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Andrew Bitner
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 01 June 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 7545
Posted: 28 April 2025 at 5:08pm | IP Logged | 1 post reply
A hallmark of JB's writing, to me, is his ability to treat even the silliest-seeming characters with respect. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be generally true of comics these days.
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John Byrne

Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 134212
Posted: 28 April 2025 at 5:50pm | IP Logged | 2 post reply
Blame the clubhouse mentality. Too many former fans now pros, bringing their ennui to delight the equally engorged fans.
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Mark Haslett
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 19 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 6806
Posted: 28 April 2025 at 6:47pm | IP Logged | 3 post reply
Rodrigo: Hrmm... if you think WATCHMEN was this lethal wound that superheroes couldn't possibly come back from ever, then I guess you don't think much of superheroes.

I, of course, think that's ridiculous.

**

There is no way to go backward from this response to anything I wrote.
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John Byrne

Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 134212
Posted: 28 April 2025 at 7:22pm | IP Logged | 4 post reply
WATCHMEN did a tremendous amount of damage—so much so that Dick Giordano would not allow the plot to be used to reboot the recently acquired Charlton heroes.

If you want a practical example of the effect of WATCHMEN, (re)read THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS with an eye to the point where Frank Miller abruptly changes course after seeing xeroxes of the first few issues of WATCHMEN. (I saw those copies at the same time. Jennette Kahn was proudly handing them out while I was working on MAN OF STEEL. I wonder what the world would be like if I was as influenced as Frank?)

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Andrew Bitner
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 01 June 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 7545
Posted: 28 April 2025 at 8:09pm | IP Logged | 5 post reply
JB:  I wonder what the world would be like if I was as influenced as Frank?

Did it just get 20 degrees colder in here?
Seriously, I have some difficulty imagining a Superman whose character arc was bent by Watchmen, mostly because the result wouldn't be Superman. Thanks for staying true to the character, JB.
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Rodrigo castellanos
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 03 July 2012
Location: Uruguay
Posts: 1555
Posted: 29 April 2025 at 1:36am | IP Logged | 6 post reply
There is no way to go backward from this response to anything I wrote.

Mark Haslett: Superhero comics are about one thing: Superheroes. Scoff at nobility in that context and the heart of the thing stops beating.

I don't know which other way this could possibly be interpreted, but it should be interesting.

Nothing stopped beating. It's a 40 year old comic. 
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Mark Haslett
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 19 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 6806
Posted: 29 April 2025 at 2:54am | IP Logged | 7 post reply
You didn't understand me.

When you practice the art of superhero comics, it cannot succeed if it is done with contempt for nobility.

That is my meaning.

Your interpretation is... something else.
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