Sunday, 30 December 2012
Thursday, 27 December 2012
Cringeworthy Comicbook Moments - Robin: Wanted
I come armed with canon, so yeah, kind of a lot of scans behind the cut.
Tuesday, 25 December 2012
Monday, 24 December 2012
Saturday, 22 December 2012
Thursday, 20 December 2012
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
Tuesday, 18 December 2012
Sunday, 16 December 2012
Saturday, 15 December 2012
Friday, 14 December 2012
Thursday, 13 December 2012
Wednesday, 12 December 2012
Monday, 10 December 2012
Gail Simone removed from Batgirl
Gail just confirmed over twitter that the new Batgirl editor, Brian
Cunningham, that she is no longer the writer of Batgirl, despite her
refuting rumours that she'd been replaced just earlier this week. Hm.
I will admit that despite my not being as much of a fan of her current Batgirl run as I've been of her other work, this still kind of saddens me, if only because she always seemed to be having a ball when it came to her writing and promoting this work.
And right after the all-female team-up book she'd spent a year working on was rejected right out of the gate when she pitched it too (probably because she wanted to use Steph in it).
Wonder why it happened, it wasn't as if she wanted to leave or that the book wasn't successful...
I will admit that despite my not being as much of a fan of her current Batgirl run as I've been of her other work, this still kind of saddens me, if only because she always seemed to be having a ball when it came to her writing and promoting this work.
And right after the all-female team-up book she'd spent a year working on was rejected right out of the gate when she pitched it too (probably because she wanted to use Steph in it).
Wonder why it happened, it wasn't as if she wanted to leave or that the book wasn't successful...
Thursday, 6 December 2012
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
Monday, 3 December 2012
Sunday, 2 December 2012
Korra Season Two Begins in April!
April 14th 2013 to be exact. Hopefully it doesn't change, and if this is the actual date we're already half way there. Sweet. ^^
Friday, 30 November 2012
James Gunn Apologises for the Superhero Comments
Cool.
Probably gonna be some guys that are going to say that he shouldn't have apologised... but there are terrible people all over the internet so, eh.
A couple of years ago I wrote a blog that was meant to be satirical and funny. In rereading it over the past day I don't think it's funny. The attempted humor in the blog does not represent my actual feelings. However, I can see where statements were poorly worded and offensive to many. I'm sorry and regret making them at all. People who are familiar with me as evidenced by my Facebook page and other mediums know that I'm an outspoken proponent for the rights of the gay and lesbian community, women and anyone who feels disenfranchised, and it kills me that some other outsider like myself, despite his or her gender or sexuality, might feel hurt or attacked by something I said. We're all in the same camp, and I want to do my best to make this world a better place for all of us. I'm learning all the time. I promise to be more careful with my words in the future. And I will do my best to be funnier as well. Much love to all - James Gunnhttp://www.glaad.org/blog/director-james-gunn-apologizes-anti-gay-and-sexist-comments-blog-post
Probably gonna be some guys that are going to say that he shouldn't have apologised... but there are terrible people all over the internet so, eh.
Thursday, 29 November 2012
Wednesday, 28 November 2012
CT: James Gunn
Trigger warning for sexism, slut shaming and homophobic comments. Not by me, by the guy I'm criticising.
Monday, 26 November 2012
Friday, 23 November 2012
Thursday, 22 November 2012
Wednesday, 21 November 2012
Tuesday, 20 November 2012
Sunday, 18 November 2012
Friday, 16 November 2012
Cringeworthy Comicbook Moments: Black Panther Discovers the Cure for Cancer...
...And refuses to share it with the outside world out of spite.
Thursday, 15 November 2012
Wednesday, 14 November 2012
Tuesday, 13 November 2012
Monday, 12 November 2012
Flogging A Dead Horse: The Everchanging Status of Cass and Steph
It's something of an established fact that the treatment of Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown in recent years in DC has... been somewhat inconsistant. And complaining about it really at this point has become not so much flogging a dead horse, as beating it into a finer and finer paste.
The infuriating thing about the situation for a fan though, is how despite there being somewhat legitimate reasons for not including them, for a given value of "legitimate", the measures taken to ensure they don't appear have gone from being irritating to outright bizarre.
Sunday, 11 November 2012
Friday, 9 November 2012
Thursday, 8 November 2012
Cringeworthy Comicbook Moments: Superman, Indian Chief!
Today in Cringeworthy Comicbook Moments, I bring you a story from the Silver Age, where Superman uses timetravel to screw with a Native American who claims to have legal ownership of the land Metropolis is built on.
Triggerwarning for old timey racism.
Triggerwarning for old timey racism.
Wednesday, 7 November 2012
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
Monday, 5 November 2012
Thursday, 1 November 2012
Wednesday, 31 October 2012
Tuesday, 30 October 2012
Monday, 29 October 2012
Sunday, 28 October 2012
Friday, 26 October 2012
Tuesday, 23 October 2012
Sunday, 21 October 2012
Thursday, 18 October 2012
Tuesday, 16 October 2012
Monday, 15 October 2012
Sunday, 14 October 2012
DC Nationed Cancelled Due to Cass and Steph?
As has been mentioned elsewhere, Cartoon Network has shelved DC Nation and its
affiliated episodes until January in order to (allegedly) arrange some
kind of anniversary celebration for the channel, thus meaning they're
filling the void with reruns of the How to Train Your Dragon tv show.
