Now I know what more is wrong with how Ray Palmer's been treated too
When I see that a reviewer for the Superman Homepage starts getting as ludicrous as Countdown to Final Crisis #18 sounds. So now, Ray is found, but what's implied about him is just as maddening as the mistreatment of his own wife:
But that's still nothing compared to how the reviewer I'm focusing upon is really blowing it with what he thinks of Ray:
The story as seen in Countdown sounds appalling (as does the part with Mary Marvel and Eclipso clashing), and even if there's an explanation waiting to be had, it still doesn't excuse how badly things were done to begin with. But what's really saddening is when a critic would rather critique the characters than the writing itself. And that's what needs to change.
I notice in the synopsis for the backup story that they haven't moved far away from establishing that Dr. Light is a rapist either. I guess that's why I find Geoff Johns writing a story spotlighting him in Teen Titans so hard to credit, especially when the next thing you know, Light is gloating about his crime in the pages of Green Arrow. Likewise, it's hard to credit even Dwayne McDuffie's recent story in Justice League of America, where Light is but one of the new Injustice Gang. He may not have been seen for almost 2 years, but when you see that they're sticking with it, you know that there's still an embarrassing stain at large. And yet, even if they did move away from it, the problem there too is that it would only enforce the sexism that permeats Identity Crisis. A serious problem that goes both ways.
And if Elongated Man never even went after Light during 52 to punish him for the attack on Sue, that's another big minus.
Update: some may have noticed that the multiverse is being featured more as a plot-device than a real storytelling idea, and doesn't really stand on its own in any creative way either. Judging by recent sales, it would come as no surprise to me if many readers lost interest by now in the multiverse making a "comeback". And who could blame them? The way it's being used now is so underwhelming, it's no wonder if there's less interest in it now.
Some DC fans may have lamented when the multiverse was abandoned during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Now, it would come as no surprise if they lamented the very weak way it's being used anew. It was always possible to create a new multiverse, and had it been done at least a decade ago, it's possible that then, they might've succeeded in making good use out of it. Now, one could say it's come at too late a time, especially under the current editorial staff.
Update 2: I did write to the reviewer. He says that I misinterpreted his positions, and that he disapproves of the character assassination that was inflicted. Well, if I have misunderstood anything, I apologize, though in all due honesty, it was pretty hard to tell if he really found what DC Comics has been doing so far objectionable.
Ray Palmer, has flashbacks of past events, pre and post Identity Crisis.Ray isn't perfect, as his character development during the 80s could tell you, but even if it turns out he's not exactly responsible for his own bizarre actions, this just sounds totally...stupid. He's depicted as selfish and to make matters worse, he doesn't even try to figure out if he and the League were ever being tricked and set up? That's not what I would call being a hero.
How he selfishly ran away when his friends needed him most and left a boy in his place. He wakes up next to his wife Jean. He's rebuilt the life he once had and ruined and recreated it without mistakes on Earth 51.
Where all other Earths had made mistakes in their own ways, apparently Earth 51 was absolute perfection - (hmm, where's Superman Prime then if that's the case???) and Ray Palmer couldn't give a damn about Sue Dibney or Ralph or his JLA team mates because he was in Utopia. - Damn us all too hell.
[...]
Ray is collecting wood for the fireplace when he spots the Challengers appear from the shadows. The jig is up... Ray comes clean. He had deliberately shrunk himself after Identity Crisis and when he became subatomic he met a mysterious mystic woman who revealed the events of 52. So he gained the power somehow to travel between worlds just like Superman Prime. He travelled around and it's hammered into our head again that Earth 51 is perfect.
He also found that Ray Palmer of Earth 51 had discovered the mysteries of the universe but while creating a stargate he was killed. Selfish pig Ray naturally decides he's out to assume this Earth's Atom and live his life while also stealing his work. He also manipulated people for his own gain and tricked Jean Loring into a relationship she was never meant to have on Earth 51.
But that's still nothing compared to how the reviewer I'm focusing upon is really blowing it with what he thinks of Ray:
Much like Civil War and WWHulk made me despise Iron Man, Countdown and The All New Atom have successfully made me hate Ray Palmer and wish he'd never get another shot at a book of his own. As much as I wish Bob [the Monitor] will strike a blow it's likely his actually ready to teleport.Ugh, having read this, I'm ready to send an e-mail to this nutcase to give him a piece of my mind! No wonder I'm glad I never fell for the All-New Atom. They said they would "honor" Ray Palmer's own legacy, but instead implied he'd done bad things and so far have yet to prove that it's all a ruse. Either way, this is just plain stupid and insulting to the intellect. But what should really matter here, I guess, is the reviewer's attitude: I assume he's some youngster who's too young to care about the great books of the yesteryear? I don't know, but I find his whole approach here truly appalling. And I guess that signals the biggest problem with this review: he acts as though Ray, Jean, Tony, et cetera were real people, and criticizes the characters rather than the way they're being written. Is it any wonder comic books are going to ruin?
The story as seen in Countdown sounds appalling (as does the part with Mary Marvel and Eclipso clashing), and even if there's an explanation waiting to be had, it still doesn't excuse how badly things were done to begin with. But what's really saddening is when a critic would rather critique the characters than the writing itself. And that's what needs to change.
I notice in the synopsis for the backup story that they haven't moved far away from establishing that Dr. Light is a rapist either. I guess that's why I find Geoff Johns writing a story spotlighting him in Teen Titans so hard to credit, especially when the next thing you know, Light is gloating about his crime in the pages of Green Arrow. Likewise, it's hard to credit even Dwayne McDuffie's recent story in Justice League of America, where Light is but one of the new Injustice Gang. He may not have been seen for almost 2 years, but when you see that they're sticking with it, you know that there's still an embarrassing stain at large. And yet, even if they did move away from it, the problem there too is that it would only enforce the sexism that permeats Identity Crisis. A serious problem that goes both ways.
And if Elongated Man never even went after Light during 52 to punish him for the attack on Sue, that's another big minus.
Update: some may have noticed that the multiverse is being featured more as a plot-device than a real storytelling idea, and doesn't really stand on its own in any creative way either. Judging by recent sales, it would come as no surprise to me if many readers lost interest by now in the multiverse making a "comeback". And who could blame them? The way it's being used now is so underwhelming, it's no wonder if there's less interest in it now.
Some DC fans may have lamented when the multiverse was abandoned during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Now, it would come as no surprise if they lamented the very weak way it's being used anew. It was always possible to create a new multiverse, and had it been done at least a decade ago, it's possible that then, they might've succeeded in making good use out of it. Now, one could say it's come at too late a time, especially under the current editorial staff.
Update 2: I did write to the reviewer. He says that I misinterpreted his positions, and that he disapproves of the character assassination that was inflicted. Well, if I have misunderstood anything, I apologize, though in all due honesty, it was pretty hard to tell if he really found what DC Comics has been doing so far objectionable.
