tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post4241817869876972851..comments2024-03-28T09:53:43.900-04:00Comments on The Hurting: Tegan O'Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14815842488966694944noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post-62853654780617862952014-11-22T17:47:44.492-05:002014-11-22T17:47:44.492-05:00After reading your review of Age of Ultron: glad t...After reading your review of Age of Ultron: glad to find out the Avengers 2 movie isn't using any of this storyline ~ even if it's stealing the title!Age of Ultronhttp://www.dvdexchange-online.co.uk/DVD_Film_News/2015/Avengers_2/avengers_2.htmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post-21775728370062505712013-12-23T05:02:19.271-05:002013-12-23T05:02:19.271-05:00Interesting Post, Could you give me some more upda...Interesting Post, Could you give me some more updates about spinal decompression rochester.spinal decompression Rochesterhttp://www.campanellahealthcenter.com/chiropractic-treatments/we-have-spinal-decompression-rochester-patients-need/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post-73825254600977014922013-07-07T18:00:38.149-04:002013-07-07T18:00:38.149-04:00Tim,
Great, and well-thought-out article.
I wish...Tim,<br /><br />Great, and well-thought-out article.<br /><br />I wish I could disagree with what you say, but alas...<br /><br />I'm not a Bendis "hater" really, but it just seems freakish that a guy <br />whose been in the industry for SO long and at the helm of such HUGE <br />projecys shuld still be stumbling over bits being left on the cutting <br />room floor.<br /><br />Too many of his stories have gaps - things he WANTED to include (if you <br />believe his enthusiastic interviews, and I'm inlclined to buy into his <br />joyful descriptions of his "plans") but again and again much of the MEAT<br /> of his stories is flayed from the bone and your left with scraps of a <br />coherent story.<br /><br />---<br /><br />I recall another "alternate world where the villain has won and set it <br />in his image" - DEFENDERS miniseries by Giffen & DeMatteis.<br /><br />Dormammu managed to WIN (captures Doctor Strange and the rest of the <br />Defenders are helpless as well) and Dormammu ACTUALLY rebuilds the Earth<br /> dimension as HE wishes it to be! So we have alternate takes on <br />EVERYONE, and it is as much of a lost cause as this AoU.<br /><br />However, the way STRANGE and the DEFENDERS win the day makes sense in <br />the story (and also get aid from the inhabitants of this new version of <br />Earth), and it's wrapped up in a few issues.<br /><br />MUCH better.<br /><br />There WERE a few big threads left dangling to be used as future story <br />fodder (Dormammu is now a twisted human dwarf, Umar is supremely <br />powerful, Eternity is "dead") - but no one bit on the hook and they <br />eventually were overturned (off-panel).<br /><br />Oh well... they can't all have 4th rate characters from other companies manifesting in the 616, can they?<br /><br />---<br /><br />Anyway, on your point of fan-entitlement as a by-product of interaction with the creators... you wrote<br /><br /><i>"It's a strange world, this comics scene, where we can actually interact <br />not just with the creators themselves but with the executives and <br />editors who tell the creators what to do. it gives us a weird feeling of<br /> entitlement. The people who started printing letters' pages in Golden <br />and Silver age comics were coming from the tradition of the sci-fi <br />pulps, another field built on a porous relationship between fan and <br />creator. I wonder, if they could have seen how it all turned out, if <br />they would have done anything different."</i><br /><br />Oddly enough, in a famous letter from STAN LEE to JERRY BAILS ("the <br />father of comics fandom") Stan end his letter by stating that he read <br />EVERY letter - easily a hundred a day (sometimes 500 on a Monday) - and <br />wished he could answer them all, and that the fans wanted MORE letter's <br />pages in the books (as Stan and co would sometimes take suggestions from<br /> the readers as to what to do in the books).<br /><br />Stan's next words were prophetic:<br /><br />"FANS KEEP ASKING FOR MORE LETTERS PAGES - ( I ) WISH WE DIDN'T HAVE <br /><b>ANY</b>! IT's LIKE A TIGER BY THE TAIL - CAN'T LET GO."<br /><br />I'm sure the Jerry Bails letter can be found online in numerous sources.<br /><br />I have a scan of it at the end of my recent "50 YEARS of DOCTOR STRANGE"<br /> post (since Stan admits that the creation of STRANGE... " 'twas Steve's<br /> idea.") and you can go there to see it if interested.