Morning,
An early entry this week. I have a crazy busy week ahead and won’t get time on Wednesday. While the world is still showering it seemed a good time to get something out.
It’s 7.12am and I’m sat in a Central London coffee shop. I’ve just made my way through many of the new releases on the Marvel Unlimited app. Very much a mixed bag. Luckily I’m not on the reading challenge so don’t feel under any self-imposed obligation to read a whole issue if I’m not enjoying it. In the last hour I have read and tried to read six new Marvel comics. Two were OK, fun even. The rest were a chore. Two of them I didn’t finish. The only reason I finished the one I disliked the most was to make sure I wasn’t wrong and it turned itself around in the second half.
It didn’t.
The comics from this morning had a range of five writers. One I’ve rated and can deliver, one I’m not aware of reading previously, one who is a shadow of his former hairy self and two I’m shocked can hold down a job. In the most part the art ranged from good to serviceable.
The art wasn’t really the problem.
One of these books features below.
Let’s get to the task at hand.
Favourite.
I’ve read some really fun books in the last seven days. Have a listen to the ACP episode that drops at lunchtime for a couple of crackers that I found on the Global Comix app.
This isn’t a comic but instead it’s a book about the roads that comics can lead you. This is part a book telling the reader of lessons learned, part personal, part craft and very much all Pat Mills. Told in that voice we know, it had me smiling throughout. It came out yesterday (26/11/2023) and is available on Kindle and through Amazon on demand. Well worth your money in either/both. A book about good writing….please see previous paragraphs.
Least Favourite.
If you’re writing modern Deadpool and trying to make him a funny character it has to actually be funny.
This is incredibly unengaging and feels like it never ends. Numerous characters come and go, who are not Deadpool, that I could give less than two shits about. The dialogue is lazy and drawn out. Artistically this was the poorest of the books I read this morning. I had to double check who I was reading about with this page I have posted below. Still not certain if that is meant to be Deadpool out of costume? Is the head in the lap positioning meant to be titillating? Romantic? It neither works at a first or second read.
The quality of writing in the books I read this morning was laughably bad and this was the worst. I try to read every new release from Marvel and they are one thousand percent in a quality slump. This isn’t toxic fandom. This isn’t me being an old and cynical fan. This is the truth. They need to stop hiding their heads in the sand and get a grip. A good editor should be all over the crap I’m seeing, hiring, firing, assisting to craft and providing fans who shell out large amounts of money with comics that are fun.
Many thanks for reading.
Never Iron Anything - The Comics Review Website 