Assistant Editor's Comic Book Questions Thread

Robos A Go Go

Apart from the ridiculous cheesecake, the art in ASBAR is decent enough.

SatanIsMyMotor

DouglasDanger wrote: »

Robos A Go Go wrote: »

Just think of All Star Batman as a prequel to The Dark Knight Returns. If you like the latter book and its sequel, then you'll get a kick out of ASBAR.

Did Absolute Planetary volume two come out yet?

Yep, and it's the cat's pajamas.

Solar

I can't even like ASBAR for it's terribleness

I

I just can't

Wildcat

Solar

Solar

Wildcat wrote: »

Solar

Wildcat

Wildcat

ASBAR is the very pinnacle of modern storytelling, the pinnacle I tell you.

Solar

No

RoA is better in those stakes.

Though I grant you the Wonder Woman is ASBAR is highly amusing

Wildcat

Listen, I am open to storytelling but when it involves kitten molesting that is where I draw the line

spookymuffin

So when exactly is Children's Crusade taking place? It's hard to follow it when it's coming out bimonthly, and not lining up with anything being printed at the same time.

Ringo

It never actually happens. It's all a fever dream in Kate's mind as she lays drugged in the Negative Zone Prison, forgotten because she has no powers.

She clings to the notion that someday, someone will rescue 'Hawkeye', not knowing that she's already been replaced.

Solar

I dislike children's crusade because of all the Young Avengers Wiccan irritates me most and this book is all about him. Eff off man.

Eli and Kate need to lay the beat down and make it clear who this team really needs.

TexiKen

Children's Crusade has to happen after the X-Men Second Coming event though, because of the prequel story Heinberg wrote in Uncanny #526 where Magneto finds out he has grandchildren. That's pretty much the only definitive thing that pegs down Children's Crusade for the time being.

DouglasDanger

Has there ever been a book that deals with sort of the side-effects of superheroes? People re-using superheroes' equipment in different ways would be an example. I know Ultimate Arcade sort of salvaged different stuff from superheroes. I think he had a web-grenade or something based on some Spider-man webs he found. And Taskmaster used to use knock-offs of various heroes' equipment when fighting in their style. Frank robbing the Avengers' closet was awesome, for example.

I heard about Damage Control, which is a salvage/demolitions company in the Marvel U, but I don't think there are trades of that.

I'm not looking for "what about the civilians?!" Millar Civil War bullshit trash, but rather different approaches or perspectives. I think.

Blankzilla

There actually is a Damage Control tpb for the most recent miniseries, taking place after World War Hulk.

http://www.amazon.com/World-War-Hulk-Control-Incredible/dp/0785123881/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1296417914&sr=1-11

DouglasDanger

Cool, thanks.

Peeps Chicken

And I may be mistaken, but I thought the original Damage Control series would be collected in the Acts of Vengeance Omnibus coming out.

TexiKen

Two questions:

1) is the Harley Quinn mini worth a look if I like Batgirl/Red Robin? The Dodson art is what's drawing em to it.

2) After 52, what would be the correct reading order for Space DC? Lack of Cosmic Marvel has made me want to check out space DC. I read the Adam Strange and Rann/Thanagar war, but after 52 and the cosmic Odyssey tuned it out with the exception of GLC.

MastaP

TexiKen wrote: »

Two questions:

1) is the Harley Quinn mini worth a look if I like Batgirl/Red Robin? The Dodson art is what's drawing em to it.

2) After 52, what would be the correct reading order for Space DC? Lack of Cosmic Marvel has made me want to check out space DC. I read the Adam Strange and Rann/Thanagar war, but after 52 and the cosmic Odyssey tuned it out with the exception of GLC.

The order (I Think) is:

Mystery In Space, Rann/Thanager Holy War, and then Strange Adventures and R.E.B.E.L.S. run concurrently.

DouglasDanger

what is up with The Goon? Is it still coming out? Is Powell working on anything else?

Blankzilla

Powell is working on the upcoming Godzilla series from IDW.

Goon basically doesn't have a schedule, it comes out when it comes out.

DouglasDanger

That is cool.

Hensler

Powell said he has some special Goon stuff planned for when the movie comes out. He may just be banking it until then.

Delduwath

I'm re-reading Doctor 13, and it got me thinking: how many meta-comics are there? That is to say, comics about comics. And, to narrow it down further, I'm not referring to things like Comic Book Comics or Understanding Comics, which are a comic book about the history of comic books, and a comic book about the formal structure of comic books, respectively. I'm talking about comics where the narrative takes place on multiple levels, where at least one of those levels is a comic (or, I guess, just fiction in general), and at least one level is "reality"; or, alternatively, comic books where the narrative is generally on a single level, but is self-aware of the fact that it's in a fictional universe (like Doctor 13).

Here are the ones I can think of:
- Doctor 13
- Flex Mentallo
- Animal Man
- The Filth (had a few episodes that had elements of this, as I recall)
- Superman Beyond (not directly meta-fictional, but I'm pretty sure the 4-D world that Superman ascends to is pretty much a stand-in for our world, and has basically the same kind of relationship to the DC Universe that our world does)

DouglasDanger

Hensler wrote: »

Powell said he has some special Goon stuff planned for when the movie comes out. He may just be banking it until then.

