tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862722106761723755.post1313598038410639886..comments2023-11-13T13:46:13.960-06:00Comments on DC Bloodlines: Review: DC Comics Presents #29Diabolu Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862722106761723755.post-47380675768900398842011-11-11T09:24:31.028-06:002011-11-11T09:24:31.028-06:00A lot of time while reading Moore, I feel like he ...A lot of time while reading Moore, I feel like he offers intellectual insights and technical skill, but no emotions. Everything feels calculated; pieces moving in a prescribed fashion. I don't connect with Moore emotionally, so my reading experience is as a detached observer. If I had to choose between <i>Watchmen</i> and <i>The Dark Knight Returns</i>, it'd be easy, and I'd take <i>Born Again</i> or <i>Year One</i> besides.Diabolu Frankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862722106761723755.post-72771796279705101452011-11-11T01:02:32.253-06:002011-11-11T01:02:32.253-06:00What do you mean by clinical?
The way he makes a...What do you mean by clinical? <br /><br />The way he makes a scene feel way too realistic to then slip fantasic elements gets me practically aroused, haha. I also love the versatility. I was impressed with the fact that he can do comedy.Rafa Rivashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11966910376474609150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862722106761723755.post-56685098268239816172011-11-09T08:35:12.592-06:002011-11-09T08:35:12.592-06:00I've never been a big fan of Alan Moore, becau...I've never been a big fan of Alan Moore, because I find his work too clinical, but all this thinking about Mongul lately has raised him in my esteem. Rereading "For The Man Who Has Everything," I realized that he integrated every previous personality trait of Mongul's into a whole, including his fixation on showing off new toys. Moore even made sure to disable the Cube-Trap projector so that he didn't have to bother with its repeat usage, but avoided spelling it out, so that only people familiar with the character would notice. Since Mongul steals rather than builds, I also suspect Moore's selection of characters paying tribute in the closing fantasy sequence reflects the people from whom he acquired his toys (Manhunter = Warworld, Brainiac = shrinking technology, Adam Strange = teleportation.) No wonder he gets so serious about his works! As you said, writers only have to read into what's already there, but most are too busy either slavishly recreating the stories of youth or imposing outside influences upon the characters ("let's do Battlestar: Galactica, but with Skrulls!")Diabolu Frankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862722106761723755.post-18836357198419140082011-11-09T00:51:00.313-06:002011-11-09T00:51:00.313-06:00Oh, yeah, I forgot about the gag. It stinks, but n...Oh, yeah, I forgot about the gag. It stinks, but nobody is paying me to be funny, anyway.<br /><br />It's funny, maybe they were kinda bidimensional, but anyone paying attention could still do full pschological profiles from the silver age stories. I can describe the Penguin (histrionic), the Scarecrow (paranoid sociopath), Flash (a square mamma's boy), or Ralph (a bit of an opportunist with a sanguinean-phlegmatic temperament) just like you nailed Mongul. Writers like Moore just made it obvious. I love the way he and Morrison made Zatanna's daddy issues more obvious.Rafa Rivashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11966910376474609150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862722106761723755.post-58666489124134454872011-11-08T16:22:48.980-06:002011-11-08T16:22:48.980-06:00I was only groaning over the dead wood gag. You...I was only groaning over the dead wood gag. You're spot on about Mongul seemingly lacking any positive feelings for another life form. He's all contempt and posturing superiority.Diabolu Frankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862722106761723755.post-24185699613992237362011-11-08T13:15:41.082-06:002011-11-08T13:15:41.082-06:00I'm not an expert. I've only seen a handfu...I'm not an expert. I've only seen a handful of episodes. You're also more knowledgeable on Mongul. So you'd know better.<br /><br />I said so in the sense that Mongul doesn't seem to care about anyone (as far as I know), Al does and evolved to be less of a villain while Cy remained one. Am I wrong in that sense?Rafa Rivashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11966910376474609150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862722106761723755.post-50881774017607577302011-11-08T08:46:27.770-06:002011-11-08T08:46:27.770-06:00Ohhhh! Only an Elongated Man fan would lay down su...Ohhhh! Only an Elongated Man fan would lay down such as groaner!<br /><br />One other way Mongul is more like Al is that he loves extortion and otherwise boxing people in. Cy never could seem to manage anything but the direct approach.Diabolu Frankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862722106761723755.post-54230862229504362262011-11-08T01:38:33.896-06:002011-11-08T01:38:33.896-06:00Awesome descriptions. You should use that in a pos...Awesome descriptions. You should use that in a post.<br /><br />I think that Mongul would be more like Cy then. Al has his way of caring about certain people. Outside space-tyrants, the Ventriloquist seems to be a lot like Al, in that he hs a highly choleric temperament and seems to have a dysfunctional family thing going on with his goons (and himself). He's also all about Deadwood, haha.Rafa Rivashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11966910376474609150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862722106761723755.post-91107668821645557652011-11-07T23:31:19.643-06:002011-11-07T23:31:19.643-06:00Darkseid is a figure evil for his lack of humanity...Darkseid is a figure evil for his lack of humanity and demands of absolute obedience from all that he encounters. His desires are so large, the details of consequences on other lives are insignificant. He's dispassionate, intellectual, and allows his countless minions to toil over his grandiose machine.