Jumping into Comics

DC Comics is bringing back the fun at last...

2008-01-31T08:52:00.001-08:00

... in it's six-issue Ambush Bug mini-series, which comes out in July. In a recent Newsarama interview, Keith Giffen, who's plotting and pencilling this mini-series, makes an interesting comment about how this project came to be:

And out of the blue -- and I really mean out of the blue; I was not expecting
this -- Dan DiDio and Jann Jones called me up and said, "You want to do Ambush
Bug? Six issues?" And I was like, "You're really asking?" [laughs] And they
said, "Yeah!"Apparently, they kind of agree with me. NRAMA: Agree with you?KG:
Yeah. They brought it up that comics are taking themselves way too
seriously, and it's time to thrash them around a bit and remind people why
comic books are supposed to be fun.

I don't disagree with Dan and Jan's comments, but I kind of wish Dan had realized that before killing off a bunch of Justice League International characters and making Maxwell Lord "evil all along." Justice League International, by the way, was the era of the Justice League (DC Comics' premiere super-team) in which humor played a large part. Maxwell Lord was the financial backer of the team during this period and was initially portrayed as borderline sinister, but turned out to be under the control of a villainous computer program. After breaking free, Max was generally portrayed as an amoral businessman, but not evil: in fact, his morality seemed to grow throughout the series, as seen through the various thought-balloons revealing what he was thinking. Which DC then decided to ignore, despite these being his INNER THOUGHTS.

*sigh* but I digress. I'm just glad DC's ready to laugh at itself again.

2008-01-28T10:32:00.000-08:00

Newsarama's interview with Duncan Roleau about his Metal Man series includes a bunch of covers from earlier Metal Men series, and I have to say, they sound like something Grant Morrison would come up with (and that's a good thing). Check it:

http://www.newsarama.com/dcnew/MetalMen/Metal_Men-007.jpg
http://www.newsarama.com/dcnew/MetalMen/MetalMen20.jpg (I LOVE this one)
http://www.newsarama.com/dcnew/MetalMen/Metal_Men-026.jpg
http://www.newsarama.com/dcnew/MetalMen/DCShowcase040.jpg

The most mindboggling (and awesome) solit I've read in a while

2007-07-17T23:39:00.000-07:00

Marvel Comics has released its solicitations (comics info) for October, and while there are a couple of things that caught my eye, there was one solit that made my mouth fall wide open:

SHANNA THE SHE–DEVIL: SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST #3 (of 4)
Written by JUSTIN GRAY & JIMMY PALMIOTTI
Pencils & Cover by KHARI EVANS
As if things couldn't get any worse, Shanna the She-Devil and her band of
merry pirates have been captured by Nazi Neanderthals and must battle for their
lives against a pair of man-eating sabertooth tigers in a prehistoric
gladiatorial death match! Meanwhile, the Hong Kong gangsters plot their revenge,
but run into a snag when dozens of curious raptors enter the fray…32
PGS./Parental Advisory …$2.99

I think we should all add Shanna the She-Devil to our pull lists*. Right now.

For more of Marvel's October solicitations, you can find them at the link below:
http://www.newsarama.com/marvelnew/Oct07/solicitations.html

*a pull list is a list of comics you can reserve at a comic book store. If you don't have one, I recommend getting one! It'll guarantee you'll get those comics that can sell out quickly, and you might even get a discount on your purchases.

Oliver Tull doesn't like stiff

2007-04-03T16:29:00.000-07:00

Great news: Scott Hinze and Oliver Tull, the hosts of Fanboy Radio, had moved their talk-show to IPTV with FanboyTV, an hour-long look at comics and other aspects of pop-culture (and interview several of comics' hottest creators!). Just saw the first episode and it's got all the fun Fanboy Radio had and then some. Check it out!

http://www.fanboy.tv

"Runaways": required reading?

2007-03-29T10:29:00.000-07:00

Exciting news! The first collection of Brian K. Vaughan's critically-acclaimed Runaways series Pride and Joy has been nominated for the Georgia Peach Award! If it wins, it'll become required reading in the Georgia school system! This is a giant step for comic books, my friends. Congrats to Brian K. Vaughan and Marvel Comics: hope Runaways wins!

More details here:
http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=106880

And to learn more about Runaways Vol. 1: Pride and Joy, check out the info Amazon has on it:
http://www.amazon.com/Runaways-Vol-1-Pride-Joy/dp/0785113797/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-5809068-7119034?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1175189624&sr=8-1

Marvel's Eleven

2007-03-21T11:25:00.000-07:00

My eyes almost bulged out of their sockets when I read this: 11 of its titles sold out this month! 11! That's a rarity for any company. The titles are:

Captain America #25 (not surprising, given what happened in it; I won't spoil for those who haven't read it)
Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #1 (although he's not scripting it himself, Steven King is involved with the comic)

Mighty Avengers #1 (again, not surprising, given how well New Avengers #1 sold when it came out. Not to mention that Brian Bendis is a big name in comics nowadays)

New Avengers Illuminati: Secret History (Bendis co-wrote this, and New Avengers and the Illuminati are big players at Marvel right now)

Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness #1 (I think AoD's got a solid fanbase and the first Marvel Zombies mini-series was a surprise hit, so there you go)

Civil War: The Initiative (the biggest book, in terms of "importance," to come out of Marvel's latest crossover event, Civil War)

Civil War: The Confession (almost as big)

Iron Man #15 (no clue what happened in this one, but good for Iron Man)

Sensation Spider-Man #35 (one of the first issues in the much-hyped "Back in Black" Spider-Man event)

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #17 (ditto; "Back in Black," by the way, refers to Spider-Man putting his black costume from the 80s back on, presumably due to some dark recent events in his life)

Spider-Man Family #1 (hurray! This is the one I'm most surprised and excited about. For those who don't know, this is the first issue of a bi-monthly Spider-Man anthology comic, featuring both brand new Spidey stories and reprints. The first alone has four stories, and for $4.99, that's not a bad deal).

More info on the comics (including when the reprints come out) is in the link below. You may want to skip the first three paragraphs though, as they spoil the major event in Cap #25.
http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=105845

So for anyone reading this: these sellouts excite you? Not really? And do any titles catch your eye?

Highlights from Wonder Con 2007 (with commentary)

2007-03-04T09:52:00.000-08:00

Part 1: DC Comics

With Wonder Con 2007 wrapping up, I thought it'd be cool if Hook and myself looked at some of the things that caught our eye. Here's the format:

-News tidbit (taken verbatim from Newsarama)

Goki's comments

Hook's comments

Okay, let's get started:

-Superman’s continuity and origin issues will be addressed at some time, and there is an idea for it all, Idelson said, they’re just not planning on doing it soon. Adding to this, Didio said that DC wants to add in other large pieces of the continuity and mythology before going back and addressing the origin.

Goki: Very nice to hear. While I’m glad the creative teams on Superman and Action Comics have placed story over continuity, some of their stories have contradicted what’s come before quite a bit. Even though it’s a while away, I look forward to seeing how they pull it off.

Hook: I like continuity. We need more of it. Whatever that is.

-Prompted by Didio to reveal something coming up that’s a tie-in, Winick said that there will be a “June wedding.”

Goki: A wedding, eh? Maybe it’ll be the wedding of Green Arrow and Black Canary, which Rich Johnston’s mentioned a few times on his rumor column, "Lying in the Gutters"?

Hook: If it is, that's retarded. Dinah is too good for Ollie.

-Alan Burnett will write Superman/Batman arc with Dustin Nguyen which will feature a New Gods character that is rarely used.

Goki: Burnett on Superman/Batman? Awesome. And Dustin Nguyen’s art is great, especially his work on Wildcats Version 3.0. I wonder who the New Gods character will be…
(Alan Burnett, by the way, was one of the key writers on Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, and Batman Beyond)

Hook: I do not read Superman/Batman. Turns out, I don't care. At all.

-Didio hinted that, in terms of Batman storylines, that Terry McGuiness (Batman Beyond) may be showing up somewhere in the DCU soon.

Goki: always nice to see Bruce Timm’s animated DC Comics work getting the props it deserves. Even though it’s not his time period, wouldn’t it be nifty if Terry McGuiness ended up in the Legion of Superheroes?

Hook: I want to see him as a horrible villain. I mean it worked for Jason Todd. And why is Dick still good? Screw that noise.

