I agree, but we might want to cast some blame towards Grant Morrison and Multiversity, which mentioned both a "local multiverse" and "Multiverse-2".Dominic wrote:"There may even be more than one Multiverse." What the hell is that supposed to mean? A multiverse is a collective designation that tied multiple, dis-similar, thing together. Why would there need to be more than one?
Comics are Awesome III
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andersonh1
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Re: Comics are Awesome III
Re: Comics are Awesome III
Some are arguing that "Multiverse 2" is a question of iteration (like a revision) rather an a simultaneously existing whole (like a street address). Destroying "Multiverse 2" would have been "Flashpoint" getting rid of the post "Infinite Crisis" multiverse. Of course, it would be nice to have DC give some official word.
And, hey, since I am picking on DC for being vague. What is up with Earth 16 ("Earth Me" from "Multiversity")? The faded image of Earth 16 features 90s era characters (Kyle, Bloodwind, etc), similar to what (the never shown) pre-CoIE Earth 8 would have been (as described in "Infinite Crisis"). But, the 90s were implied to be the past of E16 in "Multiversity: the Just". Implying that the old iterations of the alternates works in some cases, such as E3, E5 or (maybe) E10. But, it is all but impossible to reconcile that with the variants of E2 or E4 (where the new appears to over-write the old).
The depiction of E16 does not work either with what the art implies or what King has said about the comic.
(Yeah, I am really hammering DC. But, frankly, they earned it.)
It probably has something to do with the fact that these properties have been around for decades and that some change is needed. Writing the bad guys as "bwahahahahahahaha" bad guys gets boring and repetitive. In this case, Skeletor is not a mad-man. He is looking for a better business model (and he would want to avoid getting killed by Hordak).
About a decade ago, give or take, Devil's Due toyed with the idea of a heroic Serpentor in "GI Joe". (It was derailed by feckless editing, but ended up working out well enough.)
And, the recent (Costa-written) "Agent of Cobra" series ended with Snake Eyes seemingly joining Cobra. (And, as of now, IDW's modern Joe series are all on hold, meaning that SE could very well stay that way.)
And, hey, since I am picking on DC for being vague. What is up with Earth 16 ("Earth Me" from "Multiversity")? The faded image of Earth 16 features 90s era characters (Kyle, Bloodwind, etc), similar to what (the never shown) pre-CoIE Earth 8 would have been (as described in "Infinite Crisis"). But, the 90s were implied to be the past of E16 in "Multiversity: the Just". Implying that the old iterations of the alternates works in some cases, such as E3, E5 or (maybe) E10. But, it is all but impossible to reconcile that with the variants of E2 or E4 (where the new appears to over-write the old).
The depiction of E16 does not work either with what the art implies or what King has said about the comic.
(Yeah, I am really hammering DC. But, frankly, they earned it.)
I meant to answer this earlier.Also, what with villains not wanting to be villains anymore? First Megatron joins the Autobots and now Skeletor wants to work with He-Man and She-Ra to defeat Hordak. And has clearly stated that after that, he's done trying to take over Eternia. Something bout seeing all other versions of himself losing and doesn't want to be a loser as well.
It probably has something to do with the fact that these properties have been around for decades and that some change is needed. Writing the bad guys as "bwahahahahahahaha" bad guys gets boring and repetitive. In this case, Skeletor is not a mad-man. He is looking for a better business model (and he would want to avoid getting killed by Hordak).
About a decade ago, give or take, Devil's Due toyed with the idea of a heroic Serpentor in "GI Joe". (It was derailed by feckless editing, but ended up working out well enough.)
And, the recent (Costa-written) "Agent of Cobra" series ended with Snake Eyes seemingly joining Cobra. (And, as of now, IDW's modern Joe series are all on hold, meaning that SE could very well stay that way.)
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Sparky Prime
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Re: Comics are Awesome III
I think it's also to take somewhat more of a realistic approach to a villains motivations and give the character more depth than simply being evil for the sake of being evil. Personally, I have to say I find a villain to be more interesting when they don't see themselves as the bad guy.Dominic wrote:I meant to answer this earlier.Also, what with villains not wanting to be villains anymore? First Megatron joins the Autobots and now Skeletor wants to work with He-Man and She-Ra to defeat Hordak. And has clearly stated that after that, he's done trying to take over Eternia. Something bout seeing all other versions of himself losing and doesn't want to be a loser as well.
