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Post by humanbelly on Apr 15, 2011 5:06:08 GMT -5
And HB, I think Cap thinks of the Hulk as just another soldier, and the Hulk respects that. I don't mean it in a derogatory way, but when Hulk gets cranky and anyone else is scared of him Cap basically says "We have a job to do, do it." And the rational part of Banner responds. I do agree, but I think it comes from a different direction. I don't think there's such a thing as being "just another soldier" from Cap's perspective. He views every soldier as a respected individual and as a hero, and quite simply expects as much from them, and believes they'll deliver on it. Doesn't demand it-- just clearly expects it. It's an irresistable appeal to the better nature in almost anyone, and is particularly effective on an individual like the Hulk who is always presumed to live down to people's lowest expectations (and who tends to believe that of himself). Heck, I'm not even sure if the dual-nature issue comes into play here--- it would still be effective even if Banner didn't exist. And again, it's great here in EMH because it re-captures a long-missing element in the Marvel Universe (well, since Caps "death", in fact. . . ): Cap's ability to make everyone around him. . . just, well. . . better, y'know? I can't quite find the best words for it off the top of my head. Heroes are at their best when he's on board. They not only fight to save the city/world/universe, but also because they don't ever want to let Cap down. Am I seeing that in Secret Avengers? No. Steve's tough and smart and dedicated and resourceful, etc.-- but the quality of being an inspirational legend is wholly absent, IMO. Ah, ramble, ramble, ramble--- HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 15, 2011 4:38:41 GMT -5
I am still scared. HOLD ME!!! hee hee!! Oh, buh-ROTHER-- and you, the big, strong weight-lifter and all ;D ;D ! Ahh, the facade crumbles at the slightest provocation. . . (heh-heh) Hey, bobc, this was your 1000th post, I see! I believe that's bumped you up in the honorifics to "Honorary Jarvis-Head", it looks like---- congratulations! Man, you're up there with some impressive company. . . an inspiration to us all! HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 14, 2011 12:27:41 GMT -5
[Far from me to argue for argue's sake, HB, but the scene of Loki's punishment, however mythologically accurate, was kinda disturbing to me.... . It's funny you should mention that, Bong, as I just watched that final Season 1 Episode about five minutes ago. (During my lunch break-) Yep-- that was certainly a scene to whiten one's knuckles a bit! In the manner of the best of horrific storytelling, it also relied on what it didn't graphically depict to carry the weight of the shock. Still, I think it falls well within the PG-13 realm-- it's a frightening, non-graphic depiction of a bad fate befalling a truly evil individual. I. . . don't think it even begins to compare w/ the particular issue of Avengers or Mighty Avengers (can't really remember) I was referring to. Masque & co. all interrogating and torturing a captured Skrull to death. It was uncategorically horrible to read it. I have a fairly high tolerance, and it made me feel sick on a couple of different levels after I read it. I honestly wished I could go back and NOT have read it-- y'know? It does occur to me that a lot of our community may have stopped reading the Bendis books by that point in S.I., so the reference may not have much meaning-- but it represents a low point (possibly THE low point) in all of Marvel comics for me. Nah-- can't see that making it into EMH, under any circumstances! GREAT Season One cliffhanger, though! And as was pointed out earlier, the whole idea of a Skrull Secret Invasion is perfectly logical and fitting w/ their particular abilities and history. I'm kind of looking forward to seeing it handled by a much more deft & respectful creative team-! HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 13, 2011 5:08:40 GMT -5
Does anyone know why Cap's shield was destroyed, then on the bridge after Loki is defeated it's back, then at the mansion it is once again broken? You'd think Odin could fix the thing...I'm tempted to say it was a mistake, but the EMH crew are very detail oriented. Should I write Stan Lee for a No-Prize? I think it's a mistake. Cap has been using someone else's shield (Sif's maybe) during the battle. Then, as you say, in one shot on the bridge has his own, intact (@18:03). The next shot, (@18:06)you can just about see he has the silvery shield again though its largely blocked by Iron...errr... Uru-Man. Then the next time we see him, (@18:10) he definitely has the asgardian shield again. There may be something more to it we have yet to see, but it looks like a simple error to me. From your description it's quite possible to see how it could be a simple error-- different animators/illustrators working (quickly!) on different shots/scenes, possibly without the full storyboard in front of them (or. . . perhaps the storyboard is a little too simple. . . or they missed a notation. . . ), and the discrepancy isn't caught until 'waaay down the road in the editing process. This is all just wild speculation, of course, as I'm not too well-versed on the mechanics involved here. But it's a LOT of people working on the whole thing! (Example from decades ago: At the end of "Charlie Brown Christmas", during that last choir scene in the snow, one of the little boy's heads simply vanishes for a fraction of a second. BLIP-- it just blinks out. Even that quickly, you figure it still has to have been gone for 5 or 10 cells--- how in the world does someone miss that? Well, that cartoon was also under some huge deadline pressure by that time, and one suspects that the "no-one-will-ever-notice" rationale becomes an 11th-hour straw to cling to. . . HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 13, 2011 4:51:28 GMT -5
