(previously, slightly less previously)
supergp: What game would you use to introduce a young kid to boardgames, and at what age?
Start them early (and this isn’t just me espousing the hobby, incidentally – any childhood dev expert can tell you that the problem-solving and analytical skills kids can pick up by playing boardgames will go a long way in their lives). You can start playing boardgames with kids as early as two thanks to games like Go Away Monster! (among others). Animal Upon Animal is a dexterity game first and foremost but there’s strategy to be found there (enough that I have played it with adults and had fun, albeit using variant rules); Geistesblitz never, ever stops being fun either, whether you are four or sixty-four. As kids get older you can introduce them to slightly harder stuff: Liar’s Dice, Blockers! or Zooloretto or even Ticket To Ride. And then you can get them into the big-name stuff like Settlers or Carcassonne.
Evil Midnight Lurker: Have you ever killed a man in Reno just to watch him die?
Seems like a waste of a perfectly good murder to do such a thing.
A2H: Will there ever be any more Who’s Who columns? And if not, would going over the Official Guide to the Marvel Universe be a possibility?
Yes to both. I was actually working on a fairly lengthy Who’s Who entry (one of the more think-piecey ones, although I do especially want to do another Crime Tailor segment at some point and have a couple of villains in mind for that) last week and didn’t have time to finish it for that Thursday. Maybe this Thursday if everything goes smoothly. Or not. It depends.
As for the OHOTMU, probably, yes. Rex the Wonder Dog’s awesomeness is not constrained to one universe.
Mitchell Hundred: Does Armond White actually believe all the crazy shit he writes, or is he just trying to garner publicity? I’m really not sure about this.
I think Armond White is a born contrarian, and contrarians are extremely skilled at making themselves believe that the contrary opinions they hold for the sake of being contrary are also correct. Seriously, if Armond White is trying to get publicity, there are much easier ways to do it than by arguing that latter-day Michael Bay films are unrecognized works of genius.
Nicodemus: If you were a flavor of soup, what flavor would it be?
Presumably “mangled flesh” flavour.
Jonathan: Do you have any opinions/insights into the current Alberta election? Does it even have any meaning to you as an Ontarian?
Yes. I said on MetaFilter a couple weeks ago that I thought Danielle Smith – not Wildrose, Smith – represented the future of Canadian small-c conservatism because she was what it needed to be to survive (or at least pretending to be so): fiscally radical-conservative and socially liberal/libertarian. Youth polling in Canada – even in Alberta – makes it quite clear that social conservative positions are wildly unpopular with young voters and that is only trending downwards. Libertarian-conservatism is really the only way for conservatism to truly survive in Canada over the next fifty years, and Danielle Smith was trying to sell Wildrose as being that.
The problem, of course, is that Wildrose was actually chock-full of the usual old white Reform Party psychotics who have always been the backbone of Canada’s far right and once it became obvious that this was the case, the moderates and youth that might have considered voting Wildrose suddenly found they weren’t so interested in voting for Canada’s religious right and went for the Progressive Conservatives, who have moved to a decidely centrist position over the past few years. So generally, I’m quite happy with the results, as Alberta politics seem to have shifted from all-right-wing-all-the-time to a centrist/conservative fight, and that’s a leftward shift in the most conservative province in Canada.
KD: Nearly a year in, what are your thoughts on the DcNU?
I’m reading I, Vampire and that is pretty much it (and I don’t know how long I’ll hang on to reading it). The Nu52 basically killed DC for me – the emotional attachment that I always had to the DCU is still there, but it’s strictly to the old DCU and not this shitty new EXTREEEEEEME version. Really, most of the Nu52 comics are just appallingly bad, and the ones that aren’t are crossing over with the bad ones far too often. But at the end of the day, it’s not about quality but about the fact that my DC comics, the ones I grew up with, have been mostly discarded for something else. Even if they were good comics, I still wouldn’t want to read them, because without the emotional tie they lose all resonance for me. I mean, I’m not even reading Legion of Super-Heroes! This is the first time basically ever that I am not bothering to read Legion. It just feels weird for me to type that, but it’s true.
And look – DC has greatly increased their sales, so good for them, I suppose. But it’s not for me any more. I used to dream of writing for DC; I don’t any more, because it’s quite clear that even if I could get past their abominable treatment of creators (and I don’t think I could), it’s just not a place I’d want to work now.
