You know what’s crazy? Going to two weddings in a single week. Crazier? Fitting a vacation in between them. Anyway, I did it, I survived, and I am back to regale you with News & Views…
Sort of.
Actually, this week I am taking a page from my Who’s Who partner (and true brains behind that operation) Mathan and spending this week catching up on some letters from you. Well, not specifically you. Well, maybe specifically you. But not necessarily.
Arrgh…
Letters from the readers. There, that makes much more sense. So letters this week and then I shall be all caught up, all wedding healed, and raring to go.
For now though, here’s what you folks have to say.
On Me, Doing a Good Job
Hey Tim, greetings from the world’s biggest Mirage fan! :)
I’m just getting around to responding, but I dug your Madmen revamp.
–Brock
I’ve been a fan of your column for awhile now and I’ve noticed something. The longer your column, the better it is. You seem looser and funnier the more you have to write, which is strange. Your convention pieces and looks at Previews, in particular, are great.
I like the column all the time, no matter the length, but you are clearly at your best when the material is at its longest.
–Shadow__King
Huh…well thanks for that King (and Brock, of course). As far as being better on long columns, I really don’t know why and if that’s the case. I know longer column means more material so it might seem like I am “looser and funnier” because I’ve got a lot more to choose from. I tend to think the column is more well written when it is shorter because I can take more time on each piece, but maybe I’m wrong.
Anyone else notice this?
Loved that picture of you in the tux. You are DEFINITELY the hawtest comic blogger out there!
–Anonymous
First, I’m not a blogger. I barely do this weekly, nevermind daily. Bloggers will resent the implication of being paired up with as inconsistent a contributor as myself.
Second, who the heck is this crazy person? Janelle insists that she didn’t write it (and given Anon here seems to spell “hot” differently than the dictionary, I’m inclined to believe her) so that leaves… Jamie?
On Me, Doing a Terrible Job
What’s the deal with all your parenthetical statements? Your latest piece had a f@#$ing dozen of them. Poor!
–Will Hacey
About time someone called me on this! To answer your question Will, I don’t know what the deal with it is. It’s a bad habit/device that I’ve picked up along the way writing this column that I know is poor (as you put it. DAMN, I’ve done it again) but I like the effect of it and it fits the tone and spirit on my work on the site. If I was writing for a newspaper again or on a psych paper, I obviously know better than to use it. Here though, I thought it was fine. Sorry if it bugs you.
HAHAHAHAHA! Donna Troy is Wonder Woman and you said she wouldn’t be. You suck!
–“Graceland Gil”
Fair enough.
But how about this: Diana is the Wonder Woman in the JLA preview pages in Wizard a month ago. What do you say now?
Plus, I’m the only columnist, that I read, that did not identify the returned, older Bart Allen when he first showed up in IC as his uncle Barry. So I can’t suck that much, right?
Trivia Time!
Hey Tim,
I just read thru your revamp of the Swashbuckler and again I approve. I admit that I’m just a bit lost on it, though, as I haven’t read Seven Soldiers past the zero issue. How the hell did Greg Saunders get back up from that sucking chest wound? ;)
–Brock
Brock, I’m not one to tell you how to live your life, but you really should be (should have been) reading Seven Soldiers. It is all sorts of quality. Plus, if you start now, you can probably finish, I don’t know, four months before Seven Soldiers #1 (the conclusion of the series) hits shelves.
As for how Saunders got better? Not really sure. So I’ll give my stock comics answer: magic! Or, maybe Mathan knows. But magic probably sums it up.
I know you’re a writer for DC, but what is your favorite Marvel character? You talk about being a Marvel fan first sometimes in Who’s Who, so I’m curious.
2.) Since you are a fan of obscure comic heroes, who from Marvel is your Aztek?
Not really the place for this question, but where the heck else am I going to answer it?
As far as favorite, I think I’ve got to give the nod to Daredevil. As a kid, the first comic I read that I did not own and immediately wanted was the penultimate chapter of Born Again. Most of it was probably way over my head, but I loved it. Once I got really into comics until now I’ve built up a considerable collection of DD books, from about 130-something of Vol. 1 on.
Icon wise though, I’ll always love Spidey, even if, most of the time, Marvel does not seem to know what the hell to do with him.
As far as two goes, I have numerous obscure heroes that I love, but none of them really approach an Aztek level of enjoyment. I have a soft spot for both Moon Knight and Darkhawk as characters, but not so much their titles (Darkhawk was pretty good for the first year or so, Moon Knight is intermittently great and terrible). The closest might be Gravity, but he’s so new it is hard to say or the Runaways, but they’re a team and not really that obscure anymore.
