Quite the contrary, I have been voting religiously since I turned 18. I simply am aware that for folks in my age group (late teens to early 20's) in 2005, that is very rare.
I vote before too many people fought and died throughout history to give me this right, and it would be a dishonor not to do it.
Just finished up ish # 14 about twenty minutes ago. It was definitely a fun read like I thought it would and interesting to see the Invincible character quickly interact with the New Avengers.
Though as I finished the book I pretty much wanted to scoop up the Invincible series and the trades to catch up on it. So, if Marvel has accomplished anything it's helping Robert Kirkman sell his Invincible title. Which, when you really think about it, is a really cool thing for Marvel to do. Now all they need to do is remove the rest of their heads from their asses and start promoting their own books that have a good following on them.
I thought that this was one of the best cross-overs I've seen in comics. Usually they seem completely out of continuity, and this one didn't. In fact, it feels like it fits into both continuities (which it wouldn't if Marvel weren't "advertising" for Invincible).
Posting this here might be like preaching to the choir, but not much MTU news right now, and I was wondering what you guys thought of this:
MTU has always held a warm spot for me, mainly because it was the first title that I had a subscription to when I was a kid. The only character I really knew anything about was Spidey, and this title introduced me to the wider Marvel Universe. (which from Marvel's point of view, is exactly the point of a title like that). Other than the current title being such an enjoyable read, this is one of the reasons that I push the title so much. I think it's a great way to introduce new readers (if they exist) to different characters. And I think this is the reason that Marvel is willing to stick with it a little, despite the low sales.
So this is my idea: Does this title translate to a cartoon? I think it does. Being that Marvel is mainly a liscensing company, it can only benefit them to give more exposure to its other characters, especially new ones like Runaways, Gravity, etc.
MTU has always held a warm spot for me, mainly because it was the first title that I had a subscription to when I was a kid. The only character I really knew anything about was Spidey, and this title introduced me to the wider Marvel Universe. (which from Marvel's point of view, is exactly the point of a title like that). Other than the current title being such an enjoyable read, this is one of the reasons that I push the title so much. I think it's a great way to introduce new readers (if they exist) to different characters. And I think this is the reason that Marvel is willing to stick with it a little, despite the low sales.
That's a nice thought, but I don't know if it's working in this day & age where you hear people are only picking up the issues with Spidey in it, or Wolverine in it, etc....
So this is my idea: Does this title translate to a cartoon? I think it does. Being that Marvel is mainly a liscensing company, it can only benefit them to give more exposure to its other characters, especially new ones like Runaways, Gravity, etc.
That's a good idea, but I'm not sure if that's the main reason for giving this book a chance despite low sales.
Remember, Kirkman is one of those Terrific Ten writers they keep going on about, so they might be giving him a chance. And he's delivering the goods, especially to the fans that have been clamoring for a tighter knit Universe.
Unforunately, it's falling on deaf ears.
I can't see the book lasting longer than 25 issues unless something drastic changes.
Let's hope all the 90's DarkHawk fans come out of the woodwork for this next arc.
It has found its place. It's a terrific comic to the old school buyers who are still buying good quality comics. And we're enjoying it. Unfortunately, we are in the minority, because most people can't recognize good comics even if they fell from the sky.
But hey... stranger things have happened.
Maybe if there's a small outcry (similar to Spider-Girl), maybe Marvel will keep making the book. Spider-Man Unlimited has always sold in the very low 20 000's, yet they keep making that book as well..
I'd watch it. And it would be a good idea to suck in newer readers as well. A kid sees some superhero with Spider-Man he's never seen before and ends up liking the other hero more...well, he's gonna start asking questions about it. It'd help but I doubt Marvel would ever do anything like that. Maybe you should propose it to them, ILC.
Big week for MTU fans. Get the new story, tell all your friends who are fans of Darkhawk and Speedball to pick it up, and once they're hooked, get them to buy the 2 TPBs, because we know how important those suckers are in keeping titles alive!
Diamond list for December 7th:
Marvel Team-up #15 $2.99
Marvel Team-up Vol 2 Master Of The Ring Tp $17.99
I read some issues of MTU back when I was a kid and bought back-issues too, where Spidey would team up with other characters I was interested in, like Moon Knight or an annual with Alpha Flight or so on. Spider-Man was my favorite character so I can understand where iloveclones comes from.
Marvel's pushing for sales for their TPB's and digests, and will do ANYTHING to appease that market. Anything. There is NO ADVANTAGE to getting monthly comics anymore save the fact that they finish stories about 2-4 months before the trade comes out. Marvel has done nothing to address this fact, and relies on nostalia to keep the fans buying the monthlies. How ironic that monthlies are key to the sales of comics, yet Marvel and the current market are doing everything possible to undo it. One wonders if it is inevitable that enough fans develop an 8th of a brain and go, "Hey, if I just wait for the trade, it is cheaper and no ads" and then the sales would plummet and the entire industry would find itself in a hole of its own making.
