Sperg about comic books here

[Fandom Pulse]

This made me think and frankly, I don't know if there are any good writers left these days. Scott Snyder's beloved, but incredibly overrated, Tom King is woke and obsessed with feeling sorry for himself, Grant Morrison's woke and narcissistic (and always has been, he didn't suddenly get bad, he's always sucked), Neil Gaiman's woke and a rapist (surprising how that's always the case), Deniz Camp is getting raved about rn but Absolute Martian Manhunter is pretentious slop that thinks it's smart and artistic by being nonsensical, Robert Kirkman's never written anything good outside of TWD, and Daniel Warren Johnson is woke.

I mean the comic book industry spent two decades blacklisting anyone with talent and bringing in friends of Brian Michael Bendis and then friends of his friends. It just became a little political in tribe of no talent and it's been this way for a long time. Which is why no one actually reads these books anymore.

 

[Arthur Morgan]

I mean the comic book industry spent two decades blacklisting anyone with talent and bringing in friends of Brian Michael Bendis and then friends of his friends. It just became a little political in tribe of no talent and it's been this way for a long time. Which is why no one actually reads these books anymore.

And they were convinced that the Tumblr crowd reposting panels from comic books were actually buying those books and tried to make stories to get more online shares rather than books people actually wanted to buy. And they refuse to admit they were wrong.

It's a shame there wasn't another big indie boom. Eric July showed there was a market for superheroes that didn't focus on woke shit, and then he fucked that up by putting out mediocre books that took years to come out. And there were other projects that didn't really go anywhere. I think people are just done.

 

[Liquid Kent]

I've been re-reading the Morrison-era Batman, since I was gifted a majority of the hardcovers once again by my girl and I'll say what I said earlier in a previous post.

The "Batman by Grant Morrison" is a Mega-Story which has the Hardcovers/TPB collections function as single issues to the entire work itself.
I divide/group it into 3 major arcs which I dub as:

Retro-Revisionist: Batman and Son, Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul, Black Glove and RIP

Designer-Auteur : Batman and Robin, Return of Bruce Wayne

and Libtard-Miller: Incorporated

Spoiler: Critical Screed Reeee-ing

Only the first arc is good, and if older interviews are to be believed, was when Morrison wanted to step away from the monthly Batman title.
But because his name makes sales and editorial never learned from artificially dragging something out to make sales, Morrison was continued to steer the ship until the end of his tenure with a whimper and not a bang (Incorporated Vol 2's ending was such a band-aid cop-out I had forgotten how bad it was)

Honestly, between the Retro-Revisionist and Designer-Auteur arcs is when I see the editorial tard-wrangling for Morrison is starting to either unravel or loosen, resulting in RIP having a Final Crisis tie-in and the grounded context of the run becoming part of something Batman should never have been a part of with time-travel and the Bat God concept that he himself alludes to in the finale of Batman and Robin under him. By Incorporated there's next-to-none of editorial oversight which is why we have idiotic things like the Bat-cow and uninspired Leviathan headed by Talia and something to do with Dr Dedalus the senile Nazi (also Kathy Kane's father I think?)

Morrison's ideas are 35% good - Three Ghosts of Batman from the Replacement Batman Program headed by Dr. Hurt (Now that's a valid story that could be grounded better), Black Casebook framework which canonized the weird Silver-Age stuff and the Dark future #666 which should have been expanded upon in a more strait-laced way rather than Morrison indulging in self-excess with his countercultural leanings trying to appear smarter than he is. The Clown at Midnight could have been expanded to be a full-blown sequel to Arkham Asylum and would have worked better as part of RIP since it led up to it.

