If the Nerd Rage Report was in charge...

We here at Nerd Rage Report are always proud to bring you our opinions on various topics, be they comic books or television shows. This article is all about how we at NRR would change Marvel's catalog, and is a special collaboration between writers Rawnzilla and Sazyski.

We have offered a selection of Marvel's October 2008 catalog, and our opinions on whether we would; Change the title's creative teams, Cancel the book entirely, or Keep it the way it is. Read on for the full post! I've also added downloaded wallpapers for most of the books listed here. Enjoy.

Ultimate Captain America Annual by Jeph Loeb and Marko Djurdjevic
Sazyski- Cancel, Loeb, nuff said.
Rawnzilla- Cancel, Jeph Loeb only sells because of the artists attached to his work and the hype surrounding the books. Put any other writer on this and keep billing it as "essential for ULTIMATUM" and you will get the same sales.

Ultimate Hulk Annual by Jeph Loeb and Marko Djurdjevic and Ed McGuinness

Sazyski- Cancel, more Loeb is not good.
Rawnzilla- Change, remove all dialog and text from the issue, so I can use the artwork as wallpaper.



Captain America: White by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale

Sazyski- Cancel, seriously who is this guy blowing?
Rawnzilla- Cancel, White #0 was garbage and this is more of the same Loeb crap.



Eternals by Charles & Daniel Knauf and Daniel Acuna

Sazyski- Keep, the Eternals should get some panel time.
Rawnzilla- Change, I'd like to see a different artist on this book. I appreciate Daniel Acuna's artwork, but I don't think it's the right fit for this book. I really enjoyed the Gaiman/Romita JR. Eternals mini-series from a few years ago, and I want to enjoy this as well.



Hulk by Jeph Loeb and Arthur Adams/Frank Cho

Sazyski- Cancel, I mean, can I get a name? I'd like to shit on paper and get paid for it too.
Rawnzilla- Change, Marvel can keep the artists on the book now, just get rid of Jeph Loeb for the love of all that is good and gamma-irradiated. Greg Pak had a great thing going with PLANET HULK, put him back on this book. Change the numbering to reflect the original volume of Incredible Hulk, plus the issues of volume 2. Issue #6 was terrible and the identity of Red Hulk wasn't revealed, most likely to drag out sales for as long as possible.



Ms. Marvel by Brian Reed and Paulo Siqueira

Sazyski- Change, make it an X-book, go back to Binary. More romance.
Rawnzilla- Change this. Brian Reed has failed to make Ms. Marvel an interesting character. There is barely any supporting cast, this book just deals with Carol Danvers talking to herself and punching things. Issue #31 was terrible.

Punisher War Journal by Matt Fraction & Rick Remender and Howard Chaykin

Sazyski- Change, art which doesn't make me envy the visually impared please.
Rawnzilla- Change. I will never buy a book with Howard Chaykin's artwork. Punisher needs a title that sets him in the Marvel Universe proper, and it's a shame that this book is so lackluster.



New Warriors by Kevin Grevioux and Reilly Brown

Sazyski- Cancel, haven't read it in 6 months for a reason.
Rawnzilla- Cancel. I'm a big fan of Reilly Brown's artwork, but this title is shedding readers constantly and it's written terribly.

Wolverine: Origins by Daniel Way and Mike Deodato

Sazyski- Cancel, seriously, not everyone needs to have their "Mysterious Orgin" spelled out.
Rawnzilla- Cancel. This book serves no other purpose other than to have another Wolverine title on the shelves. I don't care about Wolverine's mysterious son, or the forty women that he had sex with before having to disembowel them because he was brainwashed.



Cable by Duane Swierczynski and Ariel Olivetti

Sazyski- Cancel, bring back C&DP
Rawnzilla- Cancel this book and get Reilly Brown to do Cable and Deadpool by himself. Cable and Deadpool #50 was the single best C&D issue.


Young X-Men by Marc Guggenheim and Ben Oliver

Sazyski- Cancel, bring back New X-Men.
Rawnzilla- This book is just so terrible. It's a shame that New X-Men was canceled. Guggenheim has no clue how to handle the characters he stole from Kyle and Yost, and the new characters he has introduced are bland and boring.


