tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post5245051745714991530..comments2024-01-14T11:45:23.991-05:00Comments on Occasional Superheroine: ASBAR #10 and The Coming Comics Witchhunt?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-81739363946134663972008-09-18T18:29:00.000-04:002008-09-18T18:29:00.000-04:00Are you sure Miller didn't mean to write "aunt"?Are you sure Miller didn't mean to write "aunt"?notinthefacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12537680561821564347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-8454442958862151092008-09-14T13:11:00.000-04:002008-09-14T13:11:00.000-04:00DC should just 'tag' their books for reader conten...DC should just 'tag' their books for reader content. It just might get them MORE readers, and it would CUE parents what NOT to buy by accident for their younger readers. <BR/><BR/>R.Rick Olneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12469450382160069660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-57880419646114881072008-09-13T22:12:00.000-04:002008-09-13T22:12:00.000-04:00"As to the use of the word "cunt", the British use..."As to the use of the word "cunt", the British use of the word as a term of abuse is genderless - an extreme form of "bastard", "wanker" of "fucker", and is also used as an exclamation or emphasis "what the cunting fuck is going on here?" - the misogyny is lost on my ears..."<BR/><BR/>This excuse would hold more water if Frank Miller weren't an American (with a marked propensity for putting whores in his books, no less).<BR/><BR/>Anyway, I'm falling somewhere between Val and the people saying "not enough kids read comics for this to be a thing". But as far as editorial oversight goes-- I wish both companies would adopt a general standard that their books should be appropriate reading material for anybody roughly the age of the characters. This is already true of Runaways and Young Avengers, there's no reason why it can't also be true of Teen Titans.Alexa Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06251397021262342205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-15204949464741554312008-09-13T08:43:00.000-04:002008-09-13T08:43:00.000-04:00Wasn't referring to you, Mark. Sorry for the confu...Wasn't referring to you, Mark. <BR/><BR/>Sorry for the confusion.<BR/><BR/>If you look up the string, you'll see some posts from "mengblom". This is another Mark.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-87548127622037866662008-09-12T22:06:00.000-04:002008-09-12T22:06:00.000-04:00ASBAR has been utter crap from the beginning. Mil...ASBAR has been utter crap from the beginning. Miller hasn't written anything good involving Batman since YEAR ONE. This issue is just another example.Marty Nozzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07510490538721656555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-22994499498305926772008-09-12T16:34:00.000-04:002008-09-12T16:34:00.000-04:00Even if Val does criticize DC more than Marvel, ca...Even if Val does criticize DC more than Marvel, can anyone honestly say that DC doesn't deserve the criticism?<BR/><BR/>But hey, go ahead and dismiss all of Val's observations just because she's not criticizing Marvel enough.<BR/><BR/>When I criticize American comics, does that mean I have to balance it by criticizing manga? No, because <I>they aren't the same thing</I>. DC and Marvel are similar, but they aren't the same. Marvel and DC will not always suck at the same time.<BR/><BR/>Criticizing a republican is not the same as endorsing a democrat. Neither does criticizing one compel or obligate me to criticize the other.The Scalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01532419292156335019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-37964113584140644422008-09-12T13:49:00.000-04:002008-09-12T13:49:00.000-04:00Uhm, Greyman, for the record, I'm not conservative...Uhm, Greyman, for the record, I'm not conservative. I consider myself libertarian, and I'm not posting as "mengblom".Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05500183382693034426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-81558254624586947652008-09-12T13:20:00.000-04:002008-09-12T13:20:00.000-04:00Not to mention what personal vendetta against DC? ...Not to mention what personal vendetta against DC? She highlights specifics things that are wrong or that give her pause and that makes her anti-DC?<BR/><BR/>Am I anti-DC for pointing out the same things over at my Blog, and to the point where I make fun of old bad comics, be they DC, Marvel, or independents?Lewis Lovhaughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06724769374732321363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-5566694131302137552008-09-12T12:59:00.000-04:002008-09-12T12:59:00.000-04:00"I knew you would bring it back to your personal d..."I knew you would bring it back to your personal distaste and vendetta against DC. I like your blog, but your bitterness towards them seems distracting and immature."