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         Michael Genitempo Byrne Robotics Member 
  
  Joined: 04 July 2019 Location: United States Posts: 428
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           | Posted: 10 August 2020 at 6:46am | IP Logged | 1
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This morning, out of morbid curiosity, I googled Carmen Pryde, Kitty’s father.
  Jeepers, what a mess! And he’s dead, of course.
  sigh  >>
  Then don't even look at what happened to Jean's family.  Makes Spiderman's and Batman's losses seem small in comparison... Somewhere along the way creator's can lose track of the fact that some of us read comics for hope and don't need *everything* to be dark and dire... 
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         Brian Miller Byrne Robotics Member 
  
  Joined: 28 July 2004 Location: United States Posts: 31707
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           | Posted: 10 August 2020 at 7:09am | IP Logged | 2
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Wasn’t Carmen killed in the Wolverine/Kitty miniseries by Chris and  Milgrom?
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         Andrew Bitner Byrne Robotics Member 
  
  Joined: 01 June 2004 Location: United States Posts: 7553
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           | Posted: 10 August 2020 at 7:21am | IP Logged | 3
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Argh.I'm guessing the obituary pages in Marvel and DC make special mention of someone dying by natural causes, as it seems about as rare as a unicorn sighting. 
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         Eric Sofer Byrne Robotics Member 
  
  Joined: 31 January 2014 Location: United States Posts: 4759
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           | Posted: 10 August 2020 at 7:54am | IP Logged | 4
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Well, if the Joker chains them up, poisons them, shoots them four times, and drops them into a vat full of nitric acid and nitric acid-proof piranhas, it would be unnatural if they DIDN'T die!
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         Dean Munday Byrne Robotics Member 
  
  Joined: 16 July 2019 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 191
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           | Posted: 10 August 2020 at 8:39am | IP Logged | 5
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"Somewhere along the way creator's can lose track of the fact that some of us read comics for hope and don't need *everything* to be dark and dire..."
   ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------- 
  Indeed. A huge swathe of 'we loyal readers' consider a character's entire narrative history important - not just the cool (i.e. dark/edgy) new story by the latest writer on the block.
 
 Believe it or not, it is possible to alter a character's direction, or retcon an element of their history, without ripping up and peeing-all-over everything that has gone before. Sadly, it's far too easy (i.e. lazy) to do the latter.  
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         Andrew Bitner Byrne Robotics Member 
  
  Joined: 01 June 2004 Location: United States Posts: 7553
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           | Posted: 10 August 2020 at 9:32am | IP Logged | 6
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Eric- LOL! Yeah, that's considered "natural causes" in the DCU these days...
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         Andrew Bitner Byrne Robotics Member 
  
  Joined: 01 June 2004 Location: United States Posts: 7553
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           | Posted: 10 August 2020 at 9:36am | IP Logged | 7
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There's room for all kinds of stories.
  JB is giving up an epic "X-Men vs. Dark Phoenix" story. I'm loving it!
 
 I also loved those old Silver Age stories where Brainiac would show up and give Superman a rough time for 20-some pages before Superman won and went back to a largely-untroubled life in Metropolis. 
 
 I miss the old Silver Age stories rather often, even if I also enjoy the more complex storytelling of the modern age.  
  Edited by Andrew Bitner on 10 August 2020 at 9:38am
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         Mark Haslett Byrne Robotics Member 
  
  Joined: 19 April 2004 Location: United States Posts: 6940
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           | Posted: 10 August 2020 at 9:38am | IP Logged | 8
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Andrew: I'm guessing the obituary pages in Marvel and DC make special  mention of someone dying by natural causes, as it seems about as rare as a  unicorn sighting.
  ***
  "Good evening. In headlines tonight, reports that a certain J. Clammy Shaker  of Newark, N.J. has apparently died of what are being termed "natural causes."  This little known phenomenon has the locals nervous and theories as to the  actual cause of death are already numerous. We will keep you updated as this  story develops. In other news, the second cousin once removed of noted  newspaper photographer and college professor, Peter Parker, has entered his  third day of mutant-rampage over the skies of Manhattan..."
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         John Byrne 
  
 Grumpy Old Guy
  Joined: 11 May 2005 Posts: 135222
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           | Posted: 10 August 2020 at 10:15am | IP Logged | 9
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Believe it or not, it is possible to alter a character's direction, or retcon an element of their history, without ripping up and peeing-all-over everything that has gone before. Sadly, it's far too easy (i.e. lazy) to do the latter.••• Another writer was asked to take on a character I had created. Immediately he declared that he did not like the character’s backstory, and wanted to change the character’s powers.  Back at the dawn of time, when I was getting into The Biz, that would have been the same as the writer saying “I don’t want to work on this character,” and the editor would have found someone else who did.  In this case, tho, the editor greeted the writer’s demands with “Okay!”
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         Steven Queen Byrne Robotics Member 
  
  Joined: 28 February 2020 Location: United States Posts: 944
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           | Posted: 10 August 2020 at 10:58am | IP Logged | 10
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That tale is sad all around.
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         John Byrne 
  
 Grumpy Old Guy
  Joined: 11 May 2005 Posts: 135222
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           | Posted: 10 August 2020 at 11:48am | IP Logged | 11
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Oh, and, yeah, that's a Photoshop effect in the first panel of page 4.
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         Ryan Maxwell Byrne Robotics Member 
  
  Joined: 16 April 2004 Location: United States Posts: 13003
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           | Posted: 10 August 2020 at 12:03pm | IP Logged | 12
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Kitty, I love you, but I hope that's not a mammoth mistake you just made. 
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