tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post1689632974946820945..comments2024-03-24T07:53:37.246-04:00Comments on J.M. DeMatteis's CREATION POINT: BAD BLOODUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-49190776589597413402016-01-29T08:10:14.770-05:002016-01-29T08:10:14.770-05:00In many ways, Douglas, I envy you. I suspect you ...In many ways, Douglas, I envy you. I suspect you will return smarter and healthier. Enjoy your internet vacation!J.M. DeMatteishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04293848326241642685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-85969576360408773502016-01-29T07:15:13.284-05:002016-01-29T07:15:13.284-05:00I thought I would post this here since I tend to s...I thought I would post this here since I tend to show up here on a regular basis. For the entire month of February I will be disconnected from the Internet. I don't own a smart phone so this will be easier than it sounds. My job has zero Internet requirements. I am keeping a running journal of my month off and then writing it up as a book tentatively entitled, InterWHAT?. I will see you all in a month.Douglas A. Waltzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02312801885609153510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-58721264582642382652016-01-27T11:44:02.101-05:002016-01-27T11:44:02.101-05:00Thanks!Thanks!J.M. DeMatteishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04293848326241642685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-53107209082605759312016-01-27T06:21:14.406-05:002016-01-27T06:21:14.406-05:00This may explain better than I:
https://en.wikipe...This may explain better than I:<br /><br />https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_X-Files_Season_10<br /><br />JackAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-4804836044594658052016-01-26T17:28:47.978-05:002016-01-26T17:28:47.978-05:00Agreed. And, really, it's just nice to see th...Agreed. And, really, it's just nice to see them back.<br /><br />I didn't know Carter worked on an X-FILES comic book. That's very cool.J.M. DeMatteishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04293848326241642685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-55135577232642917862016-01-26T17:24:39.182-05:002016-01-26T17:24:39.182-05:00I cut the first one some slack since it had to try...I cut the first one some slack since it had to try and make older fans like me happy, and hopefully draw in new viewers.<br /><br />The idea that everything the first series did was sort of pulled apart was odd, but still enjoyable. It was done in a way that made me interested and not angered.<br /><br />I also really liked Mulder's response to what a guy who was even further down the rabbit hole was like.<br /><br />Though yes,the second one was a more solid episode.<br /><br />Chris Carter actually created and I believed laregly plotted an X-Files season 10 and 11 comic. each season had the same number of issues as TV season. It was pretty well done (as were the Topps ones of the 90s which acted as companion pieces). So, I was already going into a bitter sweet scenario where those weren't cannon. <br /><br />I'm glad they are getting this chance, which includes possible more mini seasons, since the only thing I remember about thee last few seasons were underwhelming. <br /><br />Sort of like the Seinfeld reunion it can fix a lingering issue. <br /><br />It seems that best case scenario it is a new beginning that should be great, and worst case it will be a well-deserved triumphant end.<br /><br />JackAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-49807802212356237712016-01-26T16:55:11.851-05:002016-01-26T16:55:11.851-05:00Next week's is EVEN better. Don't know if...Next week's is EVEN better. Don't know if I mistyped that or if I was auto-corrected into inanity.J.M. DeMatteishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04293848326241642685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-76022182318261885432016-01-26T16:54:38.347-05:002016-01-26T16:54:38.347-05:00I thought the first episode was a little wobbly (a...I thought the first episode was a little wobbly (albeit enjoyable), but last night's episode was a strong one. I hear that next week's is been better. Great to see them back.J.M. DeMatteishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04293848326241642685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-82297567876761265182016-01-26T16:38:26.140-05:002016-01-26T16:38:26.140-05:00One more thought. A business you like working in ...One more thought. A business you like working in is still a business. A job you like is still a job. <br /><br />I think if you got into the industry after a certain point people have forgotten that.<br /><br /><br /><br />Anyone else been watching the X-Files return? I'm digging it so far.<br /><br /><br />JAckAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-76239780804179004712016-01-26T16:36:26.029-05:002016-01-26T16:36:26.029-05:00Unbreakable is great.
