Comics: Jonah Hex, Batman RIP, and a question...
I certainly didn't plan it this way. Truth be told, a plan was never made. I was simply going with the flow, hoping no one would suspect. It was pure accident then, that I came out at work... as a comics nerd.
The signs were all there: me coming in a bit later on Wednesdays, the habit of yelling RICHAAAAARDS! when the computer's on the fritz, the fact that the car has a sticker reserved for employees of Wayne Enterprises... Hell, I even wear an el-cheapo Green Lantern ring everyday! Yet as I confirmed the stuff in the blue bag were indeed comics, I was met with very surprised looks. And plenty of questions.
Q. Are you one of those nerds who get upset when comics are turned into movies and the actors aren't the ones you like?
A. I don't read Marvel.
Q: Dude, comics have ads now?
A: ...
Thanks to this and gasp, actual work, I hadn't the time to read everything I picked up this week:
Jonah Hex
Batman RIP
Manhunter
Joker: Joker's Asylum
Billy Batson & The Magic of Shazam!
Nightwing
Legion of Superheroes
I did manage bits of the first two, so what are we waiting for?
I wasn't expecting to pick Jonah Hex at all. I'm not the biggest fan of Westerns, even though an ex tried his best. I did like The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, but who didn't? :D However, I remembered from this year's Wizard World LA Darwyn Cooke said he was about to collaborate with Jimmy Palmiotti on a Hex story featuring crooked Mounties ( original post here). Crooked Mounties. Who could resist that?
Then I read it. It's meh. Interesting, but not my cuppa.
Seems cool, right? And then...
I couldn't help but think beatonna would have explained the Mounties much better. Because HISTORY in COMICS is what makes KATEBEATON CAPSLOCK AWESOME.
Still, the ending page is pretty cool. And I'm a sucker for Darwyn Cooke's work. Point to DC.
The supervisor, who was looking over Batman #678, wondered out loud if Batman wasn't dead before.
Supe: Like, didn't Superman kill him, only Batman faked his own death?
Me: Uh. Yeah, yeah. In Dark Knight Returns. By Frank Miller.
Supe: See? I'm totally hip with the kids.
Me: Uh, that was in 1986.
Supe: OMG, SHUT UP!
I haven't finished reading the issue just yet because the art... oh the art. It's so pretty. You ever read something that's so pretty that it makes you wanna prolong actually paying attention to the words? Move over, hunky Green Lantern art by Ivan Reis, you've a new rival.
I got as far as this second page before needing a cold drink. Told ya I was shallow. Looks like I'm going to have to keep buying this. Another point to DC. Though what's up with the weird angle, Tony Daniel? Did we need a nostril shot & chips in the same panel?
On to a more sober topic. Reading this week's Sequential Tart, I wanted to explore and answer this question myself: What element of a comic/manga appeals to you most?
I wanted to say a good story, but it would not be the absolute truth. With DC, it's the characters. Their backstory, their motivations, their conflicts. Add in great looking art, and I'm not fussy. But reading Tart Rebecca Buchanan's answer made me realise the stories that I tend to prefer are almost exclusively from the male perspective. There's great writing in Wonder Woman and Birds of Prey, yet why don't I pick it up? And when I venture out to read the lesser known stuff, why don't I select the ones with strong female characters? Am I biased against those types of work?
Don't get me wrong, I do like them. Using Terry Pratchett's Discworld as an example, I'll pick Nanny Ogg and Esmerelda Weatherwax as two great female characters I love to read about. Heck, even Sal calls me a mini-Nanny Ogg. But I would still rather read about the Watch, and Commander Sam Vimes in particular.
Then I thought, maybe it's not so much the gender than the characters themselves. Vimes' the man with a past, a tough and flawed character; both qualities I like. Selina's the same, which explains why I have issues dating back to Jim Balent's boobalicious run.
Hm. Could this be the reason why? Wonder Woman always seems too otherwordly for me. Superman too, despite my slowly warming up after the fantastic LOSH appearance. And BOP has an established crew with plenty of camaraderie; it's a bit like trying to fit into a clique in some ways. I still like the characters, some less than others, but it's not like I would never pick it up. In fact, I'm really enjoying the Huntress mini. One of my first US comics was a very old issue of The Huntress where the letter writers contemplate a movie with Valerie Bertinelli (don't laugh!) as the lead. So, it's probably a case of not my cuppa, rather than I DON'T LIKE STRONG WOMEN!
Anyway, I'm glad I had the moment upon contemplating the question. Because with Catwoman wrapping up in two issues, there's only going to be Wonder Woman, BOP, and Manhunter as those with leading female characters. I've already started by picking up Manhunter. And one of these days, I'm going to jump right in to the big sea for more. I'm sure the water's fine.
