Marvel Comics Discussion

xxhplinkxx · Post by **xxhplinkxx** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 12:32 am

Hey everyone!

As some of you may or may not know, I am a HUGE Marvel fan. I figured we could have a discussion thread to talk about current storylines and tie-ins for the best ever, Marvel. Sorry, DC, I enjoy your tv shows and movies, but Marvel rocks the comic world.

Current titles that I'm reading:

Adjectiveless X-Men
Astonishing X-Men
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
Sensational Spider-Man
Amazing Spider-Man
Marvel Zombies (Including V.S. Army of Darkness and Black Panther)
Captain America
Civil War and related stuff

Titles I've just picked up, or am going to very soon:

World War Hulk: X-Men
Uncanny X-Men
Daredevil: The Man Without Fear

And I'm pretty sure that's it. If I remember one later, I'll add it in.

I hope at least one of you reads some of this stuff. I'm sure this could be a great topic and can even help some curious people get into comics.

So, as soon as someone replies, we can get the conversation going!

Thanks,
Chris

DarthPrime · Post by **DarthPrime** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 2:16 am

I used to work in a comic book store, and read comics until right around 2004. I've always been mainly a Marvel reader until the last few years when I switched to mostly reading DC comics (based on a few writers that worked for DC that I really enjoyed). Not sure what I would read now. I thought about picking some stuff up about a month ago, and was surprised how much things changed in 3 years.

I'm still thinking about picking up a few titles, but I don't want to get into reading as much as I used too. I know that sounds odd, but at $3 a issue it adds up very fast.

What are a few good books to try out, and some good jumping in points? Not really a fan of the X-Men comics, but I did enjoy Amazing/Ultimate Spider-man and Daredevil. However I wasn't a fan of a few DC characters either, but certain writers that I liked really got me into reading the stories. So I guess you can take characters you don't care about, add good writing, and still make a very enjoyable experience.

xxhplinkxx · Post by **xxhplinkxx** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 2:31 am

Well, Darthprime, if you havent already read Civil War, you should definitely pick up that trade. It changed the Marvel universe pretty intensely, and it's what ultimately led up to Captain America's death. Yup, he's dead. I didn't feel the need to put up a spoiler warning cause it's been a while since he died, and plus, it was all over the news.

It's a shame that you're not into X-Men, cause they have some major story arcs coming up soon. One of them, Endangered Species, was set into motion this week actually. And Astonishing X-men is really good.

Amazing Spider-Man is also great right now. Spider-Man is back in his black costume and he's kicking ass and taking names. Aunt May was shot by a sniper at the end of Civil War, and he's out for blood.

Then theres Marvel Zombies, World War Hulk, all the Civil War tie-ins... theres so much going on in Marvel, theres enough to go around for everyone.

DarthPrime · Post by **DarthPrime** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 3:35 am

I'll have to check that Civil War trade out. I didn't know that had been released yet. I've read a few things about that story arc, and it sounds like it did change Marvel. A lot of times the huge story arcs like this really don't do much, or its changed back in a few months.

So Spider-man is back in black? Was this because of Spider-man 3, or are they planning to bring Venom back. I know that Brock had cancer or something and the symbiote left him, or something like that.

I've read X-Men off and on, but just never really got hooked on any of the books. There have been several good story arcs though.

2099net · Post by **2099net** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 4:27 am

I read pretty much every single Marvel comic published until about 2004. I had to stop for financial reasons. But to be honest I wasn't entirely happy with the direction Marvel was taking at the time. Especially after they had such a good run with solid, gimmick free storylines (due to their "Back to Basics" approach during their bankruptcy).

These days I'm happier with my "Essential" collections and the odd trade paperback compilation. It seems Marvel will do anything now for short term gain, regardless if it fits the characters or not.

xxhplinkxx wrote:Well, Darthprime, if you havent already read Civil War, you should definitely pick up that trade. It changed the Marvel universe pretty intensely, and it's what ultimately led up to Captain America's death. Yup, he's dead. I didn't feel the need to put up a spoiler warning cause it's been a while since he died, and plus, it was all over the news.

I haven't read any of Civil War, but from what I hear, it's totally stupid. I don't know, when Marvel was bankrupt, it was far from bankrupt creatively. Some of their best comics came out during that time. Now, it appears movies have assured financial success, at the expense of creativity.

