I didn't see a post about this title.
So, at the moment, I think Alanna did it, except the question is, what exactly, and why.
Any ideas?
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I didn't see a post about this title.
So, at the moment, I think Alanna did it, except the question is, what exactly, and why.
Any ideas?
An excellent issue. We have yet to see what this supposed war crime is that Adam Strange has committed. One thing I was not expecting from this book (but am very pleasantly surprised) is a great Mr. Terrific story! This whole series could be as much about him investigating the incident as it is about Strange himself.
First - hats off to Gerads and the rest of the art team. Very good looking book and smooth flow of panels which carries the story well.
Thought it was a great issue, though one can argue the plot technically didn't move "forward". Has some of the features of a Tom King book but nothing that rubs me the wrong way.
Loved the showing of Mr. Terrific. Thought King's choice of storytelling - with the jeopardy style questions from the sphere's and showcasing his other talents through activities in his daily life were fantastic. Just based on this issue, I want a (grounded) Mr. Terrific maxi-series and I wouldn't mind this creative team doing it. Think King excels in telling stories about characters that have less "baggage" behind them as against others (looking at you Bats).
As to the story itself, not sure where Holt got his conclusion from that [X] wasn't dead. May need to re-read the issue again. It's possible as the dedication used the word "lost" as against "died". Maybe that's the motive for the murder in issue one? Sure we'll find out more. I personally don't mind entertwining stories but think that may bother some.
All in all, think this would be a good story at the end along the likes of Vision, Sheriff of Babylon and Mister Miracle (to an extent).
Oh and the final question by the T-Sphere...damn.
It often happened before with Terrifiс that they spoke about his highest intellect, but at the same time they loved to push him back somewhere, in favor of other, more popular characters.
I am very glad that here, on the contrary, he's shown as he should. Great work on the character so far.
[QUOTE=Mr. White;5014042]
Thought it was a great issue, though one can argue the plot technically didn't move "forward". Has some of the features of a Tom King book but nothing that rubs me the wron
[/QUOTE]
This one clearly will be leisurely paced, but that seems a bug rather than a feature. Watching it unspool is really engrossing, at least so far.
And good lord that art - just amazing.
Read the first two issues, they were pretty great! I was waiting to see what the twist on this would be, since King said he wanted to kinda break away from what he had already been doing with Mr. Miracle and Vision. Looks like the “twist” this time is that the atom King insert (Strange) isn’t going to be quite the good guy he portrays himself as. King’s mention of colonialism, and Mr. Terrific talking about how he doesn’t get the same amount of respect as Adam even though he’s saved the world just as much definitely has me curious to see where he’s going with this. I like Mr. Terrific in this so far, even if him just reciting trivia is kind of a eye rolling attempt at portraying his intellect. That last question from the T-sphere was brutal though.
[QUOTE=Vordan;5014527]Read the first two issues, they were pretty great! I was waiting to see what the twist on this would be, since King said he wanted to kinda break away from what he had already been doing with Mr. Miracle and Vision. Looks like the “twist” this time is that the atom King insert (Strange) isn’t going to be quite the good guy he portrays himself as. King’s mention of colonialism, and [B]Mr. Terrific talking about how he doesn’t get the same amount of respect as Adam even though he’s saved the world just as much definitely has me curious to see where he’s going with this[/B]. I like Mr. Terrific in this so far, even if him just reciting trivia is kind of a eye rolling attempt at portraying his intellect. That last question from the T-sphere was brutal though.[/QUOTE]
Which is kind of ironic because I'd say Mr. Terrific is a little more popular and relevant then Adam has been lately.
[QUOTE=Vordan;5014527]Read the first two issues, they were pretty great! I was waiting to see what the twist on this would be, since King said he wanted to kinda break away from what he had already been doing with Mr. Miracle and Vision. Looks like the “twist” this time is that the atom King insert (Strange) isn’t going to be quite the good guy he portrays himself as. King’s mention of colonialism, and [b]Mr. Terrific talking about how he doesn’t get the same amount of respect as Adam even though he’s saved the world just as much definitely has me curious to see where he’s going with this.[/b] I like Mr. Terrific in this so far, even if him just reciting trivia is kind of a eye rolling attempt at portraying his intellect. That last question from the T-sphere was brutal though.[/QUOTE]
With all that’s going on in the world, that facet of the story may be even more socially relevant than even King intended. In this book Adam Strange is seen by the public as the all American hero who traveled to distant lands and brought peace to its people through military conquest. Mr. Terrific is an African American man who many consider one of if not [i]the[/i] smartest people on earth and one of the best athletes around. I don’t think King will be too on the nose with it but there would definitely be some people who would feel threatened by Holt’s status. Terrific himself states that “people don’t like it when people like me question people like him.” The whole “who does he think he is to accuse a [i]real American[/i] of such a crime?!?”
