I love the X-Men. More than any other group of comics, X-titles make up the largest percentage of my personal collection and my weekly pull. Thanks to the 90’s cartoon, they were some of the first superheroes I ever encountered. I have read a lot of classic Uncanny X-Men issues over the years, and have been forced to make one, inescapable conclusion. Chris Claremont must be a horrible human being.
Don’t let that smile fool you, it’s all his fault.
Filed under Andrew Hales, Comics
Since the re-launch of Guardians of the Galaxy there has been one question on everyone’s mind: what happened to Richard Ryder a.k.a. Nova? I know I’m not the only one wondering about this because I’m certain someone else mentioned it to me before I understood what it meant. With Guardians of the Galaxy #18, readers are beginning to find out.
I say begin, because unfortunately, there is not actually a conclusion to the story this issue, which sums up my biggest complaint about the book. There were several great looking double page spreads of Nova and Star-Lord fighting Thanos, but I’m not certain that they were all necessary. The story could have moved along a bit more quickly, and maybe even wrapped up in one issue. To be fair, there may be more to the story than I’m anticipating at this point and I may re-evaluate after the story does wrap up. I have to say this was otherwise a nice issue of Guardians that spent most of its time at the end of the Abnett/Lanning run and the Thanos Imperative, which is nice. Since Abnett and Lanning aren’t writing this issue, I’m gladder than ever that Brian Michael Bendis is writing this series. He does justice to the characters as they stood at the time the events are taking place, instead of just doing whatever he pleases, as other writers might do. I would like to know more about how Star-Lord got himself into his current predicament, but I have faith that we’ll get some of that information in issues to come.
Ed McGuinness is no slouch when it comes to art and I’m glad that he is doing the interiors. I’m hoping that McGuinness will be able to stay on the book for a while, because I thoroughly enjoyed the art on this issue. Over the run of the book there have been several artists, most not sticking around past a single story arc. While this isn’t necessarily a problem, I would like a more consistent look to the book, and I wasn’t overly thrilled with the previous art team. The interiors remind me more of the earlier issues of both this volume as well as the previous. As I mentioned before the double page spreads of Nova and Star-Lord were great, and McGuinness made a real effort to make the characters look like they did during the events of the Thanos Imperative.
For several weeks I have been thinking how much I can’t wait to see what happened to Richard Ryder. While I’m not there quite yet, the story is off to a great start. 4/5 Death Stars
Filed under Comic Reviews, Comics, Saturday Reviews
Dear Executives at DC Comics,
The second anniversary of your New 52 lineup has recently passed, and Therefore I Geek’s articles on the DC universe and the big merge of all your storylines got me thinking. I thought of all the comics I have read over the years and all the stories that are told, and I find that these books are good enough on their own. Just because it’s nice from time to time when Batman teams up with Superman or Green Arrow, doesn’t mean the DC universe needs to recognize that particular storyline as part of the timeline. Unless all the comics stem from the same original concept, I’m not a fan of merging comic universes anyway.
Take Batman for instance. Awesome! Yes, indeed, you’ve struck gold when it comes to the storylines, lore, and one hell of a line-up of villains. Now, insert Superman so that he comes to fight Bane. What? No. That’s ridiculous. How about Wonder Woman to help take out the Joker? No way. Does Bruce Wayne even believe in Greek mythology enough to warrant help from the daughter of a goddess? It just doesn’t make any sense. You know what, DC? It doesn’t have to! Superman is perfectly capable of being understood and enjoyed without The Flash coming in to…do what? Save the day? Please spare me.
A brand like DC should not feel obligated to merge all the characters it has ever released into a universe that somehow must make sense just in case they want to do a crossover or a team-up. Just make the story, make it good, and don’t worry so much about it.
You need a structure to follow? Have a core book for a character. Whatever happens in that book is part of the lore of that character. Any other books are fair game for writers and artists to explore different ideas and flesh out any funky powers, gadgets, and team-ups. There is even a name for this phenomenon. It is called a mini-series. Injustice was a great creation to serve this purpose. Turning it into a video game that puts all the DC characters together for fights we would never normally see was even better!
Every time I see Wonder Woman’s Amazonian warriors crack a spear over Doomsday’s chest in the game, am I to believe that the beast that killed the unkillable Superman is supposed to be hurt by a wooden stick? Not in the slightest, but it works because it’s scratching an itch that makes us ask What If…? Which, coincidentally, was a great comic put out by Marvel built on just this concept. We are exposed to these “what if” scenarios all the time in movies. How many times have films rebooted a comic character? How many actors have played Batman? I rest my case.
I understand that you are trying to compete with Marvel for sales and crossovers and team-ups help sell books. Marvel has done a wonderful job of making all of its heroes and villains mutants of some sort, who aren’t uber powerful on their own. Their most popular books are based on teams, not individuals. This allows for an easier suspension of belief when it comes to characters sharing story arcs.
I guess all I’m saying is: quit trying so hard to make pieces fit where they don’t. If there are characters that just don’t have a world in common, there should be no obligation to make that happen. Cut it out, DC. We love you and the characters you’ve come up with over the years. I don’t need to see supernatural characters fighting with more human ones. Oh, and I don’t need to see a Superman/Batman film to this effect either. I’d much rather have a fourth Dark Knight movie with Heath Ledger as the Joker. Now THAT would be an impressive alternate universe.
Sincerely,
Cheefbast
Filed under Comics, Guest Blog, Kurt Klein
I was talking to the fearless leader of Therefore I Geek a couple of weeks ago about what my major was here at school, and what I want to do when I grow up. As I described my ambitions to him, we both started to realize that they sounded very familiar. In fact, I just want to be Hank McCoy. Who wouldn’t?? He’s brilliant and powerful. He has connections to heads of state, and the kinds of people who can kill you with their minds. So here is my ode to the sweet and sexy Beast—I just want to be him!!
I want a full scholarship to a private university with all the research grants I could possibly desire and a limitless opportunity for travel due to my unrestricted access to a private jet.
Come to think of it… I want to be Hank McCoy.
I dream of opportunities to rescue humanity from itself, although I realize that it would take superhuman talent and power to actualize my savior complex.
So in other words… I want to be Hank McCoy.
I want the brains of an old world, Ivy League educated sphinx, and the physical power of an NFL linebacker in the prime of his youth.
Yup… I want to be Hank McCoy.
I want to have a working understanding of many fields—to be the epitome of a Renaissance (wo)man. I want appropriate literary quotes to roll off my tongue with ease.
Oh wait… I want to be Hank McCoy.
I speak Spanish, and some German and French. I’m hoping to learn several other modern languages so that I can easily communicate with foreign dignitaries.
He did that too?! I want to be Hank McCoy.
Someday I want to have easy access to the White House as I work to smooth things over between nations at odds with each other. I want to practice diplomacy at home and abroad.
So… I just want to be Hank McCoy.
It’s really quite simple: if that’s what it takes to get the brains and the sexy, leather suit, I’ll take the blue fur and the frequent changes in physique.
You got it! I want to be Hank McCoy.
And maybe, if I do a good job at all of these things, they will make a movie about events in my life. (Although, being Hollywood, they’ll probably change half of it.)
Haha! I want to be Hank McCoy.
Filed under Comics, Editorial, Tracy Gronewold
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