Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2.fluke 9/24/84; site vax4.fluke.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!bellcore!petrus!sabre!zeta!epsilon!gamma!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!fluke!moriarty
From: moriarty@fluke.UUCP (The Napoleon of Crime)
Newsgroups: net.comics
Subject: Re: Heavy winds and heavy talk (Tim, Tim, Tim...)
Message-ID: <2773@vax4.fluke.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 8-Oct-85 16:31:44 EDT
Article-I.D.: vax4.2773
Posted: Tue Oct  8 16:31:44 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 11-Oct-85 07:02:37 EDT
References: <596@decwrl.UUCP> <580@k.cs.cmu.edu.ARPA>
Organization: The Institute for Criminal Masterminds
Lines: 58

Ever had one of those no-win situations?  Generally, I'd come straight out
and respond to this article without any prologue, but this is, after all,
Tim Maroney.   Let me explain my options:

1) Ignore the whole article, which I would prefer doing, because I've got
   gobs enough of things to do on my own time than post follow-ups which
   will have no effect on the original poster.  However, after making snide
   comments in his original article like:

>[...] The writer is unsure of his
>(ordinarily I'd say "her or his", but this is comic book writers we're
>talking about)

   I don't want to let that go by with no comment.  Some of these articles
   get to Eclipse, some of them get to Marvel, and there are writers there
   who I think are doing a good - to - excellent job; I don't want them (and
   Henry Vogel) to think I agree with Tim by silence.  Besides, this is a
   newsgroup for comics fans; people making broad condemning statements
   about comics are about as pleasant and useful as writing to net.motss and
   saying "All gays will burn in Hell".  So, gotta say something.  What?

2) Answer Tim in a nice, pleasant manner, explaining that everyone has their
   own sense of style, and while he may not enjoy standard dialogue in
   unusual situations, many of us do, and I guess we just have a difference
   in stylistic tastes, right?  And maybe suggest that making a general
   statement that all comic writers are sub-human is not very nice, and a
   generality to boot.  This has appeal in the fact that net.comics is
   probably the most civilized newsgroup I read; incredibly disparate
   opinions cross are re-cross with an amazing lack of flaming.  It really
   is quite pleasant, and I am uncomfortable by muddying the water to any
   extent.  However, folks, I've seen Tim in action for three years, almost,
   and he basically seems to read any article that disagrees with him as an
   attack; net.religion is littered with his verbiage.  Supporting him on his
   censorship from the net in North Carolina was unpleasant; Voltaire might
   have been a bit more conservative on his free speech statements if he'd
   had to read Tim's stuff day in and day out.  So any politeness will
   probably be lost on him, and retaliation to my comments will be as harsh
   for honey-coated missives as for surface-to-twit missiles.

3) Basically ask him what the Hell bands playing loud music has to do with
   having conversations in unusual locals, criticize his general style of
   metaphor, suggest that making nasty generalities about all comic writers
   is about as unconstructive as possible, point out that I don't see how,
   from his sketchy arguments, it can be inferred that unusual settings
   diminish the power of emotional scenes, and suggest that if he is going
   to do criticisms of comics, that he clear up his comparisons and cut the
   wide-angle attack on comics in general.  If he doesn't like comics, fine,
   that's his choice; I don't like religion, as a general rule.  But  I don't
   spew forth bile about religion in a group that is dedicated to people who
   enjoy discussing it.  I expect him to show the same restraint for THIS
   form of entertainment.

                   "I understand that in this country Coke comes in cans!"

                                        Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
ARPA: fluke!moriarty@uw-beaver.ARPA
UUCP: {uw-beaver, sun, allegra, sb6, lbl-csam}!fluke!moriarty
<*> DISCLAIMER: Do what you want with me, but leave my employers alone! <*>