Thursday, July 10, 2008
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
July 1, 2008
I was chatting with Kalinara today when she asked for advice on her blogpost. She wanted to know if she should keep or jetison a paragraph.
It reminded me of when I lived in San Antonio when I was 19, and I had a 24-year old friend named Liz. Liz and I would go shopping and see movies and generally hang out, and I almost always turned to her when I couldn't decide between two options. She always had a clear and confident choice when I asked her. I think it had something to do with the fact that Liz had an opinion on everything; she informed me of the difference between Tex-Mex and Mexican food, that skinny cowboys with freckles are hot, and that only sluts wear red.
She also informed me that I was both deceptive and straightforward, which still makes my brain hurt a little to process.
One day, Liz asked me why I always asked her to make my decisions for me. I hadn't even realized that was what had been happening. She informed me that I did it all that time, that she knew I'd decide on whatever she said, and that she sometimes just chose the option that was the most amusing option. Usually, she didn't give a shit and just randomly picked one and inwardly rolled her eyes at my sheepyness.
I suspect that was what prompted me to go into my red clothing phase (Kalinara would like to add "For the record, I'm not letting you pick out my clothes" to this part of the post) , but I'm not sure. I do know that this wasn't the only time Liz's casual dickishness taught me a valuable lesson, and for that I'm grateful. Even if she did have really shitty taste in food.
And men.
And comics. She only bought Meridian, Tarot and Witchblade, for heaven's sake!
Nevertheless, I miss Liz. She was my Wednesday comic-book buddy for over a year. I think she went back to Wyoming after she left the service. I hope she got the job and family she wanted.
I ended up giving Kalinara a completely random choice, because Kali picks whatever the fuck she wants anyway. I'm not sure whether that's indicative of the influence Liz had on me or the influence Kalinara has on me.
It reminded me of when I lived in San Antonio when I was 19, and I had a 24-year old friend named Liz. Liz and I would go shopping and see movies and generally hang out, and I almost always turned to her when I couldn't decide between two options. She always had a clear and confident choice when I asked her. I think it had something to do with the fact that Liz had an opinion on everything; she informed me of the difference between Tex-Mex and Mexican food, that skinny cowboys with freckles are hot, and that only sluts wear red.
She also informed me that I was both deceptive and straightforward, which still makes my brain hurt a little to process.
One day, Liz asked me why I always asked her to make my decisions for me. I hadn't even realized that was what had been happening. She informed me that I did it all that time, that she knew I'd decide on whatever she said, and that she sometimes just chose the option that was the most amusing option. Usually, she didn't give a shit and just randomly picked one and inwardly rolled her eyes at my sheepyness.
I suspect that was what prompted me to go into my red clothing phase (Kalinara would like to add "For the record, I'm not letting you pick out my clothes" to this part of the post) , but I'm not sure. I do know that this wasn't the only time Liz's casual dickishness taught me a valuable lesson, and for that I'm grateful. Even if she did have really shitty taste in food.
And men.
And comics. She only bought Meridian, Tarot and Witchblade, for heaven's sake!
Nevertheless, I miss Liz. She was my Wednesday comic-book buddy for over a year. I think she went back to Wyoming after she left the service. I hope she got the job and family she wanted.
I ended up giving Kalinara a completely random choice, because Kali picks whatever the fuck she wants anyway. I'm not sure whether that's indicative of the influence Liz had on me or the influence Kalinara has on me.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Checking in.
I have a feeling this one will attract a fight.
In other news, I saw an idiot when I poked my head out of my subterranean cave this morning, so 6 more days without Ragnell.
In other news, I saw an idiot when I poked my head out of my subterranean cave this morning, so 6 more days without Ragnell.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Still a bit wrapped up in my real life.
The unread post count in my feed aggregator is sitting at 3808, which is pretty damned scary at the moment. So rather than even try to attack that I thought I'd just drop a note to assure everyone that I am not dead, not in a coma, not time-traveling, and not captured by supervillains. Whether or not I've been presiding over the prisons, brainwashing facilities and/or death traps containing superheroes I'm not at liberty to say. I can say I haven't seen Hulk yet (and I won't be deterred from that mission so don't bother with spoilers or bad reviews).
I'm more than a little behind. See, over the past 3 weeks I haven't managed to read any comic that isn't in Ed Brubaker's Captain America run. I've made it to the store, but reading time's been scarce and so all I've read are the trades I carry in my purse for spare moments. (The beauty of comics, quick reads for quick breaks!).
