All Things Geeky @twocatscomicbookstore.com

Image Expo 2012 Recitation

2012-03-01T13:32:00.000-08:00

By Christian Nicholson

We had a great time at the Image Expo 2012 and accomplished all of our goals. Thank you that is all.

Oh wait, maybe it isn't.

Aaron is hard at work texting or something.

We took a less than commanding selection of graphic novels, but we managed to convey the impression that "yes indeed we have more stuff at the store." The collectibles we brought were pretty cool.

T-shirts were the stand out money maker. We have more shirts in the store, which you will see in subsequent blog posts.

Our spot was conveniently located near the front entrance of the convention hall, which gave us some pretty amazing visibility.

I'd like to thank Jimmy Jay, the other exhibitors, all the folks at Image, IDW and other publishers of creator owned comics for hosting and participating in this excellent alternative to Wondercon. We got the chance to meet or reconnect with customers and industry professionals. The expo had a managable crowd and went pretty smoothly. We worked hard, made a little money and had a great time.

Nearly Complete!

2012-01-26T08:45:00.000-08:00

By Christian Nicholson

The new fixtures have arrived, and are fully in place. They were worth the wait.

We have endcaps, and tables, and a whole host of weaponized retail merchandising.

Aaron is bearing witness to the glory that is the New Cashwrap.

This cabinet, for all if its glory, doesn't have an off switch. Fortunately, its a low draw LED, and its awefully pretty.

If you are a customer in need of service, we have a counter for you.

Pictures can't tell you how nice the store feels when you are actually browsing and being chatted up by our excellent staff. Stop in to see for yourself.

Still Getting Better!

2011-12-05T16:15:00.000-08:00

By Christian Nicholson

The other day we had some roof work done. You could say that either they took down a really old satellite TV antenna, or we had our own death beam array installed on the roof. I'm not saying which it is, but if Godzilla-esque monsters walk out of the Pacific towards West Portal, we will be ready.

We've included posters in the line-up, and of course pushed the store back a few more feet. In this pic Kali is engaged in the Never-Ending Back Issue Project.

We've added a few tables for easier graphic novel browsing.

Corey and Aaron are apparently discussing something really cool in Previews, while Skully watches the door.

Though the pics in the blog don't show it yet, we are only about eight feet or so from the back of the store. We're getting there. Stop by to see for yourself.

The Creep Spreads

2011-11-18T10:31:00.000-08:00

By Christian Nicholson

I promised our employees we wouldn't Zerg our customer service, but no one said anything about Zerging the store layout. We make signigicant improvements to the store on a daily basis.

We've unleashed the Kraken, err, Cashwrap.

Eva and Tricia break into spontanous song while working. I think it might be the beginning of unionization. Skully and I will watch and listen carefully. Also, notice the difference between this and the last photo, in terms of size of store. We pushed it back about four feet and added a merchandiser called a pinwheel.

We've also unleashed our T-Shirt Wall Of Awesome.

So big, it won't all fit in one photo.

Stop in, check it out for yourself.

The First Iteration

2011-11-08T22:16:00.000-08:00

By Christian Nicholson

We will go through several iterations before we settle into our long term set up. This table is actually a desk, and the desk actually should be in the office. Its not about our egos. Its about the store.

I want my desk back.

Skully is manning the cashwrap, which at that point was just a few bookcases pushed together.

Our bookshelves form the back of the store. And are hiding a big bombin' shipment we had receive to get more awesomeness on our shelves.

We put a bunch of the overstock comics on the bookshelves until we checked in our graphic novels.

Of course, it all looks different now. Stop in to see for yourself.

Sure We're Open, But How Did We Get There?

2011-11-07T11:56:00.000-08:00

By Christian Nicholson

I think that you aren't really a comic book store until you have 1. comic books shelves, and 2. comics on your shelves. This pic shows exact moment we became a comic book store.

You become a good comic book store by offering a wide selection of geeky merchandise, and in order to sell it, you need shelves. Skully is supervising the shelf construction project.

Behold! Our first shelf. Courtesy of the best staff we've ever had the pleasure to hire and then work with.

By the end of the day, we assembled all the shelves. All is in readiess for exellence to put on them. Did we get the goods? Stop by the store to find out. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Plastic, Skully, And The Worthy

2011-10-26T16:32:00.000-07:00

By Christian Nicholson

"I have your red Swingline stapler." Skully likes to play around, but the rest of us are working dilligently on making this comic book store happen.

Wall of the office before:

Wall of the office in progress;

Also, in the office, the Wall Of The Worthy:

Gotta get back to work. More pics coming soon.

More In Progress Pics

2011-10-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

By Christian Nicholson

A whole comic book store is being built by gnomes in far flung lands and will be shipped shortly. Meanwhile, chew on some more Work in Progress Pics.

The front of the store from the inside. It's just as cavernous sounding as it looks.

There is a pretty sizeable back room where we are actually doing most of the behind the scenes work. Will it become event space? Very likely.

The pile of black planks there in the corner is our desk. Too bad the shippers neglected to include the hardware. Skully (that prankster) is hiding somewhere in this pic. If you can spot him you might win a prize.

More pics coming soon!

Before And After Pics

2011-10-12T19:42:00.000-07:00

by Christian Nicholson

As you may have heard, we've started building out our new store at 320 West Portal Avenue. We'll keep you apprised as we go with fascinating photos and witty remarks.

The location we picked didn't need a lot of work. But it did need some fresh paint, in a color which suits our business.

The todays pics are basically from the front of the store looking towards the back.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Pretty neat, no? Right now its just a box, with nothing in it but potential. But Oh! What potential!

Last Airbender: Legend Of Korra Trailer!

2011-07-25T17:50:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen Avatar the Last Airbender, the TV series yet, you ought to. It ranks as some of the best long form storytelling out there. It's clever, smart and has heart. I'm really looking forward to the sequel.

New Amazing Spider-Man Trailer!

2011-07-20T10:53:00.000-07:00

Looks pretty amazing.

Little Thor

2011-04-21T16:05:00.001-07:00

You must watch.

New High Res Pics of GL

2011-04-12T16:57:00.000-07:00

By Christian Nicholson

Apparently, Warner has seen fit to release high res pics of Ryan Reynolds as the Green Lantern. They seem to be going all out with the marketing machine. While I'm fairly certain 'm going to a theater to see it within weeks of it opening, I might just sneak into a screening. I'm not sure I want to encourage them. Is it just me or does anyone else see a recolored Slim Goodbody?

I'm not really that excited about the movie. They still seem to be adding vocal cast to this thing. (Geoffrey Rush as Tomar-Re) which on the one hand seems pretty cool, but on the other hand seems pretty concerning.

It's a big budget blockbuster effecs movie and adding voice actors in post is not a big deal. But what we've seen so far really smacks of a CGI fest to me. I get the feeing that half of the movie is going to look like it came straigt from the effects house. In other words, this movie is going to be Who Shot Roger Rabbit, without the heart,soul and humor.

When the folks who do CGI things for a living (Pixar et al) tend to do their voice work pretty early in the process so they can capture the actors' performance, it doesn't really inspire me to know voice work is going on nowish.

Like I said, I'm pretty sure I'm going to see the thing,but I can't promise I'll pay for it. I used to watch Slim Goodbody for free back in the day, and I'm not sure I want to start paying now.

Green Lantern Footage From Wondercon

2011-04-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

By Corey Shroeder

Now THIS looks like a damn Green Lantern movie. It's CG-heavy, but any movie with a massive cast of aliens is going to be these days. We get a lot less "snarky, Tony Stark-lite" from Hal, we see Oa a lot more, we even get to see a scuffle and what APPEARS to be...Parallax? Uh oh. Parallax in the comics was one of the greatest, mightiest threats the Green Lanterns ever faced, it's not the kind of thing that should be playing second fiddle to a telekinetic super villain. It should be the sole focus of the movie. And that last trailer didn't just go away, unless they did some VERY serious editing and reshooting, so I'm having trouble reconciling what I've already seen with what I'm now seeing. Either the Earth stuff is going to be a VERY small portion of the movie, or we are heading into an extremely schizophrenic superhero film.

Captain America Trailer

2011-03-24T12:59:00.001-07:00

Looks Amazing.

