Comic Cover Homages

Being a comic fan for a long time has it's ups and it's downs; watching continuity being reset, reboot, re-tooled or retconned can be annoying and down right frustrating, for example. On the other hand, if you've stuck with the medium long enough, chances are you've seen a few iconic first appearances, a few classic moments, maybe even witnessed a great piece of comic history being made. By a certain point, you've seen enough to notice the homages.

 

 I haven't got a great deal to say about this topic right now, but I guess the visuals speak for themselves, anyway.

 

As you can see from the last couple alone, the MC2 is teeming with love and respect for the classics. Fitting, I think, considering the creators are clearly channeling the feel of the Silver Age, the Bronze Age and even the so-called Modern Age. Why, I hear you ask? It's simple: When something is good, it's good!

Until I quit loving comics in general and the MC2 in particular, I remain

frogoat

Tales of Who's Past: Rose

That is a nice jacket.

Rose Tyler traveled with both the Ninth Doctor and the Tenth Doctor. Rose was both a companion to the Doctor and, for (almost) the first time ever, a love interest. The story of Rose and the Doctor is written as a love story, 'without the shagging' as David Tennant would say. I both enjoyed and despised the new take on the companion in Doctor Who. Here's why:

Rose is a Mary Sue, the blank slate for the audience to latch onto and identify with; she is us, we experience the series through Rose's eyes first (check out the very first new series episode, aptly titled 'Rose'). Trouble is, Rose is perfect. Well, okay, to be fair, Rose has flaws, it's just that in language of the series she doesn't ever have any negative consequences. Rose is a cypher, in the sense that she does everything the audience wants to do....it's almost like reading a fan fiction sometimes.

Don't misunderstand me, I adore Rose. Rose was my first companion, and she holds a special place in my heart as a fan of the series, however she does get a bit arrogant and even blasè by the time you get half way through series 2, laughing at danger. Rose saves the Doctor -just like the audience at home wanted too- in The Parting of the Ways, brings Captain Jack Harness back from the dead (the sexy devil!) and destroys the Daleks. But she also treats Mickey (her boyfriend) rather badly and admits to her mother she made a decision long ago, choosing the Doctor over her mother. Try telling Amy that when she traveled with her boyfriend/fiance/husband, daughter and father-in-law. And a mad man in a blue box, naturally.

Rose, I loved you, I missed you when you left, but I also remember the down side to being such a blank slate character. It's a mixed blessing, this Mary Sue business.

Until Captain Jack makes out with the Face of Boe, I remain

frogoat

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Review

Fashionably late, as ever, I deliver unto you, my faithful readers, my review of The Hobbit (well... the first part of a three-part adaption that integrates material from other Tolkien sources to flesh it out further).

Firstly, the film is long. It clocks in at around 3 hours. But don't worry, it will fly by. Peter Jackson's direction gives the film a good pace, with no part of the film dragging nor feeling to short. Obviously, the small fights become gigantic set-pieces for action sequences and I have to say, it's appreciated. After the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it goes without saying that we've come to expect rollicking action adventure in our fantasy films and Jackson delivers the goods with style.

Secondly, I've never read the novel, nor any of Tolkien's work, and I never felt lost or a step behind. The narrative is straightforward enough and the few references I didn't understand didn't amount to any great lose of enjoyment or fits of despair. Always a good sign, surely. At times in the film, however, I did identify that which I believe was clearly 'filler' or, to put it another way, a screenwriter's embellishment or change. This isn't to say the film was made any less enthralling, it's just that the added material was often very noticeable. Certain characters occasionally switching speech patterns, that kind of thing. Again, I haven't read the novel, so feel free to correct me.

Thirdly, the returning cast were on fine form and the new faces were welcome additions. Sir Ian McKellen slides back into the robes of Gandalf with ease, and Andy Serkis is as entertaining as ever as the twisted Gollum. Martin Freeman impressed as a young Bilbo Baggins while Richard Armitage puts in a great turn as Thorin Oakenshield. Special mention, however, has to go to what I believe to be the best piece of character-actor casting in the history of cinema: Sylvester McCoy as Radagast the Brown. I challenge anyone not to play Six Degrees of Separation with this cast...

