Thursday, February 28, 2008

Debut Issue


Kick-Ass #1

When I walked into the comic shop this week I had no intention of picking up a new book, even one with as snazzy a title as Kick-Ass. (I actually got two new books, this one and Ed Brubaker's Criminal #1.) But it's action packed cover and bold title caught my eye. When I saw that it was written by Mark Millar and drawn by John Romita Jr., I thought I'd give it a shot. Millar wrote some of my favorite stories including Civil War, Ultimates 1 & 2, and the amazing "Enemy of the State" arc in Wolverine. Romita Jr. has been a Marvel mainstay for years and always done quality work.

Kick-Ass is an Icon book, which is Marvel's creator owned imprint. That means it doesn't take place in the Marvel universe. In fact, it happens in a world not unlike our own. Kick-Ass asks a question: With all the crazies in the world why has there never been anyone to put on a costume and fight crime? In this book, Dave Lizewski does just that.

What's so special about Dave Lizewski? Nothing at all. He's a high school student. He loves comic books. Other than that, he's a pretty nondescript guy, just sort of fading into the background of life. He decides to become a costumed hero not because he has any special ability or anyone to avenge, but just because he's bored. He spends a few weeks in the gym then buys a wet suit and a ski mask and heads out to fight crime. He has no combat training, no name, and no idea what he's getting himself into. Needless to say, it does not end well.

The main character doesn't seem particularly smart or likable, but he's the right kind of crazy to make you wonder what he's going to do next. And when the first issue ends with the hero bleeding to death in the middle of the street after being stabbed in the chest and hit by a car, you have to wonder what issue two will bring. I'll stick around for that, at least.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Five points to think about

It was so much fun last week - let's do it again!

  1. Wolverine: The Amazing Immortal Man and Other Bloody Tales is the worst title I've heard in quite some time.
  2. I find it amusing how everyone is focusing on Trinity and pretty much overlooking Final Crisis.
  3. Wouldn't it be crazy if Luke Cage was a Skrull?
  4. Locke and Key #1 was apparently so good that the TV and movie rights have already been picked up.
  5. What ever happened to Chuck Austen? He was our (X-Fans) One More Day.

Okay, so I broke my word about not talking about it. I couldn't resist.

Enough already!

I did not post anything on One More Day while Casey's countdown was going on out of respect for my friend and co-author. Eventually, it kind of faded on me until I saw a posting on Comics Should be Good saying that nothing done in Brand New Day couldn't have been done with a married Peter Parker. No real backup - just stating the point.

To this I say ENOUGH ALREADY!

We get it - you didn't like One More Day. Fantastic. Move on. The stories are going forward, why the hell can't you? The repeated belly-aching about this story has gone on way past the point where it has any right to. It's like driving from Point A to Point B using Road C instead of Road D, even though Road D is a lot prettier. Are you going to moan about it for months past the trip? No! You got to Point B. Well done.

I have not heard anyone complain that Spider-Man needs to go back to organic web shooters, unmasked, and on the run from the government. The general consensus is that, despite how he got there, Peter is in a more comfortable place for readers now. The trip has ended. We've reached the destination. We aren't going back and taking another route now. LET. IT. GO.

And that's it. I've said my piece, and now I will heed my own advice and wash my hands of this debate.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Why I Don't Like Reviews

Everyone is entitled to have an opinion, and everyone has the freedom to express their opinion. The Interweb has given anyone with a computer and internet connection, like myself, the ability to get that opinion out there. I do not have a problem with this. What does annoy me is when people take their opinions too seriously, and consider it the definitive judgment on a book.

When reading a review on popular websites such as Newsarama, or Comic Book Resources, I often find that I disagree with what the reviewer thinks. The words "good" and "bad" should not be used, unless preceded by "I think." One person does not have the authority to stamp something as good or bad. It takes a collective consensus to pass this judgment. Unfortunately, a few voices that are louder than others, are shaping this consensus with their reviews.

There are times when it seems like they do not like any comics they read. Which makes me ask, why are you reading comics? Others only like indie comics, and think that anything produced by DC or Marvel is crap. While the reviewers think what they like is good, others may not. Everyone's tastes in comics are different, and this should be remembered. If you do not like something, or it just does not work for you, say so. But do not confuse like and dislike with good and bad. Remember, you are just one reader out of hundreds and thousands.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

I hate you

You should have bought The Order and because you didn't, it's getting cancelled with issue #10.

