HOOKS
04-01-2009, 08:35 AM
Dear Mr. Millar.
First, in the spirit of full disclosure, let me admit that I am one of those fans that people call "old school purist".
I am not a fan of the “modern” comics books.
My biggest problem isn’t the lack of talent, but rather the lack of respect for continuity.
It is my opinion that ignoring the rich history and fantastic designs previously created by the writers and artists of the past is arrogant and shows a lack of respect.
But that is another discussion in and of itself.
The reason for this correspondence is that I am particularly concerned and upset about Wasp’s treatment in the recent pages of Marvel comics.
I’ve come to the conclusion that the current staff at Marvel comics must be deliberately trying to ruin Wasp.
I mean no disrespect. I realize how “arrogant” and harsh this may sound.
Please allow me to explain why I’ve come to this conclusion.
Wasp is the flagship female hero of the MU.
Yet, over the past several years Wasp has been treated in the worst possible light possible.
First she was killed.
Then she was killed again.
Then she was eaten (but not in the sex way) by The Blob.
Then Marvel went back to the past to ruin one of the most important storylines/relationships in the Marvel mythos. (Namely Hank Pym’s relationship with Jan...because Hank was a Skrull and then you killed her off).
And,….In spite of the fact that doing so was terribly received, Marvel decides to ruin the other great relationship in Wasp/Marvel’s History. This time by completely killing her.
Then, perhaps worst of all, they began to portray Wasp as not only a smart female compared to everyone else in the MU, but as a leading independent female. Marvel has taken the flagship lady of the Marvel universe and made her intelligent. Wasp is now the Hero no one respects, no one likes and no one even wants around. There are many examples of this throughout the pages of today’s Marvel comics.
To name a few,,…
In the pages of Mighty Avengers, Wasp is the one doing the rescuing.
She is the one with the most understanding of what is going on.
When alien symbiotes attacked New York, Jan used a refined growth formula given to her by Hank Pym which allowed her to shift to giant-size without side effects. During the beginning of the fight, she was briefly turned into a symbiote monster before a cure was created by Stark.
She goes from her being obsessed with Pym to Pym becoming a geeky Wasp stalker she can’t stand to be around (in the pages of Mighty Avengers). She goes from being one of the most pathetic superheroes in the MU, to the girl that even villains like Venom fears. She goes from an experienced shopaholic who not only faced all levels of threads in the MU, but a girl who was able to fight as a sidekick next to other superheroes than anyone else in the MU (by virtue of her many publications and guessed appearances) to the girl who is respected by Iron Man as being an "original" Avenger when she was just Ant-Man's sidekick student and mistress.
These things and much more are what lead me to my conclusion.
Having said all that, I recognize that not everyone agrees with my point of view. I’m sure that someone else could point to as many examples of Wasp being a ditsy female well in the pages of “modern” comics. It’s been argued to me for example that the reason for Wasp's latest treatment isn’t an attempt to ruin him but rather to make her a womanand therefore more relatable to female readers.
So this is somewhat debatable.
What is not however is how Wasp is perceived by comic book readers. The intent may be in question but the results are quite clear.
The perception of Wasp from current readers is that she is in fact dead.
Mr. Millar, please allow me to state the facts.
FACT:
Wasp lifts 0 (to 0) tons. That is 0, 000 pounds.
Wasp is 0 to 0 times stronger than the likes of DD, Wolverine, or Elektra. Because she is dead.
Hulk is 10 times stronger than Wasp.
Wasp is 10 times faster than a human
Wasp has an extremely powerful and versatile long range weapon. (un-breakable smell of corpse by all but the most powerful of the MU)
Wasp’s agility is second to EVERYONE in the MU.
Wasp’s will and determination are unsurpassed.
And last but most important, Wasp has no common sense which warns of attacks and coming danger, like Skrull husbands who beat her and then kill her.
Furthermore,…it has been well established that;
-Wasp’s experience in the “superhero” biz is as deep and as involved as any other hero in the MU. (hse’s been there done that, from cosmic battles to street fights).
-Wasp’s skill is matchless, SHE is the best there is at what she does,and what she does is die..
