posted
After enjoying Uncanny X-Force #1, I picked up #2 and enjoyed it thoroughly. It's by far the best X-book on the market even though that isn't saying much (X-Factor being the only competition and that hasn't been stellar).
It's a tightly told story with fantastic art and a small unit of characters that each get a chance to shine.
Just when I thought the mainstream X-Books were at their historical bottom in quality, I'm glad at least one solid comic book is out there.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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this story arc is ensconced in the Captain Britain universe created by Chris Claremont (methinks) from the Jaspers warp storyline from the late 80s. so that starts off as a plus with me. We've got Doc Croc. and a big surprise with this issue ... an army of furies. (cyborg superhuman killers)
In the original Captain Britain stories ONE of these cyborgs wiped out Captain UK's world of heroes (an alternate dimension version of our Captain Britain) and did a good job of taking out our Captain Britain and our 616 world (actually it did kill him but Merlin brought CB back to life) The Fury actually does defeat our James Jaspers. (if i remember correctly) then Captain Britain and Captain UK team up to put the smack down on a weak Fury.
anyhow, back to the present we've got Doc Croc not really an ally of our X-Team and James Braddock (also a reality warping uber mutant) running around somewhere. and a bunch of 'warpies' these babies are baby mutants who in the past (the 80s) had abilities because of being near reality warping events (correct me if i'm wrong) and were last seen in the care of Moira Mactaggert on Muir Isle. (who's now dead ... moving on)
so we've got new warpies in africa and a host of old Captain Britain characters and Storm, Cyclops, Beast, hisako, and Wolvie on the scene to figure out what's going on with the warpies.
issue 4:
Our X-Team faces cyborgs. lot's of textless action especially with Beast and Wolvie looking cool.
The art is definitely stylized. I like it very much but it's like a cross between Manga and Frank Quietly. (just to warn you)
then one of the cyborgs gets pissed and starts looking very Fury esque for those in the know ... slices Wolvie up like a pro for like 4 pages. Beast gets shot. Wolvie almost lose his head (graphic stuff kids)
Then Storm Cyke and Doc Croc show up to lazer the cyborgs down. Emma is back at the ranch trying to use her powers to get to the bottom of things. (she looks like an anime hooker btw)
The cyborgs repair and start to look bigger and better and more like Furies.
Team X throws more stuff at the Furies to no avail. Dr. Croc says he read a report about something like this .... basically informs the reader that these are realted to the Fury and James Jaspers. It's pictoral so you still need to have read the 80s comics at this point.
Emma has a guy whom she learns is from another dimension, she uses her powers and sees a blood red world and an army of Furies. guy tells Emma 'All your friends are dead already'.
The whole book is more about suspense and graphics to drop the bomb that there is an army of Furies invading our world ... when back in the 80s it was next to impossible to take down one. <actually there is very little allusion to the previous Captain Britain stories but the book reads much better if you have read them and realize how deadly the Furies are>
Hisako has four panels of impending death at the hands of a Fury .... turn the page .... and a Wolvie that looks like hamburger meat has healed enough to have a big red splash page of claws and Fury spine.
There's really very little text but the graphics (almost) carry the weight of a good story.
Emma tells Cyke the guy she's mind reading is a living Ghost Box (a nod to a previous Astonishing X story arc ... Ghost Boxes are teleportation devices ... that have been dramatized but at the moment I can't think of why they're so ominous)
anyway this living Ghost Box's 'very arrival here threw off enough radiation to mutate all these babies in the womb'
It's nice to have these references back to the original Captain Britain story. the warpies having a similar origin ... a lot of writers stories today don't even make sense on their own much less reference decades old stories.
so it seems the Furies came after this teleporter but if he jumps away it's going to dose everyone with radiation. sets our X-Team up for a lose lose. (i think even if he did maybe the Furies would still wanna stay and kill all our super heroes anyways .... idk)
so cyke has a plan. storm flies off with wolvie. last page is a Fury blasting Storm and Wolvie and a big 'AHHHHHHHH'
ok so ........................................................................
