Do Superheroes Fight Bad Guys Anymore?

[WayneLigon]

I want to see Parker dismantle Stark.

That'll happen. People look at Peter's slender 165-pound physique and acrobatic prowess. And they forget that he's can shrug off 15 tons +. Tony's armor is something in the 5-6 ton range, normally. As long as Peter doesn't give Stark time to slip into something more powerful, Stark's toast.

 

[Villano]

I just found out that Marvel has the next "Big, Stupid Crossover" already planned: World War Hulk. In it, the Hulk returns to Earth and seeks revenge on those heroes who've wronged him. It'll probably be (badly) written by Mark Millar.

So, after ruining Iron Man, Black Panther, Mr. Fantastic, and Spider-Man, Quesada's going after the Hulk next. Good job, Joe. Why not just burn down the Marvel offices and get it over with all at once?

Then they killed Quasar off in the third issue, and the series officially became a write-off for me. If a writer's gotta pull a character in one issue and then kill him off in the next, he's floundering for ideas. It's gimmicky.

Just thought of a title I really enjoy: Bill Willingham's Shadowpact. Good old-school superheroics, with a dark comedic slant and the most wry dialogue this side of Kevin Smith.

I've been enjoying Annihilation even though not all the side mini-series have been very good. Drax and Nova were well done, but Ronan's seemed pointless and Super Skrull's was just plain bad. It never seemed to have a focus, and then they killed him off in a pretty stupid way (plus the art was terrible). I've always liked SS and he was actually handled very well back in the 90s when he co-starred in Silver Surfer's book for a while.

Anyway, I wouldn't get too upset about Quasar's death since Marvel has already announced that's he's coming back in a mini-series next year. Hopefully, they'll get around to bringing Super Skrull back, too.

And I agree on Shadowpact. That, along with Checkmate and the All-New Atom, are the highlights coming out of One Year Later. Unfortunately, Shadowpact and Atom are fun and Checkmate isn't really a superhero book, so that means that they'll probably end up being cancelled in a year.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

Aaron, don't forget about all the mischaracterization of Professor X, and all the retconning to make him seem like a completely amoral manipulator.

I haven't read any of this stuff, but Professor X has been a manipulator for a long time. Sure, he keeps telling people that its bad to misuse their powers, and that he'll never read anyone's mind without their permission. But look at all the times he's done so. A number of his students became his students because he manipulated their parent's minds. He is not the nice guy he wants people to think he is. (See, he's even got you under his control!)

 

[JoeGKushner]

Civil War is just another big crossover. If it has the same lasting effects on the overall Marvel Universe that Civil War did (read very little outside the X-titles), it'll be interesting to see how the fans react.

Too many 'big events' with no consequences.

 

[Felon]

I was at the comic shop the other day and was thinking about picking up the new Heroes for Hire series. I noticed the first few issues had those trademarked "Civil War" covers, and then I noticed something else; all those Civil War crossover titles seem really, really thin. Still cost $3, still have ads, but thin. Am I wrong on that count, or is there some reason for thinness?

 

[Villano]

I was at the comic shop the other day and was thinking about picking up the new Heroes for Hire series. I noticed the first few issues had those trademarked "Civil War" covers, and then I noticed something else; all those Civil War crossover titles seem really, really thin. Still cost $3, still have ads, but thin. Am I wrong on that count, or is there some reason for thinness?

Are you talking about the total number of pages in the book or the numbers of story pages vs ad pages? I mention it because, while I only read a few Marvels (She-Hulk, X-Factor, and the Annihilation mini), I remember reading a review which complained of the number of ads in Marvel comics nowadays. They talked about a comic having something like 24 pages of ads with only 22 pages of actual story. I didn't know it was getting that bad.

And, personally, I didn't care for Heroes For Hire. I enjoyed the Daughters Of The Dragon mini-series and am a fan of guys like Shang-Chi and Paladin, so I thought I would love the new series. Unfortunately, I found it too wrapped up in Civil War (which I absolutely hate). Some of the stuff (much like Civil War in general) just didn't make any sense, particularly the whole concept of supervillains registering. Villains who've been arrested before already have their identities known. And, in the first issue, there's an underground railroad for villains to leave the country, because, you know, they're willing to commit robbery and murder, but registering freaks them out so much. :\

 

[Fiery James]

The whole "we'll present both sides equally and you choose your side" thing went out the window the second they compared the pro-registration side with the Nazis...

And "Civil War" is as much false advertisement as "Infinite" Crisis!

BTW, Y - The Last Man is one of the bestest comics I've read in my life. Read 49 issues is a single sitting two days ago. Boy, am I sore!

Hey, I just did that too!

 

[Felon]

Are you talking about the total number of pages in the book or the numbers of story pages vs ad pages?

Well, the issues related to Civil War (the ones whose lower halves indicate them as such) felt physically thin and flimsy, so my inclination is to think the page count is reduced, but it makes no sense to trim pages if you're charging the same price, unless maybe there are reduced ads.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

Yeah...I especially like how Reed Richards'

Spoiler

clone of Thor blew a hole in Goliath's chest, killing him

, and he didn't so much as shrug or say "oops."

I've read a few of the Civil War books in the store, and I silently count my blessings that I don't actually buy comic books any more.

Brad

 

[Elemental]

And then thiers the whole thing with Sue leaving him quietly in the night in Cvil War 4, while in the Fantastic Four comic she flips out and blows a hole through the cieling before she leaves.

Or there's:

Amazing Spiderman: Tony tells Peter that the prison is permanent, and that he should get with the program.

Civil War (a couple of hours story time later): Tony tells Peter that the prison is only a temporary measure.