Read Pile 1/30/08

Whenever I pick up my comics the first thing I do before reading them is organize them into the "Read Pile". The one on top being the one I am most interested and invested in the ones on the bottom usually being something i've never read before or don't have that much interest in and am stuck with.

 

1. ACTION COMICS #861- I am loving Geoff Johns run and arc with the legion of super heroes. The art is fantastic and the story thus far is top notch it will definitely be at the top of my read pile.

 

2. NEW AVENGERS ANNUAL #2 - I love the New Avenger's line up especially cause spidey is on it, I hope this'll explain how this brand new day crap fits with this and new avengers history.

 

3. GREEN LANTERN #27 - Another Geoff Johns book what can I say the man is a genius.

 

4. COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS 13 - Hope that superman prime finally gets his butt whooped.

 

5. JSA CLASSIFIED #34 - I love Hourman he's such a weird kind of dorky character. this is a good comic to jump on.

 

6. MIGHTY AVENGERS #8 - I really hope this book doesn't suck i was about to give it up due to it's inability to ship regularly, but since this will be a key book for secret invasion I'm gonna hang on at least till that's over and the Avenger's reach a status quo. Also I'm really sick of Bendis's thought baloons they only serve to make our heroes seem duplicitous. Oh and I almost forgot Ares blows!!!

 

7. PROJECT SUPERPOWERS #0 - Only reason I'm picking this up is cause Alex Ross is involved. Good time to jump on.

 

8. TRIALS OF SHAZAM # 11 (OF 12) - The story isn't horrible but it's not that great. I'm just on it to see what Captain Marvel will be like in the future.

 

9. BLACK ADAM THE DARK AGE #6 (OF 6) - Finally we get to find out what his new magic word is. My money is on "kltpzyxm"

 

10. COUNTDOWN TO ADVENTURE #6 (OF 8) - This book is week I'm happy there's only two issues left the only reason I pick it up is for the forerunner backup story. 

 

11. CAPTAIN AMERICA CHOSEN #6 (OF 6) - I hope this ties into cap #34 shown below I've been on this mini since it started and i love the emotional resonance it carries. 

 

12. CAPTAIN AMERICA #34 - Should be a good jumping on point and alex ross is involved in it so let's see what happens. 

  

13. DEATH OF THE NEW GODS #5 (OF 8) - This book is boring as heck. Hope it is a satisfying villain reveal.

 

14. WHAT IF SPIDER-MAN VS WOLVERINE - I'm a sucker for what ifs. Easy issue to jump on. 

 

Arch Villainy the dead art

A hero is only as good as his villains. False. 

A villain is only as good as the hero he hates. True.

Spider-man, and Batman have with out a doubt best super villians in all of comics.

 

I'd put a close second the Flash(i know some people don't like the Flash's rogues but i do they are unique and they al have a style and sense of community like no other in comics.)

        

, and in third Superman. 

Why do these villains stand out? It's because a villain is defined and best highlighted by how much he hates the hero. There aren't really that many choice super villains who belong to one character. Less so in the Marvel universe. 

The MU is very connected so good villains make their rounds from hero to hero.  Most of the b-list villains like Boomerang, Absorbing-man, Jack-O-Lantern,  Radioactive man, the U-Foes, etc. have their first appearances with certain heroes but end up fighting someone else and someone else and end up getting beaten up by every hero in the marvel universe. The reason these villaIns never find a worthy arch-nemesis is basically cause they're not really well defined characters who have yet to meet the writer that would make them gold. Now why do Spidey and Bats have all the choice villains, one could say they are better characters to play off of(which they are), and they're both mortal so anyone with any type of power can be a threat(which is important). But why the really have the best foes is simply because they have long publication histories and have tried more villains than any one else. 

Which brings me back to last post Why does Spiderman need this new villain Mr. Negative? 

Would Mr. Negative as a character not be better served if he were put up against a hero with a not so long and established list of hated enemies. Some one like Iron Fist, Ms. Marvel, or Luke Cage?

 The same can be said in the DC universe though I feel DC is really actively trying to remedy this as shown on Judd Winick's run on Green Arrow where he tried giving the emerald archer some rivals like Brick, Constantine Drakon, Merlyn, Natas, Onamotapeia, and Deathstroke. Why the lobby for a more diversified form of villainy? To be honest i love b-listers heroes and villains alike and I'd like to see them get a little love in the form of hate. 

Heroes that need villains?

1. Wonder Woman 
2. Iron Fist (Brubaker and Fraction seem to be remedying this so hopefully they keep up the goodwork.)
3. Booster Gold(also a work in progress)
4. Ms. Marvel
5. Luke Cage 
6. Vixen
7. Zatanna

Any other heroes in need of some villainy?

BRAND NEW DAY

Welcome one and all to my inaugural blog.  So... Let's get right into it shall we. 

I'd like to talk about the most highly discussed move in comics. Spider-man's One More Day and Brand new day story arch's. 

In One More Day, Spider-man makes a deal with Mephisto (marvel's substitute for satan) to save his aunt Mays life. 

Why is this a terrible move?

• 1. He's the devil! You don't make deals with the devil.  Go ask Ghost rider how good his deal with Mephisto was. Do you really want a flaming skull Spidey?
• 2. Aunt may is an old woman, she is going to die soon. In fact she's already died once and comeback. 
• 3. Mephisto isn't even a staple of the Spider-man books, he is completely out of place next to Spiderman. Their colors run together.

Now Peter Parker didn't sell his soul to Mephisto. He sold something more important his love for Mary Jane. He changes history so that Mary Jane and Peter Parker never got married. Effectively erasing 30 years of Spider-man in the marvel universe(how is erasing mostly good comics from continuity a good thing?).  Also erasing one of the best runs on Spider-man, the current run by J.M.S. Who broke new ground with actually using the marriage to draw out stories and made bold moves with characters that actually helped them grow and become more relevant. i.e. Aunt May learning Peter's secret, and his run on the New Avengers. Him not being in the New Avenger's is really what hurts me the most as I love that book and the way he plays off Luke Cage, and Wolverine. 

   

What ticks me off royally isn't the results of his actions but how totally out of character a decision like this is. Spidey while you're selling "pure love"(as Mephisto calls it) Why not get rid of the biggest guilt of your entire life letting Uncle Ben die. That would  be to logical for Spider-man I guess.

So, Spider-man and MJ are no longer a couple I'm over it. Let's move onto Brand New Day. 

I really wanted to hate this comic and I'm kind of sad to say I liked it a little. We are essentially getting stories about the Spider-man of the sixties. Single and ready to mingle and cursed with horrible luck(he deserves it selling your soul to the devil...come on). I've only read about the past year and a half of Spider-man, so it was nice to see the novelty of Spider-man in his original state. However I feel like marvel is making the same mistakes it has in the past. Living off of gimmicks bringing back Harry Osborn from the dead, and putting J.J.J. in a coma(because of Spidey.) I think I'm going to drop this comic after issue 548 unless it really blows me away as my form of protest against marvel and their crappy decision making. 

Another thing that bothers me about this book is it's first villain some one I have never heard of before named Mr. Negative(no it's not me) and as far as I can tell he's brand new. Which will be the topic for my next blog. 

Why do the top super-heroes get all the good new villains?