Please share more Geoff Johns stories during his Avengers run - I strongly associate him with DC but loved his Avengers issues. Any untold tales? What were his plans for Zodiac?
Thanks for another great newsletter! I’m with you when it comes to spoilers. I find muting my social media feeds help, but no system is foolproof.
Funny story: When I was catching up on the German drama Dark on Netflix, I was halfway through the second season when it concluded. My husband (who wasn’t watching the show) saw a random post on Instagram about it and, without thinking, showed it to me… and it revealed the ending of the series. I couldn’t even be mad! He was so excited to share something he found about “that German show you like.” XD
Also, I completely understand how traveling isn’t as much an option as it used to be, but if you’re ever in Chicago, a friend of mine recently opened a graphic novel/original art store called Howling Pages I think you’d enjoy! :) Have a great week!
Appreciate the answer Tom, the newsletter was entertaining as usual! I have to say, seeing Jameson played by Stan Lee would have been something. I wonder if he had the chops.
That being said, If you feel inclined to share, is there a particular superhero casting you feel is one-of-a-kind? Any performance that is going to be hard for audiences to believe in a replacement for later down the line? That being said, it feels like there are always castings people don’t believe in who quickly change their tune after actually seeing it.
And/or, on the other hand, is there a dream casting you have for a comic book character on the screen? Perhaps you’ve got your eye on a character you want to play🤷🏻♂️
Hi Tom, I’m curious about the current ASM and FF runs, specifically starting new volumes with the very similar premise of “something big/bad happened 6 months ago, we’re going to drop you in medias res after a time jump and a status quo shaek-up, then slowly explain what happened over the course of the run”. Both books are great and as they came from different editorial teams my assumption was that this one of those coincidences that seem to happen all the time in art (an A Bug’s Life/Antz, or more appropriately Swamp Thing/Man-Thing situation), is this accurate? Were there conversations between the editorial teams after this became apparent? As FF #1 came out later, was there any consideration of making changes or was it too late in the piece/not worth changing?
"However, I do have to take issue with your final point. Bill was absolutely within his power and his authority to insist on whatever directives that he wanted to—he was the President and Publisher of Marvel at the time, and “overstepping his expertise” or not, the buck stopped with him. As a fan, you can feel about it however you like, of course, but as a professional, I can’t find fault with Bill laying out his vision for what the line should be like"
You have a firsthand view that I don't, of course, but my impression is that no president/publisher before or since took such a hands-on role with the minutiae of stories, or felt themselves better qualified to make those decisions than the editors and writers. The rumor at the time was that Jemas had dreams of parlaying this more public-facing role which he created for himself into future opportunities. And while he certainly had the power and authority to do so, if he's the only one in that position who conducted it that way, I think it's fair to question the wisdom of such an approach.
"In any case, the new version of the book wasn’t a bad concept in and of itself, but it wasn’t THUNDERBOLTS, and the fan base let Marvel know it in spades. Sales tanked instantly, and the series ended its run six issues later, with #81."
I don't know if you remember, but on your AOL board at the time, you graciously defended the series against the pillorying it was getting despite the book having been taken away from you and the obvious contempt Jemas had for the work you shepherded. You chastised us hotheads, saying that we ought to give the book a fair chance. Of course, we ignored your entreaties, and I can honestly say whatever the merits of the Arcudi run, I'm glad we're past that era of bait-and-switch revamps that showed contempt for the fans and professionals attached to the previous incarnation. I think the only one from that era that really worked out was the Milligan/Allred X-Force, and that's probably because the series it took over from was not particularly distinct in concept from all the other X-books.
RE Spoilers: What really ticks me off is when a website will put a spoiler in the title of an article! I understand that I need to tread lightly when going on social media, and I especially avoid articles that discuss an episode/movie/comic/etc. that I haven't enjoyed yet. But I shouldn't have to completely avoid going online just to avoid spoilers.
RE Up Up and Away!: Pretty sure that location is still around. The one you went to is in Blue Ash, OH, a suburb of Cincinnati. It really is amazing (or was--I haven't been there in a while, either). Definitely one of my favorites. Planning a trip up there in May, so maybe I'll swing by again. https://goo.gl/maps/mGkXkaXLEQQ2LQLG9
The original Thunderbolts concept was so great. Honestly one of my favorite titles of the era. Not sure you could pull off that surprise ending to the first issue without it getting spoiled these days.
Issues 1, 8 & 9 are now on Marvel Unlimited, so you're now about to be rich, right? That's how M.U. works, I assume. How'd you end up writing those bad boys (and girl) and how soon can we expect a Disney Plus show about them?
My question this time’s on multiple characters sharing the same superhero name, a trend that’s risen over recent decades. It feels to me that Marvel used to have an inclination against this sort of thing. When two characters had the same name, the typical route seemed to be to actually rename one of them, like with Monica Rambeau becoming Photon.
Was this an actual policy, on some level, at Marvel back then? And whether policy or just general inclination, what would you attribute the change in attitude to?
Hi Tom! Has Marvel every attempted to create a map of their multiverse much in the same way as Grant Morrisons Multiversity Map?
I gave it a crack a few years ago but there’s probably a better way of putting one together https://images.app.goo.gl/jEY3SuYUxvECSmNn9
Thank you for answering my question in the newsletter. I look forward to your email each week. Thank you for taking the time to write these.
