Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Stephen Colbert the new Captain America?
If Stephen actually WERE to become Captain America in the comics, that'd ALMOST make it worth losing Steve Rogers.
Lord knows he really is one of the greatest heroes America has right now for his stunt at the White House Press Dinner alone.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
It turns out they really DON'T give a damn...
Just read, despite my better judgement, the Joe Fridays column over at Newsarama, where the EIC of Marvel answers questions.
Obviously, the first big question was "Just how planned out WAS Captain America dying right after Civil War?" The answer hit me with a double whammy. Because it has just been assumed by a good deal of the comic-reading community that Cap's death was planned as a consequence of Civil War all this time and that it was a metaphor for how by sacrificing our freedoms for safety, we are killing America.
One small problem: Marvel Editorial can't plan their way out of a wet sack - and Joe Quesada admits as much.
If memory serves, we were all pretty much convinced that this was going to happen, the debate then rages over two things: should it happen in Civil War itself as opposed to Captain America and who should the assassin be?
At one point, it was to be Miriam Sharpe (the mom whose Victim's Rights group started this whole mess) who in a fit of anger was to shoot Cap right after he puts his hands up to be handcuffed but we eventually worked beyond that idea and decided that Cap’s death should come later as a byproduct of Civil War and should happen in his own book. This was also important because we felt that the entirety of Civil War would have been dwarfed by this event. Civil War would have gone down as the Cap death story when that wasn’t the thrust of it or the allegory behind it.
Yes. Because the death of The American Dream should not have overpowered the allegory of Civil War.
...
Wait - what was the allegory of Civil War again?
Obviously, the first big question was "Just how planned out WAS Captain America dying right after Civil War?" The answer hit me with a double whammy. Because it has just been assumed by a good deal of the comic-reading community that Cap's death was planned as a consequence of Civil War all this time and that it was a metaphor for how by sacrificing our freedoms for safety, we are killing America.
One small problem: Marvel Editorial can't plan their way out of a wet sack - and Joe Quesada admits as much.
If memory serves, we were all pretty much convinced that this was going to happen, the debate then rages over two things: should it happen in Civil War itself as opposed to Captain America and who should the assassin be?
At one point, it was to be Miriam Sharpe (the mom whose Victim's Rights group started this whole mess) who in a fit of anger was to shoot Cap right after he puts his hands up to be handcuffed but we eventually worked beyond that idea and decided that Cap’s death should come later as a byproduct of Civil War and should happen in his own book. This was also important because we felt that the entirety of Civil War would have been dwarfed by this event. Civil War would have gone down as the Cap death story when that wasn’t the thrust of it or the allegory behind it.
Yes. Because the death of The American Dream should not have overpowered the allegory of Civil War.
...
Wait - what was the allegory of Civil War again?
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
What... the... Hell? News
I didn't read this one, but apparently in the just-released-today "Civil War: The Initiative", there is a scene where, while talking to Ms. Marvel, Tony Stark says that - despite the events of Captain America #25 - Steve Rogers is alive and well and in a special sick-bed somewhere safe.
One problem - Marvel is now saying that Steve Rogers really is dead, that this issue is wrong and that his apparent "non-death" will be explained later.
You know what? I take back everything I said about DC and Marvel editorial being equally screwed up. Marvel is FAR more screwed up.
I'm not crazy about how "One Year Later" has robbed us of some moments in 52 that would have been truly dramatic (Ralph Dibny "permanently" stopping Neron and Felix Faust, being Sticking Point #1) but DC has not put out any stories that required an immediate "Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain" order.
I'll give them the benefit of a doubt though - they MAY publish this story Judd Winick was speaking of where Shado comes back to me a mother figure to Connor Hawke - which would just be seven kinds of creepy given his current mini-series.
But that is another story... and one I may tell if there is a request for it.
One problem - Marvel is now saying that Steve Rogers really is dead, that this issue is wrong and that his apparent "non-death" will be explained later.
You know what? I take back everything I said about DC and Marvel editorial being equally screwed up. Marvel is FAR more screwed up.
I'm not crazy about how "One Year Later" has robbed us of some moments in 52 that would have been truly dramatic (Ralph Dibny "permanently" stopping Neron and Felix Faust, being Sticking Point #1) but DC has not put out any stories that required an immediate "Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain" order.
I'll give them the benefit of a doubt though - they MAY publish this story Judd Winick was speaking of where Shado comes back to me a mother figure to Connor Hawke - which would just be seven kinds of creepy given his current mini-series.
But that is another story... and one I may tell if there is a request for it.
Fast Thoughts - The Week of 3/7/07
Since I have a lot of thoughts on some things that need to be said this week that won't make it to the column - and since I'd like to have something special for my fans on LJ - starting today, my brief thoughts on whatever books I read each week are getting posted here.
There will be some spoilers, so be warned.
52 WEEK #44 - Nice to see why Black Adam went back to being a bad-ass in One Year Later. The Four Horsemen are seriously underwhelming. And I still don't care about "Next Question".
