kitty pryde - shadow & flame preview

[chanzero]

"Who wouldn't want a pet dragon?!", beams X-MEN: KITTY PRYDE - SHADOW & FLAME scribe Akira Yoshida. “It’s truly an honor to be working with a master storyteller like Paul Smith on this story, especially as he's one of the artists most closely associated with Kitty and Lockheed. Seeing him breathe life into my scripts is a high I will never come down from!"

In X-MEN: KITTY PRYDE - SHADOW & FLAME, a deadly mystery draws Kitty Pryde and Lockheed (everybody’s favorite purple dragon) from the Astonishing X-Men to the shores of Japan...but ninjas and dragons will be the least of their worries!

four pages from kitty pryde - shadow & flame:
http://www.buzzscope.com/features.php?id=1000

[iGotKittyPryde]

four pages from kitty pryde - shadow & flame:
http://www.buzzscope.com/features.php?id=1000

Um... why is there no talking? Like um, at all. And why does Paul Smith's casual adult Kitty look, um, so... not good.

I think my enthusiasm for this mini is probably all gone just from that. Not that I had much to begin with, what with the writer of the worst X-minis in years working on it. But, I mean, it's a Kitty/Lockheed mini, I figured, it couldn't be that bad! And it has a classic artist. But um, yeah don't like it. Maybe I'll leaf through the rest of the issue and change my mind, but I tend to doubt it.

[TrickyDisco]

Um... why is there no talking? Like um, at all.

Probably because it's a preview and they haven't put the text on yet.

[Bryan Rios]

Yeeah, not all previews have dialogue in them.

[fishtaco]

like, WTF?? First Wolverine goes to Japan, then Kitty goes to Japan. Same freakin writer! ethnocentrism.

Was that Paul Smith, because Im not impressed by the art. :mad:

[Blackcat]

like, WTF?? First Wolverine goes to Japan, then Kitty goes to Japan. Same freakin writer! ethnocentrism.

Was that Paul Smith, because Im not impressed by the art. :mad:

And your even forgetting Rogue in Japan with Sunfire

[Bryan Rios]

And your even forgetting Rogue in Japan with Sunfire
I'm sure that wasn't Yoshida writing, though.

[Grendel0606]

like, WTF?? First Wolverine goes to Japan, then Kitty goes to Japan. Same freakin writer! ethnocentrism.

Was that Paul Smith, because Im not impressed by the art. :mad:
Allegedly it's part of a "Japan trilogy). Not sure what the third part is though.

[Beast]

Um... why is there no talking? Like um, at all.
Considering the writer, hopefully they left all of the talking off the final book as well. May actually make it readable. ;)

[Beast]

And another question. Why the hell does Scott look like Fonzie? And Kitty has this whole Pinkie Tuskadero thing going on with her hair. What the hell is this, attack of the 50's X-Men!! Aieee!! :D

[For the Good of X]

I liked the art. Smith's art has changed but the detail and design work still pleases the eye.

[xakko]

A couple of the panels made me smile... looks like Lockheed has his very own image inducer... and hey, his girlfriend IS in it...I wonder how she got so small, they didn't have a dryer that big in Japan... or is it one of Lockheed's children???

[Ant-Man]

I just hope Marvel is prepared for the 20K or less sales on this mini.

[Beast]

I just hope Marvel is prepared for the 20K or less sales on this mini.
Sadly for some reason, Yoshida's name sells. Don't ask me why, I haven't seen one thing 'good' about the books I've read of his. AoA was a complete mess, and the FF/X-Men book..... good god, was that pain.

[Charagon]

I probably should be dreading this book, but for some reason I'm not. It's Kitty Pryde and that's generally enough for me.

[xakko]

Kitty Pryde limited series' have a fairly strong track record- Kitty Pryde & Wolverine was great, and a lot of folks 'round the net seemed happy with Pryde & Wisdom. The exception would be Kitty Pryde: Agent of Shield, which, for me, had some funny moments, and set the stage to get rid of Wisdom... ;)

Meatloaf did say two out of three ain't bad

[fishtaco]

And your even forgetting Rogue in Japan with SunfireBut thats by Tony Bedard, and its good. Its making a permanant impact on both Rogue and Sunfire, and its...good. Im not buying it, but Im reading it.

