So many of the things celebrated at Comic-Con are mainstream properties that have reached mass acceptance. This is the other side of Comic-Con. It's the creator-owned products, it's librarians trying to provide access to materials, and mostly it is the dreamers. These are the folks that will stumble into writing the next Batman or the next Harry Potter. Creator-owned books are where most of the mainstream authors and artists get their start. And for many of them it's where they hope to end up. It's important that people see the pattern and know where to look for censorship in their own towns.
ARROW - I needed a break from the serious discussions and ended up in the panel for the new CW show, Arrow. It's the story of Oliver Queen who masquerades as Green Arrow to fight crime. This take on another DC Superhero is directed by the same man who directed the Smallville pilot. I will say up front that I'm not a fan of the CW shows in general. I know I'm not their target demo but their house style leaves me cold. And this show was no different. It didn't embrace the superhero genre the way that Smallville did. The show looks like Supernatural or The Vampire Diaries and it just doesn't have the heart that I want from a genre show. This show plays out much more like a detective or cop TV show than it does superheroes. Even the cast of Stephen Amell and Katie Cassidy didn't have the chemistry that you'd like to see for a new show. It all felt very forced. And can someone in Sterling City please turn on a few more lights.
THE WRITER'S ROOM - I write. Or I at least pretend to write on the Internet. When I read a comic book, the writing wins out over art every time. I will take a well-written book with terrrible art over a poorly written book with great art every single time. I went to this panel for three reasons - to see Ed Brubaker, to hear Robert Kirkman talk about The Walking Dead and because it was hosted by the very funny UK TV personality, Jonathan Ross. It was a winner in all categories.
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