You're right, it is har...Unbreakable is great.<br /><br />You're right, it is hard to know what people like or will like. It is much easier to gauge what they don't.<br /><br />Like I said, there is something to be said for giving a book time and even for a book that doesn't perform as well as expected to still be allowed to live.<br /><br />The beauty of Vertigo was that it put out books that were not necessarily profitable. It was a truly brave and brilliant system.<br /><br />However, you can't run a whole company that way. Having a few books set aside that get that special treatment is a fantastic idea, but keeping massive series that are disliked is far, far less so.<br /><br />I think that idea that it will be appreciated later is really dangerous. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. As I said, I think the biggest problem with the big two now is that they are thinking way too big. The details are falling through.<br /><br />When you are drowning, it is insane to wait around for a yacht.<br /><br />And I would like to say that I agree about the tone of writers and artists as to what they want being important. Unfortunately, what I pickup most is that many of them now just want to use the big two work as a stepping stone. Either for movies and tv (which looks like it is far far from an option now) or indie books. <br /><br />I would also say I have grown wary of the term "fun" applied to comics in recent years.<br /><br />I always thought of the JLI as a fun, a comic that just happened to be on the lighter side. It was still a good read though.<br /><br />Now it seems when people say that to me it is just fluff that with no meat to the story.<br /><br />I will say all of this, remember, I did have other points made. Price could help lift some of those issues though. Books can have that time to breathe, or you can wait for an audience if it is cheaper. $2.00 is much easier for someone to wait on than $4.00, or the ever creeping specter of $5.00. <br /><br />I as not suggesting a one or the other solution. My suggestions are to be used in concert with each other. <br /><br />Finally, for all the accusations against him, Shooter understood the creative and business side of comics. That is what helped turn marvel from a big company in an industry that looked like it may be facing the end in the 70s, to a company that almost took over writing the completion's most well known characters which were icons to almost everyone.<br /><br />It's about balance. We saw in the 90s what happened when business had too much say. But the creative side having too much say is bad too.<br /><br />While I certainly may be wrong, I do think it is the companies that own marvel and DC which cause many issues.<br /><br /><br />JAckAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-64324632787066855082016-01-26T15:00:55.178-05:002016-01-26T15:00:55.178-05:00I don't know what DC is planning, but I don...I don't know what DC is planning, but I don't think it's a reboot as much as a consolidation of the line. But this is just guesswork on my part, based on the little I've read. I'm not privy to any inside information!<br /><br />Yes, spinner racks are great!J.M. DeMatteishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04293848326241642685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-86145452761161909782016-01-26T14:57:40.357-05:002016-01-26T14:57:40.357-05:00I agree with Jack that stores need spinner racks o...I agree with Jack that stores need spinner racks of comics. That's how I used to buy mine. I also just read that DC is rebooting again in June??? Yeah, they need to quit doing that.Douglas A. Waltzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02312801885609153510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-36713220260205766492016-01-26T12:07:53.492-05:002016-01-26T12:07:53.492-05:00The key to my collaboration with key has always be...The key to my collaboration with key has always been the fun we have, Douglas. Glad it translates to the reading experience!J.M. DeMatteishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04293848326241642685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-40726521625864989522016-01-26T12:02:18.891-05:002016-01-26T12:02:18.891-05:00If you told people ten years ago that Weirdworld a...If you told people ten years ago that Weirdworld and Squirrel Girl would be big comics now they would have had you committed. I think what makes a comic good is when you read it you realize that the creators are having a great time doing it. That seems to seep off the page when it happens. Kind of like everything by a certain Mr. DeMatteis and Mr. Giffen. Douglas A. Waltzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02312801885609153510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-50315835144207422362016-01-26T11:51:52.602-05:002016-01-26T11:51:52.602-05:00Totally get the spirit of your comments, Jack. An...Totally get the spirit of your comments, Jack. And they are received the same way. And, as always, you make excellent points.