Diseased #Comicsgate - The Culture Wars Hit The Funny Books!

[One Man Bland]

Among the nerd circles I run with, they really want to salvage Ms Marvel by retconning her into a mutant instead of an inhuman. Her being an Inhuman is probably her biggest setback, not only is she part of a bargain bin (in-Universe) knock off X-Men, her powers are massively underdeveloped.

The Inhumans have never been as popular as the X-Men, outside of very few characters (Black Bolt, Medusa), it would be very difficult to find someone saying their favorite character is an Inhuman. The Inhumans would have been fine if Marvel didn’t try to replace the X-Men with them, because of that one move, they turned apathy to genuine hatred and it has massively damaged the marketability of them. They went from having 3 ongoings (Black Bolt, Secret Warriors, Royals) to just 1 event (Death of The Inhumans) without any current ongoing (not counting Ms. Marvel and Moon Girl/Devil Dinasaur).

The problem with that kind of retcon is at this point it’s way too late to try and introduce the concept of mutants in the case of the films (ignoring that Fox has the rights to X-Men) and trying to introduce something like mutants this late in the franchise would pretty much break all the suspension of disbelief for audiences. And with the comics they’ve kinda invested so much into her being an Inhuman that they can’t really backtrack on that without some sort of massive reboot, so the best they’ve been able to do is try and discreetly sweep her affiliation with subhumans under the rug and pretend those parts didn’t happen.

But it does leave her in a precarious position when it comes to adaptation, since her origin is otherwise really boring but changing that could change her character pretty radically. There’s a lot of different variations as to what happened to Krypton, or how Peter Parker gets bitten by the spider, or what war Tony Stark became a POW, but no one ever messes with the broad details because they wouldn’t be recognizable otherwise, you know?

But really it’s going to depend on Captain Marvel does to see if they’ll follow up with Kamala, and even if CM somehow exceeds expectations I’ve noticed that Marvel fatigue has finally started to set in for a lot of the moviegoers.

 

[Francis York Morgan]

I guess I can see what she meant - if someone can shapeshift, nearly any foe or problem can be beaten by changing shape to accomodate it. So the writing would need to make it so either a)the situations can't easily be solved by changing shape or b)overpowering the enemies.

If she didn't have the creativity or talent to handle the powers then she shouldn't have made Kamala a shapeshifter. I know, preaching to the choir here, but Kamala really highlights the lack of talent with the writers Marvel has brought on. She's like a catch-all for so many of the company's creative issues.

 

[RockVolnutt]

If she didn't have the creativity or talent to handle the powers then she shouldn't have made Kamala a shapeshifter. I know, preaching to the choir here, but Kamala really highlights the lack of talent with the writers Marvel has brought on. She's like a catch-all for so many of the company's creative issues.

Kamala and Miles both have that effect on people. Kamala just becomes "Woke angry brown girl X" when in the hands of a Mark Waid despite not matching the awkward fangirl she is supposed to be in her own comic. Similar if you listen to social media, people think Miles Morales is "Spider-Man: AYYO HOL UP edition" when he's comically more whitebread than Peter Parker ever was. He goes to a boarding school, doesn't have money issues, and has a father in SHIELD who can bail him out of trouble if his other superhero friends aren't around. They just assume characterization based on skin color.

 

[One Man Bland]

I guess I can see what she meant - if someone can shapeshift, nearly any foe or problem can be beaten by changing shape to accomodate it. So the writing would need to make it so either a)the situations can't easily be solved by changing shape or b)overpowering the enemies.

Even by the standards of other stretch/growth based heroes Kamala’s arsenal is boring in comparison though.

Just look at how Mr. Fantastic, Elongated Man, Elastic Girl, Rubberband Man, and Monkey D. Luffy are handled with more-or-less the same powers. You can find at least one interesting or inventive moment from all of them that makes them stand out from each other. Or again, Plastic Man has the same powers Kamala initially had, and Green Lanterns should be considered OP for similar reasons, but it doesn’t become an issue when they’re in the hands of creative teams who know how to implement limitations either from the power set or the characters’ own personality quirks to keep things balanced.

So far all Kamala has is big hands. Which as Francis said, makes it an issue of the writer not knowing how to work with the power set given and thus resorts to the blandest possible versio

 

[Hatoful Dandy]

Even by the standards of other stretch/growth based heroes Kamala’s arsenal is boring in comparison though.

