Well. At least they didn't kill Speedy, too. :-/

[benicio127]

From the Emerald City Comic Con DC panel:

The first question jumped into the recent controversy over the death of Lian Harper, the young daughter of Speedy who was recently killed in "Cry for Justice," when a female fan expressed her displeasure with the "fridging" of the character:

James Robinson: "That decision [was] a controversial and one that I know has been greeted with some displeasure by some people... I'm sorry if it upset people. In all honesty, they wanted to kill Speedy too, and I said no, so give me some credit for that."

Ian Sattler: "I'm happy it upset people because it means that the story had some weight and emotion."

Source: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/03/13/emerald-city-comic-con-the-dc-nation-panel/

WTF.




Suggested tags: char: speedy/red arrow/arsenal/roy harper, char: lian harper, title: outsiders, creator: Judd Winick

Comments

[jlbarnett]

no, I will not give you credit for that. They should have killed Speedy instead. The AIDS plot can never go anywhere because AIDS takes time to kill. So better to let her have a heroic death and save the kid.

The only emotional impact it had was "Damn, I'm pissed DC's editors were stupid enough to do this."

[icon_uk]

Except then DC would have been accused of picking on their only current HIV positive hero (Extrano of the New Guardians being in character limbo for years) and they'd have copped flak for that.

[cuntfucius]

It wasn't about killing Speedy instead. She wasn't allowed to save Lian. Lian had to die in this story. It was either both of them, or Lian dying alone. Either way, it's just a shitty decision and sucks.

The text, of course, makes it sound like Robinson is entitled to not having fans mad at him. That's not how he was at the con at all. The quoted text was self deprecating and him making fun of himself... he was seriously a sniveling apologizing ...thing the entire time.

Also, I love how they were like "It's not fridging!!" then go on to explain that the reason why they killed the female arrow family members (or wanted to kill both) was to advance Roy and Ollie to a certain point. Lol

[jlbarnett]

did anyone inform them that that's the definition of fridging.

If you have to make a sniveling apology then you shouldn't have done it.

And I get that it was intended to be both, I'm saying he should have talked them into saving Lian instead.

Do modern comics writers have something against kids I wonder.

[deepspaceartist]

Do you really think he would have succeeded, though? Speedy (Mia or Roy) is a viable charcter who can carry a story on their own. As far as Editorial is probably concerned, Lian was little more than an accessory for Roy. Arguing to save Speedy instead of Lian may be a matter of picking the battle he was more likely to win. Or perhaps he tried to argue for Lian, failed, and argued to save Speedy and bring the deaths to a minimum.

[benicio127]

It wasn't about killing Speedy instead. She wasn't allowed to save Lian. Lian had to die in this story. It was either both of them, or Lian dying alone. Either way, it's just a shitty decision and sucks.

So was it Mia Speedy or Roy? From the way the article seems, it's confusing. I initially thought it was Mia. But then when I read the "Speedy's daughter, Lian..." I assumed they were talking about Roy.

That's not how he was at the con at all. The quoted text was self deprecating and him making fun of himself... he was seriously a sniveling apologizing ...thing the entire time.

I'm guessing you were there, huh? I wonder what the fan response to Sattler's comment was...

[jaybee3]

And of course the irony is that one of DC's top writers, who will probably sit on one of these panels (because you KNOW Lian will be brought up again) was the one who defined "fridging". They DO know what it is, and they know they've done (the whole WiR was already known when they raped and murdered Sue Dibny) and they just don't care.

Not really interested in Robinson apologizing either. Yeah, the writing was crap from issue 1 but I think JR knows it. In several interviews and in the text parts of CfJ he's played down this title. In a sense I feel bad for him because prior to this he's had a stellar reputation coming off of Starman and his work on the Superman books is pretty good but now he's just "Cry for Justice" Robinson. Can't blame the writer for being the hitman (just like it was silly blaming Marz for Emerald Twilight or JMS for Sins Past or OMD), you blame the one who ORDERED the hit.

What I really want to see is the questioning of the editors - at every con- they are the ones behind this (Berganza, Sattler, Didio, maybe Johns now) and they are the ones we can expect to all give the same "If we got a reaction the story worked" drivel. Surely somebody at that company realizes the backlash and emotion about Lian's death has little to do with her and a lot to do with the manner it was done and the readers being tired of DC using gore and death as primary plot-points ever since Identity Crisis. I don't think that this (Lian's dead body) is the image that Diane Nelson wants to project for the new-look DCE.

[arysteia]

Context implies [the death of Lian Harper, the young daughter of Speedy] that it was Roy, not Mia, who had a narrow escape. Whether that's any better I leave you to ponder.

[3goodtimes]

It doesn't have to go anywhere. Lots of people today live with HIV well into middle age and older. It's a part of her character, but it doesn't have to be her only plotline. And frankly, I don't think any death in this stupid series could be heroic.

Also, Mia has HIV not AIDS.

[aulayan]

Silly person, heroes can't have heroic deaths in comics anymore! If They killed Speedy, it would be a completely ineffectual death where she screamed a lot and didn't come anywhere near saving anyone. And she probably would've gotten ambushed at Titan's Tower home.