PeterDavid.net

Loved them both. I'm gonna miss Young Justice, so thanks for the memories!

oh well at least i got 1 more months of supergirl and hopefully more than that of captain marvel!

-erick

Haven't had the time to read Cap.Marvel yet... but the first thing i did when i got home was reading YJ.

Great Joooooorb again, Peter.

I hate to see this book go. Specially since i have this very weird feeling that Teen Titans will die really quick. Which means that a great book was cancelled for NOTHING.

Can't wait to read Spyboy 13.1 and if you are still planned for it, TMNT!

I got Young Justice #55 in the mail today. I thought it was great. Everything Robin said really captured the essence of the series. This was my favorite comic book series. I've been reading this series since issue #1. I'm going to miss it, even if the characters are just being shifted into a new series.

A really sweet ending to YJ. Many pleasant surprises. Nice jab at crossovers again with the Millenium Chicken. :)

As for CAPTAIN MARVEL, I sure wasn't expecting THAT kind of ending! Looks like the end of the universe still didn't fix Marv's "damned if I do or don't" dilemmas... :)

KET

YJ was another great issue...I'm so sorry to see this book go. You and Todd and the rest did such great work month in, month out. Ugh, I'm so upset the book's been cancelled. Oh well, though...nothing more to do about that. But I really did love the book, and I really will miss it.

YJ: Darn-nation. I was angry that the book was being cancelled before, but after an amazing issue like this, I'm furious. I'm very glad that Slo-Bo lives on (sorta), and that Greta has a happy ending (for now), but dad-blast-it, I want more! I want to see where Cissie goes from here, now that her Mom doesn't want her to be Arrowette. I want to see Anita raise her parents. I want to see what happens to these guys next, and I'm not gonna. In fact, I fear very much that the characters who aren't moving on to Titans will get written out with a bullet in the Graduation Day mini.

Anyway, loved it, loved it, loved it. Loved Slo-Bo's talk with Anita, loved Darkseid not jobbing for once, loved Robin, or rather Tim, saving Greta with love, loved the final cameo by YJ 1M. (But where were Wonder Girl, Arrowette, Secret, and Empress One Million?)

CM: Not the ending I expected, but a good ending nonetheless. Having the battle with Eternity take place off-panel was a risk, but it worked. The "Big Bang" bit was a nice touch, as was history repeating itself (poor Rick). Looking forward to next ish very much. Wish I could say the same about YJ.

Although I came into Young Justice late, I've read the entire series many times. This was such a great mag, and a really great last episode for them. I'm so happy for Greta, but I can only think, poor Slobo. If he thought the original three were bad. . .

Peter, unfortunately I didn't really like Captain Marvel #6. That was a great surprise to me because I've loved the series otherwise. It seemed a little rushed to me and also I couldn't escape the feeling that the story started in the middle. At the end of last issue Genis had agreed to help Entropy destory Eternity. Then the very first panel of this issue we find out they did it. I know that part of the story wasn't of great importance to the overall message, but it still left me with a nagging feeling that I couldn't ignore. Sorry.

Remember, you asked... I collected comics from the mid 70s till around 91. Oh I picked up an issue here or there but basically I stopped reading them for about 9 years. I bought Captain Marvel as a part of my micronauts collecting. Peter, just let me say that I completely loved the previous version of Captain Marvel. It was a fun book, well written, well drawn book that didn't take itself dead serious. Free of the lame gimmicks that drove me away from the hobby. Your Captain Marvel got me into the comic shop again and I started buying again. Now I pay like 25 books a month and Captain Marvel was the first book I read. (Thats been replaced by Powers but thats neither here or there.) Well, I've made it no secret that I haven't been happy with this volume. However I stuck with it. Hoping for some improvement. I can see with issue six that this is a lost cause. God the book sucked. In the past six issues, there was exactly one page I enjoyed (the one where Rick Jones talked about what they had to eat in the cave) The rest was an exercise in self abuse. Issue six, well, was the worse. About a year ago, my Dad passed away and I spent many hours talking to my near suicidal mother to keep her grounded. THAT was more enjoyable than issue six. It suck life away from me to read it, and the end just hammered it home. Made the last six null and void. If your goal was to punish the fans of your previous work, congrads, you suceeded beyond your wildest dreams.

Still utterly depressed about this being the final issue of YJ. I'm going to miss the whole YJ gang, but most of all your portrayal of Tim as Robin. You always had that dead on... Tim's dialogue with Greta at the end was a perfect example. One character that I find myself missing already is Slo-bo. I'm impressed with the depth you gave him throughout his existence.

I've already mentioned this to you before, but you've successfully lured me into Captain Marvel. Issue six is fantastic. I'm half-expecting Rick to go insane from dealing with Marv going re-insane. I also REALLY love the fact that while this six-issue story arc lasted months and months chronologically, we end up right back where we started. Nifty, I say!

Captain Marvel....I continue to be happily amazed at where this book continues to move. I still love the work of volume 3 for what it is, but this direction has it's own wonderfully entertaining and engaging parallels.

YJ....that just blows. No more. :(

Sorry, I'm another naysayer on CM #6 -- and I posted my love for one

through five.

I realize you were in a bind, Mr. David. You had to have a tie-off point in #6 in case the plug got pulled then. But....

CM #6 started by throwing out ALL the groundwork laid by the prior issues. How was Rick going to get out of the Microverse to confront Genis? How was he going to stop Genis? Was Eiphany friend or foe?

I was looking forward to those answers the way I looked forward to "Judas Contract" in the Titans, to "The Great Darkness Saga" in Legion, to each chapter of Spidey vs. Morlun when JMS took over Amazing Spider-Man.

I'll stick with CM a while. I suspect you've got a plan to start the avalanche rolling again.

But this issue...didn't satisfy.

