Thornae: How big are your comic and book collections?
Comics: I have about two large shelves of trades and some overflow. My longboxes are in storage and I’m gradually trading/selling them off (anybody interested in a Green Arrow Grell/Dixon run? The Denny O’Neil Question?) except for my Legion and Dr. Strange collections.
My books – another two large bookshelves’ worth. At least.
Stephen T. Stone: What would your alignment chart for King of the Hill look like?
The problem with King of the Hill, alignment-chart-wise, is that there isn’t anyone who really qualifies as evil. Even Dale is just kind of stupid as opposed to mean or selfish.
PS Bernard: Now that Gates is part of the new “Levitz Legion”, would you re-introduce Kent Shakespeare to the Legion?
Confession: I have absolutely no emotional connection to the current remix edition of the Legion. The book’s readable now (it had a horrible start), and I quite liked the recent Legion of Super-Villains special, but it’s still kind of feels ersatz; I “know” what happened to these characters in v4 and it all seems like alternate history or something to me.
That having been said, Kent Shakespeare was always intended as Yet Another Superman Proxy; if you don’t need someone to play up the Legion’s Superman connection then he’s kind of redundant.
The Legion, obviously. After that: Runaways, Justice League International, Anarky, and Fantastic Four. (Anybody who wants to write comics and doesn’t want to write Fantastic Four has something wrong with them.)
Steve Timberman: Which handles serialization better – Television or Comics?
TV, because TV by virtue of cost has to have endings.
Desumaytah: Does the idea of a MGK-written “Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu” hold any interest for you?
Not really: anything I would want to do with it has already been done – and probably better – in Immortal Iron Fist.
rbx5: Two questions: if one wanted to get into the Legion, where would one start? And also, after seeing your Akira post (which summed up my thoughts on the movie perfectly, and almost in passing at that), I was wondering what other manga you like?
The recent Great Darkness Saga deluxe hardcover seems to be in remaindered bookstores now all over the place – good job there, DC – and it’s a great starting point because it goes about ten issues on either side of the actual Great Darkness Saga itself and has Legion of Super-Heroes v2 Annual #1, which is a great intro story all in itself. The other good alternative is starting with the reboot Legion post Zero Hour, which is genuinely great superhero comics for about six years before sharply spiraling into mediocrity for a year or so and then rebounding just as dramatically into Big Space Opera when Abnett and Lanning sign on.
Other manga I like: Ranma 1/2, Maison Ikkoku, Oishinbo (despite occasionally being really irritating), Monster and anything by Yoshihiro Tatsumi.
Arthur Robinson: I loved what you did on your “How to start reading comics.” post. Is it possible to make a similar post for television? (“How to start watching TV, perhaps?)
It seems kind of redundant, because unlike comics, TV is a field that is widely criticized and discussed in mainstream media. The point of the “how to start reading comics” post was that comics which are widely critically praised are not necessarily good starting points for someone who has never really read comics (e.g. Watchmen), but honestly, you don’t need any help from anybody to start watching The Wire or find a list of shows telling you how good Larry Sanders is.
If you’re looking for introductions to older television, the AV Club recently did a couple of primers for 70s sitcoms and 80s sitcoms which are a good start.
Disco: What’s your number one board game of 2010?
I finally played Railroad Tycoon/Railways of the World in 2010 and absolutely loved it and bought all the expansions. So let’s go with that. I also played Mr. President, a political campaign game from 1967, for the first time in 2010 and was amazed by how damn good it was as a game; it’s gone seriously under-recognized. (Possibly because 3M made two games called Mr. President and the 1965 version is a crappy roll-and-move.)
chibikonatsu what’s your opinion on Astro City?
The Dark Age killed a lot of the series’ momentum, which is a shame because before that it was one of the best ongoing superhero series period.
rbx5: Is DS9 your favorite Trek, and if so, why?
Yes, and it’s simple: the most engaging ongoing plot, the strongest cast of characters with the most diverse moral spectrum and most character development, and the best overall writing of any Trek. TNG and classic Trek probably have higher peaks than DS9, but DS9 has the most consistency.
Zach: What, in your opinion, are the greatest comic storylines? And conversely, what are the worst?
That’s a post for another time.
Andrew Jeanes: Any thoughts on Chris “Dr.” Hastings getting hired to write Deadpool?
Good for him? And it’s a good match for the character.
KDBryan: Are you reading Secret Six from DC? If so, what would you say to get people to start reading it?
Yes, and I would say that it’s like Suicide Squad except more engaging and generally better than Suicide Squad was. If you don’t know what Suicide Squad is, then how about “it’s what Thunderbolts could have been if Marvel editorial had been brave enough to really do a proper book about villains without turning them into caricatures or ersatz heroes.”
Packerchu: Which alignment is Rex?
Neutral Good. Duh.
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30 users responded in this post
I been reading stuff on this site for 2 years now, and I just now decided to make a comment now. Here is the comment…
Cotton Hill is a shade of evil.
I must have something wrong with me, because if I wrote comic books I wouldn’t care for writing F4 at all. *Shrug*
Seconding Cotton Hill. It’s only his love for Bobby that keeps him from being straight evil.
I would love to see some “Why I SHould Wite Runaways” posts from you…
Also, Hank’s boss could easily qualify as Neutral Evil. Cotton would have to be Chaotic Evil. Dale would be Chaotic Neutral.
Peggy as Lawful Neutral and Hank as Lawful Good, maybe?
Isn’t there that one eeeeeevil liberal guy who’s always making trouble for Hank? Wouldn’t he be Lawful Evil?
