COMIC GEEKS Я US

[Rinzler]

Well, I wouldn't go that far. But he's pretty way out, it has to be said. Clearly smokes a hell of a lot of weed, at least - which would probably go some way to explaining the more paranoid aspects of his attitude, I reckon.

[Chris Brady]

Well, I wouldn't go that far. But he's pretty way out, it has to be said. Clearly smokes a hell of a lot of weed, at least - which would probably go some way to explaining the more paranoid aspects of his attitude, I reckon.

And that's NOT insane to you?

...I don't want to live on this planet anymore...

;D

[Rinzler]

^Nope. It's not something that appeals to me, but it's not insane. Presuming he does smoke a lot of weed, of course. Probably dumb or unwarranted, but no more so than going out for a regular piss-up, like millions do.

[Callie Del Noire]

He tells great stories, but the man's insane.  Let's not kid ourselves.

Well he DID experiment with things like LSD.. I'm sure that spun him off the beam a mite.

[Rinzler]

^He dealt the stuff while he was school, too. It was what got him expelled. Yes, he's had a colourful life, has Mr Moore.

[rick957]

I paid $80 for it.  I would guess it to be good condition 5.0 to 6.0.  Good enough that I don't want to go out and drop a ton more money on a better copy but not in to good of shape that I wont read through it.

I agree and have numbers 2-5 of that set with #1 one on its way.  I also have complete sets of volume 2 and 4 as well as most of volumes 7 and 5.  I am also current on volume 8 picked up the newest yesterday.  I also have a small stack of one shots and some of his minis.  I need to hunt down the war journal volumes and warzone series (not the mini).  I collected him for fun since he is my favorite but recently I've realized that I am about 40% complete with him and now have set a goal to finish him completely as well as picking up any guest spots I find.

Great God all mighty!  :)  That's quite a delightfully-unique collection you have there.  I have issues from all or nearly all the volumes myself, but nothing complete, and nothing from the latest, yet.  I've met at least one other person who has a preoccupation with the Punisher and collects his comics almost exclusively.  It amuses me greatly to find people who latch on to characters so tightly, because I'm not inclined to do so myself; I tend to follow the work of specific creators moreso than characters, except maybe for hoary old Kal-El of Krypton, grandaddy of them all, for whom I retain a nostalgic soft spot.  But you know, I don't have enough spending cash to buy all the Punisher comics out there, much less all the Supermans (if that's even possible to do).

Because I enjoy characters and want to see them continue to have adventures and have new stories told about them even if they are not by their original creators and am willing to pay for the privilege of consuming those stories, Moore says I lack ethical integrity and intelligence. He also says that I am brainless for enjoying contemporary products of the comics industry. And that it's okay for him to go write something like League of Extraordinary Gentlemen but it's totally different (and wrong) if someone else writes stories using characters that aren't their own.

Thanks for such a concise and compelling explanation; it's awfully hard to quibble with any of your points, because they sound so damn reasonable, but then again, I have to admit that I still sympathize strongly with Moore's view.  I guess I don't completely come down on either side.  Out of pure curiosity -- do you have any sympathy for Moore or do you consider him a total jerk?  Nothing wrong with either position, of course.

As to Alan Moore's psychological health or lack thereof, I can only say that if his personal eccentricities are the price for his gargantuan artistic talent, then I would be more than happy to share in his particular insanity.

As to equating illegal substance abuse with insanity, I'm so glad the point was made about the equivalence of alcohol use and use of illegal drugs.  I think many of those with a draconian anti-drug stance ought to carefully consider the lessons of the Prohibition era in America, for example.  And yes, I likes me a wee toke on infrequent occasions, in case you're wondering, though I hope you won't dismiss me altogether on those grounds alone.  (Then again, if you would, well, eff you too!  :)  Heh just kidding.)

[Rinzler]

Speaking of comic greats who've gone a bit...funny. What's the deal with Frank Miller nowadays? I heard somewhere that he's become pretty paranoid about Islam - to the extent it's pretty much a monomania. It's certainly the case that 300 had overtones in this regard. Seems odd that the idea of some fascist ubermensch should be the ones to save us all from the crescent horde, though...

[Callie Del Noire]

Nothing on his website since his post about the Occupy movement.

[Rinzler]

^Oh yes, I remember that. *just has another quick look at the post* Yeah, figures. The Occupy movement is bad, apparently...because it benefits Islamic fundamentalism.

???

