Comics X: The Great Ten

[Nictarion]

So apparently Ten Grand #12 is the final issue. It was ok, if not a bit underwhelming. This title started off so strong, I really thought it had a lot of potential, but after Ben Templesmith left it just didn't work for me. This being the last issue was good timing, I was probably going to drop it anyway.

[red snow]

So apparently Ten Grand #12 is the final issue. It was ok, if not a bit underwhelming. This title started off so strong, I really thought it had a lot of potential, but after Ben Templesmith left it just didn't work for me. This being the last issue was good timing, I was probably going to drop it anyway.

I loved the first few issues but realized it was largely due to the art. I didn't even bother after Templesmith left because of the delays between issues (which was due to Templesmith). Weird thing is that I read "Squidder" and was left cold so JMS must have been doing something to make ten grand great.

Lazurus #14 was excellent. A tense conversation for most of the issue that has large implications for the main character. Really interested to see where it goes from here. The fake ads on the back of the covers continue to fool me as well - very clever design,.

Star Wars was completely sold out at Forbidden planet unless I've got the release dates mixed up. Looks like Marvel have made it a winner although it'll be interest to see what issue 2 sales are like without the speculators (which I find hilarious for this franchise) and the multi-cover buyers.

[Sci-2]

If you are interested in hilariously bad comics, Earth 2: World's End finally made the leap from "enraging" to "so goddamn bad it's hilarious" today, and is probably best compared to Countdown and Ultimatum. Especially Ultimatum. The bonus aspect is that every week Blastr has an interview with the lead writer, so you can see him be smug about what he thought he was putting on the page (and also being utterly cavalier about fridging a woman to motivate a male character).

This actually is tempting, but I'm actually behind on the last few weeks. Life post New Years has been crazy....

Read Avengers #40 - interesting. Disappointed in a lot of "heroes" here....

[Winterfell is Burning]

Daredevil #12, Cyclops #9 and Silver Surfer #9- Comics don't get much more fun than those three, entertaining and funny without being self-indulgent.

Avengers #40- Features an awesome moment some people were doubting that was coming. It won't last, but still works wonderfully for the character arc.

Really? I thought the Avengers franchises were their strong sellers these days?

It was from New Avengers #1 until the last year or two of Bendis' run, when he was clearly trending water, and the X-books surpassed them again (and the highest selling at the time was the Extinction team, that had no Wolverine, or Spider-Man).

Still, even when the Avengers books were selling more, the X-books were still too important to cancel.

[red snow]

It was from New Avengers #1 until the last year or two of Bendis' run, when he was clearly trending water, and the X-books surpassed them again (and the highest selling at the time was the Extinction team, that had no Wolverine, or Spider-Man).

Still, even when the Avengers books were selling more, the X-books were still too important to cancel.

The extinction team was in Uncanny, right? I think uncanny has always sold better than the other X-books unless there was a big push to read another title eg Morrison or Whedon. Even then Uncanny was usually very close behind. It goes back to my theory that there are folk from the claremont "uncanny" days still buying out of habit.

I was reading up on the licensing front and as far as i can discern Fox owns all the licensing of FF and X-men. I'm sure that has to be the film likenesses only as it would have been an insane deal by Marvel to give away all licensing related to those characters.

And as much as I think Marvel are in a long term side-lining of the x-men, you can't argue that they aren't putting their A-listers on the books. Love him or hate him, Bendis is still their number one guy, I still think the X-men would sell just as well in a world without the other heroes in it. I might be biased as they seemed to be insular during the 90s when I read them. I could see them trying a heroes reborn style scenario where the X-men contine as normal in a world without the other heroes (they casually rewrote 20 years of spider-man so don't see the issue). If sales drop dramatically they simply return as the next "event" and Marvel claims it was all just a stunt to make us want the X-men more.

