David Lloyd Sums it Up
Yeah, I’m going to follow Kurt’s lead here:
David Lloyd sums up the last ten years beautifully with the above image at the Beat’s year end survey.
I never cared much if my comics were made into movies in the past. Someday it might happen and I’ll buy something big, and go straight back to the drawing board, but I never viewed movies as a “step up” like some.
Still, it’s been encouraging to see the increasing deference our medium has earned as nerds of all types have clawed higher and higher in popular culture. And it’s refreshing to see at least a few comics benefit directly from the increased attention (Watchmen, 300, etc); reversing a long trend of comics movies selling movie tickets, but very few comics.
Waiting for progress in comics is like waiting for the hour hand on a clock. At any given time, it can feel like we’re standing still, but we’ve actually moved a lot in a fairly short time.
Or does that metaphor mean we’re just going in circles? Hm.
March 3, 2021
I wish I understood the Rainman metaphor better. Is it…
Comics can accomplish immensely complex tasks based on automatic algorithms but lack basic conscious reasoning skills whereas Movies…look good in sunglasses? That’s probably not it…
Movies selfishly try to take advantage of comics, only to gain a respect for them, but ultimately realize they aren’t best equipped to help them? Hm….
Anyway, I’m actually posting to ask if you’ve heard of geni.com. It’s a family tree generator that uses some cool visual interface things we’ve seen as part of infinite canvas.
I haven’t seen Rain Man, but I agree with the hour hand metaphor. 2009 might not have been the best year for comics. But if you look back at the whole decade- oh, man! Things have changed so much in ten years. And almost all for the better.
Yeah, I don’t get the analogy either. It seems to be making fun of comics.
Rainman was an idiot savant. He was embarrassing and awkward, but could tell you all sorts of forgotten things in the most minute details. And he would obsess over things most people don’t give a shit about.
Charlie, a slick, good-looking user of people, tries to take advantage of Rainman but ends up becoming sympathetic and accommodating to him.
I’d say it’s pretty dead on.
Rainman was a autistic savant, just as a small correction.
As for comics and movies relationship, I have a kind of taboo thought. It seems to me that the last few years that almost every movie was based on a comic, a book, a tv show, or an older movie. So maybe, just a thought, Hollywood needs to think of its own damn ideas!
That’s a very common thing to say about today’s movies, but what many people don’t realize is that it’s not a new phenomenon. Even classic writers/directors known for their originality based most of their work on pre-existing material.
Kubrick…Hitchcock…Shakespeare…
I have no problem with taking an old story and introducing it to a new audience, but I do prefer for something unique to be added to the mix.
Very true. thanks.