Dr. Manhattan (or: how I learned to stop worrying and hate “Watchmen”)

The movie “Watchmen” came out yesterday and I can’t say that I am going to be buying it.

On paper, it looks like the perfect fit for a comic book fan. The director is Zack Snyder, who did the successful “300″ a few years back, which was based on the graphic novel of the same name by Frank Miller. The actors are all top notch. The visuals look like they were drawn to perfection by the original artist, Dave Gibbons. And Malin Ackerman is so pretty. But it fails. It fails so brilliantly. Like I’ve said, I am not the most hardcore of comic book fans. I know people who can tell you how many panels there are that feature the Smiley Face logo. I know people who are so devoted to the source material, they refuse to see the movie. I don’t land in either of those camps, or at least I didn’t when I bought my ticket for the midnight showing back in March. I was beyond excited. I watched the Muse-dubbed trailer several times in anticipation, but while I don’t know if I admitted it to myself at the time, I could see the mirage starting to crack even there. The first hint was pointed out to my by Newsweek. The trailer called Snyder “visionary.” That is a title for someone like George Lucas or Stanley Kubrick or Quentin Tarantino. Not someone who has only had two films under his belt, both of which are re-makes/adaptations of some a classic zombie movie and a historically dubious graphic novel (’Dawn of the Dead” and “300″ respectively). I could go on and on about the instant legend mindset of today, where anyone who has a $100 million dollar hit movie becomes our generation’s John Hughes/John Ford/John Huston, but I feel that tangent is necessary except needless to say that Snyder does not fit in with any of those Johns.

My big hang-up with “Watchmen” the movie is that it completely disregards the whole importance of “Watchmen” the comic book. What makes the comic book so special in the hearts of readers is that nothing like it had been done before. The book was released in 1986 at the dawn of the “Bronze Age” of comic books, or rather at the end of the “Silver Age.” To make a short example of what these terms mean, imagine every thing you know about comics. The bright colors, the heroic, unnatural dialogue, the bizarre death-traps that the hero gets out of at the nick of time, the entire lack of actual danger or real suspense. Now add all of that into the campy 1960s Adam West “Batman” show and you have the “Silver Age” of comics that went through the 1960s and 70s. When “Watchmen” started, nothing like it had really been published in the mainstream and it really opened up what comics could do following the decline of “Silver Age”-type story lines. It was truly revolutionary (here is where I am plugging this book). Now look at “Watchmen” the movie and see that everything on that screen has been seen before. Dark heroes (“Batman Begin/The Dark Knight,” “Spawn”), comic book period-piece (“The Shadow,” “The Rocketeer”), a team of superheroes (The “X-Men” films), ultra violence (The “Blade” films, “Sin City,” “300”), all that is on the screen has been done before in either comic book movies or movies in general. The only thing that hasn’t been done before is, to borrow from the analysis done by Geoff Boucher of the Los Angeles Times, an “oddly off-putting Owl Ship sex scene and, of course, the unforgettable glowing blue penis.”

When I saw “Watchmen,” I almost walked out. The only thing that stopped me was that I had gotten a ride and didn’t like the thought of sitting in the lobby by myself. But the ending just completely ruined it for me.

(STOP READING IF YOU DO NOT WANT THE ENDING RUINED FOR YOU. I’M ABOUT TO NERD OUT)

It is about the failings of man, that’s the whole story. The original ending is about a third party threat, a fake alien dreamt up to wipe-out New York by the villain, Ozymandias. This unknown alien threat brings the impending nuclear war to a halt and returns the world to sanity. The movie’s end, with the reveal of Dr. Manhattan being the source of the destruction, would not have brought the world to peace. Dr. Manhattan is shown through out the film to be an American. He was on the American frontline in Vietnam and is on the American government’s payroll. If an American government worker blew up a foreign building, don’t you think there would be repercussions to the United States? And the beauty of all of this is that in the original, everyone just accepts it (except the black-and-white world view of Rorschach). There is no secret vendettas or slug fights, just a quiet, cowardly acceptance, a complete reversal of the heroic nature of the comic book super heroes that came before. That is completely lost in the movie and why it ultimately fails.

“Watchmen” the film is an clear example of the continued misinformed views of comic books as it turned one of the greatest examples of a comic book into an average popcorn flick (at best). Even with amazing comic book films out there (the new Batman series springs to mind immediately), there still exist those who box in what a comic book film can do or what it should do. This is a medium that is older than television and yet it can only muster the likes of Zack Snyder to represent it.