It probably has something to do with the fact that these properties have been around for decades and that some change is needed. Writing the bad guys as "bwahahahahahahaha" bad guys gets boring and repetitive. In this case, Skeletor is not a mad-man. He is looking for a better business model (and he would want to avoid getting killed by Hordak).
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Sparky Prime
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Re: Comics are Awesome III
Wanted to bring this up again having just seen the preview to the new "We are Robin" series. Looks like it'll be a book somewhat along these lines, only with robins rather than bats. The group appears to get guidance from "The Nest" via text message. Text messaging is also how the group is able to coordinate their efforts when they come across something bigger than they can handle alone. Looks like it could be an interesting title.Dominic wrote:-bat successors: Similar to the above, but with a bat focus. Assume that Bruce Wayne is long dead, but that there are "bats" in Gotham and other major cities around the globe. The bats would be one part urban legend, another part secret society (albeit of do-gooders). This would allow for a range of basic adventure *and* high concept comics. It might even support two or three series.
Re: Comics are Awesome III
Saw the preview.
It is a good idea. But, the execution could make it or break it. The texting is kind of stupid. It does not make sense on page. (How difficult is it to productively text while on the go? Never mind responding to a fluid situation, while being part of the situation.) And, off page, it is a clumsy attempt at youth appeal (which makes me doubt the rest will be any good). Still, I am likely to give the first issue a once over.
I am waiting for the solicits for November or December (likely to drop in August or September). The really interesting stuff is likely to show up then.
It is a good idea. But, the execution could make it or break it. The texting is kind of stupid. It does not make sense on page. (How difficult is it to productively text while on the go? Never mind responding to a fluid situation, while being part of the situation.) And, off page, it is a clumsy attempt at youth appeal (which makes me doubt the rest will be any good). Still, I am likely to give the first issue a once over.
I am waiting for the solicits for November or December (likely to drop in August or September). The really interesting stuff is likely to show up then.
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Sparky Prime
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Re: Comics are Awesome III
I'd have to disagree. Texting is a practical form of communication, especially on the go. And it's not they show them texting in the while part of a situation in the preview. They pool their resources before the first Robin who stumbled across the situation actually gets involved. It's an extremely useful tool. It's not simply youth appeal either. There are plenty of adults who use texting as well.Dominic wrote:The texting is kind of stupid. It does not make sense on page. (How difficult is it to productively text while on the go? Never mind responding to a fluid situation, while being part of the situation.) And, off page, it is a clumsy attempt at youth appeal (which makes me doubt the rest will be any good).
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andersonh1
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Re: Comics are Awesome III
If you want a good laugh out of DC desperately trying to make Superman kewl or relevant, take a look at this week's Action Comics #41. There you'll find the near-powerless Superman with his buzz cut, jeans and t-shirt, riding a motorcycle and saying "hell, yeah". Forget the red glowy eyes, kids. THIS is how to make Superman credible and popular. Apparently.
DC does not get this character.
Convergence Booster Gold #2
Left over from last week is this issue which features the pre-52 Booster Gold growing old and dying from too much time travel and exposure to different realities. He ran into Blue Beetle last time, and of course Ted has to help his friend and try to find out what's wrong with him. Booster literally grows older from page to page, aging in front of his eyes. Dan Jurgens does a great job portraying the friendship these two have for each other, as well as showing the age difference with an older, more subdued Booster and a younger, more carefree Ted Kord. At one point Max Lord is mentioned, and Booster tells Beetle to never trust Max, while we're shown not only Max introducing Booster to the JLI, but also Max shooting Ted Kord in the head, which is of course how DC killed him off in the run up to Infinite Crisis.
Rip Hunter and the New 52 Booster end up taking the old Booster to Vanishing Point, where we find out that the younger Booster gave Brainiac access to it, enabling him to kidnap all the various cities from the different realities. So I suppose Booster deserves as much credit as Brainiac for saving pre-Flashpoint DC from oblivion. The older Booster becomes Waverider (whatever happened to the original?), and heads off to play his part in Convergence #8. It's a good issue, and it tells its own story while avoiding the fight or die scenario of the other tie-in books. It's good to see that Dan Jurgens has managed to keep his creation, the first original post-Crisis character, going strong after all these years.
