Springboards For Controversy

I thought I would just lob a few opinions out there that might be controversial, or not, we'll see. Some have already been field-tested. :-)

1. I really really really enjoy the Mark Millar/Bryan Hitch Fantastic Four.
I do. The book looks beautiful. It presents the characters is a way that I can relate to and enjoy. This is the first time I've really felt motivated to keep up with the book as a monthly. And the interior artist also draws the cover -- bonus! And I even like the way the logo is composed on the cover. Sold.

2. Vertigo comics & trade paperbacks are printed on shit paper.
Yes. It's true. Why go through all the trouble of producing something like Northlanders only to print it on shit paper? Are the trades for Northlanders printed on shit paper too? The key is not so much the paper itself -- rough, one step up from newsprint -- but the color palettes used. Books like Scalped, Northlanders, and Hellblazer usually have darker, moodier palettes. These are rich palettes. You can't have these palettes on crap paper, because the paper can't "hold" that richness. Rich color on crap paper looks like murk. Now, I can understand if you are doing it for the monthlies. But the trades too? Read a trade for Scalped -- shit paper. Surely these better-selling Vertigo titles deserve something better? Yeah, I know that keeps the price-point down -- but at the cost of making the book look like a murky smear?

3. Gender might impact one's creative output.
Certainly not in all cases! But there might be general trends. I just don't buy that gender has zero impact on creative output. I mean -- zero impact? Really? I'm just the same as a man? That's bullshit, I'm not the same as a man. My "wiring" is not the same as a man's. My hormones are not the same as a man's. The immediate, everyday details of life that I instinctively observe are different. I'll say it: I care more about emotions and feelings. And I'm saying this as someone who considers herself a bit more "mannish" than the average woman. Does denying these differences really help me? It's like some corporate chick when I was working in advertising, she told me to never admit you menstruate. Fuck -- I menstruate! I'm not going to mention it at the board meeting. But I fucking bleed, and I get bloated and feel shitty and emotional too.

The problem comes when the idea I have outlined gets interpreted as meaning (for example) "women don't write as good as men." Obviously, this is not the case. JK Rowling, Patricia Cornwell, Anne Rice. That chick who wrote "Twilight." Multi-billion dollar authors. But my point is: why is this not yet translating to the comic book market in the numbers that it should? How does a female writer work with a comic publisher to maximize her strengths and audience potential? Does she do it by positioning herself as "another Geoff Johns/Brian Michael Bendis?" Or does she do it by saying: "Yeah, I'm different. Different and awesome. And it's exactly my difference that's going to sell this book." That's the key -- how do we use this natural difference in a way to sell the product?

4. I think the direction of Amazing Spider-Man post-"Brand New Day" has worked.
I tried to approach the Spider-Man comics several years ago and gave up. That "Other" storyline? I couldn't follow that. The continuity had become impenetrable for me. As a new reader, I was turned off. But now, I feel I have been given an even platform onto which to begin my re-involvement with Spidey. And buying the weekly books has just become a habit. I might not read all of them right away. I read the arcs in chunks. But it works for me. I guess it becomes a question of, should comic book companies try to grab new readers on longtime titles? Can we streamline the continuity a bit? Like in Invincible Iron Man. And I think you periodically need to do that.

Spider-Man "New Ways To Die" Sold Out Two Issues In A Row

Amazing Spider-Man #569, the second part of the "New Ways To Die" storyline (a.k.a. "The Anti-Venom Arc"), has sold out from Diamond on the same day it hits stands. This follows the first issue, #568, selling out last week.

Congratulations, Dan. You have a real hit on your hands, and you deserve it.

Peter Parker: Working At Comic Book Shop

Read "Amazing Spider-Man" #565 yesterday. Have kept up with the title on-and-off since the first couple of arcs of the weekly format, and I thought the current storyline -- featuring a new, female Kraven the Hunter and art by Phil Jimenez -- was a good place to jump back on board and stay on track.

I'll get more into the specifics of the issue another time, but I just wanted to point out that apparently Peter Parker is now working in a comic book shop.

I don't remember if by the end of the issue Parker managed to screw that up too, though the scene starts off with him getting dressed down by his boss.

Also, since the comic book store in question is very close to Union Square in NYC -- might I assume it is some sort of analog for Forbidden Planet, which is also in that area?

I find it a bit ironic that Parker would end up, after all his many exploits and adventures, sticking price labels on old back issues of "Alpha Flight." See, if he didn't make that dumb deal with Mephisto and lost MJ, none of this would have happened.

I want to read Parker's Facebook updates, dammit.

The OS Hot Ten For 2/7/08

10. Firestar (because David & Rich asked for it)















9. Zuda's Strangle/Switch



8. Barry Kitson on Amazing Spider-Man





















7. Bedard Back On Birds Of Prey (or so they say this month)



















6. Dirk Deppey Vs. Girl Wonder
















5. Gail Simone Vs. Dave Sim
























4. Colbert Vs. O'Brien Vs. Stewart












3. Doctor Who Season Four Trailer
















2. Iron Man Superbowl Trailer














1. Wolverine and the X-Men Trailer

Occasional Superheroine Videocast: Amazing Spider-Man #547 & Robin #170

Today on the vidcast I review:

Amazing Spider-Man #547
Robin #170

Amazing Spider-Man #546: A Brand New Review

By now I think pretty much everybody has sounded off on this book and the "Brand New Day" direction. Except me. Well, I did milk the controversy for all it was worth...but now I still have to read and review the thing!