CM #6 was really pretty enjoyable. The beginning did kind of leave me with a "wait, did I miss the last issue?" feeling, but I think the real conflict wasn't the phenominal cosmic conflict, but the "what next?" aftermath, which was handled very well. I'm glad there'll be an issue #7, because if this had been the last issue, it would have been frustrating...

speaking of last issues, YJ was a lot of fun as well, although I found myself heaving great sighs as I was reading it, wondering (much like I did with the last issue of Hulk) just how great the rest of the series would have been had it not been cut of just so. More Cass and Kon, more Robin/Secret, more Anita and her parents, more Cissie and her mom, more everything. I felt like we could have had several more issues even after Greta went over to the "Doug Side," but such is life...

Thanks for the books, Peter...

I thought CM #6 was just awful. I've loved the series since it started, but this issue just sucked. It reminded me why I stay away from cosmic books - an ending where characters stand around talking, and every horrible world destroying action is undone in one pannel.

Come on you guys!!!

PAD has been doing this with the last three or four issues. He's allowing (at least this is my take on it) for a month of comic time to take place in between issues. So we don't see the battle against Infinity, just like we didn't see Rick's Rock star moments and we didn't see much of Marv as Kree Soldier.

This issue was great.

The last half of the ish, I was sitting there going, "Well this seems kinda like a cop out. I mean, Marv is just going to come back and all is forgiven? All that stuff never happened because Infinity remakes the universe and Marv is back to ...oh...hehe... *turns to last page*

HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA"

I swear Peter. I was in Panda Express and The nice Chinese lady that gives me extra Orange Chicken was looking at me funny because I was laughing out loud.

You had me, man. Nice work on that.

Best,

Sean

Haven't read either yet, but I seriously still want to kick whoever cancelled YJ in the butt!

PAD,thanks for the great book. I'll tell Todd when I get to meet him in 2 weeks(yay!).

Col

CM6: I think the folks who didn't like the first half of the book are complaining that when Entropy takes over the Universe it'll suck because there won't be enough ACTION. :) I got a real kick out of everything from that point on - but what the hell is Rick gonna do NOW?

I haven't read the Young Justice series in a while, but still keep up with Captain Marvel. I found CM #6 to be somewhat of a let down I guess. Grade: C. Ah well, I do look forward to future issues though (and hopefully w/ Marlo returning and more Rick and less Marv!).

ps - Also, the coloring on the book is really starting to annoy me!

The thing that nay-sayers about CM #6 don't get is exactly what I thought some wouldn't: What the story arc was about.

I spelled it out right in the first two issues. The first issue Rick says, "Now you can’t really argue with vague comments and belief in an “Uber-father-knows-best” philosophy." In issue 2, he says, "Y’know, I read somewhere that most of American fiction has, as its main theme, a son or daughter seeking the approval of his or her father or father figure."

The theme was reiterated in every issue: Fathers and sons. A big punch out struggle-for-the-universe issue, believe it or not, simply wouldn't have been interesting. It's the exact kind of cosmic BS that puts most people to sleep...and is also EXACTLY what everyone was expecting, which is why I didn't do it. You've seen it a million times. Why make it a million and one?

The *theme* wasn't about destroying the universe. It was about the struggle for power between child and adult, the eventual breaking away from the adult by the child, but--invariably--the tendency to wind up being either just like our parents, or more like them than we'd care to admit.

The important thing wasn't that Entropy destroyed the universe, i.e., his father. It's that he wound up *becoming exactly what his father was.* *That* was what the climax of the story was. I didn't need to show the universe being destroyed or all the mechanics of it involved. So I didn't show it.

PAD

I actually enjoyed the fact that the big cosmic battle didn't take place on-page. But the issue did feel a little rushed. Also, where's Cris Cross??

I loved YJ, though. I'm so bummed it's been cancelled. BAH.

I agree with the naysayers. The tragedy is that it couldn't hold a candle to the greatness of #1-5. I even had reservations about the art, but that was the only surprisingly good thing about it. The move to skip a month forward was a very poor one. People complain about comics being inaccessible to new readers, but this was practically inaccessible to current ones because there was hardly a bridge from issue #5! I mean, this is what I hate about Mark Millar comics, that the characters all talk about action, but you don't see it. His characters are all like "Did you see Wolverine hit Cyclops? That was so cool," but what we actually see are talking heads. Same thing here. It's a bad move.

And there was no resolution. Everything was destroyed, everything was fixed, and then we get forced deja vu. It felt like "oh, it was all a dream", Genis gets another chance to use his omniscence. Except he screws it up again, and this time, instead of getting a Christmas Carol-type ending, it just feels like "ok, he went insane before, he's going insane again. We've seen this." It felt rehashed.

Sorry PAD, I'll checked out #7, but don't let us down like this again

I haven't read CM yet, but I think the last issue of YJ was a great farewell. As others said, Robin pretty much summed up the series in his effort to save Secret (so nice that she got to be a real girl). I think when it comes to the home YJ characters like Cissie, Anita, Secret & Slobo, I'll miss them, but I'd be comfortable to never see them again. At this point, it's like the end of a TV series. I can think about where their lives will take them, even though no one will tell the story. I'd prefer that to one of them being a human sacrifice in an Outsiders storyline or something.

I especially liked the moment w/ Impulse and Ray.

I don't generally read Captain Marvel so it slipped beneath my radar, but Young Justice is a constant favorite. I'm sad to see it go but at least there was a sense of resolution within the team.

I get my stuff from Westfield, and I just got the shipment with the previous two weeks' worth of stuff yesterday, which means two weeks more before I can comment. But if either of these is half as good as the copy of Supergirl #79 that was in that shipment, I'll be damned happy. What an amazing issue.

