tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15021062582393652542024-03-05T14:52:06.137-08:00What's Justin Up To Now!?JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.comBlogger164125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-54289856139430107172018-10-30T23:41:00.002-07:002018-10-30T23:41:30.135-07:00Deadpool's Earth-Shattering Review Of Spooky Buddies (2011)<center>
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Come one, come all! Yes, it's me again. I can't even believe
I'm back, myself! You all know I wouldn't do another one of these awesomely
spectacular reviews, if it was not a title worth pursuing. Well everyone; I do
believe I have found that title! No, it's not the new Venom movie. It's not The
Hate U Give. It's not Bohemian Rhapsody. So what IS it!? My friends, let me
direct you to a movie I randomly discovered on my Netflix... The name of this
fascinating piece of cinema? ... Spooky Buddies!</div>
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NO NO, WAIT! DON'T LEAVE! PLEASE, JUST HEAR ME OUT! My
readers; neigh, the WORLD needs to know about this! </div>
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So Deadpool, how bad or amazing can it be? Oh honey, have a
seat. I have quite the tale to tell.</div>
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Marking the apparent 5th (!!!!) spinoff of those amazing Air
Bud movies that somehow keep getting made, Disney decided to put this one
direct-to-DVD, showing they must have had complete confidence in its success.</div>
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The plot? Oh yeah, it's got a plot... Hoo boy, does it have
a plot... </div>
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So the story begins with an evil Warlock named... get ready
for this..., Warwick the Warlock! His goal? To kidnap (because no one ever
thinks of just asking nicely...) 5 puppies, and sacrifice their souls to the "Howlloween
Hound," which will then open up a portal to ghosts. If that sentence didn't
just make you shout "WHAT THE F@$KING F^&K!?" at your screen,
then you can't possibly be human. Yes, it's all true, and he even succeeds in
sacrificing 4 of them (!!!!!!!!!!!!!) before he is finally stopped by local
police, and concerned citizens looking for their puppies. He's also got a pet
owl henchman, because F&*K you, that's why!</div>
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The last puppy (Pip), who's soul was separated from his
body, but not successfully sacrificed to the hellhound, was now stuck in the house. The police decided to simply lock up the place, and not examine anything,
like any responsible cop would do. 75 years pass...</div>
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Now we join the main cast; a group of 5 irresponsible kids
with names I don't care to remember, and their group of 5 dogs who happen to be
like little counterparts to each one of them. I don't remember most of their
names either by this point, but one of them is called B-Dawg. B-Dawg is a
rapper for some reason. He talks with "yo's" and "dawgs" at
the end of his sentences. I believe the writers thought this would be funny. In
a laughably offensive way, it kind of was.</div>
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B-Dawg is completely scared about the house, and the legend
that if you say "Howlloween Hound" three times into a mirror, it will
release said hellhound. To prove he is not scared (even though I just said he
obviously is...), he goes in the house to do it. Pip's ghost sees B-Dawg and
tries to stop him from reciting the name, but he was too late...</div>
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Meanwhile, one of the kids (I think his name was Billy?
Whatever, I don't really care.) decides to do his school project on Warwick. He
goes to the police station to look at the previous reports about him. For some
reason the cop also allows Billy to take Warwick's magical staff. I mean... Wow.
Just... wow.</div>
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Two kids who reminded me of Bulk and Skull walk in on all
the shit going on in the haunted house, only to be turned into rats by Warwick,
who is now free once again! He comes up with another nefarious plot, alongside
his owl and hellhound companions, to steal 5 MORE puppy souls... Is this what being high is like?</div>
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Cue the overlong chases on Halloween night between Warwick
and the kids, a surprising amount of Christian overtones, a completely racist
portrayal of a Romani dog, and scenes that blatantly rip off of Hocus Pocus,
and you've got yourself a hellHOUND of a time! It was almost fascinating to see
who would succeed in their goals against the other, as most people in this movie
did not possess even an iota of intelligence. Victories came down to who
screwed up more than the other.</div>
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I could stop there, but I WON'T! No, there is still more to
discuss. I need to talk to you about how this Howlloween Hellhound was actually
defeated. I typically avoid spoilers, but I believe this is an important piece
of information; quite possibly vital to the survival of humanity itself! </div>
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So, another dog, Budderball, got involved in all of this
too, right? The hellhound found him and began to suck the soul out of him.
What's a dog to do? Well, for some reason, he and B-Dawg had it all figured
out. After B-Dawg gave the signal, Budderball let out a huge fart to stop him.
It caused the hellhound to actually turn to stone, himself. WTF happened!? Did
the fart cloud repel this blast that literally sucks the soul out of a person's
body? Does Budderball himself have powers that can suck the souls out of other
dogs by flatulence? Are we all just lost souls, waiting for Budderball to fart on us? These are just some of the many philosophical questions that Spooky
Buddies will leave you with.</div>
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Did this movie change my life? Yes, I do believe so. I now
know that children's movies with really horrifying shit in them continue to
exist, that extreme stereotypes are still very much a thing, and that there is
absolutely no hope for us as a species.</div>
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What's that? No, no, I don't dare give such a film a score
out of 10. This piece of cinema is very much in its own category. If you are an
adult, you may be shocked by what you see. If you are a child, you probably won't care about any of this, and will wonder why I just wasted so much time
talking about a children's movie that has no bearing on anything in the world.
And to that, I say: Hey... Shut up! That was harsh and probably true, you
ingrate!</div>
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Happy Howlloween, everybody!!!</div>
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JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-75280348897495699952017-12-20T10:22:00.005-08:002017-12-20T12:23:26.824-08:00My Overly-Long And Detailed Review Of Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)<div class="MsoNormal">
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It’s been quite a weekend. After devoting so much time, energy, and thought into Star Wars: The Last Jedi these past few days, it’s shocking that I’m not even tired of talking about it yet! It’s a good thing too, as there is a L O T of ground to cover, and the extreme reactions from people loving and hating it are only making me more anxious to get my thoughts out there! Before I proceed, I just want to make a couple of disclaimers: Everything I state below is simply opinion. I am not trying to pass anything off as gospel, and I certainly don’t believe I represent all the fans out there. This is simply me, a longtime fan, putting out my personal thoughts on a series I’ve known and loved since I was about 8 years old (I’m 30 now, just for reference!). As I promise to be respectful as I can be to fans from all sides of the field, I only ask that you do the same in this instance. Star Wars is nothing we should be arguing about; quite the opposite in fact! With all that said, let’s get down to business.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The Relationship Between Luke And Rey<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Right from the moment we resume Rey and Luke’s meeting for the first time, director Rian Johnson is already there to say “Hey, that thing you were expecting to happen here? Nope.” Luke takes back his lightsaber, only to immediately toss it behind him and walk away, leaving Rey quite shocked and confused. This was already not the Obi-Wan/Yoda-like encounter many fans predicted in their heads. Instead of being the hopeful and optimistic Luke we remembered in Return of the Jedi, we see a very different kind of person here. This Luke is aged, distant; clearly filled with dread and regret. This was (in my opinion) clearly hinted at in The Force Awakens, but I feel like people only just started to really get the impact of it now. We already knew that Luke had left, due to his feeling of regret in failing to train Ben Solo (aka. Kylo Ren) properly. But we also knew there had to be more to it than that. Why else would the hero of the original trilogy straight-up leave and abandon his friends? Well, it turned out the reason was a bit more complicated than we may have expected.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After telling Rey about the flaws in the Jedi's entire philosophy (something I will be revisiting later), he begins to explain that he believed he could train Ben, just as he had once been taught. But something went wrong... Luke sensed a great darkness in Ben, slowly manifesting itself over time. He said that Ben eventually used that dark power against him, causing all kinds of chaos, and provoking him to flee. But that wasn't the whole story, as Ben/Kylo would later expand on.</div>
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In Ben's version of the story, he reveals that Luke had in fact activated his lightsaber, allegedly planning to kill him in his sleep (!!!). This gave a completely different perspective on what could have happened, causing Luke to explain the situation in better detail once more. In Luke's revision of the story, he acknowledged that what Ben witnessed was correct; but there was still just a little more to this. Luke did go to Ben while he was sleeping, to see this darkness manifesting for himself. It frightened Luke, causing him to activate his lightsaber in a knee-jerk reaction to the darkness he felt around him. He tells us that he immediately realized what a mistake this was, but unfortunately, it was too late, as Ben had already seen Luke and the lightsaber out. This caused Ben to retaliate, solidifying the cycle of Kylo Ren's descent into the dark side of the force.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What we witnessed in this plot thread of the movie was along the lines of the "Rashomon Effect." It's an instance where two or more characters tell their side of a story, with each person having a different perspective than the last, sometimes leading to a completely different story altogether. It also leaves you to wonder if one story was truer than the other, or if they were both completely fabricated. While I do believe Rian Johnson meant for Luke's retelling of the story to be the definitive version, it doesn't necessarily confirm that's all there was to it, and makes the story all the more interesting to think about, in my eyes. Could there have been more to it all? Something else that led Ben astray before his retaliation against Luke? Whether this will get revisited later or not is up in the air.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Luke’s other internal struggle involved a much deeper issue; one I was pleasantly surprised to see get brought up: Jedi culture was flawed. It was always flawed. It was so flawed that it would eventually cause their own downfall in the prequel trilogy. This is something I don’t hear people talk about often, but they absolutely should. If you can stop and think back to Revenge of the Sith for a second, you may understand what I’m talking about. The Jedi council were in existence to keep peace and order in the galaxy, but they were arrogant in their ways. The Empire slowly crept up on them from within because those very ways were put in doubt. Lest we forget these people allowed slavery on places like Tatooine to continue. Why wouldn’t the Empire seem more appealing by comparison? Palpatine tempted Anakin to the dark side of the force, but it was only after the Jedi council had instilled that doubt and mistrust into him in the first place. Darth Vader was born. Palpatine took control. The Jedi were almost completely wiped out. The Empire took over.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Rey’s counterpoint to what Luke said (about how he came out of this situation for the better and allegedly brought balance back to the force) was no doubt true, but it didn’t change any of what Luke said either. It certainly seems that the reason this backstory was even brought up, was for the sole purpose of Rey and future heroes learning from past mistakes. Learning from failure. In fact, that appeared to be the theme of the entire movie. Let’s examine some more.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Some people find it very hard to believe that Luke Skywalker, the man who once took on Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine, and brought peace and order back to the galaxy, could have taken this turn; not to mention the idea of him turning on Ben for a split second. I can sympathize, as that was my initial knee-jerk reaction to the whole thing as well. (I think it’s also safe to assume this is the reason Mark Hamill himself was initially against the idea of Luke’s direction, before he later came around to the idea.) But as the movie went on, I began to understand the things he was saying a little clearer. I myself have had experiences where I felt hopeful and optimistic in my life, only to have those hopes dashed from me by one circumstance or another. I don’t always recover from those situations so easily, and Luke was clearly having one of those moments as well. I don’t find it too hard to believe that even the heroes can still have moments of weakness like this as life goes on. Could there have been more development that lead up to this moment? Absolutely, and I hope we get it one day (whether through a tie-in novel, comic, or other media). One of the biggest flaws I had with this movie was some situations simply “happening,” with not enough development to give us a full impact. But again, I at least feel that I understand what the director was trying to do here, and I can appreciate the idea behind it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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None of this is to say Luke didn’t turn himself around later, of course. Rey reminded Luke of the optimistic outlook he once had, and he eventually agreed to help her to control her abilities. This power initially frightened Luke (for fear of another “Ben” situation), but he slowly came around to see the good she could still provide for the galaxy. It wasn’t quite the “Yoda/Luke” experience that some were hoping for, but it certainly gave Rey more time to learn about her force powers, and eventually tap into more of their potential. Like The Empire Strikes Back, Rey came out of the encounter still having a lot to learn, and left early to confront Kylo, believing he could be saved. Also similar to Empire, was Rey's mysterious encounter in the strange pit on the island. Reminiscent of Luke's confusing encounter on Dagobah, this sequence left us with more questions than answers, but clearly took an emotional toll on Rey.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The Relationship Between Rey and Kylo Ren<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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While we're on the topic of Rey, I feel this would be a good time to jump into her dynamic with Kylo. There is without a doubt some type of (force?) connection bringing them together, but we're still uncertain as to why at the moment (Yes, Snoke claims he was behind their force encounters, but that only tells us so much). Throughout Rey's time on the island, we were made to be quite confused when Rey and Kylo would keep encountering each other, due to an unexplained force ability. This led us to believe they may be related in some way, but it's still uncertain. Putting further doubt in our minds was Snoke's revelation that he had in fact been connecting them through his own force ability, after Kylo went to turn Rey in to him. It was also clear that Rey was becoming more sympathetic to Kylo, as she was still convinced that there was good in him somewhere. You could even say that the scene played out similarly to Return Of The Jedi (Rey saying she believed Kylo could still turn, Snoke sitting in his throne, holding Rey's lightsaber hostage, Kylo's decision to overthrow and kill Snoke, etc.), but the result was not quite the same. <o:p></o:p></div>
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After Kylo had successfully killed Snoke (and the two of them took on Snoke's remaining guards), he reached his hand out to her, in an attempt to get her to join him. For a second, the movie had you believe she was really going to do it, but instead, we see she was really reaching out to force pull her lightsaber back toward her hand. In a tug-of-war force grab for the lightsaber, we finally see it split in two, showing us that these two are clearly powerhouses, despite neither of them seeming to be in total control of it yet. Unfortunately, we don't get to see much of them interacting any further after this point. But the message is clear: These two will meet again and the fate of everyone will be resting on their shoulders at some point in the near future.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Snoke has of course been a popular topic among Star Wars fans, ever since his first appearance in Episode VII. For two years, fans tried to consider who he could possibly be, coming up with all kinds of theories and predictions. In the end? None of it mattered. Yes, you heard me right. As far as we are aware, he was just a powerful force user, who tried to claim his place as another Emperor Palpatine, but it makes little difference now that he's gone.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another knee-jerk reaction of mine was say "... What??? All of that buildup with him was for nothing!?" After taking a little more time to process it all (which is obviously hard to do as you're watching the movie), I started to come around to it a little more. Hear me out on this one: Was this really meant to be about Snoke to begin with? Does it matter as much as we initially thought it should have? To answer these questions, it's important we look at the scene with more detail.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After flailing Rey around the room like a ragdoll, Snoke talked about how he was able to look into both she and Kylo's minds with ease. This was also revealed as part of his plan to go after Luke Skywalker. As Snoke was holding Rey down and saying that he sensed Kylo's desire to kill her, he eagerly waited for Kylo to force pull the lightsaber toward himself and finish her off. Instead? He used his force ability to turn the lightsaber on its side and pierce straight through Snoke's body. After that, he force pulled it toward himself, effectively cutting Snoke's body in half, confirming that he is mostly likely very VERY dead.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here's why that's so significant, and why it was easy to miss what we're really looking out for in this scene. My first reaction was to say "Either he got completely lucky, or Snoke just got careless. There's no other way..." But that's just the thing: Right before this, Snoke proudly exclaimed that he was able to read all Kylo's thoughts because he was so much more powerful than them. Kylo still being able to kill Snoke under this circumstance confirms there was no luck involved in that moment. The director was trying to tell us that Kylo's ability (whether in that moment or earlier on) had actually <i>surpassed</i> that of Snoke's. I think part of the reason some fans felt cheated by this scene was not only the lack of substance regarding his background, but rather, the way the scene itself was executed. If there had been a clearer sign that this was what we were witnessing, I believe it might have resonated better with some people. I also question if scenes like this were initially different or more fleshed-out prior to editing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Personally, I never thought he was much of a compelling character to begin with (something I attribute more to Episode VII than this release). We've got so many characters that represent traits of past ones throughout this series, that losing someone similar to the Emperor before the third installment of this trilogy actually has me feeling relieved. Again, I DO understand the backlash on this one, but I've come around to be all for this change up.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The Subplots Of Finn, Rose, Poe, & Others<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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This is the area where the movie started to really lose some people. Many of the biggest complaints (outside of Luke's characterization and the series' direction itself) were from fans who felt most of these stories were unnecessary to the main plot. I thought this at first too, though I ended up changing my mind on some of them. I'm not going to into as great a detail for these (as this is already a long blog post, and we'd be here all night!), but I'll still try to cover my thoughts on each of them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One hand, I absolutely feel like Finn's character had some excellent progression, but on the other hand, I don't at the same time. His role wasn't nearly as big as what we saw in Force Awakens, though I was expecting that to some degree. On the upside, he had some truly heroic moments in this, which did surpass the previous movie. We got to see him take on Captain Phasma and come out triumphant, nearly sacrifice himself to save the entire group of remaining Resistance members, and even help free some animals that were being used for gambling and profit (think in the style of horse racing).<o:p></o:p></div>
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On that note, let's get into Rose for a bit as well. Though we didn't get much time to learn about her yet, I felt like she fit in with the cast perfectly, being just the kind of push in the right direction some of the other characters (especially Finn) needed. You could think of her as caring and hopeful, but also firm and strategic all at once.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, there were complaints abound, regarding the arc for these two. They were essentially sent down to a casino-like world to locate a hacker who could get the First Order's lightspeed tracking device out of commission. The issues weren't so much over that, as much as the amount of time that was spent here. This would also couple onto the fact that people saw the whole plan as a waste, due to the events that would later transpire and ruin everything they had worked to achieve.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Although I do agree that the dynamics involved here could have been shortened a bit, I don't believe we can simply dismiss this part of the story as "pointless." For one thing (though some may see this as subtle), I believe the main message behind this entire trilogy may have been contained in it. Throughout this part of the story, Finn learns that there is corruption outside of just the First Order. On top of the way those animals they freed were being used for profit, there was also clear child slavery going on (as shown with the orphan children they met while freeing said animals from their stables). And worst of all, we witnessed arms dealers selling weapons to both the Resistance AND the First Order, clearly profiting from both sides with no remorse. But it's the orphans I really want to focus on here. You may have noticed these details in the final scene in the film, before the credits started to roll. One of the orphan boys (made to represent bright, young, and hopeful children of the world) uses a slight bit of force energy to pull a broom toward his hand, just before he holds it like a lightsaber and points it up toward the sky. This moment is absolutely everything with regards to the trilogy's message. It's showing us that you don't have to be from a special bloodline (or say, a Skywalker) to be a force user. This is very likely a hint about the next path the series will take. Despite the low remaining numbers of Resistance members, there are others out there who hear their pleas, and make no mistake; will come to aid the Resistance in their time of need. Oh, and that entire third act of the movie? It couldn't have happened if Finn and Rose weren't caught by Hux, revealing Holdo's plan to escape. So, no, I don't believe it was "pointless" in the slightest, no matter how inconsequential the circumstance may have been.</div>
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The animosity between Poe and Holdo <i>did</i> feel a little forced and unnecessary to me, though not to the point of ruining the movie or anything. Poe's character seemed much more cocky and forceful in his demeanor, despite getting many of his comrades killed earlier on. Some have told me that his personality changes make more sense if you read his tie-in comic from Marvel (and I probably will read it at some point), but I hardly believe I should have to in order to understand where this slightly glaring change came from. Unfortunately, Holdo's personality didn't seem to help things either. Again, this was nothing too major for me, but I did feel a little at odds with it.</div>
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The buildup to Holdo's sacrifice scene also felt a little at odds with the plot that been setup before it, but it was clearly done so we could get that shot of her ship using lightspeed to destroy the First Order's ship in the process. Did it make sense? Maybe not entirely, but... come on, that looked pretty damn cool!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>So, About That Leia Scene...<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Yes, <i>that</i> scene. We all believed General Leia to be dead after getting her ship blown up, only to see something... very interesting happen. Okay, I admit it. My first reaction to seeing Leia pull herself through space was a big "What... the... f-...," as I'm sure it was for most people in the theater. It obviously looked a little silly in its execution, so much so that people mistook her force pull for "flying." But you know what? It allowed Carrie Fisher to be in the movie longer. For that reason alone, I'm okay with this. She’s always had potential force ability within her, so I don’t think the idea was too far contrived. Honestly, they could have given the excuse that she was really a space-breathing lizard all along, and I would have still been okay with it, if it allowed her to be in the movie for just a few more minutes. The only scene in this entire movie to almost bring me to tears was a single moment, that had no bearing on the main plot. It was simply Leia saying something along the lines of "We don't need any more losses," while consoling Holdo. Celebrity deaths rarely hit me on a personal level, but Carrie was an exception. Meeting her at New York Comic Con less than a month before her passing was such a wonderful moment for me, and I'll never forget the love and joy (and glitter!) that she brought to those around her. R.I.P. General.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Jedi temple of Ahch-To was a very interesting choice of place for Luke to run away to. On top being literally the first Jedi temple in existence, it also housed the oldest known texts about the Jedi Order. This is no doubt how Luke was able to learn about and describe the flaws in the Jedi's logic and philosophy. When I was speaking about wishing for some more details behind the Luke/Ben relationship, this is an aspect I was hoping for some more background on. What really prompted Luke to pick this temple in the first place? Did he not really intend to run away and simply come here looking for answers that he never got? Was it out of anger and contempt for the Jedi Order (which would admittedly go in line with his notion that the Jedi need to "die.")? Star Wars Battlefront 2 (the video game from EA) did explain <i>how</i> he was able to find the temple, but I don't believe we ever got an official explanation as to <i>why</i> he wanted to find it in the first place.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Based on what was said about Luke above, it was no surprise to me that he would proceed to try and burn down the Jedi temple, and all the texts contained within. What I wasn't expecting to see was the sudden return of Yoda's force ghost form. It was a very confusing moment (though not a <i>bad</i> one by any means) for a few reasons. For one thing, Yoda seems to have gone back to his original personality from when we first met him in The Empire Strikes Back, loud and excitable; ready to jump up at any moment and do something unexpected. While this didn't really make much sense (since we've seen Yoda as a wise old hermit in every other context past their first meeting), I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me happy to see anyway. I really missed that side of Yoda, and honestly thought I'd never see it again. Kudos to the team for using an actual puppet for the character as well. It was also interesting to note when Yoda stated that there was nothing in those texts that Rey couldn't learn herself.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There was one more very odd (but again, very interesting) thing to take from this scene as well. As Luke tells Yoda his intention of burning down everything, Yoda responds by... creating a lightning bolt that zaps the temple into a fiery haze. Never in Star Wars history has this type of ability been presented to us. I'd be very interested to see if anything else comes from it, now that Luke has joined their ranks. And speaking of this, we should be moving on to one more important topic…<o:p></o:p></div>
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When Luke said to Rey "This is not going to go the way that you think!," he was certainly NOT kidding! While not in the way most people were expecting, Luke appeared in the Resistance's most dire hour of need (which is really saying a lot when you consider how much they had already lost up to this point!). He had a brief, but wonderful reunion moment with Leia, gave a hilarious wink to the camera, and made his way outside to face Kylo and his troops alone. After a multitude of blasts failing to put a dent in Luke, followed by another hilarious brush of the shoulder, Kylo goes down to face Luke alone, demanding that no one else interfere. It's at this moment that the team realizes Luke is buying them time to escape. While trying to literally run out the back door, the group reaches a dead end, due to pile of large rocks in their way. Luke proudly tells Kylo that he will not be the last Jedi, cutting back to Rey lifting the large rocks with her force powers and clearing the Resistance's path for escape. By this point, Kylo now realizes that he has been fighting a convincing projection of Luke. This is yet another Jedi ability we have very rarely seen in action before (I believe the last time it was done was by Darth Maul in Star Wars: Rebels, though I could be wrong).<o:p></o:p></div>
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This scene caused another knee-jerk reaction in me at first (as I'm sure it did many others). On one hand, the writing absolutely hinted that we would not be seeing a real battle between Luke and Kylo at this moment. On the other hand, I think most of us wanted to see it happen so badly, that we ignored all the signs. I initially felt cheated by the whole thing, but then I started thinking about it more and came to a very different conclusion.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What changed my mind? Well, a lot of things. For starters, if Luke actually HAD come there to fight, there would have been only a small number of possible outcomes, with the most obvious being Luke's death at Kylo's hand. Would you have wanted to see that? Part of me wanted to say yes at first (as seeing one of your favorite heroes go down fighting is an awesome thought, and fitting with the samurai culture that the Jedi ideology was partly based off of), but in the end, I came back to the conclusion that this was a much better and more fitting path. It was a non-violent approach to victory (which I will never cease to find beautiful), it robbed Kylo of any satisfaction he would have gotten from ending the life of his former master (as Vader did to Obi-Wan so long ago), and we didn't have to think of Kylo as having killed TWO fan-favorite characters in a row! This isn't even mentioning that Luke succeeded in his mission to buy enough time for the Resistance to get away.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unlike Han's abrupt and unfortunate death scene, I found Luke's transition at the end to be quite wonderful. What could be a more fitting end for a Jedi Master, than to go out with an incredible (and mostly unheard of) force power, save the ones you set out to protect, pass the mantle on to a new child of the force, and get one final moment to stare into a double-sunset, just like the one on Tatooine so long ago? This may be one of the most beautiful moments of any Star Wars film I've ever seen. Even if you didn't enjoy his road to getting here, I hope you could at least see what I saw in this final moment.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Last, but certainly not least let's go back to…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The Criticisms</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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As I started to elaborate above, there are definitely things you can nitpick and critique about this new movie. What's been so fascinating to me is how many different types of criticism I've seen throughout the internet these past few days. Even if you check out the fan reactions now, you'll get an almost even mix of "It was the best Star Wars film ever, or at least since Empire Strikes Back!" alongside "This was the worst piece of crap I have ever seen. It ruins every character and the franchise will never recover!" Whoa. Those are some big extremes, right? So, what's got everyone so conflicted? This isn't a matter of "hardcore vs. casual" fans, or "true fans" as every elitist has started referring to themselves as. In fact, I'm seeing just as big of a split among longtime fans as well. While I don't have all the answers, I can at least elaborate on what I do know.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It's easy to write this off as “You can never please the fans anymore,” and there might be some truth to that, but I don’t believe it’s as simple as that. The largest amount of backlash I saw against Force Awakens was that fans felt it was too much a carbon copy of the original, despite others loving the callback to the classic trilogy. In the case of the Last Jedi, it seemed to go the opposite route, with some fans complaining that the direction taken was so far left field, it didn’t even feel like a proper Star Wars movie to them anymore. This was next to just as many people proclaiming it to be a masterpiece and a sign of great change, with new unexpected things to come. That’s quite a divide! Is it even possible to find common ground among such a disagreement? Well, maybe not, but I’m going to damn well try at least!<o:p></o:p></div>
