- @thoughtmecca Glad you’re happy about it, sir… he’s a good ‘un, isn’t he? in reply to thoughtmecca #
- @thoughtmecca To be fair, I’ve LONG had it coming…! in reply to thoughtmecca #
- @MissNixs Good for you! in reply to MissNixs #
- Right. Sleep. Yay! Been waiting for this ALL DAY! #
- @joshhechinger Your Wii should already be able to play GC stuff, shouldn’t it? I think even the Wii-motes can double up for GC controllers. in reply to joshhechinger #
- @joshhechinger At least, on mine, you just lift the flap on top and it’s all there for you, baby! in reply to joshhechinger #
- RT @mattfraction: “We were all in it together/it was just like Vietnam/except with a whole lot more leather/and a whole lot less napalm.” #
- Mornin’ All! #
- @kmellon That looks beautiful, but his pitch bumph about a comic “girls” will like turned me off a little. Stank of tokenism/condescension! in reply to kmellon #
- @kmellon (It really does look & read beautifully, though, so may forgive it the obvious promo angle…) in reply to kmellon #
- @JSCarroll “He was there. Most of the time.” in reply to JSCarroll #
- @BeaucoupKevin You know, I hate to say it but from his post it sounds like that guy thinks that’s genuine comic content! in reply to BeaucoupKevin #
- @marcellerby You should have gone for MARTY McFly instead… That would have confused the HELL out of the students… in reply to marcellerby #
- This is ACTUALLY incredible, & maybe the only valid use of Flash I’ve seen in ages: http://soytuaire.labuat.com/ #
- @marcellerby “Though”? I am reading that as a tiniest diss of the M to the J to the F, & it worries me. WORRIES ME I tell you! MJF is SKILL! in reply to marcellerby #
- @RedMummy Did you have a bad day yesterday? I totally missed it! Hope today is better… in reply to RedMummy #
- @belle_lulu … Good luck with your studies, you! in reply to belle_lulu #
- Should clarify that the actual chain of RT on that Labuat thing is: Via @Plustenstrength via @verabee… #
- … I don’t tend to RT unless it’s someone’s fresh content, but can’t take credit for it! It’s like a disease! #
- @RedMummy Oh goodness… That sucks! Distract yourself with cake! in reply to RedMummy #
- Oh wow you guys: Dan Lester is back at Elephant Words with an absolute beauty!: “The Museum Of July 22nd, 1987″ – http://bit.ly/7reg2 #
- I like to read the EW pieces in sequence, but I feel the return of a favoured writer is as good a reason as any to change one’s habits. #
- @SamShepherd Oh dear… “Political correctness gone mad” Really, Phillips? I suspect it’s just as acceptable as it ever has been… in reply to SamShepherd #
- @SamShepherd …The mistake was announcing it! Whole point of dare like that has always been 1 part humiliation to 2 parts risk of capture! in reply to SamShepherd #
- @erikamoen That cartoon is stupid cute, & can almost entirely relate, too. in reply to erikamoen #
- http://bit.ly/19Cbyd – Another great DAR. Girl One is unreliable on this same subject. Thanks, @erikamoen! #
- Wondering how different coverage of this “youngest dad in Britain” story would be if it was the boy who was older. Quite a bit, I think. #
- @mrtonylee Find “Life”. Really! It’s the hidden gem in the schedules of the last couple of years. in reply to mrtonylee #
