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Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006) - Page 12

post #331 of 579
8/16/07 at 11:10pm

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

A good comic this week is Booster Gold #1. If you liked his storyline in 52, there is no reason you won't like it here. It's even set up as a direct continuation, with the same "Week XX" banners at the top. Johns did a pretty good balance of continuing things in the DC universe in general without confusing a DC newbie such as myself. And, the art was really nice to look at. I would say it's one of the better books I've read in a while.
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post #332 of 579
12/4/07 at 1:44pm

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

A pretty candid Usenet post from JMS about the whole Spider-Man "One More Day" debacle:

Quote:
Speak of the devil and he shall appear....

For whatever it's worth, the situation is not as clear cut as one
might hope. The reality of any writer workingfor any company, DC or
Marvel or Image, is that when you're handed a franchise character,
you're basically entrusted with something that the company owns, and
the company has final say in what happens to that character, because
as a writer, you're only there for a certain amount of time and then
the next guy has to come in. Spider-Man belongs to Marvel, not to me,
and at the end of the day, however much I may disagree with things,
and however much I may make it very CLEAR to all parties that I
disagree, I have to honor their position.

In the Gwen storyline, yes, I wanted it to be Peter's kids, Joe over-
rode that, which is his right as EIC. I got the flack for that
decision, but them's the breaks.

In the current storyline, there's a lot that I don't agree with, and I
made this very clear to everybody within shouting distance at Marvel,
especially Joe. I'll be honest: there was a point where I made the
decision, and told Joe, that I was going to take my name off the last
two issues of the OMD arc. Eventually Joe talked me out of that
decision because at the end of the day, I don't want to sabotage Joe
or Marvel, and I have a lot of respect for both of those. As an
executive producer as well as a writer, I've sometimes had to insist
that my writers make changes that they did not want to make, often
loudly so. They were sure I was wrong. Mostly I was right.
Sometimes I was wrong. But whoever sits in the editor's chair, or the
executive producer's chair, wears the pointy hat of authority, and as
Dave Sim once noted, you can't argue with a pointy hat.

So at the end of the day, all one can do is try to do the best one can
with the notes one is given, and try to execute them in a professional
way...because who knows, the other guy may be right. The only thing I
*can* tell you, with absolute certainty, is that what Joe does with
Spidey and all the rest of the Marvel characters, he does out of a
genuine love of the character. He's not looking to sabotage anything,
he's not looking to piss off the fans, he genuinely believes in the
rightness of his views not out of a sense of "I'm the boss" but
because he loves these characters and the Marvel universe.

And right or wrong, you have to respect that.

jms
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post #333 of 579
12/4/07 at 2:47pm

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

While I know that alot of JMS's run has beat up by fans (it's had its ups and downs but I've enjoyed it overall), what's the specific controversy surrounding One More Day? Is it just that Marvel is ripping people for a buck for no content beyond some worthless Marvel encyclopedia entries or is it that the books are months late or is it that the fans just think the story sucks?

Personally, I wish the story was better- especially the latest issue which was just a waste of pages- but I've still got high hopes for a big finish in Amazing Spider-Man (which will undoubtedly be delayed even longer than the end of December).
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post #334 of 579
12/4/07 at 2:49pm

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

I havn't been collecting Spidey, looks like I'm not missing much. PRett ycrazy that he would go on a public board like that.
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post #335 of 579
12/4/07 at 3:47pm

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

i didnt know there was a one more day debacle.

who said it was?
or what makes it one?
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post #336 of 579
12/4/07 at 4:01pm

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

I'm not sure but I think the idea is that Mephisto is going to "wave a magic wand" that will make it so Peter and MJ's marriage never happened. A lot of people are saying that this is an exceptionally stupid idea for a number of reasons.
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post #337 of 579
12/4/07 at 5:35pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

Holy retcon fever, Batman!
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post #338 of 579
12/4/07 at 6:24pm

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

Yeah, it's not only the fact that the marriage is ending just because one guy has a problem with it and actually has the power to do something about it, but it's also the fact that the story has been telegraphed for months. I have known for literally months that it was going to be Mephisto coming in and making the marriage go away. It's pretty bad when your big, huge status quo changing story is playing out just like the rumors that have been out there forever. It's funny that other writers have seemingly been trying to spike the story. The guy who wrote Sensational, for one thing, had May in a coma begging Peter to let her go be with Ben, and the writer's last issue had God showing Peter how ideal his life has been (and had it ending with him and Mary Jane happy with a family).

