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Post by Marvel Boy on Apr 7, 2013 10:56:22 GMT -5
I didn't think you meant any offense by your statement so it's cool. I barely remember the whole Kung Fu craze of the 70s. It's easy to see why it happened between the popularity of Bruce Lee films and shows like Kung Fu on the air. I think MOTK is a better result spawned by that craze.
Gulacy has done occasional work for both Marvel and DC over the years. He teamed up with Moench for excellent stories on Legends of the Dark Knight, worked with Brubaker on Catwoman. He and Moench even did a modern MOTK mini back in '02 released under Marvel's Max imprint. He is currently working with Chuck Dixon on the opening story arc of IDW's newly relaunched G.I. Joe Special Missions title.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Apr 7, 2013 10:39:25 GMT -5
Hm, I had forgotten about Ben's appearances in WCA. Isn't that the costume he had during his time on Beyonder's World?
I like how he and Hawkeye have virtually the same poses in all three covers.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Apr 7, 2013 10:33:53 GMT -5
Happy Life-Giving Day to Shiryu and Sharkar!
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Post by Marvel Boy on Apr 6, 2013 10:21:12 GMT -5
Back in issue #2, Tony was able to recruit Shang-Chi by suggesting a 'fusion of styles....tradition meets technology.....have you ever thought about weapons?'
Since then, I've seen little to no mention over what, if anything, Tony did for him but that was the reason why I thought Shang-Chi was able to chop through Aleph's legs.
Master of Kung Fu is a classic title which I love. Doug Moench, Paul Gulacy, Mike Zeck, they created wonderful spy stories filled with action, love, humor and drama.
To me, kung fu is not a 'cheesy fad', it's a way of life. Some of the proudest moments in my life have come through my taekwondo training and association with my dojo school. It's not about beating the guy twice your size, it's about mastering yourself, your thoughts, your emotions.
I like that Shang-Chi is an Avenger and I hope he gets more opportunities to shine. But I'd rather see him in a more street-level title. I've been wanting him to be a semi-regular in Daredevil for years.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Apr 2, 2013 1:20:51 GMT -5
I liked Starfox when he was with the Avengers, but I get the impression he's not one of the more beloved members among fans. I love Starfox since he joined the team around the same time I started reading the book. I can see where he might be viewed as underrated but I thought he did rather well on the team. Great covers of him but another I like is: Not the best view of him, but the depiction of the whole team heading to assault Nebula made for a cool action scene.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Apr 2, 2013 1:13:34 GMT -5
For 'Pure Sentiment', these are some issues that immediately spring to my mind whenever I think of the Avengers....... #219 was the first Avengers issue I'd ever read but #227 is the first issue I ever bought. I'm a sucker for split covers, how they entice you with showing all the awesome things that happen within it's pages, all the for low, low price of 60 cents. I acquired this issue through a comic bundle trade with a neighborhood friend. I was also growing to love Ghost Rider at that time so this issue was a huge double bonus. I can't recall if I bought this issue or acquired it through a trade. My favorite Avengers split cover, my copy is almost in tatters I've read it so much. I recently came across a reprint of it in Essential X-Men Vol. 3. While the art still looks great in black-and-white, I think it was the coloring that really made it pop and memorable for me. The reprint version felt flat to me. Growing up, I never got to watch Letterman that much, seeing as how his show came on past my bedtime. Back then, he was kinda the underground rebel, always doing crazy stuff and stunts (at least that's what I'd heard) The few times I did get to see him was whenever I woke up feeling sick after I went to bed. I loved watching him. So when this issue showed up in my mailbox, I devoured it, enjoyed it, loved it. (On a side-note, Assistant Editor's Month saw some great comics besides this one. The Trial of Reed Richards in FF# 262, the destruction of the Pit and death of General Flagg in G.I. Joe #19, The Kid Who Collected Spider-Man in ASM #248 and Beta Ray Bill gets his own hammer in Thor #339. Crazy month indeed)
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Post by Marvel Boy on Apr 2, 2013 0:25:02 GMT -5
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Post by Marvel Boy on Mar 30, 2013 22:49:13 GMT -5
In Mike Carey's last run on X-Men Legacy, Rogue was able to gain considerably more control over her powers. This would also help to explain why she was able to steal Simon's abilities when going all the way back to her first appearance in Avengers Annual #10, her powers had no effect on him.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Mar 30, 2013 0:18:59 GMT -5
After reading #7-8, I can say that Hickman is getting a tad too esoteric for my tastes. I'm not sure that I completely understand what is going on here with White and Red Events, two systems that are supposed to achieve the exact same goal, and a still unperceived multiversal threat. I appreciate his ambition, but this may require re-readings to fully comprehend.
