The Ongoing Bought/Thought! 2013

[hippie_hunter]

Really not a fan of how DC revamped Batman Beyond with the New 52. It's why I passed on the relaunch.

 

[Tron Bonne]

What did they do with Batman Beyond?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

It jumped ahead a year and seems to be quite good, based on the couple digital comics I've read so far.

 

[hippie_hunter]

What did they do with Batman Beyond?

Before the New 52, Beechen essentially treated Batman Beyond as if it were the future of the DCU, just like how DC treats the Legion of Super-Heroes. He wrote it that way so that if DC wanted to make it official, it could be very easily done because everything was already firmly set for making it so. Beechen's Batman Beyond referenced things like Cataclysm, Superman/Batman had an annual set in that universe that referenced Chris Kent being in the Phantom Zone with Mon-El, Dick Grayson mentioned being a member of Batman Inc. and the Outsiders, and so on.

But then the New 52 came and made a mess of things. Beechen's Batman Beyond feature was written as if it were the future of the pre-New 52 DCU, even though that was gone now. The Justice League Unlimited feature was clearly set in the DCAU continuity and yet was in continuity with the Batman Beyond feature. And Superman Beyond was just doing it's own thing, it could have been set in the DCU or the DCAU. It was just one big mess.

And now this Batman Beyond Universe seems to be more firmly cementing that it's some odd mishmash of Beechen's Batman Beyond and the DCAU.

 

[Specter313]

Worst: Uncanny X-Men - Battle of the Atom in last place as always.

BotA started off interesting but man, did it drop in quality fast. Doesn't help that it's taken them forever to do anything of substance within the whole story, and done an absolutely crappy job of telling the readers almost anything about any of these future characters or their motivations. Yes, we saw Dazzler get killed after being elected president, but we don't know by what or who even though this is supposedly a big point. It's also taken them forever to tell much of anything about these other random X-Men as well. I mean, it took them three issues before even telling us that the cloak guy is apparently Wiccin, and that was only in a passing sentence from another character, and we also know nothing about this Kymura or whatever her name is. It makes it look like something that Bendis wanted to do and the editors forced everyone else in on it and they just phoned it in.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Before the New 52, Beechen essentially treated Batman Beyond as if it were the future of the DCU, just like how DC treats the Legion of Super-Heroes. He wrote it that way so that if DC wanted to make it official, it could be very easily done because everything was already firmly set for making it so. Beechen's Batman Beyond referenced things like Cataclysm, Superman/Batman had an annual set in that universe that referenced Chris Kent being in the Phantom Zone with Mon-El, Dick Grayson mentioned being a member of Batman Inc. and the Outsiders, and so on.

But then the New 52 came and made a mess of things. Beechen's Batman Beyond feature was written as if it were the future of the pre-New 52 DCU, even though that was gone now. The Justice League Unlimited feature was clearly set in the DCAU continuity and yet was in continuity with the Batman Beyond feature. And Superman Beyond was just doing it's own thing, it could have been set in the DCU or the DCAU. It was just one big mess.

And now this Batman Beyond Universe seems to be more firmly cementing that it's some odd mishmash of Beechen's Batman Beyond and the DCAU.

Glad I skipped all of Beechen's crap, then. I've been reading Batman Beyond Universe and thinking of it as just the future of the DCAU. It works fine to me in that respect. (Granted, I've only read the first issue so far because I'm behind on my comics.)

 

[Keyser Soze]

THE STANDARD #4: If it feels like ages between issues, it is only because it has been; I reviewed the previous issue at the end of last year's New York Comic Con. To recap, "The Standard" is a superhero murder mystery story wrapped around a commentary about differences between generations as well as the impact of the media in this current generation. Decades ago, Gilbert Graham became the superhero "the Standard" via a freak encounter with a space rock and eventually adopted a troubled young boy, Alex Thomas, as a surrogate son and sidekick, Fabu-Lad. Graham ultimately retired to become a teacher as Thomas grew up and took over the Standard mantle. However, when a child abduction captures the heart of the media and Thomas is murdered by a mysterious figure, Graham ultimately comes out of retirement to finish his ward's last case. Caught in the midst of the 24/7 media cycle, however, means Graham's happy retirement may be a thing of the past.

