Sperg about comic books here

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Not sure if this is the right place for this one but on the topic of manga vs comic books:
Both sides have these uber elitist assholes who think that their medium is better and I don't really see all that much difference between them, personally. Sure, the books reflect different values since they come from different cultures, but there're people out there who legitimately think that one side is all crap and that their preferred side is somehow magically better.

I mean... both are used for just porn sometimes. Some of them are timeless classics. Some of them are stupid, but fun. Some of them mean something to a very specific niche. I saw someone today legitimately say that the American comic book industry has no talent in it whatsoever than that all American comic book art is crap, saying something along the lines of "American comic art cannot express emotion like manga can." What. Someone else argued for the similarities between them, but I can't even try to argue with someone like that because you just know they will stick their fingers in their ears to drown you out to keep hold of their own opinions without dissent.

Is a manga shower scene really different in intent than a comic woman in a bikini? Is the "superhero finds bullshit way out of a situation" any different from "main character discovers new bullshit power to overcome the bad guy"? Is this art:
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really any better with the anatomy than this art:
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I don't get people.

I understand liking one's method of storytelling over the other, that's just a personal preference, but people act like these industries are one monolithic thing with a single level of quality; both have their own internal bell curves.

To actually contribute to the discussion, have any of you came across Ronald Wimberly's Prince of Cats? I feel like I've talked about it before but oh well. It's definitely unique in execution. It's Romeo & Juliet+Samurai Swordfights+80s New York. I love oneshot stories in comics. Recommend me some I'm dying for more. I've reread the ones I own 100 times. Beginning is a little tough to follow if you're not aware of what to expect, but upon a reread it made perfect sense to me.
By "it's Romeo and Juliet" I mean that literally, the dialogue is done in a Shakespearean manner sprinkled with more contemporary terms. I personally liked one chick's description of how to give a blowjob, twas hilarious, but I imagine that some would find it a turn-off. Also, Romeo and Juliet are characters: Tybalt is the main character. Even with that knowlegde it was a fun ride. Story does not end with one being stabbed and the other being poisoned.
Check it out if you haven't.
 
If I were to give Mike Turner one thing, he was great at drawing backgrounds, objects and animals.

EDIT: I'm sure you've seen the new sneak peek on what Domino will look like for Deadpool 2 and all I have to say is, "Did they even fucking try?" The look might work for Misty Knight, but there's just a sploch of white on her face that looks nothing like Domino's iconic look.
 
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Yaoi Huntress Earth said:
If I were to give Mike Turner one thing, he was great at drawing backgrounds, objects and animals.

EDIT: I'm sure you've seen the new sneak peek on what Domino will look like for Deadpool 2 and all I have to say is, "Did they even fucking try?" The look might work for Misty Knight, but there's just a sploch of white on her face that looks nothing like Domino's iconic look.
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Fingers crossed Deadpool makes a facial joke.

[Insert Meme Here] said:
Not sure if this is the right place for this one but on the topic of manga vs comic books:

Both sides have these uber elitist assholes who think that their medium is better and I don't really see all that much difference between them, personally. Sure, the books reflect different values since they come from different cultures, but there're people out there who legitimately think that one side is all crap and that their preferred side is somehow magically better.
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It's even more annoying when they pretend like graphic novels can only come from the US or Japan. Metabarons alone tops the vast majority of cape titles and mangas I've ever read, and that's only the tip of the iceberg that is European comics. Which reminds me, I really should look into checking out some worthwhile Asian stuff.

Thanks for recommending Prince of Cats, it sound pretty interesting! I'll definately check it out in the near future.
 
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What I always find funny about the Comics vs Manga crowd is how both (in my experience) tend to base their entire arguments on whatever is the current hot things.
The Comics fanboys almost never read anything outside of Marvel/DC, much less cape comics, and ignore how many modern comic artists were influenced by manga art styles.
The Manga fanboys always love whatever the worst thing Shonen Jump is pumping out at the moment (I actually knew someone who thought Naruto was the greatest manga of all time) and nearly never read older stuff.
 
I dislike how when the Manga vs Comics debates come up, there's always someone going "Comics reboot all the time!". Constant relaunches are only a recent thing for the Big Two but reboots are extremely rare. Marvel has never rebooted and DC did it once in 1986, the New 52 was nearly 30 years later if you count it. Not that it matters too much because those golden and silver age stories are still canon even if some details would different for New Earth.

There's also the thing of everyone getting accused of current Marvel's faults because they're in the news all the time.
 
The people who complain about "reboots" tend to forget that western and Japanese comics have a completely different approach to how they publish material. Manga doesn't switch writers when they finish a run, an author does an entire series until it's finished. In the Big Two, comics are like soap operas in that they're intended to continue indefinitely with multiple writers building on the universe. If the guy writing Superman drops dead, Superman isn't canceled. If they guy writing One Piece drops dead, no more One Piece.
 
