DID I THINK THAT OUT LOUD?!? #9: THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO 'HUH?'

[Jim Lemoine]

<img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/logos/dittol_logo.jpg" align=left width=115 height=100 border=0 alt="Did I Think That Out Loud?!? logo">By Jim Lemoine, jimlemoine@xfan.cjb.net

From my unspoken love for Claremont's writing to stuff I'll get hate mail for:

Things That Make You Go "Huh?" - The Marvel Comics Edition

Some things in life just don't make a lot of sense. Why do you park on a driveway and drive on a parkway? When you see a Dodge Ram speeding down the highway toward you, do you dodge it or do you ram it? Why don't we have Indiana Jones DVD's? Why is Boy Meets World still on the air?

I love the books that Marvel Comics publishes, and I really enjoy most of the changes they've made to their line over the last few years. Still, in the last few weeks, a few things are just making me wonder what the heck's going on over there. Here, I present a few of the oddities I've been discussing with friends over the last few weeks, conveniently grouped into categories for your reading enjoyment. We'll start with X-related weirdness and progress all the way to the really controversial stuff that will probably result in more hate-mail in my inbox.

Oddities in the X:

Why aren't more people buying Mekanix? - I've often used my columns to poke fun at Chris Claremont's recent "Invasion From Dimension X" storyline in X-Treme X-Men, but one miniseries hasn't totally skewed my opinion of Claremont as a writer. Far from it, Claremont is one of the best in the industry, and with Mekanix he proved it once again. Starring fan favorite Shadowcat, Mekanix is a relevant, compelling, and immensely enjoyable look at mutant prejudice in America. This limited series reveals the ugly core of racism in ways that none of the main X-books can compare to. It's not a superhero story; it's a story about one young woman's life in the Marvel Universe. Fantastic characterization, old-school mutant angst, instant accessibility... and yet more times than not, retailers order more copies of Ultimate Adventures than copies of Mekanix. I just don't get it.
Polaris is crazy. - When I read that issue of New X-Men where she was walking around naked and whining about how Magneto was her father, I figured she'd just plead temporary insanity. After all, Lorna's been through her mental difficulties in the past, and she's come through a stronger character because of them. Recently, though, Austen has continued that very interesting characterization... yup, Lorna's crazy. I find myself really missing the insecure codependent woman we had back in her X-Factor days. I'll admit it's lots of fun to read about crazy Lorna, but I wish someone would tell us how that started . And don't just tell me it was the mental trauma of being in Genosha as everyone died... after all, if she was in Genosha during the genocide, how did she survive? Magnetic powers or no, any force that could wipe out a whole country of mutants could probably wipe the floor with lone Lorna.
Igor Kordey on X-Treme? - This may make me unpopular with some of you, but I'm going to say it anyway: I like Igor Kordey's art. Still, one must question the choice of Kordey, of all artists, to replace Salvador Larocca as the regular artist for X-Treme X-Men. The unique look of X-Treme, the artistic stability of Larocca, and his outstanding teamwork with writer Chris Claremont have always been three of the biggest draws for the book. And yet, Marvel has tapped Kordey to replace Larocca... Kordey, who's about as different from Larocca's style as you can possibly get. While Larocca specializes in beautiful women, dashing heroes, and action-packed battle scenes, Kordey is well-known for emphasizing the ugly and the freakish in more passive scenes. I'm not saying that Kordey's art is ugly; I'm just saying his style works much more positively with books like New X-Men and Soldier X. Still, when you've got a book with the feel of X-Treme, where the writer and artist work together as well as Claremont and Larocca do, it's hard to understand why Marvel would remove Larocca in favor of an artistic style that's opposite in the polar extreme.

Tsunami:

And Speaking of Larocca... - Tsunami has been billed as Marvel's next wave of books, correct? And the first wave of Tsunami would be the "anime-style" line, the line Marvel hoped would appeal to new readers, right? Bearing that in mind, the flagship book of the line is Namor, which I must admit Bill Jemas has neatly retooled to appeal to new readers, especially the untapped female market. Now, since Marvel apparently learned that the artist originally slated for Namor can't actually draw, Sal Larocca of X-Treme has been tapped to take over the title. Think about that for a second (come on, fans, get past the idea of Kordey on X-Treme for a second and consider the other end of this). Namor, the flagship title for Marvel's new line of anime-style books, won't have anime-style art! Salvador Larocca is a fantastic artist, but one would be hard-pressed to describe his style as anime or manga in the slightest. Namor, the premier book in Marvel's new anime line, will have Western-style art drawn by a Spaniard. Using that logic, maybe Igor Kordey could take over Sentinel if UDON pulls out.
Human Torch Flies Solo - It's obvious that two of the biggest target markets for the first wave of Tsunami books are women and younger readers. Ask those women what they like best about anime, television, or fiction in general, and they're likely to say that it's strong relationship stories that draw them in. The Human Torch is a perfect pick to appeal to this market: he's a handsome young hot-rodding single hero who's never had too much luck with the girls. Potential exists for some great personal interaction stories yet untold about Johnny Storm... and yet rumor has it that the new Torch title will be less about relationships and more about super-powers. Manga-style art isn't enough to draw in that elusive female market, Marvel... you need good characterization and relationship stories, like the ones you seem to have planned for Namor. Why are you apparently letting the inherent opportunity in Human Torch go to waste? Hopefully the rumor about this book was wrong.
They Don't Look Like Mutants To Me... - In their recent X-Fan interview, New Mutants co-writers Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir stated that none of their new mutants (not to be repetitive) would have obvious mutations; in other words, they'd all look like normal, baseline, beautiful human beings. While they backed that decision up with two very convincing arguments, I still have to maintain that at least one member of their team should be visibly mutant, like Beak in New X-Men or Sammy in Uncanny X-Men. Just one man's opinion, here, but it's a lot easier to feel sorry for a mutant, to really feel their plight, when they don't look more handsome or more beautiful than you do!