Dragon Age 2 Game Review

2011-03-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

By Corey Schroeder

Depending on how quickly the fervor dies down, Dragon Age II may go down in history as one of the most polarizing videogames ever released. It's been the victim of trolling, it's had devs outed for making overly positive reviews, it's inspired pages upon pages of forum posts, which got so bad that on Bioware's own site, they opened a whole new forum locked for everyone, except people who have registered their copy of the game. All for a game that, at the end of the day, is competent, fun, exciting, and flawed. It's really not worth all the hubbub.

   Dragon Age II changed the formula established by Dragon Age: Origins, a game that was an intentional throwback to a bygone era of videogames, by increasing the pace massively and also extending the narrative over ten years. That last part is what sets this game apart from many other RPGs in which a group of strangers inexplicably pledge their lives (and deaths) to a guy they've known for all of two months. The ten year narrative isn't perfectly executed (humans don't age...like at all, unless they were children at the beginning) but it lends a certain amount of credence to the way the characters develop and that is the game's strongest suit: the characters are amazing. Dragon Age II's characters actually change over the course of the game. Their motivations are spelled out pretty clearly when you meet them, but those motivations may change, sometimes radically, over the course of the narrative and again the ten year timespan makes this seem organic rather than simply inconsistent writing.
   The game does have its flaws and most of these can be spelled out in its incredibly abrupt and sequel-hungry ending. Without getting into spoiler territory, the game eschews the normal open-RPG epilogue of "here's what happened to everyone and everywhere you impacted" and merely drops off, hinting at things to come. The game also takes place primarily in the city of Kirkwall and the surrounding countryside, and unfortunately this results in a LOT of the maps being reused and the side-quests becoming repetitive by the game's end. Still, when you compare it to Dragon Age: Origins' somewhat generic and dull maps, it seems like a lose/lose proposition.
   The gameplay itself is vastly faster and more impactful than its predecessor. Playing on the PC means that the combat is still point-and-click, but the moves themselves have a great deal more punch and look just spectacular. The skill-tree has also been reworked, giving the ability to not only have greater customization from character-to-character, but have also given you the ability to upgrade certain abilities to change what they do and make them more useful throughout the game rather than fading into obsolescence.
   Dragon Age II changes a lot of what worked about Dragon Age: Origins, but they changed it in such a way that they work even better now. Bioware doesn't get enough credit for pushing the envelope with what they've already had success with and not simply iterating on what's safe. Dragon Age II isn't perfect, and it definitely feels rushed (and it apparently was), but frankly for a game that was made in a year, it's spectacular. Almost everything about the game was reworked and the changes mostly make the game faster without sacrificing the need for tactical thinking. Bioware is on a roll with their RPGs and in spite of everything, I can't wait to see what they do next.

Animated Short, The Pro

2011-03-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

For grown folks only. Don't click the link if you aren't grown. No seriously. Aw dammit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNRDGjjQwwE

Winter Is Coming

2011-03-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

Don't ask when he'll be done because if you do George RR Martin will kill a Stark.

The following video's awesomeness competes with its strangeness. Awsome wins by a nose.

Wonder Woman Pic

2011-03-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

Obviously.

Pic lifted from DC's blog

By Christian Nicholson

While on the one hand, the latex harkens back to Wonder Woman's BDSM roots (seriously), on the other hand, it seems a little obvious and uninspired. I'm a little more than a little concerned about this series.

Last Airbender: Legend Of Korra Pic!

2011-03-11T10:38:00.000-08:00

By Christian Nicholson

Nickelodian has released a new photo to promote the upcoming animated TV series Last Airbender: Legend of Korra. I, for one, am excited.

If you haven't seen the original animated series, Avatar: the Last Airbender, you are seriously missing out. In the guise of an accessible kids show, the creators have executed a stellar example of long form story telling. Sure, some of the moves, especially the early ones, are designed to appeal more to kids than adults, but if you can get past that, the story is chocked full of excellent character driven narrative and exciting action peices that make many live action action movies look ill considered.

And, yeah, that bascially sums up how I feel about the excerable Last Airbender live action movie.

After having gone on the long ride that is Avatar: The Last Airbender I can't say how excited I am about getting to go back to that world again.

Dragon Age 2 Demo Review

2011-03-04T10:29:00.000-08:00

By Corey Shroeder

I just played the DA2 demo again and I have so much to say, so I figured I'd organize it into a somewhat organized list:

First and foremost: The new darkspawn look is awesome. We learn in the last game that darkspawn are created by corrupting humans, elves, dwarves and Qu'nari into hideous monsters. But the darkspawn in DA:O look almost exactly like orks from any other fantasy series, specifically the Lord of the Rings movies. They're vaguely reptilian-humanoid monsters who tend to hunch over and use scavenged, corroded equipment. In this, they appear to be twisted, corrupt, insane versions of the creatures that they were originally created from, and I think that takes great steps to differentiate this from other fantasy games/books/movies.

Another point is something I noticed in my second playthrough of the demo was that there were locked abilities for all the party members that corresponded to both "Rivalry" and "Friendship," and both were essentially polar opposites of one another. The tragically flawed Alpha Protocol (check my lists for more on why I liked that game just fine) used a similar system by which alienating your allies could be just as useful as embracing them. Alpha Protocol did a lot of things I hope to see in future RPG games, but this is one of the most interesting and I'm glad to see it used in a game that's guaranteed some level of success. Hopefully it'll catch on in other games so being a jerk can still pay off.

The pacing is one of the problems I had with the original Dragon Age, and as a result I've only played through DA:O once, despite loving the living HELL out of the game. This is because it's so laboriously paced that I can't see putting ANOTHER sixty to eighty hours into it while I still want to play other games. Part of this stems from the combat which, by Bioware's own admission, takes from Baldur's Gate 2, which was itself an extremely slow-paced game as it had to adhere closely to the Dungeons and Dragons system. That Dragon Age II is taking a much more brisk pace to the combat, including attack animations and "charge" moves that get characters into melee combat with a quick strike, is a welcome change. I understand the desire for a throw-back, but a game that was made a certain way out of necessity and one that was made that way stylistically are very different.

There's nothing much negative to say about the game, other than I really hope it doesn't hitch and load as much in the final version, but I really love what they've changed. They seem to be shooting for the same tone while not just resting on the incredible sales of their previous iteration. That's something I admire about Bioware: they're not afraid to change a formula netted them great sales, even if it means potentially alienating a few users. Bioware seems to have paid close attention to the flaws of the original and taken real steps to fix them. I'm more excited for this game than ever, which is pretty much the point of a good demo.

Tron Uprising

2011-03-03T10:51:00.000-08:00

By Christian Nicholson

I'll have you know, I really liked Tr2n. I loved almost everything about it. I don't know how much of the spirit of the movies will be in the animated series goes, but it looks promising.

Elder Scrolls: Skyrim In Game Trailer

2011-02-25T09:44:00.000-08:00

by Christian Nicholson

Its strange to look at a trailer and know exatly how you are going to spend over 100 hours of your life.

Under the Red Hood…is a Movie Better Than Its Origin

2011-02-22T23:42:00.000-08:00

By Corey Schroeder

“Under the Red Hood” was originally a storyline from DC Comics involving the return of Batman’s long-dead sidekick, and second Robin, Jason Todd. Todd was beaten to death by The Joker and then blown up in a warehouse. This was one of the few deaths in comic books that actually stuck as DC even had a call-in number that fans could call to vote either yea or nay as to Todd’s death, but editorial finally decided to bring him back JUST as Marvel was exploring their Winter Soldier storyline in which they brought back Captain America’s old World War II sidekick Bucky. Unfortunately for them, Winter Soldier was everything a retcon should be: a storyline that changed history while still respecting it. Jason Todd’s resurrection was a cheap cash-in to a bigger storyline that was quickly glossed over. The movie adaptation, however, was free from editorial constraint and told the story of Jason Todd’s return how it should have been told from the first place: driven by character rather than a plot that was taking place in an entirely different book.

The script is still penned by comic regular Judd Winnick, who does an incredible job telling his own story on his own terms, changing enough of the plot of the comic arc to accommodate a much more grounded and realistic story. Batman is played by Bruce Greenwood rather than animated regular Kevin Conroy, and Greenwood has some incredible shoes to fill. He does so admirably, though Conroy is almost literally irreplaceable and his presence is still missed, even if it is only a little. The real star is Jon DiMaggio, who you might know better as Bender of Futurama or Marcus Fenix from Gears of War, takes Mark Hamill’s place as The Joker and manages to channel that same horrifyingly insane spirit while also carving out his own niche. Neil Patrick Harris rounds out the major players as Nightwing, Batman’s first Robin turned-solo superhero.