-James Robinson does have a story in mind for more Jack Knight stories, and the door is open, Didio said, now, scheduled just need to match up.

Goki: More Jack Knight by Robinson is always a good thing. You should read Robinson’s Starman work sometime, Hook, it’s really good.

Hook: I wanna read this stuff badly. And if new stuff comes out, I will be getting it.

-Jerry Ordway has a Superman project coming, Idelson revealed.

Goki: Alright, Jerry Ordway! Nice to hear he’s returning to the character he worked on for many years.

Hook: I honestly have nothing to say.

-Captain Carrot and the Final Ark will begin in August.

Goki: I have mixed feelings about this. I like the idea of Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew, but I’m not sure the darker direction Bill Morrison wants to take them in will work for me. More on that here: http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=102830)

Hook: I say go for it. Captain Carrot has always been a satire of comics. I say take it in a dark direction a la GLA

Goki: Now there’s a good idea

-“Green Arrow will end with #75, Winick said, adding that the very last page of the issue features Oliver Queen offering an engagement ring to Black Canary. With that issue, Winick said, he’ll be off the series and character.”

Goki: Further evidence that Oliver and Dinah will marry, but it’s a shame Green Arrow is ending. Just a few years ago, it was DC’s highest-selling title. Then again, that was probably largely due to Kevin Smith’s popularity.

Hook: I am against everything in this. Dinah should not marry Ollie. He has not proved to be deserving to her at all. And I love this title, I want more Green Arrow. But if this leads to a Connor Hawke ongoing, I approve.

-In clarifying his comment, Winick later told Newsarama: " I'm done, and DC is as well, with the monthly book Green Arrow. I'm not done, and DC is not done with Green Arrow. And that's all I say."

Goki: Glad to see there are still plans for Ollie. Still a shame his comic is ending.

Hook: Indeed.

-There are no plans to put a memorial for Stephanie Brown in the Batcave, Didio said, noting that she became Robin out of her own resort, was never accepted into the full role and Bat-family, and died as Spoiler, not as Robin.

Goki: He has a point, but still…

Hook: She was Robin. She deserves it

More info on Wonder Con ’07: DC Nation Panel
http://www.newsarama.com/WonderCon/2007/DCNation.html

So now I turn it over to you, dear readers. What DC Comics announcements made at Wonder Con caught your eye?

2007-02-27T23:19:00.000-08:00

Last post was a bit silly: the guys at Comic Pants are having a vote on whether their new trade paperback reviews should be called "Fat Pants" or "Waiting for the Trade." Seeing as most of their other features already have pant-related monikers (i.e. "Bell-Bottom" Picks, Short Pants), I was hoping they'd go for "Fat Pants."

Anyway, onto other things. Last March, all DC Comics jumped forward by one year. Then in May (I think), DC launched [i]52[/i], a weekly series that showed what happened during that missing year. Despite starring mostly minor characters, the series has done very well in sales, and has shipped on time every single week (and in a time when many monthly comics come out late, that's really something).

Now it looks like DC wants to capitalize its success with a new weekly series, titled [i]Countdown[/i]. It starts at issue #51 and goes down all the way to zero. I'm pretty excited: one of my favorite writers, Paul Dini, is the main story architect, and one of the main characters is going to be Superman's pal himself, Jimmy Olsen. The series looks like it's also going to solve some lingering questions, such as where Ray Palmer (the original Atom) has disappeared to, what's up with Mary Marvel, and what's been going on with the New Gods.

More info on [i]Countdown[/i] can be found here:
Paul Dini interview
http://www.wizarduniverse.com/magazine/wizard/003562848.cfm
Dan DiDio (Senior VP-Executive Director) and Mike Marts (Senior Editor) interview)
http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=102192
Keith Giffen (layout penciller of [i]Countdown[/i] and [i]52[/i]) interview
http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=102928 (there's a beautiful line in here where Giffen tackles the recent comic book lateness problem head-on)

Make YOUR pants extra-large

2007-02-26T18:39:00.000-08:00

Explanation comes later. Awesomeness comes now.

Comic book movie news

2007-02-04T13:09:00.000-08:00

Previously, Joss Whedon (of Buffy, Angel, Firefly and Serenity fame) was working on a script for a Wonder Woman film. Similarly, David Goyer (who wrote the Batman Begins and worked on all three Blade movies) had written a treatment for The Flash. Both writers have written a fair share of comic books: Goyer formely co-wrote JSA and some issues of Starman, while Whedon's currently writing Astonishing X-Men and has written other comics in the past.

Now, both writers are no longer involved their respective movies.

Here's the skinny on Whedon and Wonder Woman
http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=100068
http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=9546

And here's the info on David Goyer and The Flash
http://blog.newsarama.com/2007/02/02/goyer-my-version-of-the-flash-is-dead-at-wb/

Ask the Question

2007-01-28T19:32:00.000-08:00

Today was the ribbon-cutting date of VicSage.com, a web site dedicated to the DC Comics vigilante known as The Question. The site covers all versions of the character, from Steve Ditko's original vision to the Denny O'Neil, Rick Veitch and Justice League Unlimited versions. There's even a section which goes into characters similar to or inspired by The Question, such as Rorschach (one of the main protagonists in the comic Watchmen) and Mr. A (Steve Ditko's more objectivist version of The Question). It's a great resource, it's easy to navigate, and the people I've talked to who frequent the site (including its author, Eric Newsom) are very pleasant. So feel free to check out the site by clicking on the link below!

http://www.vicsage.com

Wasted Bullet?

2006-11-14T21:35:00.000-08:00

Comics news site Newsarama interviewed Grant Morrison about his recently-concluded epic, "Seven Soldiers." At one point, Grant and Ian Brill (the interviewer) chat a little bit about one of the story's major players, The Bulleteer:

NRAMA: I must know, what happened to The Buleteer between Seven
Soldiers #1 and 52 Week 24 where she goes from being a severely reluctant hero
to someone who joins a version of the Justice League (a rather makeshift
version, but still)?
GM: Beats me. She's found her way into
the regular DCU as a kind of cipher who crops up when writers need a 'lame' hero
to stand around in crowd scenes.

What I find strange is that pretty much the same thing that happens in "52: Week Twenty-Four," a comic Grant Morrison co-wrote. Without spoiling too much, Bulleteer becomes a member of the new JLA (Justice League of America), but she only says one word in the entire issue.

Still, the interview is very interesting. Check it out:
http://www.newsarama.com/dcnew/7Soldiers/7Soldierswrap_Morrison.html

71-page "Sidescrollers" preview!

2006-10-21T15:05:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month, Oni Press released "Sidescrollers," a 208-page graphic novel by Matthew Loux. Comic Book Resources has put up an old press release about it:

Brian, Brad, and Matt are three best friends who have stuck with each other
through thick and thin, despite the fact that they love to tease each other
constantly. It's a sweet summer off from the bummers of high school in their
small boring suburban town in Connecticut. They are the losers at their high
school, the oddities of their town. When they're not working at the local fast
food joint, you can find them either playing video games, eating junk food, or collecting
comics.
"SIDESCROLLERS is a story about the kids who in school were
considered either the nerds or the screw-ups," explained Loux. "These three guys
are best friends going nowhere, but they're totally okay with that. Until of
course, one fateful day when life takes them on an unexpected adventure they
will never forget."
This day starts out like any other, with an innocent
game of Street Fighter. But trouble brews when our perpetual losers discover
that the new girl in town, Amber (of whom Matt is sweet on) is going to the big
local rock show that night with Richard, the epitome of perverted, mean, and
annoying high school football jocks. Our three heroes suspect that Richard (or
"Dick", as he is known to them) has some creepy plans for the innocent girl he
is preying on, and so they take action in the best way high schoolers can: by
vandalizing his car!

