Dead Drop #4 Discussion

[Watchtower]

Finally got my hands on this, and good God does it find a way to suck more than it used to.

I knew from the other thread that Beta-Max was going be saved, invalidating his whole character arc in the last issue, and that alone is pretty bad. But then you bring in the Mary Sue hackers of pureness, the nonsensical handling of the alien, and the way everything's just swept up at the end and I nearly felt my brain explode.

Thanks for the little expose on Kot, by the way. Reiko's "Let the women speak, Jon" whiplashed me with utterly abrupt it was, and in a way it's good to know that it comes from Kot trying to pander to the SJWs. Gives it context, at the very least.

Ironically, its worst quality is also its best: how completely irrelevant it is. If Valiant is smart (and I know they are), they'll learn from this little experiment, keep Kot from writing anything else for them, and promptly move on like it never happened.

[ChiptheRipper]

Thanks for the little expose on Kot, by the way. Reiko's "Let the women speak, Jon" whiplashed me with utterly abrupt it was, and in a way it's good to know that it comes from Kot trying to pander to the SJWs. Gives it context, at the very least.

Thanks. I was honestly halfway expecting to get banned for posting that, I didn't know what the general consensus was around here on SJW's, and they love to silence any dissenting opinions about one of their own . Glad to see there's still some sanity on the internet, way to go Valiant fans!

[Watchtower]

Thanks for the little expose on Kot, by the way. Reiko's "Let the women speak, Jon" whiplashed me with utterly abrupt it was, and in a way it's good to know that it comes from Kot trying to pander to the SJWs. Gives it context, at the very least.

Thanks. I was honestly halfway expecting to get banned for posting that, I didn't know what the general consensus was around here on SJW's, and they love to silence any dissenting opinions about one of their own . Glad to see there's still some sanity on the internet, way to go Valiant fans!

If you were just doing this, then I would've probably made a little bit of a fuss (and yeah, I remember the last time I panicked, I'm sorry ). However, while it was a bit vitriolic it also brought some good context into Kot's background, which is definitely helpful.

[Sunlight_on_Snow]

Setting aside the disaster that is the story, that one splash page where she finds X-O is some of the most exciting coloring around. Michael Spicer is the only reason to check this book out, but it is a really good reason.

[SwiftMann]

Just read #4 yesterday. Nothing about this mini was good, but I actually disliked the art more than everything else to this point. Gorham's art simply wasn't ready for prime time. But, man, was this story completely nonsensical. It was like Kot had just the most cursory knowledge of all the stuff he was throwing into this book, "Oh, I can use the term 'white hat hacker'? Let me do it in the most unnatural way!"

Obviously VEI bailed on this series by the end too with only the single cover for #4.

I still think Milligan's Shadowman run (and End Times specifically) is the worst think VEI put out, but only because Dead Drop can be easily ignored and Shadowman ruined the fundamental aspects of a long time character.

[QUARTZ]

Yeah all in all the colors were the best part of the series, and I dug the alien design, it was just a messy story with little impact. I nice aside I guess, at least they addressed the XO flying thing from the first issue. Still it doesn't really amount to much in the end.

[leonmallett]

Only just read this (behind on my VEI reading and my LCS omitted it from my pull list for some reason).

A poor end to a poor quality series in terms of writing IMHO. As many others have pointed out, logic failures abound through the series, and that was ramped up in this denouement. In context of what we have seen from VEI in the past three years this book failed in so many areas.

The expository dump in the form of the letter was the low point however. That probably felt innovative to someone. To me however it smacked of injudicious use of the preceding pages over the final issue and the previous three. Show not tell is a common writing maxim that was breezily thrown out the window by Kot.

The choice of lead of Cejudo and the resurrection of Beta-Max were the only high-points from Kot here. Otherwise I feel his work let down that of the other creators involved, sorry to say.

For me this is part of VEI's growing collective nadir. Thankfully not many VEI stories are at what I would consider their lowest point, but in all bar one case so far, in those instances I put the blame squarely at the writer and editor's door, and Dead Drop joins that slowly growing list.

[leonmallett]

...
It's too late in the final issue to mention X-O Manowar being unable to fly in the first issue, that sounds like it was written in to respond to criticism.
...

That was my read of that beat too; a hasty and heavy-handed pitch to cover up a glaring error.

[leonmallett]

I would read a comic starring Beta-Max.

+1

With the right team? Yes.

Asmus or Kot? No.

Kot is the one who has admittedly ignited my interest in the character, but do I really want to read another VEI book from him? No. He may have great work in him, but this was so badly thought out and constructed from a writing perspective that I feel Kot has not earned another chance. Which probably means he will end up writing something soon no doubt...

[leonmallett]

...
I could see him and detective Cejudo being in a detective, street crime series. He is the naive newcomer with good intentions, trying to prove himself to the higher ups. Cejudo is the somewhat bitter, serious vetran who is his mentor. Then add some characters to the rooster and you could have a decent or good detective series.
I don't see Beta-Max being a good enough character for his own series and I don't see him being part of a super hero team the way he is now. But street level crime would be up his alley. Atleast he could take pictures with the camera he now has and assist detective Cejudo.