Personally I'd have thought that if I was celebrating a milestone I'd do it with new and exciting content, or at least repeats of iconic shows from the past, but I guess that's why I'm not an executive and instead only write about these things instead of having some control over them.
However, a new theory has come to swirl around amit the confusion of the sudden change, to wit: the entire DC Nation block was canned so they could edit an appearance of Stephanie Brown out of Young Justice, or at least redo her to make her an original character/Barbara Gordon.
Personally I think that this a little silly, even with the things that DC has down to suppress the characters (apparently Grant Morrison wrote them into his Batman run, but DC made him edit them out in the rewrites), as it a) goes against the "You can use anyone in our library" edict that they told Greg Weisman back when he started the show, and b) they already have Barbara Gordon in the show, having Steph editted into Babs would be really weird, especially has YJ!Babs already has a defined personality that ain't nothing like Steph's.
More information when I hear it, but personally I think it's more due to some doofy CN executive with bad timetabling than someone with a fetish for messing with Cass/Steph fans.
Personally I'd have thought that if I was celebrating a milestone I'd do it with new and exciting content, or at least repeats of iconic shows from the past, but I guess that's why I'm not an executive and instead only write about these things instead of having some control over them.
However, a new theory has come to swirl around amit the confusion of the sudden change, to wit: the entire DC Nation block was canned so they could edit an appearance of Stephanie Brown out of Young Justice, or at least redo her to make her an original character/Barbara Gordon.
Personally I think that this a little silly, even with the things that DC has down to suppress the characters (apparently Grant Morrison wrote them into his Batman run, but DC made him edit them out in the rewrites), as it a) goes against the "You can use anyone in our library" edict that they told Greg Weisman back when he started the show, and b) they already have Barbara Gordon in the show, having Steph editted into Babs would be really weird, especially has YJ!Babs already has a defined personality that ain't nothing like Steph's.
More information when I hear it, but personally I think it's more due to some doofy CN executive with bad timetabling than someone with a fetish for messing with Cass/Steph fans.
Wednesday, 10 October 2012
Arkham Asylum: An Essay As to Why It Sucks
Ah, Arkham Asylum. Hospital for the mentally ill, prison for supervillains and the most mainstream HP Lovecraft reference in comicbooks! Now, when people talk about Arkham, it's normally connected in some manner with how Batman is "incompetant" in some way for not stopping the Joker, Killer Croc and company from routinely escaping from the alleged SuperMax facility whenever the mood strikes them.
Well today I've decided to have a look at the numerous ways that, really, it's really the Arkham members of staff who are at fault here, not just Batman not having the time to physically watch his rogues 24/7 to ensure they don't go walk about. Plus Halloween is coming up, and this is kind of good subject matter for the season.
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
Sunday, 7 October 2012
Friday, 5 October 2012
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
Tuesday, 2 October 2012
Sunday, 30 September 2012
Young Justice: Invasion - Episode 8: Satisfaction
And after a lengthy break, Young Justice is back!
Before we begin the recap, here's a brief synopsis on what we've missed.
- Bart Allen has returned from the future under the guise of being a temporal tourist, when in actuality he showed up to prevent his grandfather, Barry Allen, death, under the hope that it will stop the titular alien invasion. It doesn't work.
- Superboy and Miss Martian broke up after he disapproved of her using her powers to mindwipe villains, and when he complained she attempted to erase his complaints from his mind. Since he has some resistance to mindcontrol now, this made him dump her. They still have feelings for each other though, which is something that made MM's new boyfriend, Lagoon Boy, somewhat insecure.
- Roy Harper and Cheshire got married and had a kid, and they eventually found the "real" Roy, who had been kept in cryogenic suspension after getting kidnapped by the Light shortly after beginning his superhero career.
- The Light have been kidnapping human runaways and sending them to an unknown alien ally with the intention of them discovering the Metagene, the thing that allows humans to have such a wide range of superpowers.
- Also, Artemis and Wally West are an item, and together with Aqualad, who is undercover in Black Manta's, his father, organisation they faked her death so that she could spy on the Light as well. In this same operation though, it resulted in Lagoon Boy being kidnapped by the Light, as the alternative was allowing him to be murdered by Black Manta's hired goons.
All up to speed? Right, let's go!
Before we begin the recap, here's a brief synopsis on what we've missed.
- Bart Allen has returned from the future under the guise of being a temporal tourist, when in actuality he showed up to prevent his grandfather, Barry Allen, death, under the hope that it will stop the titular alien invasion. It doesn't work.
- Superboy and Miss Martian broke up after he disapproved of her using her powers to mindwipe villains, and when he complained she attempted to erase his complaints from his mind. Since he has some resistance to mindcontrol now, this made him dump her. They still have feelings for each other though, which is something that made MM's new boyfriend, Lagoon Boy, somewhat insecure.
- Roy Harper and Cheshire got married and had a kid, and they eventually found the "real" Roy, who had been kept in cryogenic suspension after getting kidnapped by the Light shortly after beginning his superhero career.
- The Light have been kidnapping human runaways and sending them to an unknown alien ally with the intention of them discovering the Metagene, the thing that allows humans to have such a wide range of superpowers.
- Also, Artemis and Wally West are an item, and together with Aqualad, who is undercover in Black Manta's, his father, organisation they faked her death so that she could spy on the Light as well. In this same operation though, it resulted in Lagoon Boy being kidnapped by the Light, as the alternative was allowing him to be murdered by Black Manta's hired goons.
