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February 21st, 2011
It’s hard not to think the recent mini-crossover Age of X is directly ripping off the legendary Age of Apocalypse. It’s a story of an alternate timeline where the X-Men never existed, but a group of surviving mutants have banded together under the leadership of Magneto. They might not be fighting Apocalypse, but the similarities are undeniable right down to the inclusion of Alpha in the title of the launch issue. Before I read Age of X, I’ve been rereading Age of Apocalypse to see if it lives up to my strong memory.
First, if you choose to reread Age of Apocalypse I suggest starting at Volume 2. The first volume actually collects supplemental material that was published after the actual event. If you read volume 1 and it is your first time reading AoA I think the series will easily not live up to the hype. However, starting at volume 2, you launch into the true starting point of AoA, X-Men Alpha. Here the time wandering Bishop encounters Magneto and his group of renegade X-Men and tells of a time where Apocalypse has not taken over the world.
The story kicks into full gear from that point, as Magneto assigns each team of X-Men a specific mission to verify if what Bishop is saying is true. Of all the crossover issues my favorite is Generation Next. Chris Bachalo’s art holds up better than any other contribution in AoA. The story of Colossus leading a group of untrained mutants into a heavily guarded power plant to rescue his sister Illyana is dire. It has a dark noir feel that still actually leaves me unsettled over 15 years after I originally read it.
Overall, I still think AoA is essential X-Men reading. Of all the events that came out in the 90s this one still remains relevant, even inspiring Age of X. If you’re going to read an “Age of” anything make sure you read Age of Apocalypse first.
-Jon
Posted in Comic Reviews, Events | 1 Comment »
January 21st, 2011
[GENTLEMAN CLOBBERER]
Guys, guys, guys. I don’t want to jinx anything, but it looks like Ben Grimm ain’t goin’ out of the Fantastic Four Deathbag feet-first. Observe closely this promotional image for “Fear Itself,” Marvel’s next dumb “extinction level event:”
[HELLO, HANDSOME]
Do you see who’s hiding in plain sight in the middle of that pack?
Put on your tinfoil hat and join me in my impregnable bunker of deep thoughts while I unravel the two (maybe two and a half) implications of this image.
First, this means my beloved Thing (that sounds much cruder on second reading) lives through Jonathan Hickman’s “Three” story arc, right? There he is, hale and hearty amongst other living superheroes; the big lug’s gonna come out of this just fine. Unless Marvel’s planning to pull one of those “the events in this issue take place immediately before those of Fantastic Four Deathbag” deals with Fear Itself, which even I have a hard time believing Marvel is dumb enough to do. (Aren’t they? This theory may be falling apart before it even gets off the ground.)
But no, Tom Brevoort claims in an interview in this week’s Comic Shop News that Fear Itself was set up in the comics about a year and a half to two years ago, implying that this is a meticulously planned event that will fit in seamlessly with Marvel Universe continuity. So, this image was approved with the Thing in it because the Thing is still alive when the series begins in March. Someone dies in the January’s FF, ergo, Benjy’s not gonna die.
Benjy’s not gonna die.
BENJY’S NOT GONNA DIE!
[HOW CAN IT NOT BE BUTTER?]
OK, the second implication of this image is that Marvel had carefully considered who to place in this promotional image, and decided to throw the Thing in there as a red herring. Knowing that it would hit the internet a week or so before the Deathbag, the editors are doing it to get our hopes up concerning Mr. Grimm. This particular image will actually be some sort of flashback in Fear Itself to a time when Thing was still alive, perhaps a callback to the event Brevoort claims were inserted in the comics 18 to 24 months ago. It’s a total dick move, sure, so it’s less likely than the first implication, isn’t it? Marvel wouldn’t treat its readership so callously, would it?