Great post as usual Tom!
Please share more Geoff Johns stories during his Avengers run - I strongly associate him with DC but loved his Avengers issues. Any untold tales? What were his plans for Zodiac?
Thanks for another great newsletter! I’m with you when it comes to spoilers. I find muting my social media feeds help, but no system is foolproof.
Funny story: When I was catching up on the German drama Dark on Netflix, I was halfway through the second season when it concluded. My husband (who wasn’t watching the show) saw a random post on Instagram about it and, without thinking, showed it to me… and it revealed the ending of the series. I couldn’t even be mad! He was so excited to share something he found about “that German show you like.” XD
Also, I completely understand how traveling isn’t as much an option as it used to be, but if you’re ever in Chicago, a friend of mine recently opened a graphic novel/original art store called Howling Pages I think you’d enjoy! :) Have a great week!
Appreciate the answer Tom, the newsletter was entertaining as usual! I have to say, seeing Jameson played by Stan Lee would have been something. I wonder if he had the chops.
That being said, If you feel inclined to share, is there a particular superhero casting you feel is one-of-a-kind? Any performance that is going to be hard for audiences to believe in a replacement for later down the line? That being said, it feels like there are always castings people don’t believe in who quickly change their tune after actually seeing it.
And/or, on the other hand, is there a dream casting you have for a comic book character on the screen? Perhaps you’ve got your eye on a character you want to play🤷🏻♂️
Hi Tom, I’m curious about the current ASM and FF runs, specifically starting new volumes with the very similar premise of “something big/bad happened 6 months ago, we’re going to drop you in medias res after a time jump and a status quo shaek-up, then slowly explain what happened over the course of the run”. Both books are great and as they came from different editorial teams my assumption was that this one of those coincidences that seem to happen all the time in art (an A Bug’s Life/Antz, or more appropriately Swamp Thing/Man-Thing situation), is this accurate? Were there conversations between the editorial teams after this became apparent? As FF #1 came out later, was there any consideration of making changes or was it too late in the piece/not worth changing?
"However, I do have to take issue with your final point. Bill was absolutely within his power and his authority to insist on whatever directives that he wanted to—he was the President and Publisher of Marvel at the time, and “overstepping his expertise” or not, the buck stopped with him. As a fan, you can feel about it however you like, of course, but as a professional, I can’t find fault with Bill laying out his vision for what the line should be like"
You have a firsthand view that I don't, of course, but my impression is that no president/publisher before or since took such a hands-on role with the minutiae of stories, or felt themselves better qualified to make those decisions than the editors and writers. The rumor at the time was that Jemas had dreams of parlaying this more public-facing role which he created for himself into future opportunities. And while he certainly had the power and authority to do so, if he's the only one in that position who conducted it that way, I think it's fair to question the wisdom of such an approach.
"In any case, the new version of the book wasn’t a bad concept in and of itself, but it wasn’t THUNDERBOLTS, and the fan base let Marvel know it in spades. Sales tanked instantly, and the series ended its run six issues later, with #81."
I don't know if you remember, but on your AOL board at the time, you graciously defended the series against the pillorying it was getting despite the book having been taken away from you and the obvious contempt Jemas had for the work you shepherded. You chastised us hotheads, saying that we ought to give the book a fair chance. Of course, we ignored your entreaties, and I can honestly say whatever the merits of the Arcudi run, I'm glad we're past that era of bait-and-switch revamps that showed contempt for the fans and professionals attached to the previous incarnation. I think the only one from that era that really worked out was the Milligan/Allred X-Force, and that's probably because the series it took over from was not particularly distinct in concept from all the other X-books.
RE Spoilers: What really ticks me off is when a website will put a spoiler in the title of an article! I understand that I need to tread lightly when going on social media, and I especially avoid articles that discuss an episode/movie/comic/etc. that I haven't enjoyed yet. But I shouldn't have to completely avoid going online just to avoid spoilers.
RE Up Up and Away!: Pretty sure that location is still around. The one you went to is in Blue Ash, OH, a suburb of Cincinnati. It really is amazing (or was--I haven't been there in a while, either). Definitely one of my favorites. Planning a trip up there in May, so maybe I'll swing by again. https://goo.gl/maps/mGkXkaXLEQQ2LQLG9
The original Thunderbolts concept was so great. Honestly one of my favorite titles of the era. Not sure you could pull off that surprise ending to the first issue without it getting spoiled these days.
Here's half a question: Fantastic Force!
Issues 1, 8 & 9 are now on Marvel Unlimited, so you're now about to be rich, right? That's how M.U. works, I assume. How'd you end up writing those bad boys (and girl) and how soon can we expect a Disney Plus show about them?
Hi Tom,
My question this time’s on multiple characters sharing the same superhero name, a trend that’s risen over recent decades. It feels to me that Marvel used to have an inclination against this sort of thing. When two characters had the same name, the typical route seemed to be to actually rename one of them, like with Monica Rambeau becoming Photon.
Was this an actual policy, on some level, at Marvel back then? And whether policy or just general inclination, what would you attribute the change in attitude to?
Q for you! This Onslaught issue of Spider-Man https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Spider-Man_Vol_1_72?file=Spider-Man_Vol_1_72.jpg has a "This Month's Marvel MUST-READ button on it. What's the history of that? Was there truly only one a month? Who decided which issue got it? How long did it last?