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scans_dailyWhat's your most frustrating comics ship? Feel free to sound off in the comments...
While I tell you about mine.
No, no, I said comics ship. But the comparison's a little instructive! Ross and Rachel started out looking like a decent love story, then had a frustrating but creatively bold breakup, and then, for whatever reason, the fanbase kept rooting for them to get back together and the show kept on indulging them until the big finale reunion (I give them like six weeks after the series finale, tops).
In comics, my most frustrating ship is one that's never quite come together, despite hints and outright promises that it would.
I feel obliged to repeat: sexy furry stuff just doesn't do it for me, and I never had any desire to see Felina “Alley-Kat-Abra” Furr and Rodney “Captain Carrot” Rabbit do anything graphic together. It's their romance that appealed to me.
And I wasn't the only one! While the series went on, a young letter-writer--a fellow Virginian--articulated the case for the two of them getting together. (Before reading this, I don't think I knew shippers existed, though it'd be some years before I learned the term.) Editor Roy Thomas made some vague promises on that front in reply, tying them to other plans that...wouldn't work out either.
I wouldn't lose any sleep about Felina getting with "someone like the Time-Keeper" specifically, but she'd be within her rights to find another love interest after a while--Cap wouldn't be shy about doing so. So, to expand on Billy "Popeye" Ford's efforts, here’s the full relationship timeline:
Rodney was interested in Felina the moment they met, in Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew #1.
He soon started trying to show off for her (#1 and #4).
At first, Felina seemed grateful for ANY male attention (#3)…
But before long, she was picking up what "Roger" Rodney was laying down (#3)…
And picking HIM up when HE was down (#4).
The two at least attempted dating (#5)…
And remained in each other’s thoughts for a while (#9).
But as young Mr. Ford points out, there was trouble. Rodney wasn’t always great at showing patience or appreciation for Felina in their hero roles (#6).
"You two"? C'mon, Rod, Rova was clearly the aggressor this time around, and you're not exactly easing her doubts there yourself. No wonder Abra seems a bit cold when she brings the issue up later (#8).
And then there was this. I mean...come on, buddy, what are you doing here (#12):
Not long after Rod started going by "Rodney," he found someone else to flirt with on team-ups. Wonder Wabbit was a short-term, long-distance love affair, but no less of an obsession for that, and a somewhat voyeuristic one. (#14-15, Oz-Wonderland chapter 4, Final Ark #3).
It did spark a flash of jealousy in Felina, which could be good or bad for her and Rodney, depending (#15):
Rodney and Felina sat close at the movies not long after that, even if it was for work (#16).
But most of the shipping hints around them had dried up. Their default state around each other now seemed to be cool and professional (#17).
Some catnip exposure looked like it might lurch the couple back into motion. It pushed Felina, and then Rodney, to fall into feelings they might’ve been repressing (Oz-Wonderland chapter 1).
But if anything came of that, we didn’t see it--and it was the last clear sign of interest on Rodney’s part. When we caught up with him years later, nothing was said about his past with Abra--only with the late Carrie Carrot, his maybe-fiancée (“Whatever Happened to Captain Carrot?”):
Not to dismiss Rod's loss, but dating your sidekick doesn't seem like the healthiest idea either. (Hank Pym did it, and results were shall we say mixed.) I mean, we never really see more of Carrie than these few images, but Rodney was old enough to be an established top-tier comics artist even when he started being Captain Carrot, and Carrie has this "too pure for this world" vibe. It just feels a little...
...midlife crisis-y? Let's go with that.
When Felina seemed to have gone bad, Rodney was upset at the betrayal by a friend and colleague, but his reactions didn’t indicate he’d had any special feeling for her (Final Ark #1):
And when Felina returned with claims of innocence, likewise. You'd think this would be an opportunity for a hero-versus-hero fight, or at least an emotional break in the story's rhythm, but Abra's just reintegrated into the team with as little drama as possible (Final Ark #2)...
...even though she seemed to try flirting her way back into Rodney's good graces (Final Ark #2, #3)...
...at least, it looks like that's what she's supposed to be doing? Again, the Final Ark mini was weirdly reluctant to let its heroes feel anything for very long besides anxious, impotent irrelevance. (Geez, I hope that wasn't autobiographical.) The only one who really expressed any romantic feeling in the miniseries was...
