A Matter of Color

We all have our likes and dislikes when it comes to art and comics are no different. Some like pastels while some like neon. Some like highly detailed styles while some like plain. Now I have no problem with people not liking the same as me, to each his own, but I have to say right now I am really disliking the coloring on the Iron Man DOS series.

Roberto De La Torre and Butch Guice have done the majority of the art since Patrick Zircher left, and I like their work. The only problem is their work looks better in black and white than color. Much better, and that shouldn’t be the case ever. Both have pretty good details, angles and know how to use shading. However, the drab colors that Dean White uses just kills the excitement of the work.

As I mentioned both artists make good use of details and shading. White’s coloring is so dull that it counteracts both, creating less definitive lines and shadows. It’s almost as if he puts a drop of color on the page then just smears it with his finger. The latest issue, #26, I felt was a muddled mess that took excitement away from the book like poor lighting for a movie set in the dark takes away from the visuals. Some frames it was hard to tell what was going on because the colors blended together so much.

And the thing I like the least? Tony Stark looks middle aged with a spare tire. His face outright looks fat and old, which we all know is not how he is supposed to look.

One of the things I am most looking forward to on the new monthly series is a colorist who doesn’t kill the artists work. I know some feel with the dark and gritty storyline the Knauf’s are going for his work compliments it, but I just cant agree. I normally don’t like being this harsh on an artist but I just feel White is really hurting the overall quality of the book.

The End of Extremis?

It seems to be the consensus among Iron Man fans that Extremis has not been good for the character, especially for the man beneath the armor. But recently a few things have sprung up that are making me wonder if we are beginning to see the downfall of Extremis?

First is the current arc written by the Knauf’s with the Mandarin who is attempting to release and Extremis “plague” so to speak on the world population. As we all know once something bad happens with something Stark is using it sends him into a moral spiral where he debates if it should be used any longer period. This normally results in him deciding negatively and trying to destroy or shut down whatever the technology/substance/item is. A good case of this is the original Armor Wars saga where he went on a rampage destroying any Stark tech that wasn’t being used by himself.

So if Extremis does get released, even if it’s limited to one or two people, will it send Stark on yet another personal quest to wipe it out? If the Knauf’s know Stark (which they seem to unlike most Marvel writers in recent years) they may very well send him into an introverted state and then out into the world to wipe out all traces of Extremis, both those who have it and all the information on it (though I don’t expect him to go on a murderous rampage, more like an Extremis negator pack or a biological equivalent that will kill the virus but leave the person unharmed). Time will tell and as the arc is coming to an end we will find out soon.

Second is the release of the movie. The movie will have impact on the comics, how much though is unknown. One thing for certain is that new readers drawn in by the movie will be wondering what the hell the Extremis thing is. As it is somewhat of a long story and you cant really just mention everything behind it in a few frames, Marvel may well opt out to retcon it out in some way, or, and this is a stretch nowadays, actually write it out of the comic in the current continuity. Of course they could just do some back-story issues that used to occur in the 90’s that were basically a waste of an issue, but I don’t see them doing that.

Now this is pure speculation on my part; I could be completely wrong in my assessment, and I wont deny I may just be grasping at a fragile hope something I hate will be done away with. But I do think the seeds of Extremis destruction are very well being sewn in the current arc.

New Monthly Iron Man Series on the Way!!!

It was announced today by Marvel that a new monthly series for good old Shellhead will be starting, going under the name of The Invincible Iron Man (which is what it should have always been but I digress).

The series will be written by Matt Fraction who worked on Iron Fist and drawn by long time Marvel artist Salvador Larrocca (who I think is a rather good artist). There aren’t a whole lot of details at the moment other than it what I’ve mentioned and it will debut in May to coincide with the movies release. It seems to be a supplement for the regular Director of Shield series and judging by the title would probably focus more on everything outside of Shield (you know, like it used to be… damnit there I go again!)

You can get more information here ate the Marvel.com article plus some preview art. http://www.marvel.com/news/comicstories.2534.EXCLUSIVE%3A_Fraction%7Eand%7ELarroca_on_Iron_Man

Also, Marvel has announced that this week will be Iron Man week at Marvel.

I have to say this comes as a pleasant surprise. You have to wonder how popular Iron man has truly gotten. I say this because it’s not clear whether IM has actually become popular enough to hold two titles of his own, a first for him (outside of “parallel” series like Marvel Adventures or Marvel Action Hour excluded) or Marvel is trying to soak up every little bit of revenue from his surge in popularity along with the hype for the film? I guess only time will reveal the answer to us common folks as we will know if one of the series is cancelled, but for now it is good to see a second title coming to our favorite character.

Lastly, please read the post below. I normally do one post a week, but I posted the Civil War article before this announcement was made. It was an article I put a good bit of thought and time into so please take the time to read it and comment if you wish.

