(no subject)

[thebitterguy]

Is George Bush Alex Luthor's secret identity? Apparently from a Libertarian site of some kind.

This line actually makes me very, very angry( but not at the Libertarian. Ain't that WEIRD?):Series author Geoff Johns ends escaping this complicated and promising beginning with a very modern comic meta-gesture, in which the complaint motivating the villains of the piece—that the world of DC Comics has become unremittingly dark, vicious, and unheroic—makes them world-destroying stand-ins for a significant cadre of DC's own shrinking fan base.

Comments

My Two Cents as a fan...

[papajoemambo.livejournal.com]

This is something I was saying as early as the second issue of the run.

I really, honestly, love the DC characters and their iconography. I read a lot of Marvel books *and* DC books, and if the writers and artists at DC could live up to the potential of their characters to be above-average, heroic, idealised fantastic projections of what human potential is, both spiritually and physically, then I'd read nothing but. DC COMICS: THE NEW FRONTIER is just such a book. The early Geoff Johns issues of THE FLASH with Scott Kollins were the same. The first few issues of GREEN LANTERN (until the Mongul issues - which did a quick about-face) as well.

I really , REALLY, honestly, couldn't stand INFINITE CRISIS. Furthermore, the doing-away-with of any vestige of self-reference or a sense of humour in the DC Universe is the saddest legacy that this waste of a year-and-a-half's worth of comics will be remembered for.

Re: My Two Cents as a fan...

[uhlrik.livejournal.com]

At least the Joker got a good laugh out of Infinite Crisis.








Hey, it's an ill wind that doesn't blow anybody some good, right?

Re: My Two Cents as a fan...

[papajoemambo.livejournal.com]

This is true, but since when is The Joker Lex Luthor's pit-bull?

Re: My Two Cents as a fan...

[uhlrik.livejournal.com]

I honestly wouldn't know, since I haven't actively collected DC (or any other) comics in years. He did generally seem his own man, though. Not to mention being a snappy dresser.

Re: My Two Cents as a fan...

[papajoemambo.livejournal.com]

He wears one mean acid spray boutenir, I'll give you that.

The idea of The Joker being kept as Our!Luthor's "rabid dog" set on Alex!Luthor's sorry ass in the last three pages, to me, smacked both of "Where was The Joker - oh shit, we ran out of pages!" and "The Joker is dangerous - but not as dangerous as Our!Luthor, and can be seen as being easily handled - because Our!Luthor isn't KA-RAYY-ZEE..." both of which are really ingenuous.

Yeah, I was disappointed - I bet you've gathered that by now.

Re: My Two Cents as a fan...

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

He's not, but then again, this is the Luthor that called him a homosexual, so maybe it was just a nice meshing of motives.

Also, I'd be amazed if the Joker didn't turn around and try to cream Lex off-panel. Just the kinda guy he is.

Still and all, they didn't do with "Villains United" what they should have done: Joker versus all comers. Let's face it, the guy's terrifyingly intelligent, utterly insane, and probably the most ingenious designer of chemical weapons in any comic book universe. He'd hand that society of backbenchers their rictus-contorted asses.

Re: My Two Cents as a fan...

[papajoemambo.livejournal.com]

Actually, DC editorial, according to an interview with Jim Starlin that was discussed in BIZARRE magazine about 3 years ago, has decided for a while that The Joker was homosexual and that this was to be used as a subtext to the character - never to actually be discussed in the books themselves. This was established roughly around the time of the "Death In The Family" storyline, which Starlin wrote. Which "Death In The Family" storyline, you ask? Why, the one that was punched out of existance by Superboy-Prime.

Villains United was another great example of something that "could have been" that got tied up in the dingus of what was "going on", in my opinion.

I agree with your assessment of the Joker's abilities most whole-heartedly.

Re: My Two Cents as a fan...

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

I remember reading that, but Judd Winick gave it its most wonderful expression in the first few issues of "Outsiders": "Batman's always going to like Catwoman better."

Re: My Two Cents as a fan...

[papajoemambo.livejournal.com]

HAHAHAHAHAHAH. I'd missed that!

Too perfect.

Re: My Two Cents as a fan...

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

There's more to it, Winnick gives it a bit of build-up, but the delivery is hilarious and the Joker's reaction is priceless.

Re: My Two Cents as a fan...

[papajoemambo.livejournal.com]

I'm going to have to read that trade now.

Re: My Two Cents as a fan...

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

"Outsiders" isn't a classic book, but it's consistently rock-solid. Even though Winnick regularly takes it in the nuts from critics I read (and yeah, when he gets all "social issues" on us he can get a little preachy), as an action writer he's actually quite good and "Outsiders" is actually the best work of his I've read. Especially hilarious is how he nails the friendship between Dick and Roy, and the fact that there's a lot of sex going around on this team...which is a nice change of pace for team books, frankly, since it seems like only the smaller publishers ever bring up the idea of casual sex.

Re: My Two Cents as a fan...

[papajoemambo.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a lot of what's being said about Winnick is my lasting impression of writers like David Michelinie and Steve Englehart so that's not exactly any kind of shortcoming, in my opinion.

Re: My Two Cents as a fan...

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Only when it amuses him. Never mind why it might.

This is the Joker, after all...

Re: My Two Cents as a fan...

[papajoemambo.livejournal.com]

I agree with the reasoning behind what you said, but I don't think that Ol' Clownface's ego would actually let it get that far.

He's even more of a prima donna than he is of a lunatic.

Re: My Two Cents as a fan...

[thebitterguy]

I just saw it as the two of them getting revenge on AL for his dis-services to both of them.

He stole Luthor's ID to start the Society, and excluded Joker from said organisation. He had it coming.

Re: My Two Cents as a fan...

[papajoemambo.livejournal.com]

Shouldn't The Joker have done that on his own, tho? Since when does Our!Luthor pull his pasty-white strings?

Where is the "Joker-love"?

Re: My Two Cents as a fan...

[thebitterguy]

I didn't read it, so if it came across that way, my theory is bs. But my quick read made it seem like it was mutual on their part, not Luthor running Joker.

They're the World's Vilest, after all!

Hey, that's catchy.

Re: My Two Cents as a fan...

[papajoemambo.livejournal.com]

You should be editing for DC, man. :P

[dewline.livejournal.com]

I'm not entirely surprised by such a commentary. Some will draw the lines between the Infinite Crisis and the politics of fandom's interactions with pro-dom, and nothing either of the latter two camps can do will stop it.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

It beats how clumsy Mark Millar gets with politics, at least.