There are a number of blu-ray discs in the sub twelve dollar range on Amazon these days. 2001 is a must own in my opinion. I bought it early last month for about eighteen bucks and don't regret the recent price drop. I first saw it in the 1970s when it returned to theatres for a while (wasn't unusual for movies to stick around for more than a year, and then return periodically back then). Marvel Comics also had put out a comicbook version by Jack Kirby. I recall there was a tabloid sized "treasury edition", which I'd never gotten. I did get the first issue of the regular series, which I think I brought with me when I saw the movie.

I was having a discussion with a friend at work about the role of aggression not only as an integral part of history but in nature itself. That nature does not exclude humanity seems obvious, but always requires mentioning for some reason. Anyway, that talk colored my perception of the film (I watched the disc the next day) and I feel that I understand HAL in a way I hadn't before.

Also, has special effects ever been better than this? I'm not sure that it has and that movie's forty years old.




Price subject to change without notice, of course.

Labels: comics, DVD, good deal, movies, nostalgia, online retailers, The Sell Out?

My favorite part of this cover is Cyclops crouching in the background like, "Oh, shit! It's my ex!"
Newsarama has a few pages from X-Men #511. I don't recommend it. The pictures are pretty. Greg Land is much better than the commentators on the site give him credit for. I used to like Sojourn. The words? Not so much.

Labels: Art, comics, funny-ass shit

Sure, I think all these Obama comics are getting out of hand. But then, what's more fun than watching (some) people who are normally down for letting the free market do it's thing bitch and moan when the market isn't doing their thing?

Image above swiped from PressingDigressions.com
Newsarama story and comments.

The anime? I dunno what this is about, but it looks fun.

Labels: Anime, comics, fun, politics, The President Is A Bad Muthafucka, The Sell Out?, youtube and other video

I hesitate 'cuz of lines, but I'm tempted.

Free Comicbook Day

Labels: comics, good deal

I'd been looking forward to The Spirit since the first trailer hit. There was a lot of grumbling about it being more Frank Miller than Will Eisner, but that didn't bother me at all, despite being somewhat familiar with the source material.

I haven't read The Spirit since some Kitchen Sink black and white reprints like 20 (or so) years ago, including a "jam" issue that included one or two pages drawn by Miller himself.

Since then a number of color reprints have appeared in hardcover, and a newly created series by Darwin Cooke was published by DC. I haven't yet sampled any of those. Not high enough on my to do list.

When the movie came as was universally panned (by critics - most people I know don't care about The Spirit or know who Will Eisner was), I decided to wait for video.

Maybe it was the lowered expectations or my enthusiasm for this new genre which doesn't have a name, yet, but which I'll call the "Kinda Psychedelic Live-Action CGI Cartoon" until a better and shorter name comes along. The only other film in this genre* so far (that I know of) is Speed Racer, which is also not beloved by the masses (Yet). Anyway, I quite enjoyed the movie. The dialog was as ridiculous as people said it was, but it seemed to me that everyone involved was having fun, and the longer I watched the more fun (and crazier) it got. And no, I was not under the influence of any mind-altering substances. Really, with a movie like this you could probably just skip the drugs.

Though not outright successful in the laughs department, The Spirit is Frank Miller's first decent attempt (my opinion) to bring out his inner Harvey Kurtzman, something he seems to be struggling with since his horrid sequel to The Dark Knight Returns a few years ago.

Looking forward to buying the Bluray when it's priced at the 15-20 dollar range.

*I don't think 300, Sin City, Sky Captain or Cashern fit into the same category with The Spirit or Speed Racer except in much broader terms (despite Miller's connection to the first two).

Labels: Awesome, comics, movies, youtube and other video

Via Marvel.com

Labels: comics, Japanese Spiderman, youtube and other video

More Obama comic books: Drafted and Barack The Barbarian.
Reported by Newsarama.

Labels: comics, odd, The President Is A Bad Muthafucka

I spoke briefly about Orrin C. Evan's All Negro Comics a couple of years ago (and linked to a great article about the Dean of Black reporters and father of Black comicbooks).