<br /><br />http://sanctumsanctorumcomix.blogspot.com/2013/07/50-years-of-doctor-strange-strange.html<br /><br />But yeah, AGE of ULTRON... not a good story (but it WAS a decent "event"<br /> as it did its job as herald to many more line-wide changes and <br />stories).<br /><br />~P~<br />SanctumSanctorumComixPtor Praetoriousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post-67876140571276513502013-07-02T19:57:13.710-04:002013-07-02T19:57:13.710-04:00Age of Ultron wasn't great, but I didn't f...Age of Ultron wasn't great, but I didn't feel it was as bad as this critic found it. I'll give it to a friend of mine to read. It's pretty much a fun but disposable book. Also regarding his praise of Hitch's art: What the hell are you talking about? Hitch is probably the most over hyped artist out there. I'm always calling my wife over to laugh at the horrible shit he does to perspective and anatomy. Also regarding the lack of Ultron in a book titled Age of Ultron: I think the title is pretty accurate. It's about what the world would look like if Ultron finally got his big win. I think AU does that pretty well. Regarding how fast Bendis's books read: Nearly everything on the rack reads at that pace (Kurt Busiek being the exception. But even though Busiek's comics are really great and thoughtful, those books are rarely as fun or exciting as what Bendis does). I frankly like the more brisk pacing, but I would like it if each issue was double the length or even triple the current 22 pages for the cost. I don't feel I'm getting my money's worth with modern comics and the because most books are month to month, I would rather wait for the trade. I'm actually trimming down my monthly reading to just The Walking Dead because of the lack of bang for my buck with Super Hero books and how predictable they have become. Completely sick of crossover events. Marvel should go back to what they were doing with the Marvel Knights line: telling self-contained stories exploring characters, not just plot driven rehashes of stuff that they've done a million times. Marvel has given Bendis too much control of their properties. I'd like to see other voices and perspectives from the Houes of Ideas.Banjo Handtowelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post-20829526839629089832013-07-02T11:48:47.855-04:002013-07-02T11:48:47.855-04:00I feel like I've spent my entire adult life lo...I feel like I've spent my entire adult life looking for an article like this. Thank you.mumd0gnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post-78841293331795022092013-07-02T10:49:55.126-04:002013-07-02T10:49:55.126-04:00I was thinking this exact same thing, except that ...I was thinking this exact same thing, except that I very much enjoy Final Crisis.JokersNutsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post-90568344291805777412013-07-02T09:24:20.154-04:002013-07-02T09:24:20.154-04:00That was what I was thinking... first he complains...That was what I was thinking... first he complains that "Age of Ultron" doesn't adequately define the series since Ultron isn't in it (although those robots that look exactly like Ultron seem to be a morsel), but THEN complains that they spend 5 issues in "the Age" of Ultron's apocalypse. Pick an argument. This reads like an amateur's critique ("too slow", "where's Ultron", "too many splash pages"). Ebert he ain't.DogSwallownoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post-78899908649256840572013-06-27T09:55:04.564-04:002013-06-27T09:55:04.564-04:00I haven't read Age of Ultron, literally everyt...I haven't read Age of Ultron, literally everything I know about it comes from having just read this article, and so aside from thinking that the coloring (by I think Paul Mounts?) in that Ultron-flashback splash page is pretty nice, I have no opinion on the book whatsoever. This seems like a pretty intelligent skewering of the book, and I enjoyed reading it.<br /><br />This sentiment, however, I think bears further scrutiny:<br /><br />"I don't think a massive blockbuster event story is the right place to conduct some kind of radical genre experiment."<br /><br />Why not?<br /><br />To use your own analogy, why not hire the Coen Bros. to direct the Transformers? Wouldn't that be, as you say, interesting, and maybe amazing? The reasoning you give is that they're unlikely to produce a popular film, which is an understandable reason if you take it as a given that the primary goal of a Transformers film should be popularity -- that's not something I'd necessarily agree with, but I can understand the point of view. But as we can see from the sales charts you produce, Bendis is likely to produce a popular comic. If the Coens were likely to produce a proportionately popular film, wouldn't this rationale against putting them on Transformers vanish? And wouldn't it then be in everybody's aesthetic best interests to see what kind of new or different idea they might bring to the table?