Worked these out the other day. Thoughts?

SPIDEY: Eat web, Shell-Head!

IRON MAN: MMppff!! @$*#!!!

i think the main problem with ASB&R is that everyone who dislikes it seems to focus on what it "is not", instead of what it actually "is". with that in mind, yes, it's not the same batman depicted in ASB&R as the one that the WB and DC use to sell action figures, lunchboxes, and tent-pole movie franchises, but then again thats the whole point. this is millers batman, plain and simple, and millers version of the character stopped resembling the "established version" all the way back in '86 when THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS dropped. the only diffrence between then and now is that now miller is a "big star writter" and dosen't have editors like denny o'neal looking over his shoulder anymore, saying "no, batman can't do that.". for better or for worse, "frank miller" has become a name bigger than the medium of comics can hold and any company that wants him to write someting for them better be ready to play by his rules.

but again, in no way do i mean to suggest everyone has to like it. to each their own. i'm just suggesting we stop trying to label millers batman as anyting other that what it is, and that is: "millers batman". personally i like it, i came to the realization that no where else am i going to read about a "batman" quite like the one miller writtes here, and there really isn't anyting inherently wrong with that. i like my batman to have diffrent "voices" and attitudes. so to me, millers "hyper-violent, borderline-line psyco, batman" is just as valid as morrisons "hairy-chested love god" batman, or denny o'neals "dark-knight-detective batman" who used is mind much more than his fists. in my opinion, ther is room under the moon (and on the comic rack) for ALL of those diffrent "batmen".

but my point is that, even if that were the case and some kid comes into a comic store with or without a parent and picks out a copy of ASB&R, at that point, the comic store owner HAS to act like he knows someting, and point the kid or parent in the direction of "the batman strikes!" and say "this is what you want, a nice all-ages batman book that comes out every month like clock work. have a nice day and enjoy."

i'm definatly not one of these people who want to lay all of the responisbility at the feet of the parent, but i also don't want to have to dive into traffic to save a kid whos parents aren't paying attention. i believe a balance can be struck where EVERYONE takes a little personal responsibility to stop stuff like what you suggest above from happening.

Hell, Miller is just whacko enough to think it's censorship if people don't buy it.

As far as parental control, Miller used to say that if the books weren't labeled, the parents wouldn't know the difference. To an extent, he's right. The problem is that geeks are starting to procreate. Before you procreate, especially if you're not scoring at all, you think, "Those damned parents! I'm gonna let my kids see/hear/read everything! Kids can take a lot more than..." Then, you have a kid and hopefully, if you're fair minded and liberal, you say,"All in time." I mean, my son has loved zombies since kindergarten and he even has the poster of 28 WEEKS LATER up on his wall, but I'd say he's a good 4 or 5 years away from being ready to see a zombie movie. I know because I know him and I know zombies.

Which is why you have to feel sorry for the children of geeks. I go see EPISODE 3 and know that my first grader isn't ready to see his hero Anakin (I know, I know, but he's a first grader) cut off a captives head and murder Jedi first graders, even off screen. I went to SPIDER-MAN 3 for the same reason, because I didn't want to see SPIDER-MAN 3. Aside from the fact that it sucked, it had other things my kids weren't ready for (not the least of which was white people dancing badly). But I saw FANTASTIC FOUR out of curiousity, and even though it was a lousy movie, I knew it'd be okay for my son. His review:"I don't even know why they have Mr. Stretch and the Mom. They should just have Flame On and the Rock."

Another Miller parody was in FAIRLY ODD PARENTS, similar to Moore's. Timmy Turner's favorite superhero is The Crimson Chin (voice of Jay Leno). When all the various incarnations of the Chin ban together to fight the Nega-Chin, the Chin tells someone,"You can't swear! Only Super-edgy 1980s Chin can swear and they cancelled him for it."

and for the record i kinda liked millers wonder woman. a man-hating, quick tempered, amazonia bitch on wheels seem like a much more intresting characterization than anything else they have come up with for wonder woman "personality". most writter make wonder woman a tree hugging, hippie-dippy, feminist without teeth, that preaces "peace" as a "diplomat" to mans world or, even more so, as noting but "superman with tits". at least millers version seems to have more going on that either of thoses "types" of wonder woman.

Bendis seems like he's the perfect Spider-Man writer. He's terrific with dialogue and completely disrespectful of past character history. Now, I hated Avengers Disassembled because of that, but Spidey is a different breed. I never like Spider-Man because he's the only Marvel character who's completely hidebound (like Superman at DC). Nothing has changed in the Spider-Man mythos since he married MJ. The only time I read any version of Spider-Man on a regular basis was in the mid-80's when he was dating Black Cat. He was fun and fresh then. Now, in 2007, he's in the exact spot he was in 20+ years ago after he got married. Same family, same villains, etc, etc. Talk about a rut! How can anyone read Spider-Man over time? Bendis completely overhauled the Avengers, for better or worse. Can't he at least freshen up Spider-Man? Killing off the dreadful Aunt May and either getting rid of MJ or doing something new with her (if that's even possible) would be a good start.

also i don't think it's "miller pissing on fans" or "giving you the finger", it's just frank doing what he has always done. it's just that now he can be as "in your face" about it as possible because "sin city" and "300" made a ton of money as movies, so he not only has tons of "fuck you" money he now has "fuck everyone" type of money. of course his stuff comes across as "over the top" now they he has no filters on him. what do you expect?

I kid. I kid the Cogs because...I don't really know why I kid the Cogs, but, by Gawd, I do.

Where is El anyway? Did the Colombian secret police disappear him? Or did he sneak off to attend Alan Moore's wedding (which I think was to one of those blow up dolls, given that he worships a sweat sock:"Dearly Beloved, We are gathered here in the sight of Glycon, the rest of Al's laundry and some arts and crafts he's made...")?

And what have y'all done with Darth Kal-El?

I am currently buying JLA because of the crossover with JSA, which I am a sucker for such things. It's ok, but has done nothing to raise my opinion of Meltzer or create any interest in buying this book after the crossover ends. The best thing is that it's a pleasure to see LSH characters in this way. I quit the latest issue of the Legion because I felt Waid's take was too stodgy and boring.

Amen on Waid's Legion Homer, Amen. (I droppped it too)

Go on, I dare you.

Y'hear that y'fucks?

Aw, never mind. So, Gratin', do you shoot skeet/trap? What do you favor? Ithaca? Mossberg? If ya have a Purdy and ya let me go shootin' with it, I'll even call ya Turtle.

No, you don't have a Purdy. Anybody that had a Purdy wouldn't be online. They'd be out shooting their Purdy.