Tag: Comics

Marvel’s ‘Clerksification’: Dante Spencer’s and Randal Zdarsky’s effect on comics

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Over 20 years have passed since director Kevin Smith made Dante Hicks and Randal Graves famous. Clerks put him on the Hollywood map and endeared him to a generation of young writers, but there is no doubt that many of them learned the wrong lessons from his 90s “slackers.” Two contenders include Nick Spencer and Chip Zdarsky, who are guilty of what I’ve deemed the Clerksification of Marvel Comics.

To give you an idea of what my latest YouTube video is about, consider the tagline for Clerks, which goes as follows:

“Just because they serve you doesn’t mean they like you.”

Indeed, Marvel creators these days make no secret of their disdain of long-term customers, and will even tell fans not to buy the product during political disagreements. To better understand what’s going on, we must examine Mr. Smith’s work and how its sensibilities continue to reverberate in the minds of Marvel’s employees.

If you read through Secret Empire and Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man, then you should see the creative fingerprints of Mr. Smith, Quentin Tarantino, and a slew of others. Unfortunately, instead of Pulp Fiction-quality work fans received Hydra-Cap and Hipster Spider-Man.

Iron Man #10: Bendis’ Ri-regime change symbolic of hostile Tony takeover

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Question: When is regime change acceptable in the Marvel Universe?

Answer: When It’s a Ri-regime change written by Brian Michael Bendis, or a self-serving effort by Dan Slott’s version of Peter Parker.

Yes, dear reader, writer Brian Michael Bendis is ten issues into Invincible Iron Man and the book’s protagonist (note: It’s not Tony Stark), is toppling problematic regimes, declaring herself queen, and then issuing a number of demands that must be met before she steps down. Meanwhile, the so-called genius has never spent one second trying to find the men who killed her best friend and stepfather.

If you think this is downright strange, then fans of the book will inevitably called you a “raaaaaaaaacist.” We’re living in strange times, but if you’re like and want to chronicle this era for future comic book fans, then check out my latest YouTube review for the full rundown.

Marvel’s Stephen Wacker weirdly claims victory over stated enemy — people who buy comics

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Many years from now there will be business courses on Marvel Comics’ bizarre decision to demonize large swathes of its fanbase as a means of securing sales. Common sense tells objective observers that Marvel’s downward sales trajectory is tied to hostility towards the fans, and yet guys like Stephen Wacker, VP for Current Series and Development, continue to double and triple down on insulting loyal customers.

As has been said before, the “House of Ideas” has become the “House of Ideologues,” but if you need further evidence then check out my latest YouTube video. Mr. Wacker declared victory over the fans in a war that he has cooked up in his own mind, but he did so while preemptively blocking yours truly on Twitter.

Indeed, I am so utter defeated by men like Stephen Wacker and the Marvel’s Gate cult that I must be blocked from seeing what the victor is up to on social media. Never mind the fact that I have never made contact with him on the platform, either directly or indirectly.

Anyway, check out the video, subscribe if the format is up your alley, and make sure to leave your two cents in the comments section below. Unlike Mr. Wacker, I want to hear what you have to say.

Heather Antos: Marvel’s manufactured milkshake drama for fragile tea cups

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Those who follow the comic book industry witnessed a Marvel-wide “milkshake” meltdown over the weekend, which is emblematic of everything that is wrong with the company. The whole story is incredibly bizarre, but it boils down to this:

Gwenpool editor Heather Antos saw three tweets that she didn’t like over the weekend and decided that random insults are the equivalent of harassment.

Despite the fact that a random insult is not the same as harassment or a human rights violation, the industry’s writers and artists acted as if she had barely dodged an acid attack by Taliban thugs in Afghanistan. Marvel Editor Tom Brevoort put on his daddy pants to let her know that everything would all be okay; he then told her that tens-of-thousands of fans who are tired of partisan politics at the company are “racist turds.”

There is more to the story, but for that I suggest checking out my latest YouTube video. Also, I would like to thank Mr. Brevoort for his overreaction, which netted me scores of new YouTube subscribers and Twitter followers.

Fun fact: Guys like me are not “racist turds.” Every time you criticize us, people check out our work and realize, “Hey, this seems like a pretty nice dude. I want to hear more of what he has to say.”

My suggestion for Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso would be to concentrate on good stories instead of partisan hackery, but at this point I don’t see him listening to reason. Given that, I will continue to make videos as the House That Axel Alonso built implodes.

Editor’s Note: Twitter user GoodEggJoe sent me this image today, which I told him was pretty darn good and worthy of being included on a blog post. His work shows that there are numerous ways to put pressure on the comic industry’s activist-writers. One doesn’t need a blog or a YouTube channel to have their voice be heard.

GoodEggJoe

Amazing Spider-Man #29: Dan Slott’s infantile hero needs Mommy Marconi

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Question: What happens when a comic book has strong art, strikes the right tone and nails the pacing, but the author’s fundamental understanding of the main character is flawed?

Answer: The world gets something along the lines of The Amazing Spider-Man #29, Marvel’s Secret Empire tie-in featuring the collapse of Parker Industries.

