Comics VI: Sinister Six

[Nephrite]

I'm still entertained by Snyder-talk.

Well, then you are gonna love this. It has all the greatest hits. It's like a Springsteen concert of hype.

I think it's the best thing that we've done on 'Batman

Of course it is.

What I'd say about 'Zero Year' is that you've never seen a Batman story done this way. You're not going to see the pearls, you're not going to see the lamppost. Those things will be honored, just done in a different way.

It's gonna be diamonds and a flashlight.

The eleven issue arc is divided into different chapters and every chapter is a different moment in Bruce's life.

Nooo... shit. There are chapters in a story? About different moments? Is every chapter about an issue long? What the f, indeed. That's some revolutionary shit right there. It's probably the best thing I'll ever read.

You're going to see Gotham in a different way

Snyder has to mention Gotham in every interview or panel or Harras is going to eat his kids.

This is the Superman story I would tell if I had one chance.

If this is a drinking game I'd be at the hospital getting my stomach pumped.

We fight alongside Superman," said Snyder. "That's what the book is all about." The story is a big, epic story with that concept at the center of it.

The book is about fighting alongside Superman? Jeez, they do realize he's not real, right?

We're giving everything we've got.

Yeah. I got nothing.

And then there's was this non-sequitur:

Snyder said, "Horses."

I don't know what that is all about. Maybe they asked Snyder his greatest fear or his favorite villain. Otherwise it looks like he just interrupted Lobdell cause he was getting in the way of him talking about his stuff.

After the laughter died down, he also referenced the strength of "Batman: The Animated Series." "I would say the Joker is my favorite at the end of the day," he said. "For me, the thing that's so wonderful about him is he hears the worst fears about yourself. … For me, he's like the devil's tongue and I love him for that."

Every time this guy opens his mouth about Joker or any part of the Batman mythology I want to scream.

There's like no visible difference between DC All Access panel and DC New 52 panel. Same peopel telling the same thing they said the day before t the same people that ask the same question about Stephanie Brown and Wally West. God, it must be soul-crushing to do this things. I have a feeling that just that is the real reason Paul Cornell said he won't do panels without a 50% female panelists. Cause it's a loophole.

[Sci-2]

It's gonna be diamonds and a flashlight.

hahaha

Did a reread of Whedon's X-men. Good stuff.

Looking back at Uncanny Avengers #5, I think it was a bit silly but I also think people took Remender's comments in the worst way.

[red snow]

I did indeed enjoy that panel with Snyder. Like you say it must be a drinking game/dare at this point.

I do like how he name checks Batman TAS and then describes Joker in a way that is utterly alien to TAS version.

[Sci-2]

Info on Hickman's Infinity. Looks like the Builders are the bad guys:

In the Avengers, the "space opera" tale of Infinity teams Avengers stalwarts like Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor with cosmic heroes like Nova and the Guardians of the Galaxy on a mission to unite the Skrulls, the Kree, the Brood, and other intergalactic species against a common foe, the Builders, the villains from Hickman’s first Avengers story arc.

I don't know if the Builders were really the villains of that three issue arc.

[red snow]

I thought it was an April foos but apparently Marvel really are going to try and do a Game of Thrones with the Inhumans. It could potentially work but I'm a bit iff about the whole houses for each of the inhuman royal family. I think most of the royal family actually are related because they are a royal family reducing house number. It could be good if handled well I guess.

[Nephrite]

So Morning Glories ended it's fuckin' "season".

Man, I'm so "season" waiting on this one from now on. Fuck, make it "series" waiting. It's not like anything is gonna get resolved. And stop calling it a season. It lasted for almost 3 years. That's not a season. It's years.

It kind of feels like Spencer is basically just cribbing Lost & BSG and changing names and scenery. And I fuckin' love Lost. Shit, there wasn't an interview where Lost wasn't name-dropped. Either by people asking about Lost or Spencer defending himself saying it's not Lost. And let's face it, it's not cause you can't do a mystery story without drawing parallels to Lost. You can, but here it's getting kind of obvious. Like something a 8-year old would do after watching Lost. Change the scenery, but keep the same storytelling format. Like how I just added a cape on a drawing of a Ninja Turtle back in '93 and thought I created a masterpiece of sequential storytelling. Super-Turtle. I don't know why I'm not super-rich.

And compared to this, Lost was giving me answers up the wazoo (always wanted to say that).

