My Five Holiday Wishes for Iron Man

A bit late, but I figured it was still relevant since we have another day in the holiday season. But like everyone, I have my wishes for things to happen for Iron Man in comics. And while it looks like I'm getting one long time wish of extremis being eliminated, I still have a few others. So here are the five things I wish most for Iron Man (in no particular order):

1) New Armor
I don't hide my dislike for the extremis armor. Its neither streamlined nor complicated, seeming unable to decide which is wants to be. The faceplate makes him look alien, and there is nothing special about this armor at all, aesthetic or technical. Its time for a next generation armor that looks cool and actually performs good to, unlike the extremis.


2) A New Colorist
Another pet peeve of mine. I really disliked the colorist during the Knauf's run on DOS, and I don't care much for the current colorist on the Invincible series. I've seen Larocca's work in the past, and it's much better than this. The current color makes his art look very flat and 2D, and every person seems to have a pudgy face. Just look at the Legacy of Doom series and you can see what a good colorist(s) can do for someones art.


3) Rhodey to Lose the Terminator Crap
Not really Iron Man, but Rhodey is easily the best supporting character in his history, and even he has gotten the shaft. His torso and half his face are all that's left of his organic body, and it's just plain stupid and serves no purpose. So here's to a return of the real Rhodey.


4) Be the Hero Of Dark Reign
Yeah, I know, it's not happening. I'm sure he'll be blamed even more at the end of it. Marvel will somehow make it his fault. Again.


5) Marvel to Treat Iron Man Right
I don't think this is too much to ask. For three major events in a row Iron Man has been blamed, and done so deliberately without even good excuses. He's been written out of character to do it too, adding insult to injury. At my comic book shop the other day I was talking to one of the workers who is a Spiderman fan and doesn't pay attention to Iron Man much. But he even said he's sick of them stretching to blame Iron Man for everything and it's to the point of ridiculous. I'm sorry, but when even a non fan thinks the character is being crapped on this much it's a sad state of affairs.

Happy Holidays!

Sorry, no real upate this week, way to busy with life.

Hope everyone has a happy holiday season though.

Extremis is Gone

So if you have missed some recent interviews with Matt Fraction, extremis is gone.

Thank god.

I have detested this since it appeared. Now, thats not to say extremis in itself is bad. Its a good idea especially if used properly. The problem is its so ill-fitted to Stark it becomes a terrible plot device.

One of the main premises to Tony Stark is he's a man. Intelligent, suave, rich. Yes, all of those. But deep down he's human just like you and me. In a way we want to be him, but in a way we would be too afraid to be. And that humanity is what extremis took away, and his quote at the end of Bias Political Commentary (Civil War according to Marvel) of "you know what it took to make me human again? War." shows that.

But now its gone because of the Skrulls infecting Starktech.

Yes, even though Extremis isnt Stark tech, it somehow is linked and is malfunctioning. An upcoming issue is solicited as Stark trying to erase something and it might kill him, the cover showing his head with a bunch of tubes going into it. One would think this is the issue where extremis is finally out of his body as he continues to operate the suit which needs extremis.

The plot device to get rid of it sounds a bit weak, but frankly I'm glad its gone one way or another. I felt this has dragged the character down and ripped out a major element that makes him so unique.

Secret Invasion: Iron Man Gets Screwed. Again.

Sigh. I'm amazed at Marvel. Not that they completely screwed up the ending of Secret Invasion by making it utterly predictable and lame, but once again they screwed over Iron Man.

Thor saying "I abhor what you've become" ??? Are you serious? Like him or not, Stark has always done what he's thought right, and you cant say the same for Thor, who has shown moral lacking on more than one occasion. And Bucky turning his back on him? The guy that let him be Captain America (against Steve Rogers wishes) and looked after him just goes and turns his back on Tony for no reason?

I mean, what the hell is wrong with Marvel? Why do they feel the need to screw over Stark every major event?

Civil war and Cap's death? Stark was the head for pro registration, so his fault.

World War Hulk? It was his idea to shoot Hulk into space (along with the other Illuminati), but only he gets blamed.

Secret Invasion? Despite the Skrulls infiltrating before Stark was even head of Shield, somehow he should have known. Despite that no other hero on the planet knew, Stark should have known. Despite Shield itself was infested with Skrulls keeping their presence a secret, he should have known. Despite all the Illuminati agreeing to preempt the Skrulls, it was just him who did it.

Oh yeah, and of all the Illuminati who knew when Stark brought them the body of Elektra, Stark was THE ONLY ONE WHO TRIED TO DO A DAMN THING ABOUT IT.

But that doesnt matter. It's Stark's fault.

I have to say, I'm really tired of this crap Marvel keeps pulling. What in god's name do they have against Stark that they have made him the punching bag and scapegoat for the last four years? This is so god damned petty and forced it's ridiculous.

Seriously, Marvel needs to grow up and stop shitting on the character, who they purposefully turned into an asshole by not correctly writing him.

Way to go Marvel, you again prove how childish and idiotic you truly are. You cant even bring yourself to crap all over someone else.

Then again, when you have an idiot like Joe Q in charge, does this really surprise anyone?

Mutant Powers Through Suits

Am I the only one who finds this idea incredibly stupid? I am seeing this more and more as a way to “re-power” mutants after they were “de-powered” during the events of M-Day.

Now I understand why they went and took a lot of mutants powers away. There were too many and soon the Earth was going to be overrun. It may be a Dues Ex Machina, but honestly, it was one that was actually good for once.

But like anything, there are ups and downs. The downs being that many mutants who were the stable of stories (Magneto being the biggest one), now are no longer powered and hence little to no threat at all. So like the good writers they are at Marvel they work around this and come up with new characters right?

Haha, sure. Like we could actually expect that of Marvel. Why work around something when you can just come up with a way to ignore it? And that’s exactly what they’ve done by giving de-powered mutants suits that give them their powers back, at least to a degree.

Sigh. Yet again Marvel writers go for a cop out rather than actually taking the time and thought to work around something. But you know, maybe it’s not just laziness. What if the writers just aren’t good enough to get around it? Maybe they actually can’t think of a way to build around a story that wasn’t there doing.

Plus, it’s almost like they are admitting they made a mistake. Like they thought it was a good idea at the time but once they saw the consequences, went “aw shit!” and just came up with something really lame.

And here’s another thing. If these mutants are getting their hands on a suit that can simulate their powers, what’s stopping the likes of Shield or Dr Doom from getting it and making vast armies of people with these suits? I mean if someone can create a suit that can simulate powers as great as Magneto’s, wouldn’t every military organization want to get their hands on it? Now that I think of it, it would be kind of like the What If issue where Stark went public with his Iron Man technology.

I don't like this idea. It screams laziness and incompetence to me. But until they just retcon or do another Deus Ex Machina to reverse the de-powering we’re just going to see more of it.

Iron Man's Fate at the End of Secret Invasion?

I think we're all wondering what it is. And frankly, I have no idea where it is going to go. But I do know this: I dont feel comfortable with it.

Right now things are set up for Iron Man to be the hero. The Wasp is now a living bomb and has caught the heroes and Skrulls in some sort of energy field. Iron Man flew back to Stark Tower to get a new armor because his was about to fall apart. But it also means he's not caught in the energy field holding the other Earth heroes (and villains) captive.

Now, part of me wants to say Tony grabs a new armor, discovers Jarvis is a Skrull, says "you're fired" while lasting him with a repulsor saving Luke Cage's baby. He then flies in, grabs the Wasp and lifts her out of the atmosphere where she explodes (but he is out of the blast range), thereby saving the day, being the hero and getting rid of a crappy character in the Wasp.

But it sounds too good to be true. And that's why I dont think it will happen.

Marvel is keeping things under wraps, not even local comic shops have the images for post SI covers, meaning some real nasty stuff is probably going to happen.

One of the few things we know of in SI's wake are the Dark Avengers, who's picture (albeit shadowed" can be seen here:

Who it seems in that picture are Ms Marvel in her original red costume; Spiderman in his black costume, possibly even re-attached to the symbiote, Hawkeye who you'll remember grabbed the Young Avenger by the same name's bow and arrow and starting killing a bunch of Skrulls, and finally Wolverine in what appears to be his old brown costume.

The guy in the Iron Man armor? The only thing we know is he's called the Iron Patriot, and Marvel said the questions people should be asking is "who is the Iron Patriot?" (again, that worries me). He's got an armor that looks like Iron Man's but with a red, white and blue paint scheme. That's it. It may be Stark, it may be the current Captain America Bucky Barnes, or it could even be the return of Steve Rogers (possibly not fully healed from his wounds and needing the armor)? We just dont know, and no one at Marvel is talking.

We also dont know much what Dark Reign is going to be about, only it deals with the fallout of SI. It's widely speculated the villains take over, even if for a short time, following the possible decimation of Earth's heroes during the invasion. The Dark Avengers may be an underground team fighting to free the world from the villains control. Are they a team that works for the villains? They may be the characters we know whose personalities were changed due to the Wasp's energy field.

Guesses, guesses, guesses. That's all we've got.

Sadly, the way Iron Man has been treated over the last few events, not to mention how disappointing those events were (remember, a crappy ending can kill a story no matter how good the rest is), I just have a bad feeling us Iron Man fans are going to hate how this ends.

Let's hope I'm wrong and Stark comes out as the big hero after all is said and done.

Back Soon... Again...

Ok, so my trial version of MS Office expired, and currently I cant even copy and paste the articles I had ready to go into the site. Add in I am heading out of town, it's going to be a week or so before another post comes up, and I dont like doing hastily written posts I dont have a chance to even do a quick lookover with.

So yeah, sorry for the delay again : /

Cyborg Rhodey- Ugh...

So if you've been reading the Director of Shield title you know that the past two issues have been following Jim Rhodes during the Skrull Invasion. Now, we knew Rhodey was gravely injured at some point and has cybernetic enhancements, but we didnt know to what extent until the latest issue.

In the final page we see Rhodey lying on a Skrull operating table, them ready to dissect him to find how his flesh works with the bionics. Unfortunately, we discover the extent of the damage. The only thing that appears to be left of Jim is half of his face and his torso; his arms and legs being fully bionic.

Ugh.

I cant tell you how much i despise this direction. Honestly, what possible good could come with this? If its a means to try and create the tension between Stark and Rhodes (which for some reason Marvel thinks is what IM fans like, instead of wanting them to be friends full time like they actually do), than it's a pathetic attempt.