I while ago I mentioned a story (Fat Chance) which was about a woman who attends a support group for fat superheroes and how it predicted the modern mentality of the Fat Acceptance Movement. Well, I found the story and it also goes into how difficult it would be to be an obese superhero.
 
ShittyRecolor said:
and that's only the tip of the iceberg that is European comics. Which reminds me, I really should look into checking out some worthwhile Asian stuff.
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Late to the reply but whatevs. Apparently there's a bunch of lit French and Italian comics, but I can never find a translation in English for them and don't understand either of those languages. God dammit!

Also Korean manhwa sperg.
When it comes to manhwa, you can find some unique things, but the art range is really crazy. You get the obviously stylized but generally alright Pig Bride to the WTF of One Fine Day. I personally like Jack Frost, even if it was just a gore fest, because the art was gorgeous. I also enjoyed Laon, which only had like 6 volumes but it was a bizarre read that I know not everyone would like. I always wanted to read Cynical Orange but never managed to get ahold of it. I only ever found one volume of Raiders, but it had a unique style imo, even if it was subtle.

Thing is, a lot of Korean artists will do work for American and Japanese comics, like The Innocent and at least one adaptation of Maximum Ride manga. Both of which have wonderful art.

But my knowledge of manhwa proper is lacking.
Anyway, I got Supergirl #12, The Flash #28, and ACCELL #3. I also got some Rick & Morty, but I doubt anyone wants to hear those recapped.

Supergirl #12
Apparently the Cat Grant who shot Supergirl at the end of the last issue wasn't real, but now Supergirl's powers are going haywire. The Emerald Empress, who appeared in a previous issue, is apparently gathering a team to deal with Supergirl consisting of herself, Selena, Magog, Indigo, and Solomon Grundy, who they break out of Arkham in this issue.

Supergirl struggles with her powers and has a moment with her "rival" Ben Rubel. Before that there's a mind numbing bit where Kara accidentally creates a hole in the floor and a crowd gathers to take photos of her dangling to her supposed doom before he helps her up, but whatever.

REAL Cat Grant is visited by Selena for reasons not quite explained yet. Cat is hilariously flippant.

Kara visits her father, who is trapped in the DED headquarters. She tries to talk to him but he won't respond to her. It's very heartfelt and kind of saddening. But Super-Grundy is wrecking shit in town and she has a job to do.
This is really just setting up for the next arc, but it has enough heartfelt moments between characters to make it worth a pick up. Recommendable for those who are interested, but not a must read by any means.

The Flash #28
Flash has absorbed the negative speed force, so now, whenever he runs, he wrecks shit. Combined with the fact that Iris has apparently broken up with him, he's not doing so great. He's ultra late to work because he had to take the bus.

Not at all helped by the fact that, apparently, evidence from his lab has gone missing. Barry a couple others have been tasked by Singh to figure out where the evidence went.

Barry stops a couple of dudes on superbikes that appeared earlier in the book, but turns out they were running from Shrapnel. Shrapnel tells Flash that there's a new guy in town intending to make a name for himself before murdering the bike guys.
TBH, while this issue is the start of a new arc, it's a very character-oriented one that isn't 100% friendly to new readers, but still probably a still good jumping on point. (Which y'all should.) Not terribly action-y, but it is the start of a new arc. As always I recommend it, but it's not something that'll be immediately grabbing to you if you're not already invested. We'll see how this storyline goes.

ACCELL #3
Accell runs from the monster from the end of the last issue, using the old man's advice to escape. After getting back to the real world, the old man from before sets it on fire and kills the thing. Or rather, sends it back to the sky. Old man then has a heart attack or something. Accell tries to save him by running to a hospital, but the old man dies in his arms anyway, leaving him with some cryptic words. I personally liked this line of Accell's narration:
It didn't feel like a man died in my arms... felt more like I'd sent him on his way.
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For a character we didn't get to see much of before he died and how bland Daniel seems thus far, it was a rather touching, poignant scene.

Daniel, in 90s tradition but this book is SO 90s, skateboards some to take his mind off things. I really like his shirt. His girlfriend tries to get him to tell her what's eating him, but he tells her to wait. They run into an apparent friend of Daniel's, a white skater dude who calls him "brutha" so eeeuch. His name is Buzz. No, seriously. Buzz drops some foreshadowing about cops looking for drugs in the area. Pan out to reveal that the girlfriend's father is paying a man to spy on them. He hates Daniel.