New Exiles by Chris Claremont and Tom Grummet

Sazyski- Cancel, I love Claremont as much as the next old school X-fan, but he's not even trying anymore.
Rawnzilla- Cancel. Sales are plummeting, the book is getting almost no promotion and it only serves as Marvel's way of putting Claremont out to pasture. It's a far cry from what the Exiles used to be, as the original series was one of my favorite comics. Right now the book is just a place for Claremont's pet characters to play around.

Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter by Laurell K. Hamilton, Jessical Ruffner and Ron Lim

Sazyski- Cancel, seriously, instead of making adaptation of non-cape style novels, how about just original non-cape books?
Rawnzilla- Keep. While I am not reading this title, I've heard that it sells very well in markets outside of comic shops. I've also heard that women are picking this book up, and a more diverse audience for comics is always a good thing.

Marvel Zombies 3 by Fred Van Lente and Kev Walker

Sazyski- Cancel, zombies are stupid. People who prep for "Z-Day" are stupid.
Rawnzilla- Keep. This should be the last Marvel Zombies series. Fred Van Lente is a great writer and I'm glad he got put on a title that is guaranteed at least 50,000 readers. More exposure for creators is always a good thing. I loved the first Marvel Zombies, but Marvel Zombies 2 left me with a bad taste in my mouth (hah.) and I won't be buying this in single format. I'll probably pick it up in the eventual trade collection.


Amazing Spider-Girl by Tom DeFalco and Ronald Frenz

Sazyski- Keep, harmless series which some people like, keeps to itself.
Rawnzilla- Keep. Despite the lackluster sales in the Direct Market, Spider-Girl sells well in digest form and on newsstands. Spider-Girl is a step in the right direction for getting more diverse readers into comics.



Black Panther by Reginald Hudlin

Sazyski- Cancel, Hudlin has ruined this character and book.
Rawnzilla- Change. Jason Aaron did great work on the three issue Secret Invasion fill-in. Put Aaron on the book regularly and we might have a winner here. I haven't seen Black Panther solicited for December, so a change might already be in the works. Since the time I wrote that last sentence, it was announced that Black Panther has a relaunch in the works, with Reginald Hudlin still on writing duties. That's a shame.



Deadpool by Daniel Way and Paco Medina

Sazyski- Cancel, see the comment on the Cable book.

Ender's Game by Chris Yost, Orson Scott Card and Pasqual Ferry

Sazyski- Cancel, see comment on Anita Blake book.
Rawnzilla- Keep. Same reason as the Anita Blake book.



Invincible Iron Man by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca

Sazyski- Keep, it's not bad and with Iron Man hardly in his own book anymore, it's a got a reason to be.
Rawnzilla- Keep. With Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. becoming a War Machine title, Iron Man needs his own book. Fraction seems to have a grasp of what Iron Man should be like, and I have high hopes for the book after this initial arc.

Spider-Man Loves Mary-Jane by Terry Moore and Craig Rousseau

Sazyski- Keep, one of the two spidey books I like. Nice change of pace from everything else.
Rawnzilla- Keep. I really enjoyed the first issue and I might end up picking this up in the collected edition. This book is another good vehicle for getting more readers into comics.

X-Men: Original Sin One-Shot by Daniel Way, Mike Carey and Mike Deodato, Scott Eaton

Sazyski- Cancel, if you need a one shot to lead into your 2 book, 3 part x-over, you're doing it wrong.
Rawnzilla- Cancel. Daniel Way's Wolverine is garbage. X-Men Legacy has been enjoyable for the most part, and I'm a bit upset to see it get dragged into the Wolverine Origins storylines, even if it it's only for a few issues.



Amazing Spider-Man #573-575 by Dan Slott and JRJR/Marc Guggenheim and Barry Kitson

Sazyski- Change, BND is still stupid.
Rawnzilla- Change. Get rid of Marc Guggenheim and Bob Gale. They don't know how to write Spider-Man. Get Fred Van Lente and Marc Sumerak on the title to assist Dan Slott in writing.



Astonishing X-Men by Warren Ellis and Simone Bianchi

Sazyski- Cancel, this book has no real purpose other than to give Ellis a Marvel paycheck.
Rawnzilla- Cancel. Warren Ellis is not impressing me here. This book is up it's own ass in how cool it is supposed to be, and practically gushes Ellis' sense of British superiority over everyone else. Bianchi's art is muddy and his panel layouts are confusing and detrimental to the story. The book has only had two issues released by the new creative team before a two issue fill-in series came along to take the place of the regular series.



