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  1. #1
    Mighty Member Hybrid's Avatar
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    Default Marvel launches "Black Label" equivalent, what are your ideas?

    DC launched a new line called DC Black Label. The idea is to tell limited series that reinterpret various parts of the DC Universe, done by known creators in the industry, while not being confined to the mainstream continuity. It's also more mature, with more leeway in terms of profanity and themes, but the stories take precedence. Note, that isn't quite like Marvel MAX, which was strictly an R-rated imprint, though it is similar. It's more about reinterpretations of the Marvel lore, than just about making R-rated stories out of continuity.

    As an example of such a title that would fit a Black Label imprint, there's Spider-Man: Life Story.

    Here are some ideas:

    Doom United

    A world where Doctor Doom has already won. He's taken over the world, united all nations, expelled outside threats, and mandates that any superpowered being (mutant, mutate or otherwise) must be drafted to serve his military. It highlights everything about what a world under Doom's rule would be. As for the story itself, I'd picture Doom as being a distant figure, like a greater-scope villain, rather than a direct threat, and it follows a group of renegades who want to live free. Each renegade reflects elements of the main universe: one is a mutate girl with spider-powers, one is a tech-genius with his own gadgets, one is a mutant telepath, one is an alien refugee, and one is a normal human with tons of money and uses their funds to keep them safe. It's set in NYC, but reimagined with a makeover consisting of Doom's magitek.

    Parker Luck

    A world where the Parkers are as rich as the Starks. Peter Parker grows up as the heir of Parker Industries, gets bit by a spider, loses his uncle, and aspires to become Spider-Man. By day, he poses as a billionaire without a care in the world, by night, he's the arachnid-themed dealer of justice. Inspired by the Parker Industries arc in Slott's run, this explores what it would be if this was the norm. He would have a bunch of fancy gadgets and vehicles, his own A.I., and a special suit in addition to his abilities. He's also a founding Avenger, and bankrolls them through the company, while Uncle Ben was a co-founder of S.H.I.E.L.D.. His rogues are reimagined as being part of the corporate world rather than "just" street criminals.

    Armor Wars

    A world where Tony Stark made his power armor widely available. Taking its name from the iconic '80s storyline, here we focus on a world where power armor is the most widely used weapon of war. The U.S. military has the Armored Corps, which is the sixth branch of the United States Armed Forces, at war with a fictional country over their use of power armor. Meanwhile, there's a criminal enterprise that opens up, which is all about selling the best armors on the black market. Police forces also have special armors for dealing with criminals. In a world where superpowers exist, the widespread use of power armor closes the gap. This was inspired by Iron Man 2, where everyone tried to recreate Tony's armor, because he refused to make them an open market. What if he did?

    ----

    Anyways, what ideas do you have?

  2. #2
    Extraordinary Member Derek Metaltron's Avatar
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    Lockheed: Monsters Within

    Sort of a somewhat mature take on a Lockheed origin story, owning to the idea that Lockheed is known to be well over a hundred years old. We see his birth, the attack and conquest of his planet by the Brood, his race’s escape into space and Heed’s evolution from a scared hatchling into the badass Brood slayer we know him to be. We also discover his first encounter with humans during a fight with some Brood - Nazi Germany. Suddenly in a place where he is alien and inhuman, Heed encounters the horror of the Holocaust and rescues several Jews, one of which is Kitty’s Great Aunt or Uncle. He also finds a sect of these evil humans experimenting on the Brood for their own ends, led by a cruel human with a scar and eyeglass. He ultimately defeats both the Brood infestation and these evil humans before returning to the stars.

    Virtually all of the series would have no dialogue because we are seeing things from Lockheed’s perspective - when humans speak it is a mash of gibberish, but gradually he starts to pick up on certain words in humanspeak. The final twist is that his interaction with Katherine’s relative becomes the basis for him or her telling a story to a very young Katherine about a heroic dragon (which she would use in her stories to Illyana before she meets Lockheed for real).

  3. #3
    Mighty Member Hybrid's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Metaltron View Post
    Lockheed: Monsters Within

    Sort of a somewhat mature take on a Lockheed origin story, owning to the idea that Lockheed is known to be well over a hundred years old. We see his birth, the attack and conquest of his planet by the Brood, his race’s escape into space and Heed’s evolution from a scared hatchling into the badass Brood slayer we know him to be. We also discover his first encounter with humans during a fight with some Brood - Nazi Germany. Suddenly in a place where he is alien and inhuman, Heed encounters the horror of the Holocaust and rescues several Jews, one of which is Kitty’s Great Aunt or Uncle. He also finds a sect of these evil humans experimenting on the Brood for their own ends, led by a cruel human with a scar and eyeglass. He ultimately defeats both the Brood infestation and these evil humans before returning to the stars.

    Virtually all of the series would have no dialogue because we are seeing things from Lockheed’s perspective - when humans speak it is a mash of gibberish, but gradually he starts to pick up on certain words in humanspeak. The final twist is that his interaction with Katherine’s relative becomes the basis for him or her telling a story to a very young Katherine about a heroic dragon (which she would use in her stories to Illyana before she meets Lockheed for real).
    Huh, this is the comic I never knew I wanted to read. That's awesome!

