that is only the smallest part of what I cannot fucking stand about this book
it is literally the worst thing DC has ever published
well, next to Identity Crisis
Followup: I e-mailed Sean McKeever stating my intention to never buy another of his books again, or otherwise support his writing, as well as praise for his Marvel work, and criticism for everything he's done at DC, and he sent me back a message which, given the circumstances, was pretty polite.
I strongly disagree with you about the quality of my writing, but you're
certainly welcome to your opinion.
For what it's worth, I was a huge fan of Arcudi's Doom Patrol and was
ramping up to having Fever eventually join the Teen Titans. But at the end
of the day, I'm merely a freelancer and don't get to make all the decisions.
Anyway, do what you will.
-Sean
I have a hard time seeing how a character makes the jump from, "eventually join[ing] the Teen Titans," to having their brains splattered across the floor. Really, is there just some vindictive editor that, upon seeing an obscure character is still active, decides, "Oh man, we gotta kill that one," the writer's protests be damned?
So did you email him back saying that? I want to know if he has more to share on how the decision came to be
Sars_BoyRest, You Are The Lightning.Registered Userregular
edited October 2008
I am thinking about bringing my copy of Gravity to a DC Panel and just asking him "What did you do to the real Sean McKeever and why do you hate superheroes so much."
I actually e-mailed back to apologize for being kind of a dick with a few of my comments in the first e-mail, but yeah, I tacked that question on at the end. Because it honestly baffles me.
I don't imagine McKeever would be too anxious to speak out against his boss(es) though, so I don't expect him to really get into it, if he even bothers to reply again.
edit: Does anyone read the funnies in the paper anymore? I read Funky Winkerbean at work, which Sean McKeever was ghost-writing a while back. I don't know if he still is, but there was recently a storyline where a young, successful comic writer that was Marvel-exclusive went to work for DC, only to be stricken with sudden, crippling writer's block.
Dr. ChaosPost nuclear nuisanceRegistered Userregular
edited October 2008
Batman:
Break, Bruce! BREAK, damn you!
Is it depraved that I actually want to see him lose this fucked up game of psychological warfare? It's like watching someone torture a sim...I want to see just how far they can take it.
I actually e-mailed back to apologize for being kind of a dick with a few of my comments in the first e-mail, but yeah, I tacked that question on at the end. Because it honestly baffles me.
I don't imagine McKeever would be too anxious to speak out against his boss(es) though, so I don't expect him to really get into it, if he even bothers to reply again.
edit: Does anyone read the funnies in the paper anymore? I read Funky Winkerbean at work, which Sean McKeever was ghost-writing a while back. I don't know if he still is, but there was recently a storyline where a young, successful comic writer that was Marvel-exclusive went to work for DC, only to be stricken with sudden, crippling writer's block.
Yeah, I don't see how anyone could think that comic wasn't going to suck. They solicited it as "a journey into the darkest, coldest and most brutal corners of the teen psyche!"
...
That sounds awesome!!!
Yeah, I don't see how anyone could think that comic wasn't going to suck. They solicited it as "a journey into the darkest, coldest and most brutal corners of the teen psyche!"
...
That sounds awesome!!!
It's like none of them were ever actually teenagers.
I am thinking about bringing my copy of Gravity to a DC Panel and just asking him "What did you do to the real Sean McKeever and why do you hate superheroes so much."
Bring him Sentinel as well. That one was good too.
I am thinking about bringing my copy of Gravity to a DC Panel and just asking him "What did you do to the real Sean McKeever and why do you hate superheroes so much."
Bring him Sentinel as well. That one was good too.
And Spider-Man Loves Mary-Jane. McKeever was great at Marvel.
munch you should read this bit about Identity Crisis
it's awesome
I read this bit, and man, I don't remember having any such negative reaction to Identity Crisis when I was reading it. Admittedly, this was a while ago, and I didn't know much about the DCU at the time (so I guess I was the target demographic), but I don't remember having any problems even with the things mentioned in the above excerpt as being unrelated to comic book familiarity. Although, I am fairly oblivious, and don't always analyze what I'm reading, so I'd really only take issue with something if it was super-blatant. Maybe I should reread and see what I think about it now.
Also, that excerpt made me want to read the Bendis/Maleev Daredevil run.
I've never liked McKeever ever and I knew he would make a terrible mess out of Teen Titans.
