Comic Book Discussion

[Dante]

Interesting that X-man is number one in July sales

[Happenstance]

Just the typical #1 sales boost really, wish they wouldnt do that so often. Just carry on with the proper numbering. Whats even more annoying is that so far, there isnt nearly enough in the X-Men book to justify it, its way too similar to Uncanny.

[Paj!]

Yeah, it's the least needed issue 1 ever. It's a mediocre story about vampires. The definitive stuff that should've been in some sort of sister title/done with a more stunning creative team in Astonishing.

 

Issue 2 will be way lower, and lower with 3 etc. There's no unqiue selling point..who really cares if Jubilee becomes a vampire or not?

[Dante]

heh Comics, Everybody - Hawkman

[Coolness Bears]

Cool I look forward to that Paj.

 

Currently being introduced to the Brotherhood of Mutants.

[Dan_Dare]

Yeah, it's the least needed issue 1 ever. It's a mediocre story about vampires. The definitive stuff that should've been in some sort of sister title/done with a more stunning creative team in Astonishing.

 

Issue 2 will be way lower, and lower with 3 etc. There's no unqiue selling point..who really cares if Jubilee becomes a vampire or not?

 

Despite myself, I'm actually really enjoying it so far. I hated the concept but the art is killer, the script has snap and some of the other characters you don't see so much in Uncanny are getting more time. It's blatantly irrelevant but I actually dig it.

[Paj!]

It's the irrelevance that really gets me. And how once this is over, it will have meant nothing, you just know it. It feels like the X-Men have far more pressing things to be dealing with. (And there's already 2 X-Men comics detailing side-adventures that are canon, but just happening at "generally around this time" - Astonishing X-Men and Astonishing X-Men: Xenogenesis. Both of which give me sexy feelings.)

 

The art does nothing for me/I forget what it looks like. There's nothing wrong with it though.

 

And vampires are just *head on the table*. I'd be uninterested even if the media weren't already saturated in them. And now Ultimate Avengers is having them too? (as well as iffy art) Joy...

 

Adjectiveless X-Men does have lovely covers though.

[Happenstance]

Interesting article on just how bad Batman: The Widening Gyre is

[Paj!]

Think Dante posted that a while back, I remember reading it. I knew to stay away from Kevin Smith's Batman stuff after reading the first issue of Cacophony...the art was shite, as was the writing.

[Happenstance]

Its a shame as well because not all of Kevin Smiths stuff is crap. Despite it taking bloody ages to come out I liked his Spider-Man/Black Cat story and his relaunch of Oliver Queen as Green Arrow was pretty awesome.

[Happenstance]

Its a shame as well because not all of Kevin Smiths stuff is crap. Despite it taking bloody ages to come out I liked his Spider-Man/Black Cat story and his relaunch of Oliver Queen as Green Arrow was pretty awesome.

[Paj!]

Finished Messiah Complex, kinda wish I'd bought Supernovas beforehand, as I didn't realise it ties in (not essentially, but I've read bits of Supernovas in single issue form when they came out and recognised themes and characters, but not how they ended up where they are here). And I've wanted Supernovas for ages, but didn't feel I could justify £12 at the time, then bought Psylocke's mildly interesting but completely inessential tpb for around the same price. Silly me.

 

Anyway, it was really good. Obviously I knew what would happen in the end cause I just read all of Second Coming, but still, stunning battles. I love Mystique. She's probably my favourite comic villain.

 

Considering they have a gallery at the end of the book of all the covers and variants, they chose the SHITTEST image for the cover, by the annoying Mark Silvestri a.k.a anorexic face king. There were so many stunners by David Finch or Simone Bianchi (one of the best artists I've recently discovered...he does Ghost Box in Astonishing X-Men and Shining Knight by Grant Morrison), ready to lure you in.

 

Book cover by Silvestri:

 

What should have been:

 

or, based purely on aesthetics, this should have been it:

Because that's a gorgeous image (by Kaare Andrews, my fave).

 

But I guess a rubbish picture with random faces of people the public might recognise is a safer bet. And tbf the bottom one depicts people wearing the christian cross, whilst burning down a town and killing children. So...

Edited August 15, 2010 by Paj!

[Dan_Dare]

Complex is the one where Hope is born right?

[Paj!]

Yep.

 

It's a good read. I think it might have been better served with a consistent artist on all the issues, kinda jarring to see the various styles all together. That said I love Bachalo (not his best stuff though). And Ramos is better in context than out...I hated that Spider-man pic ReZ loves, in his neon green suit, but then Ramos has a good storytelling ability, that obviously doesn't come across in posters.

