tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post9167530603388218073..comments2024-03-27T19:04:14.544-05:00Comments on The Absorbascon: Broken toys...Scipiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16217376618860561999noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-69312111013809595482015-09-01T11:56:26.894-05:002015-09-01T11:56:26.894-05:00That's a very good observation, Anon.That's a very good observation, Anon.Scipiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12112155718721908876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-8868688734180320032015-08-19T09:12:02.623-05:002015-08-19T09:12:02.623-05:00So recap, DC is currently under the control of su...So recap, DC is currently under the control of such 1993-ish figures as Jim Lee and Bob Harras, and all the mainstays of the DC Universe are going through story arcs that wouldn't be out of place in 1993 X-Men, and they're all irritable and unpleasant like 1993 Marvel characters.<br /><br />So, how was Marvel doing by 1996? Hint: rhymes with "smankrupt".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-67106787063789907882015-08-18T17:05:54.597-05:002015-08-18T17:05:54.597-05:00>>>For such a smart guy, Barry has to rep...>>>For such a smart guy, Barry has to repeat lessons a LOT<br /><br />Well, change implies an initial error, and a lot of smart guys don't like to admit to that.cybridnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-45028075382764765172015-08-18T08:18:08.392-05:002015-08-18T08:18:08.392-05:00Steve, I'd hang in with MM. I believe where t...Steve, I'd hang in with MM. I believe where that is headed is:<br /><br />Mr Biscuits is a splice (?) of J'onn, the part of him that remains uncorrupted by the White Martian's programming. I believe it will grow into a kinder gentler MM>Scipiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12112155718721908876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-82766386688609831712015-08-18T06:00:34.233-05:002015-08-18T06:00:34.233-05:00"On the brighter side, the Martian Manhunter&..."On the brighter side, the Martian Manhunter's got a new series."<br /><br />Which he has exited after just two issues, to be replaced by several oddities who apparently have inherited his powers or his legacy or something. Mr. Biscuits is not an acceptable substitute for the Martian Manhunter for me, so. . .I am down to only one DC title on my buy list, Suicide Squad.<br /><br />And does anyone remember when Wonder Woman came to "Man's World" as an apostle of peace? Making her the God of War--even a kinder, gentler God of War--is a complete betrayal of her original concept and mission.Steve Mitchellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-4952092729419654272015-08-17T15:40:06.980-05:002015-08-17T15:40:06.980-05:00Bizarro is fun. And, uh, well, Bizarro is fun. Tha...Bizarro is fun. And, uh, well, Bizarro is fun. That means cancellation is a certainty. <br /><br />Other than that, I've found almost nothing to like about this iteration of the DC Universe. Seriously, my pull list is almost nonexistent. I have to work to find enough titles for my pull to keep my discount. I just can't make myself care much any more. Now, I'll buy trades of old storylines and devour them, but new comics? Meh. <br /><br />I used to spend every Wednesday night reading comics. Could. Not. Wait. Now sometimes I even forget to read them for a few days until I notice the plastic bag in my back seat. <br /><br />I can't really think that's what DC wants, but maybe they do. Bryan Lnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-64201474274465478852015-08-17T15:26:22.428-05:002015-08-17T15:26:22.428-05:00Scipio, this completely sums up my feelings about ...Scipio, this completely sums up my feelings about DC right now. There sure as heck isn't much to look forward to. I have...DROPPED Green Lantern! <br /><br />Words I never thought that I would ever type, but I just find that I can't stand Hal as Space Gambit. Especially since there was never established any kind of actual REASON for him to go all renegady.<br /><br />Dropped Aquaman for the same reason. I had been enjoying it up to then. Same thing with Batman, although I do like Pat Gleason on Batman Jr. or whatever it is called. The one with Damian. <br /><br />But yeah, the pickings are pretty darned slim. ON the other hand, I'm saving a ton of cash.SallyPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05592635194271250605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-6488178505780934762015-08-17T14:52:33.229-05:002015-08-17T14:52:33.229-05:00Meanwhile, everyone at Marvel is broken - then rep...Meanwhile, everyone at Marvel is broken - then replaced by a new character of a different gender or color for a while..Nathan Hallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05477802465452451455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-92114553207814763012015-08-17T10:48:42.891-05:002015-08-17T10:48:42.891-05:00One of the real problems I see with DC's direc...One of the real problems I see with DC's direction is the argument usually made when DC tries to introduce diversity into its line: The characters (except for Aquaman and Wonder Woman) are actually fairly good ideas...just not for existing characters who already had storylines building.<br /><br />I would probably buy books about "Earth-77," where Superman's story is inspired largely by Hugo Danner, Batman is an ex-cop in a powersuit who recruits a clever fop into his organization, Green Lantern is some anti-hero on the run secretly for doing the right thing, and so forth. Those are all pretty good concepts with some life in them. Or even a new generation of heroes not connected with existing trademarks. But, like the "aborted Bronze Age" (mod Wonder Woman, hard-travelin' Green Lantern, no-kryptonite Superman), maybe, they don't fit the existing narratives and don't make a lot of sense as the mainstream DCU and make everything seem so generic and pointless.<br /><br />I do wonder if it might be time to stop ragging on the CW. I mean, their recent batch of shows (rather than legacy crap) has been far better than it has any right to be, given the source material or concepts.Johnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-32978638476466487662015-08-17T08:27:01.159-05:002015-08-17T08:27:01.159-05:00Once again, you have put into words something I fe...Once again, you have put into words something I feel in my heart.<br /><br />Also, that's how I feel about the GOP.r duncannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-39299655597111606152015-08-17T07:00:24.261-05:002015-08-17T07:00:24.261-05:00One other thought:
