Comics (Obama approves of this thread)

Reggie · Post by **Reggie** » Wed Apr 25, 2012 3:10 pm

Batman: The Black Mirror by Todd Snyder is a really good trade collection. You don't need to know a whole lot about the currently-confusing Batman Inc. story arc to follow along, either. I would suggest that only long-time fans of Batman check it out.

Prophecy · Post by **Prophecy** » Wed Apr 25, 2012 8:16 pm

Tired & Broke wrote:Haven't touched a comic in 6 years but I have some questions for the heads still dedicated to the cause....

1. Why the fuck is Colossus the new Juggernaut?? What happened to Cain Marko??
2. How did the X-men break up into 2 teams led by Cyclops and Logan respectively??
3. Why did they change Magneto's real name??
Bonus: Why the fuck is Marvel/Disney canceling Avengers: EMH. Best Marvel cartoon in years??

Yeah, I was reading a preview for X-Men vs Avengers and saw this and was like

Someone fill me in on this.

Mercuthio · Post by **Mercuthio** » Sat Apr 28, 2012 5:58 pm

brilliant Grant Morrison interview in Playboy:

Morrison: גI got interested in the class element of Batman: Heגs a rich man who beats up poor people. Itגs quite a bizarre mission to go out at night dressed as a bat and punch the hell out of junkies. And then he goes home and lives in this mansion. Thereגs an aspirational quality to himגheגs an outlaw and he can buy anything. He has a new Batmobile every movie. Heגs very plutonian in the sense that heגs wealthy and also in the sense that heגs sexually deviant. Gayness is built into Batman. Iגm not using gay in the pejorative sense, but Batman is very, very gay. Thereגs just no denying it. Obviously as a fictional character heגs intended to be heterosexual, but the basis of the whole concept is utterly gay. I think thatגs why people like it. All these women fancy him and they all wear fetish clothes and jump around rooftops to get to him. He doesnגt careגheגs more interested in hanging out with the old guy and the kid.ג

http://www.playboy.com/playground/enter ... per-psyche

perfectprism · Post by **perfectprism** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 10:47 am

I've never read a Morrison comic, as I tend to stray away from superhero stuff, where's a good place to start? I was gonna check out WE3.

Lid · Post by **Lid** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 11:07 am

i stopped reading marvel and DC 10yrs ago, shite continuity and lame ass crossovers killed it. i fucks wit manga and indie shite cuz i prefer finite stories. cant fuck with continuity and bring dead people back 10 times, usually

perfectprism · Post by **perfectprism** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 11:29 am

Yeah, that's pretty much why I stay away too. I just don't like the the feeling of not knowing enough of a backstory plus it kills suspense for me when I know something is going to keep going on and on

Spartan · Post by **Spartan** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 11:49 am

perfectprism wrote:I've never read a Morrison comic, as I tend to stray away from superhero stuff, where's a good place to start? I was gonna check out WE3.

You might want to check out his old work on Animal Man or The Invisibles.

Mercuthio · Post by **Mercuthio** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 5:43 pm

Spartan wrote:
perfectprism wrote:I've never read a Morrison comic, as I tend to stray away from superhero stuff, where's a good place to start? I was gonna check out WE3.
You might want to check out his old work on Animal Man or The Invisibles.

definitely The Invisibles. Excellent stuff.

i suppose Doom Patrol is too superhero-y? i love that stuff though.

maybe The Filth? that ties in thematically with The Invisibles.

you could check out The Mystery Play. that's very good.

heh, maybe an old classic like The New Adventures of Hitler or Big Dave. Hilariously out-there shit.

personally i love his New X-Men, JLA, All-Star Superman, Seven Soldiers and all that, but yeah, that's of course all superheroics. but in the brilliantly twisted morrison way.

