The first word of the original Beowulf poem is "Hwaet," which has variously been translated as "lo," "hark," "behold," "attend" and "listen." Heaney though that "Hwaet" was a word "that obliterates all previous discourse and narrative, and at the same time functions as an exclamation calling for immediate attention." Wanting his translation to have a "forthright delivery" he translates "Hwaet" as "So." It works surprisingly well. Here are the first three lines of his Beowulf:
So. The Spear-Danes in days gone by
and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness.
We have heard of those princes' heroic campaigns.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Monday, December 03, 2007
Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men 20
[This post is part of a series of posts looking issue by issue at Joss Whedon's Astonishing x-Men run. For more posts in this series, go to the tool bar on the right.]
Whedon starts out with a clever gag where we think the team is on a fancy escape pod, but it turns out they are actually left on the burning ship -- the pod was sent out to distract the attackers. There is, maybe, an unintentionally funny moment when Brand, without remorse, speaks of the few minutes time the probably doomed soldiers on the escape pod bought the team and says "Let's not waste them." Then in the next panel it appears they used that precious, precious time to change their clothes.
Whedon then creates an exciting sequence, filled with various tensions, of the team, split into two groups rocketing toward the planet in little junk ships, trying to get there safely. Kitty and Peter get split up from Wolverine and Armor. In the next issue Brand and the Beast, who have a rivalry going, will also be separated. Plus the soldiers on the ground. Plus Ord and Danger have been captured. All of this serves to forward Whedon's character moments. Peter feels doomed. Kitty balances his doom with optimism. Wolverine is damaged and tough. Armor is new and nervous, but he gives her a pep talk. These scenes are well written certainly -- there are some great lines and moments -- but it is also crystal clear what Whedon is really interested in here. He is paring characters up because it is the most efficient way to allow him to write scenes where they can distinguish themselves, before he puts them back together for the conclusion. I like this issue, but I also find myself with not that much to say about it. I can imagine someone objecting that what it really is is a fancy package for "short scenes for actors (in pairs)." It occurs to me that Claremont, because he was writing some absurd number of X-Men issues could afford to have an issue where everyone plays baseball, and gets to know each other (and us, them). Whedon, on a contemporary prestige run, does not really have that luxury -- he has to build space for quiet character moments in the midst of battle. Because this is his gift he expands out what someone else might put into a panel or two into a couple of pages.
The issue ends with what initially appears to be a great ending beat -- the giant image of Colossus carved into the rock destroying the Breakworld as we hear Kitty's voice superimposed telling him nothing is carved in stone. People, myself included, complained that this does not make much sense if you think about it, but a few issues down the line, it seems like it is not supposed to -- because this is a modern carving faked to look ancient.
Blogging is always an experiment. I feel like I have less to say here. Is that because I am burning out here and missing stuff? or because it is good but also basically simple? Or because these issues have too many similarities and we get the basic point? Or is it that I am a little stuck because as of last time, I am doing an issue by issue post on an arc that is not yet over?
It is a cheat but I am going to do it anyway: links to two posts by Neil Shyminsky.
Neil on Astonishing X-Men 20
Neil on Astonishing X-Men generally
Neil on Whedon repeating himself in Astonishing X-Men
Neil's complaints have substance, but I find Whedon's charms overwhelming. I am still thinking about it though. I am not quite sure if Whedon is doing something new, doing old things better, repeating past achievements, or some combination where he repeats, improves, and then builds toward the creation of something new at the end. That last one is my hunch.
I am finding this hard to discuss since the run is not over yet, and I think I am going to wait to finish this series after the last issue of Whedon's run hits the stands.
Whedon starts out with a clever gag where we think the team is on a fancy escape pod, but it turns out they are actually left on the burning ship -- the pod was sent out to distract the attackers. There is, maybe, an unintentionally funny moment when Brand, without remorse, speaks of the few minutes time the probably doomed soldiers on the escape pod bought the team and says "Let's not waste them." Then in the next panel it appears they used that precious, precious time to change their clothes.
Whedon then creates an exciting sequence, filled with various tensions, of the team, split into two groups rocketing toward the planet in little junk ships, trying to get there safely. Kitty and Peter get split up from Wolverine and Armor. In the next issue Brand and the Beast, who have a rivalry going, will also be separated. Plus the soldiers on the ground. Plus Ord and Danger have been captured. All of this serves to forward Whedon's character moments. Peter feels doomed. Kitty balances his doom with optimism. Wolverine is damaged and tough. Armor is new and nervous, but he gives her a pep talk. These scenes are well written certainly -- there are some great lines and moments -- but it is also crystal clear what Whedon is really interested in here. He is paring characters up because it is the most efficient way to allow him to write scenes where they can distinguish themselves, before he puts them back together for the conclusion. I like this issue, but I also find myself with not that much to say about it. I can imagine someone objecting that what it really is is a fancy package for "short scenes for actors (in pairs)." It occurs to me that Claremont, because he was writing some absurd number of X-Men issues could afford to have an issue where everyone plays baseball, and gets to know each other (and us, them). Whedon, on a contemporary prestige run, does not really have that luxury -- he has to build space for quiet character moments in the midst of battle. Because this is his gift he expands out what someone else might put into a panel or two into a couple of pages.