"Because nowadays modern ...One other thought:<br /><br />"Because nowadays modern readers fall for the malarky that the only way to have a functional Batman is to have a broken Bruce Wayne."<br /><br />To a certain limited point, I'm fine with this. You know how you once observed that Two-Face is hard to cure because Two-Face is the solution to Harvey Dent's problem? (Still a brilliant observation BTW.) I see Batman as the solution to Bruce Wayne's problem, which is: no matter how much good civic work you do, there are still muggers and murder-clowns prowling the city, and every single person is a murder victim waiting to happen. I don't mind a Bruce Wayne who is just "broken" enough to be painfully aware of how fragile people are, and Batman is what allows him to cope. That allows for a nice stable zone where Bruce Wayne can do his thing -- even have friends and some sort of rewarding social life -- but the drive to be Batman is still there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-23146589279551942392015-08-17T06:47:58.712-05:002015-08-17T06:47:58.712-05:00I bet Hal's hair is silky and lustrous. And I...I bet Hal's hair is silky and lustrous. And I think his current role works for him: he does better when he's his own boss.<br /><br />On every other point, though, you nailed it.<br /><br />As far as Superman goes, make him a very kind man who just happens to have infinite power. Ask yourself how a well-mannered farmer would handle a given dispute; that should be Superman's preferred approach to conflict resolution. I swear to God this isn't that difficult; Andy Griffith used to do it all the time.<br /><br />With Green Arrow, this is where we could get the "good" Ollie back. I know you're not fond of the irritatingly liberal version of Ollie, but it was a pretty good look for him; the recent arc could be what pushes him into that territory, where he is properly furious that the fat-cats and the pigs allowed dozens of people to be killed in Seattle. They're already drawing goatee-stubble on him, now give him the outlook to match.<br /><br />With Batman, I really had my hopes pinned on how "Endgame" was just a big fake-out. You know how "Endgame" started with Batman shaking off some Scarecrow Toxin that makes him experience his death over and over ... ? Dang if "Endgame" didn't have a nightmare feel to it, like it was yet another iteration of experiencing death. But now we either have a zombie Batman or a clone Batman, plus a mechanism to put his old brain back, and it feels conceptually stupid. Then there are the continuity problems, like Jim Gordon taking an axe to the chest in "Endgame" yet being fine now, or Dick being present at the end of "Endgame" but having no idea that Batman died.<br /><br />And Aquaman still looks aroused at all times. What the hell DC? Didn't you run that costume past any of the pervs in the mailroom?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-29809045556208579622015-08-16T20:18:41.623-05:002015-08-16T20:18:41.623-05:00There's the dark and gritty and then there'...There's the dark and gritty and then there's the constant need to revamp things. It's a lack of consistency. There's revamping within a given continuity (which used to last 20-30 years before needing a refresher). Superman went from leaping to throwing planets around. Peter Parker became some kind of spider avatar with fangs in his wrists. Then, because it all becomes complicated, there are the retcons.<br /><br />Now, retcons happen every other year. It's taxing on new readers, and older readers (like me) just give up. <br /><br />I think the one comic that managed best was Legion of the Super-Heroes. Part of it can be attributed to having the same writers and illustrators for extended periods of time. The characters aged, fell in love, and died. Then they retconned it (a half-dozen times) after Zero Hour. <br /><br />In the aftermath of all of this, I took a stronger liking to finite series like Preacher, the Invisibles, etc. With a finite number of issues, the focus was on telling a meaningful story and tying up all loose ends by the conclusion of the series, and I found that to be immensely satisfying.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-55454390429712836432015-08-16T19:39:31.349-05:002015-08-16T19:39:31.349-05:00Not too long ago, I was excited to visit the comic...Not too long ago, I was excited to visit the comic shop. Aquaman, Batwoman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and even Dial H, were waiting for me in my pull box. Each was epic in its own fashion. Each rode a wonderful line between darkness and humor. Each felt carefully crafted with mythos in mind.<br /><br />That excitement has faded because everything is dark and gritty. Everything is broken. By devoting all eggs to the basket of "something for everyone", they've made it all the exact same. Instead of diversity, we have repetition.<br /><br />It will change. It always does. But we are in a doldrums of creativity right now. One that I hope is short-lived.CobraMisfithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00254323816960257073noreply@blogger.com