Hondo's Comics Journal

[Lycaon]

All right, all right. I'll look for the space on my computer torrent. I was just amused by the situation is all.

[Jables]

Man, Millar's FF arc is just sad at this point. I'd somehow found some hope to be dashed, reading the wrap up of his Marquis of Death thing. It's all shark jumps(literally- I never thought Doom could be so lame) and poor characterisation. If he hadn't written Civil War & Wanted, I'd write the guy off completely.

[The NZA]

aw, it cant be that bad, you hateful man. i gotta read this week's books.

that said, all accounts of Ultimatum's finale tell me you should check that one out and then feel better about Millar.

[Jables]

Thought Loeb was helming Ultimatum, hence my resolve to stay away from it because Loeb needs no more tarnishing in my eyes. And you tell me how bad FF was once you've read it. If OML makes it intact, I'll be overjoyed.

[The NZA]

it is indeed loeb; just want you to remember what the bottom looks like.

[Newtype]

Man, Millar's FF arc is just sad at this point. I'd somehow found some hope to be dashed, reading the wrap up of his Marquis of Death thing. It's all shark jumps(literally- I never thought Doom could be so lame) and poor characterisation. If he hadn't written Civil War & Wanted, I'd write the guy off completely.

 

You weren't kidding at how bad it was.

[The NZA]

you spoiled goddamn kids. yeah, i read it too. you dont even know what the bottom looks like.

 

Ultimatum # 5 - ...wow.

This reads like a retelling of the 90s x-men "Fatal Attractions" storyline, only the original was shakespearean in comparison (and not just cause campbelll & co liked quoting shakespeare). The dialogue starts awful and only gets worse, but this isnt nearly the book's worst sin.

 

Mind you, i started reading this book months back, knowing Loeb is either insane at this point or kind of hates superheroes, but im giving serious thought to the theory that he's trying to one-up Ennis on said hatred, just from the inside. There's key moments where characters do things so out of character, it feels as though Loeb quickly read their wiki, stopped a quarter of the way through and said "i can make it edgier."

 

newt & JZA need to realize that Dr. Doomer and Tyrannosaurus Cap (yeah, you saw him) were strokes of genius when held in this light. I'm not kidding: im 90% certain that the plot of this issue is familiar to me because its about the same one i used when playing with my action figures as a kid, only, the coup d'grace involved a tag team of wolvy, he-man and sgt. slaughter. And yes, that last-minute cross-licensing still wouldve worked better here.

 

My favorite part must've been the last page: the long and arbitrary list of casualties is there, with a sidenote from Loeb "thanks to brian, mark etc for starting all this, sorry i got the runs all over it LOL" or something. the following page has an ad for Ultimates 3, with Millar at the helm, and my first reaction was "shit, they're gonna keep doing ultimate books?!" Congrats Loeb, you made me wish for the end of a universe i formerly enjoyed. top notch effort.

[FireDownBelow]

Let's be realistic, Ultimates had just a bit more staying power than 2099 and half the originality. It was a good dog, but now it needs to be put down before it chews somebody's face off.

 

EDIT: This was Baytor, my bad.

Edited August 1, 2009 by FireDownBelow

[The NZA]

thank you for editing that last line, you almost blew my mind there, FDBaytor.

 

i disagree. Ultimates 1 & 2 were the best things to come out of that universe (and i really dug early USM & UXM) but the cancer that is Loeb (see what i did there? hurrrrr) fucked shit up good & proper for one book, doesnt mean i wont let Millar try to get his baby breathing again.

seriously, all 3 of you need to read this issue. by not paying for it.

[Jables]

Just this one or the whole series? ANd which ones? Ecch. Fucking loeb and his cancerous son sam. Poor kid.

[Iambaytor]

thank you for editing that last line, you almost blew my mind there, FDBaytor.

 

i disagree. Ultimates 1 & 2 were the best things to come out of that universe (and i really dug early USM & UXM) but the cancer that is Loeb (see what i did there? hurrrrr) fucked shit up good & proper for one book, doesnt mean i wont let Millar try to get his baby breathing again.

seriously, all 3 of you need to read this issue. by not paying for it.