Just look at how Mr. Fantastic, Elongated Man, Elastic Girl, Rubberband Man, and Monkey D. Luffy are handled with more-or-less the same powers. You can find at least one interesting or inventive moment from all of them that makes them stand out from each other. Or again, Plastic Man has the same powers Kamala initially had, and Green Lanterns should be considered OP for similar reasons, but it doesn’t become an issue when they’re in the hands of creative teams who know how to implement limitations either from the power set or the characters’ own personality quirks to keep things balanced.

So far all Kamala has is big hands. Which as Francis said, makes it an issue of the writer not knowing how to work with the power set given and thus resorts to the blandest possible versio

The most inventive use of her powers lately was in Exiles where she used her giant thumbs to determine if someone was lying by checking their pulse...

 

[Adamska]

I guess I can see what she meant - if someone can shapeshift, nearly any foe or problem can be beaten by changing shape to accomodate it. So the writing would need to make it so either a)the situations can't easily be solved by changing shape or b)overpowering the enemies.

Doesn't work when people like Plastic Man, Mr. Fantastic, and a few others existed since the Silver Age IMO. These idiots are just lazy.

The problem with that kind of retcon is at this point it’s way too late to try and introduce the concept of mutants in the case of the films (ignoring that Fox has the rights to X-Men) and trying to introduce something like mutants this late in the franchise would pretty much break all the suspension of disbelief for audiences. And with the comics they’ve kinda invested so much into her being an Inhuman that they can’t really backtrack on that without some sort of massive reboot, so the best they’ve been able to do is try and discreetly sweep her affiliation with subhumans under the rug and pretend those parts didn’t happen.

But it does leave her in a precarious position when it comes to adaptation, since her origin is otherwise really boring but changing that could change her character pretty radically. There’s a lot of different variations as to what happened to Krypton, or how Peter Parker gets bitten by the spider, or what war Tony Stark became a POW, but no one ever messes with the broad details because they wouldn’t be recognizable otherwise, you know?

But really it’s going to depend on Captain Marvel does to see if they’ll follow up with Kamala, and even if CM somehow exceeds expectations I’ve noticed that Marvel fatigue has finally started to set in for a lot of the moviegoers.

Honestly? I don't think retconning her origins to just be basically mutagens from a bioweapons canister or something isn't a big deal. It'd be similar to what actually happened, cut ties from both the Inhumans and Mutants legally (thus making her more adaptable), and honestly the stupids don't even really know her origins anyway.

Mainly because Ms. Marvel (and Capt. Marvel far moreso) are being forced by on high to be popular, rather than having any real support for themselves (hence why Carol's been rebooted like seven times and three of them in the last decade). Like maybe 10k people have read her initial shit, and far less do now. And you know the out of touch college-failures that cling to diversity like a limpet don't give a shit either due to being racists who only see surface traits.

 

[RodgerDodger]

Doesn't work when people like Plastic Man, Mr. Fantastic, and a few others existed since the Silver Age IMO. These idiots are just lazy.

Honestly? I don't think retconning her origins to just be basically mutagens from a bioweapons canister or something isn't a big deal. It'd be similar to what actually happened, cut ties from both the Inhumans and Mutants legally (thus making her more adaptable), and honestly the stupids don't even really know her origins anyway.

Mainly because Ms. Marvel (and Capt. Marvel far moreso) are being forced by on high to be popular, rather than having any real support for themselves (hence why Carol's been rebooted like seven times and three of them in the last decade). Like maybe 10k people have read her initial shit, and far less do now. And you know the out of touch college-failures that cling to diversity like a limpet don't give a shit either due to being racists who only see surface traits.

The easy way to retcon in Kamala’s Powers, and tie it into Captain Marvel is to make her sort of a mirror of Carol. Carol got her Powers because she was subjected/exposed to some horrific levels of Kree science. Would not Kamala’s Powers seemto line up with similar exposure to the Skrulls? An after effect of some Skrull bio weapon? Which could also go a long way towards making the character interesting. Throw that subtle element of distrust in there. Is she what she seems?

It’s not actually that hard to do something interesting with the character. Like I’ve said, compared to the other Woke Millenial Characters, there is actually something there to work with, should a decent writer enter into the equation. Whereas there is pretty much nothing that could be done with America Chavez without completely discarding everything about the character save the name. Everything about her is a convuluted, insane, insulting and stupid mess.

 

[Iwasamwillbe]

https://screenrant.com/young-justice-kid-flash-marvel-comic/

I love how the writer goes on about how DC and Marvel referencing each other is a big deal, when the two already had at least two major crossovers.

