Tag Archives: Rant Timing

Editorial

Rant Timing#11: Final Crisis Headache

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Final Crisis Headache

For those of you keeping track of the most recent DC solicitations, it has been revealed that series artist JG Jones is officially off the title. As opposed to the help from Carlos Pacheco he received for issues 4, 5 and 6, issue 7 will be drawn entirely by Doug Mahnke. This, as usual, got my juices boiling a bit. When Civil War was delayed due to art problems by Steve McNiven, the comic world was torn between loving the idea of waiting for great art and wanting the story right away. Marvel chose art over inconsistency and the issues following the delay sold as well as previous ones. In Infinite Crisis, DC chose a different route when art delays came around; they decided to get artists to help finish the book and keep it on schedule, no matter what. Then, come hardcover time, they REDREW this art to make it consistent with the quality of earlier issues. Now here comes Final Crisis, the…well, final crisis. We do know thanks to this CBR article that no art will be redrawn and that what we see will be what we get, which makes me at least a little happy. A little. Still, I am left with doubts and questions that I will get into right here and now.

What do we know about Final Crisis? We know that Morrison’s scripts had to be changed to have the story better correspond with what happened in Countdown and Death of the New Gods. We know that DC tried to salvage this by giving Jones help in the artwork and that the skip month did what it was designed to do, but in a different way than originally intended. The skip month was originally to keep us antsy, let the story synch in and to let the art get finished for issue 7. Instead, it let Jones redraw issues 4, 5 and 6 with Pacheco’s help and delays have made Final Cris somewhat inconsequential in the current DCU. Flash is off doing his own thing, the JLA are uninvolved in their own book, so is Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, the Green Lanterns and Ambush Bug.

Final Crisis was said to be the be all, end all of the DCU that will change everything. So are we to only see change until it is over in the miniseries itself and subsequent one shots? The reason I am so involved in Secret Invasion over at Marvel is because I read about it in every book I pick up in one way or another. Even if the story itself does not revolve around Skrulls, there are still mentions of what is going on. It is acknowledged. We’ve seen RIP referenced, but no Final Crisis in DC. Is it because the scripts were not finished due to re-writes? I believe so. Morrison was given free reign to make a story. So here he is, making a story, but no one else is privy to it! We know the dropped the ball on Countdown, but now DC suffers all the more for it by trying to “fix things.”

I understand that JG Jones might have more to say than he is saying. Whether it is personal reasons or if he is simply not talking inside baseball with the press, there is more story than just what is on the page.

There is a reason why Marvel is the #1 company right now. It’s not just the movies, video games, TV commercials and cartoons. Hell, it’s not even just the comics. It’s the enthusiasm. Writers and artists alike seem thrilled to be there. What have we gotten form DC of late? Dixon thrown off Bat books because they wanted to do RIP. Manhunter canceled without any advertising to remind people it exists. An entire Titans issue completely scrapped because “it wasn’t good enough.” Take away the Superman books which have been amazing and there is no fun in the DCU right now. None.

Now I know that I might just be talking through emotions at the moment and I’m sorry if I am. But I’m coming to a point in my life when I need to start cutting down on comics to pay the rent, eat, and still have a life outside of the shop every week. I think where I am going to start is DC right now.

Please, DC. Give me a reason to care. Give me a sign that your books will start mattering, that there’s a universe going on and not just random stories that might interconnect when you feel like it. Don’t be like the X-Books or The Avengers of the 90’s where everything was cut off even when characters existed.

Just…don’t.

Substance is all I’m asking for here. Is that really too much to ask?

If you read all of that, I applaud you. I think I’m done now.

Editorial

Rant Timing #10: Secret Invasion vs. Final Crisis – Up Til Now

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Secret Invasion vs. Final Crisis – Up Til Now

VS.

After all the people who said Secret Invasion wasn’t “going anywhere,” I’m chuckling a bit now. Issue 3 was better than Issue 1 and has more answers than Issue 2, but it’s still not a story. It’s a jumble of ideas down on the page barely strewn together sequentially. How man characters are in this book already, and why should we care about Montoya or Turpin or Supergirl at all? Supergirl shows up for three seconds talking to her cat and that makes her the cover girl for the book? Mary Marvel looks nothing like her past self, and even a goth makeover can’t make somebody look THAT different.

