30 Days of Marvel: Day 30: Something you would like Marvel to do (movie, comic, cartoon, adaption, apparel, etc.)

1. A new Gambit comic. By a writer and artist I respect, which might be good. And yes, they’re doing it. They’re doing it! I live in hope that it will be good, and that they will get him right, and that I’ll enjoy it.

2. Another movie with Tom Hiddleston as Loki.

3. A Black Widow/S.H.I.E.L.D. movie.

4. A new Young Avengers title. Or just give Wiccan and Hulkling their own comic.

5. A new Hawkeye comic. Yes, I know, they’re doing one. I’m thinking of Kate Bishop, not Clint Barton. (Not that I have any complaints about the new Hawkeye comic - I just think there’s room enough for two Hawkeye comics in the Marvel universe!)

6. Bring back Pete Wisdom. Ideally, I’d like to see him reunited with Kitty Pryde, and written by someone clever and witty. Or, conversely, Pete Wisdom working with S.H.I.E.L.D.

7. Return and redemption of Mystique, Daken, and Forge.

8. Restitution of the Spider-Man/Mary Jane Watson marriage.

9. The return of Nightcrawler.

10. A movie with Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Nick Fury.

11. A new Nick Fury comic that isn’t a Max comic, or set in the past.

12. More diversity at Marvel: more female heroes, more gay and bi characters (especially women, which are lacking), more handicapped heroes, more non-American heroes, more heroes of different ethnicities. More women writing their stories. More women editing and drawing their stories.

30 Days of Marvel: Day 29: Rec a Marvel Tumblr blog



MARVEL WOMEN KICKING ASS

...Because there are so many good female characters at Marvel
...Because the latest entries were on Sif, Dazzler, Mystique, Storm, and Magma

How is it that I didn't even know there was a Nick Fury movie made in 1998?

Yeah, it was probably really bad and I didn't want to know. But still. Nick Fury?

I wonder if I can find a way of seeing it...

30 Days of Marvel: Day 28: Power you would most like to have

Wolverine’s: guaranteed long life and good health. Sounds about perfect to me.

30 Days of Marvel: Day 27: Where do you buy your comics?

At the Silver Snail in Ottawa, near the corner of Bank and Lewis, where I have a subscription to the good stuff.

391 Bank St
Ottawa, ON K2P 1Y3

(613) 232-2609

Best comic shop in town, and the manager, Kin Jee, is terrific.

30 Days of Marvel: Day 26: Favorite relationship (platonic)




Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson, in Daredevil.

No, really. College roommates, law partners, friends who would do anything for each other - and have done so.

Foggy has seen Matt through failed romantic relationships, a marriage, illness, possession, insanity, conviction - and the good times. Matt has put his life and reputation on the line for Foggy, and vice versa.

They bring out the best in each other.

Best friends ever.

- Panels from Daredevil #511, by Andy Diggle and Roberto de la Torre. December 2010.

What has happened to Cable?

Last I saw, he was dead. And Hope resurrected him and took away his techno-organic virus. And then everyone got word that the Phoenix Force was coming for Hope, and everyone got distracted fighting the Avengers...

So where is Cable and what is he doing now?

30 Days of Marvel: Day 25: Favorite couple/relationship (romantic)

Another easy one: Emma Frost and Scott Summers.



“When I was with Emma, it was like flying. I could say any outrageous thing. There was no pressure. She had no expectations. She just accepted everything about me...”
Scott Summers, New X-Men #142

He was the X-Men's teacher's pet. She was the slutty White Queen of the Hellfire Club. Who'd have guessed how well they'd fit together?

Now, back in the sixties and seventies, I was into the Scott/Jean thing. It was what we had. Even though I liked the character, Scott Summers wasn't the most interesting of the X-Men. He was the most reliable, the most dependable, the least likely to have a life - and the most likely to have an unexpected relative. Exciting? Not really.

Emma changed all that. Emma changed him, and all for the better, as far as I'm concerned. The good-boy X-Man discovered his edge, discovered his intelligence, developed his leadership, turned into a hard-assed arrogant son of a bitch who didn't let anyone push him around.

Except for Emma. Sometimes. But only sometimes.

Day 24: Best twist

Best unexpected story development? Hmm...



Spider-Man reveals his identity to the world in Civil War #2 by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven. June 2006.

filkferengi pointed me towards this interesting article: The Spandex Closet: 10 Superheroes Who Need To Come Out. One of the best thing about this article is that it talks about the characters being bi, not homosexual, and I really like that. Implying the fluidity of sexuality, rather than sexual orientation being a polarized dichotomy, or static.

I have no opinion about the DC characters it mentions, except to smile happily at the idea of Tim Drake being bi. Yes, please.

I thought it really, really interesting that it talks about Gambit. Because I always thought Gambit ought to be bi. He's adventurous, flirty, nonconformist, individualistic, an outsider... not to mention funny, smart, acrobatic and sexy.

Here's what the article says:

There's no in-character scene or moment that suggests that Gambit is bisexual, yet every fan I speak to just knows that he is. He has a Casanova quality and a laissez-faire attitude, two traits that combine into the attractive idea of a guy everyone finds sexy, who finds everyone sexy.

Gambit is that rarest of things; a superdude who is deliberately sensual. It's a trait that forthcoming series writer James Asmus happily embraces, and it's a big part of his appeal. His appeal would only be enhanced by establishing his bisexuality. It's an increasingly apparent truth that a lot of women enjoy male/male romances. Whenever we talk about making books that appeal to women, the conversation seems to be about female characters. I'm willing to bet that giving Gambit a tortured same-sex romance would bring in more female readers than changing Power Girl's outfit ever could.

Comics Alliance has this interesting comment from upcoming Gambit writer James Asmus:

CA: Speaking of Gambit's seductive prowess; the character is known for his charm and good looks, and there's room in comics for more male sex symbols. Do you see Gambit filling that vacancy?

Asmus: 100%! Gambit really is one of the few explicitly sexy male characters in mainstream comics, and that's a major part of how I envision this book. Luckily, our artist on the book is Clay Mann. And he completely taps into the easy cool and good looks that help make Gambit such man-candy to his fans.

Man-candy. Heh. I hope they hold that thought.