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Post by humanbelly on May 14, 2011 19:00:06 GMT -5
Oh, I wanted to say something about issue numbers. I've been reading Avengers titles for 35 years now - I've read every issue of the Avengers, West Coast Avengers, etc. - so I don't feel any need for issue numbers. I don't recall exact issue numbers or dates but I do have a pretty good idea when and where things took place. Issue references would just get in the way for me. (A selfish viewpoint, perhaps, but then I can only talk for myself.) Nothing wrong with that at all, Robert. Boy, though, it's certainly a wide variation from what's often a basic, normative trait of (I daresay) most of us comic-book focused folks: we tend to be a BUNCH of incessant cataloguers! The numbers, the volumes, the dates-- it's the essence of existence within our hobby for so many--! (C'mon folks-- how many of you start to twitch at even the THOUGHT of an unsorted long-box of silverage comics, hmmm?) HB
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Post by humanbelly on May 14, 2011 18:51:52 GMT -5
The only criticism so far is Sharon Karibian's thingy-eyed and selective chapter on Cap. She is far more interested in sifting for negative incidents (or just interpreting negatively). For instance, when Cap makes a prefectly fair and accurate statement about Hawkeye and Quicksilver being young, hot-headed and ambitious it is interpreted as moaning and she responds with ridicule. I don't mind constructive criticism but it just read as mean-spiritied. So far, it's the only chapter I didn't enjoy (or found myself frowning as I read). I'm pretty sure her criticism is meant to be tongue-in-cheek rather than mean. Sharon is our Sharkar here and she is a great lover of Cap, the Avengers and all things Kirby. Yep, I'll also speak up for Shar--- she's about as unmean-spirited as they come-! Also deeply knowledgable, awfully smart, perceptive, and has a finely, finely honed critical eye. Perhaps look at the chapter again with the point of view that the person writing it LOVES the material, and is comfortable enough with it to poke a bit of fun at it. 'Course, now I'm gonna have to get ol' Van's book myself and read it. . . HB
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Post by humanbelly on May 14, 2011 15:18:37 GMT -5
And I believe NBC was the same company that brought us that steaming turd they called THE CAPE. They thought that would be better than a show with an already established fan-base? The WW pilot must have been really bad, but if they gave The Cape a shot, it boggles my mind, esp. when Smallville lasted 10 years. Y'know.. . . . I'd wondered what bacame of THE CAPE. We pretty much only have the TV actually tuned in to anything when we watch football in the fall. And that show was being promoted RELENTLESSLY! Like, every single commercial break. And man, the kiss-of-death factor that that represents is almost comical. . . ! Even if a show might be good, the audience is inclined to hate it before it ever airs, because they're SICK TO DEATH OF BEING EXPOSED TO IT!!!! hoo-boy HB
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Post by humanbelly on May 14, 2011 5:40:27 GMT -5
I daresay the focus group wouldn't have been a particularly comic-focused cross-section, at any rate, since they would be testing the broader appeal of the series, as opposed to those already inclined to like (or possibly dislike) it. Really, it seems not at all unlikely that it just wasn't very good, since it was trying to jump onto the "hot" superhero film money-train, and there didn't seem to be much directional consensus at the producer level.
There are SCORES of television pilots made every season-- the ratio of pilots-to-picked-up-series is very, very large (although I don't have it on hand)-- so for one to not be picked up is actually not relevant news in the TV world at all-- it just was in our particular niche.
