I think Kyle Baker mentioned it when someone asked him about a new release of Truth.
But as for real reporting NO. When it comes to certain characters stuff gets ignored or rarely mentioned. Ultraverse is barely mentioned despite the death of some founders and jailing of one. Milestone too since we are heading into year 10 of no Static in a comic book. Heck no one talks about the Fly being MIA from Red Circle and Archie.
That Milestone situation is a real kicker, as Bendis actually wanted Static in his Young Justice team and wasn't allowed to use him.
Jailed? Well I assume that guy's work won't see the light of day again then. So that actually explains why Ultraverse is ignored.
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So it's been a few days since Death's Head #2 came out and I've had time to collect my thoughts
After two issues I've got to say I'm pretty happy with Tini Howard as the new ongoing writer for Billy in Strikeforce, I like her take on him. He's still a huge nerd with poor impulse control and who makes questionable life choices. And I really identify with how he's worried that he's lost his shot to be successful because he's taken so many breaks for his own mental health.
And I like this take on his magic, while I enjoyed Ewing's use of him I feel like the one word spells were just too OP. Having to repeat himself again, seeing how he has to take a beat to come up with spells on the fly (like the prison of pool chairs), I think these limits will work a lot better for team settings.
And now onto what seems to be the most divisive part of the issue, Howard's portrayal of Kate. Personally I didn't mind it. I think it hints at an interesting divide between Billy and Kate's experiences.
So towards the end of Ewing's New Avengers, Billy had really come into his own, he'd taken down a cosmic horror from before creation through sheer will, he stood his ground against his boss when they were about to turn against the government, and he basically became de facto leader of his splinter group of New Avengers after they broke off from AIM. He had confidence in himself and his abilities. And you could see that confidence during his Drag Brunch with Loki during WotR.
But recovery isn't linear, and his anxiety and depression are always going to be issues for him which is where we are in Death's Head. He's feeling down that he's not where he should be in life, that his peers have all moved on and kids younger than him are already starting to surpass him. But he still has some confidence, he knows he messed up with his interdimensional self googling (again) so he's trying to take charge and clean up after himself this time.
And that's where we run into conflict with Kate, she's never liked taking orders, not from Iron Man, Captain America, Iron Lad or Eli. She was the de facto leader of the Young Avengers after Eli quit, she led her own West Coast Avengers, I can see why she thinks she doesn't need to listen to Billy's orders. She's never quit like he has, she's been doing this nonstop for years, she has more experience than he does at this point. But she loves him so she will follow his orders, for now
Can we all just agree Billy shows huge characteristics of bipolar disorder?
The closest thing I've seen to a confirmation was when Jeremy Whitley, a Marvel writer, explicitly stated on Twitter that he heard there were legal issues with the Bradleys from the artist who co-created Isaiah himself, and that's why they haven't been used. And we have some evidence that the characters indeed couldn't be used, as both Kieron Gillen and Ta-Nehisi Coates stated in separate occasions that they weren't allowed to use a member of the Bradley family for reasons they couldn't really explain. Other than that, we never got the full picture of what was going on, and I don't think we ever will. That's irrelevant now, anyway, as it seems everything is finally back to normal.
I like your take on this.
Not sure if I would go that far. I do think he shows classic signs of anxiety, though.
Billy was never biologically related to Erik, though, not even when he was still the Maximoffs' biological father. So those mental issues are not correlated, at least not on any biological form. Unless they explain that the whole magical reincarnation thing also messed with his mind.... which I guess it's not impossible when it comes to superhero comics.
That reminds me that his biological mom, Rebecca Kaplan, is a psychologist, however. I remember some fun mentions of that during Heinberg's run, like when she gave this whole speech about how not eating breakfast with his family could be bad for him, or Billy being annoyed at her for ''psycho-analyzing'' him. I feel like it would be quite relevant to explore more of Billy's dynamics with his family now that we know he's faced a lot of psychological issues over the years.
Last edited by Drops Of Venus; 08-23-2019 at 01:46 AM.
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Billy experiencing mental health challenges is one of my favorite and one of the most believable developments for his character. I'd still very much like to see him in actual therapy with Jericho since he has a psychology degree and experience as a mystic-hero as well.
They've only met once, and it was at a birthday party where they barely interacted and were both trying to be socialable
That's not exactly the best time for Nadia to randomly assume this stranger she's just met has the same mental illness she does, especially when she had only recently been diagnosed herself
So a lot of rumors about upcoming Marvel Studios productions turned out to be true, including the She-Hulk show which I honestly didn't think would actually happen. This gives me hope that there is some truth behind those Young Avengers rumors we got earlier this year.
I saw on Twitter that apparently there is another Marvel panel on the second day of D23, so fingers crossed. I'm gonna be crushed if we come out of another convention with no YA announcements on any media at all. Come on, Marvel!
Last edited by Drops Of Venus; 08-24-2019 at 02:18 AM.
They also announced a Ms. Marvel Disney+ show. If the YA thing is true, she's probably in it. The confirmed teen MCU heroes now are Kamala, Kate Bishop, and Cassie Lang (I'd say Spider-Man too, if not for this week's bad news about his MCU status).
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Ooh, good call! Drumm would be a much better choice than Doc Samson, who seems to be the go-to shrink for the superhero set. (Nobody wants to unpack their baggage in front of Moonstone...) It would be neat to address how crucial an uncluttered mind can be for a magical practitioner.
So...this was announced at D23.
New event apparently called 'Incoming' in December.
Anyone else think THIS looks like a certain shapeshifter?