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There are some that liked the ideas behind the story, but hated the way it was executed. This (to me) is probably the most valid criticism I can give the movie. It doesn't change how I feel about the events themselves, but scenes like Kylo's overtaking of Snoke, or Luke's immediate and fearful reaction when drawing his lightsaber in front of a sleeping Ben, would have been ideal for more buildup and analyzation. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I do also see many people saying that they believe Finn and Rose's scenes were mostly "pointless." As I stated above, I don't agree with this, although I admit that the scenes could have been shortened a little, and would have probably had just as good of an impact. I still remember The Empire Strikes Back quite vividly (as I watch it all the time!), and I don't see anyone complaining about the amount of time Han, Leia, and the group spent running away from Imperial forces, only to get caught inside the belly of a large creature. Lest we forget, Empire also caused a bit of a split among fans and critics alike when it first came out. The main difference was that we didn’t have the internet to raise a soapbox platform on.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I've seen the argument of "plot holes abound" getting thrown around a lot too. You want to know the funny thing about this? Every Star Wars movie made has "plot holes abound" in it! If you were to re-watch A New Hope right now, you would likely find more plot holes in that than just about any other movie of its type. Part of loving Star Wars has always been acknowledging that it has plot holes and still being able to enjoy it, despite. I consider this movie to be no different in that regard. Analyzing can be fun (as I’m obviously doing so right now!), but I don’t think we need to do it to the point of ad nauseum, arguing about the technical specifications behind lightspeed tracking.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another issue that people seemed to have was with the humor in the movie, claiming it felt forced and out of sorts in multiple places. I partially agree, as there were some moments that had me scratching my head at the choice of comedic timing. However, I did find some moments to be downright hilarious as well. Perhaps my favorite “silly” moment was seeing Luke squeeze a blue-ish milk (like the one we saw him drinking in A New Hope) out of a strange looking alien creature with giant milk sacs. The way he confidently (and awkwardly) stared at Rey while drinking it was priceless.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Rey’s parents and background were another point of concern. People were annoyed to hear Kylo tell Rey that they were nobodies, who sold her off. While we technically don’t even know if this is true (as it would make sense for Kylo to lie to Rey here, intending to manipulate her into joining him), Rey’s reaction proved that this comment clearly struck a nerve. Whether that’s because there’s any truth to it or not, we’ll hopefully find out down the line. Either way, I am okay with this scenario. There’s no reason to believe that strong force users can’t come from anywhere. (In fact, when you think about it, they had to! Jedi weren’t even allowed to love, yet there used to be an abundant number of them, prior to Order 66.) What leads me to believe there could still be more to this however, comes from Rey’s dialogue. When walking into the first Jedi temple, she quite clearly states that she felt as if she’d been there before. What’s that about? We still have at least one more movie to find out.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The other most common complaint I've seen is that some people believe they are "ruining" these classic characters, while paving way for the news ones. I can sympathize with the people who feel this way, though I respectfully disagree. I was in the group of people who enjoyed The Force Awakens, but was longing for a different approach that would truly separate this from the original trilogy. While I don't think it's done that completely (as rehashes of old plot points are still riddled throughout even this film), I did find this to be more of a step in the right direction.<o:p></o:p></div>
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That brings me to my last main point about the criticisms here. A large majority of them (outside of the structure of the film) seem to revolve around things not playing out the way some fans envisioned for them to. It’s not too hard to see why this is such a sore spot for some. As fans, we ALL have different ideas of what directions Star Wars can take, and would love to see come alive. When it doesn’t go that route, this can immediately confuse, especially when you see such drastic changes as you did in this new entry. I personally believe that it’s going to come down to the way people view this on a second or even third viewing. Whether people will see it again and start to come around to the new perspective, or not be able to look past its faults will determine where we go from here. I’m in the camp that believes more viewings will help people come around to the new ideas presented, but there’s no way to really tell.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The actual message of this movie was to accept that failure is going to happen, but to take that failure and learn from it. This movie was a constant barrage of the main characters going through one failed scenario after another. The “extremely luck hero moments” simply didn’t happen much this time around, up until the movie’s final scenes. That was off-putting to some, who believed they were going to get a completely different experience altogether. Yoda himself said that failure is our greatest teacher. On board with it or not, that message was clear.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Again, I ask that whatever side of the scale you see yourself on with this movie, please be respectful to others. There is obviously no definitive "REAL FANS THINK THIS!" or "REAL FANS THINK THAT!" in the equation, otherwise you wouldn't see everyone at such odds about this. I am admittedly happy with a lot of the changes I saw in this movie, but I am also understanding of those who are not, and am sorry to hear they didn't experience the same level of joy I got out of this. This is a property that's existed since the late 1970's, and it's obviously resonated with many of us in all kinds of ways. I don't blame the fans for getting a little defensive sometimes, but we can still do it without become that to which we hate. Remember, only a Sith deals in absolutes!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m basing my review score of this movie by how much I personally enjoyed it. If I were to base it on a typical point system, removing points for each flaw I witnessed or issue I had with the editing, I don’t think it would accurately convey my real feelings about the movie. That’s why even with all its flaws, I give Star Wars: The Last Jedi a solid 9/10, and can't wait to see where we go from here. I’ll even go as far as to say this is the first time I’ve been legitimately excited about Star Wars’ direction in a very long time. As always, thank you for reading, and feel free to share your thoughts on this obviously divisive film with me for more discussion!!!<o:p></o:p><br />
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JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-54081712097065741782017-11-19T23:17:00.001-08:002017-11-19T23:35:38.889-08:00My Thoughts On New Jersey Comic Expo 2017!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was debating if I would do another write up on this local convention, since I'd already done so back in 2016 (with very positive things to say), but so much happened in such a short amount of time this year, that I simply couldn't imagine avoiding it! Everything in this post happened on Saturday; I didn't get to go on Sunday.<br />
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To be honest, I wasn't even sure if I could go to New Jersey Comic Expo this year. Despite having some very fairly-priced tickets, I admit I have not been in the best place with money right now, and wasn't sure if I would be able to fit this in with current budget constraints. Thankfully, things worked out enough that I could still manage this, and I'm so thrilled they did.<br />
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I got to the convention center a little after 11 AM, with an iced coffee tightly gripped into my hand for dear life. There was virtually no line to get in, so I was able to go right up to the ticket booth, scan my paper, and head on in. I started by doing a quick survey of the place, just to see where most things were (dealer's booths, artist alley, cosplay corner, etc.). Some of the first people I see happened to be Sal and Dave, the two behind Garden State Comic Fest. I pretty much see them at every local convention (as they are of course busy promoting their own, especially with their upcoming show in Atlantic City next year), but they're always a pleasure to talk with too. While I don't see myself heading out to Atlantic City for their new con, I'll be happy to attend their next one at the William G. Mennen Sports Arena once again.<br />
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The next table I stopped by was Scott Hanna's. He's one of my favorite inkers in comics, and worked on J. Michael Straczynski's Amazing Spider-Man run (the run that got me back into comic books in general!), so needless to say, I owe him quite a bit of gratitude. He's signed other issues for me before, so I only brought my copy of Amazing Spider-Man #500 this time. We both talked for a bit and agreed that he got off of the book at just the right time, as all of the following story arcs (seriously RIGHT after his departure) had a severe drop in quality, all the way through to One More Day, which I still complain about to this day.</center>
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After talking with Scott, I noticed my cosplay friend (also named Justin) had his own table in the artist alley, where he was selling sculpts he made of various things like Pokémon and Rick and Morty. I first met him at C3, where he did an excellent Obi-Wan Kenobi (prequel movie version). I love seeing friends of mine try and succeed in doing the things they love, so I really wish him the best. </center>
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I walked around a bit more, and caught up with my friend Candice, her brother Kevin, and their friend Jordan, who I hung out with last year and was really happy to see once again. They're a great group. I always feel like I can be myself around them, without fear of being judged for all my nerdy/introverted quirks (not that there was anyone even remotely mean at this convention, that I'm aware of).<br />
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Candice and I happened to be looking forward to the same guests (particularly Gail Simone and Garth Ennis), so we both set out to find their booths. When we finally reached Gail Simone's table, we were convinced that we were seeing things: She had absolutely no line whatsoever! Seriously, after multiple years where I missed my chance to meet her at New York Comic Con, it was almost unbelievable. She was just as nice as I've always heard, and had a really great spirit in the way she talked about comics. We all agreed that smaller cons can be so much nicer when it comes to breathing room and getting more time to chat with fans. She was kind enough to sign my Batgirl #1 (New 52) and take a picture. I would actually end up seeing her multiple times throughout the con, just from walking around, getting lunch, etc.</center>
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Garth Ennis's table was right around the corner, so Candice and I went to line up for him (since he would be arriving in less than 10 minutes). Thankfully, the line moved pretty fast once he got there, and he signed my copy of Preacher Vol. 1. I wish I had copies of his Punisher MAX series as well, but Preacher was more than enough for me. Garth was another person I tried to meet at New York Comic Con, but never managed to get to. It was funny how well that continued to work.</center>
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After this, we started to make our way over to the cosplay area. Every year, I see more and more people I know in this area, but this may have been the most I can ever recall. The Jedi with Saber Guild alone were impressive... Most impressive. Two more friends of mine also named Justin (that makes a grand total of 4 if you include me!), and a James were there. They do all kinds of shows and performances throughout the country, and they're always a lot of fun. I recommend checking them out if you're ever looking for some great Jedi action, or if you want to become a Padawan yourself.<br />
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While I was talking with my Jedi friends, I happened to notice Ming Chen of Comic Book Men walking right past us, and called out to him. We had a quick talk about how he was doing, and how I completely missed all of them the one time I did go to their store (commonly referred to as The Stash). He also took a quick picture with me.</center>
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I also spoke with Lua Stardust really quick. I've seen her at a billion other local cons at this point, so I always make it a priority to say hi and show some support. Trying to turn cosplay from a hobby into a full-time job is no easy task, and I really respect her for how far she's come with it.<br />
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On the way to find Tom DeFalco's table, I ran into my friend Lily, and her friend Scarlet, who were both cosplaying Disney princesses (Lily was Rapunzel and Scarlet was Elsa). I didn't get to talk with Lily for very long, but the minute or so I did ended up being my favorite moment of the entire convention! A little girl (had to be 2 or 3 years old) walked right up to Scarlet (Elsa) with such a look of awe, and gave her a big hug. As we geeks continue to get older, it's easy for us to forget that we all started out as tiny kids with big dreams and imaginations too. It was those bits of inspiration as children that would later help shape us into who we are today. That little girl just got a huge dose of that inspiration, and seeing it happen in front of me was everything. This is what it's all about.<br />
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After getting up to Tom DeFalco's table, he happened to hear Kevin and I talking about Amazing Spider-Man #252, as well as Secret Wars #8. Turns out, I had a misconception about the black costume, that Tom was happy to correct me on! While Secret Wars #8 was chronologically showcasing the first time Peter acquired the black costume, its first actual appearance in comics was in Amazing Spider-Man #252, which predated Secret Wars #8 by about 7 months. I've had both issues for years and honestly never knew this, much to my own embarrassment! Tom also proceeded to tell us a funny story about how he was working to co-write the black costume into this issue, while getting told from above that fans would hate it and it would never work out. They even went as far as to say he'd be to blame if sales plummeted as a result. Needless to say, the rest is now history, and I personally thanked him on behalf of all Spidey fans for sticking to his guns, and for helping (alongside many others) to give us one of the greatest Spidey costumes of all time! Encounters like this are simply priceless to me. There's nothing like hearing stories straight from the creator's own mouths!</center>
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The rest of the event mostly consisted of walking around in circles and interacting with all kinds of great people and cosplayers. Off the top of my head, I remember speaking briefly with Cliff Galbraith (of East Coast Comic Con), an amazing Obi-Wan cosplayer (who absolutely made Kevin's entire weekend), Robert Bruce, and even an old friend of mine from high school, Kristen Accardi. I also couldn't help but smile every time someone complimented my Cuphead/Pulp Fiction mash-up shirt, which was at least 6 people that I can recall off the top of my head. Honestly, even when I'm not one of the guests at an event like this, all the friendly and helpful people there make me feel like I am one. It's one of the few types of places where I know I can truly be myself and actually be respected for it.</center>
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So thank you to all those who attended and helped brighten my day with each passing moment. My only hope is that I was able to brighten other people's day out there as well. It's been fun, and I'll gladly see you all again next year. Take care, and thanks for reading!<br />
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JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-84239920125458945222017-11-13T18:46:00.002-08:002017-11-13T18:46:40.366-08:00The Relevance Of .hack, Both Then And Now<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When Namco Bandai announced it would be remastering all of .hack//G.U., I was beyond ecstatic. Not known for having the most stellar gameplay out there, the .hack series always had a huge place in my heart, with its unique (for its time) setting and fascinating story premise. The first four entries in the series focused on the original version of "The World," the online game in which the .hack series takes place. Its sequel, G.U., took place in the second, with an all-new story and gameplay enhancements to go with it. After foolishly selling all seven copies of the PS2 games years ago, I finally had another chance to revisit The World once again. Was it worth it? Can a series that came out in the early 2000's (with notably outdated technology) still hold relevance as we approach the end of 2017? I believe the answer is yes. Not including the fact that G.U. takes place in 2017 itself, there is so much more ground to cover.</center>
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While hosting numerous differences, both stories focused on characters who got involved in playing The World, only to face a strange circumstance that would bring a close friend of theirs to get attacked in-game, and put the actual player into a coma back in the real world. This set the stage for a new type of storytelling back in 2002/2003 that has continued to impress. On top of playing the game and leveling up your characters, players would view an actual desktop interface, complete with forums and news sites, to gain further clues and insight into the mystery behind The World. I'm continually shocked by how well it holds up.</center>
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It's very easy to screw up a setting like this. All it takes is a bunch of robotic forum posts or poorly written news stories to take a gamer right out of the experience. I'm happy to say that was never the case with this series. For example: Multiple forum posts were started by someone who went by the username ωRICE. The character in front of the word rice means "O-h-m," but another forum poster stated that it looked like a butt to them, and began to call the user "Butt RICE," causing multiple "LOL's" from the other users, even though it had no relevance to the post or the story's plot. Little moments like these really helped keep the illusion going.<br />
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I was even more impressed by the relevance of the news articles you would read throughout each title (especially in G.U.). For a game made in 2006, they were pretty darn accurate with their predictions of what 2017 would look like (technologically speaking). One story talked about people farming and trading in-game items for real world currency, which is very much a thing people do in gaming today, not even including micro-transactions.</center>
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On top of all this, the main story is also worth revisiting. The .hack games have a knack for giving you an enticing mystery (with surprisingly high stakes), following it up with a relatively satisfying conclusion, and leaving you with many other questions after you leave. I think this is the perfect setup. One of the things that made the original .hack story so engaging was the way it kept you continually guessing. Game series' such as Silent Hill have always relied on this type of model to keep each entry fresh and new, and it's worked quite well for them. I'll never forget the way my jaw dropped the first time I took .hack//Infection for a spin, and how surprisingly grotesque the earliest parts of the game were, despite not having any actual violence in them. Lackluster gameplay or not, I knew I was in this for the long haul.</center>
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The story would not have the "oomph" it really needed without a great cast of characters. While each game certainly had a few duds to go with it, the great characters far out-weighed them. Alongside your regular interactions and experiences with these character in The World, you also had the option to talk with them through your email. These conversations would lead to the reveal of much more personal information about each player (things like favorite foods, hobbies, goals, what inspires them, etc.) and once again, add to the illusion that I mentioned above. Again, it was not a perfect setup, but I was absolutely blown away by how well-structured the whole thing was.</center>
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I have to also mention that the concept of hacking in this game was quite interesting, and really did make me feel like I was doing something "wrong" as the game moved along further. It's a special kind of dread that I can't properly put into words; you just have to see it in action for yourself.</center>
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You may have noticed that review scores for the .hack games have never been very high. I have no problem talking about why that is, here (as they do have some valid points among them):</center>
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<li>For starters, (and as I have already alluded to above), the gameplay is clearly not that interesting. The original series had you limited to one main attack button, and a menu to select special attacks/items from. That. Was. It. The G.U. series thankfully improved on this formula greatly, with multiple types of attacks to choose from, as well as options like holding down the attack button to unleash a more powerful strike.</li>
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<li>The worlds/dungeons you explore in these games can become very repetitive very quickly (especially in the original series). While each zone feels like a random generation, there is simply not much to do in them, other than carry out the same objectives again and again. It doesn't help that they all look like the same three designs going back and forth either.</li>
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<li>Each entry in the series simply felt like an expansion to the last, with no major changes in the gameplay mechanics. (Though this is more typical of some downloadable content today, we need to remember that these were being sold as full-priced games with each additional installment.) This would cause the review scores of each entry to be lower than the last. G.U.'s scores were especially low due to this, as people were already burnt out from the multi-volume setup, and lack of enhancements with each entry.</li>
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I don't blame the reviewers for having issues with the games. In fact, if you look at the typical criteria to which game review scores are made up, the low numbers should make plenty of sense. On paper, it <i>sounds</i> like a lousy experience. I'm explaining all of this because I truly believe that the series is worth checking out, even despite these (obviously) glaring issues.</center>
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When a story pulls you in to the point where you feel you NEED to see how it all plays out? I believe this series has accomplished that. When you want to stick with something because you feel the people involved in it have become your own best friends, realistic personality traits and all? I believe this series has accomplished that as well.<br />
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I used to attribute my love for this series to the way it related with my own personal life, back around the same time (getting into more online games, internet forums, etc.). By the time G.U. came out, I realized it was more than just that, however. These games can have the same effect on you as a really great book, and leave you feeling that infamous "What am I going to do with myself now!?" attitude that you love to hate.<br />
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I hope my words have proven insightful for those who were on the fence about giving it a try. If you do have previous experience with the .hack games, or trying them out for the first time, I'd love to hear your thoughts as well! Thanks for reading, as always!<br />
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JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-58325505958612052322017-10-15T16:02:00.001-07:002017-10-15T16:02:33.844-07:00What Cuphead Meant To Me<center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFOsOq_VocU2RlDfzbYu6sHNIAs5LC_0G0h-COxSWjvOIop4qLed5_dPaXMKTCGqToUTS__mi9Xk1xTq4wdVLGfXJ-5je3tlUtuyEfKbt-yW0hdJ3G0Tu2o7v9fHvMQWTlRYqm6Hw6RRw/s1600/cuphead_1920x1080_titled_hero_art.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFOsOq_VocU2RlDfzbYu6sHNIAs5LC_0G0h-COxSWjvOIop4qLed5_dPaXMKTCGqToUTS__mi9Xk1xTq4wdVLGfXJ-5je3tlUtuyEfKbt-yW0hdJ3G0Tu2o7v9fHvMQWTlRYqm6Hw6RRw/s400/cuphead_1920x1080_titled_hero_art.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I've been talking about Cuphead a LOT since it first came out. Even after beating it on my PC last week, I still keep coming up with more and more thoughts about the whole experience, and what went into making it. I'm hoping to put the remainder of my thoughts on the game here, so I can finally move on to new topics (as well as stop annoying all of my friends by not shutting up about it!).<br />
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I'll get the obvious out of the way: this game is a visual masterpiece, and deserves every bit of praise it gets for that. I used to watch some of the very cartoons from the era that this game was based off of (i.e. the 1930's), when I was very young. My grandma used to buy VHS tapes with old cartoons on them, which I'd happily watch while eating whatever cookies she kept in her jar in the kitchen. Some were very fun, cutesy and silly (I especially loved the Fleischer Superman and Popeye cartoons), but others... Wow. When people tell you that 30's cartoons are very trippy and even scary at times, they are NOT lying. I remember being a little disturbed by a few of them, but continued to watch anyway. Years later, I still can't help but be intrigued by hand-drawn animation. There's an artistic quality and freedom of expression that I have a hard time finding in most of today's CG dominated platform. That's not to say CG animation is bad to me of course; it just doesn't capture the same level of imagination. So yes, seeing this style represented (and represented WELL at that!) really took me for a ride. <br />
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Something that does not get talked about as much with regards to Cuphead, is it's surprisingly great soundtrack! It's a wonderful combination of free-form jazz and big band music, that further sucks you into the 1930's aesthetic. I had never heard of Alana Bridgewater before, but after hearing her amazing vocal performance in "Die House," you can now call me a fan. The animation is what will likely get the most attention from gamers (and understandably so), but I personally feel the soundtrack is just as important in a case like this.<br />
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Cuphead also got me to feel nostalgic in a way I wasn't expecting: old-school difficulty! The game is tough, but not in the way that some modern gamers may be used to. The gameplay clearly channels classic run-and-gun shooters, such as Contra and Metal Slug, which I also have some pretty fond memories of (even though I couldn't really beat either of them without some kind of cheat codes handy!). People saying it's "like Dark Souls" are kind of missing the mark, since there are really no comparisons to make to it, other than "it's another hard game."</center><center><br />
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To be honest, I wasn't sure if I initially wanted to go back to a gameplay style this difficult. I used to have much more time for games when I was younger, and could easily sit around all day and learn the patterns I needed to for completing them. Now, I'm an adult (or so I'm told), with adult responsibilities and less time to blow on difficult games. That didn't stop me from completing Bloodborne after its release, but it took me over 3 months to actually get there, due to said time/responsibilities.<br />
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But I did it. After streaming Cuphead on Twitch for a couple of hours in the course of three nights, I finally completed the game, and didn't regret playing it for a second. What convinced me to go all the way? It's hard to say. I absolutely wanted to see what every level and bossfight in this game looked like, but I think there may have been more to it. Perhaps that feeling of gaming nostalgia really hit me when the bosses in World 2 were already giving me serious trouble. Maybe I just wanted to see it all myself, without having to resort to walkthroughs or videos of other people playing the same thing. I may never really know, but whatever possessed me to do it, I'm glad. I don't remember the last time I felt such a sense of accomplishment from even beating a game. It could be due to the lack of games actually made like this anymore, but it's hard to say for sure.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh397ZW-MaOU0ElCLxhxcebQ4VpA0oDTdEKGhXYMpeasFYsIcPbXHQ2vd0o9xokOqq6ntrJtbE2tUf-Y_kEGi8hKg60MkM2vUck-OMEt-qKsUuAr-BrZlvU-HfgTKQ9n8Ntkb6CNsFc8tUo/s1600/Cuphead_Complete_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh397ZW-MaOU0ElCLxhxcebQ4VpA0oDTdEKGhXYMpeasFYsIcPbXHQ2vd0o9xokOqq6ntrJtbE2tUf-Y_kEGi8hKg60MkM2vUck-OMEt-qKsUuAr-BrZlvU-HfgTKQ9n8Ntkb6CNsFc8tUo/s400/Cuphead_Complete_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The difficulty will turn some people off to this game, and that's understandable. I have seen far too many so-called "gamers" out there berating others for not being as good as them at a title like this, or not willing to invest in the fairly large amount of time it takes to "git gud." Please, don't be one of those people. Gaming is for EVERYONE. Some people look for a challenge, but others may just want to get away with some escapism, and have fun while doing it. They're all valid reasons. Nobody is more or less of a gamer for that, and the toxicity is getting out of hand.<br />
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With all of that said, I'm really happy that I got to play something like this, and even more so that I got to finish it. Not only did it bring me back to a time where beating a game meant repeating a sequence over and over until you mastered it, but it showed me that I'm still capable of winning a game like this, even now as I'm over 30 years old. I used to think that I was no longer as good at the older titles as I used to be, and I'm glad to discover that's not actually the case.<br />
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The experience I got from this was well worth the $20 asking price, and I hope other people at least got some level of enjoyment out of it too. But again, to the people who find it too hard, that's okay too. The game IS hard. There's no shame in having trouble with it. I had trouble with it, and I'm pretty sure I've been a gamer for about 28 years now.<br />
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WHEW, okay. I think I've finally gotten it all out of my system now. It's been a blast talking about Cuphead with others, and learning about what it means to them. The answers are very rarely the same, and it's always fun to get new perspectives about it, no matter what side of the fence they come from. Feel free to share your experiences in the comments below as well. Until then, look forward to lots of spooky/survival horror game streaming from me during the rest of the month (and maybe even beyond)! I'll see you all then!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9siJuKvSU0XiyOv382TyU1awuaYBsn7hg6hw_jy39GiKnXwYJ27viiTKl74UsIksw_BF_mXagbym7BQwfj07CAV-3Pl75l0FBL5z7E0ETEwldp2z_3qSqRqaAitDAO1lvSKNxZUeQepOr/s1600/Cuphead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9siJuKvSU0XiyOv382TyU1awuaYBsn7hg6hw_jy39GiKnXwYJ27viiTKl74UsIksw_BF_mXagbym7BQwfj07CAV-3Pl75l0FBL5z7E0ETEwldp2z_3qSqRqaAitDAO1lvSKNxZUeQepOr/s400/Cuphead.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></center>JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-15158488514716102482017-10-09T00:13:00.004-07:002017-10-09T00:24:05.410-07:00What Can You Accomplish In Just One Day At New York Comic Con?<center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8JGMbI8BLB072NltB-s-GzD4TdGxwmwsoQzERwoO3wvBjfnD8KDZdzMwRXdFVR1WAEB1kNIKZlGbZm-f8LFsDKJE6yDpa6htd861yATTO0OQHKgfTmLJ0M1wxPOIl_2g-FFM5e6mIG2C/s1600/Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="575" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8JGMbI8BLB072NltB-s-GzD4TdGxwmwsoQzERwoO3wvBjfnD8KDZdzMwRXdFVR1WAEB1kNIKZlGbZm-f8LFsDKJE6yDpa6htd861yATTO0OQHKgfTmLJ0M1wxPOIl_2g-FFM5e6mIG2C/s400/Logo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I will always have a special place in my heart for New York Comic Con (NYCC). The Jacob Javitz Center marked the first "big" convention I ever went to. It's grown steadily over the years, to the point where tickets that used to be available at the venue DURING the weekend of, have since become unavailable within the first hour or two of online pre-orders going up. It's been quite a wild ride, and somehow, I'm still here to talk about it, even now. The removal of weekend passes, forcing con-goers to purchase individual tickets for each day of the event, really struck a chord with many, including myself. My finances haven't been the best as of late, and I originally decided this would be the first year I would NOT be attending as a result. So, what happened? Well, as time went on, Thursday passes continued to stay in stock, up until the last few days before the convention. I happened to catch one of the guest announcement emails, stating that Peter Capaldi and Pearl Mackie would be attending on said Thursday. After that, I decided "Okay, I guess if for anything, I can at least go to take a photo op with them. Let's give this a try!" So, how much can you accomplish at New York Comic Con in a single day? More importantly, how much can you accomplish on a Thursday!? The answer may surprise you.<br />
