The Four Color Media Monitor

Australian Broadcasting interviewed Scott Wilson, an artist of Aboriginal descent, who's developed superheroes with similar backgrounds, because he didn't see any significant examples in other comics:

Scott Wilson grew up obsessed with superheroes, but he never saw his own culture in the comic books he'd get lost in.

"When I was a kid, my favourite superhero was Wonder Woman. I'd twist a bath towel into a lasso and pretend it was the Lasso of Truth," he says.

Scott grew up in Rubibi (Broome), spending his time on country around the Western Australian tourist town.

Spider-Man was the superhero who really captured his imagination, and he identified with the idea of a high school student by day, masked avenger by night.

But like most superheroes, without his mask, Spider-Man is a white man.

For Scott, it raised a very personal question: Why don't I ever see myself in these stories?

Before continuing, I should point out that Bishop from X-Men counts as at least one, and if Mr. Wilson didn't do research to that extent, that's not doing a very good job. There's also Black Panther, Luke Cage, Black Lightning, Storm, and even Bumblebee from the Teen Titans. We could also consider Robbie Robertson and Glory Grant from Spider-Man's cast; why didn't he and the news writer bring them up? This is where the article flubs considerably, and undermines itself as a result. Plus, there's the vital query why seeing your background represented may be more important than entertainment value?

As he grew up and learned to make his own superheroes, Scott found the answer in creating comics that draw from the world's oldest living culture, and by sketching its newest figures.

He called it the Indigiverse. In this universe, the superheroes talk in traditional language, and draw their power from the Dreaming.

Well I appreciate he's developing his own products, but I think it's farcical already when some creators rely so heavily on the superhero theme, rather than put more emphasis on adventure themes, and making the stars of the show adventurers with sci-fi and fantasy powers without touting them as superheroes per se. You can also develop fancy-looking outfits without claiming these are superhero uniforms per se to boot. Yet Wilson's resorting to the superhero theme when it's been run into the ground by PC since the turn of the century, and simpler concepts could avail far better. I will agree however, that emphasizing traditional languages can have advantages, and it could also be a great idea if a comic starring characters of Basque descent from Europe were developed. Wilson also told of his experiences growing up:

He described himself as a "shapeshifter". Chess, rugby, basketball, art — he did everything, wanting to excel and be the best.

But it couldn't shield him from the prejudice he was confronted with whenever he did things like going to the local shops.

"[Shop staff] would check your bag … [and] I thought, Oh, that's probably just how they do it with all kids. But I noticed they weren't checking any of the other non-Indigenous students' bags," Scott says.

"I just was very blasé to these concepts of racism. I never really thought of myself as Aboriginal [when I was in Rubibi] because I was in my class with majority Aboriginal students and we didn't say, 'Hey, I'm Aboriginal.' We'd just say, 'Oh, I'm Gooniyandi'. You know who your mob is.

"It wasn't until people started pointing out ... 'Hey, they're only doing that because you guys are black'."

As he was learning to deal with these concepts of racism, and finding his voice as a young creative, a tragedy struck that shaped his art forever.

Dealing with loss

While boarding at Hale, Scott lost a beloved cousin, Adam, in a car crash.

The sudden death rocked him.

"Adam was my big brother, basically, and he loved his cars. He had this brilliant, beautiful gold car. The golden boy," Scott says.

"[He] used to drive around town. You know, all the girls used to sing out. Everyone knew him."

On this, I'm most terribly sorry for his loss of a beloved relative. And on the subject of racism, he's got valid points that were confirmed in recent years, when a report came out that in the West Australia province, there was an alarming case of racism at local schools during 2021, made worse by how Aboriginal girls were the main victims, and a combined racist/misogynist slur was used by offending students against them. Whether or not it's been dealt with, it proves that without vigilance, racism can still prevail in the modern day and age. This is stuff the woke movements in the USA don't seem to pay any attention to, and as a result, their whole platform is farcical based on the lack of altruism involved. Wilson might want to do some research on that kind of stuff, if he really wants to address the issues of racial prejudice in modern times.

And he found the ideal elective: Create Your Own Superhero. He already had the model for his superhero in mind, a Gooniyandi man named Adam Hart.

"A lot of the characters that I was forming had that anti-hero vibe," Scott says.

"I created this character that was just completely Black with all these awesome colours throughout the body, with the power to move through time, move through space. I love this idea of, no matter what the challenges ... they'll overcome their own darkness within themselves."

Again, I think it's definitely admirable he's creating his own stories and characters, but the superhero theme has still been vastly overused, maybe even overvalued, and if you can't rely on anything apart from that particular theme, it's not doing the medium much good. It's entirely possible to develop comic adventures without emphasizing the stars as superheroes, just as adventurers who could be wearing fancy outfits. The Japanese have done that with various manga and anime productions, so why not try it with comics outside of Japan too? I honestly think plenty of comic creators in and out of the English-speaking world could consider it doesn't have to be just stories described as superhero-themed that can be produced for the market. There's plenty of other ways to employ fantasy and sci-fi too.

