"Your optic blasts are nothing more than harmless colored light. The truth is, Cyclops, I'll be hitting you and your trashily dressed girlfriend very, very hard now." -Occam
Occam, a.k.a. Edmund Ockham. Sociopath and mutant threat. Power of "Epistemic Belief". If Occam believes it then it's true, or at least the truth for him. The simpler an explanation he can imagine, the more powerful he becomes. The closest analogy to how his powers work would be a combination of Proteus and the Purple Man, but instead of effecting the world around him, Occam's abilities are internal, effecting himself.
"Dr. McCoy, I don't believe that there's anything you or your people, and I use that term loosely, can do to stop me." Occam's goals are purely self serving. He has no interest is either Xavier's dream or Magneto's view of mutantkind's place in society. Occam has self-confidence to rival Doom but none of Doom's drive or lust for power. Whatever he wants, he's going to take and neither human or mutant life means anything to him. Eventually, the growing property damage and rising body count will draw him into conflict with the X-men. It's important though that under no circumstances what so ever will Occam ever be depicted killing anyone with any sort of razor. No. Just, No.
Occam has used his abilities to reshape his body into what he believes is the ideal human form, and in the Marvel Universe this means Captain America. A dead ringer for Steve Rodgers, and dressed in hand tailored suits and designer sunglasses, Occam kills with philosophy.
This is my first pass at creating a villain specifically for the X-men. It's odd. Now that I think about it, after all the years of being a fan of the X-men and writing unreleated stories of my own, I've never scribbled anything specifically for this franchise. Going back and reading my initial take on this character I think I might hate the idea. We'll see how I feel in the morning. This post might be heavily rewritten in the next 24 hours. Click the comments link below to tell me how much this concept both sucks and blows.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Classic Cover of the Week
A double shot of classic covers while I got Marvel's Merry Mutants on my mind.*
Issue forty-four, the first X-men comic I ever read.
And issue one seventy-five, the first issue I bought for myself using my allowance.
#44 is no longer in continuity as I barely remember Roy Thomas' story from this one. However, the sheer awesome beauty that is Claremont and Smith's work on #175 is firmly in continuity.
*Alliteration, I know. Sorry.
Issue forty-four, the first X-men comic I ever read.
And issue one seventy-five, the first issue I bought for myself using my allowance.
#44 is no longer in continuity as I barely remember Roy Thomas' story from this one. However, the sheer awesome beauty that is Claremont and Smith's work on #175 is firmly in continuity.
*Alliteration, I know. Sorry.
My Terrible X-men Ideas
In the total and complete never-in-a-million-years possibility that I got to do what I wanted with the X-men franchise, here's where I'd start:
Astonishing X-Men
Cyclops, Emma Frost, Beast, Kitty, Colossus
Big Things Happen. If Apocalypse were to eat the M'krann Crystal or an army of Deviants show up and turn Chicago into an all-you-can-eat barbeque, it happens here.
Uncanny X-men
Storm, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Warpath, Darwin, Rachel Summers, Angel and Iceman.
Hatred. Bigotry. Fear. But the X-Men are working to change the world. They're the public face of mutants' rights, reacting to disasters and policing the mutant population like a two-fisted version of the Red Cross.
I see the Blackbird flying overhead of a disaster area. Storm and Angel rescuing survivors and contain the damage while Rogue and Warpath are on the ground punching out looters. Meanwhile, Nightcrawler is passing out Hostess Fruit Pies to kids wrapped in emergency blankets.
When the X-men aren't working as mutant-kind's ambassadors they're fighting their own crazy soap-opera lives. I'd explore the idea that a mutant isn't just a human with superpowers. A mutant's life is different from a regular person's; the way they think, act, deal with relationships and perceive the world should be mutated as well. Otherwise, in a world that gives the FF and Avengers parades, why the anti-mutant bias?
100% on these facts: Ororo Munroe is sporting the mohawk and leather vest. She is not sporting a wedding ring. Rogue is wearing the new retro costume. Angel does not have blue skin. Iceman is a man covered in ice, not a man made of ice. Rachel Summers is wearing her mother's classic green costume and sometimes forgets to use her telepathy to hide her hound tattoos. And Darwin is awesome.
New Mutants
Professor X with Cannonball, Dani Moonstar, Husk, Hellion and Dust. The students have become the teachers. Fill out the rest of the roster with a rotating focus on the kids from "New X-men" mixed with Morrison/Whedon's kids and former New Mutants. The school. The Danger Room. Teen angst with two scoops of fun. Opening story arc: "Welcome to Xavier's, Hope You Survive the Experience!"
