Amazing Fantasy #15 - Review & Spoilers!

[The Purple Skull]

I got my copy today. I won't spoil anything right now, but what a great issue. 50 pages worth of stories and no ad interruption. When Marvel.com posts their AMFAN #15 poll, vote for BlackJack!

Edit:

SPOILERS

Mastermind Excello By Greg Pak:Very cool name. Pak is usually hit-or-miss with me, but this was a decent story with a special appearance from a certain jade giant.

BlackJack By Dan Slott: My favorite out of the bunch. They really are the Emma Peel and John Steed of the Marvel Universe. I love how they're HQ hav a prop room filled with ultimate nullifiers, cosmic cubes, infinity gauntlets and other powerful "weapons".

The Great Video By Daniel Way: Ok story, but awesome art. That last page creeped me out in a good way.

Monstro By Robert Kirkman: This was my second favorite of the bunch. I'd like to know more about Monstro's past.

Heartbreak Kid By Robert Aguirre-Sacasa: I liked the old-school feel of the art. A solid story about a very interesting character.

Positron By Sean McKeever: Probably the weakest of the bunch, but the character is very interesting.

The Guy In Spider-Man's Armpit By Dan Slott: Just a great off-beat story. I can now breathe a little easier knowing the true origin of Armpit Guy. :)

Big props go out to all the art teams involved. I hope they do another anthology like this in the future.

Rating: 9/10

[Ivan Isaacs]

BlackJack was cool. The rest... decent at best.
I can't imagine how any of those properties could hold their own mini series.

[The Adventurer]

More Monstro!

MORE MONSTRO!!!

I love ordinary superpowered guys like that. They're so fresh.

[The Purple Skull]

You mean to tell me only 2 other people from this forum bought this book? :)

Anyway, there's a poll over at Marvel.com asking which character should get their own miniseries. BlackJack currently has a slight lead over Mastermind Excello. I, of course, voted for BlackJack. Hope everyone else does the same.

AMFAN #15 Poll! (http://www.marvel.com/publishing/stories/showstory.htm?id=57)

[TheSentryLives]

waht is so great about blackjack and company,i mean isn't it another street level charactor?

Or were video man and monstro that boring charactor and powers wise.

[Kaskratiski]

You mean to tell me only 2 other people from this forum bought this book? :)

[/URL]

Probably.

I could care less about any of those characters, and I don't know anyone who does either.
This is for fans of obscure nostalgia, nothing more.
All 5 of them.

[Adem]

My favourite of the bunch was the Blackjack stories and probably Monstro second.

[Jake V]

That's so weird. My copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 doesn't have any of that. It's just got some guy called "Spider-Man" and some monster stories in it. Marvel really screwed up this time.

[Adem]

That's so weird. My copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 doesn't have any of that. It's just got some guy called "Spider-Man" and some monster stories in it. Marvel really screwed up this time.

Wow you got ripped off. I'd return it asap. :p

[The Purple Skull]

That's so weird. My copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 doesn't have any of that. It's just got some guy called "Spider-Man" and some monster stories in it. Marvel really screwed up this time.

Friggin' Marvel and their shipping problems. ;)

[The Adventurer]

Probably.

I could care less about any of those characters, and I don't know anyone who does either.
This is for fans of obscure nostalgia, nothing more.
All 5 of them.

Obscure? They're all new. There's no Nostalgia about them. I love how Amazing Fantasy is actualy dealing with NEW ideas now. While I'm hottly antisapating the Death's Head revival, I hope afterword we get more new characters like Vega and what this issue offered.

SKREW THE LEGACY HEROES, GIVE ME NEW CHARACTERS AND NEW ADVENTURES!

We, as Marvel/DC fans, have become far far FAR too interested in the CHARACTERS and their Legacies that we've forgotten that it's all about the STORY. And rehashing the old guard over and over again runs you around in circles.


As to Blackjack...I thought it was fairly by the numbers Super Spy and Super Science yarn, I just got done reading a whole miniseries about that sort of thing called The Middleman from Viper Comics. It's not a very fresh genre.

Big tough superpowered Fire Fighters, on the other hand, are cooler then school.

[Kaskratiski]

Obscure? They're all new. There's no Nostalgia about them. I love how Amazing Fantasy is actualy dealing with NEW ideas now.

