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Post by ultron69 on Jun 17, 2013 9:02:41 GMT -5
I liked a couple of the Arkon stories in the X-Men. I think there was an X-Men Annual with him. I think there was also a Marvel Two-in-One with him and Thundra that I enjoyed. The Avengers #358 cover you have is a good one.
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 13, 2013 6:43:02 GMT -5
#174 was one of the first Avengers comics I owned and brings back many pleasant memories. :-)
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 12, 2013 14:15:32 GMT -5
I posit than when a lot of people think about the Avengers at the time as grim and gritty they´re confusing the ART (which certainly was full of posturing, scowling and teeth-grinding, with the WRITING. While quite a bit of the ongoing saga was charged with drama, melodrama, angst, dire omens and dark undertones it is nevertheless true that at the same time there were quite a few light hearted and humorous episodes mingling with those other elements. And the humor more often than not stemmed from the team members and secondaries´ characterization. I for one particularly loved Jarvis and Marilla´s interactions. It was interesting to see the butler reacting to the changing dynamics at the mansion due to the introduction of the inhuman nanny. I really HATED when she was killed during that utter piece of garbage called "The Crossing". I honestly think that, for all it´s soap opera melodrama (and lets remember that this wasn´t an element absent from previous creative efforts within the MU -Stan the Man, I´m looking at you...-) and schmaltz, this era probably boasted the deepest levels of characterization layering and explorations of members of the team interactions in Avengers´ history, before or since. Arguably this was achieved in no small part due to the fact that these Avengers were not appearing regularly in any other comic at the time. All I can say, IMO, is that these characters actually felt like a bunch of people working and interacting together. A rather normal group of individuals, really, once we got past their superpowers. Oh, I don't know about that. I superficially remember (I think it was during Harras' run) where Cap, in a thought bubble, said something like "these Avengers are more vicious than in the past. Oh well, maybe that's for the best" or something like that. Captain America, of all people, condoning a more vicious, violent, breed of Avenger. Also, there were several members that committed cold blooded murder (Black Knight, Sersi). Maybe what they did was right and for the best, but it was certainly a darker tone than before. A Silver or Bronze Age Avenger never would have intentionally done those things, or at least would have had some compunction about it. Sersi changed from a fun loving gal to a violent, raging psychopath with a bad attitude, who clearly revels in violence. Yes, the art was grim and gritty, perhaps more so than the writing, but the writing had definitely taken a darker turn as well.
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 12, 2013 6:56:51 GMT -5
Scott Lang is indeed back, although at a great price, since it took the sacrifice of his daughter Cassie to make his return permanent. He is currently starring as the leader of the Future Fundation in FF, while the Fantastic Four are out in space, and is struggling to come to terms with parenting (or rather, being the guardian of) the young kids of the FF. IIRC, his return and the death of Cassie (who was the Young Avenger Stature by that time) took place in Avengers: Children's Crusade, the story that also reintroduced the Scarlet Witch to the Marvel universe after her long absence following Disassembled. My initial knee-jerk reaction to that is, that's rubbish. Being a parent was an interesting sub-text to Lang's character. Really can't think of that many Marvel heroes who are parents and now we are one less. I agree. That was one of the things that interested me about Scott, and set him apart from all the other heroes.
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 12, 2013 6:55:20 GMT -5
Bomber jackets...noooooo! Aside from simply not liking them, it reminds me of the awful non-costumes in the "Five Years Later" Kieth Giffen Legion of Super-Heroes, not one of my favorite runs in that venerable group. Recently, I read a very interesting essay that suggests that the 5 Year Later run on LSH displays just how experimental and daring Giffen was on that run, using concepts that have gotten universal acceptance since. From his de-constructionist take on the utopian future and the team to pushing the limits of the nine-grid panel layout used by Gibbons to such stunning effect in Watchmen to playing with conventional tropes with the introduction of the Legionnaire clones and not clarifying which group was the original and thus subverting readers' expectations with every Legionnaire's death later on (was that the real Legionnaire or the clone?!) It was just so different for it's time, no one really knew what to make of it. (Sorry, don't mean to turn this into a Legion thread, just wanted to throw that out there since I had just read that article) My big problems with Giffen's run were: We already have enough bleak, dystopian future. In all of sci-fi, I can only think of two optimistic futures: Star Trek and the Legion of Super-Heroes. Giffen took one of those away from us. His illustrations, regardless of the innovative layouts, were simply awful. Setting aside the fact that I hated his non-costumes, everybody had the same wide features. Every character looked related to each other. The non-costumes and sameness of everyone's faces also made it hard to tell the characters from each other at times. Giffen's work on the Legion in the 70's was great, but this late 80's stuff was very hard on the eyes. There were some good stories in there, and some nice humor, but this was definitely not my favorite Legion. My apologies too for all the Legion babble here.
