You bought House of M ... You bought Infinite Crisis ...
... But I'm begging you: Please don't buy Civil War!
We hear at Comics Should Be Good are not only dedicated to letting you know what current comics are good, but thanks to the magic of our top-secret time machine, the Croninometer 3000©®, we can travel into the future and tell you what comics will suck! Exhibit A: Marvel's Civil War crossover!
Now, we already know how the writers' meeting to discuss the crossover went. And I'm sure everyone picked up their free! "Opening Shot sketchbook" at fine comic shoppes everywhere this past Wednesday. It's that piece of propaganda - I mean advertising, sorry - that I want to discuss with you fine discriminating comics folk today.
The blurb starts thusly: "Though it seems impossible to believe, the Avengers were merely the first team to be disassembled." I'm really starting to hate that word, "disassembled." Anyway, the major "teams" of the Marvel U. are the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men. The FF and the X-Men aren't real teams, so what is Jim McCann (the writer of this pamphlet - should I call him Goebbels?) talking about? Are the New Warriors about to be disassembled? The Defenders? Dear God, not the Champions????
Moving on: "Since the early dawn of the marvels, there has been a secret gathering, a collection of the brightest, most powerful leaders of their community. They have not always seen eye-to-eye. A recent decision has torn them apart. Where they once stood united, they now face one another, mistrust brewing." Raise your hand if you're sick of ultra-secret groups manipulating the world from behind the scenes. It was old when Marvel did it in the late 1990s - did you think we'd forget Abnett and Kordey's weird two-issue Conspiracy? Did you???? How many other comics writers have used this? - Brubaker just did it in Sleeper, which didn't end that long ago. I'm just tired of this crap. And shocking - they don't get along!
"Heroes live among us. They walk and fly in our midst. They fight for us, protect us, and keep us safe. Heroes may be mutants, or aliens, or even gods. But like the rest of us, they are only human after all." [Emphasis mine.] Way to contradict yourself in consecutive sentences, Mr. McCann! Are they aliens and gods, or humans? Make up your mind!
"It's easy to forget that these flying, swinging, powerful protectors aren't always perfect. They can fail. All it takes is one mistake. One failure, and a catastrophe occurs that the world will remember for all time." Ummm, a catastrophe caused by Nitro? Really? That's what sparks this shit? Maybe if you didn't send freakin' Speedball after people these kinds of things wouldn't occur. Okay, so Nitro blowing up and taking out a city block, even destroying Stamford, Connecticut, has a greater impact than the absolute destruction of Genosha? Magneto obliterating Manhattan? Atlantic Attacks? Ultron killing all those people in that cool Avengers story by Busiek and Perez? The Hulk doing any rampaging at all over the past forty years? Any of the other world-destroying events that Marvel throws at its Earth every two years or so? Really? Nitro and Speedball? Really?????
"These heroes have lived among us for years in an age of wonder, an age of safety, and an age of innocence. When that innocence is lost in the wake of the tragedy, someone must be there to pick up the pieces." What I always liked about the Marvel U. was that it wasn't "an age of innocence." There have always been real-life consequences to their action, down to a freakin' series starring the people who clean up the mess! So what the hell is this event that it destroys their innocence? Their innocence was lost a long time ago.
"Some feel all who wear a mask and carry out their own brand of justice should answer to someone. They should be trained, organized, registered." I'm not the first person to point out that Marvel has been doing this with mutants for years.
"Split by a choice between personal safety and liberties versus national security and law, friends must now pick a side, hunting down those they once fought beside. Those that stood together against threats as teammates now face each other on a battlefield, and not all will walk away unscathed. This is war. Callous actions will tear families and friendships apart. Loved ones will be put at risk. True villains will go unchecked." This paragraph almost makes my head explode. There's really nothing more fun in a comic book than when heroes fight each other. Why, it's not like writers make jokes about it because it's such a cliché or something! And putting loved ones at risk - I know I'll be reading when May Parker is sodomized and killed, because that's "real." Nice to see Marvel following the worst decision DC has made over the past two years or so. Because the fans LOVE that Sue Dibny was raped and killed and that Jean Loring is insane and that Leslie Tompkins let someone die to teach Batman a lesson. Yes, sir, that's what we like! And the villains running amok - that's drama! I hope Iron Man and Captain America beat the shit out of each other while Doctor Doom takes over the world, because that's "real."
