# Ask the comic guy.. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 9, 2003, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy/147415 "2003-01-09T01:53:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 33
**Author:** ![maikai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/53a042/32.png) [@maikai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maikai)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy/147415/641 "2003-03-05T03:30:45Z")
Can someone explain what the direct market is? What’s good/bad about it? ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy/147415/642 "2003-03-05T04:26:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pulehoopo \* > \*\*Can someone explain what the direct market is? What’s good/bad > about it? \*\* The direct market is where the majority of comic books are at now. In the 80s and before, the majority of exposure most had to comic books was in grocery stores. Since the mid 80s t the present, that has faded away and what has replaced it is direct ordering from places like Mile High or Westfield or your local comic book store if you have one. As Diamond Distribution has a stranglehold on the market, it is often a bad thing, with a lot of books being squeezed out or sold in a lower volume because of their monopoly on the market since Capitol City Comics ceased being a distributor. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Improved\_Scott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f17d59/32.png) [@New\_Improved\_Scott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Improved_Scott)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy/147415/643 "2003-03-05T06:03:49Z")
QUOTE]\*Originally posted by Max Carnage \* \*\*Pretty sure Shulkie doesn’t rank nearly as high as her cousin. Thing is definitely stronger and a heavier hitter than she. If the question is strength, I’d say that list is pretty good (if not incomplete.) If we’re talking about POWER, though, and not including cosmic entities like Eternity, Living Tribunal, Death, etc, then I put my money on Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet. \*\* [/QUOTE] I’d say yes, Bruce beats Jen, NP, but Thing isn’t close. Thing is increadible, not for his brute strength, but for a stronger sense of determination. He never quits. Thanos _without_ the gauntlet is mad strong, and I forgot about him. In an issue of the “Infinity Watch”, Thor had taken the power gem, and Thanos still went toe to toe with him. Thanos is really up there. Other powerhouses of note are Gladiator of the Shi-ar Imperial Guard, Drax the Destroyer, and Captain Universes Spider-man. And yeah, the cosmic entities are all way above them. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy/147415/644 "2003-03-05T07:37:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Max Carnage \* > \*\*Sure but hopefully your grandnephew wouldn’t get it in his head to wipe out half the population of the universe just to impress his little girlfriend. \*\* Considering his family history, I wouldn’t take bets either way. 😃 Lok ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy/147415/645 "2003-03-05T22:34:48Z")
Okay, who do the SDMB fanboys prefer… Matt Murdock or his twin brother (Mike?)? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy/147415/646 "2003-03-06T00:07:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by New & Improved Scott \* > \*\*QUOTE]\*Originally posted by Max Carnage \* > \*\*Pretty sure Shulkie doesn’t rank nearly as high as her cousin. Thing is definitely stronger and a heavier hitter than she. > > If the question is strength, I’d say that list is pretty good (if not incomplete.) If we’re talking about POWER, though, and not including cosmic entities like Eternity, Living Tribunal, Death, etc, then I put my money on Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet. \*\* I’d say yes, Bruce beats Jen, NP, but Thing isn’t close. Thing is increadible, not for his brute strength, but for a stronger sense of determination. He never quits. \*\* [/QUOTE] Just checked the OHOTMU, and She-Hulk can press 75 tons but the Thing can press 85 tons. That’s not counting him in his ‘pointy rock’ phase when he was even stronger…nearly Hulk level (of course Hulk was a little depowered at the time too.) I don’t think much has happened since the Handbook was published that would change their stats. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy/147415/647 "2003-03-06T00:29:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by digs \* > \*\*Okay, who do the SDMB fanboys prefer… Matt Murdock or his twin brother (Mike?)? \*\* ALL the swingin’ hepcats dig Mike. Matt is like, from squaresville man! A real downer! Fenris ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy/147415/648 "2003-03-06T02:45:59Z")
“snap” “snap” So like why didn’t Mod Mike make the scene in the DD flick, Daddio? (Man, Benificent Benjy Aflac coulda done the double-role thang! And worn groovy plaid polyester threads) Perchance itz SUCH a ginchy\* idea that itzlike saved up in reserve for ‘DD Deux’… “snap” “snap” [/Maynard G. Krebs] \*Ginchy … did Smilin’ Stan Lee make up that word? ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy/147415/649 "2003-03-06T02:48:34Z")
