Comments on: Countdown #47

By: Matthew Peterson

Matthew Peterson — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 16:42:00 +0000

Matthew: I don�t want the current (not LoSH) Supergirl (total bitch) who only thinks of herself, and I don�t want the mopey Cassie Wondergirl wannabe. I want someone sort of like Guy Gardner but taken down about three stops. Someone who is essentially a good person, but is tempted a lot of the time to take advantage of a situation - which is probably more realistic with today�s young adults.

Understandable… I guess my problem comes from the fact that somehow, Mary is considered “broken” or something because she’s been bright and sunny, rather than tortured and angsty, and that way lies the 90’s grim and gritty thinking. We’re about one more tortured girlfriend/dead parent/angry resurrected sidekick away from “The Secret Defenders” here, folks. And NOBODY wants that to happen. NOBODY…

By: Stephen

Stephen — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 12:45:10 +0000

Matthew: I don’t want the current (not LoSH) Supergirl (total bitch) who only thinks of herself, and I don’t want the mopey Cassie Wondergirl wannabe. I want someone sort of like Guy Gardner but taken down about three stops. Someone who is essentially a good person, but is tempted a lot of the time to take advantage of a situation - which is probably more realistic with today’s young adults.

By: Matthew Peterson

Matthew Peterson — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 11:48:56 +0000

On the one hand, I really really really despised the saccharine Mary Marvel that was all goody-goody and innocent, and would never harm a fly. On the other, while I did like Slutty Mary Marvel from Earth-3, I thought it was just too much and over the top to like for longer than a couple of issues. However, if the Seduction of the Innocent storyline allows Mary to become a regular person, who will occasionally get drunk, pick up a guy and have some fun, possibly even use her powers for her own means, and make honest to goodness mistakes, all while doing heroic deeds, I think the Marvel family would become that much more interesting.

While I understand your point, I have but one thing to say in response: Mary and her twin brother Billy were pretty unique in their characterization. Most teenage characters are all ironic and snarky (ala the Runaways) or overly dedicated to their craft (ala the Young Avengers) or living down the mistakes not only of their mentors, but the previous children to take on the roles they now occupy (ala the Teen Titans.) Gratnted that her “sweet kid aww shucks” attitude isn’t for everyone, there’s a fine line between character development and just mainstreaming her to be more like the bulk of teenage comic book types.

When the DCU’s adult males run the gamut from free spirit (Hal Jordan) to liberal politico (Ollie Queen) to married career dude (Clark Kent) to driven control freak (Bruce Wayne) with stops along the way at bohemian archeologist, inner-city educator, esoteric European royalty, serial-reincarnating curator, ghost detective, and… uh… the OTHER ghost detective, maybe having Mary stand out from her peers isn’t a bad thing? :)

By: Matthew Peterson

Matthew Peterson — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 11:36:53 +0000

The Black Marvel family costumes all seem rather simple in contract to the Captain Marvel family uniforms.

The new ones, sure, but Adam’s original composition is identical to Billy, only with black replacing the red and no cape. Given that it’s established now that the Marvels can control how they look when they turn into their alter egos (Billy was able to make Cap appear with a beard, as well as in street clothes and in a tuxedo version of his costume) I wonder if this is Mary’s conception of Black Adam?

By: Salieri

Salieri — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 07:00:29 +0000

You kinda think her foes will be all like, ‘Did they not have enough material to cover the legs? Do you think they look attractive and you’re trying to distract me? What? WHAT?’

By: Brent F.

Brent F. — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 06:09:45 +0000

The Black Marvel family costumes all seem rather simple in contract to the Captain Marvel family uniforms.

By: Brent F.

Brent F. — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 05:58:31 +0000

I didn’t get the impression that they were implying his new power activation word was “Sorry.” When I read it I got the impression that Adam was sarcastically apologizing for what he thinks will happen to Mary with his supposedly cursed powers.

By: Matthew Peterson

Matthew Peterson — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 05:54:27 +0000

Y’know, all questions about how Mary should or shouldn’t be evil aside…

That is an awfully boring costume. Seriously… All the other Marvels get cool belts, the five-ring-bracers, the big cape and cool corsair boots. Mary gets Doc Martens and a body condom. Where’s the fairness in that $!+?

By: Salieri

Salieri — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 20:07:50 +0000

Ugh…bad Keyboard. I mean ‘Golden Lightning Bolt BROOCH’. Sorry.

By: Salieri

Salieri — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 19:49:23 +0000

I actually quite like Mary Marvel as an Adult - oly thing is, I’d have either made her in a slightly more Egyptian style or given her a more elegant, Ladylike Costume such as an Evening Dress in shades of grey with a Golden Lightning Bolt Dress. Why shades of grey? Well, apparently the colour is not only more stylish but also blends in with the night more than one solid black colour. Go Figure.