(Considers the proliferation of X-Books, polybag fever, the recent cancellation of Thor the Mighty Avenger, the trashing and jumpstarting of the core books in the mid-90s, Cable, Civil War’s shipping delays, the current Ant-Man, the 2-year gap in Ultimate Hulk ‘n’ Wolverine, their contentious relationship with Jack Kirby in the 70s, the $24.99 price point for softcover trades featuring 8 issues of reprints, another massive and massively useless extinction-level crossover, fake deaths, death do-overs, deaths of everyone, Deadpool and this abomination:
[CAN’T UNSEE THE HORROR]
Awww, crap.
-Paul
Posted in Comic Reviews, Events | Comments Off
January 18th, 2011
With all the talk about Marvel and DC characters dying, it’s only fair to make a prediction on characters outside of the mainstream superhero universes that could/should die in 2011. The top on my hit list is Kick Ass. I loved the original comic series, but if I understand the basic premise correctly the whole point was supposed to explore what would really happen if a average kid tried to be a superhero. If you really dressed in spandex and went out on the street to fight crime you would almost certainly get your ass kicked, or worse get your ass killed. Them’s the facts. That’s why I think Mark Millar should rename the series “Ass Death,” which sums up the outcome of a dumb-ass idea like being a real life super hero: real life death. Instead, Millar continued the “Kick Ass” line with the perpetually late follow-up “Balls To The Wall” ignoring the whole threat of death for hero Dave Lizewski, as he becomes more like an indestructible superhero.
Lets review his torment and torture:
In the first issue alone Dave AKA Kick Ass was severely beaten up, stabbed and hit by a car. This should have killed him, but I suspended my disbelief for the sake that the series had seven more issues and they weren’t going to kill him in the first one. As the story continues, “Dumb Ass” again tries to stop a mugging and get’s his ass kicked again, though he is able to stop the victim from getting killed. It’s highly likely that a second fight would result in death, but Dave survives once more. Suspend that disbelief once more. Later Kick Ass is caught by the mob where they torture him by electrocuting his balls. Okay, in reality at this point the kid is dead. The mob isn’t going to electrocute your genitals and then have you stroll back to your suburban home all willy nilly. Still not dead though. Finally, after surviving all this, Dave’s high school crush that he’s befriended by pretending to be her gay friend sends him a text video of her performing oral sex on a jock that beats him up at school. Can we say “cause for teen suicide?”
Kick Ass should be dead! If they’re going to make a second series it should be marketed like ‘The Death of Superman’ from the 90s. I would loved to buy a black polybagged memorial issue with a bloody K for ‘The Death of Kick Ass.” At least it would be realistic. Yet, what will probably happen is the resurrection issue of Big Daddy and the Hit Girl teen pregnancy mini-series.
-Jon
Posted in Comic Philosophy, Events | Comments Off
January 17th, 2011
“…the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” This small phrase was initially spoken by 32nd President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, during his first inaugural address back in 1933. In reading the entirety of his address, it’s clear that this was moreso a reference to various causes behind the Great Depression, and not so much about a not-yet looming terror from the other side of the planet. (Which this phrase seems to always find itself attached too.) This March, Marvel looks to release a new 7-issue event which is entitled, “Fear Itself.” From the various interviews that I’ve seen/read, it would appear that this event’s storyline is inspired by a myriad of things both real and fictional. Things such as oil spills, bailouts, deceit, terrorism, secret Nazi missions, politics, and supposedly comics groundwork laid up to 2 years ago in advance. Also, there’s a character named the God of Fear. And Dracula.
So how does this all begin? From what is available about the series, it would appear that the catalyst stems from a mission the Red Skull initiated back in World War II and the eventual fallout that ends up wreaking havoc upon the modern Marvel age. It would appear that Steve Rogers and Namor were there to witness the mission, and so one would think that they will play a decent role in the story to come out of it. And in the case of Steve, that would be a safe bet, considering that this story may have originated as a pitch for there to be a Steve-Cap and Thor team-up, in time for both Thor and Captain America movies. What I also know, is that the Red Skull’s daughter (Sin or Synthia Schmidt) is to play a major role in the series. According to head writer, Matt Fraction (Uncanny X-Men, Invincible Ironman), Sin will be going through a sort of character transformation that will have her operating at a high tier than she currently is. Hopefully, that means she’ll become a major female villain who lacks a superpower. I think that would be a good thing.