HB
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Post by humanbelly on May 13, 2011 17:57:20 GMT -5
Uhm, usually Marvel is pretty accurate with its numbering, except for when a series took over from a different magazine, like Thor whose first 81 issues don't really exist. So I would assume we have really had 635 issues with old greenskin. He was created some time before Spidey, wasn't he? As for the closure, I'm sure it's not permanent, but we may have a hiatus for a few years, like it happened with Thor after Disassembled until JMS restarted it. I wonder if it means that sales aren't very good -- I must admit his' is one of the very few books I don't even glance at, just not my cup of tea. Nope, definitely not 635 consecutive issues. Hulk actually is similar to Thor's example. The numbering of his solo title started at #102, which it inherited from being Tales to Astonish. But he didn't even show up in Astonish until issue #59 (technically, #60). Since his own original book only ran 6 issues before cancellation (which we've delightfully relived via owene's contributions!), we're left with a chronologically-challenged numbering gap of 53 (ish). So there've been somewhere around 580-odd issues (excluding multiple concurrent titles). Same thing happened when Cap and Iron Man got solo titles after sharing Tales of Suspense: Iron Man started w/ #1 (like Sub-Mariner from T to Ast did), and Cap jumped right in at issue #100. That's why their issue numbers were always higher than the FF's, naturally. Yep, Hulk preceded Spidey-- but was without a title of his own for at least a couple of years there while Spidey was thriving. I seem to remember Stan trying to explain all of this at one point in those early years (mailing regulations, shipping licenses, printing contracts--- heaven only knows, I sure can't remember!), and it seems like the reasoning may have been a touch beyond him, as well. I well imagine saving a dollar or two somewhere in the process wouldn't be out of the question. . . But, yessir, this is really the case. Trust ol' HB-- he's old enough to remember those early convolutions! HB
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Post by humanbelly on May 13, 2011 9:14:01 GMT -5
Hey Drew--I could tell you things that happened in the game field that you would not believe--including a CEO who got a $250 K signing bonus, and was rumored to be making that same amount in salary and he was never, EVER there at the company. I saw him exactly twice, as he made a pit-stop to see how the rabble were doing. He was gone one time for six months, and he left his little sports car in the parking lot while he was God- knows- where. Anyway, the next time I saw him he was ranting and raving about what "we" had done to his car--claiming someone had dumped a bunch of leaves, sticks and other crap under the hood. Well, as it turns out, nobody did anything to his snooty little car. This creep had been gone so long, a mother squirrel had built a nest on his engine block, and was raising four baby squirrels in it!!! True story. Needless to say, we all laughed our azzes off. It was truly a Depends moment. OMG-- we are going to find out for SURE if there are any television/writer-type folks lurking on this board, 'cause this anecdote would TOTALLY show up on a show like The Office or Parks & Rec or something similar. . .(well, I assume-- I've never actually watched either one. In fact--- haven't watched any traditional mainstream TV for months & months, now that I think of it. . . ). They'd be crazy not to pilfer it-! Ha! HB
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Post by humanbelly on May 13, 2011 9:02:08 GMT -5
Oh, buh-(as they say) rother! Aaaaaaaand is there some sort of perception in the fan world that this is "the end" of the Hulk's ongoing series? The couple of comments after the article would sort of suggest that, at least. 'Cause, yep, we've just experienced "final" issues of Fantastic Four AND Thor in the last couple of months--- and I'm SURE there are some others that I'm not aware of--- and that was clearly the end of those titles, too, eh? Certainly, it's a fitting tribute to Greg Pak's long, momentous run on the book(s). But really, the only question is whether they'll simply move everything over to the OTHER Hulk title ("Hulk"), or whether they'll just start all over again with yet another 1st issue collector's item smash-bang classic special hot-hot-hot razzarazzarazza title. A re-launch, in other words. For those not completely stupified by the minutia-- Incredible Hulk hasn't run for 635 issues, no matter how you look at it. After his own inaugural six-issue run, his numbering STARTED (at best) with Tales to Astonish #59, when he came into the book as a regular feature. He then took over TtA's numbering for his book with issue #102, when he & Subby split up into solo books. His run (which wasn't interrupted by Heroes Reborn, miraculously) ended with issue #474, I believe, and was followed the very next month w/ a re-launch as #1. (I'm about 25 issues into that run in my read-through). Unless I'm remembering incorrectly, that run also came to an end, and was followed by another re-launch after the Bruce Jones era, which is the book that Red Hulk currently inhabits. "Incredible Hulk(s)" then popped up right after (or kinda during) the World War Hulks event, starting off with issue #600, right? We just have to assume that this wasn't an arbitrary sales ploy, and really followed some kind of proper, synchronized, concurrent numbering pattern. But if Marvel wants to give the impression that there's been this 635-issue run for this title---? Please-- a little respect for us older fans AND for easily-confirmed historical fact. . . HB ps-- thanks for poppin' into the Lonely Corner, Shir-- yer a pal! You too, Starfoxxx!
