Comic Pants Podcast #33
This weekend was the San Diego Comic-Con, the biggest North American comics convention around. Join David Martindale (D3), Dan Grendell, and Nick Budd as we dig through the piles of news that has come out of the convention and discuss the important bits. What releases are upcoming? Who is on what project? Did the Image founders kill each other at their reunion panel? Let us know if we missed any important news and your thoughts on what we discussed in the comments section. Randy Lander is at the convention living the high life of a comics reviewer, and will be back next week. This is a one-shot podcast, unlike our normal topics, and next week will be a different topic.
As always, commentary is welcomed and encouraged. Let us know what you thought of the podcast, and if you have suggestions for future podcast topics, leave us a comment or write in to the show! Listeners who write in could win cool comics with each broadcast! Please drop us a line at comicpantsfeedback@gmail.com to give us some questions or comments for the next show.
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I’m not excited by the new line up on Spider-Man. I like Slott (one of the last few holdouts online, appearantly) don’t remember much of Gale’s stuff from Batman & Daredevil and could care less about Wells & Guggenheim. I’ve been killed on Spidey for quite some time now.
30 Jul 2007 at 8:29 am
QuoteJMS beat all Spidey love out of me. Call me in 18 months when the four writers realize writing Spidey miserable all the time isn’t much fun because it’s not 1962 anymore and they bring Mary Jane back.
30 Jul 2007 at 9:09 am
QuoteOh, and seeing Ellis finally sell out? WONDERFUL.
30 Jul 2007 at 10:31 am
QuoteI’ve been down on Spider-man lately too (dropped all 3 titles shortly after The Other ended), but the new line-up really has me excited to come back to them. Aside from Slott, none of the writers made me jump up out of my seat, but reading their round-table interview on Newsarama really sold me, and I think their take on Spidey sounds like what the book should be. The only thing that worries me is the possibility of Spidey’s new powers and his public identity playing a part, but neither of those things were mentioned in the interview, so I’ve got my fingers crossed that things will be back to normal by the time Straczynski leaves.
I’m also excited about Ellis taking over AXM (less enthusiastic about Bianchi, but i’m at least happy that they didn’t get a watered down Cassaday-clone). Based on his interview it sounds like he wants to bring some of the progressive spirit of Morrison’s run back, which sounds great to me. Plus i’m always down for a book that i can just sit down and enjoy without Hulk, Skrulls, registration, M-Day, or whatever the hell they’re doing to tie the entire line together this week.
Oh and one note, Jeph Loeb was always planned to write the final act of Ultimate Power. Remember, they split the story up into thirds, with Bendis doing the beginning, JMS doing the middle, and Loeb doing the end. The only reason they mentioned it at the con i think was to let people know that it’s going to tie-in to Ultimates v.3 and the upcoming crossover.
30 Jul 2007 at 11:35 am
QuoteAMEN Brother Really what Do they want to replace being married to MJ WITH?
30 Jul 2007 at 12:05 pm
QuoteI pretty much echo all the Pantheon’s thoughts but here goes:
For me, there’s no point reading The Spirit without Darwyn Cooke. Was really bummed out when I saw that he was leaving. Like you guys, I can’t wait to see what he’s gonna come up with but sad to see him leave The Spirit (and superheroes in general)
Ellis on AXM is one I’m really excited about. If the announcement came 12 months ago I would have been a bit wary but following the first Thunderbolts arc I’m really looking forward to it now. And I’m a big fan of Bianchi too.
Terry Moore & Humberto Ramos on Runaways is really cool. I’m more excited about this than Whedon taking over. Ramos’ work on the recent Runaways Saga book was quite good.
I’m actually really annoyed that Grant Morrison is doing Final Crisis because I’m HATING what DC is doing at the moment (52 earths? Oh dear God) and did not want to even look at Final Crisis. I mean, how many Crisis series has there been now? 67? It certainly feels like that. I’m a total Morrison junkie though so will automatically pick this up. Damn that crazy Scotsman!
Anything Matt Wagner & Jeff Smith do: I’m in
The writers & artists on Amazing Spider-Man are not exclusive to each other and will rotate around but will each do complete arcs. I’m really interested to see how it goes. Larroca is obviously the work horse of the artists and will probably be the guy who keeps it on time. Surprised that John Romita Jr wasn’t one of the artists though.
Myspace Dark Horse Presents is a really cool idea (but a rather unwieldy title) . I will never say no to free comics! I really liked Whedon’s entry too.
The Iron Man movie looks fantastic. Beowulf on the other hand, looks terrible.
One final thought: A Neil Young graphic novel? Huh?