The movie sticks fairly close to the plot of the comic arc, but diverges in two major ways: Jason Todd’s return isn’t caused by Superboy-Prime literally punching the walls reality so that two dimensions co-mingle, and Jason Todd’s plot, rather than a simple ploy to lure out the Bat, is motivated by his need to avenge his own death. The movie also touches on the larger themes of the failings of the justice system and whether or not revenge is ever truly justified. But it examines these through Batman’s eyes and from the perspective of what the character perceives as his biggest failing and by doing this, it brings new depth to a character all too often glossed over as “the goddamn Batman.”

The animation is high quality, though not something you’d find in a Miyazaki, or even DreamWorks, film but since it was straight-to-DVD this is understandable. It’s also very high quality compared to everything on American TV, so it’s still very impressive. It certainly recalls the old Batman cartoon’s more serious tone as well as the writing that doesn’t treat it’s audience like it can’t digest anything that isn’t pre-chewed and flavorless.

The biggest flaw of the movie comes at its brevity. At only 75 minutes, it nets you in and holds on tight, but only just long enough for you to want more. Which is when it leaves with nary a note on the nightstand. The characters manage to undergo an arc, at least the Red Hood does, but it feels rushed and forced. This is one of the few cases where the movie could have actually benefited from another half hour or even forty five minutes. We hardly get any of Bruce Wayne and we could use a little more of the Red Hood. Still, the pros outweigh cons and if you want a Batman story that won’t insult your intelligence, you could do a whole helluva lot worse.

More Felicia Day

2011-02-18T12:10:00.000-08:00

Felicia Day will star in another web series, but this one will be based upon the game Dragon Age. It looks like its going to be a bit Xenaesque, but I don't think thats a bad thing.

Isn't She Wonderful?

2011-02-16T18:06:00.000-08:00

By Christian Nicholson

DC's blog reports they've cast Adrianne Paliki as Wonder Woman for their upcoming TV pilot. If you don't know who she is, you probably haven't seen Friday Night Lights or Supernatural. Apparently she was also Kara on Smallville for a hot second, and has some appreciation for superheroes. I think she'll make an excellent Wonder Woman, but will the production give us something worth watching?

Jim Lee Is A Scary Rock Star!

2011-02-16T11:36:00.001-08:00

Maybe only his talent is scary in the awesome sense.

Amazing!!!

2011-02-14T14:57:00.000-08:00

pic by Peter Tangen lifted from the interwebs.

By Christian Nicholson

Sony has decided to have far more guts this time around with the title of their latest Spidey flick. The Amazing Spider-Man is scheduled for a July 3rd 2012 release date. I'm looking forward to it.

Way back in the day they were thnking about calling Spider-Man 2 Amazing or Spectacular, but they were afraid people would somehow not realize its a whole new movie. True story.

I'm glad to see braver heads are making decisions this time around. Lets hope it extends into the filmmaking a well.

X-Men First Class Trailer

2011-02-11T10:41:00.000-08:00

By Christian Nicholson

It might be a surprise to some that I don't love the X-Men movies, thus far. My criticisms of these could-have-beens are deep and wide. Starting the trailer with images of these films left me underwhelmed. However, there is a lot to appreciate once we get into the thing. See for yourself.

My only concern is that it will fall into the Wolverine Origins country of showing every great moment of the movie in the trailer. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Captain America Trailer Unveiled

2011-02-07T17:14:00.000-08:00

By Corey Schroeder

The Superbowl may have gotten a slight bump in the ratings from the large number of geeks and nerds tuning in to catch the first glimpse of Captain America in motion and they were not disappointed. The spot was only thirty seconds, but I don’t think anyone should be too shocked that Marvel didn’t want to pay six million dollars for a minute long spot. Thirty seconds was also plenty of time to get a good idea about the tone and content of the movie.

We open on Chris Evans looking ONLY SLIGHTLY more healthy than Christian Bale in “The Machinist” getting into some kind of pod while we’re treated to him struggling through basic training in the army and talking with who we can presume is Professor Erskine, the leader on the “Project: Rebirth” experiment to create a super soldier to combat Hitler, or possibly HYDRA. Tommy Lee Jones is glimpsed briefly, which was a surprise to me, and Steve Rodgers stumbling out of the machine looking JACKED. After a quick quip about feeling taller, we’re off and running!

Cap bursts through a massive door, shield forward with a mustachioed, bowler hat-wearing man to his right who can be none other than Dum Dum Dugan of Nick Fury’s Howling Commandos, Cap smacking around some non-descript villains with the shield, what appears to be a stealth bomber passing overhead, Cap riding a motorcycle, dodging bombs, it’s all a lot of quick cuts. The only thing of real substance is near the end where we catch a quick glimpse of Red Skull peeling off what appears to be a “normal face” mask. It’s one of those things that’s rarely touched on: Red Skull must wear masks easily since his head has no skin. We’re then treated to a bit of comic relief of Steve Rodgers holding the shield and being shot at by a woman who comments on the shield stopping the bullets.

Overall, I thought this was a really great spot and it’s got me officially excited for the movie. It’s interesting that it looks like HYDRA is actually going to be the main villains rather than Nazis or Hitler, and I’m wondering if they’re going to play any kind of major role in the movie. One of the complaints I’ve been reading/hearing a lot is that the tech doesn’t look very World War II era, but once we’ve entered a Second World War where we have pods that turn people into super soldiers and indestructible shields we’ve abandoned historical accuracy in favor of an awesome movie. I hope I’m right and I hope that the movie is primarily set during that time, but even if it isn’t I’m still ready to give it a day in court.

Where’s Captain America?! Right F’ing Here!

2011-02-07T16:04:00.000-08:00

By Corey Schroeder

Captain America’s movie poster has been released and MAN, I do like what I’m seeing. First of all: Chris Evans looks AMAZING in the uniform. Not just in terms of how much he bulked up, but how much gravitas he’s bringing just to that single still image.

Casting decisions are generally the most shat upon news in any movie/comic book forum (people thought Robert Downey Jr. would be a terrible choice for Tony Stark, and of course the UPROAR over Heath Ledger as the Joker was text deafening) and Chris Evans was no exception, but I think this combined with the trailer is making a lot of converts. The uniform more based on the Ultimate look is definitely a step in the right direction as I never quite bought the weird “scale mail” that they kept calling chainmail even though those are not the same thing as being practical or even useful as armor against opponents who have guns.

We see a lot of dirt and ash being tossed up in the background with the simple word “AVENGE” across Cap’s chest (with the shield peeking up from the bottom). The official Captain America site has this image with some animation that seems to indicate it’s a bomb going off the background which also seems to indicate that the movie will be set almost, if not entirely, during World War II, which I think is a damn good thing. It also seems like they’re going for a fairly grim and somber tone, which is also the way to go as Captain America is a property that can go into chintzy territory VERY easily.

Hugh Jackman Interview @ LA Times!

2011-02-02T18:40:00.000-08:00

Check out the Hugh Jackman interview here: http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2011/02/01/hugh-jackman-to-wolverine-fans-the-planets-are-finally-aligned-to-make-a-great-movie/

Could they finally be doing an X-Man movie the right way?

It looks like it. Darren Arronovsky might not be the obvious choice to make the project work, but he has rocked out some pretty interesting stuff in the past, including a graphic novel that tied in to his project The Fountain. What's more, Jackman is saying some of the right things about the character and about the story which imply they know what they are doing.

I'm starting to get excited about this project.

Identity Crisis Review

2011-02-02T18:31:00.000-08:00

By Corey Schroeder

“Identity Crisis,” written by Brad Meltzer and illustrated by Rags Morales, tells the shocking tale of a murder within the superhero community of the DC Universe. The book opens with Ralph Dibny, the Elongated Man, out on patrol with a relative neophyte and talking about how much he loves his wife. So of course, he gets word that something terrible and horrible and unexpected has happened: his wife has been murdered and so far there are seemingly no leads and, despite all the security around her, not even a suspect. The method is clear though: Sue Dibny is found with burns across 90% of her body. Grisly stuff, especially for a superhero book. What unfolds is a mystery who’s solution won’t shake the superhero community half as much the revelations uncovered on the road to the culprit will.

