tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post2802691517883006770..comments2023-03-28T04:32:18.124-04:00Comments on Witless Prattle: 50 Things I Had To Say About AvatarKazekagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07499536996058174109noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-31620488165067638242011-03-08T21:01:22.085-05:002011-03-08T21:01:22.085-05:00Well, that's the tragedy of it, isn't it? ...Well, that's the tragedy of it, isn't it? We're now pandering to whoever's left, and the only people left have such low standards that the industry pushes stuff that they would have tossed in the bin fifteen years. <br /><br />They did. And I swear I think that's when I finally just had enough and my feelings about the comics industry turned into actively hoping it will die instead of pathetically trying to crawl despite the fact that half of it's been run over and even if it could it'd die before it made it anyways.<br /><br /> That was the one where the cop was sent back by the devil and had to shoot out everyone's eyes and stuff like that, yeah? Betty has a point--er, more about a Facebook than dating at 14, though. God knows if you hadn't gotten to at least first base by then you were obviously gay. :)Kazekagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07499536996058174109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-71159863630553998292011-03-08T13:28:23.317-05:002011-03-08T13:28:23.317-05:00See, I know we joke about the average George Romer...See, I know we joke about the average George Romero zombie having more intelligence than the entirety of DC, but purely as a commercial entity, it's impossible for me to believe that they aren't trying to target a specific demographic. (Whether or not it's the one they <i>should</i> be targeting is, of course, an entirely different matter.) So somewhere out there are people who read "Rise of Arsenal" and absolutely <i>loved</i> it. And if that thought sends an arctic chill through your bones... well, now you know what true horror is. :)<br /><br />You know, I think they actually made an official announcement to that effect? Can't say for sure as I've stopped paying any attention at all to comics news, but... well, that certainly sounds like something Marvel would do.<br /><br />I mostly remember her from "Brimstone" - the role didn't really give her much to do, though. As for being dateless at 14, just remember the words of Betty White during her infamous takedown of Facebook: "When we were kids, we didn't go around telling people we were single. We were kids! It was weird if you <i>weren't</i> single!" :)Diana Kingston-Gabaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06606122690934557406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-68774017312449604452011-02-13T21:35:33.243-05:002011-02-13T21:35:33.243-05:00Is it? I can't imagine anyone read that and th...Is it? I can't imagine anyone read that and thought <i>anything</i> about it was cool. The overwhelming thing <i>I</i> took from it was how <i>stupid</i> it was and that if I ever did anything like that, I wouldn't show my face anywhere out of utter crippling shame. If there are people who thought <i>Rise of Arsenal</i> worth anything, I have two things to say to them: "Fuck you, and I don't want to know you. <i>Ever."</i><br /><br />Aren't they killing off someone every quarter, now? I'm sure that'll think the herd some. Failing that, Diana, your precognition has turned out to be right, because that's precisely what they're doing--a Cyclops team and a Wolverine team. I myself can hardly contain my indifference.<br /><br />Stacy Haiduk will see a 14-year old dateless wonder through a lot, Diana. And this is easily the most shameful thing I have yet admitted on this blog, I'm sure. :)Kazekagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07499536996058174109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-34097954026321879552011-02-13T16:25:10.250-05:002011-02-13T16:25:10.250-05:00I imagine that's the end result of the Big Two...I imagine that's the end result of the Big Two's current strategy: the readership has become so polarized that middle ground barely exists as a <i>concept</i> anymore. I mean, you look at something like Roy Harper's Impotent Kitty Nunchucks and either you're disgusted or you think it's kewl that he might get back on the junk again. Not much room for moderation when the stories are so bloody <i>extreme</i>.<br /><br />Eh, I suppose they might as well just break them all up into teams again, that seems to be the only way writers can cope with the characters.