Do Not Siege Walled Cities - 279

The NYCC Death Match Has Been Postponed

NYCC IS HERE AND NOW GONE

And I won’t actually be saying much about it! I’m in Cleveland, for God’s sake.

I will be traveling to Canada tomorrow. I am sure that’s a beautiful country, but I only spend time between the border and Toronto/Montreal. So truly miserable voids with no mobile service.

Wish me luck.

Also, just skip the next bit if you’re here for comics and comics alone. I guess I could draw a parallel between the next item and Piskor’s death but I won’t try. It can stand alone as just an errant thought you can disregard if you like.

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DEAD PEOPLE TO RIDICULE

Liam Payne is a man I had never heard of before he died. I’m not the demographic for One Direction’s music, and I can’t say if I’ve ever heard a song. But I was moved by his death. Not just because he’s a young man dying in a stupid fashion, but because of how his passing was received.

Payne had been accused of bad behavior (I’m not clear if any of it reaches the legal definition of abuse, but it certainly met the standard for many commentators). Let’s say it was abuse, so there’s no chance of me ‘downplaying’ anything. Because of these allegations, many people just turned off their humanity. Lots of “this doesn’t erase his abuse” tweets on news of his death. A good volume of “it’s not complicated, he abused women and children and I don’t feel anything for him or his family.”

If you’re here because you like my comic books, you may know what I’m about to say next. If you’re here because you like my music, I don’t see how you couldn’t know what I’m about to say. The following appears as a theme in a lotta what I do, and specifically all of my music for a decade.

Community is a foul, self-negating, thing.

How is anyone supposed to prioritize the collective over the individual when you’re working for an uncaring, emotionally inert, group of assholes? What’s the payoff? Greater prosperity for those who would put you on an ice raft? Increased quality of life for the elk who manage to stay on the interior of the herd, and death for those at the fringe?

The man was 31.

There is no world where that age doesn’t afford you the time to turn your life around. This was a human being, capable of and culpable for good and bad. Just as your parents are. Just as your children are. Just as you are. Watching people celebrate a man’s death because he’s been a piece of shit is the ultimate ouroboros. You are a piece of shit if you feel nothing for people who are low and in need of change. Am I now supposed to feel nothing for you? I’m getting there.

It’s entirely up to those involved if they forgive Payne. But if you had no dealings with him, it’s actually not within your scope to forgive or deny forgiveness. You are not an aggrieved party. You are a parasocial lamprey. A vampire so in need of a narrative, you’ll attach yourself to other people’s stories.

On this tour I’m around a dude in recovery. He’s carrying around some guilt for how he treated himself, but is fortunate enough to not have hurt anyone else while he was drinking and drugging. Not everyone is so fortunate. But you clean yourself up and keep it moving. Liam Payne doesn’t get that opportunity. And no dramatic asshole online can convince me that’s a good thing.

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FOR THE SAUSAGE GETTING MADE FANS

Here’s the layout for a cover you’ll see in the future, for a book to be announced. The figure in the foreground and the scene in the background will be rendered differently so our eye understands we’re not seeing a literal depiction.

Artist to be revealed. He’s one of my favorites and it’s always a joy to land a spot in his busy schedule.

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RECURRING CASE OF VERTIGO

DC announced it’s bringing back the Vertigo imprint. This time under the editorial oversight of DC mainline editor Chris Conroy. This isn’t any criticism of Conroy’s abilities, but I think these may have to be properly separate houses. It seems to me that if Vertigo is going to distinguish itself, it’s got to launch in as distinct a fashion as possible.

There’s some betting pools on which names we see in the first slate. But I’m hoping it goes the other way. Guys I’ve never heard of doing material that resonates with a smart and under-serviced reader.

We’ll see.

The elephant in the room is the contracts. There will be many creators happy to have the Vertigo seal on their work. But that thrill eventually fades and for any creator-owned publisher to survive, it’s got to offer a value proposition over an Image contract.

I’ve said this a number of times, and it’s true I’m an Image homer. But even the other publishers will tell you: everything is downstream of Image, because all things being equal, it’s the logical choice.

DC will want SOME part of the media rights. So you’re not beating Image there. But maybe you can leverage the power of DC for a strong page rate. And you can certainly get some talent that way, though you may not be getting their most saleable material.

Of course, Image is curated and many things fall outside their purview. And, maybe, some genres of books would sell better with a V than an I on the front. Dialing in that sensibility will be key.

The value proposition on the last Vertigo launch was ‘stories you won’t find elsewhere, except Black Mask.’ And that really couldn’t ever work. Black Mask made its name on material with a social, typically progressive, angle to it. That market is niche and worked for a publisher with single-digit staff and personal relationships with its creators. Very difficult to keep the lights on a Burbank office with that approach.

