This is ultimately my space, so I can spend it doing whatever I want. And what I want to do today is complain about my commute this past week, which extended into a multi-day set of ordeals, one that I can’t be sure is even over going into next week.
Thanks to the letters page of the just-posted-on-Marvel-Unlimited New Warriors #75, I found out Dan Slott wrote a never-published inventory issue of that series. Did that script get pencilled and/or inked? Is it still kicking around?
Hi Tom! Your commuter story made me wonder if you get recognized often in public?
But that's not my real question, it's one I've wondered about for a while and just realized it's officially in your wheelhouse now! It's also about retcons and continuity and it's definitely in the weeds, so if the answer is just that there is no answer that's totally fine! But I feel like maybe it been addressed at some point.
Ok so: In House of X it's revealed that long ago Moira and Xavier met up and she told him to read his mind, at which point all sorts of secrets from her past lives were revealed. But then, in Marvel continuity (in stories actually written long before House of X) they went on to have all their regular adventures that we remember so fondly. So my question is, in scenes of just Charles and Moira talking alone from years past, why are they "pretending" that Moira isn't a mutant, and not mentioning all the other revelations and plans that came from that fateful mind-reading?
Obviously it's because the Moira twist hadn't been written yet, but I'm not sure if an in-universe answer to this mystery has been proffered. I hope this question makes sense! Have a good one!
I recall that Once an Invader storyline Tom, as I really enjoyed both that, and the follow up New Invaders book, though losing the Scott Kollins on art in between was a shame. Didn’t realise Austen had set it up as something else though, interesting.
Blazing Skull and Tara (not seen since) were great additions and would love to see a modern Invaders book incorporating them (the indestructible Skull would have to fight his way home from the Zombie dimension he was abandoned in though!), which could also give Torch and Toro something to do. A whole wealth of characters survive to be used for this “Invaders Legacy” idea. (anyone remember the cast of The Twelve?)
I thought John Walker fitted in well too at the time.
I have always thought a 'modern day' Invaders set in the world trouble spots may be cool (although tough to write so as to ensure it is not insensitive to real world events).
John Walker would be a perfect lead for that type of tale.
I also enjoyed New Invaders. For my money, it was probably the best thing to come out of Austen's tumultuous tenure at the Big Two. The cast was set up like the JSA with a mix of Golden Age heroes, legacy characters, and a few fresh faces, but their interactions were spikier, thanks to Blazing Skull's antics, Thin Man's spymastering, and USAgent being USAgent.
In hindsight, the Authority parallel is fairly blatant. The New Invaders' headquarters was even a ship that could travel through dimensions like The Carrier. I can't believe I never put that together.
In any case, Jacobsen delivered strong scripts, and I appreciated C.P. Smith's work. He embraced digital penciling and shading in a way that few others were willing to try at the time, and the results were always interesting.
Spot on with the JSA comparison, I always thought this version was an attempt at a legacy Invaders book, needs another go. Plus there is all the golden age stuff from Thunderbolts to build on too.
Regarding your answer to Jeff Ryan's question - If you're getting copies of all the Marvel comics printed each month, and presumably have been for decades, what do you do with them all? Do you have a massive underground air-controlled lair? Do you donate a bunch of them to charities? Are they in stacks throughout your house to create additional rooms and halls, or a labyrinth?
Tom, Emma has three versions of her origin story: Generation X #24, Emma Frost solo (2003), and X-Men Origins: Emma Frost (2010). I wanted to know if all of these stories were canonical because they were all covered at some point. I also wanted to know if they happened at different times in Emma's life or if it's just a big timeline mess.
I’ve said this a bunch of places recently, with his birthday having just passed, but I wish Gruenwald would have been able to know that multiverses would someday be so key to most of mainstream popular culture. We could be now be reading issue 500 of mark’s fanzine Omniverse.
One of my most prized possessions is the Xth generation copy of cancelled comics cavalcade, that I got in trade from a well-known comics writer for a stack of DC 100 page romance comics.