All in all, I enjoyed this third of the tale. I still don't see this stretching into two further films as smoothly, but I'll reserve judgement for the time being.

Until Gandalf comes out of the Hobbit hole, I remain

frogoat 

Global Re-Read: Spider-Girl #13-15 and Annual '99

So, after completing the first year of May's tales, Miss A -as my pal shall, be referred to for now-has sat down and we've chewed through another chunk of MC-2 goodness. Enjoy.
 

First things first, May get's the idea to join the new Avengers team. Seems daddy dearest wasn't a joiner, only briefly working with the Avengers or the FF. Spider-Girl, on the other hand is not going down that road. So, she tries out-by way of capture the flag-and rapidly wipes the floor with nearly every member of the team, until beaten by Stinger, who's all kinds of cool. Miss A and I agree, however, that May's conversation with Jimmy (who's been acting all kinds of macho jerk butt-hole lately) about their friendship was the stand-out moment of the issue, both a satisfying conclusion to the plot thread and hilarious and real to boot. 

May never told anyone about Jimmy peeing in a girls sanfbox as a kid. A wonderful touch of honesty.

  
At this time, I'd better come clean: We read out of order. The Annual fits neatly between #12 and #13....oops. Anyway! The shock of Misery's Grief Machine-induced trauma was a big deal to Miss A, especially when *SPOILERS!* Peter and Mary Jane are apparently killed. The back-up tales are fun too, particularly the who's-better-at-what of Spidey versus Spidey powers. Very cool.

Issue #14 is brilliant. Miss A instantly took a liking to Kaine, and, having already latched onto Darkdevil, this issue was always going to be enjoyable. But then came the characterization, the dialog, the sheer gravity behind Kaine's debut- at least in this universe. Kaine has history-or at least knowledge of the Parker family and had something to do with Darkdevil's origins. Hmmm, interesting! The final page,  however, is a punch directly aimed at us, the reader. Take a look.

Finally, issue #15 begins with a shocked MJ discovering May's shiner. Miss A found this moving, powerful stuff with great page layouts. We get a nice, light adventure with Davida taking May shopping to cheer her up, encounter a newly almost-together Moose and Courtney and Moose defends Spider-Girl. Speaking of Moose, Jimmy and he are--what's the phrase I'm looking for, here--No! Friends?! Speedball and Spider-Girl battle the goofy-but-fun villain Mr Abnormal, and May realizes it's not always fun, but it's worth stinking with the hero biz. Meanwhile, Moose doesn't realize Courtney isn't Spider-Girl. Oh, Moose, Miss A is amused.

Until the next batch of issues get's read and discussed, I remain

frogoat

Tales of Who's Past: Martha

Last time, I talked about Donna. Poor, doomed, Donna. But for rough treatment, let's not forget Martha, the martyr, the rebound Who-Girl. I like Martha, but it always seemed like she was replacing Rose, rather than being given her own place in the Who-niverse. Martha is introduced brilliantly; a doctor in training, with a family that's both falling apart and relying on her emotionally. Martha's very different from Rose, but ends up literally filling her place in the Doctor's eyes, or rather, not filling her place.




The Doctor never realized what a wonderful woman he had right in front of him Running for their lives, hiding from the darkness, fighting the most vile monsters imaginable and the Doctor never stops to think what a genuine bastard he can be to those around him. Not until it's too late.

Martha saved the earth and along the way realized this man, this legend, this Doctor was never going to return her affections. So, standing up and facing forward, Martha does the hard thing and tells him 'no'. Martha's got enough faith in herself, enough self respect and enough moxy to walk away. Quite right, too.


Dr Martha Jones, here's thinking of you!

Until Martha get's cloned....again (meow!), I remain

frogoat

Tales of Who's Past: Donna

Less than hour before I can sit down with mates and watch the latest Doctor Who Christmas Special, I've just finished watching 2006's The Runaway Bride Christmas episode. You know what I realized? I bloody love Donna.

Donna Noble is so brash and...well, she can be a bit thick. But here's the thing: She's so easy to wound. Just in the one episode, I think they summed her up. Here, tell me what you think:

Donna: But...we were getting married.

