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Started by Faust, January 09, 2012, 12:32:30 AM

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The Good Reverend Roger

Quote from: Bobby Campbell on October 14, 2013, 04:04:54 PM
Finally finished Jonathan Hickman's Fantastic Four/FF run and man was it awesome! I think I'll try some of his creator owned stuff.

In order:

Manhattan Projects - 11/10.  Insanely good.
Nightly News - 9/10.  If you don't have really good eyes, get a magnifying glass for the sidebars.
Transhuman - 6/10.  Fun read.

Most of the rest of his creator-owned stuff is shit.

Red Mass for Mars blows monkey balls.
Red Wing makes NO FUCKING SENSE and I WANT MY 45 MINUTES BACK.
" It's just that Depeche Mode were a bunch of optimistic loveburgers."
- TGRR, shaming himself forever, 7/8/2017

"Billy, when I say that ethics is our number one priority and safety is also our number one priority, you should take that to mean exactly what I said. Also quality. That's our number one priority as well. Don't look at me that way, you're in the corporate world now and this is how it works."
- TGRR, raising the bar at work.

Faust

Manhattan Projects Hasn't Finished yet has it? I'm waiting for a few volumes to build up before I read it.
Sleepless nights at the chateau

The Good Reverend Roger

Quote from: Faust on October 14, 2013, 04:49:56 PM
Manhattan Projects Hasn't Finished yet has it? I'm waiting for a few volumes to build up before I read it.

Nope.  There's two trades out right now, I think.  Or damn near.  I've been buying them in issue form (which I never do) since they started.
" It's just that Depeche Mode were a bunch of optimistic loveburgers."
- TGRR, shaming himself forever, 7/8/2017

"Billy, when I say that ethics is our number one priority and safety is also our number one priority, you should take that to mean exactly what I said. Also quality. That's our number one priority as well. Don't look at me that way, you're in the corporate world now and this is how it works."
- TGRR, raising the bar at work.

Bobby Campbell

Quote from: Dirty Old Uncle Roger on October 14, 2013, 04:29:27 PM
In order:

Manhattan Projects - 11/10.  Insanely good.
Nightly News - 9/10.  If you don't have really good eyes, get a magnifying glass for the sidebars.
Transhuman - 6/10.  Fun read.


Awesome, thanks very much!

Faust

Quote from: Dirty Old Uncle Roger on October 14, 2013, 04:58:25 PM
Quote from: Faust on October 14, 2013, 04:49:56 PM
Manhattan Projects Hasn't Finished yet has it? I'm waiting for a few volumes to build up before I read it.

Nope.  There's two trades out right now, I think.  Or damn near.  I've been buying them in issue form (which I never do) since they started.

See I find that too frustrating. There's a lot to be said for buying the singles though, It stops a series from being cancelled for one thing (Warren Ellis once said something like all a comic has to sell world wide is like 6000 issues to stop it being cancelled), but it can drive the overall direction of the publisher too.

The only thing I'm reading and collecting month to month any more is Wonder Woman which I've harped on about in the past enough times.
Sleepless nights at the chateau

The Good Reverend Roger

Quote from: Faust on October 14, 2013, 05:05:12 PM
Quote from: Dirty Old Uncle Roger on October 14, 2013, 04:58:25 PM
Quote from: Faust on October 14, 2013, 04:49:56 PM
Manhattan Projects Hasn't Finished yet has it? I'm waiting for a few volumes to build up before I read it.

Nope.  There's two trades out right now, I think.  Or damn near.  I've been buying them in issue form (which I never do) since they started.

See I find that too frustrating. There's a lot to be said for buying the singles though, It stops a series from being cancelled for one thing (Warren Ellis once said something like all a comic has to sell world wide is like 6000 issues to stop it being cancelled), but it can drive the overall direction of the publisher too.

The only thing I'm reading and collecting month to month any more is Wonder Woman which I've harped on about in the past enough times.

The ONLY comic I buy by the issue is MP.  Because I NEED more MP.  My arms itch if I don't get my fix.