Found this short article from Time Magazine after searching the name of one of Evan's characters, Ace Harlem. I wonder if he's in the public domain?

above image snatched from nurgh.

Labels: comics, feats of strength, History

Too lazy to come up with my own list, here's Entertainment Weekly's recommendations for those who want to read more from Watchmen creator Alan Moore.

From that list:

I didn't like Captain Britain. I don't remember why, but it just didn't do anything for me.
I still haven't gotten around to Lost Girls, A Small Killing, or Top Ten: The Forty-Niners.
Marvelman/Miracleman realllllly needs to be back in print, and the chapters drawn by Chuck Austin needs to be redrawn by somebody else (I loved Austin's War Machine compilation, though).

As seen on Newsarama.

Labels: comics

I'd never seen three hours move so fast while watching a movie, especially as I also kinda had to pee. The myth of the un-film-able Watchmen is broken and that myth shouldn't have gotten started anyway. All good stories get retold, within and throughout mediums.

Watchmen is a damn good movie over all. A few things annoyed me; some of the music, a line of dialog near the very end, and initially, a change from the comic book that, after thinking about it, does make more sense.

And of course, I had to see it in Imax.

Labels: comics, movies

I think that's how the line went, though I can't remember what song that was from. Run used to talk about DMC's drawing skills in one interview I read back in the day, with DMC admitting he might've taken a shot at drawing comics if he hadn't been a successful rapper.

So when I saw there was a video on Newsarama with the man talking comics, I got my hopes up thinking we may finally see his artwork in a project. Doesn't seem to be the case (though there is some sort of comicbook on the horizon), but it was still fun to watch.

Labels: Awesome, comics, fun, music, youtube and other video

Seeing this...


I can't help but be reminded of this guy...



Still, the movie looks good, or at least interesting. A friend of mine wants to loan me Wolverine: Origins, the comic book from which the movie appears to be based. I wonder if it's a good idea to read it now, or wait till after the movie.

Labels: comics, funny-ass shit, movies, tv, youtube and other video

More here. This is some brilliant shit.

As seen on James Hudnall

December 2nd, 2008 - Looks like Milholland's site is experiencing bandwidth issues (not due to traffic from here, I assure you) at the moment. I happened to save the image of the strip I wanted to link, so it's down here. Click twice to enlarge properly.

Labels: Awesome, comics, funny-ass shit, Women

A financial disagreement. So, Terrence Howard won't play James Rhodes in the sequel to Iron Man, but Don Cheadle will. I like Cheadle more than I like Howard, as an actor, but I find the change in actors here could be a bit distracting. As was the issue of Batman's girlfriend in Dark Knight. It was difficult not to think of her as a different character altogether from the chick Katie Holmes portrayed in Batman Begins. I would prefer that be the way the producers approach this; write out James Rhodes from Iron Man 2, and have Cheadle play someone else who might get to wear the War Machine armour. Maybe, Howard will re-consider a return to the third film after Mr. Cheadle has his own financial disagreements, ey? Or maybe re-shoot all the Terrence Howard scenes in Iron Man. Like that'll ever happen, but I'd definately buy another Blu-Ray if it did.


October 17th, 2008 - Why didn't I (or anybody else?) think of this dept: Cuba Gooding Jr.!!! A similar looking dude, with low financial expectations. I used to refer to Terrence Howard as "new Cuba Gooding" when talking to friends about movies. Gooding's James Rhodes would be less of a drastic change, visually, than Don Cheadle entering the role.
Gooding's latest film, The Way Of War is apparently heading straight to video in early 2009.