So please, do yourself a favor. If you find yourself holding thirty bucks, staring at a copy of the “Watchmen” DVD, just put the money into your pocket and save it until you can get a copy of the paperback version of “Watchmen.” It’s worth the money.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Neil Gaiman, BAMF

Forget Harry Potter. As the rest of the world is focusing on the boy who lived, I spent my Sunday focused on another Brit, comic book legend Neil Gaiman, who made a special appearance at Comix Experience in San Francisco.

I had been at my comic book store, The Comic Book Box in Rohnert Park, when all of a sudden, the owner, Kathy Bottarini, very nonchalantly informed me that Neil Gaiman was going to be in San Francisco in about a week.

For a comic book reader, this can be one of the biggest deals. Gaiman has been on the scene since the 80s, when his seminal comic work, “The Sandman” hitting the stands in 1989. “The Sandman” and his work in other books have firmly established Gaiman as one of the top writers in the business, on par with legend Alan Moore. I have been somewhat of a fan since 10^th grade, when my English teacher, Mr. P, opened my eyes to this book. I have since reawakened my love of Gaiman by introducing my friends to his work. In a smart move, the Sonoma State Library has all ten of the “Sandman” trade paperbacks.

When I heard about this appearance, I got a huge nerd rush, but that was almost immediately crushed as Kathy informed me that there would only be 100 people let in. I was certain that there was no way that I was going to get in. But, either as an act of faith or my hidden love of being immensely let down, I asked for the web info on the event from Kathy. I followed up and called the store, asking, in vain as I was assumed it would be, if there were more spots available. To my great shock, there were “plenty.” I silently celebrated. The ticket was pre-ordering the most recent Gaiman collection “Whatever Happened to the Caper Crusader?,” which is about the recent death/disappearance of Bruce Wayne aka Batman. Even though I already had the single issues of this story, this is Neil Gaiman we’re talking about. I could deal with owning two copies. I also informed two of my friends of Gaiman making his way to San Francisco and they too had garnered admission.

The night before going was like the night before Christmas. Since I had also managed to get my boss at the Press Democrat to let me cover this, I was all sorts of nervous. I placed all the things I would need (wallet, id, audio recorder, index cards for notes, several pencils, and a note reminding me to get batteries for the audio recorder) on the table with the utmost care. I paced my apartment several times, obsessively looking anything I may have missed (notice how that list did not include camera). But I calmed down and eventually went to sleep.

After traversing the epic hills of San Francisco, I arrived at Comix Experience and was 29^th in line. I would’ve been 28, but my friend Mike DiGrande hopped in front of me when he showed up. Since I still got to meet Gaiman, I don’t hold it against him. The wait in line, wasn’t too bad. Almost immediately, I got to talking to the guy next to me. I jumped into the conversation he was having about Todd McFarlane that just turned into bad-mouthing Todd McFarlane’s work and morally questionable actions. What followed was about an hour of discussing Gaiman, Batman, and comics in general. We almost missed our first glimpse of Gaiman, who calmly walked passed the growing line as if he were walking to get some grapes at the market next-door. I had to double-take and ask Mike if that actually was Neil Gaiman.

We were let into the store and before Gaiman was even out, I was in heaven as I usually am with comic book stores. I began to think of what I would be buying. The owner, Brian Hibbs, quickly established himself as a nice guy in my mind. He had been pacing the line to make sure everyone knew what was going on and he had been really receptive of me when I had asked about covering it for the Press Democrat. He even had a small amount of coffee and donuts for everyone. He welcomed Gaiman out to the applause of the 100 people now crammed in the store.

I immediately thought “Neil Gaiman is so cool.” On top of my idolization of him, he just had this air of confidence about him. Even surrounded by people who knew far more about him than he knew about them, Gaiman commanded the room with his calm, almost indifferent British voice. He explained his history with the store that involved Hibbs “demanding” Gaiman sign in his store in 1989 and Hibbs furthering his image as a nice guy by giving potentially valuable comic books for free because he cared more about the comics than the money.

After being in the industry for as long as he has, Gaiman joked that he had still not figured out how to read a comic aloud, so he did a half hour reading of the new book, “Who Killed Amanda Palmer?” that features pictures his girlfriend, Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls, in various scenes of death. Gaiman contributed pieces of prose and poetry to the book.

