PREVIEW: Avengers #500 (@ Newsarama)

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AKA: Why Bendis Likes Messing With Ant-Man. 23 pages; see for yourself.

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 18:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Some deep thorths (SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS):

- even after realizing the blatant parallel in having Avengers Mansion rocked by 2 explosions (the 2nd one via Quinjet), it did seem a bit gratuitous
- but, then, offing Ant-Man (for real!) and the Vision in the span of 23 pages could seem equally excessive, too
- ULTRON WOO!
- I think I've heard/read the same people slap down Marc Silvestri while praising David Finch, but there seems to be too much similarity between the two to try working that angle (I'm partial to Finch, for what it's worth)

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 18:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I haven't read Avengers in a long time, so I have no idea what's going on, but:

1) When on Earth did Iron Man make his identity public?

2) "Don't you have a wife to beat?" !!!

3) WAY too many splash pages!

4) The opening dialogue is SO BENDIS

5) That's a fucking long preview.

― Tep (ktepi), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 18:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Is it me or is Bendis dialogue often very similar to "West Wing/Sports Night Dude" dialogue?

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 19:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Kinda sorta.

― Tep (ktepi), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 19:08 (twenty-one years ago)

See also: Brian K. Vaughn (Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, Runaways). Bendis has always pimped Aaron Sorkin (& Mamet?) in his Powers letter column & interviews, and I wouldn't be surprised if BKV would do the same thing if given a chance.

BTW, Tep, speaking of excessive previews, you know that Mile High has a good number of FULL ISSUE PREVIEWS of upcoming Marvel Comics, yes?

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 19:15 (twenty-one years ago)

I was confused reading the Iron Man section because it was quite similar to The Ultimates: Tony's look and the reference to wifebeating.

The comments section at the end was kind of scary, as I hadn't really thought about the consequences of their being Avengers Fans.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 19:17 (twenty-one years ago)

If it's a full issue, it's not a preview! Madness!

― Tep (ktepi), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 19:21 (twenty-one years ago)

But surely it qualifies as a preview if the issue isn't officially available, yes? (Psst - check out the She-Hulk & Mary Jane previews @ MLC.)

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 19:33 (twenty-one years ago)

I guess, that's just weird. I'll definitely check em out, though. Man, screw mp3s, this is the reason for cable connections.

― Tep (ktepi), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 19:37 (twenty-one years ago)

3) WAY too many splash pages!

Maybe it only seems like too many when you have to wait for them to load before moving on?

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 19:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Indeed, Tep!

Andrew - yeah, I was confused re: Stark's dialogue, too, but I figured there were some shenanigans afoot when Stark said (and I quote), "Ya rat..."

So Tony Stark drunk = Jimmy Cagney?!? Neat!

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 19:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm generally down on splash pages just because -- even moreso than expensive shots in movies -- they never seem as impressive as I think they're meant to be. It's always like, "Oh, there's a drawing of something landing." I think every writer who puts a series of splash pages -- or one every couple pages -- in his script probably imagines them being drawn by George Perez or painted by Alex Ross over a period of a couple weeks, and forgets that they always turn out like everyday panels that just happen to be big.

― Tep (ktepi), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 20:04 (twenty-one years ago)

I got the Death of Superman trade from the library yesterday, and the issue where Supes finally kicks it, is nothing but splashes. There was at least one issue in the Emerald Twilight storyline like that too. WHAT A RIP OFF (esp since the artists were not so hot and where the story was going was pretty obvious)!

― Huk-El (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 20:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, the Death of Superman issue is the extreme example, that one was just ridiculous. I mean, everyone knew it was ridiculous when it came out, even, because it was pretty clear ahead of time that if the whole issue was going to be him getting the crap beat out of him, they had to do it in splashes -- especially since they'd spent all their filler on the crap issues leading up to it. And then they black-bagged it!

― Tep (ktepi), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 20:08 (twenty-one years ago)

One issue where all splash pages were employed & actually worked: Thor #380 (Thor vs. the Midgard Serpent) (I might have the number wrong). Walt Simonson pencils / inks, and (VERY KEY) John Workman lettering.

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 20:09 (twenty-one years ago)

I feel you, Tep. There have been some memorable double splash pages though, some stuff in New X-Men, Invisibles, and recently Fables comes to mind.

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 20:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh yeah, they're not automatically bad. Especially if you need them to "convey information" -- fit everything in together -- instead of just showing a normal amount of stuff bigger. (I think that's what the Fables one did, if I remember it right.) I don't think the "regular thing, but bigger" style of splash page really has much impact anymore, if it ever did.

(Another example of Good Splash Page -- only slightly different from the first -- showing scale. Like, pulling back to show itty bitty Baxter Building next to Real Big Galactus.)

― Tep (ktepi), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 20:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I love where the guy says that every time he sees the green-face-eyes-pointing-heavenward emoticon he wants to fucking slap someone... then IN THE VERY NEXT POST someone uses it to bitch about Bendis. Newsarama is become dangerously self-aware.

This has thrill-power. I want Bendis to kill more of the scurrying bastards, preferably in a scene that involves the line 'No! Please let me drown before the giant scorpions get me!"

― Vic Fluro, Wednesday, 30 June 2004 22:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Am I jaded for being reluctant about character death only because I don't want to deal with the back-from-the-dead stories?

It -- that problem of writers fucking over other writers' stuff, or even their own -- reminds me of the last smart thing John Byrne said, which was about how the Marvel Universe was enormously overpopulated with supervillains, because while heroes would always be brought back from obscurity at the slightest provocation, writers were constantly creating "new" villains for a single issue or story and then tossing them aside -- and usually these villains brought absolutely nothing new to the table. (I think he then vowed to only use existing villains in She-Hulk or something, which did nothing in terms of setting an example since "it works in a comedy book" isn't much of a recommendation.)

― Tep (ktepi), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 22:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, I forgot he can't kill anyone more important than the guy who dies on page 4... even with him, I'm sure someone's itching to bring him back to life...

― Vic Fluro, Wednesday, 30 June 2004 22:50 (twenty-one years ago)

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