Marvel Comics

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Renew Your Vows was really good; if it's anything like that, I might be up for it

Not familiar with Hickman's writing - anyone got any opinions?
 
Marvel’s really been dreadful. I’ve only really bought DC books the last couple years. I might try this out if advance press is good.
 
TristramEvans said:
Not familiar with Hickman's writing - anyone got any opinions?
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I’m a big fan of his work, both at Marvel and his indie stuff. His run on Fantastic Four is a modern classic. I’d put it up against runs like Simonson’s Thor and Miller’s Daredevil and the like. His SHIELD series with Dustin Weaver is amazing… just a reimagining of the history of the organization. Secret Weapons was like the best possible sendoff for Nick Fury before they decided to mothball him. Examines some of the stuff from the SHIELD series, but also delves into Hydra and the shared origins of the two organizations.

His Avengers run which culminated in Secret Wars has a few low points (mostly seemingly due to being disrupted by events and developments in other books), but at its best is really good. It is a bit bleak, though, so it’s not for everyone.

He was also the architect of the current take on the X-Men, though he left the books after setting it all up. It’s moving into its endgame, and although I think the books have lost some steam, the core of it was really good when he was at the helm.

His indie books through Image tend to be very good, too. Nightly News, Pax Romana, Black Monday Murders, Manhattan Projects, and East of West are all strong books, with a wide variety of topics/genres.

As you can tell, I’m a big fan of his. The Ultimate relaunch isn’t necessarily something I was psyched for, but I’ll likely give it a shot just to see what he does. He’s the kind of writer whose name on a book is enough to get me to pick it up.
 
Endless Flight said:
Marvel’s really been dreadful. I’ve only really bought DC books the last couple years. I might try this out if advance press is good.
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Hickman’s Marvel work over the past 10 to 15 years have been among the bright spots. There have been some other solid books… but it really depends on the creative team.

Chip Zdarsky and Mark Chechetto’s Daredevil and Al Ewing’s Immortal Hulk are bright spots as well. There have been a few others, but they tend to be exceptions.
 
In my case, as a fan of Marvel, after “One More Day”, from 2007-2009 I interacted with people on CBR that worked for the House of Ideas. Guys like Stephen Wacker would just be so snarky with pro-marriage fans, almost like throwing it in their face that Peter was single and “if you don’t like it, tough”. Dan Slott could be the same way at Spider-Man Crawlspace, a fairly large forum. I knew that Quesada had to be OK with this kind of behavior and it did sour my opinion of Marvel. I did buy books after that but I didn’t totally recover.
 
hawkeyefan said:
I’m a big fan of his work, both at Marvel and his indie stuff. His run on Fantastic Four is a modern classic. I’d put it up against runs like Simonson’s Thor and Miller’s Daredevil and the like. His SHIELD series with Dustin Weaver is amazing… just a reimagining of the history of the organization. Secret Weapons was like the best possible sendoff for Nick Fury before they decided to mothball him. Examines some of the stuff from the SHIELD series, but also delves into Hydra and the shared origins of the two organizations.

His Avengers run which culminated in Secret Wars has a few low points (mostly seemingly due to being disrupted by events and developments in other books), but at its best is really good. It is a bit bleak, though, so it’s not for everyone.

He was also the architect of the current take on the X-Men, though he left the books after setting it all up. It’s moving into its endgame, and although I think the books have lost some steam, the core of it was really good when he was at the helm.

His indie books through Image tend to be very good, too. Nightly News, Pax Romana, Black Monday Murders, Manhattan Projects, and East of West are all strong books, with a wide variety of topics/genres.

As you can tell, I’m a big fan of his. The Ultimate relaunch isn’t necessarily something I was psyched for, but I’ll likely give it a shot just to see what he does. He’s the kind of writer whose name on a book is enough to get me to pick it up.
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I really liked East of West.
 
Endless Flight said:
In my case, as a fan of Marvel, after “One More Day”, from 2007-2009 I interacted with people on CBR that worked for the House of Ideas. Guys like Stephen Wacker would just be so snarky with pro-marriage fans, almost like throwing it in their face that Peter was single and “if you don’t like it, tough”. Dan Slott could be the same way at Spider-Man Crawlspace, a fairly large forum. I knew that Quesada had to be OK with this kind of behavior and it did sour my opinion of Marvel. I did buy books after that but I didn’t totally recover.
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I get that.

I think it was one of those situations where the worst fan behavior deserved that kind of response… but certainly not all fans. They likely made things worse for themselves by alienating a lot of folks who were not being so extreme.
 
Yeah, Jonathan Hickman is one of the best writers Marvel Comics has had over the past twenty years. His Fantastic Four run was excellent. If you like the Fantastic Four at all, it's definitely a must read IMO.

His writing Spider-Man should be good.
 
So, Loki season 2 episode 6 has rewritten my opinion of the series. It was pretty good. It was, dare I say it, fun and I liked it. If that isn't the high mark for a silly superhero show that's barely about the title character I don't know what is.
 