[QUOTE=Frontier;5014660]Which is kind of ironic because I'd say Mr. Terrific is a little more popular and relevant then Adam has been lately.[/QUOTE]
I would totally agree in terms of real world popularity, but what I think King is going for is critiquing the archetype Adam is built from, the guy who went “overseas” to have “adventures” and is hailed as a hero. Pretty timely given those Columbus statues that just got knocked down, although I hope King isn’t going to make Adam into a total POS. There’s also an interesting factor in that Adam is the clear “King protagonist” in the same vein as Mister Miracle, but here it looks like King might deconstruct his own archetypal protagonist via the other protagonist, Mr. Terrific.
[QUOTE=Vordan;5014806]I would totally agree in terms of real world popularity, but what I think King is going for is critiquing the archetype Adam is built from, the guy who went “overseas” to have “adventures” and is hailed as a hero. Pretty timely given those Columbus statues that just got knocked down, although I hope King isn’t going to make Adam into a total POS. There’s also an interesting factor in that Adam is the clear “King protagonist” in the same vein as Mister Miracle, but here it looks like King might deconstruct his own archetypal protagonist via the other protagonist, Mr. Terrific.[/QUOTE]
I get the sense King is drawing from his own experience working in an intelligence agency fighting the War on Terror...I just don't want him to turn Adam Strange into a bad guy.
This is the most interesting Mister Terrific has been in a while. This is shaping up to be as good as Mister Miracle. Fingers crossed.
[QUOTE=Bored at 3:00AM;5015497]This is the most interesting Mister Terrific has been in a while. This is shaping up to be as good as Mister Miracle. Fingers crossed.[/QUOTE]
King is a gamble. I've read his brilliant Omega men, Mister Miracle, and Vision nstories. I've also read Heroes in Crisis. I believe he aims huge with all of these min-series and swings for the fences. Personally, my big familiarity with Adam has been the Richard Bruning story so I'm not as up on the characters as many. I suspect any mischaracterizations would glide right by me. I also haven't read the second issue yet. Seriously, this world needs to get back on a regular schedule so I can get down to my LCS like clockwork.
But back to the book. I'm very happy with the first issue. There is a nice combination of normalcy and extraordinary events which was a big part of what I loved about Mister Miracle. I'm looking forward to this series.
[QUOTE=CaptCleghorn;5015561]King is a gamble. I've read his brilliant Omega men, Mister Miracle, and Vision nstories. I've also read Heroes in Crisis. I believe he aims huge with all of these min-series and swings for the fences. Personally, my big familiarity with Adam has been the Richard Bruning story so I'm not as up on the characters as many. I suspect any mischaracterizations would glide right by me. I also haven't read the second issue yet. Seriously, this world needs to get back on a regular schedule so I can get down to my LCS like clockwork.
But back to the book. I'm very happy with the first issue. There is a nice combination of normalcy and extraordinary events which was a big part of what I loved about Mister Miracle. I'm looking forward to this series.[/QUOTE]
Quite right. He might be one of the biggest hit or miss writers in comics. His good stuff is great, and his bad stuff is truly awful. Sometimes he even vacillates in the same run. I really dug some of his early Batman run, then he just fell off a cliff.
King's problem is that his style doesn't fit on going books or events while he truly shine in mini and small books.
[QUOTE=Rise;5015572]King's problem is that his style doesn't fit on going books or events while he truly shine in mini and small books.[/QUOTE]
From all the interviews he's given, it sounds like he agrees with you. I don't think he has much interest in dealing with giant DCU events like he had to with Batman and Heroes in Crisis.
[QUOTE=Rise;5015572]King's problem is that his style doesn't fit on going books or events while he truly shine in mini and small books.[/QUOTE]
I think that's true - with the honourable exception of "Grayson", where he had Seeley's sensibilities to work alongside.
