tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post1415386671614877781..comments2024-03-28T10:18:00.370-05:00Comments on Gentlemen of Leisure: X-amining X-Men (vol. 2) #5Austin Gortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-75212957059302170592016-07-06T13:40:52.455-05:002016-07-06T13:40:52.455-05:00I swear everyone just sort of forgot about Banshee...I swear everyone just sort of forgot about Banshee for nearly two years at this point. He goes off to find Moira here, Moira returns to the X-Men in fairly short order, and there's no mention or sighting of Banshee until X-MEN 24 when he randomly returns and mentions that he spent months searching for her, unaware she'd come back some time earlier.<br /><br />(Also, I gotta say -- that aimless search doesn't speak too highly to his previous life as a detective.)<br /><br />Anyway, I guess my point is that we really need a BANSHEE: THE HIDDEN YEAR mini-series showing off all the adventures he had while scouring the globe for Moira.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-8324767551867571202016-07-06T13:37:48.952-05:002016-07-06T13:37:48.952-05:00I'm pretty sure the EiC at DC is just a traffi...I'm pretty sure the EiC at DC is just a traffic manager these days. Johns and DiDio seem call the shots while Harras just makes sure the trains run on time.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-65997085227814951602016-07-02T11:25:06.922-05:002016-07-02T11:25:06.922-05:00Bob Harras is the editor in chief of the Nu52. If...Bob Harras is the editor in chief of the Nu52. If he cares about good storytelling he hasn't learned his lesson in 20 years.Jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14447265712189987074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-83491712765008324482016-07-01T23:56:15.310-05:002016-07-01T23:56:15.310-05:00I dunno, I doubt giving Lee the title gave Harras ...I dunno, I doubt giving Lee the title gave Harras as much issues as, say, giving titles to Liefeld and Portacio, since those 2 are just so much worse. At least Lee's work here is somewhat enjoyable. If any tears were shed, it would have been circa issue 4 or 5 of X-force, I imagine. <br /><br />I mean, Lee has his faults, sure, but it isn't even the worst the franchise was giving fans back then. If anything was keeping Harras up at night or wondering "WTF have I done", I have a feeling Liefeld and Protacio's work was doing that far more than Lee's was. wwk5dnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-54724444127203864082016-07-01T12:13:28.073-05:002016-07-01T12:13:28.073-05:00Agreed on that point: I doubt anyone was complaini...Agreed on that point: I doubt anyone was complaining out loud. The books were selling like hotcakes, action figures were everywhere, the cartoon was probably deep into development, and the speculator boom was promising to make you rich by just reading comics.<br /><br />But Bob Harras, for all the shit he's gotten (and largely deserved), was still on some level a guy who wanted his books to tell good stories. He'll surely never admit it (see all those $$$ reasons we both cited), but I would love to have been in the room when Lee's faults finally hit him. I imagine a quiet "what have I done?" and a single tear rolling down his cheek.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11021669129682431727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-38924064962911790082016-07-01T07:46:20.655-05:002016-07-01T07:46:20.655-05:00I know what you mean. As long as the book was sel...I know what you mean. As long as the book was selling like hot cakes, though, I wonder if anybody noticed, or cared, about the writing. I could see sales figures easily trumping any complaints about quality.<br /><br />Funny thing was, at the time, I'm pretty sure I considered it a sort of new golden age for the X-Men, with my favorite artist, two series instead of one, etc. In truth, I think I had only about a year left before I quit buying them.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11428939457863204851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-42313104888253721522016-06-30T22:35:40.874-05:002016-06-30T22:35:40.874-05:00At what point do you think Bob Harras read a Jim L...At what point do you think Bob Harras read a Jim Lee plot outline and said, "wait a minute... nothing happens in this issue. I mean, people fight and some other people talk about their big plans, but nothing really HAPPENS." <br /><br />Do you think Harras realized his folly in handing Lee the biggest franchise in comics, or did he only see it in retrospect, after Lee had left? Did Lee's lack of talent keep Harras up at night; or did he not even realize it until after Lee left, like you do after a boy/girlfriend dumps you, and you suddenly see all the faults that your infatuation blinded you while you were together? I wonder if he eventually became grateful to Lee for quitting so soon. Sure, the book lost a superstar artist, but ultimately Harras was probably happy to be able to exercise some editorial control without worrying about placating the hotshot artist who had no goddamned clue what he was doing as a writer/plotter. <br /><br />Ugh. I dunno. Reminiscing about this brief era of the X-books always leaves me in a foul mood, a dank combination of angry and sad. There's a lot to be talked about, both in the fictional world and in the real world that created these books, but I keep coming back to the heavy blanket of disappointment that's been draped over these books since their first publication...Bobnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-14459298949470886322016-06-30T22:21:32.526-05:002016-06-30T22:21:32.526-05:00I get that this story is kind of dumb, but dammit,...I get that this story is kind of dumb, but dammit, it's cool and fun. I like that it's using continuity and what's funny is it's continuing Claremont's newer plot lines, when one of the main complaints about Lee was that he wanted to just redo Byrne/Claremont plots. This is better than a lot of what was on the shelves at the time.Jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14447265712189987074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-16681996568656728892016-06-30T11:02:47.737-05:002016-06-30T11:02:47.737-05:00I'm surprised Maverick was apparently as succe...I'm surprised Maverick was apparently as successful as pointed out here. He seemed one of the most egregiously over-promoted characters, compared to how interesting he actually was. Some generic soldier-guy in a goofy mask and some typically 90's costume. His inclusion in the Jim Lee X-Men card series seemed a bit generous, and a sign of just when the series was made. (Omega Red's card was another.)