tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53834204295565393662024-03-27T23:53:52.327+00:00ComicflipperMaxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-17986500172622952062010-09-30T01:26:00.017+01:002010-09-30T20:27:25.706+01:00Manga Focus: Legendz<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznFg54Mp8zIGDhQHaGIKWwU3pg1rK1sG9T8jOm5OZxsL0qUnKq8XpM4zBd9DYZdwgN74seVZVr_BLdL1FeBdpj25Lv59HhYrVZxdKyqQpgwZtCELZFHCBiKBDCCxpTxpMdHVhOyl2Tm8/s1600/Manga+Focus+Banner.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 73px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznFg54Mp8zIGDhQHaGIKWwU3pg1rK1sG9T8jOm5OZxsL0qUnKq8XpM4zBd9DYZdwgN74seVZVr_BLdL1FeBdpj25Lv59HhYrVZxdKyqQpgwZtCELZFHCBiKBDCCxpTxpMdHVhOyl2Tm8/s400/Manga+Focus+Banner.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512364567402200818" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz3M8oj2hOqsY6xPO9mj8B59p_ri-W2QPMuDF7ifpvAJQmfTRihVGZz7I4C_Um0LvDRglV481MCpDy0SfcbKEJVhZysoDOBuA7ugzHTOL7zqLveu_QHEHTTukbLhAwD_5CD1x76nFGcKs/s1600/Legendz+Cover.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz3M8oj2hOqsY6xPO9mj8B59p_ri-W2QPMuDF7ifpvAJQmfTRihVGZz7I4C_Um0LvDRglV481MCpDy0SfcbKEJVhZysoDOBuA7ugzHTOL7zqLveu_QHEHTTukbLhAwD_5CD1x76nFGcKs/s400/Legendz+Cover.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522496882411543506" /></a>To say that "collect 'em all" series like Pokémon and Digimon have entirely shaped the way anything is aimed at children is perhaps to make the most obvious statement yet to anyone who's as much as looked at multimedia successes aimed at children in the last decade or so. Of course it stretches further back than those two high points, I mean there were series like Transformers or Marvel's Rom Spaceknight comic series to shill toys to unsuspecting children over the years but it's arguable that Pokémon and Digimon are entirely responsible for today's focus existing, so I'm sticking to my guns on this train of thought.<br /><br />Turn on your TV. Put on any kid's animé. It was probably made to sell collectable toys. Go to a bookstore, look at kid's manga. It IS there to sell something to the kids. Go to a toystore. THAT is what's being sold to them. It's just how everything works, and I know you're unsurprised. But it leads me to an interesting point about Legendz.<br /><br />Legendz is a manga made to shill these unique and intriguing virtual pet style pod things to young'uns, we know this to be true. And yet when the manga was licensed for the US nothing was released. To this day, nothing has actually transferred over from Japan. And I don't even know if it was a success over there at that. Basically there's no business reason for this Pokémon clone series to be localised, and yet here it is in its entirety, available from any good bookstore. It boggles the mind to some extent.<br /><br />But then I take a look inside the books and I get it. Who cares about whether it's selling goods to impressionable youngsters? It's good all-ages reading with art that blows the reader away and that is ALL that matters in the long run, isn't it.<br /><br />So let's all hit that magical jump thing I include in these articles so you can read me worshipping the very pages the series is printed on or some such, shall we?<br /><br /><a href="http://comicflipper.blogspot.com/2010/09/manga-focus-legendz.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">HIT THE JUMP TO READ THE REST OF MANGA FOCUS</span></a><br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What Is It?:</span> Legendz is a 4-volume manga series based on a toy range. Released by Monthly Shonen Jump and Shueisha in Japan and localised into the english language by Viz Media. It follows hyperactive Shonen generic mold #3, Ken Kazaki as he makes friends easily through the power of friendship and defeats bullies with ease. But that's just dumbing it down. What it actually does is follow Ken Kazaki as he starts as a new school, making friends and a name for himself as a legendary player of Legendz, a tamagotchi style battling game. This draws the attention of his school's best Legendz players, the leader of whom tries to give Ken a mysterious GOLDEN LEGENDZ CRYSTAL! This leads to conflict with increasingly evil groups of people who all want access to this mysterious and powerful tamagotchi thing. Along the way to the conclusion to the series Ken and his friends learn a lot about friendship, whether somthing has to be alive for you to care for it (and whether those items actually ARE alive) and how to have a jolly good time.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo7ghGF7BWveQtPoU1AnnUtk1K27HD_hUwtqpuF_3CNXlNHqxukuahJUbEUVLUQ9c29Q1Ec25Jx5kE6yNerNc1dsCmXP1UJ6hyQDZkV896CypiL_MZgo-Ij7YjrkSSmmcFETr8vfGk7rA/s1600/Legendz+Spread+Detail.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo7ghGF7BWveQtPoU1AnnUtk1K27HD_hUwtqpuF_3CNXlNHqxukuahJUbEUVLUQ9c29Q1Ec25Jx5kE6yNerNc1dsCmXP1UJ6hyQDZkV896CypiL_MZgo-Ij7YjrkSSmmcFETr8vfGk7rA/s400/Legendz+Spread+Detail.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522788978999728658" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwjCro5yl0plVPZdXaeId1DtfJXesLWsMiHe3W6NttkKS1EmnXOWSFF_yoOdPmHTvGFVRCCmROlPIpe2dURqcYE2PGpwggE8qgdLO7L2v_yyj9N1h18pBvZaMkanpc79e97UdjaeNz-cM/s1600/Legendz+Faces.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 211px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwjCro5yl0plVPZdXaeId1DtfJXesLWsMiHe3W6NttkKS1EmnXOWSFF_yoOdPmHTvGFVRCCmROlPIpe2dURqcYE2PGpwggE8qgdLO7L2v_yyj9N1h18pBvZaMkanpc79e97UdjaeNz-cM/s320/Legendz+Faces.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522789862959666322" /></a><span style="font-weight:bold;">What's So Great About It?:</span> As you've probably gathered from my synopsis of the plot it's not gonna be the writing that stands atop its qualities. Series like Beet the Vandel Buster have successfully proven that generic series can have excellent writing in the execution and Legendz certainly has a glimmer of what made its Monthly Jump cohort's genericness enticing, but around the second volume's conclusion it just gives up the ghost, realising that it may as well embrace the generic nature of any collectable, catch 'em all type series and start a slippery slope towards a lackluster conclusion.<br /><br />No, what completely sells this to me and any other manga fan with sense is the art. Makoto Haruno is an artist without equal. You only have to look at the one-shot Toriya Trip from JUMP SQ II back in 2008 to see this. That's not to say that Haruno is the best artist out there. Far from it. But when it comes to what Haruno excels at, facial expressions, poses, proportions and adorable creature designs... Well, it's hard to imagine someone as perfectly suited to these things.<br /><br />A simple way of getting this across to those who prefer western comics is to say that Makoto Haruno comes across in his work as a quality equivalent to Kevin Maguire with the sheer strength of the expressions, being realistic whilst looking nothing like real life.<br /><br />The sheer amount of creatures and characters shoved down your throat over the four volumes is another brilliant aspect of the series. Not a single one feels rushed or poorly designed and stand out as much as the next. There will always be a little design touch or different bit of design to every character on the page that you will honestly never mix up one person or creature with another. And when it comes down to what you'd want from something expecting you to want to buy every buyable thing you see, it's kinda the most important thing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwmhxWjVjLLFbjGkC19nzqBwI5XD2rOvut5XmfCPVGqVsbkVMAeDkTGKKOzrAlWwdDnBLItVDAvzX7UgmudkPEM0xhLiGCwNEoe-kVvO0HCqYgVXivd0SYjKi-NfSCRWHi-OBSqyI1fM/s1600/Legendz+Spread+Attack.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwmhxWjVjLLFbjGkC19nzqBwI5XD2rOvut5XmfCPVGqVsbkVMAeDkTGKKOzrAlWwdDnBLItVDAvzX7UgmudkPEM0xhLiGCwNEoe-kVvO0HCqYgVXivd0SYjKi-NfSCRWHi-OBSqyI1fM/s400/Legendz+Spread+Attack.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522789532599692130" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1thVh1i4lqn9S2YxaXyYhb9LNnJnFJ7b3BOHzv5CnH2p_iIHLuh0aQ00sfSpr8xgSoYZK9GVRbAsiytVrmj10kHtIKTU5kj9wJE8lOcbehkjNjNbdT0xP5YAUCt2D1xidPXOakNOkNLY/s1600/Legendz+Just+A+Page.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1thVh1i4lqn9S2YxaXyYhb9LNnJnFJ7b3BOHzv5CnH2p_iIHLuh0aQ00sfSpr8xgSoYZK9GVRbAsiytVrmj10kHtIKTU5kj9wJE8lOcbehkjNjNbdT0xP5YAUCt2D1xidPXOakNOkNLY/s320/Legendz+Just+A+Page.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522790063447542306" /></a><span style="font-weight:bold;">Is It Worth Buying?:</span> 4 volumes at £5/$8 a pop? For a fun and beautiful series with only some glaring writing flaws to be held against it? Why are you even asking? Seriously, this is a great book to ease you into the Shonen Jump style and has some decent appeal to any people who just plain love great art. It's a nice, easy to complete package and you can't possibly feel ripped off!<br /><br />So get your derrières over to <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search/ref=sr_nr_n_0?rh=n:266239,k:legendz,n:!1025612,n:274081&bbn=1025612&keywords=legendz&ie=UTF8&qid=1285874090&rnid=1025612">Amazon.co.uk</a> and order yourself these gorgeous little things, they're out of print and may not be around forever!<br /></span>Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-57078933452315113232010-09-29T20:55:00.003+01:002010-11-22T16:30:38.124+00:00Thought Balloons: Update + Renee Montoya pg.4<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thoughtbaloons.blogspot.com/"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqfyBL__S7bnYLg7rhVSKnfrbPdmlrrjT_ROf9lWzMXedlogSJjlzYgjMuM8z7hZMCn-Hw6V_5Cvz5R7vdB5OnZDSHCIxTN9nX_H2a1jqBvyW61Jdu60hUadzqvn6Iz_1KfJmbsrvMeE/s400/tb+logo+-+danial79+-+gif.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508446407755319426" /></a><br /><br />Oh my GOD! I've been gone a significant portion of time and another Thought Balloons update has rolled around. you'd think I'd have multiple entries to make up for the time between posts but... No. No, I only have one script for you. A script where I killed a character because I'm just not a fan, essentially making me much like any given E-I-C. Whoop.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://thoughtbaloons.blogspot.com/2010/09/buffy-vampire-slayer-what-hell-is-mr.html"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER - WHAT THE HELL IS MR. POINTY</span></b></a><br /><br /><br />As usual each script teaches me a valuable lesson, and this one is no exception. I've successfully learnt that if I don't like a character and don't think I can do anything with her flawed, unlikeable arse then frankly I shouldn't force myself to write something. Sure, people are hired all the time to write about characters they may not have a story for, but the basis of things being done through pitches kinda means that if you've got nothing or hate the character, you're not gonna get the job. It's as simple as that.<br /><br />Also breaking necks Wonder Woman style is AWESOME.<br /><br />Anyway, onto a character I DO like, to the degree that I took her elseworlds arse and caressed it fondly for what is now 4 out of 12 pages. This is a nice simple stylised wednesday comics style page, providing a simple clothing switch before I dive into the previously alluded to strip club.<br /><br />... Yeah, so I'm just kind of a huge perv with this story but it's more for the style of the piece than anything. And a love letter to Frank Miller's scripting. So onto Noir As Heck page 4!<br /><br />-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />Page 4 - 8 Panels<br /><br />1-- A sillhouetted Renee Montoya is in front of an open cupboard in a dimly lit apartment. the contents of the cupboard are unclear, but on the top of it is a selection of trilbys. As she's currently preparing an outfit Renee is down to her underthings, consisting of incredibly girly, frilly and colourful panties and bra, both of which are fully visible on her silhouette. Also of important note is that if at all possible her hair should be fully outlined on her silhouette.<br /><br />NARRATION/RENEE MONTOYA - The Dark Bible has a strict dress code for its patrons, and an even stricter dress code for their employees. And seeing as I'm lacking the necessary fetishes to own my own uniform for that sordid place I'd better get suited and booted.<br /><br /><br />2-- A shot of Renee's legs as she pulls up some trousers onto her silhouette. The trousers are fully visible, being part of the traditional Question outfit.<br /><br /><br />3-- A shot of Renee's torso as she buttons a white shirt over her silhouette, tie hanging around the collar, untied.. Whether her bra is slightly visible underneath is purely a matter of whether you feel the colour would show up underneath a white shirt.<br /><br /><br />4-- Renee is tying her tie on her now done up shirt, with arrows or motion lines indicating her turning and tucking the tie around.<br /><br /><br />5-- Renee pulling the Question's trademark trilby onto her head, daintily keeping the angle perfect with both of her hands.<br /><br /><br />6-- Finally we have Renee with the Question's jacket on, doing that thing where you heft your shoulders and shake the collar (man, what is with that thing?). She is now suited. If you're in need of reference for this motion just ask me for some and I shall happily provide.<br /><br />NARRATION/RENEE MONTOYA - Suited...<br /><br /><br />7-- Renee is now sitting on the bed in this apartment, putting on some loafers.<br /><br />NARRATION/RENEE MONTOYA - ... AND booted.<br /><br /><br />8-- A full shot of Renee in her full Question gear (sans the mask, which shall not be seen in this story). She's neatly dressed for a night in her seedy location, with no make-up other than some considerably dark lipstick.<br /><br />SPEECH BUBBLE/RENEE MONTOYA - Damn, I feel good.<br /><br />NARRATION/RENEE MONTOYA - It's a strict dress code, all right, but I'll be struck down if it isn't the best for someone as snappy as me.Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-84659237015248866072010-09-27T23:17:00.004+01:002010-09-27T23:19:49.871+01:00QUASAR<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9s0oVhN0Xghv3bjxbVmrJHlOQG1jZq-dANqR1BynJnj599MdMk7Xv3oha077hLbKk2fTzwMdzDUQh59mKn10IRMuJ91zdivtn6w8T4oqfZEAt2TBD_lXxqL6wSjOSegsoTyCF-QEcCuc/s1600/QUASAR.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 220px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9s0oVhN0Xghv3bjxbVmrJHlOQG1jZq-dANqR1BynJnj599MdMk7Xv3oha077hLbKk2fTzwMdzDUQh59mKn10IRMuJ91zdivtn6w8T4oqfZEAt2TBD_lXxqL6wSjOSegsoTyCF-QEcCuc/s400/QUASAR.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514681838131932754" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">DONE GOT PREGGERS!</span></b></span></div></b><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(ah the 90s!)</i></div>Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-70299946541412143802010-09-27T23:13:00.001+01:002010-09-27T23:14:59.813+01:00A to Z: O is for Othello<span style="font-style:italic;">So it's been a while, and a significant gap in my new schedule. Let's blame it on computer issues and self-loathing and get back on the horse, shall we?</span><br /><br />To say that misinformation and ignorance can breed accidental racism or insensitivity is to say something exceedingly obvious. And when it comes to manga there are no end of these groan-worthy moments of cultural distance. Usually these come in the form of how people from foreign countries are represented, most notably America and Africa (doubly so African-Americans, obviously).<br /><br />If you can catch my gist here, Japan has a HUGE problem in how they usually illustrate black people in manga. More often than not they just look like a horrific caricature, and not out of racism, but purely because most authors just don't realise that the depiction might be a TAD racist. Let's look at one of the more popular examples of this, the Shaman King character Chocolove.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rwNgU-o_LRsX0LwNZ__oBhWstwIWFsovRyXJyVd_dQHlPv6pePc49QFrpeCREWFu_3hBCD_BEBwzhoZEALA3i34PLdFYbhpS6-txT7-2if4Huya4AizK3ylHUIasUpex7vh006Vr8EY/s1600/choco.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 378px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rwNgU-o_LRsX0LwNZ__oBhWstwIWFsovRyXJyVd_dQHlPv6pePc49QFrpeCREWFu_3hBCD_BEBwzhoZEALA3i34PLdFYbhpS6-txT7-2if4Huya4AizK3ylHUIasUpex7vh006Vr8EY/s400/choco.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516818064828011170" /></a>This is a relatively early image in that series, so it DOES improve, mind you.<br /><br />I mean the name alone hints at some small issue, as I'm sure you've noticed, but the huge afro, tribal clothing (he's from New York and at one point was wearing a huge African mask) and large white lips all kinda sit awkwardly as kinda-sorta a bit racist.<br /><br />But that's the thing. It's not represented as such. In fact Chocolove in that series is one of the more able characters, strong and capable and with a tragic history that's inspired him to want to give good humour to the world at large. It's just that the visual is painfully off (and kinda close to minstrels with the huge white lips). It's just not knowing what you're doing.<br /><br />Which brings me to today's entry in A to Z. See, this segue is largely unimportant to the manga at large, but I wanted to make a point of acknowledging how awkward it is that a rich girl has a completely subservient black assisstant who doesn't speak so good. It's utterly cringe-worthy and utterly unintentional. The poor speech is because he's not Japanese and doesn't fully speak the language, and the subservience is just how a worker should behave towards their boss in Japanese society. But it rings so awkwardly due to a simple lack of knowledge.<br /><br />... So yeah. I just wanted to bring up how kinda awkward that is. Now let's talk about Othello.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSqTgSYWgGEA_V239UJ2MgxzGjPza0YqD29s9Zc-3uB78DTVwo77n6OSfYoMCfZP64gL8IxfrUhuIM_ntpSVwsVBy1jE07oo6s6cov5RLs9j01O1ZWlxV1vP1MKwzTl5Ugg8WxQlbmDW4/s1600/44hztc7.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSqTgSYWgGEA_V239UJ2MgxzGjPza0YqD29s9Zc-3uB78DTVwo77n6OSfYoMCfZP64gL8IxfrUhuIM_ntpSVwsVBy1jE07oo6s6cov5RLs9j01O1ZWlxV1vP1MKwzTl5Ugg8WxQlbmDW4/s400/44hztc7.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516823868467261714" /></a><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i>[WARNING: This review has absolutely NO images of the series in question, because my own scanner and the big bad evil scanlation community have let me down. With that said let's continue, shall we?]</i></span></div></i><br /><br />So Othello is a 7 volume series by Satomi Ikegawa that follows the life of Yaya Higuchi, a timid, withdrawn type (something that is basically comics code for "bullied the shit out of") who secretly spends her sundays hanging out with a gothic lolita group (SAFESEARCH ON, PEOPLE!) in secret, the only place where she feels she can truly be herself. But that's really neither here or there. Basically the bullying becomes too much and a childhood persona Yaya calls Nana comes to the rescue, being a brash, no-nonsense polar opposite of Yaya who can deal with the bullies that give her a hard time. And as with ANY story about split personalities Yaya doesn't remember any time she spends as Nana.<br /><br />Basic set-up, right? Well.... it doesn't really get any more complicated than that for the most part. I mean there's a love conflict between Yaya and Nana of sorts, and more people out to bully poor little Yaya, and even some music related stuff as a central plot point, but really when it comes down to it the series is just an interesting if not simple take on a multiple personality trope spliced with a bit of magical girl tribute.<br /><br />Oh, that? Yeah, it's kinda interesting. The tool that brings Nana to the fray at first is a magical-girl styled kid's mirror, and Nana herself has very Sailor Moon-esque poses when need be, as well her own catchphrases "HEAVENLY PUNISHMENT" and "JUSTICE IS DONE". Which is kinda awesome in its own awesome way. Not just that, but the idea of someone too weak to fight turning into a powerful version of themselves is kind of the whole crux of the magical girl genre, so there really isn't any denying the connection to the much-loved genre.