Sunday, 18 December 2011
Saturday, 17 December 2011
Channel Awesome and SOPA
The people behind Channel Awesome go to Washington to appeal the upcoming SOPA legislation, which not only will kerb free speech around the world but also put potentially hundreds of people who earn their income by producing online content out of work.
Being in and from the UK I'm not really sure what I can do to help out my TransAtlantic compatriots, but please give the video a watch and try to help stop SOPA if you happen to live Stateside.
Peace out.
Being in and from the UK I'm not really sure what I can do to help out my TransAtlantic compatriots, but please give the video a watch and try to help stop SOPA if you happen to live Stateside.
Peace out.
Sunday, 11 December 2011
If I Wrote Actual Comics: the Bad Samaritan Comes to Gotham
One of the things that I've always liked about superhero comics is the wide range of characters that, though obscure, could change the playing field if used in the correct manner. An example of this in recent comics could be the current Madame Xanadu binge that DC is currently undergoing at the moment, what with her appearing in two main books at the moment, Demon Knights and Justice League Dark, as well as numerous appearances in things like the Batman: the Brave and the Bold tie-in comic.
So I as I was musing about storylines for Casstoons, I wondered if there was a way to incorperate the character of the Bad Samaritan, a character from the first series of the Outsiders way back in 1986 who later made another appearance in Checkmate a lot more recently, into the current continuity?
Well, I thought of a story concept that I thought might be interesting to explore or possibly write out in full later on if I have the time which involves the Samaritan, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain and other members of their respective casts.
It's still kind of vague, but the basic idea is behind the cut.
So I as I was musing about storylines for Casstoons, I wondered if there was a way to incorperate the character of the Bad Samaritan, a character from the first series of the Outsiders way back in 1986 who later made another appearance in Checkmate a lot more recently, into the current continuity?
Well, I thought of a story concept that I thought might be interesting to explore or possibly write out in full later on if I have the time which involves the Samaritan, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain and other members of their respective casts.
It's still kind of vague, but the basic idea is behind the cut.
Saturday, 10 December 2011
Keloid Trailer
A short trailer featuring some of the more rad robots I've seen in a movie in recent years,
Friday, 9 December 2011
Obscuras Lupa Presents - Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
Depressed Big Bird, verbally abusive Oscar and hilarously stupid children abound in this Christmas special,
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
Plethora of Korra: A Good Avatar Resource
Just giving a shout out to Polarbeardog.tumblr, who seem to be managing to collect all of the information and screenshots from the leaked footage in an organised way.
Spoilers here,
http://polarbeardog.tumblr.com/post/13811394856/my-accumulated-knowledge-of-avatar-legend-of-korra
ATLA: The Avatars by *kami-kazen on deviantART
Spoilers here,
http://polarbeardog.tumblr.com/post/13811394856/my-accumulated-knowledge-of-avatar-legend-of-korra
ATLA: The Avatars by *kami-kazen on deviantART
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
Monday, 5 December 2011
Sunday, 4 December 2011
The Legend Of Korra: Official Opening Titles! HQ!
Wait, this is out already? Kinda weird there was no fanfare if so.
Friday, 2 December 2011
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
Monday, 21 November 2011
Sunday, 20 November 2011
Five Lesser Known 90s Cartoons
The Nineties were an odd time for cartoons. For every Batman: the Animated Series which managed to grab a slice of longterm nostalgia, there were at least five other shows that managed to disappear into the gloom, only to emerge later to the horror of innocent viewers later on.
Here are a couple of those such shows. Some good, some bad, some downright bizarre, but all not really that well remembered by people these days. So here goes!
Here are a couple of those such shows. Some good, some bad, some downright bizarre, but all not really that well remembered by people these days. So here goes!
Wednesday, 16 November 2011
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
Monday, 14 November 2011
Doctor Who: the Movie?
Well, it's that time of year again... and by that I mean it's time for someone to say that they're gonna be making another Doctor Who movie.
Yup, the BBC and David Yates, of the Harry Potter movies, are apparently making a Who movie that'll be independant from the television show, as the Beeb say "putting a fresh spin on the source material".
Is this a good or a bad thing? Well... the last Doctor Who movies were the ones starting Peter Cushing, and they had their retrocharm, I guess. And the Daleks looked like ET outside of their suits!
The next one was the pilot that was created with Paul McGann, which seems to be generally disliked, but I kind of liked it for what it was. They did a lot with a bigger budget, which was pretty neat with things like the design of the inside of the TARDIS.