<BR/><BR/>It's my blog, I'm allowed to have opinions, and offering mature-content Batman and Teen Titans comics without warning labels for children is shitty no matter which way you slice it. <BR/><BR/>If my expression of personal opinions offends you, this is probably not going to be a great blog for you to read.Vergehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10083468076834391732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-37257045789277044592008-09-12T09:17:00.000-04:002008-09-12T09:17:00.000-04:00I knew you would bring it back to your personal di...I knew you would bring it back to your personal distaste and vendetta against DC. I like your blog, but your bitterness towards them seems distracting and immature.ImSittingRightNextToYouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10548188825659732478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-33022471720392563532008-09-12T09:16:00.000-04:002008-09-12T09:16:00.000-04:00And so it begins....http://www.nypost.com/seven/09...And so it begins....<BR/><BR/>http://www.nypost.com/seven/09122008/news/nationalnews/the_caped_cuss_ader_128742.htmMoosenlawyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04272279636749529431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-53321161990843388842008-09-12T07:55:00.000-04:002008-09-12T07:55:00.000-04:00'Trust me, it's not DC who would get hurt in a "co...'Trust me, it's not DC who would get hurt in a "comics witchhunt" -- it'd be some retailer in a small town.'<BR/><BR/>At the very least, they'd likely be complicit. I've yet to visit a comic shop that doesn't sell All Star Batman And Robin The Boy Wonder, despite what's long been known about its content.Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12193664129478636929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-41555972268863195742008-09-12T05:57:00.000-04:002008-09-12T05:57:00.000-04:00Even better would be if everyone boycotted the Spi...<B>Even better would be if everyone boycotted the Spirit movie to protest Frank's asinine behavior. Perhaps THAT would convince the powers that be that he's nothing more than a cheap hack anymore.</B><BR/><BR/>The book doesn't deserve the attention it would require to boycott it.The Scalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01532419292156335019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-35031381288893289642008-09-11T18:10:00.000-04:002008-09-11T18:10:00.000-04:00i've been annoyed with this series ever since i he...i've been annoyed with this series ever since i heard the phrase "the goddamn batman" it's just bad. shame though, the end of the last issue made it look like it might be going in a positive direction too.<BR/><BR/>i don't see any coming witch hunt, the last time there was one against comics it was because of the radical ideas comics were putting out, you know racial acceptance and other crazy jazz like that. the violent and dark comics were just used as a scapegoat.<BR/>if they tried anything against comics now there'd be cries of censorship. in the end the worst they could likely do is to get dc and marvel to actually put warning labels on their "darker" comics.<BR/><BR/>besides right now i think the crazies are too busy being annoyed with a black man running for president to have their attention captured by a comic book that uses swear words.<BR/><BR/>i don't think dc should put a warning on the comic, i don't think just because it's a comic, or even just because it's batman it's fair to say it's for kids. what i do think is parents should be more active in what they give to their kids, and that parents should decide whats fit for their children.<BR/>people seriously need to lay off companies for putting dark things out that kids can get a hold of.<BR/>i mean if a parent buys a gun and gives it to a ten year old, it's not the gun maker's fault, and that's far more dangerous than any comic book or videogame.synthicidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08563366589771825091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-90292574389697550782008-09-11T12:28:00.000-04:002008-09-11T12:28:00.000-04:00Rich Johnston wrote:"If there wasn't a fuss over "...Rich Johnston wrote:<BR/><BR/><I>"If there wasn't a fuss over "Lost Girls" featuring Dorothy, Wendy and Alice..."