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Jul 17, 2014#1

ThatNickGuy

I don't know if we really need to separate the "What Comics Are You Reading?" thread and this, but let's play it out and see how well it works. As long as @filmfanatic remembers which one to post in, we should be okay. (Oh snap!)

So to kick things off? Folks, I've seen a lot of stupid things in comics. From Clone Sagas to Blue & Red Supermen to Batman's broken back healed by his suddenly psychic therapist and love interest whose mind turns back to that of a child upon healing Bruce.

But this? This is pretty high up there:

Red Skull wearing Onslaught's armour. I mean...what? And like, the head is so tiny in the the armour? What do we call him? Onskullt? I'm calling him Onskullt.

Carnage is apparently part of this threat, so basically, the 90s is the new threat. Haven't we been threatened enough by the 90s these days? DC's swimming in the 90s.

Jul 17, 2014#2

filmfanatic

...CURSE YOU, @ThatNickGuy!

Also, yeah, Red Skull in Onslaught's armor is stupid. Even though the stupidity of DC is enough that I've jumped ship over to Marvel, I still keep to a simple mantra: focus on smaller storylines, stay out of big events.

Jul 17, 2014#3

ThatNickGuy

filmfanatic said:
focus on smaller storylines, stay out of big events.

Psh! Like THAT sells comics! No no no. We need as many headline grabbing gimmicks that last a year as possible! Gender-swapping! Villains taking over! Killing off dudes! Raping women! Weddings! So many crossovers that you need to buy 20+ comics a month just to keep track of it all!

Smaller stories. You're hilarious, man.

Jul 17, 2014#4

filmfanatic

ThatNickGuy said:
Psh! Like THAT sells comics! No no no. We need as many headline grabbing gimmicks that last a year as possible! Gender-swapping! Villains taking over! Killing off dudes! Raping women! Weddings! So many crossovers that you need to buy 20+ comics a month just to keep track of it all!

Smaller stories. You're hilarious, man.

In speaking of making new changes to sell comics, they have revealed the new Avengers team line-up.

The new line-up is composed of Iron Man (still Tony Stark, though in a new armor as the Superior Iron Man), Captain America (with Sam Wilson stepping in for Steve Rogers), the new female Thor, Medusa, Scarlet Witch, Dr. Strange, Inferno, Winter Soldier, Deathlok, Angela (a former Image Comics character they're incorporating into Marvel Comics), and Ant-Man.

Jul 17, 2014#5

Celt Z

But the Avenger line-up has always been rotating. I mean, sure it's got Lady Thor, Captain Falcmerica and ~~the T-1000~~ new Iron Man, but I wouldn't totally write it off as a gimmick. Frankly, it's nice to see a line-up with more than 2 women.

Jul 17, 2014#6

filmfanatic

Celt Z said:
But the Avenger line-up has always been rotating. I mean, sure it's got Lady Thor, Captain Falcmerica and ~~the T-1000~~ new Iron Man, but I wouldn't totally write it off as a gimmick. Frankly, it's nice to see a line-up with more than 2 women.

Valid point, Celt Z. I just went for the phrasing as a segue from ThatNickGuy's joking comment and how, at least to me, the line-up seems a bit more calculated in conjunction with the shows and movies to sell better.

Winter Soldier and Falcon have gotten public exposure through the latest Captain America film, Ant-Man and Dr. Strange have movies on the way, and Deathlok has had exposure through Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It also seems like Medusa and Inferno are there because Marvel has introduced, in comics, the idea of other Inhuman tribes mixing their genes with normal humans, leading to an Inhuman gene in tons of people that could be triggered. I'm guessing they introduced the idea so that the MCU shows and movies can have mutants without calling them "mutants".

It is still cool, as you said, to have a team line-up with more than just two women at work.

Jul 17, 2014#7

Yoshimickster

What the fuck is goin on with Scarlett Witch's body? She looks like she could snap in two at any second.

Jul 17, 2014#8

bhamv3

Wait wait wait... female Thor?

Jul 17, 2014#9

filmfanatic

bhamv3 said:
Wait wait wait... female Thor?

Yep. Thor, due to recent events in the Original Sin event, has found himself unable to wield Mjolnir. Now, a mysterious female figure has stepped up and taken control of it.

Jul 17, 2014#10

Yoshimickster

The way I see it there are THREE outcomes. ONE- its Valkyrie. TWO its not Valkyrie but their gonna mislead the audience like fuck that it is. THREE- literally anything else because we live in a world of infinite possibilities.

Jul 17, 2014#11

filmfanatic

Yoshimickster said:
The way I see it there are THREE outcomes. ONE- its Valkyrie. TWO its not Valkyrie but their gonna mislead the audience like fuck that it is. THREE- literally anything else because we live in a world of infinite possibilities.

All they are willing to say is that it's a female figure from Thor's life, so they're teasing that it's someone we already know.

It might be Valkyrie, but I wouldn't guess that. I think she's busy having to form a whole new group of Valkyries on the All Mother's orders.

Jul 17, 2014#12

ThatNickGuy

I had a thought earlier today that the new Thor could be the woman in Thor and Donald Blake's love life over the years: Jane Foster. And you know, she's played a significant role in the movies.

Jul 17, 2014#13

Yoshimickster

filmfanatic said:
All they are willing to say is that it's a female figure from Thor's life, so they're teasing that it's someone we already know.

It might be Valkyrie, but I wouldn't guess that. I think she's busy having to form a whole new group of Valkyries on the All Mother's orders.

That's what they WANT you to think! And then it turns out its her, and the All Mother will be all "Hey you were supposed to be doing this thing" and she'll be all "FUCK YOU I'm Thor now I do what I want!" and then they fight for an issue but by the end be friends again. Or something else, I unno.

Jul 22, 2014#14

CynicismKills

The important thing to remember is Red Skull put part of Xavier's brain in his head, so he's got Xavier's powers.

No, I'm not making this up.

Jul 22, 2014#15

HCGLNS

Disney owns Marvel. Marvel owns Thor. Thor is now a girl. Girls that are the daughters of Kings are Princesses.

Jul 22, 2014#16

CynicismKills

filmfanatic said:
Valid point, Celt Z. I just went for the phrasing as a segue from ThatNickGuy's joking comment and how, at least to me, the line-up seems a bit more calculated in conjunction with the shows and movies to sell better.

Winter Soldier and Falcon have gotten public exposure through the latest Captain America film, Ant-Man and Dr. Strange have movies on the way, and Deathlok has had exposure through Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It also seems like Medusa and Inferno are there because Marvel has introduced, in comics, the idea of other Inhuman tribes mixing their genes with normal humans, leading to an Inhuman gene in tons of people that could be triggered. I'm guessing they introduced the idea so that the MCU shows and movies can have mutants without calling them "mutants".

It is still cool, as you said, to have a team line-up with more than just two women at work.

Most think it's very likely Inhumans will make their first appearance in AoS, too, and that the man shown at the end of s1 is one of them. I wouldn't be surprised to hear mention of Terrigen Mists and such in s2.

Jul 22, 2014#17

filmfanatic

CynicismKills said:
Most think it's very likely Inhumans will make their first appearance in AoS, too, and that the man shown at the end of s1 is one of them. I wouldn't be surprised to hear mention of Terrigen Mists and such in s2.

Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me. All of the pieces they've given seem to suggest that.

I've read some theories that suggest the weird formulas and designs that Coulson and Garrett were drawing might in fact be a formula or alien message in relation to the Terrigen Mists. Consider that with how Garrett talked heavily about evolution and "the mists of time" are taking the serum, how Skye was fine after taking it and in fact related to the apparent "monsters" mentioned, and the blue-skinned alien was confirmed by the showrunners to be a Kree alien, the evidence for Inhumans turning up is strong.

Jul 22, 2014#18

SpecialKO

HCGLNS said:
Disney owns Marvel. Marvel owns Thor. Thor is now a girl. Girls that are the daughters of Kings are Princesses.

Thor can be a Disney Princess if she wants to be!

Jul 22, 2014#19

ThatNickGuy

SpecialKO said:
Thor can be a Disney Princess if she wants to be!

And if she don't dance, then she's not friend of mine!

...wait, no.

Jul 22, 2014#20

Bowielee

ThatNickGuy said:
I had a thought earlier today that the new Thor could be the woman in Thor and Donald Blake's love life over the years: Jane Foster. And you know, she's played a significant role in the movies.

Mark the calendar. In some sort of stupid twist, this female Thor is going to end up being The Enchantress. Either faking that she's wielding Mjolnir when she actually isn't or she has actually somehow become worthy of the power of Thor and is now a good guy.[DOUBLEPOST=1406084033,1406083949][/DOUBLEPOST]

filmfanatic said:
In speaking of making new changes to sell comics, they have revealed the new Avengers team line-up.

The new line-up is composed of Iron Man (still Tony Stark, though in a new armor as the Superior Iron Man), Captain America (with Sam Wilson stepping in for Steve Rogers), the new female Thor, Medusa, Scarlet Witch, Dr. Strange, Inferno, Winter Soldier, Deathlok, Angela (a former Image Comics character they're incorporating into Marvel Comics), and Ant-Man.

Wait, that actually is Angela from Spawn??????????

Jul 22, 2014#21

filmfanatic

Bowielee said:
Mark the calendar. In some sort of stupid twist, this female Thor is going to end up being The Enchantress. Either faking that she's wielding Mjolnir when she actually isn't or she has actually somehow become worthy of the power of Thor and is now a good guy.[DOUBLEPOST=1406084033,1406083949][/DOUBLEPOST]

Wait, that actually is Angela from Spawn??????????

Indeed, straight from Image Comics.

Jul 22, 2014#22

ThatNickGuy

Bowielee said:
Mark the calendar. In some sort of stupid twist, this female Thor is going to end up being The Enchantress. Either faking that she's wielding Mjolnir when she actually isn't or she has actually somehow become worthy of the power of Thor and is now a good guy.[DOUBLEPOST=1406084033,1406083949][/DOUBLEPOST]

Wait, that actually is Angela from Spawn??????????

Yeah, she's been around since the end of Age of Ultron. Time went wonky and she popped out from another dimension.

Neil Gaiman owns the rights to the character and gave her to Marvel in another big fuck you to Todd McFarlane.

Jul 22, 2014#23

Frank

Deathlok is looking decidedly more human lately.

Jul 22, 2014#24

Bowielee

Oh, and also....

Dear Marvel,

STOP TRYING TO MAKE ONSLAUGHT A THING! Nobody cares. He was a bad idea then, he's a bad idea now. The thing that irks me, is that I bet editorially, they're probably trying to have this be a "greatest threat to both teams" sort of thing. That doesn't work. If you want to do something like that, it should be Magneto and Loki respectively. Red Skull barely ever screwed with the Avengers as a whole, and Onslaught is just plain stupid.[DOUBLEPOST=1406086745,1406086710][/DOUBLEPOST]

Frank said:
Deathlok is looking decidedly more human lately.

Almost like they're trying to make him look more like someone on a TV show or something

Jul 22, 2014#25

Frank

Is he on Agents of Shield? I haven't watched the show since the beginning. Googling it answers my question.

I have no idea who Inferno is, so I will Google him also. Jeez, even then it's mostly the late 80s X-Men story.

Jul 22, 2014#26

Bowielee

You know what I liked? Young Avengers. I haven't read any of the new stuff, but I really enjoyed that series. I, of course, may be biased due to the fact that they treated the relationship between Wiccan and Hulkling seriously.

Jul 23, 2014#27

Covar

Bowielee said:
You know what I liked? Young Avengers. I haven't read any of the new stuff, but I really enjoyed that series. I, of course, may be biased due to the fact that they treated the relationship between Wiccan and Hulkling seriously.

Don't bother with the new stuff, Wican has become a pretty despicable little shit. Of course if you're part of the Tumblr crowd you'd think it's the greatest thing ever, because who cares about characters like Speed and Patriot?[DOUBLEPOST=1406143663,1406143545][/DOUBLEPOST]Happy Batman day everyone!

Jul 23, 2014#28

Gryfter

Inferno is a new Inhuman. There are a bunch of new Inhumans since the Infinity story-line ended

Blackbolt detonated Attilian (the Inhumans floating city) over New York to stop Thanos from getting the Terrigens Mist. It acted like a Terrigens bomb transforming Humans who had the Inhuman gene in their DNA into new Inhumans.

Jul 24, 2014#29

ThatNickGuy

Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na...

BAT DVD!

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/07...-look-like-and-yes-it-comes-with-a-batmobile/

Jul 25, 2014#30

Ravenpoe

ThatNickGuy said:
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na...

BAT DVD!

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/07...-look-like-and-yes-it-comes-with-a-batmobile/

OH MY GOD I WANT THAT.

Why doesn't it come with a sweet lunchbox?

Jul 29, 2014#31

chris

I just read about The Multiversity, a seven issue miniseries that explore some of the 52 Earth in the dc multiverse. Looks interesting and grant morrison working on it.

Jul 29, 2014#32

Hailey Knight

ThatNickGuy said:
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na...

BAT DVD!

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/07...-look-like-and-yes-it-comes-with-a-batmobile/

That's nice, but I still want a proper release of Batman: TAS.

Jul 29, 2014#33

Covar

Zero Esc said:
That's nice, but I still want a proper release of Batman: TAS.

What do you mean proper?

I have my copies on my DVD shelf and they're great.

Jul 29, 2014#34

ThatNickGuy

Covar said:
What do you mean proper?

I have my copies on my DVD shelf and they're great.

The Batman ones might be fine, but the Superman and Justice League ones are shit. It's why I don't even own them anymore. The packaging was shit, both because of those bloody slipcases that I could never slip them back in properly and the actual disc holders were ridiculous. And then they had to produce them as those goddamn double sided discs that are incredibly easy to scratch.

Jul 29, 2014#35

Hailey Knight

Covar said:
What do you mean proper?

I have my copies on my DVD shelf and they're great.

The episode order is kind of a mess from what I'm told.

Jul 29, 2014#36

Frank

The episode order is fucked up and I swear to God from my last viewing of the series that it's missing the Scarecrow origin episode. I could be wrong about that as I used to watch the episodes while writing reports and sometimes would miss a bunch.

Aug 1, 2014#37

fade

Ugh this evil Bruce Banner crap. What is with the treatment of Banner these days? The writers of Avengers Assemble said there were no plans for Banner because people come for the Hulk. Really? I always came for the Banner/Hulk dynamic.

Aug 16, 2014#38

PatrThom

Oh hey, @ThatNickGuy you might want to go through your couch cushions.

(link to auction)

--Patrick

Aug 16, 2014#39

ThatNickGuy

PatrThom said:
Oh hey, @ThatNickGuy you might want to go through your couch cushions.

View attachment 15659
(link to auction)

--Patrick

Well, I technically have a copy of the comic, since it was collected in Superman Chronicles Vol. 1. It's not the same as having the original copy, but I can still see the story if I'm interested and that's good enough for me. I've never once collected comics for their collector value.

Aug 16, 2014#40

PatrThom

ThatNickGuy said:
I've never once collected comics for their collector value.

There comes a point with a comic (or anything collectible for that matter) when it stops being the domain of the "gotta catch 'em all" personality, and starts being about "I have it and you don't and I'm never going to share," and I despise this second personality, because these are the idiots who will (supposedly--it has never been proven) buy up two of the rarest stamps in the world just so they can burn one of them to make the other one more valuable.

--Patrick

Aug 16, 2014#41

AshburnerX

PatrThom said:
There comes a point with a comic (or anything collectible for that matter) when it stops being the domain of the "gotta catch 'em all" personality, and starts being about "I have it and you don't and I'm never going to share," and I despise this second personality, because these are the idiots who will (supposedly--it has never been proven) buy up two of the rarest stamps in the world just so they can burn one of them to make the other one more valuable.

--Patrick

Ahh... the Seto Kaiba approach.

Aug 17, 2014#42

Hailey Knight

AshburnerX said:
Ahh... the Seto Kaiba approach.

I laughed at that harder than I should have.

Aug 21, 2014#43

figmentPez

Deadpool Bi-Annual to bring back Brute Force

Aug 22, 2014#44

Dei

http://io9.com/check-out-spider-woman-1-starring-spider-womans-ass-1624535918

I would also like to say that her butt looks more like a set of balls from that angle.

Aug 22, 2014#45

fade

Welp. Now I'm following the Hawkeye Initiative thanks to that link.

Aug 22, 2014#46

Dei

I love the Hawkeye Initiative so much.

Aug 22, 2014#47

Celt Z

I think Karen Charlebois' critique of it was not only helpful pointing out why it was problematic and (most likely) lazy.

Aug 22, 2014#48

SpecialKO

The re-done versions she did are better in every way.

Aug 22, 2014#49

CynicismKills

Land is a fucking hack, dude traces porn faces. Used to have some good artwork, too, it's pretty sad.

The second cover is just ugly as hell.

Aug 22, 2014#50

Gryfter

Dei said:
http://io9.com/check-out-spider-woman-1-starring-spider-womans-ass-1624535918

I would also like to say that her butt looks more like a set of balls from that angle.

Not sure what Marvel thought they would get by hiring a famous Erotic Comic artist to do a cover for a female super-hero... but that cover is standard Milo Manara fare. Is it appropriate.... probably not... but you get what you pay for.

Aug 22, 2014#51

CynicismKills

Oh look, he's used that pose like a million times, too.

[DOUBLEPOST=1408746253,1408746150][/DOUBLEPOST]Oh this one too.

Aug 22, 2014#52

Frank

Dei said:
http://io9.com/check-out-spider-woman-1-starring-spider-womans-ass-1624535918

I would also like to say that her butt looks more like a set of balls from that angle.

Ha ha ha, holy shit. Marvel gets the fuckin' grand-daddy of European erotic comics to do covers for them!

HA HA HA HA!

I mean, this is like expecting a lion to not eat a wounded gazelle.

Aug 23, 2014#53

Sparhawk

Dude obviously loves women with amputated legs.

Sep 9, 2014#54

ThatNickGuy

http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/4825997.html#cutid1

For one month, all DC comics will be covered by Darwyn Cooke.

Each and every one of them are amazing. They depict a fun, happy DC universe that has been sorely lacking for a very long time - arguably even before the New 52 universe.

I'll be using several of these as desktop wallpaper.

Sep 9, 2014#55

Bowielee

I love the Aquaman picture.

Sep 9, 2014#56

figmentPez

ThatNickGuy said:
I'll be using several of these as desktop wallpaper.

Yes. The Teen Titans, The Flash, Green Lantern and Detective Comics, especially.

Sep 9, 2014#57

Hailey Knight

ThatNickGuy said:
http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/4825997.html#cutid1

For one month, all DC comics will be covered by Darwyn Cooke.

Each and every one of them are amazing. They depict a fun, happy DC universe that has been sorely lacking for a very long time - arguably even before the New 52 universe.

I'll be using several of these as desktop wallpaper.

What about the content of those comics though?

I love that the Justice League Dark one emphasizes the team as the light in the darkness, instead of them being as grim as their surroundings.

Sep 9, 2014#58

AshburnerX

"So... Bruce... you doin' anything later?"

Also, is Batman Beyond not getting a variant? Jesus, did it get canceled while I wasn't looking?

Sep 9, 2014#59

Hailey Knight

AshburnerX said:
"So... Bruce... you doin' anything later?"

Uh-oh, David Willis wrote that issue.

Sep 10, 2014#60

Celt Z

Love these! I was beginning to wonder if DC forgot comics could be fun.

Sep 10, 2014#61

Gryfter

Celt Z said:
Love these! I was beginning to wonder if DC forgot comics could be fun.

Well, just open up and read any of those books with those fantastic covers on them and you will be reminded how much joy DC has sucked out of their universe.

Sep 10, 2014#62

Bowielee

figmentPez said:
Deadpool Bi-Annual to bring back Brute Force
View attachment 15742

Deadpool is the perfect character to bring back those ridiculous characters from days gone by. Maybe he'll fight US1.

Sep 10, 2014#63

AshburnerX

Bowielee said:
Deadpool is the perfect character to bring back those ridiculous characters from days gone by. Maybe he'll fight US1.

I think they already had US1 show up during a Deadpool issue.

Sep 10, 2014#64

Bowielee

AshburnerX said:
I think they already had US1 show up during a Deadpool issue.

It's entirely possible. In his first issue of his original ongoing series, he fought an army of clones of horrible old dead characters, like Wizzer, Ringer, and even (the then dead) Aunt May who was boning Uncle Ben.

Sep 12, 2014#65

filmfanatic

Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) and Booster Gold will be back in comics, this time turning up in Justice League 3000. The interesting thing to note: these are not New 52 versions of the characters. These are the original versions of them, with Justice League 3000 turning out to be set in the future of a pre-New 52 universe.