Leave me alone. I'm not talking to you.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Reviewing "Brand New Day"


Despite all the whining and bitching about “One More Day”, many Spidey fans will still be reading the Wall Crawler’s adventures in Amazing Spider-Man. I count myself among them. What can I say? We’re junkies. While nothing is going to make “One More Day” any better the best us Spider-Fans can hope for is that the top notch new creative teams on Amazing Spider-Man turn out some good stories.

The first attempt is Amazing Spider-Man #546 - 548 written by Dan Slott and penciled by Steve McNiven. I remember reading an issue of Slott’s Avengers: The Initiative that guest starred Spider-Man and thinking “I’d love to see this guy write a Spider-Man book.” So, despite the circumstances, I was looking forward to these issues. Steve McNiven’s artwork was fantastic, but I’ve yet to see anything of his I didn’t like. I was disappointed to find out he won’t be returning for Slott’s next run on the book.

This is “Brand New Day” which means a whole new status quo for Spider-Man and the first issue establishes it with all the subtlety of a punch in the face. Very first page, Peter is seen making out with a random club girl. In case you missed it, Spidey’s single now, ladies! He’s also broke, practically unemployed, hanging out with his rich friend Harry Osbourne, and living with his elderly Aunt May in Queens. He’s also an unlicensed super hero, which makes him wanted by the government. Ol’ Sad Sack Parker is once again the lovable loser, only this time it’s slightly less lovable.

It seems Spider-Man’s been off the radar for a few months now.(How this fits in with the timeline of the rest of the Marvel U, I’d like to see.) J. Jonah Jameson has been using the Daily Bugle to tout how much safer the city is without that wall crawling menace but the truth is that the paper’s sales have tanked without Peter Parker’s pictures of Spider-Man. So much so that shareholders are dumping off their stock and it’s being bought up by Dexter Bennett, an idle billionaire who wants to own a newspaper and run it his own way. In order to hold onto every share he can, Jameson has stopped paying the Bugle’s staffers yet they continue working as a show of solidarity. Turns out Jonah still owes Peter for some old Spidey photos and Peter isn’t willing to wait. He wants his moneys and he wants them now. When Jonah calls Peter ungrateful for all he’s done for him, Peter fires back that it’s Jonah who’s the ingrate and that the current situation proves that it was his photos of Spider-Man that kept the Bugle in business so long. This makes Jameson so mad that he has a heart attack. Seriously. Peter feels so guilty that he decides to go out in costume and get some new Spider-Man pictures to save the old man’s business and life. But Jameson’s wife decides to go ahead and sell the paper to Dexter Bennett anyway, so it’s all for naught.

There’s a new villain named Mr. Negative. He has the power to…um…be the opposite color of what he should be…or something. He’s a low level crime boss who’s trying to take out the heads of the mob families in New York so that he can run the show. He has a bomb, some kids are in danger, Spidey saves the day. Mr. Negative escapes. The end. The whole thing seemed nothing more than a generic super hero adventure. And with someone as bad ass as The Hood running around trying to take control of New York’s criminal element, Mr. Negative seemed all the more pointless.

The new angle on Amazing Spider-Man seems to be to be reminiscent of the book during the 60s. Down on his luck Peter Parker, money troubles, lady troubles, a large supporting cast and monthly encounters with a new super villain who wants to put kittens in a wood chipper or something. I think that’s what Quesada and company were going for, to be honest. Nevermind all the growing the character has done over the last forty years. That being said, it’s an enjoyable read and a decent story. But in this case, decent’s not good enough. Coming off of the universally panned “One More Day”, the first three issues of “Brand New Day” needed to be a home run. It needed to not only establish the new status quo for Spider-Man but tell an excellent story in the process. Accomplishing that would outshine the grim specter of “One More Day” and genuinely make people forget about the old and embrace the new. As it is, Dan Slott’s story is only slightly above average. And it raises even more questions about continuity that only serve to remind fans of the ghastly story that came before it.

They say when you get your heart broken, all it takes is one great date with someone new to make you forget all about it. Aside from figuring out how Spider-Man works in the rest of the Marvel Universe, I believe us Spider-fans are just one great story away from putting “One More Day” behind us. This, unfortunately, is not it.

Wolverine and the X-Men

For a while now, talk has been going on about a new X-Men animated series called Wolverine and the X-Men. While the title didn't impress me, I liked the preview images that had the characters in their more recent costumes, rather than original designs seen in X-Men: Evolution.

