Fluit Notes

The Best Vacation Spots in the DCU

 National Tours brings you to the best places on earth! Let National Tours be your guide to both American classics and international getaways. Ranked #1 in customer satisfaction for 70 years.

Kooey Kooey Kooey

Go krazy in Kooey! This south Pacific Island boasts some of the greatest beaches in the world whether you’re into snorkeling, surfing or simply sitting in the sun. At night, Kooey offers a world-class casino. But the best part is that Kooey offers easy travel. Why take a twelve-hour plane trip when you can be on Kooey Kooey Kooey with your next step via transport tube?

Sub Diego

Our newest tour is quickly becoming one of our most popular. Experience the thrill of Venice right here in America. This tour offers both a gondola ride for the surface view and a submarine tour for the underwater experience. Notice: National Tours is not responsible for side-effects due to radiation.

The 4-City Foray

Experience everything! This classic tour starts in Metropolis, the home of Superman. Next up is Boston, the first American home of Wonder Woman. Don’t be afraid to enjoy the Gotham nights (but don’t expect to see Batman; he’s shy). And, finally, the tour concludes in New York City, the home of the original Titans Tower.

Paradise Island

Ignore the rumors: men have been welcome on Paradise Island since the UN expedition of 1990. See ancient Greek architecture as it was meant to be seen. Enjoy the unparalleled sports scene, including track and field, archery and chariot races. Listen to the beautiful all-women Amazon choir sing 2000 year old classics. And best of all-theweather is always perfect. It’s paradise on earth- literally!

The Best Vacation Spots in the Marvel U

 Welcome to Atlas Travel! Whether you’re interested in exotic locations or relaxing vacations, we have the tour for you. Check out some of our most popular packages or design the trip of your dreams.

Savage Land Safari

Bring your zoom lens because you’ll want to remember this prehistoric photo safari. Track the T Rex. Go parasailing with pterosaurs. Snap a shot of a stegosaurus. This five-day four-night tour includes a feast with the Fall People. We recommend taking the boat, however, as planes rarely land safely.

Magic in Madripoor

Madripoor is one of the most spectacular cities on the Pacific Rim. It combines the best of the old world with the luxury of the new. Try the local cuisine. Check out some of the tallest skyscrapers in the world. And take a boat tour around the historic harbor. Notice: tour insurance does not cover pickpockets or bar brawls in Lowtown. Tourists are advised to avoid that part of the city.

Inhuman Experience

Watch the earth rise from the fabulous blue area of the moon. As the Inhumans open their culture to other races, the new Tourism Bureau has declared their lunar sanctuary open to visitors. Drive a ball 1000 yards on their galaxy-glass golf course. Relax on the endless beaches of moon dust. Perfect for those who want to get away from it all.

New York City

Atlas Travel is proud to continue our Superhero City Classic. Highlights include a bus tour of prominent superhero sites such as Dr. Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum and a guided tour of the Fantastic Four’s famous Baxter Building. If you’re lucky, you might even see Spider-Man swinging overhead. Optional side-trips include a tour of the offices of Marvel Comics.

Real Quick Recent Comments

Amazing Spider-Man #636-637 (Grim Hunt Pt. 3-4): A strong ending to a good story. I liked the hunters vs. spiders set-up, the twists along the way (that’s not Ezekiel!) and particularly the new status quo. Kelly did a good job of getting us to care about characters before clearing them out of the way.

Amazing Spider-Man #638-639 (One Moment in Time Pt. 1-2): The first issue was much better than the second. Great job incorporating scenes from the original wedding story. The second issue, however, lingers on the wrong things while rushing through others.

Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine #2: What a wild ride! I have no idea what’s going to happen next. And I loved the role reversal from the first issue.

Astro City Special: Silver Agent #1 of 2: Astro City is back! After the long and depressing Dark Age, AC is back to what it does best. This time, we get the story of the Silver Agent, told from his point-of-view in his chronological order.

Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #1: The Heinberg-Cheung Young Avengers epic we’ve been waiting years for. A confrontation with the Avengers. The return of Magneto. The search for the Scarlet Witch begins here!

Brightest Day #5-6: I still love this anthology of high-caliber characters. I only wish Jade hadn’t been shunted aside to the JLA/JSA crossover but that’s not a complaint about the quality of the series itself.

Brightest Day: Atom Special: Reminded me of the rule from 52: buy the main story; skip the ancillary stuff. This was a weak recap, better suited to an encyclopedia.

Captain America #607-608: I enjoyed the “Two Americas” arc but I’m becoming very intrigued by the new Baron Zemo story. He’s giving the title a sense of direction and a master villain that could rival the role the Red Skull played in the first couple of years of Brubaker’s run.

DCU Legacies #3: A fun re-telling of the history of the DCU, even incorporating a scene from the Christopher Reeves Superman movie as Supe’s introduction to Metropolis.

Dynamo 5: Sins of the Father #2 of 5: It’s one of my favorite series ever. A wonderful blend of personal lives and superhero action and a wonderful fix of characters.

GI Joe #156: Forgot I had ordered this and ended up being pleasantly surprised. This isn’t the first “Cobra has won and GI Joe is on the run” story but it’s a very good one.