Seriously, give me Skrulls over Final Crisis. At least the Skrulls I can understand. Maybe by Issue 7 I’ll look back on Final Crisis and say, “OH! So THAT’s what it was? Well, interesting.” I don’t see that happening. When comparing Batman: RIP to Final Crisis, I think Morrison is overextending himself by including so many characters in Final Crisis. I shouldn’t have had to read Requiem to care about Martian Manhunter’s death scene, which was given three sentences in the main book. I shouldn’t have to read about a character returning who should have stayed dead, because everyone and their cousin and their cousin’s CHILDREN all accept Wally West as the speedster of the DCU. How is going back to a previous generation for the second time in five years solving anything? How is this growth? It’s not. It’s rehashing. That is what makes Marvel’s present different from DC’s present. Marvel is looking at the past and breeding a future with a status quo that will stick. DC is looking at the past and…well, waving at it, asking it to come over for tea and reminisce for a while about the old days. Then they get to talking just enough that the past is back, and present is no longer relevant.

Yes I’m a sore Kyle Rayner fan and yes I’m a sore Wally West fan. But thing is, so are most of the people my age. So are a bunch of younger and older fans. Give us SUBSTANCE, DC, not subtext and hidden messages mixed in with rehashing and reshaping. Please. For me.

Editorial

Rant Timing #9: DC Stop Dixon Around

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RANT TIMING #9: DC Stop Dixon Around

When asked about Frank Tieri’s fill-in issues on Batman & The Outsiders, which tie-in with the Batman R.I.P. storyline, Chuck had some very simply words to say on his message boards.

I am no longer employed by DC Comics in any capacity.

Now to speculate, I assume Chuck had some not so friendly words to say about the direction Morrison is taking Batman and got the brunt of it. As an alternative, perhaps DC was not thrilled with the direction his titles were going and canned them? This takes Chuck off of Robin, Batman & The Outsiders, and the Booster Gold fill-in issue he is doing, issue #11, will be one of his last pieces done for the company. And what does this do to Storming Paradise? Does this mean it will receive a new writer midway through the miniseries, or has Chuck completed it?

I like to think nice things about a company, I really do. I like to stay positive about comics, but when something like this occurs, it get me wondering a bit. Like everywhere else in the world, higher ups and editorial will like what they like, and dislike what doesn’t work for them, even if the fans seems to be digging it. Devin Grayson is another person who unceremoniously received the axe from DC, and her reasoning, according to sources back when her upcoming Batwoman title first got canned, was questioning editorial. Is there such a thing as maintaining opinion inside of a company without being ostracized for it? Not to bring up Grant Morrison again, but his comments about Countdown seemed to imply that editorial mandate made that series happen, and now he has to adjust his scripting accordingly to match with what was put out. Will he get the axe too? If he does, certainly will have an either further backlash amongst the fan community than getting rid of Dixon did. Which is why it will probably not occur, or else DC becomes the bad guy. Heck, I’m even reminded of when Mark Waid was unceremoniously removed from Fantastic Four by Bill Jemas over at Marvel. Wieringo left the title in protest and fans refused to pick up another FF issue until they got their team back; eventually Marvel caved, righting their mistake and moving Roberto Aguierre-Sacasa and then newcomer Steve McNiven’s Fantastic Four work back into a separate title, where it was originally going to be in the first place.

Where will Chuck Dixon wind up after this? I’m hoping Joe Quesada pulls a George Steinbrenner and gobbles him up for Marvel by offering him something huge, because a man like him deserves to be writing. Right now, other than DC I see one title on his schedule, which is Frankenstein for Dabel Brothers. I would crave seeing Chuck Dixon’s work on a title like Amazing Spider-Man or Avengers: The Initiative. For now though, we are simply left without a new team on Robin and are unsure as to whether there will be a Batman & The Outsiders after issue twelve. Am I perturbed? You betcha.

Let it turn out that Dixon chose to leave DC under his own volition, please. I want to think nice things about the companies I read comics from. Can you do that for me, DC? Oh, and how about someone awesome writing Robin to wash this bad taste out of my mouth too. That would be nice.

Time to go cry into a bowl of ice cream, mourning Dixon’s exit. I think Rocky Road would be a fitting flavor.

Editorial

Rant Timing #8: HULK SMASH PUNY MOVIE!

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Rant Timing #8: HULK SMASH PUNY MOVIE!