Banshee, Agent of SHIELD
One of the original pitch ideas for the All-New All-Different X-men was to have an international cast traveling the globe in a flying base, reacting to threats to mutant kind (Roy Thomas' idea). This would be the 21th century update of that unused concept.
Sean Cassidy, ex-Interpol and current SHIELD agent, gets top billing but it's definitely a team book. Globe spanning espionage action and mayhem. Banshee's team is an integrated mix of SHIELD personnel and former X-men, given a helicarrier and tasked as first responders to superhuman threats.
Team Leaders: Banshee and Mockingbird. (Isn't she dead? To riff on a line from Claremont: She was. She got better.)
Field Team: Bishop, Deadpool, Skids, Sabra, Gambit and maybe characters like Pete Wisdom, Puck and Sunfire. Plus a group of SHIELD agents (mix of mutants and humans) who have no ties to Xavier's school. Field team rosters can be custom tailored to the mission, drawing from the pool of agents living on the helicarrier.
Helicarrier Support Team: Forge, Cecilia Reyes, Sharon Friedlander, Tom Corsi and Roger Bochs.
Plus we'll have the SHIELD presence: agents, techs, medics, the post CIVIL WAR version of "cape killer" soldiers and interaction with people like Agent Brand, Maria Hill, Val Cooper, Gyrich, Fury, etc.
Cross-pollenization book, so your villains are Mystique's Brotherhood teaming up with Arnim Zola and the All-New All-Different Masters of Evil.
PAD's X-factor
Don't touch a damn thing.
New Excalibur or Exiles
If Claremont deserves a "thanks for everything" book then he gets one of these and the other one get's the axe. If not, they I'd pull them both from the monthly slate.
But, wait. Where the hell's Wolverine? Glad you asked. With a solo book (guess which of the current two I'd axe) and a day job with the New Avengers, there's not enough time in the day. Let the rest of the X-men shine without the old Canucklehead for a while.
Astonishing X-Men
Cyclops, Emma Frost, Beast, Kitty, Colossus
Big Things Happen. If Apocalypse were to eat the M'krann Crystal or an army of Deviants show up and turn Chicago into an all-you-can-eat barbeque, it happens here.
Uncanny X-men
Storm, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Warpath, Darwin, Rachel Summers, Angel and Iceman.
Hatred. Bigotry. Fear. But the X-Men are working to change the world. They're the public face of mutants' rights, reacting to disasters and policing the mutant population like a two-fisted version of the Red Cross.
I see the Blackbird flying overhead of a disaster area. Storm and Angel rescuing survivors and contain the damage while Rogue and Warpath are on the ground punching out looters. Meanwhile, Nightcrawler is passing out Hostess Fruit Pies to kids wrapped in emergency blankets.
When the X-men aren't working as mutant-kind's ambassadors they're fighting their own crazy soap-opera lives. I'd explore the idea that a mutant isn't just a human with superpowers. A mutant's life is different from a regular person's; the way they think, act, deal with relationships and perceive the world should be mutated as well. Otherwise, in a world that gives the FF and Avengers parades, why the anti-mutant bias?
100% on these facts: Ororo Munroe is sporting the mohawk and leather vest. She is not sporting a wedding ring. Rogue is wearing the new retro costume. Angel does not have blue skin. Iceman is a man covered in ice, not a man made of ice. Rachel Summers is wearing her mother's classic green costume and sometimes forgets to use her telepathy to hide her hound tattoos. And Darwin is awesome.
New Mutants
Professor X with Cannonball, Dani Moonstar, Husk, Hellion and Dust. The students have become the teachers. Fill out the rest of the roster with a rotating focus on the kids from "New X-men" mixed with Morrison/Whedon's kids and former New Mutants. The school. The Danger Room. Teen angst with two scoops of fun. Opening story arc: "Welcome to Xavier's, Hope You Survive the Experience!"
Banshee, Agent of SHIELD
One of the original pitch ideas for the All-New All-Different X-men was to have an international cast traveling the globe in a flying base, reacting to threats to mutant kind (Roy Thomas' idea). This would be the 21th century update of that unused concept.
Sean Cassidy, ex-Interpol and current SHIELD agent, gets top billing but it's definitely a team book. Globe spanning espionage action and mayhem. Banshee's team is an integrated mix of SHIELD personnel and former X-men, given a helicarrier and tasked as first responders to superhuman threats.
