Trust me. Just don't do it. It is to the Indy Jones franchise what Phantom Menace was to Star Wars.
It makes The Mummy 2 look like Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Do a search for Harrison Ford/Shia LaBoeuf slash fic on the Internet and you will probably find better plots and characters.
Costumes, set design, plot, script, acting, directing, editing, even music... the movie fails on every conceivable level. And it doesn't even fail in an interesting or easily mocked way (OK, maybe when Shia is swinging monkey style through the jungle), just in a boring, plodding, oh my God is it over yet kind of way.
Don't go see it. You'll regret it. Trust me.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Weekly Comics to Come - May 21, 2008
TOP FIVE
Batman And The Outsiders #7 (One of my favorite superhero team books at the moment)
Dynamo 5 #13 (After last issue's superteam slugfest, I'm looking forward to seeing where Faerber and Asrar go from here)
Grendel Behold The Devil #7 (Closing in on the end, I'm going to be sad when there's not a regular Wagner Grendel fix again)
Pigeons From Hell #2 (Great first issue, spooky and with fantastic art)
Robin #174 (Really digging what Dixon has going on Robin right now)
THE REST
Brave And The Bold #13 (One-off with Batman, Golden Age Flash and Samurai Robots. Nice.)
Captain America #38 (Annnd I'm back onboard. Again. Nice use of Cap continuity, and the usual excellent craft)
Damned Prodigal Sons #2 (Love this series, but I'm really looking forward to the trade so I can read it all at once)
Incredible Hercules #117 (Gods going after the Skrull gods? Now that's a Secret Invasion tie-in)
Jim Butchers Dresden Files #2 (Enjoyed #1, have since read the first novel and now I'm anticipating #2 even more, since I know the character now)
Batman And The Outsiders #7 (One of my favorite superhero team books at the moment)
Dynamo 5 #13 (After last issue's superteam slugfest, I'm looking forward to seeing where Faerber and Asrar go from here)
Grendel Behold The Devil #7 (Closing in on the end, I'm going to be sad when there's not a regular Wagner Grendel fix again)
Pigeons From Hell #2 (Great first issue, spooky and with fantastic art)
Robin #174 (Really digging what Dixon has going on Robin right now)
THE REST
Brave And The Bold #13 (One-off with Batman, Golden Age Flash and Samurai Robots. Nice.)
Captain America #38 (Annnd I'm back onboard. Again. Nice use of Cap continuity, and the usual excellent craft)
Damned Prodigal Sons #2 (Love this series, but I'm really looking forward to the trade so I can read it all at once)
Incredible Hercules #117 (Gods going after the Skrull gods? Now that's a Secret Invasion tie-in)
Jim Butchers Dresden Files #2 (Enjoyed #1, have since read the first novel and now I'm anticipating #2 even more, since I know the character now)
R.I.P Rory Root
I first got the news via an email, but it's been confirmed at Blog@Newsarama, among other places.
There have been a lot of sad obituaries amongst the comics scene and satellite recently, the latest being Will Elder... but this is the first one that kinda knocked me on my ass. I'm honestly just kind of in stunned sadness as I write this. Rory Root was not someone I knew well, but I'd met him a few times at various retailer gatherings, and seen him posting on the retailer forum, and I was always struck that he was a good businessman and a charming and nice man. It never occurred to me that I should have taken the time to get to know him better because he might be gone, because I honestly didn't expect Rory to be gone any time soon.
The comics industry is a poorer place today.
There have been a lot of sad obituaries amongst the comics scene and satellite recently, the latest being Will Elder... but this is the first one that kinda knocked me on my ass. I'm honestly just kind of in stunned sadness as I write this. Rory Root was not someone I knew well, but I'd met him a few times at various retailer gatherings, and seen him posting on the retailer forum, and I was always struck that he was a good businessman and a charming and nice man. It never occurred to me that I should have taken the time to get to know him better because he might be gone, because I honestly didn't expect Rory to be gone any time soon.
The comics industry is a poorer place today.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Goals 2008
Over at my friend Nate Southard's blog, he's posting ten of his goals for 2008. He's invited others to do so. Now Nate's goals include lofty achievements like writing short stories, announcing secret projects, etc. Mine are a bit more... well, lazy is the right word, but let's say modest. So without further ado, my goals for 2008:
1. Clear out the credit card debt and keep it gone for at least the rest of the year
2. Average out to reading at least one prose book a month
3. Average out to doing at least two reviews a month
4. Resist the urge to rub it in the face of every Republican I meet if Obama wins.
5. Resist the urge to throw rocks through windshields with McCain stickers if Obama loses. (I resisted this urge with folks who have Bush/Cheney '04... I feel confident about this one)
6. Get in better shape (this one is thoroughly unlikely)
7. Cut down my cola drinking (see #6 - both parts)
8. Don't die
Really, if I can just achieve that last one, I'm going to consider 2008 a great success.
1. Clear out the credit card debt and keep it gone for at least the rest of the year
2. Average out to reading at least one prose book a month
3. Average out to doing at least two reviews a month
4. Resist the urge to rub it in the face of every Republican I meet if Obama wins.
5. Resist the urge to throw rocks through windshields with McCain stickers if Obama loses. (I resisted this urge with folks who have Bush/Cheney '04... I feel confident about this one)
6. Get in better shape (this one is thoroughly unlikely)
7. Cut down my cola drinking (see #6 - both parts)
8. Don't die
Really, if I can just achieve that last one, I'm going to consider 2008 a great success.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
The Republicans Want Change
There's something almost pathetic in the GOP reaction to their loss of three Congressional seats in special elections. Do they take a long, hard look at years of convergence of religious fanaticism, financial darwinism, bending America over for corporations and basically giving in to the worst of cynicism and greed that folks expect of politicians?
Yeah, right.
No, they start throwing around the "change" word, figuring that "it worked for Obama." They start talking about how they want to fix America by making sure women don't have to work (there's a subtextual message that Dave Sim could be proud of). They talk about taking care of military families (without acknowledging that the best way to take care of them would be to not send their family members into a pointless meat-grinder serving a Neocon agenda). They try not to acknowledge that the change this is needed is a change away from 8 years of a mostly corrupt, often incompetent Republican administration and its cronies in the judicial and legislative branches.
Here's my favorite part from the article:
"Former National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Davis, a congressman from Virginia, says Tuesday's loss could lead to a devastating finish come November.
'The Republican reputation is just in the trash can, and if this were a brand of dog food, you would just take it off the shelf, because nobody is buying it,' he said."
OK, actually that's my second favorite part. Here's my actual favorite part:
"And so Davis handed out a 27-page memo to his colleagues Wednesday in a closed-door meeting. In it, he says the party needs to revamp its image because Republicans face the worst political atmosphere since Watergate.
'If this isn't a turning point, we're the airplane flying into the mountain. ... If we don't veer off to the side, we're gonna crash and burn this November,' he said."
I say: Fly into that mountain, you gloriously stupid bastards! BOOOOMMMM!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!
Yeah, right.
No, they start throwing around the "change" word, figuring that "it worked for Obama." They start talking about how they want to fix America by making sure women don't have to work (there's a subtextual message that Dave Sim could be proud of). They talk about taking care of military families (without acknowledging that the best way to take care of them would be to not send their family members into a pointless meat-grinder serving a Neocon agenda). They try not to acknowledge that the change this is needed is a change away from 8 years of a mostly corrupt, often incompetent Republican administration and its cronies in the judicial and legislative branches.
Here's my favorite part from the article:
"Former National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Davis, a congressman from Virginia, says Tuesday's loss could lead to a devastating finish come November.
'The Republican reputation is just in the trash can, and if this were a brand of dog food, you would just take it off the shelf, because nobody is buying it,' he said."
OK, actually that's my second favorite part. Here's my actual favorite part:
"And so Davis handed out a 27-page memo to his colleagues Wednesday in a closed-door meeting. In it, he says the party needs to revamp its image because Republicans face the worst political atmosphere since Watergate.
'If this isn't a turning point, we're the airplane flying into the mountain. ... If we don't veer off to the side, we're gonna crash and burn this November,' he said."
I say: Fly into that mountain, you gloriously stupid bastards! BOOOOMMMM!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!
Hey Warner Brothers... fix this... maybe right fucking now
This is deplorable. A blogger named Thomas organized a charity auction for his nephew, Ben, who is sick. He had friends in the comics industry who donated original art. Some of that art featured Superman, Thomas's favorite character. This caused Time Warner to call up eBay and cancel those auctions, citing intellectual property laws.