It's my opinion that Bendis excels at one thing. He is a good IDEA man. The problem is that once his gets an idea, he doesn't know what to do with it and is, therefore, terrible at the execution of said idea. As a result, we often the toss the baby out with the bath water and assume the idea was bad to begin with. Because of this, it doesn't bother me to much if the animated show delves into Stup, er Secret Invasion because it might actually be interesting to see what good writers could have done with the idea. Wow, this is a commendable concession on your part, SW (especially considering your signature line!). I agree completely. And, given the medium and target audience, I think it's safe to say that S.Inv. in EMH would not be inclined to indulge in multiple episodes devoted entirely to third-tier or never-before-seen characters whom we have little interest in, NOR will it have- say- an entire episode consisting of the interrogation and torture (and execution) of a Skrull prisoner. (One of the most disturbing comics I've ever read. . . ) So there are some things we KNOW we'll automatically be safe from. . . HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 12, 2011 16:16:24 GMT -5
uhhhh--gotta say it---I am now very afraid. I know exactly what you mean. But instead of thinking "how can they make Stupid Invasion any good?", instead think "they are sort of adapting FF #2", because, with all the stupidity and truly grotesque amounts of padding removed, SI was FF#2 redone. I actually have some faith in the people doing this series, so I'll withhold judgement till I see how they handle it. Well, and don't we indeed have some Bendis-introduced elements already in place? Mind you, I could be quite wrong in my details--- but isn't Maria Hill: Director of SHIELD a Bendis innovation? And Black Widow's "special" relationship with the mysteriously-disappeared Nick Fury (as well as her whole quadruple-agent caper) strikes me as being a much better reinterpretation of Spiderwoman's overwrought (and under-desired) recent history. Any ingredient, color, or note has, on its own, the potential to be terrific or horrendous-- it's simply a matter of how deftly (or not) they're manipulated by the chef, artist, or musician. Really, a plot development or twist doesn't have to automatically be considered bad or illegitimate simply because it was introduced by BMB. The greater disservice is in the poor preparation for, and subsequent execution of them. Perhaps "execution" being an unfortunate word choice, here. . . HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 10, 2011 6:18:52 GMT -5
I gotta go with George Perez. I love all of his Avenger work (and the non-Avenger stuff too). And note that his story ideas and writing are not too bad either. A lot folks forget that he is a writer as well. I know George personally and one of the coolest things about him is that he really kind of lives the superhero persona in his everyday life. Not fighting crime of course, hee, hee, but he is the first guy to help someone, always generous with his time, compliments and the little things that many people overlook. Despite his fame, he still exhibits the same passion for the work and the characters that we big nerds on this site have! I suspect a lot of folks who go to comicon and all the smaller ones do it as drudgery, but not George. He loves every second of it. You gotta love somebody like that. Hats off to ya Mr. Perez! VLW This is a very endearing testamonial, VLW-- thanks many times over for sharing it with us. Very gratifying to know that Mr. Perez' love for his work is so deep and sincere. It certainly comes through in the finished product. One of his best moments, IMO? In one of the early issues of the Busiek reboot, there is a collage of small panels that simply show each Avenger's eyes in a "reaction shot". And you are able to RECOGNIZE EACH SET OF EYES. I don't know if there is another artist that has ever been able to achieve this level of visual idenitification, and it just shows how real the characters he draws are to him. Has that moment stuck with anyone else, by any chance? HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 10, 2011 5:55:15 GMT -5
