The Comic Book Thread

[OCH]

So Forbidden Planet are starting to bug me now. As they are sending the new issues for House of X and Powers of X10 together...?

 

 

Ok.. So Hickman is officially re-writing the rule book. Reading the 60's series in retrospect one of the things I really liked was the sci-fi element of The Mutants. Professor X initially remarked that the X-Men were so receptive to his telepathic commands, they would soon no longer need to speak verbally. That alongside various examples, of the mutants developing their own language, culture and ideas. Really building on the concept that they are "the Tomorrow People", the next stage in human evolution. This trail of thought gets shelved quite a lot. It is easier to sell X-Men as superheroes in spandex and Mutants as racial allegory, than expand on the idea they are beyond human.

 

Well, Hickman has come back to that with a vengeance. The old ideas are effectively out the window with his reboot here. At least during his run, we are not going back to a School of Mutants fighting off the Marauders or Brotherhood. Nope, by the end of HoX 5, we are officially past that and into uncharted territory. He even managed to do something far more interesting with Bendis' new X-Men, than the latter ever did.

 

 

Both of the books are amazing and continue to be game-changing. On the one hand, it is a shame we only have two issues of this maxi-series left. On the other, I can't wait to see where they go from here. 9.5/10 [each]

[Maf]

LOL

 

 

Also, clearly Hickman doesn’t give a F about recent X-Men continuity, and he has built himself away to kind of do anything with this new, effectively cloning thing (In the book they say it’s not cloning but actually it’s probably the closest thing the Marvel Universe has ever had to cloning) but this is just shitting all over the last X-Men run. Literally at least 4 characters on this cover died in the last 3 months and boom. Not giving a shit. 

 

[Maf]

House of X #6 

 

This can’t be real ?

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

Something is wrong. You never see Xavier’s face, even though Jean talks like Jean I can’t see how she would ever condone these actions, or be this age. She looks too young. But then maybe that’s the cloning? When did all the mutants agree to this? When did the shift happen from how they were to this? Is this really the prime Marvel reality? So many questions, only one book to go, and all I’m sure of is this.

 

This is not the X-Men 

[Maf]

[OCH]

On 30/09/2019 at 21:21, Maf said:

Also, clearly Hickman doesn’t give a F about recent X-Men continuity, and he has built himself away to kind of do anything with this new, effectively cloning thing (In the book they say it’s not cloning but actually it’s probably the closest thing the Marvel Universe has ever had to cloning) but this is just shitting all over the last X-Men run. Literally at least 4 characters on this cover died in the last 3 months and boom. Not giving a shit. 

 

Marvel Editorial told Hickman to "Fix" X-Men continuity. So he is doing so by wiping the slate clean. Referring to the last ten years in the books themselves as "The lost decade" wasn't just a wry slight, but popular consensus.

 

Also one of the reasons X-Men canon is so disjointed is because it was always fluid. Maintaining the continuity of the previous run was never mandatory.

For example, Joss Whedon's run was a direct follow on to Grant Morrisons. In between those two runs was Chuck Austin's run and Claremont's X-Treme X-Men. Which completely ignored Morrison's reboot, barring a brief Bishop and Sage cameo in one New X-Men story.

[Maf]

I’m actually not someone who really cares that much about continuity. I never remember it most of the time anyway. I think as long as the characters are true to what we know them to be, then just tell the best story possible. Obviously there are exceptions (Krypton has to be destroyed, Batman’s parents are dead, etc), and some of my favourite comic book stories have come out of continuity so if a writer knows how to leverage it for something better, then great. But I was more admiring Hickman for just saying fuck it, not complaining that he is saying fuck it. 

 

I will say, and I don’t know if this is intentional, but as super interesting and fun as HoX and PoX are, the X-Men them selves are now extremely unlikeable. It’s why I refuse to believe this is the real deal X-Men. It just can’t be.

[OCH]

Well, as Forbidden Planet continue to actively delay my subscription, I won't be reading HoX 6 or PoX 6 until next week, I imagine. ? 