Hopefully a bigger budget version of Doctor Who might be good, as long as it doesn't deviate too much from the original source.
Thoughts?
http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=32473
Oh Nooos by ~Trotsworth on deviantART
Yup, the BBC and David Yates, of the Harry Potter movies, are apparently making a Who movie that'll be independant from the television show, as the Beeb say "putting a fresh spin on the source material".
Is this a good or a bad thing? Well... the last Doctor Who movies were the ones starting Peter Cushing, and they had their retrocharm, I guess. And the Daleks looked like ET outside of their suits!
The next one was the pilot that was created with Paul McGann, which seems to be generally disliked, but I kind of liked it for what it was. They did a lot with a bigger budget, which was pretty neat with things like the design of the inside of the TARDIS.
Hopefully a bigger budget version of Doctor Who might be good, as long as it doesn't deviate too much from the original source.
Thoughts?
http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=32473
Oh Nooos by ~Trotsworth on deviantART
The Bad Night
A brief section from the eight page story, The Bad Night, from the Dark Horse collection, Noir.
Warning for Language
Can be purchased here,
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Noir-Stefano-Gaudiano/dp/1595823581/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1321293022&sr=8-16?
Warning for Language
Can be purchased here,
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Noir-Stefano-Gaudiano/dp/1595823581/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1321293022&sr=8-16?
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
Thursday, 3 November 2011
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
Monday, 31 October 2011
Extreme Ghostbusters - Darkness at Noon Part 1
Continuing the Halloween Theme, here's the first part of the series opener of the Ghostbusters sequel, Extreme Ghostbusters. Based ten years after the original cartoon, it follows a group of college students teaming up with Egon, Janine and Slimer to combat a new wave of ghosts terrorising NYC.
Mostly a really good show, though it got a little bad towards the end though. Also, is it me, or does the fact that it's the girl who gets the trap and has a tiny gun compared to the guns huge guns going into weird Freudian places?
Mostly a really good show, though it got a little bad towards the end though. Also, is it me, or does the fact that it's the girl who gets the trap and has a tiny gun compared to the guns huge guns going into weird Freudian places?
Happy Halloween!
To start off the posts today, here's Nostalgia Chick's review of the 1980s adaption of the Worst Witch books!
In the books the main character actually continues to suck at her chosen career and only graduates due to hard work, not so much in the movie though.
In the books the main character actually continues to suck at her chosen career and only graduates due to hard work, not so much in the movie though.
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
Tintin Title Sequence
This fancreated title sequence references each fo the adventures had by the tufty-headed boy reporter in one neat montage, and the creators were even given jobs by Steven Spielberg, director of the new movie, because of it. Good for them I say.
The Adventures of Tintin from James Curran on Vimeo.
Tomb Raider is 15 Years Old This Month!
This month marks the fifteenth anniversary of the Tomb Raider franchise, something that I feel should be marked somewhat.
Lara Croft is very much a character of opposites. On the one hand she was held up as an example of a strong female character that was able to reach a level of fame that few others did in the Nineties, while on the others complained that her sexualised appearance demeaned women and that the character was getting far more publicity that a mass murdering thief really should.
Either way, the impact that Lara had on popular culture is undeniable, appearing in everything from the original games to comics to (albeit bad) movies to energy drink adverts.
To me, she's as an important part of the 1990s, taking a place in the defintion of the decade along with Trainspotting, the Spice Girls, and Pulp.
Sure, the games got kind of ropey for a while, but they picked up again in quality and look to continue to do so into the future.
Anyways, So here's to you Miss Croft! Happy Fifteen Years!
Lara Croft is very much a character of opposites. On the one hand she was held up as an example of a strong female character that was able to reach a level of fame that few others did in the Nineties, while on the others complained that her sexualised appearance demeaned women and that the character was getting far more publicity that a mass murdering thief really should.
Either way, the impact that Lara had on popular culture is undeniable, appearing in everything from the original games to comics to (albeit bad) movies to energy drink adverts.
To me, she's as an important part of the 1990s, taking a place in the defintion of the decade along with Trainspotting, the Spice Girls, and Pulp.
Sure, the games got kind of ropey for a while, but they picked up again in quality and look to continue to do so into the future.
Anyways, So here's to you Miss Croft! Happy Fifteen Years!