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After arriving at the Javitz Center around 11:00 AM or so, my friend and I were thrilled to see there was no delay getting inside (other than everyone being directed around the building to reach a specific entrance. It was a little annoying, but I admit it helped move the line along smoothly, so I really couldn't complain. Having TWO entrances instead of one this year was also a godsend). We wanted to approach the show floor first, in order to see if it was too late to get in on a signing. This was for Koji Igarashi (of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and the upcoming Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night), signing a small art poster for Bloodstained. We had assumed we were going to miss out on this one (since it began at 10:30 AM) and had figured the line would be capped by that point. To our amazement, it was not. Stranger than that, the line wasn't even very long! My friend and I got to the front in less than 20 minutes, with beautiful signed posters, and a great picture with Igarashi himself!<br />
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Keeping our eye on the clock in order to make a 12:45 panel, we looked around the Show Floor some more, in order to see if any exclusives we wanted were still lurking around. At the Oni Press booth, I picked up a variant cover of the Rick And Morty comic, designed to look like the cover art of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door for the Nintendo Gamecube. We also had a great discussion with some of the people working the booth (who have worked with Oni Press for years), who explained just how they've grown off the sales of Invader Zim and Rick And Morty alone. It was really insightful, and I'm glad we had enough time to chat with them before heading back downstairs to the Main Stage.<br />
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My friend happened to win a lottery for the Batman Ninja panel at 12:45, who was also able to include me as a guest. The good news is that even if he hadn't won, there was still plenty of room left to get into the panel, up until the final minutes before! I admit, from the second I had heard about the team behind this project, I knew I was going to be interested. It includes Takashi Okazaki (Afro Samurai), Kazuki Nakashima (Gurren Lagann and Kamen Rider Fourze), and Jumpei Mizusaki (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure), making this one heck of a lineup. All three were able to attend the panel, with an excellent translator to tell us their thoughts on the movie. They did not allow us to record the teaser trailer (though I admit, being among the first in the world to see it was a nice tradeoff), but it was quite a sight to behold! I am not typically a fan of CG-styled anime, but this one immediately won me over by being so stylish and interesting. (If you are familiar with any of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure openings, it's very reminiscent of that, only more fluid.) Seeing many of the Batman characters we know and love in armor and sword-fighting was also quite a treat. The Joker in this trailer actually reminded me of Kefka from Final Fantasy VI in his appearance, and I mean that in the best way possible. Near the end, I even got to ask the panelists a question of my own: Whether or not we were going to be seeing any new characters (or even villains?) alongside the classic ones that we know. While they admitted that was not really the focus in this case, Kazuki Nakashima noted that I was "very observant." Having the writer of such famous shows as Gurren Lagann and Kamen Rider Fourze tell you that, is quite a unique feeling.<br />
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After the panel, we were all invited to go up to the Bandai booth for a free signing with the panelists, and it was a ton of fun! We got to thank everyone up close for their efforts, and even got a nice signed postcard for coming up. It was overwhelming how many famous Japanese creators I got to meet in a single day, by this point. But we weren't done yet; not by a long shot...<br />
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After grabbing some quick lunch (because food is important; don't forget!), my friend and I headed over to check out the new Artist Alley location. Since the old one got closed down, it was now located to the left of the Main Stage room. I admit, there were a few times I felt like this location was more cramped than the previous one. I can't actually confirm that though, so I wouldn't try to pass it off as a fact. This section of the con was always my favorite in previous years, and though I didn't have much time in it, there was still great fun to be had. I already had my first issue of Batman/Superman signed by Greg Pak, but this year, I also got to meet Jae Lee. He was happy to sign my issue, and a very nice guy to talk with. I also found Joe Benitez's booth, and finally got my first four Lady Mechanika issues (#0-4) signed by him. It's an excellent series that's not nearly popular enough. I hope that changes as time goes on. Although I had missed my chance to meet Tom King and David Finch for the day, their booth was actually selling signed copies of Batman: Rebirth Vol. 1, so I decided to go with that. As much as I would have liked to talk with them in person, it was still a nice opportunity, and it's not like these two are going away anytime soon. I also got to briefly meet up with my friend Sarah (with her own booth in the Artist Alley!), who I hadn't seen since around the time Batman Vs. Superman came out. She makes cute buttons and you should all buy them.<br />
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No time to breathe! It was now around 4:30 PM and I had a photo op with Peter Capaldi and Pearl Mackie (of Doctor Who) at 5:00 PM. This may be the only part of the convention I had some hassle with. While pre-purchased photo op tickets have always said to come about 15 minutes before your photo op starts, this was the first time I ever saw the policy seem to get implemented. I was told to come back "closer to the time of the photo op," even though it was less than 20 minutes to. I basically stood with a large crowd of people, all waiting to get into the right line. It seemed all of the line spaces were completely filled up for other things (and the majority of it appeared to be for Mark Hamill, though I may have been wrong about that). As a result, we were finally directed to line up, but couldn't do so from the front. Instead, we were told to go all the way around from the middle section of the room, to the back of the now empty section, and walk up to the front to line up there. If that sounds confusing, it's because it was. None of us were certain that we were even in the correct line, and it didn't help when they started lining up more people for the same photo op in a separate line to fill up the spaces. While we did thankfully move right in at 5:00, that was a huge anxiety attack that I didn't feel had to occur. I've done photo ops at this convention for many years, and never run into any issues like this before now. Despite all this, things still went smoothly once we got in, and Peter and Pearl were both delightful to talk with. (They also give really big hugs too!)<br />
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After that anxiety attack was diluted, I decided I'd go get some iced coffee to keep up the pace for the remaining hours. Ironically, this was the longest line I stood in the entire day! I couldn't even be mad, since I was too busy laughing about the fact. During my time there, I got a text from my friend, saying he had just talked with Pete & Pete (yes, THAT Pete & Pete!). I sighed, took a large gulp from my plastic coffee cup, and made a mad dash to the booth he told me they were at. Sure enough, it really WAS Pete & Pete (with their real names of Mike Maronna and Danny Tamberelli). They were some of the most casual people I met the entire day, and I even got into a great music discussion with Mike (since he turned out to be a huge fan of The Replacements, one of my personal favorite bands)!<br />
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You would think the excitement would have died down by now, but you'd be wrong! Following one more run through the Show Floor, I got some free JoJo's Bizarre Adventure postcards for doing a pose and getting a picture in front of their giant Jotaro statue. I was also accompanied by an excellent Noriaki Kakyoin cosplayer for this shot. With about 40 or 45 minutes remaining until our next panel, my friend and I decided to head back toward the Main Stage to begin lining up.<br />
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For the next panel (StarTalk Radio with Neil deGrasse Tyson and Adam Savage), I happened to have won another lottery, allowing my friend and I some spots inside. Once again, even if we had not won these lotteries, there was still room to get spots for the panel earlier in the morning/afternoon. Though it did fill up much faster than the Batman Ninja panel, it was still open for a reasonable amount of time. (With that said, I DID appreciate the peace of mind, though!)<br />
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Although we were much farther back in the line to get inside, my friend and I made our way to the left side of the stage, and still got seats very close to the front. My phone's camera is terrible (and my friend's phone had completely died by that point), so I didn't get any great pictures from this panel. That said, it was well worth the wait! Dr. Tyson, Adam Savage, Chuck Nice, and S. Matthew Liao all had a fascinating discussion on human augmentation, the concept of giving various forms of enhancements to humans; some for increasing our natural capabilities, and others for simply allowing those with disabilities the same opportunities as everyone else. They went into the topics of how far we've come, how far we are going, and the question of if we can or will ever go too far. Don't fret however, as there were plenty of laughs along the way (especially from comedian, Chuck Nice, who had the audience howling with laughter more than a few times). I wish I hadn't been feeling so tired by that point of the convention, as the discussion was truly insightful, and it left you with a lot to ponder once all was said and done.<br />
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With the last panel of the convention finished up, it was time to get some (late) dinner and finally head home. My ears were ringing, my voice was a little shot, and I was pretty sure my calves were never speaking to me again. (So far... No, they're still not.) When I finally had time to process all my thoughts from the day, I simply looked back in disbelief at everything we had managed to accomplish in just one day of this convention. While it's true that experiences from Friday-Sunday may have varied, Thursday was an absolute blast! If anyone tries to tell you that you can't get anything done in one day of this convention, I hope you'll be able to show them just how wrong they can be. One day or four, this con is always a blast to attend, and I'll never forget the new friends and experiences I met along the way. I only hope your future con experiences are as fun as mine! Let me know of your NYCC experiences in the comments below!<br />
</center>JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-61032141420141453842017-07-05T16:04:00.001-07:002017-07-05T16:04:57.804-07:00Book Review: Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions Of A Media Manipulator By Ryan Holiday<center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80CKRgaxi6lrqGP2MEPO3SrTDnyrgzMN8ceqLjve0R50AnqTtz2491O7olQTg8M7Pc-EDeJpZ10_LrV3Gqh0-C1Bdk1QERa2yu-fAWyzkxHoJuBlwX2gLcss3Q6ztGCTdTnCM6_booOiS/s1600/61bf1SiqdzL._SX324_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80CKRgaxi6lrqGP2MEPO3SrTDnyrgzMN8ceqLjve0R50AnqTtz2491O7olQTg8M7Pc-EDeJpZ10_LrV3Gqh0-C1Bdk1QERa2yu-fAWyzkxHoJuBlwX2gLcss3Q6ztGCTdTnCM6_booOiS/s400/61bf1SiqdzL._SX324_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="261" height="400" data-original-width="326" data-original-height="499" /></a></div><br />
'Trust Me, I’m Lying' ruined the internet for me, and I couldn’t be happier. For years, we’ve all known something was “off” about the blogs/articles we read, but it hasn’t been as easy to put a finger on exactly what (or at least be able to properly articulate it). It took a while before I finally got to reading this one; not due to what I stated above, but rather the fact that I didn’t really know how to feel about the author, Ryan Holiday. While it’s true that the intent of this book was to put out information on how the media gets the info that we later perceive as news, I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that Ryan himself previously contributed to this very situation. In the end, I decided that I should give it a shot, based on his current attitude of at least trying to prevent this sort of thing from ever happening again. The approach actually reminded me of Kevin Mitnick’s “The Art of Deception,” in which Kevin (known as the “World’s most notorious hacker” at the time) revealed how he performed all of his various acts of hacking in the 80’s. This book goes a bit beyond that type of idea however, as it not only goes into Ryan and his personal experiences with bloggers and media, but into how just about EVERY major news outlet gets its “sources” and “breaking” stories.<br />
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Just the fact that I’m even writing up a blog about this might be a little silly to anyone who’s read the book before. That’s because it talks all about the ways bloggers have changed the way we receive news, through posts without (usually) any hint of credibility behind them. Sources are almost a joke of a term under this regard. It’s easy to read a news story and assume the source is accurate (especially if it comes from a fairly large news network that’s been around since before most of us were even born). Here, Ryan talks all about why you should never, EVER assume.<br />
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Holiday, of course, is aware that this kind of topic could also cause one to question his words, as well as his motives. He uses many of the book's chapters to go into great detail, with example cases to back the data up. It wasn't uncommon to find a site getting exposed for using a bogus source, and (more frighteningly) still getting away with it most of the time. In fact, many of these sources didn’t even remove their provenly fake stories after the case.<br />
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How do big sites and news networks allow stories like this through in the first place? Surely, they have people to stop them and say “No, that’s not a verifiable source; you can’t use that,” right? Not necessarily. At least, not if those people believe it will get their site a lot of page clicks. If I told you that sites focus more on their ability to generate page clicks than accurate news, would you believe me? You don’t have to, as the business model pretty much writes itself. That’s their very lifeblood. The more pages clicked, the more advertisement revenue generated by the ads placed on each page. Some sites try to make you click through a “slideshow” of 10+ pages to get the entire story. Others will force a page to reload after a minute or two, so it can load more ads on the same page you’re already viewing.<br />
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It would be one thing if the forcefulness stopped there. On top of all those factors, sites (as you may already realize) post headlines and stories that are designed to evoke an emotion more than they are to simply report the news. This has been going on since far before the age of the internet (as any classic newspaper headline can show you). These sites and articles prey on your anger, fear, and even your hopeful nature, all for the sake of getting more clicks. Have the more shocking headline, get more viewers as a result, profit. Getting people’s attention through hate was proven to be one of the most effective methods. Why? Negative press from everyone who shares it. Ryan himself started a negative campaign for a friend of his when trying to promote a movie. Since he had little resources to promote the movie with, he purposely angered feminist groups in order to make them rally against it. This, in turn, got the attention of a smaller amount of people who actually agreed and went along with the hateful things Ryan was promoting in this form of advertising. The controversy caused it to reach more people, making the project a much bigger success than it ever should have been.<br />
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Have a site that you frequent for news? Ryan likely exposed it in this book through some example. The truth is that as noble as some may claim to be in their act of reporting, it won’t bring in enough revenue if they’re not following all the strategies I mentioned above. It’s an awful truth that I admit I still have trouble accepting sometimes. It’s not that I believe ALL news posted is somehow fake, but there is clearly a large spin on more stories than we may realize. Again, this is all to create an emotional response from us, and maybe even get us to share it with others and continue the cycle.<br />
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So why even give people this information? The book literally tells you how to manipulate the media for your own personal gain. That much is true, but like the act of hacking, one must learn how said hacking works before they can properly fight against it. This book’s methodology is no different in that regard. And admittedly, our brains have already become so tainted, that even when we see something and know it is not true, we can still have an emotional response or reaction to it. It’s an alarming situation that I never seem to find enough people talking about.<br />
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This book has now become a requirement for many classes involving journalism, and it’s not hard to see why. The information contained is invaluable. With that said, I could more than understand someone finding issue with the person who wrote this book, as (once again), he himself contributed to the very mess we now find ourselves in. There are also parts of the book where Ryan can come off a bit condescending, and I admit, I usually avoid reading anything where I get that type of vibe from someone.<br />
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The other final complaint I can make here is that some parts of the book felt like a regurgitation of material Ryan already covered in past chapters. It was at the point where I felt the book could have been at least a quarter-length shorter if he had wanted.<br />
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With all of that said, in today’s modern age of information, the material covered here is absolutely essential for anyone who looks to the internet for news (as WELL as news networks on television, since their sources typically come from the same questionable places), and any aspiring journalist who wants a clear understanding of what they're currently up against. For its small faults, it’s hard to not recommend this to just about everyone I know, so we can finally paint a clearer picture of not only what’s going on around us, but WHY it’s happening, and what we can finally do to rise above it.<br />
</center>JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-38881552867295935212017-06-19T19:24:00.001-07:002017-06-19T19:26:02.090-07:00Deadpool's Hera-Approved Review Of Wonder Woman (2017) (Spoiler-Free-Ish)<center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgd7wGRmVUquWUVbgP7Ygf5D5wUE08sFy_EDBCxCaik7trt25FKmSZVMs7dw4_aRD4CdA14JSIoYhnjUZs9HJg0QJ2KosY7YUygI95xcgn1RXD2SC8x9httR4oMwsGekgfQZNk347fG-T/s1600/wonder-woman-final-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgd7wGRmVUquWUVbgP7Ygf5D5wUE08sFy_EDBCxCaik7trt25FKmSZVMs7dw4_aRD4CdA14JSIoYhnjUZs9HJg0QJ2KosY7YUygI95xcgn1RXD2SC8x9httR4oMwsGekgfQZNk347fG-T/s640/wonder-woman-final-poster.jpg" width="432" height="640" data-original-width="1080" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><br />
Wonder Woman, yeah!!! Howdy everyone. It's taken over 75 years, but Warner Bros. finally got their heads out of their nether regions long enough, to realize that people actually WANTED a Wonder Woman movie done proper. Who'd have thought that if you actually listen to your fans, good things could happen, eh Warner??? You want to know what the real wonder is, folks? How it took us so bloody long to get here!!! But it's all water under the bridge now, I suppose. At least assuming we can keep more stuff like this coming in the future. So HOW'D IT ACTUALLY DO!? Read below for my overlong and unnecessarily detailed analysis.<br />
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Does Gal Gadot fit the role of Diana? Of COURSE she does; why did you even ask that!? You already saw how she was the best part of Batman Vs. Superman, so of COURSE that was going to carry over again. Chris Pine also does a great job as the role of Captain Steve Trevor. Before I even go into the rest of this, I just want to say how AWESOME all the Amazonian women were. I mean, they were more than just realistic. They were the real freaking thing! Every single one of them could have kicked my ass from here to Sunday, no question. Kudos to the studio for making things so real and body positive in the process. I wish my body were more positive about me. Yes, I CAN hear you, body. No, I don't think it was a big deal that I ate that. Get out of my head!... Yes, yes, we'll get tacos later. Now shh.<br />
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The story is actually very reminiscent of George Pérez's famous run on the book, which is awesome, because that was easily one of the best runs in the comic's entire history! We get to brush up on the history of the Amazonians on their island of Themyscira, and learn about Diana and all of her motivations, before MAN comes along and ruins everything (as usual, am I right ladies?). Steve Trevor lands on the Themyscira while trying to escape the Germans. Yes, we're talking about WWI here, folks, try and keep up! Trevor's got information that could potentially save millions of lives and put an end to the war. Diana, unable to resist being a bad-ass, decides she has to go out and help him reach his destination so they can save the world! Diana believes that the war is all the doing of Ares, the god of war, and is determined to defeat him in order to end it.<br />
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So the straight men might have noticed something... different about this movie, but they can't quite put their finger on it. Well, put that finger back where it came from, and I'll let you in on a little secret. For the first time (in like, ever), this superhero movie wasn't made specifically for you! I know, shocking that it's about someone else besides you for once, right!? While Gal Gadot is beautiful and fierce, the movie doesn't focus on sexualizing her, the way we've seen from so many other movies of this type. It doesn't try to hide imperfections or focus on how they can make everything look pleasing to the dudebros. Hell, I think I even saw a thigh jiggle during one of the fight scenes. THAT was an oddly revolutionary moment. #ReleaseTheThigh<br />
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While the movie does suffer from a few of the typical Hollywood tropes that we've seen in a million other superhero films, it still gets points for doing a lot of things in the reverse. Instead of the typical "male character develops after loved female is killed" trope, we get almost the exact opposite scenario, without going into too many spoilers. It may not seem like much to the untrained eye, but that's actually a BIG. EFFING. DEAL. <br />
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There is a particular scene that I feel the need to mention, because it's indisputably the best part of the entire movie. When reaching No Man's Land, Diana bears witness to a barricade with two sides who have been at war for years. Trevor tries to convince Diana that it's pointless to interfere. And do you know what she did as a result of that? She climbed up that f@#king ladder and kicked all kinds of f@#king ass! She even knocked a soldier out of a tower, by ramming him THROUGH the tower!!! This was such a hero-defining moment, I actually started to tear up a little. (Yes, men can do that too, jeez!) You might be alarmed to know that brilliant scene almost wasn't in the movie at all. No, seriously, look it up right now. I'll wait...<br />
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... I know, right!!!? Warner Bros. are their own supervillains, I swear. Thank GOD for director Patty Jenkins, fighting to keep that epic scene in there. Fight on, Patty! You the real MVP!<br />
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Now, of course the movie isn't perfect. The villains are pretty forgettable for the most part (with the sole exception of Doctor Poison, who I was much more interested in learning about than anyone else, including Ares himself!). The other men who joined up to fight alongside Diana and Steve were also pretty forgettable, and once again fell victim to a lot of your typical support character tropes. Nothing deal-breaking of course. The only other complaint I can really think of is that the slow motion went a bit too far this time. I want to make it clear that the fight scenes in this movie were wonderful (no pun intended sort of kind of okay actually maybe a little, tee hee), but they didn't need to slow down every single moment, like they did.<br />
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I can already hear a bunch of guys around me going "Eh, it was okay. I don't see what the big deal is other than the fact that it's a woman this time." Well guess what, sparky? That alone IS a big deal. You may have noticed that it's LITERALLY NEVER HAPPENED before in superhero movies. In fact, come closer. No, just come here. I promise I won't mug you... this time. Here, look at this picture:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqWba4wIMvhRVSht-LTyuuBbaIiBaI50DAmgvs0jvCVrcOlJsUUS1MLHlQRl5mJKv1Y5P2wjcYZDhkH73yZDobiVEo83TbTYytNiD1VoTSrgeG69oNFijRprsHZLGBODIvmB9hcX91j9D/s1600/WonderWoman_Cosplay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqWba4wIMvhRVSht-LTyuuBbaIiBaI50DAmgvs0jvCVrcOlJsUUS1MLHlQRl5mJKv1Y5P2wjcYZDhkH73yZDobiVEo83TbTYytNiD1VoTSrgeG69oNFijRprsHZLGBODIvmB9hcX91j9D/s400/WonderWoman_Cosplay.jpg" width="400" height="393" data-original-width="480" data-original-height="471" /></a></div><br />
That, right there? That is EVERYTHING. THAT is what this is all about! You know how you were running around in your Batman underoos, feeling inspired to save the world from The Joker yourself one day? Well now every young girl is getting one of those role models to look up to as well, and it's pretty damn glorious. Say what you will about the little shortcomings, but this is a triumph and should be treated as such. This is also easily the best film of the DC Universe of movies by far. I only hope we can look forward to more of that with this new Justice League movie coming along.<br />
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9 Swings Of The Lasso Of Truth Out Of 10<br />
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Extra bit of kudos goes out to Lucy Davis as Etta Candy, who did an excellent job portraying a more typical woman from WWI-era, helping show off the even bigger divide between Diana's life and the lives of all those around her. Did I mention Wonder Woman still has one of the catchiest theme songs in this entire movie universe? (Hans Zimmer is simply way more metal than the rest of us. There, I said it.) Are you seeing this, Marvel? DC has (finally) thrown the gauntlet, and it's your turn to woo us now. No excuses!!! Meantime, I've already got a great new cosplay idea... Toodles!!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgWRnVLScIUGWS38k-dw0vf3eKZPp1wulw9zvZiwJLr21o5HDyyvN5c-0JRXG2JcCQdxNPSA9TblwmWuRHu30fTYHNLVsI3QeC4ZhG1Vy5vmJt4K3_zzI3EKm41iFPuPR7w5v4oWZM9eDc/s1600/Deadpool-%25E2%2580%2593-New-York-Comic-Con.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgWRnVLScIUGWS38k-dw0vf3eKZPp1wulw9zvZiwJLr21o5HDyyvN5c-0JRXG2JcCQdxNPSA9TblwmWuRHu30fTYHNLVsI3QeC4ZhG1Vy5vmJt4K3_zzI3EKm41iFPuPR7w5v4oWZM9eDc/s400/Deadpool-%25E2%2580%2593-New-York-Comic-Con.jpg" width="267" height="400" data-original-width="600" data-original-height="900" /></a></div><br />
</center>JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-83592413491435924222017-05-29T18:03:00.001-07:002017-05-29T20:56:27.886-07:00Comic Review: DC's "The Button" Parts 2-4 (2017) (SPOILERS AHEAD!)<center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhygKvvdreJwSG_XiIAeYlstLlsBpy1Vac7lorHrm7jg8g9_GtvdLSNK6SSPkz9XZf3AepT8smSJf4cRUSyFrjExfuoJD-VJnJ49zE5tB_W3q-IF4m3trZAFJ9ErZoP6CeHjYjoAvdE3KVB/s1600/batman_flash_21_22_1024x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhygKvvdreJwSG_XiIAeYlstLlsBpy1Vac7lorHrm7jg8g9_GtvdLSNK6SSPkz9XZf3AepT8smSJf4cRUSyFrjExfuoJD-VJnJ49zE5tB_W3q-IF4m3trZAFJ9ErZoP6CeHjYjoAvdE3KVB/s400/batman_flash_21_22_1024x1024.jpg" width="400" height="159" data-original-width="1024" data-original-height="406" /></a></div><br />
As a way of making up for falling behind on comics this past month, I decided to simply read through all three remaining parts of the storyline (Flash #21, Batman #22, and Flash #22) and write up one final review for it. The good news is that the next major event involving this story isn't coming out until November, so I had plenty of time to catch up!<br />
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Flash #21 continues right where Batman #21 left off, leaving us to question what really killed Reverse Flash, and where would we go from here? As Barry/Flash attempts to make sense of everything going on around him, more parallels to Watchmen begin to stand out. In the double-page spread below, you can clearly see the black, white, and red coloring of the smiley face pin being displayed in the smaller panels, showing Bruce getting pummeled by Eobard Thawne/Reverse Flash:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5KZo_22dGj4fnKpR_8sR2cAud5ZPuX8gqTXx0WzHBgO9esQMdVz4brdw0zaX04zLeOCx0RU3gAE_xDiU5wtw810zXBITUN9bvZAWdmkrUJNB2l3u29Dh4B4KOIfZzLB-XCJLVnIRxgv9A/s1600/flash-21-c.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5KZo_22dGj4fnKpR_8sR2cAud5ZPuX8gqTXx0WzHBgO9esQMdVz4brdw0zaX04zLeOCx0RU3gAE_xDiU5wtw810zXBITUN9bvZAWdmkrUJNB2l3u29Dh4B4KOIfZzLB-XCJLVnIRxgv9A/s400/flash-21-c.png" width="400" height="228" data-original-width="500" data-original-height="285" /></a></div><br />
Once Barry finally speaks with Bruce again, he blames himself for the issues with the current timeline. Bruce tells Barry that it couldn't be his fault, as the issues they were experiencing pre-dated Flashpoint (still not fully understanding what Bruce is talking about here???). We get more reflections on Wally telling Barry that moments of their history were stolen from them, and what it all means. Barry also remembered the helmet of a different Flash (Jay Garrick from Justice League of America), and the fact that it left him feeling calmer as a result of it, without really knowing why.<br />
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Barry decides to use the cosmic treadmill (that he once used to try and save his mother in the past), to follow the radiation of the smiley face button to its source, and determine what could have possibly killed Thawne. Bruce decides to go along too, despite still recovering from his encounter with Thawne. As they travel, they begin to see events from the past that they themselves don't even recall happening. This prompts Barry to question if this is some of what was "stolen" from them previously, but once again, it leaves us with more questions than answers.<br />
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Once they reach the end of their journey they come to meet Bruce's father, Thomas Wayne from the Flashpoint universe. (I suppose if Reverse Flash is going to rip up your only memento of the guy, the next best thing you can do is actually go see him in person, right?) This concludes Part 2.<br />
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Batman #22 (Part 3) continues with Thomas, Barry, and Bruce briefly following up on events. The most poignant question proposed is how the Flashpoint universe could still be existing at this point, if Barry prevented it from ever occurring at the end of the original Flashpoint comic. They begin to deduce that someone is purposely "holding" on to these different histories for one reason or another. We learn that Thomas was planning to commit suicide right before Barry and Bruce arrived, and that he was also about to be ambushed by both Amazonians and Atlanteans from the Flashpoint war. Bruce also gets a brief moment to tell Thomas that he's a grandfather.<br />
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Due to an incoming ambush of the Amazonians and Atlanteans, Bruce and Thomas unfortunately get no time to talk with one another, and immediately have to prepare for the onslaught coming their way, while Barry works to fix the cosmic treadmill. As this is all going on, the Flashpoint universe itself begins to come undone. Barry makes a point to say he felt like it was done on purpose, possibly by the same person who was "holding" these different points in history. Barry manages to fix the treadmill just in time. Just before leaving, Thomas says something quite bold to Bruce: "DON'T BE BATMAN. Find happiness, please. You don't have to do this. Don't do it for me. Don't do it for your mother. Be a father for your son in a way I never could be for you. Let the Batman die with me."<br />
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I admit, if I were Bruce, I would have no idea how to react to that. It also obviously has some type of impact, as I'll get into a little farther down.<br />
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Bruce and Barry continue on as the Flashpoint universe now becomes completely destroyed. After this, they immediately get passed by Reverse Flash. Wait, I thought he was dead!? Well, he is, but this is revealed to be the Reverse Flash of the past, right before the moment that killed him. He states that he knows who the power of the button belongs to, as he leaves Barry and Bruce behind. End of Part 3.<br />
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Flash #22 (Part 4) opens with a bit of a rehash of things we already saw from the previous issue for about six pages (which is kind of annoying when this story is only a short 4-part arc to begin with). The scene follows about the way you would expect it to; with Thawne going forward to his death by the hands of what we're pretty sure is Doctor Manhattan. The cosmic treadmill begins to break, while Bruce and Barry keep hearing a voice calling out to them. Barry couldn't seem to place the voice, but eventually listened and started to say his name, "... Jay?" If the cover didn't make it completely obvious, Jay Garrick (the original Flash from DC's Golden Age) makes a triumphant return in order to save Barry and Bruce, and quickly rushes them back to the batcave, where the entire event started. Unfortunately, Jay and Barry also don't get much time to talk, before Jay is whisked away once more. This leaves everyone with far more questions than answers (ugh!).<br />
