Comic Books Comic Book • Page 400

Mirka Andolfo is a pretty fun cartoonist, & I generally dig Romulo Fajardo Jr.’s colors. So, if there are still copies of Punchline next time I make it to my shop (no idea if lame Batman speculators are gonna scoop it up, lol), I might grab one.

 

I will say, if nothing else the issue was worth it for the art.

 

I enjoy the world building but the pacing of x of swords is actually abysmal. 15 issues of setup that all could of been “road to x of swords” and now what feels like a rushed ending.

Im not even a crazy action fan, but to have a 22 part anime style sword tournament have no fight scenes after this long is borderline unacceptable

 

That... sounds like Hickman, lol. Part of the reason I’m holding off for the collected editions before reading his run (the other part being how expensive it’d be to keep up).

Isn’t there a significance to 22 based on tarot cards? As a lifelong Christian, I don’t know much about that shit, but I remember people talking about how that’s what “X (10) of Swords” was really referring to. If so, I imagine Hickman incorporated what’d normally be “the road to” issues in, to hit that number of total issues.

(On a similar note, I remember the Hickman run being initially announced as a 3-year plan. So, I imagine it’s gonna go House/Powers -> year one [“Dawn”] -> Swords -> year two -> [event] -> year three -> [mega event finale]. Bet the 3rd year is when all the shit really hits the fan with Moira, etc.)

 

I don't mind the wait in X of Swords. I'm honestly loving the build up and the tension

 

its weird cause Hickman is an all time fav of mine and his avengers run is probably one of my favourite super hero runs ... ever. But the whole xmen run is really grinding me down slowly. I just wish he wrote 2 or 3 series, and none of the side books mattered. Theres just so much extra fluff here that gets hyped up as "integral" and ends up being nothing other than filler. Theres ways to do expansive world building that doesnt resolve around "you must follow like 15 books monthly"

 

I always go back to my experience reading his Fantastic Four run. That second trade in particular felt like a handful of unrelated teaser trailers for upcoming story beats. It all paid off in the end, but I probably would’ve hated it monthly, lol.

This Dawn of X thing is certainly much worse, lol, due to the sheer volume of material being cranked out. Which... is a related factor in me avoiding the single issues. I think it’ll pay off in the end, when there’s a series of trades to read “Hickman’s X-Men,” but this 22-part crossover in particular is alienating on a consumer end in single issues.

Now that I’ve trimmed my pull to nothing but Ms Marvel & Crossover, I decided I’m gonna jump onto New Mutants with Vita Ayala, just ‘cause I’m a fan of those characters & particularly a Karma stan. But, when it gets pulled into another crossover, I’m gonna sit that out.

 

Just saw Spidey spoilers. The arc looks bonkers.

 

I’m so ambivalent about Spencer’s ASM, I don’t know if I even wanna look that up, lol.

On the X-Men note, there’s a new series launching in February called X-Men Legends that looks pretty cool.

Looks like it’s gonna be an ongoing series where, in each issue, a different creative team comes in & tells a story set in various moments of X-Men continuity. The first issue is a 90s story by Fabian Nicieza & Brett Booth, & future issues will include writers like Chris Claremont, Larry Hama, & Louise Simonson.

Really fun idea for a series, imo. Hope Claremont does more than one issue, & also hope one of the eras they revisit is the early 00s era I was praising the other day.

 

Defintely picking that series up

 

This is now the “X-Men (& some other comics, too) Thread.”

I don’t seek out variants anymore unless they’re cover price (or very close), on issues I wanted to buy anyways, but I really want this cover.

 

Man that series really just makes me want another X-Men Legends game. Those were the best

 

Whoo boy... Geoff Johns, Gary Frank, & Brad Anderson have a new creator owned series called Geiger, launching in April 2021 from Image Comics.

There’s a time I would’ve thought that sounds cool, but coming off the wet farts that were Doomsday Clock & Three Jokers? Citing the initial Image launch titles in the 90s as his main inspiration?

The main reason I bring it up, other than having another excuse to complain about Johns, is that him going through Image instead of DC is... interesting. I’d think it has to do with the Ray Fisher Justice League stuff, but it sounds like WB has mostly tried to throw other people under the bus to preserve him. Which, makes me think it has more to do with all the tumult over in DC’s publishing department. More confirmed layoffs & related rumors this past week. Makes me wonder, for example, what the long term future of Bendis’ Jinxworld line looks like.

 

Decided, hey, why not, & made a general X-Men thread:

X-Men (General Discussion) • forum.chorus.fm

I love this comics thread being active & don’t think all X-Men talk has to go there. But, since I’ve been on such a big X-Men kick lately, wanted another thread for my rambling instead of just spamming this one nonstop, lol.

 

I really, really wish that Tom Taylor was given the same star treatment as Tom King lol, Taylor is such a better writer for the DC Universe, the dude just *loves* every facet of DC's history, and his additions to the lore make sense, whereas King just... does what he wants. "Oh, editorial wants me to kill this character instead of that character? Works for me, the character death had nothing to do with the plot anyway!"

 

King definitely has no idea what he’s doing half the time (if that), which makes it so funny that he’s stumbled into as many comics I’ve loved as he has. As I’m sure I’ve said a few times here, he’s very dependent on the artist, property, & premise elevating his otherwise uneven writing; if any of those pieces miss by too much, he crashes hard.

Last time Tom Taylor came up, I said I think he’d be better off doing his stories in his own little corners like he’s been doing. But, I am starting to think giving him just one a-list title to shepherd would be dope. I think Waid’s probably taking Superman & Williamson Justice League; maybe let Taylor do Flash?

 

Yeah, Tom King isn't a *bad* writer (uneven is a much better descriptor) it's just that his idea outweighs the property, which is cool if the story works, but... well. Like you said, it doesn't always.

Honestly my dream gig for Taylor is something where he can really dig into the "history" of the DC Universe, let him do a big 52/Batman Eternal style book where he can spin a mystery from the Golden Age to the Modern Age and in between, the guy truly gets the legacy aspect of DC.

 

So, like, Tom Taylor’s New Frontier?

My opinion is limited ‘cause, when it comes to mainstream superhero comics, I lean heavily Marvel. But, I think the Flash series would be the best mainline title for that grasp on DC history everyone praises. Between Barry, Wally, Jay, Impulse, etc., there’s a lot of meat on that bone.

 

I've heard really good things about Williamson's Flash run. Only read the first issue though I think.

 

Oh god, Tom Taylor's New Frontier, be still my heart lol

I'm a toooooootal sucker for DC, I have been for, oh god... over 20 years now? Almost 25? Damn I'm getting old lol - but I've felt so disconnected from DC since Flashpoint, and Tom Taylor, since he's been doing so many "Elseworlds" stories, he's been my fix for the old history/legacies and such.

 

Shameless plug: check out my YouTube channel where I review comic books. I have a couple videos so far. More coming.

Undiscovered Country volume 1 review

 

Haven’t watched the review cuz I like to go into stuff blind, but I just read the first issue of Undiscovered Country and I’m really into it.

 

So not to hop right back on Tom King, but is anyone checking out the Rorschach series? It's alright, but...once again... kinda feels like King could have just created a Rorschach pastiche and did his own thing, cause this feels... *entirely* disconnected from the Watchmen universe beyond the most superficial shit.

 

Former Marvel editor Ralph Macchio (no relation to the actor of the same name) writes a lot of one-shots for Marvel, usually around the time of some movie release.

I’ve never bought any of ‘em, but Tom Reilly (artist of that recent “Marvel Snapshots” Cyclops comic) drawing Morbius sounds dope. Will probably pick it up.