Problem being, artists sketch these characters *all the damn time*. It's a common practice, commissions and sketches, sometimes free, sometimes paid for, sometimes done at the official DC booth, sometimes not. It's a harmless, non-infringing way to spread awareness and positive impressions of their characters. My guess is, some douchebag in legal saw it, didn't realize this and decided to shut it down, never mind that the message being sent was "DC Comics, publisher of Superman and other comics about superheroes, doesn't care about your sick goddamn kids unless we get our cut!"
I know that some comic creators read this blog. I hope that possibly somebody at DC, maybe even Time Warner, is reading it today. If they're not, I don't have too much worry, because I'd bet this gets picked up by Newsarama or at least by Rich Johnston soon.
This is ridiculous. Time Warner needs to issue an apology and reverse this decision. They've already got so many holes below the waterline in their comics publishing right now, the last thing they need is a PR black eye to go with it.
Problem being, artists sketch these characters *all the damn time*. It's a common practice, commissions and sketches, sometimes free, sometimes paid for, sometimes done at the official DC booth, sometimes not. It's a harmless, non-infringing way to spread awareness and positive impressions of their characters. My guess is, some douchebag in legal saw it, didn't realize this and decided to shut it down, never mind that the message being sent was "DC Comics, publisher of Superman and other comics about superheroes, doesn't care about your sick goddamn kids unless we get our cut!"
I know that some comic creators read this blog. I hope that possibly somebody at DC, maybe even Time Warner, is reading it today. If they're not, I don't have too much worry, because I'd bet this gets picked up by Newsarama or at least by Rich Johnston soon.
This is ridiculous. Time Warner needs to issue an apology and reverse this decision. They've already got so many holes below the waterline in their comics publishing right now, the last thing they need is a PR black eye to go with it.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Go Speed Racer Go
I was really looking forward to the Speed Racer movie, but when the Rotten Tomatoes reviews starting rolling in, the movie was getting a critical drubbing. Not just a "some folks don't seem to like it" but a "Every right-thinking critic hates it" kind of thing. Currently, it stands at a pretty brutal 35%.
I don't know what movie those critics saw, quite honestly. Because after reading reviews by Heidi MacDonald and Chris Sims, I decided to go ahead and take my daughter to it, and we both loved it.
Yes, the dialogue is a bit hokey and the plot is completely predictable. Yes, it probably should have lost half an hour somehow. But the ideas, the visual style, the sheer fun of the movie is undeniable, the racing and fighting scenes are imaginative, fresh and *great*, and the story and characters are perfectly fun. I suspect that a lot of the critics were expecting it to be either: A) Wildly inventive bizarre storytelling from the Wachowskis or B) Wink-wink nudge-nudge self-referential pop humor about how lame Speed Racer cartoons were.
Instead, what they got was a sentimental (at times melodramatic), funny (at times goofy), action-packed straightforward story. It's the "one man against a corrupt system with his family behind him" story that we've all seen dozens if not hundreds of times, but it's backed by some truly outlandish and ground-breaking visuals. It's got more in common with the visual style of Tim Burton's Charlie & The Chocolate Factory or ABC's Pushing Daisies than it does with The Matrix or V For Vendetta, and maybe critics were unprepared for that.
Or maybe, as Sims suggest, they actively hate joy. I know that Lisa Schwarzbaum's review in EW practically drips with contempt for the source material, and she's definitely reviewing the movie they failed to deliver (that she was clearly expecting) rather than taking the movie on its own terms, and I suspect a lot of reviewers brought that baggage with them. Certainly the deflated expectations of The Matrix sequels will dog the Wachowskis in all future reviews, just as the diminishing returns of M. Night Shyamalan's movies have made him a target for critics.
But if you go in expecting a fun, candy-colored pop action movie like the one promised in the trailer, I can't imagine being disappointed. And for the record, I enjoyed the trailers, disliked The Matrix sequels and was not even remotely a fan of the original Speed Racer cartoons, so there's my prejudices laid out right up-front.
I don't know what movie those critics saw, quite honestly. Because after reading reviews by Heidi MacDonald and Chris Sims, I decided to go ahead and take my daughter to it, and we both loved it.
Yes, the dialogue is a bit hokey and the plot is completely predictable. Yes, it probably should have lost half an hour somehow. But the ideas, the visual style, the sheer fun of the movie is undeniable, the racing and fighting scenes are imaginative, fresh and *great*, and the story and characters are perfectly fun. I suspect that a lot of the critics were expecting it to be either: A) Wildly inventive bizarre storytelling from the Wachowskis or B) Wink-wink nudge-nudge self-referential pop humor about how lame Speed Racer cartoons were.
Instead, what they got was a sentimental (at times melodramatic), funny (at times goofy), action-packed straightforward story. It's the "one man against a corrupt system with his family behind him" story that we've all seen dozens if not hundreds of times, but it's backed by some truly outlandish and ground-breaking visuals. It's got more in common with the visual style of Tim Burton's Charlie & The Chocolate Factory or ABC's Pushing Daisies than it does with The Matrix or V For Vendetta, and maybe critics were unprepared for that.
Or maybe, as Sims suggest, they actively hate joy. I know that Lisa Schwarzbaum's review in EW practically drips with contempt for the source material, and she's definitely reviewing the movie they failed to deliver (that she was clearly expecting) rather than taking the movie on its own terms, and I suspect a lot of reviewers brought that baggage with them. Certainly the deflated expectations of The Matrix sequels will dog the Wachowskis in all future reviews, just as the diminishing returns of M. Night Shyamalan's movies have made him a target for critics.
But if you go in expecting a fun, candy-colored pop action movie like the one promised in the trailer, I can't imagine being disappointed. And for the record, I enjoyed the trailers, disliked The Matrix sequels and was not even remotely a fan of the original Speed Racer cartoons, so there's my prejudices laid out right up-front.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Weekly Comics to Come - May 7th & 14th
TOP FIVE
Buffy Season 8 Vol 2 No Future For You TP (Holding out for a swanky hardcover to match my retailer edition hardcover... but I don't know how long I'll hold out, because this series keeps getting better)
Guardians Of Galaxy #1 (Awesome with a capital A. Full review at Comic Pants)
Life Sucks GN (Interesting vampire/slacker graphic novel. Full review of this one too.)
Serenity Better Days #3 (Concluding the all-too-brief, but pretty good, return of the Firefly crew)
Warhammer Condemned By Fire #1 (A really great opening issue of pulpy dark fantasy. Full review on Comic Pants.)
THE REST
All New Iron Manual (I love tech specs and I love Iron Man, and I'm pretty sure this is Eliott R. Brown work too)
Amazing Spider-Man #559 (Growing bored, quite honestly. Nice art by Marcos Martin, it's inoffensive enough, but it's kind of plodding for what should be a fast-paced weekly book)
Booster Gold #9 (A combination of nostalgic love for the character, an appreciation for time and alternate world travel and a pretty damn good comic has made this one a reading favorite)
BPRD 1946 #5 (Concluding the excellent look into the early days of the BPRD)
DMZ #31 (Election story continues to impress)
Green Lantern No Fear TP (Three years later, the first volume of Green Lantern is *finally* in trade. Two and a half years ago, I might have cared. Great planning, DC.)
Soleil Sky Doll #1 (Euro-comics from Marvel. Probably doomed, probably a bit on the dull side, writing-wise, but sure to be beautiful to look at)
Thunderbolts #120 (Some great stuff with Norman Osborn, some weaker stuff and a few godawful moments as Ellis hasn't gotten the memo of never, ever talking about the stupid Gwen Stacy-Norman Osborn story so we can pretend it didn't happen)
Tiny Titans #4 (My daughter fell in love with this book on Free Comic Book Day)
True Story Swear To God Image Ed #11 (I'm like three issues behind on reading this book, and really need to catch up)
Walking Dead #49 (Dark as hell of late, but also a fascinating read. Kirkman is *merciless* to his characters)
Wonder Woman #20 (Simone's run on Wonder Woman has been fun so far)
X-Men Legacy #211 (Kind of digging this, despite it's huge '90s X-Men influence and unclear mandate... I like it at least as well as the Uncanny stuff right now)
WEEK OF MAY 7TH
TOP FIVE
Buffy The Vampire Slayer #14 (Fantastic issue, although if that cliffhanger is what it looks like, I'm going to be so f'ing pissed)
Gemini #1 (Great concept, strong execution, nice art)
George R R Martins Wild Cards #2 (Dug the second issue more than the first. It's tweaking my Wild Cards nostalgia, only to realize that I sold/gave away the novels at some point.)