Gotta say, though, the Oppenheimer interior war issues (12 & 14 IIRC) suck gigantic monkey balls.

" It's just that Depeche Mode were a bunch of optimistic loveburgers."
- TGRR, shaming himself forever, 7/8/2017

"Billy, when I say that ethics is our number one priority and safety is also our number one priority, you should take that to mean exactly what I said. Also quality. That's our number one priority as well. Don't look at me that way, you're in the corporate world now and this is how it works."
- TGRR, raising the bar at work.

LordFjord

Trying to start getting back into the Invisibles by Grant Morrison at the moment, that guy sure is pretty cray cray.

The Good Reverend Roger

Quote from: LordFjord on October 15, 2013, 12:18:18 AM
Trying to start getting back into the Invisibles by Grant Morrison at the moment, that guy sure is pretty cray cray.

The Invisibles bored me to tears, though I understand a lot of people like it.  It wasn't badly written, it just wasn't for me.

The Filth, on the other hand, was fucking AMAZING, if a little over the top in the crudity department.
" It's just that Depeche Mode were a bunch of optimistic loveburgers."
- TGRR, shaming himself forever, 7/8/2017

"Billy, when I say that ethics is our number one priority and safety is also our number one priority, you should take that to mean exactly what I said. Also quality. That's our number one priority as well. Don't look at me that way, you're in the corporate world now and this is how it works."
- TGRR, raising the bar at work.

Kai

Quote from: Dirty Old Uncle Roger on October 14, 2013, 05:07:48 PM
Quote from: Faust on October 14, 2013, 05:05:12 PM
Quote from: Dirty Old Uncle Roger on October 14, 2013, 04:58:25 PM
Quote from: Faust on October 14, 2013, 04:49:56 PM
Manhattan Projects Hasn't Finished yet has it? I'm waiting for a few volumes to build up before I read it.

Nope.  There's two trades out right now, I think.  Or damn near.  I've been buying them in issue form (which I never do) since they started.

See I find that too frustrating. There's a lot to be said for buying the singles though, It stops a series from being cancelled for one thing (Warren Ellis once said something like all a comic has to sell world wide is like 6000 issues to stop it being cancelled), but it can drive the overall direction of the publisher too.

The only thing I'm reading and collecting month to month any more is Wonder Woman which I've harped on about in the past enough times.

The ONLY comic I buy by the issue is MP.  Because I NEED more MP.  My arms itch if I don't get my fix.

Gotta say, though, the Oppenheimer interior war issues (12 & 14 IIRC) suck gigantic monkey balls.

Oh. Wow. I think I need this now. I think I do.
If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water. --Loren Eisley, The Immense Journey

Her Royal Majesty's Chief of Insect Genitalia Dissection
Grand Visser of the Six Legged Class
Chanticleer of the Holometabola Clade Church, Diptera Parish

The Good Reverend Roger

Quote from: Kai on October 15, 2013, 02:10:07 AM
Quote from: Dirty Old Uncle Roger on October 14, 2013, 05:07:48 PM
Quote from: Faust on October 14, 2013, 05:05:12 PM
Quote from: Dirty Old Uncle Roger on October 14, 2013, 04:58:25 PM
Quote from: Faust on October 14, 2013, 04:49:56 PM
Manhattan Projects Hasn't Finished yet has it? I'm waiting for a few volumes to build up before I read it.

Nope.  There's two trades out right now, I think.  Or damn near.  I've been buying them in issue form (which I never do) since they started.

See I find that too frustrating. There's a lot to be said for buying the singles though, It stops a series from being cancelled for one thing (Warren Ellis once said something like all a comic has to sell world wide is like 6000 issues to stop it being cancelled), but it can drive the overall direction of the publisher too.

The only thing I'm reading and collecting month to month any more is Wonder Woman which I've harped on about in the past enough times.

The ONLY comic I buy by the issue is MP.  Because I NEED more MP.  My arms itch if I don't get my fix.

Gotta say, though, the Oppenheimer interior war issues (12 & 14 IIRC) suck gigantic monkey balls.

Oh. Wow. I think I need this now. I think I do.

Yes.  Yes, you do.