They are new?
I could've sworn that Blackjack and all those characters were revamps/retellings of old properties.
(maybe I read it somewhere and I read it wrong)

And Amazing Fantasy is dealing with new ideas?
A teen female latina version of Spider-Man and a teen female Scorpion are new ideas?
And what about vampire By Night?
That's a new idea?

[Titan Slade]

They are new?
I could've sworn that Blackjack and all those characters were revamps/retellings of old properties.
(maybe I read it somewhere and I read it wrong)



They are revamps of old properties, you are correct.

[Kaskratiski]

They are revamps of old properties, you are correct.

Thanks...for a minute there I thought I had lost my mind...

[The Adventurer]

Were they? I'm pretty up on the obscure. They must have been WAY obscure.

So obscure....that they're new.

And the Vega arc was all new. Arana and Scorpion were lamn.

[Titan Slade]

Were they? I'm pretty up on the obscure. They must have been WAY obscure.

So obscure....that they're new.



Yes, they were some real obscure crap characters that Slott and the other writers dug up from marvel's past.

[Kaskratiski]

Were they? I'm pretty up on the obscure. They must have been WAY obscure.

So obscure....that they're new.

.

I guess you are right...so obscure that they are practically new to most everyone.


But still not new...

[The Adventurer]

They should have resurected US 1

The world needs more 70s style trucker comics.

No, I'm serious.

[TheSentryLives]

anyone remember the abilities of monstro or blackjack and video guy

[The Shadow]

They should have resurected US 1

The world needs more 70s style trucker comics.

No, I'm serious.
LOL

When you go obscure you REALLY go obscure!

[Dan_Slott]

Nope. They are ALL NEW characters.
The assignment was that editor, Mark Paniccia gave us all a list of obscure Marvel and Timely NAMES-- and told us to use those as our inspiration and go wherever our imaginations took us. (Much like the DC Tangent line).

So, yes, there WERE characters called MASTERMIND EXCELLO, BLACKJACK, THE GREAT VIDEO, MONSTRO, THE HEARTBREAK KID, and POSITRON-- but they were never ANYTHING like these characters!

Basically-- if you like the work of Greg Pak (INCREDIBLE HULK, PHEONIX: ENDSONG), me (SHE-HULK, THE THING), Daniel Way (WOLVERINE), Robert Kirkman (INVINCIBLE, MARVEL TEAM-UP), Roberto Aguirre-Sacassa (MK4, NIGHTCRAWLER), and Sean McKeever (GRAVITY, MARY JANE)-- then this is a way to see ALL OF US tell stories about ALL NEW characters.

For $3.99 you get 50 pages of story! (And only 4 pages of interior ads-- which all come at the very end of the book)! Now, c'mon-- THAT is quite the bargain!

:)

[Kaskratiski]

New characters based on old ones.
Old characters.
reimagined characters.
Tomato, Tomatoe, Tomaeto...

[The Adventurer]

No, Mr. Slott's right.

If the name is all that's the same, then they arn't really remakes or homages or anything.

They're just new characters with names that are the same as some other forgotten ones.

[Kaskratiski]

Ok...I like tomatos,tomatoes,tomaetoes... :)

[Dan_Slott]

New characters based on old ones.
Old characters.
reimagined characters.
Tomato, Tomatoe, Tomaeto...

NEW characters based on OLD names.
It would be like comparing the British TV show THE AVENGERS to the Marvel Comic THE AVENGERS.
Or the old 60's Sci Fi/alien thriller THE INVADERS to the the Marvel Comic THE INVADERS.

Whole different ball a' wax. Really.

While a rose by any other name might not smell as sweet-- there's a world of difference if you give your sweetie a dozen rosebuds for your anniversary... or if you give her a dozen wooden sleds.

See?

On my street there are TWO different stores called JOHNNY'S. One is deli, the other is a drycleaner. One can get me a sandwhich with a lot of mustard. The other can get that mustard stain off of my nice shirt. And it helps to know which one's which.
:)

[Joe Rice]

Got this tonight at the Rocky signing at Rocketship. I've liked the work of all the writers in the past, but I honestly didn't expect much. It's hard to pull off the short story these days. I was really impressed, though. I'd read a mini about pretty much any of these characters, though Blackjack, Mastermind, and Monstro tickled me the most.