I think I'm right in saying that the "War Of Jokes And Riddles" arc in his "Batman" run was intended to be a 12 issue King/Gerards maxi-series that got ported into his main run - it's not hard to imagine it being an improvement in it's original form.
[QUOTE=Claude;5016110]I think that's true - with the honourable exception of "Grayson", where he had Seeley's sensibilities to work alongside.
I think I'm right in saying that the "War Of Jokes And Riddles" arc in his "Batman" run was intended to be a 12 issue King/Gerards maxi-series that got ported into his main run - it's not hard to imagine it being an improvement in it's original form.[/QUOTE]
You are correct, that was his original intention.
Nothing so far really showed Adam as being a bad guy so my guess would be that down the road he had to do some ugly things to save the day or something like that. Unless pages that focus on him are from the "book" and are lies?
On one hand I liked that King tried to showcase Terrific in this issue, on the other hand it got kinda boring towards the end (thou last question was "good") so I hope that this won't be happening every time he does something.
I got a "Lady Macbeth" vibe from Alanna. I could see her being one of the main antagonists- driven by a desire to make sure Adam comes out of this ordeal on top. If she has to discredit and ruin the Justice League in the proccess, so be it.
[QUOTE=the illustrious mr. kenway;5049189]I got a "Lady Macbeth" vibe from Alanna. I could see her being one of the main antagonists- driven by a desire to make sure Adam comes out of this ordeal on top. If she has to discredit and ruin the Justice League in the proccess, so be it.[/QUOTE]
I hope Alanna doesn't end up being the villain of this thing, particularly after King talked about how they were ignoring the 1980s Adam Strange miniseries for being too misogynistic in regards to her character.
Granted, I have been wrong about giving King the benefit of the doubt before...
Mr Terrific was a boss in the latest issue.
Desperation is not a good look on Adam. His reaction was over the top but somewhat understandable.
[QUOTE=Bored at 3:00AM;5049621]I hope Alanna doesn't end up being the villain of this thing, particularly after King talked about how they were ignoring the 1980s Adam Strange miniseries for being too misogynistic in regards to her character.
Granted, I have been wrong about giving King the benefit of the doubt before...[/QUOTE]
What was misogynistic about the 1980s take on Alanna? I never read it so I'm curious about it.
[QUOTE=the illustrious mr. kenway;5083072]What was misogynistic about the 1980s take on Alanna? I never read it so I'm curious about it.[/QUOTE]
Wasn't that the era that retconned that all Rannian males were sterile and Adam had been brought over to repopulate the species?
[QUOTE=LordUltimus;5083094]Wasn't that the era that retconned that all Rannian males were sterile and Adam had been brought over to repopulate the species?[/QUOTE]
...Not surprised that probably every writer has already ignored that one, if true :p.
[QUOTE=chamber-music;5082604]Mr Terrific was a boss in the latest issue.
Desperation is not a good look on Adam. His reaction was over the top but somewhat understandable.[/QUOTE]
Oh Michael is absolutely stealing the show and I am 100% here for it.
[QUOTE=Green Goblin of Sector 2814;5083536]Oh Michael is absolutely stealing the show and I am 100% here for it.[/QUOTE]
Just finished #4, I'm right there with you.
I'm truly locked in to this series. I'm really invested in how the mystery surrounding the whole war unfolds and I'm looking forward to the payoff at the end. In war there is a lot of grey area and I suspect in the end we'll find out that Adam is a fine and honorable man with the best of intentions that just ended up being pushed too far and did something that, while completely understandable, was still wrong. And I suspect what pushes Adam over the line is the death of his daughter (which is why Mr. Terrific keeps asking about her)
BTW, it's good to be back. I caught Covid and have been dealing with a lot of side effects to my breathing and lung capacity for months now.
[QUOTE=docmidnite;5087294]I'm truly locked in to this series. I'm really invested in how the mystery surrounding the whole war unfolds and I'm looking forward to the payoff at the end. In war there is a lot of grey area and I suspect in the end we'll find out that Adam is a fine and honorable man with the best of intentions that just ended up being pushed too far and did something that, while completely understandable, was still wrong. And I suspect what pushes Adam over the line is the death of his daughter (which is why Mr. Terrific keeps asking about her)
BTW, it's good to be back. I caught Covid and have been dealing with a lot of side effects to my breathing and lung capacity for months now.[/QUOTE]
I am sorry for your illness and I hope for your complete recovery.
