@@StrangeBrainParts Hello. I'm late, I guess, but I really hope you read the comment I just left. It's a little contrary, but overall I don't disagree with your criticism of Millar. Since I'm making this request, I'll subscribe as a courtesy. And because you make good content! ;D
The saddest part is the idea of some genius super villain plotting for rich guys to live out their fantasy’s is actually a pretty cool idea if it was actually well written and put together
There really are companies that create fantasy adventures for the children of rich billionaires. The one I heard about was a pirate adventure that involved hundreds of costumed extras, a real sailing ship, and actual treasure. It's like stepping into a movie or game for a few days and being the hero of a story written just for you.
It's not far off of the mark. Millar always struck me as a talented writer that keeps his fanbase on the cape farm so to speak. But never let's the audience now that if they truly wanted more adult books there's other genre works in comics to read. But I won't deny one thing Millar is very good at giving his stories a strong 90's cinematic vibe which might also explain why his work was always more adaptable to film and television.
@@Plxlinixy I think Matthew Vaughn should adapt anything Millar-related. The Secret Service and Kick-Ass are, to me, pretty terrible comics but their film versions are extraordinary and some of my favorites action movies. I almost (almost) feel bad that they couldn´t make that Superman movie.
Bruh i read this when i was like 17 (im 27 now) but ever since then I have not stopped thinking about how much I don’t like this story im so happy to find out im not alone 😂😂😂😂😂
The biggest problem with Nemesis as a character is that he's like Batman but not the competently written Batman, he's like the B.S. "can do anything and its prepared for every situation" Batman people despice. That's a big problem with Miller, he has cool ideas, but more often than not he excecutes them in the laziest way possible (I think his original pitch was "what if the Joker was Bruce Wayne", and that's a great idea; someone with the resources and the skillset of Batman but who uses them to cause death and chaos... instead we got "what if the BecauseI'mBatman joke from HISHE was the only explanation behind a crime spree")
I remember a signature from the old Newsarama forums that went something like this: Ozymandias- I did it 35 minutes ago. Batman- I figured out your plan an hour ago and stopped it. Black Panther- I figured out both your plans last night.
"What if the Joker was Batman" is such a good idea that it outdates Batman himself. That's basically Fantomas. The difference being Fantomas is legitimately cool and only had the same amount of bullshit and plot magic on his side that you'd find in the average pulp villain.
I met Mark a few years back at Jetpack Comics and he was nice as can be buying everyone non-stop Guinness. He also let us know the upcoming 2015 Fantastic Four movie was as horrendous as the trailers looked.
@TheBeird I actually think I *_may_* have seen a panel or two of this when I was a kid... And is was shtick like this that pushed me away from everything from Invincible to Rick & Morty to basically everything above or oftentimes _even _*_including_* PG-13/TV-14. Because it legitimately pissed me off that someone would find even a cathartic trade-off of defeating someone that terrible would be worth the horribleness and, therefore, entertaining... I've backslide _quite_ a bit from that now. I'm a fan of Invincible, for instance. Somewhat of a Rick & Morty fan, and a fan of quite a few decently dark movies and animes. But yeah... this? No.
There was an era I thought I like Millar's comics, but I slowly realized I like the artists he worked with. This made me realize what his actual talent is: giving artist the freedom to make some of their best work, and trying to come up with setups that will look cool when drawn. His words are pretty much irrelevant, and upon any kind of examination utter trash. I remember I got an issue of Nemesis (I gave up before finishing) that had some script pages in the back. For a sequence of Nemesis fighting cops it basically said 'take a couple pages and go nuts, draw a brutal fight scene'. And that part was the best part of the book.
I used to be a Warren Ellis fan . . . who am I kidding, I still love Planetary. Ellis wrote 12 issues of The Authority, and it was a book worthy of comparison to Grant Morrison's work on JLA. Then he handed the book off to Mark Millar. Instantly, the once-interesting heroes became elitist jerks who cursed and said edgy stuff just to be edgy, and the villains became edgy maniacs with senseless schemes and motivations. So for me, Mark Millar is the man who destroyed one of the best superhero comics of the time through bad writing, and that says it all.
@@SingularityOrbit Another Millar advantage: he has the coolest friends in the industry, and gets access to amazing projects clearly out of his league.
@SingularityOrbit Warren Ellis and Mark Miller are too different sides. Ellis is a cynic who just doesn't like superheroes because they took over the medium. Miller comes across as just an edgy dude who really doesn't lole Superheroes, except Superman
I think I've completely misremembered this. I thought that the satire was based around the idea that Nemesis was using his money to pretend to be a superhero for his own amusement and that he'd deliberately escalate conflicts by designating petty criminals as his supervillains by manipulating them into committing an elaborate heist in order to give him a plausible reason to get involved. I feel like my version may have been a bit better.
Honestly thats not a bad idea Like the main characters would be the heisters and to get the audience to sympathize with them is that they have no other choice and are in desperate need of money for various reasons: Bills, Medical expenses, living costs, etc. Heck I wont even be mad if the ending has Nemesis swoop in and kill them all one by one and the story ends with Nemesis hailed as a hero while the poor heisters die broken and full of regret. Sure depressing as hell but makes for a better story than what Mark Edgelord Millar would write
@@slayer45670 It's a criticism that's been thrown at Batman a few times recently; he's a rich douche-bag that could probably fix a lot of problems with his money but instead chooses to dress up as a giant bat and beat the shit out of petty criminals. It's just taking that to the extreme.
@@frecklenuckle4450 when I read it, I thought that's a pretty uneventful comic, it's just a batman stand-in violently beating up people. It didn't feel extreme or angsty to me
Millar forgot something obvious about superhero comics. You quoted him early in the video, saying he wanted to write a comic about a villain. Well, the key to making superhero stories interesting is that the hero has to be challenged and struggle to overcome obstacles. That's how stories about Firestorm, Green Lantern, even Superman work: the writer creates a challenge the protagonist can't simply "power" away. Nemesis is stupid and poorly plotted, yes, but worst of all is Millar's unwillingness to show how his villainous protagonist faces challenges in his schemes. Even getting beaten up or caught by police is "all according to plan." He's Batman, plus the Clock King, plus only the non-detrimental parts of the Joker, minus any comprehensible motivation. Nemesis is just a plot device wrapped in white Spandex, not a hero, a villain, or even a functional protagonist.
Nemesis is a rich billionaire who fuvks with people for fun I thought that was obvious from the ending. The books "protagonist" is not nemesis it's the cop. Everything that happens happens to the cop and it's up to the cop to stop the big threat " Nemesis". It's Jim Gordon vs the Batman who laughs. Before that was even a concept. In fact nemesis is less a character or human being that he is , like the joker, a force of nature acting against humanity for the sake of it. In a way nemesis I the negative aspects of fate and destiny itself.
@@abloshow91 The lesson being that the same aspects of bad Joker stories that people hate (Joker being a pointlessly cruel monster with the power of the writer backing him up), when applied to a new villain, produce yet another story people hate.
