All I can say is thank God Brubaker’s writing it.

Oh didn’t you know? They’re getting Jeph Loeb to write it!

And while I like Bucky-Cap and would love to see him around much longer, I realize this is inevitable. All I can say is thank God Brubaker’s writing it.

The above comic strip is really an accurate portrayal of the abusive cycle between fans and publishers.

You first create an event that ticks off the fans by changing a status quo to which they have a deep attachment.

Out of curiosity, morbid or otherwise, new people flock to comics to check out the new status quo.

Sometimes, people enjoy the new status quo! Especially if it alludes to the old status quo as being legendary in some way.

You then return to something similar to the old status quo, but “updated”. This will often bring back fans that have left, assuring them that comics will be good again. (it worked for me with Heroes Return, years back) It will also attract new fans lured by their own curiosity. It may, however, alienate fans who don’t remember the old status quo or prefer the “old” new status quo. If so, this will almost guarantee that the status quo will change again as competing generations of creators try to appease competing generations of readers.

i think that mentality is fine when you invest so much time and money on your favorite team, watching every game, going to as many games as possible, and buying merchandise. and the emotional investment in following the highs and lows of a sports team.

I think that mentality is even more pathetic in that situation personally. The team doesn’t pay your bills or know you’re alive. Cool to be a devoted fan, but the “we” mentality just highlights you have no identity of your own and are desperate to convince yourself you’re part of a team of winners. Besides, most of these “we win” fans, when the team loses, are the first to say “you” or “they suck” when the team loses. The “we” only seems to apply to winning situations.

i think that mentality is fine when you invest so much time and money on your favorite team, watching every game, going to as many games as possible, and buying merchandise. and the emotional investment in following the highs and lows of a sports team. the players don’t have much loyalty to a franchise, as they come and go through free agency. even ownership changes for franchises. the only people who stay true to their team, no matter what, are the fans. the fanbases are the most important aspect of any sports franchise.

And as far as writing and ULT book, Geekmobster, I have to decline. My Christian faith prevents me from raping dead horses. That was one thing X-STATIX got right: pulling the plug while it was still good.

The reason for the odd numbering was some confusion about which comic goes when due to the interview comic.

You just wanted to be like Spawn – admit it!

I was certain he was going to whinge about the return of Steve Rogers!

I know I rolled my eyes when he died, but have since found the Bucky stories to be sheer and utter awesomeness squared!

Hey, Dan … we’re not all grief counselors, but we are all nerds.

You don’t have to be a grief counselor to have heard of the five stages.

Being a nerd doesn’t mean you can’t know anything outside of the comic panels.

But now that you have exhausted all your wit and insight, you are now perfectly primed to take over writing on Marvel’s next Ultimates title!

(Sorry … used up all my insightful commentary on strip 74. Thanks, Geekmobster, for leaving me just enough for this stupid post.)

Jesus christ in heaven. (Not referring to this post, but the post to which it’s referring.) I’m … not quite speechless, obviously, but getting there.