Story ends with Daniel doing some deep thinking, wondering if he's stumbled upon things he shouldn't have, and wonders where he'll go from here.
I... don't know what to make of this book. At all. The art in this one was quite nice, especially in the beginning when Accell was being chased by that monster in the other world. It was very bright and almost cartooney there, and I liked it. The shot of the monster dissipating is gorgeous. As a story, though, I'm not as invested. For a book about a speed character, the story is dragging its heels getting to the meat of it, and so far, Daniel himself hasn't been interesting enough to really make me care where all the foreshadowing is going to take him. Daniel definitely shows hints of characterization here, of having actual layers, but anytime he starts getting thoughtful the story cuts away as fast as it can. I want to love this book. I love speed characters. But the book isn't letting me invested into him as a character, it just keeps making things happen one after another. I hope it evens out soon or I'm going to have to drop this book.

I'm giving this one more slack than I normally would, since this is a brand new, completely original character they're trying to set up. I personally find it a little charming, but I can't comfortably recommend it. Check it out if you're curious, I guess. It won't upset anyone, it's just middle of the road at the moment.

I also completely forgot that the new Mister Miracle book came out this week, so I missed it. I'm wondering if I can find time to stop by my shop sometime and pick up a copy... goddamn it.
 
GabeRegan said:
The people who complain about "reboots" tend to forget that western and Japanese comics have a completely different approach to how they publish material. Manga doesn't switch writers when they finish a run, an author does an entire series until it's finished. In the Big Two, comics are like soap operas in that they're intended to continue indefinitely with multiple writers building on the universe. If the guy writing Superman drops dead, Superman isn't canceled. If they guy writing One Piece drops dead, no more One Piece.
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Honestly I think Oda must have the ending mapped out at this point.
 
Chaos Theorist said:
Honestly I think Oda must have the ending mapped out at this point.
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One Piece was originally planned to only last for 5 years, but it ended up being really popular. He has the entire thing planned out and apparently had the ending planned before he actually started making the series. It was apparently only halfway over after the Whitebeard War arc, if I remember correctly.

The man is an idea machine, for better or worse.
 
RockVolnutt said:
It sounds more original than most deconstructions. My main issue with them is people who keep going for "SUPERMAN WOULD BE AN EVIL TYRANT IF DC WAS REALISTIC" and think they're way more clever than the last 40 people who wrote that. It strikes me as odd that it's more "real" for people to have fantasies about conquest and enslavement. Maybe I'm the weirdo for not having those, who knows.

My concern is if they do anything with Bruce Wayne also being involved in helping Gotham or boil it down to "rich lunatic in fursuit beats up poor people to feel good about himself". Otherwise eh, I love AU tales.
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If DC was realistic people would be able to see that Superman is really Clark Kent or the idea that the military wouldn't find and take Superman from his spaceship than a farmer and his wife....asking for realism in tales of a man who fly at near light speeds whose enemies include a reality warper and a superintelligent autistic robot is dumb.
 
[Insert Meme Here] said:
One Piece was originally planned to only last for 5 years, but it ended up being really popular. He has the entire thing planned out and apparently had the ending planned before he actually started making the series. It was apparently only halfway over after the Whitebeard War arc, if I remember correctly.

The man is an idea machine, for better or worse.
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Thriller Bark and Skypiea always felt like filler (not that they are bad story arcs) in the grander scheme of trying to find One Piece and the growing Pirates vs World Government vs Rebels vs Yonko conflict driving things. I'm expecting the next whole Kaido arc will lead to a big main character death for all of the build up he is getting.
 
Chaos Theorist said:
If DC was realistic people would be able to see that Superman is really Clark Kent or the idea that the military wouldn't find and take Superman from his spaceship than a farmer and his wife....asking for realism in tales of a man who fly at near light speeds whose enemies include a reality warper and a superintelligent autistic robot is dumb.
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Lots of alternate reality limited series have done just that.
 
[Insert Meme Here] said:
I also completely forgot that the new Mister Miracle book came out this week, so I missed it. I'm wondering if I can find time to stop by my shop sometime and pick up a copy... goddamn it.
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Mister Miracle was pretty good albeit confusing. Love Gerads' art. I like King's writing, but not sure what exactly is going on.
 
I really wish DC would farther elaborate on the multiverse having countless Earths being restored at the end of Convergence. Doesn't matter if it's Metal, whatever the end of Rebirth event is, or "Multiversity Too" that ends up explaining it. It'd be kinda funny if they reveal the numbering is partly perspective based and that's why many Earths believe themselves to be an "Earth-1". It's already established that Earths move around but it hasn't been said if that affects anything else.
 
So all of my local comic books shops are out of Mister Miracle, anyone know if they're getting a 2nd print?

RockVolnutt said:
I really wish DC would farther elaborate on the multiverse having countless Earths being restored at the end of Convergence.
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They likely won't elaborate on anything too much since being too specific hamstrings the writers and leads to more continuity errors, but I wouldn't expect any kind of answers until at least after the Doomsday Clock thing. Or, frankly, until the whole Watchmen thing has been dealt with.
 
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