Saturday, February 12, 2011

Here's A Comic I Will Never Buy

Brian Bendis and Alex Maleev and Tom Brevoort had a conference call with the media to unveil their big plans for the new Moon Knight series (what, is this volume #19??).

Presented without comment are some of Bendis' descriptions of what the series is going to be about:


Bendis: "We love his personality disorder. On his best day, he almost seems like a one-man team, like a one-man Ocean's 11. But sometimes the character would get mired in self-loathing, and depression, and all that stuff. I said, wouldn't it be interesting to have a multiple-personality superhero who loved his personalities?"

Bendis said he wants Moon Knight's personalities to be "more defined by his new place in the Marvel Universe."

Bendis continues that his "psyche will be emboldened" by his role on the Avengers, and that his personalities will include Spider-Man, Wolverine and Captain America, and he'll have internal "Avengers meetings" dealing with how to tackle different issues.

Bendis said that supporting cast members like Frenchie and Marlene will play a part in the book, but they'll also "focus on some new characters as well, but not at the sacrifice of his great history with these old friends. And how many friends does he need? He's his own best friend, he's his own girlfriend, that's why I love him."

Next question from [Newsarama staff writer Albert Ching]- are you at all worried about controversy like the show United States of Tara has faced for portraying multiple personalities disorder, a real-life condition?


Bendis: "You have to find a basis in reality or it doesn't fly, even the silliest ideas have to matter, but at the end of the day, getting too sensitive about it can suck the fun out of anything. I don't think anything's happening here that makes fun of or belittles an actual problem.
"


OK, then. Good luck with that project, guys.

8 comments:

Unknown said...

That is not only a twisted coil of dog poo on a cool niche character, it's also, in no particular order:

1. totally clueless about behavioural psychology

2. a rip off of Fight Club

3. a sign of Marvel's terminal decadence

4. another comic where Bendis will write endless lifts of dialogue from whatever tv show is propelling his writing this time

Matt said...

I don't want to be 'that guy' - because I have some pretty major issues with Bendis - but I don't necessarily think this is a bad move for Moon Knight. After a few years of being the hard core Batman meets the Punisher while wearing white to mixed results, I'd be interested in seeing a different take on him.

But really, we all know what's going to happen: Bendis' first issue will sell like hotcakes, but nothing will happen for three issues. Moonie will just sit in a room having endless conversations with himself until it's revealed that the Frenchie and Marlene from the past few years will be revealed as figments of moonie's imagination.

It'll be a mess - hailed by some as a revelation for the character - but ultimately will only last as long as his last series, about ten issues.

I hope next time they try a reboot with him, they take him back to his supernatural Werewolf hunting roots. Now there's a book that everyone could love.

Unknown said...

Supernatural werewolf hunting roots... You know I raised that on a comics board and was actually told it never happened. Pretty sure it did happen y'know... :)

I raised it because the timing was perfect to have Moon Knight back now as a supernatural hunter, vampires are still the current fad, more broadly werewolves and such... But no, we get another Bendis Seinfeld comic about nothing. Ka-sigh.

snell said...

Matt--Don't forget the ever growing time gap between issues as Maleev once again falls further and further behind.

Matt said...

FTC - That board you were on was full of a buncha posers. Moon Knight started as an enemy for Werewolf by Night, and within that series it's heavily implied that Moonie has fought creatures like that before. It's all in the Essential Moon Knight, you should go rub their board living faces in it. But yeah, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that'd be an awesome idea.

Snell - Well it is really hard to find all those photos to ape and repurpose (in almost an anti-Greg Land way). A man only has so much time in a month you know.

ShadowWing Tronix said...

Under a good writer this could be interesting. There have been stories with character in other characters' head. Firestorm and Deadpool come to mind as well as an anime I was watching today.

However, I'm not sure Bendis' style would make this work. He does OK with "street level" character, but having someone with multiple personalities and sane? In a Marvel book? Kind of doubt it.

notintheface said...

I'd love to see a Grant Morrison Moon Knight.

Mark Engblom said...

I think Moon Knights is Marvel's version of Aquaman...in that nobody has ever managed to make the character work for any sustained length of time, at least in the modern comics market (1980 and beyond). Oh, different creators keep trying, but it just never seems to take.

Now that Spider-Woman has graduated from D-list to C-list and no longer needs Bendis' constant pimping, maybe Moon Knight is his new "rescue dog" project.