I hadn't heard anything about the series for some time, until I stumbled across the news on Newsarama that Marvel is getting sued by the band Foo Fighters for rather stupidly using their music in the show's trailer without permission. Of course, my reaction was "There's a trailer? Sweet!" So even though YouTube had apparently pulled the video, someone had reposted it, and I got a look at this series - and it looks pretty good.

The theme seems to be following the storyline of X-Men: Evolution as the animation style and characterization seems to have the same feel. Of course, this is just supposition on my part, but where the characters are at this point, and what characters are being used makes it seem like it's a "10 years later" type of story. And I'm cool with that - Evolution was a very enjoyable show and it would be nice to see some animated consistancy in storylines (much like DC's animated line - from Batman to Superman to Justice League). It would be nice to not start a whole new X-Men animated continuity for the third time.

The trailer also shows obvious movie references, though I doubt this is a continuation of the movies (Iceman's parents find out he's a mutant in the trailer). The designs for Iceman's family is obviously movie-based, as is the representation of Pyro's power (of course, that may have held true in Evolution - I can't remember).

So even though we're apparently still some time away from the series' debut, I'm very much looking forward to it. There's nothing like a cartoon based on a comic to show how much of a nerd I truly am - as I write in a blog about comics.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Genext: Lame concept with a lame name

I should be a motivational speaker. Look at my results!

I spotted in Marvel's solicitations for May a curious title called GENEXT apparently written by Chris Claremont. It's a five issue mini series, with the first issue being solicited thus:

You asked for it, X-Fans, and now, you got it! Marvel.com asked you what Chris Claremont’s next project should be. You, the fans, said you wanted to know what today’s new generation of X-Men would be like if the Marvel Universe aged in real-time! Who are the children of the X-Men? And what happened to the original team, Professor X, and Magneto after over 30 years of conflict, victories, and tragedies? Now, at last, the answers arrive as beloved X-Men scribe Chris Claremont reveals an all-new generation of mutant teens!

My obvious question would be who in the hell asked for another "possible X-future" book from Chris Claremont? Didn't we all learn better after X-Men: the End? It's such a random premise, I doubt that any collection of fans would ask for that - and I don't recall seeing a vote anywhere. But of course, I stray from Claremont books nowadays, so it may have turned up in Exiles or New Excalibur.

So let's look at the premise specifically as it is written. Let's say the X-Men debuted - with the original five members being teenagers - in 1963. Here we are, 45 years later. Uh, I think we'd be past the "next generation" by this point, or at least past where they'd be teenagers. We'd be heading towards the "generation after that", and they really wouldn't be old enough to be doing much of anything heroic (Power Pack notwithstanding, because it kills my argument).

But nevermind that first gaffe. Fine - teenagers, next generation, I got it. So we'll be looking at, in real time, a group of mutants who have aged through times like Vietnam, the end of the Cold War, September 11, and the hullabaloo that's gone on since (which is an opportunity for a plug on my other blog). That, I think, would be neat.

But I know better than that. It's not going to be like that at all. Instead, we're going to get exactly what X-Men: the End was, except with new characters and without the whole "last X-Men story" thing. The current team is old, new people come in. It'll be nothing but a chance for Claremont to plug his own stories, so expect Rogue to be called "Anna Raven", the Phoenix to show up somewhere, someone to yell "I am (NAME)!!!!" and Sage to be the deus ex-machina for whatever the situation needs.

This is going to be nothing more than five issues to let Claremont write a Claremont story. Personally, I thought that's why they retooled Exiles for him, but apparently, this is what the X-Fans wanted. I have been an X-Fan since the late 80s, so as long as they keep him away from the core books, I'll have what I want. I appreciate everything Claremont has done, but I don't think he's anywhere near the quality he used to be - and even if he was, comics of the 00s are not like they were in the 80s.

Definitely going to skip this one.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Ten Reasons "One More Day" Is the Worst Spider-Man Story Ever

#1 - Continuity, Shmontinuity

The biggest thing wrong with "One More Day" is that it throws at least twenty years of Spider-Man continuity out the window. Ask Joe Quesada or even Dan Slott and they'll tell you that it doesn't. That every story is still completely intact. That it all still happened, only people remember it differently. Well, that argument falls apart after examining a couple of the key new developments of "Brand New Day". Even accepting the memory change, things simply could not have happened exactly as the last twenty years worth of Spider-Man comics says they did and still arrived at "Brand New Day."

