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Post by HoM on Aug 5, 2008 18:14:04 GMT -5
Please tell us what you think!
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Post by starlord on Aug 9, 2008 1:06:42 GMT -5
well, honestly, I wasn't totally impressed with this issue. The first scene felt like it belonged in a Vertigo title, and not in a mainstream book like WW. A little too rough and graphic for me, and very reminiscint of your Question stuff... where this sort of violence (and violence against women, especially), seems to fit a bit better.
I really enjoyed the scene between Diana and Donna, although the handing over of the suit seemed a tad heavy handed.
This was really well written, it truly was. Lot's of creative idea's that once again flowed in the vein of Grant Morrison. But for some reason, it just kind of fell a tad flat.
As always, I will be back, though, to check out the next thrilling installment!
The covers, by the way, were both excellent!
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Post by HoM on Aug 9, 2008 7:03:00 GMT -5
well, honestly, I wasn't totally impressed with this issue. The first scene felt like it belonged in a Vertigo title, and not in a mainstream book like WW. A little too rough and graphic for me, and very reminiscint of your Question stuff... where this sort of violence (and violence against women, especially), seems to fit a bit better. I was trying to show how very brutal and psychopathic Doctor Psycho was, pairing a kind of... Nonchalant writing style with visceral imagery. I can understand the Vertigo connotations, it being near full on horror, but that's the feeling I wanted to give to Psycho. He's not normal. He doesn't think like us. He's a male chauvinist, a misogynist and a sadist. The waitress put cream in his coffee. She had to die. It could very well have been a waiter, but this slight against him had to be paid for. He's not right in the head, that man! I really enjoyed the scene between Diana and Donna, although the handing over of the suit seemed a tad heavy handed. Heavy handed... Or foreshadowing? ... Yeah, heavy handed  This was really well written, it truly was. Lot's of creative idea's that once again flowed in the vein of Grant Morrison. But for some reason, it just kind of fell a tad flat. Two big scenes were written from scratch the night of posting, the Apollo/Athena scene and the Diana/realisation scene before Tunguska, so I can understand how unwieldy they could be. I thank you for the compliments on writing, Don always brings out the best in me with his editing, firm but fair, even if we don't share similar views on certain characters... Bastard (  ). As always, I will be back, though, to check out the next thrilling installment! The covers, by the way, were both excellent! Craig, Chris and Ramon all delivered amazingly well on such short notice. Chris is quite the colourist and what can be said about the Cermak/Villalobos collaboration that hasn't been said before? Hope to see you next month. |
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Post by Merai on Aug 9, 2008 14:46:25 GMT -5
See, I actually have to disagree with Brian- I felt the Doctor Psycho scenes were the strongest and the rest of the issue felt weaker by comparison! The 'dream' plot is an old one, but it was played well enough, if unexceptionally, with Donna and then J'onn. I do like that Diana turned to J'onn, because I always think it's cool to see our heroes play around in a shared universe and it does make sense, but this was all pretty standard, and flew by quickly. And really, is the Phantom Stranger just going to be a permanent cast member at this rate? I don't like him popping up every time a hero is in vaguely mystical trouble to act as a deus ex machina.
In fact, the main plot this issue didn't really pick up much steam until near the end- the revelation that it's an angel and the writing around that was all very well handled and has plenty of potential. And as I mentioned above, I did enjoy the Doctor Psycho sections immensely, as they show how completely twisted he is- and it's clear you had great fun writing them! They saved this from being a lacklustre issue for me.
So, not your best effort, but not bad either. I don't understand the point of the two covers, but it was a great pose for Diana and expertly rendered as ever!
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Post by mockingbird on Aug 13, 2008 12:33:14 GMT -5
My first thought is that the whole issue feels right out of Sandman XD Between all the dreaming, and that diner scene. I'm interested to see where this goes, wondering how 'epic' you're goign to make it -- if it's something truly threatening the whole world or some other big scale, or if it's something just in Diana's head for her alone to deal with.
