Opening Statements
DC Comics, you are looking kind of like that overly-sensitive person we all know. The kind who gets upset if we question anything they do, or even if we make gentle jokes at their expense. What proof do I have to back up this accusation that DC is being wimpy? Well, let's examine three important facts.
Presentation of The Evidence
The "B & B" logo.
Fact 1: DC stopped doing a segment on Comic Book Resources known as "B & B" where fans could ask questions of the editorial staff. Why did this happen? People asked perfectly reasonable questions that weren't utter softballs and wanted an actual, honest answer. Apparently asking DC to clarify what the hell it was thinking with its recent Orson Scott Card fiasco (which they now have "put on hold" and are basically trying to bury any discussion of) is out of the question, just as is pointing out how famous comic creator Jerry Ordway and his fellow fans feel it is unfair he isn't getting any work from a company he did so much for (helllloo, ageism!).
The Outhousers' Logo
Fact 2: The Outhousers is a website that talks about comics and also parodies the industry. It was told by DC that if they didn't stop making fun of them, they would no longer get access to DC's talent. Basically, they were told, "Shut-up or be shut-out." The Outhousers however, had some editorial integrity and have instead spoken openly about their being blacklisted from doing interviews with DC.
Dan DiDio, out of his "robe".
Fact 3: Dan DiDio walks around the offices of DC naked and insisting he is wearing new robes made of the finest fabrics and decorated with expensive jewels. If anyone calls him out on this they are immediately fired and thrown into a pit where he burns the remains of people who upset him; this is done in order to power the heater that keeps his office warm.
Closing Arguments
Alright, that last fact is not true, but if the trend from the first two facts holds my just stating a joke such as the third "fact" could get me shut-out from DC, it seems. I don't know for sure however as I've never actually interviewed a creator who was actively working for DC. They always were doing independent or Marvel work.
In those past interview situations, while at times my questions were requested to also be sent to Marvel PR people when I did interviews, it seemed that was more to make sure the writers didn't spill the beans on any big announcements or such. I never got the vibe that it was to stifle any questions I had that could be considered "touchy"--I never was told, "I can't answer that question because Marvel will get mad," I would just be informed something like, "I can't answer that right now, but keep an eye out for an announcement." How would things go with DC go, however? Possibly not that great.
The Prosecution Rests
I can say any of my press interactions with Marvel, Image, and whomever have been just peachy, but I wonder what would happen if I wanted to interview someone under a big contract with DC. Readers of this blog know I am not one to pull punches when it comes to saying what I think, and DC is giving off the appearance of not liking that. They are acting like that aforementioned metaphorical acquaintence who becomes outraged if we call them out on their actions or tell a joke about them, no matter how mild.
DC, quit being so wimpy and maybe instead of shirking away from reasonable questions, answer them. The worst that could happen is you come off looking like a jerk...which you kind of already look like now.
Comics Alliance (go to it here while something still exists at the link) was a good site for fans of comic-books...and now it's gone. AOL was the "owner" of the site, as it were, and the company is in the process of shutting down a lot of its properties. As this article discusses, last week a big chunk of "AOL music" was shuttered and now it seems Comics Alliance has suffered an untimely demise.
I really liked Comics Alliance. It had reviews, it had articles, and most importantly in my opinion it wasn't afraid to let its writers say what they felt and stand by it. If contributor David Brothers (also a writer of the excellent 4thletter blog) wanted to say that "Before Watchmen" seemed terrible, they let him. If sexism in the comic-book industry was to be discussed, no punches were pulled. In a world of sites that suck-up to the comic-book industry in hopes of getting an exclusive story about the next big and/or stupid event, Comics Alliance often stood strong and said what needed to be said.
This is sad news and quite frankly sucks. Comics Alliance was by no means some sort of mover-and-shaker that broke the biggest news or shared spicy rumors. It was just a solid site of well thought-out editorials and other fun bits such as links and little galleries of good comic-art from the week. I will miss it, and imagine others will too.
When I first read the description for, "Change" in Previews all those months ago, I had no clue it would be four issues of confusing, basically-indecipherable madness. I also did not know despite being horribly confused by the comic that I would like it.
Written by Ales Kot, "Change" features a screenwriter, a rapper, and some other characters who fight weird Lovecraft-style monsters. Also there is a spaceman, hallucinogenic flashbacks, and discussions about life between all the weirdness. Plus, the art and coloring is pretty cool with its shifting styles and otherworldly feel.
