Hmm. Hmm.
When we began. I had never read a New Universe book in my life, not the reboot, not any of the modern books where Marvel reincorporated the characters. Nothing. I knew it only by the broadest outline of its reputation. It was a poor idea, implemented haphazardly, mostly rejected, that fizzled sharply and decisively. I expected something that...wasn't bad, per se. But I expected something that would be self evident in its failure from the word go. That is not at all what I got.
There's this...tangle in my chest that I've been sitting with for an hour trying to write this. The idea I keep coming back to is a sentiment I've seen repeated again and again. In relation to fanfiction specifically "God this would have been so good if it was good."
For the first dozen issues I was electrified by this series. An ensemble cast in a setting that was refreshing for its simplicity, getting back to the core element of a superhero team: make them bounce off each other and see what sparks fly. I got attached, my heart and my mind clutched this new corner of comicdom close. JUST in time for the fanbelt to fly off.
After the end of that first arc the series...didn't dip, it wasn't one solid downward spike. It just started a hard wobble, an unsteady grip on itself that left fascinating ideas tangled up in the weeds of everything coming unglued. It made me disappointed, it made me anxious, at least once it made me honestly furious.
And yet these characters were so well etched. Their personal drama so richly defined. Their relationships so fascinating in their construction that I never wavered in my conviction that I had to see it to the bitter end.
This was a comic on the positive side of mid. It was full of bad choices, lead off on dead end sidetracks and spent its limited time at best, unwisely. The ending was sudden, leaving an even deeper pang in my heart of potential unfulfilled.
I am simply not ready to accept that this series has evaporated in my hands. So? So what? Well, I'm going to fucking write an ending is so what.
For those of you who feel the same way that I do, can feel the ideas in this comic itching just an inch beneath its skin. Follow me.