All up to speed? Right, let's go!
Thursday, 27 September 2012
Young Justice: Satisfaction
Young Justice returns this Saturday! And in this episode, the original Roy Harper goes on a rampage.
Wednesday, 26 September 2012
Saturday, 22 September 2012
Friday, 21 September 2012
Nostalgia Critic: Reefer Madness
And in a last video from the Internet Legend that is the Nostalgia Critic, here is his review of 1930s propaganda film: Reefer Madness.
Thursday, 20 September 2012
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
Sunday, 16 September 2012
Friday, 14 September 2012
Thursday, 13 September 2012
Tuesday, 11 September 2012
To Boldly Flee - Part 7
The penultimate episode, will the heroes of Channel Awesome be able to save the day?
Monday, 10 September 2012
Le Jour des Corneilles Bande Annonce (2012)
A French film about the son of a forest-dwelling ogre venturing into the nearby village and becoming friends with the local humans or something. Looks cool in anycase.
Saturday, 8 September 2012
Friday, 7 September 2012
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
Tuesday, 4 September 2012
Sunday, 2 September 2012
Saturday, 1 September 2012
Thursday, 30 August 2012
Wednesday, 29 August 2012
Tuesday, 28 August 2012
Monday, 27 August 2012
Sunday, 26 August 2012
Police Corruption in Gotham City
From 2000 to roughly 2009, it was something of a golden age for me in regards to the kinds of stories in the Batman universe that were being published. There were the Cassandra Cain Batgirl stories, obviously, but with Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker and the like at the helm of the Bat Books, Gotham really began to shape itself up into being like an actual city, rather than being merely the backdrop where Batman punches bad guys. Stuff happened in the background when the superheroes and villains weren't present, and one of the best series in this regard was Rucka and Brubaker's Gotham Central.
Saturday, 25 August 2012
Friday, 24 August 2012
Thursday, 23 August 2012
Wednesday, 22 August 2012
Monday, 20 August 2012
Sunday, 19 August 2012
Saturday, 18 August 2012
Friday, 17 August 2012
Thursday, 16 August 2012
Wednesday, 15 August 2012
Tuesday, 14 August 2012
DCnU News: Tim Drake was Never Robin!
Wow, that's going to mess up the Young Justice cartoon some then.
Batman: Earth One Review
Read Batman: Earth One, which is intended to be a "modernised" take on the character for a "new generation" of Batman fans. Like what All Star Batman was meant to be before Frank Miller went Wiseau and claimed that it was actually a comedy.
It fairs better than the Superman: Earth One comic, where Superman was reimagined as a gloomy hoodie wearing teenager in a move apparently targetted at the Emo or Twilight fan set, though maybe that's because a dark and brooding Batman is the standard model while when you try to write Superman the same way... things get weird.
Basic plot? Batman begins his campaign to investigate the death of his parents, mayorial candidate Thomas Wayne and his wife/campaign manager Martha Arkham-Wayne, who were killed in the middle of the election against theovertly corrupt mayor Oswald Cobblepot (never called the Penguin in-story, though they do reference him wearing a " trademark Penguin suit"). And while this is going on, former celebrity cop Harvey Bullock arrives in Gotham and is partnered up with the thoroughly beaten down Jim Gordon, loudly announcing that he's going to solve the Waynes' murder and get himself back in the limelight...
Overall, non-spoiler review? The art by Gary Frank is good, though occasionally a little dead-eyed, with the decision to actually show Bruce's eyes while he's in the costume actually improving how he emotions for the most part. The characterisation and dialogue worked for the most part, though there are some questionable things there.
Some parts worked, some didn't, and you could really tell that it was written by Geoff Johns in places, considering some of the stuff inserted into the story to make it more "mature". Brings some new things to the table and presents them in such a way that they work in unexpected ways. Would read again, though I'm looking forward to the sequel more, considering the hint that they dropped about various characters.
It fairs better than the Superman: Earth One comic, where Superman was reimagined as a gloomy hoodie wearing teenager in a move apparently targetted at the Emo or Twilight fan set, though maybe that's because a dark and brooding Batman is the standard model while when you try to write Superman the same way... things get weird.
Basic plot? Batman begins his campaign to investigate the death of his parents, mayorial candidate Thomas Wayne and his wife/campaign manager Martha Arkham-Wayne, who were killed in the middle of the election against theovertly corrupt mayor Oswald Cobblepot (never called the Penguin in-story, though they do reference him wearing a " trademark Penguin suit"). And while this is going on, former celebrity cop Harvey Bullock arrives in Gotham and is partnered up with the thoroughly beaten down Jim Gordon, loudly announcing that he's going to solve the Waynes' murder and get himself back in the limelight...
Overall, non-spoiler review? The art by Gary Frank is good, though occasionally a little dead-eyed, with the decision to actually show Bruce's eyes while he's in the costume actually improving how he emotions for the most part. The characterisation and dialogue worked for the most part, though there are some questionable things there.
Some parts worked, some didn't, and you could really tell that it was written by Geoff Johns in places, considering some of the stuff inserted into the story to make it more "mature". Brings some new things to the table and presents them in such a way that they work in unexpected ways. Would read again, though I'm looking forward to the sequel more, considering the hint that they dropped about various characters.
