I have to admit, this was pretty hard for me to cope with (and at the moment I mean spoilers). I found out on Monday, two days before the issue popped. And already, I almost did not care about spoilers. That was how angry I was about the death -- and a very large part of me, rational, defensible, or not, figured if people were going to continue to support this book, then anything I could do that would make it less enjoyable to them, the better. It wasn't just that I didn't worry about spoilers; I actively wanted to spoil it. Part of me thought "if I can't make this book go away, at least I can convince people that looking forward to it is going to be a difficult task from here on out."
Now I know all that's irrational. I'm not defending it. Just saying how I felt. And honestly, considering how much I care about Nico, and how much I love Runaways, and the fact that this book just terminated that franchise and that Hopeless joked about killing her in the letters page right after, I still sort of feel that way. Anyone who was a fan of Nico or the Runaways should know by now she's dead. Heck. Maybe it will anger them and keep them from picking up the issue they had planned on giving money to. I know a lot of people who read this, were sickened, and announced they were done with the series. So if spoiling it actually kept one person from paying for something that was going to make them sick, maybe I can justify that.
As I said in another thread, this book marked a turning point. I can't speak for others, but Nico was the first character in this book who had truly touched my life and is now dead. Her brutal murder has made enemies of me and people who thoroughly enjoy this title. Previously I questioned if the cost to fan emotion justified whatever intrigue or entertainment the book caused. With Nico dead, my answer is a resounding "no." Henceforth Dennis Hopeless actually mentioned on Twitter that they expect people to be more upset. It's going to continue to be bad. And henceforth my disgust of the book bleeds out onto the people who are enjoying it and disregarding entirely the emotional impact it is having on other people. It's really that simple. Yes, Nico was a fictional character. But so is every comic character. Nico impacted lives -- as good art does. Ripping her away (and in so terrible a fashion) absolutely has a real impact, and that's not childishness or pettiness, that's responding to art the way art is designed to make you respond.
Log in to comment