King basically said that the reason soldiers take their lives is “toxic masculinity” That the only problem that soldier had was that he was convinced being “beaten by a girl” was the worst thing ever. Will someone please force him to go to therapy already so he can deal with whatever issue he has and stop spewing it into all the comics he writes? Or if he insists on doing that, make him create his own damn characters? Reminder: Tom King is in the story group for Gunn’s DC movies. I don’t have high hopes
Yeah, it's the most stupidiest shit ever!! I know a military veteran and he can give two shits about his masculinity and his wife is a bit masculine for her personailty and I don't think that gives him a sense of insecurity whatsoever. I really hate how Tom King lets wokeism warp his mind.
Co-worker of mine was an Army vet that served in Afghanistan. He took his life in early November. Folks, if you need help, ask. Your life is worth more than your death.
I'm 100% anti-military industrial complex, but I 100% agree with you, and Bill Ward of the mighty BLACK SABBATH said it best when he was losing it upstairs after years of drug abuse in the Sab: "Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem." Hail the @$!#*&% Sab, fight the uniparty death machine! Refuse to play a part in it! 👺✨🗡👺
First, thank you Wes, for all your years of service. Speaking as someone who hasn’t served in your capacity, this dialogue turns my stomach, so I can’t imagine how it makes you feel… We’ve fallen so far from what superhero comics are supposed to be, that there is little hope that it will ever get better. Who exactly is this designed to entertain???
It's not designed to entertain. The purpose is to cause derision and make you waste your energy on the effort. These companies know that less than 10% of the population is not enough for the business to survive.
Tom King is just plain disrespectful… to his coworkers, to the iconic characters that he’s writing, and certainly to the real servicemen and women of this country .
It’s just shocking how he keeps getting all the top characters, and I’ve just no idea how he has fans. How on earth can they not see how bad he is? Makes no sense.
You mentioned before that Tom King’s superhero work is almost a cry for help. Every story just tears down male characters with self destructive behaviour, mass murder, suicides, infanticide… it’s just so depressing I stopped reading his stuff. I’m sorry you had to go through this. Superhero comics are supposed to be escapist entertainment, but a lot of people in the industry seem to have forgotten this, or just don’t care.
The story about the guy and his bonus really got to me. I saw a lot of men stressed out beyond reason by their wives, fieances, and girlfriends back home. They were just starting their careers in the Air Force and the women they trusted were sabotaging them emotionally and financially when all the young men wanted to do was provide for a family. Go out in places like Virginia Beach and the clubs are loaded with Navy wives who's husbands are out on their carriers and ships for months at a time just looking to hook up. Then have the nerve to cheer at the docks when they come home. And don't get me started on the ones that stay just long enough to get half of their husband's retirement and and tell everyone they earned it. I don't recommend the military to young people anymore but if they do go in I always strongly suggest avoid marriage or serious relationships until they get out. Way too many women see military men as meal tickets instead of husbands. ( Dependiponimuses ) Sorry for the rant. Oh. And screw Tom King.
Yep. I wasn't in the Navy, but I saw that in the Army. Hitch up, while your husband is off in some foreign land, the lady gets to play. I wonder if there's a conscious or unconscious hope that hubby might not make it back, so the Dependa has a free ride for life. I made friends with the guy's wife that died in combat over in Iraq and she didn't move on for a decade, and still takes their kid to his grave.
@@generalbalzsack1638Yeah, I am sure a some of them hope they don't come back. Especially if they went after someone in the Army or Marines since more of them are in direct danger than AF or Navy. But I don't think that kind of psychopath is common. At least I hope not. Your buddy was lucky to have found a wife and not a dependa.
I would never be in a relationship while enlisted, but if I found myself being betrayed like that and then had to pay her afterward, the bitch would disappear in the middle of the night and never be heard from again.
I want to add to this. Tag chasers and Jodie are real yeah but to be fair you get these stupid young guys who see how much they could get with BAH and they throw caution to the wind. When I reported in to my first CO, I kid you not, probably the fourth thing out of his mouth was "50 percent of marriages end in divorce". And after a five year stretch watching countless Marine's lives destroyed by their domestic situation I know why he told me that. Had a buddy who married his girlfriend the day she turned 18 (he was 20) and I swear I tried to stop him. Like "dude don't fucking do this" but he wouldn't listen, saw only the pros, none of the cons. They didn't last nine months. All of the sudden he's back in the barracks with half his pay going to her (we were only Lances so that meant he was making less than minimum wage). Completely ruined him.
I do thank King a little, I hated his run so much that I actually went looking to see who he was and if anyone else hated the run. Before that I had never looked at any channels or talked to anyone about comics. So I thank him for bringing me into the fandom, but that’s all I thank him for, because I’m definitely not thanking him for his horrendous writing.
Same. I remember feeling like an insane person for disliking his run because it seemed like all the mainstream outlets were really into it. Then I found this channel and was like “no, I’m not crazy, King just sucks”.
I could tell just a minute or two in that this was no ordinary video. This wasn’t the usual irritation; you were genuinely unsettled by Tom’s insensitivity. This is one of those subjects that needs to be handled with sensitivity, compassion, and understanding, not used as a cheap plot device. You’re always upfront, but this is the most candid I’ve ever seen you. We appreciate you.
Even aside from the suicide, the idea that this guy is just going to be completely okay with having his whole unit destroyed because Wonder Woman is a superhero... like, that's not how the human mind works. Whether she's a hero or not, and whether he was "traumatized" or not, he would still be pissed off.
The whole sexist message he was trying to insinuate. That he should be upset that it was a woman who did it. Tom King ridiculed PTSD To push a message about male fragility and male ego. This is one thing I think thinking critical missed. All of the subliminal sexist tropes
A more interesting and original idea: super heroes exist but are arrogant and abuse their power, so one or several of their victims decide to take them out. Assassinating a super wouldn’t be easy, and I don’t think it’s been explored that often.
Thanks for sharing with all of us Wes. I appreciate you, and all our service members for everything you all are willing to sacrifice. We don't live in a perfect world, but don't disrespect the people that put their lives on the line so you can write your terrible super hero stories
Thank you, Wes, for explaining this aspect of the service that so few understand to the comic book audience. It's difficult, and I struggle with it whenever I attempt to explain what soldiers, Marines, sailors and Airmen experience when on deployment - or even in garrison. I have experience with much of what you related. As a combat veteran myself, I've experienced much of what you opined on. Divorces, injuries, death in battle, even a near fragging situation are all very real to me. The ramifications of all that tend to compound, sometimes without you knowing. I know brothers that took their own lives and was even on the brink of considering it myself at one point. Luckily, I was able to recognize the path I was on and managed to course correct before it became something that I would not have regrated going down that path (for obvious reasons), those I left behind would have to deal with for the rest of their lives. The fact that this was released in the month of November, when many veterans, their families, friends and those that have no direct connection to the military are reflecting on the sacrifice of their nations warriors is insulting. I know a bit of Tom King and his own 'reflections' on PTSD, but its superficial and seems to be more exploitative than genuine. I personally have used and still use writing as a release for some of what I experienced, but it's not to make people feel sorry for me or what I experienced, the story is more important. Those aspects and personal experiences will always influence writing, it's impossible to remove it from personal experience. I always recommend to everyone that knows an at-risk veteran, or even if they aren't at risk, to send a quick text or personal message on the socials just to see how they are doing. I do it myself for the folks I served alongside. And if there's any Veteran that reads this and is on that precipice, calling the VA Suicide Prevention Line is a great resource. It likely will not solve everything rattling around in your soul, but having the opportunity to just let you vent in confidentiality (though there are certain things that must be reported) is a great release. I've called the line twice (a few years removed current time) - once when I realized the direction my thoughts were going, another after a brother committed suicide out of the blue and it re-awakened that potential path. The VA line is 988 to call, selection 1. Text is 838255. There are also chat and TTY options. There's no shame in doing so. Keep up the good work.