Sep 12, 2014#66

Yoshimickster

filmfanatic said:
Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) and Booster Gold will be back in comics, this time turning up in Justice League 3000. The interesting thing to note: these are not New 52 versions of the characters. These are the original versions of them, with Justice League 3000 turning out to be set in the future of a pre-New 52 universe.

Now all we need is a Superman story based in a pre-New 52 universe and order will be restored.

Sep 12, 2014#67

filmfanatic

Yoshimickster said:
Now all we need is a Superman story based in a pre-New 52 universe and order will be restored.

Honestly, if this new 52 business just gets worse and worse, and if DC decides to just retcon it all...

...what if Blue Beetle and Booster Gold ended up being the keys to do that?

Sep 12, 2014#68

Covar

Ugh Justice League 3000.

Sep 12, 2014#69

Frank

filmfanatic said:
These are the original versions of them, with Justice League 3000 turning out to be set in the future of a pre-New 52 universe.

Man, this is like the most confusing thing I've read today.

New 52!

Sep 12, 2014#70

Bowielee

Ted Kord is dead. Period.

Sep 12, 2014#71

ThatNickGuy

Yoshimickster said:
Now all we need is a Superman story based in a pre-New 52 universe and order will be restored.

Actually? There's a digital-first comic Adventures of Superman that does basically that. It's a series of short stories, usually one issue a piece by a different creative team each time. So far, there's one collected edition of it, which I greatly enjoyed. First time I've been able to enjoy new Superman stories for a good long while.

But of course, because we can't have nice things, it's already planned for cancellation.

Sep 12, 2014#72

filmfanatic

ThatNickGuy said:
Actually? There's a digital-first comic Adventures of Superman that does basically that. It's a series of short stories, usually one issue a piece by a different creative team each time. So far, there's one collected edition of it, which I greatly enjoyed. First time I've been able to enjoy new Superman stories for a good long while.

But of course, because we can't have nice things, it's already planned for cancellation.

It's a shame to hear it's being cancelled. It had a good share of enjoyable stories.

I haven't really been reading much of New 52. I've dropped out of it for the most part, but I've been meaning to check out more of what China Mieville had been doing with Dial H. Honestly, the main DC title I've been checking out at all is Batman '66.

Sep 12, 2014#73

ThatNickGuy

The only thing from DC's main line was Animal Man and Swamp Thing. And I haven't read any of either since the end of the Rotworld crossover.

Sep 12, 2014#74

filmfanatic

ThatNickGuy said:
The only thing from DC's main line was Animal Man and Swamp Thing. And I haven't read any of either since the end of the Rotworld crossover.

Yeah, both of those titles were good. Most of what was good in the New 52, in my opinion, have been the lesser-known titles, like those and stuff like Demon Knights and All-Star Western (at least the earlier portions).

Sep 15, 2014#75

ThatNickGuy

I should add Batwoman to that list, as well. And while I've only read the first volume of Scott Snyder's Batman, it was pretty solid. I'm just not a big fan of Capullo's art in general. I've only read the first volume of Aquaman, but that was pretty fun, too. Honestly, there were some things to enjoy early on in the New 52, but the universe as a whole has really soured me. I miss the DC Universe that made me a fan of it in the first place.

Sep 15, 2014#76

Covar

That's been gone nearly 10 years now.

Sep 15, 2014#77

ThatNickGuy

Covar said:
That's been gone nearly 10 years now.

Not entirely. There were still things to like about the previous universe towards the end. It was still leagues better than what this is now.

Sep 16, 2014#78

PatrThom

ThatNickGuy said:
http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/4825997.html#cutid1

For one month, all DC comics will be covered by Darwyn Cooke.

Each and every one of them are amazing. They depict a fun, happy DC universe that has been sorely lacking for a very long time - arguably even before the New 52 universe.

I'll be using several of these as desktop wallpaper.

The Justice League one.
"Smile, Batman!"
"I am smiling."

--Patrick

Sep 16, 2014#79

fade

Those really are beautiful. At least someone at DC remembers what made DC special. It doesn't need to be Marvel II. Marvel took on Goliath in the 60s because they were different. Their stone was the realistic superhero. Now DC is trying to take on Marvel by being Marvel, which isn't how it works. Superman doesn't need to be Spider-Man. He needs to be Superman.

Sep 16, 2014#80

ThatNickGuy

I would argue DC is trying to take on Marvel by being 90's Image.

Sep 16, 2014#81

Yoshimickster

ThatNickGuy said:
I would argue DC is trying to take on Marvel by being 90's Image.

While Marvel is ignoring them, and taking 90s Image characters!

Its kind of a safe bet to say that Marvel is winning, while this isn't Marvel's hay-day perse I can still read a Marvel comic and at least have fun.

Sep 16, 2014#82

Covar

I can read a DC comic and have fun. There's dreck in both companies and there's good in both companies.

Sep 16, 2014#83

Sparhawk

The only DC regular universe title I'm reading is Harley Quinn. Bizarre, fun and a little violent. Only other title I give money to DC for is Astro City, which is still one of my favorite reads each month.

Sep 16, 2014#84

AshburnerX

Batman Beyond is still fun and had a fun crossover thing with Justice LEague Beyond.

Sep 17, 2014#85

Covar

Comics Alliance has a pretty good interview up with Greg Rucka

Greg Rucka said:
Denny was fond of saying “We don’t ask why the Batmobile doesn’t get caught in traffic.” That is apparently the corollary to the Archie Goodwin saying about how the entire DC Universe is an inverted pyramid built on a secret identity that’s a pair of glasses. If you want to tear it apart, you can do so with ease. You’re not nearly as clever or smart as you think you are if you decide to go and nitpick it and tear it down, because there are loose threads everywhere. All that proves is that you’re a killjoy. [Laughs] If you want to take it apart, it’s very easy to do, but that’s not the point. You either accept the world you’re in or you don’t. If you do, you’re going to have a blast. If you don’t, you better find something else to read, because you’re going to be very unhappy

Greg Rucka Reflects On His Batman Work, Part One [Interview]

Sep 18, 2014#86

ThatNickGuy

In other comic book news, DC's Pandora is now choosing to dress like asparagus:

http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/4839060.html?view=153250452

Sep 19, 2014#87

fade

Complete with groping hands. I am Grope!

Sep 26, 2014#88

filmfanatic

It looks like Marvel and the Jack Kirby Estate have reached an end to their legal disputes.

http://www.superherohype.com/news/3...ack-kirby-estate-announce-amicable-resolution

Oct 6, 2014#89

filmfanatic

Naruto is finally coming to an end, in Shonen Jump's Nov. 10th issue.

http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-ne...-manga-reportedly-ending-with-5-more-episodes

Oct 6, 2014#90

fade

That's okay. Bleach will run another 500 chapters before Ichigo actually makes it to the palace.

Oct 6, 2014#91

CynicismKills

I'm mainly just impressed one of the Big Three has the balls to end. One Piece is going to go on for-fucking-ever, I'm sure, because it's basically the most popular manga of all time, and while Kubo said he wanted to end Bleach, with the way he writes that could be another 500+ issues like fade said.

Oct 7, 2014#92

HCGLNS

Squirrel Girl is getting her own monthly comic.

Oct 7, 2014#93

ThatNickGuy

I'd ask why, but hell, after Guardians of the Galaxy making gangbusters money, I imagine Marvel's willing to risk a few more weird books.

Oct 7, 2014#94

filmfanatic

ThatNickGuy said:
I'd ask why, but hell, after Guardians of the Galaxy making gangbusters money, I imagine Marvel's willing to risk a few more weird books.

I've been doing some looking into this Squirrel Girl comic. The team that will be working on it is writer Ryan North (who has done the Adventure Time comics) and artist Erica Henderson. The set-up looks to be that, even though she has defeated some major villains, those are feats mostly known to a few superheroes (considering they were all off-panel, with the exception of Dr. Doom) and the general public just sees her as a kooky lady who hangs out with squirrels and fights crime in Central Park. So, she decides to try to fulfill her full potential and goes to college. They're looking to make this a more "all-ages" title among the stuff in the Marvel Universe.

Oct 9, 2014#95

evilmike

The latest Archie cross-over:

Dark Horse Comics and Archie Comics are combining two popular franchises for Archie Meets Predator, a four-issue series coming in spring 2015 by writer Alex de Campi (Grindhouse) that puts Archie and the gang in the alien hunter's sights while they're on spring break in Costa Rica.

(via io9, USA Today)

Oct 9, 2014#96

PatrThom

HCGLNS said:
Squirrel Girl is getting her own monthly comic.

Well, we've had a Slapstick run, so why not?

--Patrick

Oct 9, 2014#97

Bowielee

PatrThom said:
Well, we've had a Slapstick run, so why not?

--Patrick

What? When? I loved Slapstick.

I also loved Sleepwalker. I don't even know if he still exists in the Marvel universe.

Oct 9, 2014#98

PatrThom

Bowielee said:
What? When? I loved Slapstick.

It was just the mini, plus a few appearances in other titles. No actual monthly.
It's a shame. Maybe I should've written my Congressman when I had the chance.

--Patrick

Oct 9, 2014#99

CynicismKills

You mean this guy?

I actually have this issue in a box somewhere. I remember it being really weird, but a nice change of pace from the Death of Superman stuff I had been reading at the time.

Oct 9, 2014#100

Bowielee

He has initial 4 issue run, then he wasn't seen again until The Initiative where Marvel pulled out all their Z list heroes.

Oct 9, 2014#101

filmfanatic

Bowielee said:
He has initial 4 issue run, then he wasn't seen again until The Initiative where Marvel pulled out all their Z list heroes.

The Initiative was also the last time I can think of that Sleepwalker turned up.

Oct 9, 2014#102

Bowielee

I think so too.

He was actually a major player in one of the Infinity storylines.

Oct 9, 2014#103

PatrThom

CynicismKills said:
You mean this guy?

Yes, that's the one. I still have all 4 somewhere also. It might've been called "Cartoon tropes: The Miniseries."

--Patrick

Oct 10, 2014#104

filmfanatic

Well, looks like Marvel has decided to bring back Secret Wars.

Oct 10, 2014#105

fade

"All the recent changes to the comic were a huge flop! Lets find some way to reverse them ASAP!"

Oct 10, 2014#106

CynicismKills

Marvel's kind of confusing right now, with the AXIS event just starting up (Red Skull stole Xavier's brain, Magneto smashes his head in, and the resulting psychic release turns Skull into Onslaught, no I'm not making this crap up), and most major name comics suddenly jumping multiple months into the future (another event, Time Runs Out, fills the gap but doesn't start for another month or so I think).

It's all kind of a mess, and on top of AXIS/Time, Spider-Man's got an event coming up too. Marvel was doing pretty well for awhile there but I really don't know how I feel about the current direction of things. There's a lot of stupid characterizations out there, and a new character or two that're just sort of boring/dumb.

Oct 10, 2014#107

PatrThom

fade said:
"All the recent changes to the comic were a huge flop! Lets find some way to reverse them ASAP!"

We can hope.

--Patrick

Oct 10, 2014#108

CynicismKills

Also, I see Miles Morales (Ultimate Spidey), but no Parker. That's weird.

Oct 10, 2014#109

ThatNickGuy

I wish they'd just cut out events altogether. Their best books (Hawkeye. Daredevil, Ms Marvel, etc) are all crossover free. It's part of why they're great.

Oct 10, 2014#110

Covar

They don't exactly top the monthly sales charts though do they.

Oct 10, 2014#111

filmfanatic

Covar said:
They don't exactly top the monthly sales charts though do they.

Indeed, though Marvel has had plenty of things iffy, like the AXIS event.

Also, the Fantastic Four comic may be getting cancelled.

Oct 10, 2014#112

Sparhawk

filmfanatic said:
Indeed, though Marvel has had plenty of things iffy, like the AXIS event.

Also, the Fantastic Four comic may be getting cancelled.

No may be, it's over as of 665 I believe. Canceled the month before the Fantastic Four reboot movie comes out.

Oct 10, 2014#113

Frank

For the same reason Marvel has decreed no more new mutant characters. They're not interested in anything they don't have complete control over.

Oct 10, 2014#114

AshburnerX

It honestly depends on if this supposed Spider-man deal goes through... the offer apparently goes:

- Sony retains the film rights to Spider-man and to make solo movies
- Disney/Marvel gets the rights to have Spider-man appear in Marvel films as a side character. This is primarily so they can stick him in the Avengers.
- For this, Sony is allowed access to the Marvel movie canon and it's future Spider-man movies will have continuity with Marvel movies. Another option is Marvel/Disney actually makes the movies and Sony gets a percentage.

This seems win-win for Sony. They get to make money on Spider-man because suddenly EVERYONE has to see it to see how it ties into the rest of the movies.

If this deal works, I could see Fox being given a similar deal for X-Men and the Fantastic 4.

Oct 10, 2014#115

Frank

AshburnerX said:
It honestly depends on if this supposed Spider-man deal goes through... the offer apparently goes:

- Sony retains the film rights to Spider-man and to make solo movies
- Disney/Marvel gets the rights to have Spider-man appear in Marvel films as a side character. This is primarily so they can stick him in the Avengers.
- For this, Sony is allowed access to the Marvel movie canon and it's future Spider-man movies will have continuity with Marvel movies. Another option is Marvel/Disney actually makes the movies and Sony gets a percentage.

This seems win-win for Sony. They get to make money on Spider-man because suddenly EVERYONE has to see it to see how it ties into the rest of the movies.

If this deal works, I could see Fox being given a similar deal for X-Men and the Fantastic 4.

Well, Marvel has WAY more stake in the rights to Spider-Man. I think they still have fantastic merchandising rights there. The Fox X-Men deal is more weighted in Fox's favour. They have more reason to work with Sony.

Oct 11, 2014#116

AshburnerX

Frank said:
Well, Marvel has WAY more stake in the rights to Spider-Man. I think they still have fantastic merchandising rights there. The Fox X-Men deal is more weighted in Fox's favour. They have more reason to work with Sony.

It honestly depends on how well the next few X-men movies are. First Class was decent and so was Days. But eventually all they are going to have left is Savage Lands and space stuff and I don't think Fox can pull those off with the current executives in charge.

Oct 11, 2014#117

Sparhawk

I don't think that type of deal will be offered to Fantastic Four. Marvel wants that back, and are actively working to give less promotion to the movie. Too many "cross-over" villains with Avengers and they would like those to be back under their control.

Oct 11, 2014#118

AshburnerX

Sparhawk said:
I don't think that type of deal will be offered to Fantastic Four. Marvel wants that back, and are actively working to give less promotion to the movie. Too many "cross-over" villains with Avengers and they would like those to be back under their control.

That IS going to be an issue. Ultron and Thanos are awesome, but Dr. Doom leading a team of his own against them is definitive to the comics.

Oct 11, 2014#119

filmfanatic

AshburnerX said:
That IS going to be an issue. Ultron and Thanos are awesome, but Dr. Doom leading a team of his own against them is definitive to the comics.

It would probably also help their more cosmic films out to get the Skrulls back.

Oct 11, 2014#120

Hailey Knight

I'd rather Marvel just made the Spider-Man movies while Sony got a percentage.

Oct 11, 2014#121

Bowielee

filmfanatic said:
It would probably also help their more cosmic films out to get the Skrulls back.

OOOOHHHH, so THAT'S why we got the Chitauri instead of the Skrulls?

Oct 11, 2014#122

filmfanatic

Bowielee said:
OOOOHHHH, so THAT'S why we got the Chitauri instead of the Skrulls?

Exactly. The rights issues regarding Fox and Fantastic Four are also why we got the Sakaarans in Guardians of the Galaxy instead of the Badoon.

Oct 11, 2014#123

ThatNickGuy

Bowielee said:
OOOOHHHH, so THAT'S why we got the Chitauri instead of the Skrulls?

I would say it's also because having shape-shifting aliens would create a more complicated story than simple "aliens invading" that they were going for.

Oct 11, 2014#124

Bowielee

filmfanatic said:
Exactly. The rights issues regarding Fox and Fantastic Four are also why we got the Sakaarans in Guardians of the Galaxy instead of the Badoon.

I didn't even realize that they were supposed to be Sakaarans. But it does make sense. They look sufficiently buggy.[DOUBLEPOST=1413076865,1413076674][/DOUBLEPOST]Besides, the Badoon are too badass to be foot soldiers for the Kree. In the original GotG timeline, they had conquered most the galaxy.

On a total tangent, I recently re-read Planet Hulk and WWH...

Man, I forgot to hate Meik during the former by not remembeing that he was the cause of the latter.

Oct 13, 2014#125

ThatNickGuy

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/10...nd-disney-for-not-going-to-the-supreme-court/

The settlement between Jack Kirby's estate and Marvel sounds like it might be around 8 figures. Some are guessing between $30 and $50 million.

Additionally, "the deal ensures that Jack Kirby will receive full named credit on upcoming movies based, or partly based, on his work."

That last bit makes me particularly happy. It breaks my heart that Stan Lee is a household name, while Kirby is generally only known within the comic book business.

Oct 13, 2014#126

Gryfter

ThatNickGuy said:
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/10...nd-disney-for-not-going-to-the-supreme-court/

The settlement between Jack Kirby's estate and Marvel sounds like it might be around 8 figures. Some are guessing between $30 and $50 million.

Additionally, "the deal ensures that Jack Kirby will receive full named credit on upcoming movies based, or partly based, on his work."

That last bit makes me particularly happy. It breaks my heart that Stan Lee is a household name, while Kirby is generally only known within the comic book business.

Yup, already happened with this season of Agents of SHIELD. Jack gets creator credit right next to Stan Lee. It's about effing time too.

Oct 13, 2014#127

ThatNickGuy

I mean, he ONLY co-created the Marvel Universe. And designed all the iconic characters. No big deal, eh?

Oct 13, 2014#128

filmfanatic

Really? Are we really going back to Civil War in some way?

http://www.superherohype.com/news/3...gn=civil-war-returns-to-marvel-comics-in-2015

Oct 13, 2014#129

ThatNickGuy

Civil War? More like Civil BORE, am I right?

Oct 13, 2014#130

CynicismKills

So after that we get One More Day 2: Two More Days? Fear Itself-ish? Siege 2: Siege Harder?

Oct 13, 2014#131

Bowielee

I know I'm one of the few people on the planet who liked Civil War, but that doesn't mean that I think it should come back.

Oct 13, 2014#132

filmfanatic

Is it just me, or does Marvel seem to be on a slight kick of bringing back old events? We've had Red Skull becoming a new Onslaught, they've announced a new Secret Wars event, and now we have whatever this new Civil War thing will be.

Oct 13, 2014#133

Bowielee

Wouldn't be the first time. Secret War in particular has been returned to no less than 3 times already. How many not very good Infinity storylines followed after the success of the first one?

Oct 13, 2014#134

filmfanatic

You do raise a point. I guess they're just in one of those phases where they really milk the old events.

...I still can't believe they brought back Onslaught.

Oct 13, 2014#135

Bowielee

This is actually the second time they did. They did an Onslaught Reborn storyline sometime in the early 2000s, I think it was.

Oct 13, 2014#136

ThatNickGuy

Bowielee said:
This is actually the second time they did. They did an Onslaught Reborn storyline sometime in the early 2000s, I think it was.

Hush, you. Some of us are trying to forget that happened.

Oct 14, 2014#137

Fun Size

filmfanatic said:
Is it just me, or does Marvel seem to be on a slight kick of bringing back old events? We've had Red Skull becoming a new Onslaught, they've announced a new Secret Wars event, and now we have whatever this new Civil War thing will be.

IO9 was suggesting (and I don't think they're wrong) that part of it is putting these events in mind while updating the contexts to be more friendly to the MCU.

Oct 17, 2014#138

filmfanatic

...And now Marvel is doing new Planet Hulk and Armor Wars stories.

I read a theory recently over at SuperHeroHype as to what may be happening. With the upcoming new Secret Wars story, it seems like some of the participants of it will be sent to experience different points in time. Thus far, based on teaser images, it seems to be the following participants and stories:

Ultron (Age of Ultron/Marvel Zombies)
Spider-Man (Civil War)
Kitty Pryde (Days of Future Past)
Steve Rogers (Planet Hulk)
Tony Stark (Armor Wars)

Oct 18, 2014#139

Hailey Knight

filmfanatic said:
...And now Marvel is doing new Planet Hulk and Armor Wars stories.

I read a theory recently over at SuperHeroHype as to what may be happening. With the upcoming new Secret Wars story, it seems like some of the participants of it will be sent to experience different points in time. Thus far, based on teaser images, it seems to be the following participants and stories:

Ultron (Age of Ultron/Marvel Zombies)

Spider-Man (Civil War)

Kitty Pryde (Days of Future Past)

Steve Rogers (Planet Hulk)

Tony Stark (Armor Wars)

Gee, I wonder why the comics would be revisiting Age of Ultron.

Oct 22, 2014#140

AshburnerX

Static Shock is coming back as a digital only live action series.

I'm kinda of surprised but super pumped.