Amazing Spider-Man is also great right now. Spider-Man is back in his black costume and he's kicking ass and taking names. Aunt May was shot by a sniper at the end of Civil War, and he's out for blood.

And that 1 paragraph sums up everything that's wrong with Marvel at the moment. Spider-Man should never, ever, ever be "dark" or out for vengence, or violent. I thought things were bad enough with the stupid "Why doesn't Spider-Man kill Carnage?" comments in the letters pages just about the time I stopped reading. Now, such a mindset has worked its way into the actual stories.

xxhplinkxx · Post by **xxhplinkxx** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 9:15 am

DarthPrime wrote:So Spider-man is back in black? Was this because of Spider-man 3, or are they planning to bring Venom back. I know that Brock had cancer or something and the symbiote left him, or something like that.

Actually, yes. Those issues are literally labeled "Back In Black"

Amazing Spider-Man is currently following the story of Aunt May's life hanging in the balance.

BUT! Sensational Spider-Man is having a 2 issue arc (the first one came out a week ago, I think) involving Eddie Brock. And, yes, he does have cancer. And he's in the same hospital as Aunt May... DUN DUN DUN!!

2099net wrote:I haven't read any of Civil War, but from what I hear, it's totally stupid. I don't know, when Marvel was bankrupt, it was far from bankrupt creatively. Some of their best comics came out during that time. Now, it appears movies have assured financial success, at the expense of creativity.

And that 1 paragraph sums up everything that's wrong with Marvel at the moment. Spider-Man should never, ever, ever be "dark" or out for vengence, or violent. I thought things were bad enough with the stupid "Why doesn't Spider-Man kill Carnage?" comments in the letters pages just about the time I stopped reading. Now, such a mindset has worked its way into the actual stories.

I don't think Civil War was dumb, at all. It had the heroes fighting eachother in... well, a Civil War! I, along with millions, really enjoyed Civil War. Surprises around every corner. The Hero-Registration Act definitely had it's casualties.

And as for your Spider-Man comment, I think this dark side of him totally fits. And if you read the Civil War trade and the Amazing Spider-Man: Civil War trade, you'll understand why. He went on national television and unmasked himself in front of the whole world. Things got interesting pretty fast. He, at first, was in support of the registration act and he and his family thought he was doing the right thing. He was wrong though. For years he's served and protected the people, half of which dont like him, and in return the only thing he's ever gotten is tragedy in his life. Someone came sniping for him and instead shot Aunt May. He's out to destroy the people responsible for shooting this innocent, old woman. I dont know, but I'm really enjoying all his Back In Black stuff. And don't worry, he'll be back in his traditional costume within the next few months.

2099net · Post by **2099net** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 9:28 am

But you should never have Spider-Man like that. It's not what he is. It's not his achetype. He's a down on his luck sort of guy, who uses extreme violence as a last resort because he prefers to use his brains, and quips his way through fights to cover up the fact he's a little insecure. That is Spider-Man.

I don't care what's happened to him in his personal life. The good thing about the character was he always did the right thing (even if it messed up his personal life, and he always found a way to keep smiling).

Last time they messed with that formula, we were in the middle of the clone saga (remember when he hit Mary-Jane? And I thought after that the character couldn't sink any lower).

The whole point of Spider-Man is "with great power comes great responsibility", not "with great power comes the ability to brood and kick-ass". It's a fundemental betrayal of the character.

People can moan about Disney sequels spoiling the characters, but Marvel's done more to spoil their characters over the past two-three years.

xxhplinkxx · Post by **xxhplinkxx** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 11:17 am

I know where you're coming from, 2099net, but c'mon! They friggin shot the guys aunt! Cut him some slack. Even super heroes get fed up sometimes.

Chernabog_Rocks · Post by **Chernabog_Rocks** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 1:19 am

I think I see where 2099net is coming from on this. I was reading an Iron Man paperback and it mentioned something about superheroes and killing, here's what it says (from Iron Mans POV):

"Tony had consistently drawn the line at deliberate murder. Given the amount of power his armor bestowed upon him, he had no other choice unless he wanted to pile up a truly horrifying body count. Once he started killing, who knew where it would stop? It would always be easier and quicker to blow an opponent away than to devise a more complicated, less terminal solution, but the worst thing he could imagine was an Iron Man grown callous where the taking of a human life was concerned."

