Opinion: The Commentary Track for the January 19th Buy Pile, Issue #23 [@cbr] “Blacked Out For SOPA/PIPA”

NOTE: The following is a first person editorial.

Every week I do a column full of comic book reviews as I've done since March 2003 and currently published at Comic Book Resources. Then, after the reviews post, I try to come over to Komplicated and expand on the thoughts and ideas listed there. Why talk about stuff at some other site? Oh, like you've never done any private projects when you're at work! Sometimes things get profound, sometimes it's gibberish, but it's always about comics … let's see what we get this week!

What? This week's reviews …

FIRST OF ALL, SHUT UP: I actually wrote most of this for the January 12th column but real life got in the way. Sorry. Still, that Last of the Greats issue, whoa!

BLACK? OUT: The only thing on my mind is the fact that there's nobody like me writing comics.

I knew Mister Terrific wasn't perfect. The art never worked right. Never. The alien plot was a hard sell to help the character connect with people not already on board, despite how well written it was. I know. Still. Michael Holt's the best thing since Amadeus Cho.

Then there's Virgil Ovid freaking Hawkins. Oy. The "Two Sharons" was a disaster. Virule was a disaster. The hacker biker gang? Disaster. The Pale Man? Disastrous and derivative. That Piranha guy? Don't get started. Plus, Static wasn't as funny as he needed to be. Quips are vital to making him work properly, getting opponents off balance with verbal barbs. Worked for Peter Parker.

So yes, I know these were not the best comics on the market. They were each better than … *scrolling down* … better than Batgirl. Both were way better than Magneto: Not A Hero. Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist, months and months of DMZ … it's not fair, but a Black book can't be "good enough." Not to survive, and maybe that won't even matter.

Plus, two hard working, talented men are out of gigs, which is never cool in this economy. Guys I've gotten to know a little, one of whom has been to my home … it's troubling.

So there's no Black writers in "mainstream" comics. How long will mainstream comics be a non-Black affair?

COINCIDENTALLY … I am talking to Enrique Carrion of Vescell and Bomb Queen creator Jimmie Robinson about covering them here on Komplicated. Image: the last stand for the Black man?

CHEERS AND JEERS: To IDW for their $.99 digital only Transformers comic … and for it being eight pages. *sigh*

THAT'S THE NEWS, AND I AM OUTTA HERE: Big week on the web radio show Sunday Morning Live as I weigh in on SOPA, PIPA, piracy and more. Komplicated will have an analysis article online Sunday afternoon around 3ish, so lemme go write that …

Playing (Music): "Let's Stay Together" by Barack Obama … really!

[Source: Comic Book Resources]