@@SingularityOrbit yeah a lot of people forget that the killing joke is (or was) one of the Joker's most popular and loved steries is precisely because it humanized him, same with the movie joker
@@ironmaster6496 It was one of the few stories where Batman's "you need help, let me help you" motivation made sense. Most of the time Joker is either a heartless jerk endangering people because it amuses him, or he's a weird, strangely unkillable serial killer who needs to be treated like a demon instead of a person. "The Killing Joke" pulled off a reveal worth remembering: Joker's demented, but there are flashes of the truth in his mind, which means there's a chance of returning him to sanity some day -- especially in a world of miracle drugs, telepaths, and more.
Mark Millar's biggest problem is that he doesn't write comics, he writes illustrated pitches that he can sell to movie studios. It's something I find kind of insulting because it feeds into the idea that comics are inherently a lower medium that exists to provide IP for movies or tv rather than an entirely different, equally valid medium.
Mark Millar is a rare example of all the adaptations of his work being better than the source material because they keep the fun energy but dial back on the edgelord cringiness.
I both hate and love that you asked this question because it made me think about that. So is it true that his parents owned a hunting club involving rich friends and runaway teens, and he was fifteen when that was busted up? (I was reading the panels that SBP was showing during the vid.) I guess the implication is, a lot of possible experience hunting humans. G** damn, the more I hear about this book the more I hate it.
@@StrangeBrainPartsCould it possibly be satire and a stab at the plot armor of Batman and non-super superhero’s in general? Just a guess, haven’t read the original and only read issue one of Reloaded.
When I was much younger I flipped through a copy of Nemesis. It really upset me. Made me weary of creator owned comics for a long while. The bomb laced mask is one thing that I still recall from it, mostly because of the mental image of it going off. As for Millar's best work, in my opinion it would have to be Huck. By a wide margin.
Some of Mark Millar's peak stuff was definitely overhyped. But his more recent stuff like Jupiter's Circle, Huck, and The Magic Order shifted away from all of the edge fests for the better.
I'd also add Starlight, but that one requires one to, at least, be familiar if not straight out fan of Planetary Romance comics like Flash Gordon. Its basically a love letter to such type of story. Its still fairly simple, but in that particular style of story it works in its favor and not against it. And he never has to lie to audience, because there is no twist, its a straightforward old fashioned pulp adventure. I absolutely agree that Nemesis is just dreadful. I like Millar, despite his glaring and obvious flaws, but that particular comic has no redeeming qualities. its just bad.
@@Adsin16 The one thing about Starlight though is it puts front and centre how bad Millar is with names. I don't think he realizes "The Kingfisher" isn't a good pick for your evil Galactic Emperor character.
I haven't read much by Millar, but I do have a lot of love for Superman: Red Son. It's been a few years since I actually read it, but I do remember being astonished at how good it is, which seems unusual for a Mark Millar work.
The funniest thing about Mark Millar is that his huge break-away success that enabled his independent creator-owned status was "Wanted" ; the idea of which came from a joke his older brother played on him as a child. If not for that one prank, the richest man in comics may never have distinguished himself from the pack.
@@yggdrasil2the greatest idea he ever put in a book and he didnt even come up with it, what a knee slapper. tells you everything you need to know about millar.
I have to be in the right mood for Millar but I can’t lie in that I do find enjoyment in his work. Most of it is high concept, brainless fun and sometimes that’s all you really are in the mood for. Sporadic reading is perfect for Millar.
Exactly, I enjoyed Nemesis for the hour of reading I got out of it. It's gory, and stupid but pretty fun. If you're the type of person that finds action gore cool (like me) you'll enjoy it.
“My mission is to get revenge on the cop who got my parents murdered. But thousands of innocent casualties and millions in property destruction is totally cool.”, instantly puts his motivation into doubt.
I think Linkara said it best in his Superman: For The Animals review that Millar is at his best when he’s on a leash or under the right circumstances. Take him off that leash and suddenly he’s writing stories about rich assholes deciding to be horrific supervillains simply because they’re bored(in the case of Nemesis), or dumbasses deciding to become superhero’s, because they’re bored(in the case of Kick-Ass).
This got some anime-like level of logic. That average absurd anime/manga you see at least once a month being released in the flood of the monthly releases. They're super entertaining tho, just turn your brain and enjoy the sheer monkey level of insanity.
Grant Morrison was once asked what would they do if they ever came across Mark Millar. Morrison responded without missing a beat, ""There's a very good chance of running into him, and I hope I'm going 100 miles an hour when it happens." Grant Morrison remains an absolute legend.
Ha ha ha! I'm someone's nemesis. I can accept that. But seriously...I could do much longer videos, but they (obviously) take much longer to produce. Not that analytics guide my choices, but 20 minutes seems to be the longest anyone seems to want to hear me talk about anything. After that there's a severe drop-off. So, that's one reason you don't see hour long documentaries from me.
Man, I really like this video - though I would say that the (circumstantial) evidence that Millar is a bad person is the audience contempt that drips from every page of most of his work.
Agreed. I've enjoyed a few Millar runs down the decades, but as I've grown older, I've come to understand that I've outgrown his style, which is exactly what you've so deftly highlighted. My biggest problem with his writing? Nearly every one of his characters is identical, in word and deed. As for his best work? I'd say either Red Son or Ultimates (1 & 2). These runs have heart, particularly Red Son. Nothing else I've read written by him seems to have any heart whatsoever. Millar is great at big, shaky ideas, mean-spirited assholes, & massive, completely nonsensical spectacle, & he's capable of injecting heart into his work (though he seems to choose not to do so more often than not), but mostly, if you've read one Millar comic, you've read them all.
Honestly, Millar outgrew a few of them himself. His sci-fi stuff like Sharkey the Bounty Hunter might have the dialogue problems, but they're way less pessimistic and violence indulgence. Rumor has it Millar got out of all that because Man of Steel (Snyderverse) shook him out of it.
I understand a lot of the criticism of mark millar but i think he is still great when he controls himself. Superman red son, ultimates 1 + 2, ultimate x men, swamp thing, starlight, huck, superior, and jupiters legacy were all great. Highly recommend.
I remember hearing about how he wrote Huck becayse he was so disgusted by Man of Steel, that he felt compelled to write it to "correct the balance," so to speak. Wild.
Ultimate X-Men is terrible. Nonsensical plot beats, and most of the X-Men act like complete assholes to each other - the X-Men are supposed to be a found family, but in Millar's version they didn't even seem like friends. Plus, there's the part where an adult Wolverine tries to get with a 15 year old Mary Jane, and *does* get with 16 year old Jean Grey. It's just gross.
@@cheloxmv I find it really interesting that the more controversial and/or edgy the writer, the better they seem to be when they are put on a tight leash. Garth Ennis has a deep loathing for basically all things superhero, but his war stories are highly regarded, and I have seen enough people stand by the claim that his good Punisher stories are some of the best of Punisher and of Marvel overall. For Millar, it might actually be camp where he shines the most, getting to be bombastic and over-the-top, but with a tone that keeps him from dirtying the page with his crass storytelling.
I will say I did like the McNiven art. Superman Red Son probably was his best book that I've read. His more recent stuff is decent but he works with really great artist who puts it over the top for sure.