Heartbreak Kid had a lot of potential, too.

[Kaskratiski]

NEW characters based on OLD names.
It would be like comparing the British TV show THE AVENGERS to the Marvel Comic THE AVENGERS.
Or the old 60's Sci Fi/alien thriller THE INVADERS to the the Marvel Comic THE INVADERS.

Did Marvel create or had a hand at either of those two TV Shows?



While a rose by any other name might not smell as sweet-- there's a world of difference if you give your sweetie a dozen rosebuds for your anniversary... or if you give her a dozen wooden sleds.

I would be weirded out if Orson Welles gave my sweetie rosebuds...of any kind




On my street there are TWO different stores called JOHNNY'S. One is deli, the other is a drycleaner. One can get me a sandwhich with a lot of mustard. The other can get that mustard stain off of my nice shirt. And it helps to know which one's which.

Are they owned by the same guy?

Why didn't Marvel simply commission you guys to create brand new characters with brand new names?
To me, a tomato is a tomatoe is a tomaetoe... :)

[Titan Slade]

They're just new characters with names that are the same as some other forgotten ones.

Ok I get it. Kind of like the Lee/Ditko Spider-Man and Hudlin's Spider-Man ;) .

[Kaskratiski]

Ok I get it. Kind of like the Lee/Ditko Spider-Man and Hudlin's Spider-Man ;) .

Or Siegel & Schuster's and Grant Morrison's Superman... :)

[Titan Slade]

Or Siegel & Schuster's and Grant Morrison's Superman... :)

I see you finally get it as well ;) .

[TheSentryLives]

can anyone list the abilities of these charactors.

[Young Avenger]

I just finish reading it and I was impressed with some of the stories. Blackjack and Monstro were the best of the bunch. Mastermind Excello was interesting. It remind me a bit of the Fox Kids show Action Man. I normally don't like Greg Pak's writing but this character he created is interesting. Heartbreak Kid has potential. His power of taking away emotions may not be the coolest of powers but the character has the potential to be great. I was bit disappoint that the Heartbreak Kid wasn't Shawn Michaels :evilangry . The Great Video and Positron sucked.

[Nessor Sille]

I want a Mastermind Excello mini series. NOW.

Monstro & Positron were both pretty darn cool. I want to see mini-series of them, too.

Blackjack was a fun romp. No desire to see a mini, but I'd like to see them again.

The Heartbreak Kid was...interesting! The more I read it, the more I liked it.

The Great Video story...not sure how this could be continued. As it is, I think it works best as a one-off.

[jeffb1982]

I need more monstero, best one

[noh-varr]

Why not just have the top few stories continue? I mean Blackjack doesn't seem like it would hold well as a mini, but an issue or half an issue every now and then wouldn't hurt, it seems something set up for anothology. Monstoro and Mastermind could work as a mini at most. So forget Death's Head 3.0 (do we really need this? This is not a new character at all! It's just a continuation of the past) and keep these guys in Amazing Fantasy, which I originally thought was going to happen, sadly I'm wrong. So forget Amazing Fantasy until they do this again then I'm on board!

[Young Avenger]

So forget Death's Head 3.0 (do we really need this? This is not a new character at all! It's just a continuation of the past) and keep these guys in Amazing Fantasy, which I originally thought was going to happen, sadly I'm wrong. So forget Amazing Fantasy until they do this again then I'm on board!

Death's Head 3.0 is brand new Death's Head. So he isn't a continuation of the past. Well, not entirely.

[Will.S]

I was miffed that my comic shop didn't get Amazing Fantasy this week. They seem to have recurring shipping problems from certain books.

I was so looking forward to it too :(

Ah well, maybe by Sunday I can get a copy.

[The Shadow]

I was miffed that my comic shop didn't get Amazing Fantasy this week. They seem to have recurring shipping problems from certain books.

As a former shop owner I'll let you in on a secret... it's because they didn't order enough copies.
Supply was not large enough to meet demand and so rather than tell customers that they say "Ooops... we were short shipped!"

[Joe Rice]

As a former shop owner I'll let you in on a secret... it's because they didn't order enough copies.
Supply was not large enough to meet demand and so rather than tell customers that they say "Ooops... we were short shipped!"


As a friend of a shop owner, I can say only dishonest shops do that. Others actually do get short shipped.