Spoilers Follow
Sunday, 12 August 2012
Friday, 10 August 2012
Wednesday, 8 August 2012
Monday, 6 August 2012
Sunday, 5 August 2012
Friday, 3 August 2012
Thursday, 2 August 2012
Wednesday, 1 August 2012
Tuesday, 31 July 2012
Thursday, 26 July 2012
Monday, 23 July 2012
Between the Lines: Batman
A quick, interesting video about Batman and the symbolism the character uses...
Sunday, 22 July 2012
Friday, 20 July 2012
Thursday, 19 July 2012
If I Wrote for DC: How I'd Do the Dick Grayson TV Show
So the new DC Comics-based show 'Arrow' is approaching us quickly, it got me thinking of the show that Warner Bros. was initially going to make before canning it even in the pre-planning stages. This one was a show based on the teenage years of Dick Grayson, "DJ" in the show, called 'the Graysons'. Needless to say, the amount of ire directed towards 'Smallville' naturally caused something of a lack of goodwill towards even the every idea of a similar show centred on the Batverse, but really, I think that it could have had a lot of potential for a number of reasons...
Wednesday, 18 July 2012
Sunday, 15 July 2012
Saturday, 14 July 2012
DC Confirms Stephanie Brown Won't Be In Smallville
Oh yeah, and Didio has confirmed that Smallville has been rewritten to have Nightwing be Barbara Gordon, not Stephanie. Because *grits teeth* Dick and Barbara are more Iconic, so as the more Iconic characters they (or rather She) has to be used before characters like Stephanie Brown can be introduced.
Bear in mind, this is a series that, when it was on the air, decided to have their first Speedy be Mia Dearsden and their first Flash/Kid Flash be Bart Allen. So yeah, we have always been at war with Eurasia, there has only ever been one female Bat character that wasn't Kate or Babs.
http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2012/07/sdcc-12-dc-confirms-stephanie-brown-wont-appear-in-smallville/
Bear in mind, this is a series that, when it was on the air, decided to have their first Speedy be Mia Dearsden and their first Flash/Kid Flash be Bart Allen. So yeah, we have always been at war with Eurasia, there has only ever been one female Bat character that wasn't Kate or Babs.
http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2012/07/sdcc-12-dc-confirms-stephanie-brown-wont-appear-in-smallville/
Friday, 13 July 2012
Other News of Interest!
Neil Gaiman is coming back to DC for a Sandman miniseries!
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=3972
Friendship is Magic is getting it's own comicbook, published by IDW,
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/07/12/idw-announces-my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-comic-by-kat/
Books of Magic returns as a kind of spin-off from Justice League Dark, http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2012/07/sdcc-12-dcs-justice-league-dark-draws-on-books-of-magic/
Renee Montoya not currently coming back to the DCU, though the Question has appeared, http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/07/12/dc-comics-dark-edge-panel-comic-con-2012-sdcc-books-magic-renee-montoya
Clarification as to what the Joker's up to in his return in a couple of months
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/07/12/batman-panel-comic-con-2012-scott-snyder-owls-ed-benes-john-layman/
Rhianna Pratchett (daughter of Terry and writer of the Mirror's Edge game and comic) to be writing the upcoming Tomb Raider game, which should hopefully make it less... squimishly sexist, http://www.destructoid.com/rihanna-pratchett-writing-the-tomb-raider-reboot-231209.phtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+Destructoid+%28Destructoid%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=3972
Friendship is Magic is getting it's own comicbook, published by IDW,
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/07/12/idw-announces-my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-comic-by-kat/
Books of Magic returns as a kind of spin-off from Justice League Dark, http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2012/07/sdcc-12-dcs-justice-league-dark-draws-on-books-of-magic/
Renee Montoya not currently coming back to the DCU, though the Question has appeared, http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/07/12/dc-comics-dark-edge-panel-comic-con-2012-sdcc-books-magic-renee-montoya
Clarification as to what the Joker's up to in his return in a couple of months
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/07/12/batman-panel-comic-con-2012-scott-snyder-owls-ed-benes-john-layman/
Rhianna Pratchett (daughter of Terry and writer of the Mirror's Edge game and comic) to be writing the upcoming Tomb Raider game, which should hopefully make it less... squimishly sexist, http://www.destructoid.com/rihanna-pratchett-writing-the-tomb-raider-reboot-231209.phtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+Destructoid+%28Destructoid%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
Thursday, 12 July 2012
Wednesday, 11 July 2012
Tuesday, 10 July 2012
Saturday, 7 July 2012
Wednesday, 4 July 2012
Monday, 2 July 2012
Sunday, 1 July 2012
Saturday, 30 June 2012
Thursday, 28 June 2012
Wednesday, 27 June 2012
Tuesday, 26 June 2012
Monday, 25 June 2012
Sunday, 24 June 2012
Friday, 22 June 2012
Thursday, 21 June 2012
Wednesday, 20 June 2012
LoEG: Century 2009 - My Thoughts in Brief
And so, the final part of Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neil's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series comes to a close, with the intergrated fictional universe coming pretty much up to the present day in the year 2009. But after the unpleasantness of the past few installments of the series, does this one actually good or is it just a rerun of the tropes that Moore has greatly overused in his recent books?
Well...
It is better than the previous installments, I'll give that that. But there are a couple of things about it that are unintentionally hilarious...
Minor Spoilers
Well...
It is better than the previous installments, I'll give that that. But there are a couple of things about it that are unintentionally hilarious...