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We finish things off with two more memorable moments. The first being Bruce, looking out at the batsignal, but reflecting on his father's words about not being Batman anymore. Bruce's silence in this scene actually said quite a bit, and it will be interesting to see how this affects his judgement going forward. The second scene in the epilogue, however, is the real big moment:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjivyYQc9VHYq6vNarQlV667YC2AfRYZinjIshz9dyL26S-kPj0sXsYsrqND6f6wNaXkP63TUu5fp2bvJ1_ufBVGfiAqYMgnLrCFx888J958D-S-keZLiY-uLqBNQGz64lVh4I0XBkpUtcE/s1600/Flash-22-DC-Comics-Rebirth-The-Button-Doomsday-Clock-prelude-spoilers-H.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjivyYQc9VHYq6vNarQlV667YC2AfRYZinjIshz9dyL26S-kPj0sXsYsrqND6f6wNaXkP63TUu5fp2bvJ1_ufBVGfiAqYMgnLrCFx888J958D-S-keZLiY-uLqBNQGz64lVh4I0XBkpUtcE/s640/Flash-22-DC-Comics-Rebirth-The-Button-Doomsday-Clock-prelude-spoilers-H.jpg" width="416" height="640" data-original-width="1041" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><br />
Yes, with that direct quote from Watchmen, familiar type of comic bubble, and gigantic blue hand, we can finally confirm that it was in fact Doctor Manhattan that killed Reverse Flash. Following this is an ad for DC's Doomsday Clock event, further continuing this story, and hinting at a very strong connection between the colors of the Watchmen pin and Superman's chest emblem.<br />
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I could easily see why some people would feel let down by this story arc. Like a lot of hype-train events from both DC and Marvel, many of these stories end up feeling like long advertisements for future events (in this case, the upcoming Doomsday Clock event in November), and this is really no exception to that rule. Part of the reason that I still came out of this event with more positive reactions than negative is the fact that I was expecting it to go that way. From the moment DC announced this was going to be a 4-part story arc, I knew there was no way we could have a story that would resemble anything complete or totally comprehensive. While I admit I did feel a little disappointed that we didn't get ANY answers to our questions yet, I'm also not one of those people who was expecting to get EVERY answer either. Looking back on this event for what it WAS instead of what it WASN'T, left me with a much more positive outlook. I was originally cringing at the thought of DC combining with the Watchmen universe, and now have to admit I'm actually kind of excited to see where this is all going.<br />
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If you've also read "The Button," feel free to share your thoughts with me.<br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
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<b>Flash #21 - 8/10<br />
Batman #22 - 8/10<br />
Flash #22 - 7/10</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBWzXLE7pEM4-srrLmAKkVNRsB6IkyVCu0lCyylQfKsoKrkzcuDQkwWlQjmtAV1yq1nE9JN4QVg1LedLTuLxnAFdjLpsXxAYfVSDe9YKrPI8EKCDfDI1-Dv9iRZvtgxRgDWKPnW8qjxwFG/s1600/5852042-fl-22_epilogue-4_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBWzXLE7pEM4-srrLmAKkVNRsB6IkyVCu0lCyylQfKsoKrkzcuDQkwWlQjmtAV1yq1nE9JN4QVg1LedLTuLxnAFdjLpsXxAYfVSDe9YKrPI8EKCDfDI1-Dv9iRZvtgxRgDWKPnW8qjxwFG/s400/5852042-fl-22_epilogue-4_5.jpg" width="400" height="308" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1231" /></a></div><br />
</center>JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-51121792922111630882017-05-19T19:00:00.001-07:002017-05-25T16:12:30.353-07:00Deadpool's Cool And Relevant Movie Review Of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.2 (2017) (SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!)<center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKRzxn4vz2DbKgVl4Cdaee2qNReRgDbUSTeKEmev1QViR_b0_5COUxGhGz-MDPAbCl86YJ7t6XEvRx6rl3IXvHta40UI5VXkhCAVUMXpLcnV1rn9ssx2wekn19ZQxazk39Nyw9e0Xk_NiG/s1600/guardians_of_the_galaxy_2_new_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKRzxn4vz2DbKgVl4Cdaee2qNReRgDbUSTeKEmev1QViR_b0_5COUxGhGz-MDPAbCl86YJ7t6XEvRx6rl3IXvHta40UI5VXkhCAVUMXpLcnV1rn9ssx2wekn19ZQxazk39Nyw9e0Xk_NiG/s400/guardians_of_the_galaxy_2_new_poster.jpg" width="270" height="400" /></a></div><br />
Good morning/afternoon/evening/whateverthehellisinbetweenthose everyone! Something dawned on me this past week. I forgot something. Something very important. Yes, that's right. I just about wrote the entire review for this movie in my head, but never actually WROTE the bloody thing in all of that time!!! So, if it's alright with you, I'd like to slyly release this review in a style similar to a kid sneaking into his class after getting there extremely late. Coolzies? COOLZIES!!!<br />
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Let me get the obvious out of the way: OMG GROOT IS THE CUTEST THING EVER HOLY SHIZNIT GIVE ME ALL THE GROOTS I WILL RAISE A FAMILY OF THEM AND TAKE OVER THE WORLD WITH BOMBS OF CUTENESS WAIT WHAT WAS I TALKING ABOUT AGAIN I FORGET LOL CAPS ARE FUN.<br />
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With that off of my chest (for now, until it comes back later in this review most likely), I'd like to say this movie is an enjoyable experience, even if not necessarily better than the original. That's okay. It didn't HAVE to better per se. Do you like soundtracks with music from the 60's-80's? Check. Do you enjoy laughing at the misfortunes of the group due to antics that they themselves usually cause? Double de Check. Are you okay with the fact that the plot can go all over the effing place for the sake of keeping this in line with other Marvel movies? Ehhh... I guess that's half check for me.<br />
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Superhero movies (as of late) tend to have one big flaw that they're all basically constrained to. The execs of both the Marvel and DC movies are certain that in order for their movies to be successful, they have to not only make a great stand alone tale, but also mix in enough bits and pieces to make it relevant to the other upcoming films. Fair thought to have. In some cases, this can work pretty well. In others, it can be absolutely fatal. I hate to say it, because I love SO many things about the first Guardians movie, but this one did start to suffer a case of "future movie setup" hell. It didn't RUIN the experience, but it damn well could have, and I'm certain some people do feel pretty defiled by it. (Yeeck, I hate that word; defiled. It's almost as bad as moist. Ugh. Moist... I need a shower...).<br />
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So what's good about it to counter that slightly shittier paragraph above? Well, the character developments were actually really nice for the most part. Probably the most surprising was the bonding that took place between Yondu and Rocket. I did not expect Yondu to suddenly become one of the better characters of the movie, but it happened (and this is talking PRIOR to the now famous 'Mary Poppins' line that I'm SO jealous I didn't come up with first!!!). Peter/Star-Lord's development with his father, Ego, was certainly interesting as well. You just KNEW something was up, but didn't know just what until the later half. And boy, did that reveal hurt... Not the reveal about him actually being a planet, like in the comics; that was kick-ass. (HA, take THAT, losers who try to complain about everything not being like the comics, only to be proven wrong!!!) I meant the reveal about being the actual cause of his wife's death. That stung. This white dudebro, extremely smart and composed green woman (who should actually be leading the group, btw), talking asshole raccoon, giant "everything is literal" warrior, and cute tiny tree babypants are like my family now. When you hurt my family, people die, in horrible (and usually hilarious) ways, depicted on a 2x6 comic grid panel.<br />
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Not to leave out other character developments, the dialogue between Drax and Mantis was very sweet (minus the fact that Drax was heinously dickish the entire time, and I'm going to hell for laughing at some of it). Gamora and Nebula also had a very intense moment, despite their more forced encounter in the beginning. And who could leave out the mention of Peter and Gamora's relationship, which seems to still be building up slowly, even though Gamora's still not having any of Peter's bullshit? That's wonderful. My kind of fighter. <3
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As with the first movie, the soundtrack is pretty much the best thing about it, no question. Okay, end of review now... Except not really, because HA! I don't know if I felt like every song resonated with the movie as well as it did the first time around, but this was still very well put together, and I commend James Gunn for once again knocking it out of the park. This time, you might hear a few more songs you're not as familiar with. And that's okay, because you don't always have to be an absolute hipster know-it-all jackass about every damn thing in your life. You can admit that you don't know all the songs. Really, it's alright. Once you realize no one gives a shit about your musical boner of knowledge, the sooner you can move on to getting more dates with actual live humans... or kree, or whatever you're into!<br />
<br />
<br><br />
One more thing I do feel the need to mention (because it's my review and I'll cry if I want to!), is one major difference between the first and second movie. In the first, you felt like the universe was a big, mysterious place, and that the Guardians were just characters living in it. In this movie, it seemed more like the entire universe was created just for them to play around in and do as they please. It took me almost a freaking WEEK to figure out just what was bothering me about the film so much, and I think I've finally gotten there. GO ME! I am a rock. I am an island. I am Groot.<br />
<br><br />
<br><br />
So again, positives:<br />
<br><br />
- Super happy fun time continues!<br />
- I am Groot. CUTE BABY GROOT CUTENESS CUDDLE LOVE PUMPKIN MUFFINS!<br />
- Pretty good character developments all around.<br />
- So colorful, it'll make the Steven Universe artists blush.<br />
- Dat funky music.<br />
- We are Groot.<br />
- David Hasslehoff is still relevant, apparently.<br />
- I'm MARRY POPPINS Y'ALL!<br />
<br><br />
<br><br />
Aaaand the negatives:<br />
<br><br />
- WTF plot is WTF all over the place.<br />
- Too much insistence on connecting to other future movies.<br />
- I love Howard the Duck, but seriously, stahp!<br />
- What kind of name is TASERFACE!? (Okay, this one is actually just me continuing the joke, and is not to be taken seriously... like the name Taserface.)<br />
- Laws of the universe are so bent for these characters, it's putting Barry Allen to shame.<br />
<br><br />
<br><br />
7.5 David Hasslehoff References Out Of 10<br />
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<br><br />
I think that just about covers it. Movie's still fun, but we need to point out the bad when it happens, m'kay? And that's ALRIGHT. We're ALLOWED to do that! You can like Return of the Jedi and hate Ewoks with a flaming passion. It's totally cool. I got you. Here's hoping Marvel can still keep the gravy train coming, and I can't wait to see if Wonder Woman finally breaks the DC movie hate curse. Look forward to more superhero movies, people!... You know, until the market implodes and over-saturates to the point of no return. But I'm sure that'll be well after our lifetimes, and screw those other people, am I right!? (I know I'm not really right, stop judging me!) TILL NEXT TIME, TRUE BELIEVERS!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2niYg87og9eB-dbwz6t1F96SiWW4bOK82fhYk7ES6D3qoo0lVLtA2cjfmDXHPVjonmB3ehlmOa7dfOzSaWDkH25JRlfqn4Xa2Sfne_frdJka6U7yE39caFIKiHl11wyAJ9uaGG-VOSR2/s1600/Groot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2niYg87og9eB-dbwz6t1F96SiWW4bOK82fhYk7ES6D3qoo0lVLtA2cjfmDXHPVjonmB3ehlmOa7dfOzSaWDkH25JRlfqn4Xa2Sfne_frdJka6U7yE39caFIKiHl11wyAJ9uaGG-VOSR2/s400/Groot.jpg" width="400" height="400" /></a></div></center>JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-77015230705600093952017-05-09T21:09:00.000-07:002017-05-09T21:11:54.812-07:00My Top Ten Picks From Free Comic Book Day 2017<center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvfsLEwZylRBJBqQdk7x_6JZwOpkfo1gmwc22USw-YeDcSrIZoHJvu5nd5gCf9Le4JCTCM1zyVtluD1mkKFV6C4zwmnCwu5u5XaqS08IsYYgVfal9_pOjh-74-l2R71HDS3Xdk6_gGXLl/s1600/187696_1039353_14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvfsLEwZylRBJBqQdk7x_6JZwOpkfo1gmwc22USw-YeDcSrIZoHJvu5nd5gCf9Le4JCTCM1zyVtluD1mkKFV6C4zwmnCwu5u5XaqS08IsYYgVfal9_pOjh-74-l2R71HDS3Xdk6_gGXLl/s400/187696_1039353_14.jpg" width="294" height="400" /></a></div><br />
It took quite a while to read 30+ comics in order to make this list, but as always, it's been a lot of fun (and a bit of work in places). Enjoy the list and explanations below!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnXHxbw1PD6pRqbB5U_HU5cXZRg7MGpEPZQH8w16eoKRdbq7NcDS8II6k9ER_rEM_OJBE8xMDuq-6skbL3xEpGg2aq_Vqq0yxYJtymA3E7vrT83_FWufSpp30b0JQ0x9ijo70sEBvc0yN/s1600/STL036382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnXHxbw1PD6pRqbB5U_HU5cXZRg7MGpEPZQH8w16eoKRdbq7NcDS8II6k9ER_rEM_OJBE8xMDuq-6skbL3xEpGg2aq_Vqq0yxYJtymA3E7vrT83_FWufSpp30b0JQ0x9ijo70sEBvc0yN/s400/STL036382.jpg" width="260" height="400" /></a></div><br />
10. Underdog #1<br />
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Maybe it's just the kid in me who loved this cartoon as a child, but this short issue manages to capture just about everything I ever loved about the original cartoon. The zany circumstances and even zanier villains behind them? Check. Hilarious narration? Check. Pun-tastic dialogue between characters? Check! It even managed to capture the charm of the cliffhanger sequences, where you would cut to a commercial during a really crucial moment. As far as nostalgia trips go, this one is at the top. I also recommend it to any young kids as well, as I'm sure they'll also love it like I did back when I was their age.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-w8C-ke8EprPk-AKF-moXgmy306jouDUwaA-BCO2c9PB7WEytNx9m34L7uEFmD9X9hb95jBvj4iUVWx6397nz5zzKRpwHxtQjxbI3jihjf0J2-EMXTF_CSkAcPSpimoS28I81ZTFkdGfN/s1600/STL037276.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-w8C-ke8EprPk-AKF-moXgmy306jouDUwaA-BCO2c9PB7WEytNx9m34L7uEFmD9X9hb95jBvj4iUVWx6397nz5zzKRpwHxtQjxbI3jihjf0J2-EMXTF_CSkAcPSpimoS28I81ZTFkdGfN/s400/STL037276.jpg" width="260" height="400" /></a></div><br />
9. Wonder Woman #1: Special Edition<br />
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While I do tend to get disappointed whenever DC decides to simply re-release older material for FCBD, instead of simply writing up new stories to tease us for future events, this was admittedly a great choice for them to go with. As with other titles in DC's Rebirth event, this issue serves as a great starting point (if the "Year One" title didn't already make it obvious). This will also be of interest to those looking forward to the upcoming movie, as you will notice a lot of similarities between parts of the movie trailer and the events in this issue. Well worth the read if you're not yet up to speed with Diana.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Tuer4UxI-0B7jqDWH9aWBM1oH7q1Y0WVgTpNc_fXwvbUVcEBYVKPchssp-INGlkjKH4SkW9pNqyY6PXqJMkYDYzWDxhMgiKBz-W1bR87JAi4AYUz_V1mOpeZQN2i3bd9BoYeMmJZSs1g/s1600/STL036289.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Tuer4UxI-0B7jqDWH9aWBM1oH7q1Y0WVgTpNc_fXwvbUVcEBYVKPchssp-INGlkjKH4SkW9pNqyY6PXqJMkYDYzWDxhMgiKBz-W1bR87JAi4AYUz_V1mOpeZQN2i3bd9BoYeMmJZSs1g/s400/STL036289.jpg" width="260" height="400" /></a></div><br />
8. 2000 AD Special<br />
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It impresses me to see this title come out every single year. Not only do you get a host of talent together for multiple short stories, but they somehow manage to feel fresh and engaging every single time. This is one of those yearly releases that you can never go wrong with. Consistency is key, and this book always nails it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0Vp6yEEUrcphEQ59M_lZjBDS5giHqdQTQO-D3cDTtkqfQ8CF2VJ1MjBI0NXOfifpjU9EI2d6-JSVAsqdw-Tkgx1nrrPw-rr8TbbOvFEBjGdvyxy4zph-eSlvDLEbo4GWKSUjilGpt9ZU/s1600/STL036376.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0Vp6yEEUrcphEQ59M_lZjBDS5giHqdQTQO-D3cDTtkqfQ8CF2VJ1MjBI0NXOfifpjU9EI2d6-JSVAsqdw-Tkgx1nrrPw-rr8TbbOvFEBjGdvyxy4zph-eSlvDLEbo4GWKSUjilGpt9ZU/s400/STL036376.jpg" width="260" height="400" /></a></div><br />
7. X-O Manowar Special<br />
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Don't let the title fool you. While X-O Manowar is the bulk of the issue, there is host of other characters and information included here. Along with the X-O Manowar prelude story, you also get a preview for the upcoming Blooshot Salvation story, written by Jeff Lemire. Without giving away too much, a new character is introduced, and big things already appear to be in the works. There's also a short preview for Harbinger Wars 2. If you're unfamiliar with these titles, the stories here might not mean much to you, but fans of Valiant will have a lot to look forward to here.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX84hb08n4-krgx2ba80r6YB2ZLmdBte7MsUEM6nXd_Be0nWwxHOkVCY_4a6aaybqyS5XwM7zJlxtuytfGLJgJyJb5lYS64hO3mxkEdf-Cxwls4MjQz49B2GkFQn4XvxG5f3r1RRXN6VgH/s1600/STL037772.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX84hb08n4-krgx2ba80r6YB2ZLmdBte7MsUEM6nXd_Be0nWwxHOkVCY_4a6aaybqyS5XwM7zJlxtuytfGLJgJyJb5lYS64hO3mxkEdf-Cxwls4MjQz49B2GkFQn4XvxG5f3r1RRXN6VgH/s400/STL037772.jpg" width="264" height="400" /></a></div><br />
6. BOOM! Studios Summer Blast<br />
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As always, Boom likes to show off previews for multiple titles in their FCBD offerings. In this issue, you get an all new Mouse Guard story from Archaia, a preview of the new series from KaBOOM!, Brave Chef Brianna, and finally a spin-off of Lumberjanes called "Coady and the Creepies," focusing on a supernatural punk band trying to get their foot in the door. As much as I love Mouse Guard, I have to admit that Brave Chef Brianna is the story that actually won me over the most. It's about a girl setting up a restaurant in a city of all monsters. It's got that innocent charm that you can't help but love for a series like this, and it's admittedly very funny. I cracked up at least three times from this short story alone. It's also really neat that they offer a new recipe for a dish at the end of every issue (including this one). Fun times all around!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2fN7XVFfI8JTd1faUNXqoCkIwKzdB4o2SmF2XOy7D_bSX7RYSZpatMN6WyCefG9hqMLq4iPvh_xPHFmAlwtbNzzvq9hd2Q7ILQ6hWsNQ4Mk6mN1I35M8Gqluy8ExUDCFbFB8ES5J19F3T/s1600/STL037302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2fN7XVFfI8JTd1faUNXqoCkIwKzdB4o2SmF2XOy7D_bSX7RYSZpatMN6WyCefG9hqMLq4iPvh_xPHFmAlwtbNzzvq9hd2Q7ILQ6hWsNQ4Mk6mN1I35M8Gqluy8ExUDCFbFB8ES5J19F3T/s400/STL037302.jpg" width="264" height="400" /></a></div><br />
5. Star Trek: Mirror Broken<br />
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If it's not already obvious, this story was created solely for the hardcore Trek fan that wants to explore every possible nook and cranny of each series. Luckily, I happen to be one of those people! Here, we see the cast of Star Trek: Next Generation finally heading into a realm the shows and movies never touched; the mirror universe! This is only the first part of an upcoming miniseries, but it's already clear that this is going to be something that hardcore fans (especially of Next Generation) will want to check out.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAX0P5Dx5pk_LGdLMJa35kWfzY_9G6eGVbCa8DkDVmGzHhZfMy0HVqQYoUgUaRx-0QCqg0g26nnK1_55w5aG5KH_vGNxOiOZQH7Sy65iAb00wZe18pFbighQRhv_UXbbxW9813bUUbGN6S/s1600/STL037297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAX0P5Dx5pk_LGdLMJa35kWfzY_9G6eGVbCa8DkDVmGzHhZfMy0HVqQYoUgUaRx-0QCqg0g26nnK1_55w5aG5KH_vGNxOiOZQH7Sy65iAb00wZe18pFbighQRhv_UXbbxW9813bUUbGN6S/s400/STL037297.jpg" width="267" height="400" /></a></div><br />
4. I Hate Image<br />
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I have never read Image's "I Hate Fairyland" before, but after reading this comic, I now feel that I absolutely have to. In this issue, Gertrude (the girl smiling on top of all the bodies on the cover) is trying to escape Fairyland, but has to go through 'Image' in order to get there. You get various settings and cameos from just about all of Image's biggest titles, and hilarious sequences of Gertrude interacting with them. Walking Dead? It's in here. Spawn? Of course. Saga? Oh yeah. Even the infamous "Lying!" cat is here. Longtime readers will appreciate this "Kingdom Hearts With Blood" approach taken.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnaTDLBH717GpQsBQ8wo8hLI5XNt3PHhyphenhyphenE9qAcV5PyW4lGnJ3z51Gdnrv2LFVuEg7fFBz2FQCM5d8NNpEYXNcXZtpi6sRjP1Fd6ovZzkJMdTXHmxGYfo52J7AZhAIPFwN3QSCe9qg8RlJ/s1600/STL037736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnaTDLBH717GpQsBQ8wo8hLI5XNt3PHhyphenhyphenE9qAcV5PyW4lGnJ3z51Gdnrv2LFVuEg7fFBz2FQCM5d8NNpEYXNcXZtpi6sRjP1Fd6ovZzkJMdTXHmxGYfo52J7AZhAIPFwN3QSCe9qg8RlJ/s400/STL037736.jpg" width="260" height="400" /></a></div><br />
3. World's Greatest Cartoonists<br />
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Fantagraphics has been known to put out some of the greatest comics in the business (especially Love & Rockets). This volume does a great job of giving you glimpses into titles you may have never heard of before, with all new stories (and even missing/deleted pieces from others). It's also got a new short story by Matt Furie, creator of Boy's Club (and the now infamous character Pepe the Frog). Due to the character of Pepe being used to create memes for the "Alt-Right," Pepe was later declared to be a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League. This comic showcases Pepe's funeral, as it seems Matt is showing that he has given up on trying to redeem the character. This is an absolutely jam-packed comic, and there's no reason not to give it a read.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh78e-Q_QP2WO-h0UZq4KfQFKjela5bBjJlHdwKCyrtFLQj1wxPVScByUD2ZESuY9fmRCKeLfjsfTMzpn2HLoJBMAgB3FlejK9QTTDmj7q-1BlXzS3rF7fVb-3oGyJJnv8DKvG-8um9vEfS/s1600/STL037765.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh78e-Q_QP2WO-h0UZq4KfQFKjela5bBjJlHdwKCyrtFLQj1wxPVScByUD2ZESuY9fmRCKeLfjsfTMzpn2HLoJBMAgB3FlejK9QTTDmj7q-1BlXzS3rF7fVb-3oGyJJnv8DKvG-8um9vEfS/s400/STL037765.jpg" width="259" height="400" /></a></div><br />
2. The Incal<br />
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If you are unfamiliar with Alejandro Jodorowsky, this is the quintessential book to try. Many will know Jodorowsky from his failed attempt at making a movie adaptation of "Dune," or his extremely trippy movies like "El Topo," but The Incal is probably the most important work he has ever put out. This issue offers 30 pages of the original graphic novel. Without going into too many details, this is a futuristic sci-fi story that will absolutely blow your mind with its storytelling and psychedelic visuals. While one could argue that this preview isn't enough to give you a true idea of the bigger picture in these stories, it at least serves as a helpful starting point. It's one of the most odd, but intriguing titles out there in the comic medium.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-TUNgnkyjlFYJQj9wKfwtds7kYoIdiiXCHZiYRhSWOhqByeAb057ynaQ-tuj-ij0ZiqTJL_srB_MD5i-jhgMm3J3i-K5SOwF8RpoEvFZbGbhQqPwXJtdf6hUh3KoeKDvYfOA23nEZzpXo/s1600/STL036388.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-TUNgnkyjlFYJQj9wKfwtds7kYoIdiiXCHZiYRhSWOhqByeAb057ynaQ-tuj-ij0ZiqTJL_srB_MD5i-jhgMm3J3i-K5SOwF8RpoEvFZbGbhQqPwXJtdf6hUh3KoeKDvYfOA23nEZzpXo/s400/STL036388.jpg" width="260" height="400" /></a></div><br />
1. Hostage<br />
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This one really shocked me, and that's part of why it's at #1. Every time I've picked up a FCBD issue from Drawn and Quarterly, you typically get a laugh or two. This? This is something quite series. The issue includes two stories from now famous French comics (one currently out in English, and the other coming out later this year). The first is Guy Delisle's "Hostage." Not only is this story of being held captive a frightening and claustrophobic one, but it's also based off a true story on top of everything else. The second preview, "Poppies of Iraq," contains Brigitte Findakly's account of her life growing up in Iraq during the reign of Saddam Hussein, and goes all the way to the Paris attacks of 2015. While there was not a huge amount of content in this comic, it still managed to say plenty. I could imagine Brigitte's story in particular being compared to works like Maus in the future, and it will be interesting to see how it is perceived here in the States.<br />
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Honorable Mentions:<br />
Doctor Who, Bongo Comics Free-For-All, Rick & Morty, Catalyst Prime: The Event, Lady Mechanika<br />
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Thanks for reading! Let me know what your favorite Free Comic Book Day issues were in the comments!<br />
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</center>JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-69233478194041408532017-04-23T19:38:00.003-07:002017-04-23T19:38:26.527-07:00Comic Review: Batman #21 (2017) (SPOILERS AHEAD!)<center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWb0QLdJe83J4O8i-6siJEeLt7xax5VhT2FCKlRgQ_h4WLFqaWhyphenhyphenfiryKz0oK7cCEzj5m2w5q6slh8Qq3EtX2jBqRHJd77wCOeApOUiJbcLpovVmaPX-MrYm59K0maK9bzi5tbz8UvzcOE/s1600/Batman_TheButton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWb0QLdJe83J4O8i-6siJEeLt7xax5VhT2FCKlRgQ_h4WLFqaWhyphenhyphenfiryKz0oK7cCEzj5m2w5q6slh8Qq3EtX2jBqRHJd77wCOeApOUiJbcLpovVmaPX-MrYm59K0maK9bzi5tbz8UvzcOE/s640/Batman_TheButton.jpg" width="414" height="640" /></a></div><br />
Finally coming back into the 21st Century (after finishing up with my real estate licensing state test), I've been slowly returning to all the things I once loved again, including games, books, movies, comics, etc. I've been on the fence about returning to DC Comics for a while now, especially after all of the controversial decisions they've been making these last few years. I'm not going to delve into all of that here, but I wanted to explain why I kind of jumped off the bandwagon for awhile. I did however, read DC Rebirth #1. Geoff Johns has always been a personal favorite writer of mine in modern comic books. He's the very reason I became a major fan of Green Lantern in the first place, and I was very big on following whatever DC book he would go on to write for. I wasn't really sure what to make of it. Watchmen? Being mixed into the DC Universe?<br />
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It seems I wasn't alone in feeling confused and not really sure what to make of the whole thing. Watchmen was created by Alan Moore to be a literal deconstruction of superhero fiction. It was never meant to be expanded upon, despite DC choosing to do just that once before (Many would say that "Before Watchmen" was a hit or miss affair). After hearing that this event (simply titled "The Button") was going to be a four-issue mini-series, I finally decided to give it a shot. If X-Men: Days of Future Past could tell one of the arguably best X-Men stories of all time in a span of two issues, there was certainly hope for "The Button" as well.<br />
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One of the best things about jumping into this story is that you don't need to have read much prior, in order to get up to speed. Have you read the six-issue Flashpoint series and DC Rebirth #1 issue? Then you're all set (at least so far). The issue begins with Saturn Girl watching a hockey game from in prison, realizing that one of the players is about to die. She begins freaking out and saying that someone has to stop it, while the prison guards try to calm her down. We then go to Bruce (apparently watching the same hockey game in the background), who is starting to research the smiley face button that he found at the end of Rebirth #1 (aka, the button from Watchmen). From here, we learn that the button has strange radioactive properties. A few pages in, lightning shoots out of it, knocking Bruce back and seeing his father in front of him. This is the version of Thomas Wayne from Flashpoint, still in the same bat-costume. As Bruce reaches out to touch his hand, he vanishes. After this, he reaches out to the Flash, advising him that the button has been reacting strange ever since he put it near the mask of Psycho-Pirate (a DC villain who played a major role in Crisis of Infinite Earths). He also tells Flash that the radiation of the button is getting stronger. Flash tells Bruce that he'll be able get there in a minute. That minute makes up the remainder of the issue.<br />
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Reverse Flash suddenly appears and begins to pummel Batman to the ground. He says that he was dead, but that "a power" called to him, and he is now resurrected. He then noticed Thomas Wayne's letter to Bruce (from Flashpoint), and proceeds to tear it up. Bruce manages to slow him down enough to land some hits, but it does him little good, as he continues to get knocked around and bloodied by Reverse Flash's repeated attacks. In his last few seconds before Reverse Flash can land a finishing blow, Bruce admits that he was just buying time. Reverse Flash proceeds to knocking Bruce out cold and notices the button on the ground, alongside all of the projected images of it on all of Bruce's computer monitors. This is when things start to get... odd.<br />
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After picking up the button to take a closer look, Reverse Flash suddenly gets zapped away by a blue light (the color may or may not be key here). He finally zaps back to the batcave after a few seconds, with a strange blue aura surrounding him, causing his skin to slowly disintegrate. In his final panels, he utters "God... God... I saw... God...," before collapsing on the ground, now simply a skeleton with a Reverse Flash costume. It's at this moment that Flash finally arrives, only to see the wounded Bruce and apparently dead Reverse Flash. End of Part 1.<br />
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One thing I noticed right away while reading this issue, was the paneling structure. I'll post a screenshot below, so that you can see what I'm talking about.<br />
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Does this style look familiar? If you've ever read Watchmen before, it should.<br />
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The creative team is very clearly trying to evoke the look and feel of the original Watchmen comic with this mini-series. How far the similarities go are still up for debate until we know more, however. As for who killed Reverse Flash at the end of the issue, it is more than likely that the "God" being referred to is none other than Dr. Manhattan. This is the reason I mentioned the color blue above, as it was likely meant to be another hint.<br />
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While I can't say I'm necessarily excited for this event (since I still have no clue as to where DC is going with it), I admit I am now on board to see where they take things. I'm also kind of relieved that nothing about the story has felt rushed so far, despite the short amount of issues to contain it all in. Bring on The Flash #21!<br />
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8/10<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwjaBNkBuXTFVC5km63lzbWUW52EAw-mIawl9CYwFrFamN3QB0MdH9lgbdiiN32hZp0ZI2YO4290VWRe5HMIprjT4oAwypFAaOzcClqJyLwEZqeAZWvJlUgU1gn1tbwgN5_EZBkKG2XCBK/s1600/Batman21-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwjaBNkBuXTFVC5km63lzbWUW52EAw-mIawl9CYwFrFamN3QB0MdH9lgbdiiN32hZp0ZI2YO4290VWRe5HMIprjT4oAwypFAaOzcClqJyLwEZqeAZWvJlUgU1gn1tbwgN5_EZBkKG2XCBK/s640/Batman21-2.jpg" width="551" height="640" /></a></div></center>JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-24854001283301106412017-04-20T19:39:00.001-07:002017-04-22T17:51:40.795-07:00Deadpool's Not Even Remotely Modest Gaming Review Of Yooka-Laylee (2017)<center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5TWxOWv0Gpb9hdi_gaLD3jZuxiW2HOoe4FrLYf0hCv6HoKfarASVhiyE3NPTTxoRTJaiKZxMfdCQPBmi5rok-k6nQIImeZIEfP5ojmWaFfZYR4t0fumcfrVlvj2kKlbRmAttTlgihufhyphenhyphen/s1600/YookaLayleeHeader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5TWxOWv0Gpb9hdi_gaLD3jZuxiW2HOoe4FrLYf0hCv6HoKfarASVhiyE3NPTTxoRTJaiKZxMfdCQPBmi5rok-k6nQIImeZIEfP5ojmWaFfZYR4t0fumcfrVlvj2kKlbRmAttTlgihufhyphenhyphen/s400/YookaLayleeHeader.jpg" width="400" height="188" /></a></div><br />
Yes, you read that right! Of all things your Uncle Deadpool could finally come back to do (review Logan, Lego Batman, Kong: Skull Island, the new Power Rangers, etc.), I've chosen to go with a video game designed to fuel people's nostalgia-holes. Back in May of 2015, a group of people (formerly in Rare) from what I'll simply refer to as the "glory days" of platforming games, got together and decided "You know what? We need more effing platforming games!!!" and thus, Yooka Laylee was born! This also caused people to reminisce about the days before Rare was bought by Microsoft, and when Perfect Dark Zero didn't yet exist. So yes, like other crowd-funded projects, we had another successful Kickstarter hit on our hands. Did this one manage to fulfill our dreams, or did we fall through with another Mighty Number Nope!? Read below, true believers!!!<br />
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Thank you for reading below. Reviewing this one is tough. I obviously enjoyed myself to some degree (as I spent over 25 freaking hours getting all of the achievements to prove it!), but I can't help but look back on how many things frustrated me the whole way through. First, I'll get the basic statement out of the way. This team did exactly what they said they were going to do: Release a 90's-era platforming game in the style of such classics as Banjo Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country. So it was written, so it shall be done. The thing is, some people forgot that you need to be careful what you wish for...<br />
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So we did get a 90's-style platformer... Completely. Down to the tee. For those who don't understand why that may be a bad thing, allow my old ass to educate you here. 90's platform games were very well received, particularly due to the success of games like Mario 64, Crash Bandicoot (which is arguably more like 2.5D), Banjo Kazooie, Rayman 2, and many others. I personally loved the Gex series myself. These games had specific features in common, like collecting a bunch of items throughout large, open-world stages, as well as big items (like Stars in Mario) to collect and finish the stage. While everybody has huge nostalgia boners over these games (and for good reason, I'd say. Scha-wing!), these games were not without their faults too. On one hand, they were mostly hard as hell. Not only because of the skill it took to move your character from place to place, but rather the impossible-ass camera system. This is one of the main reasons I know that most kids trying to pick this up in today's day and age will be extremely confused and put off by it, while the people like me, who grew up with this shit will simply mutter, "Oh God... It's back again."<br />
