My current understanding of American Superhero Comics, particularly the Big Two.
Writer: I get the character, ok. This is why I get to write them. This is why I'm glad we tapped THIS ARTIST. Cause this artist gets the character! It was MEANT TO BE. I totally get them. I am totally going to make them rock with my interpretation of how much I get them. Other talk. Talk talk talk. Blah blah blah blah.
Writer Action: *.... crickets chirp - incredibly out of character actions - messed up circumstances - more crickets ...*
In other words, I have seen the cover of the new Dazzler one shot that's supposed to be for May 2010. I've read the blah blah about Lois London and whatever the eff Necrosha is, blah blah.
I loved Alison moving on in New Excalibur and I've loathed that Marvel rebooted her right back to wanting a singing career etc, and now someone's going to come along and supposedly make her shine - but do that while claiming she should be all 'Unholy Crap! How did I ever take these villains on on my own before!'. And the truth is, she didn't all of the time, she had help, whether it was Spiderman or Black Bolt or the Xmen. And when she didn't had help, she was just incredibly resourceful and kick ass.
But now she's going to be thinking of herself as having been endangered and reckless? And this is an improvement?
Oh yeah, and someone finally perhaps considering what it means to produce light is going to be giving her a new ability for her power set so watch out world?
I... yeah, it takes near endless optimism to be involved in American Superhero Comics. Optimism and endless piss and vinegar for all the times the characters, plots, concepts get screwed up so someone can try and 'make their mark' or TPTB can roll out an event to try and boost falling sales.
It's much, much easier for me to love the Dazzler in my head that no one else can touch. Along with the Scott Summers in my head, the Cloak and Dagger in my head, the Mystique, Beast and Nightcrawler in my head, and also Polaris, Gambit and Magneto.
I believe it was Bankuei who said something along the lines that the big two have yet to realize the possibilities in one writer per collectible finite arc vs the chopped up mess of multiple writers on multiple characters jumping on and off as whims and popularity decrees all trying to tie into editorial fiats. He was much clearer. He was also comparing manga (and manga plots) to American Superhero Crappola.
I sum it up as: The Characters I Love Are Safer In My Head.
Because really that's what it is. I fall in love with them all over again, but that love is never safe because you never know what ignorant is going to be allowed to paw with greasy hands, change what they want, retcon what they want, diminish what they want. And even when I love what a writer might be doing, I'll more than likely be loathing that the artist seems to think the heroine's power shots should be all ass shots.
So if anyone was wondering why comics fell by the way side on this blog... I think you can guess why now. American Superhero Comics = simmering anger, outrage, disappointment, disgust, offense, sadness and that's not even touching the racism. And in those descriptions I'm not just describing the big two.
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I liked short, pink haired, at peace with herself, her abilities and her status as a trained hero Alison Blaire. I don't think she needs a nemesis and that said unneeded nemesis should be her sister. It's just another - women's relationships as not real, and are always competitive, even when they're family - and is but so much bullshit.
