Happy Holidays, part 2!

I know that I said I was done posting for the year, and essentially I am. But I made it through the holidays and wanted to share some more comic cards with you. I hope you don't mind.


First up is one from my favorite "Sin City" one shot, "Silent Night". It's the only words spoken and I believe it's on the last page. Makes a great card:

Next is one from my favorite comic PvP and the great character Skull :

This last one is sort of a downer to end it on, but the instant I saw it, I thought of my best bud Shawn. He had to work on Christmas day and was really bummed about it, no matter how much I tried to cheer him up. Shawn, this is for you hoss!

Not exactly one for the kiddies to see, I know. But hopefully they have been distracted with toys and other things that they received for Christmas. I also hope that you had a safe Christmas and more importantly,will have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy Holidays!

Barring any unforseen events, this will be the last posting until after the new year. I plan to go into hibernation for at least a week or so.



To all of you, my friends and aquaintences, I wish you some joy and happiness at this time of year. I hope that you all stay safe and that your families are healthy and happy in this coming year.



Finally I wanted to share a couple of greeting cards I found several years ago on the net. In keeping with this blog they are comic related:

And a couple from one of the most underrated comics of all time "Herobear and the Kid" by Mike Kunkel. He is also a great artist and writer and deserves some props at this time of year:

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

The "Muttleys" part 2

Thanks for coming back to see what Matthew and I have come up with for some of the year end awards. We hit the big ones last time (comic, writer, artist,etc.) and now we go after some of the smaller, but no less important, categories.

On with the show!

Best Idea:

Matthew:
The Booster Gold series. Every issue has been great and the concept of him being a hero, by pretending he’s a jerk and a goof-off is brilliant.

Ron: I have two, but they kind of dove tail together. First off, the reuniting of characters and creators. Teaming creators like Marv Wolfman and Chuck Dixon with Nightwing and Robin are great things. Yes, Chuck did not actually create Robin, but he did make him a great solo character. The other teaming of Joss Whedon and Buffy leads to my second best idea. That of giving the rabid fans of a cult classic a chance to see things played out. This idea has been taken with shows like Angel and Star Trek, with varying degrees of success. It would have been nice if something like this was done when Gene Roddenberry was still alive. I wonder how he would have ended the original series.

Best Character:

Matthew:
It’s so hard not to just go with one of my favorite heroes…Oh, I can’t resist, I’ve got to pick May "Mayday" Parker a.k.a. the Amazing Spider-girl!!! For villain, I’m going with Baron Zemo, even though he’s kinda trying to reform a bit.

Ron: This one is also a tough one for me. But I think I am going off the page and say Frank Castle. Not the watered down "War Journal" guy, the "I will kill you seven different ways and enjoy them all" guy. His tussels with the Russian mob, the Barracuda, and his own inner demons made the MAX book a great read. Garth Ennis has been nothing if not consistent in dealing Frank both inner and outer pain.

Most Consistent Book (either good or bad):

Matthew:
This goes to Action Comics, with delays, fill-in’s, sub-par Zod storyline, the annoying Chris Kent, but now we have the excellent Legion storyline – this book has been all over the map. Superman has similarly suffered as well, which I blame on DC’s countdown/crisis mega-event disease. Really, Busiek’s run on Superman should be one of the best ever, but it is mired in all the ever-changing continuity madness that’s going on at DC right now.

Ron: My most consistently confusing book goes to Countdown. Talk about all over the place. Everything that went right in 52 has gone wrong in Countdown. Storylines took forever to get moving, and if you didn't read an ancillary title from time to time, you would not know who some of the characters were. I had not idea at the outset that Holly Robinson was Catwoman. Nothing was given, and it's never mentioned. The book has started to gain some momentum, but it may be too little too late.

Most underrated Book:

Matthew:
Amazing Spider-girl. All you have to do is read issue 15 that came out this week to see what I love about this book. That issue also celebrated her 10th anniversary as a character and it was the best of the relaunch so far. This is another story that I would like to write a detailed review for one day. Now, you may think I can only say good things about this series, not true. There was a somewhat miserable Carnage storyline this year, where her baby brother Ben gets his hearing damaged. I was not pleased, but it really ended the year on a strong note. Plus, you get to see Peter and MJ happily married!

Ron: Invincible. This book has been a fun read for me from the moment I heard about it on the show. Robert Kirkman does a great job weaving a story that draws you in and makes you want to read the next issue to see what happens. Even his placeholding stories are infused with both witty banter and great action. I admit that I came late to this party, but I picked up a couple of the trades and I'm happy to say that I'm in until the bitter end.

