Going to see Coraline tonight... all i know about this movie is that she has buttons for eyes (based on my quick trip to the website), and that it was based on a book written by Neil Gaiman, who i know i'm supposed to be thrilled about but in actuality i sense that he seems a wee bit egotistical which of course puts me off like almost nothing else. i read some of Nat's "Sandman" comics, and they were good, don't get me wrong. But i can't remember much about them besides the fact that Death was hot, and that a guy i used to work with had a tattered shirt with her character on it that i coveted intensely.
Also this weekend, we're going to be seeing Watchmen. i've been trying to shut off my ears from all the controversy/hype surrounding this film. i read the graphic novel like seven years ago, and i honestly don't remember much except that i thought it was very clever and weighty, in the good way. Also, an extremely good use of paneling, which is so great because it showcases the unique artistry that only something like a comic book (or a graphic novel, excuse me) can have. Beyond that, i will definitely say that i am not going to hastily read it again in an attempt to cut the movie to bits for not staying true. i am treating them like two separate entities, which i feel is only fair. Each and every person reads a book in a different way, which is why there are always people there to tear the movie apart when they come out.
i'm sure for us it will be a rollicking good time as a movie, as long as i can detach myself from the slight tinge of bitterness left over from when Nat and i went to purchase the book itself from our local comics store all those years ago. The shop's owner, a rather hefty man with long dirty-blonde hair, a cane, and a hat, ambled over to where we were and remarked that Nat might not want to start me off with Watchmen (my only previous comics experience was the daily Far Side cartoon in the newspaper and old Archie comics in the '80s), because it might be a little too much for me. A little too over my head, if you will.
Wow. Um, guy? Don't insult my intelligence, please. i don't take kindly to that. And i never forgave him for those comments, even after i found out that he died from an unfortunate accident involving a hernia surgery. And even after i remembered later that he was the guy who went so far out of his way to help me acquire my Love and Rockets comics after some of them went out of print... Rory, i forgive you now. i understand that comics were your entire world and of course you had your pinnacles within that world, where i was still just a novice bottom-dweller. No worries here, mate. But to be fair, i'd like to think that i picked up on each and every nuance that Watchmen had to offer, or at least didn't sit there scratching my head and going, "huh?" every page.
Anyway, we haven't been to the pictures in a while, so i'm excited! Any excuse to eat (too much) popcorn for dinner is fine by me, plus they have cherry coke with ice, so i'm basically in heaven on earth at the movies. The only problem is that i'm fiercely hooked on this book i'm reading right now, Folly by Susan Minot, and i fell like i might throw up if i'm away from it for too long. No really, i have a bad case. i need it. i'm going to try and finish it on the bus-ride up to campus where i'm meeting Nat. But if i'm not done by then, he might have no one to talk to while we wait for the movie to start. Will Lilian ever see Walter Vail again? i'm dying to know... the young love described on the book's first 80 or so pages is enough to make you faint dead away, especially if you remember how powerful a look can be, or a hand taking your elbow and leading you into the great unknown. Good lord, i need to go read it right now. Bye.
Friday, March 13
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3 comments:
As an old friend of Rory's and a fellow comics retailer, I'd just like you to know that I believe you misread his intentions back then. The Watchmen is a comic book written for people who have read 10,000 comic books, full of in jokes and deconstructions of the tropes of superhero fare.
As another friend of mine, Carr D'Angelo (yet another comics retailer) just noted, "No one loves Watchmen more than me, but like a lot of Moore's work and other post-modern art, you need an appreciation of the antecedents in order to understand the deconstruction. Reading Watchmen as your first-ever superhero story is bit like watching a movie for the first time with the director's commentary on."
Rory would never presume to suggest that you weren't capable of understanding the story, which is after all, pretty simple, nor the storytelling techniques used (which are omly slightly more complex.) As someone who wanted to sell you comic books for the rest of your life, I'm sure he wanted to put a book in your hands that was less self-referential, not something that was in any way simpler.
I understand what you say was your inference about his intentions and I'm not trying to diminish the offense you took. I just think you should know that Rory's intent would never be to make you feel like an outsider, nor someone incapable of understanding The Watchmen. He was just trying, as he did every day for more than a quarter century, to match the right customer with the right book.
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Jim Hanley
i know, he was a great guy. After the silly Watchmen incident, years later, i had to go back in to Comic Relief (they'd moved by then) because i was re-discovering an old comic infatuation. He was so extraordinarily helpful– it was ridiculous. i never put two and two together and realized he was the same guy, so obviously i was never that put out about it... ;) Believe me, my bf and i were extremely saddened when we found out that he had passed away. i felt pretty horrible about getting upset at him over something that (obviously) meant more to him than it did to me. i hope i didn't offend you (or anyone) by recalling a prickly situation in which i was most likely the thorn-bearer.
Cheers,
``hm
No offense taken. I just wanted to let you know that Rory surely didn't mean any disrespect.
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Jim Hanley
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