Hey Tim–
Check out this post: DC Boards
see ya
–Alan Tormey
For those to lazy to click the link, shame on you. It concerns Superboy Prime’s reality altering abilities. It seems that Prime actually cannot help but change reality, whether he’s punching it or not. Interesting bit for continuity folk.
And thanks for that link, Alan. Alan happens to be my neighbor and way into Silver Age DC, especially Superman Family (you know, like Jimmy Olsen, Superman’s Pal, and Lois Lane, Superman’s Girlfriend) books. How we ended up as neighbors may be evidence of intelligent design.
Justify Your Position
Why don’t you read Legion?!
–Clara Narow
Why won’t Mathan stop paying you to send me these e-mails?!
Writer’s Note: The following letter is in reference to my review of the latest issue of Manhunter and the book in general.
Nothing bugs me more than when a character is solely defined by something like race or sexual orientation. It’s like gay friends who always need to remind you they are gay in every conversation. That is this book. Name for me one scene Todd and/or Damon have appeared in since Obsidian was outted in which their homosexuality has not been referenced? They are gay men first, characters second, and I just find that insulting.
–Nathan Carson
I actually got this letter a few weeks back and have been ruminating on it since. It brought up something about the title that I had not even thought about myself. That’s doubly odd considering how I went on in this very column about the need for Obsidian to be gay in a matter of fact sort of way rather than an issue driven woe is me or wildly flamboyant stereotypical characterization.
So I’ve been chewing on it awhile and I revisited the OYL issues and while I see the pattern the writer above mentions, it still does not bother me.
Why?
Well, to first tackle the dialogue in this issue that brought it up in the first place, check out the “you are so gay right now” exchange that occurs after the Sweeney Todd lesson in the latest issue. Now, in reading it, what it triggered for me was the “You’re gay because…” scene from 40 Year Old Virgin. Now that was not exactly the height of PC humor, but I’m honest enough to admit that it made me laugh when I saw it the first time and it continues to make me laugh when I rewatch the movie. For me, right or wrong, that is how I read it. A good natured ribbing of one friend (even if it is “boyfriend” in this case) by another. The question then is when we know the characters that are doing it are, in fact, gay not straight, does it become an instance of reminding us they are gay? For me, the answer is no. For others, I can’t say.
Second, as to the overarching charge of the characters being defined by their sexuality and nothing else I again see where that frustration would come from, but I disagree. So far, the “Todd and Damon up in a tree” moments amount to this: Damon telling Kate he’s been seeing someone, it being revealed to be Todd Rice, Damon waking up at Todd’s house and Alan Scott showing up with news of Jade’s death, a reference to all the flowers that Todd sends Damon, Kate making a comment about wanting a boyfriend as good as the one Damon has, a brief discussion about Alan Scott calling Damon Todd’s “friend”, and the aforementioned “you’re so gay right now” banter. Of those, only the “you’re so gay” one actually makes a point of saying that the characters are gay. In the rest of them, they are a couple, newly in love, doing things that newly in love couples do: waking up at the other’s house and having a family members (especially parent) drop in unexpectedly, having a family member dislike or not fully acknowledge your significant other’s place in your life, friendly or joking jealousy of an unattached friend, a flurry of gifts being given, etc. The only thing that makes these a reminder of “gayness” is the fact that the two characters are men who are dating one another. You replace Todd with say his sister Jade (when she was still alive) and change Damon’s orientation and viola! no more gay and you can still have the same issues (except the “you’re so gay” thing which would arguably take on a different tone).
If the issue is that the two are only being defined, characterization wise, by their relationship to one another (regardless of the sexuality of it) than I’d say you have a better point. I’ve never read an issue and felt that way, but yes, Obsidian has not made an appearance yet where his relationship to Damon was not mentioned and Damon is often scripted as talking about Todd (although, given that Damon has a bigger role in the supporting cast, he does make appearances and exchange in activities that do not include mentions of his boyfriend). Again, it’s never bothered or occurred to me, but I can see that point being made.
Thanks for the challenging letter. It really got me thinking. Perhaps someone else out there might have something to say about it?
Elaboration, Please
You mentioned that you would tell us if Dark Knight, Dark City was any good. That was a few months back. So…was it?
–Eric
Eh…it was okay. I was a little disappointed to be honest. My hopes for it were probably too high though.
Any chance of you ever telling us everyone who would be on that team that you mentioned in your Swashbuckler Revamp? That’d be pretty cool.
–Shadow__King
There sure is. Probably have something in the next month or so.
Well, that’s it for now. Drop me an e-mail (parallax2@juno.com) or swing on by thre message boards. You won’t regret it.
