I have no idea what’s going on with ComiXology these days. Just recently I posted a BW Ramble v-log about how they finally fixed the Guided View feature they dropped when Amazon bought the digital comics service and decided to integrate it into Kindle, and now they’re cutting a huge chunk of their workforce. Almost 75% according to Bounding Into Comics. Yes, with people being allowed into that area of space we call “outside”, which I vaguely remember visiting once or twice, demand for at-home media has gone down. Streaming services are not making as much money as they were during the lockdowns and that’s only partly blamed on Netflix doing terrible anime live-action remakes and movies of dirty dancing pre-teens, Amazon working over Tolkien fans, and basically everything Disney is doing to their animated properties, comics, and Star Wars. Part of it can also be blamed on our current economic issues and I won’t go into a political rant here because I’ve discussed that stuff too much lately and yet will probably have to again.
Even people currently working at ComiXology is complaining about the layoffs, not to mention high ranking types who are already hitting the job sites for work. That’s certainly bad news in this climate and I wish them all the best of luck, but BW Media Spotlight isn’t a business site, it’s a storytelling site. Digital comics, for some, have replaced physical comics because they take up less floor space and are a bit cheaper since there isn’t printing costs to deal with…I mean, in theory they’re cheaper. However, with such a huge drop in people running the site this is a format of comics that may take a hit of its own, and frankly just pushes my belief that physical comics are still superior in the end.
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How To Properly Satirize Superman
I have made my dislike of “evil Superman” stories clear: I am not a fan. It’s usually done by somebody who doesn’t get the character, is too cynical to believe someone with Superman’s powers wouldn’t kill and turn evil despite how many heroes are practically at Superman’s level in the DC and other universes with nobody complaining about how Captain Shazam isn’t evil, or characters like Marvel’s Guardian despite his changing sides depending who is on the Shi’Ar throne at any given moment. Nope, it’s just Superman they can’t believe, the “boy scout” who is kind, compassionate, and loves humanity.
Sucker, you better HOPE anyone with that level of power is more like Superman than Homelander. That’s how the fantasy works!
That’s not to say that you can’t tell a story that looks at someone with Superman’s powers and make an interesting story about someone without Clark’s morality, but you need that morality and Clark Kent/Superman himself as the template to base your hero on, especially if you ARE going with the moral superhero route. As proof I bring you the following video by Overly Sarcastic Productions, a channel I don’t usually follow but have seen videos for. I was pointed to this by a recent article by Caroline Furlong, so thanks for pointing out a new addition to my Defending Superman playlist over on my YouTube channel. Since I’m trying to get my schedule under control this admittedly long video (with some rather uneven swear censoring) is just what I needed.
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Posted by ShadowWing Tronix on January 27, 2023 in DC Spotlight and tagged commentary, Superman.
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