<br /><br />So you made it through <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVC75Gi5lWE" rel="nofollow">this</a>? I <i>am</i> impressed, sir. :)Diana Kingston-Gabaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06606122690934557406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-35027419590045768042011-01-25T22:16:31.353-05:002011-01-25T22:16:31.353-05:00Aww, thanks. I will try, in the midst of my profan...Aww, thanks. I will try, in the midst of my profane inveighing against things which disappoint me that I will freely admit that I'm kinda full of shit. Part of that's because I look at things which may or may not be worthy of serious critical thought (or my irreverent version thereof) but most of it's just my dismay at the fact that you can't say <i>anything</i> about comics here lately without it touching off a flamewar and people immediately run to the trenches. It's like hockey with just the fights and no hockey.<br /><br />Well, that would have worked, I supposed, but for the twin problems of 1) spending forever setting up the stupid status quo and 2) Matt Fraction can only write characters in one voice, and he nicked that from Joss Whedon. I don't know much about Gillen . . .I may or may not give it a try, assuming he's actually allowed to individuate the characters again.<br /><br /> I can't say that I have--<i>Smallville's</i> not on my radar even as a car-wreck kind of curioisity, but I can imagine it's fairly ghastly indeed. I had forgotten about Superman vs. Howie Mandell, but I could actually probably go lower than that if I had to--I <i>did</i> watch the old <i>Superboy</i> show, after all. ;)Kazekagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07499536996058174109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-79986815215338857062011-01-25T13:14:47.227-05:002011-01-25T13:14:47.227-05:00It does seem like the discourse of comics is deter...It does seem like the discourse of comics is deteriorating alongside the actual material - not only are the <i>stories</i> becoming more contrived and backwards and ridiculous, but even <i>talking</i> about them tends to veer more towards K-Box territory than an intelligent discussion - present company excluded, of course. :)<br /><br />Well, rotating the cast was supposed to be the big post-Utopia idea, wasn't it? You get all the X-Men in one place and then pick a few per storyline. That's actually a viable long-term plan, because you can alternate character beats with some longer subplots without completely losing direction. Still, Fraction's leaving the book in April, to be replaced by Kieron Gillen - I might actually drop in at that point, since he did that lovely SWORD miniseries a while back...<br /><br />Have you been reading the <a href="http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/01/24/recap-smallville-episode-6-11-justice/" rel="nofollow">Sims/Uzumeri reviews</a>? They're as incredulous as we are, only they're actually watching the whole damn season. :) (And while the frog-eating clones were bad, I'd say the absolute worst was Superman vs. Howie Mandel in the Battle to Save Christmas. Brr.)Diana Kingston-Gabaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06606122690934557406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-55991059005495915412011-01-07T13:53:49.638-05:002011-01-07T13:53:49.638-05:00It is, and all that I get from things like Slott-g...It is, and all that I get from things like Slott-gate and Aaron going after Alan Moore is a rather disappointed sigh and frankly, it's just not worth it to me to get involved in. A walk through the oceans of comics circa 2011 would scarcely get my feet wet.<br /> <br />I can only imagine the mix-up. There'd either be a lot of statutory rape or surrogate daddy-ing, and either of those would be icky. But that's what he gets for thinking a cast of bloody 200 character was going to work in any meaningful way, isn't it? Mind you, it's not impossible to make an extended cast work--Busiek's Avengers frequently rotated cast members in and out in an effort to keep things fresh and give as many Avengers face time as he could, but there was always a core element that stayed fixed. I don't give a shit about 200 mutants on a rock in the ocean trying to make Mutant Israel. We did that better than this ten years ago and no one needed to be made a vampire to make me give a shit.<br /><br /> Man, I . . .you know, people told me that <i>Smallville</i> was hilariously misbegotten from the start and yet, I continue to hold myself aloof. I do find it amazing though, that about 15 years ago, we thought frog-eating clones were the worst thing a Superman series could do. And then Clark started using his heat vision whenever he got horny . . .and then . . .Kazekagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07499536996058174109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-26480561276725223042011-01-07T10:55:36.169-05:002011-01-07T10:55:36.169-05:00Exactly so. It's a bit much, isn't it?
