At least I think it’s out this week. People are e-mailing me about it, so I’m guessing it is.
Had to try and accomplish a lot in a last issue that I had no idea was going to be the last until they said, “Okay, we’ve ending it with #25, so wrap it up,” and I’d already written #24.
Whad’ja think?
PAD
• 
Remember back when PAD was pushing to get a letters page back in the pages of CM? I think it would have been cool if PAD could have scored a few more pages for the issue and just printed a bunch of our fan letters/emails, and posts to this blog. I mean, just to show how much support this book had from us and as a reward to the fans.
Had to think about this for awhile.
The most interesting comics, these days, are ones about deconstruction.
Deconstruction of certain archetypes and heroes are fairly common.
“Supreme” by Alan Moore was a deconstruction of Superman.
Watchmen was a deconstruction of the idea of Mystery Men in a real world.
Ellis does some interesting deconstruction of many heroes in Planetary.
Then there is the concept of the deconstruction of the comic book form…
One of my favorites was the Batman: Black and White by Gaiman, featuring Batman and Joker reading a script then leaving for home.
I think that CM #25 was an interesting melding of deconstructing of the comic book form and a bit of the frustration that Peter felt.
I do not think it was “breaking the fourth wall.” Because:
a) Rick has always (while PAD wrote him) shown “Comics Awareness.” i.e. “Who am I, Rip Hunter?” and “I thought Robin was the leader of the Titans.” Much like his DC counterpart, Snapper Carr (in YJ) who always talked to RJ on the phone discussing current themes.
b) The character’s did not address the readers directly.
c) A logical conclusion. I did not say the logic was good logic… even the characters understood that. But it was somewhat logical…
I consider this to be the “ST: TNG” Ending. Everything wrapped up nicely in a package, no blade of grass unturned.
The introduction of Eulogy was… well.. definitely a plot device. But then again, plot devices are necessary. Expediency I think was what PAD was telling us: I had one issue to wrap it up. Does it have to make sense? So let’s have old el Deus Ex Machina… to mix two languages. Instead of having others, like in the Hulk, to come out and say: Hey, what happend wasn’t really what happend, this is what really happend, so forget the last 11 years of this title… PAD undid everything he did for them already. (follow that logic!)
So it made sense.
Now, as how I liked it…
I loved it. I wouldn’t want every issue of a comic to be like this. But that would be somewhat impossible. It felt perfect for a last issue of a series.
My thoughts. My opinions.
Travis
Hi.
Haven’t read any of the other comments yet, so apologies if this is repetitive.
I *really* hated to see this book stop. The unpredictability you referred to is one of the things that made CM so entertaining. And it was NEVER boring. What I fail to understand is why it never caught on. Having said that, it is difficult to pick out the good books from the large number of titles available (and with limited funds!).
At the risk of categorizing an entire company’s output, I don’t purchase very many Marvel books. Just my traditional favorites (spiders and asgardians) and an Ultimate book or two. No mutants (I have an alergy…). The only reason I picked up CM was a write-up it got in SFX magazine. I made it a point to pick up the back issues and have been enjoying the book ever since. Please note, not *reading*, but *enjoying*.
I expect different things from different books. I expect a Peter David book to be fun, interesting, unpredictable, and, to some extent, thought-provoking. I am still not sure about Fallen Angel, but it is different.
I think you did a great job with CM just as you did with Supergirl, Young Justice and Hulk (and New Frontier, but that’s a different subject).
As to the final issue itself, I loved Rick’s “not again!” reaction and the whole idea of mothballing everything until needed again. Especially liked seeing Keith Giffen’s pencils again.
Regards.
R.
PS – I did see Farenheit 911 when it opened in the UK. As an expat American, I found it scary…
Well, I just read Captain Marvel #25 today. It didn’t leave as much of an impact with me as your final issue of Incredible Hulk did, but it was still very poignant. It seemed to reflect a lot of the frustrations you’ve had over the book since its beginning, relaunch included. It’s depressing when you realize just how futile something is.