- It has been established that Wasp will not be regarded as this era’s greatest superhero in the future of the Marvel Universe.
The combination of her powers, especially her common-sense, makes her one of the greatest and most effective dead bodies in the MU. (Which is precisely what Stan lee intended for her to be).
It is worth repeating that;
There is a greater power difference between Spider-man and Daredevil than there is between Spider-man and the Hulk.
Spider-man is 25 times stronger than DD and at least 10 to 5 times faster.The Hulk is only 10 times stronger than Spider-man.
Any comic which portrays Spider-man struggling with or getting hurt by the likes of Elektra or Daredevil, (or any other human level foe) is as mistaken as any comic which portrays Spider-man knocking The Hulk around in a toe to toe, punch for punch fight.
(Though it is true that Spider-man was shown to “struggle” against the likes of DD, Kazar, and Kraven in the early Stan Lee pages of Marvel comics all was not as it appeared. Stan always put some explanation as to why he seemed to struggle. Either SM’s powers were lessened, he was hurt, or was simply holding back from hurting a much less powerful foe).
It is not only common sense, but Stan Lee established early on that in order to lift 10 tons, Spider-man’s muscles must be as tough as steel cables. Making him virtually impossible to be hurt by punches from human level foes. That is why he can sustain falls from great heights or hits from powerful foes like Namor or Rhino. In fact, Spider-man's body is so tough that he "rested" while getting pummeled by 50 or so thugs in the now classic Ditko story. I included all these Spider-Man facts because I am too lazy to re-do the original posts (http://www.606studios.com/bendisboard/showthread.php?t=166289)' words to work for Wasp.
These are the facts about Spider-man, Yet Mr. Millar, instead of exploring these abilities to their fullest, Marvel has decided to down play them and in some cases actually do the opposite.
Once again, it is debatable what the motive for this may be. But, whatever the motive, one thing is clear, it is resulting in the slow destruction of the character’s appeal. You have but to ask the average comic book reader what they think of Wasp, or peruse you tube, or look at anything relating to Wasp that is done by this generation to see that in people’s mind Wasp is a pathetic “broad”.
Mr. Millar, nobody likes a pathetic broad. Especially not in today’s times when the aggressive types of Superheroes like Wolverine and Batman are in vogue. The reason for Wasp’s waning popularity has nothing to do with her costume, her powers, her age, or her marriage and everything to do with the fact that she is perceived as a dead bitch.
Now in the vain hope that I am wrong and Mr. Quesada and his staff don’t have a deep hatred for Wasp, I beg you, I implore you, as one of the most influential writers at Marvel comics to consider the following.
Imagine if you will a storyline designed to not only bring Wasp back to her former glory, but one which will elevate jer to the next level of her natural evolution. It has been said for a long time that as a young girl, Wasp’s potential was ahead of him. What if now is the time for Wasp to truly come into her own? The time when he in fact establishes the reasons why she will come to be the earth’s greatest hero. The time when she moves beyond foes like Punisher to much more powerful and worthy threats. What if Marvel decided to take the facts about Wasp’s powers and just maximized them. Not by giving her extra powers, technological suits, making her younger, or giving her claws (although a female Wolverine would be hawt), but rather by fully exploring Spider-man’s current abilities, powers, and experience.
A story In the mode of world war Hulk, Punisher kills the MU, or Avengers disassembled
I have just such a story in mind. A story which would not downplay anyone else’s powers in order to elevate Spider-man, but rather one which asks the question, given her powers, what could Wasp accomplish? What are her limits? Is she not the greatest fashion designer of all the land? Can Kim Kardashian's butt fit into one of her outfits? Will she be seen on TMZ giving a BJ to Bucky?
I have in mind a story which explains Wasp’s behavior of being dead, including the very uncharacteristic revelation of her identity to making deals with the devil. A story that would bring back Wasp’s popularity.
But this isn’t a plea to ask for my story. Even though it really is.
What I am asking for is for Marvel to reconsider Wasp’s portrayal and to treat her in a way which would bring back her appeal. What I am saying is, Marvel at the very least, I implore you... give Wasp a boob job. No one likes a flat chest.
I’m sure, if you put your mind to it,…..you can come up with much better ideas than I ever could.