<br /><br />So this is where I get into why it's worth reading as part of this 27-part super range of comics. And I gotta say, it's NOT because of the art. Ikezawa's art is very much the typical Shojo art style, in that it's background light and details aren't in the least bit important. Oh and the tones kinda suck complete arse. But if you've been reading Shojo for more than... I don't know, a month? Yeah, a month. If you've been reading Shojo for more than a month you know to expect this and completely ignore it in favour of the story, which is more than satisfactory.<br /><br />Othello manages to just about dodge becoming saccharine sweet simply by how destestable the antagonists are, or even with how frustrating each situation becomes. It's no Hot Gimmick or I"S when it comes to making you too frustrated with awkwardness and emotions, I mean you can still turn the pages without missing a heartbeat, but it certainly stands out as one of the better titles offered in English.<br /><br />The most important facet here though is simply this: most quality Shojo series run for about 20-30 volumes, and even the shorter, most brilliant titles like Hot Gimmick run in at 12 volumes. So the fact this clocks in at 7 without feeling the least-bit rushed pays dividends, providing a complete and interesting story without breaking your wallet.<br /><br />So I implore you to ignore my lack of images in the article, to go to a shop, book exchange, amazon, ebay or even a library, and find this book. Give it a try and you won't be disappointed. And heck even if you are at least you'll... um... hmmm... I'll get back to you on that.<br /><br />You can find Othello on Amazon (UK) and probably in many a book store, especially as Del Rey's support for manga in the UK is good enough that most of their titles can be found in any decent-sized Waterstones.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">And that's O. Next up is P, which is... Classified?! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAA?!</span>Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-61523622473921241162010-09-14T17:15:00.001+01:002010-09-14T17:18:27.059+01:00MR NEGATIVE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGvWMAn0DLVmIBA9IOVJp1yG1zLByqVe_J9CL_ggt8oIuV7a41FEfkPFicxWu2jIYo9DKr1Sqd85_HJo9waeXSpHG4bck0wjbC1JefKjgLpYHMGSVZrriBMx700bGVElzu3zJOM2G3Q8Y/s1600/MR+NEGATIVE.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 322px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGvWMAn0DLVmIBA9IOVJp1yG1zLByqVe_J9CL_ggt8oIuV7a41FEfkPFicxWu2jIYo9DKr1Sqd85_HJo9waeXSpHG4bck0wjbC1JefKjgLpYHMGSVZrriBMx700bGVElzu3zJOM2G3Q8Y/s400/MR+NEGATIVE.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514678025311027186" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">IS *NOT* A FAN OF THIS BLOG.</span></b></span></div></b>Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-34436419138592940762010-09-13T11:25:00.003+01:002010-09-13T11:32:14.111+01:00Lazy Sunday: Beta Ray Bill Rocks OutSO LAZY IT COMES OUT ON A MONDAY!<br /><br />Steps to a successful image of awesome:<br /><br />1. Buy a Beta Ray Bill Marvel Legends.<br /><br />2. Buy a Transformers Animated Soundwave<br /><br />3. Give Soundwave's Guitar to Beta Ray Bill<br /><br />4. Sit back in awe of the wonder before you:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xnhvVOj03FtcTfzFG5G51_H0vwWeI1Ky6StH-wZYkyRhEuMoft75RkecICispHeiwCcHqGzKd4TneB_QKe8UphvHJDgLmT-ornZ5S3liFax7MNs7DT5vmDiWQKDW-WC26qX2BVecbF0/s1600/35544716.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xnhvVOj03FtcTfzFG5G51_H0vwWeI1Ky6StH-wZYkyRhEuMoft75RkecICispHeiwCcHqGzKd4TneB_QKe8UphvHJDgLmT-ornZ5S3liFax7MNs7DT5vmDiWQKDW-WC26qX2BVecbF0/s400/35544716.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516343864571094290" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Yes.</i></div>Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-72543644798421464292010-09-10T22:34:00.016+01:002010-09-11T00:05:12.921+01:00Friday List: Top 10 Awesome PokémonBe honest. You love Pokémon. You still play it, and sometimes you feel the need to check out the TV show or card game just to see if they still exist. You moan every time they reveal new Pokémon for upcoming games, but still form new favourites and get excited about the game's release. Deep down you're still that child who played Pokémon for the first time, absolutely entranced by what you saw and what you did. And heck, it warms your heart every time you see a kid experience this crucial part of your history for the first time, becoming as enraptured as you were at their age.<br /><br />... Okay, I'm projecting a bit. But it's pretty safe to assume that you're like me, one of those people who had their life profoundly affected by an admittedly basic monster training RPG.<br /><br />So today I'm breaking away from comics (though Pokémon has had, like, a MILLION manga spin-offs and such) to look at the 10 Pokémon that are just so god damn cool when you think about it that you wish they were real. Except the ones that would just kill you. I mean fuck those guys.<br /><br /><a href="http://comicflipper.blogspot.com/2010/09/friday-list-top-10-awesome-pokemon.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">SEE WHAT POKÉMON MADE THE CUT BY HITTING THE JUMP!</span></a><br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br />#10: Probopass<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNahFpH3lNmkhRbFaAv0Po7l0ZiMDXR4nzFEl6RoLi4bvrklZmBidjbUsf8tkTHq5Ej8NJ7OMr6wrzF_y7GKQuVig1Pn_FSPKLoN1KjK97fCE7zzMQkizhgFZUA1I3yXP6l3ab67nb48/s1600/Probopass-anime.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNahFpH3lNmkhRbFaAv0Po7l0ZiMDXR4nzFEl6RoLi4bvrklZmBidjbUsf8tkTHq5Ej8NJ7OMr6wrzF_y7GKQuVig1Pn_FSPKLoN1KjK97fCE7zzMQkizhgFZUA1I3yXP6l3ab67nb48/s320/Probopass-anime.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515405268731985426" /></a>This dude has facial hair that no man can truly beat. Screw his moveset, strengths, weaknesses, whatever. He wins. Because that EV-trained lv.100 Arceus you love so much or whatever? Does NOT have this fucking Moustache. And it IS capitalised. Just because it's so hardcore. Like the Dad you always wished you had, he has the wisdom that only those who know the true art of Moustache can have. And that's why he's on this list. That and I'm pretty sure his ears are stone bird-heads, which makes your arguments invalid.<br /><br /><br />#9: Blastoise<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhsWi66e0MS_kyzjzXgbsSYeOc1Id4fcRKLjwND3wroyhq9xvzY67wmZSs3XYSrh2IejDY_n7fkDXSoNJG0qFaEBKLSirWNSbhgcDCTE3mPnIbK2n8B0QKKR3Vk3qB4E7kbdotd_pxRc/s1600/009Blastoise.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 294px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhsWi66e0MS_kyzjzXgbsSYeOc1Id4fcRKLjwND3wroyhq9xvzY67wmZSs3XYSrh2IejDY_n7fkDXSoNJG0qFaEBKLSirWNSbhgcDCTE3mPnIbK2n8B0QKKR3Vk3qB4E7kbdotd_pxRc/s320/009Blastoise.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515409908586827266" /></a>Blastoise does NOT fuck around. Every other Pokémon out there is just a creature using its abilities to fight and survive. Not Blastoise. No, Blastoise saw his chance to outshine them all and through the sheer power of evolution grew TWO HUGE FUCKING CANNONS OUT OF ITS BACK PURELY TO KILL A BITCH WITH!! He'll stare you down and hurt you. And sure he's tubby, but you try and burn him and he will SOAK YOU!<br /><br /><br />#8: Houndoom<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqy_me-GwyshRjLS3BZ61eYgY9RQs7n5DdeyCmFg7UQQ1sBizmBzqcS-OmN8buyhA3smjiZ2RSZQ3uR0UoflRdLzDGr7eVTH65I2FQIiVXh6ShKa1G8FqgSY9YjuilTjE8GJZG-y1h4g/s1600/229Houndoom.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqy_me-GwyshRjLS3BZ61eYgY9RQs7n5DdeyCmFg7UQQ1sBizmBzqcS-OmN8buyhA3smjiZ2RSZQ3uR0UoflRdLzDGr7eVTH65I2FQIiVXh6ShKa1G8FqgSY9YjuilTjE8GJZG-y1h4g/s400/229Houndoom.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515413493749653762" /></a>Dude's straight-up just a HELLHOUND. I mean Houndoom is a creature of hell, walking amongst the living, burning up their Pikachus. WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?! Oh, devil horns and some bones on the outside? Flame breath? If you can find a way to get three of these guys on a shirt with a moon we're ALL gonna be rich, and you know it.<br /><br /><br />#7: Ledian<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSy_KzzPcBswpVnYwNqfBZfTXjBidhv64HM9le-HEfWUo2etKKasTKplUpqVmaKWs0ZSaNL-GLCrB4lsg8351OH53-Z2fDA-NrZ49GW7TvdsjfAdd46ezo0tf-0W1Xy5tqFUz4uHfPp-I/s1600/166Ledian.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 211px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSy_KzzPcBswpVnYwNqfBZfTXjBidhv64HM9le-HEfWUo2etKKasTKplUpqVmaKWs0ZSaNL-GLCrB4lsg8351OH53-Z2fDA-NrZ49GW7TvdsjfAdd46ezo0tf-0W1Xy5tqFUz4uHfPp-I/s320/166Ledian.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515414788518018018" /></a>Are you a teensy little ladybird? No. Can you punch the shit out of things with your many, many arms? Hell no! Then Ledian owns your arse. Doesn't hurt that it's bloody adorable either.<br /><br /><br />#6: Hitmonchan<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMy8yIAd9gnrXtg5vPKQvCZb5NFS9iHafvM3XmfiWXbVzt1TNlFg0eP6rF3eO-AdCPR1wAiS-ZGZ1UavT9310u5b64d8jJnqvU88IRefQp5e5cWnkaZEq7EKbfR94-z4LaYs9VI4rlc4/s1600/107Hitmonchan.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 260px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMy8yIAd9gnrXtg5vPKQvCZb5NFS9iHafvM3XmfiWXbVzt1TNlFg0eP6rF3eO-AdCPR1wAiS-ZGZ1UavT9310u5b64d8jJnqvU88IRefQp5e5cWnkaZEq7EKbfR94-z4LaYs9VI4rlc4/s400/107Hitmonchan.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515415735746094018" /></a>He's SUPPOSED to be Jackie Chan. But Hitmonchan doesn't buy into that. Instead he's decided to just be a boxer. That's right, this Pokémon is so badass that he's defied his very name and decided to just punch dudes in the face. Perhaps even harder than Batman can. Just think about that for a minute.<br /><br /><br />#5: Hitmonlee<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXUQ_sgpw7pYSCj3j_vb_zNx_gvpTsic63-pLOpaX6SCxLBg4aJnlFZDnYsh4OiyPDQrMJ_8DQY2VD4NRTUwx3AEAxfluOCNTwWHk2AB1SCiIMubcd_Gp7pEeQYoF2xecBNHFr5vVXVdM/s1600/106Hitmonlee.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXUQ_sgpw7pYSCj3j_vb_zNx_gvpTsic63-pLOpaX6SCxLBg4aJnlFZDnYsh4OiyPDQrMJ_8DQY2VD4NRTUwx3AEAxfluOCNTwWHk2AB1SCiIMubcd_Gp7pEeQYoF2xecBNHFr5vVXVdM/s320/106Hitmonlee.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515416118434709698" /></a>Named after Bruce Lee. Kicks things. That and we can all agree that Bruce Lee is better than Jackie Chan, yes? Good. Because things'd get ugly if you disagreed with this headless freak.<br /><br /><br />#4: Sharpedo<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJUptlCXinGem-RvVu67lDQBPxCSIVcJ1vHfw41SMuQdF07IXfltBMIf_LsKzaK2fcRIyozy4nrez3SOGlPGmKwehrFoA7LSKqCER_z0LfFtE905R0G0hYmcmFJghgVor3kMWgRWReX4/s1600/319Sharpedo.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 326px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJUptlCXinGem-RvVu67lDQBPxCSIVcJ1vHfw41SMuQdF07IXfltBMIf_LsKzaK2fcRIyozy4nrez3SOGlPGmKwehrFoA7LSKqCER_z0LfFtE905R0G0hYmcmFJghgVor3kMWgRWReX4/s400/319Sharpedo.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515417098694084978" /></a>You know why these reasons are getting smaller. Because the pictures speak for themselves. Observe: THIS POKÉMON IS A FUCKING TORPEDO AND A SHARK. AT THE SAME TIME!<br /><br /><br />#3: Muk<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrgpxgMxCb24W4HgvLUY6_VJEy15eQugck0FHEgb6VQMmgMBV_JJrRQ7ZR-Lp2UjYUJuD78jzitS-hUf-Hi0xaUbsghctOeR9LHoeO5OV2IiJKu1OY-mYJnMq-C2inm6Ghxq7gSQvuxbA/s1600/Girugamuk.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrgpxgMxCb24W4HgvLUY6_VJEy15eQugck0FHEgb6VQMmgMBV_JJrRQ7ZR-Lp2UjYUJuD78jzitS-hUf-Hi0xaUbsghctOeR9LHoeO5OV2IiJKu1OY-mYJnMq-C2inm6Ghxq7gSQvuxbA/s400/Girugamuk.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515419553486873186" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">*ahem* GIRUGAMUK!</span></b></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFaQciEOUWVRORemzfdJkY8T5QeJ5HItAuSzWz9CZYxYtDvpPlDtTB8bat8aie72r28skRwNWsGP7-Kk7Oi64kMVtfJc9Tb_EM8-4n-TTMCwh59Qan-Hefkaq9zoFW5YQlNay-kqlPtw/s1600/Girugameshguy2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 360px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFaQciEOUWVRORemzfdJkY8T5QeJ5HItAuSzWz9CZYxYtDvpPlDtTB8bat8aie72r28skRwNWsGP7-Kk7Oi64kMVtfJc9Tb_EM8-4n-TTMCwh59Qan-Hefkaq9zoFW5YQlNay-kqlPtw/s400/Girugameshguy2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515419863793481026" /></a><br /><br /><br />#2: Honchkrow<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht09Mm23YfeoIoppxU_GR8a1yfnSlNnnlSS1bD0HU18xLfyf7d551VzSPWZEbQMo4QrRxuBvos52RR6angt_ArTQkHfjWxDqY-wY_cqZd_I0o9ewgWNmuzodwYB6TP5-Yewkqt_DaCmBQ/s1600/430Honchkrow.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 217px; height: 148px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht09Mm23YfeoIoppxU_GR8a1yfnSlNnnlSS1bD0HU18xLfyf7d551VzSPWZEbQMo4QrRxuBvos52RR6angt_ArTQkHfjWxDqY-wY_cqZd_I0o9ewgWNmuzodwYB6TP5-Yewkqt_DaCmBQ/s400/430Honchkrow.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515421750533748610" /></a>Honchkrow is the Godfather. A traditional gangster of a Pokémon, who'll make you offers you can't refuse, or you'll sleep with the fishes. Which, being a crow... He's probably eat. Along with your eyes. So you better recognise, respect and really pay attention to anything this crow does. Or you're in a world of hurt from the big don of the Pokéworld. If he extends his wing towards you, you BETTER take it.<br /><br /><br />#1: Tropius<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCUkZueQ7dj-5XIJ-xvKezRSqqYu2pIV64mtva_rTH-EB0pPoHgFw95WYYUsObFP1HcBcwTq6iGAIYXFXHSq_94q3XI5hLOzECe7u-HVrHTmMXmC_RIVm0c02-99yggAnIbnhyphenhyphen1p3K_A/s1600/Tropius.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 386px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCUkZueQ7dj-5XIJ-xvKezRSqqYu2pIV64mtva_rTH-EB0pPoHgFw95WYYUsObFP1HcBcwTq6iGAIYXFXHSq_94q3XI5hLOzECe7u-HVrHTmMXmC_RIVm0c02-99yggAnIbnhyphenhyphen1p3K_A/s400/Tropius.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515424103790679730" /></a>Imagine you have your own Dinosaur. Yeah, big enough that you can ride it. Cool, right? Now also imagine that it's a tree, with big shady leaves to chill under, and healthy nutritious bananas growing from its neck. Awesome! AND HEALTHY! Now add in the fact that it can fly! AND THAT IT LOOKS LIKE THE MOST AWESOME THING IN THE WORLD AND THAT NOTHING CAN EVER BE BETTER! You've just imagine Tropius. Look at that son of a bitch. You can't beat that. You want to BE it. And moreso to OWN it. And why wouldn't you? It's just that damn cool. It's so cool that just looking at it makes you want to go high-five someone. Go on, go high five someone. I'll wait for you to come back... Done? Good. Because now you know. Tropius is more awesome than anything EVER.<br /></span>Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-40064685224028994762010-09-10T19:45:00.017+01:002010-09-10T22:32:25.058+01:00Manga Focus: Beet The Vandel Buster<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznFg54Mp8zIGDhQHaGIKWwU3pg1rK1sG9T8jOm5OZxsL0qUnKq8XpM4zBd9DYZdwgN74seVZVr_BLdL1FeBdpj25Lv59HhYrVZxdKyqQpgwZtCELZFHCBiKBDCCxpTxpMdHVhOyl2Tm8/s1600/Manga+Focus+Banner.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 73px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznFg54Mp8zIGDhQHaGIKWwU3pg1rK1sG9T8jOm5OZxsL0qUnKq8XpM4zBd9DYZdwgN74seVZVr_BLdL1FeBdpj25Lv59HhYrVZxdKyqQpgwZtCELZFHCBiKBDCCxpTxpMdHVhOyl2Tm8/s400/Manga+Focus+Banner.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512364567402200818" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmj1JgdAEg8dw4pDnN1W31nL1Tg-vHXWWFldKF3wZYHMLtb7QBTFT_dKFW3s2hi9DFxEi4hfMC8Pehb5kpXfRMH1CyQmnwVQ3-DYPUk_FGbhC2_xtlcpCP1ljmB_lTNYq3oPv-gPQpKmY/s1600/159116690X.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmj1JgdAEg8dw4pDnN1W31nL1Tg-vHXWWFldKF3wZYHMLtb7QBTFT_dKFW3s2hi9DFxEi4hfMC8Pehb5kpXfRMH1CyQmnwVQ3-DYPUk_FGbhC2_xtlcpCP1ljmB_lTNYq3oPv-gPQpKmY/s400/159116690X.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515360082052827026" /></a>Generic isn't always a bad thing, you realise. The implication that a story being by the numbers or conceptually something we've seen a million times before doesn't inherently make it BAD. I mean heck, nearly every single shonen manga churned out from Shueisha in the last two decades has been conceptually the same thing, which is assumed to mostly be King Generic's fault (King Generic in this piece is played by Dragon Ball).<br /><br />Let's just put the obvious out there as to how 90% of shonen manga are nowadays. First take a naive boy. Now give him a special talent or something he excels at despite other failings. Give him some insurmountable thing to face that can only be beaten through love, friendship and hope. Oh and while you're at it we're gonna need a brooding anti-hero with black hair and an inability to JUST ABOUT reach the heights of the main character, even if he started off being far more talented. Finally the cherry on top, a stubborn girl who despite constantly being annoyed by the main character's actions slowly falls for him, worn down over time. Heck, be adventurous, throw in a side character or two, an old friend who's lost his way, a teacher who has something mysterious about him, and another girl who is far more outgoing and love crazy than the main character's love interest. With larger breasts.<br /><br />So, what shonen manga have I made there? MOST of them? Yes. Yes, I have. But then almost half the manga that fit this template have a gimmick, a unique selling point that pulls it above the rest. And those, those generic little beauts, are the BEST generic shonen manga out there.<br /><br />Which brings me to today's focus (yeah it's late, I know), a manga that sounded so generic that I almost passed it up. But it does everything just so... tweaked to perfection, utilising each trope perfectly, that it truly deserves a look from each and every one of you. Even Clive over there in the corner. Yeah, you see him. Glare at the bastard for not already owning this series. The bastard.<br /><br /><a href="http://comicflipper.blogspot.com/2010/09/manga-focus-beet-vandel-buster.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">.... What? Oh yeah, HIT THE JUMP TO READ MANGA FOCUS!</span></a><br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br />What Is It?: Beet the Vandel Buster is a shonen series from Koji Inaba and Riku Sanjo about a young boy in a world of monsters, where humans often choose to stand up to the monsters and their leaders, the Vandels by becoming Busters, warriors of might and magic who are out to make the lives of the humans of the world just that little bit easier in such oppressive times. The young boy (Beet) idolised a group of these "Busters" and one day became one himself to follow in their footsteps. This was admittedly poorly timed, as one of the strongest Vandels in existence attacked Beet's hometown, his heroes the Zenon Warriors attempted to save them all and (SPOILER!) Beet's youthful arrogance almost gets himself killed. For Beet's life to be saved the Zenon warriors (which it turned out was led by Beet's older brother, a fact revealed as they saved Beet's life) they had to give him their Saigas, magical weapons powered by the elements. Without their weapons they fought on, appeared to all be killed, and Beet decided to live on and fight in their memory.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2uBA-g4z-SssA6Kf5kWBX0pe2ejxFxTZLtAlYpwzjdTt-ZPcFRCPnRTAyocy9tZ9WEcK01qzgI8_hyphenhyphenoEwLPL4XVhjYkFVOzxIKWIwBjOT7KdiEM_htmhgxqIMgmCQVHLwIkN6OW0j9k0/s1600/beetemotive.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2uBA-g4z-SssA6Kf5kWBX0pe2ejxFxTZLtAlYpwzjdTt-ZPcFRCPnRTAyocy9tZ9WEcK01qzgI8_hyphenhyphenoEwLPL4XVhjYkFVOzxIKWIwBjOT7KdiEM_htmhgxqIMgmCQVHLwIkN6OW0j9k0/s320/beetemotive.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515399864218474882" /></a>That's the initial premise anyway. From there it became a series about Beet and his "fiancée" Paola building a team of warriors and taking on the strongest Vandels, who begin to target Beet and his team for their slights against them and the promising power within Beet himself.