Minor Spoilers
Tuesday, 19 June 2012
Monday, 18 June 2012
Sunday, 17 June 2012
Friday, 15 June 2012
Wednesday, 13 June 2012
Tuesday, 12 June 2012
Sunday, 10 June 2012
Friday, 8 June 2012
Thursday, 7 June 2012
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
Tuesday, 5 June 2012
Monday, 4 June 2012
Sunday, 3 June 2012
Saturday, 2 June 2012
Friday, 1 June 2012
Thursday, 31 May 2012
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
The Justice League Movie: How I'd do it.
With the Avengers movie having just been knocked off the top of the US Box Office after several weeks and several million in ticket sales, the creators have shown that it is in fact possible to both make an ensemble superhero movie and to make it actually WORK. But, over in Warner Bros, they've been having a bit of trouble getting a film of their own property, DC Comics' Justice League, off of the ground for some years now. Partly this is due to studio interference, partly this is due to the creators raising issues in regards to loyalty, and partly it's due to just a simple clash of personalities between the guys producing the different franchises.
But, using the Avengers as an example, how might a Justice League film actually work? Providing they had a decent budget, good production team, writers and actors, as well as unlimited access to DC's library of characters?
Well I decided to write up a rough pitch as to how I'd make a Justice League film, using the Avengers as an example and numerous pieces of DC history as background. It's kind of a stream of consciousness, but I hope that people find it interesting...
But, using the Avengers as an example, how might a Justice League film actually work? Providing they had a decent budget, good production team, writers and actors, as well as unlimited access to DC's library of characters?
Well I decided to write up a rough pitch as to how I'd make a Justice League film, using the Avengers as an example and numerous pieces of DC history as background. It's kind of a stream of consciousness, but I hope that people find it interesting...
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Saturday, 26 May 2012
Friday, 25 May 2012
Thursday, 24 May 2012
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
Ebot Presents: Deadline (1972)
Welcome to the first in my new series of reviews, where I take a look back at some of the examples of British films that have come out over the years. Now, believe it or not the definition of what is and what isn't a British film is actually something of a vague issue, as there is some debate as to what British cinema actually is as there is normally a lot of European or American influence in the films in one way or another.
For example, in the Eighties due to the tax breaks that the government had for filmmakers at the time, it wasn't unusual for a lot of Hollywood blockbusters to be at least partially filmed in or produced by a studio in the UK, like the 1989 Batman film for example, or Alien.
But for the purposes of this series, I'm defining it as a film that has a combination of the following factors.
But for the purposes of this series, I'm defining it as a film that has a combination of the following factors.
- It has to be based in the UK.
- At least some of the cast has to be nominally British.
- The production team have to at least partially from the UK.
- It has to be based on a story, novel etc. from here.
Monday, 21 May 2012
Sunday, 20 May 2012
Friday, 18 May 2012
Thursday, 17 May 2012
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
Monday, 14 May 2012
Sunday, 13 May 2012
Friday, 11 May 2012
Thursday, 10 May 2012
Wednesday, 9 May 2012
Tuesday, 8 May 2012
Sunday, 6 May 2012
Friday, 4 May 2012
Thursday, 3 May 2012
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
Tuesday, 1 May 2012
Young Justice is Better than The Regular DCU: Yeah, I said It
Slight Spoilers for Young Justice: Invasion
Monday, 30 April 2012
Sunday, 29 April 2012
Saturday, 28 April 2012
Friday, 27 April 2012
Four Cartoons With Very Odd Aesops
When it comes to animation, it's a frequent tool by the creators to get some kind of message across, be it one from the actual creators, like the Simpsons episode 'Lisa the Vegetarian', or one thrust upon the creators by someone "higher in the creative process", like the Kim Possible episode 'Grande Size Me' which was intended to be both a parody of the documentary Super Size Me while preaching about healthy diets at the same time.
But sometimes the moral of the story just comes across as either kind of bizarre or just out of place for the series it's in. Sometimes the moral is mishandled or unintended, or just plain unintentionally offensive. I've picked out four examples of these kinds of Aesops to poke fun at them, and to show how sometimes the lesson you're teaching people can be kind of distorted by how it's taught.
Spoilers!
Thursday, 26 April 2012
Grant Morrison Interviewed by Playboy
Some of it is interesting, though some of it seems to be a bit juvenile, such as his comments about Batman's sexuality for example.
Legend of Korra: Adult Gaang Character Designs
Seems that episodes 4 and 5 have been leaked, not sure of the details though. What I do know is that some scans of older versions of the Avatar: the Last Airbender cast are now floating around, so I gathered 'em up so you lot can have a looksee.
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Narrative Theory: Normal People in Fantasy and Science Fiction Settings
When you're in a setting that has fantastically empowered people, be it with magic, robotic suits, psychic powers or just the good old fashioned Superman Default Selection of Superpowers, it can be tempting to have the characters just bulldoze through everything in their path. Solving any problem in a matter of moments, with no bad guy too tough or situation too large for them to deal with. Heck, this was considered to be one of the possible inspirations for Superman, creating a character that Siegel and Schuster could use to solve the problems that they weren't equipped to deal with as teenagers in 1930s America, be they slumlords, gangsters, war profiteers, mad scientists etc. etc.
But really, where is the line that you draw between getting your character be an awesome and extrahuman person who can be used well in stories, or them becoming that most dreaded and overused of terms that now haunts all discussion of fiction today: A Mary Sue.
