Cap_Ironman Weekly News, Week Ending 26 September 2010

[muccamukk]

Hello and welcome to the weekly cap_ironman/c_im newsletter.

There's a fair bit happening in the world of comics this week. First of all, I'm sure you're very excited about Iron Man II hitting DVD and BlueRay this Tuesday. Bring on those special features!

Also this week, we have part three of Avengers Prime, you can check out the first few pages here. NSFW! (though sadly one has to buy the comic for the horse). CBR also put up an unlettered preview of Secret Avengers #6, if you're following that title.

Also, December solicits! I have an unreasonable love of solicits, which I shall now inflict upon you good people. Though if you want to just check out the Steve, Tony, Thor and Avengers titles, IGN has sifted them out.

Finally, Tony's canon cyberpunk AU (this, right here, this is why I love comics), Iron Man: The Rapture is starting in November. Check out CBR's interview with author Alexander Irving for plot hints and preview art. Looks like movie verse gone all creepy and awesome.


tsukinofaerii posted a ficlet Speaking in Code
valtyr posted a fic For Sale, One Super Soldier, Slightly Used

fictivore is looking for canon recs and asked about the current state of the SHRA, which led to a good deal of discussion.
marinarusalka linked to clips of Marvel's Avengers Cartoon, and to Hipster Superheroes.
manic_intent posted an alternate opening scene to Iron Man II, presumably leaked from the DVD.
burntcopper posted a like to a site full of pictures of Cap and Peggy from the movie! (keep looking, as it keeps getting updated. (Also, there's more pictures here).
fictivore posted a bunch of scans of Steve and Tony from different comics, comparing art styles.


Finally, if you're a new or recent member, hello and welcome! Our rules are here, and in the profile; this includes our warnings policy, so please read. If you're interested in the ship, you may want to read the Ship Manifesto, and consult the list of Slashy Moments (Now at one hundred and forty-four moments). If you're planning to write for the comm, there are some tips on writing the pairing here, and the Avengers in general here; if you're having trouble finding a beta, or would like to offer your services as a beta, our beta list is here. If you're looking for the comm archive, it's Tales of Suspense, and it's automated - you can create an account and upload your fic. if you have any questions, you can comment here or PM a mod, that's me, garrideb and valtyr.

And feel free to post on-topic or off-topic stuff in the comments to this post! Just keep it reasonably safe for work, please. :)

Comments

[valtyr]

Well, in the Avengers and New Avengers series, which is set after the end of Avengers Prime, Steve and Tony and Thor seem to be on stable terms and working towards reconciliation, if not entirely there yet - there doesn't seem to have been a beat-down. (As a note, while one could possibly wrangle a 'blame on both sides' reconciliation between Steve and Tony, Thor was dead when Tony used DNA he stole to create a cyborg-clone Thor to attack Thor's friends and kill one of them. So Tony absolutely owes Thor a sincere apology for that, although I'd say it doesn't look likely.)

Is there any precedent for Tony behaving the way he is right now?

Tony once attacked one of the most advanced weapons systems in the world while naked and armed only with a rock. He does tend to be cavalier about his personal safety and willing to take risks.

[fictivore.livejournal.com]

But, Steve isn't really in the Avengers - just that first issue... But while yes, there is civility etc... Tony seemed to be incredibly defensive and stubborn-ish? in his interaction... So, I'm really curious about what got them to that point, ya?

Same for Thor... I'd completely forgotten about this, but was just going through IIM... and there was that scene where Thor offers Tony money for his company... So seems, Thor is quite willing to work back towards friendship with Tony... (Though, the incident with Clone!Thor, from what I read on wiki, wasn't it like a sabotage by Skrull!Pym? Hadn't Tony just made the clone 'for science!!!')

And whoa! When and where was this?!

PS: And is it just me or does Tony end up naked more often than any other superhero? Is there actually anyone else who loses clothes as often? *factually curious*

[valtyr]

I don't know. In Avengers Steve tells Tony he wants him on the team, and Tony is all "But all I see when I look at you are regrets!" and then he gives in. In the first issue of New Avengers, Steve and Tony are working together smoothly to get Luke on board. So I'm guessing there'll be some kind of balance achieved by the end of Prime - Bendis said the series was intended to get them back on terms.

Clone!Thor was created from DNA Tony had swiped. Reed, Skrull!Pym and Tony were all involved in its production. His cyborg parts were StarkTech. Skrull!Pym did have a secret program in the clone so it would reactivate if anything happened to Skrull!Pym, but I'm not aware that he caused the clone to go out of control? Tony was definitely heavily involved in creating a cyborg clone Thor to use as a weapon against Thor's friends, and although he didn't intend for it to kill, it did. (And doing that strikes me as ridiculously out of character for Tony, don't get me wrong; but that's how the canon went.)