I liked but didn't love CM 6. I was a bit surprised that the end of everything occured offscreen, but I get that - it's a been there, done that kind of thing. I liked the strange conversation at the end of everything. But then we we get a Big Bang - OW! - and suddenly everything is as it was. Shouldn't we have started over from scratch?

And then we get the confusing ending. Does this mean that the stuff with the Kree and with Punisher didn't happen? Or was all of that just in Genis' head.

So after five great issues, we get one that is a bit off, and leaves me confused. Still, I loved your take on Thor and cannot wait to see how he copes with Genis the Mad Half-Titan. (Hey, is Thanos in the wings somewhere?)

Matthew asked: "Also, where's Cris Cross??"

He's moved on. Rumor has it that he'll soon be the new regular penciller on JLA.

KET

CM #6 was a bit heady for me, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. If it were the last issue, I'd say it was the shittest, crappest ending to a series I've ever read, but because it doesn't end there, it's a great cliffhanger. Not much of a distinction, but that ending (hell, the entire issue, really) doesn't offer much suggestion that something horrible will happen if Rick fails to quell Marv. I mean, the universe was already destroyed, and the consequences of that proved to be rather short-lived. What's the worst that could happen if it was destroyed again? It leaves a lot of questions that I would be unhappy were they not to be answered, but I'll take it as a cliffhanger. I'm practiced at waiting a month for the answer to the big question.

As for YJ... *sigh*... I loved this series so much. When I bought the last issue, my sister actually asked me, "Are you all right?" I responded with, "I'm as not-all right as one can be about the cancellation of a comic book." I (and she) then realized just how not-all right one can be about the cancellation of a comic book, and amended it with, "I'm as not-all right as I was when Sci-Fi Channel canned I-Man." This seemed to satisfy her. Now that I'm alone, I weep.

Well, not really. But this is crap. I've been saying as much over on the DCMBs.

The issue itself? It was a good solid ending. If the Titans fails (and for the first time in my life, I hope a series fails -- there's something inherently wrong about Tim Drake as a Titan), I really want to see you and (if at all possible) TAN take up the reigns again and just come right back at us with YJ #56.

Meanwhile, I intend to pick up TMNT to see what you do with it. I love the concept, but I hope your version resembles more closely the Archie version than any other (I can't find the damn things anywhere, since it was labelled a "Kiddie" book! If anyone knows where I can find issues of it, e-mail me!).

I thought CM # 6 was fantastic, but then I do have a thing for circular stories. Well circular stories that 'acidentaly' end as they begin, not ST:V time travel stories that never happened. I've always been fond of good comic writing and it tends to shine through the most without the big fight scenes (Alan Moore's Watchmen, Neil Gaimain's Miracleman).

I think it's real shame that YJ has ended, it has constantly maintained a high standard and it will be sorely missed from my monthly collection. The thing I regret most about not being able to read this book anymore is not seeing what happens to Greta, I would love to read about how she adjusts to being alive again.

"You are a strange and offputting young man"

Thanks to the nod to us fellow Buffy fans PAD. It made a great issue just THAT much better.

The resolution to Captain Marvel didn't really suprise me -- aside from the Captain himself still being a loon. But Entropy's maturation into Eternity was pretty much what I expected when the issue began. It seemed inevitable.

I'm curious to see where the book goes from here, but this one didn't knock me flat like some of the other issues. I plan to read them all in a bunch in a few weeks -- that should give me some time to reevaluate.

As for Young Justice, I'm really going to miss it. I just started picking it up again in the last 10 or 12 issues, after dropping it after the first handful (and checking in every so often). Nauck's art has matured so much during the run -- he's really come a long way. And to my surprise, I had a lot more emotionally invested in the characters than I thought I had.

Although I still don't quite understand who the heck Slo-Bo was, I'm glad you gave him a good ending. I never expected to like him (considering I detest Lobo), but he became my favorite YJ character.

Great final issue, PAD.

Rob

Haven't read CM (or Supergirl, for that matter) yet, but I really enjoyed YJ. It was a good, solid ending for the series. I'm really sad to see this book go, it was consistently one of my favorites every month. I'll make sure and say as much to Todd Nauck when he's in town for a comic shop signing later this month... But I'm sure gonna miss this book, PAD! Thanks for all the great stories!

Roland

I too have pretty much nothing but praise for the final issue of YJ. Great job on the series, my biggest problem was the DC in Demand page saying "The spirit of YJ lives on" about the new Teen Titans. I don't know, I may be the only one but Geoff doesn't really captivate me often, especially not in a funny way. I am collecting Flash because I have been for years and really alot of the issues I could take or leave that he hass written. Some of them are good, some of them are bad, and some are just me panning through the pages.

So while I'll pick up teen titans, see how it is, and then decide (it may be a good comic). I don't think the same spirit wil be captured in that series. That is what we are losing with the end of young justice. That is what PAD and TAN brought to the series. That is what I am grateful for.

Thanks guys.

David, I got what the story was about. But as I mentioned in my comment here yesterday, and in my review posted on my site. How you started the issue was just too distracting, and it left you with that nagging feeling that you missed something. We all know the destruction of the universe wasn't central to the story (as if right!) but that's how it left us feeling all the same.

I've enjoyed the series up until now, and I enjoy your writing. I think you are an incredibly talented writer and I've said so many times. Just didn't like this issue. ;)

Well, finally got a chance to read CM #6 this morning.

wow. And what a great way to show the "becoming your father" issue.

Thumbs up again.

Saw Criss Cross over the week-end at MegaCon and i was sad to hear from him that #5 was his last issue :(

Don't read Captain Marvel. I tried with # 1 of Volume 4, but I just couldn't get into it.

