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Friday, April 25, 2008

Fangirl Fridays

RE: Indiana Jones IV


Aliens? Really?

What the hell?


Countdown To Change, Part 58, "The Final Chapter," Electric Boogaloo

Donna Troy: The next Sarah Silverman?

So I won't have Countdown to kick around anymore. Whatever shall I write about?

52 issues of Countdown populating the quarter bins of this fine country.

Are Harley & Holly doing it, or what? Is it because their names sound similar?

And so is it safe to say Jason Todd learned nothing from this experience? Could somebody sue DC for the rights to this character so he can be killed off?

Between Countdown & last night's "Smallville," I think it is safe to say that the intrinsic appeal of Jimmy Olsen has been greatly overestimated. It's like if we did a whole TV show based off of that holographic doctor from "Star Trek: Voyager."

Mary Marvel discovers the many pleasures of the
"personal massage" department at Walgreens.

I actually purchased Countdown #1. I figured at the very least, it would be a good lead-in to Final Crisis. What does Harley say at the end of it? Her philosophy on how to deal with problems?

"A positive attitude and lots of denial."

That about sums up Titans #1

Lest it be said (and it has been said) that I am unfairly dumping on DC for Countdown, I should remind you that I had a similar reaction to Marvel's House of M.

My honest-to-god reaction to House of M #1: "What the f**k?"

I read House of M at a time when I was trying to make an effort to actually read comics again. The first issue of that mini-series almost stopped me cold. Countdown had the same effect.

I do agree with some of the commenters on Brian Hibbs' post "Count This!" that the responsibility for this series needs to be spread a little further out than it has been. I'm figuring Dan DiDio had a lot to do with the general thrust of Countdown, but he was not its ultimate mastermind or main scribe. Nor did he personally edit it.

But there's no use crying over spilled milkshake, is there?


New York Comic Con: Not Enough Giant Hulk Statues


Comic Baker Marion Vitus re-enacts that
Sarah Douglas scene from Superman II
at the New York Comic Con


I see there has been some criticism regarding New York Comic Con on teh internets.

My assessment?

It wasn't the big bomb-diggity San Diego was last year. But I don't think it was terrible. And it should be remembered that SDCC is not a convention, it is a gigantic freak of nature, some sort of high-holy event where pilgrims are trampled and flagellate themselves with their badge lanyards in the blazing heat.

Was it anti-indy? I didn't get that feeling. I had plenty of independent press books to choose from. And I bought a lot of them.

Were certain exhibitors placed in obscure places & ignored? Maybe. I dunno. Some of that is about dressing up your booth to attract the right amount of attention. I mean, The Comics Bakery booth was not huge, nor was it placed in some yummy sweet-spot right off of the Marvel section. But it had a clear, visually-appealing banner, it had a "brand," it had fresh scones (playing off the "bakery" brand), a great set-up so all the comics were displayed properly, and a good sales pitch. Comics Bakery maximized their space potential.

Was it too much mainstream capes & cowls? The manga/Japanese culture aspect was pretty pronounced. There were, of course, the monster DC & Marvel booths, but I think that's standard. Giant Hulk statue? Standard. Hey, I need to see a giant Hulk statue at my comic book conventions. I know it's gauche. But there you are.

If there is a problem with New York Comic Con, or any large-scale comic con, it's that it tried to be all things to all people. That's not so much a problem -- because I think it needs to appeal to that broad base -- as it is a formula that will inevitably lead to some people being unhappy:

"It had too much manga."

"It didn't have enough manga."

"It had too many superhero comics."

"It had all those weird Japanese stuff instead of enough of my superhero comics."

"It didn't have enough independent comics."

"It had too many of those comics I've never heard of and not enough DC & Marvel."

So I wasn't unhappy with NYCC. But I am still exhausted.


Ain't It Cool Occasional Superheroine News

I thought I would mention that "Occasional Superheroine 2.0" is still on. I mean, "on" in the sense that there is an actual chain of events underway that will lead to OS 2.0.

I'm hoping by the end of the Summer, maybe a little bit before.

I keep talking to the BF about Occasional Superheroine limited-edition vinyl figurines, keep getting this eye-roll in response.


Occasional Ball-Buster?
I had one person from a comics publisher comment to me at NYCC that he was really relieved I liked their particular offerings, because apparently I have the reputation of being a "major ball-buster."