Cancellations and Relaunches (not just Thunderbolts, Really):

"Overwhelmingly Enthusiastic Response," My Sweet Aunt Petunia - Joe Quesada recently said that a planned price hike for the newly relaunched Thunderbolts title had been stopped in its tracks "due to the overwhelmingly enthusiastic response by readers and retailers to the bold, new direction." Um... what enthusiastic response? While I'll admit that it is absolutely very possible that Joey Q knows many things that I don't, everything I've seen leads me to believe the exact opposite. Although the reviews I've seen have been generally favorable, comic shops in my area have copies and copies of Thunderbolts #76 (the first issue of the new direction) lying around unsold, preparing themselves for the quarter bin. And though this may just be my own experience, I've yet to talk to anybody in person who bought it and liked it. How odd.
Maybe It Just Needs Time... - Just looking at how many copies of Thunderbolts #76 were actually bought from Marvel, you won't find an "enthusiastic response" there either. Diamond reports that orders for the first issue of the new direction were actually significantly less than orders for any of the previous five issues of the title. While Nicieza's last five issues (focusing on Zemo, Hawkeye, and the old Thunderbolts) averaged around 27,500 orders per issue, Thunderbolts #76 sold only 25,400 copies. Initial orders for the next issue, #77, were lower still at 24,000 copies sold. Compare this to the X-Force relaunch, as Marvel likes to do content-wise, and you'll find that the first issue of Milligan and Allred's new approach sold almost 10,000 more copies than the previous X-Force issues, and the next few months' issues continued to outperform the older version. So with those sales numbers in mind... where the heck's that "enthusiastic response?"
Anybody Remember U-Decide? - It all started with Peter David and Joe Quesada arguing over a proposed Captain Marvel price increase and calling each other very nasty names. It blossomed into U-Decide, a sales contest between David's intelligent Captain Marvel, Bill Jemas' indecipherable Marville, and Joe Quesada's intermittent Ultimate Adventures. We were promised that after six issues, only the title that sold the best would continue. So what's the result? Marvel seems to have forgotten about the contest altogether, both Marville and Captain Marvel will have seventh issues (Ultimate Adventures might, too, but since that title is nowhere near its seventh issue, it's hard to say), and the proposed price increase that first raised David's ire and started this whole mess is actually going to into effect... not just for CM but for all three books. What's the point of all this? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Gone Missing (a series of quick milk-carton shots):

Kevin Smith - Boy, I wish I could see how that Spider-Man/Black Cat series was going to end. Maybe he's too busy working on Daredevil/Bullseye. After all, despite the awesome marketability that series would have had with the launch of the Daredevil movie, we've been waiting months for the second issue. Marvel missed out on a big chance to capitalize on the killer combination of mainstream Daredevil appeal and the writing of Kevin Smith.
JLA/Avengers - Okay... Kurt... George... how many years does it take to create a four-issue mini-series?
That Dog in Jenkins' Peter Parker: Spider-Man - Admit it: you loved him, too. When will we ever get to discover the dirty truth behind that all-knowing canine?
Daredevil Toys Would Be Fun - When I go to Toys 'R' Us I literally see shelves of unsold J. Jonah Jameson action figures (which is a shame, because he was really brilliantly portrayed in the movie). I also see Hulk action figures, even though the movie is still several months away. What I don't see are toys for Daredevil, the most immediately popular Marvel property. Why not? Sure, I know the Daredevil movie was darker and more mature than last year's Spider-Man, but if I know kids, that only means they'll want the toys more.

The Controversial Stuff (I think I'm a masochist when it comes to hate-mail):

Is Marvel making bad comics again? - There was a time, not all that long ago, when I honestly believed that every single one of Marvel's comics was a quality work. Sure, several books weren't quite my cup of tea, but just because they weren't right for my tastes didn't make them any less good. Even though I couldn't get interested in Incredible Hulk or Spider-Girl, for instance, I knew that they were both high-quality books that would appeal to a wide range of potential readers. Now, faced with books like Ultimate Adventures which are, at best, boring; books like Truth that started with a great concept but quickly degenerated into an unimaginative string of stereotypes; and books like Marville that just boggle one's mind, I have to ask: what happened? Sure, the great books are still great... but where'd this other stuff come from?
I Hate the Marketing For X-Men Unlimited #44 - "Not all of the battles the X-Men fight have the fate of the world hanging in the balance - some are much more important. This issue, the X-Men take a stand against animal cruelty." My, how politically correct. While unnecessary cruelty to animals certainly does suck, I'd call the fate of the world just a bit more important. To say that being kind to animals is more important than the lives of all of the human beings on the planet is too ludicrous for words. But it sure does make for some great, politically correct marketing text.
Even When He's Doing Something Cool I Have To Disagree - I really like the idea of Marvel's upcoming 411 project, a spotlight and tribute to peaceful solutions to conflicts. On the other hand, though, after reading Marvel President Bill Jemas' commentary on the book, I'm not convinced I'll like the finished product at all. See, I believe that there's a fine line between a realistic, insightful approach to peaceful conflict resolution, and mindless anti-war diatribe. In the former, you examine how best to resolve a situation for the well-being of all concerned; in the latter, you simply and unequivocally maintain that war is bad, rendering any violent solution instantly moot. Jemas, who states that "for any nation to engage in war, the most inhumane human enterprise, its people must believe that their enemy has given up the right to be treated as human beings - in short, that they deserve to die," has firmly placed himself in the latter category.

This may be a bit deep for a comics column, but I sometimes find myself supporting wars. For instance, I hope the United States does end up going to war with Iraq. I don't support war because of some fear of Iraqi terrorism in America (it probably would have already happened if it was going to) or because of supposed Iraqi connections to terrorist organizations (far-fetched at best if you bother to research it). I support war because the Iraqi regime has repeatedly committed genocidal acts against its own people. Iraq has imprisoned, tortured, and murdered literally hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Kurds and Shi'A Muslims. While Jemas feels that war is "the most inhumane human enterprise," I for one feel that it would be more inhumane to allow a genocidal government to continue slaughtering thousands of innocents. I keep coming back to the classic Spider-Man line, "with great power comes great responsibility." If some specific people have the power to end this kind of genocidal evil, as many nations did during World War II, don't they also have a responsibility to stop the killing and save those lives? If there's a peaceful resolution to be found, that'll be fantastic, but if not....

But that's just my opinion, which may be right or wrong in the grand scheme of things. Regardless, I for one find Jemas' statement to be somewhat closed-minded and misleading, and I hope that 411 illustrates realistic, practical approaches to peaceful conflict resolution. If 411 delivers, I'll buy it and hope that we can all become a little wiser as a result. There's certainly nothing wrong with peace.

Jim Lemoine (who still buys and enjoys most Marvel titles) has worked as a disc jockey, a video game designer, and a leadership consultant. He's been reading comics for 18 years, and he's been thinking too much for a while before that.

[Al Harahap]

Originally posted by Jim Lemoine
Why aren't more people buying Mekanix? - I've often used my columns to poke fun at Chris Claremont's recent "Invasion From Dimension X" storyline in X-Treme X-Men, but one miniseries hasn't totally skewed my opinion of Claremont as a writer. [...] Fantastic characterization, old-school mutant angst, instant accessibility... and yet more times than not, retailers order more copies of Ultimate Adventures than copies of Mekanix. I just don't get it.

I am so glad you brought this up. For a while there, I thought it was just me, and thought I needed professional help in once more loving Claremont for MekaniX... It is a great series, and it is great writing -- not to mention the wonderful art of Bobillo & Sosa.

