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Tag: Doug Ernst
DC Vertigo’s not so Happy Days: Fonzie blamed for Border Town #MeToo mess
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Gail Simone lies while Jim Carrey-esque ‘Cable Guys’ destroy the comics industry
One of the weird things about the comics industry in 2018 is that books are often far less interesting than all the bizarre drama that creators bring upon themselves. Regular readers know why this is the case: The unprofessional antics of Mark Waid, Dan Slott, Gail Simone and others have been covered for years.
The past week, however, provided a sterling example of the industry’s corruption. The DC-Vertigo book Border Town was torpedoed after one of its writers had a #MeToo scandal explode on social media; almost no one wanted to talk about it.
If you went to any of the mainstream comics news sites, then you were greeted with the sound of crickets chirping.
If you went to the Twitter feeds of all those creators who chimed in Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh’s nomination process, then you were greeted with crickets chirping.
The only people who were substantively covering one of the biggest comics stories of the year (and doing it with a fairly even hand) were YouTubers within the Comicsgate movement.
The Hollywood Reporter eventually chimed in, and so did Gail Simone — but the latter somehow found a way to make Comicgate the focus of her anger and frustration.
Ms. Simone even attempted to say with a straight face that she “never heard” of Border Town writer Eric M. Esquivel until “three days ago.”
Yes, that’s right, even though Comicsgate’s members have been told for years that the industry is a small community and they’ll never work for Marvel and DC, we’re now supposed to believe Ms. Simon didn’t know of the guy who *cough* was literally featured in one of her projects: Ricanstruction: Reminiscing & Rebuilding Puerto Rico.
Got that? Gail Simone, “industry juggernaut,” was in the same book as “industry juggernaut” Eric M. Esquivel, yet she only heard of him “three days” ago. Weird.
Ask yourself: What are the chances that two “juggernauts” within a small community of creators never heard of one another?
Ms. Simon’s other message — another lie — for Twitter followers was that Comicsgate YouTubers who dared to point out the industry’s hypocrisy are really just the organizers of a long-running “harassment campaign.”
Those who are wondering why someone in her shoes might lie need to only search through the history of this blog. Ms. Simone has been behaving like a mean-spirited ideologue (to combat vets) since at least 2015.
Yours truly has covered the way she and her ideologue peers alienate long-term readers, but in Ms. Simone’s mind that constitutes “harassment.”
If you want to know why the comics industry is in dire straights in 2018, then look no further than the laundry list of lies from creators like Gail Simone.
You’ll also want to look at the gaggle of Cable Guy-esque characters who are elevated to the level of creative “juggernauts” by shill websites.
Ms. Simone likes to call guys like me a “puppet,” when the truth is the exact opposite.
- The real puppets are the individuals in the comics media who wait for their industry masters to tell them when to talk and what to say.
- The real puppets are the writers and artists who should “Believe Women!” when an accusation is leveled at a political opponent, but then sit in silence when allegations land in a colleague’s lap.
This blogger and YouTuber has never shied away from telling you what’s on his mind, which is why women like Gail Simone often go into overdrive to peddle easily disproven lies.
Note to Gail: The internet never forgets. Your tweets are archived. Your interviews are archived. No matter how much your try and scrub, scrub, scrub away your online history, guys like me will find the truth and present it to readers.
Joe Quesada exploits Wahlbergian ‘Fear’ clones in blind hatred of Comicsgate
It was only a few short years ago — 2015 to be exact — that your friendly neighborhood blogger tried to warn Marvel’s Joe Quesada that seeds of unprofessionalism planted at the company were going to bear bad fruit. He liked to play dumb when readers confronted him on the partisan bile spewed by Dan Slott, Mark Waid, and others within the industry, and in time my predictions came to pass.
Fact: Alienated but social-media savvy readers connected in 2017 on YouTube after years of sounding the alarm bells in small pockets across the internet. Our collective efforts to discuss the need for professionalism, strong storytelling, and honest journalism became known as Comicsgate.
Cut to Mr. Quesada, the company’s chief creative officer. He’s flummoxed. He’s angry. He doesn’t know what to do because guys like Richard C. Meyer, aka Diversity & Comics, have over 90,000 subscribers who are regularly learning just how corrupt the comics industry has become.
