-Here's a question related to yesterday's post. As almost all of you know, there's a dedicated community of bloggers who write about the portrayal of women in Marvel/DC comics. Though I think they're absolutely right and I greatly appreciate their efforts, this nevertheless seems like an exercise in frustration. Reading these various blogs, I'm under the impression that many feminist bloggers are still reading books which portray women in a sexist or even misogynistic light. I'm not suggesting that these bloggers take the advice of fanboy apologists ("if you don't like it, just don't read it and shut up"), because I think it's enormously helpful that someone is confronting Marvel and DC with these issues. Still I wonder, what exactly keeps you going? Why not write off these books and move on? Are you following them in a journalistic way, keeping up with them in order to monitor the portrayal of female characters? Is it an attachment to the superhero genre? To these particular characters? Do you enjoy other aspects of these series enough that, on balance, you'd prefer to keep reading them despite their problems? What books have pushed you to quit buying them or following them online via spoilers or, uh, whatever means available?
-And here's a question for everybody. Which is more egregiously sexist and/or misogynistic: "mainstream" comics art or "mainstream" comics writing?
-Johanna Draper Carlson calls Robert Kirkman's writing "pedestrian and perfunctory." Is "perfunctory" really the right word there, or did Carlson just like the alliteration? It's an odd choice; if forced to use it to describe mainstream comics writing, I would probably choose Warren Ellis' superhero work at Marvel or Chris Claremont's entire body of work since the second Reagan administration.
-What the fuck is "concern trolling?" Also, are people (read: men) really trying to woo other (female) bloggers somehow? Wouldn't that be kind of expensive in terms of airfare? Or is there a whole cross-country internet-enabled hookup scene I'm too old to know about?
-The design on these upcoming Vertical releases are incredible. I certainly hope there's a market for non-Tezuka classic manga. I guess Drifting Classroom is doing pretty well, though Museum of Terror really hasn't. Reprints certainly seem to be doing well at Fantagraphics, IDW, and D&Q. Hopefully Vertical or other publishers will take a chance on releasing some vintage material from names less familiar to American readers.
-I've been there, sadly. Except it wasn't grass, but hair.
-Greg Rucka likes the Tomb Raider games, or at least one of them. He also praises the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic games, which really are pretty swell. But still...Tomb Raider?
Showing posts with label manga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label manga. Show all posts
Monday, April 30, 2007
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
A crooked coffin maker is just an undertaker who undertakes to be your friend
-Word has gotten out about Shazam scriptwriter John August's bad taste, with most of the venom directed at his "I hate old things" stance. Not many people have covered his follow-up, where he claims he was kinda trolling, maybe:
"Was I deliberately exaggerating to make a point? Yes.
Was I baiting readers to write in? Sure.
Was I serious? Sort of."
Off to a good start, I see. Don't blame me, blame my desperate need for attention.
"...for every great old masterpiece, there are a lot of non-masterpieces. And what frustrates me is when society insists on elevating and fawning over these non-masterpieces simply because they were part of some mythical Golden Age. To me, that includes The Honeymooners. Sorry. I can understand why it was groundbreaking, and the enormous challenge of creating a live show, and why it was seminal. But I don’t care. It doesn’t connect for me whatsoever, and I’m too honest to fake any interest in it....
I could have softened the blow by saying, 'Many old things suck' or 'Some old things suck.' But that wouldn’t be true to my experience. When I watch a classic film and have that holy shit, this is just as good as everyone says experience, that’s the glorious exception. That’s when I’m happy I’ve deliberately set my expectation meter low for anything older than I am."
If he stopped here, we could just chalk this up to August being a mental midget whose understanding of film and comics is limited to only the most obvious surface qualities--about what you'd expect from the dude who wrote both Charlie's Angels movies. But then he twists the argument into something entirely different:
"Setting aside the implicit ontological paradoxes, most people I know would be curious to travel back in time. They’d love to meet historical figures, marvel at extinct animals, and experience daily life in an earlier age. But I’ve yet to meet someone who wants to travel back in time to watch TV. Imagine, you could watch The Honeymooners in its proper context, live, as it was made. Wouldn’t that be the best thing ever? No?
Of course it wouldn’t, because you live in 2007. The world has changed a lot since the days of Ralph Kramden threatening domestic violence against his wife, and you can’t pretend it hasn’t."
