Henry10NEVER FEAR - I HAVE RETURNED!
March 22nd 2007 13:41
Personal issues have taken me away from the blog for a month or so, for which I apologise, but it seems that in the face of Important Events comic books are pretty insignificant. Who'da thunk it?
But wouldn't you know it, I take a month away from the hobby and ALL FRIGGIN' HELL BREAKS LOOSE. Seriously, it's like more things have happened in the last month than for the entire rest of the time I've been writing here. So it's time to give my belated response as a way of easing myself back into the Nerd Saddle. Let's do it.
Alright, you know what's coming next:
THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN AMERICA
The hype for this one has been unbelievable. It never really hit massive levels here in Australia, but I've been following the US media's reaction, and it's been pretty big. I guess Marvel were just lucky that it hit on a slow news day.
The first thing that has to be said is that the actual issue (Captain America #25) is pretty good. Ed Brubaker is just about the most reliable guy on the Marvel roster, and I'm interested to see where he goes with it.
That said, I'm always of two minds when major characters get killed off now. Let's face it, Steve Rogers will be back as Captain America at some point in the future. It's just how superhero comics work - the dead are always ready to be resurrected if it means a boost in sales. I realise that it's just a staple of the genre, and it's quite fine to doit when you take Marvel comics as throwaway pop entertainment. But I'm a lifelong fan, and one of my major interests in Marvel Comics is as an ongoing, interconnected saga that spans all the way back to 1961 (or 1939 if I ever developed an interest in their Golden Age material). The constant deaths and resurrections put a strain on the credibility of that saga, lemme tell ya. It's not the biggest problem, mind you (remind me to do an essay on Marvel Time one day!) but it's one that bugs me - don't even get me started on Jean Grey!
The thing is, I wouldn't mind if they killed Cap off and made it permanent. As a character I don't think there's a lot that can be done with him that hasn't already been done. You can play up the 'man out of time' angle, but given that the guy was thawed out of that iceberg in 1964 (our time, but a decade ago in the MU) it's stretching things a bit. You can use him to tell stories about America, which usually works quite well, but it's not something that can be done a lot or you risk turning it into a political comic. The only way to do Cap long-term is as a straight-up action hero, and he's just way too bland and straight-laced to be really interesting in that capacity. I think it's telling that, although Brubaker's Cap has been very good, it's generally rehashed elements of earlier Cap arcs. The major original twist has been the resurrection of Bucky, and you can only play that card once. What's left after that? The other really good portrayal of Cap has been in Ultimates, but they had to overhaul the character's personality pretty drastically to do it.
So I'm all for leaving Steve Rogers dead and letting someone else carry on in his stead. Bucky would be a good candidate, and he can play the 'man out of time' angle better than Steve Rogers now. My only reservation is in the way that he went out - fighting a delusional war, surrendering, and then being shot by a sniper. It's hardly the heroic death befitting the Living Legend of Word War II, is it?
THE END OF CIVIL WAR
It finally arrived, about half a year later than it should have. All told, I enjoyed the event quite a bit. Is it flawed? Oh, hell yes. Incredibly so - the whole event is rife with inconsistencies, and it twists some of the Marvel heroes in some pretty unlikeable directions.
Still, I found the core miniseries to be a lot of fun. Forget the political metaphors for a moment - they're strained at best, and only work when you think about them in the broadest possible terms. Forget all that - as I've said before, this is an excuse for a Mark Millar style widescreen hero-vs.-hero dust-up. On that level it works, and the whole thing worls a damn sight better when you ignore the tie-in books and stick to the main series.
On top of that, there is one thing that Civil War has returned to the Marvel Universe - an air of uncertainty. It's been a long time since I've felt this way about comics, but the current MU has a 'what the hell will happen next?' sort of vibe to it. The surprises aren't always good ones (I point you in the direction of the return of Captain Marvel) but I like the current regime's commitment to shaking up the status quo. It keeps me on my toes.
There are other things I want to write about, but they can wait for future installments. I'll be trying to update things at least every couple of days, but I'm not making promises! I don't recommend that anyone holds their breath between installments, that's for certain.
