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Post by Batflunkie on Jul 19, 2024 14:41:15 GMT -5
From what I understand, Absolute DC is going to be it's own separate universe akin to Marvel's Ultimate line. I don't see much future in it, especially considering how bad "New Age Of Heroes" did What a stupid bit of marketing from the geniuses at DC... they already have a line of expensive hardcovers, called Absolute with a 20 year track record... so now they are going to create their own "Ultimate" universe, and call it (quick, get the thesaurus... what's the first synonym for Ultimate?) "Absolute". So, when the Absolute line is dead in a year, will they collect it in an oversized hardcover and call it "Absolute Absolute"? And the next time they solicit a reprint of Absolute Sandman, will people confuse it for a comically ripped, emo haircut Morpheus? I swear, an Eighth grade gym class could make better decisions than those clowns. The only thing in that line that remotely looks interesting to me is Jeff Lemire doing Absolute Flash. But yeah, it is a genuinely stupid move
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Post by tarkintino on Jul 19, 2024 15:18:38 GMT -5
I swear, an Eighth grade gym class could make better decisions than those clowns. Funny, and true!
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Post by MRPs_Missives on Jul 19, 2024 15:58:54 GMT -5
They have to try something. Maybe it will be a new jumping on point for fans. You couldn't get me to try to figure out their line right now. There is a significant subpopulation of the comic buying market that only buys things in trades (not new single issues and definitely not back issues) that these books will appeal to. 90s nostalgia is also big right now as 90s kids are of an age where they have some disposable income to devote to nostalgic purchases. These will also see shelf space in bookstores and have listings on Amazon to reach 90s kids who don't set foot in an lcs anymore but will remember these and possibly purchase on the strength of nostalgia. -M
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 19, 2024 21:27:37 GMT -5
What a stupid bit of marketing from the geniuses at DC... they already have a line of expensive hardcovers, called Absolute with a 20 year track record... so now they are going to create their own "Ultimate" universe, and call it (quick, get the thesaurus... what's the first synonym for Ultimate?) "Absolute". So, when the Absolute line is dead in a year, will they collect it in an oversized hardcover and call it "Absolute Absolute"? And the next time they solicit a reprint of Absolute Sandman, will people confuse it for a comically ripped, emo haircut Morpheus? I swear, an Eighth grade gym class could make better decisions than those clowns. They have to try something. Maybe it will be a new jumping on point for fans. You couldn't get me to try to figure out their line right now. Personally, I believe DC gave up on that concept years ago and exist solely for trademark maintenance and IT for ideas or characters to exploit in higher profile media (video games, tv, movies, etc). The company has long been in the hands of people with little or no background in actual publishing....and I include Jim Lee in this, as he never really ran Wildstorm like a publishing company, as much as a packager. If they truly wanted to court a new audience and young readers, they would go hard where they exist, which is in bookstores, videogames and tv/movies. Warner is chasing the latter two, but their bookstore attempts at appealing to the same crowds that line up for comics from Scholastic have been pretty mediocre.
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Post by Duragizer on Jul 20, 2024 15:27:14 GMT -5
Wasn't the Earth One imprint supposed to be DC's answer to the Ultimate Universe? I suppose the suits have gotten as much mileage out it as they can and it's time for a new gimmicky reimagining to fleece fools of their money.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jul 20, 2024 17:50:12 GMT -5
Wasn't the Earth One imprint supposed to be DC's answer to the Ultimate Universe? I suppose the suits have gotten as much mileage out it as they can and it's time for a new gimmicky reimagining to fleece fools of their money. Well the books stunk on ice. So there was that.
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Post by Duragizer on Jul 20, 2024 18:04:41 GMT -5
Wasn't the Earth One imprint supposed to be DC's answer to the Ultimate Universe? I suppose the suits have gotten as much mileage out it as they can and it's time for a new gimmicky reimagining to fleece fools of their money. Well the books stunk on ice. So there was that. I read the Superman, Teen Titans, and Green Lantern ones. The only one I kinda-sorta liked was Green Lantern.
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Post by MRPs_Missives on Jul 20, 2024 19:27:19 GMT -5
Wasn't the Earth One imprint supposed to be DC's answer to the Ultimate Universe? I suppose the suits have gotten as much mileage out it as they can and it's time for a new gimmicky reimagining to fleece fools of their money. Well the books stunk on ice. So there was that. I thought the GL books were good sci-fi stories. The Lemire Titans books were just meh. The rest, as you said stunk on ice and many felt like exercises in self-indulgence by writers (Johns, JMS, Morrison) who should know better but were able to do whatever they wanted without any editorial interference or guidance and were drunk on the power and simply forgot how to tell good stories in their attempt to be wow cool edgy. -M
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Post by Duragizer on Jul 20, 2024 20:58:48 GMT -5
Johns and Morrison revel in self-indulgence, which is why I can't stand them or their incestuous stranglehold on the DC Universe.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jul 20, 2024 21:28:15 GMT -5
I read part of the Superman one (it was from the library) and part of the Batman one (also library). Had they not been library bills I’d have destroyed them so nobody else had to be subjected to how terrible they were.
