.1 Issues...The Good and the Bad

Recently Marvel has been putting out ".1" issues of their comics.  As I understand it, these .1 issues are meant to be a jumping on point for new readers.  When they first came about I thought they were going to be a one-time thing, but I keep seeing solicitations for new .1 issues so I guess that isn't the case.

I'm of 2 minds on these issues.  The long time comic book reader in me doesn't really like them.  I do like stand alone issues, without question, but since the .1 issues are usually done by a different creative team the tone of the .1 books just doesn't resonate with the rest of the series, at least in the ones I've read.  If I'm going to go back and reread a run (which I enjoy doing), I don't care for the .1 issue throwing off the tone of the main creative team.

Due to that lack of consistency, it seems to me that the .1 issues are also a way to pad the time the creative teams have to put out their book.  I'd rather see a planned fill-in issue than a mad scramble or delay, so if that's part of the strategy then that's fair enough.

I do, however, like Marvel making an effort to reach out to new readers.  Dan Slott commented on Twitter that for everyone who complains about the Amazing Spider #679.1 issue numbering, somebody else tells him that the numbering is why they picked it up.

I guess part of what bugs me is I don't care for the Big 2's "creative accounting" to get to milestone issues.  I've detailed this before using the Thor books as my example, so I won't go too deep into it here.  Basically, I don't like how books are canceled and relaunched with a new #1, only to revert back to the original numbers to get the sales boost of a #1 and a #500.  With the .1 issues, this approach to issue milestones can get even more convoluted.

I really do think that comics should look at adopting a volume system.  You get the sales boost of a #1 and a "final issue" every year or two, however long you decide a volume is going to be (I would say at minimum 12 issues since that's two-6 issue story arcs).  It would also make it far easier on new readers to break in and be able to follow along; to be honest, if I hadn't of bought the Thor books as they came out, trying to follow the story through the numbering system alone would be a nightmare (again, see the linked post for details).

So good on you Marvel for reaching out to new readers, but I think there is still work to be done as that same approach is going to make things even more confusing in the long-run.

Digital Comics...When & Why I Buy Them

I have to say, I really enjoy reading comics on my tablet.  With that said, I'm pretty choosey about what I purchase.  Not necessarily because of the content, I like reading a variety of books, but moreso because of cost.

I generally will not pay more than $1.99 for a single issue, and even then it has to be something I really want.  However, if I can get a digital book for $.99, then I'm willing to snag a bunch.  I know that debate rages about the price of digital books, and I don't pretend to know all of the costs involved with digital, but I do know what the value is to me.

If I shell out $3.99 for a physical comic book, I own something.  If I resell it I'm probably not going to make a profit, but I am probably able to get something for it.  I can't do that with a digital book.  What happens if the company I bought the digital book from goes under, and I suffer a data loss?  I'm now out that money, whereas with a physical book once I have it I have it, barring something like a basement flood or fire I'm not going to lose them; and even if I do, I have insurance on my physical books, you can't do that with digital.

That is why I will not spend $3.99 on a digital comic book that takes me 5 minutes to read.  However, there are times when I am willing to spend that much or more, and I wish that more of these collections existed.

While browsing around on the Comixology app on my tablet, I happened across an X-Men/Spider-Man digital pack for $5.99 that was over 150 pages, containing team-ups of Marvel's merry mutants and their friendly neighborhood arachnid from various comics over the years.  Now this is exactly the kind of initiative that can be done easily in the digital comics world. I mean, you made the money on the content the first time around, why not offer it in a bundle like this to entice readers to try out something they haven't read before?  In fact, this was created to promote a (then) upcoming crossover between the two teams, that's great marketing!

I would love to see more stuff like this...why not put Bloodties together in a digital pack for $5 as marketing for the upcoming Avengers vs X-Men?  Or in the lead up to the Galactus-Asgard snorefest war put out a bundle of cosmic Thor stories, such as his battles against the Celestials, Ego the Living Planet, etc.  Marvel has made their money already with these stories, so why not use them as gravy to marketing upcoming events?

Really my only beefs about the X-Men/Spider-Man bundle was one of the stories within ended on a cliffhanger and the resolution wasn't included.  My other beef was that I already owned 4 of the issues in the pack, and there was no way to read what issues were included before purchasing.  Fix that little mistake and I'd be very satisfied.

Feel free to steal this idea Marvel, DC, any comic company that wants my money!

Rating the Thor Scribes

At the Thor Message Board the other day a challenge was put forth to rate out of 10 the writers on Thor going back to Dan Jurgens.  I tweaked the criteria slightly and said I would only rate the writers on the ongoing title, not mini-series or one-shots.  I thought I would expand on my reasonings here.

