The Gamer’s Quagmire #71: Six Hours of Careful Editing Outside Fallujah
Everything you wanted to know about gaming, and less
by Jamison DeLorenzo
It is not as nearly a compelling title, but it’s not like there is any competition now. Konami was able to make headlines recently by walking away from their war game based on the Iraq War. Having known nothing about the game or much about the conflict, largely due to my indifference to war games, this event prompted me to educate myself a little about the development of this former project.
Before I dive in, let me say something about the development of games dealing with a war that is still in progress - good luck. Six Days in Fallujah, you never had a chance. I say this, however, not for the reasons you would think. It comes as no surprise that there was a ton of blowback once people found out about this game. It comes as no surprise Konami received a bunch of complaints. The cancelation of the game was, for all intents and purposes, inevitable.
One of the interesting facts about this former project was that journals and diaries from soldiers involved in the conflict were used as a reference for the game. Other soldiers encouraged Konami to go ahead with the game. Why their voices do not get to be heard is a story for another time. Perhaps.
I bring this up not to start a debate over the war, but instead to get people to see multiple sides of this story. The crux of the problem here is when is it safe to create a social commentary about a war? Until soldiers want stories about their experiences to be told, I firmly believe no for-profit stories should be produced. This includes movies, books, games, or any other media. War has a massive impact on everyone involved, and, like it or not, the discussion afterwards needs to begin with them. If soldiers were contributing to this project I thought this time would have arrived, but this is obviously not the case.
As one should expect, there are plenty of people that had a problem with this game being made. The war is still going on. People are still over there. Also, there appeared to be some contributions on the game from Iraqi citizens and insurgents. You are certainly welcome to react to this however you want. I’m going to let that point be for now and build on it later.
I think a good chunk of the anger goes back to what Roger Ebert said over a year ago about video games - that they are not proper art. A lot of video game pundits, if not every one, laughed off this comment as being misinformed and out of touch. It should not surprise anyone that other people besides this movie critic have this opinion (and, by extension, people will also view as out of touch). You are all welcome to ignore the numerous stories on TV about this war. Ignore all the books published about the war. Ignore all the stories news anchors used to draw people into watching their broadcasts (yes, I have every right to make this criticism in an age where stations view news as entertainment). These are all welcome and it’s not hypocritical to accept those and reject a video game.
The thing is, I have to ask myself if I am ready to openly criticize the aforementioned hypocrisy intertwined in this situation. As I am someone who knows nobody that has been or is overseas in the Iraq war it is a lot more difficult to remain objective when discussing this. Then again, why even bother writing about video games at all if I am afraid of what my opinions mean?
I have no idea why people still struggle with viewing different forms of art objectively. There is art out there with the sole purpose of inflaming the senses. It is probably safe to assume that was not Konami’s intent with this game. What boggles my mind is why many people still see all video games in a constant vein of evil and void of any intrinsic value.
Something I need to be clear on - I do not have any concrete information on how Konami was approaching the story in this game. We’ll get to that in a minute. Remember that art is subjective by its very nature. Disagreeing with a viewpoint should not necessitate its very existence. If you cannot handle something’s existence just because you don’t like it, well, that does not mean the problem lies with the object of your ire.
What I cannot do is claim to be an expert on sensitivity. I am willing to entertain the notion that it is too early to make a game closely representative of the conflict in Iraq. Some soldiers want their story out in the open, as evidenced by the development of this game, but many people still do not. So we shelve the project and wait. That is fine with me. But I have to wonder - what is the appropriate time needed before a game like Six Days in Fallujah can be made? What are the variables? Does the number of deaths, duration, number of nations involved, or overall brutality of the war make a difference? Is anyone qualified to answer this question?
I live by a certain set of rules. One of these rules is to always welcome new information into a discussion. Let people speak their minds. It is always up to the recipients of the information to determine whether they agree with it. After all, it is no fun to call people idiots without hearing their side of the story first. Again noting my detachment from this situation, this is why I have no problem with Iraqi citizens and soldiers contributing to it. I get why this annoys soldiers involved and others as well. Developers were trying to get as much information on the battles as they could. If you are reading more into it than that, fine, but you simply don’t understand the roles and functions of video games.
With all this in mind, it’s time to identify the primary idiots.
Konami, let me be one of many to say thank you for your completely spineless reaction. Thank you for shrinking into the sunset. You are doing the gaming industry absolutely no justice here. Saying “we just wanted to make an entertaining game” is the same lame response any publisher uses for any public backlash. Not wanting to use controversy as a selling point is fine if that’s not the type of attention or reputation you want. I find it hard to believe, however, that you did not see any potential issues when starting this project. Is there any chance we can stop your work on the next DDR abomination if we whine enough?
We saw this response from Capcom when Resident Evil 5’s details starting coming out. Even Bioware didn’t stand up for itself (not really) with the Mass Effect controversy that the media tried to stir up. In terms of corporate PR they probably did the right thing, but I still don’t think they sent the right message to service the industry as a whole. If our industry didn’t have Rockstar I would wonder if anyone in the industry had any backbone at all.
Here is the message publishers and developers need to say when people overreact - “we are not the first ones to make a statement about this topic, we are not even the first ones to make the statement we are making, thus we have no plans to change our direction in making what we think will be a great game.” Tailor this sentiment into any specific situation and we are all set.
If you plan on making a game that you know is going to be controversial on some level, then why would you back off once the… wait for it… controversy begins to take shape? React with however much knee-jerkiness you feel is appropriate (this includes the gamers out there who are sure to whine about this incoherently), but the fact that people were upset that this game was being made should only be a surprise to idiots.
War is a very serious issue. Any work, whether it be a book, film or game, can go about a right and wrong way. The problem is that by and large people hate video games (or anything else they do not understand). We need to get people to see things on a level playing field. Just as I do not see the inherent disrespect in a game about a war, others do not see the valuable reason for the game to exist. Both are valid opinions and I wish people would see that.
Post your comments in the Forum!