Nova #13 (Possibly the best issue of Marvel's best series, as Nova takes on Galactus)
Question Vol 2 Poisoned Ground TP ('80s pulp at its best... so lives up to the hype)
THE REST
Abe Sapien The Drowning #4 (I've lost the plot, need to read it in trade at this point... but it's gorgeous to look at)
Batman Death Mask #2 (Not as strong as the first issue, but a pretty decent issue that recalls the Night of the Ninja episode of the animated series)
Cable #3 (Three issues in, not much has happened, and I'm growing bored. Fast. Swierczynski is *not* filling me with confidence about his Iron Fist takeover)
Dead Space #3 (Still creepy, still great art, starting to think I'll enjoy it more as a trade)
Dynamo 5 Annual #1 (Mixed reaction on the art, but there's some great Noble Causes/Dynamo 5 backstory here)
House Of Mystery #1 (New Vertigo launch, feels more like '90s Vertigo than modern... nice art, intriguing premise)
Invincible Iron Man #1 (Nowhere near as good as The Order or Iron Fist, tons better than almost any Iron Man in the last 10 years or so)
Iron Man Viva Las Vegas #1 (Fun, lightweight, has its issues but is readable)
Nightwing #144 (Slight recovery from last issue's slump, still not as good as the earlier issues of Tomasi's run)
Secret Invasion #2 (Shock! I didn't hate it, and the return of Mockingbird is a big deal for me, if it turns out to be true)
Suburban Glamour Vol 1 TP (Looking forward to checking this out at some point... first issue was good, and McKelvie's art is great)
Buffy Season 8 Vol 2 No Future For You TP (Holding out for a swanky hardcover to match my retailer edition hardcover... but I don't know how long I'll hold out, because this series keeps getting better)
Guardians Of Galaxy #1 (Awesome with a capital A. Full review at Comic Pants)
Life Sucks GN (Interesting vampire/slacker graphic novel. Full review of this one too.)
Serenity Better Days #3 (Concluding the all-too-brief, but pretty good, return of the Firefly crew)
Warhammer Condemned By Fire #1 (A really great opening issue of pulpy dark fantasy. Full review on Comic Pants.)
THE REST
All New Iron Manual (I love tech specs and I love Iron Man, and I'm pretty sure this is Eliott R. Brown work too)
Amazing Spider-Man #559 (Growing bored, quite honestly. Nice art by Marcos Martin, it's inoffensive enough, but it's kind of plodding for what should be a fast-paced weekly book)
Booster Gold #9 (A combination of nostalgic love for the character, an appreciation for time and alternate world travel and a pretty damn good comic has made this one a reading favorite)
BPRD 1946 #5 (Concluding the excellent look into the early days of the BPRD)
DMZ #31 (Election story continues to impress)
Green Lantern No Fear TP (Three years later, the first volume of Green Lantern is *finally* in trade. Two and a half years ago, I might have cared. Great planning, DC.)
Soleil Sky Doll #1 (Euro-comics from Marvel. Probably doomed, probably a bit on the dull side, writing-wise, but sure to be beautiful to look at)
Thunderbolts #120 (Some great stuff with Norman Osborn, some weaker stuff and a few godawful moments as Ellis hasn't gotten the memo of never, ever talking about the stupid Gwen Stacy-Norman Osborn story so we can pretend it didn't happen)
Tiny Titans #4 (My daughter fell in love with this book on Free Comic Book Day)
True Story Swear To God Image Ed #11 (I'm like three issues behind on reading this book, and really need to catch up)
Walking Dead #49 (Dark as hell of late, but also a fascinating read. Kirkman is *merciless* to his characters)
Wonder Woman #20 (Simone's run on Wonder Woman has been fun so far)
X-Men Legacy #211 (Kind of digging this, despite it's huge '90s X-Men influence and unclear mandate... I like it at least as well as the Uncanny stuff right now)
WEEK OF MAY 7TH
TOP FIVE
Buffy The Vampire Slayer #14 (Fantastic issue, although if that cliffhanger is what it looks like, I'm going to be so f'ing pissed)
Gemini #1 (Great concept, strong execution, nice art)
George R R Martins Wild Cards #2 (Dug the second issue more than the first. It's tweaking my Wild Cards nostalgia, only to realize that I sold/gave away the novels at some point.)
Nova #13 (Possibly the best issue of Marvel's best series, as Nova takes on Galactus)
Question Vol 2 Poisoned Ground TP ('80s pulp at its best... so lives up to the hype)
THE REST
Abe Sapien The Drowning #4 (I've lost the plot, need to read it in trade at this point... but it's gorgeous to look at)
Batman Death Mask #2 (Not as strong as the first issue, but a pretty decent issue that recalls the Night of the Ninja episode of the animated series)
Cable #3 (Three issues in, not much has happened, and I'm growing bored. Fast. Swierczynski is *not* filling me with confidence about his Iron Fist takeover)
Dead Space #3 (Still creepy, still great art, starting to think I'll enjoy it more as a trade)
Dynamo 5 Annual #1 (Mixed reaction on the art, but there's some great Noble Causes/Dynamo 5 backstory here)
House Of Mystery #1 (New Vertigo launch, feels more like '90s Vertigo than modern... nice art, intriguing premise)
Invincible Iron Man #1 (Nowhere near as good as The Order or Iron Fist, tons better than almost any Iron Man in the last 10 years or so)
Iron Man Viva Las Vegas #1 (Fun, lightweight, has its issues but is readable)
Nightwing #144 (Slight recovery from last issue's slump, still not as good as the earlier issues of Tomasi's run)
Secret Invasion #2 (Shock! I didn't hate it, and the return of Mockingbird is a big deal for me, if it turns out to be true)
Suburban Glamour Vol 1 TP (Looking forward to checking this out at some point... first issue was good, and McKelvie's art is great)
Monday, May 05, 2008
Blog Update for April 2008
This is the latest monthly update to the right column of the blog, updating my favorite comics and TV for the previous month. The listings are alphabetical, not by rank of how much I liked them in comparison. My criteria for what makes the list is when I read them, not necessarily when they were published. This is basically also my own records of what I read/liked for the inevitable "End of Year" lists I feel like making.
Since it was a five week month, and a pretty good month as well, I went ahead and bumped to Top 25 comics for April. And I still had to leave a few out, including two debuts from new companies, Radical's Caliber #1 and the Dabels' George RR Martin's Wild Cards #1, plus the latest issues of Booster Gold (#8), Teen Titans Year One (#4), Nightwing (#143) and Wonder Woman (#19) from DC, Marvel Adventures Iron Man (#12), X-Factor (#30) and Uncanny X-Men (#497) from Marvel, Proof #7 from Image and Serenity Better Days #2 from Dark Horse. Of the ones I did pick, 8 were Marvel (one of them Criminal, but the rest Marvel Universe), 6 were Dark Horse, 4 were Image, 3 were DC, 3 were Vertigo and 1 was from Oni.
After reading through 10 good graphic novels this month, I decided to take a break and read the first Dresden Files novel, which I found pretty good reading. I'll probably do the same each month for a while, stop after I've read 10 so that I can read some actual books.
TV is pretty thin right now, but what I'm watching, I'm generally enjoying. That means seven shows, half NBC comedies plus one comedy on CBS and two genre dramas on ABC and SCI-FI. Plus the new Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon, which I've been watching with my daughter, and it's really good. It "gets" Spidey as well as the Batman Animated series got Batman and his universe. This means I've had a lot of time for DVDs, and I've seen a bunch of those I really liked lately, including Juno, 3:10 to Yuma, Brick and the BBC miniseries State of Play. Also picked up Casino Royale used (and cheap) from Netflix.
Added a couple items to the RSS feed this month, including Keith Baker's blog, the blog of cartoonist Mitch Clem, the production blog for the upcoming Trickster comics anthology and the retail/comics blog Snap Judgments. I was very pleased to discover that Kerry Callen has a blog, and added that one as well. Oh, and I finally added a gaming section for Critical Hits, Mearls, Baker and the Wizards of the Coast feed.
