1990's Wonder Man series

[TONNER99]

Yay or Nay?

[Ant-manic]

coin toss for me - i love the idea of simon williams getting into fights around LA but i didn't care for any of his villains or supporting cast - they feel dated to me - i wonder what would it have been like if it had debuted in the 2000s

[Pat Thomas]

If you like Wonder Man, read it. It's not like there are many other options. You can probably find the whole run in dollar bins, too.

[ob1er]

Funny you should ask right at this moment, since I just got the whole run on ebay about a week ago: 29 issues plus the 2 annuals for about $16 after shipping. I've only read the first four issues. So far, it's goofy, yes, a bit dated, and the villains are pretty lame. But some of the humor works, Simon is an appealing lead, there've been some good guest stars, and the premise is interesting. And it's still from the very early 90s, so the art isn't too overblown, yet (I'm not a fan of much of the 90s aesthetic). So, I guess, based on my limited exposure, I'd give it a tentative "yea."

[Captain Wessex]

i've picked up several issues in the first 10 and i liked it.

[SJNeal]

Big fat "yay"! It starts out light/silly, but the tone changes a bit with Operation: Galactic Storm (#7-9). It only gets better from that point.

[strathcona]

When it was coming out it was one of my favourites. I haven't reread it in years, but I still have fond memories of it. A 'yay' from me!

[Zero Hunter]

It is very ....... 90's. Take that as you will.

[Nomads1]

Big fat "yay"! It starts out light/silly, but the tone changes a bit with Operation: Galactic Storm (#7-9). It only gets better from that point.

One rare occasion in which SJNeal and I don't see eye to eye. I prefered the lighter tone of the first seven or so issues. After that, editorial ordered a shift on the tone of the series and it went into angst overdrive, turning Simon into the Savage Wonder Man, full of all the 90's gimmicky writing. I'm a huge Wonder Man fan, so I stuck with it and it's still pretty enjoyable, but I thought the lighter tone and crazy Hollwood antics fit better Simon. It also opened a prescedent for Bendis later on butchering the character (not that I think Bendis read this, but his defenders always used the argument to justify the butchering). The art is, IMHO, top notch, though. Jeff Johnson was a great fit for the character, and the collors greatly complemented the vibrant art.

Peace

Edit: Also, not the greatest Gerard Jones fan, and in the end of the series he made same pretty serious continuity errors, but only huge WM and Avengers fans will pick it up.

[Pat Thomas]

One rare occasion in which SJNeal and I don't see eye to eye. I prefered the lighter tone of the first seven or so issues. After that, editorial ordered a shift on the tone of the series and it went into angst overdrive, turning Simon into the Savage Wonder Man, full of all the 90's gimmicky writing. I'm a huge Wonder Man fan, so I stuck with it and it's still pretty enjoyable, but I thought the lighter tone and crazy Hollwood antics fit better Simon. It also opened a prescedentfor Bendis later on butchering the character (not that I think Bendis read this, but he's defenders always iused the argumente to justify the butchering). THe art is, IMHO, top notch, though. Jeff Johnson was a great fit for the character, and the collors greatly complemented the vibrant art.

Peace



Edit: Also, not the greatest Gerard Jones fan, and in the end of the series he made same pretty serious continuity errors, but only huge WM and Avengers fans will pick it up.

What series does it show Simon all alone in the far, far future at the end, because everyone else has died out? Was it this series or one of the minis? Or did I imagine it?

[SJNeal]

What series does it show Simon all alone in the far, far future at the end, because everyone else has died out? Was it this series or one of the minis? Or did I imagine it?

That was PADs 2007 mini series. It was good, not great, but the horrible art really dragged it down. Imho.

[Mike]

Like the character but wasn't a fan of the series.

[Nomads1]

That was PADs 2007 mini series. It was good, not great, but the horrible art really dragged it down. Imho.

Yes, the art really dragged the mini-series down.

Peace

[CSTowle]

I enjoyed it quite a bit. Always been a Wonder Man fan, and this series was sort of like a poor man's Booster Gold. Probably make a better TV show than a comic.

[Dermie]

One rare occasion in which SJNeal and I don't see eye to eye. I prefered the lighter tone of the first seven or so issues. After that, editorial ordered a shift on the tone of the series and it went into angst overdrive, turning Simon into the Savage Wonder Man, full of all the 90's gimmicky writing. I'm a huge Wonder Man fan, so I stuck with it and it's still pretty enjoyable, but I thought the lighter tone and crazy Hollwood antics fit better Simon.

Agreed! I enjoy the whole series overall, but I thought the first year was the strongest. After that they got too tied up in angst, plus spending 3 issues on "Infinity War" tie-ins didn't exactly help them either. The entire series is an entertaining read, but it definitely has its ups and downs.