Monday, 23 April 2012
Sunday, 22 April 2012
Saturday, 21 April 2012
Friday, 20 April 2012
Thursday, 19 April 2012
Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Tuesday, 17 April 2012
Flights of Fanon: Connected Universes
Out of the depths of the Internet, there has arisen a new Rule. Rule 50. This is the rule that, if it exists, it'll crossover something else at some point. Much like how Rule 34 is "if it exists, there's porn of it" (even Casstoons bizarrely), or Rule 63's "if there is a male character, there will be a female version of them existing in fanart or vice versa".
It's not too unusual for crossovers to occur in fiction, and they're normally the result of works having the same creative team or company. So Superman and Batman meet as they're both owned by DC Comics, for example. But there have been cases were little references were dropped that open up new and exciting, albeit confusing in some cases, story options for the fans, which technically can't be explored due to the clash of tones/licencing laws. Actual, proper crossovers will probably never happen... but it would be fun if they did. Here are four examples of unusual shared universes that I have discovered.
It's not too unusual for crossovers to occur in fiction, and they're normally the result of works having the same creative team or company. So Superman and Batman meet as they're both owned by DC Comics, for example. But there have been cases were little references were dropped that open up new and exciting, albeit confusing in some cases, story options for the fans, which technically can't be explored due to the clash of tones/licencing laws. Actual, proper crossovers will probably never happen... but it would be fun if they did. Here are four examples of unusual shared universes that I have discovered.
Sunday, 15 April 2012
Friday, 13 April 2012
Wednesday, 11 April 2012
Tuesday, 10 April 2012
Sunday, 8 April 2012
Top Six Doctor Who Villain Speeches
It's not really that much of a secret that I'm a Doctor Who fan, and one of the many things I love about the show are the villains. But what makes a good villain? Well one thing that definitely sticks with me over the years is whether they get a good villain speech, something that explains who are they are, what they're doing and what their plan is. And in the near fifty years that the show has been on tv, albeit in different incarnations, there have been a LOT of villain speeches. But, I have decided to chose out five of the speeches that I've personally enjoyed the most from the episodes that I've seen.
Saturday, 7 April 2012
Thursday, 5 April 2012
Wednesday, 4 April 2012
The Legend Of Korra:Mythology!
Another new trailer, only this one seems to come with massive spoilers.
Monday, 2 April 2012
Sunday, 1 April 2012
Plans for Steph Brown in the DCnU
From the Bleeding Cool covered of ECCC,
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/03/3
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/03/3
Q: How’s the post-Steph Brown Batman, Inc. transition going?
A: We’re not allowed to talk about that.
Q: Will Steph Brown be back any time soon?
A: Nope.
Q: Why isn’t Steph Brown considered a Robin any more?
A: Willingham: I’m so glad I don’t have to answer that one. Martz: Steph is close to my heart, close to all of our hearts. But for the moment we’re staying away from her.
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/03/3
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/03/3
Thursday, 29 March 2012
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
Monday, 26 March 2012
Sunday, 25 March 2012
Saturday, 24 March 2012
Friday, 23 March 2012
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Sunday, 18 March 2012
Legend of Korra: First Episode Review
It turns out that the first episode was posted early on the Nickpress website... ANYWAY, here is my recap and review of the long awaited show.
Saturday, 17 March 2012
Thursday, 15 March 2012
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Terminator 3 Sergent Candy Scene
Ever wondered why the robots in the Terminator look and sound like Arnold Schwarzenegger? Well wonder no longer with this deleted scene from Terminator 3!
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
Thursday, 8 March 2012
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
Saturday, 3 March 2012
Friday, 2 March 2012
Thursday, 1 March 2012
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Gotham by Gaslight (Video Game) Prototype Footage
Footage from the abandoned 2005 Victorian Batman game, Gotham by Gaslight.
Kind of disappointed that it didn't happen really.
From here,
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/02/28/gotham-by-gaslight-video-reveals-the-victorian-gotham-city-of/
Kind of disappointed that it didn't happen really.
From here,
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/02/28/gotham-by-gaslight-video-reveals-the-victorian-gotham-city-of/
Suprising Watson Cast in Elementary
Some of you may remember how I mentioned that CBS was getting into trouble with Stephen Moffat's production company, because of their modern Sherlock Holmes show, Elementary, having a bunch of simularities to the BBC's Sherlock.
Details in full here.
Well in the time following the complaints, CBS have been attempting to distance their version from the Moffat version, and one of the major ways is who they've got to play Watson, namely, the awesome...
Details in full here.
Well in the time following the complaints, CBS have been attempting to distance their version from the Moffat version, and one of the major ways is who they've got to play Watson, namely, the awesome...
Sunday, 26 February 2012
Saturday, 25 February 2012
Friday, 24 February 2012
Thursday, 23 February 2012
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Monday, 20 February 2012
Sunday, 19 February 2012
Order of the Stick Donation Drive Breaks $1 Million
Yeah, so the creator of Order of the Stick started a Kickstarter fundraising drive to raise the money he needed to reprint the collected editions of the webcomic, and a few weeks ago it broke records for donation drives such as this by breaking £25,000.
Well, it seems that people haven't stopped donating money, and as of the time of this post they'd gotten up to $1,010,766, when the initial goal they were going for was $57,750.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/599092525/the-order-of-the-stick-reprint-drive
Yikes, I know that the webcomic was popular, but not THAT popular!