  4. #4
    Extraordinary Member Derek Metaltron's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hybrid View Post
    Huh, this is the comic I never knew I wanted to read. That's awesome!
    Aw thanks! If I had any artistic or fan film talent I would try and adapt the idea somehow. I like the idea of having the apparently ‘pure’ Nazi variant of HYDRA and Baron Strucker alongside the alien and parasitic Brood with the ultimate idea that evil has many guises. Plus Lockheed’s origins have never been told in comics and I would love the option to make people see he’s more than just Kitty’s pet dragon.

    I like your Spidey and Doom ideas too, would definitely read those!

  5. #5
    Queen of Disaster Magik's Avatar
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    An Elsa Bloodstone comic book. With a lot of badassness and blood!

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Magik View Post
    An Elsa Bloodstone comic book. With a lot of badassness and blood!
    I'd be OK with this if her first job was to get rid of her brother(s).
    Sandy Hausler
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  7. #7
    Astonishing Member legion_quest's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sandy Hausler View Post
    I'd be OK with this if her first job was to get rid of her brother(s).
    Ouch for Cullen. Dislike the character, or just wanting the drama?
    I will raise my throne above the Stars of God

  8. #8
    Formerly Assassin Spider Huntsman Spider's Avatar
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    Marvelous eScape

    A cyberpunk reality where the virtual world of Project eScape created by Tony Stark was never shut down, but instead eventually encompassed the world and everything in it, becoming "the world within the world," a digitized hub of trade, commerce, communication, and entertainment of all kinds . . . including the illegal and/or deeply immoral. However, a game-changer arrives one day --- in the form of a cyber-viral attack equivalent to a carpet-bombing upon Technopolis, an extremely popular eScape domain where the virtual denizens can step into the avatars of the great figures of the now-bygone "Heroic Age" and roleplay their greatest battles, adventures, and triumphs. As a result of this "cyber-viral bombing," the virtual world of the eScape, specifically Technopolis, has begun to encroach upon the "real world," mainly in the form of its players manifesting superhuman abilities reminiscent of their heroic (or villainous) avatars. Will they follow the paths of their avatars, or will they chart new paths of their own? Perhaps more importantly, who or what was behind the infection of Project eScape, and could it make its own escape into "reality"? Does anyone even know what reality is anymore?
    The spider is always on the hunt.

  9. #9
    Benefactor / Malefactor H-E-D's Avatar
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    "Karma Sutra: A New Mutants Story"

  10. #10
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    Isn't that what does Grand Design minis are doing?

  11. #11
    Ultimate Member Mister Mets's Avatar
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    Interesting question. A revival of Marvel Max could be excellent. I'm not sure Disney will allow it.

    I'd try to go with a monthly title in a world where the villains have won on Earth, a Game of Thrones style approach where President Norman Osborn maneuvers against Doctor Doom's Latveria and Magneto's separatist Genosha, while a cosmic threat is coming. Potential names for a title would be Victorious or Supervillain Team-Up.

    Something else that could be fun would be an anthology about stories with twist endings by A-list talent with the title Amazing Adult Fantasy. The original had art by Ditko and Kirby.
    Sincerely,
    Thomas Mets

  12. #12
    Ultimate Member Mister Mets's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by shooshoomanjoe View Post
    Isn't that what does Grand Design minis are doing?
    The X-Men one was excellent and I'm looking forward to Scioli's Fantastic Four, but those are different approaches with artists using their peculiar styles to look at continuity as if it was the grand sweep of history. It appeals to mature audiences, but isn't necessarily R-rated.
    Sincerely,
    Thomas Mets

  13. #13
    Mighty Member Hybrid's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mister Mets View Post
    Interesting question. A revival of Marvel Max could be excellent. I'm not sure Disney will allow it.

    I'd try to go with a monthly title in a world where the villains have won on Earth, a Game of Thrones style approach where President Norman Osborn maneuvers against Doctor Doom's Latveria and Magneto's separatist Genosha, while a cosmic threat is coming. Potential names for a title would be Victorious or Supervillain Team-Up.

    Something else that could be fun would be an anthology about stories with twist endings by A-list talent with the title Amazing Adult Fantasy. The original had art by Ditko and Kirby.
    Disney's fine with it. I don't think they've actually meddled with any of the creative process regarding Marvel Comics, they just wanted a piece of the pie and have let it remain as it is (more than what could be said for AT&T and DC...). The faults, like forced MCU synergy and phasing out X-Men and Fantastic Four during the Fox war, were internal due to a certain Ike Perlmutter. Marvel still publishes mature comics, with Punisher, Deadpool, and Domino being the most recent I can think of with the Parental Advisory warning.

    It needs to be said: Disney's fine with mature content, they just don't want it associated with the name itself. They have special brands for it, just as they have Hulu for R-rated stuff. It's why none of the Marvel Comics that get published have a Disney logo anywhere on them, and why Marvel never published any Mickey Mouse comics because that would only work against the company image.

    Anyways, cool idea though!

  14. #14
    Benefactor / Malefactor H-E-D's Avatar
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    James Gunn said Marvel Studios nixed a Power Pack MAX mini he pitched. I'm not sure if that happened before or after the Disney purchase though.

    I think MAX content could go a little further than the Parental Advisory books can, in terms of adult content.

  15. #15
    Mighty Member Hybrid's Avatar
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    Marvel was the one who rejected it, and this was in early 2009 just before the Disney purchase. Honestly a good thing, because I don't like the concept of growing up the kids and portraying them as being messed-up and insane, probably doing drugs and having elicit sex and stuff. It would ruin the image if you know what I mean.

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