The book then mentions this line a little ways down

" At times he felt like an anachronism, a knight in shining armor trapped in a more debased and violent age. He suspected many of his old allies and contemporaries, like Captain America and the Silver Surfer, felt the same way. Still, no matter how furious the fray, he wasn't about to abandon his principles now."

I myself don't really follow any of the story arcs or read the comics just because I haven't been following them and it would confuse me to jump into it now. I prefer the X-Men myself mostly because I grew up with the T.V show in the 90's and it was interesting to me. I wonder what would happen if there was a Marvel version of Crisis On Infinite Earths, that might be kind of neat, especially since I don't remember anything like that happening for Marvel.

MickeyMousePal · Post by **MickeyMousePal** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 10:10 pm

The only reason why I read Marvel comics is because of The X-Men books.
I might read New Avengers, Mighty Avengers, Fantastic Four and Spider-Man titles once in a while. X-Men will have two major crossover events this year called X-Men: Endangered Species and X-Men: Messiah Complex. These are the X-Men titles that will be part of the crossover Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, New X-Men and X-Men. I guess that New Excalibur ( which looks like it might get cancel) and Wolverine (Wolverine is part of the crossover but his book isn't).

xxhplinkxx · Post by **xxhplinkxx** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 10:22 pm

MickeyMousePal wrote:The only reason why I read Marvel comics is because of The X-Men books.
I might read New Avengers, Mighty Avengers, Fantastic Four and Spider-Man titles once in a while. X-Men will have two major crossover events this year called X-Men: Endangered Species and X-Men: Messiah Complex. These are the X-Men titles that will be part of the crossover Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, New X-Men and X-Men. I guess that New Excalibur ( which looks like it might get cancel) and Wolverine (Wolverine is part of the crossover but his book isn't).

I cant wait for Messiah Complex!!!!! Cyclops is gonna be a key part in that story! He's my favorite X-Man.

But what annoys me about Messiah Complex and Endangered Species is that theyre in the back of other X-books. I wish they would get theyre own limited series.

And did you read X-Men #200?!?! OMG!!!

I cant wait to talk about it, but not until you say if youve read it yet!

MickeyMousePal · Post by **MickeyMousePal** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 10:48 pm

Spoiler Alert!!!!

Yes, xxhplinkxx Rogue got shot by Mystique. It looks like Cable is dead but he's not. Mystique is the leader of the Marauders but isn't Gambit the leader? Also Lady Mastermind & Omega Sentinel betrayed the X-Men.

xxhplinkxx · Post by **xxhplinkxx** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 10:55 pm

Spoilers-ish [even though I think only two of us read this...]

Argh!! I refuse to belive that Rogue is dead. I just CANT! And I'm not sure if Mystique really is the leader yet. We'll see if it's her or Gambit next issue. And, I think the only real traitor was Lady Mastermind. I think she controlled Mystique. And as for Omega Sentinel, she got the virus through the computer or w/e. I dont think she purposefully betrayed them.

MickeyMousePal · Post by **MickeyMousePal** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 10:58 pm

Rogue is not dead!!!!

xxhplinkxx · Post by **xxhplinkxx** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 11:16 pm

Well, Marvel said that one major character was gonna die. and at the time it seemed like Cable or Rogue. And Cable and Deadpool is still going on so its obviously isnt Cable, so the only other answer is Rogue, but I refuse to believe it. I'm waiting for the next issue, which cant come soon enough!!!

Chernabog_Rocks · Post by **Chernabog_Rocks** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 5:38 am

BUMP

I just picked up Astonishing X-Men/New X-Men and I was so very lost and confused. Out of all the characters I only recognized very few, can any one get me up to speed? The stores here seem to be really slow for getting any new comics in, so I don't know if I'm reading new stuff or older issues

xxhplinkxx · Post by **xxhplinkxx** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 7:21 am

Chernabog_Rocks wrote:BUMP

I just picked up Astonishing X-Men/New X-Men and I was so very lost and confused. Out of all the characters I only recognized very few, can any one get me up to speed? The stores here seem to be really slow for getting any new comics in, so I don't know if I'm reading new stuff or older issues

Sure, I'd be glad to answer any questions you have. I regularly read Astonishing. I just started reading New X-Men, so I dont know too much, but I could most likely find an answer to your question.

