Honestly good job. Fun speedy read. Will questions from last week be answered next week or is it best to just repost them across the weeks for this week?
Genuinely good read! You should work less more often, lol. Seriously, tho, as long as you post links to interesting older blog posts, I’m good. About to go read that Stan and Jack one. But now I really want to hear more about that Avengers backstory you teased!
I’m so excited about the announcement of a Psylocke solo for Kwannon! It has a great team on it and I can’t wait to read it. I am a little disappointed though that 3 out of the 4 covers revealed not only show her with purple hair, but also back in the Hand costume. Didn’t the artists get the memo that her hair is black? I was especially hoping that Artgerm cover would have her in the new costume. He revealed that he didn’t know which Psylocke he was drawing and that he was given specific instructions to draw the Jim Lee version. Why would Marvel tell him that when this is supposed to be Kwannon’s book, not Betsy’s? Marvel really should be promoting her in her new costume as much as possible. It isn’t enough to build Kwannon’s background to separate her from Betsy. You need to change her outer appearance as well to show you are truly trying to move on from that whole body swap mess. (Not that I didn’t enjoy that storyline, but its better now that they’re finally back in their own bodies again)
"AVENGERS #500 came out on July 28, 2004. There’s a really juicy story behind this book. But no time to tell it today! It’ll just have to remain in the vault"
FWIW, Tom, I really appreciate the time you normally put into them. Thanks for getting this one out... but missing my weekly Sunday soap opera that is "The Deathlok Chonicles" has me a bit bummed. (And I've gotta say: that was a delicious, borderline cruel, tease about Avengers #500!) So I'm hoping for a more robust installment next week... though if you needed to cut some time, for me as a reader, it would best be done by picking 3-ish notes to respond to and spending more time telling us stories. But that's just my $0.02! Hope you're having a great time at SDCC!
I’m almost finished with Alyssa Wong’s run on Captain Marvel and loved it, it’s so exciting to know the author of the upcoming Psylocke series, she’s (Kwannon) really grown into her own character in the past few years. This probably dethrones NYX as best announcement for a new series. Will the QR codes still be included in launches this far out? I’m still not a fan of having the page hosted on a temporary digital link instead of printed.
I feel like the last time Cyclops felt relevant to the larger Marvel universe was back in the AvX days. He really wasn't that important of a character in the past five years and was really done dirty in the Krakoan era, but is it going to change? Because most Cyke fans that I know of have given up on the character. Hopefully there are better days ahead.
Since Doc Doom is having a moment--both in comics and in the wider conversation surrounding a recent casting announcement--I want to ask who at Marvel Comics gives the go-ahead on all things Doom? Would that be you, given your position as FF editor?
Thanks for still giving us something to read while you’re at Comic Con. I know it was recorded earlier but I also listened to Giant Size X-Men #1 episode of Marvel by the Month so I feel like I’ve gotten some great Tom content in the past few days. I’d highly recommend the podcast to other readers of your newsletter if they aren’t already listening.
What's the story behind the "Disassembled" part of that Avengers #500 cover? Is it a scan of an embossed label or is it an artist's recreation of one? Did you ever consider doing a special edition cover with an actual embossed label?
I just wanted to thank you for noticing us, Betsy's fans, and sorry if we may seem "too much". I apologize for any disrespectful fans who may have contacted you and I thank you for the love and attention our purple haired psychic knight has been receiving! I'm super excited to see what surprises X-Force has in store for us and I'm already looking forward to any possible future adventures our Captain may have! Thank you again!
Bob had it in his head that Deathlok was not just a reluctant hero, but one that pretty much had to be dragged kicking and screaming into any adventure that didn't include looking for his body or stopping technology that he had inadvertently helped create. Dwayne and I had purposely created this version of Deathlok to GROW and change. We had eliminated the part of him that didn't want to do anything other than search for his body at the end of the mini-series. He had chosen to do what he could to help people with his cyborg body as long as he was stuck in it. But Bob somehow didn't see it that way. I found it funny in this issue that Deathlok is actively looking to find some missing people, and then when he gets attacked by Sleepwalker immediately goes into fight mode...something he would tell us not to have the character do...lol. It's still a fun issue and very cool to see Bret Blevins' take on the character!