So what will be the vibe on this new launch? What can strike a vein of readers who don’t have a home right now? Is it crazy to ask if we can go home again? Vertigo books, when I considered it a cohesive brand, had relatively unremarkable art (don’t attack me; more on that in a moment) and fearless writing (more on that in a moment). Is there still a market for such things?

I’m not a comic book historian, but it seems that when Image put a greater emphasis on writing, it applied pressure to ‘smart’ publishers like Vertigo. If your identity is “clever stories allowed to go long” but a new breed of longform titles with great art AND great writing emerges… how do you manage?

Are you willing to go places Image isn’t? I guess that’s the fundamental question. Content wise, it seems unlikely.

Are you willing to take chance after chance after potentially unprofitable chance on completely unknown creators? That’s a full-time job that requires complete buy-in from your corporate superiors. Seems unlikely.

Are you offering any type of incentivizing media deal? Ignition Press announced itself in earnest this week. They are positioning themselves as a pipeline publisher that wants to take things to Hollywood in a creator-friendly fashion. Can Vertigo shake the “why the fuck did my property die inside the hermetically-sealed Warner’s biosphere, when there was interest from everyone else?” complaints of the second-wave Vertigo creators? I hope so, as I feel like this is the hand they have to play.

For many the appeal will be the logo. A real goal for the 40+ crowd. And the rest, at least at first, will fall on Conroy’s personal relationships.

I should address that the art in my favorite Vertigo titles was never the appeal, but now in the cold light of 2024 I recognize just how impressive the art was. And I should say that in the cold light of 2024 some of the writing doesn’t feel fearless so much as masturbatory. STILL, it was a great time to be reading comic books and I have a lotta love for those titles.

As always, I hope the best for this endeavor. Vertigo is responsible for some of the best comic books of all time. And anything creator-(partially)-owned is a step in the right direction. The question of reinvention vs reconstruction is central here. It’s a real puzzle and I hope Conroy can strike whatever that golden ratio might be.

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MURDER FOR BOOKS

Apparently there was a fist fight over a Peach Momoko SPAWN cover at the convention. Here’s what I say:

At least they’re excited!

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LOCAL NEWS AS VICTOR HUGO

Earlier this year I became a local news guy. Clips on Youtube are suggested to me at a rapid pace and I just soak them up. I forgot what small stories were like, and these are a good, often depressing reminder.

Most items that Youtube recommends are from the past few weeks. But occasionally I’ll get a vintage piece of local news.

This one struck me with how succinct the tragedy is. Miscommunication, misinformation, misidentification, misconduct, or lies. Whichever, it put revenge in someone’s mind -likely as ‘justice’-and motivated them to act. And now…

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MEDIA CONSUMPTION

Here’s what I put in my head this week. I am not proud.

I’m not pearl-clutching or blushing by nature. There’s things that don’t ‘age well’ and that’s not necessarily call to toss them out. Adults can contextualize and parse. The past is unknowable to us, and with that understanding we must work through the dissonance.

But, sometimes, movies age SO poorly that you have to ask ChatGPT if you committed a crime by watching it.

Blame It On Rio is a movie that could not be made today. Ok. Often said. But, no, here I mean it. My only commentary: best NOT to remake French films. They’re a great people, but some social norms don’t transfer over.

I’m not familiar with the Black Emanuelle films. I’m on an exploitation tear, but I prefer action/crime. The softcore material with drama elements isn’t as thrilling to me. But this one was just fun and harmless.

She’s a liberated woman. Don’t try to pin her down with your traditional romance or societal conventions! She’s a working woman and she’s gonna get that scoop for her newspaper, if she can make time for it between all the love-making! Also, cannibals!

Police Story, I think, is considered a Jackie Chan classic. And I get why. It’s all of his movies in one movie. The first great stunt happens at minute 10 and it’s all just a ride from there.

I recognize I’m not saying anything that hasn’t been addressed a million times, but this man may’ve made a deal with the devil. His level of physical ability for both action and slapstick comedy is supernatural. It’s almost too weird to watch if you get lost thinking about it. He’s scary great.

From Hong Kong martial arts film to Hong Kong gunfight simulator. I played the Cop Bastard demo this week. It’s not doing anything new, and is essentially a boomer shooter. But sometimes a change of venue is all that’s needed to give something some pop. I enjoyed it a lot. Obviously it hamstrung itself by working in a genre where slow-motion is requisite. The game’s current take on it leaves a lot to be desired. But otherwise we’ve got the bones of a really fun time. Will play the full game on launch.

I’m slowly reading BARB WIRE by Acrudi and a number of artists. It’s stiff but is starting to win me over. Will let you know what I think when I finish.

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NOW I’M ONTO THE GREAT WHITE NORTH

Where I hope I don’t freeze. I’m not your dad, but please stop aiming to abuse strangers. I guess I feel comfortable in imparting that life lesson at least. Don’t be so fucking mean to people you don’t know. Or people you do know, really. I just can’t read it anymore. Stay in good health. Do for self.