As for Young Justice, I am also one of the legions of fans who are sad to see this great comic go. I started with "World without Young Justice" (still wondering if Empress feels any remorse about killing Jason Todd. I know it wasn't really her, but still, she remembers some of it) and own every issue now except for # 35 (Can't find that thing ANYWHERE!!). I also hope you can return with Young Justice # 56. I'm really sorry for all the shafting you keep getting. Uh, the end.

I'll miss YJ :( and if DC was smart they'd get Todd Nauck on another book as fast as possible.

I always like happy endings though, thank you for that Peter.

Geoff Johns is one of my favorite writers but I just can't get excited by a toon inspired Teen Titans. Cancelling YJ for that was just a shame (of course I said the same about Supergirl to no avail).

CM6: Looks like destroying the universe distracts a lot of people. The circular effect was cool - but it was the fact that it was so ABSOLUTELY circular that cracked me up.

Of course, if you aren't content when you look up at Daddy, this arc ain't gonna give ya any comfort.

Originally posted by Bill: "I thought CM #6 was just awful. I've loved the series since it started, but this issue just sucked. It reminded me why I stay away from cosmic books - an ending where characters stand around talking, and every horrible world destroying action is undone in one pannel."

Bill Jemas??? What the hell are you doing here? Just take the "You Decide" loss like a man.

Loved the issue, Peter.

- Markisan

Sad but funny story:

I had to quit buying comics monthly last year but managed to pick up a ton of recent back issues cheap at the Mega-Con this past weekend. Part of my haul was YJ 47-53. So here I am reading Issue 49 on the same day that YJ's final issue hits the stands and the opening pages of 49 talks about how Superboy, Impulse and Ray got canceled. And how sad it is when something gets canceled that you look forward too so much. I got the irony but didn't think to much of it till the middle of the issue where there's a....Ad for the premier of Firefly. From the Creator of BTVS.

Now I'm really depressed.

I also managed to pick up Supergirl 72-79, by the way, and am looking forward to reading them.

Hey Mr. PAD,

I really like the new Captain Marvel direction. I enjoyed the last series but I have to admit I was getting tired of some of the jokes with Rick, Marlo, etc. I like the new drama and think you have done an excellent job. The art was beautiful as well.

I keep suggesting you for the Avengers position! It would just be more controversy at Marvel and they loved that anyways!

Thanks!

Look everyone, any of you that frequent the Young Justice area of the DC Comics Message boards have heard me shoting this from the rooftops before. Don't buy Teen Titans! I know you said yourself Peter that fans just say it and then don't follow through. Well for better or for worse I am, and I am trying to take as many people with me as I can. I've posted at various places a plea to boycott, and my boyfriend and I are starting a website as a rallying center to keep YJ alive, and see Teen Titans demise. I don't know if you or other fans of Young Justice are bitter or angry over the callous way this all occured, but I know I am. Angry enough to want to do something. I'll be sending any potential Teen Titan buyers I can to your new projects, and steering as many undecided fans away from Teen Titans as possible. In 27 years collecting comics I've never been so angry about a cancellation, or indeed seen a more shallow reason for one then this. Then to add insult to injury as well with Supergirl. Enough is enough, and I hope a lot of other fans feel the same way, enough to see Teen Titans sink fast!

Captain Marvel #6 left me a little nonplussed. The one month gaps between stories seemed to spare us from those filler tales that usually pad out these kind of large-scale, Jim Starlin-esque conflicts. (ex: Captain America & the Avengers intervene, etc.) Heck, this kind of storyline served as the basis for the first two years of Quasar. The temporal elisions made for a very compelling read over these past few months.

The only downside is that I don't know what to make of the resolution. Really, once you've destroyed & recreated the universe, where do you go from here? With the final panel showing Marvel in Eternity/Entropy's eye, it looks like the answer is "do it again", only this time, we'll have those filler stories that were excised on the first go-around. (Example: next issue's guest shot with Thor.)

What kind of impact will this ultimately have? Will this make Rick more determined to sever his bond from Marvel, more determined to kill Marvel, or just resigned to the feeling that he is powerless from stopping these events from happening again?

If I pulled anything from the setup of the first six issues, it's that Marvel has now become irredeemable as a hero figure, and from here on in, all bet's are off. If that means that the stories from here on in are unpredictable, then that's a good thing.

I couldn't quite tell from the lettercol, but is Ivan Reis filling in for issue #9, or is he going to be the new penciller for the series? (Pardon me if that's already been answered on this page. I don't like to read the other reviews before I've articulated my own.)

If so, then it's a darn good choice, considering how well he did on the recent issue of "The Avengers." I just hope that the series doesn't lose that "uninked" look that has helped define the series' second incarnation.

I did buy the last issue of YJ, but since I didn't buy any of the other issues, I don't have much to say about the matter.

Kudos to both Todd Nauck and Chriscross for staying on all these years. Chriscross' work will be particularly missed. And kudos to you too, PAD.

Just gotta tell you folks, don't pay any attention to Knick. Us on the DC's Young Justice message boards are trying not to. Trust me, it'll be a lot better that way.

After reading CM #6, I said to myself, "I have already read this... in supergirl".

I did like YJ 55 tho.

Peter:

I have rarely, if ever, seen a series wrapped up as well as YOUNG JUSTICE.

Excellent job with Secret, Slo-Bo, Empress, Arrowette, giving them all endings (...or "endings of sorts"), as we may or may not be seeing them again.

In the interests of keeping this a "Spoiler-Free Zone", I'll say no more -- but I COULD SAY SO MUCH MORE, and all of it great!

I'll miss my regular visits with YJ, you, Todd, and Larry. Imagine, none of you ever left this book, yet the book -- still selling respectably, I might point out -- left you! Sad.

Thanks for providing a place for a former DC Letterhack to express his thanks.

Joe Torcivia.