The issue ends with what initially appears to be a great ending beat -- the giant image of Colossus carved into the rock destroying the Breakworld as we hear Kitty's voice superimposed telling him nothing is carved in stone. People, myself included, complained that this does not make much sense if you think about it, but a few issues down the line, it seems like it is not supposed to -- because this is a modern carving faked to look ancient.
Blogging is always an experiment. I feel like I have less to say here. Is that because I am burning out here and missing stuff? or because it is good but also basically simple? Or because these issues have too many similarities and we get the basic point? Or is it that I am a little stuck because as of last time, I am doing an issue by issue post on an arc that is not yet over?
It is a cheat but I am going to do it anyway: links to two posts by Neil Shyminsky.
Neil on Astonishing X-Men 20
Neil on Astonishing X-Men generally
Neil on Whedon repeating himself in Astonishing X-Men
Neil's complaints have substance, but I find Whedon's charms overwhelming. I am still thinking about it though. I am not quite sure if Whedon is doing something new, doing old things better, repeating past achievements, or some combination where he repeats, improves, and then builds toward the creation of something new at the end. That last one is my hunch.
I am finding this hard to discuss since the run is not over yet, and I think I am going to wait to finish this series after the last issue of Whedon's run hits the stands.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Comment Pull Quote (or a lack of one)
This has been a big week for comments for some reason:
17 comments on Rob Liefeld (including one attempt at a reasoned defense if you can believe it, and a rant from Streebo),
23 on Morrison v Miller (including a very smart point by Ping comparing the two),
11 on Comics Out This Week,
21 on Free Form Comments (including some stuff on Darjeeling and Best of the Year lists),
and a total of 21 comments on two posts about Beowulf (including one from a guy who was just really offended that Beowulf's rep was slandered -- who knew people cared about Beowulf so passionately? I did not agree with him but you get points on this blog for caring about poetry so much).
So the long and the short of it is I cannot pick a comment pull quote. I am just directing you to those conversations if you are missing them.
17 comments on Rob Liefeld (including one attempt at a reasoned defense if you can believe it, and a rant from Streebo),
23 on Morrison v Miller (including a very smart point by Ping comparing the two),
11 on Comics Out This Week,
21 on Free Form Comments (including some stuff on Darjeeling and Best of the Year lists),
and a total of 21 comments on two posts about Beowulf (including one from a guy who was just really offended that Beowulf's rep was slandered -- who knew people cared about Beowulf so passionately? I did not agree with him but you get points on this blog for caring about poetry so much).
So the long and the short of it is I cannot pick a comment pull quote. I am just directing you to those conversations if you are missing them.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Website Attacking Liefeld
Streebo linked to this in a comment to comics out this week. This deserves its own post, because it is one of the funniest things I have read in a long time, in part because I grew on on many of these comics. I had to leave the room at one point, I was laughing so hard. This has to be the definitive attack on Liefeld. He is an easy target to be sure, but these observations are especially sharp because they combine the jokes with a half-serious, but fully deserved, righteous anger.
http://progressiveboink.com/archive/robliefeld.html
http://progressiveboink.com/archive/robliefeld.html
Jason Powell on Classic X-Men #6a (incorporating X-Men #98)
[Jason Powell continues his issue by issue look at Claremont's Classic X-Men. For more in this series, see the link on the right toolbar. I make a brief comment at the end]
Claremont Appreciation, Post Eleven
"Merry Christmas, X-Men, the Sentinels Have Returned”
A lot of X-Men #98 is an homage to Neal Adams’ Sentinel story in X-Men #s 57-59. This is implicit on the second title page, when a large dialogue balloon spoken by a Sentinel announces “The Sentinels Have Returned!”, which doubles as part of the story’s title. This is the identical trick used in X-Men #57, in the opening sequence with Lorna Dane. More callbacks to Adams’ arc will occur over the course of the next couple issues.