So as I was leaving Midtown comics last Friday, a dude was hanging out fliers for a Hulk screening taking place either on Wednesday or Thursday. Since I had no idea if I could leave work early on Wednesday, I chose Thursday. Sure, this meant I’d have to leave the Yankees game a bit early, but I saw the bulk of the game so no worries. Although they came back to win after I left, which might be some kind of sign.

Anyway, got to the theater around 4:30, way ahead of the 5:15 deadline and waited on line for a bit. They gave me a survey to fill out, and handed me my ticket. Once Kris arrived she got on line to get her ticket and then joined me afterward, and into the theater we went. Inside, we got a song and dance routine by the theater manager, who was there to tell us how much we would love the movie, and that we got to be the third audience to see the movie in NY, and according to him, anywhere. He then graced us with an interesting bit of news. As opposed to nto being able to bring in camera phones, ALL electronic devices would not be permitted inside. iPods, mp3 players, phones and camera phones alike. They let me keep my digital wristwatch however, so now I can spread my wristwatch video all over the internets! Mwahahaha! Okay, so maybe not.

We get in there, and sit down for an hour and a half before the actual movie begins. Luckily I had some Chase comics with me from the mid-90’s to read to pass the time, and Kris had her jPod. Interesting enough, they let me take my water bottle in with no hassles. Guess they didn’t care about concession sales at a preview screening?

Once the excruciating wait ended (which was alleviated by the dudes sitting next to us being friendly, hi Sean guy I’ll probably never see again), it was time for movie! Advantage of preview screening: no trailers! Woo! Now I won’t give away any spoilers, but I will give out the basics. The opening credits do the job of retconning the first movie (“So it’s a sequel AND a remake?”), allowing the movie itself to begin without long exposition. The special effects were far superior to those in Hulk, and although there were one or two moments where it looked like a video game on a big screen, it got the job done as best it could.

Ed Norton is Bruce Banner. He gets the calm yet creepy nature down, and always appears as if he is one step away from going over the edge. A lot of the plot can lend itself to Bruce Jone’s early arc on The Incredible Hulk, and aspects such as meditation techniques and anger control are present. Both Stan Lee and Lou Ferrigno, with Stan’s appearance actually adding to the plot in a very…amusing fashion. Liv Tyler, while big lipped as always, plays Betty Ross the way she should be played. Vulnerable yet strong, compassionate yet hard-boiled. And Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky? Well, let’s just say he loves being the military for all the wrong reasons. Jim Segulin of Raging Bullets will have major issues with his haircut and unshaven beard however. That ain’t regulation!

The last scene…DAMN. My showing played it before the credits so I assume it will do the same for the major release, but if it doesn’t, stay til the end just in case! Marvel continues to do the right thing with their properties, and the big green giant whose cereal is getting soggy now has a movie to call his own that doesn’t leave you scratching your scruffy beard in confusion. I give it 4 PUNY HUMANS out of 5.

Go see this movie, people, they did it again!

Editorial

Rant Timing #7: Countdown to Nothing

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Rant Timing #7: Countdown To Nothing

I was thinking last night. Usually this leads to insanity, but for once I was hit with some clarity. To be specific, it was about a certain 52 issue series that just wrapped up over in the DC Universe. Countdown to Something Something Yada Yada and so on.

What if instead of Countdown/Countdown to Final Crisis, we were presented with a series of miniseries, similar to how it was done with Infinite Crisis? That is, the story lines that were used at different parts of Countdown separated, as opposed to interspersed and then spliced together at the end? Instead of Dini supervising and only writing two issues, this could have opened the door for Dini to craft the overall plot and perhaps write a full miniseries as well. Also, instead of using the Countdown moniker, the miniseries would have Final Crisis in their name, followed by a subtitle. This gives a feeling of an overall brand, leading up to Final Crisis itself. Some of these could stand on their own without the Final Crisis, but that’s up to editorial. Here’s what I came up with.

Final Crisis: Mary Marvel – Black & White (6 issues miniseries) – written by Peter Tomasi with art by Doug Mahnke.

Final Crisis: Death of the New Gods (12 issues) – written and drawn by Jim Starlin (same as it was, only have the ending take place in issue 12, as opposed to Countdown #2)

Piper and Trickster: Tied at the Hip (6 issue miniseries) – written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Grey, art by Tom Mandrake – this one doesn’t need the Final Crisis subtitle, as it stands on its own and in my opinion, could have done without the trip to Apokalypse and back. Just a simple Rogues story, leading up to Rogues Revenge.