Kieron Gillen - 10/10
I've said this before and I am sure to say it again, Kieron Gillen is the second coming of Walt Simonson when it comes to Thor.  Like Simonson, Gillen has a great grasp on Norse mythology and weaves it seamlessly into Marvel's interpretation of the worlds of Asgard.  His dialogue, a tricky subject when it comes to Thor and company, is great, a perfect updating of the old "thee and thou" days.  His villains are layered, and have many aspects to their plans; watching Loki and Mephisto verbally spar with each other was a real treat.  What is especially impressive with Gillen's contributions is he has never been annointed the regular scribe on Thor, it's always been to pick up the pieces of somebody else's work.  I would love to see what Gillen could do with Thor if he as free to set the direction of the character, and if you're not reading it you have to check out Journey Into Mystery, one of the best books Marvel puts out and is written by, surprise surprise, Kieron Gillen.

Mike Oeming - 9/10
Oeming's Ragnarok storyline was perhaps one of the best send-offs a character could ask for.  Lots of great nods to past continuity and Norse mythology, real character growth and evolution, it was a great read.  The story itself I would rank a full 10/10, but Oeming had an advantage over the other writers in that he knew he didn't have to put the toys back in the sandbox when he was done, meaning he could effect some really drastic changes and developments that normally wouldn't be possible.  As such, it didn't seem fair to give him the full 10/10, but if he were to come back to the title I'm sure he would be embraced with open arms by the Thor faithful.



J Michael Stracynzki - 8/10
What I really liked about JMS' run was the slow boil of the story; you could tell he was building to something, and each issue advanced the plot nicely.  Most of the issues could be enjoyed as a somewhat standalone story, a rarity in today's market.  Some people think there wasn't a lot of action, but we got to see Thor take on Irom Man, the Destroyer, Surtur, those are some real heavy weights.  Fights need to have a reason for being, and every battle Thor entered was charged with personal or larger stakes; with Iron Man he was expressing his displeasure at Tony's actions in the Civil War, with the Destroyer he was fighting to save his people, against Surtur he was fighting for the life of his father, there were real consequences beyond something as simple as a grudge match.  The only real problem with the title was the delays, it really derailed the story and is the only reason I knocked JMS' ranking down.


Dan Jurgens - 6/10
I'm the opposite of a fair number of fans, I liked Jurgens later run on the title compared to his earlier issues.  I think part of that was the art; John Romita Jr. is a master storyteller, and a lot of guys could learn how to tell a story from him, but I've never cared for his sketchy/blocky style (I was a huge fan of his old style when he was working on Amazing Spider-Man the first time around).  But I didn't care for the story elements too; I thought Thor's dialogue was atrocious, for starters.  I didn't care for the whole Jake Olsen thing, so that didn't help either.  However, I absolutely loved Jurgens "King Thor" era, which slowly saw Thor turn into Odin, essentially.  It was a phenomenal way to explore and extract aspects of the character that hadn't been explored before.  Yes, Thor was returned to the status quo for Oeming to tidy up the series, but man Jurgens was cooking in the later part of his run.

Matt Fraction - 1/10
I'm probably being generous giving Fraction the 1 point, but he's had great artists doing his stuff, even though the colourist destroyed Pascal Ferry's art on his first run.  Anyway, Fraction seems to have simply ignored the work done by JMS and Gillen, taking away the more contemplative and mature Thor we were enjoying and replacing him with a hot tempered brute.  The dialogue, as I've chronicled before on this blog, is atrocious.  The story concepts are great, but the execution is horrendous.  I love Thor, and have a full run going back to volume 2 of the book, so Fraction not only got me to drop a book I was invested in emotionally, but also as a collector.  That is very hard to do.  I look forward to when he leaves the book and I can come back to it, and the collector in me has resigned himself to maybe getting the Fraction books in the dollar bin in future to re-complete the collection.

State of the Longbox Address

I've been feeling for a little while that the crop of books I'm buying is getting a little stale.  Here is my pull list:

Captain America

Captain America & Bucky

Thor

Journey Into Mystery

Secret Avengers

Alpha Flight

Avengers: Children's Crusade

Avengers Solo (slot "any solo Hawkeye books" here)

I've found that some books just haven't been getting me very excited lately, and it was time for a change.

I think Ed Brubaker does a spectacular job with Captain America, but I'm getting kind of bored with all the WWII/Cold War stuff in the title.  Going to the well here and there is great, but it gets a little old after awhile, and Brubaker has been on the book for quite awhile now (a great accomplishment in this day and age).  That theme doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, since he will be launching a Winter Soldier ongoing (provided Marvel doesn't cut the feet out from under it before it launches) in 2012.

I was tempted to get the Winter Soldier seres, to have a complete collection of Brubaker's work in the Captain America universe, plus he will be re-teaming with Butch Guice, but as I said, I'm burnt out on the old war story stuff.  Therefore, I made the decision to axe Captain America & Bucky from my list, and will not be getting the Winter Soldier series.

Thor has been a disappointment for me ever since Matt Fraction took over the title.  I feel he has ignored recent continuity, as established by J. Michael Stracynski and Kieron Gillen, and that really makes it hard to enjoy the book as an ongoing series.  I feel that the dialogue is terrible, as Fraction cannot decide if Thor is eloquent or a brute, and the rest of the characters aren't much better.  Fraction is good at starting things at a slow boil, but his conclusions leave a lot to be desired.  With the price of comics today it is really hard to justify buying the book, even though I have a complete run going back to Volume 2 (and we're on the equivalent of Volume 4 right now). 