If someone said, “Hey Prankster, write FF” I would take the opportunity, of course, but I can’t say as how I have any actual ambition to write any Marvel characters, which I feel have been better served by any number of writers. There are a few DC characters where I feel I could contribute something (Wonder Woman in particular) but even then I wouldn’t say it’s a dream of mine or anything. Generally speaking, the idea that the only way to make it in the comics industry is to write corporate-owned characters is slightly depressing.
Oh, and I’d argue that there are a few specific TV shows that require a degree of introduction the way comics do–Doctor Who, for instance, or Star Trek, or even the Simpsons at this point.
THATHERTON!
Also, Peggy has some strong evil tendencies. She really is just the worst person.
Here is a question:
What comic series have been ‘resolved’? By resolved, I mean that the plot reached a point at which the conflict set up in the first issue and/or origin was wrapped up.
As a follow up, doesn’t that mean the comic series is, essentially, over?
It’s unoriginal, but inevitable, that someone should argue that Rex’s alignment is Chaotic Awesome.
I’m just sorry it had to be me.
That’s why I slotted Peggy into the LN position, TA. She’s usually a benevolent and good person, but she’s had too many moments of evil to be in any of the top alignment slots.
Points of response:
1. Bill is Chaotic Evil. The only thing holding him back from being an insufferable dick to everyone is his own lack of self-confidence, as we’ve seen many times.
2. Legion Lost is where I started reading the Legion, and I never looked back.
3. Secret Six and Suicide Squad are really quite different animals. Related animals, but different none the less. Suicide Squad was inherently political, and Secret Six isn’t, and that changes the complexion completely. I don’t think you can really say that one is better than the other, just that one or the other is more to your own particular tastes. And Thunderbolts is something else entirely, and really better off that way.
Just wanted to comment that I think Bobby is a much stronger example of lawful good than Hank, who lets his intense fear of conflict lure him to the dark side far too often.
The problem with a King of the Hill alignment chart is that it’s a show about (mostly) real and flawed people, and most real people are neither good enough to be Good nor evil enough to be Evil.
I think Bobby is a much stronger example of lawful good than Hank
Bobby is lawful???? He’s chaotic by standards of King of the Hill and possibly even by real world standard.
I can see an argument for making him chaotic good (although he strikes me as a better chaotic neutral), but lawful seems silly.
If you don’t know what Suicide Squad is, then how about “it’s what Thunderbolts could have been if Marvel editorial had been brave enough to really do a proper book about villains without turning them into caricatures or ersatz heroes.”
This is a bit like saying “Superman is what Spider-Man could have been if Marvel had been brave enough to make him all-powerful.”
I’d think by now we’d have more than enough “team books starring bad guys” series that people would would be grateful that they aren’t all trying to be each other.
You’re selling your comics? That’s sick.
Bobby is just a kid still learning his moral alignment within constraints he has no control over so I would leave him out along with Joseph and Connie.
Boomhower is a challenge to pin down. Were it not for his disposable women issue he would be close to lawful good. Same for John Redcorn LG were it not for the adultery.
Oh, thank god. Somebody besides me who remembers Anarky fondly. I spent a lot of time anxiously looking at group battles over the past few years of Crisis and/or time of day related mega events anxiously dreading the day when someone would remember he existed and take the chance to murder him Pantha-style.
(For all I know that actually DID happen. It’s hard to keep track.)
As for writing Fantastic Four, I myself would only do it if I could write Reed as the full-on Lawful Neutral pseudo-villain with repressed sociopathic tendencies he BEGS to be written as. Without fucking it up like they did with Civil War either.
I now demand that there be a month-long “I Should Write Anarky” series. Because God damn that would be awesome.
Murc: Anarky..well Lonnie..is a supporting character in Red Robin.
Khan could be a good fit for Lawful Evil. As for Boomhauer? True Neutral, gotta be.
I second the ‘I Should Write Anarky’ notion. And failing that, I would at least like to see a post outlining some of the strengths of the character. I’m personally glad there’s an anarchist character who’s not an embodiment of all the bad Eighties stereotypes of punk and doesn’t burn down police stations for the lulz.
(At least, when he’s written right.)
@Scavenger
Ugh. Then I’d have to read Red Robin.
Thanks for the update tho.
@Dean: both “Sandman” and “Bone”, to name two comic series, were resolved, and those comics are over.
Murc: I would love to read your FF run. If I were to follow you on that book, I’d then have Sue leave Reed and start her own FF (with blackjack and hookers) because she’s the only really interesting character in that book. And I’d never choose to write it, but would if offered (because I’m not an idiot).
@lister
Wouldn’t it be Johnny who had the FF with blackjack and hookers? In fact, forget the FF. And the blackjack!
I actually can’t tell if you’re wickedly impugning the take on Reed hypothetical writer me (who is, by the way, nowhere near a good enough writer to handle the FF) would try to execute, or genuinely would love to read it.
Well played, sir!
More seriously; the Marvel Universe is loaded with straight-up MAD scientists, as well as science HEROES. Reed, especially in later years, has sort of been edging along this continuum where… it’s hard to describe. It’s like you scratch his surface and discover that what you THOUGHT was a strong, unshakable moral sense is in reality iron self-control and an equally iron belief in the ability of intellect, specifically HIS intellect, to solve any problem. You can build on that to make him more unique, more interesting. At least that’d be my take, anyway.
An Alignment scale for ds9 would be cool.
You mean like this?
How much to mail Question to Missouri?
what I would bleed for Runaways 🙁
Octavio is plainly LE.