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Post by Shiryu on May 25, 2013 13:38:41 GMT -5
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Post by Shiryu on May 21, 2013 13:51:14 GMT -5
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Post by Shiryu on May 21, 2013 13:50:04 GMT -5
As I've stated manymanymany times around and about this board, I have been an enormous Hulkophile since probably late 1968/early '69 (figure shortly after the time issue #123 came out). Yes, there was the obvious attraction of the juvenile wish-fulfillment of being the absolutely strongest creature on the planet-- but even as a little kid I was far, far more drawn to the misunderstood, childlike monster aspect. He was largely portrayed at that time (and for a couple of decades after) as basically an inherently good character who unfortunately could be easily provoked into a violent rage, or duped into mistaken violent acts. He was perpetually looking for peace and to be left alone. . . or to find a friend or two. . . and that was perpetually and heartbreakingly denied to him. I also, of course, completely bought into the Beauty and the Beast aspect of his relationship w/ Betty at that time. HB... do you remember what of the Hulk appealed to you as a child? I'm wondering if kids were attracted by his innocence, or if they were waiting for him to explode and smash everything in sight, as some sort of catartic, I-wish-I-could-do-that, moment. I'm asking because I remember loving the films from the 70s starring Terence Hill and the mountain of a man that is Bud Spencer and, funny as everything else was, the best moments were by far those where they would lose their patience and start punching and slapping crooks around.
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Post by Shiryu on May 17, 2013 18:01:34 GMT -5
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Post by Shiryu on May 11, 2013 19:28:39 GMT -5
I have been enjoying the series so far. The first arc was in fact a collection of decent individual stories, some better than others but all fairly enjoyable to read. Arc #2 poses some continuity problems (how can Tony be here and in Avengers at the same time) but I'm happy to ignore it if the book is fun, which it has been so far.
This issue, a prologue, served as an interesting opening. Not much action per se, but great characterization and humor. There's talk of Death's Head being a semi-occurring character which wouldn't be all that bad to me. Eaglesham handles the art chores here and as usual, he delivers with solid art.
I'm also right on the fence regarding "the secret origin of Tony Stark". For some reason, the end of #9 reminded me of a story I read on Superman/Batman a few years ago, where we discover that Thomas Wayne had met Jor El before Bruce or Clark were born, and both had been told how their deaths would turn their sons into heroes. The book ended by implying Thomas years later would go to the theatre knowing he was going to be killed. It wasn't bad per se, but it took away the element of chance in favour of predestination.
I'm hoping this Iron Man arc sticks to how Tony was born, without touching on some hidden reason behind him becoming Iron Man.
#258.2 is also out and it's one to read!
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Post by Shiryu on May 11, 2013 19:17:40 GMT -5
I've moved the topic to its rightful section. It is, after all, a movie
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Post by Shiryu on May 11, 2013 19:16:23 GMT -5
And #8 is out too, nice follow up to its predecessor. I loved the Thor / Sunfire, especially Shiro's arrogance, and also Cap in Sudan and the growing Avengers/mutants suspicions.
My only problem is that there are a lot of references to Remender's previous work on X-Force, which I've never read, so it requires some digging online to understand what the Apocalypse Twins are talking about.
But that's no fault of the book - this is another very enjoyable issue with the right mix of action and talking.
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Hawkeye
May 11, 2013 19:12:35 GMT -5
Post by Shiryu on May 11, 2013 19:12:35 GMT -5
I have been reading it, but for the first time ever I can say that somehow I don't... understand it. I can't put my finger on it, but by the end of the read I'm often left scratching my head at Fraction's storytelling style. Not my cup of tea, I think.
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Post by Shiryu on May 11, 2013 8:41:46 GMT -5
I've had a look at it yesterday. It's ok, better than previous issues and much easier to follow, but nothing really happens other than different Avengers trying to access information each with their own style.
Like Tom, I was also bothered by Black Widow's attitude. I know that people nowadays dig these more "badass" type of characters, but I prefer the old days when Hawkeye was court martialised for killing Egghead. That was an accident and Egghead was about to hill Hank Pym, but he still had to defend himself and explain his actions. Here, Widow callously kills unharmed prisoners and I doubt anything will be done about it.
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Post by Shiryu on May 8, 2013 18:57:29 GMT -5
Yes, I agree; that was a fascinating read. Many thanks to Shiryu, and an exalt--number 100! Thank you! I don't have the issue at hands, but, knowing Byrne, I'd assume he would at the very least be co-plotter. I'll check it out ASAP.
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Post by Shiryu on May 6, 2013 21:12:38 GMT -5
Really?? It was that blasted John Byrne AGAIN?? As much as we beef about this crop of modern writers taking unjustified liberties w/ the characters, I guess it's worth remembering that this particular artist/writer superstar really did set the precedent for it a decade or so earlier. "I don't like how other writers have grown this character, so I'm just going to arbitrarily change it on a whim. Because my perspective and personal taste clearly have the ascendant priority. . . " Gnargh! Here you have it. Scroll down the article (which is very good in its own right) and you see Byrne's pages with Sandman's return to being a bad guy. And the Thing is greatly out of character there too goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2013/03/28/abandoned-love-so-is-sandman-a-good-guy-or-a-bad-guy-or-what/Over at IDW I think.
