Monitor Tapes for Monday, March 9th 2009
Just to be forewarned, no comic reviews/ cliff notes again this week as I’ve not only not had a chance to read my stack of stuff (of the stuff I did read, New Krypton #1 was good and you should go pick it up, unless you’re Lex Luthor or Jeff Vice) the Lj situation has sucked most of my writing time in addition to Watchmen as well. So staying DC-centric, we’ll dive into discussing a couple of the more sensitive points of Watchmen, and if a similar issue will arise in the future regarding the future film adaptation of Ex Machina. Hopefully I don’t ramble on too much….
It’s the Watchmen’s world baby, we just live in it!
Watchmen fever seems to have gripped the country recently, love it or hate it people are talking about it either way and that’s good. I’m honestly happy that the film has garnered so much attention for it’s self as it brings attention to the original work and also makes for spirited discussions. Now, I expected to hear most “comic” fans to either love it or hate it, but I had no way of speculating the way that some would react when not being familiar with the work.
As you all know, I saw Watchmen on Monday the 9th along with several media types and Kerry and Co. from the Geek Show Podcast. Now readers probably already know that Sean Means said some things about scenes involving President John F. Kennedy and that lovable rascal known as the Comedian. Referencing the president’s assassination in the film to him seemed crass and exploitative and laid the blame upon the directors head, despite the fact it was in the book called Watchmen (of which he claims to have read, but honestly could have missed it if he skimmed or read cliff notes, but I digress.
Kerry became very passionate about the comments providing his own comments to the incident (in the bathroom of all places), of which you can listen to/ download here-
http://www.thegeekshowpodcast.com
Kerry has in fact apologized for his outburst and he and Sean are cool, having made up. The purpose of this article is not in fact to bash Sean as though I think his review and opinion are valid because he’s a human being with his own life, thoughts, and feelings. But I in no way support his review or comments as I wholeheartedly disagree with him.
Even though I fully back Kerry’s comments, I know it can be a touchy subject for some and debates have gone back and forth regarding it even though I think a more constructive use of energy would be solving the worlds many problems (like Ozymandias, ZING!). I admit to finding this fragment of the film receiving this much attention than any other part in the films opening (such as the “Last Supper” image) or the entire film it’s self (other “historical” figures are assassinated in part of the film). I myself didn’t think much of the scene other than I enjoyed it and understood it’s significance in the film and in an “alternate” history (I swore to myself I wouldn’t use that phrase, dammit!) context as well. Unfortunately though, I think no matter how such a thing is referenced, it’s going to ruffle feathers whether it be regarding the assassination of JFK or even the more recent 9/11 incident still fresh in our minds. Then again if Kennedy somehow survived and went undercover with Abe Lincoln and traveled through time, fighting Nazis and saving the world, maybe it would have been more palatable to those who disagree with the scene.
Just for a counter point to it all I guess, I was on a plane the morning of 9/11 in Connecticut when the shit went down. Now clearly I’m still alive, the plane was evacuated suddenly and without reason, military rushed in and tried to lock-down the airport while removing citizens. Before the evacuation happened, there was rumor and speculation about what happened, but most were saying a plane flew into the towers, of which I thought they were mistaken, maybe a prop plane or single engine smacked into one of the buildings on accident, but there’s no way an large airline passenger plane would.
As it turned out, I war wrong. Not only that, the plain had clearance to take off and almost did. The whole event was pretty surreal, I was jumped by reporters as I left asking my thoughts on the situation (I responded that I had no idea what was going on) as solders yelled at me while trying to retrieve my bags, they eventually stopped when I yelled back (remarkably I didn’t get shot for being slightly off white in skin color I guess) about needing my clothes. I managed to find a ride back to Northampton, MA and later in the evening saw what had happened with the planes (the interview people from earlier had given me a brief on what they knew) as the footage repeated it’s self. It was also slightly eerie walking around Northampton during the day as not many had heard what happened and went about their lives. Now I didn’t know anyone personally on any of those flights that went down so honestly I’ll never know what they went through exactly, but even though it’s a modern tragedy still fresh in our collective conscientiousness we can’t sweep it under the rug and forget due to the pain it caused.
When the movie version of Ex Machina comes out five years from now and includes the 9/11 segment crucial to the story, some people will in fact see it as crass exploitation even though it’s a part of the story. Some people don’t understand that fiction, while it may in fact be simply entertainment for consumption, fiction does in fact carry a greater burden. Fiction (especially Science Fiction) is a filter through where we examine ourselves, whether it be something completely fictional in construct, or tied into historical events giving people a point of reference in their minds to which relate. We’re a people (on the entire planet) that has a history both loaded with grimy ugliness and brilliant beauty, to not take the smooth with the rough is to deny ourselves of truth of our history, our cultures, and ultimately ourselves.