"Despite the media, despite the legislation, despite the evidence, Wolverine knows there is one man responsible for setting off the chain of events that have led to this Civil War." Please, let it be Paste-Pot Pete. Or Moses Magnum. Or Longshot. Any of those would be awesome.
Then we get to the "Civil War checklist." I realize these are for the completely obsessive geek only and some may have only a tangential connection to the main title (which, like Infinite Crisis, is seven issues - seven is the new six, apparently), but there are 79 (!) titles on the checklist - and presumably Marvel wants us to believe they are all "must-haves!" I'm sure nobody is going to buy all 79 titles, but the arrogance of Marvel is rather breathtaking. "You will buy all these titles or you will never know what's going on in the Civil War!!!! Bwah-ha-ha-ha!!!!"
I'm begging you, good comic folk. Boycott this whole mess. Aren't you tired of heroes fighting amongst themselves? When did that become so interesting? I didn't even like it back in the day when I was a neophyte comic book reader and Spider-Man would stumble across Johnny Storm and make some lame hot-headed joke and they would duke it for a page or two. It was stupid then, and it's even dumber now. I will also be very interested to see if "both sides of the story" get told with equal vigor and fairness - I'm betting those who want to register superheroes will be portrayed as the villains automatically, because this is so obviously a commentary on Bush's America (which is why a Scotsman is eminently qualified to write it, of course) that I expect each issue to begin with Thor smashing Mjolnir wrapped in the Patriot Act over the head of a reader. How tiresome - registering superheroes is bad! Freedom is good! Thanks, Joey Q and Mark Millar, for the insight.
I thought House of M was a bad idea. I thought Infinite Crisis was a bad idea. But they both sold boatloads, even though I have found very few people in real life or on the Internet who actually liked them. Sure, people have commented here about how one or two of the issues are decent, and people seemed to enjoy the return of geriatric Superman (why, I'll never know, since he exists, apparently, to be mocked), but generally, people don't like them. DC and Marvel don't care, of course - as long as you're buying, they'll keep throwing this shit at us. That's why I'm begging you to boycott this miserable and unheroic crossover. Please show Marvel (and DC, to a lesser extent) that we want solid stories about good guys and bad guys, and if we want a big crossover, can't we just have the bad guys get together and try to take over or something? And then the good guys could get together and do some ass-kicking. Doctor Doom needs a good ass-kicking, after all.
The only cool thing that could happen in this book is if they throw in a scene where some loser villain (insert your favorite here!) tries to commit some crime while the heroes square off. All the heroes look at each other, look at Z-list villain, and then proceed to join up and beat him to a bloody pulp. Then, of course, they go back to squabbling with each other like nothing happened. That would be a fun scene. But because I'm sure Millar thinks he's creating "art," he wouldn't do that.
And by the way, I'm aware that I'm beginning to sound like T. Do you see what Marvel and DC are doing to me???? They're turning me into T.!!!! Noooooooo!!!!!! That is their worst crime.
We hear at Comics Should Be Good are not only dedicated to letting you know what current comics are good, but thanks to the magic of our top-secret time machine, the Croninometer 3000©®, we can travel into the future and tell you what comics will suck! Exhibit A: Marvel's Civil War crossover!
Now, we already know how the writers' meeting to discuss the crossover went. And I'm sure everyone picked up their free! "Opening Shot sketchbook" at fine comic shoppes everywhere this past Wednesday. It's that piece of propaganda - I mean advertising, sorry - that I want to discuss with you fine discriminating comics folk today.
The blurb starts thusly: "Though it seems impossible to believe, the Avengers were merely the first team to be disassembled." I'm really starting to hate that word, "disassembled." Anyway, the major "teams" of the Marvel U. are the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men. The FF and the X-Men aren't real teams, so what is Jim McCann (the writer of this pamphlet - should I call him Goebbels?) talking about? Are the New Warriors about to be disassembled? The Defenders? Dear God, not the Champions????
