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COMIC REPORT
I love Silver Age Lex Luthor. Sometimes I really don't know if I prefer corporate businessman Lex Luthor or mad scientist Lex Luthor, but I've often seen both version stay faithful to the spirit of the character, which is the more important thing.
Lex is just such an awesome villain, and it's a shame that--like the Joker--there are so many writers who fuck him up or lame-ify him because they just don't get the character.
Okay. Who here has read SLEEPER, by Brubaker and Sean Phillips? Because SLEEPER is fucking excellent, like a great HBO series brought to comics. It was seriously hyped up both by the likes of Brian K. Vaughan and Warren Ellis as well as my colleagues at Big Planet, and it still surpassed expectations (of which I had few, for some reason). Can't wait to lend SLEEPER to Danny and Kevin.
Here, have some examples of SLEEPER's awesomeness: the fucked-up-ed-ness that is Miss Misery and and the secret origin of... FagHag?
I am now very sad that I'm not still working at the comic shop so I can't tell people to read SLEEPER instead of overblown similar shit like WANTED.*
On the other hand, I'm still more happy to be out of the store. Because really, it was turning me into a comic grouch, and I don't want to be a comic grouch. Honestly, I don't. Much of my grouchiness came from the overwhelming popularity of certain things that I--for one reason or another--strongly did not enjoy, and it became harder and harder to reconcile objectivity when faced with the rabidness of fans. This is not healthy for anybody.
I'm working on it. I love my comics, but I think we need some time apart.
And there are some frustrations that are stronger than others, like Mark Millar's continued popularity or how THE BOYS continues to be a top-seller. But even these, I could dismiss and get over, one way or another. More so than certain other comics. In fact, I've started to think of my frustrations with modern comics in terms of a three-headed Cerberus: SCOTT PILGRIM, Joss Whedon, and Jeph Loeb.
I've already ranted about SCOTT PILGRIM. Generally considered by many, with little-to-no irony, as the greatest comic of the 21st Century, and one of the greatest comics ever. And the appeal is totally lost on me, no matter how many times I reread the books. And now, with SHAUN/HOT FUZZ director Edgar Wright hemling the SCOTT PILGRIM movie with Michael Cera, the rabid hype of fans is going to be inescapable.**
And I've also already ranted about Joss Whedon, whose work I respect and admire, and I do see his genuine excellence, but it's a style I personally abhor.
Loeb's work is hugely popular even though it is crap. No, this is where objectivity ends. You give me a Jeph Loeb comic, any Jeph Loeb comic, and I can point-by-point show how that comic is riddled with trite cliched dialogue, inconsistent characterization, overblown posturing for the sake of overblown posturing, "smoke and mirrors" Distract-o-CrapTM storytelling, and plot holes plot holes plot holes.
On my last day, a young man came into the store to buy one of the older Loeb/Sale Batman compilations, saying that LONG HALLOWEEN and DARK VICTORY had changed his life. Those were his exact words. "They changed my life." To my ears, this was sort of like someone saying "TEEN WOLF changed my life." Or "COMMANDO changed my life." Or "Howie Long's epic FIRESTORM changed my life." And guess what? All those films were ALSO written by Jeph Loeb.
My theory is that Loeb keeps teaming up with brilliant (or at least dazzling/popular) artists, which keeps everyone distracted from the scripts. I seriously challenge any LONG HALLOWEEN fan to say whether or not they think the book could possibly have been any good without Tim Sale doing the pretty, pretty art.**
Because people seem to forget that Loeb also wrote Liefeld's CAPTAIN AMERICA. No one gave that book a free pass, but again, I suppose more people were distracted by the shitty art than the shitty writing (maybe that's just it; many fans are into comics for the art as much as--or perhaps more than--the writing. If that's the case, then I can't argue with their tastes, because Loeb certainly does work with excellent, eye-catching artists). And his talents really haven't improved.
My other theory is that LONG HALLOWEEN, DARK VICTORY, and HUSH are all murder mysteries, which means that readers will accept any number of plot holes and crappy storytelling because they're holding out to see where the writer is going with all this. Maybe this really isn't shitty storytelling, maybe it's a clue! And by the end of LONG HALLOWEEN and HUSH alike, we're left with big reveal twist endings that makes the reader go, "Whoa, I did NOT see that coming!!!" until someone stops to actually think about it and realize, "Wait... that actually makes no sense."
Seriously, I am sorely tempted to write a detailed and reasoned critique of LONG HALLOWEEN for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
scans_daily, but I just don't have the time nor energy to devote to so much negativity, especially when I'd likely only be preaching to the choir. I'd only want to go through all that if it meant changing opinions, or at least opening a thoughtful discussion.