Final Crisis: Arena (12 issues) – written by Paul Dini and Keith Champagne, art by Scott McDaniel – This is the miniseries which would tell Dini’s overarching Monarch story. The forming of the army, the Arena battles, the attack itself, and the attempt at intervening on the part of The Monitors. This would lead into…

Final Crisis: The Great Disaster (8 issues) – written by Jeff Katz, art by Pat Oliffe – Karate Kid’s story, told nice and quick so it doesn’t have to be drawn out. It begins at the end of The Lightning Saga, and explores the Monitors, Karate Kid and Una, and Bob asks for their help to find Ray Palmer as opposed to The Challengers, leading to a dejected Ray Palmer making his way home without those who came to save him.

Final Crisis: Amazon’s Reign (6 issues) – written by Sean McKeever, art by Pete Woods – This is Amazons Attack done right. The rise and fall of the Amazons at the hands of Granny Goodness, ending with the New God killer cleaning house.

I leave out The Challengers and Jimmy Olsen because, in essence, they did not need to be there. Kyle, Donna and Jason have their own things to worry about in other titles, as is proven by the current climate of the DCU. This allows Kyle’s story to run its course properly in GL and GL: Corps without Countdown giving anything away, and for Jason to appear regularly in Batman and Nightwing looking to find a path, as opposed to adopting something new only to drop it immediately. As for Jimmy, despite those of you who feel it makes perfect sense for the best friend of Superman who other than a few transformations back in the day has no powers to all of a sudden become a power battery, I’ll pass on that. If you want to form an Olsen Bug relationship in Busiek’s Superman then by all means, but he’s staying out of the Darkseid story in my opinion.

If you’re looking to tie these together and prep everyone for Final Crisis, then release a DC Universe one-shot, which is basically DC Universe #0, only work with these stories instead. For the story of DC Universe #0, see Final Crisis: Prologue for all that material.

This my Earth 2 working of Countdown. To me it simply makes more sense to flesh out each and every story without jury rigging together a plot. Not all of these stories deserved to be in the same place at the same time, and this story was not made for a 52 issue weekly series. Here, we can pick and choose which stories we wish to read, and all is well with the world. The 52 issue weekly idea takes a year off to regain steam in the eyes of exhausted fans, to return with Trinity, as it should.

If only, right?

Editorial

Rant Timing #6: The Invasion Becomes Not So Secret

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Rant Timing #6: The Invasion Becomes Not So Secret

Today, I made a mad rush to the comic book shop the minute I left work. I needed something in particular, before I could get spoiled. I needed a book that will change the face of the Marvel Universe for years to come. Even though I am getting it FOR FREE in two weeks, I still spent $3.99 on Secret Invasion #1. Am I in Marvel’s pocket now? Probably, but you know what? I could care less. Spoilers to come after an image of The New Avengers as Skrulls, from one of the 12 different Secret Invasion #1 covers.


This comes from a post I made on the forums, but I figured it was good and long enough to warrant posting it here on the web site as well. Once again, spoilers ahead, so you have been warned.

Call me crazy, but do you think “He loves you” is a trigger phrase? Maybe it is indeed simply a variation on a Beatles lyric, which would also lead nicely into being explained by John the Skrull in the upcoming MI:13 series? A battle cry of sorts, stemming from when Earth music was first beamed into space, which might have been what called Skrull attention to our planet in the first place. Crazy, but I love coming up with crazy explanations.

Now, as for the heroes that just returned to Earth, I say some will be Skrulls, while some will be originals. If I am correct about there being sleeper Skrulls, there will be some heroes that do not even know they are aliens. During the Skrull-Kree War, some heroes were captures and brought to a cell with other heroes that were already “captured.” I believe that the Scarlet Witch that came to Earth is our Scarlet Witch. This explains why there is no Chaos Magic quite well, as it was created by a Skrull to explain away increased powers. The Beast of the group is ours, with the feline Beast being a Skrull; the secondary mutation was simply shape manipulation. Our White Queen is real, but so is the Phoenix that just came back. Best explanation for the multiple Jean Greys anyone can have: there was always just one; the rest were Skrulls. Now Scott will have to choose once more between two women who have his mind in the palm of their hands, and his heart too.