I'm hoping that sometime in the very nearly future Rhodes is restored to his normal self, and no more of this Rhodey-nator crap. It's almost like Deathlock gets an Iron Man armor.

It doesnt make the character more interesting. It doesnt make him neater. This I would say is even worse than Extremis because extremis can just be purged. How exactly is Rhodes going to get all his limbs back?

Terrible. Terrible, terrible, terrible.

Way to screw the pooch again Marvel.

An Open Letter to Marvel RE: Iron Man

Dear Marvel,

I would like to take the time to discuss with the matter of the character Iron Man.

As time goes on it has become apparent that you are quite enamored with the work you have done on Iron Man. You love the extremis idea, you love the way the armor looks and that it’s portrayed as easily the most powerful armor ever created. You feel that the changes extremis made to Tony Stark have set him apart from all the other characters, and that it has made people like the character. And you also whole heartedly believe that the Ultimate Iron Man is in fact not only good looking, but is good enough to be #9 in the top ten armors of all time for Iron Man.

Now, I understand you feel it’s a job well done and you want to pat yourself on the back for it. And there is nothing wrong with feeling proud of a job well done. So I feel that leaves it up to me to inform you that you need to stop.

And not only do you need to stop your back patting, you need to apologize to us readers.

Because frankly, that is what a terrible job you have done to Iron Man in recent years.

You feel Extremis, which changed Tony’s powers and his personality is the reason the character’s popularity has soared recently. Unfortunately, you couldn’t be more wrong. First to think that putting Iron Man in the spotlight AS THE BAD GUY in Civil War and World War Hulk (two monumental failures in terms of story I may add) isn’t the primary reason for his popularity surge, especially when you BLAME HIM for BOTH of the events happening is mind boggling. Secondly, extremis completely destroyed not only the main point of Iron Man, but it destroyed the character.

I know at this point you are shaking your heads in confusion, or thinking of ways to retcon the most recent major X-Men arc to make the new one more dramatic, but hear me out. You see, one of the best things about Tony Stark is that he is just a man. Yes, he is incredibly smart, incredibly rich and incredibly suave (which makes all of us jealous), but beneath it all just a man who has all the same problems as the rest of us, and sometimes more even without the super hero gig. I have found this quote to best summarize this aspect of his character:

“Super hero. Would the world really think that if they knew the full story of the frail, mortal man who lives inside this shell?” (which, by the way, you put on the back of his Marvel Series 3 trading card).

Readers could relate to him because outside of that suit he didn’t have super powers. After a battle he needed to rest and take some pain pills. He was worn down and at times broken. But not anymore, not with extremis. Now he has a layer of protection built into his body, plus a healing factor like Wolverine. Now he can plug his mind directly into computers and multitask in ways not possible for the human brain to accomplish. Tony Stark is not longer a normal man, and by doing this the connection readers have with him was severed. I, along with many others always liked the idea that I could be Iron Man. All it took was that suit, because it was never the suit that made the man, it was the man that made the suit. But now, that feeling is gone.

Even worse is how watered down and hacked apart the character has become. Tony was always a morally driven man. He cared for his employees, he always did the right thing even if it was unpopular, and the bottom line was never an issue. And now? He’s become shut down from the rest of the world, wallowing in his own thoughts. He doesn’t care how the job gets done, as long as it gets done. The bottom line is the issue, and he’ll be damned if a hundred people have to be hurt in the process. Here is a quote from the end of the Civil War saga:

“You know what it took to make me human again? War.”

How you can possibly say that is even remotely the same character as the one who said the above quote is beyond reasoning. It truly is. And don’t give me a “the character has evolved” excuse, because if that isn’t a display of character devolution I don't know what is. This is not Tony Stark. This isn’t even a hero. You should be ashamed of yourselves for even trying to compare it to who the character really is.

But I guess that’s the point isn’t it? Since no one at Marvel was able to correctly write the character after Kurt Busiek left the book, instead of taking the time to read past issues you instead just butchered the character to such a shallow level of depth that anyone could write him and do anything with him.

(Note: if you’re still trying to think of a good X-Men retcon arc here- Xorn was never Magneto, nor was it its own entity. It was just a powerful telepath manifesting the whole idea into everyone’s heads. There, now you have your six issue made for trade paperback arc and you can pay attention again).

Now let’s talk about the armor. Why exactly is it good? Just cause the character’s popular? Sorry, not the case. This model is said to be the most advanced ever, yet other than reaching speeds of mach 8 I have yet to see it demonstrate capabilities greater than the 1980’s Neo Classic red and gold armor (that’s the one after the Silver Centurion since I’ve noticed from your armor designations you don’t even know what order the armors were made in). I’ve seen models much older that didn’t even have digital displays shoot down hypersonic missiles, yet the extremis armor can’t target a Skrull with Mr. Fantastic’s powers because it was too fast? Hmm, interesting, especially since all the hype about how the armor’s direct patching into his brain makes for even quicker reaction time. Where are all the secondary weapons? How about the shields? You know, other than the harnessing power from nuclear reactors, there actually hasn’t been one single thing about this armor that has impressed people. And the aesthetics? Ugh. You say it’s streamlined, but if that were true the torso wouldn’t be all plated, and those weird toe things that have yet to serve any function wouldn’t be there. What’s with the blocky, oddly shaped shoulder armor? What’s with covering the triceps but not biceps? And why does the helmet slope in such a way it makes his head look alien? Please explain to me what is so impressive about this armor, because I’m not seeing anything here.

Oh and the Ultimate armor? I get it’s an alternate reality and you want to make things different (btw, kudos for making Ultimate Spiderman way different than the mainstream, so different readers have to look at the title to tell if they’re reading Ultimate or mainstream), but this suit just isn’t likeable. It looks kind of like the ASIMO robot they made over in Japan. And what’s with those goggles for the eyes? Really? This is the most low tech looking suit since the original grey armor, now 45 years old. It’s actually so aesthetically unpleasing that it distracts from the story. I know some will say you’re just playing it up because it’s what is currently on the market and good for business, but I know you Marvel. We both know that’s not the case. You are truly enamored with this suit that nearly every fan finds repulsive. Only two other times have I seen an armor this reviled: the Crossing Armor and the SKIN armor, both of which had very short runs. But of course you know that because you listen to the fans right?

So let me sum this up for before you go on to your next “Hulk beats everyone up” project. You’ve watered down the character and ripped out what made him so appealing. You’ve watered down the armor. You’ve ignored the past for the sake of expedience. And that you haven’t listened to the long time Iron Man fans that have kept the book around for so long is quite disconcerting, because if you did you would have gone back to the way things were.

But I know sorting things out isn’t your way. It takes thought and time and neither of those are things you can afford to use. So I will offer you the easy way out that you always take that will, for once, benefit us all. Retcon. Go back to Volume 4, Issue #1 where extremis started and wipe it out. All of it. Because that’s when the character truly started to go down hill.

That is when Iron Man stopped be Iron Man.

But I don’t expect you to listen to me. I’m a fan and my opinion doesn’t matter. Only your personal feelings do. Spiderman fans will attest to that with Brand New Day.

Sincerely,

Chaos
Iron Man fan.

Alternate Reality Costumes

I’ve always been a fan of the alternate dimensions/realities that comic books use. It gives us readers a chance to see our favorite characters in a different light if the world had turned out different. We may not always like how they are portrayed, but if nothing else it’s a nice change of pace. And another good thing: a new costume.

Well, some of the time a least.

See, this is what I don’t get. If you have an alternate reality, and you’re doing it to make things different, why the hell would you use the same costume? Case in point is Ultimate Spiderman. Same damn thing. In many alternate realities, Magneto has the same costume. What’s the point of doing that?

I get that some costumes are iconic, or just well liked. But when you’re doing something different with the character, why keep the same costume? It’s like writers use it as a safety net where they can say “well if you didn’t like the story, at least we had the same costume.” It’s just weak. This is your chance to go wild because it isn’t the mainstream. It makes the whole effort seem wasted.

So yeah, this is kind of a pet peeve of mine. If you’re doing something different with the character, especially if it’s changing their personality, change the costume too. Give us something different too look at.

Will be Returning Shortly

Due to family matters and the subsequent death of my laptop, I have been unable to post recently (not to mention lost the articles I had ready). I will be back to regular updates soon.

Onslaught Reborn

While perusing Borders this past weekend armed with a 30% off coupon, I happened come across the Onslaught Reborn TPB. For $15 bucks I figured what the hell I’ll go for it. That and I completely forgot to pick up when it was released in single issues, but that’s not the point.

It was a team up of some of the Heroes Reborn think tank in Jeff Loeb and Rob Liefield, revisiting the Reborn saga as a ten year anniversary. I for one actually liked the Heroes Reborn saga, if nothing else it was a change of pace (not to mention it was after that whole Crossing mess we would all like to forget).

The story starts with a narration from Bucky (the Heroes Reborn female Bucky that is) and Onslaught returning and coming after Franklin Richards, the son of Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman should you not already know that. In an attempt to escape he uses some green globe thing (I don’t really remember what it is) and comes back to the Reborn universe, where all the heroes are. In his attempts to capture Franklin, Onslaught begins to inhabit the bodies of the different heroes, and pits them against one another in an attempt to find the strongest body that he can then take over that universe with. And so the fighting begins.

I’m not going to lie, I prefer action over drama, and while not the strongest plot if you like action this was a good series. I don’t think the plot was weak per se, but it definitely was geared to a more action packed series than a deep and meaningful one.

Liefield’s art, something many have problems with because he exaggerates the features and has a very scratchy detail style, was more toned down. You could still tell it was him, and there were some frames that definitely needed to be lightened on the details, but for the most part I thought he did a good job.

The fighting I thought was good. The frames were clear and you could easily tell what was going on. I liked the coloring too, pretty bright and vibrant, something you don’t seem to see much of nowadays.

I don’t want to give away too much of the story, but there are some twists in this, some good, and some make you scratch your head. You have to wonder if one or two things were intended to be done in the original series and they just never got around to it, or if Loeb and Liefield just decided to have fun with the idea.

All in all I thought the series was pretty good. Though a quick read I did enjoy it and it is definitely good for those who prefer action.

What Happened to Stark Industries?

Since he took over as Director of Shield, there is something I’ve been wondering about the Iron Man titles: where is Stark Industries? I honestly can’t say the last time I even heard this mentioned in one of the books was.