I will admit that my thoughts turn more charitably towards Quesada, as he was willing to put Brubaker on Captain America, and I'm still savoring the results I praised earlier this month. That Omnibus hardcover is very very nice, and Brubaker's Captain America ranks with Robinson's Starman as one of the few comics that make me willing to shell out for an expensive hardcover collection. It's led me to one of the joys of reading comics again, finding a new little universe. I never was a Cap reader beyond isues of the Avengers before, so I'm discovering the franchise details for the first time. And I almost forgot how much I love to plunge into a story and trace the plot threads and characters back through the years, piecing together a picture of a universe cobbled together by so many hands. 65 years of hands. That's why nothing can replace superhero comics for me, it's the history of it. There's this labyrinth of actual continuity, complicated by retcons and revision as well as your normal twists, turns, dead ends and false paths. And I'm following plot threads backwards through this monster-sized maze, not so much to find a way out but to collect all of the treasure in the maze. I can't miss any of it, even if I've read a synosis or know how the whole story turns out. Hell, part of the fun of back issues is you can sort of read the story backwards that way, starting with a fully developed character and making your way to the seeds of his or her personality. Internet writeups serve as a guidebook for these tours, telling you where the most worthwhile sites to see are, letting you know not to expect too much from certain places, and giving you behind the scenes information that helps you understand how a character could possibly go from point A to point K, or even from Point D to Point X-which-is-actually-more-similar-to-Point-A-than-Point-D-was. And of course they tell you how Point A got remodeled somehow during the journey so Point Q makes more sense than it would have at Point H and at the original version of Point A, and that this is all explained at Point N--Honestly, how can anyone not just adore mainstream superhero comics? It's like spending an afternoon lost in your hometown!
I'm rambling again. I've been busy, but I had a wonderful way to relax and when I get some free time I'll have to do some serious back issue hunting.
Until then I have the odd moment on the internet, Kalinara's font of knowledge, and the trades and hardcovers I've managed to snag on my lunch break (Only work evenings if your office is within 20 minutes of a comic book store, it's just less stressful that way) to occupy my time. And Captain America has entertained me so much when I needed entertainment that even though I'm sure he doesn't know or care about it, I'd still like to publically take back some of the mean things I've said about Marvel's Editor-in-Chief.
Not all of them.
Certainly not the true stuff.
But definitely anything that's an absolute.
And if people are still paying attention to this blog after this long break... Wow. Thanks?
I'm more than a little behind. See, over the past 3 weeks I haven't managed to read any comic that isn't in Ed Brubaker's Captain America run. I've made it to the store, but reading time's been scarce and so all I've read are the trades I carry in my purse for spare moments. (The beauty of comics, quick reads for quick breaks!).
I will admit that my thoughts turn more charitably towards Quesada, as he was willing to put Brubaker on Captain America, and I'm still savoring the results I praised earlier this month. That Omnibus hardcover is very very nice, and Brubaker's Captain America ranks with Robinson's Starman as one of the few comics that make me willing to shell out for an expensive hardcover collection. It's led me to one of the joys of reading comics again, finding a new little universe. I never was a Cap reader beyond isues of the Avengers before, so I'm discovering the franchise details for the first time. And I almost forgot how much I love to plunge into a story and trace the plot threads and characters back through the years, piecing together a picture of a universe cobbled together by so many hands. 65 years of hands. That's why nothing can replace superhero comics for me, it's the history of it. There's this labyrinth of actual continuity, complicated by retcons and revision as well as your normal twists, turns, dead ends and false paths. And I'm following plot threads backwards through this monster-sized maze, not so much to find a way out but to collect all of the treasure in the maze. I can't miss any of it, even if I've read a synosis or know how the whole story turns out. Hell, part of the fun of back issues is you can sort of read the story backwards that way, starting with a fully developed character and making your way to the seeds of his or her personality. Internet writeups serve as a guidebook for these tours, telling you where the most worthwhile sites to see are, letting you know not to expect too much from certain places, and giving you behind the scenes information that helps you understand how a character could possibly go from point A to point K, or even from Point D to Point X-which-is-actually-more-similar-to-Point-A-than-Point-D-was. And of course they tell you how Point A got remodeled somehow during the journey so Point Q makes more sense than it would have at Point H and at the original version of Point A, and that this is all explained at Point N--Honestly, how can anyone not just adore mainstream superhero comics? It's like spending an afternoon lost in your hometown!
I'm rambling again. I've been busy, but I had a wonderful way to relax and when I get some free time I'll have to do some serious back issue hunting.
Until then I have the odd moment on the internet, Kalinara's font of knowledge, and the trades and hardcovers I've managed to snag on my lunch break (Only work evenings if your office is within 20 minutes of a comic book store, it's just less stressful that way) to occupy my time. And Captain America has entertained me so much when I needed entertainment that even though I'm sure he doesn't know or care about it, I'd still like to publically take back some of the mean things I've said about Marvel's Editor-in-Chief.
Not all of them.
Certainly not the true stuff.
But definitely anything that's an absolute.
And if people are still paying attention to this blog after this long break... Wow. Thanks?
Blogged with the Flock Browser
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
The thread that keeps on giving.
We came up with an interesting question about the Black Widow in this comment thread which was derailed by the beginning of a beautiful fight that led into another comment thread (which was unfortunately ended by a sudden attack of honesty and understanding--what the fuck Kalinara have you been hiding mutant powers or do you just know me that well?). Because a question which is vital to the peace of mind for all involved has surfaced, and because researching this question would required digging through a crossover that was written by Mark Millar, I'm going to throw it out to the internet:
Do any of the Civil War tie-ins and fallout issues explain why Natasha decided to go pro-reg?
