|
''Loners'' (originally named Excelsior) is a spin-off mini-series of comic books from Marvel Comics, first appearing in the pages of ''Runaways''.〔(Official website )〕 It consists of a Los Angeles-based support group for former teenage superheroes from New York, founded by Turbo of the New Warriors, and Phil Urich, the heroic former Green Goblin.〔 Their goals are initially stated to be to help fellow teenage superheroes to adjust to normal lives while coping with their powers, and to dissuade other superpowered teenagers from becoming heroes,〔 but these goals are discarded in their own miniseries in favor of the group apparently wanting to avoid using their powers for any reason,〔''Loners'' #1〕 even if that means abandoning helpless victims of crime to their fate.〔''Loners'' #3〕 Although all the characters were created by different authors and artists, the team itself was created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona, with other characters (Spider-Woman, Hollow, and Red Ronin) added to the cast during the events of the 2007 miniseries. The group had originally appeared in the ''Runaways'' story arc "True Believers". At the end of the story arc, it was revealed that the group had secretly been sponsored by Rick Jones, on behalf of Captain America, who hoped to ensure the Runaways do not get into trouble. Following their battle with Ultron, Rick Jones offered to sponsor the team full-time.〔 Its creative team is C. B. Cebulski (writer) and Karl Moline (artist). ==Overview== Originally debuting in the book ''Runaways'' under the name "Excelsior", the team later received their own limited series with an option to continue as an ongoing should sales be high enough, though this was not the case. The title of the series and the team was changed from Excelsior to ''Loners'', due to trademark issues as Stan Lee holds a trademark on the term "Excelsior!",〔(Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #158 ), Comic Book Resources, June 5, 2008〕 though the team did appear in an issue of the third volume of Marvel Team-Up under the name Excelsior〔''Marvel Team-Up'' Vol.3 #15〕 before Loners was published. The title premiered on April 11, 2007 and ran for 6 issues. In a stylistic departure from their debut appearance in ''Runaways'' as comic relief, ''Loners'' is not a comedy, though the covers of the individual issues still suggest a light-hearted tone by being direct homages to the iconic imagery of the teen comedy feature films of John Hughes, and the exaggerated personalities from their ''Runaways'' debut are also retained entirely for the cast, though this does create some continuity discrepancies, particularly Darkhawk's infrequent lapses into potentially murderous violence〔''Runaways'' vol.2 #1-6〕 and sudden reversion to switching bodies in a manner that ignores later events from the Darkhawk series (this continuity gaffe even being referenced in ''Marvel Team-Up'' Vol.3 #15), and Julie Power no longer having the ability to teleport, her powers now including the ability to hover in the air without being in motion, and her character purporting to be from New York instead of the family home of Bainbridge Island, Washington.〔''Power Pack'' vol.2 #1-4〕 In a further departure from both their debut appearance and their appearances elsewhere in Marvel titles as a fully functioning superhero group who gather in costume,〔''Marvel Team-Up'' vol.3 #15〕 the group itself now has a completely different and unprecedented function, changing from a peer support/counseling group of active superheroes to an addiction/recovery group. It can be observed that the methods utilised by the group in many instances contradict common practices of individual empowerment found in addiction/recovery groups in favor of (ironically) codependency upon the group and its rituals. In the series, the "addiction" specified is addictive behavior: using superpowers, fighting crime, and helping those in need. The addictions are not to narcotic substance at any time during the series, although Mattie Franklin is seen getting drunk in a bar during the closing montage of issue 3 despite still being in high school, suggesting the possibility of alcohol dependence. Julie Power and Johnny Gallo are also the subject of character retcons during the course of the series: whereas in his Runaways appearance Johnny's reasons for joining the group were given as being so he could be around other ex-teen heroes who had experienced early fame as a superhero and later couldn't cope without it,〔''Runaways'' vol.2 #1〕 this was revised in Loners to being that he used superheroics for thrill seeking and to meet women,〔''Loners'' #2〕 then revised a third time to being a response to his friend being killed during a superhero battle〔 (though this battle - occurring during the events of the 'Wolverine: Enemy of the State' story arc〔''Wolverine'' Vol.3 #20-32〕 - did not actually occur until after Johnny first appeared as a member of the Los Angeles-based Excelsior group, though he is portrayed during Loners in flashbacks as still living in New York at the time, working as a superhero alongside the friend in question: Eddie McDonough, who is also portrayed as being back in the Hornet armor he lost, somehow cured of the cerebral palsy which afflicted him). Julie's low intelligence displayed in ''Runaways'': True Believers and the first three issues of ''Loners'' is also revealed as an affectation she adopts to fit in with the natives of Los Angeles and her fellow team-mates,〔''Loners'' #4〕 though she retains this personality for the rest of the series regardless of her revelation. Julie's age is also revised by several years, from the indeterminate "ex-teenage" of Runaways〔 to the specific age of 17,〔 and she no longer displays her teleportation powers,〔''Power Pack'' Vol.2 #4〕 or the ability to create shields.〔''Runaways'' Vol.2 #6〕 Three new team members were also introduced in the series: Penance (known as Hollow), Spider-Woman and Namie, the second version of the Red Ronin.〔(Marvel.com Blogs - Blah Blah Blog by Tom Brevoort )〕 After the miniseries, The Loners appear in a special ten page Christmas story within the 2007 ''Marvel Holiday Special''. After Mattie was killed and Darkhawk was severely injured (in "Grim Hunt" and ''The Thanos Imperative'' respectively), the remaining members of the team were inducted into the Avengers Academy by Hawkeye.〔''Avengers Academy'' #21〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Loners (comics)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|