Comics are Awesome II

[Dominic]

Could they have picked a worse name, though? "Marvel NOW?"

Oh yeah. Hell, I can come up with some.

"Marvel HYPE".

"Marvel old tricks, new name".

"Marvel 90s Redux"


"Marvel Now" could mean a couple of things. (And, the article is not quite clear about which it is.)

Maybe, Marvel is openly coming to terms with the fact that "everything every published counts as it was originally published" is both unworkable, and idiotic. Possibly, Marvel is creating another "Marvel Adventures" type line and over-selling it. Or, maybe they are retreading the 90s, with revisions that only serve to make things more convoluted.

Could they have picked a worse name, though? "Marvel NOW?"

Oh yeah. Hell, I can come up with some.

"Marvel HYPE".

"Marvel old tricks, new name".

"Marvel 90s Redux"

I am really not anticipating anything good coming from this.

It was what they had promised me in the New 52 version of Superman,

I had no idea Grant Morrison was going to be working on another Superman title, I had no idea I was doing it five years ahead, which means, my story I couldn’t do certain things without knowing what he did, and Grant wasn’t telling everybody, so I was kind of stuck,who exists, DC couldn’t give me answers. Oh my gosh, you’re deciding all these things and you mean even you don’t know what’s going on in your books… so I became very frustrated…

This shit again?

Perez has never impressed me as a writer. But, it is inexcusable for this to have been an issue in 2011. DC had, and should have learned from, this problem in 1986 after the original Crisis. The only people who should have a right to mandate terms of continuity and what writers can do are the editors. If Morrison has plans, he needs to share them with the editors and/or writers as needed. Superman and Hawkman were trainwrecks after the original Crisis because of this sort of thing.

It was excusable in 1986 because that sort of mandated change was unprecedented. 4 reboots later, DC should know better, especially given that this is exactly the the same problem that Starlin (and others) cited after "Countdown". It is impossible to expect multiple creative teams to be able to synchronize their work when they are are unable or not allowed to communicate and the editors are not giving them directions *before* the comics are written (or published).


-All New Spider-Man #12:
After the first two pages, Bendis lightens up the book considerably after the last issue. Miles' and Ganke's interaction does not ignore the problem with Uncle Aaron, but it has the humour the marked earlier issues of this series. (In all seriousness, Ganke is one of my favourite new characters.) Bendis pushes the idea that Miles may only be 13, but it is not wholly out of order to call him a man. The ending is suprising both in terms of seriousness and in terms of permanently changing a dynamic that Bendis has been working with since issue 1. One motivation for Mile's to keep his identity secret is removed, but he has a new motivation that makes sense for a kid his age. It is a safe bet that the first post-crossover arc is going to involve Miles' meeting Aunt May and possibly Gwen.
Grade: A



-Age of Apocalypse #3-#5:
Lapham seems to have spent the first arc throwing stuff against the wall, introducing characters, establishing the setting and trying to tell a story of some kind. Unfortunately, it comes across as extremely disjointed. This is not helped by some really bad pacing in the third issue, including (but not limited to) un-declared flash-backs/forwards. That being said, I am interested enough in the setting and the possibilities for this series that I am along for the ride, even if I am not adding this book to my pull list. I know that there was some explanation given (either in a mini-series or maybe one of the other x-books) for how some of the characters (to say nothing of the timeline itself) in fact survived the end of the original "Age of Apocalypse:". I looked it over and it was just a bunch of stuff happening. Lapham teases a mass raising of the dead, but cut it off for all but one fairly minor character (that I am not sure actually died in the original).
Grade: C/D


-Master of the Universe #1:
Apparently, DC either re-acquired (or simply never lost) the MOTU license from the 80s. This is not the first time that an 80s nostalgia license has been given to an A-list writers. (As much as he no longer impresses me, Dixon lends some credibility to IDW's "GI Joe" books.) But, it is suprising to see a writer with Robinson's pedigree on a "He-Man" from one of the big two. The first arc looks to be a soft-reboot. He-Man (and presumably the other heroes) have been defeated and given amnesia. He-Man is living as a woodsman but is troubled by dreams and vague memories of his former life. This allows Robinso to start this run of the comic with an origin story of sorts, but to keep some of the established setting. (Teela seems to have blond hair in one of the flash-backs, which I think is a reference to the old pack-in comics.) So far, this book is avoiding the crass shock-factor type writing that was so prominent in DC's re-launch of "Space Ghost" or their (via Wildstorm) "Thundercats" books. Truth be told, both of those offerings make me gun-shy about committing to this book enough to add it to my pull-list. But, I will buy it off the shelf for at least a few more issues.
Grade: B


Dom
-most reading self contained or alternate setting books.