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Post by humanbelly on May 13, 2011 8:31:49 GMT -5
PS: On a serious note, if any of you are in the Philadelphia, New Jersey, or New York areas, my friend's 18 year old cousin, Sarah is missing. It's all over Philadelphia news. I posted many pics of her & have police contact info here... www.statuemarvels.com/f341/sarah-townsend-nj-teen-missing-13399.htmlWe'd appreciate you re-posting the link to your Facebooks & any other sites you go to today. The more folks who see her pics, the more chance my friend's family has of finding her. Thanks! Al ] Al, how far from Interstate 95 is the area where she left her car? HB
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Post by humanbelly on May 13, 2011 8:22:31 GMT -5
Interesting posts. I read the article myself a few weeks ago, along with Hall's very honest take on the whole incident. And while I agree with you in general, Humanbelly, I think "former wife-beater" doesn't quite work. If you murder someone (an admittedly greater crime) you are never referred to as a "former murderer", just a "murderer". So, while I do think Hank has earned a bit more forgiveness than people want to give him, he can't really completely shake off this stigma. You make a very good point, Robert. I think the tag "former" is actually too clumsy, as I reflect on it. Not only because it doesn't address the scope of the offense (a person could, of course, be considered a "former" thief or "former" bookie or "former" tax-cheat, etc-- because those crimes don't do the irreparable harm that murder or domestic violence do, would be one way of looking at it, I suppose), but because it also suggests that the perpetrator's "former" transgression is something that he was wholly & entirely identifiable as. It suggests an established pattern of behavior, in other words, that has now been left behind. I went and asked my wife about it this morning as we were getting ready for our day, because- believe it or not- she is a nationally recognized authority on crime victims' rights, and domestic violence issues are a major part of their/her particular focus. She took my question seriously (not a comic book fan, she-!), and said that Hank's obvious, deep mental illness during that period in general and at that moment specifically is absolutely a mitigating factor-- especially considering there was no established pattern of physical abuse before that. When families are able to reconcile isolated incidents like this, it's because they're able to recognize that it is, in fact, the illness at work & in control, and take immediate action to address that. Now, if there had been even a second incident after that, then we'd have a different story. But her take on Hank's case did kind of surprise me, 'cause her stance on domestic violence is pretty hard-line (and correctly so, IMO). It was heartening to hear from her that, no, forgiveness, redemption, and moving forward is certainly the correct route here. So, to correctly identify Hank, one would have to say that he's an oft-troubled man with an instance of spousal battery that occurred during a nervous breakdown. (My words, not my wife's, mind you) It's a mouthful-- but does that sound correct? HB
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Post by humanbelly on May 10, 2011 5:07:57 GMT -5
I have to shamefacedly confess that I've never picked it up-! Although I've seen and liked the trailer, true. Usually, these dvd's cost more than I care to put out, so I haven't gotten into the habit of buying them. Hmm-- perhaps the library?
I'm sorry the original series didn't grab you, though. I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed it--- even though I was expecting to hate it. IIRC, it was running at about the same time as Thor's title was winding down, with a sort of alternate-Asgardian future in play. . . and it was also captivating. I was struck by how both titles had divorced themselves, pretty much, from the mainstream continuity, and were bearing unusually rich fruit. Planet Hulk (not the later crossover mess which drove me away, also-- World War Hulk, and all that) was a commendable example of solid, extended story-telling in comic book form. No decompression indulgences--- it worked and sustained interest month-to-month AND it reads well as a larger, single story. I do think Pak has lost a bit of his sharpness w/ the title & related characters of late-- but I still appreciate his immersion in deep, DEEP MU history to draw his plot elements from.
Although, yeesh, Tyrannus this month? That yahoo? AGAIN?? He's pretty much the least impressive "big" antagonist ever--- heck, I'm wondering if he's EVER appeared in any other title-?
Ah, tangents, tangents. . .
HB
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Post by humanbelly on May 9, 2011 11:51:13 GMT -5
Thanks for the help, guys. As for copyright, it's purely for personal use. I have converted the loft and it holds all my comics and comic-related stuff. Hardly anyone even goes up there but me! My mini-mates fall over a lot so I thought I'd cut a base and then stick an Avengers "A" on it. Ha! Yes, I daresay you may have sequestered yourself beyond even the frightening reach of Disney's relentless copyright bloodhounds! (O' course, one never knows when one might wake up to an angry, tall, dog-like creature pointin' one end of a comically oversized revolver up yer nose, demandin' the illicit goods, eh? Oooooh, I shudder to even think about it--- ;D ;D) HB
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Post by humanbelly on May 8, 2011 20:05:39 GMT -5
I'm back, I'm back, I'm back. FINALLY got the long-missing issue #455, and have continued onward. This was the very end of Peter David's run, when he'd been de-railed by Heroes Reborn, and then upon reunification was told that the character needed to be taken in directions he wasn't interested in. In all fairness, the book hadn't been very good for quite some time, although his last two issues (Betty's death, and then a "future" retrospective featuring Rick Jones w/ the stories that "might have been") were both surprisingly moving. We got an interim arc written by Joe Casey, which was not too bad in spite of very sub-par art by a fellow named Pulido-- and then they canceled & immediately re-launched with HULK #1, written by god's-gift (groan) John Byrne-- which they'd been crowing about throughout Casey's brief tenure. Sheesh. Aaaaand true to form, Byrne talked about big plans and promises and directions. . . and then disappeared after 8 issues of convoluted, unfocused, overwritten drek. He may in fact be the Father of Decompression, as the first THREE issues pretty much cover just a few hours, if that, once you get all of the flashbacks and alternating points of view accounted for. Heh, I've just checked wikipedia, and they back up my take on how poorly Byrne's writing was received in general. Ron Garney's artwork, while not stylistically my cup of tea, was exceedingly dynamic.
