Tagged: Jason Todd

Mindy Newell: Not An Imaginary Story

bucky-and-captain-america-150x197-1666480robin-dead-150x197-8697931It used to be that the death of a superhero was an “Imaginary Story” or a What If…? tale.  Then, with the death of Superman in 1992, it became all about the publicity, the sales boost, the net dollars.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the accountants. The impermanence, the easy reversibility of death trampled on the audience’s feelings; we felt disrespected and we fought back in the only way we could – with our wallets. And the companies answered with more stunts and more exploitative stories in which heroes like Captain America and Spider-Man died and were brought back, or supporting characters like Aunt May and Jason Todd died and were brought back, and when that stopped working, they revived long-dead characters like Bucky Barnes.

Sometimes it works out. The morphing of Bucky into the Winter Soldier was and continues to be a brilliant piece of storytelling.

And sometimes people who are dead stay dead. Gwen Stacy. Uncle Ben. Karen Page. Thomas and Martha Wayne. Jor-El and Lara. Their deaths are constant echoes in the lives of Spider-Man and Daredevil and Batman and Superman. Their lives continue to reverberate in the hearts of those who loved them.

My father died a week ago today. His death will be a constant echo in my life. His life will always reverberate in my heart.

“Papa, how I love you…

“Papa, how I need you…

“Papa, how I miss you…

“Kissing me good night.”

  • Barbra Streisand, Yentl (1983)

ComicMix Quick Picks: September 14, 2014

A Weekend Window Closing Wrap-Up, closing windows on our browsers so you can open them up on yours. Away we go…!

DC Announces Darwyn Cooke variant cover month for December! Because– well, do we really need a reason?

Mike Dawson gives advice to the mid-career cartoonist who has failed to build an audience.

Kevin Brueck: Comic Con villain. Keep an eye out for this bozo at conventions.

Can we stop using speech bubbles for messaging? Probably not. It’s nice to know comics are that universal in people’s minds.

The Whole “Veronica Mars” Gang Is Coming Back For A New Web Series.

Paging Tony Stark: Robotic suit gives shipyard workers super strength and 3-year-old with no fingers receives the hand of a superhero.

Times Square’s costumed superheroes team up against NYPD crackdown. My heavens, J. Jonah Jameson was right! Those costumed so called heroes are menaces!

How the growing generation gap is changing the face of fandom. We’ve got a pretty diverse readership here on ComicMix, what do you think? Is there a generation gap, and if so, where’s the dividing line? And even more to the point, is it related to the gender gap in comics? After all, according to BusinessWeek, Female Comic Book Fans’ Rise Helps Publishers Profit. (Related: John Scalzi’s Creator’s Note to “Gatekeepers”.)

Was The Batman Vs. Superman Batmobile Stolen In Detroit? Or is this just a sneaky way of saying Jason Todd will be in the film?

If you have ever lamented the concept of slabbed comics, or pre-bagged comics that are never opened, this will drive you berserk: Margaret Atwood’s new work will remain unseen for a century.

Anything else? Consider this an open thread.