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dewlineSome fan-minded rambling on my part over the Civil War mess, some of which originally saw "print" over at Mike Norton's blog...
For myself, I find that I cannot complain at all about the way this is playing out to date. If Marvel Editorial holds to their promises, particularly the comment by Quesada that "public is public", and the consequences play out as they must...well, maybe it's time.
I've been thinking that something of this sort was going to have to happen sooner or later for quite some time. Some who post and/or lurk here may recall my arguments -- however brief and intermittent -- with assorted Legends APA members on the subject.
It does seem to have taken the 2001 Atrocities to set these wheels in motion. And for DC, I note, they're trying to steer in the opposite direction on secret IDs. Some of those have already apparently been retconned back in the wake of Infinite Crisis to certain earlier career status quo ante crisium points. (Waving "Hello" to Hal and Ollie in particular, here.) I don't think it's going to work out for them over the long haul, but it'll be interesting to watch them keep trying.
My feeling about DC's level of success at resisting the tide on secret IDs continuing as a primary plank of the genre's conventions...I blame David Brin, particularly his novel Earth, for pointing out the obvious trend: we're steering -- by design as much as accident -- towards a "no secrets tolerated" society around the world. Secrecy will be conflated with privacy -- and in some circles, already is -- and will be seen as a greater offence than many others currently agreed upon in the world's social contracts.
In any case, I look forward to a lot of interesting comics reading for at least the next couple of years.
Okay, that's my thinking in a nutshell, slightly expanded. Anyone else who gives a hoot, am I nuts?
For myself, I find that I cannot complain at all about the way this is playing out to date. If Marvel Editorial holds to their promises, particularly the comment by Quesada that "public is public", and the consequences play out as they must...well, maybe it's time.
I've been thinking that something of this sort was going to have to happen sooner or later for quite some time. Some who post and/or lurk here may recall my arguments -- however brief and intermittent -- with assorted Legends APA members on the subject.
It does seem to have taken the 2001 Atrocities to set these wheels in motion. And for DC, I note, they're trying to steer in the opposite direction on secret IDs. Some of those have already apparently been retconned back in the wake of Infinite Crisis to certain earlier career status quo ante crisium points. (Waving "Hello" to Hal and Ollie in particular, here.) I don't think it's going to work out for them over the long haul, but it'll be interesting to watch them keep trying.
My feeling about DC's level of success at resisting the tide on secret IDs continuing as a primary plank of the genre's conventions...I blame David Brin, particularly his novel Earth, for pointing out the obvious trend: we're steering -- by design as much as accident -- towards a "no secrets tolerated" society around the world. Secrecy will be conflated with privacy -- and in some circles, already is -- and will be seen as a greater offence than many others currently agreed upon in the world's social contracts.
In any case, I look forward to a lot of interesting comics reading for at least the next couple of years.
Okay, that's my thinking in a nutshell, slightly expanded. Anyone else who gives a hoot, am I nuts?
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no subject
Date: 2006-06-19 12:40 am (UTC)I can't see this as a gimmick. Rather, it's the Way Life's Going to Be.
no subject
Date: 2006-06-19 01:03 am (UTC)And then of course bringing about the Return of Bucky, and Uncle Ben.
Nothing in comics is the way it's going to be, it's all arbitrary and depending upon who's working there after the ball drops either in a good way or a bad way. Back in 1995, the way life was going to be was Peter Parker was a clone, and Ben Reilly will forever and always be the one true Spider-man taking away the whole married spider-man concept and starting again. That lasted about 2 years from the inception of the arc to the final "Maximum Clonage finale" and resulted in Ben being devolved into a pile of goo, and a "I lied about the test results" leaving Peter Parker, the one true Spider-man and none of that past two years resulting in anything.
I mean Ben isn't even really remembered. (by the cast, not readers) I'm not a screaming member of the "continuitiratti" but I think there are certain things that are "creative license" and then there are certain things that are "I can't be arsed to tell a good story so I'm just going to fling shit at a wall and hope to keep my paycheck"
At the end of the day it's a subjective matter, its good for those its good for, and heresy for those that take things a little to seriously. For me it's just poor storytelling, I'm no longer connecting with the characters in the way I used to. I am no longer exploring new concepts, I'm seeing a bunch of things be thrown out there in hopes it congeals into a story.
John Byrne is the king of the retcon. But very few of those origin retellings still remain cannon after a year. The Chapter One, The "Hidden Years" of the X-MEN --- etc.
current decisions show me that there's more of a seeking of headlines than readers. But who's right and wrong will ultimately be seen at the cash register six months down the line.
The comic book industry is a REALLY tough nut.