So one of the cats I'm helping cat-sit is missing from the apartment this morning. Turn the house upside down to find her, nothing. I volunteer to stay home and wait to see if she comes out from "hiding." We hear a faint mewling from the hallway. A boy runs up to us and says there's a cat stuck in the elevator shaft.
Cat is wedged between elevator cab and wall. Have no idea how she got there. Nothing is holding her up. She is just stuck.
Somehow, I expected 911 to be a bit more concerned. I mean, you've seen those news stories where a cat gets stuck somewhere and they hold vigils until they get the critter out.
In the end, BF rescues cat by shoving his sweatshirt in the space and giving her some traction to pull herself out.
The cat's back feet look injured. We put her in a carrier and speed off for an emergency trip to the vet.
The vet says cat is fine, just a few cuts on back feet. Gives me a whole battery of kitty antiseptics and opiates. Kitty has already had her first dose of the opioid, eyes dilated, very "chill."
Waiting outside with carrier for car service. Michelle Williams walks by.
So after all my bitching about mainstream comics publishers failing to catch the manga wave, I find out that Marvel has made a deal with Del Ray to produce X-Men manga:
It’s the X-Men as you’ve never seen them before, with the storyline fashioned as a private school shôjo comedy. (Shôjo manga is aimed at girls and often covers popular subjects such as comedy, romance, and drama.) As the only girl in the all-boys School for Gifted Youngsters, Kitty Pryde, a mutant with phasing abilities, is torn between the popular Hellfire Club, led by flame-throwing mutant Pyro–and the school misfits, whom she eventually bands together as the X-Men.
Marvel, I have just one word for you: Yaoi. Pronounced, "YOW-we," as in "Wowee!"
Wolverine/Gambit. Logan's the old pro, Gambit's the young newbie trying to make it in Xavier's school. That's all I'm saying. I'm done now. (tip of the hat to The Beat for the article)
"White men in jungle books are blond, Nordic he-men, athletic and shapely, while the colored natives are characterized as subhuman. The superman type of comic book also needs an endless stream of criminal "foreign-looking" people to justify the constant use of force and superforce. These are always Negroes, Jews, Slavs, and Orientals, characterized by irregular features, swarthy skins, physical deformities. While the United States spends millions of dollars to persuade the world that hatred is not an integral part of American life, millions of U.S. comics exported all over the world show an endless stream of prejudice-producing images."
This of course started a bit of a discussion on the comments section of the blog where the pages were reproduced. One commenter said that Wertham's anti-racism stance might have just been a "cover" for his nefarious anti-comics agenda. Another defended Wertham, pointing out that he did work for civil rights. But as always, it is the gut-response from a comic book lover on the blog that rather stops the conversation cold:
"This (Wertham's) article was the direct cause of the burning of my entire E.C. collection."
See? Pin-drop.
For the record, my mom thought those Marvel Handbook "Books of the Dead" were pretty goddamn morbid. But didn't burn them. She just laughed at them. I think it would have been cooler if she burned them. 'Cause then I woulda felt more like a rebel and less like a total geek. (article found at Journalista)
When many of your parents were young, this was considered "edgy" sexualized entertainment that all the cool kids were into:
In other news, a woman with Annette's posterior would have been ambushed by today's media as being "too fat." I think Amy Winehouse is our generation's Annette.
Where are all teh female comic book readers? Which way did they go?
Have you seen them? Do they even exist?
Do they have teh money? Do they buy teh product?
Do they like teh action stories and teh fight scenes?
Where are all teh female comic fans?
"They're not real comic book fans, they just like manga. A completely different animal. Manga is spun from taffy and delivered on moonbeams."
However manga is made, the fact is that females do like reading fantastic illustrated stories with action in them, they are actively seeking such entertainment, and they are spending lots of money on such entertainment and their related products. And when I went to the New York Anime Festival, where these pictures were taken, I saw hundreds upon hundreds of "fangirls" for manga.
To figure out how to attract masses of female readers to your comic book company's offerings, especially the demographic from tweens-early twenties, go to anime & manga conventions. And talk to these young women and ask them what comics they would like to see. You do not necessarily have to produce manga -- but find out what essential qualities about manga drive these females to buy them.
How does mainstream comics crack the ever-more elusive "kiddie" market? Well, had they purchased booth space at last weekend's New York Anime Festival at the Jacob Javits Center, they might have started to have a clue.