I think it's suffered from some kind of anti-mini-series syndrome. And I can't really blame readers for that because of the lack in effort Marvel has put in X-minis as compared to ongoing titles. Marvel really needs to get its act together with minis.

Polaris is crazy. - When I read that issue of New X-Men where she was walking around naked and whining about how Magneto was her father, I figured she'd just plead temporary insanity. After all, Lorna's been through her mental difficulties in the past, and she's come through a stronger character because of them. Recently, though, Austen has continued that very interesting characterization... yup, Lorna's crazy. [...] And don't just tell me it was the mental trauma of being in Genosha as everyone died... after all, if she was in Genosha during the genocide, how did she survive? Magnetic powers or no, any force that could wipe out a whole country of mutants could probably wipe the floor with lone Lorna.

I agree once more. Not only do I think that this is out of character (even if anyone's susceptible to insanity) because she's stronger than this, but how the hell did she become this way? And Genosha genocide radiation or trauma as an excuse is a little too convenient for my tastes.

Igor Kordey on X-Treme? - This may make me unpopular with some of you, but I'm going to say it anyway: I like Igor Kordey's art. Still, one must question the choice of Kordey, of all artists, to replace Salvador Larocca as the regular artist for X-Treme X-Men. [...] Still, when you've got a book with the feel of X-Treme, where the writer and artist work together as well as Claremont and Larocca do, it's hard to understand why Marvel would remove Larocca in favor of an artistic style that's opposite in the polar extreme.

No comment on Kordey on the book, as right now I really am indifferent to the title and the creator. I'm just going to respond to the query that perhaps Kordey's run (rumoured to be only a 6-month Larocca absence) is only the incorporation of the once-planned Claremont/Kordey Storm mini/graphic novel. And perhaps expanded to include other X-Treme characters, but focusing on Storm herself.

Anybody Remember U-Decide? - We were promised that after six issues, only the title that sold the best would continue. So what's the result? Marvel seems to have forgotten about the contest altogether, both Marville and Captain Marvel will have seventh issues (Ultimate Adventures might, too, but since that title is nowhere near its seventh issue, it's hard to say), and the proposed price increase that first raised David's ire and started this whole mess is actually going to into effect... not just for CM but for all three books. What's the point of all this? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

I thought the hype was pretty obvious, but good job on exposing it to those who bought in. :clap: Don't get me wrong; I'm all for hype when there's substance to back it. But what does the end result of U-Decide really do for Marvel and/or the comics industry in general? It was like a one-night stand for our comic sensibilities. Hopefully, we -- the readers and Marvel -- can learn something from this experience that'll improve the mindset in the field of comics...

Gone Missing (a series of quick milk-carton shots): Kevin Smith - Boy, I wish I could see how that Spider-Man/Black Cat series was going to end. Maybe he's too busy working on Daredevil/Bullseye.

He's probably smoking a joint with Jay Mewes outside a QuickieMart.

JLA/Avengers - Okay... Kurt... George... how many years does it take to create a four-issue mini-series?

I'm actually really patient with this one. I've waited for this for more than 15 years, so I want them to get it right. The only downside would be the possibility of contempt at the end result after the months of hype. Me thinks they should've waited a while longer to promote this one.

Is Marvel making bad comics again? - There was a time, not all that long ago, when I honestly believed that every single one of Marvel's comics was a quality work. [...] Now, faced with books like Ultimate Adventures which are, at best, boring; books like [b]Truth that started with a great concept but quickly degenerated into an unimaginative string of stereotypes; and books like Marville that just boggle one's mind, I have to ask: what happened? Sure, the great books are still great... but where'd this other stuff come from?

Looking back, I still applaud Nu-Marvel for diversifying content and style. But in pondering your last question, I think the momentum of their direction was so comfortable and so easy to fall into, that they ended up taking it to the opposite extreme where hype is the norm. And that's not good...

[Zachary J. Morrison]

Great column, Jim.

Originally posted by Jim Lemoine
Why aren't more people buying MekaniX? - I've often used my columns to poke fun at Chris Claremont's recent "Invasion From Dimension X" storyline in X-Treme X-Men, but one miniseries hasn't totally skewed my opinion of Claremont as a writer. Far from it, Claremont is one of the best in the industry, and with MekaniX he proved it once again. Starring fan favorite Shadowcat, MekaniX is a relevant, compelling, and immensely enjoyable look at mutant prejudice in America. This limited series reveals the ugly core of racism in ways that none of the main X-books can compare to. It's not a superhero story; it's a story about one young woman's life in the Marvel Universe. Fantastic characterization, old-school mutant angst, instant accessibility... and yet more times than not, retailers order more copies of Ultimate Adventures than copies of MekaniX. I just don't get it.

Yeah I've wondered that myself. I agree with you. This is shocking for me.

Originally posted by Al Harahap
I am so glad you brought this up. For a while there, I thought it was just me, and thought I needed professional help in once more loving Claremont for MekaniX... It is a great series, and it is great writing -- not to mention the wonderful art of Bobillo & Sosa.

I think it's suffered from some kind of anti-mini-series syndrome. And I can't really blame readers for that because of the lack in effort Marvel has put in X-minis as compared to ongoing titles. Marvel really needs to get its act together with minis.

And to comment on Al's post, I really hoped a lot of people would buy this book. Al, I agree with the last sentence you mentioned. They better get their acts straighten up. They really need create some brand new mini series such as Jean's own mini series, which is not manga, please.

Originally posted by Jim Lemoine
Polaris is crazy. - When I read that issue of New X-Men where she was walking around naked and whining about how Magneto was her father, I figured she'd just plead temporary insanity. After all, Lorna's been through her mental difficulties in the past, and she's come through a stronger character because of them. Recently, though, Austen has continued that very interesting characterization... yup, Lorna's crazy. I find myself really missing the insecure codependent woman we had back in her X-Factor days. I'll admit it's lots of fun to read about crazy Lorna, but I wish someone would tell us how that started . And don't just tell me it was the mental trauma of being in Genosha as everyone died... after all, if she was in Genosha during the genocide, how did she survive? Magnetic powers or no, any force that could wipe out a whole country of mutants could probably wipe the floor with lone Lorna.

From the recent issue of Uncanny X-Men, I thought she was a bit insane, but after Xavier entered the scene and told her what truly happened to Alex, I felt reassured.

