First of all, moving sucks. And, I miss my dogs something fierce right now — my sister is taking care of them while I look for an actual home for them. Finding an apartment that will take two dogs is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
But, I digress from the main focus of this entry — Blue Beetle #26, the much talked about Spanish language issue.
Sorry it’s taken me so long to write this thing, but as you can see from the first couple of sentences of this entry, I’ve been a little crazed.
I’d like to start by saying that the first 25 issues written by Keith Giffen and John Rogers (and, later, solely by John Rogers) were some of the best I’ve ever read in comic books. By issue 25, John Rogers managed to develop such a great character that went from being clueless about his powers and being a hero to a very solid hero with a stellar support system. I enjoyed every issue and, not since Kyle Rayner learned to become a great Green Lantern, have I read better development of a hero. So, when it was announced that John Rogers was leaving the title, I was very nervous. Would Jai Nitz be able to represent Jaime Reyes and his family as well as Rogers? Taking out the Spanish translation, I thought Nitz delivered a solid story and gave us all the stuff that we want from a Blue Beetle book. For me, Blue Beetle is very much about the relationships that Jaime has with his family and friends and I liked the development that happened in this issue.
Now, for the Spanish. I’d like to say that I was very happy to hear that there would be a Spanish language issue of Blue Beetle. Jaime Reyes is a very strong character belonging to the Latino community, more specifically the Mexican American community, and I like the idea of reaching out to this community. While it might seem obvious, it thinks beyond the box.
That said, I have to admit that I’m disappointed that the issue was written in English and then translated. For the desired effect that DC might have wanted with this issue, straight translation takes away from it. The reason why is because there are phrases in Spanish that don’t translate well from English. Also, I know that they had the great Sergio Aragones check the Spanish, but Aragones is from Spain and Spanish differs from country to country. So, Mexican Spanish is different than Castillian Spanish which is different than Argentine Spanish and so on and so forth.
I’m not a native speaker, but I know enough Spanish to know that the Spanish was clunky in parts because it was too literal a translation. There were times where I cringed knowing that the average Spanish speaker of Mexican descent wouldn’t have said things like that. I can usually read a Mexican newspaper all the way through and understand it, but I have to admit that there were times where I had to turn to the key to find out what was said. It might work well in a Castillian setting (which I’m not as familiar with), but if the goal was to reach out to Latinos, I don’t think it works.
I do hope that they try to do other Spanish language issues with native speakers writing in Spanish. On the whole, I do think it is a good idea.
And, I would love to see Nitz write more of this character. Again, I do think he did a good job with the characterization and brought more development of Jaime’s family.
May 6th, 2008
Okay, okay…I know I said I was going to write about the Spanish language issue of Blue Beetle, but I’ve got limited time this weekend as I’m making the move, so will most likely write about it early next week. I DID, however, want to talk about Iron Man THE MOVIE, which I saw one and three-quarters times today (the film burned after an hour and a half the first time I tried to see it and couldn’t NOT see the ending, so I took advantage of the rain check the theater gave me to watch it again later). I know it doesn’t have a lot to do with diversity, but…oh, well…
Anyway, I must preface this by saying that I was not nor had I been an Iron Man fan. As you know, I tend to like my characters iconic, full of idealism and stuff like that there. Tony Stark and Iron Man has always been the anti-thesis of this…especially lately in the funny books. But, after seeing this movie, I see WHY people like him and that the film definitely worked in making me give this character a second look.
I was a little wary going into this movie when I read some reviews proclaiming Iron Man as “the best” superhero movie in years. I mean, to me, it would be pretty hard to knock out Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 as “the best” superhero movies in years — especially since I wasn’t a fan of Iron Man’s in the first place. So, it’s much to my surprise that I have to agree with those reviews.
The success of this movie lies in three parts — the pacing, the eye candy, and Robert Downey, Jr. So, first, let’s get right to it — the eye candy! The film could have easily leaned solely on eye candy and still make millions of dollars. But, wow! What eye candy it is in this film! I mean, when Tony Stark is first seen wearing his red and gold armor, I actually saw people in the audience give a standing ovation. I mean, for me, it was like watching Iron Man jump out of the comic book and stand right in front of you. And, I loved how they actually made the armor look like it could be something that a man could wear. When reading the comics, I never got a sense of how it would fit on a human being. But, they really convinced me that a man could wear this armor.
Now, on to the pacing. Origin movies can often have odd pacing because there’s a lot of back story that has to go on before any kickassery can happen. But, Iron Man, within the first five minutes, has you on the edge of your seat and pretty much gives you action sequences throughout. But, that’s not to say that Iron Man is all action. The film really balances all the action sequences we want to see with pathos (there was a scene in there where I actually cried), humor and character development. I loved the fact that Tony Stark just doesn’t jump in a suit and he’s all powerful. He has to learn and experiment to get the armor to work the way he wants. And, when he does, we cheer for him. But, the thing that pushed this movie over the top for me was that I actually saw an evolution within Tony Stark. I really understood why he became a hero.