Lance: Well, I couldn’t risk you running off. I had to say yes, and then I was stuck with a woman who thinks the height of excitement is a new-flavoured Pringle! Oh, I had to sit there and listen to all that yap-yap-yap. "Brad and Angelina, is Posh pregnant, X Factor, Atkins diet, feng shui, split ends, text me, text me, text me!" Dear God, the never-ending fountain of fat, stupid trivia! I deserve a medal.

The Doctor: Oh, is that what she’s offered you, the Empress of the Racnoss? What are you, her consort?

Lance: [glances at Donna] It’s better than a night with her.

Donna: But I love you.

Lance: That’s what made it easy! It’s like you said, Doctor. The big picture. What’s the point of it all if the human race is nothing? That’s what the Empress can give me. The chance to...to go out there, to see it, the size of it all. I think you understand that, don’t you, Doctor?

Donna's got a lot of heart. She's wonderful. She's brave. She's wounded. It's why she's so brash. It's why you have to love her. Here's to you, Donna Noble. Merry Christmas.

Until they bring her back, I remain

frogoat

The Casual Vacancy Review

Good girl gone bad-

Take three-

Action.

No clouds in my storms...

Let it rain, I hydroplane into fame

Comin' down with the Dow Jones...

I've just finished reading JK Rowling's 'The Casual Vacancy'. I cried. Not ashamed to admit it. This book shook me to my core. It was like reading the inner-most thoughts of my friends, neighbors and fellow small-town residents. It's a simple concept, really: one man dies, leaving a small town without a Parish Councillor. But it's so much more than that. It's about class systems and abuse and the terrible things we do to one another.

I read intently as the little town of Pagford played like a day-in-the-life of all those people in the world, with their little hang ups, their damages, and their pain. I didn't identify with a single character. No, not one. I saw buried within these works of fiction parts of myself. I couldn't stop thinking as I plowed on through this novel, I am everyone of them and none of them. JK doesn't just write silly characters and great jokes, she writes human beings. Real, broken, human's who have all found their own manner of dealing with the world around them. 

If there was a message in all this, it wasn't wasted on me. Trouble is, I didn't feel like a message was being shoved down my throat....no, it crept up on me, like a lurking, horrible realization. These people aren't evil, just people, and if it takes something akin to the events of this book to make the little minds of this world we live in to stir from their self imposed slumber, then consider me terrified.

Pick this up. It's about all of us.

Until I stop having feels, I remain

frogoat

p.s. I realize it's neither a comic nor my usual spiel. Just check it out, you won't regret it.

Global Re-Read: Spider-Girl #0-12

Over the past few months, I've introduced the Spider-Girl series to a friend of mine and we've been going through, issue by issue and reading (re-re-re-re-re-re-re-reading in my case) and talking about different elements. This has been a really enlightening experience.

So, first thoughts: She likes Mayday. Apparently May has that affect on people, who knew? Darkdevil is cool, a fast favorite amongst the heroes introduced in the series. She's very interested in the relationship dynamics, Moose thinking Courtney is our hero, Brad and Jimmy trying to date May, May and her parents. All entertaining stuff.

Oh, and Davida is clearly Ladyhawk...both of them(?!). The humor is appreciated, especially when Spyral accuses our webbed hero's weight for throwing them into the past...and her later 'retort', or, as mentioned before, Moose believing Courtney to be Spider-Girl.

Well, they do share the same hairstyle...

Interesting, to me at least, was my friend commenting about Brad becoming, rather quickly too much of a 'good guy,' being too nice, without much else to make him interesting. I'm looking forward to watching both the characters grow and her impressions on these changes. Should be fun.

Until I forget to update this blog, I remain

frogoat

The problem with recurring villains

I've been hanging around tv tropes lately and, aside from loosing several hours I'll never get back, I've learned a few things. Case in point: Villain Decay. It goes a little something like this; the hero defeats the villain once, twice, thrice...why take the baddie seriously after it becomes clear they no longer pose a threat?