And here he gives an interview where he basically laughs how he didn't give any answers. And this issue actually had an character waving a gun screaming for answers and threatening to shoot everybody if he doesn't get them and... he still didn't get any answers. And Future-Ugly-Jade who deals with time-travel smugly "explains" how they don't have time to explain shit. And couple that with all those stories how Spencer isn't really the nicest guy (owing money, skipping town, angry-fucking (his words) girls at hostel) makes me think I'd really despise this guy if I knew him in real life.

And he killed Zoe who was one of 2 best characters in the book. You know I almost wrote "on the show". That's how much Spencer wants to sell this to a TV station it messed my brain as well. So he killed Zoe but wants us to think that Casey is some kind of cultural touchstone when she is just a Mary-Sue I'm waiting to die alongside her enormous sense of self-importance. Seriously: fuck Casey.

And then comes the part where they tell me that the Woodrun storyarc isn't over yet. What the fifty-two? How can you end a season but keep going with the story-arc I really thought was over 4 issues ago?

And Esima's art is just horrible. I read a lot of DC, so I know bad art better than most people, and this is DC level shit-tier. II can't tell the difference between Irina and Akiko. And one of them is Asian.

[Morpheus]

I thought it was an April foos but apparently Marvel really are going to try and do a Game of Thrones with the Inhumans. It could potentially work but I'm a bit iff about the whole houses for each of the inhuman royal family. I think most of the royal family actually are related because they are a royal family reducing house number. It could be good if handled well I guess.

I thought this was weird too, and then I remembered that there have been rumours of an Inhumans movie kicking around for years. What better way to sell what are regarded as third tier characters at best, than to make them seem similar to a massively popular property?

My favorite Inhumans story is the Paul Jenkins/Jae Lee mini from early in the Marvel Knights imprint.

[red snow]

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I thought this was weird too, and then I remembered that there have been rumours of an Inhumans movie kicking around for years. What better way to sell what are regarded as third tier characters at best, than to make them seem similar to a massively popular property?

My favorite Inhumans story is the Paul Jenkins/Jae Lee mini from early in the Marvel Knights imprint.

The Jenkins/Lee maxi series was excellent. They'd only need to tweak that a little to have a great movie. Hopefully the new comic series riffs off that as much as GOT. If that's the angle they want to go for they should consider inhumans as a tv property rather than film unless they want to do a trilogy (and it's not like any marvel film is intended as anything other than a franchise.

[Morpheus]

When they first announced that they were talking about an Inhumans movie, they were pitching it as "in the vein of X-Men", presumably because Marvel would love to have an X-Men imitation under their film umbrella while X-Men itself is at FOX. I don't think they wil adapt something as awesome as the Jenkins/Lee story, since The Inhumans are largely unknown outside of the comics (maybe they appeared in the old FF cartoon?), they probably figure they can easily model them to fit more familiar characters if the film does ever happen.

[red snow]

When they first announced that they were talking about an Inhumans movie, they were pitching it as "in the vein of X-Men", presumably because Marvel would love to have an X-Men imitation under their film umbrella while X-Men itself is at FOX. I don't think they wil adapt something as awesome as the Jenkins/Lee story, since The Inhumans are largely unknown outside of the comics (maybe they appeared in the old FF cartoon?), they probably figure they can easily model them to fit more familiar characters if the film does ever happen.

It would be a shame if they tried to remold them into X-men analogues. I guess for that to work they'd have to have the Inhumans living amongst society which i don't really recall them ever having done.

They did pop up in the old FF cartoon a few times in the 90s. They may have been in super squad too but that's hardly massive exposure, Then again if it turns out they can make a successful guardians film then the inhumans shouldn't be too much trouble either. They have more visual powers to start with although Black Bolt is always a tricky one to get right in any medium. Can't see actors queuing up to be silent either. I can imagine them tweaking his power set although the thing that makes him awesome is his fear of speaking.

