40 replies to this topic

[furrykef]

That's Yojimbo, "Bodyguard" in Japanese.

If by this you mean to pick on the spelling, "Youjimbou" is a valid spelling. It's actually Yōjimbō; "ou" is an alternative romanization of a long 'o'.

In fact I'd prefer Yōjinbō (or Youjinbou) myself, but the "m" is too entrenched in connection to Usagi.

[Maren]

My issue with this has little to do with whether or not Ian gave Ken Penders credit. I don't care how bad the story or its art was, allowing him to blatantly rewrite issues to suit his (usually inconsistent) vision of things would only encourage the plotholes and character derailment he's already notorious of, and that's bad enough to deal with as it is.

If he wanted to 'revise' the series to suit his vision, he should have just rebooted the comic.

[TBarrett]

Don't count on ever getting a job there if he learns your real name. Even his friends who have sucked up to and evangelized for him fiercely haven't landed jobs yet, much less anyone who criticizes him.

Ian isn't the editor. Ian doesn't decide who works on the book, and you claiming otherwise makes you look ignorant.

[Ratty Randnums]

Don't count on ever getting a job there if he learns your real name. Even his friends who have sucked up to and evangelized for him fiercely haven't landed jobs yet, much less anyone who criticizes him.

Ian isn't the editor. Ian doesn't decide who works on the book, and you claiming otherwise makes you look ignorant.

Oh it does does it? You're right, I'm sure Ian has no say whatsoever in who works on the comic. Lord knows if his opinions carried any weight they'd have given him an important position like head wri- oh wait. And I know you sucked up but didn't get the job because he doesn't have editorial control and your backgrounds or perspective needed too much work to be accepted by the guy who was actually the editor.
The comics industry is rife with cronyism, I'm sure Ian can and has put in a good word for his friends/followers, like say Herms and Yardley, both of whom he knew IIRC. And I'm sure, judging from what I've seen of his sneaky nature, letting people on his board (including his wife) verbally abuse and harass any major critics so his public image stays clean, that he does or would do the opposite to his critics.

[henryiii]

Don't count on ever getting a job there if he learns your real name. Even his friends who have sucked up to and evangelized for him fiercely haven't landed jobs yet, much less anyone who criticizes him.

Ian isn't the editor. Ian doesn't decide who works on the book, and you claiming otherwise makes you look ignorant.

Oh it does does it? You're right, I'm sure Ian has no say whatsoever in who works on the comic. Lord knows if his opinions carried any weight they'd have given him an important position like head wri- oh wait. And I know you sucked up but didn't get the job because he doesn't have editorial control and your backgrounds or perspective needed too much work to be accepted by the guy who was actually the editor.
The comics industry is rife with cronyism, I'm sure Ian can and has put in a good word for his friends/followers, like say Herms and Yardley, both of whom he knew. And I'm sure, judging from what I've seen of his sneaky nature, letting people on his board (including his wife) verbally abuse and harass any major critics so his public image stays clean, that he does or would do the opposite to his critics.

Coming over always to suck up to Ian doesn't make you look to o hot either TB.

[DCC]

All writers do have their flaws. I didn't like Ian's Sally/Monkey Kahn thing and Sonic walking off with Amy. There have been some things that I have liked, like returning Sally back to who she was before. I guess I am willing to sacfice some realism for the sake of a relationship I consider special(Sonic and Sally). On the other hand, what is realistic? I remember Sonic and Sally's problems, and Bunnie and Antione's, being compared to couples who had to go to war in Iraq. I am sure not every woman who has had a husband or boyfriend go to Iraq has gone crazy and dumped him. Some have(I am sure) have couragously stood by their signficgate other, and I'd imagine that it has not been easy. If Ian does have Sonic and Sally get back together, I will be happy about it.

I don't know enough about this accusation that Ian is rewriting a story.

[Ratty Randnums]

All writers do have their flaws. I didn't like Ian's Sally/Monkey Kahn thing and Sonic walking off with Amy. There have been some things that I have liked, like returning Sally back to who she was before. I guess I am willing to sacfice some realism for the sake of a relationship I consider special(Sonic and Sally). On the other hand, what is realistic? I remember Sonic and Sally's problems, and Bunnie and Antione's, being compared to couples who had to go to war in Iraq. I am sure not every woman who has had a husband or boyfriend go to Iraq has gone crazy and dumped him. Some have(I am sure) have couragously stood by their signficgate other, and I'd imagine that it has not been easy. If Ian does have Sonic and Sally get back together, I will be happy about it.

I don't know enough about this accusation that Ian is rewriting a story.

Not every woman who's husband is going to Iraq (or man who's wife is going to Iraq for that matter, not to mention boyfriends/girlfiends) saw what appeared to be their significant other getting killed in action over a year ago, only to have that person come back to them after all that suffering and then choose to put themselves back in danger. Sally's character developed and acted realistically with the things that happened. Ian just turned her into a flat, boring and 2 dimensional "action girl" character which she never was in the first place. Because as he once said in a blog titled "The Perfect Princess?" "Sally is good in just about everything." Well written characters are not perfect.