<br /><br />It is ALSO a series that went on hiatus 4 years ago when the artist Koji Inada fell ill, and has yet to have had even a hint of continuing to this day, leaving the current volume count at 12, with a VERY awkward cut-off point mid-fight. But we'll try to ignore that for the minute, shall we?<br /><br />What's So Great About It?: I have to heap praise on the characters on display in the series. The humans are pretty much entirely stocks, albeit stock characters done to a fine degree. Beet is the weirdly relaxed/serious when he REALLY needs to be hero with unusual talent and an inability to pay attention to big problems along the way. His ignorance and goofiness are endearing because he can switch just like that into a fighter, ready to do anything to protect the people he cares about. Paola is the standard grumpy love-interest who denies being a love interest, frustrated at how far behind her team-mates she believes herself to be. But of course behind that is a person capable of something great that none of the others on the team can do, with a soft spot in her heart for Beet and a readiness to do crazy things to save the day. That small change is endearing compared to other Shonen heroines, who are usually just left at the 'weaker than everyone else' stage for an eternity or two. Then there's the other team-mates, the most notable of which being Slade, a gruff, miserable looking black-haired ally who hides his caring and respect for someone who he mostly treats as a nuisance and a weaker rival. The stock for this sort of anti-hero type is broken in that he learns to display his respect for others more openly as the series progresses, and even learns his faults and deals with his mistakes over time. It's captivating.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONMu71zmxt7id0eia3xuQDCoRMHQMimgsxPmL8phJFLGBQQf4Val5Vk1CpQ2iDMXmlKPhk0GEHdlvxBOWTbY3WI3jE9f8DlhhT-aCT6IHcy99Wj2KSYOxPDRQaGHl0EhFG1R3xmPLx-A/s1600/grineed+basic.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 211px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONMu71zmxt7id0eia3xuQDCoRMHQMimgsxPmL8phJFLGBQQf4Val5Vk1CpQ2iDMXmlKPhk0GEHdlvxBOWTbY3WI3jE9f8DlhhT-aCT6IHcy99Wj2KSYOxPDRQaGHl0EhFG1R3xmPLx-A/s320/grineed+basic.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515400116612701618" /></a>But the REAL stars here are the Vandels, giant demonic humanoid demons, who all have their own personalities and strategies, with different motivations for how they act and an unpredictable element that often shows that when you JUST ABOUT think you know them you're proven wrong. This is something we see most notably with Grineed, the first big-time Vandel Beet & company take on. At first he just seems to be a calm, collected and suave Vandel, intent on taking out any promising Busters before they can become anything more than amateurs. But as the series progresses we see that he's also a calculating, ruthless bastard who plans everything he does to perfection, all to hide that deep down he's a hyper-aggressive and super strong monster whose rage drives away all around him. And this upsets him. It straight up makes him cry out in despair at one point when his true form is revealed to all, showing him for the brute that he is. It's actually one of the more emotional turns in the story, as you emphasise for the enemy who just wants to be more than he was created as. I mean the Vandels don't choose who they are. They're made and they be exactly what they are. And he just didn't want to be that. Which is heart-breaking and a true credit to both the stellar writing and the art.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wSjaZYzWFLD9JVQBbQ5d4wD6wMuE2mJNau7M-rMsHTYEGoJOij44IVdABHxS0yzAGucpvq17YSJ_AZh_6uo2Jud5i8lLIuIc0pgig9BTIaUNGDakYcPHLbQQLbrSHCMqq3cMmAkSH3M/s1600/06-170.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wSjaZYzWFLD9JVQBbQ5d4wD6wMuE2mJNau7M-rMsHTYEGoJOij44IVdABHxS0yzAGucpvq17YSJ_AZh_6uo2Jud5i8lLIuIc0pgig9BTIaUNGDakYcPHLbQQLbrSHCMqq3cMmAkSH3M/s320/06-170.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515400257771551634" /></a>Oh, the art! I should definitely talk about the art. Koji Inada brought something spectacular to the table with Beet the Vandel Buster, bringing his inimitable style from Dragon Quest: Dai's Great Adventure (which sadly ISN'T out in english) to a new level. The faces were better defined, the proportions felt tighter. And the expressions carried a lot more impact. Again, the main praise here has to go to the Vandels, who all look so different from each other and anything else I've seen that it boggles the mind how he managed to create them. But then I guess with him and Riku Sanjo working together for so long (they both worked on the aforementioned Dragon Quest series for EIGHT YEARS) they'd surely know how to take any crazy thought they'd have and put it down perfectly on paper.<br /><br />... Wait, so basically I could have just made all this section shorter by saying "WHAT MAKES THIS SERIES SO GREAT?! THE FUCKING VANDELS!"? Bugger.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSAnxFUApQByMEUqHVuQk429H1MLTWtvIVolOJKAVt0OH2-K8b9nJ-C3KFvSrRIsNEdjbeXUCshvLrjsnafAKfHH6sFrjEiqiUg3MsQuyvSD80oWirw4oGhekV1_JxP3qfCghvBzi-sUs/s1600/06-171.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 198px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSAnxFUApQByMEUqHVuQk429H1MLTWtvIVolOJKAVt0OH2-K8b9nJ-C3KFvSrRIsNEdjbeXUCshvLrjsnafAKfHH6sFrjEiqiUg3MsQuyvSD80oWirw4oGhekV1_JxP3qfCghvBzi-sUs/s320/06-171.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515400383209790994" /></a>Is It Worth Buying?: Honestly? Kinda-sorta. If you can live with the fact that there's a 99.9999% chance that the current arc will NEVER finish and that the series is effectively over for good now then yes. Seriously, without the hiatus issue looming over everything this is the dog's bollocks, a perfect example of how you can take something generic in concept and craft a perfect world around it, defying the limitations of the thoroughly stereotypical Shonen genre. And even if you don't care about stuff like that, this is a pretty cool footnote in manga, being a key series for Monthly Shonen Jump when it was around, with a dedicated following and being a decent success at that. And I like to think that maybe, just maybe it'll come back, and those who've experienced it will rocket it to the heights it's always deserved.<br /><br />That and it's bitching. You can get the current 12 volumes at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_nr_i_0?rh=k:beet+the+vandel+buster,i:stripbooks&keywords=beet+the+vandel+buster&ie=UTF8&qid=1284154299">Amazon</a> (<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search/ref=sr_nr_i_0?rh=k:beet+the+vandel+buster,i:stripbooks&keywords=beet+the+vandel+buster&ie=UTF8&qid=1284154299">UK</a>) and really, why wouldn't you? Aside from the huge and obvious reason. But as I said earlier, let's just ignore that, shall we?<br /></span>Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-50715793370337388342010-09-08T11:25:00.005+01:002010-09-08T11:31:30.241+01:00Thought Balloons: Update + Renee Montoya pg.3<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqfyBL__S7bnYLg7rhVSKnfrbPdmlrrjT_ROf9lWzMXedlogSJjlzYgjMuM8z7hZMCn-Hw6V_5Cvz5R7vdB5OnZDSHCIxTN9nX_H2a1jqBvyW61Jdu60hUadzqvn6Iz_1KfJmbsrvMeE/s1600/tb+logo+-+danial79+-+gif.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqfyBL__S7bnYLg7rhVSKnfrbPdmlrrjT_ROf9lWzMXedlogSJjlzYgjMuM8z7hZMCn-Hw6V_5Cvz5R7vdB5OnZDSHCIxTN9nX_H2a1jqBvyW61Jdu60hUadzqvn6Iz_1KfJmbsrvMeE/s400/tb+logo+-+danial79+-+gif.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508446407755319426" /></a><br /><br />Another week, another entry at Thought Balloons, and as such another update on the blog. This week brought about a character I know not nearly enough about, except that he's Daredevil and I own at least two books about him/his father. Which counts for knowledge, right?<br /><br /><a href="http://thoughtbaloons.blogspot.com/2010/09/daredevil-his-worst-enemy-max-barnard.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Daredevil - His Worst Enemy</b></span></a><br /><br />Again, this entry came with a lesson learnt. When trying to be clever with SFX, at least TRY to make them work. I did a little Thought Balloon based in-joke, that whilst a good idea, had a pretty lousy execution. So lesson learnt, sound effects will be thought about far more in the future.<br /><br />And with that it's time for another page of my 12-page Wednesday Comics size epic! This entry is a bit text heavy, but that's the advantage of trying to utilise a grander space for each page, really. And even then, over-narration? Kinda a noir trope in its own way.<br /><br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />RENEE MONTOYA - NOIR AS HECK<br /><br />Page 3 - X Panels<br /><br />1-- Renee Montoya is walking down a dark alleyway in the black of night. In front of her by some distance is an indistinct slumped shadow curled up against a wall, shapeless and slender.<br /><br />NARRATION/RENEE MONTOYA - So here I am, on another dark night in another dark alley, looking for some clues about these "Beastly Gentlemen". Hhh. Beasts, she said. I don't know anything about them, but I DO know about a Bat. Seems as good as any a place to begin.<br /><br /><br />2--Renee is now next to the slumped shadow, who we can now see looks like a withered shadow of Batman, in that the shadow clearly has something that looks like a cape and pointy bat ears. Renee is looking down at the shadow disdainfully, and grabbing a torch from her belt.<br /><br />NARRATION/RENEE MONTOYA - I don't even know why I'm doing this. The lady... THAT lady... Is clearly manipulating me somehow. I mean no broad talks like that, do they? To say nothing of what she was... Doing... That was... Where was I?<br /><br /><br />3-- Renee kicks the Bat-Shadow as hard as she possible can, the shadow's body crumpling around her foot.<br /><br />SFX/KICK - KA-THWUMP<br /><br />NARRATION/RENEE MONTOYA - Oh yeah. I HATE The Bat.<br /><br /><br />4-- Renee has turned on the torch and is waving it at The Bat. The Bat is a crazy looking tramp with overlong canines, a long shawl that looks like a cape, and a mask made out of soggy cardboard. A mask that looks an awful lot like Batman's.<br /><br />SFX/TORCH - KLIK<br /><br />SPEECH BUBBLE/THE BAT - GAH! WHARRAYA WAN'?!<br /><br />NARRATION/RENEE MONTOYA - Crazed son of a bitch. Years ago his family were shot down in this very alley. Since then he's been stuck in a deranged state of mind, refusing to leave this godforsaken little alley. Still, he hears things. And if there's one thing a P.I. needs in a city like this it's someone with good ears. Even if he is The Bat. That Bat for Bat$#!t, obviously.<br /><br /><br />5-- Renee has grabbed The Bat by his shawl and pinned him to wall, leaning in, yelling in his face. She's shouting so hard that spit is flying from her mouth at The Bat.<br /><br />SPEECH BUBBLE/RENEE MONTOYA - LISTEN! I want to know about some strange men. A group of them. Carouse with a Woman In White, a fake-tanned sort. Beasts, I'm told. DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING?!<br /><br /><br />6-- The Bat is now responding, horrible green clouds of rotten breath spewing forth from his mouth. He has maybe two teeth in total left in his mouth. Renee is leaning back, cringing, screwing up her face in an attempt to hold her breath.<br /><br />SPEECH BUBBLE/THE BAT - Ya, I know about the beasties. They a... Uh... 'ligious people. Mus' be. Tha's why they go to... Urp... The Dark Bible! Now LEMME GO!<br /><br />NARRATION/RENEE MONTOYA - There has to be a better way than talking to this schmoe, I swear.<br /><br /><br />7-- Renee throws The Bat back to the ground.<br /><br />SFX - THUDD<br /><br />SPEECH BUBBLE/RENEE MONTOYA - Urgh... That'll do Bat. You go back to protecting "your world".<br /><br />NARRATION/RENEE MONTOYA - Still, I have a lead. The Dark Bible. It's not a religious place at all, you see. The Bat's confused. It's the most high-class strip joint around here. And it adds a new level of fear to my job. I'd better head straight there...<br /><br /><br />8-- Renee is now at one end of the alley, with the reader viewing from the other end. The Bat has curled back up against the wall, and Renee's silhouette is being violently sick onto the floor.<br /><br />SFX/RENEE MONTOYA - HURRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGLE!!<br /><br />NARRATION/RENEE MONTOYA - Right after I've purged this whole experience from my body...<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">To be continued next week!</span>Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-24586683978645722692010-09-07T08:57:00.000+01:002010-09-07T08:58:15.909+01:00MADMAN<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RYzWuU_K-CppqQ2NcNXQ4jJd0ExCiNAToZSnH4pbZEonsZ8Yfjb7FBh7YG6Y_5XE3dxLf-tp4CahFPqgX40XzCq4srWLmsSxVF1naKj-2NGkaaL_72KXr2EBYAN2DESz-JEyZtElXjM/s1600/Madman.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 316px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RYzWuU_K-CppqQ2NcNXQ4jJd0ExCiNAToZSnH4pbZEonsZ8Yfjb7FBh7YG6Y_5XE3dxLf-tp4CahFPqgX40XzCq4srWLmsSxVF1naKj-2NGkaaL_72KXr2EBYAN2DESz-JEyZtElXjM/s400/Madman.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508348667828085410"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>TOTALLY <i>DIDN'T FAIL TO THINK OF A PUNCHLINE FOR THIS POST BECAUSE HE'S BEEN SO BUSY LATELY.</i></b></div></span><br /><br /><br />No, That's me.Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-58219294946543328792010-09-05T22:34:00.045+01:002010-09-07T08:53:04.305+01:00A to Z: N is for Nomad: Girl Without A World<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtorYgl53cSDdLApK3BGQLrm4GZhxvUnnTy95fpBo3-XsR7TNGb-pJI4ng-GhhmwSEDz1LiYesVTTMWa9qa35k-12-AnqUWnaTFKy3fPsPRQRICOOBUuTssUBKMTZA9O6XyR1oZVBgfdM/s1600/Nomad_Rikki_Barnes.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 194px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtorYgl53cSDdLApK3BGQLrm4GZhxvUnnTy95fpBo3-XsR7TNGb-pJI4ng-GhhmwSEDz1LiYesVTTMWa9qa35k-12-AnqUWnaTFKy3fPsPRQRICOOBUuTssUBKMTZA9O6XyR1oZVBgfdM/s400/Nomad_Rikki_Barnes.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513560835504365826" /></a>Everyone has characters that immediately click with them that, no matter the stories they've been in, just fit so firmly within their hearts that they'll never budge. They're YOUR characters, that you're so invested in that you'll follow them anywhere. They're, frankly, your favourite comic book characters.<br /><br />Mine are pretty clearly known to anyone fool enough to read this blog for a significant amount of time; Jubilee, Chamber, Connor Hawke (okay NONE of you know that one), Moon Knight and most importantly, Rikki Barnes. Rikki Barnes, former Heroes Reborn Bucky and current Nomad, who currently has the good graces to star in one of the best team books coming out from Marvel as well as the rare pleasure of sharing a book with Captain America.<br /><br />She's. Just. That. Cool.<br /><br />Her origin lies in Jeph Loeb and Rob Liefeld's alternate universe relaunch of Captain America, where through a very slow burn she got wrapped up in a crazy skinhead plot (in an attempt to dissuade her brother from being in said skinhead group), strapped to a missile (as you do) and rescued by the formerly amnesiac Steve Rogers. From there she got about one issue's worth of decent use before Heroes Reborn went kinda tits up and it all ended in a clumsy, painful way.<br /><br />Now, I'm not exactly a hater of Rob Liefeld (at least not anymore). I mean I LOVE Youngblood and his New Mutants/X-Force stuff is the tits. But Captain America easily had his worst art, and nothing from it should really be seen by anyone. But within that mess was Rikki, a shining element of a young girl trying to be worthy of her rescuer, the gargantuan figure of good that is Captain America. It was a spark too good to be left alone and years and years later, it came back with a vengeance.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7RqsR_eVKtxZ97jmkxchplDJcDkEG6O85dyTuLguzmkB4q9kn5UFX91fnv25rT-rY-HxnGcnk-Uh-nVIAwyDi_lk2cxhKrAMh6kgj9s240ywbiwMy3aTpxWJuj6Ry_RxFiwR7lX09AY/s1600/Bucky_Rikki_Barnes.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 352px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7RqsR_eVKtxZ97jmkxchplDJcDkEG6O85dyTuLguzmkB4q9kn5UFX91fnv25rT-rY-HxnGcnk-Uh-nVIAwyDi_lk2cxhKrAMh6kgj9s240ywbiwMy3aTpxWJuj6Ry_RxFiwR7lX09AY/s400/Bucky_Rikki_Barnes.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513561562711378834" /></a><br />See, Loeb & Liefeld hadn't really gotten to finish their story, due to the abrupt end of their run on Captain America, and the havoc that followed for the rest of the title's existence. So ten years after the fact both creators got one more chance to finish the story with Onslaught Reborn, a 5-issue miniseries. The time had been good to both creators, outside of the funk of mainstream 90s comics and having had time to refine their skills. Well, for Liefeld to refine his skills. The art had taken a massive step up, becoming something worthy of the content and proving that Rob wasn't the hack everyone claims him to be to this day (which is basically just a popular internet opinion as a sort of rite of passage dealio, if we're all being honest). Not just that, but the time away seemed to have clicked in the creator's minds. They knew what to do with their story, and who to have as the core character of the miniseries. That's right, Rikki Barnes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV21fxCq_NoKRR9r67yfRVpvs-zwP-YIgHxbEG8xMelf_o9uROVHrfLWrGB9PnLX6MizPGxlpN2YAcWgcEgDbsE62Kdzi9XdqeyZTtIWFnY1Gdu4PR7hZyNKvRbPQVHjtUZO3KwI6W2c8/s1600/Rikki+B.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 351px; height: 373px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV21fxCq_NoKRR9r67yfRVpvs-zwP-YIgHxbEG8xMelf_o9uROVHrfLWrGB9PnLX6MizPGxlpN2YAcWgcEgDbsE62Kdzi9XdqeyZTtIWFnY1Gdu4PR7hZyNKvRbPQVHjtUZO3KwI6W2c8/s400/Rikki+B.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513562449060433362" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">[I know, I know, this is getting VERY long for an introduction to the article, but just bear with me, I'm getting to the actual article. I just wanna boot lick for a minute. If you're tired already just scroll down to that part where I say the title of the comic just above a picture of the comic's cover.]</span><br /><br />Rikki led us through a quick journey into the Heroes Reborn universe (restored to existence by Franklin Richards temporarily) and we got to see through her eyes the final conflict of that little-remembered alternate universe, with all the heroes of that land joining together for the final time to protect Franklin Richards (inside his own univerAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH MY BRAIN) from a revived Onslaught, potentially the ultimate enemy the Marvel Multiverse has ever faced. Suffice to say they won, but at a cost. The Heroes Reborn universe was once again gone, taking everyone with it, save our brilliant narrator, Rikki. The reasoning about it was something along the lines of her not existing in the 616, but I'll get to that in the actual review.<br /><br />Anyway, Rikki survived the event, at just the right time to see that Captain America had been assassinated in the wake of the superhero civil war.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYaF7Mmt82v82hJZ7O-MhfnwIL-LgY8Xo9gsAzuw7Gh8Jx7PlixsEM2BSxZUb_1-w5Pn_spNwZApkkJIjwIsymB3c22oGvNXadgUmK5llRNAFKB8w20FVVIIsfSF8xnGZU1TiG38rlFVU/s1600/7872new_storyimage1446841_full.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 263px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYaF7Mmt82v82hJZ7O-MhfnwIL-LgY8Xo9gsAzuw7Gh8Jx7PlixsEM2BSxZUb_1-w5Pn_spNwZApkkJIjwIsymB3c22oGvNXadgUmK5llRNAFKB8w20FVVIIsfSF8xnGZU1TiG38rlFVU/s400/7872new_storyimage1446841_full.