- @mrtonylee (If you can get hold of it, Lie To Me is interesting, if formulaic, mainly for Tim Roth’s delightfully grumpy lead man…) in reply to mrtonylee #
- @mrtonylee In Treatment is an interesting approach to episodic TV & features some damn good writing/acting. in reply to mrtonylee #
- @mrtonylee … & The Unit is better than you’d expect – more in the 24 mode, though. Like 24 meets Desperate Housewives. But not shit. in reply to mrtonylee #
- @mrtonylee Take a more zen approach… the overarching mystery gets dealt with by season close, but the characters/writing washes over you! in reply to mrtonylee #
- @mrtonylee Lie To Me is another “investigation WITH A GIMMICK” show; often hokey but mileage varies depending on response to characters. in reply to mrtonylee #
- @mrtonylee Do they finally escape from their bonds of service, only to find that the PRISON was in their MINDS all along? in reply to mrtonylee #
- http://bit.ly/c4PNx – Michael Martin preparing to step down… #
- Right, so…Complaints about the Reply Fuckery seem to have dried up, but anyone else noticed a massive drop-off on their timeline activity? #
- @RedMummy Hmm… that’s odd. Mine is knackered…! in reply to RedMummy #
- @RedMummy Apparently I did. You know, it was better with the settings changed, but now it’s too late, innit? in reply to RedMummy #
- @SamShepherd Hm. I wonder why the hubbub has died down on it. It’s SO quiet! in reply to SamShepherd #
- @RedMummy The problem there is that it removes the choice to miss those tweets from the people who want to. It’s a predicament! in reply to RedMummy #
- @RedMummy I am a libertarian at heart, & feel that it is mean to force them! in reply to RedMummy #
- @georgelondon S’lovely, innit? in reply to georgelondon #
- @Groonk S’horrid, innit? Just silent except for Guardian/BBC updates & open pronouncements into the void… For the most part. in reply to Groonk #
- @psychicsarah Ha… Not me! How far did you get before you realised? in reply to psychicsarah #
- @psychicsarah Hm. I wonder if this will ever be got to the bottom of? Now curious how hard someone would have to hoax to get me semi-nude! in reply to psychicsarah #
- @Groonk Me too, sir… but the quietness can’t be ignored, I reckon. in reply to Groonk #
- @RedMummy Actually, I suspect the full-stop breaks the “in reply to” bit. in reply to RedMummy #
- @Sulman I forget to even check, which I guess is part of the problem…! in reply to Sulman #
- @steevbishop No more questions, your honour. NO MORE QUESTIONS YOUR HONOUR! in reply to steevbishop #
- @Groonk & even if you don’t end up following t’other person, it’s interesting to see what the people you’re interested in are interested in. in reply to Groonk #
- DAMMIT! I should be working for Twitter’s PR department. Why didn’t I think of that…? #
- “It’s interesting to see what the people you’re interested in are interested in” is fucking GENIUS! #
- @VeryShortStory Do you fancy making a special weekly story out of the Elephant Words images? It’s what they’re there for… in reply to VeryShortStory #
- That post, incidentally, was pre-published. I am FINALLY getting on top of some proper blogging, yo! #
- @psychicsarah … Based on the sort of hoaxes you find yourself the target of, the answer to that question could be pretty much ANYTHING!