Team Leaders: Banshee and Mockingbird. (Isn't she dead? To riff on a line from Claremont: She was. She got better.)
Field Team: Bishop, Deadpool, Skids, Sabra, Gambit and maybe characters like Pete Wisdom, Puck and Sunfire. Plus a group of SHIELD agents (mix of mutants and humans) who have no ties to Xavier's school. Field team rosters can be custom tailored to the mission, drawing from the pool of agents living on the helicarrier.
Helicarrier Support Team: Forge, Cecilia Reyes, Sharon Friedlander, Tom Corsi and Roger Bochs.
Plus we'll have the SHIELD presence: agents, techs, medics, the post CIVIL WAR version of "cape killer" soldiers and interaction with people like Agent Brand, Maria Hill, Val Cooper, Gyrich, Fury, etc.
Cross-pollenization book, so your villains are Mystique's Brotherhood teaming up with Arnim Zola and the All-New All-Different Masters of Evil.
PAD's X-factor
Don't touch a damn thing.
New Excalibur or Exiles
If Claremont deserves a "thanks for everything" book then he gets one of these and the other one get's the axe. If not, they I'd pull them both from the monthly slate.
But, wait. Where the hell's Wolverine? Glad you asked. With a solo book (guess which of the current two I'd axe) and a day job with the New Avengers, there's not enough time in the day. Let the rest of the X-men shine without the old Canucklehead for a while.
Friday, February 9, 2007
Classic Cover of the Week
When I think of the X-Men this is the image that first comes to mind. The best line-up. The best creative team at their at-each-other's-throats creative peak. This is the defining story along with, for my money, "God Loves, Man Kills" close on it's heels. Twenty-five years later, and it's still a key foundation of the X-men mythos.
When I first read this story it was in this graphic novel format with this cover, and hot on it's heels came Uncanny X-men #175 a more than fitting follow-up tale.
Simply classic.
Oh, and if you haven't done it yet, do yourself a favor and listen to the Comic Pants X-men podcast.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Star Wars vs. Backstory
So there's 3 year-old me, wearing footie pyjamas in the back of my dad's station wagon and gaping wide eyed as Han Solo runs away from those stormtroopers on the Death Star. Over the years I've lost count of how many times Han's chased those troopers down that hallway only to come running back the other direction. But today he's doing it again on HBO and the digital cable program description made me stop and watch.
"Robots and other allies help a youth and a space jockey rescue a rebel princess and battle dark forces bent on intergalactic rule."
You're damn right they do.
Unfortunately, after all the years of related toys, comics, books and prequels there's no way I can just watch Star Wars and enjoy it for what it is. This isn't a dig at the prequels, which had their moments, or the all the good, bad and terrible (I'm looking at you, K.W. Jeter) Expanded Universe novels. I'm just lamenting that my selective continuity midiclorians aren't strong enough where I can just enjoy a braless Princess Leia in the garbage smasher with a bowl of popcorn without being reminded of Jacen, Jaina and whatever the name of that floating nursemaid-bot at the end of "Sith" was called.
I don't need to know the name of the guy who taught Han to hot wire a speeder bike. No one does. All we need to know is that he's an arrogant pilot who's loyal to his friends, loves his hunk of junk spaceship and is willing to gun down Greedo in cold blood.
Star Wars is a prime example of the too-much-of-a-good-thing corollary. The movie works best on its own or supplemented with just the two sequels and maybe just a couple of the books and comics, no more. The stories that matter lose their importance and get bogged down by minutiae if you, at some point, don't stop lumping backstory on them.
It's impossible to unsee Yoda with a lightsabre or armies of cartoon Gungans.
Unrelated to the point: "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no excuse for a good blaster at your side, kid." Thanks, Han. I'll try to keep that in mind.
"Robots and other allies help a youth and a space jockey rescue a rebel princess and battle dark forces bent on intergalactic rule."
You're damn right they do.
Unfortunately, after all the years of related toys, comics, books and prequels there's no way I can just watch Star Wars and enjoy it for what it is. This isn't a dig at the prequels, which had their moments, or the all the good, bad and terrible (I'm looking at you, K.W. Jeter) Expanded Universe novels. I'm just lamenting that my selective continuity midiclorians aren't strong enough where I can just enjoy a braless Princess Leia in the garbage smasher with a bowl of popcorn without being reminded of Jacen, Jaina and whatever the name of that floating nursemaid-bot at the end of "Sith" was called.
