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Post by Nowhere Man on Oct 22, 2022 18:48:01 GMT -5
There are so many great Marvel stories and runs, but in terms of “obscure and underrated” I’d go with the Marvel graphic novel Triumph and Torment by Roger Stern and Mike Mignola. If you’re a Dr. Doom fan read it. Arguably the greatest Dr. Doom story in terms of characterization.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Aug 27, 2022 16:05:52 GMT -5
Yeah, Batman letting the Joker continue his rampage is ludicrous on one level. But outside of protecting someone when the Joker is in the act of harming them, what right does Batman have to take a life? He is not a law officer, he has no more right to kill someone because they are "bad" than I do. Same goes for almost every hero. The Punisher is rightfully a criminal al for what he does. What right does a nation or organization have to take a life? No such fundamental right exits. No police organization or military has a fundamental right to do anything. It’s all about might makes right and after the fact justification. Get enough people together in an organization (a country for instance) and they get a pass where a lone vigilante doesn’t.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Nov 29, 2021 19:41:16 GMT -5
Thanos was excellent in Starlin's Thanos Quest and the Infinity Gauntlet (NOT the crossovers in other series), but it all became a cash grab after that, I agree. In retrospect as much as I love Starlin's Surfer run, it was merely a vehicle for Thanos and to a lesser extent Adam Warlock. To his credit Starlin did some excellent character work on the Surfer in the issue that delved into detail about his past, particularly the tragic end of his father.
I think the Eternals being modeled after the Greek gods, while interesting, has led some writers to view them as disposable and cheap knock offs.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Nov 28, 2021 20:52:46 GMT -5
Having read Kirby’s Eternals and New Gods it’s clear that both concepts were devised by Kirby as if they existed in a creative vacuum even if he knew he’d be forced to place them in the Marvel and DC universe and that’s the problem with both. It’s not that both can’t work in those contexts, superhero universes are big genre stews, it’s that Kirby’s vision was so unique that only consistent maintenance and care would have given them the attention they needed long term. Going years mining them for ideas and supporting roles and trying to fully revive them every decade or so hasn’t worked. As it stands, arguably only the Celestials, Darkseid and Thanos (who wasn’t even part of Kirby’s original vision) has had a lasting impact in a general sense.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Sept 10, 2021 16:22:27 GMT -5
I'm sorely tempted to use this line as an excuse to get back into collectables. The box art alone sells it for me and all of the models that I've seen are spot on. This is basically what the original 80's Secret Wars line should have been.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Sept 10, 2021 16:19:52 GMT -5
I'm fine with modern fans only being interested in the films and series. I get it. As a young kid I thought Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends was canon Marvel until I started collected regularly in 1986. Ha. What irks me a bit is that the MCU fans will never get to see the adapted Marvel Universe in the "proper order." Realistically, the Infinity Gauntlet story was not only underwhelming compared to the comic version (smaller scope, no Thanos/Death story, no cosmic entities, etc.) it was way too soon in the overall narrative for my taste. Now I enjoyed most of the films, primarily because of the tone, and I do realize they were hampered at the beginning by not having access to the Fantastic Four and X-Men universes. At the very least I would have liked to seen something like the Kree/Skrull war to kick things off, though I realize the Skrulls weren't available. I hate how they always want to jump to the latest (or recent) "hot" story so quickly after the initial film. Infinity Gauntlet, Extremis, Winter Soldier... There are hundreds of great stories they could have drawn from in between... It was especially dumb for The Winter Soldier since only a few years had passed for us... it had no impact.
I agree. I get that they didn't have 20 years to get to Demon in a Bottle with Iron Man, but that's movies for you. I really hope they set the FF in the past and bring them into the modern MCU. So many ways to do this. The FF don't work as well being second fiddle in influence and importance to the Avengers. All I want is to see a proper Doctor Doom and Galactus before I'm too old (in a bout 40 years) to remember who those characters are...