The first was a contemporary retelling of an old fairy tale inspired by a photo of the dead Amanda Palmer with jewels flowing from her open mouth. The story featured Gaiman’s odd expository prose that was only punctuated by the way Gaiman read it. He followed it up with a short poem of a man eating dinner every night with the corpse of his love sitting on the other side of the table. The eyelids of the love have had eye painted on them, to give the appearance of life. “I painted the eyes on myself,” Gaiman stated. The next piece was a love letter to a 1950s Palmer who committed suicide in a gas oven. Gaiman also read story of a man and woman who floated around the world while the man wrote his novel on an old typewriter. The man and woman begin to argue and the man drops the typewriter over the edge of the balloon. When it descends to the earth, it killed Amanda Palmer. He finished with the opening piece that reveals the massive culture that has been built around Palmer’s death. She has become Elvis, but to such a higher degree. Children wrote rhymes about her, killing her with the last line. There are sub-cultures of Amanda Palmer. Amanda Palmer drag queens roam the streets. But it doesn’t change the fact that Amanda Palmer is dead.

Following the reading, we were led back out while the store was put back together. We were also informed that Gaiman would only sign two things, three if you were one of the lucky few who bought a copy of “Who Killed Amanda Palmer?” I was not one of the lucky few, but as we got closer to being let back in for the signing, I had a wonderful idea. I took one of my index cards and folded it in half and drew on one side, effectively turning it into a home-made copy of “Who Killed Amanda Palmer?” When I had Gaiman sign my two things (My copy of “Caped Crusader” for me and an index card for my friend, Kelli), I also asked if he would sign my copy of “Amanda Palmer.” Without a moment’s hesitation and the laughs of the staff around us, he politely obliged, giving me three copies of his signature.

I can count the amount of famous people I’ve met. A few comic artists, Joel McHale a few months back, and I saw Danny Glover at a Giants game (which has another story to it). But none compare to Gaiman. On top of being so unbelievably talented, he is just the nicest guy around. And for someone who has written some dark stuff, he seems so filled with light. Neil Gaiman is just an all-around good guy and if you get the chance, I highly recommend seeing him at a signing or a reading. But remember one thing: it was not he who killed Amanda Palmer.

Photos are courtesy of Michael DiGrande

New Blog, Old Stuff

So, I now have a second blog that will hopefully be around for a while. It's called Four Colors and it is about comic books and it is hosted by the PressDemocrat.com. So I now have a legit blog on a legit site. Not to say that I don't care about this blog (even though I haven't posted in a while), but any Tom, Dick or Jane can have a blogspot account. Not true with the PressDemocrat.com (although, it was far too easy to convince them that a comic book themed blog would be a good idea). Anyway, to the loyal six readers of this blog, I will not leave you behind. I will continue to post about Teddy, mostly because this is the only space for him until I drop Teddy into the laps of the PD. But that is a another plan for another time. So, I will be posting from the new blog onto here or you can start checking it out by following this link

http://fourcolors.blogs.pressdemocrat.com/

Good times are on the horizon

In need of a hero

FACT #1: Spider-Man is my favorite super hero.
FACT#2: I hate the administration of Sonoma State University.

That's about all you need to know going into this article.


With Sonoma State in the state it is, with problems ranging from economic issues to the ever present problem of campus diversity, do we need a trouble-maker like Spider-Man stalking our campus? The answer, in this person’s opinion, is a resounding “NO!” Spider-Man is no hero; Spider-Man is a menace!

We need a real hero, someone who doesn’t have to wear a mask to make an impact. People like President Rueben Armiñana, who spends every day making an impact at this university. We don’t need people running around, subverting authority. We don’t need people going around trying to help people, asking for nothing in return. Nor do we need people who act in a ways that point out the flaws in this institution, trying to show the hypocrisy of people in charge. Those kinds of people cannot be called heroes. They are deviants, rebels. They disrupt systems and what good is a system if it is being disrupted by these kinds of people? A system cannot be used if it is being disrupted and people like Spider-Man know this.

What we need are the heroes who are already in place, chosen by the institution to represent the student body. People who tirelessly work for the student body during their 9 to 5, Monday through Friday work week. We don’t need someone like Spider-Man making a mockery of the standard work day by always being around, always being a menace no matter what time it is during the day (or even at night). If students are already spending hours upon hours outside of class to get their work done, how can we expect the people in power to do the same?

There is a phrase I have heard. “With great power comes great responsibility.” In this time of economic hardship, we need people who understand what that means, who make the hard choices for budget cuts and are rewarded for their efforts with raises. We need to remember that we are in a country that rewards excellence. Thankfully we have an administration that honors the very system this country was built on. They have used their great power to enact great change it is the responsibility of the university to reward these brave souls. The administration holds the power while the rest of the university holds the great responsibility. Spider-Man is destroying this system. This “hero” attempts to take all the responsibility as well as all the power that comes with it. That is just selfish. If the people in power take all the responsibility, there will none left for the students who have no power.

