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Darren Taylor
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Posted: 08 September 2013 at 4:22am \| IP Logged \| 1

I don't feel that this is anadequate 'test' of an artists abilities to determine whether they can fulfill a role in comics.

However, given that the "winner"'s page* is printed in the story, I guess the page makes a little more sense, not being anything more than (seemingley) the punchline to a joke. They only need one work of Shakespeare from a million monkeys, right?

A simple opportunity for DC to have a quick scout through new talent and more likely pre-advertise their new Harley comic at the cost of a single page drawn by a 'fan'.

As to the content of the joke, well each to their own. I find it curious that the bathtub scene is causing all the problem when she is attempting to die in each of the three panels. Taking the cue from the way it's wrtten (lighting bolts miraculously missing her and uninterested Crocs) I'd say she's in no danger in any of these for some reason, probably a comment on her luck.

Suicide -isn't- a laughing matter but we live in a world where a tv series about a seriel killer is a prime-time show, what can one expect.

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John Byrne
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Joined: 11 May 2005
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Posted: 08 September 2013 at 4:38am \| IP Logged \| 2

Suicide -isn't- a laughing matter…

••

EVERYTHING is a laughing matter. It's all about how it's played.

Fraud and embezzlement are not laughing matters, but that doesn't stop THE PRODUCERS from being funny. Terminal illness and insanity are not funny, but Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise got a very funny movie out of them in THE END. Spousal abuse isn't funny, but the BRINGING UP FATHER newspaper strip got laughs out of it for decades. Poverty and homelessness are not funny, but better not tell that to Charlie Chaplin.

Watch just about any episode of MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS and ask yourself how many of the things they get laughs out of are, in a real world context, actually funny?

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Darren Taylor
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Posted: 08 September 2013 at 4:41am \| IP Logged \| 3

You know, I was very lazy there & took the easy way out of a sentence!

You are absolutely right John.

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Anthony J Lombardi
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Joined: 12 January 2005
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Posted: 08 September 2013 at 8:29am \| IP Logged \| 4

Suicide -isn't- a laughing matter…

~~~

Not to long ago a friend of mine was telling me about a book that Joan Rivers had written. In the book she was telling a joke about a woman who killed herself. The woman was a writer herself she wrote about etiquette.

The punch line to the joke was that the woman had put a doily out on the street. So when she threw her self from the window she would land on the doily.

That was dark humor. I found it hilarious. A friend over heard the joke and was offended. She was a bit drunk and had known someone who killed himself. She didn't get the humor. She's also a friend of mine so I felt bad she was upset but I still found the joke to be funny.

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Stephen Churay
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Posted: 08 September 2013 at 8:51am \| IP Logged \| 5

Suicides aside, ( and yes I think it's tasteless ) what a terrible talent
search idea. This is four separate pnels each depicting a different
senario. Sure you can show storytelling in each panel, but not flow
through the page. Not really. Show to people talking at an outside
bistro. Then you'll find out who has the chops.

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Anthony J Lombardi
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Posted: 08 September 2013 at 10:27am \| IP Logged \| 6

I'm considering doing it. If time permits I will. Besides the obvious reason of showcasing my art to DC. I want to do this because of what you said Stephen. I want to see if I can give the illusion of flow and storytelling.

My first reaction to this was this isn't a good test of a storyteller. It's just can you do pin up shots. But then I thought. What Would JB do with this page? How would the artists I loved handle this? Would John Romita sr not do this? No they would take what was there and do their best. Can I do any less if I want to achieve what they have ?

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Mark Rand
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Joined: 29 May 2007
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Posted: 08 September 2013 at 10:41am \| IP Logged \| 7

I hope you post the results here Anthony.(AFTER Oct 1 of course, lest you give the competition ideas) I'd love to see how you handled it.

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Marcel Chenier
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Posted: 08 September 2013 at 10:43am \| IP Logged \| 8

I don't think this is particularly funny in isolation; in the context

of the idiotic sexism and misogyny that has been an unattractive

theme underlying much of the Nu52 experiment , it's one more

wearying entry in the ledger of such things.

This is my position as well.

But, even if the whole thing was fine and dandy, what *really* doesn't

sit well with me is that my 13-14 year old self would be really excited

by this opportunity. I remember when Marvel did a similar promotion

many years ago (I'm sure most of you remember what I'm talking about,

I forget the title).

Now, a lot of folks on this board complain about those responsible

for the production of comics, "not getting it". Not getting their audience,

not getting it's for kids, not getting JB's Golden Age of comics, not

getting heroes being heroes (and yes, villains being villains).

The idea of kids, of teen-agers, sitting down to do their best as to how to

depict a naked crazy woman contemplating various ways of killing herself

gives me the shivers. These are not the ideas comics should be asking

young people to consider being normal for comics, something to make

you famous, something to strive towards obtaining some idea of perfect-

ion in comic art with.

It's a bad image, a bad message, encouraging bad ideas--and, for me,

epitomizes not getting it.

Edited by Marcel Chenier on 08 September 2013 at 10:51am

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Anthony J Lombardi
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Posted: 08 September 2013 at 10:45am \| IP Logged \| 9

I will Mark. In between the samples I've been working on for The New York Comic Con I've given this some thought and I've thumb nailed the first and last panel. It would be great if everyone here who decides to do this posted their page on October 2nd as well.

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Anthony J Lombardi
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Posted: 08 September 2013 at 10:54am \| IP Logged \| 10