One Shot Wonders....

[Gaastra]

Night nurse
Firestar
Comet man
Crystar
Planet terry
Thor corps
American dream
Daydreamers
Centery (from force works)
Mort the dead teenager
Brute force

[davew128]

Showing up in other peoples books is ot the same as having a solo. In the team books there is not a lot of room for development as they are so many characters to fit on a limited number of pages.

Except that there HAS been a lot of development for him in these books, especially Invaders.

[Riv86672]

Except that there HAS been a lot of development for him in these books, especially Invaders.

The INVADERS book was essentially a Namor book.
His storyline in the AVENGERS book was good, as well.

Still, I wouldn’t have minded at least a house ad wishing Namor a happy birthday.

[Blackroom]

I am also a believer that there is no such thing as a bad character. The write writer, the right artist, and the right story can turn a character that has been dismissed or forgotten into the next big thing, or at least create a dedicated fan base. Wolverine, Deadpool and Harley Quinn were not over night sensations. Years of building up by good creative teams built the characters you can make movies about or build franchises around.

I have always felt that a monthly or bi-monthly double sized comic featuring a a-list writer and a talented up and coming artist telling a one-shot story about a character in need of more positive exposure would both satisfy old fans, create new fans, and build up a property for future cross-media projects.

I would be interested in say...

Baldur the Brave (Walt Simonson)
Night Thrasher (Fabian Nicieza -Adam Kubert)
Wonder Man (Tom King - Gabriel Walta)
Photon (Ta-Nehisi Coates - Russell Dauterman)
US Agent (Larry Hama - Jerome Opeña)
Quasar (Dan Abnett - Olivier Coipel)
Echo (David Mack)
Black Knight (George RR Martin - Esad Ribec)
Magik (Adam Warren)
Daughters of the Dragon (Devin Grayson - David Aja)

[Reviresco]

Namor has been constantly appearing in Avengers, X-Men, Invaders, and now Atlantis Attacks, not to mention various Defenders related items. This is all in the last year. He's also overdue for a guest spot in FF. Heck he even had a guest appearance in Immortal Hulk a couple months ago. I don't think Namor is someone who needs a solo right now.

And I think Namor does NEED a solo right now. In part for what you stated. Most of those appearances were not concerned with developing or pushing Namor's story -- they are just using him to push some other character's story. So, as was mentioned about Blue Marvel, you get inconsistent characterization, nerfing, and other crap that does the character zero good, or worse, actual harm.

There's plenty of characters that have been "constantly" appearing in multiple books, and that hasn't stopped Marvel from giving them their own solo books -- actually most the characters who HAVE solo books fit this criteria. So, we return to the OP, which I believe was about WHY Marvel chooses to give some pet characters repeated chances, and WHICH characters you'd like to see given more chances.

Showing up in other peoples books is ot the same as having a solo. In the team books there is not a lot of room for development as they are so many characters to fit on a limited number of pages. I would love to see him get a solo.

EXACTLY.

Except that there HAS been a lot of development for him in these books, especially Invaders.

No, there was not. How can you equate one or two page appearances in Hulk and the X-Men to the character development and focus of an entire solo? Especially given, the X-Men completely ignored what happened in Invaders, and Avengers and Hulk don't seem to be on the same page either. And then there's Avengers ignoring everyone else. He acts differently in all these guest appearances / cameos and none of them are building Namor's world, his cast, his rogues, his own story, where he can be the protagonist.

Invaders is the only book where Namor got a substantial role, as an antagonist, and some development / retconning -- which was completely ignored / thrown out, even as it happening and he still shared the book with an entire team.

[Reviresco]

I know sometimes it comes down to copywrite use, they need to do something with the character.

But I agree with the why is this guy getting another solo when this character over here is not used.
There may be a few factors
1) Writers may want to write certain characters. If A list writer wants to write a solo Hawkeye, then Marvel gives him a solo Hawkeye and is excited by that.
2) I think Marvel marketing does a poor job of making the character integral to get a solo comic. Black Knight is a good example. I'm a big fan, I love the character. he got a new solo series a few years back and my initial thought, "Why?" He hadn't been used in anything for a few years. We should have started with a guest star role in Avengers for a few issues and then led into his solo.

