The Librarians Spinoff The Librarians: The Next Chapter w/ Jacob Stone G...
Mar 7, 2024 #comicsgate #cw #thecw
The Librarians: The Next Chapter. The Librarians‘ Christian Kane has signed on to reprise his role as Jacob Stone in the CW spinoff of the fantasy adventure series opposite Jessica Green, in a recurring role. info https://deadline.com/2024/03/christian-kane-jacob-stone-the-librarians-the-next-chapter-spinoff-1235845221/ - - -
So... Damirae happened outta nowhere and got canon in a movie and that was ok, but then BBRae gets canon again after so many years and for some reason that's bad and DC supposedly hates their fans. To be fairrrrr...
To be fair... Yes DC does not care about their fans, because if they did they wouldn’t allow their writers to go on twitter and act morally superior and talk down to paying customers with impunity. They wouldn’t hire writers (Zoey Quinn, Andy Kory, Tom King, or Tim Sherdan and Tom Fucking Taylor) who hate the American super hero and seek to push their own agendas. And, they wouldn’t use these writers and artists to piss off their fans base.
That was really more the over arching point. DC knows that creating controversy gets them more social credit. Because concerned fans who would still like to give DC their money, speak out, hoping for better quality, only to be shamed by the creator themselves. And on many occasions, DC’s editorial staff has helped kick the hornets nest. Because at this point the comic book industry is more of a clique rather than open thriving industry. They've done nothing over the course of the last few years to save or reboot the industry, but instead created black lists, whispers networks and participated in cancel culture. DC and Marvel (because they don’t get pass either) have encouraged this. They pushed books and characters that nobody cared about, they allowed their comics to become divisive by writers and parties who sought to use these legacy properties for their own personal agendas. Driving fans away from their books in droves and making it impossible for any new talent to infiltrate. Furthermore they have gone out of their to insure the shuddering of the modern comic shop.
So with all that being said, this current situation of BBrae is just another nail in the coffin of this dying industry and it has less to do with the paring itself, and more to do with how the writer is handling the concerns and criticisms of his creative choices. He’s handled them by blocking nearly everyone who has voiced dislike, deleted opposing comments, put the blame on one group (Damirae) as the cause of his woes when, in fact, there are many people outside of that collective that just don’t care for the pairing and really don’t want it taking time away from other characters and story arcs. Or are simply concerned with how the relationship will played out in the past as it felt it was toxic.
These, I feel, are valid concerns and should be of concern by the comic creative who should be making comics for everyone and trying to be more neutral, not just catering to a handful of fans. And when fans voice their concerns they should listen, not demoralize, block and delete them. Part of being a public figure and a professional writer means receiving criticism, it’s unavoidable, and it’s how you deal with that criticism that shows how confident you are in your work and talent. I also think it’s safe to say over the last few years the lack of professionalism amongst not only DC’s writing staff, but also a huge swath of their FORMER editorial staff, paired with the lowest comic sales to date, speaks volumes. Tim Sherdan is a great example of that.
On that note, DC is clearly using BBRae as a cash cow they can exploit for profit and social clout. That should bother you if you’re concerned about the integrity of your ship. (If you are indeed a BBrae shipper. I am not trying to put words in your mouth.) But it’s clear they know that pairing, though still popular amongst its fans, is also greatly dislike by others. This equals controversy, which they see as free advertisement as people debate the topic over Twitter and then the writer can claim he is the victim of online harassment. This creates more division among fans and leave some feeling more removed and isolated to their corners of the internet, and overall, unheard and uncared for. And before anyone says “wells it’s not DC's job to care about your feelings” you would be right, if they weren’t in the business of taking people’s money and providing the backbone of how other put food on their tables.
So in short, I was not trying to lay the responsibility of all of this at the feet of one pairing, but further explains that each grain of sand makes a heap. BBrae is one more grain of sand in that heap. My question to you, to all of you, is how hight does that heap need to get before we can’t climb it any longer? Or better yet, collapses and smothers us all, killing the characters and properties we love? And are just gonna let DC use us to do it? And if the answer is, Yes. Well then we are a silly people, indeed.
I hope you found this TED Talk helpful and I hope we all learned something today. And I hope that cleared up the point I was trying to make. And maybe we can all just try and be better to each other.
I’m just having a discussion with an idiot on twitter about #ComicsGate and he just said that “feminists, marxists (?!) and LGBTQ didn’t even read comics before”. Like, what? WTF DUDE?! WHO DO YOU THINK READ X-MEN AND WONDER WOMAN?!
White men are getting stupider by the second.
Oh, he also tried to tell me that comics were not good anymore and that editorials targetting more audiences is thanks to mediocre authors and readers. As an illustrator and comics reader (for years) I laughed out loud.
