My Thoughts On Paris And The Refugees (WARNING – SOAPBOX SPEECH AHEAD)

…So, I thought I should go ahead and talk about what happened yesterday, the senseless violence, the terror spread to millions, and the resulting backlash. I’m not gonna go into detail about what happened, but if you’re online, you probably know that, yesterday, there were a number of coordinated attacks on Paris. Last I heard, 129 people were left dead as a result. The current word is that these attacks were orchestrated by ISIS, but I should note that I don’t know that for a fact or if they’ve even claimed responsibility. Maybe they have and I just missed it, or maybe it’s just people looking for someone to blame, but that’s the word making the rounds.

Regardless, I want everyone to know that I feel absolutely horrible for the people of Paris who have had to go through this terrifying event. I’d also like to point out how impressed and proud I am of the worldwide out-pour of support for Paris and France. Several locations had their lights changed to resemble the French flag, including the Sydney Opera House, the One World Trade Center, the Toronto sign at Nathan Phillips Square, and Mexico’s Senado de la República. Myself and SEVERAL others have had our icons and profile pictures on Facebook and Twitter changed to add a filter coloured like the French flag (although, on a dare, I put it over the LGBT filter I’d already had on my Twitter icon, lol). Also, I actually couldn’t help but notice that the song “Do You Hear The People Sing?” from Les Misérables was trending on Twitter. And obviously, I understand why. “It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again”. I think that applies to fear as well, and the desire to not be slaves to fear, to not surrender to it.

All of that is great… … …and then came the people pointing fingers at Muslim refugees in Paris, and I thought “Here we go again”…Well, I thought THAT first. Then I brought up the idea for a picture of Ms. Marvel hugging Asterix (which, if anyone wants to steal that idea, go right ahead), and then I started thinking of The Drumhead, and then finally I decided to spend the rest of the night off of social media. To everyone who has been suggesting that all nations need to close their borders or more attacks like these will happen, I have a couple of things to say. First off, it’s easy for us to point fingers at these people until you actually stop and think for a second and realize that most of them fled their old homes to get away from this exact kind of bullshit. Secondly, speaking of The Drumhead…

As well as…

One of the advantages of being a honking nerd is having access to so many relatable quotes. And he’s not even my favourite Captain in Star Trek. 😛 But yeah, ultimately, that’s the price of freedom. When you give freedom to everyone, you run this risk, that someone with bad intentions could slip through the cracks. However, when you limit freedom to a certain group of people….well, then it’s not really freedom anymore, is it? It’s called being careful and cautious. You can do that and still have freedom, it’s just a matter of finding the right balance. Is this easy? God help us, no. Really, it just comes down to a simple question: Is it worth finding that balance? Me personally, I would say yes. In fact, if I may make an assumption and thus risk making an ass out of myself, I’d say that a lot of people would. Just know that it won’t be an easy endeavour, but that just because it won’t be easy doesn’t mean you should be willing to give up at the first sign of trouble.

…The last thing I wanna say…well, okay, not exactly say, but touch on, is the current situation right now with ISIS, and whether or not this will lead to war. I don’t really have the words to deal with that right now. Fortunately, as I’ve indicated earlier, I know plenty of people who do, one in particular. And, keep in mind, this is not directed at either side of the conflict any more than the other.

Some people ask why I indulge in escapist and speculative fiction. I-I just don’t know what to tell them. lol Anyway, those are my thoughts on the matter. Lemme know your own thoughts, although please try to avoid starting a political argument. Above all, however, I hope that you all at least consider my thoughts and opinions on this going forward from here on out. Ja né!

My Thoughts On Convergence (WARNING – SPOILERS) + #PoisonIvyLeague

…So, I’ve gone back and read some of Convergence. Specifically, I bought the issues of Convergence: Superman (because like hell if I’m not gonna buy a story involving Lois and Clark having a baby) and Convergence: Detective Comics (because recent events have led to me wanting very badly to read pre-Crisis Helena Wayne), and read what happened in a lot of the other two-part tie-ins and main story. I might also go back and check out Convergence: Titans and Convergence: Batgirl, but honestly, from what I’ve read, it kinda retreads some character development we had with her long beforehand. I dunno, maybe it’s just me.

Anyway, what are my thoughts on the event overall? Well, I think the tie-ins are a LOT better than the main story, and that’s not the first time that’s happened. I think the main reason this time is because the tie-ins focused on pre-Flashpoint versions of beloved characters and were written by people who did their research on the characters so they knew what they were doing and how these characters would behave. And, as a result of that, the tie-ins come off as GREAT for the most part. Conversely, the main story seemed to focus a lot on the New 52 Earth 2 cast, who… … …Okay, here’s the thing. I fucking HATE what has been done with Earth 2 and its cast as of late. Really, from the moment I dropped the book with the reveal that Superman was working for Darkseid (who admittedly turned out to be Bizarro, but let’s not go there). Thomas Wayne being brought back to be Batman was a terrible idea. Likewise, having Dick Grayson take his place when Thomas died (which we all knew was coming) when that version of Earth 2 Dick Grayson had no connection to the Bat Family prior was a terrible idea. It supplants Huntress’ position as Bruce’s successor. Instead, poor Helena has been subjected to character assassination, body horror, and now, following Convergence, is apparently turning heel. NOT FUN READING. Whereas, in Convergence: Detective Comics, Dick becoming Batman made a ton of sense, and even with him in such a position, Hel isn’t taken down at all in terms of importance. Also, for better or worse, the New 52 Earth 0 cast don’t even become active in the story until long after the bulk of the story. Actually, now that I think about it, it’s worse, because that’s the world we’re still primarily following post-Convergence.

