DVD Talk Forum - 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

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Re: 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by brayzie (Post 10640608)

It's pretty complicated. Zoom originally was just some guy from the future who stumbled onto an old Flash suit that contained speed powers.

Then, under Waid, Zoom was retconned into being a fan of the "age of heroes" and missing that time so much that he became a Flash fanatic who gave himself speed powers and got plastic surgery to look like his idol.

Now, I think in the latest Flash comic, Zoom is changed to have been a kid who was obsessed with not wasting time.

I meant the whole convoluted Zoom-changed-Barry's-past plot, and he is the only speedster who is able to change history. I mean, there was a major change in Barry's motivations in Rebirth, even taking away the whole speed force changes. But yeah, Zoom's been changed a bit too, and it was especially confusing because the one in Rebirth was the one from after Blackest Night, but Rebirth happened before Blackest Night, so there are two of them and... ugh.

Re: 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

I'm not gonna lie. I'm a little tempted to buy the new Flash series. The only thing stopping me though is the reliance on past stories to tell current stories, but the past is constantly retconned, so it seems like anything that happens is of little consequence. It'll be retconned with the new writer.

Re: 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

I think if anything, stuff written by Johns will stay "in-canon" for some time to come, since he's pretty high up the food chain at this point; in addition, I think the next big DC event revolves around Flash anyway. Go get the Flash: Rebirth trade to see if you like it, the art is very different but Johns wrote both, and it sets up the ongoing.

Re: 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

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Originally Posted by fujishig (Post 10641669)

Exactly, anything Johns writes is going to be canon for the conceivable future at DC. He is basically running the show from a creative standpoint from what I gather for much of the DC universe.

Re: 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/SHO...el.fanfour.jpg

CNN) -- When Marvel Comics Executive Editor Tom Brevoort told CNN in December that "something new" would come out of the recent death of the Fantastic Four's Human Torch, he wasn't kidding.

For starters, they won't even be using the name Fantastic Four. On Wednesday, Marvel announced that the team is now going to be called the Future Foundation, debuting in "FF" No. 1 in March.

Gone are the traditional blue costumes. The team will now be wearing white-and-black costumes (with three hexagons replacing the trademark number "4," as well).

And then there's the cherry on top: Reed "Mr. Fantastic" Richards, Sue "Invisible Woman" Richards and Ben "The Thing" Grimm will now be joined by the superstar of the Marvel Universe, none other than Spider-Man (also wearing a new white-and-black costume).

Reaction to the news from comic book fans has run the gamut. Here's a sample:

Spider-Man joining "FF" makes perfect sense!

"I think it's a great idea," said Bob Bretall of the ComicBookPage podcast. "The association between Spidey and the FF goes all the way back to 'Amazing Spider-Man' No. 1 in 1962."

One of the most memorable examples of this on-again, off-again partnership with the FF involved a very different kind of costume change. In a 1984 issue of "Amazing Spider-Man," the webhead ended up putting on the iconic original Fantastic Four costume ... and they got around the problem of his mask by having him wear a brown paper bag on his head.

Bretall thinks that Spidey joining the team makes sense on another level: "Given that Johnny (Storm, the Human Torch) has long been Spider-Man's best friend as a superhero, it just feels right for him to step in and round out the roster to four."

Comic book historian Alan Kistler agreed: "Spider-Man is a scientist with a different perspective than Mr. Fantastic, and he specializes in different fields, so it could be very interesting to see how his own expertise rounds out this new Future Foundation. And from another angle, it could be interesting to see how Spidey feels about essentially replacing a person he considered a friend and what kind of pressure this will place on him."

On Twitter, @solidcolt put it this way: " 'Amazing Spider-Man' is possibly better then it's ever been. And now he's joining (writer Jonathan) Hickman's FF so that third movie is totally forgiven."

Too much Spidey?

"That's enough Spidey! You are everywhere already!" wrote @kodok_biroe on Twitter.

He might be the most recognizable character from Marvel Comics, and it's not hard to imagine why Spider-Man is so ubiquitous. He's even a current member of the Avengers.

There's a lot of buzz around the new "Spider-Man" film reboot starring Andrew Garfield. And then there's that Broadway musical that made so many headlines before it even officially opened.

Still, some fans might be left to wonder: Why Spider-Man? Why not a new character for the team?

"Injecting Spider-Man into the Fantastic Four will probably boost sales, but it feels like Marvel is kind of pimping out the character and spreading him too thin," Sean Fallon wrote at Nerdapproved.com.