After the third issue's joyous ending, this issue brings things down to earth with expected ramifications as well as offers a contrast between tones of comic heroes once more. The return of the original Standard has spread across the media, and once again catapulted Graham into the social spotlight. Being greeted like a rock star when arriving to work, Graham recalls the case of "TV-Man", a burly thug who sought to lure him into a fight nearly thirty years prior via a series of televised boasts. Graham tried to impart into the young Alex the folly of having motivated by ego or fame, which were sadly lessons which he lost sight of as he got older. At first unwilling to return to wearing his purple and orange tights full time, Graham manages to save two of his students from street punks before ultimately being convinced to help solve the spate of murders linked to his past alongside Sky City's other superhero, "the Corpse". Much as Graham represents the "gee whiz" Silver Age, "the Corpse" represents the "extreme" era of the early 1990's with a design and dialogue balloon scheme which immediately invokes memories of "Spawn". Such comparisons work as the artwork by Jonathan Rector seems to have a hint of Todd McFarlane in his style, flanked well by Mike Gagnon's vibrant colors. The result is art which manages to tell an effective superhero story in a way which perennial superhero comic readers are used to and which manages to evoke different eras at once.

Writer John Lees (a.k.a. Keyser Soze) displays a love and understanding of superhero comics with this series, and this issue is no exception. There have been quite a few "old hero comes out of retirement" stories in superhero comics, from classics like "The Dark Knight Returns" or the more recent "Destroyer MAX" from Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker. One of the major differences in "The Standard" is that Gilbert Graham is the complete opposite of many of those senior citizen superheroes. He isn't grim or gritty and returns the same light hearted charm, demeanor, and optimism as from his youth. He tells street punks to watch their potty mouths, rocks a bow tie, and offers kids milkshakes without any hint of cynicism. The fact that the story he's in is actually quite violent and there's a layer of tragedy to his wife which this issue finally reveals simply stands to make those qualities shine. While "the Corpse" was an easy suspect for the series' string of murders, he turns out to be a red herring as the killer seems to be going down a list of victims which will eventually lead to hi-tech tycoon Zena Zarthos, daughter of Graham's arch nemesis. "The Standard" doesn't mock the simplistic morality and mannerisms of the Silver Age while acknowledging that times have changed and not always for the better. The meeting between Graham and "the Corpse" offers great contrast as the story deepens the mystery and offers an exciting cliffhanger.

Although Gilbert Graham wasn't declared the official lead of this series until its second issue, it is the focus and embellishment of him which sparks more interest than the murder mystery angle at times. The revelations in this issue reveal that Graham isn't who he is because he's not faced tragedy or grim events, but in spite of them. One can almost hear Adam West voicing the character in some imaginary animated adaptation, only not the version who voices the mayor in "Family Guy", but the West who impressed a generation of kids in "Beware the Grey Ghost" on "Batman: The Animated Series" in the 90's. Seeing Graham contrast with the world around him from Thomas' sleazy agent to "the Corpse" as well as face villains far more vicious than anything he's faced in his prime is at the heart of the drama, and one which can make waiting a year between issues seem to not seem as long. Fortunately, it won't be nearly that long until the next installment, and remains one of ComixTribe's best titles. At 28 pages for four dollars, it's more than a bargain for page count alone.

AND THEN EMILY WAS GONE #1: John Lees shifts gears from superheroes to horror with this new title alongside artist Iain Laurie for a very different story about an unlikely hero coming out of retirement. Drawn in black and white, it seems as if having a hero come out of retirement to solve a child abduction is a trope which Lees seems to favor, although that's where similarities with "The Standard" end. The star of the story is Mr. Hellinger, an ex-cop who fell from grace after claiming to see monsters and then drinking himself to oblivion to avoid them ever since. The young Fiona spurs him out of his drunken stupor and his shabby apartment with a fantastic story; not only does she believe her friend Emily was abducted, but that she was taken by a monster from urban legend, Bonnie Shaw. Meanwhile, Emily's parents become obsessed with a demonic box, and readers also meet the bizarre Vin and Louise, who seem to be low level thugs for hire.

Describing Laurie's artwork can be a task, since it is far different from Jonathan Rector's more flashy superhero style. Laurie uses strong lines, a lot of detail and excellent uses of blacks and white to establish a creepy mood throughout the work, not unlike an indie horror film. His style may seem vaguely similar to many small indie comics offered on sale at progressive shops in downtown Brooklyn or even "Forbidden Planet" in Greenwich Village, yet remains distinctly his own. Bonnie Shaw himself is essentially "the Boogeyman of Merksay island" and has a design which makes him look frightening without being so over the top that he borders on parody, as many monsters in cinema tend to do. Nobody is a perfectly chiseled super model in these pages, with their own distinctive faces, body types and teeth. It may merely be the opening chapter of a longer story, but it is an effective chapter which sets up this strange horror/mystery quite well with efficient dialogue and art like no other.