April 24, 2009
The Gamer’s Quagmire #70: I’m Not Quite Dead
Everything you wanted to know about gaming, and less
by Jamison DeLorenzo
There’s nothing quite like a long hiatus for a small, largely unread, gaming column. After a year-long sabbatical for gaming and some relatively major life events now feels like a good a time as any to get back onto the horse. Well, not literally of course. Odds are the equines are probably sick and tired of having random people jump on their backs just because they’re too lazy to do away with a tired cliché.
The strange this is, this is a weird time of the year to pony up (it’s a theme, sorry) and write something interesting again about gaming. There has been a noticeable lack of great games so far in 2009. Sure, Killzone 2 has gotten some buzz. The big budget games this year so far, Guitar Hero: Metallica and Resident Evil 5, just haven’t created the splash that publishers and gamers alike were hoping for. It is not that I haven’t enjoyed either of these games, but neither offered anything different that made people say “Wow!”
A year ago I would tell you that the unprecedented success of the Wii was the cause for this. The predominantly casual nature of the Wii is bring gaming back to the family. Most of the mature and dedicated gamers that exist today probably have fond memories of gaming with the Atari 2600. I would argue both the 2600 and the Wii are very similar to each other, to the point that the Wii can be called the 2600 of the current decade. In terms of development time was there anything back in the 2600 days that could compare with GTA IV?
My point is not to compare consoles this time, but rather to look at what gaming means to people today. America’s first major down-cycle in the economy causes people to take a closer look at budget gaming. We can’t realistically expect an expanding or even steady market for $60 games and $300 consoles with so much less money to spend.
Gaming to me will always be about escaping from the normal world doing something that brings me happiness. Whether a game is the creation of a drug-induced hallucination or a satirical mocking of what I’m trying to get away from the job still gets done. Based on the reports you see of the video game market being somewhat recession-proof and sales numbers still going strong you probably wonder what the point I’m driving at is.
Let me tell you. Sooner or later gamers want something new, something interesting. We’re still in an interesting time for gaming because the initial generation of gamers are still indentured servants of the industry. We are still a long ways a way from being forced off the gaming reservation, but sooner or later you need fresh blood, and it’s difficult to do that with high console prices and an increasing development costs.
Yes, okay, there are plenty of great older games you can get, and some fresh games that are quite cheap. We are on the bleeding edge of an industry that provides opportunities for independent people to download development kits and create their own games. But, still, I have to wonder how much room is there still in the industry for a rash of games in the GTA ilk?
I realize that it is difficult to figure out what demographics will eat up certain games, and that if some game like KOTOR came out in 1986 then I may have never given games like Tecmo Bowl or Tetris a chance. I wonder if such a simple game like Tecmo Bowl could even be created today and have it be a game that so many people reminisce about 10 or more years from now.
Here’s what I do know. In an era where we’re relatively close to having a really high penetration point in HD TV’s that there is a place for the monster-budget game titles. But don’t we need to consider how we rope in the 6 and 7 year old potential gamers? Don’t we need to sell the idea of video games to them with simpler titles than to toss Gran Turismo or Call of Duty in front of them and expect them to enjoy it as much as possible?
I realize that’s pretty much zeroing in on a question that Nintendo has already answered for us, but there were 3 versions of Mario out for the NES, and at least two of them are etched into video game lore. No offense, but Super Mario Galaxy is not going to be enough to hook them for life. Quality titles take time to make and you don’t want to sully a great franchise (that list is gigantic, so let me utter one word, perhaps “Sonic”, and move on), but sooner or later you need to look at what Galaxy was and realize that you just don’t need a game half that big to tantalize a kids’ brain to have them swoon over the next Mario title.
As someone who’s currently neck-deep in an MMO I cannot really tell you about the enormous amount of options out there that could hook the next generation of gamers at a dirt cheap price. One big title from Nintendo a year isn’t going to cut it. Pokemon has more than run its course (three times over). Wii Sports, let’s face it, was never meant to do more than to get the console through the front door. $10 budget titles via DLC are not as widely known of to get mass appeal.
Maybe we’ll get something in the next 2-3 years and maybe we won’t. What I don’t want is to tell someone to download an old game from 5 years ago as a starting point for why people should pick up gaming now. What bothers me is, right now that seems like the best option.
Post your comments in the Forum!
March 17, 2009
On The Shelf This Week - 03.18.09
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
Order any of the below titles by clicking here!
AZRAEL DEATHS DARK KNIGHT #1 (OF 3), $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics
Written by Fabian Nicieza; Art by Frazer Irving; Cover by Guillem March
With just about anyone with any kind of claim to the Batman mantle coming forward now, so it stands to reason that Azrael would make an appearance. It seems pretty clear that he will not be taking up the cowl again this time around, but it is good to see that he is getting some deserved attention. Tough to say how much it will tie into Battle For The Cowl directly, but it will certainly be running along side it. Fabian Nicieza is writing this one, so automatically it shows some promise. It should be interesting to note that this character is probably not going to be the Azrael we are all familiar with - Nicieza has said that John Paul Valley is not going to be the man in the armor. It should be interesting to see how Nicieza develops that - reworking this concept can only add color to Gotham City when it is all said and done.
DEADPOOL GAMES OF DEATH, $3.99, Marvel Comics
Written by Mike Benson, Art by Sean Crystal
You will find little complaint about Deadpool getting a few extra promotional books thanks to his part in the upcoming Wolverine movie. This one shot has some potential - Deadpool finds himself the contestant on a controversial reality show in which the winner is the last one still alive. Sure, he has been hired to find a millionaire’s son, but Deadpool’s moral ambiguity might skew his priorities in this story. Gotta hand it to Benson - this is a great concept for a Deadpool story. Of course, Mike Benson has been the man behind Moon Knight since issue #14. His run has met with mixed reviews, but he has certainly developed a following on that book. Can’t wait to see what he will do with Wade.
GI JOE COBRA #1, $3.99, 32 Pages, IDW
Written by Christos Gage and Mike Costa, Art by Antonio Fuso
Well, the movie is fast approaching, so it is best to get prepared for a slew of G.I. Joe material. This one has an interesting twist on the concept. The book focuses on an undercover agent calling himself “Chuckles” that has been sent to infiltrate the COBRA organization. The idea certainly has a lot of promise, and Christos Gage is writing it, so you can expect quality. Definitely worth giving a shot.