Labels: comics, movies

I don't have an iPhone, yet (ever?), but this new initiative from iVerse sounds interesting;

“We have developed an extremely simple iPhone Application that allows us to display comics that have been specifically formatted for the iPhone/iPod Touch.” said iVerse Media owner Michael Murphey. “What we’re doing is creating new comics, and adapting existing comics into a format that makes reading comic books an enjoyable and easy experience on these devices. There’s no “zooming” or “pinching” required. All you have to do is flick your finger.” Comics adapted using the iVerse Media software will be available in the iTunes App Store for as little as $.99. Some titles will be released free of charge. “Creators and Studios will be able to set the final prices on their titles, but we’re expecting most standard length titles to be around $.99, and we’re encouraging creators to give away the first issues of their titles to allow new readers who may not be familiar with comics, but are iPhone/iPod Touch owners, to give comics on the devices a try.” “With Digital Comics on the iPhone/iPod Touch we have access to a world wide audience, no printing costs or print run minimums, and it doesn’t take 3 months to get the title from in the catalog to on sale in a store. Each title will be featured as its own application in the App Store, and will be backed up onto the readers desktop or notebook computer each time they sync their device.”

99 cents for a normal length comicbook doesn't sound like a bad deal. Of course I wouldn't mind even lower prices. I guess we'll see how well the majors take to this idea, or if some talented indies take advantage of this opportunity.

iVerse Media is currently discussing comic adaptions and new creations from a variety of industry professionals and studios, and as of today (Aug. 25th 2008), is accepting submissions from new creators. Details on submission requirements can be found at: http://www.iversecomics.com/submissions/ Established creators and Studios wishing to contact iVerse about adapting existing comics, or creating new titles can do so at: http://www.iversecomics.com/contact-us/

Labels: comics, downloads, good deal, possibilities for creative expression

It's just a rumor, and not a credible one at that (no disrespect to the actor who may well have "heard" this), but I like the idea. Of course, I thought Will Smith as Spiderman was a great idea, too.

The only problem I see, is that, Smith as Captain America probably means the producers would take World War II out of his story. Keeping him or starting him in the 1940's would, um, complicate matters in a way that might take the film way beyond it's mandate (to engage us in spectacle - not that there's anything wrong with that). WWII is part of Captain America and it's hard to imagine him without that past (I also find it hard to accept any DC comics continuity that doesn't place Superman as the first superhero).

The Invaders (stopped after Frank Robbins was gone) were among my favorite comics back in the day, along with the tail end of Jack Kirby's 70's Captain America run, the year or so of issues that followed (I subscribed, and my subscription began with the first or second post Kirby issue - felt ripped off at first, but not for long), and also some reprints of Lee and Kirby Cap (Marvel Presents or something). I've got deep, non-gay, love for Cap (not that there's anything wrong with that).

He's not exactly Don Cheadle, but Smith can pull just about anything off, in the world of pop movies including Captain America, but is there a film-maker and writer who can craft a modern day story about a man who dresses up as a flag? In the end that's what it boils down to. I didn't see Wild, Wild West, but I suspect, from what I've heard, that it's problem wasn't a good movie with the lead that was horribly mis-cast.

Sept. 9th 2008 - Rumor squashed. Oh, well.

Labels: comics, movies, youtube and other video

Motion Comics are probably trademarked by Warners/DC, but I could see this being a generic term for the style of animation which uses comic book panels as their basis.

The Marvel cartoons of the sixties is a famous example of this;



Last week or so, I mentioned The Watchmen free video which was offered (for a limited time) as a free download. I like the idea of using this style of animation as a web and portable friendly way to present comic book stories. Since then I've also read about and watched something called Invincible,

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also animated from the original comic book, and seen trailers/previews for The Black Panther, which will be airing on BET