Prophecy · Post by **Prophecy** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 6:25 pm

Mercuthio wrote:brilliant Grant Morrison interview in Playboy:

Morrison: גI got interested in the class element of Batman: Heגs a rich man who beats up poor people. Itגs quite a bizarre mission to go out at night dressed as a bat and punch the hell out of junkies. And then he goes home and lives in this mansion. Thereגs an aspirational quality to himגheגs an outlaw and he can buy anything. He has a new Batmobile every movie. Heגs very plutonian in the sense that heגs wealthy and also in the sense that heגs sexually deviant. Gayness is built into Batman. Iגm not using gay in the pejorative sense, but Batman is very, very gay. Thereגs just no denying it. Obviously as a fictional character heגs intended to be heterosexual, but the basis of the whole concept is utterly gay. I think thatגs why people like it. All these women fancy him and they all wear fetish clothes and jump around rooftops to get to him. He doesnגt careגheגs more interested in hanging out with the old guy and the kid.ג
http://www.playboy.com/playground/enter ... per-psyche

perfectprism · Post by **perfectprism** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 7:20 pm

alright, invisibles it is

Versive · Post by **Versive** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 11:21 pm

Grant Morrison is a very talented writer and a pretty fascinating character in general, but I find that all of his Big 3 superhero shit inevitably veers off into some really metaphysical/philosophical discussion of time travel. It just happened with Action Comics, which I'd been thoroughly enjoying up until now. This gets on my nerves, especially because when he's not doing this, his is some of the most original and enjoyable superhero stuff on the shelves. The first 4-5 issues of the New 52 Action Comics revamp and most of his run on New X-men with Frank Quitely were brilliant. Ditto for Batman: Arkham Asylum.

The Filth was an incredible mini-series.

I've meant to read Invisibles for the longest time. The full series omnibus is due out soon, but it's like $150 or something. Whoever rips that will be my hero.

There's a documentary about him called Talking With Gods. You can watch the whole thing on hulu: http://www.hulu.com/watch/260325/grant- ... -with-gods

The same people who made this also did one about Warren Ellis, which I'm very anxious to see.

Sucka Ducka · Post by **Sucka Ducka** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 11:47 pm

Spartan · Post by **Spartan** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 8:29 am

Seriously tempted to pick this up again with all the praise I'm hearing for the Day of Chaos epic, or just wait for the TPB.

Mercuthio · Post by **Mercuthio** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:00 pm

a good read on the art of King Kirby:

In that discussion, Spiegelman also said, גI suppose thereגs something about Kirbyגs sensibility, the optimism of it, that just puts me off. Thereגs an unpleasant exuberance, like a teenager chattering so excitedly he keeps spritzing you with his salivaג¦ I wouldnגt even use the word גrespectג for Kirby, because I sort of like [his work], but I donגt really respect itג¦ I donגt study his work.ג

Which is too bad, since Jack Kirby is the only major cartoonist to have killed Nazis. And he didnגt do it from a distance ג he killed Nazis using the same hands that later drew Thor, the Aryan God of Thunder, hammering Mangog (old testament villain name, more or less) in the snout. Kirby shot and stabbed Nazis for about six months in 1943 and 1944, and I would argue that experience didnגt just change his life but shaped his work from that moment forward, in that an underlying PTSD worldview took him places he wouldnגt have gone otherwise. For instance: Kirby deepened the emotional realm of the Marvel Universe by the re-introduction of Captain America in Avengers #4. There has been plenty of talk of Lee and Kirby developing גHeroes with Problemsג in the 1960s, but look at what they did first. The FF (they bicker a little), Thor (his girl loves him, but not his human alter ego, a la Superman ג not much of a revelation there), Ant Man (come on!), the Hulk (strictly a monster book when Kirby was handling it). The heroesג problems were pretty minor.

Avengers 4, with the introduction of Captain America, now had a hero with a truly nuanced, complex unsolvable problem: Post traumatic stress disorder. Cap responded from his thaw by freaking out, flashing back, displaying hypervigilence, remorse, guilt, nightmares, delusionsג¦the list goes on. And with that, the Marvel universe was really born. Every character had to have emotional layers like that from then on. And the world of Marvel was based on a trauma that Kirby suffered through.

