Look, I don't know why I did it, okay? I can't even square it with myself. It was the first time I'd been in the comic shop for four weeks. There was the Filth and Powers and The Ultimates but no New X-Men and not much else - they're not big on non-Big Two stuff at my local.
So I'm browsing the shelves and Bob, the affable owner of the Android's Dungeon, says to me: "You look like a man in search of something. What is it?"
"I don't know, Bob," I say. "Something good."
"Try this," he says, handing me something with just about every Marvel superhero on the front cover, the company's logo writ large in white and red and the words "The End" at the top.
It was written by Jim Starlin. I was thinking 70s Warlock. It was a weak moment. So I bought it.
Christ. Who exactly is this thing aimed at? A procession of Marvel superheroes spouting one line of dialogue each, the immediate and completely un-sensational apparent murder of everyone who's ever been in the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, a scene with all the world leaders transported to a pyramid somewhere, and absolutely no plot or characterisation. This certainly isn't aimed at grown-ups because it's just embarrassing. It can't be aimed at kids because not much happens, there are a load of characters who aren't even identified or named to help the new reader, and it's pretty badly executed and expensive.
A good reminder of why I don't buy many mainstream titles at the moment. Razzle for comic-geeks. |
