Michael Paciocco's Mind

[paulpogue]

Peter David did a really good take on this in his run on "Dreadstar," when Vanth Dreadstar and company help an ousted ruler retake his throne and promptly learn that the original ruler is a gigantic dickhead. Because said ruler is quite genre savvy, his first act is to order Dreadstar executed, under the logic "You are a revolutionary, Dreadstar, and your lot is always to be dissatisfied with the status quo and desire change. Thus you must die."

Of course, Vanth eventually trashes the guy and wipes out his regime, but it's the thought that counts.

Christopher Priest edged into this territory in "Black Panther," when Killmonger correctly accused T'Challa of slaughtering countless innocent children just to keep his throne when he crashed the world's economy.

[K-Box]

As Civil War demonstrated, even in stories that focus almost exclusively on non-monarchial modern democracies, even self-styled liberal writers really don't have a handle on how to portray democracy within mythic fiction.

It's especially glaring in superhero stories, most of which ostensibly take place in the America of "today," but which nonetheless hammer home the dynastic importance of legacies and bloodlines.

Interestingly enough, it's one of the oldest superheroes who does the best job of painting the way toward the future, because the core concept of Captain America reimagines superheroes, not as modern-day kings and knights, but as living, breathing embodiments of national ideals.

Aquaman and Black Panther as rulers of their respective nations don't work, for precisely the reasons you point out, but Aquaman and Black Panther as the citizen-soldiers of Atlantis and Wakanda not only preserves their ties to their nations, but actually strengthens those ties, by making them chosen exemplars of their peoples while at the same time sending them abroad from their homelands.

Heh ... I suppose this makes them like Wonder Woman as well.

[michaelpaciocco]

This one is a bit rambling, but...oh well.

pacioccosmind.blogspot.com/2011/08/on-dc-reboot.html

Honestly, I'm still not sure what to make of it. At all.

One theory that's out there on the internet is that it's ok for old fans to be disenfranchised, because that will lead to new fans replacing us. The template those people look to is the successful Doctor Who revival. And you know, I'd be OK with that, honestly. If DC doesn't want to produce a product I like, then I'll take my money elsewhere; no harm, no foul, it's just business.







But....exactly how are they going to get these news fans is my question. Where will they come from? Using Doctor Who as the reference, I got into it with the revival because it was heavily marketed in a media I have easy access to (TV), was easy to find (check the listings), cost nothing to check out (provided you were already paying your bills), and was produced by a group of new creators who had little if any involvement in the franchise, and the product was made easily accessible.




Contrast this with the Reboot; how are they marketing it? Multimedia advertising - internet, TV, radio, newspaper articles. OK, this is good - but it's casting a wide net, assuming that people are going to check it out because the recognizable characters (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern) are there. Which might do well...for those titles, but probably won't help say, the Blackhawks book or Birds of Prey or Stormwatch or Mr. Terrific, which is to say, the majority of the relaunched titles. In order for that to work, there would have to be advertising within the "high profile" titles for the other books. I don't see that happening. Nevermind that trying to target a diverse line of comics for a general audience is a tricky thing, and would have to be sustained over a long period of time to see long lasting results.






Then there's the accessiblity - there are effectively two audiences to the reboot wants to get - people who will go to the brick and mortar stores, and people who will buy digital. For the digital purchasers, they have to have the app, and they have to be aware of how to use the app and then, they have to pay on a per-issue basis the same as the brick and mortar store customers. The potential brick and mortar store customers are limited by the fact that A) there may not be a comic store anywhere near them (such as myself) and B) they need to actually FIND them, which isn't as easy as say, checking your local TV listings for a show. The store owners also have to be willing to risk ordering lots of extra copies months in advance how much of an increase in business they should expect, otherwise, they aren't going to get much in the way of new customers.







In addition to this, while the histories of the characters are being refreshed/relaunched/rebooted or whatever term you like, the people making them are, for the most part, the same group of people who have been part of the franchise for the past decade. Much like with "Brightest Day", it's hard for things to change substantially if it's the same people doing the same kind of work that has been rejected in the past. In fact, much like the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths that this relaunch is compared to, the relaunching is highly selective - Green Lantern and Batman are staying the same while Superman and Wonder Woman are getting new takes, which, incidentally, is exactly what happened Post-Crisis.