Civil War: A Monumental Failure

Marvel’s Civil War crossover was one of the most anticipated sagas in comics in recent years. The build up was huge, the material comprehensive and full of intrigue. But despite having all of this it was a monumental failure. Financially, yes, it did great, but that’s not what I’m talking about. Ironically, it can be summed up with the words that the battle ended with:
“Why are we surrendering? We’re winning!”
“Everything but the argument.”
Captain America always was a wise one.

Civil War’s tag line was “Whose side are you on?” Unfortunately, Mark Millar didn’t write it like that. He gave you the side to be on: Captain America’s anti-registration side. Cap became a freedom fighter battling the tyranny and oppression against superheroes. Iron Man became an evil entity hatching scheme after scheme involving lying, betrayal and criminal activities, all of which are completely out of character for him (but that’s Millar for you). Every action pointed to Cap’s side being right and moral, while Iron Man’s was wrong at every turn, caring more for the bottom line than showing any human decency. Millar wrote the whole story skewed, and the tag line would have been more fitting as “You’re on Cap’s side, see what happens!”

Mark Millar said: “The political allegory is only for those that are politically aware. Kids are going to read it and just see a big superhero fight.” Congratulations Mark, you once again proved why you are one of the worst writers in comics today. You just don’t get it. Comics are not about politics, especially your own political views. And that big fight you’re talking about? I think it’s referenced under “anticlimactic” in the dictionary now. Imagine if Rocky Balboa had beaten Ivan Drago with a few punches in the first round of Rocky IV: all build up and no substance. Civil War went out on a whimper and I felt outright robbed at the ending. Millar failed to create a politically impartial story and paired it with weak fights. Yes, Civil War had a few moments, but nothing that stuck out as particularly memorable.

Millar followed up on Civil War with this quote, saying it was “accidentally political because I just cannot help myself.” Well Mark, if you can’t help yourself, either 1) learn some damn control or 2) don’t write the damn thing. Personally, I’d rather the latter because that’s less tories for you to ruin. Good writers are able to set aside their bias and wants for the sake of the story, something Millar obviously isnt even remotely capable of doing.

Millar also ignored what characters were truly like in the process of butchering this event. Tony Stark was the bad guy, but Tony Stark wasn’t even in Civil War. Yeah he looked like Stark, he wore the armor, but the personality was nothing like Stark because Millar didn’t bother to get to know Stark. And also Reed Richards and Hank Pym, all whom had a major role on the pro-registration side, also ignored their principals and created clones and used criminals to hunt other heroes. I can’t picture any of these three ever doing these things, but because Millar wanted his side (yes, I do mean Millar’s side because of his own political views) to look good he ignored their characters and just wrote.

Millar did two idiotic things with the Civil War saga. His first was mistaking that people who read comics actually want them to be about politics. Look Mark, if we want politics we’ll pick up another magazine or follow the debates going on now. Comics are about fantasy, not politics. Second is that he completely ignored what the characters involved were really like. In addition to the aforementioned three, did it really seem like Cap in the saga? Would Peter Parker have revealed his secret identity (that they’ve already had to retcon because it was so idiotic and created so many problems)? The answer is no. But that doesn’t matter to Millar because he has his head so far up his own ass he’s blind to the fact he is a terrible comic book writer.

Finally, and possibly the worst aspect of Civil War when you think about it is this: Civil War is not about the Marvel Universe dealing with super hero registration. Civil War is about what our, the readers, the real world would do if there were super heroes. Civil War doesn’t take place in the Marvel Universe, it’s meant to take place in ours. Do you know why Civil War hasn’t been done in all the decades of Marvel despite this fact being in the back of everyone’s minds? Because Marvel is a world of fantasy. It’s a world where a gamma bomb turns you into a green monster instead of killing you. Where a simple injection turns you from a scrawny kid into a super soldier. Where being bite by a radioactive spider gives you it’s powers instead of putting you in the hospital. Do these things sound realistic? Not at all, yet Millar tried to make a story based on realistic political responses.

So what should have been a gut wrenching saga that made you think and choose who you sided with was nothing more than the writer’s idea of how he think things should have been. This story had so much potential it was ridiculous, but all in all wasn’t a whole lot better than what happened in the Crossing. Millar took an idea that hadn’t been sued for a reason, and showed exactly why it should be. It’s not about how our world react to a situation like this, that’s non-fiction. Millar and anyone else involved with writing and approving the story, apparently doesn’t know the difference.

The Return of Thor

Last year Marvel finally returned one of it’s most powerful, and popular heroes in the Asgardian Thunder God Thor. His return was inevitable, but one had to wonder what he would be like when he did. The answer was a more classic Thor: being merged with Donald Blake so he could walk among humans also. Blake was also the first host that comes to everyone’s mind when Thor is mentioned, so it was a smart move.