(If youגre wondering why I credit Kirby with the cap revival rather than Lee ג I suspect that Martin Goodman suggested the Sub Mariner, the Torch and Cap returns and Lee told Kirby to do it. But as far as specifics, what are the odds that Lee, who served stateside, and who hadnגt written a single word about world war two combat until then, would create a Cap without a Bucky, a Cap damaged by wartime experience? Or that Kirby, who had seen horrors of the battlefield, would do so?)

When discussing whether Kirby is worth studying, Iגd say that makes him a prime candidate for analysis. And we havenגt even gotten to what his art LOOKS like.

http://www.tcj.com/jack-kirby-hand-of-f ... le-part-1/

perfectprism · Post by **perfectprism** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 6:12 pm

Hacksaw Jim Thuggin wrote:<object width="560" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/r_KmKC5K8QU?ve ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/r_KmKC5K8QU?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

don't get too excited, pretty sure this project is still in indefinite limbo

and re: morrison always veering off into metaphysics/time travel....that actually sounds like something I'd love

Combo7 · Post by **Combo7** » Wed May 23, 2012 12:45 am

So which DC character is going to be gay?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... loset.html

Is Batman gay? Major DC Comics character to come out of the closet

DC Comics plans to reintroduce a character as gay in a future issue, it has been revealed.

Co-publisher Dan DiDio previously said that the company would not change the sexual orientation of an existing superhero and would bring in a new one altogether.

But at Kapow Comic Convention in London on Sunday, he revealed that an existing character - who was previously assumed to be straight - will become גone of our most prominent gay charactersג, according to comic blog BleedingCool.com.

Senior VP Sales Bob Wayne said DiDioגs view גhad evolvedג, comparing the shift to Barack Obamaגs recent endorsement of same-sex marriage.

DiDio did not specify which character would גcome outג or in which issue it would be featured.

But Courtney Simmons, DC Entertainmentגs senior vice president of publicity, told ABC News that it would be soon.

'One of the major iconic DC characters will reveal that he is gay in a storyline in June,' Simmons told the network.

Combo7 · Post by **Combo7** » Wed May 23, 2012 1:08 am

Prophecy · Post by **Prophecy** » Wed May 23, 2012 8:26 am

Combo7 wrote:So which DC character is going to be gay?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... loset.html

Is Batman gay? Major DC Comics character to come out of the closet

DC Comics plans to reintroduce a character as gay in a future issue, it has been revealed.

Co-publisher Dan DiDio previously said that the company would not change the sexual orientation of an existing superhero and would bring in a new one altogether.

But at Kapow Comic Convention in London on Sunday, he revealed that an existing character - who was previously assumed to be straight - will become גone of our most prominent gay charactersג, according to comic blog BleedingCool.com.

Senior VP Sales Bob Wayne said DiDioגs view גhad evolvedג, comparing the shift to Barack Obamaגs recent endorsement of same-sex marriage.

DiDio did not specify which character would גcome outג or in which issue it would be featured.

But Courtney Simmons, DC Entertainmentגs senior vice president of publicity, told ABC News that it would be soon.

'One of the major iconic DC characters will reveal that he is gay in a storyline in June,' Simmons told the network.

Grant Morrison thinks Batman is Gay

גGayness is built into Batman. Iגm not using gay in the pejorative sense, but Batman is very, very gay. Thereגs just no denying it. Obviously as a fictional character heגs intended to be heterosexual, but the basis of the whole concept is utterly gay. I think thatגs why people like it.

All these women fancy him and they all wear fetish clothes and jump around rooftops to get to him. He doesnגt careגheגs more interested in hanging out with the old guy and the kid.ג

http://www.comicvine.com/forums/gen-dis ... ay/665537/

Tired & Broke · Post by **Tired & Broke** » Wed May 23, 2012 9:31 pm

Combo7 wrote:So which DC character is going to be gay?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... loset.html

Is Batman gay? Major DC Comics character to come out of the closet

DC Comics plans to reintroduce a character as gay in a future issue, it has been revealed.

Co-publisher Dan DiDio previously said that the company would not change the sexual orientation of an existing superhero and would bring in a new one altogether.

