129 preview and discussion

[superstaff]

Originally Posted by Cloudrunner

lol I mean technically speaking Alopex is the Ninjara replacement, not Jennika. And whether or not she's hotter depends on whether or not your a tits man or an ass/thigh man (that's me, baby! Alopex 100%). Though it seems both had their issues in writing. I feel like Alopex had a better introduction and conversion to the good side than Ninjara, but Ninjara had a better post-good guy stint than Alopex, who feels like she progressively lost all the cool bits from her character as time went on.

The only thing Jennika replaced was all of Alopex's potential plot points.

He's right.

Originally Posted by ChosenOne

But Jennika hijacked Alopex's character and role in every way, right down to the similar assassin background and redemption story, and Alopex is pretty much an expy of Ninjara, so in a way Jennika can be directly (and unfavorably) compared to Ninjara.

He's right.

They're both right.

[MikeandRaph87]

Originally Posted by Leo656

I SAID it was your choice of cookie.

Now it's a Trefoil because I said so.

First rule of wrestling, trust no one, anyone can go heel on you at any moment. So I had to inqure.

Alopex under Campbell's pen has become a hanger on with no personality, dating Raphael and all backstory or anything of importance after #66 is lost.

Edit: I find it amusing how the thread has this many replies and it is not about the actual issue. In fact the forum forgot about the previous issue.

[Leo656]

I'm more about Ninjara's boobs than Alopex's thunder thighs but I can see Cloudrunner's point all the same.

MikeandRaph is getting a box of stale Samoas because he saw fit to question my initial bout of fleeting generosity. You could've had Thin Mints but you had to press your luck.

[Cloudrunner]

Originally Posted by Leo656

I'm more about Ninjara's boobs than Alopex's thunder thighs but I can see Cloudrunner's point all the same.

MikeandRaph is getting a box of stale Samoas because he saw fit to question my initial bout of fleeting generosity. You could've had Thin Mints but you had to press your luck.

I can appreciate whatever choice of cookie you want but if you're not getting at least one box of Thin Mints alongside whatever else you order, you're wrong. And you sir are cruel. At least give him ONE Thin Mint.

[Cloudrunner]

Originally Posted by MikeandRaph87

Edit: I find it amusing how the thread has this many replies and it is not about the actual issue. In fact the forum forgot about the previous issue.

You'd think seeing Alopex half-naked and strapped to an operating table would have caught my attention more, yet here we are. Maybe part of it is cause the artist is deliberately drawing her without her face paint to save time.

[ChosenOne]

Originally Posted by Cloudrunner

You'd think seeing Alopex half-naked and strapped to an operating table would have caught my attention more, yet here we are. Maybe part of it is cause the artist is deliberately drawing her without her face paint to save time.

You can always imagine she cried her face paint away in tears of panic and terror at her current predicament. Does that do anything for you?

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by superstaff

it was made from more of a place of passion for the franchise than IDW, or at the very least, the rules they followed helped give off that illusion. I've been re-reading old issues of Justice League International recently, and I was in awe of how much more fun they are than the gutter trash DC puts out nowadays. It's not just nostalgia, they're legitimately more entertaining and fun because they didn't rely on shock value (aka "who's dying horrifically this week") and virtue signaling (aka "let's make (x) gay this week!"). The industry's mind is boggled as to why comics are failing, hell, even some fans are too. It's super obvious to me, the reason, that is.

Yeah, even when you read the letters back then, they seemed so excited to discuss their latest story and characters. There was a bit more passion about new characters, new stories, the heroes facing new challenges. Not just who is gay or HEY GUYS, NEXT ISSUE, POC!!! CUZ REASONS!!!'

And yeah, these issues are boring and forgettable. That's why the convo bounces around so much. No one cares about these comics, hopefully that will change once the Armageddon war starts.

[superstaff]

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

No one cares about these comics, hopefully that will change once the Armageddon war starts.

I am a pure cynic these days, so I doubt it'll change. It's the times we're living in now.

[Cloudrunner]

Originally Posted by ChosenOne

You can always imagine she cried her face paint away in tears of panic and terror at her current predicament. Does that do anything for you?

I mean she was lacking facepaint since the start of this story arc, so if you mean crying in panic and fear in an existential crisis over the fact that she's stuck in mutant town and traded being a badass ninja for owning a soup kitchen and being relegated to a valley girl-esque armpiece to Raph, then... well I suppose that would count as some amount of character development for her.

[ChosenOne]

Originally Posted by Cloudrunner

I mean she was lacking facepaint since the start of this story arc, so if you mean crying in panic and fear in an existential crisis over the fact that she's stuck in mutant town and traded being a badass ninja for owning a soup kitchen and being relegated to a valley girl-esque armpiece to Raph, then... well I suppose that would count as some amount of character development for her.

If you think this has a happy ending any character development, you haven't been paying attention.