This dialogue is so on the nose ridiculous. I don't remember a single enlisted soldier I ever served with that talked this way. But, then again, Tom King was CIA, so I doubt that he had much interaction with the lower enlisted. I don't expect he actually cared about them at all.
Damn, wasn’t expecting an emotional video like this today. I will always have respect for our brave soldiers because what they go through just to protect America is incredible.
Thank you Wes for sharing this. All that you said is so true. Had a friend who committed suicide a few years after returning from Afghanistan. A similar experience happened to him when he went away and his wife's boyfriend told him the same thing when he called home. Not enough exposure is given to the mental health of our armed forces servicemen. People are quick to act patriotic while our servicemen go homeless and are shamed for seeking out mental health assistance. It's shameful that no one has this fake outrage and false patriotism while our veterans and servicemen continue to silently suffer.
That was really well said, Wes. I was a 3E971 Emergency Manager. My last deployment was to Kandahar in 2012 and I retired in 2016. We lose far too many veterans this way. The statistic that’s thrown around all the time is 22 a day. Think about it… that’s 660/month… 8,030/year.
The fact that this is a comic that actually exists from a mainstream comic book company with a real character is all that needs to be said to prove that it’s done. There’s no coming back. it will limp along until the speculators finally wake up, as they did with NFTs, and then it will be over in a week. There is nothing of value left in the comic book industry. Edit: i’m going to make my wife watch this video so she will show it to her friend who is ex military, who had to go to three funerals in two years of his fellow soldiers, who killed themselves. No, you are not overly sensitive. And no this is not subject matter that should be treated like this. Tom King, and every level of editor that approved this should be fired and blacklisted from the industry.
Completely agree with you Wes. I've been working on Navy training aircraft for 33+ years and have the upmost respect for the people who volunteer to serve our country. These idiots, for lack of a better word, only have the freedom to have their opinions and chance to voice them BECAUSE OF THE MILITARY defending their rights.
This is your best post ever. Thanks for sharing this and thank you for serving. Sadly, you don't have to be "tip of the spear" to be killed or maimed in the military. King's dialogue sounds like the "toxic male" who is threatened by a "strong woman." I'm tired of that $#!+. For your own mental health, don't read any more of that garbage.
That could explain why he has such an odd grasp on the story. Considering he's coming from a radically different perspective, then people would have expected.
Great video Wes. I am former AF too and no war hero by any means. But even in my cush AF environment, I still know of some pretty bad stories that happened to people while we were overseas not to mention the op-tempo many of the active duty had to go through while trying to perpetrate two wars simultaneously. It is a next level of disrespect with tom kings storyline. It wouldn't surprise me if he didn't sit or talk with the service members protecting because he thought being a fed put him above their station. It's a shame people who hate themselves and their country get to write such iconic superheroes.
I think King showed with Heroes In Crisis that he doesn’t understand anything about whatever mental problems he’s writing about nor does he understand a damn thing about laces that are supposed to be caring for people afflicted with such. I still think just about all his writings are to pull some sore if psy-op.
What do Batman, Supergirl, Catwoman, Riddler, Penguin and Wonder Woman all have in common? All of them have had their characters trashed because of the terrible solo books written by Tom King. Seriously, you want to see a character never be written well again? Then let Tom King write them a solo book.
thank you for your service and thank you for your continued service in comic books. Your work is much appreciated and valued and hope you continue for many more years
He doesn’t care about the young men and women, yet his former government affiliations that he was a Member of were ironically the reason a lot of these military personnel were put into harms way…. But that probably doesn’t count in his mind. PS THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE WES!
Wes, I can tell that this was a difficult and painful video, to recount some of your experiences - thank you for your service and best wishes to you and all those close to you, thanks for all you've done and do currently.
Definitely one of your most important videos Wes. I'd say the best thing Tom King ever did with his suckdom was motivate you to make this video on the subject matter for folks who just don't know or needed to be reminded. Take care Wes.
I mean, he's free to write whatever he wants about service members and their experiences (even if he's pretty blinkered on the breadth and depth of how people react and cope with issues in the services) But if he wonders why no one wants anything to do with him outside his little friend group who might throw him under a passing Greyhound when he isn't useful/convenient anymore, I can't say I'd feel overly worried about him.
Was Tom King a functional adult while he was in Iraq? Because it sure seems like he's been fixed down in an eight-year-old's mental state. "Ha ha! You were beaten by a GIRL! How does it feel to be weaker than a GIRL? Are you gonna CRY?" What the hell is that about?
Well said Wes, it’s heartbreaking stuff, but King is a narcissist, he wouldn’t even have listened to any of those guards even if they tried to tell them their stories, unless the story was about him.
I was gonna go off on a tangent ripping TK, but what's the use. I would like to however thank Wes and every man and woman who have served and were in harms way. Genuine gratitude from a guy who has gratefully enjoyed the freedom and safety you have provided us. I met a guy/vet, he was dating my buddies sister. Never seen him before that night. A beer run was in order and he offered to drive and I rode with. He had a prosthetic leg, lost it in the Iraq war. We were getting along, seemed like a good dude, had a few beers in us. He mentioned something about he was getting a new prosthetic that was gonna be an upgrade from what he had. I asked him "so can I ask what happened? I'm just curious. No need to answer that if ya don't wanna". His face went somber and tone completely changed. I apologized and tried to change the subject but he said he wouldn't mind sharing. I love war stories so I shut up and let him go on. He told me how in Iraq, he was infantry in a Hummer crew. There was an IED on the side of the road and it went off next to his transport. He went in detail recreating what happened moment to moment like it was in slow motion. By the end of the story, he had lost his leg, and his 3 best friends in the world in a blink. By the time he was done telling me, he was weeping... and so was I. I don't think he had ever told anyone the whole story like he did me. I was just a friendly stranger that he'd probably never see again. So he let it out, I'm not even sure my buddies sister he was dating knew the whole story. Part of me felt like a POS for having him relive that, but the other part hopes it did some good and gave him some catharsis of some kind. And I was honored to be the guy he opened up to. Found out later he had emotional problems and a tough addiction to pain pills he was struggling with as a result of what he went through. So again, a genuine and heartfelt thank you to any vet or active who might read this. And f*ck Tom King for trivializing traumas that soldiers and service members go through. Y'all deserve nothing but respect.