Peter Parker: Simply Irresistible
Though the splash page depicts Peter Parker smooching it up with a "Girls Gone Wild" type chick, it really has nothing to do with Peter actively "cheating" on Mary Jane. As we find out later, his lips were "raped." Some might say that having established in this issue that Peter is, in some senses, kind of a bum, having him chased and molested by some babe is unrealistic. To which I say: Kevin Federline.

Harry Osborn: Creep
Far more concerning to me is the establishment of Peter's constant borrowing of money from erstwhile friend Harry Osborn. I mean, speaking of deals with the devil...Peter depending on Harry for scratch is like taking home a bunch of weed from your drug dealer "on loan." It's not going to end well.

Is Harry the prototypical "creep" or what? They can't show him snort some coke in this book (or smoke a cigarette) but you intuitively *know* he must totally do that between panels. He's the type of guy Perez Hilton would draw little white dots coming from his nose in those paparazzi photos. If Harry Osborn was a real person he's be the dude who gave Lindsey or Britney that fatal dose and then sold the sex tapes afterwards.

Harold And Kumar meet Peter Parker
In general, Peter Parker's sense of judgement has been not so great as of late. That concerns me more than anything. He seems not to be acting from the position of a lifetime of experience. I mean, this isn't Peter from high school, but he sure is acting like he is. If he's twentysomething, doesn't that make him Generation Y? Slackers are Generation X. Generation Y is like my sister, the person with a full stock portfolio who clips coupons. I'm Generation X. I use my haircut money to buy comic books.

It seems like the target audience, 18-30, would be more "together" than to identify with Slacker Peter. The only thing Slacker Peter is missing is a blunt.

And yet I have to believe that, like the classic "Spider-Man" trope, Peter Parker has to learn the hard way that "with great power comes great responsibility," and that he wil shape up.

Yeah, But What About The Actual Comic?
In terms of the actual comic, I found it enjoyable, engaging, and very accessible to a new reader (me). I haven't read a Spider-Man comic in like forever. This book laid the current Spidey mythos all out for me in an easy-to-grasp way (thanks in part to a handy "chart" drawn by John Romita Jr.). Also, each upcoming arc is previewed for me via a short backup story with words & art from their respective creative teams -- I thought this was a smart thing to do, and really gave me a clear picture of what lies ahead.

Where I see the book having problems is with the hardcore readers who have been following their continuity closely. It's very hard for such readers to shift gears like that, and I think that's why we have witnessed so much emotion on the issue. On the other side of the coin is a reader new to the regular title like me. I tried on multiple occasions in the past to get "into" Spider-Man. Every time tried, the current labyrinthine continuity stymied me. If it wasn't the Clone Saga, it was The Other.

At least now, I am willing to pick this book up on a regular basis. I understand it. It isn't perfect, but it has laid all the elements of the storyline out for me and I am interested in seeing where they are all headed.

Peter Parker: Sensitive Guy Who Doesn't Care About Big Boobs
And what are the odds that Peter is going to nail the sexy self-effacing bookish police chick who is playing it coy? Probably pretty high. See, what Peter *really* wants is to go with a girl with brains, with substance over style. That was what the misleading splash page was trying to point out. I mean, if he ends up marrying a fashion model along the way, well, then...

Whore Or Not? Newsarama Readers Debate Gwen Stacy's Morality

In the J. Michael Straczynski's "Sins Past" storyline in The Amazing Spider-Man #509-514 (August 2004 - January 2005), it is revealed that Gwen Stacy secretly had children with Norman Osborn.

Now, because she cheated on Peter with Norman, does that make her...a whore?

Newsarama readers speak out:

"Perhaps "whore" is a bit vulgar and overstated, but it's meant to be. Gwen's portrayal in "Sins Past" was totally out of character. In the original comics, she was shown as a decent person having a loving relationship with Peter. However, she lost her virginity to a sweaty psycho why exactly? She felt sorry for him? Send a fruit basket next time. Sleeping with your boyfriend's best friend's father is not the act of a decent person."

"I can't believe people are still calling her a whore for having sex with Norman Osborn ONCE. Some people have some serious issues with women. "

"She did a pity f*ck with one guy other than Peter. Perhaps, she's no longer Polly Pureheart and the more correct term (which I'd hardly think qualifies) would be a slut but it's a bit ridiculous."

"Was Gwen selling her a$$ on the street. Man, she had some sins in her past. But, my guess is Spidey still loved her, he's that good of a guy."

"I thought the reaction to Gwen's behavior was one of the best things to come out of "Sins Past." You could've gotten like six or eight psychology PhDs out of analyzing the ripples that went through fandom. Seeing how som fans felt about Gwen afterwards, I thought it was all hyperbole and exaggeration, until I watched "Fat Camp" on MTV last night - this girl, who had liked a guy there the summer before, simply didn't like him the following summer and was dating another guy. His immediate go-to name for such behavior? "Whore." So I guess it's a societal thing to call women degrading names for the slightest perceived infraction...but blended with some mythological overtones in this instance." (from Matt Brady)

"I'm betting that if your girlfriend or wife ever sleeps with your best friend's father you would consider it more than 'perceived infraction.' I would that while the wound was still fresh you would even blurt out a degrading name or two."

"Sometimes, comics fans scare the ____ out of me."