This week saw the release of Uncle Scrooge and the Infinity Dime, the first duck comic of what seems to a wave of them. The editor on the issue is Mark Paniccia.
With a licensed character like Uncle Scrooge, how does an editor get assigned to edit the book? Is it whoever's most willing? Most available? Did Mark have to outwrestle you and/or Mr White and Ms Brunstad for the gig?
Speaking of 'comics about comics' - the What if series seems to fall under that category. Do you feel a series like 'what if' can be relevant and interesting to today's readership?
The recent animated series was brilliant, and some of the classic stories from the 70s and 90s series still stay with me - even though they are for the most part comic book archaeology.
Hi Tom, Your daily routine reminds me why I was right to move to a small, quiet town. I hope you get well. I also apologize because English is not my first language. So, apart from the fictional country of Wakanda, there are practically no African characters, Mediterranean Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. And there's so much on that continent, so many cultures, so many people who love Marvel characters. There are also so many magnificent gods and goddesses who could become Marvel characters, just as there have been Norse and Greek gods like Thor and Hercules. There's even an African thunder god king and many other god kings and queens in different African pantheons. So why are Africa, Africans and African gods still so ignored? Thanks, Tom. I hope you have a great week.
Another great Sunday read, Tom, and much appreciated just like always. I have to say that this description you shared...
Emma... is looking for a direction… for a challenge in this new landscape, for a new project worthy of her time and attention. And instructing the next generation of mutants on how to survive in a hostile world has always been a passion project for her.
...seems to me like it would fit a certain Marvel editor to a T! Here, see what you think...
Tom (just a name I picked at random)... is looking for a direction… for a challenge in this new landscape, for a new project worthy of [his] time and attention. And instructing the next generation of [artists and writers] on how to survive in a hostile world has always been a passion project for [him].
I LOVE the cover. I wish the cover copy was more legible, but...I love the cover and the copy. I have to take a part of the blame for what Walter drew in this issue. I...in my foolish thinking that giving a new, raw, talented artist space to really show what he could do..without considering that he lacked storytelling skills...was a huge error in judge meant on my part. I pulled out the original plot and just could not believe I gave him so much freedom to draw whatever he thought would tell the story. As Tom indicates here..he drew what may very well be the absolute WORST double page spread in history. I can't conceive of what made him draw it. The SPLASH page was supposed to be a full body shot of Deathlok kicking in a massive door, which would have been smashing into some Ultimatum Agents. Instead he drew an intense close up. Okay, it's. nice close up. The next pages will show everything I wanted...except...he drew a tiny little Deathlok figure and a DOOR flying across two pages. A door that took up almost ALL of the space. A DOOR. I wish we had a copy...it was unbelievable. Now...the book was REALLLLY late. So...Tom, trying to prevent it from being even later sent the page off to Jimmy to ink...and then he got an infuriated call from me...and of course we discussed how to fix this situation with a redrawn page without having to redraw the REST of the sequence that was all messed up. It was all drawn in a way that meant I'd have to rethink what was happening and then use more captions to describe what we are seeing. So Tom had to stop Jimmy from inking the page and wait for further instructions. Now...I wrote a pretty complicated action scene and there was no way it was every going to be drawn as I wanted unless I broke it down panel by panel. Learning curve for me there. But Here Deathlok doesn't use any of his cool abilities I put into the plot, he just punches away like he's the Hulk. Sigh. Luckily the part that I am most interested in...the argument in Deathlok's head between Deathlok and Kelly...is still easily done. Another couple conversation with Walter about story telling seem to sink in. Especially becasue I have some nice things to say about his drawing. Something I had not considered was that the GUEST stars...might interest the artist to draw more than the actual character of the book..Deathlok. Walter clearly loved drawing Silver Sable and certain members of the Wild Pack because he really focused on THEM more the Deathlok...and I really did like what he did with them...but the focus shifter too much on them. Again...MY fault for not breaking it down better for him. And I have to say the drawing was much better this issue and I really felt like we had something cool happening. Finally we get a good look at the Cyberwarriors I designed and Walter makes them look fantastic! Of course he focuses on Silver Sable fighting them and less on Deathlok...Walter gives us a FANTASTIC shot of the Cyberwarrior who's helmet is shattered, who will become Siege...and we've put Deathlok in a no win situation in which he's likely to be killed if he doesn't give control to Kelly to save them... So by the end I'm less irritated about that opening sequence and pretty excited about where the book is going...but it's really really late...and Jimmy calls me to tell me...he's quitting after the issue is done. And...I decide that the lateness of the book my dislike of coloring Walter's work (which is strange to me now as I was liking it more as a writer. Guess I just didnlt know what to do with it.) It was the last issue I would color as well. More conversations with Tom about how to solve the problem of needing a new inker...
