tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post2606511126764290724..comments2024-02-29T14:12:01.955-05:00Comments on Flashback Universe Blog: Top 20 Bronze Age Comic Runs - Part 2Jim Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05006833955333061262noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-9541989835256582772014-02-04T10:07:07.761-05:002014-02-04T10:07:07.761-05:00@JimShelley. On the one hand yes, these are danger...@JimShelley. On the one hand yes, these are dangerous situations. So having there never be any death at all is a bit forced. <br /><br />On the other hand any other issue the hero would make the save somehow, some way. Especially with a member of the major supporting cast. I get that they were up against a fan base who loudly preferred Mary Jane. I can see why they wanted to write Gwen out in a way that made you miss her. I still question the wisdom of making it look at all like Peter's miscalculation. But I think fans who went on to become pros decided it's now all fair game and an easy route to drama is to kill off the girlfriend because gosh wasn't it just so edgy and mature when they did that with Spider-Man? <br /><br />It's no wonder even Peter himself eventually ended up on the chopping block. Fanfic as canon. <br /><br />I'm profoundly disgusted but not exactly shocked that Marvel and DC have gotten to the point where death is such a gimmick that it is now announced in business terms as part of their publishing strategy. I'm not sure what's worse, the company for doing that or the fan who actually requires the reassurance. MattComixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14015552734150732758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-5142011517995788452014-02-04T07:31:39.390-05:002014-02-04T07:31:39.390-05:00Matt - I would be more inclined to put the blame o...Matt - I would be more inclined to put the blame on the death of Jean Grey (or Elektra for that matter) than Gwen Stacy simply because I think so many years passed between Gwen's death and the fad of killing girl friends that you are describing. I think the big thing is both of those storylines weren't promoted as BIG EVENTS! that were used to goose sales. They were just natural occurrences in a world where, honestly, people should die all the time, right?<br /><br />The problem is, now you have things like Marvel saying they are going to have a death every quarter and DC making you WISH some characters were dead instead of becoming the mockeries they've become.<br /><br />Still, you've given me an interesting topic to dwell on...<br /><br />Jim Shelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05006833955333061262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-8485703508977741922014-02-04T07:31:36.939-05:002014-02-04T07:31:36.939-05:00Matt - I would be more inclined to put the blame o...Matt - I would be more inclined to put the blame on the death of Jean Grey (or Elektra for that matter) than Gwen Stacy simply because I think so many years passed between Gwen's death and the fad of killing girl friends that you are describing. I think the big thing is both of those storylines weren't promoted as BIG EVENTS! that were used to goose sales. They were just natural occurrences in a world where, honestly, people should die all the time, right?<br /><br />The problem is, now you have things like Marvel saying they are going to have a death every quarter and DC making you WISH some characters were dead instead of becoming the mockeries they've become.<br /><br />Still, you've given me an interesting topic to dwell on...<br /><br />Jim Shelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05006833955333061262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-51321144868095292382014-02-03T18:43:02.781-05:002014-02-03T18:43:02.781-05:00The homicidal Joker has now been just so bloated o...The homicidal Joker has now been just so bloated out of proportion it's become simply the opposite absurd extreme of the most campy version you could think of. I think the Bronze Age Joker has the right balance but as I often say the BA had a kind of equilibrium that is part of what I appreciate about it. <br /><br />Death of Gwen Stacy is a story I have very mixed feelings about. In and of itself, it's well done but I have to wonder if what we gained is really worth what was lost. <br /><br />Max Landis did a big YouTube video talking about how the Death/Return story killed the idea of death in comics. I feel like it may have actually died long before that with Gwen Stacy and also Jean Grey.<br /><br />The deaths of these ladies started the ball rolling on death as a revolving door that is constantly being walked through and also as the go-to solution when writers didn't know what to do with a character. It also set the stage for character death as a quick sales fluffer and really I think started the girls in refrigerators trend with the idea of killing the heroes girlfriend to make him go into a kewl berserker rage. <br /><br />I'm not trying to say no one should ever die in a comicbook but things have gone off the rails and the snap of Gwen's neck may have been the sound of the first wheel coming off the track. Or if nothing else it was a good story that an entire industry and fandom took all the wrong lessons from.MattComixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14015552734150732758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-84218038320975630492014-02-03T18:21:55.558-05:002014-02-03T18:21:55.558-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.MattComixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14015552734150732758noreply@blogger.com