BW’s Art Soundoff 2021 #3: The Retcon Bomb

Dissecting The Comic Book Workers United Charter

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not necessarily “anti-union”. In theory unions are a good idea, gathering together to keep their members from being taken advantage of by companies. When they were created the “robber barons” had basically forced their existence. They were also created or taken over by the mob at times, and even today maintain some of that mentality. I lost faith in the whole system when an auto workers union was trying to get a hotel to join them. I’ve also heard stories about creators and performers giving up on dream projects because the studio wasn’t unionized. Instead of saying “fine, but if they screw you over you’re on your own because we won’t help you” the unions are more like “if you do this we’ll disown you entirely because you should only work for the folks we want you to”. I’ve also heard, mostly from an old forum for animators, that there are unions who collect dues and then do nothing, or let their members suffer during a strike to force a business to accept demands they can’t afford. I like the what a union is supposed to be, it’s just so many of them aren’t and I would hate to miss out on a project because some outside body came in and said I couldn’t, yet kept taking my money while not supporting me when they should.

So I’m not coming at the Comic Book Workers United group because “unions suxxors” or anything like that. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t have a problem with it. To quote from an article on Graphic Policy: “Comic Book Workers United is a new unionization effort by Image Comics‘ employees represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA).” If you look at the article they have some well-meaning goals, as they want to improve things for creators and protect them (I’m sure some early DC creators wish they had some of those) but as you go over the charter/manifesto/whatever you want to call it on their website you go over their goals page and…a few things don’t quite add up for me. Let’s look at their listed goals overview and see what sounds good and what really doesn’t.

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“Yesterday’s” Comic> Avengers FCBD 2015

Coming soon: Avenger Kids. (considering Disney Jr has a show regressing Spider-Man and friends into kids like they were the PJ Masks, don’t discount that)

Free Comic Book Day 2015 (Avengers)

Can we stop writing “#1” when you know there isn’t going to be a #2?

Marvel Comics (June, 2015)

All-New, All-Different Avengers

WRITER: Mark Waid

ARTIST: Mahmud Asrar

COLORIST: Frank Martin

LETTERER: Joe Sabino

COVER ART: Jerome Opeña & Frank Martin

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Jon Moisan

EDITORS: Tom Brevoort & Wil Moss

I know it’s the back cover and not a flip book, but if they want to count it…

The Uncanny Inhumans

WRITER: Charles Soule

ARTIST: Brandon Peterson

COLORIST: Justin Ponsor

COVER ART (BACK): Nick Bradshaw & Richard Isanove

LETTERER: Clayton Cowles

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Charles Beacham

EDITOR: Nick Lowe

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BW’s Art Soundoff 2021 #2: R-E-S-P-E-C-T

When I had it uploaded I realized I forgot the part about respecting other creators. This is why I think I’m going to start using scripts. Art Soundoff may be meant to be unpolished but I can’t talk to a camera, or really other people, and be as coherent as I am in my head for some reason. I’ll touch on that part in tomorrow’s entry.

Chapter By Chapter> Star Trek: Prime Directive part 3 chapter 3

Chapter By Chapter features me reading one chapter of the selected book at the time and reviewing it as if I were reviewing an episode of a TV show or an issue of a comic. There will be spoilers if you haven’t read to the point I have, and if you’ve read further I ask that you don’t spoil anything further into the book. Think of it as read-along book club.

Part 3: Talin chapter 3

Previously we got to see even more evidence that something is rotten about this whole situation. This chapter we go back to the attempt to swipe a ride back to Talin IV to look further into things.

The Orions are an odd group in Star Trek lore, and a lot of that came from later shows. The Orions first showed up in the original pilot, and then when it was remixed into “The Menagerie”. Even then it was just a mental illusion based on a race Captain Pike was aware of. They showed up again in the animated series as a group of pirates, but really didn’t make a lot of further appearances on TV until Enterprise offered up some weird ideas like the slave women were secretly the one in charge of the pirate guild, which other media established as even allowing non-Orions into. I don’t think this group was ever really thought out, but my experience outside of the TV shows, even with the number of comics and novels I own (plus an audio drama called Cacophony I can recommend), is pretty limited. Basically I’m killing space on the homepage, so let’s get into the actual review.

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“Yesterday’s” Comic> Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #148

“Are you sure, because I seem to be bending it okay.”

Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #148

DC Comics (April, 1972)

WRITER/PENCILER: Jack Kirby

COVER ART: Neal Adams

COVER LETTERER: Gaspar Salandino

Jimmy Olsen:”Monarch Of All He Subdues”

INKER: Vince Colletta & Murphy Anderson

LETTERER: John Costanza

Tales Of The DNA Project: “Genetic Criminal”

INKER/LETTERER: Mike Royer

The Newsboy Legion: “The Meanest Man On Earth!”

Sadly this story is not in the comiXology upload for some reason. I got the credits from comics.org but obviously I can’t review it.

CO-WRITER/INKER: Joe Simon

LETTERER: Howard Ferguson

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BW’s Art Soundoff 2021: We’re Unofficial This Year!

Visit the Art Soundoff website to learn more and how to participate.