And from everyone's favorite leftist media darling:

https://comicbook.com/dc/amp/2019/01/11/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-quotes-watchmen-on-twitter/

Responding to a news story about fellow Democrats who were hoping to rein her in, Ocasio-Cortez said, "To quote Alan Moore: 'None of you understand. I'm not locked up in here with YOU. You're locked up in here with ME.'"

As someone who read Watchmen, I'm actually a bit offended to be quite honest. This dingbat clearly has only ever watched the movie or seen some quotes at most, because the quote wasn't (directly) from Alan Moore.

That quote was from a character in Watchmen, Rorschach.

 

[RockVolnutt]

https://screenrant.com/young-justice-kid-flash-marvel-comic/

I love how the writer goes on about how DC and Marvel referencing each other is a big deal, when the two already had at least two major crossovers.

And from everyone's favorite leftist media darling:

https://comicbook.com/dc/amp/2019/01/11/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-quotes-watchmen-on-twitter/

As someone who read Watchmen, I'm actually a bit offended to be quite honest. This dingbat clearly has only ever watched the movie or seen some quotes at most, because the quote wasn't (directly) from Alan Moore.

That quote was from a character in Watchmen, Rorschach.

Again, it's a reference that DC fans might completely miss, but one Marvel Comics fans are guaranteed to understand immediately. Because of all the superheroes who call the Great White North home, the team dubbed Alpha Flight is Canada's most well-known. There's no other reference or joke that could explain Bart's reference, but even if there were it would be obvious that Bendis was intending readers to make the connection to Marvel's Universe. A universe that has been playfully alluded to existing alongside DC's own reality, even appearing as one parallel universe in the larger DC Multiverse.

How new do they think people are that they don't know about Wolverine's Canadian teammates? Besides, the author is misreading that scene and we've had in-continuity crossovers for the Big Two before. The Marvel Universe is not "inside the speedforce". The speedforce can be used as a gateway to other worlds, though it's more difficult to end up in a separate multiverse, so it's not impossible Bart was displaced there.

It's also an off-hand gag that probably shouldn't be thought about too hard.

Edit: Looked closer at the article and all of it is movie references and presumably second-hand knowledge.

 

[Iwasamwillbe]

How new do they think people are that they don't know about Wolverine's Canadian teammates? Besides, the author is misreading that scene and we've had in-continuity crossovers for the Big Two before. The Marvel Universe is not "inside the speedforce". The speedforce can be used as a gateway to other worlds, though it's more difficult to end up in a separate multiverse, so it's not impossible Bart was displaced there.

It's also an off-hand gag that probably shouldn't be thought about too hard.

Edit: Looked closer at the article and all of it is movie references and presumably second-hand knowledge.

Niggers need to read the Omniverse Map.

Fucking pristine eloquence and beauty.

 

[RockVolnutt]

Niggers need to read the Omniverse Map.

Fucking pristine beauty.

Nah, no one should ever look at that level of autism. They just need to actually look at the Marvel/DC crossovers of the 90s instead of clickbait about Alpha Flight being in Deadpool 2.

 

[RodgerDodger]

Nah, no one should ever look at that level of autism. They just need to actually look at the Marvel/DC crossovers of the 90s instead of clickbait about Alpha Flight being in Deadpool 2.

The 90’s? Heck Ithink the XMen/Teen Titans vs Darkseid/Dark Phoenix one goes back to ‘82. (And a fantastic read if you ever find it.)

 

[RockVolnutt]

The 90’s? Heck Ithink the XMen/Teen Titans vs Darkseid/Dark Phoenix one goes back to ‘82. (And a fantastic read if you ever find it.)

I could be mistaken but I'm certain those aren't in-continuity and exist in a world where the X-Men and Teen Titans co-exist. Kinda like the Superman/Spider-Man crossover that has a similar thing going for it. The 90s crossovers focus on how abnormal it is for them to interact.

 

[Evian Les Rutabaga]

It’s not actually that hard to do something interesting with the character. Like I’ve said, compared to the other Woke Millenial Characters, there is actually something there to work with, should a decent writer enter into the equation. Whereas there is pretty much nothing that could be done with America Chavez without completely discarding everything about the character save the name. Everything about her is a convuluted, insane, insulting and stupid mess.

It's the fanfic writer's equivalent to AA, in which the first step is recognizing that there's a problem. The second step is to realize that by making the character an impossibly beautiful and strong alien with universe-breaking powers who's appropriated Latina culture because she was a child at the time and didn't know better, she's at best a genderbent Superman expy. Step three would be to recognize that the Mary Sue trope of having the cast sing her praises only makes Chavez one of "The Good Ones" and a slap in the face of anyone who identifies with her.