Igor Kordey on X-Treme? - This may make me unpopular with some of you, but I'm going to say it anyway: I like Igor Kordey's art. Still, one must question the choice of Kordey, of all artists, to replace Salvador Larocca as the regular artist for X-Treme X-Men. The unique look of X-Treme, the artistic stability of Larocca, and his outstanding teamwork with writer Chris Claremont have always been three of the biggest draws for the book. And yet, Marvel has tapped Kordey to replace Larocca... Kordey, who's about as different from Larocca's style as you can possibly get. While Larocca specializes in beautiful women, dashing heroes, and action-packed battle scenes, Kordey is well-known for emphasizing the ugly and the freakish in more passive scenes. I'm not saying that Kordey's art is ugly; I'm just saying his style works much more positively with books like New X-Men and Soldier X. Still, when you've got a book with the feel of X-Treme, where the writer and artist work together as well as Claremont and Larocca do, it's hard to understand why Marvel would remove Larocca in favor of an artistic style that's opposite in the polar extreme.

Since we all found out that Sal was leaving X-Treme X-Men to work on Namor, I was surprised, but when the article mentioned Kordey would be taking over the book, I was shocked. I was like NOOO! This can't happened! But if Kordey is going to be the new regular artist, I might have to drop the book, but I don't know if I really would. It might happened, but I can't guarantee. Alot of people have the same feelings that I do towards Kordey taking over, but his work is a bit boring, and when Chris's writing is so interesting for the action that's always going on, I think they need a penciler who can bring us the work we really desire.

And Speaking of Larocca... - Tsunami has been billed as Marvel's next wave of books, correct? And the first wave of Tsunami would be the "anime-style" line, the line Marvel hoped would appeal to new readers, right? Bearing that in mind, the flagship book of the line is Namor, which I must admit Bill Jemas has neatly retooled to appeal to new readers, especially the untapped female market. Now, since Marvel apparently learned that the artist originally slated for Namor can't actually draw, Sal Larocca of X-Treme has been tapped to take over the title. Think about that for a second (come on, fans, get past the idea of Kordey on X-Treme for a second and consider the other end of this). Namor, the flagship title for Marvel's new line of anime-style books, won't have anime-style art! Salvador Larocca is a fantastic artist, but one would be hard-pressed to describe his style as anime or manga in the slightest. Namor, the premier book in Marvel's new anime line, will have Western-style art drawn by a Spaniard. Using that logic, maybe Igor Kordey could take over Sentinel if UDON pulls out.

Well, why can't Marvel get someone else to take over? Salvador hasn't even finished his run on X-Treme X-Men. Or if they're going to get Sal to take over Namor, possibly get someone like the MekaniX artist to take over X-Treme, PLLLLEAASSSEE!

[Wolverine]

hmmmmm You bring up some interesting points. I believe that the New Marvel is going the way of the Bob Harras regime by saturating the market with books it doesn't need. I mean come on since when did anyone want a Human Torch ongoing. They should have just kept the marvel line the same as it was after the 2001 re-launch.

[Karmaknight]

I’m glad somebody finally said all this out loud. There is a further point I want to make though.

Looking at what has been discussed here.

Book lateness
Books of dubious quality
Price raising
Use of gimmick marketing
Flooding the market with a series of no. 1’s a lot of which you know won’t succeed.

Does this not sound familiar to anyone. Does anyone remember the glutton of Marvel UK no. 1’s designed to draw in 2000AD and Sci Fi fans. Does anyone actually remember the market crash in the 90’s.

Seeing how many people despite all that is mentioned above will still defend Marvel’s current editorial decisions I guess not.

[speedy]

Great column! Every point makes sense.

Bobillo to X-Treme instead of Kordey!

[Alex Guillen]

Originally posted by Wolverine
hmmmmm You bring up some interesting points. I believe that the New Marvel is going the way of the Bob Harras regime by saturating the market with books it doesn't need. I mean come on since when did anyone want a Human Torch ongoing. They should have just kept the marvel line the same as it was after the 2001 re-launch.

Exactly, when in the 90's the market was saturated with X-Men (15 books), Spider-Man (4 core books plus minis) and all this weird gimmicky crap, then Harras left and Joe Q. cancelled all the X-books and meaningless stuff that nobody read anymore. OK sure there were some angry fans but it was necessary since you had Wolverine in 10 books a month and let's not even begin to talk about Spidey popping up on one of his books in New York and next week in The Savage Land. I tought that the Tsunami line wopuld bring in some cool minis and ongoings but after awhile you realized that most of this books have already been in existence and failed (that explains why they're not in today's market well at least until April)
they're trying to recycle the same stuff and I for one am tired, I want a streamer line of X-books and let's not saturate the market.

As for Kordey in X-treme, well it's a matter of your tatstes and I just like Kordey's art, he's quite good when he's on his A-Game.

[Milleniumcyke]

Originally posted by Jim Lemoine
<img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/logos/dittol_logo.jpg" align=left width=115 height=100 border=0 alt="Did I Think That Out Loud?!? logo">By Jim Lemoine, jimlemoine@xfan.cjb.net

Why don't we have Indiana Jones DVD's?

Because Lucas and Spielberg want to work on it together. It won't get done until Lucas is finished with Episode III. And that's only if he doesn't start working on the DVDs for Episodes IV-VI first.

~helpful Steve ;)

[ultimatexavior]

Originally posted by Jim Lemoine
[ Why aren't more people buying Mekanix? - I've often used my columns to poke fun at Chris Claremont's recent "Invasion From Dimension X" storyline in X-Treme X-Men, but one miniseries hasn't totally skewed my opinion of Claremont as a writer. Far from it, Claremont is one of the best in the industry, and with Mekanix he proved it once again. Starring fan favorite Shadowcat, Mekanix is a relevant, compelling, and immensely enjoyable look at mutant prejudice in America. This limited series reveals the ugly core of racism in ways that none of the main X-books can compare to. It's not a superhero story; it's a story about one young woman's life in the Marvel Universe. Fantastic characterization, old-school mutant angst, instant accessibility... and yet more times than not, retailers order more copies of Ultimate Adventures than copies of Mekanix. I just don't get it.