As this blog has demonstrated for years, writer Dan Slott often emasculates Peter Parker as a means of elevating female characters (some created by the author) in his sphere of influence. ASM #29 further solidifies that case, as the hero — an intelligent grown man — is treated like an irresponsible teenager by Anna Maria Marconi. She, another near-perfect woman in his life, scowls and wags her finger at him like an overbearing mother. She sparks epiphanies that he — an intelligent grown man — should have realized on his own months ago.

A Homer Simpson-ized version of Peter Parker also appears in scenes with the villain,  Doctor Octopus, but for more on that I will direct you to my latest YouTube video.

As always, I’m interested in hearing your thoughts in the comments section below.

Iron Man #8: Brian Michael Bendis gives Riri Williams the definitive SJW origin

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For months I have purchased Brian Michael Bendis’ Invincible Iron Man, the book that replaced billionaire Tony Stark with superawesomegottaloveher genius Riri Williams. I have repeatedly asked what the heck her motivation is for becoming a superhero (besides being perfect), and this week an answer was provided.

In short, Mr. Bendis inadvertently gave the world the definitive social justice superhero origin.

There is so much I want to say, but in this case I will point you to my latest YouTube video. If you want to know why modern Marvel is struggling to keep readers engaged, then all you have to do is familiarize yourself with IIM #8. Put this one in your long-term memory, my friends, because it’s not every day that a comic book fan is handed a debate trump card of this magnitude.

Amazing Spider-Man #28: Dan Slott’s nostalgia smokescreen can’t hide horrible writing

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The Amazing Spider-Man #28 sounds on the surface like it would be a great book. It features classic bad guy Norman Osborn going face-to-face with Peter Parker in a “no holds barred” brawl. Neither man has his powers to rely on, which means it’s just a gold old fashioned slugfest — the winner will likely be the guy with a deeper reserve of intestinal fortitude. Sadly, writer Dan Slott once again over-promised and under-delivered.

If you ever wondered what Marvel’s editors like Nick Lowe do these days, ASM #28 provides the answer: not much.

  • This is the kind of comic you get when you use nostalgia as a crutch to hide a lack of character development.
  • This is the kind of comic you get when you want to be buddies with your writer instead of his editor.
  • This is the kind of comic you get when you, as the writer, create a digital echo chamber and block anyone who offers intelligent criticism of your work.
  • This is the kind of comic you get when you think that giving a tacit nod to your critics somehow erases the legitimacy of their claims.

Aspiring writers should read ASM #28, if for no other reason than to see what happens when a decent idea crashes head-first into a wall of hubris.

Listen to your critics. Learn from them. Humble yourself before the collective wisdom of your fans and then adjust to what you’re hearing because if you don’t then you will write stories that fall flat.

For more on this topic, I invite you to check out my latest YouTube review. As always, make sure to subscribe if it’s up your alley and leave any feedback you have in the comments section below. Whether it’s on YouTube or this blog, I read them all and try to respond to as many as possible.

Secret Empire #3: Nick Spencer event is really his ‘Secret Lecture’

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Marvel’s Secret Empire #3 came out this week, although at this point it really should be called Secret Lecture. As I have said before, writer Nick Spencer is an intelligent man who knows a thing or two about the technical aspects of storytelling. The problem, however, is that he uses his gig at Marvel as a psychiatrist’s couch and a college professor’s podium. He seems to care less about entertaining readers than he does about working out his own political issues and lecturing America for electing President Donald Trump.

There’s much more to say, but for that I invite you to check out my latest YouTube review. If the format is up your alley, then make sure to subscribe and leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Spider-Man #27: Ends justify the means in Dan Slott’s ‘Private War’

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Question: What do you get when you take 3/4 of a cup of “ends justify the means” and 1/4 of a cup of “moral relativism” and mix it in a bowl with one serving of Peter Parker and a bag of goblins?

Answer: The Amazing Spider-Man #27.

My new YouTube review details how “A Private War” is a sterling example of what happens when every character in a comic adopts a “might makes right” mentality. It’s hard to root for any character — including the protagonist — when a properly functioning moral compass is nowhere to be found. The heroes in ASM are whomever Dan Slott says are heroes, even if their idea of justice is defined as, “Whatever I want to do at any given moment.”

Check out the video below and be sure to ask yourself the following question: Would Spider-Man really make a moral equivalency between his personal vendetta against Norman Osborn and  Captain America fighting with the Allied Powers during World War II?

I say “no.”

Secret Empire #1: Hydra-Verse and Marvel PR damage control in full swing

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Marvel’s comics division has been taking it on the chin in terms of bad press for well over a year now, and the official kickoff to its latest event is no exception. This week saw the release of Secret Empire #1 and a tie-in issue for Free Comic Book Day, which theoretically should bring elicit smiles across the country. Wrong. In fact, the project is so controversial that Marvel had to put out a statement earlier this week asking fans to be patient (even though the story has been building for well over a year).

My latest Youtube review covers the good, the bad and the ugly of writer Nick Spencer’s reality-warping Hydra-Cap tale. And yes, on some level it is good — but the whole situation is a bit complicated.

Anyway, check out the review and let me know what you think in the comments section below. Also: If anyone knows YouTube’s exact rules for using music clips without getting copyright infringement strikes, then let me know — I don’t want to make a habit of joke-singing songs like “Patience” by Guns N’ Roses…