I've Always Advocated a Bear Town, But Someone's Going To Live On The Wrong Side Of The Tracks

[eggwards]

So Screaming Amy has asked me to go to see Wilco on Saturday night, so I guess I have something to do this weekend. Could be fun. Of course she and her friends are a bunch of stoners, so it should be interesting.

In the news, Connecticut passes civil unions, the protest/book-burning will take place on Sunday. Also Spain is one step closer to same-sex marriage. Two steps forward after a whole lot of steps back lately.

Now, onto the questions posed by my good friend, and nude-beachgoer Miami Chris (dedos):


1. If you were able to get a job anywhere in the US (and be making enough to take Chris with ya), would you leave TX?

Wow, I'm the breadwinner! Cool! Obviously I'm going to like the job and the place for me to do it, so yeah. The thing about Texas is the comfort factor (and the relatively low cost of living). Texas is home, and means I don't have to learn anything new, like how to put on snowchains.

If the income is good, and the city is one I'm comfortable with, I would be interested, as long as Chris was. Chicago has certainly been an interest, but really I haven't been to to many other cities that I would consider just yet. I need to travel more.

2. What have you always wanted to do, but were too afraid to attempt?

Well, watching Chris play softball is inspiring me, but I'm completely scared of the ball and that's kept me from trying, but I love watching the game. Otherwise, really following my dream of working in television or broadcasting, which I haven't pursued since I haven't been able to afford to go back and work for no or little pay. I need a lottery win.

3. If you wanted to introduce someone to comics, which title(s) would you show them first?

Wow. In thinking about this I thought about The Watchmen, which is really dark, or Crisis on Infinite Earths, which is too hard to follow for anyone who doesn't know years of DC comics history. I think I would start them off with my favorite character, The Flash. I'd start them with Flash #3's first issue in 1987. The book has a solid character, and, thanks to the crisis, has a clear connection to the silver and golden age of comics, so there's history included. Wall has the same powers as his predecessors, but he's clearly his own character, and even has trouble with carrying the legacy. Flash is also a member of several of DC's main teams, JLA, JL Europe, the Titans, but they don't intrude too much into his book.

It's also a book that, unlike Wonder Woman and Batman, hasn't been given an image problem in the public eye due to it's TV/movie appearance - that's because no one watched the show - but me! (Where's the DVD!?!)

4. I know you love talk radio. Have you ever dreamed of hosting your own show?

My love of political talk radio has waned some over the last year, as you might imagine, but sure, I think that would be interesting. There's a whole lot of background work and show prep that goes into that job. you have to have something to talk about for all those hours!

5. Would you consider joining a Bear Commune? =)

Commune, sure! Internment camp, not so much. (j/k) I think it would be great to have a community of like-minded people as long as everyone doesn't get on everyone's nerves after a while. I guess it should be a big place.

Comments

[legionbear.livejournal.com]

I would LOVE a Flash series DVD set. I loved that show, even though it had a few problems.

[bullneck.livejournal.com]

I hafta say that I am not a real fan of comic books (ironically), but The Watchmen was one of the few I definitely enjoyed; I think it's combination of darkness, alternate present-day, and unique cast grappling with issues of int'l relations, superhero/human relations, and the morality of realpolitik is fascinating and a valuable read.

Proud to be a CT Yankee on hearing the good news. I'm not satisfied in the civil union's bill's limitations and default treatment of gays as a separate category, but this is a step forward and one that shows the issue can be handled in the legislatures much to the anti-marriage faction's chagrin.

[book-of-daniel.livejournal.com]

I think I'd try to introduce new comic books readers with the Wolfman/Perez Teen Titan series right up throught the Judas Contract. I defy anyone not to bawl like a baby when Terra finally goes nuts and dies....

[dedos.livejournal.com]

She dies?? Augh, I was almost done reading this!


Nah, just kidding. :D

[eggwards.livejournal.com]

Yeah, my VHS tapes from 1989 are breaking down. Thankfully I thought the show wouldn't last even then. I have all but one episode recorded. The show did the job pretty well, trying to fuse Barry Allen and Wally West, but it was slow to start, and didn't find an audience. The effects we decent for the budget they gave it. It just started reaching it's stride when they found Mark Hamill to play the Trickster.

[eggwards.livejournal.com]

The Watchmen is great, but if you're trying to get someone into the habit, it's hard to start them at the top, and have them be disappointed in the medium later. Perhaps one day they'll finally make a movie out of it. It can still be relevant - easily.

Yeah for the CT legislature. Hopefully the RI legislature will follow.

[eggwards.livejournal.com]

I thought about the Titans, but two things made me think again. That series began pre-crisis, which is difficult for many new readers to understand, plus you have to know a lot about the connections of the characters, Robin and Batman, Kid Flash and Flash, Wonder Girl and Wonder Woman (way before the crisis totally fucks up Donna Troy's backstory). Otherwise, once you get past that, you're right, it is some of the best in continuity story telling there is (as opposed to The Watchmen, that creates a whole new universe). A very good choice!

