I'm reading pre crisis Teen Titans and the treatment of jericho is getting me really cross.
He doesn't get internal narrative boxes. He gets description boxes telling us what he's thinking, but they are not thoughts. everybody else gets internal narrative, but not Joe. he is silenced in all ways possible.
This is a problem because he is mute. He isn't deaf, his hearing is absolutely fine, but he can't speak so he uses American sign language to communicate (when the rest of his team can be bothered to learn it that is). So because he can't verbally speak and the rest of the team can't understand him, we never get to hear what it's in his head either. which is bullshit. he's not an empty vessel just because no other bugger can understand him.
F'rinstance, if he got an internal narrative box here I bet he's be saying something like 'ye gods that woman's soul self is horrendous what the fuck just happened I'm in a lot of pain. you bloody arseholes why can't you understand me dammit you bunch of selfish buggers'.
and the phrase' searching for concepts no sign language was designed to convey' irks me no end. a) it wasn't designed, b) sign languages can convey concepts of soul searching horror very well thank you, c) a better way to describe his feeling would be to say something like 'searching for concepts no human being ever thought to convey'.
Lazy fucking writing.
This is a problem because he is mute. He isn't deaf, his hearing is absolutely fine, but he can't speak so he uses American sign language to communicate (when the rest of his team can be bothered to learn it that is). So because he can't verbally speak and the rest of the team can't understand him, we never get to hear what it's in his head either. which is bullshit. he's not an empty vessel just because no other bugger can understand him.
F'rinstance, if he got an internal narrative box here I bet he's be saying something like 'ye gods that woman's soul self is horrendous what the fuck just happened I'm in a lot of pain. you bloody arseholes why can't you understand me dammit you bunch of selfish buggers'.
and the phrase' searching for concepts no sign language was designed to convey' irks me no end. a) it wasn't designed, b) sign languages can convey concepts of soul searching horror very well thank you, c) a better way to describe his feeling would be to say something like 'searching for concepts no human being ever thought to convey'.
Lazy fucking writing.
2 comments:
I read Wolfman & Perez' comments about the character in the text of THE JUDAS CONTRACT, which is the Titans arc where he first appeared.
Joey's total silence was Perez' idea. He specifically instructed Wolfman not to use thought balloons or internal narrative boxes. Perez said he created Jericho to be an "artist's character". I think Perez meant he wanted the onus for conveying Joey's thoughts and feelings primarily on him, the penciller. What I'm taking away from that is that Perez intended Joey as kind of an artist's challenge/test.
(I'm NOT endorsing this approach, mind you, just giving backstory.)
Those clumsy EXTERNAL narrative captions ("searching for concepts no sign language was designed to convey"), though? Put that 100% on Wolfman. He was the sole scripter.
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