\>[/Maynard G. Krebs] And what’s the G. stand for? ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy/147415/650 "2003-03-06T03:23:43Z")
I gave up reading the X-books a long time ago, but something that’s bothered me is Cerebro. (is that the right spelling?) It almost seems to be a McGuffin now, with the movies, cartoons, and books redefining what it can do as needed. Sometimes it can locate only “known” mutants, sometimes any mutant. So what’s the “real” usage and capabilities of the thing? How small a radius can it pinpoint someone? What else can it do? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy/147415/651 "2003-03-06T03:47:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by digs \* > \*\*"[/Maynard G. Krebs] \*Ginchy … did Smilin’ Stan Lee make up that word? \*\* No. I’m pretty sure that Snapper Carr said it long before the FF’s rocket was ever launched. And Mike didn’t make the movie because the Daredevil who’d make up a third ID just for fun (ok, true, his second ID was in danger of being exposed, but he kept the third one around for fun) is incompatible with the fucking psycho who casually murders people that’s portrayed in the movie. (I got a bit past the part where Daredevil murders the aquitted rapist and walked out. Aparently the idiot director doesn’t know the difference between Daredevil (even the grim-n-gritty one) and The Punisher) Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy/147415/652 "2003-03-06T04:06:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by digs \* > \*\*\>[/Maynard G. Krebs] > > And what’s the G. stand for? \*\* “Walter” Now where’s my No-Prize? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy/147415/653 "2003-03-06T04:12:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fenris \* > \*\* > And Mike didn’t make the movie because the Daredevil who’d make up a third ID just for fun (ok, true, his second ID was in danger of being exposed, but he kept the third one around for fun) is incompatible with the fucking psycho who casually murders people that’s portrayed in the movie. (I got a bit past the part where Daredevil murders the aquitted rapist and walked out. Aparently the idiot director doesn’t know the difference between Daredevil (even the grim-n-gritty one) and The Punisher) > > Fenris \*\* Ya know, that bothered me a lot when I was sitting there. I kept waiting for DD to pull the rapist off the tracks but he didn’t. WTF, I thought. Who didn’t read the comic before making a movie? I realized later they wanted to show DD realize that killing is bad, mmm-kay, and he is not a bad guy. Thing is DD never had an issue with that, that I’m aware of. Oh well, Jennifer Garner was friggin’ hot. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy/147415/654 "2003-03-06T12:04:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Max Carnage \* > \*\*Ya know, that bothered me a lot when I was sitting there. I kept waiting for DD to pull the rapist off the tracks but he didn’t. WTF, I thought. Who didn’t read the comic before making a movie? > > \< snip \> > > Oh well, Jennifer Garner was friggin’ hot. \*\* Elektra? True. Serious babe factor. But the “Matt Murdock: Sleezy stalker” scene didn’t work for me at all. Matt: “Tell me your name, hot buns!” Elektra: “Get lost creep” Matt: “If you don’t tell me your name and number, I’ll just stalk you.” Elektra: “Just leave me alone” Matt: “Nope, I’ll follow you and try to physically beat you up when you get away. Then we’ll have a really, REALLY bad fight scene in our civilian clothes in front of bunches of witnessess. THEN you’ll like me.” Feh The worst part is that Daredevil murdered the guy _after_ the trial. The whole frigging _point_ of Daredevil is that he respects the law. That’s one of the few distinctions between the grim-n-gritty Daredevil and Batman. And it’s as gross of a violation of character as if Batman had seen a family threatened by a mugger and _not_ intervened. And Jack was an enforcer? No. Apparently the idiot who directed this said “Hey! Let’s make sure we’re not confused with the Spider-Man movie: in Spider-Man, it had a coherent plot, good characterizationa and _every_ deviation they made from the original story\* was either neutral (the webshooters) or an improvment (the car-jacking). I’ll do the reverse of all that!” Finally, a minor irritation: at least in the first 1/3d, I caught a ton of name-dropping, but somehow Lee, Everett, Colan, Kane, Gerber, Wolfman, Conway, Thomas(?), etc were all missing. Apparently Daredevil sprung full-blown from the mind of Miller and Jemas. The buddy who walked out of the movie with me quipped “Y’know: a Daredevil movie is a _great_ idea. Maybe someone’ll make one someday.” Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy/147415/655 "2003-03-06T12:54:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fenris \* > \*\* > > Finally, a minor irritation: at least in the first 1/3d, I caught a ton of name-dropping, but somehow Lee, Everett, Colan, Kane, Gerber, Wolfman, Conway, Thomas(?), etc were all missing. Apparently Daredevil sprung full-blown from the mind of Miller and Jemas. > \*\* If it makes you feel any better, Colan was the name of the boxer who won the match Jack was watching on tv while drunk. Mattie told him that he won. And I did hear the name Lee somewhere in the movie, besides his ubiquitous comic book movie cameo. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy/147415/656 "2003-03-06T13:35:01Z")