LurkerWithout thinks her personal loyalties should have put her with Nick and Cap, John feels that she was going for her own interests, Dan thinks she cut a deal (or that she's a Skrull), and I think she's watching things at SHIELD for Nick Fury while he's been forced into hiding.
In all likelihood this question has already been answered in one of the five billion Civil War tie-ins, or some issue of something since then but as I said before that's too much to sift through and some of them were written by Mark Millar. Did any Marvelfans out there spot a sequence that explains Natasha's reasoning, and would they care to explain it?
Do any of the Civil War tie-ins and fallout issues explain why Natasha decided to go pro-reg?
LurkerWithout thinks her personal loyalties should have put her with Nick and Cap, John feels that she was going for her own interests, Dan thinks she cut a deal (or that she's a Skrull), and I think she's watching things at SHIELD for Nick Fury while he's been forced into hiding.
In all likelihood this question has already been answered in one of the five billion Civil War tie-ins, or some issue of something since then but as I said before that's too much to sift through and some of them were written by Mark Millar. Did any Marvelfans out there spot a sequence that explains Natasha's reasoning, and would they care to explain it?
Monday, May 26, 2008
Quick Note
Just received this comment on my own personal blog:
Quick question. Is When fangirls attack a manga site now? Thanks.
You guys do realize we have fucking jobs and real lives here, right? I've had a miserable busy week and haven't checked a single feed since last Monday, Kalinara's had a miserable busy week, and Anna runs in her own circles. Sometimes, Anna will be busy and someone else will be doing all the posts in a row and you won't see any fucking manga for a little while. No one's being paid for this, we all have our own responsibilities.
When I see complaints like this it makes me want to close up shop. No, actually it makes me want to post every fucking link as "Link" and put them all in a paragraph so that you can't tell the superhero from the manga or the trolls from the activists and the fans. It makes me want to change the titles and the names of the authors with the links. It makes me want to arrange it so that every single substantial post is buried in the middle of troll links, featuring the best of the most hated people in the community.
And if I space it out right, I can do it without violating the stated linking policy.
There are only two things stopping me from doing this. There's the thought that this is just one or two fucking morons in a sea of reasonable people who understand that we have jobs, and lives, and families, and shit to do when we're not on the Internet. And the knowledge that if I went and burned down the fucking house not a one of you would step up to rebuild it.
Okay, there's also the miraculous font of sanity and diplomacy that is Kalinara. You guys have no idea how crazy mean I actually am.
Movie thoughts
(Don't ask what I've been up to.)
A few months ago Kalinara had a post pointing out the similarities between Wonder Woman and Captain America, and with the Captain America movie rumors (McConaughey, now this guy) I may have found another one. We all know the Wonder Woman part is the favorite rumor of any pretty brunette starlet who needs to attract attention, Captain America may get to be the part that any handsome blond looking for leading man status wants to be linked to.
Come to think of it, it may be just as hard to cast as Wonder Woman. You need someone very traditionally masculine who can pull off cheerful, old-fashioned, gentle, quiet and inspiring all without looking like a parody. With Wonder Woman you need traditionally feminine but able to pull off utterly self-confident, powerful, friendly, pure hearted and inspiring all without looking like a parody.
I'm much more confident the Captain America movie will be made than the Wonder Woman movie, mind you, but it's interesting the similarities. When they finally do cast it I bet the guy will be very much a modern male version of Lynda Carter.
And while I'm on the subject of comparing the two franchises, Bucky's a much better grown-up sidekick who came back from the dead in a convoluted story with an identity crisis than Donna's ever been. Does anyone else think Brubaker might be able to do something worthwhile with Donna and Cassie if he got ahold of them?
A few months ago Kalinara had a post pointing out the similarities between Wonder Woman and Captain America, and with the Captain America movie rumors (McConaughey, now this guy) I may have found another one. We all know the Wonder Woman part is the favorite rumor of any pretty brunette starlet who needs to attract attention, Captain America may get to be the part that any handsome blond looking for leading man status wants to be linked to.
Come to think of it, it may be just as hard to cast as Wonder Woman. You need someone very traditionally masculine who can pull off cheerful, old-fashioned, gentle, quiet and inspiring all without looking like a parody. With Wonder Woman you need traditionally feminine but able to pull off utterly self-confident, powerful, friendly, pure hearted and inspiring all without looking like a parody.
I'm much more confident the Captain America movie will be made than the Wonder Woman movie, mind you, but it's interesting the similarities. When they finally do cast it I bet the guy will be very much a modern male version of Lynda Carter.
And while I'm on the subject of comparing the two franchises, Bucky's a much better grown-up sidekick who came back from the dead in a convoluted story with an identity crisis than Donna's ever been. Does anyone else think Brubaker might be able to do something worthwhile with Donna and Cassie if he got ahold of them?