[Old Man Aegon]

So Im very new to the comicbook world and Im wondering if you guys had any recomendations. Im mostly thinking Marvel over DC. I started with reading Watchmen and V for vendetta a few years ago and then recently recieved Winter Soldier and Civil War and I really liked them, just not sure how to procede from here. Im assuming "Death of Captain America" would be the natural step but unfortunately living in Sweden means that not even the biggest comicbook store has it in stock at the moment.

[Serious Callers Only]

Yes i have a suggestion: don't read either. To be more constructive, read old vertigo or new image, which are basically the same writers, only without the suck of the setting and (most times) without the inherent terribleness of superhero comics, which are in the end about solving problems by punching them (only the problems don't stay solved).

Even the classier mangas are not as decadent and tired as comics (well, except the obvious meme genres, which are 95% to be fair).

If you absolutely must, follow writers not capes, and prefer standalone series with no crossover (good luck).

[Winterfell is Burning]

So Im very new to the comicbook world and Im wondering if you guys had any recomendations. Im mostly thinking Marvel over DC. I started with reading Watchmen and V for vendetta a few years ago and then recently recieved Winter Soldier and Civil War and I really liked them, just not sure how to procede from here. Im assuming "Death of Captain America" would be the natural step but unfortunately living in Sweden means that not even the biggest comicbook store has it in stock at the moment.

Yeah, I'd ignore the snob comment above my post and recommend you to read Death of Cap. America, which you can probably find online legally.

If you like this mix of spy stuff and superheroes, I'd also recommend Jonathan Hickman's Secret Warriors run, which is very short (only 28 issues) and it's probably the most influential story to the MCU released in the last 10 or 20 years, despite the fact it didn't sell that well originally.

[red snow]

It depends on whether you're happy with reading back catalogues or want to be current and in the thick of it?

If you want to be current, I'd strongly recommend you try our Image. Marvel and DC are pretty incestuous and "event" driven making it hard to follow. If you do want to go for Marvel I'd urge you to go for the insular titles like "Hawkeye", "Daredevil" or possibly the new "Ant-man" (haven't read the latter but it appears to be stand-alone. If you dig them you can branch out a bit with more interconnected titles. Amazing Spider-man can be read in isolation of his avengers appearances but is currently in the middle of a spidey "event". I haven't read Avengers for a while but I got the impression you can follow most of it reading "Avengers/New Avengers" (Although I think Avengers' world becomes integral later). the problem with Avengers is that it does get caught up in events a lot making it hard to follow everything.

If you like Brubaker's captain America - I'd suggest following his run. He had a decent run on daredevil too. If you like spies/superheroes you really need to track down "sleeper" trades by Brubaker and Sean Phillips. Excellent stuff. You could also try Gotham Central which is by brubaker and mixes police procedural with Batman (essentially what Gotham TV show is doing meaning it's easy to grab the trades).

Finally I'd urge you to give "Lazarus" a try. It's by Greg Rucka (who co-writer of Gotham central and similar style to Brubaker) with art by Michael Lark (who drew some of brubaker's daredevil and gotham central). It's set in the future but has a corporate espionage feel and super powered people who are more "plausible". I think there's two trades out and it's an ongoing.

[Serious Callers Only]

I've read Parker series based on the Donald E. Westlake novels recently, impressively sociopathic, yet grounded crime noir - which is how i guess the novels are, but i didn't expect it in a comic, or because the novels are a bit old (1960's iirc).

[Lady Octarina]

The extinction team was in Uncanny, right? I think uncanny has always sold better than the other X-books unless there was a big push to read another title eg Morrison or Whedon. Even then Uncanny was usually very close behind. It goes back to my theory that there are folk from the claremont "uncanny" days still buying out of habit.

I was reading up on the licensing front and as far as i can discern Fox owns all the licensing of FF and X-men. I'm sure that has to be the film likenesses only as it would have been an insane deal by Marvel to give away all licensing related to those characters.