I doubt that this series will ever effect Kitty Pryde, at all. Especially with who she is being mainly written by.

But the Kitty Pryde and Wolverine series, that was really something. Well, maybe I shouldnt say that because Ive only read the last issue. But it was a good issue.

[Siddon]

Sadly for some reason, Yoshida's name sells. Don't ask me why, I haven't seen one thing 'good' about the books I've read of his. AoA was a complete mess, and the FF/X-Men book..... good god, was that pain.

Chuck Austen and Rob Liefield could have collaborated on the AoA mini and X-men/Fantastic Four mini and still it would have sold between 70,000-120,000.

[Beast]

Chuck Austen and Rob Liefield could have collaborated on the AoA mini and X-men/Fantastic Four mini and still it would have sold between 70,000-120,000.
True. Mostly because it was all solicited for one month, so everyone who ordered it was locked into the book. Instead of being able to drop it, after finding out issue #1 and #2 were suck on toast. :p

[jarrod]

Kitty Pryde limited series' have a fairly strong track record- Kitty Pryde & Wolverine was great, and a lot of folks 'round the net seemed happy with Pryde & Wisdom. The exception would be Kitty Pryde: Agent of Shield, which, for me, had some funny moments, and set the stage to get rid of Wisdom... ;)

Meatloaf did say two out of three ain't bad
Don't forget True Friends... which I'd throw in the "good" pile. Rick Leonardi, where are you?

[xakko]

Don't forget True Friends... which I'd throw in the "good" pile. Rick Leonardi, where are you?

Ooh, I can't believe I didn't mention that one, I just reread it last week... yeah, definitely good one... .750 is a great batting average

[fishtaco]

Sadly for some reason, Yoshida's name sells. Don't ask me why, I haven't seen one thing 'good' about the books I've read of his. AoA was a complete mess, and the FF/X-Men book..... good god, was that pain.Why does Yoshida's name sell? This is something Ive always wondered.

In a way, Yoshida is smart. He knows what will sell, and what wont. For example, he knows (and so do we both) that an AOA 10th anniverary mini will sell extremely well. And it did. Its the money that matters to Marvel, not the quality of the story (why cant it be both?). Also, he pitches a Wolverine series. A Wolverine mini will probably sell, because well, its Wolverine! Wolverine sells. Im not sure if that book actually will sell well.

With Joss Whedon on Astonishing X-men, Kitty Pryde has become one of the most popular X-men characters today. So, naturally, he pitches a Kitty Pryde mini.

The first or second issue may sell well, but its probably going to drop pretty fast. I know Im kind of prejudging which isnt fair, but I think Ive seen enough from the preview. Another reason this will sell is cuz of Paul Smith. Isnt he supposed to be really popular?

[streator]

i do not find the art appealing, whatsoever. something about it seems too bright/childish/whatever. the characters look almost plastic or something.

[Bryan Rios]

I liked the art. Smith's art has changed but the detail and design work still pleases the eye.
I agree. I still really like Smith's art. So this makes me happy that he's on this mini... Yoshida or not. I've come to expect Kitty minis to not be so great writingwise after reading the ones after Kitty Pryde & Wolverine.

[iGotKittyPryde]

Probably because it's a preview and they haven't put the text on yet.

Hmmm... all right, well it just seemed like, for the most part it COULD have been without dialogue, it just wasn't particularly compelling that way. Still, I'm rather non-plussed, overall.

[Kirayoshi]

Ooh, I can't believe I didn't mention that one, I just reread it last week... yeah, definitely good one... .750 is a great batting average
Where would you file Mekanix, Xak?

Hmm, I just realized; Kitty Pryde has stared in more mini-series and solo projects than any X-Men who isn't Wolverine! You go, girl!

[xakko]

Where would you file Mekanix, Xak?

Hmm, I just realized; Kitty Pryde has stared in more mini-series and solo projects than any X-Men who isn't Wolverine! You go, girl!

OK, Mekanix happened while I was awqay from comics, so I picked it up in trade paperback, which made me consider it part of X-treme X-Men. The other ones I picked up in comic form so they felt like limited series.

How did it sell?- I personally loved it, even the subplot with Karma, and I'm really enjoying Shola as a character. I'm just going to give up at this point, and just say, on balance, I have enjoyed the Kitty Pryde series and leave it at that.