Blogged with the Flock Browser
Saturday, May 17, 2008
I've caught up on Brubaker's Captain America run.
(Seriously, that's what I've been up to all week. I've read everything Brubaker wrote about Cap or Bucky that I could get my hands on.)
And I have new favorite Marvel couple.
Bucky and Natasha, who the hell would have expected them to fit so well together?
It may help that Buck doesn't seem to smile at all in the entire run until that point she implies there might be a future for them.
And that even though Natasha is the ever-present ex-lover of half the Marvel Universe, this is the first time the romance backstory has actually seemed romantic. Normally it's more like she's been fooling around with a good friend she finds hot. (Not that I have anything against Natasha's healthy attitude towards sex, she just never seemed to be in love with a lover before Brubaker wrote her, so I've never been able to see her as part of a couple before.)
This must be explored. And made into a normal thing. With teamups. And pillow banter. And riding together on a motorcycle. And staying in and whispering sweet nothings over takeout food. And (once he gets back) the awkwardness of Steve accidentally walking in on them messing around.
And I have new favorite Marvel couple.
Bucky and Natasha, who the hell would have expected them to fit so well together?
It may help that Buck doesn't seem to smile at all in the entire run until that point she implies there might be a future for them.
And that even though Natasha is the ever-present ex-lover of half the Marvel Universe, this is the first time the romance backstory has actually seemed romantic. Normally it's more like she's been fooling around with a good friend she finds hot. (Not that I have anything against Natasha's healthy attitude towards sex, she just never seemed to be in love with a lover before Brubaker wrote her, so I've never been able to see her as part of a couple before.)
This must be explored. And made into a normal thing. With teamups. And pillow banter. And riding together on a motorcycle. And staying in and whispering sweet nothings over takeout food. And (once he gets back) the awkwardness of Steve accidentally walking in on them messing around.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Comic Art Indigene
May 11th-January 4th at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe, Nex Mexico.
Comic Art Indigéne which opens at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture on May 11, 2008 looks at how storytelling has been used through comics and comic inspired art to express the contemporary Native American experience. Under the larger definition of narrative art, comic art is more related to Native American art traditions than one might expect. The earliest surviving examples of such narrative art is rock art. The historic examples used in the exhibition, such as photographs of rock art, ledger art, and ceramics are meant to link Native American art traditions with contemporary voices.
PoA has a map embedded for anyone in the Southwestern US who can make it.
Oh, and for the record...
I did not miss Mother's Day. I just called her this time instead of posting on the internet.
And now for something awesome.
Remember that Marvel/DC Olympics poll I linked to?
Here's the results:
As for the swimsuit competition, well, I got about 100 different nominations, which would have broke your LJ to have a vote, so I'm gonna declare all you fanboys and fangirls and your dirty minds winners!
Although if we went by nominations, our overall swimsuit champion would be Nightwing, Mr. Dick Grayson himself, who snagged 20 nominations all by himself. Must have been his early green Speedo years.
As far as the girls went, Power Girl got 4, the most nominations for a girl nominee.
I love the Internet some days.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Blogdrama
He actually lasted longer than I expected.
(Found out through some livejournals I follow before I reached his blog in my feeds, actually.)
I don't want to comment on his little blog but because I'm adverse to one-sided stories and this'll be on WFA I just wanted to let everyone know that that postscript was meant for me, and that this was not an offer. It was a suggested course of action. Also, that my anger had shit-all to do with feminism and everything to do with military and family history, but if he's whiny enough to assume every disagreement with me is about women he may as well do so. I was mainly thinking of my grandfather but there were also female veterans of WWII.
Admittedly, I dismissed him as a troll due to his asinine beliefs on rape. There is no excuse for this idiocy.
Anyway, contest: Read through Brett's "Goodbye Cruel Blogosphere" post and see how many logical fallacies you can find.
(Found out through some livejournals I follow before I reached his blog in my feeds, actually.)
I don't want to comment on his little blog but because I'm adverse to one-sided stories and this'll be on WFA I just wanted to let everyone know that that postscript was meant for me, and that this was not an offer. It was a suggested course of action. Also, that my anger had shit-all to do with feminism and everything to do with military and family history, but if he's whiny enough to assume every disagreement with me is about women he may as well do so. I was mainly thinking of my grandfather but there were also female veterans of WWII.
Admittedly, I dismissed him as a troll due to his asinine beliefs on rape. There is no excuse for this idiocy.
Anyway, contest: Read through Brett's "Goodbye Cruel Blogosphere" post and see how many logical fallacies you can find.
Blogged with the Flock Browser
Friday, May 09, 2008
I had to be out of my mind thinking I’d soon be over you.
I know this feeling.
Today in the comic book store, on a high from the lovely lovely movie this weekend and curious as to how well this translates to paper I picked up the Invincible Iron Man relaunch. I'd been meaning to investigate the praise this writer's been getting anyway. While I was there I grabbed American Dream and ran my hands over the Marvel trades from all the years I've missed.