And, that leads us to our third ingredient for the success of this movie — Robert Downey, Jr. Now, I’ve always liked Downey, but I have to admit that I would never have seen Tony Stark in him. But, I really bought it. I mean — he was Tony Stark. Much of my being convinced of Tony Stark’s evolution in this film was through Downey’s acting…subtle things that he did with his eyes and expressions. I really felt for him.
Actually, I liked the whole cast. Another actor who I initially questioned — Gwenyth Paltrow as Pepper Potts — was great. Paltrow plays Potts with a great deal of strength, yet, at the same time, a certain amount of vulnerability. Jeff Bridges as Obidiah Stane was fantastic. He played Stane with a certain level of cartoony villainy, yet, never going so over the top that you roll your eyes. And, I enjoyed Terrence Howard’s performance as James Rhodes. He is the yin to Stark’s yang.
Needless to say, I really enjoyed this movie. I was wondering if I would be bored watching the first hour and a half over again within the space of a few hours, but it really went by for me and found myself getting sucked in for a second time. Iron Man is not just enjoyable summer fare, but, I think, a movie that will go down as one of the all time classic superhero movies of all time.
May 2nd, 2008
I had a problem with my domain renewal and it lapsed. Sorry if you tried to stop by. No, I’m not gone again. It’s all straightened…or, as straight as can be for this gay man. 
Anyway, I’ll be giving my thoughts on the Spanish language issue of Blue Beetle soon. But, in a nutshell, I loved it.
May 1st, 2008
Gack! Sorry for the long gap between posts! No, I didn’t disappear again. I am in the process of moving to Los Angeles, so, my postings may be a little sporadic between now and the middle of the month. I just ended my five years at Planned Parenthood and will be moving next week…so, its been a week long of good-bye parties from good, good friends.
Anyway, I’ve been wanting to write this for the past few days and am just now able to sit down and write it. Heidi Meeley from Comics Fairplay wrote a blog entry asking her readers if they thought the cover of Justice League of America #20 (see right) was gratuitous or not. To which I replied:
Is it gratuitous? Abso-freakin-lutely.
Do I understand why they constantly do these kinds of covers? Yes, in the way that we all know sex sells.
Do I think they perpetuate sexism by doing this? Abso-freakin-lutely.
And, to which, there was some discussion as to whether the cover was sexist or not.
First of all…James, if you’re reading this, I apologize I haven’t written you sooner. For the reasons I stated above, I haven’t been able to do so. I wasn’t ignoring you.
And, second, I wasn’t really saying that the cover, in and of itself, was sexist. Although, I can see how some people might have read it that way in the tersely worded comment I made. I was somewhat cranky that day and get a little ornery some times.
BUT, in the context of Heidi’s question as to whether I thought the cover was gratuitious, I do stand by my statement that these covers do perpetuate sexism. Remember, I am a person who believes that everybody is a little bit sexist, racist, homophobic and so on and so forth. To deny it means you’re unwilling to learn and challenge your isms.
So, let’s look at what I said:
Is it gratuitous? Abso-freakin-lutely.
Having read the issue, there isn’t much about Queen Bee sitting in a pool of honey as she licks her fingers in a very sexual way. So, was it necessary to have this image? No. So, it is gratuitous.
Now, my second statement:
Do I understand why they constantly do these kinds of covers? Yes, in the way that we all know sex sells.
The cover of Justice League of America #20 is very sexual. So, knowing that comics, for the most part, are marketed to straight men and knowing that sex sells, I understand why they used this cover. This is not a blanket statement that fantasy is bad and that sex is evil. But, let’s be real…there could have been several other kinds of covers, many of which don’t involve some kind of sexual pose. It was done because sex sells.
Now, for the last, and most controversial part of my comment:
Do I think they perpetuate sexism by doing this? Abso-freakin-lutely.
Do I think this is the most offensive cover in the world? No. Do I think the artist is an evil person for drawing it? No. Hell, I’m just appreciative that it didn’t feature a Queen Bee who’s breasts fill the cover. But, I’m sorry. I do think that comic companies perpetuate sexism by constantly utilizing these covers. How many readers of the book would have been “weirded out” if it was Catman or Deathshot sitting in a pool of honey sexually licking his fingers? I, personally, would love to see it, but I think I’d be safe to say that the targeted audience would probably feel a bit uncomfortable. I think these covers have become so engrained in what we’re used to that we don’t even question them. That’s why I love Heidi’s entries in which she challenges her readers to look at a cover and opine whether its gratuitous or not.
Listen, I’m not trying to rain on people’s parade and say that comics should never, ever appeal to a person’s sense of fantasy. That’s what comics are for. But, when it really is only women who you really see in those sexual poses on a comic book, you have to wonder.
And, that’s my $.02.
April 27th, 2008
I learned from a little bird named Kalinara that it is Ragnell’s birthday today.
So, happy birthday, Ragnell!
I hope you have a wonderful day and a wonderful year.
