Comics Stories I Don’t Yet Understand

Readers probably come to this site for answers and perspective rather than public dithering, but I have to admit, I'm not quite getting some of this week's stories.

* Financial Hemorrhaging Up North: Quebecor World is in full trauma mode right now in terms of its financial state of being, due I think to a failed restructuring plan and made worse because of a temporary lull in which no action is being taken that might start to fix things. This blogger suggests possible immediate futures. I'm not quite sure to what degree this endangers comics printing, however, because I'm having a hard time tracking down just what's at risk in terms of day to day operations, and I'm unsure to what degree Quebecor World handles mainstream company printing as opposed to a more insulated spin-off company. Also, it's worth noting that a lot of comics publishing goes to Asia these days, and more could likely be shifted there were there problems. So while I'm unable to connect the dots with certainty, it's still a story to watch.

* Was the cover to Action Comics #1 Swiped?: Chris Knowles suggests it may be so, and even devotes a lot of time on his blog to the question. It's a nice feature article bullet point, but I would assume that the vast majority of early comic book covers are swiped and that a lot of early Superman comics have mythological resonance of some sort or another.

* Rolling Stone's Cigarette Pull-Out Cartoons: does the imagery used in this cigarette ad (PDF) count as cartoon imagery, and if so, does it fall under the ban of cartoon imagery as a way to draft the non tar-filled lungs of America's youth into the RJ Reynolds Army? I'm not as certain as some anti-smoking advocates seem to be, both in terms of this ad (which looks comics-y but not cartoon-y, if that makes sense) and the general notion that cartoon expression should be viewed in this manner. At the same time, it's hard to carve out space that even whispers the suggestion of a tacit endorsement of another marriage of corporate media and tobacco company concerns. It's unnatural, like choosing to write with your opposite hand or greeting people by extending your foot.
 
posted 1:18 am PST | Permalink
 

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