The main thing that hits you when you enter this convention is that it is filled with YOUTH.
There were teens and tweens and little kids with their parents EVERYWHERE.
And it wasn't just about a specific type of comic -- in this case, manga -- or style or type of artist.
The vibe at the New York Anime Con was about a whole YOUTH MOVEMENT.
It's a movement in which males and females more or less equally participate. It's a movement that is racially inclusive. It's a movement in which consumer participation and customization is essential. It's a movement not about collecting but experiencing. It's a movement complete with a whimsical aesthetic that I am only beginning to understand.
And whether Peter Parker is married or not or Batman is Bruce Wayne or not makes not the single whit of difference to them.
If mainstream comics does not make a better effort to understand this youth culture, they might still have a bit of fair success with the older market. But they will both competely lose the youth market. And they will at the same time fail to plant the seeds for the next generation's interest in their products.
I am willing to bet that lot of this hesitation of the mainstream to embrace and study this emergent youth culture is because they personally don't "get" manga. Frankly, manga might not be something they would be interested in reading/editing.
The key here is that there has to be a willingness on the mainstream's part to look beyond the fact that they don't "get" it. They have to be willing to embrace the idea that what the "kids" want is not what they want. And that's hard, because rolled into that is the realization that they are getting physically older. It's the realization that there is a whole line of generations out there that are ready to assume their place on the queue of life.
I don't "get" great portions of manga. I don't "get" Naruto. I don't "get" large parts of this anime scene. But I accept the fact that this culture is a widely popular one and that it behooves me to learn about it and understand its appeal.
Which brings me to my final point. As I said before, the energy surrounding manga culture is not just an art style or a book format. You cannot hire an artist to draw manga-style art and give it a soap-opera theme with robots or whatever and write it with the energy of American comics. Neither can you package any damn thing you want in a manga-sized book and say "presto! we have Youth Culture product!"
They aren't looking for "Teen Titans." They are looking for "Teen Titans Go!"
Rucka had been exclusive to DC since 2003. And while it is not confirmed that an adverse reaction to editorially-driven comics is what partially drove him to make the decision, I would have to think that some writers are starting to get a mite frustrated with The System.
Personally, I think that the editorially-driven approach -- especially with those writers who have been around enough to maybe deserve a bit better -- eventually wears the talent out. It can demoralize them, make them feel like they're not writing their own stories. And when the work itself suffers because of mandated plotlines or crossovers, and the fans complain, it falls in the writers' lap. They are just trying to fit in the mandated plot points, but it comes out stiff and inorganic to the story. And then the writers get blamed.
I see the need for this sort of literature. But if you're a child and are being warned not to be alone with a priest...all the trust in the figure of the Man Of The Cloth has gone out the window.
It reminds me of this priest that had a pretty bad rep as as a stern disciplinarian. And I remember one time this boy was pulled out of our class -- by his ear! -- by this priest and dragged into his office. And the boy came back all red-faced and shaken. And we were all like "wow, Father Blank really put the fear of God into him!" Rumor was, years later that priest was busted for molestation.
I had another friend when I was a teen who had gone to the same parish. Used to throw rocks at the statues of the saints in the courtyard, broke up the statue's fingers. Used to be an altar boy. Sort of insinuated that something had happened back then.
But me? Nothing ever happened to me at the church. I was a pretty good student. I won this keychain with a fish on it for a Bible quiz. Years later, as an adult, I went to confessional and mentioned that I thought I might be bisexual. The priest in the booth asked me to describe any same-sex fantasies I had in detail, and inquired if I was clothed or was wearing underwear in them. Apparently there was a difference in the amount of Hail Marys depending on the fantasy wardrobe.
But I still like those little Virgin Mary Statues.
Also, the similarities are striking: ************************************************************************************ Is your relationship Facebook-worthy?
Cheryl starts off a debate as to whether the "comic book nerd" stereotype has any validity. (And does she get called a "bitch" for simply expressing her opinion and also happening to be a member of the double-x chromosome club? Why yes she does. Shocking...simply shocking, I say!)
And then there is the quote from me at home last weekend, reflecting not so much on the indy vs. superhero comic issue but the single-copy vs. trades:
"Honey, let's get a big box to put all the floppies in...and just keep the trades and hardcovers on the shelf. Because these comic books look nasty on the shelf."
