|
Post by Marvel Boy on Jun 14, 2014 10:21:50 GMT -5
My mistake, in my last post, I had the issue number as #30 instead of #29. My apologies.
Now, for the actual #30.
Due to the Time Gem, our stalwart heroes arrive about 50 years into the future where they are greeted by members of the Avengers Union, including a much older Clint. Clint advises them that their time jumps are going to last much longer and that the future(s) they are going to aren't all that friendly. He then whispers something for only Cap to hear.
Meanwhile, Kevin (Starbrand) learns that the current Starbrand received her powers upon Kevin's death. An older Hyperion advises his younger self that his proper place is 'In the White' of the void between universes, a place he should shape to his own. (This is where AIM's super-duper Adaptoids went a few issues ago). The team is about to jump when old Clint wants his pound of flesh from Tony over the disasters of the past. After pummeling him somewhat, he tells Tony that the device he built that helps warn him of Incursions and takes him there works outside of the Time Gem so Tony can go back to the present. Tony does so as Clint admonishes him that he can save the future. The Time Gem then reappears and our heroes are vaulted nearly 500 years into the future.
*whew* I admit, I'm kinda lost here as to what is going on and why. I don't read New Avengers anymore so that side of the story is missing for me. Whether that would help my comprehension of this story, I don't know.
Normally, Yenil Lu's art is hard for me to take sometimes. But here, he does a rather decent job, especially with the last page of the extreme future.
|
|
|
Post by bobc on Jun 18, 2014 11:44:29 GMT -5
You're not missing much, MB. The last two New Avengers issues were better than the previous few, but still it just seems to be dragging. the covers for both 18 and 19 show a pitched battle between the Illuminati and a Justice League type team from an alternate earth, but the problem is there is no battle. I really hate that false advertising. Hickman does seem to be finally wrapping some of his numerous dangling plot lines, but it is going s l o w l y.
In regard to the main Avengers book, I am just as confused as you are. This book just has too many characters. No Avenger is getting any attention except maybe Iron Man--how could it be any other way when you have a million characters running around? This is a mess.
|
|
|
Post by Marvel Boy on Jul 24, 2014 12:33:01 GMT -5
You're not missing much, MB. The last two New Avengers issues were better than the previous few, but still it just seems to be dragging. the covers for both 18 and 19 show a pitched battle between the Illuminati and a Justice League type team from an alternate earth, but the problem is there is no battle. I really hate that false advertising. Hickman does seem to be finally wrapping some of his numerous dangling plot lines, but it is going s l o w l y. In regard to the main Avengers book, I am just as confused as you are. This book just has too many characters. No Avenger is getting any attention except maybe Iron Man--how could it be any other way when you have a million characters running around? This is a mess. S-L-O-W is right. The last few issues of Avengers have been nothing but discussion, mainly of events that I have little context for understanding. For example, a recap of #31-#32 (although mind you, I left my PhD in quantum physics in my other suit of Iron Man armor). Overall, our heroes continue their time-jump into the far future. Next, they end up in a time dominated by Ultron, referred to by the inhabitants as Planet Ultron. The Avengers serve (somewhat) as ongoing protectors but they arrive to confine our heroes, kidnapping Cap and Black Widow. Our Thor confronts the Future Thor, demanding to know how 'he' could serve Ultron. Future Thor (who wields a sword and not Mjolnir) replies by saying that he serves the Throne of Asgard, that Ultron is now High-Father and thus Thor serves Ultron. (I have QUITE the problem with this assertion but that's another rant). Meanwhile, Future Cap (half-man, half-machine) reveals just how much he is infuriated and disgusted by Cap and the ideals of the Avengers. He is implanting a bomb inside Cap, meant for someone in the far future when the group jumps again. While this is happening, Nastasha is having a discussion with the Future Black Widow, a sentient AI robot. She wants to make a deal with Natasha, asking her to request of the 'Future Man' for her being able to continue