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Post by bobc on Feb 9, 2014 9:02:28 GMT -5
You guys just made me realize why we like this book so much (well, at least one of the reasons). The Avengers here act like they are old friends, which they are, as opposed to a bunch of strangers. I think that is something that is missing from Hickman's books--none of the characters seem emotionally attached to each other, with a few minor exceptions. It's been so long since I read a character like the Wasp saying it felt great to be fighting alongside CA again. Even Havok and the Wasp feel like they have a history together.
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Post by bobc on Feb 8, 2014 14:25:07 GMT -5
I like to live dangerously, HB!!
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Post by bobc on Feb 7, 2014 16:52:41 GMT -5
I'm with you on how the Wasp is being handled. It's great! She actually held her own against You Know Who by using her brain and various powers. I love the Wasp.
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Post by bobc on Feb 7, 2014 16:48:24 GMT -5
Sharky--I'm a fossil hunter. That's me checking out a rock formation looking for 100 million old sea urchins. My Youtube channel is Noodleydoo if you ever get bored and want to see some cool fossil hunts. There's even a video of a 5 ft long gar (fish) slapping me across the face with its tail!
Starry I just bought New Avengers #14 and it was such a freakin' MESS I immediately threw it in the trash as soon as I was done reading it. All these alternate earths, alternate times, alternate characters--it is a disaster. On top of that, and three pages of recap, character lists, and introductions, we are treated to two pages of Reed Richards giving virtually the exact same speech he's already given 500 times ("Everything dies"). I am astonished at quickly this book has gone down the drain. I mean we GET IT--everything dies!!!! Then there is the same crappy, lazy art. This book sucks now. You are right--Uncanny Avengers is by far the best Avengers book. Marvel had better wise up because everybody I know is complaining about the absurd number of mediocre Avengers titles. I also hate how Ms. Marvel is handled now--and that horrible retro get-up she's wearing these days. What is going on?
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Post by bobc on Feb 3, 2014 16:48:50 GMT -5
As an artist myself (for a living)I can say Bianchi's art in this issue is just frikkin' lazy as hell. On top of the fact that he often doesn't bother drawing faces (reminds me of Rob Liefeld and his hiding of feet), he also just blackens in close to a third of the characters in this book, by that I mean they are just basically silhouettes. That is beyond lazy. I'm paying $4 an issue for this? Come on man just show some effort. I just went to Marvel.com and apparently New Avengers 14 is coming out but this time I'm not gonna be a chump and buy it without checking to see if I'm getting my money's worth art-wise.
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Post by bobc on Feb 3, 2014 15:47:18 GMT -5
For me it's not even about completing a set--I just have no idea what's going on except that apparently we are going to have tens of thousands of new super-powered characters. As if we need more.
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Post by bobc on Feb 2, 2014 13:37:07 GMT -5
I went to Austin Books last week and it was a sea of titles screaming "INHUMANITY" and I bought five of them. I have no clue how any of them fit together, what to read first (or second for that matter) but I do know this: I didn't think any of them was any good with the exception of the main book. "Inhumanity" didn't need to be 500 comics and I am starting to resent Marvel for trying to force me into buying tons of mediocre books.
Isn't New Avengers 14 late? Seems like it's been forever.
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Post by bobc on Jan 14, 2014 11:22:40 GMT -5
I'm liking it.
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Post by bobc on Jan 14, 2014 9:35:14 GMT -5
I know whatcha mean, Sharky. In general I don't much care for alternate future storylines and think they should be done very infrequently. But in Hickman's case there are so many loose ends, why is he introducing more chaos? About a year ago, didn't Black Swan tell Terrax that something was going to happen with them "soon?" How soon is soon? And is the fight between Namor and Black Panther ever going to happen? Namor is doing a d**n thing of any import in regards to the incursions, and while the tension between BP and Namor is a great plot device, it really needs to move along. Hawkeye, Black Widow, Spiderwoman, Spiderman, Falcon, Wolverine, Cannonball and Sunspot haven't done much of anything during the entire run--in fact whole issues fly by where they never get a line of dialogue!
I still like Hickman but it's starting to remind me of the first two issues of Bendis' New Avengers--it got off to a flying start and then just nothing. All promises that are never fulfilled. SO far, the Avengers has been the Thor, Hyperion, and Hulk show.
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Post by bobc on Jan 13, 2014 16:24:19 GMT -5
I see. Thanks for the info.
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Post by bobc on Jan 12, 2014 17:03:05 GMT -5
There's also Avengers Arena, A+X, Avengers Undercover, and Young Avengers, right? Unless some of these got cancelled.
I just went back and re-read (or at least skimmed) most of Hickman's Avengers and New Avengers to make sure I hadn't missed some plot resolutions and I hadn't. I think Hickman has done two things magnificently, two things I've been waiting years for someone to do:
1. He actually showed Captain American leading real, strategic missions instead of just bellowing 'Take them down!" CA always had this rep as being a great strategist, but until Hickman came along nobody actually showed him planning out a strategy. CA is clearly the leader of the Avengers now and he should be. There's still a lot of "Take him down," which is fine, but I like seeing CA use is troops in an orchestrated way.