I don't need to know the name of the guy who taught Han to hot wire a speeder bike. No one does. All we need to know is that he's an arrogant pilot who's loyal to his friends, loves his hunk of junk spaceship and is willing to gun down Greedo in cold blood.
Star Wars is a prime example of the too-much-of-a-good-thing corollary. The movie works best on its own or supplemented with just the two sequels and maybe just a couple of the books and comics, no more. The stories that matter lose their importance and get bogged down by minutiae if you, at some point, don't stop lumping backstory on them.
It's impossible to unsee Yoda with a lightsabre or armies of cartoon Gungans.
Unrelated to the point: "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no excuse for a good blaster at your side, kid." Thanks, Han. I'll try to keep that in mind.
Saturday, February 3, 2007
In No Particular Order
Eliza Dushku
Firefly
Wonderfalls
Laura Prepon
God Loves, Man Kills
Kari Byron
Jameson
Steak
The Ultimates
Bendis' Daredevil
Masuimi Max
Bettie Page
Grant Morrison's New X-Men
MovieMagic Screenwriter
Playin' cards
Battlestar Galactica
Jenna Fischer
Guinness
Amazing Spider-Man #248
How I Met Your Mother
Rage fueled regret
Rosalind Russell
The ISB
Jenna Fischer
Scarlett Johansson
"The Beautiful and Damned"
Sabres hockey
Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol
Lucy Liu
A complete run of "Power Man and Iron Fist" fighting a complete run of "Suicide Squad" in a duel to the death.
And if you were left off the list, rest assured this is by no means a final or complete rundown. Your time will come.
Firefly
Wonderfalls
Laura Prepon
God Loves, Man Kills
Kari Byron
Jameson
Steak
The Ultimates
Bendis' Daredevil
Masuimi Max
Bettie Page
Grant Morrison's New X-Men
MovieMagic Screenwriter
Playin' cards
Battlestar Galactica
Jenna Fischer
Guinness
Amazing Spider-Man #248
How I Met Your Mother
Rage fueled regret
Rosalind Russell
The ISB
Jenna Fischer
Scarlett Johansson
"The Beautiful and Damned"
Sabres hockey
Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol
Lucy Liu
A complete run of "Power Man and Iron Fist" fighting a complete run of "Suicide Squad" in a duel to the death.
And if you were left off the list, rest assured this is by no means a final or complete rundown. Your time will come.
Friday, February 2, 2007
Not Dead. Yet.
January 23rd? Is ten days without a new post long enough to declare a fledgling blog deceased? Man, I hope not. I do have the built-in excuse though of an honest-to-Kirby paying writing gig to explain the lack of postitude. But deadline met, project turned in and check in hand, I'm ready to get caught up on slacking off.
Quick thoughts:
Joss Whedon's Wonder Woman dies stillborn. And yet Nick Coppola's Ghost Rider is still barrelling toward its release date unchecked. I really am starting to fear that the miracle run of comic book film adaptations to going to derail itself.
"Shazam: The Monster Society of Evil" is on the pull list of my heart, sight unseen. Wow, that came out of the ether but "the pull list of my heart" might work it's way into heavy rotation.
Is Sci-Fi Channel's "The Dresden Files" a majorly reworked pitch idea for a Dr. Strange TV show? No? Because, damn, it sure feels like it wants to be.
I'm the last one to the party, but I sat down this morning and read the first trade of "Y: The Last Man". Hell yeah is all I've got for now. BKV is a badass.
Oh, and my dream casting of the absolute dream writing job I could ever hope to land: Henry Simmons, Chad Michael Murray, Gina Torres, Carly Pope and Dennis Dunn.
Which reminds me, now that the paying writing is out of the way its time to get back to the spec scripts. And the drinking.
Go Sabres.
Quick thoughts:
Joss Whedon's Wonder Woman dies stillborn. And yet Nick Coppola's Ghost Rider is still barrelling toward its release date unchecked. I really am starting to fear that the miracle run of comic book film adaptations to going to derail itself.
"Shazam: The Monster Society of Evil" is on the pull list of my heart, sight unseen. Wow, that came out of the ether but "the pull list of my heart" might work it's way into heavy rotation.
Is Sci-Fi Channel's "The Dresden Files" a majorly reworked pitch idea for a Dr. Strange TV show? No? Because, damn, it sure feels like it wants to be.
I'm the last one to the party, but I sat down this morning and read the first trade of "Y: The Last Man". Hell yeah is all I've got for now. BKV is a badass.
Oh, and my dream casting of the absolute dream writing job I could ever hope to land: Henry Simmons, Chad Michael Murray, Gina Torres, Carly Pope and Dennis Dunn.