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Friday, 21 October 2011
Saturday, 15 October 2011
Friday, 14 October 2011
Thursday, 13 October 2011
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Thursday, 6 October 2011
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
神山健治監督最新作『009 RE:CYBORG』製作発表PV
From the creators of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, the best part of the Ghost in the Shell franchise, comes Cyborg 009, a movie about nine cyborgs that band together to save the world. Could be cool.
VS (Versus) Trailer
Here is the trailer to Vs, a movie in which superheroes are out to try and stop a Jigsaw-ish supervillain instead of the audience just watching him murder folk for 80 minutes. Could be cool. :)
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
Beware the Batman news and info. on Lauren Faust's New Show
Though Batman: The Brave and The Bold is drawing to a close this year on Cartoon Network, Batfans won't be without an animated incarnation of the Caped Crusader for long. The CG animated Beware the Batman is coming in 2013, as revealed by Warner Bros. Animation executive vice president for creative affairs Sam Register this past weekend at the MIP Junior conference in Cannes, France. This version of Batman is pictured facing villains like Professor Pyg and Mister Toad with the help of a tough-looking Alfred and new partner Katana (who is apparently not necessarily a full-fledged Robin replacement). Glen Murakami (Ben 10, Teen Titans) has been named as the show's executive-producer. Like Green Lantern: The Animated Series set to debut in early 2012, Beware the Batman seems to adapt Bruce Timm's signature style in CG.
Along with Beware The Batman, Cartoon Network viewers can expect to see an assortment of other DC Comics content soon including Batman claymation shorts from Aardman Animation (Wallace and Gromit), Plastic Man shorts, Doom Patrol shorts, and Super Best Friends Forever, a series of Batgirl/Supergirl/Wonder Woman shorts by the creator of The Hub's My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic animated series. Register also briefly mentioned that Warner Bros. was working on a project with Conan O'Brien's production company, which could mean more Flaming C.
Read More: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/10/04/beware-the-batman-animated-series-cartoon-network/#ixzz1ZqlACWc3
From here,
Friday, 30 September 2011
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Daffy Duck: Epic Wizard
Here is something I wasn't expecting: Daffy Duck as a wizard from an issue of Heavy Metal with hot elves at his beck and call. Kinda weird, but oddly cool all the same.
Monday, 26 September 2011
Friday, 23 September 2011
Thursday, 22 September 2011
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
CT: Who Is the Blame for the Odd Changes to the DCnU Cast?
By Me,
Trying to explain the disappearances of certain characters and changes in physical appearance of others.
And for the record: MLP: Friendship is Magic is AWESOME, and the opening episode of the new season was like liquid joy injected into your naked brain through your eyes.
Though that's just my opinion.
Trying to explain the disappearances of certain characters and changes in physical appearance of others.
And for the record: MLP: Friendship is Magic is AWESOME, and the opening episode of the new season was like liquid joy injected into your naked brain through your eyes.
Though that's just my opinion.
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Catwoman Animated Short to Play at New York ComiCon
http://www.newsarama.com/tv/catwoman-animated-short-nycc-110920.html
Batman Inc Season One Finale Has Steph In It!
But post-reboot she's back to being the Spoiler. Oh well.
"Grant Morrison is back on BATMAN INCORPORATED for a giant-sized one-shot called LEVIATHAN STRIKES. Gotham’s greatest detective will learn that there’s more to his deadly foe than meets the eye. So what is the Leviathan’s shocking secret? We’re not saying…but for now, we’ve got a first look at the cover by Chris Burnham.http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/09/19/batman-incorporated-leviathan-strikes-first-look/
“The long-awaited conclusion to season 1 of BATMAN INCORPORATED is here at last!” said Morrison. “For months, Batman and his allies have fought a shadow campaign against the deadly legions of the mysterious Leviathan, but now it’s time for all-out war – a war which Batman may not be able to win. Schoolgirl assassins! Bat-robots! Nazi masterminds with Alzheimer’s! Guest stars galore! Batman and Spoiler team to face the School of Night while Batman Incorporated travels to a sinister Cold War interrogation facility to face the mind-bending menace of Doctor Dedalus for the last time while the true identity of Leviathan is finally revealed, with shocking consequences for the Dark Knight. With incredible artwork from Cameron Stewart (BATMAN AND ROBIN MUST DIE) and Chris Burnham (BATMAN INC.), LEVIATHAN STRIKES! rounds out season 1 and is also the prologue to 2012’s BATMAN: LEVIATHAN – the epic, tragic, final act of a story six years long.”
