Future Images
Jim Lee
supreme, ...??) in May? will be shipping out issues #25 for each book.
It will be about the future with Stormwatch on the run, Battalion dead,
and the bionic guy from Wildcats (the name's just not coming to me)
leading a new team because he lost his old one. (wildcats?) Well, the
cool thing is it's not a alternate universe. These events will actually
happen in the issues before. And when they get up to #24 in a year and 2
months from now, they'll skip #25 and go to #26. Great idea! I've never
seen this in any other company. I read an article in Wizard by Jim Lee a
few months ago playfully talking about this but who know it'd become reality?
So I guess from now til then we'll see Battalion die, Spartan (that's his
name) lose the Wildcats and Stormwatch getting jacked up badly. Heh,
heh..cool.
zombie
>Well, the
>cool thing is it's not a alternate universe. These events will actually
>happen in the issues before. And when they get up to #24 in a year and 2
>months from now, they'll skip #25 and go to #26. Great idea!
What is great about it? Do you like reading the last chapter of a book
first? If you know the ending, what's the point? IMO, this stinks. PU.
>I've never seen this in any other company.
Thank goodness.
zombie
--
##### I hate it when I can't gird my loins with funny animals. -Calvin #####
# I've got to pull myself together! What can I do? My natural studliness #
# has overwhelmed Susie's fragile grip on reality! -Calvin # E.VEIT -GEnie #
## zom...@netcom.com # E.V...@genie.geis.com # zom...@redeye.ebay.sun.com ##
Eric Harding
: And when they get up to #24 in a year and 2
If you actually believe Image will get any book other than Spawn to #24
in that time frame, I've got a bridge to sell you.
Eric
--
_______________________________________________________________
/Eric Harding 'My opinions are mine, not anyone else's. /
/har...@hebron.connected.com /
/-------------------------------------------------------------/
/ IMAGE= Infantile Men And Giant Egos. /
/ Just killing time untill something better comes along. /
/ Omega Supreme TransformersMUSH /
--------------------------------------------------------------
SMB...@psuvm.psu.edu
>
>jim...@u.washington.edu (Jim Lee) writes:
>>Well, the
>>cool thing is it's not a alternate universe. These events will actually
>>happen in the issues before. And when they get up to #24 in a year and 2
>>months from now, they'll skip #25 and go to #26. Great idea!
>What is great about it? Do you like reading the last chapter of a book
>first? If you know the ending, what's the point? IMO, this stinks. PU.
>>I've never seen this in any other company.
Well, I have seen this sort of thing once before at DC. DC took three
titles (Batman and the Outsiders,The New Teen Titans, and Legon of
Superheroes) {Maybe because they had LONG titles?} and lanched a
second title that took place one year in the future and was printed on
nicer paper and was not code approved. Then, when the
normal title went 12 issues, it would reprint the stories in the other
book with the code. DC called this it's Hardcover/softcover plan, because it
was like the way books come out in hardcover first.
It failed. It almost killed Legion and Titans and, combined with the removal
of Batman, did kill the Outsiders.
Yes, it dull knowing what changes were going to happen, esp. as they tried
to have as many big changes as possible. (AKA Death)
Also it made it confusing to see where they fit in with the rest of
DC.
R I K
Kevin Cheng
>If you actually believe Image will get any book other than Spawn to #24
>in that time frame, I've got a bridge to sell you.
> / IMAGE= Infantile Men And Giant Egos. /
> / Just killing time untill something better comes along. /
Judgin by your sig, you evidently haven't been keeping up. I would venture to
say you probably never even bothered to try.
Firstly, you generalize Image into something simply becausee a couple (notablr
Liefeld and Toddy) mouth off everywhere and like to make an ass out of
themselves. I suppose it never occurred to you that some of them (Image) are not
like that.
Goign back to topic tho, most Image titles are now following a set schedule and
putting out books on time so issue #24 won't be that far away. Question is
whether anyone will buy a 501 book for 25 issues. The answer is, sadly, yes.
--
- Kevin Cheng | Proud to be an Image fan, -
- che...@sfu.ca | But appreciates stuff from Stan "the Man", -
- SFU Engineering | As well as "mature" stuff from Neil Gaiman, -
- BC, Canada | Jeff Smith, and even John Byrne's Next Men. -
dg...@pomona.claremont.edu
the idea in and of itself is kind of cool, but not with Image using it.
