Comic book talk, mostly.

[guingel]

Question! Is this icon coming across to people? Like, even if you don't know who that is, you get the reference?

Because I've been wondering if people just think it's a random picture of two little monsters or if they're like "Hey. . . haha." XD You know.

Anyway, now I am using the icon of Darwyn Cooke's drawing of Will Eisner's The Spirit. :D That ayamachi made me! Becaaaaaaaaaaaause I am so in love with Darwyn Cooke. Just. So. In. Love.

I already knew I adored his artwork. I love it so much, I want to look at it all day. And I had a vague sense that his storytelling style and approach to the characters was particularly charming and really in tune with what I like, too. But now I'm reading an interview with him and it's so lovely to hear what he says about comics and how he feels about today's comics. He says he prefers 1-issue storylines, and says that a lot of the reason that 6-or-more part storylines are so dominant these days is that they're just easier - you have to do less work, come up with less ideas. And he says he likes the more concise style, that it's nice for readers to be able to pick up a comic and have the story resolved.

Aaaaaand they were talking about how well his New Frontier book is doing. ::squees and melts:: It's a sort of Kingdom Come-style book in that it's a re-imagining, Elseworlds type of thing that gives another take on the transition between the gold and silver ages. So it's basically a chance to get to write a really classic style comic book that takes place in the 60s and not have to worry about continuity. To look at all the great silver age characters without all the crazy baggage and ret-conning and who knows what, in a really classic, fun style. Just being charming, and just writing a good superhero story. It's amazing.

So they were talking about how people are surprised it's doing so well, especially the company (DC) because there's been so much movement away from this sort of storytelling, a thought that people don't want to read superhero stories anymore and that everything has to have an edge. And then Cooke says, "Well yeah, I mean, gosh, I work for a company who, god love them, but honestly when I look at most of the moves they’re making in their main line, it’s like they have a textbook about how to destroy your brand character. 'How to destroy 60 years worth of in two to three years for a sales hit.' I question in that long term."

I LOVE YOU DARWYN COOKE!!!

Ugh, I'm so glad he said that. XD I feel very vindicated. I'm glad that he's dissatisfied with so many of the same things that have driven me away from comics in recent years.


I just thought this was interesting. The "big two" are DC and Marvel.
Q: It’s been said before, but it just seems to me with the mainstream superheros, the big two just seem to be focusing in on one audience that keeps getting older and older and demanding certain types of stories and it’s a smaller and smaller audience.

A: They have no way out of this box. The commitment it would take for them to reclaim mainstream ground, it’s insurmountable. We’ve basically got a cottage industry here now where the people who create the product are creating it for themselves or their friends. It’s created in a way so it’s inscrutable to anybody else. And it doesn’t reflect any social trends. There’s nothing of interest to bring a consumer in.

Now they're talking about how well manga sells and how it corners the youth market. WHICH IS WHY THEY NEED TO HAVE NOT CANCELLED YOUNG JUSTICE. I'd be interested to know what Mark Waid thinks about all this, as he writes really solid, good superhero stories. Classic in a slightly different way - I feel like he was on the Flash for so long that he made his own classic. But yeah. My understanding is that he was involved in the DC editorial stuff that helped bring us to this point, which, boo. But he's also writing the Brave and the Bold now which makes me all squishy inside.

Anyway, yes. I love Darwyn Cooke's lack of pretension or defensiveness about his genre, I love his writing and his stories, and I adore his artwork and can't get enough of it.

In other news, I'm making it through the week! Yesterday ayamachi came over for Prince Caspian and smoochies, and it was lots of fun although I stayed up til 1 reading the book about attractive male musicians that she got me. >.< I suck. Tonight I'm meeting Katie in the city for hijinks and she's spending the night at my place.