, shockwave-flash@http://www.comicbookresources.com/VIEW/FlowPlayerLight.swf?config=%7Bembedded%3Atrue%2CbaseURL%3A%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecomicbookresources%2Ecom%2FVIEW%27%2CwatermarkLinkUrl%3A%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecomicbookresources%2Ecom%2Fvideo%27%2CshowWatermark%3A%27always%27%2CwatermarkUrl%3A%27%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fcbr%5Fwatermark%2Epng%27%2CcontrolsAreaBorderColor%3A%270xEFEFEF%27%2CprogressBarBorderColor2%3A%270xFFFFFF%27%2CprogressBarBorderColor1%3A%270xFFFFFF%27%2CprogressBarColor2%3A%270x960315%27%2CprogressBarColor1%3A%270x960315%27%2CbufferBarColor2%3A%270xEF9616%27%2CbufferBarColor1%3A%270xFFD489%27%2CcontrolBarBackgroundColor%3A%270x01018c%27%2CcontrolBarGloss%3A%27high%27%2CuseNativeFullScreen%3Atrue%2CinitialScale%3A%27orig%27%2CuseHwScaling%3Atrue%2CautoBuffering%3Afalse%2CplayList%3A%5B%7Boverlay%3A%27%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fplay%5Fbutton%2Epng%27%2Ctype%3A%27jpg%27%2Curl%3A%27http%3A%2F%2Fserve%2Ecastfire%2Ecom%2Fvideo%2F19484%2Ftrailers%2Dfs%5F2008%2D07%2D27%2D105440%2Ejpg%27%7D%2C%7Burl%3A%27http%3A%2F%2Fserve%2Ecastfire%2Ecom%2Fvideo%2F19484%2Ftrailers%2Dfs%5F2008%2D07%2D27%2D105440%2Eflv%27%7D%5D%7D" href="http://www.comicbookresources.com/VIEW/FlowPlayerLight.swf?config=%7Bembedded%3Atrue%2CbaseURL%3A%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecomicbookresources%2Ecom%2FVIEW%27%2CwatermarkLinkUrl%3A%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecomicbookresources%2Ecom%2Fvideo%27%2CshowWatermark%3A%27always%27%2CwatermarkUrl%3A%27%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fcbr%5Fwatermark%2Epng%27%2CcontrolsAreaBorderColor%3A%270xEFEFEF%27%2CprogressBarBorderColor2%3A%270xFFFFFF%27%2CprogressBarBorderColor1%3A%270xFFFFFF%27%2CprogressBarColor2%3A%270x960315%27%2CprogressBarColor1%3A%270x960315%27%2CbufferBarColor2%3A%270xEF9616%27%2CbufferBarColor1%3A%270xFFD489%27%2CcontrolBarBackgroundColor%3A%270x01018c%27%2CcontrolBarGloss%3A%27high%27%2CuseNativeFullScreen%3Atrue%2CinitialScale%3A%27orig%27%2CuseHwScaling%3Atrue%2CautoBuffering%3Afalse%2CplayList%3A%5B%7Boverlay%3A%27%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fplay%5Fbutton%2Epng%27%2Ctype%3A%27jpg%27%2Curl%3A%27http%3A%2F%2Fserve%2Ecastfire%2Ecom%2Fvideo%2F19484%2Ftrailers%2Dfs%5F2008%2D07%2D27%2D105440%2Ejpg%27%7D%2C%7Burl%3A%27http%3A%2F%2Fserve%2Ecastfire%2Ecom%2Fvideo%2F19484%2Ftrailers%2Dfs%5F2008%2D07%2D27%2D105440%2Eflv%27%7D%5D%7D" id="">

and Batman: Mad Love which is available on XBox Live.

My main issue remains price. Seven 2 to 4 minute episodes of Mad Love on XBox live for over a dollar each makes the iTunes price of 2 bucks per 24/45 minute episode (of regular TV content) seem almost reasonable. But if they can be successful at those prices, more power to 'em. Not with my money, though.

Black Panther will air on a cable channel, the much hated (by black folk) BET. I don't think I want to see too much of this stuff on TV. If successful enough, it could hurt whatever's left of real animation that isn't imported from Japan.

That this stuff can be done cheaply is appealing, and perhaps we'll see more independent cartoonists animating their work in this way (good animation is hard, Flash - not so much), getting somebody they know with a decent speaking voice to narrate, generate a following on YouTube and then offering downloads where-ever at a sane price.

Pie in the sky, but the potential is there.