I don't understand why Jean grey/ Phoenix is only in one book, her own solo when Storm is in three book: Ultimate Black Panther, her own solo and Avengers. She deserves all, she is the heart of the X-men, without her x-men are nothing. I don't understand why marvel doesn't her what she deserves. she deserves her own solo as she and Storm has got, but she deserves to be included in a x-men book and even be the leader of the team. She is powerful, clever, strategical, she mother and father of Hope. Why hasn't she been included in another tema book like Storm?.
Tom sorry but I don't share your opinion that readers find compelling the stories of infidelities since I think that ruin the complex and development of characters and above all ruin the marriage. It happens with Jean-Scott marriage that it's ruined due to their infidelities with logan and Emma. And in the case of MJ and Spider-man there is a boring plot that it's contantly repeating. I think that entusiasm of reader for Ultimate of Spider-man of Hickman is that he has created something different. MJ and Peter are a happy couple and he can be Spider-man with the support of her.
I think that readers need to find interesting stories, development of characters. In my eyes, DC has a better job with stabled relationship that they are more normal relationship than Marvel. After reading, I'm very afraid that Rogue and Gambit can fall in the temptatioon, having constant affairs. Luckily, Gail Simone seems to love them as a couple and she writes very well interpersonal relationships.
Thanks to the letters page of the just-posted-on-Marvel-Unlimited New Warriors #75, I found out Dan Slott wrote a never-published inventory issue of that series. Did that script get pencilled and/or inked? Is it still kicking around?
Great article this week - now I want to track down some of those Mark Gruenwald What if and assorted one off stories I never read!
I thought the same thing!
Hi Tom! Your commuter story made me wonder if you get recognized often in public?
But that's not my real question, it's one I've wondered about for a while and just realized it's officially in your wheelhouse now! It's also about retcons and continuity and it's definitely in the weeds, so if the answer is just that there is no answer that's totally fine! But I feel like maybe it been addressed at some point.
Ok so: In House of X it's revealed that long ago Moira and Xavier met up and she told him to read his mind, at which point all sorts of secrets from her past lives were revealed. But then, in Marvel continuity (in stories actually written long before House of X) they went on to have all their regular adventures that we remember so fondly. So my question is, in scenes of just Charles and Moira talking alone from years past, why are they "pretending" that Moira isn't a mutant, and not mentioning all the other revelations and plans that came from that fateful mind-reading?
Obviously it's because the Moira twist hadn't been written yet, but I'm not sure if an in-universe answer to this mystery has been proffered. I hope this question makes sense! Have a good one!
I recall that Once an Invader storyline Tom, as I really enjoyed both that, and the follow up New Invaders book, though losing the Scott Kollins on art in between was a shame. Didn’t realise Austen had set it up as something else though, interesting.
Blazing Skull and Tara (not seen since) were great additions and would love to see a modern Invaders book incorporating them (the indestructible Skull would have to fight his way home from the Zombie dimension he was abandoned in though!), which could also give Torch and Toro something to do. A whole wealth of characters survive to be used for this “Invaders Legacy” idea. (anyone remember the cast of The Twelve?)
I thought John Walker fitted in well too at the time.
I have always thought a 'modern day' Invaders set in the world trouble spots may be cool (although tough to write so as to ensure it is not insensitive to real world events).
John Walker would be a perfect lead for that type of tale.
