Thursday, October 23, 2008
Dear Comic Book Podcasters,
Let me begin by saying that I love you (well, some of you) - you help make the streetcar ride more tolerable, you keep me distracted while at the gym, but we need to talk. You need to cut down on the jokes about old comics. I get it: having a mermaid girlfriend is ridiculous, super pets are ridiculous, egg shaped villains are ridiculous. That stuff is indeed very funny. Or at least it was 20 years ago, when people started cracking those kind of jokes. I may go insance it I download one more podcast where two guys sip Coke and say 'Huh, huh - Luke Cage talks like a pimp... huh, huh'. That stopped being funny in 1992. Here's an idea - try to see what's good in those old books. Look at the mastery in the artwork of some of the old pros who got their start back at the dawn of the industry and worked right up to the 80s. Try to see why 'charming' can be as entertaining as 'grim and gritty'. Believe me, Frank Miller and Otto Binder can co-exist. They do everyday in my collection.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Scott M talks like a pimp... huh huh.
Well said Scott. Not just because I've always incoherently thought the same. You nailed it. Masterful comic book art is not a recent invention. Yes, conceptually and thematically comics have evolved over the years. But whether this all be for better or for worse, there is no denying that fantastic line work was as good 75 years ago, when Noel Sickles was pioneering his work with chiaroscuro to the times of his successors... Meskin, Toth and yes Frank Miller. A good picture, a great story are indeed timeless.
Craig
I don't know if you listen to podcasts at all - but I'm still search for one with intelligent and critical discussion of pre-1999 comics.
I tune in occasionally Scott. Usually it's for the interviews with creators that interest me. But you are correct-- classic comics and good podcasts sadly remain as two solitudes.
Post a Comment