I have very mixed feelings about the "resolution" of Secret Invasion and the transition into Dark Reign. BEWARE - SPOILERS FOLLOW.
First, why did Janet have to die? Did there have to be a "big death"? Couldn't they take Hank? Or when he came off the Skrull ship, couldn't they just throw him back? I may not be a Marvel zombie, but even I realize how important the Wasp is to the heart of the Marvel Universe. You already took Steve, you ripped Peter and MJ apart - enough already. (At least Reed and Sue's kids survived - can't be so sure about Luke and Jessica's, though - really liked the latest New Avengers, by the way.)
Second, I think it seems a bit drastic to pile everything that happened on Tony. The Skrull plot was in place for years before Civil War. And even if the Civil War did open the door for the invasion, it is by no means obvious that he is to blame for the war, much less everything that occured afterwards. (This is actually part of the topic of my planned chapter for Iron Man and Philosophy.)
But even if people do blame Tony, fine, get rid of him. But... Norman? Just because he shot the big bad? Hello?
All that said, I'm somewhat curious about some of the contents in the Dark Reign preview - though I'm very reluctant to buy Dark Avengers at $3.99 for 32 pages. (I may buy the first two issues, leading up to New Avengers #50 and the apparent big throwdown between New and Dark, but it's probably trades after that.)
In general, I'm really not looking forward to months/years of darkness in the Big Two comics universes. Evil won in DC, darkness reigns at Marvel. It's enough to make a guy read Donald Duck.
Showing posts with label Secret Invasion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Secret Invasion. Show all posts
Friday, December 5, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Final Crisis - remember that?
I think it's safe to say that Final Crisis has lost its momentum. Only one FC-related title was released in September (Requiem), and the next issue of FC proper won't be out until October 22 (according to the current schedule). The last issue came out when, 2006? Seems like it.
The decision by DC to minimize the FC tie-ins within its ongoing titles (instead confining them to dedicated miniseries such as Requiem, Rogues' Revenge, etc.) certainly seemed like an admirable goal at the time (to the readers, as well as to the DC brass). But in actuality, it contributed to the current stalled feeling. If you aren't reading any of the official FC books (and ignored the house ads), you would have no idea that evil has won. At least in the good ol' days of Crisis on Infinite Earths, you had the infamous "red skies" in the ubitiquitous crossover books. The books may not have had much to do with COIE, but you couldn't miss the fact that some major sh*t was going down.
On the other hand, Secret Invasion seems to be striking the balance perfectly (not to mention that the main SI title ships very regularly). The main story is contained in SI, with backstory given in New Avengers and Mighty Avengers, and several tie-in miniseries (SI: X-Men, SI: Fantastic Four, etc., plus Front Line) emphasize the pervasiveness of the Skrull threat. And there is a scattered SI presence in other books as well, such as Ms. Marvel and (very recently) Iron Man Director of SHIELD. A few books are completely immune, such as the rest of the X-Men books, Captain America, Daredevil, and The Immortal Iron Fist, but overall it's hard to ignore or forget that the Skrulls are definitely here (and they're... uh... green).
Hopefully, Final Crisis will pick up again in October, when approximately 207 FC-related books are released (and that's just on October 15). But in trying to have a relatively self-contained event, which at the same time doesn't ship regularly (or even have a FC title released every week, or at least every other week), I think DC has minimized the feeling of a multiverse-wide threat that FC was presumably meant to have.
The decision by DC to minimize the FC tie-ins within its ongoing titles (instead confining them to dedicated miniseries such as Requiem, Rogues' Revenge, etc.) certainly seemed like an admirable goal at the time (to the readers, as well as to the DC brass). But in actuality, it contributed to the current stalled feeling. If you aren't reading any of the official FC books (and ignored the house ads), you would have no idea that evil has won. At least in the good ol' days of Crisis on Infinite Earths, you had the infamous "red skies" in the ubitiquitous crossover books. The books may not have had much to do with COIE, but you couldn't miss the fact that some major sh*t was going down.
On the other hand, Secret Invasion seems to be striking the balance perfectly (not to mention that the main SI title ships very regularly). The main story is contained in SI, with backstory given in New Avengers and Mighty Avengers, and several tie-in miniseries (SI: X-Men, SI: Fantastic Four, etc., plus Front Line) emphasize the pervasiveness of the Skrull threat. And there is a scattered SI presence in other books as well, such as Ms. Marvel and (very recently) Iron Man Director of SHIELD. A few books are completely immune, such as the rest of the X-Men books, Captain America, Daredevil, and The Immortal Iron Fist, but overall it's hard to ignore or forget that the Skrulls are definitely here (and they're... uh... green).
Hopefully, Final Crisis will pick up again in October, when approximately 207 FC-related books are released (and that's just on October 15). But in trying to have a relatively self-contained event, which at the same time doesn't ship regularly (or even have a FC title released every week, or at least every other week), I think DC has minimized the feeling of a multiverse-wide threat that FC was presumably meant to have.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Say it isn't so - Secret Invasion #3 (SPOILERS)
Just one comment on Secret Invasion #3 (SPOILERS AHEAD): Bendis did a fantastic job with the Spider-Woman/Iron Man scene, as far as leaving it open whether Tony is or is not a Skrull.
Let me throw in my two cents - please, PLEASE don't reveal "our" Tony Stark to have been a Skrull all this time. Since Civil War, the character of Iron Man has acquired tremendous depth (in addition to what he already had). I realize many longtime Shellhead fans want the "classic" Tony Stark back, but I am of the opinion that his recent actions are well in line with his overall character and motivation. To reverse all of his growth and development at this stage would be tragic - and far too easy an "out" for the creators involved.
Please don't pull a Brand New Day on Tony!
(See here for a great scene-by-scene breakdown of Secret Invasion #3 with Bendis.)
Let me throw in my two cents - please, PLEASE don't reveal "our" Tony Stark to have been a Skrull all this time. Since Civil War, the character of Iron Man has acquired tremendous depth (in addition to what he already had). I realize many longtime Shellhead fans want the "classic" Tony Stark back, but I am of the opinion that his recent actions are well in line with his overall character and motivation. To reverse all of his growth and development at this stage would be tragic - and far too easy an "out" for the creators involved.
Please don't pull a Brand New Day on Tony!
(See here for a great scene-by-scene breakdown of Secret Invasion #3 with Bendis.)
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