tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post6407133085303433476..comments2024-03-28T10:18:00.370-05:00Comments on Gentlemen of Leisure: X-amining Longshot #1-6Austin Gortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-9824370039271232742022-02-24T13:47:13.905-06:002022-02-24T13:47:13.905-06:00@Drew: interesting, I've never heard there was...@Drew: interesting, I've never heard there was supposed to be ANOTHER Longshot mini from Nocenti and Adams. I know THIS mini was meant to be an ongoing, but became a limited series when it became clear Adams couldn't hit monthly deadlines. <br /><br />I guess that one gets added to the pile of "unwritten" miniseries along with the second FALLEN ANGELS and the Rachel Summers one (which fwiw was meant to be more contemporaneous w/this first Longshot mini than the time of Longshot's departure from the X-Men in UNCANNY #248; Rachel was well-entrenched in Excalibur by then). Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-83241814864372329132022-02-24T13:25:24.938-06:002022-02-24T13:25:24.938-06:00Really late to this but, what the heck? IF I reca...Really late to this but, what the heck? IF I recall, Longshot left the X-Men as he was supposed to finally be headed to his own ongoing series that Nocenti and Adams were supposed to do. I've always wondered why that never happened. This would also have bee around the time that Rachel Summers was supposed to get her own limited series.Drewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10082589040664926667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-62835206831431622822018-12-26T14:41:25.118-06:002018-12-26T14:41:25.118-06:00Those "Little Rascal" kids became suppor...Those "Little Rascal" kids became supporting characters for almost all of Nocenti's run on "Daredevil," and I think even showed up in some of the Gregory Wright-written annuals of the very early '90s.Jeff Cnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-9185720932475744602017-05-30T00:02:32.269-05:002017-05-30T00:02:32.269-05:00There's no trick that Todd McFarlane ever used...There's no trick that Todd McFarlane ever used that wasn't done here first (or earlier, by Paul Smith, Marshall Rogers, Michael Golden or Frank Miller). Mike-ELhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02840254150021796923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-61973896261267119812015-03-22T06:47:45.315-05:002015-03-22T06:47:45.315-05:00Longshot's luck power has a twist that gets fo...Longshot's luck power has a twist that gets forgotten in subsequent appearances: his good luck shifts bad luck onto somebody else. Also, it's not a natural power of his own, apparently, but one he acquired from robed rebels, and Quark has the "lucky" eye but seemingly not as much (if any) of the power. It's a bit hard to guess where Nocenti was going with all this, and with the question of to what extent Mojo is an absolute, godlike ruler or else just the mightiest of the Spineless Ones in general. He seems different from the others, but how/why?Nathan Adlerhttp://fanfix.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-68053698693213300472014-01-06T18:21:55.005-06:002014-01-06T18:21:55.005-06:00Comment from Harry Sewalski:
@Blam:Longshot and B...<b>Comment from Harry Sewalski</b>: <br />@Blam:<i>Longshot and Black Cat later had a three-way fight with Scarlet Witch that ended in a draw when they all tripped over their own feet but landed in a pile of delicious Hostess Fruit Pies.</i><br /><br />The Hostess Fruit Pies were later found to have been placed there by Domino, of course. Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-90452452471411900122013-11-23T23:25:23.067-06:002013-11-23T23:25:23.067-06:00Spidey's Transformers cameo was in issue #3 (o...Spidey's <i>Transformers</i> cameo was in issue #3 (of the then assumed 4-issue limited series) "Changing Gears." As the Cybertronians pretty quickly shifted away from the 616 universe, all it did was bugger up the reprint collections from IDW & Titan Books.<br /><br />Spidey's wearing the black costume in that issue, which was my first comics exposure to the webhead and really confused me when he wasn't in his classic red & blue duds.lost_limeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15957208004796864039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-89580080970670503212013-11-12T08:13:12.072-06:002013-11-12T08:13:12.072-06:00for the record: When Marvel did Transformers back ...for the record: When Marvel did Transformers back in the mid 80's, Spidey made an appearance in either issue 3 or 5, I dont remember which. Futile and forgotten Universe tie-in .................Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-4642878026652000972013-09-30T16:54:28.355-05:002013-09-30T16:54:28.355-05:00@Jon: Longshot does use his psychometry more in X-...@Jon: <i>Longshot does use his psychometry more in X-factor then he did in X-men</i><br /><br />Good point - it comes up regularly in David's <i>X-Factor</i> (which makes sense, given how useful a power it would be to a private investigator), whereas I think Claremont only uses it once or twice during his tenure writing the character. <br /><br /><i>I think I read somewhere that Art Adams based his depiction of Long shot off of Limahl (The "Never-ending Story" singer).</i><br /><br />I did not know that, though it does explain the mullet...Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-33371017068117528092013-09-30T12:44:44.090-05:002013-09-30T12:44:44.090-05:00Just popping in to offer some Long shot trivia/FYI...Just popping in to offer some Long shot trivia/FYI:<br /><br />1) Longshot does use his psychometry more in X-factor then he did in X-men (and indeed, before I read this series, I thought it was a power that Peter David invented.)<br /><br />2 I think I read somewhere that Art Adams based his depiction of Long shot off of Limahl (The "Never-ending Story" singer). You can see the resemblance and it DOES (kinda) explain why in gods name they would inflict a mullet on him.Jon Dubyanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-28904409680407142402013-06-27T14:36:23.900-05:002013-06-27T14:36:23.900-05:00@Blam: I'd only heard recently (maybe in a po...@Blam: <i> I'd only heard recently (maybe in a post/comment here, in fact) that Longshot was intended as an ongoing.</i><br /><br />For what it's worth, Adams' says as much in the article in <i>Back Issue</i> that I quoted in this post, which is the first place I'd seen that idea. <br /><br /><i>...such a guest appearance in the back half of a six-issue run would do more to help keep sales of a limited series level through the end.</i><br /><br />I can't think of any other examples offhand to check, but that does make sense. I bet you're right. Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-78785702125096722582013-06-25T10:58:04.260-05:002013-06-25T10:58:04.260-05:00@Teebore: It makes me wonder when, exactly, it was...<br>@Teebore: <i>It makes me wonder when, exactly, it was decided that this would be a limited series and not an ongoing one. Because having the requisite sales-boosting Spider-Man appearance in the 4th issue makes me think it was already slated as a miniseries (or else he would appeared sooner), but if they knew it was going to be a mini by issue #4, why even bother with the guest appearance? </i><br /><br />Good question. I'd only heard recently (maybe in a post/comment here, in fact) that <i>Longshot</i> was intended as an ongoing. The standard "#1 in a Six-Issue Limited Series" banner is there from the first issue. So if I had to take a stab in the dark my hypothesis would be that, unlike a cover-featured guest appearance in a second or third issue of a new regular monthly to goose sales beyond first-issue sampling or speculation, such a guest appearance in the back half of a six-issue run would do more to help keep sales of a limited series level through the end. I just looked up <i>Comet Man</i> — which is another one of those random concepts I described earlier — to see that it has a Hulk cover on #3 (with a nearly unrecognizable Hulk as opposed to some generic green behemoth, thanks to Bill Sienkiewicz' style), She-Hulk on #4, and half the Fantastic Four on #5. Nothing else from that era comes to mind right now but if you think of something it might be interesting to check.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-50891653115894062752013-06-24T11:23:18.816-05:002013-06-24T11:23:18.816-05:00@Mike: I've always liked Longshot. I liked his...@Mike: <i>I've always liked Longshot. I liked his innocence, his power, and his appearance (well, not the mullet).</i><br /><br />Yeah, mullet aside, I've always thought he has a pretty cool look. <br /><br /><i>Seeing all these Longshot panels in your post reinforces just how big an influence Golden was. It makes me wish we'd had more comics from both artist.