tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863067557730775717.post6105990339728017645..comments2023-06-10T05:57:34.529-04:00Comments on Being Carter Hall: CBR Interview With Tony DanielLukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07352646370918575626noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863067557730775717.post-21082588675742973692011-06-15T18:39:46.335-04:002011-06-15T18:39:46.335-04:00So long as you heard what I meant over what I said...So long as you heard what I meant over what I said, whatevs. I liked Ostrander's take on Byth better than his creation of Malefic. The template works better for a corrupt CO than an evil twin brother.<br /><br />I do like space cop over detective, especially with Shayera gone, but I still want brains with my brawn.<br /><br />My BAL is also pretty low. I like the Bronze Age stuff through Miller/Starlin, before the Brits made him the UberBat. Most of the cartoons and some of the movies are okay. The '60s show was cute. I'm more of a Nightwing guy, as the family goes.Diabolu Frankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863067557730775717.post-40686330982166030372011-06-15T10:27:14.905-04:002011-06-15T10:27:14.905-04:00One more thought. Great villains are almost always...One more thought. Great villains are almost always a counterpoise to the hero's strongest aspect. Luthor and Brainiac are brains against Superman's array of physical powers; Joker and Two-Face are chaos and unpredictability to Batman's focus and effort to bring order; Captain Cold and Mirror Master make it slippery and difficult for Flash to run, or blind or distract him so that he can't see to run in the right direction. I'm sure there are lots of counter-examples to show this isn't the only way to make a great villain, but I still think it's a good place to start.Jusshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11160203994690082961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863067557730775717.post-58363878936908815482011-06-15T08:25:28.199-04:002011-06-15T08:25:28.199-04:00Luke, interesting about your Bat-index idea. Perso...Luke, interesting about your Bat-index idea. Personally I'd always thought each comics fan had a Superman-index. I'd always assumed, as you do, that we all enjoy Batman on some level; but being more of an innate Superman fan, it's always been interesting to me to see how much a fan will idolize, dismiss, or actively 'dis' Kal-El. Comments about 'underwear on the outside' and 'Big Blue Boy Scout' are big giveaways. But to Hawkman.<br /><br />Gentleman Ghost and Shadow Thief, yes. They'll never go away; they're just a little back-burnered for now. I'd like to see Matter Master again, too. I think Headhunter could be developed more or better. I wish Hawkman had his own version of Spider, or Coyote, the Amerindian Trickster--like Spider-Man's Mysterio, or Flash's Trickster. Or maybe Byth fits in that category? I've forever wanted to see Hawkman fight--one long, book-length *fight*--Solomon Grundy. Just pounding the living ...... out of each other. Finally, I'd like to see Hawkman have a foe who would more irritate and bedevil him, as Myxyzptlk does to Superman. It could even be someone who wants to be an ally-which brings me to a dream I have of seeing Badger in a comic with Hawkman.<br /><br />Last, I very much agree that I long for the detection and adventuring we saw in the Silver Age!Jusshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11160203994690082961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863067557730775717.post-14924081431610287742011-06-14T22:29:05.621-04:002011-06-14T22:29:05.621-04:00It seems like this relaunch would be a good place ...It seems like this relaunch would be a good place to completely distance "Carter" from Thanagar and the Katar craziness, but I don't think that'll happen. Still, an alien arch-nemesis seems like an odd choice, but having not read the story, I could be way off.<br /><br />I can see the new nemesis being a variation of Lion Mane--the animalistic imagery is very striking and elemental. I don't dislike Lion Mane, though I always kind of saw him as a one-note villain; perhaps a good re-invention could do better. I preferred Shadow Thief and Gentleman Ghost much more because they were just so different than everything else out there.<br /><br />As for Batman... I can appreciate just about any depiction of him short of a live action movie where he flashes the Bat-credit card (Yes, that bothered me more than Bat-nipples). "Battle for the Cowl" made me want to do something irrationally violent, but I take a deep breath and go to my happy place. I grant that even my favorite writers have flopped at times. I'm not going to boycott anything by Daniel, and besides, the book was two or three years ago; I'm sure he's gotten better.<br /><br />And anyway, while James Robinson might have been masterful in the '90s, I've found his recent stuff on Superman and Justice League of America to be god-awful, so I wasn't looking forward to him writing Hawkman either.Count Drunkulahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18130778855882160092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863067557730775717.post-18414563338722293062011-06-14T18:57:06.223-04:002011-06-14T18:57:06.223-04:00@Frank, Gardner Fox crated Ma'alefa'ak?! ...@Frank, Gardner Fox crated Ma'alefa'ak?! I never knew that! All kidding aside, that is a good point about those two. One reason why I like the Silver Age Byth a lot more than the Modern one. I imagine that his new archfoe will be a take on Lionmane. Just a hunch.<br /><br />The Detective/Policeman aspect of Hawkman is sorely lacking nowadays. I don't need him to be a super sleuth (leave that to Bats and the Manhunter) but he should be an agent of law enforcement, still, and not just a winged barbarian.<br /><br />@Ryan, I think this is as good a time as any to advance my theory of the Minimum Batman Appreciation Level. See, the way I figure it, there is an index of every comic book fan's Batman Appreciation Level. And unlike pretty much every other character, Batman has a minimum level which all comic geeks have. At some level every comic geek likes Batman. My BAL is pretty low. I like B:TAS and am a huge BATO fan, but solo Bats is not my gig. Clearly, your BAL is a good deal higher. So I can see how Battle For The Cowl would have rubbed you the wrong way. Since I didn't have a particular investment with who won said battle, I just had fun with it as a loopy superhero romp. Understanding of course that Your Mileage May Vary.<br /><br />I'd love to see Hawkman cast off the shadow you refer to, and get back more into the Silver Age/late Bronze Age adventuring role which I enjoy so much. Heh, I wonder if maybe the baddies will be Thanagarians using an Absorbascon to influence events on Earth? Nah, too far-fetched... ;)Lukehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07352646370918575626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863067557730775717.post-19382755050353663112011-06-14T15:50:56.387-04:002011-06-14T15:50:56.387-04:00I hated Tony Daniel's script for "Battle ...I hated Tony Daniel's script for "Battle for the Cowl" to the point that I literally threw the second issue across the room when I finished it and never read the third. So the announcement that he's writing another of my favorite characters wasn't thrilling to hear.<br /><br />However, I am willing to give this a chance and hope for the best. Tan's art has me excited; getting Carter out of the shadow of the death/resurrection cycle has me excited; new villains has me excited (even though Shadow Thief is one of my all-time favs, too). I'll keep my fingers cross that this--and roughly fifty other books--are going to be great.Count Drunkulahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18130778855882160092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6863067557730775717.post-20310077592753990762011-06-14T13:12:26.860-04:002011-06-14T13:12:26.860-04:00I like the reference to RDJ Holmes, because it mea...I like the reference to RDJ Holmes, because it means he'll still be a detective, rather than just a winged Conan. On the other hand, almost any time someone sets out to create an arch-enemy, they unknowingly repeat past character beats that bores the faithful. Hell, I just now realized how much Byth and Ma'alefa'ak had in common, but at least that was same creator/different franchise. Who wants to start the betting pool on which already existing Hawkman rogue the new nemesis will be a slight variation on? This happens with Wonder Woman pretty near every other creative team.<br /><br />P.S. "Holmes" was meh, even though I usually like the actors and director.Diabolu Frankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.com