- @joshhechinger @XanderBennett HA! You two… Just… HA! That is easily my favourite bit of Firefly… #
- @BeaucoupKevin I can certainly dig it. (Damn… probably a bit too much delay for that to gel.) in reply to BeaucoupKevin #
- Not a massive Smiths OR Packham fan, but this is quite wonderful. http://is.gd/1p2GU. Thanks, @rhodri. Did he announce he would do this? #
- @indiaknight New avatar? in reply to indiaknight #
- @Lea_Ada_Franco Well, of course, we all now know you weren't, right? Not that it would have mattered, but, you know. in reply to Lea_Ada_Franco #
- @Mykx But… but it's your vinyl… in reply to Mykx #
- @sarahditum EXCELLENT! I only ever get to watch porn for the usual reasons. in reply to sarahditum #
- @SorenLorensen Yeah, you… Where WERE you…? in reply to SorenLorensen #
- @caitlinmoran We had a MASSIVE rainbow, earlier. After the rain. It… oh, hang on… Be easier to just SHOW you… in reply to caitlinmoran #
- http://twitpic.com/9jef6 – AWESOME rainbow from earlier tonight. Partly for @caitlinmoran #
- @caitlinmoran … Oh, also, our moon looked so big that we were singing not-quite-sober "That's amor-AY!" down our street… in reply to caitlinmoran #
- @EthanSuplee It's a fair response, to be honest. in reply to EthanSuplee #
- @ScruffyPanther Is… is that supposed to be a SCOTTISH accent? JESUS, EVERYONE thinks they can do a Scottish accent these days… in reply to ScruffyPanther #
- @ScruffyPanther … Schurely schome mischtake? (See, I can too…) in reply to ScruffyPanther #
- @Lea_Ada_Franco I think many of us have spent a bit of time with someone who wasn't healthy for us. Some obviously more than others, mind! in reply to Lea_Ada_Franco #
- @Mykx But… but I find myself more and more reassured by the plane of physical possessions…
in reply to Mykx # - Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear… There are these girls, yes? & they support the BNP, yes? We should ask searching questions about their beliefs: #
- Babes Of The BNP: http://is.gd/1pgaW #
- Q: "Sure thing. What ethnicity would you most like to make love to?" A: "Oh, God, British."Q: "Outside of that?" A: "Say… black." WHAT? #
- "Mum…was going to get a flat off the council…1st question they asked her…was “Are you an immigrant?” I don’t agree with that." WHAT? #
- This BNP girl seems to idolise Michael Jackson. WELL DONE MJ! You got white enough to be beloved by the white supremacists! WELL DONE! #
- @EthanSuplee Hah… If you want to know about racism, waving the Welsh/French heritage around in England will give you insights… #
- @EthanSuplee … Here, apparently, both are fair game! #
- @belle_lulu Oops, wrong end of the stick. Not MY mum. My mum is in Cyprus. Should be hashtagging, I'm sorry: http://is.gd/1pgaW in reply to belle_lulu #
- @bloggerheads Somehow, I suspect that girl doesn't actually know that. She seems to quite admire blacks, without irony. in reply to bloggerheads #
- @Mykx
I don't know how to get to Germany on a zero pence budget… in reply to Mykx # - Oh my god… hasn't ANYONE seen Mars Attacks! before? Not G1, not friends earlier on, & now not @belle_lulu. IT IS A CLASSIC! #
- (Also, my best "at the cinema" story is about a midnight showing of Mars Attacks! when it was released, but it's too long for Twitter.) #
- @bloggerheads They are mind-boggling womens, aren't they? MIND BOGGLING! in reply to bloggerheads #
- @bloggerheads I've been admonishing people for dismissing BNP supporters (Not members) as stupid, when they're just ill-informed. But this? in reply to bloggerheads #
- @belle_lulu It's really just too lovely a film. Stupid in a way that people weren't equipped for backwhen, but just lovely. in reply to belle_lulu #
- (I should note that I didn't find the BNP Babes link, but I lost track of who did.) #
- @Groonk To be fair it might not be the most solid of films, but I just love so much of it I can ignore the chaff. SJP Doghead! AckAckAckAck! in reply to Groonk #
- @Mykx GRRR STUPID REALITY! in reply to Mykx #
- @belle_lulu I will, but not tonight. Need my sleep…! in reply to belle_lulu #
- @thecraigmorris Isn't it…? Aren't they? in reply to thecraigmorris #
- @Mykx OH HA! I see what you did there… in reply to Mykx #
- @thecraigmorris I'd missed it… that actually IS genius! in reply to thecraigmorris #
- @belle_lulu Night, youse. Night to @ScruffyPanther, too! x in reply to belle_lulu #
- Absoludicrous! http://is.gd/1pkUT – Mr T on Recouping. An oldie but… you know the rest… #
- @davidbaillie @idsharman Well, you guys, I'm not even working, & I'm still up writing. So what's MY excuse? Incidentally: http://is.gd/1plxJ #