Captain Britain and MI:13 by Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk

Sazyski- No comment, haven't read a single issue.
Rawnzilla- Keep. This title is really enjoyable and was perhaps one of the best Secret Invasion tie-ins when it was released.



Ghost Rider by Jason Aaron and Tan Eng Huat

Sazyski- Again, no comment.
Rawnzilla- No comment. I haven't read the book since the World War Hulk tie-ins.



Iron Man: Director of SHIELD by Christos Gage and Sean Chen

Sazyski- Change, Nick Fury: Director of SHIELD. all would be right with the world. Or more shots of ex-director Hill's ass.
Rawnzilla-Keep. This book is now a War Machine title. I really enjoyed issue #33 and I'm looking forward to where the series will go after Secret Invasion. This book will be replaced with War Machine #1 in December.


Moon Knight by Mike Benson and Mark Texeira

Sazyski- Keep. Good book, not my personal taste but I can recognize quality.
Rawnzilla- Keep. I stopped buying this series after issue #13 because I had no idea what was happening. After reading the first volume of Essential Moon Knight, I went back and read the first thirteen issues and fell in love with the character. I'm going to be picking this title up in the trades, so I'd like to see this book stay around.



Punisher by Gregg Hurwitz and Laurence Campbell

Sazyski- Keep, does it's own thing, knows what it's good at.
Rawnzilla- Keep. Marvel has a bit of a tough situation with this title. Garth Ennis just left the book after being on it for practically eight years and I think they realized that there was no way to properly follow that up. Marvel put a few crime writers on Punisher to do their thing, and Punisher will always have an audience.


Uncanny X-Men by Matt Fraction and Greg Land

Sazyski- CHANGE! Get Fraction and Land off this book, Fraction gives this book his D-game and Land and his lightbox need to be thrown out on their ear.
Rawnzilla- Change. I liked where the book was at pre-issue #500. Once Fraction and Land joined the title, it shot downhill in quality. I'm only picking up the issues where Terry Dodson is doing the artwork. I refuse to be even partially responsible for Greg Land getting more work in the comic industry. I don't think that Brubaker has been to the X-Retreats that Marvel has had lately, so he may not be staying on this book for very long. Land needs to be removed from this book ASAP, and the title needs to focus on the characters rather than the city they are residing in.


X-Factor by PAD and Larry Stroman

Sazyski- Change, the art punishes my eyes for being stupid enough to move their gaze to it.
Rawnzilla- Change. The first 25 issues of X-Factor were incredible, and the last year of issues has been awful. Put Pablo Raimondi or Valentine De Landro back on the artwork on a rotating schedule. Valentine De Landro is doing the artwork for December's issue, so we'll see if artist Larry Stroman is off for good. This book needs to get back to basics. Mutant Detective Agency. No more X-Men crossovers, no more Secret Invasion tie-ins, just Peter David doing what he knows best, dialogue, characterization and strong story-telling.



Captain America by Ed Brubaker and Luke Ross

Sazyski- Keep, leave it the hell alone. They've got this one right.
Rawnzilla- Keep. This book is always the first book I read when it's released. Quality work by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting. Luke Ross is joining the art team to split the workload with Steve Epting. I can't wait for the second Omnibus of this title.



Daredevil by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark

Sazyski- No comment.
Rawnzilla- Keep. After the four issue arc with Greg Rucka, this book finally has some life in it. Lady Bullseye kicked off quite well, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next issue.



Fantastic Four by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch

Sazyski- Change, Millar is painful for me to read. Bring back JMS.
Rawnzilla- Keep. I'm enjoying the series as it is. The only thing I would change is that I would want Millar to write his characters with a different voice. Everyone seems to have that generic, "So and so won't happen for another NINETY MINUTES. Did you REALLY THINK that I was in charge?"

Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch by Simon Spurrier and Javier Saltares

Sazyski- Cancel, smells like a useless one shot to me.
Rawnzilla- Change. This is actually a mini-series about the replacement Ghost Rider from the nineties. Put this as a back-up in the main Ghost Rider title.



New Avengers by Brian Bendis and Billy Tan

Sazyski- Keep, a decent book, even if it suffers from Bendis-itis. A cast shuffle couldn't hurt.
Rawnzilla- Change. I am getting really tired of the Secret Invasion tie-ins. Nothing happens and it's an excuse for Bendis to write half a script and reuse the other half from previous issues. Secret Invasion has been going on for what seems like forever and I'm ready to Embrace Change.