to survive after this time. The group disappears again, arriving 5000 years into the future. Earth appears to be a hollow shell, with most of humanity living on other worlds of the solar system. The 'future man' in question is none other than the adult Franklin Richards (who apparently is immortal. I don't know, I haven't read any of Hickman's FF). He takes the group to see Avengers World, a small Dyson-sphere of sorts, housing most of this time's superhuman beings. These Avengers (apparently) police and guard a large swath of the Multiverse. Cap and the others look on as a group of these Avengers launch a rogue planet into the past (the same one that endangered the Earth some issues back, in which the Avengers, with help from a future Iron Man sent by this same adult Franklin, save the world by merging the rogue planet with the Earth). Why did they do that? Because it's fate. Cap wants answers but all Franklin does is insinuate that if Cap and others stand up to the Illuminati's current plans, disaster may result. Will their choices save the future or are their fates sealed regardless? Our heroes vault foward into time again. Meanwhile, not everyone is going on these trips. Hawkeye returns to the present after their first jump. When the group jumps from Planet Ultron, Thor and Hyperion return to the present as well. Clint sums these events up perfectly when he asks of the others, "Does anyone know what the hell is happening here?" Potential futures that may or may not ever exist, parallel universe with their own endings, it's interesting to a degree, but so far, it's all been talk for the last 3-4 issues and we've strayed so far from the original starting point of this escapade (Steve remembering Tony and the Illuminati mind-wiping him, remember?) that I'm not sure what kind of resolution for that is on tap. Quantum mechanics is fine, but this a superhero comic book, featuring the Earth's mightest heroes, frankly, it's time to start punching something....
|
|
|
Post by starfoxxx on Jul 24, 2014 18:40:58 GMT -5
Thanks for the review Marvel Boy.......New Avengers looks like a hot mess.
And I thought the plotline of Uncanny Avengers has been confusing!
I'd prefer a story where ,say, the Wrecking Crew break out of prison and team up with the Red Ghost or maybe Doc Ock and the Avengers have to physically beat them all to a pulp.
|
|
|
Post by humanbelly on Jul 26, 2014 19:57:19 GMT -5
Listening to it third-hand, here, this sounds like just abominably bad story-telling. I do know that there are a lot of Hickman fans out there, but this is simply wildly out of whack. The scope and the scale of this plot/arc are so impossibly broad and vast and all-encompassing that it cannot possibly be contained by the actions of any individual characters or even group of characters. It also seems to be making the continued, ever-escalating mistake of making THIS PARTICULAR EVENT THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT EVER IN ALL OF THE HISTORY OF THE CREATION OF THE MULTIVERSE, ETC,ETCETCETCETC. . . . For me, this has exactly the opposite of the intended effect. It doesn't make the story seem one bit "bigger" to me at all-- it just serves to make the entirety of (what's left of) the MU seem smaller and stupider and terribly petty, because its very existence is forever being threatened by the actions of individuals who are impossibly insignificant when one considers even for an instant the vastness of all creation (fictional universe or not).
I. . . I simply can't stand storytelling that can only use perpetually upping the stakes as the go-to method to simulate dramatic tension. This was Hickman's big problem in his FF run. . . which I also ultimately didn't care for. Making a story artificially complex and mind-bogglingly huge in scope and using time-hopping & dimension-hopping "spoilers" to anchor it to (or alternatively, to create imaginary "cheat" versions of characters and events) is NOT THE SAME as actually crafting a well-told tale that involves understandable, real, human-sized events in a structured setting. There's no discipline, no control, no restraint. . . it's making me crazy, and I'm not even buying the book!
You guys that are reading this title-- am I assuming too much? What's going on with the inner lives of the characters? Is there any sense of the deeper relationships between the characters still being explored? The element of soap-opera-while-under-fire is what's always made for the most memorable arcs for Avengers as a franchise.
*whew* Rant Over!
