tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post3292774580704418429..comments2024-03-29T02:32:15.437-04:00Comments on Remarkable: Post-1991 Claremont Part 1Geoff Klockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09080580776997273785noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-7991634520973783482010-09-21T17:36:46.076-04:002010-09-21T17:36:46.076-04:00I was never a fan of Claremont's FF because it...I was never a fan of Claremont's FF because it did read like Claremont was more interested in writing Excalibur but got stuck with FF instead.<br />As a FF fan, it just wasn't what I was interested in reading in that book.<br />There's a fair point that the run might get better, but I had been jaded by the early issues, plus I did really enjoy the Lobdell/Davis run.<br />But, there were certainly some problems.<br /><br />As far as WildCATs, I don't really blame Claremont for those "tics", as that seems to be the main problem with WildCATs. I never enjoyed that series. Even Alan Moore's run was plagued by those same problems. <br />The WildCATs team always seemed very generic, and the entire concept of the book seemed to be to avoid characterization.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-64898346338422580712010-09-16T21:07:11.983-04:002010-09-16T21:07:11.983-04:00Thanks, Gary. I'll have to look at those FF i...Thanks, Gary. I'll have to look at those FF issues again. I of course have a huge love for 17 and 18, which I have brought up more than once on this blog. I like those two because they are fairly self-contained. <br /><br />But there are other issues of that run that I remember liking as well, and it did seem like CC hit a groove around that time. I wasn't able to track down all the issues post-18, so I kind of lapsed in my reading. <br /><br />It's really nice to hear some positive words about the FF run, though, because it is definitely oft-maligned. (Does Plok still come round these parts? He mentioned Claremont's FF being shitty with a capital "S" (literally).)<br /><br />I have never been tempted to trackdown Contest of Champions 2 ... might have to rectify that. Thanks!Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13298753675007196538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-52405780825381469882010-09-16T20:43:18.600-04:002010-09-16T20:43:18.600-04:00Oh, and if you're looking for other good post-...Oh, and if you're looking for other good post-X-Men Claremont, his Contest of Champions 2 is excellent. He writes Deadpool and Spider-Man in rapid succession and keeps their humor distinct. He writes a fantastic, butt-kicking Human Torch in issue 2, and writes reader-determined battles that just click, unlike Ron Marz's inadequate effort in Marvel v. DC.<br /><br />Good stuff. Enjoy it.Garyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04480022982363984291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-38583436086397107502010-09-16T20:38:54.237-04:002010-09-16T20:38:54.237-04:00Well, I just re-read all of Claremont's FF run...Well, I just re-read all of Claremont's FF run that I own, so I wanted to weigh in on it.<br /><br />It suffers in several places - not the least of which is that, early on, it took over from Scott Lobdell and Alan Davis, who were just knocking it out of the park. Davis' art has been consistently gorgeous since his second run on Excalibur, and Lobdell was just... man, he was having fun and the book was just a romp. The switch to Claremont's drama and dialogue tropes in #4 was harsh.<br /><br />The tropes ran amok in the book, too. Everyone was the best at everything they do, and that could wear. It was a departure from the usual portrayals of the team in that they usually don't come off that hypercompetent. But, it was a very nice portrayal in that it showed that the rest of the FF pulled their weight outside of combat. There's a bit where the Pogo Plane gets blown up in issue 11, and Ben laments everything he'd had to do to get it licensed (four or five word baloons in one panel, natch). It does make it feel more practical that so much gets done, and it works for the FF because they've got such a stable lineup - why? Because they're all fricking awesome at more than one thing, that's why - but when every villain is built up as an insurmountable threat and every hero made an undefeatable paragon... it gets old.<br /><br />The plots, though... once you get past the part where a lot of the early books feel like Excalibur leftovers (Warwolves, Gatecrasher and the Technet, Roma, the Cross-Time Caper in the Negative Zone), man, they are GOOD. They're big. They're expansive. They're interesting. Even the Excalibur leftovers. It's not that they were bad, just that they felt like stuff Claremont wanted to do on his old book but never got to.<br /><br />There's some great moments in the run, too. Franklin ups the power levels of the entire FF to fight off the Captain Britain Corps, which is so cool, and then Galactus shows up to give the FF a personal reference on top of it... DANG. Johnny and Ben track down a hiding Dr. Doom in his own castle with no assistance from Reed. Ben fights the whole current lineup of the Avengers in this bizarre half-speed dust up when the Avengers try to corral him after Dr. Doom (actually Reed trapped in Doom's armor) joins the FF... so cool.<br /><br />Oh, and I want to call out this one aggravation: Ben tells Doom, "Beatin' one of the FF? For a guy like you? That's easy." Um, Chris? Ben beats the crap out of Doom, takes everything he's got and won't stop coming, in FF 40. "Battle of the Baxter Building".<br /><br />Good run, overall.Garyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04480022982363984291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-80110197328507652732010-09-15T20:13:44.106-04:002010-09-15T20:13:44.106-04:00I think AvP may have been bimonthly. I remember th...I think AvP may have been bimonthly. I remember the series being very protracted. It may have switched to monthly after six issues, though.<br /><br />Looking back, those WildCATs issues look to have a lot of the tics of post-1998 X-Claremont. I could never tell what was going on or why I was supposed to care -- Tapestry, Soma, the Troika ... they night as well have been Neo.<br /><br />I was desperate for more Claremont after X-Men and tried to get into his Defiant work (Prudence and Caution) and Sovereign Seven. But the magic seemed to be gone. Liked the novels,though.<br /><br />Kudos on the monumental series, Jason.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-10710335884823346642010-09-15T20:07:18.437-04:002010-09-15T20:07:18.437-04:00I paused at the reference to Dark Horse Presents 1...I paused at the reference to Dark Horse Presents 1-2 because those issues are from 1986.<br /><br />Actually, the Renegade story is in Dark Horse Comics 1 (http://www.comics.org/issue/50673/) & 2 (http://www.comics.org/issue/50690/) from 1992! The artist is Vince Giarrano.<br /><br />Regards to Jason, the Stakhanov* of Chris Claremont fandom :-)<br /><br />*<br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexey_StakhanovFrFnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-70411561393257852632010-09-15T15:28:39.120-04:002010-09-15T15:28:39.120-04:00Thank ye, Scott!
