The iFanboy Letters Column – 12/21/2007!

A scant week has passed since our first letter column, and we’re back, true believers with more queries, questions and quips. Will we expose our ignorance, and be beaten back by the knowledgeable denizens of the internet, or will our superior intellects prevail, and shine enlightenment over us all.

Maybe a little of both?

As always if you want to your email read on the show, or answered here, keep them coming – contact@ifanboy.com

I bought my kids the PVC set of Mouse Guard figurines for my kids (really) and when I set it on my desk at work, I thought, “You just crossed a line — your first comic statue.” If I bought them for my kids to play with, does that count? I’m hoping not.

Steve

Here’s what I can safely say. You’re not in statue territory. Not even close. For one thing, statues are expensive. Another thing: if your intentions are truly to give them to your kids, then you’ve nothing to be concerned with at all. What do I think? I think you really wanted them for yourself, because kids can’t roll with PVC. They don’t even move! But statue territory? Not even close. Put your fears to rest.

I’m sure there’s good majority of comic book readers who have a token of their comic book passion adorning their work station. Me, I’ve got a bitchin’ Thor action figure who no longer stands up on his own. Then, in front of the monitor, a tiny plastic Wedge Antilles bought in a supermarket in the heady days of 1999. I know for a fact that Conor sports a New Frontier Green Lantern, as well as a golden age Superman figure. In fact, I would recommend that you get over your fear and get something for yourself to permanently adorn your desk as a reminder of who you really are. But then, you’ve got a lot of choice in front of you. Get thinking.

Josh Flanagan

I just recently discovered the iFanboy universe, and have since been gradually working my way through the back catalogue on audio and video podcast. You guys do great work. Have any of you read any of the Tank Girl books? On another note I have always heard how great Miracleman is, but I’ve never had a chance to read it… have you guys?

aDevl

Welcome to the iFanboy universe, aDevl! We’re glad to have you. Thanks for going through the back catalog and listening/watching all of our shows. Apparently a lot of people do that, but I can’t imagine how you could do that. That’s a ton of podcasts! But thank you for the dedication.

To answer your question. I have read the Tank Girl books that made that title popular in the 1990s by Jamie Hewlett. Those were some great comics that really were innovative at the time. Unfortunately, I think the movie didn’t really do the comics justice and I haven’t checked out the recent comics that have come out about Tank Girl from IDW with Ashley Wood. But without Jamie Hewlett, I’m not sure if they’re worth reading.

As for Miracleman (or Marvelman as it was originally called) it’s been heralded as one of the greatest comics of our time, with Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman taking turns on writing it, but the legal battles over the rights have kept it out of reprints, so I’m not surprised that you’ve heard of it, but haven’t read it. I have not read the entire series, purely because I can’t get my hands on it. I have read a few issues, which I have been able to get from the back issue market, and what I read was indeed fantastic. Hopefully Todd McFarlane and the armies of lawyers involved can come to a resolution soon so we can all enjoy this great comic book.

Ron Richards

In response to the language used in Brian Woods’ Northlanders, I don’t think the words fuck or shit are really contemporary. I looked it up (no, not on Wikipedia, or even on the internet) and these words came in to existence closer to the time of vikings than the time of cars and Windows Vista.

V. Smith

I have no doubt that this is correct, and indeed the word “fuck” has quite a long history, with apologies to more sensitive readers. However, I can guarantee you that had the vikings been speaking English, which they wouldn’t have, it certainly wouldn’t have been the same kind of English we speak now, so the vernacular would likely be applied entirely differently.

That being said, with Northlanders, it’s really just a matter of taste. I imagine that any attempt by Brian Wood, the writer, to approximate how they spoke would have ultimately sound A) silly, and B) just as historically inaccurate as people are already complaining that it is. It’s just a creative choice to make them sound that way, and it’s kind of up to the reader to go along with it or not. Personally, I think the choice to make their speech more or less modern English, and salty English at that, is probably the best way he could have gone, and I’d have done the same thing. There seem to be many others who disagree. These people very likely enjoy some of Mel Gibson’s more recent film offerings.

Josh Flanagan