Nov 4, 2014#141

GasBandit

Hey fellow 90s teens, guess who's back?!

Marvel's newest comic book teaser art for their big summer event series is appealing directly to 90's Kid Nostalgia. X-Men 92 appears to be a continuation of the popular 90's comic and cartoon series. With a lineup featuring Cyclops, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Jubilee, Gambit, Rogue, Storm and Beast, this version of the X-Men might be their most iconic.

via ComicBook.com

Nov 4, 2014#142

PatrThom

How can you call it nostalgic if there's no Brian Boitano or Patrick Duffy?

--Patrick

Nov 4, 2014#143

GasBandit

I always wondered why Wolverine's title card depicts a tropical jungle, when Logan himself comes from Canada, and the animal he's named after is definitely from boreal forests of northern latitudes.

Nov 4, 2014#144

ThatNickGuy

I must be one of the few people that wasn't a fan of the 90s X-Men cartoon (or Spider-Man). The look all felt too glossy and over-designed (then again, it WAS based on Jim Lee's work) and the voice acting was more miss than hit. I liked it well enough back in the day, but never went gaga over it. Like the Spider-Man cartoon, it sure as hell hasn't aged well. Not like DC's toons from back then.

It likely doesn't help that I'm not a big X-Men fan in general.

Nov 4, 2014#145

SpecialKO

ThatNickGuy said:
I must be one of the few people that wasn't a fan of the 90s X-Men cartoon (or Spider-Man).

Nov 4, 2014#146

GasBandit

ThatNickGuy said:
I must be one of the few people that wasn't a fan of the 90s X-Men cartoon (or Spider-Man). The look all felt too glossy and over-designed (then again, it WAS based on Jim Lee's work) and the voice acting was more miss than hit. I liked it well enough back in the day, but never went gaga over it. Like the Spider-Man cartoon, it sure as hell hasn't aged well. Not like DC's toons from back then.

It likely doesn't help that I'm not a big X-Men fan in general.

That was a lot of non-comic reader kids' first exposure to X-Men. I was never really that big into comics as a kid until I saw the X-Men '92 saturday morning cartoons. After that, I started getting into comics.

Nov 4, 2014#147

ThatNickGuy

GasBandit said:
That was a lot of non-comic reader kids' first exposure to X-Men. I was never really that big into comics as a kid until I saw the X-Men '92 saturday morning cartoons. After that, I started getting into comics.

Sure, that's okay. I get that. I think the same applies for the Batman cartoon at the time, too. Doesn't change the fact that it's overly glossy and over-designed, especially in comparison to Batman's more reductive design style.

Nov 4, 2014#148

GasBandit

ThatNickGuy said:
Sure, that's okay. I get that. I think the same applies for the Batman cartoon at the time, too. Doesn't change the fact that it's overly glossy and over-designed, especially in comparison to Batman's more reductive design style.

That's a valid opinion from someone who was familiar with the comics before the show.

But lots of us had our expectations set by the show, and some even found the comics a little flat because of it.

Also, awesome as it was, Batman TAS didn't get me into DC comics how X-Men '92 got me into Marvel. I think the only DC book I had was the complete Sandman Chronicles graphic novel, which was a gift - I wouldn't have bought it for myself (though I did enjoy reading it once it was given to me).

Nov 4, 2014#149

Bowielee

I hated the Spider-man cartoon from that era. The animation for both that series and X-Men was absolutely horrible and Spider-Man was horribly written. The only reason that I gave the X-Men cartoon a pass was because it was slightly better written and paced. Th pacing in Spider-Man was just horrible.[DOUBLEPOST=1415139465,1415139364][/DOUBLEPOST]That being said, it did give us the definitive animated voice for Wolverine. Steven Blum is as perfect for Wolverine as Kevin Conroy is for Batman.

Nov 4, 2014#150

Covar

The Marvel cartoons of the 90s didn't age well on pretty much every level.

The plots certainly don't hold up, even with nostalgia lenses. It's about as bad as most 80s cartoons.

Nov 4, 2014#151

GasBandit

You should try re-watching old GI Joe cartoons sometimes. There is some crazy fucking "What the hell did he just do/say/pull off?" shit going on there. Especially in opening 5-parter "Pyramid of Darkness."

Cobra took over a space station with sonically activated sentient mutating fuzzy critters.

Wut.

Nov 4, 2014#152

SpecialKO

The movie is dreadful, but I always thought the opening musical number was amazing.

Nov 4, 2014#153

Bowielee

I don't know why, but the Crimson Guard was always my favorite figure from the GI Joe line. I just loved the helmet.

Nov 4, 2014#154

GasBandit

Even as a kid I chuckled at the imagined conversation - "We gotta make Alpine look cool somehow in this sequence. What do we do?"

"Could we... could we get him to grappling hook and climb onto a FLYING JET FIGHTER?"

"And then he PUNCHES IT to make it explode!"

And then of course today, I can appreciate how Cobra somehow got their giant flying supercarrier into New York airspace (one of the busiest and most monitored airspaces in the world) unmolested... to launch a paratrooper attack on the statue of liberty. And the Joes KNEW about it.. but INSTEAD of intercepting the carrier enroute... decided they'd HIDE INSIDE the statue and pop out to surprise Cobra after the attack had begun! Not warning any civilians first, though, it'd have ruined the surprise.

Nov 4, 2014#155

Covar

I think we can all agree that gijoe is just batshit crazy awesome.

Nov 4, 2014#156

Bowielee

And where the hell did the bajillion balloons come from?

Nov 4, 2014#157

GasBandit

Bowielee said:
And where the hell did the bajillion balloons come from?

Oh, those were launched at the beginning as part of the celebration/spectacle. Clearly this was some kind of 4th of July celebration or something, what with the spotlights and balloons and fireworks displays. If ANYTHING in that video makes sense, it's that it would be taking place on July 4th, because that's when a terrorist organization would get the most mileage out of attacking the Statue of Liberty.

Nov 4, 2014#158

ThatNickGuy

GasBandit said:
That's a valid opinion from someone who was familiar with the comics before the show..

None of what I said had anything to do with the comics aside from the Jim Lee remark. Actually, I'm talking about pure visual aesthetic, voice acting, and holding up to the tests of time. Which Batman surpasses in spades.

Nov 4, 2014#159

GasBandit

ThatNickGuy said:
None of what I said had anything to do with the comics aside from the Jim Lee remark. Actually, I'm talking about pure visual aesthetic, voice acting, and holding up to the tests of time. Which Batman surpasses in spades.

Batman TAS is definitely a model of what to do right. And for all its attraction to 13 year old me, I will readily admit that the 90s X-Men SMC's defining characteristic is "overwrought," though I mostly mean that in plot and dialog, not just visuals. I liked the visuals. Duh, I was 13, I liked painted-on costumes on hot chicks.

Nov 4, 2014#160

Hailey Knight

Count me in the group of watched the DC cartoons, read the Marvel comics. Which was still a mistake--bad as the Spider-man cartoon was, it still had better writing than the comic at the time, which was waist-deep in the Clone Saga.

Nov 4, 2014#161

Bowielee

Zero Esc said:
Count me in the group of watched the DC cartoons, read the Marvel comics. Which was still a mistake--bad as the Spider-man cartoon was, it still had better writing than the comic at the time, which was waist-deep in the Clone Saga.

I bounced on Spider-Man before the clone saga really kicked into high gear, and even then I was only occasionally picking up an issue or two every once in a while to check in. I think the storyline that made me give up on it was when Peter's parents came back and turned out to be clone robots or something.

Nov 5, 2014#162

Frank

GasBandit said:
I always wondered why Wolverine's title card depicts a tropical jungle, when Logan himself comes from Canada, and the animal he's named after is definitely from boreal forests of northern latitudes.

It just looks like trees. We do have summers and non-coniferous trees.

Nov 5, 2014#163

GasBandit

Frank said:
It just looks like trees. We do have summers and non-coniferous trees.

AnchormanIdontbelieveyou.gif

Nov 5, 2014#164

filmfanatic

Marvel has released one more teaser for their 2015 comics.

Please don't pull a New 52, Please don't pull a New 52, Please don't pull a New 52...

Nov 5, 2014#165

SpecialKO

They have been hinting at something big for a while,

with the whole thing about the Multiverse collapsing and the Mapmakers and all that incursion stuff, so at least it won't be introduced all of sudden in a single comic mini-series and while clumsily changing everything else haphazardly like flipping a broken light switch.

Nov 5, 2014#166

filmfanatic

SpecialKO said:
They have been hinting at something big for a while,

with the whole thing about the Multiverse collapsing and the Mapmakers and all that incursion stuff, so at least it won't be introduced all of sudden in a single comic mini-series and while clumsily changing everything else haphazardly like flipping a broken light switch.

Good point.

Also, this is the first ad of theirs for something in Spring 2015, when all of the other posters have been for Summer 2015. My guess is that we have our Multiverse/time travel critical mass moment in spring, while summer is unwinding the mess with heroes (and villain, in Ultron's case) going through these different moments in time.

Nov 6, 2014#167

CynicismKills

The best thing to come out of 90's X-Men is Cyclops' costume. The condom-hood in every other iteration looks ridiculous, but for some reason as bright and spandex-y as the 90's version is I just think it's great.

Plus, it was used in all the Capcom fighters (along with the 90's toon voices), and he was a fun fighter.

Nov 7, 2014#168

figmentPez

Uhhhh, WUT?

marveltitancrossover.0.0_cinema_960.0.jpg

Marvel planning Attack on Titan crossover

Spoilers for the AoT/SNK manga:

Oddly, this kinda works. Between the intelligent gorilla that I've been told shows up as a villain in Attack on Titan, and the similarities between 3D maneuvering gear and web-slinging, there do seem to be some parallels between AoT and American superhero comics (even if gorilla villains are more of a DC thing).

Nov 11, 2014#169

ThatNickGuy

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/11/11/the-complete-christopher-priest-black-panther-out-next-year/

Marvel to FINALLY reprint Christopher Priest's amazing run on Black Panther.

It's about damn time.

Nov 18, 2014#170

ThatNickGuy

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/11...nce-kingdom-come-vs-pre-zero-hour-metropolis/

More Convergence titles and previews have been released. LOTS of "and they fight Kingdom Come so-and-so!" this time around. Plus, something that pulls on my nostalgia strings a bit: Az-Bat and original Steel!

This is all just sounding like a huge, convoluted mess, honestly. It sounds insane and not in a good way.

Nov 19, 2014#171

fade

I liked the 90s X-Men cartoon. It doesn't hold up at all, but I always figured all the over-the-top stuff--from the art down to the ham-fisted acting--was purely intentional. The Spider-Man cartoon on the other hand I didn't care that much for. There were some weird design decisions that hinted that the artists were seriously out of touch with 90s-00s fashion. Mullets, clothing choices, dialogue, etc. Plus Peter looked like he was about 35, and seemed to be modeled not on any comic Peter but rather on the 70s live-action Peter:

Nov 20, 2014#172

Hailey Knight

fade said:
I liked the 90s X-Men cartoon. It doesn't hold up at all, but I always figured all the over-the-top stuff--from the art down to the ham-fisted acting--was purely intentional. The Spider-Man cartoon on the other hand I didn't care that much for. There were some weird design decisions that hinted that the artists were seriously out of touch with 90s-00s fashion. Mullets, clothing choices, dialogue, etc. Plus Peter looked like he was about 35, and seemed to be modeled not on any comic Peter but rather on the 70s live-action Peter:
View attachment 16692 View attachment 16693

Maybe they were trying to go for a retro feel like the Batman animated series.

Nov 20, 2014#173

fade

Zero Esc said:
Maybe they were trying to go for a retro feel like the Batman animated series.

That's a good point. I don't think it worked so well for that 'toon though.

Dec 17, 2014#174

ThatNickGuy

http://www.themarysue.com/dc-comics-cancels-13-series/

As of March, thirteen DC books are being cancelled. I think that's the largest swath of cancellations in one month that I've seen from either company in a long time. The list includes:

Aquaman and the Others
Infinity Man and the Forever People
Klarion
Secret Origins
Star-Spangled War Stories Featuring G.I. Zombie
Trinity of Sin
Worlds’ Finest
Arkham Manor
Batwoman
Green Lantern Corps
Green Lantern: New Guardians
Red Lanterns
Swamp Thing

Of those, the most surprising to me are the Lantern Books and Swamp Thing. A friend of mine is pissed as hell about Klarion being cancelled (I didn't even know it was a title, but that shows how close I'm following DC these days). Most of the others seem like mercy killings. Batwoman especially, after the kerfuffle with JH Williams.

Dec 17, 2014#175

CynicismKills

Marvel's been doing some odd things lately. Quicksilver/SW are apparently not blood-related to Magneto, Axis has bad guys being good and good guys being bad, and Spider-Verse is just pulling any and every version of Peter they can into a big weird story about immortal vampires killing Spider-powered people.

One thing remains constant, though, every Mutant but (the now dead) Wolverine hates Spider-Man for absolutely no reason.

Dec 17, 2014#176

AshburnerX

CynicismKills said:
One thing remains constant, though, every Mutant but (the now dead) Wolverine hates Spider-Man for absolutely no reason.

No, the reason for that is obvious: they aren't included in the upcoming Sony/Marvel deal because they are owned by Fox.

Dec 17, 2014#177

CynicismKills

AshburnerX said:
No, the reason for that is obvious: they aren't included in the upcoming Sony/Marvel deal because they are owned by Fox.

They've been dickbags to Spidey long before any of this movie rumor stuff. For some reason he keeps going back and trying to teach classes, though.

Dec 18, 2014#178

Yoshimickster

Why can't Marvel super heroes just get along? Seriously though every time I see the X-men fight the Avengers I die a little inside.

Dec 23, 2014#179

Null

So Marvel has decided they need to redesign Jessica Drew/ Spider-Woman's costume. Fair enough, she basically hasn't changed since the 1970's. Kris Anka's tumblr has had some shots, and there's an article here:

http://www.themarysue.com/spider-woman-looks-rad-as-eff/

To be honest, I disagree with their assessment. I think the new costume is kind of forgettable. I liked the Batgirl redesign, but Batgirl and Spider-Woman are on two completely different levels. Batgirl is a normal human with extensive martial arts, gymnastics, and crime-fighting training, so having a practical outfit for rough and tumble activity and motorcycle riding makes perfect sense. Generally she tangles with street thugs and organized crime henchmen. Spider-Woman has superhuman strength, speed, and agility, heightened senses, powerful pheromones, she can fly (or at least glide, depending on the writer), is immune to all poisons and radiation, and, oh yeah, can shoot bioelectric lightning from her hands. Now, the excuse is that since Jessica Drew is a Private Investigator in her civilian life, she can't just go around in red spandex on the street. Yes, okay, that's a given. But I don't see how having her costume be basically street clothes is an improvement. It loses the sense of being a powerful iconic heroine. She looks more like a sidekick. And I guess that's intentional:

Series writer Dennis Hopeless also noted that the series will now see Jessica Drew avoiding the more fantastical galactic elements of the Marvel Universe in favor of regular ol’ detective work: “You’ve seen her as a superspy and Avenger and soldier. Now let’s see this person as an old-school hero.”

What was wrong with her being a superspy, Avenger, and soldier? Is beating up muggers somehow more interesting than dealing with outlandish cosmic-level threats, or killer robots, or high-tech megalomaniacs? I don't think it's the right direction to go. It's too DC.

Dec 23, 2014#180

ThatNickGuy

Honestly? I think this costume suits her character more than the original ever did.

But then, I've never been a big fan of the character either way, so it doesn't bug me much at all.

Dec 23, 2014#181

Covar

I don't see how beating up muggers and avoiding the more outlandish and cosmic level threats is a DC thing. Marvel has had the Avengers do just that for nearly a decade now.

Dec 23, 2014#182

Yoshimickster

...okay I'm not the only one who thinks she looks almost exactly like Asami from Legend of Korra with that get-up right? Not saying I'm complaining , just I never thought the next redesign would remind me of an Avatar character.

Dec 23, 2014#183

figmentPez

Null said:
So Marvel has decided they need to redesign Jessica Drew/ Spider-Woman's costume. Fair enough, she basically hasn't changed since the 1970's. Kris Anka's tumblr has had some shots, and there's an article here:

http://www.themarysue.com/spider-woman-looks-rad-as-eff/

It's Wonder Woman's costume:

Dec 23, 2014#184

GasBandit

Err, aside from both having tight pants and shoulder-length black hair, I don't see much of a resemblance. Wonder Woman's belt doesn't droop, Spider Woman isn't wearing heels and has spats instead of... I dunno, anklets? Spider woman doesn't bare cleavage, and her jacket is double breasted and actually is shown buttoned up. Also shades vs tiara?

Dec 23, 2014#185

figmentPez

GasBandit said:
Err, aside from both having tight pants and shoulder-length black hair, I don't see much of a resemblance. Wonder Woman's belt doesn't droop, Spider Woman isn't wearing heels and has spats instead of... I dunno, anklets? Spider woman doesn't bare cleavage, and her jacket is double breasted and actually is shown buttoned up. Also shades vs tiara?

Same basic color pattern. Dark blue arms and legs, red chest, gold insignia. The belt may not droop, but the lasso hanging off it provides a similar angle, overall. It's not exactly the same, but it's so close that if it were a parody character it could be recognizable (that is, if this were the iconic version of WW's costume)

Dec 23, 2014#186

AshburnerX

That droopy belt is what kills it for me. Otherwise it's fine.

Dec 23, 2014#187

Ravenpoe

My only problem with Spider-Woman has always been that her name makes no goddamn sense to me. She flies around shooting energy bolts from her hands, that's not very spidery.

Dec 23, 2014#188

GasBandit

figmentPez said:
Same basic color pattern. Dark blue arms and legs, red chest, gold insignia. The belt may not droop, but the lasso hanging off it provides a similar angle, overall. It's not exactly the same, but it's so close that if it were a parody character it could be recognizable (that is, if this were the iconic version of WW's costume)

.... dark blue? That looks just plain old black to me.

Really, I think the only similaities, as I said, come from the hairstyle, the tight pants, and the sleeve color being different from the torso.

Dec 24, 2014#189

CynicismKills

Ravenpoe said:
My only problem with Spider-Woman has always been that her name makes no goddamn sense to me. She flies around shooting energy bolts from her hands, that's not very spidery.

That, and personally I've never found her to be terribly interesting to begin with.

Jan 5, 2015#190

HCGLNS

Are there any notable female super geniuses in comics?

Jan 5, 2015#191

GasBandit

HCGLNS said:
Are there any notable female super geniuses in comics?

Depends on your definition of supergenius. There's lots of very smart women, such as Oracle or Moira MacTaggert (Oxford doesn't churn out many dumb geneticists)... but I'd have to thinking longer and harder before I come up with a female Reed Richards.

Except... didn't he have a supergenius daughter?

Jan 5, 2015#192

filmfanatic

GasBandit said:
Depends on your definition of supergenius. There's lots of very smart women, such as Oracle or Moira MacTaggert (Oxford doesn't churn out many dumb geneticists)... but I'd have to thinking longer and harder before I come up with a female Reed Richards.

Except... didn't he have a supergenius daughter?

Yep. Valeria Richards is her name.

Jan 5, 2015#193

figmentPez

HCGLNS said:
Are there any notable female super geniuses in comics?

Apparently not. You have to get to #23 on Comic Vine's list of Smartest Comic Characters before you get a female character, and the most notable female in the Marvel Database's list of characters with Super-Genius Intelligence is Valeria Richards (only notable for her parents).

Barbara Gordon, as Oracle, is really smart, but I'm not sure I've seen her intelligence played up as being much greater than those around her. But maybe that's just because she's in the shadow of the Bat.

Jan 5, 2015#194

GasBandit

I suppose it's also telling that the only superintelligent female villain who immediately sprang to mind at the question was DNAmy, and I disqualified her because, to my knowledge, there was never an official Kim Possible comic.

Jan 5, 2015#195

Frank

There's that one doctor from Iron Man who fixed Tony Stark in Extremis. I mean, she was smarter than he was.

There definitely aren't that many and I can't even remember her name.

Jan 5, 2015#196

filmfanatic

Frank said:
There definitely aren't that many and I can't even remember her name.

Yeah, comic books don't seem to have much of a field for female super-geniuses.

What about anime and manga? Surely, there's got to be a reasonable group there?

Jan 5, 2015#197

evilmike

Does Agatha Heterodyne count?

Jan 5, 2015#198

Covar

Modern Marvel writers have a very crummy understanding of intelligence. For what it's worth Sue Richards has a Ph.D. retconned out of no where to her because otherwise it would make no sense for Reed Richards to be even interested in her. I wish to God I was making that up, and it wasn't the explanation given by Marvel.

Jan 5, 2015#199

GasBandit

filmfanatic said:
Yeah, comic books don't seem to have much of a field for female super-geniuses.