Can you say anything about the BTS of G.O.D.S.? Specifically, I'm curious about the decision to not reveal the acronym in this initial run. Was this run originally supposed to go longer, and it would've revealed it? There are interviews with Hickman from just before it released where he seemed to think we'd know what it stood for before long, and as we get to the final issue with a note in the letter column that 'no, we're not gonna reveal it,' it just makes me wonder if either Hickman's plans underwent some critical change, or if something changed on your editorial end?
Either way, that series is absolutely one of my favorite things to come out of marvel recently, and I've spent around 2000 words on a social comic book website trying to unravel the thematic meaning of the series as a whole, what it's trying to 'say' in the same vein as Hickman's Avengers run (where he sets up the series as a moral dilemma of 'if everything dies, do you try to survive or do you keep your humanity' before revealing that the question is wrong and that actually everything lives). Right now, my prevailing theory is that it's about how you can only move forward, moving backwards never works, and any attempt to move backwards will only result in more pain (which, tangentially, is why I'm POSITIVE that Wyn doesn't take the offer at the end of issue 8 but we'll see).
I didn't start that paragraph with a question, just kinda wanted to express my appreciation, but as I get to the end, I actually am curious about one thing. Do themes usually end up in the pitch for a story? When Hickman pitched the storyline running through New Avengers/culminating in Secret Wars, did he bring up the philosophical questions that underpinned his whole narrative? Or for your purposes, are the ostensible actions and plot more important?
Honestly good job. Fun speedy read. Will questions from last week be answered next week or is it best to just repost them across the weeks for this week?
Genuinely good read! You should work less more often, lol. Seriously, tho, as long as you post links to interesting older blog posts, I’m good. About to go read that Stan and Jack one. But now I really want to hear more about that Avengers backstory you teased!
Hey Tom!
I’m so excited about the announcement of a Psylocke solo for Kwannon! It has a great team on it and I can’t wait to read it. I am a little disappointed though that 3 out of the 4 covers revealed not only show her with purple hair, but also back in the Hand costume. Didn’t the artists get the memo that her hair is black? I was especially hoping that Artgerm cover would have her in the new costume. He revealed that he didn’t know which Psylocke he was drawing and that he was given specific instructions to draw the Jim Lee version. Why would Marvel tell him that when this is supposed to be Kwannon’s book, not Betsy’s? Marvel really should be promoting her in her new costume as much as possible. It isn’t enough to build Kwannon’s background to separate her from Betsy. You need to change her outer appearance as well to show you are truly trying to move on from that whole body swap mess. (Not that I didn’t enjoy that storyline, but its better now that they’re finally back in their own bodies again)
"AVENGERS #500 came out on July 28, 2004. There’s a really juicy story behind this book. But no time to tell it today! It’ll just have to remain in the vault"
Nooooo, I need this story, please!!
FWIW, Tom, I really appreciate the time you normally put into them. Thanks for getting this one out... but missing my weekly Sunday soap opera that is "The Deathlok Chonicles" has me a bit bummed. (And I've gotta say: that was a delicious, borderline cruel, tease about Avengers #500!) So I'm hoping for a more robust installment next week... though if you needed to cut some time, for me as a reader, it would best be done by picking 3-ish notes to respond to and spending more time telling us stories. But that's just my $0.02! Hope you're having a great time at SDCC!
Fantastic Four vs. U-Foes : Why didn't it ever happen (too on the nose ?) ?
"There’s a really juicy story behind this book. But no time to tell it today! It’ll just have to remain in the vault!"
Is it somewhere in this recent article ?
https://sktchd.com/longform/avengers-disassembled-oral-history/
Neat, I couldn't read all of it but what I could was really interesting, thanks for the link.