Writer Brad Meltzer is amazing at capturing the voices of a massive ensemble cast. This cast pulls in characters from almost every corner of the DCU, from the A-listers of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman to the B and C-listers like Firestorm and Shining Knight, and almost every character who has a substantial amount of dialog has a voice that you could recognize without looking at who’s saying it. He also catapults one of the villains from floundering between B and A-list to a terror who can take one of the League’s first response teams in longtime menace Deathstroke the Terminator and explains the seeming comedic lunacy of another longtime Teen Titans menace Dr. Light. DC has since squandered these gifts on having Deathstroke flounder and turning Dr. Light into a “gritty, edgy” maniac with the depth of a mud puddle, but those unfortunate consequences don’t occlude the skill with which Meltzer redefines these leftovers from the Silver Age.

Rags Morales and Michael Bair handle artistic duties as penciler and inker respectively and respectable is the word to describe what they do. Rags Morales captures emotion better than few artists in the industry and emotion is certainly the name of the game in this entire story. He also has an incredible eye for detail and subtlety, peppering panels with not only clues but indicating which characters are or aren’t lying or are just flat-out insane. So now let’s dive into one of the aspects of the book that threatened to tear the DC fanbase apart.

“Identity Crisis” is one of the most polarizing, and controversial, mainstream books released in the last decade. The book not only brought a level of psychological realism, you’ll notice that phrase come up a lot in my more positive reviews, to the often two dimensional world of capes and tights, but it explained away a lot of the stranger, more absurd parts of the past of the, specifically throughout the cartoonish Silver Age. However it accomplished this, partially, through a skillful retcon that ties into the murder and partially through the rather awkward and painful subject of rape. So let’s get that out of the way before anything else: The rape of Sue Dibny is usually what polarizes fans the most and it’s easy to see why. Comic books, for decades, have trivialized the horrors of it at best, usually by having characters shrug it off or even blame the victim, and used it as an “empowering motivation” for female heroes at worst. I think this caused a lot of knee-jerk reactions of fans immediately hating it without really regarding it. Brad Meltzer, a veteran mystery/thriller novelist, doesn’t use it as a throwaway plot point, or as a device to somehow make a character stronger, he shows some horrible, real consequences. It makes characters behave irrationally and in ways that they, perhaps, shouldn’t (which is markedly different from acting “out of character”), it has a terrible impact on family and friend dynamics, and it can ultimately drive people to do horrible things.

The subjects that Identity Crisis tackles can be extremely uncomfortable, as they probably should be. The story is, of course, not appropriate for all ages but it is an example of truly mature storytelling as opposed to storytelling merely containing adult themes. The story was also used as a jumping-off for several of the DCU’s new characters including the younger Captain Boomerang, a newly revamped Dr. Light, a new form for Firestorm and a much more powerful and methodical Deathstroke. DC editorial has, sadly, not capitalized on these characters in the ways that they should have, but it’s interesting to see them in a story that actually takes advantage of the more complex relationships in comic books. The book is an amazing read if you can let go of your personal discomfort and take the story for what it is: a murder mystery filled with intrigue, superpowers, and an amazing ending.

Find out for yourself at Idenitity Crisis Trade Paperback Graphic Novel

We Are Not Venom, Flash Thompson Is!

2011-02-02T18:05:00.000-08:00

By Corey Schroeder

Marvel Studios has spoken, the next person to wear the black symbiote suit will be longtime Spider-Man fan, but erstwhile Peter Parker victimizer-to-friend, Flash Thompson! For those unfamiliar: Thompson began as a bully who used to terrorize Peter Parker, but ironically was one of the first people to majorly support Spider-Man, in spite of his public perception as a menace. After character development became chic, it was revealed that Flash came from a broken, alcoholic household and he used his bullying as a way to express his inner-turmoil. He then joined the army and straightened out his life, reconciling with Parker and becoming friends with him. On his second tour of duty, he was wounded while saving an officer and lost both his legs, though regained the ability to walk through prosthetics.

To editorialize a bit, as well as fill in Venom’s backstory for those unfamiliar: Venom’s never been the deepest character. He began as Eddie Brock, a rival reporter to Peter Parker who, through an extremely convoluted plotline, was fired only to find the black symbiote suit that Parker had rid himself of and joined with it. He dubbed himself Venom because, I kid you not, he was forced to write “venomous lies” for tabloid newspapers. Seriously. But since it was the 90s and up was down and black was white, people ate it up and he got his own comic as a “lethal protector” after numerous attempts to kill Spider-Man. Learning the stinging lesson early that fanboys will demand a title that they never plan on buying, Venom went off the radar for awhile, emerging periodically to menace Spider-Man and muse on how much he hates injuring the innocent until Mark Millar’s “Marvel Knights: Spider-Man” series.

Brock was diagnosed with inoperable cancer and wanted to do some good before he died, so he was auctioning the symbiote off to the highest bidder while donating all the money to charity. The questionable logic of unleashing such a terror on the populace while donating a large amount of money to charity aside, it wound up on a mobster’s weak-willed son. The symbiote hated Angelo’s weakness and killed him, then bonding to Mac Gargan, the Spider-Man villain Scorpion. Gargan joined up with the Thunderbolts where, under the watchful eye of the brilliant Warren Ellis, he vacillated between being a scrawny, brooding sociopath and a hulking, cannibalistic berserker. He was a part of the brief team of Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers, but wound up in government custody and separated from the symbiote in prison. Apparently the government plans to attach it to war veteran Flash Thompson and run covert ops in foreign nations. Sounds f’ing AWESOME.

One of the symbiote’s coolest abilities is the ability to slowly corrupt its host, but this has rarely been used to effective ends as the creature almost always wound up bonded to someone who was already a psycho, so there wasn’t really a “fall from grace.” Marvel’s plan to use a good-guy with the symbiote, though a good-guy with some demons in his past as well as a temper, could make for a much more interesting dynamic with Spider-Man but also a much more interesting character to get his own solo-book as he wrestles with his conscience and tries to retain control of the literal darkness within. Particularly since Flash has wanted to be Spider-Man for years, even dressing up as him and being abducted by Dr. Doom at one point, and now he has the chance to have that power, but will also potentially learn that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. I’m interested in seeing where they take this new character and if they plan on molding him into a friend, an enemy or even possibly one then the other.

Eric Powell Has A Few Important Things To Say

2011-01-31T19:30:00.000-08:00

A few scant words by Christian Nicholson

Eric Powell has produced a video well worth watching. Comics have a problem, and he's here to tell you what it is.

Eric Powell happens to be one of the very few creators' work Dark Horse is publishing nowadays. For new creator owned work you have to go to Image comics. Also, major book publishers are getting into the game with lit-comics, but we still have a ways to go before we really see the potential of comic books realized.

There is a Superman and he is British

2011-01-30T19:22:00.000-08:00

Photo of Henry Cavill lifted off of the internet somewhere willy nilly.

By Christian Nicholson

I really like Henry Cavill. I think his character in The Tudors was interesting and nuanced. Charles Brandon was a character who was at first lustful, irresponsible, and dashing, but over time grew into a King's man. He later became haunted by what he'd done. Cavill managed to play the character true, despite many changes, and managed to convey a man much older and (hopefully) more remorseful than himself. For Superman, however, his capability might be wasted.

Or maybe not. It all depends on what is going on in David Goyer's script and what Zack Syder does with it.

I think Kal-El is an extremely interesting character. Say what you want about his boyscoutness, but there is something to be said for a character who you can count on to be reliably just. Face it kids, if you see some folks fighting and one of them is wearing the "S", you can petty confidently start pounding on the other guy and expect to be on the side of good. What does a guy who can basically do anything do for fun? He pretends to be one of us. The Clark Kent/ Superman transformation is probably one of the more interesting ones an actor can pull off. Same guy, but uses entirely different body language to become a totally different guy. Christopher Reeve's ability to pull it off is one of the reasons why his performance as Superman was so iconic.

Interestingly, Cavill's IMDB says he was up for the role of Batman in the Nolan flicks, and was up for Supes back in the day for Superman Returns. The listing says he’s the unluckiest man in Hollywood, but I’d say that avoiding the career killing crapulence that was Superman Returns, and then landing Superman: Man Of Steel, is pretty damn lucky.