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Post by Shiryu on May 6, 2013 19:28:46 GMT -5
To update a bit, Julia Carpenter has now replaced Madame Web as a seer. She is seen on and off in Spider-Man or Scarlet Spider, usually warning the hero about some impending menace.
Good old Sandman, whom I also liked a lot as a hero, has been imprisoned by Spidey (who, as you may already know, is in fact Doctor Octopus in Peter's body). He still shows the occasional sign of redemption, but is also still definitely a bad guy.
Oh, and his return to villany was another gift from John Byrne, who simply decided he disliked Sandman as a hero, and had him saying he had been faking during all those years. The Wizard intervention was a late retcon in response to the angry fans' reaction.
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Post by Shiryu on May 5, 2013 20:03:28 GMT -5
I don't mind havoc in terms of massive damage caused by this or that supervillain. In fact, I loved the Kang Dinasty and Ultron Unlimited because they did just that: showing that supervillains can actually be responsible for widespread killing and destruction from time to time, or it would be difficult to take them seriously after 60 years of failed attempts.
I am, however, more concerned about wreaking havoc to continuity and characters. To me, John Byrne is the father of this kind of thing, ever since he undid the Vision's marriage and turned Scarlet Witch and Sue Richards into cruel caricatures of themselves. Some 30 years later, Vision and Wanda *still* haven't gotten back together.
But the great thing about time travelling is that it can undo as quickly as it does, so I half expect Sue and Logan to correct their own mistake, or at least change it somehow.
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Post by Shiryu on May 5, 2013 19:55:44 GMT -5
I had never read most of WCA except for the odd annual or crossover, but just last month I bought the 1st omnibus as my own birthday present (together with the Iron Man omnibus by Micheline and Layton). It collects WCA #1-4; Iron Man Annual #7; The Avengers #250; West Coast Avengers vol. 2 #1-16; Vision and the Scarlet Witch vol. 2 #1-2; The Avengers Annual #15; West Coast Avengers Annual #1, so it gave me a good starting point.
I think I found it all ok-ish, but not mind-blowing. Hawkeye having a go at leadership, and realizing his own past irritating behaviour in the process, was easily the best element. The Thing being repeteadly asked to join was my favourite subplot, and I also liked the introduction of Firebird.
Everything else fell a bit flat though. The Tigra arc, with all its sexual innuendos and subtext, was bizarre. Wonder Man seemed to overcame his weaknesses just a little too quickly, although this could be the result of me reading several stories in quick succession, and often felt forced, trying too hard to prove the point. Also, Iron Man has been completely wasted thus far, missing more often than not and usually serving only as some additional muscle.
Nothing too shambolic yet, but, considering that at the time the regular Avengers were enjoying one of their best runs ever under Stern and Buscema, WCA does come second best. In November I'll buy the next omnibus too, to see how things progress.
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Post by Shiryu on May 5, 2013 10:02:29 GMT -5
I have been reading Age of Ultron but, even as a Bendis story, I'm not particularly impressed. Siege was a far better work, IMHO.
For those who have no idea what's been going on: Ultron launches a surprise attack on the USA, killing or capturing most heroes and some villains. The survivors, led by a broken Cap, retreat to the Savage Land. Before being killed, Luke Cage and She Hulk discover that Ultron is attacking from the future, via time-travelling technology and a shattered Vision.
Cap decides to take a team and use Doom's old time machine to get to the future and take the fight to Ultron. Meanwhile, Logan argues that the best solution is killing Hank Pym before Ultron is ever made. He says that, as a scientist, Pym will believe himself capable of building Ultron without it becoming a killer, and will never really manage to "not" build it in the first place. Cap forbids it, but Logan goes anyway, and the Invisible Woman tags along to try to find a peaceful compromise. However, when they do find Hank, Logan reminds Sue of Reed and their children having been killed, and she reluctantly lets him go ahead and do it. In the meantime, Cap's team in the future is slaughtered.
Sue and Logan come back to the present, to find it completely different, as per WS' original post.
So, the plot itself isn't bad, very Kang-esque in a way, but it moves along at snail pace. 7 issues in, we still haven't seen the real Ultron, and now it look like we may never do, as the focus has shifted to this new, Pym-less, reality. The best thing has probably been the tie-ins, especially Superior Spider-Man and Fantastic Four.
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Post by Shiryu on Apr 28, 2013 18:46:42 GMT -5
Sorry Shiryu, I'll let you handle this thread, but I'm enjoying this book so much, I just had to post SOMETHING. Nothing to apologize for. In fact, I'm glad others are enjoying this book as much as I am! In this particular issue I loved the intra-team tension and the arguing, as well as Wasp highlighting the different attitude between Avengers and X-people. A healthy degree of bickering is always fun to read.
