A most pretentious "fan" and news writer from Europe
Some time ago, I took a look at the writings of Martin Gray, a contributor to The Scotsman, who wrote some otherwise fluff-coated takes on the usual overrated post-2000 products, like this 2021 review of Douglas Wolk's Marvel history book, All of the Marvels. Let's take a look at what he says about that for starters:
I then decided to take a look at what he's written on his blog Too Dangerous for a Girl, like this review of Paul Levitz's more recent take on Doctor Fate, and here's what he says about a new character shoehorned into the role for woke diversity pandering, based on how the new lead is characterized as a Muslim:
As for Levitz, well, of course I do appreciate that he was one of the signatories on a petition calling for the release of Kfir Bibas' family from Hamas captivity, something Mr. Gray for one never mentioned any more than other comics specialty sites earlier this year. But if Levitz isn't repentant for normalizing Islam much as Marvel's modern propaganda overlords did, then he's only compounding damage done to comics some must've once thought he loved, and, as his more recent conduct suggests, he no longer does, assuming he ever did at all.
And on that note, here's Mr. Gray's review of the Muslim Ms. Marvel series, which is written in a most unsurprisingly biased manner:
And then there's also what Mr. Gray thinks of Jean Loring, the Silver Age Atom's girlfried/wife, who was wronged along with Sue Dibny in Identity Crisis. In this case, I first discovered what Gray may still think of her in a comment he posted on this blog called Siskoid, where he said in response to a post about Sword of the Atom, which didn't look very respectable to begin with:
In the end, all I can say is that Mr. Gray, for somebody who's written for newspapers and writes blog "reviews" of comics, he couldn't write his way out of the proverbial wet paper bag. There's tons of indie comics out there that could make a far better focus than the woke fiasco mainstream comicdom's become since the early 2000s, yet Gray's the kind of person who lavishes far too much attention on modern DC/Marvel humiliations that do a horrible disfavor to the original creators like Siegel, Shuster and Lee, and it only serves as a boon to the undeserving editors, writers and artists of modern times in mainstream. Gray's a sad blemish upon the fandom, assuming he even is a fan to begin with, which I decidedly doubt.
And Wolk succeeds in a fascinating pop culture journey. In 1961 the very white future Fantastic Four took a rocket ship into space, spurred on by fear of the Other – “the Commies.” By 2014 we have Ms Marvel, a Pakistani-American Muslim teen who cares as much about social justice as bashing bad guys. In between, in the Seventies, there was the aforementioned Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu, whose stories were tinged with racist elements – his father was that embodiment of the “Yellow Peril” Fu Manchu, and Asian characters were the colour of bananas – yet remain among the best material Marvel has ever published. Wolk explains how the heck this was possible. And the Eighties were ruled by the X-Men, mutants whose plight could be seized upon by any marginalised group as reflecting their experience. Marvel may not have always got diversity right, but its creators kept on trying, readers responded, and today inclusion is baked into the books.Well, if that's the way Gray was going to put it, and make it sound like something's wrong with the FF's whiteness, and then act like Kamala Khan being characterized as an Islamist is such a big deal, but not whether it's ludicrous to shoehorn new characters into established roles instead of their own, nor ask why religions like Hinduism, Jainism, Shintoism and Buddhism are worth exploring, then clearly, Gray hasn't done anything impressive for conversations about the medium. Also note how he alludes to the left-wing propaganda of "social justice", and so, his takes on the medium aren't much different from his north American counterparts. What good is "inclusion" when there still remain only so many nationalities that aren't being considered, like Armenians? And he doesn't even comment on how poorly the Muslim Ms. Marvel series characterized the ordinary whites in the premiere. Doing all this "inclusion" at the expense of ordinary whites is no improvement, and Mr. Gray failed to address the subject.
I then decided to take a look at what he's written on his blog Too Dangerous for a Girl, like this review of Paul Levitz's more recent take on Doctor Fate, and here's what he says about a new character shoehorned into the role for woke diversity pandering, based on how the new lead is characterized as a Muslim:
Getting to know Khalid’s parents Mohammed and Elizabeth has been a real pleasure, I can’t remember the last time we had a mixed culture family in superhero comics (I’m not counting Lois and Clark here!). Some people had a pop at this comic, claiming it was jumping on the Ms Marvel bandwagon by including characters who followed Islam, but if it did take a cue from that series, why is that a negative? Comics should be reflecting society, and a character concept linked for decades to a non-Christian pantheon seems a logical place for the diverse cast all books should be giving us.It's very sad Mr. Gray's among the countless people on the left who know nothing about the Religion of Peace, the violence-advocating verses contained within the Koran, such as Sura 47:4, and likely doesn't give a damn about what Salman Rushdie went through over a thoughtcrime, not to mention Jews in France and even the UK itself. Or even Armenians. Maybe the saddest part of all is that there actually was a time when some on the left did know what the word "jihad" (holy war) meant back in the 80s and 90s, but after September 11, 2001, all for the sake PC, they forbade its use just like that, and today's representatives probably don't know at all. Lack of knowledge and understanding is exactly what's damaging efforts to combat jihadism. Mr. Gray's review also makes clear that, whatever he appears to think of the Green Lantern #0 special, he clearly has a lenient, accepting view of the Religion of Peace, and if he claims to be a "fan" of comics originally founded by Jews, he's only done the founding dads like Siegel and Shuster a terrible disservice.