"Normally, the addition of Spider-Man to a 'team' comic might worry me a bit. Spidey is -- along with Wolverine -- one of the most oversaturated characters in the Marvel Universe," G4 TV's comic book guru Blair Butler said. "But this new version of the Fantastic Four comes to us from Hickman -- one of the most innovative voices working in comics today -- so I'm actually really looking forward to it, white suits and all. And if you've read Hickman's other work, the new title and costumes seem to fit his science-based vision of the Fantastic Four perfectly."

Yes, about those new costumes ...

FF's new costumes are true to its roots

ComicBookPage podcaster John Mayo is a fan of the team's new look: "The new costumes look great."

Kistler, who often blogs about superhero fashion, looked at what makes the FF special in his assessment of the costumes: "(The FF) spend their spare time looking for other planets and dimensions to explore rather than patrolling for criminals to stop. So the new FF suits work for me as a compromise between customized NASA flight suits and 'Star Trek' uniforms."

White costumes ... really? (And what about Spidey?)

"I'm not too thrilled about the move away from traditional blue, but I'm sure ill get over it," Bretall said. "The new costumes are sleek, if not colorful."

And even though Kistler liked the FF costumes, he is not as thrilled about Spider-Man's look. "It's off-putting at first. Spider-Man has such a unique costume design, with interesting line work and shape, and now most of that's been removed. Black and white works for the rest of the FF, because it's supposed to symbolize their stark look on reality following the Human Torch's death, but Spidey's faced personal death and tragedy many times and has maintained a colorful sense of humor and the belief that eventually things will get better," he said.

"On the other hand, it would be boring to have him wear his classic costume and just add the hexagons to his shirt, so I can accept this as his FF outfit that he wears when he's representing their interests. If he were wearing this in his own comics as well, I'd have a bigger problem with it."

Is this really a permanent change?

As Kistler noted not too long ago on Newsarama.com, the FF have had a lot of costume changes over the years, though this one may be the most drastic.

There have also been a number of changes with the Fantastic Four over the years, particularly the "Heroes Reborn" storyline in the '90s. Which begs the question, how long will these changes last?

"While I am sure I'll continue to enjoy the title as it becomes 'The Future Foundation' for the next year, I fully expect that a year from now, the big news around the title will be that it is reverting to Fantastic Four just in time for issue No. 600," speculated Mayo. "Moreover, there is a strong possibility that issue will feature the heroic return of the Human Torch."

Permanent or not, it will be interesting to see whether these radical changes will ultimately be accepted. Brevoort promises a "unique, powerful new series that's going to surprise a lot of fans with its combination of mind-blowing ideas and visuals."

If it lives up to that promise, you'll be sure to hear exclamations of "Excelsior!" from readers.

LINK

Spoiler:

Re: 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

No problem with the remaining Fantastic Four changing their look, but would Spider-man really just suit up in a new black-and-white suit? The thing with Venom and all being a major barrier. But never let logic and character consistency stand in the way of a publicity stunt, that is the Marvel Way™.

Re: 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

Isn't Spider-Man slated to die soon, or is that in the Ultimate universe?

Re: 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

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Originally Posted by PhantomStranger (Post 10658630)

He doesn't even have the same symbol on his suit (which only has three icons anyway). Whoever said that it made sense that he's on the team because he's the best fried of the Torch is stretching a bit, to my knowledge there was only one time he was actually in the FF and that was during that Art Adams stint with Wolverine, grey Hulk, and Ghost Rider. Obviously just a way to get Spidey into another book, I'm half-surprised it wasn't Deadpool. Isn't he also on one of the X-teams?

Just read the first HCs of "Age of Heroes" New Avengers, Avengers, and Secret Avengers. Spidey and Wolverine are both on two of those teams (which is even mentioned), and the Thing is on one of them. Is that no longer the case?

Since I collect everything in trade, I didn't even realize that they canceled (or put on hiatus, like Iron Fist) Guardians of the Galaxy and Nova. Marvel seems very dependent on just a few heroes: The spidey books, the X-men books, the Avengers titles featuring spidey and wolverine, multiple Cap titles, and now multiple Thor titles to tie into the movie. I didn't see much else in the solicitations. Oh, there's Black Panther-devil and now FF featuring Spidey.

Re: 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

So May solicitations are out, and 5 DC titles are getting the axe:
Doom Patrol
Freedom Fighters
Outsiders
JSA All Stars
R.E.B.E.L.S.

The last one is the one that really hurts, as it was doing something interesting in the little-used non-GL cosmic DC space. JSA All Stars I followed for a bit out of blind loyalty to the brand, but quit a few months ago and haven't even missed.

Looks like Winick is taking over Batman and Robin too. I saw the ad for Tomasi and Gleason's run on B & R and kinda regretted dropping it after that horrid post-Morrison arc with Miss "Hole-in-the-head" as the main villain, since I was a big fan of their Green Lantern Corps, but I guess they were only on for a single arc? Is this going to be a rotating creative team book now? Not that I'm going to get back on it now.

