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The Bum's Rush

by Paul Milligan

The Bum’s Rush #6 Go On, Do It . . . Take A Chance It’s something that has bothered me for years – why do some of the best comics on the shelves get cancelled? Why is no one reading them? Why do the big companies keep putting out umpteen million titles featuring Batman and Superman and X-Men and Spiderman and all that crap? I used to blame the companies. After all, they were the ones putting out tons of crap and shelving the best stuff coming out. Now I finally realize the awful truth. It’s your fault. Oh, it’s my fault too. It is the fault of the consumer. Maybe this was already obvious to you and you’re reading this and thinking, “Yeah, so what’s your point?” Well, you’ll have to bear with me because this whole thing is just now becoming clear to me. The companies put out what sells. And for some reason I can’t fathom consumers keep buying the same shit and not taking chances or trying anything new. X-Men sells and has a million spin-offs because everyone keeps buying it by the truckload, instead of reading anything new and different. I try . . . I really do try to pick up new and different things. But dammit . . . they keep getting cancelled on me. People buy this stuff and keep buying it and buying it and then have the nerve to complain that there’s nothing new and interesting coming out. That it’s the same characters over and over again. Well if you want new characters you have to support them when they put them out there. Otherwise new and interesting and different characters just fade into obscurity and all we’re left with is the same damn heroes we’ve had since the 60’s (or earlier)! It’s a problem I have with the media in general. The majority of stuff coming out from music to movies to television is just utter crap! And why? Because apparently people lap this stuff up. I swear to you, they wouldn’t put out crap if people didn’t buy it. But what can you do? How can you stop wonderful unique books from getting cancelled? How do you stop Marvel or DC putting out another spin-off of a fifty year old character? If you’re like me and you read comics that are great but are in constant danger of being cancelled, then spread the word. Tell people to read this great comic you’ve discovered. Make noise about it. If you’re not like me then go ahead and take a chance! Pick up a book that looks interesting. Ask your friends what they’re reading. Just take a chance on a book you’ve never heard of. Or maybe you have heard of it, but you just weren’t sure. Go on, do it! You might like it! Cancelled Comics I Miss: Swamp Thing (the Brian K. Vaughn version) Wildcats v3.0 Vext Major Bummer H-E-R-O Automatic Kafka Soldier X Doom Patrol (the John Arcudi/Tan Eng Huat version) Gen 13 (the Adam Warren Run) Xero Comics In Danger: The Intimates Breach District X The Star Wars Thing (Spoilers Ahead) I’m starting to think that I’m one of the only people in America that didn’t like Episode III. Everyone seems so surprised when I tell them that I thought it sucked. Conversely I suppose I am surprised to find that so many people thought it was great. There was no excitement. Everything was just sort of happening. The only moments of glee I felt were the moments that were evocative of the original series. Darth Vader appearing. The final scene on Tatooine. The scenes aboard the blockade-runner. But is that the basis for an enjoyable movie? Seeing moments that remind us of how good the original movie was? I can’t get on board with that one. The acting was outrageously over the top. Moments that were supposed to be serious came off as comical. The story was kind of like a round peg being forced into a square hole, desperately trying to make the whole thing fit together. The special effects were too noticeable. It was too easy to distinguish between what was real and what wasn’t. There were too many neat peripheral characters thrown in that had promise but not enough to do and therefore were wasteful. What the hell was Chewbacca doing there, other than a desperate attempt to appease hardcore fans? I could go on and on. I don't know, after watching the Clone Wars cartoons I was expecting a hell of a lot more and the movie just left me . . . kinda flat. I think I'll stick with the original three and let that be that. And I'm probably the only person in the world who thinks that Attack of the Clones was the best out of the three new ones. Sue me. Quick Bits • Okay, so Alan Davis isn’t jumping ship to DC, he’s doing a Fantastic Four mini. But now he’s doing something I’ll actually be able to read! • New Avengers, New Thunderbolts, New X-Men and now . . . New Excalibur? WTF? • I’m really looking forward to the Palmiotti/Gray Jonah Hex series. I love western comics. • Is anyone reading Marvel’s Livewires comic? If you like Adam Warren, I suggest you check it out. It’s real pretty and chock full of Warren’s usual madness. I just wish he’d draw his own comics again. I miss his artwork something fierce. • Geoff Johns off the Flash . . . it’s a sad day. NEXT WEEK: My favorite comics of the moment and what I’m looking forward to in the near future Send me hate mail at thesuperleezard@yahoo.com Read more stupid crap I write at www.livejournal.com/users/superleezard End of Line