I also enjoyed New Invaders. For my money, it was probably the best thing to come out of Austen's tumultuous tenure at the Big Two. The cast was set up like the JSA with a mix of Golden Age heroes, legacy characters, and a few fresh faces, but their interactions were spikier, thanks to Blazing Skull's antics, Thin Man's spymastering, and USAgent being USAgent.
In hindsight, the Authority parallel is fairly blatant. The New Invaders' headquarters was even a ship that could travel through dimensions like The Carrier. I can't believe I never put that together.
In any case, Jacobsen delivered strong scripts, and I appreciated C.P. Smith's work. He embraced digital penciling and shading in a way that few others were willing to try at the time, and the results were always interesting.
Spot on with the JSA comparison, I always thought this version was an attempt at a legacy Invaders book, needs another go. Plus there is all the golden age stuff from Thunderbolts to build on too.
Regarding your answer to Jeff Ryan's question - If you're getting copies of all the Marvel comics printed each month, and presumably have been for decades, what do you do with them all? Do you have a massive underground air-controlled lair? Do you donate a bunch of them to charities? Are they in stacks throughout your house to create additional rooms and halls, or a labyrinth?
Tom, Emma has three versions of her origin story: Generation X #24, Emma Frost solo (2003), and X-Men Origins: Emma Frost (2010). I wanted to know if all of these stories were canonical because they were all covered at some point. I also wanted to know if they happened at different times in Emma's life or if it's just a big timeline mess.
I’ve said this a bunch of places recently, with his birthday having just passed, but I wish Gruenwald would have been able to know that multiverses would someday be so key to most of mainstream popular culture. We could be now be reading issue 500 of mark’s fanzine Omniverse.
One of my most prized possessions is the Xth generation copy of cancelled comics cavalcade, that I got in trade from a well-known comics writer for a stack of DC 100 page romance comics.
Love Chesty, Tom. Can't get enough of Chesty.
This week saw the release of Uncle Scrooge and the Infinity Dime, the first duck comic of what seems to a wave of them. The editor on the issue is Mark Paniccia.
With a licensed character like Uncle Scrooge, how does an editor get assigned to edit the book? Is it whoever's most willing? Most available? Did Mark have to outwrestle you and/or Mr White and Ms Brunstad for the gig?
Speaking of 'comics about comics' - the What if series seems to fall under that category. Do you feel a series like 'what if' can be relevant and interesting to today's readership?
The recent animated series was brilliant, and some of the classic stories from the 70s and 90s series still stay with me - even though they are for the most part comic book archaeology.
Hi Tom, Your daily routine reminds me why I was right to move to a small, quiet town. I hope you get well. I also apologize because English is not my first language. So, apart from the fictional country of Wakanda, there are practically no African characters, Mediterranean Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. And there's so much on that continent, so many cultures, so many people who love Marvel characters. There are also so many magnificent gods and goddesses who could become Marvel characters, just as there have been Norse and Greek gods like Thor and Hercules. There's even an African thunder god king and many other god kings and queens in different African pantheons. So why are Africa, Africans and African gods still so ignored? Thanks, Tom. I hope you have a great week.
And here I got my hopes up for the never-before-told stories of Chesty Puller's time at Marvel!
No question. Just want to say Chesty is amazing, and I hope your commute gets smoother.
Another great Sunday read, Tom, and much appreciated just like always. I have to say that this description you shared...
Emma... is looking for a direction… for a challenge in this new landscape, for a new project worthy of her time and attention. And instructing the next generation of mutants on how to survive in a hostile world has always been a passion project for her.
...seems to me like it would fit a certain Marvel editor to a T! Here, see what you think...
Tom (just a name I picked at random)... is looking for a direction… for a challenge in this new landscape, for a new project worthy of [his] time and attention. And instructing the next generation of [artists and writers] on how to survive in a hostile world has always been a passion project for [him].