Comic Book Resources has also been provided with a 71-page preview (!) of the graphic novel, and it's a lot of fun. Go to the first web site below and click on the cover to check it out:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=8526

And for more Oni Press publications, go here:
http://www.onipress.com/

A taste of Vertigo

2006-10-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

A while ago, Vertigo, DC Comics' mature readers imprint, put up the entire first issues of several of its comic series online, in PDF format. Many of these series have been collected into trade paperbacks (those fat comics you see in bookstores and comic shops), and the collections are listed at the end of each PDF file. These titles deal in various genres and several of them have been critically acclaimed, so there's sure to be one (at least) that gets your attention. Click on the link below to check them out: just remember, they're part of the "mature readers" line for a reason (they're basically the equivalent of an "R" movie).

http://www.dccomics.com/news/?nw=6186

Civil War #4 parody

2006-10-04T10:37:00.000-07:00

Hook found this hilarious parody of "Civil War" #4, the latest issue of Marvel's current company event. Check it out:

http://spacklecube.com/civilwar4/

I think I've seriously underestimated Ralph Dibny

2006-09-28T03:43:00.000-07:00

http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0609/25/jlu5.htm

"Holy YouTube, Batman!"

2006-09-24T21:19:00.000-07:00

Not many folks know that when the 1988 "Batman" movie was being produced, Robin was initially going to appear briefly in the film's final act. While Robin didn't end up in the movie, the storyboard for the scene was "animated," with Kevin Conroy as the voice of Batman, Jason Hillhouse as Robin, and Mark Hamill (yes, THAT Mark Hamill) as the Joker. Conroy and Hamill would later reprise their roles in the 1992 "Batman: The Animated Series," as well as in several subsequent series. Hillhouse went on to become a special features producer and commentary moderator of several of DC Comics' animated series... including the ones where Conroy voiced Batman and Hamill voiced the Joker. Fitting, eh?

But enough of my chatter. Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BknHApJ6e0

"We All Live in a..."

2006-09-23T16:47:00.000-07:00

Comic Book Resources recently wrote an article about Bill Morrison's unpublished comic book adaptation of the Beatles animated film "Yellow Submarine." The comic was to be published by Dark Horse and was timed to coincide with the film's DVD release in 1999, but was scrapped, unfortunately. You can read much more about it (as well as see some of its amazing pages) in the link below:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=8433

Conway and Romita talk about "The Death of Gwen Stacy"

2006-09-13T23:55:00.000-07:00

Since I just put up a post about John Romita, I figure this would be a perfect follow-up. Both Romita and writer Gerry Conway recently talked to Newsarama about one of the big moments in Spider-Man history, "The Death of Gwen Stacy" storyline. Interesting stuff, let me tell ya. Check it out:

http://www.newsarama.com/TwoMorrows/BackIssue/18/BackIssueGwen.html

P.S. isn't that Romita sketch of Gwen spectacular?

Two Legends Get Their Due

2006-09-13T23:49:00.000-07:00

Congrats to John Romita and George Perez (who probably aren't reading this, but ah well ;) ) for winning the first Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award. In my opinion, these two are among the most talented creators to ever work in comics, and they most certainly deserve this award. You can read the rest of the story here:
http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=36;t=005558

Mourning Ninth Art

2006-06-21T14:58:00.000-07:00

Just like to take a minute to mourn the loss of Ninth Art, which closed on Monday. Ninth Art was a web site dedicated to analyzing comics as both a medium and an industry. Its contributors have written many intelligent articles, reviews and essays about comics over the past five years; even if you didn't always agree with what they wrote, they always managed to keep you interested.

Although Ninth Art will no longer be updated, it will remain online as an archive site, so feel free to click on the link below and take a gander at a site that rightfully claimed to be "for the discerning reader."

http://www.ninthart.com/

Coming attractions

2006-06-08T15:32:00.000-07:00

We haven't updated for a while, but that doesn't mean we're down and out. Hook and I will soon be posting our reviews of several of DC Comics' "One Year Later" titles. Afterwards, we'll either do another Roundtable Discussion with Goblin or post something before then. So keep your eyes peeled!

Roundtable Discussion #1, Part 2

2006-02-20T17:50:00.000-08:00

At last, Part 2 of our New Avengers convo is ready! I edited out some of the completely non-topic stuff and very inside jokes, but aside from that, it's all unedited. By the way, let me apologize in advance for having to leave the conversation early. Anyway, here we go:

TheMadHooker: Can I get a vote to name them (the New Avengers) something else?
Gokitalo: Well... I'm not sure yet
TheMadHooker: why not?
TheMadHooker: Hey, next, can we talk about something that is not crap?
Gokitalo: With a couple of exceptions in plot, Bendis is writing New Avengers in a pretty traditional superhero style
TheMadHooker: She-Hulk? Thunderbolts? X-Factor?
Gokitalo: Yes yes yes, we'll talk about something you like next time
Gokitalo: Cool down
TheMadHooker: grrr
Gokitalo: brb, gonna feed George [my dog]
Gokitalo: If you see Goblin, invite him back in
Goblin4153 has entered the room.
Goblin4153: You only call it a failure because Hawleye is dead.
TheMadHooker: and that is... what do you call it?
TheMadHooker: Oh ye
TheMadHooker: s
TheMadHooker: Sucks
TheMadHooker: I think my favorite part in issue 2 is where Foggy prays to Sentry
Goblin4153: So why is New Avengers such a travesty of a book?
TheMadHooker: Name me one "Holy Crap" moment
Goblin4153: That's not what I asked.
TheMadHooker: That is a reason
TheMadHooker: This is the Avengers
TheMadHooker: It should be HUGE
TheMadHooker: and this fails
Goblin4153: Because a book doesn't make me go "Holy crap!" it's one of the worst books on the market?
TheMadHooker: If it's the Avengers, yes
Goblin4153: This is NOT the Avngers. This is the NEW Avengers.
TheMadHooker: Right
TheMadHooker: the New stands for "Crap"
Goblin4153: There is a reason it says "New."
TheMadHooker: Just like New Coke
TheMadHooker: new Avengers is teh new Coke of comics
Goblin4153: You can't give one legitimate argument for why you rail on this book other than everything you've been saying since before a single issue ever hit the stands.
TheMadHooker: Ding ding ding
TheMadHooker: Fine
TheMadHooker: How many prisoners escaped
Goblin4153: I have no idea, I'd have to go back and reread the early issues.
TheMadHooker: Let me do it for you, right quick
TheMadHooker: Issue 4
TheMadHooker: Says 42
Goblin4153: I'm assuming there is more to this argument ...
TheMadHooker: ytes
TheMadHooker: I must swing through the issues
TheMadHooker: Issue 7
TheMadHooker: there are 44
TheMadHooker: Mister Fantastic says 46
TheMadHooker: and then we're drop back down some more
TheMadHooker: In short, he can't even keep the damned number straight
TheMadHooker: and then the Sentry story may have been the worst thing in the entire run
TheMadHooker: It introduces the Illumanti, which is supposed to be big
TheMadHooker: but it just falls flat
Gokitalo: The thing with the Illuminati is that well, we never knew about them until just now
TheMadHooker: Yes
TheMadHooker: I call that lazy
Gokitalo: So when they disband, you get this, "yeah... so?" feeling
TheMadHooker: Thank you
TheMadHooker: It's like when they dropped Astra into the orginial Brotherhood of mutants
TheMadHooker: we don't care
TheMadHooker: because we never saw it
TheMadHooker: and it's lame
TheMadHooker: and now suddenly, this is a major story? (The Illuminati
TheMadHooker: And the Sentry storyline was horrendously bad
Goblin4153: Valid points, but they're hardly this huge debacle that makes the book unreadable.
TheMadHooker: No, the book does that on it's own
TheMadHooker: the entire Sentry arc was a mess and a half
TheMadHooker: It felt like a fill in arc
TheMadHooker: done by the regular crew
Gokitalo: But come on, at least comic-book Paul Jenkins was cool, right? ;-) :-P
TheMadHooker: .....
Goblin4153: Why did it feel like a fill-in?
TheMadHooker: It barely advanced the actual plot
TheMadHooker: y'know, wiht the escaped villians
TheMadHooker: which seemed like the entire thrust of the book
Goblin4153: It was the thrust of the initial arc.
TheMadHooker: And the arcs following that
Goblin4153: It was the impetus behind forming the team. Then they went after Suaron in the Savage Land.
TheMadHooker: and then issue 9 felt like a very special issue of the White Queen
TheMadHooker: With her guests... everyone else
Goblin4153: Where was it said that the book was only going to be about the breakout?
Goblin4153: The Avengers don't have a psychic.
TheMadHooker: Well, since that was the entire reason for them getting together, it would be nice if they actually followed up on it
TheMadHooker: And they do
Goblin4153: Who?
TheMadHooker: but since we try not to use many old Avengers, it doesn't matter
TheMadHooker: Moondragon
Goblin4153: Sorry, my mistake. The New Avengers don't have any psychics.
TheMadHooker: And they need to be friggin' called something else
TheMadHooker: this is not the Avengers
TheMadHooker: And unless they've changed the word "new" to mean "shit" this doesn't qualify
TheMadHooker: This is easily the WORST run on the Avengers since issue 300ish
TheMadHooker: This makes Chuck Austen look good
Gokitalo: (I'll reply in just a sec)
TheMadHooker: End of issue 10. Namor: Nothing else we need to discuss? Tony: No.
TheMadHooker: Me: OH GOSH! He lied to a bunch of people! Who have been together for three issues,
TheMadHooker: OH SNAP!
Goblin4153: You still haven't provided a reason for this bile and hatred aside from a few minor continuity glitches.
Gokitalo: The Slug lives
Gokitalo: That is not minor
Gokitalo: :-P
TheMadHooker: He actually covered that
TheMadHooker: somewhat
TheMadHooker: I'll give him that
Gokitalo: I do kind of think the New Avengers aren't pursuing the escaped convicts as actively as they could
TheMadHooker: here we go. Those glitches, ifne, we'll call them minor.
TheMadHooker: They aren't going after the escaped cons.
TheMadHooker: They aren't working together
Gokitalo: I know it's common superhero tradition to wait for the bad guys to strike first
TheMadHooker: Eleven issues in and we're still forming the team
Gokitalo: But still, they did say they wanted to follow up on things
TheMadHooker: We take a special detour to introduce a bad concept
Goblin4153: They are. Hell, you can place just as much if not more blame on the editor for the breakout errors. The Sentry issue isn't a problem, just something that wasn't your thing.
TheMadHooker: and then we get two issues devoted mainly to the White Queen
TheMadHooker: But you are asking for reasons for the hatred
TheMadHooker: I am giving them
TheMadHooker: For you to just say "that it wasn't your thing" doesn't take back the fact that this is where the anger comes from
Goblin4153: I'd actually blame the 11-issue deal on marketing. It only seemed like they were forming the team because they kept whoring out the one image with Ronin on it.
TheMadHooker: And they had a hard time fighting NINJAS!
TheMadHooker: NINJAS!
TheMadHooker: The AVENGERS HAD A HARD TIME FIGHTING NINJAS!
TheMadHooker: Iron Man could've and should've taken them out on his own with no problem
Goblin4153: Give credit where creidt is due - this is the Hand, not some jerkwate ninjas.
Goblin4153: They're friggin' immortal.
TheMadHooker: they are ninjas vs. the Avengers
TheMadHooker: and it went on for what?
Goblin4153: IMMORTAL ninjas. They can't die.
TheMadHooker: three issues?
Gokitalo: They didn't have a hard time fighting ninjas
TheMadHooker: and then there was the big reveal of who Ronin was
TheMadHooker: It took them three issues
Gokitalo: The ninjas retreated twice
TheMadHooker: does it friggin' matter
TheMadHooker: Why did they retreat?
TheMadHooker: And then Iron Man's rationale was lame
Gokitalo: As for Ronin, I won't fault Bendis since for shilling his Daredevil work because well, he never used her on Daredevil
TheMadHooker: "You were all bouncing in front of me."
TheMadHooker: No, I will blame him
Goblin4153: What "took them" three issues? Because Bendis didn't tell you in the first page who Ronin was it "took them" three issues? It's not like that was the only story of the arc, it was a piece of it.
TheMadHooker: "Who is Ronin?"
TheMadHooker: Let me toss this out
TheMadHooker: well, it's a woman with black hair
TheMadHooker: we see Captain America talking about it
TheMadHooker: sorry, to her
Goblin4153: I blame the artist more for the Ronin deal, anyway. I don't care if it's Echo, I care that the artist deliberately made her look like a guy.
TheMadHooker: so all the damned hints. "Maybe it's SHang Chi? Iron Fist? OH NOES! The Taskmaster!
TheMadHooker: Guess what, the artist is part of the book
TheMadHooker: the editors are part of the book
TheMadHooker: you can blame them all you want, but they are still part of the book
TheMadHooker: which is why the BOOK is not any good
Gokitalo: I heard a podcast where Bendis was interviewed
Goblin4153: Yes, well, until this point your hatred has always been pointed squarey at Bendis.
Gokitalo: And in later issues, it will be revealed why Ronin was made to look like a man
TheMadHooker: That's because he's the easiest one to attack
TheMadHooker: But in this case, it shows the entire book is falling apart
TheMadHooker: I'm not going to say anyhting about ronin's look
Gokitalo: Guys, definitely keep going. I gotta eat, but I'll be back afterwards
TheMadHooker: enough padding can do a lot
Goblin4153: Rotating artists. You can't find fault with Steve McNiven or Frank Cho.
TheMadHooker: but in this case, the big tease that it might be Taskmaster is useless because we know it's a woman
TheMadHooker: and the fact that is Echo is underwhelming
TheMadHooker: "It's.... Uncle Bob... from Speed Buggy? This si the worst episode of Scooby Doo ever!"
Goblin4153: I basically ignore marketings teases nowadays anyway. That whole thing's gone way too far with its "events" in recent years.
TheMadHooker: Why do we have a rotating artist at all?
TheMadHooker: Even ignoring it, you expect it to be someone good
Goblin4153: That's an industry-wide problem, hardly NA specific.
Goblin4153: McNiven and Cho are fantastic!
Goblin4153: Copiel's a little dark and sketchy for my tastes.
TheMadHooker: Out of the entire book
TheMadHooker: the series I have read
TheMadHooker: the only thing that interests me at all is the Spider-Woman working for both sides thing
TheMadHooker: Everything else failed utterly
Goblin4153: See, I'm not fawning over the book because I don't think it's a top ten book, but I seriously don't see how it "fails utterly."
TheMadHooker: thne you won't agree with me
Goblin4153: Does it have its problems? Of course. but that doesn't mean it's totally worthless.
TheMadHooker: I feel it is
Goblin4153: Then this debate is essentially pointless.
TheMadHooker: Of course
TheMadHooker: But I have given my reasons
TheMadHooker: most debate is
TheMadHooker: you will rarely make the other guy agree with you
Goblin4153: Bah! Debate is the attempt to change someone's mind.
Goblin4153: If you always fail ... it just means you suck at it.
TheMadHooker: No, it's the attempt tochange other people's minds
TheMadHooker: can we talk about something good?

Update News

2006-02-05T18:24:00.000-08:00

I know, I know: we haven't updated the site in a while. We've all been a bit busy with our respective things, plus I personally had a bit of trouble writing a review. But don't fret: we definitely plan to update with new material soon, so stay tuned.

Amazing Fantasy (vol. 2) #15

2006-01-04T17:37:00.000-08:00

This was the recent one-shot (of sorts) Marvel put out that showcased their writers group called the 10 Terrific. I think it's safe to say that Amazing Fantasy #15 was a marginal success back in 1963 when it premiered a certain webbed mascot of Marvel Comics. Would that make this book the latest book ever? If so, it broke the previous record held by Darker Image.

The point of this book was to give six of Marvel's up-and-coming writing stars introduce readers to a brand new character. Since the success of (vol. 1) #15's new character, this was a fitting place for the idea. And since the industry has become incredibly stale in years past, an influx of new blood is welcome. Even before AF hit the shelves, we've seen new launches like Arana, X-23, Gravity and others, all to varying degrees of creative and financial success. Either way tho, I am all for Marvel taking chances on new properties to spice up the House of Ideas. In addition to the six new characters, we have a quick tale of the guy that Spider-Man's holding on the cover to his first appearance on AF (vol.) #15.

AF itself encapsulates just about every degree of creative success, ranging from great right down to "Wow, this is pretty much total crap." Let's jump into each story separately ...

"Mastermind Excello"
(Greg Pak & Takeshi Miyazawa)

This is the first story in the book and also the best. Essentially, this kid is one of the smartest people on the planet. He can outthink just about anybody, but has to eat to recharge his energy. Different approach to the idea. He’s also being tailed by the government (who swears they’re trying to protect him). However, after his house is torched, Amadeus (Excello himself), believes the selfsame gov’t agent to be responsible and vows to track her down.