What the fuck is he talking about here? Having read this bizarre tangent, I'm wondering about John August's mental state. This is the sort of thing that insane homeless people say to you when you're waiting at the bus stop. I don't think saying "he doesn't get it" really does him justice anymore.
-One thing I've already learned from Alice in Sunderland: it's Lindisfarne, not Lindisframe. I'm really not good with the proper nouns.
-Totally unrelated to comics:
"The ding-dong from the neo-Gothic church next door signals to Wu Yuqing that it's time to wake up. On her way to the grocery store each day, she walks past the Cob Gate Fish & Chip shop and bronze statues of Winston Churchill, Florence Nightingale and William Shakespeare. Tall men decked out in the red uniforms of the Queens Guard nod hello.
The place looks a lot like a small town on the Thames River, but Wu's new home is actually in a suburb of Shanghai.
As China's modernization continues to pull hundreds of millions of people from farms to cities and suburbs, a construction boom has given rise to a vast landscape of foreign-looking settlements. These real estate developments are the latest manifestation of the technique that has fueled China's economic boom: making copies."
This is going to be a strange century.
-Notes from my visit to the comics shop today: The proprietor ordered Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service on my recommendation and he's pleased with how it's selling (then again, I bought one of the volumes). I know that he and his staff were not actively selling it to people, so I take this as some kind of statement on the impact of internet buzz. KCDS has been praised, but not universally or extravagantly; several reviewers recommend it with serious reservations. I'm interested in seeing how Monster does for him, since that's a series which has received much more effusive acclaim.
Second, I actually had the opportunity to buy the Dupuy-Berbérian thing, but I passed. It's a pretty steep price for an book collecting illustrations and commercial art (as far as I could tell from the few moments I spent with it). Anyway, I guess this means I live in one of four cities in which Tom Spurgeon would like to hang out on this spring day. Note to Mr. Spurgeon: it's been snowing all day, and not the pretty kind of snow, either. It's the kind of snow that blows right into your face, often landing right in your eyes. Might I remind everyone that IT'S FUCKING APRIL.
"Was I deliberately exaggerating to make a point? Yes.
Was I baiting readers to write in? Sure.
Was I serious? Sort of."
Off to a good start, I see. Don't blame me, blame my desperate need for attention.
"...for every great old masterpiece, there are a lot of non-masterpieces. And what frustrates me is when society insists on elevating and fawning over these non-masterpieces simply because they were part of some mythical Golden Age. To me, that includes The Honeymooners. Sorry. I can understand why it was groundbreaking, and the enormous challenge of creating a live show, and why it was seminal. But I don’t care. It doesn’t connect for me whatsoever, and I’m too honest to fake any interest in it....
I could have softened the blow by saying, 'Many old things suck' or 'Some old things suck.' But that wouldn’t be true to my experience. When I watch a classic film and have that holy shit, this is just as good as everyone says experience, that’s the glorious exception. That’s when I’m happy I’ve deliberately set my expectation meter low for anything older than I am."
If he stopped here, we could just chalk this up to August being a mental midget whose understanding of film and comics is limited to only the most obvious surface qualities--about what you'd expect from the dude who wrote both Charlie's Angels movies. But then he twists the argument into something entirely different:
"Setting aside the implicit ontological paradoxes, most people I know would be curious to travel back in time. They’d love to meet historical figures, marvel at extinct animals, and experience daily life in an earlier age. But I’ve yet to meet someone who wants to travel back in time to watch TV. Imagine, you could watch The Honeymooners in its proper context, live, as it was made. Wouldn’t that be the best thing ever? No?
Of course it wouldn’t, because you live in 2007. The world has changed a lot since the days of Ralph Kramden threatening domestic violence against his wife, and you can’t pretend it hasn’t."
What the fuck is he talking about here? Having read this bizarre tangent, I'm wondering about John August's mental state. This is the sort of thing that insane homeless people say to you when you're waiting at the bus stop. I don't think saying "he doesn't get it" really does him justice anymore.
-One thing I've already learned from Alice in Sunderland: it's Lindisfarne, not Lindisframe. I'm really not good with the proper nouns.
