| MTV's True Life is now casting for "I'm a Fanboy" |
[20 Aug 2008|05:00pm] |
TRUE LIFE: I’M A FAN BOY
Are you obsessed with comic books, anime, fantasy, or manga? Do you like to dress up as your favorite character and attend conventions with other fans? Have you ever waited in line overnight for a book, movie, or videogame release? Do you have tattoos depicting your favorite brand or characters? Have you ever missed work, school, or other important events to engage in role-playing or cosplay? Are you misunderstood by your family or significant other because of it? Have you ever been told to “grow up” by someone important to you? If you’re an obsessed fanboy (or girl), MTV wants to hear from you.
If you appear to be between the ages of 16 and 28 and identify with any of the above, MTV wants to hear your story. Email us at fanboy@mtvn.com. Please be sure to include your name, location, phone number, and a recent photo.
|
|
| Smile of the smiley face |
[18 Jul 2008|10:59am] |
Watchmen trailer? Oh, fuck yes.
It's one of those books I've loved from the very first moment I read it. It's one of those books from which I glean something new, every time I flip its pages. It's perhaps the only book I force upon every single person I know, desperate for them to read it and become absorbed by its amazing story, imagery and construction.
It was also, until today, one of those books about which a movie adaptation terrified me. No longer. If the trailer's any indication, this will be magnificent.
|
|
| Eating the Fugu: Cleansing and purifying |
[01 Jun 2008|06:45pm] |
Spider-Man, volume one, #75. The point at which Peter Parker stopped growing as a character.
In December 1996, when the aforementioned comic was released, I was 17. Already, I'd developed a taste for forward motion in comic books. Over at DC, Hal Jordan had been replaced by Kyle Rayner and - unlike the changes made to Superman and Batman - it seemed like this new ring-slinger was going to stick. Darkhawk had sadly ended, but it had done so in a way that propelled the character forward and left new potential to explore in the future. Heck, even the mighty Transformers were evolving as characters - the Generation 2 comic was a delicious exercise in moral ambiguity, flexible ethics and challenging religion (and the exemplary Beast Wars was on the horizon). It was a very good time for a guy like me to be into comics... except when it came to Spidey.
Which saddened me no end. Peter Parker was the guy who brought me to the dance, so to speak - the character that first got me into comics. I'd not only survived the dreaded "Clone Saga", I'd actually relished every second of it. I'd enjoyed the (re)introduction of Ben Reilly, Peter's clone, and thrilled to the possibilities that had opened up. Ben could be Spider-Man; Peter and MJ could go off and have their baby girl and be a family. All those characters were still featured in the book, every month, so everybody won. We had a single, carefree, wisecracking Spidey and a responsible, maturing, family-man Peter Parker. Hoo-haa, indeed.
( Of course, it didn't last. )
Greet the Fire as Your Friend,
SF
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) dragontail is a professional journalist and published true-crime author, who has won awards for writings both journalistic and science-fiction. He is the creator of Otaku Journalism and his opinion column, Eating the Fugu, appears semi-regularly at ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) wednesdaycomics.
|
|
| Eating the Fugu: Spin-off showcase |
[20 May 2008|03:44pm] |
It's been a good, long while since I wrote anything about comics. That's because it's been a good, long while since anything in the realm of comics actually interested me.
Last year, maybe even the year before, I was really high on comics. Simon Furman was running IDW's Transformers series his own way, weaving every G1 character and concept into a fully-realised whole that made sense and had real gravitas. Amazing Spider-Man was the book that had best benefitted from the over-hyped Civil War: Peter's secret ID had been revealed to the world, his personal life was in shambles, he and MJ were on the run but very deeply in love, he was back in the black costume. Meanwhile my favourite member of the Green Lantern cast, Kyle Rayner, was neck-deep in both the Sinestro Corps War and Countdown to Final Crisis; stories that were said to have major consequences for the DC universe.
And look where we are now.
One More Day and its canon-wiping sequel, Brand New Day have soured me on the Spidey books, seemingly for good. Countdown to Final Crisis was so poor that I not only dropped the book, I sold all the issues I had. Sinestro Corps War was fine, and got Kyle back to where he should be status-wise, but still lacklustre. Furman's carefully orchestrated finale to his Transformers saga has been shunted sideways so IDW can have Megatron and the Decepticons conquer Earth and rack up a distasteful human body count.
My three favourite franchises... one for 27 years, one for 21 years, one for 12 years... all languishing. Small wonder I've little to say, when it comes to comics.
