Checking in with JSA Jim . . .

Jim Beard came to us by way of the DC Direct Boards.  Known as JSA Jim, he was enthusiastic collector and spoke eloquently on the direction of DC's line.  An ardent proponent of the classic age of comics, Jim would work as a writer for Marvel's website, co-write a Red Tornado story for DC, team up with Troy and OJ for Newsarama's Super-Articulate column, and go on to write and/or edit books like Gotham City 14 Miles: 14 Essays on Why the 1960s Batman TV Series Matters.  Today, he talks about the shifting tides that can occur for a fan.

On Shotgun . . .

When I think “shotgun” I think of a scattershot blast of buckshot – so here’s a burst or two comin’ right atcha.

I don’t buy a lot of action figures anymore. Funny how they used to be a major part of my leisure time, often to the point of distraction. Collecting figures was so fun and engaging, but in the last few years or so it’s become a minor blip on my radar. Oh, I still dig ‘em. But is it me or is the field a little…boring of late? DC Direct is a pale ghost of itself, producing more statues than articulated figures these days and when they do solicit they’re from some video game I’ve never played or heard of or the umpteenth iteration of Superman and Batman. Gone are the glory days of JSA figures or Silver Age goldmines like Beppo the Super-Monkey or Hoppy the Marvel Bunny…or Composite Superman. Oops; that’s just another iteration of Superman and Batman, innit? I think I’ve bought more Star Wars figures in recent days than super-hero toys – have to hand it to Hasbro. They’ve reached a Golden Age in their output, I think. Still hard to find, though. My days of haunting Targets are far, far behind me. My tradition now is that if I can walk into a store at any time of the day or any day of the week and stumble across a figure I’d like to buy, than that’s how it should be. Are there still those idiots who haunt the aisles of Toys-R-Us like ghasts, flitting about, pale and unshaven, peering into boxes left lying about by the night-stock crew? I pity them, if they still exist.

We Live in Interesting Times . . . For Corporations by Kevin Huxford

Ah, Khuxford. I know that Kevin Huxford of Schwapp Online has been a controversial cat over the years. However, he's also been my friend. Another Best Shots guy that came over to Shotgun, Kevin felt many years ago that he had to split both because he'd become something of a lightning rod. He promptly founded his own blog and enjoyed his gadfly role ever since. One thing that you need to know is that Kevin has a rigid code of principles. And even if you don't agree with it, you should respect it. Today, he takes a hard look at something that affects all of us.
Union membership has waned.

Reality TV, populated by talentless gloryhounds, has supplanted a lot of (openly) scripted entertainment.

The Supreme Court says corporations are entitled to all the rights of personhood.

And the electorate is brainwashed into believing that leaving more money with rich folks and corporations leads to new jobs and trickle down even more than they were in the 80s, it seems.

There's two recent developments where this has become more disturbing to me on a personal level.

Gary Friedrich sued Marvel to try to obtain ownership of Ghost Rider. The merits of his case are, at best, debatable. The Ghost Rider name existed prior to his involvement and testimony says that a lot of editorial direction went into the creation. But there's no doubt he played a significant role in the creation, leading some to believe it would be the right thing for Marvel and/or the studio behind the movie to throw a sum (insignificant to them, but significant to the destitute Friedrich) for his past contributions.

And in come all the folks defending the corporations blindly. The only moral obligation Marvel has is to shareholders (i.e. it is a moral imperative that they maximize profits). If they pay this guy, what about the other contributors? What about cases where it is more difficult to break down contributions? It's not the corporations fault that it's too complicated for them to pay anyone something in consideration of how their past work has now manifested into unforeseen millions of dollars.