And as much as I think Marvel are in a long term side-lining of the x-men, you can't argue that they aren't putting their A-listers on the books. Love him or hate him, Bendis is still their number one guy, I still think the X-men would sell just as well in a world without the other heroes in it. I might be biased as they seemed to be insular during the 90s when I read them. I could see them trying a heroes reborn style scenario where the X-men contine as normal in a world without the other heroes (they casually rewrote 20 years of spider-man so don't see the issue). If sales drop dramatically they simply return as the next "event" and Marvel claims it was all just a stunt to make us want the X-men more.

Marvel might be putting Bendis on their two main X-titles (let's be honest, the only A-lister - not that the other writers are bad, of course, but their names simply don't carry anywhere near the same weight), but they're still cancelling a bunch of X-books over the next few months and not announcing any new ones to take their place; just look at the April solicits. At this rate, by the end of the year there will be more Inhumans than X-Men on Marvel. I mean, they already have more cosmic (11 series) than mutant titles (9 series) that month, and that's going by a loose definition of cosmic Marvel (just the ones presented together on that list), since half their books seem to take place in a different planet these days.

I read that theory you mentioned about the Annual maybe giving a clue to the F4 and X-Men being transported back to a different time in a few months. I think that's possible, and almost desirable, really, since they're being wasted on current continuity (remember when Marvel said the X-Men would be more involved with the rest of 616 after AvX? lol), and it would give the opportunity of a fresh start. Plus, maybe Franklin would finally be allowed to grow older. Honestly, the best I can hope for is that we're getting a monthly or weekly series based on the Animated Series after Secret Wars, something like what DC is doing to Batman and Wonder Woman.

Yes i have a suggestion: don't read either. To be more constructive, read old vertigo or new image, which are basically the same writers, only without the suck of the setting and (most times) without the inherent terribleness of superhero comics, which are in the end about solving problems by punching them (only the problems don't stay solved).

Even the classier mangas are not as decadent and tired as comics (well, except the obvious meme genres, which are 95% to be fair).

If you absolutely must, follow writers not capes, and prefer standalone series with no crossover (good luck).

I wish someone had told be that years ago, before I returned to comics... Not that I would listen to them, probably, but it would have been nice to have been warned.

So Im very new to the comicbook world and Im wondering if you guys had any recomendations. Im mostly thinking Marvel over DC. I started with reading Watchmen and V for vendetta a few years ago and then recently recieved Winter Soldier and Civil War and I really liked them, just not sure how to procede from here. Im assuming "Death of Captain America" would be the natural step but unfortunately living in Sweden means that not even the biggest comicbook store has it in stock at the moment.

I live in Brazil, so I know what it's like to have a hard time finding certain books. If you don't have a problem with reading comics on a tablet, computer, and such, I would recommend you try buying stuff on Comixology, or signing up on Marvel Unlimited, their subscription service where you can read a lot of things they've published.

As for recommendations, if you want current series I'd say the Magneto solo, the Storm solo, All-New X-Factor (which is ending this Wednesday, unfortunately), and Ms. Marvel. Jason Aaron's Thor, both the current run and the previous one, are quite good too. Older stuff, I'd say Peter David's X-Factor (the one that started on 2005), Rick Remender's Uncanny X-Force, and Jason Aaron's Wolverine and the X-Men. Oh, and Matt Fraction's FF.

[Little Valkyrie]

I haven't read Avengers for a while but I got the impression you can follow most of it reading "Avengers/New Avengers" (Although I think Avengers' world becomes integral later). the problem with Avengers is that it does get caught up in events a lot making it hard to follow everything.

Yes, if you want to follow the current Avengers run, by Jonathan Hickman, you really have to read both 'Avengers' and 'New Avengers' together; Avengers World is more sidestory and occasional fillins.. That run is concluding in April or so, but it's setting up Marvel's huge Secret Wars event, which is promised to tie in to every book. I also expect some new things to launch out of it, etc.

