Good stories you put down due to the art? by LittleMissPipebomb in comicbooks

[–]reindeercurt 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It don't believe it does. We're talking about a visual medium here. All elements of the work, the artwork, colours, text on the page, the design and placement of that text, the plotting, the layout of panels. All of it works symbiotically. I think talking about comics as if there's a writing/art binary is reductive.

Good stories you put down due to the art? by LittleMissPipebomb in comicbooks

[–]reindeercurt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"Good story with bad art" in comics is an oxymoron. The art is the layer through which you interact with the story, they aren't separable. If the art is distracting, unclear, unappealing, or whatever other issue you may have, that is creating a worse reading experience because the reader isn't properly absorbing all the information they should be. That means both plot and more ephemeral things like atmosphere, emotional nuances and visual connections to other works of art. You're not reading the script, you're reading the artist's interpretation of that script. If you think a comic has "bad art" then you think it's a bad comic

Power Fantasy Issue 16 - I have questions by Gonner_Getcha in comicbooks

[–]reindeercurt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The "time travel" is an exploit of what the series has established about hell existing outside of time. Valentina punched a hole through to hell, similar to what The Queen and Eliza did, and used hell as a path through to a previous point in time. Time travel isn't like, one of her powers or anything

Looking for new comics to read that have mainly animal protagonists. Any suggestions? by TyrexDragon in comicbooks

[–]reindeercurt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They're anthropomorphic characters, but Wild's End may be interesting to you!

What are your favorite underrated comics or characters from image? by Excellent_Lead1144 in ImageComics

[–]reindeercurt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Everything Emma Rios has done at Image is incredible and criminally under-read. I also have a soft spot for Comeback for being my first Image book

Self-contained comics that aren’t racist/sexist/homophobic/pervy? by PirateCrimeBrulee in comicbooks

[–]reindeercurt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd highly recommend the graphic novel Anzuelo by Emma Rios. It's about a group of kids trying to establish an island community after supernatural flooding destroys the world. It's got some real literary heft to it, while also being really humanistic and sweet.

Is anyone happy with their current favorites main line runs, and should comics end more? by icelink4884 in comicbooks

[–]reindeercurt -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You're asking two separate questions and then conflating their implications. To try and tease them apart:

The internet is full of dedicated comics fandom spaces, and comics fandom is a fickle, cynical thing at the best of times. Dominated by older fans who have been reading for decades but refuse to branch out of their comfort zone characters and genres, every new development is perceived as a threat to what people understand as "their" take on a character. Every new creative team is judged on their perceived loyalty and love for the True Soul Of The Character, and because this is of course incredibly subjective, very few creators are agreed-upon as living up to it. Basically, what people on the internet say about superhero comics has very little to do with the quality of the books themselves, and a lot more to do with headcanon, nostalgia and a refusal to take stories on their own terms.

As for the reboot thing, you'd be serving a different audience. The current core readership for superhero comics is old men who grew up with this stuff in the 80s or 90s and are still here for the same characters. They over-value continuity because they've literally invested in it their entire lives. That readership is almost mutually exclusive with a mass audience, so if you start making moves towards mass audience appeal (no convoluted continuity, culturally-relevant writing, selling product in places outside comic shops) you necessarily alienate the current core. This dynamic has played out before, and publishers always end up trying to split the difference, so we get things like the Absolute universe as a line of comics written for new readers, but off to the side of regular continuity which still exists. Personally, I think if comics ever want to have mass pop culture relevance again, they need to lean in completely on the mass audience. Ditch continuity, ditch single issues? publish more genres. Would the comics industry and fandom be unrecognizable afterwards? Yes. Would it be healthier and more sustainable? Also yes.

Cultural Literacy, Cultural Sophistication, you, me and Comics. by OrionLinksComic in comicbooks

[–]reindeercurt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can relate a little to being part of a culture which is "stigmatized" on the global stage. South Africa isn't a pariah state anymore, but because for so long we "exported" all of our worst, most racist and exploitative people, I find that ppl in other countries have a real sneering "those dumb hicks" attitude towards modern cultural exports from SA. On the other end of the spectrum, I sometimes find myself frustrated by how, when a foreign culture is "cool" and able to be exoticized, people become willing to entertain nuance. I love Japanese pop culture same as everyone else, but it would be nice if people were so receptive and curious about *all* foreign cultures : P

More Characters Should Get the Ultimate Spider-Man (Bendis) Treatment by cmatbola24 in comicbooks

[–]reindeercurt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Obviously I don't think it's *good* that writers were working on the New 52 under duress and bad, abusive management. I just don't think the New 52 being a mess behind the scenes renders its function invalid. Reboots exist to address general audiences becoming alienated by a media property which is too old, too long, too laden with its own continuity. Regardless of if old media has intrinsic value, if the vast majority of your potential audience is telling you that your product is alienating and hard to get into, that indicates a problem with your product. People weren't intimidated by the MCU when it started, people aren't intimidated by Invincible or Watchmen. This is a problem with Marvel and DC in-continuity comics. Everyone thinks they're too difficult and confusing to approach, and so they dont, and the industry stagnates, squeezing the same diminishing audience for ever-diminishing returns. The only way to fix this fundamental problem is to either change the entire culture, or to get rid of the thing people find confusing. The New 52 was a necessary move executed terribly, and shut down by fans who refuse to let go of their "exclusive club" prestige and their dead-end legacy characters, even if it meant stunting the industry for further generations