Electro is a good example: He robs a bank, Spidey defeats him using 'shock-proof gloves' (rubber gloves...I'm not making this up), Electro teams with the Sinister Six, Spidey stops him again. Eventually, Electro becomes something of a one-trick pony, he get's a power boost or upgrade, suddenly he might be a credible threat again....and then Spidey takes him down once again. *sigh*

There are bunch of ways to avoid falling into this trap, as I see it, but here are a couple to consider: The villain wins. Not all the time, just occasionally. This works best with your major crime bosses and villains who normally sit back and pull strings, the behind-the-scenes players, like the Kingpin, even Doctor Doom. It lets the reader suspend their disbelief, instills faith and credibility in the villain, and  adds to the drama stakes if the hero has to lick their wounds and come back and try again, or escape the life-or-death predicament in front of them.


The second option means cleaning house, in some respects, because *gasp* the villain has had a change of heart and decides to reform. Yes, this can become just as much of a cliched and hackneyed plot as the constant re-matches OR can lead to all sorts of story telling opportunities. Ever hear of the Thunderbolts, Marvel's team of villains-posing-as-heroes-becoming-genuine-heroes? Yeah, that. Not to mention all the fertile character exploration reforming can mean. MC2's Normie Osborn only became such an enjoyable, fleshed out character after the classic Spider-Girl #27 in which both May, our hero, powerless and tied to a chair talks Normie out of his planned suicide-by-way-of-hero. Now, he's a supporting character, fully fleshed-out with a long storied history of rehabilitation, reform, atonement, romance and marriage. By choosing the reformation option, the series gained both a great supporting character in Normie, and a defining direction for the series star, Mayday, who often attempts to talk her villains out of the crooked life.



I'd love to here your thoughts on this, especially if you'd like to see the other options.

Until one-trick pony stops making me giggle, I remain

frogoat

Ron Frenz: The Man!

I just wanted to express my supreme admiration for the amazing, spectacular, one-of-a-kind artistic genius, Mr Ron Frenz. Not only does he speak semi-regularly with fans, he's kindly begun uploading unused concept sketches. Ron, you're awesome. Check him out here and see more sketches like the one below here at my favorite hang out on the web.

Nuff Said!

frogoat

Catch Up

I'm a little late. Sorry, it's been a wild sort of week or more. Supanova was fun, fun, fun. Tom Felton was a nice chap, Felicia Day was a delightful woman and both Billy West and John De Maggio are some of the funniest human beings you will ever meet. I bought some nice trades (or 'graphic novels' if you prefer) including two Tom and Ron Thor trades (one of which covers part of the Eric Masterson run) as well as The Complete Ben Reilly Epic Vol 1. I bought an Australian made trade collection of The Soldier Legacy (http://pm-comic.blogspot.com.au/ for anyone interested) and got a couple wall scrolls, one of John Romita Jr's Spidey and the other features everyone's favorite time traveling purple haired half-Saiya-jin sword-wielder, Trunks.

Cosplaying was a blast for my friend ( Super Saiya-jin Goku) and myself (Harry Potter) but the best part of any Con is seeing everyone's incredible efforts. Hat's off to you all! On a downer note, I didn't find a single Spider-Girl trade, digest, poster, figure, or even mention. I was hoping to find a better copy of the second digest at the very least, but alas, it was not to be. Still, a brilliant weekend made even more entertaining by watching my other good friend refereeing five (count 'em, five) Wrestling Matches live throughout the weekend.

All in all, a good time had by all!

Until I cosplay as Sailor Moon, I remain

frogoat

Supanova approaches...

Australia's pop culture expo/convention/gathering of like-minded individuals is nearly upon us, and for once, I'll be apart of it. Yes, I'm heading to Brisbane Supanova 2012! I did have plans to blog about a global re-read of all things MC2, or an in-depth look at some favorite characters in the universe, maybe even talk about attracting young readers to comics, but instead, next week you're going to have deal with me tell you about my latest acquisitions. Sorry, there's just no way around it. I'll have to re-schedule that meeting with the Queen too, hopefully she won't be to busy later. Cosplayers, comics and celebrities, oh my!



Okay, I'll through my millions of adoring fans a bone with this MC2 fun fact: The electrically-powered super villain Electro first appears in Amazing Spider-man #9 (way back in '64, kids!) while, in the MC2, Killerwatt (a similarly-powered super-baddie) shows up in Spider-Girl #9. Don't you just love parallels?