<br /><br />This story was in the Mutant Genesis 2.0 TPB I recently picked up and read. It's....not great. The trend at the time seemed to always focus on Wolverine and his mysterious past. I was on board with some of that, particularly the Weapon X story, but by this point it does start to get tiresome. As was Psylocke consistently having to be "sexy". (Ooh, she's in a bikini!)<br /><br />I remember being excited at bringing back Longshot and Dazzler and Mojo, though that story seemed disappointing in execution, too. (Mojo is always best when drawn by Art Adams.) And a very odd one to be Jim Lee's last X-Men work. I never realized that.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11428939457863204851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-79011001597468120432016-06-30T09:37:29.050-05:002016-06-30T09:37:29.050-05:00It's technically SPOILERS, so everyone beware,...It's technically SPOILERS, so everyone beware, but: Hama will when delving into Logan's past in his future issues bring up scenes very reminiscent of the WEAPON X opening pages. And a case could be made that Team X was collecting the pieces that later on would be used in the Experiment X.Teemunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-54491030614851630572016-06-30T08:30:22.910-05:002016-06-30T08:30:22.910-05:00"A brief flashback sequence features Cold War..."A brief flashback sequence features Cold War era Wolverine, Sabretooth and Maverick battling Omega Red. That loose affiliation of characters who later went through the Weapon X project performing missions together will eventually come to be called Team X"<br /><br />So the members of Team X all ended up becoming a part of Weapon X...which is funny, given how simple BWS made things in his Weapon X story, and now Hama and Lee are making the past history of these characters even more complicated. Though I guess it would make more sense for Logan to have been chosen by Weapon X, given his history with Team X. In any case, this is the point where Wolverine's past becomes less and less mysterious, and more and more complicated.<br /><br />"This issue confirms that Matsu'o and Fenris' plans for Wolverine"<br /><br />And strangely, dialogue suggests that Matsu'o IS a member of the Upstarts. I think this is the only story line where that gets brought up, no?<br /><br />"Psylocke done X-labeled jackets this issue."<br /><br />Nothing says classy professional like a jacket and thong combo.<br /><br />Overall, as sloppy as this is, it's still leaps and bounds ahead of X-force and Uncanny, though definitely not in the same league as Excaliber or X-factor. It's a mid-level title, that gets by more on the energy of the art and plotting, as opposed to the actual quality of the art and plotting, if that makes sense. I do wonder what was happening behind the scenes to have us end up with FOUR inkers, which definitely adds to the sloppy and inconsistent feel of the overall story. Still, as I said, while it isn't up to what the best the X-office is offering us at this time, it certainly is much better than what the worst is offering us. Mileage varies, but I have to say, at least this story is somewhat entertaining. <br /><br />wwk5dnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-41049474173096049122016-06-30T05:54:15.210-05:002016-06-30T05:54:15.210-05:00The "Hand ninjas" at least still will ki...The "Hand ninjas" at least still will kill themselves upon failure. Boastingly and with explosives, but blessings are in short order to be counted nowadays.<br /><br />"Team X" is pretty close to how they translated "X-Men" for our publications.Teemunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-51078355766864016122016-06-30T00:00:02.009-05:002016-06-30T00:00:02.009-05:00Maverick is thisclose to being as much unintention...<br>Maverick is <i>thisclose</i> to being as much unintentional self-parody as Over(t)kill was intentional.<br /><br /><i>// Team X … only in outside sources //</i><br /><br />Didn't Marvel & WildStorm put out a <i>Team X / Team 7</i> crossover? <i>[Googles]</i> Yep! Of course <i>(a)</i> it would be non-continuity and <i>(2)</i> just ’cause the name was in the title don’t mean it was used in dialogue.<br /><br /><i>// Wolverine at one point appears holding a mysterious canister //</i><br /><br />I’m so glad you called this out as a mistake (an egregious one, even) because it confused the hell out of me. At first I thought maybe he just grabbed a nearby item to take the place in reality of the woman he was running with in the flashback scene that followed, like it was another hallucination, but that explanation doesn’t really jibe with his dialogue on the page where he’s first holding the canister. Then again my confusion kind-of went in circles on that score because he goes from being way out of it while in restraints to almost literally hitting the ground running with, he says, at least an idea of what the canister holds, after Maverick frees him and for all we know (continuity error of its existence there notwithstanding) even places the canister in his arms.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-53140753322405648052016-06-29T19:54:00.474-05:002016-06-29T19:54:00.474-05:00Psylocke has a "precognitive flash" this...Psylocke has a "precognitive flash" this issue. That may have been a reference to the precognitive flashes she had in early Captain Britain stories. But they hadn't been reprinted in America yet when I first read this story, so I was completely confused.<br />Maverick's boss is a mysterious "Major". He later is named Barrington. He turns out not to be significant but he was the cause of some confusion in Generation X. When Mondo first appeared, he was kidnapped by Barrington but when Black Tom later appeared, he claimed he was Barrington- Faerber apparently didn't realize Lobdell was using a preexisting character.<br />The dialogue next issue implies the canister contained Wolverine's blood.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-43182097480435748602016-06-29T19:45:57.064-05:002016-06-29T19:45:57.064-05:00This issue confirms that Matsu'o and Fenris...<i>This issue confirms that Matsu'o and Fenris' plans for Wolverine, specifically their acquisition of the carbonadium synthesizer, is a part of the Upstarts competition, with the immortality prize once again suggested as the ultimate goal</i><br /><br />I understand the carbonadium synthesizer is linked to the adamantium bonding process, but the immortality bit actually would be tieable to WOLVERINE where age suppression shall be revealed to having been a thing within the Weapon X program. Teemunoreply@blogger.com