That's the Sentient Armour arc, where basically Tony puts an AI in his armour and it goes all jealous boyfriend on him.

Tony does end up naked a lot! It's partly because his power's in his armour, so depowering him requires removing it. So when he's captured in the armour, he tends to end up naked.

[fictivore.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... Thinkworthy...

Okay, but back to my original point... What I meant is my org. post wasn't Tony getting beat-down by Thor and Cap... but rather as a meta thing. That is, we the readers see him get beat down by his circumstances, so that RL Tony! haters can go, 'Yeah!' at him... (I mean, right now let's look at what the 3 are up to -
Steve: Pwns a entire bar of otherwordly warriors, saves some villagers and almost gets it on with magical elvish girlfriend...
Thor: Fights with Enchantress, gets gets her to sorta go HeelFaceTurn when Hela shows up... Starts to find some actual answers to the problem...
Tony: Captured, knocked unconscious, stripped naked and tied up in front of giant dragon about to torture him with red-hot metal thing...

A bit unequal, yeah?

So what I meant was that in-story we might get a reconciliation but in a meta analysis the means of that might be a bit toward painting Cap and Thor as great noble hearts who magnanimously choose to forgive poor misguided Tony. (sorry, that might be a bit over the top, but I have a huge huge stick in my ass about balance and equality in ALL things... which is why the more I learn about 'things Tony did in Civil War' the more disappointed I become... I could have been such a beautiful piece of Grey vs Gray Morality! ;_;)

As for that TonyCap conversation, I honestly don't know what to think about it... As a shipper, about brain melting oodles of squee in its utter married/couple vibe... But on taking a non-slashy view - it doesn't make sense... I mean, what is it supposed to establish apart from the fact that right now Tony can't say no to Cap? I mean the whole issue of regrets etc doesn't even go anywhere because Maria Hill shows up and everyone is distracted by her hyoer-competence! ;P (go Maria!)

Re: Naked!Tony - Yup! But I was wondering on a meta level... I mean, why do *writers/artists* make him end up naked so often? Or in black boxers? or a gold p0rn star body glove? (and apparently also an infamous red thong?)

[valtyr]

Well, Tony's whole origin, and a recurring theme with his character, is about him getting beaten down and coming back strong from it? I have little doubt he will come back strong in this situation. In fact, the unlettered preview posted previously seems to indicate that pretty clearly.

And, well, I like Tony, and I think he's a hero and a good guy, but I also think that Civil War was a huge, misguided, hubristic cock-up on his and Reed's part. I don't want him to grovel, and I don't think Steve or Thor would want that either, but expressing some sincere regret for hurting his friends would not go amiss, and then they could all move on. As I say, Thor is particular is completely blameless due to being dead during the whole thing.

I could have been such a beautiful piece of Grey vs Gray Morality!

It could have been a very interesting and powerful story of clashing ideologies, but no, they made Tony into a cardboard villain and Steve into a stupid lump.

I think given that Avengers and Avengers Prime are both being written by Bendis, that little exchange was just to indicate they're getting on better now, and we can find out how in Prime. I mean, he doesn't want to give away the end already. :)

Most superheroes wear skintight costumes, to be fair. It's just that Tony, as I said above, is often beaten down - frequently involving losing his powers, ie armour. The Illuminati have a particularly good example of this, with Naked Tony With A Heart Problem fighting his way unarmed through a Skrull ship.

[fictivore.livejournal.com]

Do you know, I have never been this 'on their side' with any character before? Like my name implies, I suffer withdrawal if I do not consume a steady diet of fiction in any form... but I am always quite critical of my favourite babies and this moralities and idiocies and all... (Except Sir Samuel Vimes... HE CAN DO NO WRONG, DAMMIT!!! ahem...) But with Tony, I can only see his woobie-ness!! Even when he's being all not that noble! D:

Also I am still not used to taking writers into account! *pokes self-brain* ok... avengers & evengers prime = same author, thus more in-continuity...

And yeah, that's it... Most superheroes wear skintight costumes... But even when Tony could be wearing a normal looking under-sheath thing, we get Mr. Fan-service... And while I'm sure all us female fans totally enjoy the display, I'm wondering what the male fans think of this... And the male artists... Are they trying to 'pander' to female fans? I think I read somewhere that Tony has consistently been the most popular Marvel character among female fans.... *ponder ponder*