Green Lantern #41
"Renegade" begins, with Hal out in space on his own. He's ditched the Green Lantern uniform and ring and is using the power gauntlet that he stole in #40. He looks more or less like he did when he was the Spectre, with a gray bodysuit, green hooded cloak or jacket, and his mask when he powers up the gauntlet. It's nowhere close to the level of his classic uniform by any means, but if nothing else it's an instant visual reminder of what story this is. He's also got long hair, which doesn't suit the character very well.
Moving right along, he rescues an alien prince who has been sold to die in an arena where various aliens bet on the outcome of fights. He captures the alien who sold the prince so he can be returned to where the Corps will find him and deliver justice. Hal seems to be acting as an independent lawman, a GL without the authority and uniform of the Corps to back him up. The idea was that he would take the blame for the bad reputation the Corp had obtained over the past few years, but I'll confess I'm not sure how this is supposed to accomplish that. In any case, as he's taking his sentient ship with the prisoner to drop him off, he discovers that Mogo and the Corps are gone. Vanished. My first thought was "the Corps is gone AGAIN?" How do they recruit people with their track record, anyway?
The book has jumped in price so it's now $3.99, but since I'm down to only three books on my pull list, I'll stick with it for now. I'm not sure I see the point of Hal acting as a Green Lantern in all but name, but maybe there's a good reason for it.
Batman '66 #23
Jeff Parker starts to introduce more non-television enemies into the series with this issue. We get Solomon Grundy and Clayface in two separate stories. In this version, Grundy is somehow related to Marsha Queen of Diamonds, who deliberately resurrects him and sets him against Batman and Robin. They have little luck fighting him until Batman deduces that jumpstarting his heart with the Batmobile's jumper cables will confuse his undead body chemistry and put him into stasis. Brilliant.
The second story sees Batman having figured out that tv villain False Face was once actor Basil Karlo, so you can see where this is heading. False Face was determined to become better at assuming other identities, so he stole and ingested a formula meant to regrow human tissue. Of course it goes wrong and messes him up, and he falls into quicksand while running from Batman and Robin, so he becomes Clayface. Batman defeats him by pretending to be Basil Karlo, throwing him into confusion since he no longer knows who he is.
I wasn't too impressed with either story. Neither really has the humor I like to see in this series, and both stories get too bogged down in the origin of a character to have much more than a basic plot. In fact, the plot of both is largely the same, so it felt a bit repetitive.
DC does not get this character.
Convergence Booster Gold #2
Left over from last week is this issue which features the pre-52 Booster Gold growing old and dying from too much time travel and exposure to different realities. He ran into Blue Beetle last time, and of course Ted has to help his friend and try to find out what's wrong with him. Booster literally grows older from page to page, aging in front of his eyes. Dan Jurgens does a great job portraying the friendship these two have for each other, as well as showing the age difference with an older, more subdued Booster and a younger, more carefree Ted Kord. At one point Max Lord is mentioned, and Booster tells Beetle to never trust Max, while we're shown not only Max introducing Booster to the JLI, but also Max shooting Ted Kord in the head, which is of course how DC killed him off in the run up to Infinite Crisis.
Rip Hunter and the New 52 Booster end up taking the old Booster to Vanishing Point, where we find out that the younger Booster gave Brainiac access to it, enabling him to kidnap all the various cities from the different realities. So I suppose Booster deserves as much credit as Brainiac for saving pre-Flashpoint DC from oblivion. The older Booster becomes Waverider (whatever happened to the original?), and heads off to play his part in Convergence #8. It's a good issue, and it tells its own story while avoiding the fight or die scenario of the other tie-in books. It's good to see that Dan Jurgens has managed to keep his creation, the first original post-Crisis character, going strong after all these years.
Green Lantern #41
"Renegade" begins, with Hal out in space on his own. He's ditched the Green Lantern uniform and ring and is using the power gauntlet that he stole in #40. He looks more or less like he did when he was the Spectre, with a gray bodysuit, green hooded cloak or jacket, and his mask when he powers up the gauntlet. It's nowhere close to the level of his classic uniform by any means, but if nothing else it's an instant visual reminder of what story this is. He's also got long hair, which doesn't suit the character very well.