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513562640826737538" /></a><br />Which is where... THIS all begins. And where I encountered the character for the second time (the first is another tale I'll get to in a future A to Z, but rest assured that it's Thunderbolts). Rikki Barnes got a short story in Captain America 600, in which she interacted briefly with Patriot of the Young Avengers. It wasn't a massive story, but it got me into the character sharpish, by no small means due to the teaser image for her story in the issue, drawn so beautifully by Rafael Albuquerque that I freaked out about it on this very blog. A teaser that got redrawn for the debut issue of Rikki's very own miniseries by Sean Mckeever and David Baldeon. A miniseries that was easily the best thing to come out of 2009 for me.<br /><br />A miniseries called Nomad: Girl Without A World.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDls-RCz_dPziX8-Vwg8N-TsdMexxFqxr2iBD8mOsLmn9zYm7bpE-AaH1LJxNZUgBK0htz0AylebTzy1K7Hct4FLCB2inVEqfR682a-lFY951ll5WGGPuZ1TP13RIGfvghU4acNAc2OA4/s1600/Nomad+-+GWAW+01+pg++01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 263px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDls-RCz_dPziX8-Vwg8N-TsdMexxFqxr2iBD8mOsLmn9zYm7bpE-AaH1LJxNZUgBK0htz0AylebTzy1K7Hct4FLCB2inVEqfR682a-lFY951ll5WGGPuZ1TP13RIGfvghU4acNAc2OA4/s400/Nomad+-+GWAW+01+pg++01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513565862415786338" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Wait, this image looks remarkably familiar... Wonder where we'd have seen an image almost IDENTICAL to it?</span><br /><br />See? Told you I'd do that! Anyway, the plot. It's fairly simple, but be warned, there are spoilers (or at least painfully obvious hints towards spoilerific moments), so... I don't know, look the other way and scroll down for... A while...<br /><br />So Nomad: GWAW picks up with Rikki a fair bit of time into her new 616 existence, with her having a job, a place to live AND beginning to get an active role going as a superheroine again. Her school life is pretty okay, as she's been clever enough to pick the same school that the 616 version of her brother learns at, allowing her to get some bonding in with a much less insane person than the brother from her world (more on this later). In fact her main task that she's failing to accomplish is managing to meet the new Captain America, James Buchanan Barnes, just so he can know that she exists. She almost succeeds at the start of this story, if only it weren't for Black Widow shooing her away, knowing that the last thing BuckyCap (as he's so delightfully named) needs is to see another Bucky.<br /><br />So dejected she returns to her school life, where some strange goings on are afoot with the school election. Strange going ons related to Mad Dog, the monstrous member of the secret empire! Needless to say Rikki ends up in an awkward position, getting torn the hell up by Mad Dog and having to make a hasty retreat back to her home. Where a strange gift has been left for her: The Nomad costume.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihKrqHZkAF92ViNPhsMQJRWXgaLiB4DnNrO8YaGkyfaudX_h_JYYky8CXjy9oQcrSxx1xwOBDuYwksZZA3XX5yUgNwWUy6ZPXkQgGDGpuEnlIjlQBH1QMI-cz7xAqWxW1QpBSynsXkBck/s1600/Nomad+-+3+combat.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 306px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihKrqHZkAF92ViNPhsMQJRWXgaLiB4DnNrO8YaGkyfaudX_h_JYYky8CXjy9oQcrSxx1xwOBDuYwksZZA3XX5yUgNwWUy6ZPXkQgGDGpuEnlIjlQBH1QMI-cz7xAqWxW1QpBSynsXkBck/s400/Nomad+-+3+combat.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513916034984533698" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">It's only a double page, but Mad Dog beating on Rikki is impacting. You can really feel that she's getting wrecked with every vicious blow. Not bad for a more traditionally comic art style. All that photo-realism can bugger off.</span><br />And that's the first issue. I won't recap any more of it in my usual manner, because it really deserves to be experienced first hand. But there ARE a few moments I wanna talk about. Or one in particular to be sure, and that's the nature of Rikki's 616 family, and the explanation as to why there isn't another Rikki Barnes staring her in the face. See, this world's Rikki died at birth, a tidy excuse if not incredibly depressing. Just through that simple move (And calling herself Rebecca Baines) any chance of her connection to her brother is kept secret. Which in no way completely backfires, drawing brother Barnes a dangerous step towards being just like the Heroes Reborn skinhead. It's actually a little chilling, and a relief in that he never becomes that horrific parallel.<br /><br />But enough of that. Let's talk about the art a bit, yes? David Baldeon's art style is a healthy mesh of European sensibilities and classic comic book art. It's a refreshing change of pace from the hundreds of artists trying for the most realistic things possible, or the sketchier styles of people like Leinil Yu or Khoi Pham (not that they're bad, they're great). What's more Baldeon doesn't go for cheesecake. Which is a good thing when you think about how this is a mini about a teenager, but even when Black Widow pays her small appearance there's no sense that she's there to titillate some pathetic 45-year old comic reader. Which, when it comes down to it, is what we want ALL comic artists to be like.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhask4Imv2PemHsVA1VAcywH_wTsq9iiZYs3Vxmc1EODboYy2PLwoeHI7_NgKTDvywxSc4Pa_ESc9JsPXZnA1XzryEhwHxobCdQKI-lXDJAYktbo4NKNU2vwvu0iv3JX4rMMStT4p4VUuk/s1600/Nomad+-+1+exercise.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhask4Imv2PemHsVA1VAcywH_wTsq9iiZYs3Vxmc1EODboYy2PLwoeHI7_NgKTDvywxSc4Pa_ESc9JsPXZnA1XzryEhwHxobCdQKI-lXDJAYktbo4NKNU2vwvu0iv3JX4rMMStT4p4VUuk/s400/Nomad+-+1+exercise.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513919203733599314" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">This is a particular favourite moment of mine. Here's a healthy teenage girl doing exercises. No ridiculous back stretches, chest thrusts or the like. Just some sweat and effort. Which impresses the hell out of me.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl99J7sHPg53OdqsqvzDCj1JObb99kol5Z5AXYKZMAQmCCGf5rk4-05eieBuBaGCsbU9O_-HTTle8kf8Nh7zS8LSx4_nA83YDJBn6sGTJsJQBl8BW8VigRHJ7SVdsGt1dH9X1Nps9izME/s1600/Nomaddesign04.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 204px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl99J7sHPg53OdqsqvzDCj1JObb99kol5Z5AXYKZMAQmCCGf5rk4-05eieBuBaGCsbU9O_-HTTle8kf8Nh7zS8LSx4_nA83YDJBn6sGTJsJQBl8BW8VigRHJ7SVdsGt1dH9X1Nps9izME/s400/Nomaddesign04.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514074895092329138" /></a>Not just that but Rebecca's new costume is brilliantly designed. It's, dare I say it... SENSIBLE! It's covering, padded, bright yet not ostentatious and most importantly it's functional. The boots and gloves are large, protective items, and her two discs on her chest (easy, now) detach from her outfit to act as throwing weapons a la mini versions of Cap's shield. It's just perfect. Not to mention it's adorable! SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE or something.<br /><br />Finally I should give big ups to Sean McKeever. When it comes to writing teens he's the only one worth calling, and with good reason. Outside of a few poorly received DC storylines, McKeever has been consistently cracking out comics starring teen characters of a ridiculously high calibre for what surely has to be the most successful streak of comic books in recent history. He proves it more than ever here, having a grip on Rikki Barnes' voice from the offset, with nary a misstep on the way to the finish line. Sure she's not the most deep character ever, but this is defining stuff and he. has. DEFINED.<br /><br />I can't recommend this story enough and wish I wasn't trying to keep to a schedule so I could make this a more coherent and loving piece about the work, with more in-depth looks at the minutiae and the flaws of the piece (occasional duck-mouth, awful t-shirt slogans/logos), but you don't need to know about all of that. All you need to know is that this is one of the best comics of 2009 and does great things without reaching for the stars. Both McKeever and Baldeon are great talents and with any luck will one day helm some sort of super-book that they can use to rocket their characters into the heights of all those long-running 60s characters. Or beyond, as the case SHOULD be.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVm4S4clQvgeAPOsAv33rs6lrc10ZcF-DtlTlTphlYWj3e6qdfTZhfQKHfAKvGwX-Spf0tjWMQLk4F4qwMyg2gBtebXnnzJqX5tuRWwlxNnCfas32lKZWblHD80Dq-_Rdb9v8sT0BEQM/s1600/Nomad+-+4+cliffhanger.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVm4S4clQvgeAPOsAv33rs6lrc10ZcF-DtlTlTphlYWj3e6qdfTZhfQKHfAKvGwX-Spf0tjWMQLk4F4qwMyg2gBtebXnnzJqX5tuRWwlxNnCfas32lKZWblHD80Dq-_Rdb9v8sT0BEQM/s400/Nomad+-+4+cliffhanger.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514075723819032706" /></a><br /><br />You can get Nomad: GWAW in the snazzy TPB-GN format over at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nomad-Without-World-GN-TPB-Marvel/dp/0785144196/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1283845887&sr=1-3">Amazon</a> (<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nomad-Without-World-GN-TPB-Marvel/dp/0785144196/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1283845887&sr=1-3">UK</a>) and I heartily encourage you to. Nomad is one of several characters that NEED the support of readers to not drift into obscurity, alongside other members of the new team comic Young Allies (by the same creative team, of course, so buy THAT too) like Arana or Gravity. You really can't go wrong with this mini unless you're a heartless monster.<br /><br />And you're not. Are you?<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">And that's N. Next is O, obviously, and a return to manga to write about the slightly controversial matter of racial insensitivity inherent to Japan's isolated society. That and multiple personality disorder creates rock stars, don't you know.</span>Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-30325080133248849742010-09-05T18:23:00.006+01:002010-09-05T19:06:39.573+01:00Lazy Sunday: My ComicsThe updating streak is damaged slightly by there being no list on Friday, but that's okay, there'll be TWO next Friday! AND a new Saturday feature! I spoil all none of you readers, yes?<br /><br />Anyway, it's another Lazy Sunday, in which I do something that cannot possibly take more than 5 minutes to complete. Last week we had that terrifying picture of Darth Vader with no clothes on and spiky nipples, now we have... MY COMIC BOOKS!<br /><br />Well, most of them. The shoeboxes are left closed and the Generation X issues are hidden safely away, and you might well only see half of the manga in my cupboards, but it's still a hefty and quick look at what a man with too much time can collect! Let's go!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqqnlS-w8bSGZOzrZfcNSsW2-kIq-bFU1Ax54CisTABHvgQg56ROD3q_2HENGc7O3c7cBn4dviwrDM489ZnhEMlsLdJqzWVns6iP0uuc2xLcR7zB196e7lC6QswieAUhrXh7_-3NfEWMM/s1600/P1050873.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqqnlS-w8bSGZOzrZfcNSsW2-kIq-bFU1Ax54CisTABHvgQg56ROD3q_2HENGc7O3c7cBn4dviwrDM489ZnhEMlsLdJqzWVns6iP0uuc2xLcR7zB196e7lC6QswieAUhrXh7_-3NfEWMM/s400/P1050873.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513486420920507618" /></a>First there's the box of current issues/boarded collections, which isn't very interes-... The G.I. Joes? What, it's one of my favourite movies!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-HIyLQ2w-09ySJaravwfkY094wPM-kc98gxWJjBXFVR3jg5KGuGBmlaj36P9-WMxBMj2uPh35eBQLmZePTG_j3phLGTwRIR5UUMAQ2AXWBAC6rS7BigteyWChmb6PJU52EgNMelgt1Ns/s1600/P1050874.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-HIyLQ2w-09ySJaravwfkY094wPM-kc98gxWJjBXFVR3jg5KGuGBmlaj36P9-WMxBMj2uPh35eBQLmZePTG_j3phLGTwRIR5UUMAQ2AXWBAC6rS7BigteyWChmb6PJU52EgNMelgt1Ns/s400/P1050874.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513486416549957602" /></a>And then there's a shoebox of random issu-... What? I NEED A BRUSH TO BRUSH MY HAIR! And the Marvel water squirters are awesome.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQH6pXcXuvAFu5IynJkIbC-Z6GrDfoWzQbfzjX6SU7AGr4dSCRJaqmYyxlKjiyv27vuevIXO3QlUr75Y0irxwDTp9bVdTeEJumemAX3TUlQ_fA7MXF02yk5BHbp2mnV1pFdrBP8jxKeA/s1600/P1050875.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQH6pXcXuvAFu5IynJkIbC-Z6GrDfoWzQbfzjX6SU7AGr4dSCRJaqmYyxlKjiyv27vuevIXO3QlUr75Y0irxwDTp9bVdTeEJumemAX3TUlQ_fA7MXF02yk5BHbp2mnV1pFdrBP8jxKeA/s400/P1050875.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513486408850580082" /></a>Oh and then there's the shelf of trade paperbacks. What do you mean you can't see anything? What, because of all the Marvel Legends in the way? BAH!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MuxUADzCDe_Wgto4H7UkWqloPoCWAHDtowuIfpn8XzirxFi2f67H-As2N-h94aFVT0WXnAjQPZ1Burhawo7gF4rL4cvYv7GT1ZPJGLOg4Au9op_29cRepB02GJuGIlv7ghSsjeIQU_Q/s1600/P1050876.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MuxUADzCDe_Wgto4H7UkWqloPoCWAHDtowuIfpn8XzirxFi2f67H-As2N-h94aFVT0WXnAjQPZ1Burhawo7gF4rL4cvYv7GT1ZPJGLOg4Au9op_29cRepB02GJuGIlv7ghSsjeIQU_Q/s400/P1050876.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513486402459473714" /></a>How about now?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvcSxb4p18sMjD8Qk0SiGDGdWWcElDaCYEgolQZ65ebR7nM9NGF8nIWr_EHj89HzQtVS32T-ZDqXsDig2wfJTZlYqPqvcIVdbFCJnSdaR2qNvBoeZhTaV7B3VUhuVF245J7t2II01lZMA/s1600/P1050877.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvcSxb4p18sMjD8Qk0SiGDGdWWcElDaCYEgolQZ65ebR7nM9NGF8nIWr_EHj89HzQtVS32T-ZDqXsDig2wfJTZlYqPqvcIVdbFCJnSdaR2qNvBoeZhTaV7B3VUhuVF245J7t2II01lZMA/s400/P1050877.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513486392054099666" /></a>Or even now? That better? Now, this is all kinda small so far, so let's take a peek inside the cupboards, shall we?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPjtgFVu0DX_Zzy2qkHAqNbHeWQht7ijgD-WFVPuuj-cYaJVv2XpGoYGdM88MasvGl7uuK8yxhkOdgpwyEBgoCeR8X6ZZjfBMFm5PgZAbEcSW-cLaEjOeYGcCDyCCbl_aHsVUDmI8r0eY/s1600/P1050878.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPjtgFVu0DX_Zzy2qkHAqNbHeWQht7ijgD-WFVPuuj-cYaJVv2XpGoYGdM88MasvGl7uuK8yxhkOdgpwyEBgoCeR8X6ZZjfBMFm5PgZAbEcSW-cLaEjOeYGcCDyCCbl_aHsVUDmI8r0eY/s400/P1050878.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513487377257116706" /></a>Oh, bloody hell...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWVsTN_tVEGPb1bbXXYIuAhYv2WIVi3SI7dgot3QzszIJAkD97qwn7IaHVugCB23MPoC5t_uNGp4aLwjB4G2o5-HZbTWKrhddLnVDMmqUj6YVud3sNw7fQECVvaUQgVug4h5ky9xkvA3Q/s1600/P1050879.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWVsTN_tVEGPb1bbXXYIuAhYv2WIVi3SI7dgot3QzszIJAkD97qwn7IaHVugCB23MPoC5t_uNGp4aLwjB4G2o5-HZbTWKrhddLnVDMmqUj6YVud3sNw7fQECVvaUQgVug4h5ky9xkvA3Q/s400/P1050879.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513487366928033826" /></a>... It just doesn't stop, does it?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsArND5JMzcxyMk31jlsC2iX9STBON0Idol9E0gP2vMGM6-4q6P23KlPDuf3fP7FwfGFft0n88IaKd2yc1OpjZZTO9Ucz76BbHCZF49qJdHFMCqSBnJ8nIdWp-YYYhm3fuA4wTFBg_YIg/s1600/P1050880.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsArND5JMzcxyMk31jlsC2iX9STBON0Idol9E0gP2vMGM6-4q6P23KlPDuf3fP7FwfGFft0n88IaKd2yc1OpjZZTO9Ucz76BbHCZF49qJdHFMCqSBnJ8nIdWp-YYYhm3fuA4wTFBg_YIg/s400/P1050880.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513487362124454178" /></a>AND there's a second row behind all this. AND some crap in the cupboard. IT JUST DOESN'T END! SAVE ME FROM MYSELF!<br /><br />*ahem* That concludes out tour of shit Max owns. Goodbye.Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-2666690183163985682010-09-01T20:58:00.023+01:002010-09-02T21:31:14.842+01:00Manga Focus: Hot Gimmick<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznFg54Mp8zIGDhQHaGIKWwU3pg1rK1sG9T8jOm5OZxsL0qUnKq8XpM4zBd9DYZdwgN74seVZVr_BLdL1FeBdpj25Lv59HhYrVZxdKyqQpgwZtCELZFHCBiKBDCCxpTxpMdHVhOyl2Tm8/s1600/Manga+Focus+Banner.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 73px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznFg54Mp8zIGDhQHaGIKWwU3pg1rK1sG9T8jOm5OZxsL0qUnKq8XpM4zBd9DYZdwgN74seVZVr_BLdL1FeBdpj25Lv59HhYrVZxdKyqQpgwZtCELZFHCBiKBDCCxpTxpMdHVhOyl2Tm8/s400/Manga+Focus+Banner.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512364567402200818" /></a>Shojo manga is pretty much the shittiest sub-market of the entire manga industry.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdVol7AlwpgD4ohsRAvisrJKfhy_S3xjAI6FsDR4QS7ozf_DuBMZd1rbJKcjDRU0pmuIbkc0WjqN3dgZD2-i0f73oCjX2KD1Ge1IPSOOtMUWMcEwg-x_czYpuy5rjJdAqdUyCqG30tOzw/s1600/HotGimmick.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdVol7AlwpgD4ohsRAvisrJKfhy_S3xjAI6FsDR4QS7ozf_DuBMZd1rbJKcjDRU0pmuIbkc0WjqN3dgZD2-i0f73oCjX2KD1Ge1IPSOOtMUWMcEwg-x_czYpuy5rjJdAqdUyCqG30tOzw/s400/HotGimmick.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512405924547036210" /></a>Now, that's a very harsh statement to make of an entire age-group of a core part of a country's societal being, but screw that have you read some of the things being released in the west lately? I mean gosh. Let's have a quick run-through of some series so I can pretend my point is valid, shall we?<br /><br />First there's the recent series Cactus's Secret. It's about a girl who gives up her crush but then suddenly the crush starts calling her CACTUS because she's all PRICKLY AROUND HIM! HA! Will the crush learn... CACTUS'S SECRET? That's... just terrible. I assume there's some clever english going on here that I'm not aware of too, because I'm fairly sure the possessive of Cactus (as a name) would be Cactus', with no extra S. Which if I'm right makes this title really stupid. Like, dumber than the actual plot.<br /><br />Then there's series like Black Bird, a series about a SPECIAL GIRL WHO COULD BE YOUUUUUUUUUUUUU who has a UNIQUE POWER THAT MAKES HER OH SO SPECIAL. In this case it's that she's one of a few who can see a special world where magic and myth intersect with reality. But OH NOES SHE GETS ATTACKED, an old childhood friend helps but OH MY GOD HE'S ALSO AFTER HER BECAUSE OF HER SPECIAL TALENTS! BUT MAYBE ROMANCE WILL HAPPEN BETWEEN THESE TWO AND THEIR SADISTIC BLOOD-LICKING WAYS! These sorts of series make me sick, stupid-ass attempts to tell the same story over and over.<br /><br />But there is SOMETHING in the latter that appeals to me, an element that if used in a competent Shojo series (rarity that they are) would rock my socks off. A sadistic love interest. Heck, I'd love to see a series where a sadistic or cruel love interest whom the main character doesn't initially like grows and becomes something more than the little kid expressing love in an immature manner...<br /><br />... Wait, that's Hot Gimmick. A brilliant example of Shojo done right. In that it's mostly not incredibly stupid. And it hurts my heart with every plot turn. As I'll try to explain to you in the review, after the jump.<br /><br /><a href="http://comicflipper.blogspot.com/2010/09/manga-focus-hot-gimmick.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">READ THE REST OF MANGA FOCUS!</span></a><br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><b>What Is It?(Spoilers):</b> Hot Gimmick is a (brilliant) Shojo manga that ran for 54 chapters, following the romantic misadventures of Hatsumi Narita as she deals with a variety of men, all of which being problematic in their own way. Along the way she must deal with her sister having a pregnancy scare, being blackmailed into some very awkward sexual situations (as a direct result of said scare), almost being gang-raped by a love interest and his friends and dealing with the affections of her adopted older brother... Wait I'm making this sound a lot more fucked up than it is! Um... It's also a brilliant tale of people growing up past their immature natures as children to become adults, find love, discover themselves, or face up to the realities of the situations they come to be in. But really no matter what this story is about the romance that builds between Hatsumi & Ryoki Tachibana, which whilst SO uncomfortable at first (because of the whole blackmail thing and Ryoki's immature and abusive nature) becomes something that truly MATTERS to the reader, demanding the attention and emotions of the reader. But I won't say anymore about that, just in case you don't want ALL the plot beats ruined for you.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB8MNbECcdctBEcKco5_s7sVXmEtXeu78gmXePZVTHqqAXqiBcrlxxBciz2UWjTk2eMtGiIGhT5FSaNm5I_n4Xfe9gCjNEMSPHqxTcP5FIRMv26aTxT9jpFwlCCiBts5ZQyV_8nkMqGRs/s1600/hot-gimmick_poptp_8792.