Axis Mundi X discussion

Ha! Don't star quizing me, because I will disappoint...but I do love all this superhero shit. What did you think of Ghost Rider by the way? He is my brother's fav, and he was rather disappoined in the movie and the game (ps2).

That rocks that they are using the sabbath song! That will be running through my head for the rest of the day King...thank you!

Did you guys read "Soon I Will Be Invincible" yet? It's pretty good.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64...

Random--that book looks good. I have a written list of books I find on here that I wanna read b/c there are so many I feel like if I put them on my 'to read' I'd look like a giant asshole.

I saw the preview for Iron Man and thought it looked good. I think it's genius to put Robert Downey Jr. in a role like that.

I have a question for you comic books geeks. Do you make a distinction between 'graphic novels' and 'comic books'? Or do you feel, as I've heard some suggest, that people who say they read graphic novels are just being pretentious.
I feel it's sort of the other way around. I never read comic books growing up and then at age 30 found Maus. That got me into that whole genre but I feel like if I said I like 'comic books' I'd be a poser. Not that comic books geeks are pretentious--but just sort of like some private club that's weary of new members.
Anyway, thoughts?

Graphic novels are longer than comic books.

I'm a comic book geek!! Mainly DC Comics, Superman, and the Justice League. I don't know a lot about other comic books.

A friend of mine is a comic book artist. Reading your comments is like reading his blog. No idea what the hell you're talking about. Yet I'm fascinated by the amount of work that goes into them and the immense talent.

Just saw on History Channel International ad for:

Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked - 10 pm Eastern Tonight! For those of you w/ cable...might wanna check it out?

Here's the synopsis:

Comic books--serious or escapist fantasy? This 2-hour special shows how comic book superheroes reflect their times--from the 1930s to the 21st century--and how these wish-fulfillment figures became role models for generations of children. Following the most representative cartoon crusaders and villains, as well as the industry that formed them, we see how they mirrored society--from the Depression, WWII, the Cold War, and the turbulent '60s to today--and how they proved adaptable to other media. TVPG cc

Sign me up for the Iron Man movie. I'll probably be standing in line. Robert Downey Jr. is awesome.

Ghost Rider is okay (although the movie was not). I tend to prefer Punisher though. Although I have a soft spot for the Dark Knight.

As for graphic novels, I think for non-comic geeks it does tend to lend a air of legitimacy. But for me, it just means it's thicker (longer). The trend now is to put a story arc of comic books into one book and call it a "novel". Graphic Novels also can allow for fully fleshed out stories like Ghost World or The Sandman to be read in one sitting rather than as a serial. Although it's a misconception than comic books are just super heroes and kiddie fare. Harvey Pekar's celebrated American Splendor was published in serial form.

Uh oh, Meghan... you joined this group? You've followed me over to the dark side? BWAHAHAHAHA!

I love comic books/graphic novels, but I'm hardly interested in superheroes. I'm more into the independents.

Various things (lack of money followed by other interests cropping up) have kept me from following what's going for the last few years.

But, what I like: Usagi Yojimbo (I wanna be Stan Sakai when I grow up! his breadth of storytelling is phenomenal), Zot!, Gremlin Trouble, Gold Digger (well, what I saw, I understand it's gotten tired now), Sheba, Akiko, Tintin....

See, Rindis, I'm the complete opposite. I only like the Superhero variety.

i know a few guys who worked crew on iron man. robert downey was alert and aware. favreau was showing skills no one thought he had. the effects are going to kick ass.

these are very cynical hollywood long timers. and they they tell me it will be the movie of the summer.

I love comic books... mostly the vintage ones. I've never followed a particular character... just sort of enjoyed random vintage pieces I have found here and there. Of the newer stuff I have a thing for strong female characters, so it can be difficult to find comics that really appeal to me. The industry is very male dominated. A lot of the plot lines are misogynous. In 1999 I started a pin up comic web site with two strong female characters (Frannie and Rosie) as a sort of rebuttal and commentary on the comic scene. It's not up any longer, but I'm happy to share copies of the comics with anyone who is interested if you message or email me.

Persepolis was a great graphic novel turned into a great animated movie.

But I love all things Batman...and the Phoenix saga in X-Men. Also Bubble Gum Crash/Crisis (anime).

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/20...

Hey! Isn't that a great article?

