Over on Comic Book Resources this very evening, there's a piece by the supposed "comics commentator" Colin Smith, writing on the theme of "Fans And Dead Superheroes". Yes, I know, that's the Colin Smith who's the blogger of the parish of TooBusyThinking, or "me", as I know him, and, yes, I find the whole business of my guesting on CBR to be as unlikely a matter as you most probably will. You and me both! It was incredibly good fun to do, and I learned a great deal in the process, to say the least. And it was indeed the to-be-expected and yet never-quite-anticipated surreal experience, noting the piece suddenly existing as a briefly passing item on CBR's front page about half an hour ago, and, although I suppose I should be more worldly and guarded, it was a smile-inspiring business too.
Should you be up for considering popping over to see the commentary, the piece is here, and the forum set up for it is here. As I say, I've really benefited from the process, and it'd be kind if you'd consider dropping in over there if you've ever got a couple of dead minutes, because I would like CBR to get some traffic out of the whole business. All and any folks clicking on the above links should of course consider themselves front-line members of the TooBusyThinking Massive for life, although of course you already are, just through your being here in the first place.
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Congrats sir!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dale! That's most appreciated, it really is :-)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Colin! The first of many posts at CBR, I hope.
ReplyDeleteOn the subject of superhero deaths I heard Chris Moyles on Radio 1 talking about the impending demise of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. As he wittered on I felt myself shouting at the radio: "But that's not the REAL Spider-Man, it's an alternate universe, it's the Ultimate Spider-Man..." And so on and so forth. And then I went for a lie down...
Oh, nice one Colin. Having you join the ranks of CBR contributors can only be a Good Thing. Their recent front page redesign is still growing on me, but they've definitely got the edge when it comes to comics news and comment websites.
ReplyDeleteIt's a nicely argued article as well, the only thing I found surprising was no mention of Mar-Vell. But I see that someone has mentioned him in the forum, together with Thunderbird of the X-Men (ah, we hardly knew ye).
Your mention of Final Crisis and wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey magic bullets made me realise – Darkseid's plan backfired, didn't it? I'll get me coat....
Alex S
Hello cerebus:- thank you. It's much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteI find that I simply can't listen to Chris Moiyles in the first place! I think a lie down and a cuppa when you recover is the least you deserve. I caught him once whining about his pay being late. It must have arrived by the time it finished, he was at it for what felt like hours.
A shame that there doesn't appear to be ANY 'real' characters, isn't it? Strange thing, that if Ult Petey stays dead, he may end up being the 'real' Spidey simply by having a fixed, unchangeable canon.
Weird scenes inside the gold mine ....
I found this article on the CBR frontpage, began reading, said "Hmm, this seems different from the usual article," glanced up at the byline... hey! I know that guy.
ReplyDeleteGood stuff.
Hello Alex:- it was a really good learning experience having a chance to contribute to CBR, and good eggs were all I 'met' or had the privilege of knowing had touched, if you will, the work. I like the new CBR design, I must say, there's a real sense of access to the different parts of the site. And I guess it must be a useful revamp for me, because I'm so used to the old design and I tend to prefer to say with designs that work for me.
ReplyDeleteOn Mar-Vell; Oh, I had EVERYONE in the first draft. I had the blessed Chemical King of the three-panel death around LSH # 221 or so. But I've got to get punchier and sharper, I've been owning to it on the blog for ages, so my edit scalpel came into play long before that piece went in. Do love Mar-Vell though ...
Only the Doctor's wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey plans work, Alex. Darkseid would be no match for him :)
Hello Bill:- Thank you! Of course, you're used to CBR as a stomping ground. To me, it's still the site above all others that used to cheer up lunchtime while I was teaching. By which I mean, it was nice to be able to visit, it really was.
ReplyDeleteColin, top work on the article, mate. Well written and a great topic to choose. I hope you get a few more up there over time. I'll certainly read them.
ReplyDeleteHello Ryan:- thanks for your kind words. I can't claim credit for the topic, mind you. With all the freedom to write whatever I want here, it was great to have a crack at writing to a suggested subject. It was a discipline I very much wanted to experience, and I'm really grateful for it.
ReplyDeleteOf course, the clever thing about the title you've given this post is that it makes it seem as though you're outraged at something CBR has said. I fully expected to come here reading your reaction to some article claiming that Bendis' Moon Knight sets a new benchmark for sensitive depictions of female empowerment. Or that 'Rise of Arsenal' had won an award for its accurate depiction of drug addiction.
ReplyDeleteWait a minute....
Alex S
Hey, Alex, there's something wrong with CBR being kind enough to put up a piece by that Smith bloke. It's one of the signs of the apocalypse.
ReplyDeleteThere was that urban myth that Tom Lehrer gave up writing satirical songs when Kissinger won the Nobel Peace Prize. Well, if that's the moment went satire became impossible, its corpse got staked through the heart with that award for the Arsenal drug education programme.
Somebody, help me!
A veyr belated, but well-deserved congratulations to you. The piece ain't bad to boot.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Darren. You're always welcome over this way'o'the net :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, and I hope they invite you back again!
ReplyDelete- Mike Loughlin
Thank you, Mike. Your best wishes from what I now know is a regretably damp New England are much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteI remember you saying that satire was impossible when I mentioned the toy they made of Quentin Tarantino's 'Rapist #1' character from Planet Terror.
ReplyDeleteLehrer gave up too soon. Kissinger's Nobel Peace Prize didn't stop Steve Englehart from showing him cosying up with Doctor Doom in #7 of Super-Villain Team-Up!
Alex S
Hello Alex:- that appearance from the repellent and utterly morally occluded HK in SVTU was remarkable for how retrained it was. Obviously, Nixon had never thought enough of Kissinger on Earth-Marvel to induct him into the Secret Empire. How THAT must have stung HK when SHIELD brought him the evidence that his boss was a master super-criminal.
ReplyDeleteBut then, from all the evidence, Nixon was a man marked by APD from the start. Kissinger, on the other hand, seems to have at least some of empathy circuitry working. Shame on him. At the very least, the Torch should've given him a hot foot.