Chernabog_Rocks · Post by **Chernabog_Rocks** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 9:09 pm

Well, it's not really a question but more like I've been out of the loop since......forever

The main problem I'm having is just that I've jumped in halfway through a story and everything is so different from the t.v shows and what I'm used to. So here's what I know, for sure.

- Some mutants were depowered

- Emma Frost is Headmistress (or has some power in the Mansion)

Wow, that's a pretty sad list

I do remember one more thing, Mystique was in the mansion wanting to be a teacher....or living there and a lot of characters were putting it to a vote if she could stay or not. So here's a few questions I can think of.

- Where's the Proffesor?

- What's going on with Magneto/The Brotherhood?

- Where's Storm, Iceman, Psylocke and other main X-Men?

- Wasn't Scott down in Antarctica wanting to join the Brotherhood and Magneto?

- Why is Emma Frost such an (insert many bad words) towards X-23?

- Why is Dani leaving the Mansion? (although that answer I probably overlooked in the issue I have

)

and finally what is with the two different outfits the New X-Men wear? Some were wearing Red and Black, and others had Blue/White/Yellow

xxhplinkxx · Post by **xxhplinkxx** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 10:30 pm

Chernabog_Rocks wrote:- Some mutants were depowered

House of M.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_m

Chernabog_Rocks wrote:- Emma Frost is Headmistress (or has some power in the Mansion)

Emma Frost is now with Cyclops, after Jean's death. They both now run the mansion, after dismissing the powerless Xavier.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Frost ... Xavier.27s

Chernabog_Rocks wrote:- Where's the Proffesor?

He's in the Uncanny X-Men title right now, Scott kicked him off the team (Astonishing) It all happened in the Deadly Genesis arc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professor_X#Vulcan

Chernabog_Rocks wrote:- What's going on with Magneto/The Brotherhood?

Magneto was one of the mutants who was left depowered after House of M.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magneto_%2 ... House_of_M

Chernabog_Rocks wrote:- Where's Storm, Iceman, Psylocke and other main X-Men?

Storm recently got married with Black Panther. And theyre both currently taking Sue and Reed's place in the Fantastic Four while they take time off to work on their marriage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storm_%28M ... _biography

Iceman and Rogue are in Adjectiveless X-Men

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_%28c ... .27s_X-Men

Psylocke has of lately been in Exiles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psylocke#J ... the_Exiles

Chernabog_Rocks wrote:- Wasn't Scott down in Antarctica wanting to join the Brotherhood and Magneto?

Scott wanted to join the Brotherhood in the Ultimate Universe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclops_%2 ... te_Cyclops

Chernabog_Rocks wrote:- Why is Emma Frost such an (insert many bad words) towards X-23?

Emma Frost is a (insert many more bad words) all the time. I hate her. She's thinks X-23 (Laura) is too dangerous.

Chernabog_Rocks wrote:- Why is Dani leaving the Mansion? (although that answer I probably overlooked in the issue I have )

After House of M, she was one of the mutants who lost their powers.

Chernabog_Rocks wrote:and finally what is with the two different outfits the New X-Men wear? Some were wearing Red and Black, and others had Blue/White/Yellow

Red and Black= The Hellions, White and Yellow= New Mutants

But now both teams merged and are now just the New X-Men, a.k.a. the next generation.

Out of curiosity, which issue numbers do you have?

I hope that answered your questions!!

Chernabog_Rocks · Post by **Chernabog_Rocks** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 11:13 pm

Wow, thanks for all the info xxhplinkxx. For issue numbers I have

Uncanny X-Men - She Lies With Angels Pt. 3

X-Men and Alpha Flight - The Gift Pt. 2

X-Men - Not sure about the number, it came with the Omega Red figure I have

Inferno X-Men - Sinister Triumphant (came with Mister Sinister figure)

Uncanny X-Men - Deathmark Grey's End pt. 3

Marvel Annual Team-Up Spider-Man, Cloak and Dagger, The New Mutants (from 1983)

X-Men Adventures Season 2 - Sinister Ceremonies (based off Fox T.V Show)

X-Factor - Final Sacrifce

and the new one I bought yesterday is

New X-Men/Astonishing X-Men # 24 I believe

I've never been good with distinguishing the date from the issue number

so I went with the titles on the covers

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