What does Mr. Quesada do in response to the new status quo, you ask? Does he admit to dropping the ball in 2015 when he was warned of the coming backlash?
Answer: Of course not. Instead, he looks for the most unstable people on Twitter and tries to exploit their condition. He cozies up to anonymous individuals who spend all day (and many nights) obsessing over Comicsgate and ways to destroy the personal and professional reputations of those associated with it.
In short, Mr. Quesada has tried to weaponize troubled individuals — those who come across like Mark Wahlberg’s character in the 1996 movie ‘Fear’ — against the industry’s critics in an embarrassing display of “ends justify the means” vindictiveness. He literally follows and interacts with what amounts to full-time Twitter trolls because he has no answers for guys like myself, Just Some Guy, That Umbrella Guy, artist Ethan Van Sciver and others.
Yes, telling the truth is always an option, but Mr. Quesada decided at some point in time that honesty and transparency regarding the industry’s problems was off the table.
What Mr. Quesada fails to realize is that it’s no longer 2015. A tipping point was reached with the creation of Comicsgate, and for every underhanded and unprofessional move he (and his ideologue peers) make, tens-of-thousands of people soon hear about it.
Those alienated customers talk. They tell one, two, three, four or more friends about what’s going on. There is a cascading effect — and not in a positive way for Marvel Comics.
That, dear reader, is why more and more people every month are speaking out about the industry.
YouTube, Twitter and other social media platforms have freed consumers from shill websites with Orwellian moderators.
Consumers are better organized, better informed, and unafraid to shine giant spotlights on the immature behavior of men like Mr. Quesada.
There is much more to say, but for a better picture of what’s going on I invite you to watch my latest YouTube video: Joe Quesada exploits Wahlbergian ‘Fear’ clones in blind hatred of Comicsgate.
As always, make sure to hit the “like” and “subscribe” buttons if the format is up your alley.
Also, let me know what you think of Mr. Quesada’s behavior in the comments section below.
Saladin Ahmed: Marvel writer spews bigotry, blames others for blowback as EIC C.B. Cebulski silent
There once was a time when Marvel writers and artists didn’t use the Christmas season to go on bizarre and bigoted rants against “white” people. Saladin Ahmed, however, is a sterling example of the “House of Ideas” (or was it the House of Ideologues?) under Sana Amanat and editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski.
Mr. Ahmed — for years — has publicly offered his “white people” lamentations, and yet he is a.) rewarded for his bigotry by the company’s top brass, and b.) plays the victim with a straight face.
This weekend the Marvel scribe must have watched your friendly neighborhood blogger’s live-stream on his disgusting rhetoric because he came into work on Monday with fresh rants about “right wingers” who are “trying to get me fired.”
Given that Mr. Ahmed is obsessed with white people, it is perhaps fitting that a White Stripes song spotlights what he does after professionally embarrassing himself on social media.
From Jack White’s Effect & Cause:
Well, first came an action
And then a reaction
But you can’t switch ’em ’round
For your own satisfaction
Well you burnt my house down
Then got mad
At my reactionWell in every complicated situation
Of a human relation
Making sense of it all
Takes a whole lotta concentration, mmm
Well you can’t blame a baby
For her pregnant ma
And if there’s one of these unavoidable laws
It’s that you can’t just take the effect
And make it the cause, no
Take a bow, C.B. Cebulski. While you tweet about your “Air Supply” dreams, Marvel writers are doing everything in their power to alienate readers with bigoted Twitter accounts.
Check out my latest YouTube video for a more extensive look at what is permitted at Marvel on Mr. Cebulski’s watch.
The White Stripes’ Effect & Cause:
Linkara peddles Comicsgate critics’ lies: Atop the Wall of Hypocrisy
A funny thing happened as the movement called Comicsgate grew over the past two years: YouTube personalities with millions of subscribers joined industry professionals in calling any criticism “racist” and anti-LGBT.