- @thepetshopboy Ooo, hate to be a spam man, but just posted a cinema story of mine, by request, over at Nixsight. S'here: http://is.gd/1plxJ #
- RT @charltonbrooker: "This is basically 'Britain's Got People', isn't it?" Yes, but it kind of appeals t'me in it's simplicity. #oneandother #
- @charltonbrooker …In that it's making no attempt to dress itself up as anything more than mundane. I quite like that compared to BB et al. in reply to charltonbrooker #
- Got an urge to hear the whole thing before bed, thanks to @thepetshopboy. Good one, sir! ♫ http://blip.fm/~9hj63 #
- My best "At the cinema" story, as requested by @belle_lulu: http://is.gd/1pn5g #
- @purseonality Yup, but the lids come off. Before you ask, I have NO idea why the kid took his lid off. KIDS! in reply to purseonality #
- Oh, by the way, morning! My tummy hurts, but Dog One's must have hurt more in the night – came down to find her in a bed full of sick. Ick. #
- @moontweet Yesterday I totally failed to hashtag #moonfruit properly. And it was a DAMN GOOD tweet, too. Stupid hashtags. in reply to moontweet #
- @thoughtmecca I know, right? in reply to thoughtmecca #
- @JHickman One of my two favourites of last year – the other was The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford. Oh, and Wall-E! in reply to JHickman #
- @ScruffyPanther Well, there's your answer right there. in reply to ScruffyPanther #
- @ScruffyPanther You probably deserved it, though, right? I was talking about your sleep issue! in reply to ScruffyPanther #
- @ScruffyPanther I meant… I mean you probably deserved the kick, & my previous tweet was about the sleep. This has got very complicated!
in reply to ScruffyPanther # - Existentially nerve-wracking, very well-made Barclays ad: http://is.gd/1pIC8 #
- @rhodri That's dangerous thinking, right there…! in reply to rhodri #
- @rhodri It left a bad taste in my mouth yesterday, & I felt myself slipping into bad old forum habits. Ignoring hashtag, now! in reply to rhodri #
- What constitutes "overdoing it" when it comes to the #moonfruit promotion, @bloggerheads? #
- Oh, gosh, this takes me back. Battle Of The Planets intro. TOTALLY different from Gatchaman: http://is.gd/1pK90 #
- Thundercats, Ho! – http://is.gd/1pKcK. Loved this sequence. Was always acutely aware of the difference to the animation of the show itself. #
- Did anyone else get unhealthily invested in the variable outcomes of the Terrahawks end credits as a kid? – http://is.gd/1pKiB – Red cheats! #
- God, I used to love Star Fleet. Remembering how people used to actually die in it, & ship designs were awesome – http://is.gd/1pKpb #
- Star Fleet – oh wow, I actually remember this scene really clearly. http://is.gd/1pKrW #
- Another opening sequence whose show didn't quite measure up: Pole Position – Only their uncle knows! – http://is.gd/1pKwJ... #
- … (Actually, opening sequence doesn't really measure up to nostalgia, either.) #
- Oh gosh. Childhood rocked! Power EXTREME! – http://is.gd/1pKDY #
- I'd say that my shameless 80s cartoon morning will affect numbers more than odd #moonfruit tweeting, @bloggerheads, but we'll see! #
- @ScruffyPanther ACTUAL Oirish, or in an Oirish accent? I refer you to our conclusion Sunday about accents… in reply to ScruffyPanther #
- @jensaltmann The problem when you meet someone you love BEFORE those lessons get learned: You kind of don't want them to have to learn them! in reply to jensaltmann #
- @jensaltmann Have similar issues. Plus my fiancee comes from family that doesn't argue, so some discussions either clam her up or escalate. in reply to jensaltmann #
- @ScruffyPanther Girl One took a while, but can now do Lucas bit of "Yeah AHknow", despite despising Little Britain. Other than that, nowt. in reply to ScruffyPanther #
- @jensaltmann Oddly, Girl One & I are the other way around when it comes to people, but she lacks some street sense. in reply to jensaltmann #
- @RebeccaFront Oh god PLEASE come up with a term that's NOT "Oral ulceration"? That's not a combination of words that makes me happy! in reply to RebeccaFront #
- http://is.gd/1pMMDb – I'm so sweet like a nice bon-bon, came out rapping when I was born. #
- RT @caitlinmoran #oneandother "Proof that the aspect of fame most people are interested in is "waving"." True. Good that it's OUT THERE now. #
- … Though I doubt it will make much difference to the culture as it could. #oneandother @caitlinmoran #
- This article isn't nearly as much of an anti BNP piece as it could have been, in fact remaining relatively factual: http://is.gd/1pNvO... #
- (Yes, I find it amusing that in reference to a news story in a newspaper, the term "relatively factual" doesn't need clarification.) #