Secret Avengers was a book I was really excited for.  I don't care for Bendis' Avengers, and Brubaker picked a really great line-up for the book; Steve Rogers, Sharon Carter, Ant-Man (Eric O'Grady), War Machine, Valkyrie, Beast, Moon Knight, and Nova.  This was a great blend of characters I thought would play well off of each other, but unfortunately the book under Brubaker always felts like "Steve Rogers and friends", not a true team book.  I gave the Warren Ellis issues a try but they haven't really seemed to be going anywhere, and I have no great emotional attachment to the series (as I do Thor) since it never quite achieved its potential to my mind, so cutting it off is just the way to go.

So now we are at:

Captain America

Captain America & Bucky

Thor

Journey Into Mystery

Secret Avengers

Alpha Flight

Avengers: Children's Crusade

Avengers Solo (slot "any solo Hawkeye books" here)

Of the remaining books, Journey Into Mystery is a real treat.  I feel that Kieron Gillen has a grasp of Thor and the world of Asgard second only to the great Walt Simonson himself.  Gillen's fill-in work on the Thor title, before Fraction took over, was spectacular.  I firmly believe that he should be the writer of the main Thor book; I would be back in a flash if that were to happen.

Even though I am tired of the World War II inspired stories in Captain America, Alan Davis is coming on board as the artist starting with #6, and anyone who follows this blog know how much I love Alan Davis.  Therefore Captain America's main book will be spared the chopping block.

I absolutely love Alpha Flight, and I have every issue of their various on-goings and mini-series ever produced, and am working on getting their notable appearances in other titles (I am a proud owner of their first full appearance thanks to a trade with Tom Breevort, in Uncanny X-Men #121).  I was very sad that Marvel toyed with my emotions by announcing the mini-series by Pak and Eaglesham would be made into an ongoing (yay!), then they later announced it was reduced back to a mini (boo!).  While I haven't completely fallen in love with the current story, I think it was going to establish a good base to go forward with.

Avengers: Children's Crusade has been alright, though I'm starting to find Young Avengers books to be a little formulaic; kids confront a problem, Avengers tell them to stay out of it, kids defy Avengers.  And if there is an in-story reason why these kids aren't a apart of Avengers Academy I'd love to hear it; I assume the in-story is that the Children's Crusade book couldn't even keep to a bi-monthly schedule, makes it hard to include them in other books. 

Avengers Solo #1 was okay, though I wasn't blown away.  I think I need to re-read it, as part of the problem may be that it was a fairly dense read, and I'm not as used to that as I used to be, with the way comics are currently written.  I will still collect the whole mini-series though.

So with all that being said, I felt it was time for a bit of a change.  What books have I added to the mix and why?  Stay tuned for "Time For a Change", same Blog Time, same Blog Channel!

Is He Worthy...in Pictures

Blogger was being a total dink yesterday and I could not get all of the images I assembled into the post without completely mangling the text, so here they are in all their glory!

If He Be Worthy

I'm fairly certain anyone reading this blog is familiar with the stipulations attached to wielding Mjolnir, but just to cover the bases here is how it works.

Fans love to debate exactly what constitutes "worthiness" of the hammer, and who can lift it.  The following is a post I made at the Thor Message Board on the subject, though I've had to adjust it a little after the events of Fear Itself. 

In general, I think we can all agree that to be worthy of Mjolnir you have to have a heroic nature. Self-sacrifice, honour, desire to help others, that is all a part of the package. Describes a lot of heroes though, doesn't it?

Spider-Man is certainly self-sacrificing, arguably even moreso than Thor. He lives by the adage "with great power comes great responsibility", and Mjolnir is obviously a great power. However, Spider-Man is more motivated by guilt than a purely altruistic nature, and I think that is what takes him out of the running to lift the hammer.

If there is one character around who I personally think would be worthy, it's Ben Grimm. Ben is a hero's hero, sacrificing his own happiness to turn back into the Thing when others need him. He has dedicated his life to helping others as a member of the Fantastic Four. His never-say-die attitude is legendary (eg. his battle with the Champion). So why isn't Ben worthy? Quite recently we saw him try to lift the hammer and fail. I think the reason is Ben's own self-loathing and insecurity about his appearance. He doesn't have the self-confidence/esteem needed to wield Mjolnir.

This brings me to Captain America. Cap certainly embodies everything discussed thus far, without the guilt or self-loathing to weigh him down. Confidence is certainly something he doesn't lack. Cap has lifted the hammer on two occassions now, and it is worth noting that both times he has not undergone a transformation into a Thor-like being.  My feeling here is that while Cap had need of the power, he has never intended to take it from Thor, rather he has borrowed it. 