BATMAN INCORPORATED: LEVIATHAN STRIKES goes on sale December 21."
Sunday, 18 September 2011
Saturday, 17 September 2011
Friday, 16 September 2011
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Fox Apparently Making Spectre TV Show
"Fox is developing a drama based on The Spectre, DC Comics’ hooded Spirit of Vengeance, Deadline reports.
Brandon Camp, creator of the short-lived sci-fi drama John Doe, will write the adaptation, which centers on an ex-cop serving time in limbo who hunts down earthly criminals on behalf of the dead. Warner Bros. Television and Gerber Pictures will produce The Spectre, which has received a script commitment from Fox, with Camp and Bill Gerber (Gran Torino) serving as executive producers."
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=34388
Tuesday, 13 September 2011
Justice League Dark Trailer
Ooo, pretty art!
Okay, I have several misgivings over Constantine of all people being in the Justice League, if they kept the same group and just called it the Shadowpact I wouldn't really mind, but that said this does look interesting, I have to say.
Monday, 12 September 2011
If I Wrote Actual Comics: Arkham Asylum, Brought to you by Batman Inc.
I was pondering as to what things could be made into comics, and I came up with an idea for a new twist for the Batman comics.
Basically the premise is, that with the launch of Batman Inc. Bruce decides to use to not just crime fight in a detection capacity, he's going to keep an eye on them once they're in the system as well.
He'll do this by buying Arkham, and rather than donating money to guards and directors who half the time are to corrupt or inept that they can't do their jobs correctly, he'll use his resources to monitor his enemies while they're in their cells, keep them correctly restrained, or actually getting them proper treatment so their conditions can be improved or at least not made any worse.
They could get the Grant Morrison rejigged version of Mr Miracle in to make things modernised and harder to escape from, as the place a lot of the time seems to not have been updated internally since the 1800s or early 1900s. Norman had actually done a similar thing to a supervillain prison in California prior to Seven Soldiers, which was actually referenced in-story.
With Arkham, and possibly the conventional prisons like Blackgate, under Batman's control, he'll be able to respond to escapes faster (they have to happen because of plot, just not as much) and the rogues can be made formidable by them having to up their game in order to escape from the now superadvanced facility. Plus, there'd be more at stake for Batman personally if the Joker was to escape for the umpteenth time, as Batman'd be more directly responsible for the Joker's actions, instead of the bumbling guards or cops.
There would then be the sequels and things that you could get into along the line, as the threats are escalated. For example, it's already canon that Bruce Wayne has put large spacestations in orbit that functioned as the JLA satellites. Why not adapt the concept to a supermax jail that is also a spacestation, which could only be accessed by shuttle or by the JLA's teleportation beams? Maybe the sppacestation branch of Arkham could be for the repeat escapees, like the Joker, Two-Face etc.?
By making Arkham actually difficult to break out of, it would make criminals such as the Joker more threatening, as they'd have to go back to the evil genius aspect of the character, as opposed to him just being really, really stabby. Also, the writers would have to think up more inventive ways for the villains to escape, as opposed to them escaping offscreen by going all Shawshank when no one was looking or something.
That's an idea anyways.
Saturday, 10 September 2011
Obscuras Lupa Presents - Tammy and the T-rex
Lupa reviews the best movie about a girl falling in love with a robot dinosaur with her boyfriend's brain that goes on a rampage and murders people ever!
Garth Ennis and Religion: My Rambley Analysis
I read reading through some people's comments about Garth Ennis and his religious satire series the Chronicles of Wormwood, mainly they were complaints about his treatment of religion, and it got me thinking. Are there some similar themes that are on display in his work?
In a manner of speaking, yes.
Bear in mind though, before I get into things, that he grew up during the Troubles in Ireland during the 1970s, during a massive conflict between Protestants and Catholics, which would definately colour his opinion one way or the other as a result.
In his work in Hellblazer, Preacher etc. the idea wasn't so much the idea that religion or religious figures were bad, there are people who appear in his work who are both very religious and good people, for example that Vicar Constantine was friends with. The idea was that on the human side (due to people being people) there was the chance that they might not be working entirely in people's best interests, and that supernatural creatures who are nominally on the side of Good aren't necessarily the same as them being NICE.
