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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2022 12:32:30 GMT -5
This is a letter published in an issue of Spider-Man 2099, with the editor’s reply underneath:   I do believe the editor’s reply about the best of both worlds is spot on. Why wouldn’t you do that? That way, we get new villains for the likes of Spider-Man 2099 to fight, while also seeing 2099 spins on the likes of Venom and Vulture. The keyword is balance. Don’t have consecutive issues of ONLY 2099 spins on 20th-century characters, but if you’re doing Spidey 2099 (or any 2099 version), we’re gonna want to see a spin on familiar faces. It was fun to see them do something recognisable but also unique. Some might argue that Marvel 2099 should have been 100% unique, with NO links to the 20th century. Fine, but in which case, why call it Marvel 2099? Why not create another imprint and go off in a totally different direction? What do you think? |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jul 31, 2022 15:01:07 GMT -5
I think the early days of 2099 (Which is what I liked the best) did a fantastic job of mixing the new with the 'old'... obviously Doom was there, and he worked great. Halloween Jack was amazing, and Thanatos wasn't bad either.
And when they did use the characters from the present most were different enough to be interesting (this Ghost Rider, for instance). There were some other interesting good guys that never got developed that I would have liked to see more off, too, like Galahad and Metalscream.
The beginning of the end (IMO) was Fantastic Four 2099, which was just moving the team to 2099... Then the last few attempts to revive things are all steeped in new versions of old characters, or even just the old characters (they seem to be trying to merge the 'Old Man Logan' world in with the current story)... Norman Osborn is still around, as is Black Widow. Its OK, but not as good, IMO.
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Post by chadwilliam on Jul 31, 2022 15:16:23 GMT -5
What appealed to me about the 2099 universe when I read the first issues of Spider-Man 2099 and Punisher 2099 was that so many of the beats were off. Take Punisher 2099, for instance - having a good guy adopt Frank Castle's identity but being unable to entirely replicate his MO since he was living in an era so profoundly different from that of the 20th century's made the premise interesting. I remember Jake Gallows (Punisher 2099) having to decide what to do with criminals too dangerous to be on the street but not evil enough to kill. While Frank Castle might just let the police take care of some lesser criminals, by establishing that by 2099 empathy and compassion for others had been wiped out and that criminals could literally buy their way out of prison, he had to come up with an alternative (locking them up in his basement, if anyone's interested).
But I soon lost interest in the idea when Jigsaw 2099, Vulture 2099, Hulk 2099, Microchip 2099, etc, etc. showed up in the line. It seemed to me that the focus had shifted from "What would Spider-Man look like if tossed into a world wholly incompatible with our own" to a simple "What if?" tale. "What if all the things you liked about today's comics were set in the future?" It sort of reminds me of those old Superman 2965 stories which promised to be "so unlike the Superman you know" on the cover, but inside, just panel after panel of Jimmy Olsen 2965, Perry White 2965, Lois Lane 2965...
As for moderation? I don't know - seems like even having a new Spider-Man and Punisher pop up in the year 2099 so soon after one another when there hadn't been any superheroes since the start of the 21st century (if I'm remembering correctly) is about as far as I'd like to tip the scales. Anything more than that and you might as well just call the series "What If?"
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2022 15:49:52 GMT -5
The beginning of the end (IMO) was Fantastic Four 2099, which was just moving the team to 2099... That was milking the cash cow. No, it was strangling the cow, curdling the milk, putting it in a saucepan and doing hardly anything decent with it. FF 2099 was lame. In the pre-internet age, when I first heard about it, I was looking forward to something new. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2022 16:10:26 GMT -5
As for moderation? I don't know - seems like even having a new Spider-Man and Punisher pop up in the year 2099 so soon after one another when there hadn't been any superheroes since the start of the 21st century (if I'm remembering correctly) is about as far as I'd like to tip the scales. Anything more than that and you might as well just call the series "What If?" That’s a good point, but I suppose I just accept that as the nature of a fictional universe. I did quite appreciate Ravage 2099 as, if I have this right, he did not have a 20th-century equivalent. The premise behind Ghost Rider 2099 was interesting, too. I was curious about who might still be around in 2099, e.g. Kang (if ‘around’ has any meaning for a time traveller), Hercules, etc. Did the real Thor ever show up? |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 31, 2022 22:39:30 GMT -5
I only read Doom and even that was only for the first few months. It was interesting enough of a premise to get me to try (when I almost never bought Marvel, at that stage); but, not enough to keep me coming back. Nothing wrong with it; but, it didn't excite me and my funds were limited; so, it didn't make the cut.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2022 3:18:30 GMT -5
I only read Doom and even that was only for the first few months. It was interesting enough of a premise to get me to try (when I almost never bought Marvel, at that stage); but, not enough to keep me coming back. Nothing wrong with it; but, it didn't excite me and my funds were limited; so, it didn't make the cut. I was intrigued, but like you, one had a limited budget. Also, I didn’t live near a comic store, it was rare to see 2099 comics in corner shops. |
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Post by Dizzy D on Aug 1, 2022 5:56:16 GMT -5
I only read Doom and X-Men 2099 and I think both did pretty well with establishing new characters and villains that were inspired by the previous century, but not taking the name of 20th century heroes and just adding 2099 behind the name.
I think in case of the X-Men, only Exodus showed up as a 20th century character (except Doom himself of course). In fact I think more 2099 X-Men characters have appeared in the regular continuity than vice versa (Halloween Jack and Brimstone Love appeared in X-Force and Marauders respectively).
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2022 6:48:02 GMT -5
One thought: I know comic book time runs differently from real-time, but 2099 got me thinking that surely after a LOT of adventures, they’d have had to enter the year 2100?
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Post by zaku on Aug 1, 2022 7:09:22 GMT -5
I read a lot of the original of the original 2199 comics (in Italy they were published in an anthology format, so you can read almost all of them at a reasonably price) and yes, FF2199 was the worst. I didn't even get the point of it. Even Ravage 2099 (usually considered the worst of the bunch) had its charme unlike that series.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2022 7:17:44 GMT -5
I feel there is so much they could have done, perhaps a university lecturer could have found Reed Richards’ journal - and tried to recreate the FF in some form. Anything but the original team!
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Post by zaku on Aug 1, 2022 7:44:26 GMT -5
I feel there is so much they could have done, perhaps a university lecturer could have found Reed Richards’ journal - and tried to recreate the FF in some form. Anything but the original team! Well, it wasn't... (Spoiler?) |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2022 8:01:26 GMT -5
You’d better tell me, I don’t think I got beyond two issues.  |
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Post by zaku on Aug 1, 2022 11:11:39 GMT -5
You’d better tell me, I don’t think I got beyond two issues. From Wikipedia [In 2099: Manifest Destiny] is shown this team was copies made by the powerful Watcher to help 2099 humanity which is in danger of extinction. The Watcher is persuaded to keep the current Fantastic Four around and they prove invaluable to rebuilding Earth. Some of the highlights of their careers including becoming official Avengers, removing a barrier to space exploration and establishing a peace treaty with Atlanteans. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2022 11:40:09 GMT -5
Thanks. Doesn’t improve it in my eyes, sadly.
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