I. . . I just have a feeling I'm going to have to plow all the way to Planet Hulk before we get back to Hulk comics that I actually liked again. I'm dreading the long tenure of Bruce Jones that I know is in front of me. . .
*sigh*-- it's hard to be a faithful fan sometimes. . .
HB
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Post by humanbelly on May 8, 2011 19:26:00 GMT -5
Boy, and another really terrific cover, too. Like the frequent variations of the "pieta" cover pose (have I spelled that right?), it seems like this deep-shot-looking-through-the-legs-from-behind-the-central-figure is one we've seen often. I always like it-- very dramatic.
And I've always been one to lovingly get all over Stan's case for his preponderance of early Silver Age writing gaffes, short-cuts, and credibility-stretchers. But I ALWAYS forgive him for it, because he was flippin' running the whole show on a shoe-string, and doing 'waaaaaay too much of the creative work on his own. It was, of course, part of the charm of this upstart, ambitious, over-matched underdog of a comic book company trying to keep up with the Superman juggernaut down the street. . .
HB
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Post by humanbelly on May 8, 2011 16:48:19 GMT -5
Heh-- this would be the very same "A" symbol up there in our Avengers Assemble logo, yes?
All copywrite issues aside. . . wouldn't this just be a matter of photo-copying it and reducing it as needed-- like from a comic book cover, or one of those stickers you mentioned? Or heck, it's not even a very tough drafting assignment at all, if you even have some very basic skills and drawing tools. It's all straight lines within a circle. . . (a compass, a straight-edge, a ruler, and a protracter to capture the exact angles. . . ). 'Course you'd still want to reduce it with a copier. . .
HB-- ever-helpful Mr. Knowitall. . .
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Post by humanbelly on May 7, 2011 19:35:42 GMT -5
ALSO-- really enjoyed The Jackal's extended arc in Amazing Spider-man-- although I was rather disappointed in its ultimate resolution. As with many sub-plots that are based withholding a given villain's true identity, once the identity is finally revealed, it's ALWAYS a let-down (See: Hobgoblin, Red Hulk, and I'm sure many others). In this case, it was just too wildly implausible anyhow, and was predicated on an extremely creepy retrofitted fixation on Gwen by an otherwise minor, minor character. But loved his tenure up til then.
I've also enjoyed Annihilus in several FF arcs. The one during John Byrne's run, where he brutalizes Alycia, and Franklin is found nearly dead, is particularly chilling. An unusually disturbing portrayal of a truly ruthless villain in an era just before that became trendy. A GREAT & informative portrayal of Annihilus comes in the original What If-? run: What if Susan Richards had Died? It's probably one of the best-written issues of the entire run, and is in fact kind of frightening in how it does a subtle perspective-reversal when a dispassionate, vengeance-driven Reed is chasing down a panicked and unhinged Annihilus. His terror is palpable. Good stuff.
HB
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Post by humanbelly on May 7, 2011 16:57:32 GMT -5
oh no! (and thanks for the cover) Iron Man is born By Stan Lee, Larry Leiber and Don Heck. Villains: Wong-Chu Guest Appearances: None
[/b] Ah, thank you! I was eager to read your comments on this epochal issue. I know I am in the minority but I really like Heck's work from the 1960s--it's sharp and atmospheric and it draws me into the world of his characters (no pun intended). His Tony Stark is perfect. A lot of comic book artists from Heck's generation cite Milton Caniff as an inspiration, but in Heck's case it seems particularly apt. [/quote] Say Shar, do I remember reading somewhere that Heck's Tony Stark was modeled after Errol Flynn? The way Superman was initially intended to resemble Clark Gable? You have any related tidbits on anything like that? HB
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Post by humanbelly on May 7, 2011 16:49:21 GMT -5
