Comics Thread: Marvel, DC, Darkhorse, etc.....

[Manji]

Macfarlane's writing is pretty weak.
His Spiderman comic (the story with the lizard) was terrible; the story was just flat and one dimensional.
His art was good for his time; but as other artists of his generation developed and evolved; it seemed that Macfarlane's art stayed the same. I'm not a big fan of how he draws people, especially their faces. I don't what it is, I just have to say that it doesn't appeal to me. I'd have to grade him a little above average in regard to his artwork.

 

[Hepcat]

Kurt!

When did Kryto get rabbies?

It's not just Krypto who's drawn to look like he has rabies. All the super heroines are portrayed as if they have rabies these days. And the men look as if they have an even more painful burr up their ass!

I think this is called gritty these days. Well I just call it silly.

 

[Kurt]

Just watched the Justice League Thanagarian serious on DVD.

Man there writers are better then the comic guys.

I don't want to even begin figuring out continuity but it was great to watch love the one lines by Bats.
Jon Stewart down and bleeding "Is that all you got my momma hits harder then that?"

Can't wait for the next season of Justice League.



We need more cartoons like that.

Not a huge fan of X-men evolution yet.

Bring Back the Tick!

Spawn's animated serious were good.

Question how many Supergirls are there?


Kurt

 

[Hepcat]

Jon Stewart down and bleeding "Is that all you got my momma hits harder then that?"

Groan! A superhero talking trash! What does he think he is, a basketball player?

Hal Jordan remains the real Green Lantern. Well, Hal and Alan Scott as well.

 

[Manji]

I'm no Sinestro but I know there was at least three Supergirls.

One, was actually Supergirl from Krypton. Cousin of Superman, who was killed by the Anti-monitor in the Crisis on Infinite Earth Series.

Then there was a shapeshifting alien who posed as Supergirl.

The third was actually an angel I think who merged with a human girl and they adopted the Supergirl persona.
Something like that. My DC knowledge isn't too good.

Wasn't a big fan of the Spawn animated series. The animation on that series was terrible. (Don't forget, we got an anime thread going on!!!!)

 

[knight66]

The shapeshifting Supergirl akas Matirix ended up merging with teh human Linda Danvers.
This is who the super girl series came into being.
the writing "jumped the shark"and then came the angel angle.
The storyline climaxed and the new little schoolgirl Supergirl emerged. She was trying to sind teh spirit of the grown up supergirl.
That was my take on it at least.
I much prefer the cousin from Krypton persona myself.

 

[Manji]

Oh yeah, that's how it went.
I stand corrected.

Two more possible supergirls.

Isn't there a girl that was posing as Superman and Lois's daughter? Obviously from the future.
Is that who you're talking about Kurt?

Also the Superman's new cousin, in the Superman/Batman series? Could she be the next Supergirl? It would be cool if they made her evil.

 

[knight66]

I do not recall a girl posing as Supe's daughter.
Of course I haven't been following the Supe's series all too much lately. So that is entirely possible.
I would agree with you Manji,
It would be cool if they made latest incarnation of Supergirl from the Sup/Bat series evil.
But they would eventually have to change her back.

 

[Sinestro]

The Skinny On Supergirl...