-Totally unrelated to comics:
"The ding-dong from the neo-Gothic church next door signals to Wu Yuqing that it's time to wake up. On her way to the grocery store each day, she walks past the Cob Gate Fish & Chip shop and bronze statues of Winston Churchill, Florence Nightingale and William Shakespeare. Tall men decked out in the red uniforms of the Queens Guard nod hello.
The place looks a lot like a small town on the Thames River, but Wu's new home is actually in a suburb of Shanghai.
As China's modernization continues to pull hundreds of millions of people from farms to cities and suburbs, a construction boom has given rise to a vast landscape of foreign-looking settlements. These real estate developments are the latest manifestation of the technique that has fueled China's economic boom: making copies."
This is going to be a strange century.
-Notes from my visit to the comics shop today: The proprietor ordered Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service on my recommendation and he's pleased with how it's selling (then again, I bought one of the volumes). I know that he and his staff were not actively selling it to people, so I take this as some kind of statement on the impact of internet buzz. KCDS has been praised, but not universally or extravagantly; several reviewers recommend it with serious reservations. I'm interested in seeing how Monster does for him, since that's a series which has received much more effusive acclaim.
Second, I actually had the opportunity to buy the Dupuy-Berbérian thing, but I passed. It's a pretty steep price for an book collecting illustrations and commercial art (as far as I could tell from the few moments I spent with it). Anyway, I guess this means I live in one of four cities in which Tom Spurgeon would like to hang out on this spring day. Note to Mr. Spurgeon: it's been snowing all day, and not the pretty kind of snow, either. It's the kind of snow that blows right into your face, often landing right in your eyes. Might I remind everyone that IT'S FUCKING APRIL.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Three long items (not an off-color joke)
-I went to go see 300 yesterday instead of writing a post. I didn't like it, no sir. Rather than explaining the ways in which I didn't like it, let me link to my good friend throughsilver's review (which has the added benefit of comparisons to the original comic, which I have never read). I'm in pretty much total agreement.
Oh, I saw the trailer for Grindhouse, and I'm kind of surprised that the Rodriguez half looks much, much dumber than the Tarrantino half. Which, in turn, is probably ripping off some movie from the 70s for which I might have owned the poster at one time. I used to work at a movie theater which was part of a mostly defunct chain. For whatever reason, they stored a bunch of posters accumulated over 20-30 years behind one of the screens. I was fortunate enough to be working there when the manager decided to clear all this out, and so my college apartment was covered in various exploitation posters (stuff like a Jim Jones exploitation flick, Viva Knievel, a bunch of sleazy "coed roomates" kind of things, at least one movie about a sex change operation gone wrong, Inframan, etc.). Then I decided to grow up and gave them all away, a decision which I actually don't regret at all. My brother still has the poster for Mad Monster Party, though. In fact, he's had it framed.
-New internet pastime: Greg Rucka watch. His interview with CBR a few months got some attention here for his comments about fellow 52 writers. CBR also features a wrap-up of the Emerald City Con with this little witticism:
"Quote of the con, by Greg Rucka - Questioned on how he felt about the comics industry when he started vs. how he feels about the comic industry now that he's worked in it awhile, Rucka said, 'Comics are like sausages - you don't want to know how they're made.'"
Tom Spurgeon linked to his gripes about lettering yesterday, leading me to discover his Live Journal. Which is worth the effort of reading, since Rucka is certainly the kind of guy who speaks his mind:
"Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of people, y'know, UNDERSTANDING THE RULES OF PUNCTUATION AND GRAMMAR. In fact, I think those writers out there who show flagrant disregard for the same (and they know who they are) reveal incredible disrespect for their craft and their peers by proudly displaying their ignorance.
But I'm working on the first pass pages right now, and I've got to tell you, the copy editor on this manuscript read Ms. Truss a little too much, because she's inserting commas fucking everywhere.
I'm particular about commas. I use them with precision, or so I should like to believe. As Ms. Truss has made loads of money explaining, altering their placement without due consideration changes the meaning of the sentence."
[I like commas because, as Nabokov said, I like privacy.-DH]
Rucka also addresses the controversy over the CBR interview mentioned above:
"But that's only part of it. The other part of it is that I've broken an Unwritten Law, one that stretches all the way back to my first writing classes. I've offered criticism, and even if it was constructive and mild, it opens me up for the same.
Which is bullshit. The paradox of writing for a living is that people are going to read what you write, and some of them (maybe a lot of them) Are Not Going To Like It.
