Why does magic seem to be such a consistently ignored, shallowly approached topic in English-language comics? One would expect the same creative industry that conceived the whole superhero notion to eventually develop similarly succesful interesting stories and concepts regarding the arcane. I'm not the most accomplished comics reader, but all my quests for proper magic-themed comics have turned out to be futile barring some of Alan Moore's work (e.g., Swamp Thing, Promethea) and a few glimpses contained in many of the DC/Marvel characters who supposedly revolve around magic (namely Dr. Strange). Other than that, the theme of magic is a mere excuse for conventional comic stuff -not like this is bad per se- like action/superhero runs or detective storylines as found in Hellblazer, for instance, who is a magician in the same way he could be a regular detective devoid of powers. I haven't read anything with Zatanna, Doctor Fate, Phantom Stranger or Madame Xanadu in it, but I know I would probably be disappointed if I did. Why is this? Why can't magic be 'deep' too and not just a gimmick?
On comics and magic
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>not just a gimmick?
but that's what magic in a narrative is.
Because magic is a bullshit gimmick by definition.
Now go read Books of Magic.
Read Cerebus. Alan Moore recommends it highly. The main character doesn't use magic, but one of the biggest revelations is that he and others like him are actually manifestations of focal points for magic itself, and their lives are so interesting because the world warps and bends around them.
Actually, that's a major spoiler. Please don't report me for breaking the no-spoilers rule.
They kind of have to keep it to its own thing, because this is a setting where at one point Lucifer was wandering around the setting, as was the living manifestation and 'deity' of the concept of dreams and dreaming, and angels and demons are actually among the population. Gotham seems to be basically possessed as a whole, something they carefully ignore in the 'normal' comics.
In the end, it all works out as pretty deep background for the setting. I used to prefer Marvel as a setting, until I read Sandman, Constantine, and some of the more interesting stuff DC doesn't put out on the shelves in mass amounts.
Sandman, Constantine & Lucifer don't really take place in the main DC universe though. Or they didn't back when things still kind of made sense.
>Sandman, Constantine & Lucifer don't really take place in the main DC universe though. Or they didn't back when things still kind of made sense.
Yes they fucking do, hell Constantine debuted in fucking Swamp Thing. Superman and Jon Jonzz both appear in Sandman, and at one point Morpheus breaks into the Justice League Detroit
Fucking casual.
and the newSandman is the fucking grandson of Hawkamn, and that is even brought up IN the dc comics. It is fucking canon you stupid fucking casual shit stain.
read more comics you scrub.
>I haven't read these comics but they are probably bad
fucking murder yourself
You're extremely upset over this. Don't be. The fact of the matter is that you CAN'T fit something like the three universes of Lucifer into the main DC continuity.
Except Constantine in Hellblazer grew old while main DC universe Constantine stayed young. They are clearly two different versions of the character. Stop trying to shove everything into one universe for seemingly no reason.
>The fact of the matter is that you CAN'T fit something like the three universes of Lucifer into the main DC continuity.
Yes you fucking can, there is absolutely 0 reason why it cant work.
Saying it cant work is like saying there is no way the Lantern Corp can be in the same continuity as Superman because why didnt the lantern corp stop krypton from exploding. Just use your fucking imagination.
the books dont take place at the same time/zero hour/crisis reboots. etc.
Stop being retarded and grasping for straws when all three books are blatantly in the DC universe and are referenced in DC comics you casual shits.
>there is absolutely 0 reason why it cant work.
Okay, how about the fact that GOD HIMSELF SAYS THOSE THREE ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT EXIST?
>the books dont take place at the same
They were both being released at the same time. Old John and young John were walking around in the same year. If anyone is grasping for straws it's you.
STOP BEING SUCH A STUPID CASUAL WHEN THOSE WERE BEING WRITTEN IT WAS AFTER CoIE SO IT WAS JUST THE ONE (or three) UNIVERSES, BUT GUESS WHAT, AFTER GOD SAID THAT INFINITE CRISIS HAPPENED YOU STUPID PLEB
>Why does magic seem to be such a consistently ignored, shallowly approached topic in English-language comics?
Just read the Brits.
There's also Arthesia, which is pretty damn legit when it comes to magic.
>IT WAS JUST THE ONE (or three)
So which one is it falseflag-kun? Main DC says only one but the other says 3.
>released at the same time means they take place at the same time
shit I guess this means every Conan book takes place now huh? And no, no where in time are Young John and Old John walking around at the same time. If you need it to make sense in your autistic brain, have old john take place before zero hour and young john after. For fucks sake, all this IN UNIVERSE evidence that they are in the same universe and you have to go with the "WELL THE AGING DOESNT WORK" shit. Comic characters are aged around all the fucking time you casual.
the fuck are you talking about, its one universe after CoIE up until Lucifer reveals its three which is irrelevant because no one in the DC universe ever accesses them outside of Lucifer, but then Infinite Crisis makes it the multiverse again (and makes this public knowledge to people other than God and Lucifer) you stupid fucking casual do you need it spelled out for you?
>And no, no where in time are Young John and Old John walking around at the same time
2010/2011. What Constantine looked like in main DC. Hellblazer at the time had him much older. You can stop posting false info now.
Yeah but that doesn't count because the Hellblazer Constantine lives in the future so it's okay.
holy shit you stupid idiot thats not what I fucking mean, I mean at no point is there an event or story with both characters walking around. There is nothing that makes it so that Hellblazer Constantine cant just be his pre-Infinite Crisis or pre-Zero Hour adventures and then he gets deaged like everyone does after said Crisis-tier events.
Stop being such a goddamn idiot and a casual.
define "deep" magic, because im sure harry potter, DnD, and Magic:the gathering are going to appeal to you
>because one single character's age doesn't match up 100% of the time all that other evidence doesnt matter
kill yourself and read more comics
>I mean at no point is there an event or story with both characters walking around.
That's because main DC John and Hellblazer John live in separate universe. Glad you see things my why.
no they fucking dont, seeing as how the current Hellblazer IN THE DCU references old Hellblazer events AND old Hellblazer constantly has DCU characters in it and NO WHERE is it stated that it takes place in its own universe you fucking autistic shit. Show me on which multiverse map is the Hellblazer universe?
>Show me on which multiverse map is the Hellblazer universe?
Here you go. This is from the event where Pandora merges the Vertigo universe with the main DC universe along with a third separate universe.
I don't have any maps but I've got this.
>cbr.com
>And we understood why there was a distinction between the DC Universe and Vertigo, but since some of these characters actually started in the DC Universe, we didn’t understand the reason why we shouldn’t be able to migrate them back at a particular point.
>We have a template for both versions, and there’s quite honestly no reason to merge them. Constantine in the Vertigo universe is in his 60s, and what you have in the DC Universe is a character who is markedly younger.
I don't know user, seem like separate to me.
reminder that Flash screaming out is when Manhattan 'stole' time from N52
Read some Morrison you dump pleb.
Anyway, magic is a sacred and esoteric topic, and you want to learn about it via comic books?
My whole sect laughs at you.
>Manhattan
So stupid.
Go back to bed, Moore.
I'm not grumpy you're grumpy, I'll hex the shit out of you, Morrison you little shit!
Well no shit I'm grumpy, you've been stealing my shrooms again ye old bodach
Not to mention john has demon blood in him which makes him age slower.