What about anime and manga? Surely, there's got to be a reasonable group there?

Well, there was Nina, in Code Geass, who was that universe's Werner Von Braun and developed the Freija (I WON'T PRONOUNCE IT FLEIJA THAT'S WRONG AND RETARDED) warhead. Of course, she was an emotional powderkeg who ended up little more than a pawn to be used by one side or another the entire run of the series.

Jan 5, 2015#200

AshburnerX

evilmike said:
Does Agatha Heterodyne count?

This would have been my first choice too, or The One from the same comic.... though really, there are probably a dozen or more female Sparks from that comic that qualify.

Jan 5, 2015#201

SpecialKO

If we're including supervillains, there is Monica Rappaccini, a.k.a AIM's Scientist Supreme. The quality of the character is a bit dependent on who is writing her, though.

Jan 5, 2015#202

Yoshimickster

Sage from X-men, though the fact that I needed to go through 4 pages of wiki pages to remember she exists that says a lot.

As for manga and Japanimation, there's Sailor Mercury(fun fact, originally meant to be a cyborg), Bulma from Dragon Ball, and the awesome crossbow lady from Soul Eater just to name a few.

Jan 5, 2015#203

AshburnerX

I'd say that female geniuses are far more common than male ones in Anime and Manga.

Jan 5, 2015#204

Celt Z

Fairchild from Gen13 was supposed to have a pretty high I.Q. She was a comp-sci at Princeton when she was gen-activated and, depending on her writer, stayed interested in science and research.

Jan 5, 2015#205

GasBandit

Like I said, it depends on what the threshold for "super genius" is. Is it enough to just be smarter than your immediate peer group? Do you need to be a postdoc? Do you have to have created something with world-changing consequences, like new technology, functional sentient AI, or a doomsday weapon? Does your intelligence have to be in a purely scientific field, or can brilliant military commanders also qualify as "super geniuses?"

Also, I want you to sound out "super genius" every time like Wile E. Coyote does in that Looney Tunes short where Bugs Bunny stands in for the Road Runner. SOO-PER GEEEENyus.

Jan 5, 2015#206

PatrThom

evilmike said:
Does Agatha Heterodyne count?

THANK YOU

--Patrick

Jan 5, 2015#207

ThatNickGuy

Yeah, I'm honestly drawing a blank. There are some smart cookies, like Oracle or Talia al Ghul. But I wouldn't call either of them genius on the Reed Richards scale.[DOUBLEPOST=1420499529,1420498974][/DOUBLEPOST]I threw the question at Kurt Busiek and Gail Simone. Kurt got back to me pretty quick. Some he provided:

-Dr. Cyber (Wonder Woman villain)
-Jenette Klyburn at STAR Labs
-And "Astro City has had at least three female robotics geniuses. One derailed, one evil, one damaged but sweet."

Jan 5, 2015#208

figmentPez

GasBandit said:
Like I said, it depends on what the threshold for "super genius" is. Is it enough to just be smarter than your immediate peer group? Do you need to be a postdoc? Do you have to have created something with world-changing consequences, like new technology, functional sentient AI, or a doomsday weapon? Does your intelligence have to be in a purely scientific field, or can brilliant military commanders also qualify as "super geniuses?"

Which is a good question. I suddenly thought to wonder why Monet St. Croix wasn't on the list of Marvel super geniuses, but she's just a garden variety genius, and not a super genius.

Jan 8, 2015#209

ThatNickGuy

Image Expo is going on right now and like last year, my wallet is already pleading "no more!" as Image announces more creator owned books that will be amazing.

Darwyn Cooke's first creator-owned series, Revengeance:

Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda's Monstress

Scott Snyder & Jeff Lemire (holy shit, now THERE'S a team-up!) present A.D.: After Death, dealing with what happens after death is cured.

Alex De Campi & Carla Speed McNeil's No Mercy:

Eric Canete & Jonathan Tsuei's RunLoveKill:

Scottie Young's I Hate Fairyland (which looks deliciously twisted):

Bryan K. Vaughan & Cliff Chiang's Paper Girls:

EDIT: Adding a few more.

Chip Zdarsky (from Sex Criminals) and Kagan McLeod's Kaptara:

I don't even know if more will be announced. I sure hope not. My poor wallet can't take even more great books from Image. They've already got me hook, line, and sinker with Elephantmen, Walking Dead, Invincible, Saga, Fatale, Velvet, Chew, and lord knows what else I'm missing.[DOUBLEPOST=1420761875,1420761384][/DOUBLEPOST]http://comicsalliance.com/image-expo-2015-announcements/

Jesus, my list only scratched the surface. SO MANY GREAT BOOKS.

Jan 11, 2015#210

Frank

I dunno where to put this so I'll just toss it here, apparently DC and CW are doing a Vixen animated series that takes places in the same universe as Arrow and Flash. Here's the promo art.

Jan 11, 2015#211

AshburnerX

Why? They don't have a saturday morning block anymore. Are they going to show this on prime time?

Jan 11, 2015#212

ThatNickGuy

It won't last long. Toy sales won't be strong enough to support it.

Jan 11, 2015#213

Frank

It's a CW Seed series so it's digital content only I think. Probably lets it aim for an older audience too.

Jan 15, 2015#214

ThatNickGuy

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2015/01...april-2015-nicola-scott-nightwing-butt-shots/

More solicitations for DC's upcoming uber-event, Convergence. The more I read about it, the more it just sounds like one gigantic fucking mess.

God, I miss loving DC Comics.

Jan 15, 2015#215

AshburnerX

Some of that stuff looks interesting... at least Top Ten is finally getting a trade and it'll be great seeing Renee Montoya back as The Question.

What -I- want to know is when Jonah Hex became a villain.

Jan 15, 2015#216

Gryfter

All those books are going to do is make me miss the better eras of DC and shine a light on the garbage that is the NU52.

Jan 15, 2015#217

ThatNickGuy

AshburnerX said:
Some of that stuff looks interesting... at least Top Ten is finally getting a trade and it'll be great seeing Renee Montoya back as The Question.

What -I- want to know is when Jonah Hex became a villain.

Same as why the Kingdom Come characters are villains in some other of these books.

Apparently the big bad is forcing two different universes to fight and the loser is wiped from existence or some stupid shit.

Jan 16, 2015#218

bhamv3

ThatNickGuy said:
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2015/01...april-2015-nicola-scott-nightwing-butt-shots/

More solicitations for DC's upcoming uber-event, Convergence. The more I read about it, the more it just sounds like one gigantic fucking mess.

God, I miss loving DC Comics.

I just kept scrolling and scrolling and scrolling on that page... man, they really are throwing everything into the pot, aren't they?

Jan 16, 2015#219

Bowielee

If it weren't for the Arrow, Flash, Constantine and occasional DCAU movie, I'd never look at anything DC related again.

Jan 16, 2015#220

AshburnerX

Bowielee said:
If it weren't for the Arrow, Flash, Constantine and occasional DCAU movie, I'd never look at anything DC related again.

I kind of feel like the upcoming Shazam/Captain Marvel movie is going to be what determines my fate with DC. If they can make a good, fun, kid friendly action movie (not even a GREAT one, just a decent one) then I'm willing to give them a chance. But they have gotta drop this dark shit. It's boring.

Jan 16, 2015#221

figmentPez

ThatNickGuy said:
Apparently the big bad is forcing two different universes to fight and the loser is wiped from existence or some stupid shit.

That was the plot for DC vs Marvel... So, when do we get an amalgamated DC universe? We could have:
The Atom + Beast Boy = Pocket Changeling
Martian Manhunter + Aquaman = Fish Out of Water
Hourman + Jimmy Olsen = One Hour Photo
Larfleeze + Brother Blood = Shut up it's fucking red
Monsieur Mallah + Amazo = Monkey See, Monkey Do
Cheetah + Riot = Pussy Galore
Jimmy Olsen + Lex Luthor = Superman's Best Frienemy (oh, wait, they did that on Smallville)

Joking aside, seeing Lois Lane as the Question would be pretty cool.

Jan 17, 2015#222

Frank

If any of you are into digital comics, Humble Bundle has the most incredible Image sale going on right now.

https://www.humblebundle.com/books

You get like hundreds of dollars of good to amazing comics for 20.

Jan 20, 2015#223

filmfanatic

No.

No no no.

NO. NO. NO!

https://www.nerdist.com/2015/01/mar...the-ultimate-universe-as-part-of-secret-wars/

Jan 20, 2015#224

Frank

No more mutants.

Jan 20, 2015#225

Gryfter

filmfanatic said:
No.

No no no.

NO. NO. NO!

https://www.nerdist.com/2015/01/mar...the-ultimate-universe-as-part-of-secret-wars/

meh :shrug

Jan 20, 2015#226

CynicismKills

If it means Slott will get the fuck off Spider-Man, I don't even care what happens.

Jan 20, 2015#227

GasBandit

Let's be honest, Marvel's comic have been a mess for over a decade, and needed to get flushed out/rebooted. I mean, remember that time 90% of the world's mutants lost their power because of (I think) Scarlet Witch? Let's just hope they don't use the reboot as an excuse to change beloved characters into shit, like New 52 did.

Jan 20, 2015#228

filmfanatic

GasBandit said:
Let's be honest, Marvel's comic have been a mess for over a decade, and needed to get flushed out/rebooted. I mean, remember that time 90% of the world's mutants lost their power because of (I think) Scarlet Witch? Let's just hope they don't use the reboot as an excuse to change beloved characters into shit, like New 52 did.

That's my main fear. I've gone to reading some Marvel titles and I'd hate to see them fall into the same stupid New 52 idiocy that infected DC.

Jan 20, 2015#229

Yoshimickster

As long as they don't make the new Spidey more like the new cartoon version, I'll be cool....theoretically. There are a lot of ways this could go and most of them are bad.

Jan 20, 2015#230

CynicismKills

The only thing I want to stay the same is Posehn/Duggan on Deadpool, unless they get moved as a pair to Spidey. They're a fantastic team, and they write snippy/sarcastic characters on a level you don't really see anywhere else.

Jan 20, 2015#231

GasBandit

CynicismKills said:
The only thing I want to stay the same is Posehn/Duggan on Deadpool, unless they get moved as a pair to Spidey. They're a fantastic team, and they write snippy/sarcastic characters on a level you don't really see anywhere else.

I am all for Brian Posehn getting lots of comic writing work. Because then maybe he won't have time to do any voice work/acting. Because the sound of that guy's voice makes me want to cut him into pieces and stir fry him and FEED HIM TO THE CAT.

Jan 20, 2015#232

AshburnerX

It's not surprising in the slightest that Disney wants to make the comics more like the movies. It's not even a stupid move, if they pair it with getting Marvel comics out to kids.

Personally, I just see this as a way to undo One More Day.

Jan 20, 2015#233

CynicismKills

GasBandit said:
I am all for Brian Posehn getting lots of comic writing work. Because then maybe he won't have time to do any voice work/acting. Because the sound of that guy's voice makes me want to cut him into pieces and stir fry him and FEED HIM TO THE CAT.

I feel the same way about Jim Sterling. I want him to do anything save for talking, because when he speaks I want to shove his hands down his own throat.

Jan 20, 2015#234

Frank

You guys suck, Brian Posehn is great.

Jan 20, 2015#235

GasBandit

Frank said:
You guys suck, Brian Posehn is great.

If by "great" you mean a disheveled tubby real-life suffalupagus who sounds like he's seconds away from shooting himself.

Jan 20, 2015#236

CynicismKills

Frank said:
You guys suck, Brian Posehn is great.

I love Posehn in all mediums. Sterling makes my head explode, though.

Jan 20, 2015#237

AshburnerX

Just saw someone make an interesting point: this might also be about doing away with the Fantastic Four (to compel Fox to make a deal) and to turn most of the mutants into Inhumans (so Marvel can do something with them in TV and movies). This seems workable but I can only imagine the lawsuits that'll be coming.

Jan 20, 2015#238

Frank

AshburnerX said:
Just saw someone make an interesting point: this might also be about doing away with the Fantastic Four (to compel Fox to make a deal) and to turn most of the mutants into Inhumans (so Marvel can do something with them in TV and movies). This seems workable but I can only imagine the lawsuits that'll be coming.

That's what I assumed too, hence the no more mutants comment.

Jan 21, 2015#239

ThatNickGuy

I'm honestly surprised the Ultimate universe has lasted as long as it has. Much like Spider-Girl and MC2, I'd say that's because of the strength of the Ultimate Spider-Man book. The rest of the books and universe has been a complete mess for years, but that book has always stood out as better than even the regular universe Spider-Books. Aside from Ultimate Spider-Man, this has been a long overdue mercy killing since Ultimates 3 and Ultimatum.

My only concern is what happens to Miles Morales at this point because he's such a great, unique character. If he joins proper Marvel, he'll eventually be shuffled aside as another B-level player who isn't the "real" Spider-Man.[DOUBLEPOST=1421843649,1421843506][/DOUBLEPOST]As far as a company-wide reboot? Eh, superhero universes are generally a mess of continuity and Marvel probably could've used one like this for quite awhile. But I agree that finally getting Slott off the Spider-Books would be a very good start.

Jan 21, 2015#240

ThatNickGuy

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2015/01/21/todays-timeline-dimensional-revelations-spiders-mutants/

(Possible Spider-Verse spoilers in that article.)

Welp, my head hurts trying to just follow all this.

See, this? This is exactly what I hate about DC and Marvel. They keep trying to tell all these giant, crossover events where you need multiple books to follow along. What is so goddamn wrong with telling one, self-contained story where you follow from issue 1 to 2 to 3, etc? Not to mention just the sheer fucking number of books they put out, where it's all about quantity, not quality. You look at Image and they're putting out quality book after quality book. Sure, not all of them are quality books, like Spawn, but you can't expect everything to be golden. But they do it with a lot less books than either company. Look at this:

Image beat Marvel in the market share (for graphic novels) last year with a third of the titles. It came in second place against DC with a third of the titles published. Going just by this chart, Marvel isn't even part of the "big two" anymore.

Can you imagine if DC and Marvel put more effort into quality, self-contained books that didn't rely on crossovers? More books like Hawkeye? Like Batwoman? Heck, even Ultimate Spider-Man for the most part was self-contained, which is largely why it's such a great book.

Jan 21, 2015#241

Celt Z

ThatNickGuy said:
Can you imagine if DC and Marvel put more effort into quality, self-contained books that didn't rely on crossovers? More books like Hawkeye? Like Batwoman? Heck, even Ultimate Spider-Man for the most part was self-contained, which is largely why it's such a great book.

I have to agree. I don't mind crossovers, but I wish they'd be their own series, like Secret Wars, rather than jumping from title to title. Meanwhile, when I was cataloging my collection, I was reminded how freaking greedy the industry got in the 90's with the "variant covers" nonsense. That was somewhat worse, because there wasn't even a different story inside.

It's a shame Batwoman was cancelled, since it was a solid book. And I think Image is playing it safe, because I don't think they can afford to publish as many books as DC and Marvel. (Didn't they sell their Wildstorm line to DC? Or was that a personal sale for Jim Lee?)

Jan 21, 2015#242

AshburnerX

I'd be willing to bet that Image is leading solely on the strength of The Walking Dead... and only because Disney hadn't brought the hammer down on Marvel.

I'm pretty sure Wildstorm is DC now.

Jan 21, 2015#243

ThatNickGuy

Jim Lee did sell Wildstorm to DC, but that was his own thing. It was published through Image, but Lee owned all the rights.

And I disagree @AshburnerX. Yes, Walking Dead is certainly Image's biggest seller. No question of that. One look on the shelf at Chapters tells me that. But they've been publishing a number of great, quality books that have sold incredibly well. Saga is the one, which is second to Walking Dead. Then you have all the other phenomenal titles like Chew, Elephantmen, Fatale (or anything by Brubaker and Phillips), Velvet, Invincible, Sex Criminals, and countless others. They're all their own books and they're all unique. In fact, of the ones I listed, each of them could fall under different genres. That's their other strength over Marvel and DC, who are still trying to tout superhero books, which gets boring after awhile. Image has a great deal of variety. Cripes, their big seller is a ZOMBIE comic, which started when the zombie trend hadn't even been a thing yet. And now that that trend has generally subsided, it's still their biggest seller.

Jan 21, 2015#244

AshburnerX

ThatNickGuy said:
Jim Lee did sell Wildstorm to DC, but that was his own thing. It was published through Image, but Lee owned all the rights.

And I disagree @AshburnerX. Yes, Walking Dead is certainly Image's biggest seller. No question of that. One look on the shelf at Chapters tells me that. But they've been publishing a number of great, quality books that have sold incredibly well. Saga is the one, which is second to Walking Dead. Then you have all the other phenomenal titles like Chew, Elephantmen, Fatale (or anything by Brubaker and Phillips), Velvet, Invincible, Sex Criminals, and countless others. They're all their own books and they're all unique. In fact, of the ones I listed, each of them could fall under different genres. That's their other strength over Marvel and DC, who are still trying to tout superhero books, which gets boring after awhile. Image has a great deal of variety. Cripes, their big seller is a ZOMBIE comic, which started when the zombie trend hadn't even been a thing yet. And now that that trend has generally subsided, it's still their biggest seller.

Oh don't get me wrong. I -LOVE- Image Comics. TWD, Chew, and Invincibles are long time favs. I'm just pointing out that TWD is a huge, mondo hit right now and it's available in several easy to find, easy to buy collections. If you want the entire story of TWD, you basically only need to buy like 3 big books and a trade at this point. It's got a lot of meat but it's also one series so it's easy to jump into.

I couldn't even BEGIN to point out what someone needs to understand just what the hell is going on during ANY Marvel event. Even the Civil War collection leaves out huge chunks of the story.

Jan 21, 2015#245

Frank

Image is all I read anymore really. Image is what I share with people who aren't into comics. Saga has made comic readers of more than a few people.

Jan 21, 2015#246

Bubble181

I just don't understand who or what the markete is for these huge cross-overs across 7 titles with 9 issues in each, and these horribly muddled universe shenanigans.
Honestly, I'm not really a comic book fan - I like reading them, rarely if ever buy any except exceptional one-offs, and even so mostly the European ones...But that said, if I was in the mood, say, in an airport, and thought "hey, it'd be cool to read a Superman story" (or find-replace Batman, Spiderman, whatever), the modern titles simply aren't interesting. You can't actually follow what the heck is going on. It seems to me they're just trying to get people who follow one or two series to buy bits of the others as well, to get "the whole story". That's fine for a one time crossover thingy, but...Not continuously. I honestly couldn't tell you the difference between the 5 different Spidermen out there, who or what they are, or why they all exist. having one "universe" Spiderman where there's also a bunch of others, one "more for kids" version, one "stand alone" Spiderman where it's just Spiderman in a "regular" world, that sort of thing I might understand - but if such is the case, honestly, they need to make it clearer. As far as I can see, it's all just one horrible gigantic mess where, if you're not already involved, it's incredibly hard to get in, to find an access point,... How is a random 12 year old supposed to start following this stuff? By torrenting the last 10 issues of the 10 titles involved? yeah, that's not what you want either.
Obviously you need some evolution, and continuity, or long term fans will stop and it'll all get stale. But there's other ways of doing that beyond making it more difficult than your average soap opera.

Jan 21, 2015#247

Gryfter

Sadly, the reason these "Events" keep happening is because people buy them as well as the crossover issues. They will complain that they have to do it to "Get the whole story" but will buy them nonetheless. This falls into the same category for me as Pre-ordering games, the companies will keep doing it as long as the public forks over their money for them,

Jan 21, 2015#248

GasBandit

Gryfter said:
Sadly, the reason these "Events" keep happening is because people buy them as well as the crossover issues. They will complain that they have to do it to "Get the whole story" but will buy them nonetheless. This falls into the same category for me as Pre-ordering games, the companies will keep doing it as long as the public forks over their money for them,

To quote Bo Burnham, "We'll stop beating this dead horse when it stops spitting up money."

Jan 21, 2015#249

Snuffleupagus

GasBandit said:
If by "great" you mean a disheveled tubby real-life suffalupagus who sounds like he's seconds away from shooting himself.

Jan 21, 2015#250

ThatNickGuy

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2015/01/21/the-return-of-milestone-comics/

Looks like we're getting a Milestone Comics 2.0. To which I say FUCKING SOLD! Bring it on!

(I'm a little bit pleased by this announcement.)

Jan 26, 2015#251

Dei

http://toybox.io9.com/islamaphobic-bus-ads-in-san-francisco-are-being-defaced-1681857271

Basically awesome.

Jan 30, 2015#252

ThatNickGuy

http://www.bleedingcool.com/forums/...lywood-An-Apology-Michael-Davis-From-The-Edge

Really great article I just read about how Hollywood constantly takes from the comic book industry without giving back.

