Wednesday, June 28, 2006

ICV2 reports that Paramount will be producing an animated featured based on Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance fantasy novels. Lucy Lawless has said that she will be voicing the character Goldmoon.

Anything with Lawless is good

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Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Figures...

You scored as Locke. You're Locke! People underestimate you, but you know you can do anything you want to. You hate limits being put on your life - you don't like it when people don't believe in you.


Who is your "Lost" alter ego?
created with QuizFarm.com

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Always did like him, though he became a little strange in the second season...

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Monday, June 26, 2006

Li'l Update

Small update, becuase this week is Hell week for me. I'm in crash mode working on my portfolio to try to complete it to a good point to show off. I'm in average shape right now, but my eyes are starting to bother me from looking at the paper and glancing around as people purposfully distract me.

Anyway, I took a little time out the other day and read an issue of Manhunter. Long story short, curiosity set in last Wed and I stole an issue out of someone's subscription lot. The shop only gets enough issues in to fill subscriptions, and I arrived in time before they were completely filled.

How did I like the issue? Well, I should say first that not only did I pick up the newest issue, but also picked up the few random issues they had laying around unpurchased. I figured I should grab any issues I had available to catch up on the character. I'll circle back to the original question. I'm not really sure what was going on, but it did feel like a solid issue. I hope the rest of the title reads like that issue, because I'm a reader for now.

I may not get around to reading much of this Wed pull and likely won't post about any of them, but I will try to provide Con coverage - and try to take photos.

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Friday, June 23, 2006

Comics and stuffs

FInally made it through the majority of Wed's pull. Been busy, but here's a few thoughts of selected issues.

52 - Seven weeks and still on schedule, and probably the best issue so far. Ralph is hardcore, and I like that. He seems to be taking the place of the serious "Batman" type character. Since I like Batman, I think that's why I'm liking Ralph. He's intense, he's smart, and he has a vengeful streak going. Booster's fun, but this was going to happen eventually. I don't think he deserved the thrashing he recieved from Ralph concerning Sue, but it will probably make Booster rethink his position a little.

Now the name 'Kate Kane' makes sense, instead of 'Kathy Kane.' As much as I like her in this little introduction, I can't help that her lesbianism maybe nothing more than an excuse to connect her to Renee. I don't mind this too much, becuase it would be a bit offensive to read her flaunting the fact for no reason (and living up to the sensationalism the media spun up). From this issue at least the character gets my approval, and I welcome her into the DCU. Maybe this will change when she takes up the mantle of the bat, but she's off to a good start.

Also, two things to mention quickly. Needs more Question. I like the fact that he has started this whole web of interconnection from the warehouse to Kate for Renee to uncover (and us). Second, is that Galactus chucking a spear at the Lost in Space party? Holy crap that was sudden, and confusing.

Shadowpact #2 - After my initial opinion of the first issue, the second issue has flipped my opinion. The group seems to be closer to their DoV time, though they are not quite there. The villains are a lot of fun as they interact with the Shadowpact, and I like them as they notice how similar the two groups are. I'm mostly enjoying the title now.

Flash #1 - I don't know a lot of the background of Flash, but I'm interested in the title as of this issue. It didn't feel as good as Wonder Woman #1, but I think that was because I don't know as much that is going on right now.

Conan #29 - Very fun issue. I'd think this may be a good jump in point for people who haven't read the series before. It's a new story arch with a few loose ends that look wrapped up, but Conan is very much in character. You can really see Mignola's influence, and it is lovely. In fact, most issues up to this point have felt thick like a real short story, but this issue felt like a quick read.

JSA Classified #13 - Good little battle of wills. Great conclusion. Savage is really the Hannibal Lector of the DCU it seems.

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Wednesday, June 21, 2006

LoS

so, Legion of Superheroes looks like this?

I'm not impressed.

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Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Still Alive

Lost internet for quite a few days, but I'm back in the wired. Nothing really new as I have been spending nearly all of my time watching TV and attempting to draw. Still cranking on my portfolio for the upcoming con. It's rough thanks to stress and work fatigue - I already feel like I should redraw a couple panels and have scrapped my work on the last page for another layout. (Sounds like I'm complaining, but it's good for me - thanks kal).

Tomorrow more text hopefully as I dig into my weekly addoration of the printed media. Also, comicon craziness building up as well as everything else exploding happily (hopefully).

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Thursday, June 15, 2006

Notes on the Civil War so far...

Yes, I'm a DC fanboy reading Civil War. Maybe you think I'm a curiosity that needs attention, but more than likely you'll just turn away with a snort of your nose. Massive world changing events hold my interest, and Civil War has so far proven to be a few shades more gripping than Infinite Crisis.

Two things really stuck out in my mind as I read.

1) Reed Richards is working on some super secret project, that he passes off as too complex for anyone else to understand as a cover up. The disk that all the digital records of this project is labeled '42.' I'm not really sure what this means, but given my vast amount of useless information I have to bring this to light: 42 is the answer to life, the Universe, and everything. This is an important plot point, becuase this is obviously what he is working on since in Civil War #1 we saw that wierd guy that looked like a giant Guardian watching over the super hero rave in the Baxter Building.