I love your channel so much , i've been suffering the praise of comic bool lovers friends for this guy for decades since Authority was supposed to be the new hot thing and i wanted to trow up reading those cringe inducing embarrassing pages of "adult" comic books , it read as something written by a 14 years old traying to be "punk" or transgressive or edgy , but of course being only hopelessly juvenile - cheers from Buenos Aires.
Wanted has a movie adaptation that is an improvement from the comics. There are some deviations yet there some depth and substance underneath it. The film also added bullet time effects, something out of The Matrix.
Wanted doesn't need a remake that follows the source material more closely. The film was a deviation and an improvement already. Jupiter's Legacy is more like Squadron Supreme, Image Comics Invincible, and Justice League The New Frontier. And there is also The Ambassadors. The latter two are violent, yet hopeful stories of what it means to be a superhero.
To me. Invincible and J. Michael Strasynki's Supreme Power: Both stories have aliens or humanoids, scenes in outer space. Superheroes being recruited by the government or military. In Supreme Power, the Military are the good guys while the Government in that story, are the bad guys. Kind of like the Vultermite Empire from Invincible. The main protagonist of these stories are both named Mark. This version of Hyperion, kind of gives me Omni-Man vibes than Homelander. The two stories also have a virus occurring. In hindsight. They are meant to be homages and embrace the superhero genre as a whole. Not to be a parody of it. Also, when any character dies. Whether it's a hero, villain, or civilian. This is not done for laughs or shock value. It's done as tense and emotional. No plot armor is used. No one is safe from death in these stories. Then, Hyperion becomes a reformed hero much later. Much like Omni-Man did later. Both of these showcase the good and the downsides of being a superhero, consequences, and what it means to be a hero as a whole. And both of the comic stories were both released in 2003. Invincible and Supreme Power are homages to Marvel, DC, and the superhero genre as a deconstruction story. Supreme Power by J. Michael Strasynki, has nothing in common with The Boys. Both of these stories may have later influenced Jupiter's Legacy by Mark Millar. Not an edgy storyline.
Millar is kind of like a guy who seems inspired by much better writers. Like Moore, Morrison, Ennis etc. But he isn't them and it shows. I feel this way about Geoff Johns and Tom King as well I feel like early Spawn was McFarlane showing how much Gaiman meant to him. But he is not Gaiman
Millar comes across like the edgiest of Edge Lords. I made the mistake of looking up the 'Wanted' comic. I've never been so happy to see a movie adaptation that abandoned 99% of its source material.
I completely agree with you about his writing. I did enjoy his Swamp Thing run. I feel like he is writing this stuff and and we are all supposed to lean back and go "that is the coolest thing ever man!"
By the way, I recommend you read "Solitary: A comic book series". But not for your enjoyment, but rather because it's another bad comic book that I think you'd like to diss(ect). Basically, a superhero is wrongly imprisoned for the murder of his family and gets sent to death row, but he can't die, so what follows is 4 issues of torture porn with no actual plot development.
I enjoyed one of his first strips for 2000AD called Silo (two men in a nuclear missile silo, one is possessed and tries to kill the other). It was a pretty standard thriller story done decently. Can't really think of anything else of his that I've read and liked.
Great video - I despise Millar's writing and have for years, but I must admit that he usually has at least one truly interesting idea in every shitty series. But there's nothing he does that Morrison or Bendis didn't do better. IN MY OPINON.
I think that Millar falls in the vein of Frank Miller and Tom King as creators, in the way that they appeal to a certain demographic, and are good in that, but looking closely, you see them evolving, sometimes slowly, for the better of their craft in the medium. They are not perfect, but the cheer amount of work, and good assosiation with artists, gives them and edge, and build great artists in the process. Their mutual legacy is the now legendary artists they gave an opening in the comic industry, and showcased their talent. And for that, I salute them. Saludos desde Panamá.
Well said. My favorite Mark Millar comic book series, by far, is HUCK. It’s the greatest Superman story ever written without Superman in it. A true love letter to the Man of Steel!
Millar is responsible for the worst line of dialogue I've ever read in a comic. In Ultimates issue 2, Nick Fury says to Bruce Banner "the answer to your prayers has just been answered." It doesn't even make sense as a sentence. It should be either "your prayers have just been answered", or "the answer to your prayers has just been found." Absolutely terrible writer.
Personally, I love this comic series. I’d consider it one of my favorites. One of my favorite slabbed comics I have is the Leinil Francis Yu’s issue #1 variant in a 9.6!
Millar writing the early Sonic the Comic explains a lot about the personality changes in it. Honestly a great video talking about how Millar’s indulgent writing style tends to make his work very difficult to enjoy for a good amount of people.
This video sums a lot of my feelings about different creators in comics. I love Liefeld's artwork because it reminds me of my childhood but as an adult it loses it's appeal sometimes. Same with writers like Millar and Morrison. They can craft amazing plots but the dialogue and shock factor is absurd and even laughable. At worst it's just sickening. However, I will always enjoy comics regardless. Also, the biggest Millar-esque shocking reveal for me is that he wrote for the Sonic the Hedgehog comic. 😮😂
Searching the internet a couple of months ago, somebody posted the question of what if Batman was evil on a forum. To which somebody else answered " Matt Wagner's Grendel". Which is not only a reasonable answer, but also a more enjoyable read compared to what I saw on this video.
I’ve never really like Millar’s work. You’re right he is very Michael Bay all style no substance. I will give him one star for casting Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury long before the MCU started.
my impression of Millar's works are that he takes the standard characters and superhero powers...Superman, Flash, time travel, you name it, but takes these old tropes and just plays with them in ridiculous, extreme ways. I'm amused by this...and entertained.
I gotta say, I agree with almost everything, but something about the criticism smacks of sour grapes. First off, not everything has to be super intellectual to be good or worth watching/reading. Second, there is no reason for a writer to "show" everything. How would the story be improved by showing how he was able to get from the wing of the plane to the cockpit? If the same thing happened in a Batman comic, I guarantee no one would question it. It's still a bunch of edgelord bullshit though.
Millar Is a good ideas guy his concepts are great but my god his writing is not not good, like I bought king of spies on a whim for 4 pounds on eBay and the concept was great “Pierce Brosnan Bond on a last mission” the execution was horrific
Yeah I use to like a lot of Millar work, but really dropped off hard after a while. I think the last good thing he wrote was "Starlight" with Goran Parlov. Mostly because it didn't feel like it had to be edgy and extrema with all this dark content. Plus Goran Parlov art really did a lot for it as well in my opinion.
You're quite right, Mr. Millar could have an ordinary, quick, and relatively painless demise. Thanks for really lending me such great perspective I had never considered before. I just never though about him just dying in a nice way so that he never polluted another comic again. Usually I envisioned shark tanks, old fashioned 4 horse quartering, or some sort of slow, but very painful acid. Once I thought about a fat guy eating him, then some guy eating the fat guy, but I dismissed that since I'm not a hack. You truly are the Gandhi of the TH-cam comics scene with your message of Millar just dying peacefully. I'm so glad I exactly understood the intent of this video within the first 50 seconds of viewing so I could leave this enlightened bit of engagement for the algorithm. I bet the TH-cam algorithm does love reading Millar's comics in its spare time when it isn't demonetizing small creators videos for no reason or boosting the worst humans available.