Feb 3, 2015#253

ThatNickGuy

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2015/02/03/superman-38-blowing-ebay-gets-new-power-spoiler/

Superman has a new power. What is it? Basically, "Nuclear Bomb Vision."

Ugh.

Feb 3, 2015#254

Gryfter

ThatNickGuy said:
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2015/02/03/superman-38-blowing-ebay-gets-new-power-spoiler/

Superman has a new power. What is it? Basically, "Nuclear Bomb Vision."

Ugh.

Yeah.... that's what Supes needs.... a new power....

Feb 3, 2015#255

ThatNickGuy

Gryfter said:
Yeah.... that's what Supes needs.... a new power....

Could be worse, I suppose.

Feb 3, 2015#256

Yoshimickster

So his whole body an optic nerve now? If so, I hope he takes a Saline bath when he gets home!

Feb 6, 2015#257

ThatNickGuy

Holy shit, I wake up and suddenly hear that DC Comics is making some major changes.

For starters, MASSIVE cancellations of an assortment of titles: Green Lantern Corps, Star Spangled War Stories, Infinity Man And The Forever People, Secret Origins, Red Lanterns and Swamp Thing as well as the expected conclusion of Futures End and World’s End. Also Aquaman And The Others, Klarion and Trinity Of Sin. As well as Batwoman, World’s Finest, Arkham Manor.

Frankly speaking I think this is good. A lot of those were superfluous additions to already established titles - ESPECIALLY Green Lantern, which needed a massive clearance of titles. Or mercy killings like Batwoman, after the kerfuffle with JH Williams.

It also sounds like they're ending the New 52, or at the very least, its branding. They're going to diversify their line-up considerably and from the sounds of it, give creative teams on certain books more freedom. Unfortunately, it also sounds like the same superhero universe will remain the same, which is a bummer. So I'm still stuck without a Superman that I can enjoy in any medium.

Still, here's a list of the new books and creative teams announced so far:
-SUPERMAN, by Gene Luen Yang & John Romita Jr.
(which I'd be interested in because I love Yang's work, but it's still tied to the same universe and I don't like Romita's art)

-Bryan Hitch writing and drawing JUSTICE LEAGUE.
-Garth Ennis & John McCrea return to the Hitman universe with SECTION EIGHT.
(Whaaaat? Okay, I might read that.)

-Ming Doyle and Riley Rossmo on CONSTANTINE: THE HELLBLAZER.
-BLACK CANARY by Brenden Fletcher (same co-writer as the highly regarded new BATGIRL)
-STARFIRE, by Amanda Connor and Jimmi Palmotti, and are also doing HARLEY QUINN/POWER GIRL (plus, HARLEY QUINN'S solo series continues)
-BAT-MITE by Mark Russel and Ben Caldwell (6-issue mini-series)
-PREZ, no creative team announced yet.
-BIZARRO, by Heath Corson and Gustavo Duarte
-New BATMAN BEYOND, by Dan Jurgens and Bernard Chang.
-DOOMED and RED HOOD/ARSENAL, both written by Scott Lobdell
-WE ARE ROBIN, by Lee Berjemo, Rob Haynes, and Khary Randolph
-DR. FATE, by Paul Levitz and Sonny Liew
-ROBIN, SON OF BATMAN, by Patrick Gleason.
-JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001, by Keith Giffen & Howard Porter (replacing JL 3000, so same book, new name)
-EARTH 2: SOCIETY, replacing EARTH 2, by Daniel Wilson and Jorge Jiminez.
-MARTIAN MANHUNTER by writer Rob Williams and artists Ben Oliver and Paulo Siqueira
-MIDNIGHTER by writer Steve Orlando and artist ACO
-CYBORG by writer David L. Walker and artists Ivan Reis and Joe Prado
-OMEGA MEN by writer Tom King and artist Barnaby Bagenda
-MYSTIC U (tentative title) by writer Alisa Kwitney and artist Mauricet
-DARK UNIVERSE by writer James Tynion IV and artist Ming Doyle.
-GREEN LANTERN: LOST ARMY by Cullen Bunn, art by Jesus Saiz and Javi Pina.

So...wow. Yeah, big changes going on and some titles legitimately sound interesting. It really sounds like they're trying to diversify their chain of comics probably to compete with Image, who has slowly been taking over comics with a phenomenally diverse line of comics.

Bleeding Cool has an ongoing tag on any new updates:
http://www.bleedingcool.com/tag/juneminirelaunch/

And here's the article that breaks the news officially:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=59085

And here's a very good, comprehensive list so far:
http://talkingcomicbooks.com/2015/02/06/dc-comics-end-new-52-convergence-24-new-titles-due/[DOUBLEPOST=1423230587,1423230022][/DOUBLEPOST]Thing is, as diverse as they're trying to sell this as, they're all still superhero books when you boil it down.

Image Comics right now has a vastly diverse line. And we're still stuck with the same DC Universe that has more in common with early 90s Image comics.

Feb 6, 2015#258

AshburnerX

Glad to see Batman Beyond is sticking around. The digital one they've been doing was pretty good...

Feb 6, 2015#259

ThatNickGuy

From what I can tell, this is the best, most comprehensive article so fa. Includes some cover art, too.

http://www.newsarama.com/23456-dc-reveals-major-changes-new-direction-for-comic-book-line.html

Feb 6, 2015#260

Frank

Ok, so I just listened to a podcast where they mentioned that it seems like Joker's being billed as some mystical super regenerating immortal being.

The fuck?

Feb 6, 2015#261

Bubble181

Frank said:
Ok, so I just listened to a podcast where they mentioned that it seems like Joker's being billed as some mystical super regenerating immortal being.

The fuck?

The Joker = Loki. Half Life 3 confirmed.

Feb 6, 2015#262

ThatNickGuy

Frank said:
Ok, so I just listened to a podcast where they mentioned that it seems like Joker's being billed as some mystical super regenerating immortal being.

The fuck?

Yup. And people still hail Snyder as the best writer ever?

Feb 6, 2015#263

fade

Frank said:
Ok, so I just listened to a podcast where they mentioned that it seems like Joker's being billed as some mystical super regenerating immortal being.

The fuck?

It's been hinted in the past that he may have some regenerative ability--I don't recall where, but it's been there before. He keeps escaping from these deadly catastrophes, which I just chalked up to drama. I recall it used to even be on the Joker Wikipedia page.

Feb 6, 2015#264

Yoshimickster

Plus with the legion of victims he's killed who'd logically want to and try to kill him, it kinda makes sense that there's some supernatural force keeping him alive.

Feb 6, 2015#265

AshburnerX

The kind of undermines the character though... Batman too. The whole appeal of The Joker is that, despite the fact that he has zero powers, he's still (by far) the most dangerous man on the planet because of his ability to plan and prepare and to his ability to improvise on the spot. The only reason he's not as dangerous as guys like Darksied is because he doesn't have a god damn planet backing his schemes.

Making his survival tied to a power just makes everything he does far less impressive.

Feb 6, 2015#266

ThatNickGuy

AshburnerX said:
The kind of undermines the character though... Batman too. The whole appeal of The Joker is that, despite the fact that he has zero powers, he's still (by far) the most dangerous man on the planet because of his ability to plan and prepare and to his ability to improvise on the spot. The only reason he's not as dangerous as guys like Darksied is because he doesn't have a god damn planet backing his schemes.

Making his survival tied to a power just makes everything he does far less impressive.

Bingo. Joker's draw is the same as Batman: he's just a regular guy. One of the most dangerous, terrifying guys on the planet, but still just a regular guy. Giving him powers nullifies some of that.

Feb 6, 2015#267

AshburnerX

ThatNickGuy said:
Bingo. Joker's draw is the same as Batman: he's just a regular guy. One of the most dangerous, terrifying guys on the planet, but still just a regular guy. Giving him powers nullifies some of that.

It's not even that you can't do a good story with the Joker having powers. The Mask/Joker one shot was pretty great and the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode where he got Batmite's powers was a lot of fun. But these were one shots. The Joker doesn't need powers to scare a city into submission. Just give him a sniper rifle and a vantage point... or poison and access to a major food company's production line... or even just a boutonniere and the wherewithal to walk the streets for a few nights.

He can literally walk into a room and cause mass panic. What do regenerative powers add to him, as a character?

Feb 6, 2015#268

Bowielee

Yeah, screw the Joker having powers. His only power is that he's so beyond logic and reason that he pretty much embodies chaos, but with a terrifying intelligence underlying it all. Joker is every bit as smart as Batman.

Also, even though DC has gone the route of "canon... LOL", there was a time where Joker needed to be revived using a Lazarus Pit, which he wouldn't have needed if he had crazy regenerative abilities.

Feb 6, 2015#269

Gryfter

Meh.... DC can shake things up all they want... just not interested anymore.

Feb 6, 2015#270

CynicismKills

I remember the one time it was interesting for Joker to have powers when he stole Mr. Mxylplyk's abilities and basically built a universe where he gets to kill and revive Batman whenever he wants. Something like that. I remember it being a pretty good read, all in all.

Feb 6, 2015#271

Yoshimickster

I feel the story should just ALLUDE he has powers, giving him one straight up takes away the mystery to him.

Feb 6, 2015#272

Bowielee

CynicismKills said:
I remember the one time it was interesting for Joker to have powers when he stole Mr. Mxylplyk's abilities and basically built a universe where he gets to kill and revive Batman whenever he wants. Something like that. I remember it being a pretty good read, all in all.

I want to say that was the Emperor Joker storyline.

Feb 6, 2015#273

filmfanatic

Bowielee said:
I want to say that was the Emperor Joker storyline.

Yep, that was the Emperor Joker storyline. Joker managed to trick Mr. Mxyzptlk into revealing his secret imp name and got 99% of Mxy's power, rather than the 1% that he was intending to transfer to Joker.

Feb 24, 2015#274

GasBandit

What.

Coming in march:

Of all the fashion trends I can't wait to be done, long hair with the sides of one's head shaved is definitely in the top 3.

Sorry-not-sorry, but it makes a person look like a toddler's doll, said toddler having gotten carried away playing "haircut."

Feb 24, 2015#275

ThatNickGuy

GasBandit said:
What.

Coming in march:

Of all the fashion trends I can't wait to be done, long hair with the sides of one's head shaved is definitely in the top 3.

Sorry-not-sorry, but it makes a person look like a toddler's doll, said toddler having gotten carried away playing "haircut."

So...you're saying the hair is outrageous? Truly, truly outrageous?

Feb 24, 2015#276

GasBandit

ThatNickGuy said:
So...you're saying the hair is outrageous? Truly, truly outrageous?

I just hope the music's not contagious, or god help us all.

Feb 24, 2015#277

Bowielee

It's probably coming out to hype up this.

Feb 24, 2015#278

GasBandit

Bowielee said:
It's probably coming out to hype up this.

Yeah, but they could have done it without making Kimber look like she'd suck dick for Krokodil, you know?

Feb 24, 2015#279

AshburnerX

GasBandit said:
Of all the fashion trends I can't wait to be done, long hair with the sides of one's head shaved is definitely in the top 3.

Shaving the sides of your head and keeping part of it long is a long standing punk style that's only recently become mainstream. As someone who's always dug it, I'm actually kind of happy more people are trying it out.

Feb 24, 2015#280

Bowielee

You're awfully close to getting cameltoe from Jem in that dress, as well.

Feb 24, 2015#281

GasBandit

AshburnerX said:
Shaving the sides of your head and keeping part of it long is a long standing punk style that's only recently become mainstream. As someone who's always dug it, I'm actually kind of happy more people are trying it out.

[DOUBLEPOST=1424823107,1424822911][/DOUBLEPOST]

Bowielee said:
You're awfully close to getting cameltoe from Jem in that dress, as well.

Given that Jem is a holographic construct, I'm pretty sure that (if desired) modesty can be "almost" unprotected from every angle simultaneously. Sort of like the old rotating tease hologram they used to sell at the expensive gizmo stores in the mall back in the 90s.

Feb 24, 2015#282

CynicismKills

I'm not surprised IDW's cranking out a Jem comic at all, they're basically got the market on 80's-90's cartoon revival comics. Transformers (two titles) and TMNT (all of which are amazing), plus I think they use GI Joe too?

Feb 24, 2015#283

AshburnerX

CynicismKills said:
I'm not surprised IDW's cranking out a Jem comic at all, they're basically got the market on 80's-90's cartoon revival comics. Transformers (two titles) and TMNT (all of which are amazing), plus I think they use GI Joe too?

They did a Ghostbusters one for awhile too that was pretty fun.

Feb 24, 2015#284

Covar

CynicismKills said:
I'm not surprised IDW's cranking out a Jem comic at all, they're basically got the market on 80's-90's cartoon revival comics. Transformers (two titles) and TMNT (all of which are amazing), plus I think they use GI Joe too?

They do.

I read the first issue of this (Advance preview for retailers) and it was enjoyable. I've never seen the show, but the art was good and if you were a fan as a child I would recommend it.

Feb 24, 2015#285

Celt Z

AshburnerX said:
Shaving the sides of your head and keeping part of it long is a long standing punk style that's only recently become mainstream. As someone who's always dug it, I'm actually kind of happy more people are trying it out.

It's only now becoming main stream? During the mid-90's, most the guys at my school had that haircut. (The top was long and the sides were shaved.) Considering at that age (13-16) most of these guys' parents were paying for this haircut, I don't think you can get more "mainstream" than that.
Unless we're only taking about it being a haircut for women.

Feb 24, 2015#286

Yoshimickster

Christ, what old cartoon isn't going to get a comic revival eventually? Samurai Jack, Powerpuff Girls, Invader Zim (Not a JTHM sequel but still awesome), Dexter's Lab, sky is the damn limit!

Feb 24, 2015#287

AshburnerX

Celt Z said:
It's only now becoming main stream? During the mid-90's, most the guys at my school had that haircut. (The top was long and the sides were shaved.) Considering at that age (13-16) most of these guys' parents were paying for this haircut, I don't think you can get more "mainstream" than that.
Unless we're only taking about it being a haircut for women.

Yeah, just for women.

Feb 24, 2015#288

GasBandit

Yoshimickster said:
Christ, what old cartoon isn't going to get a comic revival eventually? Samurai Jack, Powerpuff Girls, Invader Zim (Not a JTHM sequel but still awesome), Dexter's Lab, sky is the damn limit!

I'll take some guesses...
COPS! Fighting crime in a future time!
Spiral Zone (though it could be a great story if retooled to be less kiddy-oriented)
Kidd Video
Let's Go Ghostbusters!
Camp Candy
Swat Kats
The Get-Along Gang
The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang
Laverne & Shirley in the Army
The Snorks
Police Academy
The Potato Head Kids
Rubik the Amazing Cube
Turbo Teen
The Wuzzles
Oh, and Pole Position (Sorry Keltzy).

I'd be willing to bet most, if not all, of the above will not see resurrection in comic form.

Also you and I have different definitions of what qualifies as an "old" cartoon.

Feb 24, 2015#289

Yoshimickster

I can not wait for a Swat Kats revival, YOU WERE SITTING ON A GOLD MINE TURNER! They had a jet, a car, a villain voiced by Frank Welker, that's toyline gold! "I don't like violence!" WELL WE SURE AS FUCK DID!

Feb 25, 2015#290

PatrThom

What about the gritty He-Man reboot?
Everything will be mud-colored, it'll be like the difference between 70's Batman and 90's Batman.

--Patrick

Feb 25, 2015#291

Covar

DC is/was putting out a He-man series by Keith Giffen.

Feb 25, 2015#292

HCGLNS

But what about Roger Ram-Jet?

Feb 28, 2015#293

ThatNickGuy

Oh my god...

OH MY GOD.

Feb 28, 2015#294

Hailey Knight

GasBandit said:
Of all the fashion trends I can't wait to be done, long hair with the sides of one's head shaved is definitely in the top 3.

Sorry-not-sorry, but it makes a person look like a toddler's doll, said toddler having gotten carried away playing "haircut."

Gas = totally not punk.

I would think what'd get you mad about that cover is the asymmetrical boots that don't make any sense.

Feb 28, 2015#295

ThatNickGuy

*fist pump!* Yes! I've earned a rare tag from @GasBandit! That's like finally earning a rare, golden whatchamacallit in one of them video game thingies.

Feb 28, 2015#296

Hailey Knight

ThatNickGuy said:
*fist pump!* Yes! I've earned a rare tag from @GasBandit! That's like finally earning a rare, golden whatchamacallit in one of them video game thingies.

It's called a Triforce, you PC bourgeois pig.

Feb 28, 2015#297

figmentPez

GasBandit said:
Sort of like the old rotating tease hologram they used to sell at the expensive gizmo stores in the mall back in the 90s.

A discussion on hologram toys a few weeks ago got me thinking about how there used to be stores in the mall that sold nothing but holograms. Holy shit were the 80's weird.

Mar 1, 2015#298

ThatNickGuy

Yes.

YES.

YES!

YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Ahem, yes well. That is to say...I am pleased by this news.

Mar 1, 2015#299

PatrThom

figmentPez said:
A discussion on hologram toys a few weeks ago got me thinking about how there used to be stores in the mall that sold nothing but holograms. Holy shit were the 80's weird.

There was a museum in SoHo, NY dedicated to ~~having a really big gift shop~~ displaying many of the holograms that were popular at the time. I was there for 6 months but never made a point to go in (probably because admission to the exhibit area was too expensive for my $130/wk salary to afford).

--Patrick

Mar 1, 2015#300

ThatNickGuy

Sequart has released their latest documentary. This one on Dr. Fredric Wertham.

I haven't watched it yet, myself, but having watched two of their docs before (Grant Morrison, and the Image Revolution), I can say they put out good stuff.

Mar 12, 2015#301

Bowielee

So, I haven't really been following the Marvel Universe. The last storyline I followed was AvX.

Apparently, Marvel is doing its own Crisis on Infinite Earths.

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/01/20/secret-wars-marvel-universe

Mar 12, 2015#302

CynicismKills

Which is too bad because there are a couple of really solid stories going right now. Spider-Man and the X-Men is fantastic (better than the main SM book, Slott really needs to be moved off it), and Deadpool is still going strong.

Mar 12, 2015#303

filmfanatic

CynicismKills said:
Which is too bad because there are a couple of really solid stories going right now. Spider-Man and the X-Men is fantastic (better than the main SM book, Slott really needs to be moved off it), and Deadpool is still going strong.

I also have to add The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl as a title I hope doesn't end. It's still pretty new, but the writing (by Ryan North, best known for Dinosaur Comics) is really fun and top-notch.

Mar 12, 2015#304

DarkAudit

Three words that make me cringe to this day. "Secret Wars," and "Beyonder." :hide:

Mar 12, 2015#305

CynicismKills

filmfanatic said:
I also have to add The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl as a title I hope doesn't end. It's still pretty new, but the writing (by Ryan North, best known for Dinosaur Comics) is really fun and top-notch.

I don't particularly care for that one, plus the art makes my face hurt.

Mar 12, 2015#306

filmfanatic

CynicismKills said:
I don't particularly care for that one, plus the art makes my face hurt.

I don't mind the art that much myself, even though certain characters do end up looking odd. I'm still in the midst of trying out some of Marvel's more recent fare, and I had heard good buzz on it.

Another title I've found to be good is Ms. Marvel.

Mar 12, 2015#307

ThatNickGuy

http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/dc-comics-debuts-new-costumes-for-superman-wonder-woman

New costumes for Superman and Wonder Woman.

Judging by these visuals, Superman is part of Fight Club, now?

Mar 12, 2015#308

Bowielee

CynicismKills said:
Which is too bad because there are a couple of really solid stories going right now. Spider-Man and the X-Men is fantastic (better than the main SM book, Slott really needs to be moved off it), and Deadpool is still going strong.

The best part about a Deadpool comic is that he can exist outside of continuity and can actually make fun of the situations of a reboot.[DOUBLEPOST=1426179330,1426179169][/DOUBLEPOST]

ThatNickGuy said:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/dc-comics-debuts-new-costumes-for-superman-wonder-woman

New costumes for Superman and Wonder Woman.

Judging by these visuals, Superman is part of Fight Club, now?

I actually like the new WW costume, but really, has DC run out of so many ideas that they're just going to rehash Superboy's outfit? I mean, it worked for him because he was a disaffected teenager.

This is like your dad getting a Beiber haircut to try to relate to you.

Mar 12, 2015#309

Gryfter

ThatNickGuy said:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/dc-comics-debuts-new-costumes-for-superman-wonder-woman

New costumes for Superman and Wonder Woman.

Judging by these visuals, Superman is part of Fight Club, now?

Wow. I especially love the bloody wraps on Sups fists... really screams Superman.

Mar 12, 2015#310

Ravenpoe

ThatNickGuy said:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/dc-comics-debuts-new-costumes-for-superman-wonder-woman

New costumes for Superman and Wonder Woman.

Judging by these visuals, Superman is part of Fight Club, now?