This has happened before. I started out as Marvellite, a happy middle-schooler stealing her sister's Generation X comics to read between the pages of her textbooks in study hall. As my sister turned to DC and its imprints. so did I I flirted with the House of Ideas again when Quesada took over and he teased us with Wolverine's origin. In tech school I stayed up late studying Fantastic Four trades in tech school when I should have been studying FAA regulations and hunted through back issue bins in Mississippi looking for ever available appearance of Magneto's children. (I am the only person I know of who read that 90s Quicksilver series with the Knights of Wundagore, and I'd snap up issues to fill the holes in this run in a heartbeat.) I had a fling with Bendis' Daredevil (I was really more interested in Maleev's Daredevil, though) and poked around Avengers Mansion until Wanda moved out.
Between the destruction of my favorite aspects of the 616 universe and the rise of their nightmarish Ultimate counterparts (which I'd found entertaining at first, but which horrified me as time went on) I slowly made my way to a Marvel-free Wednesday. I didn't fuss. I didn't yell. I didn't to my recollection write a long essay on why I was leaving Marvel forever or complain endlessly about the loss of my childhood favorites. I did acquire an anti-Quesada affectation. I dd go off a time or two when the subject of Scarlet Witch came up. But on the whole I just quietly crossed the Marvel books one by one off my checklist over various transgressions until I was down to Spider-Girl, and I wasn't too inclined to talk about her.
Then someone in my feeds blogged about a teenage female Captain America in Spider-Girl's world, getting a miniseries this month. And someone posted this shadowy image online with "The Return" on it, and I found my excitement wasn't dulled by the inevitability. But the kicker was this shiny new movie, which I thought wouldn't get me because I never much cared for Iron Man (he seemed like a stiff), but here I am walking out of the store today with an armful of Marvel trades. 1 Image book, 1 DC trade, 4 Marvel trades, 3 Marvel books (would have been 4 had the one with Quicksilver not sold out). I've no interest in the skrullification beyond it's opportunities to retcon out all of the stuff I disliked. I mainly want to read about the guy in the movie who seems to have ADHD and a 340 IQ, and who shares my love of taking things apart. Also I want to read about Captain America--the one who isn't an asshole.
I roll my eyes when I see the "WHY DO YOU HURT ME DC!!!!" melodramas on the internet, but I find this is just like going back to an old boyfriend. Memories of a summer breeze turning the page on your hardcover, interrogating your friends to find out all the juicy stuff you missed, the familiar musty smell of back issue bins in used bookstores on the outskirts of town... And a heavy dread anchoring your heart because you know why you dropped it all before and you know it'll end in a night of tears and country music but you have this warm sensation in your cheeks when you open the cover and you just can't stop smiling as you turn the pages. It's unsettlingly similar to the time Sean stopped to visit me in San Antonio.
A week or two ago a friend asked me repeatedly why I was so damned reasonable about a particular situation. I supposed I can hold this up to reassure her I'm still a crazy fan at heart. Or at least short of memory and susceptible to hype.
Today in the comic book store, on a high from the lovely lovely movie this weekend and curious as to how well this translates to paper I picked up the Invincible Iron Man relaunch. I'd been meaning to investigate the praise this writer's been getting anyway. While I was there I grabbed American Dream and ran my hands over the Marvel trades from all the years I've missed.
This has happened before. I started out as Marvellite, a happy middle-schooler stealing her sister's Generation X comics to read between the pages of her textbooks in study hall. As my sister turned to DC and its imprints. so did I I flirted with the House of Ideas again when Quesada took over and he teased us with Wolverine's origin. In tech school I stayed up late studying Fantastic Four trades in tech school when I should have been studying FAA regulations and hunted through back issue bins in Mississippi looking for ever available appearance of Magneto's children. (I am the only person I know of who read that 90s Quicksilver series with the Knights of Wundagore, and I'd snap up issues to fill the holes in this run in a heartbeat.) I had a fling with Bendis' Daredevil (I was really more interested in Maleev's Daredevil, though) and poked around Avengers Mansion until Wanda moved out.
Between the destruction of my favorite aspects of the 616 universe and the rise of their nightmarish Ultimate counterparts (which I'd found entertaining at first, but which horrified me as time went on) I slowly made my way to a Marvel-free Wednesday. I didn't fuss. I didn't yell. I didn't to my recollection write a long essay on why I was leaving Marvel forever or complain endlessly about the loss of my childhood favorites. I did acquire an anti-Quesada affectation. I dd go off a time or two when the subject of Scarlet Witch came up. But on the whole I just quietly crossed the Marvel books one by one off my checklist over various transgressions until I was down to Spider-Girl, and I wasn't too inclined to talk about her.
