A winged human makes for a pretty impressive visual, which is one reason I didn't think changing Warren Worthington's feathers to metal and skin to blue was necessary to make him look any cooler. The Apocalypse story line where that happened was fine, I just wish he hadn't kept the new Archangel look for so long. I think he has the feathers back these days, but still has the blue skin.
Marvel definitely keeps switching back and forth from his normal winged look to his blue-skinned look enough to give fans a serious case of whiplash.
ReplyDeleteI think he just now was restored to his normal winged look after Reminder's Apocalypse seed saga, but apparently, he died again and now his true self is divided into two personalities; the normal winged version, and the Archangel persona.
Weird and unnecessarily confusing.
I agree with you Ross. Changing his look might have been fine in the context of the story about the 4 horsemen of Apocalypse but it went on too long. In retrospect I have begun to consider his blue and purple and metal look a harbinger of the 90's ultra violent characters and revamps. Archangel and DKR too.
ReplyDeleteLet's not forget that, no matter what the official rationalization (like, say, "we need to make our multiverse less confusing for new and younger readers"), the real reason DC and Marvel keep doing these controversial story arcs is still the same as ever. To boost sales figures!
ReplyDeleteThat being said; I love the irony of today's cover. Avenger meeting an X-man(lol)!
Take away the wings, and at first glance I thought it was a new member of the Legion of Super Heroes. Maybe because the ring (halo?) on his chest evokes Saturn Girl?
ReplyDeleteGuys with wings are cool and visually striking -- but if you overthink it, you realize they have six limbs. Which never happens in vertebrates. Properly speaking, their arms should be their wings. I think only Hawkman and Hawkgirl have a legitimate out for this, because their wings strap on.
Perhaps this cover might be the launch for an Airborn Arsenal - Angel, Birdman, Hawkman, Man-Bat, The Falcon, Silverhawks, etc.
ReplyDeleteJust to confuse matters more, teen-age Angel's wings (as seen in X-Men Blue) are now literally made of fire. And this version of Angel's costume does resemble the era when a lot of the Legionairre's uniforms contained a different color stripe down the middle of the torso with a symbol on the chest.
ReplyDelete@Cary Comic - LOL I was thinking the same thing. Next up, Birdman's Avenger joins the Pet Avengers
ReplyDeleteOops. I read "Birdman" in the title and immediately thought of Cuckoo Man from The Mighty Heroes!
ReplyDelete@Silver Fox: "I'm cuckoo for Coco Puffs."
ReplyDeleteI never cared for the Archangel 'upgrade'. They even tried to 'improve' the time-tossed younger Original Five Warren too, with flame wings. Not a fan of either.
ReplyDelete@Silver fox: LOLXD
ReplyDeleteSo, has Angel ever met Angel O'Day (from "Angel and The Ape") and/or Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer?
ReplyDelete