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Post by starfoxxx on Mar 30, 2013 17:36:30 GMT -5
but if Sunspot and Cannonball don't get more than 2 panels (like so far), I might just drop this one---I mean sticking with a $4 comic for a whole year adds up to $48 bucks a year, and I can think of a lot better things to spend almost $50 bucks on than what this book has delivered so far. Okay, I'm an idiot----AVENGERS is bi-monthly, so it's almost $100 bucks a year to stick with this title. And now I've read #8--- it wasn't as bad as the previous 3-4 issues, but still really confusing, with so-so art.....I think I'm gonna drop it soon, and just pick up the issues that look good, (and I'm still intrigued about the future appearance of Alpha Flight in a couple months, i think?) I also read Uncanny Avengers #5 and New Avengers #4---- not great, but waaaaay better than AVENGERS, IMO.
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Post by cubjet on Mar 30, 2013 18:32:11 GMT -5
I was not feeling this book and at twice a month I felt I had to drop it instead of sticking it out to see if it would come around. It just does feel like Avengers to me. On the flipside, I just read Uncanny #5 and boy did that feel like Avengers to me. Age of Ultron, I so want to like and it is not horrible. I just feel everything that has been done in 3 issues could have easily been done in 1 issue if they really tried.
But this is Bendis so that is to be expected.
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Post by bobc on Apr 2, 2013 9:31:29 GMT -5
Do you all like Shang Chi in the Avengers?
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Post by starfoxxx on Apr 2, 2013 16:20:12 GMT -5
Do you all like Shang Chi in the Avengers? I like this line-up, but I think Shang-Chi, Sunspot, and Cannonball have been underused--- I couldn't tell you ANYTHING Shang-Chi has done since joining.
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Post by tomspasic on Apr 3, 2013 8:27:40 GMT -5
Do you all like Shang Chi in the Avengers? I like this line-up, but I think Shang-Chi, Sunspot, and Cannonball have been underused--- I couldn't tell you ANYTHING Shang-Chi has done since joining. He chopped through the leg or legs of Aleph (the robot type) in the big Mars fight. He did some therapy with Captain Universe and the Host thereof, which may help her function a bit better. Not massive contributions, and this illustrates the problem with the larger rosters and decompressed (aka not much happens) storytelling. Some characters just get lost for a dozen issues with barely a word spoken or deed done. I think that he's a good candidate for an Avenger though, continuing the "powerless" tradition of Cap, Hawkeye, Swordsman, Black Knight. I know they all sport weapons too, but Shang Chi IS a weapon. The trouble is a non-powered hero cannot really shine in these big Planet-Busting type storylines, going up against foes who can stand up to Thor or Hyperion. I'm hoping Shang will get a chance to shine soon though...
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Post by bobc on Apr 3, 2013 11:53:41 GMT -5
I'm on the fence about Shang Chi. I'm old enough to dimly recall the whole King Fu craze in the 70's, where people thought that all you had to do is learn Kung Fu and you could suddenly beat the crap out of somebody twice your size. It was cheesy then and IMO it's cheesy now. It was a fad. There is no way a human arm could cut through a robot's leg no matter how you slice it (yes, pun intended)--I loved that whole Mars fight except for that. Tom I totally agree that it's problematic having non-powered heroes on a team with people like Thor. Maybe you recall the storyline during the Byrne years where Thor admitted that he was as powerful as all the rest combined, and that he held back so as not to embarrass or overshadow them.
I'm not dogging the non-powered characters, but they'd better have some pretty awesome weaponry if they want to be standing up there next to the Hulk and Hyperion against Galactus. I loved the concept of the original few Defenders (Sub Mariner, Hulk, Doc Strange and Silver Surfer) because all of them were mega powerful so it made sense for them to face the biggest threats.
