Martinex1: Today we are going to head in a slightly different direction and consider the results of some recent polls.
Over on twitter @BackintheBronze where we share random thoughts to consider, we occasionally post Bronze Age related questions to poll the audience. I'd like to share some of those queries and results, as I am curious what you (our regular followers, commentators, and lurkers) think about the outcome. Often I was surprised by the responses or the results made me want to discuss the nuances of the topic further. What better place is there to do that than here on our BitBA site where we can Chew the Fat?
Let's get started as we have a variety of subjects to consider...
Some of our polls focus on general Bronze Age musings like characters, creators and artistic choices. I find that I am often in the minority (or rarely in the winning percentage) with my personal choices. For instance I was surprised that Mystique was the most popular in the below inquiry. Don't get me wrong, I thought Mystique was a fantastic character but she was not my first choice. How about you?
I am probably surprised about the below poll only because I am typically a Marvel fan and DC always comes in second. I can admit that Batman has a classic rogues gallery.
There was definitely a tight race when considering Ben Grimm's supporting cast.
I like considering possibilities for future storylines, comics, movies and entertainment. I was genuinely surprised that the Wrecking Crew was rated so high for possible cinematic adventures. I thought for sure people would favor Cap and Baron Blood.
Likewise for this poll, I never expected Nick Fury to be the front runner.
So what do you think about any and all of the polls, what the results were, and your own personal feelings about how comics should be and what should or should not be successful? Please share your thoughts and I hope you've enjoyed this data distraction today.
11 comments:
Here would be my answers to these polls.
1. Mystique - Simply because she has had the most longevity and exposure, and has played a more important roll in the history of the X-Men (including a huge part in the movies).
2. Spider-Man - This was the toughest one for me because I love Batman's rogues gallery equally, but I broke the tie and chose Spidey for the top spot because his enemies have more unique powers. Whereas most of Batman's rogues are just non-powered nut-jobs with a gimmick.
3. Alicia Masters - Hey, even a human rock monster needs some sweet sweet lovin' every once in a while.
4. Thor vs. Wrecking Crew - Absolutely this! The Wrecking Crew are some of my favorite Marvel villains, and Baron Blood is basically just another vampire. I'm kind of bored of vampires (and zombies).
5. Luck Cage / 70's / NY - I was a kid in the 70's so I have a lot of nostalgic feelings for that era.
6. Dr. Pym - Sci Fi / Monster - I sort of chose this simply by default because it was the only one that really made any sense to me. I mean, "Johnny Storm - War Comics"?? Where the heck did that come from?
7. The Evaders - Hey, I like weird super teams. What can I say. (Now, "Matt Murdock: Agent of SHIELD" I might be down for).
8. Great Lakes Avengers - Again, I like weird super teams.
9. Mr. Fantastic - Because in the awful "Civil War" series he built a space prison and then helped to indefinitely incarcerate people without a trial or any kind of due process (people that were previously his friends at that). Mark Millar turned a great hero into a total dick. (One of the big reasons I quit reading new Marvel comics).
Yay! Finally a use for Twitter!
I joined about a year ago for work and have found it to be as inimical to reflection as Mad Max's outback. But be that as it may ...
1) I thought Proteus was probably the best, and Claremont actually wrote in the script that he was the sort of villain that the X-Men were created to fight, but I can see how Mystique won out after she took off after her first app. in Ms. Marvel.
2) I'm a little surprised this wasn't tighter. Maybe because a)Doom b)Flash actually fights guys who call themselves "The Rogues" and c)Galactus.
3) I've come out against the Wrecking Crew on multiple occasions, but I have to say, they might not be bad cinema. Particularly as, no doubt, their costumes would be radically different. Still, Cap against Baron Blood would have been awesome and given the MCU a chance to introduce the Invaders or Union Jack at the very least.
4)Sweet Christmas, no!
5)I'd go with Wasp, but only if someone could resurrect Natalie Wood. It's kinda how I always saw the character.
6)I'd go with Sue Storm, but the line-up of Evaders is just too awesome to pass up.
7)Huge fan of the Invaders, so Liberty Legion would be a must. It would be a great occasion to get some more stories on some of the villains like Iron Cross, the Teutonic Knight and Warrior Woman.
8)Hank wins for crazy, Wolverine for homicidal.
Back to work, and great questions!
1. Proteus scared the crap out of me, but I'll go with Arcade his style is perfect for comics and he's got principles.
2.Batman's are no doubt the most iconic. If it is a personal pick then Spider-Man.
3. I agree, Bill Foster.
4.I love the Wrecking Crew, but Cap vs. Baron Blood would make a great movie.
5. Beast in the '80's, as long as Wonder Man can have a recurring role.
6. Hawkeye with Two-Gun Kid.
7. The Evaders sound fun. Love that era.
8. Liberty Legion, again love that era. I wasn't around when the GLA was around but if Byrne's doing it I would would've been all over it.