(ETA: personally, I'm also very curious to see how they're going to retcon/fix/timey-wimey all sorts of things, given how outright evil any number of people have been in this run, and the whole Battleworld/the Multiverse is dying/pretentious Hickman THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN metaphors we've had)

[red snow]

Yes, if you want to follow the current Avengers run, by Jonathan Hickman, you really have to read both 'Avengers' and 'New Avengers' together; Avengers World is more sidestory and occasional fillins.. That run is concluding in April or so, but it's setting up Marvel's huge Secret Wars event, which is promised to tie in to every book. I also expect some new things to launch out of it, etc.

(ETA: personally, I'm also very curious to see how they're going to retcon/fix/timey-wimey all sorts of things, given how outright evil any number of people have been in this run, and the whole Battleworld/the Multiverse is dying/pretentious Hickman THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN metaphors we've had)

For a new reader it may almost be better to wait until after secret wars before starting anything Marvel. We might have more clue today after the "announcement to end all marvel announcements"?

Marvel might be putting Bendis on their two main X-titles (let's be honest, the only A-lister - not that the other writers are bad, of course, but their names simply don't carry anywhere near the same weight), but they're still cancelling a bunch of X-books over the next few months and not announcing any new ones to take their place; just look at the April solicits. At this rate, by the end of the year there will be more Inhumans than X-Men on Marvel. I mean, they already have more cosmic (11 series) than mutant titles (9 series) that month, and that's going by a loose definition of cosmic Marvel (just the ones presented together on that list), since half their books seem to take place in a different planet these days.

I read that theory you mentioned about the Annual maybe giving a clue to the F4 and X-Men being transported back to a different time in a few months. I think that's possible, and almost desirable, really, since they're being wasted on current continuity (remember when Marvel said the X-Men would be more involved with the rest of 616 after AvX? lol), and it would give the opportunity of a fresh start. Plus, maybe Franklin would finally be allowed to grow older. Honestly, the best I can hope for is that we're getting a monthly or weekly series based on the Animated Series after Secret Wars, something like what DC is doing to Batman and Wonder Woman.

It might also be the case that Bendis wanted to write the x-men and he has enough clout to let him do so? Like I say, the x-men sell whatever they do and I can sort of understand them leaving it be for cheap when numbers are always decent. 10 years ago the complaint was that Marvel spent all their promotion talent on the x-books. I forget that the fox vs disney thing was good in getting the other books up to scratch.

I'd probably buy an X-men world book. Given their lack of interaction with the rest of the MU they could do so without even restarting them. Just have SENTINEL rather than SHIELD and the other themes carry on. It would also mean the inhumans are more legitimate in the regular MU.

[Little Valkyrie]

For a new reader it may almost be better to wait until after secret wars before starting anything Marvel. We might have more clue today after the "announcement to end all marvel announcements"?

Basically, Marvel is doing COIE:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=58625

The previously revealed "Battleworld" is the "melting world from which the new Marvel Universe will be fermented," Brevoort said, calling it the "detritus" from the resulted combined Marvel Universe. "Various characters will live their lives, and contend with this new situation, and set up all the building blocks and the bedrock of what the new Marvel Universe will be going forward."

[red snow]

I have to hand it to Marvel for announcing an "event" where I'm left more confused than I was beforehand. Am I to believe they are really starting a merged continuity called "battleworld"? They seem to be forgetting that this is just for the duration of "secret wars" before returning to the regular MU but with Miles Morales and maybe a few previously dead characters kicking around.

update : I haven't seen it mentioned by Marvel themselves but bleeding cool is at least saying Battleworld will dissolve at the end of the event and we get the MU back but in a way that allows them to retcon any nagging issues that have been hanging around.

[Little Valkyrie]

I have to hand it to Marvel for announcing an "event" where I'm left more confused than I was beforehand. Am I to believe they are really starting a merged continuity called "battleworld"? They seem to be forgetting that this is just for the duration of "secret wars" before returning to the regular MU but with Miles Morales and maybe a few previously dead characters kicking around.

update : I haven't seen it mentioned by Marvel themselves but bleeding cool is at least saying Battleworld will dissolve at the end of the event and we get the MU back but in a way that allows them to retcon any nagging issues that have been hanging around.