I was just wondering the same thing. It’s not like the professions are even in the same stratosphere. I wonder if he was as terrible in the CIA as he is a writer.
Opioid addiction is also leading to accidental deaths from fentanyl and overdoses. It’s up over fifty percent with Veterans since 2010. And as an addict if you need help please feel free to reach out to me.
“No lasso of lies needed” That could’ve been the title. My pap is 83 and fought the IRA (that’s Irish terrorists for those who don’t know) and even though he’s been out decades there are still stories he tells like clockwork; so you can tell how these events stay with people. Thankfully he never suffered any injuries. But being ft away from someone going from alive and chatting to you, to laying there soulless has to leave an imprint, big or small.
if i can write wonder woman, i would make a new arc for her. like her decided to join the US military officially and becomes an officer. this can make her a female version of captain america and have new understanding and experience to be a soldier and people she will meet. plus, her even saving, helping, and preventing soldiers commiting suicides. while superman gives people hope, wonder woman should be healing soldiers because she is one.
And Thank you for these stories and shedding the light on the hell servicemen and women go through. I know some memories are good and others are very bad and can be hard to relive. ❤
Never thought I'd consider myself lucky of only having read Tom King's Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and Batman - One Bad Day: The Riddler. That dialogue was another level of cringe
Thank you for your service, Wes, and to Ya Boi Zack, Billy Tucci, and anyone else who defended our country. I'm just sad to see a comic book which consists of several pages of two despondent men talking about how they've been defeated and humiliated by a woman. My comic book and TV series has over 30 powerful sexy women in it, and yet we never have a single panel like that, let alone pages and pages of it. If a male villain is defeated, we move on quickly to the next action, or the villain vows vengeance or whatever, not this touchy-feely Freudian stuff.
Your opinion is very valid. Don't ever think your opinion is not valid, when it comes to this. You have the experience more than so than he does. I also think he really did a cheap shot at soldiers about something they don't even think about. I don't think male soldiers think of women like that or care about stuff like that to question their "gender" or "masculinity". It's really stupid honestly. I'm pretty sure male soldiers care about their female soldiers as much as anyone and I don't think it makes them question their "masculinity". 🙄
First of all thank you for your service. And secondly I think it's literally the tom king way of walking that line of either it'll be hated or it'll great unfortunately it's almost always hated so it's crazy that he's still getting work I think. I love your vids and clearly this one was more emotional then others but I can understand why, our service men and women are special and I love seeing you express that.
Wes… man I get what you are saying. Thank you for sharing. I don’t think you are over sensitive at all. Thanks for sharing your heart. I knew about the suicides in the military… I didn’t know the impact on the marriages. Thanks again man. And yeah Tom King needs to rethink what he is doing. He could use comics as a medium to draw attention to something important. When I first saw Heroes in Crisis I remember thinking “Oh superheroes have a safe place to go to talk aboit what they deal with and how they deal with it… this should be pretty good. Makes sense” But we all saw what was done with it. A truly missed opportunity to hi light the trauma of being in battle - and show ways that it could be deal to with. Again man…thank you for sharing.
First and foremost, thank you for your service. In regards to the travesty going on in WW, well quite it is disgusting to see such a iconic character be reduced to this bullshit along with the horrible thing being done with the men and women serving in defense of their country.
Tom King is doing an adaptation on Animal Farm called Animal Pound for Boom. Just read his essay in the back of the ashcan, it's possibly the most pretentious thing I've ever read. The guy must think he's gods gift to comics, I honestly could not tell if he's being serious or not. I won't be reading that series, and if I had to guess, there is no way an ex-CIA guy is going to get an allegory for Communism right.
I'm retired military as well and I did four tours down range. I came home from one of those single as did a bunch of guys on that tour. A couple of guys had their wives take all their money back every single thing they belong to move out of state. One of my buddies stopped being able to get a hold of his wife for 2 weeks before he came home and he didn't find out she left him until he walked to his house from the base to see it was empty. My last appointment my wife stuck with me but only because she hadn't quite finished her master's degree so she left a couple of months after I got home. I have a ton of these stories. That's just the infidelity and marital breakdown stuff, not even the folded flags handed to family members or little kids wearing their father's military gear after he killed himself so that they can feel like he's still there. The CIA doesn't give two craps about the military and they never have. They see us as tools to be utilized not people.
First.....Thank you Wes for sharing a part of reality, that we normally take it granted for!! It is deeply heart wrenching to see what our youths go through in the services of the country, and what price they pay. And this man ....Tom, should've been the last person to put these personnel in "negative" light! When he started, he was good. Then, he got "woke-e-Fyd! He dropped his "balls" so far, he couldn't even reache it if he wanted to!! We progress but he's regressing! 😨👈
This is a serious issue that does not get talked about enough (awareness to the staggering statistics of suicide in military and other “high stress” professions). If anything, this video gets us talking. Tom King bringing it to light with this comic/context…insensitive is definitely an understatement.
I’ve always disliked King’s writing but this takes it to a whole new level. This is so disrespectful to soldiers that have gone through trauma in war time. I can tell this really bothered you and I respect you for sharing your feelings and experiences about what you went through and have seen in your military service time. Thanks for your service Wes
What I don't get is why would Tom King have the soldier kill himself in the 1st place? It doesn't make sense narrative wise. Does having the Sovereign make the soldier commit suicide hurt or get to Wonder Woman in any way? Is Tom King gonna write that Wonder Woman finds out about the soldier killing himself just to make her feel guilty or something?
Their target audience hates our country, hates those that serve, and cheer when either are harmed. WW is a perfect vehicle for symbolically smashing the backbone of our nation - and of course, the patriarchy. Sadly, their target audience doesn't really buy comics. Its actually pretty funny - and the way Marvel and DC are driving certain Indie sales, also hilarious. Comics fans have to buy online, as few of the B&M stores bother to buy into the decent, salable Indies - because so many store owners fall into the mainstream "target audience". Which is kinda why so many B&M's are closing. The viable portions of the Industry are changing. Thank god for that.
I didn't make it beyond the 7:21 marker on this video. The pages of the comic that were scrolled through up to that point contained the most wretched writing I may have ever seen in a comic book (by 21st century standards). I needed no more. To call King a "hack" would be to elevate him far beyond his actual competence. God, what remarkable garbage.
When Tom King had Mr Terrific say he was relieved that his wife and unborn child died, or that Martian Manhunter secretly had a kink for the same element that killed his family (fire), I knew King was that kind of person who instead of pushing away ugly thoughts, tried to build a career on them. Shame on him.