By the way, before anyone complains that I'm spoiling the story, I have no specific knowledge about what will happen in the final chapter. I'll eat a candy bar if I'm wrong and Joe Q throws a curveball, but they have said that the free comic book day book is "important to Brand New Day." That story was not only terrible, but it showed May alive with no knowledge of Peter as Spider-Man, and had what appeared to be Mary Jane as "Jackpot." She even called Peter "tiger." This character will definitely appear in Brand New Day, and is the lamest thing to come out of the House of Ideas in as long as I can remember.

Here's what we know:

JMS conceived the Sins Past storyline with Peter as the father of the twins. A bad idea, to be sure, but his idea. Joe Q stepped in and forced it to be Norman.

JMS wanted the Other to be a huge, sprawling story, but was forced to pare it down to a rushed crossover.

The rumor--supported by his post--is that he opposes ending the marriage, and Joe Q stepped in again. As JMS says, it's an editor's right, but it hasn't been positive for the quality of the book thus far.

Joe is the one who brought Peter and Mary Jane back together after she was killed off by Howard Mackie. He made their marriage fun to read, and he also completely salvaged Aunt May. Mackie and Byrne gave May a makeover, but she was still a dingbat. JMS made her a human being. This whole storyline appears to be turning back the clock on all of this, which is a shame. He should have taken his name off the final two parts, since the whole thing basically says, "Your run might as well not have happened."
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post #339 of 579
12/4/07 at 8:09pm

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy Sheets
I'm not sure but I think the idea is that Mephisto is going to "wave a magic wand" that will make it so Peter and MJ's marriage never happened. A lot of people are saying that this is an exceptionally stupid idea for a number of reasons.
It certainly is. It seems so stupid that I just figured that it couldn't be where they're going with the story.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg_S_H
The rumor--supported by his post--is that he opposes ending the marriage, and Joe Q stepped in again. As JMS says, it's an editor's right, but it hasn't been positive for the quality of the book thus far.
Thanks for the info, guys. I never go to comic message boards so I rarely see much feedback on comics.

I saw Quesada do a Q&A earlier this year and last year and both times he talked about how much he didn't like the Peter and MJ marriage (because it was foisted on the comic's storyline by the comic strip) and you could just hear the entire crowd mumbling "Huh?" "What?" "Why?". Like JMS said, I know that Joe Quesada isn't out to screw things up but I can't comprehend his opposition to Peter and Mary Jane's marriage. If he wants to have stories where Peter is single, tell them in Ultimate Spider-Man.

I've planned to drop Amazing Spider-Man after JMS ended his run anyway and switched over to buying Ultimate Spidey every month (instead of grabbing the trades) so I'll still get a Spider-Man fix each month.
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post #340 of 579
12/4/07 at 8:38pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

I think it's criminal that they charged $3.99/issue of that "One More Day" storyline.
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post #341 of 579
12/4/07 at 8:50pm

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Sun
I think it's criminal that they charged $3.99/issue of that "One More Day" storyline.
As odd as it sounds, I'd have been happier just with an arbitrary $1.00 increase than the BS they did put in to try to justify the extra $1.
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post #342 of 579
12/4/07 at 9:26pm

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

Yeah. Bios lifted directly from SpiderFan.org and an Ovaltine Silver Surfer story. A crummy commericial! I don't even think they proofed the bios before they put them in the books. There were, what, 1000 words on Kristy Watson? Who in the hell is thinking about Kristy Watson any more? It's great for an in-depth website, but not for a published comic book.
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post #343 of 579
12/5/07 at 6:52am

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

So did anyone get the Black Dossier?
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post #344 of 579
12/5/07 at 7:14am

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

Did it ever come out Andy? I thought it was scrapped it's been so long. LOEG the Black Dossier is what we're talking about right?
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post #345 of 579
12/5/07 at 7:57am

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

Yeah, it came out a couple of weeks ago. And then apparently sold out in one day. DC says they're going to a second printing but I'm not sure when that'll be out. Of course, DC is also probably going to do an Absolute edition eventually that will include a vinyl record with a couple of Alan Moore songs on it.