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB8MNbECcdctBEcKco5_s7sVXmEtXeu78gmXePZVTHqqAXqiBcrlxxBciz2UWjTk2eMtGiIGhT5FSaNm5I_n4Xfe9gCjNEMSPHqxTcP5FIRMv26aTxT9jpFwlCCiBts5ZQyV_8nkMqGRs/s400/hot-gimmick_poptp_8792.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512415782869549698" /></a><b>What's So Great About It?(SPOILERS):</b> This is a series that knows drama. There isn't a single twist in this series that feels tame. Seriously, you read any twist in this story and your heart is torn right out, thrown on the floor and completely destroyed, all before the story kicks it back up into the air and slams it back to where it belongs. But it's too late by then, your heart is hurt. It can't cope with how emotional this stuff is. And not just that, it feels realistic. Okay, that needs some adjustment. It FEELS realistic, even when it's clearly stuff that would NEVER happen. For example there's the reveal of Azusa Odagiri (another of Hatsumi's love interests) true intentions and the motivation for them. See, turns out he's out to hurt Hatsumi's Father by hurting Hatsumi, because he's convinced that the Father had an affair with his Mother, ruining his life and leading to his Mother's death from ill health. That's a real convoluted plot, but one that is treated in such a manner that you believe that not only COULD it happen, but you can realistically imagine it happening as you read. That's pretty damn impacting.<br /><br />Still, I can't truly address what makes this series great without dealing with the huge fucking elephant in the room: Hatsumi is abused by Ryoki, the character she stays with. And it's treated like it's acceptable. Now, you and I both know that it is absolutely NOT acceptable, and it reads in a way that absolutely SHOWS it's not acceptable, but it IS shrugged off more often than not. This actually becomes comedic more than once when he goes beyond the acceptable threshold and gets CONSTANTLY INTERRUPTED. But what matters here isn't how horrible Ryoki can behave, but how he grows throughout the story. What was once a horrible and petulant child in the body of a man, a person who doesn't understand how to interact with others correctly because of their... corrupt upbringing. It's a man growing from his nurture to discover who he truly is. And in the end he's still a jerk, sure, but he's no longer horribly abusive in attempts to show affection or in dealing with others. He's just kinda a dick. And if we're honest, isn't that the best any man can aspire to be? It also helps that on more than one occasion along the way he shows that underneath it all is a gentleman, ready to protect the people he cares about. I mean the man saves Hatsumi from Azusa's attempted gangrape situation in an incredibly gallant move. You don't get much better than that deep down, do you?<br /><br />Oh and the art and writing is brilliant, and representative of what Shojo manga could truly be if given as much love and care as Miki Aihara has clearly put into her work. But I'm sadly running too short on time to delve into that, and sadly have no scans to back up my claim on this occasion.<br /><br /><b>Is It Worth Buying?:</b> Originally I would have said it depends on how much you want to read this story. It ran at 12 volumes at about $10/£6 a pop, which added up fast. But due to the rare bit of common sense from Viz Media the series recently got re-released in their 'VizBig' format, which is a high-quality 3-volumes-in-one dealio at a much lower price than they would be seperately. So for about $60/£40 you can get one of the western markets best Shojo manga. And you can't say no to that. Unless you're an arsehole. Or, ya know, if I've offended you with my earlier whinging about Shojo.<br /><br /><br />You can get Hot Gimmick in both its formats on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_18?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=hot+gimmick+vizbig&sprefix=hot+gimmick+vizbig">Amazon</a> (<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=hot+gimmick&x=0&y=0">UK</a>) and I implore you to at least grab the first vizbig 3-in-1 volume. For your own good.<br /></span>Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-46115125240907266042010-09-01T12:52:00.002+01:002010-09-01T13:01:44.606+01:00Thought Balloons: Update + Renee Montoya pg.2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqfyBL__S7bnYLg7rhVSKnfrbPdmlrrjT_ROf9lWzMXedlogSJjlzYgjMuM8z7hZMCn-Hw6V_5Cvz5R7vdB5OnZDSHCIxTN9nX_H2a1jqBvyW61Jdu60hUadzqvn6Iz_1KfJmbsrvMeE/s1600/tb+logo+-+danial79+-+gif.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqfyBL__S7bnYLg7rhVSKnfrbPdmlrrjT_ROf9lWzMXedlogSJjlzYgjMuM8z7hZMCn-Hw6V_5Cvz5R7vdB5OnZDSHCIxTN9nX_H2a1jqBvyW61Jdu60hUadzqvn6Iz_1KfJmbsrvMeE/s400/tb+logo+-+danial79+-+gif.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508446407755319426" /></a><br /><br />Just your weekly update on the Thought Balloons front! It's been another week, another character and another lesson learnt for your stalwart hero of the land (what?). This week brought Rol Hirst's second character choice and boy, was it a doozy. John Constantine of Hellblazer fame, a character I barely know from adam, or at least from his awful Keanu Reeves counterpart (comparatively awful I mean). So in my usual fashion I etched out a nice story that respects the character and uses him for more than a panel. Barely. The story's title is pretty self-explanatory, so why not head over and read...<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://thoughtbaloons.blogspot.com/2010/08/john-constantine-archie-meets-john.html">John Constantine - Archie Meets John Constantine</a></span><br /><br /><br />Now, this script had its problems, hence the lesson learnt. I went for a first page of a greater story, as I've tended to for... oh... the whole damn time on the site. The problem here being that not all first pages are chock-full of material. So I barely had the two characters used interact, nor had I actually done anything of any real note. So the lesson is DON'T ALWAYS DO A PAGE ONE. For one that can happen, but also we're supposed to grow from Thought Balloons, and that can't REALLY be done if all we're doing is learning how to write page one of a story (as others have clearly already realised with some brill scripts over time).<br /><br />But enough of that. The title promises page 2 of Renee Montoya - Noir As Heck, and that's what you're getting. So enjoy, and give feedback if you have any. It's much appreciated.<br /><br />-------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /><br />Page 2 - 7 Panels<br /><br />1-- Lady In Red's face, looking the same as in the last panel, her hair stretching off to form the panel borders to the subsequent flashback panels.<br /><br />SPEECH BUBBLE/LADY IN RED - It's my other side you see, she's just up to no good. I want her away from them and back to me before she does herself a mischief.<br /><br /><br />2-- The first of the flashback panels framed by LIR's hair. Contained within is a heavily tanned blonde woman (Woman In White), dressed in an all-white ensemble consisting of a white slip-on dress lined with golden stitching, a large white headband pulling her hair back, some white slip-on shoes and a small white handbag with a gold clasp. She is surrounded on both sides by neatly dressed men with stubbly beards. All three of them have martini glasses in hand, laughing to each other.<br /><br />NARRATION/LADY IN RED - She's cavorting with some very unpleasant gentlemen...<br /><br /><br />3-- Same panel as before, in essence, except now the two men are lycanthropes, caressing Woman In White, with one of them running their long tongue down her neck and into her chest. Woman In White now has a sinister, crazed smile on her face.<br /><br />NARRATION/LADY IN RED - ... Some real beastly sorts, disgusting wolves preying on anyone they see fit to.<br /><br /><br />4-- We've hit the end of the flashback now, so back to conventional panel frames. We're back in Renee's office, where Lady In Red is doing an extravagant and over-sexualised fainting motion across the desk. Renee is surprised, pushing herself up from the chair.<br /><br />SPEECH BUBBLE/LADY IN RED - It's all just too much. Too... murroooh-<br /><br /><br />5-- Renee has caught Lady In Red before she hit the desk, holding her close. So close that Lady In Red's head (Her hat and sunglasses now slipped off from the fall) is in fact resting snugly in Renee's cleavage. I'm a monster, I know.<br /><br /><br />6-- We're now looking up close at Lady In Red, looking up at Renee while snuggling her head further into Renee's chest.<br /><br />SPEECH BUBBLE/LADY IN RED - So may I have your help, Ms. Detective? I NEED it ever so much.<br /><br /><br />7-- Renee's face looking down at Lady In Red, turning completely red, some sweat on her forehead, and her trilby askew, mouth open in an attempt to form speech.<br /><br />SPEECH BUBBLE/RENEE MONTOYA - Abwuhwha?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">to be continued in 7 days time!</span>Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-60259538257367328882010-08-30T20:53:00.001+01:002010-08-30T20:55:41.393+01:00FIN FANG FOOM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVrqxg05juSeyIoBgoQtiicJ64yqLmWOg7ivqT_ZAY-SfXWxfXdkkFtBxfDrRGYgbFzvTTBbWbe5HNRiy7ZjF1Y85THowC-dU2GaFBs0cFviWwEJD4t5s286zokTEzg4Y_h8DG3UirmM/s1600/Fin+Fang+Foom.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 393px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVrqxg05juSeyIoBgoQtiicJ64yqLmWOg7ivqT_ZAY-SfXWxfXdkkFtBxfDrRGYgbFzvTTBbWbe5HNRiy7ZjF1Y85THowC-dU2GaFBs0cFviWwEJD4t5s286zokTEzg4Y_h8DG3UirmM/s400/Fin+Fang+Foom.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508345135179499666" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">FINALLY KNOWS THE ONE THING HE'S BEEN MISSING THIS WHOLE TIME</span></i></b></div>Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-2232346879147966772010-08-30T13:16:00.002+01:002010-08-30T13:18:24.540+01:00A to Z: M is for Metal MenSometimes there just isn't a decent opening paragraph to give these A to Z entries. They're usually a mildly related tangent up till I get to a point where I can bring up the comic being featured and segue into the full article. But really, what can I talk about that's related to Metal Men?<br /><br />I could talk about how it's such an interesting concept in comics for a writer to lay out ideas for another creator to pick up and turn into a miniseries, as Grant Morrison does for Duncan Rouleau in this series, or perhaps how comics companies can use their collected editions as a chance to correct any lettering, colour or art errors found in the original product, as DC completely failed to do here. Heck, I could even go on about how that whilst too much text in a primarily visual medium can be a horrific thing, that in the right hands it can work splendidly, especially in science-based series like All-New Atom, Fantastic Four, or indeed this title.<br /><br />But instead I'll just tell you that I love the Metal Men. Every single one of them. Copper most of all, if only because she's never really used enough, as the latecomer to the team, and I love an underdog. It's a series that started out as a the epitome of the utterly insane silver age of DC comics and when it returned in 2008 under the creative strength of Rouleau, continuing the momentum built up by their appearances in the weekly series 52. If you try to do something sensible with it you're going to fail. Which is why I really wanted to spotlight someone doing it right.<br /><br />I wanted so much to talk about Duncan Rouleau's Metal Men... So I am. Let's begin, shall we?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGEoXspc-YGIZd1IV1zO03q53l3QnzPbqeqmvF6b6RnxoYdaZ1z1BKNWHBQKhbFAS6PjthgHFHf7BPbLrW3Lh2AwRQ3szcRRiOeyHWt-bG3MvD8CCtj9u3w82ehwuFP3GUNR6OK1D9qRQ/s1600/Metal_Men_cvr.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 262px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGEoXspc-YGIZd1IV1zO03q53l3QnzPbqeqmvF6b6RnxoYdaZ1z1BKNWHBQKhbFAS6PjthgHFHf7BPbLrW3Lh2AwRQ3szcRRiOeyHWt-bG3MvD8CCtj9u3w82ehwuFP3GUNR6OK1D9qRQ/s400/Metal_Men_cvr.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510566321061228386" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">If there's one thing I have to say it's that you simply MUST get this series in TPB/HC over single issues, for this cover alone. Not that it's the most amazing thing ever, more that the single issue covers, whilst well-themed and interesting, are kinda crappy in comparison</div></span><br /><br />Metal Men is an 8 issue miniseries following the titular group of periodic substances (Tin, Mercury, Copper, Gold, Platinum, Iron and Lead) and their creator, Doctor Will Magnus as they face a veritable ton of their opponents, from Chemo to themselves (as the vicious Death Metal Men) in an adventure that spans from ancient Egypt, to Will Magnus' early days in robotics, and indeed into the present day madness. I won't say too much about what goes on (because that would, ya know, RUIN the plot beats), but rest assured that family and time travel are core components of the dense adventure.<br /><br />And it IS dense. To say that this is full of text (as I alluded to earlier) is to give the writing a disservice. It's BLOODY TEXT HEAVY. I mean we're talking enough text that a single issue of the series takes about thrice the amount of time to read than the majority of comics out there (which when I think about the whole craze of decompressing comic issues to the point of distraction nowadays isn't really saying much). In a way it's a sign of the mental capacity of most characters involved, being scientists and super-robots and the like, but more than anything it feels like a throw back to DC's silver age when the Metal Men were at their best, in densely packed stories where information was thrown at you in sizeable chunks. Here though it's less the silver age tradition of a lot happening between panels than it making sure that a lot happens in EVERY. SINGLE. PANEL. It's almost to the point where the book would have benefited from an extra couple of issues to spread it out, but if you have the patience to deal with heavy text in a visual medium then you're in for a treat, because the writing is pitch perfect. Everyone has a voice of their own and it's never broken for the sake of exposition or something annoying like that. I mean when Platina speaks, she's THE Platina, the fawning, slightly slutty, shiny robot that loves Dr. Magnus more than anyone would be comfortable with. When Tin speaks he's an endearing nervous wreck with hidden strength at his core. It's just so right, through and through.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGZSX9x_Wqp2jzZqOKCuDmM6M3bRvHOMvzHuJsNUGDNopNboun3wLIRQdeRqJe96KMZpD3jQ-4ZDfPEpIgYShgXtwhdQSmnYml55sD7Pd0c5bAIkWubOcnUfMTmPPdHn49AvJmO3ETJX0/s1600/MetalMen1p07.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGZSX9x_Wqp2jzZqOKCuDmM6M3bRvHOMvzHuJsNUGDNopNboun3wLIRQdeRqJe96KMZpD3jQ-4ZDfPEpIgYShgXtwhdQSmnYml55sD7Pd0c5bAIkWubOcnUfMTmPPdHn49AvJmO3ETJX0/s400/MetalMen1p07.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511166442689539730" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">An example of how there can be a LOT of text on a single page (in this case really a single image and some headshots) without it becoming overwhelming. each bit of speech carries the charm of the relevant character, helping endear the writing style to the reader.</div></span><br />Changing subject slightly I feel there is something that I must inform you of: this DOES retcon the origins of the Metal Men, moreso the responsometers that give them life and soul. Again, I don't intend to spoil it too much but it connects the idea of alchemy in ancient Egypt and living monsters made of the elements of the earth as a starting point that through a strange meeting carries over to Magnus, who fully implements the idea.<br /><br />Now, retcons are almost universally proven to be painful in execution and often anger fans but to me (and I can only speak for myself, obviously) the retcon here is well executed and if anything has a positive effect on the origin of the Metal Men. I mean before I just knew of their origin as wacky silver age creations where reason wasn't REALLY that important. Instead what we have here is a story that can be referenced and utilised to tell future stories, to give more strength to a group of characters that wouldn't really be capable of supporting a series without it.<br /><br />Finally I wanna show you where DC have shown a complete lack of initiative, with an error in the issues that was never corrected for the trade. Observe these headings for Chapters 15... and Chapter 15... What?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9QqEzwt4lt7vscCVTKOmOOt5IKGdtogZIScqaJIDLg9fP6QnuK3-nEkMGojbfze9m_96j6PRmYPstFINfgfDnzrSJbRtDXi-fnnNSC8OadqHWa7dnac98Fa-rpxk_mNAyPKshggVbraU/s1600/MetalMen6p02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9QqEzwt4lt7vscCVTKOmOOt5IKGdtogZIScqaJIDLg9fP6QnuK3-nEkMGojbfze9m_96j6PRmYPstFINfgfDnzrSJbRtDXi-fnnNSC8OadqHWa7dnac98Fa-rpxk_mNAyPKshggVbraU/s400/MetalMen6p02.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511172359189467346" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">An issue apart.... (EEEEEE TIN!)</div></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiximLUuKuEZMqRhdFXgnknM8ghSnJh1MT8uGr4mJLbDF6eNJZBcY8GHRywtmIU1VqN0OEdpivcxwal0L7wwl44saAbc4cwJDNuk7M50j2sfiiNNEzIEEN81sFdNHkjNJeDEfaSg-4zd8I/s1600/MetalMen7p04.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiximLUuKuEZMqRhdFXgnknM8ghSnJh1MT8uGr4mJLbDF6eNJZBcY8GHRywtmIU1VqN0OEdpivcxwal0L7wwl44saAbc4cwJDNuk7M50j2sfiiNNEzIEEN81sFdNHkjNJeDEfaSg-4zd8I/s400/MetalMen7p04.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511172351184924802" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">.... with another chapter between them. Competent, yes?</div></span><br />It's a basic lettering error that could surely have just been fixed. I mean there's every chance that they didn't notice it, never got a letter about it or something like that, but it's a sign of an issue I've had with DC on even their greatest titles. Their proofing is just TERRIBLE. Here it's only this and... I think another couple of small cock-ups here or there, but then we have titles like the best-selling Batman & Robin, which has two issues in a row where the letterer thought Batwoman was Batman and Batman was Batwoman. That's pretty damn significant. It's distracting and really makes you feel like you're paying for a rushed, sub-par product. Which is a crying shame because when it comes to titles like this, which stand head and shoulders above so many other titles from Marvel or DC at present, it's just depressing.<br /><br />Still, don't let that put you off. Metal Men is a great series that needs more attention, and if you give it a chance and the necessary time you won't regret it. You can find the hardcover pretty cheap if you look around various sellers, and even then the tpb is a pretty tidy price for 8 issues too. You can find both versions at Amazon (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Metal-Men-Duncan-Rouleau/dp/1401218458/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1283170354&sr=1-4">HC</a>) (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Metal-Men-Duncan-Rouleau/dp/1401222129/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1283170322&sr=8-2">TPB</a>) (<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Metal-Men-Duncan-Rouleau/dp/1401218458/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1283170354&sr=1-4">UK HC</a>) (<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Metal-Men-Duncan-Rouleau/dp/1401222129/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1283170322&sr=8-2">UK TPB</a>), though I'm sincere when I say get the Hardcover. It's awesome and the engraved picture under the sleeve is the cheeriest face you'll ever see on the front of a book.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">So that's M. Next up is my favourite miniseries in recent history, and my second favourite of all time. That's right, it'll be N, which is NOMAD: GIRL WITHOUT A WORLD!