<br /><br />I think it's too easy to say the Big Two should "put out comics that people will read." No one really knows what people we read, or watch, or listen to. All we, as creators, can do is write stories of quality, stories that matter to us. What happens after that is a crapshoot. As you know, books/movies/music sometimes fail and then, years later, are appreciated for being great work. (Just ask Orson Welles.) Today's popular titles may be forgotten tomorrow. I have yet to figure it all out. And I can guarantee that the publishers and editors at DC and Marvel love comics and are doing their best, in a shifting and difficult media environment, to put out good comics. J.M. DeMatteishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04293848326241642685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-60657836993767440142016-01-26T11:45:16.635-05:002016-01-26T11:45:16.635-05:00I enjoyed UNBREAKABLE...athough it felt to me that...I enjoyed UNBREAKABLE...athough it felt to me that the story just got going when it ended. I wanted more and, sadly, we didn't get any. DARKMAN was totally over the top, in the best way: as I recall, it captured the feeling of a comic book in an era when you really didn't see that anywhere.J.M. DeMatteishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04293848326241642685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-10635536534782153012016-01-26T11:43:17.646-05:002016-01-26T11:43:17.646-05:00Thanks, Douglas. We suspected it would be a Huge ...Thanks, Douglas. We suspected it would be a Huge Moment. Glad we were right!J.M. DeMatteishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04293848326241642685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-82212381124733773832016-01-26T11:42:56.654-05:002016-01-26T11:42:56.654-05:00Almost forgot; two of my favorite super hero movie...Almost forgot; two of my favorite super hero movies. Darkman and Unbreakable. Solid origin stories for pretty original characters.Douglas A. Waltzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02312801885609153510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-3556681771627570282016-01-26T11:41:39.690-05:002016-01-26T11:41:39.690-05:00I have to say that Superman's head blowing up ...I have to say that Superman's head blowing up was one of the best, did not see that coming, moments in comic books. Those are too far and few for my tastes and it made the book for me.Douglas A. Waltzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02312801885609153510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-84414149871804683762016-01-26T06:37:36.607-05:002016-01-26T06:37:36.607-05:00I really do hope you go run and tell everyone thes...I really do hope you go run and tell everyone these ideas. I love comics, and in some ways that has been a drag. If you claim to be a movie buff or music aficionado no one cares and will even view you as a good source or more discerning. Despite everything, comics are still considered a junk medium that people assume hollywood writers have made good. It becomes a thing you don't share with everyone, when people do find out and you have to explain why, it becomes tiresome. The investment becomes big and you live on emotional highs and lows. I would not have stuck with it if I didn't feel it was worth it. I want comics to live as long as possible.<br /><br />I don't know if these will work, but they are the best ideas I can come up with, and they address many of the problems. All I know i that the current course is towards the mediums self-destruction.<br /><br />These suggestions are not meant to be mean-spirited, but rather a hopeful <br />statement.<br /><br />Hope you got a chance to o enjoy those links,<br />JackAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-7523637252359788302016-01-26T06:37:26.078-05:002016-01-26T06:37:26.078-05:00That last thing that needs to happen, really id ob...That last thing that needs to happen, really id obvious...the big two need to put out comics people want to read.<br /><br />It really does seem obvious, but if it were then DC would not have drowning in red ink these days. People wouldn't be walking away from comics in droves. Fans wouldn't be saying they are buying fewerr now than ever.<br /><br />What's more, If had been doing okay, you probably wouldn't be writing JLK31, Wein wouldn't be on a new Swamp Thing comics, Jurgens wouldn't be writing Superman from the past, and my guess is that Gerry Conway would not be writing Carnage, and Starlin probably would not have been the canary in a coal mine for whether or not a classic writer can save a book spiraling in flames.<br /><br />There is something to be said for experimenting and letting a book have a fair shake. Those are all good things. Something not working out right is part of the creative process, but only if you know what to do afterwards.<br /><br />No one wanted the New 52, no one really liked it. Book after book falls as more people leave books. The fact is that at best it was an attempt to solidify a cinematic universe type thing at worst it was telling you r audience what it wants... a basic no-no in marketing.<br /><br />The New 52 should have been undone, however instead they doubled, tripled, and quadrupled down until it was too late and chased readers away.