There’s also a tip of the hat here to the X-Men’s creators. In an early scene set in a restaurant, Scott and Jean share a passionate kiss. A couple of extras named “Stan” and “Jack” look upon this ribald display with disapproval, saying that Scott and Jean “never did that when WE had the book.” It’s not particularly funny, but it is perhaps a necessary tip of the hat. Consider that back in the ‘60s, there was only one Lee-Kirby X-Men story that was long enough to comprise three parts rather than only two or one: It was the first Sentinel story, in issues 14-17. Later, although Adams and Thomas’ run was somewhat fluid, you could still break it into rough arcs, and again, the only three-part arc in the run is their Sentinels trilogy. Now, Claremont is doing his first three-part story (it begins here and climaxes in X-Men 100), and it is about the Sentinels. By opening his story with a light-hearted Lee-Kirby homage, while the larger structure of the arc unabashedly echoes Adams and Thomas, whose work on X-Men looms so much larger, Claremont is tacitly acknowledging the chain of influence: Lee and Kirby inspired Adams (who once said in an interview, “I love the Sentinels, they were one of Jack Kirby's greatest creations: unthinking, mindless robots who could beat the sh*t out of anybody and just want to kill mutants; they were such a solid concept”). Adams in turn inspired Claremont (who said in an interview that as a reader, he never liked the X-Men much until Adams started drawing it). While acknowledging the debt, Claremont also uses this as a way of pointing out how the book has evolved over the course of time marked by these various “Sentinel” checkpoints: Lee and Kirby explicitly point out that Jean and Scott’s relationship has matured since their tenure, and only a couple pages later Jean Grey points out that she is more powerful than she was the last time they fought the Sentinels, “back in 1969” (when Adams drew the comic). (Classic X-Men #6 unfortunately dilutes the effect somewhat, changing “back in 1969” to the less specific “years ago” as a concession to the Marvel Universe’s sliding timescale.)
Merry Christmas, X-Men” is the first appearance of Amanda Sefton, Nightcrawler’s romantic interest. There is nothing remarkable about her here (she seems to have been conceived originally just to be a romantic foil to one of the leads), but an added page, unique the Classic #6, teases at the back-story that Claremont will eventually give the character. There’s a clever irony if you know in advance how this will play out: Uncanny X-Men Annual #4 will reveal that “Amanda” is the false identity of Jamaine, a witch who has known Nightcrawler since they were both children, and who is hiding her true appearance behind a glamour. Kurt, meanwhile, is covering his true appearance with his “image-inducer.” In the newly interpolated page, Nightcrawler finds himself wondering what Amanda would do if she knew what he really looks like, thinking, “We’ve only just met, why should I care so much?” Amanda’s thoughts then reveal that she already knows who Kurt is behind his false face. So – he can’t see through her mask, but she has seen through his immediately. This is a quintessentially Claremontian touch: that the female in the relationship has an advantage over the male.
And in this issue ... more revelations about Wolverine (spoiler warning): His claws are a part of HIM, not his gloves! Banshee’s reaction is some kind of brilliant: “They’re a part of you!” he says. “We – I – didn’t know!” Having Banshee amend the “we” to “I” was a pretty amazing bit of foresight on Claremont’s part, as if he just knew that, years later, many writers – including Claremont himself – would want to write “untold tales” featuring Wolverine using his claws, sans gloves, in front of other X-Men who aren’t Banshee. (Examples we’ve already seen in the present study: Jean, Storm and Angel all see bare-handed claws in Classic X-Men #1, and Nightcrawler sees them in “The Big Dare” in Classic #4). Joss Whedon would eventually take this impulse to its inevitable terminus, in an “untold tale” set between the panels of Giant-Sized X-Men #1, wherein a gloveless Wolverine uses his claws in front of every single team member except Banshee.
[One thing that struck me reading this issue -- I am trying to keep up with Jason's posts -- was that there is this big moment when they learn of the sentinel base that it's "not on earth at all." Anyone remember virtually the same line, in the same context served as the issue break for one of Morrison's Assault on Weapon Plus -- Weapon XV flies off and Cyclops, Wolverine and Fantomex realize that the reason they have never been able to find the sentinel base on earth is that it is not on earth at all? Claremont's next plot after this sentinel thing is the Phoenix. Morrison's next plot after the sentinel thing is the Phoenix. Huh. I am not quite sure I want to call that a failure to transcend your influences -- I love Assault on Weapon Plus. But Claremont is really deep in Morrison's head at this point.]
Claremont Appreciation, Post Eleven
"Merry Christmas, X-Men, the Sentinels Have Returned”
A lot of X-Men #98 is an homage to Neal Adams’ Sentinel story in X-Men #s 57-59. This is implicit on the second title page, when a large dialogue balloon spoken by a Sentinel announces “The Sentinels Have Returned!”, which doubles as part of the story’s title. This is the identical trick used in X-Men #57, in the opening sequence with Lorna Dane. More callbacks to Adams’ arc will occur over the course of the next couple issues.
