#I wish Geoff and Jeff all the happiness :)

[ifwebefriends]

Me after watching “The (After)life of the Party” as a lowkey Scoff shipper:

[thisbelongsto-nohbodys]

My Top 12 TGaMM S2 songs (in no particular order)

Kinda like in Centaurworld, I found more songs in S1 than S2 that I liked but that's not to say that the songs weren't enjoyable. It's just a shame I won't be able to make a S3 list T_T

Anyways, here's my Top 12 TGaMM S2 songs in no particular order:

12. Frightful No More [A Doll to Die For]

It's great to hear Lord Hater again and a song that's an homage to "Everything's Coming Up Roses" (Gypsy) and "The Rain in Spain" (My Fair Lady)...at least that's what it make me think of.

11. It's Just Your Masterpiece in You [Faint of Art]

This episode was a pretty nice message on art block and a fear of failure that a lot of artists face, especially when they haven't done anything in years. I tend to procrastinate by snacking, which of course I can't draw with food fingers (even when using a napkin) so I gotta wait till it goes away, oh whoops, now the days ended, oh well, tomorrow...

10.Thai Culture Cram [100% Molly McGee]

A fun song showing the lengths that Molly is willing to go to learn half of her culture. Granted she didn't realize that this stuff takes time but she's on the right path.

9.Me & My Dad [Like Father, Like Libby]

Kid's who have an absentee parent def felt what Libby is singing about in this one. It just sucks when someone who should be important in your life, doesn't take it as serious as you'd wish they would.

8. Hit Restart [Perfect Day]

Gotta love how relaxed the singer is while describing the continuiously hectic attempts Molly and Scratch make at having a perfect first day of the year.

7. Identity Crisis [Davenport's in Demise]

It's a shame we didn't get more from Andrea this season, especially after this ep. I know we would've gotten her and Alina in S3 but still, I would've liked to see how her and Molly are friends

6. Maybe Next Time [The End] (Spoilers)

Scratch's backstory was a gut-punch, especially for those of us that feel like we're wasting our lives away. It does kinda remind me of a more sad version of "I Remember It Well" (Gigi)

5. Enjoy Your Afterlife [The New (Para)Normal]

A fun song with the Ghost Council about life after the Chairman's defeat that kinda reminds me of "Go Back to City Hall" in S1

4. You Got to Be Low-Key [The (After)Life of the Party]

Jinx is such a little shit in this song. Not to mention this was the ep that confirmed that Geoff and Jeff are married

3. Back to Misery [Jinx vs the Human World]

Gotta love a villain song. Just a shame we didn't get more.

2. Trying to Find [All in the Mind]

Love the abstract visuals of going through someone's mind and the soft vocals and instrumentals.

Honorable Mention 1: You've Been Jinxed [Jinx!]

Honorable Mention 2: Feeling Like MY Old Self Again/Small Town America [Kenny's Falling Star]

Honorable Mention 3: Happy Happy Death Day [The Many Lives of Scratch]

1.This House is Haunted [Frightmares on Main Street]

Love this homage to "Thriller" but it's also to see ghosts being able to let loose. A great Halloween special

As stated before, it's a shame that we won't get anymore eps but at least what we've gotten were great. Idk if I should do an overall list

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay-adjacent Visuals - I'm Dreaming Of A White Christmas

Geoff's cover of White Christmas was released on the 5th of December, 2022. As Geoff said in his Early Access post for this on Patreon, he has in fact already done this song before, all the way back in 2014 with VoicePlay (@jules-has-notes has a post about it, which you can find here), but he goes on to say that "after repeat listenings to that version, it seemed to me that it could use a bit of freshening up, and I'm always happy to oblige my own whims." And I'm certainly not complaining either! But anyway, we're not here to talk about the arrangement, we're here to talk about the video! So let's get into this!

This was filmed at PattyCake Studios, and this is the same set/backdrop that VoicePlay used in November last year for their Whiskey In The Jar video!

Geoff says in the video description "Special shout out to all of my my patrons who make these videos possible - If Daryl were here, he might be so grateful to you that he'd shed one single tear... but he's not. And he wouldn't because he's not a sentimental teddy bear like the rest of these softies." 😂 (So basically, it's Jeff, Goff, and Jeoph whom are in this video, along with "lead Geoff")

"Where the treetops glisten..."