Moving right along, he rescues an alien prince who has been sold to die in an arena where various aliens bet on the outcome of fights. He captures the alien who sold the prince so he can be returned to where the Corps will find him and deliver justice. Hal seems to be acting as an independent lawman, a GL without the authority and uniform of the Corps to back him up. The idea was that he would take the blame for the bad reputation the Corp had obtained over the past few years, but I'll confess I'm not sure how this is supposed to accomplish that. In any case, as he's taking his sentient ship with the prisoner to drop him off, he discovers that Mogo and the Corps are gone. Vanished. My first thought was "the Corps is gone AGAIN?" How do they recruit people with their track record, anyway?
The book has jumped in price so it's now $3.99, but since I'm down to only three books on my pull list, I'll stick with it for now. I'm not sure I see the point of Hal acting as a Green Lantern in all but name, but maybe there's a good reason for it.
Batman '66 #23
Jeff Parker starts to introduce more non-television enemies into the series with this issue. We get Solomon Grundy and Clayface in two separate stories. In this version, Grundy is somehow related to Marsha Queen of Diamonds, who deliberately resurrects him and sets him against Batman and Robin. They have little luck fighting him until Batman deduces that jumpstarting his heart with the Batmobile's jumper cables will confuse his undead body chemistry and put him into stasis. Brilliant.
The second story sees Batman having figured out that tv villain False Face was once actor Basil Karlo, so you can see where this is heading. False Face was determined to become better at assuming other identities, so he stole and ingested a formula meant to regrow human tissue. Of course it goes wrong and messes him up, and he falls into quicksand while running from Batman and Robin, so he becomes Clayface. Batman defeats him by pretending to be Basil Karlo, throwing him into confusion since he no longer knows who he is.
I wasn't too impressed with either story. Neither really has the humor I like to see in this series, and both stories get too bogged down in the origin of a character to have much more than a basic plot. In fact, the plot of both is largely the same, so it felt a bit repetitive.
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Sparky Prime
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Re: Comics are Awesome III
Sounds kinda like one of the scripts for the failed Superman film in the late 90's. And there's a reason why it wasn't made... It wasn't Superman.andersonh1 wrote:If you want a good laugh out of DC desperately trying to make Superman kewl or relevant, take a look at this week's Action Comics #41. There you'll find the near-powerless Superman with his buzz cut, jeans and t-shirt, riding a motorcycle and saying "hell, yeah". Forget the red glowy eyes, kids. THIS is how to make Superman credible and popular. Apparently.
DC does not get this character.
Re: Comics are Awesome III
Personally, I like the "DCYou" branding. That is just.....wow. They are making a clumsy play for the kids with that one.If you want a good laugh out of DC desperately trying to make Superman kewl or relevant, take a look at this week's Action Comics #41. There you'll find the near-powerless Superman with his buzz cut, jeans and t-shirt, riding a motorcycle and saying "hell, yeah". Forget the red glowy eyes, kids. THIS is how to make Superman credible and popular. Apparently.
On a related note, am I the only one who is really put off by the half-page double-spread ads? They look really tacky, like throw-backs to the 60s. (The pages are clearly set up to be combined for the purposes of reprinting, with the top of the even numbered page and the bottom of the odd numbered page.)
If there is one story that we can assume is completely and totally removed, it is "Armageddon: 2001". The dark future of that comic is.....our past. The original Waverider is gone, and may as well never have existed.The older Booster becomes Waverider (whatever happened to the original?), and heads off to play his part in Convergence #8.
Marvel is flirting with $4.99. I am guessing it will be common, if not constanty by quarter 1 of next year.The book has jumped in price so it's now $3.99, but since I'm down to only three books on my pull list, I'll stick with it for now. I'm not sure I see the point of Hal acting as a Green Lantern in all but name, but maybe there's a good reason for it.
I am planning to cut back to 5 or less comics after "Secret Wars". Still behind by a week or two on what I have brought home, and getting further behind on what is in my pull file. Secret Wars is wrapping up in August. I will be happy to get caught up by Halloween.
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Sparky Prime
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Re: Comics are Awesome III
So I wanted to comment on the outcome of Omega Men... They did not kill Kyle Rayner off thankfully. The Omega Men just wanted it to look like they'd killed him, although I'm not sure why the Citadel would really care about that. The writer has said in interviews they want to keep other Lanterns out of the Vega system, but I get the feeling there is more to it than that. At any rate, in the end, it's revealed the Omega Men are still holding Kyle captive, and they refer to him as a bomb for which they apparently need to keep him alive.