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Thoughts on Midnighter (so far)
Sep. 28th, 2015 11:49 am( Read more... )
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My introduction to Midnighter and Apollo was through the New 52 Stormwatch series, after I'd heard about their reputation via the Internet but couldn't find the old Authority stuff. I don't know what the general consensus on New 52 Stormwatch is, and there were certainly some problems with it (I thought the Projectionist—whose name I think they even retconned once or twice—was really cool and hated how she got sidelined and brainwashed), but I did enjoy Apollo and Midnighter in it. Their flirting/attraction to each other was fun to read, and they definitely had strong chemistry.
Since I've heard at least some people complain that pre-New 52 Midnighter (at least, if not Apollo) was better than his recent incarnation, I went to track down some pre-New 52 stuff. So far, I've read his pre-New 52 solo series and parts of The Authority vol. 1. (About which, can I say, I guess Mark Millar is one of those famous comic book writers but what I've read of him in The Authority so far was the actual worst.)
I...actually prefer New 52 Apollo and Midnighter. I mean, reading the older stuff, it's clear Apollo got the "darker and edgier" treatment in the New 52 that many characters got, but I actually enjoy it in his case. He seemed to be portrayed as rather...naive, buffoon-like, and passive (if super-powerful) pre-New 52, and I'm not entirely sure what made his and Midnighter's relationship click. (Maybe partly because of censorship problems or whatever.)
As for Midnighter, he seems...grumpier pre-New 52. And even more violent and borderline amoral than he is currently. I do enjoy his taunting and explicit enjoyment of his "hobby" in his current solo series; to me, his personality seems more "flavorful" and somewhat bombastic, but not too over-the-top. As I mentioned above, I do think his current solo has quite a bit of nuanced writing and emotional exploration of Midnighter's psyche that's simmering a bit under the surface, which is another strong factor in terms of why I prefer current Midnighter to older Midnighter.
I did enjoy issue #6 of the original Midnighter solo series quite a bit, but then again, that issue is a standalone that takes place in an alternate universe (?) in which Midnighter and Apollo are ronin in feudal Japan. That short story poignantly captured Midnighter's existential crisis over the fact that he's essentially nothing but a fight robot in a way that I don't feel the rest of his solo series did justice to. (And it's genuinely heartbreaking.)
*
My introduction to Midnighter and Apollo was through the New 52 Stormwatch series, after I'd heard about their reputation via the Internet but couldn't find the old Authority stuff. I don't know what the general consensus on New 52 Stormwatch is, and there were certainly some problems with it (I thought the Projectionist—whose name I think they even retconned once or twice—was really cool and hated how she got sidelined and brainwashed), but I did enjoy Apollo and Midnighter in it. Their flirting/attraction to each other was fun to read, and they definitely had strong chemistry.
Since I've heard at least some people complain that pre-New 52 Midnighter (at least, if not Apollo) was better than his recent incarnation, I went to track down some pre-New 52 stuff. So far, I've read his pre-New 52 solo series and parts of The Authority vol. 1. (About which, can I say, I guess Mark Millar is one of those famous comic book writers but what I've read of him in The Authority so far was the actual worst.)
I...actually prefer New 52 Apollo and Midnighter. I mean, reading the older stuff, it's clear Apollo got the "darker and edgier" treatment in the New 52 that many characters got, but I actually enjoy it in his case. He seemed to be portrayed as rather...naive, buffoon-like, and passive (if super-powerful) pre-New 52, and I'm not entirely sure what made his and Midnighter's relationship click. (Maybe partly because of censorship problems or whatever.)
As for Midnighter, he seems...grumpier pre-New 52. And even more violent and borderline amoral than he is currently. I do enjoy his taunting and explicit enjoyment of his "hobby" in his current solo series; to me, his personality seems more "flavorful" and somewhat bombastic, but not too over-the-top. As I mentioned above, I do think his current solo has quite a bit of nuanced writing and emotional exploration of Midnighter's psyche that's simmering a bit under the surface, which is another strong factor in terms of why I prefer current Midnighter to older Midnighter.
I did enjoy issue #6 of the original Midnighter solo series quite a bit, but then again, that issue is a standalone that takes place in an alternate universe (?) in which Midnighter and Apollo are ronin in feudal Japan. That short story poignantly captured Midnighter's existential crisis over the fact that he's essentially nothing but a fight robot in a way that I don't feel the rest of his solo series did justice to. (And it's genuinely heartbreaking.)