"...and children listen"

The bit-by-bit addition of stuff into the scene is frankly an Inspired choice ngl, and I love the way the Clones react to things appearing behind them!

Fairly smooth transition with the outfit changes! If you go frame by frame, you can see a few differences in like the hand positionings and stuff, but it's barely noticeable otherwise!

(Also I wish that I could put up the Christmas tree, decorations and all, just by singing! Would make it so much easier!)

And of course I gotta shoutout to the way they all react to the outfit changes! Mostly with Lead Geoff being like :D and the Clones being like ???? 😆

To quote one of the comments: The second Geoff from the left at 0:55: 🎶"I'm dreaming of a white🎶. . . sweater?"

(Also Geoff really does like scarves huh. And plaid flannel shirts!)

"May your days, may your days, may your days be merry and bright!"

The way the scene additions sync up with the lyrics! The tree appears at the "treetops glisten" line, the gramophone for "children listen", and the lights on the tree for "merry and bright"!

There are decorations on the wall, gifts under the tree, and look! The postcard from Mele Kalikimaka in the background, below and to the right of the gramophone! (And I'm not sure if that's the same miniature tree from the Mele Kalikimaka video, but I'm 99% certain that it has the titular Christmas ornament on it that was shown at the start of that video!)

Lead Geoff got a gift, the two Clones on the left got cards, and the Clone on the right, uh, well... 😅

He got one too! It was in his coat 😄

(But also look at how festive the background is now! Apparently the creative/visuals concept stuff was a joint collaboration between Geoff and Kathy, but Geoff also gives thanks to Layne "for his help on set with filming, lighting and all of the things!")

And the stockings appearing one-by-one on the wall as a brief instrumental of Jingle Bells plays, how cute!

I didn't get around to watching this one till last year, but I immediately loved it. So happy, so wholesome, so Merry And Bright!

One more post to go in this miniseries! Until next time!

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1259

Monday, April 29, 2019

 I was at a birthday party for a 7-year-old on the weekend and while I was holding his baby brother I couldn't help but wonder what kind of world will they be living in when they are my age. I worry about their future. The flooding in the National Capital Region is predicted to be worse than it was only two years ago when we had the highest water levels in a century. It's going to exceed that when waters crest in the next couple of days. I can't imagine what property owners are going through trying to save their homes and cottages. I don't understand how some people can deny climate change when the evidence of the harm that we humans have had on the environment is smacking them right in the face. I'm afraid things are going to get worse without it getting any better.

 War of the Realms #2 - Jason Aaron (writer) Russell Dauterman (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). This issue has the first major death of a character. Not an A-lister but I will still mourn their passing.

 Spider-Man Life Story #2 The '70s - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Mark Bagley (pencils) Drew Hennessy (inks) Frank D'Armata (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Now I'm more than convinced that this is a series of what if stories. There are so many deviations from canon in this issue that it's inconceivable that these events are "real". I'm still going to keep reading because these changes are cool.

 Naomi #4 - Brian Michael Bendis & David F. Walker (writers) Jamal Campbell (art) Wes Abbott (letters). Naomi's origin story begins at last. She's not an Earthling.

 Daredevil #4 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Marco Checchetto (art) Sunny Gho (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). The Punisher and Daredevil have a debate about vigilantism. I like Frank's arguments. Meanwhile, Mayor Kingpin tries to get his hooks into Detective North. I wonder if the bigger man will get to the big man. One thing that bothered me about this issue is that Matt left Frank tied up for the cops. Not very nice since Frank saved his ass from them.

 Thor #12 - Jason Aaron (writer) Mike del Mundo (art) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). "The War of the Lokis" features Loki as he travels down the gullet of his father Laufey. Don't tell me you didn't read the last issue. Get thee hence and do so forthwith.

 West Coast Avengers #10 - Kelly Thompson (writer) Moy R. (art) Triona Farrell (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This is the last issue and that makes me have a sad face. I really liked this silly crazy team. If Kelly Thompson ever writes a Kid Omega/Quentin Quire and Gwenpool comic book I will definitely read it.