Well, it seems that people haven't stopped donating money, and as of the time of this post they'd gotten up to $1,010,766, when the initial goal they were going for was $57,750.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/599092525/the-order-of-the-stick-reprint-drive
Yikes, I know that the webcomic was popular, but not THAT popular!
Lauren Faust's Supergirl Up
There has been kind of a lot of fail regarding DC's treatment of female characters this week, what with the things with Catwoman being tortured via beating while in a "sexy" pose and the decision over in Blue Beetle to have Jaime belt Brenda in the face "for her own good" and all.
So here's something that should hopefully be good.
So here's something that should hopefully be good.
Friday, 17 February 2012
Thursday, 16 February 2012
Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Doomsday Book Trailer
A trailer for the cool looking Korean anthology movie, which is split between a story about an asteroid about to hit the Earth and another about a robot in a temple that becomes self-aware. Could be cool. :)
Friday, 10 February 2012
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Monday, 6 February 2012
Thursday, 2 February 2012
Nice Comicbook Moments: Archie Marries Valerie from Josie and the Pussycats
Starting a new thing where I cover the more positive sides of comics, as opposed to my Cringeworthy Comicbook Moments many angles of squick.
First up! A bit of news that seems to have been overshadowed by the Watchmen Prequel news...
First up! A bit of news that seems to have been overshadowed by the Watchmen Prequel news...
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Let Me In - Review and Comparison
 |
| Mwhahaha, dance puppets, dance! |
And then came 'Twilight', which, for better or worse, was something of a game changer in terms of horror fiction. Besides the books themselves being poorly written dreck and the movies being absolutely hilarious for entirely the wrong reasons, the fact remains that just one franchise managed to seemingly change an entire audience's perception of an entire sub-genre. No longer were vampires aristocratic noblemen, snarky English punks in black leather jackets or irritating guys with floppy hair from around New Orleans. They were no longer seen as being threatening, they had effectively been defanged, to use a pun. Though really, when compared to the sociopathic manipulations of Bella Swan even the likes of Pinhead has trouble matching that manipulative creepiness.
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
Anime Abandon: Ghost in the Shell
Bennet the Sage reviews one of my favourite anime and science fiction franchises.
Monday, 30 January 2012
Sunday, 29 January 2012
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 2 Episode 15 "The Flim Flam B...
Okay, this song is a little bit ingenuious.
Saturday, 28 January 2012
Is New Frontier's Wonder Woman a Hypocrite?
Ah, Wonder Woman. An Amazon who left an island that remained magically isolated from the rest of the world for thousands of years, before coming to "Man's World" to spread a message of peace, and bring a message of love and compassion to the rest of the world.
This task has been interpreted in a number of different ways over the years, from straight up punching Nazis, to working as an Ambassador to the UN, to writing a book about her beliefs to spread her message one reader at a time.
But in Darwyn Cooke's excellent mini-series New Frontier, a story based during the late Fifties/Early Sixties and how superheros of the time interacted to things like the Cold War, amongst many other things, there was an instance that appeared to make Diana seems something of a hypocrite. After all, under what circumstances would someone who presents compassion and peace allow a group of unarmed men to be murdered and show no remorse for it?
Keep reading to find out my opinion...
This task has been interpreted in a number of different ways over the years, from straight up punching Nazis, to working as an Ambassador to the UN, to writing a book about her beliefs to spread her message one reader at a time.
But in Darwyn Cooke's excellent mini-series New Frontier, a story based during the late Fifties/Early Sixties and how superheros of the time interacted to things like the Cold War, amongst many other things, there was an instance that appeared to make Diana seems something of a hypocrite. After all, under what circumstances would someone who presents compassion and peace allow a group of unarmed men to be murdered and show no remorse for it?
Keep reading to find out my opinion...
Friday, 27 January 2012
Thursday, 26 January 2012
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Monday, 23 January 2012
Is 'the Incredibles' An Objectivist Movie?
I don't really either, to be honest. Here's my interpretation...
Sunday, 22 January 2012
Saturday, 21 January 2012
Friday, 20 January 2012
Ben's Nanotechnology experience at UWS
My friend, from the Superdickery forums, talks about his nanotechnology work over in Oz. Is interesting.
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Similar, Yet Different: The Three Moriartys
With the recent Guy Richie Sherlock Holmes sequel, 'a Game of Shadows', and last Sunday's conclusion of Stephen Moffat's second series of 'Sherlock', I was struck by a number of things I thought were interesting. Namely, the ways that they portrayed Sherlock Holmes' archenemy: James Moriarty.Now, the original one from the books was interesting in his own right: a celebrated mathematician and author of an early book on astrophysics who, at the same time, controlled all crime within the city of London. Every pickpocket, burglar, blackmailer or armed robber in town made sure that they gave the Professor a cut of their loot, in exchange for support setting up their capers as well as money for additional expenses if required.
Now both big and small screen incarnations of the character bear similarities to both each other, and their original source material, but how much so?
Here I cover the similarities and differences between the characters, and see whether sticking to source material effects the portrayal in a postive or negative manner. Is being original better than being being faithful to the books.
Now this contains spoilers for both Guy Richie movies as well as seasons one and two of Sherlock, so beware all ye who enter here. And, just to say, this is kind of my opinion, but if you have a different one, please let me know. Discussions are interesting.
Monday, 16 January 2012
Scott Snyder Interview on Night of Owls
Also, he answers everyone's question as to whether Cass and Steph are in it.
TGWTG Review-a-palooza!