Thank you for your consideration.
First, in the spirit of full disclosure, let me admit that I am one of those fans that people call "old school purist".
I am not a fan of the “modern” comics books.
My biggest problem isn’t the lack of talent, but rather the lack of respect for continuity.
It is my opinion that ignoring the rich history and fantastic designs previously created by the writers and artists of the past is arrogant and shows a lack of respect.
But that is another discussion in and of itself.
The reason for this correspondence is that I am particularly concerned and upset about Wasp’s treatment in the recent pages of Marvel comics.
I’ve come to the conclusion that the current staff at Marvel comics must be deliberately trying to ruin Wasp.
I mean no disrespect. I realize how “arrogant” and harsh this may sound.
Please allow me to explain why I’ve come to this conclusion.
Wasp is the flagship female hero of the MU.
Yet, over the past several years Wasp has been treated in the worst possible light possible.
First she was killed.
Then she was killed again.
Then she was eaten (but not in the sex way) by The Blob.
Then Marvel went back to the past to ruin one of the most important storylines/relationships in the Marvel mythos. (Namely Hank Pym’s relationship with Jan...because Hank was a Skrull and then you killed her off).
And,….In spite of the fact that doing so was terribly received, Marvel decides to ruin the other great relationship in Wasp/Marvel’s History. This time by completely killing her.
Then, perhaps worst of all, they began to portray Wasp as not only a smart female compared to everyone else in the MU, but as a leading independent female. Marvel has taken the flagship lady of the Marvel universe and made her intelligent. Wasp is now the Hero no one respects, no one likes and no one even wants around. There are many examples of this throughout the pages of today’s Marvel comics.
To name a few,,…
In the pages of Mighty Avengers, Wasp is the one doing the rescuing.
She is the one with the most understanding of what is going on.
When alien symbiotes attacked New York, Jan used a refined growth formula given to her by Hank Pym which allowed her to shift to giant-size without side effects. During the beginning of the fight, she was briefly turned into a symbiote monster before a cure was created by Stark.
She goes from her being obsessed with Pym to Pym becoming a geeky Wasp stalker she can’t stand to be around (in the pages of Mighty Avengers). She goes from being one of the most pathetic superheroes in the MU, to the girl that even villains like Venom fears. She goes from an experienced shopaholic who not only faced all levels of threads in the MU, but a girl who was able to fight as a sidekick next to other superheroes than anyone else in the MU (by virtue of her many publications and guessed appearances) to the girl who is respected by Iron Man as being an "original" Avenger when she was just Ant-Man's sidekick student and mistress.
These things and much more are what lead me to my conclusion.
Having said all that, I recognize that not everyone agrees with my point of view. I’m sure that someone else could point to as many examples of Wasp being a ditsy female well in the pages of “modern” comics. It’s been argued to me for example that the reason for Wasp's latest treatment isn’t an attempt to ruin him but rather to make her a womanand therefore more relatable to female readers.
So this is somewhat debatable.
What is not however is how Wasp is perceived by comic book readers. The intent may be in question but the results are quite clear.
The perception of Wasp from current readers is that she is in fact dead.
Mr. Millar, please allow me to state the facts.
FACT:
Wasp lifts 0 (to 0) tons. That is 0, 000 pounds.
Wasp is 0 to 0 times stronger than the likes of DD, Wolverine, or Elektra. Because she is dead.
Hulk is 10 times stronger than Wasp.
Wasp is 10 times faster than a human
Wasp has an extremely powerful and versatile long range weapon. (un-breakable smell of corpse by all but the most powerful of the MU)
Wasp’s agility is second to EVERYONE in the MU.
Wasp’s will and determination are unsurpassed.
And last but most important, Wasp has no common sense which warns of attacks and coming danger, like Skrull husbands who beat her and then kill her.
Furthermore,…it has been well established that;
-Wasp’s experience in the “superhero” biz is as deep and as involved as any other hero in the MU. (hse’s been there done that, from cosmic battles to street fights).
-Wasp’s skill is matchless, SHE is the best there is at what she does,and what she does is die..
- It has been established that Wasp will not be regarded as this era’s greatest superhero in the future of the Marvel Universe.