If I had one comment, it's that I think you could have transitioned differently into and out of dream sequences. I think you could have made it more obvious where one ended and the other began, even just by elipsing, and that would have just changed the mood of it all to be a little more...dreamy. But that's really a small comment, in a good story.
Oh, and how could I forget-- your Psycho is already a lot of fun. Can't wait to see how far he goes when you REALLY let loose XD
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Post by HoM on Aug 13, 2008 16:12:24 GMT -5
See, I actually have to disagree with Brian- I felt the Doctor Psycho scenes were the strongest and the rest of the issue felt weaker by comparison! The 'dream' plot is an old one, but it was played well enough, if unexceptionally, with Donna and then J'onn. I do like that Diana turned to J'onn, because I always think it's cool to see our heroes play around in a shared universe and it does make sense, but this was all pretty standard, and flew by quickly. And really, is the Phantom Stranger just going to be a permanent cast member at this rate? I don't like him popping up every time a hero is in vaguely mystical trouble to act as a deus ex machina. Is my Phantom Stranger man-crush becoming apparent? I was considering having him guest in #30 in a more proactive role, but you're probably right, and I was only thinking about it. Honest. In fact, the main plot this issue didn't really pick up much steam until near the end- the revelation that it's an angel and the writing around that was all very well handled and has plenty of potential. And as I mentioned above, I did enjoy the Doctor Psycho sections immensely, as they show how completely twisted he is- and it's clear you had great fun writing them! They saved this from being a lacklustre issue for me. A late addition to the story, and I'm quite happy with how it turned out. I did a bit of research into Apollo, who I have some major plans for, and that's how it came about. Plus, something's wrong with Athena... And oh, God, I've waited so long to write Doctor Psycho, and this isn't even "HIS" arc. That's coming next year  So, not your best effort, but not bad either. I don't understand the point of the two covers, but it was a great pose for Diana and expertly rendered as ever! Nah, I was worried about this issue (as I was the last, and I'm sure I will be the next, and the next after that) but it came through for me in the end. And the two covers were because two different colourists worked on them, and one has the real logo on |
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Post by HoM on Aug 13, 2008 16:15:48 GMT -5
My first thought is that the whole issue feels right out of Sandman XD Between all the dreaming, and that diner scene. I'm interested to see where this goes, wondering how 'epic' you're goign to make it -- if it's something truly threatening the whole world or some other big scale, or if it's something just in Diana's head for her alone to deal with. I've been criticized for my over abundant use of guest stars, so next issue isn't particularly epic on a "world stage" kind of way, but a much smaller epic, as I think every story arc should be with these characters. Though there is one guy. Well, I say he's a guy. But he's not. Eh. If I had one comment, it's that I think you could have transitioned differently into and out of dream sequences. I think you could have made it more obvious where one ended and the other began, even just by elipsing, and that would have just changed the mood of it all to be a little more...dreamy. But that's really a small comment, in a good story. I was going for the blurring of reality and dream with the way in which I wrote the dream sequences, and it's something I'm going to be experimenting more with in Doctor Occult #6, out this month. I'm allowed to shill my own books, I think. So I can completely see where you're coming from, so it might have been a bad call on my part. Oh, and how could I forget-- your Psycho is already a lot of fun. Can't wait to see how far he goes when you REALLY let loose XD Doctor Psycho! EEEE! |
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Susan Hillwig
Staff 
I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested.
Posts: 1,612
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Post by Susan Hillwig on Aug 14, 2008 19:47:14 GMT -5
I got the "Sandman" vibe off this as well, especially the diner scene (Doctor Destiny revisited!). The whole issue came off as pure set-up, not much in the way of story...but then you had to mention Tunguska! Now you've got my attention again!
You started off with some strong issues, so I'll stay with it a while longer.