5:52 I would argue that Christopher Nolan's movies are largely this way, too. The plots are overly complicated and he substitutes big words for actual intelligence. His movies fall apart with surface level critique, like Millar's work. I'd say Millar and Nolan are a better comparison than Millar and Bay. They need you to know, "they are very big brain."
Civil War is the best Millar work, has strong political tones, a nice history and tons of cool action. I do like his work in Marvel for the most part, like Ultimates. Apart from that his own original comics aren't that good tho.
I disagree that millars work is yypical blockbuster spectacle.. even the Bayest Blockbusters have threads that logically piece together.. shit doenst just HAPPEN because reasons.. theres a reason.. but lets make it look as inhumanly kewl as possible Whereas in millarworld the writing doesnt ecen connect on a basoc level With nemesis he just sold everyone a half assed elevator pitch that didnt make it past the second draft,
"Tell don't show" Is the rule of thumb for Nolan movies. Characters literally stand in place explaining the movie to ppl. TDK was a dumb horror move. Where everyone is stupid and incompetent. So the Killer clown can keep killing people. Agree that Millar is a horrib;e writer. But yeah...
Millar's comics are fast, fun and high energy. I love that he keeps his concepts simple and his story beats moving. He, unlike many creators today, actually enjoys comics. You have some valid criticisms here. I'd add that he also relies on deus ex machina moments way too much. Since you mentioned it, I'd love to see your breakdown of Insufferable one day...
Are you going to review yl😢he sequel, SBP? Also, "unalive" still sounds awkward. What about "delete" or simply "end" as a synonym? Anyways, thank you for everything
I feel like Mark Millar's critics seem to not understand his dark satire and, and instead, take everything he writes at face value (which is juvenile and often ridiculous on purpose).
Nemesis is the type of book where I’m not proud that I like it, but I’m not proud enough to not admit that I like it. The thing is: comic books are like food. Sometimes, I don’t want to have chicken cordon bleu with scalloped potatoes. Sometimes, I want a bacon cheeseburger with a slice of birthday cake. I just want stupid, loud escapism fun, and while there are scenes that even I think was a little much (forced incest pregnancy, wtf?) overall, Nemesis is that book. That being said, Nemesis isn’t the hill I’m willing to die on. I absolutely understand and respect why people hate this book, I’m just not one of them. As for Millar’s best work, Old Man Logan. Easily.
Which used elements of wanted just like marvel's maximum security storyline was a variation of Kurt busiek's serphilm storyline from his creator-owned liberty project.....
Yeah, I'm pretty sure this book was meant to be a parody on the way annoying Batman fans percieve the character and applying that BS perception to a villain. I don't wanna defend a book I genuinely don't like, but I can tell most people misse dthe forest for the trees with this comic.
0:58 ah yes, fairly lovely person who wished death on everyone involved with BvS. Then instantly blocks on the very same app if you as much as say "you are wrong" to him or "I didn't like x or y".
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I'll like your take on supergod of Warren Ellis
I'll have to pull it out and refresh my memory. I've not read it since it came out and, honestly, I don't remember the story at all.
@@StrangeBrainParts you have just won a new suscriber
Awesome! Thank you very much. I appreciate the subscription!
@@StrangeBrainParts Hello. I'm late, I guess, but I really hope you read the comment I just left. It's a little contrary, but overall I don't disagree with your criticism of Millar. Since I'm making this request, I'll subscribe as a courtesy. And because you make good content! ;D
The saddest part is the idea of some genius super villain plotting for rich guys to live out their fantasy’s is actually a pretty cool idea if it was actually well written and put together
There really are companies that create fantasy adventures for the children of rich billionaires. The one I heard about was a pirate adventure that involved hundreds of costumed extras, a real sailing ship, and actual treasure. It's like stepping into a movie or game for a few days and being the hero of a story written just for you.
That's the plot of Venture Bros kind of.
this is the plot of cat man.
I loved it
I once heard a Podcats describing Millar as the "King of comics for 13 year olds". Not a catchy title, but true nonetheless.
Lindsay Ellis described him as, "Patron Saint of Angry thirteen year olds."
It's not far off of the mark. Millar always struck me as a talented writer that keeps his fanbase on the cape farm so to speak. But never let's the audience now that if they truly wanted more adult books there's other genre works in comics to read. But I won't deny one thing Millar is very good at giving his stories a strong 90's cinematic vibe which might also explain why his work was always more adaptable to film and television.
@@Plxlinixy I think Matthew Vaughn should adapt anything Millar-related. The Secret Service and Kick-Ass are, to me, pretty terrible comics but their film versions are extraordinary and some of my favorites action movies. I almost (almost) feel bad that they couldn´t make that Superman movie.
@@Plxlinixy I've always enjoyed the way he reinterprets different characters or pieces of canon. But, I'm also a sucker for fan service, lol 🤷🏻♂️
He's written some decent stories from time to time, but a lot of his work is what you have described.
Bruh i read this when i was like 17 (im 27 now) but ever since then I have not stopped thinking about how much I don’t like this story im so happy to find out im not alone 😂😂😂😂😂
Hahahaha😂😂😂 no at All
The biggest problem with Nemesis as a character is that he's like Batman but not the competently written Batman, he's like the B.S. "can do anything and its prepared for every situation" Batman people despice. That's a big problem with Miller, he has cool ideas, but more often than not he excecutes them in the laziest way possible (I think his original pitch was "what if the Joker was Bruce Wayne", and that's a great idea; someone with the resources and the skillset of Batman but who uses them to cause death and chaos... instead we got "what if the BecauseI'mBatman joke from HISHE was the only explanation behind a crime spree")
Batgod, as that type of character is sometimes called.
I remember a signature from the old Newsarama forums that went something like this:
Ozymandias- I did it 35 minutes ago.
Batman- I figured out your plan an hour ago and stopped it.
Black Panther- I figured out both your plans last night.
"What if the Joker was Batman" is such a good idea that it outdates Batman himself. That's basically Fantomas. The difference being Fantomas is legitimately cool and only had the same amount of bullshit and plot magic on his side that you'd find in the average pulp villain.
"What if the Joker was Bruce Wayne"
I mean Patrick Bateman comes close
@@redjirachi1that loser bateman? are you serious? guys a dork.
I met Mark a few years back at Jetpack Comics and he was nice as can be buying everyone non-stop Guinness. He also let us know the upcoming 2015 Fantastic Four movie was as horrendous as the trailers looked.
He's s hack of a slack off writer
@@notmyname5591 he is a racist pos first shtt writer second
I read this when I was in my early twenties when I was going through a highly nihilistic phase in my life. And even then I thought "f'ck this comic!"
glad to hear that! lol
@TheBeird
I actually think I *_may_* have seen a panel or two of this when I was a kid... And is was shtick like this that pushed me away from everything from Invincible to Rick & Morty to basically everything above or oftentimes _even _*_including_* PG-13/TV-14. Because it legitimately pissed me off that someone would find even a cathartic trade-off of defeating someone that terrible would be worth the horribleness and, therefore, entertaining...
I've backslide _quite_ a bit from that now. I'm a fan of Invincible, for instance. Somewhat of a Rick & Morty fan, and a fan of quite a few decently dark movies and animes. But yeah... this? No.