Since it was a five week month, and a pretty good month as well, I went ahead and bumped to Top 25 comics for April. And I still had to leave a few out, including two debuts from new companies, Radical's Caliber #1 and the Dabels' George RR Martin's Wild Cards #1, plus the latest issues of Booster Gold (#8), Teen Titans Year One (#4), Nightwing (#143) and Wonder Woman (#19) from DC, Marvel Adventures Iron Man (#12), X-Factor (#30) and Uncanny X-Men (#497) from Marvel, Proof #7 from Image and Serenity Better Days #2 from Dark Horse. Of the ones I did pick, 8 were Marvel (one of them Criminal, but the rest Marvel Universe), 6 were Dark Horse, 4 were Image, 3 were DC, 3 were Vertigo and 1 was from Oni.
After reading through 10 good graphic novels this month, I decided to take a break and read the first Dresden Files novel, which I found pretty good reading. I'll probably do the same each month for a while, stop after I've read 10 so that I can read some actual books.
TV is pretty thin right now, but what I'm watching, I'm generally enjoying. That means seven shows, half NBC comedies plus one comedy on CBS and two genre dramas on ABC and SCI-FI. Plus the new Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon, which I've been watching with my daughter, and it's really good. It "gets" Spidey as well as the Batman Animated series got Batman and his universe. This means I've had a lot of time for DVDs, and I've seen a bunch of those I really liked lately, including Juno, 3:10 to Yuma, Brick and the BBC miniseries State of Play. Also picked up Casino Royale used (and cheap) from Netflix.
Added a couple items to the RSS feed this month, including Keith Baker's blog, the blog of cartoonist Mitch Clem, the production blog for the upcoming Trickster comics anthology and the retail/comics blog Snap Judgments. I was very pleased to discover that Kerry Callen has a blog, and added that one as well. Oh, and I finally added a gaming section for Critical Hits, Mearls, Baker and the Wizards of the Coast feed.
Free Comic Book Day thoughts
We had a pretty good Free Comic Book Day at the store this year. Last year was only two months after I bought the store, and we had a huge event, with two writers and two artists in attendance, and we had the best day of sales the store has had since I bought it, not to mention having (I'd estimate) about 600-700 people walk out happy with handfuls of free comics.
This year, with CAPE getting bigger and bigger, both the writers decided to head up to Dallas, and one of the artists had moved, but Scott Kolins was kind enough to come in and sign and sketch for us for more than three hours. We had him set up at a table up front, and there was always a big crowd, as he sketched, signed and showed off super-cool prints of his covers for Rogues Revenge #1-2, upcoming Brave and the Bold issues and other stuff. He sold a few prints, signed several comics and did lots of free sketches, and that was great.
At the back of the store, as always, we had set up two tables and broken up the comics into categories of "All Ages," "Ten and Up" and "Mature Readers." I was kind of pleased that this year, the Mature Readers section was less than a half-dozen books, but the "All Ages" section was near overflowing. We had ordered heavily, as always, but we started off with a three per person comics limit (more on that later in the post). At the store manager's suggestion, we bumped to four later on. And we weren't diehards about it. If someone found four or five they liked, they were welcome to take that many. Nobody got greedy and asked "Can I just have one of everything?"
It was a busy day, finally slowing down at around 5:00 or so, at which point we condensed what was left onto a table up front so that the decreased number of employees (we were down to two, and occasionally one) could make sure everybody heard the deal when they came in.
One of the high points was having a young girl come in who used to shop with us buying Crossgen. She had dropped out because Crossgen went under (a fear we'd always had), but now that she was a back, and a little older, we suggested Mouse Guard and Fables and a few others, and it looks like she might find some comics to like again.
We didn't hit the heights in sales that we did last year, but we still had a very good Saturday. We had also made flyers with "What's Cool in Comics," one all-ages with Iron Man, Mouse Guard and a couple others and another with Fables, Walking Dead, Buffy and Dark Tower, which we gave out to everyone, and I'm hoping that'll lure some new readers back in.
I worked a 15 hour day, from 9 AM to midnight (since we do all our reordering on Saturdays), and although I was tired, I felt like we'd put on a pretty good event. I was pleased with the turnout, pleased with how everyone seemed to be happy.
Then I get online a couple days later and find folks complaining about how they *only* got three comics at their local store (happily, nobody seemed to have that reaction to us, but they easily could have, since three was our general limit). One even went so far as to gripe that he went to Austin Books (one of the best comic book stores I've ever been to) and was unhappy with the treatment there, where he was allowed to pick 10 books. Somebody else posted rather proudly (although he disingenuously claimed not to be proud) that he had stolen 20 books rather than stick to the limit of three at his shop. There's even a well-known blogger and retailer who is griping about how so many stores "fucked up" Free Comic Book Day. I know he's not talking about me in particular, I know that he's not entirely wrong, but seeing it from someone who understands the pitfalls and balancing act was just... draining.
I thought I'd gotten to the point where Internet stupidity and the sense of entitlement that often comes with it doesn't bother me, but the aftermath of Free Comic Book Day online has left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. I'm still pleased with how it went for us, but it makes me sad and angry to see folks complaining because they didn't feel that a few free comics were enough, and that somehow retailers owed them a free copy of each book, a sale on everything in the store and maybe a free pony too.
This year, with CAPE getting bigger and bigger, both the writers decided to head up to Dallas, and one of the artists had moved, but Scott Kolins was kind enough to come in and sign and sketch for us for more than three hours. We had him set up at a table up front, and there was always a big crowd, as he sketched, signed and showed off super-cool prints of his covers for Rogues Revenge #1-2, upcoming Brave and the Bold issues and other stuff. He sold a few prints, signed several comics and did lots of free sketches, and that was great.
At the back of the store, as always, we had set up two tables and broken up the comics into categories of "All Ages," "Ten and Up" and "Mature Readers." I was kind of pleased that this year, the Mature Readers section was less than a half-dozen books, but the "All Ages" section was near overflowing. We had ordered heavily, as always, but we started off with a three per person comics limit (more on that later in the post). At the store manager's suggestion, we bumped to four later on. And we weren't diehards about it. If someone found four or five they liked, they were welcome to take that many. Nobody got greedy and asked "Can I just have one of everything?"
It was a busy day, finally slowing down at around 5:00 or so, at which point we condensed what was left onto a table up front so that the decreased number of employees (we were down to two, and occasionally one) could make sure everybody heard the deal when they came in.
One of the high points was having a young girl come in who used to shop with us buying Crossgen. She had dropped out because Crossgen went under (a fear we'd always had), but now that she was a back, and a little older, we suggested Mouse Guard and Fables and a few others, and it looks like she might find some comics to like again.
We didn't hit the heights in sales that we did last year, but we still had a very good Saturday. We had also made flyers with "What's Cool in Comics," one all-ages with Iron Man, Mouse Guard and a couple others and another with Fables, Walking Dead, Buffy and Dark Tower, which we gave out to everyone, and I'm hoping that'll lure some new readers back in.
I worked a 15 hour day, from 9 AM to midnight (since we do all our reordering on Saturdays), and although I was tired, I felt like we'd put on a pretty good event. I was pleased with the turnout, pleased with how everyone seemed to be happy.
Then I get online a couple days later and find folks complaining about how they *only* got three comics at their local store (happily, nobody seemed to have that reaction to us, but they easily could have, since three was our general limit). One even went so far as to gripe that he went to Austin Books (one of the best comic book stores I've ever been to) and was unhappy with the treatment there, where he was allowed to pick 10 books. Somebody else posted rather proudly (although he disingenuously claimed not to be proud) that he had stolen 20 books rather than stick to the limit of three at his shop. There's even a well-known blogger and retailer who is griping about how so many stores "fucked up" Free Comic Book Day. I know he's not talking about me in particular, I know that he's not entirely wrong, but seeing it from someone who understands the pitfalls and balancing act was just... draining.
I thought I'd gotten to the point where Internet stupidity and the sense of entitlement that often comes with it doesn't bother me, but the aftermath of Free Comic Book Day online has left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. I'm still pleased with how it went for us, but it makes me sad and angry to see folks complaining because they didn't feel that a few free comics were enough, and that somehow retailers owed them a free copy of each book, a sale on everything in the store and maybe a free pony too.
Friday, May 02, 2008
It's Official: Bush Worst President Ever
CNN has a poll that indicates Bush has an approval rating of 28%, lower than any President before him.
This makes me feel a little bit better about the American people. Why only a little bit?
Because there were still enough people to elect him to a second term!
