Comic Books
THE MASSIVE #9
When explosive new information arises about the seemingly utopian oil-rig nation that has divided the crew of the Kapital,Callum Israel is forced to deal with the likely dissolution of Ninth Wave. But what does that mean for The Massive?
* The groundbreaking new series from Star Wars and Conan writer Brian Wood continues!
“In a period where Wood’s name seems to pop up all over the industry, this series has emerged as one of his most ambitious and rewarding so far.”—IGN
“Provocative, original, and fiercely intelligent in both conception and execution.”—Comic Book Resources
Artist: Garry Brown
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Cover Artist: J.P. Leon
Price: $3.50
iFanboy Community Pick of the Week Percentage: 0.9%
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| User | Added | Spoilers | |
| WilliamKScurryJr | 02/28/13 | Yes | Read Review |
| DavidClark | 02/27/13 | No | Read Review |
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I’ve been consistently enjoying THE MASSIVE, but this might be the first issue I was anxiously, desperately awaiting. This arc has been too good!
I know exactly what you mean, I’m so intrigued about how this arc ends. It’s been a real cliffhanger!
Seriously! I wanted this issue the minute I finished the last one. There was so much suspense. I have loved the 3 issue arc format. C’mon Wednesday!
No doubt. Hickman, Fraction and Wood are really making a strong argument for short, bite-size arcs. I ultimately find myself enjoying those a lot more.
Agree to all of this. Between the intrigue in the last issue & speculation on these threads, I am stoked for this issue. And both here & on Conan, Wood’s 3-issue arcs are so refreshing & fun to read.
@tittom ~ What books are Fraction & Hickman using this structure on? Is it Hawkeye & Manhattan Projects &/or others?
@jasonhart: I’m guessing those are the two they are referring to. Hawkeye tends to be one-off stories with only one, two-parter so far. Sometimes elements from previous stories come up but they are all pretty much stand alone so far. If you’re not reading it I HIGHLY recommend it.
As for MP I would actually say it is the opposite of the short arc style. MP is almost a free flowing story with no discernible “arcs” to speak of, one issue just flows right into the next. It reminds me a lot of Planetary, in more ways than one.
Both are great!
@jasonhart: Hickman has said he’s writing Avengers in a short-arc structure — 3 issues of big-action team adventure, then 3 issues focusing more on characters (while keeping subplots building).
By the way, the interview you linked below was fantastic. Thanks!
Thanks, guys. And yeah, now I remember the Hawkeye issues are mostly stand-alones. I did read that somewhere. When $ allows, I’m definitely picking up both Hawkeye & MP in trade. Heard nothing but great stuff about both.
Cool premise with Avengers structure too. I like that some of these guys are really re-inventing the norm with arc structure these days. I’d say it’s needed.
What everyone said.
To me, Hickman is really a genius at structuring his stories in ways that make his huge ideas and sprawling storyliens hyper-digestible. He opened both FF and his Avengers arc on an almost self-contained 3-part arc that acts as both introduction and foundation for things to come. Similarly, he followed that with 4 interconnected one-shots on FF, the same he just did 3 “character” one-shots in Avengers. If one was to compare, his New Avengers works a bit more like Manhattan projects, so far. I love how that suits the rotating artists that a bi-monthly book like Avengers require, too!
It’s fascinating to me how shorter arcs allow for more complex stories than the usual, super-linear 6-to-10 issue arc. Both Fraction (on Hawkeye – yes) and Hickman’s way of keeping sub-plots going also keeps you on your toes, especially in the case the latter.
Oh yeah, & anybody else read this?
http://multiversitycomics.com/interviews/brian-wood-and-garry-brown-chart-a-new-world-in-the-massive-interview/
If you were chomping at the bit for the future of this story before….
Holy shit now I’m really pumped. A bunch of people in these issue threads, yourself chief among them, have helped change my opinion about this book and I can’t wait to see where the series goes after this issue.
Man I love this book. I don’t like superhero “team” books, but DIG a good ensemble book. Since Brown came on for art, everything just clicked into perfect place.
