Awesome Ideas in Meh Comics

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I just read the last two ishes of Outsiders, which follows up on the META-CLONES intro'd in the Outsiders OYL story.
It seems that Mallah & the Brain (or THE BRAIN) of the Brotherhood of Evil have been collecting blood samples from Superhero FITES for a while, and, with Sivana's marketing savoir-faire, have been selling imperfect duplicates of superfolks as arms to 3rd world backwaters.
Back in the day (1991), this would have been a kick-ass summer annuals CROSSOVER EVENT, or even a much better take on Identity Crisis. Unfortunately, since this is Judd Winick's Outsiders, it's just another piece of ham-fisted exposition in another WHO CARES storyline. Howev, Winick is showing signs of suckling on the teat of Moz (particularly w/r/t to the Mallah/Brain LURVE), which might evolve into a good thing, howev, in the meantime (and in between time!) Winick's ability to present a narrative seems to be degrading (see Green Arrow, where Winick's currently using a multi-issue storyline to reassert what he'd previously TOLD US HAPPENED in ONE DiALOGUE BALLOON!).

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Wednesday, 25 October 2006 09:29 (nineteen years ago)

Booster Gold was an awesome idea (the superhero as self-aware brand) whose stories were and are invariably meh. Plenty of scope for sharp, intelligent, writing about fashion, branding, advertising, identity, a hypermediated and hypersexualised society etc etc: what we actually got is 1000 variations on "LOOK HE IS ON A BILLBOARD AND IS TEH GREEDY".

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 25 October 2006 09:34 (nineteen years ago)

I think Winick is possibly seeing the similar and completely awesome storyline in Birds of Prey, and trying to make his own ham-fisted version.

There's been at least one other Mallah-Brain LURVE reference, possibly Teen Titans? I think it's actual continuity now.

Awesome ideas with one awesome implementation are even worse, because people will be trying to recapture the spark forever EG the Suicide Squad.

Actually I'm prepared to admit that Checkmate - two supered up quasi-government agencies, always at odds! is a great idea, it's just a shame that reading this current one is like slowly drowning.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 25 October 2006 09:53 (nineteen years ago)

Actually 52 to thread!

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 25 October 2006 09:55 (nineteen years ago)

So it's about the same as the old one (which at least had killer outfits).
xpost

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Wednesday, 25 October 2006 09:56 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah I meant to ask, was it ever actually interesting?

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 25 October 2006 09:58 (nineteen years ago)

I defy you to read all 14 (or thereabouts) chapters of THE JANUS DIRECTIVE x-over EVENT between Suicide Squade/Checkmate/Manhunter, and, maybe, Firestorm and Captain Atom. Sinisterly dull!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Wednesday, 25 October 2006 10:04 (nineteen years ago)

I believe that Captain Marvel (the DC one) is a great idea always used in a stupid fashion. The idea is that he's a kid and it's the perfect point of view for the reader, but it's seems that every time they want to revamp him they have to: a) make him GROW UP and filling him with angst or pseudo seriousness which is missing the point entirely..or b) making him extra silly and ridiculous and undermining his power.

Someone here said that Shazam would be perfect as a character who stands in for Superman in stories that are too weird for big S. I think that's the way to go, but no one else at DC seems to think that way, since they gave him to Winick...

― Amadeo (Amadeo G.), Wednesday, 25 October 2006 10:14 (nineteen years ago)

YOUNGBLOOD, Y'ALL

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Wednesday, 25 October 2006 10:50 (nineteen years ago)

Well, they also gave the Big Red Cheese to Jeff Smith, no? Who's taking his sweet time, dammit.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Wednesday, 25 October 2006 10:52 (nineteen years ago)

Booster Gold was an awesome idea (the superhero as self-aware brand)

Thesis: X-Factor/Statix did this correctly. Somebody's gotta disagree with me, right?

― J (Jay), Thursday, 26 October 2006 12:53 (nineteen years ago)

1602. Great concept, actually rather turgid.

― chap who would dare to welcome our new stingray masters (chap), Thursday, 26 October 2006 14:28 (nineteen years ago)

I decided after posting that, that quite a few comics had done it better - American Flagg, Zenith, X-Factor/Statix as you say. Zenith is probably closest to my idea of what BG could have been cos it was rooted in a recognisable world of fashion, news coverage, PR, hype, etc.

― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 26 October 2006 17:53 (nineteen years ago)

League of Extroadinary Gentlemen?

― christopherscottknudsen (christopherscottknudsen), Monday, 30 October 2006 12:31 (nineteen years ago)

OH NO YOU DIDN'T!

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Monday, 30 October 2006 12:35 (nineteen years ago)

I kinda agree, LoEG wasn't totally meh, but the ideas were certainly better than the plots (especially the giant mutant animals in part II!).

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 30 October 2006 14:41 (nineteen years ago)

As someone who does a bit of freelance screenplay editing, I can attest that the plotting in vol 1 is exceptionally tight. Vol 2, not so much.

― chap who would dare to welcome our new stingray masters (chap), Monday, 30 October 2006 14:47 (nineteen years ago)

The plotting may be tight, but the plots aren't actually as interesting nro original as in some of his other works (though that may be intentional).

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 30 October 2006 14:54 (nineteen years ago)

I mean, his stories tend to have an extra punch in the end, but with both volumes of LoEG that was kinda missing.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 30 October 2006 14:56 (nineteen years ago)

In terms of emotional punch I think Vol 2 outdoes Vol 1, what with the relationship between Hyde and Mina.

― chap who would dare to welcome our new stingray masters (chap), Monday, 30 October 2006 14:58 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, particularly considering that we waited a long time for LoEG #1.6, there wasn't much there. The identity of the specimen in volume 2 also adds to the ending :)

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 30 October 2006 15:02 (nineteen years ago)

identity of the specimen in volume 2

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Monday, 30 October 2006 15:10 (nineteen years ago)

"You should see me dance the polka", FOR CHRIST SAKE!

That scene alone makes the second miniseries great!

― Amadeo (Amadeo G.), Monday, 30 October 2006 15:16 (nineteen years ago)

I wasn't claiming they don't have great moments, just that the overall plots weren't particularly interesting.

By the way, I'd love to see Moore & O'Neill adapt some of Edgar Rice Burrough's Mars novels, because the beginning of the second volume was awesome.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 30 October 2006 17:45 (nineteen years ago)

Besides those couple of pages, has anyone ever made a comic version of them?

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 30 October 2006 17:46 (nineteen years ago)

identity of the specimen in volume 2

The experiment #15325 or whatever that they're tasked with bringing to London.

Also I loved "They're considering renaming Serpentine Park"

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 30 October 2006 18:14 (nineteen years ago)

Hah, I just got the Hyde Park joke.

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Monday, 30 October 2006 18:19 (nineteen years ago)

Didn't Marvel publish a John Carter comic back in the 70s? I think Claremont wrote it.

― The Yellow Kid (The Yellow Kid), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 08:07 (nineteen years ago)

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