Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Mission Monitor Board Sarcasm Kid Is Still Alive

SK, I may have misremembered but some of the situations you wrote about seem familiar. I think you may have shared these before on LW?

I'm glad you're feeling comfortable enough to talk about these. I agree that your early experiences may contribute to your described fear of failure and the difficulty you have coping with it. For the longest time, I was afraid too. Like you, good grades were my sole achievement in life (or so I thought at that time). I remember avoiding playing pool or bowling with friends and losing my temper when losing at board games or video games because I felt so worthless for being good at nothing except academic pursuits.

And if your Catholic School was anything like mine... Not always the best environment for learning to cope with difficulty and mistakes.

I was able to finally talk to my folks about the feelings I had regarding school, the pressure to get good grades, and my lack of exposure to other activities. They've been very understanding about it and now I've gotten to do things I never thought I'd be able to - learn to cook, have a few articles published, and even things like travel solo and go skydiving. I don't know if your folks are that open-minded, but if they are it can be therapeutic. And as you mentioned, it may be that they just didn't realize how tough it was for you back then. I doubt they would have intentionally let you suffer like that.

I think in the end it would help to be able to embrace that not everything will come naturally to you (like math!) and that doing poorly at things (like math!) isn't an automatic sign you'll end up failing at life in general.

I have mentioned some of this stuff before, yes.

I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to write about it. I'm sure it helps to be able to do so.

Lately I started discussing with my therapist my writing and trying to find out why I care so much about obscure characters and get so angry when characters like the Titans or the Legionnaires get abused.

Does anyone else think that maybe if we saw and read characters actually being able to overcome trauma and abuse and working past it instead of descending into drug-fueled, wangst ridden melodrama or villainy and anti-heroism, we might be able to better discuss our own issues and emotions? So that way we wouldn't keep second guessing how we feel and wonder if we even have a right to talk about this stuff, and that it might be possible for us to get on with our lives?

Also, I'm starting to think the reason why I hate James Robinson and all those other writers is because I'm channeling anger at the adult figures in my life who never helped me or trivialized my feelings.

Good luck with everything.

Yes. I agree with every word. Very insightful.

In broad terms, has the aspirational aspect of mainstream DC comics been removed? While the focus was always very much on the action and the adventure, the main characters did have careers as part of their backgrounds, if only as a backdrop. They were far more grounded people. Journalists, test pilots, engineers, broadcasters, archaeologists all played as launching points for a huge number of stories.

While the characters seemed more grounded, they got to express all sorts of basic emotions through the situations they found themselves in. Clark's loneliness at having to put everything else ahead of Lois. Hal Jordan's duties kept him away from Carol. Barry would always be late and fail to impress Iris. Ray was only a superhero to impress his dream girl. While Ralph was always plagued with self doubts, the others all knew similar feelings.

The stories were the vehicles through which the characters overcame their feelings/issues to get towards a more optimistic future. While having similar themes repeat regularly is a lot to do with the comics target audience/sales/mandate of DC, it's a lesson that things couldn't be taken for granted and that relationships are worked for all the time. At least monthly if you only read one title, but constantly reinforced if you read a lot more

Loneliness, fear of not finding a partner, losing someone you love, losing family, not fitting in, not being able to do something or save something, being "different" and unsure of yourself are constants throughout those comics.

That it comes across so clearly is a lot to do with the creative quality of the writers. They had lived through tough times, and were in a "hack" industry. But the focus that this brings and the work ethic they had enabled them to draw from those experiences and it shows in the world presented to the reader. Fighting against the odds and overcoming adversity, whatever it may be or how hopeless and long it takes.

Seeing our heroes go through those issues again and again and coming through with their integrity, and sense of self intact, can only be something to draw strength from.

Parallel to this is the scope of the comics. There was certainly a brighter future in the older comics. From writers in a country that had got through the depression and a world war to a country that led into a future of exploration, idealism and rocket ships.

The science fiction aspects of the older comics, with their astronauts and science, pushed the concepts of what was possible and that reflected onto the characters. There was a sense of wonder, but one that was tinged with humour and whimsy and downright fun. The Legion is a prime example of this aspirational content of man reaching the stars. The JLA had a satellite HQ and Batman spent lots of time dealing with science fiction or often just fun science fantasy.

Right, that's quite a ramble. But there's a lot of complexity in the "simpler" age of comics that our current creators would do well to pay attention to.

Well said, Thothkins. There's no need for gore and sensationalism in order to establish complexity. If anything, gore and sensationalism more often result in a simplistic, pessimistic world view which reflects the worst kind of arrested adolescence.

I identify with the characters DC and Marvel $%^&(ed with because I see me when I was younger and went through everything alone.

And the original characters I do create, the ones who inevitably end up fixing everything because they get dragged into it and blatantly ignore the idiot authority figures (DCNU Superman, Green Arrow, Cyclops, Wolverine) those are me also.

It's basically just me trying to give myself the help I didn't get when I needed it.

Wow. I actually just remembered I was on the yearbook staff at Salesian High one year. It was either ninth or tenth grade, before they moved the library.

And I remember that whenever I made mistakes usually the instructor would yell at me and tell me to leave. Then when I'd send emails apologizing and admitting if he didn't want me back for good that was fine because I screwed up, but he'd always be calm.

Still, he used to get so angry it scared me.

I can't believe I forgot that.

Did this happen frequently?

I don't remember if it was frequently or not, and I do mean mistakes and not little ones, but I do remember that it happened enough.

I'm talking about if like I edited pages I wasn't supposed to or changed the layouts on some pages and save it when I wasn't. I'm not excusing that I made mistakes, but it really scared me when he'd yell at me.

Guys, are my psychological issues too mixed in with my interest in comics for me to give any opinion on any book?

http://judedeluca.tumblr.com/post/79325649558/way-to-be-overly-dramatic-new-nightmare-talk-about

Nope, I think that everyone brings along their baggage to a greater or lesser extent. Being objective from there is trickier, assuming objectivity plays a part in the discussion.

If someone were to show me a Young Avengers/Hostel crossover after Avengers Arena, I wouldn't have been surprised. Pointless exploitation (even by comics standards) is what I got from that first issue. Add in some more torture and you're about done.

Becoming attached to characters that are designed to be traumatised on a monthly basis is probably not a good thing.

You can always vote with your wallet or vote with your time, if you're reading them in the shop. You can make your views known and move on to creators who do care about their own creations, who do have fulfilling character arcs and who aren't scraping the bottom of a caped super-hero barrel.

Hey guys.

So, you know how I've been keeping in touch with Candle because she's been having trouble getting online?

I spoke to her last night and I learned her husband, Chuck, passed away on March 20th from complications with his pancreatic cancer.

Oh, that's horrible news. Please send Candle my condolences if you should correspond with her again. She was always a very sweet person to me.

Sarky, if you don't mind please pass on my condolences to Shady. I would very much appreciate it. We haven't seen her around for awhile, but she's very much loved here and I think I speak for many of us when I say we're sending our love and support.

Please pass along my condolences as well.

And my condolences, too.

Please pass on a big hug from me and let her know she is in my thoughts and prayers. She is a sweet lady and we miss her around here.

Please pass on my condolences, as well. I'm very sorry for her loss.

What they said.

Add my condolences to the list. I'm so sorry to hear this.