This leads me to the conclusion that to lift Mjolnir, you must have need of it. Beta Ray Bill certainly had a need, as his world's champion against Surtur and his hordes. Superman managed to use it once, and that was when the entire DC and Marvel universes were at stake. When there was no longer a need, even though he was just trying to return it to Thor (in far less perilous circumstances than when Steve did the same), Superman could not lift it.

Which ultimately leads us to why isn't Superman worthy. Again, this comes down to need. Superman doesn't need the power of Thor, he is just as powerful on his own. He exemplifies many of the same characteristics as Thor, but since he has no need of the power of Thor, he cannot lift the hammer either.

And before anyone asks about Wonder Woman, as far as I know the only Marvel/DC crossover that is actually in continuity is JLA/Avengers. That being said, you could argue that Wonder Woman was fighting for her entire universe, and since she lost to Storm (due to fan voting) she obviously could have used the power boost.

What Makes a Good Superhero Movie?

Due to the close release dates of Thor and Captain America the two movies get compared a lot, unsurprisingly so.  After seeing Captain America, one of the guys at my local comic shop asked my opinion on the two, and I said without hesitation that Captain America was better.  He said that he had heard conflicting sides on that debate, but he put a lot of stock in my opinion because I am a big fan of both characters (as almost all of the books in my pull box are Captain America or Thor related).

To clarify, I thought Thor was great.  I may have dreamed of seeing a Thor movie in my lifetime, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever see a good Thor movie, let alone a great one.  But I still think Captain America was better.  Why?

The character development in the opening act was so good I didn't care if there was any action at all.

Now of course I wanted to see Captain America's mighty shield standing up for freedom, but there is a man behind that shield and he is a great man indeed.  Before being exposed to the Vita-Rays and taking the Super Soldier Serum, Steve Rogers was a sickly, small man.  He had a list of illnesses pages long, but he still tried to enlist in the army 5 times, coming back after every rejection.  Why?  Because he doesn't like bullies.

I am far more interested in this man, who does everything he can to join the army, not for glory, but because he wants to help.  This man, who threw himself on what everyone thought was a live grenade to save a group of soldiers who had shown him nothing but contempt.  This is a guy I want to see more of.

Often I spend superhero origin stories just waiting for the hero to emerge, but when the story is told as well as this one, I don't care if he ever picks up that shield.  I felt the same way about the second Spider-Man film; I was so invested in the story of Peter Parker I didn't really care if he starting shooting his webs.  The first Iron Man also did a good job on focusing on Tony Stark more than Iron Man.

The Dark Knight is interesting because it is obviously one of the most successful superhero movies ever made, but I was far more engaged by the Joker than I was by Batman.  I didn't care at all about Bruce Wayne or Batman, I wanted to learn more about what made the Joker tick.  And really, Bruce/Batman came in a distant third because the fall of Harvey Dent was equally as captivating.  I almost wish they were not making a third film in this franchise because I doubt it can top the Dark Knight.

What is funny about this is that Stan Lee was doing this in the comics years and years ago; he took cardboard cutouts with different superpowers and gave them personalities, made them real people.  It's a wonder that so many superhero films can't seem to grasp that.

Where Has My Marvel Universe Gone?

I've been reading comics for about 20 years, which is kind of scary when I think about it since I started reading them when I was 8 years old.  I got my start with Marvel, and while I spent some time collecting a lot of DC and read books from other publishers as well, I have always read Marvel books during those 20 years. 

I hardly recognize the Marvel Universe anymore.

I am finding it harder and harder to stick with the characters that I have loved for all these years. 

This is what Spider-Man
should have done.

I refused to buy the Spider-Man titles (other than the very rare mini-series, such as Spider-Man/Human Torch) after the resurrection of Aunt May, as Amazing Spider-Man #400 is one of the best "death of" stories ever.  I was at the point where I was willing to forgive and come back when the reveal of Gwen Stacey and Norman Osborn's twins came about.  That drove me futher away then the Aunt May thing did, and since then the added atrocity of (poorly) magic-ing away Peter and Mary Jane's marrage came to pass.  It's too bad, because Spider-Island sounded like a pretty fun concept, but since I now feel I've outgrown the character I haven't picked it up, nor will I return to the Spider-titles.

I no longer recognize the Avengers.  Ever since Avengers Disassembled I haven't recognize the team.  To me, the Avengers are the go-to team when the world is in danger, and around the time I dropped New Avengers (approximately #35), I really felt that the then-current line-up would have no real chance against a Skrull Invasion or the Masters of Evil.  That line-up mostly remains in place today, and I cannot stand the writing of Brian Michael Bendis on the Avengers to even entertain picking up the current adjectiveless Avengers title.  From what I've seen on-line it's still not "my" Avengers anyway.

Thor has undergone some really great character development over the past few years under J Michael Stracynski and Kieron Gillen.  Then Matt Fraction took the reins and I no longer even recognize the character.  Under JMS Thor was quicker to think and slower to act, he had a grandeur to him that made you feel he truly was a god.  He no longer spoke in Shakespearean tones but still had a tone of voice that conveyed he was something special.  When Fraction took over, that was all thrown out the window in favour of a brute who smashes first and thinks later, if at all.  He is a petulant man-child who is angry at his resurrected father (despite the two making peace under JMS), who recently died as prophecized (even though JMS made a large point of the breaking of the Ragnarok-cycle signalling a fresh start for the Asgardians).  If not for the hammer I don't know if I'd recognize him.