I think one of Image's major problems is that, to loosely paraphrase
Yoda, they are always thinking about where they are going with a story
instead of where they *are*, hmm? What they are doing.
I remember an interview with 501 where he said that people that
were saying Youngblood sucked didn't know dick because HE knew where it
was going and it was awesome. Well, the leadup to big events is every
bit as important as the event itself.
The Image guys are WAY too concerned with where they are going,
like they are trying to prove that they have some big overall plan
for their characters. Which I am sure they do. But so does EVERYBODY.
At least most people. Chris Claremont probably had years of stories
planned out at any minute, but he didn't go shooting his mouth off to
prove it. Like Whilce and Lateworks. OK. They'll become the Golden
Warriors. We'll see it eventually!
Incidentally, I would count this stuff as the mark of an immature
writer, cuz I do it, and I am as immature as anyone! Whenever I write my
own stuff, I am always working up to an event instead of focusing on the
story at hand. Notice how McFarlane, the most experienced writer at Image,
doesn't feel the need to prove he is going anywhere.
So, in essence, the concept isn't bad. . . Rai #0 was something
the same. I just feel like the Image guys are impatient and are so excited
about a story two years in the future that they don't want to take the time
and effort to do the stories NOW.
Just my .02, and not intended as an Image bash, just my opinions.
Dave
DG...@POMONA.CLAREMONT.EDU :)-~
Jason Smith
>jim...@u.washington.edu (Jim Lee) writes:
>>Well, the
>>cool thing is it's not a alternate universe. These events will actually
>>happen in the issues before. And when they get up to #24 in a year and 2
>>months from now, they'll skip #25 and go to #26. Great idea!
>What is great about it? Do you like reading the last chapter of a book
>first? If you know the ending, what's the point? IMO, this stinks. PU.
>>I've never seen this in any other company.
>Thank goodness.
Actually, Valiant's had a shot at this: do you know of a book called
"Rai #0"? :) Back to what Zombie's saying though, I agree with him
entirely. It stinks.
>zombie
>--
>##### I hate it when I can't gird my loins with funny animals. -Calvin #####
># I've got to pull myself together! What can I do? My natural studliness #
># has overwhelmed Susie's fragile grip on reality! -Calvin # E.VEIT -GEnie #
>## zom...@netcom.com # E.V...@genie.geis.com # zom...@redeye.ebay.sun.com ##
| _ ( _ _
|(_|_)(_)| ) "Sometimes known as s000...@giaec.cc.monash.edu.au"
) --------
Eric Harding
: har...@hebron.connected.com (Eric Harding) writes:
: >If you actually believe Image will get any book other than Spawn to #24
: >in that time frame, I've got a bridge to sell you.
: > / IMAGE= Infantile Men And Giant Egos. /
: > / Just killing time untill something better comes along. /
: Judgin by your sig, you evidently haven't been keeping up. I would venture to
: say you probably never even bothered to try.
: Firstly, you generalize Image into something simply becausee a couple (notablr
: Liefeld and Toddy) mouth off everywhere and like to make an ass out of
: themselves. I suppose it never occurred to you that some of them (Image) are not
: like that.
I do try read Image books, when they have a story. Can they get a book
out roughly every two-three weeks? In order to have all books up to
#24 in a year and a half, they would have to.
: --
: - Kevin Cheng | Proud to be an Image fan, -
: - che...@sfu.ca | But appreciates stuff from Stan "the Man", -
: - SFU Engineering | As well as "mature" stuff from Neil Gaiman, -
: - BC, Canada | Jeff Smith, and even John Byrne's Next Men. -
--
_______________________________________________________________
/Eric Harding 'My opinions are mine, not anyone else's. /
/har...@hebron.connected.com /
/-------------------------------------------------------------/
/ IMAGE= Infantile Men And Giant Egos. /
/ Just killing time untill something better comes along. /
R.J.JOHNSTON
episode, so Alan wrote an episode set in the future of the series and
as a result kept us guessing about Warpsmiths and Kid Marvelman
and London for about 8 years.
Image have just nicked it, that's all. Its called a swipe.
..................................
RICH JOHNSTON- Creator of "Dirtbag" r.j.jo...@ncl.ac.uk
Artist on "Ken Bradley's Age of Eternity"
"But I'd really love to wake up sleeping,
In your arms again...."- Saw Doctors. Buy Hepcats 11.