</I><BR/><BR/>No, but All Star Batman and Robin isn't priced over $75 and published in a large format coffee-table book with a slipcover. (at least not until the Absolute edition comes out). I think issues of format and packaging do matter here...Graemehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14874622261770189776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-4219642387507163372008-09-11T12:16:00.000-04:002008-09-11T12:16:00.000-04:00First: Mark (aka mengblom) I know you're a conserv...First: <BR/>Mark (aka mengblom) I know you're a conservative. Everyone who goes to your blog knows you're a conservative. Now everyone here knows you're a conservative.<BR/><BR/>While I do agree that there are more people than Val pictured that could flip out over something like this (as already pointed out ably by Bad Wolf further up the string), I don't see how you can think this is about censorship.<BR/><BR/>Honestly, I'd rather have parental warnings than wholesale censorship or, even worse, the VERY easy decision that you know, as a parent, you can make: just don't buy it.<BR/><BR/>Second:<BR/>I hope you'll forgive a bit of rambling, but here's where I think this an issue, and it's already been pointed out.<BR/><BR/>It is VERY EASY for a parent to simply decide, "eh it's not worth it" when buying something for his/her child. You may say, "Well, what's the harm in that? That's the way capitalism should work!" <BR/><BR/>And you're right.<BR/><BR/>Here's the issue, though. If it works that way in this case, we're talking about a significant market loss to the funny book industry. We're talking about not hitting a demographic that could have been a primary buying force in the next few year.<BR/><BR/>Anything that makes a parent say, "You know what? I've been reading some news items about this and it's been on the morning show I watch. Eh. It's not worth it. I'll pick up a picture book instead." It's already a major knock against most comics that they're almost exclusively sold into specialty stores. Why make selling these books harder?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-47146560863333760602008-09-11T10:34:00.000-04:002008-09-11T10:34:00.000-04:00Frank Miller used to be a clever writer, but there...Frank Miller used to be a clever writer, but there's nothing clever about his work in ASBAR. The man should be banned from the industry and left to write what he's clearly honing his skills for.<BR/><BR/>Bondage/Rape/Torture Superhero Fan Fiction.<BR/><BR/>Even better would be if everyone boycotted the Spirit movie to protest Frank's asinine behavior.Perhaps THAT would convince the powers that be that he's nothing more than a cheap hack anymore.Jeff Kraschinskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14192556168965360723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-62437587834580973952008-09-11T10:17:00.000-04:002008-09-11T10:17:00.000-04:00"Trust me, it's not DC who would get hurt in a "co..."Trust me, it's not DC who would get hurt in a "comics witchhunt" -- it'd be some retailer in a small town."<BR/><BR/>Actually, that's a totally fair point that I didn't really consider. Something like this <I>could</I> get out of hand on a smaller micro level, and peoples lives get ruined either way. <BR/><BR/>And I vaguely remember the satanic scare. As much as a seven year old who watched an inordinate amount of news could. But in fairness, I definitely remember many times when I was older and still living in Tulsa Oklahoma people explaining to me that the city wasn't seeing the prosperity it wanted because Satan-worshipers were conspiring against the city. <BR/><BR/>David Cross also has some really funny satan worshiping stories.Josh Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16758295720466754777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-68709375715510099142008-09-11T10:07:00.000-04:002008-09-11T10:07:00.000-04:00"To have a child read a book like Teen Titans..."To have a child read a book like Teen Titans featuring a guy being graphically ripped to pieces by a dog -- that's on the same level of awful as a slur. Both should stop, or, in the case of the comic, at least be kept out of the hands of kids. Is that censorship, does it offend libertarian sensibilities? <BR/>"<BR/><BR/>Valerie - <BR/><BR/>You absolutely have to censor what goes into the hands of kids. That's called "parenting" - it's an all-day, every day activity.<BR/><BR/>The ultimate responsibility lies with parents. It's not too much to ask/demand that they are aware of what their kids read, and take an active role in metering or limiting it. Whether they do or not is another matter - sadly some won't and will be the VERY first ones to cry foul when they find out little Johnny or Janey picked up ASBAR because it had Batgirl in it. That's crap and a cop-out.<BR/><BR/>I understand the desire to see some better controls in the editorial structure for the content of the books, but that's a losing battle. The core audience for comics is not children anymore - they have a special line set aside for that and everyone at DC will point to that if this ever comes up (which it probably won't in any meaningful way).