What we can expect after the initial prologue (Pre-issue #1) issue, written by Ed Brubaker, is something that’s going to attempt the same kind of magic that Civil War created back in 2006. Even if you hated the event, you’ve got to accept a few good things in it. For one, Captain America hijacked a fighter jet then later bought the pilot a hamburger and fries after landing in a football field. Another cool thing? I’ve witnessed and have been apart of many an argument over the Registration/Anti-Registration debate. Who was right? Who was wrong? Who the hell is Speedball? Stuff like that. But also, it helped solidify my passionate dislike of Ironman. I think a lot of Marvel fans found themselves emotionally invested with Civil War, and I’d imagine that this is the plan for Fear Itself. To make the fans care again. Who doesn’t like a good crossover? I can understand not liking one if it’s a bad one. I can even understand crossover fatigue. But crossovers are pretty much what makes Marvel, Marvel. You’ve got all these heroes in one centralized area, there’s no reason why Spider-Man and Daredevil couldn’t cross paths. In fact, it really should be happening all the time. That isn’t to say that there shouldn’t be separate comics, but unlike DC comics (who spread their big heroes across various cities), Marvel pretty much had all their super eggs in one city-sized basket. Crossovers happen. They need to, if Marvel is to keep it’s “real-life, real-world” reputation.
Anyway, I’m definitely looking forward to March, so we can get the fear started in here. Also, how cool is that picture down below? Just imagine the chaos that would occur if the greatest member of the X-Men were to turn all Magneto-y. I think that’s pretty cool. And that’s it. See you later.
-Fleet
Posted in Comic Industry News, Comic Reviews, Events | 2 Comments »
January 15th, 2011
Last week I was browsing what was new and upcoming in the comic world, and I came across a little preview for the upcoming X-Men event, Age of X.
Now I know at this point discovering news about Age of X is kind of like Christopher Columbus “discovering” America. It seems like such an incredible find that you can’t wait to tell everyone about it, but at the same time you secretly know that countless others have already been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt as proof. However, much like Columbus, I’m going to give my own take on it anyway, and maybe, just maybe, people will forget about the news that came before.
Age of X is Marvel’s newest attempt at reliving the glory that was the Age of Apocalypse. The name alone makes the homage pretty obvious, which means not only are they drawing upon the biggest X-Men hit from the 90’s, they’re not trying very hard to hide it.
The basic premise of the story is that, in the reality in which the story takes place, the X-Men were never formed. Having no school to go to, many mutants came into their abilities in new and interesting ways, and because there wasn’t a team to provide some much needed good PR, mutant resentment skyrocketed across the globe. In short, it’s the Age of Apocalypse without Apocalypse.
Just like the Age of Apocalypse I’m sure we’re going to see a familiar cast of characters in forms we’ve never imagined them in. Personalities are sure to be warped, team formations will mix the old and familiar with the strange and exotic, and there’s going to be a whole new take on character designs and costumes.
[Looking good, Storm.]
However, what really has me interested about this wasn’t the homage to the Age of Apocalypse, although that’s what got my attention. After all, the AoA was what got me into the X-Men in the first place. No, what really makes me want to read this has to do with the fact that Mike Carey is writing it.
Now, I haven’t read much of Mike Carey’s work in the superhero genre. He’s done a significant amount of work for Marvel, most recently on X-Men: Legacy, but the majority of his work has been in other areas. For example, he was the writer behind the well-received Sandman spinoff, Lucifer, and most recently he’s been the mastermind behind the hit series Unwritten. Through these works Carey has proven himself to be well versed in suspense and a master of the surreal, and if he can bring these qualities to Age of X he’s made one sale right off the bat.
Age of X is going to be one of Marvel’s first major story arches starting in 2011. If they pull it off, it could be a completely different score from last year. Considering who they’re working with, I’ll give them good odds. Come on, Marvel, do that “What if?” voodoo you do so well.