CAPTAIN AMERICA #25 - Am I the only one struck by the irony of a Captain America comic with such a strong anti-authority message featuring a GO ARMY advert on the back? Regardless, this story - which is making headlines in the mainstream non-comic press - is one of the best so far this year. I don't expect the events to actually stick - but even before that moment, this book had me thinking that as much as I hated Civil War, Marvel Comics isn't completely hopeless yet. That's Reason Number One.
DETECTIVE #829 - (sung to the opening line of "Money For Nothing") I want my Paul Dini. And it's still way too early to be doing "terrorist-blowing-up-financial-centers" storylines.
FANTASTIC FOUR #543 - As Ben says, "If you think Cap has given up, you don't know him at all." Between that line and the crowds of people showing up to support Cap at his trial, I think THAT is the real reason Cap allowed himself to be taken into custody. He can't beat Tony and the pro-registration forces by beating them up - but he can damn well make them look bad and put their "New World Order" to the test as we see how they go about throwing the man most consider the greatest hero in the world in a secret prison for trying to help people. All this, Dwayne McDuffie setting up a chance to write the two most prominent Black heroes at Marvel AND a classic Stan Lee story with Mike Allred art. Reason Number Two Marvel Comics is not totally doomed yet.
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #6 - Lot of the same flaws as Identity Crisis - way too scattered (what the hell was with the GeoForce scenes?) and as much as I dig the use of Vixen's powers, that was still WAY too Deus Ex Machina - which doesn't seem a fitting phrase for a fight in which a god-like machine is destroyed by a woman with the speed of a falcon and the weight of a dinosaur... but it's all I've got. Still, a damn sight better than anything done with the JLA since Mark Waid was writing it.
RED SONJA #20 - This book, too, is becoming far too scattered. The title is Red Sonja. I want to read the adventures of Red Sonja. Not see the mooks she's traveling with being put on trial ala Planet of the Apes. Not seeing some mysterious pirate wench (whose name is too close to that Howard heroine Valeria but is obviously not Valeria) running about dealing with impending disaster. Not seeing random villagers turning to barbarism - well, a more bloody barbarism, at any rate. Sonja is in danger of becoming a supporting player of her own title, being in barely half the pages of this issue and a majority of those being splash pages with little to no dialogue.
SHEENA PREVIEW - I picked this one up for three reasons. First, the price (99 cents). Second, I figured my girlfriend - who loves tough girl comics - might get a kick out of it. And the third - well, call me a sucker for anything inspired by the work of Will Eisner. And make no mistake - this book is Eisner-worthy. No pin-up book this, this book leaves the feminist and conservationalist leanings of the original Jungle Queen character pretty much intact. And while the series appears to have been modernized in some respects - Sheena now protects the Amazon rainforest from a corrupt Banana Republic government and loggers rather than the Congo from poachers and cannibals - the base idea of a woman who protects nature through the help of her animal friends and her own animal cunning that was the heart of Sheena, The Jungle Queen is still there. Highly reccomended.
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #106 - I rag on Bendis a bit, but then he does an issue like this that reminds me of why Ultimate Spider-Man was such a breath of fresh air when it first came out. And after the sheer depressing weightiness of some of the Marvel books of late, it's a pleasant surprise to read a book where Peter Parker's biggest worries involve Kingpin buying the rights to his name, talking his way into keeping his job and a Kitty Pryde/Mary Jane Watson love triangle. Reason Number Three Marvel Comics is not totally doomed yet.
There will be some spoilers, so be warned.
52 WEEK #44 - Nice to see why Black Adam went back to being a bad-ass in One Year Later. The Four Horsemen are seriously underwhelming. And I still don't care about "Next Question".
CAPTAIN AMERICA #25 - Am I the only one struck by the irony of a Captain America comic with such a strong anti-authority message featuring a GO ARMY advert on the back? Regardless, this story - which is making headlines in the mainstream non-comic press - is one of the best so far this year. I don't expect the events to actually stick - but even before that moment, this book had me thinking that as much as I hated Civil War, Marvel Comics isn't completely hopeless yet. That's Reason Number One.
DETECTIVE #829 - (sung to the opening line of "Money For Nothing") I want my Paul Dini. And it's still way too early to be doing "terrorist-blowing-up-financial-centers" storylines.
FANTASTIC FOUR #543 - As Ben says, "If you think Cap has given up, you don't know him at all." Between that line and the crowds of people showing up to support Cap at his trial, I think THAT is the real reason Cap allowed himself to be taken into custody. He can't beat Tony and the pro-registration forces by beating them up - but he can damn well make them look bad and put their "New World Order" to the test as we see how they go about throwing the man most consider the greatest hero in the world in a secret prison for trying to help people. All this, Dwayne McDuffie setting up a chance to write the two most prominent Black heroes at Marvel AND a classic Stan Lee story with Mike Allred art. Reason Number Two Marvel Comics is not totally doomed yet.
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #6 - Lot of the same flaws as Identity Crisis - way too scattered (what the hell was with the GeoForce scenes?) and as much as I dig the use of Vixen's powers, that was still WAY too Deus Ex Machina - which doesn't seem a fitting phrase for a fight in which a god-like machine is destroyed by a woman with the speed of a falcon and the weight of a dinosaur... but it's all I've got. Still, a damn sight better than anything done with the JLA since Mark Waid was writing it.
