Growler's Random Thoughts...

INDEX

<Previous Random Thoughts... | Current Random Thoughts...>

Rawle Austin's Blog - Positive life commentary...

...The violin.

Just love the sound of it. Especially the slow pieces.

I've always enjoyed classical music but when I break it down, the parts I enjoy most are the string sections, leaning towards the violin.

One of these days I'll get myself some lessons.

But in the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy that wonderful sound.

Listening out for good violinists...

...write superhero fiction.

I'm a huge fan of this in all it's many forms including comic books/graphic novels, movies and animated series.

Though I'd love to create my own 'universe' of characters, I've a certain fascination with the Marvel Comics universe (they're the people who produce Spider-Man and The X-Men).

My personal favourite concept of theirs is the Avengers. A quality superhero team book.

And the character formerly known as Captain Marvel and Photon.

The one and only Monica Rambeau herself.

I'd love to write a mini-series for this character.

So why don't I?

Well, though I'd like to pretend that I'm a best selling author, the fact is I'm not and have to learn the craft as it were.

This is a long term ambition and one day it will see fruit.

But not now.

(...or should I say on the bus to and from work!)

Economics for Dummies by Sean Masaki Flynn PhD.

This is a topic that I've always wondered about but never studied.

It's truly been an eye opener!

This is something that affects all of us, worldwide.

We all like to buy stuff (for ourselves or others) which makes us happy.

From a pair of shoes to a property.

Economics is basically the study of how and why people, businesses and countries choose what to buy when faced with a choice of things to buy and limited resources (money).

It's a fascinating topic and a great read, written in a fun way.

I've learnt a lot and feel suitably enlightened.

My Love by Justin Timberlake. I just can't get enough of this song!

From the fantasic lyrics to the amazing Timbaland produced beats.

This tune deserves to go places!

What a film!

Went to see this yesterday.

From the cool introduction to the quality opening sequence.

Bond has been refreshed for a brand new start.

This is an origin tale and we learn a bit of character behind the man.

I welcome the move to humanize him rather than have him being a superhero type figure.

All his flaws are on show and it makes for a cracking movie.

The stunts and real and breathtaking. I loved the chase scene, set in Uganda. Pure quality.

We're treated to a globe trotting, raw thriller with a lot of heart.

Daniel Craig has done 007 justice and I'm looking forward to more.

A classic Bond movie!

Go see it!

Continuing from my previous theme, here's the book end to those last thoughts (see previous post).

Again, the parallels to what's happening today in superhero comic books and all entertainment media is uncanny.

Enjoy!

Guess what? The superhero genre has just got cool. It has widened the gulf between the staid house style-written, comics code-entrenched, out of date, out of time and cliched concepts the majority of mainstream comics have devolved into and the new life being breathed into it by quality writers and editorial freedom.

The vanguard of this revitalised movement was made popular by Warren Ellis whose mainstream genre busting work includes Marvel's Excalibur and totally reinventing WildStorm's Stormwatch concept with grit and realism that evolved into The Authority which Mark Millar has hit the ground running since his take over.

Alan Moore is always on form and, after a prolonged absence, the phenomenal America's Best Comics line and most notably Top Ten is an excellent ambassador for mature superhero storytelling in comics.

Joe Michael Straczynski's Rising Stars is another good example of innovative storytelling which makes you feel you've got value for money; something that most of the traditional mainstream titles just don't do any more.

The Marvel Knights imprint has finally made some of Marvel's characters accessible to new readers and disenfranchised ex-fanboys by the top notch talent on show and the quality end product.

Witness Garth Ennis's Punisher, Joe Quesada, Kevin Smith and David Mack's Daredevil, Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee's Inhumans to name but a few.

DC Comics (home of Superman), never to be out done, have the massively popular Batman stable littered with literary greats, including Chuck Dixon, Greg Rucka and Devin Grayson, as well as Bob Gale's classic No Man's Land epic.

With Chris Claremont's return to the X-Men and a better than expected fresh start this is truly a great time to be into comics.

Coming back to Warren Ellis, his WildStorm Planetary series is a great poke of fun at the whole genre from it's humble beginnings, and delivers off beat thrillers every time with a little twist in the tail.

He is currently ahead of his game, which has culminated to his stewardship of Counter X, the revamp of Marvel's lower tier X-titles ? which in my opinion is the best thing that has happened to the titles since their conception.

At the moment, one of my favourite entrants into the playing field is Brian Michael Bendis. His Image title, Powers, has me gagging for more.

The dialogue and scripting is awesome and has been the catalyst for my foray into comics journalism after boring all my mates with endless plans for such, and has prompted me to try my hand at writing comics.

Bendis's writing makes you feel for the characters by making them three-dimensional with his clever use of speech balloons.

All in all this is a blatant hard sell for a concept I feel isn't dead and can be accessible to all through increased production of trade paperbacks which are great to read on the bus or train and are a welcome change from the sea of tabloids, broadsheets and novels.

Also, comics on the Internet is another concept to reach out to the masses and is being pioneered by many.

So, up the revolution! It's time to change the world (well maybe just a small part of it!).

Ok, here's a little something I prepared earlier.

When I was younger and less blogged up.

It still has relevance today, especially in light of the ascendancy of superhero films at the box office.

So sit back and enjoy the ride, and take a trip back to the year 2000...