Thanks for the great reviews, Dread! t:

 

[Tron Bonne]

Before the New 52, Beechen essentially treated Batman Beyond as if it were the future of the DCU, just like how DC treats the Legion of Super-Heroes. He wrote it that way so that if DC wanted to make it official, it could be very easily done because everything was already firmly set for making it so. Beechen's Batman Beyond referenced things like Cataclysm, Superman/Batman had an annual set in that universe that referenced Chris Kent being in the Phantom Zone with Mon-El, Dick Grayson mentioned being a member of Batman Inc. and the Outsiders, and so on.

But then the New 52 came and made a mess of things. Beechen's Batman Beyond feature was written as if it were the future of the pre-New 52 DCU, even though that was gone now. The Justice League Unlimited feature was clearly set in the DCAU continuity and yet was in continuity with the Batman Beyond feature. And Superman Beyond was just doing it's own thing, it could have been set in the DCU or the DCAU. It was just one big mess.

And now this Batman Beyond Universe seems to be more firmly cementing that it's some odd mishmash of Beechen's Batman Beyond and the DCAU.

Oh, so just continuity nitpick stuff? Eh, whatevs. For a future that's never going to happen anyway, that doesn't bother me.

 

[squeekness]

BotA started off interesting but man, did it drop in quality fast. Doesn't help that it's taken them forever to do anything of substance within the whole story, and done an absolutely crappy job of telling the readers almost anything about any of these future characters or their motivations. Yes, we saw Dazzler get killed after being elected president, but we don't know by what or who even though this is supposedly a big point. It's also taken them forever to tell much of anything about these other random X-Men as well. I mean, it took them three issues before even telling us that the cloak guy is apparently Wiccin, and that was only in a passing sentence from another character, and we also know nothing about this Kymura or whatever her name is. It makes it look like something that Bendis wanted to do and the editors forced everyone else in on it and they just phoned it in.

Thanks for this point because I thought it was just me and that I had missed something earlier. Yeah, this crossover isn't doing a whole lot for me. I dislike alternates most times, especially when they come too hard and too fast like this. It makes me not even give a crap about them. At least the O5 that came through at the beginning of New x were fleshed out enough that I care about them, but the rest? Eh, not so much. At least there was no alternate Gambit. They would have screwed that up fer shure...

 

[Tron Bonne]

BotA started off interesting but man, did it drop in quality fast. Doesn't help that it's taken them forever to do anything of substance within the whole story, and done an absolutely crappy job of telling the readers almost anything about any of these future characters or their motivations. Yes, we saw Dazzler get killed after being elected president, but we don't know by what or who even though this is supposedly a big point. It's also taken them forever to tell much of anything about these other random X-Men as well. I mean, it took them three issues before even telling us that the cloak guy is apparently Wiccin, and that was only in a passing sentence from another character, and we also know nothing about this Kymura or whatever her name is. It makes it look like something that Bendis wanted to do and the editors forced everyone else in on it and they just phoned it in.

Lol, Dazzler became president? Wft is going on with this crossover?

 

[runawayboulder]

Lol, Dazzler became president? Wft is going on with this crossover?

A whole lotta suckage.

 

[JewishHobbit]

I'll start with the Marvels to get them out of the way. I'll be honest, this was a pretty crappy week at Marvel. It's starting to get very, very frustrating. WARNING: If you don't want to read me lose my mind over Marvel books, just skip on down to the DC ones. Of course, I am aware that everything below is merely my opinion.

Young Avengers 11 - There really isn't much to like about this book. I keep holding on because of the franchise name, but it doesn't resemble anything that's come before it at all. The teams is annoying, the writing irritating, the threat boring. The only real saving grace for this title is the art. Even this WOW ending lost all impact due to Marvel insisting that they ruin every little plot twist and turn. Loki becomes a teenager. Yep, we already knew that was happening. Who cares.

Honestly, to me this feels like Gillen wanted to play with Loki more so he put whatever young heroes he wanted around him and wrote the book. The heroes don't come across as the characters they've been established as being as they do stereotypical teenagers. Any of these characters can be substituted with any other teenager in the Marvel Universe and they'd STILL feel awkward, yet, the story wouldn't change.

I've been critical of this title, but I'll just flat out say it. Gillen's Young Avengers sucks. It's the worst take on the franchise since it's inception. He has no clue how to write these characters. It's selling badly and deserves to do so. It's likely ending and deserves to do so. Chuck Austin could have done better. And that's coming from someone who typically likes Gillen. This is his worst Marvel work to date.

