Was Armageddon 2001 Really That Bad?

[JackBNimble]

Now that you mention it why wasn't Wonder Woman given a tie in annual to this event? Was it because of the War of the Gods crossover was about to kick into gear so they figured she should sit out the annual event? I looked it up and she didn't have an Annual in either 1990 or 1991. She had one in 1992 which was the Eclipso crossover.

Yeah, it seems definitely because of War of the Gods.

Just from Wiki:

George Pérez's disputes with DC

Around the time of War of the Gods, George Pérez was having editorial problems that caused troubles and problems writing the storyline even from its inception. He felt that DC Comics was not doing enough to celebrate Wonder Woman's anniversary that in turn would promote the story. Also, DC did not plan the story for newsstand distribution, but for direct sales stores only. Originally, the final issue was going to have Steve Trevor and Etta Candy marry, an event he had been building up to since the series was relaunched. DC stopped it so the next writer following Pérez, William Messner-Loebs, would do it instead. Because of this, Pérez would separate himself from DC for several years.

War of the Gods Crossover titles

In addition to Perez's troubles with the promotion of the crossover, there were editorial problems as well, involving the upcoming Armageddon 2001 crossover which caused last minute changes to which titles and characters would be involved and to what degree. An extra issue of Captain Atom and Hawk and Dove's final issue were added after promotional materials were produced and shipped out to retailers, Justice League Europe #31 was not bannered as part of the crossover and numerous parts shipped late and out of order.

[blunt_eastwood]

Sal from ComicPop said that DC had a 900 number that you could call and it would tell you the reveal that Monarch was Captain Adam.

Is that true? And if so, why would they change the end of the story due to spoilers that they themselves created?

[MajorHoy]

Sal from ComicPop said that DC had a 900 number that you could call and it would tell you the reveal that Monarch was Captain Adam.

Is that true? And if so, why would they change the end of the story due to spoilers that they themselves created?

Don't quite remember that.

But then again, I wouldn't have wasted my money on calling the number.

[Bruce Wayne]

And if so, why would they change the end of the story due to spoilers that they themselves created?

I think another aspect that gets discounted is probably that somebody high up at DC didn't like the Kessel Hawk and Dove and tried their hardest to bury the property and then got Dooley (the editorial hatchetman responsible for Emerald Twilight) to do another version (the ignored Mike Baron version) and that it took close to two decades to get back the Kessel Hawk and Dover team following Blackest Night. And that possibly screwing Hawk and Dove was editorially motivated not to mention the Charlton characters like Captain Atom had many former/current DC editors in their corner like Dick Giordano who didn't want these characters ruined.

[M@Bowers2014]

I remember kinda liking Waveride; at least visually. Also hated Monarch's design and the big reveal because it ruined Hawk and didn't really make sense. I really don't remember much about the actual story. That's not a good sign.

[j9ac9k]

Reading this thread has been interesting - I had honestly forgotten what Armageddon was even about or what happened other than the villain reveal.

[blunt_eastwood]

I've been on a '90s nostalgia trip of late, and I've been reading all these stories from back then that I had never read before. I finally read this and watched the comic pop video and so fascinating to read about the background of stories like this. I wish there was some kind of documentary that went into the behind the scenes stories of some of these crossovers.

[Cap808]

Showing my age, but at that time I absolutely LOVED Hawk and Dove. This storyline definitely set them back. I've had a bad taste for anything to do with this storyline ever since.

[Stanlos]

I remember kinda liking Waveride; at least visually. Also hated Monarch's design and the big reveal because it ruined Hawk and didn't really make sense. I really don't remember much about the actual story. That's not a good sign.

Monarch looked to me like a palette swap of the Luthor powersuit

[j9ac9k]

Monarch looked to me like a palette swap of the Luthor powersuit

Yeah, it was a pretty boring design.

[Zero Hunter]

Man I totally disagree with you on the look. I loved his design and thought he looked imposing as hell. I still wish DC would revamp him and bring him back. Maybe have some minor villain find the armour and realize it amps them up to A level threat. If they did it right it could be the DC version of Marvel's Who is the Hobgoblin. Build him up slowly becoming more and more of a behind the scenes maatermind

[ducklord]

Man I totally disagree with you on the look. I loved his design and thought he looked imposing as hell. I still wish DC would revamp him and bring him back. Maybe have some minor villain find the armour and realize it amps them up to A level threat. If they did it right it could be the DC version of Marvel's Who is the Hobgoblin. Build him up slowly becoming more and more of a behind the scenes maatermind

As I mentioned a few pages back, what really interests me is the question of who built the Monarch armor in the first place? It's not as though Hawk or Captain Atom are exactly teeming with mechanical engineering skills. So *who*, before all the time loops and predestination paradoxes, built this spectacular (if admitted kinda clunky looking) suit of Doctor Doom-level super-armor?

Personally, my money's on Per Degaton.

[Stanlos]

Man I totally disagree with you on the look. I loved his design and thought he looked imposing as hell. I still wish DC would revamp him and bring him back. Maybe have some minor villain find the armour and realize it amps them up to A level threat. If they did it right it could be the DC version of Marvel's Who is the Hobgoblin. Build him up slowly becoming more and more of a behind the scenes maatermind

Does anyone know if there is any truth to the "it was Nathaniel Adam all along" rumors? If so, why the change?

[Triniking1234]

I'm honestly glad someone snitched. Captain Atom would've been a villain for X years then die only to get rebooted by Geoff Johns. He's not a big shot today but I glad he avoided that fate.

[Stanlos]

I'm honestly glad someone snitched. Captain Atom would've been a villain for X years then die only to get rebooted by Geoff Johns. He's not a big shot today but I glad he avoided that fate.

I wonder if that would come with a rainbow of Quantum fields. . . . . .