I understand that being the director of Shield isn’t a paltry job, but Tony always ran his company and was directly involved in much of it. But now Stark Industries seems like it has just disappeared. Sure we see Stark Tower all the time, but how often anything that actually does on there?

Since he took over as head of Shield I’ve been feeling a bit disconnect from the character, in the sense that something just seemed off. Other than the whole Biased Political Commentary (a.k.a. Civil War) fiasco things with Stark just haven't seemed right. And while its not one single thing, I think this is a good chunk of it.

Stark was always at his company, be it Industries, Enterprises or Solutions, and it was always a priority to him, especially because he cared for the people under him. Now it’s like it’s not even on his radar, and only heard in passing. I miss the days of Bob & Dave and Kaminski where we got a healthy dose of the company along with the hero.

With the Director of Shield title ending, I think we are going to see Stark returning to his company and Shield back in the hands of Nick Fury. But only time will tell.

Director of Shield Title Cancelled

Marvel has announced (well, did a few weeks ago) that the Director of Shield title will be coming to an end, and the Invincible Iron Man title will now be the main book, continuing with the team of Matt Fraction and Salvador Larocca. The title is going to be replaced with a new ongoing War Machine title.

I have some mixed feelings on this. Stark as the head of Shield had potential, but it was really never used; more so how Stark was used with his companies as plot support. We never see much of how he really operates Shield beyond just barking orders and a few changes here and there and to me that is a waste. Part of it might have been the Knaufs (whose leaving the title makes more sense now) never intended it and had to write it into their Mandarin arc, which would mean it take a back seat. Though the title of Director of Shield was there, did we really ever feel like it was part of the character? For me it wasnt.

On one hand though I am kind of happy it's gone as I never really felt it was suited to Stark. I just couldnt really buy in to him being the head of an organization like Shield. Not that he couldnt be, but espionage and counter terrorism arent exactly his specialties, and definitely isnt the same as running a corporation. I've always liked the more independent Stark and I think it will lead to more character specific adventures like before (as in he's by himself and doesnt always have the Hellicarrier close behind). Which brings me to my next point.

If the DOS title is gone, Nick Fury has resurfaced and Maria Hill has been proven to not be a Skrull, I think its pretty clear Tony's days as the head of Shield are done. Maybe Stark's time there will leave a lasting effect, but I doubt it with the impact Secret Invasion is bound to have on the Marvel U.

Finally, the War Machine monthly title. To say the least, I'm skeptical. Back in the 90's when Iron Man's popularity was at one of it's highest, and Rhodes was still a major supporting character in the Iron Man book War Machine only lasted a few years. Is there enough to a character that hasnt even been built up much lately to try and carry his own title again? Plus there is that thing where Rhodey now appears to be half cyborg or something. If you havent been reading the Initiative title it was revealed Rhodes is part bionic (half his face included) though we're not sure why yet. I REALLY hate that direction, and hope to hell Marvel plans on it being a temporary plot device and to get rid of it sooner rather than later. Rhodey as a cyborg is just... wrong.

Review of Marvel's Top Ten Iron Man Armors

I meant to do this before the launch of the movie, but honestly forgot to. Still, I think it is something worth covering.

When celebrating Iron Man month as a means to build hype for the movie, Marvel posted their top ten Iron Man armors. Now, I understand no one will ever fully agree on a subject such as this for anything, but some of the things here were just piss poor in my opinion. I’ll list the rank, the armor and then my thoughts on Marvel’s rank.

you can find the original article here: http://www.marvel.com/news/comicstories.3417.Take_10~colon~_Iron_Man~apos~s_Armory


10) Mark IV Red and Gold
Marvel’s Take: Iron Man's most recent armor before going Extremis laid the groundwork for both his current look and the character's big screen appearance. A clean, modern-looking design that came into prominence in particular when rendered by digital painter Adi Granov, this armor propelled the Golden Avenger into the present.

Chaos Take: First let me say Marvel has by far the worst model designations of anyone I have ever seen, and yet they created the character. Sorry, the red and gold armors don’t by Red and Gold Mark whatever. Secondly, there was nothing special of this armor at all. It’s low tech looking and has a 50’s scifi faceplate. If by “clean and modern” looking they meant “plated with a bunch of ridges and looking slightly more sophisticated than medieval knight armor” than yes, I agree with them. As for bringing him into the present, well here are some armors that predate this one that look much more advanced: War Machine, Modular, Heroes Reborn, Heroes Return, Grell armor (first version).


9) Ultimate Iron Man
Marvel’s Take: It would have been easy for artist Bryan Hitch to at least stick to the basic template when bringing Iron Man over to the Ultimate Universe, but his decision to reinvent the wheel—or repulsor ray—made for an impressive and bold visual feast. The bulky and intricate look reflected how a suit of battle armor might look in the real world and set Ultimate Iron Man apart from any other incarnation of Shellhead

Chaos Take: It was at this time (mind you the second armor into the list) I realized Marvel had decided to merely put the more recent armors in the top ten list to A) pat themselves on the back for their perceiving a job well done and B) promote any current or recent armor. I think many Iron Man fans will agree the Ultimate armor is in fact one of, if not the worst armor design ever. Even for being in an alternate dimension it sucks. They had a chance to be creative and break from the norm of the designs and go wild (which despite their claim they didn’t really), instead they created some crappy robot thing. To put this armor in anything but the ten worst list is mind boggling to me. If that armor is a visual feast, this is me visually throwing up.


8) Original Grey
Marvel’s Take: So Tony Stark's a dude who gets critically injured in a war-torn area, becomes a P.O.W. and is forced to use his giant brain to make a giant weapon for giant jerks. Giving them the proverbial finger, he creates a badass suit of über-destructive armor out of scraps and detritus, puts it on, stomping and shooting his way to freedom. The classic grey armor—or Mark I, if you will—may seem a little hokey by today's standards, but it's a testament to Tony Stark's genius and indomitable will. Plus, the old-school robot look never goes out of style

Chaos Take: It’s hard to argue with the original. It’s cold, robotic Frankenstein look was perfect for the time, hell even now because there is nothing fancy about it. It’s big, bulky, low tech and gets the job done.



7) Hulk Buster Mark I
Marvel’s Take: Despite being used exactly one time—and not even used successfully—the original Hulkbuster suit has been immortalized in both action figure and video game form in the years since its 1994 curtain call. Why the appeal? Well, it's a gigantic friggin' Iron Man armor that can go toe-to-toe with the Hulk—what more do you need?"

Chaos Take: Um, hate to break to this to you Hulk fanboys at Marvel, the fight was, at worst, a stalemate and at best Stark winning. They stopped fighting to talk it out, it had nothing to do with either getting a major upper hand. But like I said, that’s what happens when fanboys run the show. Anyways, they are actually right in the fact that despite being used once it immediately found its way into our “things in comics that are awesome” category and we all still love it and have been hoping for its return (and not like that monstrosity in Marvel’s Hulk Hard-on event).




6) Stealth Armor
Marvel’s Take: In the history of Iron Man, there aren't many more radical departures from his classic look than the first Stealth Armor, but there aren't many cooler departures either. Besides the fact that it's jet black, automatically raising its awesome quotient, the Stealth Armor also serves has actual reasonable science—or at least pseudo-science—behind how it works thanks to the wizardry of David Michelinie and Bob Layton."

Chaos Take: I wouldn’t call it a radical departure in terms of looks, because other than sharper boots and gauntlets and a new paint job there wasn't a whole lot different visually. It is neat, especially since it made Tony fight even more with his brains than fists because it lacked weapon systems. As for the pseudo science, if they give Bob and Dave credit they sure as hell should give Kaminsky credit because of all the Iron Man writers he has displayed a level of technological knowledge greater than any others. But I have no problem with this armor being on the list.




5) Extremis Armor
Marvel’s Take: Unlike any other Iron Man suit, the Extremis virus allows its user to store armor in the hollow of his bones and instantaneously utilize it at any time. The Extremis armor responds more quickly to user commands and provides interface with all external communications systems, from cellular phones to satellites. Extremis also boats increased repulsor technology for both energy projection and flight as well as greatly enhanced healing capabilities.

Chaos Take: (cough) bullshit (cough) Sorry about that, had something in my throat. For all those advantages they listed, we have yet to see any single one actually be improved outside maybe propulsion. In fact, given how the suits are displayed in the comics, I would say nothing after the Silver Centurion would have a problem kicking the crap out of this thing. This is definitely Marvel being all gushy on themselves on something they think is a great accomplishment when it’s anything but. This armor doesn’t even know if it wants to be high or low tech looking. It’s supposed to be smoothed and streamlined yet is plated all over the torso, plus has extra components on the legs and arms that stick out. Terrible choice.




4) Red and Gold Mark II
Marvel’s Take: The nice thing about this late '80s revamp of the standard red and gold armor Iron Man had worn for years prior was that it really looked of the times. It retained the classic elements and basic design of the long-tenured suit, but streamlined stuff that no longer fit such as the lined underoos and giant hip discs. This armor allowed fans to have their cake and eat it too, with an Iron Man who looked familiar, but not dated

Chaos Take: It’s actually the Neo Classic armor after the Silver Centurion. Apparently Marvel has failed to realize there were variations before what we now know as the Classic Red and Gold got to its final incarnation. But hey, why would the guys in charge of Iron Man’s history k now that? Anyways, this went back to a more recognizable design, being a modern (for the time) version of the Classic after the big departure that was the Silver Centurion. It had a simple yet advanced look and lasted quite a while so I don’t have a problem with its choice.




3) Classic Red and Gold
Marvel’s Take: This may not have been the first armor and it may not be sported by Tony any time soon, but you can't deny that every armor since then has been influenced by this beauty. Sleek lines and a forward-thinking look made for one of the most iconic costumes in comic book history. It's also impressive that this costume doesn't make Iron Man look like a robot—it's clearly a man in armor, which makes it apparent that Iron Man isn't defined just by the armor. It's the man inside who truly powers this hero."

Chaos Take: It’s the classic, what would you really want me to say that you aren’t thinking? It really did start the advance look, even more so than the previous red and gold armors which really looked flimsy at times.




2) Silver Centurion
Marvel’s Take: Shaking up the red and gold standard with this variation was controversial at the time, but it's amazing how all that venom has been replaced by fond nostalgia these days. This is easily one of the sleekest, cleanest looking armors that Iron Man ever sported, with a color scheme that still looks wildly different from his other incarnations, but awesome in its own right."