Labels: Black Panther, conventions, dc comics, Europe and Asia, history, indie publishers, marvel comics, misogyny and racism, Spider-Man, Titans, Wonder Woman, X-Men

A writer at Comic Book Movie took a look at the costumes featured in the trailer for the upcoming Superman movie overseen by the pretentious James Gunn, and is unimpressed:

If you’ve read my articles before, you’ll probably know I’m not the biggest fan of James Gunn. I know I’m very much in the minority here, but I don’t love any of his superhero projects. I like some of them, but I don’t love any of them. For the most part, I dislike them. I prefer movies and shows with a more serious tone, and that is definitely not what Gunn is known for. Regardless of my feelings towards Gunn, I want DC to succeed in building a cinematic universe. I’ve loved DC characters since I was a small child watching Batman: The Animated Series. For decades, I’ve wanted to see all my heroes on the screen together. Ultimately, that’s what I want. So, while I don’t like Gunn, I love DC and, of course, Superman. I don’t want to bash DC, but I want to give honest opinions more.

My honest opinion is that these costumes do not look good.

In the trailer, we see many characters: Superman, Clark Kent, Krypto, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Mr. Terrific are all present. Some of their costumes are better than others, but almost none of them are great.

Already, I see people criticizing Guy Gardner’s haircut. Yes, it’s goofy and awkward looking, but that’s exactly what it’s supposed to be. Gunn certainly didn’t have to make it that goofy and awkward, but I like it. However, Green Lantern’s costume has a lot of white for a Green Lantern. Guy Gardner’s comic book appearance has a little bit of white in it, usually in the collar or gloves, but this costume is more white than anything else. I was hoping we’d see the costume that has a huge collar, but it seems like they went with a leather jacket that isn’t made of leather kind of look.

Hawkgirl’s costume looks significantly better than Green Lantern’s, but there’s still a lot of white where you don’t expect it to be. I very much like that there’s lots of gold, but it seems like the green in her usual comic book costume has been replaced by black. She looks more like a wannabe biker than a superhero, similar to Green Lantern.

[...] Clark Kent’s new haircut resembles a certain internet personality from 2019 that I can’t fully type out called the f*** boy haircut. Short on the sides, enormously poofy in the front. I am certainly not a fan of the haircut, but everything else we’ve seen about Kent looks great. He’s very tall, moves awkwardly, and seems to be unsure of every step. Lois looks great too, but her costume is fairly easy to design. The same goes for Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor. He looks perfect as the villain. Thank heaven he’s bald and we didn’t get another weird Jesse Eisenberg Lex Luthor.

Finally, we’re on to Superman. I still feel conflicted about his outfit. I love the collar, I love the trunks, and I love the symbol, but the whole thing looks like it doesn’t fit him. I think the problem I have with it is the same I have with the other heroes: it looks like the CW. Maybe it looks so much like it’s made out of plain fabric because it is made out of plain fabric in the movie. Maybe Clark makes it himself or Martha Kent makes it, but that would take the opportunity to have it be part of his Kryptonian heritage.

Personally, I just hope that, if Guy Gardner's in this film, they didn't draw from Gerard Jones' take for a wellspring. Jones' writing is a stain on anything Green Lantern-related, plain and simple. As for Hawkgirl, if this is the Kendra Saunders edition, I'm decidedly not interested at this point, because her premise, co-written as it was by James Robinson and David Goyer, built on what happened with Sheira Sanders in 1994 during Zero Hour, and putting Shiera into the body of her niece is no substitute. Besides, like countless other storylines since the turn of the century, it ultimately led nowhere.

But if this is supposed to be a stand-alone film, wouldn't the superhero guest characters conflict with the focus one would expect to be heaped upon the Man of Steel? I think the only thing that's impressed me of what I may have seen so far was a screencap showing Superman making love to Lois Lane while hugging her in the air. The kind of scenes that have occurred in past comics, but if Gunn's going to inject anything overly leftist into the film, it only sours the milk.

And on that note, Fox News reports Gunn is politicizing the upcoming Superman movie - hardly a surprise at this point - with an announcement to accompany its release:

Filmmaker James Gunn says the battered-looking version of Superman seen in the trailer for his highly anticipated "Superman" film represents America.

During a recent Q&A session at the trailer’s premiere, the director acknowledged the political implications present in the film, saying there is a theme of a bruised and bloodied America running through it.

"We do have a battered Superman in the beginning. That is our country," Gunn said at the event.

[...] In addition to reintroducing audiences to the classic Superman characters, the roughly two-minute trailer featured the titular character in dire straits, lying bloodied and bruised in an Arctic wasteland.

[...] Gunn said the shocking images of the broken hero are a reference to an America that still stands for goodness despite what he called its current bloodied and beat-up state.

"I believe in the goodness of human beings, and I believe that most people in this country, despite their ideological beliefs, their politics, are doing their best to get by and be good people — despite what it may seem like to the other side," he said.

But the beleaguered state of Gunn's Superman represents America when corrupted by "darker voices," he said.

"This movie is about that. It’s about the basic kindness of human beings, and that it can be seen as uncool and under siege [by] some of the darker voices are some of the louder voices."

Elsewhere during the Q&A, Gunn reiterated the idea that the movie is about human goodness overcoming these "darker" influences.

He said, "It’s about the basic kindness of human beings. It’s a noble premise, and one that seems designed to appeal across the political spectrum. It’s a moral call to embrace decency and optimism."

Gunn, who steered clear of political specifics, has long been a critic of President-elect Donald Trump, calling him in a 2017 post "an incompetent President forging a full-blown attack on facts and journalism in the style of Hitler and Putin."

Unfortunately, chances are very high the "darker influences" he speaks of allude to - surprise, surprise - right-wing/conservative politics. In Gunn's world-view, there's no way leftist/liberal politics could possibly be bad. And that's the problem. The UK Independent notes:

Expanding on the idea, the 58-year-old added: “I believe in the goodness of human beings, and I believe that most people in this country, despite their ideological beliefs, their politics, are doing their best to get by and be good people — despite what it may seem like to the other side, no matter what that other side might be. This movie is about that. It’s about the basic kindness of human beings, and that it can be seen as uncool and under siege [by] some of the darker voices are some of the louder voices.”

