Manifesto (Not Really)

I'm getting close to 100 posts on here. Close, even though it's been just over a year since starting this blog. I don't post as often as I'd like, is what I'm saying. At first I was trying different things, but quickly just fell into talking about the comics that I read that week. I write about genre movies once in a while, but the truth is, I don't have a lot of time to watch movies and when I do, they are rarely the type of thing that would fit into this blog. Then again, I named this Not Just Otaku for a reason, so maybe I should open it up to other genres. Maybe.

The real reason I don't post more is because I don't want to post for the sake of posting. I think that's what leads to the amount of negativity we see online. Too often, a piece that could have been entertaining derails into a rant, an over analysis, or a whine. I love stories and I love the comics medium. I don't really care too much about DC's logo. I'm also not obsessed with the comics I grew up with. On the contrary, I look forward to new interpretations that may make 70+ year old characters interesting and fresh. The old versions will still be there, there's nothing wrong with moving on. Nostalgia, as I said here before, I believe, is not good for storytelling. In general, I may love Batman, but I don't read Batman because of Batman. I read it because I like the creators' take on Batman at that moment. If I don't like it, I stop reading.

Case in point, I dropped Action Comics. I like Grant Morrison a lot, and loved the first couple of issues of the relaunched book. But a few issues in, I felt like I was reading it out of obligation to what I thought would turn out to be really great. Then, I just stopped enjoying it altogether and realized that it is unlikely I am going to like a Superman story more than All Star Superman, so there was really no point in continuing. My Superman works better when he has a beginning, middle and end. I've said for years the only important thing about him (and most superheroes) is their origin. Once he's made the heroic decision to be Superman, the rest is a given. All Star Superman proved me wrong by telling us how it would end for him and how that would make him even greater in the process. That's myth making that can't be topped.

But, I've digressed. The point of this post was that I don't post enough. And that the reason for that is that I want to try to keep this blog positive. That's not to say I won't critique. I just don't intend to rant.

So, there, I posted something that wasn't just a review of what I read this week.