All the characters are 180 degrees from their real life counterparts.

General Leslie Groves is a Sergeant Rock-style super-soldier.
Einstein is a hard-drinking brawler.
Feynman is a narcissist.
And Oppenheimer?  Oh, man.  Oh, man oh man.
" It's just that Depeche Mode were a bunch of optimistic loveburgers."
- TGRR, shaming himself forever, 7/8/2017

"Billy, when I say that ethics is our number one priority and safety is also our number one priority, you should take that to mean exactly what I said. Also quality. That's our number one priority as well. Don't look at me that way, you're in the corporate world now and this is how it works."
- TGRR, raising the bar at work.

The Good Reverend Roger

On that note, I have a couple of thoughts concerning comics today.  Bear in mind that this is coming from someone who absolutely loathes superhero shit.

1.  Kill off all the silly bastards in spandex.  Superheroes are basically our grandfather's stories, kept on life support so that his social security cheque keeps coming.  Superman, for example, is 75 years old.  In 75 years of continuing story, there is NOTHING NEW, and - like a soap opera - major life events get flattened down to a blip.  How many times has the stupid bastard been killed now?  Oh, Superman died again.  Yawn.  Let's see how he comes back this time.

Instead, how about supporting new and/or interesting stories (Frank Miller's Sin City comes to mind, as does almost anything by Garth Ennis or Grant Morrison).  Jonathan Hickman has a lot to say, but to make his bills, he's churning out absolute rubbish for the JLA.  JLA stories are only entertaining to a small segment of people, and are NOT friendly to a new reader who hasn't got 10+ years of experience reading the crap.  Buy STORIES, and they'll appear.  Buy the same old crap, get the same old crap.

Comics are a legitimate art form...So it's time for them to stop being so damn infantile, at least as far as the flagship properties of the big 3 go.

2.  There's a lot of really good indie shit out there.  Yes, you have to sift through a metric ton of garbage, but there are some absolute gems in that compost heap.  The only thing you have to get used to is one-offs.  Indies are not known for continuity.  You're also sending a message, in the only terms Marvel and DC will understand, that something new is in order.  Many people worry that the death of Marvel will mean the death of retail, but the funny part is, the retailers that go under aren't selling anything original ANYWAY.

3.  When looking for something new, try to find out who the writers you already like are reading.  You might be pleasantly surprised. Also, grab a copy of Previews when it comes out, and whatever the Image and Vertigo labels are doing as teasers.

4.  Demand better quality product.  8 alternate universes for the SAME CHARACTERS isn't NEW, it's a means to get you to buy the SAME STORY, AGAIN.  An author that can't finish a story (Warren Ellis comes to mind) has to be FORCED by the market to get his shit together. 

" It's just that Depeche Mode were a bunch of optimistic loveburgers."
- TGRR, shaming himself forever, 7/8/2017

"Billy, when I say that ethics is our number one priority and safety is also our number one priority, you should take that to mean exactly what I said. Also quality. That's our number one priority as well. Don't look at me that way, you're in the corporate world now and this is how it works."
- TGRR, raising the bar at work.

Faust

Superhero's are superficial boring and as entrenched now as they ever were. Superhero comics didn't evolve with the likes of the The Dark Knight Returns and the watchmen. It pushed them out of their existing into another one which it has wallowed comfortably in ever since. There is little exploration of the genre on any kind of literary level.

The writers who attempt to do so are fired and blacklisted by the big companies for creating an off message product.

The writers who attempt to do so in Independent comics like Marc Waid and Irrideemable, get called evil by the fans for doing something so shocking to their beloved character.

There are exceptions, and they are all short out of continuity stories that have a clear goal and end. They are appearing less and less.

The bold exploration of unique themes that was pushed by Karen Berger with the Vertigo line died years ago, and now DC have openly started gutting it for parts for their broken shared universe.

Alan moore's Marvelman was all that had to ever be said about superheroes and that was three decades ago.