I LOVE the cover. I wish the cover copy was more legible, but...I love the cover and the copy. I have to take a part of the blame for what Walter drew in this issue. I...in my foolish thinking that giving a new, raw, talented artist space to really show what he could do..without considering that he lacked storytelling skills...was a huge error in judge meant on my part. I pulled out the original plot and just could not believe I gave him so much freedom to draw whatever he thought would tell the story. As Tom indicates here..he drew what may very well be the absolute WORST double page spread in history. I can't conceive of what made him draw it. The SPLASH page was supposed to be a full body shot of Deathlok kicking in a massive door, which would have been smashing into some Ultimatum Agents. Instead he drew an intense close up. Okay, it's. nice close up. The next pages will show everything I wanted...except...he drew a tiny little Deathlok figure and a DOOR flying across two pages. A door that took up almost ALL of the space. A DOOR. I wish we had a copy...it was unbelievable. Now...the book was REALLLLY late. So...Tom, trying to prevent it from being even later sent the page off to Jimmy to ink...and then he got an infuriated call from me...and of course we discussed how to fix this situation with a redrawn page without having to redraw the REST of the sequence that was all messed up. It was all drawn in a way that meant I'd have to rethink what was happening and then use more captions to describe what we are seeing. So Tom had to stop Jimmy from inking the page and wait for further instructions. Now...I wrote a pretty complicated action scene and there was no way it was every going to be drawn as I wanted unless I broke it down panel by panel. Learning curve for me there. But Here Deathlok doesn't use any of his cool abilities I put into the plot, he just punches away like he's the Hulk. Sigh. Luckily the part that I am most interested in...the argument in Deathlok's head between Deathlok and Kelly...is still easily done. Another couple conversation with Walter about story telling seem to sink in. Especially becasue I have some nice things to say about his drawing. Something I had not considered was that the GUEST stars...might interest the artist to draw more than the actual character of the book..Deathlok. Walter clearly loved drawing Silver Sable and certain members of the Wild Pack because he really focused on THEM more the Deathlok...and I really did like what he did with them...but the focus shifter too much on them. Again...MY fault for not breaking it down better for him. And I have to say the drawing was much better this issue and I really felt like we had something cool happening. Finally we get a good look at the Cyberwarriors I designed and Walter makes them look fantastic! Of course he focuses on Silver Sable fighting them and less on Deathlok...Walter gives us a FANTASTIC shot of the Cyberwarrior who's helmet is shattered, who will become Siege...and we've put Deathlok in a no win situation in which he's likely to be killed if he doesn't give control to Kelly to save them... So by the end I'm less irritated about that opening sequence and pretty excited about where the book is going...but it's really really late...and Jimmy calls me to tell me...he's quitting after the issue is done. And...I decide that the lateness of the book my dislike of coloring Walter's work (which is strange to me now as I was liking it more as a writer. Guess I just didnlt know what to do with it.) It was the last issue I would color as well. More conversations with Tom about how to solve the problem of needing a new inker...
I don't understand why Jean grey/ Phoenix is only in one book, her own solo when Storm is in three book: Ultimate Black Panther, her own solo and Avengers. She deserves all, she is the heart of the X-men, without her x-men are nothing. I don't understand why marvel doesn't her what she deserves. she deserves her own solo as she and Storm has got, but she deserves to be included in a x-men book and even be the leader of the team. She is powerful, clever, strategical, she mother and father of Hope. Why hasn't she been included in another tema book like Storm?.
Tom sorry but I don't share your opinion that readers find compelling the stories of infidelities since I think that ruin the complex and development of characters and above all ruin the marriage. It happens with Jean-Scott marriage that it's ruined due to their infidelities with logan and Emma. And in the case of MJ and Spider-man there is a boring plot that it's contantly repeating. I think that entusiasm of reader for Ultimate of Spider-man of Hickman is that he has created something different. MJ and Peter are a happy couple and he can be Spider-man with the support of her.
I think that readers need to find interesting stories, development of characters. In my eyes, DC has a better job with stabled relationship that they are more normal relationship than Marvel. After reading, I'm very afraid that Rogue and Gambit can fall in the temptatioon, having constant affairs. Luckily, Gail Simone seems to love them as a couple and she writes very well interpersonal relationships.