Labels: comics, downloads, possibilities for creative expression, XBox 360, youtube and other video

Kinda, sorta animated.

iTunes is offering free downloads (for a limited time, I think) of Watchmen #1, the original story and artwork animated from the panels (like those sixties Marvel cartoons, but better) with music and a voiceover guy. I only watched a few minutes of it, but I thought it was well done and a great way to present comics on the web. I'd like to see more.
I had no problem with a single narrator rather than having every character voiced individually. I think it works artistically, and makes sense economically.
Unfortunately, like all iTunes videos (that I'm aware of), this only plays on iPods and computers. Not PSPs.
Though once these "motion comics" become available for sale, we go back to the problem of portable TV and video episodes being priced at $1.99 a piece. I still refuse to accept that, even as Playstation.com is starting to make content available for the PSP and PS3.
Buuuuuuut, maybe this is different. It's not like The Daily Show which one can watch practically for free on cable, or serialized shows which are cheaper as DVD sets (and are converted to MP4s easily enough). I might be tempted to try some exclusive content, but not for an extended run. I also won't be paying for more episodes of The Watchmen as I've read the series already and know how it ends (aside from being too expensive). I do look forward to the Movie, which looks great so far (trailer and website link below...)

Plus:
Alan Moore loves The Wire, not so crazy about 300.
Watchmen movie website
and the trailer:

Labels: Anticipay-yay-shun..., comics, downloads, movies, possibilities for creative expression, youtube and other video

Labels: comics, fun, media, politics, society, tv, youtube and other video

There's gonna be a lot of groaning in fandom over the inevitable move to remake Death Note in the U.S.A.

An overachieving Japanese teenager finds the notebook of a death god and uses it to kill criminals and purify this world of "evil". Kira (as in Killer) is the name he is given on the internet. The international community dispatches "L", a brilliant, but eccentric young detective to stop him and the series becomes a battle of wits between the two geniuses.

I read the 12 volume manga after being too impatient to wait once a week for the episodes of the anime on Cartoon Network (now just about on it's final story arc). While I enjoyed both comicbook and cartoon versions (and kinda/sorta the live action Japanese movies), I couldn't help but look at the premise of Death Note with an American perspective.

There were questions that were ignored in the series that I think couldn't/wouldn't be overlooked by a western writer.

Chief among those is the fact that Kira cannot discern the guilty from the innocent (most of the time). He simply kills those who are accused of crimes. The series never shows us the consequences of wrongful deaths (unless you count those who gets in his way). Anti-Kira commentators and police all seem concerned about nothing but the rule of law, not so much about the abuse of power. The pro-Kira folk, nothing but justice. It's a type of simplicity that can only work in Japanese comics, with Steve Ditko (Mr. A) being a remotely possible American exception.

Also, the idea that western governments (particularly the U.S.) would publicly oppose Kira at first, doesn't work, when you consider that (openly) opposing the death penalty is not feasible for politicians running for President. Of course, no government wants to be under the threat of Kira. No effort would be spared in attempting to stop him (quietly), lest they find themselves judged for foreign policy initiatives and other perceived evils.

Fixing these issues doesn't mean the finished product won't suck, though. One never knows till the deed is done.

And can we keep Sara Michelle Gellar away from this? Please? Surely there's other types of movies she could be making.

Labels: Anime, comics, japanese, movies

Iron Man was great! I'm not good at writing reviews, so I'll leave it at that. It was awesome. Can't wait to buy the DVD or Blu-Ray. Though if I buy the Blu-Ray, I'll have to wait till I have a player to watch it.

Had to wait over an hour in line for my free comics at Midtown Comics (near Times Square). Not exactly local, but that's where I liked to go for comics before I started relying on Amazon.com for just about anything.

Even though purchase wasn't required, it seemed quite a few people shopped in addition to picking up their freebies (a good thing for the store) which is one reason the line was slow in moving. Another reason - a lot of fucking people on the line.

I too, made a few purchases; The Batman/Grendel compilation (didn't know this was out till recently), the latest Black Panther trade (Little Green Men), first volume of Y: The Last Man (trying something new), a 50 cent preview of Grendel: Behold The Devil, a 50 cent (given free) preview of the new Crisis mini-series called DC Universe 0, which I read on the way home (it sucks, of course) and Giant Robot magazine #53. Hadn't read that in a little while.