2) Aunt May patched up the old Spider-Man outfit for Parker to wear at the press conference. This is one way to make it easier to take his mask off for the public to see, rather than trying to will only part of his outfit invisable. Of course the public will recognize the old outfit, and not so much the new one due to how recently it was given to him. This is helpful in two ways, first it gives furthor heavy support to the registration act, and second it allows a convenient back step for Parker.

See, everyone knows the original Spier-Man - the one that revealed himself to the world. No one really knows who the new Spider-Man is. Parker can simply deny it's him, and boom. Secret identity restored. Afterall, the way the suit works is way different than the original (mainly becuase the original suit didn't do anything if I remember right).

Well, thats about it for now. Oh yeah, Wolverine 42 had an obvious analogy for United Flight 93, but it was a good issue that aside.

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Sunday, June 11, 2006

Totally Random #1

Sometimes I wish commericals in America were as fun as the ones in other countries. I mean, they could at least have a creative take on selling instead of the usual take. I happen to love Japanese commercials, but....

China has served up and extremely awesome cross-marketting take with Coke and World of Warcraft. Yes, you read that right. Now watch.

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Friday, June 09, 2006

Wonder Woman #1 - thoughts

I've had a little bit of internet trouble, so maybe I have rode out the fear of spoilers. If not here's your warning: Spoilers Ahead.

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First of all, within the first few pages I'll admit I was a bit worried. Donna Troy has been a very bland character in what I have read, but I admit my exposure has only really been the bits since her 'Return' prior Infinite Crisis. She simply had no presence in my mind and could have just as easily not been in the story without any serious impact. Now she has taken over as Wonder Woman for now, and I like her.

I really like the armor she's wearing, and the look fits. It reminds me of Xena stylistically, and to me that's a good thing. I hope Diana keeps the armor when she is given the title back. The new look is part of the new Wonder Woman - it's a new chapter in her story. Kind of like Robin's new suit in the new chapter of Batman.

My only problem with the new look? Donna suffers from one of these three things: 1)Static built from friction with the air as she flies, 2) Low density causing her to exist in the air as a normal person would in a liquid, or, 3) Magical shampoo giving her extreme volume. Personally the way her hair flows about her head just seems silly. It is petty to whine about it, but take that as a good thing.

As far as the writing? No problems in my mind. In fact, the little flashback and narrative parts gave background a new reader like me need to feel like I was still in the story. I've read a little Wonder Woman before, but I'm still a little lost when it comes to details of that chunk of the DCU. (For example, to show my ignorance, I have no idea what this purple healing beam that I keep hearing about is)

Dr. Psycho went psycho with a razor. I miss his crazy hair, partly becuase my hair tends to act similarly to his when it isn't kept back (though mine is longer now). I like that Cheetah is human again, it gives an unsettling element to the character.

In my mind, when Diana comes on scene finally, it shows that she is still on her path to discover who she really is. This current arch will help her watch Donna as Wonder Woman, and help her reflect on what her role was. I think this would have been better during the OYL void, but we wouldn't have been able to watch first hand. At the end of this arch I'm quite sure Diana will regain her old role as Wonder Woman.

Anyway, those are a few thoughts I had. If I were to grade the issue, I'd easily give it a solid 10/10.

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Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Happy 666 day, everyone

About this time I wish I was in Hell for all the fun going on today, because it was a typical day at work. When got home I did nothing but lay around too tired to do much of anything.

I packed two shipments worth, which was nice. Just so you know, that doesn't mean two days worth of work - one shipment is the minimum amount we can send over. Basically, I did twice the minimum about of work, or, a little more than what I should have packed.

Anyway, happy number-of-the-beast day. One thing I can thank christianity for is their take on the end times. Celebrate 666 with plenty of sacrifices to the dark one (now accepting any directed my way)!

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Saturday, June 03, 2006

Battlestar Galactica #0

I figured this issue needed some special attention. I am a big fan of the current series, eagerly awaiting season 3, and find the original a fun distraction. When I found out about this comic several months ago from a random news post I became a little excited about it, but I didn't give it much thought. I figured it was too big of a title to really pull off considering how tight and complicated the show is.

Last week I read that issue 0 was coming out this week, and once again I became excited. Then I read the publisher was Dynamite Entertainment. I haven't bought comics from them before, but I've heard things. I flipped through Red Sonja early on hoping for a female version of Conan given the history, but what I saw wasn't pretty. I don't know about the writing, but the art seemed solely on showing her body off. Maybe that's what the series is about, but it turned me off of the title.

Behold, a highly critical review.

First off, check the cover out. I mean the drawn one, not the photo. Photo covers I don't mind, as it automatically catches a new reader's eye. The drawn cover sums up basically the show, especially the second season. Can you identify everyone? Baltar is drawn and colored pretty well, capturing his madness as it should. Adama is the old guy with glasses in the center, also easy to identify but not quite looking like him. Starbuck essentially looks like herself, but her face looks like a formula drawn face with the 'Starbuck' pieces tagged on.

