No Violence Just Yet. Have a Milkshake.

Dang it, for the past couple hours I've been trying to write an essay about why people go to see violent films, an entry provoked by the film FUNNY GAMES, which I just saw after falling in love with the evil, nasty trailer for the upcoming remake with Naomi Watts.

But violence in film is such a huge and complex subject, between the different uses of violence in storytelling to the question of man having a latent bloodthirsty nature, that the post keeps getting too huge and unwieldy. My main point--that people watch these kinds of violent films not to watch people suffer and die but rather to see the victims escape and triumph from their plight--is getting lost in the muck.

So I don't know. Maybe I will ultimately post it, or maybe I'll scrap it. I imagine you folks will have a few things to add or debate upon, so if it's posted at all, so I'd want the post to be as solid as possible.

So instead, I present you with this, from the great benchilada:

Comics in Review

In comics this week, DETECTIVE COMICS # 841 is Heffie's Must-Buy issue. This is probably the best Mad Hatter story I've read in recent memory, but bear in mind, I speak as someone who far prefers the animated series' take (with Roddy McDowall goodness!) to the Hatter of the comics for the past fifteen years, a creepy tea-drugging pedophile. There was a time when the Hatter was seriously one of my favorite Bat-villains, and this issue has reminded me why.

(As has--I might add--this surprisingly well-done webcomic based on the animated Hatter. Oh Jervis, you tho cwazy.)



Meanwhile, in BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL, we get the final part of the Joker's new origin. Could have been worse, could have been a hell of a lot better, which is about what I'd expect from Michael Green, one of the writers of TV's HEROES. As long as it's considered one of the Joker's possible origins rather than the definitive origin ("The Killing Joke" can't even be considered this anymore), all will be well with the world.



And then there's THE BOYS. Oh gee, Garth Ennis, an issue where someone calls Jesus a sadistic bastard and then loses their faith? Wow, never seen that one from you before. Between that, your hatred of superheroes, and fetish for male butt-fucking, it's the most original thing you've ever written! Keep up the good work!

P.S., your book CHRONICLES OF WORMWOOD is also lazy bullcrap of yours. BATTLE POPE does hilarious blasphemy wayyyyy better. It's at least funny, whereas you can't seem to remove yourself from your own bitter prejudices. You said what you needed to say with PREACHER, pally, and you said it damn well there. Get over it.

That said, the latest issue of PUNISHER was utterly devastating. Some of the best work Ennis has ever written. Now this book right here would be an excellent discussion piece for violence in storytelling. It's unrelentingly gory and explicit, one of the most violent books on the mainstream stands, unreadable by the standards of more sensitive folk, and yet I wouldn't call it gratuitous. The book gets more harrowing with each issue, making REQUIEM FOR A DREAM look like DORA THE EXPLORER, and I can't wait to see what Ennis has up his sleeve for the final part.



THE TWELVE continues to be promising (but like all things in life, it needs more Blue Blade!), and has to potential to be a little masterpiece for JMS. Check it out. Where else will you see speedo-wearing Nazi-smashing superheroes with leg stubble?



Why aren't more people reading JONAH HEX? Rectify this immediately.

Furthermore, since we're talking DC westerns, why is no one reading BAT LASH? It's Sergio Aragones and John Severn! Shape up, people!