You have to learn to deal with it, and the key word here is 'learn' and not 'deal.' It's an ongoing process, and I don't know a single writer who isn't stung by criticism of their work, no matter how minor, infantile, or incompetent the source. It may not be a major sting, it may not last, but I continue to find it amazing that some Net Troll who offers his unsolicited and uneducated 'review' of my work can bother me almost as much as a bad review from, say, Kirkus. "
Rucka also hints at his frustrations with DC:
"Back at Powell's today. Just completed the detailed breakdowns for Checkmate 14 and Outsiders 48 based on yesterday's conversation with Judd. Still excited about the project, and looking forward to starting the writing on the next two issues this Friday.
But this is tempered by more comic industry bullshit, and no, I'm not talking about this, or this, or even this.
It's the 'Nooo!' that gets me, there.
No, this is something entirely different, and it's illustrating to me (pardon the pun) one of the conflicts I'm going to have to resolve for myself if I'm going to continue doing this. Namely, how much of the curtain do I pull back on the business versus on the process. Fact is, I'm more interested in talking about the work itself, the writing, than I am in dishing dirt about the industry in general, or DC in particular. No, I'll leave that to people far better suited to the task than I.
The thing is, the two are inextricably linked at this point. There are projects I simply cannot talk about yet, much as I might like to. And when my involvement in the Can't-Talk-About-It project looks to be in jeopardy for fairly complicated reasons...well, there's frustration."
"Just finished a phone call with Judd to break down the last four issues of the Checkmate/Outsiders crossover, and I'm feeling something about the writing and the story I haven't felt for what seems like a very long time.
I'm actually excited about writing this. I'm actually enthusiastic about it."
"This is my secret shame of the last several years -- I've all-but forgotten how to read for pleasure, and reading 'in genre,' for lack of a better phrase, has been excruciatingly difficult. I've been working since the first of the year on relearning the art, on attempting to rediscover the joy of reading for the sake of reading, for the pleasure of the story.
The problem is that most of what I read, I can't stand. Seriously. It's like the line about the sausages; some things it's better off not knowing how they make 'em. Books. Comics. Sausages."
Greg Rucka, if you're reading this (which is entirely possible, since you seem like the type who compulsively Googles his own name), please sign an exclusive with Marvel, then start dishing the dirt, under a pseudonym or via Rich Johnston, if necessary. Thanks.
-Last word (barring some unexpected flare up) on McDonald vs. Deppey: Mr. Deppey's argument about the success of Naruto vs. the more modest success of Spider-Man in bookstores is that the latter would sell better if casual comics consumers (aka, unfortunately, "civilians") could pick up a coherent, uninterrupted work by a single author. Today he suggests that Ultimate Spider-Man could be such an item, if it were not for the veritable sea of collected Spider-Man publications available on bookstore shelves.
I've been thinking about this debate, and I've come to the conclusion that the issue (at least re: Spider-Man GN sales) is not quality so much as quantity. Kids who loved the Spider-Man movies just don't know where to begin. With Naruto, there's a clear starting point: Naruto volume one. There's no Essential Naruto, Ultimate Naruto, Web of Naruto, Naruto: Reign, Naruto: Blue, Naruto: Kraven's Last Hunt, etc. Spider-Man, on the other hand, has to drag the weight of 40+ years of publication history, and there's an army of obsessive fanboys making sure the tether never breaks because WE CAN NEVER, EVER FORGET our precious continuity, lifeblood of the kind of deliberately mediocre comics which, tragically, the industry depends upon.
So there's my answer: continuity sucks. And don't go telling me that you were smart enough to figure it out when you were 8 years old. So was I, but back then there were only two Spider-Man comics on the drug store spinner rack (and it was pretty clear that Amazing was the one that mattered, since it was in the 200s while Peter Parker was in the 100s). Some kid in Barnes & Noble will see at least a couple dozen, maybe more depending on the quality of the GN section at the store in question.