I still like this title though. Hickman is building up towards something and while it may be decompressed somewhat, it's nothing compared to what Bendis is capable of doing. But the art needs to be more consistent. Banner looked horrible these last two issues. If it wasn't for the dialogue, I wouldn't recognize him till he hulked out.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Mar 30, 2013 0:00:33 GMT -5
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Post by Marvel Boy on Mar 13, 2013 11:42:49 GMT -5
Okay, so Moondragon was not a favorite for me but this one is. I know there are some folks on this board who are not Patsy Walker fans but I love me some Hell-cat. For a character with relatively few Avengers appearances, she's got some pretty awesome covers too. As with many, the first is the best. I love this cover. Also, like the Black Knight, no floating heads - only floating people. I like the title on this one too. "A tale of two kitties" - nice I hated it when Patsy was unceremoniously and pointlessly killed off so this cover really made me happy in 2000 'You Wanted Her, You Got Her!' and 'The Hellcat Cometh!" Nothing beats great cover blurbs. If I'd seen that issue on the spinner rack, I'd have to buy it. Though I'd never read all the much of Hellcat so I have no opinion on her either way. Tigra, on the other hand, I would agree with you on. She's never been one of my favorites either.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Mar 13, 2013 11:26:00 GMT -5
I agree with the sentiment of the joy of holding, flipping through, and reading a physical comic. But I have also bought plenty of digital comics on comixology for a number of good reasons:
1) Saves money - not towards buying the books, but in gas money. My LCS is over an hour away from my home. Part of my comic budget may go towards paying for the gas I need in order to go get them. Buying digitally allows me to obtain the same exact issues without sacrificing money towards higher gas bills.
2) Convience - digital comics save on physical space. Like you, I have plenty of boxes filled with bagged and boarded comics, but space is running out at home. This also ties in with my desire to read certain titles and stories.
Which I think highlights a big difference in this regard, do you read comics or do you collect comics? I read comics, I don't collect them, meaning I am not overly concerned with completing any runs or buying certain issues or what have you. If you collect them instead, then I certainly see the need for physical copies, a need I find no fault with.
However, I want to read and enjoy the stories. Buying digitally allows me to do this without sacrificing any physical space for issues that in the end, I find that I don't like and thus would clutter up my space and collection.
If I really enjoy those stories, I would then buy the physical TPB collection of those stories to keep.
3) Sampling - comixology runs discount sales and free first issues of a wide variety of comics. This allows for a cheaper way for me to check out these varied titles that I find of interest than if I went to a brick store to buy all those same issues for cover cost. Plus, as with convience, I can check out issues of various Big Two titles to see if I want to read them. If I do, then I decide to follow them. If I don't, I'm not losing or wasting space on books I don't need.
I am not completely digital though. I maintain mail subscriptions to certain titles and I have just come across a recent LCS who offers mail subscriptions as well. Determine your pull list and they will mail your books to you at a discounted price. (Although I do have the option to go physically pick them up, this store is only a half hour away from the my home)
Depending on your situation and circumstances, digital comics can be an affordable solution.
Although that Marvel promo sale recently crashed the comixology servers and locked a large number of consumers out of their accounts. So, the system is not foolproof yet......