</span>Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-7363318437697207372010-08-28T19:50:00.002+01:002010-08-28T19:52:35.695+01:00Lazy Sundays: Sexy Darth Vader<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoZpGLJA07Pn90JXfSPpfLlQNg_rbbeAH00mCyryX0q-kBhn-j-dlrvxcY3z6Uo-ZZoz6OI5kp6rk_OY51ehMNrzitEkgsnNQxMm51efJb5gNtnS0K7sWOoAidR2wPfaNFeVYeWTU1LU/s1600/WHAT+HAVE+DONE.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoZpGLJA07Pn90JXfSPpfLlQNg_rbbeAH00mCyryX0q-kBhn-j-dlrvxcY3z6Uo-ZZoz6OI5kp6rk_OY51ehMNrzitEkgsnNQxMm51efJb5gNtnS0K7sWOoAidR2wPfaNFeVYeWTU1LU/s400/WHAT+HAVE+DONE.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510058156953163138" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />.... I... I'm so <span style="font-style:italic;">sorry</span>.Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-57175033581700145172010-08-26T22:18:00.001+01:002010-08-26T22:18:39.351+01:00Friday List: 10 Manga Reduced To Offensively Stupid Negative Traits (Or Is This A Helluva Long Title Or What!)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54cKevsYt4w-4BUI3hg7WWU46yaL65hT9ITZUDpFbD-pGoOppdaN72_oPWjL_VHqsTfOEvjCmDnvnkkBB2rBJlKStIOq1ApGncmpSokZv8KQ8Sx4R4QvkRTYNvOp2xNltO-_knSixXmc/s1600/611GmB0qljL.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54cKevsYt4w-4BUI3hg7WWU46yaL65hT9ITZUDpFbD-pGoOppdaN72_oPWjL_VHqsTfOEvjCmDnvnkkBB2rBJlKStIOq1ApGncmpSokZv8KQ8Sx4R4QvkRTYNvOp2xNltO-_knSixXmc/s320/611GmB0qljL.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509711193323882770" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">A list you say?! You mean that I, Max Barnard, am writing shoddy 'comedic/entertaining' lists about things that are supposed to catch your interest? Yes? Oh. Okay. Well I guess if I absolutely HAVE to do these every friday then I may as well start now. What is it this time? A title THAT long? Christ on a bicycle!</span><br /><br />Remember lists? You see them on pretty much every geek entertainment site and, if we're all honest, you should be absolutely bloody sick of them. So much that the next time you see a site start to produce them you should hunt down the writer and kill his fat British arse. So what better time for my fat British arse to start a weekly list feature?<br /><br />Yes, it's time for another new feature for this first week of Comicflipper's resurrection, this time being a list of 10 morals you could gain from reading certain manga. If you're thick enough to misinterpret them COMPLETELY. So... A short list really, consisting of single sentences. Phoning it in? Yes, I am. Now bugger off...<br /><br />... TO AFTER THE JUMP FOR THE FULL LIST!<br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br />1. Katekyo Hitman Reborn<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuDZrhdwmlG5rVvV5VpDynBgNsHORugWIFydtedEUr-GRIKP-00Z8FMvOtHJvn1e_vlSuRt5XSp87hoIDnTnHXRsm2hY998BvqitvpZAebt-M1wh8atvKsk_jCpLRdmQ0Nc7zYwxoDHuo/s1600/reborn02-13-114.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 198px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuDZrhdwmlG5rVvV5VpDynBgNsHORugWIFydtedEUr-GRIKP-00Z8FMvOtHJvn1e_vlSuRt5XSp87hoIDnTnHXRsm2hY998BvqitvpZAebt-M1wh8atvKsk_jCpLRdmQ0Nc7zYwxoDHuo/s320/reborn02-13-114.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509821684785977954" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">"Katekyo Hitman Reborn teaches that it's perfectly acceptable to let your young child join the Mafia and carelessly throw grenades at other children! REMOVE THIS MONSTROSITY FROM OUR LIBRARIES!"</span><br /><br /><br />2. Yu-Gi-Oh<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAC2PyCNe0Ush0aU9PvJxLBj9kwGXE46g70Q_yUuVyZTtB5Go9h4Uoi1qsKZj_QKZnNBWX5ASC0kVHHYRoZ4m9HmMVIbYxO9LvE4HuM2mC6O2zGpz8yUnEUuqaeWVDJ7nDa284jFmzKAI/s1600/yugioh.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAC2PyCNe0Ush0aU9PvJxLBj9kwGXE46g70Q_yUuVyZTtB5Go9h4Uoi1qsKZj_QKZnNBWX5ASC0kVHHYRoZ4m9HmMVIbYxO9LvE4HuM2mC6O2zGpz8yUnEUuqaeWVDJ7nDa284jFmzKAI/s320/yugioh.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509822265945850354" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">"This shows that cheating and stealing to win at card games is fine! It's the way to fame and glory! IT'S MORALLY REPREHENSIBLE!"</span><br /><br /><br />3. One Piece<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikacg6uD6wjnDuNBonCtKVkg1C3C36yPx63jJm8aJ89Fhdg1XTvvMjqtRZNZFoATKRcjGnhyNX9ib_cAklC3oZ0ScIiLmX01VoQB1JATS20GyAmPyyz8qEdgeL1bC-6Ttkpu1ctXzFAlY/s1600/one-piece.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 249px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikacg6uD6wjnDuNBonCtKVkg1C3C36yPx63jJm8aJ89Fhdg1XTvvMjqtRZNZFoATKRcjGnhyNX9ib_cAklC3oZ0ScIiLmX01VoQB1JATS20GyAmPyyz8qEdgeL1bC-6Ttkpu1ctXzFAlY/s320/one-piece.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509822827161032434" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">"This 'book' teaches that it is COOL to be a pirate! Clearly our children will travel to Somalia and KILL ALL HE CHILDREN WITH UZIS!"</span><br /><br /><br />4. Beet The Vandel Buster<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbpCaoMqFyPGfFYZtGqgeoqJqnNWdUYT_HpkW1IPlV679ZxmyvANcTFkWSWCMucBJrEMaG1AiIEXLeaQVgdeNOPsSISOA_DBC_tJayNyUu_FBf9680rmydO7WWeVZc-8zFG3fD_OSLw90/s1600/Beet.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbpCaoMqFyPGfFYZtGqgeoqJqnNWdUYT_HpkW1IPlV679ZxmyvANcTFkWSWCMucBJrEMaG1AiIEXLeaQVgdeNOPsSISOA_DBC_tJayNyUu_FBf9680rmydO7WWeVZc-8zFG3fD_OSLw90/s320/Beet.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509823433370664114" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">"This manga is sexist to an extreme. It shows that if you tell enough people that you're engaged to a girl her will will eventually collapse and she'll become a subservient member of the strong male's 'team'. It's horrifically sexist and I shall now complain about it whilst I write some exploitative Yaoi fan-fiction."</span><br /><br /><br />5. Detroit Metal City<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC837fwiksE1wnBYGBijDWlZyvqesdoaTNGWxZl9np-MlxI2vLAtxGdfoUZgBiAmZVEdoadaUccaBi1tbgRl-VFTXGQOQ0JfnpnkfoK91GtZS2r6akmP0fM4H1NKSDYnJ8yh-MsEGjZ4M/s1600/Detroit+Metal+City.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC837fwiksE1wnBYGBijDWlZyvqesdoaTNGWxZl9np-MlxI2vLAtxGdfoUZgBiAmZVEdoadaUccaBi1tbgRl-VFTXGQOQ0JfnpnkfoK91GtZS2r6akmP0fM4H1NKSDYnJ8yh-MsEGjZ4M/s320/Detroit+Metal+City.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509824006063188578" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">"Children will clearly read this mature-rated work where a man sings about vicious incestual rape and murder. AND THEN THEY'LL COMMIT SUCH CRIMINAL ACTS! IT'S TRUE, SOMEONE TOLD ME IT WOULD HAPPEN!"</span><br /><br /><br />6. Death Note<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUf5a03y-IxCjMtcsp1sanXHNjMTYEgbF8EcBFxf1jA6198bKo7GI3iyM-1KZue8wX3W57Lu7CeNfZGIHah7rBHyCahzlxlp6Up4FzbZS55n4SJpX9dradfcYOKN3J4PPcgq8Ty0bj39g/s1600/Death+Note.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 196px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUf5a03y-IxCjMtcsp1sanXHNjMTYEgbF8EcBFxf1jA6198bKo7GI3iyM-1KZue8wX3W57Lu7CeNfZGIHah7rBHyCahzlxlp6Up4FzbZS55n4SJpX9dradfcYOKN3J4PPcgq8Ty0bj39g/s320/Death+Note.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509824531600090626" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">"This horrific work encourages students to kill others under the pretense that you can get away with it as long as you get good grades!"</span><br /><br /><br />7. Shaman King<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaW5y-lHO-8777gu7Z6famOSmoSZXAP9xOnJKe7fdk_tpvA5g9MKcVb2vy4P7BZL36TAiOjFx7q17BbQ8Vz17sAwT3GbFyaXj188Ejkv_7tpg3NgBM5TD5_M0Fxj0zY4sa9d1ZjzhAegE/s1600/Shaman+King.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 275px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaW5y-lHO-8777gu7Z6famOSmoSZXAP9xOnJKe7fdk_tpvA5g9MKcVb2vy4P7BZL36TAiOjFx7q17BbQ8Vz17sAwT3GbFyaXj188Ejkv_7tpg3NgBM5TD5_M0Fxj0zY4sa9d1ZjzhAegE/s320/Shaman+King.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509825378760641074" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">"The vaguely alluded to unprotected sex between an engaged couple, aged 15, who cohabitate the night before he goes off on a worldwide quest that will probably result in his death is such a morally null plot point that it can only poison the minds of children to become sexually active early. I mean you can see them do EVERYTHING!... What do you mean you CAN'T?"</span><br /><br /><br />8. Ultimate Muscle<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPq8X1uc5T9LFGSNhLwVpAOJY1K7YMVzVrndgrLxl02qQ4Z6ZpJobheiz4zD5IjHCBp2nOQNRP4kaXjuZGiiNNkkazqVuMVxDxO17M1fhvN23blSxTn06Awx3tHkJIxyr8lAWvd2Brs8/s1600/Ultimate+muscle.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPq8X1uc5T9LFGSNhLwVpAOJY1K7YMVzVrndgrLxl02qQ4Z6ZpJobheiz4zD5IjHCBp2nOQNRP4kaXjuZGiiNNkkazqVuMVxDxO17M1fhvN23blSxTn06Awx3tHkJIxyr8lAWvd2Brs8/s320/Ultimate+muscle.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509825884472907906" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">"This teaches children who aspire to be professional wrestlers that pooing yourself is the key to any victory, especially in the company of your peers!"</span><br /><br /><br />9. Hot Gimmick<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92vYm4W0RmeRSpGtOU9t_QpzYArnF_Arem2UcnsYXprOeUC4JV7uqcNtZtPRQSTN9Hsyp81jGXE7wmd72k0LAsKl9hZYOhMtN2dJGqcXb7O4jgqaNE1e4vsJ0Fdl3BmFj_FestmYhkcg/s1600/Hot+Gimmick.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 203px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92vYm4W0RmeRSpGtOU9t_QpzYArnF_Arem2UcnsYXprOeUC4JV7uqcNtZtPRQSTN9Hsyp81jGXE7wmd72k0LAsKl9hZYOhMtN2dJGqcXb7O4jgqaNE1e4vsJ0Fdl3BmFj_FestmYhkcg/s320/Hot+Gimmick.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509829503710208754" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">"Hot Gimmick teaches that abusive relationships are fine if you're a vapid, weak personality, as surely all women must be in this universe. I must be right, I read a few pages of it!"</span><br /><br /><br />10. OEL Manga<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NJpbKNpcXoarl6bmFHhIF0e7VR1vuBRv94ikqo_pWOrc3b-cJ0pCTV7esiEpNGZChjKmaLlzW6nSl8LyCZgD0Al4vWMC6mStauoy9xk23YWDxm9UJhyphenhyphenQl6UEfFdp0TtcaB1BVjTwjso/s1600/VVH1.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 294px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NJpbKNpcXoarl6bmFHhIF0e7VR1vuBRv94ikqo_pWOrc3b-cJ0pCTV7esiEpNGZChjKmaLlzW6nSl8LyCZgD0Al4vWMC6mStauoy9xk23YWDxm9UJhyphenhyphenQl6UEfFdp0TtcaB1BVjTwjso/s320/VVH1.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509830315420816690" /></a>"This entire subset of manga shows that it isn't awful to be a westerner aping a decades old industry just because you watched some Dragon Ball Z when you were young and now desperately wish you were Japanese and you can yell completely mispronounced anime cliches at passers-by because THAT'S WHAT ANIME CHARACTERS DO, you pathetic, weeaboo cunt. I mean heck, you think this is drawing competently? I mean what's going on here with the shitty expressions and overacted motions and looking the wrong way because you can't draw this shit properly and are using manga tropes as a fucking excuse. Why don't you just crawl into the foetal position and cry yourself to death you HACKS!"<br /><br />.... Okay, I may have been projecting my own opinion at the end there. Just a little.<br /></span>Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-67333807152888301982010-08-25T23:17:00.003+01:002010-08-25T23:23:20.586+01:00Manga Focus: Ode To Kirihito by Osamu Tezuka<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-u-6FS0cwDCZqL1zqb2NYGPT5Yh02S1MXEfSUylTGcKxnca_877jZVdMYIU8YYZhxfg8z21TK_6LnF3fFtpO_T2at1krjgBKk3pZKiBMnWy9pKIRZTYOzDu6U6v78U-5L2jFyR-9E7rY/s1600/manga+focus.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 279px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-u-6FS0cwDCZqL1zqb2NYGPT5Yh02S1MXEfSUylTGcKxnca_877jZVdMYIU8YYZhxfg8z21TK_6LnF3fFtpO_T2at1krjgBKk3pZKiBMnWy9pKIRZTYOzDu6U6v78U-5L2jFyR-9E7rY/s400/manga+focus.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508722393531219042" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqt5DMg1Y2eGlLLnuyr_Do0_8ikDDNGeb8_3v9rLmN2tdzhSITYKQTt7Ly1qJcUj0hi7UKEyUwFZ2oMvMitg_v0xvUsiTm3pVoBdw5hv4MP8VjSfm4-kt_sZ7rt_8zoYOA4Z3N4SA-zAQ/s1600/OdetoKirihito.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 234px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqt5DMg1Y2eGlLLnuyr_Do0_8ikDDNGeb8_3v9rLmN2tdzhSITYKQTt7Ly1qJcUj0hi7UKEyUwFZ2oMvMitg_v0xvUsiTm3pVoBdw5hv4MP8VjSfm4-kt_sZ7rt_8zoYOA4Z3N4SA-zAQ/s320/OdetoKirihito.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508517505038950194" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Manga Focus, the spiritual successor to my old Flip The Page columns at the obscure old website known as Live Action Anime, is my attempt to reconnect with the largest element in making me who I am today, manga and the manga community as a whole (though I hate it as much as I love it). Each week I'll highlight a title I feel deserves the attention, with the occasional look at what's coming out in any given month. Hopefully you'll gain something from it, or at least seek out the titles I give big ups to.</span><br /><br />Considering he's the father of modern manga, you'd think that Osamu Tezuka would have his body of works given great exposure over here. Or heck, at least have the majority of the more notable titles in print stateside. And yet in my 6 years of being balls deep into the world of manga I have only seen around 4 of his titles in shops.<br /><br />Now, I'm in the UK, so I'm admittedly crippled by my positioning in the world, but that's no excuse, as any amount of research would show that the only company to really have had enough guts to translate and print his material in english is Vertical Inc. (probably the manga company most willing to take risks in a market that's undeniably faltering) and they've still got a ways to go. Still, it's thanks to their support of Dr. Tezuka that I'm able to even read and review his work (well, alongside one series from Viz Media and another from Dark Horse, but I digress) so I can only be grateful, as without them I'd never have been able to read one of his more intriguing and absolutely bizarre works, Ode to Kirihito.<br /><br />Ode to Kirihito is a book that draws upon high philosophy and Tezuka's own background as a medical doctor alongside the very concepts of good, evil, perception, morals and the human condition in an epic adventure through the harrowing and dark experiences of Kirihito, a doctor trying to deal with a peculiar new condition that is turning people into dog-like beasts. I'm not one to claim that something is "deep", because that sounds pretentious as all hell, but Ode to Kirihito is probably the deepest and darkest journey into the human psyche you will ever find on a comic shelf. And anyone who says otherwise is a liar.<br /><br />So join me in this debut Manga Focus as I take a rather foggy magnifying glass to the genius of this, the greatest work of the greatest manga-ka in the history of ever. After the jump.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://comicflipper.blogspot.com/2010/08/manga-focus-ode-to-kirihito-by-osamu.html">READ THE REST OF MANGA FOCUS:</a></span><br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What Is It? (some early spoilers):</span> Ode to Kirihito is a medical thriller that primarily follows Kirihito Osanai, a young doctor intent on investigating and curing a strange disease plaguing a small village in the mountains of the Tokushima Prefecture (that's Japan in case you don't know your geography) that deforms people into a strange dog-like form before their deaths. Intent to prove his superiors wrong in their opinions that the disease (Monmow) is a virus he travels to the village to spend some time there and investigate the cause. Suffice to say things don't go to plan as he's not allowed to leave the village, has to marry a local (despite being engaged to a woman back in the city) and contracts Monmow himself. From there escalating events cause him to discover the truth of the disease and to journey far and wide to get the truth out about Monmow.<br /><br />A plot that goes alongside this follows Kirihito's colleague, Urabe, as he receives a nun from South Africa who appears to also have Monmow disease. However his findings don't meet the approval of his jaded superiors and his fragile mental state weakens, leading to him making some very unpleasant choices as he reaches and passes breaking point. The chilling moments all lead to some hard, honest choices for him though, choices that show that, despite the negative things he's had to do and the mental state he's in, proves how much the case matters and what lays within his very soul.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieoC28Ua-8LfsbQ-erIzDSgrDNltj0oe7iHqtG3y9eYLdV5vou2V06Aqck3iRzdtHmR7id9FwHJCLU9MnGZDpR96R_HXIo1DILlI94BugiUXPDPQREa7xWmZYd8NEhfTHZc_IH2u2rXTo/s1600/kirihito_p2_500.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieoC28Ua-8LfsbQ-erIzDSgrDNltj0oe7iHqtG3y9eYLdV5vou2V06Aqck3iRzdtHmR7id9FwHJCLU9MnGZDpR96R_HXIo1DILlI94BugiUXPDPQREa7xWmZYd8NEhfTHZc_IH2u2rXTo/s320/kirihito_p2_500.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509447089933212386" /></a><span style="font-weight:bold;">What's so great about it? (spoilers!):</span> More than anything? The art. Osamu Tezuka's style isn't only completely inimitable, it's beautiful to a tee, no matter what work the man did over time it just clicked perfectly with what he was writing, proving his position as a master of the art form. Here is no exception, with their being a real emphasis on creating tension and emotion through the use of layouts and surreal imagery, not to mention the very unusual use of Christian imagery (not that Christian imagery is unusual, just that it's very unusual to see in a manga).<br /><br />Layouts never get their fair share of praise in the realm of comics, yet they can be so crucial in controlling how you read a work and here the main use is to build tension, like in the image to the right of this bit of text, where our protagonist is chasing down a horrific murderous sort, with the view getting tighter with each panel, showing a more panicked criminal and a far crazier and angrier Kirihito. And then we get a wider view, showing that it's this tense and emotional when there's STILL SO MUCH GROUND BETWEEN THEM. If that doesn't even slightly affect you outside of the full context then you really don't appreciate the medium as much as you should (yeah I'm being pretentious saying that but hush I'm talking about the godfather of manga's work here!).<br /><br />The surrealer elements featuring Urabe really maximise the use of layouts too, creating a sense of a shattered psyche with unconventional and fractured panel placements and images. A personal favourite moment for this is when Urabe sees that Dr. Tatsugaura, his mentor, is responsible for ruining him and his psyche gets closer to completely shattering. We get a sequence of unusually shaped panels with black shapes in white panels, Urabe putting his hands to his face, sweating, his mentor's face and such, all laid out so you don't even know where to look. Your eyes go all over the place trying to find which piece of the bigger picture to look at, creating a feeling akin to that going through Urabe of a fractured mind flitting all over the place, breaking down at this revelation. It's powerful, art-light and shows what can be done just by playing with how a page is laid out.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnBEN0QIc-6VYly8G9I-YTHj7WWpdIL4gwcFlVm80_p0cFXgHENypAYrupwxzChyGPK73lXkb74hTN_45XJzwpO94CnnX3iNYgXiQbTnhF5jRi_YvXe3hyAWkM14B_Rdm8xTN06P6klHI/s1600/scan0008.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnBEN0QIc-6VYly8G9I-YTHj7WWpdIL4gwcFlVm80_p0cFXgHENypAYrupwxzChyGPK73lXkb74hTN_45XJzwpO94CnnX3iNYgXiQbTnhF5jRi_YvXe3hyAWkM14B_Rdm8xTN06P6klHI/s320/scan0008.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509467266054663826" /></a><br /><br />It occurs to me at this point that I've rambled on and repeated myself endlessly about some stuff but haven't really expanded on the whole "excellent writing and examination of the human condition" stuff I may have alluded to earlier (goodness, I don't remember, it feels so long ago). Well, the writing is excellent. The dialogue is believable. Whether it's coming from the formal atmosphere of the medical profession to the old-timey village, it READS like how someone in that situation would speak, which is something that can be easily overlooked by a lot of comics professionals nowadays.