There was an era I thought I like Millar's comics, but I slowly realized I like the artists he worked with. This made me realize what his actual talent is: giving artist the freedom to make some of their best work, and trying to come up with setups that will look cool when drawn. His words are pretty much irrelevant, and upon any kind of examination utter trash.
I remember I got an issue of Nemesis (I gave up before finishing) that had some script pages in the back. For a sequence of Nemesis fighting cops it basically said 'take a couple pages and go nuts, draw a brutal fight scene'. And that part was the best part of the book.
It's absurd how many good artists Millar has worked with: Frank Quietly, Sean Murphy, JR JR, so so so many good artists on just nothing scritps
I used to be a Warren Ellis fan . . . who am I kidding, I still love Planetary. Ellis wrote 12 issues of The Authority, and it was a book worthy of comparison to Grant Morrison's work on JLA. Then he handed the book off to Mark Millar. Instantly, the once-interesting heroes became elitist jerks who cursed and said edgy stuff just to be edgy, and the villains became edgy maniacs with senseless schemes and motivations. So for me, Mark Millar is the man who destroyed one of the best superhero comics of the time through bad writing, and that says it all.
@@SingularityOrbit Another Millar advantage: he has the coolest friends in the industry, and gets access to amazing projects clearly out of his league.
@@SingularityOrbitI fucking loved those first 12 issues too!😅
@SingularityOrbit Warren Ellis and Mark Miller are too different sides.
Ellis is a cynic who just doesn't like superheroes because they took over the medium.
Miller comes across as just an edgy dude who really doesn't lole Superheroes, except Superman
I think I've completely misremembered this.
I thought that the satire was based around the idea that Nemesis was using his money to pretend to be a superhero for his own amusement and that he'd deliberately escalate conflicts by designating petty criminals as his supervillains by manipulating them into committing an elaborate heist in order to give him a plausible reason to get involved.
I feel like my version may have been a bit better.
How is that satire?
Honestly thats not a bad idea
Like the main characters would be the heisters and to get the audience to sympathize with them is that they have no other choice and are in desperate need of money for various reasons: Bills, Medical expenses, living costs, etc.
Heck I wont even be mad if the ending has Nemesis swoop in and kill them all one by one and the story ends with Nemesis hailed as a hero while the poor heisters die broken and full of regret.
Sure depressing as hell but makes for a better story than what Mark Edgelord Millar would write
@@slayer45670 It's a criticism that's been thrown at Batman a few times recently; he's a rich douche-bag that could probably fix a lot of problems with his money but instead chooses to dress up as a giant bat and beat the shit out of petty criminals. It's just taking that to the extreme.
mark millar: "The Boys wasn't edgy enough. THIS NEEDS MORE EDGE!!"
What’s so edgy about nemesis apart from the abortion bomb?
@@JackSann his entire being is drenched in a 12 year old's teenage angst, what do you mean what else?
@@frecklenuckle4450 when I read it, I thought that's a pretty uneventful comic, it's just a batman stand-in violently beating up people. It didn't feel extreme or angsty to me
@@JackSannagree 100%
it's really not that bad
IM EDGING!!!!
Millar forgot something obvious about superhero comics. You quoted him early in the video, saying he wanted to write a comic about a villain. Well, the key to making superhero stories interesting is that the hero has to be challenged and struggle to overcome obstacles. That's how stories about Firestorm, Green Lantern, even Superman work: the writer creates a challenge the protagonist can't simply "power" away. Nemesis is stupid and poorly plotted, yes, but worst of all is Millar's unwillingness to show how his villainous protagonist faces challenges in his schemes. Even getting beaten up or caught by police is "all according to plan." He's Batman, plus the Clock King, plus only the non-detrimental parts of the Joker, minus any comprehensible motivation. Nemesis is just a plot device wrapped in white Spandex, not a hero, a villain, or even a functional protagonist.
Millar's a hack.
Nemesis is a rich billionaire who fuvks with people for fun I thought that was obvious from the ending.
The books "protagonist" is not nemesis it's the cop. Everything that happens happens to the cop and it's up to the cop to stop the big threat " Nemesis". It's Jim Gordon vs the Batman who laughs. Before that was even a concept.
In fact nemesis is less a character or human being that he is , like the joker, a force of nature acting against humanity for the sake of it. In a way nemesis I the negative aspects of fate and destiny itself.
@@abloshow91 The lesson being that the same aspects of bad Joker stories that people hate (Joker being a pointlessly cruel monster with the power of the writer backing him up), when applied to a new villain, produce yet another story people hate.
@@SingularityOrbit yeah a lot of people forget that the killing joke is (or was) one of the Joker's most popular and loved steries is precisely because it humanized him, same with the movie joker
@@ironmaster6496 It was one of the few stories where Batman's "you need help, let me help you" motivation made sense. Most of the time Joker is either a heartless jerk endangering people because it amuses him, or he's a weird, strangely unkillable serial killer who needs to be treated like a demon instead of a person. "The Killing Joke" pulled off a reveal worth remembering: Joker's demented, but there are flashes of the truth in his mind, which means there's a chance of returning him to sanity some day -- especially in a world of miracle drugs, telepaths, and more.
Mark Millar's biggest problem is that he doesn't write comics, he writes illustrated pitches that he can sell to movie studios.
It's something I find kind of insulting because it feeds into the idea that comics are inherently a lower medium that exists to provide IP for movies or tv rather than an entirely different, equally valid medium.
So, he was a trendsetter in that regard?
Mark Millar is a rare example of all the adaptations of his work being better than the source material because they keep the fun energy but dial back on the edgelord cringiness.
Interesting...
I can agree with this.
@@rayvenkman2087 your conclusion did not logically follow from his statement. Nowhere did he even imply that Millar was the first to do so.
Even for mark millar standards this one is really bad.
Wait so if this "Nemesis" was just a random rich guy than how tf did he kill 97 armed prison guards?
I both hate and love that you asked this question because it made me think about that. So is it true that his parents owned a hunting club involving rich friends and runaway teens, and he was fifteen when that was busted up? (I was reading the panels that SBP was showing during the vid.) I guess the implication is, a lot of possible experience hunting humans.
G** damn, the more I hear about this book the more I hate it.
See, that's the kind of question that comes up. How did a random, bored rich guy suddenly have the skills to take out 97 guards in riot gear?
@@StrangeBrainParts ya it's pretty stupid although I will say the art in Nemesis Reloaded is A+
I can agree with that, for sure.
@@StrangeBrainPartsCould it possibly be satire and a stab at the plot armor of Batman and non-super superhero’s in general? Just a guess, haven’t read the original and only read issue one of Reloaded.
I'm just happy someone created an evil Batman that is not DC-related and got away with it. It kind of inspires me to try and create my own things.
"Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?"
A quote from a decent fellow.....quite popular, with contempt for the audience who "consume" his material.
I avoided quoting John Lydon for, like, the fifth or sixth time. :)
When I was much younger I flipped through a copy of Nemesis. It really upset me. Made me weary of creator owned comics for a long while. The bomb laced mask is one thing that I still recall from it, mostly because of the mental image of it going off.