Oh, I saw the trailer for Grindhouse, and I'm kind of surprised that the Rodriguez half looks much, much dumber than the Tarrantino half. Which, in turn, is probably ripping off some movie from the 70s for which I might have owned the poster at one time. I used to work at a movie theater which was part of a mostly defunct chain. For whatever reason, they stored a bunch of posters accumulated over 20-30 years behind one of the screens. I was fortunate enough to be working there when the manager decided to clear all this out, and so my college apartment was covered in various exploitation posters (stuff like a Jim Jones exploitation flick, Viva Knievel, a bunch of sleazy "coed roomates" kind of things, at least one movie about a sex change operation gone wrong, Inframan, etc.). Then I decided to grow up and gave them all away, a decision which I actually don't regret at all. My brother still has the poster for Mad Monster Party, though. In fact, he's had it framed.
-New internet pastime: Greg Rucka watch. His interview with CBR a few months got some attention here for his comments about fellow 52 writers. CBR also features a wrap-up of the Emerald City Con with this little witticism:
"Quote of the con, by Greg Rucka - Questioned on how he felt about the comics industry when he started vs. how he feels about the comic industry now that he's worked in it awhile, Rucka said, 'Comics are like sausages - you don't want to know how they're made.'"
Tom Spurgeon linked to his gripes about lettering yesterday, leading me to discover his Live Journal. Which is worth the effort of reading, since Rucka is certainly the kind of guy who speaks his mind:
"Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of people, y'know, UNDERSTANDING THE RULES OF PUNCTUATION AND GRAMMAR. In fact, I think those writers out there who show flagrant disregard for the same (and they know who they are) reveal incredible disrespect for their craft and their peers by proudly displaying their ignorance.
But I'm working on the first pass pages right now, and I've got to tell you, the copy editor on this manuscript read Ms. Truss a little too much, because she's inserting commas fucking everywhere.
I'm particular about commas. I use them with precision, or so I should like to believe. As Ms. Truss has made loads of money explaining, altering their placement without due consideration changes the meaning of the sentence."
[I like commas because, as Nabokov said, I like privacy.-DH]
Rucka also addresses the controversy over the CBR interview mentioned above:
"But that's only part of it. The other part of it is that I've broken an Unwritten Law, one that stretches all the way back to my first writing classes. I've offered criticism, and even if it was constructive and mild, it opens me up for the same.
Which is bullshit. The paradox of writing for a living is that people are going to read what you write, and some of them (maybe a lot of them) Are Not Going To Like It.
You have to learn to deal with it, and the key word here is 'learn' and not 'deal.' It's an ongoing process, and I don't know a single writer who isn't stung by criticism of their work, no matter how minor, infantile, or incompetent the source. It may not be a major sting, it may not last, but I continue to find it amazing that some Net Troll who offers his unsolicited and uneducated 'review' of my work can bother me almost as much as a bad review from, say, Kirkus. "
Rucka also hints at his frustrations with DC:
"Back at Powell's today. Just completed the detailed breakdowns for Checkmate 14 and Outsiders 48 based on yesterday's conversation with Judd. Still excited about the project, and looking forward to starting the writing on the next two issues this Friday.
But this is tempered by more comic industry bullshit, and no, I'm not talking about this, or this, or even this.
It's the 'Nooo!' that gets me, there.
No, this is something entirely different, and it's illustrating to me (pardon the pun) one of the conflicts I'm going to have to resolve for myself if I'm going to continue doing this. Namely, how much of the curtain do I pull back on the business versus on the process. Fact is, I'm more interested in talking about the work itself, the writing, than I am in dishing dirt about the industry in general, or DC in particular. No, I'll leave that to people far better suited to the task than I.
The thing is, the two are inextricably linked at this point. There are projects I simply cannot talk about yet, much as I might like to. And when my involvement in the Can't-Talk-About-It project looks to be in jeopardy for fairly complicated reasons...well, there's frustration."
"Just finished a phone call with Judd to break down the last four issues of the Checkmate/Outsiders crossover, and I'm feeling something about the writing and the story I haven't felt for what seems like a very long time.
I'm actually excited about writing this. I'm actually enthusiastic about it."
"This is my secret shame of the last several years -- I've all-but forgotten how to read for pleasure, and reading 'in genre,' for lack of a better phrase, has been excruciatingly difficult. I've been working since the first of the year on relearning the art, on attempting to rediscover the joy of reading for the sake of reading, for the pleasure of the story.
The problem is that most of what I read, I can't stand. Seriously. It's like the line about the sausages; some things it's better off not knowing how they make 'em. Books. Comics. Sausages."
