Comics VIII - the Crime Syndic8 of America

[red snow]

The logistics of BotA is what is keeping me from truly enjoying it. It seems two opposing views on time travel are being used, which I can't quite understand. You either buy into the fact that time travel causes damage to the timeline, or you're someone who believes time travel doesn't necessarily change anything, it just creates another timeline which splinters off the "original" one.

With Kitty and Rachel agreeing that the original 5 should be allowed to make their own decision on whether they stay, it's essentially putting stock in the fact that this timeline can't be altered. Letting the original 5 stay in the present for any prolonged period should mean the present shouldn't be the present. Unless, of course, it's inconsequential, and the only thing the original 5's disappearance will accomplish is establish an alternate Earth without the original X-Men.

But, then you have the situation where young Scott gets injured and older Scott almost vanishes.

I can't quite wrap my head around the physics of it all because you can't really have it both ways. But time travel has always been a great way to give me a migraine, so I'm completely open to the idea that I'm missing something.

The sad thing is I'm almost certain you've just thought about it a lot more than Bendis has. If it were by Moore, Gaiman, Morrisson or even Hickman I'd hope the mishmash of rules was due to time being broken. With Bendis it'll just be to have some cool scenes and allow him to pull some random ending out of his ass that he can brag "no one will ever guess" until they reveal the ending the week before the final issue ships.

[Sci-2]

The sad thing is I'm almost certain you've just thought about it a lot more than Bendis has. If it were by Moore, Gaiman, Morrisson or even Hickman I'd hope the mishmash of rules was due to time being broken. With Bendis it'll just be to have some cool scenes and allow him to pull some random ending out of his ass that he can brag "no one will ever guess" until they reveal the ending the week before the final issue ships.

Yeah, BotA isn't Primer, Continuum or even Hickman's Fantastic Four.

I don't get how Kitty and Rachel can be okay with gambling on reality. I'm guessing their mistrust of Lil' Xavier is what motivates them but not 100% sure that makes sense.

=-=-=

YOUNG AVENGERS Go Home To Mother

As we head into this final showdown and future events like the team facing off with itself in November and a Phonogram-style night-club trip in December, Newsarama spoke with Gillen about the series so far and what’s still to come.

God damn I want some new Phonogram, but Young Avengers is good too.

[GallowKnight]

I don't get how Kitty and Rachel can be okay with gambling on reality. I'm guessing their mistrust of Lil' Xavier is what motivates them but not 100% sure that makes sense.

By the way, is Xavier jr supposed to be Legion's kid or something?

[Bastard of Boston]

Someone actually put a lot of thought into Marvel's current time travel issues. I really and truly hope that Marvel has put as much thought into it, because I can buy into all of this...

http://comicbookfanzevad.tumblr.com/post/61536930789/with-all-the-new-information-age-of-ultron-has#disqus_thread

[red snow]

By the way, is Xavier jr supposed to be Legion's kid or something?

He's probably something Beast cooked up in a vat made from the sperm and eggs of all the X-men who loved Xavier blindly. It's mainly Beast-sperm.

Someone actually put a lot of thought into Marvel's current time travel issues. I really and truly hope that Marvel has put as much thought into it, because I can buy into all of this...

http://comicbookfanz...s#disqus_thread

This is exactly why Stan Lee created No-Prizes. Marvel relies on dedicated fans to make sense out of their bullshit. The theory doesn't cover all new X-men which I think is clearly part of whatever shit Marvel are up to.

I'd probably argue it's not so much time but reality that is broken. Events like "house of M" weren't due to time-travel but due to another reality being created although I'm open to the idea that was sort of time travel too.

I guess we have to just go with it. If it provides some fun stories like Spidey 2099 in our present and maybe eventually getting ultimate spidey (or an ultimate reboot) then that's all good. Again, the Ultimate/Galactus/Angela thing sounds more like reality is broken than time as from what I know (not much with Marvel these days) the ultimate universe does not have a point of divergence from 616. Neither does Spawn for that matter.

[Little Valkyrie]

Infinity still reads like the Cliffs Notes/dramatic outline for a story that never had any of the things like characterization and dialogue filled in.