Up in the air is Hawkeye and Wonder Man, I highly doubt Ms. Marvel is a Skrull, and it would be evil to have Jewel be the real Jessica Jones after all the character building Bendis has done for her over the years. Luke Cake, the Luke Jessica married, is a Skrull. Hence the baby is half Skrull, half human.

The Vision will be the easiest to debunk, since he is an android. If this one is not an Android, it is a Skrull. Spider-Man is not a Skrull, since that would be too damn easy.

Mar-Vell is Kree, attacking the enemy. One of the Thunderbolts is a Skrull, and my money is indeed on Norman Osborn. Although if it is Penance, that would be fun too.

Mockingbird is human, meaning that if our Clint is the real Clint, he’ll have to choose between Maya and a women he thought he saved from hell to get to heaven where she belongs.

Iron Man and Captain America from space are Skrulls, and are part of the group of heroes I mentioned were in holding from the start. They are the leaders, so of course they would be the ones to copy.

Sue Richards? Tough one. No matter which way you slice it, there are problems.

Finally, we have Wolverine from space. Skrull. No way will they get rid of thirty years of Wolverine’s history like that. He will cause problems however, as it is likely his “senses” will “smell” Skrulls, while our Wolverine will still have no ability to pick up the scent.

There, I think that’s all of it. Once again, I spent $3.99 on a book I’m getting free from Heroes Corner this month because I couldn’t wait to read it. $3.99 well spent I must say.

Keep it coming, Bendis, you’ve got me hook, line and sinker! Again. I am a junkie, coming back for more Bendis multiple times a month. Anybody got a spare hit?

Editorial

Rant Timing #5: New York Comic Con Roulette

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New York Comic Con Roulette

So, for those of you who were hoping we were done with New York conventions taking place in the middle of winter, it ain’t over yet. The following was posted on Newsarama at their Blog@ blog, in a response about NYCC being the weekend of Passover this year:

The unfortunate reality is that these were the dates we were given at the Javits Center. Javits is unlike most places in that the demand for the space far outstrips the availability, so customers, such as NYCC, are left with little to no choice as to what dates we are given. To that point, I’ll announce here first that the show will be moving back to February next year – because we want to be in February? Not really. Quite simply, these are the only dates we can get next year.

See, this is the worst part about trying to run a convention in New York. There is only one real convention center in the largest city in the world. I don’t count Madison Square Garden as that is certainly more of an arena than anything else. This convention hall can only hold so much, and it is in the ass end of the borough, three or four avenues down from the nearest subway. They are planning to extend the 7 train so that at least one train will be down there, but that is still at least a few years away from completion. There have been proposals to expand the Javits Center in order to make room for more events, but is this truly what we need? I would love to have a place in the heart of the city devoted to a convention atmosphere, but New York is simply not built to support such an addition. And so our convention center remains where it is.

As for the Passover problem of this year, I doubt is it truly going to affect the majority of the crowd. While Passover is an important holiday for the Jewish faith, I know that my family celebrates it with a family gathering, and that is it. Religious Jews will have their hands full that weekend, but how many religious Jews were planning on attending the convention in the first place? Not to be insensitive, but I doubt the number was very high. As previously stated, next year this will not be a problem, so save your money and go elsewhere instead, or wait until 2009 if there is a conflict.

New York Anime Fest, the other event run by Reed Exhibitions, will be moving to September for its second year, avoiding the winter cold as well. But will this return back to December the year after that? All I know is that most conventions have a set month to rely on, and no New York convention will ever have that luxury. I love my city, but sometimes it can be quite the pain. Anybody got a spare plot of land they’re not using? It would be awesome if you did, and decided to build a convention hall on it. Anyone? Well, crap.

Editorial

Rant Timing #4: Why So Serious?

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Why So Serious?