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But DC has not ‘greatly increased their sales’. Every report I’ve read is that they’ve added about 5% to their sales, and the demographics are overwhelmingly males 18-35 — the same demographic they already had. They didn’t add to their customer base. All they did was bring in some fanboys who were curious about the new stuff.
I predict a re-reboot back to the old DC, or to yet another completely new universe, within the next three years.
The point isn’t comics anymore, it’s the IP that comes from the comics and all the merchandise / animated series / movies / everything else that can be released.
So yes, DC will flip itself again at some point, reversing old decisions, creating new paradoxes and the same arguments will rise again.
*sigh* It’s “shot.” “Shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die.” Although, now that I think about it, the song never says whether the guy ACTUALLY died, just that that’s what the narrator was jailed for. So maybe it wouldn’t be a waste of a murder after all. Although, all things being equal, I think I’d rather be jailed for actual murder rather that attempted murder.
I think I need more coffee.
Nah, you’re right. Murderers would probably get more cred amongst the inmates than attempted murderers. Nobody’s going to be scared of someone who couldn’t even finish the job. And if you’re going to go up the river for a while, you want your stay to be as tolerable as possible.
And the murder cred works in other areas too!
Edna: It’s so exciting eating dinner with a convicted killer!
Sideshow Bob: To be fair, I’ve never successfully killed anyone.
Edna: Oh…
You know you’re in trouble when you have to save the date with a suicide joke.
Is Danielle Smith really a libertarian? I spent most of the run-up to the election thinking that she was using libertarian rhetoric to push a socially conservative agenda – her esteem for free speech and an unregulated market economy were always framed in discussions of conscience rights, referenda for issues of “social concern”, and environmental policy based on doubt of the science rather than a philosophical rejection of governmental intervention. But it might just be that, in Alberta, the Venn diagram of policies appealing to “libertarian” and “crazy old white guy” has too much overlap.
The Nu52 really does feel like they revamped the entire DCU for the 90’s. You may notice that it is actually 2012. That’s a problem for me.
I agree with the DCnU stuff with one exception. Batman by Snyder and Capullo is the best the title has been in many, many years, in my opinion. It also doesn’t feel like a “90’s” book. But, as things go, I’ll probably jump off the book when that creative team moves on.
I am one of those weirdos who enjoys that Wonder Woman is now a mythological horror book.
I also enjoy the new WW, though it has horrified many longterm fans.
On the subject of emotional attachment though, I wonder if that might be what goes through Johns’s head, if perhaps less consciously, as he keeps trying to dredge up his childhood into DC canon, trampling all other choices made since he was a lad.
I flipped through a few of the NuDCU issues. They made me sort of…sad? And achy? Was that what they were going for?
Oh, well. As long as they don’t stop coming out with Showcases. 🙂
I’m with MrFroggie on Batman and also I am liking the new WW, as strange as it is. Also Lemire’s Animal Man.
And sue me, but I am kinda digging Aquaman right now.
I really enjoyed OMAC (till its cancellation), Flash and Batwoman, as they’re all great examples of artist-driven comics that look great.
(And Flash continuity was unbelievably screwed up long before this.)
MGK, while I myself feel the same way about the Nu52 (and I oscillate between thinking that I’m wholly justified, and feeling guilty that I bailed on them out of nostalgic ressentiment) I have to commend you for this:
Good on you. The cadre of insane nostalgia freaks who are still butthurt over Crisis on Infinite Earths stealing “their” DC Comics from them did not do this. Rather, a number of them embarked on a crusade to enter the industry solely to do things like bring Barry Allen and Kara Zor-El back.
I admittedly bailed on the NuDC from the very beginning out of sheer “principle” of the old DC being nearly completely discarded and the overwhelming feeling that the NuDC was going to be dumbed down, full of KEWL, and lack any charm whatsoever.
Apparently I was correct in my assumptions.
Thank the imaginary creator I’m not the only one who feels this way about the new 52. I gave it a shot, but my mistake was reading batches of six issues per title one after another. I couldn’t help noticing how… The same everything is. Same pacing, same poses, same twisted rictuses (ricti?), same everything. Remember when artists and writers were allowed to have distinct styles? Good times,
I’m happy about the new Wonder Woman.
Concerning Armond White, he probably does serve an important purpose. I’m a Sophist, so I like to hear numerous opinions on a certain issue before making up my mind. Having someone argue the exact opposite of what everyone else is thinking forces people to justify their opinions instead of just stating them and assume that they’re right (which happens annoyingly often). After all, an opinion can’t be worth very much if it doesn’t stand up to criticism.