This is all a very long way of saying that you can't really compare the DC reboot to the Doctor Who revival because the marketing isn't as targeted, its not as easy to access, it costs more, and the "freshness" of the take is questionable.








As a sidebar, I find it interesting that the relaunch really doesn't address (and really can't address) one of the rumored reasons for it; to more effectively tie-in with the use of the characters in other media and to develop more adaption-ready material for multimedia use. Trying to make a successful multimedia franchise ready for adaptation is difficult to start with, and it's compounded by the fact that it limits the creators to try and achieve a style that can be easily adapted, which works for some properties, but not others.

Of course, I also try to imagine what would happen if DC had to bring their comics inline with their existing multimedia adaptations. For example, getting rid of all the Robins and most of the supporting cast to put the Batman comics inline with the Nolan films. And you'd have to replace the entire writing and art groups of DC to try and emulate the aesthetics and storytelling style of "Batman: the Brave and the Bold". Or (my personal favourite) making a "Big Seven" Justice League comic with John Stewart and Hawkgirl, with a Dini-inspired house art style and Dwayne McDuffie-style storytelling.






Actually...yeah, I would like to see that last one.

[K-Box]

"One theory that's out there on the internet is that it's ok for old fans to be disenfranchised, because that will lead to new fans replacing us. The template those people look to is the successful Doctor Who revival."

Another reason this comparison fails? Even those Classic Who fans who have been the harshest critics of the worst excesses of the RTD era will grudgingly admit that it was no worse than the JNT era that killed the original series in the first place. Moreover, most Classic Who fans (even the ones who, like myself, got sick of Rose's constant returns and RTD's constant "Can you top this?" season-enders) rate the revival far more charitably than that, in no small part because Doctor Who is perhaps the only creative franchise in existence that's built on a foundation of ANTI-continuity.

[paulpogue]

The biggest difference here is that while there's a lot to criticize about Rusty's reign on Who, the opening season was a fucking masterclass in how to revive an old property and ease in all the old stuff. Hell, for most of the first series I almost believed Rusty's line about how he was putting even the Daleks out to pasture and starting fresh.

The Time War itself -- which put longtime fans and newcomers on an equal footing as far as having no idea what had just happened -- was a stroke of brilliance. Everyone watching Who assumed there was a bunch of backstory they wouldn't understand, and the hilarious thing was, only the longtime nerds were the ones annoyed by it because they weren't in on it.

Another big difference: The new team on Who was, in fact, a new team. DC has next to no creative changeover from the old to the new crews, just some shuffling, and doing it in such a way that the continuity is even MORE of a mess. Seriously, I have a Ph.D in nerdology and I can't tell you what the hell is going on with this or why Blackest Night still counts but Doomsday doesn't.

DC's reboot is basically the Doctor Who equivalent of giving John Nathan Turner the keys to the 2005 series, and him only taking on the condition that he's totally allowed to keep "Dimensions in Time" in continuity. And also some episodes would follow the Cartmel continuity and others would not.

[michaelpaciocco]

I've had a version of this post in my head for about 2-3 years. The details have changed slightly, but the core is still there. And now Kirk and I have a bet going on this.

pacioccosmind.blogspot.com/2011/08/possible-world-to-come.html

MARVEL COMICS OFFICES - THE NEAR FUTURE

"Hey Joe."
"Hey Bri."
"Last day."
"Yeah. Yeah."
"Packing?"
"Yeah."
"You want a-?"
"sure if you got-"
"-yeah."
"Cool. "
"Cool."
"So, you're going back to Image?"
"Yeah, well - if - "
"Still got the legal thing?"
"Yeah, it's no biggie."
"Sorry Bri, couldn't help with that."
"No biggie. So, you got that thing set up yet?"
"The thing?"
"The Dark Horse thing."
"Oh, yeah. Mostly just the Buffy comics, maybe a couple other things to start."