First off, Spidey's organic web shooters. After mutating into a giant spider, he managed to revert to human form but retained the ability to shoot webs without the aid of his mechanical shooters. If that all still happened exactly the same way, then why does Spider-Man need the web shooters again? Does he still have the organic webbing ability, he just doesn't remember he has it? Or does he not have it anymore, which would mean that the story in which he got the ability never took place?

Harry Osbourne. Is he back from the dead or did he never die? Or did he die and people just don't remember that he died so the Harry walking around now is simply a figment of everyone's imagination?

What about all the people who knew Spider-Man's secret identity, even those who learned it before Civil War? How can those characters still have the same relationship with Spidey when they suddenly forget who he is? (Side Rant: And aren't people like Dr. Strange and Charles Xavier going to question why they suddenly had one particular memory erased? It's not as if they never knew, as the first issue of "Brand New Day' states that Spider-Man did in fact unmask during the Civil War, but now for some reason no one remembers his name or what his face looks like. They seriously aren't going to try to get to the bottom of that?)

Those are only a few examples. There are many more continuity questions raised by "One More Day" and the resulting "Brand New Day". What parts of Spider-Man's history have been changed? What parts are the same? The story opens up that last twenty years of continuity and allows any writer to go in and change anything they see fit and simply point to "One More Day" when a fan asks for an explanation. I didn't like it when DC did it with Infinite Crisis and I certainly don't like it when it happens to my favorite character.

Ten Reasons "One More Day" Is the Worst Spider-Man Story Ever

#2 - Is This Seriously the Best They Could Do?

Let's say for a moment that Joe Quesada was right. Peter Parker's marriage to Mary Jane was dragging Spider-Man down. Stories were boring. Sales were hurting. The fans were clamoring for an end to the marriage and something needed to be done.

Even if that were the case, the sloppy, heavy-handed solution brought about in "One More Day" was the best Quesada could come up with? Even with J. Michael Straczynski and all the writers of Marvel at his disposal? A deal with the devil and then a fast and quick resolution that changes everything and explains nothing. Oh wait, they do offer an explanation. "Everything still happened the same, people just remember it happening differently." For example here's the way Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21 actually happened:


After the new status quo of "Brand New Day" here's how we remember it happening:


Ah yes, who could forget the issue where Peter showed off his snazzy new tux. A classic moment in the character's history. Come on. You have to admit, that's a little lame and a little lazy. It's almost as if they simply wanted to change things and said "Don't worry, we'll explain it later. If we get around to it."

Ten Reasons "One More Day" Is the Worst Spider-Man Story Ever

#3 - Who Ordered the Single Spider-Man?

The average comic book reader is 20-25 years old. The average age a which child learns to read is five years old. Do the math and that means that the majority of people who're reading new issues of Spider-Man now (not back issues, trades, or reprints) and have been for any extended period have been reading married Spider-Man the entire time. (That's exactly where I fit in, by the way.) Mary Jane is a huge part of the Spider-Man mythos to these readers. So who were the readers calling for her to get the boot? I'm not saying they don't exist, but I don't recall reading or hearing about it. Except, of course, in interviews with Joe Quesada. He's always been clear that he wanted Mary Jane out of the picture. Now, I understand that Quesada runs the Marvel Comics and that he can do what ever he wants, but surely there must be some impetus for drastically changing a character's history other than Joe Quesada wanted it to happen. With fan backlash and even one of the most well respected writers in the business telling him it was a bad idea, he must've had a damn good reason to go through with it.

There's two main reasons, that I can think of, for doing something in comics:
1-It's what the fans want. Give people what they ask for, they'll pay money for it.
2-There's a good story in it. Even if people criticize at first, if the resulting story turns out to be good they'll enjoy it.

Well, "One More Day" certainly wasn't what the majority of Spider-Man fans wanted. That said, there had better be some damn good stories coming out of the newly established "Brand New Day" status quo.

Ten Reasons "One More Day" Is the Worst Spider-Man Story Ever


#4 - The Spider-Man Swings Alone

As much as the intended purpose of Civil War was to tear the Marvel Universe apart, it did an excellent job of bringing things together. After setting it up in House of M, Civil War established an over arching theme to the entire universe. You really got the sense that all of these characters, even in their own books, existed in the same universe at the same time. What happened in books like Captain America and Iron Man had ties to what happened in other books like Wolverine and New Avengers, and so on. Not in the sense that you had to read everything to get the whole story but that you’d get some bonus insight and background information if you did. One can argue that Marvel’s always been like that, but to me it seemed much more prevalent post Civil War. I was such a fan of this newly integrated universe that I started collecting five new Marvel titles after Civil War.

