tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post115671757600982716..comments2023-11-05T03:25:39.077-08:00Comments on Dave's Long Box: TOP 10: THE FORTY-NINERS America's Best Comics, 2005David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06561127611004920764noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-27622350296832706482017-08-23T16:48:26.248-07:002017-08-23T16:48:26.248-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Bloggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07287821785570247118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-30340438970082040662011-11-17T10:10:43.970-08:002011-11-17T10:10:43.970-08:00This can't work in reality, that's what I ...This can't work in reality, that's what I think.muebles burgoshttp://www.muebles-en-burgos.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1157780705591638512006-09-08T22:45:00.000-07:002006-09-08T22:45:00.000-07:00Awesome post, dave. Sorry I haven't dropped you a ...Awesome post, dave. Sorry I haven't dropped you a line recently.K.Fox, Jr.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07396990506925370338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1157549684574772142006-09-06T06:34:00.000-07:002006-09-06T06:34:00.000-07:00Bought The 49ers TPB on the basis of this review. ...Bought The 49ers TPB on the basis of this review. Very glad I did.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1157116985437961222006-09-01T06:23:00.000-07:002006-09-01T06:23:00.000-07:00I was wondering if someone would mention "Lost Gir...I was wondering if someone would mention "Lost Girls". I think it's relevant.<BR/><BR/>ISTM Moore gradually ramped up to this in the original series. We have Jack Phantom, who is gay (though not sexualized at all). Girl One, who's designed by obnoxious fanboys to be sexy, and who walks around with no clothes on. The shapeshifting alien porn star. The prostitution subplot. Loud robot sex in the background. Even the godlike alien says that "****ing is very important".<BR/><BR/>ISTM Moore was working on some of the issues he'd deal with more openly in "Lost Girls". But he's much more stealthy about it here. And there are pretty clear distinctions between "good" and "bad"... the pedophiles and Mrrgla are bad, Steve and Wulf and Smax and the dog are good. <BR/><BR/>Mind, Moore cheats a bit here; he makes the sympathetic characters very sympathetic indeed. Who could object to Kemlo having a date, or Captain Traynor coming home to dear old Wulf? Mrrgla Qualtz, on the other hand, eats peoples' brains. <BR/><BR/>Anyway. I'm sure others have picked over this ground already.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Doug M.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1157092412236519322006-08-31T23:33:00.000-07:002006-08-31T23:33:00.000-07:00Peter: I'm not so much shocked at Moore's writing ...Peter: I'm not so much shocked at Moore's writing as I am surprised at the lack of critical response to those aspects of the story.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1157080826282885842006-08-31T20:20:00.000-07:002006-08-31T20:20:00.000-07:00Dennis: So, the man with a lavishly packaged and p...Dennis: So, the man with a lavishly packaged and produced erotica writes a story about sexual deviancy? The shock!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1156948376053017492006-08-30T07:32:00.000-07:002006-08-30T07:32:00.000-07:00Solario asks: "You didn't read the Smax followup m...Solario asks: <I>"You didn't read the Smax followup mini?"</I><BR/><BR/>I did. It's just not enough.Edward Liuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15666247336320985024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1156945735889949672006-08-30T06:48:00.000-07:002006-08-30T06:48:00.000-07:00Actually, it looks like Zander Cannon will be writ...Actually, it looks like Zander Cannon will be writing a new <I>Top Ten</I> book, with Gene Ha involved in some capacity.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1156940884394516382006-08-30T05:28:00.000-07:002006-08-30T05:28:00.000-07:00Hi Dave, big fan of your blog. Slightly off topic ...Hi Dave, big fan of your blog. Slightly off topic but was just wondering what you think about the new 9/11 comic: <BR/><BR/>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/5287968.stm?ls<BR/><BR/>Also, I'd love to see you do an entry on Asterix..Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1156939564302201332006-08-30T05:06:00.000-07:002006-08-30T05:06:00.000-07:00I think Moore intentionally contrasts the Wulf/Jet...I think Moore intentionally contrasts the Wulf/Jetlad relationship with the sidekicks sex ring in the main series in part, I think, to suggest that adult-teen sex is often exploitative, but isn't necessarily so. But Wulf's commenting on his attraction to the 11 year old Jetlad on the newsreels dragged me outside my comfort zone, and I think that was intentional.<BR/><BR/>In the context of the sexually transgressive subplots, the bestiality plot was a bit of a cheat. The adult consensual incest plot and the Wulf/Jetlad relationship both carried the implicit question of whether justice would be served if the state were to punish the protagonists, and can both be analogized to the real world. To do the same with the Kelmo plot requires one to posit a sentient dog. <BR/><BR/>Still, it felt to me like Moore went in with a laundry list of sexual situations which were sufficiently outré to make progressives uncomfortable, and plotted his story in such a way as to suggest that blanket condemnation of people who engage in these acts is wrongheaded.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1156928134250149002006-08-30T01:55:00.000-07:002006-08-30T01:55:00.000-07:00but I've always been a little surprised that the e...<I>but I've always been a little surprised that the ephebophilic romance here and the positive depictions of incest in Smax and bestiality in the original series have passed with so little comment.</I><BR/><BR/>Well, as to the bestiality, Kemlo is portrayed as being basically human -- I mean, he's not the same species as his girlfriend, but neither is Superman, right? The incest, I admit, squicked me, and continues to do so. And the thing with Jetlad -- I don't know. If the character were female, under 18 but presented as thoughtful, level-headed and mature, would we still be as uncomfortable? Well, okay, yeah, yeah we would. But he is portrayed as very adult, which tends to take the attention off it -- his fumbling advances to Skywitch, for instance, are merely kind of cute and sad, not pervy.Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01828237817381371010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1156902515722035122006-08-29T18:48:00.000-07:002006-08-29T18:48:00.000-07:00I dearly love the various Top Ten series (Beyond t...I dearly love the various <I>Top Ten</I> series (<I>Beyond the Farthest Precinct</I> excepted), but I've always been a little surprised that the ephebophilic romance here and the positive depictions of incest in Smax and bestiality in the original series have passed with so little comment.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1156894363161350032006-08-29T16:32:00.000-07:002006-08-29T16:32:00.000-07:00Busier than Arsenio? Da-aamn!No one works harder t...Busier than Arsenio? Da-aamn!No one works harder than Chunky A.<BR/><BR/>Top Ten is in my top five must reads. I loves it, even Beyond the Farthest Precinct, although I agree with anthonyf that it wasn't as good. I never could get into Smax, though. Just not my style, I guess.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1156894103354700122006-08-29T16:28:00.000-07:002006-08-29T16:28:00.000-07:00exactly how close are we talking about here, where...exactly how close are we talking about here, where you say really really close? Like Lance Bass close?Steve Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17436912604094183772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1156886590313049362006-08-29T14:23:00.000-07:002006-08-29T14:23:00.000-07:00"What I love about the art is that it really shows...<I>"What I love about the art is that it really shows how costumes look on people--not good."</I><BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://daveslongbox.blogspot.com/2005/07/bang-gong-comic-con.html" REL="nofollow">I beg to differ.</A> =8^) Though I generally agree with you -- I think almost every live-action superhero has looked like a total dork.<BR/><BR/>I'm also not entirely convinced that one needs to have read the original Top 10 to enjoy this OGN. The two really don't have much to do with each other beyond the setting and one character (whose character arc becomes a "how are we getting there" story rather than a "where are we going" story if you've read the original series). I suspect that if you didn't like this OGN, then you're probably not going to like the original series for mostly the same reasons.<BR/><BR/>Of course, you will also be a Commie Pinko dirtbag who hates America because Top 10 Rocks the Free World, but that's another matter entirely. I love Top 10, and was a bit disappointed that we weren't getting more Smax, Toybox, Irma Geddon, Sgt. Kemlo, and the rest of the gang. Leave it to Moore & Ha to give me a bunch of characters just the slightest bit less winning as the last ones. This doesn't reflect poorly on this OGN as much as it is a statement on the high-water mark set by the original series.Edward Liuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15666247336320985024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1156880263468604822006-08-29T12:37:00.000-07:002006-08-29T12:37:00.000-07:00I agree with you. This GN totally kicked ass -- a...I agree with you. This GN totally kicked ass -- and was filled to the brim with social commentary that worked.Fanboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16689739089464311987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1156873391384917942006-08-29T10:43:00.000-07:002006-08-29T10:43:00.000-07:00Yeah, that latest Top 10 series stunk. I've never ...Yeah, that latest Top 10 series stunk. I've never read Paul D. Fillipio's books, but his comics work just goes to show that ability in one medium doesn't necessarily translate to another. (<I>See also</I> Brad Meltzer.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1156873112978786772006-08-29T10:38:00.000-07:002006-08-29T10:38:00.000-07:00I love The Forty-Niners, but I can't imagine it (o...I love The Forty-Niners, but I can't imagine it (or Smax) working at all if you haven't read the 12-issue Moore series. Those who didn't like it should read that and then give it another chance.<BR/><BR/>The other, Jerry Ordway drawn Top Ten series (Beyond the Farthest Precinct, I think) is pretty bad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1156873070158502772006-08-29T10:37:00.000-07:002006-08-29T10:37:00.000-07:00Speaking of:A friend's reaction upon encountering ...Speaking of:<BR/>A friend's reaction upon encountering my copy of <I>Essential Luke Cage Vol. 1</I> : "Man, I'd hate to see the superfluous collection!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1156866107421823682006-08-29T08:41:00.000-07:002006-08-29T08:41:00.000-07:00Ironically, I just finished reading this one last ...Ironically, I just finished reading this one last night (picked it up from the library), and I agree, it's fantastic.Billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11303082199617119303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1156863546134754952006-08-29T07:59:00.000-07:002006-08-29T07:59:00.000-07:00Dear Dave,You post plenty, so don't you fret. Grea...Dear Dave,<BR/><BR/>You post plenty, so don't you fret. Great blog dude, keep it up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1156862753839866692006-08-29T07:45:00.000-07:002006-08-29T07:45:00.000-07:00Man, I'm with you on Essential Spider-Woman. When ...Man, I'm with you on <I>Essential Spider-Woman</I>. When Michael Fleisher's scripts are the most empowering of the stories in the book... you're in serious trouble. Though if you're into bondage, Carmine Infantino's your man. <BR/><BR/>I couldn't help shedding a few tears at the end of <I>The Forty-Niners</I>. It's a beautiful book and a beautiful love story. It's one of Moore's best, which means it's one of the best comics ever.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1156853403958644522006-08-29T05:10:00.000-07:002006-08-29T05:10:00.000-07:00Not having read Top 10 I found the 49ers a frustra...Not having read Top 10 I found the 49ers a frustrating read. It is a really intersting period piece, with - as you said - great themes of belonging and identity ... and then there's the supershit. The story would have worked just as well without all the spandex and in this case I feel it really got in the way. Mostly because it kind of drapes the sensibilities, genre expectations etc. of the capes-stuff atop something that IMO should have been spared the base spectacle. <BR/>(Alternatively, one might say the superheroing isn't good enough to stand up to the rest.)Markushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12095552853980560337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1156823480592077842006-08-28T20:51:00.000-07:002006-08-28T20:51:00.000-07:00Nice review, this sounds like it might be worth a ...Nice review, this sounds like it might be worth a look.Mobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15000570319822563708noreply@blogger.com