Tales to Astonish No One: Parody of Comicsgate Figures Fails to Create an Audience

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Submitted by RJ Carter on Sun, 03/10/2019 - 20:45

If you are a comics fan who goes to your local shop, checks the shelves for new items, spends a few minutes in the back issue boxes, and goes home to enjoy your purchase, you live in the best of all possible worlds.

If you have a social media account, you've shattered that utopia, and have likely been told to pick a side in the ongoing culture wars -- or been forced into a side whether you chose or not. It's called ComicsGate,

In much the same way an irritant in an oyster causes the generation of a pearl, the mainstream comic industry and the creators who have aligned with ComicsGate have worked together -- reluctantly, unwittingly, unknowingly, anything but admittedly -- to create some gems (and some malformations) through the crowdfunding platforms that have financed their own comics, several of them to the tune of six-figures.

But the battle is a contentious one, one that has escalated from online trolling and twitterfights to physical confrontations and police SWAT-ing of individuals. In light of that, having a parody comic book created as a response to ComicsGate is almost a welcome respite.

If only it had been a good one.

ASTONISHING GATORS was a Kickstarter project, launched by Chloe Handler, which raised almost $2000 to bring it to fruition. The low budget and rapid turnaround are evident in the finished product.

Pairing up with Arch City Comics, we delved into this comic book to find out the good (yes, there was some), the bad, and the ugly.