30 Jul 2007 at 1:29 pm
QuoteThis is the big news for Amazing Spider-Man? First three are alright but..Zeb Wells? Really? Zeb Wells? Have they ever actually read anything he’s put out? Count me out. Where is the Spider-Man book Jeph Loeb and J. Scott Campbell are gonna do? Come on Marvel!
Best news I heard was Greg Rucka’s new detective book from Oni. Although one has to wonder if he can find time to put out a new book why can’t he put out more Queen and Country. Oh well. I guess some independent Rucka is better then none..or DC Rucka for that matter.
30 Jul 2007 at 1:33 pm
Quote1. Repeating what I SAID above unmarried Spider-man THEN what? you can’t really write Peter Parker’s young love story anymore.
2 I like the idea in X-MEN “No you’re not really the step in evelution your 198 freaks.” Now does that mean I want to read Warren ellis X-men probly not but maybe.
30 Jul 2007 at 2:43 pm
QuoteAbout five years ago, Zeb Wells wrote some absolutely hilarious and awesome Spidey stories in Peter Parker as that title was on its way out the door. The best one featured a team-up between the Scorpion and some robot as they were hired and forced to team up against Spidey. I remember that the Scorpion felt threatened because of the competence of the robot and tried to act tough to cover it up — it was really funny.
Does anyone else remember that story?
30 Jul 2007 at 3:20 pm
QuoteMost of the announcements left me yawning. Marvel and DC have pretty much put me at the point where I don’t care about the vast majority of their characters. I’ll probably give the new teams on Astonishing and Runaways a chance to hook me, but I tried SiP many years ago and it wasn’t my cup of tea, so I’m not exactly excited by Moore coming on.
Unlike the Panteon, I’m intrigued by the new House of Mystery book. I’d be happier if Willingham was in it for the long haul, but I’ll definitely give it a look when it comes out.
30 Jul 2007 at 3:33 pm
QuoteYa….I am not going to lie…final crisis interests me….I didn’t like infinite crisis…but Grant morrison and j.g jones are awesome so I am sold. and you guys say they keep repeating themselves……but its not like Identity crisis and infinite crisis really have the same plots. But ….i gotta admit you do have good reason to be alarmed about final crisis..countdown has been average and infinite crisis sucked. but 52 was good and I have enjoyed alot of dc titles of late. aside from that what really interested me was the creepy and eerie reprints that Darkhorse is going to release. I have heard of how great these comics were for years but have never read them considering their are no trades and they were before my time. Have you any of you read them and are they any good? Aside from that …..most of the stuff I am not to excited about……..well the paul pope thb thing sounds awesome but thats about it.
30 Jul 2007 at 6:04 pm
QuoteFinal Crisis has caught my attention, Morrison, easily my favorite living comic book writer, doing big sweeping epic he described as “Lord of the Rings in the DCU” yeah I want to see that!
Wagner on Madame Xanadu sounds worth checking out, though I wish he was doing the art too.
Dan Slott, Salvador Larrocca, Phil Jimenez and Chris Bachalo are people who’s work I like, so I’m happy to see them on various Spider-Man books, don’t know that I’ll be necessarily picking them up, but I will at least give it a look.
None of the other stuff really grabbed me much,
31 Jul 2007 at 9:39 am
Quotei like humbertos ramos on Crimson and some other titles but the few bits he did in Runaways Saga makes me worried that he’s not right for that project. but i’ll still give it a try.
31 Jul 2007 at 12:55 pm
QuoteI keep hoping one of the big two’S crossovers will be utterly rejected I don’t mean “Rob did’nt buy it and a few people whined on Newsarma. I mean something like selling 500 copies of Civil war no 3 becuse Absolutley nobody liked it.
That Did’nt happen with Civil war, World War Hulk or infinte crissis. I Believe it MAY happen with somthing as stupidly named as Final Crissis. Come on there’s got be some part of your brain that hears the title “Final crissis” and says “ARE YOU KIDDING”
31 Jul 2007 at 2:01 pm
QuoteCan we start a pool for when the next DC mini-series with the word “Crisis” in the title will be released? I’ll put $20 on one year after Final Crisis #1 ships. Had no intention whatsoever of buying this until i read the names Grant Morrison and JG Jones. Oh well, guess i’ll be supporting another crossover while i complain about how there’s too many of them.
31 Jul 2007 at 5:26 pm
QuoteIt’s interesting, had I been here instead of living it up in San Diego, this probably would have been a different podcast. I’ve got some misgivings about some of the stuff the rest of the guys are psyched for, and potentially interested in some stuff where they got no love. And yeah, as predicted, here’s my mega-length response post. You guys know me so well.