I’d like to preface this by saying that I’m a little sketchy on the details when it comes to Supergirl, so please forgive me if my facts are off or my answers somewhat vague. Having said that, let’s get right into it, shall we…?
The original Supergirl (that is to say, the Silver Age Supergirl) was Kara Zor-El, Superman’s cousin from Krypton. Like Kal-El, she was evacuated from Krypton by her father before the planet’s destruction, but she must’ve taken the scenic route getting to Earth, because she didn’t touch down until Kal (who’d long since become Clark Kent) was fully grown and had established himself as Superman. So, the Last Son of Krypton was joined by the Last Daughter of Krypton…not to mention the Last Dog of Krypton, the Last Cat of Krypton, the Last Monkey of Krypton, and the Last Winged Horse of Krypton. Of course, with all those chunks of Kryptonite they kept stumbling across, of various colours and compositions, each with a different effect, they probably could’ve rebuilt the entire freaking planet. Now, do you see why DC felt Crisis On Infinite Earths was necessary?
As Manji stated earlier, Supergirl was one of the more noteworthy casualties of Crisis: first she falls in battle, then a temporal reboot that rewrites Superman’s history erases her from DC canon altogether. Talk about insult to injury…
Anyway, things go swimmingly for the next few years. The world gets along just fine without a Supergirl, or even the memory of a Supergirl. And then, somebody decides to introduce Supergirl to the post-Crisis DCU. Now, for some reason, they decided not to make this new Supergirl Kara Zor-El. Maybe they felt that doing so would negate the impact of her death in Crisis; maybe they thought that giving Superman a cousin would cheapen the iconic character, whose defining characteristic has always been that he’s an orphan, an interstellar immigrant, last survivor of a once-proud people. I just don’t know. The end-result, though, was that the new Supergirl was a shape-changing alien who took on the persona as an ‘homage’ to the Man of Steel.
Fast-forward a couple of years. Having failed to catch on with fandom in a significant way, Supergirl suffered the worst fate that a 2nd-string character can endure: she was given to Peter David to play with. With David’s ‘screw-with-things-just-for-the-sake-of-screwing-with-them’ attitude, things went from bad to worse, as Supergirl was merged with a human host, briefly enjoyed status as an Earth-bound angel, and became the butt of more Buffy the Vampire Slayer references than any middle-aged man should be allowed to incorporate into his work.
David’s run on Supergirl degenerated from mildly interesting, to mediocre, to lame over the course of 70+ issues. The end of the series gave the suits at DC pause, though. The sales numbers on those final few issues actually went up. Why? Because they featured the return of Kara Zor-El. And that’s when the wheels began to turn. Before the Supergirl franchise could be reborn anew, though, more glorious than ever before, it had to hit rock bottom. Enter Cir-El… (cont'd)

 

[Sinestro]

The Plot Thins...

As has already been stated, the third Supergirl (assuming you count the Matrix/Linda Danvers/Angel incarnation as a single entity) was Lois and Clark’s daughter from a possible future, brought back in time by a gaggle of geeks called the Futuresmiths to manipulate Superman into doing…something. I’m a little fuzzy on the details here; the story of Cir-El’s origin, who she was and how she came to be, was tied in to the resolution of the whole time-bending Y2K/B13 storyline started a few years back. New creative teams were about to take over the Super books, you see; loose ends had to be tied up to allow for a shift in direction.
Cir-El’s stint as Supergirl was brief and forgettable. It featured one moment in the spotlight alongside the new Steel, Natasha Irons, the niece of John Henry Irons, who’d been given the mantle by her uncle when health issues forced him to walk away from his hobby of saving the world (don’t ask; long story). In the hands of a skilled writer, Steel II might just manage to make it into the big leagues; as it is, it looks as if her one-time partner Supergirl III will barely rate a footnote in comics history…
And this brings us full circle to the re-introduction of Kara Zor-El to the DCU…
In an ill-concieved attempt to recapture the ‘glory days’ of comics, by which I mean the days when cheap stunts were enough to part fanboys from their cash, DC has brought back Kara Zor-El. Fear not, though, gents: you don’t have to know anything about pre-Crisis continuity to enjoy this nostalgic indulgence. As far as the revised timeline goes, this is the one true Supergirl’s first appearance in the DCU. We will now give Hepcat a moment to recover after choking on his own bile; God knows I could use a second or two to compose myself…
So, there it is, folks: Supergirl in a nutshell. Think this is bad? Be grateful I didn’t try to tackle Power Girl’s origin…

 

[Hepcat]

Sinestro!

The original Supergirl (that is to say, the Silver Age Supergirl) was Kara Zor-El, Superman’s cousin from Krypton. Like Kal-El, she was evacuated from Krypton by her father before the planet’s destruction, but she must’ve taken the scenic route getting to Earth, because she didn’t touch down until Kal (who’d long since become Clark Kent) was fully grown and had established himself as Superman.

