Comic Book Urban Legends Suggestions Thread

[Brian Cronin]

Someone mentioned this as a good idea for a thread, and I agree.

So here, make any suggestions you'd like to see addressed in a future installment of Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed!

Please note that, occasionally, if I find one that I'd like to use, I may remove it from the thread, to maximize the surprise factor when the urban legend is actually used (I always credit the person who suggested it, though!).

So let's see some suggestions! :)

-Brian

[Gordon Smith]

Hah! I was thinking about this one last night at work. Here is my suggestion. Many people appear to believe that Frank Miller is responsible for turning Batman into an unlikeable jerk who cannot get along with other people. This is not true. Batman had started becoming an unlikeable jerk with questionable people skills long before Miller supposedly rebranded him as such in Dark Knight Returns.

After all, by the time Wolfman and Perez came out with the new Titans in 1980, Batman and Robin had been experiencing great difficulties in getting along since the 1970's. Their relationship was perenially stormy and awkard for one reaon or another. Then Batman had a falling out with Superman in the pages of World's Finest in an arc that lasted for several issues before the series climaxed (and was cancelled) with #300. And then there was Batman's falling out with the JLA at large that led him to form Batman and the Outsiders (he would be reconciled with the JLA in #200 of that title).

While these were comparatively mild examples when contrasted to Bruce's current purported behaviour, they all predate DKR and show clearly that Batman was already being viewed as someone who was becoming progressively isolated from his friends. Frank Miller may have taken the concept and run with it, but it wasn't his idea to begin with. I think that qualifies as a ''Comic Book Urban Legend''.

[JeffreyWKramer]

Hah! I was thinking about this one last night at work. Here is my suggestion. Many people appear to believe that Frank Miller is responsible for turning Batman into an unlikeable jerk who cannot get along with other people. This is not true. Batman had started becoming an unlikeable jerk with questionable people skills long before Miller supposedly rebranded him as such in Dark Knight Returns.

After all, by the time Wolfman and Perez came out with the new Titans in 1980, Batman and Robin had been experiencing great difficulties in getting along since the 1970's. Their relationship was perenially stormy and awkard for one reaon or another. Then Batman had a falling out with Superman in the pages of World's Finest in an arc that lasted for several issues before the series climaxed (and was cancelled) with #300. And then there was Batman's falling out with the JLA at large that led him to form Batman and the Outsiders (he would be reconciled with the JLA in #200 of that title).

While these were comparatively mild examples when contrasted to Bruce's current purported behaviour, they all predate DKR and show clearly that Batman was already being viewed as someone who was becoming progressively isolated from his friends. Frank Miller may have taken the concept and run with it, but it wasn't his idea to begin with. I think that qualifies as a ''Comic Book Urban Legend''.

Eh, I dunno. Sure, there were bits, but the portrayal of Batman in the comics took a major, and immediate, turn toward the dickery right after DARK KNIGHT.

Keep in mind, though, I don't consider that Miller's fault, so much as I consider it the fault of editors who wanted to draw on DARK KNIGHT in hopes of sales, and later writers much the inferior of Miller.

[FunkyGreenJerusalem]

I've suggested it to you before Brian, though you cold heartedly ignored it (Bastard!), but the final issues of DV8 credited to Warren Ellis were scripted by someone else, Shon Bury (I believe).

Ellis claims that an over eager editor got them re-scripted/rescripted them themselves, while Shon Bury claims it was nessecary, as all Warren had time to do was provide a brief outline, and he had to script them follow Warren's plot, and I believe, he blames the plots for the reason the books weren't of a great category.

Won't you gimme some truth?
All I want is some truth!

Edit:

Oh, this is maybe two, and maybe not even an urban legend, but some closure would be nice...

I've heard Alan Moore had lots more planned for ABC comic but this never happened due to him leaving ABC, which he did because Paul Levitz pulped an issue of LoEG. Is this ture? Any chance of finding out what they are?
Also, I heard he only found out about the sale of Wildstorm/ABC to DC because Rich Johnston told him. Is that true, and how could it happen?
And was he really paid by DC through a firewall company called 'Firewall'?

[Brian Cronin]

I never ignore urban legend suggestions!!

I check 'em all out! If I find enough info to be sure yes or no, I'll post 'em! I haven't found out enough of the Dv8 thing to confirm it one way or the other!

-Brian

[Aaron Kashtan]

I've heard that the Comics Code stamp was left off the covers of X-Men #137 and Captain America #249 because both issues depicted a suicide. But I've also heard that the stamp was omitted simply because the covers were being redesigned that month. Perhaps you could determine which of these is the real explanation.

[scratchie]

I don't know if this is really an urban legend, but I remember a friend of mine telling me (back in the day) that Dave Cockrum had been replaced as artist on X-Men because he was too slow and couldn't get the book out on a monthly schedule. So they were pulling in that new guy who was drawing Iron Fist. I guess the urban legend (such as it is) is that if Cockrum had drawn faster, there never would have been a "Claremont/Byrne X-Men" run.

[OzBat!]

These are all lame. I wanna hear about REAL urban legends, like the Yowie that lives in the DC writers den!

[Dash-Dot]

Some Suggestions:

1. I've heard from a few people that Jim Lee refuses to work for Marvel until Joe Quesada is no longer in charge. Fact? Fiction? Blown out of proportion?

2. Avi Arad's recent departure from Marvel Entertainment was predominantly due to his attempts to control the comic book properties, in addition to the film properties, in an effort to make them easier to sell.

3. Also, Avi Arad and Marvel almost had a massive falling out after Garth Ennis' Marvel Max series about Nick Fury derailed a big-budget feature adaptation which was to star George Clooney, because of its "mature" portrayal of the character.

4. Joe Kelly and Steve Seagle, during their run on X-Men and Uncanny X-Men, were told at the zero hour that they couldn't kill either Marrow or Psylocke, leading to finished stories that made no one happy.

5. The ending of Infinite Crisis was reworked at the last minute, altering the original ending which would reportedly have brought back the multi-verse, into its current state.

[joshdahl]

Rumor was the Stan Lee's original outline for teh FF issue that introdGalactus was one sentence...something like this... "The Fantastic Four meet God."

Josh

[Grazzt]

Rumour has it that Mystique was originally supposed to be Rogue's biological father, with Destiny being the mother.

[Brian Cronin]

I believe that's Nightcrawler, as covered here.

-Brian

[slam]

I'm not sure if it counts as an urban legend as I know it to be true, but Gene Ha took suggestions from the DC Comics boards for the background cameos towards the end of Top 10.

[Jeremy A. Patterson]

I have two:


Both Marvel & Archie gave, respectively, the X-Men's Storm & Archie's Pal Jughead mohawk hairdos in order to attract the punk rock crowd.


Little Dot started out in an art style completely different from the Harvey 'house style'!


J.A.P.

[Jamescush]

I have one that's always been bugging me.
I've heard that the Wildstorm mini series 'Fire From Heaven # 2' was really written by Warren Ellis and not Alan Moore.
However I've seen interviews where Ellis says he didn't write it.
So who did?

Thanks.

Oh I always enjoy the Comics Should Be Good site. LOL:D