HB
|
|
|
Post by Marvel Boy on Jul 27, 2014 10:27:54 GMT -5
You guys that are reading this title-- am I assuming too much? What's going on with the inner lives of the characters? Is there any sense of the deeper relationships between the characters still being explored? The element of soap-opera-while-under-fire is what's always made for the most memorable arcs for Avengers as a franchise. *whew* Rant Over! HB No, not really. Yeah, you get a few personal moments between characters here and there but nothing sustained like the emotional sub-plots Stern or Shooter used to supply for example. Take this current arc which started with Steve remembering that he was mind-wiped by Tony, Dr. Strange, and the rest of the Illuminati. Steve and Tony are old friends, their ideals and methods may clash occasionally but they still pull together to win the day. Civil War may have highlighted the extreme differences between the two but lately, they've been working together fine and getting along. So naturally, Steve is righteously angry over recalling Tony's actions, the depths that Tony will go to to ensure what he sees as being the right action. Steve gathers a few other Avengers to confront Tony, emotions run high, tensions mount......and then the Time Gem appears and we start gallivanting across myriad possible futures. It's a letdown and quite frustrating. In fact, if this issue is resolved later with a slow nod or even a handshake, I'm going to be extremely disappointed. This is my first real exposure to Hickman. I get it, he has the BIG ideas, the LARGE mind-blowing concepts, that's cool. But his characters can and do come off as being clinically cold. Reading his Steve and Tony, you'd be hard-pressed to see that they've been fighting together as teammates and friends for decades. There's no sense of camaraderie or family with this team. Yes, you have some funny moments between the characters but there's a lack of the warmth between them that is usually present in an Avengers team. (Which is why I love Remender's work on UA so much more. His Avengers are actually Avengers in name and in personality). Plus, I usually love the FF but I'm seriously hesitant over reading Hickman's run. I know it's received stellar reviews but it contains, once again, a lot of parallel universes, alternate characters and such. Just give me a straight-forward story set in one universe with the characters I love, okay?
|
|
|
Post by bobc on Jul 31, 2014 15:09:37 GMT -5
I'm with you, MB. All this jumping around is making me sea sick. Big ideas are great, but it all comes down to execution. I think I would drop dead at this point if an actual relationship of any kind actually took place in any of this book. You hit the nail on the head when you said these lifelong (mostly) friends feel "clinically cold." When CA just walks up to Hawkeye and BW and tells them to arm themselves because they were going to confront Stark you'd think these characters would have asked what was going on. They've known each other for years. Seems like there are all kinds of opportunities for character development that just never happens--like, say, it would have been interesting to have CA tell Hawkeye and BW what was happening with the Illuminati, and see how they reacted. Maybe they'd be on Tony's side! And Thor just following along? And when CA sanctimoniously asks who of the Illuminati "broke first" morally, and Tony said "You did" and CA just punches him in the face--WTF?!!! The whole thing just seemed rushed, fake and awash in missed opportunities.
|
|
|
Post by bobc on Aug 6, 2014 14:09:50 GMT -5
New Avengers is out and a fight finally occurs between Namor and Black Panther. What a frikkin' huge letdown. BP's promise to kill Namor is a hinge element of this whole series, and after waiting years we get this? I am beyond disappointed.
|
|
|
Post by humanbelly on Aug 7, 2014 8:17:29 GMT -5
New Avengers is out and a fight finally occurs between Namor and Black Panther. What a frikkin' huge letdown. BP's promise to kill Namor is a hinge element of this whole series, and after waiting years we get this? I am beyond disappointed. Oh boy-- bobc, I KNOW this is opening a whole can of probably-unwanted worms, but-- Clearly this couldn't be a situation where BP attempts to take Namor down one-on-one, right? The Panther would have to be using weapons, technology, stealth, minions, political machinations, and/or trickery somehow, yes? BP just couldn't take Namor out in simple, single combat-- their power sets are too asymmetrical. But there's absolutely NO FUN in doing it the other way, 'casue ANYONE can take out anyone else with enough planning, weapons, and subterfuge (especially someone like Namor, who is both volatile and not particularly deep). HB
|
|
|
Post by Marvel Boy on Aug 13, 2014 10:27:29 GMT -5
Onward to #33...... We are now over 50,000 years into the future, Cap being the only Avenger making this trip. He finds himself in a bleak landscape with only one dominating structure in front of him. Upon arriving there, he is identified as a temporal anomaly and restrained. This structure houses Worldcore, a remnant of AI presumably from Planet Ultron that has evolved into it's own consciousness. To attain perfection, Worldcore has undertaken time travel to correct any errors in it's own previous timeline. This has (apparently) brought it into conflict with the Planet Ultron timeframe and thus a form of temporal cold war exists between the two. Worldcore sees Cap as a subversive agent and attempts to upload his consciousness, in the process killing him. Cap breaks free and fights holographic Avengers. Cap is almost subdued again when the bomb implanted within him back on Planet Ultron (remember?) suddenly jumps out and attacks the Worldcore simulacrum. Worldcore gets infected and It. All. Comes. Crumbling. Down. Steve surveys the mayhem, the Time Gem reappears. But just when Steve is about to vanish into the temporal abyss, a figure reminiscent of Iron Man arrives to pluck him free...... This was the most straightforward issue so far of this arc. It has a beginning, middle, and something resembling a resolution. That the implanted bomb plot was resolved this quickly was very appreciated. What this all means and how it all ties in with Hickman's plans is, of course, still unknown. I had to giggle though over a certain line of dialogue from Cap. When he first enters the structure, a hologram asks him to identify himself. Seeing only a metal bar device in front of him, Cap asks if this is what the hologram is referring to, prompting the hologram to repeat her inquiry. Steve's response: "You know...saying the same thing twice isn't really answering the question."A perfect summation of one problem I have with Bendis' dialogue.
