The online behavior of Comic Book Professionals

[RyanParkerMan]

I'm sorry to hear that; is there a fund set up for said St Louis women?

Why set up a fund for two chicks? Skeoooww

[The Batman]

It vents anger.

Why would you ever let a comic book story get you that angry?

When you look at a story like OMD/BND and then you see the company that put it out being rewarded with high sales you get angry. It's like Porky's winning the academy award for best picture over Casablanca.

No, it's like The Dark Knight Rises making more money at the box office than, say, How to Survive a Plague and it's something that happens all the time. Critical acclaim and popular appeal aren't the same thing. Why does other people enjoying a comic book you don't make you angry?

You get the feeling that marvel is saying "Look, we did something horrible and we won anyway! Now we can laugh at all of the people who don't like us."

I don't get that feeling whatsoever. Wonder why?

[oldschool]

Why set up a fund for two chicks? Skeoooww

So he did twice as well as I would have guessed; I stand corrected!

[RyanParkerMan]

So he did twice as well as I would have guessed; I stand corrected!

Don't be so hard on yourself Rob. You're a hip dude. You're worldly. You walked the length of NYC once. And a music lover. You're an interesting cat my man.

It's all about coinfidence and not landing in the quiet zones where both parties stop talking. That's why anytime I go into something like that I have a recent funny story in my back pocket. It's like American Express, you never leave without it! (is that American Express? I'm going to go now...)

[One More Day]

Don't be so hard on yourself Rob. You're a hip dude. You're worldly. You walked the length of NYC once. And a music lover. You're an interesting cat my man.

It's all about coinfidence and not landing in the quiet zones where both parties stop talking. That's why anytime I go into something like that I have a recent funny story in my back pocket. It's like American Express, you never leave without it! (is that American Express? I'm going to go now...)

What are you guys talking about

[RyanParkerMan]

What are you guys talking about

You're too young to understand...

[ShaggyB]

But this isn't a small group of friends sitting around in a room, so who cares? Big crowds, anonymity, distance: considering the quantum nature of the individuals in question is pointless. Insufficient data (a few comments on the web hardly grant you meaningful insights), along with the reality of who-gives-a-damn? This collective angst and uncoordinated-discomfort on display is a collective, soupy process. Focusing on making it personal is dumb/pointless/confused/futile.... and a little bit pathetic. If nothing else it demonstrates a real misunderstanding of whats going on.

Umm, that has nothing to do with what I said. Everyone here is human. The size of the sample is irrelevant because human reaction is the constant. It will be the constant no matter the sample size. When a person looks at a set of data and reacts they are being human. Being human doesnt matter in this case because every person reacting is human. The reaction is what is telling about the individual. If a person reads negativity into something, that say something about them. If they read positivity into it, that too say something about them. We know either is a human reaction. So is apathy towards the subject..... but again the reaction is what defines the particular human's human experience not the fact that reactions are human nature.

[odum]

Umm, that has nothing to do with what I said. Everyone here is human. The size of the sample is irrelevant because human reaction is the constant. It will be the constant no matter the sample size. When a person looks at a set of data and reacts they are being human. Being human doesnt matter in this case because every person reacting is human. The reaction is what is telling about the individual. If a person reads negativity into something, that say something about them. If they read positivity into it, that too say something about them. We know either is a human reaction. So is apathy towards the subject..... but again the reaction is what defines the particular human's human experience not the fact that reactions are human nature.

Hmm... honestly, in all light-heartedness, we may be navel-gazing right past each other. I choose to assume from here on out that we're on the same page.... heh...

[Chris S.]

Shots fired!

How old are you? My high school kids say this all the time. They think it is hilarious too.

Or maybe they truly believe what they're saying, even if they can't back it up with hard evidence. Remember the scientist who fugded the vaccine/autism numbers a couple of years ago? Everyone, and that includes people who weren't in his field...people who know nothing about statistics, were bashing him and calling him a terrible person.

They had a point. His research demonstrated statistical significance that vaccines were positively related to higher autism rates. He'd have parents not vaccinate their children and this would obviously lead to higher infant death rates. He lied about the numbers and yes that's horrible. But he lied about the numbers because, in his heart, he really really believed that vaccines helped to increase autism rates.

... Either that or he wanted to be famous... i don't know but i'd like to think he was trying to do a good thing.
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And after writing that i'm not sure exactly where I was going with the whole thing.

My sister in law decided not to vaccinate her second child after living in Washington and somehow being brainwashed by these people. I was dumbfounded and sent her like 20 articles all showing that it was a bunch of tom foolery. She swore that it wouldn't be a big deal because they lived in the US and he wouldn't be exposed to anything. Her husband is in the Navy and travels the world and she now lives in Japan. Go figure. Kid still isn't vaccinated either...

[Raphael Edwards]

How old are you? My high school kids say this all the time. They think it is hilarious too.

Old enough. Why, you wanna date?

Also, it was a joke I see often over words that could cause an argument...Are you trying to be insulting or something?

[Mark_S]

I don't get that feeling whatsoever. Wonder why?

We read comics differently.

[Mikey Brown]

People can't just accept that they themselves don't like something, they have to try and prove its categorically bad. Since you can't prove entertainment is bad, you can only try to prove its unpopular, so crunching made up sales numbers is the only way to quantify something as unpopular, therefore bad, therefore making themselves feel better about not liking something.

what this accomplishes, I don't know....

They win the argument! Duh!

[Mikey Brown]

It vents anger. When you look at a story like OMD/BND and then you see the company that put it out being rewarded with high sales you get angry. It's like Porky's winning the academy award for best picture over Casablanca. You get the feeling that marvel is saying "Look, we did something horrible and we won anyway! Now we can laugh at all of the people who don't like us."

I could really care less how a comic book sells. I read what I like. This is yet another example of "that story sucks, that's not opinion, that's how thing are".

[Mikey Brown]

Nope. Not saying that. If I'm rude I expect rudeness, if I'm not I don't expect it. But from some I expect it whether I'm rude or not. Ben Smith for one will go for the cheap shot or the sarcastic response 6 times out of 10. Wacker is the same way. I try not to be rude, but I don't waver from my views or opinions. I think much of what marvel puts out can be a lot better and I think that the direction they take -in my view elvating the villain at the cost of the hero or turning the hero into a villain and back again- isn't a good one and the quality of the stories suffer from quick plot convenience and lazy writing/editing. I've stated that and I've stated reasons and Wacker has often responded with condescension at best and amused cynical enjoyment of my anger at worst. That's why I put him on the ignore list. There is no point in either of us talking to each other or paying attention to each other. Safe in his job and his power he views the comic book characters one way and I view them another. The difference is that he has all the power to change them and I have none. That is the attitude he has brought to every argument we've ever had and he always tops it off with 'drama queen' and/or 'you love it' and finally 'well you must like them, I know you're still buying them, don't deny it' and I can almost hear the laughter as he types.
Doesn't mean that I'm not guilty too. I've posted in anger and later regretted it. I feel guilty about that but after a certain time you can't go back and edit because the words have been there too long.

I don't think you try hard enough. Hell in this very post you call them lazy. Do you really think they'll not defend themselves when you say such things?

[The Batman]

We read comics differently.

But this isn't about reading comics. It's about making assumptions about the people who make them. Unless, do you read every comic thinking that you might be getting laughed at?