You know, considering this degree of paranoia, I don't think it's just Alan who's been smoking some pretty heavy shit lately. Pringles and dip, anyone?  ;D

[LunarSage]

I was quite disappointed when Claremont came out of "retirement" to work for Marvel on Wolverine again.  It's like he used up all his talent on the X-Men before and when he came back he had nothing left.

[Jag]

Oh, totally forgot. New TMNT comics are out! I will say that I am nervous to read them since Laird sold the entire rights to the TMNT franchise to Nickelodeon in 2009. Neither Eastman or Laird have any rights to TMNT anymore. Laird and Mirage Group bought Eastman out completely in 2000 and now Laird has nothing to do with it either. It's really disappointing that the new owners can basically do whatever they want with the turtles. I really hope they keep the biggest rule Eastman and Laird had: No New Turtles.

Still...I'm so fangirlie squealing over the new covers for the first issue.  ::)

[Callie Del Noire]

I am waiting for the next Atomic Robo series, due the 28th. 

[Cold Heritage]

Out of pure curiosity -- do you have any sympathy for Moore or do you consider him a total jerk?

I do not feel sympathy for him, but I do not feel that the various business dealings he has had go poorly for him are somehow merited.

[Chris Brady]

I was quite disappointed when Claremont came out of "retirement" to work for Marvel on Wolverine again.  It's like he used up all his talent on the X-Men before and when he came back he had nothing left.

Wait, he's working on a Male Hero book?  Does he throw in a 'plucky female sidekick' to play off Wolvie, like he does in EVERY book he writes, or a god female heroine of immense power?  God, I hated his run.  He killed Cyclops.  The whole Madeline Pryor BS was his doing because he had no idea what to do with the guy.  Hell, she was supposed to be Cyke's 'Happy Ending', him off somewhere married and GONE from comics forever.  Marvel has since backpedalled on that.

I do not feel sympathy for him, but I do not feel that the various business dealings he has had go poorly for him are somehow merited.

Yeah, same here.  I may think he's batshit nuts, but he doesn't deserved to be that royally screwed.

[teddybone]

Well, I hadn't read comics since Dark Knight Returns back in the day. But my colleague at work is a big fan of comics and got me hooked on The Walking Dead, American Vampire, and some other titles. This was last year, so when the new 52 hit, I was just getting back into it, and for being the 35-45 year old age bracket, I enjoy the heck out of it. I like most of the Bat titles (except BatWoman and BatWing), Animal Man and Swamp Thing, OMAC and Frankenstein, JLA and some other titles. The Superman stuff is weird, but Supergirl is kinda cool I guess.

In any case, if DC was driven by getting people like me back into comics, it's working. So there you go.

[rick957]

Who's your favorite comic character and why?

Here's two of mine:  non-superhero, I'd say Charlie Brown, because he always feels like a loser, and he always makes me feel like less of a loser.  :)  Superhero, I'd say Superman, because ........ I'm totally square?  ;)  No, because he's everything that all little boys want to be, at least until they hit puberty.

[Rinzler]

Who's your favorite comic character and why?

Here's two of mine:  non-superhero, I'd say Charlie Brown, because he always feels like a loser, and he always makes me feel like less of a loser.  :)  Superhero, I'd say Superman, because ........ I'm totally square?  ;)  No, because he's everything that all little boys want to be, at least until they hit puberty.

Non-superhero: Norbert Colon from Viz comic. Pretty obscure, I know, but just about the funniest comic book character I've ever read about. In short, he's the world's biggest skinflint. I'll never get over the scene when, in typically gross Viz style, he began scraping up some vomit into a can. 'Diced carrots!' he exclaimed. 'I know what I'll be 'avin for me tea tonight!'

Fru T Bunn the Master Baker and His Gingerbread Sex Dolls follows a close second.

Superhero: As my avi indicates, Dr Strange. Why? Because he's an introspective superhero with lots of books. Sounds just the thing, and his remarkable house no doubt has an excellent study. What I like most of all is the oddness in presenting a superhero who has adventures on the astral plane, because it means that, in effect, the physical action in a relevant story might just be about Dr Strange sitting there, meditating. For some reason, this just strikes me as really funny.