Which I had to go and double check. To see the villain was using the lasso of lies, power. For the whole thing felt off. Like the character when everything is fine into time to end it all. Way to quickly. Which is this villain a moron? You have someone who is willing to fight against a super hero. That takes some guts and skill to escape alive. Along with knowing what doesn't work against her. Very valuable experience. Yeah this whole thing comes off as wanting to be a edge lord for no good reason. For the villain just got rid of someone, that would of been very useful to him. Given i'm guessing he wants to take down wonder woman. He is a old man, who only has a rope. Unless he is demon or has some sort of secret super powers. That Lasso seems like it would be easy to avoid. What is the villain plan here? For this is worst then a villain killing a minion themselves. At least in that case, it shows the villain is physically or magically powerful like say Vader. Here the villain just seems stupid, weak and pathetic to the point anyone can just take beat him, by staying out of range of his Lasso and using a range attack of some sort. Which given how hateful and disrespectful comic pros are to almost everyone. I would not be surprise, if later it gets reveal. Ah yes Tom King was doing this just to poorly talk about some real life issue or give someone the middle finger. For bad story telling always happens, when trying to tell a good story comes second to everything else.
Why does it sound like Tom King is projecting with that dialogue? Wes, I’m working on a script on veterans and would like to ask you a few questions so that I get get the information correct. If you have any time would you mind me picking your brain for some info?
Wes Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm in the arts & we have far too many people dying through suicide as well. Deaths by despair are horrible across the board & something must be done about it. That said, I have actually enjoyed this run of Wonder Woman. The whole world has turned against the Amazons & it's an interesting story with action & suspense. I had no idea about Tom King's background. The story with WW fighting the Army reminded me of those stories of General Ross taking on the Hulk. A lot of tanks & copters were smashed, but I assumed the men were beaten not maimed or killed (according to Hulk lore, the soldiers all lived to fight another day IIRC). Now, the suicide DID trigger me, but that was because, as I said, I have lost so many friends & colleagues to self harm. I actually DO understand that the point in the story was twofold 1). to make us hate the Sovereign, which it did 2). to make the people in the story hate Wonder Woman. Seeing the story through your eyes, I can understand why you hated it. I have been enjoying the story & am interested in where it's going.
Thanks for speaking out on this, Wes. You are probably reaching people who have no idea about this problem. I would guess not all of your subscribers are veterans and maybe have missed this important dire epidemic. I've noped out on Tom King ever since his Batman marriage disaster. I love Wonder Woman but didn't pick this because of him. I can't believe DC editorial let this fly. It's Wonder Woman for F's sake! She's built into the American psyche as a hero, not some shock attention grabbing device. Suicide among veterans is a very real problem. I lost a veteran friend late last year. I still choke up thinking about all the guys I know who made it back but didn't. Again, from one veteran to another, thank you.
Yeah it seems like the way you describe it Tom was too literally with what he going for and it really didn't say much but just showing a hardship faced by people in the military. For what end in his story it? Probably used against WW in a really clunky and unaware way. Like most of his books he wants to write mature and dark stories but it's like a child's view of what makes something dark.
Question, can we fire Tom king and replace him With you. you'd be a much better writer. thank you for your service and thank you for your service and thank you for talking about this topic.Tom King Just doesn't have it anymore. Which is sad because he lived through war stuff like this.
I listened to your previous vids on this run for WW and remembered something about the silver lasso having some kind of power as you were reading it. I could tell you were upset about it beyond bad story telling, but bc he had the soldier holding the lasso that it was the cause of the soldier acting that way. But listening to what you said about what happens in real life to these men and women made me realize it's not an overreaction by you but a lack of empathy and understanding by King. I pray that our Lord Jesus heals people suffering from PTSD and that people facing things in their lives like this seek and get the help they need.
King basically said that the reason soldiers take their lives is “toxic masculinity” That the only problem that soldier had was that he was convinced being “beaten by a girl” was the worst thing ever.
Will someone please force him to go to therapy already so he can deal with whatever issue he has and stop spewing it into all the comics he writes? Or if he insists on doing that, make him create his own damn characters?
Reminder: Tom King is in the story group for Gunn’s DC movies. I don’t have high hopes
Yeah, it's the most stupidiest shit ever!! I know a military veteran and he can give two shits about his masculinity and his wife is a bit masculine for her personailty and I don't think that gives him a sense of insecurity whatsoever. I really hate how Tom King lets wokeism warp his mind.
@JohnnyScribe I was really fired up by this... then I saw your response... and you definitely did a good job on taming it down. Great comment!
CIA AND male feminist?? That dude is a lurid pervert for sure!
Co-worker of mine was an Army vet that served in Afghanistan. He took his life in early November. Folks, if you need help, ask. Your life is worth more than your death.
I'm 100% anti-military industrial complex, but I 100% agree with you, and Bill Ward of the mighty BLACK SABBATH said it best when he was losing it upstairs after years of drug abuse in the Sab:
"Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem."
Hail the @$!#*&% Sab, fight the uniparty death machine! Refuse to play a part in it!
👺✨🗡👺
Very sad to hear. I hope that he is in a new place where he is honored and loved.
I need help but have nobody to ask. I’m still gonna keep fighting though.
I am sorry for his Family's loss and the same goes for you as well. "Your life is worth more than your Death"...... I will remember that.
@@TheMastermind729 go to the VFW. These old Vietnam guys dealt with this stuff waaaay before we did.
I've said multiple times that Tom King uses his books as a cry for help.
He seriously needs to see a professional
He’s deeply disturbed, a very broken man.
N a t i o n a l p o p u l i s t r e v o l u t i o n i s o n c e a g a i n t h e a n s w e r
First, thank you Wes, for all your years of service. Speaking as someone who hasn’t served in your capacity, this dialogue turns my stomach, so I can’t imagine how it makes you feel…
We’ve fallen so far from what superhero comics are supposed to be, that there is little hope that it will ever get better. Who exactly is this designed to entertain???
The Alphabets mainly unfortunately & all other agendas & evil uncaring people & entities!
Nobody.
It's not designed to entertain. The purpose is to cause derision and make you waste your energy on the effort.
These companies know that less than 10% of the population is not enough for the business to survive.
tom king
Screaming rainbowheads that don't understand the meaning of suffering.
Thank you for your service. Tom King is one of the worst things to happen to comics.
Tom King is just plain disrespectful… to his coworkers, to the iconic characters that he’s writing, and certainly to the real servicemen and women of this country .
It’s just shocking how he keeps getting all the top characters, and I’ve just no idea how he has fans. How on earth can they not see how bad he is? Makes no sense.
Artists can be a funny old breed. Old saying separate the art from the artist. The dialogue sounds forced and off. Tom edgysoy King.
> CIA
> Male feminist
Definitively a gross pervert!
I truly believe Tom King was a desk jockey in the CIA. The cross sabers in the background of his pictures means he was in Baghdad...the green zone.