There was one indication Rodney might still have special feelings for Felina in the current decade. When she and the rest of the Zoo Crew were (temporarily) deceased, it was her body that he cradled Pieta-style (Dark Nights: Death Metal: Multiverse’s End #1).
But the OTHER time Rodney temporarily lost everyone, it was just after starting a relationship with...YANKEE POODLE? Actually that doesn’t sound quite impossible, sort of an idealism-meets-realism pairing--it doesn't seem like it'd WORK, but it could be interesting, assuming she hasn’t been rewritten to be totally unrecognizable (Harley Quinn #30)--
Right. A couple of issues later, Rodney and a revived New-Rova got domestic…
YEAH OKAY THAT’S ENOUGH OF THAT
Which brings us to "Babies' Day Out" in last year's Legion of Bloom #1. Yet again, this story pairs Rodney with someone who's not Felina, and yet again, it makes no attempt to address that part of his history in any way. But this one's just too adorable for me to resent it. Calvin Kasulke and Vitor Cafaggi present a hypothetical future for Rodney--although the way DC's continuity is these days, who even knows.
After Rodney promises his wife(!) that he'll spend a quiet day with their thirteen babies(!), one of them gets into the wrong carrot supply. (Said wife is not named in the story.) Rodney thinks he's spotted this mischief in time to prevent cross-contamination.
He hasn't. One nap later...
Hey, at least Rodney's in what feels like a healthy love match for once! (Okay, he should've called the wife to confess his blunder after he herded the kids up, but nobody's perfect.) And this Rod feels a bit closer in personality to his 1980s self: once again, he's stressed out trying to manage a bunch of impulsive supers. (Plus, the story works in four villains from the old comics!)
So, yeah, no complaints on this one. But still...
It would be nice to see the long-teased story of the Captain Carrot-Alley-Kat-Abra pairing (Capbra? Rodina?) come to some fruition before I die or DC Comics ceases publication, whichever comes first. It wouldn't have to work out. Stories about failed relationships and missed chances can be good too! You could even work with Rodney's otherwise flawed history--there's nothing wrong with a story about a heroic, likable guy who nevertheless makes bad romantic choices. And it makes sense for a rabbit to get around--they're busy little breeders, after all.
But I wouldn't object to a happily-ever-after, either. Just do something with it before you pair Rodney off with someone even less appropriate, like Tara Markov or Lucy Lane or Ivanka Trump or Elmer Fudd--
ANYWAY. That's my most frustrating ship. What's yours?
Next: Celebrating Captain Carrot's 500th issue! No, I feel fine! Well, maybe you're the ones having a psychotic break from reality!
While I tell you about mine.
No, no, I said comics ship. But the comparison's a little instructive! Ross and Rachel started out looking like a decent love story, then had a frustrating but creatively bold breakup, and then, for whatever reason, the fanbase kept rooting for them to get back together and the show kept on indulging them until the big finale reunion (I give them like six weeks after the series finale, tops).
In comics, my most frustrating ship is one that's never quite come together, despite hints and outright promises that it would.
I feel obliged to repeat: sexy furry stuff just doesn't do it for me, and I never had any desire to see Felina “Alley-Kat-Abra” Furr and Rodney “Captain Carrot” Rabbit do anything graphic together. It's their romance that appealed to me.
And I wasn't the only one! While the series went on, a young letter-writer--a fellow Virginian--articulated the case for the two of them getting together. (Before reading this, I don't think I knew shippers existed, though it'd be some years before I learned the term.) Editor Roy Thomas made some vague promises on that front in reply, tying them to other plans that...wouldn't work out either.
I wouldn't lose any sleep about Felina getting with "someone like the Time-Keeper" specifically, but she'd be within her rights to find another love interest after a while--Cap wouldn't be shy about doing so. So, to expand on Billy "Popeye" Ford's efforts, here’s the full relationship timeline:
Rodney was interested in Felina the moment they met, in Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew #1.
He soon started trying to show off for her (#1 and #4).
At first, Felina seemed grateful for ANY male attention (#3)…
But before long, she was picking up what "Roger" Rodney was laying down (#3)…
And picking HIM up when HE was down (#4).
The two at least attempted dating (#5)…
And remained in each other’s thoughts for a while (#9).
But as young Mr. Ford points out, there was trouble. Rodney wasn’t always great at showing patience or appreciation for Felina in their hero roles (#6).
