Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.

Episode 1350 Talkback: Comic Talk

It's another mixed bag this week, as we touch on topics including (but not limited to) the Annunciation of Neil Gaiman's Angela at Marvel, the latest creator departures from DC, the upcoming 'Batman: Zero Year' arc, the ongoing multimedia renaissance of the '60s Batman TV series, and recent DC-licensed video games. Plus, at no extra charge, more Dr. Who talk with Pants and Shane, and Murd and Matt compare notes on 'Oz, The Great and Powerful.' (1:33:28)

Listen here.
«1

Comments

  • The_HatThe_Hat Posts: 3
    I'm very glad "Batman: Year Zero" will be in the main Batman book. If it wasn't, we'd either have to have Batman grieving for Damian for the next year, or just ignoring his son's death & it being business as normal - neither of which I'd want to read. "Year Zero" is a clever way of sidestepping that.
  • MattMatt Posts: 4,457
    The_Hat said:

    I'm very glad "Batman: Year Zero" will be in the main Batman book. If it wasn't, we'd either have to have Batman grieving for Damian for the next year, or just ignoring his son's death & it being business as normal - neither of which I'd want to read. "Year Zero" is a clever way of sidestepping that.

    Wouldn't that actually be occurring by doing a story from the past for the next year? When the storyline is over, assuming the next story is set in the present, either Batman would still briefly grieve or get right back to business as normal.

    M
  • Thor_ElThor_El Posts: 136
    Congratulations on your 'yoink' victory with my "Muddle the Murd", Adam. However, after further reflection, you are correct in that the first question is most likely out of bounds. I don't believe that Heru's more common name is ever stated in the issue itself.

    Well done, sir.
  • MarkRojasMarkRojas Posts: 22
    I actually bought a bunch of the Skottie Young illustrated Oz books as a result of my viewing of Oz the Great and Powerful.

    Also I loved Shawn's 3 simple rules for Super Show. "expect the unexpected"
  • GregGreg Posts: 1,946
    I'm looking forward to Gaiman co-writing Guardians of the Galaxy. There isn't anything overly unique about Angela, but she is a different kind of character that maybe doesn't exist in the Marvel U, I'm not sure who I could compare her to. I hope they keep the angelic aspect, she could work fine of GotG and I wouldn't mind at all to see he show up in other titles as long it is something that makes sense like Fearless Defenders.

    What is going on at DC? You got people walking away, people being replaced without any word at all from DC (like with Supergirl). I understand editorial wanting to keep a path in place for characters, but you can also let these creative teams do their thing at the same time.

    I love me some '60's Batman, I will definitely be getting the comic and the figures. Hoping the dvd's aren't far behind.

    Good yoink there Murd.
  • See you next week at Super Show, gents.

    "Roadhouse."

    -Shawn
  • mguy1977mguy1977 Posts: 801
    Also Tony Daniel as w/a is leaving the Super title after issue #21.

    So DC needs to get their ducks in a row.

    Matthew
  • DrBravo2DrBravo2 Posts: 31
    Another "This work of fiction didn't tell the story I wanted it to tell" negative review from CGS, for Oz The Great and Powerful.
  • David_DDavid_D Posts: 3,881
    edited March 2013
    DrBravo2 said:

    Another "This work of fiction didn't tell the story I wanted it to tell" negative review from CGS, for Oz The Great and Powerful.

    Expectation is a part of how we experience things. Especially the things that are based on or adapted from existing content.

    In this case, the connection to existing content is used to sell the work. The movie was created to be a prequel to the movie we all know (and novels that many know). Therefore, I think how the work did or didn't meet expectation is a fair part of the review. Because the whole hook of the movie is expectation and prior knowledge (as well as the buy-in that comes with that).

    How it compared to what we expected shouldn't be the entire review. But it is also not an irrelevant way to talk about something. Especially something that is building off of existing works.