. If the Avengers can tangle with FF foes, maybe the Sinister Six or the Kingpin are waiting in the wings. My new expectation is this: can EMH make the evil team Zodiac interesting? They can mix and match different members, but I can't see how it could be done. Actually, drew, I wouldn't be surprised if Zodiac worked better in this animated series than they did in the comic. They were sort of the "nemesis team" that never quite gelled, IMO. One outing around issues #79/80-ish (with Red Wolf's saga), and then another longish one in the 120's, I think? (easy enough to check, I'm sure)-- but that one was mightily mixed up w/ the whole Mantis/Celestial Madonna thing, and Zodiac seemed to be more of an afterthought. Heck, have they ever cropped up again in a memorable story? Athough there's no way around it, I think there are physically just too many of them to work effectively in a comicbook format. Other than Taurus and Ares and Gemini, there was generally very little sense of who they were individually, and I remember having trouble remembering who was who in the midst of battle. Plus, they always outnumbered the Avengers, which seemed a little ridiculous. AND their goals were awfully vague-- basically they just seemed like a confederation of crime-boss super-villain wannabees in dubious costumes. And where the heck did their powers come from? But- I feel like seeing and hearing them onscreen (especially w/ these writers) would in fact be more to their benefit. Like the Serpent Society, they could certainly provide a street-level workout w/out the fate of the world being at stake. And they're a HUGE target for amusing derision on the Avengers' part. . . HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 10, 2011 5:34:36 GMT -5
Oh, I just cannot get past how good this series is, now that I've had a chance to catch up as well. Ohmanohmanohmanohman. And I. . . I . . . (oh this is going to sound fan-boy nutso). . . I feel almost like Chris Yost & co. have been clandestinely hanging around our very own board as guests! Okay, I know that may not be incredibly likely (but not out of the question, I suppose)-- but if nothing else, they are CLEARLY from our Avengers-aesthetic home town-- their take on the team just seems to uncannily echo many of the particulars of our happy community-!
The one that made my jaw drop, though, was in episode 24, when Hawkeye was trying to figure out who the heck Chemistro was: "Paste-Pot Pete? No wait-- the Hypno-Hustler!" Didn't we, just a few months ago in owene's thread, have a bit of a fun discussion about those VERY SAME TWO CHARACTERS having the lamest, most embarrassing names ever??!!? Okay, okay- I know that the animation production process is too slow to actually accomodate that sort of response. . . but boy-- it's like they're lurking behind us, reading the screen right over our shoulders! Bobc's been longing for a noble, capable Black Panther-- there he is. I've been nattering on about an accepted Hulk on the team-- and we have one. I would assume Shiryu is delighted w/ the current focus on Thor. I can only assume that there are plans to reward Sharkar's patience in the near future by introducing Wanda & Quicksilver. . . .
Boy, how timely was my recent rantlet about the Hulk? The brief (albeit well-written and surprisingly moving) scene between he and Cap pretty much touched on exactly the points I was making. The word and idea of "monster" is addressed point-blank, and the obvious, mature, reasonable way to interact with the Hulk (i.e.-- letting him know that he's indeed a hero, and simply expect him to follow that road) is clearly and directly implemented. This is really Cap at his best, too. Commanding, respectful, professional and surprisingly warm all at the same time.
And all in such a short little exchange!
HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 8, 2011 19:11:57 GMT -5
In fact one of my most treasured comics is Tales of Suspense #10, which features the Kirby-Ditko combo on the cover. Ditko had inked Kirby when Ditko was working at the Simon-Kirby shop for a while in the '50s, but I don't like Ditko inking Kirby on the superhero stuff (such as FF #13)--the two styles really don't mesh IMO. The combo seems better suited for the monster covers I've seen, such as this one. I like that, but for similar reasons to liking FF13, which really feels quite spooky in places. The first shots of the blue Area are just pure Ditko, way more than Kirby, and like something from a mystery comic. I love those bits that look like faces and the whole organic insect like feel to the two towers over on the right. "And That's the Rest of the Story" Dept. Wow, this cover (and the story) were reprinted in Where Monsters Dwell #1-- one of my first Marvel comic books, which I still have (albeit coverless and crumbling apart. . . ). I had no clue at the time that it was a reprint, of course. But that cover is another one that's always stuck with me--- despite the fact (now that I'm older & cursed- possibly- w/ a more critical eye) that it's almost laughably implausible-! Where in the ice, exactly, was that arm before? How can the scientist not hear this massive upheaval behind him?? How can the arm be animated while the torso is still clearly paralyzed?? What's goin' on with the perspective; re: relationship of girl to arm to scientist to rest of Cyclops' body??? Aaaaaand that Fantastic Four frame? Yep, indelibly stamped from an equally ragged early issue of Collector's Item Classics. This is the panel that always comes to mind when the "old" blue area is referenced. *sigh*--- serious nostalgia wave comin' on. . . HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 7, 2011 20:33:33 GMT -5
And did I actually say "Happy Birthday" to the both of you fine, fine folks? I don't think I did, so please let me have this opportunity to do so, eh? It is both an honor and a never-ceasing pleasure to share this little community with each of you.