Ta-Nehisi Coates: *wished death to 9/11 first responders*
Tom King: "Hold my Lasso of Lies."
Tom King is the representative of the military industrial complex, narcissistic activism, and corporate goonery. I wish for him to go play in traffic.
“Go cartwheel in traffic!”
-Razorfist
You mentioned before that Tom King’s superhero work is almost a cry for help. Every story just tears down male characters with self destructive behaviour, mass murder, suicides, infanticide… it’s just so depressing I stopped reading his stuff.
I’m sorry you had to go through this. Superhero comics are supposed to be escapist entertainment, but a lot of people in the industry seem to have forgotten this, or just don’t care.
The story about the guy and his bonus really got to me. I saw a lot of men stressed out beyond reason by their wives, fieances, and girlfriends back home. They were just starting their careers in the Air Force and the women they trusted were sabotaging them emotionally and financially when all the young men wanted to do was provide for a family. Go out in places like Virginia Beach and the clubs are loaded with Navy wives who's husbands are out on their carriers and ships for months at a time just looking to hook up. Then have the nerve to cheer at the docks when they come home. And don't get me started on the ones that stay just long enough to get half of their husband's retirement and and tell everyone they earned it. I don't recommend the military to young people anymore but if they do go in I always strongly suggest avoid marriage or serious relationships until they get out. Way too many women see military men as meal tickets instead of husbands. ( Dependiponimuses ) Sorry for the rant. Oh. And screw Tom King.
Yep. I wasn't in the Navy, but I saw that in the Army. Hitch up, while your husband is off in some foreign land, the lady gets to play. I wonder if there's a conscious or unconscious hope that hubby might not make it back, so the Dependa has a free ride for life. I made friends with the guy's wife that died in combat over in Iraq and she didn't move on for a decade, and still takes their kid to his grave.
@@generalbalzsack1638Yeah, I am sure a some of them hope they don't come back. Especially if they went after someone in the Army or Marines since more of them are in direct danger than AF or Navy. But I don't think that kind of psychopath is common. At least I hope not. Your buddy was lucky to have found a wife and not a dependa.
I would never be in a relationship while enlisted, but if I found myself being betrayed like that and then had to pay her afterward, the bitch would disappear in the middle of the night and never be heard from again.
I want to add to this. Tag chasers and Jodie are real yeah but to be fair you get these stupid young guys who see how much they could get with BAH and they throw caution to the wind. When I reported in to my first CO, I kid you not, probably the fourth thing out of his mouth was "50 percent of marriages end in divorce". And after a five year stretch watching countless Marine's lives destroyed by their domestic situation I know why he told me that. Had a buddy who married his girlfriend the day she turned 18 (he was 20) and I swear I tried to stop him. Like "dude don't fucking do this" but he wouldn't listen, saw only the pros, none of the cons. They didn't last nine months. All of the sudden he's back in the barracks with half his pay going to her (we were only Lances so that meant he was making less than minimum wage). Completely ruined him.
The whole stay at home thing doesn't work in the real world. Women that did actual work (or has worked) be more understanding.
I do thank King a little, I hated his run so much that I actually went looking to see who he was and if anyone else hated the run. Before that I had never looked at any channels or talked to anyone about comics. So I thank him for bringing me into the fandom, but that’s all I thank him for, because I’m definitely not thanking him for his horrendous writing.
Welcome. We all Hate King here 😂
Same. I remember feeling like an insane person for disliking his run because it seemed like all the mainstream outlets were really into it. Then I found this channel and was like “no, I’m not crazy, King just sucks”.
I could tell just a minute or two in that this was no ordinary video. This wasn’t the usual irritation; you were genuinely unsettled by Tom’s insensitivity. This is one of those subjects that needs to be handled with sensitivity, compassion, and understanding, not used as a cheap plot device. You’re always upfront, but this is the most candid I’ve ever seen you. We appreciate you.
Would sociopathy be an accurate diagnosis?
Even aside from the suicide, the idea that this guy is just going to be completely okay with having his whole unit destroyed because Wonder Woman is a superhero... like, that's not how the human mind works. Whether she's a hero or not, and whether he was "traumatized" or not, he would still be pissed off.
The whole sexist message he was trying to insinuate. That he should be upset that it was a woman who did it. Tom King ridiculed PTSD To push a message about male fragility and male ego. This is one thing I think thinking critical missed. All of the subliminal sexist tropes
He shouldn't be upset that his comrades died he should only be upset because they lost to a woman wtf kind of crap is this?
A more interesting and original idea: super heroes exist but are arrogant and abuse their power, so one or several of their victims decide to take them out. Assassinating a super wouldn’t be easy, and I don’t think it’s been explored that often.
Thank you for your service and for sharing your story.
Thanks for sharing with all of us Wes. I appreciate you, and all our service members for everything you all are willing to sacrifice. We don't live in a perfect world, but don't disrespect the people that put their lives on the line so you can write your terrible super hero stories
Thank you, Wes, for explaining this aspect of the service that so few understand to the comic book audience.
It's difficult, and I struggle with it whenever I attempt to explain what soldiers, Marines, sailors and Airmen experience when on deployment - or even in garrison.
I have experience with much of what you related. As a combat veteran myself, I've experienced much of what you opined on. Divorces, injuries, death in battle, even a near fragging situation are all very real to me. The ramifications of all that tend to compound, sometimes without you knowing. I know brothers that took their own lives and was even on the brink of considering it myself at one point. Luckily, I was able to recognize the path I was on and managed to course correct before it became something that I would not have regrated going down that path (for obvious reasons), those I left behind would have to deal with for the rest of their lives.
The fact that this was released in the month of November, when many veterans, their families, friends and those that have no direct connection to the military are reflecting on the sacrifice of their nations warriors is insulting. I know a bit of Tom King and his own 'reflections' on PTSD, but its superficial and seems to be more exploitative than genuine.
I personally have used and still use writing as a release for some of what I experienced, but it's not to make people feel sorry for me or what I experienced, the story is more important. Those aspects and personal experiences will always influence writing, it's impossible to remove it from personal experience.
I always recommend to everyone that knows an at-risk veteran, or even if they aren't at risk, to send a quick text or personal message on the socials just to see how they are doing. I do it myself for the folks I served alongside. And if there's any Veteran that reads this and is on that precipice, calling the VA Suicide Prevention Line is a great resource. It likely will not solve everything rattling around in your soul, but having the opportunity to just let you vent in confidentiality (though there are certain things that must be reported) is a great release.
I've called the line twice (a few years removed current time) - once when I realized the direction my thoughts were going, another after a brother committed suicide out of the blue and it re-awakened that potential path. The VA line is 988 to call, selection 1. Text is 838255. There are also chat and TTY options. There's no shame in doing so.
Keep up the good work.
Thank you Wes. We appreciate you and your service.
Perhaps Tom King never left the fob and he lies about what he did
More likely he was a REMF.