  • LibraryBoyLibraryBoy Posts: 1,803
    Really excited for the Batman '66 comic. Jeff Parker is the perfect writer for this... go back to the flashbacks in Agents of Atlas or his Age of the Sentry mini-series (which was shockingly awesome and in my mind completely justifies the existence of a character I otherwise hated), he can really capture the sound and feel of that era pretty well.
  • LibraryBoyLibraryBoy Posts: 1,803
    edited March 2013
    DrBravo2 said:

    Another "This work of fiction didn't tell the story I wanted it to tell" negative review from CGS, for Oz The Great and Powerful.

    I agree that can be frustrating to listen to sometimes, but at the same time, expectations can be really hard to get over, especially when it concerns something you have a passion for / feel a strong connection to. It's like the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie... that was one of my favorite books ever, so I had some very clear ideas in my head of what the movie should have been like, and it wasn't really any of them. Even though I respect the movie in a way for trying to be its own thing (especially since H2G2 as a property has existed in several different forms in various media through the years, each a little different than the other versions), I still couldn't really get over the fact that it wasn't the movie I wanted to see, and haven't revisited it since.

    I dunno... on the one hand, yeah, it can be weak critical sauce, but on the other hand, I totally understand the impulse.
  • MattMatt Posts: 4,457
    edited March 2013
    DrBravo2 said:

    Another "This work of fiction didn't tell the story I wanted it to tell" negative review from CGS, for Oz The Great and Powerful.

    So you never complain about a story you thought was one way then was something else instead? Its easy to see Adam's concerns since he's familiar with the source material. He was lead to believe it would be more in line with what Baum created. Aside from expecting one or two seeds for WoO, I enjoyed it. I don't think I said anything really criticizing Oz.

    I'm thinking the show should stay away from reviewing everything. It seems we are accused of only being negative or jerking off when we review.

    M
  • John_SteedJohn_Steed Posts: 2,087
    edited March 2013
    Nothing ever comes close to what the human mind conceives. Oz in my mind is very different from anything out there. And that is a good thing.
  • ElsiebubElsiebub Posts: 338
    Nice episode, guys.

    Angela in the Marvel Universe sounds so bizarre... but it might actually be fun. I remember getting an extra copy of Angela #1 back in the day, so maybe I'll be able to sell that for slightly over cover price sometime soon!

    Year Zero is the straw that broke the camel's back as far as my purchasing of "Batman" goes. It's ELEVEN issues at $4 an issue? And I generally like the guy's writing, but Snyder's habit of inserting stuff into the past and harping on and on about the history of Gotham has started to bug me even before now (it used to be cool, now it's overdone). Still, Year Zero might turn out to be good--it obviously has that potential--and if it is good then I'll read it in hardcover. But, I mean, I probably won't even get to see Capullo draw Batman in costume for 11 issues? I can't commit to $44 if I don't at least have Capullo's awesome renditions of Batman to fall back on every month.

    DC needs to get their house in order. There are some monster hits over there, but even titles with names like Johns (Vibe), Morrison (Action), and Snyder (Talon) have put up weak numbers lately, or have sales erosion that's far higher than one would expect. And it's like DC is chasing away popular creators due to heavyhanded editorial mandates. They should let the creators they hired write the stories they WANT to write, because obviously, for the most part, editor-directed comics haven't done all that well for them in the last few years.

    Batman '66 sounds GREAT and I'll buy it whenever the floppies come out. Hopefully someone like Allred or better yet Amanda Conner will be able to draw interiors for the series at some point.
  • The_HatThe_Hat Posts: 3
    edited March 2013
    Matt said:

    The_Hat said:

    I'm very glad "Batman: Year Zero" will be in the main Batman book. If it wasn't, we'd either have to have Batman grieving for Damian for the next year, or just ignoring his son's death & it being business as normal - neither of which I'd want to read. "Year Zero" is a clever way of sidestepping that.