I really like Wonder Woman's new costume. But, uh... did someone tell Supes it was casual friday?

Mar 12, 2015#311

Bowielee

Gryfter said:
Wow. I especially love the bloody wraps on Sups fists... really screams Superman.

I know they're trying to make them kind of a stand in for the red in his cape, but making his fist wraps red makes him look like he just beat someone to death.

Well, that's probably what they're going for anyway, seeing as superman is all about the murder now. I don't know how many people followed the start of the New 52, but one of the first things Superman did murder Dr. Light under the influence of Pandora's Box. So, I guess DC just wants to see Superman become a murder because they think that will make him a "deeper character".

Mar 12, 2015#312

ThatNickGuy

Bowielee said:
The best part about a Deadpool comic is that he can exist outside of continuity and can actually make fun of the situations of a reboot.[DOUBLEPOST=1426179330,1426179169][/DOUBLEPOST]
I actually like the new WW costume, but really, has DC run out of so many ideas that they're just going to rehash Superboy's outfit? I mean, it worked for him because he was a disaffected teenager.

This is like your dad getting a Beiber haircut to try to relate to you.

Yeah, I actually don't hate the Wonder Woman one. Have some issues with it, like the shoulder pads. And while I get what they were trying for with the stars up the, the one star just looks silly on her side like that.

Mar 12, 2015#313

Frank

WW's knife bracers are kinda silly.

Mar 12, 2015#314

Gryfter

Bowielee said:
I know they're trying to make them kind of a stand in for the red in his cape, but making his fist wraps red makes him look like he just beat someone to death.

The blood splattered at his feet really sells that.

Mar 12, 2015#315

ThatNickGuy

Frank said:
WW's knife bracers are kinda silly.

They belong on Hawkman, not Wonder Woman.

Mar 12, 2015#316

Gryfter

Yeah, WW's bracers are a bit much.... imagine what will happen when she punches someone with them..... won't that be a tad bloody.

I applaud them on making an attempt at a non-skimpy outfit for her but does anyone think it will last? Judging form the last three times they've done this she'll be back in the one piece within a year.

Mar 12, 2015#317

Null

The Wonder Woman outfit is almost there, but just not quite right.

Superman... just looks fundamentally wrong. Jeans, T-shirt, and bloody fists? He looks more like a psychotic vigilante who wants to be like Superman, but is really more like Travis Bickle.

Dear DC: Superman shouldn't look like a street thug. You've gotten this badly wrong.

Mar 12, 2015#318

SpecialKO

Null said:
Dear DC: Superman shouldn't look like a street thug. You've gotten this badly wrong.

I can only assume this is part of their long-term plot to re-convince us that the Man of Steel version of the character was actually a decent depiction of Superman.

Mar 12, 2015#319

Bowielee

OMG, At Earth's End was actually the vision of Superman for DC all along!!!!!!!!!

Mar 12, 2015#320

Sparhawk

Bowielee said:
OMG, At Earth's End was actually the vision of Superman for DC all along!!!!!!!!!

View attachment 17734

When the heck did Cable become Superman?

Mar 12, 2015#321

Yoshimickster

Oh lord I almost wish for an Animal Man style conversation where New 52 Superman talks with Post-Crisis Superman.

Mar 16, 2015#322

ThatNickGuy

http://www.themarysue.com/vocal-minority-fans-practical-costumes/

I was never a big fan of Erik Larsen and I never like J. Scott Campbell's work.

Fortunately, thanks to this, I don't feel so bad about that anymore.[DOUBLEPOST=1426552299,1426552102][/DOUBLEPOST]Then again, I can't imagine much maturity from a man who created Heavy Flo

(Warning: Image not safe for work OR sanity.)

Mar 16, 2015#323

Bowielee

I love the new Batgirl design. I wish it were on someone other than Barbara Gordon, though

I still hate that DC got rid of one of the most prominent disabled heroes this side of Daredevil.

Mar 16, 2015#324

Celt Z

Being familiar with both their work, neither of their opinions surprise me (though I am disappointed with Campbell, having enjoyed his work since the early 90's.) Boohoo that "sexy" isn't a priority for women characters, tiniest violin for them. I like that a lot of the redesigns are focused more on looking cool and believable (-ish) rather than "fappable". Not everything is perfect (not loving Wonder Woman's weird pointy gauntlets, for example), but it's a million times better than the "high heels and bathing suits" these guys (and a number of others) have been passing off as "uniforms" for the past 25+ years. And yes, while there has been sexist costumes from the dawning of comics, it feels like it started to reach a fever pitch coming out of the 80's and into the 90's.

Mar 16, 2015#325

PatrThom

I have to say I'm in with the crowd of people who think the Wonder Wolverina outfit is a bit much.

--Patrick

Mar 16, 2015#326

ThatNickGuy

I actually like this movement in comics towards making females less sexualized or just for the male gaze. The great thing is they can still be sexy without being sexualized (there's a big difference).

My favourite example? I've mentioned it before: Cameron Stewart's redesign of Catwoman, which has been her outfit ever since its debut:

It's sleek, sexy, but practical. Especially for a gymnast/tumbler character like Catwoman.

But ever since Stewart and Rick Burchett stopped drawing her, there's been more empahsis on drawing her with the zipper pulled down nearly to her naval.

Sexy? Sure. But it's needless, impractical, and is only done to sexualize her.

Mar 16, 2015#327

GasBandit

PatrThom said:
I have to say I'm in with the crowd of people who think the Wonder Wolverina outfit is a bit much.

--Patrick

Seriously, how do you twirl a lasso or pilot an invisible jet with those things?

Mar 16, 2015#328

Celt Z

I'd be afraid to brush a stray hair off my face and accidentally remove my nose in the process.

Mar 16, 2015#329

GasBandit

ThatNickGuy said:
or just for the male gaze.

Oh no! Not the MALE GAZE!
Heh, seriously, every time someone talks about "the male gaze" it makes me think they're talking about some kind of mind-controlling supervillain.

DON'T BE CONTROLLED BY....

THE MALE GAZE!!

Mar 16, 2015#330

ThatNickGuy

GasBandit said:
Oh no! Not the MALE GAZE!
Heh, seriously, every time someone talks about "the male gaze" it makes me think they're talking about some kind of mind-controlling supervillain.

DON'T BE CONTROLLED BY....
View attachment 17760
THE MALE GAZE!!

Given the largely target audience, it's not that far fetched.

Though that description is hilarious.

Mar 16, 2015#331

filmfanatic

ThatNickGuy said:
Given the largely target audience, it's not that far fetched.

Though that description is hilarious.

Honestly, the Male Gaze would probably be pals with Dr. Psycho.

Mar 16, 2015#332

Null

Erik Larsen can shut the fuck up.

Here's the thing. There's nothing wrong with sexy. Sexy is great. But a female heroine shouldn't *just* be eye candy. She should look badass, not ridiculous. Let's take different versions of the same character: Gamora the assassin, from Guardians of the Galaxy. In her earlier versions, she's wearing effectively nothing: a belt of metal spangles and a mesh body stocking.

Sexy, but kind of ridiculous, not at all badass.

Later versions did away with the body stocking and instead had her in some strategically placed ribbons. Again, sexy, but ridiculous.

Then you've got the "stormtrooper" armored version (I think J Scott Campbell did that one) from more recent years - still a hot green skinned space babe, but one that looks like she can kick ass and take names with the best of them.

And then you have the MCU version - bracers, sleeveless semi-mesh shirt, and trousers.

Simple, functional, looked fantastic on Zoe Saldana, and she had some of the best fight scenes in the movie. So you can have sexy without being ridiculous.

The "vocal minority" argument is severely undercut by some simple facts: the MCU costumes are, by and large, far more practical than their comic book counterparts, for obvious reasons, and the Marvel movies have made seriously all of the fucking money. The Winter Soldier made $700,000,000 worldwide. Guardians of the Galaxy made almost $800,000,000. So in one summer, Marvel Cinematic Universe made almost 1.5 BILLION dollars. That's way more than they've made selling comics for probably the last decade. When you have more people seeing the movies than reading the comics, and the movies viewers liking the more practical costumes, that's a pretty strong argument.

(copypasta'd from discussing it on FB with David Faught et al)

Mar 17, 2015#333

Ravenpoe

GasBandit said:
Seriously, how do you twirl a lasso or pilot an invisible jet with those things?

I assume they're retractable.

Mar 17, 2015#334

figmentPez

PatrThom said:
I have to say I'm in with the crowd of people who think the Wonder Wolverina outfit is a bit much.

It just dawned on me, they're not Wolverine, those spikes are Azrael:

And they looked just as stupid when he was using them.

Mar 17, 2015#335

Bubble181

She's just a Protoss hybrid. I don't see what you are all complaining about.

Mar 17, 2015#336

Bowielee

That's what's funny. The part of the outfit that looks the worst has absolutely NOTHING to do with how covered up her body is.

Mar 17, 2015#337

GasBandit

This Batgirl variant cover has been cancelled due to controversy.

Mar 17, 2015#338

CynicismKills

"I don't like how you express yourself, so stop it."

Mar 17, 2015#339

figmentPez

I thought journalist and cosplayer Meredith Placko had some good thoughts on the matter.

More of her thoughts here.

Mar 17, 2015#340

Celt Z

I've seen a lot of back-and-forth on it, but I can't blame people. The current Batgirl is aimed at a younger and female audience. The Nu52 (ugh) has negated the events of The Killing Joke, which wasn't about Batgirl in the first place (she was targeted, sexually assaulted and eventually paralyzed because she was a ~~plot device~~ Com. Gordon's daughter). Whether it was in poor taste or not, the reference has nothing to do with the current run and probably wasn't a good choice for a cover.

Mar 17, 2015#341

Covar

Stan Lee wrote women better than Alan Moore.

Mar 17, 2015#342

ThatNickGuy

One key argument, as Celt referred to - and one that I agree with - is that tonally, the cover does not suit the current run of the book. The current run is more light-hearted and fun, aiming at a younger audience. Not kids, specifically, but at the very least, a younger audience than adults.

The Killing Joke, on the other hand - which this cover represents - is a very adult story.

As Kurt Busiek has discussed at length on Twitter, a cover should always - even these variant covers - represent the content you'll find when you open to the first page. If this cover was used for an anniversary edition of The Killing Joke, then it would've made more sense. But not for the more light-hearted book in the current run of Batgirl.

Keep in mind that the cover was cancelled at the request of the artist himself.

Also, would the people that posted pictures please put them behind spoiler cuts? Not because it's spoiler content, but because they're giant images and it's a pain to scroll through them to read back through comments. That's why I put mine behind spoiler cuts.

Mar 18, 2015#343

GasBandit

More joker cover drama: The hugbox is real.

Mar 18, 2015#344

chris

Celt Z said:
I've seen a lot of back-and-forth on it, but I can't blame people. The current Batgirl is aimed at a younger and female audience. The Nu52 (ugh) has negated the events of The Killing Joke, which wasn't about Batgirl in the first place (she was targeted, sexually assaulted and eventually paralyzed because she was a ~~plot device~~ Com. Gordon's daughter). Whether it was in poor taste or not, the reference has nothing to do with the current run and probably wasn't a good choice for a cover.

That's the confusing thing. Everything got a reset except the Batman lore. In Scott Snyders "Death of the Family" we see Gordon talks about old wounds with holding pictures of Barbara in a hospital bed and Joker arrested at a carnival/fair. Batman mention Batman Incorporated, Damien and Joker recalls that he killed Jason Todd once.

Mar 18, 2015#345

GasBandit

@MindDetective

A hugbox is an "echo chamber" where a discussion brooks no opposing viewpoints for the sake of "making sure everyone feels comfortable and secure."

The image chain in the link shows users in a twitter conversation thread bemoaning that "Batman is never shown like this [powerless/helpless like the controversial batgirl cover]" and challenging anyone to "Show me the cover. Show me the instance where Batman is fully the victim of the Joker on a cover where he is stripped of all agency."

Comic fans then take turns sending the innumerable covers that show exactly that - Batman chained up, tied up, tortured, etc (and for good measure, also included the scenes of the Joker beating Robin to death with a crowbar and the famous "ghost Robin accusing Batman" cover)... and subsequently being blocked on twitter by those who issued the snide challenge instead of admitting they were wrong and have no idea what they're talking about. Because the HUGBOX MUST BE PRESERVED.

Mar 18, 2015#346

MindDetective

GasBandit said:
@MindDetective

A hugbox is an "echo chamber" where a discussion brooks no opposing viewpoints for the sake of "making sure everyone feels comfortable and secure."

The image chain in the link shows users in a twitter conversation thread bemoaning that "Batman is never shown like this [powerless/helpless like the controversial batgirl cover]" and challenging anyone to "Show me the cover. Show me the instance where Batman is fully the victim of the Joker on a cover where he is stripped of all agency."

Comic fans then take turns sending the innumerable covers that show exactly that - Batman chained up, tied up, tortured, etc (and for good measure, also included the scenes of the Joker beating Robin to death with a crowbar and the famous "ghost Robin accusing Batman" cover)... and subsequently being blocked on twitter by those who issued the snide challenge instead of admitting they were wrong and have no idea what they're talking about. Because the HUGBOX MUST BE PRESERVED.

Thanks. I've never heard that term before, although I could tell what was going on I the images just fine. In psychology we refer to motivated reasoning and cognitive dissonance to discuss such things.

Mar 18, 2015#347

Bowielee

MindDetective said:
Thanks. I've never heard that term before, although I could tell what was going on I the images just fine. In psychology we refer to motivated reasoning and cognitive dissonance to discuss such things.

I think that cognitive dissonance is one of the psychology terms that people throw around without really understanding what it means... particularly when they're experiencing it in regards to their own behavior

Mar 18, 2015#348

figmentPez

GasBandit said:
@MindDetective

A hugbox is an "echo chamber" where a discussion brooks no opposing viewpoints for the sake of "making sure everyone feels comfortable and secure."

And, since there are several comments about it on the Imgur, "Galbrush Threepwood" is a reference to the difficulty of putting female characters into a space dominated by male characters. Guybrush Threepwood is a subversion of competent male heroes. Monkey Island's humor often revolves around the fact that Guybrush succeeds despite being an incompetent idiot. You couldn't do the same story/jokes with a female protagonist, because a woman failing at being a hero, and needing to be rescued, or succeed by luck, was/is the established adventure trope. That's the problem Batgirl runs into. Batman tied up and helpless is a subversion of the usual state of a comic book hero. Batgirl tied up and helpless... is less clear. Has Batgirl been established as a competent heroine, enough that being tied up is counter to expectations? Or is she still burdened with the history of the genre, such that people still expect a female character to be helpless and in imminent danger? It depends on who you ask, and the details of the image, and who the image was made for, and a hundred other little details.

Mar 18, 2015#349

Null

Mar 18, 2015#350

PatrThom

I like how Ray has completely obscured the features below the "S."
They are not necessary and would only create distraction, therefore they have been removed.
Also, good job on the facial expression.

--Patrick

Mar 18, 2015#351

CynicismKills

Null said:

Honestly? If we got some kind of OH GOD HE'S BACK arc and Supes was scared as fuck to face Doomsday, I'd read the hell out of it.

Mar 18, 2015#352

Hailey Knight

The comics equivalent of GamerGaters are calling this the return of the comics code. -_-

Mar 18, 2015#353

figmentPez

CynicismKills said:
Honestly? If we got some kind of OH GOD HE'S BACK arc and Supes was scared as fuck to face Doomsday, I'd read the hell out of it.

They did that, a little. It was called Superman/Doomsday Hunter/Prey. It featured Clark having nightmares about Doomsday coming back. Of being a child again, going down the dark stairs into the cellar, and being terrified, only to find that Doomsday is the monster lurking in the dark. So Clark heads out to try to track down Doomsday's corpse (which has already come back to life.) It wasn't a very good story. The worst part was Doomsday's origin, which is just... dammit, evolution does not work that way. You cannot clone the cells of something that's been killed and have the clone be stronger.

Mar 18, 2015#354

Hailey Knight

figmentPez said:
They did that, a little. It was called Superman/Doomsday Hunter/Prey. It featured Clark having nightmares about Doomsday coming back. Of being a child again, going down the dark stairs into the cellar, and being terrified, only to find that Doomsday is the monster lurking in the dark. So Clark heads out to try to track down Doomsday's corpse (which has already come back to life.) It wasn't a very good story. The worst part was Doomsday's origin, which is just... dammit, evolution does not work that way. You cannot clone the cells of something that's been killed and have the clone be stronger.

Unless it's a saiyan.

Mar 18, 2015#355

PatrThom

figmentPez said:
They did that, a little. It was called Superman/Doomsday Hunter/Prey. It featured Clark having nightmares about Doomsday coming back. Of being a child again, going down the dark stairs into the cellar, and being terrified, only to find that Doomsday is the monster lurking in the dark. So Clark heads out to try to track down Doomsday's corpse (which has already come back to life.) It wasn't a very good story. The worst part was Doomsday's origin, which is just... dammit, evolution does not work that way. You cannot clone the cells of something that's been killed and have the clone be stronger.

I remember reading that.

--Patrick

Mar 23, 2015#356

Ravenpoe

The latest Jimquisition touches on the differences between editing and censorship, and uses the Batgirl cover as an example. Good video.

Mar 27, 2015#357

ThatNickGuy

http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/5187607.html

Daredevil got a new costume this week in his own comic. As a huge fan of Daredevil, I was ready to hate this but dammit all if Mark Waid doesn't make it work. It's completely in line with the character and story that he's been telling during this run.

Mar 27, 2015#358

Gryfter

All New Avengers (starting after Secret War) written by Mr. Waid.

Mar 27, 2015#359

chris

ThatNickGuy said:
http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/5187607.html

Daredevil got a new costume this week in his own comic. As a huge fan of Daredevil, I was ready to hate this but dammit all if Mark Waid doesn't make it work. It's completely in line with the character and story that he's been telling during this run.

Somehow I misread that as Deadpool got a new costume. He would probably wearing a suit like that with a fixed face. As for Matt Murdock, now he really looks like a daring devil.

Mar 27, 2015#360

ThatNickGuy

Now I desperately want him to team up with the Warren Ellis version of Moon Knight.

Mar 27, 2015#361

Yoshimickster

He looks like he was copied and pasted from a pulp comic, a nice surreal look.

Mar 27, 2015#362

CynicismKills

ThatNickGuy said:
Now I desperately want him to team up with the Warren Ellis version of Moon Knight.

Man this was one of the best reads of the year so far, I wish Ellis would stay on MK forever.

Mar 27, 2015#363

Ravenpoe

ThatNickGuy said:
Now I desperately want him to team up with the Warren Ellis version of Moon Knight.

... this needs to be an official team-up turned into a movie. They're just begging for a slick soundtrack.

Mar 27, 2015#364

Frank

Gryfter said:
All New Avengers (starting after Secret War) written by Mr. Waid.

I guess that clears up any question whether Miles Morales would be Spider-Man prime after Secret Wars.[DOUBLEPOST=1427474442,1427474384][/DOUBLEPOST]

Zero Esc said:
The comics equivalent of GamerGaters are calling this the return of the comics code. -_-

I'd take a bet there's a bit of crossover there.

Mar 27, 2015#365

CynicismKills

There's also a cover that's been floating around, let me see if I can find it...

So it looks like we might get that whole OMD shit undone at last with whatever happens in Secret Wars. Maybe Peter will finally retire for awhile, let Miles handle things.

Mar 27, 2015#366

Gryfter

CynicismKills said:
There's also a cover that's been floating around, let me see if I can find it...

So it looks like we might get that whole OMD shit undone at last with whatever happens in Secret Wars. Maybe Peter will finally retire for awhile, let Miles handle things.

Yeah, unfortunately, Slott is still writing this.

Mar 27, 2015#367

CynicismKills

Gryfter said:
Yeah, unfortunately, Slott is still writing this.

I think one of the two big things that bothers me about this is with all the writer rotations there have been and will be with SW coming up, Slott is still stuck like fucking glue to Spider-Man (the other thing being his special snowflake character Silk). Everything up to Superior was pretty good, I'll give him that, but the man needs to be pulled off the book so we can get some fresh blood in there.

Mar 27, 2015#368

AshburnerX

CynicismKills said:
There's also a cover that's been floating around, let me see if I can find it...

So it looks like we might get that whole OMD shit undone at last with whatever happens in Secret Wars. Maybe Peter will finally retire for awhile, let Miles handle things.

It's not REALLY going to be undone until they can come up with a justifiable reason for WHY Spider-man would have made the deal to begin with (hint: there isn't one) or admit that the deal was the single, dumbest thing that anyone could have done in that situation. I'm with Linkara on this one: it was such an out of character moment for Spidey that the sheer idiocy of the event needs to be addressed and rebuked before it can ever be undone.

Unfortunately, I don't think anyone over at Marvel is going to be willing to shit over Joe Quesada that degree... which is a shame, because he frankly deserves it.

