quoting Bombardem: I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me why scott pilgrim is good. I mean the art is pathetic, so is the writing really spectacular or something?

I'm not going to say that Scott Pilgrim is the greatest, but I would never call the art "pathetic". It has a great sense of design to it and it's just cartoony fun, which is the whole tone of the comic. The writing is light fare, with cute idiosyncratic situations, and just plain fun to read with all the dated video game references and music shoutouts. It really captures the whole awesome Toronto indy-rock culture many (myself included) truly relate to, or at least enjoy.

If you didn't see the review for it on acomicbookorange, they probably put it better than I can.

Personally, Bombardem, I don't think you'll like it if only because you are turned off by the art. That may be the buffer for old people :P But at least it's not drawn by Rob Leifeld!

In response to your Part 3: the point in having a gay superhero is the same as that of having a black superhero in the 60's or a woman superhero in the 40's. But really in the end, the point is to make money.

"Unless they are either super flamboyant man, or have their secret hideout in a public park restroom why would I care?"
...So if there was, and they did, you'd care then?

Yes, because then I wouldnt read it. But since we arent watching superheroes have sex, why should their orientation have any place in a comicbook at all? I dont ask if my co-workers or neighbors are gay, and unless they are super flamboyant I'd never know. I like my comics like Pro wrestling. Sure these are grown men wearing spandex leotards, and sequins, and are into bodybuilding, but unless they say something I can pretend they aren't gay...

are you saying that Clark Kent crushing on Lois Lane has no place in comics? and the same for Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy/Mary Jane?

Not if Lois and Gwen have penises

just because you're personally uncomfortable with something, doesn't mean there's no place for it in comics.
you're disguising homophobia as legitimate arguments, but they're wearing the emperor's clothing (metaphor alert!)

i'm not saying that i personally would run to the store to pick up a gay superhero story, but i'll never say there's no place for it in comics. you're just wrong, dude. i only harp on this because you make genuine sound arguments a lot of the time

and don't tell me you wouldn't want to see Lois and Gwen in a naked pillowfight (sans peni)

lol@broad

Yep, cuz we could all totally relate to Colossus before. What, with our organic steel skin mutation, hulking physique, upbringing in rural communist Russia, and time-traveling sister. Oh, and our having been killed and resurrected. You know, normal stuff. He's like another Peter Parker.

As for the gay heroes thing, I'm with Pete. But that kind of poor writing of gay characters happens in just about all media. By the way, don't forget to check out Liz Baillie's 'My Brain Hurts' for a story with solid depictions of gay characters. The first trade is out now, and it's cheap.

I guess I'm with Clive on Scott Pilgrim. Never read any because it seems like the art is in the manga mold, which turns me off, and it seems too geared toward teenage antics. Alex loves it though, so maybe I'll give it a shot. Maybe I can read it at Borders first...

I think it's distracting because it's written distractingly.

Gay characters are almost across the board written in the same way as Claremont on Psylocke's psychic knife.

HOWEVER. We're going to discuss this next week, but as a little preview, check out the latest issue of Crime Bible (which is really solid, btw) for a gay character well written, and non-distractingly so.

Cheers to Rucka!

Alright, I broke down and bought the first Scott Pilgrim trade while at the LCS (Bizarro Wuxtry in Athens, GA) today.

Alex, I'm blaming you if I get hooked. If I don't this volume is soooo gonna be somebody's stocking stuffer.

I understand your complaint because VERY often the line between a collection and a planned work is blurred for marketing reasons. For instance Watchmen is a graphic novel but was released in 12 issues rather than a single novel format book. However Spiderman's story 'Kravens Last Hunt' is not. Its a story arc. Your specific complaint however about Visionaries is incorrect, because no one is calling it a graphic novel at all. This episode is about trade paperbacks, which is what all the visionairies books are, TPB's. Just look at the marvel.com catalog, its called "DAREDEVIL VISIONARIES: FRANK MILLER VOL. II TPB "

Watchmen may have been a 12 issue limited series, but its also a graphic novel. Just look it up on Wikipedia.