All-purpose, running Geek thread (formerly Battlestar Galactica thread)

I get that you hate the storyline, Starman, but this suggestion that it had something to do with the collapse of the industry is a bit much.
The bit about marriage in comics, however, has some merit. I don't think you have the motivation correct, but both Marvel and DC have shown a fear of telling stories about marriages that last. Lois and Clark was lost to one of the reboots.
Cyclops and Phoenix in the X-Men comics seemed like it would last, but Grant Morrison blew that one up, first with Cyclops cheating on her and then killing off Jean Grey.
The worst example was the retcon of Spider-Man/Peter Parker's marriage. Joe Quesada pushed the idea for a long time that Peter Parker was a better character when he was single, but instead of killing off his wife or simply having the characters get a divorce, he undid the marriage through a deal with the comic-book devil (Mephisto). It was a soft reboot, but still a slap in the face to the fans who read those comics.
I don't think it is so much a sexist thing as it is a fear of letting these characters grow up, and it is idiotic.

 

The Death of Superman definitely had something to do with the collapse of the industry. That and Knightfall were sold to the general public as the end of two major characters. Speculators bought up those comics like crazy, expecting the price to jump and stay high. They were soured on the whole industry when Superman and Batman returned and the prices from their peaks, and they were in for an especially rude awakening when they found out that the huge print runs meant just about anyone who wanted a copy could get one.

Those storylines weren't the sole reason for the collapse of the comic market, but they played a role.

 

I'm sure I've posted it before, but the whole concept of the death of Superman was handled a zillion times better the first time around, in an "imaginary story" series from 1961, written by actual Superman creator Jerry Siegel:

Silver Age September - The (First) Death of Superman!

In this, he's actually killed by (yes) Luthor, so in a way Superman's fundamental faith in the goodness of humanity is tragically betrayed.

The final epilogue section of the story is obviously inspired by -- and makes an explicit reference to -- the then-recent capture and trial of Adolf Eichmann, which I'm sure made an impression on Siegel.
With a cautionary sublplot of the craven Luthor's belief he'd be excused for his atrocity.

For a goofy ass Silver Age story when your typical storyline might revolve around Jimmy Olsen turning into Turtle Boy, it was pretty freaking grim.

 

Maybe my opinion comes from not having any use for such prospecting. I have a few valuable comics, but not one I actually bought for that reason.

 

On a more fun topic, Han Solo always showed an eye for strong women with royal blood, but Danaerys Targaryen?

GAME OF THRONES Actress Joins STAR WARS

 

I'm the same as you for the most part. I've bought a few extra copies of certain issues over the years because I wanted one to read, one to save in pristine condition and one or two to maybe sale down the road. But back in the '90s when I was in school it was at most two copies of an issue. I'm not a huge speculator, but those two DC storylines and Marvel's huge print runs on everything made for a lot of valueless comics and turned a lot of fans away from the market.

 

Saw Doctor Strange last night. I'm curious to hear other people's thoughts.

Overall, I liked it. It won't go high on my list of Marvel movies, but it was still very enjoyable. Tilda Swinton was awesome, and Cumberbatch really worked as Doctor Strange.

I went into it really wondering how it was going to fit into the overall MCU and left with a little clearer picture of that. The mid-credit scene hints at how he will be used going forward, and there is a bit at the end that reveals an important detail toward Infinity Wars. It is still kinda weird to me that Doctor Strange's magic co-exists with Iron Man, Cap, Hulk, etc. Like with Vision, it feels like Doctor Strange could basically just bring everyone in the mirror dimension and do whatever he wanted. Almost like he was too powerful to really feel threatened in that world.

But I may be misunderstanding the character some. He was not one I followed as a kid and didn't know much beyond that he used "magic" coming into this.

 

I've never read a Dr. Strange solo book, but I've seen plenty of the character in crossovers. Dr. Strange is extremely powerful in the comics, far more so than what we saw in the movie. That makes sense because the current version has been the Sorcerer Supreme for a long time (the title held by the Ancient One in the movie), while the movie version of the character is just getting started.

That said, he has limits. Part of that is the concept that the use of magic always comes at a price. The more often he uses more powerful magic, the more of a toll it takes on him. Also, the threats he faces are often even more powerful. Dormammu is a perfect example of that.

 

Oh yeah, and Dormammu seemed odd to me in the movie. Looked like Doctor Strange was fighting an angry screen saver.

 

The one odd bit of Marvel trivia that I've always loved is who is next in line behind Doctor Strange for the title of Sorcerer Supreme -- Doctor Doom.
Thought it would've killer if they'd been able to pull off another Spider-Man type deal to get the FF rights back, and introduce Doom in the credits scene of the Doctor Strange movie so they could set him up for Infinity War. Alas, it doesn't sound like that has happened. Must be the fault of that cursed Richards.

 

Wasn't this new Fantastic Four supposed to fit somewhere in the MCU until it failed miserably? I honestly have a hard time keeping the separate Marvel universes straight.

 

No, it wasn't. There was talk of a crossover with the X-Men, but Trank's rank take on the FF ruined that idea. (Count me among those who call bullshit on the director's whining about studio interference. I don't think any type of editing could have saved that piece of shit, unless they just cut out the whole thing and started over.)

The talk of bringing the Fantastic Four, or at least Dr. Doom, to the MCU came after the latest FF movie failed. I would love to see Doom as part of Infinity War, but that would make too much sense.

Batman, I'm not sure that bit about Doom being next in line as Sorcerer Supreme is true any more. Strange did give it up for a while a few years back, but it was Dr. Voodoo who took his place.