this is my mad face

[thehefner]

The contemporary zeal for graphic novels— fiction, let us remember, equipped with drawings and speech bubbles— has, to this spectator, encouraged the emperor to parade before an adoring public in a threadbare Speedo, if that. For filmmakers, they're smokin' assets, serving as ready-made storyboards as well as trailing a pre-sold and, dare I say, undemanding readership behind them. Beyond Terry Zwigoff's Ghost World, there doesn't seem to be an American subgenre entry suitable for adult teeth; it's little surprise that David Cronenberg hadn't even heard of the comic origins of A History of Violence before he began rewriting the script. Arguably the luckiest beneficiary of the fad is writer Neil Gaiman...

And so on like this. From the Village Voice's review of Mirrormask. Now maybe I am overreacting. Maybe the author of this article has a point. Maybe...

No fuck that. Fuck that and fuck you, Michael Atkinson you condescending smug ignorant fuckwad. It doesn't matter that you can't hear me, that I'm not really addressing you. Your head is so far up your ass, you don't deserve a rational argument from me. I had thought we'd finally reached some cultural acceptance for the art form, but clearly not. "Adult teeth"? "Fad"? Fuck you.

The worst part is, this is just a reminder that people like this are out there, and there are a lot more than I think there are. Just when I think otherwise, another comic store owner is being sued by some PTA group for selling "obscene" material.

What the hell is wrong with some people? Why are comics considered legitimate art in Europe and Japan and South America and yet are still considered slightly higher than billboard-painting here in America?

Fucking pisses me off. It's one thing to dismiss superheroes as "kids stuff", which gets me angry enough as it is but I can understand it. But to shoot down an entire genre, a "subculture" as he puts it, as not being "adult," makes... well, it makes Hulk want to smash everything, to put it one way.

If I'm mistaking what Atkinson is saying, please let me know. Even if I cam, the sentiment still holds for the masses out there who still share these views. It is one of my goals in life to eradicate such opinions and to make the art form as accepted and respected as film, literature, and "fine art."

Comments

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Mel, you can't just drop a bomb like "I kind of agree with a couple of his points," and then 1.) not go into them and 2.) be open to me actually trying to get you to understand the art form rather than potentially unduly maligning it. Not with one this close to me.

These reviewers are meant to review THE WORK THEY ARE REVIEWING, not to insult the mentality of AN ENTIRE FUCKING ART FORM. Yes, I am using caps because I am pissed and shouting. That's totally un-fucking-called-for.

It isn't like him dissing Shakespeare. It's like him dismissing THEATRE. Know what I mean? If this were just superheroes, I'd understand. I'd be unhappy, but whatever, let him have his opinion. But this kind of huge asshat ignorance smugness is utter bullshit and comics have had to endure it ever since they were created.

[2sick2pray.livejournal.com]

I think dismissing theatre is sort of the same thing; at least in terms of how I'd react to it. And if culture as a whole someday does dismiss theatre, I think the best strategy is to fight it not with words and debate, but by having the stamina to continue to create despite it all. To direct it to an audience that does appreciate it, even if that audience is smaller than I'd like. I think that's a noble thing to do and strive for. That's all I was saying. That we just have to fight it by creating and delighting in that which delights us, even when others condemn it. We're not going to change their minds simply by telling them they're wrong. And if they're too closed-minded to see the power in that which has been created, they're none of our concern anymore because they have proven themselves unworthy of it.

And I don't agree with how he states his opinions... I'm just saying it kind of comes with the territory. What I do agree with is that comics are over-exploited in the film industry specifically because producers know that comic movies are a current fad. Not fad in a condescending way, fad in =chingching at the box office kind of way. And I agree that they have a devoted following that will come to see the movie regardless of who's in it or who directed it, and that many people who go to superhero movies (some of which are indeed sub-par movies made specifically as summer blockbusters) are not very discriminating. And I agree that it's not surprising that someone would agree to write a film script based on a comic they'd never read or heard of in Hollywood. Cause that's Hollywood for you. The way he uses these points to condemn the source material for the movies he's seen is pretty stupid. And being so stupid, not worth getting upset about, in my pov. I can't get angry at something I can't even begin to take seriously.


And I'm not trying to malign the genre of graphic novels, I'm just saying it's not something I'm into personally.

Look I know I have this annoying habit of becoming a devil's advocate every time you post about something you're passionate about. I'm not doing it to be a bitch... it's just that strong opinions pique my interest and I see them as a good opportunity for debates - which if you haven't noticed, I enjoy. If you don't want me to, just let me know. We still haven't discussed whatever it was awhile back that was bothering you last time I posted to your journal, but I suspect that habit of mine is at least part of it. So do tell me if you just want me to shut up and go away okay? I can respect that. It's your journal, and you shouldn't have to justify the opinions you post in it to me just because I think it'd be fun to discuss if it's not fun for you. So say the word and I'll stop... really.