Comics are Awesome III

A general discussion forum, plus hauls and silly games.
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Dominic
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Re: Comics are Awesome III

Post by Dominic »

Who are they trying to appeal to with the new look Superman and Batman? (Would the people who dress like Superman is now drawn even buy comics? Do they even read?) I doubt that the new look Batman is meant ot stick more than a few months. But, with Superman, I tend to agree with Anderson. DC is out of ideas is is just kind of flailing.

I am on something of a Kieron Gillen binge right now.

Re-reading "Iron Man: Fatal Frontier". This is probably my favourite part of Gillen's run. Top-form writing and gorgeous art.

Planning to read "Phongram", because I am a fan of Gillen. And, I moved his "Dark Reign" related Aires series up the priority list.
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BWprowl
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Re: Comics are Awesome III

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Dominic wrote:Who are they trying to appeal to with the new look Superman and Batman? (Would the people who dress like Superman is now drawn even buy comics? Do they even read?)
I am relatively certain that there are people who read comics (and otherwise) who wear jeans and t-shirts. These aren't exactly niche fashion choices.

I pretty much agree with the assessment on Batman. This exists to be a drawn-out reveal for a few months, and then be forgotten about (which, secondhand as my experience with him is, seems to be Snyder's shtick).
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Dominic
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Re: Comics are Awesome III

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The sum total "look" for Superman is not just "t shirt and jeans". It is....I dunno how to phrase it. "Brute?"
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BWprowl
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Re: Comics are Awesome III

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Dominic wrote:The sum total "look" for Superman is not just "t shirt and jeans". It is....I dunno how to phrase it. "Brute?"
Because of what? The haircut? He just looks like A Dude. This look for Superman is effectively how I dressed for my first few years out of High School (yes, including the haircut), and you could hardly call me 'brutish' or whatever. What the ass?
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andersonh1
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Re: Comics are Awesome III

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BWprowl wrote:As has been said, this was effectively Superboy's costume in the early 00's (and used for the Young Justice cartoon), down to the haircut, and it worked REALLY well in that case; it's just wildly inappropriate for Superman.
Agreed, it worked for that version of Superboy, both in the comics and in Young Jusice, but it doesn't work for Superman.

It makes me wonder why we got all the hype for the Romita redesign of the Jim Lee costume when literally weeks later we get yet another major change. What was the point? Again, it looks like DC is just making this up as they go. They don't have a plan for the character, they're just trying anything and hoping it will stick.
Dominic wrote:The sum total "look" for Superman is not just "t shirt and jeans". It is....I dunno how to phrase it. "Brute?"
As Prowl says, it's not just the haircut or the clothes. Lots of people look like that and are perfectly fine. But Superman doesn't look like that. Look at the image they've chosen to reveal his new look. He's not smiling, flying around or having a good time. He looks angry and aggressive. He looks like he'd been out fighting on the street, getting his knuckles bloody in the process and ready for some more. It's totally at odds with how we expect the character to behave.

And he just doesn't look like a superhero. Like it or not, the costume is a part of the formula. Strip that away, and things change with how a character is perceived. Look at Bat-bunny.
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Re: Comics are Awesome III

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BWprowl wrote:
Dominic wrote:The sum total "look" for Superman is not just "t shirt and jeans". It is....I dunno how to phrase it. "Brute?"
Because of what? The haircut? He just looks like A Dude. This look for Superman is effectively how I dressed for my first few years out of High School (yes, including the haircut), and you could hardly call me 'brutish' or whatever. What the ass?
The cape wrapped around his knuckles makes him look like a brute to me. That the normal street clothes, and as andersonh1 said, the angry look he's got makes him look like he's ready for a street brawl rather than being a super hero.
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Re: Comics are Awesome III

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Sparky Prime wrote:The cape wrapped around his knuckles makes him look like a brute to me. That the normal street clothes, and as andersonh1 said, the angry look he's got makes him look like he's ready for a street brawl rather than being a super hero.
What about clothes makes it look like he's ready for a brawl? Literally all of us wear street clothes in our normal lives, and none of us go out looking to beat ass for kicks (I'm assuming). Jeans and a t-shirt does not equate with brutish thuggery. It just doesn't.

I agree that the way they've drawn Superman, the person, with the look on his face and all DOES make him look a bit douchey, but the clothes aren't really part of that any more than if he was drawn in the same clothes but smiling and waving. You're trying to equate the most basic, nondescript outfit ever with a certain degree of behavior, which is just nuts.

And we assuredly can't accuse people who dress in jeans and a t-shirt of being illiterate, as Dom implied (He didn't say "People who look like Superman there", he said "dress like").

I hate this outfit even more now just because it led to this mind-numbing discussion. Who even judges people that severely based on how they dress?
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Dominic
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Re: Comics are Awesome III

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My mistake. I should have said "over-all look". The general look of Superman evokes a street brute.
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andersonh1
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Re: Comics are Awesome III

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Dominic wrote:My mistake. I should have said "over-all look". The general look of Superman evokes a street brute.
Yeah, he looks like he should be hanging out on the corner in Double Dragon or Street Fighter, waiting to waylay someone.
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Sparky Prime
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Re: Comics are Awesome III

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BWprowl wrote:What about clothes makes it look like he's ready for a brawl? Literally all of us wear street clothes in our normal lives, and none of us go out looking to beat ass for kicks (I'm assuming). Jeans and a t-shirt does not equate with brutish thuggery. It just doesn't.
I didn't say it was the clothes though, now did I? Like I said, it's the torn cape wrapped around his knuckles that makes him look like a brute to me more than anything else, but being in normal street clothes doesn't help the image. Put it all together and he looks like a street brawling thug, who just happens to be wearing a Superman t-shirt. He doesn't look at all like a super hero, and that's the problem.
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