As for Millar's best work, in my opinion it would have to be Huck. By a wide margin.
Some of Mark Millar's peak stuff was definitely overhyped. But his more recent stuff like Jupiter's Circle, Huck, and The Magic Order shifted away from all of the edge fests for the better.
Can you make a top of that 3 comics? which like you more?
I'll have to check those out. Thank you for the suggestions!
@@Renedoc82 Huck is definitely on top, then Jupiter's Circle, but Magic Order is something that isn't finished yet, so nothing for sure.
I'd also add Starlight, but that one requires one to, at least, be familiar if not straight out fan of Planetary Romance comics like Flash Gordon.
Its basically a love letter to such type of story.
Its still fairly simple, but in that particular style of story it works in its favor and not against it. And he never has to lie to audience, because there is no twist, its a straightforward old fashioned pulp adventure.
I absolutely agree that Nemesis is just dreadful. I like Millar, despite his glaring and obvious flaws, but that particular comic has no redeeming qualities. its just bad.
@@Adsin16 The one thing about Starlight though is it puts front and centre how bad Millar is with names. I don't think he realizes "The Kingfisher" isn't a good pick for your evil Galactic Emperor character.
Its wild how much nemesis reloaded shows how Mark hasn't changed his style for better or worse
I haven't read much by Millar, but I do have a lot of love for Superman: Red Son. It's been a few years since I actually read it, but I do remember being astonished at how good it is, which seems unusual for a Mark Millar work.
I wonder if grant Morrison ghostwrote some of that tbh.
The funniest thing about Mark Millar is that his huge break-away success that enabled his independent creator-owned status was "Wanted" ; the idea of which came from a joke his older brother played on him as a child.
If not for that one prank, the richest man in comics may never have distinguished himself from the pack.
Cream always rises to the top.
What was the joke
@@o-wolf That the reason there were no superheroes IRL, was that they had perished in a war with their villains.
@@yggdrasil2the greatest idea he ever put in a book and he didnt even come up with it, what a knee slapper. tells you everything you need to know about millar.
I have to be in the right mood for Millar but I can’t lie in that I do find enjoyment in his work. Most of it is high concept, brainless fun and sometimes that’s all you really are in the mood for. Sporadic reading is perfect for Millar.
Exactly, I enjoyed Nemesis for the hour of reading I got out of it. It's gory, and stupid but pretty fun. If you're the type of person that finds action gore cool (like me) you'll enjoy it.
@@sponge260imagine spending an HOUR "reading" Nemesis?? Jesus H Christ on a crutch 💀
“My mission is to get revenge on the cop who got my parents murdered. But thousands of innocent casualties and millions in property destruction is totally cool.”, instantly puts his motivation into doubt.
I think Linkara said it best in his Superman: For The Animals review that Millar is at his best when he’s on a leash or under the right circumstances. Take him off that leash and suddenly he’s writing stories about rich assholes deciding to be horrific supervillains simply because they’re bored(in the case of Nemesis), or dumbasses deciding to become superhero’s, because they’re bored(in the case of Kick-Ass).
I remember when Joe Carnahan was going to adapt this to film. I was curious how much he would have to change in order to make it good.
My favorite Millar comic is Huck, it's the complete opposite of books like Nemesis. I'd highly recommend it.
Starlight is excellent as well. I love how Huck came from Millar rejecting Snyder's Superman.
I will take a look at it. Thanks for the suggestion!
Indeed starlight and huck are the only Millar stuff I've genuinely enjoyed
This got some anime-like level of logic. That average absurd anime/manga you see at least once a month being released in the flood of the monthly releases. They're super entertaining tho, just turn your brain and enjoy the sheer monkey level of insanity.
Grant Morrison was once asked what would they do if they ever came across Mark Millar.
Morrison responded without missing a beat, ""There's a very good chance of running into him, and I hope I'm going 100 miles an hour when it happens."
Grant Morrison remains an absolute legend.
I think you could get massive views if you did a longer film essay style videos like Owen Likes Comics, Alex Lennen or Matt Draper
Uhh...I've done a few dozen of those.
@StrangeBrainParts now you're my nemesis
But I meant like hour-hour and half documentaries
Careful that could cause burnout, Draper stopped doing any comic videos that weren't Daredevil cause of that.
Ha ha ha! I'm someone's nemesis. I can accept that. But seriously...I could do much longer videos, but they (obviously) take much longer to produce. Not that analytics guide my choices, but 20 minutes seems to be the longest anyone seems to want to hear me talk about anything. After that there's a severe drop-off. So, that's one reason you don't see hour long documentaries from me.
His podcast is pretty great. Finally got to see some interviews with some of my favorite artists like Jorge Jimenez and Pepe larraz
I was a piece of garbage in the early 2000s. I was a teenager who loved 2000s edge lord comics and even I hated this book
Man, I really like this video - though I would say that the (circumstantial) evidence that Millar is a bad person is the audience contempt that drips from every page of most of his work.
I don’t think that contempt is intentional I’ve seen him he seems nice
Agreed.
I've enjoyed a few Millar runs down the decades, but as I've grown older, I've come to understand that I've outgrown his style, which is exactly what you've so deftly highlighted.
My biggest problem with his writing? Nearly every one of his characters is identical, in word and deed.
As for his best work? I'd say either Red Son or Ultimates (1 & 2). These runs have heart, particularly Red Son. Nothing else I've read written by him seems to have any heart whatsoever. Millar is great at big, shaky ideas, mean-spirited assholes, & massive, completely nonsensical spectacle, & he's capable of injecting heart into his work (though he seems to choose not to do so more often than not), but mostly, if you've read one Millar comic, you've read them all.
Only the first two Ultimates? What about Ultimates 3? Surely that's just as good, how could it fumble the bag??? 😃
Honestly, Millar outgrew a few of them himself. His sci-fi stuff like Sharkey the Bounty Hunter might have the dialogue problems, but they're way less pessimistic and violence indulgence. Rumor has it Millar got out of all that because Man of Steel (Snyderverse) shook him out of it.
@@TECH097not by Millar and it's trash Imo.
I understand a lot of the criticism of mark millar but i think he is still great when he controls himself. Superman red son, ultimates 1 + 2, ultimate x men, swamp thing, starlight, huck, superior, and jupiters legacy were all great. Highly recommend.
I remember hearing about how he wrote Huck becayse he was so disgusted by Man of Steel, that he felt compelled to write it to "correct the balance," so to speak. Wild.
Ultimate X-Men was awful at times and really weird at other times
His Ultimate stuff was just like Nemesis tho. Him writing Superman or Superman-like characters Is where he truly shines.
Ultimate X-Men is terrible. Nonsensical plot beats, and most of the X-Men act like complete assholes to each other - the X-Men are supposed to be a found family, but in Millar's version they didn't even seem like friends.
Plus, there's the part where an adult Wolverine tries to get with a 15 year old Mary Jane, and *does* get with 16 year old Jean Grey. It's just gross.