I particularly liked the ringing phone at the very end (perhaps representing those fans who’ve stuck with CM through thick and thin?), as well as the “U-Decide” quip. It was great to at least see some resolution to the Marlo/Moondragon subplot, and Keith Giffen’s pencils were also very nice to look at.
All in all, CM was a great book. I’m really going to miss reading it, but at least I’m secure in the knowledge that you will be writing another favorite character of mine (THE favorite) very soon.
All the best,
–Don, aka Ygor
I just bought the issue after reading the posts. I stopped reading it because it just stopped appealing to me with the whole insane Genis thing.
As far as the issue itself goes: what an endless (or should I say “friendless”?) pity party. The book was just one metaphor after the other whining about how it should never have been cancelled.
When I was done reading it I couldn’t help but wonder how things would have been different if everybody would have just stayed quiet and not cause the whole “U Decide” fiasco. Then again I still believe it was all an act in order to gain publicity.
I’m actually glad that the book ended because PAD’s a better writer than the downward spiral that became of the book’s revamp.
I just hope his next project doesn’t drown in the cynicism that this one did. Comics need good writers not the Bendis clones that are starting to pop up.
In a word: WOW! This was an incredible story, which really reflects how I felt about my favorite comic coming to an end. It really felt like my “toys” were being put in a box, and I just have to wait until someone else finds a use for them. Here’s to a CM run that lasted longer than anyone ever expected and made a lo of readers very happy! Thanks PAD! You are a genius!
I thought it was a very smart, creative story, and very poignant. I wonder if Peter will bring Rick back – he has written this character for what? Fifteen years?
Till MadroX, then.
I am kind of hoping that Genis shows up in one of the Avengers titles, but at the same time, I know no one will write him as good as PAD has.
I am kind of hoping that Genis shows up in one of the Avengers titles, but at the same time, I know no one will write him as good as PAD has.
Wow, I expect this issue was quite cathartic for you, PAD. You get to rail about a cancellation happening again, you get to blame the comic store owner for closing down your universe — and you get to make him Friendless! — and you get to appear in the comic (or at least your hands do) to make the happy ending. There are also some classic bits of PAD humor, like the Friendless and Comics Awareness (I’d heard PAD say, during panels, that he thought Rick Jones was a comic book character who *knew* he was a comic book character); and I suppose Moondragon and Phylus (Captain Marvel’s sister; I may have gotten the name wrong) was a fun little thrill for those readers who wanted some female-female fantasies.
Did anyone else think Captain Marvel waiting for the phone call was a bit like a condemned man waiting for the phone call pardoning them — a last chance at survival?
Personally, I enjoyed every bit of it. I’ve always loved Rick’s Comics Awareness, nice to show him with superpowers again. I’ve got my fingers crossed for the return of Rick and Marv.
By the way, if PAD the issue was intended to be mean-spirited towards Marvel, don’t you think they would have asked for a different script? The tone of the issue fit the rest of the series.
I didn’t see it as mean-spirited at all. It was more playfully than bitter.
You know, I keep seeing people talking about how the whole issue was filled with Marvel bashing.
Seriously: I have no idea what the hëll you’re talking about.
Aside from the in-joke reference of “You decide? No, no, you don’t get to decide,” I don’t recall having Marvel in mind at all. I mean, I may be forgetting something, but most of Eulogy’s speech toward the end wasn’t directed at Marvel at all. It was taken almost directly from ACTUAL FAN COMMENTS about Genis I’ve been reading for the past two years.
I mean, how can you guys not realize that? How can you think Eulogy was me trashing Marvel? He wasn’t. He was quoting you guys.
PAD
PAD:
**How can you think Eulogy was me trashing Marvel? He wasn’t. He was quoting you guys.**
Snort…. heh.
Heh.
Heh.
Travis
Interesting last issue Peter. It was slightly reminiscent of your final issue of The Incredible Hulk, though I didn
One thing I forgot to mention: Issue 24 could
This is my first post, and I have been a Peter David fan since his first issue of HULK. I will read anything he writes, from novels to comics, to scribbles on napkins. I loved this issue. I’ve loved the entire series of Captain Marvel, and I didn’t know this was going to be the last issue until I picked it up. I am sad and crushed that it’s over. That being said, I have a weird revelation….