Also kinda reminded me of this:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=tL6WVKo86Go

The whole clip is funny to me, but the part that reminded me of the Chabon article happens right around 2:50.

My brother said they are doing a movie of Aquaman, anyone else heard that?

I haven't heard of a movie but I did see the never-aired pilot of the WB series, Aquaman. I also know that Aquaman will be a character in the Justice League live action movie if it ever gets made.

wasn't that a joke on Entourage?

ok i had a thing for aqua man but the little store where i went to read comics and eat fudgescicles never seemed to have many issues

also-wasn't there a series in the early 80's with that guy who played on dallas as aquaman?
i just remember him running headlong into the water and swimming like a dolphin
there may have even been some ee ee's
and then there was a bunch of hiding of the gills

muscles
blond
green eyes
gills
scales ( i really liked the scales)
the oceans of the world as his dominion

all he really needed was decent writers

what 12 year old girl on the swim team wouldn't be enamored?

I know, he's a lame superhero, because if it didn't have anything to do with water he was uselss...he was always my favorite though. Bro and I watched the Justice League animated film last night, he was in it for about 10 seconds! Stop laughing at me King...jerk! Ironman lover! I saw the trailer though...still think it is so cool they're using the Iron Maiden song!! I'm going back to Stranger in a Strange Land...

"also-wasn't there a series in the early 80's with that guy who played on dallas as aquaman? "



i resent my brain, i have to stop for a moment to remember my own cel number. but i know instantly that you're talking about "man from atlantis" starring patrick duffy.

i was a comic book geek in high school. every year or so i'll stop by the comic book store. $4 for a copy ?!?!?!?! The X-Men have been scattered across half a dozen books. and they're constructed so that you have to buy them all to follow the plot. and the stories seem to be recycled from the 80's. phoenix is alive, electra is alive, spiderman is married, captain america is a 9/11 troofer, and they won't let frank miller do his batman vs. al qaeda book. cerebus is dead, reid flemming is missing.

they'll have to do better than that to draw me back in.

I had such a crush on Patrick Duffy that I practiced trying to swim like Aquaman one summer. I nearly gave myself a hernea and drowned. Thus my dreams of being either Aquawoman or a mermaid were crushed under the bootheels of life.

Ladies, you can comment about Aquaman all you'd like. Everyone knows you can't be a successful comic artist unless you can draw the girls. Thousands upon thousands of American men reached manhood thanks to comic book artists' renderings of Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Storm, etc. Hats off to you, comic book artists of the world. Hats off to you.

I am a bit of a Hellion, though.

what you Tracy? No! heh.

yah
two or three dives into the water
a couple of almost see the gills scenes
and he was gone
as quickly as he came
the man from atlantis
sigh

Anthony, what about Starfire?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfire...

I didn't really know who Starfire was when I was younger, and now that she's on the Teen Titans, which my kids watch, she's off limits.

Tracy...I have to wonder about the guys you hang around. That might be the worst pickup line ever, unless you're at a comic convention or something...:)

Someone explain to me anime'. I have tried to watch it with my brother and from what I can tell, the only attraction is women drawn with very little clothing and HUGE boobs. Otherwise it seems like a lot of standing around babbling about Asian mysticism and the occasional martial arts-ish fight with some Matrix moves thrown in. I'm pretty sure you guys watch it for the boobs...

You know, I can watch some anime-like movies (e.g. "Spirited Away") but I'm as mystified as you are, Amy, by the general appeal. Have you ever checked out the anime comic section at Borders? It's HUGE. I have no idea who buys them. Seriously.

Yeah but the Starfire your kids watch on TV doesn't quite dress the same. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teen_Tit...

my best friend's son is 11 and he watches those anime things all the time, and collects all the Manga stuff... I have tried to watch the anime with him... but I can't follow the goddamn plot. I'm all... who the fuck is that and what are they doing? And he is all... That is the son of a soy sauce manufacturer who is in league with the dark underlord and the other guy is secretly a cross dressing samurai who will soon sprout wings and turn into a wolf and eat his face. I swear, I have NO IDEA how he knows these things. It's all blinky and makes me want to have seizures.

Spirited Away, however, was genius. More of that please.

Have you seen the stuff on line that is basically anime porn? Woo! Now that's some kinky chit.

Ha. Charissa has a future writing Anime. And her imagination disturbs me greatly at the same time...

