Hiya,
I wrote a column about my favorite wrestler:
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/68761-bret-hart-a-real-life-in-a-cartoon-world/
I hope you enjoy it.
Indeed I shall.
Tags: Interweb plugs
Hiya,
I wrote a column about my favorite wrestler:
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/68761-bret-hart-a-real-life-in-a-cartoon-world/
I hope you enjoy it.
Indeed I shall.
Tags: Interweb plugs
pretty good article but to say that Hart essentially changed the 90s to a more mat based/realistic style is ignoring Ric Flair and everything he had been doing for over 15 years at that point.
“pretty good article but to say that Hart essentially changed the 90s to a more mat based/realistic style is ignoring Ric Flair and everything he had been doing for over 15 years at that point.”
Luckily, acknowledging that Hart is my favorite wrestler removed some of the burden of a broader historical focus; mention of Flair would have derailed the entire column, not least because I have always thought of him as the Frank Miller of professional wrestling, in that he is a wildly overrated hack who is inexplicably considered the best at what he does by a discouraging proportion of the fanbase.
We’ll agree to disagree on both Flair and Miller. You seriously think Flair is a hack? The guy probably has more 4*+ matches than anyone else in North America.
Also, put “Dark Knight Returns” into context. Released in 1986, that book blew the roof off. Sin City ain’t bad either.
I like Flair but I don’t think he’s the best ever in terms of great matches…top 10 of course, maybe top 5. But he’s behind Bret, Shawn, Savage & Steamboat in my book. Steamboat carried Flair in their matches.
I’d say that Flair in his prime (before ~ 1994) had one 4* match that he wrestled against everybody. If his opponent fit into his formula, then there was the potential for more than 4*s. After 1995 Flair was awful and was watchable only when he was COMPLETELY carried by his opponents (e.g., Edge, HHH, Michaels, etc.)
“Also, put “Dark Knight Returns” into context. Released in 1986, that book blew the roof off”
That’s perfectly fair, actually. But looking back, it’s a comically dated and awkward book, and after the first volume, Sin City wasn’t much better, and really, the problem with Miller is he wants EVERYTHING to be Sin City; Alan Moore pointed out that 300 was just Spartan noir.
If the Dark Knight Returns is dated and awkward, then so is Watchmen. Which is to say it isn’t.
I think that writing Robocop 2 ruined Miller. He became the bitter nutjob that he is today writing essentially the same story all the time. EVERY story is a Sin City story. Yes, the first few Sin City books were good, but look at the last one, it’s terrible. In fact, I would argue he hasn’t written a good comic book since the Man Without Fear. Reading All-Star Batman and Robin is just painful. Miller’s blind supporters have said that he’s parodying his “grim and gritty” style, which I don’t think is true. As Monte pointed out; everything is Sin City. ASBAR is Batman-as-Marv.
I see your screen name, and I’m an admitted Bret fan so we won’t get far here
But I just want to address this:
“The guy probably has more 4*+ matches than anyone else in North America.”
That’s subjective anyway so that doesn’t prove anything. Yes, people can agree on star ratings but it’s still a subjective thing. My idea of a **** match may be different than yours, and may or may not match up with Meltzer, or Keith, or Dunn or whoever else gives star ratings.
I also have to state that while I’m not a Flair-hater by any means, I do think it’s fair to say that Bret’s style was more realistic. Maybe not necessarily mat-based, but definitely more realistic. That’s not to say he’s BETTER than Flair because honestly it’s comparing comparing fried eggs to scrambled eggs – it’s all about preference anyway.
FRIED EGGS ARE SUPERIOR!!!!