Marvelous Possibilities

by Brandon

Marvel's announcement that they own Marvelman at the San Diego Comic Con in late July 2009 was a welcome surprise for many fans. Why? Because Marvelman has been in legal purgatory for many, many years. That is the Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman version. Though it's still not clear whether that paramount work or not remains under Marvel's publishing purview or not, it is clear that Marvel can does plan on publishing new Marvelman material. I can just see the line queuing up outside Joe Quesada's office in New York with writers chomping at his heels to get a chance to write this character. But who are these writers?

I submit to you my humble list of writers who I think should, could, and probably would tackle Marvel's newly minted Marvelman.


Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman comes to mind immediately. I think that it is highly probable that Marvel will get Gaiman for an arc or two, maybe even a miniseries. They wouldn't get him for longer, but he's been involved in this whole legal process for a while. He also wrote Marvel's 1602 in the hopes of funding said legal battle. It would have been fruitless of him to have spent such time and effort in this process to not get a shot at writing Marvelman in any form. It would be great if he could continue and finish the story he started, but it would also be awesome if he did anything with the material. I think Marvel would at least give him the initial stab at writing Marvelman, perhaps by launching with a miniseries.They have a good working relationship that I don't see hindering Gaiman's inclusion.
Vegas Odds: Marvel publishing books with an "X" on the front cover.

Mark Millar
Though he's pretty busy these days, Mark Millar can bring a crowd to pretty much anything. I think Millar could do a good job with the Marvelman character, but he has to realize sensationalizing this character just doesn't seem right. He has a penchant to make things be a bit too dramatic. Millar can definitely bring pizazz, for better or worse, when it comes to writing comic books. He's a staple around Marvel and one of two jewels (along with Bendis) in modern Marvel's crown.
Vegas Odds: Ultimate Captain America insults France again.

Grant Morrison
Wishful thinking on my part, but damn it could be cool to see Grant Morrison on this title. However, Morrison seems to be content at Dc doing whatever the hell it is he is doing this month. I don't think Marvel would give Morrison the total freedom to be as deliciously weird as he could be with Marvelman.
Vegas Odds: Final Crisis becoming readable.


Brian Michael Bendis
Bendis would be the safe bet for Marvel since he's kind of their "go to guy" for all things big, but I doubt anything of interest would happen due to his allergy to adding immediacy to his comics. He's a good writer, but I just don't think he gets characters like this. Like I said of Millar, he's a staple of modern Marvel. Chances are he gets a crack at this character, but that's only after Gaiman passes on the job or moves on after completion of his story.
Vegas Odds: Already writing 83% of Marvel books.

Jeph Loeb
Oy. Marvel's been giving this guy a ton of work lately. I'm only familiar with the Ultimatum side of the equation, but man, that book sucks badly. Yet... Marvel seem to be very keen on him now. If you read anything coming out from the house of ideas, they just love this guy! I don't even think that's P.R. They seem to be genuinely pleased with his current output even though it's late and many fans deride it as being on par with watching a Michael Bay movie. But he sales comic books.
Vegas Odds: Blob eating Wasp's guts out with chocolate syrup on top. And sprinkles!

Mike Carey
Carey is kind of a pick from left field on this property, but he's a solid writer. He's proven himself with numerous titles, but may be too busy for a turn at Marvelman between X-Men: Legacy and The Unwritten. However, his style seems like it would fit in perfectly with at least the Moore and Gaiman run.
Vegas Odds: Emma Frost starts wearing sensible, frumpish clothes.


Brian K. Vaughn
Vaughn is another "out there" pick since he seems to be more on the way out of the comic book medium in lieu of television and movies. However, with the recent announcement that he would not be on this season of Lost, Vaughn might have some free time in the future to pursue a comic book comeback. This probably would never happen, but I would love to see more from Vaughn and this would be a great chance for a double return; Marvelman's back, and so is Brian K. Vaughn.
Vegas Odds: Y the Last Man movie shot as a porn.

Matt Fraction
Matt Fraction is another guy who is getting a ton of work at Marvel these days. His work at Marvel thus far has been good, but not great. I just don't think Fraction has enough clout in the industry yet to pull off an assignment like this. His rise to prominence seems too fast. There's been absolutely nothing in his previous work that I think would even put him in the same league as Alan Moore or Ne4il Gaiman. I think he could pull the Marvel fans in, but that's pretty much the extent of his drawing power. Yet... hes gotten some pretty high profile assignments as of late. Matt Fraction is someone to watch in all of this.
Vegas Odds: Spider-Man appearing by issue three.

Alan Moore
I know. Yeah, right. This would probably never happen, but damn it would sweet, wouldn't it. Alan Moore doesn't strike me as someone who revisits the past much if ever, and Marvelman seems like the distant past for him.
Vegas Odds: Quasar becomes first book in years to sell over a million units.
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Panelology – Your Collection is Incomplete, Part 2

by Brandon

In this week’s Panelology, we take another look at a comic book collection. But not just any ol’ collection; your collection! That’s right. Have you ever felt like your collection has been missing something. Is there a story-shaped void in your collection that needs to be filled? If so, I offer four suggestions to get your geeky jollies out on. Some of the stuff is obvious and mainstream. Some of the stuff is out of the way and may take a little bit of effort on your part. But what self-respecting comic fan doesn’t put a little effort into his or her collection?