"Cool. Cool. You heard from Mark?"
"Mark?"
"Yeah, Mark."
"Not since he said he was flying out to LA."
"Oh. Me neither."
"Yeah."
"Anything on the others?"
"The others?"
"Yeah the others - Matt, Ed, Jason-"
"Oh. Nope."






"No one's at DC?"
"Maybe a couple of the artists - heard they picked up Colleen."
"Colleen?"
"Colleen Coover."
"Huh. Cool."


"Guess it's part of their new policy."
"New policy?"
"Yeah - they only want people with YA experience-"
"YA?"
"Young Adult."
"Young Adult? You mean like Harry Potter ?"
"Yeah."
"Wow. That's a new direction."
"Yeah."
"You figure that's what-"
"Probably. Explains things."
"Yeah."
"We better finish up. Lot to do before closing time."
"Yeah."



"Bri?"
"Yeah?"
"You think there's anything we could have-"
"about what?"
"I don't know - seen it coming?"
"Seen what coming?"
"I don't know."
"Exactly. We coulda gotten rich if we'd seen it coming."
"I guess.'
"Weird though."
"Yeah. All new people going to be in here. Guess it's best not to stick around."


"I guess."
"Good Luck Bri."
"Good Luck Joe. I'll text you in a couple days."
"Cool."

[K-Box]

As I told Michael, what I see as the more likely alternative?

"Although sales on the relaunch ultimately proved disappointing under Dan DiDio, we feel confident that our new Editor-in-Chief, J.T. Krul, will turn things around ..."

For God's sake, this is the same industry in which BOB MOTHERFUCKING HARRAS is ONCE AGAIN the Editor-in-Chief of one of the "Big Two" publishers, and ROB COCKSUCKING LIEFELD is ONCE AGAIN drawing a "monthly" (HAHAHAHAHA) title.

The comics industry NEVER learns from its mistakes. Instead, it WILLFULLY DOUBLES DOWN on its most stupid decisions, out of sheer SPITE alone.

[paulpogue]

And yet Jim Shooter is still out in the wasteland. No fucking justice in the world sometimes.

[michaelpaciocco]

That thing I normally don't talk about? Well...today I talk about it a bit.

pacioccosmind.blogspot.com/2011/08/secret-origin.html

I originally quit blogging back in 2004 because I had lost interest. Just didn't see the point in being one voice among thousdands of others. I was more focused on applying the principles of what I'd learned from comics into real life by using my talents to do good in the world (a subject I explain here) and that was that.

And then, at the end of 2006, I was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin's lymphona. It was a hard time as I went through chemo, particularly for a young person going through the cancer experience. There were many days I couldn't do much more than sit around the house. It was during this time, when I was ordering trades of Aaron Williams' great PS238 series (I actually ordered them directly through him because it's frickin' HARD to get them in Canada). One of the little background details I loved in the first few books were the faux motivational posters he had and I asked if I could have full sized jpg files. He gave me the link where he made them instead. So I began tinkering; it was a good way to pass the time at the computer. Even after I finished treatment (successfully - it has now been four years and no sign of any problems), I found myself using the poster macros and images from the monthly solicits or other sources to express my thoughts on various characters or ideas or for commentary.








I started sharing these posters with the few online friends I discussed comics with, and virtually all of them suggested the same thing - put them up on a blog (Special thanks goes to Jens H. Altmann, Paul F.P. Pogue, and Mario Di Giacomo). And so I reopened the blog, and started putting up the posters, along with some commentary and thoughts.

And here we are now. At rough count, I've made over 3000 posters since I started, and over 700 blogposts since then. Which, while not prolific blogging, is not bad either. But something has happened - and it's been about two months since I've had anything new to posterize. Furthermore, I found that I have little new to say about comics - I could keep telling you "Atomic Robo, PS238, Love and Capes and Farscape are AWESOME DUDES!", and I will actually still be blogging for most of the rest of the year, and taking on a most positive tone, but...they really just don't inspire me anymore.


















I believe that it is an individual's moral imperative to develop their talents to the utmost and then to apply those talents in the real world as best they can. Care to guess where I got this silly notion from? So that's what I'm going to do, and that means that redirecting and refocusing this energy means that I'll be leaving blogging behind. But again, I still have hundreds of posters to put up, so you'll not be rid of me just yet.