Because women, people of colour and LGBTQ people are here, are creators, are consumers, and WE ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE.
You know what really irritates me? When you have editors/writers/creators championing that comic gate is wrong; but then also catering and kowtowing to the comic gate readership... The reason Marvel WON'T bring back New X-Men despite popularity online- let's be honest, because it was one of the most diverse X-Books to date. The reason why you won't see the YA kids on an adult Avengers team-because they're not the classic heroes (aka characters that were created in the 70's/80's and more often than not are-Male, White, Heterosexual, Cis.) Fans who want diversity are in a catch 22; because comic books more often than not kill off or refuse to push new characters because 'their not A-Listers', but there's lash back if A-list characters are changed in any way to reflect current society. You don't get to say you're against something, when you've helped create said problem. If you're refusing to tell certain stories because of a extremist group that might not buy your product anymore or complain about it; aren't you promoting that these kinds of hateful opinions are somehow valid?! I'm just getting a little tired of watching certain companies straddle the fence between 'these attitudes are abhorrent' and 'we can't be political'. *I'm not just critiquing Marvel on this either; I feel like pretty much all the big name companies have been doing this to varying degrees lately (see my post on why I don't like Robinson's Wonder Woman...). My attitude is, if you want to stand against something -then stand against it. But don't sit there and state you 'care about diversity/think the comics gate movement is wrong' and then purposely cut all your more diverse titles/refuse to incorporate any kind of changes because you're being pressured by said awful community.
So as I’m sure you all know by now, the kids are mad, the kids are fighting... it’s been interesting to say the least. But aside from the title, I’m not here to name names and call people out (expect Tim Sherdan, who apparently can’t handle having his tender sensibilities challenged) I’m simply here to represent our side of the argument. And by our side I mean anyone who doesn’t ship Raven and Beast Boy. Because believe it or not, not every Raven fan ships her with BB and vice versa. So on the that note, let’s unpack this mess, and get to the bottom of what's really going on. And before y’ll start screaming at me, please read to end, because there is an overarching point that is beyond fighting over ships and is beyond this entire controversy that has been building for a for years now. So Stay tuned for that. Now with all that said let’s begin, shall we?
So I’m sure by now you have all heard of or read the IGN article that started this whole mess, (click here to read) basically showcasing the unbridled bias of not only Sherdan, but also one Gabriel Picolo’s overall OPINIONS of how they perceive Best Boy and Raven’s relationship. Because that is all this article is OPINION, and framing is everything. And well, this article is framed with one intention in mind, giving BBrae the appearance of being canon in places where it was not. Yes, this relationship was canon in the comics, and was widely received well, but was also widely loathed among those of us who thought Goeff John took the easy way out. Yes some us think Johns is a lazy writer who had a few good runs and should pack it in, but I digress from my unpopular opinion.
And as for the 2003 animated show, Beast Boy and Raven being considered canon is simply a matter of opinion. And framing (which is a word I’m gonna be using a lot of to make my point) is by some an IGN writer who fashions himself a journalist, but doesn’t know a thing about it.
“They were an unlikely pairing – after all, it's hard to schedule a date when Deathstroke is on the prowl. But the parched, unrequited nature of their romance made the duo an obsessive fanship for dreamy-eyed geeks everywhere in the early aughts. In fact, I'd reckon that there's been more treacly fanfic written about Beast Boy and Raven than heavyweights like Harry and Luna or Edward and Jacob. They're perfect for each other, even if it's difficult to explain why.”
But not be out done
"Raven is stoic and Gar is kind of a dork, and yet their personalities complement each other," Picolo said, in a recent interview with IGN. "I can’t imagine Raven getting along with anyone as serious as her, for example.
Well fuck a duck.
Again, this is a matter of opinion, and one that we must all of us who don’t ship this suffer. Not Only are BBrae fans getting the well funded and monetized fanfiction titled Beast Boy Loves Raven, but now they’re getting them in current DC cannon too, as they’ll be an established “queer couple” (which we will unpack that oxymoron later) in Teen Titans Academy and can be summed up by this little diddy of a thought:
“Eventually, some of them (BBrae shippers) inherited the earth (or, more accurately, got jobs at DC) and now Beast Boy loves Raven officially. The headcanon is simply canon. But when a worldwide front of comic-readers all decide that Beast Boy and Raven are meant to be, how do you satisfy the masses while still telling the story you already had in mind?”
FUCK-EVERY-DUCK...
This brings me to Tim Sherdan, who is basically a glorified fanfiction write paid by DC to well, piss of comics fans and the poor guy doesn’t even know it... I’ll him tell you himself:
"I want to make sure that I’m not just spinning my yarn, but, as much as possible, I’m also giving the people what they want."