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Yes, the horrible camera you probably remember fighting with back then has reared its old, ugly head once again. Need to see an enemy coming at you AND be able to dodge them in time? Too bad if the camera wasn't pointing that way, because you won't be able to move it back in time! Trying to make that tricky jump that requires complete precision? Oh, that's nice... It'd be a shame if someone... moved the camera just as you were making the essential jump, causing you to die pointlessly! Yes, it will happen here. And it will happen often. I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry.<br />
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Your main controls are fine enough. Actually moving the characters around feels pretty smooth and high jumps/gliding are all well executed. Attacking could be better, but it's not bad overall. The worlds are open and vast enough, that you could explore one of the five main levels for hours and still not have seen everything there is to see. That's awesome, and one of the main things that kept me going up to the end.<br />
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So what held me back? Well, quite a few things unfortunately. And no, it wasn't just the camera. Some sections of the game would require you to transform into other creatures/vehicles and use their abilities to unlock more collectibles. The majority of these transformations were actually TERRIBLE to control. Especially that snow plow. What in the actual F$%K was up with that damn snow plow!??? God, I don't even want to talk about it, it was THAT frustrating. *grumblemumble* There were also many questionable design decisions made throughout. The strangest one off the top of my head involved the 5th mission (a level in space). Instead of having you slip into some kind of void if you fell off a platform, you'd instead fall into... water... in space... Yeah... Odd things like that really turned me off and just straight up confused me.<br />
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The voices in the game didn't help either. Do you remember that odd, but somewhat funny babbling you'd hear in place of voices during the Banjo Kazooie games? Well, it's 300x more annoying here, and I was tempted to mute the game a bunch of times because of it. The game's main villain (a large, capitalist bee in a business suit... because why not, I guess?) and Laylee were especially annoying to listen to. Also..., Laylee is racist as hell toward the other characters in the game. What's up with that!?<br />
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Here's a point I feel very awkward about making... A lot of you fell in love with me as character because of more than just my amazing ass (hard to imagine, I know!), but also the way I poke fun at the 'real world' with all of my 4th wall humor! So you'd think I would love all of the 'meta' jokes going around in this game too, right? Eh... at the risk of sounding like a hypocritical merc' with a mouth, I have to say, no. It would be fine if they made little jabs about the game's performance every once in a while (like I so masterfully accomplish... UNICORN FRAPPUCCINO REFERENCE!!!), but this game makes at least one or two with every single conversation! That's too damn much. It wears out its welcome fast, and that's unbelievably sad.<br />
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Speaking of sad, do you remember hating that annoying quiz section in Banjo Kazooie? Like it was probably the one thing you don't think fondly of when you look back on it? Well, guess what's back for no apparent reason!?... Seriously. I think these devs were convinced they had to remake Banjo Kazooie at all costs, and forget about any actual criticism it got at the time. These are not fun!!! They are annoying, and cause me to throw things that I now have to dig out of my wall... AND pay for a new wall!!! GRRRRR!!!<br />
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Okay, okay. I need to settle down a bit. It wasn't ALL bad. Like, I said, the game is still perfectly functional. For every annoying ass camera problem, there's a great idea hidden within. Some of the challenges were pretty creative and kept me curious enough to keep going and see what was up next. I also LOVED the background music that the game implemented. If anything truly brought me back to the 90's platformer nostalgia bonanza, it was that sweet sweet music. Just the right amount of orchestral and atmospheric, changing whenever you went underwater or into a cave. Ah yes, that Was. The. Shit!<br />
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You can tell this game was clearly designed for fans of the genre, by looking at the actual requirements to get to the final boss encounter and finish the game. Out of the 145 collectibles hidden throughout the game's main map and five worlds, you need to collect over 100 of them. That's... a LARGE portion of them just to get to the end. I went for them all, because I was planning to anyway, but that can be really off-putting to someone just trying to dip their feet in. It doesn't help that the final boss fight has so many phases that it almost becomes comical (except it doesn't, because you die a lot trying to figure the fight patterns out, only to have to start from the beginning and watch annoying UNSKIPPABLE dialog every time!!! WRYYYYYYYY!!!!!!). Not cool. Not cool at all. I thought you were COOL, game!!!<br />
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Despite all of my foaming at the mouth over these little nuances that brought down the experience, I still came out of the game satisfied in the end. No, really! I found myself not being able to stop until I collected every little thing, and obtained every single achievement, and not every game can get me to do that! Like I said above, this IS a 90's platforming game through and through. Whether that is a good thing or not is up to you, but I came out of it feeling content, and don't regret throwing money into the Kickstarter frenzie. But so help me, Playtonic... If we get a sequel and I find out you're throwing in more annoying quiz sections... I'll do to you what I did to Destiny!!!... Which is basically, play it after you already got my money, complain a bit, and then likely still buy whatever you put out in the future. THAT'LL SHOW YA!!!<br />
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7 Objects Named After Cheesy Puns Out Of 10<br />
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Okay, so it was actually a decent title if you're one of those gamers who wanted a true sequel to the Banjo Kazooie games, but not much else. If you weren't already in love with this style of game before, you DEFINITELY won't be after this and should probably stay far away. I still applaud the developers for their efforts and wish them the best of luck in the future... and less quizzes. Seriously, I will never stop ranting about those f#$king quizzes... TOODLES!!!<br />
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</center>JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-39865234978845923392016-12-28T20:15:00.000-08:002016-12-28T20:24:54.184-08:00Deadpool's Force-Sensitive Movie Review Of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) (Spoilers Ahead, Ye Matey!)<center><br />
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Hey everybody! It's been a while, and I am completely to blame for that! I hope your holidays were happy, your bellies full, and your presents less sucky! It's been a difficult time lately, especially with the large mountain of deaths we've been seeing. George R.R. Martin still has yet to take responsibility, but I think we all know it's only a matter of time. I'm going to confess to you all, after the passing of Carrie Fisher, I almost wasn't sure if I still wanted to write up this review. All of the celebrity deaths this year have been tough, but this one hit me especially hard. This is the woman who showed me that being a princess does not mean damsel in distress (especially after becoming a kick-ass general to boot!). And I also need to point out that she was a damn fine role model in real life, who came forward about mental illness and even encouraged others to be more aware and understanding of its effects on our lives. That's a true fracking hero right there, folks.<br />
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One of the reasons I hesitated to still write this review, wasn't just because it was a new Star Wars film we were talking about here. As others who saw the movie already know, her likeness was also used in a scene just at the end of the movie. Alongside the likeness of Peter Crushing, these CGI versions of the classic characters rubbed some people the wrong way (more on that later), and it made me wonder if it was a bad idea to write up the funny junk you're used to me spouting on this thing, at this moment in time. I thought about it a little more, and it finally hit me: Carrie Fisher was funny as shit, and she'd want me to try and continue to be funny as shit for her as well! She wouldn't want us to all stop to be sad and mopey forever. This one is for YOU, general!!! <3
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So I'm going to come right out and say it: I didn't expect as much from this movie. By being introduced as "A Star Wars Story" (which just sounds awful, and worthy of a "fire the marketing person" stance), people immediately had the impression the movie would feel mediocre, and those vibes didn't help me keep up enthusiasm. It also didn't help that the movie had some massive script re-writes near the end of its production, raising some red flags about how the whole thing was going to turn out. So what happened? Has the Star Wars cash cow been milked dry and buried in a pool of its own feces?<br />
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I am happy to report that, while definitely fatter, the cow is still being kept in very healthy condition, and being fed all of the right preservatives! There are flaws to be sure, and I'll be dissecting them like a proper snob soon enough, but I really need to emphasize that this is well worth seeing, and I think you too will be as shocked as I was by how well this one turned out.<br />
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So what's going on in what I'll now call the ONLY prequel movie? (Yeah, I said it. COME AT ME, HAYDEN!) We're introduced to a young Jyn Erso (played by the awesome Felicity Jones), essentially the main character of this film. Her father Galen (played by the equally awesome Mads Mikkelsen) created technology for the Imperials, and lived a pretty good life, minus all the mental torture and never being able to sleep again parts. He tried to get out, but they keep PULLIN' HIM BACK IN! The Imperials wanted more, just like that greedy asshole, Oliver Twist. Galen refused, people died, and Jyn watched as her mother was pointlessly killed and her father was taken away to construct a super weapon that I won't give away the name of, but it totally rhymes with "Meth Car." Huh..., why was THAT the first thing that came to my head?...<br />
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With all of that development behind us, we lay down the proper groundwork for the rest of the movie. Jyn, older now, meets up with the Rebels and joins K-2SO (voiced by Alan Tudyk), a hilariously blunt droid that she reprogrammed, and Cassian, a man working for the Rebels and sent to assassinate Jyn's father (unbeknownst to her of course, because what fun would that be otherwise!?). That's not all though! We also get to meet Donnie "freaking" Yen as Chirrut Îmwe, a blind warrior who has a strong belief in the Force, even though he is not a Jedi Knight. There's many other important characters (despite how small some of their roles actually were) who are all worth a mention, but unfortunately I'm not going to do that because we need to keep this review moving! Rolling, rolling, rolling...<br />
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We don't get a lot of time to really take in and care about these characters much, but they all play their parts well and that should be noted first. Most of the best lines came from K-2SO, but I think Donnie Yen personally had the best quote of the entire movie. When he and the other main characters all had bags placed over their heads while they get taken away to a hidden base, he responds "... Are you kidding me? I'm blind!!!" Priceless. Freaking. Priceless. The people in theater cackled something horrible at that part.<br />
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Comedy aside, this movie is actually very dark. Arguably the darkest in the whole franchise, in fact. I think many could have guessed that all of the main characters (outside of the ones we see in A New Hope) were pretty much doomed from the get go. Hell, I'd have been more surprised if any of them DID survive at that point. What made this movie still stand out is the things we DIDN'T already know beforehand, like the battle that took place leading up to A New Hope, the people involved, and even more importantly, what was up with that exhaust port weakness on the Death Star!? Amazingly, all of these things were finally explained to us, and in a way that makes sense. I'm so glad it made sense, you have no idea. Like, that exhaust port has been the butt of jokes since before I was even alive! It's good to tell people to finally put this in their traps and shove it!<br />
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James Earl Jones reprised his role as the voice of Darth Vader in Rogue One, and holy freaking bejeebus was he frightening!!! Okay, he had that one corny line about "choking," but everything else made me scared to be in the same movie theater. (Come to think of it, Vader making a pun about choking would also make me afraid to be in the same movie theater. What the hell man, do you get off on that kind of thing!?) Anyone who was set back by the (unintentionally) classic "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" moment in Revenge of the Sith, can finally sit back and relish just how much of a scary mofo this guy was and still is! I assure you, the final five minutes of the movie will have you gripping your theater chair, no matter how much soda was spilled on it.<br />
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There were all kinds of other nods to the previous movies too. And not just with character cameos, but actual effects in scenery and other things that only lifeless nerds like myself would notice! We'd be here all day if I picked them each apart, but know that the people behind this movie did their homework and it shows.<br />
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I also need to talk more about Jyn, because she's so worth it. Rey was an amazing character because of how gifted she was in the Force, and her ability to adapt to situations so quickly. Jyn is an awesome lead because she has NO Force abilities and STILL stood up to be brave in the face of a near suicidal mission. That battle was one of the most intense in the entire franchise, and even though clearly scared, we saw Jyn and everyone else do what they set out to do. Honestly, it brings a tear to my eye and it should yours too. Don't give me that toxic masculinity crap, I KNOW you cried too!!!<br />
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I only have a few gripes in a-minor to add to this whole thing. The first is involving the CGI characters. While I do applaud the efforts of the team who put both Tarkin and Leia's likenesses out there to help connect the movies, it did admittedly feel a little weird despite. I'm not exactly sure if I could even come up with a better solution, or if I'm just talking out of my ass (that was a joke, I ALWAYS do that! :D ). I started to say it above, but I'll spell it out more here since you're all typical Americans who like it that way: The characterizations were severely lacking for most of the main cast. Again, I don't think this could have really been helped though. I just don't think there was any way they could have introduced a whole new cast that large and somehow made us care about them all by the end. Most people already felt the film was moving at a snail's pace in the first half (including actual snails, who proceeded to compliment the pacing and said they didn't understand what everyone else's problem was). The final gripe I have may seem silly to some, but this is kind of important... In Force Awakens, we finally did away with that ridiculous Hollywood trope of the female protagonist having to be saved by a male character, regardless of how strong they were. In Rogue One... it came right back at us again. Like, what the hell, people!? You couldn't let Jyn have some justice for her mother's death at the end? Nooooo, you had to make Cassian come back and save her at the last second instead. Ugh. Come the hell on!!! *mumble grumble wumble*<br />
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Phew, alright. I'm okay now... As I was saying, before the whiny entitled nerd rant, this is an amazing movie, despite the flaws in it! If you are a true Star Wars fan, you will walk out of that theater energized and filled with, dare I say it..., HOPE!!! Despite the slower first half, things pick up so well afterward that you won't even notice there was a problem. Jyn is awesome and a worthy lead role, Vader is badder than ever, and the whole thing just felt so... STAR WARS-Y all the way through, that it's impossible for me not to still recommend it. This is now permanent Star Wars cannon and it is more than worthy of it. Rogue One had no business turning out this well, but it did, so deal with it, and nerd out with me about it already!!!<br />
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8.5 Uses Of "I've Got A Bad Feeling About This" Out Of 10<br />
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People who complained that The Force Awakens was too derivative of the classic Star Wars movies can finally shut the hell up! This is the "different" movie you asked for and it rocked like Freddie Mercury singing "We Will Rock You," while riding Darth Vader's shoulders! I'll see you all again to talk about this stuff next year. In the meantime, I'll go back into my "2016 sucks" brooding hole with Kylo Ren, who I hear specializes in that area. Toodles!<br />
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</center>JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-59521772153912236612016-11-10T15:06:00.000-08:002016-11-10T15:20:48.966-08:00Deadpool's Magical Mystical Movie Review Of Doctor Strange (2016)!!! (Spoiler-Free, Because That's How I Roll)<center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhkZ0Pa7VnHqZcMBhqIAQ9vjDQ1PitEkNZGx6tluh3TFjuNU_wcpkD_sTp9VH8HMyy__tMVe90LPsQaL0ujw2xB1fPb9JOPfMwYpr5zhsdXpF_w8g76yrHfsOAzxbft6cCOMIZ5N1qyhH/s1600/Doctor-Strange-Comic-Con-Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhkZ0Pa7VnHqZcMBhqIAQ9vjDQ1PitEkNZGx6tluh3TFjuNU_wcpkD_sTp9VH8HMyy__tMVe90LPsQaL0ujw2xB1fPb9JOPfMwYpr5zhsdXpF_w8g76yrHfsOAzxbft6cCOMIZ5N1qyhH/s400/Doctor-Strange-Comic-Con-Poster.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><br />
Holy crap, people!!! How long has it been since Uncle D has sat down with you and told you a story? No, I don't remember when the last Marvel movie came out either. And yeah, I admit I skipped out on reviewing Suicide Squad. I mainly blame Justin though. (That freaking guy. Quitting his last job and getting all dramatic about the "emotional damage" it caused him. Wah wah, Justin! Get another job you damn hippy wannabe! <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Love you.</span>)<br />
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You would think that the Marvel movies would be getting stale by this point. Sales figures have yielded mixed results with that, but overall it's still been PRETTY DAMN GOOD considering this is now the FOURTEENTH effing Marvel movie and Phase III is only just getting its feet wet. (I keep telling that asshole to just JUMP in the pool, so it'll be less cold, but I digress...) These movies are showing no signs of stopping, and somehow, we're still crossing territories we never have (or even thought we would have) before. Honestly, if I told you fifteen years ago that we'd be seeing a movie about the origins of the 'Sorcerer Supreme' someday, would you have believed me? Don't say you would! You're lying! You are the worst liar, I swear.<br />
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So what IS Doctor Strange all about? Tough cookie to describe, but I'll munch into this one head first (... *much*). Stephen Strange is a very famous doctor, who performs all kinds of incredible surgeries with his hands that he spends way too much time washing and staring at creepily. One day, he gets into an accident that HE caused, damaging the beautiful miracle surgery hands, and taking away their mint condition status. He looks for options to get his hands (that he can no longer creepily stare at the same way) back to normal, and eventually comes across people on another continent, who he believes can help him heal. Little did he realize what he would really get himself into...<br />
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You may have noticed my asshole-ish tone when describing Strange's character. (More asshole-ish than usual, I mean!) Well, there's kind of a reason for that. Are you ready for this bombshell to drop? Here it is... :<br />
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Stephen Strange is arguably a bigger asshole than Tony Stark.<br />
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... I'll give you all a minute to really process that.<br />
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No, I'm serious. This guy is completely egotistical to the point of madness, he's rich as f$%k, he only saves people he considers to be "worthy of his time," has no concern for other's well-being unless it affects his status, has a bad-ass collection of watches and a nice car that I'm admittedly completely jealous of, never accepts responsibility for his actions (even when told he's about to rip the entire time/space continuum apart!), and did I mention the creepy hand-washing thing!? I'm not going to lie to you all. I had a very hard time feeling any shred of sympathy for this guy. I guess you could say this is a reflection of how good an actor that Benedict Cumberbatch truly is? I mean, the guy also played Sherlock, and was a major asshole in that too. Huh...<br />
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(Seriously, I love Cumberbatch as an actor, so don't even think about flaming me after this. You know I know who you are...)<br />
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The pacing of the movie is a bit uneven, but I think that's one of the things I ended up liking about it the most (outside of the effects of course, which I am SO going to devote an entire paragraph to later!). It's no secret that the Marvel movies have all followed a very strict formula. If you didn't already realize this until now, and I've somehow ruined your entire love of the series, leading you to question what else society's been keeping from you, then I'm sorry, but also glad to hear you're taking your first steps! With that said, I can finally state that some of the strict/boring setup of the previous movies is finally starting to fade a bit. The majority of this movie actually does focus on character development and world building, more than "boom boom, whirly boom boom!" Not to say there isn't a lot of spectacular "whirly boom boom" to go with it, but I think you can see where I'm going with this. Instead of having a fine line between good and evil, we actually see two groups very mixed in thoughts and goals, as well as having their beliefs be constantly questioned. It's a beautiful thing that I'm sure Neil deGrasse Tyson would very much approve of (even though he probably doesn't appreciate the actual science of the movie as much. Ugh, I can feel you judging me from here, Neil. Back off with your actual scientific facts!!! (But seriously, can I call you Neil?) (Wow, I've used a lot of brackets in this paragraph...)).<br />
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Are you ready for the effects paragraph? HERE is the effects paragraph!!!... In the next one.<br />
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... OMG those effects tho!!! I am usually the first pretentious dick to criticize overuse of CGI in movies, to the point where there's no imagination to the product, but this yielded a much better result and actually gave me some hope for the technology. The parts of it that look cheesy are much fewer and farther between. Everything else is absolutely dreamlike. Buildings opening up and closing/flipping sideways and upside-down like it ain't no thang! Journeys into multiple astral planes and universes. It's just so damn pretty, that you can't NOT talk about it. If this is a sign of future CGI use in movies, I may actually be on board again. (I can also finally stop saying the last Mad Max movie was the only thing to get CGI right, even if for totally different reasons. HOO-HAH!)<br />
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This is also a pretty small thing to mention (to the point where Ant-Man would probably notice it first), but this may be the first time I left the theater actually humming and remembering a Marvel movie's soundtrack!!! Seriously, have you EVER done that with a Marvel movie before? Because I sure as hell didn't, and I don't remember anyone else saying they did either, so it must be true!<br />
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Is this the greatest Marvel movie ever made? Lol, nope. Not even close. It's one thing to have Strange's character evolve as far as it did, but... He's still an ass. He mainly got where he did from reading and learning (admittedly due to his photographic memory), and not from evolving as a person so much. That's not to say he didn't have ANY evolution whatsoever, but... damn. Wong put it perfectly when he said "... But you've still got much to learn." It's cool that they're obviously building this up so that Strange's character can grow even more, but what are we actually teaching the people who watched this movie in the meantime? Without going into direct spoilers, the "heroes" of the movie only won their fight with the "villains" by tapping into dark arts they were not supposed to, due to the risk of damaging the entire time-space continuum! And this was only considered after a certain someone's master was caught doing the same thing (whether for a just purpose or not). So... do whatever horrible means necessary to win a fight? Is that the message? I got nothing there.<br />
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There was also a huge (understandable) controversy over who was chosen to play Strange's teacher in the movie. While I am still kind of surprised over who the movie execs picked as well, I won't pretend that Tilda Swinton did a bad job with the performance either. She kicked a lot of butt in fact! But it's... still weird. I hope I can get some more clarity on that decision at some point. Other actors/actresses felt underused in their roles here; the most obvious being Chiwetel Ejiofor as Karl Mordo. He's really a mix of different comic book personalities into one, but that wasn't the issue here. Hell, I liked the fact that he wasn't just a straight up "muahahahaha evil" guy. But his character didn't get enough time to shine. We still only barely scratched the surface while learning about his motivations. Honestly, if the "villain" didn't go around and kill anyone in this movie, you'd have questioned whether anyone could consider him a villain character at all. I guess I can't hate on this too much, since it obviously leads to awesome winding paragraphs like this, where I let my full inner-nerd out, but I'd have still liked to see a lot more of this. Hopefully, now that the origins are out of the way, we can jump right into things next time!<br />
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8 uses of "Dormammu, I've come to bargain!" out of 10<br />
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Sorry to get all "movie critic" on yer butts, but I really did have a lot of opinions on this one. That's a good thing though, right? Can I get an actual job doing this yet, so I can STOP shooting things!??? No? Oh, okay... See you next time, true believers!!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPTPgnGADKVci3mI1DAOVTX2UJjVn-2_uZKjV5FwBTMnmEH6altTMiLat9jww4Ei9g5Bs__Oi4ZCvlr-n2AbS2h2kT4q5wsiOeoxDk4iafSAftPM4nndOUBec-8JyprJpvMAY8yn7c2PM6/s1600/DeadpoolDoctorStrange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPTPgnGADKVci3mI1DAOVTX2UJjVn-2_uZKjV5FwBTMnmEH6altTMiLat9jww4Ei9g5Bs__Oi4ZCvlr-n2AbS2h2kT4q5wsiOeoxDk4iafSAftPM4nndOUBec-8JyprJpvMAY8yn7c2PM6/s640/DeadpoolDoctorStrange.jpg" width="468" /></a></div></center>JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-21743768751917256932016-11-03T08:50:00.001-07:002016-11-03T08:50:46.432-07:00Book Review: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (1987)<center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZPXzGOcpoWMBSfvpY1IDiAQxSodtxqCsBWaFIhxaogBYbVkCOBBBWYksfMbbt9TUes5mQ77M0YaWulpacuKnyqzV-07pL6ogbZbMZgz64y8Co-fY1NxYNcB36cZEZrUDtEPPYbMyd5x_/s1600/Dirk_Gently_UK_front_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZPXzGOcpoWMBSfvpY1IDiAQxSodtxqCsBWaFIhxaogBYbVkCOBBBWYksfMbbt9TUes5mQ77M0YaWulpacuKnyqzV-07pL6ogbZbMZgz64y8Co-fY1NxYNcB36cZEZrUDtEPPYbMyd5x_/s400/Dirk_Gently_UK_front_cover.jpg" width="267" height="400" /></a></div><br />
I'll begin this review with a confession: As much of a diehard fan as I am of Douglas Adams' 'Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy' series of books, I have never really developed an interest in reading the two Dirk Gently novels until recently. It's strange too, because The Hitchhiker novels were some of my favorite books of all time back when I had first read them (which I would still gladly include in my top 10 now). You would think I'd have been more curious to delve into these at the time! I have another confession to make: What gave me the motivation to finally pick it up, was the information I had heard and seen regarding the new TV series on BBC America (currently airing as I type this). It looked like it could be a lot of fun, and was something I felt immediately curious over. The week before it aired, I ended up finding a paperback copy of the first book at a library sale, and figured I could hardly go wrong for the $.50 it cost me. Imagine my surprise to find out that it has almost nothing in common with BBC's new series (so far)! But that's not the point here, as this blog is about the novel, and not the TV show.<br />
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I'm going to try as best I can not to come off as if I'm jumping from place to place during this review, but I have a feeling it will be difficult to do, since the book itself is written in such a style. The first few chapters merely give us information about the setting, with some clues about what we're even supposed to be taking in at this point. Dirk? We don't even hear a mention of his name until the end of chapter 4. Sounds odd, yes? Trust me when I say you don't even know the half of it. We're introduced to multiple characters (such as The Electric Monk, Richard, Gordon, Reg, and others) with seemingly no connection to each other. Cue Dirk (also known as Svlad Cjelli), who comes in to somehow bring it all together and solve a murder. This isn't done by any typical means however, as this is a holistic detective agency, meaning that Dirk believes in the "interconnectedness" of all things in the universe. He simply can't be bothered by trivial matters, such as physical evidence, to solve a case.<br />
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It's hard to look back on this book and recall when it all actually started to come together and make even a semblance of sense. Sure, there are plenty of clues that the reader can pick up on and figure out on their own, but there are so many other strange and wacky plot points to throw you off track, it's actually remarkable. Because of this confusing nature, I admit it was a bit difficult to stay interested during the first quarter or so of the book. It reminded me of how confused I was the first time I read Frank Herbert's "Dune," not being able to understand the terminology being thrown at me right in the first chapter.<br />
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Like "Dune" however, I am very glad I stuck with this book all the way to the end. When things finally did begin to come together, it was almost impossible to put down. I can attest to this, due to the fact that I stayed up until about 4 AM to read the last quarter of it in one sitting. (Honestly, when your book consists of plot twists involving ghosts, time travel, and the secrets of the very universe itself, who can say no!?)<br />
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It's easy to compare Dirk's character to that of Shelock Holmes and The Doctor from Doctor Who, the latter in particular. This isn't a coincidence, as Adams actually came up with this idea for Dirk Gently during his time writing for Doctor Who. If you were to look up the serials "City Of Death" and more importantly, the cancelled "Shada," then you would likely notice multiple similarities (which I will not post here at the risk of spoiling any major plot points in this book). I would argue that Dirk is nuttier than both Sherlock and The Doctor put together, and I do not say that lightly. This is a man that made trips to other continents and added it to a woman's bill, while claiming it was all in the name of finding her lost cat!<br />
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What really makes this disjointed novel still work in the end is Douglas Adams' brilliant use of wit and humor. If anyone can pull off something as utterly ridiculous as this story, and still make it feel worth your while, it's Adams. I found myself rethinking old scientific concepts that I had always taken for granted growing up, and caught myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion. It was also a relief to see that none of the chapters or paragraphs in this book were wasted. Everything really WAS connected and it made the remainder of the read far more satisfying. I am also tempted to re-read it now, and to go in with a completely different mindset to the earlier chapters that confused me so much the first time around.<br />
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This is far from a perfect book (and I admit, I have a hard time recommending it to everyone, due to the confusing and fragmented nature of the storytelling as a whole), but any fan of Hitchhiker's Guide and the remainder of Adams' work owes it to themselves to give "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" a try. Even with the abrupt and arguably anticlimactic ending, I never felt that my time reading this was wasted in any way. If you have never read any of Adams' other work before, I would suggest starting with Hitchhiker's Guide (as so many already have) and going from there if you decide you want more of that same kind of charm. Whether or not the new TV series succeeds, this book is not to be missed.<br />