<br /><br />The whole human condition stuff is something to behold. Whilst a lot of other works would be content to say that good men do good things and evil men do evil things, what we get here is the idea that above anything a good man can do horrendous things for the right reasons. Kirihito himself has to make some hard decisions in his journey through the hero's labyrinth and they haunt him more and more as time passes. But despite all this the reader knows that these decisions are necessary, or at the least would be regretted if they weren't made. Ya know, like decisions people have to make in real life!<br /><br />Urabe is an extreme in this respect, in that whilst not being a truly good or evil person a lot of the time the reader still generally gets that somewhere in his warped mind he is a good individual. It's just that on the outside he makes some horrendous choices that would paint anyone explored with a fraction less depth as a horrific monster who deserves nothing but pain. Instead what we get is a sympathetic character who can go to extremes and be forgiven because circumstances and the strains he is under warp him into something he is not. The decisions he makes should never have to be made by anyone in a real world situation, but when they are made it is as a real human being rather than a two-dimensional caricature of a singular trait like so many other comic characters manage to be.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ABE8ylxPvyhyphenhyphenYQCPrwG6Snoz_137kty33_bHq6zLdVrrrzPMorWSFNu2Ja9H0YTXnL04pfp1NVYeFCDOb6A-Y75bhQEykr-e4kk2U8Cx0isPerK-04oNl-1oAitfWSEl8VqtdXqBdDE/s1600/urabe.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 217px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ABE8ylxPvyhyphenhyphenYQCPrwG6Snoz_137kty33_bHq6zLdVrrrzPMorWSFNu2Ja9H0YTXnL04pfp1NVYeFCDOb6A-Y75bhQEykr-e4kk2U8Cx0isPerK-04oNl-1oAitfWSEl8VqtdXqBdDE/s320/urabe.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509473788373912818" /></a><span style="font-weight:bold;">Is it worth buying?:</span> In a word? Abso-bloody-lutely. At about £15/$25 for over 800 pages of Osamu Tezuka's greatest material it really isn't worth missing. I believe at present that it's now collected in two chaper paperbacks splitting the story in half, which is fine, but I really recommend tracking down the first edition in its HUGE glory, you won't regret it.<br /><br />Ode to Kirihito is a once in a lifetime experience in the world of manga and is something that will surely never happen again. So grab it, cherish it and tell all your friends about it. Anything less would just be disrespectful.<br /></span>Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-40200001742069154792010-08-24T19:39:00.001+01:002010-08-24T19:41:51.929+01:00Thought Balloons: Updates, Jubilee Script + Renee Montoya pg.1!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqfyBL__S7bnYLg7rhVSKnfrbPdmlrrjT_ROf9lWzMXedlogSJjlzYgjMuM8z7hZMCn-Hw6V_5Cvz5R7vdB5OnZDSHCIxTN9nX_H2a1jqBvyW61Jdu60hUadzqvn6Iz_1KfJmbsrvMeE/s1600/tb+logo+-+danial79+-+gif.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqfyBL__S7bnYLg7rhVSKnfrbPdmlrrjT_ROf9lWzMXedlogSJjlzYgjMuM8z7hZMCn-Hw6V_5Cvz5R7vdB5OnZDSHCIxTN9nX_H2a1jqBvyW61Jdu60hUadzqvn6Iz_1KfJmbsrvMeE/s400/tb+logo+-+danial79+-+gif.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508446407755319426" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">I know, right? Halftone is awesome! The new Thought Balloons banner we've got was done by frequent contributor Danial, and by gosh darn heck have I been waiting to use it here!</div></span><br />*ahem* So remember that awesome writing project thing called <a href="http://thoughtbaloons.blogspot.com/">Thought Balloons</a> I plugged some couple of posts ago? Well it's been a long time since then and I've got a lot more entries to plug the hell out of, as well as the start of my snazzy bonus content feature over here!<br /><br />For those who are fresh to the concept, Thought Balloons is Ryan Lindsay's baby, where a group of us get together week on week and write about a chosen comics character as an exercise in script skill-building. It's awesome, constructive and COMPLETELY open to viewer participation. If you're interested in being a part of it and writing about this week's character (Jubilee of Generation X and the 90s X-Men cartoon fame) then head on over to the <a href="http://thoughtbaloons.blogspot.com/2010/08/why-jubilation-lee.html">Why Jubilee?</a> post and stick your own script in the dooblydoo *ahem* I mean the comments.<br /><br />Here's the scripts I've done since <a href="http://comicflipper.blogspot.com/2010/06/thoughtballoons-or-cool-thing-i.html">that last post</a>:<br /><br /><a href="http://thoughtbaloons.blogspot.com/2010/06/doctor-doom-latverias-street-magician.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Doctor Doom - Latveria's Street Magician</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://thoughtbaloons.blogspot.com/2010/06/superman-related-max-barnard.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Superman - Related</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://thoughtbaloons.blogspot.com/2010/06/blonde-phantom-best-dressed-detective.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Blonde Phantom - The Best Dressed Detective</span></a> (in which I hate on myself unnecessarily)<br /><br /><a href="http://thoughtbaloons.blogspot.com/2010/07/aquaman-its-pun-you-sea-max-barnard.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Aquaman - It's A Pun, You Sea</span></a> (in which I use Welsh effectively)<br /><br /><a href="http://thoughtbaloons.blogspot.com/2010/07/penguin-are-penguins-furry-max-barnard.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">The Penguin - Are Penguins Furry?</span></a> (in which... just don't)<br /><br /><a href="http://thoughtbaloons.blogspot.com/2010/07/punisher-blood-simple-max-barnard.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">The Punisher - Blood Simple</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://thoughtbaloons.blogspot.com/2010/08/gamora-dojo-of-deadliest-woman-max.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Gamora - Dojo of the Deadliest Woman</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://thoughtbaloons.blogspot.com/2010/08/renee-montoya-noir-as-heck-max-barnard.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Renee Montoya - Noir As Heck</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://thoughtbaloons.blogspot.com/2010/08/jubilee-who-i-am-hates-who-ill-be-max.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Jubilee - Who I Am Hates Who I'll Be</span></a><br /><br /><br />And now for the bonus content I've been touting. The first is a re-release of my Renee Montoya script on here, which will be followed for 11 subsequent weeks with the rest of the story. Because I'm not lying when I say that THAT, my Gamora script and my Punisher script are some of my best works I've ever done. Why 12 weeks of Renee Montoya? Because the pages are scripted with the page size of Wednesday Comics in mind and I want to do something of that sorta length with my crazy Elseworlds-style tale of stuff that is indeed Noir As Heck.<br /><br /><blockquote>Renee Montoya - Noir As Heck<br /><br />Page One - 7 Panels<br /><br />1-- Renee (in a tank top, trilby, cargo shorts and sizeable boots) is sitting at a desk in a very cliché P.I.'s office, with her booted feet up on the desk. I'm talking the works, old style wood panelling in a sparse, cheap, small room, with basic lamps in some corners, and blinds on the windows. If you need any reference check just about any classic hard-boiled detective film made more than... let's say... 30 years ago. I'm not kidding, it's always the same. Heck, I think the detective's office in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" had that typical look. Anyway, the desk (and subsequently Renee) is facing the door, which is slightly ajar as a long leg draped in the lower parts of a glittering red dress is making its way through the gap. If the connected foot fits into the shot we should see some ruby-red stilettos with a very long (but not ridiculous) pointed heel.<br /><br />NARRATION/RENEE MONTOYA - I knew as soon as she entered my office that she was nothing but trouble. The kind of trouble that can never lead to anything good...<br /><br /><br />2-- The woman (who for the sake of scripting will be referred to as "Lady In Red"), a redhead with skin as white as ivory and made excessively tall and leggy by the aforementioned heels, has entered the office, leaning in a sultry pose against the doorframe, with one arm raised to her head, holding a wide-brimmed floppy red hat, with a large ribbon trailing off of it down her body. As for said body, it is covered by the previously alluded to long ruby-red sparkling dress, with a chest cut from the shoulders straight down to the navel. At that point there is another extravagant ribbon, that trails down to her heels. Her eyes are obscured by oval sunglasses with -what else- deep red lenses. Her lips are a bright red pout, alluring yet revealing nothing of her emotions. In the hand not leant against her head is a small (RED) handbag/purse dealio. A hell of a design job, but drop-dead gorgeous and *ahem* Noir As Heck.<br /><br />NARRATION/RENEE MONTOYA - Not that trouble has ever stopped women like these being worth every second in front of your eyes.<br /><br /><br />3-- We're now looking at Renee's face, trilby raised, surprised and ever-so slightly slack-jawed expression on her face.<br /><br />NARRATION/RENEE MONTOYA - I mean DAYUM!<br /><br /><br />4-- Renee is now leaning back in her chair again, trilby covering her eyes as she tries to maintain a blank expression. This, however, doesn't distract from the facts that her cheeks are now quite red.<br /><br />SPEECH BUBBLE/RENEE MONTOYA - Dayum...<br /><br /><br />5-- We're now viewing Renee at her desk from the doorway, with the legs and arse of the Lady In Red in view as she struts sexily towards the desk.<br /><br />SPEECH BUBBLE/LADY IN RED - Oh Ms. Detective, I've come to you with quite the dilemma, a real pulava, a what-to-do and a great big mess I need you for.<br /><br /><br />6-- Viewing the scene now from just over Renee's shoulder, the Lady In Red is now leaning over the desk towards Renee, back curved so that her rear is raised above the curve itself, thrusting her cleavage at Renee's face with no real subtlety, yet still maintaining a pose by pushing her breasts together with her arms, which themselves are pushed against the desk.<br /><br />SPEECH BUBBLE/RENEE MONTOYA - Whuff. A problem, you're saying? Well I'm the right person for the job, toots. And it's Renee, by the way.<br /><br /><br />7-- A close-up of the Lady In Red's face, wherein she is perching her sunglasses on the edge of her nose, looking up through her carefully shaped eyebrows at Renee with -again, what else- red irises. She is now slyly grinning.<br /><br />SPEECH BUBBLE/LADY IN RED - Oh wonderful, I'd hoped ever so much that you'd be just the person I was looking for. Let me tell you about what's causing such a stir in me, making me all a-twitter, all flustered and bothered...<br /><br />NARRATION/RENEE MONTOYA - Some Dames are worth all the trouble in the world and this one... Well, she could cause three world's worth of trouble and I'd still be putty in her hands.<br /></blockquote><br /><br /><br />The second item is behind this jump, and is a SECOND Jubilee script focused more on the character at her best than the soapbox moaning about what she's become that I did for the Thought Balloons entry.<br /><br />SO HIT THE JUMP TO READ JUBES LIGHTING UP THE SKY!<br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Jubilee - The First Fourth of July - Max Barnard</span></span><br /><br />Page 1 - 7 Panels<br /><br />1-- Jubilee is standing against a night sky, stretching and cracking her fingers in front of her. She's dimly illuminated by a light source somewhere in front of her (Chamber/Jono Starsmore), showing her in her classic yellow jacket grinning widely.<br /><br />TEXT BOX/NARRATION - July 4th 1994<br /><br />SPEECH BUBBLE/JUBILATION LEE - 'kay... You guys ready to be blown away?<br /><br /><br />2-- We've now pulled back to show the rest of the Generation X crew (Penance, Husk, Chamber, Synch, Skin, M) sitting in front of her (by a fair few metres? I mean you shouldn't be near fireworks when they're lit, yes?). All are sat legs crossed, though Penance has her hands to her face in fear and Husk has a fist raised in the air. The light source used earlier is now clearly Chamber's chest energy stuff, illuminating the students in what is essentially just an open field. Nothing else is visible.<br /><br />SPEECH BUBBLE/M - Get on with it.<br /><br />SPEECH BUBBLE/Husk - WOO! DO IT GIRL!<br /><br />SPEECH BUBBLE/Chamber - ... You guys know I don't sodding care about the fourth of July, right? I mean it's celebrating you Yanks beating the UK and all that.<br /><br /><br />3-- Jubilee has raised her hands to the sky, ready to use her powers. Penance has lowered her hands and leant forwards expectantly and Husk has lowered her arm.<br /><br />SPEECH BUBBLE/JUBILATION LEE - OKAY, OKAY! Prepare for spectacular awesomeness unlike any awesome you've ever been awesomed by before! Time to bring the FIREWORKS!<br /><br /><br />4-- Some meagre little lights spurt from Jubilee's fingers. Penance has jumped up, cowering and peeking through her fingers at Jubilee.<br /><br />SFX/JUBILEE'S FINGERS - fzztleflit--<br /><br /><br />5-- Jubilee is now sad, shoulders slumped in defeat. Penance is dashing off panel. The other students are all laughing.<br /><br />SPEECH BUBBLE/STUDENTS - AHAHAHAHAHAHA!<br /><br />SPEECH BUBBLE/JUBILATION LEE - *sigh*<br /><br /><br />6-- On one side of the panel Synch has gotten up, with his arm round Jubilee's shoulder. Jubilee is looking at him with a faint smile on her face. On the other side of the panel the other students are either playing with sparklers (Skin, Husk, a VERY cautious Penance) or sitting down watching the others play (M, Chamber). The three sparkler users have "G" "-" and "X" from left to right. Because that's just how they roll.<br /><br />SPEECH BUBBLE/SYNCH - Hey, don't worry about it. Just do it again next year when you've learnt to better use your powers.<br /><br />SPEECH BUBBLE/JUBILATION LEE - ... Yeah. And every year I'll make it an even better show for everyone. Thanks for cheering me up Ev, you're a good buddy.<br /><br />SPEECH BUBBLE/SYNCH - No problem. Things can only get better for us, I'm sure of it.<br /><br /><br />7-- Close-up of Synch and Jubilee, both looking at the reader suspiciously.<br /><br />SPEECH BUBBLE/SYNCH - ... Right?<br /><br />TEXT BOX/NARRATION - The End.<br /></span>Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-51741760370544815922010-08-22T21:19:00.007+01:002010-08-23T20:51:48.746+01:00WENDIGO<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxyx9m4eLgOJrka77P6ZNR1iX_DR2Be5WmfdFsJKlBRyxAEfV5ad-WrkT3YPc3khjKWdtVWE6q5xP7kdn0qEO_g4AvFrJrSSA3rUCmQ-BUhdzKArzi-Y4gjWMfKsS0vjEk6n7F0czyaek/s1600/wenDIgo.jpg"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 346px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxyx9m4eLgOJrka77P6ZNR1iX_DR2Be5WmfdFsJKlBRyxAEfV5ad-WrkT3YPc3khjKWdtVWE6q5xP7kdn0qEO_g4AvFrJrSSA3rUCmQ-BUhdzKArzi-Y4gjWMfKsS0vjEk6n7F0czyaek/s400/wenDIgo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508331769403699698"></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>GETS A REAL MAD-ON ABOUT THE PRONUNCIATION OF ITS NAME</i></b></span></div>Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-87216532226972055062010-08-22T21:16:00.001+01:002010-08-22T21:17:32.705+01:00A to Z: L is for Lost Girls (Or: Not Safe For Your Soul. Or Work)<span style="font-style:italic;">Sometimes a man must admit that even he has limits as to what he'll do. For me it's that I simply cannot and will not post uncensored images from Lost Girls in this article. So I've employed a crippling amount of editing to ruin the original art of the comic and preserve my dignity a few more minutes. Apologies to those who desperately need some titties, you bloody wankers you.</span><br /><br />It's a hard thing to see a classic tale of prose adapted into something wholly different. We usually see this with Hollywood film adaptations, such as that absolutely bloody awful Alice In Wonderland by Tim Burton painfulness. Or any Phillip K. Dick books save A Scanner Darkly (not that those were bad films, just not faithful). In comics we've seen this done to SOME success though, with titles like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from Marvel being a truly brilliant title that captures the charm of the original material and didn't stray very far from L. Frank Baum's writing.<br /><br />So it came as some surprise to me when I learnt that Alan Moore took three beloved children's characters, put them in a comic and made them all have lots of sex.<br /><br />... I mean that's just not good adaptation, surely?<br /><br />But it is.<br /><br />And I'll tell you why as we delve further into Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRAdlACcOiyxxCNCWad1cSstnk1TBjh6jjytuy4xHBFUNQKXFrN0BM0wmePn5yVRyy8kF0w5aEyV3_Dzr9oelSSM3o3i-R5IFzJXA2rem2GM0ndPjfAkA1MoirSuAQjH0mktOrH1RuIf4/s1600/LostGirlsCover.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 261px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRAdlACcOiyxxCNCWad1cSstnk1TBjh6jjytuy4xHBFUNQKXFrN0BM0wmePn5yVRyy8kF0w5aEyV3_Dzr9oelSSM3o3i-R5IFzJXA2rem2GM0ndPjfAkA1MoirSuAQjH0mktOrH1RuIf4/s400/LostGirlsCover.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507165896722474114" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">Ah what a nice and innocent cover, yes? And with a a nice thematic nature to it!... Let's look at what's going on inside that mirror, shall we?</div></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikheLbhexjX026E_qRNn8y40IrYVThDfHFdtGk7A4CSxt0O0aY3v0bXN3nHcj_-zDyopEcUVa-AbWWegoqnZ67J7mMVyq1mpf04Uk6NxC2KJSpbKFiyK4Qvc92yGgDKrFuf-vqq1ubltY/s1600/LG_b1_000.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 259px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikheLbhexjX026E_qRNn8y40IrYVThDfHFdtGk7A4CSxt0O0aY3v0bXN3nHcj_-zDyopEcUVa-AbWWegoqnZ67J7mMVyq1mpf04Uk6NxC2KJSpbKFiyK4Qvc92yGgDKrFuf-vqq1ubltY/s400/LG_b1_000.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507166464962044354" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">OH GOD WON'T SOMEBODY PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN?!</div></span><br />To give you the basic gist of what Lost Girls is about (at least on the surface), it follows three characters from popular literature (Alice Fairchild, Wendy from Peter Pan and Dorothy Gale) as they meet for the first time in an Austrian hotel ("Hotel Himmelgarten") and connect due to the fantastic natures of their pasts. And have sex. A lot. In pretty much any situation, from watching a theatre performance to a frantic orgy all throughout the hotel. Seriously, nothing stops the trio from giving in to their desires. Which in its own way is a beautiful expression of freedom, and in another an excuse to fill the book with Alan Moore's filthy, beardy perversions.<br /><br />Of course more happens than just that. There's also a subplot involving Wendy's husband and Dorothy's new fella having a jolly good time together as well (which is significant enough to get an entire chapter dedicated to it), not to mention the mystery of hotel owner Monsieur Rougeur and his much beloved "White Book" of naughty, lurid sex stories. But really they're just some icing on the cake of what is really a story focused on our three main femmes.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQIyB6e4h0juYZdJ17vx5or5p3j6Hs4tnpsNNXqKgmyWncID3X5Y6P3T5gPBXL2-98hLTRC8SMPnxm883OxGcPppucj7BGfy_E6Z0xt6RNnH-qFsYRaLE2t3qg0XSmQK2uePorQLMV-mQ/s1600/LG_b1_028.