I think Hickman has also stripped away a few years of characterisation too. Which is why I am looking forward to his ongoing X-Men run, to see his X-Men personalities develop, as most of them in this maxi series are really bare bones right now. Xavier, Magneto, Emma Frost and Cyclops have been the only ones really inkeeping with their established traits so far. Virtually everyone else hasn't really done or said anything for them to stand out, yet. Other than Sinister, whose portrayal I don't like.

[Maf]

Not even that, just their whole plan and the actions they’re taking. I’m really torn. On the one hand, they’re not actively out to destroy humans but are clearly very threatening. But they’re also doing what they’re doing just to secure the future of their species, but then the way they talk and the way they go about it, they’re like super villains. Even if they haven’t done anything “wrong” (They have, but again, for their own greater good).

 

I don’t know. Very conflicted, and want to read all of it, but they just don’t feel like the good guys right now 

[OCH]

I think Xavier's conversation with Namor hinted something else is going on, beyond what is clearly a little nefarious. Hickman has been very clever so far with who he has allowed to speak. EG Where is Beast in all this? He is normally knee deep in whatever science Xavier needs. Or Colossus? Typically the ethical voice of the team. All those super villains being allowed in without question? Xavier learned many times from Sabretooth and Mystique, not to simply take such characters at their word, that they won't cause trouble. One cameo being Emplate, A mutant energy vampire, who ruthlessly hunted Generation X for years. They let him into Krakoa, I doubt it is with a free reign.

 

I'm also drawn to how all of the solicits for the upcoming books don't seem to feature Xavier or Magneto. 

[Maf]

So Beast hasn’t been a major player but was involved with the space mission. It was him, Xavier, Storm and the girl’s name from X-Men Red I can never remember who were basically like the operations people. 

 

And the bad guys now on Krakoa have been accepted, but like the conversation with Apocalypse was very much like “We let you in, but on our terms and you get one chance”. And well, see what happens to mutants who don’t behave in HoX #6 ?

 

And in that issue you will see the new Mutant Council (I forget what they are calling them selves) but that is a mixture of the worst of the mutants and the very hearts of the X-Men deciding the new laws for Krakoa. And one of them in particular exemplifies what I mean by, these can’t be the X-Men. One of their best is dedicely...wrong. 

[Maf]

Comic book day!

 

 

This month:

 

Carnage continues to not understand how to make friends! Batman is back off holiday and is really mad what the kids have done with the place! Superboy creates the 31st century? Hulk misplaces his face! The X-Men politiely subjugate humanity then have a party! JJ Abrams “writes” Spider-Man! Jimmy Olsen becomes Timmy Olsen! Daredevil makes, honestly, just the worst life choices a guy could make! And Black Cat robs the Negative Zone! 

 

Last month was slim pickings for covers, this month I had to decide what to leave out 

 

Spoiler

Daredevil #12

 

Immortal Hulk #24

 

Iron Heart #10

 

Amazing Spider-Man #29

 

Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium #2

 

The Magnificent Ms Marvel #7

 

Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man #12

 

House of X #6

 

Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #3

 

Batman #78

 

Captain Marvel #10

 

Venom #18

 

Black Cat #5

 

The Terrifics #20

 

Lois Lane #4

 

 

 

[Jimboxy]

@Maf What does.yoir monthly bill run to for all these? Do you keep them all as well (I'd assume so?) 

[Maf]

This month was £120 for the comics and delivery. But it costs a bit extra every other month or so because I buy resealable bags and boards as well. Keeping them is the hard part, I’m running out of room. I’m going to make more room and plan to redecorate some of my flat, but that will be next year at this rate.

[Maf]

News coming out of NYCC

 

Wolverine will be getting a new monthly solo series next year after not having one for like 5 years or something (Not including Laura), which is kind of crazy when you think about it. I typically don’t care about Wolverine however it will be drawn by Adam Kubert so, yeah, that’s top talent. 