Oddly enough, the Thunderbolts tie-in issues for Infinity? Are hilarious. Kids really do love Spider-Man (as Deadpool finds out).

[Sci-2]

Oddly enough, the Thunderbolts tie-in issues for Infinity? Are hilarious. Kids really do love Spider-Man (as Deadpool finds out).

"What's your mission pick Punisher?"

"We are going to take down a crime family."

"....I have never been less surprised in my life"

Hahahaha

[Lady Octarina]

He's probably something Beast cooked up in a vat made from the sperm and eggs of all the X-men who loved Xavier blindly. It's mainly Beast-sperm.

For once, no one puts it more brilliantly than Maria Hill.

The one thing that really bothers me in Battle of the Atom is future X-Men insistence in not explaining what happens if the O5 don't return to the past. It makes no sense: if they mean to be successful in sending the O5 to the past, and telling the present X-Men what happens if they don’t do that is a way to convince them, why don’t they just spill it all out? I mean, if they send the O5 to the past, whatever horrible thing they’re trying to avoid in their future will never happen, so no consequences to the timelines would come of telling present-day X-people about it. So unless there’s something sinister going on here, all I can say is: damn you, Bendis!

Infinity still reads like the Cliffs Notes/dramatic outline for a story that never had any of the things like characterization and dialogue filled in.

Oddly enough, the Thunderbolts tie-in issues for Infinity? Are hilarious. Kids really do love Spider-Man (as Deadpool finds out).

:agree:

[Sci-2]

Yeah I was glad to see Hill point out that Beast is a royal fuck up. And he isn't even possessed by the Phoenix Force. BotA is interesting but it's really, really decompressed. And Marvel PR is already talking about unguessable endings. *groan*

I thought Infinity #3 was good. I think the CBR review highlighted the positives pretty well. I do think trying to do a cosmic event in 6 issues is a challenge, even with the Avengers/New Avengers supplements. Final Crisis ran into the same problem. These things to need to go to 9 issues minimum in my opinion to have room to breathe, but then people would complain about bloat.

New Avengers #10 was good, though Ebon Maw's abilities are unclear to me. As someone said in the CBR comments, glad that Hickman brought us these new villains. Can see all kinds of new arcs involving them down the road.

Thunderbolts Tie-In, as Lil' Valkyrie points out, was genuinely funny. Nice when writers get Deadpool.

Thor GoT was good, I liked the introduction and disturbing new plan of Maalekith. Once again Aaron puts out one of the best books on the stands.

[Little Valkyrie]

I thought Infinity #3 was good. I think the CBR review highlighted the positives pretty well. I do think trying to do a cosmic event in 6 issues is a challenge, even with the Avengers/New Avengers supplements. Final Crisis ran into the same problem. These things to need to go to 9 issues minimum in my opinion to have room to breathe, but then people would complain about bloat.

How many issues was Annihilation, and how many issues of Avengers setup did we have? I think my problem is how Hickman is choosing to tell this story--tons of narrative voiceover plasted onto pages of primarily Poser art. The voiceovers, I just cannot get into--the tone is serious and yet deadly boring, not epic. TO keep mixing my metaphors further, it's like the whole thing has been at the same dynamic level and scoring.

[Winterfell is Burning]

This week was mostly pretty good, with the winner being a toss-up between New Avengers and Daredevil, in two very strong issues.

One of the disappointments this week was, not surprisingly, Uncanny X-men. But worse than that, surprisingly, was Thor: God of Thunder, which basically features Malekith killing people (or elves) at random- I would not be surprised if Aaron was forced to use him because of the movie, because so far he doesn't seem to know what to do with him.

How many issues was Annihilation

If you count the prologue, 7, plus 4 minis with 4 issues each- 23 issues total, plus there were about a dozen issues of series that, while not having the Annihilation banner, helped set-up the event.

[Sci-2]

I think my problem is how Hickman is choosing to tell this story--tons of narrative voiceover plasted onto pages of primarily Poser art. The voiceovers, I just cannot get into--the tone is serious and yet deadly boring, not epic.

I can see people having issues with, at Newsarama they keep wanting the Avengers to take center stage, but I get why he's doing this. I do think some of the voice-over stuff could be toned down, but it does help to make this seem like an event that really does encompass a space opera that is vast in scope.