Chaos Take: Face it, we all love the Silver Centurion. A radical departure from what became the norm, it wasn't just the looks that differed but also the systems. It was the biggest leap in power from one suit to another, as it manhandled many enemies that once gave the classic armor a lot of trouble. It looked great and you really got a sense of power and advanced technology from it.



1) War Machine
Marvel’s Take: Really, is there a much 'cooler' looking armor than this one? From the shocking amount of weaponry to the very basic color scheme, this suit screams 'you're in trouble' to evildoers everywhere. Not only is it part of a great story with Tony being replaced with Rhodey, it's also the armor that we associate with the awesome character known as War Machine! Sure, other armors may be more powerful, sleeker and a tad less ridiculous when it comes to all the visible deadly weapons, but there's no denying that this is the one suit that you know means business.

Chaos Take: I wouldn’t say “you’re in trouble” so much as “you’re @&#$ed” as to what it screams. The War Machine is great because it shows if Stark wants to just beat the crap out of you he can and will. It’s more menacing face plate and cold color scheme along with the weapons gave it an incredibly intimidating look. I’m surprised Marvel was able to get this one right. But maybe its just that obvious.

Legacy of Doom: Final Thoughts

This month we were treated with the fourth and final installment of the Legacy of Doom miniseries. Once again we were treated to a battle of intelligence and wits as Iron Man and Doom had to work together and use their brains instead of brawn to win the day.

But I don’t want to go too in depth to the ending of the series in case you haven't read it yet (if it’s been available and you haven't picked it up yet, shame on you!). I will though give some grades on the major aspects of the book.


Writing: A+
The grasp of the characters was, well, you can’t grasp them any better. It’s just so refreshing to see Stark handling so succinctly after the way he has been kicked around over the past few years. Bob and Dave again show why they are one of, if not the best Iron Man writer(s) to ever grace the book. It was a battle of wits despite there being enough for a battle of strength with two of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe, but also the most cunning. The story itself was well laid out and progressive, with no boring parts and a storyline that kept you wondering what the next twist would be.


Pencils/Inks: A+
Lim was a guy that was always called upon to pencil major events and he continues to show why. His art is clear and precise with both modern and classic tones. Layton knows how to ink the character as he has been doing it for years, even in his free time and knows just how heavy to be. The combination was great, definitely giving one the feel of a 1980’s Iron Man issue.


Colors: A+
Bob noted that one of the great things about this series was that not only was he given the freedom to do the colors how he and Dave wanted but that also the colorists, Sotomayor and Baumann were willing to work closely with him on it instead of putting their touch on it so to speak. The result was a bright and vibrant display that is a nice contrast from the often dull colors used anymore.


Final Grade: A+
Yes, I did just give a perfect score to this miniseries, and the thing of it? I like my comics heavy on the action. Bob and Dave have been action heavy (but by no means light on it) and I still thoroughly enjoyed this mini. Everything was just done so well it’s hard to give it anything but.


Final Thoughts
As they say, all good things must come to an end. Though four issues seem too short because it was enjoyable, it’s better than having a long, drawn out story. Everything from the writing to art was top notch and you can tell a lot of thought, effort and passion for the character went into its creation.


And let’s not forget the great nod to the previous Iron Man – Doom meeting where Merlin discovers that the lake has been built over by the mall, only to have the mall done by Stark himself as a means to protect Excalibur (and since he had no recollection of his trip to the future he came up with the idea himself).

As Iron Man fans, I think we can all give a hats off to the entire team for the series they did, and hope they will be collaborating again on one in the future.

Thanks guys!

The Fantastic Four- not so Fantastic

The Fantastic Four. One of the oldest super hero teams and one that has managed to stay together with the same group for almost its entire existence. Even if it does change, it always goes back to the family of Reed Richards Mr. fantastic, Sue and Johnny Storm the Invisible Woman and Human Torch and their best friend Ben Grimm, the Thing. Though they seemingly have stood the test of time, personally, I feel they are starting to become out of place.

Comics are sci-fi and fantasy, despite what some Marvel Morons like Joe Q are trying to do. And one of the great things about sci-fi that no other genre can really claim, or at least to the same extent, is that sci-fi grows. By that I mean it is not limited by realism, only by what our minds can think up. And as things like technology grow, so do the limits of our mind as new ideas are spawned form creation.

When you think about it, the powers of the Fantastic Four don’t rely on any kind of technology or understanding of phenomena or anything of that sort. Cosmic radiation changed their bodies and gave them their powers. Mr. Fantastic stretch a lot. Invisible Woman can be invisible and create shields and weapons with her thoughts, the Human Torch engulfs himself in fire and can shoot it and fly, and the Thing is basically a big rock monster. Back in the 1960’s they were definitely neat. Now in the 2000’s? Not really.

Sue and Grimm are still kind of interesting because Sue’s powers can be used in a variety of ways, and Grimm in general is, well a rock monster which for some reason entertains us. Reed and Johnny? Well, I guess the word “meh” can sum up their powers. Stretching just inst that interesting, and lets face it, a lot of people can envelope themselves in fire.

But it’s not just the powers. In fact that’s the least of it. I feel the characters personalities have grown pretty tiring. Yeah, we know that Reed is obsessed with work. Yeah we get Sue is basically a pushover but cares for her family. Yeah we get Johnny is cocky and that Ben thinks he’s tough. But the characters have never really grown from these things. They’re really still the same, just throw some marital/family problems in here and there. I just don’t find them interesting at all. Thing’s “it’s clobbering time!” is about as fresh as “Hulk smash!” is anymore and Human Torch’s cockiness is just kind of aggravating.

I know not everyone will disagree with me, but every time I read the Fantastic Four or their characters, I just come away so unimpressed by any of them and hope that each major event is their last.

Secret Invasion so Far

I make it no secret how much I disliked the past two Marvel universe major events, Biased Political Commentary (Civil War) and Marvel’s Hulk Hard-on (World War Hulk). But as they say, three times a charm. Well, at least so far. Yes, so far I am liking Secret Invasion.

Secret Invasion started off with a bang both literally and figuratively. We’ve already seen the death (maybe) of some well known characters like Dum Dum Dugan, Jarvis, and Hank Pym, and who knows else who. Bendis is keeping this story very interesting and you are left guessing at every turn.

For example we’ll take good old Tony Stark. Spider Woman (who is really the Skrull Queen) told Tony he was really a deep cover agent for the Skrull and that they had to erase his memory to do it. But is it true or not? Is Tony really a Skrull or is the queen merely trying to eliminate the director of Shield who would be one of if not the most rallying characters for Earth’s heroes and armed forces? There are many twists and turns like this but that is one example.

Plus personally I am loving trying to figure out who is a Skrull and not. In Mighty Avengers #13 and #13 end with Nick Fury standing next to a wall with pictures of heroes, some circled in blue, some circled in red but most have no circle. Presumably this is Fury singling out who is a Skrull and who isn’t.

As for the Skrulls gaining access to heroes powers, they seem to go through a process where some organic “sheet” is placed on them, then a green orb releases energy, they say a spiel and they are now in the shape of the hero/heroine they are replacing with their powers. If this can be done more than once than it would explain why a Skrull can have more than one heroes powers. Of course it could also be based on the process in which the original Super Skrull got the powers of the Fantastic Four.

During the third issue the Skrulls said it was a good thing that Thor wasn't around. During the first new issue of Thor it was said he would have a major part in a great conflict, so I definitely think it is Secret Invasion with those two bits of info. With the return of the green Hulk, its also possible that Hulk will play a major role in defeating the Skrulls.

I will say this: the future cover that shows Captain America, Iron and Thor to me is suggesting that we may see a return to a classic Avengers lineup. And with the recent Hulk movie and the upcoming Avengers movie, I think that only suggests that theory.

Again, one question leads to three more, and that’s what is great about it. Issue #4 comes out this week, so we’ll see what twists and turns Bendis has for us.

Iron Man DoS #30

Iron Man Director of Shield #30 came out this last week and my response is this: blah.

The plot itself was boring, very little actually happening, mostly background story on the new villain who is an expert at miniaturizing weapons. He was an acquaintance of Stark’s in the past and they looked to make weapons together after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Unfortunately the man’s country went into civil war and his wife was killed and himself imprisoned. So now he’s out for revenge, or justice, or whatever.

So very little happens, and IM once again goes in like a special troop squad with the Shield agents with Stark Tech as his backup. When they take out the bad guys HQ some two bit lame villain called Paladin brings Stark a message from his old partner who gives him the rundown on what happened.

And then comes something that pretty much angers every comic book fan of any character. Paladin shoots Stark with some kind of electrical charge that sucks away his armors power and makes it dead weight. And how was it explained? Well in the first part of the issue with the background Stark agreed to give the guy some access to Stark miniaturized technology, which apparently has to do with his Iron Man technology.

So let me get this straight, Stark actually allowed someone access to his armor technology that wasn't a totally trusted friend. Right. But furthermore, this guy probably had access to technology that has nothing to do with Extremis, or even the most recent armors. Yet he was able to figure a counter to it based on old technology. While not totally unfeasible it’s highly unlikely.

So yeah, the issue was pretty much a bore and some two bit villain taking down Stark with a two bit explanation would have ruined it even if it was a good story. All in all, a crappy issue. But at least colorist Dean White didn’t smudge things nearly as much as he normally does. Sadly that was probably the best thing about the issue.

Legacy of Doom #3

So it dawns on me I forgot to mention my thoughts on Legacy of Doom #3.

Again I am loving this creative team. Frankly, this is the first time in years I feel like I'm reading the real Tony Stark (though to their credit the Knaufs were getting the character back to that place). Dave and Bob have him down so pat its almost scary. Lim's pencils continue with that classic feel and the colors are nice and vibrant. It really feels like we're reading a comic from the 80's.

The plot was good, with Stark needing to use his brains once again to get out of a mess rather than brute force. And to me, Tony saying "I hate magic" never gets old. I also like the insult Tony threw at Doom (don't want to ruin it if you didn't read the book, and shame on you if you're not picking it up).

The issue ends with Stark "donning" the Mystical Armor (posted below for your viewing pleasure), which I have to say is really cool (my only peeve being the pony tail thing on the helmet which I've never liked on any armor, but I digress). Though I must ponder why Excalibur changed Doom's tunic from green to black while the Iron Man armor was completely changed in shape. Maybe I'm just thinking too much.

I have to say I'm disappointed this is only a four issue series and we are coming up on the final one. Its really been a blast from the past in many ways and I look forward to the finale next month.