Continuity is ignored, a lot.  I'm not talking about contradicting a story from 20 years ago, I'm talking about contradicting a story that came out 2 months prior.  As mentioned with Thor, it looked like Matt Fraction didn't even glance at the issues put out by JMS or even Gillen before he got started.  Characters are free to be on multiple superteams across the country at the same time.  Wolverine has long has the superpower to be in every book put out in a month, but to have him be a regular member of the X-Men, Avengers, and X-Force is a bit much, especially when the X-Men were living in San Fransisco while the Avengers are based in New York!  Spider-Man is having solo exploits, running around with the Avengers, and is a member of the Future Foundation!  Considering how often Marvel has their books crossover with each other, this is pretty hard to swallow.

I remember when a character crossing over to another book was special.  It didn't happen every issue because the books had sub-plots, character development, and a main plot of it's own to move forward.  Now it seems almost every book has to be tied-in to whatever Event-of the-Month is happening, and it really derails the other books from doing anything of note.  The best books from Marvel, I feel, are the ones that can hide in their little niche corner away from the main events to tell the stories they want to tell.  Daredevil, up until Shadowland, was a great example of a brilliant book that pretty much got left alone.

There is a splash page in Secret Invasion that has always stuck with me.  In it, a ship full of Skrulls disguised as "classic" Marvel heroes is squaring off against the then-current Avengers, and honestly, I found it very hard to not root for the Skrulls since they looked a lot more like heroes I know and love.

I just cut out The Mighty Thor and Secret Avengers from my pull list, and I'm not sure how long my other Marvel titles are going to last.  As a Marvelite for 20 years, that makes me really sad.

Top 10 Reformed Villains - #6 & #2

Well, since I somehow managed to skip over #6 last time, here is the rather unorthodox pairing of #6 and #2 in our Top 10!

6. Skurge the Executioner - I really thought about ranking Skurge at #2, but since his reformation was very brief I can't justify putting him higher up on the list.  However, Skurge's last stand remains to this day one of the very best deaths of any character in comics.  Walt Simonson did such an amazing job that I tend to think of Scourge as the new Bucky, back when the term "Bucky Dead" meant something.  Skurge is a pretty tragic character when you get to the core of the character, acting as the bootlick to the Enchantress because he loves her so much even though she always has eyes for Thor.  His anger and jealousy puts him at odds with Thor far more than any true malice in his heart.  And really, next to that line about great power and responsibility, is any line in comics as cool as "He stood alone at Gjallerbru, and that answer is enough"?  Didn't think so.

2. Ares - Ares used to be kind of a lame villain, or at least his look was, who was used as a challenge for Thor and Hercules.  As much as I absolutely hated Ares being an Avenger at first, some really great stuff was done with the character, and I'm man enough to admit that part of that credit goes to Bendis.  However, it was two Ares mini-series (not written by Bendis) that really drew me to the character.

Michael Oeming wrote the first Ares mini-series, and while the character had yet to get the pretty cool visual look he would adopt with the Avengers, the story was absolutely phenomenal.  There are times when a creator reinvents a lesser known character without needing a cross-company crossover or deals with the devil, and this is a perfect example done exceedingly well.  I don't want to spoil it if you hadn't read it, just do yourself a favour and check it out.

The second mini-series was written by Kieron Gillen, who has a true knack for writing mythological characters.  Again I don't want to spoil anything if you hadn't read it, but it really explores the God of War's true character.  The best part about both of these mini-series' is they are collected in the same trade paperback, and I believe that it is the same price or cheaper than buying the first one buy itself!  So now you have no excuse to check them out!

Unsurprisingly, Ares also played a role in The Incredible Hercules, particularly in the first story arc or two.  The story takes place during the Civil War, where Ares is a fully deputized agent of the law, while his brother Hercules is a wanted fugitive.  Holy role reversal Batman!  In one of the funniest fight scenes I've ever seen, the still-pretty-morally-ambiguous Ares cannot resist using his newfound authority to kill his hated brother.

Ares met his end in the Siege mini-series, but he really showcased a sense of honor that I'm a sucker for in these warrior type character, and it was then that I could really, truly accept him as a hero and not a villain.  He certainly started out as a villain, but he quickly revealed that he is far from being a black-and-white character.

Crossovers Too Awesome to Happen

Like most fans out there, I love a good inter-company crossover.  There is something really exciting about seeing favourite characters that cannot interact normally on the same page.  Sure, we've had some duds like Marvel vs DC, which was ambitious but any comic that shows Wolverine beating Lobo gets a big thumbs down from me, but we've also had some gems like X-men/Teen Titans and JLA/Avengers.

