- Ok, you have probably forgotten about this, @RebeccaFront, but the story I was obsessing about was "The Over-Night Bag" by GG. It is odd… #
- Ah, balls. Just read an interview with Graham Greene that gives a really obvious reading of my fave Greene story that I hadn't registered… #
- @davidbaillie But, what? NOW I'm confused. Didn't @iamschmurgen just post on his blog that he IS Azzopardi? Did I miss the point completely? in reply to davidbaillie #
- @davidbaillie … I'll be honest, I find his accent completely impenetrable. in reply to davidbaillie #
- @davidbaillie
in reply to davidbaillie # - @RebeccaFront (It's still an excellent read, but in researching just now I realise that I may have misunderstood it entirely.) in reply to RebeccaFront #
- "They can take my lungs and kidneys, but my heart belongs to Daphne. Daphne!" #
- @MikeScantlebury No. Yes. I … don't know. How would I be able to tell? in reply to MikeScantlebury #
- @douglasnoble I was joking! Sean is about the ONLY person that I hadn't considered might be Schmurgen. Now I think only Schmurgen can be he. in reply to douglasnoble #
- @Sulman What's slightly unnerving is that I wasn't one of them. I'm nearly ALWAYS the source of giant turd jokes in my life. in reply to Sulman #
- @Sulman NOT JOKES STORIES. STUPID MONKEY BRAIN! in reply to Sulman #
- @douglasnoble I… so… what you're saying is he's not Sean? You know, before today, I hadn't considered it MIGHT be Sean… in reply to douglasnoble #
- @Sulman Have you read any of his stuff? It's really very good. He's a bit odd, though. Like, not @acheverton odd. A different sort of odd… in reply to Sulman #
- http://is.gd/1szJW – Omniscience – my cousin @georgelondon, ladies and gentlemen… A man who claims that he can't write. He's wrong. #
- @MissNixs Evenin' missus. in reply to MissNixs #
- Sitting down to first episode of this week's Torchwood. Spooky lights & close encounters. Oooh… #
- @_wild_rose_ I have no idea how to answer that question… in reply to _wild_rose_ #
- @MissNixs Ha! True enough indeed. Bloody charity… in reply to MissNixs #
- & that is now officially me a day behind on Torchwood. Sorry, @steevbishop, I tried, but couldn't get up to date. It's too good, you see… #
- …NORMAL Torchwood, I can do other things while it's on, but this series has been great fun, & I have things to do before sleeping.
# - …Barrowman, incidentally, shouldn't complain about the series length. Torchwood might have decent lifespan as Prime Suspect style show. #
- @steevbishop My thoughts 'xactly. Of course, this blows plans to watch the finale live tomorrow a bit out of the water. I won't catch up… in reply to steevbishop #
- @steevbishop …& G1 enjoyed what she saw of the 1st ep, but her day was a long one & she had to turn in before the 2nd… in reply to steevbishop #
- @steevbishop …Hoping she'll watch it all with me some day soon. in reply to steevbishop #
- Ooh… Has everyone else already seen this Doctor Who: Waters Of Mars preview? – http://is.gd/1sLS5 – Heebiejeebies! Also, The Thing-ish. #
- "What did she say?""She said… the jungle… passed wind?" #1stdraftmovielines #
- "This is madness!""No! This is the way we do things within our cruel and unforgiving culture, here in Sparta!" #1stdraftmovielines #
- Heh. "If that's how you treat your friends, imagine how you treat your enemies, worse I expect." #
- @MissNixs Did you use a swear on her comments section. Also, have you bled all of your blood out of your nose? in reply to MissNixs #
- "You're bleeding…" "Darn it. This is a pretty inconvenient time to bleed." #1stdraftmovielines #
- Loads of these 1st draft movie line things keep occurring to me, but I haven't seen the funny side since the first. Kind of. It's a disease! #
- OMG! LOVED this trailer a bit back, but now it has a dvd release date?? Mega Shark Vs Giant Octopus – http://is.gd/1sMxQ – @Sulman oh gosh. #
- Also, video of Resident Evil: Dark Chronicles & Deadspace: Extraction over @geeksyndicate – http://is.gd/1sMEk #
- "I'll have what the woman overcooking a fake orgasm is having, because I saw you walk over with it and it looked tasty." #1stdraftmovielines #
- RT @michaelfurious: #1stdraftmovielines: "I'm here to kick ass, and chew bubble gum. I love bubble gum." (HA!) #
- @_wild_rose_ That suggests that I ever take anything anyone says on the internet all that seriously! No point getting worked up, is there? in reply to _wild_rose_ #
- "She won't live forever. But then again, why would you want her to?" #1stdraftmovielines #
- Can't get a bead on whether or not Section 8 looks good, but the trailer ticks the right geek boxes: http://is.gd/1sOIk #
- @_wild_rose_ Wow. I have NO idea who you are. Should I? Is it really, terribly important? Or are you just this cute with everyone? in reply to _wild_rose_ #
- http://is.gd/1sUQF – Public Enemies review. The very short version is that it was alright. #
- There's a very short list of things I love, @_wild_rose_ …Ambiguity isn't really one of them. It's a useful tool to hide behind… #
- … But I've never been a big fan of hiding. #