The film world lost a great one today, long before his time should have been up. Heath Ledger, age 28, died today. He was about five years older than I am, as he would have turned 29 in April. Deaths like this put your life in perspective. You never know what day you will wake up, do your daily routine, all without knowing it will be your last time. Heath’s career was budding. After Brokeback Mountain, most of Hollywood knew his name. With The Dark Knight, the second Batman film directed by Christopher Nolan, he was to be the successor of Jack Nicholson in the role of The Joker. The film wrapped principle photography, so that is at least secure, as of now. He was filming another movie, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, when he died, and that one looks to be in jeopardy, as it was in the middle of production. Will The Dark Knight be the last time we see Heath Ledger on screen? A talented, wide-ranging actor, ends his life with a role like The Joker. Serial killer, insane, a malicious smile upon his face. Is this how you would want to go out? I certainly would be torn. On the one hand, I guarantee people will believe that the role led to his death, that acting crazy made him crazy. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that is ridiculous. No, there is no Batman curse that has been transfered over from The Superman Curse, and no, the role had nothing to do with what happened. He simply died. End of story. Even if he did commit suicide, or if he overdosed on pills, this was not because he was The Joker. It was because he was a troubled man. None of this has been confirmed, so I’m not going to speculate on any of this until there are facts to turn to.

Now, for the other side of going out as The Joker: the character is one of the best known comic book creations in the history of the DC Universe. He is the villain of villains and heroes alike, and has appeared everywhere from lunch boxes to cartoons to posters. If Heath plays The Joker as well as I believe he will, he will go out on top. The performance will always be remembered. If he tops Nicholson, more power to him. No one will be able to replace the image of a man who died with the role in the eyes of fans and movie-goers alike. Plus, the viral marketing campaign already had people jazzed for the movie; even those who would not have seen it originally are now interested. Heath’s death will drive even more people to the theaters. So yes, The Dark Knight will be a success on multiple plains. A great movie, with roles to remember.

Rest in peace Heath. You leave behind a daughter who will hear stories about you for a long time to come. While your career might have been cut short, it was still longer than most, with more accolades than some people who have been in the business twice as long have achieved. The line I titled this column with is apropos to the situation. “Why so serious?” Today, we are allowed to be.

Editorial

Rant Timing #3: One More Bad Story

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One More Bad Story

Here’s a combo of what I’ve posted over at Newsarama and on CBR after reading Amazing Spider-Man #545: One More Day Part 4.

Won’t this affect Thunderbolts as well? After all, Norman plays a huge part in that book, and having his son back would certainly effect his decisions a lot. Would he have turned away from the darkness, or embraced it? Would he ever turn to working for the government? It’s a question that will need to be brought up, although I’ll be curious to see if Ellis even acknowledges the change. Hell, I’ll be curious to see if even BENDIS acknowledges the change in New Avengers! Wasn’t the unmasking half the reason why his teammates thought he might be a Skrull? Oh, and Dan Slott brought doubt upon Peter being Spider-Man in Avengers: The Initiative. Does this mean The Scarlet Spiders are still secret agents because they never went to help Peter?

How about Flash? Did he ever even wind up in a coma? Is he with Betty Brant, and if so, does she remember almost being killed not too long ago by a psycho woman made of spiders? Does Black Cat still know Peter is Spider-Man? Does Black Cat even remember being with Peter at all?

Is Doctor Octopus still disgusted over the fact he got beaten by a kid all these years? Better yet, is he back to being a green suited mop top villain now?

Too many questions, all thanks to Joe Quesada’s editorial mandate. Will we get answers to even HALF of these questions? Doubtful. By 2009, new EIC at Marvel. I’m calling it. Not even the best creative teams can wipe the fact that 20 years of continuity just got destroyed, all thanks to an immature young old man who hates the very idea of marriage. Quesada didn’t even bother to try with this one. All he did was wave a magic wand. But what about all those writers out there who were itching to give their shot at the current Spider-Man? Did he even bother to see if the wealth of creators would be willing to revive Spider-Man while still keeping what has made him such a compelling character over the past few years? No, he did not.

You’re a child, Joe. Sometimes that works to your advantage, as a man with an imagination makes it big in comic books. This time however, your immaturity has alienated your core audience. Does he even bother to read reader responses anymore? I mean he used to do that here on Newsarama, but I know he’s been a busy man lately, drawing an Alien headed Spider-Man for four issues. I hope he realizes our response has been almost entirely negative. I say almost because yes, there are people who saw it as a positive, and I do not want you to feel your take is invalid. I hope you enjoy what you read, more power to you. It’s just not what I’m looking for in a character or a company to spit on the past twenty years.

I started reading comics with a married Spider-Man when I was just a boy, and I loved the dynamic, even then. Now I’m left with a stranger. JMS was right.