S...Exactly so. It's a bit much, isn't it? <br /><br />Sometimes I think those are actually Fraction's Post-It Notes, the kind you'd use to sort out who's who. Because otherwise he'd get all mixed up and confuse Colossus with Wolverine, and all hell would break loose. :)<br /><br />Ghastly, yes. Occasionally hilarious too, because if I recall correctly the <i>pilot episode</i> had Clark stripped to the waist and tied to a post in the middle of an empty cornfield, suggesting that someone had a Superman-bondage fixation <i>at the planning stages.</i> And here we are, a decade later, and half-naked pretty boys are <i>still</i> getting tied up all over the place. How they got from that to Superman is, and has ever been, beyond me.:)Diana Kingston-Gabaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06606122690934557406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-86793497850676421022010-12-11T20:43:27.608-05:002010-12-11T20:43:27.608-05:00Well, I think the frustration comes more from the ...Well, I think the frustration comes more from the vertically integrated contempt that seems to be out there that suffuses every level of the business. I look around the comics sites now and what do I see? The people who buy comics hate the comics they buy. Comic shop owners hate their consumers. Comic creators hate the fans. Heads of comic companies hate the fans and it seems like <i>everyone</i> is in the mad race to be the <i>first</i> person to tell someone else to go fuck themselves and . . .really. I <i>play</i> at being angry here, but it's getting a bit much even for <i>me.</i> Which is why the blog takes such continuous and extended terms for the retro, I suspect. There's not much good news in the current comics scene for me. <br /><br /> God, didn't they? Of course, if they were written with more specific voices (or we had a cast of a little less than 200) we wouldn't <i>need</i> witty captions to differentiate between everyone.<br /><br />So it's . . .bondage porn trojan-horsed into the homes of millions as a <i>Superman</i> show? I'm kinda glad I've never seen an episode now. It sounds right ghastly. But then, the misunderstanding of Superman as fallen God eternally suffering for the sins of the people he's worn to protect in one way or another is a pretty systemic misunderstanding of the character, innit?Kazekagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07499536996058174109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-9020599814640149412010-12-11T17:17:31.451-05:002010-12-11T17:17:31.451-05:00I think that, more than anything, is the source of...I think that, more than anything, is the source of the frustration currently working its way through the blogosphere: it's likely still possible to turn things around, but that would require DiDio and Quesada to set their gargantuan egos aside and recognize the mistakes they're making. Which, given that Internet commentary is the <i>only</i> real input they get these days (do comics even have letter pages anymore? None that I've seen...) shouldn't be too much of a stretch. But rather than take an honest look at where they've gone wrong over the years, they're utterly convinced that they just need to keep pushing more, as if quantity is the problem rather than quality.<br /><br />Yes, those "clever" introductions in Uncanny X-Men got rather tired after the fourth or fifth iteration...<br /><br />Well, here's how I see it: hypothetically speaking, if the point of "Smallville" is to strip Justin Hartley and Tom Welling down to their knickers on a regular basis and string them up in compromising positions, I might be the target audience. But I certainly wouldn't see it as a DC series, and <i>certainly</i> not even remotely connected to Superman.Diana Kingston-Gabaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06606122690934557406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-6024568234446226832010-11-27T21:54:02.889-05:002010-11-27T21:54:02.889-05:00Well, that's all they know how to do now. We&#...Well, that's all they know how to do now. We're no fighting for crumbs, so if the sales sheets say people are buying a lot of <i>one</i> Avengers or Deadpool book, then print a whole lot more of them to soak up every dollar you can until they move on to the next thing. <i>And that's all they apparently know how to do.</i><br /><br />I imagine they were, because, uh, I gotta be honest . . .to me, Fraction writes everyone in the same voice, and that voice is that of an unbearably smug asshole. Plug that handicap into a book like <i>Uncanny X-Men</i> with it's cast of 200 and it's like the most annoying talking greeting card you can imagine--you want to hurl the thing across the room to get it to shut the hell up.<br /><br /><i>You</i> look at <i>Smallville.