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Post by bobc on Apr 3, 2013 11:59:27 GMT -5
Hey Shiryu--I wanted to make a public apology to you. I sort of stormed out of this forum a couple of moths ago because you moved a thread of mine to a place I never go to in this forum. The truth of the matter is that my beloved Black Lab of nearly 14 years (Otis) was dying a very ugly and agonizing death from cancer and I was absolutely overcome with grief. You did nothing wrong and I was a jerk for taking my personal issues out on you. So I just wanted to say sorry and I am not that person who stormed out. I hope you can forgive me--you keep this forum together and I shouldn't have acted like a frikkin' diva.
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Post by tomspasic on Apr 3, 2013 12:41:02 GMT -5
I'm on the fence about Shang Chi. I'm old enough to dimly recall the whole King Fu craze in the 70's, where people thought that all you had to do is learn Kung Fu and you could suddenly beat the crap out of somebody twice your size. It was cheesy then and IMO it's cheesy now. It was a fad. There is no way a human arm could cut through a robot's leg no matter how you slice it (yes, pun intended)--I loved that whole Mars fight except for that. Tom I totally agree that it's problematic having non-powered heroes on a team with people like Thor. Maybe you recall the storyline during the Byrne years where Thor admitted that he was as powerful as all the rest combined, and that he held back so as not to embarrass or overshadow them. I'm not dogging the non-powered characters, but they'd better have some pretty awesome weaponry if they want to be standing up there next to the Hulk and Hyperion against Galactus. I loved the concept of the original few Defenders (Sub Mariner, Hulk, Doc Strange and Silver Surfer) because all of them were mega powerful so it made sense for them to face the biggest threats. I do remember the Thor storyline in question. But I believe it was during Englehart's run, with Moondragon pushing Thor to admit his "superiority" as a "fellow god". Eventually he came to see that over the years he'd been hanging about with humans he'd been gradually limiting himself, partly to not kill or squish human foes. And I do agree that the leg breaking thing seemed a bit odd. I put it down to an almost Karnak the Inhuman moment of seeking out a structural flaw or weakness. Even though he's never had that propensity before. Or maybe since Aleph was so old his metal was brittle, lol. As to the more general question of the combat worth of Kung Fu, I tend to suspend my disbelief that Cap or Batman or DD can fight superhumans or dozens of ordinary men by dint of their training and combat skills. I'm willing to give Shang Chi or Iron Fist the same benefit of the doubt.
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Post by Shiryu on Apr 4, 2013 18:43:51 GMT -5
Hey Shiryu--I wanted to make a public apology to you. I sort of stormed out of this forum a couple of moths ago because you moved a thread of mine to a place I never go to in this forum. The truth of the matter is that my beloved Black Lab of nearly 14 years (Otis) was dying a very ugly and agonizing death from cancer and I was absolutely overcome with grief. You did nothing wrong and I was a jerk for taking my personal issues out on you. So I just wanted to say sorry and I am not that person who stormed out. I hope you can forgive me--you keep this forum together and I shouldn't have acted like a frikkin' diva. No worries. Apologies accepted, and I'm glad you are back!
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Post by bobc on Apr 5, 2013 8:17:40 GMT -5
Thanks, Shiryu. I've grown attached to the members of this forum
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Post by Marvel Boy on Apr 6, 2013 10:21:12 GMT -5
Back in issue #2, Tony was able to recruit Shang-Chi by suggesting a 'fusion of styles....tradition meets technology.....have you ever thought about weapons?'
Since then, I've seen little to no mention over what, if anything, Tony did for him but that was the reason why I thought Shang-Chi was able to chop through Aleph's legs.
Master of Kung Fu is a classic title which I love. Doug Moench, Paul Gulacy, Mike Zeck, they created wonderful spy stories filled with action, love, humor and drama.
To me, kung fu is not a 'cheesy fad', it's a way of life. Some of the proudest moments in my life have come through my taekwondo training and association with my dojo school. It's not about beating the guy twice your size, it's about mastering yourself, your thoughts, your emotions.
I like that Shang-Chi is an Avenger and I hope he gets more opportunities to shine. But I'd rather see him in a more street-level title. I've been wanting him to be a semi-regular in Daredevil for years.