New York lifer Levitz has put his heart and soul into making this book something different while honouring DC history, and hasn’t gotten the credit he deserves. I’d love DC to have a digital blowout sale of this series – heck, all the DC You titles – offering the lot for $10 or something. That would persuade more people to try this series, because it really benefits from a binge read.
As for Levitz, well, of course I do appreciate that he was one of the signatories on a petition calling for the release of Kfir Bibas' family from Hamas captivity, something Mr. Gray for one never mentioned any more than other comics specialty sites earlier this year. But if Levitz isn't repentant for normalizing Islam much as Marvel's modern propaganda overlords did, then he's only compounding damage done to comics some must've once thought he loved, and, as his more recent conduct suggests, he no longer does, assuming he ever did at all.
And on that note, here's Mr. Gray's review of the Muslim Ms. Marvel series, which is written in a most unsurprisingly biased manner:
And that, in a nutshell, is the story of Ms Marvel’s first issue. We’re quickly introduced to Kamala and her world, and learn that it’s not necessarily the world she wants. It’s obvious that as her horizons expand, so will her troubles. And that’s what could make this book a classic Marvel series with a very different viewpoint, that of a young Muslim woman in a society that barely tries to understand, never mind love, her.Well there we have what he thought - and it's sadly quite possible he still does - of one of the most humiliating moments in Marvel history, and it's shameful he's fluff-coating the whole affair. And all the while, he doesn't even ask if anybody should develop heroes inspired by real life figures like 911 Families for a Safe & Strong America, in example, or even survivors of the October 7, 2023 Hamas bloodbath in Israel. This kind of sugary approach to the subject matter has only hurt the entertainment industry as a whole instead of bettering it.
The strokes of G Willow Wilson’s script are a little broad on occasion, that is, every time all-American girl Zoe appears, with her condescending ‘understanding’ of Kamala’s faith and culture. But full marks for economic sketching of character. Plus, it’s refreshing that Kamala isn’t kicking against her culture, trying to be an all-American girl; it’s more that she’s aiming to find that happy mix between the different sides of herself. [...]
The very notion of a young Muslim superheroine (it seems everyone has forgotten MI-13’s wonderful Excalibur, Faiza Hussain) has caused media ripples, likely bringing in a lot of first-timers. This being the case, I’m not sure tying Kamala’s journey so tightly to that of Carol Danvers is a great idea – the issue-ending big moment seems wholly dependent on familiarity with Ms-turned-Captain-Marvel.
Or perhaps I’m overthinking, and underselling the intelligence of new, young readers. Maybe it’s all deducible from the rest of the issue.
I hope so, as I want books to succeed, find their audience. Certainly, I liked Wilson’s first effort a lot, and I similarly enjoyed the illustrations of Adrian Alphona and colour artist Ian Herring – Ms Marvel #1 is full of people, not types; the only perfect beings appear in Kamala’s dream sequences, and I suspect she’ll meet the grubbier, real-life versions of her heroes soon enough. Kamala herself is a cute kid, with the eyes of a dreamer, and I hope she never loses that quality. The hand-drawn page borders and wobbly narrative boxes also help evoke the idea of a life that’s a little rough around the edges. The letters are the work of the talented Joe Caramagna, and my only complaint is the choice of upper and lower case for the dialogue, which lends a tentative, kiddyish feel to the script. Oh, and ‘blonde’ has an ‘e’ when we’re talking female.
And then there's also what Mr. Gray thinks of Jean Loring, the Silver Age Atom's girlfried/wife, who was wronged along with Sue Dibny in Identity Crisis. In this case, I first discovered what Gray may still think of her in a comment he posted on this blog called Siskoid, where he said in response to a post about Sword of the Atom, which didn't look very respectable to begin with:
Exactly! Take away everything that makes Ray unique and of course it’s not a hit.Pardon? And why didn't he like a fictional character "in the first place"? By even his twisted logic, he's saying, pretty much, that he never liked Ray Palmer either, nor did he like Gardner Fox and Gil Kane's writing and art, after all the hard work they put into it 60-plus years back. But of course, Gray takes the cowardly route of projection, and this was just 4 years ago, proving the mentality still sadly dominates alleged debates about the medium among would-be fans. I guess that could also explain why even earlier, as seen in this Batgirl review from 2009, he said the following:
I never liked Jean in the first place, mind, so off course she snogs a guy with a tache.
