tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post2869312312730006486..comments2024-03-22T04:20:11.870-05:00Comments on Gentlemen of Leisure: X-amining Marvel Versus DC #1-4Austin Gortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-26585991988627844032020-11-27T10:17:55.066-06:002020-11-27T10:17:55.066-06:00I unironically love this series. I recognize its s...I unironically love this series. I recognize its shortcomings in retrospect (in art, especially) but man it just hits my right in the nostalgia for exactly the reason Teebore hits at the very end: "it's the friendly arguing about such things that's the most fun."<br /><br />> Rick Jones and Snapper Car, the Avengers and Justice League's respective professional fans, appear briefly in issue #3. <br /><br />I have never heard of Snapper Car or quite got this panel until this write-up.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03665503542091489778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-3946714326585404282020-11-25T21:41:31.595-06:002020-11-25T21:41:31.595-06:00All I remember was the art was bland. Also Marvel ...All I remember was the art was bland. Also Marvel running and then later apologizing for ads touting their win because of an agreement they and DC had made that the winner wouldn't do that. John Cookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12600335496622438290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-55209913497720539922020-11-25T02:36:05.418-06:002020-11-25T02:36:05.418-06:00Man what a disapointment the main series of this w...Man what a disapointment the main series of this was. The compbined character books were at least fun with some neat ideas. Getting around a page a fight really doesn't do anything for this big showdown type of book and as mentioned, who wins is because of fandom and not actual power/ability. <br /><br />Seeing that Dan Jurgens was doing the art, I knew right away that it would feel very bland and he'd play it safe without any fancy character design or anything with any energy. Dan's like the ultimate comic book artist Jobber. He's the B student that never passses above average but draws everyone and everything as it should be. <br /><br />What would have been much cooler is if the hero's switched places and they had to figure out how to handle the other persons villains. The closest thing really to Peter Parker in DC at the time was probably the Flash. Imagine if they switched worlds and Spider-man was up agains the Rogues and Flash was against the Sinister Six. <br /><br />By the time the JLA/Avengers book came out, eh. I wasn't a big fan of either of those two teams so it did next to nothing for me and the cost was something like $5 a book. Avengers to me has generally been boring and JLA is basically so overpowered compared to most threats.<br /><br />Again, I liked the Amalagram random books as they were fun and creative. Fun to see who got mixed with who. Dr StrangeFate was such a cool design and I'd buy that regular book. Scott Churchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16795112175606617848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-7970590080359370692020-11-24T23:30:02.867-06:002020-11-24T23:30:02.867-06:00Good point on Iron Man - I almost wrote a little b...Good point on Iron Man - I almost wrote a little blurb about his absence. He was Teen Tony at this point in time, and I'm sure Marvel wasn't terribly invested in featuring him after "The Crossing". He's also one of those characters with no clear DC analog. Sometimes he gets paired up with Green Lantern (they both...shoot...energy beams?) and sometimes Batman (rich playboys secretly fighting crime) and I suppose he lines up with Steel a bit (inventors operating robotic suits of armor). If we're comparing the Avengers Big Three to DC's Trinity, he's definitely the Batman, but outside of that context, there's no clear fit. <br /><br /><i>And Dr. Strangefate has a fun twist ending for X-Men fans.</i><br /><br />Good to know! I'm planning on doing something here with the X-Men-relevant Amalgam books at some point, but I haven't read Dr. Strangefate before, and wouldn't have considered it an X-related one, so I'll have to check that out. Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-26651545677989181522020-11-24T23:25:37.547-06:002020-11-24T23:25:37.547-06:00I really dig JLA/AVENGERS too. I may have try to f...I really dig JLA/AVENGERS too. I may have try to find some excuse to revisit & review it when the time comes, since it's not really X-Men-relevant in any way (I guess Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch are there, but that's about it). <br /><br /><i>I've actually always liked the way Kurt Busiek and George Perez handled the fight in JLA/AVENGERS, with the two dueling a bit and then quickly realizing that they could literally fight each other for hours <br />with neither ever gaining the upper hand.</i><br /><br />Something similar happens here - it's suggested that the pair have been fighting to a draw off-panel for hours and have concluded they're too evenly matched for either to win before the sewer pipe breaks and Batman wins on a technicality. Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-70575650990365792022020-11-24T22:35:18.688-06:002020-11-24T22:35:18.688-06:00Meanwhile, someone at Capcom is reading this serie...Meanwhile, someone at Capcom is reading this series and saying "Hold on a minute..."<br /><br />One other huge indicator that this series was "of its time": no Iron Man, because I think he was too busy betraying the Avengers and being replaced by his teenage self or somesuch. Granted he wasn't in Marvel Vs Capcom either, but that was because of liscensing issues. <br /><br />I agree that JLA/ Avengers did this whole concept much better, what with having an actual story. Amalgam was a lot of fun though. Dr. Doomsday as a concept is sort of the scariest villain combination I've ever heard. And Dr. Strangefate has a fun twist ending for X-Men fans. <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06939026577728515478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-5074655172374304812020-11-24T12:17:59.376-06:002020-11-24T12:17:59.376-06:00I remember mailing in my ballot. I tried to set my...I remember mailing in my ballot. I tried to set my Marvel fanboyishness aside and go as logically as I could -- but I kind of failed. I voted Superman over Hulk and Wonder Woman over Storm, which I still believe to be correct. I went Spider-Man over Superboy. Not knowing much about that iteration of Superboy, I just figured Spidey had more experience and could come out on top even if he was outmatched. I knew absolutely nothing about Lobo (still don't, for the most part, aside from his DCAU appearances), so I voted for Wolverine simply because I did know him.<br /><br />Then there was Batman v. Captain America. I wasn't a big Cap fan at the time. Had I been, I would've realized that his real "super power" is simply that he ALWAYS WINS, and I would've voted for him. But instead, I voted for Batman, who I figured was better rounded than Cap in terms of his skillset. I liked that the creators of this series basically made the fight a draw, even though Batman had technically won the vote. I've actually always liked the way Kurt Busiek and George Perez handled the fight in JLA/AVENGERS, with the two dueling a bit and then quickly realizing that they could literally fight each other for hours with neither ever gaining the upper hand.<br /><br />Speaking of which, while as you said, this series is an interesting little novelty, I tend to consider JLA/AVENGERs the "real" MARVEL VS. DC. In part because it was so long in the making, in part because it was created by the team that handled my all-time favorite AVENGERS run, and in part because Busiek found ways to work "iconic" versions of the characters into the story even when they didn't exist at the time. Where MARVEL VS. DC has to run with "of their time" things you pointed out, like Thor's dumb 90s look, the Ben Reilly Spider-Man costume (even though he calls himself Peter Parker), Kyle Rayner as the sole Green Lantern, and so forth, JLA/AVENGERS works in Hal Jordan and Barry Allen, gets the characters into their classic costumes whenever possible, and so forth.<br /><br />I think I only bought one Amalgam book, which was AMAZON -- only because it was John Byrne and Terry Austin doing Storm. Though when they did the second round of Amalgam stuff, I also picked up DARK CLAW ADVENTURES, since I was a regular reader of BATMAN ADVENTURES. While I remember a lot about MARVEL VS. DC, I barely recall anything about those two issues.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.com