<br /><br /><br /><br />I'm not in any way trying to say that Bendis is actually the qualitative equivalent of the Coen Bros., but setting aside subjective assessments of each talent, there's a skip-logic to your argument that experimentation doesn't belong in "big" media products. I think the extension of that idea is the assumption that interesting work belongs on the margins, and I can't see any rationale for that beyond just hard-line capitalism -- and that seems like it should be the concern of the bean-counters at Marvel, not critics. Aesthetics are often determined by economics, sure, but it seems strange to me to write criticism implying that they SHOULD be.Jason Michelitchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post-62831174492925470752013-06-26T06:55:44.209-04:002013-06-26T06:55:44.209-04:00I'd think drowning would be more likely to pro...I'd think drowning would be more likely to produce an immortal vegetable.Jon Hendrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post-33259961089424779922013-06-20T04:54:17.630-04:002013-06-20T04:54:17.630-04:00I do appreciate that Bendis was obviously playing ...I do appreciate that Bendis was obviously playing with story structure instead of giving us the same old 3 act again. I don't think it worked, but I do appreciate a bold failure more than a tepid read. If Age of Ultron has stayed in the page of Avengers (or New Avengers or wherever it was originally conceived) we'd be a lot more generous towards it. But then it wouldn't have sold as much and made Marvel as much money! Same for 'Fear Itself'.Chadnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post-77700290864600238652013-06-19T22:02:29.478-04:002013-06-19T22:02:29.478-04:00Wolverine himself has said that the easiest way to...Wolverine himself has said that the easiest way to kill him would be to drown him - since he's got metal bones, he avoids large bodies of water and has shown to be unable to keep himself afloat for any but the briefest periods of time. But Wolverine #1 wasn't wet, he had blood on his claws so - what, he severed the spinal column and tore the heart out through the stomach? I think he could probably still be decapitated since his ligaments and tendons AREN'T made of adamantium, but that would still probabyl require superhuman strength.timoneil5000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post-38295951842791812262013-06-19T19:56:07.069-04:002013-06-19T19:56:07.069-04:00Yeah, I thought the same thing. I suppose it'...Yeah, I thought the same thing. I suppose it's a surprise ending to have her show up, but I don't know how anyone really cares. It's not like she's a fan favorite character -- she's more known for the legal proceedings.Kyle Garretnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post-60346679402441950662013-06-19T18:03:42.633-04:002013-06-19T18:03:42.633-04:00I don't mean this to be snide at all but is th...I don't mean this to be snide at all but is there anyone, ANYONE who is thrilled or even vaguely CARES that Angela is a Marvel character now? All it means to me is the waking nightmare of Gaiman and Bendis writing together.DanielTnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post-38646118825007754452013-06-19T18:01:53.757-04:002013-06-19T18:01:53.757-04:00Now that #10 is out and the "real" issue...Now that #10 is out and the "real" issue is the same as the leaked one I'll comment on the two things that bothered me.<br /><br /><br />1) As Tim mentioned, no Ultron. Ultron, Kang and the Reverse-Flash are the villains I will read about no matter what (I guess because those guys most captured my imagination when I was a kid). My favorite thing Bendis ever did with the Avengers (and maybe the ONLY thing I ever REALLY liked that he did) was just two panels in the Avengers FCBD book last year (reprinted in #10): Ultron appearing and then Thor INSTANTLY smacking him in the head with his hammer. That actually made me excited about AOU (and excitement is a state I haven't experienced about a Marvel or DC book since Final Crisis #1 and before that...??). Then we get nothing.