Pick of the Week Podcast

Pick of the Week #377 – Avengers Arena #6

Show Notes

This show is out on St. Patrick’s Day, and yet there are no references at all. In fact, we’re down one Kilpatrick! Jim Mroczkowski, our intrepid columnist fills in ably, and Paul Montgomery starts off with a twang. There are things liked, and things unliked, and reasons given for nearly all of it. No children, fictional or otherwise, were harmed in the recording of this episode.

Running Time: 01:04:26

Pick of the Week:
00:01:56 Avengers Arena #1

Avengers Arena_6Comics:
00:15:24 – Batman & Robin #18 / Batman #18
00:22:02 – Sledgehammer 44 #1
00:26:27 – The Manhattan Projects #10
00:32:11 – Where is Jake Ellis? #3
00:33:44 – Demon Knights #18
00:36:26 – X-Treme X-Men #12
00:39:14 – Uncanny X-Men #3

User Reviews:
00:43:57 – The Top Five Community Picks of the Week.
00:44:49 – KenOchalek reviews Star Wars #3.
00:46:58 – CPTAlgonquin reviews Peter Panzerfaust #10.

Audience Questions:
00:50:10 – Tony is spending too much! Or is he?
00:55:10 – Ryan from Worcester is still really, really upset about Wally West.

Brought to You By:
C2E2 – In Chicago April 26-28

Music:
“I Kill Children”
Dead Kennedys

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Comments

  1. I didn’t see Scott’s Phoenix Force argument as a Marvel scapegoat at all. I just thought it was that character giving his point of view on the situation. I think Scott’s in denial about what he did to Xavier, so he blames it on other people. That’s one of the things that I love about the two Bendis X-books. He gives you a variety of opinions by the characters and lets the audience decide who they think is right.

    • The thing is, Scott was taking full responsibility for his actions in AVX Consequences. Now he’s taking a completely different view on the subject without having any explanation why.

    • If you read Consequences, the reason why he took a different view was made clear. There’s a lot of corruption and prejudice against mutants in the govt and criminal justice system. He escaped because someone had to protect the new mutants and go against the current system.

    • I didn’t get all the Cyclops hatred during the show. I miss Ron now. 🙁

    • Yeah, the Cyclops hate made me miss Ron too.

  2. This week’s episode made me realize there’s not enough Jim Mroczkowski in my life…

  3. Now this is just me thinking too much into this but….

    In the Dial H cover for April a certain major superhero is going to be dialed for the story. I’m hoping it is going to be Wally because that would just blow EVERYONE’s minds.

  4. Avenger Arena is not like the hunger games I would say is more like the movie Battle Royale even cover on the first issue is a homage to the Battle Royale movie poster (http://s246.beta.photobucket.com/user/dioszine/media/BattleRoyale-AvengersArena1.jpg.html).

  5. Hey! Thanks for reading my Star Wars review, dudes!

    For what it’s worth (maybe seventeen cents), my last name is pronounced “oh-SHALL-ick”

    But i really appreciate Jimski tying it to a classic iFanboy in-joke. As someone else who I’m sure has spent hours of their life pronouncing their last name for people, I’m glad glad it was you that had to make the attempt. 🙂

  6. I’m as jaded as the next comic book reader in their 30’s, but really? B&R had 0 effect? I have to say it comes across as being defensive about the Avengers Arena pick. It wasn’t a corporate decision to thin out the herd of Robins, it was a specific plot point Morrison had since his first story arc. His run is meant to be an all encompassing look at the history of Batman and a “Robin Dies at Dawn” moment was needed. As for the aftermath, this is what we do with Superheroes. We have to keep recreating the defining moment that made them put on the tights in the first place. Batman broods, Spider-Man feel Guilty, Wolverine gets angry. Maybe it’s just the effect of being a reviewer of a medium and you’re burnt out. But I thought it was a pretty powerful comic especially compared to the brainless, violent drivel that is the kewl-52

  7. I assume Conor is busy driving all the snakes out of California?

  8. Talk about Nowhere Men!!!

  9. Regarding the discussion near the end about Green Arrow’s characterisation and Black Widow’s new catchphrase, influences from other media are not always a bad thing. Kryptonite and the Batcave both originated from sources other than comics, yet we can’t imagine the Superman or Batman mythos without them.

  10. You deleted my post, and it answer so many questions about he who shall not be name,,,Thanks

  11. Oh man, Dead Kennedy’s. I’ve still got my backpack from high school with the DK logo drawn on the back in white-out. Lyrics from Bad Religion’s No Direction too. I was as punk as my caring, suburban middle class, still married parents allowed me to be.

  12. So what the hell happened to Greg Park at Marvel? As someone who enjoyed his work on the Hulk, Alpha Flight, and Hercules, I’d be really interested to know that.

  13. Great to hear Jimski on the show! (StL!)

    By the way – I had the same idea about updating my Amazon bookmark to the link from the site. We buy a lot of stuff on Amazon (like Jimski, we don’t have time to go get things like cereal at the store – or diapers). Is there any way to make sure that you guys are getting a little taste of the money I’m spending?

  14. Hearing them talk about AVX and the X-Men in general left me with the impression that these guys didn’t really read the books. Listening to their characterization of Cyclops left me knowing their ambivalence. If you’re going to have an opinion, it would be nice to know that you are giving an actual informed opinion. It’s like listening to people have a discussion with only second hand information.

  15. Top episode, with Jimski giving me particular pleasure.

    I’m also in the camp that says Harper Row won’t be the new Robin – too bleeding obvious. I don’t get why so many fans seem to love her – she’s a bit Steph (bad dad), a bit Tim (Batman needs a Robin) and a bit genius (Babs), but I’ve yet to see what’s unique about her.

    Oh all right, I admit it – nose rings make me feel ill.

    Is anyone running a sweepstake on how soon Harper’s brother is offed?

    I hope DC uses this opportunity to place Tim back in the Robin role, and yeah, give him back his proper character.

    • Tim as Robin seems like a few too many steps backward, but Tim is “my Robin” so I’d be all for it.

      But what if Harper’s brother Cullen becomes Robin? Maybe something happens to Harper and it urges him to follow her lead. He’s in a very “unheroic” place right now, so it would definitely be an opportunity for a more dynamic character arc.

      And from a crass marketing perspective, an openly gay Robin would get DC some headlines, right?

    • I wouldn’t describe (is it?) Cullen as being in an unheroic place, Ken, so much as saying he’s normal – not daft enough to be jumping from rooftop to rooftop. I find editing a literary magazine rather admirable!

      ‘Crass’ would be the right word, nice one – being gay doesn’t automatically make a person interesting (as my pals would be quick to tell me).

      I suppose I shouldn’t be too quick to judge Harper Row (she needs to team up with Danny the Street), as it’s early days and most characters are a tad derivative – Scott may make her The Character Find of 2013.

    • Yeah, “unheroic” isn’t the right term — I just mean he’s not in a place where a hero-turn would make sense, but if something were to happen to his sister (who he loves and looks up to a lot), I could see an arc where he begins helping her help Batman. He would be doing it just for her at first, but could find a calling.

      Just a theory.

      Here’s another one: what if Harper leads something like a Robin movement? Where Batman doesn’t have an individual sidekick, but a Global Frequency-style network of young people that feed him information through Harper. It would be a riff on the Batman gang from Dark Knight Returns also I suppose. That could be a cool concept, especially with smartphones and social networking. It could also be an interesting counter-point to the traditional “anti-social” Batman.

  16. That might work, like Rick Jones’ Teen Brigade – I’d definitely rather that than yet another new Robin.

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