[Shockwave]

DC must have reaquired it because MVC had the license for the 2002 version.

That said, I gotta get me to the comic shop and check this out.

[Onslaught Six]

Being written by Len Wein, editor of the original Watchmen and the guy who co-created Swamp Thing with Alan Moore probably has something to do with it,

Just a note; Moore doesn't get any credit towards creating Swamp Thing, since he wasn't there initially. The co-creator you're looking for is artist Berni Wrightson. Saying Moore was a co-creator of Swamp Thing is like...well, saying Neil Gaiman created Sandman, really. He might've created the most well-known incarnation of the character and been immediately responsible for its success, but the concept of a character named "Swamp Thing" or "Sandman" wasn't theirs.

It was excusable in 1986 because that sort of mandated change was unprecedented. 4 reboots later, DC should know better, especially given that this is exactly the the same problem that Starlin (and others) cited after "Countdown". It is impossible to expect multiple creative teams to be able to synchronize their work when they are are unable or not allowed to communicate and the editors are not giving them directions *before* the comics are written (or published).

Maybe if DC didn't feel the need to sell four Superman books every month, this wouldn't happen. (Seriously, who the hell is buying these?)


I'm surprised DC is involved with this comic; Mattel has been making a move to an all-inclusive continuity (similar to TF's "Aligned") lately with their pack-in comics and bios for the MOTUC figures.

[Dominic]

It was not the fact that there were 4 Superman comics being published, it was a lack of editorial instruction. How much pre-CoIE counted? Did any? (There was a definitive post-CoIE issue of "Action Comics" that strongly implied that little had changed for Superman, and said explicitly that most people knew what happened during CoIE. That went out the window a few weeks later, then came back in.... Hawkman had more problems than any of us want to think about.

"Infinity Incorporated" had problems stemming from an unwillingness to follow through consistently with certain editorial mandates, similar to the problems with Damien Wayne and the other Robins now.


Dom
-no excuse for it to be happening now though.

[Onslaught Six]

I dunno--you ask me, that's a case of too many cooks in the kitchen. If you simply it, and streamline it, and say, "This is the only book about Superman that exists right now," then you don't have to worry about any of that. Larry Hama didn't have to worry about other people affecting his storylines on GI Joe because he was the only one writing them.

[Dominic]

The "too many cooks" problem was an issue a few years later, during the "triangle number" era. But, early on, it was a question of indecisive/unclear editorial edicts.

Not much so far this week. All I am doing now is posting reviews of stuff from last week, and trying to keep my next post in this thread from being too much of a "text wall".


Worlds' Finest #3:
Perez's art continues to be lovely, even when being applied to the less than ideal redesign for Power Girl. (Side note: I know that the cross motif on Huntress' costume is deliberate. But, is she supposed to be Catholic or Protestant? This may seem like a minor point, but her being Protestant would make a good deal more sense.) In any case, not much changes this issue. The "present day" story continues along, but does not seem to go anywhere. The "flash-back" sequences are more interesting, but are not quite enough to carry this book. And, Levitz's dialogue drags in places. (Helena calls the big monster "ugly" 3 times in as many issues. Yes, we get it. Stop copy-pasting the banter, especially when so much of it seems stuck in the 80s.) I am giving this book until the upcoming "zero month" promotion to impress me. Until then, Perez's art makes this book a pleasure to look at, if not read.
Grade: C

Earth 2 #3:
This issue focuses pretty equally on Alan Scott getting his powers, the Flash meeting Hawkgirl and Solomon Grundy. It seems that Sam (Alan Scott's boyfriend) really got the play the girl friend role. He did not get stuffed in to a refrigerator, but he is pretty well dead. And, in being dead, Sam provides the motivation for Scott to go out and be a hero. The Flash and Hawkgirl scenes are pretty much paint by numbers. The heroes meet, banter and joust for a bit, and then they become away of the big threat. Grundy seems to be tying in with the red/green/rot dynamic in the "Swamp Thing" and "Justice League Dark" books. Apparently, Grundy is an avatar of "the grey". Given the amount of damage that Grundy is implied to have caused in this issue, it will be interesting to see how much of it sticks and impacts the setting in the long term. There is nothing terribly creative going on in this issue. But, the follow-up could make or break it.


Dom
-off to the retro comics thread.