For example, let's take the Angel Gabriel from Hellblazer. He works for God, and is such is proud of the fact that this means that whatever he does it must be for the right reason, so when Constantine arranged for him to Fall, the experience broke him entirely as he believed that if he was as loved by God as he believed, why would he be evicted from Heaven? That would make Gabe a sympathetic character, if it wasn't for the fact that as a supernatural being from Heaven living on Earth, he didn't understand humans that much and wasn't really interested in trying to find out how they work.
The belief that whatever he does is right, regardless of how horrible, combined with his lack of empathy for humans (which is mistaken for mere snobbery by the humans he interacts with) lead to a lot of unpleasant things he does, and nearly does.
For example, he lists raping a teenage girl in Nazareth (implictly Mary) as an example of the things he's done that have gone on to better the world, and NEARLY gives a stand-in for the BNP his backing in the next British General Election because they impressed him with his talk of order and purity before Constantine deflates that bubble by addressing what they are to Gaberial in terms he understands.
Another more human example would be a village priest who Constantine met in his youth who routinely abused the sanctity of the confessional to "punish" those who offend his moral or religious standards. For example, a teenage boy confessed that he'd slept with a man, so the priest (knowing that homosexuality wa illegal in the UK at the time) sent him on his way and then called the cops, and was happy to have made the right choice after the kid killed himself in prison. That guy had such a rigid and personalised view of religion that the First of the Fallen was able to break him with just a sentence.
The idea that religion can be both a good thing, and a bad thing when those who believe in, but lack empathy to use their faith sensibly, it start to thing that it's a Universial Morality License is pretty much a theme through a lot fo Ennis' work, including his War Stories, the Boys, Punisher etc.
To cut into the Boys briefly, the idea of having faith in an idea being beneficial two at least two characters in the series, while it also demonstrates that it could be used poorly by those who are cynical or too hardline.
Annie January, for example, was introduced to Christianity as a PR stunt, but she ended up embracing it as it gave her an anchor amidst the corporate/paramilitary upbringing that she'd received. Her belief in God and the idea that Jesus loved her made her a better person, and allowed her to not be turned into a hedonistic monster like so many of her cohorts. Even when her belief was shaken by the horrible things she saw or experienced, she never caved, just became a bit more worldly and able to stand up for herself more.
On the flipside of the coin, they have the MASSIVELY tacky way that the corporation that creates and controls the superhumans in the Boys Universe uses Christianity as propaganda, on the basis that in the US you'll get more people to believe you're good if you're seen appearing to be religious. Which isn't as daft as you'd think, considering how people reacted to Obama "not going to church as much as he should do" in the early parts of his term.
The idea of belief as a stabliser isn't just used as a religious thing in the series either, as the belief that forms of politics could have the same effects is also used. For example, the Russian superhero Vasilii Vorishikin, aka Love Sausage, used to be part of a Soviet superhero team, and because they were run by the state during that era they REALLY believed in the Communist cause, wholely and noncynically. He admitted later that the government kind of messed it up, but he believed in the ideal that communism presented, that because he had the power to help his countrymen he had the duty to do so.
This combined by the belief that a lot of post-Soviet Russians have, that things were better in the Old Days, caused him be made happy when a communist party was again getting power in the Russian government. He thought that this would get rid of the gangsters and bring back a state where everyone was taken care of, more or less. The fact that it ended up being just another ploy to gain power by cynics who knew of the nostaliga that the Old Days held in the hearts of Russians broke Vas's heart.
Cutting back to Wormwood, the idea that religion could be both a good thing and a bad thing depending upon who is using it, is continued, but it adds an element of Pratchett's ideas from his novel Small Gods as well. For example, Heaven is awesome (and FAIR), angels are actually pretty nice etc. but when it came to organised religion... Ennis pretty much repeats the point that there ARE nice people in things like the Catholic Church, but people are rarely promoted on the basis that they're NICE.
The Pope, for example, was pretty much a throwback to the Borgias, who only got the job because the higher ups were too racist/thought that their congregations would be too racist to attempt a black Pope. The Pope is MASSIVELY corrupt, sexually abusive and incredibly cynically when it comes to the fact that Jesus and the AntiChrist are actually walking about (that is until he gets AIDS and orders Jesus to be kidnapped to cure him). I guess that the Pope's depiction in Chronicles of Wormwood is meant to depict him as a microcosm of every thing Ennis consider to be wrong with the Catholic Church in one meanspirited, sexist package. The idea seems to be that, like in Omnia in Small Gods, the system of organised religion has provided a structure that people believe in more than the people it was set up to represent. Even it they wanted to fix things, they can't due to the fact that they have bills to pay and changing the opinions of people, especially these days, is akin to herding a million cats from Lands End to John O'Groats singlehanded without loosing a single one along the way.