I won't go into the free titles except to say I got 27 free comics, which was already compiled by a store worker. Should keep me busy for a little while.

Labels: Awesome, comics, good deal, movies

Around this time for the past few years, participating comic book shops have given away free promotional comics to capitalize on the potential for new customers generated by big budget superhero films like Spiderman, and now Iron Man.

I always, always, always miss it, and I'm always, always, always pissed when I get home that Saturday and find out it was Free Comic Book Day. Except for one or two times when I knew about it, and just had other concerns or things to do.

Well not this time. Grand Theft Auto IV killed my XBox 360, or maybe it was a co-inky-dink that the inevitable (for about 33% of 360 owners) Red Rings Of Death just happened to follow an increasing number of freeze ups I experienced while playing that game. I then put in San Andreas which froze up, and upon re-starting the machine, gazed in horror, upon the three flashing red lights.

It's going back to Microsoft after talking to what sounded like a thirteen year old boy over at support. Now that I think about it, I better make damn sure it's actually going to Microsoft and not some teen-aged hacker who's somehow manage to redirect XBox calls to his house. If he had an Indian accent, I'd be less suspicious. I dunno what their child labor laws are like over there.

Anyway, the point was, I've nothing better to do* so I might as well get some free comics and maybe check out Iron Man, which I was looking forward to seeing for a while now.

*Okay, "nothing better to do", doesn't include a number of things I ought to be doing, but it's gonna be interesting to see how much more productive I become in the next 3 or 4 weeks without the 360. I still have a PS2 and a bunch of unfinished/unplayed games, but I know I won't spend as much time on them. Then again....

Free Comic Book Day

Another casualty of GTA IV/RROD

Labels: Anticipay-yay-shun..., comics, DANGER WILL ROBINSON DANGER, good deal, movies, PS2, video games, XBox 360

But I do.

Labels: Awesome, comics, death, funny-ass shit, independent film-making, movies, youtube and other video

From The NY Times;

Time Warner is no longer the sole proprietor of Superman.

A federal judge here on Wednesday ruled that the heirs of Jerome Siegel — who 70 years ago sold the rights to the action hero he created with Joseph Shuster to Detective Comics for $130 — were entitled to claim a share of the United States copyright to the character. The ruling left intact Time Warner’s international rights to the character, which it has long owned through its DC Comics unit.

And it reserved for trial questions over how much the company may owe the Siegel heirs for use of the character since 1999, when their ownership is deemed to have been restored. Also to be resolved is whether the heirs are entitled to payments directly from Time Warner’s film unit, Warner Brothers, which took in $200 million at the domestic box office with “Superman Returns” in 2006, or only from the DC unit’s Superman profits.

Still, the ruling threatened to complicate Warner’s plans to make more films featuring Superman, including another sequel and a planned movie based on the DC Comics’ “Justice League of America,” in which he joins Batman, Wonder Woman and other superheroes to battle evildoers.

If the ruling survives a Time Warner legal challenge, it may also open the door to a similar reversion of rights to the estate of Mr. Shuster in 2013. That would give heirs of the two creators control over use of their lucrative character until at least 2033 — and perhaps longer, if Congress once again extends copyright terms — according to Marc Toberoff, a lawyer who represents the Siegels and the Shuster estate.

Wow! That is awesome. Assuming it's not reversed on appeal.

The whole article at the NYT, plus another at Newsarama where I first read this news.

Labels: Awesome, comics, feats of strength, Heroes, nostalgia

Minoriteam

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Saw this at AfroNerd and laughed myself silly. Adult Swim is some sick shit. I don't watch that much of it cuz I don't smoke weed, but every now and then something brilliant happens over there.