Talking of head-ups, just in case not everybody knows, besides Academy 13, a special Giant Size Avengers Academy is coming out this week. I just got back from my LCS with #13, GREAT COVER!, and I can't wait to review it, as soon as I get a chance to read it. I almost picked up the Giant-Size, too, but the $7.99 price stopped me. I leafed through, and it looks like an Academy/YoungAllies team-up, with so-so art, and a still-teenage Reptyl.....(I'm wondering how this fits into Academy continuity....) Anyway, I can't support 8-dollar comics. I realize the logistics of page count, but it's just too much. I already plunked down $5 for Annihilators, but that's mainly for the Rocket Racoon/Groot story. The Annihilators has been reminicent of Bendis' New Avengers---great line-up and plot, (they're on Galador , w/SpaceKnights and a tease of ROM's return ); but the characterizations and art are pretty bad. Still, hardly worth $5 for a meh story and a good back-up. I'll do a review when the series wraps up next month. But it seems these over-priced issues (esp. the one's that are mostly reprint material) just stay on the rack, waiting for me to pick them up for cheap (usually a buck) in a year or two. Eight dollars?? Eight DOLLARS??!!?? Oh my god-- EIGHT DOLLARS???!!!!!?Are you freaking kidding me? There is NO justification for that kind of price gouging! And on a title that I hear is struggling, no less! My god-- do you suppose the economic theory at work here is that, "well, if we charge twice the (already outrageous) standard price, then we only have to sell half as many issues, and we'll still be sittin' pretty!"--? Heck, why not just charge $1,000 per issue, then they'll only have to sell, like, 150 copies! Or just print ONE super-dooper collector's item issue, and sell it for about $150, 000--- and everyone can call it a day-! They have given up. They have completely and cynically thrown in the towel on even making a pretense of trying to grow their readership. Clearly, they're viewing this as a doomed medium, and simply want to suck as many dollars out of it in the short term as they possibly can before it implodes completely. Gads, I could not be more appalled-- give me back the old newsprint pages and primitive coloring processes, if that's what it takes to keep the comics medium alive. Y'know, Gene Colan, John Buscema, Neal Adams and a host of other folks seemed to be able to create works of wonder and amazement under those conditions. . . (this was a bit of an off-the-cuff rant, as I'm sure was evident. . . ) HB
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Post by humanbelly on May 7, 2011 9:29:33 GMT -5
Oh, I do enjoy these kinds of threads! I've just a couple of minutes, here--- but let me chime in briefly, eh?
The Leader (and his "Awesome Android") in Inc. Hulk #'s 115-117. Mostly a sentimental favorite, of course-- but much of it was the Silver Age Hulk at his best. . . great moments with Betty/Hulk; both Banner AND the Hulk respectively saving the world (which T-Bolt never acknowledges, for some strange reason), the Leader just HOPELESSLY arrogant in his belief that his plans and plasticene prisons are unshakable. A great slugfest with the android in the last segment-- good stuff for ol' HB.
Magneto in his second appearance (I believe) with the All New X-Men-- #'s 111-113, I think. Has them all captive in a base hidden in the magma under Antarctica? Bound and being attended to by a robot nanny? As retribution for his own regression to babyhood earlier in the Defenders? They were just so overmatched by him at that point. . .
Both Doc Ock and Hammerhead in that long arc in Amazing Spiderman where Ock was going to wed Aunt May, and Hammerhead was bent on his own gangster agenda-- culminating with him blowing up Ock's island hideout. It was such a delightfully different, outrageous tack for a villain to take.
Oops-- aaaand out of time already--- Still lurking, all!
HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 28, 2011 19:35:54 GMT -5
bobc I completely agree. From what I understood the Vision was a synthetic human, but humans can't do the things Vision does, so that seems invalid. Throw in that whole mess with the original Human Torch and things get confusing quickly. It seems valid that Ultron based most of the Vision's design on the original Torch, but conflicting stories came out over the years, some claiming Vision was actually a reconfigured Torch. Someone (I'm thinking John Byrne) had the red/green Vision destroyed and created the white/yellow Vision which was not based on Wonder Man's brain patterns, making him cold and robotic once again. I'm not sure how they got him back in the red/green body though. I thought in the episode "Everything is wonderful" when Tony wants to store Simon's energy in the arc reactor it was a sure set up for the Vision, but those guys threw us a bit of a curve ball when Simon disintengrated. As always, I'm sure the EMH team will present a streamlined version of the Vision in due time but I don't see a romance with Wanda happening anytime soon (sorry HB!) Though I am anxious to see their take on Quicksilver, with the insular policy that seems to be in place on EMH we might not see either one. I'm not a big fan of the space stuff myself, but the hinting at a "Civil War" conflict has me excited. I understood Tony's position, but I would have sided with Cap in a second. *Whew*-- Been somewhat overwhelmed loading in a tough set, and haven't been able to chime in when I've wished to! I do think a good chunk of what's