Moving on: "Since the early dawn of the marvels, there has been a secret gathering, a collection of the brightest, most powerful leaders of their community. They have not always seen eye-to-eye. A recent decision has torn them apart. Where they once stood united, they now face one another, mistrust brewing." Raise your hand if you're sick of ultra-secret groups manipulating the world from behind the scenes. It was old when Marvel did it in the late 1990s - did you think we'd forget Abnett and Kordey's weird two-issue Conspiracy? Did you???? How many other comics writers have used this? - Brubaker just did it in Sleeper, which didn't end that long ago. I'm just tired of this crap. And shocking - they don't get along!
"Heroes live among us. They walk and fly in our midst. They fight for us, protect us, and keep us safe. Heroes may be mutants, or aliens, or even gods. But like the rest of us, they are only human after all." [Emphasis mine.] Way to contradict yourself in consecutive sentences, Mr. McCann! Are they aliens and gods, or humans? Make up your mind!
"It's easy to forget that these flying, swinging, powerful protectors aren't always perfect. They can fail. All it takes is one mistake. One failure, and a catastrophe occurs that the world will remember for all time." Ummm, a catastrophe caused by Nitro? Really? That's what sparks this shit? Maybe if you didn't send freakin' Speedball after people these kinds of things wouldn't occur. Okay, so Nitro blowing up and taking out a city block, even destroying Stamford, Connecticut, has a greater impact than the absolute destruction of Genosha? Magneto obliterating Manhattan? Atlantic Attacks? Ultron killing all those people in that cool Avengers story by Busiek and Perez? The Hulk doing any rampaging at all over the past forty years? Any of the other world-destroying events that Marvel throws at its Earth every two years or so? Really? Nitro and Speedball? Really?????
"These heroes have lived among us for years in an age of wonder, an age of safety, and an age of innocence. When that innocence is lost in the wake of the tragedy, someone must be there to pick up the pieces." What I always liked about the Marvel U. was that it wasn't "an age of innocence." There have always been real-life consequences to their action, down to a freakin' series starring the people who clean up the mess! So what the hell is this event that it destroys their innocence? Their innocence was lost a long time ago.
"Some feel all who wear a mask and carry out their own brand of justice should answer to someone. They should be trained, organized, registered." I'm not the first person to point out that Marvel has been doing this with mutants for years.
"Split by a choice between personal safety and liberties versus national security and law, friends must now pick a side, hunting down those they once fought beside. Those that stood together against threats as teammates now face each other on a battlefield, and not all will walk away unscathed. This is war. Callous actions will tear families and friendships apart. Loved ones will be put at risk. True villains will go unchecked." This paragraph almost makes my head explode. There's really nothing more fun in a comic book than when heroes fight each other. Why, it's not like writers make jokes about it because it's such a cliché or something! And putting loved ones at risk - I know I'll be reading when May Parker is sodomized and killed, because that's "real." Nice to see Marvel following the worst decision DC has made over the past two years or so. Because the fans LOVE that Sue Dibny was raped and killed and that Jean Loring is insane and that Leslie Tompkins let someone die to teach Batman a lesson. Yes, sir, that's what we like! And the villains running amok - that's drama! I hope Iron Man and Captain America beat the shit out of each other while Doctor Doom takes over the world, because that's "real."
"Despite the media, despite the legislation, despite the evidence, Wolverine knows there is one man responsible for setting off the chain of events that have led to this Civil War." Please, let it be Paste-Pot Pete. Or Moses Magnum. Or Longshot. Any of those would be awesome.
Then we get to the "Civil War checklist." I realize these are for the completely obsessive geek only and some may have only a tangential connection to the main title (which, like Infinite Crisis, is seven issues - seven is the new six, apparently), but there are 79 (!) titles on the checklist - and presumably Marvel wants us to believe they are all "must-haves!" I'm sure nobody is going to buy all 79 titles, but the arrogance of Marvel is rather breathtaking. "You will buy all these titles or you will never know what's going on in the Civil War!!!! Bwah-ha-ha-ha!!!!"