Daredevil 32 - Even worse than Young Avengers. People praise this book left and right. I can see why at times, but more times than not, I can't. Yes, it had its charm earlier on, but since the Bullseye story wrapped, this book has just been... well... stupid. It's not good. It's not entertaining or engaging. It's just stupid plots with no real direction that doesn't make me feel even remotely interested in the characters or title. Mark Waid's a good writer... a great writer... and some of the things he's done in this title were fantastic, but the style in which he's handled them greatly hurt the book in my opinion. And for the past 4 or 5 issues, he's been writing one of the worst books I read each month.

Waid's Daredevil is a joke. He's completely ruined what had previously been a fantastic character and title, and I hope he's gone when the title is relaunched. I was going to stick with it until February since it's only 3 or so issues, but I'm having trouble justifying throwing money away for toilet paper. It's not worth $3, let alone the $4 that they'll charge for it when it relaunches. If Waid is still on it after the inevitable relaunch, I won't be bothering with it.

Uncanny Avengers 13 - Rick Remender has got to be writing one of the most boring, dragged out story in ages. I don't know if it's actually Remender's fault or the double-shipping of every other title making the book feel slow. Still, he's taken what could have been a very interesting story and is just long-winding it so badly that I've lost all care about what's happening. This current arc has been going on for 10 issues (including issue 5 that led into it and the AoU tie-in that served as a backstory). Yet, I feel like all of this could have been maybe 5 issues.

Remender's brought in some great characters and some characters that I personally don't care for. But there are way more characters that I like than those that I do not... yet, Remender can't make me care about them. It's my previous love of characters like Banshee and Havoc that make me care... not anything Remender's doing. And what's with the diarrhea of the mouth? I feel like I'm reading a freaking novel with this title. Sometimes it's more effective to SHOW rather than TELL. And just get somewhere with the plot already.

I'm sticking with the book because I like a lot of the characters involved and I loved the Dark Angel Saga that led into this, but my patience is wearing thin and it's taking me out of the story completely. I don't even remember why all this is happening.

Wolverine & the X-Men 37 - Battle of the Atom Chapter 9.

This was the first time in 20 or so years that I actually had this thought... "Would I really miss the X-Men at this point if I were to drop them?" It frightens me that I don't think I would. It's not just this current story, but the past decade. The X-Men that I love, the characters I grew up with, are so far in the past that there is no chance of them returning. Not only the currently direction, but the very characters themselves are horrible, pale shadows of who they once were. Characters like Beast and Cyclops lost all heart that made them great. Wolverine is written so hypocritically that it stings my gut. The decent characters like Kitty, Iceman, and Rachel are written as a characterature of themselves so badly that it's become very obvious none of them are going to grow in any way. Iceman will continue to be the silly nobody. He'll show signs of greatness, and then revert back to type without ever actually going anywhere. Kitty will always be the cute and somewhat responsible one, but nothing more. Rachel has actually gone backwards and cliche to just becoming the resident telepath. Even Emma, who I can't stand, is simply the "rhythms with witch".

Bendis can't write them correctly, nor can Aaron. Neither seem capable. In fact, the one one who wrote them properly in the slightest since Morrison screwed them all up was Whedon and that was YEARS ago. Gichler and Gillen did decent jobs, but I think that had more to do with the being compared to how atrociously Fraction had been writing them. But more than the writers, I think it's the editorial decisions that are ruining this franchise.

I hate Battle of the Atom. I hate how the team has been depicted since Morrison ruined them with his ending. I have seldom read the book and liked it like I did pre-Morrison. Honestly, I'm buying them out of addiction now rather then joy. There are good moments, and those are what I cling to to continue buying, but I'm not seeing any coming anytime soon. The writers, they make them dark and moody, or light and silly, but for some reason none of them can capture what made the book amazing, and it was the thing that Morrison stripped from it. He took away the franchise's personality. The family and fun and love among the team. The close-knit "I got your back no matter our differences" feel.

This book used to be a family. Then it became a military. Now it's just a faction of heroes fighting more heroes. It's the unofficial Civil War ongoing title that just keeps getting worse and worse each year. Marvel has no idea how to write X-Men. I'll give them a clue. You don't pick up readers by creating a franchise in which there is NO ONE for the fans to root for. Both sides of the Schism are deplorable. The decent characters are either A) ignored, or B) made two-dimensional and fall in the shadow of all the other *****e-bags.



People have been praising Marvel of late and I don't get it. Their quality sucks. Their continuity is a joke (as in, they don't care about it). Their characters can't grow or evolve, and the only past that truly matters are early 80s and previous. Their desire to bring in movie-crowds overpowers the respect of their history and universe and it stunts the universe's growth. In my opinion, Marvel is killing their comics and I'm sick of reading it.