@@thunberbolttwo3953 "I went to Iraq". Not me mind you
Thank you for your service.@@wesleymahan5903
This dialogue is so on the nose ridiculous. I don't remember a single enlisted soldier I ever served with that talked this way. But, then again, Tom King was CIA, so I doubt that he had much interaction with the lower enlisted. I don't expect he actually cared about them at all.
Gotta wonder what happened to him while in the CIA. Some mkultra tier stuff??
Tom King comics are all filled with miserable characters. He craps on all these comic icons probably because he is miserable himself.
Damn, wasn’t expecting an emotional video like this today. I will always have respect for our brave soldiers because what they go through just to protect America is incredible.
God bless you, Wes, for having to carry around these terrible memories. It's a very heavy load to carry for your service.
Thank you Wes for sharing this. All that you said is so true. Had a friend who committed suicide a few years after returning from Afghanistan. A similar experience happened to him when he went away and his wife's boyfriend told him the same thing when he called home. Not enough exposure is given to the mental health of our armed forces servicemen. People are quick to act patriotic while our servicemen go homeless and are shamed for seeking out mental health assistance. It's shameful that no one has this fake outrage and false patriotism while our veterans and servicemen continue to silently suffer.
One of the few good things to come out of this 20 year war was that it exposed a lot of phonies and made us aware of a real problem.
That was really well said, Wes. I was a 3E971 Emergency Manager. My last deployment was to Kandahar in 2012 and I retired in 2016. We lose far too many veterans this way. The statistic that’s thrown around all the time is 22 a day. Think about it… that’s 660/month… 8,030/year.
They need to realize, instead, that the system is their enemy.
The fact that this is a comic that actually exists from a mainstream comic book company with a real character is all that needs to be said to prove that it’s done. There’s no coming back. it will limp along until the speculators finally wake up, as they did with NFTs, and then it will be over in a week. There is nothing of value left in the comic book industry.
Edit: i’m going to make my wife watch this video so she will show it to her friend who is ex military, who had to go to three funerals in two years of his fellow soldiers, who killed themselves. No, you are not overly sensitive. And no this is not subject matter that should be treated like this. Tom King, and every level of editor that approved this should be fired and blacklisted from the industry.
Don't often see this side of you wes, but it's appreciated and thank you for your service.
King destroys everything he touches, in this case the story of Wonder Woman.
I don't think you're overly sensitive. Thanks for letting me, and I imagine many others, know the reality of the situation
Completely agree with you Wes. I've been working on Navy training aircraft for 33+ years and have the upmost respect for the people who volunteer to serve our country. These idiots, for lack of a better word, only have the freedom to have their opinions and chance to voice them BECAUSE OF THE MILITARY defending their rights.
Tom King just made Wonder Woman to Wondering Woman. Brilliant.
He already messed up Batman and Wally .
I'll never forgive him for what he did to Bruce and Wally.
Tom King needs his mommie to tell him to stop worshiping her.
Calling home and Jody answers the phone smh.. That's rough
Baby Boy!!!
Excellent video, Wes. And important. Thank you for sharing.
This is your best post ever. Thanks for sharing this and thank you for serving. Sadly, you don't have to be "tip of the spear" to be killed or maimed in the military. King's dialogue sounds like the "toxic male" who is threatened by a "strong woman." I'm tired of that $#!+. For your own mental health, don't read any more of that garbage.
This story is disgusting, but also odd - Tom King, being ex-CIA, would certainly have been one of the bad guys in his own book!
That could explain why he has such an odd grasp on the story.
Considering he's coming from a radically different perspective, then people would have expected.
Spot on analysis. Thank you for sharing, and thank you for your service.
Great video Wes. I am former AF too and no war hero by any means. But even in my cush AF environment, I still know of some pretty bad stories that happened to people while we were overseas not to mention the op-tempo many of the active duty had to go through while trying to perpetrate two wars simultaneously. It is a next level of disrespect with tom kings storyline. It wouldn't surprise me if he didn't sit or talk with the service members protecting because he thought being a fed put him above their station. It's a shame people who hate themselves and their country get to write such iconic superheroes.
I think King showed with Heroes In Crisis that he doesn’t understand anything about whatever mental problems he’s writing about nor does he understand a damn thing about laces that are supposed to be caring for people afflicted with such.
I still think just about all his writings are to pull some sore if psy-op.
What do Batman, Supergirl, Catwoman, Riddler, Penguin and Wonder Woman all have in common? All of them have had their characters trashed because of the terrible solo books written by Tom King. Seriously, you want to see a character never be written well again? Then let Tom King write them a solo book.
Don't forget Wally West.
thank you for your service and thank you for your continued service in comic books. Your work is much appreciated and valued and hope you continue for many more years
He doesn’t care about the young men and women, yet his former government affiliations that he was a Member of were ironically the reason a lot of these military personnel were put into harms way…. But that probably doesn’t count in his mind.
PS THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE WES!
Wes, I can tell that this was a difficult and painful video, to recount some of your experiences - thank you for your service and best wishes to you and all those close to you, thanks for all you've done and do currently.
To those of you who appreciate veterans and to the businesses that give us Veterans Day discounts, thank you.
Thank you for including coasties everybody forgets that we're military. Love you brother
Enjoyed working with Coast Guard. Would encourage young people to join before considering Army or Air Force.
RESPECT YOU SIR!
Definitely one of your most important videos Wes. I'd say the best thing Tom King ever did with his suckdom was motivate you to make this video on the subject matter for folks who just don't know or needed to be reminded. Take care Wes.
I mean, he's free to write whatever he wants about service members and their experiences (even if he's pretty blinkered on the breadth and depth of how people react and cope with issues in the services)
But if he wonders why no one wants anything to do with him outside his little friend group who might throw him under a passing Greyhound when he isn't useful/convenient anymore, I can't say I'd feel overly worried about him.
Was Tom King a functional adult while he was in Iraq? Because it sure seems like he's been fixed down in an eight-year-old's mental state. "Ha ha! You were beaten by a GIRL! How does it feel to be weaker than a GIRL? Are you gonna CRY?" What the hell is that about?
Thank you for your military service to your country, Wes. Sorry to hear about all the trauma you witnessed & experienced.
Wes, thank you for your service. My family and I truly appreciate it. And thank you for making sure certain people never get ANY of my money.
This is the kind of Thinking Critical we need.
We also want comic news.
But we NEED these types of videos too.
Well said Wes, it’s heartbreaking stuff, but King is a narcissist, he wouldn’t even have listened to any of those guards even if they tried to tell them their stories, unless the story was about him.