World War Hulk- A Failure as Big as the Character

In the past you’ve seen me make some (derogatory) references to the World War Hulk event Marvel had back in 2007. I’ve reviewed Civil War so you could get an impression of my thoughts on that, but I’ve never said my due on World War Hulk. So here is what I think of World War Hulk.

The concept wasn't that bad in general. Hulk has always been one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe, there’s no doubt about that, so it’s not a surprise there would be an event where the heroes would have to stop a rampaging Hulk from destroying everything. Unfortunately, this wasn't really the basis for the event. In fact the reasons behind World War Hulk were outright pathetic. I’m not talking about the story behind it, as in the reason that was given for the Hulk to go want to lay a beating on everyone. I mean what drove the people at Marvel to make the event (the normal making money thing aside of course), and that is this: a bunch of Hulk fanboys needed to get their jollies off on their favorite character beating up on everyone. Yes, I do believe that was the whole point of this event, and let me explain why.


“He’s never been this mad”
This is how the Hulk managed to beat everyone, even the Sentry whose power is pretty much limitless. We all know Hulk gets stronger the madder he gets, it’s been said a million times. But now he’s really, really, really, really mad and so his power is far greater than ever before! Excuse my sarcasm for making a joke out of it but that’s what it is; a joke. Will Tony Stark be able to beat up everyone with his Iron Man armor under the phrase “he’s never been this inventive before” ??? How about Professor Xavier controlling everyone justified by the phrase “he’s never been this focused before” ??? Or how about Speedball beating everyone up because “he’s never gone this fast before” ??? Sounds stupid? Of course it does, because it is. It is really one of the sorriest excuses ever on how somehow has pretty much become invincible and is capable of now beating everyone, even using powers that can destroy a planet.


Hulk was not the good guy
The writers desperately tried to make Hulk look like the good guy. He was the one wronged, he was the one shot into space, he has a right to be mad etc. To a degree he is entitled to these things, but here is the catch: the second you threaten to destroy and entire race in order to seek revenge on five people, you are in no way, shape or form the good guy. You are not entitled to justice or revenge when you announce you are a homicidal maniac. What Hulk did was not a whole lot better than Hitler. Actually, you can say the Hulk is worse than Hitler was.

Did the Illuminati, in particular Stark shoot Hulk into space? Yes, but Stark’s intention was he go to a world where no one else lived and finally be at peace and be left alone, something Hulk has wanted since pretty much his existence. But things went wrong and instead of getting what he always wanted he went to a world where hew as forced to fight, something he had always chosen to do and had no qualms with but now absolutely hated doing so. Again, not that he shouldn’t be pissed he was essentially made a slave, but the fact is someone tried to give him the only thing he ever wanted and instead of trying to look at that, he merely became enraged again. Which brings me to my next point…




Hulk was as mindless and savage as ever
The current Hulk was supposed to be more intelligent than the last. He could actually think and reason, and even had Banner’s personality at his disposal so he retained a level of logic and reason. Of course, this wasn't the case at all.

Instead of thinking that “hey, if they wanted to really kill me wouldn’t they have just flown me into the sun?” Nope. Hulk once again showed his penchant for not thinking at all and only looking to excise his rage onto someone. Is having your wife, your unborn child and friends killed a reason to be enraged? Damn right. But is it right to threaten an entire race in order to get your revenge, essentially becoming far worse than those you seek revenge on and being a far greater evil than what you proclaim they did to you? Not at all. But yet that last part was ignored. It didn’t matter Hulk was ready to kill billions, it only mattered he was wronged and he was right to seek revenge by any means necessary.

And what did he want to do when he got a hold of them? Well fight of course, you know, the thing he didn’t want to do anymore. For someone just looking for peace he always manages to somehow keep fighting.



The Illuminati: big on brains, but apparently not on strategy
The Illuminati are the smartest people on Earth (and the moon in case of Black Bolt) and twist events so that the world is a better and safer place. When something is bigger than just one of them, they ban together to try and find a solution to the problem. That is until the Hulk comes back of course. For some reason the smartest people on Earth didn’t think to ban together to use their separate abilities to stop a rampaging beat they knew was coming. Instead they all tried to take him on one on one. This was nothing more than a pathetic plot device by the writers to have Hulk beat each one up individually. And while that makes for more entertaining, the fact is it’s not how it would have happened. For people that seem hell bent on realism, they sure like to ignore it when it suits their purposes.


Heroes would have never sided with him
Funny how heroes have sworn themselves to protect the lives and welfare of the innocent, yet some of them joined the Hulk in his quest for revenge, something considered to be a petty motive by heroes with strong morals. Yet there were the likes of Hercules and Angel siding with the Hulk and helping him in his quest for a bloodbath. Does anyone see a major flaw in that? That heroes abandoned everything they believed in and sided with a possible mass murderer for the sake of a motive they have always looked down upon? Again, its just horrible writing in a lame attempt to make their character look right.



Final Thoughts
World War Hulk was everything a Hulk fanboy could want: mindless violence with the Hulk and his allies easily beating up on their enemies. It lacked real plot, story and common sense, and I guess in a way that is great for Hulk fanboys as some seem to display the intelligence level of the Hulk himself.

Notice how that word “fanboy” keeps popping up? That’s why instead of referring to it as the official title “World War Hulk” I refer to it as “Marvel’s Hulk Hard-on” because when it boils down to it, that’s all it was. The event was every bit as mindless and poorly thought out as the character it was based on. As much as I dislike Civil War, Millar at least tried to write a real story. This was nothing but sheer bias and a love fest for the Hulk lovers at Marvel.

Thoughts on Invincible Iron Man #2

With the second issue of the new monthly series out, we get a little more substance to the issue as the first was more of a set up.

To start Iron Man easily takes down the members of AGM and their leader MODOG, who in my opinion was dealt with a bit too easily. In a way it is nice to see Stark handle a foe whos predecessors in the past were major adversaries, in this case MODOK and MODAM, but it just seemed a bit too quick. What I did like about the exchange was that Tony mentioned how he was still using boot jets, and it was hinted that we may be getting a new propulsion system soon. This was actually my favorite part of the book because I felt the boot jets seemed very low tech compared to the rest of the suits features. I think an upgrade to the propulsion system has been needed for some time.

Writer Matt Fraction also seems to have a good grip on Stark through two issues. I am getting vibes of pre-extremis Tony with the writing, him making all his witty comments and retorts. It is also interesting to see Pepper seems to have a thing for Tony once more, but he seems rather oblivious to it. And I still cant help but think that the mention of Bethany Cabe in the first issue is a herald to her return to the series.

The issue ends with Ezekiel Stane introducing himself to Tony and setting off another one of their biological bombs. Personally I like the way this is shape up with the "Iron Man 2.0" thing. Looks like we're going to have a showdown between a Iron Man 1.0 (mechanical) vs Iron Man 2.0 (biological).

And while I dont like the idea of Stane's kid coming back to haunt Tony, Fraction is at least making good use of it, and already you hate the character, and thats a good sign.

Knaufs No More

So for those that havent heard father and son team Daniel and Charles Knauf will no longer be on the Iron Man: Director of Shield title. No new creative team has been announced but one or two arcs shall have guest teams.

All in all I'm not that upset about this. Dont get me wrong, I'm not calling the Knaufs bad. They have a good grasp of Tony and have written him well, especially undoing a lot of the personality changes that extremis had caused. They were writing Iron Man correctly and partially at a time when he was being kicked around left and right. The problem with the Knaufs were that for the most part, their stories were slow going.

Many issues had a lot of drama and filler, and while some is fine a comic isnt about drama. Many of their arcs I found to be a bit lackluster, and the latest Mandarin arc didnt really pick up until the final issues. Plus it seemed like they wanted to do a lot but just didnt have the pages to do it.

The only thing I am excited about with this move is that there will be a new colorist on board. As I said in my post "A Matter of Color" a few months back, I was very displeased with the dull and drab coloring of the book that really muted the livliness of the story, plus also degraded the quality of art from De La Torra and Guice. It really looked like color was being smugged on and the art suffered greatly because of it.

As much as I hope the new team would be the current team of Michelinie, Layton and Lim on the Legacy of Doom book, or the now de-lurking Kaminski, I'm not really holding out hope. Still we will have to take a wait and see attitude until the new regular team is announced.

Review: Legacy of Doom Issues 1 and 2

*Note: I've posted two entries today and one yesterday, all reviews for the most recent issues. Please be sure to look at them all.

So the first two issues of Legacy of Doom have been released, and I have one word for them: wow. I love the writing, I love the art, I’m just loving everything about it.

Dave Michelinie and Bob Layton are showing once again why they are some of the best writers in Iron Man’s history, and what a team that is on the same page and who love the character can do. Every character is so spot on with their quirks, dialect and nuances that it’s almost scary.

Ron Lim’s art is again top notch and seeing a more classic style really gives a sense of nostalgia. The colors are vibrant and bring a lot of life to the story, a stark (no pun intended) contrast to the drab, dark and dull colors that seems to becoming more prevalent in today’s comics, including the Director of Shield series.

But enough of my gushing, on to the actual review.

The setup was again Doom playing on a heroes morals, luring Stark into his trap by saying they needed to work together to save many lives, and as a hero Stark couldn’t refuse. Doom got him into Mephisto’s realm where he traded Stark for a shard of Excalibur: King Arthur’s ancient sword. As Iron Man tries to activate the return signal to go back to the real world, Doom reveals the one he gave Stark didn’t have the right signal, trapping him there.

As Iron Man battled Mephisto’s minions, Mephisto grew tired of it an unleashed a robot made with Stark tech and Howard Stark’s personality. The construct started again telling Tony how weak he was and what a failure he was in his father’s eyes. Stark realized that it was a fake, and was able to destroy it. Knowing he needed to fix the transmitter Doom gave him, he used the Stark tech from the robot to create a force field around himself while he worked. He succeeded and as he came back to Doom’s castle, he found that Doom now possessed Excalibur, and that the sword could cut through his armor with no problem. Stark had planned to duke it out with Doom, but not while Doom had that kind of power at his disposal.

And so ended the second issue which, like a good comic, left us not wanting to wait for the next issue to come out. Two issues in and I’m finding myself I am actually upset this is only a limited series being done by this crew. No offense to the Knaufs or De LA Torre, but Michelinie, Layton and Lim have created a depiction and story that is truly the best Iron Man in many years.

