Read The Dead

July 24th, 2019 by

Finally went to the comic shop where I purchase the few comics I collect, and picked up Walking Dead #193. I mentioned in a previous post that the series is ending. It was a shock, and sad, since Walking Dead was one of the best comic series I have ever read. It was consistent, done by one creator, and evolved over time in a real way. I was always a fan of superhero comics, and when I was younger comic book creative teams stuck with a series for very long times. Chris Claremont’s run in the X-Men, John Byrne’s run in the Fantastic Four are notable. For independent comic creators the major goal is to reach 300 issues, this benchmark was set by Cerebus creator Dave Sim. Walking Dead technically was not an independently created comic, Skybound is an imprint of Image Comics, and the title fell short of the 300 issue benchmark.

I read the final comic, and I understood why Kirkman wanted to end the way he ended. The story featured Carl, Rick Grimes’ son, about fifteen years after Rick had died. Things in the Walking Dead universe have changed, evolved, and there is a generation of people whom do not know the dangers of the dead. The story is very interesting, and does bring things to a somewhat satisfactory ending. Kirkman addressed the possible anger fans would feel at his ending the series in a letter at the end of the comic.

Talking to the owner of the store I purchase my comics from, he was surprised. Kirkman addressed the sudden ending and not giving warning in his letter as well. Keep in mind, the comic came out a few weeks ago, I finally picked it up, I got an issue because I have a pull list with the comic book store. The owner informed me that the comic was selling for $20 on eBay the day it came out. Am I lucky? No. Grateful I was buying the series regularly, and had it on my pull list.

Once word got out that Walking Dead was ending, owners of comic shops were inundated with speculators. People wanting to buy ten copies to sell on eBay. This is capitalism. Many owners limited purchases to one copy. The few extras owners had purchased sold out quickly. People whom were on pull lists had been guaranteed a copy. This is how true collectors get their comics. People whom speculate are viewed as jerks in comic collector circles. I could use harsh words, but jerk suffices.

With Walking Dead ending, I am now at a conundrum. The one other series I have on my pull list is on hiatus or may not come out anymore due to problems the creator is experiencing. Do I quit comic collecting altogether. Maybe it is time. Many companies are looking at going completely digital. Marvel, owned by Disney, makes more on an opening day at the movies than comic book sales. Many people do not even know that the character they see on screen was inspired by a comic book, and there is a comic book based on the character.

Comic books average $3.99 an issue. Which is sad. Print is becoming very expensive, and the costs fluctuate wildly. Gone are the days when I could buy everything Marvel produced in a month, and spend at most $20. I do not even want to do the math for collecting everything Marvel produces in a month. I do not even buy anything from Marvel anymore.

Maybe it is time to just pull the plug on comic collecting, move on to other things. The end of the Walking Dead is the end of my comic collecting hobby.

Thanks for stopping by.

Stranger Reviews

July 17th, 2019 by

In a previous post, I stated how I was enjoying Stranger Things, because I could identify with the characters. Growing up in the 1980s in a small midwestern town was a wonderful experience. Since I will have to wait until the DVD set comes out to view season 3, I will base this post on what I watched in seasons 1 & 2, with some information picked up from reviews, YouTube, etc. in regards to season 3.

What I found really strange were some of the reviewers whom seemed to view the show from a very anachronistic state. The reviewers were judging the 1980s attitudes portrayed in the period piece that is Stranger Things with modern societal social constructs. Granted for me, viewing a show set in the 1980s as a period piece makes me now understand my parents, the writers of the reviews probably have parents whom lived through the time frame. Asking mom and dad some questions might have clarified certain concepts.

In the early 1980s nuclear war with the Soviet Union (Russia) was a very real thing. Global Warming was not a concern, because we were heading toward another Ice Age, and we had Acid Rain. The nation as a whole was suffering from a post traumatic disorder over the Vietnam War, so everyone was not into possible conflict. Gas Lines, and maximum Peak Production were worries of sorts, but the US survived those. On the bright side there were hair bands, angsty teenage dramady, raunchy teenage movies, and punk was a solid subculture.

Movies in the 1980s were fantastic. The geek driven blockbusters like Ghostbusters, Star Wars, et al are referenced in Stranger Things very heavily. Yet, there were movies that really showed what being a teenager in the eighties was about. Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers) stared in several movies, I recommend Heathers, a dark comedy, but gives some insight into high school life. High Schools are always cliquish, but the 1980s seemed more so, and dramatic. Pretty In Pink, Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, and Vision Quest are all movies from the 1980s that give a good deal of insight into the way teenagers felt. Molly Ringwald stars in three of the movies, she was the IT girl of the time, and it would be awesome if Molly had a part in Stranger Things.

One of the things mentioned in a review was “Toxic Masculinity” as represented by Billy. There were a lot of things boys did in the 1980s that could be construed as toxic by today’s standards, but boys were growing up and becoming men, thus being macho was the ideal. Macho entailed confidence in one’s self, and in being a man. When Billy shows up, women are turned on by his muscles, attitude, and hair. Granted Billy is a bully, but the whole macho attitude was not Germaine to bullies in the 1980s. Also, no one really cared about anyone’s sexual orientation. AIDS became a very real scare in the 1980s, some of the jokes made would melt snowflakes these days, but people were concerned. There were and always will be homophobes. Grow up.

Overall, as a period piece, Stranger Things holds up. The attitudes of the characters are somewhat reflective of what people felt back then. The boys are geeks, but seem to be tight as friends. If reviewers view Stranger Things as a representation of the times, and do not pass judgement based on today’s moors, they might actually enjoy the show more, as well as gain some insight.

Thanks for stopping by.

No More Walking Dead

July 10th, 2019 by

This came as a shock to me. The comic book, which I have read for a very long time has come to an end. Now what?

As a long time comic book fan, my tastes evolved over the decades, at least three decades of collecting. I had settled on Walking Dead as one of the only regular titles I collect. There were a few superhero titles, but I have dropped them once creative teams changed. There is one historical fiction superhero title I collect, but the creator is having issues, and the comic is late.

I read the Walking Dead, the television universe, is launching a spin off. It deals with the first generation of people whom grew up in the post zombie apocalypse era. Damn. Someone stole my idea. Sometimes I wonder if people are spying on me or reading my mind. Then I give up on the paranoia, and realize, yeah, someone can come up with a similar idea. I work professionally as a graphic designer(ish), and I have seen two people come up with ideas so similar, the ideas are almost exact. The two people were not talking or even communicating, even working for a different company.

Well, I will have to pick up Issue #193, and read it. The spoilers I have read have not deterred me at all. If you read my Game of Thrones posts based on spoilers I read, you should know that by now. I am funny that way.