</i> That sounds really ghastly, you know. I know I'm not in TV and obviously know little about how these decisions get made, but is a cosmic villain, surely to be fought in a grand scale battle with the universe at stake, is the best venue for all that a show full of pouty effete actors on a budget of roughly twice that of an underachieving fan film the best way to go about it?Kazekagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07499536996058174109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-83569165563554866032010-11-27T16:06:11.214-05:002010-11-27T16:06:11.214-05:00It probably doesn't help that they're gett...It probably doesn't help that they're getting increasingly desperate the further sales sink - and in typical Marvel fashion, they're responding to the decline with More Dakka rather than trying to figure out <i>why</i> things have gone so wrong.<br /><br />Well, he <i>did</i> do some solid work on "Immortal Iron Fist", but that was co-written with Ed Brubaker and I've long suspected that Fraction's contribution was on a conceptual level - the other Immortal Warriors, the tales of the various Iron Fists like Wu Ao Shi, etc. And Brubaker was the one who spun those concepts into fully realized stories.<br /><br />Really, you only need to look at "Smallville" to see how that works - I caught a recent episode out of curiosity, as they're apparently doing a Darkseid arc now, and I was sure I'd accidentally picked up a softcore gay porno instead: all half-naked boys with blank faces being tied up. Then Michael Hogan turned up, and I remembered that's the <i>other</i> thing CW does so well: wasting guest stars. :)Diana Kingston-Gabaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06606122690934557406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-38972798865546603222010-11-08T23:05:31.531-05:002010-11-08T23:05:31.531-05:00Well, it's like what happened with comic book ...Well, it's like what happened with comic book death, isn't it? Like death, the whole status-quo shakeup thing has been done so often and <i>never</i> makes a lick of difference ultimately and the disingenuous-ness of the exercise just annoys people because it's like "Yeah, whatever. It'll be all back to normal eventually or it won't."<br /><br />It's disappointed me, but the bigger issue I have with it is that I've never <i>liked</i> it, either. I'd cut the guy a little more slack if he'd actually done anything I'd found interesting.<br /><br /> I know, right? Then again, CW actors are a dime a dozen and they work cheap, there's always a chance economy may take precedence over wise decision-making. It surely wouldn't be the first time. :)Kazekagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07499536996058174109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-65628215959073248362010-11-07T09:26:15.145-05:002010-11-07T09:26:15.145-05:00That's probably a symptom of the larger proble...That's probably a symptom of the larger problem: creative directions are so easily overturned these days that nothing sticks. It doesn't matter how much individual writers struggle against the status quo, by now we've become accustomed to the notion that it'll all snap back sooner or later.<br /><br />About the only charitable thing I can say about Matt Fraction is that his work has never flat-out <i>offended</i> me, and wow, the situation must be dire when that actually sets him apart from his peers.<br /><br />Especially since your typical CW actor tends to fall more on the "a-duh" side of the acting scale. Not that one needs a particular range or depth to play Superman, but at the very least you'd need more than two facial expressions.Diana Kingston-Gabaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06606122690934557406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-57380018746613312812010-10-23T15:53:44.857-04:002010-10-23T15:53:44.857-04:00Yeah, so Ultimatum really counted in the end, dinn...Yeah, so Ultimatum really <i>counted</i> in the end, dinnit? This is what I was talking about before--these kinds of apocalyptic scenarios have been so abused now and treated like a joke that it's lost any and all power to shock, or at least it is for me. :)<br /><br />And they burned them out . . .pretty quick, didn't they?<br /><br />Yeah, I have never really understood Fraction's "magic touch," really--to me it reads like he desperately wants to be Grant Morrison despite the notable handicap of having no original or interesting ideas of his own.