Legion of Super-Heroes #3: Another great issue gets Legion added to the pull list for the first time in years. Levitz knows how to juggle a large cast and create interesting conflicts. Will Earth-Man join the Green Lantern Corps? Will Sun Boy actually rescue their former foe? I don’t even mind Jacques Foccart, who finally has a character that’s more than “he speaks with a French accent.”

Spike: The Devil You Know #2 of 4: Not a strong mini-series for the Buffy star and Angel spin-off. Artist Chris Cross appears to be channeling Kevin Maguire for funny facial expressions but pulls it off inconsistently. And Eddie Hope isn’t developed enough yet to fulfill the buddy cop role he’s been given.

The Stand: Hardcases #3 of 5: This middle mini-series, focusing mostly on the villains such as Trashcan Man and Lloyd Henreid has been as excellent as the rest of the series. This is truly one of the best adaptations I’ve ever seen.

Star Wars: The Old Republic #1: A disappointment. The Jedi all come from recognizable races but don’t have personalities of their own so they come off as references to more familiar characters. Plus there’s a been-there, done-that feeling to yet another Sith War.

Steve Rogers: Super-Soldier #1: Ed Brubaker can do no wrong when it comes to the Captain America franchise and Dale Eaglesham is a great fit as artist.

Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom #2 of 6: Time travel, alternate realities, evil robots, Nazis and a baby Tesla. Peter Hogan and Chris Sprouse deliver a great story so far.

Uncanny X-Men: The Heroic Age: I enjoyed this. I agree with Paul O’Brien who wrote that the Beast/Molly Hayes scene would have been better coming out before Second Coming, but it was still well done. And it had some nice moments for Cyclops, Franklin Richards and Hope.

X-Force #28 and X-Men Second Coming #2: Strongly structured and emotionally resonant, Second Coming easily surpasses Messiah Complex. The X-Force issue is the grand finale while Second Coming #2 is more of an epilogue dealing with the emotional fall-out. Great stuff.

In Defense of Sequels and Spin-Offs

It happens as regularly as the seasons. 

 

At the start of every summer, some pundit writes an article in Entertainment Weekly or Time complaining about the large number of movie sequels.  At the beginning of each fall, some critic writes a column in Rolling Stone or USA Today complaining about the large number of retreads in the new television season.  All year long, some blogger writes a post on Newsarama or Comic Book Resources complaining that the latest comic book series is a spin-off of an already successful superhero franchise.

 

The usual response is that sequels, spin-offs and revivals make money.  They sell more tickets, draw more viewers, move more issues.  They’re what the audience wants, even if they say they don’t.  They vote with their wallets, their eyeballs and their time.  And that’s what matters.

 

However, the other week, I read the best reply.  John Lasseter, the head of Pixar and now Disney, was interviewed by Time magazine about Toy Story 3 and Pixar’s upcoming plans.  The interviewer noted that Pixar had mostly eschewed sequels up to now but seemed to be embarking on quite a few in the near future.  They asked Lasseter why do a sequel, why do another Toy Story?  John Lasseter replied, “These characters are like family and friends.  We want to see them again.”  As creators, they wanted to explore new and deeper emotions for these characters. 

 

The same is true for the audience.  We like certain characters.  They become part of our lives.  Listen to a fan talk passionately about their favorite character and you’ll hear them talk about a friend.  We want to see these friends again.  We want to find out what they’re doing now.  It’s the same impulse that brings us to family gatherings and college reunions.  That’s a good thing.  It keeps us connected.  It fills us with joy. 

 

For that reason, I never understood the recurring complaints about sequels, spin-offs and revivals.  Admittedly, they’re not always done well.  Lasseter acknowledged that some sequels are callous cash-grabs.  But that doesn’t mean every sequel is a callous cash-grab.  Sometimes the creator is as motivated to revisit these characters as the fans.  That’s certainly the case with Toy Story 3. 

 

  The audience’s appetite for sequels can also be a bad thing when it excludes anything new.  It’s like a curmudgeon who refuses to meet new people or make new friends.  Yet that danger occurs more often in the critic’s imagination than it does in reality.  The pundit looks at the upcoming season and writes about what’s recognizable, not knowing that The Hangover will become a breakout hit or that Glee will become the most buzz-worthy new show.  The audience does find new things to enjoy- new friends to add to their list of familiar favorites.

 

This doesn’t happen quite as often in comics.  Maybe it’s because a character’s exposure is determined by the audience’s appetite rather than an actor’s availability.  If the audience has an appetite for five separate Spider-Man titles, the publisher will give it to them. 

 

Yet, even in comics, the same principles apply.  The reason why publishers produce so many spin-offs  and revivals is because they make money.  But the reason they make money is because we as an audience buy them.  We’re not interested in the publisher’s profit margin.  We’re interested in seeing our heroes and our friends again. 

 

And yes, even in comics, the audience will find something new.  The best-selling franchises in trade paperbacks right now aren’t Superman and Batman; they’re Scott Pilgrim and the Walking Dead. 

 

Sequels and spin-offs aren’t a bad thing.  They’re the familiarity of family, the comfort of close friends.  They can catch us up.  They can take the story further.  They can go into deeper emotions.  They can make us feel.  They can be well done.  And they will always be with us. 

 

The end.