To me Thor’s return is a good thing for multiple of reasons, and Marvel was going to do it for sheer economic reasons if nothing else. So let me explain why I like his return.


Earth has its most powerful hero back
To me Thor is one of the most powerful characters in Marvel, and the most powerful on Earth all things considered. If you look at the other heroes/villains of space, think about who there is. Gladiator of the Shi’Ar (who he defeated while Eric Masterson, a.k.a. Thunderstrike, was still new to the whole thing), Silver Surfer who roams space, Thanos of the Titans, Super Skrull of the Skrulls, Ronan of the Kree. All extremely powerful beings that only the heavy hitters could hope to defeat. But how many characters does Earth have like that? Comparing him to the other most powerful characters on Earth as I see things:

Sentry- incredibly powerful, but a head case to say the least. Sentry has power that rivals even the cosmic characters, if not even greater, but his head isn’t in the game so to speak. He’s always at odds with himself and the Void who gave him his powers, so he is constantly holding back and not always reliable.

Hulk- Hulk is one of the most powerful beings if nothing else for his strength and durability. But Hulk is also a loner and rarely agrees to fight along side anyone. Despite Marvel’s attempts to portray him as having unlimited power, I don’t think anyone outside of Hulk fans, the Marvel big wigs (a.k.a. idiots) see things that way. If it comes to betting on Hulk or the Thanos or Surfer, Hulk isn’t getting my vote.

Iron Man- despite being one of the most powerful heroes, Marvel refuses to write him that way. He peaked in the 90’s before the dreadful Crossing saga, and hasn’t been portrayed as powerful since. Every suit seems to be less powerful than the last for some reason. That and just about every Marvel writer is using him as a punching bag anymore (refer back to the “idiots” comment).

Phoenix- Dead (or not, who knows, she may be alive this weak and dead the next again)

Wolverine- despite Marvel’s best attempts at making him an uber-powerful character that can survive anything and kill anyone, I don’t think anyone will ever see him that way except fanboys who have no common sense.

Most of the other super powers are villains like Magneto or Apocalypse, who rarely fight on the side of good. So enters Thor, the unlimited power of a God and the mind to wield it.

Also, since his return, Thor has the powers of both Odin and Gaea, making him even more powerful than before. Plus, after the fiasco of Ragnarok is quite mad and isn’t holding back like he used to.


The Return of Asgard and the Asgardians
Though never a major player normally, Asgard and the Asgardians have always been there in their own world, ready to do some damage. Loki of course is back (as inevitable as Thor’s return) and the rest are returning from their human forms. Though rarely used outside of Thor or the Avengers comics, it adds more options for the writers are Marvel, and could always lead to a major event. Not to forget that Odin was considered a major force in the cosmic scene, and that can’t be ignored.


A Personality as tough as the guy who has it
When it comes to most of the heroes, they always hold back. Whether they don’t want to severely hurt someone or kill them, fear their powers may go out of control or lose their sanity, few actually let loose. Thor has not been like this much. He has always been tough as nails in mind and body, and rarely holds back. He had the mental toughness to do anything and the raw power to carry it out. Plus he always had an aggressive edge to him: he was overwhelming powerful, fought as such and had little trouble wanting to deal that final blow. Few heroes have this attribute (Punisher, Hulk and Wolverine are the only ones that come to mind) and though a ton aren’t needed, there need to be more than just a few.


Now, where the return of Thor going to lead to? Only time will tell that, but I think you can expect big things from him in the future, and for him to play a major role in the upcoming Secret Invasion saga (which Marvel hopefully wont screw up like Civil War and World War Hulk). Rereading Thor #1, Donald Blake shows Thor a world where he doesn’t come back, which is a ruined city landscape piled up with bodies. This could have been an actual hint he will have a serious impact on Secret invasion, but of course it all also just be an in general statement.


Finally, I want to say I am a fan of the new costume. The recent trend of things, not just at Marvel, but in society in general, is having a modern look of a retro item (think the new muscles cars, Cyclops uniform in comics just as a few examples). Thor’s costume fits right in, looking like his original costume with the silver disks on the chest, winged hat and boots. I think the black and silver scheme looks a lot better than the blue and gold scheme though, giving it a more serious tone. The base costume looks t be a chain mail of sort, with small cubic plating on most likely a mesh or cloth base.

The only thing I don’t really like though are the wristbands. There is too much silver on the arms, making it distract from the rest of the costume. The only design change I would make would be either to enlarge the bands to go closer towards his elbow, or create new gauntlets for him along the style of the boots. That way there is no drastic change in the appearance, but it would correct the small problem.