I was gonna go off on a tangent ripping TK, but what's the use. I would like to however thank Wes and every man and woman who have served and were in harms way. Genuine gratitude from a guy who has gratefully enjoyed the freedom and safety you have provided us. I met a guy/vet, he was dating my buddies sister. Never seen him before that night. A beer run was in order and he offered to drive and I rode with. He had a prosthetic leg, lost it in the Iraq war. We were getting along, seemed like a good dude, had a few beers in us. He mentioned something about he was getting a new prosthetic that was gonna be an upgrade from what he had. I asked him "so can I ask what happened? I'm just curious. No need to answer that if ya don't wanna". His face went somber and tone completely changed. I apologized and tried to change the subject but he said he wouldn't mind sharing. I love war stories so I shut up and let him go on. He told me how in Iraq, he was infantry in a Hummer crew. There was an IED on the side of the road and it went off next to his transport. He went in detail recreating what happened moment to moment like it was in slow motion. By the end of the story, he had lost his leg, and his 3 best friends in the world in a blink. By the time he was done telling me, he was weeping... and so was I. I don't think he had ever told anyone the whole story like he did me. I was just a friendly stranger that he'd probably never see again. So he let it out, I'm not even sure my buddies sister he was dating knew the whole story. Part of me felt like a POS for having him relive that, but the other part hopes it did some good and gave him some catharsis of some kind. And I was honored to be the guy he opened up to. Found out later he had emotional problems and a tough addiction to pain pills he was struggling with as a result of what he went through. So again, a genuine and heartfelt thank you to any vet or active who might read this. And f*ck Tom King for trivializing traumas that soldiers and service members go through. Y'all deserve nothing but respect.
Thank you Wes.
Thank you for your service.
Always wondered what were the chance of a ex CIA agent becoming a comic book writer of all things....sus
They are never ex-CIA.
I was just wondering the same thing. It’s not like the professions are even in the same stratosphere. I wonder if he was as terrible in the CIA as he is a writer.
@@RamManNo1his mom was a big wig at 20th Century Fox and got him intern jobs at both DC and Marvel as a teen
His mom was an executive at 20th Century Fox and got him internships at DC and Marvel when he was a teenager
Opioid addiction is also leading to accidental deaths from fentanyl and overdoses. It’s up over fifty percent with Veterans since 2010.
And as an addict if you need help please feel free to reach out to me.
Robert Vendetti and Kenneth Rockfort would be a dream come true to me in my opinion.
Venditti on anything!
That would be a great Wonder Woman series.
Rob Vedetti >>>> Tom King
Mac, I really appreciate this video. Thanks for sharing your perspective and thank you for your service, sir. Happy Thanksgiving!
The ONLY thing worse than the Tom Kings of the world, are the studios like DC and Marvel that ALLOW the Tom Kings to do what they do.
“No lasso of lies needed”
That could’ve been the title.
My pap is 83 and fought the IRA (that’s Irish terrorists for those who don’t know) and even though he’s been out decades there are still stories he tells like clockwork; so you can tell how these events stay with people.
Thankfully he never suffered any injuries. But being ft away from someone going from alive and chatting to you, to laying there soulless has to leave an imprint, big or small.
Irish freedom fighters actually
@@CommanderRex- haha ha. How did that go.
That was eye opening. Comics can include real life to a degree but there is a line that should not be crossed
if i can write wonder woman, i would make a new arc for her. like her decided to join the US military officially and becomes an officer. this can make her a female version of captain america and have new understanding and experience to be a soldier and people she will meet. plus, her even saving, helping, and preventing soldiers commiting suicides. while superman gives people hope, wonder woman should be healing soldiers because she is one.
Thanks for your service, Wes. Keep up the good fight, Tom King can go kick rocks
Much appreciated
And Thank you for these stories and shedding the light on the hell servicemen and women go through. I know some memories are good and others are very bad and can be hard to relive. ❤
Thanks for listening
Awesome work mate
What exactly did he do in the C.I.A anyway? File clerk?
I was in the navy for 4+1 years extension, we went out on a west pack in 2007 and when we came back 75% of my division was divorced.
Mr Wes, thank you for your service, and your anger is extremely justified.
It's really interesting to hear about the suffering of servicemen after their tour(s) of duty.
10:42 It's crazy that stuff like that can happen.
Please keep Tom King away from the main Superman titles.
Never thought I'd consider myself lucky of only having read Tom King's Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and Batman - One Bad Day: The Riddler. That dialogue was another level of cringe
So many swering.It's very uneasy to read King dialogues.
@@EvandroACruzWoman of Tomorrow's writing feels like a guy desperately trying to sound intellectual
@@cahe6161 Kara being a foulmouted shrew made me drop that shit.
@@cahe6161....after watching True Grit
@@WeirdScienceComics Is it like that too? Damn, I was looking forward to watch that movie
Thank you for your service, Wes, and to Ya Boi Zack, Billy Tucci, and anyone else who defended our country. I'm just sad to see a comic book which consists of several pages of two despondent men talking about how they've been defeated and humiliated by a woman. My comic book and TV series has over 30 powerful sexy women in it, and yet we never have a single panel like that, let alone pages and pages of it. If a male villain is defeated, we move on quickly to the next action, or the villain vows vengeance or whatever, not this touchy-feely Freudian stuff.
Your opinion is very valid. Don't ever think your opinion is not valid, when it comes to this. You have the experience more than so than he does. I also think he really did a cheap shot at soldiers about something they don't even think about. I don't think male soldiers think of women like that or care about stuff like that to question their "gender" or "masculinity". It's really stupid honestly. I'm pretty sure male soldiers care about their female soldiers as much as anyone and I don't think it makes them question their "masculinity". 🙄
First of all thank you for your service. And secondly I think it's literally the tom king way of walking that line of either it'll be hated or it'll great unfortunately it's almost always hated so it's crazy that he's still getting work I think. I love your vids and clearly this one was more emotional then others but I can understand why, our service men and women are special and I love seeing you express that.
Wes… man I get what you are saying. Thank you for sharing. I don’t think you are over sensitive at all.
Thanks for sharing your heart.
I knew about the suicides in the military… I didn’t know the impact on the marriages.
Thanks again man.
And yeah Tom King needs to rethink what he is doing.
He could use comics as a medium to draw attention to something important.
When I first saw Heroes in Crisis I remember thinking “Oh superheroes have a safe place to go to talk aboit what they deal with and how they deal with it… this should be pretty good. Makes sense”
But we all saw what was done with it.
A truly missed opportunity to hi light the trauma of being in battle - and show ways that it could be deal to with.
Again man…thank you for sharing.
First and foremost, thank you for your service.
In regards to the travesty going on in WW, well quite it is disgusting to see such a iconic character be reduced to this bullshit along with the horrible thing being done with the men and women serving in defense of their country.
Great video
Tom King is doing an adaptation on Animal Farm called Animal Pound for Boom. Just read his essay in the back of the ashcan, it's possibly the most pretentious thing I've ever read. The guy must think he's gods gift to comics, I honestly could not tell if he's being serious or not. I won't be reading that series, and if I had to guess, there is no way an ex-CIA guy is going to get an allegory for Communism right.