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Post by Marvel Boy on Mar 11, 2013 22:00:33 GMT -5
Cap (leader) Wasp (Hank Pym) Black Knight Songbird Wonder Man Scarlet Witch Ms. Marvel/Warbird/Captain Marvel
Reserves: Thor Black Panther
First grouping that comes to mind, no idea at the moment over this team's dynamics, just mixture of favorite characters and ones that I'd like to read more of.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Mar 11, 2013 21:28:22 GMT -5
Milgrom may not have the flash of Jim Lee nor the intricacy of Perez, but to me, he provides substance over style. No crazy panel layouts, just solid graphic storytelling (and never any confusion over which character is whom)
Have always loved Perez, from Avengers to New Titans to Wonder Woman to Crisis, you name it. I had the honor of meeting Perez a number of years ago at HeroesCon. A fine gentleman and human being. ;D
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Post by Marvel Boy on Mar 11, 2013 21:18:40 GMT -5
Oooh, favorite 5 issues? Tough call, may have to ponder on that for a bit before replying.
Although I will agree with you on #196, Taskmaster is a terrific villain, one of my all-time favorites to appear in the Avengers. Always thought the initial storyline of him training the average thugs and goons was kinda weak though.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Mar 11, 2013 21:09:58 GMT -5
This may come off as being a tad creepy, but one of my favorite Vision/Scarlet Witch covers is : A cool image, but also makes my skin crawl. Another favorite Vizh/Wanda cover that, for me, sums up their relationship:
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Post by Marvel Boy on Mar 11, 2013 20:55:00 GMT -5
The problem with Age of Ultron is when does it take place and ultimately, will it have any lasting repercussions on the MU?
The first issue had New York City basically in ruins. As far as I know, no other Marvel title had a ruined New York City this month. Plus, certain titles have tie-in AU issues coming up, issues that are completely separate from their regular runs.
Then there is the time-jumping aspect, apparently Logan and Sue Storm travel into the past and end up changing or altering something.
So will this change be something major or minor? Dunno.
That would be the only reason I'd be interested in reading this story. Otherwise, it sounds like a story that would fit in better with the classic Marvel Graphic Novel line, a story that happened at some point in our heroes' lives.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Mar 5, 2013 12:42:22 GMT -5
All-Time Favorite would have to be Perez. I've been catching up on Vol. 3 with Busiek and his work there is outstanding. Character definitions, their emotional and visual responses, the action scenes, the level of detail in his backgrounds is unreal. The man draws the best-looking Wanda ever.
Personal Favorites would be Al Milgrom and John Buscema. They were the mainstay artists when I started reading the Avengers back in the 80s. Milgrom provided solid consistent art and is a great storyteller. Buscema, with Tom Palmer, made great stories such as Under Siege even better. Love it.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Mar 5, 2013 12:21:21 GMT -5
Ouch, yeah, I had stopped reading the title at that point by then (due to moving to a new city and state mind you, not just because of the stories). The less said about Teen Tony, the better. So a rogue clone or LMD, eh? That would sound like an interesting storyline, given her quasi-romantic ties to Tony. She would make a good choice for a type of villain reformation story. Tie all that in with the old Maggia plots and characters, and that would be even better.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Mar 5, 2013 12:13:22 GMT -5
Wow, some really cool and terrific covers so far. The Hawkeye/Ant Man cover is so iconic now, absolutely love it. Black Knight is one of my favorite all-time Avengers and those are some excellent choices. His face shot on the Anniversary issue was quite the surprise but well appreciated and loved. #225 is a great cover but I've always liked #226 as well: Just the way he sits astride his flying horse, poised to attack, great action scene. To go back for a moment, a favorite Thor cover of mine has always been #174: It's a terrific action scene, but there's just something about the way Thor is deflecting those blasts, it's subtle but I think it speaks well of the team's 'never-give-up' mentality. That, and Hawkeye's positioning is just awesome!
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Post by Marvel Boy on Mar 4, 2013 22:00:22 GMT -5
Hickman took the time to introduce and set-up the new characters, which was very appreciated. It may seem like a large number of team members, but like that initial icon page suggests, Hickman focuses on just a select number.