|
|
|
Post by bobc on Aug 13, 2014 17:31:31 GMT -5
Hey HB--You've put your finger on what is bugging me about Hickman's take on the Panther. Maybe you missed it, but the African goddess Bast (who inhabits the Wakandan Necropolis or City of the Dead)told T'Challa that he was going to be her champion and that he would be the King of the Dead.She granted him the knowledge, abilities and skills of ALL former Black Panthers--and also gave him the ability to confer with his ancestors (although why this is needed is unclear if he already knows everything they knew). This was like 4 years ago. Hickman STILL has not clarified what this means exactly, and there have been hundreds of online arguments over what BP's powers now are. Hickman DID, however, tweet that T'challa is now "superhuman" but that was all he said. Now a while back BP fought Black Dwarf, a hulk level goon of Thanos' and beat him soundly. Unfortunately, frustratingly, the fight happened off panel so we never saw how BP actually won, but he did say he thought he'd broken his hand in the fight--suggesting it was a physical fight rather than a tech win.I love what Hickman has done with BP overall, especially giving him a LONG overdue power up, but for God's sake when is he going to reveal it.
Now in terms of super tech, BP has been shown to be able to teleport, turn invisible, has a force field, energy daggers and now has some sort of weird energy claw gloves that he used on Namor. Any enhancements to BP's physical abilities were not brought out, but the gloves caused Namor to scream in pain. The Hulk broke the two up and was able to hold T'challa back from killing Namor.
So the whole thing is very confusing and you wouldn't believe the pregnant dog fights it's causing online.Some people are claiming that he must be Hulk level now, but I think they are reading way too much into this. I agree with you that even if BP had a power up, Namor would still probably be far, far stronger so T'Challa would need to plan very carefully and use super tech. I was expecting some big plot build up to this actually happening but what happens instead is that T'Challa just loses his temper and punches Namor in the face, starting the brawl.
The other thing that bothers me is that during this entire run of New Avengers, the Illuminati have built dozens of anti-matter bombs to destroy parallel earths that are phasing into our dimension on a now routine basis. BUT now that they actually had to blow up another world, no one wanted to pull the trigger. Makes me wonder why they bothered building these weapons in the first place.
|
|
|
Post by bobc on Jan 19, 2015 16:37:57 GMT -5
Has anyone here read Avenger's #40? It is a jaw-dropper and I haven't felt that way about an ending to a comic since that Avengers issue when the Reaper asked the Vision to help him "destroy the Avengers" and the Vision simply said "Yes."
|
|
|
Post by starfoxxx on Jan 20, 2015 15:13:35 GMT -5
Has anyone here read Avenger's #40? It is a jaw-dropper and I haven't felt that way about an ending to a comic since that Avengers issue when the Reaper asked the Vision to help him "destroy the Avengers" and the Vision simply said "Yes." Hey bobc.....I didn't know you were still reading new Avengers comics.....I didn't read #40, but I'm intrigued now.... I'm still waiting for Uncanny Avengers to re-boot, I guess it's been delayed the last two weeks so far..... I DID get Avengers World #15-16, and they were pretty enjoyable, with Dr Doom assembling Stingray, Valkyrie, and some others for a makeshift Avengers squad. Again, it was pretty good, I'd love to discuss those issues with anyone who read them.... BTW, anyone else reading new Avengers comics??? Star Wars #1 was very well done, my only complaint being the price tag and it just seemed very brief (especially for $5)
|
|
|
Post by bobc on Jan 21, 2015 9:24:06 GMT -5
Starry--the New Avengers aren't the Bendis' New Avengers. It's a totally different comic. The art has been fantastic most of the time (with several glaring exceptions) and the writing, while slow, is coming together and one major plotline is being resolved. That's all I'm gonna say on that.
