Originally Posted by Parademon1

Yeah, you're right, Planet Hulk/WW Hulk took place in the 70s. Yeppers. FYI, I quit collecting comics soon after that due to the price increase & the BS PC turn that comics took soon after that as well. And I haven't cursed anyone nor used profanity in my comments but some internet tough guy calls me a dick & it's all good. Gotta love these keyboard commandos.

Originally Posted by hasbroherofan (Post 727665)

Historically I think Marvel's had a tough time with books centered around alien protagonists since one of Marvel's hallmarks is having supposedly relatable characters (whether or not that's true in practice is YMMV of course).

Even the Guardians had a few human viewpoint characters, and their mainstream success is a very recent development.

Originally Posted by TheBlueMarvel (Post 727674)

Personally, I believe it has everything to do with strength of story-telling and character development, as it pertains to GotG's success, despite the title's other worldly cast of characters. In my opinion, it's not about industry trends or fan temperaments as it regards how much they identify (or don't, for that matter) with 'human' subjects.

There's a history of anthropomorphized characters finding success within Marvel's stable and beyond. Howard the Duck and Rocket Raccoon found fans, and while they don't represent the traditional 'alien' (especially in the case of Howard), corollaries can be easily made. Marvel's Epic line had popular titles in the 80's with both Dreadstar and Alien Legion. While Vanth, the main character of Dreadstar, was indeed a human (as was Willow), the comic's most well regarded personalities were Oedi (of an engineered cat-person race) and Skeevo (a purple hued alien) - let's not overlook my personal favorite, the one, the only, Syzygy Darlock - who was basically a zombie wizard...the things I like make most people uncomfortable. Torie, Alien Legion's singular 'true' human character, wasn't remotely the focus of the title's narrative. Jugger Grimrod (a Wolverine-like character) and Major Sarigar (the unit's badass snake-man leader) were firmly the fan-favorites of the book.

Outside of Marvel: TMNT, Bucky O'Hare, Usagi Yojimbo, Savage Dragon, Pitt, and The Maxx are all non-traditional successes. Again not all are 'aliens,' but ostensibly, they may as well be. Not to mention, the only comic to ever win a Pulitzer was Maus - plenty of people were able to relate to yet one more well written anthropomorphized protagonist. Additionally, Crossgen's Negation remains one of the best space-epics and overall comic runs I've read in years. While Obregon Kaine (one of my all-time favorite comic leaders) was a human, the cast was a treasure trove of alien races and cultures...each equally as fascinating as the one previously introduced.

Compelling narratives are what allow readers to relate to characters. Not their aesthetic features, race, gender, or sexual orientation. Alien Legion captured the grit, peril, triumph of victory, and deep loss of war (much like Negation) all of which serving to assist readers to find the 'threads of humanity' in non-human players. As long as writers commit in earnest to their task of breathing life into a title, almost anything can garner critical acclaim and fan-celebration.

Originally Posted by ariellagunas (Post 727693)

Ooh Dreadstar brings up goosebumps. I would love figures of that. Alien Legion I own, but I haven't got round to read yet. And I will get Negation, sound good.
Love that you bring up Maus. That book got me obsessed for weeks.
And on the topic of anthropomorphic, let's not forget he original Omega Men with Tigorr, Harpis and Demonia, plus Felicity afterwards. First 12 issues were amazing (and bloodied).
But I digress...

And Wanda and Pietro are becoming the Donna Troy of Marvel. An absolutely travesty.

Originally Posted by TheBlueMarvel (Post 727709)

Ariel, you and I have already covered ground establishing that we've many interests in common and it comes as no surprise that you're a fan of Dreadstar and Alien Legion.

People love Thanos and Jim Starlin, but haven't any clue that Lord Papal of Dreadstar was a veritable template/prototype for many of the complexities written into the Mad Titan. While there's enough of a difference to maintain the two characters as distinct, the parallels are obvious. Thanos Rising was the culmination of Starlin bringing forward elements of Papal's tortured, abused, and isolated youth to flesh out Thanos. When people tell me online, or in person, that they are Thanos fans, I smirk and ask them if they've read Dreadstar. I'm almost more excited when they haven't read the book because I can open up the door for a great title and help them gain a new perspective on Thanos.

Get on that Alien Legion reading! The book was ahead of its time...

Yeah, Maus was all that. As a comic reader and a fan of literature, there was no way I could allow the only work that has risen to the level of receiving a Pulitzer to go unread.

You. Will. Love. Negation. It's unfortunate that it never finished. However, what exists was very special in my opinion.

Originally Posted by TheBlueMarvel (Post 727683)

...you know I'm messin' around!

Originally Posted by DarkToyLord (Post 727719)

Originally Posted by DarkToyLord (Post 727719)

Originally Posted by DarkToyLord (Post 727726)

Originally Posted by Byrnes (Post 727727)

Awesome pic DTL

Originally Posted by Captain Nash (Post 727728)

Those are awesome pics DTL!

Originally Posted by hasbroherofan (Post 727729)

Great work, man.

Originally Posted by Panther (Post 727730)

That looks really good!

Originally Posted by DarkToyLord (Post 727749)

since NY heads raised up in response to a perceived dickhead...(lol)..
anyone attending NYCC in two weeks??

Originally Posted by DarkToyLord (Post 727726)

Originally Posted by DarkToyLord (Post 727726)

Originally Posted by 3233rafael (Post 727758)

10 bucks each @ my LCS...I always thought these X-Men figs were on high demand. Weird. I couldn't pass.

http://www.toyark.com/attachments/44...6-img_0729.jpg

Originally Posted by Spyne98 (Post 727750)

I'll be there on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. You?

Originally Posted by Nitelife (Post 727754)

Hey arkers check your local 5 Below if ya have em........i found the red onsalught wave there for 5 bucks a pop. I grabbed taskmaster ( now i have the whole wave on my wall ) and another scourge ( want more haha...damn you dtl :p ) so if anyone finds em im lookin for scourge/demolition man.

Originally Posted by Nitelife (Post 727755)

Niiiiiiiiiccccceeee! Now if ol shiro had been sittin down of the flame shootin upwards....thatd be funny ;)

Originally Posted by 3233rafael (Post 727758)

10 bucks each @ my LCS...I always thought these X-Men figs were on high demand. Weird. I couldn't pass.

http://www.toyark.com/attachments/44...6-img_0729.jpg

Originally Posted by Nostalgic (Post 727757)

Great picture!

Originally Posted by Nitelife (Post 727760)

Damn thats great. If ya dont want old man logan shatterstar rollergirl dazzler and polaris.... ;)

Originally Posted by DarkToyLord (Post 727761)

you know you don't make any sense right..haha...NOT that you have too.
Great deal though!!

Originally Posted by 3233rafael (Post 727763)

Ok, so judging from the PM's I got, these fig are in high demand like I thought, lol. Yeah, I don't collect Legends anymore but I still have all my X-Men figs. I'm glad I never got these. It was worth the wait.