 Avengers LGY #717: No Road Home #10 - Mark Waid, Jim Zub & Al Ewing (writers) Sean Izaakse (art) Marcio Menyz & Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). When this 10-issue weekly started it looked like this was an adventure for Hercules's team of Avengers and it ultimately was. The end result is that the good guys win again and Nyx is defeated. Hercules wasn't the hero of this story and schmaltzy as the way the actual hero wins, it still made me cheer. So all this was so Marvel could revamp the Gods of Olympus and Hercules's costume. I chuckled when they revealed what that house was about. I thought that it was the House of Mystery but that belongs to the Distinguished Competition.

 The Amazing Spider-Man #19.HU - Nick Spencer (writer) Chris Bachalo (pencils) Wayne Faucher, Livesay, Jaime Mendoza, Victor Olazaba, Tim Townsend & Al Vey (inks) Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). The Lizard is featured in this "Hunted" tie-in. It's nice to see Chris Bachalo's art back on the racks.

 Action Comics #1010 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Steve Epting (art) Brad Anderson (colours) Josh Reed (letters). Leviathan Rises part 4. I like this spy story. Lois and Clark go undercover as Chaz and Andi to find out what Leviathan is. There's a great teaser for an old Checkmate story that had me going there. I would love to see that organisation again. Next issue promises Leviathan Revealed! I can't wait.

 The Avant-Guards #4 - Carly Usdin (writer) Noah Hayes (art) Rebecca Nalty (colours) Ed Dukeshire (letters). I like this rom-com centered around an arts college basketball team. It reminds me of a lighter "The L Word".

 Black Widow #4 - Jen & Sylvia Soska (writers) Flaviano (art) Veronica Gandini (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). There's a double-cross that surprised me and a cliffhanger ending that makes waiting for the next issue torture. Appropriate for a story where Nat takes down an extremely violent website.

 Doctor Strange #13 - Mark Waid (writer) Barry Kitson (pencils) Scott Koblish & Scott Hanna (inks) Brian Reber (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Herald Supreme part 2. I liked the surprise guest star.

 Hulkverines #3 - Greg Pak (writer) Ario Anindito (art) Morry Hollowell (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Okay, this Hulkverine, Hulk and Wolverine team-up was fun but the end made me roll my eyes and groan big time. Ugh.

 Ironheart #5 - Eve L. Ewing (writer) Luciano Vecchio (art) Geoffo (layouts) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This issue finishes the first story arc involving the super villain Midnight's Fire. It was good enough that I enjoyed what I read but not good enough to make me keep this book on my "must read" list. I wish RiRi well. I was excited by an ad for a new Black Cat comic book coming out in June though.

 Thanos #1 - Tini Howard (writer) Ariel Olivetti (art) Antonio Fabela (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This 6-issue story will tell us how Gamora came to be adopted by Thanos. I only picked this up because I really like Ariel Olivetti's art. I don't care much for the two main characters so I might not continue with the rest. Fans of Thanos and Gamora will enjoy this I'm sure.

 Runaways #20 - Rainbow Rowell (writer) Andres Genolet (art) Triona Farrell (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I found this issue to be a big drag. The last page is too depressing for words. Plus the new artist didn't wow me. Something needs to happen next issue for me to want to keep reading.

 War of the Realms: The Punisher #1 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Marcelo Ferreira (pencils) Roberto Poggi (inks) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). It's Frank versus Dark Elves and Frost Giants. They won't know what hit them. This is typical Punisher fare for those into explosive action. Frank leads a band of ex-cons armed with swords through the Lincoln Tunnel to help evacuate a hospital to safety. I miss reading a good Punisher story so this is a welcome sight on the racks.

 War of the Realms: War Scrolls #1 - This anthology book has four short stories all lettered by VC's Joe Sabino.

 "The God Without Fear part 1" by Jason Aaron (writer) Andrea Sorrentino (art) & Matthew Wilson (colours) features Daredevil fighting in Hell's Kitchen.

 "The Warriors Three (Or Four)" by Josh Trujillo (writer) Ricardo Lopez Ortiz (art) Felipe Sobreiro (colours) features Fandral, Hogun and Hildegarde filling in for the unconscious Volstagg teaming up with Cloak and Dagger.

 "Nice Shot, Frank" by Ram V (writer) Cafu (art) Brian Reber (colours) has the Punisher and Wolverine doing what they do best.