This is the property of the book that I would most like to see spun off into an ongoing. The protagonist is not the normal teenage superhero – hell, he isn’t even a hero. He’s on the run from the gov’t and just wants to be left alone. Appropriately, he actually meets the Hulk in these few pages. It doesn’t feel like a shoehorned guest appearance, just a nice juxtaposition between brains and strength.

I’m becoming a fan of Pak’s writing, after he kicked ass and made me care about the whole Jean Grey/Phoenix mess in his series “Phoenix: Endsong.” He has a sharp eye for dialogue and doesn’t talk down to the reader. A rare treat these days, the stories aren’t cliché’ but aren’t weird for the sake of weird.

Miyazawa’s art is slightly cartoony and manga-esque, but his storytelling skills are top notch. You’re never guessing what’s going on and the angles aren’t simply straightforward. I’m not into the “big eyes and mane of hair” style, but I can overlook it for Miyazawa.

“Blackjack”
(Dan Slott & Pete Woods)

Essentially, these stories (several 2 page spreads throughout the book) can be summed up by the first title: “Heavy on Action, Light on Plot.” This is a mix of James Bond and straight superhero action. It’s a tongue in cheek version of nick Fury that boasts flying bullets and hot blondes.

This isn’t surprising from Slott who’s become comicdom’s resident “Comics are fun!” cheerleader. The man excels at old school books that are just good, fun escapism. Woods’s art is just the same. Frenetic and action packed, it isn’t going for subtly. Of course, if he was trying to be subtle the entire point of the character would be lost.

Nothing wrong with Blackjack, but this particular type of story isn’t my thing. It’s a perfectly serviceable plot set-up, but I don’t know if it could sustain a full ongoing. I think it would pull in a great cult-following in 8 page back-ups in AF.

“The Great Video”
(Daniel Way & Nick Dragotta)

Sweet merciful crap.

What the hell is this? No, seriously. I don’t know what happened here. Some guy wakes up in the hospital, burns the people around him … somehow. Then he breaks out of the hospital and burns a guy in a video store while recording it.

Daniel Way is an odd writer. He’s not usually bad, but he is so decompressed and slow that sequential fiction like this is definitely not his place in the world. He’d e so much better as a novelist, but alas, he’s here at Marvel. The art, by a guy who’s unfamiliar to me, is nothing special. It’s scratchy and it’s basically point-and-click.

I’m not even going to bother going further than this. “The Great Video” is obviously the weakest story in the book and deserves to be tied p to a tree and Old Yeller’ed. If you want some good Daniel Way, go buy Punisher vs. Bullseye.

“Monstro”
(Robert Kirkman & Khary Randolph)

Kirkman Marvel Book #78

I’m not complaining, mind you, but the man writes enough books to tie Bendis. Suits me just fine as the man writes gold. This is another example. It’s a neat idea of a man who doesn’t want to be a superhero, but uses his powers as a member of the FDNY.

I’m not sure the book can sustain an ongoing, but I would love to see a limited series, maxi series or even graphic novel with Monstro. It’s a unique approach to superpowers that deserves exploration.

Randloph’s art is Oeming-esque in its apparent simplicity, but it really does bring out a lot of emotion. It also fits the main character’s personality to a T.

“Heartbreak Kid!”
(Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa & Jeff Parker w/ Sal Buscema)

Meh, mildly interesting idea but I’m just not into inserting “hidden” characters into the original runs of books. This time it’s a kid who can suck out your despair and make you feel better. He tries to befriend a young Peter Parker, but Pete freaks out and ditches him ... which is a good idea because taking the despair out of Pete’s life at that point in his life would kill Spider-Man and, well, that’s just bad, folks

I’m a fan of Sacasa’s writing (I think I’m the only person buying MK4) and Parker and Buscema seamlessly harken back to the 60s Spider-Man series while keeping it their own (even if Buscema was a part o the original run).

In the end tho, it’s a case of “what’s the point?” Peter walks away from the Heartbreak Kid and that’s about it. There’s an allusion to him moving on to help other people, but who cares about them? I’m not saying that every book has to be an action festival, I’m even down with all talking heads books, but this one seems a little thin to support a series.

“Positron”
(Sean McKeever & Kristen Donaldson)

Here’s an odd little story. It could easily be expanded into an ongoing series, but something’s missing. Maybe its just my own tastes, but I really don’t care about the emotional battle being fought. I’ll admit, I was surprised at Jackson’s role at the end, and I’m mildly intrigued, but feh.

I’ve nothing against McKeever, but I’ve only ever read one of his books. Granted, his Inhumans series was fantastic and I was sad to see it cancelled, but I need to see more of his work before I go more in depth on the man’s work. Donaldson’s art is kind of hippy, but it works for the story. I have to note I LOVED the ships chasing the kids. They look great.

“The Guy In Spider-Man’s Armpit”
(Dan Slott & Patrick Scherberger w/Norman Lee)

This is fun little tale about the guy Spider-Man is carrying on the cover of the first AF #15. It’s just a funny two page spread about what happens after Spider-man lands and puts the guy on the ground. The joke works and I’m surprised it hadn’t been touched before now. It gave me a chuckle and is a cute bonus to this volume.

Secret War

2006-01-03T18:42:00.000-08:00

Just to piss off Hook, I'm going to start my little regime here at JiC by reviewing not only a Bendis book, but a Bendis book that accentuates what failings he has but also highlights his strengths that annoy Hook ... and one that was insanely late.

The first and most blatant aspect of this book has to be its lateness. It's hard to miss and it actually impacts stories outside of itself. The first issue hit the shelves in April of 04 with #5 not seeing the light of day until December of 05. That's a wee bit shy of two years for a five issue series. Granted, it's a fully painted book, but, come on, two years? How many late books does it take to make Marvel Editorial learn that you don't solicit these kinds of books until the artist is extremely close to or is totally finished.

Now, aside from the pain in the ass it is to have to wait two years for a five issue story to end, the end to this particular story has a huge impact on the rest of the MU. After all is said and down, Nick Fury, arguably the glue that holds Marvel's Earthbound heroes together, was forced to go underground and leave SHIELD in the dark.

Aside from the fact that the grandmaster of dealings in superhuman politics has gone AWOL, his absence plays a huge role in the current state of Spider-Woman. Bendis (and thereby Marvel) has been pushing Spider-Woman into the big leagues for a while now. Not that I have any special affinity for Ms. Drew, I have to admit to biting on the hype. I dig her in the New Avengers and I even picked up the first issue of her origin miniseries (based more on checking out the Luna Bros.' art, but the book shows promise). I probably won't be getting her ongoing in 2006 but that's due to my being a poor college student.

Anyway, due to shipping schedules, we actually saw Fury making contact with the Avengers for the first time after going underground before we saw him go undergone. NA #14 shipped a week before SW #5. In effect, the end of SW was a flashback, which is ironic considering SW itself was a flashback story.

And here we step into another problem. I have no problem with flashback stories. On the contrary, I think they can make a generic story more interesting and can even be twisted into a mind-bending masterpiece like the film "Memento." However, the problem here arises in one of Bendis's trademark styles - decompression. Flashback stories are designed to add suspense and action to a story that may not have much to begin with. Put this in the hands of a writer whose strength is not action and you get some mixed results.

Making it even worse is making Captain America and Fury the only two who know what the hell are going on. The two of them bicker back and forth and the reader feels like Spider-Man in that we have no idea what's going on, but more like Cage in that we're in a coma with people talking over our unmoving body.

I went back and reread the series with #5's release and even though it works much better as one piece of fiction (as much of what Bendis writes does), there is still a lot wrong with this book. I'll ignore my Fanboy Urges and not go into detail with Logan's grossly out of character behavior on the plane. Another issue I had was this book was basically a primer to New Avengers. Not only does it lead directly into several NA storylines, but its style mimics NA to the panel. I wonder if this is on purpose or if this is simply the only kind of team/action story Bendis can write. Lord knows his action is better in Ultimate Spider-Man, but a solo hero (and a teenaged one at that) is a totally different dynamic.

As important as art is in any book, it's even more of note in SW. it was the art that delayed the book this long because we already know Bendis can write like 68 books a month. I'm not as enamored by painted book as others, tho I have no serious problems with them. I mean, Marvels and Kingdom Come are beautiful books. Secret War, not so much.