-Brent
Posted in Comic Industry News, Events, Graphic Novel Reviews | Comments Off
January 14th, 2011
This week we’ve been killing off characters like crazy on the Star Clipper blog. Now it’s my turn to decide who gets an untimely demise. Who do I kill? Who do I kill? I got it! He’s had it coming for a long time. I can’t believe Marvel didn’t think of it earlier.
Death: Luke Cage/ Power Man
How: Drowning from inability to sweat through impenetrable skin.
Have you ever seen any artist draw Luke Cage sweating? I didn’t think so, and though I think it would be cool if another of Cage’s catchphrases was, “No Sweat, Baaabby!” that’s just not healthy for the superhuman body. Yeap, 2011 is the year Luke Cage’s powers catch up to him and he dies of Anhidrosis, or the inability to sweat in response to heat. So how’s it happen? Now that Cage is palling around with Wolverine in the Avengers, the team find themselves facing off with an old X-Men villain: Pyro. After Pyro burns Wolvie’s skin down to his scalp, which happens every other issue nowadays, Cage steps up to the plate.
Cage – “You’re acting like a damn fool, Pyro. Burning down a butcher shop is no way to host a bar-b-que.”
Pyro – “You’ll just be another shrimp on the barbie, mate.”
As you would expect, Pyro engulfs Cage in flames.
Cage – ” You really think your flames can hurt me impenetrable skin? This is going to be no sweat, Baaabby!… Wait, no sweat? That ain’t right. SWEET CHRISTMAS!”
With his famous last words, Cage’s innards implode and he dies on the spot. His gravestone reads, “Luke Cage – If I could only perspire…”
Later that year, Pyro has a successful mini-series about becoming the new owner of the Outback Steakhouse.
Huh. This is fun! No wonder Marvel and DC are always killing super heroes.
-Jon
Posted in Comic Industry News, Comic Philosophy, Comic Reviews, Events | Comments Off
January 10th, 2011
Since so many of us at Star Clipper have noticed the trend of numerous, unnecessary deaths in the last year, some of the staff decided it’d be interesting to make a predictive list of deaths that might occur over the course of the next twelve months (including who did it and how). I wouldn’t consider any of these as being incredibly likely, but given the events of the past year, who knows?
Who Gets Killed: Red Hulk
How: Drowning
By Whom: Himself. He’s fighting a wendigo in the arctic atop a frozen lake, gets too mad and melts a hole in the ice which he promptly falls through. He tries to make it up to the surface, but he can’t due to zero buoyancy.
[Go, Wendigo! Go!]
Who Gets Killed: Lex Luthor
How: Accidental Decapitation via supercharged sneeze
By Whom: Superman. It was his allergies, really.
Who Gets Killed: Damien Wayne (Robin)
How: Accidental Decapitation via supercharged slap
By Whom: Supergirl. During a team-up he finally managed to piss her off to the point where she turns “dark” and literally slaps his head clear off. Honestly, given his general attitude I’m surprised it hasn’t happened yet.
Who Gets Killed: Jack Horner (Jack of Fables)
How: Sword to the Head
By Whom: Jack Frost, his son. He kills him while Jack Sr. is stuck in the form of a dragon. A few people will feel the need to mourn the event when they realize what happened, but it will pass fairly quickly as they happily go about their lives. The fun part about this one is that we might find out if it happens in the next month.
Who Gets Killed: Thor
How: Killed by Mjolnir
By Whom: Loki. He distracts Thor after a long range throw, causing the Thunder God to fail to catch his hammer its return. If that won’t shatter your spine, nothing will.
Who Gets Killed: Zombie Deadpool
How: Thrown into an incinerator
By Whom: Unknown. Someone finally gets so annoyed by the overabundance of Deadpools that they start with the little guy.
Who Gets Killed: Kyle Rayner
How: Unknown. He just disappears one day.
By Whom: Soranik Natu. Being in a relationship with one woman and kissing another is never good for your health.
True, it happened a while ago, but people don’t let go of those things.
