How Much Complaining are You Allowed?

Nary a week goes by without getting my weekly bulletin from a friend with the startling news that "People are complaining on the internet!" Then I go through the motions, "Yeah, people just don't get it." And the majority of the time, it's true. Skim the youtube comments section and you'll see an uncountable amount of poster insisting, "They should bring back Animaniacs!" or, "Cartoons today suck."

This is clearly a case of nostalgia and fanboyism. You won't like cartoons today, because you're smarter than you were 10-15 years ago. And, if they did bring Animaniacs back, the newer episodes would automatically be measured against the old episodes, more than likely be found lacking, and you'll hear accusations of "Warner Brothers is raping my childhood."

Fanboys. End of Discussion.

Or, so I thought. Back when I used to read comics, I ran into an interesting conundrum. A comic comes out, and a fan dislikes it, or more often "hates" it, and the normal response would be, "If you don't like it. Don't buy it." The following month, same book, fan dislikes it, they said "Don't like it. Don't buy it." The fan replies, "I didn't buy it. I read it at the store." And they reply, "Your complaint doesn't count, because you didn't buy it."

Truth be told.,"Don't like it. Don't buy it," really is the mantra to adopt when you want to see change. Less sales (or views) means less ad revenue, and less money for everyone involved. But, that mantra seems to imply that if you're paying for something, it's perfect the way it is. It's entirely possible for something to hit a low point, and the fan will want to push it in a more favorable direction.

You see, the worst kind of fanboys tune out any attempts at reasoning. But, by ignoring them, I'm also not being reasonable. Maybe, there is something wrong with Power Rangers. Maybe, cartoons today aren't as good by some degree. You have to keep Sturgeon's Law in mind, though. I don't hear people praising Marsupilami, or asking for a Men in Black revival.

Hooray for the Thundercats reboot! Anyone remember TigerSharks? Or the Extreme Dinosaurs? Or the Street Sharks?

Oh, yes. My point. The question: "How much complaining are you allowed?" Infinite. But, only the reasonable ones will be listened to (for the next season, or story arc). I got to thinking about it because I'm coining a new term, the "FanMan." You might have heard it before in a negative connotation, but I'm making it my own. A FanMan can find faults in the things he likes, and find merits in things he doesn't like. In my pursuit to remain unbiased, I should strive to exemplify the FanMan.

In my left hand is the Fan of Contemplation.

My right hand is on my mouse.

First Spotlight - Spotlight On: Daredevil by Frank Miller

Okay, when I do a "Spotlight On" something, it'll be something that I like and wish more people would try out. When it comes to comics, I'm really writing it for people who are starting to get into comics and/or are looking for recommendations.  Sometimes, when you ask for recommendations on the internet, you'll get a replies saying "READ DEADPOOL NAO!" or "Grant Morrison's Batman is awesome," and you don't often get a clear enough answer to why they're awesome and why you should read it immediately. So, I'm going to describe why I think Daredevil by Frank Miller is worth checking out.

Full disclosure, I'm mainly a DC fan. Sure, Marvel always outsells DC from month to month, but most comic book nerds will admit that the House of Ideas doesn't make enough comics that hold up in the long run. That's because Marvel's just as bogged down by "events" as DC comics. But, when I got bored by DC's new direction, I decided to look at other publishers and find those rare, good stories that stand the test of time. I already owned Frank Miller's acclaimed Batman: the Dark Knight Returns, so I looked up his character defining run on Daredevil.

Daredevil started out as basically a rip-off of Spider-Man. (Stan Lee co-created the character.) Instead of Spider Sense, Daredevil has Radar Senses, and he jump over rooftops and swings using a grappling hook built into his club. It was an attempt to make an adult version of a guy with similar powers. Matt Murdock is Daredevil. He was blinded when he was young by a radioactive isotope that gave him his radar senses and amplified his other senses. That's really all you need to know going in.

Frank Miller's run on Daredevil begins in Daredevil #158 as DD faces some random super villain. Immediately after clearing that up, in Daredevil #159, the Slaughter Gang is hired to kill the Man Without Fear the events of this issue serve as a launching point for the rest of the run.

Now, what I hear from anime/manga fans is that comic books aren't as good as manga because they never end. And, that manga is superior because it is always drawn and written its creator. That is technically true, a comic book character will go through multiple writers and artists. What they don't know is that a writer will usually introduce a new idea or plots when he comes into a character, and they'll "pay off" their idea by the end of their tenure as writer.

In the case of Frank Miller's original run on Daredevil, it boils down to a story of Bullseye's obsession with Daredevil and the repercussions of that. Bullseye, by the way. is the deadliest assassin the Marvel Universe. So, Bullseye "shadow" falls across the entire 33 issues. This is also the time the Kingpin moved away from antagonizing Spider-Man and firmly became a Daredevil villain. And the introduction of Elektra. Plus, about half a dozen subplots that I'd prefer not to spoil. But, everything that's worth knowing about the character stems from these issues.

Along the way, you'll also see Miller refine his art, going from the generic "house style" to his own unmistakable style. Besides themes of obsession, you'll see depression and unrequited love. You can even find hints of misogyny that Miller is sometimes accused of. My personal favorite is Matt Murdock's always unlucky girlfriend, Heather Glenn.  (Poor, poor, Heather Glenn.) Not to mention, despite the comic's general darker tone, Miller knew how to inject humor into the series.

It is, in my opinion, one of the most perfect run of issues by any writer in any comic book.

I'm lucky enough to own the Frank Miller & Klaus Janson Daredevil Omnibus that was printed a few years back. But, you can find Frank Miller's original run on Daredevil as "Daredevil Visionaries - Frank Miller" Volumes 1, 2, & 3.

Daredevil Visionaries - Frank Miller Vol. 1

Daredevil Visionaries - Frank Miller Vol. 2

Daredevil Visionaries - Frank Miller Vol. 3

Now might be a good time to look them up, because they might fall out of print soon, making them way more expensive.  So, don't delay.

My "Secret" Origin

I am twenty-five years old, and I first moved to the United States when I was five. I can still remember sitting with the teacher's aid in second grade trying to learn how to pronounce the letter "Z." It was on that day that I decided that I always wanted to be understood. So, I learned to speak English fluently and then (years later) amended my resolution to also be fair, levelheaded, and unbiased.

It would have been a good origin story if I had grown up to be judge, lawyer, or a police officer, but I'm just a drone, pushing papers at an office. But, I am a nerd, and the internets are rife with unfair and biased journalism and commentators, and so I'm climbing on my soapbox to add my voice to the discussion.

Let me be clear, this is not going to be a political blog. This is going to be another nerd blog where I discuss nerdy things that are on my mind and every now and then review games or movies. I assure you I am not auditioning to get on one of the more popular review sites. I'm just doing this on my spare time.

I'm not saying that my opinions are better than other people's opinions. Opinions are just opinions. Just that, as a consumer, it's sometimes hard to look past either the hype or the hate, so I'm going to try to express my opinions with the least amount of hyperbole.

What am I going to talk about? Well, my interests are video games, anime, cartoons, movies, tv shows, comic books, toys, and card games. Right off the bat, I can tell you that I'll be writing about Filler/Padding in Anime. Also, Dragonball/Z/GT.How to get into comic books. Stand Alone Comic Books. Wonder Woman. Among other things.

Oh, and why is it called Compulsion to Collect? I grew up in the lower class income range. I was never hungry, but luxuries were exactly that: luxuries. I've concluded that my compulsion to collect stems from a need to prove to myself that I'm not poor. "I'm not poor, look at all the useless crap I own!"