The state of the Western

To use a trite expression, the reports of the Western genre's death have been greatly exaggerated. Look no further than Hell on Wheels, the recent new premiere by AMC. Now, still in it's infancy, it is too early to say whether Hell on Wheels deserves to rank among the rest of the channel's award-winning line up. However, the fact that a major channel such as AMC is even gambling on a Western television show is commendable.

Tell me that doesn't look badass.

I admit, I used to turn my nose up to the genre. I considered the main characters in Westerns to be nothing but hicks and no good story can come of that. I was an appreciator of art and there was no way a cowboy story could constitute art. Luckily, I finally decided to sit down and watch John Wayne with my dad. While I may not be the biggest fan of The Duke, watching Westerns with my dad allowed me to get over my pretension. After getting acquainted with singing cowboys I moved on to the more exciting spaghetti Westerns. I could finally see what made Westerns so cool.

A film as epic as it is long.

You see, nothing represents Americana or the American identity more than the west. Manifest Destiny may have had some major shortcomings but the pioneer days were purely American. Fueled by the lust for gold and the racism against Native Americans, our Western expansion makes for a wonderful platform for a good story. From word of mouth stories, to Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, to dime store novels, stories of the west made up American folklore and entertainment. One early landmark film, The Great Train Robbery, was by the very definition a Western.

A film as epic as it is short.

While the heyday of the genre is over with that doesn't mean Westerns are completely dead. Hollywood just needs to put trust in the genre again. By trying to mix the storyline with other genres, like in Wild Wild West or Cowboys & Aliens, they are taking away from what makes a pure Western so compelling. Films like True Grit, 3:10 to Yuma and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (one of the most underrated movies of the last decade) prove that modern day Westerns can be incredibly engaging. The Proposition, one of the best Westerns in recent memory, doesn't even take place in America. Instead it transposes itself to the Australian Outback and, despite the location, shows everything that can be done right with the genre.

Rule: If Nick Cave writes the soundtrack it's probably good.

Westerns are the perfect way to examine the darkness of man. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy may be a Western but it's also the most brutal examination of the human spirit since Joseph Conrad. Even comics books can be an excellent home for the Western genre. Don't let the 2010 flop fool you, Jonah Hex is an awesome comic book character. The movie producers just didn't trust the character enough, resulting in the 81 minute cinematic mess.

Jonah Hex volume 3 was amazing.

So now that Hell on Wheels has premiered, maybe the genre can finally be down right. And, while Deadwood already attempted, the fact that it's on cable and not a channel like HBO is victory enough. AMC has had a pretty good track record so far, let's hope Hell on Wheels is just a continuation of that. Because the Western genre deserves a victory, if only to prove its relevance.

The state of comics and DC's reboot

I was going to write this post earlier today but I got sidetracked by sewing a button (sewing is cool). The actual button sewing didn't take long at all. It was threading the needle that was a pain in the ass. After finally sewing the button back onto my work pants I went sew-crazy and fixed all the holes in my jean pockets. For some reason, my pants all have holes in the left pocket. Either my Levi's unionized and are on strike for never washing them or my constant ipod carrying took a toll on structural integrity of the fabric. Either way I don't care, because you don't have to wash jeans every time you wear them. That's the beauty and fun of the coarse, blue fabric.

You're trousers. You have no say in what I carry in my pockets.

So, about the topic at hand. DC Comics announced a line-wide renumbering of 52 of its comic books. This news has been met with cynicism and anger by comic reading fans. You see, comic book fans are jaded individuals. With modern cinema so dependent on comic book panels for substance, you would think that this would be a reawakening in the comic book world. A renaissance (I feel like I use that word too much on here) in creativity and popularity. Instead, comic books are only dumbing themselves down for the wider market. By doing this they are alienating their loyal fans that have stuck with the comics through every superhero death and badly written character arc. Instead of comics affecting their cinematic interpretations, they are instead being affected by them. The comic book movie tail is wagging the comic book industry dog.

Picture unrelated.