2. Hickman finally made The Black Panther FORMIDABLE. But again, BP got his power up, what? three years ago now and yet we still don't know what it is exactly nor have we seen it in action. He beat Black Dwarf, a Hulk level threat, but it was done off panel, which was really frustrating. Anyway--love the changes but I think months and even years are too long to wait for a power up to be revealed.
Now that the Avengers have "gotten bigger," I find myself wondering why a team that has Hyperion, Thor, Captain Universe, Hulk, Smasher and some of Marvel's other biggest guns on it would possibly need Hawkeye, Black Widow or even Spiderman and Wolverine? Don't get me wrong, I like all those characters, but with Thor and Hyperion around, what menace could they face that wouldn't instantly vaporize the lesser powered Avengers? Back in the 80's, Thor complained he was as powerful as all his other team mates combined, and often acted as less than he truly was so as not to overshadow them. Now we have about a dozen Thor level guys running around. Are the lesser powered guys going to keep getting relegated to dullsville group fight scenes against flunkies, rather than taking on the real bad guys? I can't see that as being very interesting. In the latest New Avengers, as if things weren't convoluted enough, Hickman is introducing Avengers teams from various futures and I was like "ARRRRRG!!" TOO MUCH GOING ON!!!
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Post by bobc on Jan 12, 2014 10:39:35 GMT -5
Tom you're not forgetting anything. Almost none of the things you mentioned was resolved--except for Thanos. You forgot to include the bipolar albino girl Black Swan. She's been around since issue one and about all she does is spout gibberish, and when she's not spouting gibberish she's yelling at people for being too stupid to understand her gibberish.
Some great things have happened in this book but those things IMO seem lost amidst all the dangling plot lines. Is Terrax still sitting in that chair in the basement? Why doesn't Hickman tie these things up? It's been what? two years?
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Post by bobc on Jan 11, 2014 13:41:27 GMT -5
I just read a chapter in "Marvel" where one of the writers quit one of the X-Men books because there were (GASP) FIVE X-Men books getting published (I think this was mid 90's)--and she thought it was just a short term cash in that would ultimately be bad for the group. I remember stopping buying X-Men books for exactly that reason--there were so many mutants and so many books I just didn't care anymore (plus Claremont's writing, over time, got so cliched it drove me up the wall. If he wrote "She's as beautiful as she is deadly" or "A lioness is most dangerous when defending home and cub (some crap like that) one more time I was going to hurl myself off the nearest skyscraper). Imagine what this writer would have thought about today's 20 something Avengers titles along with a million solo books!
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Post by bobc on Jan 9, 2014 17:50:03 GMT -5
I agree about the barrage of Avengers books being unnecessary--unfortunately, the business side of Marvel always takes over when a hit movie (like Avengers) or character (like Wolverine) takes off. I am reading the book "Marvel Comics" right now and milking a book(s) is a well known cycle and it always leads to people getting turned off eventually. Right now, there are something like 20 Avengers titles, which is ridiculous. It's like playing your favorite song until you are really sick of it. I am a huge fan of Hickman's, but now there is just so much going on all over the place that nothing seems to really matter. I was looking forward to Sam and Bobby being sort of the young, fun element to the Avengers but they have been completely washed away in a sea of super heroes. "We need to get bigger" said Captain America. I disagree.
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Post by bobc on Jan 2, 2014 8:48:36 GMT -5
I've been a huge fan of Hickman's Avengers/New Avengers but New Avengers 13 is horrible. There is a new artist whose work is beyond sketchy--half of his figures look like they are melting, and sometimes he doesn't even bother drawing faces on some of the characters. After Deodato's (sp) incredible art, this is such a let down. Look closely at the how Captain Mar-Vell is drawn in that first panel--half the face is missing. Hickman's writing is so dense and complicated that it must have clear, well drawn art to keep the story understandable. This is no match made in heaven. UHG. I'm sad.
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Post by bobc on Oct 4, 2013 8:29:02 GMT -5
I am absolutely loving everything Hickman is doing--especially New Avengers. It's not old school, but I love it.
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Post by bobc on Jun 20, 2013 8:37:29 GMT -5
Issue 7 is out. Spoilers coming so stop reading this if you don't want to be spoiled.
The good news is that it is a very good issue and we almost never see the annoying gray bipolar alien girl (her whirling around and shrieking in anger was getting really tiresome), and there is some killer characterization between BP and Namor, and between Doctor Strange and Dr Doom.
HOWEVER!!!!!!
If you look at the cover which clearly shows Namor fighting the Black Panther, let it be known that no such battle occurs in this comic. It was really annoying but I had a premonition that Marvel would sell that fight but not deliver it. I'm sorry but I don't mind a little exaggeration on a cover, but this seems like a blatant lie. I was really looking forward to T'Challa carrying out his threat on Namor.