I really struggle to describe this comic, and it is annoying that I can't come up with much to say besides, "You should read it." I suppose I can tell you that if you don't like it you will probably hate "Change" as I've seen much negativity as well as positive opinions on the internet. The common complaint is how it doesn't make sense, but I feel like there is an immense density to the comic I'm just missing at times, and which others may have missed too. For example, one small thing I caught is that our rapper, W-2, has an album called "(f)lowers of Algerbong" which is a clever little reference to the book I love titled of course "Flowers for Algernon". That is just one tiny thing I picked up on that may well have gone over countless people's heads--which raises the question of how much in this comic went over my head? Now you see what I mean about the feeling I have of there being a lot of meaning I just might not be grasping.
Whatever the case of how much or how litter I understand of "Change" I do know that I enjoyed it. When the trade comes out before too long it would be worthwhile to at least give it a look and see if you enjoy it too. Overall rating for all 4 issues of the mini-series:3.5 out of 5 stars.
Coming Out Sooner or Later
As my subject lines says, I thought I would talk about trailers for various upcoming games that make them look promising. Of course, the problem with trailers is that even something which is terrible can appear to be awesome (Hello, "Aliens: Colonial Marines"!), so who knows how good these future titles will be. From the promising footage of both cinematics and game-play however I think we may be in for a treat with these titles. No, there are in no particular order except for the first one which I am in fact most excited about...
Watch Dogs
Last summer I heard about how at an otherwise boring E3 there was a demo for a game that looked incredible. Yes, there was the issue that the graphics looked too good for current consoles (and it has been confirmed this is a next-gen title) but otherwise it was so glorious. You watched the tricks the main character did with his cell-phone and went, "How did he do that? How can that be possible in a game?" something I hadn't asked about a title in some time. I now present that debut trailer to you in all its glory:
Yeah, that looks pretty awesome, doesn't it? There is a 2nd trailer you can find here, but for my money that first one was just plain amazing. I am so excited for this game and if it is as good as it looks it may be the main reason I buy a next-gen console earlier on instead of waiting the safe year-or-so for all the kinks to be fixed in the machines. The release date is a tentative Fall 2013.
Battlefield 4
I enjoyed the third game in the series even if single-player was quite mediocre -actually, let's be honest and just call it bad. With the fourth entry in the series, however, it seems the goal is to make that single-player experience something memorable. I now present to you the 17-minute trailer of what is apparently game-play. I know that sounds like a long time but it goes by pretty quick in this action-packed mini-movie:
If the actual game can live up to that, and deliver some awesome multi-player we may have us a dynamite game on our hands. I've heard release dates as vague as Fall 2013 and as specific as October 25th, 2013.
Beyond: Two Souls
There are a lot of videos of this title floating around, but let's view that first suspenseful trailer:
Pretty snazzy, wouldn't you say? I recognized developer Quantic Dream's last title "Heavy Rain" as the best game of the year in the early days of my blog, and I stand by that decision completely. David Cage and company look to be making something just as unique and fun with this game. I look forward to October 8th, 2013 to play it.
The Last of Us
Naughty Dog has an interesting history. They did Crash Bandicoot, did those Jak and Daxter games, and then suddenly leap into realistic(ish) stories with those Uncharted games. Now they are going all sci-fi with this title, which is a zombie game without zombies...in the sense that it is a fungus causing all the trouble. Here is a trailer breaking-down some of the story:
I am intrigued by the premise. We will find out if it is a good game on June 14th, 2013.
Grand Theft Auto 5
Come on, was there any doubt I would at least be a little pumped-up for this? Now to view the 2nd trailer which introduced us to the main cast.
This game will probably sell more copies than anyone could imagine. I would bet it will be pretty good too. Expect it on shelves September 17th, 2013.
Remember Me
This game has slowly been gathering more and more press. Even if the rest of the game isn't that great, the memory-remixing bits should at least be a ball. To illustrate that I have a video of the "memory remixing" at work:
Very cool. It is out June 4th, 2013.
A Potentially Great Year for Gaming
All of these titles should be out in 2013 if their current release dates hold. This makes me think that we might be in for quite an enjoyable year of gaming even if only half of these six games deliver on their seemingly vast potential for fun and deep story-telling. We will know what is good before too long.