The crossovers I've mentioned were all big cosmic end-of-all-existence type stories, which certainly have their place.  But I've always enjoyed the quieter moments when these characters meet, like the Avengers and the JLA working together modifying one of Aquaman's aquatic vehicles for dimensional travel.  I still maintain one of the best inter-company crossovers ever was Superman/Gen13.  I have passing knowledge of Gen13 but honestly do not know a ton about the characters, which was probably one reason I picked up this crossover, to learn more about them.  The mini-series did not disappoint, as it was a completely character-driven story; the heroes did not fight each other once, and I couldn't have cared less.

It is in that vein that I'd love to see the following crossovers, but since there wouldn't be enough explosions and cosmic peril I doubt they would ever see print.

Thor and Wonder Woman - Rather than tell a tale of the Amazons versus the Asgardians, I would explore a sort of diplomatic exchange, where Asgard sends a delegation to Themyscira and vice versa.  Can you imagine the shenanigans the Warriors Three would get up to on an island filled with only women, especially Fandral?  I'm sure Artemis would love to do some training with the Valkyries.  And in the end if you need a big battle, I'm sure that Loki and Ares (DC) could come up with some delicously diabolical plot to foil.

Justice League International (Giffen/Dematteis) and the Great Lakes Avengers - This would simply be comic gold, playing these teams up together.  I could easily see a card tournament breaking out when these teams get together, with the loser having to accept G'Nort onto their roster!

Captain Marvel and Power Pack - Power Pack is a group of kids trying to make it as superheroes in an adult world.  Captain Marvel is a kid who can transform into an adult.  I think the potential for a really fun and poignant all ages tale is here just waiting to be exploited.

Iron Man and Batman vs Lex Luthor - I don't want to see these guys slug it out in suits of armour, I want to see a board room battle royale.  I'd love to see a corporate espionage style of tale that sees LuthorCorp trying a hostile takeover of Stark Industries, with Batman coming to Iron Man's aid.

Edwin Jarvis and Alfred Pennyworth - We've had the Justice League battle it out with the Avengers, but now I'd love to see these two gentlemen's gentlemen sit down for a spot of tea to swap war stories.  This would have been a great back-up feature to JLA/Avengers.

I could go on and on regarding this subject, but what about you?  What crossovers have you always wanted to see?

Book Reviews: Canadians, Americans, and Asgardians

Alpha Flight #3 - Fred Van Lente, Greg Pak & Dale Eaglesham
When Marvel announced that Alpha Flight was getting a new 8 (9 counting the 0.1 issue) issue mini-series, nobody was happier than me.  I have a complete run of every volume of Alpha Flight, including annuals and mini-series, even the godawful volume 3.  I love Alpha Flight.

Therefore, it makes me kind of sad that the new series isn't really grabbing me.  It is head and shoulders better than the last series, don't get me wrong.  But it just feels like a retread of the past, even though it features the classic team, which really has very few appearances together as a unit.  Alpha Flight in conflict with Department H and the Canadian government used to happen on a regular basis in the first volume.  It was the entire basis of the second volume.  It's been done.  A lot.

I'm also not digging the personality re-write for Marrina.  I realize that the creators wanted someone to create conflict, but Marinna was the sweetest being you'd ever meet, and I always liked that hopeful optimism she brought to the team.  If an in-story event lead to this new portrayal I'd be fine with it, but instead the past is being ignored.  I would rather they used another Plodex character in this role than simply ignoring Marinna's previous personality.

On the plus side, the book is gorgeous, and some of the smaller details are fun.  Aurora battling Jeanne Marie at superspeed was a nice touch, and the banter between Sasquatch and Shaman is great.  And Puck is back, which makes everything right with the world.

Marvel has announced that Alpha is becoming an on-going and will be a part of a new Commonwealth of Heroes...now that is a new concept that I am very much anticipating.  I'm willing to give the creative team some time to grow into the book so I hope you can do the same.

Captain America Corps #3 - Roger Stern & Phillipe Briones
This book is old-school Marvel fun, no surprise considering the legend himself, Mr. Roger Stern, is the one writing this tale.  I almost skipped this book at first; I didn't even know it was coming out, the guys at my shop put it aside for me because they thought I'd like it.  In the end I thought the concept was fun, and Stern was writing it, so I gave it a try.

Absolutely loving it.

As I said, the concept is just plain fun.  Seeing Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, John Walker, and Shannon Carter running around together slingin' shields is a real treat (and the new guy, Commander A, is starting to grow on me).  They are fighting a team called the Ammericommand, which at first I though was kinda hokey but hey, this is a team of out-of-time patriots out to save the multiverse, I'm just going to enjoy the ride.

The art is very well done and the colouring is crisp.  I really have no complaints about this mini-series at all.  On the extra bonus side, Stern uses thought balloons!  I can't remember the last time I saw thought balloons!

You cannot go wrong picking this up!

The Mighty Thor #4 - Matt Fraction & Oliver Coipel
When Thor was relaunched in The Mighty Thor, I almost skipped picking up the title, and I have a full run of Thor starting with volume 2, so I didn't consider this lightly.  However, the art of Olive Coipel convinced me to stick around.

