Meaningless things in comics that kind of bug you.

[Jim Kelly]

Any way you look at it, a person is changed by having killed. In the old days, they never used the term post-traumatic stress disorder--so that's why you don't see it referenced as such, but it comes across in other ways.

Johnny Dune, returning from the Vietnam police action, was forever changed by the experience--in "The Private War of Johnny Dune," by Mike Friedrich, Dick Dillin and Joe Giella, JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA 95 (December 1971).

[MoneySpider]

I hate when writers/artists don't use thought balloons to show a character is thinking something, and would rather have that character say something out loud when they should really just be thinking about that thing.

For example, there have been instances in some comic books where Vixen will SAY out loud the animals she is mimicking, but she's not saying it to anyone but herself, which to me means she should REALLY be THINKING to herself what animals she will now mimic. So she's talking to herself out loud in front of her opponents.

When she's in a fight, and she says OUT LOUD "Black Widow" instead of THINKING "Black Widow", it sounds bizarre to just be randomly yelling out names of animals. PLUS, it takes away any mystery of what she's mimicking and it's like she's telegraphing her next moves to her enemies. That's not strategic.

It would be like you were in a fist fight and instead of THINKING to yourself "Okay, now I'll punch him in the eye", you say that out loud in front of the guy you are fighting, so now he will know what your next move will be and can try to counter your move.

And it's not like she HAS to say the name of the animals in order to use their abilities. It's more like writers or artists just will not give her thought balloons when she's using her powers.

[DrNewGod]

I hate when writers/artists don't use thought balloons to show a character is thinking something, and would rather have that character say something out loud when they should really just be thinking about that thing.

For example, there have been instances in some comic books where Vixen will SAY out loud the animals she is mimicking, but she's not saying it to anyone but herself, which to me means she should REALLY be THINKING to herself what animals she will now mimic. So she's talking to herself out loud in front of her opponents.

When she's in a fight, and she says OUT LOUD "Black Widow" instead of THINKING "Black Widow", it sounds bizarre to just be randomly yelling out names of animals. PLUS, it takes away any mystery of what she's mimicking and it's like she's telegraphic her next moves to her enemies. That's not strategic.

It would be like you were in a fist fight and instead of THINKING to yourself "Okay, now I'll punch him in the eye", you say that out loud in front of the guy you are fighting, so now he will know what your next move will be and can try to counter your move.

And it's not like she HAS to say the name of the animals in order to use their abilities. It's more like writers or artists just will not give her thought balloons when she's using her powers.

You speak to my soul.

[Güicho]

Reverse Flash color scheme.
I get he just switched the main suit color with the boots and piping colors.
But shouldn't Reverse be- the main suit Green(actaully more teal) and the boots and piping Purple.

[MoneySpider]

Reverse Flash color scheme.
I get he just switched the main suit color with the boots and piping colors.
But shouldn't Reverse be- the main suit Green and the boots and piping Purple.

It would be funny if Reverse Flash also ran backward instead of forward.

[Güicho]

It would be funny if Reverse Flash also ran backward instead of forward.

Well he does sort of run backward in time.
Although yeah the visual of that as him running backwards LOL!

[williamtheday]

You speak to my soul.

It's like The Torch yelling "Flame on!" He doesn't have to say it aloud to flame on; it's like a battle cry, like how anime characters call out their attacks.

[babyblob]

It's like The Torch yelling "Flame on!" He doesn't have to say it aloud to flame on; it's like a battle cry, like how anime characters call out their attacks.

And yet their opponent despite knowing what is coming are unable to avoid said attack.

[Güicho]

.... it's like a battle cry, like how anime characters call out their attacks.

Or more embarrassingly these two; "Form of a....._______"

I hate when writers/artists don't use thought balloons to show a character is thinking something, and would rather have that character say something out loud when they should really just be thinking about that thing.

For example, there have been instances in some comic books where Vixen will SAY out loud the animals she is mimicking, but she's not saying it to anyone but herself, which to me means she should REALLY be THINKING to herself what animals she will now mimic. So she's talking to herself out loud in front of her opponents.

When she's in a fight, and she says OUT LOUD "Black Widow" instead of THINKING "Black Widow", it sounds bizarre to just be randomly yelling out names of animals. PLUS, it takes away any mystery of what she's mimicking and it's like she's telegraphing her next moves to her enemies. That's not strategic.

It would be like you were in a fist fight and instead of THINKING to yourself "Okay, now I'll punch him in the eye", you say that out loud in front of the guy you are fighting, so now he will know what your next move will be and can try to counter your move.

And it's not like she HAS to say the name of the animals in order to use their abilities. It's more like writers or artists just will not give her thought balloons when she's using her powers.

And yet their opponent despite knowing what is coming are unable to avoid said attack.

Although honestly I'm fine with it, yet if anything a good artist should be the one conveying the upcoming beast, with the pose she takes, and the strike with accompanying aura, so she really shouldn't have to say anything.
Yet if that's not always possible, there is allot of specifics in some beasts you want to convey, you need to name them for the reader, and saying it does add a kind of power-up honing her power-beast dynamic. However it's true she just needs to convey to the reader what she's doing, not her opponent.
So it should be a thought balloon, or translucent font.