Saying "Whoops, we fucked up, guess you guys were right and we *should* have elected Kerry" doesn't make me feel that much better about my country. Especially when there are plenty of indications that we've learned nothing, and McCain (representing many of the same political interests that make the Bush Administration a blight on the country) has a shot at getting elected in November.
Huh. Maybe it doesn't make me feel a little bit better after all. Maybe it instead makes me feel like a lot of people abrogate responsibility rather easily.
"Man, that Bush is the worst President we've ever had."
"But didn't you vote for him? Twice?"
"Well, yeah, but gas prices weren't over $3 in 2004. And I thought we were *this* close to winning that war in Iraq and getting rid of all the terrorists."
(sound of baseball bit hitting face)
This makes me feel a little bit better about the American people. Why only a little bit?
Because there were still enough people to elect him to a second term!
Saying "Whoops, we fucked up, guess you guys were right and we *should* have elected Kerry" doesn't make me feel that much better about my country. Especially when there are plenty of indications that we've learned nothing, and McCain (representing many of the same political interests that make the Bush Administration a blight on the country) has a shot at getting elected in November.
Huh. Maybe it doesn't make me feel a little bit better after all. Maybe it instead makes me feel like a lot of people abrogate responsibility rather easily.
"Man, that Bush is the worst President we've ever had."
"But didn't you vote for him? Twice?"
"Well, yeah, but gas prices weren't over $3 in 2004. And I thought we were *this* close to winning that war in Iraq and getting rid of all the terrorists."
(sound of baseball bit hitting face)
Just Got Back from Iron Man
Holy shit.
That was as good as the trailers promised. It may in fact be my favorite superhero movie ever. And I include both The Incredibles and Batman Mask of the Phantasm in that calculation.
Stay until the end... the post-credit teaser is great.
Just a great, fun movie that is laugh out loud funny but doesn't make fun of superheroes, has great action, great characters, great acting... Favreau has just showed everybody how it's done and raised the bar. Give that man a blank checkbook and let him make the Avengers movie.
That was as good as the trailers promised. It may in fact be my favorite superhero movie ever. And I include both The Incredibles and Batman Mask of the Phantasm in that calculation.
Stay until the end... the post-credit teaser is great.
Just a great, fun movie that is laugh out loud funny but doesn't make fun of superheroes, has great action, great characters, great acting... Favreau has just showed everybody how it's done and raised the bar. Give that man a blank checkbook and let him make the Avengers movie.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
The Republican Tax Plan
Y'know, I'm no big fan of Clinton's health insurance mandate. But Jesus...
McCain's plan? Give money to the insurance companies from *your* taxes.
How's he going to pay for it? By taking away a tax cut from employers, thus reducing the impetus for them to offer you affordable healthcare in the first place.
I can't believe the sheer balls it takes to present this as "Putting choices back into the hands of citizens."
Putting more power into the hands of fucking insurance companies is more like it.
McCain's plan? Give money to the insurance companies from *your* taxes.
How's he going to pay for it? By taking away a tax cut from employers, thus reducing the impetus for them to offer you affordable healthcare in the first place.
I can't believe the sheer balls it takes to present this as "Putting choices back into the hands of citizens."
Putting more power into the hands of fucking insurance companies is more like it.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
That Sound You Heard?
That was the sound of any respect I had for Brian Williams flushing down the toilet.
Smith Michaels pretty much nails it in his commentary. That anyone would respect this as Pulitzer-worthy commentary is kind of sad, that Brian Williams singled it out and encouraged his viewers (or readers, it was on the NBC Nightly News blog) to go read it just kills me.
I don't have a *ton* of respect for any of the TV journalists... but I liked Williams when I'd seen him. To see him so pleased by this piece of shit piece of writing disturbs me.
Smith Michaels pretty much nails it in his commentary. That anyone would respect this as Pulitzer-worthy commentary is kind of sad, that Brian Williams singled it out and encouraged his viewers (or readers, it was on the NBC Nightly News blog) to go read it just kills me.
I don't have a *ton* of respect for any of the TV journalists... but I liked Williams when I'd seen him. To see him so pleased by this piece of shit piece of writing disturbs me.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Ka-Baam! comes to Austin
It was almost 10 years ago that I went to a comic-book/superhero themed improv show in New York called Ka-Baam!! It was run by Steve Wacker (who is now editor of the Spidey titles at Marvel) and featured amongst others Dan Raspler (who was then a bigwig editor at DC on titles I don't remember). It was a very fun show, and I had written it off as a unique but essentially unduplicatable experience, what with it being a limited run show and me being in Austin anyway.
Of course, then I got the announcement that from May 3rd through July 5th, at 8:00 PM every Saturday, Ka-Baam!! is being put on at the Hideout Theatre in Austin. $10 tickets right in my price range.
Problem being, Saturday (like Wednesday) is one of those days I pretty much can't take off from work. We do all our reordering, and taking a night off means major headaches for me and the manager and more work later, and much as I'd like to see the show again, I can't justify that.
But... if you're in the Austin area and have a fondness for superheroes... definitely check this show out. More info at www.hideouttheatre.com and kabaam.austinimprov.com. Press info below:
Ka-baam!!is four-color fantasy writ large and on-the-spot by a cast of Austin'smost heroic improv comedians. Every Saturday in May and June audience suggestions will inspire the origins and adventures of three never-before-seen heroes in a comic book story that will never be seenagain. Each week the Golden Age of comics returns with the deadliest ofvillains, most ridiculous of brawls and special guest comic bookartists every week to capture the action in pencil and ink.
Ka-Baam!! is the brain child of Steve Wacker, former editor at DCComics and current editor at Marvel Comics. After a four-year run inNew York City the show is being launched here in Austin and directed byAsaf Ronen who has been with the show since its inception. It is thecomic book crossover of the year -- even if you have no idea what acrossover is!
Created by Steve Wacker (editor, Marvel Comics), directed by Asaf Ronen (The Sickest F***ing Stories I Ever Heard) and featuring: Erik Adams, Kareem Badr, Kaci Beeler, Jon Clinkenbeard, Justin Davis, Roy Janik, Kacey Samiee, Audrey Sansom, Michael Thomas, and Jason Vines. Free comic books provided by Austin Books & Comics.
Of course, then I got the announcement that from May 3rd through July 5th, at 8:00 PM every Saturday, Ka-Baam!! is being put on at the Hideout Theatre in Austin. $10 tickets right in my price range.
Problem being, Saturday (like Wednesday) is one of those days I pretty much can't take off from work. We do all our reordering, and taking a night off means major headaches for me and the manager and more work later, and much as I'd like to see the show again, I can't justify that.
But... if you're in the Austin area and have a fondness for superheroes... definitely check this show out. More info at www.hideouttheatre.com and kabaam.austinimprov.com. Press info below:
Ka-baam!!is four-color fantasy writ large and on-the-spot by a cast of Austin'smost heroic improv comedians. Every Saturday in May and June audience suggestions will inspire the origins and adventures of three never-before-seen heroes in a comic book story that will never be seenagain. Each week the Golden Age of comics returns with the deadliest ofvillains, most ridiculous of brawls and special guest comic bookartists every week to capture the action in pencil and ink.
Ka-Baam!! is the brain child of Steve Wacker, former editor at DCComics and current editor at Marvel Comics. After a four-year run inNew York City the show is being launched here in Austin and directed byAsaf Ronen who has been with the show since its inception. It is thecomic book crossover of the year -- even if you have no idea what acrossover is!
Created by Steve Wacker (editor, Marvel Comics), directed by Asaf Ronen (The Sickest F***ing Stories I Ever Heard) and featuring: Erik Adams, Kareem Badr, Kaci Beeler, Jon Clinkenbeard, Justin Davis, Roy Janik, Kacey Samiee, Audrey Sansom, Michael Thomas, and Jason Vines. Free comic books provided by Austin Books & Comics.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Weekly Comics to Come - April 30, 2008
TOP FIVE
BPRD Vol 8 Killing Ground TP (Another great Mignola/Arcudi/Davis BPRD arc)
Green Arrow Year One HC (Diggle and Jock can do no wrong together, this was a great mini)
Immortal Iron Fist #14 (Following up on last issue's cliffhanger, can't see how this will be anything but awesome... bittersweet, though, since it's one issue closer to the end)
Noble Causes #33 (I've read the first three issues of the five years later relaunch, and they're all very good)
Order #10 (Speaking of bittersweet... I expect it'll go out on a high note, I'm sad it has to go out at all)
THE REST
Caliber #1 (King Arthur meets Western from new publisher, $1 comic... looks intriguing)
Daredevil Blood Of The Tarantula (One-shot, and I liked the previous Tarantula story from Parks/Brubaker, etc.)
