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So, my all-time favorite title has once again found another incarnation. That title is
New Warriors. For now I'm holding my judgment of this new incarnation until it has a
chance to actually finish it first story arc. Yeah, I know, imagine actually giving a new
title a few issues before judging it. While I am concerned it's going to turn into some new
X-title (too many "mutants") I'll see what happens. Anyway, reading this new
incarnation of the Warriors has ignited a new flame in me, and that's the current handling of
Speedball. Yeah, I know he's called Penance now but the character is straight up pathetic now
and I still think of him as Speedball even if he is dressed like poster boy for some S&M
world gathering.
Now, for me this is a bit of a slippery slope. You see, in all of my years of reading comics I have never been so entertained, frightened and felt pity for any group as much as those who were members of H.E.A.T. (Hal's Emerald Advancement Team for those who don't know). Please know that I say this as person who grew up with the Green Lantern Hal Jordan as the coolest hero in my little world. My question when the whole H.E.A.T. thing happened was, "What's the big deal?" The main reason for that is because Hal's fall made sense to me due to his lack of knowledge of fear. You don't understand, or know, an "enemy" and they have complete access to destroy you. I thought Hal's behavior for years has shown his inability to deal with responsibility and that one day that could result in his downfall, which in my mind it did. But, back to Speedball.
So, have I become that thing which I was so scared of in H.E.A.T? I don't think so. I'm not rallying people to my "cause." I understand that sometimes you can't do what fans expect of you, because in the long run things will become stagnant and predictable if you do. However, I do believe that significant changes should make some level of "sense." Nothing I have read regarding Speedball's change into Penance makes sense. Please know though that I did not read the transitionary period of his "transformation" in the pages of Frontline. I didn't avoid it, I simply didn't know that's where it was going to take place and after all the other poor handling of the Civil War I decided not to waste my money.
Still, I read Thunderbolts, so I have been seeing Penance in all his idiotic glory. I don't blame Ellis for Penance's current condition either. I think he's doing the best he can with a poorly handled character concept. Yet those who are in charge of the Thunderbolts have decided that Penance needs a bit of a spotlight to show why we should give a crap about him. They've given him a large amount of face time in the latest Thunderbolt's one-shot issue, Thunderbolts: Desperate Measures. Plus, they're also going to give him his own limited series so the character can be more fleshed out (I'm guessing). Well, I only bought the one-shot as it was connected to the Thunderbolts. I have no plans on buying Penance's limited series. In my mind, if the character's transition from Speedball to Penance made sense people would be asking for more Penance in Thunderbolts and I think Ellis would have something to work with.
I think this upcoming limited series is there to show us why we should care about Penance. Actually, I think it's more to justify to us why Joe Quesada is allowed to continue influencing titles and characters all the while dragging Marvel into a quagmire of unreadable titles that are reminiscent of the path they formerly followed to bankruptcy. Too much? Maybe. Still I see this whole Penance situation as just reflection of Marvel's current problems overall. Inconsistency and good ideas poorly executed.
Now, would I be happy if Speedball was back to his former self? A bit, but truly only if he ended back up with the New Warriors. Still, in all fairness I would expect his transition back to his old bouncy self to make sense. You know, how Geoff Johns did with Hal's return (actually he made sense of his fall and return). I guess I just don't have much faith in Marvel or their creative teams to make Penance interesting. Speedball doesn't have to bounce to be interesting but the character needs to have something major happen to bring about a true rebound. Otherwise, Penance will be known to me as one thing, the representation of Speedball and Marvel falling flat.
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