Quotes of the Day

[thehefner]

You guys know the theory of the Uncanny Valley? How an artificial representation of a person becomes more relatable the more human it looks, until it hits a point that's so close, the only thing that stands out are the differences and it becomes something repulsive and uncomfortable to look at? That's what Marvel has become. It's a world smack dab at the bottom of that valley, with NBC's “Heroes” up on top of one side and Kirkman's INVINCIBLE on the other. It's a world that is ugly and bitter; a world that has taken characters older than I am and turned them into something so far removed from their original intent that they've become something monstrous.

--"Vroom Socko," reviewer for aintitcool.com's comic reviews.

Word. (although I still have yet to sit down and watch give myself a HEROES marathon) But WORD nonetheless.



On the other hand, we have Devin at CHUD.com, who writes:

Recently Marvel editor Tom Brevoort answered some questions about Marvel’s Civil War event, specifically about how long it would take Marvel to ‘reset’ all the changes that happened at the end of the series. Brevoort said that they don’t have any plans to reset anything any time soon, but that he has no illusions that one day the Marvel Universe will look more like it did before Civil War. And he said that it’s a function of serialized comic storytelling – the truth is that if you’re cynical enough to be upset about the eventual return of the status quo, you’ve probably been reading the books for too long. The industry is sick because it has ceded itself to the people who are too old to be reading these comics as religiously as they do, and these overgrown fanboys demand that this form of storytelling conform to their ideas of continuity. DC has been especially awful with this, with their big event Infinite Crisis riffing on convoluted continuity understandable only by the most socially challenged readers. It’s not just that comics are competing with other mediums for the entertainment dollar, it’s that they’re not making themselves accessible to any new people who might want to jump in.

Devin's (spoiler-filled, but does anyone care anymore?) essay is as arrogant and preachy as any of his rants, but he raises several good points. I think he may be right; I'll certainly be pondering this.

Because you know the thing that's really sticking with me over the controversial issue in question (by which I mean, CAPTAIN AMERICA # 25)? I think... it was actually well done. It had less to do with the clusterfuck that is Civil War and more with Cap's own book, and what Brubaker was building up to for two years. It was handled in an unusual but rather (I think) fitting manner with real emotional impact.

My initial instinct was to be the jaded comic fan and go "Huh, how 'bout that, whatever." But thinking about it for the past couple days... I think it was pretty damn good. Much, much better than if it had been done in the actual final issue of CIVIL WAR.

Thoughts, folks?

Comments

[suburbfabulous.livejournal.com]

1. Infantile Crisis sucked more donkey junk than Brittany Murphy when she was dating Eminem.
2. Civil War was similarly illegal in the States, so to speak, but Brubaker's Cap and DD runs have been the best possible cleanup. If he was handling 52, we could expect similar results at DC.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

1.) Agreed (also, I'm amused by how Brittany Murphy has a near-constant drunken-whore-after-a-five-hour-gang-bang look to her)

2.) And Dwayne McDuffie on FF, as well as Slott on SHE-HULK.

[gallen-storm.livejournal.com]

1) Brevoort is a ass, and obviously just mad cause he could not vent his opinion of comic fans in a cleverly drawn, (not written) comic about a terrorist spy who knew he was in a comic book aka Wanted.

2) I like continuity, and feel that Civil War would have still achieved what we got and been better if continuity was more strictly used....but I guess I am an old fart fan boy at age 25 and graduating college.

3) I totally agree with you on Cap. I think it was a great issue and defiantly more dramatic then the previous Amazing Spider-man.........(spoiler)..... Hell Aunt May should be registered as well for having the "bad stuff happens to me every day and some how I survive" super power.

But I totally agree and CW: Initiative helps in keeping the Cap title from going all "Death of Superman" while not canceling out the fact Cap just got majorly screwed. The only thing I think that could have toped this was if it occurred as the ending to Civil War, instead of his surrender and fully dealt with in his own title. But that is just me.

4) BTW this is Lin and Tor's friend, George, hey. Still loved yha in King John, you where a riot!

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I too am an old fart fanboy at 24, feel no shame. Unless, of course, we should feel shame together.

As for Aunt May, she's not dead... yet. It's gonna take a couple months. So her super powers still hold for now!

And thankee! Come see a very different side of me in FAUSTUS in a couple months! :)

[suburbfabulous.livejournal.com]

1. And that's why she's HOT.
2. So it seems, yes. Those aren't as frequently stocked at the local supermarket, though, and I'm afraid to set foot in a comic shop.