[Lady Octarina]

It seems Marvel decided to have Remender try to fix his mess. It's amazing, though; at one point he says this

The theme of the series is unity. Our focus is on how each of these characters see the best way towards it. The fact that few of them agree is where the drama comes in. They are a bunch of people, all of whom have been given super powers via different methods, trying to work together, to keep their "marriage" together, for the betterment of the collective. Be they Super-Soldiers, Inhumans, Asgardian Gods, or radioactive types, they all have a great responsibility to use these great super powered gifts for the good of all mankind and to get along, to set an example of cooperation.

which is obvious to anyone who's paying attention to the story, but surprisingly absent from all the discussions surrounding this issue, and then the next, by generalizing that mutants have always been a metaphor for all kinds of outsiders (which is accurate), he denies that since their creation, the X-Men are deeply connected to the issue of racism, thus stating "I acknowledge I handled all this the worst possible way, but I still don't see what point everyone is trying to make". Oh well, at least he'll show other characters expressing their discontent at Havok's speech...

[Sci-2]

I rolled my eyes at Havok's speech, which I figured fit the pattern of Marvel not getting the idea of mutants as minorities, but I didn't take it as Remender telling people to hide their race and/or sexuality.

The speech is basically last generation's idea about color blindness. Yeah, the idea taken to extremes is a demand for homogenization but I think it's a bit odd that anyone expects older people [like I'm assuming Remender is] to get that. Heck, I have Indian relatives who are older who probably would read Havok's speech and nod their heads.

[red snow]

It was big of him to man up and admit some of his tweets responding to it were badly thought but I respect the fact he'd been getting a string of abuse from what he thought were largely trolls.

A lot of trouble could have been avoided if that issue had had another viewpoint presented or even someone like Wanda (maybe not the best choice considering what she did) Rogue saying "i don't think so". A definite pitfall in serialised storytelling - the same thing happened with the "Dr Octopus is raping Mary Jane as Peter Parker" scenario without it ever actually happening.

Editorial should have still seen this potentially going down though and found ways to lessen the offense by clearly showing it's just that characters POV and that others think it may be misplaced.

I like Remender's words on how it being a metaphor for all minorities yet shouldn't be seen as a direct reflection on the minority of your choice. This is a very fair point. I always like to stick "ginger" in (technically I'm a mutant with the ability to make more vitamin D - and burn to a crisp in sunlight) and in that scenario Havok's speech works fine. Others not to much.

What Marvel needs to do now is to bring out a 100 variant version of this issue where they replace the word mutant in the speech with other minorities. They could even alter Havok's appearance where the situation requires it. they could make the "minority of choice" order specific (no extra charge) and get some valuable demographic data on their readers. Except for the "I don't like Uncanny Avengers" demographic of course. The worrying thing is that someone in the publishing side of MArvel/DC probably thinks that's an amazing idea...

[Nephrite]

ALL-NEW X-MEN #10 - That issue where everybody lines up to yell at Scott.

Of course Scott being right and all they get TOLD. But, NowScott and by Young Scott. About fucking with space-time and everything. Cause AnyScott is Right.

Hank is still a raging f#####, though.

"Why didn't you control the Phoenix Force, Scott?"

I'm paraphrasing, but that was the jist of his retarded argument. It's like these fuckers can't decide. "The Phoenix is IMPOSSIBLE TO control! Why didn't you control it Scott? It's EASY."

It's such a double-standard, it's hilarious.

Why Young Scott didn't blast-bury Beast into a hole in the ground is beyond me.

So, the issue is about Rightclops coming to Wolverine's Creepy Obsession With Jean School to recruit. Only the Cuckoos follow. It's like Bendis doesn't even know who goes to that school. At leats a third of the school would've joined Scott, including Quentin Quire who in this issue was actually rooting for Wolverine to stab Cyclops. Pin-point characterization right there, Bendis.

ACTION COMICS #19 - This was good. Nothing mind-blowing, but also not terrible like most of books featuring Superman for the past 10 years. It was a simple story where Superman got to be Superman, Lois got to be Lois, Lex got be Lex, etc. You have no idea how long has it been since I read something like that. How long has it been since I read a Superman book where he wasn't replaced by a shit-tier version of him, where he didn't join some kind of fucking Military Guild based on some Harry Potter Sorting Hat bullhit, where he didn't go on a long fucking walk, where he wasn't written by Rucka like the biggest flying pussy that ever graced comics, where he wasn't watching his life ebb away in the most boring marriage ever, where he wasn't written by Geoff Johns.

It was a long time, is what I'm saying. And it was nice. It's a shame it's also over after this one issue. This could've been the beginning of something good. Heck even Daniel's art was good. It wasn't anything to write home about, but I could follow what's going on. But DC had to fuck it up.