Art by Jim Lee, used without any permission whatsoever, but look how cool it is.

I really have no idea how Man Of Steel might come out (who does? They haven’t started filming yet). Zack Snyder is known for doing really note accurate interpretations of comic book adaptations, but this project is totally different. We know he can direct the shit out of some action, and has real understanding for super-hero nuance without dipping into camp, but we don’t know how he’ll do with a more or less new thing. I think after we see his upcoming “Sucker Punch” we’ll have a pretty idea about how Man Of Steel is going to turn out.

However casting Henry Cavill as Kal El bodes really well.

Press Release Follows:

Henry Cavill Will Take On the Dual Role of Clark Kent/Superman in the New Film From Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures announced today that Henry Cavill has won the coveted role of Superman, the iconic superhero.

The film will be directed by Zack Snyder, who stated, “In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time, and I am honored to be a part of his return to the big screen. I also join Warner Bros., Legendary and the producers in saying how excited we are about the casting of Henry. He is the perfect choice to don the cape and S-shield.”
Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Deborah Snyder are the producers of the film. The screenplay is being written by David S. Goyer based on a story by Goyer and Nolan. Thomas Tull and Lloyd Phillips are serving as executive producers.
Cavill recently wrapped production on The Cold Light of Day and stars in the upcoming The Immortals, opening this fall.
Targeted for release in December 2012, the new Superman movie will be distributed worldwide.

Bad Buzz On the Green Lantern?

2011-01-29T09:22:00.000-08:00

By Christian Nicholson

The buzz is that the Green Lantern movie is pretty bad. Rumors abound that the production was troubled, blah blah blah, tepid reaction from the the fans as regards the trailer, and so on. I'd really rather not judge a whole movie based upon the trailer, or upon rumors of how the production went, or even on the movie studio and its history, but in this case all of those things really do concern me.

Warner isn't really known for getting their superhero films right. It amazes me how you can have access to the best talent in the business and still not get it right. By and large, their films scream "Corporate Control," more than anything else. You can see the suits calling the shots and coming up short on the creative end. Of course, Batman Begins, and Dark Knight are notable exceptions. It's no shock to me why so much of these films were shot and produced in countries other than LA. If you as a suit want to fuck with the production a bit, you are going to have to fly to some way out of the way location like Scotland, or Mongolia, or Chicago. Nolan and crew make sure there are enough "villains" to make toys from for each flick to keep the Licensing Department is happy. Warner's Superman Returns production was a classic custer fuck of a movie. Right about the time Marvel was moving forward with their ambitious Avengers project, Warner managed to start Justice League and Wonder Woman, and let them both die on the vine.

The current Green Lantern thing is actual their (at least) second go around. The first was rumored to star Jack Black. Imagine that, for a moment, Lantern fans. Green Lantern getting the Greatest American Hero treatment. I actually think Ryan Reynolds could carry Hal Jordan, but not if they have him do his standard "Cusp of Manhood" thing. Hal isn't really known for being a character with a lot of nuance. Hal Jordan is basically a test pilot. Which is actually pretty cool. The character was created right about the time The US was in the Space Race with Russia, and Astronauts were all the rage. DC wanted their own spaceman to tap into some of the sci-fi that was coming up. For my money, Hal Jordan should basically be one of the guys from The Right Stuff. Maybe not one of the charaters, but you should expect him to sit at a table with them and not be out of place. Hell, if you want to update Hal a bit, make him one of the Top Gun guys.

Which is where we get to the trailer. We can see pretty much early on that we are getting (yet again) the Origin of the Superhero.

I might as well interject now and say I'm getting really tired of the first story they decide to tell being the Origin. We are talking about charcters who are forty to eighty years old in real time. Characters who have never really left the cultural consciousness. We all know Superman came from Krypton, Spider-Man was bit by a radiactive spider, Hulk was irradiated with Gamma Rays, X-Men were born special, Iron Man built his suit in a cave to escape his captors, and on and on and on. We can actually skip that and move on to more interesting things. The thing is, though, Hollywood does the origin thing pretty well, and Origin stories (for the most part) lend themselves well to the Hollywood screenplay structure. Most origin stories have been refined for the duration of the characters existence, so the suits can take the best elements from the various tellings and make their own interperetation of the character. God forbid they should actually adapt a story, or tell an original one.

It seems like the vogue nowadays in the Origin is that the hero more or less has an internal 'thing" to ovecome to become the hero. Batman had fear, Spider-Man had responsibity, Fantatic Four had acceptance of their fate, Wolverine had the beast within, Daredevil also had fear, and a genuine disability. Clearly, the suits have decided that Hal Jordan's "thing" is that he's basically irresponsible, and also fearful, which is something I find concerning. We can expect Ryan Reynolds to be able to do that interperetation of the character pretty well, because those are variations on the "cusp of manhood" theme.

The problem is, though, irresponsibility and fear aren't really Hal Jordan characteristics. Not even a little bit. Not even something that he has to overcome to find the hero in himself. Hal is the guy who accepts the responsibility of being a hero straightaway, finds the willpower to ignore his fear, and do what needs to be done. He always has been. Hal Jordan was the guy with the right stuff, but didn't get to be an astronaut because of circumstance, not because he couldn't hack it. When he got the chance, he took it. It's like if Chuck Yeager got a Lantern Ring. As far as being a hero is concerned, Hal has never gotten it wrong (except for the whole Parallax thing). If there is a character at all (other than Superman) who doesn't really need an internal "thing" to overcome to be a hero, it's Hal Jordan. Its one of the reasons we like Hal so much. He's a genuine hero through and through. I suspect Warner is getting the character wrong. If they are getting the charcter wrong, they are getting the whole thing wrong.

Giving Hal an internal crisis may be a way of making him accessible, and perhaps believeable. For my money, though, it makes him less heroic. There are those folks out there who actually do handle their business heroically, without crying, complaining, and hours of talk therapy. I'd actually like to see a character study about those kinds of heroes. A movie about Hal Jordan should be one of those, instead of lessening the character to meet our lesser standards for heroism.

And about that trailer: it's really pretty sad that we find the fan-made trailer way more exciting than the official one. Maybe DC should try letting a production team who are actually fans of the material make the movies.

Johnny Storm Dead!

2011-01-25T10:32:00.000-08:00

Art by Michael Turner, totally used without permission.

By Christian Nicholson

I'll say straight away that I haven't read the comic, and I don't really plan to. I've never really been a big fan of the Fantastic Four. There are a few really good stories out there, and with Jonathan Hickman at the helm doing the writing duties, its likely this is one of them. I'll probably wait for the trade.

The thing about superhero death is that its rarely permanent. Marvel hs gotten a lot better lately by letting characters stay dead longer (Thor was out of books for something like two years), and while Steve Rogers is back from the dead (or not quite dead...don't ask) he's still not Captain America. Which is pretty cool.

The Big Two are all about managing intellectual property, so only makes sense they wouldn't keep their property dead forever, or even for very long. What it means basically, is if a character's death is the best way to manage that charater, then that's what they are going to do. While I'm sure that the character won't be permanently gone, I am pretty sure it will mean some pretty interesting stories. If you dig the Fantastic Four, now is a pretty good time to get into the books, and because Marvel uses a shared Multiverse, it means that the death of Johnny Storm will have consequences beyond the First Family.

If you are trying to snag that collectible that will put your grandkids through college, save your money. The book will likely cost a pretty penny on Ebay, but it will swifty lose its value when they inevitably bring Johnny Storm back to life.

JoCo At the Great American Music Hall

2011-01-25T09:33:00.000-08:00

http://www.jonathancoulton.com/

By Christian Nicholson
live pic by Elizabeth Faris

It seemed to me, Thursday (1-20-2011) at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, Jonathan Colton took a few tunes to warm into his set. Or maybe it took me a few tunes to get over his song "I Hate California." Once we got past the hurdle, it was a fantastic show.

To be fair, you can't really take most of JoCo's tunes at face value and despite the title and the refrain, its not a song about really hating California, its a song about losing someone to California. Or more honestly, about losing someone over factors beyond both of your control. Home is where home is. A first I thought it was arrogance that made him play the tune, but if its much in the way of autobiography I think he's struggling with finding closure on the thing. Playing it, especially in California, is a way for him to acheive catharsis. And I can get behind that. Deeply personal songs couched in geeky metaphor, or not, is why we love Jonathan Colton's music.