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Post by Shiryu on Apr 14, 2013 14:47:23 GMT -5
DUMB QUESTION: Where is MJONIR? I suppose Thor was still unworthy and hadn't been able to lift it yet. Different stories have showed him being worthy at different ages, writers seem to be free to do whaever they want with it. BTW: was it really Loki here? In one scene, it looks like it's Kang all along, pretending to be Loki.
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Post by Shiryu on Apr 12, 2013 19:17:36 GMT -5
Sooo, here's another UA issue.
SPOILERS BELOW
This is a Thor-centric issue, set in the middle ages, with our Thunderer fighting Apocalypse. It's a good story, with a couple of surprise twists and some cool moments, and overall I liked it, but #5 was better IMO. The main problem is that this is not really an Avengers story, but a Thor story, albeit one which will soon have implications in Uncanny Avengers according to the solicitations for upcoming issues.
Again, nothing wrong with the thing per se, everyone is in character, there's plenty of action and the art is good, but I would have rather read the aftermath of the Grim Reaper story.
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Post by Shiryu on Apr 9, 2013 13:25:22 GMT -5
Thank you Marvel Boy, Ultron and Shar, love the card!
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Post by Shiryu on Apr 7, 2013 8:41:19 GMT -5
Thank you! As soon as I recover from Volstagg's bone-crunching, joint-popping, ligament-tearing, muscle-bruising bear hug, we can all go partying But... but... it's not just me today. As usual, I have the privilege of sharing the day with our own wondrous Sharkar! So happy birthday to her as well!
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Post by Shiryu on Apr 6, 2013 13:00:35 GMT -5
In the very last arc of Bendis' run, it was revealed she had never been killed, only shrunk down to the microverse, with no means of getting back. On the run from the local warlord, she managed to send a distress call to the Avengers, who rescued her.
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Post by Shiryu on Apr 4, 2013 18:43:51 GMT -5
Hey Shiryu--I wanted to make a public apology to you. I sort of stormed out of this forum a couple of moths ago because you moved a thread of mine to a place I never go to in this forum. The truth of the matter is that my beloved Black Lab of nearly 14 years (Otis) was dying a very ugly and agonizing death from cancer and I was absolutely overcome with grief. You did nothing wrong and I was a jerk for taking my personal issues out on you. So I just wanted to say sorry and I am not that person who stormed out. I hope you can forgive me--you keep this forum together and I shouldn't have acted like a frikkin' diva. No worries. Apologies accepted, and I'm glad you are back!
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Post by Shiryu on Mar 30, 2013 11:30:53 GMT -5
There's definitely some good stuff out. As I said, Uncanny Avengers, Avengers Assemble and New Avengers are all pretty good (very good, in the case of Uncanny). Secret Avengers is not bad either. Avengers Arena... I'm on the fence with, and it's not really an Avengers book, they just added the word to the title to draw in the movie followers.
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Post by Shiryu on Mar 28, 2013 8:14:36 GMT -5
Anybody else reading this?
I didn't like the art very much in this issue, but most of everything else was great! The Mansion, Wasp, Simon (acting more like his normal self for a change), Kang and the Grim Reaper... it was like jumping 15 years back in time.
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Post by Shiryu on Mar 27, 2013 20:00:03 GMT -5
Having just caught up with the series up until now in one afternoon... I'm, to quote the belated Young Justice cartoon, well underwhelmed. Honestly, a lot of Bendis stories were better than this, and Uncanny Avengers, New Avengers and Avengers Assemble make for far better reading.
I appreciate the scope of what Hickman is trying to do, and it did seem to be getting better by #3, but a lot of what happens after that has been plain boring, with characters appearing and disappearing without much explanation.
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Post by Shiryu on Feb 9, 2013 9:48:47 GMT -5
Let's inaugurate this new section of the boards with the Vision-centred Avengers Assemble Annual #1, by former EMH writer Christos Cage.
Has anyone had a chance to read it? Comments?
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Post by Shiryu on Feb 8, 2013 17:17:23 GMT -5
That's some clever spamming, but spamming nevertheless, mate. This kind of posts can only go in the merchandising section of the boards (sub-board of Movies/Animated), otherwise I'll have to close down your account. Much better to enjoy the forum and have a friendly chat with everyone, isn't it?
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Post by Shiryu on Jan 30, 2013 17:59:00 GMT -5
I'm gonna get myself a spit and roast a spammer ;D
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Post by Shiryu on Dec 24, 2012 18:28:33 GMT -5
Merry Christmas!
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Post by Shiryu on Dec 20, 2012 18:13:35 GMT -5
Thanks for the news! I just got it for my Kindle I'm in the middle of something else so it may be a few weeks before I get around to reading it, but I'll post the usual comments when it's done.
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