Comic Book Resources

The Hell? Um, try this again in an actual language…

I really like you Chad, but I just can’t read any more about wrestling.

Um, yeah, not interested. kthxbi.

Well, I liked it. Pretty funny, interesting how (to someone not following Marvel’s event books) it all read pretty plausibly and kind of fun to try to remember or guess what characters were replacing which wrestler.

Nicely done, sir. Even for a Canadian.

I really enjoy this column when it’s about comics.

So annoying.

Too wordy for a canadian.

Pipe it down, eh?

That was probably really fun for you to write but it was brutal to read. Even if I cared at all about wrestling (which I don’t — which is why I’m reading COMIC BOOK resources) having to constantly look up the name substitutions was just a chore.

I have no interest in wrestling, but I find the death of one of them interesting, mainly because of the drug connection (if indeed there is one). I remember a bit of a to-do when that one dude killed his family because of the possible steroid connection. Has the WWE or any wrestling group done ANYTHING to address the fact that their performers are freakishly sized, the result of abusing steroids to an extreme degree, and drop dead at 36, or do they just think there will always be others to take their place? I get that it’s entertainment and they have no reason to stop their performers from abusing drugs, just as a director has no reason to stop his actors’ abuse of drugs, but have they done anything anyway? Or is the steroid thing overblown?

“Too wordy for a canadian.”

D00D, you don’t know any Canadians, do you? Holidays with my Canadian uncles was me sitting there nodding my head and, every 10 minutes, hearing, “Boy, go get me another beer.”

The WWE does regular drug testing and, apparently, Umaga WAS released for failing their wellness policy and not entering a drug treatment facility (that is just the rumour, nothing officially confirmed, I don’t believe). Their system is simple: first time offence results in a 30-day suspension; second time is 60 days; third time, they’re fired. As for how much bigger guys are protected at times, there is plenty of speculation — also speculation over the technicality of if the wrestler is only tested if he is actually performing in the ring, so they aren’t tested while injured or in non-wrestling-based positions.

With your stated attempt to make this a wrestling column, complete with code names, I have no way of telling of something is a real comment or not, so I quit reading before the first paragraph was done.

Feel free to repeat this experiment the next time you don’t want me to read your column.

Oh, and it was written about wrestling entirely. Then, I went back in and substituted names and terms. There are a couple of spots where I couldn’t think of the best substitution… but, the only thing I’m really upset over is that, because of my substitution scheme, John Cena isn’t Superman.

Movies, television, plays, they all pretend like it’s real, except the different here is that these aren’t actors who then go on to play a variety of roles.

Actually, that’s a terrible comparison – Movies and television shows don’t pretend to be real.
They have framed shots, actors reading lines, and it’s all been edited.
Wrestling tries to look like it’s a live action sport, calls it’s talent athletes, refers to itself as being real, and they often deny the outcome of fights being fixed.

Call it method acting if it makes you feel better.

I wouldn’t, it’s an insult to actors who do use the method.

I think wrestling might be vaguely palatable if the wrestlers could act in the slightest.

Watching to see what moves they use and why, logical building a story within the match… it’s far more complex and satisfying than a lot of people give it credit for.

But nowhere near the level that it’s fans believe it is.

How dare you make fun of wrestling and/or superheroes by interchanging them?

Serious columns from now on, or you won’t get the eyeballs you crave.

Unless Heidi links to it.

Wow, im sorry, but this was totally boring.. sorry

Not to start an argument, but I don’t really get the people complaining that this was a chore to read. Why didn’t you just…. not read it?

I enjoyed this weeks column Chad. Some of the substitutions worked out really well. But now I’ll be disappointed if Marvel don’t publish an Iron Fist/Black Panther rooftop fight in Siege

Awesome Chad. Don’t listen to the naysayers.

I remember when Pro-Wrestling used to be like live action comic books. You had larger than life CHARACTERS and epic clashes. Now you have a bunch of dudes basically using real names hitting spots. I’m not saying the old days are better. I just feel that the old days would have more appeal to a comic book fan.

Then:
Mr. Perfect
Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake
Ravishing Rick Rude
Hulk Hogan
The Ultimate Warrior
Macho Man Randy Savage
The Bushwackers
Sting
The Road Warriors
Demolition
The Iron Sheik
The Million Dollar Man

Now
Shelton Benjamin
Chris Jericho
John Cena
Batista
Shawn Michaels
Randy Orton

See What I mean?

I demand the money I paid to read this back!

That was fun.

Hey, remember that time when Chavo Guererro’s friend stabbed Captain America in a barfight? Because neither of them apparently do.