The changes in corporate comics don't make me happy, but at the same time, I'm not going to waste the time and energy to shout at them about how poorly I think they are doing because - well, there's lots of people who do that already. I choose to strive for the example of the heroes I read about as a kid. Furthermore, I think that moving forward in the real world is more in keeping with the example of the real people and real heroes behind the stories I love; Creators like Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and Jack Kirby and Stan Lee and Dwayne McDuffie and Will Eisner, and on and on. It's one thing to say you like superheroes - but your actions in the real world are what matter.













This is all part of my moving forward. I started making posters because I needed something to get my mind off the things I was dealing with, and it was my old childhood heroes who led the way. Now it's time to return the favor, and do my best to live up to those standards.

I end today's post with two of my favorite hero moments of all time - moments that helped inspire me during my treatment, just to give you an idea of my mindset. Share with me your favorite hero moments. And don't worry, more posts to come.

[Anders]

Awesome.

[michaelpaciocco]

Two things:
1) Why complain about Paramilitary espionage noir with spandex when there are good comics to talk about?
2) I expect to be firmly roasted in effigy by BSG fans - BRING IT!

pacioccosmind.blogspot.com/2011/09/good-comics-farscape.html

Alright, enough with the soul-bearing and complaining about the crap, let's get on with the good comics!

BOOM's Farscape comic is a guilty pleasure for me - it's a layer-cake of nostalgia that I enjoy despite its flaws, but marvel at when it gets it right.

Farscape remains one of my favorite TV shows of all time and perhaps the best space opera ever put out by the Sci-Fi network (sorry BSG fans - but you know I'm right). It was innovative, intelligent, rapid-paced, and fun entertainment that holds up to rewatching years later (as I learned when I rewatched the series this past winter). The comic series picks up after the events of the "Peacekeeper Wars" miniseries, and deals with the ongoing adventures of the crew of the Leviathan Moya, past and present.






First, let's dispense with the problems of the comic series. It is definitely a series written towards the longtime fans of the TV series and not for the casual reader. Much like the TV series it was based on, it's an ongoing story that is constantly building, and all-too often impenetrable to a new audience. The current storyline, concerning a giant cosmic war, seems at times to be an element external to the rest of the series - the antagonists were never introduced in the TV run, and are massively powerful and resourceful - if it weren't for the fact that series creator Rockne S. O'Bannon is helming the comic, one would think it fanfiction. There also hasn't been much opportunity for the slapstick (and occasionally crude) humor the show was known for (although as always, Rygel manages to pull through, as displayed in the posters here).




O'Bannon (with co-writer Keith R.A. DeCandido) presents other challenges, many of them specific to the medium of comics. For one, without the kinetic motion of a TV series, usually with a decent musical score, space battles can often seem static and boring on a comic page without a truly talented artist. Another distinction in the transfer from TV to comics is the loss of the "multiple cast members yelling at each other simultaneously" - one of the more enjoyable and realistic dialogue tics from the TV series. The art for the series is perfectly workmanlike - it captures the likenesses of the characters adequately, but occasionally feels a bit stiff and static.





The good news is that if you're a Farscape fan, well, this is definitely for you. The characters are very much as you remember them, and it is easy to hear their dialogue given in the voices of the actors who portrayed them (particularly Ben Browder and Claudia Black). Unlike a new fan, you'll have no trouble at all catching up on the events that have occurred after "The Peacekeeper Wars" and the changes will no doubt surprise and excite you. It's a good fix of what you've been missing. This is Farscape in its high space-opera mode, and you know all the hilarity and high-stakes drama you are anticipating? It's there, and then some.




Oh and Scorpius is there.








So while I can't in good conscience recommend the Farscape comic series for a new reader (unless you are brave enough to do the homework - but you'll be happy you did!), it's definitely recommended for Farscape fan who can't find any good space opera anywhere else (and what's up with that? Didn't there used to be good space opera TV shows? And maybe a comic or two out there? Yeesh...that's sad).

[paulpogue]

I think the majority of BSG fans who would have otherwise argued with you have pretty much given up as of "Daybreak."