Greg Rucka, if you're reading this (which is entirely possible, since you seem like the type who compulsively Googles his own name), please sign an exclusive with Marvel, then start dishing the dirt, under a pseudonym or via Rich Johnston, if necessary. Thanks.
-Last word (barring some unexpected flare up) on McDonald vs. Deppey: Mr. Deppey's argument about the success of Naruto vs. the more modest success of Spider-Man in bookstores is that the latter would sell better if casual comics consumers (aka, unfortunately, "civilians") could pick up a coherent, uninterrupted work by a single author. Today he suggests that Ultimate Spider-Man could be such an item, if it were not for the veritable sea of collected Spider-Man publications available on bookstore shelves.
I've been thinking about this debate, and I've come to the conclusion that the issue (at least re: Spider-Man GN sales) is not quality so much as quantity. Kids who loved the Spider-Man movies just don't know where to begin. With Naruto, there's a clear starting point: Naruto volume one. There's no Essential Naruto, Ultimate Naruto, Web of Naruto, Naruto: Reign, Naruto: Blue, Naruto: Kraven's Last Hunt, etc. Spider-Man, on the other hand, has to drag the weight of 40+ years of publication history, and there's an army of obsessive fanboys making sure the tether never breaks because WE CAN NEVER, EVER FORGET our precious continuity, lifeblood of the kind of deliberately mediocre comics which, tragically, the industry depends upon.
So there's my answer: continuity sucks. And don't go telling me that you were smart enough to figure it out when you were 8 years old. So was I, but back then there were only two Spider-Man comics on the drug store spinner rack (and it was pretty clear that Amazing was the one that mattered, since it was in the 200s while Peter Parker was in the 100s). Some kid in Barnes & Noble will see at least a couple dozen, maybe more depending on the quality of the GN section at the store in question.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Rare second Friday post
-JMS lets us know why his Thor will suck:
"I've just never understood why a Norse god would speak in Medieval English. Never parsed for me, even as a kid. So I'm going for more of a sense of antiquity in the grammar and style rather than tarting it up with "these" and "thous." The closest tonal parallel would be Aragon in Lord of the Rings. The sense of dialog there has the feeling of formality and otherness, but without resorting to tricks."
First, that's not a medieval dialect; if it were, we'd have a much harder time understanding Thor. Elizabethan English is, IIRC, considered Early Modern English, which is why we can basically understand what Shakespeare wrote. Second, this reminds me of what Brian Cronin wrote about the Hulk--writers are afraid of writing genuine Hulk dialogue. I guess that's the case for Thor now too. Look--Thor is a weird character. He's a mythological figure AND an intellectual property of Marvel's. The Marvel version of Thor is not the same thing as the Thor of Norse mythology. So it's okay to have Thor talking like Shakespug; in fact, it's the right thing to do.
And then Joe Quesada reveals that Jeph Loeb's plans for Ultimate Thor include "medieval speak" [SIC!!!]. So JMS is now officially inferior to Jeph Loeb.
-Nobody's talking about it, but Douglas Wolk made a really interesting point about digital comics piracy this week. I still think my system (replace work-for-hire with work-for-nothing) is morally and economically sounder, though. Just let someone like Adrian Tomine re-tell the issue of Metal Men in question. I mean, yes, there will be some subtle changes: Platium will be wearing barrettes in her hair, and all the male robots will look like they've got a big wad of chaw in their mouths. And it will be far less entertaining than the originals. But that's the price you will have to pay for free comics in the future. (If none of this makes sense, click here.)
-Speaking of Joe Fridays, this week's edition featured this picture:
At first I didn't realize that Optimus Prime was standing behind Captain America. Which made me realize that Optimus Prime is really just a machine. Which, in turn, led me to compare Optimus Prime to Mechazawa. And now I realize that I would buy this ludicrous mini-series if and only if the relationship between the Avengers and the robots is sort of like that between the students and the robots in Cromartie High.
-One final item from the Quesada Q&A: Matt Fraction is rumored to be writing Amazing Spider-Man after JMS leaves? Really? I like Fraction a lot and I'll certainly check it out, but I'm a little wary of such a development.
"I've just never understood why a Norse god would speak in Medieval English. Never parsed for me, even as a kid. So I'm going for more of a sense of antiquity in the grammar and style rather than tarting it up with "these" and "thous." The closest tonal parallel would be Aragon in Lord of the Rings. The sense of dialog there has the feeling of formality and otherness, but without resorting to tricks."