<br /><br />I know, right? I hardly think, given Superman's general appearance on some level (depending on who's writing him that day) as a paternal or big brother (lowercase) figure, why not someone slightly older than the CW norm? Someone who can bring a little more gravitas than the latest hot young thing off the CW.Kazekagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07499536996058174109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-70977563653351479102010-10-23T13:41:19.245-04:002010-10-23T13:41:19.245-04:00I seem to recall hearing that Bendis' first is...I seem to recall hearing that Bendis' first issue of post-reboot Ultimate Spider-Man (or Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, or Ultimate Spider-Comics-Man, I don't even know anymore) basically had a page describing the six-month cleanup period, and then... business as usual. And I'm guessing any characters killed during Ultimatum will be back within three years. Because at this point they couldn't escape that trap even if they saw it coming.<br /><br />Considering their current batch of talent is Bendis, Millar and Loeb, it rather seems like they're already there. :)<br /><br />I imagine Fraction gets assignments because his pitches sound so much better in theory until he actually sits down and writes; but Daniel Way? I've got nothing. To be fair, he's not <i>offensively</i> bad in the way that Liefeld and Austen were, but the man's about as sharp as chocolate pudding.<br /><br />I'm for any scenario that would have Bob Iger staggering around muttering "Dear God, what have we done?" :)<br /><br />Now that <i>would</i> be a bit of casting brilliance. Come to think of it, that might be part of the problem with Superman these days: between Brandon Routh and Tom Welling, it's as if there's some consensus that Superman has to be a "pretty boy" rather than a grown man, and really, that doesn't seem to be working <i>at all</i>.Diana Kingston-Gabaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06606122690934557406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-68770933944675854952010-10-10T21:36:51.598-04:002010-10-10T21:36:51.598-04:00Well, in defence of Thanos, it's the law of Ch...Well, in defence of Thanos, it's the law of Chekov's Gauntlet--if you have a magic wishing glove in Act One everything it does will be rolled back by act 3. Did the flood have <i>any</i> real effect, ultimately (no pun intended)<br /><br />Man, wouldn't that be good? I give it until the time when they have no more first-string creators to make it worth promoting and it'll be irrelevant sooner than you can say "Astonishing X-Men."<br /><br />We've said that so many times, though, and not so much as an "oops" yet. I mean, why is Matt Fraction allowed to write anything long after he's proven he can't do anything interesting? Why is Daniel Way Chuck Austen 2.0? Who in the blue hell is Victor Gischler and why should I care? ust give me one--ONE--book I can like that is NOT a reprint, Marvel that's all I ask.<br /><br /> No, some <i>other</i> entertainment venue I love is triying to dick-ride on Jersey Shore, and it's turning out pretty dire. Besides which Diana--every time you say stuff like this, I have this vision of someone at Marvel saying <i>"I've got one that can SEE!</i> into their watch and vanishing to plot Christ knows what horrible comics. ;)<br /><br /> So it wasn't all bad. :) I tell you--he <i>needs</i> to be Superman, doesn't he?Kazekagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07499536996058174109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-16643623876957445722010-10-10T16:00:13.986-04:002010-10-10T16:00:13.986-04:00I don't mind the chaos per se; it's not th...I don't mind the chaos per se; it's not that they're making mistakes, it's that they're making the <i>same</i> mistakes. Magneto flooding the world to no real effect doesn't strike me as much different from Thanos killing half the universe only to have it pop right back up.<br /><br />Just as well, I suppose. The sooner it shuffles off, the sooner we can wax nostalgic about the good old days when it was actually worth the paper it was printed on...<br /><br />Of course, it's tempting to imagine that with the law of diminishing returns being what it is, they're going to hit the Mea Culpa Wall sooner rather than later. :)<br /><br />I guess we should be thankful they're pimping Tron and not, say, "Jersey Shore". Because I have no trouble seeing them drop Spider-Man, Wolverine and Captain America into tanning salons. Sally Floyd could be their liaison to those scabrous wretches on MTV, the better to connect our heroes to the true essence of America. :(<br /><br />Well, we know how <i>that</i> turned out. ;) Still love me the Hamm, though.Diana Kingston-Gabaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06606122690934557406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-24561928038596899662010-09-29T10:14:04.812-04:002010-09-29T10:14:04.812-04:00I suspect it was more than one look, but it's ...I suspect it was <i>more</i> than one look, but it's best not to dwell on the unsavory aspects. :)<br /><br />14. I think that it's the same result, really--you end up with a lot of disarray. Part of it is a certain amount chaos is inevitable in any system, but they don't help themselves any by saying "Oh, and uhm, Magneto floods the Earth and kills everyone except who he doesn't."