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Post by bobc on Apr 6, 2013 11:27:56 GMT -5
Marv--don't misunderstand. I don't think Kung Fu (as in the sport/training) is cheesy, nor is Taekwondo (I have a bit of experience in that area myself)--I'm talking about the whole Kung Fu craze in the 70's that I thought was just as cheesy as disco when I was a kid. When songs like "Kung Fu Fighting" and "Disco Duck" hit number one, I know a cultural fad has jumped the shark.
Anyway--yeah I do recall Tony Stark approaching Shang Chi about weapons but haven't read one thing that leads me to believe that has actually occurred.
I agree that Master of Kung Fu was one of the best ever Marvel books and i was a huge Gulacy fan. His use of shadow in illustration was very original and innovative in its time. Whatever happened to him? I don't recall seeing his work since the 70's
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Post by Marvel Boy on Apr 7, 2013 10:56:22 GMT -5
I didn't think you meant any offense by your statement so it's cool. I barely remember the whole Kung Fu craze of the 70s. It's easy to see why it happened between the popularity of Bruce Lee films and shows like Kung Fu on the air. I think MOTK is a better result spawned by that craze.
Gulacy has done occasional work for both Marvel and DC over the years. He teamed up with Moench for excellent stories on Legends of the Dark Knight, worked with Brubaker on Catwoman. He and Moench even did a modern MOTK mini back in '02 released under Marvel's Max imprint. He is currently working with Chuck Dixon on the opening story arc of IDW's newly relaunched G.I. Joe Special Missions title.
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Post by bobc on Apr 7, 2013 12:22:49 GMT -5
Thanks for the info. I'm glad Gulacy is still working --this is a very tough time for artists.
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Post by tomspasic on Apr 12, 2013 5:13:50 GMT -5
Sooo... Avenger #9 is out. I've read it a couple of times, and whilst I don't hate it, it's probably the issue I've enjoyed least to date. As ever, it bugs me to waste 3 pages on recap/credits/story title. Oh, not to mention another page at the end dedicated to translating the "builder machine code". Just put it in a readable but distinct font, for crying out loud. This particular conceit is becoming irritating. I did not much care for the cover. Though I welcome a return to covers which portray events within the comic, this one looked bad to me. The proportions and perspective effects made it look like either starbrand is 2 feet tall or Thor Hyperion and Hulk have all partaken of Pym Particles. Hulk in particular would be close to 20 feet tall, if not more, on that cover. The interior art started off nicely enough, with good facial expressions, fairly clear storytelling and clear, detailed art. Then it switched into a fight that was just a sequence of full page shots one after another, with far too much silhouette work thrown in. I'm assuming this part was handled by Deodato. One page in particular I could not work out if the "camera" was supposed to be above the action, or off to one side, as the artist (or writer, perhaps) gave us a rather lazy image of Thor, Hype and Hulk all hitting Starbrand at once, like a synchronized swimming team. It came across as intended to be powerful and iconic, but just looked like a wasted page in a sequence of largely wasted pages. The story did move things along and sort of resolve the Starbrand/Adam issue, and give us some twists about what Ex Nihilo was doing in the first arc. But since I barely understood what he was supposedly doing in the first place, the revelation that he was doing something else that was equally impenetrable and obtuse left me a bit cold, even though it does tie into the Starbrand/White event stuff. And I found the "exile in space" ending as unsatisfactory as I found the "exile on mars" ending in the first arc. Especially since it seems to leave pretty much everything unresolved. I think I may be hitting some sort of "Hickman Fatigue", or perhaps the honeymoon period is over. This is not a bad comic book. I did enjoy it, just not as much as previous issues. There was a big fight, a resolution of sorts to the issues at hand, and it didn't feel stupid. But...the combination of decompression and the scope and unfamiliarity of the concepts involved is starting to drain the title a little for me. And if I'm feeling that way, as someone who was really keen and enjoying it, I can imagine those left cold by the first few issues might have given up altogether by now. I'm hoping for a return to form next issue..
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Post by starfoxxx on Apr 12, 2013 15:47:22 GMT -5
I dropped this title, but I leafed through it at my LCS, and it didn't look too promising.... but I'll be following this thread for feedback if anything happens worth buying...
now I can't wait for some free time to read Uncanny Avengers #6!!!!
