Hello, and welcome to the White Pages. I’m Jordan D. White, and I read too many comic books.
Since this is the first entry in this All-New, Action-Packed, Astonishing blog, I thought I would tell you a bit about myself and what I plan to write about. Let’s think of it as “Jordan Explains… Jordan”. No, the blog won’t typically be me exploring my own biography, but I thought as an introduction you might want to know who the heck I am.
I’m an assistant editor here at Marvel Comics. I’ve been working here for almost a year-and-a-half*. The editor I work with is Mr. Mark Paniccia. With him, I’ve worked on NEW EXILES, ETERNALS, MARVEL ADVENTURES HULK, SKAAR, SON OF HULK, INCREDIBLE HERCULES, BIG HERO SIX… and a little book we like to call “The Apex of the Artform” (thanks, Chris Sims!), THE AGE OF THE SENTRY**. I’m also editing a few books on my own, including ENDER'S GAME, ENDER'S SHADOW and the upcoming relaunch of CLOAK AND DAGGER.
But, more importantly, I am a giant comics geek, and (as stated) I read way too many comics.
I’ve been reading comics longer than I can ever remember; they’ve just always been part of my life. When I was young, Spider-Man was my main interest, but he was soon joined by Claremont and Davis’s EXCALIBUR. I was 11 in 1991 when Todd McFarlane made SPIDER-MAN #1, and I was utterly swept up in the adulation for the superstar artists who became the Image founders. I bought (or rather, begged my parents, grandparents… ANYONE to buy for me) as many comics as possible. But as I neared the end of high school, with comic shops closing all over, my fanaticism was died down a bit. For a good few years, I only read the occasional TPB.
But then an odd thing happened… almost the opposite of what happens to many comic fans. When I started dating the woman I eventually married, she got me back INTO comics in a major way. We two fed each other’s fandom, and ended up buying more comics than either of us ever had before. I could tell you the amount we spent per week on comics… but you would be scandalized and I would be embarrassed, so let’s just say it was a lot. Not quite as much as the rent on our apartment. But close***. I was reading a ton of comics every week, mostly from the front of the catalogue publishers, but some stuff from the back of the book. I even worked at the local comic shop in Binghamton, NY (Fat Cat Books) for a year or so, doing the diamond ordering and such. For most of my friends, I was by far the biggest comics geek they knew.
Now that I work at Marvel, a lot of people ask if it’s ruined comics for me. You know, that idea that when your hobby becomes your job, you need a new hobby. The thought that if I spend every day working on comics, reading them in one form or another, the last thing I’ll want to see when I get home is another comic book.
They could not be more wrong.
I love comics. If anything, I read more than ever, now. I read (almost) every Marvel book that comes out, and I still buy a hefty stack of DC, Image, Dark Horse and smaller press books every week. Sometimes it’s a bit daunting, the way they can pile up if I take a few days off reading them… but I always seem to manage. As of me writing this, I bought this week’s comics last night, but I only just finished last week’s stack on the train this morning. So, I really do read a lot of comics. Yes, working for Marvel has changed the way I look at them a bit, but it does not make me want to read them any less.
So, as someone who officially**** reads too many comics, what will I be writing about on this blog? Good question.
First off, as you would expect from someone working at Marvel on the Marvel site, there will be some teases for upcoming stuff.
Second, whatever happens to strike my fancy about comics, and the state thereof. I think a lot about what makes a hero a hero, and what it means to do the right thing. Morality stuff, philosophical-like. So, I bet that will come up a lot. But I promise I won’t be boring!
Third, with the permission of my associates here in the Panic Office, I’d like to report on our “Panic Office Lunch Excursions”. Every Friday Mark, Lauren Sankovitch, Charlie Beckerman, the occasional guest and I hold a “P.O.L.E.”. We usually discuss the state of comics and how to make them the best they can be. Also, weird facts I learned about bacteria.
Fourth, I had an idea for something (maybe) called “Continuity Watch.” I know comics continuity is a controversial issue in comic fandom today, so… I want to fix it! You can email me or comment on the blog about any continuity “mistakes” you see in Marvel’s comics, and I will do my best to make sense of them. After all, if it happened in a Marvel comic, it’s canon! I’ll do whatever is necessary to explain what SEEMED like a contradiction, even asking other editors or maybe even creators (if they can take time off their video game systems to answer an email).
Plus, I am sure there will be other new ideas that come to me later. Maybe I’ll explain more stuff to Nate Cosby. Maybe I will talk about how much I like an issue of one of my fellow editors’ books. Maybe I will talk about "Gremlins 2: the New Batch"*****. Who knows? But, I’m open to your suggestions or feedback, so feel free to comment below or send me an email at jwhite@marvel.com.
Oh, and before I go, I want to give two special thanks. First off, thanks to Alexander Zalben, who suggested the name of the blog to me (which led me to the silly name of this first entry). Second, thanks to Irene Lee, who was kind enough to color the self-portrait used as my picture here. You guys are great!!
Be seeing you!
- Jordan D. White
* September 10th, 2007 was my first day, in case you want to buy me anniversary presents.