[neatoman]

Alright, so while this issue is still better paced than pre-125, it has become kind of awkward again. Incidentally, it's also the first issue in a while without Burham Island. Maybe the subplot was a big part in the improvements in the last few issues? I'm still grateful that we are dealing with something of an actual conflict here and aren't forced to read a giant waste of pages, there's just something... Off?

It's a little difficult to put my finger on, I'm not sure what it is that makes this issue such a noticeable drop in quality. Maybe it really is the lack of the Burham subplot and clearly it is the most noticeable difference. It could also be that the Punk Frog backstory seems kind of pointless or the Casey/Raph fight not really going anywhere, maybe all three of these factors? Not sure.

[ChosenOne]

You can pretty much tell which pages were written by Campbell and which weren't to ramp up for TAG.

[superstaff]

Originally Posted by neatoman

It could also be that the Punk Frog backstory seems kind of pointless or the Casey/Raph fight not really going anywhere, maybe all three of these factors? Not sure.

Classic modern day comics filler. There to give off the illusion that things are happening, and the plot's advancing, but it's usually just dumb stuff that goes nowhere, and tends to get dropped, or resolved awkwardly and hastily.

[Leo656]

Originally Posted by Cloudrunner

I can appreciate whatever choice of cookie you want but if you're not getting at least one box of Thin Mints alongside whatever else you order, you're wrong. And you sir are cruel. At least give him ONE Thin Mint.

FINE. Two Trefoils and a Thin Mint because he sometimes lobs me a thoughtful Superman question.

Originally Posted by Cloudrunner

You'd think seeing Alopex half-naked and strapped to an operating table would have caught my attention more

....I'm listening.

[Leo656]

Originally Posted by superstaff

Classic modern day comics filler. There to give off the illusion that things are happening, and the plot's advancing, but it's usually just dumb stuff that goes nowhere, and tends to get dropped, or resolved awkwardly and hastily.

Y'know honestly not an indictment of this book but just in general, I really miss how easily comics were able to pack an entire meaningful story into two or three issues most of the time, and nowadays even stuff of little consequence gets 6-12 issues worth of real estate. It's f*cking terrible. Like, I don't hate it every time but it's much too prevalent. There's a time and a place for it.

I mean, I have some exceptions. "For Tomorrow" is one of my favorite Superman stories of all time, and it probably could've been cut from 12 issues to 6 if you trimmed some of the sequences where people are just standing around staring in mournful introspection, but at least it creates an atmosphere and I feel like the action-heavy latter half pays it off. Conversely, the Chuck Austen run in Action Comics that was going on at the same time definitely didn't need 12 issues, and frankly didn't deserve even one.

I like big, "epic" stories a lot. But I don't like how ever since the speculator boom in the '90s, EVERY story gets treated like a "big, epic story". Stuff is way too bloated nowadays.

[neatoman]

You know, it's kind of weird to me. Armageddon Game is set to have these beefy 50 page issues and the solicitations really plays up how much will happen in them. Meanwhile, the solicitations for the ongoing describe fallout of what will happen in Armageddon game. Even the trades for Sophie's run are marketed as a different series from the first 100 issues.

In a really strange way, it feels like ongoing will just a glorified tie-in and Armageddon game will be the real ongoing. Basically, in my head the comic has been on a break since 100 and everything up until July this year has been nothing but license maintenance. Hell, I'm so indifferent to Sophie's run and so interested in what Armageddon Game will be, I've already removed those trades from my shelf so I can put the Armageddon Game trades there instead.

[Leo656]

Originally Posted by neatoman

I'm so indifferent to Sophie's run and so interested in what Armageddon Game will be, I've already removed those trades from my shelf

Did you relocate them to the bathroom in case you abruptly run out of Charmin?

[neatoman]

Originally Posted by Leo656

Did you relocate them to the bathroom in case you abruptly run out of Charmin?

Charming idea indeed, but my completionist mind won't allow it. No, I simply put them in a drawer where I put things I don't feel like looking at but don't think I can get rid of, like the emergency stash of dried tortellini I haven't finished in three years because I underestimated my income.

[ChosenOne]

Originally Posted by neatoman

Charming idea indeed, but my completionist mind won't allow it. No, I simply put them in a drawer where I put things I don't feel like looking at but don't think I can get rid of, like the emergency stash of dried tortellini I haven't finished in three years because I underestimated my income.

I used to munch on those raw, back in my young-adult-and-living-on-my-own days. Depending on the filling, they're not half bad as a snack.

[Leo656]

Originally Posted by neatoman

Charming idea indeed, but my completionist mind won't allow it.

What about issues of Chuck Austen's Action Comics run? Surely that's a fate they deserve.

Eh, I gotta be honest, I kept those, too. Same reason, "completionist". But holy sh*t, some things just don't deserve to exist at all.