Right there in the thick of things was Spider-Man. This was a relatively new place for him. Before joining the New Avengers Spidey had mostly swung solo, sticking to his own book(s) and doing his own thing, barring the occasional team-up or special guest appearance. He was sort of where Daredevil is now, and even he has some dealings with The Hood to tie him into New Avengers. I, for one greatly enjoyed the character’s wider integration into the universe over the last couple years. Peter’s friendship with the Avengers, his mentor relationships Captain America and Iron Man, and even the new spin on old connections brought about by the unmasking. Realistically, what more could you have done with Spider-Man and J. Jonah Jameson?

"One More Day" and the resulting "Brand New Day" storyline have effectively wiped away those stories and pulled Spidey back into his own corner of the Marvel U. All of his relationship and character developments over the last twenty years, but specifically the last three, have been called into question. Who does Spider-Man know and not know? What did he do and not do? How will writers tackle the issue of Spidey's place in the Marvel Universe without throwing their hands up and saying "It's magic, we don't have to explain it."? Will it even be attempted or will Spider-Man just stick to his own books and drop by New Avengers merely to shoot webs at something and say a funny one liner? My money's on the latter.

Five points to think about:

Here are five quick thoughts off of my head to spur some thought in yours.

  1. The Iron Man movie will not be big enough to launch a second series and countless minis.
  2. Wonder Woman needs a costume change. Sure, her look is iconic but the character would benefit from having a more conservative outfit in the "world of men".
  3. At least one Wolverine series will be cancelled within a year. My money's on First Class.
  4. One of the three new X-Books (Young X-Men, X-Force, Cable) will not make it to issue #20.
  5. People have gotten over One More Day well before Casey's countdown has finished.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Ultimate redundancy?

A. David Lewis has written a fascinating look at when the Ultimate universe will catch up with the "616" Marvel Universe, based on the average of appearances in either universe. This is a topic that I know Casey and I have discussed before, so it really should be looked at for any fans of the Ultimate universe.

Check it out here.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

X-Force

The first of three shiny new books for the X-Men line, X-Force hit the shelves yesterday (Cable debuts in March and Young X-Men follows in April). The new title, written by former New X-Men writers Craig Kyle and Chris Yost, has been heavily hyped since before the start of Messiah CompleX. Hell, a big chunk of the story served as a preview of X-Force. So the title finally debuts, albeit a week late. So how was it? Was it worth the hype? Well, no – not really.

The theme of the book is quite simple: after Messiah CompleX (and apparently all the events leading up to it) Cyclops has decided that desperate times call for desperate measures and has put together a team that will get the job done with a sense of finality. In a nutshell, it’s a killing squad. This plays right up Kyle and Yost’s alley (as they have great trouble getting through a story without killing someone) and it also gives another opportunity for a Wolverine-headlined book (as if Wolverine, Wolverine Origins, the upcoming Wolverine: First Class and countless mini-series weren’t enough). So okay – it’s new for the franchise, and in theory it could work.

The problem here is the execution. X-Force was basically thrown at readers during Messiah CompleX to hunt down and apparently take out Cable. It really didn’t work then, as they had no evidence that Cable had caused anything, save have possession of the baby, yet Cyclops still gave the "any means necessary" order. The lineup was strange as well – Wolverine and X-23 – being the bloodthirsty animals they are – fit. Warpath, Caliban and Hepzibah were odd, but could possibly work (even though Caliban apparently was just there as cannon fodder). Wolfsbane was about as ill a fit as you could get. In no form of the character could you justify having her there. So X-Force spent Messiah as more of a tracker group than an "any means necessary" group.

X-Force opens with a look into Wolverine’s thoughts. I’m not going to go into his point of having never been to Colorado (Really? Wolverine?), but it’s supposed to be a big deal that X-Force disbanded after Caliban died. That’s right, a team that had been together for one mission – and obviously not very long, since Caliban and Hepzibah were members – and it’s a big deal that they’ve split.

