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February 17, 2005
Bad Comics: They're not just for birdcage liner anymore
For about a year now, I've been writing comics reviews for a feature on the Prism Comics website called Queer Eye on Comics. Prism is an organization I became involved in a few years ago when I helped to produce a couple of the issues of their guide to queer folks working in comics. Sorry if you don't like the word 'queer,' but I'm simply not typing GLBTQQ. Damn. I just did.
The goal of the feature is, of course, to be funny in the way that only sophisticated, acerbically witty, self-absorbed gay men and women can be, and to turn those attentions toward the comic books we love and loathe. To make it easy on myself, I decided mainly to write about really bad comics. It's hard to poke fun at Watchmen, but any work of Rob Liefeld's practically screams, "Hey, look! I'm so sucky, I'm like a black hole of suckiness! I suck all the quality from all the comics you store near me! Leave me unattended, and your Berlin TPB will be transformed into the complete run of New Guardians."
Here is my problem, though. Since we bought the condo, I really haven't been reading comics much at all, and when I do, they are Lyle's that I have borrowed, or else a set of a very select few that I buy... and we're talking select. The days of me blowing $20 on dross like Identity Crisis are over. "Aaaah! That pain in my head! Jean Loring, get the f**k out of there! Seriously!"*
So now, having sold or given away bunches of comics I didn't like, I'm now left with only the good stuff, and how can you poke fun at the good stuff? I have an article due next week, and the closest I can get is something on Dork, Evan Dorkin's series. How can you be funny about something that's already freakin' hilarious?
::sigh:: If only I hadn't ripped that issue of Transmetropolitan to shreds....
Here are links to some of the "Queer Eye" articles I have written:
The Dark Knight Strikes Again... and misses the proverbial broad side of the barn.
"The Secret Lives of Superman" did not apparently include his one-time only back-waxing in Kandor.
"The Secret Lives of Superman," Part Deux.
Rob Leifeld's Avengers #1 is easily my finest work, and maybe his, too.
Crimson Plague, or "When Good Artists Believe Their Own Hype"
The Power Company, or "Despite His Best Intentions"
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* That Jean Loring joke is a shout-out to my homeslice, Stephen B., aka "Andrea Brown." Look out for Jean, Stephen... I know you used to date that professor from Ivytown.
Posted by kyle at February 17, 2005 2:40 PM
Comments
I have no idea what you are talking about, but I love this entry.
Posted by: Nicole at February 18, 2005 11:05 PM
Now you know how I feel reading about your latest knitting projects, yarn and stuff: very fun to read, but in some sort of foreign language. It look me forEVER to figure out that LYS meant "local yarn shop."
Posted by: Kyle at February 19, 2005 10:25 AM
Wait, there's more than one Knitting Blog?
(Okay fine, you don't accept HTML in comments... http://www.kniterati.org/)
And while it's fun to dish about bad comics it's just as fun to just talk about what you're reading... c'mon I'd find out more about what you thought about Runaways here than at lunch... speaking of which we're due for another one, aren't we?
Posted by: Lyle at February 23, 2005 9:13 PM