And this Spider-Man is creating a terrible example for the students. He is teaching them to take matters into their own hands and go against the grain. That is being a vigilante. This is not what students should be learning. They should be learning from books. They should be learning from teachers. They should be learning for the administration. What better examples are there? Students need to learn that in order to make a difference, you need to be put into a place where you can affect the lives of many by bettering your situation at the expense of others. That is the message the administration is giving these students and it is a fine one.

In conclusion, the example of Spider-Man needs to be taken away from the students. He is brainwashing them into fighting things that don’t need to be fought. Why would anyone fight anything in this school? Classes are still being offered so who cares that there is less of them. The general education classes cover longer periods of time meaning that they are teaching students more. So what if fees are being increased? If one pays more for something, that makes it more valuable and what is more valuable than an education. Less services offered leads to less confusion on where students need to go. Unit caps mean classes are more abundant for students to choose from and gives the upper classmen a chance to be more generous to the lower classmen.

People like the menace Spider-Man spit in the face of this. At this time, Sonoma State doesn’t need people who are hurtful to the student body, people who show no regard or care to the needs and concerns of students. There is no need for people in power to shirk their responsibilities and continue to pass blame. Thankfully, this school does not have anyone like that because they are not what is needed. What Sonoma State needs right now is a hero.

The Batman is Dead; Long Live Batman

Gonna try something a little different. As some may know, I am a writer for my school paper, The Star. Usually, I will write about some happening on campus, but this week, I got the opportunity to write about Batman and the current mini-series "Battle for the Cowl". Now, I love comics, so this was awesome and easy to do and also figured that this could be a good forum to post it at. So, here is my article:

Bruce Wayne is dead. In a recent story line called “Final Crisis,” the hero was killed in an epic battle between good and evil, leaving his friends and his city, Gotham, alone and in need of a new Batman. That is the premise of the current mini-series “Battle for the Cowl,” written and drawn by Tony Daniels.

Recently, Batman has found a new wave of popularity in the past year with the release of “The Dark Knight.” The legend of Batman/Bruce Wayne has returned to popular conscience, a tale as old as the medium of comics: Young Bruce Wayne was born into an idyllic world, with loving parents and a golden spoon in his mouth. But all that came crashing down, as one night while coming home from the movies, Bruce’s parents are killed in a robbery. The event causes him to train his mind and body and he becomes the protector of Gotham City, Batman. Over the years, Bruce Wayne’s life has been hard. His back has been broken. He has gone through three Robins, his kid sidekick. The second Robin, Jason Todd, was killed, only to come back to life as a psychopath killer. His other crime fighting partner, Batgirl, was crippled by the Joker. And now he has gone down in the line of duty, but just because Bruce Wayne has died, does not mean that Gotham City does not need a protector.

The three people who are vying for the cowl are the three Robins. Jason Todd, the psycho, is the first to take the mantle, but he also brings a pair of guns with him, throwing out the idea that Batman doesn’t kill. Tim Drake, the current Robin, also dons the mantle to take down Todd which ends with less than stellar results. While this goes on, Dick Grayson, the original Robin, has to figure out if he wants to remain the man that he has become, the one who fought hard to be his own man outside of the shadow of Batman or don the cowl and take over for his fallen mentor. But the looming question over the whole thing is: Who could possibly take over for Bruce Wayne? For 70 years, Bruce Wayne has been Batman. He has evolved from a pulp avenger to a symbol of the will of man. Bruce Wayne can stand up to Superman and not back down. He has fought gods with nothing but his own strength. Who could possibly fill those shoes?

The structure of the “Battle for the Cowl” is compact. The main story line is a mere three issues, but the story of everyone involved is much bigger. There are also two more three issue mini-series, one starring Barbara Gordon, the paralyzed former Batgirl and the other stars Azrael, a religious vigilante who takes protecting Gotham as a holy crusade. There are also seven single issue stories that focus on all the major protectors of Gotham, from Police Commissioner Jim Gordon to Man-Bat, an actual bat man to reporter/Bruce Wayne love interest Vicki Vale. As Gotham crumbles and the Robins fight for the cowl, it is these people who are the ones that have to hold it together in the city. These are the people who the fight the fight alongside of Batman.

As this story line goes on, Batman is given a hero’s funeral in a separate two part story called “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?” written by acclaimed writer Neil Gaiman, with pencils by Andy Kubert. The title is a reference to a classic 1980s Superman story “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” by Alan Moore and Curt Swan and serves the same purpose. “Man of Tomorrow?” was viewed as the last Superman story and “Caped Crusader?” is the same thing: the last story of Bruce Wayne as Batman.

