Comics Talk: March 30, 2011
We haven't talked comics in a while. Let's change that.
Age of X, involving X-Men Legacy and New Mutants, is turning out to have quite a spy novel feel, with everyone lurking in corners lest they be overheard, and trying to figure out who the real culprit is. It seems to be making Carey's examination of what his characters are like outside their roles and giving it a boost.
Generation Hope is doing a good job of portraying Hope's self-possession in combat arenas, but I'm still waiting to see what's going to happen when she has to cope with the real world outside of a fight.
X-Men, with it's stated aim of having mutants interact more with the greater MU, is a worthy goal that they seem to have trouble executing well. X-Factor is doing the same mission ten times better. This is what a good soap opera looks like, with enough action-adventure and mystery to spice it up.
As for the Claw family, X-23 and Daken are benefiting from good writing. Wolverine -- not so much.
Namor is better than I expected, and has some beautiful background art. The writer has a handle on all of Namor's strengths and shortcomings. Looks to me like they're telegraphing a major change in Loa's status and origin story. (A plugged nickel says she's Namor's granddaughter.)
The Spring Annual trilogy had a lackluster start. It's hard work to make characters like Hope and Nemesis or a setting like the Negative Zone boring, but the writer pulled it off. Here's hoping things improve.
And finally, Matt Fraction's Uncanny X-Men run just ended. It was marked by praiseworthy highs and cringeworthy lows. Shame it had to end on a low. The "corporate boss who doesn't understand the implications of what his techies have created" is a plot that was old decades ago. Mindwiping Shaw is a classic example of an idea that looks good in the short term but will come back to haunt them big-time. Shaw's memory will return someday, and he's a dangerous man to have mad at you. Looking forward to seeing Kieron Gillon on his own.
The X-Relatives:
Young Avengers Children's Crusade is one of the finest combinations of crack, angst, gorgeous art, and jaw-dropping good writing I've seen in ages. This is a title that ranks with the finest work Claremont and Lee ever did.
FF is looking interesting. HIckman did a beautiful job of ending the Fantastic Four. Now he's added more members to the team and more balls he has to juggle. How many balls can he handle and how fancy can he get before he drops something? Time will tell.
The Summer Event, Schism, is something I'm cautiously hopeful about. Looks like the mutants are going to try to divide down Xavier/Magneto lines again. That's a terrible idea. The reason I'm cautiously hopeful is because I'm hoping the writers take a page out of contemporary events and have the younger mutants form a third group that refuses to play the outworn power games of their elders.
What do you think of current and upcoming stories?
Age of X, involving X-Men Legacy and New Mutants, is turning out to have quite a spy novel feel, with everyone lurking in corners lest they be overheard, and trying to figure out who the real culprit is. It seems to be making Carey's examination of what his characters are like outside their roles and giving it a boost.
Generation Hope is doing a good job of portraying Hope's self-possession in combat arenas, but I'm still waiting to see what's going to happen when she has to cope with the real world outside of a fight.
X-Men, with it's stated aim of having mutants interact more with the greater MU, is a worthy goal that they seem to have trouble executing well. X-Factor is doing the same mission ten times better. This is what a good soap opera looks like, with enough action-adventure and mystery to spice it up.
As for the Claw family, X-23 and Daken are benefiting from good writing. Wolverine -- not so much.
Namor is better than I expected, and has some beautiful background art. The writer has a handle on all of Namor's strengths and shortcomings. Looks to me like they're telegraphing a major change in Loa's status and origin story. (A plugged nickel says she's Namor's granddaughter.)
The Spring Annual trilogy had a lackluster start. It's hard work to make characters like Hope and Nemesis or a setting like the Negative Zone boring, but the writer pulled it off. Here's hoping things improve.
And finally, Matt Fraction's Uncanny X-Men run just ended. It was marked by praiseworthy highs and cringeworthy lows. Shame it had to end on a low. The "corporate boss who doesn't understand the implications of what his techies have created" is a plot that was old decades ago. Mindwiping Shaw is a classic example of an idea that looks good in the short term but will come back to haunt them big-time. Shaw's memory will return someday, and he's a dangerous man to have mad at you. Looking forward to seeing Kieron Gillon on his own.
The X-Relatives:
Young Avengers Children's Crusade is one of the finest combinations of crack, angst, gorgeous art, and jaw-dropping good writing I've seen in ages. This is a title that ranks with the finest work Claremont and Lee ever did.
FF is looking interesting. HIckman did a beautiful job of ending the Fantastic Four. Now he's added more members to the team and more balls he has to juggle. How many balls can he handle and how fancy can he get before he drops something? Time will tell.
The Summer Event, Schism, is something I'm cautiously hopeful about. Looks like the mutants are going to try to divide down Xavier/Magneto lines again. That's a terrible idea. The reason I'm cautiously hopeful is because I'm hoping the writers take a page out of contemporary events and have the younger mutants form a third group that refuses to play the outworn power games of their elders.
What do you think of current and upcoming stories?