Steven Berg on The Dark Knight Strikes Again. I’d say “’nuff said,” but it really isn’t, because I’ve got to mention his wondrous description of the role played by the cataclysmic Superman-Wonder Woman sex scene. It beggars belief that people can read a book with something like that in it and think that said book was some sort of play-it-safe corporate sellout. I mean, it has a cataclysmic Superman-Wonder Woman sex scene.
NeilAlien helps talk up the need for an intelligent middle ground between Wizard and The Comics Journal, and points out, accurately, that this is what the comics blogosphere has become. But with all the comics bloggers who’ve written for the Journal in recent months, is it possible that we’ll see the Journal itself become that middle ground, at least in part? I think so, in the sense that all we’re really hoping for is a magazine of criticism that’s smart without being snobby and well-read without being elitist or obscurantist, and, well, that’s Dirk, generally speaking, isn’t it?
Franklin Harris cites an ICv2 report that publisher CPM will be launching an all-yaoi (that’s guy-on-guy romance) line. People, that is hot. It’s certainly possible that I’ve just watched Velvet Goldmine one too many times, but I do think we’re slowly easing our way into a society where two hot guys making out has the same appeal to women as two hot girls making out has for men. (If you have to, chalk this up to the male cast of The Lord of the Rings–I’ve yet to meet a female fan of the films who doesn’t have a favorite mental image of some pair or other getting freak nasty). And in my opinion, you really can’t go wrong with two hot people of any gender making out. So why not show it in comics? I’m sure it’ll be more interesting than that Britney/Madonna bullshit.
I just want to point out a couple of posts by Dave Intermittent–one about comics (specifically the difference in temperament between Warren Ellis and Grant Morrison) and one not–and say that Dave has been writing very, very well recently.
Speaking of writing very well, how about Scott at relatively new blog Polite Dissent? His ten-point defense of blogs is probably the best explanation of why the medium is so strong that I’ve yet come across. But are blogs really “superior” to more traditional methods of newsgathering, both print- and web-based, as Scott suggests? I don’t necessarily think so. They have strengths and weaknesses just like any other publishing mechanism. But to the extent that they fill a previously unfilled niche, enable ideological democracy across a broad spectrum of fields, allow for specialized dialogue without the competitive-cum-belligerent interaction of messboards, and serve as a Greek chorus for those aforementioned “more traditional methods,” they’re certainly worth embracing.
Scott also has a great little collection of tips for eBaying your comics. This is quite helpful to me because I’m tentatively planning to, well, eBay my comics.
And MORE great writing! This time from Jason Kimble, to whom I clearly have been paying not nearly enough attention. Jason has produced a masterful three part analysis of Alan Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volumes 1&2, focusing on the conflict between the “extraoridnary” (which Jason reads primarily as sexuality and violence, or carnality if you prefer) and the “gentlemen” (civilized repression, or at least compartmentalization, of same). And before you start saying “Hey, he’s just taking it for granted that there’s something extraoridnary about carnality, when that really is kinda ordinary, isn’t it???” (Eve Tushnet, I’m looking in your direction), let’s keep in mind that since LoEG takes place in Victorian England, that’s a perfectly fair base assumption. Ooh, it’s all so good–the kind of writing I don’t get to do nearly often enough. (The big horror-blogging marathon was probably the last time I waxed close-reading.) And BTW, it was found via Marc Singer’s fascinating post on the same subject. You’re pretty much gonna have to read that one too.
Finally, I was reading Junji Ito’s Uzumaki today, and you know what? I’m really glad I read comics. Aren’t you glad you do too?