the vynsane asylum

Since I don't think this is taking place in the original DCU, I figured a new thread might be used. I don't have much to say other than Batman is NOT as good as I'd hoped (to me, Frank Miller writing needs Frank Miller art) - but I picked up Superman #2 on EPs recommendation and it was excellent.

There are only 2 All-Star books, n'est-ce pas? Anything else coming down the pyke?

I am loving Batman, despite being a little slow. I do agree though, it needs Franks Miller art, but Jim Lee isn't so bad.
Not that big of a Superman fan. I still think of him as the goody goody boy scout. I neraly picke up Supes #1, because I liked Batman so much, but decided to pass.

Nothing planned or announced. When they first announced the imprint they of course stated that the other main DC characters would eventually get All-Star treatment. So you can assume that Flash, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern for sure will get some sort of series. After that..well, I don't know what qualifies as a "big gun" for DC. Hawkman, Green Arrow, and Aquaman are all on the cusp as far as book worthy. Maybe Teen Titans. All-Star Blue Devil, anyone?


I think Batman is substandard even for Frank Miller. I get the feeling he's in a smoke filled Vegas hotel sweet wearing nothing but some grungy BVDs and surrounded by anorexic hookers with inflamed nostrils and he sobers up an hour before his deadline just enough to crank some shit out and e-mail it off to DC HQ before heading back into the drug and alcohol induced foggy debauchery. Thats what it reads like anyway.

And to me it reads like he's writing with someone watching over his shoulder. Every time his left index finger heads for the "f" key, there's Jeanette Khan (or whoever the fuck's in charge over there) going "Ummmmm Frank......", snapping him to attention and making sure he doesn't go outside realm of a "PG" rating. They should have given this book to Jeph Loeb if they wanted fun and cool. Frank Miller does gritty, dirty and nasty....... but he's not being allowed to do it here.

I'm staggered by the fact that he'd be involved with a Batman story featuring a traditional Robin anyhow.

All-Star Lobo would be nice.

Holy fuck, are they going to make any more issues of these 2 series or what? I want Superman 3, and I want it 2 weeks ago.

Remember when comics used to be MONTHLY?

The DC roundtable ay NYComicCon said that these were pretty much the only two All-Star books they were gonna do for now.

And that's fine with me, as I'd have no intention of buying any others. I'm not even that jazzed about the Batman, in fact if #4 isn't up to my liking I'll be dropping the book.

It's interesting to look at the evolution of comics. If you take a Lee/Kirby book from the 60's or 70's and see just how crammed full of story it is. The art on the page was standard six panel, which didn't allow for a lot of flair, but what used to take one issue, they now spread out over three or four issues and you realize after reading issues nowadays how little there was to it. Sure, the art is more cinematic, but do we really need full page spreads or only two panels on every page?

<font color="yellow"><b><font size="5">RAHHHHHHH!!!! KIRBY DRAW HULK SQUARE WITH UN-FLAT-TER-ING BACKSIDE!!!! HULK MUCH PREFER DISTINGUISHED, MATURE LOOK OF MARIE SEVERIN OR HERB TRIMPE PIC-TURES!!!! HULK WANT TO SMASH KIRBY FLAT-HEAD HULK!!!!!!!!</font id="yellow"></b></font id="size5">

Hooo kay then. I prefer Kirby to Ditko, who was the artist most likely to drop 9 panels per page, all book long on you. Kirby freed himself up a LOT later on - the contrast between early FF and FF approaching the end of his run is really stark.

In my mind, John Byrne's X-Men run is a near-perfect mix of the two (story and art), with more than enough happening per book, and lots of big, beautiful pictures interspersed with the smaller panels. I find that most of the big-time writers these days (in my mind those include Bendis, Warren Ellis, Garth Ennis, and Mark Millar) write 10 minute comics. Notable exceptions would include JMS, Kevin Smith and Kurt Busiek - they all write 15-20 minute comics, regardless of who's drawing them. I feel like I got a better deal if a comic actually takes me a few minutes to read.

There is also this TPB mentality which is starting to irk me. One thing I liked about Claremont back in the day was that he had all these subplots in Uncanny. Sometimes 5 or 6 and each one would only take up a page, but they would later blossom into a full blown story a few issues or even up to a year later. Nowadays, you have to tell your story in six issues so they can fucking release it as a trade next month. Can't have those confusing story threads woven in there because that would confuse the Trade buyers. bastards. Buy the fucking book monthly like it was designed, you tools.

The only good thing about trades - and it's a "false good thing" is that Marvel is supposedly keeping the print runs low on the floppies, along with promising never to reprint any (there's the "false part) - which should lead our original comics to turning into bona-fide gold some day. And if you believe that, I've got pots and pots of leprachaun gold sitting here in the basement.

Marvel keeps the print runs low because nobody orders mass amounts anymore. It's ironic/funny that Marvel's top selling books today would probably have been cancelled back in the late 80's early 90's if you go by circulation numbers. 80,000 copies back then was a death knell. Nowadays it's HOT!

Okay, I'm in love with Lois Lane. It's not a crush, it's not a fancy.... I love her.