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Post by Batflunkie on Apr 20, 2017 18:08:48 GMT -5
Hello friends, and happy 4/20 (and if you need to be explained the significance of today's date, direct your eyes to your facebook newsfeed or do a quick google search)
I thought that I would be "enlightening" to discuss "recreational drug use" and comics, particularly during the bronze age. And what I'm about to this isn't strictly political, just an observation: A lot of some of more celebrated writers during this period (Denny O' Neil, Jim Starlin, Steve Englehart, etc.) were disenfranchised with the establishment and wanted a way to escape into a "fantasy world" like comic books often allow it's readers to do. Starlin made absolutely no bones about the fact that he smoked and it's kind of the accepted elephant in the room while reading his books, the others seem to subtlety imply it. Gerber (from what I've read in "Marvel: The Untold Story"), like Ditko, didn't need it. He was already that much of an abstract absurdest that, if anything, "using" just hindered him artistically
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Post by Icctrombone on Apr 20, 2017 18:27:53 GMT -5
I'm totally against it. I have a stepson that has a drug problem and I think drugs are wrong. I'm glad that Starlin, Englehart et al, were able to escape , but it has ruined many a life.
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Post by Batflunkie on Apr 20, 2017 18:38:12 GMT -5
I'm totally against it. I have a stepson that has a drug problem and I think drugs are wrong. I'm glad that Starlin, Englehart et al, were able to escape , but it has ruined many a life. Pot has a lot of benefits, but it still helps if you obey the "everything in moderation" rule. Too much of anything is bad, period |
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Post by Icctrombone on Apr 20, 2017 18:42:08 GMT -5
I don't want to ruin the thread, but maybe the drugs of today are more dangerous than back in the day.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Apr 20, 2017 18:45:53 GMT -5
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Post by The Captain on Apr 20, 2017 18:49:15 GMT -5
My wife and I were having a conversation about today this afternoon, because it's our younger daughter's birthday, and we're worried that as she gets older (she's only 9 now, but they grow up so fast), she'll come to understand the connection between her birth date and drug references, especially as more states legalize marijuana and the culture becomes more open to recreational use. She's a bit of a free spirit already, and we really don't want her going down that path, especially since we have two nephews in their 20's who have completely wrecked their lives with drugs, one with heroin and the other with pot.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Apr 20, 2017 18:50:38 GMT -5
I am anything but an expert on the topic, but doesn't 4/20 specifically refer to marijuana consumption? There's a canyon of difference between weed consumption and usage of other illicit drugs, both in terms of harmfulness and addictive qualities. And please do not take that to mean I endorse illegal marijuana usage either. But, much as this is a family friendly site, discussion about these substances and their pertinence to comic book history seems appropriate. I would just caution that we not turn this into a "Dude, one time, I got so f**ked up that..." thread. As this is in the Classic Comics Discussion section, let's keep this about drugs' relevance to classic comics  |
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Apr 20, 2017 18:52:23 GMT -5
There are people with addictive personalities/ need of escape from reality. If it wasn't booze, it would be drugs. But it would be something. Pot to a normal personality, is not addictive
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Post by Batflunkie on Apr 20, 2017 18:56:50 GMT -5
I don't want to ruin the thread, but maybe the drugs of today are more dangerous than back in the day. As much as I long to live in the paradise of harmony that is Wakanda, that's a dream best left saved for another day. We are so advanced now that we can cure anything and abolish hunger, yet we still cling to our primal instincts of war and greed, of territory and dominance. Science is there to "create" not to "destroy" |
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Apr 20, 2017 19:45:49 GMT -5
From the one time I tried it I cannot see it making me more creative or imaginative. That said alcohol is my choice of drug and drinking and reading don't mix. Drinking and video games and movies though ... that's a thread all it's own.
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Post by Batflunkie on Apr 20, 2017 20:21:49 GMT -5
From the one time I tried it I cannot see it making me more creative or imaginative Same, it's like I said about Gerber and Ditko, I'm already "out there" enough. It's like giving somebody who can do creative thinking in their sleep a Green Lantern Power Ring, it's more of a hindrance for me than an actual benefit And truthfully, the only "vice" I need is caffeine |
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Post by kirby101 on Apr 20, 2017 21:03:43 GMT -5
I live a creative life. Pot never help being more creative. That said, it has other benefits.
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Apr 20, 2017 22:00:30 GMT -5
From the one time I tried it I cannot see it making me more creative or imaginative Same, it's like I said about Gerber and Ditko, I'm already "out there" enough. It's like giving somebody who can do creative thinking in their sleep a Green Lantern Power Ring, it's more of a hindrance for me than an actual benefit And truthfully, the only "vice" I need is caffeine I really got a negative reaction to it. I hung out with a lot of pot smokers in high school and never tried it. They were mellow and cool. My experience was the exact opposite when I tried it like 5 years ago when I was 35. It felt like I had popped adderal. That said the stereotypical "far out" thoughts can be seen in Starlin's 70s work if he indeed smoked pot while writing. But I don't think pot is probably much different than alcohol for me. It just allows a thought flow without hinderance. And in that case his work is better for it. But the addiction can also be a hinderance. It's a hard road I've traveled for half my life. |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Apr 21, 2017 14:12:46 GMT -5
I am anything but an expert on the topic, but doesn't 4/20 specifically refer to marijuana consumption? There's a canyon of difference between weed consumption and usage of other illicit drugs, both in terms of harmfulness and addictive qualities. And please do not take that to mean I endorse illegal marijuana usage either. But, much as this is a family friendly site, discussion about these substances and their pertinence to comic book history seems appropriate. I would just caution that we not turn this into a "Dude, one time, I got so f**ked up that..." thread. As this is in the Classic Comics Discussion section, let's keep this about drugs' relevance to classic comics Quoted for re-emphasis!!! |
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 21, 2017 20:56:47 GMT -5
Some of the 70s crowd have talked about pot and mushrooms; the Underground folks quite a bit. Howard Chaykin has talked about how he spent several years drinking and taking drugs, though never to where it directly affected his work or in meeting his deadlines. The Art of Howard Chaykin talks about it, in general terms, though he doesn't elaborate what he was using.
Within comics themselves, the Code precluded much talk, until the Spider-Man issue and Green Lantern/Green Arrow; However, after that, most editors seemed to want to stay away from the subject. You get a lot of metaphors, in the 70s, from the Cosmic crowd. as we get psychedelic mindtrips, via other methods. What you saw more of was a hero taking down drug dealers, though more as we got near and into the 80s.
You do get Grant Morrison talking about taking psychedelics and other things, though a lot of those interviews and essays strike me as him feeding a line to the interviewer to feed an image.
Alcohol was a far bigger factor in comics than drugs, across the generations.
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