Then Cyclops makes the point that Emma doesn’t know he’s doing this, which makes me scratch my head. Emma Frost is the 2nd most powerful telepath in the world, and she shares a bed with Cyclops – can see into his subconscious – yet he’s hiding this. And what for? Emma is amongst the more cold-blooded members of the team. She was the one that first brought up offing the Scarlet Witch at the beginning of House of M. She was the one who broke Cassandra Nova’s neck. Why would she not go fully with the idea of permanently removing villains who pose a threat to herself and her students? The tone of "secret missions" is set for no particular reason besides that it seems cool.

So the team gets back together – sans Hepzibah who’s not even mentioned – and off they go on their mission against the Purifiers, who have apparently infiltrated SHIELD to get the head of Bastion – something I’m going to have to wait and see on. The issue has the apparently obligatory heavy-blood fight (complete with blades through the face, for good measure) and it ends with the overused Kyle/Yost device of making it look like someone gets killed for the cliffhanger. We’ve seen this too many times to really even matter anymore.

There are three things beyond the details of the issue itself that concerns me about this book. First are the comparisons to the original X-Force series launched by Rob Liefeld back in 1991. Obviously I have strong doubts about this, but I don’t think it’s fair to argue that it shouldn’t be called X-Force because it doesn’t have the same premise as the original. Hell, the original lost the original premise within 20 issues. The "Cable makes soldiers out of the New Mutants" bit ended when Cable vanished after X-Cutioner’s Song and they began setting their own place in the world. Yet, that Liefeld concept is what I keep reading about. This is not going to be that – quit trying to think that it should be. It’s actually the third appropriate use of the title – the second being when Warren Ellis took the book on in 2000.

My second concern is the book’s art, courtesy of Clayton Crain. Don’t misunderstand me on this one – I think the art’s flat-out gorgeous. But with such wonderful art usually comes long delays in a book. Take examples from Jim Lee on All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder, whichever Kubert is working on Action Comics or Bryan Hitch on Ultimates. I’m not familiar with Crain, so perhaps he’s above the mold on this one, and I certainly hope so. The book’s art is amazing and definitely a drawing point.

Finally, I’m concerned about the premise of the title. The "desperate times call for desperate measures" idea is somewhat new to the X-Men mythos, especially taken to the level that it seems to be here. However, how long can you really draw this premise out? Surely, some villains will have to be killed to give the book some sort of credibility, yet does that mean all X-Men villains will be hunted as the book continues? How can you justify them being X-Force worthy? If they all are, then why bother with X-Men at all? Will new villains be created just to be killed? This seems like much more of a mini/maxi series premise than an ongoing. I can see two or three story arcs coming out before the title begins to drag.

So go ahead and give this title a try if you like the premise and enjoy great art. I’m obviously not optimistic about it, but hey, only one issue’s come out thus far. I’ll keep getting it to see where it goes – and hopefully many of my concerns are unfounded.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Trinity


Over the weekend, DC officially announced that Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley would be working on a new weekly title called "Trinity," and this book would feature the big 3 of DC: Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. The first 12 pages of each issue would be done by Busiek and Bagley, and the last 10 pages done by other creative teams, and will somehow tie into the story. Here are some of my opinions on questions that might be coming to mind.


Why put Superman and Batman in another book? This brings up the complaint of over-saturization. Superman is currently an active member in 4 books, and Batman is regularly active in 4-7 books. Add that Wonder Woman is in 2 books, and that does bring up the question, 'why do we need these characters in another book.?' The answer to that is, 'why not?' Why not put characters in another book if someone has what is believed to be a good story to tell? Someone with a good story to tell should not be told no, based on how many books are already out. Would you have told Jeph Loeb not to do The Long Halloween because there were already enough books with Batman in them?


Where does this fit in continuity? Right now, who cares? People care way too much about continuity. The more important thing is the quality of the story. I would rather read a good story that I have no idea how it fits into the rest of the universe, than a bad story that I know where it fits in. Just enjoy the story.


Why another weekly title? This, I do not really have an answer for. It all depends on the quality and purpose of the backup stories. If the backup stories are poor, and pointless, then the case can be made that this book could really be a bi-weekly book, with just Busiek and Bagley's work. However, that is a judgment that cannot, and should not be made until after the book launches in June.


I am sure there are more questions running through people's minds, but those are the one's that I can think of at the moment. In summary, everything depends on the quality of the book. If it is a good book, people will enjoy it, and not question the frivilous details about it. If it is a bad book, then questions and doubts will flow forth. People will pay for a good story, regardless if it comes out every week, or every couple of months. Sure, they may complain, but the book will still be bought.