</center>JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-62579276427680985222016-09-15T22:46:00.000-07:002016-09-15T22:48:11.251-07:00Thoughts On A Video Game Con (2016)<center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkcQB1s4KRCGPWzh7Lx21dRxho_LKg-xzW5DnLlNnGb5z1fyhlII9y3VA3B7zHLlYRBo4BeU5lhTigd9sqDUfCWmQQwMcmjopM-S-_kcdC75dhiiSZQQRMEWa0gFA2VewsghDyRuh8X3K/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkcQB1s4KRCGPWzh7Lx21dRxho_LKg-xzW5DnLlNnGb5z1fyhlII9y3VA3B7zHLlYRBo4BeU5lhTigd9sqDUfCWmQQwMcmjopM-S-_kcdC75dhiiSZQQRMEWa0gFA2VewsghDyRuh8X3K/s400/maxresdefault.jpg" width="400" height="225" /></a></div><br />
With fond memories of the previous year, I was more than happy to attend A Video Game Con as a panelist once again. I was also glad to see it getting a second year, as not only did I enjoy the events, but I also reconnected with many friends (as well as gained many new ones) in the process. Did it hold up against its promising first year, especially with even larger special events planned??? Read below to find out!!!<br />
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The first thing my friend Willie and I noticed, was that the structure of the con was more or less the same, but with some slight tweaks that we felt made the event even better. For one thing, the hallway to the right of the entrance was no longer cramped with vendor tables. This allowed everyone to easily walk through and not feel as claustrophobic as the previous year. Even more important; the parking was clearly laid out this year with a helpful map, so that no one would have to worry about finding spaces. Two MAJOR plusses!<br />
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Unlike the previous year, my Streaming 101 panel was not scheduled until 3:00, so my friend and I had time to look around in the dealer/vendor's room first. Although it wasn't the largest vendor selection ever, I can honestly say that it was by far most comprehensive group of gaming vendors I've ever seen (and I'm including big conventions like New York Comic Con when I say this)! No matter what your preference (NES, Super NES, Sega Genesis, Famicom, Super Famicom, Playstation 1-4, Xbox-Xbox ONE, etc.), just about everything you could imagine was there in some way, shape, or form. I even remember spotting some of the old LCD handheld games that I played as a child. <br />
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I made some purchases at the vendors, but tried not to go too nuts (as it's very easy to do over there!). I made out with copies of Tetris, Super Mario Brothers 3, and The Legend of Zelda (gold cartridge) for the NES. I also got a nice used copy of Parasite Eve, which I have played many times before, but never owned previously. I held back on many other things, and decided I'd sleep on a few other items I was thinking about.<br />
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After getting lunch from the awesome truck right outside the building, my friend and I went into the arcade/stage room to check out what had been set up. Willie, his friend Brian, and I all teamed up to win The Simpsons Arcade Game together, and even got to enter our initials in the high score column! I also got to meet Pat Contri (known as Pat The NES Punk on YouTube). He was selling copies of his new book, Ultimate Nintendo: Guide To The NES Library. When I say this thing was a giant tome of a book, I mean it was a GIANT TOME of a book! It contains over 450 pages with titles, illustrations, and descriptions of over 750 NES games. It was well worth the price, and Pat was kind enough to sign my copy for me. I lucked out too, as I believe the book sold out not long after.<br />
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After glancing around the freeplay room and signing in to confirm I was still doing a panel (thanks for pointing that out to me before it was too late, Keith!), my friend and I made our way to Panel Room 2 for setting up. Thankfully, unlike last year, we had a laptop that was actually working right (thanks to Willie!). I was also thrilled to see more people come into the panel than last year. For those who don't know, my panel last year was literally one of the first two of the entire convention, starting at 10:00 AM. Almost no one was even in the building yet by that time, and people were still waiting in line to even get inside! On top of that, there were numerous technical issues we had when trying to set up. So to make a long story short again, I was ECSTATIC to have my panel start a bit later, as well as have a bigger audience this time around.<br />
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As the name states, the point of my panel was to both introduce the concept of streaming video games to others, and educate them on how they can get started on this fun and exciting hobby. I'm happy to say things seemed to go pretty well! For one thing, there were no laptop issues to speak of, as the one my friend lent me didn't overheat or slow down at any point. The audience also really seemed intrigued and entertained by the things I was saying. It was a great sign that so many wanted to take my business card, including the people who had to leave before the panel had ended. I even recognized a girl who came to my JRPG panel the previous year, which meant I couldn't have performed too badly, right? The highlight of the entire panel for me, was finishing up the first video of one of my funny short clips and asking if they wanted to see more, only to hear cheering of "YEAH!" and clapping in reply. I left things feeling accomplished, and more like I could finally just breathe and enjoy the convention.<br />
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The rest of the day was mostly a mix of walking around more, playing more freeplay games, and finding and talking with more friends and staff. I also have to give a shout out to Paul of Retrogames for taking the time to talk with me about the ins and outs of starting a small business. It's all advice I will absolutely take to heart, and appreciate the brutal honesty that I know I needed to hear.<br />
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We finished the day by going to two late night (18+) panels, "Anime Parliament" and "AHH! Video Game Cartoons," both of which were extremely funny and entertaining. I even participated in a game during the latter panel, where we had to try and fill in the blanks to sentences with something funny/dirty to win candy. Good stuff! And I definitely slept extremely well that night, since I was so tired from all the chaos.<br />
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Despite everything I listed above, it was the second day of the convention where the "real" main events took place! On one hand, we had The Angry Video Game Nerd (AVGN) as the guest of honor, as well as Bootsy and Kyle Justin. On the other, we had the recently discovered Playstation/Nintendo prototype system that was originally believed to be an old folktale on the Internet. Needless to say, it was quite a lineup!<br />
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Since my friend and I had to come extremely early in order to get one of our volunteer friends to the convention before it opened, we were able to get inside pretty quickly once 9:30 hit. Since there was a decent amount of time before lining up for AVGN even began, we went back to the dealer's room once again. I finally made a purchase I had been on the fence about since the day before (partly because I didn't even know the device existed until said day!). The HoneyBee Gold is a converter piece that allows your NES to play original Japanese Famicom games on it. How does this work? Well, it's all in the number of pins! NES cartridges have 72 pins, while Famicom cartridges have 60. This converter is basically a middleman that you plug a Famicom cartridge into (similar to a Game Genie). After that, you're good to go! It's considered the most sought-after type of converter, so I pretty much had to get it. In the process, this has now opened me up to a whole world of gaming from Japan that I never even imagined myself collecting in the past. The good news is that most Famicom games are actually cheaper than their NES counterparts, as well as many of the Japan-only releases.<br />
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Following this, I went with my friend to a booth that had all kinds of Famicom games in it. We pretty much picked the entire counter apart. Even the titles in full Japanese, we were usually able to recognize, and kept calling the names of each one out as we realized. We apparently shocked one of the guys behind the counter, because he looked at both of us (almost with his jaw open) and said "Wow... You guys know your stuff!!!" I guess he had a harder time figuring out what he had before putting it up for sale. I ended up getting the first Saint Seiya title for the console, "Saint Seiya: Ougon Densetsu Kanketsu Hen." Whether it's good or not, I always remember the first games I purchase on each system, and this one will be no exception when I finally get to try it.<br />
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Once we went to go line up for The Angry Video Game Nerd, we were already pretty far back, as it went all the way out the building! Luckily, we met a lot of new friends in the line and we helped each other pass the time. Finally getting up to the front was a great feeling. Unlike most conventions, where you are rushed out as soon as your autograph or photo op is complete, this was an actual meet and greet. I chatted with him about as much as I could think to mention at the time. I actually got him to laugh pretty hard at one point too, saying something along the lines of "I find it hilarious how you did this as a persona, while it ended up attracting other imitators, who were actually legitimately angry people! They never realized that they were really the punch line all along!" He said he had never heard it described that way before, but said it had a ring of truth to it and thanked me for coming up with it. We also took a picture, making the trademark angry face he's become so known for. He was a very down-to-Earth guy and it was very nice talking with him.<br />
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The fun wasn't over yet, however! It was time to check out the Playstation/Nintendo console prototype. As a gamer, I must confess, it was incredible seeing this device up close. There is no way to truly describe seeing a controller with the Super Nintendo setup, and a Sony Playstation logo on the front (while the Nintendo logo was on the back)! I tried to take pictures of the console and its ports (though some pictures came out a bit blurry unfortunately). I am very grateful to everyone who made it possible for us to see this prototype. It added a special kind of experience that I've never quite seen at a convention before (including both big and local events).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNJKOksJsXvuzssSp9BOCd2H5Y34AJTn5SumljeJ8QAZZLUTEWBkD86068royfgkNMshmQbajJ4xQRBxyNwNFUyH2VnUcKbAbidOXvOBIAcbIu3HYwsl3TMwXQUNhUPy8bdJlGsDRGmrP/s1600/PS+Nintendo+Prototype.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNJKOksJsXvuzssSp9BOCd2H5Y34AJTn5SumljeJ8QAZZLUTEWBkD86068royfgkNMshmQbajJ4xQRBxyNwNFUyH2VnUcKbAbidOXvOBIAcbIu3HYwsl3TMwXQUNhUPy8bdJlGsDRGmrP/s400/PS+Nintendo+Prototype.jpg" width="400" height="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNl-0UM_kxWbKq_p7nTkxVqOJQKzF2v52Hfy5IcRL4MTrN4atOh50GPS_VRNGHwUC4Eu8BZl-yHB9asA4LwXYFWHhvnkpBt9OS9akmYaCijJtkTXbR4b3WP3T13Lsa9mQTe6PMKJQ1JPH6/s1600/PS+Nintendo+Prototype+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNl-0UM_kxWbKq_p7nTkxVqOJQKzF2v52Hfy5IcRL4MTrN4atOh50GPS_VRNGHwUC4Eu8BZl-yHB9asA4LwXYFWHhvnkpBt9OS9akmYaCijJtkTXbR4b3WP3T13Lsa9mQTe6PMKJQ1JPH6/s400/PS+Nintendo+Prototype+1.jpg" width="225" height="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSp3Y3JHvilvnj2FNH7q8ddE7sRjKgjuo-wKEe_YBFLMtKCi3VnaX8mEs63oi02pE6sbTrW8sikuHhAiRZd58CQR25BYV58ppRyl0NMn64f5DRlt-cKye30b4BjHtFdvgoxycqfdtESoMy/s1600/PS+Nintendo+Prototype+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSp3Y3JHvilvnj2FNH7q8ddE7sRjKgjuo-wKEe_YBFLMtKCi3VnaX8mEs63oi02pE6sbTrW8sikuHhAiRZd58CQR25BYV58ppRyl0NMn64f5DRlt-cKye30b4BjHtFdvgoxycqfdtESoMy/s400/PS+Nintendo+Prototype+2.jpg" width="400" height="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPPNSoq1s8T0YdfWiblxjEPKDOWlJ4B8G1D2I2XDI3oSLNpJnZiyaEdUfESao_U_0jXVpG8MCt3M3LhD5t28xoWo5Ija6OpjZ6JwMSCejHKqOmFoOXt9THZEmupHfqZkDprtmiri9cy27V/s1600/PS+Nintendo+Prototype+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPPNSoq1s8T0YdfWiblxjEPKDOWlJ4B8G1D2I2XDI3oSLNpJnZiyaEdUfESao_U_0jXVpG8MCt3M3LhD5t28xoWo5Ija6OpjZ6JwMSCejHKqOmFoOXt9THZEmupHfqZkDprtmiri9cy27V/s400/PS+Nintendo+Prototype+3.jpg" width="400" height="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDxacbI5qdPivrOslbjekfJjLpZWZQjGaE-Cu5VYIr4AUXL19rtxd7ZIDIq1p9eprlAokbtVk74a1TOi4WpaF3rhMO1Zbb_YLAbxbS2FiJhV0m6vQRR7WhDmN0dWcuph-8Epo2TORko_L/s1600/PS+Nintendo+Prototype+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDxacbI5qdPivrOslbjekfJjLpZWZQjGaE-Cu5VYIr4AUXL19rtxd7ZIDIq1p9eprlAokbtVk74a1TOi4WpaF3rhMO1Zbb_YLAbxbS2FiJhV0m6vQRR7WhDmN0dWcuph-8Epo2TORko_L/s400/PS+Nintendo+Prototype+4.jpg" width="400" height="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-KLkKpE3Zi4DfylsPAo0aH_EgLS_7N6emW5dL1SCtyOuFhHTTLq5e5SIY2oIwUROletNLERQUM1Q2wY0K5QBguHYOE26p2Lkn7tDX1S9SzQ1I0nNBhBcECeg_T4Rqfq5zTQ09NtkkW4-/s1600/PS+Nintendo+Prototype+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-KLkKpE3Zi4DfylsPAo0aH_EgLS_7N6emW5dL1SCtyOuFhHTTLq5e5SIY2oIwUROletNLERQUM1Q2wY0K5QBguHYOE26p2Lkn7tDX1S9SzQ1I0nNBhBcECeg_T4Rqfq5zTQ09NtkkW4-/s400/PS+Nintendo+Prototype+5.jpg" width="225" height="400" /></a></div><br />
The remainder of the consisted of walking around, playing more games in freeplay (such as Mega Man 3, Capcom Vs. SNK 2, and others), and talking with more people. I was also thrilled to see my friend Jeffery win the cosplay contest with a new friend he had literally just met the day before! Since the convention closed earlier on its second day, there wasn't much left to do other than say goodbye to everyone and look forward to next year.<br />
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Although brief (even with the second day added), this convention left me with a lot to think about. It's been a dream of mine to start my own business, as well as run a convention, and the things I learned left me with more knowledge on the subjects. Unfortunately, it also left me with a bit of dread. Obviously, not all news regarding these types of ventures are going to be good news. There's a serious amount of sacrifice one has to make in order to make their dreams possible, and it's not hard to be pulled back by it sometimes. Make no mistake, however. I will not give up, and I will not stop trying, ever. That much I can promise.<br />
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I'd like to thank all of my friends who helped make this event a possibility for us once again. Paul, Nicole, Coryn, Anthony, Cathryn, Keith (who I always manage to look like an idiot in front of), Elyse, Kathryn, etc., you are wonderful and I wish you all the best. To all my new friends and old, I look forward to connecting with you all again soon as well. It's always a real joy to connect with people over similar passions, and I can't wait to do it all again. See you next year, fellow gamers!<br />
</center>JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-8506232699570234412016-08-13T20:34:00.002-07:002016-08-13T20:41:02.672-07:00Classic Cinema: Rashōmon (1950)<center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHKtCE4GgumkT9vcRdVAneXBya0gxuIsVIS9lxTWfCE10OzKd5aCw6EWZJTqsLHkJLbww5XPouoEksI3AofIJ9IbKnCUg94jMWXep-FNJrHCyo2varUybAZORPOjB_4wMEHg6lirY6tFJC/s1600/rashomon-166287858-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHKtCE4GgumkT9vcRdVAneXBya0gxuIsVIS9lxTWfCE10OzKd5aCw6EWZJTqsLHkJLbww5XPouoEksI3AofIJ9IbKnCUg94jMWXep-FNJrHCyo2varUybAZORPOjB_4wMEHg6lirY6tFJC/s640/rashomon-166287858-large.jpg" width="450" height="640" /></a></div><br />
It was only a matter of time before I got into an Akira Kurosawa movie for this classic film blog, and mark my words; this will certainly not be the last (as The Hidden Fortress, The Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, and many others will likely reach this blog someday). There is no simple way to describe the impact that Akira Kurosawa's directing had on the world (let alone all of Japan). A large amount of the movies and TV shows you enjoy today actually exist due to said influence. Whether it's through plot direction or film technique, you can usually find Kurosawa's name at the end of the rainbow. As with my previous entry, I'll be using this post to describe both the chosen movie, and what makes it so historically relevant. The film I've chosen to discuss for this blog is Rashōmon, the first movie of Kurosawa's to reach international acclaim, including the United States after its release in 1950. It was based on a short story called "In The Grove."<br />
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Rashōmon tells the story of multiple characters involved in a murder scene. Each person involved (a samurai, his wife, a bandit named Tajōmaru, and a woodcutter) tells their version of the story to the court. But there lies a grave issue: each account of what happened is completely different from the last! Just as you believe you are finally getting to the bottom of the story, you hear another person tell a tale that completely contradicts the previous one. <br />
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The movie begins with a woodcutter and a priest, sitting under the Rashōmon city gate and waiting for a heavy rain to pass. Another man comes out of the rain to join them, and tries to determine why the two look so perplexed. They each begin to explain of horrible events to which they are still trying to make sense of. The woodcutter then begins to tell his story, oh how he was walking through a forest with an axe in hand. After many careful and interesting camera maneuvers to make us truly feel isolated in this forest with him, he spots a dead body and immediately runs away in fear, before telling the courts of what he saw. Or at least, that's what we're lead to believe...<br />
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The first account we hear of is that of Tajōmaru (the bandit), who saw a samurai man and his wife travelling by, and immediately fell for the woman after gazing at her. He advised he laid out a trap to lure the man away, in order to steal his wife and avoid having to kill the man. He tied up the samurai and led his wife to them, where she was allegedly "seduced" by the bandit. The wife then demanded that one of them must die, so that she would not have to live with the shame of two men knowing of her "dishonor." The bandit's plan obviously went sour by this point, resulting in the two of them having to sword fight, and the wife running away without a trace after also trying to fight back with a dagger. The bandit claimed responsibility for killing the samurai and raping his wife.<br />
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We then hear the story from the samurai's wife, and the movie officially gets more confusing from this point forward. Her story contradicts the bandit's in many ways, with the sole exception of the samurai being killed. She states that after the bandit raped her, he left temporarily. Her husband simply stared at her coldly, and when she freed him and begged him to kill her in order to no longer live with the shame, he simply continued to stare. She claimed to be so disturbed by this, that she fainted, only to wake up and find her husband dead. Her dagger was found in his chest, leading us to now believe that she killed the samurai.<br />
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To make things even more peculiar, we then hear the story of the deceased samurai. How? Well, a medium is performed, in order to allow the dead samurai to speak on his behalf. For those who don't know, a medium is a practice that is performed in order for people to communicate or mediate with the dead. This process is almost casually used in order for us to hear of the samurai's account. Once again, we hear a completely different story. After Tajōmaru raped the samurai's wife, he asked her to come with him. She agreed, but only on the premise that he killed her husband, so that she would not have to live with the shame of having been with two men. Tajōmaru was shocked by this request and hesitated for a bit, before grabbing the wife, and giving the samurai a choice: either he lets her go or kills her. The samurai responded with the now famous line "For these words alone, I was ready to pardon his crime." The wife ran away, and the bandit followed with chase. He eventually gave up and came back to the samurai, setting him free. The samurai then killed himself with the dagger mentioned in the bandit's account of the story. The dagger was also apparently removed from his chest by someone else afterward.<br />
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We now return to the Rashōmon gate, with the three men pondering over this peculiar situation. The woodcutter begins to lose patience and shouts that all three stories are incorrect. He then reveals that he did indeed see the whole thing, but didn't want to get involved.<br />
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In the woodcutter's account of the story, Tajōmaru had tied up the samurai and begged his wife to join and marry him. She instead proceeded to freeing her husband. In a strange twist, the samurai refused to fight Tajōmaru, saying that he had no desire to risk his life for her. The wife chastised them both, saying they were not real men, and heavily pressured both of them into fighting. Both men were completely scared, but eventually began fighting. The fight, according to the woodcutter, was far more imbalanced and messy. They were extremely nervous, making careless swings and rolling around constantly. The fight resulted in Tajōmaru winning by a stroke of luck, though it could have easily gone the other way. The samurai begged for his life before Tajōmaru finished him off, and the wife ran away in fear.<br />
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The discussion between the three men is interrupted by the sudden sound of a baby crying. They run to the other side of the gate and find it there, with a kimono and amulet. The visiting man takes the kimono and amulet, receiving criticism from the woodcutter for stealing from an abandoned baby. The commoner immediately hits back, revealing that he figured out the missing dagger was in fact stolen by the woodcutter, and that he was "a bandit calling another a bandit." He leaves the woodcutter and priest, saying that all men are motivated by self-interest, and nothing more.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dQxAoZB-v2NWCzMaytl3TRrbFTouFvdjEw9A3rUShom7EsQ0oowfALFApAlbLk7Fwsn3tOZwgFQL5l-40g2p8D5Zs9Qozz3r9XjIT9Ydat9jocYz5xUa_751xK5pX3eAhUG_-TWtOk97/s1600/Rashomon01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dQxAoZB-v2NWCzMaytl3TRrbFTouFvdjEw9A3rUShom7EsQ0oowfALFApAlbLk7Fwsn3tOZwgFQL5l-40g2p8D5Zs9Qozz3r9XjIT9Ydat9jocYz5xUa_751xK5pX3eAhUG_-TWtOk97/s400/Rashomon01.png" width="400" height="291" /></a></div><br />
In the final moments of the film, the priest loses just about all hope for humanity. The woodcutter reaches for the baby, before the priest pulls back out of suspicion. The woodcutter explains to the priest that he already has six children, and that one more wouldn't be a big deal to him. At this moment, the priest then realizes that the woodcutter stole the dagger in order to help provide for his family. He advises that his faith in humanity is restored again, and hands the baby to the woodcutter. The rain finally stops and the woodcutter walks home with his new child in hand.<br />
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Although it may not be clear in my description of the film above; this movie does not actually contain a large amount of dialogue. The filming was meant to carry the story along just as much, if not more than the dialogue that complimented it. Kurosawa was heavily influenced by silent films, and it shows here. Many would argue that taking the minimalist approach to filming actually increased the impact of this story, rather than hindering it. There were no expensive set pieces to be seen; just forest, the Rashōmon gate, and the courts (of which we never actually heard the judges speak at any point).<br />
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Filming technique has always been a strong part of Kurosawa's magic, and this is great movie to point it out with. Kurosawa was said to be one of (if not the) first directors to point the camera straight at the sun to craft a scene with. Every shot taken in the forest is made to give us the feeling that we're truly in a wide-open area, while still making us uneasy; as if we are being watched at the same time.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2PhizeW9w-QEbYUvINPq69Lh6PXKIZWnjE29s14sqzeUPiirDnfeFbiPLIPYjJuCD0IL2ISH0wq0A4hkIxzR-jvghFx1EFyd_oq3a1OeJiYUkCKXtSEou01z7ScEkdYGIxMFTeJOsndk/s1600/Rashomon-screen-shot-2013-10-16-at-23-43-051.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2PhizeW9w-QEbYUvINPq69Lh6PXKIZWnjE29s14sqzeUPiirDnfeFbiPLIPYjJuCD0IL2ISH0wq0A4hkIxzR-jvghFx1EFyd_oq3a1OeJiYUkCKXtSEou01z7ScEkdYGIxMFTeJOsndk/s400/Rashomon-screen-shot-2013-10-16-at-23-43-051.png" width="400" height="279" /></a></div><br />
What of course makes this story interesting more than any other factor, is the conflicting perspectives of the people telling their accounts of the story. Even after hearing the woodcutter's version of the situation, we are never really told if any of these accounts were right or wrong. Some may have been completely right, completely wrong, or partially right, and we'll honestly never know. That is left for the viewer to surmise on their own, and to this day, there is no real answer. I watched an informative interview with Robert Altman (of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, MASH, Nashville, and numerous others), who described another important aspect this movie had on future films. He pointed out that up to that point, we simply told ourselves to believe everything we saw onscreen. This film simply threw that concept out the window, and left us completely vulnerable and confused.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBMnOVlp2wZE8wyP08j3bxT4AdXmrqGKjkcZlefxgspTyvxtYQHnO6oZdCyOFV_j48p5I8baLXI8Oy3kBpKGtEyNwQevlahTmcQt1KAt7HKL1KGC65iyinq7qLzPkX_SWHeVUmZSYZ0xgA/s1600/Rashomon001%255B500px%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBMnOVlp2wZE8wyP08j3bxT4AdXmrqGKjkcZlefxgspTyvxtYQHnO6oZdCyOFV_j48p5I8baLXI8Oy3kBpKGtEyNwQevlahTmcQt1KAt7HKL1KGC65iyinq7qLzPkX_SWHeVUmZSYZ0xgA/s400/Rashomon001%255B500px%255D.jpg" width="400" height="306" /></a></div><br />
Have you ever seen a movie or TV show, in which the characters involved are trying to resolve some type of mystery by describing conflicting accounts of a situation? Rashōmon is the reason this type of storytelling even exists in film, and yet, the movie still makes it feel like a fresh concept, even now. It is such an iconic film, that the term " Rashōmon effect" is actually used to describe this very concept today.<br />
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It's easy to recommend Akira Kurosawa's works to film-lovers or those aspiring to get into classic cinema, but naming which films are the most essential can sometimes be a bit more difficult for enthusiasts. I can say with full confidence that this is not one of those cases however, as it universally seen as one of the most important works to come out of one of the most important directors in film history. In future blogs, I will be happy to talk more about Kurosawa's continued inspiration on Western cinema.<br />
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Stay tuned for the next blog entry, where we'll be taking things back a bit and going into one of my other favorite directors of all time, Fritz Lang, and his classic silent film, Metropolis.<br />
</center>JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-64623036619748972532016-07-12T00:55:00.000-07:002016-07-12T00:55:44.975-07:00Thoughts On Garden State Comic Fest (2016)<center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW1FjNU84wBrgilD6CWHxNoNNP40dRM386P9hgRfntJQwa4ow1kgLeKYRju0KufJ-qbUnZxwviezRF3MV362HpUYahJo5gI63CtR4pO2nwCo-61D8H6qs6OcZ9TNyhRkAcZJsja8WbqXEd/s1600/cceimg.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW1FjNU84wBrgilD6CWHxNoNNP40dRM386P9hgRfntJQwa4ow1kgLeKYRju0KufJ-qbUnZxwviezRF3MV362HpUYahJo5gI63CtR4pO2nwCo-61D8H6qs6OcZ9TNyhRkAcZJsja8WbqXEd/s400/cceimg.jpg" width="400" height="267" /></a><br />
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To some readers, it may seem like all I ever do is go to different conventions across the East Coast every other week. To be honest with you, I don't think I'd mind if that were the case! While the idea of starting my own convention is still a priority in the future, I plan to take in as much as I can from other local events. So this weekend, my friend and I attended Garden State Comic Fest in Morristown, NJ. Like East Coast Comic Con, Garden State Comic Fest is advertised as a comic-focused convention, keeping the spirit of what a "Comic Con" was always meant to be. How did this one stack up against the rest?<br />
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Something I've always loved about the smaller conventions, is the idea that there is usually less ground to cover, and more time to simply take in what's around you. I'm happy to say this event is no exception to that rule. Being a sports arena, two large rooms were taken full advantage of (one actually being a hockey rink!), and a large hallway to keep it all together. Not during any point did it feel too crowded, or like there was a lack of space anywhere. It was also nice that they had a food counter in the large hallway, so you never had to go too far.<br />
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The first person I saw coming in was Paul of A Video Game Con. He had a great table set up, with two TVs and classic NES and Sega Genesis games on each. He told me that one of the best parts of the day for him, was seeing all the young kids who never grew up on these types of games, actually come up and learn how to play them for the first time. I wished him the best of luck and told him I can't wait for his event come September. I also hope they let me do my two panels again this year!<br />
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My friend and I figured that Kevin Eastman (co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) would be one of the first people we should head to, since his line was bound to be long. But we decided to start with the "Heroes Room" first, mainly because we didn't actually look at the map yet, and just kind of wanted to get the law of the land first. Right as we came in, there were comic and action figure vendors all over! This was also perfect, since there were a few comics/graphic novels I actually wanted to get for the sole purpose of getting them signed by some of the guests. (More on that later.) <br />
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The first person we came across when walking up the center isle was none other than Bob Camp, co-creator of The Ren and Stimpy show! Two minutes of talking with this man had me laughing just as much as when I first watched the cartoon as a toddler (even though looking back, that show was definitely NOT appropriate for children!). When I took a picture with him, he shouted "Everyone say shiiiiiit," causing us all to laugh pretty hard. He then followed that up by saying "See, that gets a genuine smile out of people; not like that fake stuff." Too true, Bob. Too true.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOvX8pz5oZkx8x8msp_1qAhRH_-q5P78iayfwMiySnFDxO3Wp4WtKY4NANv9MVVC4E7gzNlyXD9GLLSXlVciLBZaMu-CtnOtuzEK49hdOqQWIZPRp7HkKVW984wcesSU_dHvMBwaSds2X0/s1600/13664371_10106544997514399_2124844831_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOvX8pz5oZkx8x8msp_1qAhRH_-q5P78iayfwMiySnFDxO3Wp4WtKY4NANv9MVVC4E7gzNlyXD9GLLSXlVciLBZaMu-CtnOtuzEK49hdOqQWIZPRp7HkKVW984wcesSU_dHvMBwaSds2X0/s640/13664371_10106544997514399_2124844831_n.jpg" width="480" height="640" /></a><br />
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While wandering around (and seeing what was quite possibly the greatest Hulkbuster cosplay of all time), I also stopped by Rags Morales' booth to get him to sign my copies of Action Comics #1 (New 52) and the Identity Crisis graphic novel. He was happy to do so. I also saw Scott Hanna again, but I didn't have anything for him to sign this time, unfortunately. He's come to quite a few local conventions though, and I'm sure I'll have more opportunities to chat with him again in the future.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXeEFrF9iMHvFJxKLDmFhC8znTlNde_cuwXTmFPCgTofWq31WDNfpVgA-gvoPRjV8N3s_KKbVUH5yrkEbE00VyOnFHgvD4Xycc_C0I_0jZ0Mr1UoJHweXcXapc3bQ0za6lIoyZkAynfyb1/s1600/2016-07-09+20.44.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXeEFrF9iMHvFJxKLDmFhC8znTlNde_cuwXTmFPCgTofWq31WDNfpVgA-gvoPRjV8N3s_KKbVUH5yrkEbE00VyOnFHgvD4Xycc_C0I_0jZ0Mr1UoJHweXcXapc3bQ0za6lIoyZkAynfyb1/s320/2016-07-09+20.44.28.jpg" width="240" height="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi168m21Qp_k8gHAFkMIlL5_3diDsxyeNJrdTCoQTQ_1oYGMC1ar8_YB9RcHUnREUREH-oGkkRKFrciAriVabb7ubMeqPy-v9e-C7MAosDoMUIej8EwRCCnnGqx2VhTdv_46LcziF9R3KoW/s1600/2016-07-09+20.44.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi168m21Qp_k8gHAFkMIlL5_3diDsxyeNJrdTCoQTQ_1oYGMC1ar8_YB9RcHUnREUREH-oGkkRKFrciAriVabb7ubMeqPy-v9e-C7MAosDoMUIej8EwRCCnnGqx2VhTdv_46LcziF9R3KoW/s320/2016-07-09+20.44.13.jpg" width="240" height="320" /></a><br />
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While I already had some things ready for Kevin Eastman to sign, I didn't have everything I wanted for Walt and Louise Simonson. This was especially true in Walt's case, as I admit I have never actually owned any of his run on Thor in the past. For Louise, I had a copy of Web of Spider-Man #1, Superman #75 (Vol. 2), and The Death of Superman graphic novel. Since she was also the creator of the X-Men villain Apocalypse, I just knew I'd have to get something X-Men-related for her as well. Thankfully, I managed to find a copy of X-Factor #6 at one of the dealer's booths (which was not only her first issue as writer for X-Factor, but the first full appearance of Apocalypse himself!). After finishing up exploring the "Heroes Room" for now, my friend and I went into the "Villains Room" to check out the other side (and finally get over to Kevin Eastman!). Before moving too far forward, I managed to find a copy of the graphic novel "Thor by Walter Simonson - Volume 1" at another booth. While it's not quite the same as having any issues of his (particularly his first Thor issue, #337), I figured it was at least something.<br />