As stated, the idea behind it isn't so much religion is wrong, it's the ideas and structures that have built up around it that are the problem. Heaven's awesome, angels are nice (unlike Ennis' previous work in Preacher and Hellblazer) and Jesus is actually a really nice guy. His message is there, but just like what happened in Hellblazer and the Boys, it's been interpreted by bigots and cynics over the years to mean less then the initial message.
Pretty much the only one who doesn't cme across as 100% good on the side of Jesus and Co. is God himself, who suffers from the same problem that Gaberial had over in Hellblazer, in that he's so far removed from humanity that he doesn't really understand if, and as such doesn't always work in its best interest. That's where Jesus came into the mix, as a buffer to understand humanity by living amongst it, like how the Avatars are meant to work in the Last Airbender/Legend of Korra Universe.
The fact that God was shown to be kind of malicious and insane (a well as a chronic masturbator) was probably a result of Ennis growing up in a place were the community was divided by two groups of people who were killing each other due to differences in religion, as well as the story he once told, when he was in school when he said he felt threatened by the idea that God is watching and judging him all of the time.
Anyways, going back to the original point, I believe that my statement that Wormwood was a more fair treatment of religion is due to the fact that both sides are portrayed as being having elements of being good and bad. It has one of the more sincere protrayals of Jesus in modern fiction, nice and wanting the best for everyone without going into parody like the likes of Seth Macfarlene or whatever.
Plus I like how it has the same kind of set up as Good Omens, in that it takes place in a universe were Evil and Good exist, but it doesn't mean that they can't get along and act in humanity's best interest every once and a while. I mean, it's not like we're going to, is it?
In a manner of speaking, yes.
Bear in mind though, before I get into things, that he grew up during the Troubles in Ireland during the 1970s, during a massive conflict between Protestants and Catholics, which would definately colour his opinion one way or the other as a result.
In his work in Hellblazer, Preacher etc. the idea wasn't so much the idea that religion or religious figures were bad, there are people who appear in his work who are both very religious and good people, for example that Vicar Constantine was friends with. The idea was that on the human side (due to people being people) there was the chance that they might not be working entirely in people's best interests, and that supernatural creatures who are nominally on the side of Good aren't necessarily the same as them being NICE.
The belief that whatever he does is right, regardless of how horrible, combined with his lack of empathy for humans (which is mistaken for mere snobbery by the humans he interacts with) lead to a lot of unpleasant things he does, and nearly does.
For example, he lists raping a teenage girl in Nazareth (implictly Mary) as an example of the things he's done that have gone on to better the world, and NEARLY gives a stand-in for the BNP his backing in the next British General Election because they impressed him with his talk of order and purity before Constantine deflates that bubble by addressing what they are to Gaberial in terms he understands.
Another more human example would be a village priest who Constantine met in his youth who routinely abused the sanctity of the confessional to "punish" those who offend his moral or religious standards. For example, a teenage boy confessed that he'd slept with a man, so the priest (knowing that homosexuality wa illegal in the UK at the time) sent him on his way and then called the cops, and was happy to have made the right choice after the kid killed himself in prison. That guy had such a rigid and personalised view of religion that the First of the Fallen was able to break him with just a sentence.
The idea that religion can be both a good thing, and a bad thing when those who believe in, but lack empathy to use their faith sensibly, it start to thing that it's a Universial Morality License is pretty much a theme through a lot fo Ennis' work, including his War Stories, the Boys, Punisher etc.
To cut into the Boys briefly, the idea of having faith in an idea being beneficial two at least two characters in the series, while it also demonstrates that it could be used poorly by those who are cynical or too hardline.
On the flipside of the coin, they have the MASSIVELY tacky way that the corporation that creates and controls the superhumans in the Boys Universe uses Christianity as propaganda, on the basis that in the US you'll get more people to believe you're good if you're seen appearing to be religious. Which isn't as daft as you'd think, considering how people reacted to Obama "not going to church as much as he should do" in the early parts of his term.