He was smart to include it at the beginning of the set, I think, because he gets to "get this out of the way" and move on with a fantastic set, and the crowd was still warmed from the excellent opening act of Paul and Storm.

Paul and Storm were excllent, btw, and a perfect choice to open for JoCo. They did everything you can ask ofa opening band, and more (including coming back to sing backup on a few of Colton's tunes.). P and S are a comedy duo who include music in their bit, whereas Jonathon Colton is a musician who also happens to be pretty funny.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/duckgirl/sets/72157625872525498/

Towards the middle of the set Colton, threw in a few news tunes from his forthcoming album, He called it medicine. He has the rare gift of creating songs you can hear once and already like. He writes strong melodies and has intelligent lyrics. I'm glad to hear new stuff. It means a vibrant artist cares abou longetivty, even if it means I don't get to hear tunes like "I'm your moon." After the new tunes, Colton turned back to wellknown live performance classics like "Mr. Fancy Pants" and "Future Soon." By the time he got to the new tunes he was fully warmed up and engaging the crowd with a kind of peerless connction. The crowd was, as you might expect, packed the gills with geeks of various stripes. Few crowds are as friendly and engaging as a geek crowd particpating in the act for tunes like "Re: Your Brains." Jonathan seemed to having as much fun as the we were by the time he played his encore with the backing Paul and Storm.

He may have started the set hating California, but at the end, he was loving it.

Wonder Woman Pilot Greenlit!

2011-01-24T10:30:00.000-08:00

http://www.deadline.com/2011/01/nbc-picks-up-david-e-kelleys-wonder-woman-michael-patrick-kings-drama/

by Christian Nicholson

According to Deadline Hollywood, NBC is picking up the David E Kelley pilot. If you aren't familiar with his work, take a peek at his IMDB. He's known for writing on LA Law and creating Doogie Howser MD, Ally Mc Beal, Boston Public, The Practice, and Boston Legal. I think he may be able to do this thing right. But like all things geeky, right is relative.

I expect the show to be good, but I see several pitfalls with could keep the show from being great.

The first thing is, of course what I'd call obvious (and its not David E Keley) its the network. It seems like the best shows on TV are more or less, not on TV (or at least the non-Cable TV networks). HBO, Starz, FX, AMC, and Scy Fy have all produced outstanding content. The common ingredients in the shows they produce is that they tend to be more psychologcally realistic, despite the settings or themes. They have characters who act like people instead of TV people. Stories are told in long form, and actions have consequences. The signigifcant difference is basically that the Cable channels order whole seasons and committo wholestory lines, which gives the creators breathing room. They also don't really seem to fuck with their series in mid season the way the netoworks do. However, if anyone can manage the Network system, its David E Kelley.

Another pitfall could be the tone of the thing. I think if they can capture the right blend of humor with heroism, they can make magic, but if they go too far into David E Kelley's wacky it could get pretty forgettable pretty quickly. His resume has lots of gold in it, but it also has a few clunkers. I'm hoping for the fomer.

A few things I've read have suggested we would be more likely getting the new costume instead of the classic.

Maybe that's why everbody and their brother passed the first time around. But maybe rescinding that mandate is why NBC picked it up on the second pass. Either way, I'll be on NBC.com the day after it premires to stream it.

Anne Hathaway and Tom Hardy in Batman Rises!

2011-01-21T16:45:00.000-08:00

By Corey Schroeder

Several news sources are reporting that not only will Anne Hathaway (you might remember her from “The Princess Diaries,” “Brokeback Mountain,” or her magnificent bosoms from “Havoc”) play Selina Kyle, or Catwoman for the uninitiated, in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises,” but Tom Hardy (“Bronson” and recently of “Inception”) will play the brainy brawler Bane.

Bane, some of you will sadly remember, was a near-mute, grunting bruiser from the atrocious “Batman & Robin.” As far as the rest of the movie, this was actually a fairly minor thing to get wrong, but if you’re familiar with the character, the thing that makes him such an effective villain is that he’s a brilliant tactician as well as fairly intelligent in his own right.

Also: he broke Batman’s spine over his knee after wearing him out by blowing up a wall of Arkham Asylum with a rocket launcher. So subtlety is not his strong suit but in the hands of Christopher Nolan and being played by an actual actor, it sounds like he might be able to be the primary villain of this picture. And for those who doubt Hardy's ability to play the bulked-up badass, may I present exhibit A:

As for Hathaway as Kyle, it’s going to be interesting to see if the movie starts her out as mild-mannered Selina and then transform her into Catwoman, or if she’ll already have a career in theft. Or what she’ll be before, for that matter, as Frank Miller retooled the character as already in a career in crime. Either way, I think she’ll be able to bring a certain innocence to the character of Selina and playful badassery to Catwoman.

Watch Out For the Watchmen

2011-01-21T08:25:00.000-08:00

By Corey Schroeder

Watchmen is a book you’ve probably heard of if you’ve asked the average comic book reader about their top five books. It was one of the first books to truly define a “graphic novel,” (a book, either stand-alone or collecting a series of single issues, that tells a single, bookended story) but more than that, it was one of the first graphic novels to tell an adult, psychologically realistic story that somehow also involved grown men dressing in strange costumes to fight crime. It still holds up today as one of the best ever written.

It takes place in an alternate 1980s where the advent of a single, superpowered individual dubbed Dr. Manhattan has given rise to not only a technological renaissance, but has effectively ended the Cold War in America’s favor as he makes nuclear weapons obsolete. Additionally, the days of masked vigilantes, who once fought crime across the country, has come almost completely to a close thanks to the Keene Act making them illegal. One of the few remaining, a brutal and unstable man named Rorshach, investigates a murder and uncovers a conspiracy that could spell catastrophe for the entire world.

The characterization is one of the things that stands out the most in this book, the comic is written by the legendary Alan Moore who crafts a world where the characters behave like real people with real lives, making it easy to quickly identify with, and ultimately care about, them. There’s very much the feeling that when the story isn’t focusing on them, the characters are still going about their lives. He’s also able to weave about three or four seemingly unconnected plots together in ways that seem absolutely obvious by the time the book wraps up, though I will admit that the “pirate comics,” read by a kid within the narrative, that punctuate several of the mid to late chapters can drag on somewhat and are less satisfying than the main plot thread.

The art, by Dave Gibbons, is equally incredible. Whether it’s the color palette of juxtaposing darkness and pastels or the attention to detail of almost every panel, there is ample reason to read and reread and even re-re-re-reread this book and notice tiny little things in the background.

Ultimately, Watchmen is one of the most respected and recommended books for a reason. The book maintains an amazing style as well as influencing artists and writers to this very day. It’s one of the most important books ever written and the world it created can still be seen in almost every superhero book on the shelf today. Learn your history, kiddies, read Watchmen.

Spidey Musical

2011-01-20T16:21:00.000-08:00

http://spidermanonbroadway.marvel.com/

by Christian Nicholson

So yeah, I saw it. Or at least the preview version of it. Its kind of poor form to review a Broadway show before it gets out of previews, so I won't do that. I will say that you shouldn't believe a word of the negative publicity.

There are agendas attached to the ongoing "cursed show" narrative we've been getting these some months as the show keeps putting off its opening date. A lot of reviewers don't really have anything else to do as much of Broadway is dark presently. Which basically means new shows won't open until the spring and a whole host of shows just closed. Reviewers have nothing else to complain about except for Spidey not opening on time to let them review it properly, so thats what they are doing. Because it's Spider-Man and Bono and the Edge anytime something happens its going to be Entertainment News. And because its Entertainment News, they really aren't going to break any jounalistic ground with their coverage.

The simple fact is, the theater is selling out tickets well in advance of the shows, and there is positive word of mouth on the very streets of New York. So you can take in your news without thinking about it, or start plannng a trip to Broadway in the summer. I, for one (or two), am planning on going back.

DC To Stop With The Comics Code Authority

2011-01-20T12:19:00.000-08:00

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/01/20/from-the-co-publishers/

by Christian Nicholson

DC says it will discontinue use of the comics code stamp and will employ a rating system similar to their other media.