I really like the way PAD ends things. His last issue of HULK was quite nearly his best work. It touches those of us who follow more than just the comics, yet is easily understood by anyone who doesn’t even know who Peter David is. Is it weird for me to look FORWARD to Peter ending a series, because he does it so well? Many people didn’t like the end, but understanding you only get one shot with short notice, you have to throw it all together. I remember his end on HULK, and he had to try and tie it all up, killing Betty and tying up loose ends.
I love Peter David. I don’t care how many things they cancel, he will always be the best writer ever. Anyone read Sachs & Violens? Of course you have. I just finally picked up the series. It’s almost like he can do no wrong. His TREK novels are the best ever written.
viva la PAD
I picked it up and read it today. I can’t say I liked or disliked this issue. To me it was an end. They way Peter ended was very untraditional, but they way he ended, in my opinion, leaves it open for a new series eventually. I didn’t pick up on the marvel bashing that others did. To me it felt like an explanation of why it had to end. The way Genis reacted reflected the way I as a fan reacted. I think this series supported 2 kinds of fans. Those that love Peter David and those that love Captain Marvel. I myself was the latter never having read any of Mr. David’s books before, but he did impress me and picked up a new fan. I am sad to see this series cancelled, but Peter should be happy with what he did. He was able to have two seperate runs spanning 60 issues. I say two seperate runs because they differ so much from each other, but I loved them both the same. I want to thank you Peter for this series. I hope you had as much fun writing this series as I did reading it.
It was the best non-creator-owned ending for a series that I’ve ever read.
I loved the hëll out of every issue, first to last. And for me, the ending was par for course. No tacked-on epilogue by the next creative team, no overshadow by impending relaunch of new character using character’s name. Just as direct an ending as any book could have in the days of insta-cancelation.
I’ll miss Genis. And Rick. And Marlo. And I’ll miss them even more when they exit the other side of that door, to the new one that’ll eventually open to the world of a new writer’s vision. But at least I can go through my own doorway, to whatever room has my back issues of their adventures, and I can do what the characters can’t, and go back to the way things were.
Oh, well. A goon I am, is what I’ll always be.
This wasn’t the best PAD story I ever read. I did like everything except the characters knowing they were characters. And I am going to lose sleep wondering who was calling on the last page.
Well, I don’t know.
Somewhere around the middle of the book, I was sort of thinking with myself whether or not this is professional behaviour. The answer to that was that hey – by now it’s pretty obvious that nobody would read this except for the longtime fans of the book, and really, what’s the difference. Certainly nobody at Marvel would have cared what was inside those pages, so the only obligation here was to the PIECE.
I just wish you had like 2-3 more weeks to chill out before writing the book, Peter. This was a truly brilliant series, and deserved a truly brilliant ending. Thematically, I’d say that there wasn’t a single story element there that couldn’t have fit in with the rest of the series -with a little distance, a little tweak; it could have all been done without the ‘comics awareness’ to a much better result, I feel, and benefitted the rest of the series without raising a single “is this proper?” eyebrow. But oh well, expediency (as has been pointed out and visually illustrated) had a BIG hand in the matter, and I’m sure we can all understand (and probably sympathize with) the emotions displayed here.
Too bad for the book, too bad for companies and an industry that would support 30 X or Bat titles a month, mostly mediocre (if that), and not direct some of the profits to keep less obvious works around, if only for the satisfaction of supporting a unique project.
ACTUALLY, A QUESTION: You’ve been in the business end of the industry. How much does it COST to keep a title like this going? Just curious.
So, thanks for a great series, 60 issues of THIS in today’s marketplace are nothing to be ashamed of – infact, a lot to be proud of, as 59 of them are brilliant – and as for this final one, well… at least you cleaned up before you left.
Scot Dubin is right. That last panel of Animalman was tearful and eerie. This was forced upon you and it shows.
Best for the future…