 "Waugh of the Realms" by Chip Zdarsky (writer) Joe Quinones (art) Joe Rivera (ink assist) Rico Renzi (colours) has Howard "The Duck" Duckson hired to find a lost dog. This last one was gross.

 This is for fans who want to collect ALL the War of the Realms comic books. Otherwise you can probably give it a pass.

 Batman #69 - Tom King (writer) Yanick Paquette (art) Nathan Fairbairn (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Knightmares finale. This issue is called "The Last Dance" and I don't know what song Batman and Catwoman are dancing to but I am singing the Etta James ballad "At Last" in my head. After many issues of dream sequences Batman is going to finally awaken. I did appreciate the explanation of how he got into his predicament. Now it's time to deal with Bane and Bruce's "father".

 Blossoms 666 #3 - Cullen Bunn (writer) Laura Braga (art) Matt Herms (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). One of the three Blossoms is going to become the anti-christ. Yeah, you heard me. Cheryl and Jason were born as triplets. Their older brother Julian was whisked away at birth by the Order of Abaddon. Ooo, scary.

 Ascender #1 - Jeff Lemire (writer) Dustin Nguyen (art) Steve Wands (letters). I never did finish reading Descender so I don't know if this is a sequel but it really looked familiar. I didn't feel like I was missing anything in this new story and I liked the mix of magic and technology. The villain reminded me of Emperor Palpatine but her empire is all based on magic. The hero is a spunky girl named Mila and I want to see where she goes from here.

 Guardians of the Galaxy #4 - Donny Cates (writer) Geoff Shaw (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The good guys find Gamora, followed by the bad guys. Expect to see a big battle. The main reason I'm reading this book again is because Groot is talking in whole sentences now.

 Detective Comics #1002 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Brad Walker (pencils) Andrew Hennessy (inks) Nathan Fairbairn (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Don't believe the hype. It's not a "duel to the death with Arkham Knight" but it is a pretty good fight. I was happy to see Damian play a bigger role in this issue. I'm sticking around for the bad guy's origin story.

 Fantastic Four #9 - Dan Slott (writer) Aaron Kuder, Stefano Caselli & Paco Medina (art) Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). The FF escape, Galactus is freed and Doctor Doom's power mad plans are thwarted. Boy that was fun. I hope they don't leave Aunt Petunia's before telling us about Franklin's new friend Wendy.

 Dial H for Hero #2 - Sam Humphries (writer) Joe Quinones (art) Jordan Gibson (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). Seems like the H-Dial is a drug with lots of addicts looking for a fix. The potential for zany super powers is huge. I liked how they introduced the good versus evil theme in this issue.

 Avengers #18/LGY #718 - Jason Aaron (writer) Ed McGuinness (pencils) Mark Morales (inks) Justin Ponsor (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Not an Avenger in sight this whole issue but you've got an Agent Coulson controlled Squadron Supreme instead. What made me groan a little was the big villain reveal at the end. I hope it's not a convenient deus ex machina.

 Heroes in Crisis #8 - Tom King (writer) Mitch Gerads (art pages 1, 6-20) Ryan Sook (art pages 2-5) Mitch Gerads (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). I still don't see the ;point of this story with one issue left. I think the killer confesses here but I'm not sure. I'm waiting for the consequences to hit the fan and hope something is resolved in the last issue.

 The Amazing Spider-Man #20 - Nick Spencer (writer) Humberto Ramos (pencils) Victor Olazaba (inks) Edgar Delgado & Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Hunted part 4. A surprise twist turns the tables giving Spider-Man even more incentive to confront Kraven. Meanwhile the son turns on the father as Kraven's son joins the hunt.

 The Superior Spider-Man #5 - Christos Gage (writer) Mike Hawthorne (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger & Andy Owens (inks) Jordie Bellaire (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). I don't know who created the super villain Master Pandemonium but they must have been on crack. This guy has demons for arms and a hole in his stomach that's a gateway to hell. Time for Doctor Octopus to call in a consult. The team-up with Doctor Strange is a clash of science and magic. Let's see who's the better doctor.

 Miles Morales: Spider-Man #5 - Saladin Ahmed (writer) Javier Garron (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Speculator alert! It's the first appearance of a new super hero.  Too bad they're named after unwelcome guests to our bird feeders. It's gang wars across Brooklyn and Miles is trying to prevent the death of innocent victims. The surprise appearance  happens when Miles goes to confront Tombstone about his incursions into other gangs' territories. I noticed some changes in Miles this issue that didn't appeal to me. I think he's acting way too confident and macho now. His maturing has happened way too fast and might turn me off the character. If the art wasn't so impressive I might bench this book now.