9. Wolverine no doubt, at least while I was reading. Hank striking Janet seems to have reverberated heavily.
I'd go with:
1) Mystique
2) Spidey
3) My first thought was Thundra, but of these four, probably Alicia
4) Wrecking Crew would be cool, but Taskmaster would be interesting too, with his "photographic reflexes"
5) Either Cage in 70s NYC or Beast in 80s Chicago, I can't decide
6) I could totally see Wasp in a rom-com (When Bendis was writing her, she almost was at times!)
7) Colony 8 sounds interesting
8) None of the above. If I had to pick, I guess Starjammers ... space pirates are pretty cool
9) All of the above; besides what's already been mentioned, Reed messed with Franklin's mind and treated his wife like an appendage, and Professor X was manipulating the X-Men even before their formation. They're all pretty bad, as far as I'm concerned
Hey I voted in some of these polls!
Spidey's Rogue's Gallery is better than Batman's. I agreed about Thor vs. the Wrecking Crew and Bill Foster, and would have changed my vote to Johnny Storm and the Invaders in a time-travel story, if I thought of it earlier.
As for Professor X's less than stellar record, I wrote about him recently on The Middle Spaces in a post entitled “Professor X is a(n Abusive) Jerk!”
1. toss-up between Mystique and Sebastian Shaw
2. Spider-man's, followed closely by the Fantasic Four's.
3. Alicia Masters
4. much as I loved the Cap v. Baron Blood story by Stern/Byrne, I'm with William about the saturation of vampires in movies, so like William, I vote for Thor v. the Wrecking Crew (although - after seeing Ragnarok - I would have Thor and Hulk teaming up for the big fight)
5. Luke Cage in 1970s NY - otherwise, I wanted so much for Marvel to make a Heroes for Hire film as a period piece set in the mid-'70s, with Luke, Danny, Misty and Colleen, as a sort of homage to both the black exploitation and martial arts films of the time.
6. Wasp - but not in a rom-com, but rather in a caper film, involving corporate espionage, with the Wasp tracking down some clever Ocean's 11 type bandits who made off with some of Pym's high tech inventions - it could be played either seriously or more tongue-in-cheek.
7. Sue Storm, Agent of SHIELD
8. Starjammers, but only if done by Walt Simonson (writing and art); Great Lakes Avengers, by the way, only appeared in the late '80s, which is post-Bronze Age I think.
9. For this, I pretty much ignored everything that happened after about 1985, so I'd say Wolverine, because at that point he already had a considerable body count under his belt (and an implied higher body count, as his past was still pretty mysterious and it seemed to be implied that he had done some pretty nasty things before joining the X-men); after that, although I hated the whole story with the slapping of Jan, I'd say Hank Pym.
I didn't realize there was so much Twitter activity for BitBA. Now I am wondering if, when the blog has less participation, I am in the wrong place and s.b. on Twitter.
I mean, I had a Twitter account in 2010 but haven't used it since March 2010.
Ole Charlie... a day late and a dollar short.
Charlie we post rather inconsistently on twitter. Sometimes we tweet dozens of times in a day. But then go for days or even weeks saying very little. It is nice for quick thoughts or to pass the time with curiosities but it does not lend itself to any deep or thoughtful conversation. I prefer the comments here rather than a simple “heart” for likes or a retweet.
We of course keep our site relatively focused on fun Bronze Age topics and try to steer clear of the vitriol and venom of current discourse which unfortunately is really everywhere in the twitter-verse.
The brevity of the format definitely has its limitations. But having said that join us when you can.
Thanks all for commenting today. That detail of your feelings and opinions is exactly what I miss over at twitter. I get the vote, but I don’t easily get to know the “why”.
More to come...
Cheers!
By the way, I think this is a great idea for a post, and hope to see more poll results and then response from the regulars in the near future. Maybe a bimonthly event? (every two months, not twice a month). :)
"Hey, guys, wait for me!"
A bit late today, but here's my two cents:
1. Mystique, followed closely by Arcade.
2. Much as I'm a Spidey guy, I have to give the advantage (by a greeb Joker hair) to Batman.
3. Alicia.
4. Going against the tide here, with Ant-Man vs. Taskmaster. Scott Lang, all the way.
5. Beast, in 80's Chi-town. Maybe with a regular appearance by Simon Williams.
6. Going with the Wasp.
7. Sue Storm. SHIELD wishes they had her.
8. Warriors Three. Loved the scattershot appearances they made back in the Bronze age.
9. A case could certainly be made for any of the choices, but I'd go with Reed. He seemed to have fallen so far from his Silver Age apex.
Great post, partner. Love the polls, and I'm with Dr. O- let's consider more...
Personally, I feel most people voted for the Wrecking Crew just because they want to see all the destruction (explosions, buildings falling down) and mayhem this super-villain team would cause on the big screen!
- Mike 'sledgehammer' from Trinidad & Tobago.
Post a Comment