I'm retired military as well and I did four tours down range. I came home from one of those single as did a bunch of guys on that tour. A couple of guys had their wives take all their money back every single thing they belong to move out of state. One of my buddies stopped being able to get a hold of his wife for 2 weeks before he came home and he didn't find out she left him until he walked to his house from the base to see it was empty. My last appointment my wife stuck with me but only because she hadn't quite finished her master's degree so she left a couple of months after I got home. I have a ton of these stories. That's just the infidelity and marital breakdown stuff, not even the folded flags handed to family members or little kids wearing their father's military gear after he killed himself so that they can feel like he's still there. The CIA doesn't give two craps about the military and they never have. They see us as tools to be utilized not people.
First.....Thank you Wes for sharing a part of reality, that we normally take it granted for!! It is deeply heart wrenching to see what our youths go through in the services of the country, and what price they pay. And this man ....Tom, should've been the last person to put these personnel in "negative" light! When he started, he was good. Then, he got "woke-e-Fyd! He dropped his "balls" so far, he couldn't even reache it if he wanted to!! We progress but he's regressing! 😨👈
This is a serious issue that does not get talked about enough (awareness to the staggering statistics of suicide in military and other “high stress” professions). If anything, this video gets us talking. Tom King bringing it to light with this comic/context…insensitive is definitely an understatement.
I’ve always disliked King’s writing but this takes it to a whole new level. This is so disrespectful to soldiers that have gone through trauma in war time.
I can tell this really bothered you and I respect you for sharing your feelings and experiences about what you went through and have seen in your military service time. Thanks for your service Wes
What I don't get is why would Tom King have the soldier kill himself in the 1st place? It doesn't make sense narrative wise. Does having the Sovereign make the soldier commit suicide hurt or get to Wonder Woman in any way? Is Tom King gonna write that Wonder Woman finds out about the soldier killing himself just to make her feel guilty or something?
It's to turn the public against Wonder Woman. To the public, the soldier killed himself due to Wonder Womans actions.
Their target audience hates our country, hates those that serve, and cheer when either are harmed. WW is a perfect vehicle for symbolically smashing the backbone of our nation - and of course, the patriarchy. Sadly, their target audience doesn't really buy comics. Its actually pretty funny - and the way Marvel and DC are driving certain Indie sales, also hilarious. Comics fans have to buy online, as few of the B&M stores bother to buy into the decent, salable Indies - because so many store owners fall into the mainstream "target audience". Which is kinda why so many B&M's are closing. The viable portions of the Industry are changing. Thank god for that.
I didn't make it beyond the 7:21 marker on this video. The pages of the comic that were scrolled through up to that point contained the most wretched writing I may have ever seen in a comic book (by 21st century standards). I needed no more. To call King a "hack" would be to elevate him far beyond his actual competence.
God, what remarkable garbage.
When Tom King had Mr Terrific say he was relieved that his wife and unborn child died, or that Martian Manhunter secretly had a kink for the same element that killed his family (fire), I knew King was that kind of person who instead of pushing away ugly thoughts, tried to build a career on them. Shame on him.
Which I had to go and double check. To see the villain was using the lasso of lies, power. For the whole thing felt off. Like the character when everything is fine into time to end it all. Way to quickly. Which is this villain a moron? You have someone who is willing to fight against a super hero. That takes some guts and skill to escape alive. Along with knowing what doesn't work against her. Very valuable experience.
Yeah this whole thing comes off as wanting to be a edge lord for no good reason. For the villain just got rid of someone, that would of been very useful to him. Given i'm guessing he wants to take down wonder woman. He is a old man, who only has a rope. Unless he is demon or has some sort of secret super powers. That Lasso seems like it would be easy to avoid. What is the villain plan here? For this is worst then a villain killing a minion themselves. At least in that case, it shows the villain is physically or magically powerful like say Vader. Here the villain just seems stupid, weak and pathetic to the point anyone can just take beat him, by staying out of range of his Lasso and using a range attack of some sort. Which given how hateful and disrespectful comic pros are to almost everyone. I would not be surprise, if later it gets reveal. Ah yes Tom King was doing this just to poorly talk about some real life issue or give someone the middle finger. For bad story telling always happens, when trying to tell a good story comes second to everything else.
I thought you were making up the dialogue
Why does it sound like Tom King is projecting with that dialogue? Wes, I’m working on a script on veterans and would like to ask you a few questions so that I get get the information correct. If you have any time would you mind me picking your brain for some info?
Wes
Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm in the arts & we have far too many people dying through suicide as well. Deaths by despair are horrible across the board & something must be done about it.
That said, I have actually enjoyed this run of Wonder Woman. The whole world has turned against the Amazons & it's an interesting story with action & suspense.
I had no idea about Tom King's background. The story with WW fighting the Army reminded me of those stories of General Ross taking on the Hulk. A lot of tanks & copters were smashed, but I assumed the men were beaten not maimed or killed (according to Hulk lore, the soldiers all lived to fight another day IIRC).
Now, the suicide DID trigger me, but that was because, as I said, I have lost so many friends & colleagues to self harm. I actually DO understand that the point in the story was twofold 1). to make us hate the Sovereign, which it did 2). to make the people in the story hate Wonder Woman.
Seeing the story through your eyes, I can understand why you hated it. I have been enjoying the story & am interested in where it's going.
Why I prefer online comics. Writers pay attention to fans, instead of provoking us.
Thanks for speaking out on this, Wes. You are probably reaching people who have no idea about this problem. I would guess not all of your subscribers are veterans and maybe have missed this important dire epidemic. I've noped out on Tom King ever since his Batman marriage disaster. I love Wonder Woman but didn't pick this because of him. I can't believe DC editorial let this fly. It's Wonder Woman for F's sake! She's built into the American psyche as a hero, not some shock attention grabbing device. Suicide among veterans is a very real problem. I lost a veteran friend late last year. I still choke up thinking about all the guys I know who made it back but didn't. Again, from one veteran to another, thank you.
People in the military and veterans are *less* likely to kill themselves than other people. That's a strange "epidemic".
Yeah it seems like the way you describe it Tom was too literally with what he going for and it really didn't say much but just showing a hardship faced by people in the military. For what end in his story it? Probably used against WW in a really clunky and unaware way. Like most of his books he wants to write mature and dark stories but it's like a child's view of what makes something dark.
Thanks for the information and the awareness, I'm done with anything Tom King.
Question, can we fire Tom king and replace him With you. you'd be a much better writer. thank you for your service and thank you for your service and thank you for talking about this topic.Tom King Just doesn't have it anymore.
Which is sad because he lived through war stuff like this.
Deep bro 😢
I listened to your previous vids on this run for WW and remembered something about the silver lasso having some kind of power as you were reading it. I could tell you were upset about it beyond bad story telling, but bc he had the soldier holding the lasso that it was the cause of the soldier acting that way. But listening to what you said about what happens in real life to these men and women made me realize it's not an overreaction by you but a lack of empathy and understanding by King. I pray that our Lord Jesus heals people suffering from PTSD and that people facing things in their lives like this seek and get the help they need.
Shame on DC editors for signing off on this hack job.