<br /><br />I don't know what they can do to pull it out, really. The same people who messed it up are still in charge of it and they <i>never</i> admit failure so . . .yeah. I think it's just doomed to quietly die off in the corner over there.<br /><br /> It would seem to be self-evident, but considering the whole obnoxious contempt the big two have for their audiences, even this small lesson is lost on them. The most money I dropped on comics in the last few months was on the Marvel Hardcover sale. Which I wouldn't have gone in for anyways except <i>the price was right for the material.</i> What a concept.<br /><br />Shhh . . .they'll <i>hear</i> you. I'm already waiting for the TRON-themed outfits for everyone. :)<br /><br />He's a man of many talents. I cannot <i>wait</i> to hear your reactions to <i>Mad Men.</i>Kazekagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07499536996058174109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-62065929449403885572010-09-29T06:15:29.647-04:002010-09-29T06:15:29.647-04:00Well, Christina Hendricks is 35... I imagine he to...Well, Christina Hendricks is 35... I imagine he took one look at her, said "Close enough" and got to work. :)<br /><br />14. I disagree: there are certain lessons one could learn in looking at how the DCU and MU evolved. For example, don't subordinate your entire universe to a writer who clearly isn't up to the task; don't make sweeping changes for the sake of an "Event" without considering the consequences; and for God's sake, dead means dead. :)<br /><br />The problem is that the lessons <i>haven't</i> been learned: even with just three primary writers, the Ultimate Universe caved in on itself rather spectacularly and ended up <i>repeating</i> mistakes made over a 40-year period in less than five. That's an accomplishment, but likely not what the higher-ups were hoping for.<br /><br />Absolutely. It seems absurd that I should actually have to <i>say</i> this given that it's so self-evident, but if I pay more for something, I expect a better product in return. And even the <i>best</i> comics I'm still reading aren't so captivating that I couldn't give them up if I had to.<br /><br />Given Marvel's typical shameless pandering to what they <i>think</i> is the zeitgeist, we should probably be grateful the X-Men vampires don't sparkle.<br /><br />And, if the Emmys were any indication, he can sing and dance too. Delightful. :)Diana Kingston-Gabaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06606122690934557406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-82060743490190257412010-09-09T14:27:16.244-04:002010-09-09T14:27:16.244-04:00The rainbow signifies the crazy skittles they make...The rainbow signifies the crazy skittles they make. :) Oh K-Box, I would not have imagined you were a <i>Mad Men</i> fan in one million years. For one thing, there's a marked lack of MILFs . . .<br /><br />14. Well, it was inevitable, really. Would <i>Heroes Reborn</i> have worked ten years out (or one? I kid, I kid)It's the nature of ongoing multi-title narrative universes to accumulate barnacles and contradictions--with that many cooks, you just can't help it, I think. That said, when your braintrust is Millar and Loeb, you sorts <i>deserve</i> to fail, y'ask me.<br /><br /> The price thing is killing me in terms of new comics as well. I was not quite as sorry to see <i>Atlas</i> go down, if I'm honest. The muddled story and the damn 3D Man didn't help, but I was having trouble justifying $4 for something I was only faintly enjoying.<br /><br /> True. Given the general downbeat tone of the books post M-Day and the grinding bloodbath that was Second Coming, if <i>any</i> franchise could have used a more optimistic upbeat bent, I would have said the X-Men. Notice I did not say "fighting vampires" anywhere in there. :)<br /><br /> Hey, who doesn't? It's an equal opportunity "cake" show--the dudess have Christina Hendricks et al to crush on, the ladies have Jon Hamm and his suave savoir faire seasoned with a hint of melancholy. :) The man does "woobie" very well indeed.Kazekagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07499536996058174109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-100913711576467072010-09-09T13:20:22.470-04:002010-09-09T13:20:22.470-04:00Ah, but in that configuration, which of them is th...Ah, but in that configuration, which of them is the rainbow? :)<br /><br />14. Oh, I've no doubt it's too late at this point - especially since they'd just end up repeating the same mistakes again, and <i>nowhere</i> is this more evident than what happened to the Ultimate Universe. For an imprint <i>designed</i> to avert the mistakes of the past, it only took them half a decade to completely self-destruct.