The Four Color Media Monitor

The Indiana Gazette ran a tedious column by Andrew Smith where he tells what news he got at the NYCC, and actually admits one thing:

The lack of sizzle at NYCC is a little disappointing, given how bombastic the virtual San Diego Comic-Con (July 22-25) and DC FanDome events (Aug. 22, Sept. 12) were. But there wasn't much to talk about, movie-wise, given that all but one genre movie has been moved to 2021. ("Wonder Woman 1984" is currently scheduled for Dec. 25, but most experts predict it will be postponed again.)

That's probably it, the film will be delayed until next summer, if it comes out at all. But honestly, given how politicized its intentions are, that's why there's just no need to hurry, let alone spend money to see what could be one of the most pretentious sequels to a recent major film. It's bad enough they're misusing Max Lord, and doubly so if they based their premise for WW's origins on Brian Azzarello's retcon from nearly a decade ago, with Zeus as the father. They just had to make it a metaphor for anti-Trump sentiment in addition to everything, all without even considering that during the mid-80s, Trump was a Democrat supporter. Now, here's what this crummy column says about Archie's latest ventures:

Archie Comics announced two new digests for next year, a partnership with digital platform Webtoons, and most importantly, the "Riverdale Presents: The South Side Serpents" one-shot in January, featuring TV's biker gang version of Jughead. It's fascinating to watch Archie Comics slowly ease away from the wacky teen humor that's been its bread and butter for almost 80 years. I still like that material — primarily the older stuff by the likes of Dan DeCarlo, Harry Lucey and Samm Schwartz — but the company's leap into horror and modern teen dramedy feels surprisingly natural.

So, something was wrong with building the creations as teen humor tales all these years? That's what this piece is beginning to sound like. And what's so "natural" about swerving into horror at the previous angle's expense? Or political allusions, for that matter? I'm sorry, but this only compounds how younger audiences, teen or otherwise, are finding less and less mainstream products aimed at their generation, and it may not be possible to do it today without being forced to adhere to a SJW diversity-and-inclusion agenda. Earlier this year, the Federalist spoke about how there were no great movies that came out in the past decade aimed at the teen crowds, and it's obviously the same problem in other mediums to boot. There's also sugarcoated news about the Big Two's upcoming company wide crossovers:

DC Comics provided superstar writers Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV to talk about "Dark Nights: Death Metal," the ongoing crossover rewriting the DC Universe as a truly terrible place. We longtime fans expect that the ship will be righted eventually, and the fun is seeing how it's done. Better yet, Snyder and Tynion said this Crisis — unlike the last few — won't rewrite DC history. That's a welcome change, as I've grown weary of relearning Superman's backstory every few years.

Marvel Comics talked about their own upcoming (December-ish) crossover, "King in Black." This involves the biggest, baddest symbiote (think Venom) coming to Earth to make everyone miserable. I've never been a Venom fan, not even a little, so I'm actually pleased to hear from writer Donny Cates that they plan "profound changes" for the character.

Considering he was a fan of Identity Crisis 15 years ago, a story sympathetic to villains, I find it hard to swallow the allegation he's not a Venom fan, if Brock is to be looked upon as a criminal. In any case, I wouldn't trust whatever "changes" they have in store for Venom to be entertaining ones, and that they're resorting to company wide crossovers only makes it clearer they're not doing it organically. That's why it makes no difference what the DCU will be like by the time Dark Nights is over; these line wide crossovers simply aren't good ways to ensure an enjoyable adventure will come out of them.

A.I.M. Low

Pity poor M.O.D.O.K. He has a comically large head, and limbs so tiny and vestigial he has to move around in a flying chair. His name stands for something kinda silly: Mobile Organism Designed Only for Killing. And, while he's been a major supervillain in Marvel Comics since the 1960s, he's had something of a mid-career crisis: His organization, Advanced Idea Mechanics, is going broke.

Welcome to "Marvel's M.O.D.O.K.," coming soon to Hulu, where the formerly feared villain is depicted in stop-motion animation at his lowest ebb. He has been ousted from A.I.M., his marriage is crumbling, his children are disrespectful and, in the ultimate humiliation, he is voiced by comedian Patton Oswalt.

So yeah, pity poor M.O.D.O.K. I can't wait to laugh at him.

Well here's something where I don't see the point in making it a comedy, if it is. This TV show honestly sounds stupid, and the article's allusion to past history sounds like an insult to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, who oversaw the creation of such characters in Captain America's adventures in 1967. What's the whole point of depicting a villain like MODOK as a married man? I just don't see it. Towards the end of the article:

Let's just hope that the pandemic abates enough to allow production to crank back up sometime soon. After the way showrunner Geoff John described Eclipso and The Shade for "Stargirl" season 2, I can't wait to see them. Someday.

Whenever I see Johns mentioned in such fluff-coated terms today, it makes me shudder, though it's already a moot point. And no mention in this article of comics from smaller and/or independent creators who might have more impressive stories to offer. Anybody who relies so obviously and heavily on mainstream products isn't being very "diverse" in what they're covering for the news, and what's told here about the NYCC only confirms there's nothing special to look forward to there. No wonder it's such a disappointment.

Labels: animation, Archie, conventions, crossoverloading, dc comics, marvel comics, msm propaganda