So there it is. If any of you guys have your own predictions feel free to leave a comment with them. We’ve got twelve months and several universes worth of possibilities. Personally, I like those odds.
-Brent
Posted in Comic Philosophy, Comic Reviews, Events | 2 Comments »
December 24th, 2010
Spending the last week dwelling on what I liked about the past year really made me look forward to the next. However, just like Christmas it wouldn’t seem right if I didn’t have a wish list of things I’m hoping to see in the next twelve months. So here it is (once again in no particular order):
7 Things I’d Love to See in 2011
1. A year-long reprieve from universe-wide crossovers
I know I’m not alone is feeling a little burned out on all of these massive universe-wide crossover events (I’m looking at you, Marvel). It used to be that you’d see one every four to six months, but for the past few years the comics industry have been stringing them together back to back. Sure, some of them have been good, even great. Events like Dark Reign, Siege, and Blackest Night will stay in my books as some of the best overarching storylines I’ve ever seen, but I think we all need a break! I remember a time when you could pick up a comic and not have to think “Well, now I just have to pick up six other titles and this will make sense to me.” Continuity is great, but that’s not why most people started reading comics.
2. The next installment of Sky Doll
I got hooked on this series when the first trade came into the store a while back. What caught my attention was that it was a beautifully drawn, original story that blended science fiction, religion, and fantasy…then it stopped on a massive cliff hanger. If there’s one series I want to see picked back up next year, Sky Doll is it.
3. The Return of the Sentry
It isn’t very often that you get a hero with the villain already built in. The Sentry was incredible because he started off seeming like some knockoff version of Superman, but then grew and developed into one of my favorite Marvel creations. He was more than just a hero with issues, which are pretty common in the Marvel Universe; he was a man who was quite literally at war with himself.
It’s already a given that he’s going to return, so I’m just hoping it’s in 2011.
4. More Story Development for Brightest Day
Anyone who’s been reading Brightest Day will probably tell you that while the story has a lot of different elements spinning, the writers are taking their sweet time telling us what the heck is going on. For seven months we’ve seen emotional entities hunted, resurrected characters wandering about, and Deadman searching for something that is unclear even to him. It has the makings of a great show, but so far all I see is a juggler with a few too many balls just waiting to come crashing onto his head. Blackest Night was an incredible story. It redefined the way I thought of the Green Lantern Corps. It’s about time the sequel started living up to expectations.
5. Fewer Trivial Deaths
As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, Death has really lost her sting. If I made a list of characters that have died this past year and then printed it out, environmentalists would be coming after me with rusty meat cleavers. Not a pretty sight. My hope is that in the next year comics will let Death collect some of her dignity so that the next time a hero sacrifices him or herself it will mean more. Her job is hard enough; let her do it with some grace.
[Death thanks you.]
6. A Redo of DC verses Marvel
I’ve written about this as well too, and I stand by the fact that this was a good idea even though it was badly written. DC and Marvel both have some incredible writers right now, so who could ask for a better time for a rematch? All I ask for are better match-ups, longer fights, and a more satisfying end. Maybe that’s too much to ask, but who said demands always need to be reasonable?
7. More “What If” Stories from Marvel
Let’s face it, some of Marvel’s greatest stories are based off of that simple question: what if? What if Magneto ruled the world? What if Xavier died before forming the X-Men? What if the Hulk was exiled onto another planet? They’re original, self-contained, and they allow the fans to see real change in their favorite characters, if only for a short time. Heck, I’d even settle for more “What If” one-shots, of which Marvel currently only produces a few per year. If I’m going to continue to make mine Marvel, that’s something I want to see.
Well, there are my hopes and dreams for the next year, now I just have to see if any of them come true. And just for fun, if anyone out there has a “What If” story they want to see in the next year, leave it in a comment. Who knows, the comic fairy might be watching (I would say Santa, but his off season starts in January.)
