the OFFICIAL comic books discussion thread!!!

[Al]

I know we have a sizable contingent of Bendis-haters and Bendis-neutrals-ers on this board, but I was wondering if anyone else picked up the new issue of Powers and read his interview in the back about the big New Avengers #31 reveal? Big things are brewing and I can't wait for 2008.

[aargmematey]

Okay, I'm a lame-o and I don't read comics on a regular basis. But, I go to school right across the street from a barnes and noble, and so i n my school downtime I have access to a wide variety of TPBs.

Now, I have recently read the first three books of the "30 Days of Night" series, and I have to say I was really underwhelmed. I thought that the art was neat, and the story was great, but that the way it was told was... lacking. It seems like they have way too much going on within a very short period of time. And in the first book especially it seemed like...how can I explain it. You know how in plays and movies the thing is "don't say it, show it?" Well it seems as though the first book did a whole lot of saying and not a lot of showing. The whole middle of the book was narration talking about how the vampires were taking over the town. It just seemed...lazy to me.

Hopefully I adequately described my thoughts.

[TheLuckyOne]

I haven't read 30 Days of Night (I know, I know), but a friend of mine whose opinion I really trust told me it was okay but not great, and that he wouldn't necessarily recommend it to me. It sounds like it may be a case of a story with an awesome concept but somewhat lacking in the execution. I'll probably see the movie at some point, but I'm still iffy on whether I'll be reading the comic.

I take it you wouldn't recommend it, aarg?

-D

[aargmematey]

If you can read it for free I'd recommend at least giving it a once through. It IS a neat concept, and I really dug the design. But if you have to pay for it I'd say skip it.

Look it up on wikipedia and you pretty much get the entire book.

[mrhat2nd]

Is anyone remotely interested that Marvel is bringing Captain America back. But it will not be Steve Rogers. And he is armed.

[TheLuckyOne]

It's pretty well accepted that the "new" Cap is the Winter Soldier, AKA the resurrected Bucky, Cap's ex-sidekick who died at the end of World War II. I don't know all the details, but apparently it's part of a looong story begun a few years ago where Cap learned this brainwashed assassin just might be his ex-partner, saved from apparent death and kept young... somehow. (Sorry, I didn't read the story, this is just from what I've heard.) Ultimately Cap used the Cosmic Cube, a Marvel plot device that basically grants the subconscious wishes of whoever possesses it, to restore the Winter Soldier's memories of being Bucky. However, the twist to the story is that the Cosmic Cube doesn't always grant what you say out loud, it grants your subconscious desire. So in theory Cap just removed Bucky's brainwashing, but it's also possible he just really, really wanted to believe this random guy was his old sidekick alive again, so the Cube gave the Soldier false memories of being Bucky.

Anyway, either way, he's Bucky for now, violating Marvel's perennial "Only Bucky and Uncle Ben stay dead" rule. But the Winter Soldier (thanks to all his brainwashed black ops work) has more of an edge and is darker than Cap was, which explains the gun he's carrying in that preview image.

(Of course, Cap himself wasn't above using lethal force when absolutely necessary- he's not Batman, he's a soldier. He used a machine gun at least once, and he decapitated Baron Blood with his shield when left with no choice.)

-D

[Al]

theluckyone said:

Anyway, either way, he's Bucky for now, violating Marvel's perennial "Only Bucky and Uncle Ben stay dead" rule.

Of course said rule also used to to be known as Marvel's 'Only Bucky, Uncle Ben, and Colossus Stay Dead' rule.

Also, I was always under the impression that the reigning theory on Cap was that he was one of Arnim Zola's clones from back in the eighties, since Zola showed up just briefly for the first time in like a decade right around all the Civil War/Fallen Son stuff. As I understand the theory, in light of Bendis' interview about where he's taking New Avengers, Nick Fury found out about the Skrull infiltration, which is the ultimate reason he dropped out of sight a few years back, reprogrammed one of those old clones (because he's Nick Fury and reprograms clones before breakfast), and took Cap with him underground, since he knew Steve Rogers was always the one person he could trust. He assumed that the clone would hold down the fort without arousing suspicion so that the two could work in secret, except that the clone took two shots to the chest and the whole world went to hell. Now his plans are humming along perfectly in the short term but royally screwed long term because no one is looking twice at Steve Rogers right now as he's supposed to be dead, but resurfacing will be twice as difficult when the time is right to make his next move.

At least that's what I hear.

[helenbot]

Yay to comics! This thread is intimidatingly long, but is anyone else on the forum reading GLC: Sinestro Corp, or Green Arrow Year One?

[TheLuckyOne]

I'm reading parts of the Sinestro Corps story (which is pretty freakin' sweet so far), but not the GLC parts... sorry. I've read all the GL chapters, the prologue, and the Cyborg Superman and Superman Prime one-shots, though. How are you liking it so far?

Meanwhile, did anyone read the JLA/Hitman 2-part miniseries from last month? Far and away the best comic DC released in September, and further proof that they need to collect the rest of the original Hitman run in TPB. Bleeping brilliant, hilarious stuff.

"Do th' thing with the trunk again, baby. The thing with the trunk. Yeah, that's it."

-D

[Al]

The Sinestro Corps have been pretty excellent so far, and I also enjoyed the Cyborg Superman one-shot quite a bit. I'm curious to see where it's all going in relation to Ultimate Crisis or Final Crisis or whatever they're calling it, and what it means for the Corps now that lethal force has been authorized.

[sirgallahad2]

I bought the Graphic novel "30 days of night" a few years ago. I thought the story was pretty cool. The art work that everyone just RAVED about.... It looked to me like the work of a marginally talened 10th grader goofing off in detention. The art sucked something awful.

By the way, has anyone seen the preview to the movie "wanted" yet? It looks like 100% pure, un-adulterated bollocks.

[CheshireKat]

Somebody wanna explain to me why they took one of the most brilliant satires of comic book cliches ever and removed any and all references to superheroes or villians and made the protagonist a good guy? This hardly even classifies as an adaptation.

[sirgallahad2]

I classify it as BOLLOCKS!! Bollocks I say!!! They could have had SO much fun ball-busting all the super hero flicks by having a super villain flick. But no, let's make him a good guy and suck every single solitary friggin drop of life out of it, give it cheesy CGI and let Angelina Jolie have all the action sequences. Let's just do "Watchmen" as a bloody musical and and a "Justice League" movie with stinking HAND PUPPETS all ready put this Comic book movie thing in the friggin grave all ready.

You guys know me and my rants. I am doing a LOT better at controlling my semi-frequent out-bursts of Tourette's syndrome.

[Al]

For the record, I would go see a Justice League hand puppet movie. Just saying.

[sirgallahad2]

Well, A "Justice League" movie done in hand puppets MIGHT be pretty cool......