The Surrogates #’s 1-5, Top Shelf
By Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele
Available in The Surrogates issue #’s1-5 or in Hardcover/Softcover TPB
This book was a recent “read” for me. I had heard for quite a while now that this title was flat out awesome. Despite the praises, I just never really checked it out. That is until the recent $3 Sale at Top Shelf. Words can barely even describe how awesomely good this book is. The Surrogates tells the story of a society that has devolved into technological dependence and addiction. People can buy android surrogates to interact with the world in their place while they lay around all day and play out their own lives vicariously through these androids. It’s not original to say this, but how very Philip K. Dick. The comic is smart by having playing off the themes of humanity’s fascination of technology and the alienation it causes. The artwork is brilliant and subdued. Everything just clicks for this book. I’m anxious to see how the movie turns out, which will no doubt give this book a well-deserved higher profile.

Fell #’s 1-8, Image
By Warren Ellis & Ben Templesmith
Available in Hardcover, TPB and issue #’s 1-8
I don’t consider myself a rabid Warren Ellis fan. He’s just one of those creators that seem to create a fervent, cult-like following for much of what he does. In fact, m y only claim to Warren Ellis fame is that I did have a beer in a bar whilst sitting next to him a t HeroCon a few years ago. That’s pretty much it. Outside of a few titles like Ministry of Space, Transmetropolitan, and The Authority, I never really enjoyed much of his work, and of those three, I only thought Ministry of Space was superb. However, Fell is probably one of my favorite titles currently being published. Why? Well, for one reasons it’s cheap. It’s a two-buck comic that dings in usually around sixteen or so pages. Yet it accomplishes much more in those Spartan pages than most comics do in a whole year of story arcs, crossovers, and big budget events. The book follows the crime-fighting antics of Detective Richard Fell in the mythological/seedy city called Snowtown. Cop shows are fodder for my brain, but Fell has an underlying mystery and symmetry to it that goes beyond the homicide investigations one can see at any given hour on basic cable. Templesmith’s wonderfully erratic art punctuates the sordid depravity of Snowtown like no artist could. The only frustrating thing about this book is its tardiness. Started in 2005, only nine issues have made it to stands thus far. Pick these issues up or turn in your fan boy badge at the door.

All-Star Superman #'s 1-12, DC
By Grant Morrison & Frank Quitley
Available in TPB, Hardcover, and as issue #’s 1-12
I hate Superman. I can’t really explain the origins of this strong dislike for the most iconic comic book character. I’ve always had a strange aversion to him, ever since I was little. He just seemed to be too strong and invulnerable, too clean and infallible for my jaded taste in comic books. However, I love Grant Morrison. Like Warren Ellis, he’s created a cult of devoted fans that follow his work wherever he may land. While I wouldn’t say I’m a member of that cult, I do tend to pick up books with the Morrison stamp of approval. Morrison and Quitley were phenomenal in their X-Men run together. When DC started their All-Star line in a somewhat hokey attempt to counter the popularity of Marvel’s Ultimate books, I decided I would give one of my favorite teams a try at my least favorite character. Much to my surprise, they actually managed to write a great story and they pulled off quite a magic trick; they made me like Superman. Superman seemed believable through Morrison’s vulnerability. Though the story covered a lot of ground in twelve issues, the overarching theme was that Superman was dying. Facing mortality made Superman seem relevant, like he actually had a dog in the fight for life instead of just moral responsibility to save humankind from itself. That didn’t happen in the 90s when Superman faced death and overcame it. Yet it happened here, quietly and without black polybagged gimmicks. For the first time in comic book reading lifetime, I felt for Superman. This book is essential for anyone’s collection because it represents a true, unique vision of the man of steel that doesn’t just strictly involve super-heroics as usual. To borrow a phrase from President Obama, this was change we could believe in. This was Superman.

Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #1, Marvel
By Brain Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley
Available in single issue format or in Ultimate Annuals Vol. 1, Ultimate Spider-man Hardcover vol. 8, or Ultimate Spider-Man TPB vol. 15
While many fans are still irate with Marvel over the dissolution of Peter and MJ’s wedding, the Ultimate universe still has the couple sporting around. However, in late 2005, there was a sudden yet plausible shift in relationships in Ultimate Spider-Man’s life. Yes, you read that right. It was a believable shift in the relationship that didn’t involve Mephisto or Peter selling off his soul. Peter and MJ were kind of in a slump in their relationship. Much like her Marvel Universe counterpart, MJ had been the target of several attacks on Peter, who has been pretty fast and fleeting with his secret identity. A lull in their relationship left a female emptiness to be filled. Enter Kitty Pryde. Yes, that “Hey, isn’t she in the X-Men?” Kitty Pryde. While fighting the Shocker these two realize that they work well together on and off the field of battle. For Peter, here was a girl who actually defend herself if, say, Rhino decided to show up unexpectedly. For Kitty, Peter represented someone who could actually empathize with her and her powers. In my opinion, this is by far the best issue of Ultimate Spider-Man yet to be published. Also, it marked an end for me. While this was a great issue, it marked the pinnacle of the series. Ultimate Spider-Man just hasn’t been that gripping since then. It’s fun and entertaining, sure. But it just doesn’t grab me like it once did. Hopefully that will change soon, but this issue is possibly the best written story of this decade. It’s fun, playful, and genuine. You can’t go wrong with that.