And you know what? I stand by that. They look nasty on the shelf, all bent-up with no spines. Even Hippy McHipster can get away with reading fluff like DC's Our Worlds At War if it's in a handsomely-bound book format. But a single-issue with one of those adds for Corn Nuts on the back cover? Nerdy.
*********************************************************************************** "Would Frank Miller and Jim Lee combined make s**t?"
Two geeks read Goddamn Batman, as envisioned by Mighty God King:
Note to self: if you're going to do a Google image search on the word "balls" -- be prepared. Actually, if you're going to do a search on "Supergirl," be doubly prepared.
********************************************************************************** Video: What I like do when I'm alone and nobody is looking:
That post and a related one have the most wretched comments I have ever read. They are either from eating-disorder cases who say Hewitt should be ashamed of herself for being so obese, or from men calling her a fat pig. Of course, she also had some defenders...especially guys who wanted to prove so much that her butt did not offend them that they offered to...well, you know.
But why I am never reading TMZ again is because as I read those posts, I felt myself having a desire to throw up my donut. I've never had bulimia or threw up my food to maintain my weight, but I just felt sooooo guilty at that moment. I was like: "oh God, I'm eating a donut -- I'm going to become obese."
How many eating disorder cases out there *did* relapse because of your post, TMZ?
And for the record, I don't think she's fat. Her ample chest is, as far as I know, real -- and it would make sense that the rest of her body, especially as she matured, would be as ample. What's truly unhealthy, in my opinion, is not women like Hewitt, but women who are naturally curvy who diet to the point of being rail-thin -- their still-large heads seemingly perching on their emaciated frames. Case-in-point:
I was watching the trailer for this pretty painful CGI adaptation of Alvin and the Chipmunks, and thinking the usual cooler-than-thou thoughts about what a piece of crap it was.
But then it hit me, grasshopper:
They are not making this movie for me!
Yeah, it's an abomination compared to the classic stuff. Yeah, it's an abomination compared to the Chuck Jones Christmas special. Yes, making hyper-realistic computer renderings of the Chipmunks misses the whole point of their absurdist charm.
"What were the producers thinking?", I asked myself.
But you know, the producers of the upcoming Alvin and the Chipmunks movie are not making this movie for the benefit or patronage of my age bracket.
My glory days as an attractive kid demographic ended somewhere after Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers and before Power Rangers.
Remakes of classics like Alvin, Scooby-Doo, Garfield, and even Horton Hears a Who are finely -- maybe even cynically -- calibrated to reach out to the youth of Today.
Extend the metaphor to the comic book industry where appropriate.
We've got a couple of new posts on the Lulu blog...
Book Reviews: Yeah, It Is! by Leslie Ann Stein Sorcerers and Secretaries by Amy Kim Ganter Legion Of The Superheroes In The 31st Century Marvel Adventures: The Avengers
Now, I realize that the phrase “gearing up for a great year, yay!” is kind of nebulous. You might be considering joining F.O.L. or renewing your membership but might not able to gauge from the website alone what our present activities are. So I figured I’d let you in on our progress as we go along — what we are working on RIGHT NOW for Friends of Lulu.
Feel free to comment on the posts and/or participate in our message board.
The latest Zuda comix are up for the December competition, and I've picked my top 5.
1. Adventures of Maxy J Millionaire -- cute strip about a little stuffed doll who thinks his owner is a slut when he catches her sleeping with her boyfriend. Hijinks ensue. A very Paddington Bear feel, except with anorexic hookers.
2. Development Hell -- The art is not flashy, but this Dilbert-like strip about the ins and outs of blog culture kept me engaged & laughing. I've actually worked for a web development firm, so the humor was very familiar to me (as well as the occasional moment of existential despair).
3. The Crooked Man -- This entry is a dead ringer for old adventure Sunday comics like Terry and the Pirates. The most "mainstream" of the entries, in that it is a straightforward action tale.
4. Avaste Ye -- The art is pretty low-tech, but this story about a slacker who becomes a pirate after he quits his job has a certain "Office Space" appeal.
I think the post at this blogsums up every way you can say "I do not like teh gay" without actually admitting that you do not like gays.
What was the impetus of the post?
