Lorne: Take care of yourself and ah, make sure fluffy is getting enough love. Gunn: Did he have anything? Fred: No. And who's fluffy? Are you fluffy? Gunn: He called me fluffy? Fred: He said make sure…wait. You don't think he was referring to anything of mine that's fluffy, do you? Because that would just be inappropriate.

'Conviction (1)'


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Discussion of Buffy and Angel comics, books, and more. Please don't get into spoilery details in the first week of release.


DavidS - Dec 28, 2006 10:19:56 am PST #9989 of 10000
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."

Y'all might've missed this bit by Leonard Pierce at the High Hat. (I have no opinions on his opinions, but he does have some strongly held ones about writers, so I thought I'd just throw it out there...)

*************

2. THE HARDEST-WORKING (LIVE) MAN IN SHOW BUSINESS OF THE YEAR: GRANT MORRISON.

What is it about British comic book writers who think they’re magicians? With Alan Moore in his dotage and Neil Gaiman puttering around with inconsistent projects at Marvel, the crown of best writer in comic books — well, okay, it belongs to Chris Ware, the Babe Ruth of graphic storytelling. But Ware works at a snail’s pace, while Grant Morrison seems to crank out brilliant postmodern superhero stories six a day and maybe a few more on the back of a cocktail napkin over lunch.

Morrison’s reputation would already be assured if he hadn’t written a thing during 2006; he was already a legend for his metafictional Animal Man, wildly anarchic The Invisibles, the legendary Doom Patrol, the officially suppressed Flex Mentallo, and well-received runs on X-Men and Justice League. (He also wrote the hilarious New Adventures of Hitler, which is exactly what it sounds like.) The previous few years had seen him produce an avalanche of worthwhile projects, from the inspired if inconsistent The Filth to the universally heralded WE3, but it was this year when he landed a gig as DC Comics’ unofficial ’rewrite guy’, becoming one of three editors (along with the mediocre Mark Waid and the horrendous Geoff Johns) responsible for shaping the future direction of the company. In that role, he produced All-Star Superman, a non-canonical take on the iconic character that instantly took its place as one of the best reads on the Last Son of Krypton ever produced; Batman, which has broken no new ground, but is a hugely enjoyable read that demonstrates Morrison’s easy facility with superhero fiction; The Authority, an opportunity for Morrison, one of the best writers in comics, to salvage a property associated with Mark Millar, one of the worst; and 7 Soldiers of Victory, a series of intertwining mini-series built around reinterpreted versions of second-string DC characters that culminated in a single-issue group title that is easily the best mainstream comic of the year. He’s also the standout writer on 52, DC’s year-long weekly series that is probably the most enjoyable “event” comic produced by either of the big two publishers since the yearly tradition started in the 1980s.

There’s simply no way one man, however talented, can keep up this pace forever; even a guy as good as Grant Morrison is eventually going to burn out under a workload so heavy. But it’s a hell of a ride while it lasts. Now, if only he’d get a chance to finish Seaguy ... - Leonard Pierce


Tom Scola - Dec 28, 2006 10:31:35 am PST #9990 of 10000
Mr. Scola’s wardrobe by Botany 500

the crown of best writer in comic books — well, okay, it belongs to Chris Ware, the Babe Ruth of graphic storytelling.

???

Best artist in comic books? An argument can be made. Best graphic designer? Sure. Best writer? Huh?


DavidS - Dec 28, 2006 10:33:01 am PST #9991 of 10000
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."

Best writer? Huh?

Yeah, I don't get that either. Who the fuck is the Babe Ruth of comic book writers? If not Alan Moore or Neil Gaiman (more of a Gehrig, I think) I don't know who I'd nominate.


Matt the Bruins fan - Dec 28, 2006 10:34:49 am PST #9992 of 10000
"You should never say bad things about the dead, only good… Joan Crawford is dead. Good.” —Bette Davis

Eh. All those "groundbreaking" Doom Patrol stories that everyone raves about as being such works of genius always struck me as sour grapes rehashes of Alan Moore's work by somone who was pissed off by all the accolades it earned.


Tom Scola - Dec 28, 2006 10:44:53 am PST #9993 of 10000
Mr. Scola’s wardrobe by Botany 500

I believe that Harvey Pekar is the best comic book writer, but I also think that he only did his most relevant work over a short period of time. He's the Sandy Koufax of comic book writers.


Steph L. - Dec 28, 2006 10:56:08 am PST #9994 of 10000
Apparently if you're enough of a power nerd, there is nothing that cannot be flowcharted.

52, DC’s year-long weekly series that is probably the most enjoyable “event” comic produced by either of the big two publishers since the yearly tradition started in the 1980s.

Are you SHITTING me? 52 is "enjoyable"?!? 52 has become to comic books what Lost has become to TV. Interesting idea, decent start, occasional flares of greatness, but overall a gigantic clusterfuck of all questions (pun partially intended) and no answers, which to me is SO not worth my time or money.

Grumble.


victor infante - Dec 28, 2006 3:05:28 pm PST #9995 of 10000
To understand what happened at the diner, we shall use Mr. Papaya! This is upsetting because he's the friendliest of fruits.

Eh. All those "groundbreaking" Doom Patrol stories that everyone raves about as being such works of genius always struck me as sour grapes rehashes of Alan Moore's work by somone who was pissed off by all the accolades it earned.

Really? Because I've always seen Morrison as quite greatful to Moore for blowing open the doors for that sort of work at DC.

Are you SHITTING me? 52 is "enjoyable"?!?

I'm actually rather enjoying 52. It's not changing my life or anything, but I look forward to it every week.


DavidS - Dec 28, 2006 3:06:50 pm PST #9996 of 10000
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."

It's not changing my life or anything,

Yeah, what exactly are the life changing comics in Victor's life?


esse - Dec 28, 2006 5:01:07 pm PST #9997 of 10000
S to the A -- using they/them pronouns!

Well, I'm not Victor, but I just got caught up on four issues of Powers, and I really am amazed at how much I still dig this title. It's made even more interesting by the fact that Christian and Deena both have powers now, and are reacting to them in wildly different ways, while still having this awesome case to go on. Really one of the most consistently enjoyable titles I've ever read.

Hey, what's the word about the Manhunter title sequel?


DXMachina - Dec 28, 2006 5:22:44 pm PST #9998 of 10000
You always do this. We get tipsy, and you take advantage of my love of the scientific method.

Powers is a terrific book.