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Post by bobc on Jun 16, 2013 11:11:17 GMT -5
I love the artistic imagery in this comic. I love the weird symbols, the environments--and loved the final shot of Terminus frozen in the pose he died in. Very effective and memorable art!
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Post by bobc on Jun 6, 2013 18:16:05 GMT -5
It's like every time we think we are free of Bendis, he is back like a bad dream. Let's hope this issue is the end. And maybe, just maybe, we can get back to the Grim Reaper storyline. I know Marvel must be panicking that old school Avengers readers actually have a book we love, but come on. Throw us a bone here.
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Post by bobc on May 31, 2013 8:19:17 GMT -5
I like it too but wish it would move as quickly and be as focused as the first few issues.
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Post by bobc on May 30, 2013 18:14:00 GMT -5
Thanks, Shir! I thought I was going crazy until I actually pulled both comics out and saw that they were both numbered the same way. I saw the AU but thought maybe that meant August or something.
My other reason for talking about this is what I saw as needless gore (in this new issue) which we had talked about on another thread--the lack of honor and nobility combined with what seems like gratuitous, over-the-top violence. Rogue's killing of the Grim Reaper just a couple of issues ago was, to me, accidental and she seemed traumatized by it. I'm okay with that completely. But this new issue, especially when Havoc was chopped in two, seemed ridiculously in your face and cheap.
I was looking forward to the repercussions for Rogue regarding her killing GR, but suddenly the book seemed to just veer away and now I know why.
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Post by bobc on May 30, 2013 16:37:38 GMT -5
Uhhhhh not sure if this needs its own thread--but for those of you who think I lost my mind on the uncanny Avengers 8 thread by posting that "UA is out and is infected by the Bendis virus," since we'd already been discussing that issue, I just realized something. There are TWO Uncanny Avengers #8 out right now--the one with Sunfire on the cover (this issue was good IMO), AND an UA#8 with Kang on the cover. They are not just variant covers--they are different comics. The first is credited to Remender, and the second Remender/Duggan. Can anyone explain this?
This new comic has Havoc getting cut literally in half, and Rogue stabbed through the chest, and suddenly Bendis' Ultron/Wolverine went back in time and killed Pym crap in it. So in other words, it seems to have radically veered from the comic we were all enjoying into Benid Land.
What is going on?
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Post by bobc on May 29, 2013 8:08:46 GMT -5
Issue 8 is out. The Bendis virus has infected this book. I won't be buying it anymore.
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Post by bobc on May 20, 2013 7:45:40 GMT -5
I think what you guys are trying to say is that comic book characters today lack honor.
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Post by bobc on May 16, 2013 17:57:52 GMT -5
Ultron--I met George Perez many times and he is very down-to-earth, good-natured, and seems genuinely thrilled that people love his work. He has ZERO artist attitude. The first time I met him, it seemed like I'd known him my whole life. He's that kinda guy.
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Post by bobc on May 5, 2013 11:39:08 GMT -5
Does Marvel really need more incoherence and chaos? As HB said, This storyline might make a passable "What If?" issue, or even in an Ultimate Universe story arch, but it will wreak havoc on the mainstream books.
The whole premiss doesn't even make sense. Maybe Wolverine can travel back in time and kill Einstein because his theories led to the nuclear bomb. Then maybe he can go back and kill Ghengis Khan. Or maybe chop up the rats whose fleas spread the bubonic plague.
Hank Pym made a machine. Is Wolverine going to kill the first people who created guns?
On top of all this, why is Bendis always the ONLY writer who feels the need to make catastrophic changes across all of the Marvel universe? Nobody else does that. Why can't he write a story and then wrap it up without wreaking havoc?
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Post by bobc on May 5, 2013 11:18:31 GMT -5
HB--your sister must be publicly flogged in the public square with a tender young sapling.
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Post by bobc on May 4, 2013 17:36:33 GMT -5
Sounds like Bendis is set to destroy yet more of Marvel history, which is what he does. I guess it would be pointless to ask why Wolverine doesn't just go back in the past and pull Pym aside and tell him "Ya know, Hank, this Ultron thing is a bad idea because here's what is gonna happen...
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Post by bobc on Apr 29, 2013 9:39:25 GMT -5
I don't like Fury being black either--it's cheap political correctness in my view. Why not create some new black characters if it's all about skin color these days--or better yet, do something with the existing black characters that are floating in limbo.
Anyway--I'm with you, Shir! I love the bickering, love the Wasp's tough but playful attitude--pretty much everybody on the team is interesting. I even like the cat fights between SW and Rogue, even though I think Rogue is way over-doing it in the bitterness department. But that's what is making their relationship interesting.
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Post by bobc on Apr 28, 2013 8:19:27 GMT -5
I loved the issue. I don't think Wanda is b****y, I think she's sorta cold now. I also like how the Wasp is written although I came to a screeching halt when she used the word "gnarley." No one has used that word in thirty years!
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