“I’m excited for people to get to see the essence of what we’re doing because it really has been like this private secret that we’ve all been hoarding,” Gunn later told Variety.

“We felt really good about it, like from a moral place, even from the beginning. We all felt like we were doing something good, both in terms of quality and in terms of actually something that’s not a fascistic power fantasy.

But couldn't the addition of The Authority to the screenplay conflict with that claim? This article also notes:

Others weren’t as enthusiastic about the comments. “A children’s comic book character from 1938 that shoots lasers from his eyes is not a useful lens for modern day politics,” noted one person.

A second joked: “Definitely something a man with conservative friends would say.”

On this, I'd argue the problem is conservative/right-wing views being shut out of Hollywood, and if a conservative viewpoint's not allowed to be applied to Superman, then that's but one problem right there. The gatekeepers retaining ownership of Batman won't allow conservatives to write the Masked Manhunter or apply their views to him anymore either. Even with Wolverine at Marvel, this wouldn't be allowed. And it makes no difference that even right-wingers don't think the Man of Steel has to be a killing machine in all instances either, though a point should be made that, if killing a murderous criminal is what it takes to prevent an innocent and defenseless victim of crime from being murdered and even raped, then is it wrong for the hero to choose saving the life of an innocent, and should such a story premise remain throughly unexplored? Food for thought that anybody who's studying to be a writer might want to consider.

All that said, I won't be surprised if this latest take on the Man of Steel does make quite a bit of bank when it premieres, even though the people who oversaw its production are hardly deserving of an audience. And it's unlikely to reverse the dwindling fortunes of the comics proper, which have long lost direction to wokeness. Seriously, what's to celebrate, especially if the fans spoken of only care about the movies, but not the coherency of the comics?

Labels: dc comics, Green Lantern, Hawkman and Hawkgirl, history, moonbat writers, Superman, violence

Shack News reviewed a game called Flint: Treasure of Oblivion, a pirate-themed adventure using comics-style panels in its narrative, but the writer doesn't think it lives up to its potential:

Flint: Treasure of Oblivion is developer Savage Level’s debut game. It’s a pirate fantasy that mixes turn-based tactical combat similar to games like Baldur’s Gate, with a unique comic book narrative style. Going into it, I was interested to see how the shenanigans of the pirate lifestyle could be implemented into the immersion of a CRPG. While it has a few new and interesting ideas at play within its combat system and fresh take on storytelling through the comic book style, it struggled to land with me during my roughly 11-hour playthrough. [...]

It’s a fairly generic swashbuckling story that goes more off the rails as the story goes on. Unfortunately, it never quite got its hooks into me. I appreciated the addition of the comic book page-like dialogue, which helped give the characters more life than would otherwise be possible with the game’s isometric point of view, however, the story beats seemed to come and go so fast that I’d barely get the chance to care about any of these characters or even really know who exactly they are.

Additionally, the game introduces a lot of characters at such a fast rate, and then pretty much ignores them, resulting in most of the characters feeling forgettable and like they were only introduced to move the story forward. I still don’t understand the significance of many of the characters introduced, and can only remember a few of their names. This made it difficult for me to get invested in the story and ultimately made the non-combat sections of the game feel like a bit of a slog, which was only further exacerbated by clunky controls and UI. There were several times when I’d have to click on something multiple times or stand at just the right angle in order to activate it, and moving the character felt a little wonky on mouse and keyboard.

What I found a turnoff was from one of the screencaps they posted of the comics-style panels, showing a pirate captain warning another guy at bladepoint that if he came back his way, he'd visit graphic violence against him. Seriously, even if this is supposed to be an adult-themed game, that's still very nasty and superfluous, and we could honestly do without it. Some could say it's another example of how "realism" has come at the expense of escapism. And emphasizing villainy can be a poor influence too.

I'm sure there's more computer games out there with comics-style narratives that could hold up better, and it's to be hoped some future game producers will consider how too much jarring violence and allusions to the same are doing more harm than good to the medium. If anything needs to be toned down, it's the superfluous reliance on overly violent content.

Labels: golden calf of villainy, msm propaganda, technology, violence

Newsarama's listed 25 examples of what they claim are the "best" of 2024, and as can only so often be expected, quite a few dreadful examples turn up. For example, Universal Monsters: Frankenstein:

With Universal Monsters: Frankenstein writer/artist Michael Walsh has crafted an original tale that sits alongside James Whale's 1931 film, enhancing the role played by Doctor Frankenstein's assistant Fritz and introducing Paul, a headstrong young orphan whose late father provided some of the Monster's reanimated body parts. Mostly staying true to the social conventions of the film's 19th Century milieu, Henry's headstrong fiancée Elizabeth adds some contemporary edge, instigating a discussion about the sexual politics of the day and acting as the story's moral centre. With the narrative subtly shifting between different time periods throughout the four issues, Walsh doesn't shirk from the brutality of the not-so-good Doctor's questionable actions with many of the characters meeting violent ends, while the famous scene where Little Maria ominously meets the Monster by a lake is recreated with understated tenderness. Aided by Toni-Marie Griffin's sombre colours, there's a pleasing simplicity to Walsh's fluid linework, and his depiction of the Monster adds a more naturalistic but no less scary element to Boris Karloff's memorable make-up.