I am genuinely heartened that many are finally starting to see Loeb's hackery with HULK and ULTIMATES 3, the latter of which honestly made Millar's previous ULTIMATES work look nuanced and layered. But I fear that THE LONG HALLOWEEN and DARK VICTORY will continue to be counted among the greatest, most essential, and most influential Batman comics of all time. And that's the real crime here.
Oh hell, enough ranting and bitchery. Let's go back to happy things!
Did you know that Daredevil almost had his own 80's cartoon series? With a canine sidekick? A super-seeing eye dog? Named Lightning, the Super-Dog?
That picture fills me with such endless happy.
*Which is now coming out as an even-crappier-looking film. The only thing the comic had going for it was it's premise, and you throw all that out for a shitty MATRIX rip-off five years after MATRIX rip-offs were actually fashionable? Lame.
**On the other hand, with Wright doing the SCOTT PILGRIM movie, maybe I'll finally understand the appeal once I see it in movie form rather than comic.
***Although I do think Tim Sale's Batman and Catwoman are both grotesquely ripped, and I do kinda run hot and cold on his HUGE-PERMA-FUCKING-GRIN Joker, which only serves the heighten Loeb's take on the Batman characters, turning them into flat, quote-spouting, one-note caricatures of themselves.
Lex is just such an awesome villain, and it's a shame that--like the Joker--there are so many writers who fuck him up or lame-ify him because they just don't get the character.
Okay. Who here has read SLEEPER, by Brubaker and Sean Phillips? Because SLEEPER is fucking excellent, like a great HBO series brought to comics. It was seriously hyped up both by the likes of Brian K. Vaughan and Warren Ellis as well as my colleagues at Big Planet, and it still surpassed expectations (of which I had few, for some reason). Can't wait to lend SLEEPER to Danny and Kevin.
Here, have some examples of SLEEPER's awesomeness: the fucked-up-ed-ness that is Miss Misery and and the secret origin of... FagHag?
I am now very sad that I'm not still working at the comic shop so I can't tell people to read SLEEPER instead of overblown similar shit like WANTED.*
On the other hand, I'm still more happy to be out of the store. Because really, it was turning me into a comic grouch, and I don't want to be a comic grouch. Honestly, I don't. Much of my grouchiness came from the overwhelming popularity of certain things that I--for one reason or another--strongly did not enjoy, and it became harder and harder to reconcile objectivity when faced with the rabidness of fans. This is not healthy for anybody.
I'm working on it. I love my comics, but I think we need some time apart.
And there are some frustrations that are stronger than others, like Mark Millar's continued popularity or how THE BOYS continues to be a top-seller. But even these, I could dismiss and get over, one way or another. More so than certain other comics. In fact, I've started to think of my frustrations with modern comics in terms of a three-headed Cerberus: SCOTT PILGRIM, Joss Whedon, and Jeph Loeb.
I've already ranted about SCOTT PILGRIM. Generally considered by many, with little-to-no irony, as the greatest comic of the 21st Century, and one of the greatest comics ever. And the appeal is totally lost on me, no matter how many times I reread the books. And now, with SHAUN/HOT FUZZ director Edgar Wright hemling the SCOTT PILGRIM movie with Michael Cera, the rabid hype of fans is going to be inescapable.**
And I've also already ranted about Joss Whedon, whose work I respect and admire, and I do see his genuine excellence, but it's a style I personally abhor.
Loeb's work is hugely popular even though it is crap. No, this is where objectivity ends. You give me a Jeph Loeb comic, any Jeph Loeb comic, and I can point-by-point show how that comic is riddled with trite cliched dialogue, inconsistent characterization, overblown posturing for the sake of overblown posturing, "smoke and mirrors" Distract-o-CrapTM storytelling, and plot holes plot holes plot holes.
On my last day, a young man came into the store to buy one of the older Loeb/Sale Batman compilations, saying that LONG HALLOWEEN and DARK VICTORY had changed his life. Those were his exact words. "They changed my life." To my ears, this was sort of like someone saying "TEEN WOLF changed my life." Or "COMMANDO changed my life." Or "Howie Long's epic FIRESTORM changed my life." And guess what? All those films were ALSO written by Jeph Loeb.
My theory is that Loeb keeps teaming up with brilliant (or at least dazzling/popular) artists, which keeps everyone distracted from the scripts. I seriously challenge any LONG HALLOWEEN fan to say whether or not they think the book could possibly have been any good without Tim Sale doing the pretty, pretty art.**
Because people seem to forget that Loeb also wrote Liefeld's CAPTAIN AMERICA. No one gave that book a free pass, but again, I suppose more people were distracted by the shitty art than the shitty writing (maybe that's just it; many fans are into comics for the art as much as--or perhaps more than--the writing. If that's the case, then I can't argue with their tastes, because Loeb certainly does work with excellent, eye-catching artists). And his talents really haven't improved.