Dell'Otto's style is quite obviously very European. It retains a tightrope between uberrealistic and artistic almost to the point of cartoony. Nothing wrong with this style per se, it's just not my cup of tea. His group shots do seem kind of muddled tho, especially the espionage scenes with the Secret Warriors (oh, yes, they're a whole new team now!) attacking the group of Mechwarriors (their archenemies?).

And speaking of the Mechwarriors, the inherent problem in any story involving a mass of villains is that it's going to have to be a large group of villains that most people don't know nor really care about. I mean, a new version of Goldbug? Oooh, Captain America, a man who has stared down the Hulk, is really trembling. The only alternative is new people taking over established mantles, like the new Doc Ock rip off Lady Octopus. Hardly terrifying to Spider-Man who has beaten the REAL Ock countless times.

For all the problems the book has, it isn't entirely bad. It has some great espionage and political aspects with Fury talking to the President of the U.S. and the Black Widow undercover in Latveria. I'm kind of wondering when Latveria turned into a democracy and began electing a Prime Minister. Would Doom actually allow this? Is he still supposedly dead after Unthinkable? Some interesting questions here, but alas, no answers.

I also liked the realism in Fury's actions. He freely admits that there's a possibility he's being manipulated into acting outside of SHIELD protocols. He knows the President might want this situation taken care of militarily, but can't lose face on the world political scene.

However, no matter how well scripted or interesting the political aspects, this book languishes in the storytelling. More time is spent on getting Spider-Man or Daredevil to Cage's hospital room to tell the story or in Captain America fighting with Fury than is spent telling us what the hell went on in Latveria.

In essence, this story is really about the fallout of an event. The problem is, the event in question isn't a preexisting story like the Kree/Skrull War or Inferno. Instead, Bendis tries to cram in both the attack on Latveria and the political and practical fallout of the attack. It's quite obvious that the fallout and aftermath of the event is his main thrust of the story, and rightly so as it is more interesting, but there is nowhere near enough time explaining to us what actually went on a year prior. Without us knowing what happened, any aftermath, as interesting as it may be, holds zero impact.

New Avengers 1: The Satire Begins

2005-12-21T18:35:00.000-08:00

New Avengers #1

"Breakout!" Part One

Previously in New Avengers: It was the worst day in Avengers history. Brian Bendis decided that they were not hip enough and that Luke Cage should be added to the team. Thus, we uncovered an old West Coast Avengers comic (AND we give a very special award to the Wasp as biggest IDIOT OF THE YEAR), threw out some nonsense about there not being Chaos magic and ignoring the idea that Doctor Strange once used it, and had Scarlet Witch kill the Avengers: Jack of Hearts, who was already dead, Ant Man, the Vision, whose death didn’t make sense, and Hawkeye, who was given a mental lobotomy beforehand (It wasn’t mentioned, but it HAD to have happened; otherwise he’s a dumbass). The Avengers, instead of sticking it out, decided that they were going to break up. Because that worked so well the one time they did it in Avengers #297! And the team that followed that was great: Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman.... Gilgamesh!

After this break up, what wonderful team will we get now?

Let’s wait six months.

We done? Cool, let’s go!

A shadowy figure talks to Electro.

Shadowy Figure: “So, is the deal acceptable?”

Electro: "You want me?"

SF: "Yes."

Electro: "But I’m Electro. I mean, Spider-Man kicks my ass on a daily basis."

SF: "The Fantastic Four are away, the X-Men are... God, I don’t even want to begin with them.... and the Avengers are dead."

Electro: "Yeah, I read the recap. What about Spider-Man?"

SF: "It’s an island, he can’t get there."

Electro: Perfect. "Now I only have on question left: costume or no costume?"

SF: "Why would I care?"

Electro: "Costume."

SF: *Sighs*

Elsewhere on the Raft:

A helicopter lands and Luke Cage and Scott Summers gets off. Jessica Drew greets them.

Jessica Drew: “I thought I was supposed to see Matt Murdock.”

Matt Murdock: "I am Matt Murdock."

Jessica: "No, you’re Scott Summers. You have red glasses, wavy brown hair...."

Matt: "Aren’t you going to accuse me of being Daredevil?"

Jessica: "Scott Summers isn’t Daredevil, he’s Cyclops."

Luke Cage: "I’m Luke Cage. BITCH!"

Jessica: "That’s nice."

Matt: "I’d like you to meet my partner."

Jessica: "Jean Grey?"

Matt: "I’m NOT Scott Summers! Foggy get out here."

Matt peers inside: "He’s scared to come out."

Jessica: "Of course 'he' is, Mister Summers."

Luke: "SWEET CHRISTMAS!"

Later, in the prison:

Foggy: "There are prisoners? IN the prison? Close together? WHAT THE HELL IS THAT ABOUT?"

Jessica: "Don’t worry, they aren’t getting any human contact. We’ve found the best way to
reform them is to treat them like animals."

Luke: "Is that the Purple Man on that TV?"

Jessica: "Yes."

Luke: "Isn’t he supposed to be fighting the Thunderbolts?"

Matt: "This is Marvel, we don’t use continuity."

No really, those few lines just summed up the next three pages.

The lights go out.

Matt: "Isn’t anyone going to make a Daredevil reference?"

Jessica: "Why would we do that, Mister Summers?"

Elsewhere, the city slowly loses power. No, really, we get an entire page on this. This, my friends, is how you can know you’re holding a Bendis comic book. BIG explosion at the Raft. DOUBLE SPLASH PAGE! IT’S SO BIG, I HAVE TO USE MY CAPS LOCK!

Spider-Man’s apartment, and don’t get used to this locale. Peter and Mary Jane are sitting down to watch a movie.

Peter: "I don’t want to watch Hugh Grant."

MJ: "Tee hee."

Peter: "Why did you tee hee?"

The lights go out. MJ: "You better go."

Peter as he leaves: "Little did she know that I turned out the lights myself. NO HUGH GRANT! Tee hee. Why did I tee hee? Now, how do I get to the island?"

He sees a S.H.I.E.L.D. airship pass by.

Peter: "Convenient plot twist! It’s about time these worked for me!"

As he swings a web out to get it, it’s struck by a bolt of lightning.

Peter: "What are the odds that a bolt of lightning would strike the airship when it was obviously striking the Raft? Sheesh, if I was some sort of scientist, I would’ve figured this out."

As he gets onto the island, Captain America helps him up. He was apparently on the air ship, good for him.

Peter: "Thanks, Cap..."

Captain America: "What the hell is wrong with you solider? What the hell did you do wrong here?"

Peter: "What’s wrong with you? Why are you yelling at me like some drill sergeant?"

Cap: "Bendis isn’t quite sure how to write my dialogue yet."

Peter: "AH!"

Inside the prison.

Electro: "My name is Electro, and I broke you losers out. *"

The Wrecker: "Uhm... I’m the friggin’ Wrecker. I go toe to toe with Thor all the time. You lose to Spider-Man."

Electro: "So noted. Dude, why do you have on your mask?"

Scarecrow: "So people recognize me."

Electro: "You’re the Scarecrow. No one is going to recognize you."

Scarecrow goes crying away.

Electro: "Waaaaaiiiiit... aren’t you dead?"

The Slug: "I want to be."

Electro: "Wonderful, I’ll be surprised if most of you can get out of the room without getting captured again. Why can’t I be part of the jailbreak in She-Hulk? That was clever and made sense...."

Jigsaw: "It’s okay."

Electro: "I thought you were dead too! Damn lack of continuity..."

Elsewhere, with explosions all around.

Matt: "Jessica, where is the man we’ve come to see?"

Jessica: "He’s in there."

Matt opens the door: "Mister Crusoe? I’m here on behalf of Reed Richards. I am not Cyclops, just to throw that out there."

Jessica: "Who is he?"

Matt: "He’s Robinson Crusoe, just look at him. He’s possibly the most powerful hero on the planet."

Jessica: "What’s he doing here?"

Matt: "Convenient plot placement."

Luke: "That boy be off the hook!"

Foggy smacks Luke in the back of the head.

Luke: "Sweet Christmas!"

Foggy: "Muuuuuch better."

*Actual dialogue

Roundtable Discussion #1, Part 1

2005-12-05T18:45:00.000-08:00

Today we introduce our first regular feature of the blog, the Roundtable Discussion. Basically Goblin, Hook and myself will chat about something big (and sometimes, not so big) occuring in comics. As you'll see below, we'll be doing all these chats on AOL Instant Messenger. I've left it mostly unedited, as this is a rather informal chat and the typos aren't so bad.