</i><br /><br />Agreed. <br /><br />@Blam: <i>I hope he can turn it on and off.</i><br /><br />I believe he can. Thankfully. :) <br /><br /><i>but this is indeed his first published storytelling work for Marvel</i><br /><br />That's what I meant. ;) But seriously, thanks for the rundown on his pre-<i>Longshot</i> work; I didn't know he had done a <i>MTU</i> cover. <br /><br />Longshot <i>always seemed to me to be one of those weird things that could've easily been (and maybe should've been) separate from the Marvel Universe</i><br /><br />Yeah, until Spidey and She-Hulk show up in issue #4, it doesn't even feel like its taking place in the Marvel Universe (or at least, it could have very easily been said not to). <br /><br /><i>Spider-Man and She-Hulk visiting in #4 is, I think, actually an issue later than the old trope has it.</i><br /><br />It makes me wonder when, exactly, it was decided that this would be a limited series and not an ongoing one. Because having the requisite sales-boosting Spider-Man appearance in the 4th issue makes me think it was already slated as a miniseries (or else he would appeared sooner), but if they knew it was going to be a mini by issue #4, why even bother with the guest appearance? <br /><br /><i>Without the fascinating budding superstar that is (was) Arthur Adams, I doubt I'd have stuck around for all six issues of a mulleted amnesiac cypher on the run from (and then freedom-fighting) a cross between Jabba the Hutt and Arcade</i><br /><br />And that's pretty much the miniseries in a nutshell. :) <br />Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-53628088122811308432013-06-23T16:06:50.377-05:002013-06-23T16:06:50.377-05:00I wasn't that fond of Mojo in the mini and hat...<br>I wasn't that fond of Mojo in the mini and <i>hated</i> seeing him pop up in <i>X-Men</i>. At least I'd dropped the series before he and his world made too many — well, even more — return appearances.<br /><br /><i>Longshot</i> always seemed to me to be one of those weird things that could've easily been (and maybe should've been) separate from the Marvel Universe — or DC Universe, as the case may be, but it seems to happen a little more often at Marvel than DC — until familiar characters appeared to associate the story with the extant continuity. <br /><br />Spider-Man and She-Hulk visiting in #4 is, I think, actually an issue later than the old trope has it. There used to be a gag that Spider-Man would make a brief appearance, promoted on the cover, in #2 or #3 of a new series; Byrne put it front and center on the cover of <i>The Sensational She-Hulk</i> #3, in fact.<br /><br />Unsurprisingly, I'd been unaware 'til now that Shatterstar was from Mojo World, but then again I doubt I could pick Shatterstar out of a lineup of Liefeld's Youngblood.<br /><br />One may be related to the other — and they may both be even riper targets today than in 1985 — but while Nocenti apparently meant for Mojo World to be a commentary on monolithic vertically integrated corporations I'm pretty sure I just took it as a parody of our slothful TV-obsessed culture. Without the fascinating budding superstar that is (was) Arthur Adams, I doubt I'd have stuck around for all six issues of a mulleted amnesiac cypher on the run from (and then freedom-fighting) a cross between Jabba the Hutt and Arcade; in fact, I have a dim memory of only getting #1 but then picking up #4 because Spider-Man and She-Hulk were on the cover and finally buying the rest as back issues just to complete the set.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-64609407545959567592013-06-23T16:04:19.171-05:002013-06-23T16:04:19.171-05:00The first issue also establishes Longshot's ab...<br><i>The first issue also establishes Longshot's ability to psychically read the history of physical objects (known as psychometry)</i><br /><br />I hadn't remembered that. Neat trick; I hope he can turn it on and off.<br /><br />"Eww! You don't know where that thing has been!"<br />"Actually, I do. <i>(sigh)</i> I always, always do."<br /><br /><i>Spiral, a six-armed sorceress and swordfighter who can magically travel through dimensions by dancing.</i><br /><br />Points for inventiveness, at least.