Edit:

That should read “Black Talon’s friend.” I totally killed my own punchline.

This was dumb.

I’m one of the people with absolutely no interest in wrestling, but I still thought this was pretty cool. So everything here really was about wrestling? Because a lot of it sounded like genuine comic-book stuff.

I like how you mostly use Marvel characters. Sometimes I get the feeling that if you don’t prefer DC, you’re not welcome on Comics Should Be Good. (Don’t worry. I know that’s not really the case.)

I wonder if some of the hostility from readers here is because they don’t want to admit to themselves how similar super-hero stories and wrestling actually are. Too bad you didn’t write this about Mexican wrestling– that’s even more similar. They wear masks much more than American wrestlers, they have secret identities, and they often have long backstories explaining their origins and often a supernatural connection.

I don’t understand how Rey Mysterio can be Speedball, though. Shouldn’t he be Mysterio?

While I don’t pretend to understand anything of what I just read, I was quite amused that Hulk Hogan became Vandal Savage.

We have contracts!?

the only thing I’m really upset over is that, because of my substitution scheme, John Cena isn’t Superman.

But then you couldn’t have swapped The Rock, excuse me, Dwayne Johnson, for Steve Rogers, which was my favorite bit except for the aforementioned Hogan-Savage.

@FGJ – as a (mostly) casual pro wrestling fan, I tend to agree it’s not as sophisticated as it’s most ardent supporters will claim. But I also don’t get the vitriol it brings out in its detractors. A lot of your criticisms aren’t valid anymore (it’s commonly referred to as “sports entertainment” these days, wrestlers are entertainers or “superstars”, while they will do some promotion in character, they do almost as much as themselves talking about the work). The acting/mic work varies with some really talented performers (Jericho, The Rock) and some really bad ones, but the majority is about the level of the circus, the Globetrotters or the Ice Capades: all similar kinds of pop entertainment, none claiming to be Academy Award-worthy, but effective in getting an emotional response from a lot of people. If you’re not one of those people, walk away.

“D00D, you don’t know any Canadians, do you? Holidays with my Canadian uncles was me sitting there nodding my head and, every 10 minutes, hearing, “Boy, go get me another beer.”"

Sorry to burst your bubble, BUT having been born, raised, and lived in “Winter”-peg for over four decades have left me cold-hearted, cold-blooded, cynical, jaded, and unusually optimistic in an depressionly-paranoid and bleak future world.

blah blah blah shutting up now, eh?

Strange thing is, I got all the references without reading about the substitutions first. Also, Hulk Hogan as Vandal Savage, genius!!

I’ll admit that I went a bit overboard in my defence of wrestling — although, usually, when I’m talking about the positives, I tend to focus on the best… and a lot of it is mediocre and cheesy.

And glad that people like the Hogan/Savage joke. I forgot to work in the Undertaker and Kane as Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch…

Chad this was pure genius! and count me in on the Iron Fist – Black Panther fight lasting at least 2 issues and stealing Siege out from the other heroes….

as usual, the entitlement issues of the people in the comments are the most hysterically funny part of the columns on cbr.

OK, your ego remains intact…

I’ve been trying to get into your writing for awhile, but this is really the last straw for me. I won’t be reading any more of your columns here.

As I’ve stated before, I don’t mind the wrestling,music,slice of life comments. But when the entire column is about something other than comics, well it’s a little annoying, not life changing bad, just annoying.

To me it just seems to raise the question of why you don’t just go write for a wrestling blog or start one if it means that much to you.

I’ve never really understood the appeal of wrestling, esp for comic fan, there’s so much more interesting things going on in comics. Wrestling has always struck me as very limited, neutered take on superheroes. just my two cents though.

Oh well maybe next weeks column will be about music or some other non comics category I at least give a damn about.

Thanks

lot of your criticisms aren’t valid anymore (it’s commonly referred to as “sports entertainment” these days, wrestlers are entertainers or “superstars”, while they will do some promotion in character, they do almost as much as themselves talking about the work).

Right – it is still set in stadiums right?
With a referee and such?
There’s a winner and a loser?
That’s pretending to be like proper wrestlers – throw in the big medals, a league, etc they are still pretending.

I’ve never seen them run a disclaimer at the start saying it’s all fake, or mention it in the shows.

he acting/mic work varies with some really talented performers (Jericho, The Rock) and some really bad ones, but the majority is about the level of the circus, the Globetrotters or the Ice Capades

The Rock is the best actor I’ve seen come from wrestling, and he’s not a very good actor.

none claiming to be Academy Award-worthy, but effective in getting an emotional response from a lot of people.