Review: Viva Las Vegas #1

On the heels of the movie we were treated by the Jon Favreau written and Adi Granov illustrated Viva Las Vegas miniseries first issue. The issue went fast. I mean really fast. I’m a slow reader and try and soak in the art, and it seemed like it only took a few minutes. But that doesn’t mean it was bad.

Favreau definitely seems to understand the character as again yet again it felt like it was old school Stark we were seeing, cracking the quick jokes and being carefree. Of course there was the gratuitous ladies thrown in, and it was an interesting twist they were after Iron Man and not Stark.

So far there isn’t much revealed about the enemy, other than an ancient Asian spirit that will be a dragon. So far all we’ve seen is a giant skeleton (I think its metal) of a dragon that has attracted lizards to Vegas and overrun the city as the largest Vegas casino is about to open.

And that was really it. It started off with a bit of a bang as Stark thwarted a terrorist on a plane, but that again went very quick.

The pace of the issue hurt it more than anything. With only three issues to go I am a bit worried not a lot is going to happen in this series, but the set up seems to be out of the way. The issue wasn't bad, but definitely lacked substance, so hopefully the following issues will be better.

The Invincible Iron Man: 1st Issue Review

So we were treated earlier with the first issue of the second monthly Iron Man title “The Invincible Iron Man” (the title of the original comic before it became the “Director of Shield” but I digress).

The story was ok, but that’s the case with many first issues. We’re introduced to Ezekiel Stane, son of former Stark rival Obadiah Stane, who like his father is a rather evil and cunning, but also seems to have the intelligence of Stark, something his father didn’t have. He has been able to alter his body so that its primary functions use far less energy than normal, which allows him to use that extra energy to enhance his own body, including releasing energy from his fingers through some kind of device.

At the same time terrorist bombings in Africa draw Starks attention as he believes they may be his own technology again being used for evil, and we all remember how the armor wars turned out…Further investigation revealed that it was Stark tech, but some new biotech, possibly something more advanced than the Iron Man armor which Stark referred to as “Iron Man 2.0” indicated he thinks it is the next step in Iron Man technology.

Also while investigating Shield comes across a splinter group of AIM called AIG: Advanced Ideas Genocide, so you can pretty much get the gist of what they’re about. It’s been revealed through previews that they have their own version of MODOK called MODOG, where the “G” stands for, yes, Genocide. So we’ll be seeing another battle in the near future.

The art I felt was good. Larocca delivered some good angles and clear battles and if you’ve seen his art in the past is something you would come to expect. Unfortunately just like the DOS title, the art is dragged down by the drab colors that at times actually make the art look two dimensional and in one or two frames cartoony. I was very disappointed in that aspect.

Odd was that Larocca drew the War Machine armor like Rhodey’s original one, not the current model. Also when Stark first started entertaining the thought of his tech being stolen he brought up a holographic display of his armors and the villains who wore armor. It showed the War Machine, but it was the original Tony wore without the unibeam. I’m not sure if that was a mistake on Larocca’s part or merely an easter egg though.

All in all the issue was average, but like I said it was the first issue. With a new MODOK on the way, and possibly a biotech Iron Man villain on the way the series looks like it has a good direction. But as they say, only time will tell.

Iron Man: Box Office Smash

In it's first two weeks out, Iron Man made over $150 million in just the US alone and was the top grossing movie both weekends. That's expecting not to be the case with the new Narnia movie coming out, but I have to say that it's nice to see the movie lived up to the hype in terms of performance and critiquing. Sure it took a dozen years or so to finally get it done, but good things come to those that wait. I'm also sure long time Iron Man fans going to see it one, two or eight times helped out, but who's counting?

It was really no surprise then that Marvel officially announced Iron Man 2 after the first weekend along with a host of other movies, inlcuding the Avengers which will also feature Iron Man.

I still remember when the footage from the San Diego comicon leaked onto the web. Favreau seemed a bit nervous presenting a movie that had had so much turmoil in getting it made, switching writers and directors numerous times. Then after the preview finished the audience erupted, and so began the massive hype of the movie. But what I actually remember most is the looks on Favreau's and Howard's faces once the crowd went into an uproar: they were genuinely surprised and happy of how the fans reacted. It was kind of a "wow, we're part of something big here" look, and they were.

So the movie will probably continue to do good for another few weeks, then have good DVD sales. I honestly think the second movie will do better as now that the origin and background have all been taken care of, it will leave more room for action and the like. I'd say I cant wait for it, but since I waited a dozen years for the first, I don't think I will have that much of a problem.

Favorite Villains

So a few weeks ago I did the best Iron Man villains, and I’ve decided to somewhat of a follow up by listing my favorite (not the best) Marvel villains. I admit, they may not be the greatest but they are the ones I like the most. So, in no particular order, here are my favorite Marvel Universe villains.




Venom

The original Venom that is; the one where Eddie Brock was driven by revenge and he was a sociopath and completely deranged killer. Not the “lethal protector” or the anti-hero incarnations that really watered down the character. The original Venom was great, a true force to be reckoned with and not just for Spiderman, the one with the huge mouth, gnarling teeth and a roided out appearance. When he was turned into a hero he justified everything he did as heroic and kept telling himself he was really a hero. All he was is a shadow of the real character. Alas, even with a new villainous Venom, it just isn’t the same.



Omega Red

Personality wise there is nothing so great about Omega Red. Sadistic killer, no remorse, standard psychopathic villain. But his design and his powers I think are absolutely great. His death aura and carbonadium tendrils are interesting weapons at his disposal, and he definitely uses both to good use. Coming from the cold war has become a bit nostalgic for us anymore too, a reminder of an era past.


Dr. Doom

Doom always haws an ulterior motive for his actions and despite knowing this he is able to convince the heroes to bring him along or fall into his trap time and time again. His intellect and cunning is surpassed only by a few and his lust for power insatiable. He has a grasp on both technology and magic, a rare mix for any character. Plus unlike many other villains Doom is very calm and collected and has a wit and threatening tone about him that is more fearful than the villains who boast their powers.



Magneto

Magneto is a perfect example of what happens when a man with power is supremely driven. Hell bent on his quest of ascending mutant kind he returns again and again, and though he may preach a new cause it all boils down to the same thing, with the same result: Magneto feeling provoked and attacking. Though his actions may be repetitive, seeing someone with such power is always awe striking especially since he has the will to use it. That is a big reason he has lasted so long: Magneto never ceases to amaze.



Thanos

Thanos is one of the most powerful characters and he displays it time and time again. Driven by the concept of death he hatches scheme after scheme that takes multiple heroes to stop. But his character isn’t that shallow. He was always smart enough to see when greater dangers arose and he needed to ally himself with his enemies. In addition Thanos has evolved over time. At one point he was a murderer with only selfish intentions, and while he is still driven for his own reasons, it’s really not a lot different from anyone else. Every time we see him he seems to have a new outlook and you can expect something different so his character stays refreshing.

Go See Iron Man

If the title of the post didn’t give it away you know I am going to say this movie is good. It definitely lived up to the hype and a hundred million over the weekend suggested that many others agree. And to think, it all started with a few minute clip Favreau showed at the San Diego Comicon. But enough of that, on the review.


Acting
I admit, I am not a fan of Robert Downey Jr. I’ve felt in many of his roles he portray the character the same way, same tone, quirks and all. But I have to say he did a very good job with Stark. His portrayal was very believable and I truly felt like I was watching the comic book character in the flesh. Kudos to RDJ for nailing it.

Jeff Daniels did a good job as Stane also, pulling of the sly, manipulative and greedy persona. Though there wasn't nearly enough time to play out the character like in the comics I thought there was enough that the relation was there.

Paltrow did a good performance with Potts and her chemistry with RDJ was noticeably good. Though maybe a bit more stern and perky than I pictured Potts, I liked the character.

Howard did a good job with Rhodey, but I felt the character was written wrong. He seemed like a pushover at times, just taking whatever Stark dished out at him, and Howard’s soft voice added to that, though I digress that I was used to the gruff tone of the 90’s cartoons that Rhodey had. I don’t blame Howard for Rhodey being a bit of a lame duck so to speak, but the character was definitely lacking the grit and intensity Rhodey has.


Plot
The first half hour was basically the set up and origin, but it was entertaining enough that at no point where you impatiently wanting the movie to move along. The origin was a bit different, but along the comics enough that at no point would you shake your head knowing the true origin.

The action was good, and there was enough to keep the movie interesting. Seeing the suit be built by Stark and him doing the various tests was entertaining and you were genuinely intrigued by it.

The movie was much more humorous than the other non-comedic comic movies, Starks witty one liners prevalent in that along with a few other things that I won’t tell you since I will keep this spoiler free.


The Suit
It was awesome. Even after all the previews, all the pictures and videos, it was still awesome even in the clips we had already seen. At no point did it look fake, but seeing all the moving parts was a bit strange, but that was to be expecting since we wouldn’t see much of it in the comics. It looked real, acted real and was believable in its construction. And frankly, I thought it looked a lot better than the current extremis armor. In combat or in flight you truly got a feel for how powerful the suit was.


All in all the movie was very good, and there were hints at the sequel which again, I won’t be giving away at all, but you’ll like it. The characters were true to the comic and the performances good, and the action while not constant was entertaining. If you haven't already seen it, once, twice or five times like others have, make time to.

No Update Today, Sorry : /

I started a new job earlier this month and gone out of town a few times so it has really messed with my schedule, so I apologize for not getting a real update in this week. There is a very good chance I will be seeing the Iron Man movie this Friday, so if that happens I will have a review posted next Monday, promise.

Armor Design

Since I was out of town most of last week I didnt get a chance to get a good entry in, so I'm going to post an armor design I did about seven or eight years ago.

For lack of a better name, we'll just call it the Chaos armor. As you can tell at first glance it was influenced by the Heroes Reborn Prometheum armor with the smoke stacks and the leg attachments and also the modular armor with the more streamlined look and lack of mouth. Though it may look like I went purely for aesthetics, the big parts do have functions.

The armor is meant to be modular, able to swap out systems like boots and gauntlets, plus the shoulder armor and back pack could be removed for different units.

The leg attachments as you can see have straps to hold them on, they are actually battery units for extra power. Think of them as bigger versions of the disks the Classic armor had on the hips. They were completely optional and could be discarded with ease.

Much the same manner was the backpack, which was also a power generator and had its own thrusters for extra speed.