Actually, Kara hailed from Argos, a city that wasn't destroyed with the rest of Krypton since it was enclosed in a plastic/glass(?) bubble and maintained its structural integrity when Krypton exploded. Years later the dome of Argos was pierced by a radioactive meteor shower which killed all the inhabitants but the one who was launched in a rocket toward earth by her parents - that of course being Kara.

So, the Last Son of Krypton was joined by the Last Daughter of Krypton…not to mention the Last Dog of Krypton, the Last Cat of Krypton, the Last Monkey of Krypton, and the Last Winged Horse of Krypton.

I'm not sure of the status of the monkey but neither Streaky the Supercat nor Comet the Superhorse hailed from Krypton. If you really want to know, I can tell you more about these pets of Kara's....

We will now give Hepcat a moment to recover after choking on his own bile;

Thanks. I needed that.

 

[Sinestro]

I stand humbly corrected, my friend. You truly are the Silver Age master...

 

[Hepcat]

You truly are the Silver Age master....

To the ongoing distress of my wallet!

 

[Manji]

One question regarding the Crisis storyline.
Do any of the heroes in the DCU remember anything about the Crisis or the Crisis related deaths?

From reading the Trade Paperback, it seemed that a select few characters such as Superman and Wonderwoman remembered the Crisis events and the heroes that were lost/died?

Though from reading DC currently, the characters don't seem to show any memories of the Crisis incident. (It might be that topic has not come up on the comics I read!?!?)

 

[knight66]

Hi to all comic readers,

I have comics for sale (actually my whole collection is up for grabs).

My inventory is approximately 4,800 comics consiting of graphic novels, mini series, maxi series, one shots and of course regualr series.

Titles include (but not limited to) Batman, Superman, Spiderman, X-men, G.I.Joe, Transformers, Wolverine, Spawn, JLA. etc.
I have collected almost every title from DC and Marvel at some point in time.

All books are in very good or near mint condition. They are all bagged with boards.

The best thing to do is to PM with titles or story lines that you might be interested in.

I will let you know if I have it.
We can work out the price and delivery after.

Thanks
Knight66

 

[Sinestro]

Sin's Top Picks From The Last Two Weeks...

I’ve been a little lax when it comes to posting reviews, gents; apologies all around. In the interest of inspiring debate and discussion on today’s hottest titles, and in the interest of keeping at least one of the geek threads alive, here are some quick comments on books of note released in the last two weeks…

Firestorm – Dan Jolley/ChrisCross; this one’s just beginning to hit its stride, though I think my excitement over this title has more to do with its potential than anything else…

Justice League Elite – Joe Kelly/Doug Mahnke; the 2nd issue was better than the 1st; though I still have a few niggling complaints (eg., the inclusion of the Flash on this team, the portrayal of Green Arrow, Kelly and Mahnke’s occaisionally confusing storytelling style), this one looks like it’s going to dispell my initial doubts and build to a spectacular climax…

Majestic – Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning/ Karl Kerschl; one of the more pleasant surprises of recent memory; Abnett and Lanning outdo themselves with this one, delivering some amazing characterization, and Kerschl…I don’t know where this guy came from, but DC better sign him to an exclusive contract, right quick; spectacular visuals!; if for no other reason, the 1st issue was worth the cover price for the scene in the diner between Supes and Mr Majestic; priceless…

Wildcats – Joe Casey/Duncan Rouleau; the final issue, and further proof of the decline of the WildStorm line; hey, Paul Levitz: get your head out of your ass!; with its high-octane action sequences and philosophical bent, this was the thinking person’s superhero book; the fact that this book couldn’t generate enough interest to stay alive causes me to weep for the state of fandom…

Y The Last Man – Brian K Vaughn/Pia Guerra; consistently great from month to month, Y’s suspenseful, thoughtful, tragic, hopeful…hell, it’s all things to all people, with a couple of twists left over to keep you guessing…

PvP – Scott Kurtz; I said it before and I’ll say it again: this and Liberty Meadows are the funniest freaking books on the shelves right now…