And hi to all the new Bat-friends!
The signs were all there: me coming in a bit later on Wednesdays, the habit of yelling RICHAAAAARDS! when the computer's on the fritz, the fact that the car has a sticker reserved for employees of Wayne Enterprises... Hell, I even wear an el-cheapo Green Lantern ring everyday! Yet as I confirmed the stuff in the blue bag were indeed comics, I was met with very surprised looks. And plenty of questions.
Q. Are you one of those nerds who get upset when comics are turned into movies and the actors aren't the ones you like?
A. I don't read Marvel.
Q: Dude, comics have ads now?
A: ...
Thanks to this and gasp, actual work, I hadn't the time to read everything I picked up this week:
Jonah Hex
Batman RIP
Manhunter
Joker: Joker's Asylum
Billy Batson & The Magic of Shazam!
Nightwing
Legion of Superheroes
I did manage bits of the first two, so what are we waiting for?
I wasn't expecting to pick Jonah Hex at all. I'm not the biggest fan of Westerns, even though an ex tried his best. I did like The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, but who didn't? :D However, I remembered from this year's Wizard World LA Darwyn Cooke said he was about to collaborate with Jimmy Palmiotti on a Hex story featuring crooked Mounties ( original post here). Crooked Mounties. Who could resist that?
Then I read it. It's meh. Interesting, but not my cuppa.
Seems cool, right? And then...
I couldn't help but think beatonna would have explained the Mounties much better. Because HISTORY in COMICS is what makes KATEBEATON CAPSLOCK AWESOME.
Still, the ending page is pretty cool. And I'm a sucker for Darwyn Cooke's work. Point to DC.
The supervisor, who was looking over Batman #678, wondered out loud if Batman wasn't dead before.
Supe: Like, didn't Superman kill him, only Batman faked his own death?
Me: Uh. Yeah, yeah. In Dark Knight Returns. By Frank Miller.
Supe: See? I'm totally hip with the kids.
Me: Uh, that was in 1986.
Supe: OMG, SHUT UP!
I haven't finished reading the issue just yet because the art... oh the art. It's so pretty. You ever read something that's so pretty that it makes you wanna prolong actually paying attention to the words? Move over, hunky Green Lantern art by Ivan Reis, you've a new rival.
I got as far as this second page before needing a cold drink. Told ya I was shallow. Looks like I'm going to have to keep buying this. Another point to DC. Though what's up with the weird angle, Tony Daniel? Did we need a nostril shot & chips in the same panel?
On to a more sober topic. Reading this week's Sequential Tart, I wanted to explore and answer this question myself: What element of a comic/manga appeals to you most?
I wanted to say a good story, but it would not be the absolute truth. With DC, it's the characters. Their backstory, their motivations, their conflicts. Add in great looking art, and I'm not fussy. But reading Tart Rebecca Buchanan's answer made me realise the stories that I tend to prefer are almost exclusively from the male perspective. There's great writing in Wonder Woman and Birds of Prey, yet why don't I pick it up? And when I venture out to read the lesser known stuff, why don't I select the ones with strong female characters? Am I biased against those types of work?
Don't get me wrong, I do like them. Using Terry Pratchett's Discworld as an example, I'll pick Nanny Ogg and Esmerelda Weatherwax as two great female characters I love to read about. Heck, even Sal calls me a mini-Nanny Ogg. But I would still rather read about the Watch, and Commander Sam Vimes in particular.
Then I thought, maybe it's not so much the gender than the characters themselves. Vimes' the man with a past, a tough and flawed character; both qualities I like. Selina's the same, which explains why I have issues dating back to Jim Balent's boobalicious run.
Hm. Could this be the reason why? Wonder Woman always seems too otherwordly for me. Superman too, despite my slowly warming up after the fantastic LOSH appearance. And BOP has an established crew with plenty of camaraderie; it's a bit like trying to fit into a clique in some ways. I still like the characters, some less than others, but it's not like I would never pick it up. In fact, I'm really enjoying the Huntress mini. One of my first US comics was a very old issue of The Huntress where the letter writers contemplate a movie with Valerie Bertinelli (don't laugh!) as the lead. So, it's probably a case of not my cuppa, rather than I DON'T LIKE STRONG WOMEN!
Anyway, I'm glad I had the moment upon contemplating the question. Because with Catwoman wrapping up in two issues, there's only going to be Wonder Woman, BOP, and Manhunter as those with leading female characters. I've already started by picking up Manhunter. And one of these days, I'm going to jump right in to the big sea for more. I'm sure the water's fine.
And hi to all the new Bat-friends!