Fanenomics
Next week, just like everyone else in the multiverse, I'll be talking about the bad economy. Fans can find their investment into their favorite hobby taking a nosedive when the economy goes the way of Jean Grey. What can a fan do to deal with the economic malaise and get their comic book fix?

That's next week.

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Secret Invasion #4: Skrullduggery

by Liana

Trite. Hackneyed. Stereotypical. That’s my overall review of Bendis and Yu’s Secret Invasion #4. Why? Because after a fun start, we’ve reached Bendis’ favorite destination, Cliché Point, where nothing happens. I hate to sound so unoriginal, but there you go. Let’s see if we can figure out why the events of this issue couldn’t happen over the course of four pages in the next and justify the handing over of $4.

The issue opens with the second best page of the book. The best is the last, but we’ll get to that later. We’re treated to a boring voiceover explaining that humans are greedy and stupid and they’ve already lost the war. This voiceover goes on for ten pages. And as you’re reading it, it comes across as just repeating the same thing over and over. Going through it a second time for examples, I can’t actually pinpoint anything specific. I guess that’s just one of those Bendisms that can’t be proven but are none-the-less true, like how ten minutes after you wash your car, a bird will crap on it.

But I said this was the second best page of the issue. That’s because the images we open with are of Reed Richard being tortured by the Skrulls by being stretched to capacity. It’s heartbreaking and awesome. Even Agent Brand, who has managed to float through space and onto a Skrull ship, is moved to tears, though it’s hard to tell whether those tears are for Reed or for all the monitor images of Earth under attack. Agent Brand, really? Okay. At least I also finally read Secret Invasion: Who Do You Trust? last night, so her presence isn’t totally out of nowhere anymore. But it’s still pretty random, no? Well, what I think I mean is that it seems pretty random to suddenly have the events of Astonishing X-Men more tied to current continuity than the other X-titles.

Oh, here’s a question: when Nick Fury puts together a team, is it always called the Howling Commandos? Just wondering. Also wondering why I’m supposed to care about this group of yahoos no one’s ever heard about before. Is it just because Fury found them? Because that isn’t working for me.

Is Tony Stark a Skrull or not? This seems to be the big question that isn’t going to be answered until the end. I can’t wait for three more issues of whining and wondering about that. I really like Jessiskrull’s attempts to convince him he is. It makes me want him to be one. But the Black Widow, who is being drawn to look like a man in some of these panels, doesn’t buy it for a second. She kills Ship Beast and Ship Jean Grey, who were Skrulls, incidentally. Dan was pretty disappointed about that, because he wanted Ship Beast to be Real Beast and thereby “undo stupid CatBeast and everything from Morrison’s stupid run.” Oh, Dan. Hey, something I liked! The codeword Wolverine has to use to prove he isn’t a Skrull is hysterical because it’s totally something you’d never expect him to say.

Black Widow says that Tony Stark is one of “five people on the planet who can stop this.” Who are the other four? Reed Richards, obviously. Nick Fury? That will only annoy me slightly, though I still don’t think it will make me care about his team. Agent Brand? I guess her history is mysterious enough that it could work, though that would still be kind of out of nowhere.

What about the Hood? Was I talking about random before? Because I had to do a wikipedia search on The Hood. I never heard of his 2002 Max series, I didn’t read Beyond! and I don’t read New Avengers or Daredevil. He's assembling his crime syndicate to fight the Skrulls, because the Skrulls winning is “bad for business.” If it’s the Hood, I’ll be really annoyed.

Maybe it’s these two guys? Which two guys? The two guys on the last page. You know who I mean. Mr. Krakaboom and Mr. Binoculars. I have to admit to getting pretty excited when I saw Thor coming down from the sky. Like, now we’re getting somewhere. And then to end on Cap, well, let’s just say that for the second I thought it was RealCap, I was super happy. Then I realized it could easily be BuckyCap and I let out a resigned sigh.

So Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, Thor, Captain America and….Agent Brand? Is that who I’m going with? That just doesn’t seem quite right. OH! Especially since, as I said, I just read Who Do You Trust? and now know that Marvel Boy will randomly be a big player in all of this. And what about the Agents of Atlas? I think I need to spend more time at wikipedia today, because how are all these random people going to fit into things if, as Black Widow says, there are only five people who can stop this?

I love this storyline. It’s awesome. Seriously. But this issue, aside from the first and last pages, was really just an exercise in treading water. I have to give it a C+ and cross my fingers that next issue is action-packed Skrully goodness. Was it worth the $4? Meh. Read more!