But wouldn't you know it, I take a month away from the hobby and ALL FRIGGIN' HELL BREAKS LOOSE. Seriously, it's like more things have happened in the last month than for the entire rest of the time I've been writing here. So it's time to give my belated response as a way of easing myself back into the Nerd Saddle. Let's do it.
Alright, you know what's coming next:
THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN AMERICA
The hype for this one has been unbelievable. It never really hit massive levels here in Australia, but I've been following the US media's reaction, and it's been pretty big. I guess Marvel were just lucky that it hit on a slow news day.
The first thing that has to be said is that the actual issue (Captain America #25) is pretty good. Ed Brubaker is just about the most reliable guy on the Marvel roster, and I'm interested to see where he goes with it.
That said, I'm always of two minds when major characters get killed off now. Let's face it, Steve Rogers will be back as Captain America at some point in the future. It's just how superhero comics work - the dead are always ready to be resurrected if it means a boost in sales. I realise that it's just a staple of the genre, and it's quite fine to doit when you take Marvel comics as throwaway pop entertainment. But I'm a lifelong fan, and one of my major interests in Marvel Comics is as an ongoing, interconnected saga that spans all the way back to 1961 (or 1939 if I ever developed an interest in their Golden Age material). The constant deaths and resurrections put a strain on the credibility of that saga, lemme tell ya. It's not the biggest problem, mind you (remind me to do an essay on Marvel Time one day!) but it's one that bugs me - don't even get me started on Jean Grey!
The thing is, I wouldn't mind if they killed Cap off and made it permanent. As a character I don't think there's a lot that can be done with him that hasn't already been done. You can play up the 'man out of time' angle, but given that the guy was thawed out of that iceberg in 1964 (our time, but a decade ago in the MU) it's stretching things a bit. You can use him to tell stories about America, which usually works quite well, but it's not something that can be done a lot or you risk turning it into a political comic. The only way to do Cap long-term is as a straight-up action hero, and he's just way too bland and straight-laced to be really interesting in that capacity. I think it's telling that, although Brubaker's Cap has been very good, it's generally rehashed elements of earlier Cap arcs. The major original twist has been the resurrection of Bucky, and you can only play that card once. What's left after that? The other really good portrayal of Cap has been in Ultimates, but they had to overhaul the character's personality pretty drastically to do it.
So I'm all for leaving Steve Rogers dead and letting someone else carry on in his stead. Bucky would be a good candidate, and he can play the 'man out of time' angle better than Steve Rogers now. My only reservation is in the way that he went out - fighting a delusional war, surrendering, and then being shot by a sniper. It's hardly the heroic death befitting the Living Legend of Word War II, is it?
THE END OF CIVIL WAR
It finally arrived, about half a year later than it should have. All told, I enjoyed the event quite a bit. Is it flawed? Oh, hell yes. Incredibly so - the whole event is rife with inconsistencies, and it twists some of the Marvel heroes in some pretty unlikeable directions.
Still, I found the core miniseries to be a lot of fun. Forget the political metaphors for a moment - they're strained at best, and only work when you think about them in the broadest possible terms. Forget all that - as I've said before, this is an excuse for a Mark Millar style widescreen hero-vs.-hero dust-up. On that level it works, and the whole thing worls a damn sight better when you ignore the tie-in books and stick to the main series.
On top of that, there is one thing that Civil War has returned to the Marvel Universe - an air of uncertainty. It's been a long time since I've felt this way about comics, but the current MU has a 'what the hell will happen next?' sort of vibe to it. The surprises aren't always good ones (I point you in the direction of the return of Captain Marvel) but I like the current regime's commitment to shaking up the status quo. It keeps me on my toes.
There are other things I want to write about, but they can wait for future installments. I'll be trying to update things at least every couple of days, but I'm not making promises! I don't recommend that anyone holds their breath between installments, that's for certain.
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Comment by JoshZ
I tried to write about comics and so forth so that people wouldn't let the even of the death of Cap to pass them by.
Great to see you again mate.
JZ