I liked both, but reading both in one sitting makes me much more aware of these Fatherhood/childhood issues you seem to be working out. In YJ we see children caring for their parents (and parents-who-are-children caring for their children-who-are-parents), and in CM we see children in conflict with their parents.

You're clearly going through some sh*t here, thanks for letting us watch.

Well, place my vote into the "CM #6 sucked" category. There are a couple of reasons, but I'll just point out a few: 1. I don't like Genis anymore. He is a bastards. He's not even a likeable bastard. I liked him so much more in the previous series. How can he possibly be redeemed from everything he has done? He's callously murdered people for goodness sake! I just want Rick to get out of the Microverse and hope that Genis dies shortly. By the way, since when does the Living Tribunal stand by and let Eternity get destroyed? I don't think so. And then we find out that Entropy is a moron. Great, we have no hero and a retarted villain who doesn't no what to do when he wins. That just sucks. I know you can do better Mr. David. I'm going to stick with the book for a few more issues, but its beginning to become a disappointment each time. Thanks for listening to the criticism.

Have you ever read any articles on computer-chess theory?

Back in the old days, the artificial-chessmaster often employed a recursive decision engine. The computer would invoke a procedure that would make a move, then it would ponder what would happen for every possible move the opponent could make.

It would then recursively re-invoke itself with each possible retaliatory move until it had decided that a particular set of moves could lead to victory.

After reading CM#6, I'm wondering if the events depicted in the last several issues have happened at all or if Genis is still at the bottom of that canyon imagining never-ending "what-if" permutations until he reaches a path that leaves him a hero.

Through their psi-rapport, Rick may be along for the ride...

Great issue! Looking forward to #7! ( Kinda nice to still see a letters page too! )

CM #6 :

Rick:"I spoke to you for months and you didn't reply! you acted as if i didnt matter! you supposedly know everthing, but clearly dont give a damn abt anything! U do things for no discernible reason, and you destroy life at whim!"

Rick: "Yet I'm supposed to believe U care? What kind of sick Bastard are U?"

Cap Marvel:"i believe the technical term is God"

hmmm that few lines got me looking forward for the next few issues ... ?

One word-AWESOME! It was exactly what it needed to be, different, fresh, new. If this type of story telling doesn't get more sales, nothing will. Well, alomost nothing. Hmm, maybe a HUGE marketing budget, a free ish, some TV adds.........

Sorry, I have to agree with those who disliked CM#6. I'm a new CM reader, jumping on board with the first issue of the relaunch. Every other issue has blown me away, got me excited about where things were going next. I knew we were building to something big... I just expected we would actually see it.

I see what PAD is saying about the theme of the story arc, and that there is no need to show Marv destroying the universe because it is really about what happens next. On the other hand, how is this different than the Buffy episode this season where we leave the SITs about to fight it out with a vamp and then cut to them later talking about the battle? Like PAD said himself after that episode came out: don't tell us about it, show it.

I left #5 wondering how in the world Rick was going to make good on his threat to kill Marv and save the universe. Cutting to the aftermath and hearing about how he tried but failed was very unsatisfying.

All of this aside, I'm glad it didn't end with Marv suddenly becoming insane because I think he's been a fascinating character throughout the first 5 issues of the series. I'm looking forward to #7 and where things go from here.

On YJ, seeing some of the themes and character goals that PAD has been driving toward all these months suddenly brought into (of necessity too hasty) focus made me rue even more the cancellation of this book. While I'm not planning on boycotting anything, I suspect any TT book will pale in comparison to this, and not stay on my subscription list for long.

On CM#6, I didn't find the "suddenly the action leaps forward" bits distracting. I thought the story, the characters, the art, the overall package was quite satisfying -- for this particular incarnation of the title.

That said, I still prefer PAD's work on the pre-this-volume CM.

yeah, i was kinda bummed about issue #6 of CM too. i think it was too impersonal and abstract for me (which makes sense since most of it took place in an empty void of nothingness). #2-4 really grabbed me as we started to really see how ruthless and cold CM was becoming. all these really intense moments snowballing: like when he killed his father's trainer and when we learned that his mistress is pregnant and when he committed suicide and when he smashed his own father into mush...issue 6 just left me dissatisfied. no super smart-ass lines either which i always look forward to in a PAD comic. maybe it's just me. i certainly can't think of a way to have written it to top the tension that was forming in issues 1-5...maybe alot of it had to do with the fact that crisscross wasn't illustrating. his own approach to the storytelling may have changed things. i'm sorry to see him go. he was brilliant at the humor scenes. his facial expressions and hand gestures told so much. anyway, PAD, i really enjoy your work and i'm sad to see your DC titles crapping the bed. supergirl was great. i'll be sticking around with CM till the end. thanks for your time and efforts.

>>maybe alot of it had to do with the fact that crisscross wasn't illustrating. his own approach to the storytelling may have changed things.<<

I hate to say it, but yeah, I very much agree. Having worked with Cross for two years, I've come to know what he's best at, and had been designing much of the entire story arc to play to his strengths. Issue #6, particularly so, his strengths being nuance, gesture, conversation, subtle bits of visual timing. Slam bang action and expansive backgrounds, he's not as strong, so I tried to minimize it. That's why the "fight" in #5 was such a one-sided slaughter; I knew that Cross could carry that off with no trouble. Otherwise, #5--which everyone loved--was pretty much just people standing around and talking. And #6 was pitched right in his wheelhouse...except we had a sudden change of batter that I wasn't expecting. The fill-in artist, while perfectly capable, wasn't a visual match for what I wanted to do in the story, and I think it hurt.

PAD

Like everyone else I loved YJ and will miss it. This final issue was a excellent ending to a fine series. My only problem has been with Slobo. I never liked the Lobo character in the regular series and really found him out of character in YJ. What Peter did with him was very enjoyable but not understandable (character wise). Still I liked the way it ended. I hope that Supergirl ends as well.