Mar 27, 2015#369

CynicismKills

AshburnerX said:
It's not REALLY going to be undone until they can come up with a justifiable reason for WHY Spider-man would have made the deal to begin with (hint: there isn't one) or admit that the deal was the single, dumbest thing that anyone could have done in that situation. I'm with Linkara on this one: it was such an out of character moment for Spidey that the sheer idiocy of the event needs to be addressed and rebuked before it can ever be undone.

Unfortunately, I don't think anyone over at Marvel is going to be willing to shit over Joe Quesada that degree... which is a shame, because he frankly deserves it.

In-universe (or in Slott's mind) nobody seems to know how the fuck Spidey acts anyway because NOBODY noticed he was talking, acting and doing all that Saturday-Morning-Villain shit for goddamn months. The Avengers were sated with Ock's fake indignation at getting his mind read, and in Spider-Man and the X-Men every mutant seems to already think he's the worst person on the planet (even though Wolverine vouched for him constantly until he died).

Parker Luck is one thing, but Slott just lets everyone in-universe shit all over Peter while SpOck could do no wrong. Then he introduced Silk, who was Spider-Man, but all her powers worked better.

It's just sad to see one of the more genuine humans in Marvel get written like he has been lately, while there's so many better writers out there who could make SM something really special again.

Mar 28, 2015#370

ThatNickGuy

"You address omnipotence. Thread carefully."
(Pun intended on 'thread.')
@Bowielee, you'll appreciate this one, I think.

Mar 28, 2015#371

GasBandit

The Infinity Mitten!

Apr 11, 2015#372

ThatNickGuy

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2015/04/10/jack-kirbys-darkseid-wants-to-come-to-your-house/

Anyone got a spare $600 they could lend me?

Apr 12, 2015#373

figmentPez

ThatNickGuy said:
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2015/04/10/jack-kirbys-darkseid-wants-to-come-to-your-house/

Anyone got a spare $600 they could lend me?

Darkseid looks like he needs to eat more fiber.

Apr 12, 2015#374

ThatNickGuy

figmentPez said:
Darkseid always looks like he needs to eat more fiber.

FTFY.

Apr 12, 2015#375

evilmike

ThatNickGuy said:
FTFY.

Maybe Darkseid just had some bad coffee?

Apr 21, 2015#376

HCGLNS

Iceman is gay now, cool!

Apr 21, 2015#377

PatrThom

HCGLNS said:
Iceman is gay now, cool!

Let the jokes begin!

--Patrick

Apr 21, 2015#378

ThatNickGuy

Being told by a telepath or not, I'm sorry, but a character being told they're gay by someone else? That's just bad form, in my opinion.

Apr 21, 2015#379

HCGLNS

ThatNickGuy said:
Being told by a telepath or not, I'm sorry, but a character being told they're gay by someone else? That's just bad form, in my opinion.

Maybe the Devore were just really really really homophobic?

Apr 21, 2015#380

mikerc

ThatNickGuy said:
Being told by a telepath or not, I'm sorry, but a character being told they're gay by someone else? That's just bad form, in my opinion.

2 things stop this from being too bad for me.

1) Jean doesn't tell him "you're gay" so much as "I know you know you're gay".
2) She at least has the decency to take him aside for a private conversation rather than blurting it out in front of their teammates forcibly outing him in the process.

Which brings up another problem, is young!Bobby going to come out after this (and why run the storyline if he's not?), which will basically involve outing old!Bobby against his will. "Bad form" doesn't begin to cover that. OTOH young!Bobby being forced to stay in the closet to let old!Bobby stay in there seems even worse.

Unless Marvel are actually going to try and claim that even though he younger version of a character is gay, the older version is still straight as an arrow? That's not how sexuality works!

Apr 21, 2015#381

Zappit

But then, suddenly...Beast never pulled the young X-Men from his own past, but actually pulled them from an alternate dimension, which in fact spared them from destruction when the young X-Men's universe was destroyed by the Convergence, or whatever the hell the universe-ending thing is called. And in that now nonexistent universe, Bobby was, in fact, gay, which totally explains why adult Bobby is straight! I'm calling it now. Marvel invents an entire universe and kills it, all to explain away that plot hole.

Apr 21, 2015#382

Bowielee

I haven't read X-men since AvX, so I don't have any clue what's going on with the time travelling X-men other than the original issue where Beast brings them forward in time.
I do have to state that they have actually hinted at Bobby being gay in the past a couple of times, so this wouldn't be totally out of left field. Emma Frost very vaguely hinted at it when she inhabited his body.
There was also a storyline during the period of time around the "Riot at Xavier's" arc where Northstar develops a crush on Iceman and he actually questions his own sexuality a bit.

Apr 22, 2015#383

CynicismKills

Bowielee said:
I haven't read X-men since AvX, so I don't have any clue what's going on with the time travelling X-men other than the original issue where Beast brings them forward in time.
I do have to state that they have actually hinted at Bobby being gay in the past a couple of times, so this wouldn't be totally out of left field. Emma Frost very vaguely hinted at it when she inhabited his body.
There was also a storyline during the period of time around the "Riot at Xavier's" arc where Northstar develops a crush on Iceman and he actually questions his own sexuality a bit.

Beast for some reason, along with basically every X-Man save for (the now dead) Wolverine, is a total twat. This was before the temporary personality-swap thing in Axis. He brings the young X-Men team to the present and things basically spiral out of control. The best thing to come of all this nonsense was young Cyclops' now-complete solo series where he ended up on his dad's starship traveling the cosmos.

Apr 22, 2015#384

Bubble181

mroosc1979 said:
younger version of a character is gay, the older version is still straight as an arrow? That's not how sexuality works!

Number of people I know who've self-identified as gay/lesbian in youth, had some long-term homosexual relationships, later had heterosexual relations and now self-identify as either straight or bisexual: hmmm....Well, easily 8. Probably more if I think a bit further. Y'know, Kinsey-scale and all that. Considering yourself either straight or gay and ending up having feelings for someone of the "other" sex after all isn't all that weird or uncommon. "straight as an arrow", no, but, for different cultural reasons, still in the closet and/or less inclined to give in to homosexual feelings, push them away, etc? That's pretty much exactly how sexuality works IRL instead of on TV/comics.

Apr 22, 2015#385

@Li3n

Zappit said:
But then, suddenly...Beast never pulled the young X-Men from his own past, but actually pulled them from an alternate dimension, which in fact spared them from destruction when the young X-Men's universe was destroyed by the Convergence, or whatever the hell the universe-ending thing is called. And in that now nonexistent universe, Bobby was, in fact, gay, which totally explains why adult Bobby is straight! I'm calling it now. Marvel invents an entire universe and kills it, all to explain away that plot hole.

Actually, by the way time travel has always worked in the MU the fact that they pulled the out of the past would create an alternate timeline if any changes, no matter how small, happen. Unless they have a doomlock i guess...

Bubble181 said:
That's pretty much exactly how sexuality works IRL instead of on TV/comics.

Yeah, IRL people lie about it (even to themselves) all the time...

Apr 22, 2015#386

figmentPez

mroosc1979 said:
2 things stop this from being too bad for me.

1) Jean doesn't tell him "you're gay" so much as "I know you know you're gay".
2) She at least has the decency to take him aside for a private conversation rather than blurting it out in front of their teammates forcibly outing him in the process.

Which brings up another problem, is young!Bobby going to come out after this (and why run the storyline if he's not?), which will basically involve outing old!Bobby against his will. "Bad form" doesn't begin to cover that. OTOH young!Bobby being forced to stay in the closet to let old!Bobby stay in there seems even worse.

Unless Marvel are actually going to try and claim that even though he younger version of a character is gay, the older version is still straight as an arrow? That's not how sexuality works!

All this brings up the question,why not have him be bisexual? Why "full gay" as Jean so crudely puts it? Let him be bi, or even pan, and he could still have a strong preference for men that he's been hiding all this time, but it would still allow his established relationships with women to be real and honest.

Apr 22, 2015#387

Bubble181

Well, yeah, like I said, haven't read. If the writers make one 'full gay' (whatever that is?) and one 'straight as an arrow', that's just dumb.

Apr 22, 2015#388

@Li3n

figmentPez said:
All this brings up the question,why not have him be bisexual? Why "full gay" as Jean so crudely puts it? Let him be bi, or even pan, and he could still have a strong preference for men that he's been hiding all this time, but it would still allow his established relationships with women to be real and honest.

Because: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NoBisexuals

Just ask Rictor.

Apr 24, 2015#389

Null

So Frank Miller is working on "Dark Knight III: The Master Race"

All I can think is "train wreck full of whores"

Apr 24, 2015#390

Yoshimickster

Null said:
So Frank Miller is working on "Dark Knight III: The Master Race"

All I can think is "train wreck full of whores"

UUUUUUUUUUUUGH, will he just let that series DIE?! "Dark Knight 2" was dumb enough.

Apr 24, 2015#391

Celt Z

Yoshimickster said:
UUUUUUUUUUUUGH, will he just let that series DIE?! "Dark Knight 2" was dumb enough.

Because somewhere in his festering brain, Frank Miller is thinking, "They're using my comics for a summer blockbuster! The world is crying out for more ~~whoreswhoreswhoreswhoreswhores~~ dark drama!"

EDIT: I can't ever think about Frank Miller anymore without thinking of this:

Apr 24, 2015#392

filmfanatic

Celt Z said:
Because somewhere in his festering brain, Frank Miller is thinking, "They're using my comics for a summer blockbuster! The world is crying out for more ~~whoreswhoreswhoreswhoreswhores~~ dark drama!"

Why can't he just retire? All that ~~terrible attitude of women, other races, and humanity in general~~ dark drama is clearly not doing him any favors.

Apr 24, 2015#393

fade

Carrie started out well, but then she is so degraded in DKR2. Every gain is negated x 10.

Apr 24, 2015#394

GasBandit

filmfanatic said:
Why can't he just retire? All that ~~terrible attitude of women, other races, and humanity in general~~ dark drama is clearly not doing him any favors.

Dude looks like an expressionist portrait.

Apr 24, 2015#395

PatrThom

GasBandit said:
Dude looks like an expressionist portrait.

Dude looks like Robert Englund.
...with his makeup.

--Patrick

Apr 24, 2015#396

Bowielee

figmentPez said:
All this brings up the question,why not have him be bisexual? Why "full gay" as Jean so crudely puts it? Let him be bi, or even pan, and he could still have a strong preference for men that he's been hiding all this time, but it would still allow his established relationships with women to be real and honest.

Again, I feel the need to point out that this did not come out of the blue. It has been hinted at quite a few times for the mainstream timeline Bobby Drake. I don't know if you know a lot of gay men, but I know MANY guys who had wives and children and didn't come out till much later in life. That doesn't negate their relationships that they had prior to coming out.

Apr 24, 2015#397

AshburnerX

My thoughts? He's probably sick and needs the payday to pay for his treatment/hospital stuff... and with Batman Vs. Superman coming out (inspired by the Dark Knight) it's likely WB offered him a shit ton of money to do this.

Apr 28, 2015#398

@Li3n

Damn, my "Supes hates Lois, but at least she's not fat" post is gone... now where will i find that pic again if i ever need it?

May 7, 2015#399

DarkAudit

Some of you guys may want to look away...

DC Comics Has Made Superman Nearly Unrecognizable.

May 7, 2015#400

CynicismKills

DarkAudit said:
Some of you guys may want to look away...

DC Comics Has Made Superman Nearly Unrecognizable.

While I agree that they're changing too much, too fast, I think the author kind of took it personally because he sounds really upset. Desecration might be going a bit too far.

May 7, 2015#401

Null

CynicismKills said:
While I agree that they're changing too much, too fast, I think the author kind of took it personally because he sounds really upset. Desecration might be going a bit too far.

I just don't get what the point of those changes are, to be honest.

May 7, 2015#402

CynicismKills

I dunno, I mean they did this back with the Death Of thing, Supes had minimal powers for awhile after coming back, and then there was that weird Electro-Supes too. I'm sure DC is just struggling to find some new angles to make things work in the books. Drastic changes could bring people in for a book or two to see how things differ, but it could backfire after that.

May 7, 2015#403

Bowielee

I'm officially done with Superman as a character. The "Batmanification" of the DC universe is just abhorrent. It's pretty bad when the old Vertigo imprints are the only comics with non-morally ambiguous heroes.

I don't care if they change his costumes, his powers, or whatever. But they're fundamentally changing WHO Superman is. He's the big blue boy scout. He's supposed to be the moral center and ideal of the DC universe.

I don't know who this clown is, but he's not Superman.

What I find hilarious in all this is that they think that this is what makes Superman boring, yet Captain America is basically the analogue of this in the Marvel Universe and he's INCREASING in popularity.

The reason that super heroes are so hot right now is because everything fucking sucks in the world. We NEED heroes. We need icons to look up to. That's the entire point of superheroes, particularly Superman.

May 7, 2015#404

Yoshimickster

I would like to point out that Supes new power...is called "Solar Flare". YUP- I knew this day would come, they are turning Superman into Goku.

May 7, 2015#405

@Li3n

Bowielee said:
What I find hilarious in all this is that they think that this is what makes Superman boring, yet Captain America is basically the analogue of this in the Marvel Universe and he's INCREASING in popularity.

That's because Supes problem was never his "whatever the writer wants" powers, as other DC heroes also suffered from that, it was always DC's decades of hero worship and mary-sueness of him (hey, he's the 1st comic superhero) leaving everyone with the idea that Supes should just super-punch his way out of anything etc.

Like that "How it should have ended" of Supes 1, where he just effortlessly catches both missiles in a few seconds... that's just how everyone's been conditioned to see him, and why, whenever he get depowered, he just steadily creeps his way back to silver age levels of ridiculous...

I guess some people just think that they can undo that stuff by making him less of a goody two shoes, but, imo, that only makes the problem worse by making him not be Superman, which just leads to the Mary-Sueperman to come back in force again...

....

I can't believe i'm saying this, but Smallville had it right back when it started to introduce other heroes... Aquaman can swim faster and is stronger in/near water, Kid Flash could run circles around him etc... (as an aside "Those where for charity, Clark." was such a great line btw)

Make Mogul be stronger then him again, have Wonder Woman be slightly weaker, but a better warrior, stop making Supes able to just steal GL rings from peoples fingers... stop letting him beat up Darkseid alone while in a JL cartoon because he got mad (he's not a saiyan/human hybrid).

Just think of ways for him to win that don't require him to just dominate his opponent at the end of the fight.

Heh, that reminds me of DBZ vs Dragon Ball... after Frieza almost every big fight was pretty much the fighters getting a powerboost and using it to win, while in DB Goku usually won by pretty close margins (King Piccolo left him only 1 working hand, he barely beat Piccolo at the tournament by throwing him out of the ring etc.)

May 8, 2015#406

fade

Looks like Marvel is retconning the Maximoffs.
http://io9.com/marvel-confirms-scarlet-witch-and-quicksilver-are-no-lo-1703112599

I.e. they're streamlining the MCU and 616, and fucking over Sony in the process.

Then again, I'm not really sure I share I09's view on this. It's not terribly far off the original story. As a commenter points out, the Magneto bit was a retcon itself.

TL;DR: The Maximoffs are now once again the real parents, and the High Evolutionary kidnapped them, altered them, and disguised them as "common mutants". Kind of back to square 1.

May 8, 2015#407

Bowielee

Yeah, it's a retcon of a retcon of a retcon. First they were just the Maximoff's mutant children, then they were the children of Miss America and The Wizzer, then they were Magneto's children, now they're back to being the Maximoff's children, just not mutants.

May 8, 2015#408

@Li3n

Pretty sure the Whizzer/Miss America thing was their first origin, and before that they where just there... so it was technically not a retcon...

...

So, are they supposed to be gypsies now, because they kind of have the wrong facial features...

May 8, 2015#409

Bowielee

@Li3n said:
Pretty sure the Whizzer/Miss America thing was their first origin, and before that they where just there... so it was technically not a retcon...

...

So, are they supposed to be gypsies now, because they kind of have the wrong facial features...

They didn't know they were "adopted" at first, they thought the Maximoffs were their actual parents. I could be wrong though, that's stretching WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY back in the memory banks of thousands of issues of comics. Hell Wizzer's been dead since before I was born, I think.

May 8, 2015#410

chris

@Li3n said:
Heh, that reminds me of DBZ vs Dragon Ball... after Frieza almost every big fight was pretty much the fighters getting a powerboost and using it to win, while in DB Goku usually won by pretty close margins (King Piccolo left him only 1 working hand, he barely beat Piccolo at the tournament by throwing him out of the ring etc.)

Goku also outwitted his opponents, using their advantage against them.

May 8, 2015#411

@Li3n

Bowielee said:
They didn't know they were "adopted" at first, they thought the Maximoffs were their actual parents. I could be wrong though, that's stretching WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY back in the memory banks of thousands of issues of comics. Hell Wizzer's been dead since before I was born, I think.

I meant they just started off as just some mutants, with no background except "Mags saves them from a mob", so technically they had no origin to retcon...

May 8, 2015#412

Null

@Li3n said:
Pretty sure the Whizzer/Miss America thing was their first origin, and before that they where just there... so it was technically not a retcon...

...

So, are they supposed to be gypsies now, because they kind of have the wrong facial features...

Even among the Roma-descended Gypsies, there are large differences in appearance. Romanian gypsies are often brown or olive skinned with slightly eastern features, but Russian gypsies - though from the same original stock - blended much more thoroughly and are often much more slavic or western looking. Also, are they supposed be actually be Roma, or just drifters with the same kind of lifestyle as Travelers?

May 9, 2015#413

Frank

So, I listened to a podcast by guys who like comics, Marvel comics in fact, to the point they get complaints that they don't cover DC stuff enough and they were fucking baffled by Secret Wars. It's such a convoluted mess, even comic book people are confused. I was like, how much could there be to get confused about. Then I saw the NeoGaf thread about it.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1041685

HOLY SHIT. How does anyone keep this shit in some semblance of coherency?

I'll be back when this is over to enjoy 10 or so months of comics before the next hyperion supreme ultimate collision of annihilation ultimatum destruction of fucking all universes collide wars.

May 9, 2015#414

CynicismKills

It sounds like a lot of that is just tertiary fluff, but yeah that's a shitload of comics. Sounds like the new universe won't boot up till September or later.

May 9, 2015#415

Bowielee

So, from everything I've gathered, this is Marvel's attempt at Crisis on Infinite Earths. Not sure how I feel about it, but I stopped reading right after AvX, so I'm not interested. However, X-tinction Agenda is one of my favorite X-Men stories, so I'm slightly curious about that.

May 9, 2015#416

Frank

CynicismKills said:
It sounds like a lot of that is just tertiary fluff, but yeah that's a shitload of comics. Sounds like the new universe won't boot up till September or later.

I've read enough of Marvel's big event stories to know that while some of the side books aren't necessary, a lot of them are to make the main issues make sense. Axis was fucking dreadful for this.

May 9, 2015#417

CynicismKills

Frank said:
I've read enough of Marvel's big event stories to know that while some of the side books aren't necessary, a lot of them are to make the main issues make sense. Axis was fucking dreadful for this.

That's true, I ended up dropping Axis until it was done and just reading the big fight issues with Red Skullzilla and the personality swapping nonsense.

May 9, 2015#418

DarkAudit

They said the dirty word. Beyonder. At that point I stopped listening or caring.

May 9, 2015#419

ThatNickGuy

Jesus, and I thought DC's Convergence was confusing enough.

Why the hell did either company think this shit was a good idea in the first place? This is the most convoluted crap I've seen in a long while.

May 9, 2015#420

Frank

They do it because people buy them. The first issue of Secret Wars is 5 bucks and NOTHING HAPPENS.

May 9, 2015#421

ThatNickGuy

Frank said:
They do it because people buy them. The first issue of Secret Wars is 5 bucks and NOTHING HAPPENS.

I can't help but think about the long term. Yeah, they sell NOW, but how well does AvX, Secret Invasion, House of M, Blackest Night, or Final Crisis sell now compared to reader-friendly, self-contained books? They probably pale in comparison to the numbers of, say, All Star Superman or Batman: Long Halloween, Hush, the Earth One books, etc. Hell, even an older event like Infinity Gauntlet is still pretty accessible. It felt like it when I read it for the first time and went in blind.

May 9, 2015#422

Null

Honestly, shit like this is why I don't read comics.

May 9, 2015#423

ThatNickGuy

Null said:
Honestly, shit like this is why I don't read comics.

I hope they don't turn you away completely because there's some great stuff that's self contained.

May 9, 2015#424

Bowielee

Also, Marvel and DC aren't the only companies that make comic books

May 9, 2015#425

Hailey Knight

Shit like this is why I quit the general stuff back when I was a 10-year-old who wasted what little money he had trying to keep up with the Spider-man Clone Saga.

