Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago
Date: Wednesday, 9 Sep 1992 10:22:58 CDT
From: <U16244@uicvm.uic.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
Subject: Re: Marvel Bashing, if you please!
 <1992Sep1.232647.58563@cc.usu.edu>

Well, I've discoverred a certain attitude that isn't helping Marvel
or any comics company really.  It's called "I refuse to sponsor the quality
stuff that's put out because those bastards put out such crap otherwise."
(You know who you are...)

I have a certain friend who quite thoroughly enjoys such comics as X-Factor,
She-Hulk, the Hulk, and admits he likes Daredevil and certain Punisher
stories (if they're more than the standard slaughterfest and have some suspense
and intrigue).  Trouble is, he refuses to buy any of those books solely on the
grounds that he refuses to subsidize the company that puts out such shameless
and hopeless crap fucking garbage like the Avengers (Harras's Hassles),
Alpha Flight, X-Force, Captain America (yes, I agree that it's total shit,
makes me yearn for Byrne and Stern back), and Iron Man (DIE DIE DIE YOU FUCKING
PLAYBOY!!! DIE ALREADY!!!!!) as well as ruining his favorite books X-Men and
the Defenders and most of the Punisher series.

Now the point here is this, I'm quite, quite certain that if people who enjoy
these comics, but refuse to lay down a penny for them out of the principle
that they are Marvel books, and thus, should be completely shunned for the
sheer fact that sooner or later, the editors will hack them to pieces for a
more successful marketing strategy, are the very ones who killed off the
charm and popularity of Captain America, the Avengers, horribly mutated the
X-Men and the New Mutants, and turned the Punisher into a four color
video game.  Oh, I can't buy anything, because they have the policy of
bringing characters back from the dead and ruining old stories.

Ruining old stories.  Like the death of Phoenix was any lessened when you
read that Jean Grey is now alive and well.  It was still a tragic moment,
something that affected the readers.  That's like saying that the Silver Age
was ruined by the Modern Age in DC comics.  Just because these stories follow
different timelines doesn't mean that the previous stories hold any less water.
At least when Jean came back, she was completely messed up for the first few
issues she appeared in, they handled her exactly the way anyone would react
if they were told that they had not only died, but committed suicide for the
sake of the universe.   Same thing with Simon Williams.

However, good old Jim Starlin (now hack without peer) missed that one major
point.  Adam Warlock and his whole goof crew are suddenly back and alive.
And they think nothing of it!!!  Starlin, what the fuck is this?

But I'm getting off the point.  Just because certain comics piss you off
doesn't mean that you have to swear off every fucking thing they put out.
As far as I'm concerned, New Warriors, Spider-Man, Hulk and X-Factor are
off in a nice, safe corner of the universe where things are going fine.
Parker's reacting to his parents "coming back" with a drunken, dazed look of
disbelief while he's trying to find out what's going on. (I still say, the
Skull's trying to nail Spidey for his previous messing in his affairs,
after putting two and two together and finding out he's really Peter Parker.
Spidey has sticken two major blows, first in Turkey- while he was proving his
parents' innocence- and then in the Assassination Nation Plot.  It's the
Skull's mindfuck revenge.  He intends to take Peter to pieces by pouring on
the pressure of all kinds of foes, and the added strain of his parents'
resurrection.  At least if I was the Skull, I'd do that.)

It's also the same reason why I pick up certain Image comics, instead of
others (read: Liefeld's crap, Cyberfarce, ShadowSpinebreaker) because I
know the money (most of it) is going directly to the creators who I do like
at that company- Larsen, Choi and Lee, McFarlane (go ahead, flame me!!!
Flame me!!!  I like Spawn!!!  C'mon!!!  I want your attacks.  I want them
bad...).

And that's how I see the buyers and non-buyers being as much to blame about
the Marvel downslide.  If all they sell is the tripe, eventually everything
will turn to tripe.  But if the good comics were being bought more frequently,
then maybe we'd get a little more depth and enjoyment out of the chaff, and
dispose of the rest.

Douglas P. Wojtowicz.