Captain Marvel was interesting and just a bit predictable. I really thought the Peter would come up with something more unusual. However it won't put me off of reading more issues.

Soulsearchers is still going strong and if anyone is not reading it I recommend you give it a try. There are not many of Peters fine titles left and you shouldn't miss any of them.

I enjoyed YJ #55. It's a shame it has ended. You could tell that PAD originally intended this story to take place over at least five more issues, but had to cut it short due to the cancellation. Tis a shame, would have liked to have seen how it would have originally played out. I really liked the YJ One Million moment at the end. Young Justice will live on.

And I haven't gotten my hands on my brother's issue of Captain Marvel yet...

I'd just like to swim against the flow and say how much I enjoyed Captain Marvel 6. I didn't mind the leap forward, simply because we've all seen enough battles to save/destroy the Universe in Infinity Pyjamas and the like. The personal impact in this story was so much greater. I've never seen Rick simmering with so much hate, resentment and helplessness before.

And the ending. Wow. Just when I was expecting the "reset" button, with Genis back on an even keel, having learnt from his experiences, Mr David hits us with an unexpected ending. I can't wait to see where this story goes next.

It is sad to see YJ go. That series has consitancely sp? been good. I really enjoyed that series and am very very sad to see it go. I thought that the series ended on a nice touch with the Secret thing. (not going to spoil it for people that haven't read it yet) And for Captian Marvel that title has been one of my Favorites since issue 0 and I really hope that you continue to do GREAT things with that title. later

I'll miss YJ. No doubt about it. I don't agree with the decision to end it and I it's been very clear to me that Marvel and DC are playing games with your "comic" writing career in the Big 2.

To me, YJ ended with a "well, okay if you say so" type conclusion. Slo-Bo/Lobo-Lite/Lil-Lobo went out with a bang taking on the baddest of the bad. That was appreciated. The Red Tornado gets the funniest/coolest line in the end as he did when YJ started. We finally see the Cass and Kon heartache issue settled. See, I'm surprised Dark Secret even listened to Tim. She wasn't all to eager before and she was madder this issue than ever before. I assume the honesty and lack of any costume (to show her the real Tim) was a shock to her. Empress and The Ray were backgrounded in the last YJ group photo was a little symbolic. Too bad Empress and Slo-Bo couldn't have gotten together. I really liked what you did with Lobo. Best characterization he's ever had, period.

Again, I'm sorry to see YJ go.

As far as Captain Marvel #6 goes, I'm glad you went the route you did by leaving the battle out between issues. This does put him on a level of insanity that would make Thanos say "Son, you need some help." It's just so strange to see Marv like this. How can he recover from this and still have his sould intact? Heck, Rick is so screwed. I'm surprised he hasn't gone insane yet. He's the real Banner now. His alter-ego truly is a monster. You've made this work Pad. Great book. I don't see somebody coming along and making this work for me as well as you did.

Many words on the resolution of the Captain Marvel six-parter. (I hope it doesn't seem long-winded. The attempt is to give some detailed criticism, as I presume one would find that more constructive than a brief "Way to go!" or "That sucked.")

As a preface, I'll note that I'm one of those fans who liked the comic book before the re-launch. I liked the fact that it was long on humor and short on Starlin-esque cosmic-ness. As for the complaints that the series focused too much on Rick and not enough on the title character... I know I'm not the only one who thought that a better solution was not to focus more on Marv, but to simply change the comic book's title to "Rick Jones." (I'd still support that move, by the way. Ditch Genis and let's have a PAD-scripted comedy book about the adventures of a Rick who isn't shackled by Nega-Bands to a bland Fabian Nicieza creation. However, I deviate.)

I stuck with the "new" CM because 1.) the new computerized art was pretty fresh-looking, and 2.) I admired PAD's attempts to "give the people what they want" even though it was the opposite of what I personally wanted. So, I stuck it out. I thought the first issue was reasonably exciting, and it had one great scene (the bit with the "fanatic" on the bus and the mother). The death of the Divine Inaugurator of the Age of Miracles struck me as really heavy-handed, but it made its point.

Issues 2 and 3 didn't move me all that much; the problem I have with Marv still persisted, which is that he has a generic personality. It seemed to be one of PAD's stock characterizations: the somewhat-witty-and-condescending-psycho -- without much to distinguish him.

Issue 4 was the first since the re-launch that really made me go, "Wow." Though it began dubiously, with a painfully forced woman/guitar analogy, it quickly became fascinating. Rick was no longer stuck in a cave-- he's suddenly the Microverse's answer to Elvis. I thought that was great! Fascinating questions were brought up: Who's Epiphany? What's her interest in Rick? Meanwhile, we suddenly had a Genis whose dialogue had been divested of irony and sarcasm (extremely rare for a PAD character). No more "Am I a hero? You mean in the sandwich sense?" No more, "I'm not forcing you to do this... oh wait, come to think of it, yes I am." That stuff just wasn't working for me at all. Instead, we had a Genis who didn't make jokes, wasn't condescending, wasn't speaking in self-conscious ironies. He genuinely seemed to have become more disciplined in the month between 3 and 4, as was his goal, and that was *great.* He always obeyed orders, never lied, and when he was ordered to kill his girlfriend at the end, he didn't try and trick his way out via verbal ambiguity, but instead made a point of clearing up said ambiguity so that he was certain to follow the order correctly. Again, great! So when he disobyed the order, it was truly a surprise, both to the audience and to him. Thus we got more questions: Is Genis in love with this woman? And if so, did he just realize it in this moment? And is it all moot, now that he's just killed himself (!) ?