The idea of belief as a stabliser isn't just used as a religious thing in the series either, as the belief that forms of politics could have the same effects is also used. For example, the Russian superhero Vasilii Vorishikin, aka Love Sausage, used to be part of a Soviet superhero team, and because they were run by the state during that era they REALLY believed in the Communist cause, wholely and noncynically. He admitted later that the government kind of messed it up, but he believed in the ideal that communism presented, that because he had the power to help his countrymen he had the duty to do so.
This combined by the belief that a lot of post-Soviet Russians have, that things were better in the Old Days, caused him be made happy when a communist party was again getting power in the Russian government. He thought that this would get rid of the gangsters and bring back a state where everyone was taken care of, more or less. The fact that it ended up being just another ploy to gain power by cynics who knew of the nostaliga that the Old Days held in the hearts of Russians broke Vas's heart.
Cutting back to Wormwood, the idea that religion could be both a good thing and a bad thing depending upon who is using it, is continued, but it adds an element of Pratchett's ideas from his novel Small Gods as well. For example, Heaven is awesome (and FAIR), angels are actually pretty nice etc. but when it came to organised religion... Ennis pretty much repeats the point that there ARE nice people in things like the Catholic Church, but people are rarely promoted on the basis that they're NICE.
The Pope, for example, was pretty much a throwback to the Borgias, who only got the job because the higher ups were too racist/thought that their congregations would be too racist to attempt a black Pope. The Pope is MASSIVELY corrupt, sexually abusive and incredibly cynically when it comes to the fact that Jesus and the AntiChrist are actually walking about (that is until he gets AIDS and orders Jesus to be kidnapped to cure him). I guess that the Pope's depiction in Chronicles of Wormwood is meant to depict him as a microcosm of every thing Ennis consider to be wrong with the Catholic Church in one meanspirited, sexist package. The idea seems to be that, like in Omnia in Small Gods, the system of organised religion has provided a structure that people believe in more than the people it was set up to represent. Even it they wanted to fix things, they can't due to the fact that they have bills to pay and changing the opinions of people, especially these days, is akin to herding a million cats from Lands End to John O'Groats singlehanded without loosing a single one along the way.
As stated, the idea behind it isn't so much religion is wrong, it's the ideas and structures that have built up around it that are the problem. Heaven's awesome, angels are nice (unlike Ennis' previous work in Preacher and Hellblazer) and Jesus is actually a really nice guy. His message is there, but just like what happened in Hellblazer and the Boys, it's been interpreted by bigots and cynics over the years to mean less then the initial message.
Pretty much the only one who doesn't cme across as 100% good on the side of Jesus and Co. is God himself, who suffers from the same problem that Gaberial had over in Hellblazer, in that he's so far removed from humanity that he doesn't really understand if, and as such doesn't always work in its best interest. That's where Jesus came into the mix, as a buffer to understand humanity by living amongst it, like how the Avatars are meant to work in the Last Airbender/Legend of Korra Universe.
The fact that God was shown to be kind of malicious and insane (a well as a chronic masturbator) was probably a result of Ennis growing up in a place were the community was divided by two groups of people who were killing each other due to differences in religion, as well as the story he once told, when he was in school when he said he felt threatened by the idea that God is watching and judging him all of the time.
Anyways, going back to the original point, I believe that my statement that Wormwood was a more fair treatment of religion is due to the fact that both sides are portrayed as being having elements of being good and bad. It has one of the more sincere protrayals of Jesus in modern fiction, nice and wanting the best for everyone without going into parody like the likes of Seth Macfarlene or whatever.
Plus I like how it has the same kind of set up as Good Omens, in that it takes place in a universe were Evil and Good exist, but it doesn't mean that they can't get along and act in humanity's best interest every once and a while. I mean, it's not like we're going to, is it?
Friday, 9 September 2011
DKR's Selina Kyle has Awesome Hats, Apparently
From here,
http://io9.com/5838576/the-dark-knight-rises-set-photos-and-anne-hathaway-and-christian-bale-on-set/gallery/9
Thursday, 8 September 2011
Wednesday, 7 September 2011
Wizard's Comicbook Crossovers
A with their Ultimate DCU, Wizard Magazine also commissioned a number of profesional artist guys to draw some team-ups/fights between characters that they thought would be an interesting combination.
Here are the ones I found! :)
Collected up from Plus4chan.
More up if I find 'em.
Here are the ones I found! :)
Collected up from Plus4chan.
More up if I find 'em.
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
All-Star Western 1 Trailer
Quick trailer for the upcoming release of All-Star Western #1 by Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti and Moritat.