[andersonh1]

I skimmed through Earth 2 #3. More ugly costumes, more clunky dialogue, and characters who barely resemble the original Flash and Green Lantern. Yeah, GL's origin goes back to something resembling the original one before the Starheart was retconned into it, but he's now the equivalent of Swamp Thing since that character has long since been given the "green" avatar role. Sometimes you just can't go back. I"m not sure I could be objective about this book, but then again, there's no obligation for me to do that. Even if Alan were straight and even if Jay was still wearing the WW1 helmet, I think I'd be done with this book at this point. The changes aren't just a bridge too far, they're many, many bridges too far for me.

[Sparky Prime]

I have to admit, I'm not sure what to think of the Green Flame being 'all the power of Earth'. I mean, where does the name Green Lantern even come from with this origin? It's not a magic lantern shaped thing giving him his powers, it's the Earth itself. On the other hand, I do like how this sets up the villain being a counter to Alan Scott. I do see this being a parallel to the current Swamp Thing green vs rot plot, although, I also get a bit of Blackest Night feel to it with Grundy being a bit like Black Hand and Nekron as the avatar/personification of death and Alan Scott being the avatar for life to fight against it.

I really like Alan Scott's new costume. Looks like a mix between the costumes we've seen for Ion and Parallax to me, which seems fitting with his powers essentially making him an avatar for a living embodiment of life, not unlike the Entities.

[Gustavo]

Maybe if DC didn't feel the need to sell four Superman books every month, this wouldn't happen. (Seriously, who the hell is buying these?)

Me.

Seriously, I love Superman. From around the Death of Superman to the New52, I read the core Superman comics every month, and Supergirl when the creative team was good, and I went back and read a whole lot of the pre-crisis stuff. The "Grounded" storyline made me give it up, but the current "Action" is excellent.

Do you really not want to read about Superman forcing Jimmy Olsen to marry a gorilla, or how Superman has a large catalog of red kryptonite fragments that he knows how they will affect him since he tested each one on his dog?

Superman is awesome. And a dick.

[Dominic]

Yeah, Silver Age Superman was kind of a monster, which I guess means that Superboy Prime was not too far off for being a pre-CoIE Kryptonian.

I skimmed through Earth 2 #3. More ugly costumes, more clunky dialogue, and characters who barely resemble the original Flash and Green Lantern. Yeah, GL's origin goes back to something resembling the original one before the Starheart was retconned into it, but he's now the equivalent of Swamp Thing since that character has long since been given the "green" avatar role. Sometimes you just can't go back. I"m not sure I could be objective about this book, but then again, there's no obligation for me to do that. Even if Alan were straight and even if Jay was still wearing the WW1 helmet, I think I'd be done with this book at this point. The changes aren't just a bridge too far, they're many, many bridges too far for me.

I really do not mind Hawkgirl's costume. It is not what the old costume was, but who cares? It is not supposed to be. Post "Flash Point" "Earth 2" is no more pre "Flash Point" "Justice Society of America" than post CoIE DC was pre CoIE. Stuff changed. Do not look at this as "an old book getting changed around". Look at it as "a new book doing new stuff". In context, why would Earth 2 have been changed at all by "Flash Point"? Who cares? (It would not have been. And, really, nobody.) But, in real terms, "Flash Point" was a huge retcon.

The "green light voice thingy" made a reference comparing Scott's light to that of a lantern. And, given that his first public appearance involves a large scale rescue/salvage operation, the name kind of works. There is something a bit off about the costume. But, I cannot quite put my finger on it. (It might just be the way that it blends the elements that Sparky noted.) Flash's cosume looks terrible.

Not sure if Grundy being "the grey" makes him death. Why are plants growing in his wake?


Spider-Men #4:
The fight scene was a bit shorter than I expected. 616 Spider-Man goes exploring in NYC and finds out what happened to his 1610 counter-part. The issue ends with him showing up at 1610 May Parker's house. The Ultimates make a pretty obvious "look who else is here" cameo, and strongly resemble the movie Avengers team. I get the feeling that next issue will be 616 Peter learnign a bit more about 1610 Earth and that issue 6 will be a big fight/resolution.
Grade: B/C

Mega Man #15:
I really want to like this book. Despite having a good high concept, Flynn is pitching really low. I am pretty sure that this has more to do with Flynn having spent most of his professional life at Archie. But, either way, this book is not impressing me. Unless Flynn knocks it out of the park next month, I am done. The only really nice thing to be said for this book so far is that it is kid accessible. But, that does not make it worth my time to read.
Grade: C


Dom
-will be reading fewer books in the next few months.