SPIDER-MAN NOIR #4 (OF 4), $3.99, Marvel Comics
Written by David Hine and Fabrice Sapolsky, Art by Carmine Di Giandomenico
This mini turned out to be something of a surprise. Marvel frequently releases a few gimmick books like this one, but this time around all of the “Noir” books turned out to be pretty good, and in fact spurred a Wolverine: Noir book which will start out in mid-April. This one is getting wrapped up this month, but if you can’t manage to track down back issues, it is sure to see a trade release soon. It is worth tracking down if you are so inclined… this has been a very enjoyable series.
SUPERGIRL #39, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics
Written by Sterling Gates; Art by Jamal Igle and Keith Champagne; Cover by Joshua Middleton
This book has taken a step forward, but it may not be quite enough. Gates really deserves a lot of credit for shifting the focus on Supergirl from eye-candy to something a little more substantial, but the New Krypton tie-in that launched his run on this book might have done more harm than good. At present, the title is solely focused on the so-called mystery of Superwoman. Trouble is, this was the moment that this book was supposed to focus on Supergirl herself, instead of jumping on a gimmick that doesn’t have a lot of legs. The “reveal” is coming very slowly, and the rest of the story just doesn’t deliver as much as it should.
Perhaps this book will continue to improve once it is out from under the shadow of New Krypton. Gates has made considerable strides, and should be commended for that, but now is the time to start making the reader care about Supergirl herself, instead of trying to convince them that they need to care about Superwoman.
ULTIMATE X-MEN #100, $3.99, Marvel Comics
Written by Aron E. Coleite, Art by Mark Brooks, Karl Story, and Edgar DelGado
Slowly we are reaching the end of the Ultimate Universe as we know it. Coliete was the final writer to take up this troubled book, and to his credit he has done a fairly good job with it. Of course, this latest arc hasn’t been quite so-well received… thus far readers don’t seem very receptive to the Ultimatum event, and the tie-in stories across the board are suffering as a result. This finale might be long-overdue, hopefully Coliete can pull it together and make a solid ending out of it. It would be great to see the title end in a way that validates a little of the promise it had when it began.
UNCANNY X-MEN #507, $2.99, Marvel Comics
Written by Matt Fraction, Art by Terry Dodson, Rachel Dodson, and Justin Ponsor
The entire X-Men franchise has been on a nice upswing over the past couple years. Brubaker’s Rise and Fall of the Shi’ar Empire was a fairly decent start (and did lead to what has been an outstanding War of Kings event going on now), but Fraction’s start on this title really brought Uncanny X-Men back to excellence. Really, it has gotten to the point where any book with his name on it is worth checking out - you can’t say that about too many other writers in comics today. This is the most enjoyable the X-Men have been in quite some time.
SPOTLIGHT PICK OF THE WEEK
AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL #30, $3.99, Marvel Comics
Written by Ton DeFalco, Art by Ron Frenz, Sal Buscema, and Bruno Hang
Once again, we have the final issue of Spider-Girl. This time around, there seems to be little push to “save” this book. The fact that Spider-Girl is moving over to become a regular part of Amazing Spider-Man Family seems to be mostly responsible for the lack of fan outrage. Still, it is sad to see this ongoing book disappear - Spider-Girl has had its ups and downs over the years, but it always remained remarkably consistent. It was never wrapped up in overhyped event nonsense, and at several points in its long history, it was actually the best Spider-Man book on the market, certainly the closest to what made Spider-Man such a great concept. It will be missed, though not too much since the character will still be around.
DARK HORSE
KULL #5 (OF 6) $2.99 Now: $2.69
STAR WARS KNIGHTS O/T OLD REPUBLIC #39 DUELING AMBITIONS $2.99 Now: $2.69
DC COMICS
AZRAEL DEATHS DARK KNIGHT #1 (OF 3) $2.99 Now: $2.59
BLACK LIGHTNING YEAR ONE #6 (OF 6) $2.99 Now: $2.59
MYSTERIUS THE UNFATHOMABLE #3 (OF 6) $2.99 Now: $2.59
OUTSIDERS #16 $2.99 Now: $2.69
SUPERGIRL #39 $2.99 Now: $2.59
TINY TITANS #14 $2.50 Now: $2.19
WORLD OF WARCRAFT #17 $2.99 Now: $2.59
IDW
ANGEL #19 $3.99 Now: $3.59
GI JOE COBRA #1 $3.99 Now: $3.49
IMAGE COMICS
INVINCIBLE #60 $3.99 Now: $3.49
MARVEL COMICS
AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL #30 $3.99 Now: $3.49
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #588 $3.99 Now: $3.49
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN EXTRA #3 $3.99 Now: $3.49
DARK AVENGERS #3 $3.99 Now: $3.49
DEADPOOL GAMES OF DEATH $3.99 Now: $3.49
ETERNALS #9 $2.99 Now: $2.59
MIGHTY AVENGERS TP VOL 03 SECRET INVASION BOOK 01 $14.99 Now: $11.99
MOON KNIGHT #28 $2.99 Now: $2.69
PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL TP VOL 04 $16.99 Now: $12.99
SPIDER-MAN NOIR #4 (OF 4) $3.99 Now: $3.49
SQUADRON SUPREME TP PRE WAR YEARS $16.99 Now: $13.99
SQUADRON SUPREME TP VOL 01 POWER TO THE PEOPLE $16.99 Now: $13.99
ULTIMATE X-MEN #100 $3.99 Now: $3.49
ULTIMATUM #3 (OF 5) $3.99 Now: $3.49
UNCANNY X-MEN #507 $2.99 Now: $2.69
UNCANNY X-MEN #507 GOLDEN VAR $39.99
WOLVERINE #71 $2.99 Now: $2.69
WOLVERINE ORIGINS #34 $2.99 Now: $2.69
X-FACTOR #41 $2.99 Now: $2.69
X-FORCE #13 $2.99 Now: $2.69
X-MEN FIRST CLASS TP WONDER YEARS $19.99 Now: $15.99
X-MEN LEGACY #222 $2.99 Now: $2.69
YOUNG X-MEN #12 $2.99 Now: $2.59
DC ANNOUNCES ‘CO-FEATURES’
Mark me down as someone who really likes this idea. More content in a comic book is always a good thing, and this idea is a great way to give exposure to some underselling characters, and tell a good story about a character in a team book that doesn’t necessarily get the solo treatment otherwise. So far, DC has announced that we will get Metal-Men back-ups in the new Doom Patrol series, Blue Beetle in the current Booster Gold book, and Ravager will be backing-up the current Teen Titans book.