I don’t know what the blogosphere would do without you…all I know is that, with you here , as Soranik Natu says:
April 23rd, 2008
So, in response to the recent “Real Power of the DC Universe” poster featuring several of the women of the DCU, Johanna Draper Carlson from Comics Worth Reading has started a contest for a “Men of the DCU” poster. Now, as you know, I totally want to see this and am SOOOOOOO excited to see what people come up with.
If y0u’re interested in submitting something for the contest, check out Johanna’s entry!
April 22nd, 2008
First of all, since I can’t comment on her site, I wanted to give a quick shout out to Cheryl Lynn over at Digital Femme Online for her “Squee” to my return! Thank you, Cheryl!
And, with that, I wanted to thank everybody for such a wonderful response to my return to blogging. I had no idea what the response would be and I thought I’d spend awhile writing to myself for awhile. But, the response has been so overwhelming with the comments and people actually mentioning my return in their own blogs and the individual e-mails — I am deeply touched, especially after such a rough year last year. I want you all to know that the warmth I’ve felt from the comic blogosphere has been much appreciated! And, I will make every effort not to leave again…or, at least, not have such a LONG gap between blog entries.
Thank you, thank you, thank you…
April 21st, 2008
I just found out at Tom Foss’ Fortress of Soliloquy (because, apparently, I don’t read solicitations very closely either) that DC is cancelling All-New Atom. Damn!
Now, admittedly, I haven’t really been enjoying Rick Remender’s take on Ryan Choi. It’s not that I think his writing is bad. I certainly have enjoyed his writing, most noticeably Fear Agent, but, for me, Gail Simone created such a loveable character full of the akwardness of not only being thrust into the world of superheroes, but being a new person in a small (yet strange) community. Remender’s Ryan seems a little more like your average action hero. But, to be fair, Remender’s only been on for a couple of issues and I was certainly going to continue reading it. Well, apparently, I only have until July before they pull the plug on All-New Atom.
I wish that DC would have involved Ryan in the greater DCU. I had high hopes that we would have seen Ryan interact with other characters when he initially enjoyed the Challengers of the Unknown in Countdown’s “Hunt for Ray Palmer” storyline. But, for some reason, in the midst of it all, he got sucked back (through plumbing) to Ivy Town.
Ryan Choi, though, represented more to me. As I’ve mentioned several times in this blog, Ryan is really the only Asian American legacy character and I really, really wanted him to succeed because his introduction was the moment I was waiting for — to see my community finally represented in a significant way in the DCU. I do hope that, with the cancellation of the book, that DC will find other opportunities to use this character. I’m worried that now that Ray Palmer is back that there’ll only be room for one Atom. But, DC is good at legacy…so, I can dream, can’t I?
April 20th, 2008
From Shelly’s Comic Book Shelf:
Holy sweet Jesus!
I totally want this DC Direct action figure of Barda.
Actually, to tell you the truth, I wasn’t really a big Barda (heh, big Barda…Big Barda) fan until Amy Reads started talking about her. It’s not that I disliked her, but I just didn’t know a lot about her. Then, Gail Simone made her one of the Birds of Prey and I’ve been in love with Barda ever since…even though she died. Although, we know that she’ll return in the Final Crisis.
Or, at least, she better…
April 20th, 2008
I just finished reading the last issue of World War Hulk: Aftersmash: WARBOUND and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this series. Admittedly, I wasn’t a big fan of World War Hulk (I mean, seriously…it ends with a big “Oops! Sorry, I guess I made a mistake.”), but I decided to pick this series up because I do like the Warbound.
As I read the issue (and reflected upon the mini-series on a whole), I couldn’t help but think about Lisa Fortuner’s great Blog@Newsarama entry that I wrote about a couple of days ago in which she argues that issues of social justice are perfectly appropriate for a comic book and is tired of hearing people say, “It’s just a comic book.”
On many levels, Warbound addresses social levels in the way that these characters are hated by humans, yet have sworn to protect them. As you read the book, you develop genuine sympathy for these characters, despite the fact that, just a couple of months ago, they tried to aid the Hulk in destroying the planet.
Yet, I haven’t heard anybody complain about Marvel symapthizing with a group of people who, in essence, are murderers. Then, I thought about what would happen if you switched this group of Warbound out for another group of people. I mean, you could probably switch aliens for another oppressed demographic — women, people of color, gay people, people who are differently abled and so on and so forth. I can imagine that, if the story was about gay people trying to save a church despite the fact that many religious people hate them, there would be an uproar about Marvel shoving gay rights down people’s throats.
Is it a stretch? I don’t think so. Marvel is ALL about Xenophobic reactions and people who are different struggling to be accepted by society as a whole (hello? Can anybody say X-Men or, even, the idea of CIVIL WAR?).
Why is that people can accept these stories if its about mutants or aliens or whatnot and, yet, when we use real life examples of actual groups of people oppressed by society on the whole, people decry political motivations?
Anyway, food for thought on a Sunday afternoon…
April 20th, 2008
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