I.e., most of the work needed is to define her powers, cap her raw power to Marvel Universe levels, and ditch her minstrels.

Spoiler: powerlevel

Can you tell one of my side projects is to write a decent fanfic using the character and not just the labels?

 

[damian]

So I decided to check up the rest of Oni Press's upcoming comics after having fun with Racist Harry Potter. Here are 2 noteworthy examples:
A Quick & Easy Guide to Queer & Trans Identities by Mady G and J.R. Zuckerberg (April 24th, Young Adult Audiences)

Spoiler

In this quick and easy guide to queer and trans identities, cartoonists Mady G and J.R. Zuckerberg guide you through the basics of the LGBT+ world! Covering essential topics like sexuality, gender identity, coming out, and navigating relationships, this guide explains the spectrum of human experience through informative comics, interviews, worksheets, and imaginative examples. A great starting point for anyone curious about queer and trans life, and helpful for those already on their own journeys!

"A Quick & Easy Guide to Queer & Trans Identities invites curious readers of all ages in to learn about the diversity of ways in which LGBTQIA+ people see and express ourselves, develop our identities, and love one another,” said artist J.R. Zuckerberg. “This book can be a space for inquisitive young individuals to reflect and find themselves, and can also be a powerful educational tool for parents, teachers, siblings and other inquisitive allies who want to gain a better understanding so they can support the queer and trans people in their lives."

Super Fun Sexy Times, Volume 1 by Meredith McClaren
(August 20th, Mature)

Spoiler

Cartoonist Meredith McClaren (Hinges) tells five short, sexy stories featuring superheroes, supervillains, sidekicks, and the people who love them. Showing consent and character-driven erotic relationships, Super Fun Sexy Times answers the age-old question: what happens when the mask comes off?

Two sidekicks on opposite sides get stuck in an underground lab together, and find a great way to pass the time. A tactician and superhero discuss their desires, limits, and kinks before their first time, and perhaps get a little too excited in the process. A pair of supervillains explore gender and sex together, while growing closer in their relationship. Lesbian heroes try out a kinky roleplaying scenario, and discover how to make it work for both of them. And an exhausted assassin relaxes after a long day with the kind (yet firm) attentions of his husband.

Told with care, sex-positivity, and humor, and featuring a wide variety of sexualities and bodies, Super Fun Sexy Times aims to create an erotic reading experience that lives up to its name!

“Surprisingly, this has been one of my more stressful books,” said Meredith McClaren. “Not that it hasn't been a lot of fun too, but so much of this book has felt like a gift I'm trying to give other people, and all the anxiety that comes from hoping I've crafted this gift well. I hope so very much that the book not only entertains, but leaves my readers feeling a little more joyful. That's all I want, more than anything.”

You know you're really talented when you can make me immediately dislike a character in just one preview. Thank you (((BENDIS))):

Spoiler

The biggest shame is Jamal Campbell's beautiful art next to Bendis' writing. It always irritates me when good art is paired with shit writing.

(hence why Carol's been rebooted like seven times and three of them in the last decade).

Try 8 (kinda*) in 6 years.
Captain Marvel (2012) - 17 issues
Captain Marvel (2014) - 15 issues
Captain Marvel & the Carol Corps (2016) - 4 issues (Mini Series)*
Captain Marvel (2016) - 10 issues
Mighty Captain Marvel (2016) - 9 issues
Captain Marvel (2017) - 5 issues (Legacy-Relaunch)
Life of Captain Marvel (2018 ) - 5 issues (Either canceled or mini series)*
Captain Marvel (2019) - Current
Not to mention the one shots which count as #1s because it's the only way they will sell.
Infinity Countdown: Captain Marvel
Generations: Captain Marvel & Captain Mar-Vell

It's the fanfic writer's equivalent to AA, in which the first step is recognizing that there's a problem. The second step is to realize that by making the character an impossibly beautiful and strong alien with universe-breaking powers who's appropriated Latina culture because she was a child at the time and didn't know better, she's at best a genderbent Superman expy. Step three would be to recognize that the Mary Sue trope of having the cast sing her praises only makes Chavez one of "The Good Ones" and a slap in the face of anyone who identifies with her.

I.e., most of the work needed is to define her powers, cap her raw power to Marvel Universe levels, and ditch her minstrels.

