Rec of the day / DC shenanigans

[astridv]

lakrids404 linked me to this very cool parkour vid In the style of the Mirror's Edge game. (Which I'm unfamiliar with, but watching this vid you get a good idea what the actual game looks like. ;)

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Been following the latest DC cock-up on tumblr: a talent search for a new artist to draw a page of Harley Quinn #0. Neat idea, right?

Panel 4/4 reads thusly: Harley sitting naked in a bathtub with toasters, blow dryers, blenders, appliances all dangling above the bathtub and she has a cord that will release them all. We are watching the moment before the inevitable death. Her expression is one of “oh well, guess that’s it for me” and she has resigned herself to the moment that is going to happen.

Another proud moment in comicsland. If it wasn't so much work I'd consider drawing a sarcastic entry for their talent search, but they're not worth it.
When I told my roommate she snarked that some editor must be looking for material for their fap folder. It would make some sort of sense, because the four panels are totally disconnected and don't give an artist any way to showcase their talent at sequential art, which you'd think is kind of an important ability to look for in a penciller.
Me, I was more wondering whether they want to weed out artists who have a problem with drawing sexist shit.
(I think one of the co-writer's explanation was that it's all 'dark humor' or somesuch. But then he took his facebook entry down so who knows.)

Comments

[likeadeuce]

I'm willing to grant the possibility that the panels make sense in context of the issue -- Palmiotti's kind of a sick fuck, but he mostly earns it with tone and storytelling. But why on earth you'd pick THAT page for this kind of contest is baffling.

[astridv]

Yeah. Dark humor, breaking the fourth wall, yaddacakes, I gather that's how that writer is defending it now. But the context is irrelevant because all those prospective artists were originally supposed to work this was the short script excerpt. Poorly thought through at the very least. But really, I think it's a problem that they didn't even suspect a problem in taking these scenes out of context. They lost the ability to register stuff like that in the first place.

[likeadeuce]

But really, I think it's a problem that they didn't even suspect a problem in taking these scenes out of context. They lost the ability to register stuff like that in the first place.

"We have lost the ability to register stuff like that in the first place" should be DC's motto.

[ratcreature]

Urgh, I really need to discontinue the couple DC series I still have in subscription in my comic store, mostly for nostalgia sake, because I'm really very attached to the characters, like Animal Man for example, and am a completist collector at heart even though I'm not reading/following DC atm. Sometimes I wish inertia was a less powerful force in my life.

[astridv]

All bad PR aside, for me the price of these books is a powerful incentive. Right now I'm only reading Hawkeye (but if the TPB of Secret Avengers proves to be as interesting as the first issue, I'll probably add that to my subscription.)

[ratcreature]

That's very true too. It certainly would help my budget to just give up on DC and I'd have 12-15€/month to spend on something that I'm enjoying right now, rather than throwing good money after bad because I feel some nostalgic attachment...

[a2zmom]

I've been a DC girl forever. I love Batman and his screwed up family. Dick Greyson has long been my favorite comic character. And Barbara Gordon, rising above something that would have left most people a ball of self pity. And I've always love that Superman is completely whipped by Lois.

And now, all of that is gone. I hate the New 52. Every single character is a pale imitation of their former self. None of them are interesting.

I'm not surprised that they would think that amusing. Torture and shock is about all they have left now.

[astridv]

I haven't read any of the New 52 line but I heard enough references to get an idea what it's like. Everybody seems to hate what they're doing with the characters.

I'm actually reading Gotham Central right now and have been impressed with the diverse ensemble of characters... it still makes you take note when you get an ensemble that's not majority white straight male (and all characters are treated with equal respect by the narrative).

I wonder what happened at DC, change of execs?