I too like the rebooted Wonder Woman (it’s the mythology aspect) as well as Demon Knights, but am extremely close to dropping the Flash book despite being a huge Flashverse fan. And otherwise the reboot doesn’t interest me at all.
Not gonna lie, I’m an Armond fan. I like having someone out there who takes unpopular stances. He’s wrong 9 times out of 10, but the times he’s right? I end up learning something or finding a film I hadn’t considered.
Most DC fans have one or two books they’re reading from the New 52, but let’s face it – they’ve created a gigantic, confusing mess of their world, and more importantly, the books aren’t any better. And why? Because they’re being done by the same people who did the books we hated before!
I’m with Jonny – I’m following the largely artist-driven books, or at least the ones with good art. Batwoman, Wonder Woman, The Flash. Giffen’s style on OMAC was really interesting, but the coloring was bad.
Watching the wildrose crash and burn over the last two weeks was at least entertaining. So proud when Smith got booed onstage after trying to play the “climate change isn’t real” card. Every liberal I know outside my diehard left riding decided to vote PC out of fear, which is its own kind of frustrating but considering the shitty voter turnout, probably for the best.
Exactly how I feel about the Nu52, although I’m reading a few books sporadically. The utter joylessness of the entire DCU is bothersome, and the loss of the post-crisis (in general) and Post-Zero Hour (in specific, still my vote for best superhero time/publisher ever) DCU has killed the emotional investment I had for 20+ years in DC comics. It’s mind boggling to me that I’ve reached a place in my life when my answer to “favorite comic publisher?” isn’t a kneejerk “DC, obviously” but it’s not. Hell, I don’t know if I even have a favorite publisher anymore.
Joining in the “My DCU is dead” chorus–and I didn’t have that reaction to living through Crisis or ZH.
It didn’t help that I lost Zatanna and Secret Six in the reboot. And while they kept Green Lantern, the fact they’re still ramping up to yet another Big Event (whatever replaces the GL Corps) made me drop it.
“Hell, I don’t know if I even have a favorite publisher anymore.”
Well you shouldn’t, publishers are businesses out to make as much money as they can. It’s like having a favorite investment bank.
Better to have some favorite creators.
I’ve been really, really enjoying the new Wonder Woman, far more than I thought I would.
OMAC was fun, but the rest of the NuDCU isn’t really exciting me. Even Morrison’s Action Comics is just sort of there.
Also, I’m still bitter about the general end of the last universe’s Superman stories. Having New Krypton destroyed and then moping about the country is not ending things on a high note.
Let me be one more joining the chorus of people who’ve lost their connection to DC. Not only are most of the lighthearted characters gone (Blue Devil? Plastic Man? Even Booster’s not much fun any more.) but lots of secondary figures with charm don’t seem to be around. For example, I miss the Phantom Stranger.
Let the New52 be a wake-up call, of sorts: that a shared universe can be a fascinating, beautiful thing – but a shared universe isn’t in any way necessary to love, enjoy, and support comics.
@Garfield: The Phantom Stranger has shown up in the DCnU.
I like the idea of you using OHotMU entries in your columns. You could probably get a year’s worth of material from the Marvel Pets Handbook alone.
My DC died during Infinite Crisis, and I don’t feel terribly motivated to spend what few entertainment dollars I have these days supporting the careers of the guys who killed off a bunch of my favorite characters and trashed some of my favorite stories just so they could create a new Black Condor or do something equally lame.
I’m glad to see some love for Eighties and Nineties DC.
There was a period there from ’95 to ’99 when DC was publishing a ton of interesting stuff. Between Vertigo, Wildstorm and their less popular, quirkier titles (things like Chase, Chronos or Major Bummer), you could spend a lot of money on really good DC comics without going anywhere near the “Big Seven.” And then comics like JLA and Green Lantern were there for the people who liked that sort of thing. And some of those were pretty good too.
That abruptly died once DiDio started getting to make decisions, because there allegedly wasn’t any money in anything other than Geoff Johns-style superhero comics.
Infinite Crisis just made it official.
About the only way DC could win me back at this point is if a new set of writers pull a Geoff Johns on Geoff Johns and undo everything he ever wrote.
I have this fantasy where Paul Levitz, Marv Wolfman and a trusted team of old-school guys write a story where Elongated Man wakes up in bed next to his wife and says, “I just had the weirdest nightmare!” Then we find out that the DCU is basically how it was before Johns started his Teen Titans run.