Gee, this is all the world needs. More emphasis upon the horror genre, and I've got a feeling I don't want to know what the focus on sexual politics is like in this tale either. Then, there's a Poison Ivy series:

Three years ago, if someone had suggested that an ongoing Poison Ivy series would exist at all, you might have scratched your head and asked: "Why?" Sure, people love the Batman villain and, like her girlfriend Harley Quinn, she has become more of an anti-hero over the years, but she's not necessarily a natural fit for the lead of a series. Yet since 2022 writer G. Willow Wilson, along with Marcio Takara and occasional fill-in artists, has been making the case that Ivy isn't just a great lead, she's one of the cornerstone characters of the DC Universe. In 2024 the series brought on a character redefining Poison Ivy: Year One style arc, a final battle with her former mentor and creator, the Floronic Man, and it's just kept building from there. A recent crossover one-shot dug deeper into the book's Swamp Thing influences without ignoring how Ivy is uniquely different than other characters steeped in The Green. [...]

It's bad enough we have a case of villain worship going on here, but making this worse is that a left-wing propagandist for Islam is writing it. And if memory serves, wasn't it the disgraced Neil Gaiman who came up with the decidedly unnecessary idea of Poison Ivy being a protege of the Floronic Man? Well we definitely don't need something that draws from whatever Gaiman came up with back in the day. Then, there's the following Daredevil series:

Leaning into Matt Murdock's religious side can be a gamble, given how divisive the topic can be, especially when mixed with superhero fantasy. But current Daredevil writer Saladin Ahmed and lead artist Aaron Kuder have managed to thread the needle in an incredibly compelling way by first setting Matt up as a struggling priest believing he is on a mission from God after dying and being brought back from Hell, and then forcing him to confront physical manifestations of demonic sin that may have followed him out of the abyss. Daredevil rarely butts heads with the supernatural, but Ahmed has kept things at least a little bit grounded by peppering in an absolutely chaotic rendition of Bullseye. On the other hand, things have taken an unprecedented turn with Kingpin first becoming possessed, then seeking penitence with Daredevil – a turnabout so hauntingly effective, it has led to Matt Murdock questioning his own faith in his inability to absolve Wilson Fisk. Daredevil is often said to be at its best as a title when Matt Murdock is on the backfoot, fighting like an underdog against not just the world around him, but even himself. If that's true, the current run is taking the lesson to heart in a tragic (but extremely readable) way.

So they make things worse by ignoring Ahmed's own disturbing record just as much as Wilson's. There's every chance Ahmed has quite an awful take on religion apart from what he sadly adheres to, and as the paragraph indicates, Matt Murdock sounds like he's being forced by the writer to throw his Christian faith out the window. Wonder what Frank Miller has to say about that? Considering how pathetic he's become of recent, probably nothing at all. And why must Matt absolve the Kingpin based upon the crook's sordid record in Marvel history? What an embarrassment. Newsarama also listed an Image title, Ain't No Grave, another built on violent themes:

Skottie Young and Jorge Corona's supernatural western has a simple but irresistible premise. Ryder is a reformed gunslinger and bandit who has traded in her life of robbery and violence for a beautiful family. When she's diagnosed with a terminal illness, however, she picks up the pistols once more and sets out with a new target in mind: Death itself. Published over five issues (each themed around one of the stages of grief), Ain't No Grave was as exciting and funny as you'd expect from the creator of I Hate Fairyland, but it was also shot through with a palpable melancholy. The fourth issue, titled 'Depression', was a near-wordless trek through a barren landscape, while the final part brought Ryder to an emotional reckoning with both her immortal target and with the consequences of her often brutal life. Corona and colorist Jean-Francois Beaulieu do striking work here, while Young's script uses the fantastical premise to say something moving and truthful about the lasting impact of bloodshed and the important things in life.

Something tells me that if it depicts its subject matter through a comedic lens, chances are very low the comic will say anything educational about why bloodshed out of barbarism is wrong, nor will it acknowledge that making gore galore look entertaining is unhealthy. Now here's an item about Batman & Robin: Year One:

If there is any one exhausted era of comic book mythology, it's "What was Batman doing near the beginning of his career?" Everyone knows the story of how he met Dick Grayson and turned an orphaned acrobat into the Boy Wonder. What sets Batman & Robin: Year One apart, though, is that it's not only focused on the rise of the Dynamic Duo and what it took for the two to work together as a unit. Instead, author Mark Waid understands that you cannot raise a kid on crimefighting alone, and dives into Bruce Wayne's own learning curve as an adoptive figure as well. The result, fueled by Chris Samnee’s powerhouse art, is one of the best renditions of this all-too familiar tale so far. And though the story involves a new threat arriving in Gotham City and some recognizable villainous faces, the comic is at its most delightful when it harnesses the awe of getting to hang around with Batman. I mean, come on. He's BATMAN.