And now on to DC... thank God

Talon 12 - Of the DC books, this was my least favorite; but I still enjoyed it. I'm very interested in the Butcher and the Court of Owls in general. Tynion seems to be building to his final climax and I'm enjoying it. Yeah, it's not the best book I read each month, but it's still likable. I don't see the book lasting all that much longer, but for the time being, I'm still on board. At least until the plots that Tynion has been building is resolved.

Justice League 24 - Despite the title, the Justice League are not in this issue. That bothered me at first, but the story ended up sucking me in and I liked it. Also, seeing Black Adam enter the fray taking on Ultraman was pretty awesome. I'm eager to see that plot play out more in Forever Evil 3. It was interesting getting to see the background of Ultraman, but I hope this isn't going to become a thing... seeing the backstories of the Crime Syndicate. I don't care so much about that as I do finding out about the Justice League.

Justice League Dark 24 - MAN I love this book. DeMatteis comes on as the new writer and picks up the great quality of those before him. This takes place right after Trinity War, following Constantine as he awakens inside the House of Mysteries. He's piecing together what happened and goes on a bit of a spiritual journey (with some help from the Night Nurse, who was seen in Phantom Stranger a few months back). Just getting inside of John's head like that was interesting, and the take of what Evil truly is was fascinating. And the art! Mikel Janin might possibly be my favorite artist at this point. The way he draws pretty much everything is just astounding. I LOVE it!

The only downside to this issue is the revelation that the Swamp Thing that's joining John's new JLD isn't the actual Swamp Thing (at least, it seems that way) but rather a new one that Night Nurse grew herself. Still, there could be some interesting things with that plot.

This serves as a bit of a lead-in to the Forever Evil: Blight crossover between this, Constantine, Phantom Stranger, and Pandora, and if the other issues are anywhere NEAR as good as this one, I'm all aboard and excited. I can't wait for the rest!

Aquaman 24 - We get some insight on Atlantis' deep past in this issue and I found it fairly interesting, though it wasn't as good as I was hoping. It was decent, but I think after SO much happening last issue, this quiet issue was a bit of a let down. Still, I enjoyed it and will continue the title at the very least until John' run finishes up in a month or two. I'll probably continue into Parker's as well to see what he does with the title.



I won't do a Best/Worst of the Week because I am so frustrated by Marvel and would rather not give it any deep consideration at this point. Justice League Dark was obviously the best of the week though. If anyone has been curious about that book but haven't been buying it, buy this issue. It's a fresh start following the events of Trinity War with a new writer. Yes, it's entering a crossover with 3 other titles, but I can vouch that Phantom Stranger (also written by DeMatteis) is equally as good (and has been since around issue 5 or so, and it keeps getting better). Pandora and Constantine are written by Fawkes I think, so the crossover is being handled to only two writers who are working together to make it work, and already I think the quality is going to be astounding. Pick up this book and Phantom Stranger... both are 100% worth it.

 

[squeekness]

I don't know JH, I think you and I are in the same boat on the X-Men. Other than Gambit's solo that just got cancelled, the Xs haven't been doing much for me. Maybe that's why I have invested so much of myself in writing my huge fanfic. It seems like the only way I can visit the Xs the way I remember them.

 

[runawayboulder]

I'm quitting X-Men also after the final issue of BotA. Honestly I don't even know what I'm waiting for....

I've been reading X-Men since I started comics nearly 25 years ago. Marvel has f**ked them up so bad I just can't take it anymore.

 

[JewishHobbit]

I think for me it's that blind hope that someday it'll get better. We're given little snippets here and there, and then it gets worse. Honestly, I don't see the X-Men ever getting better or even remotely close to what it used to be until the current bigwigs are completely gone. Quesada, Alonso, and Brevoort are all to close with the same screwed-up vision of the franchise to do it any favors. They're all too focused on the stories they grew up with, movie-connections, money grabs, and hero frictions to actually run the company with any foresight of what made it great to begin with.

Yes, there are bright moments depending on your taste, but I think those times are far surpassed by the garbage. For people like me who cherish the characters' and books' deep history and story continuity, this modern age of Marvel Comics is an absolute nightmare.

When I started on the hype, my sig said something along the lines of "An X-Fan Through the Good And The Bad" and I have been trying my best to stick with that. I used to see the good in all the bad runs and savored even the stories that most despised. I've said it elsewhere, but I'm debating on just dropping Marvel... all save the core X-Men books with that hope still in stock, but I don't think I'll truly enjoy them again (or at least no time soon) unless I go back to how it used to be. No spoilers, no behind the scenes info, nothing. Just issue by issue. Sadly, I fear all the events, tie-ins, relaunches, etc. that researching before hand is almost a requirement and a full time job.

