Saturday, April 9, 2011
No More Updates
This blog will no longer be updated. All new posts will now be found at http://www.super-critique.com/.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
New Site
Just a reminder that my new and improved blog can be found at http://www.super-critique.com/.
Tomorrow: Young Justice, Episode 4 review. After that, all new posts will be at http://www.super-critique.com/.
Tomorrow: Young Justice, Episode 4 review. After that, all new posts will be at http://www.super-critique.com/.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Children of Supervillains
Something that always bugs me about comics is the way children of supervillains are treated. It seems to be an unwritten rule that having an evil parent means a character will be evil. Now, if you're the child of a superhero, you may end up good or evil, but it seems that children with supervillain parents are destined for villainy. Exceptions are rare, and even initially good characters will often become evil.
Brainwave, Jr. is one of my favorite characters specifically because he has a supervillain for a father but choose to become a superhero instead. He was often conflicted but unquestionably heroic during his time with Infinity, Inc. Then Infinity, Inc. was cancelled and future writers decided to make him go insane and evil. I mean he must be evil if his father was evil!
Thankfully, this was later retconned by Geoff Johns, who revealed that Brainwave, Jr. had been a victim of mind control. But it still bothers me that writers completely ignored everything except the fact his father was a villain.
This is has extremely disturbing implications. It implies that if your parents are evil, you will be too. That genetics dooms a person to be evil. That free will is irrelevant if you come from a bad family. Plenty of wonderful people come from awful backgrounds. Plenty of horrible people come from good backgrounds.
DNA =/= destiny. I only wish more writers realized that.
Brainwave, Jr. is one of my favorite characters specifically because he has a supervillain for a father but choose to become a superhero instead. He was often conflicted but unquestionably heroic during his time with Infinity, Inc. Then Infinity, Inc. was cancelled and future writers decided to make him go insane and evil. I mean he must be evil if his father was evil!
Thankfully, this was later retconned by Geoff Johns, who revealed that Brainwave, Jr. had been a victim of mind control. But it still bothers me that writers completely ignored everything except the fact his father was a villain.
This is has extremely disturbing implications. It implies that if your parents are evil, you will be too. That genetics dooms a person to be evil. That free will is irrelevant if you come from a bad family. Plenty of wonderful people come from awful backgrounds. Plenty of horrible people come from good backgrounds.
DNA =/= destiny. I only wish more writers realized that.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Bring Back Anthologies
American comics used to have many anthology series. Many of the most well known superheroes - including Superman and Batman - started off in anthology books. Today it's rare to find a book with two features, and even then it's usually a feature with a back-up.
The comics industry should bring back anthologies. Look at Shonen Jump: it is an anthology of popular manga and has a circulation of 215,000 monthly. The highest selling American comic for last February were estimated at less than 72,000.
Anthologies allow readers to get many stories at once. They make introducing new features easy and guarantee the features will have a audience.
Libraries, bookstores and magazine racks will often have a copy of a monthly anthology like Shonen Jump, but good like finding American comics on the rack.
Now, I'm not saying that sales will skyrocket if American comics bring back anthologies. But given the current market, it can't hurt.
The comics industry should bring back anthologies. Look at Shonen Jump: it is an anthology of popular manga and has a circulation of 215,000 monthly. The highest selling American comic for last February were estimated at less than 72,000.
Anthologies allow readers to get many stories at once. They make introducing new features easy and guarantee the features will have a audience.
Libraries, bookstores and magazine racks will often have a copy of a monthly anthology like Shonen Jump, but good like finding American comics on the rack.
Now, I'm not saying that sales will skyrocket if American comics bring back anthologies. But given the current market, it can't hurt.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Fantastic Four (1978 Series)
In a previous post, I mentioned that there are several Marvel Comics animated series that have been released in the UK but not in the US. One of these series was the 1978 Fantastic Four series, which is the second Fantastic Four that was created. (The first has not been released anywhere.)
The 1978 series is notable for replacing the Human Torch with a robot named H.E.R.B.I.E. There were rumors that the Human Torch was excluded because the writers were worried about children imitating him by setting themselves on fire. These rumors are false (his rights were tied up thanks to a movie that never actually got made).
The series is not available in the United States. However, the complete series (all 13 episodes) is available in Region 2. So, if you like in the UK or have a region-free DVD player, you can watch it. Otherwise you're out of luck.
Here's a courtesy link to the Amazon UK page.
The 1978 series is notable for replacing the Human Torch with a robot named H.E.R.B.I.E. There were rumors that the Human Torch was excluded because the writers were worried about children imitating him by setting themselves on fire. These rumors are false (his rights were tied up thanks to a movie that never actually got made).
The series is not available in the United States. However, the complete series (all 13 episodes) is available in Region 2. So, if you like in the UK or have a region-free DVD player, you can watch it. Otherwise you're out of luck.
Here's a courtesy link to the Amazon UK page.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Wonder Woman Pilot
A pilot for a live action Wonder Woman series is set to debut this fall on NBC. For the pilot, Wonder Woman has traded in her star-spangled swimsuit for pants and a top that looks about two seconds away from a wardrobe malfunction. (Pictures here and here.)
According to Wikipedia, the series will be "a reinvention of the iconic D.C. comic in which Wonder Woman -- aka Diana Prince -- is a vigilante crime fighter in L.A. but also a successful corporate executive and a modern woman trying to balance all of the elements of her extraordinary life."
I'm hoping this doesn't mean that they're getting rid of the mythological roots of the character. I have always loved the concept of Wonder Woman, even though I don't always like the execution. Like Marvel Comics' Hercules, she is a hero that connects the world of comics to the world of mythology. There have been many great stories the involve the Greek pantheon and their interaction with Wonder Woman. A couple of my favorites are Wonder Woman's modern origin story and Greg Rucka's run on Wonder Woman (particular the "Eyes of the Gorgon" storyline).
I am cautiously optimistic about the pilot. If we're lucky, we'll get a fun, action-packed romp with DC's most iconic heroine. If not . . . well, then we'll probably get a repeat of the disappointing animated movie.
According to Wikipedia, the series will be "a reinvention of the iconic D.C. comic in which Wonder Woman -- aka Diana Prince -- is a vigilante crime fighter in L.A. but also a successful corporate executive and a modern woman trying to balance all of the elements of her extraordinary life."
I'm hoping this doesn't mean that they're getting rid of the mythological roots of the character. I have always loved the concept of Wonder Woman, even though I don't always like the execution. Like Marvel Comics' Hercules, she is a hero that connects the world of comics to the world of mythology. There have been many great stories the involve the Greek pantheon and their interaction with Wonder Woman. A couple of my favorites are Wonder Woman's modern origin story and Greg Rucka's run on Wonder Woman (particular the "Eyes of the Gorgon" storyline).
I am cautiously optimistic about the pilot. If we're lucky, we'll get a fun, action-packed romp with DC's most iconic heroine. If not . . . well, then we'll probably get a repeat of the disappointing animated movie.
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