BEDLAM #6 - Nick Spencer's story of a reformed serial killer/super villain that solves crimes is more streamlined than his Morning Glories exercise in mysteries and therefore far more rewarding. Here get shit done in 6 issues. Sure, there's still underlining plotlines to go, but we still get resolution.

Still, Image: proofreading. It's important.

GREEN ARROW #19 - Jeff Lemire's soft reboot of a shit reboot continues. This is some good stuff. The art is amazing and so is the coloring. Please, DC, don't fuck this up.

INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK #6 - Hey, it's Walt Simonson drawing Thor. And it's good.

[GallowKnight]

Regarding Green Arrow. The Superhero archers are having it good at the moment. Between this and Hawkeye we have great storytelling, gorgeous artwork and great coloring.

[Lady Octarina]

Age of Ultron #4: in theory, is it even possible to control from the future the events that likely made that future you're in possible? Or, if you're in a different future, wouldn't it ruin the one you're in to create another? Ultron's way of making an apocalypse doesn't make much sense to me... And why would Storm have to take them all to Savage Land through the winds? A long way, and considering Doctor Strange seemed to be in the bunker, wouldn't it be easier for him to magically teleport them there? And why can Bendis write Emma better here than anywhere else? Other than that, good issue, and finally thing will start happening. From what the Rulk says, I guess they're really going back to the past to kill Pym or something. If only...

All-New X-Men #10: it was worth it just to see Krakoa eating Cyke's people :bowdown: Those uniforms look particularly ridiculous when someone other than Bachalo draws them (that is, when you can actually understand wtf you're looking at). I hate missionary Cyclops, probably because he's not wrong, and a world where Scott Summers is basically right is too horrible to contemplate. I feel like reading some old comics now, where Magneto is the genius behind the mutant revolution instead of a pathetic lapdog and Cyclops is the boring boy-scout who got all the hate.

I think Jean is the one joining them, to spy on them. Probably thinks, as a telepath, she has a chance of not being unmasked by Emma. "Funny" that the Avengers were informed of Cyclops, Emma and Magneto barely having any control over their powers, but Logan's people weren't; but then, where would the plot be?

Thanos Rising #1: Jason Aaron and his bag habit of making us feel bad for characters that are supposed to be unsympathetic...

Hank is still a raging f#####, though.

"Why didn't you control the Phoenix Force, Scott?"

I'm paraphrasing, but that was the jist of his retarded argument. It's like these fuckers can't decide. "The Phoenix is IMPOSSIBLE TO control! Why didn't you control it Scott? It's EASY."

It's such a double-standard, it's hilarious.

From what I understood, Beast's problem wasn't so much that Cyclops couldn't control the Phoenix, but that he abused its power instead of giving it up - which makes sense, I mean, if Hope could give it up and thus reignite the mutant race, why couldn't the Five of them? If I recall correctly, they said on AvX that they tried but couldn't bring mutants back, but it was never said that they tried, or even considered, doing that by giving up the Phoenix Force.

But I agree with you that it's incredibly stupid only the Cuckoos would go with them, it should have been at least half the kids that only went there as the Avengers' prisoners in the first place. But Quentin Quire? I don't think he would fit the serious tone of Uncanny X-Men; I don't think he fits anything other than WATXM, really...

[AverageGuy]

he denies that since their creation, the X-Men are deeply connected to the issue of racism, thus stating "I acknowledge I handled all this the worst possible way, but I still don't see what point everyone is trying to make".

He's deleted all the tweets, but looking at people quoting him, my favorite tweet had to be, “It has nothing to do with black people. It’s about imaginary mutants.”

I don't know, how did people got the impression that Havok saying, "The 'M' word represents everything I hate," might have some correlation to real-life minorities?

[haLobEnder]

So, the issue is about Rightclops coming to Wolverine's Creepy Obsession With Jean School to recruit. Only the Cuckoos follow. It's like Bendis doesn't even know who goes to that school. At leats a third of the school would've joined Scott, including Quentin Quire who in this issue was actually rooting for Wolverine to stab Cyclops. Pin-point characterization right there, Bendis.

Isn't QQ technically in Wolverine's custody? Plus who says Cyclops would even accept him? The kid would cause more trouble than he's worth.

I do agree that more students would have/should have stepped up though. What about all the Gen Hope kids? Where have they been all this time?