But enough on that. MTU sells abysmally. Marvel is doing nothing more to save it or boost its sales. Their philosophy to getting a book to sell is selling a trade, relaunching with #1, adding a NEW to the title (NEW MTU #1! Omigod, it'll sell, Joe Q, it'll sell!), or going about their "helpless toddler routine" and not doing anything. So, yeah, we have to hope the trades sell well or there is enough of a fan outcry that it attaints "sacred cow" status like SPIDER-GIRL (which I don't read, and never will).
As for a cartoon series, a la' JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED of sorts, I don't know. The Marvel cartoons hit their apex in the mid 90's and ever since have been downhill. Unlike JLU there is no "strong animated history" to carry over the old fans with the new. Marvel's strongest cartoon since was X-MEN EVOLUTION, a fan-favorite show (ratings wise) that they are allowing to be ignored and omitted because of pride.
Kirkman is a decent writer from what I have seen, someone willing to not drag his stories through the mire of eternal darkness like some writers and is more than willing to embrace all the facets of the universe, instead of either omitting them, bungling them, or attempting to change that universe to fit his needs. I can't imagine someone else on MTU who would do as well for what the title requires. Sure, I like Vaughan, but Kirkman is better at action, and MTU needs specific action. Arcs are fine and in fact Kirkman is experimenting with arcs for MTU, something no incarnation had much of before. But in the end, we buy it to see two heroes team up and hit something, and he delievers there, too. Basically, MTU is Marvel's version of THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD.
Another old series I'd like to see return is MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS. That was a great launching point for a lot of talent for Marvel and considering how eagerly both companies are competing for it, it mays serve Marvel well to have a more official "try out" book for stars waiting to be noticed, but in stories not as rigid as ones made for SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED or X-MEN UNLIMITED. All the title would have to do is avoid what happened to the last; becoming an unofficial Wolverine title. Plus, at 8-10 pages a month for some stories, writers should be challenged to not drag out a story for too many issues; in the age of decompression-overkill, a lesson in being concise could do WONDERS for both old and new writers.
I thought I'd bump this up so people could discuss the current issue. I, unfortunately, cannot. When I got home, I found that I accidentally put Ultimates in my pile rather than MTU (which is on my pull list in the store, boy are they going to be pissed.) The worst part is that I have a sub to Ultimates so I'll be owning 2 of those. If they seel out of MTU, I'm going to have to go all Titannus on someone.
I thought I'd bump this up so people could discuss the current issue. I, unfortunately, cannot. When I got home, I found that I accidentally put Ultimates in my pile rather than MTU (which is on my pull list in the store, boy are they going to be pissed.) The worst part is that I have a sub to Ultimates so I'll be owning 2 of those. If they seel out of MTU, I'm going to have to go all Titannus on someone.
So far it's an awesome start to a very interesting story. I about creamed in my pants when I saw Kirkman actually used continuity for the story. Excelsior certainly didn't last too long.
So far it's an awesome start to a very interesting story. I about creamed in my pants when I saw Kirkman actually used continuity for the story. Excelsior certainly didn't last too long.
That's one of the things I've been saying since the beginning: that if you're a person who complains that Marvel doesn't do continuity anymore, MTU is the proof that they can. Sorry about your trousers.