Re: 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patman (Post 10659306)

Isn't Spider-Man slated to die soon, or is that in the Ultimate universe?

Ultimate.

Re: 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

Sorry to be snarky, but I think it's strange to use "fresh and new" to describe a comic book that's been around since the 60s.

I mean, they have new costumes and another superhero from the '60s joined the team.

The costumes look kind of cool, but for a movie about futuristic astronauts.

Re: 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

So I just received a notice from mailordercomics that the US post office is restricting shipping of comic books using Media Mail (the reasoning is that because they have advertisements, they are not really media, which I find odd, considering most media also contains advertisements). This is after the post office made me pay extra for a manga shipment from Rightstuf (which is even more confusing, because manga and graphic novels don't have advertisements unless you count ads for other comics).

Anyone else experience this with their shipments (or am I the only one cheaping out with media mail)?

Re: 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

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Originally Posted by fujishig (Post 10660961)

i used to fight with the PO all the itme about media mail when sending movies...I asked to explain to me what media meant and she said "newpapers"...then i just stopped going to that PO, except when i told the postmaster there that i send out like $50-$100 worth of mail a week at a different post office because the other woman was nasty.

that said, i don't send or receive a lot through media mail anymore, and i what i do get, i havent had any problems.

Re: 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

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Originally Posted by ivelostr2 (Post 10661214)

Don't newspapers contain ads??? This was a postmaster?

I just read an article from a couple of years ago about a guy sending comics to the troops for free and getting hit with higher postage, and the postmaster there said that media mail was only for "educational" material, which I also find to be bogus.

In any case, I guess they're cracking down now, but it's been an issue in the past. I see how a shipment of current comics can come under scrutiny, but I fail to see how graphic novels can.

Re: 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

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Originally Posted by fujishig (Post 10661298)

it wasnt the postmaster, but the postmaster backed her when i complained. it was a VERY small PO. where i lived as a kid and where my parents still live. a town of less than 600 people with one way in and one way out...all the more reason to want as much business as possible id think, but whatever.

Re: 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

The US Postal Service is basically bankrupt and would have gone out of business by now if it was a fully private entity. I expect drastic changes to their operation within the next five years.

Re: 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

Forgot to post Google's Eisner doodle

http://www.mediabistro.com/ebooknews...isner-logo.jpg

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/...ll-eisner.html

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Happy birthday Will Eisner
3/05/2011 09:45:00 PM
From time to time we invite guests to post about topics of interest and we’re pleased to have Scott McCloud join us here. Scott is a comics artist with special ties to Google—he illustrated the Chrome comic book and is a 2011 U.S. Doodle 4 Google judge. He also helped in the design of today’s doodle in honor of Will Eisner, which is running in many countries including the U.S. In this post, Scott shares his thoughts on Will Eisner’s legacy. -Ed.

Will Eisner, American comics pioneer and creator of The Spirit, was born on March 6, 1917. He would have been 94 today.

Many of us who knew him still find it hard to believe he’s gone. He died in 2005, but for six decades, Eisner was a participant in, and inspiration for, much of the best in American comics, as well as a friend and mentor to multiple generations of comics artists.

Eisner influenced comics in dozens of ways. In the ‘40s, Eisner’s The Spirit—a seven-page newspaper feature—introduced an arsenal of visual storytelling techniques still used generations later, and provided an early testing ground for future comics stars including Jack Kirby and Jules Feiffer. (The Spirit also began a tradition of pictorially-integrated logos—inspiring today's snazzy rooftop doodle!)

Eisner was one of the first cartoonists to understand the power of visual education, and wrote eloquently about the process of making comics in Comics and Sequential Art (1985) and Graphic Storytelling (1996). As early as 1941, he publicly advocated treating comics as a distinct literary and artistic form, and—nearly four decades later—was instrumental in the rise of the graphic novel in America, beginning with A Contract with God in 1978.

For most of his career, Eisner was years, even decades, ahead of the curve. I saw him debating artists and editors half his age, and there was rarely any question who the youngest man in the room was. It helped that he never stood on ceremony. Everyone was his peer, regardless of age or status. None of us called him “Mr. Eisner.” He was just “Will.”

Eisner lived well into his eighties; long enough to see an industry award named after him. Inevitably, the prospect loomed that Will Eisner himself might win an “Eisner Award” leading to some awkward choices; Hall of Fame, maybe? Lifetime Achievement?

His only suggestion was “Most Promising Young Cartoonist.”

And so he was.