** More on this in further entries. It is the best comic.
*** To be fair, it was a really cheap apartment.
**** Certified by the Comic Reading Analysis Program.
***** My favorite movie for a good 3-4 years of my childhood.
Kudos Great look into the world of Jordan. I'm especially digging the editor's notes.
Posted by dbenne20 on 2009-01-15 14:58:05
inaugural continuity question Jordan, The November A:TI Special shows Hardball killing Senator (and Hydra honcho) Woodman. It's a giveaway that the story takes place pre-Secret Invasion because Nonstop isn't dead (something that happens in A:TI #19). Then, in Thunderbolts #126, a post-Secret Invasion issue, Senator Woodman is very much alive and questioning Norman Osborn in a session of the Senate Oversight Committee on Superhuman Activities.
What's the deal?
Posted by friskydingo on 2009-01-15 16:26:19
Nice to meet You! Its great to have a new blogger on board. I wonder if I'm almost into comics as you are. Only just today I found via Amazon's warm embrace copies of Civil War:ASM, CW:FF, CW:IM and CW:X-Men, plus Vol 7 of New Avengers,so I'm reading them. I am a fan of Secret Invasion and a detractor of Brand New Day. I mostly get Avengers stuff but always think about getting X-Men and Cosmic stuff (for variaity).
Oh, and I'm always fond of Continuity so good on you for trying. My challenge for you is to explain something that as a Marvel fan I really should know (but again, I don't read much X-Men so no hating!); how did Beast turn blue and furry, and when did it happen? Sure that's easy enough for you to answer.
Anyway, nice to have you on the site! Happy blogging! :)
PS. I hear rumours of this two-part 'Assistant Editor Special', the one with Mini Marvels Hawkeye and the Indian dude and the 'is he Logan or not' brown suited Wolverine of Dark Reign. Whats that all about, man?
Posted by Derek Metaltron on 2009-01-15 18:07:17
how can "steven lang" moon knight appear in the new hulk series while he is not even in his own series? and what happened to doc samson, we saw he was missing and under suspicion of being rulk yet he appeared in the last ish of avengers - the initiative. i think there might be a logical explanation about the last one considering he had also an incriminating video tape about osborn, maybe they made a deal?
Posted by tusbat on 2009-01-15 20:22:06
hi I remember having seen one or two posts in Tom Brevoort's blah blah blog. Beware Mr White, I'll paint these pages black.
Ready when you are.
Still not impress.
okay .hello.
Posted by notapotatoe on 2009-01-16 06:38:21
Yay for Blogging! Even bigger yay for Age of the Sentry! I have thank you for plugging it on Twitter until I bought it! It's so much fun and the little side plot makes it so much fun!
Posted by Literateknits on 2009-01-16 08:38:52
That's a sort of random list of books, especially if you take out the "hulk family" ones.
Anyway, judging by your avatar, you're going to look like this guy in 25 years: http://www.ace-attorney.net/content/images/characters/icons_aa/grossberg_icon.png
Posted by MattDiCarlo on 2009-01-16 15:14:25
Wooo Congrats on your first blog post! That is all.
Posted by azalben on 2009-01-16 18:42:27
Greetings! It's always nice to see a new blogger around. So... Are there any plans in motion to "resurrect" the now-cancelled Marvel Universe Online at some point in the future, when such would be more feasible for Marvel (in financial terms that is)? Especially in light of DC wanting to bring out an mmo of their own?
Posted by Aziroth on 2009-01-17 19:29:12
must say I'm glad to learn you had contributed to the launch of the Eternals and Incredible Hercules who are to my opinion one of the best things that happened to Marvel.
I'm a huge fan of the first and I'm kinda already afraid the title won't survive 15 issues.I regret really the departure of Acuna who was vital for the complete revival of the title. I'm thinking of course to an artist as Steve Rude, but it would be kinda regressive. For the current approach, I don't like the teaming with the X-Men so soon, neither with Hercules ( In an Incredible issue ) and I didn't appreciate the Annual who was like a fight of figurines to me. That the title arrived so soon to this point is kinda frightening.
I don't think that they HAVE TO be related absolutely to the rest of the MU, even if we missed it during SI, the only thing with the Eternals is to stay credible and in a context at their size.
I'm also a fan of The Senry and I really hope that he'll have his own title, when he will stops to jerking in Dark Avengers. I 'm very curious of the take-on of the character by the Marvel authors onto a Superman-type hero. And I'm glad to learn we owe you the mini 'The Age of the Sentry', which is a concept I very enjoy.
Did you considered the possibility of an ongoing title called 'Marvel Ages' with different story-arcs who would be only ' hidden years story-arcs' of different heroes of the MU at different times, and these stories would be done not especially in a 'retro-style' but by contemporary artists.
Do you see an untold story of ' The Champions' by Leinil -Yu ?
Untold stories of ' The Guardians of Galaxy', 'The Defenders', 'Alpha Flight', each artists could switch at the specifical era who interests him and work with the characters he likes.
What do you think ?
Posted by notapotatoe on 2009-01-18 07:25:58
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About this blog: Jordan loves reading comics, and he loves thinking about them way too much. Super Hero morality, quirks of continuity, and the daily grind of putting out funnybooks… it’s all fair game.
About the author: Jordan D. White is an assistant editor at Marvel. In his free time, he reads way too many comics. Seriously.
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