Umm, "hanging around" with Batman doesn't work if the script for the story doesn't. And Waid's lost his way a long time ago, so why should we expect much from this latest take on the whole "year one" approach that began as early as the time Miller wrote for Batman in the late 80s? I do recall it was around that time Jason Todd, the 2nd Robin, had his background changed barely 4 years after his debut, yet DC editorial let bad storytelling ensuing afterwards serve as justification for writing him getting slain by the Joker soon after in the otherwise stupid and ill-advised telephone poll. And what does Waid "understand" these days? Next is an X-Factor series written by another social justice panderer:

As a title, X-Factor has been ripe for reinvention since its earliest years when it shifted focus from a team made up of the original five X-Men to a new group of government recruits. And across its many eras and new directions in the time since, few have felt as immediately vital as writer Mark Russell, artist Bob Quinn, colorist Jesus Aburtov, and letterer Joe Caramagna's recent X-Factor relaunch. X-Factor picks up on a throughline that's been going in the X-Men universe for decades now, with a team of sponsored mutant recruits whose main mission is to maintain popularity with an audience that may or may not be watching simply to see them fail. And fail they do, with an ever-evolving, often revolving cast of mutant heroes who are simply being fed into an almost literal social media meat grinder. It's a tragically satirical take on the fleeting nature of celebrity, the antagonism that can exist between artist and audience, and the power of bigotry over the bottom line, all wrapped up in an ongoing subplot about the mutants who dare to resist the fickle whims of those who feed off of terminally online clout-chasing.

Say, isn't that the same guy who penned a political take on the Snagglepuss character from Hanna-Barbera animation like the Quick Draw McGraw Show, and even penned sex-negative takes on Red Sonja? What do we need his woke drivel for? "Failure" is unfortunately the result here too, and if they're going to take woke perspective on the issues involved, it's no wonder they're bound to fall flat. Then comes Image's One Hand and Six Fingers:

Moody and intense, The One Hand and The Six Fingers is a triumph for Image, a company that's already found significant success in the crime and horror genres. But what sets the cat-and-mouse story found in The One Hand and The Six Fingers apart is that it's actually two separate but intertwined tales, by different creative teams. The One Hand, by Ram V and Laurence Campbell, details grizzled detective Ari Nasser's attempts to catch a serial killer that he's quite familiar with while The Six Fingers, by Dan Watters and Sumit Kumar, allows us to see things from the killer's point of view. While one can certainly attempt to read each series by itself, the two comics and their mythology intersect to create a puzzle that makes reading both the much more satisfying option. The trade paperback collecting both series hit stores this week, so if these flew under your radar on their initial release, now's your chance to get the whole gloriously suspenseful picture in one place.

Once more, a chance to focus instead on something joyful has been wasted for the sake of this horror garbage, which even makes sure to spotlight the villain's viewpoint. Now, here's Newsarama's choice of Ultimate X-Men:

Peach Momoko’s Ultimate X-Men might disappoint those looking for, well, the X-Men. However, what it lacks in Cyclops and Wolverine, it makes up for by revitalizing the themes of the series that have been a focal point since they debuted in 1963. Ultimate X-Men hones in on the experience of growing up and feeling like an outcast, all the while discovering how our differences can either empower us or lead us to lash out against the world. Momoko's art and writing are both great, but what she excels in is grappling with the heightened feelings of youth – main character Hisako Ichiki/Armor and her new friends all experience excitement, wonder, grief and guilt on outsized levels, with each feeling tying into their burgeoning mutant abilities. Combine that with Momoko's ability to craft some truly haunting visuals (A few panels could've easily come out of horror creator Junji Ito's catalog), and you have an X-Men title that both feels like a tribute to what's made Marvel's mutants connect to readers for so long and an effective, entirely refreshing adventure.

If this is a horror-themed take on the X-Men, I'm not sure what they believe is so great about this. And then, if there's a most telling embarrassment among these "choices", it would have to be Alan Scott: The Green Lantern:

When Alan Scott, the original Golden Age Green Lantern, was officially retconned into being a gay man back in 2011, the response was certainly mixed. It only took 13 years, but DC has finally paid off that decision through Alan Scott: The Green Lantern, the character's recent solo limited series which proved to be not just a beautifully rendered flashback to the Golden Age of superheroes, but also a delicate, tragic, and heartfelt rumination on the nature of what it means to have a secret identity, and what happens when even that isn't enough to provide the freedom of living as one's truest, most authentic self. Writer Tim Sheridan, artist Cian Tormey, colorist Matt Herms, and letterer Lucas Gattoni turn in one of the year's most surprisingly affecting stories in Alan Scott: The Green Lantern, reminding us that the medium of superhero comics can still be reflective of the human experience in deeper, more literary ways, even in an era when bubblegum and popcorn comics are filling the stands. [...]

It's atrocious how the columnists are going all out to normalize and justify this retcon, which did nothing for Alan's reputation as a character, nor did it improve sales. Even Roy Thomas was very displeased. "Deeper" and "more litetary"? Only in the sense that it's woke. And then, up next comes Absolute Batman, apparently part of DC's idea for how to produce a variation on Marvel's Ultimate line:

One of the two biggest sellers of the year (alongside Marvel's Ultimate Spider-Man) Absolute Batman kicked DC's new Absolute universe off in fine style. Returning to the Dark Knight after a four-year break, long-time Batman scribe Scott Snyder breathes new life into the Caped Crusader, stripping the young Bruce Wayne of his fortune and reconfiguring him as a blue collar worker living in Crime Alley, assisted in his bid to take on the violent and mysterious Party Animals by veteran spy and assassin Alfred Pennyworth. Alongside appearances from Mayor Jim Gordon and rookie street cop Barbara Gordon, Snyder throws in cameos from Harvey Dent, Oswald Cobblepot, Edward Nigma and Waylon Jones – here reinvented as Bruce's shady, but seemingly largely decent, peer group who are yet to adopt any supervillain personas. With many pages featuring nearly 20 panels, the real revelation is artist Nick Dragotta, who proves equally adept at the quieter, character moments as he is at the viscerally choreographed fight scenes. Assisted by Frank Martin's muted colours, his bulked-up Batman is truly scary while #2's splash-page debut of the Bat-Truck takes the breath away. With Absolute Superman and Absolute Wonder Woman also impressing, there's high hopes for the forthcoming Absolute Green Lantern and Absolute Martian Manhunter titles.