 Spider-Man City at War #2 - Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum (writer) Michele Bandini (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). I get a kick from noting the differences between these Gamerverse versions and the MU versions. This issue features Miles Morales and I prefer this Miles to the one in the comic book that I just finished. Peter and Miles meet for the first time but it's not in a friendly neighbourhood.

[nothingman]

Writers and artists took this weekend to condemn harassment and bigotry in the comics community

High-profile creators in the American comics industry have been slow to condemn the rise of Comicsgate, a campaign to “save” the comics industry by reducing the diversity of comics both behind the scenes and on the page. But this weekend, a wave of harassment aimed at a legendary creator’s widow prompted a number of writers and illustrators to rally together in making statements standing against intolerance in the comic book community.

On Aug. 21, a Twitter user posted a clip from an interview with deceased comics legend Darwyn Cooke — best known for his work on DC: The New Frontier — and tagged it #comicsgate. This caught the attention of Cooke’s widow, Marsha Cooke, who thoroughly denounced the movement. Her response provoked a string of threatening tweets, some going as far as to imply that her objection to her husband’s name being linked to Comicsgate was some sort of false flag that she had been “coached or bribed” into making.

Like Gamergate, Comicsgate has its prominent personalities associated with it, among them Ethan Van Sciver, a former DC Comics artist who regularly collaborated with former DC Comics chief creative officer Geoff Johns on titles like Green Lantern and The Flash. Van Sciver has a history of online bullying which has been documented extensively, and has used his YouTube channel to promote his interviews with controversial figures in genre media, including Vox Day, a writer who led several successive campaigns to game the voting of the Hugos, and prominent Comicsgate voice Richard C. Meyer, who runs the ironically named Twitter account Diversity and Comics. Meyer also hosts a YouTube channel on which he has made numerous racist and transphobic statements in regards to comics creators, including Ta-Nehisi Coates (Black Panther, Captain America) and Magdalene Visaggio (Eternity Girl). (Disclosure: In this writer’s own experience, I’ve clashed with prominent Comicsgate figures in the past, and have been on the receiving end of harassment campaigns as a result.)

After Marsha Cooke asked Van Sciver and his followers to tone down their transphobic attacks, Van Sciver dodged the issue and recommended she mute the tweets. He then called on “SJWs” to apologize for the harassment she was receiving.

Marsha Cooke’s experiences and Van Sciver’s response seemed to be the motivation that many high profile comic creators needed to speak out about Comicsgate for the first time. Jeff Lemire (Black Hammer, Sweet Tooth) was among the first, saying “Comicsgate is based on fear, intolerance, bigotry and anger.” Bill Sienkiewicz, legendary New Mutants artist and co-creator of the X-Men character Legion, followed with a Facebook post which denounced the movement and referred to Comicsgate’s ideology as promoting “hateful, misogynistic and plain-old-ugly dogma.”

After Sienkiewicz’s post, other high profile creators joined in. Many copy-and-pasted a phrase from a viral tweet crafted by Tom Taylor (X-Men Red, All-New Wolverine, Injustice 2) — “There is no place for homophobia, transphobia, racism or misogyny in comics criticism.” — along with their own words, sending more of a personal message than a simple retweet would.

As of publication, the list of those who shared Taylor’s message include Fabian Nicieza (co-creator of Deadpool), Gail Simone (Birds of Prey), Nicola Scott (Wonder Woman), Jordan D. White (head editor of the X-Men line at Marvel), Cullen Bunn (X-Men Blue) and Jamal Igle (Firestorm), among others. Some creators, including Gerry Duggan (Infinity Wars), Jody Houser (Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows) and Michael Lark (Lazarus), chose to modify it to remove the word “criticism.”

Others chose to use their own words entirely, like Aleš Kot (New World) and Ramon Villalobos (Secret Wars, Border Town):

Yeah, #comicsgate is a white supremacist patriarchal hate group developed and maintained to further those designs by the means of organized harassment and abuse. It capitalized on mainstream comics creators largely ignoring queer voices speaking up about being targeted for years.