PROS: good art, suspenseful story telling, lots of tension and action, great references to probably the greatest Captain Britain story line.
CONS: very little dialogue, stylized art, and the books read WAY better if you've read the original stories way back when.
[ January 04, 2011, 01:23 PM: Message edited by: Power Boy ]
From: Ninja Land | Registered: Nov 2004
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The X-Teens of the 80s were the New Mutants, the 90s was Generation X, the 2000s was New X-Men: Academy X, and the 2010s is going to be Generation Hope.
I'm into all 4 of them, but currently the ones I'm most interested in are Generation X and Generation Hope. I just bought Generation X Classic at B&N, and I've already mentioned I hope for a Gen X Forever miniseries. I have to applaud Scott Lobdell's and Chris Bachalo's art in the first half, giving that there were four boys on the team (not counting Banshee), and only one of them would be considered aesthetically pleasing. The one I mean is Synch. Skin was ugly, Chamber was missing the lower half of his face and most of his chest, and Mondo was fat.
As I understand, Lobdell intended that there wasn't supposed to be an actual Monet St. Croix, in that M was really Nicole and Claudette St. Croix, the sisters of the REAL Monet. However, in M's debut issue, it was mentioned that "the twins" were missing. However, since the twins were masquerading as Monet, this would imply that there really WAS a Monet St. Croix. So, what were Lobdell's original plans had been concerning the missing Monet once her sisters true identities were revealed?
-------------------- I want to be hated by lies - Bring Back Lian Harper
posted
The story i referenced above 'Captain Britain and James Jaspers Reality Warp' storyline (1981 - 1987 ish) was originally written by Alan Moore not Chris Claremont.
From: Ninja Land | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
Closing in on the X-MEN section at the Silver Age Marvel site. Just got the "Reprints 2" page all set up (with the exception of adding all the story titles to the LAST Masterworks work).
The ONE book that may not belong on the page (or the site) is X-MEN MASTERWORKS Vol.8, because at the moment, not one issue reprinted in there is represented at the site! However, my feeling is, the volume brings "closure" to the original X-MEN series, and I am already planning to extend INCREDIBLE HULK all the way to the end of Herb Trimpe's prodigious run. (Several HULKs guest-star X-Men.)
In addition, I've already had a few Dave Cockrum issues set up from almost 2 years ago, and plan to go to the end of Dave's 1st run. By the time I'm done, there should be exactly ONE John Byrne issue on the site-- his first, and that'll be it. (It finished off a big epic Dave was just too damn slow to handle.)
This his rather like how I intend-- eventually-- to extend DAREDEVIL all the way to the 1st Frank Miller issue (also the END of a long storyline), and then STOP. Younger fans may wonder, "WTF???" as the stuff AFTER my intended end points is usually considered vastly superior. Too bad! I'm sure there are DOZENS of websites out there devoted to EACH of these books that no doubt focus almost entirely on the later, more "popular" stuff. ("Kirby who?")
As it is, Nick Simon may wind up in fits, as HIS general end point has been Jan'71! (Of course, he DID extend SGT. FURY alllllllll the way to that series' end.)
posted
Nick's website does a lot of cool thematic pages (like covers with photo in the background); you should totally do one documenting all the appearances of the X-Men in between the end of their first series and Giant-Sized #1! (Not counting Beast).
There are always a few I forget, like the Havoc/Polaris issue in Hulk, etc.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
Funny you should mention it... Right now, the 3rd X-MEN page, "51-66" contains, at the bottom, most of the "in-between" covers. (I'm still setting it up.)
I'm glad I can post stuff like this here. One of the moderators at the MASTERWORKS message board ("Gormuu") has put me on notice that I am "FORBIDDEN" to post any more links-- or even to MENTION or REFER to Nick's site-- ever again, or I'll be "BANNED".