[michaelpaciocco]

pacioccosmind.blogspot.com/2011/09/two-dooms.html

Two Dooms

So, this is a question asked often enough - Dr. Doom - honorable villain, or bastard who will do what he wants and then justifies it as honorable after the fact? There are writers for both sides of the arguement (John Byrne and Chris Claremont, for "Doom is ultimately honorable and actually quite noble in his way." to Mark Waid for "Doom is a liar and a cheat who pretends he is honorable when in fact he's a total fraud"), and both sides are valid. In my opinion, this is a question of nuance and subtlety - which really shouldn't be a surprise given Doom is, even more than a scientist or wizard, a politican and diplomat.





Does Doom have a code of honor? Yes, but it is a twisted one (and even Byrne acknowledged this). A true diplomat, Doom's one to parse his words, his thoughts, even his perceptions, to maintain this code to himself. Keep in mind, the end result of any action doom undertakes should be in the service of Doom. But they must also bring Doom glory within the wider world. One thing Mark Waid did get right is Doom's need for external validation - it's not enough for Doom to kill Reed - he has to bring him down so that the world can see that Doom was always better than Richards. He doesn't just want to conquer the world - he wants the world to acknowledge that it needs him to conquer it.







Once you remove the external audience (i.e. the world stage, and especially the people of Latveria - more on that later), Doom becomes much more dangerous and deceitful - because he's less likely to gain any kind of external validation, he's more likely to betray, to go back on his word, to find a loophole (which he's usually smart enough to build for himself into any agreement). Like any politician, Doom's dealings behind closed doors are always darker and more devious than when he's in the public eye.







Latveria is the key - Doom has a captive audience who hangs on his every word, and it is there that he MUST be honorable and noble and all the things that he needs to convince himself that he actually is. So his actions there, and on behalf of the citizenry (his underlings are another matter - they know what the score is because Doom demands they be competent enough to carry out what he needs them to - so ultimately they respect him, they fear him, but they know what he is. Which is why he kills them if they step out of line). The misstep Waid made (and it was immediately reversed) was taking away Latveria from Doom. Without a nation that loves him, that feeds his need for validation, Doom becomes more dangerous, not less so. Resources don't matter when you're as dangerous as he is.

[michaelpaciocco]

The only reason I'm posting such a light-text post (I normally don't), is because the "Hubris" one seems apt given the current foofrah about NuAction#1. Wasn't planned as such, but hey, synchronicity.

pacioccosmind.blogspot.com/2011/09/superman-and-majestic.html

Superman and Majestic

One of the weird (and off-putting) things about the DC Reboot is the idea of "Superman is more Kal-El than Clark Kent". And the reason why is that if you need a character who is sort of Superman-like, but without the humanity, you've got Mr. Majestic right there.

(And no, the Martian Manhunter does have quite a bit of humanity in him, so he doesn't count).

[michaelpaciocco]

Yes Virginia, there are good comic books - they just aren't published by Marvel and DC.

pacioccosmind.blogspot.com/2011/09/good-comics-atomic-robo.html

Good Comics - Atomic Robo
Seriously?

Seriously?

This comic is like, one of the greatest things ever.



It's got a tight timeline, but because of that, the stories are told non-chronologically. In fact, the latest miniseries, the Deadly Art of Science, actually is set the earliest in Robo's career, as he's just starting to deal with the dangerous (and very fun) world he inhabits. And by the way, Robo as a kid - full of geeky enthusiasm and naivete? Is a very fun thing, because it is a contrast to Robo's demeanor in other series where he's more stoic and dry with his wit.






Clevenger and company really do deserve every bit of praise they get; this is a fun pulpy series that doesn't skimp out on humor, action, and even pathos (without ever descending into melodrama).






There's nothing else like it out there and it deserves your attention and money. And no, Hellboy is not like this - despite the comparisons, Hellboy is all about surviving horror. Atomic Robo is tongue-in-cheek - more Ghostbusters than say, The Prophecy.









Oh, and his archenemies are Stephen Hawking and an evil talking dinosaur. That should count for something, right?


Anyway, the latest miniseries, Atomic Robo: The Ghost of Station X is starting up this week. Go check it out