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Post by wildknight on Dec 8, 2013 2:39:57 GMT -5
I love comics... but they're so spun out at this point that I can't think of one I would recommend to a non-comic book fan as a jumping off point right now. The comic bookiness is too thick everywhere. I guess I'd almost have to recommend that they start with Superior Spider-Man #1 since even most non-fans know enough of the history between Doc Ock and Peter Parker to get the general premise, but even that quickly gets into the thick of Parker's recent life & woes.
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Post by miketheratguy on Dec 8, 2013 2:47:29 GMT -5
It's strange though, it's not just that my interest isn't there, it's that the interest in becoming interested isn't there. I just don't really have the enthusiasm I suppose. Which is a shame because I know that there are countless stories and characters out there that I would probably be thoroughly entertained by, but I guess I'm just too picky to want to sort through everything and discover them all. There are already so many books and movies and games that still need my attention first, you know?
Wait, that's not the Spider-Man reboot from a couple years ago where he's a half-black, half-Latino, gay left-handed midget, is it?
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Post by wildknight on Dec 8, 2013 2:54:47 GMT -5
Wait, that's not the Spider-Man reboot from a couple years ago where he's a half-black, half-Latino, gay left-handed midget, is it? HELL NO. Can you seriously imagine ME of all people reading that crap? That's Ultimate Spider-Man volume 2 (and for the record, it's not a reboot, its an alternative universe). Superior Spider-Man features Doctor Octopus, who was dying of something or other, having transferred his consciousness into Peter Parker's body. I originally scoffed at the concept as incredibly stupid and gimmicky, but I gave it a fair shot (as I'm wont to do even with things I figure will be terrible), and the first several issues were really compelling. He kind of struggles with wanting to do things differently than he did in his own life, but he's still an arrogant sociopath, which of course makes him a better and more efficient "hero." The series actively lampoons the post-modern "comic book heroes should kill people" mentality, has Spider-Man blackmailing the mayor of NYC, etc. It's fun stuff. |
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Post by miketheratguy on Dec 8, 2013 4:09:42 GMT -5
Wait, that's not the Spider-Man reboot from a couple years ago where he's a half-black, half-Latino, gay left-handed midget, is it? HELL NO. Can you seriously imagine ME of all people reading that crap? No, but I can somehow imagine you recommending it to me for some reason.  |
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Post by wildknight on Dec 8, 2013 7:36:51 GMT -5
HELL NO. Can you seriously imagine ME of all people reading that crap? No, but I can somehow imagine you recommending it to me for some reason. I've never hated anyone enough to recommend that they inflict that garbage on themselves. The FIRST run of Ultimate Spider-Man, where they were re-telling the origin of Peter Parker, started out really good. The first... I dunno, 12 issues or so were great. |
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Post by setokaiba on Dec 8, 2013 7:59:43 GMT -5
It's strange though, it's not just that my interest isn't there, it's that the interest in becoming interested isn't there. I just don't really have the enthusiasm I suppose. Which is a shame because I know that there are countless stories and characters out there that I would probably be thoroughly entertained by, but I guess I'm just too picky to want to sort through everything and discover them all. There are already so many books and movies and games that still need my attention first, you know? Wait, that's not the Spider-Man reboot from a couple years ago where he's a half-black, half-Latino, gay left-handed midget, is it? I also heard that Spiderman is bisexual. They are changing Ms. Marvel to a Muslim( I know Muslin isn't a race just in case someone say "Muslim isn't a race") |
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Post by wildknight on Dec 8, 2013 8:20:00 GMT -5
I also heard that Spiderman is bisexual. They are changing Ms. Marvel to a Muslim( I know Muslin isn't a race just in case someone say "Muslim isn't a race") As long as it's not the current Ms. Marvel and it's a new one, I don't mind. There are basically no major Muslim characters, and America has a growing Muslim population. It seems like sooner or later one would become a heroic type... I'm just worried that it'll be more trouble than it's worth in the long run, because if you inaccurately portray a Muslim, somebody is going to have a fit. |
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Post by setokaiba on Dec 8, 2013 8:26:16 GMT -5
I also heard that Spiderman is bisexual. They are changing Ms. Marvel to a Muslim( I know Muslin isn't a race just in case someone say "Muslim isn't a race") As long as it's not the current Ms. Marvel and it's a new one, I don't mind. There are basically no major Muslim characters, and America has a growing Muslim population. It seems like sooner or later one would become a heroic type... I'm just worried that it'll be more trouble than it's worth in the long run, because if you inaccurately portray a Muslim, somebody is going to have a fit. They have a Muslim girl working on the comics( it was pretty much her idea). I hope it does okay.  |
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Post by charliebucketsgranpa on Dec 8, 2013 9:49:12 GMT -5
I'm kinda like Mike. I've never really had any desire to get into comics. I'm more of a novel guy.