I'm not sure what to say about this other than "Hurrah!" and "What took you so damn long?" I think the comics code was pretty much the most damaging thing done to the sequential art medium, and it was put into place in the freakishly socially conservative 50's (yes that means its about 55 years old). Publishers got together to censor themselves and basically put super selling EC out of business.

The code was put into place to protect the industry from politicians who used comics to advance their peculiar ideological bent. One of the problems the code created was the reinforcement of the notion that comics are only for kids, and that the ndustry needed to protect the little snowflakes from the lure of sequential art. Because of the Code, pretty much the only stories you could tell in comics had to be palatable to kids. Keep in mind, this happened before the Babyboomers and their fasincation with their own youth. Kids Stuff was kids stuff.

I still don't love ratings systems. All they really do is make twitchy parents who don't have the intellectual ability to make decisions feel a little less twitchy and insecure about the bigbad world. Rating systems are a shortcut for thinking. But it seems a lot better than the CCA. Create your work and let them slap the rating on it and let the audience find it. Rating systems affect different media differently, anyway. I can't really say their use in comics has had an effect at all except to deflect potential political ire.
Nowadays many publishers are getting into the sequential art game to find a home for their processed trees, so we have an explosion of stories not just for kids anymore.

The problem remains that the culture by and large looks at comic books as kids stuff, rather than a viable medium for telling any kind of story.

How do we fix it? Talking about it, blogging about it, selling excellent books, and educating folks to be comics literate.

Check out the wiki for more info on the CCA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comics_Code_Authority

Spidey Suit Revealed

2011-01-19T22:22:00.001-08:00

CDN

So, yeah. I like it. The still very much reminds me of Ultimate Spidey as far as the characterization is concerned. I can see this Pete coming home after a hard night of fighting bad guys. This is a high school kid with issues. He perhaps has just realized that even though being Spider-Man is awesome, and many steps up from being Puny Parker things still aren't going to necessarily go well for him.

If you look closely at his wrists, you can see the mechanical web shooters, which is way more of a big deal than it ought to be. I never really got the dumbing down of Peter Parker in the previous movies. Being a brainiac is more of what makes Spider-Man a successful crim fighter than anything else. That and awesome Spider-Powers. I always thought that the idea that we wouldn't buy this kid as being brilliant enough to make his own webbing was a little condescending and frankly stupid. Pete is the kind of kid who might have been working on an epoxy formula based upon spider silk for years and then when he gets the powers, he also gets a bit of inspiration. Maybe he has dreams about new organic compounds all the time, but he's not down with neurotoxins and acids, so we don't really hear about him adding them to his arsenal.

People like to also forget, probably because the Spider-Man movie made everything sciencey, that Spider-Man has a whole lot of mystical elements to him. The character also likes to think he has the science angles covered. But the comics never really said what makes him stick to walls His Spider sense is pretty ill defined as well. Writers in the comics often go for the mystical angle, but we don't see much of it in other media.

All I can say is that choosing to go with the mechanical webshooters makes Spider-Man a more interesting character and allows us greater understanding of what makes Pete tick. It lets me know the filmmakers get the character and will let those of us who love him most in comics still appreciate what we see on screen.

Also, the suit really does look awesome. Can a kid with one year of home ec make that suit? Probably not But in the Ultimate books, Spidey can't sew.

New Game Of Thrones Teaser

2011-01-19T12:08:00.000-08:00

CDN

I love everything about this upcoming HBO series.

Except for HBO's wildly outdated content delivery model.

Captain America Suited Up

2011-01-19T11:31:00.000-08:00

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/01/13/captain-america-first-look-exclusive/

So... it seems a lot of folks are going to be surprised about Winghead's new look. Those of us who have been reading the UItimates books (http://www.twocatscomicbookstore.com/shop/Graphic-Novels/1582-ultimates-ultimate-collection-trade-paperback.html) have been pretty much expecting this all along.

Expecting and hoping they don't fuck it up. It looks like they've even made material improvements in the design of the costume, which bodes really well for the movie and the direction Marvel Enterainment is taking in general.

Since reading the Ultimates I've been hoping for a Captain America movie that looks and feels a bit like its a lost episode from Band Of Brothers and a movie pays homage to the character as he was in the Golden Age of comics. Mark Millar's vision of the Flag costumed guy has probably done more to reinvigorate and badassify Captain America than anything else. Mark Millar's Cap isn't your aging grandpa talking about saving canned goods. His Cap is the Best of The Greatest Generation, full of youth and vigor and the utmost desire and ability to punch Hitler in the jaw. The design of the Cap costume says to me the creative team is going to deliver that and more. They haven't really taken the design of the Ultimate Cap, so much as they've thought hard and well about what a Captain America would have looked like, if he was in our world.

I'm not sure what's going on with the guys in the background, but my gut tells me that if they are in black and not sporting USA flags, they are about to take a beating.

DC and Warner should take note. This is how its done.

Original Flavor Star Wars Review

2011-01-19T10:24:00.000-08:00

By Christian Nicholson

Once upon a time there was a movie called Star Wars, and everyone loved it. Maybe, not everyone, that’s a bit of a hyperbolic statement. A lot of people loved it and it made a lot of money. It changed a lot about how the movie industry views science fiction movies, much the same way that Avatar changed the way the industry looks at 3d movies. John Dykstra’s visual effects were stunning and with the direction of a young up and comer named George Lucas added a surprising realism to a science fantasy fairy tale. At the time, Lucas wasn’t hailed as a creative genius.

He was a kid who was frustrated in his ambition to make a Flash Gordon movie and had a notable mentor in Francis Ford Coppola. So Lucas did what any self-respecting wunderkind does: he wrote his own story and his own script. It seems to have worked out pretty well for him.

It is worth noting that when he was making Star Wars, he wasn’t the guy with the markers and a legion of talented underlings. He was a beleaguered filmmaker who was forced to collaborate and compromise with a very talented crew of colleagues. Sometimes, a little editorial oversight is just what a talented creative person needs.

I was five when I first saw the movie and it was a big deal. Like a lot of kids, it went straight to my imagination and sparked the not so hidden geekness in me. I can’t say Star Wars did that to everyone it saw, but I recognize a significant difference between pre-Star Wars geeks, and post Star Wars geeks. Pre Star Wars geeks were stimulated by far pulpier material than we were exposed to and had fare that appealed to the imagination as well as the intellect. I can’t really say Star Wars appeals to the intellect much. It doesn’t really work that way, and to be fair, isn’t really supposed to. It’s supposed to be an exciting adventure and appeal to the emotions. It works on that level pretty well. I think Star Wars changed geekdom permanently for the better, and set the stage for what is now some pretty amazing sci fi, sci fantasy and fantasy. Star Wars exposed a wider set of kids to foundation building experiences. Geekdom is officially out of the basement.

I think I should mention that Star Wars wasn’t the only influential fantastical thing out there. Tron, Bladerunner, Krull, Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Star Man, as well as many others exploded onto the screen in part due to the success of Star Wars, but each had its created its own share of inspirations. I don’t know how many Frisbees were repurposed for the Games, but I’ll bet it was more than a few. Because of its cultural ubiquity, and emotional appeal, an actual review of the movie becomes a kind of challenging and daunting task. I think even the ubiquitous licensing and marketing add to the challenge of the thing. My feelings for the movie become conflated with playing with the toys as a kid.

What also makes a review challenging is the fact that Lucasfilm has released a gajillion editions over the years, while making the actual theatrical release really hard to find. I’m not sure why they chose to do that. Star Wars works largely on a nostalgia basis for most folks at this point. We’ve watched the film, and to a lesser degree its sequels, hundreds of times.

Fortunately for me, most of those viewings were of the original, non-adulterated formats. And the editions matter. Like, a lot. Lucas has gone back and made material changes in the thing which actually change how some of the characters are presented. What’s more, because some of the changes in the editions are so drastic, it actually pulls me out of the experience. I can’t get back to that nostalgia, that love I felt when I saw it for the first time when I was five. This is why some fanboys claim Lucas raped their childhood. What he actually did was change most of the available editions of an experience that for decades has had a reliable outcome (nostalgia) into something that prevents the reliable outcome, and in some instances rewrites emotional context of some scenes.