The combination of her powers, especially her common-sense, makes her one of the greatest and most effective dead bodies in the MU. (Which is precisely what Stan lee intended for her to be).
It is worth repeating that;
There is a greater power difference between Spider-man and Daredevil than there is between Spider-man and the Hulk.
Spider-man is 25 times stronger than DD and at least 10 to 5 times faster.The Hulk is only 10 times stronger than Spider-man.
Any comic which portrays Spider-man struggling with or getting hurt by the likes of Elektra or Daredevil, (or any other human level foe) is as mistaken as any comic which portrays Spider-man knocking The Hulk around in a toe to toe, punch for punch fight.
(Though it is true that Spider-man was shown to “struggle” against the likes of DD, Kazar, and Kraven in the early Stan Lee pages of Marvel comics all was not as it appeared. Stan always put some explanation as to why he seemed to struggle. Either SM’s powers were lessened, he was hurt, or was simply holding back from hurting a much less powerful foe).
It is not only common sense, but Stan Lee established early on that in order to lift 10 tons, Spider-man’s muscles must be as tough as steel cables. Making him virtually impossible to be hurt by punches from human level foes. That is why he can sustain falls from great heights or hits from powerful foes like Namor or Rhino. In fact, Spider-man's body is so tough that he "rested" while getting pummeled by 50 or so thugs in the now classic Ditko story. I included all these Spider-Man facts because I am too lazy to re-do the original posts (http://www.606studios.com/bendisboard/showthread.php?t=166289)' words to work for Wasp.
These are the facts about Spider-man, Yet Mr. Millar, instead of exploring these abilities to their fullest, Marvel has decided to down play them and in some cases actually do the opposite.
Once again, it is debatable what the motive for this may be. But, whatever the motive, one thing is clear, it is resulting in the slow destruction of the character’s appeal. You have but to ask the average comic book reader what they think of Wasp, or peruse you tube, or look at anything relating to Wasp that is done by this generation to see that in people’s mind Wasp is a pathetic “broad”.
Mr. Millar, nobody likes a pathetic broad. Especially not in today’s times when the aggressive types of Superheroes like Wolverine and Batman are in vogue. The reason for Wasp’s waning popularity has nothing to do with her costume, her powers, her age, or her marriage and everything to do with the fact that she is perceived as a dead bitch.
Now in the vain hope that I am wrong and Mr. Quesada and his staff don’t have a deep hatred for Wasp, I beg you, I implore you, as one of the most influential writers at Marvel comics to consider the following.
Imagine if you will a storyline designed to not only bring Wasp back to her former glory, but one which will elevate jer to the next level of her natural evolution. It has been said for a long time that as a young girl, Wasp’s potential was ahead of him. What if now is the time for Wasp to truly come into her own? The time when he in fact establishes the reasons why she will come to be the earth’s greatest hero. The time when she moves beyond foes like Punisher to much more powerful and worthy threats. What if Marvel decided to take the facts about Wasp’s powers and just maximized them. Not by giving her extra powers, technological suits, making her younger, or giving her claws (although a female Wolverine would be hawt), but rather by fully exploring Spider-man’s current abilities, powers, and experience.
A story In the mode of world war Hulk, Punisher kills the MU, or Avengers disassembled
I have just such a story in mind. A story which would not downplay anyone else’s powers in order to elevate Spider-man, but rather one which asks the question, given her powers, what could Wasp accomplish? What are her limits? Is she not the greatest fashion designer of all the land? Can Kim Kardashian's butt fit into one of her outfits? Will she be seen on TMZ giving a BJ to Bucky?
I have in mind a story which explains Wasp’s behavior of being dead, including the very uncharacteristic revelation of her identity to making deals with the devil. A story that would bring back Wasp’s popularity.
But this isn’t a plea to ask for my story. Even though it really is.
What I am asking for is for Marvel to reconsider Wasp’s portrayal and to treat her in a way which would bring back her appeal. What I am saying is, Marvel at the very least, I implore you... give Wasp a boob job. No one likes a flat chest.
I’m sure, if you put your mind to it,…..you can come up with much better ideas than I ever could.
Thank you for your consideration.