From: midnight@mdnite.enet.dec.com (Dr. Midnight)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.xbooks
Subject: Re: X-Problems?
Date: 1 Sep 92 14:19:24 GMT
Reply-To: midnight@mdnite.enet.dec.com
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation


In article <1992Aug25.085657.2014@wkuvx1.bitnet>, barnejd@wkuvx1.bitnet writes:

>C'mon, the X-books aren't all that bad now.
 
Damn few comics are BAD, most are simply mediocre.  Which makes them boring. 
Quite a few books, to me, fall into this range, including some of the X-books.



> X-MEN - maybe the best of the bunch.  Fabian N. (won't even try to
>write it) is one of Marvel's best writers.  Art Thibert and Andy
>Kubert are great artists with good storytelling techniques.
 
So far, mostly decent.  I have to confess a great liking for Jim Lee's
artistry, which prejudices my view towards the earliest issues, although lots n
lots of neat graphics can overwhelm the eye and pale the story.  The stories
still leave a lot to be desired--it's pretty much the same old X-stuff done
over and over again.  (Introduce characters, introduce villian, fight, fight,
angst, fight, end fight, angst.)   

Part of the problem is that there is so many characters and too much time is
spent on pointing out what makes them "popular" (Wolvies needs to act tough,
Psylocke must be a bad ass ninja and show as much skin as possible, etc.), and
too little time fleshing them out as individuals.  Something I noticed a long
time ago was that most, if not all the X-people started to act like Wolverine. 
Overconfident, tough and no-nonsense.  There's little individuality here, save
for different colored costumes. 


> UNCANNY - OK, this book is pitifully written (Scott Lobdell never
>could write) and drawn even worse (Tom Raney-ugh!).  Our only hope is
>for Lobdell to go to Image, or at least for Joe Queseda's art to make
>up for his (numerous) shortcomings.
 
I was somewhat disenchanted with Uncanny right around the split.  Again, I
confess a penchant for good art and with the split, the better art when to
X-men rather than Uncanny.  Also, the storylines were duller, the
characters even more angst ridden, and again, pretty much alike.  Not a bad
book, just not that good.  

(Before anyone asks, "Sure you like the art, but what about the STORY?", my
shot at comics has always been that they are primarily a VISUAL medium.  Good
art and good story make a great book.  Good art can save a bad story.  Good art
can make a mediocre story seem good.  But even a good story can't save bad art,
and art that gets on your nerves or seems poor can turn me off to a great
story.  I suppose purists will argue the point, but I still maintain that
comics are a VISUAL medium and a *lot* of the book quality depends on how well
it's done.)



> EXCALIBUR - man, can Alan Davis draw or what!

Excalibur, for me, has gone up and down, mostly depending on whether Alan Davis
is working on it.  When he is, it's good.  The Filler materials that's popped
up in back issues has ranged from yawn material to really atrocious, but that's
the nature of filler.  I'm not always keen on the mutliple timeline jumps, but
I like the sense of humor and the weird antagonists (The Crazy Gang,
Gatecrasher's TechNet, the WarWolves, etc.)  When it's on, it's very on.  Even
when it's off, it can be entertaining.
 


> X-FORCE - must be the art that makes this one as bad as it is. 
>Pacella just cannot draw; he started out like a mediocre Liefield and
>has just gotten worse from there.  Hope Capullo is better (won't be 
>hard).
 
I cannot bring myself to read this.  I got really de-New Mutant'd back when
Blevis and Simonson did the books, and even though there's not much resemblance 
these days, I just don't give a damn about the characters, old or new.  It's
unfair to say I dislike the book, so I'll simply say I'm not inclined at all to
pick it up.


> X-FACTOR - I like this book, especially the first few issues under
>David and Stroman.  Now, if they could just keep him on every issue as
>artist, and if some of the original humor can be brought back...

Some of this was pretty good, although the art took some getting used to.  The
only real drawback on this book is that all the characters in it are ones I
don't particularly care for (read: never was interested in them), so it's hard
to get into it.


>  WOLVERINE - I love it!  Hama is bad on GI JOE, but great here.  Tex
>is awesome.  But, there's really bad news - Pacella is coming! ARGH!

Hama overdoes the ninja thing (it's been said so many times, maybe we should
draft a letter and send it to him--"Larry, lay off the ninja stuff already!"),
but otherwise, it was fun.  It seemed not to be overWolverized in that
Wolverine almost is a personality rather than a simple charicature.  Naturally,
I liked the book best when Silvestri was drawing it.  The first non-Silvestri
issue I read was really awful art.  Well, okay, not awful, but not very good
and it detracted from the story.
                                


Such is my two (or maybe four) cents. Your milage may vary.   :)


--
Midnight
midnight@mdnite.enet.dec.com
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