It was fun and easy, certainly more fun and easier than when I used to be a Talking Head and debate unpleasant national and international policy issues on Washington's numberless blabcasts.
But the producer was having trouble coming up with topics that would be:
- not entirely uninteresting to a non-comic fan
- fresh for regular comic book readers
- subtantial yet entertaining
So I thought I'd ask the most disriminating comic fans I know -- the Absorbascommenters --
"What would you want to watch discussed if you were to watch such a show?"
25 comments:
How about you get some female comic fans and some male comic fans and get them to debate the portrayl of women in superhero comics?
You could add extra entertainment value by slapping with a haddock anyone who suggested that 1) superhero comics aren't intended to be read by women, 2) that's what manga is for, 3) why don't they try Strangers in Paradise or Sandman?
And yes, I realise you have zero interest in this topic, but it does fit your criteria and would make good TV.
Do female members of the JSA turn up the AC at the meeting room just to see the effect on Hawkman's nipples?
I would enjoy seeing a passionate knock-down, drag-out debate/fight-to-the-death in which one person argues that Imaginary Comic Book Character A could easily defeat Imaginary Comic Book Character B in hand-to-hand combat. I mean, these discussions are INCREDIBLY amusing when witnessed in an online forum or (on those luckiest of occasions) in an actual comic book emporium, so they would have to make for great television (or at least as good as any debate on FOX News or MSNBC).
Both above topics would make excellent tv. I'd watch 'em (indeed, the latter could make a nice weekly segment).
My own contribution...
Um...
The adultification of comics as motivated by rising paper prices?
Pick a comic book movie or tv show / compare-contrast to original material?
Umm... T's'all I got for now...
I'm all for knock-down drag-out fights... but gove em boxong gloves and let em realy fight... How cool would a real geek-fight be?
I realise you have zero interest in this topic
Actually, I have a lot of interest in that topic. What I have no interest in is those who seem to have no interest in anything but that topic. Don't confuse the two.
Your Dynastic Centerpiece Model. To me, that'd be good comic tv. Your readers would already be familiar with it, but interested in it, and I'm sure people who haven't heard of it would love it.
How well comics have been translating to other media. I know a few people who told me I didn't like the last X-Men movie just because I'm a comic book fan, but I think a non-comic-book reader would have seen the problems I did. Would be neat to put that to the test with two groups discussing one movie, or cartoon, or TV show.
That subject did come up on the show, Ragnell, but not in the structured way you suggest; it's a good idea.
This could be tricky because it'd definitely vary from person to person, but maybe you can talk about some of the misperceptions non-comic book readers have of comic books?
"Comic books taught me to read. Why don't they make comics for kids anymore?"
I second Mutt's suggestion. And it's a lot more than reading... morality, interest in science... Hell, comics made me a cancer researcher and professor. No joke.
--what made you interested in comic books in the first place?
--what was your most joyful comic experience?
--if you could create a new comic book character, what would you want to see?
--how do you create new comic book readers?
--which comic book superhero do you think could be most easily translated into the real world?
--what obsure or forgotten character should be revived?
--give me one good reason why I should believe that "Who Wants to be a Superhero" wasn't a rigged and scripted faux-reality show...
--why is my computer hard drive jammed with slash fic?
--why does scipio have such large biceps?
--who would win a fight to the death between wildcat and galactus? Discuss.
Racism in comics, from WWII to today.
The early-90s collector bubble, why it popped, and the similarities to the late-90s tech bubble.
Creator's rights and how they've evolved over the years.
Comic book legal battles; DC vs. Fawcett, Alan Moore, et cetera.
Why the superhero genre is so dominant.
The rise and fall of the Comics Code Authority.
Politics in comics.
How come Jack Kirby's so awesome.
Perhaps something along the lines of a glossary of comics terms, maybe with their origins.
(Verification: ccwbub - what kind of permit Wolverine needs for his claws after Civil War.)
Do you have a recording of the show? Would you be able to post a copy on You Tube for us to see?
Scipio -- Thanks. Though that phrasing makes it sound like it didn't go too well.
"Why should the medium survive? What does it provide that other media cannot? Movie special effects can provide equally amazing visuals and kabooms. Print books can provide equal, if not greater, depth into characters and situations. Television can and does provide long-running, absorbing serial fiction. What's so special about comics?"
Granted, that's probably one they asked, but if not...man, you could go on for a real long time with that question.
"How has the idea of the superhero evolved? How has Superman changed from his creation until today? And why?"
"With comic books no longer available in every corner store, how is the industry adapting? How do you create new comic fans?"
"Why doesn't somebody just f'n shoot Batman and be done with it? He's a dude in funny jammies. A nickel's worth of lead and hey, Gotham City is yours. What the hell?"
"When is Vibe: The Movie, Meng! going to get past development hell?"
"Do you have a recording of the show? Would you be able to post a copy on You Tube for us to see?"
That will happen, but only after the show has aired.
Where/when does this show air?
"Scipio -- Thanks. Though that phrasing makes it sound like it didn't go too well."
Quite the opposite; it was one of the parts that went the best. What I meant was, the topic came up, but the show wasn't structured around it.
Our discussion of adaptation into other media was part of larger 'difference between DC and Marvel' discussion.
"Where/when does this show air?"
DC Cable; not sure when. I will post about it when I find out.
Green Lanterns and their firm taut buttocks. Hey, you know I'd watch.
I realize this isn't a question per say, but I want a new VH1 special:
Behind the Panels - the true story of the greatest comic book writers/ artists, and their rise and fall in the decadent, helter-skelter world of comic books!
Roy Thomas: Man, did I do a lot of blow back then... When fans show up at conventions with copies of Infinity Inc to sign, I have to check the credits to make sure I wrote it. And the women!...
What about the process of storytelling?
Or following a book from idea through production until it gets on the shelves.
Is continuity more trouble than it's worth?
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