Color me embarrassed.

[Charagon]

Can that be confirmed? I know Gambit's had a ton.

[iGotKittyPryde]

Can that be confirmed? I know Gambit's had a ton.

And Bishop's had his fair share too. I don't know, 4-5 minis isn't THAT many.

Anyway, the only Kitty mini I've been able to read was Wolverine & Kitty Pryde, which I must say might be in my top 5-10 favorite 4 part or more stories I've read. Just terrific, character building stuff. From gaining the ninja background, to growing even closer to Wolverine, to going bad-ass (in both evil and non-evil incarnations) it was a great great mini for her character, and since I'm a fan of her character it's among my favorites.

This one, however, just looks crappy. Why, oh why, couldn't they have waited for Joss or Claremont to express some interest to do a new Kitty mini. They have business messing around with her... Akira Whatshisname has such a track record of crap that I don't think there is almost a single chance this will be even OK. I mean, in theory: Lockheed and Kitty head to Japan to get Lockheed some and they run into Ogun IS a decent plot... but I just don't see it working here, not the least of which because I don't have any faith in the writer (not to mention the art fails to impress... Kitty looks unusually stuffy and just... off)

It's a shame, because really, right now is a good time for a Kitty mini for the same reason it was a good time for a Colossus mini, some major stuff has happened with her that she ought to be able to address in a solo story. It's just... I don't know, it seems that a Kitty story with Rachel or Piotr would work better, because she'd have someone to play off of. Lockheed's wonderful and all, but he's not much of one for conversation, outside of messing with a certain Mr. Wisdom. And a dialogue heavy Kitty mini is more what would be a good idea right about now, I think.

I don't know, just weighing in.

[streator]

offhand...

kitty- shadow and flame, mekanix, kitty&wolverine, true friends, pryde and wisdom, agent of s.h.i.e.l.d., ...?

gambit- 1st mini, gambit&wolverine, 2nd mini, fabian's ongoing, gambit&bishop: sons of the atom, layman's series

bishop-1st mini, x.s.e., the last xman series, gambit&bishop: sons of the atom, district x

as far as i can remember kitty and gambit both have 6.

[bakla]

Paul Smith's art sells more to the people who read him the first time. I think newer readers (some of you posters weren't even alive during his first run) won't be as into him. He had a clean, animation style that differs from todays anime style. He's obviously drawing Kitty's hair based on how she's wearing it in Astonishing. Here are two more preview pages from Pulse. (http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/pulse.cgi?http%3A//www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi%3Fubb%3Dget_topic%26f%3D36%26t%3D00 3895)

Personally, I love it. He's gotten cleaner again, because for a while there he was doing a lot of heavy inkwork. I'm glad they're coloring his work with flatter tones like animations cells - his style is animation-based, and the heavily Photoshopped painted looks of other books wouldn't work with his style. His figures and faces were never strong in the sense that they were extremely detailed, but stylized to look cartoonish. Paul Smith has a flair for storytelling and body language that few - if any- artists can match. Hopefully readers new to him will warm up to his work. I know I absolutely hated his first issue of Uncanny, but by the third issue, I was a TOTAL convert.

I'll buy this book because of the art alone. I just hope the story doesn't suck.

[mattbib]

Didn't read any other posts buty bakla's, and I totally agree on Paul's earliest art. Just look at some of his old X-Men covers. No clue what the series is about but I'm buying it. :)

[Bryan Rios]

I completely agree with bakla. When I started reading (two years ago), I went back and read his run. It was great. Actually, Paul Smith very quickly became one of my favorites.. more specifically, a favorite that drew Kitty.

If I wasn't already buying it for a combination of it being Kitty and the art by Paul Smith, I'd buy it for Paul Smith alone. Hopfully newer readers do warm up to it. His work is absolutely fabulous.

[Tre Styles]

Always liked Paul Smith. Still do. Probably either wait for a trade or pick this up, we'll see. What's with Paul and girls and dragons anyways? Hopefully, we'll see a new "Leave It To Chance" series again.Or is that "Leave It To Kitty" ?;)

[Twigglet]

That art is very good.

Also I can imagine this selling ok, based on the fact it mentions Astonishing X-men in the solit, it's by Paul Smith and it features a popular X-men.