Comics Vader: Dark Visions

This Twitter thread might be useful.

 

I agree with this Twitter thread, but I think it's all pretty ironic coming from a Reylo fan.

 

Hmm. While understanding from the Twitter person's perspective, I disagree. This is about random people who have encountered Vader. This was about just one of those people who becomes obsessed with a person in power. Saying that they felt attacked as a female fan seems...idk, while I want to defend female fans, but I also see that they may be jumping the gun on this one.

Also didn't Wendig say that they stole this idea from him? That his was about a morgue operator who was male and was obsessed with Vader. Though that could've been about toxic fan boys.

This could have been just a fun little one-shot that's being probed too deeply or it's actually a contemporary take on how fans view tragic and often villainous characters. Either way, I enjoyed the story for being different and giving others a discussion piece.

 

To me it's not about the fans that feel mocked. It's about the inherent hypocrisy of LF. Rey is barely less self destructive than this girl in TLJ. She ships her body, defenseless, to an army of evil bad guys that are mass murdering across the galaxy and hunting her, all to save the soul of her super sexy personal torturer and abductor. In fact, Rey is more self destructive. Unlike the woman in that comic, Rey was harmed directly by Kylo Ren, violated intimately, violently, with her agency stolen, and all multiple times. And yet this comic presents a woman's lack of self respect as something worthy of mockery. TLJ presents it as aspirational for young girls. It's just optimistic to see the best in monsters!

 

The writer, Dennis Hallum, replied to a few tweets, including the thread linked above. Spoilering them because of the embedded size/length:

Spoiler

My response, especially to that last one of his, is: *eyebrow rockets off into space*
I also agree with these reactions to it:

Spoiler

 

She instantly reminded me of those obsessive anime girls, the "crazy eyes" being the biggest give away. I guess the writer's intention was to make a parody of it but I could also definitively see the criticisms of it mocking some sections of fandom who have a thing for villains, she's just a foolish girl for daring to have those feelings for a monster. And then she dies like "garbage". I can definitively see why people are upset by her portrayal in this issue.

 

I thought this comic was pretty funny and an obvious play on crazy fangirls/fanboys, so I admittedly don't see how anyone could call sexism. Especially as they revealed that the original draft had the medic as a boy. What I don't understand is why the writer is trying to defend her by saying she's not crazy at all and is trying to paint her as some sort of hero on twitter... She has a box full of Vader's blood and skin and if I found out somebody was hoarding my blood and skin I'd get a restraining order on them pronto.

 

I don't think he consciously wrote this in a mean-spirited way and he seems to engage with fans respectfully while still defending his work like any authors do but it does play into the misguided perception of those who fantasize for fictional villains as people who don't know the difference between fiction and reality (see also the comparisons between those fans and the people—generally women—who write letters and marry serial killers in prison).

 

Yeah, he is probably afraid. Twitter and sexism are a dangerous mix. I think it was funny too. It’s just a parody of Harley Quinn and similar characters . People on Twitter just need a new topic to talk about. I don‘t know why people are suprised about her death. She entered his quarter just like that and talked about love like a maniac. The death is no suprise at all. I bet most people didn‘t even read the comic and didn‘t saw her „Collection“. It‘s just a comic, people need to relax.

 

If they were "pretty common before the Prequels" then how is this something that needs a takedown NOW twenty years later? And given the already hostile atmosphere toward women fans in general, how was it something that needed a takedown EVER?

 

With all due respect, I think that your view is completely naive.

I can't see into the author's heart, but with the context of Wendig's removal and certain toxic segments of fandom, if the authot did not intend to offend (and I personally think he did), then he exhibited almost unbelievable amounts of myopia. The writing... the art.... it all comes off as mocking and dismissive. The ending, with Vader calling her "garbage" is the misogynistic cherry on top. And I'm a strong anti-Reylo. There needs to be a shake-up at Marvel.

 

DP

 

Originally there was a fan-boy. If Vader killed him and called him garbage, what would it be called? Just this character really garbage - a crazy, obsessed... she came to milord's quarters right after swimming in the station's garbage... So, she is garbage, and she has a natural end.