That'd also require me to drop the Hype, as all the negative talk on here has a large part in my becoming so negative. If I go old-school, that means I don't want any spoilers, other people's opinions, or hints of what's to come or what's going on in books outside of the ones I'm still currently reading.

I don't know. I'm just burnt out.

 

[squeekness]

Well I admit curiosity about the new X book that deals with Nightcrawler. Maybe that one will have some spark to it.

 

[JewishHobbit]

Well I admit curiosity about the new X book that deals with Nightcrawler. Maybe that one will have some spark to it.

Maybe, but honestly I doubt it. Jason Aaron's Wolverine & the X-Men is horrendous in my opinion. I just don't like the way he writes the X-Men and Amazing promises to be more of the same. But who knows, maybe he'll prove me wrong.

 

[def28]

WATX was one of my favorite titles for awhile. It has probably over stayed its welcome and def got carried away on the goofiness these past months, but theres some great stuff in there imo. I can see how the style is not for everyone though.

BOTA is growing extremely thin on me and I'm very glad it's nearing a conclusion. Think this whole thing could have been wrapped up in 3 issues. It has just been asking the same question every issue. Really felt that both his X Books haven't made much progress. Hopefully this changes, have a feeling it won't though. If not then I'm dropping....after X-23 shows up of course.

I really dug Uncanny Avengers 13. Got me back on track. Feels slower as a whole then UXF did, but I like what Remenders doing here, and that he's keeping some of the same themes going on. I love that it's a continuation of UXF in many ways, so that may be a big reason why I dig it so much. Overall I think it's really strong stuff. Narration can be cut down though.

As far as Mavrel titles go right now Infinity, UA, Hawkeye, Deadpool and Avengers Arena have been my current favorites. Image really has been getting most my pulls right now. Love their newer title's. Bout ready to check out Velvet and Pretty Deadly.

 

[Will Nolte]

I'll start with the Marvels to get them out of the way. I'll be honest, this was a pretty crappy week at Marvel. It's starting to get very, very frustrating. WARNING: If you don't want to read me lose my mind over Marvel books, just skip on down to the DC ones. Of course, I am aware that everything below is merely my opinion.

Young Avengers 11 - There really isn't much to like about this book. I keep holding on because of the franchise name, but it doesn't resemble anything that's come before it at all. The teams is annoying, the writing irritating, the threat boring. The only real saving grace for this title is the art. Even this WOW ending lost all impact due to Marvel insisting that they ruin every little plot twist and turn. Loki becomes a teenager. Yep, we already knew that was happening. Who cares.

Honestly, to me this feels like Gillen wanted to play with Loki more so he put whatever young heroes he wanted around him and wrote the book. The heroes don't come across as the characters they've been established as being as they do stereotypical teenagers. Any of these characters can be substituted with any other teenager in the Marvel Universe and they'd STILL feel awkward, yet, the story wouldn't change.

I've been critical of this title, but I'll just flat out say it. Gillen's Young Avengers sucks. It's the worst take on the franchise since it's inception. He has no clue how to write these characters. It's selling badly and deserves to do so. It's likely ending and deserves to do so. Chuck Austin could have done better. And that's coming from someone who typically likes Gillen. This is his worst Marvel work to date.

Daredevil 32 - Even worse than Young Avengers. People praise this book left and right. I can see why at times, but more times than not, I can't. Yes, it had its charm earlier on, but since the Bullseye story wrapped, this book has just been... well... stupid. It's not good. It's not entertaining or engaging. It's just stupid plots with no real direction that doesn't make me feel even remotely interested in the characters or title. Mark Waid's a good writer... a great writer... and some of the things he's done in this title were fantastic, but the style in which he's handled them greatly hurt the book in my opinion. And for the past 4 or 5 issues, he's been writing one of the worst books I read each month.

Waid's Daredevil is a joke. He's completely ruined what had previously been a fantastic character and title, and I hope he's gone when the title is relaunched. I was going to stick with it until February since it's only 3 or so issues, but I'm having trouble justifying throwing money away for toilet paper. It's not worth $3, let alone the $4 that they'll charge for it when it relaunches. If Waid is still on it after the inevitable relaunch, I won't be bothering with it.