Hex goes to Gotham and punches folk. Huh. Does it count as a Western if the main story takes place in New Jersey though?
Hex goes to Gotham and punches folk. Huh. Does it count as a Western if the main story takes place in New Jersey though?
Monday, 5 September 2011
It's Freddy Mercury's 65th Birthday Today
To celebrate one of my musical heroes, here is one of my favourite songs by him,
We miss you.
We miss you.
Friday, 2 September 2011
Mortys
A neat bit of animation about the personification of death and her son...
MORTYS from Bad Kidow Company on Vimeo.
Wednesday, 31 August 2011
Casstoons: Farewell, My DCU!
Well, due to my new anti-virus software being annoying, I currently can't put any work up onto my DevArt account. *SIGH!* So for the meantime, it seems that this'll be the home of Casstoons and my other projects.
Starting off, here's my Goodbye strip to the DC Universe that I grew up with.
Starting off, here's my Goodbye strip to the DC Universe that I grew up with.
Tuesday, 30 August 2011
Batgirl 1 Preview in the New York Post
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/she_bat_in_action_khKyEe07oducT2eV8Fk0EJ
And here,
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=9630
Well she's definately younger, she's living at her dad's house and the Killing Joke happened three years ago, apparently. Not sure if that means she was only Oracle for three out of the five years regular superheroes have been around in the DCnU or not though, same as now both Cass' and Steph's tenures as Batgirl are similarly reduced.
Art looks interesting, still depressed about the change though, and the newspaper's decision to phrase people's annoyance about this in a way that makes them seem slightly sexist isn't really helping matters.
Also, why is the Joker's chest exposed in this version?
Currently doing a Casstoon strip about the end of the DCU, was held up due to pulling a nerve in my back. XP Should be up today or tomorrow though.
Monday, 29 August 2011
Shock SuspenStories: A Kind of Justice
An imprint of the infamous EC Comics line, Shock SuspenStories, which was apparently one of those series' that was brought before the committees that were investigating the violent content in comics in the Fifties.
Rather than the usual EC content of people receiving ironic punishments and stuff, SSS apparently was more in line with the realistic (and depressing) kind of crime dramas, with the below being such an example, and kind of suprising for its subject matter considering the time it was published in.
Warning: As stated, it's depressing.
Rather than the usual EC content of people receiving ironic punishments and stuff, SSS apparently was more in line with the realistic (and depressing) kind of crime dramas, with the below being such an example, and kind of suprising for its subject matter considering the time it was published in.
Warning: As stated, it's depressing.
Saturday, 27 August 2011
The DCUniverse Online Mini-Movies and Motion Comics, Part 1
To advertise the setting of their new online game, DC released some animated videos showing the setting and how the events of the game came about, which would then be fleshed out more in the games' comicbook series.
The videos actually do a really good job of what a possible JLA movie could go, with a variety of powersets and all the characters playing to their various strengths. Except for Green Arrow, he seems to have copt it before the action even started.
They also released some motion comics at the same time as the games release, which are here,
The videos actually do a really good job of what a possible JLA movie could go, with a variety of powersets and all the characters playing to their various strengths. Except for Green Arrow, he seems to have copt it before the action even started.
They also released some motion comics at the same time as the games release, which are here,
Tuesday, 23 August 2011
Oooo! The Solicit for the post-series Avatar comic!
Avatar: The Last Airbender Volume 1—The Promise Part 1 TPB
The wait is over! Ever since the conclusion of Avatar: The Last Airbender, its millions of fans have been hungry for more--and it's finally here!
This series of digests rejoins Aang and friends for exciting new adventures, beginning with a faceoff against the Fire Nation that threatens to throw the world into another war, testing all of Aang's powers and ingenuity!
* The continuation of Airbender and the link to its upcoming sequel, Legend of Korra!
* Written by Gene Yang, author of the National Book Award-nominated American Born Chinese.
The wait is over! Ever since the conclusion of Avatar: The Last Airbender, its millions of fans have been hungry for more--and it's finally here!
This series of digests rejoins Aang and friends for exciting new adventures, beginning with a faceoff against the Fire Nation that threatens to throw the world into another war, testing all of Aang's powers and ingenuity!
* The continuation of Airbender and the link to its upcoming sequel, Legend of Korra!
* Written by Gene Yang, author of the National Book Award-nominated American Born Chinese.
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