DC Comics, fearing convoluted continuity and intimidating issue numbering (Action Comics just recently passed 900 issues), is restarting itself. Not just numbering, but many plot points are even being changed. Some of the most exciting storytelling in comics (namely Dick Grayson becoming Batman) is being rewritten for no good reason. To me, this seems pretty uncharacteristic of DC. Out of the Big Two, DC always seemed to show more reverence for its characters. Marvel heroes are interesting characters, but DC heroes are neo-gods. Unlike Marvel, DC never started issues with little summaries of the story so far. No, the average comic reader had to work to understand a DC story. And that lent pride to the line. A pride that Marvel couldn't touch. Marvel may have the larger market share but DC had more class.

I feel like DC characters are taller than Marvel ones.

Attracting new readers is important, especially the weakening comic book industry. But the current pop culture climate should be a perfect storm for readership. Is restarting half of the industry's characters really going to attract anyone that hasn't been reading already? Those interested will find the back stories of issues. Hell, ten minutes on Wikipedia is all someone needs to know what's going on in X-Men right now (and X-Men must have the most confusing story out of everybody). Instead of attracting it will only alienate readers. It's true, the numbers are just arbitrary. But to actually change the story is insulting.

Cancelling Secret Six is also insulting.

Comic books are ridiculous. Fans know this more than anyone else. But there is certain charm in the inherent ridiculousness. If somebody can't get a handle on that then they shouldn't start reading comics. Both companies have their own kind of ridiculousness, but DC should be better than this. When Marvel tried to attract readers with simplified continuity, they were smart enough to start a whole new line (the Ultimate Marvel experiment). If DC were smart they should of done that and left their core books alone. Instead they went and messed with the whole scene. Yes, Superman and Wonder Women were in desperate need of help, but Green Lantern and Batman were telling the best stories in years. Now, it is all for naught.

The jury is still out on Ultimate Marvel's impact.

Ever since Batman Begins the word reboot has been thrown around aimlessly. What was once referred to as remakes are now being reclassified. But really it's just semantics. And it sounds like a gift for artists. If a previous attempt has failed, then just redo it and call it a reboot. The entertainment world now has it's own word for a mulligan. But, while some reboots work, it is also breeding laziness. And comic books, which have always been like soap operas in tights, should not fall prey to this reboot-madness. You can always start a new series or create another dimension in the multiverse. While just as lazy, that route at least shows respect to the characters that have been growing for decades.

Some characters have literally grown up in that time.

But what does it really matter? Comic books are know for their cyclical nature and changes rarely stay the same. Superheros come back from the dead and stories are revised, but never to such a degree as what DC is attempting. Even previous reboots (such as the Zero Hour event in the 90s and Crisis on Infinite Earths) have never seemed this brazen. In the end, DC just wants to sell more comics, and what's a bigger seller than a first issue?

The Comic Book Issue (R.I.P. Fantastic Four)

I have a confession to make, I read comic books. Not just occasionally either. I am a semi-regular reader of comic books. My comic book collection, which is pretty decent in size, waits for me at home. Even as I type this, Green Lantern issue number 61 lays next to my computer. I'm no regular at my local comic book shop, but I visit enough to feel secure in my nerdliness.

I grew up loving Batman and watching X-Men and Spider-man cartoons, it was only a matter of time until I opened up a comic book to see where these characters came from. It's a medium that, when handled right, could be both powerful and awesome. So how many of you, dear readers, have decided to continue reading? I've asked you all to care about a lot of esoteric topics so far but comic books is a lot to ask out of you. Well, for those that have stuck with me so far, here is the news in comics.

Comic Code Authority dropped:

DC Comics is now the last of the major publishers to drop the Comic Code, in favor of an in-house rating system. The Comics Code Authority was created in 1954, when parents all over America were afraid of two things: Communist and comic books. They saw the colorful magazines as corruptors of America's youth. Part of this was thanks to Fredric Wertham and his book, Seduction of the Innocent. With Wertham's book as a rally cry, the Comics Code Authority was created to protect the innocent from horror stories and a gay Batman.

