I was thinking about the forthcoming All-Star line from DC Comics, where they’re ballyhooing top-flight creators on the books, with characters done the way you want to see them! So are they saying they’re sorry for giving us lesser creators on the books in the past, and giving us the characters the way we didn’t want to see them?*
Okay, I know that’s not what they meant, but the “All-Star” name, along with Marvel’s “Ultimate” line, sorta contains a slight implication that the previous versions of the books, and the people who work on them, are old news, or at least not quite up to snuff. Wasn’t one of the reasons Kurt Busiek left The Avengers, pal Dorian reminded me earlier, was that there was no real point to working on the book once there was an Ultimate Avengers (or, rather, The Ultimates) on the shelves?** Why read the boring old Avengers, when you can have the brand-new super-cool “Ultimate” version?
Then again, Marvel’s finding a way around this, by plugging the word “NEW” in front of their regular non-Ultimized Marvel Universe titles: New Avengers, New Invaders, New Thunderbolts, and perhaps even a New Thor.
I’m not criticizing, or even making a particularly new observation…I for one can’t wait to see Superman stories by Morrison and Quitely…and I honestly don’t have anything against the idea of the “All-Star” or “Ultimate” lines. I just thought the terminology being used was interesting.
In other news:
Bill at Trusty Plinko Stick adds to the fray by linking to my mighty Swamp Thing: Bad Seed TPB giveaway. Don’t forget that, due to the generous contribution of Ringwood’s Ken Lowery, I now have three volumes as prizes.
Everytime I see Rob Liefeld draw Cable in this pose (this particular variation from the cover of X-Force #5):
…I can’t help but think Cable has one heck of a tummy ache.
*Dorian recalls my thoughts on this topic from earlier today. I don’t remember the “eff you” part…but Dorian’s final reaction to my thoughts was pretty much word-for-word!
** Here’s a post from Mr. Busiek on that very subject.
