Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Considering "The Man with No Name: The Good, the Bad and the Uglier"

First, some preview pages, so we all know what I'm talking about.

Something about this comic offends me. I know it shouldn't and I hate those people who get upset over things like this. What does it matter if they're telling more stories with these characters? (It doesn't.) Does it affect the movies? (No.) Since I'm not buying the comic, shouldn't I just shut up? (Probably.)

But still.

I'm not sure that it offends me as a Sergio Leone fan. I think it bothers me as a Sergio Leone fan enough that I won't buy the comic, but that's not really worth discussing, is it?

I think it offends me artistically. I look at what Leone's films did, visually, and I look at what comics can do--and it's two different languages and I have to wonder why anyone would be so stupid to confuse them. I'm not trying to pick on the artist of this comic, because it's not about him--it's the fact that Leone so used the language of film to craft those movies that using the same ideas and characters in ANY other medium is just... stupid. I wish I had a better word, but I don't: it's stupid.

Look at that first page previewed and notice how utterly typical, mundane and boring it is. Yes, it's a few shots of a town. And, yes, Leone would introduce a town in, quite possibly, a similar fasion... except there's no temporal aspect here. I could linger over those panels for the same amount of time that I think Leone would hold a shot, but it's not the same, because his holding a shot was purposeful and had meaning, while my lingering would be my attempt to impose meaning where there is none.

But, all of that may be bullshit and my attempt to rationalise my hatred for this project. Maybe I don't have a good reason beyond typical reactionism. I don't know. And, if it is just reactionism, is that a bad thing? Is it wrong to say "No, you shouldn't make a comic out of those films!" with no reason beyond a general feeling that it's a bad idea? Is there a sense of decorum that exists beyond words? Is there a sense of decorum at all? And, is simply not buying the comic enough of a response? Is there a duty to condemn such a project?

And, really, a "zombie" variant cover?