Astonishing X-Men #25 and Eternals #1 and #2

[selenak]

Turns out the funeral on Tuesday was also covered by the New York Times. I like my photos better, she says smugly.

I continue to be grateful to everyone who provides me with links to fanfiction goodness so I can catch up whenever I have the time, the online access, or both. (Which is going to be limited until I'm back in Germany, aka on the 23rd. 22nd is departure day, and as mentioned, it takes almost 24 hours, driving to and from the airports included.) I also had the chance to read the newest Astonishing X-Men, Warren Ellis' debut in the title, and the two first issues of The Eternals written by the Knaufs, following Neil Gaiman's run, so in order not to let this journal become too monomanical about Bali, here are short reviews.




likeadeuce compared Warren Ellis' writing in this issue with the first chapter of a novel as opposed to Joss Whedon writing his issues like tv episodes. I'm not sure about the tv episodes - an issue like #14 would probably feature more action and less introspection into personal hells if it were a tv episode (even The Body had the obligatory vampire fight) - but the difference in writerly voice is certainly noticable, and I also agree that Ellis' type of writing doesn't immediately evoke the dissecting, wondering, debating, raving response Joss' AXM issues do. (Otoh, having read Ellis' Iron Man: Extremis as a trade collection, I certainly had those impulses, though I'm told the individual issues when they were appearing were as far apart and delayed as the Whedonian ones for AXM were.) It's definitely interesting, though, and I think I'll stick with the title. Some observations:

- San Francisco, huh? So much superhero action seems to be moving to the West Coast. New Yorkers are probably relieved.
- am very amused at the laid back San Francisco cops, so used to weirdness, so comfortable working with the X-men, so anti-cliché
- not too happy with the Storm-Emma scene; it a) just doesn't fit with Emma's reaction to Kitty in #14, which makes me suspect Ellis when writing this was told the bare facts of what would be
happening in JW's final issue but hadn't read the actual script, and b) smacks of replay. Otoh, I do get the point was to tell the reader Emma/Ororo wouldn't be a replay of Emma/Kitty.
- otoh, Storm being so utterly bored with the happily married life as a queen and wanting to the return to the X-Men because of the joys of in-team fighting? Cracks me up.
- why does Scott call Hank "Henry" all of a sudden? Did he do that since their teenage days? He definitely didn't in Joss' AXM
- speaking of Scott's teenage days, Logan's observation re: Warren were fun, too
- and speaking of modes of address, though she's not in this issue Hank settled one thing I was wondering about for me, which is how he calls/thinks of Agent Brand now by referring to her as "Abigail". This I like. Somehow it fits the verbose Dr. McCoy would call her by her full name, no abrivation, and the old fashion-ness of Abigail is such a great contrast to "Brand".
- Ellis does a great job with Hisako; I'm glad he continues to use her
- trust Ellis the socially conscious to come up with a third world country that's used as a garbage dump for Alien debris and hopelessly polluted because of that. The fact our mystery plot leads there makes me hope my beloved Abigail Brand will soon be back as well. Given off planet stuff is her field.
- Ellis, whom are you kidding with letting Emma only now get adjusted to waking up early due to living with Scott? She's been teaching at Xavier's for longer than that, and before that was teaching in Genosha. Never mind Emma's supervillain life style, as a teacher she had to get up early whether good or bad.



The Eternals were reintroduced to the Marvelverse in a miniseries by Neil Gaiman. Which is now continued by Daniel and Charles Knauf, after they finished their Iron Man run. By and large, I liked their issues, though one scene in particular gave me bad second season of Carnivale flashbacks (yes, Daniel K., this still remains unforgiven!). Otoh, the context was quite different, and it didn't distract from the main stuff, which was good. On to a bullet point review.



To get the one scene that caused a bad flashback out of the way first: it was the one featuring the not-yet-activated Eternal Legba in his human preacher identity, who after a fiery sermon ravishes one of his faithful. Aside from the obvious cliché, this painfully reminded me of Justin Crowe's 180% turnaround in season 2, from man who flogs himself at mere sexual thoughts to serial rapist of maids. Mind you, a more subtle parallel to second season Justin isn't Legba, either before or after activation, but Druig. Gaiman wrote him as a sadistic cynic; the Knaufs give him an inner monologue of disgust as the stink and fleshliness of the human race and a sense of being called. It's not something that wouldn't fit with the character as set up by Gaiman, but it's definitely something the Knaufs added. Also, they make the Stalinist Russia parallel which was already there way more explicit.