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Post by bobc on Apr 13, 2013 9:10:13 GMT -5
I liked it. They are finally linking the Illuminati (New Avengers) to this Avengers book with Tony Stark's "weaponized star." I really love the villains' personalities and how they're drawn.
I do NOT like how Hickman is writing Captain America. A kid has all this power thrown in his lap that he can't control, and is thrown into a crazy situation he doesn't understand, and Captain America pretty much blames the kid, saying he has to "take responsibility?" That isn't fair IMO and totally out of character. CA should take the high ground.,
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Post by tomspasic on Apr 26, 2013 6:06:27 GMT -5
Sooo.. another issue in the bag. Spoilers etc
As usual, 3 pages of recap, roster,credits/title wasted. Now, to expand on this point for once beyond saying it's irritating; I will concede that if ever a book needed a recap page, it's probably this one. There has been quite a lot of stuff happen in some ways, so I'll maybe give them a pass on the recap page as it's arguably necessary. The roster page could have appeared as a coloured tint background to the largely white credits page, but I guess it''s a design choice to have all that wasted blank space. You do not need an entire page to tell the reader who is in the comic, A. because the reader is reading the comic and can see who is in it. B. because you can fit that info in a single caption box or a nice little row of heads on the cover, or splash page or the credits page. Or you can work your circular roster motif into the comic on a monitor screen like the Legion of Superheros used to do. Anything but waste an entire page on what the reader can see for themselves in a few pages anyway. You do not need an entire page for credits/title. I understand that it's a "design choice" but it's also wasting a page the reader has paid for. Above all let's remember that it already has the credits on the %^&*ing cover!
Right then, on to the remaining pages and the actual comic. The on-going system-is-broken-Ex-Nihilo plot rumbles on. (And on) From a line early on in the issue we can now tell that the wiping out of several cities by Ex Nihilo and chums happened a month ago, and the Avengers have been sat on their hands ever since. One of my main complaints about Bendis was that his Avengers were incredibly ineffectual, lazy, and complacent. Hiding, running away, talking were all they ever did. Now it seems Hickman's Avengers carry on that proud tradition, because a month after a city of over 200,000 people was wiped out, they finally bother to go have a look, having assumed till then that Canada's government could deal with the planet changing, city destroying forces unleashed there. Sure, why not? After all they've been busy feeding Captain Universe pie, and squabbling over who ate who's food in the fridge. This really bugs me. They have what is it? 24 Avengers on active duty, plus pretty much everyone else in the MU that they could call on, and after a month they still have not even visited, much less dealt with the bio-bomb fallout. Why are they not asking/forcing Ex Nihilo to reverse the process or at least contain it, or better yet move it to Mars? That ranting aside, it's a pretty good read. A kind of Sci-fi/horror survival mystery, what happens to Omega Flight is oddly foreshadowed by the jokey discussion Black Widow and Spider-Woman have at a different bio-bomb site a few issue back. Of course we still don't know what the hell is going on, and neither do the Avengers. The book has some quite good emotional depth to it, and at least one funny joke from Cap. Deodato's art is pretty good, though because I associate him with Bendis I now have difficulty looking at his art and enjoying it. All in all an enjoyable read for the most part. Just one more small piece in a very large jigsaw puzzle though, and I'm starting to lose a bit of interest in what the final picture is going to be. Frankly, very very few narrative punchlines are worthy of a 6 month plus build up, no matter how well executed it is.
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Post by wundagoreborn on Apr 26, 2013 14:36:04 GMT -5
All in all an enjoyable read for the most part. Just one more small piece in a very large jigsaw puzzle though, and I'm starting to lose a bit of interest in what the final picture is going to be. Frankly, very very few narrative punchlines are worthy of a 6 month plus build up, no matter how well executed it is. Word. I was listening to Earth's Mightiest Podcast in the car today and the guys were talking about this. They note they are losing interest in a lot of details or not recalling them, but feel uneasy about it. Like 'I can't really care now, but I know I'm going to care a lot when the payoff comes.' That strikes me as being too generous to creators. If things aren't holding your attention, then it's not working. If they are not really writing a monthly comic, but writing a collection that only works read 6 books at a sitting, then don't publish it as a monthly comic.