I would not be surprised if Aaron was forced to use him because of the movie, because so far he doesn't seem to know what to do with him.

Funny, I had the opposite reaction to the quality of the issue.

=-=-=

JUSTICE LEAGUE 3000: Despite Injury, HOWARD PORTER Comes Full Circle

Interesting to see Porter was driving a school bus for awhile, and why he chose that profession.

[Sci-2]

Phonogram:

http://www.phonogramcomic.com/

Yup, I've gone on about it before - Great comic incorporating youth, clubbing, magic, music, relationships, friendships, and so on.

Anyway, try the comic out as you can read the first issues, of the first two volumes respectively, on the site linked above. Additionally you can see McKelvie's lovely covers.

(Immaterial Girl is not out yet.)

[Little Valkyrie]

Still a bit speculative, but it seems this guy might be what Thanos is after (so do avoid if you want to avoid possible Infinity spoilers, I suspect):

http://www.newsarama...-of-thanos.html

But he totally looks like the lovechild of Thanos and Namor.

[Lady Octarina]

Still a bit speculative, but it seems this guy might be what Thanos is after (so do avoid if you want to avoid possible Infinity spoilers, I suspect):

http://www.newsarama...-of-thanos.html

But he totally looks like the lovechild of Thanos and Namor.

Not entirely sure it can still be considered a theory after seeing the AR from New Avengers #10.

[Teng Ai Hui]

These days, I have been catching up on the Green Lantern books from this year. I was happy to see that Geoff Johns is no longer involved. I like the current story arcs so far. However, the person who decided to give Larfleeze his own book must be fired.

[Sci-2]

Not entirely sure it can still be considered a theory after seeing the AR from New Avengers #10.

This is a new character right?

These days, I have been catching up on the Green Lantern books from this year. I was happy to see that Geoff Johns is no longer involved. I like the current story arcs so far. However, the person who decided to give Larfleeze his own book must be fired.

Just wait until a desperate DC makes him a character on Arrow.

[Winterfell is Burning]

So, there was a crapload of books this week, like always in the 4th Wednesday of the month, something I never got- for anyone that receives their wages monthly, this will be the time in which they'll have less money, and if one receives it weekly, it doesn't make a difference. Plus, the books won't rank as highly in the monthly sales chart as they could.

Anyway, this week's winner for me was East of West #6, but Avengers, Young Avengers, Saga and FF had some very good issues as well.

[Sci-2]

Love Triangles & Cosmic Horrors Plague Gillen's "Young Avengers"

This week's issue was interesting, will get into that later along with a rundown of some other things like Battle of the Atom and Avengers #20.

eta: Accidentally ninja'd Winter's post above:

So, there was a crapload of books this week, like always in the 4th Wednesday of the month, something I never got- for anyone that receives their wages monthly, this will be the time in which they'll have less money, and if one receives it weekly, it doesn't make a difference. Plus, the books won't rank as highly in the monthly sales chart as they could.

Anyway, this week's winner for me was East of West #6, but Avengers, Young Avengers, Saga and FF had some very good issues as well.

That is a good point on the 4th week being a time of less spending money.

I'd add Uncanny Avengers to your list of good books.

[Lady Octarina]

FF was weaker than most recent issues, but that was to be expected; still, Caesar's joke about Maximus and the kids explaining how to identify a villain were amazing. Young Avengers was interesting, but I'm getting kind of sick of the importance they've been building for Wiccan - future Sorcerer Supreme, Demiurge, the guy who will rewrite all the laws of magic, whatever that means... And people say Wanda is the Mary Sue, yeah, right. Avengers Assemble has just become the best Infinity tie-in so far (which doesn't mean much; never thought I'd miss AvX and its tie-ins), though I'm really sick of seeing the same scene unfold four times. Wolverine and the X-Men was good, and so was Sex Criminals. Uncanny Avengers would have been better if there was only two weeks of wait between this issue and the previous and following ones (really, you can't build things this slowly and divide the team so thoroughly when readers have to wait four or five weeks between each issue). A+X was, surprisingly, the best book of the week, though - all the nostalgia in that first story; half of the Marvel stories should be like that!