Shar, you're kind of our Gaia/Shirley Partridge/Madame Web/Kinsey Milhone figure (there's one in every crowd, I'm sure. . . yes?); and Shir you're always our Fletcher Christian/Captain Picard/Baldur the Brave--- just a couple of terrific role models for all the rest of us!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY once again!
HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 7, 2011 7:13:11 GMT -5
It's Sharkar's day!! Happy birthday to one of our longstanding pillars & endless source of arcane knowledge! Have a great one! Waitwaitwaitwaitwait-- what gives here, eh? Shir, the calendar says it's YOUR birthday! Is this a clever subterfuge on your part? Or. . . do you & Shar share a birthday?? (Heh-- "Shar & Shir"-- heh--) Wait-- are you. . . THE SAME PERSON??? Or, holy cow, are you guys BOTH "cfb" ? Ohhhhhh, to whom do we owe our fondest regards. . . ?? HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 6, 2011 17:19:16 GMT -5
I love how the writers allow all the Avengers to shine. We all have our favorites, but this cartoon lets everybody have his or her moment(s). HB--forgive me--but I always saw the Hulk as a great villain or guest star, but thought he was too erratic to be on a team like the Avengers. EMH has made me a believer. The Hulk is probably the funniest character on the team, along with the Wasp. Any scene with the Hulk and Hawkeye, or Wasp and Hulk, grab my attention. . Honestly, it's like the writers had been reading my mind for the last 40 years. Yes, nearly every attempt to work the Hulk into the disciplined, organized Avengers structure seemed to fail before it ever got off the ground, because-- a) he's impossibly & dangerously volatile, and b) because every other member of the team seems to have been lobotomized when it comes to recognizing that simple fact. INEVETIBLY (and usually immediately) someone gets intimidated or irritated by ol' Greenskin, and gets in his face, and invariably calls him a "Monster" (or something synonymous). And then a battle ensues, and it's all-- "well, obviously he's just an uncontrollable savage! What were we thinking??" How about, "Don't belittle him, attempt to bully him, or call him EXTREMELY hurtful names right to his face while asking him to join your group??" Y'know, the Defenders managed to keep him in the fold for years and years. . . and Doc Strange never failed to treat him openly with respect and friendship (although there were plenty of outbursts--make no mistake). The read-through of his title offered a particular revelation: time and time again an event or situation would go horribly awry because of someone directly calling the Hulk a MONSTER. That particular word-- it was like, "Niagara Falls!!---Sloooowly I turned. . . !" He hated being considered a monster, hated the fact of his being one (which he considered himself to be), and it just tore a piece out of his heart every time he was called one. And what's really neat in EMH is that same scenario existed. . . AND IT WAS HANDLED REALISTICALLY AND MATURELY. Effectively, Thor apologized for his ill-treatment of the Hulk. Wasp has his back during battle. Hawkeye treats him directly like a pal & teammate-- not intimidated, no agenda. AS A KID I couldn't understand why that couldn't be the case--- especially with the childlike Hulk who was just heartbreakingly starved for acceptance & companionship. Oh daggone it, bobc-- you lured me right back out into a Hulk-rant again, didn't ya? You are a crafty one, ol' pal. . . HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 6, 2011 16:53:59 GMT -5
This is really a challenge aimed at the amazingly resourceful Sharkar-- ;D Daughter of HB (of all folks) pointed out that Morbius- who is currently appearing in Spidey's newspaper comic strip- looks just like the very-near-the-end Michael Jackson. Whatcha think, Shar? Any visual evidence to support this? Heh-heh-heh--- HB Oh, I don't think I'll be much of much help here, HB. Perhaps our friend bobc wants to weigh in on this? IIRC bobc is quite the MJ expert! However a quick online search does reveal that many, many people have remarked on the similarity--here's just one image: And yet, there you've provided the hoped-for result! Even as you modestly demured! Boy-- who knew that the comparison was already common? Nice work--- yer a peach-! HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 6, 2011 16:46:18 GMT -5
Pssst--a third episode is up. Hey Drew--I don't recall who the Avengers were fighting in that issue, but the cover with Antman on Hawkeye's arrow is pretty famous. The simplicity of it made it a classic. It really stands out when you see it amidst the busier cover illustrations. All that being said, there is also a kind of scary quality about it--imagine being all of maybe two inches tall, and traveling on an arrow! *gasp* The Taskmaster! It was the Taskmaster! (*pant* *pant*--- my illegitimate internet access at work has been deteriorating steadily, and I've been unable to chime in with that bit of trivia in order to give a questionable boost to my delusional self-image of being at least marginally well-versed in certain arenas of Marvel continuity & history. . . !) (Feels kinda anticlimactic now. . . ) It seems like T-Master's early appearances were geared more towards making him an Ant-Man foe in particular. Yep, one of my favorite covers, too. Remember a thread many months ago, discussing some in-house list of "100 greatest Marvel covers ever"-? I believe we discussed here the fact that this cover didn't even crack that list. . . HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 5, 2011 16:16:55 GMT -5