I thought it was an interesting piece of work. It's as technically dazzling as anything Moore has done (there's a Jeeves and Wooster meet HP Lovecraft pastiche he wrote that is hilarious), although I question some of his choices regarding how he portrays certain characters. In particular, he makes James Bond out to be the scuzziest rat bastard character that's yet been seen in the series. I don't mind an antagonistic take on Bond but I just thought Moore's take was slightly beyond the pale.
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post #346 of 579
12/26/07 at 8:30pm

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

Cool! Marvel Masterworks Spider-Man Vol. 5 (22) is back in print this Friday! It goes for a lot on eBay, so I'm glad I didn't break down and buy it there. It features the first full appearance of Mary Jane (ironically, this will be released the same day that Peter will most likely forget her) as well as the Kingpin. It's an expensive week for comics, so I'll have to wait a bit. Still, it's good to know it'll be out there.
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post #347 of 579
12/27/07 at 6:09am

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

It looks like DC is going to be killing to be killing the Archives program this coming year, after they finish off a few easily completed lines. Personally, I hope they replace it with something like the Fourth World Omnibus format.

The upcoming book that has the most interest from me right now is the new Zorro - Matt Wagner writing and doing covers, and Francesco Francavilla, whose work I really, really like, doing the art.
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post #348 of 579
12/27/07 at 9:33am

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

I've always skipped the master works series and such due to price. Now I'm collecting the Omnibus series. I got both Fantastic Four volumes this month (found vol 1 for $45 online, a miracle since it's going for as much as $160 on some sites) with the Amazing Fantasy and Spider-man on i's way. I'll probably collect most of the silver age marvel books this way. Iron Man and The Hulk are on tap, and Hopefully they well do the Avengers. I haven't had a chance to read them yet, but they apear to be 5-6 volumes of the Master Works collected into a giant hard cover.

Is DC planning something similar? Great news for silver age, old comic book fans if they are. Between the "Essential"/"Showcase" b&w reprints and these, fans of the old stuff can't really go wrong.

I heard that Darwin Cooke is doing a follow up to New Frontier next year. If that happens it'll be number one on my radar outside of the big hard cover reprints (Hellboy is getting the treatment, Absolute Black Dossier, Give Me Liberty (Frank Millers Martha Washington stories) is rumored...)
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post #349 of 579
12/27/07 at 10:06am

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Russell G
I've always skipped the master works series and such due to price. Now I'm collecting the Omnibus series.
You guys are more hardcore than me- I stick to Marvel's Essential or DC's Showcase trades. They ain't pretty but you get a ton for your buck.

Although I do buy The EC Archives and The Absolute Sandman books so I'm not totally cheap.
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post #350 of 579
12/27/07 at 11:59am

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

I got the first two X-Men Masterworks as Christmas presents in the '80s. I more recently bought the four softcover Barnes and Noble Spider-Man Masterworks, which were very cheap. The two other Masterworks I have were only $9 and $19, those being Daredevil and Avengers. So, this Spider-Man one will be the only one that will set me back a little.

I just don't like the Essentials. Can't do black-and-white when the original releases were in color.
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post #351 of 579
12/27/07 at 12:19pm

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg_S_H
I just don't like the Essentials. Can't do black-and-white when the original releases were in color.
I can't blame you but I've only bought a few (mostly just the Amazing Spidey ones) so it's not that big of a deal for me. If I was a bigger collector of that era and had more money, I'd probably invest in the better editions. Do they re-color the Masterworks/Omnibus or do they keep the limited 1960's color?