Then someone in my feeds blogged about a teenage female Captain America in Spider-Girl's world, getting a miniseries this month. And someone posted this shadowy image online with "The Return" on it, and I found my excitement wasn't dulled by the inevitability. But the kicker was this shiny new movie, which I thought wouldn't get me because I never much cared for Iron Man (he seemed like a stiff), but here I am walking out of the store today with an armful of Marvel trades. 1 Image book, 1 DC trade, 4 Marvel trades, 3 Marvel books (would have been 4 had the one with Quicksilver not sold out). I've no interest in the skrullification beyond it's opportunities to retcon out all of the stuff I disliked. I mainly want to read about the guy in the movie who seems to have ADHD and a 340 IQ, and who shares my love of taking things apart. Also I want to read about Captain America--the one who isn't an asshole.
I roll my eyes when I see the "WHY DO YOU HURT ME DC!!!!" melodramas on the internet, but I find this is just like going back to an old boyfriend. Memories of a summer breeze turning the page on your hardcover, interrogating your friends to find out all the juicy stuff you missed, the familiar musty smell of back issue bins in used bookstores on the outskirts of town... And a heavy dread anchoring your heart because you know why you dropped it all before and you know it'll end in a night of tears and country music but you have this warm sensation in your cheeks when you open the cover and you just can't stop smiling as you turn the pages. It's unsettlingly similar to the time Sean stopped to visit me in San Antonio.
A week or two ago a friend asked me repeatedly why I was so damned reasonable about a particular situation. I supposed I can hold this up to reassure her I'm still a crazy fan at heart. Or at least short of memory and susceptible to hype.
Blogged with the Flock Browser
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
On the other hand, this is awesome.
Everyone see this idiot commenting on Kalinara's Variations post?
And not because they screwed it up, but because they were "forcing" the readers to read Spanish. (GOTI covered this one yesterday.)
At the end of all that xenophobic inanity comes this comment:
The Internet is a wonderful and miraculous place. We must never forget this.
I thought it was the first ever comic that bordered on racism.Yeah, he's not talking about The Spirit, he's talking about the latest Blue Beetle issue.
And not because they screwed it up, but because they were "forcing" the readers to read Spanish. (GOTI covered this one yesterday.)
At the end of all that xenophobic inanity comes this comment:
Hi, John Rogers, previous writer of BLUE BEETLE here.Just to point out — this commenter’s problem is even more insane than first appears, because the issue in question ACTUALLY OCCURS IN MEXICO, where our born-in-the-USA teen superhero who is the son of two legal immigrants — one of whom is written to have served his country in the 101st Airborne — has gone to visit his grandmother.
This guy and people like him are one of the reasons comics are dying.
The Internet is a wonderful and miraculous place. We must never forget this.
I am so very angry I can't come up with a rant for this one.
Our newest community troll, discussing Captain America in Kalinara's comments:
Congratulations, and FUCK YOU!
Realism for portraying a WWII-era soldier (super or otherwise) is unfortunately being a xenophobic flag hugging bible thumping asshole. They might actually give him some depth that Ultimate Cap lacked, but I think he'll be pretty much right there as far as characterization.Now I've been on the internet for a few years now, so it's not normal for me to see something that has me literally shaking with rage. You've accomplished quite a feat, Brett.
Congratulations, and FUCK YOU!
Monday, May 05, 2008
Apparent Marvel/DC Olympics Misunderstanding
Marvel/DC Olympics poll on livejournal.
Now, we can clearly see from the first eight matchups that we're only watching the men's events but it seems some misguided fans have nominated women for the final event. And twice as many women as men.
If you have a livejournal account, please go and nominate some men (particularly Marvel men since right now we just have Roy and Kyle on the list) for the swimsuit competition that makes up the final event.
Now, we can clearly see from the first eight matchups that we're only watching the men's events but it seems some misguided fans have nominated women for the final event. And twice as many women as men.
If you have a livejournal account, please go and nominate some men (particularly Marvel men since right now we just have Roy and Kyle on the list) for the swimsuit competition that makes up the final event.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Carnival Notes
PoC in SF Carnival #9: What I Heard about You, And What That Meant For Me at Soaring
Willow's looking for a host for #10, contact her if you're up for it.
The 21st Carnival of Feminist Science Fiction and Fantasy Fans up at Heroine Content
Looking for a host for the 22nd issue. Please contact me if interested.
Willow's looking for a host for #10, contact her if you're up for it.
The 21st Carnival of Feminist Science Fiction and Fantasy Fans up at Heroine Content
Looking for a host for the 22nd issue. Please contact me if interested.
Blogged with the Flock Browser
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Dear DC Comics,
I am writing to inform you of a mistake regarding this week's release of DC Universe 0. DC Universe 0 was released on Wednesday April 30th, 2008. I believe the date you were shooting for was April 1st.
I still commend you on an excellent prank idea. Perhaps next year you might try something with the Waynes.
Sincerely,
A loyal customer.
I am writing to inform you of a mistake regarding this week's release of DC Universe 0. DC Universe 0 was released on Wednesday April 30th, 2008. I believe the date you were shooting for was April 1st.
I still commend you on an excellent prank idea. Perhaps next year you might try something with the Waynes.
Sincerely,
A loyal customer.
Blogged with the Flock Browser
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Good News, Everybody!