This is tiresome already, and even Marvel's Ultimate line came awfully late nearly a quarter century ago. I suppose this is the current editorial's idea of how to pander to anybody who dislikes the idea of a millionaire fighting crime altruistically? That Alfred Pennyworth's been turned into an assassin in this tale is also very dismaying. Making him a spy is one thing, but making him an assassin is distasteful. I hesitate to think what any additional Absolute titles will be about, and it goes without saying cameos by the rogues gallery alone don't a good story make. Then, wouldn't you know it, a choice that was surely no accident comes up with the Ninja Turtles:

Are Jason Aaron and his rotating cadre of artists delivering the best run on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles since Eastman and Laird introduced the characters decades ago? It's probably too early to make that call, but based on the issues released in 2024, this might turn out to be an all-timer. Part of that is because of the innovative, slow-build structure inherent in the run so far, with each issue focusing on one of the Turtles, who have all been scattered around the globe after a falling out in their past. Each of the first four issues serves as a character piece, therefore, and IDW has perfectly matched top-tier artists to their favorite Turtle characters. Joëlle Jones took on Raphael in prison, Rafael Albuquerque tackled Michelangelo as a TV star in Tokyo, Cliff Chiang delivered a depressed Leonardo meeting some regular-aged non-mutant normal turtles in China, and Chris Burnham took away Donatello's machines and threw him in a hunting zoo. And in each case, those artists are delivering the work of their careers. December 18's #5 is set to bring Darick Robertson into the fold for an issue about Casey Jones, before Juan Ferreyra takes over as the series' first ongoing artist in 2025. Superb art, great character building, thrilling action sequences… It's enough to make you cheer "cowabunga" in your local comic book shop.

No, Aaron and company are incapable of anything but social justice allusions. Leave it to IDW to take a once well regarded indie comic and put it in the hands of a woke writer, proving once more that Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman made a terrible mistake selling their product to a conglomerate. It's also dispiriting that a leftist like Robertson will be working with Aaron and company on this. No "cowabunga" to be had here. And then, speaking of the Ultimate line, the Ultimate Spider-Man series comes up:

It's no secret that fans have practically been begging Marvel Comics to truly reunite Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson (and the publisher has come this close several times in recent years). And while the concept of the pair as a romantic couple remains confined to alternate universes, the new era of Ultimate Spider-Man, launched just about a year ago, has certainly delivered on the premise of the Parker-Watson family. But there's so much more to writer Jonathan Hickman and lead artist Marco Checchetto's ongoing Ultimate Spider-Man title, the flagship of the new Ultimate Universe, than the gimmick of Peter and MJ as married with kids. The title is a reinvention of Peter Parker's origins, to be sure, but what really stands out is the way Ultimate Spider-Man totally redefines nearly every relationship in Peter Parker's life, from Uncle Ben and Aunt May, to J. Jonah Jameson, and even Harry Osborn. [...]

If Marvel truly wanted to reunite Peter and MJ, they'd do it in the 616 universe proper, and not in a cheap knockoff. They say the couple concept remains confined to alternate dimensions, and that's just what's happening here too, so what's the point? They're not arguing that Marvel editorial should reunite Peter and MJ in the 616 universe, and if they won't, it's no surprise Marvel won't even remotely consider. Another Absolute DC title coming up here is that for Wonder Woman:

The launch of DC's Absolute Universe was surely the year's biggest comics event, but the most exciting thing about it has been the sheer quality of the books themselves. All three titles have been nothing short of excellent so far, but while Absolute Batman is the more attention-grabbing title, it's Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman's thrilling reinvention of the amazing Amazon that stole our hearts. Although the circumstances surrounding this new take on Diana are on the surface bleak – she is raised not on Themyscira, but in Hell by Circe – the warmth and goodness of the character is still very much present and correct. While Thompson's script strikes a fine balance between the tough and the heartfelt, Hayden Sherman's elegant pencils and innovative layouts, and colorist Jordie Bellaire's palette of infernal reds and blacks, make for a seriously good-looking comic. Look, we realize this is a very high ranking for a comic that's only published two issues so far (though we have also read December 26's #3 and boy are we looking forward to talking about that...) but by placing Diana in a much harsher world while retaining all of her essential goodness of spirit, Thompson and Sherman have created something genuinely breathtaking. Plus this Wonder Woman has an absolutely massive sword.

Gee, just what we need - a classic babe being raised in the worst place to be. And isn't Thompson one of the most notably woke leftists working in comicdom today? One more reason to skip this and not be fooled. Mainly because they're unlikely to make any clear points about what's making the real world harsh as it is. Finally, they also listed Fantastic Four:

In the decades since their creators Jack Kirby and Stan Lee first brought the Fantastic Four to comics, they've proven a tough concept to truly nail for many creators. Even some of the most loved and well-regarded FF runs have found success by focusing on one or two specific aspects of Marvel's multi-faceted – and notoriously hard to pin down – first family. For the last couple years though, writer Ryan North and lead artist Iban Coello have taken the Fantastic Four title back to its roots as a family drama filled with weird science and strange sci-fi happenings. In 2024 in particular, Fantastic Four has become Marvel's most consistently delightful comic, and one of the most successful comics on the stands at hitting its mark month in and month out. [...]