[ I enjoyed this one a lot, too. I always found the relationship between Pietro and Wanda very intersting. Oh man, CREEPY is the word that always presents itself to me w/out my initiating it! And folks commented on it from their earliest appearances! Even as a kid I thought that their brother/sister bond was awfully (and squirmily) warped away from the normal familial love and bonds that I shared with my own sisters. Kinda like Donny & Marie Osmond about to jump into each other's arms when they sang Paper Roses. . . YIIIIIICK!!! I totally agree. This is one of those issues where story and art meld into a story that gets you all old-fashioned tingley with excitement and anticipation. I'd also add that I think John Byrne's ability to convey Quicksilver's speed is just about second to none. It's a tough quality to convey in a motionless visual medium, but I totally "get" it in Byrne's hands. HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 5, 2011 13:38:18 GMT -5
uhhh--no one's listening. There's a new episode up online. "Sorry I didn't finish getting the set built, Mr. Artistic Director-- but my pal Bobc said I had to go and watch Earth's Mightiest Heros online! And he means RIGHT NOW!!!" I dunno, I just---- I don't think that's quite gonna fly. . . ;D ;D ;D (Okay, okay-- but a big ol' EXALT to you for delivering the good word to us w/ the speed of Quicksilver. . . ) HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 5, 2011 11:13:57 GMT -5
Nrghn--- unused memory cells creaking under the strain. . . grargh. . . Wasn't the original explanation that there were two Kree races, with skin color being the only difference? The "pinkies", though, were a very, very definite minority? Hmm, I wonder if I could google it. . . or, heck, probably in Wikipedia
That. . . is an excellent question. Possibly because movies historically haven't looked at individual films as being a part of a larger story? (Star Wars and Star Trek being the exceptions) And so they often end up just covering the same ground in a sequel that they did in the original film. Or they'll have really told as much of the story as necessary, and end up trashing what's happened in the earlier films in order to create a "bold, new direction" for the next one (Think: "Alien 3").
A huge problem, of course, is that movies are too big, too expensive, and take too long to make to sustain longer-term story-telling. Actors in pivotal roles quit (how many guys played Batman in the first go-round??), directors/writers quit or are fired, studios tend to interfere w/ an eye on marketing. . . usually at the expense of adherance to the source material. And there's ALWAYS an underlying sense that what was once great & bold & visionary is now just kind of mundane as everyone jumps on the bandwagon. . .
I'm just sort of free-associatin', here,. . . . probably should get back to work. . .
HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 3, 2011 6:04:15 GMT -5
That's why Mario Kart sells so well; anyone can pick it up and have fun with it but if you want to learn everything about it you're going to need to put some effort into it. So it appeals to a broad audience. Likewise, this is how comics tend to work. You (should) be able to pick up any issue of.. say Shang Chi and be able to have a basic grasp of what's happening. I'm not saying comics/games/whatever can't have complexity but if you can't hook new fans you will wither and fade away. Your point has some solid precedents to back it up, drew. Stan himself articulated this as pretty much (silver age) Marvel company policy. If not directly in one of his Soapboxes (although I think that's where he talked about this sort of editorial stuff), then on one of the bullpen bulletin pages. This policiy also popped up on letters pages now and then. A lot of pride was taken in combining depth with accessibility-- they weren't afraid to proclaim it as one of their strengths and as a selling point. You are, indeed, Old Marvel to the bone! Ha! Aaaaaand you would mop up the raceway with me! SonBelly got to the point where he was ridiculously handicapping himself (GameCube controller, slowest, most awkward vehicles, etc), and I still could barely maintain competition! (I must also confess that we've never hooked up our Wii system's online capabilities--- there's a bit of the luddite in the HB family compound. . . HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 3, 2011 5:46:58 GMT -5
Fantastic Four 12 The Incredible Hulk By Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers.