The problem with Tyler Perry is not that his work itself is popular, after all people like what they like. The problem is people don't call him out on the many offensive views he expresses in his work for a variety of reasons. Let's back-up though and discuss how I came to form my opinion of Tyler Perry and why it seems so many people are afraid to criticize him.
It started when I was reading an article on the AV Club about Tyler Perry that got me thinking. I write about race sometimes on the blog, be it race in comic-books or other forms of media. Perhaps it is my interest in equality and fairness that makes me have a big interest in racial matters--with my being involved in multicultural life starting back in college--where I was introduced to the works of Tyler Perry.
With Tyler Perry so much of his work has felt like biblical moralizing disguised as entertainment--sort of a "Veggie Tales" for grown-ups. I first developed this opinion when I was at college and a friend of mine from South Africa described how while she felt her country's independent black-cinema and plays were superior to anything put out by America, she made a exception for Tyler Perry's work, considering it golden--and yes, she was pretty religious. This friend would always be eager to watch a DVD of one of Tyler Perry's plays--before his stuff was made into movies there would be DVDs of the plays themselves, you see. Through this friend I saw a variety of Perry's plays but can't recall which ones were which as they all sort of start to blend together plot-wise after awhile (I have a funny clip on that in a minute). I know I saw, "Madea goes to Jail," because of how the character Madea...went to jail. Otherwise I just remember certain catchphrases such as, "Click-click, lock-down " which is said by a young girl in one of the plays who knows to tell boys abstinence is best (although she ends up pregnant anyways).
Few works have had titles that sum up the project so easily. Perhaps "Death of a Salesman" and "Jurassic Park" could count too.
Some critics of Tyler Perry's work have more issues with how his movies/plays/etc. seem to be melodramatic, and have tonal changes so rapid within the same scene that a person can go from laughing to utterly depressed in the span of a few seconds. I read comic books though, and most of the time you can't find anything more dramatic than brightly-costumed characters spouting outlandish dialogue and pummeling each other, so I don't fault Perry for going a little heavy on the drama. I have never liked Madea though because she strikes me as a walking racial caricature with the "Loud and Sassy Old Black Lady" persona. It is just like a minstrel show came to life but black audiences aren't offended because it is done with some kind of hinted-at self-awareness (which Spike Lee made a statement about much more effectively with "Bamboozled").
As the AV Club article points out however, white critics are afraid to take Perry due to a fear of possible accusations of, "Not getting it," or even being racist. I'm white and have seen enough of Perry's work that I think I get his general message, and I'm not a racist, so I have little fear of having those accusations put toward me as other white reviewers apparently have. Hell, even black folk who have dared to critize Tyler Perry have felt his wrath. Anyone remember when the Boondocks mocked Perry in every way besides outright saying his name? Besides the fact the show summarized his general plot-lines with amazing succinctness:
It also raised some eyebrows for questioning Perry's sexuality. Frankly I don't care if Tyler Perry is gay, straight, bi-sexual, or something else, because I'm too busy being concerned about the messages his works themselves have.
"For Colored Girls" was a film written, produced, and directed by Perry that adapted the stage-play, "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow is Enuf." I have not read the script to the play or seen it so I cannot comment on if it imparted the same message as the movie, but basically I felt that throughout the film Perry was saying, "Hey, black women, almost all black men are terrible people who will rape you, murder your children, cheat on you (with another man and thereby give you AIDS), and otherwise cause you to be miserable!"
Seriously, between the husband who throws he and his wife's children out the window to the man who assaults the woman he is on a 2nd date with whilst she cooks them dinner, the general message of this movie is that men, and black men in particular, are not nice. Perry is by no means pro-woman however. As I and the AV Club think, his works come off as quite anti-feminist, with the main female characters just needing "the right man" to counter the evil one they were with first--and of course it is a religious man too.
"Wait. My character cheats on his wife with another man and automatically is 'punished' with HIV? That is offensive on multiple levels."
As I said, Perry seems to use the same plots with the same uncomfortable subtexts of how all you need is Jesus and a spouse who loves (and fears) Jesus and things will be fine. Perhaps it is because I'm not all that religious that Perry's themes of religiosity bother me. Maybe it is because I am pro-women's rights that Perry's, "Be submissive to your man," tone in his works irritates me. It could be the way Madea basically comes off as a racial caricature that bugs me. It could be and probably is all of these factors together.
