tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post4835160226113687522..comments2024-03-22T04:20:11.870-05:00Comments on Gentlemen of Leisure: X-amining Uncanny X-Men #313Austin Gortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-88837961904243387932018-08-10T10:31:56.398-05:002018-08-10T10:31:56.398-05:00Romita talks about this in his MODERN MASTERS book...Romita talks about this in his MODERN MASTERS book from Twomorrows Publishing, though I don't think he explicitly mentions the BATMAN/PUNISHER story as the reason; he just says he took a break with every intention of returning, but he was not asked back.<br /><br />I seem to recall that he also hints that Harras' assistant editor, whoever it was at this time, had it out for him and was a large part of the reason he wasn't brought back. John Romita, Jr. seems like a really nice guy, but I've also read more than one interview where he talks about editors not liking him. I recall one circa the mid 00s where he said he loved working for Joe Quesada because Quesada liked him, while the previous Marvel regimes only tolerated him because of his name (or something to that effect). Basically implying that both Bob Harras and Tom DeFalco didn't like him.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-57867120387801028762018-08-10T10:27:14.753-05:002018-08-10T10:27:14.753-05:00"Subtle as a hammer" it may be, but I do..."Subtle as a hammer" it may be, but I do really appreciate all the effort put into foreshadowing GENERATION X around this time. Heck, they were dropping hints about it way back during "Fatal Attractions"! It's clear the series was in development for a long time, and I appreciate the care taken to foreshadow it this way.<br /><br />I can't help compare this with NEW MUTANTS, which sort of appeared out of nowhere with no setup. I mean, you could charitably call Illyana's aging-up a small set-up, I guess, but I look at that as more of a happy coincidence. I'm sure Claremont didn't have NEW MUTANTS in mind when he turned her into a teen (though I could certainly be mistaken).Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-81653225090297919522018-08-05T09:26:40.740-05:002018-08-05T09:26:40.740-05:00When did “techno-organic” become a thing? As far a...<br>When did “techno-organic” become a thing? As far as I can tell the phrase first popped up with the debut of The Magus and Warlock in <i>New Mutants</i>; then at some point the concept of a virus of that nature was introduced, kept alive in the overall narrative in the form of Cable’s affliction. Now the Phalanx are here and it seems like everyone’s just aware of the nomenclature. To an extent it makes sense that certain people would be familiar with the term but on the scale of concepts that are both reasonably self-explanatory and have occasion to become part of general parlance it seems much more esoteric than “shapeshifter” or even “healing factor”.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-64663565310177590112018-07-27T14:22:40.886-05:002018-07-27T14:22:40.886-05:00while at the time it was obvious that they were bu...<i>while at the time it was obvious that they were building to a spinoff, these days the foreshadowing of Generation X feels as subtle as a hammer.</i><br /><br />I've noticed that a lot this time around too. Which is weird, because it wasn't like I wasn't well aware GENERATION X was coming when I read these as they were published, thanks to stuff like WIZARD hyping the heck out of it. <br /><br />But yeah, Banshee may as well be saying "it's like there's a generation that needs a teacher, some kind of...Generation X in need of leadership...". Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-12741005994417395632018-07-27T14:19:52.477-05:002018-07-27T14:19:52.477-05:00I've come to suspect no writer who has ever wr...I've come to suspect no writer who has ever written teenagers that wasn't a teenager at the time knew any teenagers at the time they were writing them. Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-88805977772892980292018-07-27T14:19:03.960-05:002018-07-27T14:19:03.960-05:00I probably should have made that more clear - it&#...I probably should have made that more clear - it's not the ad that got him kicked off, it's the Batman/Punisher series that did (and "kicked off" is me editorializing a little bit). <br /><br />As I mentioned in the review of issue #312, Joe Mad was brought on initially as a guest artist, to fill-in while JRjr. took a break from the series to work on Batman/Punisher. But, the story goes, fan response to Madureira's work was so strong, Harras decided to just give him the book and boot Romita (kind of like how earlier, Harras just sort of quietly gave UNCANNY to Lobdell to script full-time, leaving Byrne to find out he was off the book secondhand at a BBQ or something like that). So Madureira comes back with issue #316 which, presumably, would have been Romita's turn.<br /><br />Now, as I mentioned before, I've never actually been able to source that little anecdote, but I have seen it repeated several times, and it certainly fits w/Harras managerial style (at least at that point in time). But certainly, saying the Batman/Punisher series got JRjr kicked off UNCANNY is me being a bit (intentionally) disingenuous. :)<br />Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-33000506603908271602018-07-27T11:32:24.727-05:002018-07-27T11:32:24.727-05:00Google isn't turning up anything, so now I'...Google isn't turning up anything, so now I'm curious, too.Melahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05539894845356203447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-53466937758911744912018-07-26T21:22:13.659-05:002018-07-26T21:22:13.659-05:00Why did the add get JRJR kicked off the Punisher/B...Why did the add get JRJR kicked off the Punisher/Batman?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00347495903222259478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-86979910337379680942018-07-26T19:34:39.083-05:002018-07-26T19:34:39.083-05:00Scope this... Scott Lobdell didn’t know any teenag...Scope this... Scott Lobdell didn’t know any teenagers in 1994!<br /><br />Seriously, I was the same age as Jubilee when this issue came out, and I never, not once, heard anyone say “scope this.” I think Jubes has been hanging out in 2099. Shockin’ weirdo!Drewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11195303135115277997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-42209295344757832422018-07-26T17:57:31.030-05:002018-07-26T17:57:31.030-05:00I've always wondered how things like the Phala...I've always wondered how things like the Phalanx "adapt" to sheer kinetic energy as well. It's a military truism that in the battle between armor and warhead, the warhead always wins, so while the Phalanx could make better armor, eventually someone strong enough would punch a hole through it. Mind I generally have disliked the Sentinels and Nimrod period, since their means of being more powerful than superhumans generally is "magical adaptation" (and it undercuts the "mutant menace" reason for even making Sentinels if they so easily beat the heroes.) But at least the Phalanx have alien technology as an explanation for their magical adaptation; the Sentinels were always patently absurd, they just had the good fortune to be in one of the best X-Men stories ever in DOFP.<br /><br />Carrying on past my peculiar obsessions, while at the time it was obvious that they were building to a spinoff, these days the foreshadowing of Generation X feels as subtle as a hammer. Always did like the gag with "charge something REALLY big, drop it on the Phalanx" though, and wish Gambit had done more things like that in his heyday.Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00605826105741513741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-5991620476203728472018-07-26T12:53:45.069-05:002018-07-26T12:53:45.069-05:00Speak for yourself, I'm still not quite sure i...Speak for yourself, I'm still not quite sure if Storm didn't die for good in #248 when Havok blasted Nanny's craft off the sky.Teemunoreply@blogger.com