Spoiler: powerlevel

Can you tell one of my side projects is to write a decent fanfic using the character and not just the labels?

Nah, you just hate women of color.

 

[Iwasamwillbe]

So I decided to check up the rest of Oni Press's upcoming comics after having fun with Racist Harry Potter. Here are 2 noteworthy examples:
A Quick & Easy Guide to Queer & Trans Identities by Mady G and J.R. Zuckerberg (April 24th, Young Adult Audiences)
View attachment 637402

Spoiler

In this quick and easy guide to queer and trans identities, cartoonists Mady G and J.R. Zuckerberg guide you through the basics of the LGBT+ world! Covering essential topics like sexuality, gender identity, coming out, and navigating relationships, this guide explains the spectrum of human experience through informative comics, interviews, worksheets, and imaginative examples. A great starting point for anyone curious about queer and trans life, and helpful for those already on their own journeys!

"A Quick & Easy Guide to Queer & Trans Identities invites curious readers of all ages in to learn about the diversity of ways in which LGBTQIA+ people see and express ourselves, develop our identities, and love one another,” said artist J.R. Zuckerberg. “This book can be a space for inquisitive young individuals to reflect and find themselves, and can also be a powerful educational tool for parents, teachers, siblings and other inquisitive allies who want to gain a better understanding so they can support the queer and trans people in their lives."

Super Fun Sexy Times, Volume 1 by Meredith McClaren
(August 20th, Mature)
View attachment 637434

Spoiler

Cartoonist Meredith McClaren (Hinges) tells five short, sexy stories featuring superheroes, supervillains, sidekicks, and the people who love them. Showing consent and character-driven erotic relationships, Super Fun Sexy Times answers the age-old question: what happens when the mask comes off?

Two sidekicks on opposite sides get stuck in an underground lab together, and find a great way to pass the time. A tactician and superhero discuss their desires, limits, and kinks before their first time, and perhaps get a little too excited in the process. A pair of supervillains explore gender and sex together, while growing closer in their relationship. Lesbian heroes try out a kinky roleplaying scenario, and discover how to make it work for both of them. And an exhausted assassin relaxes after a long day with the kind (yet firm) attentions of his husband.

Told with care, sex-positivity, and humor, and featuring a wide variety of sexualities and bodies, Super Fun Sexy Times aims to create an erotic reading experience that lives up to its name!

“Surprisingly, this has been one of my more stressful books,” said Meredith McClaren. “Not that it hasn't been a lot of fun too, but so much of this book has felt like a gift I'm trying to give other people, and all the anxiety that comes from hoping I've crafted this gift well. I hope so very much that the book not only entertains, but leaves my readers feeling a little more joyful. That's all I want, more than anything.”

When did Oni Press become gay?

 

[Jet Fuel Johnny]

Shit, I came up with a Kamala Khan background/origin while drunk on a stream one night.

Open that shit up with the Skrulls in a standoff with ROM of all motherfuckers. Cue the 2 page fight, pregnant Muslim woman who just arrived in America gets a whiff of it. ROM scans her, declares her all right, flies the fuck off.

Kamala is born with stretchy powers.

There's plenty of strife and the like to be had in her background and everything else about modern life. Hell, she'd be trying to avoid being kidnapped by some real bad people like ISIS and the like who would love to get their hands on a teenage mutant they can beat into submission and use as a weapon.

If my drunk and stupid ass can come up with shit, why are these woke faggots so worthless at it?

 

[Rebis]

The thing is, America Chavez isn’t a totally worthless character. When she was written by good writers she was actually okay. The real tragedy is that Rivera took a character that was kinda decent and twisted her into a whole new form that was way shittier.

 

[Adamska]

The thing is, America Chavez isn’t a totally worthless character. When she was written by good writers she was actually okay. The real tragedy is that Rivera took a character that was kinda decent and twisted her into a whole new form that was way shittier.

The character still wasn't really capable of pushing a series by herself, and honestly that's okay. Not every character can pull that off; hell, the Hulk in his initial runs couldn't do it which was why he and Ant/Giant-man shared comics back then.

This, forcing a character from the topside, and hiring dummies based on their surface traits first over talent was why it failed to be anything but hilarious.

 

[knightlautrec]

That quote was from a character in Watchmen, Rorschach.

A character Moore has said that if you idolise or want to be like, he wouldn't want to know you.

Rorschach is a deeply disturbed character and funny she'd quote a literal psychopath whose only on the side of the "hero's" because it suits his goals and his methods.