in reply to psychicsarah # - @Herring1967 Seems a bit odd trying to “Bring Back…” something that’s just had a multi-million dollar remake released, anyway… in reply to Herring1967 #
- @Herring1967 (But I’d be careful messing with the man… just noticed his initials, pretty certain he’s the second coming.) in reply to Herring1967 #
- @psychicsarah Nobody ever bothers trying to scam me, either. Sigh. Sometimes I’m glad but other times it makes me feel unwanted… in reply to psychicsarah #
- @kmellon Hah! Don’t you have the little “In reply to” link? I was talking about the Katie Rogers book you tweeted about! in reply to kmellon #
- @kmellon Oh, the book looks beautiful, & reads ok – I think I’m just immune to the particular marketing slant! in reply to kmellon #
- @kmellon But then, I’ve spent a chunk of my life disproving the idea that women a) don’t like comics b) need a particular sort of comic… in reply to kmellon #
- @kmellon (Or at least trying to!) in reply to kmellon #
- Right, Asda run, I reckon. #
- Fair play, Mr Asda, if she was MY colleague, I’d probably make sure I was shelving near by, too! #
- & applaud your instincts, looking like SHE does, looking like YOU do, leading with humour. #
- @kmellon True. They are dropping the ball, aren’t they? in reply to kmellon #
- @joshhechinger Hmm… pretty sure that isn’t the case here, but possible UK version of Wii a different animal from US. Or I’m wrong. in reply to joshhechinger #
- Arrived home from Asda to discover UKIP & BNP flyers on the mat. It has put me in decidedly unpleasant mood. #
- Note to BNP: Political Correctness & weakness of the left is ONLY reason you are allowed to put stuff thru our doors. WIthout them you… #
- …wouldn’t be allowed to peddle your rancid wares & mainstream gov would feel more comfortable calling you out as what you are in public… #
- …& if you’re confused about what you are – & I know you’re listening, BNP – you are cunts. Of the highest order. #
- BTW, putting flyers thru the doors of people you’d see out of the country or bloodied in the street is a TERRIBLE waste of resources. #
-
Found Objects
We need comics. We don’t need the comic mainstream – certainly not as much as it needs us. And we wouldn’t even be having this argument about Watchmen if that book wasn’t part of that industry. It couldn’t have existed without it, it wouldn’t have been relevant without it, and most of us wouldn’t have even had the chance to read it without it.
We don’t have to give a shit about Watchmen, or Before Watchmen. We choose to.
We don’t have to fight about issues that we really have no skin in. We choose to.
We should really grow out of it.
Last Friday I wrote a really long post over at my site about Before Watchmen. It was probably too long, fence-sitting and unstructured to get as much widespread attention as some of the more aggressive pieces out there, but I still feel everything in it.
This is the tiniest part of it - a sentiment that I feel is pretty important - you can read the whole thing here.
I AM IN CONTROL OF MY EMOTIONS!
The Newly Announced Before Watchmen Is a Prime Example of What's Killing Mainstream Comics
“I have no idea whether this project will be any good or not. But it sits as a shining example of the fundamental flaw that exists in the comic industry, especially within DC Comics. They spend most of their time chasing the readers that grew up with their iconic characters rather than attempting to attract new readers who are growing up right now.”
Totally agree with this - though I think DC52, being a company-wide initiative, was more indicative of it, and I said as much at the time.
However, that backward looking trait in comics isn’t unique to publishers. Comic readers - many of whom are also comic retailers, which is a bigger issue - run wild with entitlement on either side of any comic-related debate, and stand ready to jump on anything that they perceive as a deviation or affront to comic texts or characters that they feel shouldn’t be touched. It all adds to the stupidly binary way any comic-related issue is handled.
The huge amount of brilliant work that goes un-discussed, unsupported and unbought in-between those two dominant cultures is the only genuine ongoing tragedy in comics today, I reckon. The rest is just semantics and negotiation of contracts.
Yup, yup, yup…the fact that people are wasting their time arguing about the merits of Before Watchmen while amazing books like The Interactives go largely ignored is, quite frankly, criminal.
Not least because it means that yet again we’re all having a conversation about Watchmen. I came to Watchmen a little bit late - like, a year after publication - and loved it at the time. It encouraged me to go on and read so many more other books, to read them critically, and work out why they work and don’t work etc etc etc. But the more people hold it to this impossible standard in such a hyperbolic and aggressive way, the more I find reasons to chip away at it.
If you love Watchmen that much, write about how good Watchmen is in it’s own right. Don’t use it as a stick to bash everything that’s come since. Don’t use it as a way to try and win an argument about whatever your pet comic issue is that week. I think Alan Moore’s biggest issue is that his book isn’t regarded enough in it’s own right, and it’s an important enough work to be handled without gossip-context and all the other bollocks that passes for adults-who-read-comics-talking-about-comics.
Show Alan Moore and Watchmen a bit of respect, and don’t try and impose your fucking context on it. It’s a work of art. It genuinely can’t be ruined by any art that follows, but it can be ruined by every third word spoken about it being bleaty, entitled shite.
