Comments | kali921: One Perfect Moment. Actually, Two Perfect Moments.

kali921

One Perfect Moment. Actually, Two Perfect Moments.

Jun 08, 2009 13:13

As soon as I saw that a One Perfect Moment week had been launched over on Scans Daily 2.0, I knew that I had to post this page. (I wind up posting this page approximately once every eighteen months or so in order to make a point. Thus, apologies in advance if you've already seen it here.) There is so much excellent stuff being posted by various ( Read more... )

grant morrison, danny rand, luke cage, deadpool, artgasm, epic battles, iron fist, superman

Comments 32

outlawpoet June 8 2009, 21:19:15 UTC

Ah, gotta love the modern "moral paragon" Superman.

That reminds me, I've been extending a childlike belief in the goodness of people, but I can't seem to get off the ground, also, I tried putting my face right into the path of evil-doers, but I don't seem to be THA STRONGEST IN THE UNIVERSE EVAR!!!one11! yet.

My infared laser eyes and x-ray vision also seem to be sub-par.

Tests regarding relativistic velocity in an atmosphere and superintelligence are ongoing.

kali921 June 8 2009, 21:28:28 UTC

Yes, Clark has evolved over the years as a character. But I loved Morrison's Clark in ASS because he seemed to touch upon the soul and spirit of modern Clark in a way that other writers recently haven't been capable of. It was surprisingly tender and sweet, and "tender" and "sweet" are not words that come to mind when I think "Grant Morrison."

Given that I either love or hate Morrison's work, believe me, it surprised me when I loved ASS so much.

outlawpoet June 8 2009, 21:50:08 UTC

Really? I've always thought of Morrison as very romantic. Some of his scenes in The Invisibles, for example, are downright sappy. He seems to have trouble expressing it, sometimes, but he's very affectionate to comics stuff.

kali921 June 8 2009, 22:04:34 UTC

I think Morrison's strength is that he's in love with the IDEA of comics and with the concept of superheroes, and coupled with his deeply eccentric and erratic Weltanschauung, that either produces very good work or completely messy and downright BAD work. Morrison can, however, usually wring at least one or two great character moments even in the midst of dreck.

Early Doom Patrol, The Invisibles, et al; well, that work is almost unassailable and it's downright enjoyable reading for me. But romance? HAH. See his New X-Men run. If Emma/Scott is Morrison's idea of wildly romantic, Morrison is invited to douse himself in chum and jump into the Pacific Ocean near Santa Cruz.

bobo_dreams June 8 2009, 21:29:24 UTC

That All Star Superman moment? It makes me cry every time. EVERY FUCKING TIME. He doesn't break doors down and hold the moon up to save the universe or any of that shit... he just helps her believe... Jesus Christ, Mister Morrison and Mister Quietly... I love you both for making me believe in Superman again.

Oh, yes. kali921 June 8 2009, 21:36:25 UTC

Oh, yes. I admit to sobbing like a sad little girl when I got to that page, and it still tears me up. When I posted it here, I literally had to grab a tissue to preemptively make sure that my mascara didn't run. It's so quietly and evocatively beautiful, isn't it? Who wouldn't, at their darkest hour, want a hug from Superman? And it's not one of those superficial embraces; I normally don't like Frank Quitely's art, but that last panel kills me because Clark is embracing her in a full body hug. It's so tender, so loving, and so ENTIRELY Clark.

Re: Oh, yes. oakenguy June 8 2009, 22:41:29 UTC

Argh--Quitely's faces bother me so much, and so many other people love his art that when I say something I feel as alone as radiumhead must when Rulk gets discussed. I've read my library's copy of ASS, and I'd even buy a SCRIPT version of it, but ye gods, those chins.

Quitely hate: show me it! kali921 June 8 2009, 22:46:32 UTC

I've had my share of internet death matches with Quitely fanboys. I hate him. I hate him as much as Dracula hates Doctor Strange. I hate him the way Rahm Emanuel hates conservative Republicans. I hate him with the full force of hatred that must needs be unleashed when his art appears on anything ANYWHERE.

Quitely can only draw, at best, two faces and three body types. His work is beyond hideous, it's not "edgy," it's not innovative, and it's downright hideously ugly.

He drew an ugly Apollo.

HOW do you make Apollo ugly?

Thread 7

aj June 8 2009, 21:35:23 UTC

I've been rediscovering my Superman love. I think it got kicked to hell and beyond by Smallville and a lot of other stuff. That being said, I've been rewatching Lois and Clark in fits and starts and I'd forgotten how much FUN and glee can be had with him.

I'm tired of people trying to make Clark 'Edgy'. He just needs to be good.

kali921 June 8 2009, 21:41:53 UTC

There's been LOTS of excellent Clark of late, but I highly, highly recommend Morrison's ASS, which ended in...2008, I think? There's just the twelve issues, so it's easy to jump in and read the whole thing. It's a distillation of EVERYTHING that people have loved over the years about Supes; there's cracky insanity, Lex, a lovely piece where Clark figures out a way to give Lois his powers for a day that ends with one of the most gorgeously sweet moments ever between the two of them, there's pathos, tenderness, and throughout it all, you can't help but look at EVERY SINGLE PAGE and LOVE Clark with all of your being. It's not really in mainstream continuity, so Morrison gets to play, but in this? He plays very, very well. You know how, despite the fact that Morrison did some really sucktastic stuff in New X-Men, he DID write fabulous scenes with Jean and Charles? Where he showed that underneath it all, he GOT their mentor/mentee relationship and how much they loved each other? That he got the very essence of how they relate to each ( ... )

outlawpoet June 8 2009, 21:47:07 UTC

From a continuity perspective, New X-Men can be very upsetting, but the character writing is all pretty wonderful. Wolverine, Jean, Xavier, Cyclops, even the new kids are great.

No. kali921 June 8 2009, 21:58:01 UTC

From a continuity perspective, New X-Men can be very upsetting, but the character writing is all pretty wonderful. Wolverine, Jean, Xavier, Cyclops, even the new kids are great.No. Not for this X-Men fan ( ... )

Thread 14

(The comment has been removed)

kali921 June 8 2009, 22:19:00 UTC

With that half smile that conveys UTTER SINCERITY and TOTAL BELIEF in us. Yeah, that's a FANTASTIC page. Thank you for posting it! <3 <3

sdelmonte June 8 2009, 22:21:45 UTC

As it happens, I just re-read All Star Superman (probably because of the Morrison-Quitely Batman). And I found myself moved to tears again, knowing exactly what was coming and knowing that it is indeed a perfect moment.

The rest of the series holds up quite nicely, too, and some parts I didn't love the first time around - Zibarro and the flashback to Clark's youth - work better the second time around.

But that scene...wow. Morrison said it best: sometimes, we all need a hug from Superman.

kali921 June 8 2009, 22:27:30 UTC

You just hit upon something that's very key - I absolutely agree that ASS is better the second, third, and fourth time around. I keep finding little quirks and tiny things in various panels to love. And the fact that Morrison showed Clark taking a bus full of schoolchildren to see the Pyramids and then spending a while in a cancer ward visiting and playing with sick kids.

All that before lunch.

It's what makes me adore Clark.

Oh, his cameos in Manhunter! Andreyko, who is not someone that I consider to be a sentimental writer and whose work on Manhunter seems to prove that beyond a doubt, gave REALLY good Clark. Even Kate Spencer's jaw dropped every time Supes showed up in her book! "That is never not impressive." And that line? WILL NEVER NOT BE FUNNY.