First, that's not a medieval dialect; if it were, we'd have a much harder time understanding Thor. Elizabethan English is, IIRC, considered Early Modern English, which is why we can basically understand what Shakespeare wrote. Second, this reminds me of what Brian Cronin wrote about the Hulk--writers are afraid of writing genuine Hulk dialogue. I guess that's the case for Thor now too. Look--Thor is a weird character. He's a mythological figure AND an intellectual property of Marvel's. The Marvel version of Thor is not the same thing as the Thor of Norse mythology. So it's okay to have Thor talking like Shakespug; in fact, it's the right thing to do.
And then Joe Quesada reveals that Jeph Loeb's plans for Ultimate Thor include "medieval speak" [SIC!!!]. So JMS is now officially inferior to Jeph Loeb.
-Nobody's talking about it, but Douglas Wolk made a really interesting point about digital comics piracy this week. I still think my system (replace work-for-hire with work-for-nothing) is morally and economically sounder, though. Just let someone like Adrian Tomine re-tell the issue of Metal Men in question. I mean, yes, there will be some subtle changes: Platium will be wearing barrettes in her hair, and all the male robots will look like they've got a big wad of chaw in their mouths. And it will be far less entertaining than the originals. But that's the price you will have to pay for free comics in the future. (If none of this makes sense, click here.)
-Speaking of Joe Fridays, this week's edition featured this picture:
At first I didn't realize that Optimus Prime was standing behind Captain America. Which made me realize that Optimus Prime is really just a machine. Which, in turn, led me to compare Optimus Prime to Mechazawa. And now I realize that I would buy this ludicrous mini-series if and only if the relationship between the Avengers and the robots is sort of like that between the students and the robots in Cromartie High.
-One final item from the Quesada Q&A: Matt Fraction is rumored to be writing Amazing Spider-Man after JMS leaves? Really? I like Fraction a lot and I'll certainly check it out, but I'm a little wary of such a development.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Pretzels and soda
-Hate poll, with special bonus poll content (which is actually proving more popular than the current Hate Poll--are you folks burned out on hate, or are you just big Simpsons fans? Is there untapped demand for an ongoing series of "Which Simpsons character does _______ most resemble"-type polls?).
-Trying not to be too hypocritical dept: I'm going to try to lay off the Fantagraphics-Ellison lawsuit this week, not because I've been persuaded to do so, or because I think it's not important, but because I'm kind of tired of writing about it. It's becoming my Civil War--a crutch, an invitation to lazy blogging, an impediment to the sort of non-linear thinking which has defined this blog ever since I finished writing the sentence you're reading right now. I do reserve the right to violate this self-imposed moratorium if anyone says anything interesting this week, though (not that I'm, uh, fishing for material or anything).
-I think Greg Rucka is a little disillusioned with DC. Especially Didio, who Rucka portrays as something of a buffoon. And maybe his 52 collaborators as well--here's how he describes them all:
Grant Morrison-Spacey; no attention span
Geoff Johns-The Rob Liefeld of comics writing
Mark Waid-Obsessive fan-geek
Greg Rucka-Good with thing related to the vital human experience; not so great at writing stupid outer space shit
All the same, these guys are (ugh) "rock stars" who are "at the very top of their game." Even if their games are stupid childish escapism, divorced from the cold, sports bra reality of life on the streets. Also, Civil War sucked.
-Lots of aggravation out there about Dark Horse bringing Museum of Terror to a premature close, and some questions about why this came to pass. Speaking only for myself: I don't read everything, but I do consider myself a fan of horror/suspense manga. I really didn't like the first volume of Museum of Terror, and I never considered getting the subsequent volumes. I've since heard that the quality improves dramatically at some point, but there was something about the whole Tomie concept which kind of turned me off.
-Whenever I check out the latest batch of When Fangirls Attack links, I started thinking: who are all these people blogging on Livejournal? I've never heard of any of them. They all* write stuff like "I'm giving up comics forever now that Robin is wearing red pants" or "I'm depressed but at least I have my back issues of Firestorm to remind me of that brief, shining moment when comics actually transcended their perceived limitations and became a timeless work of art/literature." They all have a bunch of comments, all left by other people of with whom I am unfamiliar.