I'm begging you, good comic folk. Boycott this whole mess. Aren't you tired of heroes fighting amongst themselves? When did that become so interesting? I didn't even like it back in the day when I was a neophyte comic book reader and Spider-Man would stumble across Johnny Storm and make some lame hot-headed joke and they would duke it for a page or two. It was stupid then, and it's even dumber now. I will also be very interested to see if "both sides of the story" get told with equal vigor and fairness - I'm betting those who want to register superheroes will be portrayed as the villains automatically, because this is so obviously a commentary on Bush's America (which is why a Scotsman is eminently qualified to write it, of course) that I expect each issue to begin with Thor smashing Mjolnir wrapped in the Patriot Act over the head of a reader. How tiresome - registering superheroes is bad! Freedom is good! Thanks, Joey Q and Mark Millar, for the insight.
I thought House of M was a bad idea. I thought Infinite Crisis was a bad idea. But they both sold boatloads, even though I have found very few people in real life or on the Internet who actually liked them. Sure, people have commented here about how one or two of the issues are decent, and people seemed to enjoy the return of geriatric Superman (why, I'll never know, since he exists, apparently, to be mocked), but generally, people don't like them. DC and Marvel don't care, of course - as long as you're buying, they'll keep throwing this shit at us. That's why I'm begging you to boycott this miserable and unheroic crossover. Please show Marvel (and DC, to a lesser extent) that we want solid stories about good guys and bad guys, and if we want a big crossover, can't we just have the bad guys get together and try to take over or something? And then the good guys could get together and do some ass-kicking. Doctor Doom needs a good ass-kicking, after all.
The only cool thing that could happen in this book is if they throw in a scene where some loser villain (insert your favorite here!) tries to commit some crime while the heroes square off. All the heroes look at each other, look at Z-list villain, and then proceed to join up and beat him to a bloody pulp. Then, of course, they go back to squabbling with each other like nothing happened. That would be a fun scene. But because I'm sure Millar thinks he's creating "art," he wouldn't do that.
And by the way, I'm aware that I'm beginning to sound like T. Do you see what Marvel and DC are doing to me???? They're turning me into T.!!!! Noooooooo!!!!!! That is their worst crime.
posted by Greg at 4/09/2006 09:48:00 PM
34 Comments:
I just bought a couple Krazy Kat collections. They're pretty, they're entertaining, and I highly recommend them to all concerned. If you feel the need to blow your money on a ton of comics this summer, resist the Civil War urge and just plunk down the cash to see Ignatz smack Krazy with a brick instead.
"Despite the media, despite the legislation, despite the evidence, Wolverine knows there is one man responsible for setting off the chain of events that have led to this Civil War."
Turner D. Century.
people seemed to enjoy the return of geriatric Superman (why, I'll never know, since he exists, apparently, to be mocked)
If you want to get technical, the Superman who most often appears in lists like Superdickery is the Silver-Age Superman. i.e. the Superman of Earth-1 ... who became the modern Superman. Sure, the old guy from Earth-2 is in there, but he's not the one who dressed up as a witch doctor and made Jimmy Olsen marry a gorilla.
That's one of the best covers ever.
Sure, mega-crossovers tend to be horribly plotted, commitee-written pieces of crap with inconsistant characterization, spastic pacing, and and insulting simplicity, but I have a feeling that this one is going to be different. Remember, Civil War is being written by Mark Millar, whose name is synonymous with thoughtfulness and subtlety. Toss in the pacing of Brian Bendis and tight editorial consistancy of Joe Quesada and this could be the greatest thing since Wanted!
So yeah, I'm ignoring Civil War, thank you very much. Except for Young Avengers/Runaways. A crossover with two great teams, and the overarching plot doesn't force them to act wildly out of character? Sounds good to me.
Supposedly, the "age of innocence" comes to an end because a bunch of 8-year-olds die. Because, although there's been about a thousand super-battles since Fantastic Four 1, no children have ever died before. And Millar gets to do a nice Helen Lovejoy scene (I guarantee he'll do this, he'll think it's edgy).