Sorry, but most readers have long learned not to be fooled, considering how bad the woke editors and writers have made Marvel/DC in over 2 decades. The claim it was tough to nail down what the FF is about, any more than any other Marvel creation, is laughable. Earlier writers got it, and newer ones don't, because they adhere to political correctness far too often, and at the expense of continuity as it was until the turn of the century, before it collapsed under PC weight. To say 2024 in particular is the "best" moment ever for FF only ignores seriousness.

So anyway, another fluff-coated "article" by mainstream writers who only serve as apologists and tabloid writers for the sake of the establishment, and they won't admit Marvel/DC lost direction long ago, let alone that their ongoing monthly series have continued for far too long, one of the reasons why they fell into decay.

Labels: bad editors, dc comics, Fantastic Four, golden calf of villainy, indie publishers, islam and jihad, licensed products, marvel comics, misogyny and racism, Spider-Man, women of dc, women of marvel, Wonder Woman

Sony's Kraven the Hunter movie flopped even worse than Madame Web, as NY's Vulture reports:

Opening in more than 3,200 theaters across North America, Kraven the Hunter grossed a lowly $11 million over its first three days, landing at No. 3 among wide-release movies, behind Moana 2 (in its third week out) and Wicked (in its fourth). Not only did that debut significantly undershoot prerelease “tracking” estimates in the $20 million to $25 million range, but it arrives as the worst bow for any film in Sony’s MCU-adjacent Spider-Man Universe — managing to underperform February’s draggy, nepo-heroic Madame Web ($15.3 million) while logging a calamitous 15 percent on the Tomatometer and an abysmal C from CinemaScore. Internationally, Kraven fared even worse, landing in fourth place behind the three-plus-hour Telugu-language action-drama Pushpa: The Rule — Part 2.

But perhaps most ignominious, coming at the tail end of a year in which Joker: Folie à Deux flopped hard and October’s Venom: The Last Dance hit multiplexes as the lowest-grossing film in the six-year-old Venom franchise (taking in $473 million versus the first Venom’s $856 million global haul) — maintaining a negative momentum that began with 2022’s Spider-Man Universe misfire, Morbius — Kraven seemed to confirm one of Hollywood’s worst fears. Namely, that outside of Deadpool & Wolverine’s record-setting $1.3 billion haul this past summer, audiences just don’t seem to turn out for superhero movies anymore. Especially not the Sony-produced anti-hero ones plotted around Spidey villains who are contractually forbidden from referencing the web-slinger in any way. “There used to be a floor for these secondary superhero openings, but these three Spider-Man spinoffs’ audiences are saying, ‘If you don’t give us something reasonably entertaining, we’re not going,’” says David A. Gross, who operates the cinema-consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “Morbius, Madame Web, and now Kraven were disliked by both critics and moviegoers. The genre has simply stopped growing.”

The problem isn't comics movies themselves, but fare spotlighting villains as though villainy is truly a great example, in addition to the recent lurch towards wokeness. Why is it some people think villains make far better a focus than heroes and what they do in and out of costume? Do the filmmakers really think just because the villains themselves wear all these funny costumes and sport all sorts of bizarre superpowers, both hand-held and internal, that the audience is going to gush all over them while leaving the superheroes on the sidelines? What a head-shaker.

John Nolte at Breitbart addressed the subject:

After three bombs out of four, Sony has announced the death of its Spider-Man Villain Universe franchise.

Because Disney owns the rights to pretty much every other Marvel character, Sony has one: Spider-Man, and that includes the characters in that narrow universe. Looking to suck the marrow out of that narrow universe after seeing all the money Marvel Studios was raking in, Sony decided to turn to the Spider-Man villains for cinematic product. [...]

Sony now intends to stop with the villains and stick to its main character, Spider-Man, through movies starring Tom Holland, animated features, and something called Spider-Man Noir starring Nicolas Cage.

Granted, I only bothered to watch one of these villain movies, Morbius, and it stunk. Still, I don’t blame the concept or the acting. The problem was a dull story and script. Why must it always be an origin story? Why can’t we jump into the middle of the action and then use a few lines of dialogue to explain how Kraven and Madame Web and Morbius became Kraven and Madame Web and Morbius? Instead, we’re always bogged down in these boilerplate stories about how so-and-so became so-and-so.

I suppose origin stories can get pretty tiresome as a concept after a while, but even so, the glamorization of villainy is what really sinks these films.

So the Spider-Man Villain Universe now joins the DC Extended Universe on the scrap heap. It is now just the DC Universe with James Gunn in charge. Marvel is also rebooting somewhat by bringing back Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans as different characters. Marvel went woke, which killed the golden goose, so it’s back to the straight white guys.

Well let's hope any DC-based villain universe is also kaput. To make such a spectacle out of the Joker is easily worse than doing it with Kraven, if only because stories starring the Clown Prince of Crime had such an emphasis on committing murder sprees in the past, which Kraven may have had on his comics story record too, but with the Joker, it's more noticeable. All that aside, what's so special about a crook who was written committing suicide in 1987's notable Spidey story, "Kraven's Last Hunt"? I think it was only close to a quarter century later that Kraven was pointlessly resurrected for the sake of having a commercial costumed villain around to cast in stories by writers who were either overrated, or just lost direction. And then Marvel even laughably went out of their way to write up sons and daughters for Kraven who could also take up his mantle. I'm sorry, but that too was a form of sucking the whole franchise dry. We don't need that kind of cynical exploitation any more than the now catastrophous movie.