Which reminds me, now that the paying writing is out of the way its time to get back to the spec scripts. And the drinking.
Go Sabres.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Classic Cover of the Week
Chris Claremont and Barry Windsor-Smith in 1986, using Wolverine to remind us all that Katie Power is the baddest 6 year-old on the planet.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Ronin: Hank Pym or Robbie Baldwin?
Bendis says: “It’s someone with a long history in the Marvel Universe. There are quite a few people it could be, and it’s not necessarily the person you immediately go to, but it’s someone I have an affection for who also has a history of donning a guise that best suits his or her mental tone. And this is his or her mental tone right now. And it just so happens there is a costume that needs filling and a person who can fill it, and so it’s taken."
So, yeah...
Yeah?
Yeah. I'm thinking that it's gotta be Hank.
Pym?
Of course Pym. Who did you think we were talking about?
Um, Speedball. I thought...
Nah, Robbie's hiding in his BDSM costume. This is a ninja costume.
That someone's hiding in.
That Hank Pym (you know Yellowjacket, Giant-Man) is hiding in.
And you're reading all this from the "history of donning a guise that best suits his or her mental tone" remark? Isn't that...
A reach? I guess we'll find out.
Um...
You'll see.
Sure.
So, yeah...
Yeah?
Yeah. I'm thinking that it's gotta be Hank.
Pym?
Of course Pym. Who did you think we were talking about?
Um, Speedball. I thought...
Nah, Robbie's hiding in his BDSM costume. This is a ninja costume.
That someone's hiding in.
That Hank Pym (you know Yellowjacket, Giant-Man) is hiding in.
And you're reading all this from the "history of donning a guise that best suits his or her mental tone" remark? Isn't that...
A reach? I guess we'll find out.
Um...
You'll see.
Sure.
Why Aren't They The New Defenders?
Dr. Strange, Power Man & Iron Fist, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Spider Woman, Ronin and Echo. Read all about it.
Wow. Except for the last two characters, who didn't exist, and the absences of Moon Knight and Gargoyle, this is the exact super team who's adventures I wanted to read in 1986.
Actually, after the initial story arc, it'll probably come time to fill out the roster with some new members. I'd add my boys Marc and Issac along with Valkyrie, Hawkeye and Mockingbird.
Mockingbird's dead, you say? Yeah, so's Jean Grey and Bucky Barnes. Oh, and Future Michael from 2008 just hopped off the Cosmic Treadmill, made a snide comment about Uncle Ben and Mary Jane being still "deseased" as well, and then disappeared. I hope that doesn't mean what I think it does.
Captian America may have said, "You're The Avengers, dammit!" but calling this team "The Defenders" isn't a reach either.
While we're discussing this, here's my beef with Ronin. He (or she) is just a cypher. The character is nothing more that a cool looking ninja costume. For the costume's previous appearances, it was Echo wearing the duds. Now she's got separate billing, so we have someone new dressing as a ninja. Since the A-team is ostensibly mint jelly* already, what further good does it do for the person wearing the Ronin mask to hide their identity? Rampant wide, wide world of web speculation has it that it's really Captain America wearing the ninja drag. It wasn't that long ago, two or three story arcs tops, that "Who is Ronin?" was the big mystery and now we're retreading that same plot device. Sigh. Hopefully, it's not just Cap in double secret hiding.
This time the person wearing the mask ought to be the "real" Ronin, someone with an origin story, secret identity, discinct set of powers, and personality. Otherwise the guise will rapidly devolve into parody. "Who is Ronin this time?" My guess is Speedball, or maybe Hank Pym.
Or maybe Ronin's real identity goes by the initials Brian Michael Bendis. No, I don't think that needs a Spoiler Alert! tag.
* Because they're on the lam. All credit to Abe Simpson.
Wow. Except for the last two characters, who didn't exist, and the absences of Moon Knight and Gargoyle, this is the exact super team who's adventures I wanted to read in 1986.
Actually, after the initial story arc, it'll probably come time to fill out the roster with some new members. I'd add my boys Marc and Issac along with Valkyrie, Hawkeye and Mockingbird.
Mockingbird's dead, you say? Yeah, so's Jean Grey and Bucky Barnes. Oh, and Future Michael from 2008 just hopped off the Cosmic Treadmill, made a snide comment about Uncle Ben and Mary Jane being still "deseased" as well, and then disappeared. I hope that doesn't mean what I think it does.