And talk about a super annoying cliffhanger. It feels like they've been hyping up this one of the original X-Men joins Cyclops thing for ages. Just reveal who it is already.

[Sci-2]

All New X-men #10 was good, still not sure if I want Young Jean or Young Beast to leave. I'm kinda hoping for Young Beast just to fuck with furry blue guy some more.

Thanos Rising #1 was a great issue. Like how Aaron makes us wonder about destiny & nature vs nature while making me care about freakin' Thanos.

Bedlam #6 is good stuff, nice that the first arc wrapped up while setting the stage for an interesting future. Probably one of my top books right now.

Superior Spider #7 continues this fun read. Something about this book is really charming to me.

[Nephrite]

Regarding Green Arrow. The Superhero archers are having it good at the moment. Between this and Hawkeye we have great storytelling, gorgeous artwork and great coloring.

Yeah, it feels like Rapture is upon us.

I think Jean is the one joining them, to spy on them. Probably thinks, as a telepath, she has a chance of not being unmasked by Emma.

Emma & Cuckoos. Her cover should be blown almost immediately. But, this is Bendis.

From what I understood, Beast's problem wasn't so much that Cyclops couldn't control the Phoenix, but that he abused its power instead of giving it up

Eh, I'm done listening to Beast. Every time he gets called on his bullshit he becomes like retarded version of Ben Kenobi. "Oh, from my point of view, there was a mutant genocide."

And it seems like while Scott is trying to do good, maybe in a wrong way, it seems like everybody's solution for just about everything is to tell him he's wrong to even try and instead just moan and ignore the problems around them. That whole Jean Grey School is a symbol of that. Let's just ignore the problems. It's wrong for Cyclops to save mutants from prosecution and take them to his school, but they don't seem to be doing jack shit about these new mutants. Or the new sentinels. It's like they live in a bubble where the only problems are Hellfire Brats, Dog, Wolverine's time-displaced long lost butthurt half-brother, and Cyclops not falling in line with the company policy.

which makes sense, I mean, if Hope could give it up and thus reignite the mutant race, why couldn't the Five of them?

Well, I guess the answer would be cause there was 7 more issues of that crap to be published. And...

If I recall correctly, they said on AvX that they tried but couldn't bring mutants back, but it was never said that they tried, or even considered, doing that by giving up the Phoenix Force.

Well, giving up the Phoenix Force never ignited the mutant race before. Or gave it a boost. It's not really logical to assume this would happen. That shit came out of nowhere in the last issue. And then Tony Stark took full credit for it. But, AvX =/= logic.

But Quentin Quire? I don't think he would fit the serious tone of Uncanny X-Men; I don't think he fits anything other than WATXM, really...

Serious tone... that book has a mutant with the power of bouncing dodgeballs. He'd fit. It's just that Jason Aaron is acting all territorial and won't give up any of the kid characters even if most of them are just wallpaper in WatXM.

He keeps Husk just to shit on her.

Isn't QQ technically in Wolverine's custody?

Well, if being kidnapped by a Canadian is considered custody then: yeah. I don't think Wolverine can just keep someone like that unless his Avengers card is like diplomatic immunity to do any shit you want.

Quire attacked the UN or something. He should be, as that moron Iceman pointed out, "standing trial". His crime was actually on American soil if I remember correctly. Just letting Wolverine teach him in his school with no real teachers is dumb.

Plus who says Cyclops would even accept him? The kid would cause more trouble than he's worth.

He'd accept him. He's not racist like Havok.

I do agree that more students would have/should have stepped up though. What about all the Gen Hope kids? Where have they been all this time?

That kid with no arms? "Say what Cyclops? You have a healer? Let me just get my shit from my room and we can go!"

This whole thing should've been like Moses getting his people out of Egypt.

And talk about a super annoying cliffhanger. It feels like they've been hyping up this one of the original X-Men joins Cyclops thing for ages. Just reveal who it is already.

Hey, it took Bendis a whole issue of Age of Ultron for Captain America to stand up. This is lightspeed for the guy.

God, I spend too much time thinking about this book. It's not good for anything besides a occasional verbal bitchslap. What exactly is YoungScott's talking about when he declines RightScott's offer? Do they even have an inkling of what they should be doing besides fucking with timelines? Everybody is morally outraged at Scott, but Jean's mindwiping Warren is no biggie. She just gets a pep talk from Kitty. Beast needs to be made into a carpet. Mystique is robbing banks?