Rant

An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

COMMENT: On Snobs and Good Comics Shops

I hate snobs. Of any stripe, really; literature, movies, music, TV...I hated them in the poetry scene, where snobbery usually takes the form of condencension towards anyone who was popular and/or topical, without necessarily being the finest craftspeople. I hate them equally in the comics scene, where superhero fans are looked down upon like high school dropouts and [insert late-shipping indie darling du jour here] is offered up as the equivalent of a GED, their first step to a better, more fulfilling four-color life.MEMO TO THE COMICS BLOGIVERSE: Stop trying to tell people that what they read sucks, and what…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

On The Shelves: 11/9/05

Support GOOD Comics! Try something new EVERY month!My weekly look at select comic books being released tomorrow, 11/9/05. The full shipping is list available at ComicList.[NOTE: Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. If your LCBS offers a pre-ordering service, be sure to take advantage of it. If not, find another one; or try Khepri.com or MidtownComics.com]ALIAS ENTERPRISES LLC Lethal Instinct #4 (Of 6), $2.99 Sixgun Samurai #2, $2.99Comics like Lethal Instinct still being published makes me think Alias is run like a vanity press. Sixgun Samurai totally slipped under my radar, so I might give…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Buzzscope: What’s a Nubian? #1

When I first came across PopCultureShock.com last year, it was the combination of the favorable response in their forums to the announcement of Reggie Hudlin taking on Black Panther (in contrast to the immediate sniping over at NEWSarama and throughout the comics blogosphere, with ignorant comments like, "Oh no! He's going to gangstify the Black Panther!"), and the "Color Commentary" column that surveyed black characters' appearances each month, that landed it a spot in my bookmarks. Of course, Hudlin turned out to be a bit of a dud, and "Color Commentary" disappeared before really fulfilling its promise, but those two…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Buzzscope Reviews: 10/5/05

Cranked a few out this week, including our first "Staff Picks" entry...Amazing Fantasy #13With the underlying concept of superpowered humans who eschew capes and tights – and are inherently more dangerous as a result – Karl Kesel quickly establishes a credible setting that begs for elaboration, while teasing just enough information to pique the readers interest.Conan and the Demons of Khitai #1 (of 4)Editor Scott Allie has proven to be a worthy steward of Robert E. Howard’s storied barbarian, and with Demons of Khitai, it looks as if he’s once again caught lightning in a bottle as Akira Yoshida and…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Comment: Larsen Backtracking?

So Erik Larsen managed to rile up the internet last week with his rant about comic book creators working on established characters for the Big Two instead of creating their own, ignorantly going with a slavery metaphor - But you stay shackled to that chain and pick that cotton and tell us all how "nice" your master is and how much you "like it" there. Ah, white privilege! - and calling them pussies.Because I use Bloglines to track CBR articles, it notifies me whenever a piece has been updated, and Larsen's column popped up again today with the notation: Posted…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Link: Erik Larsen Goes Off

Wow!An open letter to comic book creators everywhere:Is that all you've got?Really?Because if it is-- that's pretty fucking sad....I understand the desire to clutch on to the security of a guaranteed page rate. And I understand the attraction of working on characters that you grew up with. But at what point are you going to grow up? When are you going to stop sucking on the corporate tit? When are you going to (gasp) take a risk?Do you think the guy working for MdDonalds really has a better chance for success than the guy opening up his own restaurant? Sure,…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

CBC Quickees: 9/14/05

Better late than never, and it's a small but mostly good batch...All-Star Batman & Robin The Boy Wonder #2 (DC Comics, $2.99): Oh, Frank, what in the hell are you doing? On first read, I groaned at how bad the scripting was, particularly Batman who sounds like a crazed Adam West auditioning to play Sin City's Marv. Then I read Fossen's take on it, and skimmed through it a second time. And I groaned again! A little bit louder. Regardless of what Miller's intent is with this story, the fact of the matter is that his writing is godawful. Considering…

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