- …The comments are interesting. And confused. #
- "Police said to have recovered a BNP card/other right-wing lit during raid on home of suspect charged under Terrorism Act."… #
- …"Since when as this been against the law?" Uh. It's the terrorism thing that's illegal… not the literature. Wally. #
- "so the BNP are getting blamed because someone had a membership card. will they now blame Islam if a terrorist is caught with a Quran?"… #
- … Well, sure. That SEEMS to be how the media & police have been dealing with Islamic extremism. But are you equating BNP with religion? #
- The most controversial claim the article seems to make is that extremism & terrorism are sometimes linked. Not problematic view, surely? #
- @belle_lulu Well, THAT'S concerning. Will go read now. in reply to belle_lulu #
- @GeekSyndicate Tell them about my skillfully mistimed & redundant Arkham Asylum post. No, actually, probably don't… in reply to GeekSyndicate #
- Oh, hang on, when did the daft young pretty lass get up on the plinth? & is she just pretty in relation to previous plinthers? #oneandother #
- @belle_lulu Oh, dear. I sense a problem with this plan. Also, HAVE REPLIED! in reply to belle_lulu #
- One thing I love about Twitter? The non-sequitirs: RT @Schofe: This is about to be the biggest sandwich you've ever seen! #
- Actually, thinking about it, wouldn't a terror campaign at this point be dangerously off BNP message, & make things tougher for Mr Griffin? #
- @acheverton Is that a response to the BNP Babes thing of last night, or the BNP terror links this morning? in reply to acheverton #
- Yes, @SamShepherd – no more #moonfruit after today. Which is good, because I still feel conflicted about the whole thing. #
- @bloggerheads NO! Let's hear the @realnickgriffin denounce these terrorisms – it will be more funnier. in reply to bloggerheads #
- Actually, @realnickgriffin, did you see the BNP Babes post that was around last night? #
- Odd… can't find any Flickr presence for #oneandother. Anyone know if there are pictures in the offing? #
- @SamShepherd Xactly. Also, I hate bloody hashtags, but this seems to be the one that burst my bubble. in reply to SamShepherd #
- @SorenLorensen Tut. Far too late for that… I am FURIOUS. And I hold a grudge for…woah, is that a new 20p piece? in reply to SorenLorensen #
- Wow. So, OK, main bank account now empty for the month. Have backups, but it's been a while since this happened so early in month. #
- @acheverton Oh dear… now there's no stopping you! in reply to acheverton #
- @davidgilray Yay, found it… thanks! in reply to davidgilray #
- @ScruffyPanther @belle_lulu You're all made of bloody mad, you. Sigh. Yet nother inevitable mam/au pair massacre imminent. Readying cleanup. #
- @belle_lulu Oh, no, bleach works fine to clear up blood & guts, just not DNA. Suspect crime will be cut & dried: Just thinking resale value. in reply to belle_lulu #
- @ScruffyPanther Yes… yes I am… in reply to ScruffyPanther #
- http://is.gd/1pVtC – Oh, wow. Couldn't even get through this. Suspect she has never met an actual IT guy in her life. Fascinating, really. #
- …Ta, by the way, @Sulman. #
- @ScruffyPanther I do so like to live up to expectations! in reply to ScruffyPanther #
- @ScruffyPanther You certainly do, young lady… you certainly do. in reply to ScruffyPanther #
- @Sulman Had something of the watery-ass low-comm-denom romance to it. Half expected IT bod to rip off his shirt & rescue her from her life! in reply to Sulman #
- @Sulman If @glinner hasn't seen it – http://is.gd/1pVtC – pretty sure he'll get a kick out of the contrast to his own vision of IT peeps. in reply to Sulman #
- @ScruffyPanther But… I thought playing UP the racism, while also introducing a whisp of condescension & misogyny would work wonders… in reply to ScruffyPanther #
- I posted this last week, on the GS site, but don't think I tweeted it. Out of date before I started writing, but enjoy: http://is.gd/1pWeR #
- @ScruffyPanther Oh, no, but it's PERFECT for a giant homo-erotic anti-man like myself! in reply to ScruffyPanther #
- I for one am terrified of our insect overlords: http://is.gd/1pWZw #
- @steevbishop OK! You know, at one point I was thinking of doing a series of comics about a war between we humans & ALL of the other animals. in reply to steevbishop #
- 2012: It's A Disaster!!! – http://is.gd/1pXO6. This may actually eclipse BAY-SPLOSIONS! #
- @caitlinmoran Though of course, perhaps that's insight enough into the character of the nation for the piece to have merit? #oneandother in reply to caitlinmoran #
-
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.
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