<br /><br />Of course, my "loyalty" has limits: in the unlikely event that Mike Carey drops the ball, or (far more likely) the price continues to rise... well, I'd be sad about dropping it, but I wouldn't regret the decision.<br /><br />Exactly - and this was before cynicism became the dominant attitude among readers, so they could have gotten plenty of mileage out of a completely new status quo. And they squandered the opportunity.<br /><br />It's next on the list. I can already tell you this much, though: methinks I'm going to have a truly <i>epic</i> crush on Jon Hamm. :)Diana Kingston-Gabaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06606122690934557406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-88438573499910593632010-08-25T00:18:46.045-04:002010-08-25T00:18:46.045-04:00Man, I swear . . .on that LJ it's like K-Box&#...Man, I swear . . .on that LJ it's like K-Box's tightly focused mania is focused through the prism of LJ into Jesse Baker's multitudinal craziness. Somehow, comparing them to the cover of <i>Dark Side of the Moon,</i> an album about insanity, is really the most insightful thing I could say about the two of them.<br /><br /> 14. Planning ahead in superhero comics is like procrastinating about recharging your fire extinguisher--it's good you thought of it, but it good intentions do sweet FA when the house is already on fire.<br /><br /> It's a bit like life--all your happiness is brief little bits where you get out of the constant rain. ;) If you can find one or two books that swim against the tide, all power to you. <i>I</i> can't.<br /><br /> The thing is, like the Age of Apocalypse, it's one of the rare times you can bend the rules of the never-ending superhero soap opera and actually create things with a definite tangible end point to them. It also makes the return to the usual monthly grind slightly fresher.<br /><br /> As it's somewhat off the usual track of our conversations and you liked <i>Gargoyles</i> so much, I'm mightily intrigued to see what you make of it. :)Kazekagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07499536996058174109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-4006351823139212332010-08-24T11:21:10.036-04:002010-08-24T11:21:10.036-04:00Well, we can always pick on Jesse Baker instead. :...Well, we can always pick on Jesse Baker instead. :) He may lack K-Box's occasional common sense, but I'm sure the rabid howling at the moon is so much more entertaining. <br /><br />14. If they had the foresight to plan ahead like that, they probably wouldn't be in the mess they're in now. <br /><br />More of a mixed blessing, really, since I keep sticking around for those few genuinely good books when I'd probably be happier just dropping Marvel and DC altogether. :)<br /><br />That might have been the last gasp of storytelling being prioritized over sales stunts - I'm sure the higher-ups expected the Clone Saga to pay off, but it was in no way a guaranteed success. And in spite of the risks, they chose not to play it safe.<br /><br />40. It's high up in the queue, believe me. :)Diana Kingston-Gabaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06606122690934557406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-41972335756871518712010-08-15T11:58:41.646-04:002010-08-15T11:58:41.646-04:00No, but I might. ;)
14. Oh, believe me, I know. T...No, but <i>I</i> might. ;)<br /><br />14. Oh, believe me, I know. The problem is it's a short-term solution to a long-term problem. The smartest thing to do would be to re-build the audience from scratch and make a concerted effort to get this stuff out to a younger generation. That means newsstand/bookstore distribution, that means digital, that means relying on something other than the goddamn comics shop, and that may mean re-evaluating the 22 page comic as the ideal delivery system for it. It may be years before it turns a profit, but if you want comics to continue, I don't see how you get around it.<br /><br /> Thank heaven for small favours, eh? :)<br /><br /> It was a clever idea, and I really did kinda like it when Ben actually got rid of the damn hoodie and got to be Spider-Man. It was interesting to see them play around with that new status quo, and even if it hadn't stuck, it was kinda cool to see them let that run for awhile. Sort of like during "Funeral for a Friend" you had Superman books without Superman in them (Before that became standard operating procedure for Superman books, as it is now)<br /><br /> 40. In the name of making it easy to catch up, I am being cagey with spoilers for the new season just for you, Diana. :)Kazekagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07499536996058174109noreply@blogger.com