Could it be? Robbie Baldwin will no longer be the sado-masochism enthusiast known as Penance??
Is this the return of Speedball?
According to Joe Quesada, the answer is "yes."
So this indeed might be the end of Penance. His pierced nipples will be missed:
Saying "Hoo-hah!" while positioning oneself in a spread eagle type fashion upsets me.
ReplyDelete"Saying "Hoo-hah!" while positioning oneself in a spread eagle type fashion upsets me."
ReplyDeleteAlso, his legs and butt look way too muscular and defined for how old he is supposed to be in that picture. It's like those artists who draw younger characters like Robin with adult-looking bodies, it squicks me out.
I remember Brian Bolland's cover way back when for the first Robin mini-series. He made him look like he was 30.
He can keep the pierced nipples for all I care. I hate Penance as a character, not 'cause of his nipples!
ReplyDeleteThanks for nothing Joe, we get Speedball back but no return of the Iredeemable Ant Man?
ReplyDeleteOk so I don't really care to much about speedball, but IMHO this is another example of why "character growth" in comics is just a myth, like the tooth fairy or the moon landing. It doesn't matter how well a character is written or how big the changes are there's always someone down the road that's willing to hit the reset button.
Marvel's should change their slogan from the "house of ideas" to "protecting intellectual property from change for 60 years"
BTW, my legs were ripped when I was in high school...
Now who didn't see that coming? Honestly. And even if there was any doubt of Marvel's tendency to back pedal, I only need say three little words: One. More. Day.
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of kids' bodies, if you actually pay attention these days most kids physically age faster than they used to. I know 13 year olds who look like they're in their 20s now. Development is really out of hand. Not that that explains the picture at the time it was done, but there it is.
Squirrel Girl will be pleased
ReplyDelete", if you actually pay attention these days most kids physically age faster than they used to. I know 13 year olds who look like they're in their 20s now. Development is really out of hand."
ReplyDeleteYes, but that is due to childhood obesity rates skyrocketing and all the hormones in foods now. So basically, 13 year olds may look like 20 year olds, but fat 20 year olds. No teenager is that muscular normally.
Go to a High school track meet or even a soccer game and you will see teenagers with very defined leg muscles (especially if you go to some larger invitationals or state meets). I'm not saying every kid is going to be ripped, but there will be enough of them to change your mind.
ReplyDeleteActually, Adam, the kids I'm talking about are far from obese. That plays no part in what I've said. The hormones in food, however, are the culprits.
ReplyDeleteMaybe `cuz some american comicbook artists only knows how to draw just one type of male body the adult one.
ReplyDeleteI have the whole run of the original SPEEDBALL mini-series as well as his first appearance in the SPIDER MAN ANNUAL.
ReplyDeleteSPEEDBALL is my homeboy. I need him and his undefiled nipples to come back and be the pure-hearted, socially conscious little long-hair we all came to know and love.
This Too Will Pass
Just to out-dork everyone, Robbie Baldwin's body actually physically morphed when he became Speedball. There's a two-panel New Warriors sequence by Mark Bagley (also the artist of the above "Hoo-Hah" panel) where you can really see the physical differences of Robbie Baldwin, skinny and dorky, and Speedball, all toned and even several inches taller. I think Nova even commented on it the first time they saw him change.
ReplyDeleteSo there's actually a comic book reason for him having a body that doesn't match his age.
(This of course, could just be a complicated excuse to draw a teenage kid with the body of an adult and may in no way eliminate the creepiness of it.)
But oh yeah. Yay! Speedball's back!