Today's topic: Marvel Comics' "New Avengers" title, written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by David Finch (issues #1-6, #11-13) and Steve McNiven (issues #7-10). We're 13 issues into the much-hyped run. Is it a success? A failure? And are these guys the real Avengers?

Gokitalo: Anyway, Hook and I were thinking we'd talk about New Avengers
TheMadHooker: You down with that, Homes?
Goblin4153: Hook doesn't even read NA.
TheMadHooker: I am very white
TheMadHooker: Sadly, it is a sucess from a finacial point
TheMadHooker: Pure money? Yeah, it wins hands down.
Gokitalo: Absolutely. Not to mention all of these characters have been in movies or movies of them are in the process of being made
Gokitalo: Hollywood's Mightiest Heroes
TheMadHooker: It's the JLAvengers, bitch
Gokitalo: Save Iron Man, I think
Gokitalo: We'll get to the "JLAvengers bit soon
TheMadHooker: Yeah, we say bitch now. And occasionally biatch
Gokitalo: HAH
Gokitalo: For those reading, Hook's referring to a funny comic strip that parodies the Avengers, titled "Avengers Toys: Disassembled." We'll post the link at the end of the chat
Gokitalo: So Goblin, you haven't had the chance to chime in yet. What are your thoughts?
Goblin4153: That's right, you can't get rid of me.
Goblin4153: *ahem* Anyway ...
Goblin4153: The book is of superb quality, I will admit. I avidly read each subsequent issue, but I have to say that these people are not the Avengers.
TheMadHooker: Before I yell "thank you" and go on a rant, why?
Goblin4153: I'm a fan of Wolverine, but he's not an Avengers. I'm not a fan of Luke Cage and he isn't an Avenger either.
TheMadHooker: I will take Luke Cage over Wolvie
TheMadHooker: Yeah, he was a Hero for Hire, but last I saw, Avengers got a 1000 dollar stipend
Goblin4153: The Avengers are supposed to be the heavy-hitters of the Marvel Universe and these are all street-level heroes.
Goblin4153: Captain America, Iron man and the Sentry can all stay - even Spider-Man can hang out), but the others are just not Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
TheMadHooker: That arguement would say that Hawkeye is not Avenger level
Gokitalo: This is true
Goblin4153: He would fall into the Spider-Man category. I'm not saying that every member has to be on Thor's level, but every member should not be of Hawkeye's level either.
Gokitalo: Right, that's fair
Gokitalo: I think what made the previous members of the Avengers "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" was that the whole was bigger than the sum of their parts
Goblin4153: I concur. And a team consisting of Cage, Spider-Woman, Wolverine and Ronin aren't exactly a powerful combination.
Gokitalo: Although they did do a nice job against ninjas
Gokitalo: Stinkin' ninjas
TheMadHooker: I'd give Spider-Woman a place on the team
Gokitalo: Yes
TheMadHooker: Ninjas should never worry the Avengers.
TheMadHooker: How many issues of ninja fighting was there?
Gokitalo: They handled the ninjas pretty well, actually
TheMadHooker: They should be able to.
TheMadHooker: They are the AVENGERS
TheMadHooker: These are people who are supposed to be ready to deal with any threat. Ninjas should not be hard
Gokitalo: They weren't
Goblin4153: Avengers should be battling Immortus, Korvac and Thanos - not the Hand.
TheMadHooker: That's my point
Gokitalo: Well, they are "Earth's Mightiest Heroes"
TheMadHooker: If they fight the Hand, it shouldn't be more than an issue
TheMadHooker: Nothing against the Hand, but the Avengers are way beyond their league
Goblin4153: The way I see it is if Daredevil - by himself - has defeated these guys time and time again, what threat do they pose to people of supposed Avengers' caliber?
TheMadHooker: So how long was that arc?
Gokitalo: Three issues
Goblin4153: And only on the last page of #3 did we find out who Ronin is.
TheMadHooker: What was the major purpose of the arc?
Goblin4153: The aforementioned Ronin discovery.
TheMadHooker: And then there was some people who still didn't know
Gokitalo: Introduce Ronin and a big Spider-Woman plotline
TheMadHooker: Was there a reason this needed to be three issues?
Gokitalo: In defense of having the Hand as a villain, the Avengers haven't tackled organized crime very often. If the Hand manages to extend its power considerably as New Avengers continues, it could very well be a threat worthy of Earth's Mi
Gokitalo: ghtiest Heroes
Gokitalo: Hook, this is Bendis
Gokitalo: A three-issue story is rare from him
TheMadHooker: And unneeded
Gokitalo: It might've been able to be squeezed into two issues, but honestly, it didn't seem that drawn out
Goblin4153: Sadly, Goki si correct. It was surprisingly concise for Bendis.
TheMadHooker: What is teh biggest reveal for this series?
TheMadHooker: Ronin's secret ID?
TheMadHooker: AND
TheMadHooker: Goki do you know who it was?
Gokitalo: How Spider-Woman got her powers back
Gokitalo: Shhhh
TheMadHooker: *Does want to give away the answer*
Gokitalo: Not yet, I haven't gotten Issue 13
TheMadHooker: *doesn't
Gokitalo: Thanks
Goblin4153: If someone hadn't explained who it was to me, I wouldn't know even after reading it.
Gokitalo: So it was someone very obscure?
TheMadHooker: Yes
TheMadHooker: YOu may know
TheMadHooker: I know. But it was underwhelming
TheMadHooker: Imagine this
TheMadHooker: Scooby Doo episode
Goblin4153: Not entirely obscure, but only ever appeared in one book. If you didn't read that book, you'd be totally lost.
TheMadHooker: the entire episode is atease that the villian is Fred
TheMadHooker: When the mask comes off, some random person says "Oh that's my uncle Bob!"
Gokitalo: Maybe if Bob had appeared before in that episode...
Gokitalo: But I see your point
TheMadHooker: Okay
TheMadHooker: Let's say he appeared in.... Speed Buggy
Gokitalo: Now that works
TheMadHooker: Minor role in that show
TheMadHooker: But he's unmasked in Scooby Doo
Gokitalo: *tsk*
TheMadHooker: If you only watch Scooby Doo, or don't watch Speed Buggy on a regular basis, Uncle Bob means nothing to you
Goblin4153: And on that surreal note, another question: Does the Sentry belong on the team?
Gokitalo: Ooh, good question
TheMadHooker: no
TheMadHooker: Next question
Goblin4153: Care to expound a bit there, Mr. Orator?
TheMadHooker: sure
TheMadHooker: No, he does not
TheMadHooker: Better?
Gokitalo: I think I'll agree with Hook on this one. Sentry hasn't had much time in the spotlight yet, but one of the first things we saw him do in the title was use lethal force against Carnage
TheMadHooker: Technically
Gokitalo: He did it to save someone's life, sure
TheMadHooker: He wasn't an Avenger
TheMadHooker: Avengers don't kill
Gokitalo: But that wasn't the only way he could have handled it
TheMadHooker: But Black Widow used a similar threat waaaaay back in like the early 20s
TheMadHooker: True
TheMadHooker: I will say no for a different reason
TheMadHooker: He can be too strong
Goblin4153: Black Widow has killed. Hawkeye has killed. Mockingbird has killed. USAgent has killed.
Gokitalo: Well, that's why they're "Earth's Mightiest Heroes," Hook
TheMadHooker: But that can eliminate the excitment factor
Gokitalo: Yes
TheMadHooker: Unless you pull a Doctor Manhatten all the time with him
Goblin4153: That's exaclty why he's kind of out of his mind.
Gokitalo: As for what Goblin said: how many of the Avengers you mentioned (save USAgent) killed because they were out of options or because they were in villainous roles at the time?
TheMadHooker: Mockingbird had an option
TheMadHooker: Hawkeye's was a complete accident
Goblin4153: it's also why his character was built with a serious split-personality. He's always caught between Robert and the Sentry.
TheMadHooker: Don't forget, Warbird killed
Gokitalo: Right
TheMadHooker: I think the best thing would be to find another person for that role.
Gokitalo: As long as Sentry doesn't make a habit out of it
TheMadHooker: It just makes it too hard to write a threat that could be considered tough enough with Sentry on the team
Goblin4153: Okay, so you're saying, Hook, that he's too powerful to make good storytelling?
TheMadHooker: I have a similar problem with Genis on New Thunderbolts
TheMadHooker: No, I'm saying he's too powerful for a team book to keep it going for too long
TheMadHooker: Even Thor was vastly depowered over a while
TheMadHooker: Look at someone like Taskmaster.
TheMadHooker: He used to be able to give the Avengers fits. Sentry? Probably not
Goblin4153: But isn't that why both Sentry and Genis are created with such pathos as to limit access to their god-like abilities? Doesn' this make up for the possible lack of threats in a storytelling capacity?
TheMadHooker: I just think that there should be a realistic cap on the powers. Not have to resort to he's Firestorm, but more confused
Gokitalo: Maybe the solution would be to use the Sentry sparingly?
Goblin4153: But all of these characters are immensely powerful. Iron man has fought the Hulk to a standstill, Cap has killed a vampire with his bare hands.
Gokitalo: And Wolverine is a tough man to keep down
Gokitalo: Plus he has unbreakable claws
TheMadHooker: Ask me if Wolverine deserves to be an Avenger
TheMadHooker: Cap was in a bad fight. He barely won
TheMadHooker: Iron Man had to work hard
TheMadHooker: Sentry..... was just a one note character. I would've liked to see him become a footnote
Gokitalo: But what if the Avengers had to face something on the level of say, Korvac? Wouldn't the Sentry be useful then?
Goblin4153: Sentry is also almost powerless against his alter-ego, the Void. And, as was depicted in New Avengers itself, the Void is able to manifest on the physical plane.
Gokitalo: That's also true
TheMadHooker: The Sentry is just a mess of a character
Goblin4153: Which is interesting.
Gokitalo: I agree with Goblin
TheMadHooker: I disagree
TheMadHooker: He's not a good mess
TheMadHooker: I will post the next question
Gokitalo: Sure
Goblin4153: You've even admitted, Hook, that you agree with me that Captain America is a boring character because there's nothing really to him other than "American boy scout."
TheMadHooker: He's boring in his own title, yes. But in the Avengers, there is something there
TheMadHooker: anyway
Gokitalo: Hook, you're not reading his title
Gokitalo: :-P
TheMadHooker: Let's compare this run to the first 13 issues of Buisek's
TheMadHooker: Who wins?
Goblin4153: I honestly don't believe you can compare the two.
Gokitalo: As someone who hasn't read this issues (sadly), I couldn't say
Gokitalo: these*
Gokitalo: (I'm referring to the first 13 Busiek Avengers, by the way)
Goblin4153: I see Avengers and New Avengers as two wholly seperate entities linked by a (somewhat) common tile.
TheMadHooker: BUt you can
TheMadHooker: They are both the Avengers
TheMadHooker: ONe is just the good Avengers
TheMadHooker: WIth interesting stories
Gokitalo: I don't think that's fair, Hook
TheMadHooker: And the other one is written by Bendis
Gokitalo: Let's say if you had to judge the two in terms of quality
TheMadHooker: Wait, since when do I have to be fair?
TheMadHooker: Quality?
Gokitalo: Or better yet, which one did you enjoy more?
TheMadHooker: Hands down, Buisek's
TheMadHooker: The twists and turns were there
Goblin4153: Yes, but again, Hook DOESN'T READ NEW AVENGERS>
Gokitalo: He keeps up
Gokitalo: But you're right
TheMadHooker: What is the biggest revelation?
Goblin4153: That's totally different.
TheMadHooker: and did it wow you?
Gokitalo: I know
Goblin4153: There's no way he can judge the book in terms of quality just be knowing the basic plot outlines.
Gokitalo: Right, I didn't mean to say he did
Gokitalo: I was merely pointing out that Hook has at least some idea of what's been going on
TheMadHooker: I'm comparing the bare stories. What was the biggest thing to happen in New Avengers?
TheMadHooker: And did it wow you?
Goblin4153: Why does it need a big event for it to be good?
TheMadHooker: Not at all
Goblin4153: If that's your game, tho, then the event of the book would be the breakout at the Raft.
TheMadHooker: I'm talking about emotional pow
TheMadHooker: I'm talking Wonder Man being brought back from the dead in Morgan's world
TheMadHooker: I'm talking the Avengers fighting against an entire world that is out to get them
TheMadHooker: I'm talking about them being completly overwhelmed, and pulling out the win
TheMadHooker: I'm talking about Hawkeye fighting it out with Cap
TheMadHooker: I'm talking Cap offering to step down for Clint
Goblin4153: Watching Emma Fros bring the Sentry's wife into his head and try to force him to realize who he is as the Void is trashing the combined mights of the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and Dr. Strange.
TheMadHooker: Anymore?
Gokitalo: One moment I particularly liked was Wolverine telling Iron Man that he didn't think he'd make a good fit for the team
Goblin4153: Or Iron Man telling Captain America that the world the Avengers were formed to protect is dead now.
Goblin4153: That they need someone like Wolverine on the team because the odl guard wouldn't cross lines that the new ones have already moved beyond.
TheMadHooker: that
TheMadHooker: To me
TheMadHooker: Is a HORRIBLE sign
Goblin4153: Sign of?
TheMadHooker: That is one of the things that pissed me off the most
Gokitalo: The fact that this new team is okay with having members who could cross the line the Avengers rarely did?
TheMadHooker: I personally don't like heroes who kill
TheMadHooker: Who will kill
Goblin4153: Not necessarily killing, but in general. They're willing to go covert or do things somewhat underhanded to take out the bad guys.
TheMadHooker: If you bring it out sometimes
Gokitalo: That too
Gokitalo: Guys, I'm going to have to head up to dinner for now. But feel free to keep chatting, I'll post all of it up
TheMadHooker: I say we call it a day for now
TheMadHooker: We'll pick it up later
TheMadHooker: ?
Gokitalo: Works for me. Goblin?
Goblin4153: Sounds good to me.
Gokitalo: Alrighty. I think this chat's been good. Unstructured, but good
Gokitalo: But I must jet. Later guys
Goblin4153: Unstructed is just the way I fly, marie.
Goblin4153: Later ...
TheMadHooker: see ya
------------------------------
That concludes Part 1 of our chat on "New Avengers." Keep your eyes peeled for Part 2, which will be up in the next couple of days.