[Jag]

Non-Superhero: It's from a webcomic, but his name is Engineer. Other than Mr. Snippy, he is the only sane character in the comic, but that's not hard to do when there are only four characters. He seems to be the only one actually fighting against joining the Captain's team. Second to Engie, I love Pilot the best. Why? Because out of the four, he is the most mentally unstable! ^^

Superhero (sort of): Donnie of the Ninja Turtles. They very clearly showed in the Same As It Never Was episode that without him, the turtles would fall apart. Without him, Raph and Leo would kill each other and Mikey would be left alone. Without him, they would not have most of the weapons and technology that they do. Without him, they would have no voice of reason. He's not just the brainy one, he's the one they all depend on.

Other Superhero: I know it's almost cliche to say it, but I love Batman. ^__^ More so, I love Terry McGinnis' Batman.

[rick957]

Non-superhero: Norbert Colon from Viz comic. Pretty obscure, I know, but just about the funniest comic book character I've ever read about.

Somehow I've managed to not know of the existence of Viz until today.  I thought the only comics people bought in the UK was 2000 AD, Beano, Dandy, (if they still exist), and Marvel reprints.

As you can tell, I live in the States and don't get around much.  :)

Superhero: As my avi indicates, Dr Strange.

I love Ditko's astral plane stuff.  It probably loses something in the Marvel Essentials reprints, lacking color as they are, but I'm too cheap to spring for originals.

Non-Superhero: It's from a webcomic, but his name is Engineer.

I looked at the webcomic and got a real kick out of it.  I'm awfully uninformed about webcomics.

Who's Terry McGinnis?  I hope that isn't a totally stupid question.

[Jag]

I looked at the webcomic and got a real kick out of it.  I'm awfully uninformed about webcomics.

Who's Terry McGinnis?  I hope that isn't a totally stupid question.

RA is awesomely amazing. They use live models, paintings, and CGI to create every panel. The amount of work that goes into making that comic is insane.

Terry McGinnis is the second Batman. When Bruce got too old, Terry came in to take up the mantel (mostly be force on his part since Bruce didn't want anyone to take it). The cartoon series for it was Batman Beyond and I honestly think it's the best follow up series for any superhero that has been created to date.

[Rinzler]

Somehow I've managed to not know of the existence of Viz until today.  I thought the only comics people bought in the UK was 2000 AD, Beano, Dandy, (if they still exist), and Marvel reprints.

As you can tell, I live in the States and don't get around much.  :)

Alas, not that many people read comics in the UK now (last time I checked the surveys on it anyway - and that was a while ago). It generally used to be a kids market, and kids don't seem that interested in comics anymore. 2000ad, The Dandy and Beano are still going, but with nowhere near the circulations they used to have - the market now appears more one based on nostalgia. Viz's heyday was in the early 1990s - I think - when its readership was pretty huge. Again, nowhere near as big as it was, but still chugging along. Most American comics are still available, either through comic shops; the Marvel ones are also reprinted by Panini for the non-specialist market.

I love Ditko's astral plane stuff.  It probably loses something in the Marvel Essentials reprints, lacking color as they are, but I'm too cheap to spring for originals.

Oh hell yeah! Coincidentally, I'm working on some Ditkoesque graphics right now. I've still got my paperback Dr Strange collection which I got as a kid: over 30 years old now - Blimey! In any case, it has some full-colour reprints of the first Lee/Ditko 'Strange Tales' stories, and I do treasure it. It's in colour, though I don't know if the colours used in the book were those reproduced from the original comics, or were deployed specially for this particular publication.

Can still remember going into the newsagents and buying it - all of seven years old. Blimey O'Riley... Tempus fugit, and all that. And by heck, it fugits pretty damn fast. Too fast, really.

[Sasquatch421]

Non Superhero: Nodwick for me....They put that little henchman though so much, but he stayed with them.

Superhero: I've always been a Deadpool fan, he always seems to make me laugh everytime I read... Then of course the set him up against Spidey and really made my day.

[rick957]

Kewl, thanks for the Nodwick recommendation.  :)  I am slowly but surely dipping my toes into the world of webcomics. 

Haven't found one yet that I like as much as Power Nap, though.  Seriously, that shit's amazing.

Tempus fugit

Got that right!  ;) 

I'm telling you, the world just ain't been the same since "Sparky" Schulz passed on.

[Callie Del Noire]

Non Hero: Hmm... a hard call. I'd say Nodwich is one of the big ones. Schlock from Schlock Mercenary is another.


Hero: Right now it's a split. On one side is Atomic Robo..the other it's a handful of characters of the Ultimate Marvel setting.

[LunarSage]

Non hero:  Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes.

Hero:  It's a toss up between Jubilee and Captain America.