Blue Marvel Appreciation 2022

[Tofali]

oh no idea. i did buy the legend of blue marvel awhile ago though. completely forgot. lol. off to read.

thanks lol!

[jwatson]

thanks lol!

Have to really go back to read to take it all in but it was in legend of blue marvel # 5. The team did attack him (he admits they were well intentioned and thinking they were doing the right thing) when he was trying to get to new york but it didn't contribute to his wife's death directly.

lengendofblue.jpg

[Lukmendes]

That twist at the end legit got me. I was honestly didn't believe it was him because there were so many posts like mentioning him but you know we haven't seen him in i don't even know so i was like "woah this story is big." lol

I'm suprised more people don't know about the twist spoilers:

considering there's at least one cover showing Beyonder lol.

end of spoilers

[Tofali]

Have to really go back to read to take it all in but it was in legend of blue marvel # 5. The team did attack him (he admits they were well intentioned and thinking they were doing the right thing) when he was trying to get to new york but it didn't contribute to his wife's death directly.

lengendofblue.jpg

Thanks for this I read it too a long time ago but I didn't remember there were ppl directly responsible. This was just a tragedy.

[dkrook]

I wasn’t going to buy the Defenders Beyond series initially, but I suffered a medical event ten days ago where I literally died and was resuscitated. Not going to miss the chance to read a cosmic Adam Brashear story now that I have a new lease on life.

Bro, God be praised that you continue to walk among us ! Recuperate and please take care.

[Golden_Guardian]

It seems as though the new Defenders series is getting quite a bit of buzz. I often see articles on the CBR homepage recently. Might even renew my Marvel Unlimited subscription when it lands.
Nice to see that my second favourite retcon character has at least seemingly found his niche. TV or film next, please.

[JudicatorPrime]

Bro, God be praised that you continue to walk among us ! Recuperate and please take care.

Also, hope you get better man.

Thanks for the well wishes! My health has improved by leaps and bounds since the trauma and, according to my doctors, things are progressing in a positive direction. Just have to keep fighting the good fight and be patient with the healing process.

[JudicatorPrime]

It seems as though the new Defenders series is getting quite a bit of buzz. I often see articles on the CBR homepage recently. Might even renew my Marvel Unlimited subscription when it lands.
Nice to see that my second favourite retcon character has at least seemingly found his niche. TV or film next, please.

I thought that I saw somewhere that it's going into its second printing. Maybe I dreamed it?

At any rate, I think Ewing set a decent foundation for the story. Don't get me wrong, there are some things that I would change stylistically, but the story for now feels Blue Marvel-centric, so I'll overlook the shortcomings in plot, cast, art, etc. I can't wholeheartedly promote the book based on the 1st issue, but I'm hoping that Ewing spins a yarn that ultimately blows us away on the whole.

[9th.]

Thanks for the well wishes! My health has improved by leaps and bounds since the trauma and, according to my doctors, things are progressing in a positive direction. Just have to keep fighting the good fight and be patient with the healing process.

I'm really glad you made it through and are recovering! What was your reasoning for skipping out on the Defenders if you don't mind me asking? He's the only reason I purchased the first issue.

[JudicatorPrime]

I'm really glad you made it through and are recovering! What was your reasoning for skipping out on the Defenders if you don't mind me asking? He's the only reason I purchased the first issue.

Thanks!

I am subscribing to Defenders Beyond now, but initially I found early previews of the cast and the art uninspiring.

The roster is particularly challenging, because I've never cared for any version of Loki; Tigra is ok, but honestly never cared for her in a cosmic/high-end magic setting; and the mother of Galactus is a character that I feel should have been left in the previous series and replaced with a more popular 616 character, preferably an original Defender like Silver Surfer or even Adam Warlock.

But I realize this is merely the next installment of an ongoing Ewing story arc and many of the character choices are already set in stone. Adding MAC to the cast makes this feel like an "Ultimates Lite" team. Instead of Black Panther, we get Tigra. Instead of Monica Rambeau, whose abilities span the electromagnetic spectrum, we get a Loki, whose arcane abilities span the mystical spectrum. "Variaton on a theme" can work, but there is always a risk of predictability. I hope Ewing shakes things up a bit and gives us some good twists.

Lastly, the reason why I can't urge everyone to buy the first issue is simply due to my stylistic preference. I like intro stories to start out with a bang or a really plum mystery. That's the best way to grab readers and keep them engaged. There is a great deal of groundwork-laying exposition that is essential to the story, but I wish Ewing had taken a different approach. Even if he had gone with an in media res opening that thrust us right into the heart of the action, that would have been a refreshing change of pace. But I gather that Ewing has a great deal of ground to cover, a limited number of panels to do it, and linear storytelling works best for his purposes.