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Post by spiderwasp on Apr 26, 2013 15:09:10 GMT -5
If things aren't holding your attention, then it's not working. If they are not really writing a monthly comic, but writing a collection that only works read 6 books at a sitting, then don't publish it as a monthly comic. Couldn't have said it better myself
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Post by Marvel Boy on Apr 28, 2013 0:48:10 GMT -5
I'm miffed. Apparently my copy of #9 has been waylaid somewhere within the vast reaches of the US Postal Service for I have yet to get it. Hopefully #10 won't suffer the same fate. If things aren't holding your attention, then it's not working. If they are not really writing a monthly comic, but writing a collection that only works read 6 books at a sitting, then don't publish it as a monthly comic. I think this story will read much better in TPB. My concerns is that Hickman has said that you don't need to read both books to enjoy the story and for the most part, that's true. However the little details may not add up if you don't follow both books. It's also confusing to keep track of those details over the last few months. I'm beginning to think I may not care what the eventual pay-off for this story is, especially if it leads into any of these upcoming Marvel 'events'.
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Post by Marvel Boy on May 4, 2013 23:38:16 GMT -5
#10
*sigh*
I'm starting to get bored with this title. The team literally did nothing in this issue. There's no sense of urgency here, no sense of trying to solve/stop the problem instead of merely containing it or hoping some other country solves it as was shown here.
Deodato's art was great and I was intrigued by this version of Omega Flight. But those were about the only highlights for me with this issue.
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Post by tomspasic on May 10, 2013 8:29:28 GMT -5
Welp, #11 is out, and it's a real change of pace. Those bored by #1-10 may well prefer this, an almost done-in-one which features a team of Avengers visiting a casino more or less undercover, to gather information about what AIM might be up to. Those on the team are Shang-Chi, Black Widow, Captain Marvel, Spider-Woman, Sunspot and Cannonball. It's a fun issue, and even though I do have some bones to pick with it, it's my favourite issue in a while. My bones to pick: 1.we've already seen this plot idea at least twice in recent years, once with Cap and Hawkeye (in Madripoor, in a Secret Avengers issue?), once with Cap and Iron Man (I've already forgotten where and what title). If you hadn't read those issues, this one stands up just fine, but if like me you have, it smacks of a lack of ideas at the House of Ideas. 2. "badass" pro-torture, happy-to-kill Black Widow. I've heard the arguments that she is a spy and blah blah blah. I don't like it. As far as I'm concerned torture is the province of psychopaths and those one might dub as simply evil, both in real life, and in fiction. Widow here is portrayed as opting to go straight to torture without even bothering to try other methods first. And then later, having been told specifically to keep things low key she executes four men. We are told that they are Bad Men with huge body counts, but I'm one of those tiresome people in favour of arrests, trials, due process and evidence being presented, again, both in real life and fiction. So I found these scenes rather nauseating. Although Widow is verbally challenged by other Avengers both on the torture and killing, there is no sanction, no investigation, no consequence for doing the sort of stuff The Bad Guys used to be shown doing.
Those bones aside, I really enjoyed this. For a comic with a protagonist who wants to torture and is summarily executing people (possibly in self defence, I should add, we are not shown the actual killings or how exactly they came to happen), it's a fun, light-hearted read with some rather good character work. I'd definitely recommend this issue if you've found the first 10 too dense, plot-heavy, cold, etc.
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Post by Marvel Boy on May 10, 2013 23:09:24 GMT -5
Well, that's good to hear. Like I've said, I don't fault Hickman for his scope of ambition, but after 10 issues, I feel the plot should have moved more forward by now, at least something more permanent done about those infect bio-sites.
My copy should arrive sometime next week (crossing finger!) but finally, some focus on Shang-Chi, Sunspot, and Cannonball.
