tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post115794896662087385..comments2023-11-05T03:25:39.077-08:00Comments on Dave's Long Box: VIMANARAMA Vertigo Comics, 2005David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06561127611004920764noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-33391411511163139852008-09-03T14:38:00.000-07:002008-09-03T14:38:00.000-07:00Little did Ali know he was being followed by what ...Little did Ali know he was being followed by what looks like Indian Summer Lovin' from Grease!<BR/><BR/>verif:<BR/>kjqot-<BR/>Ancient Indian Demon of Doorframes and small windows.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1158325761562017432006-09-15T06:09:00.000-07:002006-09-15T06:09:00.000-07:00I used to stress about Morrison and Neil Gaiman an...I used to stress about Morrison and Neil Gaiman and such being wayyy smarter than me, until I realized that they have spent DECADES where they have had NOTHING TO DO ALL DAY except research and write comic books. If you felt like spending a solid week researching obscure Norse Gods and figuring out how they fit into Hitchcockian archetypes from his Jimmy Stewart films, you COULD do it. If you were making enough money as a writer to do it. Y'know? We have DAY JOBS. <BR/><BR/>Now I'm just angry with all the OTHER comic book writers for NOT being bloody brilliant.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1158296275252320352006-09-14T21:57:00.000-07:002006-09-14T21:57:00.000-07:00Maybe Grant Morrison should learn to a less opaque...<I>Maybe Grant Morrison should learn to a less opaque narrative...</I><BR/><BR/><I>Amen to that!</I><BR/><BR/><BR/>Wait...you not only <I>understood</I> that sentence, but praised it as well? Now <I>I'm</I> confused!<BR/><BR/>About Morrison, yeah, he does sometimes wax all incoherent...but at least he has ideas, secondhand or not (but truly, what <I>is</I> creativity if not the art of disguising one's sources?), and that's a rare and precious thing among comics writers these days. In my book, anyway. Your average Vaughan fan might disagree.Johnny Bacardihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07051009739174204952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1158194735645180922006-09-13T17:45:00.000-07:002006-09-13T17:45:00.000-07:00If you don't understand it, how'd you give all tha...If you don't understand it, how'd you give all that insight? How is it that you did that? You are a genius and you didn't even know it. To Dave Campbell, to whom my hat is now 'officially' tipped.K.Fox, Jr.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07396990506925370338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1158179189207421552006-09-13T13:26:00.000-07:002006-09-13T13:26:00.000-07:00my opinion, however usless this may be.. check ref...my opinion, however usless this may be.. check referances you don't understand, look deeper, but 99% of works that are open to interpritation unless you get a chance to probe the writers mind.. you'll never understand, and plus, most of the metphors (and such) readers find, the author actualy didn't notice himself, they just happen, you probably know the comic better than you think.Cynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00149288926098121150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1158153701397062592006-09-13T06:21:00.000-07:002006-09-13T06:21:00.000-07:00Sounds great. But is it Maggutz?:)Sounds great. But is it Maggutz?<BR/><BR/>:)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1158153636738948542006-09-13T06:20:00.000-07:002006-09-13T06:20:00.000-07:00If it were called, Bend it like Bhangra, it would'...If it were called, <I>Bend it like Bhangra</I>, it would've sold much better.<BR/><BR/>Clearly everyone thought it was a collection of enthusiastic quotes and responses taken from Newsarama.<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>Vim particles!Mike Haseloffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13245812535350962900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1158128168916436702006-09-12T23:16:00.000-07:002006-09-12T23:16:00.000-07:00(unhealthy obsessive commenting)The more I think a...(unhealthy obsessive commenting)<BR/><BR/>The more I think about it, the more it perplexes me. I've teetering between: 'Morrison doesn't know what he's doing' and 'Morrison is a genius and mad props all around'. Either way, I rescind my previous comments. I really just need to pick it up. --Thanks a lot Dave $$$Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1158092356737436332006-09-12T13:19:00.000-07:002006-09-12T13:19:00.000-07:00I generally find that the best way to experience "...I generally find that the best way to experience "deep" art is to not bother worrying about its depth at all. Just give it a surface read and make sure you have the basic "uh, what's happening?" stuff straight, and then if the work really does have anything else to it, it'll probably come to you, either right away or maybe while you're shaving a few weeks down the line. But the most important thing is to make sure you're having fun first.