Obviously, anyone who wants to read this arc should pick up the first issue. Quite a bit is explained within the first few pages. But imho don't expect to be blown away or find yourself necessarily clamoring for more by the issue's end. I'll pick up issue #2 as soon as it drops, but more as a perfunctory act. It's not like the old days of reading classic Byrne FF stories where I would practically camp out at my local comic bookstore eagerly awaiting the next mind-blowing issue. I'm not there with Defenders Beyond. At least not yet.

[JudicatorPrime]

Not sure if anyone else is reading Defenders Beyond, but holy crap apparently...

spoilers:

...Adam is powerful enough to take out a Beyonder, which is an Omega Sentinel according to Ewing's latest take on Beyonders. Of course, Adam can't kill a Beyonder/Omega Servitor, since they are truly immortal, but his anti-matter powers can do nasty things to their meat suits. Which, of course, begs the question why Adam didn't zap Thanos in similar fashion back in Ultimates, which Ewing also wrote, but whatever. Also, if Adam and Monica Rambeau can merge and become an Omega Servitor, then doesn't that make both of them 50% Omega Servitors/Beyonders as well? And if Omega Servitors were intended to be powerful enough to hold Celestials in check -- OS can actually destroy Celestials -- then why hasn't there been more interaction between Adam, Monica and Celestials previously? The Dreaming Celestial running amok? The 5th Host got you down? Call Adam and Monica. They're the fail-safe for Celestials behaving badly. I guess I now understand why the Beyonders had it out for Monica in NextWave and Mighty Avengers -- they're probably just hazing her as a "half-breed." Still, I have even more questions now that I did before I picked up Defenders Beyond 2. Like, if Omega Servitors/Beyonders are pure immortals, then aren't Monica and Adam also immortals? And is Monica in denial about her power levels, if she is half Omega Servitor? The minute she merges with Adam again, she's going to be as powerful as the other OS/Beyonders. She'll never be able to have a "normal" human life. When do we get to see her come to grips with this truth??? See, what I mean -- questions. I guess that's a good thing.

end of spoilers

[Lukmendes]

Not sure if anyone else is reading Defenders Beyond, but holy crap apparently...

spoilers:

...Adam is powerful enough to take out a Beyonder, which is an Omega Sentinel according to Ewing's latest take on Beyonders. Of course, Adam can't kill a Beyonder/Omega Servitor, since they are truly immortal, but his anti-matter powers can do nasty things to their meat suits. Which, of course, begs the question why Adam didn't zap Thanos in similar fashion back in Ultimates, which Ewing also wrote, but whatever.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

The way Adam talks about it makes it sound like he's more of a counter pick for Beyonders, them being "clothed in matter" makes them vulnerable to someone who's anti-matter like him. Basically, I think this means he's like a "Man of Kryptonite" for 'em, so he can take 'em out, but isn't actually as strong as they are, or at least that's the impression I got.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

Also, if Adam and Monica Rambeau can merge and become an Omega Servitor, then doesn't that make both of them 50% Omega Servitors/Beyonders as well? And if Omega Servitors were intended to be powerful enough to hold Celestials in check -- OS can actually destroy Celestials -- then why hasn't there been more interaction between Adam, Monica and Celestials previously? The Dreaming Celestial running amok? The 5th Host got you down? Call Adam and Monica. They're the fail-safe for Celestials behaving badly.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

Well, do Adam and Monica know they can become strong enough to take out Celestials? Do Celestials know about them too? Legit wondering, I'm not familiar with previous stuff.

end of spoilers

[JudicatorPrime]

spoilers:

Well, do Adam and Monica know they can become strong enough to take out Celestials? Do Celestials know about them too?

end of spoilers

Good question. But given that ...

spoilers:

... the Celestials created the Omega Servitors/Beyonders back shortly after the multiverse was first created, they'd have to know about them. Unless, we're supposed to believe that each new iteration of the cosmos introduced a new Celestial population that was completely ignorant of their predecessors. Honestly, I think Adam and Monica being able to merge into an Omega Servitor was probably a deus ex that Ewing intended to more thoroughly flesh-out in the Ultimates, but the series was abruptly ended before he could provide detail. Adam and Monica know that they are synergistically more powerful when merged, but I don't think they know that they are Beyonder-level powerful as an Omega Servitor. Frankly, I don't think either would be comfortable with the whole "life form without limit" thing. Monica wants a normal life and Adam seems to be afraid to use his already massive powers most of the time -- and with good reason.

end of spoilers

[jwatson]

Issue 2 of defenders was amazing. The art, the concepts, that last page. I am absolutely loving this series.

[Tofali]

I've not had the patience to tolerate to read anything with The Beyonder in it for that long but he comes off as Puck in this book, has he always been written to be this fun loving?