Has anyone seen the Amazing Spider-Man DVD-ROMs? I loathe the idea of reading a comic on the computer but I am curious as to how good or bad it turned out.
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post #352 of 579
12/27/07 at 5:33pm

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

I think they recolor them. There's a Marvel Masterworks forum, and I think the guys usually complain about the coloring jobs. I think they have nothing but praise for the Omnibuses (Omnibi?) though.
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post #353 of 579
12/28/07 at 6:25am

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

Quote:
Originally Posted by TravisR
Do they re-color the Masterworks/Omnibus or do they keep the limited 1960's color?

No, they keep the colors flat and vivid, like the original comics. The way it ought to be in my opinion. The reason they complain about the coloring jobs is because of deviations from the original comics; e.g., the original Silver Surfer Masterworks mistakenly colored him blue instead of white/gray. That error was corrected in the Omnibus.

Quote:
Has anyone seen the Amazing Spider-Man DVD-ROMs? I loathe the idea of reading a comic on the computer but I am curious as to how good or bad it turned out.

I have the Fantastic Four dvd. It's interesting, I guess. They literally just scanned the original comics and put it on a dvd, no restoration or retouching of any kind (IINM, the collection used belonged to Marvel editor Ralph Macchio), right down to the ads. It's not ideal because you have to zoom in on the panels to read it but it's legible. But as much as I've tried to read it, I just can't get into it on an ongoing basis because when I'm reading something, my first impulse is to think "couch". Sitting upright and reading comics at my computer just doesn't feel natural to me.
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post #354 of 579
2/6/08 at 4:51pm

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

Have any of you HTF Comic fans visited Zuda Comics? It's DC's online imprint that has monthly competitions, with the prize being a 1 year contract to continue your comic. There's some pretty cool stuff on there, and of course, some pretty terrible stuff, but overall it's a pretty cool experiment.

I've got a comic in this month's competition called Joe Comics. If any of you feel inclined to check it out, I would really appreciate the support of fellow HTFers, but by no means do you have to vote for me. If you like something else better, vote for that, but if you can, have a visit and let me know what you think of my comic at Zuda Comics | Read. Vote. Create.

Thanks everybody!
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post #355 of 579
2/20/08 at 11:09pm

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

A screenshot from the upcoming LEGO Batman:



That's adorable.

Just the other day, when I was playing an online LEGO Indiana Jones game, I was wondering if they'd do a LEGO Batman game. Looks good so far.
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post #356 of 579
2/21/08 at 7:10am

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

That screen shot is great! I love that.

Has anybody picked up a copy of the Trials of Shazam? I was in a comic store for the first time in over a year and I ended picking up a few of the issues (now I need to track down the others). I like the story, and the artwork is fantastic!
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post #357 of 579
2/21/08 at 9:07pm

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

i thought it should be nemtioned here since this is a comic topic, Steve Gerber passed away recently.
if you don't know, he was the creater of Howard the Duck.
not the movie but the comic book the movie was based upon.

he's listed as one of the writers of the movie but i don't think he really had anything to do with it. mot 100% certain of that.
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post #358 of 579
4/1/08 at 9:33am
Thread Starter 

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

Jim Mooney has passed away. He lived a pretty long life, just under 90 years. RIP Mr. Mooney.

Mark Evanier's thoughts on Jim Mooney's passing
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post #359 of 579
4/2/08 at 10:29pm

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

If you enjoy the zombie genre, go and check out The Walking Dead. Issue 48 came out today and it was fantastic! Robert Kirkman kept things pretty slow for a while but it has been gripping for the last 3 issues or so and culminates in a major event in this issue.
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post #360 of 579
4/2/08 at 11:43pm

Re: Comics: The Weekly Rundown (was Heroes Con 2006)

Issue 48 should not be anybody's first issue, though. Read the trades in order, start around issue 43, or just jump onboard with 50. You could maybe jump on with 49, but I think it will deal with fallout from this arc. 50 is supposed to be friendly to new readers, I think.

Also, everyone should be reading Kirkman's Invincible. Check it out in trades.
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