When i read his column i usually get upset even though I know that i have to agree. The truth hurts I guess. This time, however, I'm having no problem agreeing. Mekanix is such a great story. It's well thought out, moves along well, and looks fantastic. It features various x-characters that we haven't seen too much of and puts them in center stage. I think the reason is that the powers that be at Marvel don't wish to support Claremont the way he deserves to be. I see the same thing with Salvador Larroca being switched to Namor. Keep in mind it's I planned on picking Namor up regardless and having Sal on the book will enhance my experience with it, but at the sacrifice of a creative team that's done some amazing work together. Plus add with that a press quote that Jemes release just after X-Treme's release that obviously put it at the end of his list of x-books. I can't remember the exact quote but it was on X-Fan that i read it. I find it sad if that personal feeling or little company politics or whatever is truely at the heart of the matter is hurting some really great books.

xavior

[SQUIRREL-GIRL]

Polaris is crazy. - When I read that issue of New X-Men where she was walking around naked and whining about how Magneto was her father, I figured she'd just plead temporary insanity. After all, Lorna's been through her mental difficulties in the past, and she's come through a stronger character because of them. Recently, though, Austen has continued that very interesting characterization... yup, Lorna's crazy. I find myself really missing the insecure codependent woman we had back in her X-Factor days. I'll admit it's lots of fun to read about crazy Lorna, but I wish someone would tell us how that started . And don't just tell me it was the mental trauma of being in Genosha as everyone died... after all, if she was in Genosha during the genocide, how did she survive? Magnetic powers or no, any force that could wipe out a whole country of mutants could probably wipe the floor with lone Lorna.
Im waiting to see how chuck handles this,shes been thru so much from malice to alexs "death" and she was out of the Genosha[at black panthers country with the other genoshans]while the attack happened!

[TheMan]

Originally posted by kotsin
Exactly, when in the 90's the market was saturated with X-Men (15 books), Spider-Man (4 core books plus minis) and all this weird gimmicky crap, then Harras left and Joe Q. cancelled all the X-books and meaningless stuff that nobody read anymore. .

Does itseem like Bill and Joe are doing that exactly again? Ok, lets look and count the X-Men books. 1)Wolverine, 2)New Mutants, 3)Mystique, 4)Wolverine:Snikt, 5)Wolverine/Doop, 6)X-Treme X-Men, 7)New X-Men, 8)Ultimate X-Men, 9)Uncanny X-Men, 10)X-Men Unlimited. 11)Exiles. 12)X-Men:Ronin, 13)X-Men:Phoenix, 14)Dominio, 15)X-Statix, 16)Agent X, 17)Weapon X, 18)Soldier X. Okay, I know some of these are miniseries and Soldier X is going to be cancelled. But there will always be some type of mini-series to buy. 17 X-books in May. That's killer!

And I do believe that Mekanix has been the best X-book Chris has written since his early days on Uncanny.

[Irv_Washington]

Just to say I like Kordey's art I think he's very talented and draws Wolverine like I've always imagined he should look like.

[dasklein83]

great article jim. it's refreshing to know that someone has the same attitude towards iraq as i do. still, i've rather enjoyed truth, and have found that the art adds to its power instead of detracts. just me, though.

[phoenix4rce]

What happened to spidey/blackcat???
:?

[number1958]

I probably won't check out Thunderbolts, but they sure do like to feature a sexy woman on the covers!!!

And anyone who hasn't read Mechanix, it's not too late! If you're lucky, you can get all six issues at your local comic shop now!

[Victoronehalf]

The thing is, if we attack Iraq, Jim, we won't be killing Sadam Husein, we will be killing Iraqis. I remember a quote: "If a woman is being beaten by her husband, do you bomb her house?" There could be honorable intentions for having this war, but I don't see any. I don't see any talk about genocide, I see talk about attacks on America, which would have no trigger and we don't even have proof that they have weapons of mass destruction. It's just speculation. You don't start a war based on speculation! And we all know that we really just want oil.

We should wait and see what happens with Polaris. I have a feeling Chuck will be explaining everything pretty soon...

And there's always going to be a few crappy comics, but just remember, whenever you read Marville (why would you?), that just a few years ago, they were ALL that bad.

[Karmaknight]

Originally posted by Victoronehalf
And there's always going to be a few crappy comics, but just remember, whenever you read Marville (why would you?), that just a few years ago, they were ALL that bad.

Why does there have to be crappy comics. To me that just means someone isn't doing they're job right.

And when were all comics that bad. There have been a few bad ideas over time, around the time fo the crash quite a few. Never though a period where Marvel ever put out one comic as bad as Marville never mind several.

Can i just add here that if I had come on here and said all Marvel comics are currantly as bad as Marville one of the moderators, would have popped up and stated thats just my opinion and I shouldn't generalise. Funny how that only happens when it comes to defending current Marvel.

In all honesty there are a lot of good, well written Marvel books out there. To me though the magic i used to feel has gone. Mainly because there used to be acertain amound of unpredictability.; These days with the Marvel as it is. U know damn well a blast from the past isn't just gonna show up.
Oh no , new readers heads would explode apprently if you returned a character older than 'NU Marvel.'
For the record who would rather see Captain America deal with Diamondback then terrorsists. Or the Human Torch have a conversation with Lyja the Skrull he married than his high school years. I mean these are still super hero comics aren't they does it all have to get real lfie to attract new readers.

[Ryan Scott]

Originally posted by Jim Lemoine
Why aren't more people buying Mekanix?

I'm waiting on the trade :p


Polaris is crazy. - When I read that issue of New X-Men where she was walking around naked and whining about how Magneto was her father, I figured she'd just plead temporary insanity. After all, Lorna's been through her mental difficulties in the past, and she's come through a stronger character because of them. Recently, though, Austen has continued that very interesting characterization... yup, Lorna's crazy. I find myself really missing the insecure codependent woman we had back in her X-Factor days. I'll admit it's lots of fun to read about crazy Lorna, but I wish someone would tell us how that started . And don't just tell me it was the mental trauma of being in Genosha as everyone died... after all, if she was in Genosha during the genocide, how did she survive? Magnetic powers or no, any force that could wipe out a whole country of mutants could probably wipe the floor with lone Lorna.

To this, I'd say patience would be the best course of action. Yes, about three months have passed for us, but she's only appeared in 2 issues of UXM in her "crazy" state. That's still a bit to soon to be expecting a full explanation, IMO. Also, I think part of her insanity has to do with being used as a human "black box" for the last moments of every mutant on Genosha. Just think on that. Months of intense magnetic energy and the voices of people dying. Ain't too good on the mental situation, if you ask me.

Igor Kordey on X-Treme? - This may make me unpopular with some of you, but I'm going to say it anyway: I like Igor Kordey's art. Still, one must question the choice of Kordey, of all artists, to replace Salvador Larocca as the regular artist for X-Treme X-Men. The unique look of X-Treme, the artistic stability of Larocca, and his outstanding teamwork with writer Chris Claremont have always been three of the biggest draws for the book. And yet, Marvel has tapped Kordey to replace Larocca... Kordey, who's about as different from Larocca's style as you can possibly get. While Larocca specializes in beautiful women, dashing heroes, and action-packed battle scenes, Kordey is well-known for emphasizing the ugly and the freakish in more passive scenes. I'm not saying that Kordey's art is ugly; I'm just saying his style works much more positively with books like New X-Men and Soldier X. Still, when you've got a book with the feel of X-Treme, where the writer and artist work together as well as Claremont and Larocca do, it's hard to understand why Marvel would remove Larocca in favor of an artistic style that's opposite in the polar extreme.