It's not that he is some kind of literary wizard, it's that no one has made the attempt to which is a damn shame.
Sleepless nights at the chateau

Faust

There are exceptions, but they are rare:

Seven soldiers of victory by Grant morrison is a tribute to Crazy old Jack Kirby who's mixed blend of panthiesm, PTSD and psychedelic imagination created amazing sci-fi mascarading as superhero stories.

Wonderwoman Brian Azzerrello: Simple formula, remove all superheros (don't even mention them or their absence) from the book and have wonder woman in a protracted toxic family feud with the Greek gods.

The fantastic Four by Johnathan hickman: Again good sci-fi mixed with family drama, minimal superhero stories.
Sleepless nights at the chateau

The Good Reverend Roger

Quote from: Faust on October 15, 2013, 07:52:43 PM
Superhero's are superficial boring and as entrenched now as they ever were. Superhero comics didn't evolve with the likes of the The Dark Knight Returns and the watchmen. It pushed them out of their existing into another one which it has wallowed comfortably in ever since. There is little exploration of the genre on any kind of literary level.

The writers who attempt to do so are fired and blacklisted by the big companies for creating an off message product.

The writers who attempt to do so in Independent comics like Marc Waid and Irrideemable, get called evil by the fans for doing something so shocking to their beloved character.

There are exceptions, and they are all short out of continuity stories that have a clear goal and end. They are appearing less and less.

The bold exploration of unique themes that was pushed by Karen Berger with the Vertigo line died years ago, and now DC have openly started gutting it for parts for their broken shared universe.

Alan moore's Marvelman was all that had to ever be said about superheroes and that was three decades ago.

It's not that he is some kind of literary wizard, it's that no one has made the attempt to which is a damn shame.

Marvel is as bad as Disney, when it comes to this sort of shit...Which is why I urge people to leave Marvel products on the shelves.  And as far as the fans go, they're mostly in their early 30s to late 50s, and they aren't exactly the future of the genre. 

Fact is, retailers that sell both company-owned and creator-owned comics will tell you that they sell more creator-owned comics, at least since 2010 (although some recovery has been made with the late string of movies made).  Noir-style work is selling like hotcakes, as is horror (Try Locke and Key, by Joe Hill, the nom de plume of Stephen King's kid) and science fiction.

And I'm not saying the characters should be changed, I'm saying that they are on life support, and the plug should be pulled.  Do we really need another Batman re-re-re-reboot?  Is DC thinking that glomming all the characters together will someone revitalize things?  There's nothing TO revitalize.  It's old hat.  It's WWF for nerds.

There is no fucking reason whatsoever that comics can't handle serious storylines.  None at all.  I don't mean we need a graphic novel version of Wuthering Heights (God forbid), but we can certainly do better than perverts in spandex, yet again wrasslin' in the streets to Save The World. 
" It's just that Depeche Mode were a bunch of optimistic loveburgers."
- TGRR, shaming himself forever, 7/8/2017

"Billy, when I say that ethics is our number one priority and safety is also our number one priority, you should take that to mean exactly what I said. Also quality. That's our number one priority as well. Don't look at me that way, you're in the corporate world now and this is how it works."
- TGRR, raising the bar at work.

Faust

That's not what pays the bills for marvel or DC though.

Any attempt to break away from the crap they have now is met harshly.

The thing is the buyers did pull the plug on this mess. In the 90's DC foreclosed and was absorbed by Time Warner, in the last five years Marvel went bust and was bought out by Disney.

The two companies are zombies, going through the motions of what they knew in life, unable to change (reacting violently to it when it happens).

The only reason they are still around is as you said: the movies. Disney and Warner want shit they can trot out in the summer and make a killing on. See they ran out of ideas long ago and there's only so many movies you can remake, so they are cycling though the dead properties they bought for a pittance and making lots of money off it.

When superhero movies go out of fashion again, then that's it. The comics will sink into obscurity and creator owned* or independents will finally get the recognition they deserve.

I love the autobiographical genre, but it's one that gets largely ignored.

*self publishing online now makes it possible for anyone to have reasonable success with a series without any printing costs. If people like it, a kickstarter to get some physical copies out there has worked really well for a lot of people.
Sleepless nights at the chateau