<br /><br /><br />Marvel's fall has been slower, but is still visible. There problem is that they listen to the internet. The most recent X-Factor Peter David series was cancel;led because the numbers were not what they wanted. Fine, its a drag, but it happens. Unfortunately, the then Series Captain Marvel series was allowed to continue despite having numbers even lower than that.<br /><br />This was most likely because there is support for the character on the internet (well more the then writer) but that support never translated to sales. That has only gotten worse, with more and more Marvel comics taking on a too-cool-for-school vibe. The style that is highly praised on the internet, but the books usually don't translate to more than a small cult following.<br /><br />There is a reason why there are starting to be sort-of almost characters popping up more and more. People are not okay with what the big two are doing by in large, so they find facsimiles for them.<br /><br />Comics are dependent on the big two, and even beyond that I don't want the companies to fail. However, if they do, which increasingly looks like not only a possibility, but a probability, they will deserve it. <br /><br />Not long after DC announced its financial troubles were announced, Dan Didio gave an interview were he basically said that he knew they were ignoring there fan base. Which would be fine in the grand scheme if it delivered new readers. It did not, but he kept doing it.<br /><br />The medium has gotten tangled up in hollywood, internet buzz, self-interest, and short blurbs. Writers and artists increasingly seeing it as a way to get into TV or film, delaying projects for there own creator-owned works, or refusing to acknowledge a difference in writing those and characters created by someone else.<br /><br />Even when MArvel announced its new Summer wvent, they didn't say that it would be a great story that would lead to others. They said it would be a springboard for there movies for the next 20 years.<br /><br />That is ridiculous because the fad will not last that long. The average person is already starting to show fatigue. <br /><br />More importantly, whether it is true or not, it gave a view to every comic reader were they stood.<br /><br />IN the end it is all thinking too big and hoping for short term solutions that yield big time results. All while overlooking the very basic thing that made these empires in the first place, good stories with rich characters, made by people who loved them.<br /><br />Comics will never be a dominant medium in the world, but if action isn't taken soon they will be only a memory.<br /><br />continued... (by Jack)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-60880292304433700172016-01-25T11:04:12.228-05:002016-01-25T11:04:12.228-05:00The truth is that the book takes place in the futu...The truth is that the book takes place in the future where we have a (kinda/sorta) cloning process to resurrect the dead. Yes, Cadmus was destroyed, but who know who else has that technology? I'm not saying we're bringing Superman and Batman back any time soon, just that the possibility is always out there.J.M. DeMatteishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04293848326241642685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-70020391289295774232016-01-25T06:00:57.209-05:002016-01-25T06:00:57.209-05:00And if I remember correctly, all those images were...And if I remember correctly, all those images were hand drawn. Even more impressive I would say.<br /><br />I knew Ted and Boost weren't dead, even if the last issue didn't have the out in it, I knew they would still be around. And while I am enjoying the current book, if I had to choose I would opt for the duo of World's Bwaha-iest.<br /><br />It is a shame though, what happened last issue. I was really starting to like Supes and Bats in this book. Honestly, Wonder Woman is the one I like least in the book.<br /><br />as for Supergirl, I always think it is weird how they do her powers. Her physical powers are always like superman's, whose power is based off a man.<br /><br />She can't be as strong as Clark, men and women are built different. She would be more agile though. They always struggle to differentiate her from Kent, but they never just look at basic physiological differences. Interesting fact, women hear better than men. Always seems weird to me.<br /><br />Hope you enjoy the links when you get a chance.<br /><br /><br />JAckAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-39523587788572726062016-01-24T18:28:03.835-05:002016-01-24T18:28:03.835-05:00That Superman short was pretty good.That Superman short was pretty good.J.M. DeMatteishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04293848326241642685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193334913733210326.post-74094118801776416472016-01-24T18:25:20.445-05:002016-01-24T18:25:20.445-05:00The idea was Keith's, a way to shake up the bo...The idea was Keith's, a way to shake up the book, and I agreed. I've been having fun with the new group, especially Supergirl. <br /><br />As for Beetle and Booster: Not. Dead. (I'd write an ongoing Beetle and Booster book in a heartbeat.) J.M. DeMatteishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04293848326241642685noreply@blogger.com