Since it was on sale, I picked up the 3 compilations for the Heroes Reborn storyline (the second, not the first), as I love Squadron Supreme (though I don't know this version at all)
 
urbwar said:
Since it was on sale, I picked up the 3 compilations for the Heroes Reborn storyline (the second, not the first), as I love Squadron Supreme (though I don't know this version at all)
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This version of this timeline's Squadron was separate from previous versions (although there are similarities, of course).
 
Tulpa Girl said:
This version of this timeline's Squadron was separate from previous versions (although there are similarities, of course).
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But aren't they based on the Squadron Supreme of America, the last incarnation that existed under Coulson's purview? I remember seeing them, but didn't ready any of their appearances
 
urbwar said:
But aren't they based on the Squadron Supreme of America, the last incarnation that existed under Coulson's purview? I remember seeing them, but didn't ready any of their appearances
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Could be, not familiar with that particular incarnation of the Squadron. That said, Coulson plays a big part of the story, so it's certainly possible.
 
hawkeyefan said:
There are about 14 versions of the Squadron Supreme. Every writer who uses them does a new take.
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The only ones I really know are the original (who had the 12 issue limited series), The Supreme Max one, the multiversal one that killed Namor at one point, the one from the Avengers cartoon, and the 616 version (Squadron Supreme of America), who were supposed to have a special during the Empyre storyline (which iirc, never came out). I've seen additional Hyperions during the King Hyperion storyline in Exiles, but I don't think I saw other versions of the SS

Anyway, I did a little digging, and they are the 616 version. who were constructs of Mephisto (kind like how Hyperion of the original Squadron Sinister was a construct of the Grandmaster, as revealed in the limited series).
 
So bought an overpriced Marvel Lego Advent Calendar because I thought it would be fun.

Now I feel stupid because I can't figure out how to assemble some of the lego part correctly.
dc6760ebd476d5e12ff5c78a1c73c6ab3ba8.png
 
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PolarBlues said:
So bought an overpriced Marvel Lego Advent Calendar because I thought it would be fun.

Now I feel stupid because I can't figure out how to assemble some of the lego part correctly.
dc6760ebd476d5e12ff5c78a1c73c6ab3ba8.png
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Remember when we had to figure shit out ourselves, or just give up? Now, 2 seconds after we can't figure something out, we're off to the internet for answers!

So, off to the internet for answer with you! :grin:
 
bleys21 said:
Remember when we had to figure shit out ourselves, or just give up? Now, 2 seconds after we can't figure something out, we're off to the internet for answers!

So, off to the internet for answer with you! :grin:
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Good idea. I followed you advice, found a fan-made Youtube video.
  • I had indeed built the Quinjet all wrong!
  • It's not all my fault though, a piece was missing.
  • The Day 3 Spider-man figure on the other hand has an extra piece.
I don't know if missing/extra parts are a common feature. I am not a not a collector, this is just a holiday fun as far as I am concerned.
 
PolarBlues said:
Good idea. I followed you advice, found a fan-made Youtube video.
  • I had indeed built the Quinjet all wrong!
  • It's not all my fault though, a piece was missing.
  • The Day 3 Spider-man figure on the other hand has an extra piece.
I don't know if missing/extra parts are a common feature. I am not a not a collector, this is just a holiday fun as far as I am concerned.
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Missing pieces are not cool! That turns your Lego kit into a puzzle you can't solve... :thumbsdown:
 
Now that we are well into December with most of the figures now available, the Lego Marvel Advent Calendar is looking great!
 
I was gifted a Marvel Unlimited subscription. I started reading Simonson's highly regarded original run on Thor, a major gap in my "education".

I get what the fuss is. It's really good. The key story arcs are very carefully plotted and his fast-paced, broad strokes story telling suits the more legendary aspects of Thor very well. The Earth-based issues did not work at all, but the Asgard stuff is first rate.

And of course there is the art work. I'll be honest, my preference goes to the Marvel 70s classically attractive art style of Kirby, Buscema and Romita to the more dynamic, expressive art of the 80s. I can see how the old may seem a little bland and the how the characters often all look alike, but the point is, to really pull such a clean lines style of drawing you have to be really good, really know your stuff . The more sketchy approach ( I think John Buscema called it chicken scratching) can hide all sort of mistakes.

That said, Simonson is an exception to the rule. His art is a joy to look at. Gene Colan too, but he was doing that way back in the 60s before it was fashionable.

I've now reached the issues in which Sal Buscema took over the pencils. It is interesting because I Sal is attempting to emulate Simonson's style but Sal's style and sensibilities still shines through. It's still really good, just different.
 
PolarBlues said:
I was gifted a Marvel Unlimited subscription. I started reading Simonson's highly regarded original run on Thor, a major gap in my "education".

I get what the fuss is. It's really good. The key story arcs are very carefully plotted and his fast-paced, broad strokes story telling suits the more legendary aspects of Thor very well. The Earth-based issues did not work at all, but the Asgard stuff is first rate.