[The Adventurer]

So forget Death's Head 3.0 (do we really need this? This is not a new character at all! It's just a continuation of the past) a

How about no? I've wanted new Death's Head for over 10 years. And no one is going to take that away from me!

*snarl*

[MWGallaher]

Nope. They are ALL NEW characters.
The assignment was that editor, Mark Paniccia gave us all a list of obscure Marvel and Timely NAMES-- and told us to use those as our inspiration and go wherever our imaginations took us. (Much like the DC Tangent line).

So, yes, there WERE characters called MASTERMIND EXCELLO, BLACKJACK, THE GREAT VIDEO, MONSTRO, THE HEARTBREAK KID, and POSITRON-- but they were never ANYTHING like these characters!


I'd have loved to seen what you guys would've come up with if Paniccia had included SUPER-SLAVE (from Mystic Comics #5).

[The Adventurer]

They should do issues like this between every arc.

Or, here's a crazy idea, on ongoing serialised Anthology where new and old ideas can be fleshed out in small bites over several months.

Make it Fortnightly (ever two weeks) instead of monthly.

[Zel]

I liked Mastermind Excello and Monstro and feel like they could make a decent mini-series.

Blackjack was good, but I don't see that level of sillyness working well for a whole mini-series. An occasioanl two pager in AF would work for me.

The Great Video was kinda odd, and not sure where the character would go except to an insane asylum. No real desire to see this one again.

Positron and Heartbreak Kid were alright, but didn't grab me enough that I'd buy a mini. If they were one of the stories in AF I wouldn't complain.

[Will.S]

As a former shop owner I'll let you in on a secret... it's because they didn't order enough copies.
Supply was not large enough to meet demand and so rather than tell customers that they say "Ooops... we were short shipped!"
I wouldn't be surprised if that was what really happened but they also had the same problem with T-Bolts #15 so I'm guessing they really just didn't receive their Amazing Fantasy orders (which usually sell out quickly anyway since they don't order a ton).

[Core]

They should do issues like this between every arc.


I'd be all for this idea. I'm much more willing to check out a compilation of stories featuring new characters than I am to pick up an issue focused on only one.

That said, it looks like I'm the oddball here. I really liked "The Man with X-Ray Eyes," mostly for its social commentary, and I found "Mastermind Excello" to be kind of stock--not un-enjoyable, but nothing that I could see holding my interest over the course of a series.

Taken as a whole, this issue was one of the best buys of the week. I found at least something in all of the stories to appreciate.

[thik_3rd]

mastermind excello was the best, then blackjack.

[The Adventurer]

What does everyone see in Blackjack?

It was such a by the Numbers super spy/super science yarn. I've read hundreds of similar stories in comics before.

[Rosie]

Wow, when I saw this topic I thought Wanda had gone nuts and brought us, including the internet, back to 1962.

[Joe Rice]

What does everyone see in Blackjack?

It was such a by the Numbers super spy/super science yarn. I've read hundreds of similar stories in comics before.

It was quick, breezy, and light, but it had very nice art, fun little concepts, charming characters, and it didn't take itself too seriously. That's a big plus for me.

Besides lucha masks + suits = class.

[O'Blivion]

Guess I'm about the only one who enjoyed "The Great Video" ... granted, it's probably best left as a one-off, but Nick Dragotta's art and Lee Loughridge's colors made it memorable.

Of all the characters, "Mastermind Excello" would probably work best as a series. A teenage genius on the run, with his mind as his only superpower, might make for an interesting new take on the superhero concept. The story had some great, funny touches, including the labelling of everything from the warhead to the pies to the Hulk.

Slott's "Blackjack" stories are a lot of fun, but they'd probably work best the way they were used in this issue -- as two-page stories that are, like the title said, "heavy on action, light on plot." It was also amusing that the military would be deathly afraid of the agents of G.R.A.M.P.A.

"Monstro" and "Positron" both have potential as continuing stories, but could be left as standalones as well. "Heartbreak Kid" had good retro-style art by Jeff Parker, but the character was rather forgettable. And "The guy in Spider-Man's armpit" was good for a chuckle, even though I didn't particularly like Patrick Scherberger's art on that one.