I'll agree with the strangeness of this situation. While I also enjoy Kordey's art, it seems counterproductive to place him on a book that was the antithesis of his visual style. *shrugs* But god...if I hear another comment about the Larocca/Kordey/XXM thing, I'll go nuts...

And Speaking of Larocca... - Tsunami has been billed as Marvel's next wave of books, correct? And the first wave of Tsunami would be the "anime-style" line, the line Marvel hoped would appeal to new readers, right? Bearing that in mind, the flagship book of the line is Namor, which I must admit Bill Jemas has neatly retooled to appeal to new readers, especially the untapped female market. Now, since Marvel apparently learned that the artist originally slated for Namor can't actually draw, Sal Larocca of X-Treme has been tapped to take over the title. Think about that for a second (come on, fans, get past the idea of Kordey on X-Treme for a second and consider the other end of this). Namor, the flagship title for Marvel's new line of anime-style books, won't have anime-style art! Salvador Larocca is a fantastic artist, but one would be hard-pressed to describe his style as anime or manga in the slightest.

I think they're pushing Tsunami as "manga-styled" not as artist or pacing, but general content. Books about relationships and such. I dunno.

[Judius]

Originally posted by Jim Lemoine
Some things in life just don't make a lot of sense. Why don't we have Indiana Jones DVD's?

The boxed set will be released at the end of this year. The set will include :

Chapter 23 - Temple of Doom
Chapter 24 - Raiders of the Lost Ark
Chapter 25 - The Last Crusade

The first 22 chapters will be released seperately and contain the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

Here are the box covers:

http://www.indianajones.de/communication/texte/faq_dvd_02.php


Why is Boy Meets World still on the air?

Cause Topanga was friggin' hot.

To say that being kind to animals is more important than the lives of all of the human beings on the planet is too ludicrous for words.

Depends on the person and on the animal. Would I sacrafice my dog to save the life of a fellow human being? All I gotta say to that person is well, it was nice knowin' ya. Would I help a stray cat or dog or would I help a homeless person? Sorry but I'd help the animal first. Would I help a stray animal over a friend? No, of course not. Would I save my dog instead of a friend? Toughy, but dog is man's best friend, it'd be a tough one but my dog and I have been through so much together. Would I prefer habitats to be destroyed so that idiot Bush can go drill for oil? Nope, people can always find a new job to put food on the table, animals dont have that choice. Like I said, it all depends on the person and the animal.


[b]They Don't Look Like Mutants To Me... - I still have to maintain that at least one member of their team should be visibly mutant, like Beak in New X-Men or Sammy in Uncanny X-Men. Just one man's opinion, here, but it's a lot easier to feel sorry for a mutant, to really feel their plight, when they don't look more handsome or more beautiful than you do!
[/list]

Actually I'm glad the New Mutants here look normal. The whole mutant/monster thing was getting WAY overdone. You'd swear that inhuman looking mutants were the general rule and not the exception. And I dont feel sorry for these guys, if anything they just distract from getting attached to them. After all how many fish lookin' or bird looking people do you know? By having the kids look human readers can relate to the kids somewhat better the same way I was able to relate to the original New Mutants. In my opinion the human kids here are a welcome relief from all those creature looking mutants in New and Uncanny.

[Jim Lemoine]

Originally posted by Judius
Would I sacrafice my dog to save the life of a fellow human being? All I gotta say to that person is well, it was nice knowin' ya. Would I help a stray cat or dog or would I help a homeless person? Sorry but I'd help the animal first.

I don't usually reply here, but I have to say...

I have never been as completely flabbergasted and shocked by a post on X-Fan as I am at those two lines. You would kill a human being to save a stray dog?!? You, my friend, have an amazingly warped idea of priorities.

[zeroplate]

Originally posted by Jim Lemoine
but it's a lot easier to feel sorry for a mutant, to really feel their plight, when they don't look more handsome or more beautiful than you do!

unfortunately, suggesting that one member look freakish to make him/her more sympathetic in the face of half a dozen athletes and pin up models points to the great lack of range that most costumed super hero books show when it comes to these characters. why not just have some ugly characters. not green skinned, extra-appendages, floating gelatinous creatures with a costume on, but regular teens who aren't that buff, attractive, or shapely. a woman with real hips and a flat chest, a guy with a beer gut? i know that these characters are in some way ideals and making them seem less idyllic would be counter productive to calling them 'heros' but where you call for another beast, i'd say, gjust give us someone real.

[Judius]

Originally posted by Jim Lemoine
I don't usually reply here, but I have to say...

I have never been as completely flabbergasted and shocked by a post on X-Fan as I am at those two lines. You would kill a human being to save a stray dog?!? You, my friend, have an amazingly warped idea of priorities.

Who said anything about "kill"?

[gaptandil]

They Don't Look Like Mutants To Me... - In their recent X-Fan interview, New Mutants co-writers Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir stated that none of their new mutants (not to be repetitive) would have obvious mutations; in other words, they'd all look like normal, baseline, beautiful human beings. While they backed that decision up with two very convincing arguments, I still have to maintain that at least one member of their team should be visibly mutant, like Beak in New X-Men or Sammy in Uncanny X-Men. Just one man's opinion, here, but it's a lot easier to feel sorry for a mutant, to really feel their plight, when they don't look more handsome or more beautiful than you do!
It makes a lot of sense if you read the interviews with the writers. And, for the record, most superheroes have ALWAYS looked much better than average people. That's just the way it is, I guess...

Even When He's Doing Something Cool I Have To Disagree - I really like the idea of Marvel's upcoming 411 project, a spotlight and tribute to peaceful solutions to conflicts. On the other hand, though, after reading Marvel President Bill Jemas' commentary on the book, I'm not convinced I'll like the finished product at all. See, I believe that there's a fine line between a realistic, insightful approach to peaceful conflict resolution, and mindless anti-war diatribe. In the former, you examine how best to resolve a situation for the well-being of all concerned; in the latter, you simply and unequivocally maintain that war is bad, rendering any violent solution instantly moot. Jemas, who states that "for any nation to engage in war, the most inhumane human enterprise, its people must believe that their enemy has given up the right to be treated as human beings - in short, that they deserve to die," has firmly placed himself in the latter category.

