V F S Y W BTM
 Vision Fans for Spooky, Yellow Word-Balloons


"Vision Fans for Spooky, Yellow Word-Balloons" -- or, the VFSYWB -- is an informal organization of fans of varying dedication to Marvel's greatest super-hero, The Vision. The primary goal of the VFSYWB is to correct a heinous error instigated by the post-Heroes Reborn creative team of Marvel Comics' The Avengers. This team -- including writer Kurt Busiek, penciller George Perez, lettering by Richard Starkings & Comicraft, & editor Tom Brevoort -- decided that for Volume 3 of The Avengers, Vision would have different word-balloons than that which he's had for nearly 25 years! These new word balloons look terrible! Upon his introduction, Vision's voice has been known to be, as Wasp said at their very first encounter, "...so cold, like something from beyond the grave!" Even in the 1996 publication Marvel Universe [the coffee-table book, not the Handbook], Marvel states that Vision speaks "in sepulchral tones (indicated by characteristic word-balloons)." And therein lies the crux of the problem - the new word-balloons look anything but sepulchral! They have a distinctly and unsavory electronic quality to them, and although Vision is a type of android, he is not one with electronic speech patterns. Avengers readers from the very first issue of the new volume have apparently complained of the new lettering used for Thor's speech, and though I am rather neutral on the matter, I say they can keep Thor's "hard to read" lettering so long as they start using Vision's proper word-balloons once more. Not only did they change the shape, but they added circuits in each corner and changed the color from the traditional eery-representing yellow to green!

There are some things in comics one just doesn't mess with. Fans of both sides of comic page were practically seeing red over the Captain America of Heroes Reborn having a S.H.I.E.L.D. logo on his mask rather than an "A". When Marvel removed control of the book from creator Rob Liefeld, changing it back was one of the first orders of business. And, like Cap's "A", Vision's word-balloons may not have been the rectangloid ones from his first appearance, but it's now tradition, it's the classic look and feel [which is what the Avengers reboot was supposed to have been all about], it's the way it should be.

So, what's a Vision fan to do about it?! What's always been done when there's something wrong with our beloved past-time: write and @itch about it! Aggressively! Although there are no monetary dues for VFSYWB membership [who could afford it with the price of comics these days... and if you can, send some my way!], it is required that members send an e-mail to Marvel on the issue, advocating that the word-balloons be returned to their classic design, Cc-ing or Bcc-ing the letter to VFSYWB here. Members may write letter of their own or use a form letter from VFSYWB, either cut-&-pasting, linking, or attaching the chosen letter; the VFSYWB and balloons graphic at the top of this page may also be used. Although only the one e-mail is required, members are "strongly encouraged" to do so more often; once a month would seem appropriate, though every 2 weeks or even every week is quite alright.

Hopefully with the deluge of mail decrying their use, Marvel and the Avengers team will soon concede that the new balloons are not an improvement or even equal to the previous, even that they contradict the supernatural quality which Vision creator Roy Thomas had deigned to give the character. Again, with Avengers supposedly returning to it's former glory, the decision to change this quintisential part of the character described as part of the heart and soul of the Avengers is an inexplicable mystery. After all, even Rob Liefeld and John Byrne both know what Vision's word-ballons should look like!


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