Overall, though, it was well worth picking up. It's the first issue of the new "Amazing Fantasy" I've bought, and I might have to pick up some back issues. It's refreshing to see Marvel experimenting with a variety of new characters. Hopefully they'll keep up the good work and throw out some more crazy ideas next month.

[Dan_Slott]

This is killing me.

Didn't anyone get the gag in the title to the first BLACKJACK story?

Yes, it's being self referential, but...

C'mon, people! Help me out here.

"The Winning Hand"... easy. They're called Blackjack and they win with a bluff. "You Say You Want an Evolution?" Pretty self expanatory. Same for "Happy Ending."

But "Heavy On Action, Light On Plot."...

Please. Dave Lanphear, the letterer, cracked up over it. It got a nod and groan out of Tom Brevoort. I thought it was funny... But I don't count.

Anyway-- Even though the 2 page story format was fun-- I can pretty much promise you guys that if we were doing a BLACKJACK mini, we'd flesh it out a bit more and gear it towards a full length story.

I mean, THE AVENGERS (with STEED & PEEL) was an hour long show, right? A BLACKJACK 22 page comic would probably be structured more in the vein of an AVENGERS episode-- but with BIG guns & set in the Marvel U. These AM-FAN vignettes were more like the 2pg. stories you'd see in 2000 A.D.

[thik_3rd]

heavy on action, light on plot...referring to the light they killed the vampires with? it's kinda funny...i guess.
if you did a blackjack mini or one shot or whatever, it should be a 22 page book filled with 11 2-page stories. just saying.

[Dan_Slott]

heavy on action, light on plot...referring to the light they killed the vampires with? it's kinda funny...i guess.
if you did a blackjack mini or one shot or whatever, it should be a 22 page book filled with 11 2-page stories. just saying.

Well, yeah...

They came up with a "Light On Plot". That's a funny, son.

[StarsAndGarters]

So. F'in'. AWESOME.

I wish AmFan would do this sort of thing all the time, instead of big arcs to introduce characters that aren't going to make it anyway. All 7 characters (even Armpit Man, ESPECIALLY Armpit Man) made me want to know more about them.

[boolean]

Am important question: would the winning mini have the same creative team as the short in AF #15?

[Rich L]

Well, yeah...

They came up with a "Light On Plot". That's a funny, son.


I got it and chuckled, especially when I realised it was only two pages long.

Loved the Evolution story though - you may have just changed the history of the MU - literally!

All over this was a great issue; Mastermind Excello, Blackjack and Monstro all have mini potential not that Positron and Heartbreak weren't good, those three were just better)...good work from all!

Oh, and the guy in Spider-Man's armpit was Steve Ditko? Who'da thunk it?

[jackolover]

Could anyone with this issue give a detailed review of the Mastermind Excello storyline. I missed this copy and it's very hard to find.

As I understand it, Cho is better than the Thinker, on a level with Reed Richards and Bruce Banner, and is now being portrayed as a villian. I read Planet Hulk #100, and the short story with Cho, was titled, Planet Cho. Does this kid have a greater agenda besides returning Hulk and getting his revenge on the Illuminati?

[Ogrebear]

I think the different writers should include the characters in each others on-going series e.g. we get to see Monstro in She-Hulk!

Now that would be cool.

[Monty_Cristo]

I think the different writers should include the characters in each others on-going series e.g. we get to see Monstro in She-Hulk!

Now that would be cool.

Monstro's appearing in Irredeemable Ant-Man. maybe Positron will show up in She-Hulk.

[Lex]

I'm glad we're seeing Mastermind Excello and going to be seeing Monstro.

Amazing Fantasy #15 was so full of cool ideas that I'm sad we haven't seen more of them.

Like where are Blackjack? They should've been on the front lines of Civil War. I demand a Blackjack series, darnit!

[Brian R]

Obscure? They're all new. There's no Nostalgia about them. I love how Amazing Fantasy is actualy dealing with NEW ideas now. While I'm hottly antisapating the Death's Head revival, I hope afterword we get more new characters like Vega and what this issue offered.

SKREW THE LEGACY HEROES, GIVE ME NEW CHARACTERS AND NEW ADVENTURES!

We, as Marvel/DC fans, have become far far FAR too interested in the CHARACTERS and their Legacies that we've forgotten that it's all about the STORY. And rehashing the old guard over and over again runs you around in circles.

Quoted for truth. I have been feeling this for a while.