Why is it so easy to please me, Mr. Bendis? - Throne Room of the ECQ

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Why is it so easy to please me, Mr. Bendis?

Oct. 29th, 2008 at 10:20 PM

Okay, so, well, I just made some new comics-loving friends, and of course I have all these other comics-loving friends already... so maybe I should sometimes post about comics? More than once every, um, three months? (Everyone else feel free to skim!)

So I completely forgot that the Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #3 came out this week...

...and it was once again, completely awesome. I love the annuals. Total ♥. Seriously, even if the rest of the issue had been a yawner, which it wasn't, all Bendis has to do is give me some Peter/MJ banter and a little relationship movement and I'm a goner. And there was even Kitty and Kenny! *happy sigh*

The introduction of Ultimate!Mysterio? Eh, whatever. The last scene...? Will happily haunt my dreams tonight.

On a related note, why Mr. Bendis can you only make me squee like a 12-year-old in this book? *sigh*

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( 24 comments — Leave a comment )

handyhunter

Oct. 30th, 2008 02:47 am (UTC)

Does he still have people talking in parenthesis? It drives me a bit nuts, though otherwise Bendis tells a good story. Am loving ALIAS right now.

(Also Matt Fraction's THE ORDER.)

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Oct. 30th, 2008 09:44 am (UTC)

He did it three times in 32 pages. So I suppose not bad... but it's a dialogue tic that I like in comics, especially when a character is rambling. :D

I haven't tried The Order. *puts on list* :)

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handyhunter

Oct. 30th, 2008 04:52 pm (UTC)

Bendis is the only writer I've noticed who has that particular tic. I just don't understand how it works -- how do people talk in parenthesis? Is it an aside - to the audience? other characters? Is it more like a note to themselves, like a thought, almost?

It doesn't make sense to me. Otherwise I'm quite happy with Bendis' writing.

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quietprofanity

Oct. 30th, 2008 08:24 pm (UTC)

I think I saw J.M. de Matteis do it back in the 1990s. I remember Ben Reilly saying something in parenthesis as he was talking to Peter. Although it wasn't anything that couldn't be replaced by commas or dashes.

Then again, we are talking about a medium with occasionally random bolding and exclamation points at the end of every sentence.

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handyhunter

Oct. 30th, 2008 11:42 pm (UTC)

Then again, we are talking about a medium with occasionally random bolding and exclamation points at the end of every sentence.

But those at least make sense -- both the bolding and exclamation points are for emphasis. The parenthesis? Not so much. It's almost the opposite, although I still don't understand how it works when one is speaking.

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quietprofanity

Oct. 30th, 2008 11:50 pm (UTC)

I have to say what words are bolded usually don't make sense to me, though. I've actually tried reading some of the early Spider-Man issues aloud and putting emphasis on the bolded words ... it sounds really funky.

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Oct. 30th, 2008 11:52 pm (UTC)

It's true that there are some comics with really random bolding! But mostly I tune it out... :D

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Oct. 30th, 2008 11:54 pm (UTC)

Whenever I read a parenthesis in dialogue, I imagine one of two things:

1) a dramatic aside
2) a non-sequitur or tangential point

You see them used this way in a lot of first-person POV writing -- maybe Bendis' training caused it? *shrugs*

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handyhunter

Oct. 30th, 2008 11:59 pm (UTC)

2 is generally what parenthesis are used for, I think. And 1 just is weird in conversation. WHO is the aside to? The audience? Other person in the conversation?

I can understand how they might be used in descriptions or maybe even thoughts (though even then, it doesn't really work) or a speech, but not in a conversation with another person. Dashes or another sentence would make much more sense to me.

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Oct. 30th, 2008 03:11 am (UTC)

Read it in the shop and nearly bought it (would have been my first USM since issue #48 or so). Muchly enjoyed. Even further prompts my current thinking of buying all the trades.

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Oct. 30th, 2008 09:51 am (UTC)

Well, I honestly think the book has been stronger than ever since the Ultimate!Clone saga. I'd say you'd really enjoy the trades if you do pick them up! :)

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Oct. 30th, 2008 03:11 am (UTC)

*pouts*

It did? It did! Why was it not in my pull box?

*fumes at comic book store*

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Oct. 30th, 2008 09:48 am (UTC)

Aw, really? *pouts with you*

Honestly, if I hadn't seen it on Diamond's list, I would have missed it. *hugs*

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the_flowergirl

Oct. 30th, 2008 03:28 am (UTC)

So my fourth chapter is done, if you want to take a little look-see. ^_~

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Oct. 30th, 2008 09:52 am (UTC)

I will try to run by sometime soon! :)

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the_flowergirl

Oct. 30th, 2008 03:07 pm (UTC)

Sounds good!

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Oct. 30th, 2008 11:41 am (UTC)

I loved that they used that cop from that Shocker issue. And the fact that he clearly knows Peter's a teenager. And how in all the scenes, Spidey looked so small in comparison to the cops.

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Oct. 30th, 2008 04:18 pm (UTC)

That was great - I love when minor characters recur. :) I really like it when Spidey is small in USM, too - it shows his youth and inexperience in a visual way. :)

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Oct. 30th, 2008 05:34 pm (UTC)

I love it when cops are being nice to Spidey. And I wouldn't mind to see this character become recurring, esp. remembering how short a time Captain Stacey was in the title.

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fairfax_verde

Oct. 30th, 2008 01:15 pm (UTC)

So I completely forgot that the Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #3 came out this week...

Thanks for the heads up, my dear! Off to Amazon I go . . .

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Oct. 30th, 2008 04:20 pm (UTC)

I'm glad they carry it! It's really a great annual. Do you follow the regular title?

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fairfax_verde

Oct. 30th, 2008 05:50 pm (UTC)

How annoying, it's not at amazon. That means I'll have to go into an actual store! Yes I do follow Ultimate Spider-Man . . . I'm always a little behind because I don't buy it monthly but wait for the collected volumes.

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candyflosskillr

Oct. 31st, 2008 11:28 pm (UTC)

Eek! Forgot to order this *smacks forehead and races off to email my cbg*

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Oct. 31st, 2008 11:36 pm (UTC)

Oh! Good luck, I hope you can get a copy!

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( 24 comments — Leave a comment )