The X-Axis – 14 November 2010
If you’re here for the podcast, then just a reminder that we’re skipping a week, and episode 50 will be up next weekend. (We did tell you on the last episode, but it was right at the end…)
It’s a very quiet week for the X-titles – just the two Forever titles – which is fortunate, to be honest, because I’ve not had time to read that many of this week’s books. But here are a few things I have read…
Amazing Spider-Man #648 – The lead-off issue for the new direction, which they’re billing as “Big Time.” Dan Slott’s been one of the writers on the book for years, but now that he’s the sole writer, he seems to be treating this as the start of an entirely new run. It’s a slight overstatement to say that this reads like a first issue – but only in the sense that it stops short of recapping Spider-Man’s origin and spelling out who J Jonah Jameson is. Against the background of kicking off a new Dr Octopus storyline, Slott takes us on a tour of Spider-Man’s supporting cast to remind us of what they’re currently up to, nudges a couple of characters like Marla Jameson into new roles for his new period, and sets up Peter Parker with a job that he’s actually suited for – a think tank role where he isn’t expected to work regular hours. And that seems to be the high concept; Peter finally gets a status quo where he doesn’t have to worry about the same thing that writers have been using as fallback drama for the last thirty years. In some ways a smart move, since all this “how can I pay the rent” stuff no longer works if readers are going to ask the obvious question “Have you considered borrowing some money from the Avengers?” On the other hand, I vaguely recall that they tried something similar at the start of the ill-fated John Byrne run and aborted it within six months, but hopefully Slott has a clearer idea of where he’s going with it.
Charts – 7 November 2010
(In case you’ve forgotten, or you just didn’t listen all the way to the end of last week’s podcast, House to Astonish episode 50 will be out next Sunday. In the meantime, regulars features…)
As expected from the midweeks, the top two singles trade places this week, with Cheryl Cole dropping to 2, and “The Only Girl in the World” by Rihanna climbing to number 1. With the charts having slipped back into the old ways of much-hyped singles entering at the top upon release – perhaps because that makes it possible to concentrate sales into a few days in a way that can’t be done when you’re promoting the third single from an album and it’s already available for download – it’s the first record to climb to the top since “Club Can’t Handle Me” by Flo Rida in August. (Yes, Bruno Mars went back to number 1 a couple of weeks ago, but he also entered at number 1 in the first place.)
It’s more of a European electropop record than an R&B track, which is hardly surprising, since it’s a Stargate production. And it’s a great single – stomping production, big chorus, and for once they’ve not gone overboard with the Autotune. One of the best number one singles of the year, actually.
The X-Axis – 7 November 2010
It’s getting late, there’s a lot to review, let’s get down to it. This week’s X-books include the first issues of Generation Hope and X-Men: To Serve and Protect, plus Wolverine #3 and, if you squint a bit, Namor #3. But first…
Amazing Spider-Man #647 – This is a triple-sized anthology issue, wrapping up the “Brand New Day” period, and so the five dollar price tag is pretty reasonable. Well, I say the “Brand New Day” period. They actually stopped using that tag months ago, and there’s something a bit contrived about dusting it off now. But this issue does mark the end of the thrice-monthly format and the team of writers, so there’s some legitimacy when it plays the “end of an era” card. In plot terms, this is a mixture of epilogue and tying up of loose ends, with a couple of throwaway elements to set up future stories. So we’ve got Vin Gonzales getting out of jail, Harry Osborn moving on, and Mary Jane showing up again to give her blessing to Carlie Cooper as the new love interest. Which some people won’t much care for, and in a sense, the fact that the creators still feel the need to do it can be seen as a demonstration that the reboot failed to extricate Peter from his marriage effectively.
Charts – 31 October 2010
Autumn – that very special time of the year when the leaves fall, the nights draw in, and anyone vaguely associated with The X Factor makes sure they have a new album out. This week, it’s judge Cheryl Cole, and the first single from her second solo album is “Promise This”.
Cole started off in 2002 as a member of Girls Aloud, the girl group formed on reality TV show Popstars: The Rivals, and who turned out to surpass all predictions for their durability. Wisely recognising that winning a talent show would only take them so far, their management more or less assigned them to become the front group for production studio Xenomania, leading to a string of generally well-received singles. Theoretically they’ve never split up; they went on hiatus in 2009 for the members for pursue solo projects – or, in other words, for Cheryl Cole to make solo albums, Sarah Harding to have a go at acting, and the other three to kill time. (Nadine Coyle’s first solo single will be on Sunday’s chart, and the midweeks have it at 26.) There’s no obvious sign of the group reforming.
Charts – 24 October 2010
I’m running behind on these again, so this is the chart from the week before last – plenty of new entries, few of them particularly noteworthy.