<br /><br /><i>this series is notable for featuring the first professional work of Art Adams</i><br /><br />On interiors for a major publisher, anyway. I first noticed him on the cover of <i>Marvel Team-Up</i> #141, which was signed "Adams" but while pretty nice looked nothing like Neal Adams' work. If you check <i>Amazing World</i> you'll see that he did do a few other <a href="http://www.dcindexes.com/features/database.php?site=&pagetype=creator&id=3&type=cover&sort=date" rel="nofollow">covers</a> first, but this is indeed his first published <a href="http://www.dcindexes.com/features/database.php?site=&pagetype=creator&id=3&sort=date" rel="nofollow">storytelling work</a> for Marvel and second overall after a short drawn for a Pacific anthology. He also got a piece published earlier as a fan in the lettercolumn of an issue of DC's <i>Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew</i> — a pin-up of Farrah Foxette, Earth-C's anthropomorphic answer to You-Know-Who.<br /><br /><i>Spider-Man compares Longshot to Black Cat, another character with vague luck abilities.</i><br /><br />Longshot and Black Cat later had a three-way fight with Scarlet Witch that ended in a draw when they all tripped over their own feet but landed in a pile of delicious Hostess Fruit Pies.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-78706178721731212012013-06-21T13:16:30.237-05:002013-06-21T13:16:30.237-05:00I've always liked Longshot. I liked his innoce...I've always liked Longshot. I liked his innocence, his power, and his appearance (well, not the mullet). The mini is all over the place, but it looks so good I don't mind.<br /><br />I read Art Adams comics before I'd even heard of michael Golden. Seeing all these Longshot panels in your post reinforces just how big an influence Golden was. It makes me wish we'd had more comics from both artist.<br /><br />- Mike Loughlin Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-2599632747624351362013-06-20T16:46:27.067-05:002013-06-20T16:46:27.067-05:00@Anonymous: It's like Vic Morrow wasn't a ...@Anonymous: <i>It's like Vic Morrow wasn't a thing.</i><br /><br />Presumably that director wasn't familiar with him, but I bet Nocenti had him in mind when she wrote that scene, given her background and whatnot. <br /><br />@Jeff: <i>This is jumping ahead a little bit, and I may have missed an issue or two, but I remember being really annoyed at how Longshot gets written out by Claremont. Doesn't he just literally fade out without any real explanation? </i><br /><br />Kinda. In the issue that he leaves (#248, IIRC, the first part of the extended "Dissolution and Rebirth" arc when Claremont broke up the team), he has a dream/vision where parts of his body are fading away, and when he wakes up, he decides to leave the team in order to try and learn more about his past (having suffered from amnesia since he joined the X-Men). <br /><br />So the fading away vision or whatever is supposed to represent that without knowing his past, he's incomplete. <br /><br />It's a pretty lowkey end for the character (I have no idea if Claremont had plans to return to him, but his next appearance is after Claremont's departure), certainly one of the least crazy fates to befall one of the X-Men during that story arc. Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-31011883922902458242013-06-20T15:33:01.454-05:002013-06-20T15:33:01.454-05:00@Jeff: I don't recall how Longshot exited, I j...@Jeff: I don't recall how Longshot exited, I just remember every time he and Dazzler made goo-goo eyes at each other I threw up in my mouth a little.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-60247756078725138772013-06-20T14:05:45.836-05:002013-06-20T14:05:45.836-05:00That art is awesome. It's so good it's ha...That art is awesome. It's so good it's hard to believe this was Art Adams' debut.<br /><br />This is jumping ahead a little bit, and I may have missed an issue or two, but I remember being really annoyed at how Longshot gets written out by Claremont. Doesn't he just literally fade out without any real explanation? Jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14447265712189987074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-80701385124392058172013-06-20T01:19:17.383-05:002013-06-20T01:19:17.383-05:00Kill a stuntman, dump the body and wander away whi...Kill a stuntman, dump the body and wander away whistling. It's like Vic Morrow wasn't a thing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com