He claims I've "crossed a line" and dirtied the image of Nick's site, turning it into a "PIRATE" site, by posting complete stories. He is so full of S*** it's unbelieavable. I've decided to not even try to discuss it with him, since he was giving me C*** a year ago because I "sign" my extensive restorations. At the same time, he allows this one friend of his ("AussieStu") to repeatedly be rude and insulting and obnoxious to other board members (NOT just me!). And, on a regular basis, other board members post links to "BLOGS" which feature SCANS OF COMPLETE STORIES. So WTF is going on there?
My own feeling is, it's very simple. MASTERWORKS is tied in directly with the MASTERWORKS website, which is set up specifically to promote MARVEL COMICS REPRINT collections.
I guess they figure it's okay to post DIRTY, UGLY scans of old comics. But not MY scans. If readers at that board look at MY scans, they're realize how INFERIOR those high-priced books are BY COMPARISON.
But you'll never get "Gormuu" to admit that.
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
By the way, on the newer reprints, I kinda like the Dean White paintings done right over the original art. Moreso than the Alex Ross paintings, merely "bases on" the same scenes. What does anybody else think?
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
I prefer new paintings ... I liked the old coloring style and don't like it being messed with so much. (just me)
From: Ninja Land | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
Well, I got another big step done in the X-MEN section. Last night I finished (?) setting up the "Reprints 2" page, posting covers for EVERY book I could find (so far) reprinting stories from the 60's run.
Updating my own hand-typed index along the way to help keep things straight, I've now started on the reprint "compare" pages, where you can see the originals side-by-side with the reprint versions.
For X-MEN #1 (Sep'63), I count 24 DIFFERENT reprint books (plus at least 2 "variants" I don't have decent copies of to post). 24!!! That's a record so far...
It's painfully obvious in cases like this, if and when I get around to adding FOREIGN reprints, they'll have to have separate "compare" pages to make it manageable.
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
I've now reached the point in the project again where I've gotten up to the books WERNER ROTH worked on. I read an interview with someone in ALTER EGO (I think) where they discussed Roth's time on the book. It was said that Stan DID NOT want to hire the guy, and Roth came in one day when Stan wasn't there, and someone else he spoke with somehow intervened, and "convinced" Stan to give the guy a chance.
If memory serves (see how familiar this sounds), Stan claimed he felt Roth's style wasn't "dynamic" enough. However, we all know how things have been going in the various discussions here and elsewhere, to take such a claim with a grain of salt.
When Roth began on X-MEN (the issue after Toth), he did pencils over Jack Kirby, with inks by Joe Sinnott (WHAT A WAY to make your debut!), then Vince Colletta, then a whole stretch of issues by Dick Ayers, followed by John Tartaglione. I'd like to point out as an aside that, unlike many other pencillers, Roth's "pretty" style shone thru, and was NOT murdered by either Colletta, Ayers OR even Tartaglione!!! I think that says a lot about the guy.
But to the point I really wanted to focus on... Roth pencilled 5 issues over Jack Kirby's STORY. This was followed by 2 issues where he flew solo, while Stan still supplied dialogue. Take note. 2 ISSUES. 2! "On the third day...", ROY THOMAS, fresh from DC (and fanzines before that) took over writing dialogue. And, PROBABLY, more.
Unlike Stan, Roy has never been lazy in the (AHEM!) "writing" department. I don't know how detailed Roy's plots were-- one long paragraph? A full page? SEVERAL pages? Presumably, he DID work "Marvel Method", doing plot beforehand and dialogue afterwards.
The thing I wanted to take note of, which stands out to me now more than before (now that I know what I didn't before), is that, faced with a penciller NOT used to plotting his own stories, Stan JUMPED SHIP as soon as possible. I guess it was a good match. Roth wasn't big on plotting, and Roy WAS. (What self-respecting "writer" WOULDN'T be?????)
Registered: Aug 2003
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