 

I need to read all of Supernovas though...when I last read that run in single issues, Lady Mastermind was shaping up to be a really interesting addition to the X-Men. And I never found out why/how she joined the Marauders. I knew she went bad when I read Sisterhood recently though...

[ReZourceman]

by the annoying Mark Silvestri a.k.a anorexic face kingSo...

 

And you've just ruined Silvestri's art for me forever. :p

[Dan_Dare]

Yeah pretty much one fell swoop. It's like when someone tells you about Greg Land O-face.

[Paj!]

Well it's clearly evident, and his art just rubs me the wrongway. All the women look the same, all look poised for sexy adventures. And his men all have anorexia face.

 

Looking through his stuff again, it's not bad, and he can draw action well etc, but it reeks of like...Witchblade.

 

His art in the opening chapter of Messiah Complex made me laugh a few times: his Beast, and the woman's face when Emma scans her mind. Dunno if I can find them online.

[ReZourceman]

(Copy and pasted)

 

Here is one of the life foundation symbiotes. I'm in the process of doing all of them, and Hybrid. Scream is the first one to be finished.

 

 

 

 

 

I also did a YouTube video.

 

 

All comments welcome.

 

I was actually going to add some black to the red all over the body but forgot and now cannot be bothered. Meh. I'd only fuck up the awesome red bits anyway.

[Paj!]

I was gonna say I thought there was meant to be black on her body. I think you should add some, just cause that's what she actually looks like. Otherwise coooool. I love her.

 

The other ones are really boringly designed aren't they? Like shite different coloured venoms?

[Dan_Dare]

What the fuck is she meant to be? The character of course, not Rez's lovely child's toy.

[ReZourceman]

Basically Dan....

 

An organisation called the life foundation (or something) was tasked with coming up with a weapon against symbiotes, just in case there was ever a biological attack (or invasion I guess ~lol~) anyway, they either had some of the symbiote or had Venom locked up or something. It escaped and grabbed a hold of five different people to create 5 new symbiote characters. Scream was really the only proper evil one. Eventually they all combined together and merged with a different person to form hybrid, who is a good guy/vigilante and still alive. All the other hosts died afaik.

 

And Paj, the others are definitely more boring, but Phage (orange/yellow guy who makes constant blade constructs) and Lasher are somewhat cool designs.

 

 

 

[Dan_Dare]

oh ..............

[ReZourceman]

Hahahhaha. They are amazing and you know it. Here's Hybrid.

 

[Paj!]

Actually the life foundation extracted symbiote kiddies from Venom without his permission, and then it was Life Foundation volunteers who became the 5 lovelies.

 

And Scream eventually killed all the other shit hosts, just to prove how great she was. Leaving the unhosted symbiotes to form Hybrid (one a single host), who then faded into obscurity (I like to pretend Scream is a classic villain who will one day make her grand return, in comparison :p).

 

Hybrid's 90's ears/head/hair pisses me off. It's so Wolverine/Wolfsbane/Shi'Ar/Feral/Beast/Mats'uo.

 

Thoughts on X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back! tpb

 

I bought this cause I enjoy Pixie, and I'm intrigued by the fact Marvel is pushing her/she's popular, over a lot of the other New X-Men - especially Armor, who you'd have thought would remain the youngest main X-Man, as she's been on the flagship team through two arcs of Astonishing. But anyway, it seems like Pixie is set for big things, and personally I'd like for her to join a more concise X-Men team as a proper member.

 

Anyway, this tpb collects the 4 issue miniseries by Kathryn Immonen (presumably related to Stuart, who does the covers), and illustrated very well by Sara Pitchelli/atchelli (I can't remember). It's short but sweet, and quite...quirkily written. A lot of little snatches of offbeat humour and very nice character moments (and character choice). Quite a strange narrative to follow, you aren't quite sure all that's going on until the very end, but then..that's fine. I really liked the art after a few pages of not being sure. But it really suits the slightly ambiguous and dream-like tone of the whole thing.

 

It's completely inessential in the grand scheme, but seeing as Pixie seems set for big things, it's worth a look. And some very nice characterisation of all involved (Emma, Psylocke, Nightcrawler, X-23 etc), it's an enjoyable, if slight read.

[Dan_Dare]

I'm a pixie fan. Armour needs more love though.