compelling about the Vision is being overlooked in this conversation-- which is kind of understandable, since he's been out of the limelight (in his original incarnation) for many years, now. I'd say that it's imperative to look at the original creative team's take on the character: He is unquestionably an artificial human being (one with tremendous superhuman abilities, sure, but the same goes for every mutant out there, eh?). In his first story, he defies his "programming" because he recognizes moral and altruistic motives, and rejects their opposite-- and already self-identifies w/ the angels, as it were. It's his choice and decision. In his second story--- well, for Pete's sake, he CRIES because he is overwhelmed by emotion! (All the more touching because recognizing and handling emotion is such a new and difficult experience for him). He was particularly compelling because he was a brand new, intelligent, articulate, self-aware being who was able to witness his own process of fully "becoming" a person. The early description of him being a man with an entirely prosthetic body, as it were, was the best one-- and it's simply a shame that subsequent writers couldn't seem to hang onto that model and work with it. Really, the stuff he's composed of seems to have changed drastically with every new creative team--- he's "synthesized organics", or he's electronic-based, or he's made entirely of plastics, or he's mechanical/servo-motor driven. But if we label him as a robot, then we're guilty of exactly the same prejudice that caused him so much pain during the late 60's and 70's. Oop-- gotta go, there's my daughter! HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 25, 2011 17:44:43 GMT -5
I re-read Joe Casey's two mini-series (Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heros 1 & 2) over the Easter weekend-- which is rare, since I just picked them up, like, a year ago-- and if anything, I enjoyed them even more upon the re-read! I could go on & on & on again about how brilliantly, lovingly, respectfully, and MOVINGLY written they are-- but I've done that in the past. And I know he's recently done a re-write of Avengers #1 as a mini-series-- but I would MUCH rather see him continue on further with existing Avengers chronology. He's able to achieve sort of what the old Classic X-Men reprint series was aiming for-- only he has the proper freedom, scope, and pallet to work with. And what would be the next milestone-era for him to explore? Oh man, CLEARLY it would be the events leading up to and through the Kree/Skrull War-- possibly even into issue #100. That would be comics I'd hang around the LCS for! And heck, maybe he'd even get an upgrade in artists!
HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 25, 2011 17:27:06 GMT -5
Apparently most of the next season of EMH is going to be cosmicly oriented, if there is such a phrase! I'm with you, I'm not as big a fan of the cosmic stuff as other Avengers fans, but after seeing how scary Kang was (animated, that is) maybe this show will change our minds. I love Galactus and Silver Surfer, though. Hope they show up at some point. From a distance, it looks to me like at least one "cosmic" storyline is very likely to be centered around a Kree/Skrull War scenario. We've long-since introduced Captain Marvel, and we've just seen a very Slipshod Invasion-style introduction of the Skrulls. The only possible regret I could have with this is that I don't see there being time to introduce Vision & Wanda, AND slowly establish their mutual attraction, which leads to one of the SEMINAL moments of the series: When Vision shocks his teammates by surrendering to a cold rage and nearly beats a Skrull commander to death in an effort to discover Wanda's location. [It's issue #96, and I believe in the inside text, Vision's response to the entreaties of his teammates is even more telling-- something like, "Yes, I am killing this man unless he reveals what we want to know"-- or some such. Of course, I may have been just reading the sub-text, as it were--]. At the time, that budding relationship was what I was really interested in. Gosh, I'd love to see that here--- HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 23, 2011 13:38:45 GMT -5
Wow, that was unexpected! Y'know, maybe when BMB has to curtail his vision to meet the undeniably established story-telling standards of higher-than-A-list artists (indeed, "legendary", as the article states), everyone comes out a winner. Avengers Prime, with Alan Davis, was great comics. Still a little too decompressed for me, but it left me wanting more in a good way. And personally, I would put Davis very nearly up into that realm. With Adams, I can't even begin to imagine that BMB would dare to do this rushed, sloppy, inattentive stuff we've been seeing so much of-- SURELY he'll do his homework. . .
HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 23, 2011 6:28:00 GMT -5
Heyheyheyheya-- it's KidCage's birthday today! Boy, and in this crowd, the "Kid" part (at a ripe old 27) may be the telling descriptor! I'll tell you chum, even if we're all together here on this board 50 years from now, you'll probably still be hearing laments from the rest of us more age-accelerated types-- "Y'know, back when I was YOUR age, they didn't even PUT covers on comic books! They were just stuck between two pieces of tree bark! And we were GLAD to have it, ya dadburned whipper-snapper!!" Which, of course, won't make chronological sense, but our more aged brains will, by then, have been permanently rattled from trying to operate for too many decades in Special Compressed Marvel Universe Time-- and we'll have lost all temporal context. That will, of course, be your ultimate opportunity to overthrow Shiryu and Van and Shar & everyone, and finally take over the board as your own! HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA! And you will at last rule over us, your eternal tormentors, with an adamantium glove!!! Ah, what a nice birthday gift that would make, eh? Many happy returns on this day, of course! Man, I just never get tired of birthdays. . . HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 22, 2011 5:35:52 GMT -5
but I really hate Starfox. This cannot be stated enough. Oh, hate is such a strong word. . . It's just--- what the heck did he add to the group? How, exactly, was he an "Earth's Mightiest Hero"-? His connection to our world is almost non-existent-- not even a particularly senitmental attachment. Honestly, I found the much-reviled young Rage more compelling and appropriate. For which I am now prepared to receive abuse. . . ;D HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 22, 2011 5:26:58 GMT -5
See guys, that's why I want those two knuckleheads to guest star. I understand certain characters being roped off into different... areas, I guess, but it still seems silly to have a perfectly good character go unused for no real reason. Someone like Doc Doom has pretty much fought everybody in the MU (Secret War) , so saying he's an FF villain and therefore unusable seems like a waste. I can't believe nobody has brought up She-Hulk yet! Man, that could be a very funny episode, especially if Hawkeye asked her out or something. Plus you could have the angst/drama of the Hulk feeling guilty about her transformation. Ther is so much potential in this show. bobc I took me a minute to get "prince no-more" but when I did I had a nice chuckle. Thanks. Nah, it's not that they're bad elements or story ideas-- I think it's just as much an issue of Yost & co. having, really, an embarrassing wealth of good, very good, and downright great source material to draw from. And they necessarily have to be very patient, take their time, and choose prudently and deliberately what angles and elements they decide to go with. Of the achievements they can be most proud of with this series is the fact that they've successfully combined clarity and depth in an animated series where it would be particularly easy to fumble either. That's an inherent trap with super-teams, naturally. If anything, I bet the brainstorm story sessions are filled with minor heartbreak as solid story ideas are necessarily rejected simply because there isn't room or time to pursue every inspiration that surely is pitched to the group. Heck, creators at every level are capable of surrendering to the siren call of "just one more cool thing": Spider-man 3; the last Super Bowl halftime show; Phil Spector's over-production of the Let It Be album--- all examples that come quickly to mind. Knowing when not to do more is a crucial key to enduring success and longevity. However, if they make it to season 3, I think that would be a great time to bring She-Hulk in-- no question. (Even in the face of all the She-Hulk loathers out there!) HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 21, 2011 5:43:18 GMT -5
bobc I agree, Namor is a great plot device. I don't recall the Hercules fight, but it sounds pretty funny. It would be interesting to see the Black Panther interact with Namor. BP is quiet and regal, while Namor is basically throwing a continuous tantrum. This is why I think Hercules would bea neat character who would be great fun on EMH; he's the antithesis of Thor. Plus he's grown a lot since being in Incredible Hercules. I would say Namor's attitude skews more to the Dr. Doom area. That said, I wouldn't mind a two-parter where Atlantis attacks the surface world. I think Hank isn't necessarily naive, he knows what he is capable of and it scares him, Ultron was a validation of his greatest fear: himself. I think EMH is bringing him along personality-wise. I fully expect to see Yellowjacket soon, given the aggression he was showing in the last few episodes. He's been around for decades and Marvel doesn't seem to know what to do with him most of the time. (But being named scientist supreme was pretty cool.) I'm ambivalent towards Mantis, but I really hate Starfox. Ha! The Hercules/Namor Mutual Antagonism Tango was a DELIGHTFUL ongoing subplot in the mid/late '80's, when John B came back to do the pencils. The specific incident with the bedroom didn't involve a physical confrontation-- which made it all the funnier. It was along the lines of, "And as you can see with my bedroom, they can be decorated to suit one's tastes." "Ah yes, this will do perfectly. I'll take it." "But, as I said, this is MY bedroom. . ." "Yes, and I wish to have it." "Now, one moment. . . " (this is a paraphrased exchange, of course) Note that I don't recall which one was showing whom the bedroom--- 'cause it works either way, with those delightful towering, entitled egos! It was quite awhile before they came to blows (which was also a great choice on the writer's part), and then they were SERIOUSLY dressed down by Capt.Marvel/Monica, and made to shake hands. . . while shooting thought-balloon daggers at each other. (Heh-- "May your beard grow inward-"-- heh) I kind of don't see these guys appearing on