Runaways by Terry Moore and Humberto Ramos

Sazyski- Change, Ramos doesn't work for me here, bring in Tak or Alphona again.
Rawnzilla- No comment. I don't read the book.

She-Hulk by Peter David and Vincenzo Cucca

Sazyski- Keep, fun book, full of PAD goodness.
Rawnzilla- Keep. This book is a blast to read and I'm glad Peter David is back on a "Hulk."


Thor by JMS and Olivier Coipel

Sazyski- Keep, Marvel's best book by a mile.
Rawnzilla- Keep. The only thing I want out of this book is a tighter schedule. The various fill-ins by Matt Fraction are satisfying my Thor needs for now.

Thor: Truth of History One-Shot by Alan Davis

Sazyski- Cancel, unnessecary one-shot trying to ride JMS's coattails to a quick 30k copies sold? I think so.
Rawnzilla- Keep. With the main title of Thor's erratic schedule, there are many gaps left which this title can fill. I also like Alan Davis.



Thunderbolts by Cristos Gage and Fernando Blanco

Sazyski- Keep, especially after the Civil War this book has a definte role to fill.
Rawnzilla- Keep. Andy Diggle is taking over after Civil War and apparently Norman Osborn is going to be playing a big role in the Marvel Universe. I am very interested to see where this is going.


Ultimate Spider-Man by Brian Bendis and Stuart Immonen

Sazyski- Keep, Bendis's best work by far.
Rawnzilla- Keep. Ultimate Spider-Man got me back into comics after a three-year hiatus. I stopped buying the title monthly but I'll probably be buying the trades.

Wolverine: Manifest Destiny by Jason Aaron and Stephen Segovia

Sazyski- Cancel, stuff like this should be going in the Wolverine solo book.
Rawnzilla- Cancel. Just put this out between issues of Wolverine's main series to act as a buffer for the delays.


X-Men: Legacy by Mike Carey and Scot Eaton

Sazyski- Change, go back to 'Adjectiveless', that is all.
Rawnzilla- Change. While I have enjoyed, "This is your life, Charles Xavier." I'm ready for a new direction.

Amazing Spider-Man Annual by Marc Guggenheim and Mike McKone

Sazyski- Cancel, bad writer does an annual in the forest, does anyone care?
Rawnzilla- Cancel. I don't care about Jackpot and Guggenheim's Spider-Man is worse than terrible.



Avengers: The Initiative by Dan Slott, Christos Gage and Stefano Caselli

Sazyski- Keep, probably the best Avengers book over the past year.
Rawnzilla- Keep. Recent announcements have revealed that Dan Slott is leaving the title. Christos Gage is going to be taking over the book with quite a lot to live up to.



Immortal Iron Fist by Duane Swierczynski and Travel Foreman

Sazyski- Change, get Brubaker back on this.
Rawnzilla- Keep. While I would love for Brubaker and Fraction and Aja to get back on this title, I'm interested to see where Swierczynski can take the book. Foreman's artwork is a bit too stylized for my tastes, but I imagine that I will get used to it in time.



Incredible Hercules by Fred Van Lente, Greg Pak and Clayton Henry

Sazyski- Keep, it's got a good thing going, don't mess with it now.
Rawnzilla- Keep. I'm really enjoying this title. The only good thing to come out of World War Hulk.


Nova by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning and Wellinton Alves

Sazyski- Keep, a solid book every month.
Rawnzilla- Keep. I love this book and it's made Nova one of my favorite characters.

Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #3 by Brian Bendis and David LaFuente Garcia

Sazyski- Cancel, tell this story between USM arcs.
Rawnzilla- No comment.

Wolverine: First Class by Fred Van Lente and Salvador Espin

Sazyski- Keep, Claremont era fun is always welcome.
Rawnzilla- No comment.



X-Force by Chris Yost, Craig Kyle and Mike Choi

Sazyski- Keep, probably the best X-book out right now. Yost and Kyle need to be given the Uncanny job.
Rawnzilla- Keep. The only good thing to come out of Messiah CompleX and Divided We Stand.

As you can see, there are quite a lot of changes that we would make to Marvel's catalog. Will we do the same for DC's November books? If you liked this article, let us know. Give us your response and feedback on what we've written, and if you disagree with one of us, tell us why in the comments!