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 12, 2013 6:40:12 GMT -5
I was kinda surprised when I recently checked through my Avengers collection. Seems my mail subscription lasted long enough for me to have the issues where Rage and Quasar join up (around #330-331) and it seems my very last issue via mail was #337. But I don't remember a single thing about those issues! :lol: Gonna have to re-read them now. I actualy think the title was decent up through about #330, so some of those issues might be a good read for you. I hope.
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 11, 2013 13:58:22 GMT -5
With about 50 Avengers teams out there these days, that lineup may wind up happening, HB. I don't know much about Jack & Lionheart, but I do like the other members. Bomber jackets...noooooo! Aside from simply not liking them, it reminds me of the awful non-costumes in the "Five Years Later" Kieth Giffen Legion of Super-Heroes, not one of my favorite runs in that venerable group.
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 11, 2013 8:18:14 GMT -5
I've never heard of Lionheart, but that actually is a good name for a Captain Britain type hero. You can't spell Bendis wouth END, I like that.
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 11, 2013 8:16:22 GMT -5
Glad to hear, HB. The Stomach that Walks Like a Man would be a rather wordy screen name, anyway.
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 11, 2013 7:54:54 GMT -5
Flooding the market like this will eventually backfire on them. I would love to think so, but it seems like there is no shortage of Marvel Zombies to lap up whatever is dished out. They should have flooded the market on X-Men years ago, but they remain very popular.
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 11, 2013 7:52:48 GMT -5
Happy Anniversary of the Day on Which You Were Born, SW!
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 10, 2013 12:46:04 GMT -5
That is one major reason why I hate those mega events. They've ruined more than one long term story by forcing all of the writers to she-horn that silliness into their own mags. I wonder if that book about the inner workings of Marvel that came out last year (I forget the name) would shed any light on this Byrne WCA issue? Oh, would that be Sean Howe's MARVEL COMICS: THE UNTOLD STORY--? Over on dlw66's Bronze Age Babies blog several of us read it and had a bit of a discussion. HB yup, that's the one. I usually read that blog, too. Though I didn't participate in that particular discussion (as I haven't read the book) Bronze Age Babies is indeed what made me think of that.
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 10, 2013 12:43:07 GMT -5
Humanbelly, here (my daughter is giving me endless grief about this hastily-chosen username. . . . I may have to change it. . . . )--- Deathcry, that is. Well, if you change your name, you may have to change your avatar, so consider that.
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 10, 2013 12:41:41 GMT -5
We are fast approaching the end of the characters I plan to use for this thread. I will not be doing the Bendis additions at all but I do have a plan to proceed forward. Next up - Ant man (Scott Lang) Scott hasn't appeared on all that many covers but 2 out of 3 that I've chosen also made the list for another character. This is an all time favorite cover for me. This came right in the midst of one of my favorite stories ever and was a pretty good issue on it's own. This one is really redundant since Jack of Hearts was the last entry but oh well. The first two are great issues, besides being great covers. While, I've never been a big fan of the Ant-Man power set, or someone becoming a superhero by borrowing someone else's genius, I actually did connect with Scott Lang. Maybe it's just because the stories I saw him in were well written and drawn, or maybe I just liked the angle with him being a single dad superhero. Normally I hate that kind of stuff, but for some reason, I did sympathize with Scott. Plius, there's the redemption angle with him being an ex-con.
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 10, 2013 12:37:04 GMT -5
That situation you describe with Herc and Deathcry reminds me of a similar situation over in JSA some years back. Then, Shazam (Capt. Marvel) was in a burgeoning relationship with Star Girl. Actually it was Billy who was developing feelings for the young Courtney and while they are both about the same age, to the other JSAers, it appeared as if the older Cap was hitting on a teenage girl (Few knew of his identity as the kid Billy). Jay Garrick and Alan Scott stepped up to say a few discreet things about it and that combined with the Solomon's Wisdom, Billy decided to end it. Johns and Goyer handled it very well, much better than how it appears Herc and Deathcry went. That does sound like a good subplot. Johns on the JSA = good stuff.
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 10, 2013 12:33:04 GMT -5
HB, did you compare your daughter to Deathcry? I'll tell ya, Ult, being a parent makes you see the world through a whole new lens. . . Ha! But, she was actually born the same month as Avengers vol3 #9, so a comparison to Lupe might be more apt. I'll tell ya, though, Lupe seems to be a MUCH easier-to-get-along-with teenager, believe me! Hmm, that would go over well, "Look, HBGirl-- see how nice THIS young woman is in this Avengers comic? Why can't you be more like HER??" Ohhhhhh, yeah. . . no eye-rolling or derisive snorts at THAT, I'm sure. . . ;D HB You know which issue of the Avengers came out when your child was born. Now, that's what I call an Avengers fan! My son is 21 months old, so I don't want to think of what was out on the stands then. Yes, the old "why can't you be more like so-and-so" line usually works like gangbusters. ;D
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 10, 2013 12:27:42 GMT -5
Now, I know this plot runs from what, #343 to #375. Not easily collectible in trade, but still I think worth checking out. So any more recent thoughts on this period of the book? (Other than the jackets ) I don't have the entire run (thankfully) but of what I do have, there are far more negatives than positives. Besides the jackets, I thought the characterization of many of the characters (especially Sersi and Crystal, and even Cap) were off, everybody is tough, and has a bad attitude. There were issues where every character had a scowl on every panel. I also hated the art for most of the Harras run. Also, I hated the introduction of a bunch of alternate timestream characters into the team, it made me think the Avengers were trying way too hard to be like the X-Men. Some of the dialogue was hackneyed, not that Harras is the first writer I've accused of that. There was an issue that focused on the Vision which I liked, a couple of the stories were decent, but basically, the tone of these issues, plus the art, really turned me off. Reading through all of these became a chore. Even though Hercules’ speech patterned changed, I did like the way he kept bragging about his past exploits. So there is that.