Personally, I think he has difficulty writing anything other than Disney-ish highschool teen soaps where kids act out a shallow parody of teenage life, filled with silliness and amnesia, where everyone is a stereotype and all that matters is who is cheating on who and will the shy, bookish boy ever date the cheerleader? Someone at DC thought that Teen Titans might be such a book.
McKeever should not be called upon to write anything of substance, even if it involves a group of teenage costumed heroes.
Here's the thing. Had McKeever written Teen Titans as he had his previous teen-centric books, with kind of a light, adventurous air, with the drama and pathos derived from clashing personalities and nuanced interactions between characters, I'd have been all over it. Because I think that's what Teen Titans should be; a bunch of teens doing teenager things, fighting crime, and having fun doing so.
Writers don't have to create artificial drama through brutally murdering supporting characters, or some C-list nobodies languishing in limbo. There are a lot of TV shows, books, and movies that are able to tell emotional, rewarding stories that don't involve a bunch of murder. Hell, just look at Johns' run on Teen Titans. As much as I thought it was formulaic and derivative of Wolfman and Perez at times, people dug it. He made the book feel important and noteworthy without a body-count.
I think my problem is that I grew up reading comics in the 90's and early 00's, where books like Starman, Hourman, JLI/E, Hitman, Young Heroes in Love, Power Company, Young Justice, and others were built on character interaction and interpersonal drama. A lot of times, the best moments in these series weren't when the characters were engaged in high stakes battles with supervillains, but when they were just sitting around chatting with the rest of the cast.
Really, it should tell McKeever a lot that people who've been decrying his entire run on Titans so far, still enjoyed the done-in-one Red & Blue issue. Which was, of course, noticeably lighter and more fun than the rest of his issues.
My favorite teen book in recent years was the New X-Men period after House of M. They managed to balance a feeling of danger/expendability with humor and teen drama/soap opera elements. It's too bad it only lasted a couple of arcs before things fell apart.
My favorite teen book in recent years was the New X-Men period after House of M. They managed to balance a feeling of danger/expendability with humor and teen drama/soap opera elements. It's too bad it only lasted a couple of arcs before things fell apart.
And it only really fell apart because of the decision to focus on Hellion.
Fencingsax on
0
Garlic Breadi'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm aRegistered User, Disagreeableregular
edited October 2008
They should get John Rogers on Teen Titans. He was pretty much doing that in Blue Beetle, except instead of the Titans it was Beetle and his family and friends.
New Exiles started off rough but it's actually not as bad as it could be.
I, however, didn't read the one that came before or whatever so I can't compare it's quality to that.
Faynor on
do you wanna see me eat a hotdog
0
Garlic Breadi'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm aRegistered User, Disagreeableregular
edited October 2008
i read too many comics last night too quickly while being too tired so i don't really remember what exactly went on in JLA.
I enjoyed Vixen's mini for what it was. The art was pretty (except the artist draws Superman's face weirdly). Since when do her hands and feet form that of the animal she's channeling? I'm not complaining (it looked cool), just wondering. It also doesn't vibe with Vixen's current power status (channeling metas instead of animals), but who cares. Although it felt a little short, but I can't say I was disappointed (I didn't really have high expectations).
New Exiles started off rough but it's actually not as bad as it could be.
I, however, didn't read the one that came before or whatever so I can't compare it's quality to that.
Well, Chris Claremont is the be-all end-all of comics to me. Uncanny was my first and favorite. And quite frankly, it may or may not be a coincidence that I write like him--complete with the unfortunate tendency to have a ton of backstory that is referenced but unwritten in the final product and unknown to the readers, which annoys a lot of people.
My favorite teen book in recent years was the New X-Men period after House of M. They managed to balance a feeling of danger/expendability with humor and teen drama/soap opera elements. It's too bad it only lasted a couple of arcs before things fell apart.
Man, maybe I'm misremembering what happened, but wasn't it just after HoM when everyone was fucking dieing every issue? I dropped the book because between the constant, pointless main character deaths and godawful villians (I really hate the Purifiers.) it was just no fun anymore.
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Footprints on her brain.
Steam: YOU FACE JARAXXUS| Twitch.tv: CainLoveless
the parts that make fun of the DCU are great
the parts that do weird stuff (the marriage thing, Go Go Chex) fall flat for me
So far out of what I've read I think Batman was the most holy-shit-awesome and No Hero wasn't bad either. Definitely left me wanting more.
we won't really know till next month
DO YOU GET IT YET?
