Comicscape - July 2, 2003

By: Tony Whitt
Date: Wednesday, July 02, 2003

OPINION

I know I promised a column on the best and worst movie adaptations, but I'm going to delay it for a week for two reasons: 1) I've not seen THE HULK yet, and I want to include it; and 2) I have something to get off my chest - namely, my thoughts on the recent firing of Mark Waid from FANTASTIC FOUR and the supposed reasoning behind it. We will return you to your regularly scheduled program shortly.

Far be it from me to bite the hand that feeds me - of course, I review comics, so I do it all the time - but this time I feel the need to sink my teeth into someone, and Bill Jemas is looking just a bit too tasty. (No, not in that way, either.) According to the report on this very website on June 16th, Waid was informed by Jemas that his services would no longer be required and that his last issue on the book would be #508. Waid told Newsarama that Jemas had phoned him a few weeks before, asking him to consider abandoning the "high adventure" direction Waid had taken the book in and to make it more of what Waid described as "a wacky suburban dramedy," a concept which Waid was not comfortable with. Everything seemed fine until the ax came down. Then Waid hinted on the Newsarama message forums that Jemas himself would be taking over the writing chores on the book, a possibility which Joe Quesada himself soon shot down in a specially prepared statement.

Having read MARVILLE, I imagine we all feel like we dodged the bullet on that one, if indeed Jemas was ever mooted as Waid's replacement. I don't mean to shoot down all of Mr. Jemas' work - certainly the 411 project is a worthy one, even if the proceeds from the title aren't going to some equally worth cause. But his comments to Waid about the direction the book should show that Jemas has no clue as to what his customers want, and MARVILLE, a title which is more an insult to the readers' intelligence than a workable parody in any way, shape, or form, is further proof of that. It's troubling that a man in Jemas' position as President of Marvel Comics would ever think that we'd enjoy the First Family of comics going off into the realm of wacky sitcom, a realm in which they've never done well on the few occasions when the book has strayed there. Even Waid's humor makes the book feel a tad bit silly at times, and say what you will about the Fantastic Four, but they should never come off as silly.

Does Jemas feel that the average Marvel comic book reader nowadays is some half-witted, attention-span-limited stoner who can be pleased with a load of media references and off-the-wall humor? Perhaps he's been paying too close attention to the sales of Ron Zimmerman's books, then, though I can't imagine they could've been that high. It's troubling to me because the very fact that writers like Jemas and Zimmerman keep turning out such rubbish (although Zimmerman has at least corrected himself somewhat with THE RAWHIDE KID) speaks volumes about what the higher echelons at Marvel think of their audience. (The news that the FF film now in development is taking that same sort of comic turn is just as troubling, though I'm fairly certain that the project is not under the direct control of Jemas. Still, you have to wonder who the producers talked to in order to get the impression that such a version of the FF would work on-screen...)

Am I arguing against radical revamps of the Fantastic Four - or, indeed, any long-standing Marvel character or group - on the grounds that just because something's always been done a certain way in the past it should continue to be done so in the future? Of course not. And am I arguing against humor in comics? Goodness, no - anyone who's read my columns should know that I'm the last person to argue that comics should be treated with dead seriousness or an earnestness verging on religious mania. But I do believe that, before any changes are made to a title, the editorial team must take into account the wants and needs of the audience reading that title. Can anyone out there honestly say they want a sitcom version of the FF? And if not, then who are Jemas and company actually writing the comics for, anyway?

Waid qualified his disappointment to Newsarama by saying that FANTASTIC FOUR is "Marvel's sandbox, not mine." Well, we all know what cats do in sandboxes - and it seems that Jemas and who knows who else upstairs at Marvel thinks that the contents of that sandbox after Tabby has been there is what we want. I have to disagree.

If that doesn't get hate mail from some quarter, then nothing will - but if you must send it, send it to Comicscape@cinescape.com. And if you have any remaining votes for best and worst movie adaptations of comic books, you can now include THE HULK in your votes and send them on, along with the reasons why. Now, for the stuff you should (and perhaps should not) be reading:

THIS WEEK

Cover art for Mark Waid's SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT #1.