Yes, it would seem that this is a way of softening the blow of what appears to be an inevitable increase to $3.99 for DC and Marvel books (something you have seen predicted here for some time), but if they are going to increase the price, increasing the content to match seems a good way to do it. Hopefully this is a long term thing, and we don’t see them try to go back to 32 page books a couple months down the line.
The opinions in this article are the writer’s alone, and no not necessarily reflect the views of X-World Comics or comiXtreme.com.
Post your comments in the Forum!
March 5, 2009
The $40 Pull List - War of Kings #1 Special - LIVE (Transcript)
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6:30 |
Craig Reade: The time has come… welcome to the first live broadcast of The $40 Pull List! |
| 6:31 | [Ad] | Lost Toast View |
| 6:31 | [Ad] | X-World View |
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6:32 |
B. Schatz: That’s right… we’re airing live from the bowels of the SPAM Corporate Annex in beautiful Nanuktuk California. I don’t know about you, but I’m nervous as heck. And this is just a little thing on the internet. |
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6:33 |
Craig Reade: Thank you all for reading. Of course, tonight we are here to discuss one of the new titles on the List this month, Marvel’s War of Kings #1. And since it is a “Special Event” - we thought we would give it a special treatment. |
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6:35 |
Craig Reade: War of Kings #1 was released ON TIME yesterday, at a cover price of $3.99. More than a usual issue, but it was a special event, so we figured what the heck. |
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6:35 |
B. Schatz: As well as a little test of this system. So far, so good. Quick introductions, for those of you just stopping by - my name is Brandon Schatz, and I’m the Newsroom Editior here at ComiXtreme. Sitting kitty-corner from me in the annex is the two-and-a-half foot wonder himself, Craig “the Craigerton” J. Reade. I’m sure he does something around here. |
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6:35 |
Craig Reade: Not usually! |
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6:36 |
Craig Reade: Tonight I figured we would start with the basic stats about the issue, and then we will move into a little more in-depth conversation.
Please excuse any hiccups we have - this is our first time using this, and we are bound to screw a few things up! |
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6:37 |
Craig Reade: A note - you are free to comment at any time, but your comments will not appear right away. At select points during the broadcast, we will post reader comments for discussion. Thanks for watching! |
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6:38 |
Craig Reade: War of Kings #1 credits: Written by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning Pencils by Paul Pelletier Inks by Rick Maygar Colors by Wil Quintana Letters by VC’s Joe Caramanga with Bill Rosemann editing. |
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Would you like to see a full version of the $40 Pull List done Live?
( 100% ) No!
( 0% ) |
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6:40 |
B. Schatz: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning have been hanging around American comics for a while now. I’ve heard tales about contributions they’ve made to a few British publications, but seeing how we have no evidence that England actually exists, I highly doubt there’s any truth to those words. |
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6:41 |
Craig Reade: Even still, they have done an outstand job making everything they touch at Marvel simply awesome. Their reputation on both Annihilation events made this event a must-have. |
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6:42 |
B. Schatz: Not to mention sucessfully spinning off ongoing Nova and Guardians of the Galexy titles. Seriously, the fact that Nova is looking healthy enough to go beyond issue #25 in this market is an accomplishment. |
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6:42 |
[Comment From Chimpion] Good luck guys! |
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6:42 |
[Comment From Mike Jibb] The legend of England has always been fictional. |
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6:43 |
Craig Reade: You don’t have to remind me about Nova - I’ve been a geek for Nova since a bygone era.
Personally, I was also really happy to see Bill Rosemann attached as an Editor. I am often critical of Editors for the general poor story-quality and crack-pot ideas we seem to see in comics these days. Rosemann gets it - and always seems to be involved in good books. |
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6:45 |
B. Schatz: Heck yeah. And let’s not forget about Paul Pelletier. He worked a bit on Dan Slott’s She-Hulk before being pulled into the cosmic arena. He’s making a bit of a return to the books here, to stunning effect. The pencils in this book are gorgeous. |
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6:46 |
Craig Reade: Not entirely true - Pelletier did an outstanding job on Negation - the old CrossGen title. I felt perfectly safe seeing him take on a Marvel Cosmic book. He’s an old hand, and did a great job on this issue. |
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6:47 |
B. Schatz: I missed most of Crossgen… and up until Marvel Cosmic really started going recently, I stayed away from space books like the plague. Soooo… uh… yay Negation! |
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6:48 |
Craig Reade: Yay Negation indeed. They STILL need to find some way of finishing Negation War. But moving on…
Of course, like almost anything Marvel does these days, War of Kings #1 was put out with a few variant covers. Let’s take a look at those now. |
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Which War of Kings #1 cover do you like best?