In short, I liked issue 4 a lot. Sadly, issue 5 brought back the things I wasn't too keen on. Genis digs his way out of the grave after having been "dead" for a month. His first words? "Well, THIS is annoying." Sigh. We're back to the ironic, witty, sarcastic psycho. When Genis launched into his umpteenth speech about how much he hates his life and how hard it is living up to Mar Vell's name, I was already out of it. Meanwhile, however, Rick's half of the mystery was getting more intriguing. We still don't know Epiphany's agenda, but we do know she's connected to the now-revealed villain of the piece. And we learn that said villain, Entropy, wants to use Genis to destroy the universe. And Rick has vowed to stop him. All right, we're set for an exciting climax.

On to issue 6. So, here's what I liked: Beginning the chapter in the aftermath of the battle. I note some people on the board didn't like that. I've seen PAD's reply. I agree with his assertion that we've seen big, apocalyptic battles before and that it wasn't necessary. And that, indeed, to begin this chapter with the battle already having taken place bucked expectations completely, and for that reason alone it was great. I also enjoyed that the resolution in which Entropy becomes Eternity was almost belabored until Genis interrupted with, "We get it, already!" (I know, I said I wasn't a fan of the sarcastic Genis, but in this case he spoke for the reader, and prevented things from getting too heavy-handed, and so I found it forgivable.) The final few pages had me nervous... I kept thinking about the recent discussion here of the facile conclusion to the first Superman film -- sparked by the addition to the BID archives of PAD's review -- and was like, "Well, damn it, PAD's doing the same thing. Genis gets to go back and make it all better? Seems a little trite..." Thus, I was happily thrown for a loop when it turned out that Genis' new decisions led to the exact same conclusion as they did in issue 1. It reminded me of one of my favorite moments from the sitcom "Scrubs," in which the lead character says something really tactless to another character and immediately wishes he could turn back time so he could do things differently. Magically, he's allowed to do so, so he turns time back a few minutes, back to the point where he originally said something stupid... and he says the exact same thing the second time. I loved that; I love that theme: we are who we are, and given the chance to be someone else, we'd probably still just be who we are. That's (partly) what those final pages of CM #6 conveyed to me, and I wasn't expecting it. It was ironic, surprising, thematically appropriate... overall, it gave a nice sense of closure to the arc. Plus, the bit about the age following the "Age of Miracles" relieved -- in my mind -- the aforementioned heavy-handedness of the original bit from issue 1.

And after PAD has turned everying on its ear, what does he do on the very last page? Turns things on their *other* ear! Genis morphs back into his Kree army outfit while laughing maniacally, and the reader is left asking, "What the hell just happened?" Which was great. The reader now has no way of knowing what's going on, and is left wondering until issue 7. Definitely a great cliffhanger.

What I didn't like: Okay, yes, for the most part, showing the apocalyptic battle wasn't necessary, except for one little glitch that I perceive in the plot mechanics... which is, why did Entropy need or want Captain Marvel to help him undo the universe? Is it simply that Entropy felt a kinship with Marvel because they both resent their fathers, and they both hate the universe? Maybe, but still... what could Genis really contribute to Entropy's mission? This wasn't really all that clear, and yet it was important, because the whole plot hinged on the fact that Entropy was messing with Marvel's mind because he needed -- or at least wanted -- his help. And since we didn't see the big, apocalyptic battle, we still don't know what Genis did, or how he helped. I see the same problem with the Epiphany plot thread. It's implied in issue 3 that Entropy would have killed Rick, but Epiphany for some reason wanted him alive. Again, why? Was it because she found him attractive? Possible, but again... we don't know. Epiphany's agenda was a big part of the mystery, in my mind, and a major part of what made this arc compelling. But at the end, we learned nothing about what she wants. It wasn't really made clear even how she feels about Entropy.

So, that part, I didn't like. Of course, if Epiphany is not gone after issue 6, but instead now a regular member of the comic's cast, then the fact that we still don't understand her is actually a plus. However, as it is, judging these six issues as a standalone story, while the whole father/son theme was ably concluded (parts of it anyway) and the "Genis-goes-insane" thing -- though left unresolved -- hit a definite benchmark, the motivations of Epiphany and Entropy -- vis a vis their respective interest in Rick and Genis -- stick out as big questions left unanswered at the conclusion.

The other major untied loose end is Genis' pregnant lover, whom he cared enough for that, when ordered to kill her, he killed himself instead. Again, if this is meant to be fodder for later issues, that's cool. But for me, the fact that this thread was abandoned after issue 4 was another thing contributing to issue 6 feeling less "conclusive" than it probably should have.

So, to sum up. CM 6 is a good issue on its own. As a conclusion to a lot of the father/son stuff... great. As a progression of the "Genis is insane" plot... fabulous.

As the tying off of all the plot threads introduced in 1-5? Less than satisfying. But it succeeded in getting me psyched for upcoming issues, wherein presumably these threads will be picked up again.

I’m sorry to say that I was disappointed by CM#6. It seemed like one big pointless use of the reset button. I kinda figured there would be some of that, since Genis couldn’t stay dead after offing himself, and couldn’t stay a psychotic bad guy, but this seemed so arbitrary. The succession of a new Eternity was somewhat interesting, as did the way it played into the Father/Son theme, and the idea that there is no easy answer for Genis regarding whether to save the Messiah or whatever was good, but sticking CM back where he was in his Kree uniform and cackling dementedly seemed like "Oh, here we go all over again." I also agree with Anthony that finding out HOW Entropy and Genis killed Eternity was something we should’ve seen on-panel, but didn’t.

And how could Genis kill Eternity if Genis himself is a part of the multiverse? Shouldn’t Eternity have been able to stop him? And along the same lines, for that matter, why is Entropy "beyond" the cosmos, as he tells him at the end of #5?

