- @Sulman LOLS. You're in trouble if you show LESS self control when I'm there than when I'm not. I'm basically death to self control! in reply to Sulman #
- @driis Trick question… it's two songs. One by De La Soul: Ring Ring Ring. And the other… Curiosity Killed The Cat? in reply to driis #
- @buxtontheblue Or an expensive whore who just happens to have a lot of very well-to-do clients? in reply to buxtontheblue #
- @driis (I actually hate myself that I was proud that I'd retained that bit of information. Oh dear.) #
- @GeekSyndicate Mention the MOMB Podcast! in reply to GeekSyndicate #
- @SorenLorensen Yay! YAY! I'm as happy as a guy watching 1st season episodes of Fringe! Not as good as yours, I suppose. in reply to SorenLorensen #
- Walter in Fringe is absolutely wonderfully peculiarly wonderful. #
- @joshhechinger It's not THAT big a lie, is it? I'm sure I've seen those somewhere… in reply to joshhechinger #
- @simonpegg EVERYBODY'S poo has bits of New Moon in it. It's like a THING. in reply to simonpegg #
- Hey you guys! I have written something stupid at Elephant Words. It's called "His Unnerving Gaze" – http://bit.ly/iGuzb #
- The EW piece I wrote today – http://bit.ly/iGuzb – is a companion piece to the 1st EW piece I ever wrote! http://bit.ly/39sa6l #
- @laineyw Aww, we've missed you too! How you doing? in reply to laineyw #
- RT @iainlee: I think they still make one new Frasier episode every week. They just never show them. #
- @SamShepherd I found that article really hard to parse… prejudiced response to a prejudiced, antagonistic source makes for a wobbly read! in reply to SamShepherd #
- @SamShepherd When I was at school there was certainly that divide… but noticed it applied to boys doing HE more than girls doing CDT. in reply to SamShepherd #
- Been meaning to ask someone, so will ask @Amelia_Torode – where do those quaint & lovely avatars that loads of people have come from? #
- @camiknickers Wait, what? Didn't you wake up happy? I don't know if I can handle these REALLY SLOW mood swings… (That WAS you, right?) in reply to camiknickers #
- @davidbaillie Are you invoking one of the Old Gods? in reply to davidbaillie #
- Yay! Thanks to @Amelia_Torode, I can consider that bandwagon officially JUMPED. Possibly a little after the barn doors needed closing. Errm. #
- Oh, FINE, 1960s… apparently hair like mine wasn't considered APPROPRIATE on a man in an ad agency. Happy with the compromise, mind. #
- …I think the Mad Men Yourself thing is probably that tiny bit more fun if you're a girl. #
- @Specsneedaclean I made myself AWESOME! in reply to Specsneedaclean #
- @Sulman Hah… the funny thing is, you only have 3 body shapes at your disposal – skinny, muscley or fat. So I had to go with FAT… in reply to Sulman #
- @Sulman I think I'm almost precisely the least suited person to a Mad Men makeover in the world. I want to see you in it. Or @SorenLorensen. in reply to Sulman #
- @Sulman There's something about a tall guy with short/no hair, or lady with long red hair, that is just classic, innit? in reply to Sulman #
- @Sulman Yup! XACTLY! You are JUST LIKE Jean Luc Picard. in reply to Sulman #
- @Sulman …Which I guess makes me the wildly varying waistlined Riker? in reply to Sulman #
- @Sulman Worf? You wound me. But… actually, yeah, okay… in reply to Sulman #
- @camiknickers Dammit… I'm getting my Twitter peoples mixed up, and mixing myself up in the process. This is NO GOOD. in reply to camiknickers #
- @SorenLorensen Those funny little Twitter avatars that people have had for months but I've only just found out how to get. in reply to SorenLorensen #
- @Sulman So what you're saying is, if I wore a vest, & started feeling ANGSTY when I kill people instead of roaring, Sayid? in reply to Sulman #
- @SorenLorensen http://is.gd/4kEqu in reply to SorenLorensen #
- @Sulman You mean, instead of the "too deep, some of the time" that I do already…? in reply to Sulman #
- @acheverton Loaded pretty quick here. But I've been having all sorts of problems on home network. Suspect it would have taken longer there. in reply to acheverton #
- @james__buckley There's always pornography. in reply to james__buckley #
- @Amelia_Torode It's certainly a very flattering version of me! It's a nice tool – it makes me long for a Sims graphics filter. in reply to Amelia_Torode #
- @Specsneedaclean Aww, ta! in reply to Specsneedaclean #
- This Mad Men thing makes me think that instead of new content expansions for games like Sims, I'd like top-to-bottom graphic filters… #
- …So that if you wanted to shift it to 2d sepia-style visuals for a bit, you'd just toggle it and PRESTO! #
- @Sulman Now, that's a really excellent idea… in reply to Sulman #
- @buxtontheblue Tut. You keep saying stuff that sets my innuendo sense tingling. You're a bad lady. in reply to buxtontheblue #
- @buxtontheblue (Actually, "orgy of the mouth" is probably a nonuendo.) in reply to buxtontheblue #
- @Sulman Starting to question wisdom of protesting the BBC over this. Dislike BNP as much as anyone, but the BBC have their mandate, innit? in reply to Sulman #
- The more restrictive/irrational the anti-BNP effort aims to be, the stronger the insidious arguments BNP supporters use become. #
- Offered without comment: "You dont seem to be able to have an opinion on anything nowadays without being called racist." #
- Actually, fuck that. "You dont seem to be able to have an opinion on anything nowadays without being called racist." …when you're racist. #
- @Sulman … AND the pizza.