    Wouldn't that actually be occurring by doing a story from the past for the next year? When the storyline is over, assuming the next story is set in the present, either Batman would still briefly grieve or get right back to business as normal.

    M
    By 'business as normal', i meant that it would be distasteful to see Batman carrying on as normal in the 'present'. But i also don't want to read about him going through the hell that having your son freshly murdered would bring. I doubt DC do either, especially in one of their flagship titles.

    A year-long story set in the past allows you to get round this, you could just have Batman doing his thing & not having to deal with Damian's death. When it finishes, sure he won't be a happy chappie, but his grieving would be much less of a focus. And hopefully, by that time, "Batman and Robin" (surely a better place to deal with Robin's death) will have dealt with it anyway.
  • DarrellTDarrellT Posts: 9
    I think its kind of unfair to judge the current Bat books if you have not read any of them. A review here and there is not really an accurate depiction. The Court of the Owls storyline is not an old one. It is something not used in the batman mythos before. I do agree with Matt in terms of not caring about the Batman 66. I can not stand the Adam West Batman at all. And I think DC definitely needs to get its act together. The same problems i heard about like last minute editorial rewrites and heavy editorial control that has writers quitting titles sounds like Marvel under Bob Harrass in the 90s before the bankruptcy.
  • JDickJDick Posts: 206
    DrBravo2 said:

    Another "This work of fiction didn't tell the story I wanted it to tell" negative review from CGS, for Oz The Great and Powerful.

    Not this time. I think Adam had valid concerns about the movie. He stated that the movie wasn't a story that already exists.

  • JDickJDick Posts: 206
    Enough Dr. Who! (I'm sure I wouldn't care if I actually watched the show.)

    Anyone notice how much of DC's most interesting stuff is their digital first stuff?
  • MattMatt Posts: 4,457
    DarrellT said:

    I think its kind of unfair to judge the current Bat books if you have not read any of them. A review here and there is not really an accurate depiction. The Court of the Owls storyline is not an old one. It is something not used in the batman mythos before.

    Fair enough, I shouldn't critique Snyder's style without reading the stories. I based it more on the conclusion to Death of the Family & the surprise character reveal at the end of the Owls story. One didn't sound shocking & the other setup something I don't agree with. Maybe if I read the stories, I would be less critical of them.

    I don't think I overstepped myself commenting on the notice of Year Zero. I roll my eyes whenever we get a detail story expanding or reinterpreting well known origins. I felt the same about Earth-1 graphic novels & JMS' "additions" to Spider-man's origin.

    M
  • DarrellTDarrellT Posts: 9
    edited March 2013


    I wouldnt say the most interesting but Im enjoying alot of the Digital first stuff with Batman Beyond,Smallville,Arrow,and Superman Beyond. But their are plenty of books like Earth 2,Wonder Woman,Aquaman,and Justice League Dark to name a few.
  • MattMatt Posts: 4,457
    JDick said:

    Enough Dr. Who! (I'm sure I wouldn't care if I actually watched the show.)

    I was purposely quiet during this conversation. I have more interest in the Adam West Batman series then I do Dr. Who.

    M
  • DarrellTDarrellT Posts: 9
    Matt said:

    DarrellT said:

    I think its kind of unfair to judge the current Bat books if you have not read any of them. A review here and there is not really an accurate depiction. The Court of the Owls storyline is not an old one. It is something not used in the batman mythos before.

    Fair enough, I shouldn't critique Snyder's style without reading the stories. I based it more on the conclusion to Death of the Family & the surprise character reveal at the end of the Owls story. One didn't sound shocking & the other setup something I don't agree with. Maybe if I read the stories, I would be less critical of them.

    I don't think I overstepped myself commenting on the notice of Year Zero. I roll my eyes whenever we get a detail story expanding or reinterpreting well known origins. I felt the same about Earth-1 graphic novels & JMS' "additions" to Spider-man's origin.