 

I just meant the ultimate universe in genereal. After a while the whole "It's just like the 616 except the Red Skull is Cap's illegitimate son" just kinda gets old after a while because at the end of the day they're just telling the same damn stories in a more contemporary way (contemporary equals more blood and dick jokes)

 

Each one of these books has pretty much run their course ages ago despite how good they once were.

[Jables]

I could dig seeing more Millar/Hitch Authority Ultimates, if for no other reason than noone else is doing that 'real world superteam' right.

[Iambaytor]

Eh, the idea never really meshed with me, I hated the Authority except whenever Kev decided to swing by (and then I merely tolerated it) and The Ultimates were, albeit much more interesting, dicks.

[The NZA]

did you read both volumes of Ultimates? shit was a lotta fun.

people're trying to say that the Ultimate U will be something different for having half its cast dead, as it paves the way for many different stories than the 616 universe...at best, this event'll be like Brand New Day, and a year from now, the stories'll be enjoyable and everyone'll quietly forget how we got there.

 

JZA; event was kinda fun intially at first, in the way of "loeb is fucking crazy, how many heads will drop this issue? OH GOD WHAT IS HE DOING TO HER" but the last issue just...that was the issue with a plot ive used with action figures.

[Jables]

I DLed the entire Authority back catalogue and really wanna try and get onto reading that. It's still hard reading off a damned screen though.

[The NZA]

that's right. 'cause you aint got the stones to read Ultimatum.

[Jables]

Gee NZA, ya convinced me by tapping into my secret insecurity of my masculine comic-reading habits. Why don'cha go peer pressure some elementary school kids into taking meth now?

[The NZA]

too easy.

seriously, i need someone to talk to this about, like after mildly traumatic events. its almost like i need someone else to read it to know i dindt make it up entirely.

[Jables]

Well now you know how I feel about the new Powers stuff. Except Powers is good.

[The NZA]

oh, i started reading the 2nd volume (Icon) of Powers, im like 10 issues or so in i think? i put it on hold cause of Incognito, might check out bru's Criminal as well.

 

come on, man. i read ultimates 3 for you.

[Jables]

I didn't ask you to though. Infact I explicitly said 'don't touch this book unless you want to punish your brain and/or are catholic & seeking a Lovecraftian torment in the form of a comic'. I tell you this: Fuck Criminal, go back and read Bru's Sleeper stuff from Image first.

[Jables]

So I read Captain America Reborn #2 last night, it's well-written but I truly have no idea what's going on without having read Captain America's book since like, 30-something. Anyone have any heads up?

 

Also started Ultimatum at NZA's behest. With an engagement proposal on the first page, Loeb's making it all too obvious who's gonna drop first.

[Thelogan]

I snagged a copy of Marvel Graphic Novel #5 - X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills at used book store, pretty damngood condition for $4. I got all the Claremont run when they were doing X-Men Classic, and I have the rest in the Essential collections, but I'd never read this before. It came out in 1982 and I can see Marvel attempting to react to the more serious, "artsy" comics that were getting the Comics Journal's attention at the time. There's a scene of Professor X being crucified. 6 pages in Kitty Pryde (Ariel...) uses the term "Nigger-lover".

That's gotta be a first, right?

A lot of firsts in this thing, really. First appearance of William Stryker, as an evangelical mutant hater. A lot of the plot to this seems to have been lifted for the X-Men 2 movie. First time Magneto proposed an alliance with the X-Men, a pre-curser to his days as headmaster in The New Mutants

. First time Kitty Pryde phases with another human being.

Classic Claremont and pretty edgy shit for being Marvel '82, even if it does come bundled with a"message". I fucking hate messages.

 

[Thelogan]

I've been reading Scud the Disposable Assassin: The Whole Shebang.

 

 

It's fucking exhausting. The book's great, but it's so godamn heavy. Makes my girly little forearms hurt if I spend too much time reading it on the can. It requires very specific book reading positions.

[The NZA]

this very notion causes me to question my rampant love of big books, a la marvel omninbuseses and Absolute Sandmans. sure it was great getting Bone all in one book, but how is it to be read without breaking one's lap? quite the quandary.