Grantbridge Street & other misadventures: Grumpy Old Comic Guy Tells It Like It Is.

Monday, 6 December 2010

Grumpy Old Comic Guy Tells It Like It Is.

Look, I just wanna say this. Just once. I need to get this out there.

Watchmen is not the greatest comic, ever.

This is.

15 comments:

Steve Miller, Writer of Stuff said...: As much as I love those stories, Don McGregor DID overwrite a little bit... even by the verbose standards of the 1970s.

I will agree that the epic Jungle Action arc is superior to "Watchmen" in almost every way. I've been saying the only reason Alan Moore is considered a creator of "mature comics" is because of marketing.; 6 December 2010 22:48
Matt said...: Amen! Modern "mature" comics are mature in the way high school drama majors are mature.; 6 December 2010 22:49
Mark Kardwell said...: Don is the don. Anyone who thinks his generation is purple compared to Moore's should read that DC COMICS PRESENTS... Superman/Swamp Thing Moore wrote. Purplist comic ever. Makes McGregor & Claremont look modest in comparison.; 6 December 2010 23:10
Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein said...: Black Panther blows. The best comic ever was Jack Kirby's Kamandi.; 7 December 2010 01:30
Rich said...: At last. The Watchmen backlash has started. I've been waiting twenty years for this. What a ridiculously overrated comic that is.; 7 December 2010 09:54
joe bloke said...: don't get me wrong here, I think Watchmen was a great comic, but, like the Dark Knight Returns, it was very much a product of it's time, and I don't think it's aged very well. DC have done a fantastic job of "bigging it up" over the years, to the point now that almost every comic fan you talk to won't have a bad word said about it, but the basic truth is: if I had to give a comic to someone who'd never read a comic before, the VERY LAST comic I'd give them is Watchmen. Jesus, I've been reading comics for over forty-something years now, and even I can't be arsed with nearly 400 pages of people standing around talking about how shit their lives are. Watchmen isn't even the best Alan Moore comic, ever, let alone the best comic, ever.

Panther's Rage, on the other hand, has a dinosaur in it.

Monkey, Kamandi roolz.; 7 December 2010 12:11
Josh Reynolds said...: Yep. In agreement completely, both with the Panther thing and the Kamandi thing. Any comic with a talking killer whale that has a pet rider is grade-A in my book...; 7 December 2010 13:54
Joplin John said...: Thank you! I'm am SO sick of having Alan Moore and Frank Miller shoved down my throat evertime the subject of comics is broached. I appreciate them both, and even enjoy _some_ of their work, but they are not the be-all, end-all of comicdom. Haven't caught up to Jungle Action yet, but I'm working on it. FF from the 60's & 70's will always define great comics to me!; 7 December 2010 18:06
Chuck Wells said...: I think that all of the comics mentioned in the responses are well done. I love McGregor's Black Panther, but also loved Kirby's 1970's Panther series and Kamandi and I "like" Dark Knight Returns. Watchmen doesn't deserve to be dumped on, but if I had to give comics to someone who had never read them I would choose from the golden age Fawcett Marvel Family stuff, Jack Burnleys' Starman, anthing by Murphy Anderson or Gil Kane, Silver & Bronze Age Marvel's - particularly Romita or Buscema, and Love and Rockets.; 7 December 2010 22:43
Rip Jagger said...: Where's the love for IT the Living Colossus?

Just asking.

Rip Off

P.S. Love Panther's Rage!; 8 December 2010 11:27
Clayton said...: Any comic that: it's not okay to say you didn't like that much, without then being called an idiot for... is over-rated and wrong headed in my book. People's personal likes as far as their entertainment goes is supposed to be subjective! I like Moore. But I don't think Watchmen ( while respectable, sure) is the best comic ever, nor that everybody must agree on anything being the best ever. What YOU like and accepting others opinions may be different is what matters. Guh. Big pet peeve in comics fandom with this side of things.; 8 December 2010 23:07
Anonymous said...: Watchmen...Watchmen? Nah doesn't ring a bell. Should I have continued with comics past 1979 then? I left after Don didn't appear to be writing any more! LOVE YOU DON!; 9 December 2010 20:59
joe bloke said...: Anonymous, mate, Don sez thanks. Really.; 11 December 2010 23:29
Richard M. said...: Sorry guys. Recently gave a 50 year old friend Watchmen. She hadn't read a comic since she was a youngster, and she loved Watchmen.; 14 December 2010 00:29
joe bloke said...: I'm sure she did, Richard. my missus did, too, and she never reads comics. ever. mind you, she also likes Arkham Asylum.

Watchmen's a good series, you'll get no argument from me there.; 16 December 2010 00:21