Forgot to mention that I always considered this an iconic cover, as well. I think it pops up as a collectable item in at least one of the Hulk video games, in fact. I'm not sure it's artistically the very best-- *There's that confusing three-toed Hulk that Kirby seemed to resort to when he was in a rush. *The dominant grey rock & background makes for a dreary visual feel, at best. *It always feels like a slightly out-of-frame photograph--- we're clearly shifted too far to our right in order to include all of the FF. . . but the Hulk is the dramatically interesting figure here. And he's chopped off at our left. And yet. . . it's a perfect, dynamic, "draw-'em-in-with-one-shot" moment! You look at it and think, "Hoo-boy, here we go; this is gonna be good!" I love this cover. . . ;D HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 3, 2011 5:33:22 GMT -5
*sigh* I just feel naked. It's so hard to be a Hulk fan, sometimes. . . The cringe-inducing ending is what's always stuck with me, of course. I'd completely forgotten about the untransformed Banner-head sub-plot. (Which, amazingly, was used again many decades later! Sort of an homage, I suppose. . . ) Seriously? when did that happen? was it just a panel or two for a laugh in a Peter David comic or did they actually do something with it? Wow- that's tough to remember. I think it may have been in that unsettled period right before Peter David took on the writing chores. . . or maybe it was during PAD's run, but after the Pantheon era? Sheesh- or was it even very recently? It's actually the kind of little deep-history detail that Greg Pak has been just fantastic about referencing and including in the book. In fact, I'm inclined to think that might be the case. My reading was completely fragmented by the World War Hulk mega-crossover, and I've never gotten fully, correctly back on track since then. Although I've done a bit of catching up. But to answer your question-- no, it wasn't a particular plot point, I believe it was just a nice reference to an old artifact, as it were. HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 2, 2011 6:03:13 GMT -5
The Incredible Hulk 6 The Metal Master By Stan Lee and Steve Ditko Villains: The Metal Master Guest Appearances: Rick Jones
Are there any goofy moments? This doesn’t start to make any sense at all. And it isn’t even really used for any drama inside the story.
The Teen Brigade; with their shouts of ‘last one back is a rotten egg’ begin their brief period of Marvel stardom.
The ending is just stupid. What kind of metal master can’t tell metal from cardboard?
Trivia: Despite the ease with which he was tricked, surely being able to control metal must involve some ability to tell metals from non-metals, the Metal Master seemed to have more potential as a villain than a lot of early Marvel foes.
He has reappeared, in a non-continuity Rampaging Hulk story, in an issue of Rom, and for a panel in the Maximum Security event but not as often as you would expect. You would think an Iron Man appearance would have been a certainty.
This issue ended the Hulk’s title. The first setback to the Marvel age of comics. The character wouldn’t appear again until Avengers #1 six months later.
*sigh* I just feel naked. It's so hard to be a Hulk fan, sometimes. . . The cringe-inducing ending is what's always stuck with me, of course. I'd completely forgotten about the untransformed Banner-head sub-plot. (Which, amazingly, was used again many decades later! Sort of an homage, I suppose. . . ) I didn't care for Ditko's Hulk when I first read this story 'way back when-- but it has since grown on me quite a bit. His run during Tales to Astonish was MUCH heralded-- really, it was treated like a second-coming event on the letters page-- but then it didn't last long at all. Like six months or so, I think. The Hulk series in that book suffered mightily from perpetual artistic turnover (I think I may have documented that in a thread a couple of years ago, in fact). Boy, it'll be awhile before you get back around to ol' Greenskin, eh? That still makes me kinda sad. . . HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 1, 2011 19:10:24 GMT -5
Hi SW! I never watched "Lost," but will now that you recommended it so highly. I live for great pop culture moments. I was STUNNED at how good the first three seasons of The Sopranos were, even though I was turned on to them long after they had originally aired. I couldn't stop watching them! But then the 4th season came around and I was like "what the hell?" I could tell something had changed--and surprise surprise! I did a little snooping online and found out that the writers had meant for the Sopranos to only go on for three seasons--and got talked into making more episodes because HBO threw tons of money at them! Didn't help the quality at all, sad to say. Anyhow--I like the Secret Avengers okay. I find the choice of characters, however, really strange with the exception of Moon Knight and Ant Man. It's not that I don't like the characters, I like all the characters--always thought Valkyrie would make a great Avenger--but I guess having the more stealthy, secretive Avengers on this team would have made better sense IMO. I happen to enjoy reading what other readers have to say, that''s why I come here. And if you think we don't like what Bendis did to the Avengers, check out CBR... Or, I kid you not, the Avengers boards at Marvel's own site. Granted, there's a little more balance in that forum--- but as I've mentioned before, there's certainly no lack of the same criticisms we see here and elsewhere. . . HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 1, 2011 19:06:35 GMT -5
