DC: Day of Vengence Jumped the Shark

Discussion in 'Comic Books and Graphic Novels' started by Pravus Prime, Aug 28, 2005.

  1. Pravus Prime

    Pravus Prime Wields Mjolnir!

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    This has some slight spoilers for Issue five, so read at your own risk...

    All of this is IMHO, as I'm sure you know, but just to spell it out.

    DC is lucky that I've been buying this, rather than waiting for the TPB, otherwise they wouldn't have seen a dime from me out of this series.

    I was fine with the series, heck, for a while it was right up there with VU as my favorite DC title. Until this one. There's only one issue left, so I'll finish it out, but if there were any more left, I'd drop it.

    My problem is that to me, it jumped the shark. (Just in case any of you don't know, the term comes from TV, when a series asks for too much suspension of disbelief and does something too absurd, even for it's own universe; it comes from Happy Days, one episode had Fonzie water ski over a shark to show how cool he was.) The sad thing is that I think I'm generally a pretty forgiving and leniant reader when it comes to DC, but this issue was a slap in the face.

    1. Captain Marvel can't get out of the bar. Captain Marvel can't leave a pocket dimension? He's been able to traverse between dimensions at will in the past. It's how he gets to the Rock of Ages, it's been a critical plot point in a number of series over the years. Minor, but forgivable.

    2. Rogue, I mean Black Alice. Good grief, this is the worst character I have ever read. She's (to me) a pretty blatent rip off, and clearly would be more suited to being an X-men or some Marvel Mutant than being part of the DC Universe. An unhappy teen, who's sullen and dresses in black? Yeah, real DC. Her power is to literally steal others? Sure, she's got that one up on Rogue, that she doesn't have to touch them, but this is absurd. So, what happens if she steals a heros powers while that hero is battling someone? That hero dies because of her. Where does that power go? Back to the corpse? Then, how can some mutant (Since that seems to be the only explaination on why a teenager can steal powers) can steal magic? And even that is stretching too far. Stealing from a God of order, or a sextant of Gods? Even more unlikely. I could've swallowed duplication, for 30 minutes or whatever she can copy a hero or several heroes powers, but outright steal magic powers? That's too much.

    3. Rogue- I mean Black Alice stealing Spectres power. What!? Not only is this stupid, but it stretches her power beyond any logic. Why did she steal Spectre's power? Why not just steal Gods power? After all, if she can take from God's Wrath, she may as well take from the big Kahuna, or from a higher choir of Angels, or somesuch. That makes the last bit seem reasonable, but this is just absurdity to the Nth degree.

    4. Doesn't this mean that Spectre is the power? Shouldn't that just mean that Black Alice is hosting the Spectre and his mission remains unchanged? No, instead they have this stupid spirit thing. Not as bad as the last point, but this is just dreck.

    Honestly, I really enjoyed the series leading up, I thought it was witty, well paced, and a good read. Even with Mighty Marvel, I enjoyed it. It was reasonable, given Marvels shapeshifting powers (part of his Power of Zeus), that he would grow to respond to the Spectre and his sudden income boost of power, and I was looking forward to seeing where this goes.

    After this issue, I couldn't care less about the next one, or where this plot is going, it's already traversed into the far too stupid to read category with this issue, and now I hope there's no residual of this, or Black Alice in any other title I read from here on out. For the first time ever, I'm considering selling the series back to the Comic store.

    Of course, it may not matter much, if Billy dies or stops being CM, I'm quiting DC unless they give Black Adam his own title anyway. (Yes, I'm a Marvel Family fan, if you haven't figured that out.)
     
  2. Switchblade

    Switchblade Well-Known Member

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    Meh, I liked it. I still think that next to Villains United, Day of Vengeance is the second most fun read out of the IC preludes.
     
  3. Xcandescent

    Xcandescent TRUKKS are the new MUNKYS

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    The Black Alice thing didn't bother me at all. Yeah, it's kind of a deus ex machina, but magic tends to be treated that way anyhow.

    I'm guessing she couldn't steal the power of God due to proximity. In the DCU, God is pretty clearly not on Earth, only his representatives. (Well, there's Zeus and that lot, but I don't know if those powers qualify as magic or something else.)

    Also, it makes sense that Black Alice would steal the Spectre's powers, but not his *mission*. You could argue that they're one and the same, but Hal Jordan's recent failed stint implies otherwise.

    In any case, Alice having the powers of the Spectre presents an obvious solution: judge Eclipso and/or Jean Loring. I'm guessing that's where the next issue is headed.

    As for series I'd like to sell back ... Rann-Thanagar is #1 on my list.

    -XCN-
     
  4. CripNite

    CripNite That Whack Canuck Dude

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    I think you think too much Pravus Prime.
     
  5. Wreckgar

    Wreckgar Anthony Stark Veteran

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    I enjoyed it after reading i ttoday,. And that's saying a lot considering the only reason I got it was because I was already getting the other 3 minis.
     
  6. Cheetatron

    Cheetatron Drat, outsmarted by a Lorry, I am disgraced

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    I saw the exact same post on the official dc boards...
     
  7. Wingwolf77

    Wingwolf77 Decepticon Dark lord

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    I think 'Jumped the Shark' has Jumped the Shark.
     
  8. The Spider

    The Spider Well-Known Member

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    Actually, the term jumped four years ago.