From: mre@kepler.unh.edu (Santa MikE)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
Subject: Re: State of the Image
Date: 12 Dec 1992 21:45:57 GMT
Organization: University of New Hampshire  -  Durham, NH
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: kepler.unh.edu

[This is the reply I sent to Chris.  See my previous posting for an ex-
planation.]
---What?!? It didn't vaporize?  Well, disintegrate it again!--------------------
> Hello Mike
Howdy!

>      I just waited an hour to get onto the computers and needless to
> say I am a bit pissed.  Anyways I had lots o' mail so now I am happy.
> Well despite your plugs I won't be reading Savavge Dragon.  I read
> the first issue and totally didn't like it.  I had read that Eric
> Larsen had spent the last twenty years or so brewing this comic
> together and with Image he finnaly had the chance to get it out.

That's one of the reasons he joined Image:  to finally be able
to put out his own creations AND to retain control over them.  Know-
ing Marvel, this was a good idea; they probably would have stuck the
Dragon in Spandex, have multiple foil-embossed, gatefold covers, and
eventually fire Larsen and have DeFalco take over the book. >;-)

> Well after reading this article i expected something fresh, exciting,
> and new that might stick out of the stagnant norm of todays super
> hero comics.  Well I was VERY dissapointed.  To me ( and i stress
> this....  just my opioions ) this comic was merely a months work of
> below par art ( I have never been a fan of Larsen's art anyways
> though ) and rushed writing.  And the tie in with Spawn and
> Youngblood..... I know that this was not in Larsens head twenty
> years ago.  This is merely a plug to help boost sales.  Anyways these

No, no, no!  Havn't you been reading RACM?!?  Larsen was obviously blast-
ing Robgob--er, Rob Liefeld with the fight between Drags and 'Rock (two
of my favorite Image characters, BTW.  At least ONE Youngblood character
is a joy to read! ;); he even went so far as TO HAVE DRAGON *ARREST* BED-
ROCK, something that I have NEVER seen in a hero-vs-hero fight before.
That's Larsen's way of speaking his mind about Liefallen's (Sorry, couldn't
help it. :) books:  They SUCK, and Larsen knows it.   So no, the Youngblood
appearance was not to boost sales.  Spawn, yes, but not Youngblood. ;)

Just kidding about the Spawn-as-sales-booster bit, folks!  Larsen and Mc-
Farlane are best buddies, I believe, and they just wanted to tie their books
together some more in terms of continuity and to keep the Image Universe as
tight as possible.  The scene with Spawn and the two kids (note their names:
Rob and Erik.) took place AT THE EXACT TIME THAT DRAGON AND BEDROCK WERE FIGHT-
ING.  A masterpiece in continuity between titles, IMHO.  (Okay, okay, I'll
admit it:  The scene-swipe from Spawn #4 caused my jaw to drop, too.  Kudos
to Erik [NOT "Eric", folks!] and Todd. :)

Now all we have to wait for is the Spawn/Savage Dragon cross-over!  

> are just my thoughts so they can't count for much.  Don't hate me ;)
> at least i tried it.  

Don't worry, I don't hate you.  You tried it, and that's what counts.

>      Concerning Todd McFarlane: It wouldn't surprise me at all if he
> left.  He is cocky, and ignorant, enough to do it.  I have to E-mail

I wouldn't know; I havn't met him in person.  Have you?

> you some of his interview with Gary Groth.  This was in the Comics
> Journal a couple a months ago.  Todd mcFarlane admits that he doesn't
> read any comics or any books;  he says the only thing he needs ," is
> my boxscores."  How does this guy expect to be a compitent writer

I would personally like to know what boxscores are...

> when he doesn't explore the best that comics have to offer.  At least
> he understands WHO is setting the standards in comics today ny

You're right about that.

> getting Moore, Gaiman, Sim ( I wonder if he has even read an issue of
> Cerebus ), and Miller.  It is ironic that he would choose some of the
> top names whose talent cuts Spawn down to the pathetic, shabbily
> written book that it is. What Todd McFarlane does in many lines( this

No, they only cut Spawn down to a book with a lot of potential, and Mc-
Farlane is definitely exploring this potential to its max.
[Last three lines of your paragraph deleted by accident.  Sorry.]

>      Well I sure went on tonight didn't I.  Hope I didn't piss you
> off.... and I didn't mean to....  I just thought I would let you know

No, you didn't.

> how I feel about a few particular things inthe comics world today.

Chris, I'm going to post your original letter, followed by this reply,
to RACM for you.  Hope you don't mind, buddy.
[I hope he doesn't, either!]

> write me back cause I AM very intrested in what you have to say.  I
> respect your opinion deeply cause I know your not buying ten copies
> of a book, sticking them in bags, and not reading them.  You read
> your comics and thats what counts.  Talk to you later

No, actually, they're all sitting in a pile at home waiting to be read over
break. ;)

>                                    Chris
>
	--MikE...Collector-With-Integrity. ;)

[Note: All E-mail replies should be sent to art2cwh@cabell.vcu.edu.  Also,
Chris will not be able to respond directly to any posts, thanks to his scho-
ol, and I really don't want to be burdened with the task of forwarding his
replies, so E-mail might be best. --MikE...It's just the State of the Net
today. ;)]

-- 
Mike Escutia	   |	"Holy Bat Caves, Boy Wonder!" 
a.k.a. Pliable Lad |				--Speedball, 
of the LNH	   |MikE@unh.edu |||  		  _New Warriors_ #31