. I've heard great things about Batman :Arkham Asylum, and while not a movie tie in it is a licensed title and those are generally not good. But AA seems like they put time and effort into it, and people will buy the sequel. I think my favorite comic related game is Hulk:Ultimate Destruction. It felt exactly like the Ultimate version of the Hulk, and the time and care put into it shows. Marvel Ultimate Alliance was also good, and X-men legends 1-2 were also very enjoyable. ! OMG, drew-- I'm in the process of replaying through X-Men Legends 1 right now--- and am having a grand time of it (and am actually playing it a lot more intelligently than I did 'way back when. . . ). Yes, the graphics are out of date, and it's certainly not up-to-date as far as flashiness and gimmicks and bells&whistles go--- but it's a perfect example of your point. The game is FUN, as opposed to being overly stressful. It's challenging, yet getting the hang of playing it is not at all intimidating. It's also PLENTY long-- which is by far my biggest issue with the last installment of this pseudo-franchise. Ultimate Alliance 2 was almost criminally short, when played as normal mission-oriented game. But I have to say that the fact that my generally non-gamer daughter really likes jumping in on them speaks volumes to their broader appeal. Sort of like MarioKart-- where pretty much anyone can get the hang of it and have a grand time quite quickly. These games do suffer, though, from overwrought, unnatural voiceover work that is laugh-out-loud bad in its MST3K level awfulness. . . Hulk: Ultimate Destruction is one of my favorite games ever, yes. Also enjoyed the Spiderman 2 game a lot (although it could get you bogged down with tedious side missions). And this recent Spiderman game- shattered dimensions- may be one of the best ever-- just again, kind of too short. It left my son & I both wanting to have a full-length game based in each of the 4 dimensions (the Noir Spidey was a particular favorite). And I don't know if there are industry awards for gaming voiceover work, but this game is immensely elevated by all four spidey voices. Neil Patrick Harris! Geeze, he was great! Let me state for the record, though-- I DO NOT DO THAT MUCH GAME-PLAYING-! Truly-- just the little 2-week frenzy every 2 or three months. . . HB
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Post by humanbelly on Apr 1, 2011 18:46:06 GMT -5
This is really a challenge aimed at the amazingly resourceful Sharkar-- ;D
Daughter of HB (of all folks) pointed out that Morbius- who is currently appearing in Spidey's newspaper comic strip- looks just like the very-near-the-end Michael Jackson. Whatcha think, Shar? Any visual evidence to support this?
Heh-heh-heh---
HB
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The 14
Apr 1, 2011 18:37:51 GMT -5
Post by humanbelly on Apr 1, 2011 18:37:51 GMT -5
I'm always delighted (and blown away!) by how you're always able to pull up an appropriate visual aid reference for any discussion! (I think your "twin sons" head shots of Steve Rogers & Robert Redford awhile back may have been your award-winner so far. . . ) Thanks, HB. And you know, the young Redford studied art (painting)--hey, isn't Steve Rogers supposed to be an artist, too? ;D As I now view this with a slightly more critical eye--- does it look just a bit patched-together to you, maybe? Kind of odd perspectives & proportions? And even as a kid I thought Spidey's mask looked very. . . off, here. Yes, it does look slapped on--the head could be the result of a Romita touch up/paste up job. Btw I recall reading somewhere that this was originally a sketch for #58's cover--so characters such as Wanda, Pietro, Spidey and others who weren't appearing in the book at the time were likely added later when it was decided against using this sketch for the cover. Anyway when I first read #58 I also remember being struck by the closeness (in time) of this page to the one that had just appeared a mere couple of months earlier, in Avengers Special/Annual #2 (which was published at the time of Avengers #56). Not to mention in the quasi-pin-up on page 2 of #58. The plethora of group shots during that time served as a showcase for John Buscema's supreme rendering of the human body--and it also seems to have been Roy's way of reinforcing his own vision (no pun intended) of the Avengers, which was that of a team that included the Big Three plus other heroes--instead of the smaller-sized teams favored by Stan that did not include the Big Three (so as not to conflict with the adventures in their own comics). Here's the pin-up from Avengers Special/Annual #2--sorry I could not line up the pages very well, but you get the idea. Boy, what a great group shot-! I do remember it-- thanks for posting it here. But hey--- what do you think about Hercules as he's drawn here? Does he look sort of like someone else might have drawn him? The pose isn't JB-ish. . . he doesn't seem as innately graceful or dynamic. . . the face seems stylistically quite different. I mean, it looks a little like (of all people) Bill Everett to me. Or I would say Mike Ploog, except I'm not sure he was an adult at this point in time. Keepin' ya on yer toes, ol' pal! HB