Oh look, Batgirl is Stephanie Brown, the former Spoiler. Who was indeed a bit rubbish, and nagged into pretending to retire by the all-new, all-moody Red Robin, aka Grim Tim Drake/Wayne. Further evidence of her stupidity is randomly unmasking on a rooftop for a splash page pose of the ‘I own the night’ variety. Stef, pet, you don’t even own a particularly dull five minutes of the afternoon.Wow, that sure sounds just as crude and insulting as his illogical attack on Jean Loring. No wonder Steph nearly went into the grave permanently back in 2004. It's not hard to guess what Mr. Gray must think of conservatives like Chuck Dixon either. Mr. Gray says Spoiler is "stupid", but doesn't criticize the writer for depicting her so? Ugh. Gray also said:
Because this is very much Just Another Batbook. I don’t really believe Steph’s less than stellar performance will continue, but what is this book for? There’s already a Batwoman, the Huntress and Oracle fighting crime from the female bat-perspective. All Steph has going for her so far is her optimism, which frequently crosses the line into idiocy. The things that do set her apart – a criminal father, a child she gave up for adoption – aren’t even mentioned.Well DC's story merit did collapse by that time, but if he's going to approach this by blaming a fictional character more than the writing (supposedly, he finds this a decent book, but his attitude towards Steph conflicts with that), then he's continued to compound the poor perception of his ability to opine on any kind of literature. Curious he doesn't take issue with the editors who threw the pregnancy topic down the memory hole. They're the guilty party in that sense, not Spoiler, and it's not her fault for "performance" either. Oh, I also notice he took an otherwise accepting view of a Wonder Woman special called DC Digital Sensation, which appears to be written by leftist Alex deCampi, who's already gained notoreity in some circles, and the tale features a variation on WW wearing what looks like an Islamic hijab?!? Well that's all you need to know what's gone wrong with mainstream comicdom over many years. I vaguely recall Brian Vaughan wrote a JLA annual in 2000 with something similar, and it goes without saying that's a humiliation of everything William Marston and H.G. Peter stood for. Gray later made sure to continue the gushing over G. Willow Wilson in this shoddy review. Here's also a review of Wonder Woman #37 from 2014:
Penciller David Finch and inker Richard Friend’s Diana looks less creepily doll-like than last month, no longer the startled child, more a full-grown woman who actually has a brain. There are some fine portraits throughout the issue, with a variety of Amazon faces, and the cheesecake quotient has gone down (Diana still has barrage balloon breasts, and the debuting Donna gets them too).Well if that's what he thinks of what wasn't considered an issue in the 1970s when even Stan Lee was okay with it, then he's again summed up how cheap he is in what he'll take issue with. Let's also comment on what he says about 2019's Year of the Villain Special:
So, this is a very well-crafted comic, but it doesn’t have me hugely excited. I’d rather each title went its own way than bowed before one massive storyline. The big news for me is the arrival of Maleev. How about you?Considering all the attention lavished ad nauseum upon villains over the past decade or so, it's embarrassingly bad he'd fawn over this insult to the intellect. Also the 3rd issue of Batman/Superman: World's Finest:
Look again, and it’s obvious he’s drawing Kara as if she’s a real person with breasts that aren’t stuck together like those of a mannequin, which affects how the clothing hangs.I wonder why that's such a big deal, especially in an age where sex appeal's been all but kicked to the curb in mainstream? This is so trivial, I wonder what Mr. Gray's even in the hobby for. And then, here's a most fascinatingly gushy review of the overrated James Robinson's Earth #2, series, where Golden Age Green Lantern Alan Scott was turned gay:
This book immediately enters my list of top five DC comics. it’s not perfect – forget the deaths and devastation, James Robinson makes a longtime supporting cast member thoroughly unlikable – but it’s a smart, exciting superhero comic that’s tapping new potential in classic characters. If you’ve ever been a fan of the JSA, give Earth 2 a try – I think you’ll like it.After the forced retcon to Alan that dismayed even Roy Thomas? What a disgrace he even forgives whatever bad characterization turns up, not to mention all the casualty catastrophes. That's actually a notable problem even in Robinson's overrated Starman series from 1994-2001. Gray didn't even seem to mention the LGBT pandering, which makes this quite a deception of the most tasteless kind. There's even a review of Scott Lobdell's work on a Teen Titans title, 2nd issue:
There’s a nice moment in Scott Lobdell’s zippy script in which Tim bemoans the lurid jeans worn by Kids Today, but he seems totally fine with Cassie’s ridiculously skimpy boob tube. She claims her decolletage is real but I suspect it was stolen too, from Power Girl – Cassie truly puts the ‘tit’ in ‘Titans’. I really hope artist Brett Boobs – sorry, Booth, tones them down (though they do seem to be keeping Cassie from drowning on that cover).It's another early clue that Gray does have a sex-negative view as opposed to his otherwise accepting view of Islam, something even Lobdell may have (and Lobdell is quite a leftist, and also did embarrassing things at a convention, the real reason why something's wrong with this mess), and Gray certainly indicated he took up the sex-negative view almost wholesale over the following decade. It's also indicated in this review of Red Hood and the Outlaws Annual, which was written, interestingly enough, by leftist James Tynion:
That’s the meat of James Tynion IV’s script. There’s also a massive helping of tackiness, thanks to artist Al Barrionuevo’s choices for Cheshire. Lord knows why our heroes can’t catch the minx given that she’s constantly stopping to show off her bum, boobs and knickers. As well as being insulting and laughable, it’s a shame because it distracts from the occasionally excellent work Barrionuevo, coloured by Javier Mena and Bit, does. The way he moves characters around panels, especially when we’re in an action scene, is impressive, and his general figurework convinces. It’s just the Nineties-style adolescent pandering that distracts. [...]Umm, the only problem is that Cheshire's a villainess, and I suspect that's the reason this kind of thing went through. There's only so many example even before the emerging wokeness period where heroines, by contrast, are not considered for cheesecake illustration, not even Power Girl. Since that time, even Tynion pretty much changed to a more sex-negative view, IIRC. In any event, Mr. Gray once again said quite a bit about his unfortunate double-standards. Which also extend to DC's LGBT pandering, if the following review of a DC Pride special is any indication:
As specials go, like this week’s Earth 2 giant, Red Hood and the Outlaws Annual #1 is more a double issue than a discrete event. If you’re not already reading the series, dipping into this might prove less than satisfactory. But regular readers will likely enjoy the deepening of characters, the progression of the storyline and the introduction of a new villain – it’s just a shame Cheshire’s been made into cheesecake.
The cover is less successful, a collaboration between penciller Jim Lee, inker Scott Williams and colourist Tamra Bonvillain. It’s Lee work at its bumpiest; I thought all the main creators involved with DC Pride were to be non-straight, but according to Wiki Lee is happily married with at least nine kids. Which is lovely, but unless he’s a little on the Alan Scott side, the DC Publisher and Chief Creative Officer should have stepped aside for an LGBTQ+ creator.Yup, more diversity pandering in motion, which doesn't equal story merit. And we could also ponder this gushy review of Dan Slott's "Superior" Spider-Man:
DC Pride is a hotch potch, but what anthology isn’t? There’s a lot of work in here I like, and the rest are at least sincere efforts to give an underserved part of the comics fanbase something they can call their own. So well done to everyone involved – and that includes editors Amedeo Turturro, Jessica Chen, Chris Conroy, Michael McCalister and Andrea Shea – and let’s see you top this in 2022.
That apart, there’s loads to enjoy here – the latest Sinister Six irritates original founder Ock by being not just all-new but, in his opinion, all-lame; there’s Speed Demon, Boomerang, the Living Brain, a female Beetle, Shocker and the utterly ridiculous Overdrive, a guy in a giant tyre. The self-proclaimed Superior Spider-Man is making short work of them until a barrage of super-fast blows from Speed Demon sees Ock decide that the fight’s not worth the hassle. [...]One must wonder why he doesn't think the direction Marvel kept insulting people with at the time wasn't lame - belittling Mary Jane, along with Peter himself, and why this is automatically acceptable simply because Marvel under Axel Alonso was seemingly willing to "reverse" it, even though the Spider-marriage has been kept solidly out of the picture for only so long, and no reunion in the 616 universe allowed. This is another farcical "review" Mr. Gray's turned out over time.
So, the first issue of The Superior Spider-Man is a hit with me. I can’t see myself wanting to read about Dr Octopus for long – I’m too big a Peter Parker fan – but this is a terrific debut.
In the end, all I can say is that Mr. Gray, for somebody who's written for newspapers and writes blog "reviews" of comics, he couldn't write his way out of the proverbial wet paper bag. There's tons of indie comics out there that could make a far better focus than the woke fiasco mainstream comicdom's become since the early 2000s, yet Gray's the kind of person who lavishes far too much attention on modern DC/Marvel humiliations that do a horrible disfavor to the original creators like Siegel, Shuster and Lee, and it only serves as a boon to the undeserving editors, writers and artists of modern times in mainstream. Gray's a sad blemish upon the fandom, assuming he even is a fan to begin with, which I decidedly doubt.
Labels: dc comics, Europe and Asia, golden calf of villainy, history, islam and jihad, marvel comics, misogyny and racism, moonbat writers, msm propaganda, politics, violence