Guys like Rob from Comics Explained said in 2017 that individuals who openly reject “forced diversity” sound “racist” (e.g., turning Iceman gay after decades of continuity that says otherwise; trying to replace iconic heroes with minority derivatives).
Guys like Benny, aka Comicstorian, called Comicsgate a bunch of “idiots” despite previously claiming that he wanted to remain a neutral.
Enter Linkara from Atop the Fourth Wall this weekend. He echoed the “raaaaaaacist” and “homophobic” allegations on Twitter while simultaneously asking to hear about quality comic book reviewers.
Your friendly neighborhood blogger/YouTuber was tipped off by someone who has frequented this website for years — Carl — and within 24 hours Linkara blocked me for having the temerity to call out his passive-aggressive shots at Comicsgate.
Linkara claimed that he suddenly had to hit the block button because racists were coming out of the digital woodwork, but is that true?
He provided zero evidence and his Twitter feed shows a different story — users were recommending YouTube channels like Professor Geek, ClownfishTV, Captain Frugal, #1 Marmaduke Fan, and Just Some Guy.
The reality, dear reader, is that certain YouTube personalities desperately want to stay in the industry’s good graces. They like freebies. They like getting press passes. They like getting invited onto convention panels, and they like to be offered all sorts of other perks that having the right political bent brings within a corrupted industry.
The bitter pill to swallow for many people is that Comicsgate is an incredibly diverse network of individuals who are tired of unprofessionalism, cronyism, partisan politics shoehorned into books, subpar writing, and uninspired art.
Comicsgate as a whole is not hated because its critics’ allegations are true; Comicsgate as a whole is hated because its critics allegations are false.
Check out my latest YouTube video for the bigger picture, and then check out Professor Geek, Just Some Guy, Captain Frugal, and #1 Marmaduke Fan if you doubt me.
Tom Brevoort: Marvel’s ‘King Nothing’ gives Stan Lee backhanded compliment after industry icon’s death
Stan “The Man” Lee’s death last week left fans across the world with a heavy heart. Kind words filled Facebook walls, Instagram pages, and Twitter feeds. There were random exceptions (e.g., professional wet blanket Bill Maher), but in general millions of people handled themselves as expected when a beloved public figure exits this world and enters eternity.
Marvel editor Tom Brevoort, however, didn’t get the memo.
Yes, that’s right, one of Marvel’s very own decided it would be a great idea to remember Stan Lee’s life by weirdly turning it into an excuse to play “Who Will Have the Greatest Legacy?”
Tom “King Nothing” Brevoort tweeted:
“Stan Lee was both the best-known comic book editor in the world and the best writer of his era, the 1960s. The fact that others surpassed him in this endeavor by building on what he did changes nothing of it,” (emphasis added).
Ask yourself this question: What kind of person uses the death of an industry giant to immediately begin figuring out creative and professional pecking orders?
Ask yourself this question: What kind of person gives a backhanded compliment about Stan Lee that translates: “Yeah, he was an pretty amazing guy — in the 1960s!
People ask me why and when the movement often labeled “Comicsgate” started. Giving an exact date is a rather pointless endeavor, but readers can glean important information merely by looking into the social-media musings of Mr. Brevoort.
Sadly, the kind of creator who would downplay Stan Lee’s significance right after his death is not the exception to the rule at Marvel Comics these days. Furthermore, the kind of man who is willing to rhetorically hit Mr. Lee below the belt is also the kind of man who is willing to do so to long-time readers.
There is much more to be said, but for a primer on the origins of Comicsgate I suggest watching my latest YouTube video. As always, make sure hit the ‘subscribe’ button if the video format is up your alley.
Related: Bill Maher: Stan Lee bad, Vapid celebs on ‘Real Time’ good. Beep. Beep. Boop. Boop.
Mark Waid runs to Orwellian Nerdist shills for lawsuit coverage, changes tune on ‘SJW’ term he loved in 2017
Once upon a time the term “SJW” was a form of sweet music to the ears of writer Mark Waid. The comics industry veteran literally said in 2017 that he wore it with “pride.”
Something happened, however, between then and now to change his mind: He was sued for tortious interference and defamation by the popular YouTuber Diversity & Comics, aka Richard C. Meyer, aka ‘Ya Boi Zack.’