I did think the Black Knight solo a few years ago was out of the blue. I wonder if editorial had gotten a heads up on the Eternals script? Regardless, I'm sure they will try again relatively soon, so they can have another book when the movie comes out. I remember Black Knight is showing up in something else coming out in ... June? With Juggernaut? Another character who suddenly got a book this year. Hmmmmmm.

I am also a believer that there is no such thing as a bad character. The write writer, the right artist, and the right story can turn a character that has been dismissed or forgotten into the next big thing, or at least create a dedicated fan base. Wolverine, Deadpool and Harley Quinn were not over night sensations. Years of building up by good creative teams built the characters you can make movies about or build franchises around.

I have always felt that a monthly or bi-monthly double sized comic featuring a a-list writer and a talented up and coming artist telling a one-shot story about a character in need of more positive exposure would both satisfy old fans, create new fans, and build up a property for future cross-media projects.

A one shot is nice, but I really think you need a solo to build up a fan base. And in this age of quick cancellations, probably multiple solos.

[Riv86672]

I am also a believer that there is no such thing as a bad character. The write writer, the right artist, and the right story can turn a character that has been dismissed or forgotten into the next big thing, or at least create a dedicated fan base. Wolverine, Deadpool and Harley Quinn were not over night sensations. Years of building up by good creative teams built the characters you can make movies about or build franchises around.

I have always felt that a monthly or bi-monthly double sized comic featuring a a-list writer and a talented up and coming artist telling a one-shot story about a character in need of more positive exposure would both satisfy old fans, create new fans, and build up a property for future cross-media projects.

I would be interested in say...

Baldur the Brave (Walt Simonson)
Night Thrasher (Fabian Nicieza -Adam Kubert)
Wonder Man (Tom King - Gabriel Walta)
Photon (Ta-Nehisi Coates - Russell Dauterman)
US Agent (Larry Hama - Jerome Opeña)
Quasar (Dan Abnett - Olivier Coipel)
Echo (David Mack)
Black Knight (George RR Martin - Esad Ribec)
Magik (Adam Warren)
Daughters of the Dragon (Devin Grayson - David Aja)

Some of your character/creative team combinations would get me on board for sure.

I like the anthology idea in theory, but in practice, books like that often start out strong, then deteriorate HARD, w. mediocre art and writing, as a schedule has to be met and A+ creative teams eager to do a small project on a character they like aren’t available.

[babyblob]

I did think the Black Knight solo a few years ago was out of the blue. I wonder if editorial had gotten a heads up on the Eternals script? Regardless, I'm sure they will try again relatively soon, so they can have another book when the movie comes out. I remember Black Knight is showing up in something else coming out in ... June? With Juggernaut? Another character who suddenly got a book this year. Hmmmmmm.

He is going to be in June's Savage Avengers

[JudicatorPrime]

Well, I guess we have to disagree on what makes a political character.

We're probably on the same page, if we set aside conflation. Grevioux intended a very political statement, yet he chose someone whom -- aside from the color of his skin -- was not an overtly political receptacle for his narrative. That so many see Adam as a political character is part of the problem. It's like seeing the person on the wrong side of a mugging as a crime statistic, or worse, a victim, without ever seeing the person. That's why Adam deserves a new series. It would be a chance for him to define himself, just as most of the other Marvel characters, both heroes and villains alike, have done.

[charliehustle415]

Loki by Gillen

He is the only one that has had a longish run; his solo titles always get canceled.

[Reviresco]

Some of your character/creative team combinations would get me on board for sure.

I like the anthology idea in theory, but in practice, books like that often start out strong, then deteriorate HARD, w. mediocre art and writing, as a schedule has to be met and A+ creative teams eager to do a small project on a character they like aren’t available.