About Widow, does she technically still work for SHIELD? From what you describe, she sounds more like an assassin than spy but I reckon that's a gray area she inhabits on each mission. I believe her portrayal in the Avengers movie should be the norm; using her guile, charm, intelligence, her 'assets' to get information and if that didn't work, then she kicked your butt.
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Post by tomspasic on May 11, 2013 3:12:56 GMT -5
Well, that's good to hear. Like I've said, I don't fault Hickman for his scope of ambition, but after 10 issues, I feel the plot should have moved more forward by now, at least something more permanent done about those infect bio-sites. My copy should arrive sometime next week (crossing finger!) but finally, some focus on Shang-Chi, Sunspot, and Cannonball. About Widow, does she technically still work for SHIELD? From what you describe, she sounds more like an assassin than spy but I reckon that's a gray area she inhabits on each mission. I believe her portrayal in the Avengers movie should be the norm; using her guile, charm, intelligence, her 'assets' to get information and if that didn't work, then she kicked your butt. I think she still works for SHIELD, and the briefing the Avengers are given beginning this mission ends with "The last thing SHIELD wants is an international incident", strongly suggesting that here, at least, they are working at SHIELD's behest. It's my personal feelings about summary executions and quick and casual reliance on torture that are offended. The killings take place in a room containing five (non-superhuman) men and two Avengers. It's hard to argue that Spider-Woman and Black Widow could not have dealt with five ordinary men without shooting each of them in the forehead. In the panels where we see their corpses there aren't even any guns or other weapons shown. So "self defence" looks shaky to me. The "justice dispensed" argument is also weak. Knock them out, fly them to the states (or Guantanamo), and try them, legally and fairly. Then if your laws and their crimes call for a death penalty, I guess they get killed then. One last note about how unnecessary and dumb the scene was; like I said earlier, there were FIVE guys in the room, but we only get shown FOUR corpses. Where is the last guy? Did he run away, or walk out before things turned nasty? Or is he dead? Still alive but unconscious? Or can Hickman and Deodato (or their editors) simply not count? It's sloppy. And I wish this didn't bug me so much because it really is a good issue in most other ways. The stuff with Sam and Bobby recalls Hickman's relationship between Johnny Storm and Peter Parker, it's fun, and funny. Shang Chi and Captain Marvel get good showings too, in completely different ways. And although I can see how his portrayal of the Widow as this badass killer is in some ways true to canon and her recent canon, I prefer information gathered through wit, not torture and killing.
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Post by Shiryu on May 11, 2013 8:41:46 GMT -5
I've had a look at it yesterday. It's ok, better than previous issues and much easier to follow, but nothing really happens other than different Avengers trying to access information each with their own style.
Like Tom, I was also bothered by Black Widow's attitude. I know that people nowadays dig these more "badass" type of characters, but I prefer the old days when Hawkeye was court martialised for killing Egghead. That was an accident and Egghead was about to hill Hank Pym, but he still had to defend himself and explain his actions. Here, Widow callously kills unharmed prisoners and I doubt anything will be done about it.
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Post by spiderwasp on May 11, 2013 15:20:20 GMT -5
Haven't read the last few issues and probably won't. I agree that I like my heroes heroic. I've never minded having a few badasses out there like the Punisher but that's not the way the Avengers or FF should operate. That was my problem with Wolverine being a member in the first place. His ideals didn't gel.
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Post by Marvel Boy on May 20, 2013 18:58:11 GMT -5
Okay, after reading #11, I agree with you tom. Widow was completely out of character, for me at least. She was bordering on being blood-thirsty here.
That was a cold-blooded execution and Jessica may as well have said nothing considering the trite "Unnecessary" she offered. Very disturbing.
Speaking of which, why exactly were Avengers needed for this job? SHIELD can no longer handle undercover assignments?
Best part was Shang-Chi. I wouldn't have minded seeing more of his fight with Chimera. Finally nice to see what Tony has done for him, although I would expected a bit more than electrified nunchuks.
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Post by tomspasic on May 23, 2013 4:35:45 GMT -5
OK, let's move quickly on to #12. Spoilerage Ahoy!
