Comments

1. daccampo says:

   June 10, 2010 at 5:20 pm

   I didn’t pick up this issue, largely for these reasons. Knowing what I value in a story, I think I made the right call. This has been my complaint about Hickman since the Nightly News. Great ideas, great design. I like the way he thinks. I like the way he builds his stories. But I don’t like the execution. I have a hard time connecting with his characters. His writing often comes across to me as very dry. The ideas are there, but I have nothing to connect with. I do think he’s capable of it, and we’re starting to see some of this come through in books like Fantastic Four, but for now, as I’m looking to cut down my pull list a little, I think I’m gonna have to pass on this book.

   Thanks for the review!

   Log in to Reply
2. JumpingJupiter says:

   June 10, 2010 at 10:20 pm

   I don’t see Leonid as without personality. His main characteristic is that he is a small man in a big world. Tossed this way and that way. Suggestible, naive. This was very clear to me. He is as overwhelmed by the story as the reader is. He is the anchor in anotherwise stormy narrative. But perhaps because I relate to that sort of character very strongly.

   And personally I doubt that two issues is a fair assessment of how a huge story like this will play out. To be fair you do make that point in your last sentence. So I guess you are kind of saying, this issue is shit but the story has potential to be rather good. I can see that. Not my opinion but I can see it.

   To me what Hickman does right that I find G-Mo does not is that he sells you the story as it is. He makes it very clear that he is writing an intricate epic. I find G-Mo wraps his quirky, odd heady tales of his inner space in a deceiving package. It appears traditional but it is far from it. It comes across as bipolar to me. Hickman is transparent in his motives while Morisson is opaque and ambiguous. I like the clarity.

   Also, I feel G-Mo leaves the reader to drown in his stories and provides no safety net. The reader never quite knows wether this is that or if it isn’t. Hickman provides the reader with very solid and comfortable "waypoints", landmarks if you will. For these reasons, I feel he writes complex epics more successfully than many others.

   I understand the criticism that his stories lack character. But I don’t find it completely true nor that his stories are less interesting than character-driven works.

   That’s my 2 cents. Don’t spend it all in one place. 🙂

   Log in to Reply
3. comicBOOKchris says:

   June 11, 2010 at 12:06 am

   Everything JumpingJupiter said about G-Mo is exactly why he is better than Hickman. Both weavy epic and question-asking stories, but G-Mo has wit and quirkiness woven in, while Hickman is completely dry. What’s the point to reading a story that does nothing but ask questions and not entertain?

   Log in to Reply
4. PraxJarvin says:

   June 11, 2010 at 1:05 am

   @JJ I gotta tell you, it sounds as if the personality you’re seeing is one you’re creating for the character and not anything that’s been presented in the book. Hell, he’s had less than 15 sentences in two issues. I’ve asked two people who read the book and liked it to give me a reason to care about the character of Leonid and neither was able to do it. As for fair assessment, I am simply assessing based on what we have and the basis for this book just isn’t working for me after 2 issues. Not enough is there – good or bad. I admit that it could work collected because there’s more to assess. I really just can’t see waiting 8 months and buying the issues to see if my initial assessment is accurate. And I have to disagree with you on Hickman selling what he writes. It’s certainly not his case with Fantastic Four, where he’s far more but you accuse Morrison of doing (See what I did there?) As well, the point of Morrison’s writing is not to tell epic stories but rather to tell "classic" stories his way. It’s a subtle difference.

   As well, Morrison writes compelling characters amidst his zaniness that stand out. All-Star Superman is not revered as it is because it’s "understandable" Morrison but because the characters are well devised, even in their Silver Age static good and bad.

   I am curious, though, what "complex epics" has Hickman written successfully, exactly? And know this isn’t a Hickman is a poor man’s Morrison thing. Hickman has great ideas, but I feel he’s not great at executing them and we get "No, it’s ideas, man, not the story." He’s also got some great style and design aesthetics and innovation. It doesn’t always work, though. The problem is that all of these issues I raise are endemic of writing, which leads me to believe i don’t like the creator and not just *this* work.

   Log in to Reply
5. DamonS23 says:

   June 11, 2010 at 1:28 am

   Wow! You hit the nail right on the head. While I did like this issue better that the first I really don’t like Hickman’s writing style on this or FF hurry up and wait does seem like his MO.  I also agree that this (and the FF) will probably read better in trade.

   Log in to Reply
6. JumpingJupiter says:

   June 11, 2010 at 7:20 am

   @Prax: I don’t wanna get into a drawn thing here and defend what I see in Leonid and Hickman’s writing and have everything we say filtered by the internet and up a mashed version of itself and in the end we just say "*sigh* agree to disagree blah blah" so I’ll be brief and end my contribution to the debate here. What I’m nutshell saying here is that I get your criticism of Hickman’s way of writing character and your assessment is very intelligent. But, To my personal taste his stories are compelling regardless. To me, the story itself is as much a character in Hickman’s writing as the people living in the story. The world he builds is a living entity with it’s own personality and emotionality. And Leonid lives in this. I see a real person who says "what is this?" "I don’t understand", you see cardboard.

   It’s cool. I like it, you don’t.

   Log in to Reply
7. PraxJarvin says:

   June 11, 2010 at 11:23 am

   @JJ Ahh, see, I get that! THe book is atmospheric and and the design work is fantastic. Weaver is certainly a gifted artist and the descriptions Hickman is feeding him are making for some wonderful, organic looking vistas. Saying that Lenoid is the point of entry for you as a reader into that world makes sense. As well, my point is never to bash anyone’s opinion because it’s counter to mine, but to explore what makes them like it, so thanks for entering into an intelligent conversation about it.

   Log in to Reply
8. JumpingJupiter says:

   June 11, 2010 at 2:38 pm

   🙂 Cool

   Log in to Reply
9. AmirCat says:

   June 11, 2010 at 4:13 pm

   Too early to tell on Shield. I personally loved it! Story 4/5, Art 10/5 … Art was amazing … come on.

   While I agree with you that Hickman could use a good editor, I still think it’s too early to tell wether Shield is just an idea story. Transhuman was a great book and made a lot of sense. Nightley News was well crafted, maybe needed a touchup from an editor, but it’s an amazing book. Pax Romana, I liked, but not my favorite of Hickmans. His FF has been amazing, I don’t care what people say.

   The ONLY thing I have not enjoyed too much from him are secret warriors (probably because I don’t know about Nick Fury much) and Seige Secret Warriors (liked the writing, hated the message). :p

   By the way, being the best idea man is not too shabby. I will take a high concept well crafted epic over a hacky retread story line that makes sense. 

   Log in to Reply
10. PraxJarvin says:

    June 11, 2010 at 5:50 pm

    @AmirCat The issue is not Hickman’s writing being confusing – he’s rather straightforward. As both @Daccampo and @JumpingJupiter have also attested.

    Log in to Reply
11. JumpingJupiter says:

    June 11, 2010 at 6:46 pm

    @Prax: Your comments in this thread were probably gonna get the COW award. Until I said that which jinxed it 😛

    Log in to Reply