Now I don't have any kind of prejudice against any particular blogging program/site--I chose Blogger because I'd heard of it and it seemed fairly easy to use once I signed up. In fact, I am completely unfamiliar with the hierarchy of free blogging services, assuming such a hierarchy exists. If so, are my observations re: Livejournal comics blogs consistent with Livejournal's reputation on the non-comics oriented internet? Please limit your responses to 20 words or less, as I estimate this is the limit of my interest on the subject. Thank you.
*Fun activity: find the most creative way to tell me that my blanket statement is incorrect. Bonus points for anyone who works in an amusing reference to Time on the Cross. In fact, I'll start a new sidebar category just to celebrate your achievement, called "Dick's History Buddies" or something like that.
-I'm sorry I insulted your scanner, Jonesy.
-I talked on the phone about 300 with my mom on Sunday. She brought it up. I know that this is anecdotal evidence, and some might say that the mother of two comics-obsessed lads might be more likely to broach the subject of a comics-related movie than the mother of children more obsessed with soccer or procreating up some grandchildren, but to me it's a sign that comics are here to stay no matter how badly Joe Quesada wants to destroy them.
-Trying not to be too hypocritical dept: I'm going to try to lay off the Fantagraphics-Ellison lawsuit this week, not because I've been persuaded to do so, or because I think it's not important, but because I'm kind of tired of writing about it. It's becoming my Civil War--a crutch, an invitation to lazy blogging, an impediment to the sort of non-linear thinking which has defined this blog ever since I finished writing the sentence you're reading right now. I do reserve the right to violate this self-imposed moratorium if anyone says anything interesting this week, though (not that I'm, uh, fishing for material or anything).
-I think Greg Rucka is a little disillusioned with DC. Especially Didio, who Rucka portrays as something of a buffoon. And maybe his 52 collaborators as well--here's how he describes them all:
Grant Morrison-Spacey; no attention span
Geoff Johns-The Rob Liefeld of comics writing
Mark Waid-Obsessive fan-geek
Greg Rucka-Good with thing related to the vital human experience; not so great at writing stupid outer space shit
All the same, these guys are (ugh) "rock stars" who are "at the very top of their game." Even if their games are stupid childish escapism, divorced from the cold, sports bra reality of life on the streets. Also, Civil War sucked.
-Lots of aggravation out there about Dark Horse bringing Museum of Terror to a premature close, and some questions about why this came to pass. Speaking only for myself: I don't read everything, but I do consider myself a fan of horror/suspense manga. I really didn't like the first volume of Museum of Terror, and I never considered getting the subsequent volumes. I've since heard that the quality improves dramatically at some point, but there was something about the whole Tomie concept which kind of turned me off.
-Whenever I check out the latest batch of When Fangirls Attack links, I started thinking: who are all these people blogging on Livejournal? I've never heard of any of them. They all* write stuff like "I'm giving up comics forever now that Robin is wearing red pants" or "I'm depressed but at least I have my back issues of Firestorm to remind me of that brief, shining moment when comics actually transcended their perceived limitations and became a timeless work of art/literature." They all have a bunch of comments, all left by other people of with whom I am unfamiliar.
Now I don't have any kind of prejudice against any particular blogging program/site--I chose Blogger because I'd heard of it and it seemed fairly easy to use once I signed up. In fact, I am completely unfamiliar with the hierarchy of free blogging services, assuming such a hierarchy exists. If so, are my observations re: Livejournal comics blogs consistent with Livejournal's reputation on the non-comics oriented internet? Please limit your responses to 20 words or less, as I estimate this is the limit of my interest on the subject. Thank you.
*Fun activity: find the most creative way to tell me that my blanket statement is incorrect. Bonus points for anyone who works in an amusing reference to Time on the Cross. In fact, I'll start a new sidebar category just to celebrate your achievement, called "Dick's History Buddies" or something like that.
-I'm sorry I insulted your scanner, Jonesy.
-I talked on the phone about 300 with my mom on Sunday. She brought it up. I know that this is anecdotal evidence, and some might say that the mother of two comics-obsessed lads might be more likely to broach the subject of a comics-related movie than the mother of children more obsessed with soccer or procreating up some grandchildren, but to me it's a sign that comics are here to stay no matter how badly Joe Quesada wants to destroy them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