Dc Universe Zero (Expect to be disappointed, but I at least have to give it a shot and see)
Fantastic Four Beginning Of The End TP (Collects the McDuffie stuff and the Beland one-shot, a good FF trade)
Gumby Vol 1 TP (Missed this one when it first hit, but I read parts of it on Chris Sims' blog and when Dan Grendell bought it, and it looks great... not going to miss my second chance to pick it up)
Hercules #1 (From the folks putting out Caliber, another $1 comic based on classic Hercules)
Local #11 (Yay! Finally, a new issue of Local!)
Magic Pickle GN (I've got all the old Magic Pickle stuff, but I love this weird bit of all-ages comics from Scott Morse)
Marvel Adventures Iron Man #12 (More on Stark's father, an interesting MA Iron Man subplot, plus obscure villain Kiber the Cruel!)
New Gods Action Figures (I don't buy many action figures anymore, but these Kirby-based figures look cool as hell)
Proof #7 (Enjoyed the first arc, but I'm liking the book even more now that the setup is out of the way)
Speed Racer Racer X Origins Collection TP (Dug these stories when Wildstorm put them out, hadn't realized they were Jo Chen art, so I'll definitely pick this trade up)
Teen Titans #58 (Pretty solid fun, approachable super-teen team stuff by Sean McKeever)
Teen Titans Year One #4 (Gorgeous art, fun story... nervous about the mopey solicits for #5-6, but I love what I've seen so far)
Thor Ages Of Thunder (I'm not a huge Thor fan, but I am a Fraction fan, and Zircher's art looks sharp)
Usagi Yojimbo #111 (Last issue with Gen and Usagi was one of my favorite issues in a while... Sakai continues to impress on this book, even after years and years of doing it)
Wildguard Insider #1 (Yay! Todd Nauck's fun reality TV superheroes are back for a new mini!)
X-Men Legacy #210 (Still not entirely sold, still mildly curious enough to read)
BPRD Vol 8 Killing Ground TP (Another great Mignola/Arcudi/Davis BPRD arc)
Green Arrow Year One HC (Diggle and Jock can do no wrong together, this was a great mini)
Immortal Iron Fist #14 (Following up on last issue's cliffhanger, can't see how this will be anything but awesome... bittersweet, though, since it's one issue closer to the end)
Noble Causes #33 (I've read the first three issues of the five years later relaunch, and they're all very good)
Order #10 (Speaking of bittersweet... I expect it'll go out on a high note, I'm sad it has to go out at all)
THE REST
Caliber #1 (King Arthur meets Western from new publisher, $1 comic... looks intriguing)
Daredevil Blood Of The Tarantula (One-shot, and I liked the previous Tarantula story from Parks/Brubaker, etc.)
Dc Universe Zero (Expect to be disappointed, but I at least have to give it a shot and see)
Fantastic Four Beginning Of The End TP (Collects the McDuffie stuff and the Beland one-shot, a good FF trade)
Gumby Vol 1 TP (Missed this one when it first hit, but I read parts of it on Chris Sims' blog and when Dan Grendell bought it, and it looks great... not going to miss my second chance to pick it up)
Hercules #1 (From the folks putting out Caliber, another $1 comic based on classic Hercules)
Local #11 (Yay! Finally, a new issue of Local!)
Magic Pickle GN (I've got all the old Magic Pickle stuff, but I love this weird bit of all-ages comics from Scott Morse)
Marvel Adventures Iron Man #12 (More on Stark's father, an interesting MA Iron Man subplot, plus obscure villain Kiber the Cruel!)
New Gods Action Figures (I don't buy many action figures anymore, but these Kirby-based figures look cool as hell)
Proof #7 (Enjoyed the first arc, but I'm liking the book even more now that the setup is out of the way)
Speed Racer Racer X Origins Collection TP (Dug these stories when Wildstorm put them out, hadn't realized they were Jo Chen art, so I'll definitely pick this trade up)
Teen Titans #58 (Pretty solid fun, approachable super-teen team stuff by Sean McKeever)
Teen Titans Year One #4 (Gorgeous art, fun story... nervous about the mopey solicits for #5-6, but I love what I've seen so far)
Thor Ages Of Thunder (I'm not a huge Thor fan, but I am a Fraction fan, and Zircher's art looks sharp)
Usagi Yojimbo #111 (Last issue with Gen and Usagi was one of my favorite issues in a while... Sakai continues to impress on this book, even after years and years of doing it)
Wildguard Insider #1 (Yay! Todd Nauck's fun reality TV superheroes are back for a new mini!)
X-Men Legacy #210 (Still not entirely sold, still mildly curious enough to read)
The Strawman
Over at his blog, Tom Brevoort offers up a familiar spin on an argument he has used a few times before to complain about indecisive fans. You can read the full piece here, but the important part is this:
"For example: it's not great secret that there are still people upset about the changes to Spider-Man. Fair enough, But in the space of a day or two, I got five-or-so comments lamenting the elimination of Spidey's organic webbing, and the fact that there's been no mention of the additional powers he gained during "The Other."
Which comes as a bit of a shock, frankly, because the overwhelming majority of the reactions we saw at the time those two stories came out were decidedly negative! Nobody seemed to like the organic webbing, and people wrote long treatises about how Peter creating mechanical web-shooters was better, because this showcased his science skills. But just a couple short years later, we go back to the mechanical web-shooters, and it's like we fire-bombed something."
This is, to put it plainly, a ridiculous argument. What Tom is saying here is that of the 100,000+ readers of Spider-Man, five of them spoke to him in New York to complain about the elimination of organic webbing and new "The Other" powers. These five people, through some brand of statistical sampling I'm unfamiliar with, also represent the hundreds if not thousands of fans who disliked it when the organic webbing and "The Other" powers were introduced.
It is not even remotely possible that these might be different fans. Because clearly, if there were five comments, they must come from the majority of the 100,000 fans. I'm not sure how 0.00005 percent equals a majority, but hey, I was a journalism major, not a math major.
Brevoort (and Quesada, and Didio, and Bendis, etc.) love to use this argument. "Well, these fans are now loving the same thing the fans were complaining about a few months ago! You crazy fans, you don't know what you want!" When in fact, while some fans change their minds, many of them probably were glad to see the organic webbing and "Other" powers go, they just were sad that the way they were eliminated was by a ridiculous, shoddy bit of storytelling that ran late and accomplished a goal nobody in particular was clamoring for (eliminating the Spidey/MJ marriage) along with the stuff people *were* clamoring for (good stories, new creative teams). Or maybe they hated the organic webbing, they *love* that it's gone, but they didn't think to come up to Brevoort and say "Hey, great job getting rid of that organic webbing!"
Just because I'm liking some of Brand New Day doesn't mean I thought One More Day was the way to get there. Just because I wound up loving The Order doesn't mean I liked that Civil War was used to set it up. Just because I enjoyed most of 52 doesn't mean I'm in love with the new multiverse and Countdown. And just because five fans came up to you at a convention to tell you they miss the organic webbing doesn't mean we all do.
Brevoort is smart enough to know this. He also knows full well that fans are more likely to offer negative criticism rather than positive criticism (and even the positive, at a Con, is more likely to be of a "You guys rock!" general kind of thing, not a "thanks for ditching those lame-as-hell organic webshooters" kind of thing).
He's making a strawman argument to try and belittle legitimate criticism along with the irrational crazytalk that too often passes for criticism on the message boards. Brevoort's blog is a great resource, a look at comics from a guy with a ton of experience and smarts. It's just a shame when he dips into this well of overly defensive rah-rah PR.
"For example: it's not great secret that there are still people upset about the changes to Spider-Man. Fair enough, But in the space of a day or two, I got five-or-so comments lamenting the elimination of Spidey's organic webbing, and the fact that there's been no mention of the additional powers he gained during "The Other."
Which comes as a bit of a shock, frankly, because the overwhelming majority of the reactions we saw at the time those two stories came out were decidedly negative! Nobody seemed to like the organic webbing, and people wrote long treatises about how Peter creating mechanical web-shooters was better, because this showcased his science skills. But just a couple short years later, we go back to the mechanical web-shooters, and it's like we fire-bombed something."