If you think that a fictional relationship is worth tottally changing everything about the characters until they're completely different except in name and physical appearance, and to the point that it makes no sense in the story that they would suddenly act that way. Well, I'd just have to ask how you can care about said relationship but not the individuals nor the story they are in.

[Maren]

I think the problem goes even deeper than that. Allowing Ian to write any plothole he wants without holding him responsible, even the ones with outcomes people are in favor of encourage and open the floodgates to him writing more until ultimately, we get blatant rewrites of issues such as Naugus games.

[furrykef]

I think it's funny that he chose to rewrite Naugus Games at all. What's the point of trying to polish that turd?

[RedAuthar]

FREE Comic book day. He doesn't have to write anything really. Cuz everyone get's it for free. So he doesn't wanna put any effort into it.

[furrykef]

Even then, there are much better stories to not put any effort into retelling.

[RedAuthar]

Yeah but he wants to make money off those.

[furrykef]

Surely he gets paid the same whether it's for Free Comic Book Day or not.

[DCC]

I admit I care more about Sonic and Sally as a couple than as indivdual characters. The way I see it, their relationship is a very important part of their characters and each of their characters work best in the context of their relationship. In other words, I think both Sonic and Sally's characters are at their best when their relationship is good.

[nuckles87]

My issue with this has little to do with whether or not Ian gave Ken Penders credit. I don't care how bad the story or its art was, allowing him to blatantly rewrite issues to suit his (usually inconsistent) vision of things would only encourage the plotholes and character derailment he's already notorious of, and that's bad enough to deal with as it is.

If he wanted to 'revise' the series to suit his vision, he should have just rebooted the comic.

Alright, I have a question....have you actually read Naugus Games?

[Maren]

Alright, I have a question....have you actually read Naugus Games?

Yes, I have read it.

In other words, I think both Sonic and Sally's characters are at their best when their relationship is good.

Even if their dynamic and relationship could come at the expense of other characters and what they could offer as supporting characters?

[nuckles87]

Yes, I have read it.

Then you'd know that absolutely nothing happens in that story. Naugus escapes his zone prison for a bit, fights Sonic, then gets sent right back in. The story, as it is, suits Ian's "vision" just fine, because there is absolutely nothing in it that contradicts what he's written. In other words, if this is a remake, whatever changes made to the story won't be terribly profound, and more then likely simply done to make it a more interesting fight.

Furthermore, revising stories to suit a newer, often wildly different canon is nothing new to a long running series. Look at any long running comic book that's been under more then one creator and you'll see plotholes, stories that are taken into a completely different context by later stories, and entire swaths of a comic's continuity can often be made inert on the whim of a writer or editor. This has been done to all the major comics in the industry at one point or another, and they've been hailed as both the best and the worst stories ever written in comics. They did it without completely rebooting the series, because that would have thrown away ALL the work done by past creators instead of simply trimming the fat. It's a common practice in comics.

So...what's the big deal here again?

[Maren]

Then you'd know that absolutely nothing happens in that story.

Whether you think anything signiffigant happened or not in the story isn't the issue. The point is, for someone whose already notorious for disregarding characterization and continuity to blatantly rewrite a story, communicates a bad prededent; that its essentially fine for Ian to continue rewriting the book's history whenever he finds things not useful or in the way of his kind of agenda. If his general attitude towards continuity is going to be this apathetic, why should anyone respect what he writes down? The book becomes stripped of its solidity and in summary, becomes little more than what MXXYL is, only in present form; a possible reality to its viewerbase that can be deconstructed or falsified at any time.

Furthermore, revising stories to suit a newer, often wildly different canon is nothing new to a long running series.

Only he's not writing this under the guise of it being a newer and wildly different canon.

Look at any long running comic book that's been under more then one creator and you'll see plotholes, stories that are taken into a completely different context by later stories, and entire swaths of a comic's continuity can often be made inert on the whim of a writer or editor.

Appeal to bandwagon fallacy. Just because other comics may engage in these antics doesn't make them any better an example for good writing. Ian routinely butchers history and characterization to suit his needs. This is not an occasional or accidental occurance that can be compared to authors who may remake an occasional story every 100 issues or so (but still aim to keep the general history and characters intact, or to rewrite an issue with the intent to fill a plothole). Ian routinely butchers continuity, constantly changing history, remolding characterization and overall, just expressing very minimal regard for the story established before him. Again, shrugging off something like this would only encourage the road he's already on, and I'm not about to do that. Nor would I suggest anyone else.

[RedAuthar]

Surely he gets paid the same whether it's for Free Comic Book Day or not.

Well Yes. But Archie does not. So the free comic is something not quite as profitable as a paid comic is. So usually free comcis lack the extra effort and quality as the regular issues. In otherwords, he is a lazy good for nothing who is throwing old garbage at us fans because he doesn't want to write an original story for free comic book day.

[furrykef]

Can't imagine why how much money Archie makes on it would factor into his reasoning at all.