So far the art is the only reason I'm sticking around.

Sure, the idea of Galactus at war with Asgard is fun, I'll give Fraction that.  But the execution really isn't grabbing me, in particular the dialogue.  I had a post a couple of days ago featuring my re-write of the dialogue in #5, and it's no better in #4.

My beef with the dialogue is the lack of consistency.  On one page it feels like Fraction is trying to capture the somewhat grander speech patterns JMS brought to the book; he did away with the thee's & thou's but Thor still spoke with a grandeur and authority that made it clear he was a god not to be trifled with.  But then on the next, Thor is speaking like any regular joe; if you had to take a shot every time Thor tells someone to "Shut up" in the past 4 issues you'd be wasted out of your mind.

I will give Fraction credit, his first arc on Mighty Thor is far better than his first arc in the pages of Thor, but I am still on the fence on continuing to get this book once the current arc is finished.

The Mighty Thor #5...Reworded

I've been picking up The Mighty Thor strictly because of Oliver Coipel's pencils. Somehow the dialogue gets worse each issue and I can hardly stand it anymore. At times Thor uses big words like "bloviating" and other times he calls people a "pain in the ass" (Fear Itself #5). It's maddening!

Here is my attempt at re-doing the dialogue, old school Marvel style (with dialogue added after the penciler has done his work based on the plot).  Assume the text fills in the existing word balloons, I won't add dialogue for the panels without dialogue. I'm going to do my best to emulate the dialogue of Thor from the JMS/Kieron period, but I'm by no means a professional so be kind!



PANEL 2

Silver Surfer: I did not seek this combat, Thor Odinson, but I will finish it if you continue to force my hand.



PANEL 1

Thor: While Asgard remains in peril I cannot yield.

PANEL 2

Silver Surfer: That energy...never have I felt its kind before. How did you become so afflicted?

PANEL 3

Thor: It matters not. It burns with the fire of Muspel, the brilliance of Elfheim, and the arctic bite of the Jotun cold, yet for the sake of all all the Nine Worlds it will not lay me low! FOR ASGARD!!

PANEL 4

Silver Surfer: I--

PANEL 5

Thor: It pains me to strike one I would call ally so, Surfer, but your master must be stopped, no matter the cost!



PANEL 2

Silver Surfer: Then the cost must be your very lifeblood, Odinson.

PANEL 3

Thor: That sound-

PANEL 4

Silver Surfer: I implore you once more Thor, lay down your arms.

PANEL 5

Thor: Never!

Silver Surfer: So be it!

Sif (off-panel): Boys!

PANEL 6

Sif: Look to the stars.



PANEL 1

Odin: Begone, scourge of worlds...

PANEL 2

Galactus: Little godling...

PANEL 3

Odin: Graggh! You have forced my hand devourer...

PANEL 5

Odin: ...thus let us battle on equal footing!



I could probably polish it up some yet, but I still think it's better than the dialogue we've been getting. Which is sad, really, for a character getting a big push in the theatres over the next year.

Did Anyone Get The Number of That Book?

Comics should not require research to read. It makes getting into the medium intimidating to new readers and off-putting even to experienced readers. A reader should not need to be experienced to follow a story!

Hulk no need
balanced breakfast.

The biggest problem here is that the publishers want to have their Hostess Fruit Pies and eat them too, in the form of constant re-number and re-titling of books. They want the boosted sales of a #1, but also the extra numbers that come with a milestone issue such as a #500.

For example, let's take a look at the publishing history of Thor. The God of Thunder got his start in Journey Into Mystery #83, and eventually the title of the book changed to reflect that of it's star, with issue #126 being re-titled as The Mighty Thor. This was the tend for several of Marvel's books that started as anthology titles but were taken over by the most popular feature character, such as Captain America taking over Tales of Suspense.

Hammer time.

The Mighty Thor kept the same number and title up until it's cancelation during the Heroes Reborn event, which was a reboot or reset of some of Marvel's flagship characters, such as the Avengers and the Fantastic Four.

It was around this time that the third volume of Journey Into Mystery was launched (I don't even know how to slot JiM volume 2 into this article other than to say it existed and as far as I know had nothing do with Thor, it was an anthology title featuring various stories), for a grand total of 19 issues.

You only wish your
hammer was that shiny.

Thor became the star of his own book again with a relaunched Thor #1 (to go along with new Avengers, Captain America, Iron Man, and Fantastic Four #1's) after Heroes Reborn: The Return, which saw the exiled heroes come back to the mainstream Marvel Universe. Thor had a run of 85 issues before being canceled. The character was killed off (in the extraordinary Ragnarok storyline) and put on the shelf for a few years.

Thor made his triumphant return to comics with a new #1. This new volume ran for a total of 12 issues before Marvel decided to bump up the bottom line by keeping the name but going back to the original Journey Into Mystery numbering with #600.

21 issues later Marvel then decided to launch a new book for Thor to call his own, The Mighty Thor #1. His "old" book was returned to the title Journey Into Mystery and continued on with #622.