Nash, Linkara and FilmBrain review the 2011 Wonder Woman Pilot, Nostalgia Chick's Least Worst Disney Sequels, and Obscuras Lupa's RoboVampire!
Sunday, 15 January 2012
New Korra Screencaps Leaked!
Seriously, just release the show already.
Spoilers, huge ones obviously. Also, there are two GIF files here, in case it slows your computer down.
EDIT: Also a link to some clips from legitimate review site! :D
Spoilers, huge ones obviously. Also, there are two GIF files here, in case it slows your computer down.
EDIT: Also a link to some clips from legitimate review site! :D
Saturday, 14 January 2012
Friday, 13 January 2012
Korra to be Broadcast this year, maybe
Nickelodeon have confirmed that the series will be released sometime this year, not Autumn 2013 as was recently estimated.
https://twitter.com/#!/NickelodeonTV/status/157138953177280513
http://www.nickutopia.com/2012/01/10/legend-of-korra-2012-release-confirmed-by-nickelodeon/
Well, this is good news, that is if all parts of the company are aware of what the other parts are up to. Hopefully it'll be soonish. :)
https://twitter.com/#!/NickelodeonTV/status/157138953177280513
http://www.nickutopia.com/2012/01/10/legend-of-korra-2012-release-confirmed-by-nickelodeon/
Well, this is good news, that is if all parts of the company are aware of what the other parts are up to. Hopefully it'll be soonish. :)
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
Batman's New Crossover: the Night of Owls
Monday, 9 January 2012
Sunday, 8 January 2012
An Early Review of Avatar: the Promise - Part 1
By the protest site Racebending.com, plus a little bit of the preview for the comic too,
http://www.racebending.com/v4/featured/review-avatar-airbender-promise-part-1/
Saturday, 7 January 2012
My Top Simpsons Future Episodes
Over the two decade long run that the Simpsons has enjoyed, it seems that the episodes that are amongst the most popular are the yearly Halloween episodes, and I can't really find any fault in that. With the vaguely realistic rules that surround the regular episodes relaxed a bit, they are able to indulge in some jokes and character development that they wouldn't be able to do otherwise (for better or worse).
But for me, I've always had a soft spot for the episodes that portray how the future might be for the Simpsons Universe, as it has the same narrative freedom as the Treehouse of Horrors but generally is more emotionally invested in what's going on. Plus these episode fill the gap left when Futurama was taken off the air for the umpteenth time.
Anyways, here are the episodes based on the Simpsons' futures that I've liked the most, as of the current season (23).
But for me, I've always had a soft spot for the episodes that portray how the future might be for the Simpsons Universe, as it has the same narrative freedom as the Treehouse of Horrors but generally is more emotionally invested in what's going on. Plus these episode fill the gap left when Futurama was taken off the air for the umpteenth time.
Anyways, here are the episodes based on the Simpsons' futures that I've liked the most, as of the current season (23).
Friday, 6 January 2012
Disney's Fantasia 2000 - Firebird Suite
I always said that animation was an artform, and here is an example of that being true. From Fantasia 2000, Igor Stravinsky's Firebird Suite, the 1919 version.
Thursday, 5 January 2012
Movies and TV Shows I Saw Over the X-Mas Break
Over the Christmas Break, when I was travelling to and from my OS' family in Cincinnati, I ended up catching up on a lot of movies that otherwise I probably wouldn't have seen for one reason or another. And for the most part... I was actually pretty suprised. Even the ones that weren't great were actually still in the least fairly good.
Saw a good mix, and here are some brief reviews of what I ended up seeing.
Spoilers
Saw a good mix, and here are some brief reviews of what I ended up seeing.
Spoilers
Tuesday, 3 January 2012
EspanolBot's Opinionated Bests and Worst in Comics of 2011
Due to moving house, I unfortunately have been unable to make any Casstoons to cover this, so here is a prose semi-list of things I thought were good and bad about comics (mainly DC) that happened in the year 2011.
Sunday, 1 January 2012
EspanolBot's New Year Message
Well, I'm back from America, and what are my hopes for the new year?
Well I hope that this is a year with less earthquakes, tidalwaves and meltdowns. And hope that any revolutions to replace dictatorial regimes are actually successful, rather than installing someone worse.
I hope that there slightly less terrible people being around, following the deaths of Bin Laden, Ghaddafi and Kim Jong-Il, and again the hope that no one rises to fill their places.
Here's to a sane American general election, and the hope that Obama remains in the job and isn't replaced by a crazy person who doesn't know that Europe isn't a country or something.
Here's to people realising that humans are actually kind of awesome, to good entertainment being released, and the hope that people can make the world a little bit better in their own small ways, by not being dicks for no reason.
Here's to a happy new year, I hope you all have a good one.
Well I hope that this is a year with less earthquakes, tidalwaves and meltdowns. And hope that any revolutions to replace dictatorial regimes are actually successful, rather than installing someone worse.
I hope that there slightly less terrible people being around, following the deaths of Bin Laden, Ghaddafi and Kim Jong-Il, and again the hope that no one rises to fill their places.
Here's to a sane American general election, and the hope that Obama remains in the job and isn't replaced by a crazy person who doesn't know that Europe isn't a country or something.
Here's to people realising that humans are actually kind of awesome, to good entertainment being released, and the hope that people can make the world a little bit better in their own small ways, by not being dicks for no reason.
Here's to a happy new year, I hope you all have a good one.
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