Marvel Comics blabbery

I'm reading the "Vision" collection, but not really digging it... I think its particular brand of literary pretension is not my preferred brand of literary pretension (or something).

On another note, I just read TALES TO ASTONISH #44 – first appearance of The Wasp – it’s pretty fantastic (both Kirby’s art and the scripting).

Psersevere till the end, it’s only short and very worth it, honest

OK, will do!

There are like a half dozen collections of Fantastic Four material solicited for July, and all of the True Believer one-off reprints are also FF-related. Your guess is as good as mine as to what that portends. My money is on a surprise summer theatrical release of the Corman film.

They already announced their bring back the Fantastic Four comic. Nothing more than that.

They’re, fucking autocorrect

so they're starting at #1 instead of adding up all the issues and using the current Human Torch/Thing to patch their way up to a landmark issue? lame

Oh that reminds me: Marvel recently announced that, while they're clearly going all-in on renumbering their books every couple of years, their covers will soon feature both the issue number for whatever reboot they're currently on as well as the actual number of the issue you'd be holding in an alternate universe where Daredevil had just been allowed to run uninterruptedly for several decades. Hopefully this will help eliminate some of the completely avoidable confusion which I'm sure keeps new readers at a distance (no word yet on whether forthcoming collections are going to be subject to a similarly-sensible initiative).

Who is the intended audience for a number reboot, collectors or new readers? And has anyone measured the long-term effect of long-term short-termism?

Numbers tend to get goosed, then quickly sink to below the level they were previously at.

or below, depending on the title. it's often... below

below or below, either way

Don't sales occasionally dip, as well? And while it's a rare occurrence, we should probably note that they also decline from time to time.

Also I wasn't here but https://alewing.tumblr.com/

This is making me Highly Anticipatory of his upcoming Hulk comic.

strange...

I’ve lost touch with AE’s work since Mighty Avengers and Loki ended, but his current weekly run on Avengers with Mark Waid (!) is a lot of fun

Man, I think that weekly Avengers thing is hot fucking garbage. To each their own.

Ha, I've only read the first two, but liked them enough. Here goes nothin'

It gets more Waid-ish as it goes on

Sometimes that's good! Sometimes... it isn't

One of the digital TPBs I bought in that recent .99 sale is "Hawkeye: Kate Bishop Vol. 2: Masks (Hawkeye (2016-))" [complete titling for y'all], which collects issues #7-12 of the current series. It's outstanding! Kelly Thompson's scripting and Leonardo Romero's artwork are totally on point. I've been casually following the series (I love the character), and it's been good-not-great until now; but everything comes together in the main story arc in this collection. Highly recommended.

(A few points docked for a groaner misrepresentation of L.A. geography... the Hollywood sign is NOT a short jog up a hill from the Sunset Strip!)

Haven't read it yet, but it's one the handful of Marvel titles nominated for an Eisner and which have already, to a number, been cancelled. Akira Yoshida's Cebulski's tenure as EiC is off to a pretty great start.

I'm gonna double down on AVENGERS NO SURRENDER MAYBE THERE'S A COLON SOMEWHERE. I read the whole thing over two super-lazy weekend brunches and thought it was terrific. It's very DC for a Marvel comic - it reminded me of Grant Morrison's JLA run: big cosmic baddies, heroes in costume at all times, lots of character bits using superpowers to solve specific problems, action-heavy but without grimdark violence, the focus on second-tier heroes... etc. Good, disposable fun. Anything that involves Waid comes with a pre-packed amount of squareness, obviously, but it didn't tip the balance here.

Also Al's new villain was a mind controlling octopus called MENTACLE.

and which have already, to a number, been cancelled.

:(

There was a letterer who worked for Marvel mostly in the mid-70s, Denise Wohl. I liked her work, thought it was distinctive — tall ascenders, slightly thicker line. I googled her the other day and got a bunch of results about an NYC socialite who sold her co-op apartment in 2015 for $15M+. According to Sean Howe, they're the same person. I'd love to know her story and the route from Marvel letterer to wealthy socialite, or how the 2 paths ran concurrently.

Wohl has sold the co-op apartment where she lived for 25 years with her husband, real estate titan Larry Wohl, before the two's reported split.

hmm!

http://observer.com/2007/11/wohl-goes-woowoo-socialite-denise-mother-of-arden-shills-spiritual-comic-book/

Denise Wohl, mother of headband-wearing alterna-socialite Arden, has started a new comic book company, Intrinsic Comics, hiring James Shooter, the former editor in chief of Marvel Comics, where she used to work as a letterer, to help realize her vision.

I vaguely remember hearing about that, but...

1. Work at Marvel
2. Meet and marry real estate guy in NYC
3. Start comics company
4. ??

I can't think of any plan that wouldn't be vastly improved by bringing the temperamental co-creator of Warriors of Plasm onboard.

how about living in a cave

that observer article has a lot of incredibly questionable ideas, truly a divinely inspired venture

living in a cave with Jim Shooter seems like it might make for a better comic premise

He's always bumping his head on the stalactites, it's hilarious.

Wait, why haven't anyone told me S.H.I.E.L.D. #5 is out today?

oh hey frederik S.H.I.E.L.D. #5 is out today btw

He's always bumping his head

this was my joke btw btw

Thanks, bg

Al Ewing’s You Are Deadpool is a love letter to both 40 years of Marvel and Choose Your Own Adventure books. It’s also a full-throated example of the latter, including “Man-Thing has 5d6 combat dice - but if you are carrying a mirror, turn to 45”

It does have Kieron Gillen’s worst pun during the tutorial, though.

Looks like this is the logical replacement to the cancelled Hawkeye & Gwenpool series that I really liked: https://news.marvel.com/comics/89123/kelly-thompson-west-coast-avengers/

Although, not sure about this angle-- Instead, to get funding, the team will be part of a reality show while living together under the same roof.(??)

I also don't think I have experience w/the artist (Stefano Caselli).

I dig Caselli's work. Nice mix of realistic and cartoony. He did the art for most of Hickman's Secret Warriors.

Cool... maybe I'll go 4 it.

I might read it just for more America Chavez punching adventures. But let's face it this will be canceled by issue 9

Immortal Hulk, y’all

I’ll probably dig it, but isn’t that the plot of X-statix?

xpost
Yeah, I can’t imagine it will last long...

Hulk was cool. I prefer Al E like this, in non-cosmic mode. It’s heavy-handed, but heavy-handedness suits the glum horror mood. I think it would benefit from telling single-issue stories for a while, and save the world-building for the second year (and hopefully it lasts that long).

Belatedly caught up with the conclusion of the Jane Foster Thor saga ("The Mighty Thor" #706) – a nice wrap-up. Also read the one-shot epilogue that follows it ("The Mighty Thor: At the Gates of Valhalla").

Is anyone reading the new "Thor" series, with Odinson back in the role? Looks like there's been a few issues so far.

yup

he's dropped by Hel with his bros and there's a monster truck and a flying boat

https://variety.com/2018/film/news/whats-next-for-the-spider-man-universe-after-venom-exclusive-1202900203/

Some of Sony’s previously announced plans for Spider-Man and company are being reworked. Namely, the studio is scrapping “Silver & Black,” which was supposed to chronicle the team of Silver Sable, a mercenary who runs a company that hunts war criminals, and Black Cat, a burglar named Felicia Hardy. Instead, the characters will be in standalone films, the first of which will likely feature Black Cat.

Also — Silk would be cool; but Jackpot and Nightwatch? (admittedly, I’m not too familiar with either of them)

Will a Jessica Drew movie ever be even contemplated?