Most underrated Character:

Matthew:
Bart Allen. In the span of one issue, the writer totally turned his series around with one of the greatest splash pages of the year – Bart revealing his identity to his police bosses. This character was finally going some place, taking over the legacy and they KILL HIM OFF!!! What a waste. I only hope he ended up in that lightning saga lightning that the Legion captured in…well…the "Lightning Saga".

Ron: You know what? Matthew makes a really good point. So I will just say Bart Allen and that I totally agree with my comrade.

Most Overrated Book:

Matthew:
Picking up from my previous response, I’m going with The Flash. I have not been pleased with the return of Wally West under Waid. Maybe it’s the decompressed storytelling, because I really loved his kids’ characterization in the recent Brave and the Bold series also penned by Waid. Just isn’t working for me, I dropped the book for now…

Ron: Wolverine. This book went from being so good with Mark Millar to being so awful. Iron Wolverine? Please. And Jeph Loeb? All we got was the same old battle between Wolvie and Sabertooth. The latest run with Marc Guggenheim hasn't been the best either.

Most Overrated Character:

Matthew:
Iron Fist. No, just kidding. Superman wins this one or is that loses? I love Superman, but he’s been the victim of editorial mismanagement this year and I find All-Star a little too quirky for me, but I’ve still got to read those issues I won from Jim earlier this year.

Ron: Spider-Woman. She became a part of the Avengers, got a convoluted backstory on who she's working for, and other than looking really hot, did not do much else to warrant being in an A-list group like the Avengers.

Worst idea or problem:

Matthew:
JMS Spider-man, culminating with One More Day. I don’t know if JMS is responsible for Peter’s unmasking, but I did really like Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man #23, where Peter and Jonah have their verbal and physical fight. I didn’t like the concept, but that was an excellent issue.

Ron: I agree that the Outing of Peter Parker as Spider-Man wins hands down. To do this as a stunt only to try and act like it never really happened (One More Day) is absurd. Yes I know that the OMD is supposed to wipe out the marriage of MJ and Peter, but don't you think that it is also designed to wipe out the unmasking as well?

Hall of Fame:

Matthew:
Easy, Mike Weiringo. He was a great artist and he will be missed.

Ron: Yep, a no-brainer on that.

Hall of Shame:

Matthew:
JMS. Really, his Gwen Stacy/Osborn affair ruined Spider-man for me years ago and all the "Other" junk, including the unmasking, OMD, etc. He deserves this one or the editors that encouraged or let him do some of these things deserve it.

Ron: To that point, Joe Quesada gets my nod. He had made no secret of his hatred of the marriage of Peter to MJ. But to go about it in such a sleazy way sucks. Yeah JMS' run has not been the greatest, but even he saw the venom that would be unleashed by fans everywhere who had come to accept the marriage. The rumor that he tried to take his name off of the last two issues of OMD was just proof that this is a Quesada-run story. Shame on you for inflicting your prejudices on a good couple.

Well, thats it for me. But Matthew has some categories he would like to add, so I'm going to step aside and let him take over. Matthew?

Matthew:
Best comic industry magazine or internet site: Well, I do go to Newsarama quite a bit, but I really love Two Morrow’s Back Issue bi-monthly publication. It focuses on books from the 70’s and 80’s (my favorite era) and provides in-depth interviews, analysis and rare art from these series. This year we got an issue focusing on the Warlord, Micheline/Layton’s Iron Man and a spot light on Isis. Which leads me to my next category…
Best super-hero/comic character movie/DVD or Boxset: The Secret of Isis. I used to watch this series as a kid on Saturday mornings and am now watching it with my children on DVD. It is really an excellent live-action show with cool special effects, great characters and an "after school special" moral (like don’t hitchhike, don’t give up, etc.). If you’ve never seen it, seek it out – only $23 on Amazon. Isis is quite beautiful too. I may have had a crush on her as a kid, I know I did with Penny Robinson.
Best super-hero/comic toy series: One of the reasons I’ve been cutting back on some of my books is to buy toys. I get Mego style Marvel Legends signature series figures to collect (and Mego reproductions of Star Trek figures – plus they’ll be doing Planet of the Apes this year too!), but I get JLU and Marvel Super-hero squad figures to collect and play with on the floor with my children. So, the winner goes to Super Hero Squad. They’re inexpensive (two figures for $6), already have a lot of characters, are readily available (not too hard to find) and they’re soooo cute! I can rearrange them into almost any group: Avengers, Defenders, Fantastic Four. If I ever get a digital camera, I’ll take some pictures. This year we’ll get some cool Iron Man figures, including a giant Fin Fang Foom – so much fun.
Best super-hero/comic toy figure: Tough decision, but it’s a tie between the San Diego comic con exclusive JLU maskless Hawkgirl (it was a gift J ) and the Target exclusive, Gorilla Grodd figure – he’s huge.
Best HC: Jack Kirby’s Fourth World Omnibus. I know it’s gotten flak for the paper, but it does have the feel of an old comic. Plus, ordering the series in the publishing sequence was inspired. As much as I love the Marvel Omnibuses (another reason I’m cutting back on monthlies), I’m actively reading these books. I read the B/W trades a few years ago, but it’s like reading it for the first time.
Best Fanboy moment: It has to be meeting the legendary Herb Trimpe at the Baltimore Comic-con and getting him to draw a Godzilla sketch celebrating my 30th anniversary or collecting comics. Ron: That's the photo at the top of the posting. Sorry still trying to work out the bugs.