Whether you like Mark Waid's work on FANTASTIC FOUR or not, I'm sure you'll agree that DC is truly his cup of tea, and SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT, the first issue of which ships this week, should prove that. And if that's not enough for you, it features artwork by Leinil Yu. "Who?" you ask. Well, pick it up and find out!

I'm sure the cover of TROUBLE #1 will guarantee it sells out this week, even if Mark Millar's script is substandard (which is hardly likely, is it?). Hmm...now that Marvel has officially revived the romance comics genre, perhaps they'll resurrect the 70s "underground comix" next... Seems like a logical progression to me.

No two writers are more different than Garth Ennis and Robert Kanigher, but ENEMY ACE: WAR IN HEAVEN, which ships from DC this week, features stories from both gentlemen about the eponymous character from WWI. At 128 pages for $14.95, though, you may have to decide if the divergence of styles is worth the moola.

ELEKTRA #25 features the start of a brand-new story arc and the debut of a brand-new creative team this week. Sadly, for those hoping that Jennifer Garner would appear on the cover, it ain't happening this time.

Cover art for ALIAS #24.

Jeez Louise, I'm getting old: the ELFQUEST: 25th ANNIVERSARY EDITION goes on sale this week, featuring, among other things, the very first issue which debuted in 1978 - an issue which I remember pretty clearly. Ack. The cover art alone makes this trip down memory lane worth it, though.

Cover art for ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #43.

And speaking of cover art, we might have to start slapping an M for Mature rating on this column if Marvel keeps this up - just take a look at QUEST #2, and you'll see why. Wasn't there a Comics Code Authority rule against this sort of thing?

Not a lot from Vertigo this week, but fans will be pleased to see 100 BULLETS #46 and VERTIGO POP!: BANGKOK #3 on the shelves. Now, if I could just find a copy on the shelves, I might be able to review one of 'em one day...

CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN ARCHIVES VOL. 1 comes to the DC Archives line.

Somehow, given that it's written by Chuck Austen and given that it's a MAX title, I don't think that THE ETERNAL #2 is going to be anything like the Jack Kirby series about the Eternals from the 70s, do you? There goes that M rating again...

Cover art for ELFQUEST: 25th ANNIVERSARY EDITION.

Thought we were the first intelligent lifeforms on the planet? (Human beings, I mean, not comic book fans, even though we are pretty damned smart, no matter what Bill Jemas thinks.) According to the new Wildstorm series EXTINCTION EVENT, you thought wrong. The first issue ships this week.

If you want to see the lighter side of the Dark Knight's world (not), you can catch the third issue of the terrific ARKHAM ASYLUM: LIVING HELL series this week, or you can check out the fourth installment of the Bat's Elseworlds team-up with Edgar Allen Poe in BATMAN: NEVERMORE. It's beginning to look a lot like Halloween...

Cover art (whoa) for QUEST #2,

Did you miss the first three issues of ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN when they came out (even though the first issue has been available as a Dot.comic for a lemur's age)? Oh, for shame. You've got another opportunity to pick it up with MARVEL MUST HAVES: ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN 1-3 #8. Then, when you're up to speed, go see what little Petey has been up to lately in ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #43. (Say, speaking of revamps of old Spider-Man-related characters, did I mention last week that I believe they should bring back Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham, in his own Ultimate series? No? I could've sworn I had.)

The good news is that it's written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis; the bad news is, they're BAA-ACK! FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE JUSTICE LEAGUE #1 reunites such stellar heroes as Booster Gold, the Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, Mary Marvel, and the Elongated Man, leading comics fans everywhere to ask the burning questions: "Why? Why us? And why couldn't this one have been a Vertigo title, at least, just to make it tolerable?"

Cover art for THE ETERNAL #2.

As for superhero teams we really want to see, a great team returns in CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN ARCHIVES VOL. 1, well worth the $39.95 cover price. Whaddaya mean, "Nothing's worth $39.95?" It's Jack Kirby, ya craven mook!

Cover art for WildStorm's EXTINCTION EVENT.

And finally, ALIAS #24 ships this week, with a look back at Jessica Jones' time with the Avengers. Oh, c'mon, you remember those issues, don't you?

See you next week!

Comicscape is our weekly Comics column.

Questions? Comments? Let us know what you think at Comicscape@cinescape.com.

Comicscape - July 2, 2003

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