That interview is great! Indeed, Brown really solidified the strengths of Wood’s writing.
Little confused as to what happened to Georg? Anyone? I get he stole the freaking nuclear submarine! That scene in the snow on the way to Archangel…WHEN was that?
Anyway, some heavy revelations this issue. SPOILER
Somebody has cancer. Man, this book does NOT disappoint.
@David Clark ~ Gives that cover image a crazy double-meaning, doesn’t it?
I assumed that was back in the 1990’s at some point.
This book brought the goods! Killer story-telling, I love the dramas that are developing.
Don’t know about anyone else, but this issue took a second reading of the whole arc to wrap my head around. Everyone’s motivations – & their moral codes – are so hard to define, so seemingly in flux all the time… it makes it hard to pin them down (adversaries included, ie – Sumon, here). I think I really like that about this title, but it’s kind of taxing being in the middle of it. I’m hoping we begin to get some bigger answers soon. I’ll love it either way, I think, but some more definition to the characters’ courses &/or goals would lighten the nervousness of reading it a bit.
(And secretly, I really wanted Mary to defect & splinter the group, at least for a little while.)
Wood tends to write seemingly loosely defined characters, and I mean that as praise. In DMZ, the characters were very dynamic , seeming to switch sides, or hold allegiances in the dark, change positions. This type of writing makes the characters seem more human. Reacting differently in different situations. Sumon ended up being exactly who I thought, but Wood took me full circle with him. Mag definitely has an agenda, and he talks about it in issue 7. This sub helps that cause greatly. I just don’t know if they’re going to try and put it past Cal, keep him in the dark? I mean George is gone so he’ll have questions. I agree with you that it would be very nice to get some answers, that transponder has been around since issue 2(?). Sounds like next arc will shed some light on everything (hopefully). I’m hoping this series goes 60 issues because it feels like we’ve barely scratched the surface of these characters and this world in these 9 issues.
(NOTE: THAR BE SPOILERS BELOW)
Agreed, man. Feels like a huge story so far, for being 9 issues. And I guess my main point of ambiguity is really with Mary. You’re right, Mag’s been pretty straight-forward with his goals. But Mary… At the beginning of this arc, she’s berating Cal for acting like a “warrior,” getting away from their pacifist stance, but we’ve seen her use violence in basically every arc. The enemy speedboat in Antarctica, the mercs in the science/ice-drilling station (at least the jump-cut seemed to imply that she took those guys down), & how they got Cal out at the end of this issue, past armed guards. Not to mention her plans to destroy the sub. — Is it that she wants Cal to be the “pure figurehead,” while she & Mag get their hands dirty? But then, her & Mag seem ideologically opposed, but almost identical in their actions. And THEN there’s the weird supernatural stuff with her… Don’t get me wrong; I love this grey-area stuff in the book. And I don’t think Mary’s written inconsistently; it’s just difficult to get a bead on her. But it definitely makes for some heavy/tense reading.
And yeah, that damn transponder / CD. (I do like how Ryan has been pulled further & further into the deception, unwittingly.)
I’ve really been digging Ryan lately too, and she’s on the cover of 13, so it looks like she’s going to be getting some more screen time coming up. But back to Mary: I see where you’re coming from. She is VERY enigmatic. She has this ruthless “pacifism” that allows the ends to justify the means. The only difference between her and Mag is that she is more likely to break pacifism only as a defense measure. Your character comparison is on the money. Also, I think she somehow knew about the shady shit going on Moksha and wanted to shut it down without hurting anyone. She wanted to take the “bullets out of the gun” (the sub) where Mag wants to take the thing and use it for himself. I think he knew what Georg was up to. Your “purity” idea about Cal is true too. Mary is very much his protector, and the real string-puller on the Kapital. This arc has left Cal looking very vulnerable and weak in so many ways, its going to be interesting to see if his role in Ninth Wave, and the mission in general, changes.
Okay, I get it, I’m totally on board now. This series took its sweet time to get rolling, and it certainly has its flaws, but man does it deliver! I am totally committed after this arc. Hope this thing runs for as long as DMZ.