David Pardoe, (0013 spif)
>Alan Moore did this trick on Marvelman. Alan Davis was late for an
>episode, so Alan wrote an episode set in the future of the series and
>as a result kept us guessing about Warpsmiths and Kid Marvelman
>and London for about 8 years.
and it's never been reprinted to my knowledge, though is referred to in the
destruction of London issue of Miracleman.
David
Scott McMahan -- Genesis mailing list owner
I'm at a loss for one.
Now that multiple covers are out, polybags are out, cover enhancements
are out, and people are burned out on "extras"; Image is trying to come
up with a big, Wizard-ready media hype trick to keep their books in the
spotlight.
So, they come out with future images. It's a reader-firnedly gimmick
that at least generates interest without raising the cover price.
If this is a gimmick, at least it's a long-term-reader gimmick. If you
get StormWatch #25, you're sort of implying you want to stick around
for 18 more issues and then see how things mesh together.
Of course, it's kind of a stupid gimmick...
Scott
Abhijit Khale
>Alan Moore did this trick on Marvelman. Alan Davis was late for an
>episode, so Alan wrote an episode set in the future of the series and
>as a result kept us guessing about Warpsmiths and Kid Marvelman
>and London for about 8 years.
>
>Image have just nicked it, that's all. Its called a swipe.
You set yourself up for this one, Rich. Alan Moore didn't exactly
originate this idea. He may have borrowed it from (dare I say it)
JIM SHOOTER !!!
Yes, back in the late 60s, Shooter and Mort Weisinger wrote an Adult
Legion story which set up the future of the Legion of Super Heroes.
Some of it was adhered to, some of it was retconned away about 15
years later.
To be fair, the idea even predates Shooter [ but I found it funnier to
use Shooter's name]. There is an early 60s story by Otto Binder called
variously "Superman's super courtship", or "When Supergirl played Cupid"
in which it was revealed that Imra married Garth in the future. This set
the stage for a marriage which didn't take place till 16 years later !!!
And of course, there are several science fiction stories which use
similar techniques and predate either of these comics.
Abhijit
R.J.JOHNSTON
story skips several issues, to show tight continuity and to create
increased sensitivity to the characters shown. Thats why Days of
future Past doesnt count...
The skip issue or skip story idea seems to belong to Alan I think...
Abhiji...@transarc.com
>Sorry Abhijit, that don't count. I'm talking about future events, where a
>story skips several issues, to show tight continuity and to create
>increased sensitivity to the characters shown. Thats why Days of
>future Past doesnt count...
Days of Future past doesn't count since it explicitly breaks from the
shown future when the X-men save the life of Senator Kelly.
However, I'd argue that the Adult legion stories do count. The first
story, which shows the adult Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl married,
took place at a time when the teenage versions of the two were not
romantically attached. This future story set up the pattern which lead
to their getting romantically attached and finally marrying 16 years
later.
Also, the second Adult Legion story (the Shooter one) explicitly sets
up a future for the legion of super heroes, one which writers followed
for all of 15 years. For instance, the Adult Legion story has
characters like Reflecto, Shadow Lass and Chemical King in the Legion
hall of the dead, none of whom had appeared before. Shadow Lass
appeared a few issues after that, Chemical King two years after that
and Reflecto 12 years later. It was not until 15 years later that the
story was finally retconned away. Till that time, it provided a
framework for the legion future and was actually used by writers to
define personalities and events.
>The skip issue or skip story idea seems to belong to Alan I think...
Another example just came to mind : how about the death of Adam
Warlock, which Starlin set up originally with a meeting between the
future Warlock and the current one ? That was back in the mid 70s and
the "death" actually happened a few years later.
Abhijit
James Langdell
difficult year of putting out twice as many issues in the same time,
and then would be on track.
As I remember, the Legion stories worked up pretty well, with
each year's worth of stories focusing on separated clusters of
team members having adventures simultaneously. At the end of
the year's worth of stories, when the "paperback" was going to
start reprinting the "hardback" stories, both clusters of characters
reunited, and set of the framework of the "hardback" team starting
to tell the "paperback" team what had happened to them.
Both sets of issues were handled by the same writer, Paul Levitz,
so they were coordinated pretty well.