( 67% ) Ron Lim Variant Cover
( 33% ) Leinil Francis Yu Variant Cover
( 0% ) |
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6:49 |
Craig Reade: First we have the standard cover by Brandon Peterson. |
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6:49 |
Craig Reade: And here is the Ron Lim Variant cover, released in a 50/50 ration to the Peterson one. |
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6:49 |
Craig Reade: And finally, there is the Leinil Francis Yu cover. |
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6:49 |
B. Schatz: (For the record, I believe England is a mythical place, existing in-between cracks in reality. It was created in a hive-mind experiment between Alan Moore and Grant Morrison in the 80s. Some claim to have been their, and Alan Moore claims to live there, but no one has able to confirm this) |
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6:50 |
B. Schatz: Nice move by Marvel getting the artist of their last big crossover to pencil for the incentive. And odd bit of sychronicity there. |
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6:50 |
Craig Reade: I’ve posted a poll where you can vote for the cover you like best. Personally I like Peterson’s - they are all basically pin-ups, which is kind of a downer, but I like the look of that one best. |
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6:51 |
Craig Reade: Sure - there are readers who buy specifically for an artist - it is always a good idea to spread the wealth a bit. |
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6:52 |
B. Schatz: Peterson’s is nice, but I feel like most of his recent stuff doesn’t feel “real”. I know that sounds weird, considering how we’re talking about a medium involving drawings, but the whole computer-rendered look really pulls me out of a piece. |
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6:54 |
Craig Reade: That I agree with. It is a problem throughout comics - “pretty” work that looks completely fake. But that is probably a debate for another time. I don’t think the other two had better feels, hence my selection. |
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6:56 |
Craig Reade: Much like Annihilation, there has been some lead-up to this event, specifically in Guardians of the Galaxy, Kingbreaker, War of Kings: Darkhawk, and the Secret Invasion: War of Kings special. Before we get into the details of this issue, let’s take a moment to discuss some of the events that lead up to War of Kings #1. |
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6:58 |
Craig Reade: Guardians of the Galaxy was the first real lead into this event. The team, if you recall, was breaking up thanks to the discovery that Mantis had telepathically compelled everyone to join. Star-Lord ended up being sent to the Negative Zone by Blastaar, and in issue #7, Drax and Gamora heard first mention of a “War of Kings” from a prophet. |
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6:59 |
Craig Reade: Since then, the new team lead a rescue mission in the Negative Zone, that found Blastaar taking over the 42 prison, and the guards and wardens there evacuating to Earth, and freeing all of the prisoners. |
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7:02 |
B. Schatz: Guardians was definitely to make mention of trouble brewing, but things have been slowly building in space for a while now. All the Negative Zone drama wouldn’t even be possible without what took place in Annihilation - and the trouble between the Shi’ar and the Kree wouldn’t be going on without the giant Rise and Fall of the Shi’ar Empire arc Ed Brubaker wrote years ago. |
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7:02 |
B. Schatz: But I’m getting a little ahead of old man Craigerton, here. |
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7:04 |
Craig Reade: Most certainly. One of the best things about each of the Cosmic events thus-far is the continuity. Of course, you mention the Rise and Fall of the Shi’ar Empire, which brings us to Kingbreaker, where a lot of that story continues.
Kingbreaker has thus-far focused on the reuniting of the new Starjammers group – working within Vulcan’s expanding empire to rescue Havok and Polaris, who have made it their mission to kill Vulcan. Of course, Lilandra is eager to reclaim the throne from the usurper Vulcan, and has joined their group to assist. Here we are seeing the current state of the Shi’ar, and most of Vulcan’s plans for empire are revealed. |
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7:06 |
B. Schatz: Vulcan almost seems like the Superboy-Prime of the Marvel universe - although without such on-the-nose irony. |
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7:06 |
Craig Reade:
The Secret Invasion: War of Kings special served as the bridge between the two events, and followed the Inhumans – angry after what happened in Secret Invasion, decide that it is time to take their revenge on the Kree, their creators. This great issue saw them take their city, lay waste to the retreating Skrull, and eventually move on to the Kree Empire where they trashed their creators, and saw Ronan bow to Black Bolt as the new Kree ruler. |
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7:07 |
B. Schatz: And it was awesome. Seriously, the Inhumans have been sitting in their own corner, gather dust for far too long. Getting them mad enough to kick some butt seems to have a great effect on the characters. |
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7:08 |
B. Schatz: So, the stage is set. It’s time to throw DOWN. |
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7:08 |
B. Schatz: ”…or, you know, we could discuss what Darkhawk is up to,” he said, totally blowing the transition. |
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7:09 |
Craig Reade:
Without a doubt – this is the most interesting the Inhumans have been for a while. The David Hine books were interesting – but there was way too much drama and whining. I like seeing the Inhumans as a real threat. Finally, the War of Kings: Darkhawk series has released 1 issue thus-far, and doesn’t seem connected to the main event all that much yet. We see Darkhawk struggling once again to maintain control of his amulet – only to eventually come face to face with another alien with similar abilities who seems to know all about him. I am an old New Warriors nerd, and I am glad to see Marvel paying attention to Darkhawk again as well. I can’t wait to see where this one goes. |
| 7:09 |
Who will win the War of Kings?
( 67% ) The Shi’ar (Vulcan)
( 0% ) The Negative Zone (Blastaar)
( 0% ) Someone unexpected.
( 33% ) |
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7:11 |
Craig Reade: Of course, if you are reading this now, we would love to hear your comments on the build-up thus-far to War of Kings. |
| 7:11 | [Ad] | Lost Toast View |
| 7:11 | [Ad] | X-World View |
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7:12 |
B. Schatz: I think you’re one of two New Warriors fans, Craig. And heck, I’ll take your David Hine Inhumans books and raise you the last aborted ongoing by Sean McKeever. I liked that book, but in the end it didn’t really deal with the Inhumans so much as it dealt with teen angst. |
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7:12 |
B. Schatz: Not that I have anything against teen angst. Teen angst is boss, son, and don’t you forget it. |
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7:13 |
[Comment From Mike Jibb] All of the cosmic titles have been amazing lately, but I like Nova the most, so I’m most interested in what’s going to happen to him and the Nova Corps. I also definitely agree about the Inhumans. They seem more interesting to me now than they’ve ever been. I can’t wait to see Blackbolt take on some Shiar. |
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7:14 |
Craig Reade: Without a doubt. Marvel has clearly had the desire to push the Inhumans, but didn’t really know what to do with them. Good drama is one thing, but all of those books didn’t do a very good job of re-establishing for newer readers what the Inhumans are all about.