[QUOTE=docmidnite;5087294]I'm truly locked in to this series. I'm really invested in how the mystery surrounding the whole war unfolds and I'm looking forward to the payoff at the end. In war there is a lot of grey area and I suspect in the end we'll find out that Adam is a fine and honorable man with the best of intentions that just ended up being pushed too far and did something that, while completely understandable, was still wrong. And I suspect what pushes Adam over the line is the death of his daughter (which is why Mr. Terrific keeps asking about her)
BTW, it's good to be back. I caught Covid and have been dealing with a lot of side effects to my breathing and lung capacity for months now.[/QUOTE]
I wish you a safe and speedy recovery!
Calling it: Adam gave Aleea to the Pykkts as part of a secret ceasefire. It's ending because she's an adult now and has been raised to kill her father.
[QUOTE=LordUltimus;5309917]Calling it: Adam gave Aleea to the Pykkts as part of a secret ceasefire. It's ending because she's an adult now and has been raised to kill her father.[/QUOTE]
I thought the war with the Pykkts was recent? I could definitely see it playing out like you described though, riffing on “The Pact” from the Fourth World would definitely be something King is interested in for obvious reasons.
Might do some "time goes faster where Pykkts live" plot point or even have her at "normal age", but completely brainwashed.
I’m shocked I haven’t seen more people freaking the hell out about this.
[spoil] Sure looks like Adam Strange is a war criminal now. I’m assuming there [B][I]must[/I][/B] be a twist coming because otherwise Jesus, Strange seems to have lost his mind and the Rannians covered it all up. Losing your kid would make it understandable though. Loved that Holt was better at speaking Pykkt than Batman was. Oh and is Phoenix, Arizona just f****** [B]gone[/B] now in the DCU? Goddamn the Pykkts have killed the most people since Chemo nuked Bludhaven! [/spoil]
[QUOTE=Vordan;5352764]I’m shocked I haven’t seen more people freaking the hell out about this.[/QUOTE]
About your last point... dude, chill. I'd be surprised if even one writer working at DC will give that turn of events even a sliver of attention in the next six months. After that point, it will 100% go into the dustbin of "catastrophic events which were a thing in the context of a single series / story arc" comic book history is littered with.
Don't you know the new approach to continuity? "Everything happened", which in everyday English means "nothing ever happens!"
[QUOTE=Vordan;5352764]I’m shocked I haven’t seen more people freaking the hell out about this.
[spoil] Sure looks like Adam Strange is a war criminal now. I’m assuming there [B][I]must[/I][/B] be a twist coming because otherwise Jesus, Strange seems to have lost his mind and the Rannians covered it all up. Losing your kid would make it understandable though. Loved that Holt was better at speaking Pykkt than Batman was. Oh and is Phoenix, Arizona just f****** [B]gone[/B] now in the DCU? Goddamn the Pykkts have killed the most people since Chemo nuked Bludhaven! [/spoil][/QUOTE]
I see this is going into "Tom King continuity" territory.
Yeah, for me that Pheonix thing cemented this as out of continuity story. But hey, maybe I'm wrong.
I sort of see this as the "Doomsday Clock" approach, where it didn't happen unless someone else wants it to happen.
So business as usual with DC.
It's an interesting story, but anybody else feel they could tell it in 4 or 6 issues? There seems to be a lot of "something bad happened, but we won't tell you until the last issue."
[QUOTE=Powertool;5353087]About your last point... [B]dude, chill.[/B] I'd be surprised if even one writer working at DC will give that turn of events even a sliver of attention in the next six months. After that point, it will 100% go into the dustbin of "catastrophic events which were a thing in the context of a single series / story arc" comic book history is littered with.
Don't you know the new approach to continuity? "Everything happened", which in everyday English means "nothing ever happens!"[/QUOTE]
You misread my post. I’m not upset at all, I really enjoyed the last issue. But damn the Pykkts now have killed more humans thank Darkseid has in canon.
[QUOTE=Kirby101;5358348]It's an interesting story, but anybody else feel they could tell it in 4 or 6 issues? There seems to be a lot of "something bad happened, but we won't tell you until the last issue."[/QUOTE]
I agree. Maybe longer than 6 issues, but 12 is really stretching it out.