And of course there is the art work. I'll be honest, my preference goes to the Marvel 70s classically attractive art style of Kirby, Buscema and Romita to the more dynamic, expressive art of the 80s. I can see how the old may seem a little bland and the how the characters often all look alike, but the point is, to really pull such a clean lines style of drawing you have to be really good, really know your stuff . The more sketchy approach ( I think John Buscema called it chicken scratching) can hide all sort of mistakes.

That said, Simonson is an exception to the rule. His art is a joy to look at. Gene Colan too, but he was doing that way back in the 60s before it was fashionable.

I've now reached the issues in which Sal Buscema took over the pencils. It is interesting because I Sal is attempting to emulate Simonson's style but Sal's style and sensibilities still shines through. It's still really good, just different.
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It was the Simsonson art that drew me to Thor and X-Factor as a kid.

He may have been the first comic book artist I knew by name and would try to follow and collect his comics, which was a challenge in the days before I discovered Direct Sales shops. That's why I never read his entire Thor run at the time, it was only when I got them in TBP decades later that I read the whole thing.
 
I got into the Lego Avengers Advent Calendar I bought this year much more than I expected. The temptation to pick up a few more mini-figs was too hard to resist. I got lucky with a Lego magazine that spotted at a supermarket rack and found a couple of reasonble deals on Ebay. Then using the Lego bricks from the other bits of the advent the calendar, I built a stand for my Avengers figures.

I think it looks adorable. So much so that, while the Christmas themed stuff will go in January, I think I suspect I will have to find a place to keep this display permanent basis, probably my desk.

LegoAvengers.jpg
 
PolarBlues said:
I got into the Lego Avengers Advent Calendar I bought this year much more than I expected. The temptation to pick up a few more mini-figs was too hard to resist. I got lucky with a Lego magazine that spotted at a supermarket rack and found a couple of reasonble deals on Ebay. Then using the Lego bricks from the other bits of the advent the calendar, I built a stand for my Avengers figures.

I think it looks adorable. So much so that, while the Christmas themed stuff will go in January, I think I suspect I will have to find a place to keep this display permanent basis, probably my desk.

View attachment 73945
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Your choice of central figure was inspired!
 
Many of you know how much I love Secret Wars so I picked up this facsimile copy of #1 at the shop. Printed on nice paper and has all the old ads inside. Nice. I think these are a great idea for fans who want to read these comics and not have to pay crazy prices for the originals.

861A879B-D5B1-438D-9F49-B993C0AF345D.jpeg
 
Tulpa Girl said:
Okay, did not anticipate this ever happening.

www.gamesradar.com

Rom: Space Knight officially returns to Marvel Comics after nearly 40 years

Marvel is officially reprinting classic Rom comics for the first time since they lost the license
www.gamesradar.com www.gamesradar.com
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I pre-ordered this as soon as Amazon listed it. I've waited for months. Today the package finally arrived.

Amazon sent me a box of crayons.

I've just got back from dropping the return off. New package with correct item supposed to arrive eventually.
 
Discovered the amazing number of comics, 'mainstream' and alt, available via Hoopla and started reading Hickman's FF run.

The first arc, Solve Everything, was first rate. It combines Hickman's talent for superscience, multi-dimensional, far-future sf breadth with touching character moments and a sense of FF as a family.

His X-Men work is really good but so cold emotionally, like Kubrick writing a superhero comic, but so far this is much better balanced.

We'll see where it goes from here.
 
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Voros said:
Discovered the amazing number of comics, 'mainstream' and alt, available via Hoopla and started reading Hickman's FF run.

The first arc, Solve Everything, was first rate. It combines Hickman's talent for superscience, multi-dimensional, far-future sf breadth with touching character moments and a sense of FF as a family.

His X-Men work is really good but so cold emotionally, like Kubrick writing a superhero comic, but so far this is much better balanced.

We'll see where it goes from here.
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At the risk of building it up too much, it's one of my favorite comic runs ever. Certainly on a mainstream superhero title. I'll be interested in hearing what you think of it as you make your way through it.

Also, out of curiosity... what's Hoopla?
 
hawkeyefan said:
Also, out of curiosity... what's Hoopla?
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Hoopla is a digital content provider that a lot of public libraries subscribe to. It has ebooks, eaudiobooks, digital comics, and streaming movies. I think magazines, too. If your local library has Hoopla, you should be able to access it with your library card.

 
This popped up for a reasonable sale price on Amazon.ca so I scooped it up.

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Used to have all of the late 80s handbook issues in floppy and thought they would have survived the massive cull of comics when I moved out of my parents but when I checked they were M.I.A.

These are the update issues, the original handbook compilation is still going for crazy prices. Will get it someday for a reasonable price.

Love the artwork, a lot of which I remember well even though I haven't seen them in decades and reading through the series gave me some deepcut knowledge and appreciation for older Marvel.

For example, the entries here on the Spectrum Supreme inspired me to seek out that underrated series.
 
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