I have to say that Captain Marvel #6 is by far one of the most enjoyable comics I have read in a long, long time. Everyone seems to say that "the end of everything" should be on panel. To what I say... uh... seen it. What else can you do excately without repeating everything?

I really, really enjoyed the father/son dynamnic of the series so far. It was about time it was addressed! And an ending to die for... not everything is okay in the end. Too often a radical charecter trait is written off by the end of the current storyline... as if it never existed in the first place. It is refreshing to see that this has not happened here, and I am amazed that the editors let Peter do it in the first place.

Overall.. it is the one the few bright spots in Marvel right now. Cetainly better then Marville and Ultimate Adventures.

So Peter, what do you get for winning the contest?

>>Overall.. it is the one the few bright spots in Marvel right now. Cetainly better then Marville and Ultimate Adventures.

So Peter, what do you get for winning the contest?<<

A price increase, a trashed reputation, and very likely a canceled title.

PAD

By "trashed reputation" do you mean professional reputation at Marvel, rather than reputation with the readers? I don't think that the whole fiasco has done much to alienate us readers...

I just read Captain Marvel #6 recently and it was my first Captain Marvel issue!

I've been meaning to check the series out for awhile now, but didn't have the chance till now.

I saw the #6 at my local comic shop & decided to get it.

And WOW. Great issue! Thanks to the re-cap at the beginning I was not lost at all! I read the re-cap and then dived in.

And it was great! I really enjoyed the issue. From start to finish, the book was very interesting, complex, funny, and it had a twist at the end: And I love twists at the end!

So will I be back? I'm sure going to try! I definitly want to know what will happen next.

Oh and as soon as I can I'll go back issue hunting for CM.

So, looks like you have another new reader. :)

DF2506

The problem with Captain Marvel is it is lacking relationships. It starts with them but then we get the whole 'a month passes' thing and we don't see any of the stuff that makes a good story. The characters developing. So... okay the plot was a high brow plot and Peter gets points for pulling that off but in doing so he sacrificed the flow that gives the comic medium its life. Even the main duo isn't doing a lot of interacting. So what we're getting is Genis interacting with throw away characters that we never get to know or care about while Rick does the same.

And I wanted to care about the side characters but I wasn't given any reason to do so.

And now we have a "everything is back to square one" and I'm hoping that Bill Murray will do something entertaining this time around because I definitely feel cheated with the first six.

Head and shoulders above anything else in the U-decide debacle but still a disappointment.

I'm afraid that I didn't like CM 6. Not showing the fights was fine - the dialogue and character interaction is what I like about the book. Unfortunately, I feel that the storyline has veered dramatically away from characters I'm interested in. Genis doesn't seem like a character to me anymore, just a plot device. An insane Genis just doesn't have the charm that he did before, so I'm not as jazzed about reading about him.

I also really dislike the "Universe is destroyed and restored exactly the same" being played out in the Marvel Universe. The first time I encountered the idea was in Steve Engelhart's Dr. Strange series. I enjoyed it then, but it was the first time I encountered the idea and I was 11. In a series that wasn't tied to Marvel continuity, I might appreciate its thematic value more - here it just struck me as empty hyperbole.

OK, things I did like -- you tried something different. That's cool. The story was "heavy," which is needed every now and then to underscore the humor (and vice versa of course, which many comic writers don't seem to understand). I'll be picking up future issues to see how (if?) you'll redeem Genis and make him likeable again.

When I ask for that, by the way, I'm not asking for everything to magically go away. Lasting change due to these events is definitely needed, but I do want a character I can relate to again.

Thanks for the chance to comment.

Great job with YJ! I didn't see the resolution coming at all. I'm glad to see closure with many of the characters that most likely will not be featured in any DC titles for the forseeable future. I shall greatly miss this book as it was one of my favorites.

Captain Marvel was also an excellent issue but I was really confused at first. For about half of the issue I thought I had forgotten to read #5 since I didn't recall any of the events they were talking about. So, the beginning of the issue didn't really work well for me since it felt like you had skipped part of the story and we had to play catch up. However, I loved the ending and I thought that if that had been the last issue because of the contest, it would have gone out with a bang.

Peter:

Since the disengagement of "week-to-week" and "book to book" continuity over in the Superman titles, the last three issues of Joe Casey's ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN have been excellent.

We've had # 612's "Superman vs. the Golden Age Superman", # 613's "Funky Flashman's Super-merchandising blitz", and # 614's "1950s era Heroville". All this, while advancing the ongoing subplot of the mysterious HOLLOW MEN.

So, what's all this got to do with YOUNG JUSTICE? Well, one of the Hollow Men's victims in # 614 was THE RAY -- mere days after YOUNG JUSTICE # 55.

Geez, Peter... they didn't even let the book "go cold" before commiting attrocities to its characters. Oh well, that's comics in the 21st century!

Joe Torcivia.

Write more Buzz...

Write more Snapper...

PAD on TMNT? I love Laird's work, but PAD TMNT would so rule... but putting on him on one based on the new cartoon series is iffy. I like the cartoon, but if you're going to get on of the best writers in comics you might as well put him on the canon book. Put him on the hopeful volume two of Tales of the TMNT.

Lastly, is the JLA destined to stay pissed at Snapper? Doesn't the guy deserve a break. In the end, his judgement call turned out better than Tornado's.

I went to the comic shop and picked up Captain Marvel 1, 3, 4, & 5 today (the shop didn't have #2 but they are ordering it for me).

I went ahead and read the issues (even though I'm missing that one issue) and I thought they were all great.

From the amazing-never-know-what'll happen next storyline, to the great artwork, to the awesome covers: it was all great.

These issues really make me want to go back and read some of the last volume. I would like to see how Captain Marvel was when he was sane! lol!

Great book PAD. I'll continue reading.

DF2506