in reply to Sulman # - @Sulman I feel dirty. And not entirely in a good way. in reply to Sulman #
- @Sulman Though I have to say, your triumphalism is making me feel a BIT better about my decision. in reply to Sulman #
- @Sulman …Also why aren't there any pictures of ME as a little kid covered in food? I feel strangely cheated. in reply to Sulman #
- @Sulman Once A WEEK? in reply to Sulman #
- Merlin Mann has a post collecting together some different media that shows the development of Born To Run. Fascinating: http://is.gd/4kTn9 #
- @steevbishop Ha! Honestly, the clientele in the canteen is much more impressive than the food. Most days. in reply to steevbishop #
- That avatar really doesn't look like me. But it IS kinda half making me want to change the way I look so it does. #
- @rhodri Clicking on a @porksmith link at work is just one of those mistakes you only ever have to make once. Never again! in reply to rhodri #
- @steevbishop Oh, the eating isn't a problem… it's the vague feeling of guilty nausea afterwards that I'm struggling with! in reply to steevbishop #
- @steevbishop …I can't get me ONE head straight, innit? Get me two head straight? Ain't no way, ain't no how. in reply to steevbishop #
- @jackassletters But my old one wasn't even of me… Is that what you're getting at? in reply to jackassletters #
- @DimitriMOMB Dude! That's EXACTLY what it's like… http://is.gd/4kEqu in reply to DimitriMOMB #
- @Sulman Younglings? There's like two upsetting things in that short Tweet that I just can't put my finger on… in reply to Sulman #
- @Sulman @sarahditum Oh…! For a sec, I entirely forgot that Rick Witter was anything but pop rhyming slang. He was really real, wasn't he? #
- @sarahditum Weren't 3 of those 13 hits "Going For Gold"? There was a point there where that seemed to be being released once a year. in reply to sarahditum #
- @Sulman Exactly! in reply to Sulman #
- @DimitriMOMB Whenever you get to that thinking, doubt it! Doubt it! in reply to DimitriMOMB #
- @Specsneedaclean Uuuhm… in reply to Specsneedaclean #
- Mark Millar is MUCH more soft-spoken than I'd imagined he might be… http://is.gd/4kWi6 #
- @DimitriMOMB I didn't realise he was a homophobe. We should totally all jump him tonight. in reply to DimitriMOMB #
- @Specsneedaclean OH I SEE! I never know where you're going to end up, that whirlwind life of yours… in reply to Specsneedaclean #
- Predictions for tonight's MOMB podcast: @DimitriMOMB won't utter his catchphrase once. I won't giggle like a fucking idiot AT ALL… #
- Predictions for tonight's MOMB podcast: Jon ends up getting an injunction on rest of us. Distracted at last min by question about Millar… #
- Predictions for tonight's MOMB podcast: @RichMOMB will perform a segue without announcing it first. #
- Why on earth aren't I just calling it the MOMBcast? You'd all know what that meant, right? #
- @DimitriMOMB (Teehee!) in reply to DimitriMOMB #
- @Sulman Eep, plenty of what? That tweet broke my Tweetdeck's ability to follow a thread… in reply to Sulman #
- @Specsneedaclean Well, whirlwind enough… Free as a bird, and all that…! in reply to Specsneedaclean #
- Should we be soliciting shout-outs & conversation topics for the podcast? Recording tonight, all y'all… maybe hashtag requests #MOMBcast? #
- @SorenLorensen Sweetie, you'll be fine. We won't let anything bad happen to you. Me and the voices… in reply to SorenLorensen #
- @Sulman YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW? Oh my god no! in reply to Sulman #
- @SorenLorensen What will we do till you land. Actually, do they HAVE phones in Ireland? in reply to SorenLorensen #
- OH MY GOD you guys! New @autotunethenews – http://bit.ly/3TxkGp – will I regret getting excited before hearing it? #
- @tim12s EXACTLY! in reply to tim12s #
- @RichMOMB You know, I think professional podcasters only announce their toilet-breaks on their return. We should try that!! in reply to RichMOMB #
- @DimitriMOMB I think the dogs might do an alright job. But your bowl is in an alcove so even if we WANTED a 4-way swordfight, we couldn't. in reply to DimitriMOMB #
- @SorenLorensen Oh my god! You're going to be like a cavewoman on your return, aren't you? in reply to SorenLorensen #
- @Sulman That… is a word, isn't it? Alcove? Alcove? Alcove? Alcove? No, it's losing all meaning, now. Alcove? What DOES it mean? in reply to Sulman #
- @Sulman Oh, right. Need to watch again, obviously. I get the feeling I will ALWAYS need to watch it again, even after watching it again. in reply to Sulman #
- @SorenLorensen You're just saying that now because you're concerned that it made it sound a bit disgusting, aren'tcha? in reply to SorenLorensen #
- @Sulman I suspect, knowing how it turns out, that I'd find the whole thing a bit sad, next time around. in reply to Sulman #
-
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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