Times have changed however. The Code became antiquated and irrelevant with the arrival of independent comic books. As the Modern Age of comics pushed forward, The Code was becoming less of a public relations stunt and more of a pain in the ass. The comics still have their own code, but now they are no longer having to deal with the CCA. Even Archie Comics, which has never had to worry about the CCA, dropped it for their own rating system. To put this into context, that would be like each movie studio abandoning the MPAA and each creating their own system. We should all be thankful that we are progressive enough to not have to worry about paranoia from the 50s holding us back. Down with censorship!

Digital Comics and Wizard Magazine moving to online:

Wizard Magazine, the leading magazine in comic book coverage and all things nerdy, closed its doors. Since 1991 Wizard kept fans informed on the medium. Recently, however, the staff and writers of the magazine were fired and publication ceased. The magazine is going to reinvent itself, according to a press release, into an online only publication. While this has worked for sites like Cracked, Wizard is a different breed.

This whole blog is basically a Cracked ripoff.

Wizard covers comics. A magazine covering magazines should be in paper form. There is something special about having the physical printed pages in your hand, and by conceding into the digital realm Wizard might as well to calling for the death of comics itself. Thankfully, with technology encroaching on every aspect of life, comics books are finding a way to work with the new media. The comic book world recognizes the fact that modest comic book shops are the life-force of each company. Unlike with journalism, the digital side of comics is not looking to put the printed side out of business.

Fantastic Four member dies (SPOILERS):

Comics books are like one big soap opera with super powers. And just like soap operas, they depend heavily on melodrama. With this comes a new superhero death to mourn, that of the Human Torch. Which is a shame because the Human Torch was everyone's favorite character. The Thing is interesting but too sad to be lovable, Mister Fantastic is a dick, and Invisible Woman is a girl and girls don't count. That leaves only one likable character in the whole 50-year run of the comic series.

To be honest, I was never a big Fantastic Four kind of guy anyway. The characters never resonated with me and, as I stated before, Reed Richards was too unlikable for me. Yes he is the smartest man in the Marvel Universe but that doesn't mean he has to be so smug about it. The only thing separating him and Hank Pym is some wife-beating. And the only interesting thing to happen to the Fantastic Four in its 50 years of story telling is the Galactus Trilogy, which gets rehashed so many times it's lost meaning.

It's their only real claim to fame.

And as sad as it is seeing Human Torch die, every comic book fan can't help but roll their eyes at the idea of a superhero death. We've seen it too many times. Hell, Bruce Wayne even died but now he's back and traveling the globe. Every member of the X-men has died at least once before, and Nightcrawler, who died not too long ago, is bound to be back some time. Remember when Superman died? The issue itself sold millions of copies. But come on, it was Superman and nobody expected him to stay dead.

There's even a whole Wikipedia article on the phenomenon. Comic book characters never stay dead, they only come back later in a dramatic fashion (Captain America's resurrection was hyped incredibly). There was a saying, that nobody stays dead except for Bucky, Jason Todd and Uncle Ben. Well, Bucky is the new Captain America and Jason Todd has returned as a villain. All that leaves is Uncle Ben. Thank god he hasn't resurrected though. He might not react well to Aunt May being such a whore.

Whore.

Cathy comic strip ends on Sunday

I have previously mentioned my love for the comics page. The basic set-up and punchline routine that comedy has hinged on is perfectly illustrated in each strip. The fact that the writer could come up with something new each day would boggle my mind. I find it hard enough to come up with ideas for a blog, I can't imagine having a nationally syndicated strip. While some comics become pop culture icons (the well deserving Peanuts), others crash and burn under their own weight (For Better for Worse got hit with Boy Meets World Syndrome. What started out as a fun sitcom becomes over bloated with characters and their individual problems.)

Towards the end of its run the only funny character was the brother.