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Post by setokaiba on Dec 8, 2013 9:58:11 GMT -5
I'm kinda like Mike. I've never really had any desire to get into comics. I'm more of a novel guy. If not for the cartoon shows I wouldn't really care for comics. Watching the Spider-man and Batman cartoon is what got me to care about them. |
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Post by charliebucketsgranpa on Dec 8, 2013 10:03:53 GMT -5
I'm kinda like Mike. I've never really had any desire to get into comics. I'm more of a novel guy. If not for the cartoon shows I wouldn't really care for comics. Watching the Spider-man and Batman cartoon is what got me to care about them. Honestly, I never really cared for the tv shows either. Super heroes in general never appealed to me, even as a kid. The only superhero I've really cared even a little about is Batman and that's only after playing Asylum and City. Even now the small interest I had in him after completing those has dwindled. |
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Post by miketheratguy on Dec 8, 2013 10:19:30 GMT -5
See, I don't even like cartoons about superheroes. It's such a strange thing to try to explain- I love almost all of the Batman movies, enjoyed Superman II and was keen on checking out Man of Steel. But I have almost no interest whatsoever in checking out a Batman or Superman comic book or cartoon at any point in the near future.
I'd say "okay, so obviously I'm just into cinematic versions of these stories" but I can't really say that this is it either, I've not yet come close to checking out the Avengers movie that's pretty much universally accepted as the best thing to happen since the dawn of our species.
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Post by setokaiba on Dec 8, 2013 10:48:49 GMT -5
The more I see of Man Steel the more I hate it. After I first saw it I thought it was very good, then a saw it a second time and that it was okay and now I seen it three times and is not a fan of the movie. The one thing that always bothered me in the Man of Steel movie was the part when Superman was in space and he floats away from Zod ship really slowly well doing in the crucifix pose. I understand they really wanted to drive it home that Superman is Jesus but they could have picked a better time.
I really like Dark Knight and Dark Knight Rises even if they are universally hated on here. I hate Batman and Robin and the one with Tommy Lee and Jim Carey.
I never seen Superman 2
I think the reason every like the Avengers so much is because it didn't really do anything to piss off the comic fans. A lot of hate for comic movies come from the fact they change something that was in the comics. I don't have a problem with movies doing their own take on a superhero as long as it done okay.
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Post by wildknight on Dec 8, 2013 12:11:14 GMT -5
I also read tons of novels... but the thing about comic books is that they are one of few truly and uniquely American forms of story-telling. Ten thousand years from now, if somehow our culture got wiped out and they had to judge from archaeological findings, anthropologists would probably conclude that we literally believed in super heroes, or at least that we used them as pseudo-religious Aesop's fable type lessons like the Greeks did with Hercules & Theseus.
You don't have to be into comics just like you don't have to be into Greek mythology. Everyone has their own interests... but for me, there's a deep love of the history and formulas of the industry, and I'm eternally interested in how you can track cultural movements (albeit with a skewed perspective) for the past 50 years through the medium by observing the changes in the characters and their behavior, etc. It's all very fascinating to me.
AND, on a purely subjective level... the notion that Superman KNEW he was going to die fighting Doomsday but threw that last punch anyway because he might, MIGHT save some lives by doing so? That's the best of us, right there. That's what humanity is capable of when we stop letting ourselves get in the way. For some reason it's easier for us to embrace cynicism and reject any truth that challenges our ability to view the entire world from within ourselves while falsely calling that skepticism... but when we cut through all of the bullshit and acknowledge, however briefly, what "love" truly is and how utterly selfless it forces us to be... what happens is always epic.