Will someone please thing of the aging 30-something comic fans!?!?!?
Glad you started this one, Greg. To be honest, the initial idea of Civil War sounds quite interesting. The idea of comparing working with the authorities (practically working for them as an employee) versus being independent (and helping save people whilst holding down a secret identity) sounds interesting. To me, at least.
What doesn't interest me is:
1) the huge number of comics this crosses over into. I dislike crossovers in general. I'm certainly not going to buy 79 titles to follow this stuff (79 times, say, 2 quid is nearly £160. Or nearly 240 dollars. For what amounts to one story!). Just produce a self-contained, six issue mini-series - not a big crossover event.
2) the idea that just because these heroes have different politics or views they should fight. I mean, I don't mind the old cliche of superheroes fighting. But usually it's due to some form of mind control. Or mistaken identity. Or just because it'll be fun. Whereas this just seems to be a 79 issue long "realistic", "gritty" reason for getting into a fight. Why should superheroes fight just because they have different views on things? Shouldn't they be setting an example?
3) yet another huge, universe-changing, crossover hot on the heels of the last one. Really, it hasn't been long since the last multi-crossover. These things are more interesting when they appear very rarely - perhaps every dozen years or so. Not once a year.
This just strikes me as Marvel milking a vaguely interesting idea for all it's got. And then squeezing out a bit more. And finally throwing in a few more books, just to make sure. Please Marvel remember - less is more.
'"Despite the media, despite the legislation, despite the evidence, Wolverine knows there is one man responsible for setting off the chain of events that have led to this Civil War." Please, let it be Paste-Pot Pete. Or Moses'
That's how I read it. And now, damn, I will be disappointed if the mastermind responsible for this isn't Moses - or at least Chartlon Heston.
because this is so obviously a commentary on Bush's America (which is why a Scotsman is eminently qualified to write it, of course)
This objection is pretty incomprehensible to me. Does being from Scotland prevent someone from being informed about what's going on in America? There's plenty of political commentary on cold war America in Watchmen - hell, Richard Nixon pops up as a signficant secondary character - but I don't see too many people huffing about "Alan Moore's from England, what the hell does he know!" Millions of Americans are woefully uninformed about what's going on in their country - often to the point of not knowing what the candidates they vote for actually advocate - so it's hard to see how living in this country automatically confers a greater ability to comment on it.
If you want to criticize Millar's political commentary, criticize it for for its sledgehammer-like subtlety, not for Millar's place of birth.
Yeah, Lungfish, you're right - that was cheap shot. But I have seen foreign-born writers claim that American writers can't possibly understand their culture (even if it's British culture) so they should shut up about it. And remember the flap when DC hired an American to write Hellblazer. I just find it interesting that everyone and his mother can comment on America (and, to be honest, it's pretty easy to comment on it because it's the world's cop) but if I claim A-levels in England are not showing accurately how kids learn, I'm told that I don't understand the English school system.
But you're right - I object to this more because of Millar's lack of subtlety, not his nationality. But I can get a cheap shot in now and then, can't I?
A couple of points:
1) Joe Q (or someone) already said in an interview that they're going to try to avoid the obvious, simplistic "Freedom GOOD - Gov't regulation BAD" dichotomy. Whether they actually pull it off remains to be seen, but criticizing a mini-series that hasn't even been published yet, for a supposed failing that the publisher has specifically addressed in a public interview, makes you seem more whiny than clever.
2) And speaking of whining, nothing in amateur criticism is more annoying than pretending you can read the author's mind (e.g. 'I'm sure Millar thinks he's creating "art," he wouldn't do that.'). Combined with criticizing the author for not writing a scene that the critic thinks he should have written (when, again, the story hasn't even been published yet), that pushes the Whine-O-Meter well into the red.
Note: none of this should be taken to imply that I think Civil War won't suck. There's a very high liklihood that it will suck. But I think I may actually read at least one issue (or just page through it in the store) before I decide whether it actually sucks or not.
Speaking as an aging, 30-something comics reader, I just want to say...
I want well-written, intelligent comics. After reading New Avengers: Illuminati, I just want to say...Civil War ain't it.
