When it comes to comics creators, I often have strong opinions. I have issues when certain creators political stances permeate the work, or their real life views overshadow the story they’re telling. (In some cases, it’s just the fact that they seem like a real creep.) One strong example is Warren Ellis, a writer whom I both respect and admire, while finding his take on super-heroes utterly repellent. The paradox comes when I read his best superhero work (Ruins, The Authority, Secret Avengers and more) and I love the story, love the black humor and literary references, while hating every single character, disliking the nihilistic tone, and strongly believing the writer hates the superhero as an archetype. The books make me angry, and I can’t put them down, leading us to today’s cognitively dissonant query…
The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) hates every single character in both Stormwatch and The Authority, but still finds it incredibly compelling writing, asking: What creator/actor/artist/wood-carver inspires the strongest mixed feelings for you?
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A good chunk of the Lucasfilm licensing and crew and others that are responsible for Star Wars, be it movies, games, novels and so on. The majority of what they do isn’t going to bother me, but every so often something comes along that evokes such intense emotions all across the board.
A perfect example is R. A. Salvatore’s Expanded Universe novel “Vector Prime”, which had the death of Chewbacca. On one hand, I was absolutely devastated that not only had this author written off Chewie, but that Lucas licensing or whatever actually allowed it. On the other hand, they gave Chewie the most fitting end that one could ever think of, giving his life to save someone as a planet was blowing up around him. It has been years since I first read that book and I still have such strong mixed emotions over it. Even now that the old Expanded Universe has been wiped from any of the previously legit layers of canon, it still stirs up a mixture of anger, joy, hate, sadness and so many other feelings.
Maybe Frank Miller. His Daredevil was excellent, one of my favorites, The Dark Knight Returns and Year One were pretty much the most influential comic books in last 50 years. Then he proceeded to put out absolute garbage, both in interview and comic form.
Oddly, I both love superheroes and Garth Ennis’s The Boys. I contain multitudes (and digress).
3rd place goes to Alan Moore, mostly for cranky interviews and blanket dismissals of the talented writers who came after him, although a few of his points are valid.
2nd place goes to Dave Sim. I started reading the Sarah-Bus (rhymes with “fine”) (sorry, deep cut) phone books in the mid 90’s and fell in love with the characters, the oddly intricate setting, unique layouts, visible learning curve, etc. To be brief, certain ideas intruded and affected my enjoyment of the later volumes.
1st place is Bill Cosby, although the only mix in the overwhelming emotion one has when one becomes aware that a pillar is made of excrement is horrible, meaningless curiosity. Was he a monster when he made those early albums that helped shape my sense of humor? Does that chronology matter whatsoever? Am I just trying to save something of worth from the wreckage? I can’t listen to those albums anymore.
I enjoy many of the films and franchises of Bruce Willis, mostly in the early-middle of his career, but have found it very difficult to support him financially in the past decade or so. I’ll happily part with $1.50 at a Redbox, but throwing down $12 at a theater to watch him phone it in, knowing he is making all the lives around him a professional living hell while making 10-20 times what his fellow cast members are earning makes it hard to enjoy the otherwise amazing movies to which he is attached.