So did you email him back saying that? I want to know if he has more to share on how the decision came to be
I don't imagine McKeever would be too anxious to speak out against his boss(es) though, so I don't expect him to really get into it, if he even bothers to reply again.
edit: Does anyone read the funnies in the paper anymore? I read Funky Winkerbean at work, which Sean McKeever was ghost-writing a while back. I don't know if he still is, but there was recently a storyline where a young, successful comic writer that was Marvel-exclusive went to work for DC, only to be stricken with sudden, crippling writer's block.
Hmmmm.
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Is it depraved that I actually want to see him lose this fucked up game of psychological warfare? It's like watching someone torture a sim...I want to see just how far they can take it.
why did you even buy Terror Titans?
...
That sounds awesome!!!
Bring him Sentinel as well. That one was good too.
And Spider-Man Loves Mary-Jane. McKeever was great at Marvel.
Choose Your Own Chat 1 Choose Your Own Chat 2 Choose Your Own Chat 3
Wait, No Hero came out? Holy shits.
Why was I not informed?
"And this is his sofa, is it?" said Arthur.
I read this bit, and man, I don't remember having any such negative reaction to Identity Crisis when I was reading it. Admittedly, this was a while ago, and I didn't know much about the DCU at the time (so I guess I was the target demographic), but I don't remember having any problems even with the things mentioned in the above excerpt as being unrelated to comic book familiarity. Although, I am fairly oblivious, and don't always analyze what I'm reading, so I'd really only take issue with something if it was super-blatant. Maybe I should reread and see what I think about it now.
Also, that excerpt made me want to read the Bendis/Maleev Daredevil run.
Personally, I think he has difficulty writing anything other than Disney-ish highschool teen soaps where kids act out a shallow parody of teenage life, filled with silliness and amnesia, where everyone is a stereotype and all that matters is who is cheating on who and will the shy, bookish boy ever date the cheerleader? Someone at DC thought that Teen Titans might be such a book.
McKeever should not be called upon to write anything of substance, even if it involves a group of teenage costumed heroes.
Writers don't have to create artificial drama through brutally murdering supporting characters, or some C-list nobodies languishing in limbo. There are a lot of TV shows, books, and movies that are able to tell emotional, rewarding stories that don't involve a bunch of murder. Hell, just look at Johns' run on Teen Titans. As much as I thought it was formulaic and derivative of Wolfman and Perez at times, people dug it. He made the book feel important and noteworthy without a body-count.
I think my problem is that I grew up reading comics in the 90's and early 00's, where books like Starman, Hourman, JLI/E, Hitman, Young Heroes in Love, Power Company, Young Justice, and others were built on character interaction and interpersonal drama. A lot of times, the best moments in these series weren't when the characters were engaged in high stakes battles with supervillains, but when they were just sitting around chatting with the rest of the cast.
Really, it should tell McKeever a lot that people who've been decrying his entire run on Titans so far, still enjoyed the done-in-one Red & Blue issue. Which was, of course, noticeably lighter and more fun than the rest of his issues.
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Yeeeesh
"And this is his sofa, is it?" said Arthur.
When the team's version of Kitty Pryde drops the claws from an alternate reality Logan at AoA Creed's feet.
I, however, didn't read the one that came before or whatever so I can't compare it's quality to that.
I enjoyed Vixen's mini for what it was. The art was pretty (except the artist draws Superman's face weirdly). Since when do her hands and feet form that of the animal she's channeling? I'm not complaining (it looked cool), just wondering. It also doesn't vibe with Vixen's current power status (channeling metas instead of animals), but who cares. Although it felt a little short, but I can't say I was disappointed (I didn't really have high expectations).
Well, Chris Claremont is the be-all end-all of comics to me. Uncanny was my first and favorite. And quite frankly, it may or may not be a coincidence that I write like him--complete with the unfortunate tendency to have a ton of backstory that is referenced but unwritten in the final product and unknown to the readers, which annoys a lot of people.
Man, maybe I'm misremembering what happened, but wasn't it just after HoM when everyone was fucking dieing every issue? I dropped the book because between the constant, pointless main character deaths and godawful villians (I really hate the Purifiers.) it was just no fun anymore.