Bill Maher's message to Marvel Universe Stans

[Peak]

He's right.

 

[Marc Spector]

I think what alot of you (and Bill Maher) arent understanding is that comics aren't just a genre anymore. Haven't been for close to 50 years. They've longed crossed the threshold into a medium. Simply nothing more than delivery system for the stories that authors and artists want to tell.

There are crime noir comics. Superhero comics. Erotic Comics. History comics. Horror comics. Autobiographical comics.

And Superhero comics in particular have been blurring the line between being a genre of the comic medium and a medium onto itself.

Because of the ubiquity of Superhero comics in Western culture, authors have the ability to use the Superhero genre and mythos to tell more sophisticated stories. And readers are able to easily digest these themes because of their familiarity with the genre. These sophisticated stories contain a few tropes of the genre, but are treatises on complex human subjects, not really about the "have powers, punch villain, get the girl" stereotype of comics.

Theres a Superman comics that a deep allegory about self discovery, adolescence, and the life journey. A DC comic about space aliens that's central premise is "the moral road that leads to terrorism". A marvel comic about a android who creates his own family to learn about life and inadvertently introduces chaos into his world (which is ironically what life is). A Wolverine led team comic thats about the the futility of vengeance.

Not to mention that the sandbox nature of comics means that authors can and have drawn inspiration from a myriad of other mediums and genres.

There are Old Western Superhero comics. Sci-Fi Superhero comics. True Crime Superhero comics. Superhero Real War comics. Spy thriller super hero comics. Fantasy Super Hero Comics. Superheroes that were inspired by the 70s Kung Fu and Blaxploitation film craze. Superhero comics that are straight love letters to 90s Hong Kong Action films. The list goes on.

To dismiss the intellectual legitimacy of a genre because it started as something for kids is ignorant. Its the same argument that hip hop cant be a serious genre of music with complex themes because it started as party music.

 

[Robbie3000]

My entire summer gear is Comic Book tees and I’m

People are so sensitive. Sheesh.

 

[The Fire]

Extremely cringeworthy

 

[Thief's Theme]

I agree with Maher

lol at these 30, 40 year old man babies still wearing spiderman shirts

and those movies are awful, people are just showing off their awful taste haha

 

[The Fire]

100% facts on this

I’ve never met an adult that was into comics that wasn’t a complete square

Nah they just into it and you don’t know about it because it’s not that big of a deal
Is Michael B Jordan a square too?

 

[Dafunkdoc_Unlimited]

DC >>>>>> Marvel

​

 

[Da King]

Nah they just into it and you don’t know about it because it’s not that big of a deal
Is Michael B Jordan a square too?

Michael B Jordan isn't stupid, he knows how to market himself as a "nerd" after he saw the Black Panther money


got losers thinking "he's just like me "

 

[Dafunkdoc_Unlimited]

100% facts on this

I’ve never met an adult that was into comics that wasn’t a complete square

You can't meet anyone if you never leave your parent's basement.



Swamp Thing >>>>>>> Batman.​

 

[George's Dilemma]

I think what alot of you (and Bill Maher) arent understanding is that comics aren't just a genre anymore. Haven't been for close to 50 years. They've longed crossed the threshold into a medium. Simply nothing more than delivery system for the stories that authors and artists want to tell.

There are crime noir comics. Superhero comics. Erotic Comics. History comics. Horror comics. Autobiographical comics.

And Superhero comics in particular have been blurring the line between being a genre of the comic medium and a medium onto itself.

Because of the ubiquity of Superhero comics in Western culture, authors have the ability to use the Superhero genre and mythos to tell more sophisticated stories. And readers are able to easily digest these themes because of their familiarity with the genre. These sophisticated stories contain a few tropes of the genre, but are treatises on complex human subjects, not really about the "have powers, punch villain, get the girl" stereotype of comics.

Theres a Superman comics that a deep allegory about self discovery, adolescence, and the life journey. A DC comic about space aliens that's central premise is "the moral road that leads to terrorism". A marvel comic about a android who creates his own family to learn about life and inadvertently introduces chaos into his world (which is ironically what life is). A Wolverine led team comic thats about the the futility of vengeance.

Not to mention that the sandbox nature of comics means that authors can and have drawn inspiration from a myriad of other mediums and genres.

There are Old Western Superhero comics. Sci-Fi Superhero comics. True Crime Superhero comics. Superhero Real War comics. Spy thriller super hero comics. Fantasy Super Hero Comics. Superheroes that were inspired by the 70s Kung Fu and Blaxploitation film craze. Superhero comics that are straight love letters to 90s Hong Kong Action films. The list goes on.

To dismiss the intellectual legitimacy of a genre because it started as something for kids is ignorant. Its the same argument that hip hop cant be a serious genre of music with complex themes because it started as party music.

Why are you so defensive? Writing dissertations, if you like it you like it but you're not changing anyone's minds. For the most part it's an infantile culture. It is what it is.

 

[K.O.N.Y]

Do you watch cac directed movies?

Do you wear clothes by cac owned brands?

Do you eat cac food at cac owned restaurants?



Stfu nikka

has nothing to do with i said

you can do all those things and not find cac humor funny

 

[Phitz]

Coming from a guy who pays for sex on the regular....

 

[Amused Mastery]

Nah they just into it and you don’t know about it because it’s not that big of a deal
Is Michael B Jordan a square too?

Yeah, what a lot of people miss is how many high-level folks (i.e. celebs, athletes, etc.) are lowkey into nerdy stuff. They aren't weird about it b/c they obviously have other interests and things on their plate, but the idea that only basement-dwelling manchildren are into comics is super naive.

 

[Formerly Black Trash]

I think what alot of you (and Bill Maher) arent understanding is that comics aren't just a genre anymore. Haven't been for close to 50 years. They've longed crossed the threshold into a medium. Simply nothing more than delivery system for the stories that authors and artists want to tell.

There are crime noir comics. Superhero comics. Erotic Comics. History comics. Horror comics. Autobiographical comics.

And Superhero comics in particular have been blurring the line between being a genre of the comic medium and a medium onto itself.

Because of the ubiquity of Superhero comics in Western culture, authors have the ability to use the Superhero genre and mythos to tell more sophisticated stories. And readers are able to easily digest these themes because of their familiarity with the genre. These sophisticated stories contain a few tropes of the genre, but are treatises on complex human subjects, not really about the "have powers, punch villain, get the girl" stereotype of comics.

Theres a Superman comics that a deep allegory about self discovery, adolescence, and the life journey. A DC comic about space aliens that's central premise is "the moral road that leads to terrorism". A marvel comic about a android who creates his own family to learn about life and inadvertently introduces chaos into his world (which is ironically what life is). A Wolverine led team comic thats about the the futility of vengeance.

Not to mention that the sandbox nature of comics means that authors can and have drawn inspiration from a myriad of other mediums and genres.

There are Old Western Superhero comics. Sci-Fi Superhero comics. True Crime Superhero comics. Superhero Real War comics. Spy thriller super hero comics. Fantasy Super Hero Comics. Superheroes that were inspired by the 70s Kung Fu and Blaxploitation film craze. Superhero comics that are straight love letters to 90s Hong Kong Action films. The list goes on.

To dismiss the intellectual legitimacy of a genre because it started as something for kids is ignorant. Its the same argument that hip hop cant be a serious genre of music with complex themes because it started as party music.

That’s nice but Marvel isn’t doing shyt but making popcorn flicks

 

[ThirdAct]

He's not completely wrong. I think there's better targets to attack than superhero nerds, though. Seems kinda like low-hanging fruit, but Maher often goes for the lazy, easy jokes.