Wasn’t sure where to put this but I rented the 2nd season of Deadwood, got to love a good western, it got me thinking about the perfect villain. Plus it is 6/6/06 and I just had to play devil's advocate. I love Ian McShane as Al Swearengen, the man is the perfect bad guy, ruthless, cunning, and willing to get his own hands dirty. He always sniffing out a plot and holds off all upstarts and challenges. Willing to kill someone stealing from him and ‘humane’ enough to mercy kill a sick priest. He’s like Hannibal Lechter without the manners and refinement or the peculiar diet. I’m a straight guy but I love him and evil Lionel Luthor, and Hannibal of course.
I didn’t grow-up torturing puppies or anything but sometimes I just find myself rooting for the bad guy. As few people know I really like comic and its just getting old the through sheer luck for the hero or some uncharacteristically incompetence trait the bad guy loses. Don’t get me wrong I know why Thanos could not be allowed to destroy the universe or Doom be allowed to keep the Beyonder’s power but after that why do they have to lose all the time. In comics most of the big bad guys IMO are jokes, has Doom, Mags, Darkseid, Thanos, or any other BBEG done anything in past 20 years that the heros of their universe should ever be afraid of them?!? Seriously beyond killing some miscellaneous imp whose sole pupose for 2 or 3 pages is to show the BBEG will kill anyone without remorse. I think Power Pack thwarted Doom once, come the F on!?! I measure the bad guys by the damage they do to the forces of good and to date the Joker is still the top dog in comics, despite the travesty of bringing back Jason Todd. How and why should we be afraid of evil if it is apparent that evil can’t win despite itself.
Why can’t evil every win? Why does Manshoon have go into hiding? Why couldn’t Chloe actually be dead (and I like Chloe)? Why can’t Sabertooth kill anyone? Why does Batman have to be able to beat Shiva? Why can’t Galactus make and example of every hairless ape that gets in his face? Why can’t the Lord of Blades slaughter the High Priestess of the Silver Flame? Why do terrorist have to have bad aim against Jack Bauer? Did Buffy really need to come back from the dead twice? Does Doom really need to play 2nd fiddle to Reed’s intellect? Did Jar-Jar really need to survie the first 5 minutes? Half the time good just doesn’t deserve to win, but greed for the all mighty dollar and having the option of squeezing every last single drop out of it rules. If Superman stayed dead that last issue would be its weight in gold. When Bruce’s spine snapped, gold-press latinum (Star Trek fans know what I’m talking about) if he stay paralyzed.
It was harsh when Macleod killed Ritchie, or when Dukat killed Dax, but damnit it was memorable and then you knew why evil winning was bad. When the Joker took the crowbar to Jason’s stupid head you knew why you should be scared or when he shot Barbara and it wasn’t an Elsewhere story. When Hannibal added a lemon braise sauce to Ray Liotta’s sauted brain I was creeped out. Lionel poisoned his own son (yes I know he lived but tell me that wasn’t harsh), or when Al dumped some guy body into the pig pen. When Michael shot Anna Lucia I was shocked and it dawned on me just how far he’s willing to go to get his son back, that was scary.
Evil doen’t need to win all the time but I would actually buy an Fantastic Four comic if Doom douse Johnny in flame retardant foam and wrung his scrawny smart mouthed neck. I’d pay good money to read the fall of Elminster and slaughter of Drizzt. I’d give up an entire paycheck to have watched Swaerengen sink that knife into Bullock’s back. I’d give up a piece of my own anatomy for Darkseid to beat the living crap out Kal-El and dump his body in front of the Daily Planet and not have him come back. I want writers, execs, editors, whatever else spineless money grubbing bottom feeders out there to grow a pair and remind us all why we should be afraid of evil. I'm not talking wholesale slaughter any Friday the 13th movie will do that I'm just talking about compentency.
I didn’t grow-up torturing puppies or anything but sometimes I just find myself rooting for the bad guy. As few people know I really like comic and its just getting old the through sheer luck for the hero or some uncharacteristically incompetence trait the bad guy loses. Don’t get me wrong I know why Thanos could not be allowed to destroy the universe or Doom be allowed to keep the Beyonder’s power but after that why do they have to lose all the time. In comics most of the big bad guys IMO are jokes, has Doom, Mags, Darkseid, Thanos, or any other BBEG done anything in past 20 years that the heros of their universe should ever be afraid of them?!? Seriously beyond killing some miscellaneous imp whose sole pupose for 2 or 3 pages is to show the BBEG will kill anyone without remorse. I think Power Pack thwarted Doom once, come the F on!?! I measure the bad guys by the damage they do to the forces of good and to date the Joker is still the top dog in comics, despite the travesty of bringing back Jason Todd. How and why should we be afraid of evil if it is apparent that evil can’t win despite itself.
Why can’t evil every win? Why does Manshoon have go into hiding? Why couldn’t Chloe actually be dead (and I like Chloe)? Why can’t Sabertooth kill anyone? Why does Batman have to be able to beat Shiva? Why can’t Galactus make and example of every hairless ape that gets in his face? Why can’t the Lord of Blades slaughter the High Priestess of the Silver Flame? Why do terrorist have to have bad aim against Jack Bauer? Did Buffy really need to come back from the dead twice? Does Doom really need to play 2nd fiddle to Reed’s intellect? Did Jar-Jar really need to survie the first 5 minutes? Half the time good just doesn’t deserve to win, but greed for the all mighty dollar and having the option of squeezing every last single drop out of it rules. If Superman stayed dead that last issue would be its weight in gold. When Bruce’s spine snapped, gold-press latinum (Star Trek fans know what I’m talking about) if he stay paralyzed.
It was harsh when Macleod killed Ritchie, or when Dukat killed Dax, but damnit it was memorable and then you knew why evil winning was bad. When the Joker took the crowbar to Jason’s stupid head you knew why you should be scared or when he shot Barbara and it wasn’t an Elsewhere story. When Hannibal added a lemon braise sauce to Ray Liotta’s sauted brain I was creeped out. Lionel poisoned his own son (yes I know he lived but tell me that wasn’t harsh), or when Al dumped some guy body into the pig pen. When Michael shot Anna Lucia I was shocked and it dawned on me just how far he’s willing to go to get his son back, that was scary.
Evil doen’t need to win all the time but I would actually buy an Fantastic Four comic if Doom douse Johnny in flame retardant foam and wrung his scrawny smart mouthed neck. I’d pay good money to read the fall of Elminster and slaughter of Drizzt. I’d give up an entire paycheck to have watched Swaerengen sink that knife into Bullock’s back. I’d give up a piece of my own anatomy for Darkseid to beat the living crap out Kal-El and dump his body in front of the Daily Planet and not have him come back. I want writers, execs, editors, whatever else spineless money grubbing bottom feeders out there to grow a pair and remind us all why we should be afraid of evil. I'm not talking wholesale slaughter any Friday the 13th movie will do that I'm just talking about compentency.