I said in my previous post that the nail in the coffin for Morrison's run was that this "Mega-story" is the same one he used in the New 52 Action Comics, only it was over 3 books and neatly segued into his next project Multiversity (which is Final Crisis without the meta-commentary-nonsense). This time, the glaring issue I saw was between how Morrison pulled a Rian Johnson and conflicted his own grand story: in Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul, in a chapter penned by Fabian Nicieza, Tim Drake is about to take a Lazarus Pit sample to bring back his dad, Stephanie Brown an Connor Kent. Who talks him out of it that this goes against the natural order of things? Nightwing.

That's not the problem.

The problem is this Bat-event was an editorial mandate that was also spearheaded by Morrison, but if he was roped into it, he was steering the ship with Paul Dini (and there was friction between the two as to how disjointed the final story was). Regardless, Morrison is in control and is in charge with how the characters play off with one another, for the broader scope or finer, smaller interactions. In Batman and Robin #7, Nightwing (who is Batman now) is egged on by Jason Todd of all people that Dick doesn't bring back Bruce despite having the means to do so, and that he's doubting himself as Batman. So what does he do? Resurrect the body of Batman of course!

What the flying fuck was I reading when I realize that jarring hypocrisy.

Re-reading the run again, I can understand why it's so celebrated because it did something different with Batman, especially since the 90s doom-and-gloom, constant deconstruction of the character until all that's left is the paranoid, vindictive sociopath who lashes out in the name of justice. But it also opened the floodgates to "weird" and "zany" Batman which all current sop-era writers think is valid because "Morrison did it". Morrison opened the genie out of the bottle with Bat God and Batman being the ultimate prepper until it doesn't make sense where in actuality he would be outclassed. Editorial is a joke in terms of keeping an entire universe under control, let alone multiple subline imprints.

DC could never have an "Ultimate" style universe until the Absolute books, and even then their Batman errs on the side of caution in both design (trunks outside) and familiarity (Martha Wayne alive, villains childhood friends). Their non-commitment to the previous imprints of Earth One and All-Star were also uninspired without properly taking chances. Why the 90s-00s are still remembered is because no matter how misguided, the goal was stories being told, and not pushing product or propaganda.

 

[Newcomer 42]

And they were convinced that the Tumblr crowd reposting panels from comic books were actually buying those books and tried to make stories to get more online shares rather than books people actually wanted to buy. And they refuse to admit they were wrong.

They have repeatedly tried to blackify and gayify Superman and Batman, with little succes so far (barring Supes' literally gay son that no-one likes). As for Grant Morrison, compared to Tom King, he's not that bad...

By Incorporated there's next-to-none of editorial oversight which is why we have idiotic things like the Bat-cow and uninspired Leviathan headed by Talia and something to do with Dr Dedalus the senile Nazi (also Kathy Kane's father I think?)

Wait what?
Okay, I take it back.

Re-reading the run again, I can understand why it's so celebrated because it did something different with Batman, especially since the 90s doom-and-gloom, constant deconstruction of the character until all that's left is the paranoid, vindictive sociopath who lashes out in the name of justice.

Funny how it came back with the try-hard Absolute Batman... Who still doesn't kill people en masse anyway, so it's all safe-edgy pretending.

 

[Gunter x Gunter]

Funny how it came back with the try-hard Aboslute Batman... Who still doesn't kill people en masse anyway, so it's all safe-edgy pretending.

Snyder really is the epitome of this shit. Batman is running up with an axe severing limbs but he definitely doesn't heckin killerino. People already criticized Batman's no kill cope seeing as he brutalized and crippled people through brain injuries but no he is just straight up maiming people and caving in skulls but no actually we all survived....

 

[Stab You in the Back]

Snyder really is the epitome of this shit. Batman is running up with an axe severing limbs but he definitely doesn't heckin killerino. People already criticized Batman's no kill cope seeing as he brutalized and crippled people through brain injuries but no he is just straight up maiming people and caving in skulls but no actually we all survived....

Reminds me of the television show Person of Interest where the main character had a "no kill" policy, but knee-capped dozens of bad guys every episode.

