Outside of a few Christmas specials the variety show has faded from TV and public view. How many of you younger readers even know what a variety show is? My generation was probably the last ones to experience it outside of reruns. Carol Burnett was the queen of variety shows and when she recently accepted an award in her name mentioned how disappointed she is that nobody is looking to bring it back. I have to agree. I miss the old variety shows.
Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? and its various video game and TV spinoffs follows a detective (you in the games) for ACME as they chase Carmen around the world. Carmen is a former ACME agent who turned to crime for fun. Her best showing was in the Saturday morning cartoon Where On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego, where she would steal the strangest things using outrageous gadgets, but would save the lives of the agents chasing her because she was a thief for fun but not a killer. It’s really a great show and you should watch it if you can. There were also two game shows but they don’t factor in this discussion.
Netflix has decided to give Carmen yet another cartoon. The focus is on her…except it isn’t. Like a certain Princess Of Power a potentially good show appears to have been ruined by a terrible adaptation. This is NOT the Carmen from the games and cartoon.
AKA someone bought a really bad calendar.
Iron Man volume 3 #21
Marvel Comics (October, 1999)
PLOT: Kurt Busiek & Roger Stern
SCRIPT: Roger Stern
COLORIST: Steve Oliff
LETTERING: Comicraft
“Burning Need”
PENCILER: Mark Bagley
INKER: Eric Cannon
The Eighth Day prologue: “Strange Things Done In The Midnight Sun”
PENCILER: Tom Grummett
INKER: Art Thibert
It’s easy to say that thus far I am not enjoying this book, and not for the reasons I thought. When I picked this up I had more money and more curiosity. I heard Clancy was a good author, although now there is apparently some debate who actually wrote it, and the ideas seemed interesting. As I got older I’ve learned to shy away from anything politically charged because I currently live in a period where EVERYTHING is politically charged, outside of shows for preschoolers and I’m sure their time is coming too. Politics is ruining everything because having an opinion isn’t enough. Now you must have “my” opinion on every last detail or you’re the worst human imaginable. If you disagree on anything or don’t agree hard enough you’re the enemy. Speaking as someone who has fought a personal rage inside almost as bad as Bruce Banner I am so over this crap! It’s ruined social media and chased people on all sides out (but not the ones we’d like to see leave) and turned potentially good stories and characters into propaganda.
And yet my problem with this book thus far isn’t the politics because somehow it’s less political than the stuff Marvel Comics is putting out despite being ABOUT political unrest. No, my problem is of the people handling the only ones I don’t hate either is supposed to be in charge of the investigation or morning a loved one. Everyone else are opportunistic jerks who may well scuttle this operation, the only proof of which I have they won’t are two more Op-Center books and a Net Force spinoff on my shelf. What isn’t helping is the page count for the chapters, showing too strong an obsession with the time stamp gimmick. That takes us right into today’s count.
I’m starting to think the good story is in Seoul and the bad story is happening in America. I’m not sure I’m happy about that.
Luckily this is pre-Identity Crisis so this isn’t going to end as badly for Jade.
Green Lantern 3-D
DC Comics (December, 1998)
“Into The Light”
WRITER: Ron Marz
PENCILER: Georges Jeanty
INKERS: Dexter Vines & John Lowe
COLORIST: Mike Danza
LETTERER: Chris Eliopoulos
3-D EFFECTS: Ray Zone
EDITOR: Kevin Dooley
What is likely to happen with the world of comics in 2019 for publishers big and small, and what roles does the internet play when it comes to fans? ICv2’s Rob Salkowitz has a few predictions.
The Clutter Reports (my other site) Atop The Fourth Wall Crisis On Earth Prime Lean Into Artcast Bully Says “Comics Oughta Be Fun” Siskoid’s Blog of Geekery
Cartoon Hero’s Lair SF Debris Four Million Years Later
BW’s Morning Article Link: Fixing The Comic Distribution Issue
Comic stores all over the US have been shutting down to due a number of factors. You have the current state of the economy to blame but you also have the problem of mistakes at the comic company and Diamond publishing to blame. The old gimmicks are doing more than not working, they’re actually hurting the stores. Phil Boyle, owner of Coliseum of Comics, wrote a guest-post for ICv2 giving some ideas on the store’s end and on the publisher’s end for keeping comic stores in business. Here’s one I’d add: Remember that what made the medium popular were kids using their allowance to buy comic books, and maybe figure out how to price comics so they can do so again and make comics kids can enjoy. Even the kids comics are too expensive and they aren’t getting the superhero stories I got as a kid. I’m all for showing that comics aren’t just for kids but the solution is NOT making sure comics aren’t for kids at all.
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Posted by ShadowWing Tronix on January 8, 2019 in Comic Spotlight and tagged comic stores, comics, commentary.
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