Saturday, March 31, 2012

Smatterday 03/31/2012

The Azzarello Amazon Incident
Wow, Wonder Woman #7 certainly rocked the boat, didn't it? From Kelly Thompson's review and subsequent column, to the numerous other outcries and criticisms, people have been extremely vocal in their disapproval of Brian Azzarello's new take on the Amazons. For the most part, I agree with what has been said. The Amazons have never been so hateful and malicious as this issue paints them to be, and there is absolutely no discernible reason in terms of the story so far that this detail needed to be divulged. Discernible, however, is the operative word there, because until we see at least one if not two or three more issues of the series, it's hard to say what the final portrait of the New 52 Amazons will be. For now, though, a definite misstep for the otherwise exceptional title. #8 has a LOT riding on it.



Spurlock Does Comic-Con
Morgan Spurlock, of Super Size Me fame, has put together a Comic-Con documentary with some help from Stan Lee and Joss Whedon. And so far, the response seems to be fairly positive. I am not a fan of Spurlock as a man or a filmmaker, but supposedly he isn't on frame for even a second of Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope, so that certainly raises my interest level to some degree. Until more reviews of the complete film have come in, I'll hold off on viewing it, but from what I've read so far I admit it does seem like he's got the right attitude about the project. Here's hoping...



What Kind of Turtles Are They? Or...Are They Still Technically Turtles?
No doubt you've heard by now, but Michael Bay is producing, arguably, a remake the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I say arguably because, from what we've heard so far, the titular characters will be neither teenage nor mutant nor, in the most literal sense, turtles, because now what they are instead is aliens from another planet that sort of resemble giant anthropomorphized Earth turtles. So not really a remake so much as a retooling. Or, more accurately, a brand new idea (aliens with ninja skills come to Earth to be heros---awesome!) squished together with an old franchise. And even that isn't entirely true, since the title is now just going to be Ninja Turtles.

For me, the problem with this is that the whole charm of the turtles, the thing that set them apart from basically every other hero or superhero in comics, TV, or movies, is that rather than being men who were given turtle-like powers and characteristics, they were TURTLES FIRST, who then grew to take on human-like characteristics. But apparently that concept is lost on Mr. Bay and company. There has been some flacid support for the project, but mostly people are pissed off, and if those behind these decisions really don't understand why people are angry, then they shouldn't have been selected for this project in the first place.



Another Event Is Born...Kinda
Finally, below is a list of reviews I happened to read of Avengers vs. X-Men #0. Just in case you missed any of them, because it is, after all, the event of the year. Because every year has to have an event now. Because that's how we do things.

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