Until I think of better exit line, I remain

frogoat

(feels good to type that again)

Hawkeye

I've been loving the crap out of the new solo series for everyone's favorite archer and Avenger, Hawkeye. From the art to the writing style, the placement of word balloons, the layout, the letters page even, everything so perfectly links together to form a great impression of the lead character, Clint Barton. By far my favorite issue so far (and this is saying something) was #3.

Managing to so easily juggle character development with witty dialog, poking fun at-and simultaneously showing loving affection for- Clint's gimmick-y arrows, delivering a cracking narrative that is self contained as well as new-reader friendly. From issue to issue, this series has felt both fast paced and fun. It's firmly ingrained into Marvel continuity without feeling bogged down. I just love this series. It's definitely this month's pick for me.

Great job to everyone involved with this stellar series especially Matt Fraction, David Aja and Matt Hollingsworth.

frogoat

Wild Thing: Missed Opportunity

Wild Thing, aka Rina Logan is one of those MC2 characters I always wanted to like a lot more than I did. Rina started out with so much potential, appearing first in J2, then in her own series, which lasted only five issues. So, what is it about Wild Thing that never clicked with me?

I'll start by saying I enjoyed Rina's appearances in J2, written and penciled by Tom Defalco and Ron Lim. J2 was itself a lighthearted book and Wild Thing threw in another angle to play up. In her initial appearance, Wild Thing ends up in a battle with J2, not through any fault of her own. Rina then went on to appear in back-up tales where she was presented as not only a competent hero, but also a kind of 'daddy's girl' to her father, Logan (aka Wolverine); albeit one with psychic claws that resembled both her mother Elektra's sais and her godmother Psylocke's psychic blades. I like many things about her character-as originally presented-that didn't carry over to her own, short-lived series.

Here, I think is where the problem starts. The only MC2 title not authored by Tom Defalco, Wild Thing was written by another talented writer, Larry Hama. Mr Hama is probably best know for his work in G.I. Joe and Wolverine comics. I've read some of his Wolverine run, and I can do nothing but recommend it, it's good fun. However, when he was handed Wild Thing, I can only assume he got the wrong impression.

 Understandably, you're handed a young teenage girl superhero title (not something all that common, in and of itself, anyway) and asked to write it in keeping with the rest of the fledgling universe, what are you going to model it on? The MC2 title all others owe their collective existence to, the one that also happens to have a female teen superhero which is doing well both in terms of sales and creatively speaking: Spider-Girl.So now, Rina attended school, she had a cast of (mostly forgettable) supporting characters, had crushes and generally seemed to become a different, more bland character.

Wild Thing's last major appearance was during Last Hero Standing where she was given equal billing with the likes of American Dream, J2, Spider-Girl and even Captain America. One last hurrah for Rina before she slipped into the background again, cameos not withstanding. It's telling, in my opinion, that instead of Wild Thing joining the Avengers (in the Avengers Next mini) as the wild card/dark horse, Sabreclaw, Rina's half-brother (they don't get along, to put it politely) takes this role on the team.

I honestly believe with a little more page-time and effort Rina could have stepped forward and taken the spotlight back. Maybe someday?

When I think MC2 I think...

What comes to mind when I think MC2? The obvious answer would be "Spider-Girl," but that's not what I mean. At the core of MC2's foundations I have a select group of creative types in mind. The pillars of this alternative world, if you will. So, who are they? Hold on, wait a minute and I'll tell you!

Tom Defalco

The most obvious choice. With every MC2 issue (barring a half dozen) under his writer's belt (I imagine all writers have special belts with pen attachments) it's impossible for me to picture a world without him. Tom's the best kind of professional; he believes in storytelling rather than 'event' books, he is more than willing to take input from the art team and he loves pizza. I tell ya, they don't make them any better.

Ron Frenz

Ron's the go-to guy. You need a story done well, delivered on time and with a great energy to it? Ron's your guy. He and Tom have (by my estimation) written/pencilled/plotted at least a third of the contents of my comic collection. It's not by chance. I started picking up back issues of Tom and Ron's Thor run without even knowing they were the creative team (I was young). Something about their general vibe has always made me crave the next issue. The sheer love and joy they pour into ever panel of every page is infectious in the best possible way.

