction. It's, quite frankly, a waste of my time. And I'm not talking great spanning arcs and meticulously-plotted runs and I'm not looking for galloping status quo shifts -- lord knows X-Factor doesn't need any more of those -- I'm talking about something as basic and simple as being able to trust that the writer actually knows what the heck he's doing issue for issue and isn't making **** up as he goes along. I don't think there's actually anything that makes me drop a book faster than suspicion that a writer is making things up as he goes.

Yes you are. Otherwise, you wouldn't be complaining about the evolving characters. o.o I mean, if it has too little plot movement, you'll complain, but you don't want great plot movement?

Talk about finnicky.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I tend to view it as basically a series about Madrox with the others as supporters. He's had a pretty clear character arc so far in that he's searching for his identity. John Maddox, the baby, Cortex, etc. all seem to be pointing out that Madrox is his own worst enemy, no matter what he does, either literally or in the sense of a dupe going rogue. Since the move to Detroit, the series has been a long slide into despair for him which has only recently abated because of his reconnection with Layla. Once he gets back to the present and the team moves back to New York, I'm expecting another shift and a new character arc for Madrox. It seems like PAD's got a plan to me.

This is pretty standard for PAD, to be honest. He gave Genis one big status quo shift--being bonded to Rick and actively trying to fulfill his father's legacy--and then spent years examining how his personality grew and changed as a result of it. Then he did it again--Genis losing his mind--and spent years examining that shift's effect on his personality. Did you feel like those years were just rambling excuses for PAD to write a crazy guy and have even crazier stuff happen to him for no reason?

Granted, I will admit that the content of his explorations into Captain Marvel's character were better than his explorations into Madrox's character.

 

[Anubis]

Captain Marvel was awesome.

 

[random_havoc]

But really, what has the character work been like in this series? Random, inexplicable, purposeless events happen to these characters, and boy howdy does it suck being them. The end. No seriously, the end. Is this fun? I suppose it must be, by sheer force of dialogue, but certainly not due to anything that is unique to the story or even the characters. PAD is a writer of such skill that he could write about two rocks in a field being a*****es to each other and it would be the funniest, cleverest thing in recent memory, but it would be fun and clever in spite of the circumstances, not because of them.

I can't stand series with no direction. It's, quite frankly, a waste of my time. And I'm not talking great spanning arcs and meticulously-plotted runs and I'm not looking for galloping status quo shifts -- lord knows X-Factor doesn't need any more of those -- I'm talking about something as basic and simple as being able to trust that the writer actually knows what the heck he's doing issue for issue and isn't making **** up as he goes along. I don't think there's actually anything that makes me drop a book faster than suspicion that a writer is making things up as he goes.

Man, you must've really hated X-Files and Lost after they each got a few seasons in. Me too.

 

[moraldeficiency]

I don't know, I just figured it was a story about a group of mutants trying to make their way in the world. I don't mind unpredictability it's actually a refreshing change. You pick up an issue of X-Factor and above anything else, you DO NOT KNOW what's going to happen. But it doesn't seem so haphazard either, I'm feeling PAD is going somewhere with it, I just don't know where or to what purpose, but that is pretty cool in itself. Most of the sheninagans comes from Madrox, who by his nature and power is pretty unpredictable but it feels like it's those different personality aspects that drive the story. Also he's one of if not the most interesting mutant I've seen in a very long time, so I'm kinda biased.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I suppose you could expand it to include the rest of the cast in the search for identity. I hadn't thought of that, but there's ample support for it.

 

[LouFerignoDemon]

But if you expand too much, too quick, it starts to flunk out. They'd have to shift attention away from Madrox to another person.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

No, I mean PAD's already been having the others search for their identity. Siryn and the baby, Rictor's loss of his powers and current sexuality stuff, Darwin's arc with his father, Monet's absolute contempt for the other X-Factor members masking her loneliness, etc. Just about every character has something going on that makes them question who they are, what they're doing, and why they're here, not just Madrox.

Except Longshot. Longshot's just sort of there. But I can't dislike him, so I'm cool with that.

 

[Havok83]

My main reason for picking up this series in the beginning was M and PAD took way too long to actually do something with her. She was barely there in the beginning and now I hear he's actually doing stuff with her after I dropped. I hated the heavy focus on Madrox. Felt just as an extension of his mini series thrown in with some smaller supporting players to mask itself as a team book. At least those were my impressions from the first 2 years

 

[Manic]

Wasn't it made clear from the beginning that X-Factor was going to pick up where his Madrox miniseries left off?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Well, if you're not a fan of Madrox, X-Factor's definitely the wrong book to read. Although, I don't know how anyone could not be a fan of Madrox. Dude's awesome.

 

[Manic]

Where's Darth? He'd have Jamie Madrox's back. He hasn't been banned again, has he?

 

[moraldeficiency]

I think of madrox as just a big show of what everyone else in the series is going through. It's always felt like less a team of superheroes book and more a book about a family trying to figure out where they fit in and who they are, but doing it in a way that doesn't involve whining incessantly or having some big earth shattering change to give them a place (asteriod island, I'm looking at you). While all the X-Men are trying to get away from the world for an oasis (which kind makes them little *****es) X-Factor is actually trying to make their place in this world, which is a lot more heroic on a personal level. They require you to look into your character and see who you are, while the X-Men just seem to want to blame everything on someone else.

 

[moraldeficiency]

Wasn't it made clear from the beginning that X-Factor was going to pick up where his Madrox miniseries left off?

Yes it was, and anyone that doesn't like that concept is a baby rapist who boils puppies, sorry but it needed to be said.

 

[Havok83]

Wasn't it made clear from the beginning that X-Factor was going to pick up where his Madrox miniseries left off?

I hadnt read his LS when it first came out and as I stated Monet was my main reason for reading. She went into limbo after Gen X ended only making 2 brief appearances in UXM. X-factor was really the only place I could find her. The best issues of X-factor for me was when Quicksilver was around bc I liked him, even though I hated what PAD did with him. His Wolfsbane was good and I liked what he was doing with her and Rictor but then he lost her and thats pretty much around when I dropped the book

Well, if you're not a fan of Madrox, X-Factor's definitely the wrong book to read. Although, I don't know how anyone could not be a fan of Madrox. Dude's awesome.

I dont dislike Jamie. PAD has made him a much more fleshed out character than anyone ever has. I just hate when writers heavily devote so much panel time and writing to one character on a "team" book. He reminds me of Carey with Rogue in that regards and currently Fraction with Scott/Emma in UXM

 

[TheCorpulent1]

That happens on almost every team book I've ever read, so I guess I'm used to it.

 

[Havok83]

That happens on almost every team book I've ever read, so I guess I'm used to it.

lol....its not happening on X-force.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Makes sense, I guess. When all the characters are cardboard cut-outs of Wolverine, you can pretty much just spread dialogue that would normally go to him out amongst the rest of them.

 

[Anubis]

They're far too busy stabbing things.

 

[Manic]

lol....its not happening on X-force.

That's because there are no character arcs in X-Force.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

But they each stab things equally, and that's what's important.