<BR/><BR/>I learned early on in my parenting journey that if you really want to protect your kids from this kind of stuff, the only sane & realistic way to do it is to do it yourself. Depending on anyone else to help out with that, right or wrong, is a losing battle.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04227833368463546719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-68818095466881036852008-09-11T10:00:00.000-04:002008-09-11T10:00:00.000-04:00What's going on with the Comics Code Authority any...What's going on with the Comics Code Authority anymore?<BR/><BR/>DC still uses it on some mainstream books, but then doesn't on others that seem to match it in continuity.<BR/><BR/>Reading the lastest Wonder Woman (a *great* issue, btw, and I hope you start a thread about it) and noting certain "thematic elements" I thought "are they keeping this under the CCA?"<BR/><BR/>And I turned to the cover and they weren't.<BR/><BR/>I think the decline of the CCA has lead to writers taking it too far. "Hey, no CCA, we can slaughter the wondertwins/have Superboy Prime fry an arm off/show Lois in underwear leg-locking Clark/actually write the bad words and black them out"pdughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09832284495239324375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-13148518693773568072008-09-11T09:10:00.000-04:002008-09-11T09:10:00.000-04:00Re: the Public Enemy list--not just for the extrem...Re: the Public Enemy list--not just for the extreme Right.<BR/><BR/>Wasn't it Hilary Clinton, Chuck Schumer and Joe Leiberman who were super-critical about GTA: San Andreas? And Tipper Gore that started a lot of grass-roots momist censorship ('Please won't somebody think of the children!') with the PMRC? Coulter, O'Reilly, sure, but did that story about Palin ever hold any water?bad wolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15804828431479742741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-85054373822535022252008-09-11T08:48:00.000-04:002008-09-11T08:48:00.000-04:00"either the licensors don't know, or don't care --..."either the licensors don't know, or don't care -- or, with the success of the Dark Knight, they expect the violence.<BR/><BR/>Don't know where those "Super Friends" toys with the big feet and the Prozac smiles fit in that equation."<BR/><BR/>Thanks for your response. Full disclosure: my father was a buyer for a retail chain, and when you start taking the "lord's name in vain" and dropping c-bombs, people get pissed off, especially in places like the midwest. Nobody cares about Ralph Dibny, but Batman? He moves a lot of t-shirts, and the guys with the money think Comic Books are for kids, no matter how many times <I>Time</I> magazine runs one of those features, "Comics aren't just for kids.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05500183382693034426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-7149912476444877682008-09-11T08:00:00.000-04:002008-09-11T08:00:00.000-04:00Offered as a little something to chew on: there wa...Offered as a little something to chew on: there was a blip of controversy in Ireland earlier this year, when an ASBAR story was printed in an anthology that appears on newstands in Ireland and the UK.<BR/><BR/>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_Legends#Controversy<BR/><BR/>http://www.rte.ie/podcasts/2008/pc/pod-v-250408-23m13s-liveline.mp3Tilt Araizahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17210525564258147584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-19098283990832990522008-09-11T07:04:00.000-04:002008-09-11T07:04:00.000-04:00I really enjoy ASBARTBW. It's a very funny if dist...I really enjoy ASBARTBW. It's a very funny if distasteful book, and I'd recommend it to people who like South Park, Viz Comic, Austin Powers or Snuff Box.<BR/><BR/>As to the use of the word "cunt", the British use of the word as a term of abuse is genderless - an extreme form of "bastard", "wanker" of "fucker", and is also used as an exclamation or emphasis "what the cunting fuck is going on here?" - the misogyny is lost on my ears...Rich Johnstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08094139982498797455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-797890559937029942008-09-11T01:08:00.000-04:002008-09-11T01:08:00.000-04:00I've been hearing this news all day & it s...I've been hearing this news all day & it saddens me that Frank Miller is such a hack now. He wrote one of the greatest Batman graphic novels ever & then the "sequel" sucked, really bad! Then they let him write ASB&R?! Why do they worship him? <BR/><BR/>Frank Miller is a @#$%$#! <BR/><BR/><BR/>Batman Fan? Visit The Bat-Blog<BR/>http://www.bat-blog.comTommy!https://www.blogger.com/profile/14077788010426744104noreply@blogger.com