But yeah, there are collections and graphic novels that are deep, enthralling, and actually have a beginning, middle, and end.

May 9, 2015#426

Bowielee

Zero Esc said:
Shit like this is why I quit the general stuff back when I was a 10-year-old who wasted what little money he had trying to keep up with the Spider-man Clone Saga.

But yeah, there are collections and graphic novels that are deep, enthralling, and actually have a beginning, middle, and end.

The clone saga was also when I stopped buying monthly issues. I've pretty much only gotten trades since then.

May 9, 2015#427

Sparhawk

I just read what I like, I don't worry about reading "everything" that has to do with a character I follow. If I'm interested in a cross-over I'll get the main book, but don't worry about the rest of it. The whole Spider-verse that just happened, I just kept reading the two books I read, didn't get the Spider-Gwen/Silk/Spider-Woman stuff, just didn't interest me that much, and I was able to follow the story very well.

May 9, 2015#428

Null

Bowielee said:
Also, Marvel and DC aren't the only companies that make comic books

What makes you think I don't know that?

I've collected the original Dark Horse Aliens vs Predator series (which would still be a WAY better movie than the last dozen or so), I have most of the run of BERSERK (DH Manga), I even had a few issues of TMNT.

But honestly I lost interest in keeping up with comics around the Fall of the Mutants Saga.

May 9, 2015#429

fade

The Clone Saga was what did it for me, too. Wonder how much damage that event did to the comic industry.

May 9, 2015#430

ThatNickGuy

Sparhawk said:
I just read what I like, I don't worry about reading "everything" that has to do with a character I follow. If I'm interested in a cross-over I'll get the main book, but don't worry about the rest of it. The whole Spider-verse that just happened, I just kept reading the two books I read, didn't get the Spider-Gwen/Silk/Spider-Woman stuff, just didn't interest me that much, and I was able to follow the story very well.

I find there's many events that don't have that accesibility. Blackest Night pisses me off the most, especially how they collected it. At the time, Didio said you could just read the main series without any other books. And that's a bold faced lie because Hal Jordan just kind of disappears early into the book, only to show up again with half a dozen new characters that hadn't been shown at all up to that point (in the main series itself). You needed to buy the main GL book to see that part of the story, which was collected separately.

Civil War is like that, though admittedly to a lesser extent. I read Siege recently and it was mostly self contained but there was a lot of character motivations or changes explained in other issues.

You know what I don't get? The big team books like JLA and Avengers are supposed to be dealing with these big threats. Why not just put them in those main books without having a giant crossover event? They're already crossing over in that team book. Why make it redundant?

May 9, 2015#431

Sparhawk

fade said:
The Clone Saga was what did it for me, too. Wonder how much damage that event did to the comic industry.

Well, I can account for one comic shop that closed not too long afterwards. But we were also hit, at around the same time, with a dip in gaming sales and the crash of the sports cards industry.

May 9, 2015#432

Hailey Knight

Sparhawk said:
I just read what I like, I don't worry about reading "everything" that has to do with a character I follow. If I'm interested in a cross-over I'll get the main book, but don't worry about the rest of it. The whole Spider-verse that just happened, I just kept reading the two books I read, didn't get the Spider-Gwen/Silk/Spider-Woman stuff, just didn't interest me that much, and I was able to follow the story very well.

But you can't do that always. Again back at the Clone Saga, each Spider-man title was Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 of that month's story, so it was impossible to just read Amazing Spider-man or Web of.

May 9, 2015#433

Sparhawk

I can do it always. I have a budget, I stick to my budget. Marvel has gotten better about doing summaries than they used to be, like during the 90s, and even then I didn't buy books just to get "part" of the story. You make the choice and give the message with your purchases. If you aren't buying everything involved in the crossover, the stores don't order more of everything is the crossover and finally Marvel/DC get the message. Currently Marvel is being better about filling in the gaps for those that don't buy it all.

DC is currently acting like 1990s Marvel in their editorial decisions, hopefully they turn that around faster than 20 years. Because if they don't, DC won't be a comic company in 20 years.

May 9, 2015#434

@Li3n

Null said:
Also, are they supposed be actually be Roma, or just drifters with the same kind of lifestyle as Travelers?

The dad is named Django...

Also, we don't have any equivalent to Irish Travelers in this part of Europe.

As for blond gypsies, if they're actually not just orphans they picked up (and we did have some fucked up orphanages in the 90's), they still have certain features that would stand out...

May 9, 2015#435

CynicismKills

Frank said:
They do it because people buy them. The first issue of Secret Wars is 5 bucks and NOTHING HAPPENS.

Multiple characters die and the world ends, how is that nothing?

May 9, 2015#436

Hailey Knight

Sparhawk said:
I can do it always. I have a budget, I stick to my budget. Marvel has gotten better about doing summaries than they used to be, like during the 90s, and even then I didn't buy books just to get "part" of the story. You make the choice and give the message with your purchases. If you aren't buying everything involved in the crossover, the stores don't order more of everything is the crossover and finally Marvel/DC get the message. Currently Marvel is being better about filling in the gaps for those that don't buy it all.

DC is currently acting like 1990s Marvel in their editorial decisions, hopefully they turn that around faster than 20 years. Because if they don't, DC won't be a comic company in 20 years.

I don't mean part of in that "these are different plot threads", I mean the stuff that should logically be in the next issue of that monthly because it's following what that character does next, but instead it's in some other book.

I guess I wouldn't know if they've gotten better, because like I said, I gave up on that shit. That was me voting with my dollar. Two minutes on Wikipedia or a five-minute video and I get caught up on years of comic book soap opera nonsense, enough to know what people are talking about when it's time for stuff to be in the movies.

May 9, 2015#437

ThatNickGuy

Looking at it from the point of view of trades, my best example is Fables. I've said this multiple times, but I used to LOVE that series...until the crossover with Jack of Fables. In trades, Fables went from Volume 11 to 12 (or around there), yet to understand what was going on in the crossover, you had to read Jack of Fables Volume 1-3 (or so, I stopped reading the series after volume 2). I shouldn't have to go from Volume 11 to 12 in a series without needing to read several volumes of something else or refer to Wikipedia to fully understand what's going on.

The fact that Fables turned into this giant franchise - with crossovers and spin-offs - is exactly the sort of thing I bought Vertigo titles like it to avoid.

May 9, 2015#438

Frank

The Great Fables crossover is where I stopped reading Fables too. Never cared about Jack of Fables and that whole crossover was almost entirely Jack-centric. Like a big ad saying PLEASE BUY THESE COMICS TOO!

May 10, 2015#439

Gryfter

ThatNickGuy said:
................................. Didio .............. bold faced lie ......

This is a lot of what's wrong with DC currently.

May 11, 2015#440

tegid

I got into comics with the Ultimate line. It seemed to be free of all this bullshit... Until it wasn't :/

May 11, 2015#441

Bowielee

DC: SEE, COME ON GUYS, SUPERMAN ALWAYS CHANGES HIS POWERS!

They're trying awfully hard to justify this new power.

May 11, 2015#442

Bubble181

Personally, I honestly don't care about a new power. He's had dozens. It's the personality change and the way he behaves towards the world that's a problem.

May 11, 2015#443

Bowielee

Bubble181 said:
Personally, I honestly don't care about a new power. He's had dozens. It's the personality change and the way he behaves towards the world that's a problem.

I said that pretty explicitly a few posts back

I went and saw Age of Ultron again last night.

You know what the Avengers did? Made sure that the people were safe even while being attacked by a literal army of Ultrons.

May 11, 2015#444

ThatNickGuy

The weird thing is, conceptually, I don't mind the idea of the new power. It's a natural extension of him being a big solar battery. And I like the idea that it leaves him temporarily depowered while he "recharges."

It's just that the character is still not my Superman.

Edit: Aaaand I just realised that's pretty much what everyone else is saying.

May 11, 2015#445

PatrThom

ThatNickGuy said:
Edit: Aaaand I just realised that's pretty much what everyone else is saying.

Yeah. It's more like he's becoming Super-Nova/Nova Omega.

--Patrick

May 11, 2015#446

figmentPez

Bowielee said:
DC: SEE, COME ON GUYS, SUPERMAN ALWAYS CHANGES HIS POWERS!

They're trying awfully hard to justify this new power.

That infographic makes no mention of super-breath, super-weaving, super-mathematics, super-ventriloquism, super-landscaping, and how do you even sum up the power Superman got in issue #125....

May 11, 2015#447

PatrThom

figmentPez said:
That infographic makes no mention of super-breath, super-weaving, super-mathematics, super-ventriloquism, super-landscaping, and how do you even sum up the power Superman got in issue #125....

<Francis_Says_Gayyy.jpg>

Also don't forget the super-smooch-amnesia from the movie.

--Patrick

May 11, 2015#448

Bowielee

PatrThom said:
<Francis_Says_Gayyy.jpg>

Also don't forget the super-smooch-amnesia from the movie.

--Patrick

Or the ability to throw a giant cellophane S shield at his enemies.

May 11, 2015#449

PatrThom

Bowielee said:
Or the ability to throw a giant cellophane S shield at his enemies.

And the teleportation, the holography, the statues...

--Patrick

May 11, 2015#450

ThatNickGuy

figmentPez said:
That infographic makes no mention of super-breath, super-weaving, super-mathematics, super-ventriloquism, super-landscaping, and how do you even sum up the power Superman got in issue #125....

Don't forget when he could shoot TINY SUPERMEN FROM HIS HANDS!
http://goodcomics.comicbookresource...lity-to-shoot-mini-supermen-out-of-his-hands/

May 11, 2015#451

@Li3n

Bowielee said:
View attachment 18232

What, no freeze breath? Or super-weaving?

May 11, 2015#452

PatrThom

@Li3n said:
What, no freeze breath? Or super-weaving?

figmentPez said:
That infographic makes no mention of super-breath, super-weaving, super-mathematics, super-ventriloquism, super-landscaping, and how do you even sum up the power Superman got in issue #125....

--Patrick

May 11, 2015#453

evilmike

Brick vision!

May 12, 2015#454

CynicismKills

Thor's identity revealed:

Jane Foster. She also has aggressive cancer so she's dying a little more every time she becomes Thor.

May 12, 2015#455

@Li3n

Well, that's... the most obvious way they could go.

May 12, 2015#456

@Li3n

PatrThom said:
--Patrick

Yeah, well, sometimes one feels the need to say it oneself.

May 12, 2015#457

Bowielee

PatrThom said:
--Patrick

The power to be in one of Lois Lane's dreams?

May 12, 2015#458

Celt Z

CynicismKills said:
Thor's identity revealed:

Jane Foster. She also has aggressive cancer so she's dying a little more every time she becomes Thor.

I'm sorry, has Matt Weiner been secretly writing Thor?*

*Yes, I realize this only makes sense if you've watched this past Sunday's Mad Men.

May 12, 2015#459

GasBandit

Celt Z said:
I'm sorry, has Matt Weiner been secretly writing Thor?*

*Yes, I realize this only makes sense if you've watched this past Sunday's Mad Men.

At first I thought you meant Zach Weiner (of SMBC)

May 12, 2015#460

CynicismKills

GasBandit said:
At first I thought you meant Zach Weiner (of SMBC)

Nah if he was writing it there'd be at least 20 extra pages.

May 12, 2015#461

GasBandit

CynicismKills said:
Nah if he was writing it there'd be at least 20 extra pages.

And there'd always be a punchline that involved someone with opaque glasses being a sociopath.

May 12, 2015#462

CynicismKills

I'm honestly not a huge fan of SMBC, I think he gets a little too wordy and obtuse sometimes instead of just delivering the joke he wants.

May 12, 2015#463

fade

It can be funny, but it's very recycled. I think his writing style goes 1: hear about science concept 2: take it to illogical extreme 3: either use kids, politicians, sex, or aliens as a vehicle to drive concept to extreme 4: illustrate crudely, ensuring that 90% of couples in strip are gay couples.

May 13, 2015#464

figmentPez

If I had the money to buy comics, I would be reading The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl.

May 13, 2015#465

fade

Hmm... Not sure I like my Galactus dropping slang anymore than my Superman dropping Kryptonians.

May 13, 2015#466

Covar

fade said:
Hmm... Not sure I like my Galactus dropping slang anymore than my Superman dropping Kryptonians.

Squirrel girl's a funny book, things that go on, in her book are as relevant and important to companies shared universe as Deadpool and Lobo's.[DOUBLEPOST=1431533771,1431533636][/DOUBLEPOST]Related. Read some previews for the new Bizarro and Bat-mite titles coming this June. They look like they're going to be a lot of fun.

May 13, 2015#467

evilmike

fade said:
Hmm... Not sure I like my Galactus dropping slang anymore than my Superman dropping Kryptonians.

I suspect that, just as Galactus' form appears different to different life forms because of his transcendental nature, his slang usage is dependent on the observer. Heck, @Bubble181 probably sees those comic panels in Dutch.

May 13, 2015#468

PatrThom

fade said:
Hmm... Not sure I like my Galactus dropping slang anymore than my Superman dropping Kryptonians.

Maybe he's been drinking again.

--Patrick

May 13, 2015#469

CynicismKills

I just hate the art in the book, to me it's right next to Ramos and Land in terms of unappealing.

May 14, 2015#470

@Li3n

PatrThom said:
Maybe he's been drinking again.

--Patrick

Pfft, everyone cool knows Big G is down with it...

He just doesn't like talking during dinner, coz manners...

May 20, 2015#471

Null

So apparently the THORS are sort of like Marvel's Green Lantern Corps - a universal police force made up of those who are worthy. So you have The Mighty Thor, Thor Odinsen, Odin, Lady Thor, Thororo (Storm Thor), Throg Frog of Thunder, Beta Ray Bill, Groothor (yes, Thor is Groot), Destroyer Thor, Loki Thor (I am not kidding), etc.

May 20, 2015#472

CynicismKills

The Thors thing is due to how this whole Secret Wars/Battleworld thing is playing out. They worship Doom as a God now, as opposed to Odin, and are basically his police force on Battleworld.

May 20, 2015#473

PatrThom

They actually remembered frog Thor???

--Patrick

May 20, 2015#474

Null

PatrThom said:
They actually remembered frog Thor???

--Patrick

Apparently he's the Richard Belzer type cop on the Thors corps.

May 20, 2015#475

AshburnerX

PatrThom said:
They actually remembered frog Thor???

--Patrick

They never forgot. He's shown up on Ultimate Spider-man at least once.

May 22, 2015#476

Yoshimickster

PatrThom said:
They actually remembered frog Thor???

--Patrick

I saw a frog Thor at comic con a couple weeks ago! You just TRY saying a Throg cosplayer isn't a geek, IMPOSSIBLE!

May 30, 2015#477

ThatNickGuy

http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/5346680.html?view=161740408

A preview for We Are Robin. I love the concept and the execution from this preview makes it look like it has potential.

Too bad it's a DC comic, so no buy for me.

May 30, 2015#478

Gryfter

ThatNickGuy said:
http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/5346680.html?view=161740408

A preview for We Are Robin. I love the concept and the execution from this preview makes it look like it has potential.

Too bad it's a DC comic, so no buy for me.

Wonder if it will last long enough for the arc where Joker finds out about them and goes on a Robin killing spree.

May 30, 2015#479

ThatNickGuy

Gryfter said:
Wonder if it will last long enough for the arc where Joker finds out about them and goes on a Robin killing spree.

If it gets cancelled, you get bet that'll happen sometime later after that.

May 30, 2015#480

DarkAudit

Gryfter said:
Wonder if it will last long enough for the arc where Joker finds out about them and goes on a Robin killing spree.

ANOTHER one?

Jun 1, 2015#481

Hailey Knight

what the fuck

Is this Marvel's Crisis on Infinite Earths or their Nu52? Is this how they're ending Fantastic Four and X-Men? This seems ... like a not good thing.

Jun 1, 2015#482

CynicismKills

Basically there's a ton of little sidestories going on while the big one does. It's okay, some are great and some are meh.

Jun 1, 2015#483

PatrThom

Zero Esc said:
what the fuck

Is this Marvel's Crisis on Infinite Earths or their Nu52? Is this how they're ending Fantastic Four and X-Men? This seems ... like a not good thing.

Is this their way of announcing a Marvel MOBA?

--Patrick

Jun 1, 2015#484

DarkAudit

It's Jim Shooter coming back to take a massive dump on all things Marvel.

Jun 4, 2015#485

CynicismKills

So, the Star Wars and Darth Vader comics have been running for awhile now and are both pretty good reads (the art in Vader's pretty hit/miss, though). They take place between New Hope and Empire.

In the most recent issue of SW, however, some big news:

Han Solo is still married, and his wife is not happy with him. She follows him and Leia to a remote neutral planet to confront him about something.

Jun 5, 2015#486

CynicismKills

First teaser image for the post-Secret Wars Marvel.

So we have:
Spider-Gwen
Spider-Man (Peter, maybe?)
Vision
Spider-Miles
Coulson (I assume)
Spider-Woman
Black Panther
Captain America/Falcon
Captain Grandpa/Steve Rogers
Iron Man (no idea yet who's in the suit)
Ant-Man (I think it's Lang)
Thor (identity recently revealed, won't spoil it)
Ms. Marvel
Some Indian Guy

They've also said there's a big shakeup with Hulk coming that will supposedly make "the people who complained about Thor upset again."

Jun 5, 2015#487

tegid

That Iron Man is... running. That's weird. There must be some changes, which also show in the suit's design. This makes me curious (but not much, because, you know... tired of so many changes)

Also, the vision's design seems to be updated to match the MCU, right?ç

Jun 5, 2015#488

figmentPez

Is this, different, image official? (larger size)

Huh, it seems so.

I really don't know who at least a 1/3 of these are. I do recognize:

Rocket Racoon
The Thing
Medusa
Daredevil
Doctor Strange with a freaking axe?
X-23 in Wolverine's costume
Starlord
Old-man Logan

No clue on the one flying in the blue glow, patriot with the sword, teenage doom in a green hoodie, nuclear guy, or fire guy (Sunspot?).

Jun 5, 2015#489

CynicismKills

Yeah was just coming to post that one. The rest are, apparently,listed here.

Thing is wearing a uniform like Rocket's, so I guess he's going to be a GotG. The Cap-ish guy is possibly Baron Zemo, fireman is Inferno, an Inhuman character they were pushing pretty hard pre-Secret Wars. You also have Hyperion (nuclear belt), Karnak (green hoodie, another Inhuman), and Doctor Spectrum, a character from an alternate Earth in the Incursion storyline in Avengers.

Jun 5, 2015#490

ThatNickGuy

Is it just me or does it feel like all these sudden changes feel really inorganic?

Jun 5, 2015#491

AshburnerX

ThatNickGuy said:
Is it just me or does it feel like all these sudden changes feel really inorganic?

Disney's at the wheel so that's not surprising. They want the comics more in line with the movies and are setting up ways to introduce characters not part of their current stable of films into the Marvel canon at a later date. Hence why they are pushing guys like the Inhumans so hard: they want them ready to pick up the slack once the Avengers are done.

Jun 5, 2015#492

PatrThom

ThatNickGuy said:
Is it just me or does it feel like all these sudden changes feel really inorganic?

They feel like we've just crossed over into whatever the next "age" of comics is going to be called.

--Patrick

Jun 5, 2015#493

Covar

ThatNickGuy said:
Is it just me or does it feel like all these sudden changes feel really inorganic?

It's a post Battlworld ... world, so there's not really a more organic way to do it.

Jun 5, 2015#494

AshburnerX

PatrThom said:
They feel like we've just crossed over into whatever the next "age" of comics is going to be called.

--Patrick

I'd go for the "Age of Rebirth" or something like because everyone wants to start over with leaner, cleaner stories without decades of bloat to contend with.

Jun 5, 2015#495

PatrThom

AshburnerX said:
I'd go for the "Age of Rebirth" or something like because everyone wants to start over with leaner, cleaner stories without decades of bloat to contend with.

As long as it's not the "Suck Age"

--Patrick

Jun 6, 2015#496

Hailey Knight

PatrThom said:
As long as it's not the "Suck Age"

--Patrick

You misspelled Nu52

.

I'm hoping their new line-up won't have multiple titles for a single character, i.e. 5 Bat-titles, etc. Spider-man doesn't need Spider-man, Amazing, Web, and Spectacular; just knock it down to one.

Jun 7, 2015#497

Hailey Knight

Oh yeah, we get to see Uncle Ben die again.

Jun 7, 2015#498

Celt Z

Zero Esc said:
Oh yeah, we get to see Uncle Ben die again.

That's way harsh, Tai.

Jun 7, 2015#499

PatrThom

Celt Z said:
That's way harsh, Tai.

It'll only take a minute.

--Patrick

Jun 7, 2015#500

ThatNickGuy

PatrThom said:
It'll only take a minute.

--Patrick

That's rice-ist.

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