Official Off-Topic Thread

[Helm]

I disagree that nobody is scared of these fingers on these buttons and it strikes me as a strangely arrogant thing for you to assume of others. I for one am very much afraid of fingers on nuclear buttons and I think if a film about nuclear annihilation has troubles conveying that urgency it must be a very bad film. If I just consider what a nuclear bomb does for 10 second here I feel quite bad. It's really strange for me that you say an atom bomb does nothing for you.

[EyeCraft]

The world-destroying super weapon is a core idea of superhero stories so it needs to be dissected, but nowadays no one is afraid of them anymore and we have no such equivalent in the current geopolitical realm. I feel my sphincter clench at the thought of replacing it with a more hip crisis like "terrorism" or "global warming".

Hehehe. Well that's likely a typical Hollywood interpretation of the current geopolitical realm, but I think there's a wealth of things that would lend themselves to Watchmen marvelously. For instance, the economic strain of the world, fuelled by the decline in oil supply increases political tensions, leading to an escalation in military posturing and resource seizing, ultimately leading up the greatest escalation of all: all out nuclear armageddon.

I think it depends on the context in which you think about `people with their fingers on world-destroying buttons'. I would argue that it's impossible to think of such a thing as not frightening in every possible context, in some contexts, sure, but in the context I outlined above I think it's potentially very scary. The key is defining the reality of the threat. The `looming' if you will. I think that is something Watchmen is immensely successful at portraying.

Think I'll have to go read it again...  

[Larwick]

That's interesting Helm, thanks for the answer!
I am planning on buying the comic some time soon. I watched the movie, and enjoyed it for what it was, on entertainment value. I understand it feels horrible when some idea has been overlooked that you held deeply with a story and the general public are seeing, judging and understanding something based on a poor representation of its ideas, so i really wanna judge for myself.

[Helm]

I'd be really interested in your final opinion once you've spent time with the comic too.

[.TakaM]

Just out of curiosity helm, where does the Watchmen comic rank for you?
top 10?

[Helm]

I can't tell you exact rankings, it's too difficult, but it's up there in the top 5, fighting with the collected works of Andrea Pazienza, the adaptation of Moorcock's 'Stormbringer' by Craig P. Russell, Battle Angel Alita by Yukito Kishiro, Acme Novelty Library by Chris Ware... Samurai Executioner/Lone Wolf and Cub by Koike & Kojima... umph.

[blumunkee]

I love me some Battle Angel, but I'm kinda disappointed in Last Order's direction. The original 9 volumes where great in their A-typical Shonen-ness, strong narrative and characterization, Nova, and of course, Jashugan. Last Order is much more typical Shonen FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT POWERUP WIN OHNO THIS GUY IS EVEN STRONGER FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT POWERUP WIN...It makes every thing and everyone much less consequential.

But what really bums me is the art direction. Kishiro's style has flattened out and thinned up, seemingly in the name of cleanliness and accuracy. It's still good, but it lost the aesthetic that originally drew me to it.

And I hear James Cameron has plans to butcher it into a series of films.

[Helm]

I share some of your sentiments about Last Order. It really struck me when the volumes of LO became more numerous than what I always felt was 'the core series'. I thought 'wow, it's bigger now. And what has happened in it?' Well.. not much. A tournament of power-ups and some vampires. There's human stories everywhere of course because Kishiro is master, but this isn't his masterwork, I agree.

Yeah there's too much POWER UP!! and the art style changed... I actually dislike Alita as a character because of how Kishiro draws her now... constantly aloof or angsty, nor very, VERY cold... but at the same time I intend to read the thing to its end because I trust there is a point to it.

Let's not talk about James Cameron. I do not want.

[huZba]

Yeah i went "oh there's more?!" And plenty more there was. The universe was expanded tenfold which is almost always awesome when you have a character in a cage and then let them out to something completely strange and new to them. The fights are quite long now, but still awesome. There's also some random thoughtful moments like the guy in the beginning of LO who went through mental regression first and quite literally after. Nova still hurts my brain with how he isn't really concerned about himself surviving as long as his waves of karma do.

About volumes 8 and 9 i feel they're not that necessary, at least yet. Haven't read volume 10. The way each character felt like a force moving and twisting the story instead of an obvious storyteller pulling strings was still present though.
Drawing style splits me a bit since I'm awed by how perfect everything is, though i liked how it was before too.

[Ben2theEdge]

Hold the crap up a second... when did James Cameron's name go on the geek black-list? Uncle Jimbo gave us frickin' Aliens, man!