Sorry, you said something? The Interactives? What’s that? I have never heard of it, therefore it must not be worth bothering with.
Yep, I completely agree with you here. As great as Watchmen was it has been a big part of what has utterly ruined comics (and I know that Moore agrees with this himself) as so many people have spent the years since using it as a template for what comic should be. It was a work of satire! It was never intended to be a “How To” guide for aspiring comic creators.
And The Interactives is this - http://theinteractives.com/
Huh. That looks ace, actually.
The Newly Announced Before Watchmen Is a Prime Example of What's Killing Mainstream Comics
“I have no idea whether this project will be any good or not. But it sits as a shining example of the fundamental flaw that exists in the comic industry, especially within DC Comics. They spend most of their time chasing the readers that grew up with their iconic characters rather than attempting to attract new readers who are growing up right now.”
Totally agree with this - though I think DC52, being a company-wide initiative, was more indicative of it, and I said as much at the time.
However, that backward looking trait in comics isn’t unique to publishers. Comic readers - many of whom are also comic retailers, which is a bigger issue - run wild with entitlement on either side of any comic-related debate, and stand ready to jump on anything that they perceive as a deviation or affront to comic texts or characters that they feel shouldn’t be touched. It all adds to the stupidly binary way any comic-related issue is handled.
The huge amount of brilliant work that goes un-discussed, unsupported and unbought in-between those two dominant cultures is the only genuine ongoing tragedy in comics today, I reckon. The rest is just semantics and negotiation of contracts.
Yup, yup, yup…the fact that people are wasting their time arguing about the merits of Before Watchmen while amazing books like The Interactives go largely ignored is, quite frankly, criminal.
Not least because it means that yet again we’re all having a conversation about Watchmen. I came to Watchmen a little bit late - like, a year after publication - and loved it at the time. It encouraged me to go on and read so many more other books, to read them critically, and work out why they work and don’t work etc etc etc. But the more people hold it to this impossible standard in such a hyperbolic and aggressive way, the more I find reasons to chip away at it.
If you love Watchmen that much, write about how good Watchmen is in it’s own right. Don’t use it as a stick to bash everything that’s come since. Don’t use it as a way to try and win an argument about whatever your pet comic issue is that week. I think Alan Moore’s biggest issue is that his book isn’t regarded enough in it’s own right, and it’s an important enough work to be handled without gossip-context and all the other bollocks that passes for adults-who-read-comics-talking-about-comics.
Show Alan Moore and Watchmen a bit of respect, and don’t try and impose your fucking context on it. It’s a work of art. It genuinely can’t be ruined by any art that follows, but it can be ruined by every third word spoken about it being bleaty, entitled shite.
Sorry, you said something? The Interactives? What’s that? I have never heard of it, therefore it must not be worth bothering with.
The Newly Announced Before Watchmen Is a Prime Example of What's Killing Mainstream Comics
“I have no idea whether this project will be any good or not. But it sits as a shining example of the fundamental flaw that exists in the comic industry, especially within DC Comics. They spend most of their time chasing the readers that grew up with their iconic characters rather than attempting to attract new readers who are growing up right now.”
Totally agree with this - though I think DC52, being a company-wide initiative, was more indicative of it, and I said as much at the time.
However, that backward looking trait in comics isn’t unique to publishers. Comic readers - many of whom are also comic retailers, which is a bigger issue - run wild with entitlement on either side of any comic-related debate, and stand ready to jump on anything that they perceive as a deviation or affront to comic texts or characters that they feel shouldn’t be touched. It all adds to the stupidly binary way any comic-related issue is handled.
The huge amount of brilliant work that goes un-discussed, unsupported and unbought in-between those two dominant cultures is the only genuine ongoing tragedy in comics today, I reckon. The rest is just semantics and negotiation of contracts.
Comments are disabled for this post