Introducing the White Event from New Universe is very intriguing, but combine that (mayhaps) with some connection with the New Avengers' Red/Blue Event Incursions, and I'm really beginning to like Hickman's sense of grandeur.
Unlike Bendis, I think Hickman knows exactly where this is all going and I'm more interested in seeing that with every issue.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Mar 4, 2013 21:45:00 GMT -5
Y'know, after all these years, I'm still disappointed that I'd never won a No-Prize.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Mar 4, 2013 21:39:45 GMT -5
Happy Late Life-Giving Day Wundagoreborn!
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Post by Marvel Boy on Mar 4, 2013 21:34:38 GMT -5
Absence makes the heart grow fonder......well, absence due mainly to the sister-in-law moving and taking Ye Old Internet with her. Had to take some time to find my way back to the World-Wide-Web.
Welcome Spidey1984! (Hm, has me wondering, what kind of cool things happened to Spidey back in 1984? Was that pre-Black Costume? Post-Black Costume? I should know, I should remember, heck, I was only 12 years old at that time yet memories fade like the soft wind of spring through the leaves......)
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Post by Marvel Boy on Feb 15, 2013 18:52:08 GMT -5
Avengers # 10 Before we begin . . . Fellow Jarvis-Heads! Please go into your basement/nerd room/what have you and pull out this issue. Flip through the amazing story and get to the letters page. Don't get distracted by the awesome art, Perez is great, but let's go right to that letters page. Read the second letter. Read the post-script. I saw that and flipped out! YAY! Anywho -- onward with the issue! NYC is celebrating Avengers Days! It's commemorates the founding of the Avengers and their return from the Heroes Reborn universe. The current members, including Giant-Man and Wasp, bask in the moment! We get nice little side POVs with Spider-Man, the X-Men, Daredevil, Bruce Banner, the Fantastic Four, and Daredevil, which adds so much to the story. We also get small references to tiny events, two splash pages of the Avengers and their greatest foes, and - of course - its ends with a big ol battle. The Grim Reaper appears and brings out various zombie Avengers, including Thunderstrike, Swordsman, Mockingbird, Hellcat, Doctor Druid, Captain Marvel . . . and Wonder Man?! SAY WHAT?! These dead Avengers take down the alive Avengers! Meanwhile, Wanda goes to see Agatha Harkness, who she had previously believed was dead. Happy to see the woman alive, Agatha explains Wanda's powers and origins in a new way. She tells Wanda that the demon Chiton formed a connection with Wanda on the day she was born and imbued into her some his own chaotic magic. Wanda has been tapping into his over the years and recently, it was the cause of Simon's reappearance. The only way to bring Simon back is to love him like he loves her. ------------- The Avengers Day material is pretty fun. It's a little odd to see the Avengers being celebrated so passionately after being called fakes just a few issues before hand, but it was good none the less. I loved all the little appearances, from both the heroes and the villains. The zombie Avengers were kinda gruesome and having Simon among them is pretty shocking. I did like that the zombie Avengers brought their baggage back with them and immediately start throwing their issues at the current Avengers. I really enjoyed the Wanda origin and it's very interesting it read in light of certain events. So Wanda was imbued with chaos magic from Chiton? Very interesting. It's worth noting that Wanda's actions during Avengers Disassembled were influenced by an unnamed entity. Could it be that - as of this story - Wanda begins to tap into the chaos magic, that she becomes more and more under the influence of Chiton? It would explain quite a bit -- Chiton could have forced her hand into contacting Doom so to be freed. He/it could have made Wanda destroy the Avengers. Hmmm. I really enjoyed this issue. Lots of neat appearances by other heroes and villains; nods to recent events; a classic Avenger villain in the Grim Reaper; more information on Wanda's background; and a great cliffhanger. Sadly, I do not own the actual issue so who wrote the letter??? However, reading this issue in my TPB, I did notice on the cover, the young woman in the crowd with the Jarvis-Head t-shirt. A possible shout-out to this fine board and site mayhaps? A question about this issue - on the full-page spread that depicts all the former members of the team, I spotted who appears to be Madame Masque. I know some of her history with Stark but where and when did she serve with the team?