    M
    I dont think its a wrong or right with the Batman Year One. I can see your point of not wanting to see how he trained as Batman but there are those of comic buyers who eat that stuff up. If anything with them telling us ahead of time how long the story is its easier to opt out for that 12 issue story.
  • abuddahabuddah Posts: 133
    The_Hat said:

    I'm very glad "Batman: Year Zero" will be in the main Batman book. If it wasn't, we'd either have to have Batman grieving for Damian for the next year, or just ignoring his son's death & it being business as normal - neither of which I'd want to read. "Year Zero" is a clever way of sidestepping that.

    ign.com/articles/2013/03/19/grant-morrison-on-why-damian-wayne-had-to-die

    Morrison: Well, what I don’t want to do is the whole weepy Batman; the Batman in mourning thing. Over my run, we’ve seen a Batman who’s basically a super Buddhist meditation addict who’s going through one of the most hardcore rituals. This is a guy who works in a superhero universe who has seen friends die and come back to life. So what I wanted to do, and what you’re going to see coming up, is a Batman who has a very different approach to death than what most of us do.

  • abuddahabuddah Posts: 133
    I agree with the others, DC is a mess creatively. Read Marvel Comics, the Untold Story. The same personell from 90's Marvel are making the same mistakes with the publisher across the street. And it is no more apparent than with the CGSers on this episode. PAnts, Shane and Murd are DC lifers and they've seen their pull lists dwindle down to a handfull of comics. It's a real shame.
  • DrBravo2DrBravo2 Posts: 31
    Matt said:

    DrBravo2 said:

    Another "This work of fiction didn't tell the story I wanted it to tell" negative review from CGS, for Oz The Great and Powerful.

    So you never complain about a story you thought was one way then was something else instead? Its easy to see Adam's concerns since he's familiar with the source material. He was lead to believe it would be more in line with what Baum created. Aside from expecting one or two seeds for WoO, I enjoyed it. I don't think I said anything really criticizing Oz.

    I'm thinking the show should stay away from reviewing everything. It seems we are accused of only being negative or jerking off when we review.

    M
    It was like 10 minutes on "There weren't enough references to Baum's Oz books" and "I don't like that there was a love story." I get that Matt is well versed in the books, but the great majority of the public are not. Most references are going to be to the '39 movie. I'm not sure what in the marketing would lead people to believe it would be more faithful to the books. If it were just a couple mentions, sure, I can accept that kind of criticism. It's focused on for a LONG time and I get to the point where I think, "I understand that you prefer the books, can we move on?".

    That's just my opinion. I don't mean to offend or anything. Either I my feedback has some insight or I'm crazy. Decide for yourselves and proceed with the show as you desire.
  • MattMatt Posts: 4,457
    edited March 2013
    DrBravo2 said:

    Matt said:

    DrBravo2 said:

    Another "This work of fiction didn't tell the story I wanted it to tell" negative review from CGS, for Oz The Great and Powerful.

    So you never complain about a story you thought was one way then was something else instead? Its easy to see Adam's concerns since he's familiar with the source material. He was lead to believe it would be more in line with what Baum created. Aside from expecting one or two seeds for WoO, I enjoyed it. I don't think I said anything really criticizing Oz.

    I'm thinking the show should stay away from reviewing everything. It seems we are accused of only being negative or jerking off when we review.

    M
    It was like 10 minutes on "There weren't enough references to Baum's Oz books" and "I don't like that there was a love story." I get that Matt is well versed in the books, but the great majority of the public are not. Most references are going to be to the '39 movie. I'm not sure what in the marketing would lead people to believe it would be more faithful to the books. If it were just a couple mentions, sure, I can accept that kind of criticism. It's focused on for a LONG time and I get to the point where I think, "I understand that you prefer the books, can we move on?".