As I said, the problem with Tyler Perry is not so much that his works exist and are popular--people can enjoy whatever they want--it is that people seem afraid to point out the unpleasant messages of his works, instead complaining about the aforementioned overwrought drama and messy plotting. Perhaps as more people of any color and creed realize it is okay to criticize Perry people will have discussions about his work, its positives and noted negatives. Just start talking, folk, that's all you have to do.
While I was at Wizard World Saint Louis I met David Branstetter and picked up a copy of the tenth issue of "Straw Man". I'm glad I did because I had quite the fun time reading this.
While various other independent comic artist get a section in this comic to show off their skills with various stories that sometimes do and sometimes don't relate to Straw Man, this issue is at its best when showing the "adventures" of our hero himself. I always have a soft-spot for heroes who suck at being heroes, and boy is Strawman an example of that. He's a hero who looks like a straw and whom has no powers--which can be fine, Batman doesn't really have powers--but he also is just such a sad-sack. He's unemployed, his friends would rather he weren't around, and children insult him in the street. Straw Man is basically hated by everybody and does little more than mope around.
This may sound depressing, but it actually is pretty funny. Branstetter gives Straw Man just the right amount of snark to make him not wholly pitiful, but also quite humorous. Straw Man knows people laugh at him, and he just brushes it off and doesn't care--well, he does care, but makes sure not to let it show. Plus the art is pretty good, which is a nice plus as sometime independent comics suffer from really bad art. Straw Man is both absurd-looking and carries a clear sadness behind his evocative eyes (the eyes do much emoting as he doesn't have a "mouth" per-se).
As I mentioned earlier, this issue has segments featuring other independent comic-makers to break up the bits with Straw Man. Some names are more recognizable than others (Tom Scioli of "American Barabarian" is growing in popularity quite fast) but those parts of the comic don't grab my attention as much as the main Straw Man bits. Still for $3.99 you do get a lot of content, so that's snazzy.
"Straw Man #10" is a comic I liked quite a bit. Whether it is my fondness for pitiful super-heroes or the dark humor is seeing Straw Man just keep losing this is just a good time. I would encourage anyone who likes jokes in their comics to read this along with anybody who enjoys super-heroes but wants something a bit quirkier. 4.5 out of 5 stars. Go here to buy an issue of Straw Man. Go here for David Branstetter's official website for his graphic-design company.
Let me tell you a true story
I once heard how a college near where I lived would be having a concert with Drake. I didn't care...until I was told that the opening act for him was Clipse. Now, I love me some Malice and Pusha T so you know I got those tickets. I went to the show, and to my utmost disappointment Clipse was unable to be the opening act that night and they substituted some dull rapper as the opening. Then Drake came out, did some of his songs that never really impressed me and I left halfway through the concert so I could get to a nearby Barnes and Noble I liked before it closed--and so I could beat any traffic. Clearly, I haven't had the most positive feelings about Drake. I don't hate him--I've just lacked any sensation of caring about his music.
I've followed Drake with a mild curiousity, noticing on songs how he will occasionally show a hint of talent with a clever verse or two. I just haven't found him to be that good though. He often has a weird monotone voice, doesn't have lyrics that usually seem especially deep, and basically comes off as quite mediocre. Then he released, "Started From The Bottom."
Intriguingly Deep
"Started From The Bottom," is a Drake that I've only ever seen glimpses of until now. It's introspective, but self-aware in its navel-gazing in a way that benefits the song. It is in a way a song about bragging, how Drake is now on top, but it has some sadness, pointing out it all started out at the bottom. The first verse is in my opinion the strongest, telling a story of arguments with his mother, working all night only to be bothered by his Uncle for borrowing the car--it paints a picture in the way my favorite rap artists are able to with their lyrics.
The music video carries its bits of depression and self-deprecation too, with Drake working at a drugstore and getting all excited at being promoted to Night Manager. The video morphs into a bit of the cliche rap video with smoke being blown, girls dancing, and drinks being downed, but it feels like it is doing that in the interest of showing a stark contrast to the past. We see a Drake who is just ecstatic that this life of luxury is possible and all his friends ("My whole team") can share in his happiness. He's wearing all his chains now, and its good.