Let’s take it in order:
Ellis on Astonishing - To Dan Coyle, is this really Ellis selling out? Wasn’t Ultimate Nightmare really the watermark for that? At any rate, I actually think the Ellis/Bianchi team is a smart move for Marvel, it’ll keep interest relatively high on the book. And Ellis did a really good run on Excalibur early on in his Marvel tenure, as well as “master plotting” some of the lower tier X-Books in the ’90s… he’s got a feel for the universe. However, that said, I don’t much care personally. I’ve come to realize that if Brubaker, Carey, Whedon and Cassaday can’t get me excited about the X-Men, maybe it’s just that I don’t give a crap about the characters anymore.
Moore and Ramos on Runaways - I fell off Strangers in Paradise, and I actually really disliked Moore’s Birds of Prey story, but I have to say, as a writer on Runaways, he’s not a bad choice. Not so good that I think he’ll bring me back (I think Runaways for me ends at the volume three hardcover), but good enough to keep reading. Except… I really don’t care for Ramos’s art anymore. The last book he did that I enjoyed was Impulse, way back when. His art has continued to get more and more cartoony and exaggerated, and he’s lost some of his storytelling fundamentals to increased stylization, and while you’re not wrong about it being in some ways suited to the book, I think Runaways has always benefited from a mix of cartoony and realism. Miyzawa and Alphona are hard guys to follow, and I thought Marvel had realized this in putting a solid realist like Michael Ryan on the book. To me, Ramos is an utterly wrong-headed choice.
Morrison & JG Jones on Final Crisis - Pretty much with you guys on this one. I mean, yes, it’s a light at the end of the plunging tunnel of sales darkness that DC has embarked on with their ill-advised “Everything’s a Countdown tie-in!” madness, but still? Final Crisis? I’m not sure even Morrison and Jones can put a proper polish on that turd. Too bad this wasn’t the team for Astonishing X-Men instead.
Mark Waid at Boom! - Pretty much agreed throughout here, too. Waid’s a smart guy with a lot of comics experience and a wealth of talent, Boom! started off strong and has continued to get more impressive, and their latest hires (like marketing guy Chip Mosher, one of the nicest and savviest guys in the industry) and acquisitions (Godfather, Gears of War) have been impressive as well. Expect Boom! to rise up there with Dark Horse and Image in the fan consciousness.
Wagner Xanadu - Sturges & Willingham on House of Mystery - Very excited about Xanadu (and anything Wagner, really) and you’re right, Dan, that artwork from Amy Hadley is beautiful. I’m more excited about House of Mystery than you guys, though. Jack of Fables has been very good, and these two seem like a writing team to be reckoned with. Also kind of excited about Sturges taking over Shadowpact, actually… makes me want to go back and catch up on the book.
RASL - I love the concept, which is weird and intriguing and has room for plenty of stories. And wait until you see the format… it’s amazing. It’s like the old Treasury format that DC and Marvel used to use, and it really shows off Smith’s art. It’s going to cause retailers to scream, but it’s worth figuring out how to shelve it, because it looks amazing. Could this be the great indy hit that the market desperately needs? Let’s hope so. The issues will probably cost like $15-18 each, if you do the math of $5 for 6 pages versus $? for 22 pages, but honestly, I’d be inclined to buy it. I don’t buy a lot of single issues, but I’d buy this one to have it in the oversized format, and then buy the color, smaller trades to have it in color. I bought Bone in b&w hardcovers and color digests, why not do the same with RASL?
Spider-Man - Bachalo and Guggenheim are the weak link, but at least they’re paired, so maybe I can just ignore their issues. Slott/McNiven is the A-team, but I bet it’s going to be late, and Slott has not been at his best with Avengers: Initiative and She-Hulk, could it be he’s lost his old school skillz that made him such a perfect choice for Spidey in the first place? Bob Gale has written some good and some very weird (the Ant-Man Christmas Special is one of the most bizarre comics ever published, and not necessarily in a good way), and Phil Jimenez is usually pretty solid on art as well. Zeb Wells and Salvador Larocca are the team that I think are going to surprise. If Larocca can rein in his overly photo-reference style of late, I think Wells has the chops to write a great Spider-Man. He can do comedy, he can do emotion (he did both very well in New Warriors) and he clearly loves the characters, from A- to Z-list. The question is, will this whole “writing team” thing work? With Steve Wacker at the helm, it seems like they’re going for a 52 vibe. This could be a “the best raise the weaker guys up” kind of thing or a “one weak link crashes the whole thing” kind of thing. Nobody here is a deal-killer (although Bachalos’ ability to tell a coherent story anymore is a big question mark), but there’s nobody I’m really excited about either. Like X-Men, I’m afraid that my Spider-Man reading days might just be in the past.