"The New Teen Titans" was a lot rougher during that year. The "paperback"
issues were handled by writers other than the "hardback" writer.
The "paperback" stories mainly felt like fill in issues.
I'm not sure that the "paperback" Outsiders title even lasted long
enough to start reprinting the "hardback" stories. In the case of
this book, there was more continuity from the same writer handling
all titles, and having Alan Davis as a "paperback" artist isn't
likely to lead to shabby comics! But this arrangement left readers
wondering for a year about why differences seen in the "hardback"
comics had taken place, such as why Batman and the Outsiders no longer
had anything to do with each other.
I think what *really* screwed up this staggered publishing arrangement
from continuing on an ongoing basis was that it started at a time when
DC Comics began putting more of an emphasis on cross-title continuity
and big annual crossovers, thanks to the impact of the Crisis series.
When several important titles (important enough to deserve double
publication) are out of phase by a year with everything else, continuity
goes out the window for "paperback" readers. As it was, the "paperback"
issues of Titans ran stories with red sky scenes at least a year after
Crisis had ended (the first 12 "hardback" issues took a lot more than
12 months to be completed).
In terms of the market, DC used this approach as a way to offer a
higher quality "hardback" product in the direct market (those newfangled
comic book shops) while keeping those same titles in a format that
was economical for traditional returns-permitted newstand channels.
--James Langdell jam...@eng.sun.com
Sun Microsystems Mountain View, Calif.
do...@earlham.edu
dg...@pomona.claremont.edu writes:
> I remember an interview with 501 where he said that people that
>were saying Youngblood sucked didn't know dick because HE knew where it
>was going and it was awesome.
will get better in about ten issues."
If we didn't buy it from Wolfman, why should we buy it from Rob?
--Doug
Greg McElhatton
> If this is a gimmick, at least it's a long-term-reader gimmick. If you
> get StormWatch #25, you're sort of implying you want to stick around
> for 18 more issues and then see how things mesh together.
Speaking of Images of Tomorrow . . . Kevin Broden reported on GEnie
that Brian Murray first heard of SUPREME #25 when he read the press
release in CBG.
Says something, huh?
--
Greg McElhatton Bitnet: stu_gl...@jmuvax.bitnet
GEnie: DRIZZAN Internet: stu_gl...@vax1.acs.jmu.edu
"The horror, the horror!" --Greg's reaction to EXCALIBUR #75
John Holbrook (PAD)
>Jim Lee (jim...@u.washington.edu) wrote:
>: And when they get up to #24 in a year and 2
>: months from now, they'll skip #25 and go to #26.
>
>
>If you actually believe Image will get any book other than Spawn to #24
>in that time frame, I've got a bridge to sell you.
>
>
>Eric
Obviously Eric, you aren't a fan of Image. Still, it is
incredibly ignorant on your part to ignore their success and think that
no title on the Image banner but Spawn will make it to issue #24. I hope
you do indeed have that bridge in about 18 months..
Best,
John
Carson Rizor
John Holbrook (PAD) <holb...@luna.ec.usf.edu.> wrote:
>In article <2ktvjd$6...@hebron.connected.com> har...@hebron.connected.com
(Eric Harding) writes:
>>If you actually believe Image will get any book other than Spawn to #24
>>in that time frame, I've got a bridge to sell you.
Someone missed this modifier and got a little TOO defensive... :)
Carson!
dg...@pomona.claremont.edu
>
>I don't understand how anyone can make a blanket condemnation of
>a comic that hasn't even been released yet? People, People, open
>up whats left of your minds.
Well, I can't and won't speak for the rest of racm, but I sure
as hell can condemn the idea. I haven't seen anyone criticize the
contents of the book yet. Just the principle. And the fact that someone
thinks these titles will be up to #24 or #26 in a year and a half.
My mind (what's left of it after reading an Image book) is open.
Dave
DG...@POMONA.CLAREMONT.EDU :)-~
John Holbrook (PAD)
>In <2l268f$e...@balsam.unca.edu> mcm...@clyde.cs.unca.edu writes:
>
>> If this is a gimmick, at least it's a long-term-reader gimmick. If you
>> get StormWatch #25, you're sort of implying you want to stick around
>> for 18 more issues and then see how things mesh together.