Excellent points there, Mike. Nova made the first Annihilation, and has been an excellent cornerstone of the new Marvel Cosmic Universe. He has played no role in this event so far, but you can’t help but be excited about what contributions he will eventually make when he arrives. The insane Worldmind and his new Nova Corps are going to make an appearance very soon, without a doubt. |
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7:16 |
B. Schatz: The end of this past Nova made mention of the trouble going on in space right now. I think that’s going to collide in a very messy and very awesome way. |
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7:17 |
Craig Reade: Can’t wait - the set-up to this event has been awesome, as expected. |
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7:18 |
B. Schatz: Onto the nutmeat! |
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7:20 |
B. Schatz: I don’t really think we’ll be duking it out with differing opinions on this Crai, but I have my boxing glove ready to punch you in the junk. |
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7:20 |
Craig Reade: On to the issue itself. War of Kings #1 starts us at the lead-up to the promised wedding between the Inhuman Crystal, and Ronan - the former leader of the Kree. The two were betrothed during Secret Invasion as part of an alliance, and this wedding was seen as a way of further legitimizing Black Bolt’s rule. Crystal, of course, sees it as a political marriage, but Ronan appears to feel differently. The moment where he showed up with flowers was uncomfortable and funny at the same time. It seemed a little out of character, but it worked. |
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7:21 |
Craig Reade: You watch it - if I am as short as you say, I think I am better suited to the junk-punching :P. Moving on! |
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7:22 |
Craig Reade: Of course, the wedding is interrupted in true comic form by the first wave of the Shi’ar invasion. And thus the War begins in earnest. |
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7:22 |
B. Schatz: Ronan with flowers is awesome. I love it when a book that’s going for “weight” isn’t afraid of the small laugh. The scene with Ronan with flowers was one of those, as were the mentions about Black Bolt always being so tight lipped. |
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7:24 |
B. Schatz: But definitely, when the wedding started, you could feel the gears in motion, ready to kick things into gear. You couldn’t see them right away, but still. |
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7:24 |
Craig Reade: Light moments make the “serious” ones all the better. Makes the characters seem so much more real. Ronan “courting” is just an odd thought though, but it seems to be working so far. The brute brought FLOWERS - the #1 most basic thing, instead of being more bold in his approach. |
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7:24 |
Craig Reade: It was perfect. |
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7:24 |
Craig Reade: I almost wanted to see his thought process deciding to do that. |
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7:25 |
B. Schatz: I want a 22 page one shot of Ronan on a date. I need this to happen. |
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7:25 |
[Comment From Mike Jibb] Yeah that was pretty cool. I’m sure the Ronan/Crystal dynamic will be explored more in the series. |
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7:26 |
Craig Reade: Without a doubt. That relationship has wheels - even if it is just a prolonged “I want you, I hate you” thing, and they never end up together, the drama works well. A nice character piece in the background - something DnA have excelled at. |
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7:27 |
B. Schatz: In this series, and in the online comics Marvel will be rolling to go along with the series. You can check out more on those by hitting this link: |
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7:27 |
B. Schatz: http://www.comixtreme.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45866 |
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7:27 |
Craig Reade: For my part, I am digging the Medusa/Black Bolt symbiosis. The two have always been great together, and they way she just exudes the raw rage of the entire group at the end is outstanding. |
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7:28 |
B. Schatz: I know one of the people the online comics will focus on is Crystal. |
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7:29 |
Craig Reade: Naturally. Hopefully with that comes a little work on Ronan, and her opinions (and how they evolve) of him. |
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7:30 |
B. Schatz: And speaking of some nice online content, over at the Marvel website, they’re going all out for War of Kings - and have posted an incredible time-line site for the series. |
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7:30 |
B. Schatz: http://www.marvel.com/war_of_kings |
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7:31 |
B. Schatz: Its a beautiful piece of work, and helps keep track of where everyone involved is at all times. |
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7:31 |
Craig Reade: I did take a look at that earlier, and it is quite pretty. It is light on content now, but the time-line and intergalactic map set-up they have is simply gorgeous. Marvel needs to promote that more in the issues themselves. |
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7:32 |
B. Schatz: Nerds love maps, and this is one sweet map. |
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7:32 |
Craig Reade: I can’t argue there. |
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7:33 |
Craig Reade: Overall, I think it is safe to say that we both enjoyed this issue. I can’t see it being dropped, but that is something that will be discussed when we do our regular column prior to the first Wednesday of next month. |
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7:33 |
Craig Reade: We are getting ready to wrap things up here, so last chance for comments! |
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7:34 |
B. Schatz: Make sure to check http://comixtreme.com for updates about when we’ll be doing the next $40 Pull List. We’re looking to do it live, just like this… so it should be interesting. And terrifying. And awesome. |
|
7:34 |
Craig Reade: I did want to thank everyone who took the time to join us here today. If you missed the discussion, the transcript will remain up and you can reply to the thread as normal.
We would love to hear your thoughts! What do you think of this format, would you be interested in seeing something like this again? Reply to the thread and let us know. |
|
7:35 |
Craig Reade: Thanks to Mike for your excellent comments, and quickly, we have to wish Chimpion, the cX Mascot, a Happy Birthday. He came into being 3 years ago today. Happy birthday, little guy. |
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7:35 |
[Comment From Mike Jibb] It was cool, but it was a little slow sometimes. There must be a way to speed up the discussion a little. But I did enjoy the discussion. Nice work guys. |
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7:36 |
B. Schatz: It’ll come with a bit of practice. :) I know I want to be more awesome next time. |
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7:36 |
Craig Reade: That’s all about practice, really. Part of the draw of this format is the live discussion - we have to avoid too much writing in advance. Future installments will be a bit quicker, when we get our rhythm down a little better :) |
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7:37 |
B. Schatz: Typing with boxing gloves on make things hard to. I don’t know how Strong Bad does it. |
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7:37 |
Craig Reade: That’s it tonight. Thanks for reading - see you around the board!
And do remember to visit http://www.x-worldcomics.com for your monthly pre-orders. Thanks to everyone for reading! |
|
7:38 |
B. Schatz: Thanks a bunch! We’re oot! |
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7:38 |
 |
Post your comments in the Forum!
March 3, 2009
On The Shelf In May 2009
DARK HORSE COMICS
Pre-order any of the below titles by clicking here!