The shoulders (whose design actually came form the Wing Zero Gundam mecha) are three separate thermocouple units for extra energy conversion. While in flight the two lower segments lift up into the top one for greater aerodynamic stability.

The uni-beam, well that was pure aesthetics there. I was going for something different and thought the straps would look good there. The gauntlets have overhangs above the hands and elbows for protection, plus giving en elbow would hurt a lot more with that thing.

But yeah, that's an old design I came up with but always liked. Not every one's cup of tea I know, and admittedly I would do some things different now, but all in all I am proud of the design.

Best Iron Man villains

Just like every other hero, Iron Man has his share of villains, some one shot guys and some who have been around as long as he has. Of course some stick out more than others, and to no surprise they last the longest because they tend to be the most original and interesting. So which do I feel these are? Well, I give you what I believe to be Iron Man’s best villains.




5) Crimson Dynamo

I wanted to put him as the first because the Dynamo always represented Tony if he was born in Russia, plus at the time with the Cold War that meant a lot more. It was two men whose only real difference was that they grew up on the other side of the world. Unfortunately the problem with the Dynamo was the guy in the armor kept changing, so it became more a suit than anything. I guess you can call it the Tin Man: the character lacked a heart. His latest appearance was little more than a joke, wearing armor like the original and getting beat with no real effort. The Dynamo really needs to get an established wearer so it can be used to full potential. Still he has managed to continually be interesting, so he makes the list.


4) Justin Hammer

Tony with no morals is probably a good way to explain Hammer. He was driven by money and power and didn’t care who he stepped on to get it. Of course, he didn’t get where he was by being stupid and every time he looked down for good something he did in the past blew up in Tony’s face and he was back in it. Until that whole Bad Blood thing, but of course in comics, is anyone ever truly dead?


3) Titanium Man

The T-Man always represented a bit of a step up from Iron Man, a David vs Goliath if you will. Plus he represented somewhat of a great fear at the time: an unstoppable Russian weapon. He was loyal to a fault and would never give up. Even after Tony had upgraded his armor multiple times, the T-Man was still a match in the same armor he wore. It says something when after beating the T-Man with the classic armor, the far superior Modular armor was having trouble taking him down. It shows how powerful the Titanium Man truly was, and it was only death that really stopped him.


2) Obadiah Stane (Iron Monger)

Stane was Tony’s most crafty and intelligent enemy, and in ways actually smarter than him. Stane avoided direct conflict seeking instead to stay behind the scenes and ruin Tony emotionally, taking away his company and driving him to alcoholism. Tony was at his worst when Stane wanted him. But in the end Stane underestimated Tony, thinking Tony was broken for good and he had won, Stark came back with the Silver Centurion armor and not only outfought Stane in his Iron Monger but out-thought him. Everything Stane threw at him Tony waded through with little problem. Unwilling to give Tony the final victory Stane took his own life. Of all the Iron man villains, none have ever managed to make Tony steep so low.


1) Mandarin

It’s really hard to put Mandarin anywhere but the top spot. Not only is he the most intriguing, but he is the only villain who continually evolves. After every battle the Mandarin comes back with a changed philosophy and strategy, and sometimes new powers. He has done everything from creating his own armor to trying to control Fing Fang Foom and Ultimo. He always has a new scheme vastly different from the last, and he has the intelligence to use his supreme powers. The only thing I don’t like is that he is almost always been physically frail, so the battle between him and Iron Man is usually the Mandarin dodging repulsors. But still, what the Mandarin brings more than offsets that. Intelligent, resourceful and driven the Mandarin time and again has proven to be Stark’s greatest enemy.

Review: Age of Apocalypse

I’ve decided to take the time to review one of the major alternate realities in the Marvel Universe: The Age of Apocalypse. For those that don’t know this was an alternate timeline created within the mainstream Marvel Universe by the death Charles Xavier (this alternate timeline was portrayed in the regular monthly titles). An attempt to kill Magneto in the past to prevent him from being a mutant terrorist is disrupted when Xavier jumps in to save him, dying in his place. Mutants are not as unified by Xavier’s ideals and the rift between mutants and humans grows which Apocalypse takes full advantage of, resulting in his conquering of the United States in a dark and apocalyptic (no pun intended) setting where humans are slaughtered like cattle and Europe is the only free place for humans left after the destruction of much of the rest of the world.

What I liked most is really how dark this series was. More graphic and realistic in the sense that no one was safe, anyone could dies and heroes didn’t always win, AoA as it is referred to had a completely different feel to it than mainstream Marvel. There were few happy moments, even in victories and everyone was constantly divided not only with others but with themselves. The feeling at times is a bit akin to the Terminator future: dark, desolate and violent with only glimmers of hope where war is constant.

Also many characters were flip flopped, such as Cyclops and Havok both being agents of Apocalypse and Magneto being the last thing standing in front of Apocalypse’s rule of the Earth. It was interesting to see such established characters in a new light, and what it would be like if someone like Magneto was a force of good rather than evil. It’s really something us as readers always wondered: “what if this character was on the other side” and this series answers some of those. Though you could normally see hints of the characters regular personas for the most part the characters were a fair amount different not only because they had switched allegiances, but also because the world they lived in was so much harsher (a bit of a spoiler, do we honestly ever think Night Crawler would deliver a killing blow to a bad guy with no remorse?).

The art too I thought was very good. Led by artists like Ian Churchill, Steve Epting, Salvador Larrocca and Adam and Andy Kubert just to name some, I would say the art was all in all fantastic for the series. I know we all have our own tastes and not everyone can be impressed, but all things considered I can’t see people not liking the art. If you're a fan of detail heavy art, this is definitely for you.

The one thing I didn’t like about this series was the end. What happened wasn’t bad, but how fast it happened was. It seemed like all of a sudden things came to a head all too quick and people started dying left and right. It really should have been drawn out over another month at least to really get a good fulfilling ending in. This was also a bit of a problem for the whole series. It jumped around a lot, often months or sometimes years passing between issues. Though I realize they didn’t want to drag this on forever, at points you really feel gypped of a good story.

All in all this was a very good series. It is more adult oriented and mature and the writers get the despair and darkness of the world across very good. I picked up the series in the four volume trade paper backs and thoroughly enjoyed everyone, included the special “Chosen” issue where you see Apocalypse’s profiles on the more prominent characters of the series. If you got some spare cash (about $25 US for each) I suggest this series.

No Update Next Week

I will be out of town with no computer access so there will be no update next Monday. New update will resume on April 7.

Armor Designations

It seems Marvel and every fan site out there has their own list of armor designations most of which vary (Ironically, Marvel’s list is easily the most inaccurate I have seen). Granted this is to be expected since everyone will have their own opinion, but regardless I am going to take a stab at it. Feel free to let me know of any disagreements you may have.

My criteria for a new model is based upon how much the suit changes in terms of both aesthetic appearance and functionality. Luckily these tend to go hand in hand so it makes things rather easy. Also, specialty armors are not included in this at all as they have their own category.



Model I Mark I Grey Armor
Model I Mark II Gold Armor
Model I Mark III Grey Armor the armor Stark sued to take down Rhodey before the Silver Centurion armor. While it did have some improvements, it is essentially the same as the Grey and I don’t think it should get another model designation.


Model II Mark I 1st Red and Gold
Model III Mark I 2nd Red and Gold (rivets around the faceplate)
Model III Mark II R&G
Model III Mark III R&G with nose
Model III Mark IV for Rhodes


Model IV Mark I Silver Centurion


Model V Mark I Neo Classic/ new Red and Gold
Model V Mark II Romita Jr. rendition. Aesthetic changes but exhibits the same power and weapons.


Model VI Mark I War Machine. Though could be a specialty, since Rhodes wore it for a time it is mainstream
Model VI Mark II War Machine Rhodes


Model VII Mark I Teleprescence armor


Model VIII Mark I Modular Armor


Model IX Mark I Retro Classic/ The Crossing Armor


Model X *Prototype* Teen Tony Armor under construction
Model X Mark I completed and refined version
Model X Mark II The final issues leading up to Onslaught and Reborn


Model IX *Protype* Red and Silver Prometheum worn by Rebel
Model XI Mark I Heroes Reborn/ Prometheum Armor

Model XII Mark I Heroes Return/Renaissance Armor
Model XII Mark II Sentient Armor
Model XII Mark III Safe armor


Model XIII *Prototype* SKIN armor Model XIII Mark I SKIN armor
Model XIV Mark I Grell Armor/ Tin Man armor
Model XIV Mark II removes the tubing from sides and legs for streamlined look
Model XIV Mark III becomes a much more heavily plated and layered design, helmet changes via Jorge Lucas design
Model XIV Mark IV streamlined Adi Granov version


Model XV Mark I Extremis Armor

What's Wrong with Comics Today

It seems more and more comic book readers are commenting that the books were better years ago, though that is quite a broad time frame since readers ages are all over the place and they could be referring to any decade. But that doesn’t mean that the underlying problems of comics today are any different. There are many complaints these days, many of the same complaints as to why comics are suffering in their quality. I am going to try and break down what I believe are the primary problems that face the industry today, focusing on a sheer quality point of view, not a business point of view. That’s a whole other matter.


Fantasy No More
Fantasy was the basis of comics and their characters. We read them to see what fantastic and obviously unrealistic powers and adventures the characters would have. It was a break from the real world. But that’s gone. Now everything needs a real world scientific explanation. Now things need to based on actual science and technology, civilian and government reactions. You can’t just step in some ooze and be transformed anymore. Now the ooze has to be made up of such and such chemicals which affects the DNA so and so yadda yadda yadda. The fantasy, and hence imagination, is gone.

And I want to know why SHIELD is using F-15’s and F-16’s as their main fighters? Not only are these real world jets far inferior to what SHIELD has used in the past, but they aren’t even the most advanced jets in the world today, being outclassed by the likes of the F-22 Raptor, Eurofighter Typhoon and Su-37 Berkhut. And speaking of SHIELD, they’re now little more than a UN peace keeping force. Gone is their real autonomy and proactive methods, rather they sit by and wait for word on what they can do. They’re run purely by politics, nothing more.

So if everything is run by realistic explanations and reactions, where does that leave room fantasy? It doesn’t leave a whole lot. Everything needs to be rooted in something real anymore, it can’t be a flight of fancy which is one of the main reasons people read comics to begin with.