RED SONJA #20 - This book, too, is becoming far too scattered. The title is Red Sonja. I want to read the adventures of Red Sonja. Not see the mooks she's traveling with being put on trial ala Planet of the Apes. Not seeing some mysterious pirate wench (whose name is too close to that Howard heroine Valeria but is obviously not Valeria) running about dealing with impending disaster. Not seeing random villagers turning to barbarism - well, a more bloody barbarism, at any rate. Sonja is in danger of becoming a supporting player of her own title, being in barely half the pages of this issue and a majority of those being splash pages with little to no dialogue.
SHEENA PREVIEW - I picked this one up for three reasons. First, the price (99 cents). Second, I figured my girlfriend - who loves tough girl comics - might get a kick out of it. And the third - well, call me a sucker for anything inspired by the work of Will Eisner. And make no mistake - this book is Eisner-worthy. No pin-up book this, this book leaves the feminist and conservationalist leanings of the original Jungle Queen character pretty much intact. And while the series appears to have been modernized in some respects - Sheena now protects the Amazon rainforest from a corrupt Banana Republic government and loggers rather than the Congo from poachers and cannibals - the base idea of a woman who protects nature through the help of her animal friends and her own animal cunning that was the heart of Sheena, The Jungle Queen is still there. Highly reccomended.
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #106 - I rag on Bendis a bit, but then he does an issue like this that reminds me of why Ultimate Spider-Man was such a breath of fresh air when it first came out. And after the sheer depressing weightiness of some of the Marvel books of late, it's a pleasant surprise to read a book where Peter Parker's biggest worries involve Kingpin buying the rights to his name, talking his way into keeping his job and a Kitty Pryde/Mary Jane Watson love triangle. Reason Number Three Marvel Comics is not totally doomed yet.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Looking To The Stars - Starman's Reviews
As record numbers of people come down with the flu in Texas and I seal myself up in my Fortress of Solitude, here are some reviews of some books I read this week when I wasn’t stocking up on chicken soup and orange juice and hoping that new cough was just due to allergies.
Oh, and there will be Spoilers on 52 – just so you know.
52 Week #43
Company Name: DC Comics
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid
Art: Various
As much as I may crack wise about Marvel and their lack of editorial prowess, I must admit that DC has not been much better. Elongated Man’s death would have meant a lot more to me had I not seen the villains he sacrificed himself to stop alive and well and back to their wicked ways in some of the One Year Later titles. Vic Sage’s death would have been a lot more powerful if it had just been sudden and not dragged out over the course of two months, making him the most hammy dying man since Boromir.
So while I know I’m supposed to be shocked at the death in this issue, it just seems too much, too soon given all the deaths I actually cared about.
Grade: D
Conan and the Midnight God #2
Company Name: Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Josh Dysart
Artists: Will Conrad & Juan Ferreyra
More than even the monthly Conan series, this title seems to be less a story about Conan than it does an unearthed piece of hereunto discovered Hyborian history. His first born child killed by Stygian sorcery, Conan takes the whole of the armies of Aquilonia across the continent intent on revenge. Many stories have been told about Conan leading his armies and about fighting the evils of Stygia but never, to my knowledge, has a story actually had Cimmeria’s favored son taking the fight to his most famous enemies.
With such a novel concept put forth along with Dysart’s masterful dialogue as well as Conrad and Ferreyra’s suitably spooky art - truly, this is a Conan tale worthy of Howard himself!
Grade: A
Connor Hawke: Dragon’s Blood #4
Company Name: DC Comics
Writer: Chuck Dixon
Artist: Derec Donovan
Am I the only one who noticed how much the newly-grey Eddie Fyers looks an awful lot like Chuck Dixon? And how - while this story is nominally about Connor Hawke in an archery tournament and confronting the woman he blames for having destroyed his father’s life – there seems to be just as much time being devoted to Eddie picking up the hot blonde assistant to the Vegas showman archer?
Well, all wondering about Dixon’s writing his dreams into his own stories aside, it’s still an amusing story. Pity the artwork by Donovan doesn’t come close to equaling the story in quality. They really should have let Scott McDaniel do this one.
Grade: C average. B for the story. D for the art.
Green Lantern #18
Company Name: DC Comics
Writers: Geoff Johns
Artist: Ivan Reis and Oclair Alber
Most of the complaints I had about the last few issues are now negated. We now know why John Stewart hasn’t been around. We know that Cowgirl – who is looking more and more a match for Hal Jordan in all respects – is still alive. And the Sinestro Corps plot is finally moving forward with some unexpected recruits. (The scene with Batman was priceless!) My one complaint - and I hope this will be addressed next issue – is that the new Star Sapphire’s costume still looks ridiculous. Regardless, this is still one of the best written and best looking books on the market.
Grade: A
One more thing before I go: a shameless plug for the convention I will be appearing at in two weeks time. So if you live abouts the DFW area, come see me! Look for the guy in the Dr. Who scarf and fedora.
Tune in next week. Same Matt time. Same Matt website.
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