More Talk of Comics

[Nick Ink]

He's saying* that you're too privileged to have experience with people tossing around words like "n***er" and "f***ot" and actually meaning it, so you think they're funny words because you automatically add irony to them when you hear them.

But the problem is that they are NOT intrinsically ironic words (nor are a lot of other similarly offensive slurs), and when you toss them around like they are, you provide cover and safe haven for actual racist/sexist/homophobic/otherwise-prejudiced views, and make it harder for us as a culture to advance.

I really feel like the internet's disappointing tendency to breed virtual hangout spots where that kind of talk is OK is probably setting our culture back as far as acceptance of people different from us is concerned. Maybe I'm wrong, but either way, I agree that that kind of talk has no place in polite conversation.

*--obviously this is just my own personal interpretation of what pollo's saying, and he and anyone else are more than welcome to pitch in and tell me what I got wrong.

Yeah this is absolutely not at all what I was saying, if it matters

Really? Because I thought Andrew's post was brilliant. Total nail on head for me.

[elpollodiablo]

I think I'm starting to see where the misunderstanding came in but I absolutely refuse to start another conversation about the intentions of Almanzo*

*Although really it would make Andrew's post make a lotta sense in its OTMness but AAARGGGHH THE META

[Wally]

He's saying* that you're too privileged to have experience with people tossing around words like "n***er" and "f***ot" and actually meaning it, so you think they're funny words because you automatically add irony to them when you hear them.

But the problem is that they are NOT intrinsically ironic words (nor are a lot of other similarly offensive slurs), and when you toss them around like they are, you provide cover and safe haven for actual racist/sexist/homophobic/otherwise-prejudiced views, and make it harder for us as a culture to advance.

I really feel like the internet's disappointing tendency to breed virtual hangout spots where that kind of talk is OK is probably setting our culture back as far as acceptance of people different from us is concerned. Maybe I'm wrong, but either way, I agree that that kind of talk has no place in polite conversation.

*--obviously this is just my own personal interpretation of what pollo's saying, and he and anyone else are more than welcome to pitch in and tell me what I got wrong.

Yeah this is absolutely not at all what I was saying, if it matters

Really? Because I thought Andrew's post was brilliant. Total nail on head for me.

Word is bond, big shaver.

[Nick Ink]

He's saying* that you're too privileged to have experience with people tossing around words like "n***er" and "f***ot" and actually meaning it, so you think they're funny words because you automatically add irony to them when you hear them.

But the problem is that they are NOT intrinsically ironic words (nor are a lot of other similarly offensive slurs), and when you toss them around like they are, you provide cover and safe haven for actual racist/sexist/homophobic/otherwise-prejudiced views, and make it harder for us as a culture to advance.

I really feel like the internet's disappointing tendency to breed virtual hangout spots where that kind of talk is OK is probably setting our culture back as far as acceptance of people different from us is concerned. Maybe I'm wrong, but either way, I agree that that kind of talk has no place in polite conversation.

*--obviously this is just my own personal interpretation of what pollo's saying, and he and anyone else are more than welcome to pitch in and tell me what I got wrong.

Yeah this is absolutely not at all what I was saying, if it matters

Really? Because I thought Andrew's post was brilliant. Total nail on head for me.

Word is bond, big shaver.

I've tried, but I don't understand!?!

[Wally]

Me neither, but i think i was agreeing with you.

[Nick Ink]

Gotcha!

[Wally]

Oh I know now. In Chasing Amy there's a scene where one comic book writer says to a child fan "Word is bond little shaver." and for whatever reason I thought of that, and realised that referring to you as little shaver would be akin to the whole dude calling dude "Son" or "Kid" which I find slightly stupid, more so given the fact you have a couple of years on me, so it became big shaver. And this is far to detailed a response given that you've already said "gotcha"

[nonotyet]

http://www.watchmencomicmovie.com/ask-dave.php

No kidding. Watchmen co-creator and illustrator Dave Gibbons is giving all the fans on WatchmenComicMovie.com a chance to ask him a question about his work on the seminal comic series or the upcoming film. Here’s how it works - just fill out the form below and submit your question.

We’ll pick a bunch of the most interesting questions and “ask Dave.” Then, post the questions with Dave’s answers in an exclusive article on this site. Pretty cool, huh? Well, what are you waiting for?

 

ALERT: THIS FORM WILL BE CLOSED ON AUGUST 18, AT 10:00 AM EASTERN TIME.