All right, that's it. We hope you've enjoyed our little compilation of the past year. Maybe it's not to your liking, but you can always leave a reply giving your best or worst. Everyone take care and have a HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! =)

Time for the "Muttleys" Part 1

Well, I threatened to do this and now it's here. My year end awards. But I did not come alone. Oh no true believers, I've brought company. My friend Matthew from the "conversations" crew has been kind enough to join me in this endeavor. So before we get to the awards, I'd like Matthew to say a few words. Matthew?

Matthew:
First off, I’d like to thank Ron for letting me participate in his end of the year review. As I commented once on a post, "It’s funny how reading comics, which is a solitary activity, is more enjoyable when shared with others". And, that is certainly true and I have really enjoyed continuing the camaraderie begun on the radio show, through various blogs. 2007 was my 30th year of collecting comics and it was a memorable one as you’ll see in my comments below (Please forgive me in advance for butchering the spelling of names):

Thanks Matthew. Now on the the awards!

Best Marvel book:
Matthew:
Fantastic Four: This was the fun surprise hit out of Marvel for me this year. I used to be a regular FF reader, but had dropped the title quite a while ago. I really had no intention of picking this book up, but Paul Pelletier’s old style art was irresistible and McDuffie’s scripts were great. I totally embraced the Black Panther and Storm’s addition to the team. The smartest thing McDuffie did was immediately get the team out into space away from all the Civil War mess, while not disregarding what happened in Civil War either. It sure made it easier for new readers to jump on board. One of the most memorable issues was where the Invisible Women really showed off her power level. I know some laughed at BP riding the Surfer’s surf board, but I still thought it was cool – he was holding on to the front edge you know. I think we have only one issue left with this team and I’m already jumping ship with them. I’m not saying the Ultimates team won’t make a great FF story, but I’ll wait for the HC if it’s really good. I just saw today that Pelletier’s has been assigned the art chores for Nova. I love the Nova character and I may have to pick the book up, even though I HATE his new costume (the original is so iconic for me from my 7-11 spinner rack days – did I mention that I own my own spinner rack).
Ron: Captain America. Ed Brubaker did a great job with this book pre- and post Civil War. I mean, how many times can you take the main character out of the book and still have a great story? He handled the death of Cap with the deftness needed. He made Bucky and the Falcon relavent again. The art by Steve Epting has been great and struck the right tone of darkness as the book moved forward without Cap. My only regret is that Cap is being brought back, but if anyone can handle it, my money is on Brubaker.

DC Book of the Year:
Matthew:
Brave and the Bold: This was a no-brainer for me. I love Perez’s art and this book is perfectly suited to his strengths. Waid has also been masterful with characterizations, where you get to know the character (like the new Blue Beetle) by his actions and dialog, not by some lengthy exposition or internal narration. This book represents everything I love about comics, it’s also a very dense read and it amazes me that people complain about that – I mean really, I actually want to get my $3 worth. I feel a bit cheated when I can finish a book is less than 5 minutes. I know "best of the year" isn’t one of our categories but this was the my number one book!!!
Ron: I had a tough choice to make, so I'm splitting it between Robin and Detective. Both of these books have been great since the "one year later" reboot. Paul Dini did a great job with one and dones on the rogues gallery, giving each their own time to shine. He turned Batman into the title; a detective. As for Robin, my love for this book is well known. Adam Beechen and Freddie Williams were as good a tandem as there is in comics today. They handled the triumphs and massive tragedies deftly. They infused it with topics that strike a chord with teenagers of all ages (suicide, first date). This was a great couple of books that had you wanting more.