There still is that hint of melancholy though that makes the song really work for me. We get an ending wondering about who real friends are, with, "fake friends" being a concern. Drake contends he's stayed the same, but the question lingers of if, "The story stay the same through all the money and the fame," or whether Drake is just trying to convince himself of that--that he's still the same man working hard all night and not some nouveau riche elitist.
Perhaps Drake is finally starting to express the potential I thought he had, but for all I know his future songs will go back to feeling formulaic and otherwise unimpressive. I hope he keeps growing as an artist though, and assuming he does we may very well have a Drake who is both successful and talented. Therefore, I give this song... 4 out of 5 stars.
May there be many more that get high marks.
This is an interesting read. The basic plot is that the granddaughter of the devil has opened a casino in Las Vegas (with the help of Mary Magdalene) and is buying the souls of people for ten thousand dollars. If you're worried this is some kind of religious-comic trying to impart biblical lesson let me assuage your fears--this isn't that in the least. What we've got here is a comic that is quite darkly humorous and not afraid to "go there".
Before I say anything else about the comic let's get one thing out of the way first. Yes, the art is extremely cheesecake styled. I don't mean, "occasionally," cheesecake either. I'm talking, "Anything with two XX's for chromosomes is drawn as sexy, and a fair amount of the time scantily-clad." While I've grouched about this is the past (see my ripping-into Ed Benes) I'll let it go with this series. Why? Because whilst people such as Ed Benes can't draw anything but cheesecake, artist J.B. Neto does a pretty good job with demons, angels, and a host of crazy creatures. Sometimes his way of illustrating action can be a bit confusing, however. Plus the story is quite fun.
As I mentioned, this is not a comic that is afraid to be politically incorrect. One of the reasons I enjoyed this is while Marvel and DC are scared of trivial little controversies or even being asked tough questions (you seriously are going to quit doing Q&A with fans online because they want actual answers to real questions, DC?) this comic isn't afraid to take plenty of pot-shots at politicians popular culture, and of course religion--and for that I tip my hat to publisher Big Dog Ink. Jesus comes off as someone who is both at once caring and creepy, Danica, the granddaughter of the devil is both easy to like while also purposely unpleasant, and plenty other crazy characters appear too that make the darkly comedic tone of this comic keep moving along nicely.
Overall I enjoyed reading this comic thanks to its ability to be funny and not let what is in "good manners" limit it. It is a solidly fun time and worth checking out if you want something different to add to your stack o' comics. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
As I always want to give you readers full disclosure--I paid for the trade paperback at Wizard World Saint Louis but got a discount of five dollars because I mentioned I would review it--of course I warned them I would be objective and could very well hate the comic. I ended up liking it though, clearly.
A bit ago I watched "Holy Motors" via the magic of renting and downloading movies to your PlayStation 3 (I lack Netflix due to how I wouldn't watch enough movies to make me feel I'm getting my money's worth). I watched it with my girlfriend and she felt it was too French in a bad way while I felt it was too French in a very good way. I was tickled pink to see Warren Ellis had seen the film and basically felt the same way I did. Namely, confused, intrigued, and a little bit mesmerized.
Holy Motors is about....well, that's kind of unclear. Basically a man named Oscar (played expertly by Denis Lavant) exists in this world where he is hired to play out various roles, from upset father, to weird monster-man, to an assassin and the man attacked by the assassin (its a weird scene). Basically director Leos Carax has said he had multiple ideas for movies and this was a way to explore them all.
The oddest character played by "Oscar" in the movie, easily.
So, is this film about a future where people watch a man somehow performing various roles? Is this film more a comment on the act of making a film and a tiredness with cliche (In one scene Oscar's boss talks with him about Oscar seeming to be losing a joy for his work)? I'm not sure, it is just an interestingly odd little film. Plus, one good thing is that if you don't care for one vignette it won't be too long until another happens. It is so full of symbolism with a person wondering just what exactly is being symbolized.
I enjoyed the film, with its odd little quirks, and would recommend viewing it to anyone who is patient with odd little flicks that don't reveal what their "point" is so much as giving the viewer all kinds of ideas as to what could be going on. 3 out of 5 stars.
This is The Newest Rant, we bottle the energy of an exploding sun and present it for you safely with no risk of malfunction. Seriously, nothing has ever gone wrong with nuclear power.