"You two"? C'mon, Rod, Rova was clearly the aggressor this time around, and you're not exactly easing her doubts there yourself. No wonder Abra seems a bit cold when she brings the issue up later (#8).
And then there was this. I mean...come on, buddy, what are you doing here (#12):
Not long after Rod started going by "Rodney," he found someone else to flirt with on team-ups. Wonder Wabbit was a short-term, long-distance love affair, but no less of an obsession for that, and a somewhat voyeuristic one. (#14-15, Oz-Wonderland chapter 4, Final Ark #3).
It did spark a flash of jealousy in Felina, which could be good or bad for her and Rodney, depending (#15):
Rodney and Felina sat close at the movies not long after that, even if it was for work (#16).
But most of the shipping hints around them had dried up. Their default state around each other now seemed to be cool and professional (#17).
Some catnip exposure looked like it might lurch the couple back into motion. It pushed Felina, and then Rodney, to fall into feelings they might’ve been repressing (Oz-Wonderland chapter 1).
But if anything came of that, we didn’t see it--and it was the last clear sign of interest on Rodney’s part. When we caught up with him years later, nothing was said about his past with Abra--only with the late Carrie Carrot, his maybe-fiancée (“Whatever Happened to Captain Carrot?”):
Not to dismiss Rod's loss, but dating your sidekick doesn't seem like the healthiest idea either. (Hank Pym did it, and results were shall we say mixed.) I mean, we never really see more of Carrie than these few images, but Rodney was old enough to be an established top-tier comics artist even when he started being Captain Carrot, and Carrie has this "too pure for this world" vibe. It just feels a little...
...midlife crisis-y? Let's go with that.
When Felina seemed to have gone bad, Rodney was upset at the betrayal by a friend and colleague, but his reactions didn’t indicate he’d had any special feeling for her (Final Ark #1):
And when Felina returned with claims of innocence, likewise. You'd think this would be an opportunity for a hero-versus-hero fight, or at least an emotional break in the story's rhythm, but Abra's just reintegrated into the team with as little drama as possible (Final Ark #2)...
...even though she seemed to try flirting her way back into Rodney's good graces (Final Ark #2, #3)...
...at least, it looks like that's what she's supposed to be doing? Again, the Final Ark mini was weirdly reluctant to let its heroes feel anything for very long besides anxious, impotent irrelevance. (Geez, I hope that wasn't autobiographical.) The only one who really expressed any romantic feeling in the miniseries was...
There was one indication Rodney might still have special feelings for Felina in the current decade. When she and the rest of the Zoo Crew were (temporarily) deceased, it was her body that he cradled Pieta-style (Dark Nights: Death Metal: Multiverse’s End #1).
But the OTHER time Rodney temporarily lost everyone, it was just after starting a relationship with...YANKEE POODLE? Actually that doesn’t sound quite impossible, sort of an idealism-meets-realism pairing--it doesn't seem like it'd WORK, but it could be interesting, assuming she hasn’t been rewritten to be totally unrecognizable (Harley Quinn #30)--
Right. A couple of issues later, Rodney and a revived New-Rova got domestic…
YEAH OKAY THAT’S ENOUGH OF THAT
Which brings us to "Babies' Day Out" in last year's Legion of Bloom #1. Yet again, this story pairs Rodney with someone who's not Felina, and yet again, it makes no attempt to address that part of his history in any way. But this one's just too adorable for me to resent it. Calvin Kasulke and Vitor Cafaggi present a hypothetical future for Rodney--although the way DC's continuity is these days, who even knows.
After Rodney promises his wife(!) that he'll spend a quiet day with their thirteen babies(!), one of them gets into the wrong carrot supply. (Said wife is not named in the story.) Rodney thinks he's spotted this mischief in time to prevent cross-contamination.
He hasn't. One nap later...
Hey, at least Rodney's in what feels like a healthy love match for once! (Okay, he should've called the wife to confess his blunder after he herded the kids up, but nobody's perfect.) And this Rod feels a bit closer in personality to his 1980s self: once again, he's stressed out trying to manage a bunch of impulsive supers. (Plus, the story works in four villains from the old comics!)
So, yeah, no complaints on this one. But still...