You're telling me you didn't hit a single artery despite shooting hundreds of moving targets in the legs? Bullshit.

 

[Liquid Kent]

I just read DC's Batman + Doc Savage one shot that serves as a prologue to First Wave and the series itself. The art for the one shot is by Phil Noto while the miniseries itself is by Rags Morales.

It's fun popcorn comics that echo the simpler time without any irony, since these characters come from the distant past during the near Golden Age, where Pulp heroes were about to fall out of vogue for Superman and Batman. Ebony White is a tomboy babe, but no SJW-ness here as Azarello just gender-bent her, despite that, the story is very "as-is" pulp mystery that's simple and no-frills.

Minor criticism is the fact that Batman uses guns but nothing is explained as to the why- it was just treated as "rich vigilante who has ethics but uses guns". His design is basically the standard suit with holsters, very disappointing where I feel it's a misses opportunity to use the purple gloves and curved demon horns.

The title is strange. It's as if it's alluding that this is the first wave of heroes from the Pulp-golden age but at the same time it may be referring to the tidal wave generator device the villain uses ... Anton Colossi is a villain I am unfamiliar with if he's from Doc Savage or Spirit circles, but I felt more could have been done with him as he was very familiar with Bruce Wayne and Colossi had a dead father from the war and an overbearing, disfigured mother who survived the camps.

A different take on Black Canary appears in the design brief that Azarello and Morales describes in the One Shot's sketchbook but she doesn't appear in First Wave proper. Only the Jungle Girl and the replacement for Black Canary are a Pulp-Mandalorian version of the Blackhawks. Not sure if the series were to continue we would have seen more of this universe or characters under Azarello.

This series (miniseries?) is six issues long with the one-shot prologue, so that's a pretty decent 7 issues collected in a HC/TPB. Good and decent fun in First Wave but we have to have more SJW and progressive nonsense in our comic books I guess.

 

[Neuropol]

Minor criticism is the fact that Batman uses guns but nothing is explained as to the why- it was just treated as "rich vigilante who has ethics but uses guns"

For the first couple years of his existence, Batman did follow in the footsteps of his pulp predecessors in packing heat. An aspect that was dropped even before Robin debuted.

 

[Nick Obre]

This made me think and frankly, I don't know if there are any good writers left these days. Scott Snyder's beloved, but incredibly overrated, Tom King is woke and obsessed with feeling sorry for himself, Grant Morrison's woke and narcissistic (and always has been, he didn't suddenly get bad, he's always sucked), Neil Gaiman's woke and a rapist (surprising how that's always the case), Deniz Camp is getting raved about rn but Absolute Martian Manhunter is pretentious slop that thinks it's smart and artistic by being nonsensical, Robert Kirkman's never written anything good outside of TWD, and Daniel Warren Johnson is woke.

They're all woke, but I like Remender, DWJ, Gillen, Ewing, and Lemire's stories.

 

[McSneaks]

I haven't read much Deadpool but I like the character when he comes off as a surpisingly good person at the end of the day.

Well then you'll love the current one where he has a blaxecian daughter that runs around with him for no reason


I just scanned through the first episode of Marvel Zombies (after having looked into literally nothing about the show other than FIRST R RATED SHOW!!!)


I fucking died when I saw who the main characters were. This is literally my ghost.

Spoiler

It's Ironheart, Ms. Marvel....and Hawkeye. No not that Hawkeye, the lesbian one. breh

 

[PrincessHomura]

Well then you'll love the current one where he has a blaxecian daughter that runs around with him for no reason


I just scanned through the first episode of Marvel Zombies (after having looked into literally nothing about the show other than FIRST R RATED SHOW!!!)


I fucking died when I saw who the main characters were. This is literally my ghost.

Spoiler

It's Ironheart, Ms. Marvel....and Hawkeye. No not that Hawkeye, the lesbian one. breh

I don't remember Kate Bishop being a lesbian.

