drforsey@watcgl.UUCP (Dave Forsey) (10/30/84)
<deep breath> Moriarty: So, 90% of the stuff you give good reviews to is non-Big-Two stuff. So I've noticed. Fine. But 90% of the stuff on the net is about X-MEN-as-Scripture. If you resent having been lumped in with the complacent majority, I can accept that. Bear in mind, though, that YOU and THE NET are not equivalent. Just because you recognize the worth of the indies doesn't mean this realization is reflected in the net as a whole. Next: I was under the impression that the net fosters the free exchange of opinion. My opinion of the mainstream comics subculture just happens to be a substantially frustrated one. As for my intention of "feeling superior to the net", not only is this accusation wrong, it is *irrelevant*: my superiority or lack thereof have nothing to do with the state of the industry and fandom, which was my subject. Furthermore, "feather-ruffling" is a VITAL component of the exchange of ideas, as is found in the net. Ruffling is the enemy of complacency, just as complacency is the enemy of art. Complacency has a way of evolving into atrocities like Marvel's bid for monopoly. People are too content to take whatever is handed to them as long as it has the right brand name in the corner, and it makes me MAD, dammit! (I notice that other people are allowed to express angry opinions in the net. Why I'm being singled out for it isn't clear to me. Sure I want to discuss artists, or debate --- not argue, DEBATE --- Alan Moore with you sometime, but to be told there are certain types of opinions that don't belong on the net, well... if you or someone else in a position of authority on the net can tell me what types of views I'm allowed to have, I'll be glad to oblige.) Look: I believe *passionately* in the untapped potential of comics as an artform. I see books being published which explore and expand that potential, and others which erode it for the sake of quick bux. For me it's a volatile issue which evokes volatile responses. At the moment, the quick-bux faction is winning, and it bugs me that so many applaud it at the expense of the explorers. I wanted to evoke a similarly heartfelt response and (more importantly) some serious thought. It wasn't my intention to step on anyone and if I did I apologize (though I honestly don't see what anyone could have taken very personally). Still, my views are sincere, carefully thought out, and deeply committed, and I figure I have as much right to be on this net as anybody. Unless a majority of netpeople vote me off, I'll be back. The Gray Mouser