Marvel's Noir Line and Allegations of Dan Slott's Racism

So I've been reading several of Marvel's Noir Line, and in short, they are amazing, but more on that later.

First, I want to address my thoughts about Dan Slott and allegations that Norah Winters is a racist character. Several blogs have been calling Dan Slott a racist for a handful of things Norah Winters has said over the last few years. This reminds me of an angry letter printed in an issue a while back after Norman Osborn said something either racist or otherwise offensive to people from the middle east. Wacker responded by saying that Norman Osborn's opinions are nothing like those of the writers and editors involved with making the comic, and that most of them were farther left-leaning than the typical American. Creating a character who has imperfections hardly makes the creator share those imperfections.

Norah Winters is known to say some things that border on stereotypes, but she's no worse than the average American. The fact that bloggers can point to two or three things she's said in at least 75 issues since she was introduced hardly makes her a bigot.

Dan Slott has written many of the best Spider-Man stories of the past decade, possibly ever. He is able to take old characters and re-invent them without making them act out of character. I'm a big fan of his online presence, and would not be too surprised if he stumbles on this blog. Obviously he sometimes acts a bit unprofessionally, especially if you look at the handful of quotes floating around, but that's kind of the point of twitter. It makes you feel like famous people are your friends, talking to you as such.

But onto Marvel's Noir line. I've just read X-Men, Wolverine, Spider-Man, and Spider-Man: Eyes Without a Face. In the past, I've also read Daredevil and Luke Cage. Every one of them re-invents their stars in a darker, more realistic world. Though not all of them mention it, I believe that they all also take place in the 1930s. Both Spider-Man series probably pull it off the best. The first uses the classic noir set setup of a man who has been shot telling the story before he dies. The second is a bit more preachy about racism, a topic not usually addressed in noir, but has some very cool moments and subplots. The scene with Dr. Octopus and Himmler at the end was amazing. I don't want to spoil it, but it's amazing.

I'm more or less reading them as they come out in paperback, because I like the look of the small paperbacks, so I have at least Punisher, Iron Man, and X-Men: Mark of Cain left to read, but I've not heard solicits for any additional series. I'd really like to see a Captain America Noir as well as more Spider-Man minis. I'll probably check out Deadpool Pulp as well.

Up Next: I might actually start reading my collection as 2011 is right around the corner.

Young Justice and The Dark Knight Returns

So I'm definitely not keeping to my 2 trades per day goal. In my defense, I've been reading heavy stuff first. Hopefully I'll pick up the pace by the time anyone actually starts reading this blog.

Anyway, first let's talk about The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. Anyone who really likes the Christopher Nolan batman movies and/or doesn't particularly like super hero comic books should read this. Miller pulls off the dark and gritty side of Batman better than most writers, and the art, also done by Miller, has a cool look. Obviously this is another classic must-read, but I didn't really like it.

I've never bought into the whole "Batman's the best because he doesn't have any powers" thing, and that's what the newspaper article in the introduction tries to prove from the outset. In addition, the constant onslaught of two-dimensional pundits debating whether or not Batman is a good guy gets old very fast. I particularly dislike when the same exact television clips are shown over and over. It's just more to get through.

Perhaps the worst part of this book is the portrayal of Superman as a dumb government sellout. It's books like this that make people dislike Superman as a character. Yes, he is an idealist, and yes, he believes in the government, but if he was asked to work for a corrupt government, he would work to change it. He would never simply do as he was told, as Miller suggests.

Anyway, now onto something I did like. After seeing the kickoff movie for the upcoming cartoon, I decided to check out Young Justice. Over the past few weeks, I've read the first seventeen issues of the series as well as the mini series and one shot that came beforehand. This is one of the most fun series I've ever read. Written by Peter David in the late nineties, it stars Robin, Impulse, Superboy, and a few female characters that nobody's heard of. It's one of those books that makes you laugh out loud, but still has strong enough plot and characters to keep you interested. Plus, because several of the characters are c-list, if something happens to one of them, it might actually stay that way.

Okay, that's it for today. I'm not sure what I'm going to read next...

The Sandman Volume 4: Season of Mist

The first graphic novel I chose to read for this project was Neil Gaiman's Sandman volume 4. Why volume 4 and not 1? The short answer is that it's the only one that I own. Basically, I'm a fan of super-hero comics. I read the classics, and have been known to check out some weird indie stuff, but I mostly read super-hero stuff. I have this copy of The Sandman, because I ended up with it at the end of a particularly nasty break-up with a girl. I can't remember if she gave me the book as a gift, or if I just ended up with it when we stopped speaking.

Anyway, in regards to the book, I liked it. The story was very heavy, but the characters were nicely developed. I read this several years ago, but did not remember the story being so interesting. Basically, Dream (Sandman) gets the key to Hell, because Lucifer doesn't want it any more. Then a bunch of characters from various mythologies show up and want to make a deal so Hell can be theirs.

Reviewing Neil Gaiman's Sandman is a lot like a film reviewer reviewing Forest Gump. It's pretty much loved by all comic-fans. Now I'm a few pages into another acclaimed Graphic Novel: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller.

Why I'm starting this blog.

Like most people in the 21st century, I've done my fair share of blogging. Also like most people, very few people read my postings. I don't have any illusions that anyone will read this blog, but it's worth a shot. Anyway, there's actually a reason for me to start this blog.

In 2011, I have a quest. I've been collecting comics for about five years now, and have spent entirely too much money on books. I don't spend as much as some people and like to think that I'm not spending more than I can afford, but I've spent too much. In the coming year, I plan on getting my money's worth out of my collection. I will re-read everything I own.

I've got about 4 or 5 long boxes of individual issues as well as almost 30 graphic novels. I'd like to get through all of the graphic novels before the end of 2010, but do not plan to begin the individual issues until January 1st.

The purpose of this blog is to sort of review and reflect on how the stories hold up over time and stuff like that. I hope someone out there stumbles upon it and likes what they see.

-Kendall