A Response to Ravingnerd
This post won't make sense unless you travel to this link and read the post. Done? OK.
The original post, as you can tell, was edited from the first version. That's fine. I made a comment on the post, and got a response from the writer of said article, Ravingnerd. So, in all fairness, I thought it would be best to post a long response here, and anyone wishing to see the continued conversation can also check out my site to get to know me a little bit as well.
Shameless self promotion aside, Ravingnerd's post was one that irked me for a couple of really good reasons. The jist of the post was that he was listing off some of his pet peeves, with a warning that some of the content may appear fairly closed minded and bigoted, but the intention is for it to be humorous. There are a few lies in that initial statement, or at least what I see as lies. The first is that these obviously aren't pet peeves, because listing them off like this in that long of a post with the loaded words used smells more of hatred to me, which is a couple of levels above pet peeves. But he is correct that it would appear closed minded.
So let's take this opportunity to educate someone about comics, which is something he thought he was doing but was actually the opposite.
Point 10: "I am bugged by just what all can get a comic these days." Comics are words and pictures. You can do anything with words and pictures. Some companies are in the business of making money, and put forth material that they think will sell. So if we see this huge amount of political comics, then that is simply what the market is asking for and what is selling. But the examples you gave are not political comics, they were biographical comics about politicians. There is a distinct difference.
Point 9: "The old guard. You know who they are." When you go on to give your Doctor Who example later on, you are making the same mistake. You are the old guard attacking the Matt Smith viewers.
Point 8: "Men." Get your head out of superhero comics. Y: The Last Man is the perfect example against your theory. See also any Greg Rucka book.
And I bet you any amount of money that good writers would say they write good characters. Their sex doesn't matter, because their sex doesn't define their character.
Point 7: "Women." There are some feminist critiques that go too far, but there are exponentially more that are spot on. Google image search "broke back pose" and you will see how spot and justified a lot of the critiques are.
Point 6: "Let it be known now that there is a HUGE difference between manga/anime and comic books." Are anime and manga books nothing but words and pictures? In some sort of sequential, story telling form? They are both one and the same.
Point 5: "Internet forums. Really, who uses those?" According to your own example, the old guard does. And I've seen some well done forums as well. See old Warren Ellis forums. They had this thing where they had people use their actual name and not hide behind some moniker, such as your own. That's not meant as a personal attack (honestly). The idea is that if they are your opinions then you should attach your name to it and own up to them.
Point 4: "“Whovians” Introduced to Doctor Who through Matt Smith are the absolute worst." No, they aren't. You use that as a stepping stone to showing them the other actors who played the Doctor. And then you tell them that a true Whovian is a fan of the Doctor, not of an actor. I'm betting that you were born after 1963, which means you also came to Doctor Who show later in the game (I did too). So maybe, like me, you are one of those annoying "New Series" fans. Freaking noob. ;)
Points 1-3: Removed by your own edit, which was a smart choice. The original posts showed that you had an ignorance and misunderstanding of the words you were using and delivered them in the most half-hearted fashion.
You have to understand that when someone comes at you with questions like "which comics are like a certain blockbuster movie" or "like a certain season of a popular TV show," then that is an opportunity to use your knowledge of comics to give them what they want. They were excited about seeing some good characters and action and they are intrigued to learn more. Let those people in. Educate. Get them to feel the same love for the medium that you have and then you will have created a new fan instead of discouraging current ones.
1 comment:
It's not for not trying to bring them in. I have attempted to help multiple people who don't want to be helped. I have kindly informed them of what I enjoy and why, yet they still refuse to do anything but watch the movie. I understand my case is different than most of the worlds, but it is my own experience. I have been able to make recommendations to some people, and they in turn have gone on and introduced me to other things. I thank you for thinking about my post in such great length and taking the time to post a response on your personal site. That shows both dedication and professionalism. For anyone following this post, I encourage you to leave comments on my site. I would love to engage in more conversations, and clarify my point more.
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