Comments

[aello-lime.livejournal.com]

I don't recognize the monsters but I know what it's a parody of <3

[guingel.livejournal.com]

Good good! I think only one person on my flist should actually recognize him. It's the same, uh, being. From Mike Carey's amazing Lucifer comic book. He's a fallen cherub with a heart of gold and a really bad attitude. XD This is from a sequence where he's writing a letter and they had one pose at the beginning and one at the end and I was charmed and had to put them together. He's also in this icon. :D

I figured even if people don't recognize him specifically, they'll see that it's quite different from the original and the humor will still come across. :D

[fuunsaiki.livejournal.com]

I don't recognise the monsters, but I know the original painting. If that helps. :D

[guingel.livejournal.com]

It does help! :D I figure that's enough for it not to look totally random even to people who don't know the comic book I pulled it from. But do you know the whole painting or just the bottom part that's being parodied? (Twin!Katie has this whole thing because she loves the top of that painting and the omnipresent cherubs annoy her.)

[ayamachi.livejournal.com]

I kept away from LJ for the past day to study nonstop, buuuut the science test went horribly anyway. I hope Professor Wright shits in his pants. :D

Anyway, yes. I wish I had something thoughtful to say on Darwyn Cooke. XD

[guingel.livejournal.com]

Awwwww. D: Science tests are scary. I bet it went better than you thought!

Um, do you hope he shits his pants just because it would suck for him, or do you think your test is that frightening that he'll just lose control of his bowels?

XD It's ok - I told Katie the quote about destroying their characters adn she was like "O_O YES" so I have been sated.

She also loved Flight of the Conchords!! :D :D :D We watched Girlfriends (i think it's called), the one with fou da fa fa and Bret getting date-raped, and it was AWESOME. And then we watched the Bowie one again. She thinks Jemaine owns, and she is right.

[ayamachi.livejournal.com]

I want him to shit his pants, to uh, justify his harsh grading?

YAY, you watched FotC!! That's awesome! Everyone should love Jemaine! I mean.. how can they not? Also I just finished my World Civ exam, so I am officially done the semester. I HAVE TIME TO DO LOTS OF UNIMPORTANT STUFF NOW!

MAN I'm in a super mood. :D

[guingel.livejournal.com]

Are you home and alive? ::pokepoke:: Please be alive!!

[ayamachi.livejournal.com]

Home and alive! I drove most of the way back. Tom's new car is nice! It was weird cause it can actually manage to drive above 65mph without shaking and rattling. I wasn't in constant fear that it would fall apart! :D Hooray new cars!

[guingel.livejournal.com]

Woooooo! I am relieved! Also whoa for driving. I forget that people do that? It was good that you left yesterday, though. The snow is hardcore! We have consultants here and one of them is driving to Canada today. D:

[floria-del-guiz.livejournal.com]

I recognise Gaudium and Spera, which is the only reason I can work out which painting it's a parody of. XD

<3 Gaudium.

[guingel.livejournal.com]

Actually it's sneakily Gaudium and Gaudium. :D It's from when he was writing, I think a status report to Michael (eee XD) and they had him do the two poses in the first and last panels. Double the fun!

Lucifer is so amazing in every way but Gaudium and Spera are so easily my favorite parts. Oh my god, they're awesome. Them and Mazikeen.

I shouldn't be thinking about them at work because it makes me desperate to reread their parts. And the whole thing. Again.

[floria-del-guiz.livejournal.com]

I marathoned (if the word applies to a comic book series) all of Lucifer during my unemployed spell. It is teh awesomes. And, oh yesh, Mazikeen is brilliant. :D "I have a great need to blaspheme."

[guingel.livejournal.com]

My dad is a big fan of Lucifer's line. . . I don't remember it exactly, but it's something like "I would have liked to see what happened to the ones who hit her." I also just remembered how particularly awesome and fascinating all the Christopher Rudd stuff was.

[karanguni.livejournal.com]

FROM LUCIFERRRRRRRRR, god I love those two AHAHAHA. Darwyn Cooke sounds v. interesting! Hehe, DC. I need to get back to reading my Incredible Built Up Comic Backlog soon.

[guingel.livejournal.com]

OH MY GOD speaking of comic books! I watched the Brave and the Bold animated show on the Cartoon Network for the first time today! I didn't even know it existed, and it was SO CUTE and I loved it so much! It was utterly adorable and charming. :D