tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752841194995687278.post817383405831541989..comments2024-03-27T05:22:27.604-05:00Comments on Eddie Campbell: The state of the Independent.Eddie Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02492020671613766729noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752841194995687278.post-71582559942282708402007-01-26T12:41:00.000-05:002007-01-26T12:41:00.000-05:00Maybe you're right Eddie, barbarians are destroyin...Maybe you're right Eddie, barbarians are destroying any kind of hierarchy today (and they're calling their destruction "democracy", a word completely devoid of any meaning - see, I can also play the "deconstruction" game). Call me a conservative, but I can't see where's the positive side in the fact that the society of the spectacle is turning everybody into Peter Pan syndrome afflicted "grown ups".Isabelinhohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07507303808891054319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752841194995687278.post-32382321115308543982007-01-12T15:29:00.000-05:002007-01-12T15:29:00.000-05:00Hmm, more condescension from lazy journalists, can...Hmm, more condescension from lazy journalists, can't say I'm surprised. Whenever you read someone in a newspaper writing about comics there's always the feeling that they're wearing protective clothing and examining the specimen with tweezers.<br /><br />Can't help but feel the UK/US comics world is partly to blame for this; why would an Independent reader--even one whose interest was stimulated by that feature--want to enter a comic store with a window filled with action figures and Star Trek models? Sure, they shouldn't be so snobbish, but how do you convince people "comics aren't just for kids" by making the shops look like Toys 'R' Us? I was in Paris a couple of times over the summer and spent some time browsing the comic racks in the Virgin Megastore on the Champs Elysses. A whole floor there, no toys, just rows and rows of books in a uniform format. The result: suited businessmen flicking through titles on their lunchbreak. Sure, there's a cultural difference but the contrast with the stores here couldn't be more striking.<br /><br />End of rant... The (English language) comics business exasperates me sometimes. Comics should be treated with the same respect as any other medium without having to explain that, "Yes, it's an intelligent medium" for the fiftieth time; we all know this. But sometimes it feels like arguing the benefits of eating less with an obese person while they reach for another pizza.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752841194995687278.post-15109633164650032452007-01-12T06:56:00.000-05:002007-01-12T06:56:00.000-05:00Eddie, Yeah I remembered "the man at the crossroad...Eddie, Yeah I remembered "the man at the crossroads" from "Fate of The Artist". Not quite sure how this got into reading in public but it seems like a natural extension to the evangelical nature of the magazine. Don't quite understand why anyone has to put down one thing to promote another but the "we're better than soap operas but not as good as hollywood movies" thing seems to be a popular way to promote worthiness (popular though pretty pointless). It seems harder and harder for writers to promote something based on it's own worth.Faffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04446264944001513202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752841194995687278.post-77702026015338527892007-01-11T23:01:00.000-05:002007-01-11T23:01:00.000-05:00I actually do often feel embarrased reading my com...I actually <i>do</i> often feel embarrased reading my comics in public, though I find it depends greatly on which comic I'm reading. Reading the generic, smash-up mainstream superhero book, invariably with near-naked girls on the cover, is a bit shameful. I should posibly just re-think some of the books I read. <br /><br />Also, it seems Marjane Satrapi is a comicy George Carlin. Who knew?Andrew Hawthornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08041600780524955205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752841194995687278.post-35808827748117731622007-01-11T19:20:00.000-05:002007-01-11T19:20:00.000-05:00Thanks to all.
peter, you'll remember of course th...Thanks to all.<br />peter, you'll remember of course that I immortalised paul as 'the man at the croosroads' in How To be An Artist.<br />Not sure why we're talking about reading in public. the thing that raised my ire was the suggestion that to give points to comics we need to take them away from something else, in this case harry potter. Not sure i made that clear.<br />yes, Nathalie... not in the shit business indeed.<br />Kelly: did you say you were reading a comic in public, percy?Eddie Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02492020671613766729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752841194995687278.post-71831765312207190442007-01-11T12:56:00.000-05:002007-01-11T12:56:00.000-05:00I read my comics wherever I can - just like any bo...I read my comics wherever I can - just like any books - I just get a bit embarassed when they have me in fits of giggles (last time happened last summer reading Manu Larcenet on the subway in Paris and I had to stop I was laughing so hard I had tears splashing everwhere - making a mess : it was time to close the book to save it from drowning).<br />Nathalie<br /><br />Towards the end of your post, I felt you would pull out your "not in the shit business" cartoon again... I really love it and it would feel appropriate.spacedlawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12462723005560128474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752841194995687278.post-52709216676743257842007-01-11T12:00:00.000-05:002007-01-11T12:00:00.000-05:00A book is a book. I read them both in public. If s...A book is a book. I read them both in public. If someone takes offense at what I'm reading (I'm more inclined to have someone say something if I'm reading a *ahem* "political" title by say, Howard Zinn or Noam Chomsky, then if I'm reading a "Comic" per se.) Either way, if they take offense they're likely to get a tongue lashing or an ass kicking by me.<br />Glad to see Satrapi on the cover of that publication. She's freaking amazing with the work she does. When her work first came out, some critics started up a ridiculous argument "Can she draw?" My answer was "Hell yes and she tells a damn good story, too." Some people!!<br />OMG the word verification is so damn small and the letters are so pushed together I think I need trifocals to get this published...who the hell puts three "w's" together?? (Ha! I had to enter a different one-didn't work the first time ;))Kelly Kilmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07002300626700548709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752841194995687278.post-84538483198849080182007-01-11T09:04:00.000-05:002007-01-11T09:04:00.000-05:00I proudly read my comics in public. No matter who ...I proudly read my comics in public. No matter who writes/draws them or the subject matter.<br />More readers need to take their habit public.<br /><br />If people can't handle it, that's their problem.Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01551836497016197115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752841194995687278.post-54047646519817791502007-01-11T07:44:00.000-05:002007-01-11T07:44:00.000-05:00From what I recall about the magazine it was all a...From what I recall about the magazine it was all arranged around Paul Gravett and his contacts and as you will well remember the man has a certain evangelical zeal about comics. Paul's mission in life seems to be to make comics acceptable to everybody and he does promote the best of work in the most conservative manner.Faffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04446264944001513202noreply@blogger.com