I think all the Avengers comics have come around. I think the ghost of Bendis is dissipating.
|
|
|
Post by humanbelly on Jan 21, 2015 20:48:09 GMT -5
F-f-f-f-five dollars an issue?? Is that what's on the horizon now? I will never come back. Nevernevernever, ever. It could be the best bleedin' comics ever printed, but I simply cannot justify that level of expense for something that I'll read in about 12 minutes.
Glad to hear that the art chores are back on track, though, bobc. You're definitely our guide in that department.
HB
|
|
|
Post by bobc on Jan 22, 2015 9:10:03 GMT -5
I know whatcha mean, HB. Lately I throw down 3 comics and the bill is about $15. The thing that rankles me is when I pay that kind of money and get art that looks like garbage. I mean I have seen some really, really bad art of late. There are times I seriously wonder if Marvel even cares about the quality of the product they are putting out but I will say lately it's been much better--at least in the Avengers.
|
|
|
Post by humanbelly on Jan 23, 2015 7:30:10 GMT -5
I know whatcha mean, HB. Lately I throw down 3 comics and the bill is about $15. The thing that rankles me is when I pay that kind of money and get art that looks like garbage. I mean I have seen some really, really bad art of late. There are times I seriously wonder if Marvel even cares about the quality of the product they are putting out but I will say lately it's been much better--at least in the Avengers. I know this is kind of OT/tangential to the thread, but-- is there any idea of who the target market is for comic books (at that price) at this point? I can't figure out what the industry's long-term strategy or goal is, because even accounting for inflation, etc, that price point becomes exclusionary rather than inclusive. Especially for a medium that manipulates its product relentlessly in order to get readers to buy multiple, multiple titles. Married adults? With kids? Unless they're solidly middle/upper-middle class at least, it's simply an unjustifiable expense. Kids/teens? Well, heck, the books aren't really geared toward them anymore-- and where in the world would they get that kind of regular disposable income? So-- young adult men? Not if they're struggling to get out on their own and make a living or build a life. So-- young adult men who live at home with their folks? Hmm-- not a great long-term market investment, y'know? And it's not whatcha'd call a "growth" sector, right? (I'm probably bordering on being offensive in my characterizations, aren't I? I do apologize. I mean, we very likely are gonna end up w/ our very own live-with-the-folks-for-awhile young male adult in a few short years!) HB
|
|
|
Post by starfoxxx on Jan 23, 2015 15:29:50 GMT -5
I know whatcha mean, HB. Lately I throw down 3 comics and the bill is about $15. The thing that rankles me is when I pay that kind of money and get art that looks like garbage. I mean I have seen some really, really bad art of late. There are times I seriously wonder if Marvel even cares about the quality of the product they are putting out but I will say lately it's been much better--at least in the Avengers. I have to agree with bobc.....I can't tell you how many new comics I see on the shelves of my LCS, and I'm intrigued by the cover, only to look inside and the interior art is MESS! A great example is the latest She-Hulk series, it looks pretty cool with some nice old-school guest-stars like HELLCAT, but the interior art is atrocious. I WOULD say it looks like the work of a 5-year old, but I'm sure there are some 5-year olds out there that could do a better job! NEW RULE.......ALWAYS check out the interior art before plopping down $4-5 for a comic book! Covers can be deceiving. on a side-note, they just showed some new Marvel Legends for 2015 (fingers-crossed they come out THIS year, you never know)...... Hellcat, Machine Man, Batroc (classic version, not from Capt Amercia movie) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
|
|
|
Post by bobc on Jan 23, 2015 16:00:39 GMT -5
Starry--you took the words right out of my mouth. She Hulk is a stellar example of how Marvel is allowing really, really shoddy artists in. For me not to buy a book with her and Hellcat in it, based on the art, is really saying something. I was dumb enough a few months ago to buy a couple of issues of New Avengers without looking inside just because I loved the storyline--only to find some of the stiffest, laziest art I've ever seen. Thank God those artists seem to have been just fill in artists, but following Opena's amazing, stellar art--well, these amateurish are like a bucket of cold water to the face. Especially for $5 a pop.