It'd be funny if they addressed that, with one of her main recurring nemesis (nemisi ?) does she have one?) caught on, and think they are prepping for her next obvious attack - after she's shouted ...."killer bee!", ...yet we see she's thinking 'Rhino', ...then she proceeds to just mow them over .
From then on, she just forever thought balloons all her power-ups.

[icctrombone]

No Superhero or villain suffers from PTSD, despite of their fights.

DC had a Mini series that delt with this subject starring Boster gold and Wally West Flash a few years ago.

[chamber-music]

No Superhero or villain suffers from PTSD, despite of their fights.

Pretty sure I recall Captain America having PTSD. He thought Rick Jones was Bucky back in the early Avengers comics.

Anti-hero the Punisher and villain Nuke are like living embodiments of PTSD.

[Adam Allen]

Pretty sure I recall Captain America having PTSD. He thought Rick Jones was Bucky back in the early Avengers comics.

Anti-hero the Punisher and villain Nuke are like living embodiments of PTSD.

Yeah, QFT ... any Punisher characterization beyond revenge porn is pretty much all PTSD.

I suppose the qualifier we have to consider would be that normally we tend to think of PTSD as something that's debilitating, not something that's useful in any way ... like, having been brutally beaten or having had to kill someone to save your own life should be this thing that paralyzes, and prevents you from doing things, after that. That is one way we don't see it often portrayed in comics, that much is true. But I mean, that's also kind of the opposite of what the action-oriented genre is focused on.

Looking at trauma from a broader perspective ... Peter's being unable to devote his life to anything else after Uncle Ben's death, Bruce's after watching his parents killed in front of him, I mean to be way too on-the-nose about it, Rorschach's entire character is based in the idea that the character's personal trauma results in them being a "hero", devoting their lives to helping some people by enacting wanton violence on others. I mean, we comics fans make a big deal about characters like Batman and Spider-Man not killing, but realistically beating the crap out of people the way they do would be a pretty extreme thing, for real world people. Probably the heart of why I can appreciate the Punisher, I suppose ... he would not and should not at all be considered a hero, in any real world context. It only works in comics because the fictional narrative offers the ability to make sure he only ever kills or maims people who were deserving ... not the way violence works, in real life!

Anyway yeah ... consumed by the need to bury your own pain by "saving" others, and by inflicting great pain on others ... there's a reason superheroes are a concept that's endlessly ripe for deconstruction. What would it be like, if Peter Parker really accepted that he can't save the world, and further does not really need to? Nothing interesting to read, I guess is the problem...

[DrNewGod]

Yeah, QFT ... any Punisher characterization beyond revenge porn is pretty much all PTSD.

I suppose the qualifier we have to consider would be that normally we tend to think of PTSD as something that's debilitating, not something that's useful in any way ... like, having been brutally beaten or having had to kill someone to save your own life should be this thing that paralyzes, and prevents you from doing things, after that. That is one way we don't see it often portrayed in comics, that much is true. But I mean, that's also kind of the opposite of what the action-oriented genre is focused on.

Looking at trauma from a broader perspective ... Peter's being unable to devote his life to anything else after Uncle Ben's death, Bruce's after watching his parents killed in front of him, I mean to be way too on-the-nose about it, Rorschach's entire character is based in the idea that the character's personal trauma results in them being a "hero", devoting their lives to helping some people by enacting wanton violence on others. I mean, we comics fans make a big deal about characters like Batman and Spider-Man not killing, but realistically beating the crap out of people the way they do would be a pretty extreme thing, for real world people. Probably the heart of why I can appreciate the Punisher, I suppose ... he would not and should not at all be considered a hero, in any real world context. It only works in comics because the fictional narrative offers the ability to make sure he only ever kills or maims people who were deserving ... not the way violence works, in real life!

Anyway yeah ... consumed by the need to bury your own pain by "saving" others, and by inflicting great pain on others ... there's a reason superheroes are a concept that's endlessly ripe for deconstruction. What would it be like, if Peter Parker really accepted that he can't save the world, and further does not really need to? Nothing interesting to read, I guess is the problem...

It's not his usual depiction, but Darwin Cooke's Green Lantern in New Frontier was a shambling mess of PTSD until the very end.

[babyblob]

In the early Daredevil comics where he is living in San Fran with Black widow A reporter outs Matt Murdock as Daredevil. To get around this Matt has The Black Panther dress up in his costume and appear as Daredevil while he is also there as Matt. Yet no one notices that Daredevil a white guy has suddenly turned into a black man and every one was fooled.

[babyblob]

One thing that bugs the Hell out of me is the overused frame the hero bit. Spiderman has saved the city how many times, beaten untold villains. Captain America has saved the world, led the Avengers. yet someone robs a bank dressed like them it is an APB for them and a shoot on site order. Man that bugs me.

Wouldnt you think the public would give the man who fought Hitler, battled Gang and stopped the Red Skull dozens of time the benefit of the doubt. I mean do the police and public really think he is playing the long con so he can Rob First National for a few thousand bucks?