Labels: Awesome, comics, funny-ass shit, tv, youtube and other video

In a discussion about Marvel and Del Ray producing imitation manga featuring the X-Men and Wolverine comes this quote (which comes from a previous story) from C.B. Cebulksi:

...OEL is not manga. It is manga influenced. If we want to split hairs, in my opinion "OEL Manga" is actually an oxymoron. (Aside from the three or four original manga stories produced by Japanese artists for the non-Japanese market...) I'm going to spoil one of my points in an upcoming interview here, but I think it's important I point out that, despite how much people like to say ""Manga" is Japanese for comics.", it's not! "Komikusu" (the transliteration of "comics") is Japanese for comics. There's a big difference. I've had this conversation a thousand times and argued both sides, from the American and Japanese POV, but the simple fact is, if you ask any Japanese manga reader, writer, artist, editor or publisher, the term "manga" is Japanese for "Japanese comic". Plain and simple. Trust me, the Japanese are very specific in their comic terminology. Manga means Japanese comic. AmeComi is American Comic. BeDe or Bande Desinee is for anything produced in Europe. Manwha is Korean. Manhua is Chinese. And so on.... They're sticklers for their labels. Now I've spoken with editors at many of the major Japanese publishers, and at lots of the smaller ones too. They all agree on one thing; this "OEL" boom they hear about coming from the States is a marketing ploy. They don't appreciate it being branded as "manga". So much so that (and I don't want to piss off other fellow comic creators here any more than I already have), the Japanese already have a term for it. What we call "OEL", they're calling "Nissei Comi", which can be translated to mean "second generation" or "fake" comics. Look, agree or diasgree, I'm just stating facts here. Offering up a side of the discussion most people don't get to hear. Yes, this will rock the boat a bit and I know that, but I'm just trying to give another perspective on the discussion. Manga is purely Japanese and that's just how it is.

from Newsarama.com

I've never actually heard the two words spoken, but it would seem to me that Manwha and Manhua would sound identical when spoken. No?

Labels: comics, japanese, Truth

There's a great gallery of comicbook covers that accompany an article on the truly legendary Tony Wong. Most of the work represent early issues of Dragon Tiger Gate (Oriental Heroes). Dragon Tiger Gate was recently made into a not so good movie and Kaiju Shakedown laments what could have been (while linking to the above article in the first place and allowing me to find it).

Labels: comics, fun, kung fu

The last time I noticed something like this, it was a projectionist who made known his opinion of some movie before it was widely released.

This time it's an editorial director at a gaming site I used to check out regularly. The firing may've been motivated by the huge amount of advertising on Gamespot by Eidos for their apparently not so great game, Kane And Lynch.

While this controversy shines an unflattering light on the Gamespot site, other sites could very easily learn the wrong lesson from this. Luckily, it's easier than ever to get opinions from fellow gamers, as well as playable demos to help guide the choices we make.

In any case, I won't be needing Gamespot, as there are a ton of other videogame news sites, and I certainly won't be giving any Eidos titles a benefit of the doubt. If Eidos actually makes a kick ass game, I'll probably check it out, though.

Labels: advertising, bullshit, comics, video games

Pretty much what I've been doing for a while. This is like my theme song. Comes from a relatively recent album by Sparks, called Hello Young Lovers, which is badass in a Bohemian Rhapsody meets Meatloaf, though not really kinda way. I thought those guys were just a new wave group from the eighties, but there's way more to them than that. I vaguely recall an old Saturday Night Live appearance, where I thought the keyboardist was named Roland because of the prominent logo on the instrument. I also recall they had the movie rights to Mai, The Psychic Girl, and they were gonna make it a musical directed by Tsui Hark. The idea frightened me at the time, but now I wish it got made. Wonder if they went ahead and wrote any songs for it.

I'm still digging Bad Brains' Build A Nation. I used to like the idea of Bad Brains more than I did their records. Now they've made a album worthy of a Punk/Reggae band, though now it's more heavy rock, than punk, in my opinion.

Video Games.

Played through Me And My Katamari on the PSP. The controls are painful compared to We Love Katamari on the PS2, but I love the 8 bit version you get at the end. Sorry if that's a spoiler. Also love the theme, Katamari on the Funk. I doubt I'll get the 360 version (Beautiful Katamari) unless it's cheap and I have nothing better to do, which, I guess, is inevitable. Starting Killzone Liberation on the PSP. Demo was cool so I picked this up a week or two ago (I know it's been out for a while).