|
|
|
Post by humanbelly on Jan 23, 2015 21:11:20 GMT -5
Where do you suppose that caliber of artist is going nowadays if they're not doing comics? Or-- are they maybe doing, like, independent/small-label comics? Are they working more with game animation, do you suppose? In the grand story of art history, being a comic book artist is still a fairly new-ish phenomenon, isn't it? There haven't been enough generations, really, to set a consistent pathway to success for it as a career-- or a standard throughline of influences or training.
But since there must still be equally talented artists out there someplace. . . where have they gone??
HB
|
|
|
Post by spiderwasp on Jan 24, 2015 10:51:01 GMT -5
It seems that every time Marvel launches a project I really like, they throw in an awful artist. I certainly agree with you about the She-Hulk series however it was one of only 3 titles I'm currently buying because the writing is really good. I can't help but feel that it's intentional. They throw something out there with old school storytelling and have their evidence that that kind of thing doesn't sell today. The reality is that the crappy art doesn't sell. I've still managed to enjoy the book a lot despite the art but can, in no way, defend it. Poor Hell-cat (One of my favorite characters) has particularly been suffering from bad artist for years. Her own series, Divas, She=hulk - anything they put her in gets an inferior artist. The sad part of that is that she's such a visually appealing character.
|
|
|
Post by starfoxxx on Jan 24, 2015 12:37:56 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by Doctor Bong Crosby on Jan 24, 2015 13:53:11 GMT -5
I just read the "Infinity" New Avengers hardcover (got it from my library´s local branch). I gotta say, pretty much all of the Illuminati (except for Hank McCoy) come through... how shall I phrase it...? NOT looking very good (at least when compared with their former selves that I remember fondly). A-- holes at best, genocidal scumbags at worst. I have to admit, though, it´s quite a feat when a book manages to make Doctor Doom more sympathetic than Mr. Fantastic to me. The mind reels... . It was very well written, I thought, but still I was left feeling a little depressed after reading it. Depressed and with new levels of appreciation and nostalgia for the "old school" of writing comics. Like Humanbelly, I have to finally accept that I´ll never be able to Make mine Marvel again. As belly mentioned, the price has become prohibitionary for a lot of us. Beyond that, I truly feel there is a significant shift in the philosophy behind the new style of storytelling. Bendis was (and is) emblematic of this new style of storytelling and viewing the fictional comic book universes in a more "realistic" light. Unfortunately (for most readers such as us) for a lot of the current batch of writers "realistic" seems to involve showing us progressively less heroic characters, a progressively grimer world and scenarios were ultimately (pun intended) nobody wins in the end. There are all kinds of fiction where I don´t mind a bit of all this, but comics are not among them. It doesn´t work for me. In view of all the aforementioned realities, I truly don´t mind too much Marvel´s announcement that they´re going to (finally) follow DC´s footsteps and end the MU as we know it. Apparently, they´re gonna be done with the MU´s multiverse, just like DC did during the original Crisis. Back in the old days, such announcement would have upset me, not only because it wasn´t an original idea, but mainly because I feel the elimination of the multiverse makes the MU the poorer for it. But since now I´m sure I´m never coming back, all I could muster upon learning the news was "oh well...".
|
|
|
Post by bobc on Jan 26, 2015 10:38:47 GMT -5
HB--there are some stellar artists around. Opena, Finch and others are doing fantastic stuff. It just seems like you have a handful of those guys, but a legion of artists who don't understand basic human anatomy, perspective and all of that. There is also a profound laziness in the mix--a while ago I bought one of the Avengers titles and the artist made easily 1/4 of his character drawings blackened silhouettes. He didn't even bother drawing faces in most of the panels (I'm not talking background crowd non-faces, I'm talking about characters in the foreground). This is flat out laziness. Compare this to, say, George Perez's highly detailed work, or John Buscema's incredibly expressive facial expressions and body language. I threw that issue of Avengers in the trash. The aforementioned She Hulk is another great example of lazy art, and the colorist is really, really weak.