Pasting my take on the issue from another topic. I'll be nice and add spoiler tags:
MARVEL TEAM-UP #15: After Kirkman's last "buy INVINCIBLE" advertising issue, we start the next real arc of MTU, which is "League of Losers". It depicts the assembled "league" on the cover, although in reality only less than half actually show up in this issue. The story solicts left us with a premise of various C and D-Listers forced to save the day after all the other heroes are killed, and that's exactly what happens. Now, before I continue on this great issue (yes, it was great; far better in one issue than HOM was in its entirity and making me wonder if Marvel is banking on the wrong horse for "events" than Bendis or Millar), I will say that as of the first issue and so on, this story has continuity problems that take some of the "oomph" from the story. Firstly, the fact that MARVEL TEAM-UP, even in past incarnations, has never been a real "big event" style book where anything that happens in it is really supposed to MATTER much to the outside books, save for the introductions of some characters (such as Arcade). It was basically a stress-free Spider-Man adventure book, much as MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE was like that, only with The Thing. And therefore, while seeing many Marvel A-Listers "die" on panel from the main villian's machinations, as well as it is written, feels a bit empty. You KNOW it really isn't going to last, that MTU exists on the fringes of the MU regardless of sales as it always has, and pretty much everything that happens here will have little effect on other titles. Secondly, the story promises to have Dagger take part in it, which is a bit of a hassle since she's in a coma over at RUNAWAYS (which, YES, does get a mention here). On the other hand, this will clearly be a
time-travel story, which Kirkman has dabbled on in MTU before, and those always cause hassles. And as MTU is supposed to be Marvel's "fun book" alongside THE THING and so on, maybe nitpicking it to death is unearned. Especially since, as it sells in the 90's of the Top 100 (which is worse than the just-cancelled NIGHTCRAWLER was selling), this could be its last arc and it needs all the help it can get. The rest is all positive, though. The issue gets to an explosive start and NEVER slows down when time-travelling warrior Chronok and his future-tech savvy armada blow into the MU with a bang, starting out on an explosive attack on Stark Tower, home of the New Avengers, seemingly erradicating Cap, Iron Man, and Sentry (the latter seems hard to believe, even with resumably "future bombs"). People who whine about "slow starts" and "decompression" really have nothing to complain about, as the hits keep coming like a high octane action movie. In short sucession, we're told that the Avengers, the Fan Four, DD, Hulk, and the X-Men are all being killed by this squadron (with a fun nod to the fluctuating rosters of X-books). Spider-Man is seemingly blasted and killed on-panel, which is the second time Spider-Man is seemingly killed in a comic this week; bad month to be him. Apparently, Chronok and his armada has come from the future to enslave the past, and is armed with not only weapons from the far future, but seemingly all knowledge of that era's heroes, thus making them easy to slaughter (although they're not really resorting to using any "weaknesses" or so on, just blasting stuff with bit laser canons and bombs). Of course, the point of the story is that there are some Marvel heroes, who either because of their low or "rookie" status, didn't make the records of Chronok's forces, and thus go a little ignored, even if they're caught in the midst of the combat. For instance, Gravity tags alongside a MELTING Luke Cage, whose death is rather gruesome. Speedball is the only surviving member of the New Warriors (Nova showed up a few times in MTU already), sporting a GREAT new costume by Medina (if he didn't design it, he at least made it look great). While in LA, Chris Powel/Darkhawk sees Chronok's televised demands and rushes to his EXCELSIOR HQ, only to see that they're all dead aside for Ricochet, who quickly bites it, too. Darkhawk escapes and Chronok's men note how "most of those kids" weren't on their list and there have been quite a few heroes who weren't in their date-files, who they write off because they "must not have been noteworthy". A minor quibble, the icing on the RUNAWAYS homage cake would have been a footnote of what issue Excelsior debuted in and urging us to check out RUNAWAYS or their upcoming mini for more; I mean, Kirkman went through that much trouble for INVINCIBLE, why not some poorer selling Marvel books? Maybe Vaughan could have put in some word on MTU, called it a trade-off? Oh, well, lost oppurtunities. Kirkman gets in some laughs amidst the chaos with his X-commentary and having Cage's "my skin is UNBREAKABLE!" line horribly backfire (okay, dark humor there). It's a set-up issue, but such an exciting one that it serves as a lesson on how to do set-up issues that are still fast paced and explosive! I hate to wait a month for the next issue, just as it should be. True, Chronok seems a bit flat right now in both design and temperment, but he's at least ruthless, and if Millar could get away with that for Gorgon, and JMS with Morlun, then I'll give Kirkman a pass right now. Like Titannus, he's sure to have an origin eventually.
But, bring on the D-Listers! I can't wait to see the chapters on Terror, Inc and Sleepwalker. Oh, and Medina's art seems to fit better here than Kolins did, he turns in some of his best work with a variety of heroes.
How about a speculation game? One of Chronok's men mentioned an "Asian woman who turned out to be a robot". Any ideas? I wonder if it is anyone from LIVEWIRES. Never read it, but it was the first idea off the top of my head.
True, this may have just been a minor detail, but hell, if we can debate details from high profile storyarc books that usually disappoint, why not a small adventure book that doesn't?
Oh, and Darkhawk's got to be REALLY bugging out now.
Over at RUNAWAYS he was going on mini-psychotic breakdowns because of the "stuff he'd seen over the years". I don't imagine seeing EXCELSIOR getting slaughtered before his eyes will make him Mr. Personality this mission.
Just read it and loved it! Have to admit; when i read the premise a few months back, i was unimpressed, but Kirkman definitely pulled me in from the get go with the actual debut.
Minor nitpicks; Chronok is ok, but his soldier's outfits look almost exactly like the original Wonder Man costume Simon Williams wore back in the day...and i cant help but think that Kang would have been a more logical antagonist for this story.
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