You're just no fun, Anonymous. And that "amateur criticism" remark hurts. I get paid BUSHELS of cash to come up with whiny crap like this!
My point is, of course Joey Q has addressed the showing two sides aspect of the issue. Marvel has a long history of showing both sides of the mutant story - Reverend Stryker got a nationally televised stage to tell his side of the story! I'm not holding my breath that we will really see it, though. MAYBE we will, but I'm going by their track record - the published record - and not by press releases.
As for reading an issue before deciding it sucks, feel free. But that's basically what Marvel and DC want you to do! "Oh, I think I'll just buy this one issue - I can always mock it on the Internet!" And then, suddenly, you find yourself sucked in - SUCKED IN!!!!! I know, because it has happened to me - the feeling that you might miss something good if only you can put up with the crap for a while is a powerful one, in comics and in other forms of entertainment. All I'm saying is that we shouldn't buy this regardless of its quality (I think it will suck, but I COULD be wrong), but to show Marvel and DC that we aren't drones who will buy anything they put out.
Beyond that, though, I'm pretty sure it will suck. And I'm not whining because I didn't spend any money on it, and won't, so I have no reason to whine.
But I am going to cry because you picked on me. I'm fragile that way.
"Marvel has a long history of showing both sides of the mutant story - Reverend Stryker got a nationally televised stage to tell his side of the story!"
I'm still waiting for Marvel to come up with one halfway sympathetic human villain for the X-Men - y'know, someone who thinks mutants are scary not because they're "different," but because they can shoot death rays out of their eyes and rip tanks apart with their hands and because maybe humans deserve to have a couple giant robots to protect them from these crazily superpowered people who can control your mind and rearrange reality. But no, every human villain we get is a crazed slack-jawed Bible-thumping racist out to purge mankind of the genejokes.
That said, the pro-registration side is going to be made up of beloved superheroes with well-established fan bases, so I doubt they're going to be caricatured that heavily. They can't just turn Iron Man and Reed Richards into bad guys if they expect this thing to work. Of course, who says it's going to work?
If last week's Lying in the Gutters http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/?column=13
(the "Alpha Flight" rumor) is to be believed, lack of subtilty is just the beginning.
I can't imagine that scenario as a result of a 'two-sides to the story' approach, myself.
I am completely with you on this one. I will not buy a single Civil War title. I'm sick of bad political fantasy comics. The writers will think of something they think is just profound, just brilliant. And how will they validate themselves? They'll have Captain America say it; that makes it insightful!
This promises to have a lot of wasted space (think of how much content and story could be in 79 issues--and compare it to how much will actually be in there), bad story-telling, America=bad "political commentary," lame hero/hero fights, "Earth-shattering" "events," and Mark Millar.
No thanks.
Oh, and when I say "lame hero/hero fights," I mean lame hero/hero arguements.
I think that if they were going to try to present both sides, then the incident that starts all this needs to involve a hero nobody has heard of. We all know Speedball and the New Warriors. We know they mean well. Heck, we even know that they are competent. So to suggest that a mistake they made justifies taking away the civil rights of others is hard to swallow.
On the other hand, if it was No-name Guy, who just threw on a towel around his neck and went outside and promptly got a busload of kids killed because he really couldn't control his powers and didn't know what he was doing, you might have a fairer story.
"Despite the media, despite the legislation, despite the evidence, Wolverine knows there is one man responsible for setting off the chain of events that have led to this Civil War."
Wait, so once again, the only person who knows what's going on is Wolverine? Since when does Logan -- excuse me, James -- have cosmic awareness? He was the big hero of the last big event. Can't they let, say, Reed Richard be the smart one for a change?
>>"Despite the media, despite the legislation, despite the evidence, Wolverine knows there is one man responsible for setting off the chain of events that have led to this Civil War."
>>Wait, so once again, the only person who knows what's going on is Wolverine? Since when does Logan -- excuse me, James -- have cosmic awareness? He was the big hero of the last big event. Can't they let, say, Reed Richard be the smart one for a change?