I really, really, really liked this issue. A lot. Best of the series to date. Was this due to the addition of Nick Spencer on writing? I dunno. The credits list Hickman and Spencer as writers, but don't say who did what. And I don't care too much when it's this good. Let's start my gushing praise with the cover. For the first time in a long time it's a cover I really like. A memorable cover depicting the story within. And the characters are smiling, happy, engaged in positive activities. Not all posing and scowling like idiots. It's a cover that hearkens back to an earlier time, when superheroes could be seen smiling and doing stuff other than eviscerating people or shooting them in the forehead. When smiling was not what the hero did after executing someone, but what they did when they played with kids, when they helped people. It's a wonderful cover. Literally full of wonder. We see savage land fauna besides the horribly cliche T-Rex. We see kids and heros riding outrageous looking dinosaurs while Iron Man flies in the background with a pack of pterosaurs. It's my favourite cover for a long while, on any comic.
Inside the book, yes we are still wasting pages on summaries, titles and credits. And, yes, it still irritates me.
The story itself deals with the Avengers helping to raise and guide the alien children who Hyperion adopted after Ex Nihilos evolution bombs created them. We are told by Stark that they do not sleep, eat or breathe, and that lacking needs they may lack motivation and dreams, the stuff which moves us onwards as a species. Hyperion and Thor disagree with this pessimistic view, and the Avengers each set out to teach something of worth to the zebra kids. And we get a lot of great character work. We see philosophical differences, differences in outlook and approach, differences in motivation and diction. Hickman/Spencer continue to nod to the current Spider-Man/Doc Ock situation without coming right out and saying it. But Spider-Ock's lessons are kind of harsh and self-serving. It's fairly subtle stuff for superhero comics, where usually we'd have Spock rubbing his hands, underlit, monologuing about how "none of these fools suspect! Muhahahah!". Here we just get clues which if you're in the know are rewarding nods to continuity. Clint and Spideywoman teach the kids the value of slacking off and sunbathing, perhaps reflecting their own less than idyllic childhood educations. Thor sends his on an arbitrary quest emulating the Tales of Asgard he fills their heads with. But is careful to reward the zebroid who stopped to help his fellow competitor, even though it cost him the race. Honour, compassion, these are Thor's lessons. And finally Hyperion interrupts Captain Universe to deliver a beautiful rebuttal of Starks earlier proto capitalist cynicism and Universes empty pragmatism, with a speech about how the calling, and purpose and meaning of those without need is to make a world without need: "to provide".
It's a really good comic in my opinion. Yes we are still mired in some glacially moving, impenetrable over-arching storyline that may seem pompous and obtuse. Yes, one might argue that "not much happened" and that it's decompressed. But this is an example of good decompression, of actually giving space to see who the characters are, and how they act.
This issue I heartily recommend. Of course if you aren't following the series you will be left with a lot of questions about the zebroids, and a bunch of other stuff. But if you just react to what IS there, superheroes interacting with kids, I think that you should enjoy this issue.
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Post by Marvel Boy on May 31, 2013 0:25:31 GMT -5
It's a really good comic in my opinion. Yes we are still mired in some glacially moving, impenetrable over-arching storyline that may seem pompous and obtuse. Yes, one might argue that "not much happened" and that it's decompressed. But this is an example of good decompression, of actually giving space to see who the characters are, and how they act. Yeah, that's pretty much how I feel about this issue. It's a good character study, had some good moments from both Hyperion and Thor, Spidey-Ock's comments were funny, even Tony tele-commuting from deep space was decent. But that it's tied in with this glacially paced story is what drags it down some. Another facet of Hickman's storytelling that I find annoying is the length of time taken between the various sub-plots. What is going on with Starbrand and Nightmask? How many issues before we learn what Shang-Chi's team accomplished? Will the appearance of the High Evolutionary here be followed up on in the next issue or next month's issue? Sub-plots are fine and welcome, but at least touch upon what is going on with them each issue. I feel it will help immensely to read this title in TPB.
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