Uncanny Avengers 13 - Rick Remender has got to be writing one of the most boring, dragged out story in ages. I don't know if it's actually Remender's fault or the double-shipping of every other title making the book feel slow. Still, he's taken what could have been a very interesting story and is just long-winding it so badly that I've lost all care about what's happening. This current arc has been going on for 10 issues (including issue 5 that led into it and the AoU tie-in that served as a backstory). Yet, I feel like all of this could have been maybe 5 issues.

Remender's brought in some great characters and some characters that I personally don't care for. But there are way more characters that I like than those that I do not... yet, Remender can't make me care about them. It's my previous love of characters like Banshee and Havoc that make me care... not anything Remender's doing. And what's with the diarrhea of the mouth? I feel like I'm reading a freaking novel with this title. Sometimes it's more effective to SHOW rather than TELL. And just get somewhere with the plot already.

I'm sticking with the book because I like a lot of the characters involved and I loved the Dark Angel Saga that led into this, but my patience is wearing thin and it's taking me out of the story completely. I don't even remember why all this is happening.

Wolverine & the X-Men 37 - Battle of the Atom Chapter 9.

This was the first time in 20 or so years that I actually had this thought... "Would I really miss the X-Men at this point if I were to drop them?" It frightens me that I don't think I would. It's not just this current story, but the past decade. The X-Men that I love, the characters I grew up with, are so far in the past that there is no chance of them returning. Not only the currently direction, but the very characters themselves are horrible, pale shadows of who they once were. Characters like Beast and Cyclops lost all heart that made them great. Wolverine is written so hypocritically that it stings my gut. The decent characters like Kitty, Iceman, and Rachel are written as a characterature of themselves so badly that it's become very obvious none of them are going to grow in any way. Iceman will continue to be the silly nobody. He'll show signs of greatness, and then revert back to type without ever actually going anywhere. Kitty will always be the cute and somewhat responsible one, but nothing more. Rachel has actually gone backwards and cliche to just becoming the resident telepath. Even Emma, who I can't stand, is simply the "rhythms with witch".

Bendis can't write them correctly, nor can Aaron. Neither seem capable. In fact, the one one who wrote them properly in the slightest since Morrison screwed them all up was Whedon and that was YEARS ago. Gichler and Gillen did decent jobs, but I think that had more to do with the being compared to how atrociously Fraction had been writing them. But more than the writers, I think it's the editorial decisions that are ruining this franchise.

I hate Battle of the Atom. I hate how the team has been depicted since Morrison ruined them with his ending. I have seldom read the book and liked it like I did pre-Morrison. Honestly, I'm buying them out of addiction now rather then joy. There are good moments, and those are what I cling to to continue buying, but I'm not seeing any coming anytime soon. The writers, they make them dark and moody, or light and silly, but for some reason none of them can capture what made the book amazing, and it was the thing that Morrison stripped from it. He took away the franchise's personality. The family and fun and love among the team. The close-knit "I got your back no matter our differences" feel.

This book used to be a family. Then it became a military. Now it's just a faction of heroes fighting more heroes. It's the unofficial Civil War ongoing title that just keeps getting worse and worse each year. Marvel has no idea how to write X-Men. I'll give them a clue. You don't pick up readers by creating a franchise in which there is NO ONE for the fans to root for. Both sides of the Schism are deplorable. The decent characters are either A) ignored, or B) made two-dimensional and fall in the shadow of all the other *****e-bags.



People have been praising Marvel of late and I don't get it. Their quality sucks. Their continuity is a joke (as in, they don't care about it). Their characters can't grow or evolve, and the only past that truly matters are early 80s and previous. Their desire to bring in movie-crowds overpowers the respect of their history and universe and it stunts the universe's growth. In my opinion, Marvel is killing their comics and I'm sick of reading it.


And now on to DC... thank God

Talon 12 - Of the DC books, this was my least favorite; but I still enjoyed it. I'm very interested in the Butcher and the Court of Owls in general. Tynion seems to be building to his final climax and I'm enjoying it. Yeah, it's not the best book I read each month, but it's still likable. I don't see the book lasting all that much longer, but for the time being, I'm still on board. At least until the plots that Tynion has been building is resolved.

Justice League 24 - Despite the title, the Justice League are not in this issue. That bothered me at first, but the story ended up sucking me in and I liked it. Also, seeing Black Adam enter the fray taking on Ultraman was pretty awesome. I'm eager to see that plot play out more in Forever Evil 3. It was interesting getting to see the background of Ultraman, but I hope this isn't going to become a thing... seeing the backstories of the Crime Syndicate. I don't care so much about that as I do finding out about the Justice League.