With stareyednight back in Canada for a while, the time came last week to cull my pull-list of titles. My girl will buy her books in her native land; I can just pick up my own. And it was fascinating, seeing what I actively read every month as opposed to the books I buy for my fiancee to read and me to glance through.
- Amazing Spider-Girl
- Green Lantern Corps
- Transformers: Spotlight
I read each of the second-tier titles within the respective franchises. TF Spotlight is now the home of Furman's concluding story arc; GLC stars Kyle Rayner every month, and ASG is the logical sequel to the original Spidey continuity (how odd to use that phrase about a Marvel, not DC, title).
( And then there's the stunning cover art given to the emerald crusaders. )
I'm enjoying each of these second-tier books far and away more than I do their high-profile stablemates, and it's not hard to see why. In each of the above-listed books, characters can grow, change and develop. Freed from licensing considerations, handled by creative teams invested in storytelling, they can chart out complex arcs and interesting situations without having to worry about their spot on the Wizard Top 10. They take what's best of past incarnations, mix it with modern sensibilities, and give us consistently fun reads. They're nothing mind-blowing or hype-generating... hence the fact I speak of them rarely... but they're comics to which I look forward each and every month.
With the industry stuck in its current navel-gazing-self-loathing-movie-making-headline-chasing cycle, you really can't ask for more from a comic book. And so I am grateful, in this time when I feel there's nothing in comics to talk about, for three little spin-offs that are worth showcasing for their fun factor.
Greet the Fire as Your Friend,
SF
dragontail is a professional journalist and published true-crime author, who has won awards for writings both journalistic and science-fiction. He is the creator of Otaku Journalism and his opinion column, Eating the Fugu, appears semi-regularly at wednesdaycomics.
|
|
| Buffy's "No Future for You" |
[18 Mar 2008|07:23am] |
Man, I've been away for a while. Comics reading has continued, but reviewing is sadly lacking.
Here is a short(-ish) bit on Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season Eight (Dark Horse) issues #6-10.
A four-issue arc, "No Future for You" centers on Faith: the Slayer who kills humans as well as the demonic.
Faith was always an interesting character; she's not a hero, and never was. She is conflicted, violent, angry, sorrowful, dynamic, and reads in such a way that one remembers that she's incredibly young to be a bad-ass ex-con and street tough. All of this is shown to better effect, and to better story-telling ends, in this arc than it was in the TV series (IMNSHO). This is partly a format reality - there are more ways to reveal things about Faith in a condensed time available in the comics medium than in television.
It's a story about dirty work, and who gets to do the morally wrong, but necessary jobs in warfare. It's a story about the damage such jobs do to the ones tasked with them. And it's a story about what you do with your life, and why.
(Read More)
|
|
| QUICK QUESTION |
[15 Mar 2008|01:38am] |
Hey, if you sent someone this birthday card and they never thank you for it, are they a bitch?
I vote bitch.
|
|
| Wizard Magazine #38 |
[08 Mar 2008|07:15pm] |
Apologies to the Wizard magazine haters. I'm just looking for a copy of the fan art section for issue 38 of Wizard magazine. When I was a wee lad, I used to submit fan art to their magazine(back when it was cool), and I might be in this issue. Just looking for a scan. I couldn't get the copy at my comic shop any longer and originally missed it when it came out.
Thanks for any help.
O_o
|
|
| Eating the Fugu: Solid Gold Bomb |
[08 Feb 2008|03:52pm] |
I have waited 10 long years for a new issue of Scud: The Disposable Assassin.
When I first started reading the series, I was in university. I'd just moved out of home with my first serious girlfriend. I was studying to become a journalist and selling refrigerators to make money. Now I'm a father, author and journalist who gets to write for a living.
Rob Schrab walked away from Scud, his first creation, in order to make all his dreams come true. I did the same while he was gone. Now he's back, a changed creator, and I'm back, a changed reader... but damn if it doesn't seem as if no time's passed at all.
This is not a review, this isn't even an attempt to say something critical or insightful or worthy. This is just one big geek admitting that - despite the forward motion in his life - he's still a drooling, over-excited 18-year-old fanboy at heart because Scud: The Disposable Assassin is back!
Apathy is once again golden, it's once again cool to be a robot and you should all rush out and buy 26 copies right now. Surreality is once again funky... and comic books are fun!!!