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After this, my friend and I finally decided to stop playing around and locate Kevin Eastman's booth. I was afraid the line would be ridiculous by that point, and I was pretty much right... From about 11 AM to 12:45 PM, we waited to get to the front. The line got so large that con staff actually had to break it off and told everyone else to come back after 2 PM. Kevin Eastman's method for signings was a bit more creative than what I'm used to seeing creators do. The first item you brought up to him was free, while any after that were an additional $20. This was eerily perfect, as I had only brought two items with me (my Ultimate Black & White Collection Vol.1 graphic novel, and the GameStop reprinting of issue #1), and my friend was kind enough to stand in line with me to hand Kevin the second. I can honestly say the wait was well worth it. Kevin was an awesome guy to talk to, and it felt like he had been a friend of mine for years. I'd love to have that kind of charisma with fans of my own someday.<br />
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I looked around the "Villains Room" a little more after this, and got Scott Lobdell to sign my copy of Astonishing X-Men #1 (the first issue in the Age of Apocalypse crossover, to which he was a major driving force). I also got Tom Palmer to sign my copy of Kick-Ass #1 (to which he was the inker). We actually had a good talk about the impact of both the comic and the movie, and how the first film was almost exactly like the comic for about the first half or so. We also laughed about how Mark Millar always seems to try and push the (controversial) bar a little more with every major comic he puts out.<br />
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Before heading back to the main hallway for some lunch, I met up with Petterson Oliveira, one of the recent graduates from The Kubert School, who I met with some other students at a Barnes and Noble a few months back. I really do hope he becomes successful, as his Black Panther and Batman art are more than capable. It was great seeing him again.<br />
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Instead of being smart and just getting lunch at that time (I think it was almost 1 PM), I went back to the Heroes Room because my friend and I both found out where Walt and Louise Simonson would be (after finally taking a long overdue look at the convention map!). We figured it couldn't possibly take as long a time as Kevin Eastman's line did, so there was no need to worry. I also learned that I really need to stop assuming things...<br />
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Although Walt and Louise Simonson were not actually at their table (likely getting lunch by that point), there were already people lined up, awaiting their return. My friend and I figured we'd join in, since they couldn't possibly stay gone for too long of a time. I started to get a look of dread, as I noticed people with ridiculously large stacks of comics in front of us (including one guy who literally had three boxes of comics stacked on top of each other!). It took almost another 20 minutes before the two came back, and they were both really polite from the second they started talking with all of us.<br />
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Walt actually went through all parts of the line in order to tell people he'd only be doing a limited number of sketches for free, in order to keep the line moving. Once again, I have to admit both of them were well worth the wait! Walt kept telling stories about almost everything that people were bringing up to sign, and he was doing all kinds of sketches (for characters like Thor and Apocalypse). I had him draw one of Apocalypse for me as well, and took a great picture with the both of them. Talking with the two of them had to be one of the biggest highlights of the entire convention to me, simply because they were both so adorable together. It was like talking with my parents (if my parents were comic book writers and artists of course!).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9PAMhjC8DM5IDbV3l7NeU-9JVXb5uM0-WovNIL79jAtGUkviLOEkbsS1_UrTMT9MZRqW2GI24w-wQ-L7PZHtImzMNEDuGgmiVd0y2EmIFHrNdaNT-WgTtFUA0se63ahAo6LvTPFKoEWiv/s1600/13643914_10106544997394639_163043227_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9PAMhjC8DM5IDbV3l7NeU-9JVXb5uM0-WovNIL79jAtGUkviLOEkbsS1_UrTMT9MZRqW2GI24w-wQ-L7PZHtImzMNEDuGgmiVd0y2EmIFHrNdaNT-WgTtFUA0se63ahAo6LvTPFKoEWiv/s400/13643914_10106544997394639_163043227_n.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpToVh0ZFL0X6eqiHT2UTNyC7RblsSJSf1bhgzbZMFPcHqJahmIFphcIClT5TF1rXn-jgBH3qBMZXcSfPn3c5N2iwpUPy_ZUCh45GF1lPQsZB5nGFCj9QiNmBBWt0ZRD9aECM_moJXVH5j/s1600/2016-07-09+20.37.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpToVh0ZFL0X6eqiHT2UTNyC7RblsSJSf1bhgzbZMFPcHqJahmIFphcIClT5TF1rXn-jgBH3qBMZXcSfPn3c5N2iwpUPy_ZUCh45GF1lPQsZB5nGFCj9QiNmBBWt0ZRD9aECM_moJXVH5j/s320/2016-07-09+20.37.53.jpg" width="240" height="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQjuOjD0lq9cK5C9llPoqP8aAqFmh7oqvvziViJnyAJ2E2B4gu3-JZu4w94TkekPTLSevqxyhPslaAYDSmS34MhHoVv90sh6tY7qaKfIbdHQTKLDY8IdK8RLLEr_vHi6AQckd9wHwo1Zjs/s1600/2016-07-09+20.39.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQjuOjD0lq9cK5C9llPoqP8aAqFmh7oqvvziViJnyAJ2E2B4gu3-JZu4w94TkekPTLSevqxyhPslaAYDSmS34MhHoVv90sh6tY7qaKfIbdHQTKLDY8IdK8RLLEr_vHi6AQckd9wHwo1Zjs/s320/2016-07-09+20.39.12.jpg" width="240" height="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAvml_naLHD5jQx2IpukbXPkZSSaksI9yTsxgSf72NP084CSeOI9e6FhfFXf6GvodW-UNAARzC2sXlxzhQxV5w5HQxqJwpb2d7Q_898WLMKQHrRs8MoaMHHN-o_ikcAOTbLxZvDomxFJ2/s1600/2016-07-09+20.41.55.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAvml_naLHD5jQx2IpukbXPkZSSaksI9yTsxgSf72NP084CSeOI9e6FhfFXf6GvodW-UNAARzC2sXlxzhQxV5w5HQxqJwpb2d7Q_898WLMKQHrRs8MoaMHHN-o_ikcAOTbLxZvDomxFJ2/s320/2016-07-09+20.41.55.jpg" width="240" height="320" /></a><br />
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After all of this, my friends and I FINALLY proceeded to get lunch, and I managed to somehow stay alive up to that point. As I was chugging down the coffee I had purchased, I had a good laugh at watching Robert Bruce (of Comic Book Men fame) walk up to the one of the arcade machines (with two really large machine guns), and just play the hell out of it like it was no big deal. After meeting him at The Great Philadelphia Comic Con, my reaction evolved from what would have been "Haha, that's really random!" to "Yeah... he would do that!" I didn't even have to talk with him in order to be entertained.<br />
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Wandering around again, it was pretty much impossible to not notice the huge line over by Jim Steranko's booth. He was probably the biggest hit of the convention, next to Kevin Eastman. I felt a bit lousy, as I didn't have any books that Jim put out. You could say the comics he made were "before my time" and therefore, harder for me to track down. I was happy to find a variant cover that Jim made for the recent Captain America reboot, and purchased that at another booth, in order to go bring it over to get signed. The man at the counter actually showed me some other comics that Jim made (mostly from his "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.E.I.L.D." series) for purchase. For some reason, I was just happy with the simple variant cover, recent as it was.<br />
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So with my Cap #1 variant in hand, I walked back to Jim's booth for the signing. I could see he was having long, deep discussions with a lot of the people coming up to him. Even though this caused me to wait longer, I couldn't help but find it really cool that Jim was taking the time to really talk with his fans, and not just rush them all away. As I was just getting up to the front of the line, some men walk over with Joe Caramonga, the letterer of the very Cap issue I was bringing up for Jim! They were asking Jim to give Joe one of his sharpies to sign with, and they came up with the idea of having Joe sign in blue, while Jim's signature was in red sharpie. This kind of added to the "red, white, and blue" effect of the cover. I asked Joe if he could sign my comic that way too, since he was already over here. All three of us started making jokes like "Who's booth is this again!?" After that, I finally got to talk to Jim briefly. He had an air of confidence in both himself and his fans that I really admired. He also had one of the most unique handshakes I think I've ever seen. Truly a class act, and I won't soon forget him.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWfjRAlONhHpaXYumcmSw87Ml5Moc-wBK_jBFeDVGsnqEm7BzP0-lEzCmyhFsRQMXl1ld75uIJenHyMM30DPJTbPyHQ_Pn-kLQbTIsjsekZS-MKScPi-2unaS3kIaO3qtxD4K5GUHg96kl/s1600/13664324_10106544997379669_81367171_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWfjRAlONhHpaXYumcmSw87Ml5Moc-wBK_jBFeDVGsnqEm7BzP0-lEzCmyhFsRQMXl1ld75uIJenHyMM30DPJTbPyHQ_Pn-kLQbTIsjsekZS-MKScPi-2unaS3kIaO3qtxD4K5GUHg96kl/s320/13664324_10106544997379669_81367171_n.jpg" width="240" height="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHsgfFXyq3fWoz9_amCmyDoO4WnMHk30ZwMolXNeuKHqRsLc6CQJbL4X0PsJqrkpBmwIqGli1Vnil7_FBU8VXUaWpVSwFXK0JLrrRkdPpt1_OrGaIGYFX5uQwHXVXwiZvBGRdKBSKsk3x/s1600/2016-07-09+20.43.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHsgfFXyq3fWoz9_amCmyDoO4WnMHk30ZwMolXNeuKHqRsLc6CQJbL4X0PsJqrkpBmwIqGli1Vnil7_FBU8VXUaWpVSwFXK0JLrrRkdPpt1_OrGaIGYFX5uQwHXVXwiZvBGRdKBSKsk3x/s320/2016-07-09+20.43.09.jpg" width="240" height="320" /></a><br />
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By this point, it was already pretty late in the day, and less than an hour before the con would close up. I tried searching around for a copy of Thor #337, in the hopes of getting it back to Walt for one more signature. But it wasn't meant to be. Almost every booth my friend and I searched through didn't have any copies left, and the one that did was selling it for $50, which is far more than most would consider it to be worth. We were just about ready to leave...<br />
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Just as we both checked around the Heroes Room one more time for anything we might have missed, we suddenly noticed Louise Simonson was walking right up to a booth with steampunk animal art creations. The girl at the counter asked me and my friend if she was famous, because she "seemed like she was." I kind of laughed and explained, since Louise was too polite. After that, Louise and I actually had a short conversation. I had told her about how I was trying to make a convention of my own, and how I'd be lucky to afford guests like themselves someday if so. She laughed at my mention of cost to book them, and said "Oh, we're actually pretty cheap, so no worries there." She also gave me some suggestions about starting a convention, based on her and her husband's past experiences with them. It was a talk I will take with me forever, and it only makes me even more hopeful about this convention idea of mine really coming to life!<br />
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Overall, even with the amount of time I had to wait in line to meet some of the guests, I left this convention with a lot of positive feelings, and couldn't deny all of the fun I still had along the way. I guess this means I've got yet another convention to visit every year! Already looking forward to the next!<br />
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</center>JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-19944143985451696702016-07-05T19:44:00.000-07:002016-07-05T19:44:11.543-07:00Classic Cinema: A Trip To The Moon (1902)<center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ6gRRkubZK_ibX7-TRoZnZRlWl19kQiUdFXRincbptUjLPm_Wf2nLZa5VUSSRsV3r9wLrLLfvIJB4c78YDMtEtFpDudF0an-J8UidBI0e5WyoHF18MqJ1xUFJXx90pR4tnkHzNRvnbifo/s1600/Voyage_dans_la_lune_title_card.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ6gRRkubZK_ibX7-TRoZnZRlWl19kQiUdFXRincbptUjLPm_Wf2nLZa5VUSSRsV3r9wLrLLfvIJB4c78YDMtEtFpDudF0an-J8UidBI0e5WyoHF18MqJ1xUFJXx90pR4tnkHzNRvnbifo/s400/Voyage_dans_la_lune_title_card.png" width="400" height="300" /></a></div><br />
I thought for a good long while about what film I should choose for the first entry of this new classic cinema blog. I must have looked at dozens of movies from multiple decades before deciding. But in the end, there was only one clear choice: The iconic French film "Le Voyage dans la Lune," also known in the US as "A Trip to the Moon."<br />
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For those who are unfamiliar with Georges Méliès and his large body of work, I am about to open your eyes to something wonderful. Film really began around the mid-to-late 1800's, where multiple technologies were being developed and honed. Méliès began his film career by modifying an Animatograph (a projector), so it would work as a camera. He was no stranger to stage and theater, to which he loved dearly. He was also an enthusiast of creating magic and illusions for his audiences. This love would also serve to inspire all of the special effects he would later become famous for (such as time-lapse photography, substitution splicing, multiple exposures, and others).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3plsQqVP2VGCfa7Bz3_jorbc9b6H6Auxv9B_7J74qF2dhfitYF66wp0SEFKuuJ98-yAFr22NQiqv0H18eld58ClaWDkAWbYQBvL9oJJ9F-EuvTSWmADupy4oQz0NrTvsoEvrgkk6j7ZFX/s1600/melies-georges-01-g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3plsQqVP2VGCfa7Bz3_jorbc9b6H6Auxv9B_7J74qF2dhfitYF66wp0SEFKuuJ98-yAFr22NQiqv0H18eld58ClaWDkAWbYQBvL9oJJ9F-EuvTSWmADupy4oQz0NrTvsoEvrgkk6j7ZFX/s640/melies-georges-01-g.jpg" width="514" height="640" /></a></div><br />
"A Trip to the Moon" is arguably the first science fiction film ever made. Clocking in at around fifteen minutes, it was also Méliès' longest work to date, and cost him around 10,000 francs to make. He credited the inspiration of this film to Jules Verne novels, such as "From the Earth to the Moon" and "Around the Moon." Historians have also argued that they believe H.G. Wells' "The First Men in the Moon" to be another.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1E5rowX0Iaby5mmzXBSHE6rCuAJEwEpABCTObrU4JKFumiYI8jrV0ZFwy2jMFIvdgWUtNNfx2Fl1W6bAmGZPtPO3geodL-8MiCR58rzKiDaAhMTuS712Zlzz4IJ6yYPwoiXL5PwXUPt8h/s1600/a-trip-to-the-moon-launch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1E5rowX0Iaby5mmzXBSHE6rCuAJEwEpABCTObrU4JKFumiYI8jrV0ZFwy2jMFIvdgWUtNNfx2Fl1W6bAmGZPtPO3geodL-8MiCR58rzKiDaAhMTuS712Zlzz4IJ6yYPwoiXL5PwXUPt8h/s400/a-trip-to-the-moon-launch.jpg" width="400" height="301" /></a></div><br />
The plot of the movie is not going to sound like the most intricate story ever written, but that's far from the point here. Astronomers get together and devise a plan to get to the moon. The group gets in a capsule and fires off into space, crash landing into the moon's eye, and creating one of the most iconic moments in movie history. What moment am I talking about, you ask?<br />
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Yes, that moment. <br />
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If you take anything from reading this blog, let it be this standout and highly influential moment. Once again, Méliès' use of effects (namely the substitution splice, which allowed the capsule to immediately appear crashed into the moon's eye) did the talking, as this moment would soon never be forgotten. Do you remember the first time something truly stood out to you in a magical sort of way? Something that changed your perception of what a medium could actually be about, and opened your eyes to a beautiful world of imagination and discovery? Something that you took with you for the rest of your life, it impacted you so heavily and wonderfully? For thousands of people in the early 1900's, this was that moment.<br />
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Once reaching the moon and getting out of the capsule (noticeably without any kind of space suits), the astronomers decide to camp out, while watching the Earth rise and other constellations form around them. The big dipper even appears in the form of human faces on each star. The goddess of the moon (named Phoebe in Greek mythology) appears on a crescent moon, and wakes the astronomers up with a snowfall. They quickly find shelter in a cave (while encountering giant mushrooms along the way), and get attacked by creatures called Selenites, again named after a Greek moon goddess. One of the astronomers quickly hits and kills one of the Selenites instantly, showing that force is enough to take them down (as indicated by a "poof!" effect with each kill). The astronomers become outnumbered however, and are taken to a palace, where the king of these Selenites resides. Quite quickly, one of the astronomers gets the upper hand, and actually manages to grab the king, and slam him into the ground, causing another kill explosion.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWfHdBoTwKi0cy2b4_BPHAA2MiYMbsEya_MHq1lIcHklZ-eqz7AiWenWFBKkJfu2W7ajT6f2x7GAN2AIKOg-jy6MJlddtEglWvjgY3tMEhdaIY32cZp5XobYPCcyD2GJCuQWn7VAO2aYt/s1600/ATripToThe+Moon2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWfHdBoTwKi0cy2b4_BPHAA2MiYMbsEya_MHq1lIcHklZ-eqz7AiWenWFBKkJfu2W7ajT6f2x7GAN2AIKOg-jy6MJlddtEglWvjgY3tMEhdaIY32cZp5XobYPCcyD2GJCuQWn7VAO2aYt/s400/ATripToThe+Moon2.jpg" width="400" height="289" /></a></div><br />
In the chaos of this attack, the astronomers make their way to the capsule, fighting off any Selenite that may come their way. Five of the six astronomers make it into the capsule, while the sixth remains outside. The final astronomer uses a rope to actually tip the capsule over, in order to make it fall back to Earth. Now keep in mind that Méliès was not out to be scientifically accurate. In fact, if you hadn't already guessed, this film was a complete satire on scientific concepts, greatly exaggerated in order to create the adventure you see before you. Some believe this was done intentionally, to remove the limitations of "logical thinking" from the film making process.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYbtedES4ATuJ_LWxH-KMe8_McDp0CBOKNd59UlQr_m1Qyo31O6dJ-HpsyBudib1E7xHO30ET5rtDbNXNTQhzyA8sbBhe5MsK5KA4Yxviib2GDWZJZEQQZITjdzfB8V8D4hWCZwY0zl3H/s1600/Lune_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYbtedES4ATuJ_LWxH-KMe8_McDp0CBOKNd59UlQr_m1Qyo31O6dJ-HpsyBudib1E7xHO30ET5rtDbNXNTQhzyA8sbBhe5MsK5KA4Yxviib2GDWZJZEQQZITjdzfB8V8D4hWCZwY0zl3H/s400/Lune_03.jpg" width="400" height="307" /></a></div><br />
Falling back to Earth (with a Selenite who happened to grab on to the capsule at the last second), the crew lands in the ocean and is picked up and brought ashore. The final scene consists of a parade being held for the astronomers to celebrate their return to Earth. The Selenite is held captive and the final shot is of a podium with the phrase "Labor omnia vincit" ("Work conquers all") written on it.<br />
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While obviously not a complex film by today's standards, the work put into the story and set pieces was quite exhaustive. Much of the scenery was mechanically operated and all of the backgrounds were hand-painted. People who have become bored or even disgusted by the constant use of computer-generated effects in today's movie market, may also find something to appreciate here. The effects in this movie were made using simple camera tricks and some seriously outside-the-box thinking, and yet I find them invoking more creativity than just about anything I've come across in recent years. As a fan of the original Star Wars Trilogy, I found myself getting more and more disappointed with each re-release that George Lucas would put out, tampering with material that many felt was perfect just the way it was, and replacing some of the more creative effects with excessive computer-generated usage. <br />
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It's not that I'm against the use of CG in today's movies (far from it in fact), but I feel that it has been abused to the point where almost all of the imagination factor that made classic films stand out so prominently, has become very few and far between in today's day and age. Movies such as this remind me of where we came from. They reinvigorate a sense of creativity and passion in a way that nothing else can.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiEGGU4DCwi23SUJZhnxnP1Fj2d8Cnk5TXSOT8fMLPHpIEWxMrpMQM1caI5BDMvFTixujmcSE6qmNo6S2pGCFzBdzp3sb0bX40KyTe8NErxcvxJ9VP_t71LUKiZelAUtrFHDqbjbsdYwXV/s1600/trip_moon_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiEGGU4DCwi23SUJZhnxnP1Fj2d8Cnk5TXSOT8fMLPHpIEWxMrpMQM1caI5BDMvFTixujmcSE6qmNo6S2pGCFzBdzp3sb0bX40KyTe8NErxcvxJ9VP_t71LUKiZelAUtrFHDqbjbsdYwXV/s400/trip_moon_02.jpg" width="400" height="313" /></a></div><br />
You may have noticed some of Méliès' influence recently, in the form of the now famous book "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" and the preceding movie, "Hugo." This actually pays a very sweet homage to the man that changed the face of film forever. Even Walt Disney could not help but give credit where credit was due.<br />
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In his lifetime, Georges Méliès made over 500 films. For one of those films to stand out so prominently from the rest, it shows us just how special the movie truly was. If you see any work of Méliès' in your lifetime, make it this one. See the sights that captivated so many back then, and you may even see something new within yourself.<br />
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</center>JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-6143768372294775492016-07-04T20:58:00.000-07:002016-07-04T20:58:39.795-07:00Classic Film Blog: An Introduction Before We Get Started<br />
<center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEV29R9IQEqosBHgbgsgwSj-zfuZjQWf7__68_A7Fn8tmMdCCy1S4HjbKKA5v_fqRr4JyRPHtV2DYYWWtvJ1WARCiPGRJKHvH_AFN6_joidVk2sSfJdgPqvo4BGhNeEUlDLmHvM7qZaKV/s1600/key_art_criterion_collection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEV29R9IQEqosBHgbgsgwSj-zfuZjQWf7__68_A7Fn8tmMdCCy1S4HjbKKA5v_fqRr4JyRPHtV2DYYWWtvJ1WARCiPGRJKHvH_AFN6_joidVk2sSfJdgPqvo4BGhNeEUlDLmHvM7qZaKV/s400/key_art_criterion_collection.jpg" width="400" height="156" /></a></div><br />
Welcome fellow movie-goers! I've covered a lot of territory in my blogs, whether it be thoughts on music, recent movies and shows, animation, comic books, or other mediums that have made up my very being. While I do love these properties very dearly, I still feel I can do more. Well, that's just what I plan to do now! I've long been a fan of cinema as well, though you may not even know it! My favorite film of all time, for example, is a German silent film from 1927, Fritz Lang's Metropolis! There are many companies that exist today, for the sole purpose of getting these amazing movies out to the masses. For those who don't know, The Criterion Collection is an American motion picture production company. Their purpose is to focus on licensing and distributing "important classic and contemporary films" for fans like us. Another favorite company of mine, Kino International, also goes to great lengths to restore many classic works of art, for us to enjoy and take with us. I've always found it really alluring to learn about classic films and literature. It's one thing to read/witness a work of art; but I feel it's another thing to examine what went on behind these works as well.<br />
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And that is going to be the focus of these blogs. I intend to watch each and every classic film that I can get my hands on, whether it be through my own personal collection, or streaming sites like Netflix and Hulu (though I have been informed that streaming rights to Criterion Collection in particular will soon belong to FilmStruck, a new streaming service coming from the people behind the Turner Classic Movies channel, in the later part of 2016). With each film that I watch, I'll write up a new entry, talking about not only my thoughts on the movies themselves, but the stories behind them as well. I intend to talk about what made each movie relevant for the period it was released in, and try to discuss what we as film buffs can also take from them.<br />
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Depending on how well these blog entries go over time, I'd also like to consider writing posts on classic literature in the same vein. I'd like not to get too far ahead of myself of course, so I think I'll leave things off there. With each entry I post, I'll also end it by mentioning what my next blog will be about, so that you'll know what to look forward to each time I finish one up! I hope you all find this new venture to be as fun and enlightening an experience as I am hoping it will be, and enjoy this journey through cinema history together!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9rnFQabJk6-4byrK2TRBSKIkyNa9bRr2MKScTRsFNlSy-CiMtXI5vhcHVv-PL7yC32Wg9LlGTUOWAKcPgVfOXf_FcLsAZVTE6HiJrOwxY0QUPMiDiuYWnjnY2nIdxG5c28SWABiWG97o/s1600/FilmProjector.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9rnFQabJk6-4byrK2TRBSKIkyNa9bRr2MKScTRsFNlSy-CiMtXI5vhcHVv-PL7yC32Wg9LlGTUOWAKcPgVfOXf_FcLsAZVTE6HiJrOwxY0QUPMiDiuYWnjnY2nIdxG5c28SWABiWG97o/s640/FilmProjector.jpg" width="480" height="640" /></a></div></center>JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-71781684251121878452016-05-30T23:05:00.001-07:002016-05-30T23:05:53.225-07:00Deadpool's World-Ending Review Of X-Men: Apocalypse!!! (2016) (Spoiler Free!!! Yay!!!)<center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3UG9c59gWwaRX1MzwXQziJyPAauOOm-E1uvyrt7zrGXoJwDFdOBfBfQG5TAhuNds32XyGAyUembs-u0pLFc0yuxfuQWkURzy7iecG8MS37m8tHRlt1LD4f4XkPSQKlpkZdmvOIJHnt3Af/s1600/X-Men+Apocalypse+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3UG9c59gWwaRX1MzwXQziJyPAauOOm-E1uvyrt7zrGXoJwDFdOBfBfQG5TAhuNds32XyGAyUembs-u0pLFc0yuxfuQWkURzy7iecG8MS37m8tHRlt1LD4f4XkPSQKlpkZdmvOIJHnt3Af/s640/X-Men+Apocalypse+Poster.jpg" /></a></div><br />
We've been doing this a long time, you and I. I'm amazed you keep coming back. Honestly, who'd have thought? I mean, here I am, just sitting here on my computer, typing whatever the hell I want to type about these ridiculous super hero movies that the big companies continue to churn out. And you read it. You actually freaking read it!!! You are the best kind of lemmings this merc could have ever asked for. I'd cry if I were capable of any human emotion behind a keyboard. Or am I? I mean, I guess I could say I'm crying right now. Would that work? Because yeah, I'm TOTALLY doing that right now... Yeah. >_><br />
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So Apocalypse is really here. Of all the big bad X-Men villains we've seen, we finally get one of the actual biggest and baddest EVAR. The Age of Apocalypse comic event was one of Marvel's biggest. By biggest I don't mean in sales, but in sheer size! Seriously, you try being a young pre-teen, and grasping the idea that part 2 of a story is in a completely different X-Men book than the last! "To read part 1, get X-Men: Alpha #1, for part 2, read Age of Apocalypse: The Chosen, and for part 3, read X-Men Super Power Omega Ramalamadingdong, etc." You people are all lucky you have graphic novels and the internet to make heads or tails of that one!<br />
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So I'll get the obvious glaring issue out of the way first, before we get into the details of the movie itself. I know you all saw the same pictures I did, and began judging and casting those first stones. The Apocalypse in this movie obviously doesn't look much like the Apocalypse of the comics. In fact, it looks downright bad! It's like Ivan Ooze had sex with the alien from Prometheus or something! (What? If people can talk about how ugly I looked in MY movie, then I can do the same for this Papa Smurf reject!) Seriously, when freaking cosplayers can get the look down better, you might be doing something wrong. But that's exactly what I find so odd. Just about everything else was done SO RIGHT! Psylocke looks like Psylocke! Storm looks like Storm! The snozberries taste like snozberries!!! Everything looked dead on except for him, and it's troublesome...<br />
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WITH that glaring flaw out of the way, let's go into the actual movie. There is a lot going on here. Like, so much so, that I can honestly say there is no filler to be found. There wouldn't have been any time for it, there was THAT much really happening. Apocalypse as a character, dates back to before 3600 BC, going back to a time of pyramids and really awkward loincloth-wearing. Even more frustrating is the fact that he is knocked out and goes to sleep for thousands of years, preventing me from asking him if any of the things that frizzy-haired guy in Ancient Aliens said were true (I mean, it's not like I REALLY think anything he said is accurate, but.. I'd just... like... to know, you know!?...). So lucky us, he awakens, in 1983, just in time to set the premise of this new movie, featuring all of the younger actors we've seen these past few films. I think it's safe to say at this point, that the movies have basically undergone a reboot, featuring all of the newer actors, save for one special cameo, near and dear to my cruel and irredeemable heart.<br />
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We get to see the origins of other popular mutants, like Jean Grey, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Storm, Jubilee, and many many others. I think one of the main reasons it was so hard to breathe with the pacing of this film, was that there were simply SO many characters to cover, you could fill and entire clown car and beyond with them! This was already on top of the established characters from the previous movies (Mystique, Professor Xavier, Beast, and others). This movie is the anti-Dragon Ball Z. It wasted absolutely no time in getting us going. Stick that up your pipe and smoke it, Vegeta! (Please don't hurt me, I'm allergic to attacks with the name "Big Bang" in them...)<br />
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Despite all of these great new origins, and a really excellent cast, we don't get a lot of time to see them develop because of it. Now, this is fine for all of the established characters we already know and love, but for the newcomers, it's a bit more difficult. That's not to say they didn't have ANY development at all (with Scott and Jean being the main exceptions); just that they all had a lot to compete with for screen time. I'm just saying, not having many X-Men in my first movie is turning into a blessing the more I continue to watch this.<br />
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The movie has structure, don't get me wrong. In fact, the plot was very detailed and layered, hence having to move at suck a brisk pace. It almost felt like some moments lost their meaning due to quickness. It's like "This happens. Then this happens. And then we move on to the section where this happens!" You'd think Quicksilver wrote this movie, it went along so fast! Isaac Asimov kind of wrote that way too, and it seemed to work for the Foundation books, but you don't even know what that is, so why I am I bothering... So anyway, the movie felt like every scene had to rush in order to meet some super duper quota! But I don't want to make this all sound like a bad thing. I still came out pretty satisfied in the end. Why? Proceed to next paragraph.<br />
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Thank you for proceeding to the next paragraph. But seriously, proceed to the NEXT paragraph for an actual answer to the question.<br />
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Trust me when I say that this movie had multiple shining moments. There are two really obvious ones that come to mind: Quicksilver (who pretty much steals the movie AGAIN, whether you like it or not!), and that super awesomazing cameo that I'm supposed to keep a secret (even though I'm pretty sure most of you already know who it is... TEE HEE!). If these two moments alone don't make you feel like this was worth seeing, then I don't even know why you come to these movies in the first place! I feel we need to create a new Oscar for "Best use of slo-mo in a musical montage," just so we can give it to Evan Peters and call it a day. All of his major scenes, both from the last film and this one, have had the audience absolutely howling with laughter, and that's no small feat, as there were no wolves present in the audience (that I'm aware of). I also got a chuckle out of the movie's use of Metallica's "The Four Horseman" track here. When you pay attention to the plot of the movie, you'll know why that song's inclusion is actually funny as hell.<br />
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Apocalypse is supposed to be a big deal in the X-Men universe, and thankfully, the movie does him justice in that regard, Ivan Ooze similarities be damned! He is completely menacing, and has shown that he is easily one of the most powerful mutants in existence. Once again, I am glad he is not in my movie! The final fight scene at the end really brought things to a peak. You were left almost speechless by the time the dust settled, and I mean that in a great way. <br />
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So despite all of my issues with the pacing of the movie, I still ended up enjoying myself a hell of a lot, as did most of my other peeps who were already fans of this series to begin with. Some may criticize Bryan Singer's direction with these movies, but he's A-OKAY in my book! This may not grip you the same way that First Class or Days of Future Passed did, but the fact that a third entry by the same director can still turn out this well is quite surprising in itself. And rest assured, these X-Men movies by Fox are far from over... TL;DR - Stop looking for things to hate on and just enjoy them for what they are!!!... Unless they're sexist, racist, bigoted, or homophobic. F@#K that s@#t.<br />
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7.5 Dangling Plot Threads Out Of 10<br />
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Hey Fox, now that you're going to make a hell of a lot of money off of an X-Men movie once again, how about putting a little more money back into the Deadpool sequel's direction? I've proven I can make you more money than you give me to work with, so what's the problem!? Look, if this is about that time I accidentally started that fire after purposely killing that guy, I can explain!!!...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvU5pfkeVLSlrYvpXSBTvP2FdjqI-s6Qoxo4Yq8flA-MMqq6y4Zu0sG8qYaIcOMXw5FIpAmBii-SxGBXJyvY1YK63LRpMNZpg6ClPQFZn8a6O98r0P9zL0r8deJXGiagtoEkXpiygopJ9V/s1600/Mvl70tj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvU5pfkeVLSlrYvpXSBTvP2FdjqI-s6Qoxo4Yq8flA-MMqq6y4Zu0sG8qYaIcOMXw5FIpAmBii-SxGBXJyvY1YK63LRpMNZpg6ClPQFZn8a6O98r0P9zL0r8deJXGiagtoEkXpiygopJ9V/s400/Mvl70tj.jpg" /></a></div></center>JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-36122584008141119792016-05-20T20:51:00.002-07:002016-05-20T20:51:20.190-07:00My Top 10 Picks For Free Comic Book Day 2016!<center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1IISxS_ySMNaalpCSYgCOLY-AfL0C5OTd0r_PTJoYHTHK6xRC9D179xnA6I-_2wuaopOHgfRf58KULzF7BrQf3PbcdObGx6yklIN7Opdhvlf1e_zrn_bB45VuqedTH_kUCX265Bdwq1n/s1600/featuredimage13.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1IISxS_ySMNaalpCSYgCOLY-AfL0C5OTd0r_PTJoYHTHK6xRC9D179xnA6I-_2wuaopOHgfRf58KULzF7BrQf3PbcdObGx6yklIN7Opdhvlf1e_zrn_bB45VuqedTH_kUCX265Bdwq1n/s400/featuredimage13.png" /></a><br />
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Better late than never, right!? Thanks to the help of others, I was able to obtain and read a majority of the comics that were released for FCBD 2016, and have finally been able to compile a list of my top picks, along with descriptions under each entry. Enjoy!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjgjFuVsHdKp1Bl6OpuAh8HZzl33K17Sd7hIt6EqRVGp7ZYLuD5SrrwhaMUnSb9OIjz3Fc5p1cbFUmfYl2_Mdw51qvYXddP82a1J9WoezO9QEDlpUp5JbMUxITH6hiaYDXK1R8QFFZdRi/s1600/STK698195.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjgjFuVsHdKp1Bl6OpuAh8HZzl33K17Sd7hIt6EqRVGp7ZYLuD5SrrwhaMUnSb9OIjz3Fc5p1cbFUmfYl2_Mdw51qvYXddP82a1J9WoezO9QEDlpUp5JbMUxITH6hiaYDXK1R8QFFZdRi/s400/STK698195.jpg" /></a><br />