I’m still not sure I shouldn’t have paid the price and saved unwary readers.
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Post by MWGallaher on Jul 20, 2024 22:21:38 GMT -5
I nixed EARTH ONE SUPERMAN from consideration based on the cover alone: I guess artist Shane Davis was a hot property at the time, but if I'd been editor, I'd have rejected this thing in a heartbeat. I've got no problem with the concept and the composition, but for a prestige project like this one, I'd have demanded better authenticity: every reader who's ever used their hands would look at this and feel something was off here. Those hands just don't convincingly look like they're gripping fabric, they look like they're drawn over the drawing of the open shirt. The artist almost certainly drew the hands in position first, then tried to "stick the fabric in" after the fact. If he'd simply made himself some photo reference, he'd have known the collars wouldn't still be pinched a little towards each other (as if there were a tiny thread connecting them). He'd have realized that men's shirts do not typically have 10 buttons down the front, but usually more like 7. And he'd have realized you can't just draw hands and then put things in them if you want it to look convincing: you have to draw the hand holding the object from the start. I can't count the number of American comics artists I've seen failing at this; look through any mainstream comics of the 1990's or 2000's and find an image of someone holding a phone. Most likely you'll find a shoddy drawing that doesn't look like the character is really holding something physical at all. Look for someone wearing a suit, and you'll find an artist that drew a superhero body and then tried to layer a suit over it. It's a remarkable contrast to then look through one of the less cartoony Japanese manga--MAI THE PSYCHIC GIRL, for example--and see characters wearing authentic-looking clothing, and handling objects like real humans do. Mainstream American artists seemed to have little interest in making the effort to render the ordinary things convincingly.
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Post by Duragizer on Jul 20, 2024 23:37:58 GMT -5
I've heard that a lot of '90s artists used action figures as references. Wouldn't surprise me if that was true.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 21, 2024 0:48:35 GMT -5
I nixed EARTH ONE SUPERMAN from consideration based on the cover alone: I guess artist Shane Davis was a hot property at the time, but if I'd been editor, I'd have rejected this thing in a heartbeat. I've got no problem with the concept and the composition, but for a prestige project like this one, I'd have demanded better authenticity: every reader who's ever used their hands would look at this and feel something was off here. Those hands just don't convincingly look like they're gripping fabric, they look like they're drawn over the drawing of the open shirt. The artist almost certainly drew the hands in position first, then tried to "stick the fabric in" after the fact. If he'd simply made himself some photo reference, he'd have known the collars wouldn't still be pinched a little towards each other (as if there were a tiny thread connecting them). He'd have realized that men's shirts do not typically have 10 buttons down the front, but usually more like 7. And he'd have realized you can't just draw hands and then put things in them if you want it to look convincing: you have to draw the hand holding the object from the start. I can't count the number of American comics artists I've seen failing at this; look through any mainstream comics of the 1990's or 2000's and find an image of someone holding a phone. Most likely you'll find a shoddy drawing that doesn't look like the character is really holding something physical at all. Look for someone wearing a suit, and you'll find an artist that drew a superhero body and then tried to layer a suit over it. It's a remarkable contrast to then look through one of the less cartoony Japanese manga--MAI THE PSYCHIC GIRL, for example--and see characters wearing authentic-looking clothing, and handling objects like real humans do. Mainstream American artists seemed to have little interest in making the effort to render the ordinary things convincingly. Well, I don't know if it is fair to compare the average artist to Ryoichi Ikegami. That's like putting a soap opera actress up against Meryl Streep. However, the main point is true......so many artists never learned to draw from life; just copy comic books. How many can draw an accurate car? An appliance? Someone cooking? Even a bigfoot cartoonist has to be able to covey everyday actions, to then sell the exaggerated joke. I think there is something to be said for apprenticeships, like many great artists went through and how many manga and anime artists start out, working as assistants to a mentor or studio head, doing all the drudge work, until they prove themselves able to handle figure and story work.
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Post by tonebone on Jul 21, 2024 10:25:59 GMT -5
Well the books stunk on ice. So there was that. I read the Superman, Teen Titans, and Green Lantern ones. The only one I kinda-sorta liked was Green Lantern. I really liked Johns' and Frank's Batman... the third volume was weak, but the other two were great, in my opinion.
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Post by Batflunkie on Jul 21, 2024 11:23:59 GMT -5
I also remember there being some controversy over Morrison's Wonder Woman Earth One that I have some hesitation posting on here. IDK, maybe I'm too sensitive about some things
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