"The Young Avengers trade. What did it do, you ask?Well, I finally got around to reading it, and it was wonderful.It was full of Avengers, Avenger wanna be's, time travel and Kang acting particularly nasty.It was great.UNTIL the last two pages when the writer slips in the fact that two of the characters are dating each other! "
Which characters? Hulking & Wiccan, of course.
The poster immediately follows this up with:
"Why do I care?"
So there shouldn't have been a reference to Wiccan & Hulking's relationship because it's not something this reader cared about? Aren't there a lot of stuff in the comics we read that we don't care about? I skim through whole scads of cosmic mumbo-jumbo in "Death of the New Gods" because I don't care about it. Can't say it ruins the whole series for me.
"Let's add this to rumors of Nightwing being gay, a gay Batwoman, the new Question being gay… I'M SICK OF IT!"
Why is he sick of it? Because he does not like teh gays? Apparently not, because a paragraph later he says:
"If you want to add a gay character, fine!"
Well that's just awesome. But there is a proviso:
"Add a gay character, but start with him as gay."
This line refers to "retcons" of older characters as gay. But I think Heinberg pretty much conceived Hulkling & Wiccan as gay from the start. So what is the problem?
"...why is it so important to let us know the sexuality of a character right away? Straight characters are not immediately introduced as straight, but gay characters are almost immediate "outed" as gay."
Well, when a character like Spider-Man is showed having a romantic relationship with MJ, that's sort of tipping us off as to his probable sexual preference. Unless, of course, Peter Parker is teh bisexual.
"Since I'm ranting anyway, when did it become a requirement that every superhero team have a gay character?"
Here we go....
"Why is it in my face??????"
Oh, because there's sooooo many gay characters in mainstream comics. It's overwhelming.
"...I really think it's all Warren Ellis's fault."
(grabs popcorn, sits back in couch)
"If Stormwatch/Authority hadn't been such a success then I don't think this would have happened."
Heavens!
"I don't care what you do in the privacy of your own home."
Of course not.
"I don't care if you like men or women or sheep or even horses."
Ah, the old "conflating-homosexuality-with-bestiality" gambit. Clever.
"Live whatever alternative lifestyle you like but don't force it upon me."
How does a lesbian Batwoman = putting a gun to this reader's head?
"Seriously, I feel that the whole gay culture has been thrust upon me in the last five years.And, thanks to all of this, not only do I get to have the birds and bees talk I get to incorporate the sometimes bees like bees instead of birds talk."
So now we are at teh "gay bees" stage of the conversation.
"You want to know why I don't read Winnick?"
Because he didn't remember that Black Canary could have harmlessly disabled not-Ollie with a sonic scream?
"Seriously, every series he has touched turns up another gay or aids related character."
Wait, Winick gives AIDS to comic books he touches? What?
"I got it JW.It was a big deal and I am really sorry that you lost a friend, that sucks, but leave me out of your grieving process."
Sensitive.
"Same goes for Devin Greyson."
Well, who here didn't see that coming?
"You want to talk diversity?WHO CARES?"
Well, some people care, actually.
"All I'm saying is enough is enough and let's get back to superheroes beating up supervillians and leave all the other stuff at home."
Okay, so let's take all the romantic aspects -- girlfriends and boyfriends, dating, etc. -- out of mainstream comics. Let's just have Thor bashing in Hulk's head with his Mjolnir hammer over and over again.
Added bonus: some gems from the comments section:
"Writers like Greg Rucka not only want greater diversity in comics, but do so at the expense of white, hetero males. Rucka had single-handedly eliminated nearly every white male in Gotham during his tenure on the bat-books."
(after explaining he's against gay marriage): "Ironically, I really like a lot of music performed by gay artists: The Village People, Queen, Elton John, the Indigo Girls, the Smiths and Morrisey. I tend to steer clear from overt “gay” only themed songs (sometimes you can’t listen too closely)..." So they're good enough to make the music you like but not good enough to get married to the people they love? Why do I get a picture in my head of Archie Bunker telling Sammy Davis Jr. that he's a good performer?
And the best: "I for one am so friggin' sick of heterosexual characters being shoved into my comics that I could scream. I mean, why does it MATTER that Spider-man and Mary Jane are a couple? I don't want to know that! Why do people who choose to live the heterosexual alternative lifestyle feel the need to force that on me?!
"It’s not like you can put Brad Pitt in it and he’s gonna be more important than f**king Batman. Or Superman. Like the characters themselves are the f**king stars of that movie."