Of course, later on there's more than one Terra, but you can't always kill someone in comics.

[dedos.livejournal.com]

There are in pre-production for it, actually. It's got a spot on IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409459/) and everything. Now I have ABSOLUTELY no hope for any Alan Moore story being translated into anything remotely like he intended, but I hope they don't screw it up too bad.

[polomex.livejournal.com]

You've hit the nail on the head of why I can't get into comic books. I've tried. I really have. But it's frustrating.

People tell me, "Oh this series is great!" but you're right, it's only great because they've been following it for years, and for me to just jump in mid-series, well, I'm lost. Not to mention that the last time I tried to get into comics, I bought one series.... but then the story branched into three other series.

I thought about trying to avoid that complication by just starting with a brand new series, something that was in its first few issues. But that brings its own problems, like not surviving or just plain being awful or corny.

All that aside, comics are also a pricey hobby, both in money and in space. Just what do you do with all those issues once you're done with them? I can't bring myself to just throw them away...

Ah well. I guess I just wasn't made to be a comic person. *rimshot*

[legionbear.livejournal.com]

Yeah Mark Hamill as Trickster was genius casting. I also loved him as the voice of Joker on the Batman cartoon. Yeah, the Barry/Wally problem really was a tad detrimental to the show. It also had was frequently poorly lighted and shot, but it was great for it's budget and time. There is a Flash movie in pre-production under Gavid Goyer, Blade series. The early favorite for the lead is Ryan Reynolds.

[legionbear.livejournal.com]

There is a lot of non-continuity heavy stuff too. You just have to know where to look for it. Most of the non-continuity books are going to be from smaller independent publishers and you would find it in Barnes & Noble.

My usual recommendations are:
Runaways -Marvel, excelllent teen hero book with no required extra knowledge
Queen & Country - Oni, the best spy thriller you'll ever read
Gotham Central -DC, Gotham's cops dealing with life in Gotham
Losers - DC/Vertigo, action/spy thriller movie on a printed page
Invincible - Image, teen hero book with wit and heart, film being made
Walking Dead - Image, zombie movie movie more about humanity than monsters
Casefiles: Sam & Twitch - Image, great cop drama book with gay author
30 Days of Night - IDW, New vampire horror at it's best, film being made

All of these are available as trade paperbacks that collect several issues at once with heavy spine so you can just rest them on your books shelves. (except maybe Casefiles) That solves the problem for most with storage and space issues. Also most of these books have not had any crossovers or interference from other books. Gotham Central has a few refernces to current Batman events, but they aren't integral to the story and can easily be ignored. There are tons more books that are just amazing from Oni and IDW and even Marvel & DC, but I won't try to list them all. If you try any of these and like them, let me know and I'll give you some more recommendtions.

Not everybody is cut out to be a comics reader, though, it's true. But there are comics for everybody. The hard part is that they aren't easy to locate because of the sheer volume of crap that covers a lot of shelves.

[legionbear.livejournal.com]

meant you would *not* find it in Barnes & Noble...

[eggwards.livejournal.com]

Interesting, I didn't know they were going to try the Flash again...though it seems like they will try anything comic book related right now. I'm worried that they will ruin the Wonder Woman movie, and I love the character, especially the couple of years during the George Perez recreation.

I don't have high hopes for either the Batman or superman movies in production right now. We'll just have to see. Spiderman and X-Men should teach them - tinker less with the character and you'll get decent results.

[eggwards.livejournal.com]

I totally understand. I have been collection for - oh god, 20 years now, and I have boxes of books stored in a storage unit. It's crazy. some of them are worth something, many of them aren't.

Long series have their ups and downs are writers and artists come and go, and there's very few characters that can carry a book for a long time. Most books average about 18 issues, and you know it's about to run into the ground when they start bringing in a lot of guest stars - just like TV!

Both major houses, DC and Marvel have big problems for new readers. DC is one big, long continuity that goes back to WWII (though they have "history" and characters that go back to the beginning of time) and it's constantly being changed by writers who want their hero to have a motivation that came from something that happened 20 years back - but never really happened in any other book. It's all new, but suddenly everyone has to revise the history of the universe. For example - Wonder Woman existed in WWII, but when the Crisis came in 1985, she was re-started, and didn't exist back then (despite hundreds of old comics that are now wiped like a "1984" non-person news story). So eventually, some 15 years later, they go back and "fill-in" the problem by sending WW's mom back to the WWII era to be WW for that era - there by filling the gap.

And don't get me started on Wonder Girl.

Then there's Marvel, who in their wisdom to try to get new readers just re-starts about everything about every 5-10 years. sometimes it's a new title, sometimes the book just seems to re start, and they tell the same stories over in a new way. It frustrates the older readers because they've been through it over and over again.

Many readers went to the independents just because they didn't have all of these intricate backstories, and connected stories and they could just enjoy one or two books. You're not alone there.