Yesterday's post:

I wrote this on my commute to an evening out with friends, and when I got home it was too late for my daily post. I just recently transcribed it from the notebook I had with me.

The State of Things (Friday, 27 May)

Today I conducted an experiment of sorts. There's a laundromat a few blocks down the street from where I live , just out of walking distance, but too close to drive. When the dirklings are here, I want to see if the laundry can be done more frequently with a smaller payload, making it one of our regularly scheduled adventures. Laundry is usually an epic event, we put it off until practically every thing we own is dirty, so that when it's time there's plenty of sound and fury and high drama.

I had started the wash, and as I was waiting there, I checked out my local comic shop, Dr. Comics & Mr. Games. It's a small independent place, the people are courteous, knowledgeable, and best of all, they know when to leave you alone. That's a rare and beautiful experience in most retail.

Since I had commented on Giant Man recently, I checked out the latest issue of The Ultimates. Another thing I love about Dr. Comics is that they keep older issues on the shelves in case you've missed something. Conversely, if you come across something new, you can play catch up. It's also good business, because at three dollars an issue, it's quite a commitment to buy into a storyline.

Comics are never single issue stories, and with the advent of the trade paperback format, whereby the publisher releases a collection of a story arc for a title, it's sometimes preferable as a consumer to hold off buying to see how a story progresses before either buying the individual issues or to just wait for the trade to come out, and buy it all in one setting. And the cost is comparable either way.

There's a pleasure in waiting for the next issue in a series though. The anticipation is part of the thrill I remember about reading comics as a kid. A lot of what we call classic literature was originally in serial format. The Three Musketeers, Vanity Fair, The Count of Monte Cristo and I think also War of the Worlds.

There's definitely an art to writing like that. To craft a story that extends past the confines of the framework provided. Serials of any kind face that dilemma and it takes a fine balance to make a piece complete, yet part of a larger whole. To leave the audience wanting more.

My scriptwriting classes pointed out that in sitcoms for TV, you try not to have lasting changes to the major characters for syndication reasons. The re-runs wouldn't make sense if played out of sequence. Hence an easier sale to the local affiliates who don't feel forced to buy an entire series.

Comics have a similar constraint. Characters never really age and if they do, it's very slowly, over such a long time as to e hardly noticeable. The X-Men are a great example, as are the Avengers. Both of those titles are such soap operas, focusing at times on the character's interaction with each other almost to the exclusion of any real action.

Another consideration is that the writing is only one element in comics. Most people tend to notice the art first, and maybe then the story. The quality of comic book stories are almost a stereotype. That has changed a bit recently, especially with the successful adaptations of comics to other media. Writers are finally getting recognition, both good and bad.

There have been comics I've bought where the story was negligible, but the art was terrific. Most often it's the Bam! Pow! variety. There's also been as many if not more that I've bought where the story was great, but the art was mediocre at best. So, when I come across a storyline where the art and story are both entertaining, it's a real treat.

The Ultimates is a good example. The art is realistic, the colors lend the story gravitas, and the treatment of well-known iconic characters with so much baggage, (or, "equity" as they say these days) is refreshing. Captain America acts and sounds like someone from the Forties, for example.

Unfortunately, it feels like very little is really happening. You need to read several in a row to feel the story moving. This is a title I collect the trade paperback version. It would translate well onto the screen, either live action or animated. Big or small screen- preferably big. It's just very dialog heavy.

That was my dilemma; do I buy the individual issues or just wait? There was a collection of the first three of the new volume, and the one issue I've wanted since I'd heard of it (issue 6 check it out here), but did I want to make the investment? It was only about twelve dollars, but I'm not really flush with cash right now, and even when I am, that's a steep price for something I was brought up paying 25 cents an issue.


In this issue, Hank Pym, the outcast visits a startup group calling htemselves "The Defenders", and it's a good story, realistic as a comic can be, the gimmicks, like height, etc, are a smaller part of the story.




Even worse, he finds out that they've not only replaced him with serveral men who are better trained military types to take the name "Giant Man", they've made a breakthrough where they're three times bigger than his initial height of sixty feet . Wow, talk about size issues.

I can't wait for the next issue to come out, here's the cover.



Images courtesy of Marvel comics, inc.

I couldn't help but overhearing a conversation taking place behind me. Two women were talking. One voice saying that "He hates women." The other, essentially lobbing the conversation back to her friend, letting her do the talking.

"He's forcing Devon out. Soon, there'll be no women at all working there."

I'm paraphrasing, I had more important things on my mind, but I was curious.

"I can't do anything about it. But you can write to them and complain. Start a letter campaign."

Now I was interested. Any excuse to cause hell with hate-mail is alright by me. So I intruded on the conversation as politely as I could, offering to help. Turning, I saw them. One worked there, the other I'd never seen before.

The woman I didn't know, turns out, is a writer, and had worked for DC comics. I told her I'd never heard of her, and kind of regretted saying that. I don't like to crush people's ego unintentionally. Here I was, standing where her work was for sale and telling her I'd never heard of her.

Quickly I followed up with the caveat that I don't read DC titles, except for an issue of Catwoman I bought for my daughter last year. Almost immediately after she told me her name, I'd forgotten it; I was still thinking of my laundry and the comics in hand.

According to her, htere are oonly three women writers in the mainstream comic companies, i.e. Marvel and DC and some guy at DC was systematically getting rid of the women there.

I suggested she write about it in her blog. To, y'know, "Rouse the Rabble" as it were.

"I don't have one," she said, "I'm a Luddite."

"Oh come on, " I said "You're a writer, even that one guy has one." I couldn't remember his name. "You've heard about diepunyhuman.com haven't you?" It's Warren Ellis, but I always forget his name too

Shirking her shoulder"I'm a Luddite. I just bought a domain name last year."

"Even that one old writer. What's his name? "

- Blank stare -

"You know, wrote The Martian Chronicles?"

Her friend brightened up, he said "Ray Bradbury!"

They passed the cool test. Worthy of my help, I pressed on.

"He has written every day all his adult life. Nowadays, he dictates most of his stuff, but all the same. Even he has a web site."

"I'm a Luddite," a disarming smile flashed, or winced - I'm not sure which. I have that effect on people sometimes.

"Then I don't know how to help you."

As I paid for my comics, I said to the guy in the mohawk, "I hope I wasn't rude to that writer back there. I didn't mean to be."

"Ah don't worry about it." was the reply.

I'll never know for sure.

So, here's my contribution to the fight against sexism in the comic industry.

A woman I've never heard of got fired from a company who's comics I don't buy , because a man there whose name I don't know is trying to allegedly get rid of women in the comics industry.

I think that's wrong, and I urge all of you who read this and agrees with me, to think of something to do.

There's enough mediocrity in comics these days. I'm sure there's room for more women in the mainstream companies. Sequential art can be a noble art just like other forms of literature and entertainment. It can inspire educate and uplift, and we need them to give us heroes, because they are in very short supply in the real world right now.