Re: 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

Yeah, I've heard of that issue with media mail, but haven't encountered it myself. It does seem like they're cracking down because more people know about it. If you notice, media mail is never offered to you, but instead you have to ask for it. They don't want you to use it.

My thing is, what media doesn't have ads in it? Video games have inserts, dvds have trailers (read ads) and inserts, textbooks do to sometimes -- I don't get it.

Re: 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

I have had a little time lately to get to my pile of unread trades so I started with the the Great Darkness Saga.

I had random LOSH comics as a kid, but I could never get into them. I was more of a marvel guy, so I really have very little knowledge of these characters, other than the recent Johns’ stories. But everyone said this was a great arch so I checked it out…I really enjoyed it so far. Even the characters I thought were lame in name only I have enjoyed. I like how the team is successfully split and there are multiple narratives going on at once in the same comic, something Claremont used to do very successfully with X-men. It actually reminds me a lot of the X-men comics in the 100’s. So I’m enjoying it a lot. I have been reading an issue or so a night for the last week, but now I hit the annual in the middle of the book…it has been hard to get through. The last 3 nights, I have started it and fallen asleep after a few pages and it is like 48 pages long with tons of narrative on each page. I CURSE YOU AND YOUR CONTENT AND DIALOGUE FILLED SILVER AGE BOOKS DC….anyway, I hope to make it through it tonight, so I can get back on track.

I got the Acts of Vengence Omni and Atlantis Attacks Omni in the mail last week too, and put them into the pile of books I need to read, Im so behind….

Also, I hit the Pittsburgh Toy Con over the weekend and picked up some cheap trades:
I picked up the 3 Rucka checkmate trades. Do I need the Kobra and Outsider crossovers to make sense of them?

I also picked the Annihilation HC with Rocket raccoon on the front and the Nova Annihilation HC for $10 each, now I need to pick up some of the others, so I don’t go into this confused.

Re: 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

For the past year a lot of comic book sellers on eBay have changed their shipping to Priority Mail as they have had mail returned to them if they do it via Media Mail. Whenever I ask, they always say its because they were told that they can't ship comics via media mail because it contains advertisements. Kinda kills the deal if you are able to find one at eBay if you have to spend another $12 for shipping.

I've found that it depends on the Post Office that you go to, some of them are strict while some don't check at all.

Re: 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

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Originally Posted by ivelostr2 (Post 10672188)

Annihilation and the followups have been great, but it seems like that section of the Marvel Universe is on life support at the moment. It's got some great ties to the Legion of Superheroes, too: Keith Giffen wrote part of the original Annihilation series before he went DC-only, and Abnett and Lanning (responsible for the post-Zero-Hour Legion) wrote the Nova portion of the first series and most of the subsequent series.

I miss the days where the Legion of Superheroes and the New Teen Titans were up there in popularity with Claremont's X-men. Even with Levitz back it's just not the same...

Re: 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by ivelostr2 (Post 10672188)

I have had a little time lately to get to my pile of unread trades so I started with the the Great Darkness Saga.

Great Darkness is one of the all-time greats. You probably know this, but Paul Levitz is back to writing the Legion book and he's knocking it out of the park. I highly, highly recommend it.

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I CURSE YOU AND YOUR CONTENT AND DIALOGUE FILLED SILVER AGE BOOKS DC….

You're making me feel old -- Great Darkness was at least a decade post-Silver Age.

Re: 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

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Originally Posted by JasonF (Post 10680508)

Great Darkness is one of the all-time greats. You probably know this, but Paul Levitz is back to writing the Legion book and he's knocking it out of the park. I highly, highly recommend it.

You're making me feel old -- Great Darkness was at least a decade post-Silver Age.

yeah, i guess you are right...I didn't look at the date on these, I assumed they were mid 70's but I guess they were 1982...either way they would have been Bronze age and not Silver...Sorry to make you feel old.

I ordered the first trade for Levitz's new run. I hope it doesnt take me as long to read it as soem of the other stuff I have lying around...

Re: 2011 General Comic Book Discussion Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by JasonF (Post 10680508)

Great Darkness is one of the all-time greats. You probably know this, but Paul Levitz is back to writing the Legion book and he's knocking it out of the park. I highly, highly recommend it.

I'm curious what you like about it? I don't hate it, but as I said before I'm not fully back on board. I admit part of it is on a completely superficial level, as I can't get used to the new uniforms. But I can't stand Earth Man and have no idea how they can have him on the team after all that happened, and add to that the storyline with Mon-El and Shady... ugh.

I did like that they did an old-school vote-for-the-leader thing even though it probably sidetracked a major plot point they were going for.

I did enjoy Giffen's annual and I do like Adventure... it is nice that we basically get two or three Legion books a month these days.