Pat Olliffe

What do I say about Pat? He's the first artist I ever saw draw May 'Mayday' Parker. He's the guy who showed that there was a dignified and respectful way to draw women in skin-tight outfits swinging on weblines as thin as cotton thread. Pat defined Spider-Girl. Ron created her, but Pat defined her look and, to me, made her his own. Also, and this may be crazy, but I can't help but think MC2 Peter Parker bares a striking resemblance to Pat....

Sal Buscema and Al Williamson

I wouldn't be much of a fan if I didn't mention these two legends. With Ron and Pat, these two gentlemen are responsible for the lion's share of inking duties throughout the MC2. By contrast, I further appreciate these two; Al's thin rounded lines versus Sal's bold lines and thick shades, I love them both. I learned so much from their work.

Ron Lim and Todd Nauck

Ron Lim worked on J2, Wild Thing, Avengers Next and the Fantastic Five mini series. Todd Nauck pencilled the American Dream mini series. Why are they on this list? Because both their styles feel right for MC2. And because they rock, of course. Cartoon-y, superhero action and adventure in the mighty MC2 way? Yes, please.

Again, this list is just my personal favorites, so if I missed your favorite, feel free to give them a shout out in the comments. Hey, maybe I've missed someone. I may don another one of these, covering the other side of the books: The Editors!

Death's Head and Copyright Conundrums

Back in the 80's Marvel had the license to publish Hasbro's Transformers comics. This wasn't something new. Companies often license out the rights to their properties; it's an excellent way to make money from licensing fees while spreading the word about their kick ass products. Simon Furman was tapped to write the books and he decided that Transformers was simply too cool a concept to tread water with. Furman's run on the Transformers is considered prolific nowadays, and it's easy to see why. He set about world building, and fleshing out the characters. A lot of the concepts that are used today in Transformers, such as Primus and Unicron and the Creation Matrix are all ideas created or expanded on by Furman. The trouble is, when it comes to copyright and ownership, who actually owns characters created by writers and artists working for Marvel published in a licensed comic book featuring concepts and characters owned by Hasbro, who, in turn, got the idea from a Japanese toy line? *Phew*

So, let's talk about Death's Head. Death's Head was a bounty-hunter that was introduced by Furman and  Geoff Senior to do battle with the mighty Cybertronian Autobots. Only, Marvel by this time was savvy to the possible copyright conundrums their license agreement could pose, so they pulled a swift one. If Death's Head was initially published in a regular not-tied-to-Hasbro publication, then Marvel could make a strong case for ownership, if the matter ever came up. A hastily put together one-page tale was published in various Marvel UK titles before the character showed up in the pages of Transformers. Pretty clever, yes?

Death's Head would go on to become a great Marvel UK property, stopping off in the year 2020 and meeting Iron man of that era and even bumping into a time traveler known as The Doctor, who shrunk him down to average size before dumping him on the rooftop of the Fantastic Four's Baxter Building. Talk about 6 degrees of separation!

Death's Head has gone on to become one of my personal favorites. The self-styled Freelance Peacekeeping Agent's (though Beast may have had a hand in this particular nomenclature) simply will not go quietly into the night. We've had Death's Head II (aka Minion) and Death's Head 3.0 (who's showed up in everything from Amazing Fantasy to Planet Hulk to Nova) but nothing compares to the original.

He's Death's Head, yes?

frogoat

Former Glory

I've noticed, as I've grown up around comics and the culture that goes with it, that people don't want 'new'. No, let me rephrase that; the individual fan will always want to sink their teeth into the latest issue, while the fans in general will always be waiting to sink their venomous fangs into the latest issue. The thing is, I grew up enjoying a lot of new takes on things, whereas some older fans will tell you no new story or character has ever amounted to anything compared to the 'good old days'. Let me explain it a bit more, aye?