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1158086000266186222006-09-12T11:33:00.000-07:002006-09-12T11:33:00.000-07:00Ull-Shattan making a naked member of Parliament ki...<I>Ull-Shattan making a naked member of Parliament kiss a severed head</I><BR/><BR/>That <I>is</I> evil.<BR/><BR/>Poor severed head...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1158084774499407472006-09-12T11:12:00.000-07:002006-09-12T11:12:00.000-07:00--apparently, I was misred. Grant Morrison writes ...--apparently, I was misred. <BR/><BR/>Grant Morrison writes a good story. He's creative. He's good at what he does. But I seriously doubt he's a genius (picking up a book on Indian folklore hardly qualifies one as such). [end_darcy_comment]Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1158078747769724772006-09-12T09:32:00.000-07:002006-09-12T09:32:00.000-07:00Dave. Completely agree with you on this one. It ...Dave. Completely agree with you on this one. It is fun comics at their funnest. You get some sci-fi action but you also get a new world and worldview to experience this action through.<BR/><BR/>I also had that feeling, of "I liked it but I don't know if I can find the words to really explain why." This is one of my recommendations to folks looking for fun fast comics to distract themselves from their daily lives.joncormierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00865627865285684437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1158076598061022142006-09-12T08:56:00.000-07:002006-09-12T08:56:00.000-07:00Roel said: "Maybe Grant Morrison should learn to a...Roel said: <I>"Maybe Grant Morrison should learn to a less opaque narrative."</I><BR/><BR/>Amen to that.<BR/><BR/>I'm one of those people who think's Morrison is way overhyped. Yes, he does some brilliant work. But he also does some really pretentious, look-how-much-smarter/weirder-I-am-than-you crap.<BR/><BR/>It's not that I want to read dumbed-down work, but sometimes when the reader can't understand the writer's work, it's not so much that the reader is stupid as it is that the writer failed at communicating and connecting with his audience.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1158075830522670142006-09-12T08:43:00.000-07:002006-09-12T08:43:00.000-07:00Morrison now apologizes for Kid Eternity. He said ...Morrison now apologizes for Kid Eternity. He said he "got everything wrong" and threatened to fix him during JLA but it didn't work out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1158072139969319932006-09-12T07:42:00.000-07:002006-09-12T07:42:00.000-07:00I think most of Morrison's work works on that most...I think most of Morrison's work works on that most perfect level: where the story is perfectly enjoyable without knowing the references, but carries extra layers of awesomeness if you do.<BR/><BR/>Actually, it's interesting, because just recently I read the only thing of Morrison's that I've read that I really didn't like; the Kid Eternity mini. It just felt like he didn't put in the trademark flow of ideas that suffuse his other stuff, and all that was left was obfuscation and gothness.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1158072073009131712006-09-12T07:41:00.000-07:002006-09-12T07:41:00.000-07:00I had mostly the same reaction as Dave to this com...I had mostly the same reaction as Dave to this comic, but had so much fun for the duration that I didn't really care.<BR/><BR/>I'm still trying to puzzle out the sequence from Morrison. I have extreme reactions to his stuff, either really liking it (this and his JLA, for instance) or really, really hating it for being more packed with awesome ideas than coherent writing. Perhaps understanding that pattern will be the key to my own enlightenment or something.<BR/><BR/>I'd also like to know why a Scot is the one who channels the mythology of the Indian subcontinent rather than an Indian one. Who's the Grant Morrison of India, I ask ya? At the moment, the only contenders seem to work for Virgin Comics, but I can't say I'm terribly impressed with their efforts.Edward Liuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15666247336320985024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1158068397796120202006-09-12T06:39:00.000-07:002006-09-12T06:39:00.000-07:00It looks promising. As to "how" writers should wri...It looks promising. As to "how" writers should write: one could argue that as one's presumed objective is to communicate, one should make an effort to make sure that happens.