That Twitter thread… You know the one

[Colin YNWA]

I don't think the two ideas are incomPatible.

I think we all need to stop for a second and reflect on the genius that is TordelBack.

[JayzusB.Christ]

I don't think the two ideas are incomPatible.

I think we all need to stop for a second and reflect on the genius that is TordelBack.

Oh bloody hell, I missed that one. Bravo.

[Professor Bear]

I don't think the two ideas are incomPatible.

I was, of course, making a flippant remark, as is my wont.

[TordelBack]

I was, of course, making a flippant remark, as is my wont.

It's well I know you're mien, but I could just see quotes of that phrase peppering my Twitter feed, and felt like getting a denial in first. It's the price of being an Influencer, Prof.

[Funt Solo]

[Magnetica]

Simon Bowland suggested he be more respectful of other creators. Mills told him to "fuck off".

...and wondered how Pat could form an opinion if he hadn't even read what he was slagging off, which I've noticed Mr. Mills seems to have a habit of.

My reading of it was Pat objected to the question as to how he could form an opinion of Dredd writers if he hadn't read any. He went on to say that he had read "some from time to time".

So why did Simon Bowland question whether Pat had actually read any Dredds.?

Surely Pat's tweet earlier that day is purely coincidental: " I dont read current Dredds.  I prefer to remember him the way he was when John wrote him full time".

[JayzusB.Christ]

Simon Bowland suggested he be more respectful of other creators. Mills told him to "fuck off".

...and wondered how Pat could form an opinion if he hadn't even read what he was slagging off, which I've noticed Mr. Mills seems to have a habit of.

My reading of it was Pat objected to the question as to how he could form an opinion of Dredd writers if he hadn't read any. He went on to say that he had read "some from time to time".

So why did Simon Bowland question whether Pat had actually read any Dredds.?

Surely Pat's tweet earlier that day is purely coincidental: " I dont read current Dredds.  I prefer to remember him the way he was when John wrote him full time".

Didn't realise that... this whole situation is just getting odder and odder.  Ah well, I can't wait for the new Wagner Dredd anyway.  Also, while I was gutted that Al Ewing left the Dredd stable - he'd be the perfect Dredd writer if John wasn't already - Kenneth Niemand is stepping up to the task very nicely.

[alphadogau]

... and then there's this weeks damage report...

[Funt Solo]

A Facebook locale, recently:

Mod A Post: Pat told a colleague to eff off!
User A: Go Pat!
User B: Go Pat!
User C: Go Pat!
User D: Pat's a victim in all this.
Mod A: I hear that.
User E: Pat's a victim in all this.
User F: Go Pat!
Mod A: Pat's the voice of the working class!
User G: He's right about everything!
User H: People who disagree with us are shit eaters.
Mod A: Being controversial is aces! Rennie's a twat, though.
User I: Everything can be solved through the application of violence.
User G: Mod A is also a victim in all this.
User H: I love Mod A - but I'm not gay!
User F: Twitter is better than 2000 AD!
User J: Telling people to eff off isn't fair.
User A: Pat's a victim in all this.
Mod A: User J - your opinion is baseless.
Mod B: Go Pat! User J can eff off!
User K: Check out the ego on Mills, though.
User L: Pat's right about everything.
Mod A: Pat's right about everything.
User F: People who criticise Pat have baseless opinions.
Mod A: We welcome those people, though. (Although their opinions are baseless.)
...
Mod A: Go Pat!

[Colin YNWA]

Funt Solo nails it!

[Link Prime]

I've had a look - a useful reminder of why I try to avoid Twitter where possible.

I've never used it, and as a result reading threads like this is like some kind of nerd Cluedo.

My take on the whole thing is this; sometimes celebs / comics creators will say something provocative, and depending on who they are, it can barely register as a shoulder shrug.

Pat Mills is one such creator - at the end of the day he's Pat Mills.
If the guy wanted to punch me in the face I'd be reluctant to hurt his knuckles.

A tangential change of topic: how much damage has social media (i.e. Twitter) caused for the comic book industry?
Probably more that shit-stirring websites like Bleedingcool, I'd wager.

[TordelBack]

Pat Mills is one such creator - at the end of the day he's Pat Mills.
If the guy wanted to punch me in the face I'd be reluctant to hurt his knuckles.

Beautifully put.

[IndigoPrime]

Like any social networking system, the anonymity of Twitter enables people to act in a certain way that they might or might not do in real life. The enforced terseness of discourse (through 280-character bites) does not help. But it is also a public forum, and there's a difference between being provocative and getting tangled up in discourse that is in some cases inaccurate and in other cases just flat-out rude. Telling Bowland to "fuck off" was unnecessary, to say the least.

In a more general sense, social media has been a boon and a disaster, depending on specific moments. It allows people to get the word out. It allows people to converse. Some are very open. Jamie Smart is perhaps the nicest person in comics, and I've had some lovely conversations with him. Sean Phillips has provided answers to people about upcoming plans for his books, allowing fans to make informed decisions.

But gaining insight into people can be a double-edged sword. Plenty of Rowling fans have had their passion poisoned by her viewpoints in trans. Smiths fans have to juggle their love for music with Morrissey being a prick. Same with Ian Brown, who's gone full-on anti-vaxx. This is just as true for comics, where you discover people like Brendan McCarthy is a right-wing Trumper who's sceptical about COVID.

For some people, none of this matters. For some, the positives outweigh the negatives. (I would place myself in that bracket.) For others, the opposite is true. For comics as a whole, I suspect it comes out even, despite the ongoing culture war that seeks to place people into distinct camps, and—frankly— white middle-aged men getting their knickers in a twist about other people having the audacity to like comics too (and want material aimed at people other than white middle-aged men).

[Super Mario]

I gave up reading said Facebook group after their main response to the most recent Regened prog was to do an audit of every minority character that appeared in it.

[IndigoPrime]

I didn't spot that. Assuming it's the same one, the most recent posts in my feed were all of Hershey in various states of undress (while people bitched and complained, without irony, about how the Hershey strip itself had cheated a character out of a respectful death).