Page M33 - Rapture #1 (of 6), $2.99, 40 Pages
Written by Michael Avon Oeming and Taki Soma, Color by Val Staples
Oeming’s demonstrated a real talent on his creative efforts, especially on his non-franchise works which are always worth checking out. This one looks interesting - so often, writers like to try and be original by telling their own story about what it would be like in a world where Super-heroes appeared… the stories have their variations, but the concept has been done to death. This title takes the opposite tack - what it would be like for all the super-powered heroes and villains to vanish, leaving the world in shambled behind them. As the title suggests, this story is thematically tied to the biblical rapture, painting the heroes and villains as warriors in the promised battle between heaven and hell. It looks like there is a lot going on here… this is definitely going to be worth your time.
And hey - full color, $2.99… and 40 pages? A real bargain considering the way comic prices have been going up and content going down these days.
Page 34 - Aliens #1 (of 4), $3.50, 32 Pages
Written by John Arcudi, Art by Zach Howard and Mark Irwin
Dark Horse is really ramping up for the 30th Anniversary of the Alien film - their effort on Free Comic Book Day will be an Aliens/Predator special, followed by this issue which will relaunch the Aliens comic franchise. (Predator will follow closely thereafter). Aliens was a popular comic in its heyday, so it will be nice to see it return. Comics focusing on a villain or an antagonist are always difficult, but so long as Arcudi sticks with what works, this title should be a success.
DC COMICS
Pre-order any of the below titles by clicking here!
Page 64 - Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance #1 (of 6), $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Joe Casey, Art by ChrisCross
There are three Final Crisis Aftermath books hitting this month, all focusing on either unknown or low profile characters. This one seems a little different - this team first appeared in Final Crisis, and are supposed to be Fifth World versions of the Forever People. The team seems to be more concerned with image than heroism, and this story will show what becomes of them after Final Crisis, when no one seems to have noticed the “contribution” they made. Could be good - art should be solid… of the three, this one seems to have the most potential.
Page 80 - The Last Days of Animal Man #1, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Gerry Conway, Art by Chris Batista & Dave Meikis
Animal Man has been at the center of some interesting stories over the last few years. This one looks like it is in the mold of Marvel’s “The End” books. Gerry Conway is handling the writing chores which gives this title some promise - personally, I always find these “End” stories to be much more interesting when they are written by old-school guys who actually had a hand in creating legendary characters. Could well be interesting.
Page 81 - Power Girl #1, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, Art by Amanda Connor
Finally! This one was announced how long ago? We got a taste of this team’s work on the recent Terra mini series, and that ended up being pretty good. This title might have had a little more oomph if it had come sooner - interest in Power Girl really peaked around Infinite Crisis, but better late than never. Power Girl, despite the controversy around how she is portrayed at times, is a very interesting character with a lot to offer storywise. Pick this one up.
Page 100 - Astro City Dark Age Book 3 #1 (of 4), $3.99, 32 Pages
Written by Kurt Busiek, Art by Brent Anderson
Time to dust off those old Astro City issues and get caught up, the third chapter of the ongoing story is finally getting started this month. Really, the only weakness in this title is how infrequently it comes out. We got a one-shot back in February of 2008 - prior to that, the last issue of Dark Age (Book 2) came out in November of 2007. (issues of Book 2 came out about once every 3 months)
Astro City is a fantastic comic, but it is incredibly difficult to follow on a monthly schedule. If you don’t mind delays and are patient with that sort of thing, you should definitely pick this issue up. Otherwise - watch for the trade. It will be a good read, it all depends on your personal patience.
Page 105 - Starcraft #1, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Keith Giffen & Simon Furman, Art by Federico Dallocchio
Well, the World of Warcraft comic did ok for a while, so why not try Starcraft? Actually, Starcraft might make for a better ongoing comic, truth be told. Giffen should add a hint of humor to the book which will make it more appealing than it otherwise would have. Usually video-game comics are something to avoid, but there are some things with potential on this one. Worth trying out.
Page 108 - The Unwritten #1, $1, 40 Pages
Written by Mike Carey, Art by Peter Gross
Man, when it comes to value, this one is even better than the Rapture comic, and that is saying a lot. A 40 Page, regular issue for $1? That is how you give something to the reader and make them want to try your comic.
The Harry Potter theme seems to be strong here - with a series about the adventures of a “boy wizard” being at the forefront. Of course, that is just a prop, the comic really is more of a blend of Fables and Thursday Next - an exploration of the concept of fiction and reality coming together.
Oh, and this team was responsible for Lucifer - another reason to give this book a shot. In fact, if Carey has long-term plans for this title, it would be a good idea to jump onboard now. If it is anything like Lucifer, it will be a fantastic series that is nearly impossible to jump on board in the middle.
IMAGE COMICS
Pre-order any of the below titles by clicking here!
Page 136 - Olympus #1, $2.99, 24 Pages
Written by Nathan Edmondson, Art by Christian Ward
Here is a bit of genre blending I haven’t seen before - Mythology, and crime drama. In a way, it kind of makes sense. What would existence be like today for Castor and Pollux, who were granted a kind of immortality by Zeus? Of course, the old gods still exist in the modern world, and old faces don’t want to abide by the current order. Series shows some promise, even after seeing a couple preview pages.
Page 150 - Dead@17: Ultimate Edition TP, $24.99, 408 Pages
By Josh Howard
Hey now, neat to see this one over at Image. I imagine this means a new Dead@17 will be coming at some point from Image. Not that Viper wasn’t a good place for it (Viper remains the home of awesome comics), but Image is certainly a bigger venue for the title. If you still haven’t sampled Dead@17, you should check this omnibus out. It’s decent reading.
Page 156 - Invincible #62, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Robert Kirkman, Art by Ryan Ottley & FCO Plascencia
It funny how Image is still promoting Kirkman’s books with an “On Time in 2009! Guarantee” even though they broke that guarantee 3 weeks into the year.
Still no apology or even acknowledgement about that. It’s kind of sad, really.