It would be nice to see the long-teased story of the Captain Carrot-Alley-Kat-Abra pairing (Capbra? Rodina?) come to some fruition before I die or DC Comics ceases publication, whichever comes first. It wouldn't have to work out. Stories about failed relationships and missed chances can be good too! You could even work with Rodney's otherwise flawed history--there's nothing wrong with a story about a heroic, likable guy who nevertheless makes bad romantic choices. And it makes sense for a rabbit to get around--they're busy little breeders, after all.
But I wouldn't object to a happily-ever-after, either. Just do something with it before you pair Rodney off with someone even less appropriate, like Tara Markov or Lucy Lane or Ivanka Trump or Elmer Fudd--
ANYWAY. That's my most frustrating ship. What's yours?
Next: Celebrating Captain Carrot's 500th issue! No, I feel fine! Well, maybe you're the ones having a psychotic break from reality!
no subject
Date: 2024-08-13 03:02 am (UTC)2. As for my most frustrating comics ship, I simply don't have one. This, despite my being into comics (with varying degrees of intensity) since I could read.
See, back in my childhood (70s) and most of my adolescence (80s), relationships in the comics I had even a passing interest in were long set in stone and wouldn't change for some time, if ever. Richie Rich was always with Gloria Glad, never with Mayda Munny. Archie was always with Veronica. (As Mark Waid stated in an author's note during his 2010s run on Archie, there was, contrary to popular belief nowadays, no "love triangle" at all between Arch, Betty and Ron for much of Archie's publishing history.)
The same applied to unrequited loves in the comic books and strips I followed. I took it as pretty much a physical constant that Betty would never get to date Archie (homework help sessions didn't count, though she'd try to pretend otherwise), that Schroeder would never return Lucy's affection, that the Little Red Haired Girl would never know Charlie Brown was alive (except in a couple of animated specials).
Even Superman/Lois, back in my youth, was a ship I assumed would never happen; even then I was aware it'd been that way for decades (barring alt-universe scenarios like Earth-2's Mr. and Mrs. Superman). Nowadays it's far more common for Clark and Lois to be together than otherwise, but that didn't really start until DC/Warner decided to apply TV's Lois & Clark dynamic to the mainstream DCU.
Granted, had I followed, back then, such series as The New Teen Titans, I would've been exposed to the long-running will-they / won't they thread of Robin and Starfire. And that's just one example. Now I'm aware there were long-running romantic arcs, in comics, with a genuine feeling of suspense to them. Not so then.
The end result? For all I enjoy comics, comic strips, webcomics and their multimedia adaptations, I can't say I've ever been a "shipper." I do respect the shipping phenomenon (when fans don't go way out of line about it with threats and such). But for this old codger of 55 it's more looking at it, often enjoying it, from the sidelines rather than actively participating. I'm more into just how the good guys will beat the bad guys, this issue. :-)
no subject
Date: 2024-08-15 01:53 am (UTC)2. It's funny because I read some of those same comics (or read them years later from back issue bins) and I processed things differently. Richie and Gloria, sure, that was rock solid. But Lois at the time was moving away from being interested in Superman and it was Lana starting up a relationship with Clark...plus I happened to read some Archie stories that treated Betty and Archie as if they actually were together.
That said, I never felt any particular stake in those pairings. I really think it was the letter-writer who influenced my thinking when it came to Captain Carrot. I do think Peter David was pretty good at playing up the romantic drama in Incredible Hulk, though: that was probably the ship I got invested in next.
no subject
Date: 2024-08-13 01:57 pm (UTC)Probably both from Marvel.
Peter and MJ, and Wanda and Vision.
Wandavision coming second because, unlike Peter and MJ their dance of never-quite-getting-back-together doesn't usually feel like actual malicious intent by a successive stream of editors.
(I suppose Cyclops and Jean might be a distant third, maybe?)
no subject
Date: 2024-08-13 06:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-08-15 11:08 am (UTC)I'd say probably the best place to get more of the Zoo Crew would be the Showcase edition at https://www.amazon.com/Showcase-Presents-Captain-Carrot-Amazing/dp/1401247563. That's got everything up to the end of the Oz-Wonderland War, in black and white but still a pretty good deal. A lot of the more recent stories I've cited only have so much Zoo Crew content in them (and I've posted most of that here), but the ten-page story in Legion of Bloom #1 is the one modern exception: it's pure Rodney and his (future?) family and a lot of fun.
no subject
Date: 2024-08-18 03:47 pm (UTC)