Take Spider-man for example. Marvels flagship hero. An icon. Everyone knows who Spider-man is, even if it's only vaguely. Trouble is, Peter's been through thousands of issues, hundreds of super-powered fisticuffs, dozens of supporting characters and loads of changes to his status quo. His Uncle Ben died. That's a given. Then Captain Stacy. Gwen Stacy. Clones. High School. Collage. Graduate School. Photographer. School Teacher. Actual Scientist. His parents return. His parents are not his parents, but Robot Replicas (No, seriously!) Loads more clones. Peter is a clone. Peter is not a clone. Peter and Mary Jane are friends. Lovers. Married. Estranged. Unmarried. Mary Jane didn't know he was Spidey. Mary Jane always knew. Peter and Mary Jane are going to have a baby. Baby? What baby?! Aunt May hates Spider-man. Aunt May knows Peter is Spider-man. Aunt May dies. Aunt May didn't really die, that was an actress with loads of plastic surgery. Aunt May didn't know. Aunt May finds out. Aunt May dies but then Peter makes a deal with the Devil. Aunt May lives. The entire world forgets Peter is Spider-man. Spidey isn't a team player. Spider-man: Avenger. Spider-man: Fantastic Four member. Peter dies. Peter is reborn with new powers. Peter forgets/loses/who-the-hell-knows said powers.

*PHEW*

The problem with being a long time reader is the status quo as you knew it when you first fell in love with the character and his world will never stay static. For a series to continue running, it has to keep trying new things, new angles, new characters, new concepts. The worst thing any comic book can do is to grow stale, predictable, safe. You miss reading Spidey during the 80's, cos nothing beats those days, right? They had that new mysterious villain, The Hobgoblin (who is he under that mask?!) and Jonah had the Bugle bought out from under him, a great supporting cast kept things bubbling, oh, and Peter and Mary Jane were soon to be married. How could this new crap beat that?

The reason so many fans miss this, I think, is because they forget the target audience. It's a six year old kid, or a mother of four who just saw that new movie and wants to give it a spin, it's anyone who is new to the series. It's them. The book has to try to reach out to as many people as possible. Your a life-long reader? That's great, but you've already fallen under the spell, this comic want's to be read by everyone!

Someday, an old fan will sit down with their grand-kids and reminisce about the 'good old days,' when Spidey used to be good. He used to work for Horizon labs, his best friend was a beautiful redhead who owned a club and the book was only just reaching #700. Someday, this will be the benchmark used to rate the series. Let's just hope the new crowd realize what they've got before it changes! The point is, it's wonderful to cherish your past, but it's important to embrace the future too.

The April Fool's Joke

Tom tells the story best. It was a few month before Spider-Girl #60 when Tom Defalco and Pat Olliffe were told the book was cancelled. Pat was offered another title to move on to and Ron Frenz was tapped to take over for the remainder of the Season of the Serpent story. The plan was Spider-Girl would beat Marvel's previous record for longest-running solo female title (She-Hulk's sixty issue run) with #61 and that would be that. No more Spider-Girl.

So, Tom takes a final tour of the Marvel offices, says his goodbye's and heads home. Having had no offers for other titles, Tom assumes his days at Marvel are done when the book ends. Tom and Ron put together the final tale and the cover is released. This  is it. 

Early one morning Tom answers his phone. It's his editor. 'Tom, Spider-Girl's been un-cancelled and we need a plot by next week.' 'Yeah, April Fool's to you too, pal!' The phone rings again. 'No, really. The book's been renewed. We need a plot by the next week.' More calls follow, 'Oh, Tom! I just heard the news, congratulations!' 'It's still not funny, guys,' 'Hey, how's the plotting going?' 'Ha ha, yeah, drop it already.'  Geez, have they got everyone in the office in on the joke?!

Next morning, 'Tom, it's your editor. The book's really been renewed. We really need a plot outline by next week for the next six months. And, no, this is not an April Fool's joke!'

I love that story.

frogoat

Exiles

The Exiles was one of those comics you 'just had to be there' to understand and love. It was a series about a team of (mostly) mutant heroes taken out of their own timelines and thrown together to fix various alternate realities. If that hook sounds cool to you, then you'd have loved this book. But really, deep down, the series was, in essence, the story of people lost and far from home who had to work with complete strangers and hope they didn't die or get left behind or worse. A series about people caught up in a cosmic crap-storm, just trying to survive long enough to make it home.

Among some of the best things a comic book about alternate realities can have is a great creative team. Exiles, with few exceptions, always had a great writer, great artists and some of my favorite colorists in comics. Judd Winick and Mike McKone set the series rolling in a dazzling fashion, establishing the concept, introducing and fleshing out the characters and generally making the series shine. Jim Calafiore would often alternate with McKone for the art in the series, as it was often released two issues per month. Jim Calafiore for me is the Exiles. There is something about his dynamic figures that has always left me in awe. McKone may have created alot of the original characters, but Jim's art is what comes to mind when I think of the Exiles.