 

[Clyde Cash's Left Teste]

I don't remember Kate Bishop being a lesbian.

Yeah, she's like the only Young Avenger who was actually straight

 

[Humble Architect]

It’s really telling that they are all cucks and project their self-hatred onto you and the characters you once liked.

To put it simply, if you are a writer at the big two, you are juiced-in and have pull because you think the right way and know the right people. So the choice of cuck-drama comes from them. Then you follow the trend, the manliest and most righteous characters get it, because they are being written by small limp-wristed Californians who in-between their rapes, flagellate themselves for being “white” men.

All of this could’ve been prevented if the scourge of the 2000s bald men were run out. Bendis and Morrison.

 

[Collections Agent]

I apologize if this is out of line as I usually don't post here but I had to share this. I went down a rabbit hole regarding Earth-X in DC comics thanks to Peacemaker and found this very bizarre Swamp Thing comic.


Like every piece of media that fails to satirize Nazis and other racial supremacist groups, it criticizes them by literally making it a utopia by removing everyone who isn't white (???)



In addition apparently Swamp Thing (titular hero btw) is apparently the result of occult Jewish sorcery and proceeds to genocide everyone on the planet.



Again sorry if this is well known or I'm misreading this because this isn't my forte, but lmao what the fuck? I just had to share this with someone, hope it hasn't been covered a million times.

 

[Hope Eradicated]

I apologize if this is out of line as I usually don't post here but I had to share this. I went down a rabbit hole regarding Earth-X in DC comics thanks to Peacemaker and found this very bizarre Swamp Thing comic.
View attachment 7975443

Like every piece of media that fails to satirize Nazis and other racial supremacist groups, it criticizes them by literally making it a utopia by removing everyone who isn't white (???)

View attachment 7975447

In addition apparently Swamp Thing (titular hero btw) is apparently the result of occult Jewish sorcery and proceeds to genocide everyone on the planet.

View attachment 7975446

Again sorry if this is well known or I'm misreading this because this isn't my forte, but lmao what the fuck? I just had to share this with someone, hope it hasn't been covered a million times.

At this point Swamp Thing is hopping between universes issue to issue, as he is doing so his spirit is unintentionally summoned into the Golem via Cabala, he refuses to destroy Earth-X, telling the man who summoned him that the current generation is not responsible for the atrocities committed by their ancestors. This argument convinces him, he releases Swamp Things' spirit from the Golem, later on the Golem's spirit possesses its body, it proceeds to destroy the world.

EDIT: Peacemaker's adaption of Earth-X isn't helped by how cheaply they did it, Earth-X Amerika should be an Art-deco Nazi utopia, not generic suburbs and cities.

 

[Collections Agent]

Peacemaker's adaption of Earth-X isn't helped by how cheaply they did it, Earth-X Amerika should be an Art-deco Nazi utopia

To be fair he lives in essentially redneck country in Washington State (to the point I could have sworn it was in North Carolina or something) so going from a beat up trailer to a mansion is a fairly huge QoL

Honestly I don't think they have the budget to go to a city now that I know the scope of Earth-X lmao

 

[Liquid Kent]

I just got the New 52 Geoff Johns Green Lantern books in hardcover for cheap- all 3 volumes, Sinestro, Revenge of Black Hand and The End. Honestly reading it now it's a kind of rushed conclusion with the Third Army and The First Lantern who's an interdimensional traveler from some other world in the Multiverse. It would've made more sense if Volthoom was from the same 25th Century the Reverse-Flash hails from. It's also quite clear that Johns wanted to give the fans what they want with Hal X Carol and also used "the Starman ending" from his once-mentor James Robinson for his own run on Green Lantern. The Orange Light of Avarice should have been the Orange Light of Control/Temperance - The Controllers could have used an "Agent Orange" as John Stewart to restart the Darkstars. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The meat and potatoes of John's run is Rebirth, Revenge of the Green Lanterns, Sinestro Corps Vol 1 and 2, -MAYBE Rage of the Red Lanterns and Secret Origin- Blackest Night (with Blackest Night GL and GL Corps) War of the Green Lanterns and the aforementioned New 52 Volumes 1, 2 and 3. In all honesty, No Fear, Wanted: Hal Jordan, Agent Orange and Brightest Day are whole filler nothingburgers- you don't need to read much less own these books and the story can function without them. The Kroloteans plotline from No Fear went nowhere, and don't get me started on Hector Hammond.