Justice League Dark 24 - MAN I love this book. DeMatteis comes on as the new writer and picks up the great quality of those before him. This takes place right after Trinity War, following Constantine as he awakens inside the House of Mysteries. He's piecing together what happened and goes on a bit of a spiritual journey (with some help from the Night Nurse, who was seen in Phantom Stranger a few months back). Just getting inside of John's head like that was interesting, and the take of what Evil truly is was fascinating. And the art! Mikel Janin might possibly be my favorite artist at this point. The way he draws pretty much everything is just astounding. I LOVE it!

The only downside to this issue is the revelation that the Swamp Thing that's joining John's new JLD isn't the actual Swamp Thing (at least, it seems that way) but rather a new one that Night Nurse grew herself. Still, there could be some interesting things with that plot.

This serves as a bit of a lead-in to the Forever Evil: Blight crossover between this, Constantine, Phantom Stranger, and Pandora, and if the other issues are anywhere NEAR as good as this one, I'm all aboard and excited. I can't wait for the rest!

Aquaman 24 - We get some insight on Atlantis' deep past in this issue and I found it fairly interesting, though it wasn't as good as I was hoping. It was decent, but I think after SO much happening last issue, this quiet issue was a bit of a let down. Still, I enjoyed it and will continue the title at the very least until John' run finishes up in a month or two. I'll probably continue into Parker's as well to see what he does with the title.



I won't do a Best/Worst of the Week because I am so frustrated by Marvel and would rather not give it any deep consideration at this point. Justice League Dark was obviously the best of the week though. If anyone has been curious about that book but haven't been buying it, buy this issue. It's a fresh start following the events of Trinity War with a new writer. Yes, it's entering a crossover with 3 other titles, but I can vouch that Phantom Stranger (also written by DeMatteis) is equally as good (and has been since around issue 5 or so, and it keeps getting better). Pandora and Constantine are written by Fawkes I think, so the crossover is being handled to only two writers who are working together to make it work, and already I think the quality is going to be astounding. Pick up this book and Phantom Stranger... both are 100% worth it.

Completely agree about YA...well at least we've got Yost writing New Warriors...so there is hope for Marvel's younger heroes...

As for JLD and Phantom Stranger...hmmm might check these out. I miss DeMatteis on Spidey...

 

[runawayboulder]

It seems like some of you guys consider Uncanny Avengers an X-Men title.

I don't consider it an X-Men book....or an Avengers one for that matter. I look at it like it's own entity.

 

[chamber-music]

I dropped Young Avengers as I thought it was boring.

My favourite book of the week was probably Infinity Heist.
I really enjoy the Rogues villains in the Flash books and the old Thunderbolts stuff. This reminds me of that. Long running Mid-level villains not completely evil but not anti-heroes either.

Blizzard finding out he is a Inhuman and thinking about turning his life around but then realizing you don't just walk out on a team of villains especially one lead by Spymaster.

X-Men. I think the infighting and alternate timeline/reality stuff is dragging the franchise down.

I can see Marvel trying to reposition the Inhumans as a alternative to the X-Men for reasons the first being because of their cinematic plans for the franchise and secondly because the Inhumans world is far less complicated than the X-Men world.

Justice League . I kind of enjoyed seeing Ultraman crush Jimmy Olsen's hands. I don't dislike Jimmy but seeing a villain just taunt and hurt a supporting Superman character like that was oddly entertaining to me. I guess its because I don't expect something like that to happen to a superman supporting character.

 

[JewishHobbit]

As for JLD and Phantom Stranger...hmmm might check these out. I miss DeMatteis on Spidey...

DeMatteis on Spidey was just phenominal, and in my opinion, he's doing just as well here early on.

He joined JLD with this issue, so you can probably start here without needing a whole lot of pre-reading (though it'd probably help if you know what happened in Trinity War).

Phantom Stranger might be a more difficult beast to tackle. DeMatteis came in around issue 4 or 5, but he continued directly where Didio left off. Each issue leads into the next up to the current issue, so there isn't any clear jumping on points. Honestly, the best option is to start at issue #0 and read straight on through to the current issue (#12) and expect to not be all that blown away for the first few. It picks up around issue 5 and gets increasingly better with each issue. The past 3 or 4 issues have blown me away.

These two titles are currently my favorite titles.

 

[chamber-music]

Daredevil is getting relaunched again but keeping the same creative team.

The comic industry really needs to come up with a better business strategy other than relaunch/reboot everything or crossover mutli-book events every other month.

 

[RockSP]

Daredevil is getting relaunched again but keeping the same creative team.

 

[JewishHobbit]