Captian America may have said, "You're The Avengers, dammit!" but calling this team "The Defenders" isn't a reach either.
While we're discussing this, here's my beef with Ronin. He (or she) is just a cypher. The character is nothing more that a cool looking ninja costume. For the costume's previous appearances, it was Echo wearing the duds. Now she's got separate billing, so we have someone new dressing as a ninja. Since the A-team is ostensibly mint jelly* already, what further good does it do for the person wearing the Ronin mask to hide their identity? Rampant wide, wide world of web speculation has it that it's really Captain America wearing the ninja drag. It wasn't that long ago, two or three story arcs tops, that "Who is Ronin?" was the big mystery and now we're retreading that same plot device. Sigh. Hopefully, it's not just Cap in double secret hiding.
This time the person wearing the mask ought to be the "real" Ronin, someone with an origin story, secret identity, discinct set of powers, and personality. Otherwise the guise will rapidly devolve into parody. "Who is Ronin this time?" My guess is Speedball, or maybe Hank Pym.
Or maybe Ronin's real identity goes by the initials Brian Michael Bendis. No, I don't think that needs a Spoiler Alert! tag.
* Because they're on the lam. All credit to Abe Simpson.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
So Where the Hell's Abin Sur Already?
Your results: You are Green Lantern
Hot-headed. You have strong will power and a good imagination.
Click here to take the "Which Superhero am I?" quiz...
Hot-headed. You have strong will power and a good imagination.
Click here to take the "Which Superhero am I?" quiz...
Friday, January 12, 2007
Classic Cover of the Week
Flash #326, October 1983. So, it's a month shy of my tenth birthday and I'm in the local book store checking out the comics rack.
Actually, I'm gonna stop right there and let that sink it for a second. Comics in a book store. In a mall. No, that's not the ghost of Rod Sterling standing behind you with his hand on your shoulder.
Anyway, so there's ten year-old me in the book store checking out the rack and debating which comics deserved my allowance when there it was, Flash #326. This cover stopped me dead in my tracks. "How can the Flash be under arrest? He's a good guy!"
Now, I was a Marvel kid. Introduced to the X-men early on, and from there to Spidey, the Thing, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, and Power Man and Iron Fist. But this was the Flash, from Superfriends! All I knew of those "other comics" was what that I knew from "Superfriends", the Adam West "Batman", and the "Plastic Man" Saturday morning cartoon.
And I knew that Falsh was a good guy. How could he be under arrest? I had to know. Needless to say, there was no way I was leaving without that issue. Just a great classic cover and to this day every time I spent money on a DC comic I blame it on this cover.
Sixty cents well spent.
Monday, January 8, 2007
More Trouble in Little China
"You know what old Jack Burton says at a time like this?"
Not yet, but my mind is reeling at the possibilities.
Not yet, but my mind is reeling at the possibilities.
Friday, January 5, 2007
Civil War #6 and The Big Reset Button
It's sitting right there on page 14, panel 2, and I can't believe I didn't pick up on it in the character's previous appearances. Damn you, foreshadowing! You're a cruel mistress. Marvel Editorial and Mark Millar have given us a status quo restoring "out" should they need it. If I had a scanner I'd post a scan of the image to go along with it.*
MIRIAM: "I REALLY WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ALL THIS. NOT JUST THE MONEY. I MEAN, ALL THE WORK YOU'VE DONE TO PUSH MY BIG IDEA."
Wow. It's too bad I'll have to wait for the deluxe trade edition to see any of Millar's script for the issue. I'd be really surprised if the panel description for page 14, panel 3, is anything other than:
PANEL 3. CLOSE ON TONY AND REED. THEY GAZE LOVINGLY AT MIRIAM WITH THE BEATIFIC SMILES OF THE MIND CONTROLLED.
Granted, I have no idea how the story is really going to play out. That said, here you have a built-in escape clause for a sales backlash against CIVIL WAR, all of the ancillary tie-ins and the post-CIVIL WAR Marvel universe. If the books weren't doing gang busters the easiest thing in the world to do would be to reveal Tony and Reed as being mind controlled. Why else would they be acting so wildly out of character? Other characters, like Hank Pym and Spidey haven't had the direct telepathic whammy put on them so their opinions can vacillate, convictions waver.
Here's how I see it going down at some point in the future, forgoing precise page numbers:
NEXT PAGE, NEXT PANEL. TONY AND REED IN STREET CLOTHES ARE MEETING WITH MIRIAM AGAIN TO UPDATE HER ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE 50 STATE INITIATIVE AND GET THEIR LATEST MARCHING ORDERS.