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10. 2000 AD Special FCBD 2016 Edition<br />
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One of the best things about reading 2000 AD comics each year for FCBD, is that you get a host of great short stories from all kinds of writers, and this year's edition is no different. If you can't decide what you want to go for this Free Comic Book Day, this could actually be a great place to start, due to the sheer variety of sci-fi and dystopian stories you get.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKa8pUpvuMl7xGik5aq8PplOzKy9rtzkqk9kaLZbwCk2IpOY5Of9nMOdSo74B2etcZ_NDyan_FLlNnCzjdAIWd-WyViPzsbqiqmecIRW-O3A_hVurpl7GkzD8kld5qjkNd-THnUKAG0STb/s1600/STK697584.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKa8pUpvuMl7xGik5aq8PplOzKy9rtzkqk9kaLZbwCk2IpOY5Of9nMOdSo74B2etcZ_NDyan_FLlNnCzjdAIWd-WyViPzsbqiqmecIRW-O3A_hVurpl7GkzD8kld5qjkNd-THnUKAG0STb/s400/STK697584.jpg" /></a><br />
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9. The Phantom: 80th Anniversary Special FCBD Edition<br />
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For those who may not already know, The Phantom was one of comic book's first superheroes, and the first ever to wear a skintight costume (which you all know became a staple of superheroes going forward!). Original Phantom comics and graphic novels are not so easy to collect, especially if you're not made of money. For that purpose alone, I welcome this release, as well as the others we've seen over the years. The stories in this issue are taken from "The Charlton Years" of the comic's run. Well worth the time. It even includes some insider information, perfect for those wanting to learn more about this classic hero.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZPbr6tTAjSQa5SvBU9Iv_ruMJ7fluvO2SaMulrDk93yriqUaE4sqpxqEWAxfzuvUHCzFP3KNszu1G_UH2awcmbbfDAX9dkTKFMX3LZ8KzCJRHEu0IW-44oziM3LWGLO6f3oXtGRjYv8l/s1600/STK698675.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZPbr6tTAjSQa5SvBU9Iv_ruMJ7fluvO2SaMulrDk93yriqUaE4sqpxqEWAxfzuvUHCzFP3KNszu1G_UH2awcmbbfDAX9dkTKFMX3LZ8KzCJRHEu0IW-44oziM3LWGLO6f3oXtGRjYv8l/s400/STK698675.jpg" /></a><br />
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8. Lady Mechanika #0 FCBD Edition<br />
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I make it no secret that I have become a big fan of Joe Benitez's Lady Mechanika series. Although this is a reprint of the original issue #0, I still consider this a great read. If you enjoy steampunk, with a well-thought out action plot, then look no further.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6_5HFR-jEu8XkOn8t5l0sAQRYJHdL2RYmv9zix8sKZS1H7V7COhnsQlyxUksduarJfLozLWzysICuhpql_o1LrNm0dFeFfXM3Ce-HTkOSANZOWImztBTlN0B9KcY58apBpRlRsXuBzxW/s1600/STK699264.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6_5HFR-jEu8XkOn8t5l0sAQRYJHdL2RYmv9zix8sKZS1H7V7COhnsQlyxUksduarJfLozLWzysICuhpql_o1LrNm0dFeFfXM3Ce-HTkOSANZOWImztBTlN0B9KcY58apBpRlRsXuBzxW/s400/STK699264.jpg" /></a><br />
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7. Dark Horse: Serenity/Hellboy/Aliens FCBD 2016 Edition<br />
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While it is of course true that you would have to be a fan of these three properties in order to properly appreciate the stories within, I do believe the interior stories are quite well done. Of particular note is the Firefly/Serenity story, which recaps the series in more of a child-friendly way. It's a charming perspective for what's now become such an iconic sci-fi series. The Hellboy story is extremely short, but Mike Mignola still continues to impress, even now. While I don't know if I'll be coming back for more comics involving Aliens, this story shows me that I'd likely be missing some interesting material in the process.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFWA5LWLWB6j6DFvU1d-QFqabPwJ6sX-0kAok3JecbXazU8DENz22WgFVmlOPNeP4Z1NLeeHA539245_OCydqoBz4n4Hsj3LaqWEv1UxznouRKU5My31RMSq1j8_cGtZlIDGndKiswZLCV/s1600/STK697538.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFWA5LWLWB6j6DFvU1d-QFqabPwJ6sX-0kAok3JecbXazU8DENz22WgFVmlOPNeP4Z1NLeeHA539245_OCydqoBz4n4Hsj3LaqWEv1UxznouRKU5My31RMSq1j8_cGtZlIDGndKiswZLCV/s400/STK697538.jpg" /></a><br />
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6. Mooncop: A Tom Gauld Sampler FCBD 2016 Edition<br />
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Drawn & Quarterly has put out many wonderful family-friendly books over the years, and the work of Tom Gauld is clearly no exception. It includes a simple, yet intriguing story about (you guessed it) a cop on the moon, before we get some wonderful short stips, full of satire and humor up the wazoo. This has something that just about everyone can appreciate.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkGrogLes6fOd13mjeD1PiquO1Kx6MYQ1tlP58KerimTvmQpgasNr18e63TK_tC5E7mOiTr85D_F6Pbrke-EcgZY0vPQ_vatWiZJMOQxwHMGE2oro63z3ALsZH61fhVm2I6zoVSrQAZlU/s1600/STK699306.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkGrogLes6fOd13mjeD1PiquO1Kx6MYQ1tlP58KerimTvmQpgasNr18e63TK_tC5E7mOiTr85D_F6Pbrke-EcgZY0vPQ_vatWiZJMOQxwHMGE2oro63z3ALsZH61fhVm2I6zoVSrQAZlU/s400/STK699306.jpg" /></a><br />
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5. Captain America #1 FCBD 2016 Edition<br />
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We all knew it was only a matter of time, but Steve Rogers is returning to take his place as Captain America in Marvel's latest entry. The story in this is more of an introduction piece (or another issue #0, if you will), but provides a pretty good set of material to catch you up on the basics of what's been going on while Steve was away. Also included is a teaser for another big event from Marvel, Dead No More. Saying anything more would be a spoiler (including the writing team!), but know that this is looking to be something quite huge, based on the reveal within the last few pages. Between this and Marvel's Civil War II prologue, I consider this to be the better of the two releases.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_FydEU4bET6Ib9_e7G5tQJ0Xb15uuxtmIVS8ugSUQoOr2C-rKibwPkI6dTMdFrZRnOHk814GyNmiKaNrU14DoDxhRk6s_opARS0jpvj2s-ymKh3q8cpOX216hAARRkk0kaJPT6qc669Q/s1600/STK698020.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_FydEU4bET6Ib9_e7G5tQJ0Xb15uuxtmIVS8ugSUQoOr2C-rKibwPkI6dTMdFrZRnOHk814GyNmiKaNrU14DoDxhRk6s_opARS0jpvj2s-ymKh3q8cpOX216hAARRkk0kaJPT6qc669Q/s400/STK698020.jpg" /></a><br />
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4. March Trilogy Sampler FCBD 2016 Edition<br />
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Following the events of civil rights leader John Lewis himself, this comic compiles bits of all three graphic novels in the March Trilogy. I would have never imagined the comic medium bringing a story like John Lewis's to life, and yet here we are. This is one of those cases where I found myself quite pleasantly surprised. A little history among the sci-fi and fantasy never hurt anyone.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkO6Kt5WbBuiWdDViT5H3c6XELxk6zgJc6MPNFh_THv6sdDM51ndID1jDsTgnOmZO6Ha7kRWUApqLqZM7Pcw3P5eL4DUVQDAgysfgwcXaKxU2wac1Fj9j3wNP2UM1KmJ1YLA3GaXlN0RLt/s1600/STK698017.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkO6Kt5WbBuiWdDViT5H3c6XELxk6zgJc6MPNFh_THv6sdDM51ndID1jDsTgnOmZO6Ha7kRWUApqLqZM7Pcw3P5eL4DUVQDAgysfgwcXaKxU2wac1Fj9j3wNP2UM1KmJ1YLA3GaXlN0RLt/s400/STK698017.jpg" /></a><br />
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3. Rom #0 FCBD 2016 Edition<br />
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While no longer under Marvel, it is quite refreshing to see Rom getting a reboot after all this time. This preview issue from IDW pulls all the stops, with plenty of action, and surprisingly good humor throughout. Even if you've never heard of Rom before now, and never read a Rom comic in your life, I would still recommend this title. If anything, it serves as a way of learning about all the fun you've been missing out on.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZT2t0d26eVTDBFXST9fbWhKeh-E7tSaW5L6YTP5NmP4gy68-ERDZFvJmgmvH9KvXB7o2xhhyOreM5hAtUOJhSaJZYr4nLxjwP5zOf7TwzMQ-knHNnMIF6-PNa3v5psTSMtWzOhHtPpY2E/s1600/STK697832.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZT2t0d26eVTDBFXST9fbWhKeh-E7tSaW5L6YTP5NmP4gy68-ERDZFvJmgmvH9KvXB7o2xhhyOreM5hAtUOJhSaJZYr4nLxjwP5zOf7TwzMQ-knHNnMIF6-PNa3v5psTSMtWzOhHtPpY2E/s400/STK697832.jpg" /></a><br />
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2. Archie #1 FCBD 2016 Edition<br />
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For those who haven't already heard about the Archie reboot, you may be happy to know this is not your grandparent's Archie! Mark Waid and Fiona Staples hit gold with their wonderful art and storytelling here. The sheer realism and tone of this comic make it a gem worth reading if you haven't picked it up previously. It would have been a shoo in for number one, if not for...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTRy-kp16aypPd3m4h3EQiIZkILgX2jNNMqZsrg32z4gzcApV7hIFOas5nYw46Qc6ctYHsfJe-5BtVmO7I6Oeo0115T0cNjbJ2xFogOjeOTRhNfLERQnShW6uuRabUzJeSz7S2zcXSpa82/s1600/STK699268.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTRy-kp16aypPd3m4h3EQiIZkILgX2jNNMqZsrg32z4gzcApV7hIFOas5nYw46Qc6ctYHsfJe-5BtVmO7I6Oeo0115T0cNjbJ2xFogOjeOTRhNfLERQnShW6uuRabUzJeSz7S2zcXSpa82/s400/STK699268.jpg" /></a><br />
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1. Love and Rockets Sampler FCBD 2016 Edition<br />
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Fantagraphics has put out many wonderful comics over the years, but Love and Rockets is the cream of the crop. As a celebration for the upcoming reboot in July, this comic includes short stories representing some of the series' best material. With the ability to simply take you out of your own life, and stick you into the perspective of others, it's hard to argue about the top choice. This is just the dose of realism you need to keep the medium alive, and show that comics can be about so much more than you once realized. This will never not be number one.<br />
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</center>JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-71709666177354946772016-05-08T00:34:00.000-07:002016-05-08T00:41:45.756-07:00Deadpool's Extraordinary Spoiler-Free Review Of Captain America: Civil War (2016)<center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzIA1ParnRknnZA2LqTPm_VidzxGVbk44qOACvfpwEM6GP5aIRRFeHge5RQSqLWeO6e8jTKDYQ0ypjFLcGhwVLhQ1sEtJSaWPyMUuNFYPKZ3mxhVZWhXYk6uHJZpTQPqjxcL8UmDmqfl8/s1600/CivilWarPoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzIA1ParnRknnZA2LqTPm_VidzxGVbk44qOACvfpwEM6GP5aIRRFeHge5RQSqLWeO6e8jTKDYQ0ypjFLcGhwVLhQ1sEtJSaWPyMUuNFYPKZ3mxhVZWhXYk6uHJZpTQPqjxcL8UmDmqfl8/s640/CivilWarPoster.jpg" /></a><br />
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HEY! YOU! GUUUUUUUUUUUYS!!! It's here! It's really finally actually here!!! A deep Captain America film? A film with the new Spider-Man's first appearance? A film with the first Black Panther appearance? And on the same weekend as Free Comic Book Day!!??? I can't breathe. It's too. Freaking. Awesome. O_O<br />
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*wheeze* I'm okay... Just... need more... Cheetos...<br />
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Yes, my fine folks. You can stop pinching yourselves now, as this dream is in fact a reality (no seriously, stop doing that, it's freaking weird and it hurts!). The film is so jam-packed with content, you could basically call it Avengers III and no one would even bat an eye. But you know what? After the slight disappointment we all felt after Age of Ultron, that's OKAY!!! This is the REAL Avengers movie we all crave, and I'm so giddy, I keep dancing in my wheely office chair as I type this. What, doesn't everybody have one of those? You should... Wheeeeeely...<br />
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So what IS the plot of this alleged epic tome of a movie, you ask? Well, without going into the spoiler-iffic details, I will say this: Cap and the gang accidently cause a great level of destruction while trying to stop some criminals. This causes the governments of multiple countries to create a proposed deal to put the heroes in check, and try to call the shots, instead of letting the heroes do whatever the hell they want. Hey, I get it. You want to protect people, but you want to do it "right," so you go along with authoritative methods. But then again, as an established anti-hero mercenary, I never really cared much for the law. FIGHT THE MACHINE!!! Oh wait, they did that in the last Avengers movie, right? Right... Ah, anyway... So Cap is all "Hell to the no! This isn't the way we do things." and Tony just be sittin' like "BRUUUUUH, this is the way it HAS to be, due to all the guilt I feel from the last three movies!" Cue the disagreements, character buildup, and "WTF, that's not even possible!" fight scenes, and we've got ourselves another Marvel movie!!! I kid, but then again, I don't.<br />
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So what makes this stand out from any of the previous movies; particularly the previous Cap and Avengers movies? Surprisingly quite a bit. The Avengers films have always tried to give a proper balance of fun/ny and serious, while the Cap movies would tend to stay on the darker side of things. While this still technically does the latter, you could really feel more of the light-hearted nature sprinkled throughout Civil War, and that's owed in part to all of the Amazing (pun 100000% intended) cameos. Again, without giving away too many details... Spider-Man is wonderful in this. Like, OH MY GOD! He actually behaves like a REAL LIFE HIGH SCHOOL KID. LIKE THE REAL PETER PAKER FROM THE COMICS DID! AND HE LOOKS LIKE HE DID IN THE 60'S COMICS!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! I can't wait to do a spinoff/crossover movie with him in a few years (oh what, that wasn't revealed to the public yet? Uh... nothing to see here folks! Move along, move along... >_>). Tom Holland is the most accurate portrayal of the character yet, and I don't even feel nervous saying that like I thought I would. His story is only just beginning and I can't wait to see more of him and his unusually attractive aunt. Kudos on the NOT showing his Uncle Ben dying again. I swear he and Bruce Wayne's parents are in cahoots with all of these parent death origin stories coming back.<br />
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And we can't leave out the Black Panther in all of this. Holy CRAP, was he good! His costume and personality are the very definition of bad-ass... Well, second definition. Mine's the first one in the dictionary. You know how dictionaries list words and they sometimes have more than one mean-never mind. Chadwick Boseman did a very convincing job being king of a place in Africa that doesn't actually exist in the real world. That's pretty damn awesome right there! He's also honorable, which I am not, so kudos for that, since I'm basically admitting he's a better person than me... I don't have to impress you, I have a movie!!!<br />
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All of the other people we love and hate are back as well. Tony, Rhodey, Bucky, Sam, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Tom, Dick, and Harry... Okay, those last three are fake, but I'm getting lazy, and you get the idea. I have to say that for a movie with ALL of these characters, it's a miracle they were able to fit ANY story into this at all! Though two-and-a-half hours isn't exactly something to scoff at. Hell, it's usually not even something to stay AWAKE at, but this one ended up being an exception. This movie was paced so well, you actually knew when it was okay to breathe and take a minute to laugh at someone else's expense, before returning to grip-the-side-of-your-movie-seat battle stance once again. (Don't play around, you KNOW the stance I'm talking about!)<br />
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Now is the part where I speak to the "hard-cores" of the group. You know, the comic book readers that are apparently here for no other reason than to nitpick things and complain if anything happens differently than it did in the comic. If this is your thought process, you may as well just stay the hell away from this movie, as it is almost completely different in both plot and execution. It's also going to make more money than you ever will in your lifetime, which is something to consider when you're angrily staring at your computer and wondering why you're still not famous after sitting there all day. (I'm talking to YOU millenials... Yes, even the guy writing this blog. In fact, especially the guy writing this blog! My entire existence in this blog is your fault! Why do you continue to let me do this!? Do you hate yourself? See me after the blog, young man!)<br />
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This movie is gripping from beginning to end, and it all but finally removed the sour taste that Batman Vs. Superman left in my mouth. Am I judging the people who liked that movie? Nah, I don't care enough about people in general to do something like that, but I will say that if you didn't really enjoy that dark and broody romp-around, then you will very likely come out of this with extreme levels of ultra-giddy like I did, and that's at least twelve levels above mega-giddy. Every major character made some type of progress, and will also never be the same after this. I didn't feel like anyone did a bad job with their character performances either. Everyone was completely believable, even if the fight scenes were not. When a certain character activated a certain special ability during a certain airport fight, I pretty much lost my mind and began to flail. It was THAT exciting! Cap-focused movies have been major standouts ever since Winter Soldier, and this one is no exception to that unwritten rule. Please give us more, Marvel. I need my fix...<br />
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9 Brooklyn/Queens Jokes Out Of 10<br />
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Honestly, if this is the direction of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I may have to start secretly hoping that Fox sells my film rights over to them in the most whore-ish way possible. They've got a good thing going, and it doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon. I mean, who could have imagined a world where I actually star in a movie? No, I'm still not over that. YOU get over yourself! I'm out to go read all of the Free Comic Book Day comics. I heard that Justin used his family to help get most of them. What a loser! Later, peoples!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFydwT2SBOXYNTMLW-UuSdtNuqRQWCMTY0Bm6UU2VU7jr5iPW0POhav95s2NG5knHHoGT2nqpXcXPUMbelVR8i8W8OGoi80G6XV_o9SJy8CQ5eHIEXTJ83DaiQRqIsma92BynD5QM9tCPe/s1600/Captain-America-Civil-War-Teams1.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFydwT2SBOXYNTMLW-UuSdtNuqRQWCMTY0Bm6UU2VU7jr5iPW0POhav95s2NG5knHHoGT2nqpXcXPUMbelVR8i8W8OGoi80G6XV_o9SJy8CQ5eHIEXTJ83DaiQRqIsma92BynD5QM9tCPe/s1600/Captain-America-Civil-War-Teams1.jpg" /></a><br />
</center>JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502106258239365254.post-15921079446809322552016-05-02T23:44:00.000-07:002016-05-02T23:45:00.834-07:00Thoughts On The Great Philadelphia Comic Con (2016)<center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm2uONxHp5xw6l8ZW2Fe2LlyKwikynK830ioQWVmL8nUHhRj2oR7mydrU981ttfloemcA93HEtVfWahkPrtoLlXbOIC2hZlyBjguHnCMNqT35RQ5Sx5SW6Jg_mt2eHzBg200QELqgf0Gd3/s1600/GreatPhiladelphiaComicCon.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm2uONxHp5xw6l8ZW2Fe2LlyKwikynK830ioQWVmL8nUHhRj2oR7mydrU981ttfloemcA93HEtVfWahkPrtoLlXbOIC2hZlyBjguHnCMNqT35RQ5Sx5SW6Jg_mt2eHzBg200QELqgf0Gd3/s400/GreatPhiladelphiaComicCon.png" /></a><br />
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Another week, another convention, it would seem! Yes, following right off the heels of East Coast Comic Con, I headed over to Oaks PA, for The Great Philadelphia Comic Con 2016! Readers will remember that I attended this convention last year, and enjoyed it quite a bit. One major difference between this year and last year for me, is that this is the first time I've ever attended a convention on my own. I've always gone with at least one person in the past, so I admit it was a little strange for me at first. I remembered someone once saying to me that you should go see a movie by yourself at one point in your life, and I almost feel like I can compare the statement to this particular moment as well. But enough about my stories of loser-status; let's talk about COMIC CON!<br />
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One awesome thing about attending a convention by yourself, is that you never really have to make plans with anyone. You can wander around and do whatever you want, and that's kind of neat. The first thing I did when entering the convention (besides using the restroom after that iced coffee I got from Dunkin!), was see D. Silverman from the Sci-Fi Photo Guys group. It is quite funny seeing the same people you met at a convention the previous week like that. I wanted to see if he'd recognize me, and of course he did. We both laughed and said "Whoa, a whole week!? Buddy, it's been so long!"<br />
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I immediately noticed walking in, that there were a great deal more people attending the convention this time around, despite the floor size being the same. I'm not sure if it was due to them getting better exposure, or the awesome guests this year (or even some fusion of the two), but it's safe to say this con is only going to get bigger as time goes on, and I'm a-okay with that! At first, I was a little nervous about doing everything on my own, but I quickly remembered something that my family, friends, and girlfriend all said to me at different points in time: I make friends with almost everyone I meet! Remembering this helped me a lot and made the day go by a lot smoother inside my head.<br />
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I thought if I could get over to meeting with some of the guests I wanted to see right away, that would save me some time later, when I'd prefer to just relax and look around. The first person I went up to see was none other than Johnny Yong Bosch, former black/green ranger from Power Rangers, and voice actor to many characters in Japanese anime (including Ichigo from Bleach, Vash The Stampede from Trigun, and Lelouche from Code Geass). We had a brief conversation before I got him to sign a funny print for me, and we took a great picture together too. Class act!<br />
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Speaking of class acts, the next person I met was even more classy if that's possible. Julian Glover has starred as villain characters in just about every geeky movie series you've ever loved. Indiana Jones? Star Wars? Harry Potter? Game of Thrones? Yup, he's been in all of those. Really sweet man. I felt like I could have listened to him tell random stories for hours and not gotten bored. I got a kick out of the fact that all of his Indiana Jones prints were selling out faster than even the Empire Strikes Back ones.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPxFB415eY1gOHzlVWMHq6ivokVKrrjH-IazWtgdSymk6ZGfmLsC9yJDIwPD88GFYCx3kA3JGU8u7BvHZLmvyhenaWMKTu84F8HelI0pc-EnkdDkSc5UA0WiSuMlTfriuyT2f4gNRNszx/s1600/24ca18da-5d30-4056-92ab-e22ec8f59bd8.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPxFB415eY1gOHzlVWMHq6ivokVKrrjH-IazWtgdSymk6ZGfmLsC9yJDIwPD88GFYCx3kA3JGU8u7BvHZLmvyhenaWMKTu84F8HelI0pc-EnkdDkSc5UA0WiSuMlTfriuyT2f4gNRNszx/s400/24ca18da-5d30-4056-92ab-e22ec8f59bd8.jpg" /></a><br />
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I knew there wasn't too much time before my first photo op of the day, so I checked out some dealer booths around the area, picked up "Marvel Masterworks: The Sub-Mariner Volume 1," and headed into line to wait. Since this line was for Amy Jo Johnson, also known of course as the pink Power Ranger (on top of her other various roles in shows like Felicity and Flashpoint), I knew it was going to be long and hectic, and hopped in as early as I was allowed to. I was absolutely right too, as the line soon stretched across the entire hallway, likely the longest of any line in the entire convention! I got along very well with all the people around me in line, and we helped each other pass the time by talking about various geeky topics. Once it was finally time, I was relieved to see that I finally met a celebrity who wasn't 3 feet taller than me! She was very polite, and our picture came out great, minus the fact that I look like my eyes were about to close.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8yy1eE6_xpJCydLonAo9a3pG8SJ0Sc9QG8J0qFPbMLL6u19CPNSubgivC2m8ce_5HCPtHPvoIOhFoH2J2h9tZZy4Dv39tXs8Ok_Ao99Jr0KthnKJKE5T9SoA48ryiigttUbQlF_2hsS_i/s1600/605108a7-298b-4177-a401-8ca31da7a554.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8yy1eE6_xpJCydLonAo9a3pG8SJ0Sc9QG8J0qFPbMLL6u19CPNSubgivC2m8ce_5HCPtHPvoIOhFoH2J2h9tZZy4Dv39tXs8Ok_Ao99Jr0KthnKJKE5T9SoA48ryiigttUbQlF_2hsS_i/s400/605108a7-298b-4177-a401-8ca31da7a554.jpg" /></a><br />
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Without much time to even think, it was already time to line up for the second photo op I had planned, Erin Cahill and Jason Faunt, the former pink and red rangers from Power Rangers: Time Force (my personal favorite PR series, outside of the original Japanese shows). The line setup for this one was incredibly confusing, because all of the group photo ops seemed to be scheduled within five minutes of each other, and no one really seemed to know what they were doing. That was okay though, since I was able to stay near the front and get it all figured out. Before I knew it, I was already up at the front for the next picture. I have to say, meeting these two was absolutely shocking (and I'm not just talking about me getting starstruck). To explain, the photo op process is usually pretty simple: You walk up, shake hands and say "hi" for maybe a second or two, snap the picture, and you walk out as fast as you came in. This couldn't have been more different! The two of them greeted me like I was the famous person, and they were the fans coming to see me. They asked me my name as they introduced themselves, and even asked what kind of picture I would like to take, serious or goofy, etc. I opted for something funny, and we all agreed on this memorable shot. <br />
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For those who don't know, the red and pink ranger in Time Force are love interests, so I thought that was a pretty hilarious idea. Even the guy printing out the photo couldn't stop laughing about it. After we took the picture, both of them kept saying "PLEASE come by our booth later and show us how that came out!" Honestly, just amazing at the enthusiasm. I am officially spoiled when it comes to photo ops forever, thanks to them. I also have to add this to my collection of "I am extremely lucky my girlfriend is not leaving me over this" photos. Between Natalie Dormer and this new shot, I am very lucky to be with someone who understands this was all just innocent fun and that I would never even consider being unfaithful to her. Once again, I consider myself to be really lucky.<br />
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After all of the photo op fun, I finally had some time to get lunch! The cheesesteak I ate wasn't the greatest ever, but it was certainly good enough. I made conversation with the people sitting around me and we had some laughs together (Okay, so maybe I AM good at making friends at these events; what of it!?). Sometimes you can catch some of the best cosplays just by sitting around and letting them all walk by you.<br />
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Once I got up, it was finally time to start exploring the show floor and artist alley for a bit! I met Ethan Van Sciver, one of my favorite current artists for Green Lantern. He signed my copies of Green Lantern #1 (Vol. 4), Green Lantern: Rebirth, and Sinestro Corps War Special #1, all personal favorites of mine. I noticed that his table was a bit farther away than everyone else, and that he did seem a little distant mentally, so I hope everything was alright. He's an excellent artist, and I was very glad to see him.<br />
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Walking down the same aisle, I met Robert Bruce. If you've ever seen the show Comic Book Men on AMC, Robert was the guy that the cast would always call up when they needed something looked at, in order to determine if they were being sold a legitimate product or not. That is more or less his job in real life as well, and his table had all kinds of interesting vintage figures, much older than me or him. He was also really funny and nice to everybody coming by.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV88pqzZWjmkVXa9KSNVpSZtLvDmu2zzqF9Wh1fK8VsN9ByCx2lwYvrYKj6gCew6aGeU6KNP077talD3GGKlbvrm2KAulcN4IWT8_jsjDmCkZKbVJrr8JT4sMA5NkJSwF1wdczGMe36tMC/s1600/7082bb24-bbd7-48b9-b321-db047df20576.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV88pqzZWjmkVXa9KSNVpSZtLvDmu2zzqF9Wh1fK8VsN9ByCx2lwYvrYKj6gCew6aGeU6KNP077talD3GGKlbvrm2KAulcN4IWT8_jsjDmCkZKbVJrr8JT4sMA5NkJSwF1wdczGMe36tMC/s400/7082bb24-bbd7-48b9-b321-db047df20576.jpg" /></a><br />
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Farther down the same aisle (seriously, was the greatest aisle ever, or what!?), I met up with Scott Hanna, who I had the pleasure of meeting last year as well. This time, after remembering he was the inker for some of my favorite Spider-Man stories, I brought my copy of Amazing Spider-Man #34 (Vol. 2) for him to sign. I already had the pleasure of getting John Michael Straczynski to sign the same issue at NYCC a few years back, so getting Scott to sign it was just icing on the cake. I told him how I had to basically choose between meeting JMS, John Romita Sr., and John Romita Jr. all at the same time, and how tough of a choice that was for me. Scott's another fun person to talk to, who has all kinds of great stories about comics he's worked on in the past. He's also excellent at pencils to boot!<br />
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If you read my previous blog about East Coast Comic Con, you remember the part where I mentioned seeing legendary Batman artist, Neal Adams. Well, as I said before, he did come to this event too. I was bummed by his pricing last time, and was waiting to see if he would do anything different for this convention. It turned out that he kept his pricing all the same, but actually added an exclusive connecting cover variant of Batman fighting Superman... for $100. Yikes. I thought I'd walk around a little more...<br />
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During the rest of the afternoon, I spent a lot of time checking out the various vendors and walking into panels. The panels I checked in on were for both Amy Jo Johnson and Johnny Yong Bosch. Both panels actually had a very different atmosphere. While we got to hear Amy say a lot of funny things involving depressing music and affairs with Jason David Frank (that obviously never happened, but made for a lot of hilarity), while Johnny Yong Bosch had to balance out time between talking about his career as a Power Ranger, and his career as a voice actor, while still making it entertaining for everyone. Both panels actually had a lot to contribute, and I was glad that I checked them both out.<br />
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After the panels, I went back by the celebrity side to show Erin Cahill and Jason Faunt how the picture came out. They were both really happy, and thanked me again for coming out to see them. As I began to walk away from them, I noticed a guy just standing there, looking out at them. I motioned to him that he could walk up now that I was done talking with them, and kept looking down a lot. "I'm... a little shy" he said. A little surprised, I built up some confidence of my own and said to him "Look, those two over there? They will be THRILLED to see you. They are like kids on Christmas morning over there, and I guarantee you will not regret talking with them. Give it a shot!" He finally nodded and walked over to them, and I saw Jason give him a big handshake. It made me feel really happy to see that for some reason.<br />
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I couldn't possibly leave without saying hello to Austin St. John, the original red Power Ranger. I made a joke with him about how it confused me as a six-year-old, to see him named Jason in the show, while the character of Tommy was played by someone actually named Jason. He started telling me about some of the original ideas they had for character names to give him. While I can't remember any of the names he told me off the top of my head, I definitely remember my reaction to them: "... Yeah, Jason was definitely the better name!" Another great guy that I had a lot of fun talking to.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHxUT71t_TLoMSNkmpqwQ6Rf6rXtC_rdWeTqPJoCYZQ7HsMmfz6dExsiUhxCnE5EfNgta32wdukNbLthVfDz6I_Qf6xhS3sf7pTYEzHWbVq4hkEC6P0Nx_i3PCguyQ5R9cY0cCmnpxxzD2/s1600/c1d36687-86fc-4c7b-9af9-305a53e07acc.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHxUT71t_TLoMSNkmpqwQ6Rf6rXtC_rdWeTqPJoCYZQ7HsMmfz6dExsiUhxCnE5EfNgta32wdukNbLthVfDz6I_Qf6xhS3sf7pTYEzHWbVq4hkEC6P0Nx_i3PCguyQ5R9cY0cCmnpxxzD2/s400/c1d36687-86fc-4c7b-9af9-305a53e07acc.jpg" /></a><br />
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So the moment of truth finally came, and I walked back to Neal Adam's table one more time, and I carefully looked over all of the prices. For $30, he would sign any comic or print you brought him. He had comics already signed for $50, he was selling prints for $20 (though I don't know if that included signature), the graphic novel Batman: Odyssey for $80, an omnibus collection of ALL his Batman material for $100 signed (or $300 to get it with a sketch!), and that exclusive connecting cover variant for... $100. I finally decided that the most sensible option was to get the omnibus collection. Why? Well, for starters, it was the only thing there where you paid the retail price and got Neal to sign it, without paying anything extra, and it only made more sense when you compared it to books like Odyssey that were going for $80, yet were actually INCLUDED in the very omnibus I just mentioned. So after thinking way too hard on that little matter, I felt satisfied with the result, and happily got the signature of one of the greatest Batman artists of all time!<br />
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With that little victory (and due to the fact that the omnibus was heavy as all sin), I finally made it back to my car to head home after a long, fun-filled day. Once again, this was another great local convention. The venue never felt too crowded or cramped, the people I met (both famous and not) were all wonderful to meet, and the atmosphere was simply priceless. Here's hoping I can come back next year, and preferably with another person this time! Thanks for reading! Realistic Dr. Zoidberg says goodbye!<br />
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</center>JDOmnislashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11943032967223533636noreply@blogger.com0