Now ask yourself, who is that woman in the red dress holding the arrow? Someone walking up to the shelf will hopefully connect her with the photo cover, but if not you have to rely on show knowledge to know who she is. She's the Cylon that Baltar is obsessed with, Six. Well, at least one of her model. At least that's what I think, because if you think about it that woman looks almost nothing like her aside from her hair color. Again, the face looks like a standard woman face in comics, and a lot like Starbuck if you ignore the different coloring (also, eyebrows are thinner but that could simply be simplifying for distance). Her hair is the wrong style, and the pose just doesn't look 'Sixish' enough. But hey, you know she's sexy because her red dress is transparent, and that's what Six is all about, right?

Ok, enough complaining about the cover. Covers are there to sell the comic, and are often by a different artist. The inside of the comic is what really matters. I have to admit I've put off reading this issue since I picked it up. Reason? The art, again.

I knew who Roslin was solely by the situations she was in. She looks nothing like her, aside from her clothes and hair. She looks much younger and her mannerisms seem unlike her. Adama is still the old guy with glasses, and still looking kind of like him.

Later when they show Starbuck, she looks like she does on cover and seems a bit more endowed than the actress in the show. She doesn't really do a whole lot till the end of the issue, but she looks very much like a standard 'leading lady' drawing (like Roslin) with various distinguishing attributes. Dualla is the same way as well, and she looks very little like her actress aside from pulled back hair.

I don't know if Apollo was in the issue or not, or Tigh for that matter, though Apollo is spoken to over communications. I actually had to really force myself to sit down and read the issue, since I couldn't casually get past the art.

The writing was actually decent in my opinion, and captured the character's speaking habits pretty well. The plot is basically the standard "people we knew that are dead are actually alive!" and bring back Dualla's brother (whom I never knew about prior) and most predictably Zak (Apollo's brother, Adama's dead son, and Starbuck's former love). However, they do put a spin on the idea by having the crew of the Galactica knowing the people are dead and doing the datamining to uncover the death records.

Another slightly positive aspect of the issue is that as bad as the art may register in my mind, they nail the ship designs and space shots. My only complaint with the art in that area is that, well, flames do not vent into space when a ship is on fire. Simple physics of fire requiring fuel, and space not being kind to that fuel - something about it being a vaccuum.

My overall feelings about this particular issue? I'd give it a 3/10 for now, and another shot to see how they go with this type of story. However, I am not going to get all excited over the multiple covers (unless they are really well done).

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One interesting thing that I noticed in the issue is that Dynamite is also rebooting Xena as a comic. I'll check that out as well when it comes out. I'm a little disappointed that she is completely out of proportion in the preview art. Her chest is not that big, in fact I remember it being rather 'normal' size (her armor just stands out from decoratons). However, it does bring up the returned possibility of the Wonder Woman vs Xena comic that Kalinara mentioned.

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Comics!

Comics were a bit of a disapointment this week, but I'll touch on a few that were decent.

52 going on 4 weeks on schedule, and more Question & Montoya action. Space crew returns from the R/T war with Alan missing his eye and a huge Hawkgirl. Also, Mr. Irons is freaking out. I really wish these issues were longer, but hey, they come out every week so I have no room to make requests. So far the history of the DC universe segments are interesting (I know very little of it), however, I'm not fond of Donna Troy so her focus makes it a rough read for me. 7/10

Ion #2 - Starting to make a little sense, but Kyle Rayner is having identity issues. Bit of a fun issue, but I fail to see the logic of leaving the assassin that want you dead alone on Earth. I'll just figure Rayner couldn't think clearly, as he seemed to be nable to last issue as well. It should be noted, that Rayner really is something special becuase the Guardians are actually going outside telling the other Lanterns to leave him alone. 7/10

The Spectre #1 - This was the highlight of this week from what I read. I really liked Gotham Central, and this really feels like an extension of that series, and it is a smooth read. It doesn't really make much sense that god's vengence was put on hold worldwide for a year simply becuase Allen turned the offer down initially, but maybe the Spectre is getting his own chance to punish him for that year by forcing him to witness the craziness that the Spectre's wrath manifests as. Who knows, but comparing to the other Crisis Aftermath title this is such a better read. Two characters to keep up with, and a simple exploration of possibilities. 8/10

Transformers: Infiltration #5 - I initially had resurvations about this title becuase it started off slowly. I'm glad I stuck with it. The arrival of Megatron, and his jerking the Decepticons back in line really shows the reader how serious the character is. Everything is falling into a massive climax due for the next issue and the Autobots appear mostly helpless on the sidlines. 7.5/10

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Friday, June 02, 2006

Updates

I added a few things to my sidemenu, such as Gail Simone's weblog and a couple of outisde links. Also removed the link to Chronicle of World Domination, as that site will fade away now (this is main weblog now, and will likely take on the old name. Think: crisis on multiple blogs, and this one won the battle, but there still exists fragments for no particular reason). I also added a little project status thing to taunt me every time i'm wasting time that I have better things to do with my time.

Bonus! I took the time to post a new(funny?) avatar, so no more awesome red x

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Thursday, June 01, 2006

hmm

First thing I noticed when I got home and started reading news?

Batwoman made yahoo news

Is it really as big of a deal as everyone is making?

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