NEXT PAGE, SINGLE PANEL SPLASH. IN A FLASH OF ELDRITCH LIGHT APPEARS DR. STRANGE, TELEPORTING HIMSELF ONTO THE SCENE. DR. STRANGE FLOATS ABOVE THE TRIO, HOLDING FORGE’S NEUTRALIZER PROTOTYPE.
DR. STRANGE: "I'M SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS, MIRIAM.”
DR. STRANGE: “BUT IT ENDS HERE.”
NEXT PAGE, PANEL 1. HE FIRES.
PANEL 2. MIRIAM CRUMPLES TO THE GROUND. SFX OF HER POWER BEING STRIPPED FROM HER VISUALLY CALLS BACK TO UNCANNY #181 AND ORORO.
MIRIAM: “NO!”
PANEL 3. TONY AND REED, THE SCALES FALL FROM THEIR EYES.
REED RICHARDS: "MY GOD, TONY. WHAT HAVE WE DONE?"
EPILOGUE: A PSYCHIATRIST’S OFFICE. ANGLE ON THE GRIEVING MOTHER. MIRIAM SITS ON THE COUCH AND WEEPS, HER FACE IN HER HANDS. SHE’S BEING COUNSELED BY ONE DOC SAMPSON.
Granted, there’s some gaps and leaps missing to get to this point. However, I think you can see what I’m trying to get at. This would be a satisfying ending to the story, and an emotional one. It would also tie up nicely everything that’s happened so far and give additional weight to the characters as they work to atone for their actions. Not only are Tony and Reed guilt ridden over what they’ve done, but they’re essentially innocent in the eyes of readers, freeing us to remain fans of the characters. Additionally, the secondary characters caught up in CIVIL WAR have learned the lesson of what blind patriotism brings. It’s a lesson both sides can use to help guide their actions going forward.
This leaves multiple story arcs just waiting to be developed. Tony and Reed’s atonement, rounding up all the freed super-villains, cleaning up after the “50 stater” super teams, etc.
And Captain America, the embodiment of true American values, was right all along.
The End.
*But then again, the 3 people that know about this blog can either read their own copy or borrow mine.
MIRIAM: "I REALLY WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ALL THIS. NOT JUST THE MONEY. I MEAN, ALL THE WORK YOU'VE DONE TO PUSH MY BIG IDEA."
Wow. It's too bad I'll have to wait for the deluxe trade edition to see any of Millar's script for the issue. I'd be really surprised if the panel description for page 14, panel 3, is anything other than:
PANEL 3. CLOSE ON TONY AND REED. THEY GAZE LOVINGLY AT MIRIAM WITH THE BEATIFIC SMILES OF THE MIND CONTROLLED.
Granted, I have no idea how the story is really going to play out. That said, here you have a built-in escape clause for a sales backlash against CIVIL WAR, all of the ancillary tie-ins and the post-CIVIL WAR Marvel universe. If the books weren't doing gang busters the easiest thing in the world to do would be to reveal Tony and Reed as being mind controlled. Why else would they be acting so wildly out of character? Other characters, like Hank Pym and Spidey haven't had the direct telepathic whammy put on them so their opinions can vacillate, convictions waver.
Here's how I see it going down at some point in the future, forgoing precise page numbers:
NEXT PAGE, NEXT PANEL. TONY AND REED IN STREET CLOTHES ARE MEETING WITH MIRIAM AGAIN TO UPDATE HER ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE 50 STATE INITIATIVE AND GET THEIR LATEST MARCHING ORDERS.
NEXT PAGE, SINGLE PANEL SPLASH. IN A FLASH OF ELDRITCH LIGHT APPEARS DR. STRANGE, TELEPORTING HIMSELF ONTO THE SCENE. DR. STRANGE FLOATS ABOVE THE TRIO, HOLDING FORGE’S NEUTRALIZER PROTOTYPE.
DR. STRANGE: "I'M SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS, MIRIAM.”
DR. STRANGE: “BUT IT ENDS HERE.”
NEXT PAGE, PANEL 1. HE FIRES.
PANEL 2. MIRIAM CRUMPLES TO THE GROUND. SFX OF HER POWER BEING STRIPPED FROM HER VISUALLY CALLS BACK TO UNCANNY #181 AND ORORO.
MIRIAM: “NO!”
PANEL 3. TONY AND REED, THE SCALES FALL FROM THEIR EYES.
REED RICHARDS: "MY GOD, TONY. WHAT HAVE WE DONE?"