@@cheloxmv I find it really interesting that the more controversial and/or edgy the writer, the better they seem to be when they are put on a tight leash. Garth Ennis has a deep loathing for basically all things superhero, but his war stories are highly regarded, and I have seen enough people stand by the claim that his good Punisher stories are some of the best of Punisher and of Marvel overall. For Millar, it might actually be camp where he shines the most, getting to be bombastic and over-the-top, but with a tone that keeps him from dirtying the page with his crass storytelling.
I will say I did like the McNiven art. Superman Red Son probably was his best book that I've read. His more recent stuff is decent but he works with really great artist who puts it over the top for sure.
I love your channel so much , i've been suffering the praise of comic bool lovers friends for this guy for decades since Authority was supposed to be the new hot thing and i wanted to trow up reading those cringe inducing embarrassing pages of "adult" comic books , it read as something written by a 14 years old traying to be "punk" or transgressive or edgy , but of course being only hopelessly juvenile - cheers from Buenos Aires.
If they ever do an animated project that has nemesis in it I think nemesis should be played by the lego batman voice actor Will Arnett
It is not a new villain, it is just a Jonkler in a Man's suit.
“Crime is awesome and so am I.”
Ugh.
Wanted has a movie adaptation that is an improvement from the comics. There are some deviations yet there some depth and substance underneath it. The film also added bullet time effects, something out of The Matrix.
Wanted doesn't need a remake that follows the source material more closely. The film was a deviation and an improvement already. Jupiter's Legacy is more like Squadron Supreme, Image Comics Invincible, and Justice League The New Frontier. And there is also The Ambassadors. The latter two are violent, yet hopeful stories of what it means to be a superhero.
To me. Invincible and J. Michael Strasynki's Supreme Power: Both stories have aliens or humanoids, scenes in outer space. Superheroes being recruited by the government or military. In Supreme Power, the Military are the good guys while the Government in that story, are the bad guys. Kind of like the Vultermite Empire from Invincible. The main protagonist of these stories are both named Mark. This version of Hyperion, kind of gives me Omni-Man vibes than Homelander. The two stories also have a virus occurring. In hindsight. They are meant to be homages and embrace the superhero genre as a whole. Not to be a parody of it. Also, when any character dies. Whether it's a hero, villain, or civilian. This is not done for laughs or shock value. It's done as tense and emotional. No plot armor is used. No one is safe from death in these stories. Then, Hyperion becomes a reformed hero much later. Much like Omni-Man did later. Both of these showcase the good and the downsides of being a superhero, consequences, and what it means to be a hero as a whole. And both of the comic stories were both released in 2003. Invincible and Supreme Power are homages to Marvel, DC, and the superhero genre as a deconstruction story. Supreme Power by J. Michael Strasynki, has nothing in common with The Boys. Both of these stories may have later influenced Jupiter's Legacy by Mark Millar. Not an edgy storyline.
Millar is kind of like a guy who seems inspired by much better writers. Like Moore, Morrison, Ennis etc. But he isn't them and it shows. I feel this way about Geoff Johns and Tom King as well
I feel like early Spawn was McFarlane showing how much Gaiman meant to him. But he is not Gaiman
Millar comes across like the edgiest of Edge Lords. I made the mistake of looking up the 'Wanted' comic. I've never been so happy to see a movie adaptation that abandoned 99% of its source material.
It speaks volumes that every successful adaptation of a Millar work abandons so much of Millar's work.
I respect your candor. I feel you're maybe 80% spot on but maybe 20% ignoring what's actually good about it
So much edge you’ll get a paper cut turning the page
I completely agree with you about his writing. I did enjoy his Swamp Thing run. I feel like he is writing this stuff and and we are all supposed to lean back and go "that is the coolest thing ever man!"
pairing this video with the one from mullet-man comics is so funny
Mark “Conveniently” Millar
By the way, I recommend you read "Solitary: A comic book series". But not for your enjoyment, but rather because it's another bad comic book that I think you'd like to diss(ect). Basically, a superhero is wrongly imprisoned for the murder of his family and gets sent to death row, but he can't die, so what follows is 4 issues of torture porn with no actual plot development.
That sounds fucking horrible
I enjoyed one of his first strips for 2000AD called Silo (two men in a nuclear missile silo, one is possessed and tries to kill the other). It was a pretty standard thriller story done decently. Can't really think of anything else of his that I've read and liked.
Good call!
Loved that story. The art was really cool. Dave D'antiquis I think.
@@itswilbur3747 yeah, that's right
@@KitchenSinkSoup Really liked his work. Brigand Doom was cool.
Seems to have disappeared off the comics scene shortly after that
I have to look that up and find it if I can. Thank you for the suggestion.
Great video - I despise Millar's writing and have for years, but I must admit that he usually has at least one truly interesting idea in every shitty series. But there's nothing he does that Morrison or Bendis didn't do better. IN MY OPINON.
I think that Millar falls in the vein of Frank Miller and Tom King as creators, in the way that they appeal to a certain demographic, and are good in that, but looking closely, you see them evolving, sometimes slowly, for the better of their craft in the medium. They are not perfect, but the cheer amount of work, and good assosiation with artists, gives them and edge, and build great artists in the process. Their mutual legacy is the now legendary artists they gave an opening in the comic industry, and showcased their talent. And for that, I salute them. Saludos desde Panamá.
what those three have in common is a they are bigoted white supremacists who promote violence to maintain white run by force.
Well said. My favorite Mark Millar comic book series, by far, is HUCK. It’s the greatest Superman story ever written without Superman in it. A true love letter to the Man of Steel!
2:59 Nemesis including "Flatline still counts" to make SURE they can't fontest that he achieved his goap is hilarious to me.
Millar is responsible for the worst line of dialogue I've ever read in a comic. In Ultimates issue 2, Nick Fury says to Bruce Banner "the answer to your prayers has just been answered."
It doesn't even make sense as a sentence. It should be either "your prayers have just been answered", or "the answer to your prayers has just been found."
Absolutely terrible writer.
He does have a thing for some bad dialogue and a lot of non-sequiturs.
Personally, I love this comic series. I’d consider it one of my favorites. One of my favorite slabbed comics I have is the Leinil Francis Yu’s issue #1 variant in a 9.6!
My personal favourite Millar comic is probably Empress.
Millar writing the early Sonic the Comic explains a lot about the personality changes in it.
Honestly a great video talking about how Millar’s indulgent writing style tends to make his work very difficult to enjoy for a good amount of people.
fleetway sonic is pretty enjoyable though, better then a lot of ken penders work on the archie series
The concept of Nemesis always made no sense to me. Killing cops just for the sake of killing them doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
This video sums a lot of my feelings about different creators in comics. I love Liefeld's artwork because it reminds me of my childhood but as an adult it loses it's appeal sometimes. Same with writers like Millar and Morrison. They can craft amazing plots but the dialogue and shock factor is absurd and even laughable. At worst it's just sickening. However, I will always enjoy comics regardless.
Also, the biggest Millar-esque shocking reveal for me is that he wrote for the Sonic the Hedgehog comic. 😮😂
I had to include that Sonic bit. :)
Searching the internet a couple of months ago, somebody posted the question of what if Batman was evil on a forum. To which somebody else answered " Matt Wagner's Grendel". Which is not only a reasonable answer, but also a more enjoyable read compared to what I saw on this video.