> [@](#): > > The worst part is that Daredevil murdered the guy after the trial. The whole frigging point of Daredevil is that he respects the law. I think that was part of the point of the film; Daredevil changed from a vigliante to a hero. BTW, quit whining because they wanting to try something new. Regardless, I have a question: In X-Men 300, they all go off an blast the heck out of the Acolytes in Europe. Along the way “The Neophyte” meets a nice, apparently human girl. She gets blown away with watermelon-sized hole in her chest 30 seconds later. SOme time thereafter, the X-Men attack the mysterious old castle. Some freaky mutant who looks like an “Aliens” Xenomorph attacks Jean Grey. She proceeds to knock him into orbit. Anyone know who or what he was? Did he ever show up again? And is there any plot summary of X-Men for all those years of issues I’ve missed since them? ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy/147415/657 "2003-03-06T15:28:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by paperbackwriter \* > \*\*I gave up reading the X-books a long time ago, but something that’s bothered me is Cerebro. (is that the right spelling?) It almost seems to be a McGuffin now, \*\* You’re assuming Cerebro wasn’t always a McGuffin – in the earliest issues of X-Men, Cerebro was supposed to be a mutant detector. But it detected Juggernaut, who isn’t a mutant, and it detected the Stranger, who not only isn’t a mutant, he isn’t even human. The machine’s powers were never well defined, except in that its primary power was to give enough information about what this issue is going to be about to catalyze the X-Men in to action, but usually not enough that they could develop a more sophisticated plan that “Show up and see what’s going on.” –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy/147415/658 "2003-03-06T17:35:42Z")
> [@](#): > > The worst part is that Daredevil murdered the guy _after_ the trial. The whole frigging _point_ of Daredevil is that he respects the law. And who was defense attorney Matt Murdock defending at that trial, anyway? The rapist, who appeared to be acquitted? His victim, who would seem to be part of the prosecution? I remain confused by this – anyone catch any dialogue that clarified things? I like Jennifer Garner a lot, but she’s no Elektra. John Favreau made a good Foggy, though. Also, don’t blame the director for the murder scene – that would’ve been the product of the screenwriter. The director was just dumb enough to go along with it. Related question: I just read the collection of Bendis’ “Underboss” storyline, where DD’s secret identity is blabbed to the globe. And I’m curious about the people who knew DD’s identity before the expose. How did a) Foggy, b) Spider-Man and c) Ben Urich find out who DD was? (I assume Matt told most of his girlfriends who knew.) ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy/147415/659 "2003-03-06T18:08:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Interrobang!? \* > \*\* > I like Jennifer Garner a lot, but she’s no Elektra. John Favreau made a good Foggy, though. Also, don’t blame the director for the murder scene – that would’ve been the product of the screenwriter. The director was just dumb enough to go along with it. > \*\* One, don’t be talking smack about my future wife. 🙂 Two, the director wrote the screenplay (although I have a feeling Kevin Smith helped out a lot.) ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy/147415/660 "2003-03-06T19:08:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Interrobang!? \* > \*\* > Related question: I just read the collection of Bendis’ “Underboss” storyline, where DD’s secret identity is blabbed to the globe. And I’m curious about the people who knew DD’s identity before the expose. How did a) Foggy, b) Spider-Man and c) Ben Urich find out who DD was? (I assume Matt told most of his girlfriends who knew.) \*\* I can only speak for Spidey here. Pretty sure it was during “The Death of Jean DeWolff” in PPTSSM. Spidey was pissed off at the way DD was handling things, so when DD started getting his butt handed to him in a gang fight and he called out for Spider-Man’s help, Spider-Man just stood by and watched. But then DD called out for “Peter!” (after putting two and two together when meeting Peter Parker in civvies) and Spidey jumped in. After all was said and done, DD thought it only fair to tell him his own secret ID, and I think he even offered legal advice or counsel. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy/147415.md?page=32) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-comic-guy/147415.md?page=34)