"Hey, you got your realism in my superhero!" or "Another fucking Alex Ross cover?"
Sometime during my wanderings this weekend, I saw that someone (whoever you are, please comment so I can attribute this properly) pointed out something interesting and vexing about the new Superman vs. The Flash trade paperback. They've taken these pop superhero stories that are absurd, childish, and sheer fun and slapped an Alex Ross cover on them to make it more sellable. See, Alex Ross is the exact fucking opposite of "fun" in my book his heavy-handed Norman Rockwell approach to superheroes is one of the things that's driving me right up the fucking wall lately.
Why do comics companies (DC, in particular) feel the need to burden escapist entertainment with "realistic" and "grim" storylines? Why do they think that getting some guy to paint a cover that shows how utterly fucking serious a pair of people who dress in spandex and primary colors are about their little race is in any way a true reflection of what's inside? Why go with Alex Ross instead of a Darwyn Cooke or Alex Toth? Why not ask Carmine Fucking Infantino to show them some love now that they've taken care of that lawsuit? I mean, he only helped define the Flash in the Silver Age and can sling ink fairly well to this day. Ross is also doing a variant cover for the new Green Lantern #1. Why? Carlos Pacheco isn't good enough? Last time I checked, his art was more fluid and alive than anything Ross does outside of his sketchbooks1 and the preview covers I saw from him were good enough, thanks very much for asking.
The people that go towards things with Alex Ross covers generally don't want to read older comics - they want to feel like they're getting in touch with some sort of pseudo-art that's ponderous and important. Superhero comics, while culturally significant as a genre and a great deal of fun when done properly are not, in fact, important a good 99.95% of the time. It's not enough to tell your audience that something is important because it's drawn in a dark, brooding style and some rape happens within; you have to give them more.
So, it's not enough that heroes wives have to go and get the Law And Order: SVU treatment. Now we have to make sure that people go "Oh my god, this comic is important because that Alex Ross painted that cover and he's a real fucking artist" in order to get more sales on a title that is going to do gangbusters anyway because it's Geoff Johns doing Hal Jordan? Do they not notice that shows like Teen Titans Go and Justice League Unlimited have an audience primed for fun? Do they not notice that Morrison's managed to do some sales magic with C-list characters because the Seven Soldiers stuff is pop and surreal and fun?
I've been assured by people "who know stuff" that all this darkness is going to lead to a brighter tomorrow, but I'm choosing to ignore it unless somebody at the shop on a Sunday asks me directly about a title. I don't need to be told that something is important and I find it personally insulting that they choose to go that route instead of letting me figure this stuff out myself.
Yes, this is like my ninth rant about the current state of the DCU. I'll get over it one day, when they stop telling me how fucking seriously I should take their books about guys with names like Mister Terrific.
1I've seen some sketches from Ross that were, in fact, quite good and could be used on their own as comics art quite easily. It's when he starts applying the paint and making Superman look as if he were crapping a nine-pound piece of brie that I go off the rails in regards to his art. See also: he made a friend dress up as Galactus for Marvels, for Christ's sake. I don't think any of my homies would do that for me.
Sometime during my wanderings this weekend, I saw that someone (whoever you are, please comment so I can attribute this properly) pointed out something interesting and vexing about the new Superman vs. The Flash trade paperback. They've taken these pop superhero stories that are absurd, childish, and sheer fun and slapped an Alex Ross cover on them to make it more sellable. See, Alex Ross is the exact fucking opposite of "fun" in my book his heavy-handed Norman Rockwell approach to superheroes is one of the things that's driving me right up the fucking wall lately. Why do comics companies (DC, in particular) feel the need to burden escapist entertainment with "realistic" and "grim" storylines? Why do they think that getting some guy to paint a cover that shows how utterly fucking serious a pair of people who dress in spandex and primary colors are about their little race is in any way a true reflection of what's inside? Why go with Alex Ross instead of a Darwyn Cooke or Alex Toth? Why not ask Carmine Fucking Infantino to show them some love now that they've taken care of that lawsuit? I mean, he only helped define the Flash in the Silver Age and can sling ink fairly well to this day. Ross is also doing a variant cover for the new Green Lantern #1. Why? Carlos Pacheco isn't good enough? Last time I checked, his art was more fluid and alive than anything Ross does outside of his sketchbooks1 and the preview covers I saw from him were good enough, thanks very much for asking.
The people that go towards things with Alex Ross covers generally don't want to read older comics - they want to feel like they're getting in touch with some sort of pseudo-art that's ponderous and important. Superhero comics, while culturally significant as a genre and a great deal of fun when done properly are not, in fact, important a good 99.95% of the time. It's not enough to tell your audience that something is important because it's drawn in a dark, brooding style and some rape happens within; you have to give them more.
So, it's not enough that heroes wives have to go and get the Law And Order: SVU treatment. Now we have to make sure that people go "Oh my god, this comic is important because that Alex Ross painted that cover and he's a real fucking artist" in order to get more sales on a title that is going to do gangbusters anyway because it's Geoff Johns doing Hal Jordan? Do they not notice that shows like Teen Titans Go and Justice League Unlimited have an audience primed for fun? Do they not notice that Morrison's managed to do some sales magic with C-list characters because the Seven Soldiers stuff is pop and surreal and fun?
I've been assured by people "who know stuff" that all this darkness is going to lead to a brighter tomorrow, but I'm choosing to ignore it unless somebody at the shop on a Sunday asks me directly about a title. I don't need to be told that something is important and I find it personally insulting that they choose to go that route instead of letting me figure this stuff out myself.
Yes, this is like my ninth rant about the current state of the DCU. I'll get over it one day, when they stop telling me how fucking seriously I should take their books about guys with names like Mister Terrific.
1I've seen some sketches from Ross that were, in fact, quite good and could be used on their own as comics art quite easily. It's when he starts applying the paint and making Superman look as if he were crapping a nine-pound piece of brie that I go off the rails in regards to his art. See also: he made a friend dress up as Galactus for Marvels, for Christ's sake. I don't think any of my homies would do that for me.