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Post by wildknight on Dec 8, 2013 12:17:23 GMT -5
The more I see of Man Steel the more I hate it. After I first saw it I thought it was very good, then a saw it a second time and that it was okay and now I seen it three times and is not a fan of the movie. The one thing that always bothered me in the Man of Steel movie was the part when Superman was in space and he floats away from Zod ship really slowly well doing in the crucifix pose. I understand they really wanted to drive it home that Superman is Jesus but they could have picked a better time. He's floating in the pose that physics would naturally cause him to take. Ever seen a body floating limply in water? The arms spread away from the body. It's the natural action of your limp form in a medium that causes you to "float." They actually toned the usual Messianic packaging of Superman way, way down for Man of Steel. They were clearly aiming for a much more "Nu52" take on the character, with constant reminders of just how human he really is. If you want to see SuperJesus in all of his glory, that's the Christopher Reeves movies... right down to the fact that he at one point, out of love (admittedly romantic love for a single human, not selfless love for an entire species) gives up his powers to become mortal, suffers as a mortal, is eventually defeated, and reascends to his godly throne to conquer (that particular) evil once and for all. ... don't get me started on how he saved us all from nuclear armageddon a few years later. |
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Post by setokaiba on Dec 8, 2013 12:29:22 GMT -5
The more I see of Man Steel the more I hate it. After I first saw it I thought it was very good, then a saw it a second time and that it was okay and now I seen it three times and is not a fan of the movie. The one thing that always bothered me in the Man of Steel movie was the part when Superman was in space and he floats away from Zod ship really slowly well doing in the crucifix pose. I understand they really wanted to drive it home that Superman is Jesus but they could have picked a better time. He's floating in the pose that physics would naturally cause him to take. Ever seen a body floating limply in water? The arms spread away from the body. It's the natural action of your limp form in a medium that causes you to "float." They actually toned the usual Messianic packaging of Superman way, way down for Man of Steel. They were clearly aiming for a much more "Nu52" take on the character, with constant reminders of just how human he really is. If you want to see SuperJesus in all of his glory, that's the Christopher Reeves movies... right down to the fact that he at one point, out of love (admittedly romantic love for a single human, not selfless love for an entire species) gives up his powers to become mortal, suffers as a mortal, is eventually defeated, and reascends to his godly throne to conquer (that particular) evil once and for all. ... don't get me started on how he saved us all from nuclear armageddon a few years later. I never read a Nu52 comic. I heard the Superman one is kinda emo. I'm not even going to have go on a rant about him saving us from a nuke somehow. I'm just going to assume Superman stopped Lex from firing a nuke and not something stupid. |
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Post by setokaiba on Dec 8, 2013 12:31:09 GMT -5
I also read tons of novels... but the thing about comic books is that they are one of few truly and uniquely American forms of story-telling. Ten thousand years from now, if somehow our culture got wiped out and they had to judge from archaeological findings, anthropologists would probably conclude that we literally believed in super heroes, or at least that we used them as pseudo-religious Aesop's fable type lessons like the Greeks did with Hercules & Theseus. You don't have to be into comics just like you don't have to be into Greek mythology. Everyone has their own interests... but for me, there's a deep love of the history and formulas of the industry, and I'm eternally interested in how you can track cultural movements (albeit with a skewed perspective) for the past 50 years through the medium by observing the changes in the characters and their behavior, etc. It's all very fascinating to me. AND, on a purely subjective level... the notion that Superman KNEW he was going to die fighting Doomsday but threw that last punch anyway because he might, MIGHT save some lives by doing so? That's the best of us, right there. That's what humanity is capable of when we stop letting ourselves get in the way. For some reason it's easier for us to embrace cynicism and reject any truth that challenges our ability to view the entire world from within ourselves while falsely calling that skepticism... but when we cut through all of the bulls*** and acknowledge, however briefly, what "love" truly is and how utterly selfless it forces us to be... what happens is always epic. I thought Superman survived the fight with Doomsday didn't they say he was in a coma or something? |
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Post by charliebucketsgranpa on Dec 8, 2013 12:47:07 GMT -5
I've thought of checking out Batman Begins and Dark Knight but never got around to it. Mainly for Michael Caine.
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Post by wildknight on Dec 8, 2013 13:12:01 GMT -5
I thought Superman survived the fight with Doomsday didn't they say he was in a coma or something? Well yes, but to be fair, at the time he didn't know he was Jesus 8) He thought that once he was dead he was just plain dead. For some reason the fact that his body would repair itself if left in the sunlight never came up in all the stuff he read in the Fortress before that 8) |
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Post by ethanm1834 on Dec 8, 2013 17:35:29 GMT -5
Ah Superman is a gem, however he's also a dick. It's always fun to look at his super dick hijinks in action. That's comics though even the best of us is a dick, in someway.
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