Okay, I buy some of that. But reading into Green Goblin's continued depiction as hermaphroditic because his lower half is obscured by a female form? That's just working at it.

Yeah, but the "get me my coffee" scene was obnoxious.

As I said, I buy some of it. But it sabotages itself.

As I said, I buy some of it. But it sabotages itself.

I would say some arguments are less compelling than others, or a reach. I wouldn't say the thesis itself is undermined.

Thesis, no. Perhaps it's better to say the author undermines their own credibility by seeming out of control on some points. While it doesn't contradict other points of the thesis, I'm considerably less likely to give the author the benefit of the doubt when I spot some times I think they're clearly on message-driven crack.

Perhaps it's better to say the author undermines their own credibility by seeming out of control on some points. While it doesn't contradict other points of the thesis, I'm considerably less likely to give the author the benefit of the doubt when I spot some times I think they're clearly on message-driven crack.

Fair distinction.

...And DC reaches for the reset button yet again: [link]

Well, it's only kinda a reset button. It doesn't affect any current titles. It's yet another universe.

Poor original Crisis. All for naught.

...And DC reaches for the reset button yet again: [link]

I think they should just acknowledge the necessity to reset or wriggle out from under continuity and build it into the plan, that way fans wouldn't be pissed or feel betrayed.

Like, have a set five year plan. Let your writers do whatever they want for five years, let characters live and die and change and then put an end-stop on that cycle at five years and get everybody geared up for a new cycle.

Then it would be more like the fond way Dr. Who fans compare different Doctors than the bitter way comic fans talk about resets and tortured continuity. "Yeah, Cycle 2 Batman was fantastic, but I actually preferred the Batman/Robin Dynamic in Cycle 5."

But with this they aren't torturing continuity. They're writing another Batman and Superman. So you can compare that Batman to others. Just that "ours" has long lost any meaning.

Yeah, manga are kicking the USAs collective ass, and the companies aren't learning from them.

Instead of relying on hot shit writers and artists, things ought to be done like manga, with a team of writers and artists working out of their own studio, with all the artwork on model, and with an overreaching story arc that comes to a definite conclusion.