DEATHMASK V. 1

[GeorgeG]

Basically it's about putting the fun back into comics. I've been looking for that as well.

But Future isn't it. They have nice characters. It's the writing that's the problem. Their writing, I don't know how to say this w/out being condescending (I apologize in advance), is just rather amateurish.

I want my superheroes. But I want good writing as well.

[BriGuy]

Just thought I'd jump in here with a few thoughts:

Regarding the price of the original comics: When I first laid eyes on Metallix #1, I thought the same thing. "This book looks thinner then a regular book, so why am I spending more?" Well it turns out there were actually reasons why the book cost $3.50. The number one reason is that the books had 6 extra pages then regular comics so that's 28pgs rather than 22pgs. So you were getting more story per issue(and the reason it looked thinner was because there were no ads). The other reason for the price was the cardstock covers. I'll say right here and now that I'd rather save the 50cents and get a regular cover then a cardstock one, but apparently I was in the minority in feeling this way. In fact, people preferred the covers so much over the pages that when Future reduced their cover price they ditched the pages over the covers to make the books $2.99. Of course, that never really saw the bright of day (except maybe Deathmask) because the books ended before the change could go into effect.

As for why I was drawn into Future Comics: Well Metallix looked interesting to me, I liked the concept of a "tag team superhero", but didn't wanna take the $3.50 risk, so I checked out Future's site and they had a promotion where you could get a free signed comic. Simple enough, naturally I picked Metallix #1. I read the story which was pretty good (Maxwell Krome was a dumb friggin' name but I could get past that) and thought it had some real potential. Then I read the editorial in the back (I think this one was by Dave Michelinie) and it basically broke down the Future philosophy: Future Comics was gonna be a reflection of our world except that a few people would have access to technology and science that was a notch or two above what we had. And this knowledge and tech would allow them to be superheroes or whatever. And the world around them would react in shock and awe when they saw these guys in action just like we all would if we saw a guy flying down the street seemingly by his own power. Each of the heroes abilities was based off real science: spintronics, nanotechnology, quantum mechanics. This appealed to me because I always thought it was pretty unrealistic how nobody in DC/Marvel ever really seemed to care that people could fly or shoot laser beams, like that was normal and after huge fights between heroes with millions in property damage the city was always fixed up by the next issue with no explanation.

They also said their universe wouldn't expand beyond 4 ongoing titles (couple one-shots or minis here and there but only 4 ongoings) so it would be easy to follow all their books without spending too much and I'd always wanted to be able to do that. I like when companies build upon their history and with only four books it would be pretty managable.

So the "believeable" tone to their comics plus the managability of only 4 titles really appealed to me.

If anyone's curious about these editorials they can all be found in the Freemind trade which is a pretty good deal for $8.50. Anyone that was hestitant about the prices should be jumping at that.

And if you wanna check out a Future Comic free of charge Metallix #7 is available for free as an e-comic at www.futurecomicsonline.com just be warned that it'll spoil things from #1-6.

[Charles RB]

I always thought it was pretty unrealistic how nobody in DC/Marvel ever really seemed to care that people could fly or shoot laser beams, like that was normal

In the DC and Marvel Universes, it is normal. The arrival of new heroes is probably greeted with cries of "crap, not another one".

[BriGuy]

Originally posted by Charles RB
In the DC and Marvel Universes, it is normal. The arrival of new heroes is probably greeted with cries of "crap, not another one".

It's not normal. They are still out of the ordinary. Celebrities are "normal" yet look at the status they receive. Thousands gather to see them. Girls and boys obsess over them. As "commonplace" as actors and musicians are, people still treat them as if they're something special. The same would apply to superheroes.

There may be more superheroes in DC and Marvel, but the world hasn't adapted to their presence. There are no laws regarding them. There is nothing in place to prevent or repair the damage they cause. New measures would need to be taken in order to cope with the existence of superheroes especially to the extent they exist in Marvel and DC, but nothing about the average person's life has changed as a result. Everything is done exactly the same way as it was done without the metahumans. that's what's unrealistic. With all the metas running around, the world would have enacted measures to cope with them and protect the common man against them. You see none of that in DC and Marvel (sans the Ultimate line). The handling of out of the ordinary and supervillain threats is left to volunteer superheroes. That would never happen in the real world.