These days, according to Mr. Waid, calling him exactly what he wanted to be called is “the language of a bully.” Interesting, isn’t it?
One would think that a respectable journalist within the comics industry would ask Mr. Waid why he was allowed to use “SJW” as a rhetorical cudgel in 2017 while standing atop a self-made moral pedestal, yet now the term is a slur that can be used against the Comicsgate movement in court.
Sadly, dear reader, Mr. Waid only goes to shill outlets like Nerdist to discuss his lawsuit. And yes, “shill” is the correct description to use for the creator’s live-stream with Nerdist, given the following: a.) the moderators rushed to delete any chatroom comments on the lawsuit while Comicsgate was simultaneously being framed as a “hate” movement; b.) the host only asked softball questions and agreed with everything Mr. Waid said; and c.) the normal comments section was disabled after the live-stream ended.
If you’re asking yourself why all of this sounds familiar, then simply step into this blog’s time machine and travel to July 26, 2013.
Fact: Your friendly neighborhood blogger was covering “Comicsgate” before it was ever called Comicsgate. Anyone who wants to debunk the industry’s current lies can often do so by mining my old coverage of “Marvel’s Orwellian message boards” and the unprofessionalism by men like *cough* Mark Waid.
There is much more to be said about Mr. Waid’s hypocrisy and his lawsuit with Mr. Meyer, but for brevity’s sake I suggest checking out my latest YouTube video. Please make sure to hit the subscribe button if video content is up your alley.
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Chelsea Cain bites the Cebulski that feeds; Comicsgate right all along
Comic book fans know Chelsea Cain as the writer behind the “Ask Me About My Feminist Agenda” issue of Mockingbird in 2016, but this week she added to her resume. The self-professed “pain in the ass” melted down after Marvel dropped her six-part tale titled The Vision (never mind the fact that it took her two years to finish four issues).
The Hollywood Reporter weighed in on Thursday with the following:
“Just weeks after announcing the project’s existence — and two months before it was set to debut — Marvel Entertainment has cancelled The Vision, a six-issue comic book series by novelist Chelsea Cain, critic Marc Mohan and artist Aud Koch, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
The cancellation of the series was initially announced to retailers Thursday morning, with Bleeding Cool sharing the information online shortly afterwards. Marvel confirmed the cancellation to THR but declined to comment further.”
Marvel asked Ms. Cain to keep the embarrassing development “clean and quiet,” but she had other plans.
The reason: Left-wing ideologues always bite the hand that feeds.
Chelsea Cain’s outburst is another black eye for Marvel Comics, which already saw two bizarre developments within the past month:
- Editor in chief C.B. Cebulski exploded on Spike Valentine, a YouTuber who has done work for Marvel in Mexico. Mr. Valentine is not shy about calling out the company’s poor business practices.
- Marvel Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada spent hours — in the middle of the night — sparring over the nature of Comicsgate with Richard C. Meyer, aka Diversity & Comics, along with artist Ethan Van Sciver.
Marvel somehow managed a P.R. nightmare hat-trick over the course of 30 days, which isn’t easy. What it means is up for debate, but most of the theories that come to mind do not bode well for the company’s long-term health.
Is Marvel’s EIC so impotent that SJW writers are willing to publicly lash out at editors?
Are left-wing ideologues telling us that the emperor has no clothes (i.e., things are so bad behind the scenes that they are now willing to bite the hand that feeds)?
Ms. Cain eventually went on to say that she is willing to be “truthful” to readers because other freelancers “can’t be.”
Translation: The commentary was spot-on by bloggers and YouTubers within the Comicsgate network when they told you that industry creators were obfuscating the facts — or blatantly lying.
In short, Marvel got into bed with slew of black widow spiders, which eventually decided to eat their mate. Smooth move, Joe Quesada, Axel Alonso, and C.B. Cebulski. We tried to warn you for years what would happen and you ignored us. You are reaping what you’ve sown.
There’s more to the story, but for that I suggest checking out my latest YouTube video. Be sure to like and subscribe if the video format is up your alley.
