Peter Parker is dead leaving Marvel Comics to make a significant announcement this week about the New Webslinger in Ultimate Spiderman – Miles Morales, a half-black, half-Hispanic teen. Since the announcement it has been a deluge of comments on the interwebs and in the media about the development. Unfortunately much of the criticism has been racially charged leaving one to wonder if fan and commentator reaction would have been the same if Peter Parker had been replaced by a Caucasian. The fact is Peter Parker is dead in Ultimate Comics and that’s a big deal. His replacement will have large, sticky shoes to fill no matter who they are. I for one am impressed by Marvel’s choice. I used to be bothered by changes in the status quo in comics but the truth is things can’t always be the same or the stories we love will become bland and boring. I hated the idea of Steve Rogers being killed but then grew to love Brubaker’s Bucky as Cap. Likewise I was sure Bruce Wayne could never be replaced but was delighted that DC gave Dick Grayson a shot. This fact is not lost on writer Brian Michael Bendis who seems eager with new and fresh stories to tell. (Read more on Newsarama) Furthermore I’m glad he kept the alliteration of the title characters name – Miles Morales. Besides I’m ready to see someone else carry the mantle of Spider-Man. Hey, Peter has been carrying the weight of it for 50 years, it’s about time he be given a break. Looks like they found a new kid on the block from Brooklyn who deserves a chance to become a hero.
Archive for ‘August, 2011’
#webcomicschat – Avoid Cartooning Crimes
on August 3, 2011 at 5:48 pm
How do you add visual interest to your cartoons? Here’s some advice from the 1940′s Cartooning Course:
“In today’s competitive market, a cartoonist can’t get very far without imagination. A picture may be drawn with painstaking correctness and still be uninteresting. To be uninteresting is the greatest crime a cartoonist can commit.
When composing your panel, don’t just draw your subject so that it is recognizable. Think: can you include some action or a different viewpoint that will be exciting to the reader’s eye? Perspective, action, background – all the elements of cartooning must be considered as ingredients that can help you make interesting compositions.”
–Famous Artists Cartoon Course – Lesson 11 Pg 7
Super Siblings Web Comic Strip for the week of August 1st, 2011 by Patrick Scullin. There’s always something that gets in the way of starting that family road trip. And some road blocks are self inflicted.