>
>Speaking of Images of Tomorrow . . . Kevin Broden reported on GEnie
>that Brian Murray first heard of SUPREME #25 when he read the press
>release in CBG.
>
>Says something, huh?
Sure does..sounds like Brian misses most of those early morning
editorial meetings! :) Seriously, even if this is true, this has been
advertised in a _slew_ of other places besides the recent CBG
article..even if he didn't hear it from Rob, then he has his head in the
sand!
Best,
John
Tom Galloway
> "The check is in the mail. I won't come in your mouth. TITANS
>will get better in about ten issues."
> If we didn't buy it from Wolfman, why should we buy it from Rob?
In fairness, I don't recall Wolfman saying this so much as Jonathan Peterson
("Really, just ten more issues and it'll get good. What's that? It's been
ten issues since I said that? OK, in ten more it'll *really* get good...")
Come to think of it, Peterson did leave DC to go to Image...
Marv has stated recently that the constant angst of the last few years is
soon to depart, which I'm willing to believe.
"This single episode increase the ratings of the show to such a degree that
the following episodes were shown without commercials because no one could
afford the advertising rates. The show was canceled two weeks later."
--Cowboy Wally's Late Night Celebrity Showdown
tyg t...@hq.ileaf.com
<--JERKY-->
>dg...@pomona.claremont.edu writes:
>> I remember an interview with 501 where he said that people that
>>were saying Youngblood sucked didn't know dick because HE knew where it
>>was going and it was awesome.
> "The check is in the mail. I won't come in your mouth. TITANS
>will get better in about ten issues."
> If we didn't buy it from Wolfman, why should we buy it from Rob?
> --Doug
I SERIOUSLY hope that wasn't a direct quote from Wolfman :)
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Remember the name.
John Holbrook (PAD)
>Kevin Cheng (che...@malibu.sfu.ca) wrote:
>: har...@hebron.connected.com (Eric Harding) writes:
>
>: >If you actually believe Image will get any book other than Spawn to #24
>: >in that time frame, I've got a bridge to sell you.
>
>: > / IMAGE= Infantile Men And Giant Egos. /
>: > / Just killing time untill something better comes along. /
>
>
>: Judgin by your sig, you evidently haven't been keeping up. I would venture to
>: say you probably never even bothered to try.
>
>: Firstly, you generalize Image into something simply becausee a couple (notablr
>: Liefeld and Toddy) mouth off everywhere and like to make an ass out of
>: themselves. I suppose it never occurred to you that some of them (Image) are not
>: like that.
>
>I do try read Image books, when they have a story. Can they get a book
>out roughly every two-three weeks? In order to have all books up to
>#24 in a year and a half, they would have to.
>
I have to agree with Kevin here; you don't sound like someone who
actually reads any Image titles. If you did, you would realize that all
of the titles involved in this "Future Images" project, are at rougly (+
or - an issue) issue #10. A year and a half equals 18 months. Now then,
even if the titles involved shipped only say, 15 issues in those 18
months, they would all be at roughly issue #25. Obviously they would
_not_ have to ship a book every two to three weeks as you say. If the
titles are able to consistantly ship monthly, then many will hit the #24
mark well before a year and a half has gone by.
Best,
John
Jonathan Bellack
(0013 spif)) wrote:
Could somebody post the details of this story? If it's referred to in
MM15, I assume it has something to do with when Aza Chorn & MM go in search
of 'more power' to fight Bates...
--Jonathan Bellack
bel...@minerva.cis.yale.edu
John Holbrook (PAD)
>In article <2l7o8q$6...@hebron.connected.com>, ler...@hebron.connected.com (Leroy Jenkins) writes:
>>
>>I don't understand how anyone can make a blanket condemnation of
>>a comic that hasn't even been released yet? People, People, open
>>up whats left of your minds.
>
> Well, I can't and won't speak for the rest of racm, but I sure
>as hell can condemn the idea. I haven't seen anyone criticize the
>contents of the book yet. Just the principle. And the fact that someone
>thinks these titles will be up to #24 or #26 in a year and a half.
Do the math; the all the titles involved with the Future Images
project will easily be in the mid 20's in a 18 months time. Sheesh.
> My mind (what's left of it after reading an Image book) is open.
>
If your mind is seriously affected by reading an Image book, I
would hazzard to guess there wasn't much of it there to begin with... :)
Best,
John