- San Francisco, encore: like I said, all the action is there these days. It was good to see the Order cameo, as this is supposed to be their turf
- I'm a bit dissappointed to see Sersi in her Eternal costume, because one of the crucial points of Gaiman's miniseries was that she was the one Eternal who didn't regain her memories and in the end chose not to, because she had seen Mark Curry/Makkari lose his human self that way and wanted to keep hers; by contrast, these two issues give the impression Sersi has become a full Eternal again, and that very Gaiman frivolous human charm she had is gone
- Otoh, Sersi's two scenes with Tony Stark were excellent continuity to where Gaiman had left her, and I like both her being a sort of liason between human (registered) superheroes, represented by Tony, and the Eternals, and the more personal level this gets to when she asks him about addiction because of what's happening with Makkari; Tony's reply shows the Knaufs came straight from writing his main title
- very promising debate between Thena and Ikaris about whether or not to use Druig's brainwashing methods to recruit other Eternals; I do love it when heroes are faced with these questions and when the reaction is neither an easy "no way" nor a Jack Bauerian "scruples are for softies"
- Ajak: a male Kai Winn and thus proof one or both Knaufs are DS9 fans, y/n? (Given that Ron Moore co-wrote s1 of Carnivale with Daniel Knauf, I'm thinking yes. At any rate, Ajak's bitterness about his god not speaking to him despite having spend a lifetime of service but talking to the Emissary intruder Makkari instead was ever so familiar. Which is not a criticism: I loved Winn's storyline.

Comments

Alias fic rec

[nomadicwriter]

dens_serpentis posted a rather good Sloane/Sydney fic here. Which is certainly a rarity.

[vitruvian23.livejournal.com]

Actually, if they stay in San Fran, the X-Men should probably run into the Order, and possibly into some Eternals communing with the Dreaming Celestial, at some point. Unless Ellis just doesn't want to bother.

From the way she's talking with Tony, it seems like Sersi must have recovered at least some of her memories. Of course, in that case, it's almost inconceivable that in her decades and centuries as the hostess of salons and soirees, most recently in NYC, she hasn't had at least a few human acquaintances with major addiction problems. Not least, Dane Whitman being sorta addicted to *her*.

[mermaidrain.livejournal.com]

So I'm just curious, being the fan of Joss that you are, why you haven't been commenting on Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (http://www.drhorrible.com)? Have you not been watching it?

[selenak.livejournal.com]

It's a problem of bandwith. To wit, my hotel connection hasn't that much and to be able to watch it I need to be online for at least one and a half hours, which isn't usually the case. So I just have to hope it stays available until after the 23rd.

[mermaidrain.livejournal.com]

Well it is on iTunes. And Joss has said that he's going to eventually sell it on DVD. SO I'm sure there are avenues of watching it. Plus, there's LOTS of ways to watch stuff like this these days. If you know what I mean. ;)

Re: Alias fic rec

[selenak.livejournal.com]

My guilty pleasure! Thank you.

[artaxastra.livejournal.com]

I like your photos better than CNN's! Thank you for posting the goodness.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

You're more then welcome!

[likeadeuce.livejournal.com]

Somehow I missed this post when it first went up --

Glad to see your take on these issues. I've reread the Ellis comic several times since I got it and I'm really digging it more each time. There are definitely small moments where the voices give me pause. I think that Scott calling Hank "Henry" is just a matter of Ellis being fairly new to writing the characters; I won't be surprised if that's tweaked in the next few issues. And Emma's final resolution with Kitty definitely isn't incorporated into her characterization -- though I also think Ellis tends to start with surfaces and gradually peel off layers, so I don't have all that much trouble believing she'd present herself like that, particularly to Storm with whom she has a LONG history of enmity. The only thing I do hope is that Storm and Cyclops' interactions aren't lost in the face of Storm's rivalry with Emma, because that's another long history that's particularly fascinating to me.

Also, I just have to say for the record that there were several semesters when I taught that I never got up before 10. As the headmistress, I imagine, she got to set her own schedule. But you're right, that's mostly Warren being Warren, as Tony has similar dialogue at the beginning of Extremis, and complaining about having to be awake is apparently Ellis's favorite hobby.

I don't have as good a grasp on 'Eternals' canon -- so I hadn't even noticed the shift with Sersi, but you're right -- I don't know 'Carnivale' at all, but I think the Knaufs are doing a fairly decent job with the characters, overall. The use of Tony is definitely my favorite part, though. It was this book that made me realize I actually really like seeing him in the SHIELD director persona, when it's used well.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I also think Ellis tends to start with surfaces and gradually peel off layers, so I don't have all that much trouble believing she'd present herself like that, particularly to Storm with whom she has a LONG history of enmity.

Okay, point. (And now I remember reading Claremont and both being amused and rolling my eyes at Kitty instinctively knowing to trust nice Ororo and dislike Emma on sight, and the shenanigans in the cages afterwards.)

Re: Storm and Cyclops - so you want leadership debates starting now? *g*

But you're right, that's mostly Warren being Warren, as Tony has similar dialogue at the beginning of Extremis, and complaining about having to be awake is apparently Ellis's favorite hobby.

So, instead of Daddy issues or Mommy issues, he has waking up issues...

The use of Tony is definitely my favorite part, though. It was this book that made me realize I actually really like seeing him in the SHIELD director persona, when it's used well.

It wouldn't make sense if the human superheroes in general and an organisation like S.H.I.E.L.D. in particular just wouldn't notice the big golden giant in San Francisco and the Eternals flying about, so I'm really glad this got incorporated, and as for Tony, while I like Nick Fury muchly I can't really see him interacting with Sersi like this... so yes, good use!

[likeadeuce.livejournal.com]

And later on, Emma forcibly bodyswaps with Storm, leaving Storm captive, and goes off in Storm's body to screw with the X-men. She stops along the way long enough to enjoy her flight powers, in the rain, and recite the 'Blow, Winds!' monologue from Lear as she does.