— Aleš Kot (@ales_kot) August 26, 2018

now that the light is on and we're all kind of publicly talking about comicsgate and how trash it is to be a white supremacist hate group, i have a few thoughts.

— Mr. Vertigo Comics (@RamonVillalobos) August 26, 2018

Only two comics publishers have addressed Comicsgate officially; last year, Vault Comics released a statement, while Alterna Comics’ founder and publisher refused to do so.

These statements come at at time when Comicsgate-related harassment has been a presence in the social media circles of comics professionals for several years. The use of the term itself began in Sept. 2014, during the nascent days of Gamergate, when a controversy surrounding a Spider-Woman #1 variant cover by European comics legend Milo Manara led to cries of censorship, and the term “Comicgate” was born. (The earliest uses of “Comicsgate” with an “S” were from Twitter users mocking the movement.)

In his 2014 ICv2 piece “If Comicsgate Ever Happens, It Will Be Catastrophic,” Rob Salkowitz made eerily accurate predictions of how the movement would eventually coalesce around points of controversy or criticism in comics, including Frank Cho’s “outrage covers” inspired by Manara and a Marvel artist publically comparing “Social Justice Warriors” to Nazis. In Aug. 2017, the event often listed as the inciting incident of Comicsgate occurred, when a group of female Marvel staffers became the targets of a wave of harassment after posting a photo of themselves celebrating the life of the then-recently departed Flo Steinberg with milkshakes. However, the main ringleaders of Comicsgate had already begun their attacks on trans creators, queer creators and creators of color well before the #MakeMineMilkshake incident.

The enduring animosity of Comicsgate is one of the reasons that some fans, critics and even creators — including those who have endured its harassment — aren’t happy that creators have chosen this moment to respond to it, or how they’ve chosen to respond to it. Most creators who spoke out declined to specifically use the word “Comicsgate” in their condemnation of bigotry within the comics community. Many folks also took issue with framing Comicsgate as “criticism,” like in Tom Taylor’s much-spread tweet.

One of the most high-profile people to speak out against Comicsgate was Batman writer Tom King, who stated that comics “is the medium of the outsider and the outcast, the nerd who won’t fit in.” His remarks were met with pushback that they could just as easily apply to Comicsgate supporters as they could to those affected. Cullen Bunn’s statement “I *might* go so far as to say most of the people associated with [Comicsgate] aren’t bad people,” drew criticism for ascribing positive motivations to those knowingly participating in a campaign built around harassment.

Marsha Cooke herself pointed out what many Twitter users were saying this weekend, noting “it is annoying that people didn’t get on board the reality of what these idiots are doing until it was a white wife attacked.” The two times the industry has rallied together against Comicsgate has been when harassment was publicly focused on women connected to comics’ most mainstream centers, like Marvel Comics and a decades-beloved artist like Darwyn Cooke with many in-industry friends.

Comicsgate eruptions come at a booming time for diversity and inclusivity in comics. Titles such as Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur don’t do great numbers in monthly issues, but more than make up for that via Scholastic book fairs. DC Comics is expanding into the young readers’ market with the upcoming DC Ink and DC Zoom imprints, following the immense success of DC Superhero Girls. Meanwhile, many traditional superhero stories that Comicsgate enthusiasts would like to see more of are the ones struggling to find a place in the market, and Marvel’s most recent blockbuster crossover Secret Empire was the second-worst selling event in Marvel’s history.

Criticism is a vital part of any mature art form, but the biggest voices in Comicsgate aren’t comics critics. In many cases, such as Van Sciver and Meyer, they’re creators themselves, and as Tom Taylor himself later addressed, Comicsgate doesn’t stem from “comics criticism.” As journalist, comics critic and podcaster Jay Edidin said in a thread on the nature of art criticism this weekend:

Criticism isn't editorial feedback. It's not for the artist (although artists can and do make use of it as they proceed). It can intersect with lobbies or campaigns, but that's not what it is at its core.

— (((Jay Edidin))) (@RaeBeta) August 27, 2018

Kieran Shiach is a Salford, U.K.-based freelance writer and one half of Good Egg Podcasts. He is on Twitter, @KingImpulse. He wishes in the past he tried more things ’cause now he knows being in trouble is a fake idea.

via Polygon - Full