 

Donny Cates is stepping away from GotG after #12, which has actually been really good, but Al Ewing is picking up that particular mantle, and Cates is moving on to Thor. Check out this redesign. 

 

 

Should be good

 

Arno Stark is going to become Iron Man next year. According to Slott there was actually an Iron Man story in the 80’s called Iron Man 2020 where this happened. He remembers that and is fulfilling that story. I don’t care much for Slott but I’ve always admired his respect and memory for Marvel continuity. The guys just knows his shit through and through. 

 

DC are pulling a reverse DC. Instead of giving up, starting over and retconning things out they are actually retconning things in and trying to sort out the timeline? I’m not sure what it’s called, but sounds like they are doing a comic that will detail the new, official, DC timeline, and in the process make Wonder Woman, canonically, the first DC superhero. If this is actually taking into count Crisis on Infinite Earths, hyper time, multiverses, bringing in pre-new52 stuff or they are just saying this is the new timeline, I don’t know. But it’s interesting. 

 

Star from the current Captain Marvel series is getting her own mini series. Not sure why. Kind of just seemed like a villain of the week type character to me but whatever, I guess. I like that comic a lot, I don’t think I care about this spin-off. 

 

Oh, also lastly Marvel is doing an “event” (Maybe not an event but something) called ‘Incoming’. It’s supposed to be the last book they publish of 2019 and is a murder mystery style who-dunnit. What any actual specific details of this comic are I don’t know. But here is the promo image. 

 

[OCH]

If they are honouring previous "future" Marvel stories. I think the Marvel Universe should have been wiped out by the Sentinels by now and Bishop should be a young child in the Mutant Camps.

 

Lastly, I don't see her on that teaser... Is Jean Grey dead, again??

[Maf]

So I hate to say it but this Hulk book is way too smart for me. Every time I catch up it takes another jump and I’m left like...what the fuck was that?

 

I get the main things happening in front of me. Fortean, Abomination, the retconned lore about Gamma radiation and what it is, the Green Door, multiple personalities. Yes. But everything to do with the One Below All, and how Bruce’s dad got there/became apart of it, what the ending of #24 was all about, I don’t know. 

 

Does anyone ever do that thing where you can explain a story in solid detail without really understanding the details? It’s like reciting a piece of text without knowing what it means. Or it would be like reading an instruction book to a machine but not knowing what the machine does. Like you understand the words individually but the full sentence makes no sense. I’m getting that a lot in life lately. That is me with Immortal Hulk. I can tell you what I read but not understand what I read. And it makes me feel stupid that I need something I can explain explained to me actually. 

[Maf]

Also Daredevil is amazing. For context, Kingpin is currently the mayor of New York and has been invited to have lunch/dinner with the wealthiest families in America. He wants their support and money to help get some Court rooms flipped so he can legalise weed in NY. This way they can all make fuck tonnes of money, however one of the members of the family is heavily invested in private prisons so is not really in to it, and another guy is constantly mocking Kingpin for his criminal past. Kingpin is trying to play it cool and hold it together, but, well...

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Maryokutai]

11 hours ago, Maf said:

Hulk book is way too smart for me

 

Quote of the day.

 

Anyone read God Complex? Stumbled upon this by accident and the artwork looks pretty solid. Plus the general design of the masked men gives me very positive Watchmen flashbacks (though I have no idea if both comics are similar in themes or not).

[Maf]

I’ve seen the covers and it looks super cool. It’s been on my “maybe later” list with a bunch of other indie books from Amazon for ages. However I think when I looked up reviews they were middling.

 

If I ever catch up on my comic reading I plan to buy it. 

[OCH]

As previously noted, I got a dispatch from Forbidden Planet today, House of X #6 and Powers of X #6 are being sent together...?

I don't know why they've only decided to do this with the last few issues but, on the other hand, I am glad they are the last issues of this Maxi series. Already subscribed and waiting for the follow on Hickman X-Men run to truly start.