|
|
|
Post by starfoxxx on Jan 26, 2015 15:53:38 GMT -5
I know Leinil Francis Yu is a new "favorite" artist, but I don't get it......He is very poor when it comes to depicting anatomy and perspective, and as bobc mentioned, he is among the artists that just draw squiggly lines for background figures. And his faces can be overdrawn (or inked, I guess), to where they look wrinkly and just plain ugly. I remember he got a lot off attention and praise around the time of the first New Avengers and Secret Invasion, and I just thought his stuff was crap. The mixed up "army" of "super-skrulls" (from Secret Invasion) with mix-matched bodies of heroes and villains was a squiggly nightmare! I've seen his very early Marvel art from Uncanny X-men, and he had a much more traditional comic-art style.....was he rushed for his New Avengers/Secret Invasion stuff??? or do the editors at Marvel REALLY like his "style".....it's hard to tell what is considered "good" or even "acceptable" when it comes to modern comic books!
Bring back PEREZ!
|
|
|
Post by bobc on Jan 26, 2015 16:51:18 GMT -5
Yu is a favorite new artist? Are you serious? Man. This is like bizzaro world to me. On the other hand, the biggest star in the world is Kim Kardashian so I suppose it makes sense in a twisted sort of way.
By the way, where is George Perez today? Anybody know?
|
|
|
Post by bobc on Jan 26, 2015 16:54:47 GMT -5
So as not to get too old manny, Jerome Opena is one of the most gifted artists I have ever seen. Please tell me he's popular. If he isn't, don't tell me--I can only take so much.
|
|
|
Post by starfoxxx on Jan 27, 2015 15:04:43 GMT -5
hey bocb, I can only speculate on Yu's popularity, but for a couple years there he was drawing a lot of Marvel's popular series and also got the mega-event Secret Invasion, so that's what I was going by......I'm not too familiar with Opena, but I'm pretty sure I've seen some of his work.....
I am "friends" with George Perez on Facebook, well, it's his Facebook page, and he sends out messages every once in a while, concerning his appearances, projects, family, and health......I believe he ALMOST lost sight in one eye, but had surgery and is doing better now!
|
|
|
Post by spiderwasp on Jan 28, 2015 0:22:02 GMT -5
If the She-Hulk series were written exactly as it has been but with Perez, or even someone mimicking his style, drawing it, I guarantee it would be a bigger hit. It's just sad.
I hope he really is doing better. He is a true master.
|
|
|
Post by tomspasic on Jan 29, 2015 7:52:10 GMT -5
Hi guys. Thought I'd pop in and see if anybody is following the whole Hickman/Secret Wars type developments? I'm still reading, and still not happy with the pace of it all. However, the scope, and the characterization (where there is any) continue to just about make it worthwhile. Despite not liking heroes being gits, this whole "incursion" storyline at least provides some sort of context for morally dubious actions. It also provides a rationale for the conflict between Steve/Tony camps, (though it will of course be completely forgotten 2 months after the last issue of Secret Wars). I know the run is not played out yet, but we are moving into the end-game of it. For me it's been an ambitious failure, not un-enjoyable, (and at times very enjoyable), but falls and fails under the weight of it's duration. It is a Big Story. Huge. We should be seeing issues devoted to looking at the alternate earths, or exploring stuff like who are the Mapmakers, Black Swans, Builders, etc. But I've only the vaguest idea of who and what any of these are, despite entire forests dying to make the paper for all these comics. The sheer bulk and length of it all means I keep forgetting stuff, or just not caring anymore. It does help to read it in larger chunks, but it's so unfeasably large you cannot even get from start to (almost) finish in a day.
I have liked some stuff, like the development of T'challa and Namor, and Sam and Roberto, but these have been the sorts of things Englehart would have done in one issue, not over several years. And as others here have pointed out, there has been far too little character work on the hordes of Avengers bouncing all over time and space, and too little of it ties in to, or is shown in, most other titles. I wanted to like this era a lot. I do like it a fair bit, and lord knows I would take a hundred years of this over half an issue of Bendis (Never Forget). But I reckon in the wake of the Avengers 2 movie, it will be time for a fresh start, and I kind of want that.
Aaanyho. glad to see the site is still here, I will have to try and pop by more often.
|
|