More like this is remaking the regular MU and that's going to be it going forward. So yeah, I guess Bendis gets to save Miles from destruction and whatever bits of the Ultimate Universe they want to keep, and what is it, five months of event shenanigans? So it's not a hard reboot, but...it's pretty profoundly rebooty.

[red snow]

More like this is remaking the regular MU and that's going to be it going forward. So yeah, I guess Bendis gets to save Miles from destruction and whatever bits of the Ultimate Universe they want to keep, and what is it, five months of event shenanigans? So it's not a hard reboot, but...it's pretty profoundly rebooty.

Sounds no more of a reboot than the end of Age of Ultron was. I agree with you that it's more of a crisis on infinite earth's type of thing or possibly the equivalent of the bat and green lantern books post new 52 where they just continued exactly as they had been beforehand. It's in no way the end of the Marvel universe which is how they seem to be hyping it. If that was the case it would be a relaunch.

I'll try not to be too cynical though - if they genuinely have a line of books that are new reader friendly and aren't instantly crossing over all the time I'll probably be tricked into checking a few titles out. I had a sense of dread when they said that none of the secret war tie on books would be stand-alone though. I'll be steering well clear of all that. I'll be interested to see what the creative teams and approach to the "new" books are though.

I am intrigued to see if Dan Slott will be writing Miles Morales as Spider-man though. Wonder they be so brave as to have Peter back with a family (as seen in one of the secret war tie-ins)? It could work with Peter as a mentor to Miles Morales but Pete avoiding any real danger because of family commitments.

[Little Valkyrie]

Sounds no more of a reboot than the end of Age of Ultron was. I agree with you that it's more of a crisis on infinite earth's type of thing or possibly the equivalent of the bat and green lantern books post new 52 where they just continued exactly as they had been beforehand. It's in no way the end of the Marvel universe which is how they seem to be hyping it. If that was the case it would be a relaunch.

I'll try not to be too cynical though - if they genuinely have a line of books that are new reader friendly and aren't instantly crossing over all the time I'll probably be tricked into checking a few titles out. I had a sense of dread when they said that none of the secret war tie on books would be stand-alone though. I'll be steering well clear of all that. I'll be interested to see what the creative teams and approach to the "new" books are though.

Generally speaking, comics nerds tend to use reboot and relaunch in the opposite way you are:

Relaunch: nothing is changed in back continuity, but the books get new #1s, titles, promotion, often under a specific banner

Reboot: back continuity is significantly revised or completely disregarded, book starts over

This is looking to have six of one and half a dozen of the other, since 616 and Ults are smashing together and tons of other continuities are going to be on Battleworld.

[Lady Octarina]

More like this is remaking the regular MU and that's going to be it going forward. So yeah, I guess Bendis gets to save Miles from destruction and whatever bits of the Ultimate Universe they want to keep, and what is it, five months of event shenanigans? So it's not a hard reboot, but...it's pretty profoundly rebooty.

I got the same impression you did after reading about that. My guess is that they will keep around some of the "worlds" that will compose Battleworld and launch new titles based on them after the event, and they're probably killing some 616 versions and substituting them for their alternates. I don't know how exactly they could use it to retcon uncomfortable backstories; probably just get rid of the characters that depend on that and substitute them for those simpler versions. So, yeah, definitely a soft reboot.

Honestly? I'd be worried if only Marvel hadn't already got rid of most of the things I cared about in their comics. As it is, I think Secret Wars might be fun, at least if they go Age of Apocalypse on it. It can't be worse than Age of Ultron and Axis... right?

On better news, I've finally managed to catch up on Silver Surfer and, damn, Slott and the Allreds are unfairly brilliant. :bowdown:

[GallowKnight]

Wait, Dan Slott and Mike Allred on a Silver Surfer book? How the hell have I managed to miss this!