This is, to put it plainly, a ridiculous argument. What Tom is saying here is that of the 100,000+ readers of Spider-Man, five of them spoke to him in New York to complain about the elimination of organic webbing and new "The Other" powers. These five people, through some brand of statistical sampling I'm unfamiliar with, also represent the hundreds if not thousands of fans who disliked it when the organic webbing and "The Other" powers were introduced.
It is not even remotely possible that these might be different fans. Because clearly, if there were five comments, they must come from the majority of the 100,000 fans. I'm not sure how 0.00005 percent equals a majority, but hey, I was a journalism major, not a math major.
Brevoort (and Quesada, and Didio, and Bendis, etc.) love to use this argument. "Well, these fans are now loving the same thing the fans were complaining about a few months ago! You crazy fans, you don't know what you want!" When in fact, while some fans change their minds, many of them probably were glad to see the organic webbing and "Other" powers go, they just were sad that the way they were eliminated was by a ridiculous, shoddy bit of storytelling that ran late and accomplished a goal nobody in particular was clamoring for (eliminating the Spidey/MJ marriage) along with the stuff people *were* clamoring for (good stories, new creative teams). Or maybe they hated the organic webbing, they *love* that it's gone, but they didn't think to come up to Brevoort and say "Hey, great job getting rid of that organic webbing!"
Just because I'm liking some of Brand New Day doesn't mean I thought One More Day was the way to get there. Just because I wound up loving The Order doesn't mean I liked that Civil War was used to set it up. Just because I enjoyed most of 52 doesn't mean I'm in love with the new multiverse and Countdown. And just because five fans came up to you at a convention to tell you they miss the organic webbing doesn't mean we all do.
Brevoort is smart enough to know this. He also knows full well that fans are more likely to offer negative criticism rather than positive criticism (and even the positive, at a Con, is more likely to be of a "You guys rock!" general kind of thing, not a "thanks for ditching those lame-as-hell organic webshooters" kind of thing).
He's making a strawman argument to try and belittle legitimate criticism along with the irrational crazytalk that too often passes for criticism on the message boards. Brevoort's blog is a great resource, a look at comics from a guy with a ton of experience and smarts. It's just a shame when he dips into this well of overly defensive rah-rah PR.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
No shocker, the process continues
So Hilary Clinton has won Pennsylvania by what looks like about a 10% margin. She's still pretty much in line to lose the nomination unless there's a dramatic shift in momentum and she starts winning every state from here on out by 20% or more or the superdelegates decide en masse to throw in with the Clinton camp, but that's a plenty big margin of victory to justify staying in the race.
Certainly it's hard to argue that the momentum has shifted. Clinton is winning races and taking shots, Obama is starting to seem tired of the whole thing, and making sloppy mistakes that don't do him any good (like the "bitter" comments). He's also clearly the front-runner, and that's a much different position to run in. It seems like the Obama machine is having some trouble correcting for that new status quo.
As to whether or not Clinton *should* stay in the race, or drop out for the good of the party? Or whether Obama should, even though he's in the lead? At this point, they might as well fight it out to the convention. The damage has been done. A few months back, polls indicated that either candidate had a good lead (Obama had a bigger one) on presumptive Republican nominee John McCain. Now they're about even.
Now this isn't really all that telling, the polls aren't wholly accurate and even when they are, so much is in flux right now that it's impossible to get an accurate reading on what's going to happen in the general election. But it's hard to argue that this bitter fight between two rival candidates has *not* been a benefit to the Democratic party. It has instead given the Republican candidate a fighting chance in the next election.
This fact is going to only heighten the bitterness in the two camps, as each will blame the other candidate for dragging things out.
I don't really have any solutions to offer. I will say that the process has dragged me from "fired up, ready to go" to "Jesus, can we please have a fucking candidate already?" I mean, I'm still hoping to vote for Obama, hoping he'll be our President, but it's starting to feel more like naive optimism in the face of an increasingly bitter fight that looks pretty much like politics as usual.
Certainly it's hard to argue that the momentum has shifted. Clinton is winning races and taking shots, Obama is starting to seem tired of the whole thing, and making sloppy mistakes that don't do him any good (like the "bitter" comments). He's also clearly the front-runner, and that's a much different position to run in. It seems like the Obama machine is having some trouble correcting for that new status quo.
As to whether or not Clinton *should* stay in the race, or drop out for the good of the party? Or whether Obama should, even though he's in the lead? At this point, they might as well fight it out to the convention. The damage has been done. A few months back, polls indicated that either candidate had a good lead (Obama had a bigger one) on presumptive Republican nominee John McCain. Now they're about even.
Now this isn't really all that telling, the polls aren't wholly accurate and even when they are, so much is in flux right now that it's impossible to get an accurate reading on what's going to happen in the general election. But it's hard to argue that this bitter fight between two rival candidates has *not* been a benefit to the Democratic party. It has instead given the Republican candidate a fighting chance in the next election.
This fact is going to only heighten the bitterness in the two camps, as each will blame the other candidate for dragging things out.
I don't really have any solutions to offer. I will say that the process has dragged me from "fired up, ready to go" to "Jesus, can we please have a fucking candidate already?" I mean, I'm still hoping to vote for Obama, hoping he'll be our President, but it's starting to feel more like naive optimism in the face of an increasingly bitter fight that looks pretty much like politics as usual.
Summer Movie Anticipation
Even though I've been increasingly disappointed by the blockbuster movies of summer, I continue to look forward to them gleefully. The summer always looks better than it turns out to be, and this year in particular there are a ton of movies I'm excited about. I was going to do some kind of post about them, but couldn't figure out exactly what to write, and then Smith Michaels over at Blurred Productions posted his "Optimistic, Cautious, Pessimistic" post and I thought, "Hey! Let's steal that!"
Except that I'm also modifying it into a sort of Top 13 movies I'm looking forward to this summer. With trailers to show you why. Starting with #13, and moving to my most anticipated movie of the summer. Btw, with my schedule and my inability to get out of the house on a regular basis, not to mention that I hate seeing movies by myself, my guess is that I'll see at least 50% of these late, when they come to DVD. Which may happen with Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Harold & Kumar as well, although I'm really excited to see both of those too.
13. Tropic Thunder (August 15)
Optimistic Because: Great cast, potentially funny concept, and I've liked a lot of what Ben Stiller directed
Cautious Because: The trailer doesn't look great or provide a ton of laugh out loud moments
Pessimistic Because: Meet The Fockers
12. Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (May 22)
Optimistic Because: The '50s time period update is kind of cool, even closing on sixty Harrison Ford *still* looks awesome as Indy, plus I have super nostalgic attachment to Indiana Jones
Cautious Because: Steven Spielberg is very hit and miss with me
Pessimistic Because: George Lucas stinks up anything he touches these days, and I have little interest in seeing more of Shia LaBeouf's "acting"
11. The Dark Knight (July 18)
Optimistic Because: Heath Ledger looks impressive as the Joker, and everybody else loved Batman Begins, so I want to like this
Cautious Because: I did not love Batman Begins, found it a bit over-the-top toward the end and loved Bale as Bruce Wayne, but hated his growly Batman
Pessimistic Because: Not really pessimistic, just not really hyped either
10. Incredible Hulk (June 13)
Optimistic Because: Ed Norton as Banner, Tim Roth as Abomination? That's pretty cool. And Louis Leterrier does pretty good action, and an action-heavy Hulk film is what I'd like. Also, not a bad little trailer.
Cautious Because: I liked The Transporter, but it was highly cheesy
Pessimistic Because: The strife between Norton, Leterrier and the studio, which delayed the marketing until almost the last minute, is worrying
9. Wanted (June 27)
Optimistic Because: The trailer looks good, I love Angelina Jolie, like Morgan Freeman and James McAvoy and enjoyed the Nightwatch/Daywatch films of the director
Cautious Because: I didn't really like The Wanted graphic novels
Pessimistic Because: This could just be a Matrix style also-ran.