Just out of curiosity, does anyone really care about the Ultimate universe anymore? I mean, I don’t hate it or anything, but I feel the sort of apathy for the Ultimate universe that I generally reserve for the modern-day DC Universe books.
Hulkacaust? I gotta admit, I think it sounds like a good title too. But I don’t think it’s likely to be the title, sorry D3.
At any rate, I haven’t read Planet Hulk and I’m sort of mildly interested in World War Hulk, but I’m still perfectly cool with the notion of a trilogy. Because one of the big questions about World War Hulk is how they’re going to end it, and I can definitely see it needing a fallout miniseries of sorts.
Dark Horse Presents for emo kids - Truthfully, with that great lineup, I’d rather see an old-fashioned print book, and given Myspace’s crap-ass load times, I don’t know how often I’ll actually check this out. But credit to Dark Horse for going big at the new media space, and good luck to them. Honestly, I’d have been happier if they had announced gigantic reprints of the old DHP stuff and a new DHP print book. But I’m neither 13 years old or an old man trolling for underage kids to molest, so I’m not really the Myspace target audience. Which isn’t to say I don’t have a Myspace page myself. I just don’t go there much.
But between Joss Whedon, Gerard Way, Indiana Jones and CLAMP, Dark Horse is going after new readers stronger than anyone else, save perhaps Marvel with their Anita Blake & Dark Tower comics. Good to see a great publisher getting some heat.
Minx - It seemed like half the people I talked to in San Diego either had a Minx book in the works or were pitching to them. And that next lineup looks great. Wood and Kelly? David Hahn? Joelle Jones? Steve Rolston? Wow. Exciting stuff from Minx.
Heroes license news sounded cool, but a reprint of the online graphic novels? Weren’t those terrible? Or was that just the first Michael Turner one? At any rate, I was hoping for new stuff, not just a collection of the online stuff. Seems like a missed opportunity.
Portland-based detective from Greg Rucka at Oni? Sounds good. Hope it’s more frequent than Queen & Country. And in the same world as Atticus Kodiak is interesting, he’s got a good cast of interesting characters in that world.
Top Shelf doing Marshal Law? Awesome. I have most of the Marshal Law books in miniseries and prestige format, but the ability to get it all in one place, from the guys who do kickass collected editions? I’m all about that. And glad to hear the THB news, even gladder that it’s coming from another amazing publisher, First Second.
Other stuff? I’m psyched to see Jon Favreau writing an Iron Man comic, I’ve always liked the guy from his movies through to his great show Dinner For Five, and I’m really happy with what I’ve seen of Iron Man thus far.
Screw you too, Dan!
Is this gonna be our new sign-off for all the podcasts? Because I like it!
Wow. To any of you who read all of that, I apologize.
31 Jul 2007 at 8:26 pm
QuoteSo Marvel is full of ideas, yet as a long time Marvel only buyer I am down to 2 titles and Amazing Spidey is close to the chopping bloke because of this manipluative sales gimmick. Strangely DC has been where I enjoy comics now. Oh, but I enjoy the, what was it you said, “continuity porn” that DC was doing. You say that Marvel has the talent, but I dislike the big names they use now. I think in three to six months you guys will flip and be down on Marvel and up on DC. Fickle opinions.
Sorry, just getting tired of the blind Marvel bandwagon stuff.
01 Aug 2007 at 7:19 am
QuoteOur tastes in comics obviously differ, and that’s perfectly fine. If you like what DC is doing, great, and if in three months quality in Marvel suddenly drops and Final Crisis is astoundingly good, then yes, I will change my tune. This is because I don’t care what company publishes what- I just want good comics. If any company publishes something that isn’t making me happy, I’m down on them. If any company publishes something that is great, I’m up on them. I’m a fan of good comics, not a fan of any one company. If that makes me fickle, so be it.
01 Aug 2007 at 7:46 am
QuoteRandy: Actually, Thunderbolts is the selling out title. The Ultimate books he could rationalize as “I was doing it for me mates!” or “Hey, it’s the books for the ‘new’ fans, not the losers!” NextWave he built from the ground up, and it had enough smirking contempt for the genre even as it was reveling in it (I think the book’s good, but I can’t bring myself to pay money for it; it’s like the asshole who beats you up in high school writing the Great American Novel). Thunderbolts is where it breaks down, because even he can’t help but indulge in continuity porn with it, and his satire is so broad and writes the average American off as such a mindless drone it has no teeth.