There’s also a tip of the hat here to the X-Men’s creators. In an early scene set in a restaurant, Scott and Jean share a passionate kiss. A couple of extras named “Stan” and “Jack” look upon this ribald display with disapproval, saying that Scott and Jean “never did that when WE had the book.” It’s not particularly funny, but it is perhaps a necessary tip of the hat. Consider that back in the ‘60s, there was only one Lee-Kirby X-Men story that was long enough to comprise three parts rather than only two or one: It was the first Sentinel story, in issues 14-17. Later, although Adams and Thomas’ run was somewhat fluid, you could still break it into rough arcs, and again, the only three-part arc in the run is their Sentinels trilogy. Now, Claremont is doing his first three-part story (it begins here and climaxes in X-Men 100), and it is about the Sentinels. By opening his story with a light-hearted Lee-Kirby homage, while the larger structure of the arc unabashedly echoes Adams and Thomas, whose work on X-Men looms so much larger, Claremont is tacitly acknowledging the chain of influence: Lee and Kirby inspired Adams (who once said in an interview, “I love the Sentinels, they were one of Jack Kirby's greatest creations: unthinking, mindless robots who could beat the sh*t out of anybody and just want to kill mutants; they were such a solid concept”). Adams in turn inspired Claremont (who said in an interview that as a reader, he never liked the X-Men much until Adams started drawing it). While acknowledging the debt, Claremont also uses this as a way of pointing out how the book has evolved over the course of time marked by these various “Sentinel” checkpoints: Lee and Kirby explicitly point out that Jean and Scott’s relationship has matured since their tenure, and only a couple pages later Jean Grey points out that she is more powerful than she was the last time they fought the Sentinels, “back in 1969” (when Adams drew the comic). (Classic X-Men #6 unfortunately dilutes the effect somewhat, changing “back in 1969” to the less specific “years ago” as a concession to the Marvel Universe’s sliding timescale.)
Merry Christmas, X-Men” is the first appearance of Amanda Sefton, Nightcrawler’s romantic interest. There is nothing remarkable about her here (she seems to have been conceived originally just to be a romantic foil to one of the leads), but an added page, unique the Classic #6, teases at the back-story that Claremont will eventually give the character. There’s a clever irony if you know in advance how this will play out: Uncanny X-Men Annual #4 will reveal that “Amanda” is the false identity of Jamaine, a witch who has known Nightcrawler since they were both children, and who is hiding her true appearance behind a glamour. Kurt, meanwhile, is covering his true appearance with his “image-inducer.” In the newly interpolated page, Nightcrawler finds himself wondering what Amanda would do if she knew what he really looks like, thinking, “We’ve only just met, why should I care so much?” Amanda’s thoughts then reveal that she already knows who Kurt is behind his false face. So – he can’t see through her mask, but she has seen through his immediately. This is a quintessentially Claremontian touch: that the female in the relationship has an advantage over the male.
And in this issue ... more revelations about Wolverine (spoiler warning): His claws are a part of HIM, not his gloves! Banshee’s reaction is some kind of brilliant: “They’re a part of you!” he says. “We – I – didn’t know!” Having Banshee amend the “we” to “I” was a pretty amazing bit of foresight on Claremont’s part, as if he just knew that, years later, many writers – including Claremont himself – would want to write “untold tales” featuring Wolverine using his claws, sans gloves, in front of other X-Men who aren’t Banshee. (Examples we’ve already seen in the present study: Jean, Storm and Angel all see bare-handed claws in Classic X-Men #1, and Nightcrawler sees them in “The Big Dare” in Classic #4). Joss Whedon would eventually take this impulse to its inevitable terminus, in an “untold tale” set between the panels of Giant-Sized X-Men #1, wherein a gloveless Wolverine uses his claws in front of every single team member except Banshee.
[One thing that struck me reading this issue -- I am trying to keep up with Jason's posts -- was that there is this big moment when they learn of the sentinel base that it's "not on earth at all." Anyone remember virtually the same line, in the same context served as the issue break for one of Morrison's Assault on Weapon Plus -- Weapon XV flies off and Cyclops, Wolverine and Fantomex realize that the reason they have never been able to find the sentinel base on earth is that it is not on earth at all? Claremont's next plot after this sentinel thing is the Phoenix. Morrison's next plot after the sentinel thing is the Phoenix. Huh. I am not quite sure I want to call that a failure to transcend your influences -- I love Assault on Weapon Plus. But Claremont is really deep in Morrison's head at this point.]
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