But at Kapow Comic Convention in London on Sunday, he revealed that an existing character - who was previously assumed to be straight - will become גone of our most prominent gay charactersג, according to comic blog BleedingCool.com.

Senior VP Sales Bob Wayne said DiDioגs view גhad evolvedג, comparing the shift to Barack Obamaגs recent endorsement of same-sex marriage.

DiDio did not specify which character would גcome outג or in which issue it would be featured.

But Courtney Simmons, DC Entertainmentגs senior vice president of publicity, told ABC News that it would be soon.

'One of the major iconic DC characters will reveal that he is gay in a storyline in June,' Simmons told the network.

Doubt its Batman, I could easily see it being one of the Green Lanterns or Aquaman or some shit. I hate when comics book writers do unnecessary shit like this.

perfectprism · Post by **perfectprism** » Thu May 24, 2012 12:04 pm

You really think this is unneccessary? Besides the fact that it's kind of weird that no popular superhero has ever been gay (to my knowledge), graphic novels have long held a torch for equality and the acceptance and exploration of outlandish or "different" ideas and in general are popular to people who are open-minded/well-informed/embrace change. Why not now? It's an important stance to take, and while some may see it as taking advantage of a hot button issue, I think it's moreso the comics culture (which seems to have a sort of a hive mentality) giving the finger to bigotry and hatred.

The ILLatino · Post by **The ILLatino** » Thu May 24, 2012 3:30 pm

There's a couple of candidates that would fit the vague description DC has given. Wally West is a prime candidate, I think.

Money Daniels · Post by **Money Daniels** » Thu May 24, 2012 4:11 pm

Alfred.

Combo7 · Post by **Combo7** » Thu May 24, 2012 5:40 pm

perfectprism wrote:You really think this is unneccessary? Besides the fact that it's kind of weird that no popular superhero has ever been gay (to my knowledge), graphic novels have long held a torch for equality and the acceptance and exploration of outlandish or "different" ideas and in general are popular to people who are open-minded/well-informed/embrace change. Why not now? It's an important stance to take, and while some may see it as taking advantage of a hot button issue, I think it's moreso the comics culture (which seems to have a sort of a hive mentality) giving the finger to bigotry and hatred.

Or their sales are in the toilet and they're trying to make headlines.

odium-LSC · Post by **odium-LSC** » Thu May 24, 2012 8:26 pm

It better not be fucking batman. And combo, I thought their sales had been doing pretty good since the whole new 52 thing started last year.

Combo7 · Post by **Combo7** » Thu May 24, 2012 8:33 pm

Could be, I was just going under the basis that the comic book industry as a whole is doing pretty poorly right now.

The ILLatino · Post by **The ILLatino** » Thu May 24, 2012 8:47 pm

Comics needs all the publicity it can get, even if DC is doing a bit better than they were before.

Alfred is a good guess except the character hasn't been seen since the NEW 52 launch.

Combo7 · Post by **Combo7** » Thu May 24, 2012 9:21 pm

I know very little about comics so my guess is pretty ill-informed, but how about Robin?

odium-LSC · Post by **odium-LSC** » Thu May 24, 2012 11:56 pm

The ILLatino wrote:Comics needs all the publicity it can get, even if DC is doing a bit better than they were before.

Alfred is a good guess except the character hasn't been seen since the NEW 52 launch.

Huh? Are you saying Alfred hasn't been seen since the last re-launch? Um, what titles are you reading? he's been all over the batman/bat-titles since the launch... for instance he's been in every single "Night Of The Owls" titles... that being said, I hope it isn't Alfred or any other major Bat Character. I'm hoping that it's one of the Green Lanterrns or Captain Atom or some character along those lines.

Reggie · Post by **Reggie** » Fri May 25, 2012 10:43 am

It will probably be Firestorm, since he dies during every Crisis event anyway. Gay today, gone tomorrow.

odium-LSC · Post by **odium-LSC** » Fri May 25, 2012 2:34 pm

which one though? there's like 15 firestorms now... My guess is Cyborg. He's on the Justice League so he's somewhat of a big enough name but he's not that important that his being gay will cause any other continuity problems