This may be a bit deep for a comics column, but I sometimes find myself supporting wars. For instance, I hope the United States does end up going to war with Iraq. I don't support war because of some fear of Iraqi terrorism in America (it probably would have already happened if it was going to) or because of supposed Iraqi connections to terrorist organizations (far-fetched at best if you bother to research it). I support war because the Iraqi regime has repeatedly committed genocidal acts against its own people. Iraq has imprisoned, tortured, and murdered literally hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Kurds and Shi'A Muslims. While Jemas feels that war is "the most inhumane human enterprise," I for one feel that it would be more inhumane to allow a genocidal government to continue slaughtering thousands of innocents. I keep coming back to the classic Spider-Man line, "with great power comes great responsibility." If some specific people have the power to end this kind of genocidal evil, as many nations did during World War II, don't they also have a responsibility to stop the killing and save those lives? If there's a peaceful resolution to be found, that'll be fantastic, but if not....



Ok, I really have to disagree with you here. I think the reason Bush is going into war is because of the American mentality after 9/11. This puts American natioanal safety above EVERYTHING ELSE. And even though war on Iraq probably won't change anything about American safety (if anything it'll be worse, because in 20 years time an innocent Iraqi who lost his whole family in the bombings will become one of the many new terrorists), the American public wants to be shown that something is being done in the "war against terrorism". Americans are looking for an enemy to defeat and Bush is giving them just that.

And no, I don't think the solution to anything is going to war, especially not right now. Iraq is currently cooperating with the UN in its disarment, yet the US seems to want to push deadlines closer and closer so that Iraq can't fulfill them. Bush WANTS to go to war, and he doesn't seem to care about anything else.

I agree that Sadam Hussein's regime is bad, but war will not just kill him, it will kill millions of innocent people. It will ALSO be genocide, just in a much larger scale.

TO reply to the person who counted the number of X-books solicitied for May, I think it makes a LOT of sense, because X2 is opening that month. That way, people from the movie can come into comic book shops and find something X that interests them. It's what Marvel did wrong about the first movie, they barely tied anything in to it to attract new readers.

And bad books will always exist, because it is impossible to predict how bad a book might be until the first few issues are out. Although still... Marville seems to be a bad bad glitch that will haunt Quesada and Jemas forever... The one awful thing they did in their run.

Gotta go.
Peace.
Gonzalo

[nickolie666]

I don't care how well written any of these new books are.
At least 98% of them will fail because they are being put
primarily into a dying market(the direct market).
Until there is a real push into the mass market,most of the
successful comics will be from decades ago.

[JAG]

What a great article. Mechanix is phenomenal and I agree with most everything else you wrote. :saint:

[Blu]

Thumbs up on the article, Mr. Lemoine. You bring up some very thought-provoking points. I loved that bit about 'PC' and the x-books. Very witty, sardonic, and humorous.

cheers ~
Blu

[brucewayne]

What an excellent article! You hit on many points that people are concerned about, but some are afraid to say. Thank you for being honest.:D

[Joel Phillips]

I'm glad somebody else noticed how uninspiring and trite that 411 statement was. If I want "War is Bad" or "War is Good" I can get it for free by turning on the TV.

And you're right, Marvel is making some bad comics. The new Thunderbolts is a BAD comic. Marville is a painfully BAD comic. Taste aside, it's pretty rare to find a comic that fails as both a concept AND as a final delivered product.

At least I can honestly say that I read these comics but didn't buy them! (Ahhh, liberal store reading policies. Gotta love 'em.)

[ultimatexavior]

Originally posted by number1958
I probably won't check out Thunderbolts, but they sure do like to feature a sexy woman on the covers!!!

And anyone who hasn't read Mechanix, it's not too late! If you're lucky, you can get all six issues at your local comic shop now!

I know I stopped Thunderbolts at 75. To me that was the end of the title. I did the same with X-Force. I don't like the way they switch the entire book around like that and have no explaination for it. The other T-Bolts still exist!!! The other X-Force technically still existed. I mean when it was done with X-Factor in the 90's, the original team went back to the X-men therefore there could be a new line-up. Plus it was explained away in the plot. Even further back when the X-men were re-started with the second line up (Storm, Wolverine et all) it was explained why these guys were the X-men and the other's were not now.

I mean at least re start the series at Number one instead of doing it to Wolverine (um still i ask WHY!) or Spider-Man or any of the others they've done lately.

marvel tends to frustrate me like this.

xavior

[Arachne]

I'm confused about Namor. I thought they were going to have a manga artist from Japan do the book. What happened to her? I mean, there was finally going to be a chick artist working for Marvel... ::pouts::

[Feral Wolverine]

All good points again, mein freund. Usually there is at least one thing that I disagree with in these columns of yours, but this time it all is dead on.

[Victoronehalf]

Originally posted by Judius
The boxed set will be released at the end of this year. The set will include :

Chapter 23 - Temple of Doom
Chapter 24 - Raiders of the Lost Ark
Chapter 25 - The Last Crusade

The first 22 chapters will be released seperately and contain the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

Here are the box covers:

http://www.indianajones.de/communication/texte/faq_dvd_02.php



What... I thought that was a joke when I read your post, but then I followed the link and it wasn't. Oh my god, will the rediculousness ever end?:rolleyes: :?

[Monolith]

Another Daredevil related "HUH?"--can anyone think of a better time to have released Essential Daredevil TPBs? All the hype of one of the "biggest movies of the season" and they don't go for all the merchandizing....

[Judius]

Originally posted by Victoronehalf
What... I thought that was a joke when I read your post, but then I followed the link and it wasn't. Oh my god, will the rediculousness ever end?:rolleyes: :?

Whats ridiculous about it?

[Karmapoliced]

As always, a great column. I agree with just about 100% of what you said. Good work.

Bobillo to X-Treme instead of Kordey!

Speedy, you took the words right out of my mouth!!! :)

[Justice Daye]

Whoa, I usually don't agree with Jim, but this time, he read my mind. I agree with almost everything about this column.
I don't understand Kordey on X-Treme either. Marvel relly is starting tomake bad choices. Moving the artist off of a top selling book to a book that is technically an experiment (all 1st issues are) for a movie that won't arrive for until 2004-2006. What makes even less sense is that Marvel would risk the sales of a book that costs 2.99 for a book that costs 2.25; Namor would have to double the sales of X-treme to make the same profit.

But, I still didn't agree about the war. I still don't see how killing will solve killing. It'll just cause more killing. It'll just make the survivors recruits for other terrorists. This is same reason why I don't understand how killing abortion doctors will save the children. You're just replacing on death with another. I also didn't agree with that thing about saving a human before a dog. What give on life more value than the other? Idon't know who I'd have saved first, but I would've thought about it at least.

[Anthony Lucynski]

Can i just add here that if I had come on here and said all Marvel comics are currantly as bad as Marville one of the moderators, would have popped up and stated thats just my opinion and I shouldn't generalise. Funny how that only happens when it comes to defending current Marvel.

Only in your warped little version of what happens on this site. I'm getting very sick of you always slamming our site, karma. Dont like it, get out. Continue to cause trouble, i'll get you out. End of story. I'm sick of it.