-Brent
Posted in Comic Industry News, Events | Comments Off
November 20th, 2010
I’m sad to report that this will be my final official blog for Star Clipper. There are no dramatic circumstances surrounding my departure, I’m just following the money and taking my talents elsewhere. I’ve been a manager at the store for 2 years now, and I have to say that it is the most fun I’ve ever had as far as working goes. I’ve made a lot of friends along the way, and you all remain my friends, I just won’t be ringing up your comics any longer while hearing your various complaints and praises about the medium, which is something that I’ve always enjoyed.
This was not an easy decision to reach. You folks have no idea how much I enjoy and take pride in being a part of something like Star Clipper. The St. Louis metro really doesn’t know how lucky it is to have a store like this. Try and find one like it outside of New York or LA, you won’t find one.
Some of my highlight moments at the store:
Spirits of St. Louis- This is the most recent highlight, but it’s also the first time I’ve ever been published, and it was through the friends I’ve made working at Star Clipper.
Meeting Brian Poshein- You know.. that tall guy with the glasses?.. balding red hair and a beard? He’s a comedian?, he was the minister in the 2nd Fantastic Four movie? Whatever. I met a celebrity.
Smashing stuff!- We had a lamp display that we weren’t using anymore and it wouldn’t fit in the dumpster out back so Ben, Fleet, and I destroyed it with a series of sweet round-house kicks, stomps, and a cinder block that ended up smashed to bits.
Co-starring in the store’s Walking Dead commercial- Despite the fact that I was dog-piled on by a mass of sweaty fan-boys and girls in stinky makeup who almost trampled me and twisted my ankle a bit… it was a lot of fun!
Teasing Scorfo relentlessly about his shoes- Seriously, shoes should not have that many holes in a working enviroment! Thankfully, he was convinced to get a new pair. To quote Mike Harvey: “Those shoes are so funky, they can play bass!”
Hosting the trivia contest with Jon on Star Clipper Day- I have to admit that I had to chuckle to myself when I heard the frustrated groans at the difficulty of the questions Jon and I came up with.
And of course, the thing I’ll miss the most is Wednesdays. That’s when all the beloved regulars come in and crack me up with their witticisms about the world of comics. Like any retail job, there are plenty of stories about unruly, rude, creepy, or downright weird people who come into the store, but you’ll have to come find me for those stories.
I’ll still be a regular presence around the store since like a lot of you, I have a pull and hold file and I love the store. And let’s face it, I’ve left an irreversible mark on the store and will forever haunt your dreams. You know it’s true.
See ya around,
-Jim
Posted in Events | 1 Comment »
October 13th, 2010
Not every super-hero needs a vehicle. In fact, some super-heroes would be better served not to have a vehicle at all; namely, Spider-Man. In 1974, Marvel decided they would introduce the Spider-Mobile aka the Spider-Buggy in “Amazing Spider-Man” # 130. With the help of the Fantastic Four’s Johnny Storm, Spidey effectively pimped a ride, but for what purpose? For a non-flying super-hero, his web-slinging got him around New York City pretty darn fast, and Manhattan’s dense traffic does not make a dune-buggy help you get to the scene of a crime any faster. So why did the web-head briefly have a car? Hhmm… You, Me and Spidey can’t even answer that question. It was just a bad idea and ever poor ol’ Peter Parker knew it.
For a character very concerned with keeping his identity secret, having a flashy dune-buggy in New York with your costume mask on the wheels kind of defeats the purpose of anonymity. The fact that it had the capability to drive up walls was more fuel for the fire. If Spider-Man was driving up the sides of buildings all the time he really would be the menace to society that J. Jonah Jameson was making him out to be in the Daily Bugle. So again, what purpose does the Spider-Buggy serve? It helped Spider-Man defeat Hammerhead. A third-rate super-vehicle helped capture a second-rate super-villain. It also had a pun-y name… Spider-Bug-gy Ha!
That’s what I call a fiasco, indeed!
-Jon
Posted in Comic Philosophy, Events | 1 Comment »
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One of my favorite bookstores in St. Louis. Star Clipper offers not only the best selection of comic books and graphic novels in the city, but also a cornucopia of art, design and pop-culture related books and magazines. 