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Post by Nowhere Man on Sept 10, 2021 16:11:45 GMT -5
It really boggles my mind that enough fans still support events to keep them viable. I started backing away from event books very early in my comic reading experience. I remember seeing it for what it was as far back as X-Tinction Agenda in X-Men (which I just gave up on and ignored in regards to the titles I wasn't reading) and the first Infinity Gauntlet crossover (ditto). This gimmick never worked on me. The very concept is anathema to how I want to engage with these characters.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Sept 10, 2021 16:05:01 GMT -5
Interesting to find fans who didn't care for Christopher Reeve as Superman/Clark. I've of course encountered critics of he overall movie, and the portrayal of Kent, but never Reeve as Superman. Personally I've never been able to stand anyone else in the role, certainly not George Reeves or Dean Kane who don't look or feel anything like the character to me. I didn't like Henry Cavill either, though I love him as Geralt the Witcher. Reeves was so good that he's more definitive to me than any comic version.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Sept 10, 2021 15:57:04 GMT -5
I'm fine with modern fans only being interested in the films and series. I get it. As a young kid I thought Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends was canon Marvel until I started collected regularly in 1986. Ha. What irks me a bit is that the MCU fans will never get to see the adapted Marvel Universe in the "proper order." Realistically, the Infinity Gauntlet story was not only underwhelming compared to the comic version (smaller scope, no Thanos/Death story, no cosmic entities, etc.) it was way too soon in the overall narrative for my taste. Now I enjoyed most of the films, primarily because of the tone, and I do realize they were hampered at the beginning by not having access to the Fantastic Four and X-Men universes. At the very least I would have liked to seen something like the Kree/Skrull war to kick things off, though I realize the Skrulls weren't available.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Sept 1, 2021 16:13:40 GMT -5
I'm not sure if there was a bigger missed opportunity during the Marvel Age than X-Men #12--the infamous Kirby layout finished by Alex Toth. It's really not a bad art job, but why hire Toth for one issue (I'm sure there's an interesting backstory that I'm unaware of) only to have him finish over Kirby? Who looks at Toth's work and thinks he couldn't tell a story or be dynamic?
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Post by Nowhere Man on Aug 31, 2021 20:02:24 GMT -5
I love Star War and Star Trek, but I've always had this block to them in comics. I've also never read any Star Trek novels (or Star Wars). It's a bias that I have that just seems wrong, but I can't shake it. It irritates me. I suppose I have this odd stance that a creative property belongs in the medium that it was originally designed for. I think it's why on the very rare occasions when an adaptation supersedes my expectations (Superman: The Movie, BTAS) in other mediums I latch on to them.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Aug 31, 2021 19:51:16 GMT -5
As far as Don Heck goes, he wasn't a bad artist, he simply wasn't working on the material that made his strengths prominent. Looking back now, he seemed perfect for romance comics, a genre that was waning as the Marvel Age was taking off. Heck is in a difficult position, historically, given that he's positioned right along side Kirby, Ditko and later Buscema and Romita Sr. He wasn't as good a draftsman as Buscema or Romita or as imaginative/dynamic as Kirby and Ditko.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Jun 6, 2021 10:39:06 GMT -5
I never understood Byrnes dislike of the Wanda/Vision relationship. He made the comment that it bugged him that a human could fall in love with a “toaster” which always struck me as an overly simplistic stance, particularly for someone like Byrne who was fairly progressive socially with Northstar and atheist/naturalist in his general belief system. Certainly whether Vision has a soul or not from that perspective should be irrelevant.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Feb 8, 2021 18:48:58 GMT -5
My favorite though is Peter Parker (at least the original Ditko design) landing two supermodels in Gwen and MJ. Or every super-scientist in the Marvel and DC universes looking like Brad Pitt on a good day. The /Ditko-era Parker never dated / had a romantic relationship with either Gwen or Mary Jane. His dating options jumped to that level as soon as the Romita era started. I wasn’t clear but I always assumed Parker was still supposed to be on the geeky side but Romita’s inability to draw average or unattractive people confuses the issue.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Feb 7, 2021 17:27:37 GMT -5
My favorite though is Peter Parker (at least the original Ditko design) landing two supermodels in Gwen and MJ. Or every super-scientist in the Marvel and DC universes looking like Brad Pitt on a good day.
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