I’m almost finished with Alyssa Wong’s run on Captain Marvel and loved it, it’s so exciting to know the author of the upcoming Psylocke series, she’s (Kwannon) really grown into her own character in the past few years. This probably dethrones NYX as best announcement for a new series. Will the QR codes still be included in launches this far out? I’m still not a fan of having the page hosted on a temporary digital link instead of printed.
Look out, Tom is drunk!!
Just kidding, that was fun haha I hope you're enjoying Comic-Con!
I feel like the last time Cyclops felt relevant to the larger Marvel universe was back in the AvX days. He really wasn't that important of a character in the past five years and was really done dirty in the Krakoan era, but is it going to change? Because most Cyke fans that I know of have given up on the character. Hopefully there are better days ahead.
Since Doc Doom is having a moment--both in comics and in the wider conversation surrounding a recent casting announcement--I want to ask who at Marvel Comics gives the go-ahead on all things Doom? Would that be you, given your position as FF editor?
Thanks for still giving us something to read while you’re at Comic Con. I know it was recorded earlier but I also listened to Giant Size X-Men #1 episode of Marvel by the Month so I feel like I’ve gotten some great Tom content in the past few days. I’d highly recommend the podcast to other readers of your newsletter if they aren’t already listening.
What's the story behind the "Disassembled" part of that Avengers #500 cover? Is it a scan of an embossed label or is it an artist's recreation of one? Did you ever consider doing a special edition cover with an actual embossed label?
Hello Tom!
I just wanted to thank you for noticing us, Betsy's fans, and sorry if we may seem "too much". I apologize for any disrespectful fans who may have contacted you and I thank you for the love and attention our purple haired psychic knight has been receiving! I'm super excited to see what surprises X-Force has in store for us and I'm already looking forward to any possible future adventures our Captain may have! Thank you again!
Bob had it in his head that Deathlok was not just a reluctant hero, but one that pretty much had to be dragged kicking and screaming into any adventure that didn't include looking for his body or stopping technology that he had inadvertently helped create. Dwayne and I had purposely created this version of Deathlok to GROW and change. We had eliminated the part of him that didn't want to do anything other than search for his body at the end of the mini-series. He had chosen to do what he could to help people with his cyborg body as long as he was stuck in it. But Bob somehow didn't see it that way. I found it funny in this issue that Deathlok is actively looking to find some missing people, and then when he gets attacked by Sleepwalker immediately goes into fight mode...something he would tell us not to have the character do...lol. It's still a fun issue and very cool to see Bret Blevins' take on the character!
Can you say anything about the BTS of G.O.D.S.? Specifically, I'm curious about the decision to not reveal the acronym in this initial run. Was this run originally supposed to go longer, and it would've revealed it? There are interviews with Hickman from just before it released where he seemed to think we'd know what it stood for before long, and as we get to the final issue with a note in the letter column that 'no, we're not gonna reveal it,' it just makes me wonder if either Hickman's plans underwent some critical change, or if something changed on your editorial end?
Either way, that series is absolutely one of my favorite things to come out of marvel recently, and I've spent around 2000 words on a social comic book website trying to unravel the thematic meaning of the series as a whole, what it's trying to 'say' in the same vein as Hickman's Avengers run (where he sets up the series as a moral dilemma of 'if everything dies, do you try to survive or do you keep your humanity' before revealing that the question is wrong and that actually everything lives). Right now, my prevailing theory is that it's about how you can only move forward, moving backwards never works, and any attempt to move backwards will only result in more pain (which, tangentially, is why I'm POSITIVE that Wyn doesn't take the offer at the end of issue 8 but we'll see).
I didn't start that paragraph with a question, just kinda wanted to express my appreciation, but as I get to the end, I actually am curious about one thing. Do themes usually end up in the pitch for a story? When Hickman pitched the storyline running through New Avengers/culminating in Secret Wars, did he bring up the philosophical questions that underpinned his whole narrative? Or for your purposes, are the ostensible actions and plot more important?