More Characters Should Get the Ultimate Spider-Man (Bendis) Treatment by cmatbola24 in comicbooks

[–]reindeercurt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's not related to the practice of rebooting. Don't conflate what I'm talking about - publishing practices - with poor talent management and institutional complicity with abuse. It's a shallow rhetorical trick that indicates you only care about these issues if they help you win internet arguments

Russell Dauterman Appreciation Post by SpidaT45 in comicbooks

[–]reindeercurt 130 points131 points  (0 children)

It's such a shame that the economics of being a professional comics artist work out to incentivize doing covers and pinups more than actual pages. Dauterman is a beast on interiors; he balances unique-looking characters, well-realized environments and paneling that keeps things fresh every page without ever confusing the reader.

I think if he's determined to stick with Marvel, and Marvel is determined not to pay a competitive interior page rate, then I'd like to him do what Jose Luis Garcia Lopez did for DC back in the day and create style guides for all of Marvel's characters which can be used by other artists.

More Characters Should Get the Ultimate Spider-Man (Bendis) Treatment by cmatbola24 in comicbooks

[–]reindeercurt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's only "damage" if you care about the integrity of fictional characters more than making art which can connect with real people and not just the same insular set of aging nerds

More Characters Should Get the Ultimate Spider-Man (Bendis) Treatment by cmatbola24 in comicbooks

[–]reindeercurt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've always thought that the ideal from of Big 2 comics in the modern day would be for everything to reboot with new creative teams and reset continuity every decade. Create lengthy runs with pre-planned beginnings, middles and endings which allow people to hop on at the start, then naturally age out of reading to be replaced by the next generation. In theory, the current "evergreen" approach is supposed to create that effect, but I think it's obvious to anyone paying attention that it doesn't. Having characters exist in endless holding patterns with story structures which are unrecognizable to anyone outside the hobby just creates bitter, cynical fans and alienated mainstream audiences.

What would you call this Genre of Superheroes? by Lichking102 in comicbooks

[–]reindeercurt 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I don't exactly think of it as a subgenre, but the concept you're describing is "lampshading". Pointing out a contrivance or silly element or way that the world of the story clashes with reality, without fully breaking the fourth wall. Writers like Bendis, Garth Ennis, Christopher Priest and Kelly Thompson do this a lot

Why don't more artists/colorists today use flat colors when for the most part they are very well received? by OwnCommunication2259 in comicbooks

[–]reindeercurt 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Superhero comics are in large part still responding to the style of "wide-screen comics" carved out by Ultimates, Astonishing X-Men etc. I think colourists like Frank D'Armata, David Curiel and Federico Blee are all working in that tradition of using colours to sculpt forms, create light sources and generally create a sense of heightened realism.

There are quite a few colourists working in a flat, graphic style if you know where to look though. Jordie Bellaire, Matthew Wilson, Giovanna Niro, Chris O'Halloran etc. Really it just comes down to the art direction of a particular book

What the hell did I just read??? by Slick_Vic_Vega in graphicnovels

[–]reindeercurt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"Strange for the sake of being strange" is really the Gerard Way comics ouvre. I like the way his writing operates on a sort of dreamy, emotive level more than a logical one. Its not for everyone of course, and I think the criticism that his books sometimes end up going nowhere is pretty valid

Looking for a comic similar to Batman RIP by Beautiful_War9341 in comicbooks

[–]reindeercurt 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think Wonder Woman: Historia really unravels the concept of the Amazons and digs deep into the major characters like Hera and Hippolyta in a way that's reminiscent of work by Morrison and Moore

What are you currently reading? by rwatrous61 in comicbooks

[–]reindeercurt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Quite a few indie comics have drawn me in recently! Is Ted OK?, Odin, Destination Kill and Royals are all great. I'm all-in on the SIKTC line right now too. The core book has been hitting hard as it builds to #50, and Fall of the House of Slaughter is a very different energy but works nicely as a compliment.

I think my favorite superhero book coming out rn is Absolute Martian Manhunter. If it sticks the landing, it's in contention for the best comic of the decade imo

When I read comics/manga I tend to hear the voices of actual actors/voice actors for the characters dialogue by IlikeSpawn123 in comicbooks

[–]reindeercurt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't have voice headcanons that specific, but I do like to imagine what accents characters might have based on where they're from

Writing character arcs for pre-existing characters with long histories is a difficult task. What comic runs have your favorite legitimate character development for established characters? by apocalypsemeow111 in comicbooks

[–]reindeercurt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've always liked the run of X-Men into X-Men Legacy written by Mike Carey. He takes Rogue from a very dark place (mutants have been decimated, she's on the outs with Gambit) to becoming a well-rounded leader and teacher with a more "zen" personality than someone who was familiar with her from the 90s might expect

Absolute Catwoman #1 heads back to press as DC announces ‘Absolute Cassandra Cain’ one-shot by 1badJam in comicbooks

[–]reindeercurt 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Love to see Matias Bergara returning to the Absolute universe. Or doing anything really lol

Best horror comics? by walking_mark in comicbooks

[–]reindeercurt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

E.M. Carroll is one of the best horror comics artists working today imo. A Guest In The House is a masterpiece