[Charles RB]

The same would apply to superheroes.

Not really- most superheroes have crap PR guys (sans X-Statix), which is very unlike most celebrities.

You see none of that in DC and Marvel (sans the Ultimate line).

And the Wildstorm line w/ Stormwatch.

[BriGuy]

Originally posted by GeorgeG
But Future isn't it. They have nice characters. It's the writing that's the problem. Their writing, I don't know how to say this w/out being condescending (I apologize in advance), is just rather amateurish.

I want my superheroes. But I want good writing as well.

I agree that sometimes the writing isn't always there. And I wouldn't call it "amateurish", but more old school. It's hard to take a book seriously when one of the characters is named "Max Krome" and then that character develops a "chrome" looking alloy that covers his body and is now the villain Krome.

Perhaps with Bob Layton doing the full writing chores on Peacekeeper that book will be better writing-wise.

I'd still love to see what Roger Stern or Joe Casey could do on a Future book.

[Frank_Augur]

Originally posted by Brian Langlois
Those of you criticising Future Comics for "looking dated" are missing the point. Future Comics is for the readers who miss old school super hero comics, like me. Their art and story style are classic, and to many readers that's a great thing. Some of us have become, to use the words of Bob Layton, "disenfranchised" with comics the way they are now. We're tired of the darker content and the heaviy stylized art. The comic book super hero remained largely unchanged for many decades and captivated readers young and old. It is only recently, within the past ten years or so, that all these radical stylistic changes came around. Personally, I miss the old feel, the old magic that got me into comics. Future represents everything I miss about my super heroes and I just know there are more readers out there like me, even if they won't admit it. The guys working at Future aren't the current "flavor of the week" creative teams. They are time tested professionals, legends in the field, and they still are doing great work. I understand if you're not a fan of the "dated" look and I can respect that. But, I urge all of you to at least give it a chance. You may find that Future Comics offers something no one else is, the magic and wonder that got you into comics in the first place. At these prices, how can you lose?

I agree with what you are saying 100%. I think Future comics has a great list of creators, but I still think there is a great deal of room for improvement on the content itself. When I say improvement, I'm not talking "modernization". I'm more interested in the details themselves... such as drawing backgrounds, making the stories more compelling, dropping the overused streotypes, and more importantly providing more significant story pages in a book.

Deathmask was the best title I saw from Future Comics. I wish Future Comics luck.

That being said, I saw the movie Riddick last night and it had all the undesireable elements that remind me of Future Comics... lame terminology, illogical settings and costumes (vs. the technology they flaunt), overused sterotypes, more flash than actual content.

Frank Augur

[Frank_Augur]

Originally posted by BriGuy
I agree that sometimes the writing isn't always there. And I wouldn't call it "amateurish", but more old school. It's hard to take a book seriously when one of the characters is named "Max Krome" and then that character develops a "chrome" looking alloy that covers his body and is now the villain Krome.

"Amateur" is one of the closest words to describe what you are saying.

Amateur means "one lacking in experience and competence in an art or science". Being that unimaginative or contrived when naming a character would be an amateurish tendency.

While it could also be deemed "old-style", the creators at Future were producing a far more mature level of work in the 80's.

I think the rule is, you should minimize the number of instances that require a "leap of faith" in a story. There is a "leap of faith" that superheroes even exist. It's pushing your luck to have a super-wacky coincidence that a guy who turns to Chrome had the name Krome. Every overused "cheesy" element like that is a turn-off to the overall story.

Frank Augur

[Defiant1]

Did this ever come out? I'd probably buy a copy, but I've never seen it.

Defiant1

[Devil Dino]

Originally posted by Defiant1
Did this ever come out? I'd probably buy a copy, but I've never seen it.

Defiant1

Don't think so. I've had it on advance order for months and months, and haven't received it Shame...I was quite looking forward to it.

Also, the Future Comics website has been down for a few weeks. Maybe they're having problems, but I haven't seen/heard anything to confirm this.