<BR/><BR/>In the end, though, I go with Dave Sim: Say what you have to say. It will find an audience, or not.Kenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04780425923108876647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1158054340354356552006-09-12T02:45:00.000-07:002006-09-12T02:45:00.000-07:00I concur. Grant Morrison is a genius. Judge Dred...I concur. Grant Morrison is a genius. Judge Dredd: Book Of The Dead was what introduced me to GM and my collection is shockingly lacking in his work so I think I'll try and get a hold of Vimanarama. Even if it is set in Yorkshire...JYDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15784527464648540289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1158050652044772882006-09-12T01:44:00.000-07:002006-09-12T01:44:00.000-07:00I, too, believe I am "moderately but unspectacular...I, too, believe I am "moderately but unspectacularly intelligent," and in this case, it simply doesn't suffice.<BR/><BR/>You'd probably have to be frigg'n Joseph Campbell to realize the references (if any) that are being made in Vimanarama--which I'm sure slaps mutiple beliefs and cultures in the face.<BR/><BR/>--but hey, it's Grant Morrison. He's a genius.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1158039051232683382006-09-11T22:30:00.000-07:002006-09-11T22:30:00.000-07:00I think I followed what Dave meant as far as feeli...I think I followed what Dave meant as far as feeling inadequate. Honestly, my reaction is pretty much the same as Dave's when it comes to Morrison's writing. I was more or less responding to some other reader's comments.The Leaguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1158038976211091462006-09-11T22:29:00.001-07:002006-09-11T22:29:00.001-07:00I love Bond's art, and I have to say I really admi...I love Bond's art, and I have to say I really admire Morrison's writing, because it does stand up to multiple re-readings, with small details becoming more apparent as you get used to the way his writing flows.Mobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15000570319822563708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1158038965029263762006-09-11T22:29:00.000-07:002006-09-11T22:29:00.000-07:00Yeah, this book was fun. It was easier to follow ...Yeah, this book was fun. It was easier to follow than Milligan and McCarthy's ROGAN GOSH (as much as I loved it, most of that book went way over my head.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1158035744070837462006-09-11T21:35:00.000-07:002006-09-11T21:35:00.000-07:00At least with the Internet a lot of that backgroun...At least with the Internet a lot of that background information is right at our fingertips. I haven't read this series yet either, but it made me curious enough to Wiki "vimana" and get an overview. (Check out the legends of the Nine Unknown Men if you do the same thing--that's some good secret society stuff there.) So a book that I haven't even read yet helped me learn some new things, which as <B>the league</B> said is part of the point. I'll tell you, between the easy access to information and the porn, it's a wonder I ever leave the house.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1158034944426220662006-09-11T21:22:00.000-07:002006-09-11T21:22:00.000-07:00I don't know if Dave really felt inadequate, it se...I don't know if Dave really felt inadequate, it seems like he was being tongue-in-cheekAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11827637.post-1158034362742282172006-09-11T21:12:00.000-07:002006-09-11T21:12:00.000-07:00I'm not sure I buy that a writer should write down...I'm not sure I buy that a writer should write down to the average comic reader/ write to the "universal" level. There are enough homogenized comics as a dierct product of comics meeting but refusing to exceed reader expectation. Instead of the endless recycled references to Greek/Roman and Norse mythology, Vimanarama manages to tap into a mythology most westerners (and especially Americans) are not exposed to. <BR/><BR/>If Morrison is successful, it isn't because he lifts and drops references. In this case he did write a complete narrative. Whether the reader choses to go to their local library and do more reading as a follow up is irrelevant to the success of the story in this case.<BR/><BR/>It's a shame if a reader feels inadequate rather than challenged by a comic that brings something new to the page. Isn't enrichment supposed to be part of the experience of reading?The Leaguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.com