Hey Folks, Harry here... I don't know if you are like me and if you are currently a card carrying member of the most fantastic wonderful animated show on television since the very best of Timm & Dini... And definitely the best original concept animated show since THE SIMPSONS... SAMURAI JACK is a religion. I adore it in the most primal of ways. And for those that think it is just hack and chop, I offer up the following to make you think... You see SAMURAI JACK is about the issues closest to our hearts....
Hi Harry,
I think the first 30-minute episode of Samurai Jack (aired 8/16) was a symbolic representation of the fall of comic books as a serious artform for children.
The wooly beasts' utopian society represented comics at the height of their popularity. Comics were bought and shared at cheap prices. Everything was brand new, and kids were happy to read and enjoy the beauty of comics. Comics were enjoyed by the people who loved them for next to nothing. Kind of a comic book Socialism, if you will.
But, the little guys represented collectors, and it was two things they said that started this idea. Number one was the conversation two had where the one had bought some sort of item "still in the plastic for 10 (creds, etc.)". Also, when Samurai Jack told them the city looked old, they said "Thank you."
The collectors moved in from nowhere, and they chained up the comic beasts. The artform, previously free and wild, was now restrained and forced into narrow parameters (i.e. profit). The glowing power orb was Marvel's control during the late 80's when they single-handedly drove comics into the ground with their crappy foil covers, multiple series and poly bags.
I also noticed that the collectors didn't even inhabit the buildings and city they loved so much. They all slept and worked outside. This would parallel comics now being hung in their CGC plastic case and never touched. I mean, if I ever owned a copy of Amazing Fantasy 15, you're damn right I'd read it, smell it and, most importantly, touch it. Every chance I got.
The collectors wanted to preserve the old and worship it for value, not for art. I mean, what kid can now afford to read the classic Lee and Kirby stories? Or any sort of Wolverton or Ditko classics? None, because asshole baby boomers have turned comics into a high-priced money market. Even quality reprints cost hundreds of dollars. Hell, I'm an adult and I can't afford to buy them.
When Marvel's power ended, comics began to recover, but there is still a lot of work to do. The buildings must be rebuilt and the beasts' areas must be cleared again.
I was left wondering who the head wooly was supposed to represent. Surely not Stan Lee. Karen Berger? The wooly did resemble Alan Moore. The point could be argued.
Thanks,
grendel's_dead
