Marvel's New Female Thor: Innovation or the Lastest Fad Trick?

[hifrommike65]

http://www.stltoday.com/entertainmen...74005fff7.html

[HTW]

Female action Heroes or female comic book characters = death of product.

[Curt James]

I wonder how long they'll keep her as Thor.

This is like any change in comic books... when do they change back?

DC killed Superman and substituted with several alternate Superman characters.

Marvel replaced all members of The Fantastic Four (and Ben Grimm with a female character).

DC made the original Green Lantern gay.

Capt. America was shot and killed.

Supergirl died.

Big, shocking, moneymaking changes, but each change was either reversed or explained away.

[D_T]

The new Captain America will be black.

[Curt James]

^^^^ D_T's right. Marvel's not stopping with a female Thor! :-)

New Captain America will be African-American, as the Falcon takes over the star-spangled mantle in the comic books

By Ethan Sacks
July 17, 2014

He’s red, white and blue — and black.

Captain America’s mantle will be taken over by his long-time ally, the Falcon, the high-flying African-American hero from Harlem, Marvel Comics announced late Wednesday.

“It’s about time,” says Marvel executive editor Tom Brevoort of the change. “In 2014, this should be a thing that we shrug off, it shouldn't be seen as revolutionary, but it still feels exciting.”

Brevoort says the Falcon becomes the new Captain America at the behest of the original, Steve Rogers, who has been turned into a 90-year-old man in the most recent storyline, so fans don’t have to worry that the publisher is killing off its resident star-spangled hero again.

In 2007, Cap’s original sidekick, Bucky, took over when Rogers was seemingly killed.

The change will take place in the first issue of a new comic series, “All-New Captain America,” set to launch in November.

There’ll be plenty for his fellow Avengers to talk about at their headquarters: The announcement comes a day after Marvel took to “The View” to reveal that the new Thor would be a woman.

“We have more of a global audience than ever,” says Brevoort.

“And that just makes us more aware that we have more readers of different backgrounds who are hungry for characters who come from circumstances like their own. Our creators take that seriously.”

From http://m.nydailynews.com/entertainme...icle-1.1869686

[Triple-H_2005]

This is nothing more than a publicity stunt with Marvel hoping that the involved books will experience the same sales spike that accompanied Peter Parker's mind being commandeered by Doc Ock during the (almost) 2-year Superior Spider Man run.

The problem is that they're just that...stunts. And not even novel stunts at that.

This isn't the first time that we've seen a female Thor. Alex Ross & Jim Krueger did it in Earth X/ Universe X/ Paradise X series 15 years ago.

A black man wearing the Captain America uniform, similarly, is nothing new. Isaiah Bradley was actually the FIRST black Captain America. And this isn't even the first time that Sam Wilson (The Falcon) has stood in as Captain America.

Let's not even get started on the other 10 guys that have stood in for Steve Rogers (and that's just in the 616, not counting alternate realities).

So, yeah...stunt, stunt, stunt. They'll both be back to normal in time for the release of Avengers 2 in 2016 and this stunt won't even be remembered. How many casual fans remember Bucky's run after Cap "died"...hardly even mentioned in today's stories.

I'll give it a chance, but my expectations are low. For me, part of the allure of the Captain America characters is that he's a "man out of time"...he's still a man of the 1930s-1940s who brings a morality and innocence that is largely absent from the standard comic book hero.

Little things like his "to-do list" in The Winter Soldier and "Hey, I got that reference!" in The Avengers make him who he is. And while I like Sam Wilson, I don't see him bringing that to the Cap character. Even Bucky as Cap had an element of "man out of time" to him, with the twist of having been tainted by Cold War mental damage and an internal battle to do the right thing without becoming a Punisher in red, white and blue.

At the end of the day, it's a stunt to start controversy and get the PC folks and the racist/mysoginists at one another's throats to get more press and, ultimately, funnel more money into the Marvel coffers via increased circulation and cash at the box office.

[swingslammer]

Larry, I like the "Man out of time" thing......that is what gives Cap America all his best qualities. Thanks for reminding me.

[sassy69]

The problem w/ trying to force a story change to a character who has already pretty well-established and well-known story, not to mention entire generations familiar w/ Norse mythology, is that most people won't bother to open up to the "new" rewrite. I'm willing to bet 80% of the people will be going...."Thor got a sex change?"

That's pretty much the only thing that goes thru my mind and I generally don't have any interest in reading up on it. My interest in that boat sailed w/ the last Thor movie because I thought it was stupid, tho I like Chris Hemsworth. I specifically got annoyed by Natalie Portman's character.

[Professor X]

I specifically got annoyed by Natalie Portman's character.

Who didn't? She seemed thrown in just to keep continuity for the "marvel world" they are creating.

I give them a ton of credit....simply for pulling off Thor in movies without being a laughing joke. That takes some skill even if the story lines don't measure up.

The goal is to always get more comic book readers. Them killing off Cap America got me to buy at least a few new comics when it happened when I hadn't been in a comic store for years.

Loki was turned into a woman but didn't make headlines like this.

[D_T]

So, yeah...stunt, stunt, stunt. They'll both be back to normal in time for the release of Avengers 2 in 2016 and this stunt won't even be remembered..

and by normal you mean white. Keep in mind there was a Green Lantern sent to many planets so if one of them were to black it wouldn't/shouldn't be shock.

A minority Superhero shouldn't bother anyone any more than a white actor playing The Lone Ranger (Johnny Depp) or a white actress playing Cleopatra (Elizabeth Taylor).

[Professor X]

and by normal you mean white. Keep in mind there was a Green Lantern sent to many planets so if one of them were to black it wouldn't/shouldn't be shock.

A minority Superhero shouldn't bother anyone any more than a white actor playing The Lone Ranger (Johnny Depp) or a white actress playing Cleopatra (Elizabeth Taylor).

I have been wondering why there seems to be no attention yet to The black panther. I thought we would see that before we saw Falcon in a movie.

[Professor X]

Please just let Thor b the man, as he is, Period.!

This post reminds me of all of the people who were in an uproar when they heard Cap was going to die......even though they hadn't bought a comic book in the last 3 decades.

[Professor X]

Look, i hear bout this crazy change last week, and just, well. they need to let some things b as they were meant to be, PERIOD!

But...it isn't like he is getting a sex change (someone else is stepping in as Thor who is female)....and do you disagree with a black Captain America the same way?

[Professor X]

if you want to make CA, female, then please use a GOD MADE FEMALE, do not change the sex of a man to a female.. really, that's not good at all they can have a black GOD MADE female CA, if they want

Let me get this straight....since Thor is a god, he can't be made into a god made female so he is off limits but since Captain America is not a god he can be made into a god made female?

I don't think there are any sex changes going on. Thor seems to have a bit too much testosterone for that to go over smoothly and without stubble.

[Mr.Dedication]

I think everybody is missing the fact of why comic books are so fun. They change things up, nothing stays the same, and unpredictable things and changes happen often...which is why it makes them so fun.