Best Other publisher book:
Matthew:
Owly 4: A time to be brave: I was going to suggest a "best OGN" category and pick Simpson’s Super Spectacular for this one, but I reread it today to my youngest daughter, Faith, and this book is superb. It took Andy (Runton) some extra time to get this book completed, but it was worth the wait. As always there is a lot of real emotion in the story. There is also some really clever storytelling sequences like the "ball incident". Owly 2: Just a little blue will always be my favorite, but this one is a close second. Maybe I’ll offer up a detailed review for someone to post while I’m off on Christmas vacation.
Ron: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8: Again, if you're a regular reader of this blog you know this was a no-brainer. To bring back Joss Whedon and other writers of the show to this character was great. I know there are those who did not like his first arc and are more enamored with Brian K. Vaughn's arc, but not me. Picking up that first issue and reading thru it was like a homecoming to me. The dialog and wit that ran through the series is reflected here, as well as his passion for giving tidbits to the overall arc. Vaughn's run has been great as well, and it shows that he has a love for the characters as well. This book will only get better in the coming year.

Best Mini series:
Matthew:
Baron Zemo: Born Better: This was an easy pick for me. Following the end of the "real" Thunderbolt’s series, Zemo is traveling through time, meeting his ancestors and growing in the process. I could have stood to have this series continue for a whole year. I really wanted to learn more about these fascinating characters. There was also a very important continuity scene where Professor Erskine (the super soldier serum creator) and the original Zemo are talking with Hitler. The series kept me guessing as to the murderous motivations behind the researcher too. I would love to see another mini-series of Zemo by this team (Niceza and Grummett). DC’s Justice was good too.
Ron: In what will be called a major upset I'm NOT picking Justice. No, I'm going with World War Hulk. This was a great mini, despite there being some issues with the artwork (see Jim? I can criticize Romita JR). For the longest time, Hulk readers have been wanting to see the angst ridden hero become the raging monster. Well, this did it. Hulk smash everything, and with a purpose. We had the rage and the brains in this. The ending was great, and the twist that one of the warbound was responsible for the event that drove him into the rage was unforeseen. As for the fallout, I'm seeing RED (get it?) over what is happening. They struck gold once with Cap, but don't count on Herc holding me for very long.

Best story arc:
Matthew: Marvel-
I’m going with "Death of Captain America". While I still think Steve Rogers will return someday, the actual "death" issue took me totally by surprise. When I went to the store that day, I didn’t understand why I could only get the variant cover (none of the others were available). Plus, people kept asking for it. I’ve tried to develop the habit of not looking thru a comic before I read it and this time it paid off. I’m going along and "BAM" (literally) – it was such a shock. Then I went online and it was national news, it was for "real" – at least for now anyway. I experienced dejavue: This was how I felt when watching that Magnum P.I. episode where he gets shot and is having an "out-of-body" experience, but instead of returning to his body at the end – he turns his back on the viewer and walks thru the clouds with John Denver playing in the background. The next day I discovered it was the last episode of the series. Of course they did bring him back for one more season, but the impact of losing such an important character to me was very real. And while, there have been some slower issues since the death one, the on-going story with Bucky, Falcon, Black Widow and Sharon Carter has been very good.
DC-
Well, I could pick "Lords of Luck", but I’m trying really hard not to repeat myself (too often), so I’m going to go with "Death of the New Gods". We’re not even halfway thru yet, but this series seems to really matter. I love the New Gods characters and I HATE that they are being killed off, but it is being told so well. It’s also a natural progression of the story – there needs to be an end someday. I wonder what the "Fifth World" will be like?
Ron: I'm going to forego publishers to just say 3 words; Sinestro Corps War. This was a terrific story that really held your interest. Even the lateness of the last issue and the price all felt worth it. Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis did a great job on this. I must confess that I did not read GL Corps, but this was so well done you didn't have to. This took all that you know about the Lanterns and the Guardians and flipped them on their head. The hook that there are now 7 types of Lanterns in the universe was mind blowing. The final pages that actually set up an event in 2009 was just the icing on the cake. This should read very well in trade.