Anna from Tangognat will be joining us at WFA on a regular basis. So we're now a 3-woman team!
Her first post is up.
Her first post is up.
Monday, April 28, 2008
The Many Loves of John Stewart
Kalinara and I joke endlessly about how John Stewart is only interested in alien women. But from my log of back issues I know this wasn't always true. There was a point in the O'Neill run where Hal was incapacitated and they needed John to take him to Oa. They found him in bed with a black human woman (I can't find the issue, so I don't know her name). I thinks he was meant to be John's first love interest, even though she never appeared again.
Later, when Englehart took over the series and John got activated as the center, he didn't have much of a supporting cast. He was briefly involved with Tawny Young, a black female reporter who spilled his identity on national television. I recall she felt guilty afterwards. The story was just plain annoying, because it retconned a piece of John's character away. In his first appearance he'd thrown the mask away, saying he had no reason to hide. It was one of those actions that establish personality. John was honest and forthright. For that storyline, he had to hide his origins and his name until he was forced to go public.
After that came Katma. The love of his life was an alien woman from Korugar. Katma was assigned as trainer (there seems to be some sort of 1417-2814 exchange program going on in the Corps) after John complained he hadn't been properly trained by his predecessor. The two clicked. Katma made a considerably better trainer than Hal. Hal's one of those people who's very physically-minded, who automatically focuses and concentrates without much thought into the process. A "Just do it like I do" teacher, which works for basics but it incomplete in the end. Katma was more cerebral and trained by explaining how the energy worked.
And in return for teaching him about Lanterning (for lack of a better word), John taught her about human culture. Especially mating rituals.
They were evenly matched, and complimented each other. After Crisis on Infinite Earths they turned into one of those annoying couples who wear matching outfits and are never seen separately.
Katma's death was followed by a focus on Hal and apparently a long dry spell for John until Mosaic. Mosaic was when a Guardian set up a zoo on Oa with populations from planets across the universe. John was the lucky guy who got the job of keeping them from killing each other. The population from Earth contained Rose Hardin, an ex-love interest of Hal's. The relationship with Rose seemed to be mainly about providing a father figure for Rose's son and winning a power struggle with Hal. He turned her over the second something bettercame along came back to life.
When Kyle took the lead in the mainbook, the end of Mosaic seemed to be soft-retconned away. John resurfaced as a member of the Darkstars. The editorial direction in Green Lantern at the time was something of a "Scorched Oa" policy, and just sending John off to space wasn't enough for them. I haven't read the issue (though it has to be Kyle's fault somehow), but in a fight John was paralyzed from the waist down. He returns to Earth with his brand new girlfriend from the Darkstars, Merayn.
The less said about Merayn the better. She was a pretty blue girl with no substance whatsoever. The relationship consisted of John brooding and her hanging on his shoulder. She didn't seem particularly restless on Earth until John got the use of his legs back. When Kyle left Earth and John got re-activated as the Earth Green Lantern, Merayn left him.
He hasn't had a love interest in the comic books since.
In the JLU TV show, John dated one alien woman (Hawkwoman) and one human woman (Vixen).
There's an interested pattern here. The first two, the girl who got left halfway through the night and Tawney Young, were the only black women John ever dated. Neither were substantial relationships.
Katma and Merayn both seemed to be coded white to me. There might be some argument with Katma being coded differently in the 80s, though.
Rose, a white woman, was the only substantial human relationship John was in and he turned her over for Katma in a heartbeat at the end of Mosaic.
I always wonder about this pattern. John didn't get a proper supporting cast when Engelhart wrote Vol 2 in the 80s. Tawney was introduced like a tailored Lois-Lane-style-love-interest and then established as untrustworthy. Much of the book was still dedicated to following Hal and Carol around while he was active, and the points with John had him interacting with the GLC and Hal's supporting cast.
The next time John took the spotlight in Volume 3 and in Green Lantern: Mosaic, he was surrounded by aliens. The local human settlement was a small town mostly populated by white people.
When Winick was writing Vol 3 a few years ago, and John got the Earth job he was still the supporting cast. Most of the paneltime was on KYLE'S ADVENTURES IN OUTER SPAAACE, John got a single issue (where Merayn left him) and some Meanwhile... paneltime. The rest of his time was spent in the JLA. Not a great place to build a character base and a supporting cast all his own.
I love Katma to death (and to resurrection if anyone at DC is reading), but something is really off about this pattern. It seems like John is uncomfortable with anyone but superheroes and aliens anymore. And while there's been backstory mentioned in narration, no one from his pre-superhero days (living in a majority-black neighborhood in Detroit) has popped up.
Do they worry when John even only half gets the spotlight, that they'd make the book too black if they bring his family in?
Do they think they'll offend people by giving him a black girlfriend? I can see some reader's eyes bugging out at this thought, but I've heard this complaint when a writer creates a love interest of the same race of a hero who's not white, like that because he's [race X] and has a girlfriend who is [race X]. Never comes up when a white hero gets a white love interest, but for some reason a lot of fans are suddenly worried about the lack of interracial couples in comics if the hero isn't white. It's possible the writers and editors think that way.