Sarah, the link didn't work! I was hoping to see a scantily dressed superheroine and you didn't deliver. Link tease!:)

Just look up Starfire on Wikipedia. Then compare to the picture of Starfire in the Teen Titans.

Try this one Anthony:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfire...

writing anime... now that would be an invitation to mess with the minds of young people all across the world... I think I could get into that...

I LOVED SPEED RACER!!!!

when the Japanese are on their game they can take over much of the planet!

Ah, I see Starfire now...thanks, Sarah and Amy. How on earth would she fight in that costume? I suppose it could distract her opponents...

My kids regularly read Archie comics along with the superhero comics. I pick them up on the way home from work.

Somebody said they wanted to have Seizure?

Oh, seizures.

Nevermind.

I'll take Seizure over a seizure any day. : )

I second that!

I'm not a manga fan, but there's this manga-looking comic I was looking at this week that's pretty good.

href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29800.Scott_Pilgrim_Vol_1_Scott_Pilgrim_s_Precious_Little_Life">Scott Pilgrim

(Not sure why I can't make that link look right, but I give up.)

To catch up, I'm not a comics geek either, but I read a fair amount of comics, when I can find a series I like. Preacher, Hate, Alex Robinson's books, a bunch of others. Y. Blankets, a great Christian/young love story. Superheroes, I mostly like meta-superhero stuff, like Watchmen, or Runaways, more than the actual source texts.

Also, I have trouble saying "graphic novel." If it were a shorter phrase, one syllable, say, I could probably get through the whole thing without thinking "c'mon, these are comics." But as it is, I can't.

Iron Giant was pretty good, and the Iron Man trailer looks great, but to me, the appeal is mostly Robert Downey, and I'm afraid that all the good stuff is in the trailer.

Amy - try watching Ranma 1/2. It's tons of fun. (And yes, there's boobs; but they're on a boy. You have to watch to get it.)

King, I'd love to see a GOOD Ghost Rider movie. The Nick Cage one sucked so bad...it was an insult to a great concept.

I loved "American Splendor" too. Great comic, great movie.

Other ones? Hm...who's left? Just about everyone bankable has been done already. I heard there's a "Watchmen" movie in the works, right? I guess I'm looking forward to that. Hope it doesn't suck.

I do a full-body wince every time I hear that a comic is being made into a movie. Rarities like "V for Vendetta" aside, there's something about Hollywood and source material that reminds me of politicians and reality: the two are rarely in contact. Every time I go to a Neil Gaiman signing, someone asks him about the Sandman movie that's been "in production" for several years now. The last time, he mentioned the script he saw where Sandman (Morpheus, the god of dreams) utters something like "You cannot escape me, foolish mortals." The audience erupted with laughter; while this might sound like typical comic book speak to the uninitiated, it is completely out of character and is an insult to both fans of the comic and its creator.

However, if an indy crew got their hands on Reid Fleming, World's Toughest Milkman I might have cause to hope again.

"I thought I told you to shut up."-- R. Fleming

Off the top, I'd say a fat & scruffy Jack Black would be the most well-known choice. John Belushi would've been awesome, but he's all dead n' stuff (there's a morbid twist on Saturday morning fare-- "H.P. Deadnstuff").

Not surprisingly I would like to see strong female characters from comics other than Wonder Woman get some screen time. Catwoman they just ruined with that crappy Halle Berry film (even if Halle did look hot). I hear Joss Whedon has been tossed off the new Wonder Woman film, so I'm afraid that's gonna suck too.

How about Tara, Pirate Queen? or lady crime fighter the Black Cat? How about Sheena, Queen of the Jungle? or Phantom Lady? or Tiger Girl/Princess Vishnu?

Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for the random evil scientist scenarios where bombshells get tied up and stuff... meow. But there's nothing I like more than seeing some super heroine kick a little ass, ya know?

Bionic Woman was such a disappointment. I miss Buffy.

And just why the hell doesn't Aquaman count? A movie just for him would be idea...as you know it would all have to do with the sea! Like, SeaQuest with super powers!!

mmmmm
aquaman

maybe there's this scene where he saves yellow apple snails and the queen of the yellow apple snails reverts back to her human form and they swim off to new zealand

with the ring (precious)

i had to bring in a literary allusion to this damn comic book thread