[Almanzo]

I have a stack of about 60 unread issues that I've collected over the past few months, and I kind of feel no/little desire to read them. I'm worried, because I buy about $100 worth of comics a month...but I'm not reading them.

Is this a sign of depression

[Andrew_TSKS]

I'm not quite in that bad a place but I do have a lot of new, unread comics that I'm in no way excited to read.

But I'm still reading over half of the ones I buy... I just figure that I feel loyalty to writers or characters that I've liked in the past that is out of sync with how good the comics that are coming out now actually are. For that reason, I've been slowly weeding titles out of my pull box.

[YojimboMonkey]

http://www.comicmix.com/news/2008/08/02/new-watchmen-posters-echo-originals/

Still too shiny.  But it's like the dude is shouting to all us long-time fans, "Look!  I'm staying true to the original!  Please come see this movie!!!"  And of course I will.  But doubts linger.

[jebreject]

holy shit, those are pretty sweet.

[elpollodiablo]

Yeah we watched the trailer again after the bar last night and while earlier in the evening everyone was expressing doubts the post-last call assessment was more "HOLY SHIT I AM GOING TO SEE THIS OPENING DAY"


*Although now in the cold light of day I am once again skeptical that they can do such a complex story any kind of justice in a 2hr film. Shoulda been an HBO miniseries.

Also who in fuck thought that the adjective "visionary" should be anywhere near the words "director of 300"
Talk about a movie that is basically the equivalent of getting caught jerking off by your parents

[Ignatius]

While an adaptation of a video game is a totally different thing than a comic - Silent Hill the movie took a lot of shots directly from the game (these were easily the best parts)...  It makes sense for a director to quote a good visual sequence/composition, but that doesn't mean much over two hours.  I'm still pretty excited about this despite limited knowledge of the source.  Which means a few weekends spent looking through my cousin's watchmen comics before I was a teenager.

[jebreject]

Go read Watchmen RIGHT FUCKING NOW SRSLY DUDE

[jebreject]

Like, do not watch the movie first. Run, don't walk, etc.

[Ignatius]

but words and images are in different parts of the library!

[jebreject]

the library be damned

[DCDave]

Watchmen's over-hyped.  It is not the BEST COMIC EVAR that people make it out to be.

[YojimboMonkey]

fuck you dave.  it is not only the best comic ever, it is the greatest thing to have ever been printed on paper.

[DCDave]

Have you read Transmetropolitan?

[Wally]

fuck you dave.  it is not only the best comic ever, it is the greatest thing to have ever been printed on paper.

you've obviously never seen my fingerprint paintings. They are magnificent.

[YojimboMonkey]

Have you read Transmetropolitan?

Yes.  It's very good.  It's been a few years so I don't think I can really address its specific strengths or weaknesses.  I recall it meandered a bit; I know that Ellis says it was planned as a 60 issue comic from the beginning but I still think there was some filler.  Also I think it occasionally was zany just for the sake of being zany.  But I really did love the book; in fact, my "If I had a band" fake band name for the past several years has been "Thor Needs Virgins" which I took from Transmet.  So I'm a fan.

Watchmen though took 12 issues to not only deconstruct superhero myths, showing what might drive a "real" person to dress up in a costume and beat up criminals, but then built an entire alternate history showing what kind of world they might make.  The amount of detail, with the supplementary materials included at the end of each issue, the number of side plots and how they all tied together, and by extension, how many other threads could have been explored, all make for a richly fleshed out world.  And the characters are great.  And the main plot is ridiculous in the way only a comic book plot can be, but fantastic as well in the way it subverts genre conventions.  "I did it 35 minutes ago."  Something tells me you are just calling it overhyped to be contrary, 'cause I can't imagine that you don't absolutely love the book.

fuck you dave.  it is not only the best comic ever, it is the greatest thing to have ever been printed on paper.

you've obviously never seen my fingerprint paintings. They are magnificent.

send scans plz

[DCDave]

Jim, I don't.

I just don't love Watchmen and I think it's overhyped.  I don't think it's the best comic series of all time.  I think it was the best comic series of the 80s, but I think there are better.

[coldforge]

I can easily see how DCDave could find it overhyped, but the fact that he's taking the revisionist, less-enthusiastic position doesn't mean he's right. Watchmen is fucking great. And defintely, definitely better than Transmet.