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The 14
Apr 1, 2011 18:29:56 GMT -5
Post by humanbelly on Apr 1, 2011 18:29:56 GMT -5
Hello I have searched the boards for another outlet. At risk of being 'off-topic'...I choose to comment here.....as I have come to trust the souls who have posted. The new animated series is better than I would have thought. Coming out of the nightmare that was the previous attempt....the armored version that reminded me of an unhappy extension of What If #3. Sure....there have been adaptions made.....but it is an overall positive viewing experience.....with great 'nods' to Avenger lore. After the whole Kang storyline is resolved.....I look forward to a possible Zodiac theme....after the Ultron problem is addressed. Hi pym, nice to hear from you again. There's a dedicated thread on the animated series. It's located in the General board section under the topic Movies-Animated , subject is Animated Avengers. Click on the link below, it will bring you to the most recent page in the topic. I'm sure your comments will be a welcome addition to the ongoing discussion of the show. vplexico.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=movies&action=display&thread=2947&page=8Oh say, Pym, if I may enlarge on Sharkar's navigational advice-- Down at the bottom of the Forum's main page is an "Info Center", and there's a heading for, I think, Board Statistics (or something similar). AND there's little link in there that enables you to view the "50 Most Recent Posts". This is a lifesaver when it comes to staying current with ongoing threads and discussions. My personal quality of life would plummet w/out it. . . ;D HB
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Post by humanbelly on Mar 31, 2011 16:17:55 GMT -5
Blessings and charms upon ya, Shiryu--- thanks for giving ease to our troubled souls-! Are we okay continuing with all of the ongoing tangents in this thread? There are a few things I've been hankering to chime in on, but was reluctant to, since I didn't want to make the field even messier. . . but if you're good with it, then I shan't worry so much---- ;D HB
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Post by humanbelly on Mar 30, 2011 16:33:26 GMT -5
The brief article itself was pretty interesting-- and the generally intelligent commentary afterward was even moreso. It was pointed out that Shooter himself mis-remembered how Bob Hall illustrated the infamous blow-- he recalls it being a right-cross, but another fan points out that it was, in fact, a backhanded slap (which would be a really long stretch to deliver that swollen shiner that Jan received). Regardless of the initial intention (or the confluence of circumstances that brought it about), it was a very, very brave storyline to go ahead with. It was unbearably heartbreaking (with unfortunate resonances in my own family at the time), but it made almost startling sense, given Hank's rather long, strange history. No one wants to see that kind of personal trainwreck-- and the fact that this team of superheroes was at such a loss (and wildly out of their element) in their efforts to deal with it was an enormous reflection on all of them. Heck, I think our local PTA could have done a better job handling this particular crisis.
I do believe Hank has been seriously mis-characterized ever since, though. At the very worst, he is a former wife-beater. It was one horrible incident during a period when he was literally delusional with mental illness. It does not excuse it at all-- but neither does it mean that it's even remotely likely (or even possible?) that it could happen again. Hank has grown, matured, born the consequences of his actions, and found a measure of self-respect and redemption in the many years since. It would seem wise to take a cue from Jan herself, who had long, long, long since forgiven him, and re-established a relationship with him (well, until other stupid writers got involved right before DisAssembled. . . ).
Essaying off the top of my head. . .
HB
(Argh-- have to go make dinner for everyone. MUST THEY EAT EVERY DAY??)
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Post by humanbelly on Mar 22, 2011 11:16:01 GMT -5
I tell ya, that's not a bad bit of visual storytelling, there. Definitely pulls you in. S-Woman's face could certainly be drawn a heck of a lot more flatteringly, to be honest. And it does look like, what, four pages of story used right up? But I really do like that big "Ooops--looks like trouble, yessiree" splash panel. HB
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