Anthony L

[ultimatexavior]

His column brings soooo much up in my head. One thing was the whole Claremont relationship with Quesada and Jemes. Does anyone know what it is? It can't be too good from what i see. I'm not sure what (if any) issues they would have with him but I may know where some bad feelings may have started (if there are any). I can't remember his exact title but Claremont held special editorial position for a while. It looked like something custom made for him. I think he oversaw all new projects but I may be wrong. This was under Bob Harras run as Editor in Chief. Ok well when Marvel Knight was greenlighted all projects had to go through Claremont. The following story was straight from one of the writers. He said that Marvel in general did NOT like the Knights group taking control of these projects and so the powers that be, including Claremont, made it very difficult for them to get these projects done the way the creative teams wanted them to be. Now fastforward and you have one of the Marvel Knights guys running the show and Claremont now just a writer again. I think he made some enemies during this period and they could be getting even.

They've alienated John Bryne, Chris could be next.

xavior

[Kevin Sutton]

Jim you are right about everything in this column.

Ultimate Adventures probably gets more orders because its part of the Ultimate Universe. No matter how well written Mechanix is, there are other books equally well written for people to spend their money on. (I wouldn't count Ult Adv among them though) The concept for the book just falls below the radar for most, so few people buy it.

As for Lorna, considering the life she's led with her mind being taken over repeatedly and all, Havok dying, the Genosha mess, it just makes sense to me that she's gone all nutty now. Still while it might be nice to see her sane again, there are already a lot of strong willed X-women, but a distinct shortage of crazy ones.

As for Kordery on X-treme, I suppose that Marvel hopes that the fans won't just drop the book outright and hang on for at least the first issue. So either they were desperate for an artist to fill in, or they have exceptional confidence that people will be impressed by what Kordey could provide with a clear schedule. (Good lord, I hope so...)

I won't comment on the Human Torch as I think its going to be one of those that bombs. For the New Mutants, I don't recall who said it, but why not just ugly people instead of freaks?

With regards to the Thunderbolts trouble and U-Decide, those are just instances of poor managment at Marvel. On the one hand, Marvel blew off their hard-core fans and made a big risk that just isn't paying off. Now they're trying to save face. On the other hand, Marvel tried to use hype to improve sales; which is of course why Ultimate Adventure outsells Mechanix... but there is no excuse but Jemas' hubris for Marville's continued existence.

As for Marvel's desire to make bad comics again, its more about seizing market share from DC. It's the spaghetti tactic; throw it against the wall and see what sticks! Maybe something from the Tsunami will catch fire; unlike Marville which is just being burned in bonfires... :)

So in summary,

Jim you are correct about everything.

[Drackdallion]

Originally posted by ultimatexavior
I know I stopped Thunderbolts at 75. To me that was the end of the title. I did the same with X-Force. I don't like the way they switch the entire book around like that and have no explaination for it. The other T-Bolts still exist!!! The other X-Force technically still existed. I mean when it was done with X-Factor in the 90's, the original team went back to the X-men therefore there could be a new line-up. Plus it was explained away in the plot. Even further back when the X-men were re-started with the second line up (Storm, Wolverine et all) it was explained why these guys were the X-men and the other's were not now.

I mean at least re start the series at Number one instead of doing it to Wolverine (um still i ask WHY!) or Spider-Man or any of the others they've done lately.

marvel tends to frustrate me like this.

xavior

That´s exactly what I´ve been wondering since the start of X-Freaks oops!, X-Force I meant. I just think it´s manipulative when a book with a steady fan base changes so suddenly into something totally diferent without explanation while keepeing the same numbering on the covers. The fans of the old take WILL pick the book up for sure at first trying to see what´s been done to their favorite book, that means money. If the new direction is well recieved they then realize the book has potential (wich obviously they doubted before) so it´s then when they decide to launch it with a new #1 issue and maybe a new name, wich is of course what should have been done in the first place.

I´ll always wonder what became of the REAL Thunderbolts! :sigh:

As for the Column I must say it voices all too real concerns these days. It is simply amazingly good and it comes a the right time! :clap:

[DasVedanya!]

Here are my thoughts.

Why people aren't buying Mekanix: Nobody cares about Shadowcat other than Colossus, and he, unfortunately is dead.

Polaris' insanity: Drugs and Cheerios for breakfast.

X-Treme X-Men artist: Nobody should be doing this comic other than Larocca. So...we steal Jim Lee from DC and get HIM to do it.

Tsunami: Let's not even talk about this. The only good thing coming from it is more Venom.

Is Marvel making bad comics: Um...every single Spiderman comic comes to mind. Oh, yeah, and Mekanix.

:colossus: -Das Vedanya!

[Zach Kinkead]

That Dog in Jenkins' Peter Parker: Spider-Man
Barker
- Admit it: you loved him, too.
Who didn’t?
When will we ever get to discover the dirty truth behind that all-knowing canine?
Well we’re pretty sure he’s building something. I suspect that he’s working on building a robotic exo-skeleton for Kevin, the living cheese.

[crozack]

When it comes to MekaniX, I think it has to do with the fact that it stars Kitty Pryde. She ain't exactly Wolverine in terms of popularity. I don't think the book is going to make a fan of, say, Fantastic Four look at it and think "Oh my goodness, it's Claremont writing it (he used to write FF) and look at this neat main character which I have never read. I should buy this."

Secondly, Torch is the only Tsunami book I am going to pick up (other than Namor issue 1). I don't think that female readers or younger readers is the object of this marketing scheme either. I know plenty of guys who go out and buy Shonen Jump because of a ten-page DBZ script (from a cartoon that they've already seen). They're mega interested in Sentinel and Torch and I've already made them check out Uncanny because of Asimaya's art (yeah, I know, it's ironic now). They're gonna stick around.

And as for quality comics, I think every comic that Marvel has put out recently is well above average (or at least better than they have been) except for Marville, Ultimate Adventures, The Rawhide Kid and Thor (it pains me to say that Thor sucks).

I think that Kordey's art is pretty good and I like the idea that Marvel isn't getting a Larocca knock-off to replace him. Kordey is different. Let's try something new.

But there are other problems like those that have been mentioned:
Flooding the market
Putting out books about basically anything (I mean, couldn't that Doop/Wolverine series be incorporated into X-Statix? There are other examples of this as well)
Lateness of books
Raising of prices
Books that suck (though there are not many, it's just that how does crap like that pass through the radar?)

Overall, I think it's just that Quesada and Jemas are trying to hard to increase the business.

Great article, Jim. It's a refreshing taste of lemon-lime whenever a new one of these comes out. It's possibly the best part about this site. Keep up the good work.