House To Astonish Episode 30
There was no snow to speak of this week, so we managed to get hold of our books for review and thus perpetrate another podcast. This time round, we’re looking at the Spider-Man 4 debacle, Marvel’s Blackest Night exchange programme, Gail Simone’s return to Birds of Prey, Legion relaunches, the Avengers cancellations and David Finch’s exclusivity. We also review Amazing Spider-Man, Orc Stain and Super Hero Squad and delve into the animal kingdom in the Official Handbook of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe. All this plus Team Blade, surfing-related villains, the return of siren noises and what would happen if Roger Dean drew One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.
The podcast is here. Let us know what you think by posting here, via email, on Twitter or interpretive dance.
> …or interpretive dance.
David Attenborough tells a story in his autobiography of how, in his early days at the BBC, he was ordered to adapt a story that every other producer had passed on. He decided to set it to ballet.
The Daily Mirror’s review was apparently “All right, so Auntie had to try the experiment of dancing to words. Now we know. It doesn’t work. Don’t do it again.”
Words to live by, I think.
Vintage siren noises, that’s me happy.
What seems to be the majority opinion online is that Marvel are acting like they are the better publisher for retailers compared to DC, when Marvel are the company that make lots of comics non returnable in comparison to DC. That’s where people are calling foul on Marvel.
Super Hero Squad is evil, because it stops us getting more Mini-Marvels.
I agree completely, Reboot. Mini-Marvels 4 life.
Auks can fly.
[…] below, loyal readers, for this week’s podcast, and also for Al’s appeal to save S.W.O.R.D.. Well, Al’s appeal for you to help […]
Al – you may have forgotten that Peter graduated high school midway through Raimi’s first Spider-Man film? Your beef is with Spider-Man 1, not Spider-Man 2.
For the record, the excisting Little Auk can fly but the extinct Giant Auk could not.
Also I loved the whole Blade and dog thing.
Michael: I’d forgotten that, yeah – I think my beef in general, though, is more with the entire arc that Raimi plotted out for him. The progression of Peter Parker went too fast for me – I’d rather have seen his development spread out more slowly.
Cheeris: I was… erm… talking about really crap Auks?
AHAHA! GIANT AUK!
It would be the ideal comic with which to start my Marvel career, that’s for sure.
(Seriously! The number of Hondle comics I sell to women! A good 90-95%!)
Coming Soon: BLADE! Guest Starring FANG THE BLOODHOUND!
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Oh! And duh!, re: the Avengers Ring Cycle. It’s just been Death of Superman/Knightfall/Clone Saga writ large all along, hasn’t it?
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Oh! Oh! And I forgot: I’m sure I read somewhere that the Brightest Day thing would be inveigling itself into the main DC line all through the year.
I suppose they have to set up the “Escape My Sight” crossover for 2011 somehow, right?
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I totally agree about Fitch. Good riddance.
Surely the whole point of shipping the Spider-books on the same week is so they’ll be on the shelves together. I mean if you shipped Web of Spider-Man on its own week, that would be the week the Amazing Spider-Man fanbase wouldn’t have to bother coming in, and who else is going to buy Web? Same with the X-books.
A good point that Super-Hero Squad shouldn’t be about the comics, because the target audience won’t know the comics. I think that’s the problem with DC’s Tiny Titans. From what I’ve seen, it seems to be aimed largely at primary school kids who have an in-depth knowledge of Titans history.
“I suppose they have to set up the “Escape My Sight” crossover for 2011 somehow, right?”
Hahaha, all DCU crossovers escape my purchase.
Also, my only experience of Tiny Titans being the Free Comic Book Day, I agree, weird audience to aim for the DC anorak toddlers.
If Blade’s dog really wants to tap into the Twilight fanbase, he has to get into a romantic rivalry with another dog … one who turns into a wolf!
Yeah, Americans don’t distinguish between someone who shares an apartment with someone and someone who shares a room with someone. To be honest, it never even occurred to me that such a distinction was important or desirable.
“I think my beef in general, though, is more with the entire arc that Raimi plotted out for him. The progression of Peter Parker went too fast for me – I’d rather have seen his development spread out more slowly.”
This is why I think the reboot is probably a good thing. In theory, at least, because my feelings that it simply won’t be a good movie are stronger than my feelings that it’s a good idea.
Interesting about the increasing #1 reboots. I imagine they do it to give potential new readers an incentive, ie. the supposed “jumping on point.” These days I use reboots more as a handy “jumping off point” for titles I’m getting a bit ambivalent about. It sounds like others do too, if Exiles and Ult. Spidey both dipped post-renumbering.
The point of Mighty Avengers was to attempt to satisfy the Avengers fans that still wanted Bright, Shiny Heroes and Big Adventure. Post-Siege, there is still (presumably) going to be a segment that wants to read a book in Bendis’ “Tough guys vs. Organized Super-Crime” style. Rather than a thrice-monthly Avengers book with the same tone, I think Marvel will give us a spin-off like “Avengers: Heroes for Hire.” After all, if The Hood doesn’t appear at least once a month, Marvel’s customers will riot.
In a similar vein, I’d be shocked if The Inititative wasn’t relaunched as Avengers: New Warriors.
Come to think of it, can any of Marvel’s top talent actually do optimistic and heroic? Are they going to give Bendis’ books to Jeff Parker?
Avengers: The Initiative’s getting relaunched as Avengers Academy, by Gage & McKone.
According to Rich Johnson, anyway.
“Yeah, Americans don’t distinguish between someone who shares an apartment with someone and someone who shares a room with someone. To be honest, it never even occurred to me that such a distinction was important or desirable.”
If I was moving into new shared accomodation, I’d have through finding out if I’m sharing either the house generally or a room with someone specifically would be very high on my list of things to ask.
It’s a non-issue. Everyone here says ‘roommate’ but nobody expects to actually share a bedroom.
“If I was moving into new shared accomodation, I’d have through finding out if I’m sharing either the house generally or a room with someone specifically would be very high on my list of things to ask.”
I meant that I never thought having two distinct WORDS (i.e. “roommate” vs. “flatmate”) was necessary.
Are you going to be reviewing ‘Cover Stories: the Art of Greg Horn’ vol.2 on the next podcast?
Go on… You know you want to!