Chuck Austen took over the writing chores when Judd left the book. I say chores because I've honestly never thought much of Austen's 'writing', especially his depiction of female characters. Google some reviews of his time on X-men or Avengers to get an idea of what I'm referring to. Besides that, Chuck actually did a half decent job on Exiles, he kept the plates spinning, and he played with the concept a little, by having the Timebroker (the apparent entity behind the scenes) become rather mean spirited, pitting the Exiles against their darker counterparts, Weapon X. Clayton Henry turned his hand to art around this time too, and I can say his art is solid stuff.

Judd Winick returned for a half dozen issues to deliver some gut-wrenching moments which made for  genuine tears on my part, and I'm sure many others. Mizuki Sakakibara joined the rotating team of artists at this point and delivered some beautiful work. Her characters are a little more 'soft' and, I guess, manga-inspired. An excellent addition to the Exiles credentials.

Tony Bedard would take up the writer's pen to make some serious changes to the series concept as a whole, giving us at first a peak behind the curtain of the Timebroker, dropping favorite characters bringing on board controversial members and generally making the book his own, while still paying his dues to the earlier stuff. Then came the big reveal. Which I won't spoil, but I will go so far as to say it was a squee-tastic moment for me as a younger reader. Where would the series go now? A World Tour. Brilliant! Let's visit all the old favorite alternate reality stories from Marvel's past. I loved the idea. I know many people had a few problems with it, and I will concede that it was too long, lasting for a year of the series in real time. but I enjoyed where it took both the series and the characters, and being as it was supposed to be Tony's last hooray on the title, I can dig it.

Only, Tony didn't leave the title. Chris Claremont suffered health issues prior to his start on the series, meaning that now, Tony had to stretch out his run without changing the status quo. Oi vey. I will give credit where it's due, the Exiles team composed entirely of Wolverines was hilarious as all hell and had me scrambling to find out who Albert and Elsie-Dee were.  We also got a sort of 'funeral' issue for all the fallen past members, which was well presented.

Finally, the famous Chris Claremont: X-men visionary, responsible for giving us the version of the X-men that everyone is still clamoring on about to this day, the writer who-to some-is something akin to a god, a never-do-wrong by dint of being Chris Claremont, the man who re-invented the X-men. Problem is, Chris' work has not been good in years. Relying on the same-old stories, using his pet-characters (I'm looking at you, Psylocke and Sage!) and apparently not having any concept of who the Exiles were led me to bite my lip and hold on until another writer would take over. Paul Pelletier at least made the book look gorgeous, as he always does.

'Exiles canceled with #100!' Oh, god! He killed the series! 'New Exiles by Claremont Announced!' The Heck?! Chris would not only end the original series, he'd have it cross over with his own pet-title, New Excalibur, then get to dump all the series regulars in place of personal favorites, and finally lead this 'New' incarnation to it's end. Did I say Oi Vey? Cos, Oi. Vey! Again, the artist saved this from being a total disaster. Hat's off to you, Tom Grummett!

Jeff Parker and Salva Espin, on the other hand were given just six issues to turn the tide of fan-outcry around. Jeff is a clever writer and I always enjoy anything he turns in. He loves playing with all the toys and he writes great characters. Salva....well, let's just say he loved drawing the ladies. His art was a nice change of pace from the previous 'New' styles more 'realisitic' tone. The brighter colors made this title a breathe of fresh air, and the return of some old favorites with a new twist really worked. For six months. Oi Vey.

I guess I should mention that Jim Calafiore also wrote a couple issues back in the day, too. The man is oozing talent. So, I guess 5 out of 6 excellent writers isnt so bad, right? With nary a misstep art-wise, this book was always a pleasure to look at. If the series were to ever come back, I'd love to see Jeff's vision played out fully, as he clearly had a plan and was bristling with ideas.

At it's core Exiles just made me love comics more with it's wide platter of ideas and concepts, it's well-considered characters, it's off-the-wall story telling and it's charm. If you can find the trades, I highly recommend (most of) it!