Strange Brain Parts: Nemesis is just standing there...CONVENIENTLY!
I’m still waiting for a Millar/Liefeld team up for me to ignore 2 squared.
Edgelord Morrison's son, Mark Millar everybody!
“Conveniently”
I heard that Millar wrote comic book Huck because Man of steel (2011 was too violent. The same Millar who wrote Nemesis and Wanted.
@StrangeBrainParts after Big Game wraps up, we could see an Intercompany crossover between Mark Millar’s Nemesis & Batman.
Mark Millard’s Nemesis was a fun edgy romp
I’ve never really like Millar’s work. You’re right he is very Michael Bay all style no substance. I will give him one star for casting Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury long before the MCU started.
my impression of Millar's works are that he takes the standard characters and superhero powers...Superman, Flash, time travel, you name it, but takes these old tropes and just plays with them in ridiculous, extreme ways. I'm amused by this...and entertained.
I gotta say, I agree with almost everything, but something about the criticism smacks of sour grapes. First off, not everything has to be super intellectual to be good or worth watching/reading. Second, there is no reason for a writer to "show" everything. How would the story be improved by showing how he was able to get from the wing of the plane to the cockpit? If the same thing happened in a Batman comic, I guarantee no one would question it. It's still a bunch of edgelord bullshit though.
Millar Is a good ideas guy his concepts are great but my god his writing is not not good, like I bought king of spies on a whim for 4 pounds on eBay and the concept was great “Pierce Brosnan Bond on a last mission” the execution was horrific
Apply this level of criticism to Tom King I dare you.
Yeah I use to like a lot of Millar work, but really dropped off hard after a while.
I think the last good thing he wrote was "Starlight" with Goran Parlov. Mostly because it didn't feel like it had to be edgy and extrema with all this dark content. Plus Goran Parlov art really did a lot for it as well in my opinion.
You're quite right, Mr. Millar could have an ordinary, quick, and relatively painless demise. Thanks for really lending me such great perspective I had never considered before. I just never though about him just dying in a nice way so that he never polluted another comic again. Usually I envisioned shark tanks, old fashioned 4 horse quartering, or some sort of slow, but very painful acid. Once I thought about a fat guy eating him, then some guy eating the fat guy, but I dismissed that since I'm not a hack.
You truly are the Gandhi of the TH-cam comics scene with your message of Millar just dying peacefully.
I'm so glad I exactly understood the intent of this video within the first 50 seconds of viewing so I could leave this enlightened bit of engagement for the algorithm.
I bet the TH-cam algorithm does love reading Millar's comics in its spare time when it isn't demonetizing small creators videos for no reason or boosting the worst humans available.
5:52 I would argue that Christopher Nolan's movies are largely this way, too. The plots are overly complicated and he substitutes big words for actual intelligence. His movies fall apart with surface level critique, like Millar's work. I'd say Millar and Nolan are a better comparison than Millar and Bay. They need you to know, "they are very big brain."
I’m seeing a lot of mentions of Super Man Red Son. I just learned the story idea was stolen from a John Varley story.
I particularly enjoyed his Authority run, and Jupiters Legacy.
I heard that the Nemesis comic pages are made extra glossy and sharp so you can’t help but cut yourself on the EDGE!
Civil War is the best Millar work, has strong political tones, a nice history and tons of cool action. I do like his work in Marvel for the most part, like Ultimates. Apart from that his own original comics aren't that good tho.
Wow, and I thought Frank Miller’s takes on Batman were insane. They still are, but Mark Millar’s Not Batman is an easy close second.
I've heard Morrison wrote the mini series Happy! as a jab towards Millar.
I disagree that millars work is yypical blockbuster spectacle.. even the Bayest Blockbusters have threads that logically piece together.. shit doenst just HAPPEN because reasons.. theres a reason.. but lets make it look as inhumanly kewl as possible
Whereas in millarworld the writing doesnt ecen connect on a basoc level
With nemesis he just sold everyone a half assed elevator pitch that didnt make it past the second draft,
Honestly well done for pronouncing Millar correctly.
I’ve never heard a single non-Scottish person get this right, they all say “Mil-Lar”
This is the most nihilistic comic book I own. Great idea, good art, terrible writing imo.
I've read this on 4chan during it's storytime of pain.
"Tell don't show" Is the rule of thumb for Nolan movies. Characters literally stand in place explaining the movie to ppl. TDK was a dumb horror move. Where everyone is stupid and incompetent. So the Killer clown can keep killing people. Agree that Millar is a horrib;e writer. But yeah...
I think Mark Millar’s best work is the Kick-Ass trilogy
It has its flaws but it’s him actually caring enough to explore the characters
Millar's comics are fast, fun and high energy. I love that he keeps his concepts simple and his story beats moving. He, unlike many creators today, actually enjoys comics.
You have some valid criticisms here. I'd add that he also relies on deus ex machina moments way too much.
Since you mentioned it, I'd love to see your breakdown of Insufferable one day...
I might do that. It's something I've set aside time to read, since it looks a bit interesting.
@@StrangeBrainParts Mark Waid's push into digital comics with Thrillbent was about the closest I've ever come to being interested in that platform.
Gonna give it this (and only this)-still better Batman if he was a Joker personality-wise, than the other guy.
The only reason I ever remember this comic exists is that every now and then someone posts the baby bomb page
i remember reading this for the first time and was so confused
thought i missed an issue or something
Wait, Mark, Millar wrote one of the first iusses of fleetway's version of Sonic the hedgehog.😮
Are you going to review yl😢he sequel, SBP? Also, "unalive" still sounds awkward. What about "delete" or simply "end" as a synonym? Anyways, thank you for everything
Well, not all writers can be geniuses like Tini Howard or Zeb Wells.
I feel like Mark Millar's critics seem to not understand his dark satire and, and instead, take everything he writes at face value (which is juvenile and often ridiculous on purpose).
I always thought Millar was insulting my intelligence when I was 12... Now they make movies of it.
Nemesis is the type of book where I’m not proud that I like it, but I’m not proud enough to not admit that I like it.
The thing is: comic books are like food. Sometimes, I don’t want to have chicken cordon bleu with scalloped potatoes. Sometimes, I want a bacon cheeseburger with a slice of birthday cake. I just want stupid, loud escapism fun, and while there are scenes that even I think was a little much (forced incest pregnancy, wtf?) overall, Nemesis is that book.
That being said, Nemesis isn’t the hill I’m willing to die on. I absolutely understand and respect why people hate this book, I’m just not one of them.
As for Millar’s best work, Old Man Logan. Easily.
As I said in the video...like what you like! Who cares what I think? I'm certainly not going to shame you for your tastes. :)
Which used elements of wanted just like marvel's maximum security storyline was a variation of Kurt busiek's serphilm storyline from his creator-owned liberty project.....
He tried to warn us with Wanted.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure this book was meant to be a parody on the way annoying Batman fans percieve the character and applying that BS perception to a villain. I don't wanna defend a book I genuinely don't like, but I can tell most people misse dthe forest for the trees with this comic.
0:58 ah yes, fairly lovely person who wished death on everyone involved with BvS. Then instantly blocks on the very same app if you as much as say "you are wrong" to him or "I didn't like x or y".