I can also see in GL The End that Simon Baz was to be the legacy character but DC being DC can't run with it immediately and the stories that come later (which I did enjoy) have it suffer with the Earth Lanterns middling about with Guy Gardner being a spy in the Red Lanterns and John Stewart backing up Sinestro. The Kyle X Carol pairing felt very forced, as if Justin Jordan was either phoning it in or simply wanted to put his stamp with characters. There's a time and place for that but the motivations were non-existent for such a pairing to happen. The Dark Days/Lights Out event arc was actually quite entertaining and a good "clearing of the decks" for something new that isn't tied to gimmick of multiple lantern variations. Godhead actually does a lot more with the New Gods than Final Crisis ever did and that's saying a lot as well, as I'm a sucker for Kirby-esque stuff and what I read with their conflict with the Green Lanterns kept me entertained. It's still way better than anything written in the current Homo Age of Comic Books. Can't believe these books and storylines are already 10 years old.

 

[Clyde Cash's Left Teste]

The Kroloteans plotline from No Fear went nowhere, and don't get me started on Hector Hammond

Hector went from having one of Emotional Entities in him to having it be out of him somehow.

The ending of Johns' run with Sinestro saying "we will always be friends" still hits me. Man, Sinestro written well is a top tier DC character.

The Kyle X Carol pairing felt very forced, as if Justin Jordan was either phoning it in or simply wanted to put his stamp with characters

And the sad thing is I actually think New Guardians was a more readable book during that era.

"the Starman ending" from his once-mentor James Robinson

Isn't the rumor that Robinson is working on more Starman?

 

[Liquid Kent]

Hector went from having one of Emotional Entities in him to having it be out of him somehow.

The ending of Johns' run with Sinestro saying "we will always be friends" still hits me. Man, Sinestro written well is a top tier DC character.

And the sad thing is I actually think New Guardians was a more readable book during that era.

Isn't the rumor that Robinson is working on more Starman?

I don't know about the New Guardians, but they should've used Hypertime or some fallout from the latent reality-bending of Volthoom that resulted in this Kyle x Carol branching timeline anomaly.

I second you with Sinestro written by Johns, his arc from Rebirth, building up the Sinestro Corps and then rolling with being a Green Lantern again with that "we'll always be friends" was just second-to-none.

I read the 30th Anniversary Zero Hour one-shot that celebrated the event and it had Jack Knight Starman in it (!) and it was written by Ron Marz (!!). From what I remember, DC can't use Jack Knight because they honored an agreement made with James Robinson that "his" Starman characters could only be used by him or with his express permission, so... I was quite taken aback in a good way seeing Jack Knight.

Also it uses a lot of what came before while honoring the past in a great way, from the ladies of that era - Batgirl, Supergirl and Wonder Girl - being successors to the trinity and the acknowledgement of the Parallax entity. Celebrating the past while looking to the future? (!!!) Surely not in my DC Comics?

 

[Humble Architect]

I always liked how while it wasn’t going to happen, it felt like it would happen, with the gen 1 sidekicks aging up.

Dick wasn’t one but him aging up gave the legacy idea weight. So when Superman/Batman has Connor and Tim running around, you could get it in your head that they were going to be a funny way of bringing back the Golden Age characterizations (smiling Batman and stoic Superman) or that Kara was just going to age into Powergirl (except more like Clark instead of Kal-L) it was fun.