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Day Of Vengeance

Tim Tempest

14:41 / 22.09.05

With Infinite Crisis starting up in less than a month, I thought I should hop on board...but honestly, none of the 6 issue miniseries looked very compelling to me, and when I hunted down all of the issue #1's to try 'em out, they were gone. All I got was a second printing of Omac Project #1, and I really haven't even read it.

But my perspective changed 2 days ago.

I picked up Day Of Vengeance #1, and it was beautiful. Anyone have any thoughts on this series?

[Please try and keep it relatively spoiler free as I haven't read any issue past #1 yet].

Mario

14:52 / 22.09.05

It violates huge chunks of the Ostrander run, and re-treads DAY OF JUDGEMENT. I'm not a fan of it.

Aertho

15:13 / 22.09.05

So... besides the fact that we need to know that:

The Spectre went and is now crazy.

and

There's no more magicians in the DCU.

because

The Spectre hates magic now, and is presumedly "protecting against it".

What are six issues going to tell us that I haven't just summarized? Thoughts?

Mark Parsons

15:56 / 22.09.05

I liked this most for the characterization and interaction of the team, less so for the Spectre-Eclipso plot. That last panel was a bit of a clanger though...

Imaginary Mongoose Solutions

23:35 / 22.09.05

I followed it for a while on the strength of Detective Chimp as John Constantine alone.

But Jean Loring as the new Eclipso having a love affair with an insane Spectre? WTF?

The Falcon

23:38 / 22.09.05

I followed it for a while on the strength of Detective Chimp as John Constantine alone.

?!

Please to expand.

Benny the Ball

05:35 / 23.09.05

Hmmmm, it's one of the weaker series. It's okay, almost fun, but seems to be about to get grand and then nothing really happens. The chimp is fantastic, but it's all a bit messy.

For me Villians United or Unlimited or whatever has been the best of the four, followed by OMAC, then Day of VEngence and lastly Raan Thangar (mainly because it's so unengaging).

Imaginary Mongoose Solutions

13:41 / 23.09.05

Detective Chimp re-imagined as a hard-drinking, chain smoking bastard. But he's the bastard with the plan... and the Phantom Stranger in his pocket.

Only reason to read the book at all.

Aertho

14:02 / 23.09.05

So he's Dmitri? From The Filth?

Our Lady Has Left the Building

14:04 / 23.09.05

God The Spectre is a tit.

So has he destroyed magic as some amorphous concept so people like Zatanna can't do anything, or has he gone round and killed all teh magicians? And why is Jean involved in all this as she was all about killing women to make her science-based husband love her again?

Imaginary Mongoose Solutions

15:41 / 23.09.05

Dimitri... except super smart and with less shit flinging. Basicly John Constanchimp.

Imaginary Mongoose Solutions

15:43 / 23.09.05

He started with trying to kill all the magicians and is moving up to trying the kill the source of all magic... and eventually himself. And why Jean? Because everything has to tie in with fucking Identity Crisis.

Aertho

15:47 / 23.09.05

Well, we've certainly butchered interest in this title. Hey Odd — could you lighten us up a bit and tell us what you liked about it?

Tim Tempest

17:21 / 24.09.05

Well, I'm still only a single issue in, but I liked Ragman right away. The art I thought was good, and Detective Chimp was really cool.

But I thought Animal Man's powers were from aliens instead of magic...someone wanna' clear that up for me?

Hieronymus

19:22 / 24.09.05

Oddman, I've thought about picking this up just for Ragman. Is it worth it?

Mark Parsons

22:51 / 24.09.05

Ragman rocks.

Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo

13:22 / 25.09.05

No, it's not worth reading for Ragman...after his intro, he's pretty much a background character.

This struck me as an origin story disguised as a big event.

Other than the Big Stuff at the end, there wasn't anything here worth 6 issues.

Tim Tempest

13:17 / 26.09.05

Well, how about Villains United, then?

(I didn't want to make a new thread).

Mario

13:50 / 26.09.05

I like Villains United. It's fun, using Z-list villains to excellent effect. In a way, it's what the last Suicide Squad series should have been. If nothing else, Gail Simone's dialogue is a riot.

Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo

16:05 / 26.09.05

Villians United has been fun...and if that one continued on as a new series, I'd be happy about it. I also like how they've taken a bunch of second stringers and made them interesting characters (much like Suicide Squad).

Simplist

16:22 / 26.09.05

But I thought Animal Man's powers were from aliens instead of magic...someone wanna' clear that up for me?

It was eventually established that Buddy's powers came from "the Red", the animal "elemental" realm (like the Green from which Swamp Thing derives his powers), to which the aliens had connected him. This still doesn't seem to qualify as being a magical type, but I tend to think Buddy was included in the crowd there mainly by virtue of his title having been part of the original Vertigo stable. I kind of felt bad for him fashion-wise, though -- he was the only guy in the place wearing colorful spandex.

Tim Tempest

17:46 / 26.09.05

Thanks for clearing that up Simplist.

Alright, now how about the final two crisis tie-ins, OMAC and the Raan-Thanagar books.

The former seems like a cool espionage thriller starring Batman. The ladder.....I really know nothing about, but it doesn't seem spectacular.

So, these tie-ins...it's been claimed that only 1 of them will really lead to the crisis...but I think that claim is bogus. They've got way too much happening all at once here to just pick one and slide the others under the table.

Benny the Ball

18:41 / 26.09.05

Villians United is the best - it's great fun, is very Suicide Squad in style - and the issue which was just about them being captured and tortured was brilliantly written. It's the only one that doesn't come across like an event but more like a run on a series, with subplots and the such. Raan Thangar is messy, just too much going on that doesn't mean anything and jumping around far too often. I can't really work out who's fighting and what's going on half the time. OMAC has had its moments, but mostly it reads as a grim and gritty attempt to rubbish the characters of JL/JLI/JLE. I'm still a couple of issues behind on Day of Vengence, but Villians is the best series by far.

Quick side note, what's the deal with Captain Atom? Is he falling into the Wildstorm Universe? Or will he pop up in OMAC only to sacrifice himself or die really quickly or something crap?

Mario

20:37 / 26.09.05

Rann-Thanagar War has an interesting premise, but I've found the implementation lacking, especially in comparison to the Adam Strange mini. There's just no dramatic tension.

Mario

20:38 / 26.09.05

As I understand it, Captain Atom's jaunt into the Wildstorm Universe takes place between his Superman/Batman appearances.

Bard: One-Man Humaton Hoedown

21:05 / 26.09.05

I asked Bill Willingham about Buddy's inclusion in the book. He says that...yeah. Apparently it was established that Buddy's powers were magically based. Instead of being granted by reality warping aliens who exist outside of narrative structure and form. He just held up his hands and said it wasn't his fault, and then by way of distracting me signed the copy of Fables I'd handed him.

Tim Tempest

21:14 / 26.09.05

Where did you meet Mr. Willingham?

Evil Scientist

07:19 / 27.09.05

Captain Atom in the Wildstorm universe? Tell me more.

Mario

13:31 / 27.09.05

He has a mini, where, for no apparent reason, he wears his Kingdom Come costume.

gridley

13:32 / 27.09.05

I thought this was a decent enough story, though it would have worked better as a four issue mini rather than a six.

I'm not sure how interested I would be in the continuing series spinoff though.

Bard: One-Man Humaton Hoedown

19:22 / 27.09.05

Comic con back in March. I walked in there, found him at his table, and told him he had a lot to answer for. He's a nice guy. But he DOES have a lot to answer for! Grr!

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