 

I don't really get the outrage but I certainly don't see the comic as humorous. I felt sorry for the girl. To me it was a tragic story of mental illness brought on by her work environment, similar to the previous issue. While the officer there was driven to madness by fear, the nurse is driven by infatuation, leading to delusion. She doesn't simply have a crush on Vader; she's completely obsessed. She's collecting pieces of him! He violently pushes her out of his way and she sees that as an intimate connection. She spirals as the issue goes on, and it's obvious how her story will end. Though the garbage comment was probably too much. Maybe because I'm not looking for social commentary in my Star Wars comics, but it's clear a lot of people are upset, so what do I know.

edit: It occurred to me that the last bit could seem passive-aggressive, but I really am claiming ignorance in the matter. I'm not the most critical person.

 

It's not that we are necessarily looking for these things, but when one has years and years of this as a dominant narrative about "fangirls" we're going to see it. And you don't have to look far to see that the type of man who sees nerdery as theirs and sees women as "fake" or "crazy" in our fandom are high-fiving each other over this issue as validation of their feelings.

 

"I felt him, and he felt me. All of me."
This quote needs to be bronzed and framed.

 

Yeah, that's where the ignorance comes in. I'm not really familiar with that particular narrative, so I didn't see it as problematic, but a lot of people do, so I don't claim my opinion is in any way authoritative. You all know better than I do.

 

I agree, the trash comment was unnessecary. I see the whole situation like jedisor. She is sick and has a mental illnes. Why would normal "fangirls" compare themselves to this woman? And I say it again, the end was obvious and shouldn't suprise anyone. This dude is psycho. He killed tribes of sandpeople (not just the men, but the women and the children too), jedi, padawans and did even worse stuff in Legends. I mean the story itself wasn't nessecary but the ending was. And I don't get the point about the "fanboy". How would it make the situation better? Except less "fangirls" would complain about it on twitter.

I don't agree with a lot of points.

What is the problem? She has romantic dreams. No one says anything about them. I mean it's kinda an odd image but still, all the "SCORN" comes from this twitter person. A male dream wouldn't be less "cringy" as this one. And it shouldn't be a suprise that this kind of dreams are unrealisitc (at least with Vader). And her boss is just her boss. It's the empire, what do you expect? She obviously makes problems during work. She comes late, steals stuff and just goes in the operation room without permission. It could cost his life.

I mean it's still creepy. Imagine someone would collect your hair or something like that. It kinda looks like there is even some flesh and blood on the scrap. It's not like she collected pictures of him or his gloves or whatever. I mean Kylo took the helmet (without the head) of his grandfather. It's more like a relic while her collection is...something else.

The twitter person complains about the other visions too, but I already said enough about the first one. It's the same problem, no one says anything about them.

And her collection isn't a violation? Or stealing his cape? I doubt Vader or anyone would be ok with that. And it's the empire what do you expect? The reaction of her boss is normal too. What if Vader would know about this? Well he wouldn't be alive anymore and the woman would probably die too. I mean the woman came in Vaders PRIVATE SPACE. How is this any different?

You shouldn't be in love with a mass murderer like Vader? Well yes...you shouldn't be....

I only see a lot of complains about nothing. I'm more annoyed about the canon problems. When is this story supposed to happen? I would prefer to see her working on the Devastator. It would make more sense. And it should be earlier in the timeline too. Maybe like 5-10 years after ROTS.

 

I think if you're someone who romanticizes Vader and Kylo Ren and thinks the fascist dictator who commits genocide and casually murders underlings is desirable, you have deeper problems you need to interrogate about yourself than feeling attacked by a single comic suggesting it just might be unhealthy to feel attracted to a murderous dictator. Especially if you're a Kylo Ren fan as that woman is, given his outright association with and adoption by the same alt-right who march on the streets and attack women and people of color here in the US.

You know who else loves Vader and Kylo Ren and don't like it being pointed out that it's stupid to like those characters on a personal level? The actual fascists who less than two years ago murdered a woman and then were defended by the sitting President for their actions. I don't have sympathy for someone whining on Twitter about how triggered they felt because their love of a fascist character was mocked in the lightest possible way by a single issue of a Marvel comic.

Like... this is insane. This is an actual insane thing to be discussing, arguing that fascist sympathizers are the real victims here.

 

Exactly. And it's kinda sad that the author is afraid of those people.

 

the word you are looking for is Yandere