Thor's mom made him
add the sleeves so he
wouldn't catch cold.

So if I'm a new comic book reader, and I decide I like the cover art on Journey Into Mystery #622 and pick it up, how am I supposed to know that if I want to backtrack to find more issues I have to look for Thor volume 1 #621? If I figure out that the book was last titled Thor, I'm going to be looking for the most recent volume, volume 3...but that stopped with #12 and continued into Thor volume 1 #600-621...I bought these books as they came out and even I get confused!

I'm not gonna lie, this also makes organizing your books really difficult. If you do it by title and volume, the reading order is all messed up. If you do it by reading order, then you have to mix in multiple titles that can't be sorted alphabetically.

I understand that a #622 is off-putting to new readers because there is a lot of potential backstory you may feel you need to read. But bouncing around from #1's to #600's makes it no easier.

Better movie means
better cover billing.

I think the big publishers need to look at a volume system. You could create a new volume every year or two. The numbers stay low, making it more palatable to new readers, but there is still a sense of history when you hit volume 20 #1. You can create a jumping on point for new readers with each new volume.

I'd like to think that DC Comics has an excellent opportunity to keep their titles numbering clean with the relaunching of their entire line with #1 issues for all titles, but I find it hard to believe they will pass up re-numbering Action Comics when the time comes for #1000. It's really a shame Action and Detective were re-numbered from a historical standpoint, but I'm sure DC will get their slice of those fruit pies however they can.

Don't mess with the Ding-a-Lings

Avengers Film Footage

Punchdrunk over at the Thor Message Board pointed out these great bystander shots of the shooting of the Avengers film in Cleveland.  It is really, really great stuff for an amateur video.  We've got Thor and Captain America fighting side by side (and back to back), and we even get to see Mjolnir flip a car!










And for some awesome still shots (including Cap crashing through a window several stories up) you can go to http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/joshw24/news/?a=44727

What You're Missing - Thor, the Mighty Avenger

The comic book business can be a cruel one. While we'd love to believe that quality will win out, unfortunately, no matter how critically acclaimed a series may be, it's the amount of money the book brings in that determines its survival.

I am ashamed to say that I waited too long to try out what turned out to be one of my favourite titles ever.

Thor, the Mighty Avenger, is not only one of the best Thor comics I've ever read, it's one of the best comics I've read, period.  The book is not set in continuity, but rather is a stand-alone re-telling of Thor's first days on earth.  Some details have changed; for example, Jane Foster is not a nurse-turned-doctor, but works as a museum curator.  But other things stay the same; Thor is banished from Asgard by his father and cannot return, as has been the case before.

The action is secondary in this title, though it is certainly there, as the main crux of the story is about the relationship between Jane and Thor.  This is perhaps the most charming and happiest Thor I've ever seen, and it is very refreshing.

In solicitations, the art was a turn-off for me.  But once I actually read a single issue I was completely turned around on that front.  Is is the kind of art I would want on the main Thor title, or any other front-and-center title?  No, it's not.  But I don't know if I've ever seen such a perfect blend of art and story as this.

So why did such an awesome book die?  It was a multitude of factors, and I pretty much blame Marvel for all of them.

The book was advertised as a second Thor on-going tittle, but a quick look at the previews for it left readers wondering if it was in continuity or not.  Maybe an interview somewhere cleared that up, but readers should not have to do research to find out something this simple.

At the time this book launched, Marvel was launching a multitude of Thor mini-series and special projects to have an ample supply of trade paperbacks available when the movie came out earlier  this year.  As a Thor fan, I was forced to pick and choose what I would pick up because I did not want to spend the cash on so many books.  Even projects that I really wanted to pick up, like the Warriors Three mini-series, I had to leave on the shelf (though I will get it as a tpb at some point).  Therefore, a new on-going with clearly not "mainstream" art was bumped down a lot of Thor fans lists.

Finally, Marvel didn't really give the book a chance.  The book was getting critical acclaim, and it was around the time #6 came out that fans were starting to take notice.  Unfortunately, by the time I got to my store to support the book around #8, it was too late, the plug had been pulled.

I had picked up #1 out of the overstock bins, since it was $1 for the issue.  I had heard how good the series was so I thought I'd finally bite the bullet and check it out.  I went back after reading that one issue and bought the rest of the series, some from the $1 overstock and the rest from the shelf at full price.  I had hoped by picking up #8 I was helping the cause, but it was too late.

The creators had a full 12 issue arc planned out that would have wrapped a lot of things up, and it's a shame that such a wonderful series is left hanging for a conclusion.  Marvel threw readers a bone with the Captain America/Thor, The Mighty Fighting Avengers issue in their Free Comic Book Day 2011 line-up, though in a way it was an odd choice because if you weren't familiar with Thor the Mighty Avenger you were probably pretty confused.

You will be doing yourself a favour if you track this series down in the back issue bins or as tpbs.  Then let Marvel know that you want the final four issues of this landmark series.

Taken from www.weeklycrisis.com