You mean people like you, Timmy? Because that’s what you want, but that’s not what everyone wants. And judging by the shit storm that YOU started on Twitter (not anyone else, YOU. It’s not our fault you live in bubble of your own making because you blocked everyone with an original thought). And then, to top to off just threw fuel on the fire that has been brewing for well over year (years in fact if you look at the broader picture). Because you were hired for the same reason “writers” (and by writers I mean personal and political provocateurs?) like Zoey Quinn, Tom King, Donny Kates and Andy Kory (thanks for killing Vertigo btw) to only piss off fans, but demoralize and talk to down to them on Twitter so DC could get the sweet sweet social clout.
You see this nothing new, this unfortunately something I and many have to deal with everyday for years now. This goes beyond shipping because if you believe something contrary to the perceived view of the “comic creative” you are treated with contempt and seen in their eyes a some sort of troglodyte.
Now to bring this to word of shipping (which has unfortunately become one of the more divisive aspects of fandom) You see just about a year ago, Damirae became cannon and well, shit hit fan. As it always does when one ship becomes cannon and one does not. Though to be fair, it was a sweet moment for once a small share of fans actually got what we wanted and other got to see real character progression and relation bloom from that. But alas, the shipping stakes were now higher and the two went to war.
Which brings me to my main point, this all comes down to a difference of opinion. All of this is opinion and that’s fine. I like what I like, you like what like, all I’m asking is just keep your ball out of my yard because I am sick of finding your dog’s shit on my doorstep. So that means: No more tagging ships you seek to shit on to play up your ship and No more shitting on each other.
You see, I recognize that we’re never gonna see eye to eye in regards to our shipping choices. We are never gonna concede that other is right. That would require one of us to bend the knee and I’m not gonna do that and neither will you. So instead, why don’t we all focus our attention on who exactly has their boot on all our necks.
I’m looking at you DC...
Like for real, this is all on you. This is what happens when you you hire writers who seek to canonize their own agendas based on what 12 screaming people on Twitter want and paying these people to publish their vanity projects otherwise known as FANFICTION! And guess what, it’s not selling. People don’t buy fanfiction; it is free all over the flipping internet. Seriously titles like: Gotham Academy, I Am Not Starfire, Inheritence (which is probably the most egregious to date) and the upcoming Best Boy Loves Raven (to name a few) are all over hyped fanfictions by “professional writers” personal and political provocateurs. And since now you’ve gone and done away with the concept of cannon you’re basically saying some head canons are better than others. I guess nobody taught you not shit where you eat, huh? Because you’re sales are in the toilet, nobody’s buying your books and to top it all off, you fucked over the people who spent their lives building businesses around your mythology, built around your characters, (created by other writers, many of which are retired or dead now). And then shop owns start speaking out about these writers destroying the American Comic Book hero and that you were affective destroying an industry the depend on to put food their table, you did what any corporatist establishment orginization does: YOU TOLD THEM TO SHUT UP! You called them names and shamed them of Twitter for the simple crime of looking out for their best interests. Then after insisting that these troglodytes were wrong and they should embrace the changing time, you forced these comic shop owners to buy your books from their largest competitor Diamond Comics, after giving them nothing but shit to sell for the better part of the last 7 or so years? Let’s face it, most of these books in release right now won’t be in print in a matter of years. You know that I know that, my fucking cats know that. Print Media is dying and you’re the one handing it the shovel to dig its own grave, but only after bludgeoning it to death with said shovel, while the rest of us fight over the shitty things you’re doing. Click here if you’d like to learn more
So since artistic integrity id dead, because DC smothered it in its crib, here’s my solution. Since canon is out the window and comics are a dying art you kicked the teeth and you’re pretty much just hiring people to write their fanfictions why not just let it go entirely? You’re not making any money off of this. And there are more users on a single fanfiction site than books you’re printing and selling. More and more of comic fans are turning to fanfction for fan made content and away from the content your writers are making. So why not just do the obvious: Monetize fanfction: Create a platform where users can write and publish their own work and you charge add revenue for brands and companies to post ads on the site. Writers and Artists get a kick back and are allowed to open a subscribe star or patron account. Think about it you don’t even have to be involved, writes and Artist and film makers are already making you free content free of charge and it’s not costing you a damn thing. So let do this the old fashion way, before copy write came into play. And this way BBrae shippers, and all the rest of can go to our own little corners of the internet, never to be bothered by each other again: A peaceful divorce if you will. Everyone wins...
And yes I know this would never happen because it would just make too much sense, especially at this point where all the characters that DC owns were created by other former writers. So we’re basically there anyway. Plus I know deep down DC would rather destroy what we love then just let it go. What’s power without control. But we should all being taking DC to task not thanking them for scraps when give so little time or respect... Oh and Tim, go read a dictionary, calling a straight couple queer... But to be fair?
