SRS: sure, a LOT of the points you make are valid, but there are forums and blogs and stuff. I mean, your posts are well-thought out, and well-written; they could be articles somewhere. :) I kinda see that my initial comment could be seen as snark, but i’m only semi-snarky. seriously, if you’re going to spend that much thought on this stuff, put it up and cross-promote yourself — other people here do (did?) it. (that “evil” guy with Dial B for Blog, for instance)…

however, one argument i’ll counter with is that not everybody cares about the details. i know that may seem like a shame to people like you (and i, cuz i appreciate continuity too, and well-characterized plots, etc), but money has never cared about what’s interesting. money goes where people go. people are driven by what they’re driven by, and not everybody is driven by detail. if people like us were in the majority, would they not cater to us? After all (and this is meant with no disrespect whatsoever), people like you aren’t afraid to speak up when you dislike something. at least we’ll have the satisfaction of saying “i told you so” when everything goes to ashes. :D

just my perspective, however distorted it may be…

Back when “Avengers Disassembled” came out, I was interested in developing fixes for the unwanted plot developments, plugging plot holes, etc., but Marvel Editorial’s sorry record since then has killed my interest in such things. Now I just want the company to produce material that’s worth paying money for. The fact that Marvel wasn’t forced to retract “One More Day,” or backtrack in other ways, due to fan resentment, was unfortunate, because it showed that there are new and undemanding, uncritical readers that will accept anything that isn’t obvious garbage.

That attitude is more pervasive than one might think. The plot for YOUNG AVENGERS PRESENTS #3, for example, placed the Vision and Scarlet Witch’s house in the wrong city–Cresskill instead of Leonia–and failed to mention a battle between Master Pandemonium and Wanda (in the SCARLET WITCH miniseries). Those obvious errors ruined the story, but many, if not all, online reviewers missed them completely. One prominent blogger, when told about the errors, dismissed them. She didn’t know the characters, and didn’t care whether their histories were handled correctly. The only things she cared about were the social relationships.

Many of Marvel’s events can be dismissed on the basis of flawed premises. “One More Day, “ for example, is “Peter and M.J. must sacrifice their love for each other to Mephisto, so that the demon will prevent Aunt May’s death.” “Avengers Disassembled” is “An insane Scarlet Witch attacks and kills Avengers whom, she believes, are trying to take away her nonexistent children.” “House of M” is “An insane Scarlet Witch tries to create an alternate reality in which Marvel heroes live out dream lives, but can’t handle the stress.” I don’t think that Marvel Editorial cares whether a given event has a flawed premise any more, as long as it looks like something that can be promoted.

If the story’s premise is flawed, unfortunately, the plot that’s based on it will be flawed as well. The best way to avoid the problem with flawed premises, IMO, is to base the story on character development, to have the character overcome a threat or reach a desired goal. If obvious problems, such as a deux ex machina, are avoided, and the writer understands the characters, then the worst that will happen is that plot developments will seem forced. The end result can still be complimented. The problem with such character-based stories, I suppose, is that they can’t be promoted easily. The audience has to be fairly sophisticated and involved with the characters. New readers might not be interested. It’s not impossible to combine a threat that can be promoted easily with character development, but doing so takes work and doesn’t happen in editorial conferences. That’s the result of individual effort and writing skill.

SRS

Mockingbird back? Well, I liked the character so “cool”. As to how? Why not just tie it to the OMD horror?

My theory about Bobbi (posted previously) is that Mephisto let her out of Hell since he didn’t really have anyone else reliable to help the humans fight the Skrulls. Mephisto plagues humans, Skrulls want Earth, therefore the enemy of my enemy is my enemy…but that’s just a guess. I’m sure the real storyline is going to be more illogical than Spock after he got high on that happy pollen.

Doesn’t mean it can’t be fun.

Another major flaw in the issue is the notion that the “alien” virus unleashed in SI #1 would be able to damage Stark’s equipment. Computer viruses don’t do that. They destroy files, not hardware, and, in any rationally organized system, the files would be replaceable. Even the equipment would be replaceable. I don’t know what Bendis was thinking when he wrote Stark’s dialogue to the effect that he would have to rebuild everything from “scratch.” The mishandling of the computer virus in MIGHTY AVENGERS #6, though, was an indication that Bendis really doesn’t understand what viruses are, or what they do. Maybe he thought an “alien” computer virus could have unearthly effects? Um, no, it couldn’t.

I’ve seen several comments about the “fighting” in SI #2, but the opinion that there’s fighting going on seems strange when one compares the pages to Stern’s AVENGERS, Englehart’s AVENGERS or WEST COAST AVENGERS, Thomas’s AVENGERS or AWC issues, etc. Using powers against each other tactically and actually exerting force against each other is fighting. What appears in SI #2 is Bendis’s standard NEW AVENGERS approach of filling space with splash pages, having characters trade quips, and having some characters occasionally punch each other.

I’ve seen some readers, whether or not, they’re aware that the miscarriage bit Bendis throws at readers is fabricated history, comment that the exchange between Barton and Mockingbird doesn’t prove anything. There could have been a telepath involved. . . If one wants to believe that an incompetent writer is doing the work, then, yes, a telepath could be involved. An honest writer would inform the reader that a lie was being told.

SRS

I still don’t get why Sue Storm and Jean Grey are in this group, though….

And Eddie, I’m suggesting that the U.S. Agent in Omega Flight is a Skrull agent.