My other theory is that LONG HALLOWEEN, DARK VICTORY, and HUSH are all murder mysteries, which means that readers will accept any number of plot holes and crappy storytelling because they're holding out to see where the writer is going with all this. Maybe this really isn't shitty storytelling, maybe it's a clue! And by the end of LONG HALLOWEEN and HUSH alike, we're left with big reveal twist endings that makes the reader go, "Whoa, I did NOT see that coming!!!" until someone stops to actually think about it and realize, "Wait... that actually makes no sense."
Seriously, I am sorely tempted to write a detailed and reasoned critique of LONG HALLOWEEN for
scans_daily, but I just don't have the time nor energy to devote to so much negativity, especially when I'd likely only be preaching to the choir. I'd only want to go through all that if it meant changing opinions, or at least opening a thoughtful discussion. I am genuinely heartened that many are finally starting to see Loeb's hackery with HULK and ULTIMATES 3, the latter of which honestly made Millar's previous ULTIMATES work look nuanced and layered. But I fear that THE LONG HALLOWEEN and DARK VICTORY will continue to be counted among the greatest, most essential, and most influential Batman comics of all time. And that's the real crime here.
Oh hell, enough ranting and bitchery. Let's go back to happy things!
Did you know that Daredevil almost had his own 80's cartoon series? With a canine sidekick? A super-seeing eye dog? Named Lightning, the Super-Dog?
That picture fills me with such endless happy.
*Which is now coming out as an even-crappier-looking film. The only thing the comic had going for it was it's premise, and you throw all that out for a shitty MATRIX rip-off five years after MATRIX rip-offs were actually fashionable? Lame.
**On the other hand, with Wright doing the SCOTT PILGRIM movie, maybe I'll finally understand the appeal once I see it in movie form rather than comic.
***Although I do think Tim Sale's Batman and Catwoman are both grotesquely ripped, and I do kinda run hot and cold on his HUGE-PERMA-FUCKING-GRIN Joker, which only serves the heighten Loeb's take on the Batman characters, turning them into flat, quote-spouting, one-note caricatures of themselves.
no subject
Really, I suspect that many murder mysteries are like this, bending logic and riddling the plot with holes for the sake of twists, turns, misdirection, and shocks.
As for HUSH, that back story might have come in handy considering, uh, what the hell was Tommy's motivation?! "I hate you because your father failed to save my parents lives!" What a twist! "And guess what? I always hated my parents!" Whoa, what a double-twi-- wait, what...?
And I agree, the art is chilling in that ending, which probably kept people from thinking about how the reveal made absolutely no sense and was a shitty treatment of the character. Much like IC, "I did it all for my husband, so he could have more time and attention for me" which is such crap... are we to believe that this woman could be so proactive, skilled, and cold-blooded to murder FUCKING GANGSTERS once a month on holidays, then inexplicably stop on New Year's for Alberto to conveniently fake his death even though she wasn't at all involved with Alberto's faked death, and just assume that Harvey took over even though Alberto confessed later to the rest of the killings which he did commit? WHAT THE FUCK?!
Not to mention the fact that this same Gilda who did all these things would sit for two months, crying and moping about Harvey being missing? Hell no. Makes no fucking sense.
I'm really proud of how I'm actually making Gilda more interesting and complex than she's ever been, even taking Loeb's ideas and turning them around on their ear.
Ugh, sorry, ranting, forgive me.
no subject
The one part of Identity Crisis I liked was Robins' frantic dash home and that bizarre full page splash of Tim enfolded in Batmans' arms. The rest of it...not so much. I think the murder mystery is a genre best left to paperback novels and adaptations on the TV. It just doesn't work well in the comicbook medium, where it's flaws seem to be far more visible than they are normally.
no subject
I mean, don't get me wrong, I have to respect a woman who not only manages to escape an institution like a hospital (that has, you know... security and whatnot) to go a-killing mobsters while she's severely injured, AND manages to do it in such a timely fashion that she's back before her husband, who sleeps in her hospital room, wakes up and notices she's gone. It's just completely impossible. Even for a freaking superhero comic.
(I could be wrong about some of these details, it's been a while since I read The Long Halloween.)
no subject
I mean, it could be argued that she was just faking her injury, making it look a lot worse than it actually was, but in the words of Hermes Conrad, "That just raises further questions!"
And it's not like I don't believe Gilda isn't capable of doing that. Just not that Gilda, that shrinking violet "Oh where oh where is my Harvey? I cry and mope."
It's no less random and ludicrous than if she, say, burst out in ninja moves.