- Right. Night. #
- @_wild_rose_ @nixsight leads to http://www.nixsight.net, which leads to my Flickr, MySpace, LJ etc, all of which have my real name… in reply to _wild_rose_ #
- @_wild_rose_ …Without mentioning Elephant Words, that I am ALL over. My real name is Nicolas Papaconstantinou. It's too long to use here. in reply to _wild_rose_ #
- @_wild_rose_ …I'll use vagueness for professional expediency, but I actually resent the implication that I'm lying when I'm not… in reply to _wild_rose_ #
- @_wild_rose_ …& I'm unsure what you think the various passive aggressive suggestions on how I should communicate are going to achieve. in reply to _wild_rose_ #
- @thepetshopboy You didn't like Collateral? For reals? This, I'd like to hear more about – I love that movie. Though Jamie Foxx is an odd un. #
- @_wild_rose_ I'm REALLY not. I am, by most accounts, on a scale measured down several years & bridges burned, a terrible cunt… Morning! in reply to _wild_rose_ #
- @thepetshopboy …What the hell is this? It's… oddly… awesome. I mean, you know, PROPER awesome. With devil horn fingers & everything. in reply to thepetshopboy #
- Ooh… Nice @Plustenstrength! We have a routine, now. Spaghetti Bolognese 1 day makes left-over sauce to be used for Chilli 2 days later… #
- @Plustenstrength …I make spag bol, Girl One makes the Chilli, & both are just lush. Is there a difference between UK chilli & con carne? in reply to Plustenstrength #
- @dcurtisj Oh, ha! in reply to dcurtisj #
- RT @dcurtisj: "That's funny. I totally recall owning this droid for years and years." #retconmoviedraftlines (RT'd for @Sulman's benefit.) #
- @_wild_rose_ Ah, I see how that might look like a disingenuous statement… I AM capable of moments of heat & fury in online discussion… in reply to _wild_rose_ #
- @_wild_rose_ …But my expectations of people, online & off, are generally low these days. So if I argue on the internet, well… in reply to _wild_rose_ #
- …It's just arguing on the internet. @_wild_rose_ #
- @thepetshopboy Agreed on Cruise, & at least in this movie Foxx was required to be a mumbling fool. I think I like the film's tightness. in reply to thepetshopboy #
- @thepetshopboy: "more @bandofskulls for you @nixsight …this one would make a perfect soundtrack to the next r… ♫ http://blip.fm/~9oap8 #
- "Now I have a machine gun! LOL!" #redraftedmovielines #
- @charlottelydia I see what you did there… Start high, negotiate down… Very clever…! in reply to charlottelydia #
- Open mic plus feature acts – Open call for poets or filmmakers at @making_theatre. (Disclaimer: I am somehow related to @making_theatre) #
- … Thought this #1stdraftmovielines thing had exhausted all possibilities. @DaveMcKean has woken up to it, tho, & is rocking out. #
- RT @Sulman: Oh Barack http://i27.tinypic.com/24n4377.jpg (Awesome!) #
- @Templesmith Wait, what? Did I miss Viking #2? Or are you just showing off? in reply to Templesmith #
- @steevbishop Re Tuesday Tweetup, it might be nice. Course, I'm loathe to make plans in case we're looking at wedding venues that night… #
- @Templesmith DAMMIT! Thanks, tho. Will look at weekend. in reply to Templesmith #
- @RebeccaFront …It is, isn't it? But for me, it was like my ideal short story for years: a kinda genre story but not shouting "I R HORROR!" in reply to RebeccaFront #
- @RebeccaFront …But while trying to find it to share yesterday-ish, I found interview with Greene in which he states that the bag is empty! in reply to RebeccaFront #
- @RebeccaFront … EMPTY!! Incredibly, that had never occurred to me before. in reply to RebeccaFront #
- @PiaGuerra Blimey! in reply to PiaGuerra #
- Incredible piece of footage of what happens when engineering meets extreme weather – http://is.gd/1txHl (Yay, thanks @PiaGuerra!) #
- @Emmavieceli Yay! Well done to all concerned! Is this your first neicephew? in reply to Emmavieceli #
- @Sulman Heh… my experience of you on Twitter today is entirely you tutting at things. In, uh, 2 tweets. It amuses! in reply to Sulman #
- @Sulman Yay! Grumpy old man mode! Went to Starbucks with G1 – looked at girls – you were missed! in reply to Sulman #
- @MOMBTWEETS When you say DRESSED as a policewoman, what do you mean exactly…? Actually policewomen dress as policewomen, don't they? in reply to MOMBTWEETS #
- @nixsight What did you do in London, btw? in reply to nixsight #
- @nixsight Oh, it was lovely. I did some shopping and… in reply to nixsight #
- … I'm fooling no-one that that was intentional, am I? #
- @RedMummy I was asking you, yo… just doing it badly! in reply to RedMummy #
- @georgelondon Wow, 40? Really? Hm. Course, some might have left comments, if they didn't have to log into MySpace to do so. Or else not! in reply to georgelondon #
- @Eamon_ Had that happen. Gave me the book THEN asked for the donation. I had to tell him I didn't have any cash but ta – & took the book. in reply to Eamon_ #
- @giagia I honestly think it's the best series they've had so far. in reply to giagia #
-
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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