posted
Today I picked up the first issue of the Feedback comic book from my local comic book store.
And ugh.
And uck.
And urk.
Well, to be honest, I never much liked the starting material (i.e., the real fellow on the TV show).
And Stan Lee's writing style often feels ignorant of the evolution of the genre.
I mean, I accept that Stan Lee was pretty revolutionary and imaginative in his time. But the genre has changed, and for the better. Frankly, modern superhero comics have developed greater depth and artistry. Lee, as an "old master", seems to have ignored that. It's not universal, though: Will Eisner's later comics were clearly conscious that the genre was evolving; the comics Eisner wrote late in life were just as innovative as those of his youth.
Perhaps Stan's trying to give it that classic superhero comic feel.
But it just sorta stinks.
Posts: 1735 | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
Eisner used The Spirit more as a way of finding out the tools he wanted to use in telling the stories he really cared about.
(And if anyone reading this hasn't read A Contract With God and Other Stories or his subsequent graphic novels, do so now.)
Stan Lee did his original Marvel comics partially for the fun of it, mainly to make a living. While I believe he does care about some of the characters he's co-created over the years...the stories were always secondary. An afterthought, mainly used to keep the kids buying. "What happens next?!? Will Reed ever find a way to make Ben human again? Will Peter ever sttop being kicked in the face by life? Will the Masters of Evil trick the Avengers?"
He was never interested in improving his craft or his content half so much as Eisner. They always had different goals.
And quite frankly, it was obvious as far back as The Savage She-Hulk (to say nothing of Ravage 2099)) that while Stan still gets the occasional delightfully loopy idea...the old cracklin' good story-telling spark is mostly gone.
Posts: 6689 | Registered: Jan 2005
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Can't speak for the comic, since I only have the half that they gave out on Free Comic Book Day, but I will say that Feedback, the guy--I mean the real guy, not just who they made him on the show--but the guy is a genuine, pleasant fellow.
Glad he won.
I'm sorry his comic isn't better.
--
As for Stan Lee--I don't think his talent was ever so much for storytelling.
His talent was more in adding percieved value. I want to say it was in "Hype" but I don't think that quite covers it.
His talent was in making the readers feel like by reading his titles they were a part of something. Part of a bunch of things, actually--they were part of these character's lives, but also connected with each other and with the writers and artists at Marvel. His Mighty Marvel Marching Band or whatever it was and the no-prizes all created a sense of community that, I think, layed a lot of the scaffolding and the girders for the entire comic book culture today. I don't think we'd be having ginormous ComicCons today if Stan Lee hadn't convinced comic readers that they were a special community who shared something important.
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