Mitch, Milwaukee's treating ...Thank ye, Scott!<br /><br />Mitch, Milwaukee's treating me all right, I guess. It's a bit boring, somehow. :)Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13298753675007196538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-52520479471639014582010-09-15T11:36:28.427-04:002010-09-15T11:36:28.427-04:00btw Jason,
I haven't been around much on the ...btw Jason,<br /><br />I haven't been around much on the blog lately but congratulations on finishing the x-men blogs, your play and everything else. Hope to see some clips of the play soon.scottmcdarmontnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-43985172804296226732010-09-15T11:01:36.504-04:002010-09-15T11:01:36.504-04:00I quite liked DS9's approach to the Klingon, w...I quite liked DS9's approach to the Klingon, which was pretty much just a "suspension of disbelief" wink at the audience. Claremont's take on it isn't bad either, and not too far removed from the "official" explanation (such as anything is official with Trek continuity) nowadays. <br /><br />I've always been a sucker for the Aliens/Predators mashups (the concept, at least. Not so much the execution, as the movies have managed to somehow repeatedly botch a concept elegant in its simplicity) and, obviously, am a fan of Claremont, so I just might have to check out the Deadliest of the Species. Bet I could find them for a song at a convention.Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-58730914416874755162010-09-15T00:13:44.784-04:002010-09-15T00:13:44.784-04:00I had some of those AvP issues with I was a kid. I...I had some of those AvP issues with I was a kid. I didn't know Claremont wrote them though. Dark Horse's AvP comics in the 90s were generally really good.jnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-34128133311179313352010-09-14T23:03:50.297-04:002010-09-14T23:03:50.297-04:00Ha! Bout time those tree-hugging smooth-heads got ...Ha! Bout time those tree-hugging smooth-heads got what was coming to them! <br /><br />The only thing I have read from this list is the JLA series. I will have to change that. Thanks Jason. <br /><br />How's Milwalkee treating you?Mitchhttp://www.the38.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-8401915107083249742010-09-14T22:29:11.394-04:002010-09-14T22:29:11.394-04:00"And Claremont's explanation of why Kling..."And Claremont's explanation of why Klingons look different now?"<br /><br />You want me to spoil it!?!?<br /><br />"(Personally, I always felt willful suspension of disbelief was enough...<br /> but then theyd did that tricky DS9 episode)"<br /><br />I would've argued that the DS9 episode was enough, as it poked fun at the subject while at the same time addressing it with some finality. <br /><br />But Debt of Honor came out before that DS9 episode (and as such, doesn't quite jibe with it).<br /><br />Basically Claremont's idea is that there are two races of Klingon -- the smooth-heads and the bumpy-heads (note: NOT official terminology). Back in Kirk's day, the smooth-heads were politically ascendant, and basically kept the bumpy heads down. They were "The Man," but the Klingon version.<br /><br />Then there was a political paradigm shift, and the bumpy-heads became the movers and shakers.Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13298753675007196538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-34960374903991869082010-09-14T22:24:01.690-04:002010-09-14T22:24:01.690-04:00I'm confused by my own blog post. Is this all...I'm confused by my own blog post. Is this all I wrote? I thought I wrote a full, long blog post about some of the stuff that just gets a few sentences at the very end of this one.<br /><br />Also, how long ago did I write these? Claremont's graphic novel is the "best Star Trek movie ever made"? Was this before the Abrams movie?<br /><br />I feel estranged from my very self after reading this post. Not unlike a Claremont character.Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13298753675007196538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23042008.post-89911179107020612212010-09-14T20:17:50.678-04:002010-09-14T20:17:50.678-04:00And Claremont's explanation of why Klingons lo...And Claremont's explanation of why Klingons look different now? (Personally, I always felt willful suspension of disbelief was enough... but then theyd did that tricky DS9 episode)scottmcdarmontnoreply@blogger.com