But then, if John gets a white girlfriend and a white supporting cast, it becomes really obvious they're white-washing him. So John gets alien girlfriends.
Which is pretty depressing.
Later, when Englehart took over the series and John got activated as the center, he didn't have much of a supporting cast. He was briefly involved with Tawny Young, a black female reporter who spilled his identity on national television. I recall she felt guilty afterwards. The story was just plain annoying, because it retconned a piece of John's character away. In his first appearance he'd thrown the mask away, saying he had no reason to hide. It was one of those actions that establish personality. John was honest and forthright. For that storyline, he had to hide his origins and his name until he was forced to go public.
After that came Katma. The love of his life was an alien woman from Korugar. Katma was assigned as trainer (there seems to be some sort of 1417-2814 exchange program going on in the Corps) after John complained he hadn't been properly trained by his predecessor. The two clicked. Katma made a considerably better trainer than Hal. Hal's one of those people who's very physically-minded, who automatically focuses and concentrates without much thought into the process. A "Just do it like I do" teacher, which works for basics but it incomplete in the end. Katma was more cerebral and trained by explaining how the energy worked.
And in return for teaching him about Lanterning (for lack of a better word), John taught her about human culture. Especially mating rituals.
They were evenly matched, and complimented each other. After Crisis on Infinite Earths they turned into one of those annoying couples who wear matching outfits and are never seen separately.
Katma's death was followed by a focus on Hal and apparently a long dry spell for John until Mosaic. Mosaic was when a Guardian set up a zoo on Oa with populations from planets across the universe. John was the lucky guy who got the job of keeping them from killing each other. The population from Earth contained Rose Hardin, an ex-love interest of Hal's. The relationship with Rose seemed to be mainly about providing a father figure for Rose's son and winning a power struggle with Hal. He turned her over the second something better
When Kyle took the lead in the mainbook, the end of Mosaic seemed to be soft-retconned away. John resurfaced as a member of the Darkstars. The editorial direction in Green Lantern at the time was something of a "Scorched Oa" policy, and just sending John off to space wasn't enough for them. I haven't read the issue (though it has to be Kyle's fault somehow), but in a fight John was paralyzed from the waist down. He returns to Earth with his brand new girlfriend from the Darkstars, Merayn.
The less said about Merayn the better. She was a pretty blue girl with no substance whatsoever. The relationship consisted of John brooding and her hanging on his shoulder. She didn't seem particularly restless on Earth until John got the use of his legs back. When Kyle left Earth and John got re-activated as the Earth Green Lantern, Merayn left him.
He hasn't had a love interest in the comic books since.
In the JLU TV show, John dated one alien woman (Hawkwoman) and one human woman (Vixen).
There's an interested pattern here. The first two, the girl who got left halfway through the night and Tawney Young, were the only black women John ever dated. Neither were substantial relationships.
Katma and Merayn both seemed to be coded white to me. There might be some argument with Katma being coded differently in the 80s, though.
Rose, a white woman, was the only substantial human relationship John was in and he turned her over for Katma in a heartbeat at the end of Mosaic.
I always wonder about this pattern. John didn't get a proper supporting cast when Engelhart wrote Vol 2 in the 80s. Tawney was introduced like a tailored Lois-Lane-style-love-interest and then established as untrustworthy. Much of the book was still dedicated to following Hal and Carol around while he was active, and the points with John had him interacting with the GLC and Hal's supporting cast.
The next time John took the spotlight in Volume 3 and in Green Lantern: Mosaic, he was surrounded by aliens. The local human settlement was a small town mostly populated by white people.
When Winick was writing Vol 3 a few years ago, and John got the Earth job he was still the supporting cast. Most of the paneltime was on KYLE'S ADVENTURES IN OUTER SPAAACE, John got a single issue (where Merayn left him) and some Meanwhile... paneltime. The rest of his time was spent in the JLA. Not a great place to build a character base and a supporting cast all his own.
I love Katma to death (and to resurrection if anyone at DC is reading), but something is really off about this pattern. It seems like John is uncomfortable with anyone but superheroes and aliens anymore. And while there's been backstory mentioned in narration, no one from his pre-superhero days (living in a majority-black neighborhood in Detroit) has popped up.
Do they worry when John even only half gets the spotlight, that they'd make the book too black if they bring his family in?
Do they think they'll offend people by giving him a black girlfriend? I can see some reader's eyes bugging out at this thought, but I've heard this complaint when a writer creates a love interest of the same race of a hero who's not white, like that because he's [race X] and has a girlfriend who is [race X]. Never comes up when a white hero gets a white love interest, but for some reason a lot of fans are suddenly worried about the lack of interracial couples in comics if the hero isn't white. It's possible the writers and editors think that way.
But then, if John gets a white girlfriend and a white supporting cast, it becomes really obvious they're white-washing him. So John gets alien girlfriends.
Which is pretty depressing.
Blogged with the Flock Browser
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)