Comments on: Marvel Spinner Rack: Black Panther #521, FF #6, Iron Age #2

By: Johanna

Johanna — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 01:26:25 +0000

Oh, I know that episode! Yeah, there’s a lot of manipulation by the Doctor there. Interesting observation about the writers blaming the audience for reacting to their work.

By: Thad

Thad — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:20:20 +0000

I try not to read comment sections (present company excluded) but yeah, sometimes I can’t help myself either.

’60′s Sue isn’t quite as painful to read as ’60′s Jan, but yeah, pretty bad.

There’s something fascinating about the dichotomy of Stan writing Sue as an airhead while simultaneously being frustrated when readers didn’t take her seriously (the famous “Abe Lincoln’s Mother” issue — also featured on CSBG but I’ll refrain from digging up another link). There’s a real sense in the 1960′s and 1970′s of liberal male writers trying to present Strong Female Characters while simultaneously being hamstrung by their own (obvious but most likely unconscious) biases — Doctor Who eps of the same vintage suffer the same sort of schizophrenia. (Sarah Jane Smith is a much less stereotypical character than Jo Grant, but frankly they’re a little too self-conscious on that score — there’s a bit in The Ark in Space where the Doctor actually goads her into saving the day with a series of misogynistic taunts.)

By: Johanna

Johanna — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 11:05:11 +0000

Interesting to know the character’s history, Thad, but I really wish I hadn’t read the sexist comments at that link. I had no idea some FF fans LIKED the idiot airhead portrayal of Sue and thought more modern, competent female characters were a bad trend.

Greg and James, I’m glad it’s not just me. I know it’s old-fashioned to say every issue could be someone’s first, but there’s another factor: Older readers have so much going on in their lives that they appreciate the memory hints of reestablishing basics of a story.

By: Thad

Thad — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 05:09:18 +0000

They brought back the Hate-Monger? That alone is reason enough for me to buy the book.

For more on his original appearance, take a gander at Brian Cronin’s http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2011/05/11/five-goofiest-moments-in-fantastic-four-21-25/ . It’s magic.

By: Greg Manuel

Greg Manuel — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 21:44:23 +0000

James is right…it’s not just characters, but crucial events, too.

When I was still reading Hickman’s run on Fantastic Four, I think it was Part 1 of the “Three” storyline, where Valeria pays Dr. Doom a visit. Apparently Doom had suffered a seizure or a stroke of some kind, and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out where or when it happened.

Turns out Doom’s condition developed out of something that happened in a miniseries that had just wrapped up. A miniseries that I hadn’t been reading, nor had it been explicitly referred to outside of a few flashback panels. And that my friends, is when an Editor’s Note used to come in handy…

By: James Schee

James Schee — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:10:43 +0000

Its not the first time Hickman’s done something like this. In the first TPB (which so far is the only one I’ve read) he had all these characters that were never named or told about. It was the issue where Johnny, Ben and the kids got kidnapped and brought to an alien world.

I learned later online that they were characters introduced in the Millar run that had predated Hickman’s. Yet it was confusing as hell to me.

He has good ideas and can be a really great writer, but has issues introducing characters to stories from what I’ve seen.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 20:46:29 +0000

You have just explained why this issue exists much better than anything in the actual comic did. Thank you.

By: Rob Barrett

Rob Barrett — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 20:24:28 +0000

I can understand the need to bring Black Bolt back into the book given the presence of the Inhumans as one of the four cities in Hickman’s current storyline, but yeah–this was a textbook example of how *not* to introduce a new element into an ongoing storyline.