It’s not as if Watchmen has a laugh track going when the Comedian shot Kennedy, the fact remains historical events will forever fall into our fiction simply due to the fact that it’s ours and it effects us in some way. Did I find it crass or exploitative to read Ex Machina when 9/11 was referenced? No I didn’t because I understand the context and the importance of the event in not only the books context, but the real and historical significance to us as a nation of Americans. I don’t think the majority of people can even comprehend acts of violence on such a scale, whether it be a historical figure propelled into historical myth, or murder on a scale of hundreds or thousands, even more so if we’re not actually connected in someway to such events (there’s a difference from viewing something from afar and actually being personally connected to a person who’s part of a tragic end). I almost wonder sometimes if the grief we expel from ourselves over such a thing is sometimes forced and overdone, due to the fact we’ve become desensitized in so many ways just to be able to function day to day on planet earth.
The squid stays in the picture!
On a completely different note, I’ve heard the arguments for the altered ending in the film, but really none for the original ending (though I may not be looking hard enough, even though I know it’s out there) other than my own. I’m OK with the ending, I can live with it and it doesn’t make or break the movie for me. I understand how it’s more palatable to a mainstream audience, but it doesn’t take away the original ending from the book.
Would I have wanted to see the squid? Yes due to how significant it is to the story and character development. Would it have been out of place in the film? No more so than the superheroes themselves or a giant genetically altered lynx wandering around a terrarium somewhere in the Arctic. I’m all for a certain amount of license in comic to film adaptations to make them more realistic and comprehensible, but in the case of the film it “changed things” (as the Joker said) creating a wholly different ending from the book. Is it better or for worse? I don’t know which do you prefer the book a Clockwork Orange or the film adaptation?
Regarding the ending it’s self, it changes elements of the story in the main body only slightly. And only when you seen the film version of the ending can you go back and see things set up for said ending, not unlike the book even though you get somewhere different at the end. With the film ending, even though Dr. Manhattan is possibly the most powerful being in the universe, the ending makes him less omnipotent and almost ineffective in a number of ways. What were inventions that changed society created by Manhattan in the book, end up being Ozymandias’ gifts to humanity as he sets himself up as the great Lex Luthor (though more David Bowie thin white duke and “possibly a homosexual”) against the “Superman” of the film. Unlike Lex though, he truly is a benevolent person in being a leader of men and having man’s best interests at heart. So in a way, though it’s different, the film still manages to maintain parts of the original message in the end, despite the radical departures. I do wonder though if we’ll ever see test footage on the DVD release of ol’ squiddy and what our reactions will be upon seeing it.
Breifly- Regarding the Livejournal situation, it occurred to me that the Lj feed “Comics Should Be Good” associated with CBR (Comic Book Resources) is in fact still posting pages, panels and covers from Marvel and DC comics without any known reprisals (that I’m aware of at least) from Lj or Marvel. Though being connected to CBR as a “legit” comic news source may somehow exclude them, this is all speculation on my part though. To make it DC-centric, still no news to be found on DC’s opinion of the situation at hand. If in fact anyone associated with DC in any way wants to chime in, I’ll gladly throw your two-cents in to next weeks Monitor Tapes.
DC Comics available on 3/11/2009
DC
* ACTION COMICS #875
* BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #27
* BATMAN: BATTLE FOR THE COWL #1 (OF 3)
* BOOSTER GOLD #18
* CARTOON NETWORK ACTION PACK #35
* CATWOMAN: THE LONG ROAD HOME
* GREEN ARROW/BLACK CANARY #18
* GREEN LANTERN CORPS #34
* JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL VOL. 4
* THE LOSERS BY JACK KIRBY
* R.E.B.E.L.S. #2
* SCOOBY-DOO #142
* SHOWCASE PRESENTS: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA VOL. 4
* SIMON DARK #18
* SUPER FRIENDS: FOR JUSTICE!
* SUPERMAN/BATMAN #56
* TITANS #11
* TRINITY #41
* WONDER WOMAN: THE ENDS OF THE EARTH
VERTIGO
* DMZ #40
* FABLES #82
* NORTHLANDERS #15
* SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATRE VOL. 7: THE MIST AND PHANTOM OF THE FAIR
* SCALPED #26
* TRANSMETROPOLITAN VOL. 1: BACK ON THE STREET
* YOUNG LIARS #13
WILDSTORM
* EX MACHINA SPECIAL #4
* GEN 13 #28 Preview Available
* RESIDENT EVIL #1 (OF 6)
* TOP 10 SEASON TWO #4
As always, thanks for reading!