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Post by Marvel Boy on Feb 13, 2013 13:12:42 GMT -5
Wow, pretty amazing how much the dialogue is in synch throughout these different re-tellings.
Thomas and Englehart's versions both use the phrase of 'terror to spies and saboteurs' and 'the strength and the will to safeguard our shores'. Although both were done in the 70s, so there may be more contuinity there.
But the 80s example quotes parts of Kirby's 60s re-telling, like the potency of the serum and 'if we erred, Rogers will be dead within seconds'.
That's pretty darn good.
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Post by Marvel Boy on Feb 13, 2013 13:00:30 GMT -5
Hm, AIM Island could develop in a number of different ways.
With Latveria, it was always about how their society and economy was better under Dooms' rule. Even though he is sole monarch and perhaps dictator, the people enjoyed his rule.
With Genosha, there's the mutant slavery issue, which dealt at the heart of the mutant issue, being seen as second-class citizens and a threat to be contained.
Now with AIM Island, are we going to see the island's populace prosper under their rule? That ambassador stated they controlled the economic arm of the country. Are they going to use their inventions and tech to turn the island into a modern-day tech paradise?
Or are we going to see the populace suffer from their rule? They also control the political arm of the country which would imply a technocracy. Are the people going to become unwilling subjects for any dastardly experiment?
Yeah, it does stretch credibility some, but it depends on how Hickman manages it.
As for #5, very good issue. Liked Izzy and her intro. The time jumping (Going from Then to Now) can be a little disconcerting, but it worked fairly well. Seeing how she became an Imperial Guardsman was cool.
But was that Gladiator in charge there? I've read very little of the Annihilation/War of Kings and such cosmic stuff so I don't know if this part of any recent changes for him.
And Izzy's grandpa is Dan Dare? The British hero?
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Post by Marvel Boy on Feb 13, 2013 12:35:37 GMT -5
Oops, seems I got my numbering wrong. Sunturion first appeared in Iron Man in a story that ran through issues #142-144
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Post by Marvel Boy on Feb 12, 2013 22:42:55 GMT -5
If I could do a JL cartoon, I would stick with the concept used in JLU, but use it more stringently. The big guns like Superman, WW, and Batman, I wouldn't use at all unless there's some overwhelming threat that took the entire League to combat it. Have different threats and tailor the team to fight that threat.
I would try to split the teams up via type. Have a JL street level team, like with the Question, Nightwing, Huntress, and so on. Have a JL cosmic team (with a GL on it naturally), a magic team( led by Fate who ends up embroiled in one of Constantine's messes) and so on. I would also include the JSA but as their own unit within the League. You want a mentoring program for these up-and-coming youngsters? There you go.
But after all these years, I would use Ted Kord, Blue Beetle. Use Ted with Booster. That would be animation gold.
The last two GL episodes were good, I thought. Didn't really foresee Aya's actions concerning the Anti-Monitor, but Razor should understand that he is dealing with a machine intelligence that takes statements literally. Telling her to shut down everything else to focus on the task at hand was about the worst thing he could've said.
As for the aftermath, seeing the three of them work together sans rings was fun. Just wish they gave a tad more info about the aliens they encountered. I get their hatred for GLs, but they defeat the big monster and the one dude asks what did they do to Mother? What?! :lol:
As for YJ, I'm not tired with the Reach storyline, but I'd rather see the focus switch back to the Light. Vandal was on Rimbor, Luthor taking on the Runaways, how will they deal with the Reach now?
The Runaways episode was good but the Warworld episode was great. Mongul should wipe the floor with the Juniors but seeing how Mal and Bumblebee stopped him was cool.
Just hate to see Jaime converted so soon. And blow his cover by openly taking the Warworld keystone. Couldn't he or Green Beetle have covertly stolen it later on without having Jaime blow his cover?
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Post by Marvel Boy on Feb 12, 2013 22:18:21 GMT -5
My most basic problem is that every time I hear A.I.M. Island, I can't help but think of Cobra Island from Hama's G.I. Joe Real American Hero title.
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