Aquaman – Will Pfeiffer/Patrick Gleason; everything I said about Firestorm applies to Aquaman as well; it’s the anticipation of what this awesome creative team will do with this vastly underrated character that keeps me coming back…

Bloodhound – Dan Jolley/Leonard Kirk; an intriguing bit of non-superpowered crime drama nestled in the heart of the DCU; another pleasant surprise from the company that shocked you with Mr. Majestic…

Fables – Bill Willingham/?; if you’re just discovering Bill Willingham through his work on Robin, check out Fables; if you loved and miss Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series, check out Fables; if you’re currently watching Band of Brothers on Tuesday nights on CH like I am and have a taste for all things WWII, then check out the current arc on Fables; ‘nuff said…

Gotham Central – Greg Rucka & Ed Brubaker/Michael Lark; not just the best Bat book on the shelves (ironic, as it doesn’t feature Batman), this title is one of the best being produced today, period; a gritty police procedural set in the heart of one of the scummiest cities in the DCU; top marks for plot, characterization and art; the first arc has already been collected into a trade, so check it out if you haven’t already…

Green Arrow – Judd Winick/Phil Hester; GA’s the kind of character you’ll always love but won’t always like; a self-righteous, arrogant womanizer, Ollie’s also a crusader in the truest sense of the word; he’s aware of his shortcomings and laments them, but the book never descends into angsty melodrama; no surprise that this title is quality, though; it’s passed from Kevin Smith, to Brad Meltzer, to Judd Winick, all of whom have been ably accompanied by Phil Hester, who’s tied with Michael Lark for the ‘Best Artist That You’re Overlooking’ award…

Identity Crisis – Brad Meltzer/Rags Morales; a book so spectacular and heartbreaking that I don’t even want to talk about it; I will say this, though: Deathstroke, you magnificent bastard…!

Manji…

In the wake of Crisis, it’s hard to tell what anyone does and doesn’t remember. Everybody recalls Barry Allen, and that he gave his life in order to save the universe. Does anybody remember the specifics, though? If they do, they’re not mentioning it…
Due to the Superman continuity reboot that came about as the result of Crisis, nobody remembers the Silver Age Supergirl, so nobody mourns her loss in Crisis.
As for other characters who fell…they were either from alternate Earths, and therefore ‘erased’ when the DCU re-alligned into a single timeline, or they were 3rd string characters who were used as cannon fodder and quickly forgotten…

 

[Hepcat]

Knight!

Any mags from the 1945-1970 period?

 

[knight66]

Sorry Hepcat,
I dont have anything prior to the 80's

 

[Manji]

You giving up comics for good? Or just selling your collection Knight66?
There are always conventions.

Thanks for the info, Sinestro.

I though Majestic was fantastic. Great art and great story. Loved the interaction between Superman and Majestic. Wonder who would win in a fight? Both are pretty similar in powers so it definitly be a close battle.

Identity Crisis has been great so far but the art could be a little better.

Marvel's The Pulse (or maybe just Pulse) is a pretty good read as well but I'm not a big fan of whoever is doing the art.

Wildcats' final issue was a disappointment. Rouleau art was not up to his standards. I though he did a great job in X Factor and Alpha Flight. Wildstorm has gone to hell. Other than Planetary and Stormwatch, they got nothing going for them. Authority should be shelved along with Wildcats.

Have not read PvP or Fables. Any good TPB for these titles?

Agree with Y the Last Man; a really good read.
Losers is a pretty good Vertigo book as well as Human Target.
Human Target has had pretty good story arcs since they debuted a few years ago. The first series of the Human Target was amazing.

Have you read the new Powers, it is under Marvel's version of Vertigo, Icon. Did not really read Powers before, except for the Retro Girl TPB and it is pretty good so far.

In the back, Bendis stated that two of his titles may become live action movies (I think live action). Powers and Jinx.

 

[knight66]

No, I wouldn't say I am giving up.
I would like to skim down the inventory though.
Difficult to sell at a convention. There are none out here in Ottawa. And I can't bring 20 full size boxes down to Toronto either.