Yeah, seconded. I recognize that Marvel doesn't really have any detectives per se, and I know that there are those who love the 'mysterious' Logan who seems to have a secret history with everyone and everything. It's become annoying over the years. Is there a single reason why he himself wasn't in the Illuminati since he is instrumental to every significant event in the Marvel Universe? Somewhere in the catalog there has to be another dangerous truth-seeking outsider. Freaking Deathlok, Sleepwalker, jeez, anyone but more Wolverine, please.
you have some good points (not buying 79 comics, thanks) but....
I hope Iron Man and Captain America beat the shit out of each other while Doctor Doom takes over the world, because that's "real."
It's not 'real', but it's interesting. Which, frankly, Dr. Doom trying to take over the world again and Iron Man and Captain America fighting him, is not.
My take from Illuminati is that this is a legimitately divisive issue and it's being handled as such. Characters coming into conflict because they gave opposing goals and opinions - legitimate opinions derived from their differening experiences - is a lot more interesting than fight-the-bad-guy.
You bought House of M ... You bought Infinite Crisis ...
Actually, I didn't. I am buying Seven Soldiers, though (in trades). It's pretty good, so far.
But I did stop in a comic shop last week which was giving out House of M #1 for free (along with a coupon for 10% off the trade), so I took the free copy, and read it. What struck me most was how badly written it was. Second was how dull it was.
There was one House of M tie-in (well, sort of) that was quite good, actually. It's online here:
http://mysite.verizon.net/nosgothphantom/house/
All the events of issue #1, but much, much funnier.
SF
When I got into comics in the mid-80's, the "big event crossover" had just become a "thing" -- and I never knew any different. That's not to say they were well-executed. I mean, I didn't read most of them at the time of release because I was just a lad and didn't have that much of an allowance ... but I did eventually read "Millenium" and "Legends" and "Atlantis Attacks" and "The Evolutionary War" and ... y'know, they ALL sucked. "Inferno" worked for me. "The Mighty Marvel Mutant Massacre" (and the added fun of the Mighty Marvel Mutant Massacre Map, of the Morlock tunnels and what issue of what crossover comic took place where in said tunnels) worked for me, and drew me into X-Men titles I otherwise didn't read -- which OUGHT to be the point of big crossovers, to draw existing comics readers into titles they don't read, because these big continuity shattering crossovers sure as heck can't be very appealing to new comics readers. I have a twenty-year general knowledge of Marvel and DC continuity and I can't/couldn't hardly follow either Identiy or Infinite Crises. Um, I forgot what I was saying.
I enjoyed the piss out of all the "Infinity" crossovers at Marvel, because I was big huge into Silver Surfer at the time, even if the artist's work on the Fantastic Four crossover issues for I-War completely ignored the doppelganger model sheets in favor of putting spikes on everyone, and even though Infinty Crusade was an obvious scraping of the underside of the barrel.
I presently put in about 8 hours a week on various days at a friend's hobby shop that carries comics, so I get to read comics I'd never pay for* ... which includes Crises 2 and 3, and what little "House Of M" I could manage (frikkin issues soared out the door, it was surprising) and Civil War so far. I can't suss why Iron Man in "Illuminati" says he's for the registration, when in Amazing Spider-Man I got the idea he was against it. Either I've read it incorrectly, or Marvel's being inconsistant, or both.
* Please note that while this minor fringe benefit keeps me up-to-date on most continuity even on things I wouldn't buy, it has turned me onto things I like that I'd otherwise not have tried, such as JSA, Rucka's Wonder Woman, the current She-Hulk and Ultimates. Which I then buy the TPB of.
Two more things.
because this is so obviously a commentary on Bush's America (which is why a Scotsman is eminently qualified to write it, of course)
Who says it's about Bush's America? Also sounds a little like Blair's UK. Blair and Bush seem quite friendly at the mo and we're right behind Bush's America. So maybe Millar's doing a commentary on current state of the western world?
Still, being a Scotsman, what would he know about it?
I've also noticed that Marvel has another "crossover" going on - Annihilation. Two world-shattering crossover at the same time? That's a bit greedy, isn't it?