Joe Quesada wants an uninteresting Spider-Man who lives with his Aunt even though he’s well into his twenties, and is addicted to wheat cakes. We want a Spider-Man who is compelling, knows how to grow up, and feels real. Marvel Comics was founded upon the belief that we should be able to relate to the characters as human beings. How can we possibly relate to a Peter Parker who makes a deal with the devil to erase his marriage from existence? It certainly will never happen to any of us. We cannot relate.

This is something Joe Q has forgotten, and it is the major mistake One More Day made.

The last 20 years of storytelling is indeed worthless now. My Spider-Man, the one I grew up with, the one who found a wife and friends to rely on, the one who lost his best friend in tragic circumstances, no longer exists.

Thanks, Joe. For nothing.

Editorial

Rant Timing #2: The Battle of the Analogues

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Battle of the Analogues

VS.


I have a to read pile of about 35 comic books thanks to DCBS, so it takes quite a while for me to actually read certain books. I have also grown accustomed to letting certain series accumulate on the pile so that I can read multiple issues at once. One of the series I chose to do this with is Lord Havok and the Extremists, which happens to be one of 87 different Countdown titles currently being produced by DC. Now I have not been nearly as down on Countdown as some others have been. In fact, in my observations, the tie-ins are often better than Countdown itself. Just as Sean and Jim put it on Raging Bullets, you get the basics in Countdown, and if you are interested, you check out the tie-ins for more information. That does not always work, but hey, you can’t win ’em all. So I read issues 1 and 2 of Lord Havok at the same time, and it seemed quite familiar. I was looking at a dystopian version of The Marvel Universe, Registration Act and all. With characters such as Americommando and Tin-Man, they certainly were not trying to hide their true intentions.

This was far from the first time such a tactic was performed by either Marvel or DC. The “Meta-Militia” as they are called here, originally appeared as “The Champions of Angor” in Justice League of America #87, back in 1971. This was right around the same time Marvel introduced “The Squadrom Supreme” in Avengers #85. Hell, this was done as a way for the two companies to have an unoficial crossover, as both were on the stands at almost the exact same time (See Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed for more info on that)! As the years went on, each set of characters evolved, and we got what could be classified as What If? or Elseworlds versions of the opposite side’s heroes. What If Marvel’s Supervillains Destroyed The World? Superman: King of The World. All you have to do is change Angor to Earth, Extremists to The Masters of Evil, Champions of Angor to Avengers, Angor to Earth, Hyperion to Superman, and Squadron Supreme to JLA, and that is exactly what you get.

Flash forward to today, and each other’s opposite team continues to mimic the other company in new ways. The Squadron Supreme are still around, but so is the newer, hipper Supreme Power. Here, we have a world where Superman (okay, Hyperion) was not found by loving parents and raised to be a good boy. Instead, the government find him and raise him in The Truman Show. Of course, once he realizes his life is a lie, all hell breaks loose and he decides to make things better his way, or the highway. Oh, and Wonder Woman (fine, Princess Zarda) is naked a lot. And Flash (once The Whizzer, now Buzz which sounds less wrong) and Batman (Nighthawk) are black. And Green Lantern (Dr. Spectrum who I’m pretty sure is not a doctor) works for the military. Yeah, you get the picture.

The Champions of Angor are pretty much gone in the regular DCU, but The Meta-Militia are better, faster, stronger, and live on Earth-8. Iron Man (Tin-Man) is president, with Captain America (Americommando) as his VP, in a world where those who do not follow the Registration Act get killed in most horrific fashion. Of course, the villains of this world are none too pleased, and get together to screw up their hard worked plans, and it all goes horribly, horribly wrong. Oh, and the A in USA stands for Angor.

New times, same old song. It shows that Marvel and DC have drifted so very far apart over the years as well, as what was once a playful way of crossing over without crossing over is now “Let’s show how messed up the other company is!” Still, is would be quite interesting to see Supreme Power cross over with The Meta-Militia/The Extremists. Would they fight, or band together to try and control both of their worlds? Do Americommando and Hyperion have a lot more in common than you would think? The guy writing this right now thinks so. I would appreciate seeing Earth-8 get further explored past a miniseries, as Frank Tieri has my interest. Hopefully sales will warrant that. So yeah, let’s see a crossover of a different ilk for once. Sounds good to me.

How about you?