However, with all of that said, and more (fuck whoever’s idea it was to have pre-Flashpoint Helena Bertinelli turn heel and die), there is one MASSIVE silver lining that I all but got on my knees and begged, nay, PLEADED for. I said going into this that I wasn’t gonna buy any of Convergence if it turned out the pre-Flashpoint worlds were all just going to vanish and that everyone would die. Well, that didn’t happen. Instead, something that is ultimately kind of a messy situation, but one I am more than willing to let them try to sort out, happened: Crisis On Infinite Earths was averted. The Multiverse has been restored to its original format, consisting of an infinite number of worlds, but most likely with the New 52 Multiverse at the center of it. That means that every single version of the worlds seen in DC Comics throughout its LONG history is now a canonical world again, every story you’ve ever read that got pushed aside in reboots (Crisis On Infinite Earths, Zero Hour, and Flashpoint) means something again, and the door is open to tell new stories about those worlds, and others if someone wants. That is EXCELLENT, and upon learning that, that’s when I realized, they could technically say that the great, GREAT digital first books like Sensation Comics feat. Wonder Woman ARE canon now, just taking place in different worlds in the expanded Multiverse, which people have already referred to as the Omniverse…which I approve of. lol

Now, obviously, this is something that not everyone is gonna agree with, but personally, I love this decision. And frankly, it’s a decision that offers plenty of great storytelling opportunities in the future. While the new DC YOU branding continues to follow the universe established in the New 52, the door is open for anyone in DC to tell stories about any of the other versions of the characters we love. We can see Superman married with Lois Lane again. We can see Stephanie Brown as Batgirl again. We can see Lian Harper ALIVE again. And while I wasn’t a big fan of how Mera came off in the all-female Convergence: Justice League titles, I’d LOVE to see more of that team in the future. And DC Comics can make a ton of money from all of this. Now, I refuse that bringing all of the old universes back and having Lois and Clark back together with a baby and all of that was Dan Didio’s idea. In fact, it wouldn’t shock me if he only conceded to let that happen because everyone else at the office told him he should do it. I’ve gotten a pretty good idea of Dan Didio’s usual ideas and story plans. This is the man who wanted to break up Lois and Clark at LEAST as early as Infinite Crisis. BUT, I will say this: If nothing else, Dan Didio has proven to the world that, if enough people ask for something, he will put his ego and what he personally believes is right and wrong in comics aside to make people happy and, probably more importantly to him, make money.

So, let’s switch tracks a bit to something that people will think is unrelated to Convergence, but comes around back to it. Anyone who follows me on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr knows that I am part of a group/movement known as the Poison Ivy League. In a nutshell, we are trying to convince DC Comics to publish a Poison Ivy solo title. Personally, I would prefer one written by Gail Simone (who proved to have a great handle on the character in Batgirl Annual #2) and drawn by Stjepan Sejic (who did Ivy’s story in Secret Origins, and you can look at more of here). Recently, we actually gained endorsement by MTV, which we consider a big victory for us. So, the word is now officially out that people want an Ivy solo, meaning anyone who wants such a thing but was maybe a bit nervous about jumping onboard with the movement should feel more than welcome to do so now. In fact, I think this is now the time where anyone who felt it was pointless to voice their opinions and ideas over Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and any other form of social media on stuff that DC Comics could do in the future should feel entitled to do so now. And I say that because Convergence is proof that Dan Didio WILL eventually listen to people if they get loud and numerous enough that they can’t be drowned out. And while we don’t have a Poison Ivy solo title in the works just yet, what we DO have is her being part of an expanded Justice League United that is investigating anomalies and incidents caused by the changes to the Multiverse at the end of Convergence, and will even be leading a mission in the near future with the team. Thank you, Jeff Parker. I haven’t read any of your work prior to this, but it looks like we’re gonna get along just fine. XD

Anyway, those are my thoughts regarding Convergence, and the possibility for future changes to DC Comics. Of course, I may be way off base regarding the majority of fans who read it and their opinions of things going into DC YOU (which I do understand, since we’re going into a universe where Superman is losing his powers, Lois Lane outed him as Clark Kent to the entire world, and Jim Gordon is running around in a Batman mech suit). As such, feel free to leave your own thoughts and opinions below, and we’ll see what becomes of the DC Universe following all of this. Ja né!