Well, if it’s not at the level of top level actors, I guess it will only ever amount to getting a response from the sorts of people who stand in those stadiums waving signs about.

If you’re not one of those people, walk away.

I shouldn’t have to walk away, I never went near – I stuck to my hobbies, but instead we got this.

as usual, the entitlement issues of the people in the comments are the most hysterically funny part of the columns on cbr.

Obviously no one is owed anything, and bloggers can do what they want, but the reason there are regular readers is that they expect certain things.
Chad broke his branding, and some people aren’t going to be happy about that.

…wait, are ANY of my regular readers surprised at all that I would do this? Because, I’d have to question just how regular or how much of a reader you are in that case…

I guess it will only ever amount to getting a response from the sorts of people who stand in those stadiums waving signs about.

See, that’s what I don’t get – right there. It’s thinly veiled, but this is condescending and insulting. You’re brought to belittling a group of people because a comic book blog you read got interrupted? No, not interrupted…DARED to have a non-comic book posting. If bloggers here write about music or film, do you comment with judgements about the people who like to discuss music or film?

On the entitlement issue…

Chad broke his branding, and some people aren’t going to be happy about that.

this isn’t a magazine you subscribe to. You could, I don’t know, click on one of the 4000 other comic book news, commentary or criticism links on this site alone.

I don’t like reality TV. If Chad consistently worked “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” into his posts, and then wrote one where he said at the beginning, “this was a column all about ‘Real Housewives’, and it still is, but I changed the names so that whenever I say Johnny Storm, I really mean spoiled crazy woman #2″, I would click away. Ten seconds “wasted” – oh well. I wouldn’t waste another 5 minutes typing up arguments for why reality TV sucks, people who watch “Real Housewives” are stupid and generally getting upset that it blocked my view of the discussion of Power Girl’s costuming. But that’s just me.

Chad obviously these haters have NEVER read your articles before. You have always had a little wrestling comment in your articles. As a wrestling and comic fan, this was great as I said before.

2 things…1) Amazing how McMahon squandered Nova from the true ECW when his gimmick was using a bunch of superhero related costumes and moves but now tries to push the Hurricane on us?

2) I found it ironic that you had done this but it really did feel like a regular comic book idea summit. For the wrestling haters just skip reading the translation paragraph and I bet ya that some comic creators HAVE suggested these ideas at some point and time as real storylines….

See, that’s what I don’t get – right there. It’s thinly veiled, but this is condescending and insulting. You’re brought to belittling a group of people because a comic book blog you read got interrupted?

I’m not condescending or insulting wrestling fans because of this blog – heck, Chad can do what he likes – I’m like this all the time to wrestling fans.
The best wrestling stories almost make it to the level of Youngblood Strikefile..

If bloggers here write about music or film, do you comment with judgements about the people who like to discuss music or film?

Some make references to film or music – and Greg talks about whatever geeky thing he feels like – but they don’t do entire pieces about it.

Again, Chad can do what he likes – my views on ‘pro wrestling’ have been what they are from the first time I saw it.

this isn’t a magazine you subscribe to. You could, I don’t know, click on one of the 4000 other comic book news, commentary or criticism links on this site alone.

Thanks for telling me that I can make my own decisions in life, chum.
But if you read what I said, that’s a pretty pointless comment, which doesn’t answer or even respond to what I wrote.
(Guess that’s your inner wrestling fan shining through!)

But that’s just me.

Good for you!

But it turns out you’re not everyone, so again, not sure what that has to do with what I wrote.

I focused on wrestling because whenever I did make a quick mention to wrestling, that was the non-comics topic that generated ‘why are you writing about that at all on comics blog?’ comments where quick thoughts on music, film, television, and whatever else were NEVER commented upon as such. Ever. And I’m not pointing the finger at you, FGJ, since you didn’t do that — you responded to my ideas as you continue to do, arguing points and sharing your opinion on the subject not deriding me for having mentioned it. But, others did, it bothered me, so I pressed the point since that’s what I enjoy doing and… well, here’s the result.

If it makes everyone feel better, I skipped the first paragraph after the part where he said Brian told him he couldn’t do it about wrestling, read the whole thing (thought it slightly odd) and only realised what was happening about 2/3′s through.

Didn’t mean any of my comments here as an attack – in fact, though I was blockquoting Funky, much of my last comment was a general rant about fan entitlement and deriding other people’s hobbies/passions. The latter especially being a sore spot of mine (obviously). Anyway, I’m taking my own advice and walking away.

Good talk, no hard feelings and see everyone around the old blog!