EPILOGUE: A PSYCHIATRIST’S OFFICE. ANGLE ON THE GRIEVING MOTHER. MIRIAM SITS ON THE COUCH AND WEEPS, HER FACE IN HER HANDS. SHE’S BEING COUNSELED BY ONE DOC SAMPSON.
Granted, there’s some gaps and leaps missing to get to this point. However, I think you can see what I’m trying to get at. This would be a satisfying ending to the story, and an emotional one. It would also tie up nicely everything that’s happened so far and give additional weight to the characters as they work to atone for their actions. Not only are Tony and Reed guilt ridden over what they’ve done, but they’re essentially innocent in the eyes of readers, freeing us to remain fans of the characters. Additionally, the secondary characters caught up in CIVIL WAR have learned the lesson of what blind patriotism brings. It’s a lesson both sides can use to help guide their actions going forward.
This leaves multiple story arcs just waiting to be developed. Tony and Reed’s atonement, rounding up all the freed super-villains, cleaning up after the “50 stater” super teams, etc.
And Captain America, the embodiment of true American values, was right all along.
The End.
*But then again, the 3 people that know about this blog can either read their own copy or borrow mine.
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Cheaper Than A Doctor Bill
Not only is this the best house ad in all of comics, but it's almost single handedly responsible for my continuing man-crush on Luke Cage and Danny Rand.
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
A Few Minor Clarifications
In continuity: Danny the Street
Out of continuity: Superboy-Prime and the universe's punchable walls.
Soon-to-be out of continuity: Spidey's unmasking and Iron Man's Neo Con ego trip.
Out of continuity: Superboy-Prime and the universe's punchable walls.
Soon-to-be out of continuity: Spidey's unmasking and Iron Man's Neo Con ego trip.
Internet Manifesto: Or Everyone Else Is Already Doing It.
So, here’s the theory I’m running with when it comes to New Year’s resolutions in aught seven. Max Afinogenov’s shooting percentage is 19.8 as of January 1st. Chris Drury’s is 18.9. I’m not gonna take as many shots as they have so far but two out of ten? I think I can stick with two out of ten resolutions, or better yet 4-for-20.
This dumping ground for all the pablum that leaks out of my brain is one of the twenty. It’s also a distraction from the real writing I’ve been dragging ass on. So when procrastination is beating on the script that should I should be well into a second draft on, now I have another distraction to blame.
“Selective continuity?” you ask. Yeah, because do you remember when Reed and Sue Richards were in the Avengers with the likes of Gilgamesh, Doctor Druid, and Sersi? Me neither. Never happened. Scott Lobdell’s Uncanny X-Men? Who?
Captain Hero killed Danny Rand? Them’s fightin’ words, mister.
I do remember Ostrander’s Suicide Squad though, and the JLI. How about the time that Kurt and Logan stood back and finished their beers while the Juggernaut brought the whole bar down on Colossus’ head? Here at Selective Continuity that happened just a couple of months before Morrison’s run.
So I’m gonna blather about comics, ignore things I don’t like, try to restrain my gushing praise for the Sabres, and vent the random bits that don’t belong on the script page or in my head. Along the way I hope to hammer the spec scripts I’m working on into a submissible form.
As for the rest of the twenty, maybe the list stays where it belongs, in my head. Maybe it ends up here, where it doesn’t really belong.
This dumping ground for all the pablum that leaks out of my brain is one of the twenty. It’s also a distraction from the real writing I’ve been dragging ass on. So when procrastination is beating on the script that should I should be well into a second draft on, now I have another distraction to blame.
“Selective continuity?” you ask. Yeah, because do you remember when Reed and Sue Richards were in the Avengers with the likes of Gilgamesh, Doctor Druid, and Sersi? Me neither. Never happened. Scott Lobdell’s Uncanny X-Men? Who?
Captain Hero killed Danny Rand? Them’s fightin’ words, mister.
I do remember Ostrander’s Suicide Squad though, and the JLI. How about the time that Kurt and Logan stood back and finished their beers while the Juggernaut brought the whole bar down on Colossus’ head? Here at Selective Continuity that happened just a couple of months before Morrison’s run.
So I’m gonna blather about comics, ignore things I don’t like, try to restrain my gushing praise for the Sabres, and vent the random bits that don’t belong on the script page or in my head. Along the way I hope to hammer the spec scripts I’m working on into a submissible form.
As for the rest of the twenty, maybe the list stays where it belongs, in my head. Maybe it ends up here, where it doesn’t really belong.
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