    That's just my opinion. I don't mean to offend or anything. Either I my feedback has some insight or I'm crazy. Decide for yourselves and proceed with the show as you desire.
    I can't speak for Adam with what led him to believe this movie would be more to the Baum books then the last 2 movies. I went in with zero interest in the books & enjoyed the movie.

    You just got the blunt end of an issue brewing since at least the Avengers review. Our reviews always seem to fall prey to too positive or too negative. Nothing personal, its just an exposed nerve that got tweaked with the word "another."

    M
  • LibraryBoyLibraryBoy Posts: 1,803
    Three seasons per Doctor isn't a hard & fast rule, but it's kind of a tradition. William Hartnell did three seasons before his health forced him to retire, then Patrick Troughton chose to leave after three. Jon Pertwee did 5, Tom Baker did 7, but then Peter Davison ended up leaving after 3, and from what I've heard that was on the advice of Troughton. I think I read Troughton told Davison that 3 years was the ideal amount of time because it was long enough to leave your mark but not long enough for it to weigh down the rest of your career, but I'm not sure if that's apocryphal or not.

    Colin Baker did 2, though that was due to pretty much being fired by then-BBC Controller Michael Grade. Sylvester McCoy did 3, but that was when the original series ended (again thanks to Michael Grade... old school Doctor Who fans hate that guy!), so we have no idea if he'd have went on past that or not (though there were already story plans in the works for a McCoy-starring season 27 when the axe fell, so we can probably assume he would've).

    So, yeah, 3 years isn't hardwired into the formula or anything, but there's something of a tradition there, either by choice or circumstance.

    One more thing - in regards to rumors about the show? Never believe anything you hear about the series until you see it on screen! The British tabloids are infamous for spreading untruths about the show (Rupert Grint is the new companion! Gillian Anderson is going to be the regenerated Rani! Ben Kingsley is going to be Davros! etc. etc.), and the internet is, well... it's the internet. And guys like Davies and Moffat like to mislead the fans in order to keep their story surprises secret. So take everything you read with a grain of salt unless/until you actually see it on the show.
  • dubbat138dubbat138 Posts: 3,200
    Matt said:

    JDick said:

    Enough Dr. Who! (I'm sure I wouldn't care if I actually watched the show.)

    I was purposely quiet during this conversation. I have more interest in the Adam West Batman series then I do Dr. Who.

    M

    I am the same way. Love Dr Who when I was a kid and it aired everyday on PBS. Then when it came back I watched the first 2 seasons. But not a fan of David Tennet so gave up on the show. Tried getting back into it a few times and it seems to have lost something it had back in the original run.
  • abuddahabuddah Posts: 133
    DrBravo2 said:


    DrBravo2 said:
    Most references are going to be to the '39 movie.

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oz_the_Great_and_Powerful#Development

    Actually, it's the other way around

    Disney's history with Oz
    After the successful release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, Walt Disney planned to produce an animated film based on the first of L. Frank Baum's Oz books. Roy O. Disney, chairman of the Walt Disney Studios, was informed by Baum's estate that they had sold the film rights to the first book to Samuel Goldwyn, who re-sold it to Louis B. Mayer in 1938.[10] The project was developed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer into the well-known musical adaptation starring Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Margaret Hamilton and Billie Burke, released the following year.
    In 1954, when the film rights to Baum's remaining thirteen Oz books were made available, Walt Disney Productions acquired them[11] for use in Walt Disney's television series Disneyland and the live-action film Rainbow Road to Oz, which was abandoned and never completed.[12] Disney's history with the Oz series continued with the 1985 film Return to Oz. That film performed poorly, both critically and commercially,[13][14][15] but it developed a cult following since its release.[16][17] After Return to Oz, Disney lost the film rights to the Oz books and they were subsequently reverted to the public domain.

    Development
    The film was made without the involvement of MGM, because the Oz novels by L. Frank Baum are in the public domain.
  • CorwinCorwin Posts: 549
    edited March 2013
    (editing messed up format)
Sign In or Register to comment.