Greetings, Programs! We asked the guys to do something a little bit different this week, to talk about comics that moved them emotionally. We want to hear about stories or images that have stayed with you too long after you closed the book and still give you a lump in your throat. Tell us about them in the comments or on Facebook!
BF: All Star Superman – in which Supes takes a moment out of his day saving the universe to hug a young girl contemplating suicide.
CAB: Death Note, L’s death. I’m still not over that, even if I am a Near fan.
BF: Tim Drake’s dad’s death in Identity Crisis. Oh, the look on his face over Batman’s protective arm is heartbreaking.
CAB: Oh, how about the whole storyline between Stanley Manor (not calling him S.W. on principle) and John Constantine? I might have to binge on Hellblazer again, cause I’m sure there’s more to be found there, but that really hit me hard (and no, I’m not a shipper). I know it might seem like an odd choice, but…eh, I’m nothing if not odd.
LMS: Pre-New 52, when Catwoman had to give up her daughter Helena, after trying EVERYTHING to protect her whilst still keeping her close. And then she’s just sitting on the top on the Gotham clocktower, getting shitfaced on whiskey and telling Zatanna to please, just go into her mind and make her a villain again, because she can’t do this anymore. All of the feels.
LMS: Also, and it’s a little obscure so feel free to leave it out- the end of Rover Red Charlie, I’m not even going to lie, I had people round and I still burst into big fat tears. It’s been out for a month or so, so I’m gonna forge ahead with spoilers but if you’re bothered about spoilers then
HERE BE SPOILERS
OK, so all through the book Charlie the narrator-dog has been saying “That’s how I’ll always remember Red. The big, dumb idiot.” so you’re pretty sure Red’s gonna bite it. So, final issue, big bad doggernaut Hermann returns, a vicious fight ensues, and Red does his best to take down the much bigger dog… who rips off his leg. Charlie and Rover run to his side, but are too late to stop him walking towards the big bright light. Cut to a short while later, and Red’s pups (who he fathered in issue 5) are gleefully charging up a hill, with a puppyish joy that brings the happy tears.
BUT IT DOESN’T END THERE.
They reach the top of the hill, all puppyish and bouncy, and at the top RED IS STANDING THERE. Three-legged, sure, but still alive, and I just couldn’t carry on.
HERE ENDETH THE SPOILERS.
CAB: You know what also gets me?
*Spoiler alert!*
There’s this comic called Porcelain in which an orphan girl, aptly called “Child” ends up being taken in by a man that everyone thought slightly strange. Life is perfect, but as we always know, nothing good ever lasts, so she ends up losing him through some horrible happenings and slowly turns into him (behaviour wise, she does not in fact turn into a fat man). I can’t wait for the sequel, because the first story was fantastic. But the way things are set up in that first comic? I didn’t cry, but it did make me very angry, which is the same as sadness, but more passionate.
MO: For me there are two huge moments that helped shape who I am and how I think. During the final act of Watchmen Rorschach is adamant that he is going to expose Veidt, despite the implications. The deontology of the character is what drew me to Rorschach: A man adherent to his own moral compass, in the endless pursuit of right, no matter what. As he walks off into the snow, about to face off with Dr Manhattan, He explains to Nite Owl that there can be no compromise “Even in the face of Armageddon”. That absolute resolve spoke to the (then) depressed and suicidal Mike Orvis more so than friends and family could’ve. I have Rorschach’s symbol tattooed on my wrist as a constant reminder to not stray from my own set of guidelines, and to keep my resolve even in the face of insurmountable odds. It’s a little harder in practice, especially if Ice cream is involved.
MO: Another that burned into my head was the image of Superman post-nuclear bomb incident in The Dark Knight Rises. Seeing one of the most powerful beings in pop culture history reduced to an emancipated wreck just shattered my ideas about power. This was underpinned by Miller’s art style. It reminded me that even the bullies at school, who seemed 10 feet high were just human beings. It to this day is in my opinion one of the most humbling images in art history, let alone sequential art.
AH: Pretty much the whole of Grant Morrison’s WE3, it sharp and finely honed like a katana and really cuts deep.
MS: Some full on feels right there. Its fluffy animals so it felt a bit cheap but it was so good.
CAB: On a happier note, I really loved Sailor Moon’s (the very first arc) ending. Because after putting everyone through miserable situations it ends with something good, she ends up happy with Mamoru, the Senshi’s are all fine and for a few pages we could all take a deep breath and fangirl in peace. Of course, Chibiusa drops out of the sky afterwards, but meh, we still had the happy times!
RJ: Everything about Dean Trippe’s Something Terrible.
MO: THIS THIS ^^^^^^^^^
CAB: Oh, damn. I read Something Terrible too.
MO: Stop it
CAB: Richie, this is cruel. But admittedly, that comic has helped a lot of people and deserves an award.
MO: Oh God ;'(
RJ: Seriously if you haven’t read it you need to. If it doesn’t move you to tears, heavy salty, from the bottom of your heart tears, then you have no soul. Mr Trippe is a real life superhero.
CT: These are some bloody hardcore feel bombs. One of the big ones for me was actually the appearance of Red Hood, can’t remember the name of the actual story. I know I quite often talk about how much I love Jason Todd but seeing him come back to Gotham post-resurrection on this big revenge spree was so epic. But it was when he goes after the Joker and Batman has to put down this guy who’s basically his son to stop him from killing the most vile psychopath, who’s caused him so much pain, that was huge. Very much like Mike’s Rorschach moment it was just that uncompromising stand for his code.l Also, that moment contained Batman beating all odds to save both Jason and Joker despite having near zero options which was pretty incredible.
More fun and games next week, but in the meantime check out more from today’s contributors here:
Ben Fee; Callum Tyndall; Andy Haigh; Mike Orvis; Laura Maier Swainston; Richie Janukowicz ; Mel Santo; Cristina Andreea Bogdan