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 7, 2013 7:04:36 GMT -5
HB, did you compare your daughter to Deathcry?
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 6, 2013 8:15:49 GMT -5
That is one major reason why I hate those mega events. They've ruined more than one long term story by forcing all of the writers to she-horn that silliness into their own mags. I wonder if that book about the inner workings of Marvel that came out last year (I forget the name) would shed any light on this Byrne WCA issue?
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 6, 2013 8:11:34 GMT -5
Yes, Marvel was using DC's dictributor and thus limited on the number of titles they could sell. That's why virtually all of the solo heroes appeared in anthology titles such as Tales of Suspense, Journey into Mystery, and Tales to Astonish, rather than a title bearing their own name. This way, they could squeeze two superhero stories (such as Iron Man and Captain America sharing Tales of Suspense) into one comic. I also think that the cover of FF#1 looks more like a monster mag than a superhero comic (notice no costumes) because MArvel, at that time, didn't want to let DC know that they were horning in on their superhero comic monopoly.
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 5, 2013 7:57:04 GMT -5
I'm a little surprised that Hulk would be considered the headliner, but not totally shocked. I know that Ant-Man came before the FF, but I still think he was a pretty minor character. The Hulk did some before the other, non Ant-Man Avengers, I think, and he did actually have his own title, for 6 issues, anyway, before Avengers #1, so even though we think of Iron Man and Thor as the big draws in the Avengers now, I could see that it's quite possible that things were different in 1963. Let's not forget, Superman (and Archie) dominates comic book sales in the 60's. Probably at least 5 of the 10 bestselling titles of the 60's were Superman related. That seems hard to imagine now, as he's clearly second fiddle to Batman, even just at DC, but times and popular opinions change.
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 4, 2013 9:14:36 GMT -5
HB, I haven't read very much of Byrne's WCA run (though I plan on reading the issues I do have later this year) but you're making him sound a lot like Bendis!
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Post by ultron69 on Jun 3, 2013 7:49:11 GMT -5
I finally saw the first episode. It was pretty good, though not as good as EMH. They've obviously patterned the show after the movie, which isn't surprising. Why is Hawkeye wearing sunglasses? He does not look cool at all.
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Post by ultron69 on May 24, 2013 7:19:36 GMT -5
I like Firestar better than Justice. Here in Avengers, I did like Justice but his history and timeline was always confusing to me. As for Firestar, I was surprised to see how long it took her to make it to the comics as well. Imagine my surprise when I saw this on the rack many moons ago: Ah, the good ol' days. That's awesome! I should loook for that on ebay.
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Post by ultron69 on May 24, 2013 7:17:01 GMT -5
For some reason, Marvel Boy's avatar (and my own!) doesn't show up for me. What issue is it? It's thor 126, where goldilocks takes on Hercules. Thanks!
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Post by ultron69 on May 24, 2013 7:15:28 GMT -5
Ah, I'm so glad I don't read modern comics anymore.
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Post by ultron69 on May 23, 2013 11:37:01 GMT -5
Who are the others characters on the cover to #385? Deathcry, Thunderstrike and Quicksilver are all I recognize. Hercules and Crystal, in typically god-awful 90's costumes. Herk in a tank top and Crystal in a bomber jacket, just what I buy comics for. sigh. And the big, floating (red)head in the middle of that mess is Natasha. Btw I love your old school avatar, Marvel Boy--now that's a great cover! ;D For some reason, Marvel Boy's avatar (and my own!) doesn't show up for me. What issue is it?
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Post by ultron69 on May 22, 2013 6:53:05 GMT -5
I will have to ckeck this out. Thanks for the link Shiryu! Consider yourself exalted. :-)
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Post by ultron69 on May 21, 2013 6:32:33 GMT -5
Yes, Starfooxx. Too bad so many of the writers of the actual comics don't share that ability.
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Post by ultron69 on May 20, 2013 6:54:55 GMT -5
Darkhawk? Never heard of him. He's after my time (luckily). I know Justice, and of course Firestar from the New Warriors (coming about just as I was getting out of comics) but never knoew them as Avengers. I was always surprised how long it took Firestar to make it from the little screen to the four color magic.
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