I thought the Goon movie was out of money. I thought the trailer was all they had.

jkylefulton

Delduwath wrote: »

I'm re-reading Doctor 13, and it got me thinking: how many meta-comics are there? That is to say, comics about comics. And, to narrow it down further, I'm not referring to things like Comic Book Comics or Understanding Comics, which are a comic book about the history of comic books, and a comic book about the formal structure of comic books, respectively. I'm talking about comics where the narrative takes place on multiple levels, where at least one of those levels is a comic (or, I guess, just fiction in general), and at least one level is "reality"; or, alternatively, comic books where the narrative is generally on a single level, but is self-aware of the fact that it's in a fictional universe (like Doctor 13).

Here are the ones I can think of:
- Doctor 13
- Flex Mentallo
- Animal Man
- The Filth (had a few episodes that had elements of this, as I recall)
- Superman Beyond (not directly meta-fictional, but I'm pretty sure the 4-D world that Superman ascends to is pretty much a stand-in for our world, and has basically the same kind of relationship to the DC Universe that our world does)

Meta comics was a running gag during Byrne's SHE-HULK run.

Delduwath

How did Byrne's She-Hulk run do meta comics? (Never read it.)

I guess I'm still trying to figure out what sort of story I'm looking for. I suppose what it comes down to is this: stories that say something interesting about the relationship between fiction and those who create/consume fiction. Which is cheating, since I'm just deferring the heavy-lifting from the word "meta-fiction" to the word "interesting".

Like, OK, let's look at some examples. Animal Man and Doctor 13 both talk about how the non-fictional actor has power over the fictional actor; specifically,

Spoiler:

In Animal Man, Morrison directs the course of Buddy's life. He can kill his entire family and make him a grim avenger - because we the readers find that entertaining - and he can bring them back to life, as though nothing ever happened - because he can, because fiction is the only place where we can exercise godlike power.

In Doctor 13, the Architects decide the fate of C-level characters every time they re-organize the fictional reality. The fact that they can re-organize the fictional reality on such a total scale is another kind of interaction. The Architects, of course, are DC's writers/editors/whatever.

If I understood things correctly (and I might not have, since I read it once, and years ago), Flex Mentallo talks about the reverse: fictional actors have power over non-fictional actors - although, what's interesting is that here, one level of actors is fictional and the other non-fictional with respect to each other, but they are both fictional with respect to us.

Spoiler:

Flex saves the non-fictional Wally by saving his fictional incarnation (as I recall it! I may be wrong!)

Either the Filth or Flex Mentallo - I honestly can't remember - at one point mentions non-fictional actors becoming fictional actors.

Spoiler:

Non-fictional heroes of a doomed world survive the destruction of their home by becoming the fictional heroes of another world.

Another comic I just remembered, Ambush Bug: Year None takes non-fictional events that affect the fictional reality and narrative, and incorporates them into the fictional reality and narrative.

So, that's the sort of thing I'm looking for. A character briefly breaking the fourth wall and saying "We're in a comic book, y'all", they way Deadpool occasionally does, isn't the kind of meta-fiction I'm looking for right now.

Langly

She was a super-human lawyer, and issues of comic books would be submitted as evidence.

DasUberEdward

Can anyone direct me to a resource that explains the whole ages of magic DC has going on?

Hensler

DasUberEdward wrote: »

Can anyone direct me to a resource that explains the whole ages of magic DC has going on?

I don't think there is a single resource, but the Homo Magi listing on the DC Wikia or regular Wikipedia would probably be the best place to start.

Crimsondude

DC remembered they have magic, eh?

Solar

For ages the only big DC magic heroes were Zatanna and Constantine, really.

The first is awesome but I think she scares writers a little because she is basically a reality warper.

The second I hate pretty much entirely.

Blankzilla

You hate Constantine? May I ask what stories you have read? I mean, the man can be a huge asshole but he is a very compelling and tragic character.

Wildcat

I watched his film last night - it wasn't as bad as I'd been led to believe.

Solar

I read one where he is in jail? And the jail breaks down and obviously Constantine walks right out of there.

Honestly it isn't that he is an asshole it's his "blimey guvnor" Britishness which I don't like. Because, eh, I just don't. When you read works like The Authority you get similar characters and I don't like them much either, though Constantine definately is an asshole and I don't usually like asshole characters like that.

I liked the film version a lot actually.

Blankzilla

The movie isn't a bad movie, its a decent supernatural action movie. And Peter Stromare as the devil was fantastic.It was just a bad adaptation, MovieConstantine isn't anything like ComicsConstantine.

Blankzilla

Solar wrote: »

I read one where he is in jail? And the jail breaks down and obviously Constantine walks right out of there.

Honestly it isn't that he is an asshole it's his "blimey guvnor" Britishness which I don't like, more than him being an asshole, though I have to admit I don't like asshole characters most of the time.

Well the cor blimey guv'ner thug varies writer to writer, but he is always pretty British. The asshole thing never ends but its understandable considering any that ever gets remotely close to him personally is brutally killed.

If you ever feel like giving him another shot, All His Engines by Mike Carey(I think) is my personal favorite and the Hellblazer story most people recommend.

Solar

i think maybe hate is a strong word

i read one book and I was like "eh, don't really feel the desire to read another."

Antimatter

did you read his appearance in Sandman?

Solar

It's been a long while since i read Sandman

Can't really remember what he was like in that

Wildcat

I really must read Sandman.