Page 165 - Evil and Malice Save the World, $14.99, 128 Pages
By Jimmie Robinson
This is definitely the antithesis of Robinson’s more famous work, Bomb Queen. This trade collects the story of a pair of 13 year old twin daughters of a villain who rebel against their father(as any teenage girl would) by becoming superheroes. Knowing his sense of humor, I can see him making an all-ages title work. Definitely one to take a look at.
MARVEL COMICS
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Page M12 - Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers #1 (of 4), $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Chris Eliopoulos, Art by Ig Guara
Sweet - the Marvel Universe did need more Niels! Well, the title on this is a little misleading, Lockjaw isn’t entirely a “pet,” and outside Redwing, the remaining aren’t really pets of Avengers. But then, that is looking at this too seriously. This series is all in good fun, after all. Chris Eliopoulos has exactly the right sense of humor for this book, it looks like it is going to be a humorous read, right in the middle of the summer event season. Just in time!
Page M17 - The Trojan War #1 (of 5), $3.99, 32 Pages
Written by Roy Thomas, Art by Miguel Angel Sepulveda
Unlike other Classic Literature adaptations “Marvel Illustrated” has done, this one looks like it is only partly based on Homers’ Iliad and Odessey, but is instead drawing upon them and “other ancient sources” to tell the story from a different perspective. Thomas pretty well started his career with the sword and sorcery stuff, so this is right up his alley. Sepulveda previously did the art chores on the Marvel Illustrated adaptation of The Illiad - if you liked the look he brought to the table there, you should be pleased with this one.
Page M21 - Ultimatum: Spider-Man Requiem Book #1 (of 2), $3.99, 40 Pages
Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Art by Stuart Immonen and Mark Bagley
Who hasn’t said something to the effect of “Hopefully Ultimatum is good, but even if it isn’t, as long as they don’t screw with Ultimate Spider-man, it will be ok?” Everyone who has ever talked about Ultimatum has said something to that effect. Even when the poor reviews for the event rolled in, still, Ultimate Spider-man was the light at the end of the tunnel. After the book’s cancellation was announced, everyone naturally assumed that they would just be relaunching it with a new #1.
Now this… a book told from J. Jonah Jameson’s perspective, “memorializing” the “death” of Spider-Man. Are they actually going to kill him off? Even if it is just for some gimmick to put the female-clone in there, it is maddening to think that they would actually level the one consistently good thing in the Ultimate Universe.
I just can’t get my mind around it…
Page M32 - Dark Reign: Young Avengers #1 (of 5), $3.99, 32 Pages
Written by Paul Cornell, Art by Mark Brooks
Still missing Young Avengers? Well, this title won’t entirely fill that need. On the cover is a new Young Avengers team taking up the whole “underground teenage hero” gimmick. Of course, it wouldn’t be interesting unless this new team crossed paths with the old - so it looks like you long-lamenting Young Avengers fans will have something to look forward to after all. Could be good.
Page M45 - Captain America #50, $3.99, 48 Pages
Written by Ed Brubaker, Art by Luke Ross
The big issue 50 - no, Steve Rogers doesn’t look to be coming back. Sure, Marvel could surprise us but knowing their track history, that info will be leaked to the press before the issue comes out, if that were the case. Instead we are getting one of the tried-and-true anniversary issue formats where Bucky Barnes contemplates his most and least favorite birthdays over the years, wrapped up in an action issue.
Page M50 - Howling Commandos #1, $3.99, 40 Pages
Written by Jesse Alexander, Art by John Paul Leon
At first, this seemed like just another effort at a war comic. Tucci’s Sgt. Rock is doing very well over at DC, and this was just Marvel’s effort to parrot that. Looks like there might be a little more to it though - in the solicit, Marvel says that this story “sets the stage” for the upcoming Captain America: White series from Loeb and Sale. I can’t recall set-up stories for any of their previous colors efforts, it will be curious to see where they are going with this. If you are getting White, you might want to give his issue a shot.
Page M54 - Planet Skaar Prologue, $3.99, 40 Pages
Written by Greg Pak, Art by Dan Panosian
You know, maybe not bad. Planet Hulk seemed like a silly idea when it first started up, but Greg Pak made that something to remember. His son, Skaar, being exiled to Earth might just make for an interesting event series. Curious that the mini about his “sister” is ongoing at the same time. Wonder what big Hulk plans Marvel has in the works.
Page M68 - Nova #25, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, Art by Andrea DiVito
Congratulations to Nova this month! As ongoing books go, Nova was always something of an underdog. To this point, the longest a Nova title lasted was the original Man Called Nova, which went on for 25 issues in the late 70s. With this issue Nova ties that mark, and since we haven’t really heard a cancellation announcement, it looks like it will pass that original mark. Who says the underdogs don’t have their day? Looks like we aren’t getting any sort of anniversary special here but we really don’t need one. In conjunction with the War of Kings event, this issue finally finds Richard Rider attempting to wrest control of the Nova Force from Worldmind. Should be a very exciting issue.
INDEPENDENT COMICS
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Page 232 - Buck Rogers #0, $.25, 16 Pages, Dynamite Entertainment
Written by Scott Beatty, Art by Carlos Rafael
The look is weird, but if there was ever a concept that had a lot of miles left in it, it is Buck Rogers. The original show quickly took a turn for the worse when they tried to make it into a Star Trek clone, many of you probably recall. Dynamite promises a “modern edge,” which could go either way. This is one to tentatively be excited about, at least until we get some preview pages and see what it is going to look like. Can’t beat a quarter though.
Craig’s Top Five of the Month
#5 - The Last Days of Animal Man #1, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics Strong character that has been in too many underrated stories not to take a chance on.
#4 - The Unwritten #1, $1, 40 Pages, DC Comics/Vertigo A new Mike Carey series could be the next long-term hit. Always have to check out his books early.
#3 - Nova #25, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics A big milestone for nova, and a huge issue.
#2 - Power Girl #1, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics Almost waited too long for this!
#1 - Rapture #1 (of 6), $2.99, 40 Pages, Dark Horse Oeming is always good for an outstanding story.
The opinions in this article are the writer’s alone, and no not necessarily reflect the views of X-World Comics or comiXtreme.com.
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