Best Writer:
Matthew:
Ed Bruebaker. I didn’t read his Uncanny X-men series and I’ve heard really great things about Iron Fist, but it’s his continuing consistent excellence on Captain America and Daredevil that earns him this title from me. I recently dropped Daredevil to save costs and because it may eventually be Omnibused like his Cap run was…and I really like Omnibuses and I hate paying for stuff twice...
Ron: Dwayne McDuffie. This guy has had a nice year taking an A-list team and a seminal character to new heights. His run on "The Spirit", endorsed by Will Eisner himself before his passing, was great taking the character in the modern age without losing the sensibilities that Eisner infused him with. And then to take on "Justice League of America"? His opening arc contained more action than in the first dozen issues. He was a great writer for the series "Justice League Unlimited" and his affection for the characters, both heroes and villains, shows here. He strikes all the right tones on the characters and make you want to read the next issue now. Can't ask any more of a writer than that. Also feel that Geoff Johns and Greg Pak deserve some consideration as well.

Best artist:
Matthew:
Tom Grummett. In the interest of not giving away my best artist, I didn’t praise his work on Baron Zemo above, but it was his finest work. I love his classic super-hero storytelling style (which I fell in love with on the Power Company series) and his detail has only increased. He also did a masterful job on the Mystic Arcana: Black Knight one-shot, which was one of my favorite single issues of the year.
Ron: I must admit that I have really struggled with this one. I have to say that Ed Benes has done a nice job on "Justice League", going from Metzler to McDuffie without missing a beat. And of course, John Cassady did stellar work on "Astonishing". But I hand the award over to an underdog, Olivier Coipel. His art on "Thor" was some of the best I've seen since John Romita Jr's run. He gave the Thunder God a stature deserving of him. His battle between Thor and Iron Man was one of the best of the year. Straczynski has been moving at a snail's pace at times, but it does not seem to affect the art of Coipel. He gives Asgard the depth and grandeur needed for a home of the gods.

OK thats it for now. We'll be back in a few to reveal best idea, overrated and underrated characters and so much more. Stay Tuned!

Coming attractions....

OK, if everything falls right, I will be posting my awards over the weekend. If you would like to have some say in this, let me know and I promise I will post your comments somewhere in the blog.

My Categories:
Best Marvel book
Best DC book
Best other book
Best mini series
Best story arc (may do that by publisher)
Best writer
Best artist
Best idea
Best character (hero or villain)
Most consistent comic (either good or bad)
Most underrated book
Most underrated character
Most overrated book (I know some of you are licking your chops at this one!)
Most overrated character
Worst overall book (either ongoing or mini)
Worst idea or problem (gee I wonder what could go here?)

I am thinking of creating my own "hall of fame or shame" as well. If you would like to submit a nominee, I'm all ears.
Think that's about it. If you can either contribute or give a category that makes sense, I'll be glad to take all submissions into account. By the way, when you post, please try to give some logical reasoning for why you want this. Not just "Bendis sucks" or "Iron Fist is cool". Thanks!

Musings

Hope that you all survived the snowfall.

I guess that I'm still a dreamer at heart. I came to that conclusion after both seeing the responses (thanks Jim and Shawn) and talking to people about my feelings on the last snow event. I want to think that I am a cynic, and in most ways I am, but certain things tend to bring out the kid in me.

The trailer for the new Speed Racer movie is up on AOL. Newsarama has a posting of it as well. At this moment, I have very mixed feelings toward it. On the one hand, it's just another bastardization of childhood memories. I mean who doesn't recall coming home after school and seeing it? On the other hand, it does look promising. Oh and the inclusion of the sound effects from the cartoon is cool.

It appears that Shawn is dead on about the DARK KNIGHT trailer appearing before that Will Smith movie. But get this. They actually have 2 different trailers I have heard. One for the IMAX and one for the regular. I gotta tell you, I am really not digging the IMAX stuff. Seems like another way to gouge us for more money. But the prospect of seeing Joker as big as life has some people jonesing, just not me.

As I stated earlier this week, I am proud to be a Ravens fan, no matter how bad those slugs in the national media try to slam them. Just because they were the first team to really put a threat on the "beloved" Patriots, and didn't give a crap who they were. Of course the league was going to virtually ignore the accusation made about the refs antagonising the players. What did you expect? They have to protect their "polished" image, which has taken a bunch of PR hits this year. If it was proven that a ref was doing that on purpose, they would be facing a PR nightmare. So all I can say is that while the idiots who say it's a conspiracy against the Ravens in particular are off base, it certainly can look like that to the outside world. I just hope they play that well this week, and maybe they can vanquish the Colts.