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Post by HoM on Aug 15, 2008 11:00:03 GMT -5
I got the "Sandman" vibe off this as well, especially the diner scene (Doctor Destiny revisited!). The whole issue came off as pure set-up, not much in the way of story...but then you had to mention Tunguska! Now you've got my attention again! You started off with some strong issues, so I'll stay with it a while longer. I apologize for the overall tone then. Tunguska just hit me in the face when I wrote the issue. It made perfect sense (I'd done some research on the event out of pure fascination, and then even further when I was working on a now defunct Captain Comet pitch) to include this mystery in the story. I've spoken to Sam, and I have to admit... I've only really read The Dolls House and onwards when it comes to Sandman. I've read the odd early issue, the classic scenes ("I am hope.") from a selected issue, but the Doctor Destiny diner scene (one that I've since researched a bit, and obvious: Ouch.) was not in my mind at all when I was writing it. So I apologize, and I'm so tempted to be cheeky and say "Well Neil Gaiman and I think alike", but I won't, hee hee |
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Post by goldk on Aug 15, 2008 13:53:30 GMT -5
A very foreboding issue that was a lot of setup, But what a setup! Lots of stuff going on and I really got chills at the end....I didn't see that coming.....If I get some time, you might get to see that scene where the cabin scratches the sky, that image was very vivid and hit my minds eye like a ton of bricks....now I have a black minds eye, thanks.
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Post by HoM on Aug 16, 2008 18:09:24 GMT -5
A very foreboding issue that was a lot of setup, But what a setup! Lots of stuff going on and I really got chills at the end....I didn't see that coming.....If I get some time, you might get to see that scene where the cabin scratches the sky, that image was very vivid and hit my minds eye like a ton of bricks....now I have a black minds eye, thanks. I'm glad you liked it. Like Susie said, there's a hell of a lot of set-up here, and I apologize if it's distracting. And I apologize for the injuries you gained whilst thinking about this issue. Heh. That could be an awesome disclaimer... |
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Post by arcalian on Aug 16, 2008 21:20:13 GMT -5
Sorry to take so long to get to this. I am always, always, always behind on my reading.
I don't have a problem with any of what is here--and extra points for Zenobia!--but I dunno, I thought more was gonna happen in this issue with the confrontation with Doctor Psycho.
Continuity housekeeping points; thanks for giving the nod to Wickersham Isle, but Wickersham didn't really want an apprentice, nor did he want to give Donna the staff. He wanted to drain Donna's life force to revitalize his own, but had no time with the Titans coming, so he used her to fight them. He only wanted them to take the staff when he knew that he himself was finished; to pass the legacy of evil on. But, of course, someone will find it eventually.
I, too, caught a little bit of a vertigo vibe this issue, and yes, the Diner scene reminded me VERY much of Doctor "dee" Destiny in the first Sandman arc.
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Post by HoM on Aug 17, 2008 6:02:13 GMT -5
Sorry to take so long to get to this. I am always, always, always behind on my reading. I'm just glad you took the time! Thanks for this, Jay. I don't have a problem with any of what is here--and extra points for Zenobia!--but I dunno, I thought more was gonna happen in this issue with the confrontation with Doctor Psycho. Yeah, it's all building toward something dude, the Zenobia stuff especially. I'm been playing around with " The Revenge of the Wonder Women" as a title for my final arc on the book, and I don't just mean Diana and Zenobia, so it's something to think about... Continuity housekeeping points; thanks for giving the nod to Wickersham Isle, but Wickersham didn't really want an apprentice, nor did he want to give Donna the staff. He wanted to drain Donna's life force to revitalize his own, but had no time with the Titans coming, so he used her to fight them. He only wanted them to take the staff when he knew that he himself was finished; to pass the legacy of evil on. But, of course, someone will find it eventually. I was having Donna be deliberately flippant about those events to try and alieviate this pressure that Diana's feeling right now (something that will be directly addressed in an upcoming issue). And I'll think you find she said " crazy apprentice"! I, too, caught a little bit of a vertigo vibe this issue, and yes, the Diner scene reminded me VERY much of Doctor "dee" Destiny in the first Sandman arc. Well. I guess then I'm just trying something different with the tone of the book. I've done mythological with my first arc, and that had a distinct superhero vibe too, so this is my dirty magic arc. Things are going to get ugly, but then after this we have the Cheetah! And whilst that's darker it also means we've got Steve Trevor too |
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