I agree, though I don't know why anthology books have such a hard time, nowadays. Probably the price. When they survived, titles like Marvel Fanfare, Marvel Comics Present, etc., I was buying most of the Marvel books, because they were affordable. Can't do that so much now.

He is going to be in June's Savage Avengers

That's it! Thank you.

Loki by Gillen

He is the only one that has had a longish run; his solo titles always get canceled.

Yes, they do repeatedly get canceled. Which is why editorial's lame excuse that some characters aren't getting books because they get canceled is so much BS. Loki's books get canceled, and yet he repeatedly gets chances at books. And I say that, as a Loki fan who buys most of his books.

[Doombot]

Namor absolutely needs an ongoing. Atlantis is woefully underdeveloped and most, if not all, of Namor's villains and supporting cast are stuck in the Silver Age and need to be modernized. Attuma and TigerShark alone should be absolute terrors in the Marvel Universe, but Attuma gets jobbed whenever he's used in some other book and TigerShark is still stuck in that 60's goon/lowlife criminal persona. Namor and his world needs attention, not cameos.

I for one, would absolutely love a Ka-Zar/Savage Land book. Exploring and expanding the history and secrets of the Savage Land and little Ka-Zar actually be savage and have a fun book with action and swords and sorcery type hijinks. I would read the hell out of that book.

[Raye]

Yes, they do repeatedly get canceled. Which is why editorial's lame excuse that some characters aren't getting books because they get canceled is so much BS. Loki's books get canceled, and yet he repeatedly gets chances at books. And I say that, as a Loki fan who buys most of his books.

To be fair, he hasn't had repeated chances that got cancelled, he's had 2. One that lasted 17 issues, which isn't bad by any stretch, and probably could have gone on longer if not for Secret Wars, and one that I strongly suspect was cancelled because of a story conflict with Thor rather than sales. (Valkyrie launched at the same time is still going, with similar sales numbers, and now Thor is dealing with the exact same themes, though with Thor, and some of the same plot points as the cancelled book, plus add in some comments from the writer, and it is looking like Cates wanted to do something with Loki that conflicted, and it took priority as the higher profile book) the others were intended to be minis from the start, and though it went for over 30 issues with Loki as the main character, technically JIM was an anthology, his story there was always going to end, and it got cancelled after the story transfered over to Sif. Just saying, it's not really fair to paint it as them giving him a string of failed books, when only 2 of them could even be called cancelled rather than reaching their intended ending, and one may have had behind the scenes conflicts complicating things.

I mean I get it, everyone wants their fave to have some spotlight, and there are some characters that I think could be given a chance and do well. (personally, I really want an Elsa Bloodstone book) But I also realize it's not as simple as just a numbers game, and you can't treat it as meeting quotas. A lot of the characters that are getting solos, they are trying to capitalize on movie or TV appearances, or they are spinning out of events in another book. Without something like that driving interest, getting a solo will just be harder. Or, as may have happened with Loki's recently ended book, or is probably the case with Namor, events in other books are preventing a solo at the moment because doing so would somehow interfere with another story the character is involved in as a supporting character. Like they may not want their motivations etc. explored right now because revealing that would spoil the other story, the writer of the other book may have a big story of some kind planned just down the road, they may be about to die or get a major status quo change, or something. It's one of the pitfalls of being a supporting character, sometimes their role as support takes priority. And of course there is just writer interest, a lot of the solo books rely on writers pitching ideas, so yeah, favoritism of the writers comes into play somewhat, but i think that if a good story gets floated, it shouldn't be blocked just because the character in it has had more exposure than another. If it's a good story, it's a good story, go with it.

[Gaastra]

Blonde phantom.

[IMG][/IMG]

Darkhawk hasn't had a second ongoing.


[IMG][/IMG]

Firestar only had one limited series. Shocked marvel never gave her another shot at a series.

[IMG][/IMG]

[DrNewGod]

I'd love to see a Vance Astro book (the kid from our time, not the astronaut from an alternate future timeline). Marvel could use a character with the kind of cheerful bouyance he had at the beginning of the The New Warriors' first series.