But, as Nolte's said, comics movies sadly don't look to be running out of steam anytime soon. One more reason why the comics proper are bound to suffer in their overrated wake.

Labels: animation, golden calf of villainy, marvel comics, msm propaganda, Spider-Man

Euronews/AP Wire has some more about Popeye's entering public domain in 2025 (which, as previously noted, is unfortunately being taken advantage of by horror film directors) along with a notable European comics figure who first appeared around the same time as the spinach-eating sailor:

Crack open the spinach and get yourself a trusty Fox Terrier companion, because two beloved animated icons are entering the public domain next year.

Indeed, Popeye the Sailor can punch without permission and intrepid kid reporter Tintin can investigate freely in 2025.

The two classic comic characters who first appeared in 1929 are among the intellectual properties becoming public domain in the US on 1 January 2025, meaning they can be used and repurposed without permission or payment to copyright holders. [...]

The simply drawn teen with a quiff that could out-class David Lynch’s first appeared in a supplement to the Belgian newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle, and became a weekly feature. The comic also first appeared in the US in 1929. Its signature bright colours didn’t appear until years later, and could, like Popeye’s spinach, be the subject of legal disputes. And in much of the world, Tintin won’t become public property until 70 years after the 1983 death of his creator.

Let's just hope that both Tintin and Popeye will be spared naff horror adaptations once they enter the public domain. The mouse and the bear weren't so lucky...

If only it were all that simple, and we could look forward to men and women with good taste taking advantage of this. But sadly, as the recent example from the film industry makes clear, Popeye for one isn't immune (which makes this AP article pretty sloppy), and for all we know, Tintin likely isn't either. Even European filmmakers could exploit this in time for bad directions when public domain takes effect in the middle of the century. Though I suppose there will come along some artists who'll try to complete the last story George Remy had in store, Alph-Art, which wasn't completed before his passing in 1983.

But it's clear there'll still be quite a few cases where Popeye for one won't be done justice, nor Olive Oyl, and that's a shame. Mainly because the MSM won't cover the more positive examples, if at all. As a result, it's not easy to celebrate with spinach realizing something's bound to go wrong.

Labels: comic strips, Europe and Asia, history, msm propaganda

A writer at the Daily Californian, publication of Berkeley university, tells about a comic a friend considers "just a comic book":

“See, I get what you’re saying, but at the end of the day, I’m just looking at a comic book.”

Amidst catching up with a hometown friend, I showed off my newest and most current obsession: A Thor graphic novel: “Gorr the God Butcher.” As a classic bookworm and aspiring know-it-all, I am forever on the quest to find the greatest story of all time. Honestly, some comics have come pretty close. Flipping through the smooth pages of ink, I explained themes of morality, immortality and free-will; in my hands was one of the most iconic Marvel runs of all time.

Well this is definitely a groaner, and it apparently doesn't matter the most recent live action movie, which draws from Aaron's story, was such a flop, surely at least in part because some moviegoers know better than to let the wool be pulled over their eyes, as some would-be comic fans have let happen to them. By the way, isn't it rather unwise to describe oneself as a "know it all"? That's considered a negative description, and is meant to describe people who think they know everything, but actually don't.

My friend saw “just” a comic book.

When deciding on whether or not a piece of art is good, I’ve always wondered as to whether or not the medium itself has any weight on the quality of its art. Could the way that the message is being presented diminish or enhance the message itself? This isn’t just about comic books and novels; is it possible for something as lighthearted as a TikTok to be better than a full-length feature film?

Umm, considering what a bad influence TikTok happens to be, that's why the answer to that query is "no". And why doesn't the writer consider whether the leftist messages in modern mainstream are hurting more than helping? All those political allegories of recent have diminished the art considerably. There was a time when even leftist creators at least kept their politics more subtle. But no longer, and even some veterans have since gone overboard with the ideologies they're taking up.

When I was first recommended to read a comic book, I was hesitant. But upon questioning my assumptions and taking the time to read Frank Miller’s “Daredevil” and “Winter Soldier,” I realized that there are fewer words that best discuss justice and religion while also being accessible in all means. I mean, is there a better way to metaphorize and test the strength of religious power than a literal battle between the God of Thunder and a multi-billionaire tech genius? Through the intertwining of topical, nuanced contentions and larger-than-life action, stories of superheroes often make for an enjoyable and thought-provoking experience.

Not with the kind of leftists running the asylum today. Some of them even belittle Judeo/Christianity, yet never have anything critical to say about Islam. And what's so great about "Winter Soldier" that earlier Capt. America tales didn't do better? Miller's DD is fine for its time. But many comics published since the turn of the century, including more recent DD stories, have only brought down the quality of the medium terribly. And they're far from "accessible" for new customers.

Yet, graphic novels are often seen as geeky, frivolous and unfit for true artistic credibility of expression.

It is interesting how quickly people prejudice a piece of art simply because of its medium. Art in its most bare, natural form is simply the conveyance of emotion between an artist and its audience; why does the how have to matter so match? As long as some sort of interesting feeling or theme is there, the medium shouldn’t matter.

But they never take issue with whatever political angles today's writers force into the scripts? Even if today's mainstream comics are ostensibly aimed more at adults - all at the expense of what children could be reading - that doesn't excuse the horrible influences they've fallen victim to, and still are. And these college writers sadly won't consider that woke writers like Aaron have done more harm than good to the medium, and still are, regrettably enough.

Labels: Captain America, Daredevil, marvel comics, moonbat writers, msm propaganda, Thor