Still have to finish We Love Katamari on the PS2. I want to be done with all my games on the PS2 and then say goodbye to them. There's a bunch. I'm bad at finishing games, but lately I'm a bit more into it. Having the XBox 360, it would be easy to move on, but I can't. I won't. Grand Theft Auto 3 was a birthday present dammit! So was Dynasty Warriors 2, I think. And I just bought two or three PS2 games like 6 or 7 weeks ago (Shadow Of The Collossus, Socom II - Socom was used - 5 bucks, and one other?) in addition to a few other decent titles just sitting around like War Of The Monsters. So I will finish them and maybe pass them on to friends.

Finished BioShock and Halo 3 on the XBox 360. Bioshock is the better of the two games, though I've yet to try out the online multiplayer function of XBox Live. I actually let my free one month gold membership lapse without trying it out. Wanted to be a better player first. I can barely shoot straight even at this point, but I'm gonna join up next week or so.

I also play various demos, or Burnout Revenge if I want a quick gaming session. I just bought The Orange Box, primarily for Portal, but it includes Half Life 2 and Team Fortress. Looks like fun. Haven't opened it yet.

Movies.

Transformers was fun, but got annoying during the second hour (I think) with the comedy bit with them searching for glasses while the robots try to hide from the parents and the big bad government goons showing up. Turned into E.T. for a little bit. I was never a fan of the cartoon, though the animated Transformers: The Movie was pretty decent.

Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang was awesome, though. Picked it up at the supermarket a while back for six or seven bucks and finally checked it out. Funny as a muh-fug. Really looking forward to Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man.

Also went to see Jodie Foster's Death Wish movie, The Brave One. I liked it. Not great, but good enough. Really looking forward to seeing Terrence Howard in some kinda armor in Iron Man or maybe it's sequel.

TV?

Finished Heavenly Sword, Dragon Sabre (2003), which finishes up the Condor Heroes Trilogy, though it's not really a sequel, in my opinion. In the order I watched them, this followed the 1983 version of Legend Of The Condor Heroes and the 2006 Return Of The Condor Heroes (simply called Condor Hero in the U.S. release).

After the 2007 Legend Of is released with subtitles (fansubs perhaps), I may revisit the trilogy, following with the anime version titled Legend Of but which is actually Return Of (I have some but not all of this series) and then cap it off with the 1986 New Heaven Sword And Dragon Sabre. I also have a few volumes of the comic book adaptations of Louis Cha's novels. Legendary Couple by Tony Wong is based upon Return, and Heaven Sword Dragon Sabre was adapted by Ma Wing Shing. Both were published in English by Comics One, which went out of business before completing either story.

I've got Heroes stockpiled on my cable DVR, but haven't watched any of this season, yet. I will soon.

Audio Books.

eMusic has a audio books subscription service separate from their music downloading site. I joined, but will probably cancel after my second month. Listened to After Dark by Haruki Murakami and started A Briefer History Of Time by Stephen Hawkins. The first was a novel and was a breeze to get through, despite some audio glitches here and there. The second, not so much. Though meant to be lighter reading (listening) than Brief History, it requires a bit more of my attention than I can give it during a morning commute, or while shopping. I have to take a different approach, and will, later.

My previous experience with audio books was limited to Al Franken's Lies and The Lying Liars That Tell Them. A great audio book, but I didn't hold it up as an example of the medium, because it's a collection of funny stories delivered by a comedian who knows well how to perform his work. I've been told that normally, one should avoid audio books read by the authors themselves. Consider Al Franken an exception to this rule.

Comics.

Blood Sword back issues and the new re-translated, digitally enhanced volumes (Chinese Hero - Tales Of The Blood Sword). I'll talk about those another time, but I'll say the new volumes are great, mostly.

My creative endeavors?

All I do now is dick around, but when I get