Tag: Marvel Comics

Marvel’s Tom Brevoort and ideologue pals blame “toxic” fans for comic woes; hypocrisy exposed on YouTube

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Tom B toxic

Thoughts become words. Words become actions. Actions become habits. Habits become character, and character becomes destiny.

Therefore, it’s incredibly sad that Marvel’s Tom Brevoort and his activist friends make a habit of lying — to themselves, to fans, and anyone else who is willing to listen.

The House of Ideologues has attempted (and failed) for months to defame YouTube creators who are exposing its hypocrisy, and the latest effort involves blaming “toxic fandom.” It’s not going to work because, as my latest YouTube video demonstrates, the partisan propaganda spewed by Marvel’s writers and editors can always be juxtaposed with their laughable moral grandstanding.

As always, let me know what you think of the latest developments in the comments section below. If you like the format, make sure to subscribe for regular updates since I don’t always have time to cross-post onto the blog.

 

Marvel God Complex: Dan Slott says fans don’t know what they ‘need’

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Some people are saying that “Comics Gate” is upon us. Others say that we’re in a “comic book culture war.” Whatever you decide, the bottom line is that Marvel writer Dan Slott gives bloggers and YouTuber creators like yours truly plenty of material to work with on a weekly basis.

If you want to know why Marvel Comics is struggling these days, then look no further than Mr. Slott’s stance on the “job of the artist,” which he shares with Alan Moore.

Both men believe “it is the job of the artists to give the audience what they need“ (emphasis mine).

Dan Slott Twitter role of artist

Ask yourself, though: Is that true? Do artists decide what you “need,” or is that the position of men with seriously bizarre god complexes? Check out my latest YouTube video on the proper role of the artist, and then sound off in the comments section below.

This topic lit up YouTube, Twitter, and writer Roger McKenzie’s Facebook page this weekend, so I’d like to hear what you think.

Editor’s Note: When backed into a corner, Dan’s go-to option is to look for the “Stan Lee escape hatch,” even if the damage control is painfully obvious.

William Riverdale tweet

Marvel’s Spider-Joke: Predictable Chip Zdarsky makes critics look like prognosticators

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Your friendly neighborhood blogger does not make predictions very often, but when I do they tend to come true. Take, for instance, the time I predicted that “Spider-Rockets” would grace the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man and it came true within months. I took no glee in the development, but at the same time I am grateful to have it as a data point when people question my judgment on Spidey-related matters.

Sadly, we now have another instance of yours truly playing the role of the successful prognosticator when it comes to Marvel Comics. I said in June with the launch of Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man that there was a 75 percent chance he would wind up doing standup comedy with his mask on by issue 12.

Note: I was ahead of the game by eight issues.

Check out my video below for more on the damage that writer Chip Zdarsky is doing to Peter Parker’s credibility, and as always feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section below. It’s going to get worse before it gets better.

Update: It appears as though Diversity & Comics is finally coming around on ASM’s Dan Slott. That means it is now time for me to give him some good-natured mockery: Vindicated!

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

‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ saves Sony’s bacon (just don’t you dare mention the writer’s ‘slavery’ sucker punch)

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There are times when I wish that I never made the leap to YouTube and instead stayed on my little old blog churning out content for people who understand things like nuance. My reaction to Spider-Man: Homecoming highlighted that fact quite nicely yesterday.

Your friendly neighborhood blogger said that he loves the movie and wants people to see it, but that a weird scene involving “MJ’s” comment on slavery was a social justice-y sucker punch out of nowhere. I then used that scene to discuss real-world “MJ’s” populating college campuses and influential circles of activists across the nation.

Translation: “Doug is an SJW! Doug is triggered! Doug can’t enjoy anything that includes a whiff of SJW politics.”

Sigh.

Below are my videos on the old web-head’s return to the big screen. As always, if you enjoy the content then be sure to subscribe. And if you too think I’ve gone full “SJW” then go for it in the comments section. Let me know! I find this conclusion fascinating.

Here is the full review with one major spoiler for those who haven’t seen the film.

Marvel’s Secret Empire 4th of July: Celebrate Hydra-Cap, Post-Modernism or you’re a rube

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It’s the 4th of July, which means Americans everywhere are celebrating independence and all things red, white and blue. Sadly, Captain America is not available this year because Marvel’s “Hydra-Cap” era is still going strong.

If you want to see what post-modernists have done to Marvel Comics, then check out my latest YouTube video. There are only so many times a company can blow up a hero’s integrity before it’s nearly impossible for a writer to put together what a long string of post-modernists have broken.

As always, I’d love to hear what you have to say. Sound off on Marvel’s Secret Empire, its post-modernist writers, and anything related to the subject in the comments section below.

Editor’s Note: There is a “roast” of Capn. Cummings after the main video. Do not watch if strong language offends you. 

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.