Planetary Overrated?

[Darrell D.]

I totally get this perspective, but just because it's intentionally super-decompressed and boring with stupid dialogue doesn't mean that it is enjoyable or smart. His other Batman stories were attempting sharp satire; "All Star" was sloppy parody.

It's like Dr. Strangelove or Blazing Saddles compared to Epic Movie. The former two have structure and form; they are smartly constructed in order to say something, and exist as good stories independently of the things they are satirizing. The latter is just showing a bunch of random stuff and saying "Look! This is all the stuff you see in big blockbuster movies! Am I right?!"

If ASBAR is truly meant as a parody or satire as fans claim, that's fine; I just don't feel it has any inherent value beyond the Epic Movie style of storytelling by saying "Hey, look at how decompressed the story is! Naughty language! Ridiculous violence! Totally over the top cynical/dark/gritty characterization! This is totally what the current climate of superhero comics is like, am I right?!"

I think the over-the-top works completely for the book. It takes these archetypes and amps them up to 11...Wonder Woman being a man hater, Green Lantern this boy scout, Superman the authority figure, Canary, the sexy face kicker...
It's Miller's version of the DC heroes, and it works within the story he is telling. Even Jim Lee loosens up with his art on the book, and I say this as someone who has never been a fan of his art.
It's the Adam West Batman, if the Adam West Batman was a crazy face puncher.
It's fun.

[WhitOro]

I love Planetary, but sadly I only read the first half, the second part of the Absolute edition is still out of my reach for translation reasons. I had to buy the first one in italian, for the sake of consistency I'll take the second one like that too.

I just love stories about fiction. The issue dedicated tot Grant Morrison was my favourite by far. Been a while since I read it, but was pretty much about a group of scientists extracting a character from a fictional world and he turns out to be pure evil because pure evil is fiction or something like this? God, need to re-read it, I'm sure I'm screwing it up.

These are the kind of stories that make me squee like a total fanboy, I just love metafiction that much.

I think the over-the-top works completely for the book. It takes these archetypes and amps them up to 11...Wonder Woman being a man hater, Green Lantern this boy scout, Superman the authority figure, Canary, the sexy face kicker...
It's Miller's version of the DC heroes, and it works within the story he is telling. Even Jim Lee loosens up with his art on the book, and I say this as someone who has never been a fan of his art.
It's the Adam West Batman, if the Adam West Batman was a crazy face puncher.
It's fun.

Thumbs up, 5 out of 5, 10/10.

[Shellhead]

My last comment on this thread is this:

Planetary was a clever, beautiful book, at times heart wrenching, with something to say about comics, and about pop culture in general. All comics should strive to be this good.

But I can read through Planetary in an afternoon. I'm not CHALLENGED by Planetary. It doesn't give me insight - real insight - into the human condition, it doesn't force me to consider or reconsider my understanding of violence, or sex, or morality, or existence. It doesn't surprise me each and every time I read it with new elements, new layers. It doesn't tickle my creative drive, it doesn't instill in me a hunger to learn more about any of the elements therein.

It's an easy book. That doesn't make it better, or worse, necessarily, but for me it makes it less engaging than something like Watchmen, or Engima, or Morrison's Doom Patrol or Invisibles or Flex.

Great points. I really enjoyed Planetary, but I have to admit that it isn't a great comic, just a very good one. There are some interesting ideas in Planetary, but none of them are especially deep.