Previous Post First off, don't take any of this the wrong way and know that I mean well. Why is this Message Board so depressing? It feels like there's always so much negativity on here. I know alot of you dislike Hudlin or dislike the book but what makes you come on here each day? Does it make some of you feel better to come on here and bash BP and everything about it? Personally, the only message boards I go to are the ones I'm interested in. I've never read Birds of Prey or any 2099 books and I currently don't read any Superman books, so I don't go to those boards. I think Superman is one of the lamest characters of all time, but that doesn't mean I'm going to go to the Superman MB and bash the character. If some of you hate the book so much why make those of us that do like it miserable? It's not just the Black Panther MB but even at the Thor MB and the BENDIS haters over at the Avengers MB. Once again please don't take offense to this but I really am curious as to why some of you feel the need to be negative about these characters. I understand if you're a long time BP fan and Hudlin has ruined your favorite character, but just stop buying the book until a new writer comes. Voicing your opinion is extremely important but is it necessary to do it everytime someone says something positive. Maybe I'm just speaking to deaf ears, but can't we just keep a positive vibe around here? It's just comics.

> First off, don't take any of this the wrong way and know that I mean well. Why is this Message Board so depressing? It feels like there's always so much negativity on here. I know alot of you dislike Hudlin or dislike the book but what makes you come on here each day? Does it make some of you feel better to come on here and bash BP and everything about it?
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> Personally, the only message boards I go to are the ones I'm interested in. I've never read Birds of Prey or any 2099 books and I currently don't read any Superman books, so I don't go to those boards. I think Superman is one of the lamest characters of all time, but that doesn't mean I'm going to go to the Superman MB and bash the character. If some of you hate the book so much why make those of us that do like it miserable? It's not just the Black Panther MB but even at the Thor MB and the BENDIS haters over at the Avengers MB.
>
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> Once again please don't take offense to this but I really am curious as to why some of you feel the need to be negative about these characters. I understand if you're a long time BP fan and Hudlin has ruined your favorite character, but just stop buying the book until a new writer comes. Voicing your opinion is extremely important but is it necessary to do it everytime someone says something positive.
>
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> Maybe I'm just speaking to deaf ears, but can't we just keep a positive vibe around here? It's just comics.

Hi.

Only slightly irrelevant prologue: Someone asked an identical question on the "Smallville" board, and I wrote this response:

http://www.tvshowboards.com/smallville/view.php?rpl=070427120829

Some of that applies here, in spirit if not in rule. Story is always key.

Now, let me be Captain Obvious: Boards seem to be negative when the majority of the people online don't like the portrayal. Did you read the Silver Surfer Board during the book's 2003 run---when the story centered on an African-American woman in New Orleans and her child? The SSB posters---who loved Ron Lim, Genis, Mephisto, etc., from the previous run, etc.---HATED it and wrote either negative things or talked about other things, like power levels and such. FOR. THE. ENTIRE. RUN. (I think, though, the main reason they hated it because the writers wrote a LOOONGGG story BADLY unsuited for the Silver Surfer, not just because of race of the main characters.) So this is phenom is not new to the BP Message Board or the others you mention.

Second, and please don't be offended by this, but....um, Dude, this is the Internet. A virtual place filled with people (read: geeks ) who are passionate enough to spend considerable time writing about their favorite fantasy characters--ones they don't own, in stories they can't control. So by nature, they are going to be a little extreme. (I'm mean, I'm a fulltime freelance writer; I should be trying to sell articles right now instead of doing this! LOL!) When fanboys are happy, they gather together and talk about how happy they are. (Much of the discussion on the current Captain America Board often reminds me of how this board was under Priest's tenure; many of the posters keep saying "Trust Bru....I don't like everything that's going on, but I trust Bru, so let him do whatever; I'm along for the ride.") When fanboys don't like it, they gather together and sound like the Smallville Board and this board. With boards, people get to have conversations with fellow frustrated or happy fans and have them publicly ARCHIVED---part of the record.

As far as BP is concerned, well......I'm not speaking for this board, but you gotta understand: The previous volume of this book was EXTRAORDINARILY strong. Now, there are those who STRONGLY disagree--who say with considerable passion that Hudlin's BP portrayal is the best one yet. The vast majority of those posters are on Hudlin's board because they like the character and don't like the vibe here.

http://www.hudlinentertainment.com/smf/index.php?board=2.0

Good. It's a free Internet.

These Internet dialogues have at least one important side benefit: getting to talk directly with creators. I mean, I was able to tell Hudlin, a.k.a. Muddy Boots , in DETAIL on this board why I thought his Panther was less than stellar. Meanwhile, his fans tell him in detail on his board how much they appreciate what he's done. And it's part of an Internet record. That's a great accomplishment for those who will study the history of this character, and its development, in the future.

The bitter and the sweet. It's just a part of this (Internet) experience.

That's my two cents.