Pick of the Week Podcast
Show Notes
Too much underwear talk, and that’s just to start. We tiptoe around matters of religion and character, and we discuss the impact of parenthood on legacy characters. None of that sounds any fun, but it is fun, dammit.
Running Time: 01:15:32
Pick of the Week:
00:01:36 – Second Coming: Only Begotten Son #2
Comics:
00:14:57 – Shadow Doctor #1
00:19:56 – Thor #12
00:26:12 – Black Widow #5
00:38:10 – Stillwater #6
00:41:21 – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #2
00:43:31 – Marvel #5
00:47:17 – Family Tree #11
Patron Pick:
00:48:38 – Snow Angels #1
Patron Thanks:
00:55:21 – Cary Pierce
00:57:02 – Stewart Wattson
Audience Questions:
01:01:15 – Scott H. from Portland, OR is thinking about ratings. Ratings.
01:03:58 – Greg M. from the Pine Barrens in New Jersey wants to know about our re-reads.
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Music:
“Jesus, Etc.”
Wilco
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I appreciated Josh’s comments on the Barks books, among my favorites. Josh, have you looked at Don Rosa’s remarkable homages to Barks being reprinted by Fantigraphics?
By the way, a few years ago I read through all issues of Fantastic Four. Now, slowly, I’m reading through FF, the Avengers and Spiderman in order the order they were published. It’s a slow project, but I don’t read as many current books as Josh and Conor do so I mix this up with current books and trades/ graphic novels.
I have to say that I strongly disagree with Conor when it comes to characters being parents or having significant changes. Does it change them forever? Yes, but it’s comics where someone will always bring the status quo back. Characters should be able to grow and change even if they will be used forever. A writer if he or she doesn’t want to deal with children or a marriage as an example doesn’t have to write a story set in the present.
Jon Kent as an example is an awesome character where Bendis really screwed that character up in his run. Damian worked when written by Grant Morrison and as the brat during the Stephanie Brown Batgirl run. Other than that, he’s only been likable when he is friends with Jon in Super Sons and then in DCeased. It’s actually impressive looking back that Stan Lee created Franklin Richards and no one complains about that character along with later Valeria existing. I wish characters got to grow and change more honestly. It’s just more interesting.
*Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created Franklin Richards
Well to be fair I have heard criticism of Franklin and Valeria over the years.
I hear both sides of the conversation. for my part I believe their is something core about the property. You can change alot about story and it can be meaningful and compelling development for the main character, but I think you want to make sure you understand the impact when you steer too far off that core. What makes a Batman story a Batman story? What makes a Fantastic Four story a Fantastic Four story? What is the central message or central metaphor? I’d argue what makes an FF story isn’t hindered by growing the family. At the same time what makes a Batman story can be hindered by Damien depending on how they handle it. What Conor describes is the safer path for these characters to make them evergreen for certain.
Conor’s comments about story points changing characters pre-supposes a belief in the “one continuity” —all one story that all counts— which is a modern Bronze-era invention resulting from aging readers with regular direct market access. Prior to that if Superman had a child or a lion’s head one issue it had no result on the next year’s story or even the next issue.
Which makes it odd that Conor then said characters need to be unchanging, a Golden & Silver age conceit when children read briefly then grew out of the stories. Batman had to always be Batman for any new reader to understand quickly to enjoy the adventure.
Perhaps the real debate is why market comics to the continuing reoccurring readership of adults if you demand unchanging characters for IP exploitation, especially since the past decade was spent grooming your adult readers to believe in the “one continuity”.
Just abandon your “one continuity” beliefs and none of this debate will matter.
Thank you for recommending Shadow Doctor. I don’t think I would have picked it up otherwise.
Maybe one of the things you said that made it feel light or introductory or whatver was how “storyboardish” it was. It’s clear that Patterson’s prior work was film, as most pages felt that they were timed like storyboards and not comic book panels. Reading back to back with Second Coming and the differences are clear. But, such storyboards-as-comics has been the choice for the industry for about 20 years or more now, so that’s my own windmill to tilt.
Again tho thanks for the recommendation. A very affecting comic overall.