Civil War $7

Keith said we shouldn't discuss it until Wednesday - and we won't! But someone else already did to a restrained degree:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/?column=6

Discuss! But, uh, only the column, not the issue. Until tomorrow.

One aspect he talks about is setting up a new status quo, and despite how the issue goes about doing that, I'd like to hearken back to over a year ago with a different and worse crossover . . .

Some people got all excited with House of M #7 and #8, raving about how "no more mutants" opened the door for so many new storytelling possibilities and a new landscape for Marvel's mutants. Ignoring the fact that Decimation turned out to be a poorly handled non-event, it's bizarre that people would praise House of M purely for setting up a status quo to be explored later, not actually in the pages of House of M. Moreover, "no more mutants" really had nothing to do with what House of M was about (although to be fair, the entire "House of M" reality was pointless and could have been skipped over entirely, with issue #1 segueing right to issue #8).

But then, with big events like this, Infinite Crisis and Civil War, if a new status quo is established, how should that factor into one's assessment of the issue itself?

[Kelvin Green]

It's an interesting article, and one that pretty much sums up my feelings regarding the crossover as a whole. I didn't know Joss Whedon was credited with the ending though; that's fascinating ammunition... I mean information.

I found Front Line to be the most interesting of the Civil Bore material, but I even gave up on that after a while. Did they ever reveal the identity of the mysterious shadowy figure running the whole thing?

Originally Posted by Michael Aronson

Ignoring the fact that Decimation turned out to be a poorly handled non-event, it's bizarre that people would praise House of M purely for setting up a status quo to be explored later, not actually in the pages of House of M.

I'll accept the existence of big events and crossovers, but it does annoy me no end that the current trend, particularly at Marvel, is for these things to go nowhere. House of M took ages to go nowhere, because it was setting up Decimation, which went nowhere, etc... Drax went nowhere, because it was setting up Annihilation. And so on.

By all means have these big stories going on, but would it be too much to ask to have the chapters offer a satisfying story in themselves? Infinite Crisis sprawled badly, but at least stuff like Adam Strange, while leading into the crossover, did tell a complete story too. It just chuffs me off to have an eight (or whatever) issue story that isn't a story, because it's just teeing up something else.

Bah.

And yes, I agree that it's strange to see someone say "oh yeah, Civil Bore has been shite, but it's made for an interesting backdrop for future stories" as if that excuses the shiteosity.

[Ryan]

I don't like Civil War.


....Just thought you guys should know. Please discuss.

Newsarama has released the full solicits for the upcoming books that feature characters from Civil War. And guess what! The strong of events at Marvel is far from over. Next up: the Initiative, complete with a 40-book checklist!

[Paul Brian McCoy]

Originally Posted by Kelvin Green

Drax went nowhere, because it was setting up Annihilation. And so on.

By all means have these big stories going on, but would it be too much to ask to have the chapters offer a satisfying story in themselves? Infinite Crisis sprawled badly, but at least stuff like Adam Strange, while leading into the crossover, did tell a complete story too. It just chuffs me off to have an eight (or whatever) issue story that isn't a story, because it's just teeing up something else.

Bah.

You grump.

I thought the Annihilation minis did a pretty decent job of telling a story, and in only 4 issues apiece. (And wasn't the Drax series about a year before Annihilation started? He played a major role, but he didn't have his own Annihilation tie-in mini.) Whereas I enjoyed the Adam Strange mini, but it was about twice as long and had the exact same type of ending (leading into a larger story).

[Paul Brian McCoy]

Originally Posted by Michael Aronson

Newsarama has released the full solicits for the upcoming books that feature characters from Civil War. And guess what! The strong of events at Marvel is far from over. Next up: the Initiative, complete with a 40-book checklist!

But you don't complain about DC launching another year-long weekly series, 51 issues there, because you hope to like that one.

Originally Posted by PB McCoy

But you don't complain about DC launching another year-long weekly series, 51 issues there, because you hope to like that one.

As long as the writers live up to their promise of giving 52 and its main threads a proper ending, then I won't have anything to complain about, will I?

Meanwhile, here's a line from the solicit to New Avengers #28:

You think the war is over?? The war is over when Luke Cage says it is!!!

I rest my case.

Originally Posted by PB McCoy

You grump.

I thought the Annihilation minis did a pretty decent job of telling a story, and in only 4 issues apiece. (And wasn't the Drax series about a year before Annihilation started? He played a major role, but he didn't have his own Annihilation tie-in mini.) Whereas I enjoyed the Adam Strange mini, but it was about twice as long and had the exact same type of ending (leading into a larger story).

Drax came out in fall '05 and lacked an ending, as it led directly into the Annihilation prologue. Adam Strange began in fall '04, but it told a complete tale in and of itself - Adam was reunited with his wife and daughter. The very ending positioned Adam to try to save the planet Rann in Rann/Thanagar War.

[carabas]

Originally Posted by PB McCoy

But you don't complain about DC launching another year-long weekly series, 51 issues there, because you hope to like that one.

There's a huge difference between 51 issues spread out ove ra year, and 40 or 50 issues spread out over a couple of months, two or three times a year.