8. X-Files: I Want To Believe (July 25)
Optimistic Because: Turns out that even though I stopped watching the show several seasons before it ended, I do still have some love for the property and the characters
Cautious Because: No trailer, so there's no way of knowing what we're getting other than the bits of online news
Pessimistic Because: Right before or right after the movie (depending on how charitable you're being) The X-Files began to really, really, really suck
7. Get Smart (June 20)
Optimistic Because: Steve Carell is perfect casting for Maxwell Smart, Anne Hathaway is pretty good casting for Agent 99
Cautious Because: The trailer is merely OK
Pessimistic Because: Casting him as a fish out of water analyst seems to miss the point of Maxwell Smart, and re-inventing TV comedy franchises rarely works out well in film
6. The Happening (June 13)
Optimistic Because: I generally like M. Night Shyamalan, I like the genre and it's a pretty intriguing trailer
Cautious Because: The Village was a bit weak
Pessimistic Because: By all accounts, Lady in the Water sucked
5. Hellboy II: The Golden Army (July 11)
Optimistic Because: Two great trailers, good cast, and I loved Pan's Labyrinth
Cautious Because: I wasn't a huge fan of the first Hellboy
Pessimistic Because: Let's be honest, nobody is going to do better on Hellboy than the comics, especially considering how great the BPRD and Hellboy stuff is right now
4. Pineapple Express (August 8)
Optimistic Because: Great trailer, nice to see Franco in a role more like his Freaks & Geeks role, love Seth Rogen
Cautious Because: It's easier for comedy to fall flat than action or drama, although I don't expect this will
3. Wall*E (June 27)
Optimistic Because: Pixar. Never. Misses. There is no doubt in my mind that I'll love this movie, because I haven't been wowed by a trailer since The Incredibles, but I loved Ratatouille and Cars just as much as all the rest.
2. Speed Racer (May 9)
Optimistic Because: The trailers look awesome, I love the stylized look, I still remember how great The Matrix was and it turns out I have some nostalgic fondness for Speed Racer, even though I was never a fan of the cartoon. I even went out and bought some of the Hot Wheels style cars the other day
Cautious Because: It's ambitious, and ambition can sometimes lead to failure
Pessimistic Because: There were two really weak Matrix sequels
1. Iron Man (May 2)
Optimistic Because: The trailers are fantastic, Jon Favreau has directed some great movies, Robert Downey Jr. is perfect casting (and I loved him in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang), Iron Man is a favorite hero of mine, the armor looks great... so many reasons to look forward to it
Cautious Because: There's always the "great trailer, sucky movie" potential. But honestly, I have a hard time this is going to be anything but the best superhero movie in a long time, possibly the best superhero movie period
Except that I'm also modifying it into a sort of Top 13 movies I'm looking forward to this summer. With trailers to show you why. Starting with #13, and moving to my most anticipated movie of the summer. Btw, with my schedule and my inability to get out of the house on a regular basis, not to mention that I hate seeing movies by myself, my guess is that I'll see at least 50% of these late, when they come to DVD. Which may happen with Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Harold & Kumar as well, although I'm really excited to see both of those too.
13. Tropic Thunder (August 15)
Optimistic Because: Great cast, potentially funny concept, and I've liked a lot of what Ben Stiller directed
Cautious Because: The trailer doesn't look great or provide a ton of laugh out loud moments
Pessimistic Because: Meet The Fockers
12. Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (May 22)
Optimistic Because: The '50s time period update is kind of cool, even closing on sixty Harrison Ford *still* looks awesome as Indy, plus I have super nostalgic attachment to Indiana Jones
Cautious Because: Steven Spielberg is very hit and miss with me
Pessimistic Because: George Lucas stinks up anything he touches these days, and I have little interest in seeing more of Shia LaBeouf's "acting"
11. The Dark Knight (July 18)
Optimistic Because: Heath Ledger looks impressive as the Joker, and everybody else loved Batman Begins, so I want to like this
Cautious Because: I did not love Batman Begins, found it a bit over-the-top toward the end and loved Bale as Bruce Wayne, but hated his growly Batman
Pessimistic Because: Not really pessimistic, just not really hyped either
10. Incredible Hulk (June 13)
Optimistic Because: Ed Norton as Banner, Tim Roth as Abomination? That's pretty cool. And Louis Leterrier does pretty good action, and an action-heavy Hulk film is what I'd like. Also, not a bad little trailer.
Cautious Because: I liked The Transporter, but it was highly cheesy
Pessimistic Because: The strife between Norton, Leterrier and the studio, which delayed the marketing until almost the last minute, is worrying
9. Wanted (June 27)
Optimistic Because: The trailer looks good, I love Angelina Jolie, like Morgan Freeman and James McAvoy and enjoyed the Nightwatch/Daywatch films of the director
Cautious Because: I didn't really like The Wanted graphic novels
Pessimistic Because: This could just be a Matrix style also-ran.
8. X-Files: I Want To Believe (July 25)
Optimistic Because: Turns out that even though I stopped watching the show several seasons before it ended, I do still have some love for the property and the characters
Cautious Because: No trailer, so there's no way of knowing what we're getting other than the bits of online news
Pessimistic Because: Right before or right after the movie (depending on how charitable you're being) The X-Files began to really, really, really suck
7. Get Smart (June 20)
Optimistic Because: Steve Carell is perfect casting for Maxwell Smart, Anne Hathaway is pretty good casting for Agent 99
Cautious Because: The trailer is merely OK
Pessimistic Because: Casting him as a fish out of water analyst seems to miss the point of Maxwell Smart, and re-inventing TV comedy franchises rarely works out well in film
6. The Happening (June 13)
Optimistic Because: I generally like M. Night Shyamalan, I like the genre and it's a pretty intriguing trailer
Cautious Because: The Village was a bit weak
Pessimistic Because: By all accounts, Lady in the Water sucked
5. Hellboy II: The Golden Army (July 11)
Optimistic Because: Two great trailers, good cast, and I loved Pan's Labyrinth
Cautious Because: I wasn't a huge fan of the first Hellboy
Pessimistic Because: Let's be honest, nobody is going to do better on Hellboy than the comics, especially considering how great the BPRD and Hellboy stuff is right now
4. Pineapple Express (August 8)
Optimistic Because: Great trailer, nice to see Franco in a role more like his Freaks & Geeks role, love Seth Rogen
Cautious Because: It's easier for comedy to fall flat than action or drama, although I don't expect this will
3. Wall*E (June 27)
Optimistic Because: Pixar. Never. Misses. There is no doubt in my mind that I'll love this movie, because I haven't been wowed by a trailer since The Incredibles, but I loved Ratatouille and Cars just as much as all the rest.
2. Speed Racer (May 9)
Optimistic Because: The trailers look awesome, I love the stylized look, I still remember how great The Matrix was and it turns out I have some nostalgic fondness for Speed Racer, even though I was never a fan of the cartoon. I even went out and bought some of the Hot Wheels style cars the other day
Cautious Because: It's ambitious, and ambition can sometimes lead to failure
Pessimistic Because: There were two really weak Matrix sequels
1. Iron Man (May 2)
Optimistic Because: The trailers are fantastic, Jon Favreau has directed some great movies, Robert Downey Jr. is perfect casting (and I loved him in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang), Iron Man is a favorite hero of mine, the armor looks great... so many reasons to look forward to it
Cautious Because: There's always the "great trailer, sucky movie" potential. But honestly, I have a hard time this is going to be anything but the best superhero movie in a long time, possibly the best superhero movie period
Monday, April 21, 2008
Weekly Comics to Come - April 23, 2008
TOP FIVE
Dynamo 5 #12 (One of my favorite superhero books)
Fables #72 (The last issue was *awesome*... can't wait to see what's next)
Northlanders #5 (Continuing the opening arc)
Uncanny X-Men #497 (Kind of a fun San Francisco based superhero thing)
Wormwood Calamari Rising #4 (Wormwood vs. evil squid monsters)
THE REST
Previews Vol XVIII #5 (Down the Line on the way)
White Picket Fences Double Feature GN ('50s era sci-fi)
Wolverine First Class #2 (Fun, but I don't know how much life there is in the premise)
X-men First Class Vol 2 #11 (Continuity in-joke filled... kind of a weaker issue, actually)
Dynamo 5 #12 (One of my favorite superhero books)
Fables #72 (The last issue was *awesome*... can't wait to see what's next)
Northlanders #5 (Continuing the opening arc)
Uncanny X-Men #497 (Kind of a fun San Francisco based superhero thing)
Wormwood Calamari Rising #4 (Wormwood vs. evil squid monsters)
THE REST
Previews Vol XVIII #5 (Down the Line on the way)
White Picket Fences Double Feature GN ('50s era sci-fi)
Wolverine First Class #2 (Fun, but I don't know how much life there is in the premise)
X-men First Class Vol 2 #11 (Continuity in-joke filled... kind of a weaker issue, actually)
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