We gave you Bryan Adams and Nickelback. I think that clears any debts.
*winces* Yeah, okay, let's just call it even.
To elucidate - nothing which has appeared in mainstream (read: superhero) comics in the last decade has advanced the language of the form significantly, and in fact some of the titles I have read seem to be debasing the form. There are exceptions, but few and far between.
I was really loving Planetary, but my sense of the passage of time is such that I can't say if that was this decade or not.
When I was a teen, I was a huge Dr. Strange fan. I mean, I have every single issue up until somewhere in the early 90s (not all in great condition, but hey, I only cared about reading them, not "collecting" them) and I think what eventually turned me off there was a microcosm of a larger trend in comics and, dare I say, literature; the story arcs were fundamentally repetitive, but there started to be a shift towards trying to drum up angst/tension by making characters -- including the MC -- more and more unlikeable. Now, I love me some anti-hero action and I despite shallow, Disneyfied "good guy!" characters, but I really believe you need to have *something* in a story, whether it's comics or tv or fiction, whether it's a character or a need for justice or the setting or what, that the reader can kind of root for. I don't want to read about pointless unmitigated misery staffed with a**holes; that's what real life is for.
Longer rant than I intended. Sorry. Eating lunch at my desk
This may be embarrassing, I don't know, but....
Who is Jessica Simpson?
I didn't know either. Hey, it was only recently that I figured out the Kardashians weren't Star Trek baddies (I'm still not entirely convinced.)
I'm feeling more normal today. Actually got the kitchen cleaned this morning and everything.
Oh and Mr Kricket is officially a Brony. Apparently when he's up late with the baby he's been watching My Little Pony. I tease him about it relentlessly.
Yay for feeling better! My little guy has named one of his toy trucks "Fluttershy".
I'm hitting one of those times when I'm just incredibly discouraged about the writing. Nothing I've got going excites me, nothing new is inspiring me.
I usually take a break and read a couple of books: something really great that I'm looking forward to so I can remember the power and draw of words, then something popular but crappy so I can get the whole "I can do better than this garbage!" righteous ire going.
I frequently think about giving up writing, but mostly just so I can have a lot more free time to write. We've all been there, and will be there again someday. Don't give yourself too hard a time about being discouraged, because the more you berate yourself and make yourself feel lousy about feeling that way, the harder it is to
stop feeling that way. Do you have other creative outlets you can switch to for a while to give yourself a break? Painting, quilting, drawing, music, gardening, etc?
Or, what Cobra sez:
Everyone has periods of doubt when you're convinced your stuff is garbage and is it really worth the time and effort if no one is going to ever read your stuff. Sometimes you can simply muscle through it by simply writing (i.e. working on a current scene, finding a writing prompt, etc). Other times, the best thing you can do is take a break and let your batteries recharge. If it's really a struggle, maybe that's your brain letting you know it needs a little break. Funny thing is, the itch always seems to come back and before you know it, you simply cannot stop writing.