Politics
A little politics is ok, like Senator Kelly in X-Men, when they play a pivotal role in plot, but they aren’t the plot nor does the story delve into more than the concept he was pushing. Now, it’s all about politics. We have to see what the senators or whoever are doing, time wasted on them talking to their aids and accomplices. Focus of stories are on something the government or a political figure is doing. It’s ridiculous. If I want to hear about politics, I’ll pick up a damn paper or political journal. I don’t spend money on comics just to have pictures with my politics. Plus, the writers are almost always biased and their writing shows it, making it even worse. Read Civil War and you will clearly see Millar drive the story to who he believes is right.



Retconning
Retroactive Continuity. The fans absolutely dread this concept but writers love it. Why the latter? Because it lets them be lazy. The writer can save the time of reading back issues and actually getting to know the character by merely changing them and their history at their whim. Marvel is such a convoluted mess right now there is no real history. Every new writer on the book wipes out what the last did so he can do his own thing and not work around it. The likes of Mark Millar and Warren Ellis are notorious for this (and the above mentioned politics also) and yet they are heralded as some of the current great writers. It’s quite sad really.

Some fans say “well as long as the story is good I don’t mind a retcon.” Here’s the problem with that line of thinking: in a few months, that story wont be the same story. It will be changed to suit the purpose of the current arc. Plus, good writers always pay attention to what was done in the past. You don’t see history writers saying how in World War II the Americans just kicked everyone’s ass with little problem because it sounds better do you? Well, that rewriting is exactly what writers are doing today.

Half of the interest of new arcs was seeing how it would be affected by the last. In other words we looked forward to the repercussions of the events and the decisions made. Now things are just changed or ignored because it’s easier. There is no creativity in the matter, just cop-outs.

I’ve created a simple graph that shows what a progression of a book should look like if continuity is followed. For the sake of ease, we’ll call the graph’s “Old Story Structure” to represent how things should be done, and “New Story Structure” to represent how things are currently done. At the center of each lies the origin of the character, normally the first arc of their series, which is followed by subsequent arcs. Each arc is built upon the other, expanding on what the character has done while using those past experiences. Each colored circle pertains to a new arc.

The current story structure though works a bit different with the retconning that happens on a regular basis. As each new arc happens a previous is ignored or changed so that it can fall in line with the current arc, effectively changing the story. That essentially makes every arc a complete new history for the character. Eventually though this divulges so much from what originally happened that the origin, the center of the character itself is changed to fall in line with what is being done. The more arcs that occur the less concise and firm each new one will seem until every arc is practically an alternate dimension in itself. (the graph is suppsoed to enlarge when you click on it, but is refusing to do so in order to see the comments you will need to click the link below. I apologize for the inconvenience).
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-10/866439/StoryStructureRevised.JPG

No Longer a World of its Own
The Marvel Universe is slowly mixing with our own. Current politics, global issues, wars etc. are all finding their way into comics almost as quick as they happen. But Marvel comics aren’t about what happens in our world, it’s about what happens in Marvel’s world.

A good point of this is Civil War. The idea of someone keeping track of super powered beings running around in tights has been around a long time, but it was ignored for a reason: that’s not how the Marvel Universe works. Civil War is a saga about what OUR world would do if we had super powered beings, not what the MARVEL world would do. There is too much emphasis on how our world would react to such things rather than how Marvel’s would.

I don’t mind having historic events like major wars or something referred to, but using them as a milestone is trouble. Iron Man’s origin was in the Vietnam War. It would eventually need to be changed since the war took place before his character was born given his look and demeanor. In the volume 4 reboot it was changed it to Afghanistan because that’s who the USA was fighting at the time. So what happens a few decades down the line when that’s too far in the past? New origin of course! The writers and editors made the same mistake that was made before. All that was needed was to have the time not be during the Vietnam War, it could have just been in Vietnam at an unspecified time. It’s idiotic mistakes like this that continue to hurt Marvel.


Joe Quesada
That’s right, the Marvel Editor in Chief himself. Why? Because Joe Q has facilitated all this under his reign of terror (or error, either is really fitting). In addition to allowing all the retconning, promoting the writer ahead of the story and letting writers do whatever they want, he has thrown any kind of schedule out the window. Artists are consistently late meeting their deadlines because Joe Q himself can’t make his own deadlines. Books that used to come out every month are getting pushed back more and more because he refuses to hold artists or writers accountable because he can’t hold himself accountable. I’m not sure whether that is more selfish or unprofessional.

In addition he wants things done based on what he likes, not what is the best. The current example of this is Spiderman’s Brand New Day arc. Joe Q said he never liked the idea of Parker getting married, so what does he do? Create an out of character premise of Peter making a deal with Mephisto to save Aunt May at the expense of his marriage. Peter would never make a deal with Mephisto, and he’s logical enough to figure out not to undo his marriage to save his quite elderly aunt. But now Joe Q has retconned more than two decades of stories because he never liked the concept. Talk about abuse of power.

And this will only continue to get worse. Marvel is bad now, but wait a few more years of this stuff. Hell, we’ll probably find out it wasn’t Stark who fired the satellites to stop the Hulk but Galactus instead because the Hulk became a threat to him. The Captain America killed was really Bucky all this time and Winter Soldier was the real Captain America? Of course it could work! Peter Parker is actually the love child of Magneto and Enchantress and he had his powers since birth? Brilliant!

As ridiculous as these things sound, you cannot rule them out because Joe Q seems to love outlandish things like this for shock value, whether or not it makes sense or is a good or interesting idea. But shock value means little when the story isn’t any good (kind of like M. Night Shyamalan movies). That leads us to the next part.


Epic and Shock Value is More Important than the Story
You’re probably wondering what I mean by this. Well doesn’t it seem every other arc in every book is supposed to be a defining and epic moment in the character’s history? That when it’s through everything about the character will be different? The infamous “nothing will ever be the same again” tagline being used once again? Writers keep going for something massive, meaningful and with long lasting repercussions just to wow people, but there are some problems with that. First is wow factor’s aren’t any good if the story suffers when it’s only written as a lead up to the end (again, I reference M. Night Shyamalan who forgoes the rest of the movie to get a big twist in at the end). It’s not that twists or wow’s are bad, but when that’s the whole point of the story and everything before it is filler, than the whole is useless.

Second is that it happens way too often. I mean honestly, I can’t keep track of each new “life-defining event with repercussions for all mutants” arc in the X-Men titles because it’s one after the other. By now it’s just lost its flare. Same goes for the Marvel wide events. Civil War was considered a bore by many, World War Hulk was just Hulk fanboys (who sadly are in charge at Marvel) getting their jollies off on the Hulk beating everyone up with the excuse for him being unbeatable “he’s never been this mad” (rolls eyes). Now the Secret Invasion is coming and the excitement for it doesn’t seem nearly as big as the others. This is what happens when you do them consecutively. I like the big crossovers, but not every year. There is a reason the old editors put extended times between them: they knew it would be bigger if there was time between events. Doing them year after year takes away from the luster. Yes, they sell well, but when you care only about the book selling on not how good it is, you’ve lost your way.

So now nearly every month we’re told the story for such and such character will change them forever. (Yawn). I hear that every arc now, it doesn’t grab my attention. It’s getting to the point of a broken record really.


Definitive Arcs
Notice how just about every arc in Marvel is always six issues? Part of the reason for that is to make it east for a trade paper back to be released, but it is putting a stranglehold on the writers. Not every arc needs to be a set length. Some arcs are better fit for fewer issues, some for more. This means the writers now have to tailor the arc to be six issues so the story will now either feel drawn out or too short. This has happened many times and frankly is a waste. If the arc doesn’t require six issues, there are better things to write about. If an arc needs more than six issues, don’t cut out chunks that need to be there. A well written story is worth more than ease to make a trade paper back. And to be frank, I feel like I am being screwed out of a proper ending when the latter happens. It’s anti-climatic.



Too Much Leeway for Artists
I used to draw myself, and every artist has their own style, but the problem is when they are allowed too much interpretation that things start to get icky. By this I mean how much different characters are drawn from book to book. Like I said, artist style will account for a part of this, so there is going to be iterations. But when characters start looking significantly different from book to book it becomes a problem. Case in point: Iron Man. He is possibly the most non-universally dawn character out there, and the armor looks like a different model in each book. It’s a bit much. There needs to be a basic design that everyone follows so the armor looks close to the same. While not as big a problem as other things I have mentioned, some better consistency would be nice. I’ve created a composite picture below so you can see what I’m talking about. For the full size image please click this link:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-10/866439/IMComposite.JPG



The Writer is More Important than the Product
Nowadays it seems that anyone who creates one good arc, or has made a name for themselves in the past becomes an authority on story telling and is allowed to do whatever they want. They can change the character, they’re history, anything really and it is allowed because of who they are. How often does Marvel play up the names like Warren Ellis, Mark Millar, Brian Michael Bendis, Orson Scott Card, J. Michael Straczynski etc. rather than the name of the book itself? On the Ultimate Iron Man hard cover trade paper back, in big gold letters is Orson Scott Card, taking up over half the cover and in a bigger font the character name / book title (thanks to Roger A. Ott II for pointing that tidbit out).

As I mentioned, many writers now are given the freedom to do what they want, the editors don’t really do any editing on their end. They pretty much give the name writers a thumbs up as if anything they turn in is gold because the writers can do no wrong. Never are they held accountable for a bad story, and Marvel finds excuses as to why people didn’t like them. Marvel editors need to man up and tell these guys not everything they write is good, and they need to strop screwing with everything just because it’s easier for them. Of course when you have an Editor like Joe Quesada who undoes two decades of Spiderman continuity because he personally didn’t like the idea of Spiderman being married, you can’t expect that to happen.

I can understand promoting a creative team, but not more so than the book itself. How often during the past Marvel-wide events have we heard “So and so writes this epic tale” or “this even brought to you by so and so”? It has become more important to promote the writer than the book, and that’s not good.



Final Thoughts
Now, I don’t want to come off as acting like as comics are bad right now. There are some good stories and writers out there, but the problem is it’s all becoming a convoluted mess. There are too many big changes, big events, Earth shattering revelations and the like going on. Civil War was barely over then World War Hulk started, and just as everything recovered the Secret Invasion is launching, and that doesn’t include event like Annihilation, Brand New Day and whatever the huge X-Men event is this month. There’s retconning left and right, politics are a main focus and realism is more important than interest. Much of Marvel’s big selling points are the big events, all the side issues involved and in general things being rammed down people’s throats. It’s a perfect case of quantity over quality.