Greet the Fire as Your Friend,
SF
dragontail is a professional journalist and published true-crime author, who has won awards for writings both journalistic and science-fiction. He is the creator of Otaku Journalism and his opinion column, Eating the Fugu, appears semi-regularly at wednesdaycomics.
|
|
| What comics ? |
[29 Jan 2008|03:27pm] |
|
Which comics do you currently read ? I read X Factor, Thor, and Runaways. I'm gonna start reading Cable and Young X-Men when they come out.
|
|
| Eating the Fugu: Logical Arrows |
[14 Jan 2008|03:18pm] |
I'm far from the biggest fan of Judd Winick's writing. While I don't abhor it the way some people do, I don't exactly flock to whatever book he's working on. The man has his supporters and his detractors, but there is one thing you can't deny: be it gracefully or clumsily, the man likes to work in a shared universe. And nowhere is this more apparent than in Green Arrow/Black Canary #4.
( Massive spoilers ahead - proceed with caution... )
Greet the Fire as Your Friend,
SF
dragontail is a professional journalist and published true-crime author, who has won awards for writings both journalistic and science-fiction. He is the creator of Otaku Journalism and his opinion column, Eating the Fugu, appears semi-regularly at wednesdaycomics.
|
|
| Eating the Fugu: Keep on diggin' that hole |
[08 Jan 2008|09:46am] |
Ah, Marvel. Truly, you are a wondrous organisation. The other day, you give me an eight-page Amazing Spider-Man preview that almost convinces me to buy into this new continuity. But today... ah, today.
If you believe the speculators and the wags, Marvel is a trifle concerned right now. The belief, within the House of Ideas, was that mystery over the changes wrought by One More Day would lure readers into the mega-hyped launch of Brand New Day. Instead, message boards were flooded with complaints, confusion and disquiet.
(Some people at Marvel seem to have tacitly admitted this, too.)
So, in an effort to salvage the situation, Marvel's now tipped its hand and spoilered most of the details of its Big Hope for 2008 (TM) by way of a poster. And in order to get the naysayers on-side, they had the poster drafted by one of the most respected Spidey artists of all time: John Romita, Jr.
Behold... Spider-Man: The New Status Quo!!!
You know it's a well-written, properly planned, precisely executed and understandable story when it needs to be explained through numerous interviews and promotional materials, right? Yeesh.
For me personally, it's the last straw - the final thing I needed to lock in my decision to abstain from Amazing Spider-Man. Soft reboots are, as I've noted before, a very common thing in comics. But Spidey is far from your common comic book character. His is a story defined by its history, its past events and the progression of its cast (be those progressions something you love or loathe). Spidey, I feel, is lessened, not redefined, by a soft reboot.
So this is - he says, hopefully - where I stop contemplating, complaining and communicating on this topic. I know what's going down; I have both my answers and my decision. From here on in, I do my best to avoid that most cliche of comic fan stereotypes... the guy who never stops bitching on the Internet... and go on enjoying other books.
He says, hopefully.
Greet the Fire as Your Friend,
SF
dragontail is a professional journalist and published true-crime author, who has won awards for writings both journalistic and science-fiction. He is the creator of Otaku Journalism and his opinion column, Eating the Fugu, appears semi-regularly at wednesdaycomics.
|
|
| Eating the Fugu: Almost got me |
[05 Jan 2008|03:01pm] |
What Marvel knows... and is no doubt counting on, when it comes to the Spider-Man controversy... is that it's damn hard to give up on a comic book you've been reading.
There's collectibility to consider - the value, both financial and in terms of coolness, of a complete run of any title. There's the emotional stake one holds in a character. And there's the ingrained "time to buy Title X" feeling that comes from having bought the latest issue of the same comic book on the third week of every month for 20+ years.
Marvel's counting on that, when it comes to Spider-Man. Convinced, as a corporate body, it's done the right thing by altering continuity, Marvel is forging ahead with new stories and a new status quo called Brand New Day.
( A new day, a wonderful day... a day in which nothing ever changes... )
The Spidey compulsion in me, coupled with the obvious quality of the BND stories, makes this an excruciatingly hard decision. And I'll be honest and say I'm not sure I won't cave, within a few months, and buy the stories anyway... give into the habit, as it were. But, for now, I'm sticking to my guns and abstaining from Amazing Spider-Man.
Greet the Fire as Your Friend,
SF
dragontail is a professional journalist and published true-crime author, who has won awards for writings both journalistic and science-fiction. He is the creator of Otaku Journalism and his opinion column, Eating the Fugu, appears semi-regularly at wednesdaycomics.
|
|
| Eating the Fugu: Damned by Q |
[29 Dec 2007|01:26pm] |
Yeah, I should shut up, already, about Spider-Man: One More Day. And I fully intended to. Last night, I picked up a swathe of Spider-Girl issues and, this morning, stareyednight and I sat down and read them together. It was wonderfully cleansing... fulfilling, exciting, interesting and compelling. I might just have found that new pop-culture obsession that I wanted for 2008.