The future of comics is at the moment standing at a crossroads. A sudden glut of new publishers have sprung up from the abyss to challenge the supremacy of the big two, Marvel and DC.

Hindsight tells me that, for all their good intentions, they will have an uphill struggle because the saturation of titles already out there makes it simply too expensive to collect an untested title in an untested line.

I predict a battle between CrossGeneration Comics and Gorilla Comics (as opposed to Black Bull and Infinity Comics) to last the longest due to the greater 'star name appeal' and the sheer will (according to recent interviews) to change the industry environment.

'What about creator power' I hear you cry, 'all these new contenders have various established names at the helm, they're bound to succeed', to which I simply say, was Alan Moore enough to save Rob Liefield's Awesome line (even though I personally enjoyed his version of Youngblood).

Nothing I've heard or read about these new companies urges me to read their product and drop my current favourites, all the proposed concepts sound depressingly familiar with no new trail blazing ideas bursting out.

Yes, I guess I am a Marvel/DC junkie but even the big two have been lacking originality recently by churning out retro titles set at a time when they could do no wrong and stories that would seem more at home ten or more years ago.

My reading tastes have gradually shifted in 17 years from emphasis on the characters to the creators with Warren Ellis, Alan Moore, Kurt Busiek, Priest and Chris Claremont to name but a few among my favourites.

Seeing these creators visions of the classic, established characters must give every fanboy a buzz, Ellis on Excalibur was great, though clearly editorially stifled, can't wait for Counter X, Ellis's own take on Gen X, X-Man and X-Force.

Likewise, Chris Claremont's return to X-Men, ironically the biggest thing that has happened to the titles since Claremont left, could also be the return of lasting, emotive, powerful drama and high octane entertainment or it could be the final nail in the coffin for a once great title but I'll be along for the ride initially.

Should these classic titles and characters be allowed to rest in peace under past glories and so allow new blood in the field? Well, until no more new life can be breathed into them I say let them continue.

Titles like The Authority, Top 10 and Planetary are the next logical step for long time fanboys and lovers of good fiction. Strong, original stories like these coupled with competent, coherent art will always sell and these need to be collected into trade paperbacks, constantly in print, to appeal to a wider audience.

The fact that they languish outside of the top 50 of Diamonds sales chart serves as no indicator of their quality.

One way forward is to make all new titles mini or maxi-series so as when a particular creative team leave, as they often go in pairs, stop the title and start it again with new creators.

This avoids the never ending title and makes it easier to collect. In other words, collect for the creator rather than for the character.

A good example would be Dan Jurgens and John Romita Jr's Thor. If Marvel can't find a decent artist to replace JRJR why risk a drop in quality in the title? Finish it in style.

The days of continuing with a title, regardless of quality, with the risk of losing the popularity generated by a particular creative team should be consigned to history.

Obviously if a suitable or better replacement can be found then the series can be kept going. This idea could also serve to test the water for a viable ongoing series.

How many brand new titles have been cancelled due to reader apathy, there's too much crap out there, even after the excessiveness of the early nineties all the lessons still haven't been learnt.

Fans vote with their wallets and no one in their right mind is going to buy a crap comic (and crap is universal).

Marvel's latest gimmick, the Monster issues, whereby fans get the normal monthly comic together with additional reprints for $2.99 instead of the normal $1.99, worries me because there is no opportunity to buy the normal cheaper version with no reprints, you have to pay the higher price to get the current story.

This sets a dangerous precedent about restricting freedom of choice.

The current trend for putting big names on titles will guarantee short term sales but inevitably a fair few of these will go on to creator owned titles and only the most disciplined will survive that crossover (Humberto Ramos on the quality and punctual Crimson against Joe Maduireia BattleChasers. So good but so late, or J. Scott Campbell on Danger Girl, late but still finds time to do the odd Wizard cover?!).

Ramos is single handedly keeping the Cliffhanger imprint afloat. The discipline lacking in some creators for promising much and delivering little will only harm themselves as fans will look elsewhere for good stable titles, titles that are consistently good and on time.

The most recent examples of creator instability are Travis Charest on WildCATS who left after six issues and Steve Rude on X-Men:Children of the Atom (COTA for short) leaving the six-issue mini-series after only three issues.

Issue one of X-Men:COTA came out in summer '99 and issue three is out in April 2000, it's supposed to be a monthly title so go figure. It's a shame to see quality titles lose their steam and main selling point.

Jae Lee and Carlos Pacheo managed to stay on Inhumans and Avengers Forever respectively to make it a heavyweight series so what happened? Another case for mini and maxi-series only.

The superhero genre is not as played out as a lot of people believe, true it unfairly gets the highest profile of all the genres but there is a market for it or the comics just wouldn't sell.

It can reinvent itself constantly (without heavy editorial interference).

There is plenty of room in comics for all genres to coexist side by side, so instead of people slagging off readers of one genre, they should perhaps give more support to the type of comics they like and talk to the retailers to raise that title's profile.

Well, the crossroads are still waiting to be travelled by the comics industry and only time will tell if the path taken will be positive or detrimental but it will be interesting to watch from the sidelines as it is always.

Till next time keep reading the comics and keep the faith.

[Back to Top]

[GrowlersWorld Business]

[Top 20 Charts: Site Statistics]

[Disclaimers, Small Print and Legal Stuff]

[Contact]

[Home Page]