In recent years, I’ve recanted my Star Wars faith. I suffered through the Special Editions, stood in line for the execrable Prequels, and seen myriad permutations of the licensing and marketing. None of it mattered to me. I kept the original experience with me, the original love. I recanted because of one particularly odious bit of licensing: the mashup of Disney characters with the Original Trilogy characters in vinyl collectibles. Darth Vader as goofy. Donald Duck as Han Solo. They took it too far.

So I actually came at this review not having seen any Star Wars anything, other than the excellent Redlettermedia.com Plinkett reviews for a few years. It felt good to come back. Like I was coming home.

Anyone who’s moved far from their home town can attest, while it’s good to come home, it’s also pretty strange. The place seems to shift, even if it hasn’t and you have to realize that it’s not the place that’s shifting, it’s you. You can never truly go home again. Seeing Star Wars as a grown up is very different than seeing it as a kid, or even as a college student. For one thing, I recognize the place of nostalgia and I value it in (hopefully) emotionally healthy degrees. For another thing, I think critically much better than I did at perhaps any other time in my life. Sharpening the old saw does wonders for the cutting.

Original Flavor Star Wars defines its characters very well, and very quickly. It makes excellent use of fantasy visual shorthand so we know really quickly how we are supposed to feel about someone. The opening sequence is one of the best in film. The Tantive IV with its rounded shapes and contours is being pursued by the much larger and intimidating Star Destroyer. The crew of the Tantive IV are introduced at the very beginning and we see their faces as they are preparing to repel a boarding assoult. They are concerned, but not afraid. They are determined but not hopeful. When they are beset by Storm Troopers we feel a very human loss. The Storm Troopers themselves are armored head to toe. Their faces are covered by helmets which boast a visor with a perpetually downturned and frowning mouth. When they die, the cost is not in humanity. Another thing of beauty is how the droids R2D2 and C3PO interact. Within a few short moments, the humanity within the robots is evident and we feel sympathy for them. Vader is of course, the baddest of the baddasses. When he comes into the Tantive IV its through a cloud of smoke and destruction, flanked by Stormtroopers. Clearly, this is a Boss. It goes on and on. Every character is clearly defined and, almost action taken is driven by internally consistent character logic.

The story contains elements of Joseph Campell’s Heroic Journey, which creates the universality of the Star Wars saga and actually gives the movie something critical to chew on beyond the technical wizardry of the emotional manipulation in the film.

Luke receives the call to adventure from the old hermit (wizard, witch, some old crone) and subsequently denies it for a hot second. What happens when the hero denies the call is pretty standard: his/her life starts to turn to shit. The business of being a hero is all inclusive. You don’t get to do it part time, or later on. After Luke denies the call, he discovers his aunt and uncle are brutally murdered by Storm Troopers. Then he gets with the program. In a kind of quantum sense, Luke’s decision to deny the call causes the murders, which I think is kind of funny. When playing with Schrodinger’s Cat and the Call, if you accept, the cat is alive. You deny and it’s dead. Once the universe chooses you, it’s best to get on with the business.

I recommend Joseph Campbell’s Hero With a Thousand Faces for a more in depth analysis of the Heroic Journey. The prose is pretty dry and scholarly, but once you slog through that you can discover for yourself all of the excellent hero stuff in Star Wars and the rest of the OT.

One of the things Star Wars does well is reference places and past events in its world 0to give it a better sense of being a complete universe with a history which has present consequences. Our imaginations are allowed to fill in the blanks so we can envision a much broader story that our characters are only minor players in. In storytelling it’s called ellipsis. The story we are seeing inspires us with a sense of the broader story we aren’t seeing. I think one of the reasons why Star Wars has inspired so much apocrypha is for that very reason.

However, Star Wars does a few things I can’t really look past, because they set the stage for some of the crapulence to follow. I have taken to calling a plot element a Lucas whenever it exists more or less to further the plot or action and does not appear to have arisen from reasonable character motivations. Whenever you have to develop a line of logic independent of what you are actually seeing, or have been told in, it is probably a Lucas. Star Wars has a few Lucases and I would regard them as being largely forgivable, but for the precedent they have set with subsequent projects. Nostalgia and extremely positive feelings for the characters makes us want to imaginations to forgive the logic holes. It’s like, the chick is so hot we convince ourselves she’s also brilliant.

Three minor Lucases happen within a really short period of time, and in such rapidity that we really don’t think about it too much. It’s only later when we try to apply reason to the things that they begin to fall apart.

The first is when Leia tells Han about the tracking device on their ship. Han doesn’t believe the Leia (although technically she’s a spy and has expertise in Imperial tactics) but we can let that one go. He’s Han freaking solo, and it’s the Milleneum Falcon. That’s just character interaction. The Lucas is when Leia lets it go. She just kind of “whatever, Dude,”s it. And lets it go knowing she’s being pursued by THE FREAKING DEATH STAR. This is the person who straight up lied to Tarkin about the location of the Rebel base even when the alternative was to watch her home planet get exploded. Then to drive the point home, she watched her home planet get exploded. We know Leia’s will can’t be broken, and that her loyalty to the Rebellion is without question. She hasn’t analyzed the plan (“Lets just hope a weakness can be found…”) and she is leading the DEATH STAR home without making any sort of other plan? The only reason why she wouldn’t kind of take her time and work on some other plan is that we have to move forward with the plot. Which is a Lucas, however minor. Also, it’s important for the Rebels to know the Empire is coming. (Which brings to mind a funny point… Imagine for a second, the reaction of the other leaders of the Rebellion when Leia shows up with the plans for the Death Star… but then is also leading it directly home.) I think the only reason why we get the exchange proving Leia knows the Empire is coming is so that the Rebels won’t be caught by surprise when the Death Star shows up.

Hot on the heels of the Leia Lucas is the Yavin Lucas. The Death Star jumps into the system on the wrong side of the planet so they have to cruise around it to take a blast at the moon the Rebel base is on...which provides just enough time (to the second) for the Rebels to actually blow up the base. Friends of mine acquainted with actual planetary dynamics and gravity and the like don’t have as much of a problem with this as I do. And frankly it’s not that big a deal. It’s just a kind of dumb logic thing that sets up the whole action of the iconic space battle. It’s an action which more or less requires us to fill in the blanks so that we can get a battle scene we like. It’s a Lucas.

The third is the Tarkin Lucas. The Tarkin Lucas really is minor, and might actually serve to demonstrate character, but I think it’s funny from a certain perspective. From the crawl, we are treated to a description of the macguffin being the stolen plans of the Death Star. Throughout the movie the essential thing is the stolen plans, which if they fall into Rebel hands could actually lead to the destruction of the Death Star. We spend a lot of time and energy on this idea. The villains spend a lot of time and energy on this idea. Tarkin is told by an aid (probably a high ranking intelligence officer) at a crucial moment that yes indeed there is a danger, and Tarkin flatly scoffs at the idea. While I am willing to just play that off as the arrogance of the character, I think it’s kind of funny that Tarkin hasn’t been in the same movie as the rest of the characters. His arrogance and denial of the threat helps to build the dramatic tension. But his arrogance is to me, a minor Lucas that will later blossom into full crapulence. It demonstrates that George Lucas is well versed in the craft of storytelling, but the art of storytelling is in hiding the mechanics. Not only should we not see the strings, we also ought not see the puppeteer.

Logic leaps and plot holes aside, Original Flavor Star Wars is well worth tracking down and watching. Turn off your critical brain when it comes to those things and let the nostalgia take over. Let the visual shorthand transport you to a time where heroes were born and made, and right and wrong were clearly defined. The inspiration you found so long ago, in a galaxy far far away, you can still find today.

X-Men First Class Pic

2011-01-18T22:28:00.000-08:00

So, if you scour the interwebs, you can pretty much see who's who in the cast. It looks to me like the story is going to be the story before the story.

At first, when I read the synopsis, I was kinda bent, because it seems like for the life of us, we can't actually get an effing X-Men movie to save our geeky lives. Whats so hard about getting Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Beast, Angel, and Ice-Man together? The character dynamics and stories have been established over decades. I seriously don't get it.

But whatever. Apparently the movie I've waited my whole life for will have to wait a bit longer.

When we get better resolution on the photo I'll be more inclined to make judgements upon its merits rather than on the project as a whole. I will say that at least they seemed to have gotten the character looks right, and the X-Uniform doesn't look terrible. Which is something I can't say about Green Lantern.

Christian Nicholson