Good to be alive... (Re: Batman shooting)

This is truly sickening. My thoughts go out to those who have died at the hands of this killer, and the families they leave behind.

I can't think of much to say that hasn't already been said. It must have been horrible to be in that theater when it happened, coming to see a story about a comic hero, suddenly finding themselves in need of a real hero.

Perhaps they were even thinking the same thing Samuraiko was.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dark_Respite Y'know, right about now I'm really wishing I had even ONE of the powers that any of my characters have.

And then comes the realization that they are not Batman, that they don't have a lifetime of training or the technology of a multi-million dollar company to fight back with. They could only flee for their lives, then feel guilty over not being able to live up to their hero's example.

Not that I blame them. I probably would have fled, too, and only attacked the gunman if he put himself directly between me and the nearest exit.

Also, Sparlky Soldier mentioned another aspect of this whole thing that apalls me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparkly Soldier Whatever else his motives, it's obvious he wanted to take all the attention from the movie and twist it around onto himself, to immortalize himself by making it so that nobody can talk about or think about the movie without thinking of what he did. He wanted to hijack the media's focus on the movie and make it all about him instead, which is all the more reason to, apart from honoring the victims, treat the movie just like he never existed.

It's a shame that what was supposed to be a fun summer movie is now tainted by its association with such a brutal and senseless act, through no fault of the film's creators. I also second Sparkly's advice. If there's anyone who wants to see this movie and is now having second thoughts, don't let this incident stop you. Having others cower in fear of him, to be afraid of something as simple as going to the movies, is what he wants. So don't let this psycho ruin your plans.

But most tragic of all is the simple fact that so many lost their very lives just because they wanted to watch a movie. My heart goes out to everyone affected by this.

Well, I'm thankful to report that my one degree of seperation from this event hasn't turned out badly. I have a very good friend who lives an hour away from the Aurora cinema and has gone there a few times to see movies.

In this case luckily, my friend doesn't like the Nolan films and wasn't going to go, but her son and a friend won tickets for that very screening from the radio guy who was there when it went down. As fate would have it, their friend had a nighttime shift at work and was too tired to go, so they didn't.

Just that simple.

I was really worried when I found out the scope of the incident and had to call my friend to confirm that they and their loved ones were okay. I will go and watch this film, I think it'll be with luck a fitting end to the trilogy, but for right now...maybe the first week of release...I might stay away from it. It'll be hard for me to see that movie violence and not directly associate it to the real world violence, at least in the short term.


S.

Truly a senseless tragedy, now they say this guy is telling cops he's the Joker......ugh.

Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.

That's true; my friend in Colorado said that they found a red wig and he was wearing makeup. They also said (they have a medical background and a relative in mental health) that it's possible this guy has had a schizophrenic breakdown. That's just an opinion, of course...I don't want to suggest or excuse his actions in any way.


S.

As a lifelong comic book fan, and a vet of CoH, I'm really saddened by the Aurora tragedy. I've read every post from the beginning, and I'm so relieved that Chazz and my fellow CoH players are alright. When I first heard about the story this morning, I thought of our community and I instantly started to wonder if everyone was okay.

My emotions are so conflicted right now though. I don't know where to start, really.

I'm sad for the families of those who were taken from them while simply trying to enjoy a story about a classic superhero. I think back to seeing Superman with Chris Reeves in a theater in '77, when I was a boy. The pure magic of seeing a man fly. Not just any man... one of my favorite superheroes. I think about how there are children that were in that theater that are alive tonight, but may never know that true innocence and pure joy of seeing your hero take on the bad guys and win like I did. They'll be scarred from the terror of last night.

I'm saddened that now there seems to be people out there already trying to blame the comic books and films I love so much for this senseless act when it's very apparent that the person who did this was just a very mentally ill individual. In "The Dark Knight", Alfred told Bruce, "Some men just want to see the world burn." This was that sort of person. May God have mercy on that kind of person. If it is found to be that he was ill, then he needs treatment. If not... well then... May God have mercy on his soul.

I think though, deep inside, I'm saddened the worst because I feel like this entire day has felt like someone basically trampled into my house, burned my comics, and spat in my face. I've seen comments from my comic book friends and fellow CoH gamers about how this could be a turning point for the comic industry and perhaps the comic book films. Will it turn into another PMRC from the late '80s? Will it be some sort of return to the Comics Book Code?

I don't know. I just know I feel sick about it. I did find solace though in this article I thought I would share. It really summed up about how I feel about my heroes in times of tragedy. I'll still have WrathStar out there in Paragon, protecting the innocent. Now more than ever.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2...world-violence

The guy is going to rot for premeditated murder.

Certain news coverage has only left me enraged since idiots want to link this event to topics we can't really talk all that freely about here...

It's interesting the reactions and thoughts people are having in the aftermath of this event; with all deference to Forbin, I can't advocate any retribution as a means of punishment to this person for a couple of important reasons. The first being my very best friend in the world is mentally ill, and I've seen firsthand and come to understand how much an imagined reality is for someone suffering it.

I have to stress here that I'm not condoning or excusing what happened, but simply saying that if this is the case, then that's something for a professional to judge, not us.

Secondly, I'm not an eye for an eye person. My personal belief is that I am not qualified nor of a moral position to determine if someone should live or die based on their crimes. I'm old enough to understand that there is true evil in the world and it should be opposed, but I am not someone who should be allowed to make judgements on another individual.

What I have come to start to question in regards to movies like this and the 'action genre' is something I discussed with a good friend only a couple of hours ago, and that is our desensitised reactions to violence and what we take from it. Of course my friend perceptively said 'just like with the Christians and the lions,' and I took that very salient point on board.

We're not sitting in crowds baying for blood from real people, but an event like this blurs an already thin line between entertainment and reality. I think Mr. Nolan is a very intelligent and thoughtful filmmaker, but it may be that in drawing a portrait of a superhero in the real world, our acceptance of that being in the real world has become that much easier. This isn't a criticism as such, but for me at least it's something that I think I should consider when things are presented to me as entertainment.

I firmly fall into the Golden and Silver Ages of the heroes I prefer, because without that sense of moral purpose and responsibility, without that essential compassion and empathy for another human being, a hero can just as easily be a villain. It's why I embraced the Avengers so wholeheartedly. It's why the heroes I play in this game follow openly in the mold of heroes of decades past.

And if the best thing that comes out of this tragedy is that we're reminded of where those lines should be drawn, then I can't see that as a bad thing.



S.

I and touched and saddened.
I am glad you are unharmed, if not ok.

Chazz and LSK I'm very glad that both of you are still with us safe and sound. I always look at situations like this as a reminder that some people are truly evil. Most of us live our lives thinking about paying bills dealing with stress and to have this happen at a place where we would go for and escape and entertainment hurts on so many levels. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families affected.

I really gotta stop trying to understand once the whole mentally ill thing comes into the picture...

This was well planned by a very smart, yet ill human being, even the SWAT team commander said they would have had trouble if the guy didn't surrender...yet Louie Gohmert somehow thought if patrons were armed in the theater, this wouldn't have happened -_-

TMZ found his profile on AdultFriendFinder, which had the tagline "will you visit me in prison?" and was confirmed as his and made a few days before the movie premier....