Links
"Avengers Toys: Disassembled": http://mysite.verizon.net/fanboyprime/avengers/

2005-11-29T20:31:00.000-08:00

We told you the basics in the first post, but this second post will go more into specifics about what you can expect to see on this site.

First, let's start with what each of us admins will do individually. As I mentioned before, I'm focusing on recommending collected editions and graphic novels (both trade paperbacks and hardcovers). Hook will review individual issues and on occasion look at what came before and what they gave to comic books. Finally, Goblin will be our resident Marvel guy, meaning he'll focus on the House of Ideas (sorry Marvel Family fans). However, we don't feel obligated to always stick to our roles: for example, now and then I may talk about an individual issue I enjoy or Goblin may talk about something related to DC Comics, Image, Oni, or what have you.

We'll also be doing a couple of things together. For example, every now and then, we'll have a round-table discussion on some big event or topic going on in comics. You may see some inside jokes and comic-book terminology in these conversations, but don't worry: I'll be covering both in a later post.

Well, that's enough yapping from me. Let the comics chatter begin!

Welcome!

2005-11-27T21:56:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone and welcome to Jumping into Comics! We are your humble hosts: Goki (that's me), Hook (themadhooker) and Goblin (XGoblinX). Sure they're not our real names, but hey, we're cowards and fear that if we expose our identities, you will all stalk us and kill us in violent, dreadful ways.

Anyway, as you've probably guessed, we're here to talk about comic books. We'll recommend comics we enjoy (I myself plan on focusing on recommending the collected editions and graphic novels), talk about what's going on in comics today, and every now and then, we'll talk about something random. Like how this blog was this close to being called, "Why Goblin Should Burn Down Lexington: A Comics-Related Blog."

Now before you non-comic readers run away, hear me out: we're going to try to make things fun and accessible for everyone, including those who aren't entirely sure of what we're talking about. We'll even put up definitions of popular comic terms like "pre-Crisis," "post-Crisis."And if we play our cards right, we can get you non-comic readers out there to consider giving comics a try.

I think that covers all the important stuff. Ready? Then read on!