But the thing is, Marvel was Warren Ellis’ White Whale. And granted, Marvel did screw him out of stuff he deserved. Planetary can be boiled down to a simple exchange: “Marvel Bad, DC Good.” And he’d rant and rave and while and bully and bully and BULLY…
By doing X-Men (and I’m sure they gave him an incentive he’d be crazy to turn down for it) he’s finally and unequivically sold out. By slapping the defibrilators on a franchise in trouble like this, he’s finally resigned himself to Being Here Forever, In Armagetto, With the Hunger Dogs.
This is What You Want, Warren. Just Remember: You can NEVER kill us all.
01 Aug 2007 at 11:53 am
QuoteAnd now, a few words about Zeb Wells. While everyone’s so slap happy about Slott, I think like Randy that Wells will be the closet star here. Anyone who’s read Wells’ work knows he “gets” Peter Parker better than, well, anyone today with the exception of Peter David. His stories are funny without being jackassy. While the line about Peter needing to make mistakes again makes me cringe (look, just de-age him already, if that’s the direction you want to go in), but other than that, when MJ comes back (Trust me, it’s not if, it’s when) I’ll be reading Wells first.
Guggenheim I’m also curious about, but the guy’s running his own TV show- who really thinks if Eli Stone takes off he won’t be overwhelmed?
You’re right about Gale’s Ant-Man book, Randy, that was… very, very odd. But I’ve liked everything else Gale’s written, so that’s good.
01 Aug 2007 at 12:00 pm
QuotePersonally… I just think Spidey needs a big ol’ hug after the past five years or so. I mean, how much shit can possibly happen to one guy??
To me, when you want to hurt Peter Parker, you focused on the Charlie Brown aspect of the character. He saves the city from Firelord and then, when he changes to Peter Parker, he finds a parking ticket on his motorcycle. That kills him more than what they’ve been doing to him these days.
And as for Mary Jane… the character is only as boring as you write her. If all you’re going to do is have her waiting up for Peter in a nightie then that’s it’s not the character’s fault she’s boring. You want her interesting..? Make her interesting.
‘Nuff said.
01 Aug 2007 at 12:45 pm
QuoteDan Coyle says: BELAND IS RIGHT ON THE MONEY.
01 Aug 2007 at 12:57 pm
QuoteHey, how about an Ellis podcast?
1. Ellis : Hero or villain? Enterpreneur or sellout?
2. Review all things Ellis!
3. Ellis actual/future projects
(I’m kind of an Ellis fan lol)
Tom beland on spidey please
01 Aug 2007 at 1:04 pm
QuoteDan Grendell agrees. The Two Dans Law makes it reality.
01 Aug 2007 at 4:59 pm
QuoteCan’t argue with the Two Dans law, or with Tom. He is exactly, perfectly right.
01 Aug 2007 at 7:17 pm
QuoteJust curious, what podcast did you listen to? Because I certainly didn’t hear a lot of bandwagon jumping with Marvel’s new Spider-Man. Or a lot of love for the Ellis/Bianchi Astonishing, for that matter.
Disagree all you like, but coming out swinging about some imaginary bias, calling us fickle and implying that our opinions are formed not by analysis of the comics but because we want to be on some imaginary bandwagon is highly insulting. I’m not inclined to argue a lot further with that point of view, I’m inclined to dismiss it as the wrongheaded speculation that it is.
You’re digging DC? That’s cool. I find much of it a continuity morass, much of the rest of it depressingly focused on killing and mutilating perfectly good characters and a good chunk of what’s left just plain boring. In three to six months, you’re right, I might change my mind. Know what? In three to six months, the comics at DC may be entirely and totally different.
As Dan says, it ain’t about the companies, it’s about what comics we’re enjoying. Right now, for a lot of us at Comic Pants (and judging by the buzz and sales figures, much of the market), a lot more of those are being published by Marvel. Doesn’t make me dislike New/Mighty Avengers any less, or find the whole Skrull thing any less silly and cringe-worthy.
01 Aug 2007 at 7:22 pm
QuoteThe main difference, to me, between Marvel and DC is that Marvel characters have always been personality-driven, so I actually care what happens them. I never get that feeling with DC.
Except for the Wolfman/Perez TEEN TITANS run. That was a very Marvel-esque run. “WHO IS DONNA TROY?” is still one of my top five favorite storylines of all time.
But when Batman had his back broken, I didn’t get emotional over it. I wasn’t moved one way or another when Sue Digby was killed either. Or with Impulse’s demise. I just don’t think DC builds up their characters outside the costume the way Marvel does.
02 Aug 2007 at 1:25 pm
Quote