The story has a simple premise. Batman has died and a funeral is being held in his honor. Over the course of the story, all the major characters in Bruce’s life are mentioned or appear or even perform a eulogy. It is in the eulogies that the purpose of the story is seen. “Caped Crusader?” is a deconstruction and analysis of the life and importance of Bruce Wayne/Batman. All of the eulogies are about events that never happened, but may as well have. They show the character of what kind of man Bruce was. During Bruce’s butler Alfred’s eulogy, Bruce asks “Do you think [Batman would] give up? That he’d lie down and die?” Alfred responds “No, sir. I do not believe the Batman would EVER lie down and die.” To his dying day, Batman was a committed fighter for what was right and would never surrender. When Superman speaks, he tells of a fabricated time where the villains had teamed-up in Gotham and had turned the city against Batman. Superman tried to convince Batman to not go back, as they would kill him. Batman responded “Well, while they are trying to kill me, they aren’t going to be killing innocents.” That sums up the man Bruce Wayne was. He was still that boy whose parents died and he would do everything in his power to make sure that what happened to him would never happen to anyone else.

But his fight is over…for now. In comics, death has never been permanent. Characters that have been dead for decades have come back recently. Batman’s publisher, DC Comics, has already made allusions to the possibility that Bruce Wayne could/will return eventually. But for the time being, Gotham needs a protector and the only mystery is “Who will end up with the cowl of Batman?”

Because serious posts need to be followed with cartoon nudity

An ad I made to advertise Teddy in the school newspaper. It should be posted around campus soon. More ridiculousness to follow

Beat me senseless

So, I'm in this class about the writers of the Beat Generation. Being in this class, hearing and reading their words have been an almost religious experience for me. I've been doing a lot of doodles in this class. Sorta like spontaneous prose but just sketches of sayings and thoughts that crop up. I have a longer, poetic piece that will eventually be put up here, but as for now, I have these. The first one is just Teddy as Abbie Hoffman. Chances are you know who Abbie Hoffman is if they name doesn't do anything. He had a huge white guy fro and wore an American flag shirt. The girl bear (who is named Luann, but I am the only one who knows that cause she hasn't appeared in any strips yet) is just a hippie flower girl. The second drawing is from a quote from William Burroughs. He was a Beat writer, whose works include "Junkie" (which he was) and "Naked Lunch". The quote in the corner is from a documentary called "The Source" about the Beats and hippies and it just struck me about how much truth there is in that. Drama works so well when you can either feel exactly what the writer is feeling or you can pull from your own life and make the reading that much more powerful.

"A bad experience for one person can be a good one for a writer."

And then this last one. This is my favorite picture because of how much is resonates with me. There is a stigma to being a person of impact. It is a two fold problem: 1. Your life has to be littered with emotional and physical problems and 2. You have to die young. The Beats just threw themselves into life. Whether this was an ideal life is up for debate, but they did not let up until it was done. Some were lost to drugs, some were just burned away by the lifestyles. A few got lucky and lived to a natural death, but most aren't lucky. But they live on and their message continues to inspire people. So what is the cost. Immortality in exchange for your short life? And that life is one of some sort of torment. At what temperature do we burn up? I get anxious about the thought of giving up my life for something like that. If I was Kerouac or Cassady, would I have lived with that same abandon or can I hope to in my own life? These guys viewed life in such a way that it gets me excited. Just seeing life as this truly beautiful thing and something that should be viewed as precious. Their words are the words of holy scripture and I become a born again with every reading. But then I worry about the fire and pull back my hand.

Teddy behind a table....

Oh boy, that Teddy sure gets into hi-jinx when he gets behind a table/desk.....


.....I have no idea how to introduce these ones.

A Message to those in power...

This message is true. While the presentation could be considered tasteless by some, it is something that we need to be considering with all the cuts to budgets and schools. In my opinion, the cuts to art in school is tragic. For myself, being creative is such a great outlet to whatever if getting me down or whatever is lifting me up. Some people aren't mean to be creative, but to think that those who are meant for that life are never given the opportunity makes me sad. So, I make a Hitler joke.

And so, it begins....

Here they are, the first additions to the blog

The first....

Welcome to the Teddy the Bear blog. Here's the basics of the blog. I have a one panel comic, Teddy the Bear, that occasionally runs in the Sonoma State Star. But I believe that Teddy should be getting out to the masses. I have all the strips on my Facebook, but I would like to get more in depth and share some more personal drawings on the web that don't really fit into the Teddyverse. So, I bring them to blogspot and hopefully to a wider audience. The strips will be posted soon. Like later today soon. For now, we have the intro.