<br /><br />Mongul is a guy run off his planet by a religious nut. His main concern is getting it back, but he'll take the whole dang universe with it if the opportunity presents itself. He's cunning, but he's not really brilliant, and he takes things very personally. He is compelled to revenge slights, and he relishes the pain he inflicts. Mongul is a guy who gets ahold of a Sun-Eater and essentially joyrides with it instead of coming up with a more complex scheme. I suppose that makes him both Al Swearengen <i>and</i> Cy Tolliver.Diabolu Frankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862722106761723755.post-15122742004661374832011-11-07T16:31:58.658-06:002011-11-07T16:31:58.658-06:00You mean that Mongul is a fraction of what Darksei...You mean that Mongul is a fraction of what Darkseid is? Does that make Orion the Citizen Kane of the DCU?Rafa Rivashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11966910376474609150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862722106761723755.post-43026945157603400982011-11-04T18:38:45.817-05:002011-11-04T18:38:45.817-05:00I'm fuzzy on my Mongul timeline. I think I was...I'm fuzzy on my Mongul timeline. I think I was aware of him before "Reign of the Superman," but that was possibly my first story read. I liked some of the Post-Crisis stuff, particularly Tomasi's two-parter in one of the <i>Showcase</i> series. I kept waiting for him to return to being a contender of that shaky start Post-Crisis, but Neron's killing him ended that. Mongal was ridiculous, and she was dealt with rather harshly. Mongul II was okay in the Imperiex lead-ins, but again, he petered out. His run with the Sinestro Corps was a solid step forward, so hopefully someone will treat him seriously in the DCnU.Diabolu Frankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862722106761723755.post-31257306344153829082011-11-04T14:14:56.111-05:002011-11-04T14:14:56.111-05:00I didn't like Mongul II or Mongal in the Super...I didn't like Mongul II or Mongal in the Superman comics either.<br /><br />I guess we need to wait and see what the 'new' Mongul will be.Anjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10023193805914075078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862722106761723755.post-79543900977464863192011-11-04T09:35:23.521-05:002011-11-04T09:35:23.521-05:00"For the Man who has Everything" was qui..."For the Man who has Everything" was quite a swan song for the Bronze Age Mongul. Pete Tomasi's interpretation of the character seems solely derived from that story, which gets tiresome, because all of the Bronze Age tales are worth reading. <br /><br />If you ever watched <b>Deadwood</b>, Darkseid is like George Hearst and Mongul is like Al Swearengen.Diabolu Frankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862722106761723755.post-19433311027888576592011-11-04T00:20:45.717-05:002011-11-04T00:20:45.717-05:00So the JLU story comes from that Post-Crisis story...So the JLU story comes from that Post-Crisis story and just adds the Martian, possibly a nod to the fist Mongul story. <br /><br />I like the tyrant-bully-thief angle. He's like Darkseid's spoiled kid. I think Moore realized this. <br /><br />I never read the first Draaga story, but I never liked Mongul until For the Man who has Everything. I guess what I like is the pre-Crisis version.Rafa Rivashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11966910376474609150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862722106761723755.post-82597204532863144222011-11-03T13:57:56.554-05:002011-11-03T13:57:56.554-05:00Mongul was one of the official DC Comics Presents ...Mongul was one of the official DC Comics Presents villains for a while there. My favorite fight with Superman was in a Starman team-up also drawn by Jim Starlin, and then he battered the Justice League in another issue involving the Legion of Super-Heroes. The mighty fell HARD Post-Crisis.Diabolu Frankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862722106761723755.post-85356767858947163472011-11-03T08:21:44.051-05:002011-11-03T08:21:44.051-05:00I always thought that this story and
The Man who ...I always thought that this story and <br />The Man who has Everything really showed Mongul to be some mega-power, high on the ladder. <br /><br />But some subsequent stories have him being defeated by the Flash and the like which just weakens him as a character. <br /><br />I wonder when we'll see him in the DCnU.Anjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10023193805914075078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862722106761723755.post-59270366133917424642011-11-03T07:25:41.666-05:002011-11-03T07:25:41.666-05:00Rafa, all that stuff was Post-Crisis. Mongul was ...Rafa, all that stuff was Post-Crisis. Mongul was revised and Draaga debuted in an extended story arc where Superman exiled himself into space as "punishment" for executing some parallel universe Phantom Zone criminals. All animated interpretations of the character except "For The Man Who Has Everything" draw from wimpy Mongul.<br /><br />One trait I noticed in the character from the early years is that he was basically a really elaborate bullying thief. He extorted the service of Superman to beat up Martian Manhunter so that he could steal the key to Warworld. Next, he killed off the queen of Throneworld and stole it and Starman's girlfriend. Then he took a Sun Eater for a joyride, and finally, he dug up the Black Mercy and stuck it on Superman. The guy never seemed to invent anything, just swipe and employ!Diabolu Frankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04685199809207954223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862722106761723755.post-82024624078611969752011-11-03T00:29:25.715-05:002011-11-03T00:29:25.715-05:00I was aware that the debut of Mongul involved J...I was aware that the debut of Mongul involved J'Onn and Superman, but I always thought that also involved Draaga. I had no idea that it involved Supergirl and the Spectre; I figured it was similar to the Justice League episode.<br /><br />It's funny, I also thought that Warworld was a Death Star rip off. Mongul is the "Dr. Evil" of "DC supervillains".Rafa Rivashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11966910376474609150noreply@blogger.com