Next week sometime, I plan to post my first ever year end awards. I have a few categories in mind, but if you would like to offer either some of your own or who you think should win a "Mutt", let me know. Some of my categories; best writer and artist, overall comic and mini, best event, best and worst idea, and some others that will go off the beaten path. Hope to see you all soon, and have a safe holidays!

Beautiful Silence

The first snowfall of the holiday season. It's a nice event to watch, especially if you don't have to travel anywhere. I find a magical sort of silence that falls over the area when it's snowing. Almost as if the world is saying to mankind; "shut up, slow down, and listen." I defy you to go out into it, stand amidst the falling snow and beautiful white coverings and just listen. There is a silence that is almost overwhelming.

I realize that some of you live in the city, but even there, I am sure there is almost an eerie quiet. Like the blanket of white has muffled the sounds and sights.

I know I'm going on like a schoolgirl, but I find it humbling to stand out in it, and not feel that there is a presence in the snow saying "this will wipe away all your mistakes and problems, just allow the beauty and silence to wash over you."

Just take a minute to enjoy the show, folks.

No such thing.....

As a moral victory, but I'll take it anyway. I am proud to be a Ravens fan after the effort they put in last night. Yes, they lost the game and at times their composure. Do I think the refs cost them the game? Not really. The last touchdown could have gone either way. I said at the time there was not enough to reverse the call, and if it had been called an incompletion, it would have stood too. The defense played their hearts out and the offense, other than the 1 interception, played a good game. But there is one thing I would like to point out.

At the end, it was actually a good thing that Bart Scott got the penalties he did. Was it stupid? Yes it was, but consider this. The Patriots actually brain-farted on the ensuing kickoff. The smart play would have been to onside it and let the clock run. Because the kicker got a case of the big balls and tried to put it through the uprights, no time ran off the clock. You can make a case that they actually gave the Ravens a chance to win. If the Ravens had run a kickoff back, they could have fumbled, a penalty could have happened, and maybe, just maybe they would have had a good return. But the time would have come off the clock and they would have had less than 30 seconds to go the distance.

This is no way excusing what Scott did. It was stupid and thoughtless in the heat of the moment. I am sure that he regrets it. But it's just one of those "what if" moments that exist. It's also a sign that the breaks that last year fell their way not fall against them. And before you bandwagon Boston nutbags start posting, remember this. You are no more than one good hit on Brady from being a 4-12 team. So enjoy your teams success, they have earned it, not you.

Screwing the Spider

Well gang, it's official. They have not only jumped a shark, they virtually cleared the entire ocean. I'm referring to Joe Quesada and the yokels at Marvel. You see, this wad Quesada never liked the fact that Peter and Mary Jane were married. So once he got into the power seat at Marvel, he planned to kill this off. And how did he go about this? By making it an "event" book and raping any respectable Spider fan of 4 bucks a throw. A few months ago I sang the praises of a Spider-man book that had him ratchet up the pain on the Kingpin, basically telling him, "if anything happens to Aunt May, you will never be safe anywhere you are." I liked that Peter had gone from be reactive to proactive. Well, I'm guessing this will be wiped out soon.

When "One More Day" started, I received and email from one of my buds, I think it was Jim. He basically laid out how it was all going to go and at the time I read this I said "nah, they're not that stupid". Guess what? They are! I want to ask a question at this point. Is there any of you guys and gals who read the Spider books with ANY degree of regularity who has not accepted the fact that Peter is married? Anyone?

The last show I did for Cosmic Comix we praised the fact that Marvel had their characters based in some real world theory. And in that theory, things move forward, they are constantly in motion. They don't stand still, no matter how hard we try. It seems that the characters were fine, its the creators who are lost in fantasy. These morons have just (or are about to unless there is a HUGE curveball somewhere) undone the last 15+ years of continuity. And this is not the first time, either.

For some reason known only to Marvel, they feel a need to redo the legend and backstory of Spider-man, who is only their most identifiable character (sorry, Brandon. Wolverine? Please.).
The Spider clone saga? The death of Gwen Stacy? The affair of Gwen and Norman Osborn (yech on sooo many levels)? No wonder Ultimate Spider-man sells so well. They don't screw with their character over and over so you can't tell what in continuity or not.

I recently have had to make cuts in my budget and it has affected what books I get. I had kept a couple of the Spider books since I like the character and his issues sometimes speak to me. But this? Destroy a marriage to a great girl who will love you forever, or let some old lady or raised you and will not last another 10 years die? This has caused me to start to rethink things. I will stick with it (I'm an idiot, I know) and probably check out the first month or so of "brand new day" the sequel. But so help me, they are on a very short leash.