There’s a change at the top, but unusually, it’s the return of a previous number 1 – “Just The Way You Are (Amazing)” by Bruno Mars.
The X-Axis – 31 October 2010
They tell me there’s some sort of holiday on. If you are the sort of person who thinks that everything this weekend has to be Hallowe’en themed, then open another window, put it next to this one, and search Google Images for a pumpkin or something. Spooky.
Welcome to this not remotely special 31 October edition of the X-Axis, in which as usual I’ll be running through a bunch of X-books and a few other titles. It’s also a podcast weekend, so check the post below to hear Al and me discussing Carnage, Action Comics and JLA/99 as well as running down the latest solicitations and news.
Assorted reviews follow below the cut…
House To Astonish Episode 49
We’re back with another episode of House to Astonish, and we’re talking about Marvel’s pricing controversy and their Point One programme, as well as the January solicitations. We’ve also got reviews of Action Comics, Carnage and JLA/The 99, and the Official Handbook of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe has a close shave. All this plus nose hair, Bugs Bunny with a machine gun and a sweet transvestite from Transia.
The podcast is here, or here on Mixcloud. Let us know what you think, either in the comments below, on Twitter, by email, on our Facebook fan page or through the power of suggestion.
The X-Axis – 24 October 2010
Why, what’s this? Yes, it’s an X-Axis post actually showing up on Sunday, when it’s meant to. Isn’t life great?
If you’re looking for the preview for tonight’s WWE show, that’s one post down (though if you want the short version, it sounds like a dud). As for the comics, this week’s X-books are New Mutants, X-23 and X-Factor, and there’s, uh, some other stuff too.
Enjoy the reviews in their full glory behind this space-saving cut!
Bragging Rights 2010
I’m writing this on Thursday night, before Smackdown airs, so by the time you read this post, it may well be out of date. But probably not. Bragging Rights, Sunday’s WWE pay-per-view, is a classic example of a show that’s only on the schedule because the company stubbornly refuses to accept that it didn’t work last year – and so they’re going to do it again this year, in order to prove that it definitely, absolutely doesn’t work.
In the event, the company seems to have rather lost interest in the business of wrestling this last week, preferring to hurl itself into a frankly ludicrous tantrum over some of the negative press coverage arising from Linda McMahon’s Senate run. Strictly speaking the WWE isn’t allowed to campaign for the boss’s wife, but Vince McMahon is apparently so incensed by what he sees as unjustified attacks on his beloved business that he’s started devoting airtime to an absurd campaign which he calls “Stand Up For WWE”, in which fans are invited to sign some sort of online petition. Unfortunately for him, most of the criticisms of the WWE are entirely justified, and he doesn’t have any convincing rebuttal to offer. Some of them are a bit outdated – the company has actually being doing PG programming for at least a year now – but they’re perfectly valid if your point is to criticise what the company was like when Linda was CEO.
So, while the company embarks on a high-profile attempt to make itself look stupid, it’s unlikely we’ll being seeing any last-minute moves to flesh out this half-baked card. (Not least because Smackdown is taped on Tuesday nights, so we already know everything that happens in the ring.) There’ll probably be a couple of last-minute additions to fill time, but that’s about it.
Charts – 17 October 2010
This week’s number 1 is still Cee Lo Green, for the second week. I covered that single in the previous post, if you haven’t read it yet. It’s an odd race for the top, with the number 2 slot going to Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are” – another former number one, and according to the midweeks, currently likely to return to the top on Sunday.
This is also the first chart to come with something of an asterisk attached. We are now into the X Factor live finals, and this year, the performances are available for download on iTunes. But the record company has opted to exclude from the chart. (More accurately, you need to register a single with the Official Chart Company to opt in. But same difference.) From Simon Cowell’s point of view, there are good reasons for this. If it becomes clear that somebody’s a runaway leader, there’s no tension going into the final.
But we know that songs can re-enter the charts on the strength of X Factor performances; and we know that even Sky One’s Must Be The Music was able to propel three singles into the top ten, with a much lower audience. The chances are good, then, that if the X Factor downloads were eligible for the charts, several of them would have made it in – even with the first week giving audiences sixteen tracks to choose from. (They’re doing double eliminations in the first few weeks to get the numbers down to a more sensible level.)
Would any of these tracks have made number 1? My guess is, probably not. X Factor winners inevitably get to number 1 (Joe McElderry made it on his second week of release), but their singles are part of a grand narrative. These ones aren’t. The audience is split between sixteen acts. They’re released on Saturday nights, so the sales will be split between two chart weeks. And as we’ll see shortly, there’s a limit to the promotional power of a single performance on the show.
Meanwhile, this week’s highest new entry…