It was catharsis, it was release, and I felt great. No longer was there a need to talk about that storyline. Then, liliaeth over at wednesdaycomics pointed me toward Joe Quesada's first, last and only OMD interview, part one of five. My outrage returned, very quickly.
( I give a spoiler warning out of respect for all of you, not Joey Q or Marvel... )
Greet the Fire as Your Friend,
SF
dragontail is a professional journalist and published true-crime author, who has won awards for writings both journalistic and science-fiction. He is the creator of Otaku Journalism and his opinion column, Eating the Fugu, appears semi-regularly at wednesdaycomics.
|
|
| Eating the Fugu: There goes the Spider-Man |
[28 Dec 2007|03:01pm] |
Recently, I had the all-new experience of being incredibly angered by a comic book. This morning, I had the pleasure of another new sensation: being left feeling physically ill, to the point of wanting to vomit, by a comic book.
The comic that reached an all-new low for me? Amazing Spider-Man #545, otherwise known as the final part of the "One More Day" storyline. And while this may be considered something of a spoiler, let me say right now that this was my final Spidey comic for the foreseeable future.
( Beware the spoilers - they're all over the Internet, but what the hey... )
I'm a little sad about this, but not as upset as I'd expected (or as nauseous as I was this morning). Life moves on and it's only a comic book, after all. There's far more important things, in this world, into which you can pour your passion. Now that this rant is done, I can go and read some comics I do enjoy. And I can watch Spider-Man 3 again, knowing it to no longer be the single worst Spidey story of 2007.
Greet the Fire as Your Friend,
SF
dragontail is a professional journalist and published true-crime author, who has won awards for writings both journalistic and science-fiction. He is the creator of Otaku Journalism and his opinion column, Eating the Fugu, appears semi-regularly at wednesdaycomics.
|
|
| Eating the Fugu: War versus Messiah |
[23 Dec 2007|08:52pm] |
So CNN has declared Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War the best comic book storyline of 2007. The fact is they're probably right, which is a really sad indictment on the comic industry. If a sprawling, epic, well-illustrated fanfic is the best thing to come out of 2007, then we really need to hope 2008 is a step up.
( Fan Wank versus Forward Motion: The Battle Continues... )
Greet the Fire as Your Friend,
SF
dragontail is a professional journalist and published true-crime author, who has won awards for writings both journalistic and science-fiction. He is the creator of Otaku Journalism and his opinion column, Eating the Fugu, appears semi-regularly at wednesdaycomics.
|
|
| LOTS OF GAMING BOOKS ON EBAY! D&D, Star Wars, d20 Modern |
[11 Dec 2007|02:29pm] |
|
Check it out - get them in time for Christmas gifts! More being added! CHEAP! Dungeons & Dragons, Star Wars, + d20 Modern!
|
|
| Mod Post! Whoa! |
[25 Jul 2007|09:43pm] |
Hey everybody,
I've been taking a more hands-off approach lately. Okay, for several months.
Anyway, I still think this community is awesome. I noticed there was an eBay ad posted last month. Please feel free to e-mail me if you ever see an annoying post. Vengeance will be swift.
( Here are some wednesday reviews )
|
|
| Astrokitty Comics Presents: Larrytown Laffs! Comic Release & In-Store Signing! |
[17 Jul 2007|02:21pm] |
Larrytown Laffs! Official Release & In-Store Signing!
Astrokitty Comics Presents An Anthology of Local Creators...
Date:
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Time:
1:00pm - 6:00pm
Location:
Astrokitty Comics & More
15 E. 7th St.
Lawrence, KS
Though it has been a couple months since we had our ashcan party at the Jackpot in anticipation of a proper release for our comic, it is finally going to see the light of day! Come by Astrokitty Comics & More from 1:00-6:00pm to meet the talented local creators that contributed to this awesome anthology of humorous bits! It's Astrokitty's first comic, and we're so proud of our locals! Get sketches, get the book signed, and meet the people behind the pages! A landmark event! BE THERE!!!
_________________
Astrokitty Comics & More: Your 7th & New Hampshire Uberstore!
|
|
| navigation |
| [ |
viewing |
| |
most recent entries |
] |
| [ |
go |
| |
earlier |
] |
|
|
|
|