Ball-buster? Me?



Have a good weekend, all!

15 comments:

  1. What, what is wrong with aliens? God can melt people's faces off or make them immortal, but green dudes are out?

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  2. It's just that I'm not sure if mixing "mythologies" (if you will) will work. I suppose if this movie is taking place in the 1950s (or lead-in to the era), the idea of aliens & Roswell would be at least topical.

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  3. whoa, that mary marvel panel is freakin' hideous.

    i dig the alien thing in Indy 4, even if the usual mythology thing is magic or whatever, the aliens could still fit. maybe they're doing a thing where aliens are compared to god or something. maybe aliens built the ark! haha.

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  4. I wonder if, in the wake of the negative reaction Countdown earned, DC is starting to reconsider the Trilogy weekly series ...

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  5. When they call you a ball-buster, you're being even more effective than when they call you a bitch. It's a huge compliment.

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  6. You know, you can say all you want about countdown, I liked it. But I feel I was part of the target demographic for that series: New readers. I didn't grow up with comic books, in fact, the first one I purchased was Countdown. That cover with all the heroes, it reminded me of the last shot of JLU, with all the heroes banded together.

    While I now understand more the DCU and why it may have been poorly received, I have to say that countdown still remains an important read, especially for a new reader. I find that countdown kinda "eased" me into DC. I was allowed to see multiple characters, tap into many storylines and get a good overview of the whole world.

    You have to understand where I'm coming from though. Other than the animated series (which as a 25 year old I still find interesting), I had nothing. No previous knowledge, I was a completely new reader. Countdown did something right for me. I wasn't stuck with one character, some arcs I liked less (like the Mary Marvel one, even being new to this, her final downfall wasn't that good. If he had offered that power when she was in a situation of need, it would have made more sense.) Overall, I loved the stories, and I can't wait to pick up the last issue tonight or tomorrow.

    By the way, I'm a new reader, but I went through pretty much every post here, and I wanted to say I love your blog.

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  7. Why would aliens be "out" before the 1950s? There was a lot of S/F in the 1930s and 1940s, and there were quite a few people who took Orson Wells's "War of the Worlds" broadcast seriously.

    I don't care either way, I dislike the Indiana Jones franchise...

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  8. Val, you ARE a Ball Buster. You should wear that distinction with honor and pride though. Not enough ballbusters out there who actually - you know, bust balls, as opposed to just being snarky.

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  9. I mean-- the crystal skull thing, chariots of the gods style mayan ufos...I'm game for it.

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  10. I hadn't watched Smallville yet. I taped it, and then when you said it was all about Jimmy Olsen . . . well, it broke my internet shut-in heart. Jimmy Olsen Must Die.

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  11. Val, what are you talking about?

    I would SO watch a series with Robert Picardo as the Doctor. He was one of the few good things to come out of Voyager.

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  12. "But I feel I was part of the target demographic for that series: New readers."

    Oh! Yay for new readership! It's not every day that a new comic reader is born.

    That Mary Marvel massage panel is very, very creepy.

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  13. 1) I have a bad feeling about the Indy movie. I'm just hoping that it retains the fun of the first three, doesn't take itself too seriously, and Shia LaBouf doesn't ruin it.

    2) I have no idea why DC did that to Mary Marvel. It seems like lazy storytelling to me. They didn't know what to do with her, so we'll make it the complete opposite of what she has been and see what happens.

    3) Countdown was neither good or bad to me; it just was. I lot of bluster and a lot of fluff. I feel this way about a lot of what DC is doing right know. There seems to be no cohesion at all. Just a lot of "events" with no rhyme or reason. Everything seems random. "Lets bring back the Multiverse!" Why? Because we can! Say what you will about Marvel, but at least everything seems connected and they seem to be going somewhere.

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  14. Please, please, please no more of the Electric Boogalo "joke" (especially when tacked onto the title of every damn sequel, which you haven't really done here, but still), it's time has been over for a long time, it must die finally and forever. For the love of God, I'm begging you to put this one to rest. Have Mercy. Please.
    (Crumples into fetal position, whimpering.)

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  15. Anonymous9:48 AM

    Will Occasional Superheroine 2.0 have a social networking option like Dunder Mifflin Infinity 2.0 that will then be taken over by internet predators?

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