<br /><br /><br />2) Galactus is going to eat the Ultimate Earth. If they don't want to deal with that Earth any more, fine--transport Miles to 616 and then just don't publish any comics about it ever again. Destroying it is pointless and nobody cares anyway. This just smacks of editors sitting around saying "What should we do with Ultimate Earth?" and when the Galactus idea came up thinking it was AWESOME! Plus, hasn't Galactus been established as an integral part of the cosmos of the Marvel Universe? Are they going to deal with the consequences of his absence? I'm guessing probably not. But I'll probably never know unless somebody on a blog mentions it.DanielTnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post-77976024381176946972013-06-19T17:26:00.034-04:002013-06-19T17:26:00.034-04:00Oh, man, I can't believe I didn't think ab...Oh, man, I can't believe I didn't think about that! Does adamantium cut adamantium? If Wolverine decapitates himself does his body grow a new head and his head a new body?DanielTnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post-58178925841186408582013-06-19T16:54:31.960-04:002013-06-19T16:54:31.960-04:00The idea of starting a crossover story after the v...The idea of starting a crossover story after the villain had<br />already conquered the world while doing something different with the story structure<br />was previously attempted by Grant Morrison in “Final Crisis” which had its own<br />execution problems.adam farrarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post-55120588630836983592013-06-19T15:15:15.911-04:002013-06-19T15:15:15.911-04:00http://www.newsarama.com/18143-bendis-details-age-...http://www.newsarama.com/18143-bendis-details-age-of-ultron-finale-implications-spoilers.html<br /><br />Quote from Bendis:<br />"People go, "Where's Ultron?" It's "Age of Ultron," This is the world of Ultron, not Ultron. I know that's bullsh*tty, but I'm saying it. There you go."Jaynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post-44017429553608180592013-06-19T13:25:30.879-04:002013-06-19T13:25:30.879-04:00Interesting article. The one thing I wasn't o...Interesting article. The one thing I wasn't on board with was this distinction between what the writer might call 'auteur' and 'blockbuster' comic book work. I think those don't have to be mutually exclusive. Bendis is just a horrible writer in terms of decompression, plot and dialogue. Those tends would tend to hobble your work, whether it's an art house film or a tentpole summer film.Patnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post-48165901829926374842013-06-19T12:12:55.391-04:002013-06-19T12:12:55.391-04:00The universe has been so shattered by Wolverine...The universe has been so shattered by Wolverine's time-travel shenanigans that a Todd McFarlane character showed up! Are you not entertained?!<br /><br />Basically, Bendis has gone and done that Treehouse of Horror episode where Homer invents a time-traveling toaster, only for serious.moose n squirrelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post-41404442853909005852013-06-19T00:29:30.908-04:002013-06-19T00:29:30.908-04:00The gruesome manner in which we have to believe Wo...The gruesome manner in which we have to believe Wolverine #1 dispatched Wolverine #2 in order to make the death "stick" was something I couldn't get out of my head, either.timoneil5000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post-33297445017187413442013-06-19T00:08:43.944-04:002013-06-19T00:08:43.944-04:00I haven't looked at #10, but I was struck by t...I haven't looked at #10, but I was struck by the end of #9, where Wolverine stabs 'himself' off-panel, with the implication that the 'killed' the 'other' Wolverine.<br />Haven't we lived through 25 years of comics hammering the idea that Wolverine is effectively immortal, and that he regenerated from a splash of blood or something similiar. Since when does a stab wound finish him off?<br />Completely agree about the wasting of Hitch. I hope he can now finish America's Got Powers, which at least gave him some reasonable ability to craft an artistic story...Timothy Byrnenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post-64557463283782255442013-06-18T23:50:53.549-04:002013-06-18T23:50:53.549-04:00This is why I think a log of the best comic writer...This is why I think a log of the best comic writers have spent at least some time writing for 2000AD. <br /><br /><br />I think after they learn how to make the plot move in 4-6 pages, making at least a couple things happen in 22 pages does not seem so hard anymore.Cornelius Stuyvesantnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post-25591875680383845202013-06-18T20:08:44.195-04:002013-06-18T20:08:44.195-04:00I actually snuck just now and read the spoiler. Th...I actually snuck just now and read the spoiler. The resolution was a little bit clever, I admit. Not clever enough to make up for the previous nine issues of horse manure.timoneil5000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345577.post-12189727001108941502013-06-18T20:00:53.885-04:002013-06-18T20:00:53.885-04:00Please follow up with your reaction to #10. SPOIL...Please follow up with your reaction to #10. SPOILER: Ultron is actually in it. DanielTnoreply@blogger.com