Cathy, which has been around since 1976, is a comic that is comfortable with its mediocrity. Like Dilbert, it panders to its limited audience, leaving the greater sum of the readers scratching their heads wondering what's so funny. While Dilbert's niche audience is cubicle workers and Drew Carey, Cathy finds itself speaking to self-conscious women everywhere. Why those women are seeking for answers on the comics page I have no idea. What I do know is, as I grew up and ate my Cinnamon Toast Crunch over the page I would always skip Cathy.

Best. Cereal. Ever.

Cathy was not fun to read. Cathy was desk decoration for secretaries. Maybe I'm too harsh on Cathy. A comic strip that has validated women all over America can't be so bad. I just can't believe it has run for this long. With women becoming more dominant and gender roles being blurred, Cathy just panders to the old world of womanhood. Cathy should of evolved as women all over the world did. Instead she just spent her time wearing sweatpants and debating whether to eat ice cream. After the millionth joke about eating ice cream you almost want her to quit whining and get as fat as Gilbert Grape's mom. At least then it will be interesting.

Such a sad movie.

With the final strip on Sunday, Oct. 3, is there a reason for anyone to care? This isn't Peanuts we're talking here. When Peanuts ended it was legitimately sad, never mind the fact that the last Peanuts strip was printed the day after Charles Schulz's death. Cathy has no such resonance. And newspapers are probably just going to run old Cathy strips in lieu of new strips. Cathy is going to be in syndication like Seinfeld and the fact that she has not matured at all in the past 34 years means you can just run a randomly chosen Cathy strip and none will be the wiser.

Sorry Cathy.

Glenn McCoy and his exclamation points

I try to read the newspaper everyday. Nevertheless, I don’t always have time to read the whole thing. Whether it’s because I’m about to be late for work or I’m almost out of cereal to eat, I need to get the most paper enjoyment I can in a small time frame. It is during times like this I go to the editorial/opinion section of the paper.

Is it fair and balanced? No. Does it tell me all the information I need to know to be a properly informed citizen? No. Does it have comics? Yes. And that’s what counts.

These two pages are the most concentrated dose one can find in the newspaper. It has editorials from somewhat respectable people, crazy people with their crazy thoughts and cartoons for when you don’t have time for both news and Family Circus. The letters to the editor are especially interesting to read because news isn’t important unless you have shut-ins writing to their local paper about it.

I recognize the fact that a blogger joking about crazy people's opinions is a pot and kettle relationship.

Political cartoons have always been a respected form of commentary. This nation was even helped created by the "Join, or Die" political cartoon created by Benjamin Franklin. Cartoons were always appreciated because they helped get the point across easily even if a person didn’t know how to read. History textbooks would also be a lot more boring without political cartoons to look through while you are bored during American History 2 (American History 1 and American History X both being course pre-requisites). However, there is one man whose cartoons create no feeling inside me but hatred for its creator. I am talking about Glenn McCoy.

McCoy's version of the pot and kettle.

I don’t just hate him because he’s too conservative for my taste. I don’t just hate him because his drawings suck. I don’t just hate him because he has the subtlety of a train blowing by your bedroom window. If I had to choose one reason why Glenn McCoy is a hack, it boils down to exclamation points.

I have never been a fan of the punctuation mark. It has no room in a newspaper and unless you’re Dostoevsky I don’t want to see it in prose writing. It’s completely unnecessary and does not belong anywhere but in a badly butchered text message from your 11 year old cousin. McCoy uses them not just occasionally but all the time.

His cartoons are all the same. They are filled with right-wing knee jerk reactions to any small issue and the image is usually two people yelling at each other. Nobody talks to each other in these cartoons. It is all caricatures having one big argument. People don't have conversations in his cartoons, they just yell.

And the exclamation points aren't enough to convey how loud these people are yelling.

Any possible message that can be taken from his cartoons is completely vanquished by his ham-fisted approach to the respectable art. Once you get past all his faults (between the lack of subtlety and art that makes one's eyes bleed) and actually read the cartoons you discover that they are half thought out gripes about misunderstood policies. McCoy goes for the emotion full throttle and leaves everyone behind in his ink blotted mess.