EMH anytime soon, though. Hercules, although he's effectively been a part of the team since, like, issue #38 (on & off) just doesn't seem to resonate as iconically as his contemporary members-- and, although it's a mercurial criteria (criterion?) to use as a basis of judgment, I feel like that's a solid part of the creative process here. I fully expect to see Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch and certainly the Vision-- and then I would personally hold off any further expansion of the on-going team. As mentioned earlier in the thread, the group becomes too big and diffuse if there's an attempt to squeeze the entirety of the Avengers historical roster into the series. Aaaaaand of course Namor is an FF guy much more than an Avengers guy. I kinda think the same is true for the potential use of Galactus or Dr. Doom or Magneto-- terrific as they are, their association is MUCH more with other teams. Although Hydra & Aim have always been more of a Cap/SHIELD element, so who knows? I really am liking the way Hank's being used a lot. As you suggested, the only consistency in his treatment at Marvel over the years has been its wild INconsistency. EMH has taken some specific traits, and is really doing a nice job of presenting a brilliant, rather passive scientist who is experiencing serious conflicts with his personal ethics. This is really good stuff, and highly unusual in the superhero genre. I have a feeling this may have been inspired by they second Earth's Mightiest Heroes comic book series (Joe Casey, was it?), where we see Hank save the day by literally killing scores of SuperAdaptoid androids-- and having to continuously convince himself that they're not people the entire time. The personal cost, naturally, is enormous. I think THAT Hank is the one Chris Yost has been giving us in the animated series. Ohhhhh, look how late it is. . . HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 19, 2011 5:19:31 GMT -5
Well, and in truest FOX News tradition, the facts themselves (in this case, the major distinction between the Mainstream Marvel Universe and the Ultimate Universe) are blurred in order to create a much more sensationalist perspective on this non-story. "OMIGOD, THEY'RE KILLING OFF SPIDERMAN!!!"*
*(in one single title of the bazillion he appears in every month. . . in a "pretend/what-if" alternate universe. . . as a cynical & admitted promotional stunt. . . and everyone knows they'll bring him back anyhow. . . )
I do kind of like that new costume, though. A reasonable synthesis of the traditional red w/ the practical/appropriate black.
And as always, I rarely miss any opportunity to state that Spidey overall has been dead to me since BND-- and we've been witnessing an alternate universe all of these years, anyhow. Well, except I haven't, as I let the title lapse when my subscription got eaten up by the WEEKLY production schedule. Good grief, what a ploy. . .
HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 16, 2011 6:09:39 GMT -5
And if not, well hey, I'm not too shy to provide a discrete opportunity right here!
Mostly because I was enjoying that little Marvel game-related tangent in the Animated Avengers thread-- but keeping up with it was kind of cumbersome. AND it may have been a bit of yawn-inducing clutter for folks not particularly interested in those pastimes.
Now mind you, I'm not a bigtime gamer at all. Kinda low on the time-use priority list, and there are whole large genres of games that bore me into an inertial stupor. But I am a sucker for many superhero games, no question. Just-- yeesh-- I have a heck of a time getting all the way through to the end of so many of them-! Mostly because my skill level seems to hit a permanent ceiling.
HOWEVER, I did finish fondly replaying X-MEN: LEGENDS just a few days ago, and if anything I enjoyed it more this time through! Paid MUCH closer attention to all of the power-up details and equipment distribution, and- who knew?- my whole campaign was vastly more successful. I've started Legends 2, and am enjoying it--- but it doesn't have quite the spark for me that the first one did. Can give further critique if other folks start chiming in, though. (Don't want to rattle on for my own benefit, of course-)
HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 15, 2011 14:43:20 GMT -5
Only two things scare me, HB. Nuclear War, and Bendis' grubby little sausage-links ruining this animated series. Welllllll I imagine you can rest easy about the latter, 'cause even my less-than-immersed industry-browsing has made it clear that BMB's got hands-on, direct creative responsibility for WAAAAY too many Marvel projects at this point. And it's very obvious that he's doing a LOT of work right off the top of his head. In fact, those horrible, inaccurate, poorly executed "Oral History of the Avengers" text pieces he does in Mighty & NA should be cited as direct proof of that. It's painfully, embarrassingly clear that he sits down at his computer and just types them up off the top off his head. . . no research, no reference materials in hand, just working from his own memory and "improvising" what he clearly thinks is his clever, superior re-inventing of the Avengers' history. No, I can't imagine he'd want to have a hand in EMH at this point (unless it would be to jump on the bandwagon). I think that, if asked, he'd probably blow a gasket. . . HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 15, 2011 12:00:44 GMT -5
The "real" Vision is still dead now, right? Still a victim of Wanda's dis-assembled breakdown? Does anyone remember what his status was before that? 'Cause I remember him flying into the battle scene, and thinking to myself--"Hunh. Where the heck has he been lately, anyhow?"
And I'm not caught up on Children's Crusade yet-- but does it look like we're getting a real, functional, stable Wanda back?
Honestly, could there be anything more delightfully, sappily romantic than somehow the two of them getting back together after all of this time and turmoil? The Lucy/Desi reunion that we never got see in reality?
HB
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