"I'm still waiting for Marvel to come up with one halfway sympathetic human villain for the X-Men - y'know, someone who thinks mutants are scary not because they're "different," but because they can shoot death rays out of their eyes and rip tanks apart with their hands and because maybe humans deserve to have a couple giant robots to protect them from these crazily superpowered people who can control your mind and rearrange reality. But no, every human villain we get is a crazed slack-jawed Bible-thumping racist out to purge mankind of the genejokes."
Senator Kelly didn't fit that bill with you?
Wait until you see what they do with Thor. Its not pretty.
I didn't buy into House of M, but I did buy into Infinite Crisis after I read identity crisis in one sitting and after feeling like I was missing out on the party of the century with all the hype and hoo-ha.
And, to be fair, I'm quite enjoying it. It's not bad fluff, but it ain't fried gold.
Of the 1 year later's taters, I quit like the new Batman and superman titles (even though, currently, my fave read is All Star Superman)
naladahc wrote:
"Will someone please thing of the aging 30-something comic fans!?!?!?"
New here and like the blog, but I felt I had to chime in here (and probably be off topic...sorry in advance).
Y'know, as a thirty-year old comic fan, I got out of full time collecting (I keep tabs today and pick out what looks interesting) when the same crap kept getting regurgitated in storylines month after month with little deviation, and I got pissed when the current writers of today's books blatantly ripped off old storylines for their books since they couldn't apparently think of anything better to write (JLA mindwipe arc over the past two years...not like Squadron Supreme didn't have that going for it...what, 20 some years ago?).
Here's the thing, though: I teach college English and try to integrate good comics into the curriculum whenever possible. The problem is that the students I have who read comics generally have no idea what the history of the industry is (and I've had the talk a few times of "why are you reading this when it was done a lot better here"). They haven't heard of the original Squadron Supreme series, they've never read Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, or even anything topical like Maus or X-Men at the height where there was a meaningful race message to it instead of the cliche we have now.
So there's no reason for writers to be inventive when the main audience has no idea that what they're reading is shit that's been done a lot better year's earlier, and so they eat it up. Because they lack the history, the knowledge that the 30-year olds have for a field. And this is the problem, but if I'm 13-20, I probably don't have the extra $20-$40 to spend on trades to get caught up (which, the biggest pile of bullshit ever is Marvel pricing TPB's at the $30+ range...a rant for later).
This article and the subsequent comments were posted in the month before Civil War hit the stands. Like lemmings, all of the posters agreed with the writer of this article: CW should be boycotted.
Several months later, I bet you've all read (not neccesarily paid for but read) every issue of the main Civil War series up to this point. Because you didn't want to miss anything.
Unrelated question: What's the definition of hypocrite?
Ain't nothing wrong with Marvel doing a big MU spanning mini-series. No big deal. And no, the fans didn't buy all 79 titles connected with CW. We are adults (that is the market for comics:adults in their late 20s and up) and we can decide which of the 79 (if any) that we want to buy..of our own free will.
The post before mine, from smokescreen is especially pretentious:
"The problem is that the students I have who read comics generally have no idea what the history of the industry is (and I've had the talk a few times of "why are you reading this when it was done a lot better here")."
You pretentious #$%&! Kids read comics for fun! When you first started reading comics as a kid, did you research the history of old comics, starting with the Yellow Kid and Windsor McKay's work BEFORE you picked up your Squadron Supreme? NO! You were attracted to comics for the baseness of the action and cool superhero costumes. It wasn't until years later you got all "artsy farsty" about it, subconsciously searching for ways to prove that a grown man reading comics is actually a mature thing.
With your preaching to the "young comics fans" that are your students ( and if you are thirty or thirty one, you are still kind of a 'kid' yourself) you are turning off the few of the "next gen" of comics buyers away before they get started. Let 'em have fun and if they still read comics a few years from now, they will find their own "comics reading" path.
No matter what intellectuals say, comics were created to ENTERTAIN young kids FIRST.
And also, the comics of today (including CIvil War) are mature in theme and have much more subtext than most comics from the 80s (have you read your old Squadron Supreme lately?)
You read Krazy Kat: I'll read Civil War, thanks.
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