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 280px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQIyB6e4h0juYZdJ17vx5or5p3j6Hs4tnpsNNXqKgmyWncID3X5Y6P3T5gPBXL2-98hLTRC8SMPnxm883OxGcPppucj7BGfy_E6Z0xt6RNnH-qFsYRaLE2t3qg0XSmQK2uePorQLMV-mQ/s400/LG_b1_028.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507564709813292370" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">Something I do love in this graphic novel is the tendency to use panel layouts to maximum effect. A particular instance of it is this, where the panel borders control the way you read the page, and separate the conversation going on between Dorothy and Alice with Wendy's arrival at the bottom. It's effective without intruding on the art. </div></span><br />But I digress from what I was trying to say earlier, in that this is a brilliant adaptation of the original material. Because it is. And it's so much more than that. But before I go further into all that other stuff I suppose I really should address the adaptation thing so I'm going to and this paragraph is a really awkward segue, isn't it?<br /><br />The key to a good adaptation isn't necessarily to be faithful to the nth degree. We've seen this to be true of how awry most of Watchmen went (though it did substantially change the ending) in its attempt to be a perfect adaptation of the original work. No, in my opinion the way to make an adaptation work is to take the original material, but make it fit what you're attempting to achieve with your version. This works well in Lost Girls by twisting the classic stories of Through The Looking Glass, Wonderful Wizard Of Oz and Peter Pan into the sexual discovery of their characters, with what originally happened being reflected in the new versions of the tales (which quite brilliantly are told via use of artistically different tales shared amongst the trio).<br /><br />An example of this I'll highlight for you all is the approach taken to Dorothy's encounter with "The Tin Man". In her retelling he is one of three farmhands she has sexual relations with, the last of the three to be specific. Where the parallel is drawn is in how he is referred to, as a heartless man who just pounded away like a machine, like clockwork, with no romance in him. However, towards the end of the story she dumped him and he got upset, showing he had a heart all along. It follows the original material in some ways whilst twisting it into the correct shape, and makes it work without ruining the tale... For me. I'm sure it angered any number of people who didn't want to see Dorothy wanking off a horse (oh yeah that happened. and it's weird). Or later in the story where she sleeps with her father.... What was my point again? Wow, it's not often that I kinda prove myself wrong with the minutiae before I've even succeeded in making my point. Still, I like to think I'm mostly right... In my mind.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIRN70pjG9glnZ8MX6JJdHZN-vnaSroXK-vV7Waozck73yLhR23wWS3uFHZ5mP-LtI9Xzy07O2tOV5UkP0sxDQj2k4oJumHjZ0ScsGmZjx84j9S5nWE8c0GS52sm37XPaYTafazVrMFA/s1600/LG_b3_040.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 281px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIRN70pjG9glnZ8MX6JJdHZN-vnaSroXK-vV7Waozck73yLhR23wWS3uFHZ5mP-LtI9Xzy07O2tOV5UkP0sxDQj2k4oJumHjZ0ScsGmZjx84j9S5nWE8c0GS52sm37XPaYTafazVrMFA/s400/LG_b3_040.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507599958058940034" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">A nice aspect to the flashback things is that each story will kinda be summarised in a single art piece that makes the connection to the literature even clearer. They're amazing pieces, though this one has been ruined through my standard need to preserve my dignity right after using the words "wanking off a horse".</div></span><br /><br />Finally I want to talk about the way each chapter tends to differentiate itself from the others. Whilst one or two chapters may well just be standard sequential art, others will be framed by representations of such things as the seven deadly sins or the material from Rougeur's White Book, and the flashbacks all have their own panel style and artistic theme. For example whilst the tales of Alice Fairchild's past are framed in consistently sized ovals page on page, containing surreal and overwhelming images, Wendy's past is framed in a stained glass style with a 4 panel layout and flat colours throughout. These touches maintain an immediate atmosphere for each person's past, affecting expectations and page-space in ways that prompt the imagination to mentally add a tone to how they react to these controlled layouts. Also they all look VERY pretty and stylised, and isn't that what REALLY matters in the world of high-brow artsy comic erotica?<br /><br />... You tell me. I don't really know much about this stuff.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7EBDJiJzSETuECVGMsfOU22OLfmfKh4LbQrvSRNuvdeHHaMGL6QcCf9AMRVXTnBtz09ZHABasE0hq3DEahN910Fhm1Wpv-5xH4jnxU4AhP2Zx1BvK7UVHiZmSi-P0aZjeL9hBB4Hpj1s/s1600/LG_B2_014.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7EBDJiJzSETuECVGMsfOU22OLfmfKh4LbQrvSRNuvdeHHaMGL6QcCf9AMRVXTnBtz09ZHABasE0hq3DEahN910Fhm1Wpv-5xH4jnxU4AhP2Zx1BvK7UVHiZmSi-P0aZjeL9hBB4Hpj1s/s400/LG_B2_014.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508329114197052002" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">I haven't had a chance to praise the realistic facial expressions, so just... I don't know, admire this poorly censored example of one of the brilliantly true-to-life faces to be found in the work. Also who the hell wears a penis costume?!</span><br /><br />If there's one thing that solidifies my recommendation of this title, it's the fact that despite what it is it makes a GREAT coffee table book. I mean you put this down in front of mixed company and you're guaranteed to get a chance for a fancy conversation. Or you'll be considered a perverse freak. Either way, CONVERSATION! Which if you're a geek is something you're sorely lacking, as we all well know. So that's a <br /><br />You can find Lost Girls in... Comic shops? Maybe? OR you can just order it off of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Girls-Hardcover-Alan-Moore/dp/1603090444/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1282507989&sr=8-1">Amazon.com</a> (<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Girls-Alan-Moore/dp/3936480001/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1282508088&sr=8-1">UK</a>). You know you should. Just 'cause you can.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">And that's L. What's M?... It's Metal Men by Duncan Rouleau. Less perverse, but still well worth talking about. I hope.</span>Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-59569210293404801472010-08-22T11:28:00.001+01:002010-08-22T11:28:38.678+01:00I'm Sorry It Took Me So Long (To Come Around)I'm back after all this time, and I'm ready to please my hundreds of readers with my fingers and occasionally my mouth!<br /><br />.... What?<br /><br />*ahem* I'm back. Properly. There's a schedule and everything. I should be posting 4 to 5 times a week with substantial content. I KNOW! Not just that, but A to Z will rocket to its conclusion week on week, starting with tomorrow's entry on Alan Moore's Lost Girls. Amazing, I know.<br /><br />So strap yourself in, put your strap-on on and come with me into my own fairly normal psyche!<br /><br /><br />.... That's it. I haven't got anything else to put in this post... So here's a picture of an adorable Goat.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5tcRS-9679ufDdK65-DLoQg-Cov_imQBad0MJU6EOdQdbEQszAwvqF8NJWdHsIFgXMxxrv8HQ2i7gcg6hmZUkE3sGZrCPh6VR2q2qrw1-y5sOoW0EcfDUKMnpgAta_bmXjDbIJV4jFxw/s1600/teddy1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5tcRS-9679ufDdK65-DLoQg-Cov_imQBad0MJU6EOdQdbEQszAwvqF8NJWdHsIFgXMxxrv8HQ2i7gcg6hmZUkE3sGZrCPh6VR2q2qrw1-y5sOoW0EcfDUKMnpgAta_bmXjDbIJV4jFxw/s400/teddy1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507137560824325474" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">I should have used a sheep, then I could say "I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-CK"... Shut up.</span>Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-3539388804774578952010-06-11T20:53:00.003+01:002010-06-11T21:02:18.271+01:00Thoughtballoons (Or: a cool thing I regularly do)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://thoughtbaloons.blogspot.com/"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc5QD4_l41PxNx0b259funTRBj1Kby2CchpE9Hb7u9RgjK-zoyw3kZFvguOy17WBAgebfwAqog5ISUQ6u53M5YOnikVxJq4Qkx0CcdLq7onzHHAQWSwEiGE5-W8Hhxog6QNEgMqkAofOA/s400/tb+logo2+-+600.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481607092393145410" /></a><br /><br />So yeah I do this thing called <a href="http://thoughtbaloons.blogspot.com/">Thoughtballoons</a>, which is basically the writer version of Comic Twart. Each week we write a one page story about a chosen character, and leave it out there for public criticism and such. So far we're about three characters in, and I've actually managed to update EVERY WEEK!<br /><br />DUN DUN DUN!<br /><br />Yeah, I know! So I encourage you to hop over there and look at my stuff, and while you're at it, EVERYONE'S STUFF. It's a fun project, open to all comers to participate in, and it's a chance to see how comic scripts CAN (but in my case probably shouldn't) look.<br /><br />MY ENTRIES SO FAR:<br /><br /><a href="http://thoughtbaloons.blogspot.com/2010/05/iron-man-stark-naked-max-barnard.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">IRON MAN - STARK NAKED</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://thoughtbaloons.blogspot.com/2010/06/molecule-man-molecule-fan-max-barnard.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">MOLECULE MAN - MOLECULE FAN</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://thoughtbaloons.blogspot.com/2010/06/mephisto-ambrose-burnside-max-barnard.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">MEPHISTO - AMBROSE BURNSIDE</span></a>Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383420429556539366.post-71686375035629840142010-06-08T14:53:00.022+01:002010-06-09T15:36:54.165+01:00A to Z: K is for Kinetic<span style="font-style:italic;">Welcome to COMICFLIPPER! I'm Max Barnard, I write about comics (for the most part). If you're new or have just not checked out this site in a while (it's been a while longer than forever since I last updated), this is the 11th entry in my <a href="http://comicflipper.blogspot.com/search/label/A%20to%20Z">A to Z of Comics</a>, wherein I highlight a comic from each letter of the alphabet in the hope of learning something, encouraging others to read the title, or as was the case last time, <a href="http://comicflipper.blogspot.com/2010/03/to-z-j-is-for-jubilee.html">suffering horrendous pain from one of the worst comics of ALL TIME</a>. Hopefully you'll stick around for the ride, or at least find something interesting about these articles. Okay, we good? Let's go.</span><br /><br />I'm probably not the first person you'd think of when you're trying to name people who like realistic elements in comics. In fact I'm not even the <span style="font-style:italic;">FIFTIETH</span> person you'd think of, but that's more because you barely know me rather than any lack of affinity for realism. Still, once in a while I'm struck by some sort of 'powers-that-be' and really just want something different, that feels like it could be rooted in OUR world, no matter the unusual aspects of the book.<br /><br />I've turned to many books over time looking for this fix, and for the most part have been left cold. From Kickass (<span style="font-style:italic;">which I swear is the</span> SECOND <span style="font-style:italic;">worst comic book I've ever read</span>) and its unrealistic physics and hilariously pathetic pandering, to Scott Pilgrim, which whilst brilliant just feels too disconnected from reality and silly to sate my need for a realistic comic. There's the occasional gem like Phonogram that feels so realistic I might actually start believing in Phonomancy and the power of music, and indeed the book I'm about to go on about now.<br /><br />That book is Kinetic and <span style="font-weight:bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">SOCKAMAGEE</span></span> is this stuff brilliant.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRu-fAAoh5cy6EIbhE5FTD98HTBCqtDJYD6wu_CiS_CU3SlvhKQLzE6F1Gfxcbf3C0I_oYGKCzfKWRCh3io-F7-wRvO8_6sOoRyDa0KMkCu-iKESyTrxEF9HOZs6AoZN_gflaQ1JnyNvU/s1600/000.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 258px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRu-fAAoh5cy6EIbhE5FTD98HTBCqtDJYD6wu_CiS_CU3SlvhKQLzE6F1Gfxcbf3C0I_oYGKCzfKWRCh3io-F7-wRvO8_6sOoRyDa0KMkCu-iKESyTrxEF9HOZs6AoZN_gflaQ1JnyNvU/s400/000.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480405919930864978" /></a><br /><br />Kinetic is an 8-issue limited series from DC's now entirely defunct DC Focus, a delightful little imprint that seemed to mostly be remembered for dealing with superpowers in a non-superhero related manner. To be honest though it's mostly not remembered at all, because no-one bought anything from it, hence it being defunct. The most memorable title from the line was probably Hard Time, a series about psionic powers and high school or something (<span style="font-style:italic;">I don't know, I've never heard of it before shut up</span>), in that it escaped the Focus imprint and managed 7 issues as just a normal DC comic. But I digress, let's look at the plot, shall we?<br /><br />Kinetic follows one Tom Morell, a high-school aged dude who suffers from no end of medical issues from Hemophilia, to Muscular Dystrophy, and even Diabetes. Basically the poor boy has a shitty quality of life because of this and he despises it. Everyone at school treats him like shit and his mother is far more over-bearing than anyone needs a mother to be at that age. Anyway it all gets too much for poor Mr. Morell and he decides the best solution is to step in front of a truck. Rather surprisingly he survives this without as much as a scratch (<span style="font-style:italic;">which is more than can be said for the truck driver, who rather spectacularly flies out of the truck's cabin)</span>. In fact let's break from this summary to show that:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOemzbGkfX4wX6W-YZWsQi9YvTQ8rxOatR5QTk8EB5d3VmhUK8sDqmqUtjDahADefXWpmI6Ibn3yImLqvoSt87UzYDIPQAYk41kTDoZSDngmSP9Kag1OLZT2muVG2MFxltro5kgJF6Ovg/s1600/Kinetic_02_009.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 287px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOemzbGkfX4wX6W-YZWsQi9YvTQ8rxOatR5QTk8EB5d3VmhUK8sDqmqUtjDahADefXWpmI6Ibn3yImLqvoSt87UzYDIPQAYk41kTDoZSDngmSP9Kag1OLZT2muVG2MFxltro5kgJF6Ovg/s400/Kinetic_02_009.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480436466665534322" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4J7w1S5bkjmBG7zxRo3TbT0iTN-QsjNUPtnDfxoJOwr_OE7APhJZZWBz3-zDhrXFSmgGZvuEACdytoI_6Q02yaPxR8fgf5aAo6TUCqfr8vY3-QzVzlOwWHlWHY7nNspQnKkfDeCX36gA/s1600/Kinetic_02_010.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 275px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4J7w1S5bkjmBG7zxRo3TbT0iTN-QsjNUPtnDfxoJOwr_OE7APhJZZWBz3-zDhrXFSmgGZvuEACdytoI_6Q02yaPxR8fgf5aAo6TUCqfr8vY3-QzVzlOwWHlWHY7nNspQnKkfDeCX36gA/s400/Kinetic_02_010.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480436459078434514" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT, that's INSANE!</div></span><br />*Ahem* Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, what follows being hit by the truck. Understandably in complete shock from these events, Morell goes home and sleeps. The next day he gets his usual life-saving injection and seizes from it, because as it turns out he doesn't need it anymore, for he's now super-powered and stuff. Later on his mother discovers his powers and after some initial shock completely breaks out of her restricted life, becoming disconnected from her son and finally exploring romance again after so long.<br /><br />In the meantime Morell tries to enjoy his life now he's free from all his problems and is thoroughly disappointed, and in fact has several problems on the way, such as feeling guilty about peeping on the girl he likes and feeling so guilty he has to tell her. Not only that but in all his angsting he finally realises that the truck driver is probably dead now, which is not only incredibly sad but gives him even more reason to angst (<span style="font-style:italic;">there's a</span> LOT o<span style="font-style:italic;">f angst in this</span>). All in all it comes to a head when he realises he used to be special, and has lost that now he can live life like a normal person and decides... to be... <span style="font-style:italic;">A SUPERHERO</span>.... For all of a few pages. Ya know, because being a superhero would be stupid.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhevll54Cusa2RCfECpgG87VNP0hM7teE6J2U5pyVga_fYQeUjJlt_71KNJcqQgSEe4FrPyJKOgpEUS-UTvynbk3vDsT3TCK-2ojfz8uM6dw6QZS11QyO0pW7qlbfUV1U4YehG-bXA_-kw/s1600/Kinetic+008-03.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 261px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhevll54Cusa2RCfECpgG87VNP0hM7teE6J2U5pyVga_fYQeUjJlt_71KNJcqQgSEe4FrPyJKOgpEUS-UTvynbk3vDsT3TCK-2ojfz8uM6dw6QZS11QyO0pW7qlbfUV1U4YehG-bXA_-kw/s400/Kinetic+008-03.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480487621432111730" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">Clearly the best superhero mask anyone has ever worn in the history of comics!</div></span><br />Anyway long story short the girl he likes who he peeped on punches him in the face and he has a <span style="font-style:italic;">MASSIVE</span> nose bleed, realises his powers are gone, falls down stairs, breaks his collarbone and his mother takes him to where he first got hit by the truck so he can be hurt by a truck again, in the hope it'll restore his powers. After an interesting conversation between the two he lets his hand be run over by a truck, which totally doesn't work. Finally he reconciles with the girl he likes and they eat school dinner together. The end.<br /><br />Phew, I really shouldn't recap <span style="font-style:italic;">ENTIRE</span> stories in this thing, but I felt like I really should in this case, simply because it helps to know what to expect. Telling you all about it doesn't spoil the series either, because I haven't explained the nuances in art, dialogue, structure and such. I've just told you the plot beats, and honestly they're the least important aspect of the story. So now you've survived the horrific parts of this article, I'll let you in on some of those more sophisticated elements.<br /><br />The dialogue would be the best place to start, and will actually be the <span style="font-style:italic;">ONLY</span> bit I'll highlight, if only because I wouldn't want to spoil the entire experience. Every bit of dialogue has the emotion and tone behind it that you'd expect from something with a, y'know, actual auditory aspect to it, which really speaks wonders about the comic in that it transcends the largest stumbling block of the format. Some particularly powerful moments that use this intense power are the flashbacks found in issue two that show the past of poor Tom Morell before that fateful truck hits him. They show strong moments in his past between him and his mother and you can <span style="font-style:italic;">HEAR</span> the dialogue to the nth degree, with timing and tone all displayed magnificently through the layouts and more than anything the lettering. Here's a couple of them:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNvqwR0-cdC4Vso_ykW4NY6TUHCoYchCL7gYl696V0KZzZsYBcMDvnxAlT_lusN6OgRGafeR5xskx7Lhfl6PrJQ7jmHKfMbzhhZfczACCIVQW_Aecs1GBxd0gOnBc0QFc3H_o0iXidD8/s1600/Kinetic_02_003.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 261px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNvqwR0-cdC4Vso_ykW4NY6TUHCoYchCL7gYl696V0KZzZsYBcMDvnxAlT_lusN6OgRGafeR5xskx7Lhfl6PrJQ7jmHKfMbzhhZfczACCIVQW_Aecs1GBxd0gOnBc0QFc3H_o0iXidD8/s400/Kinetic_02_003.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480771798471544226" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0v2lEUV27CnGxEnT02Y5nk4Rs48XQgWJ1mMPFV40TVbHF9V9A_j61FTLZyykgl_iYiwE4zFglphP7C8ztq15-jjMck7acphRfL8chdOfIPLbU_gWngVihOULVeY5dvaYkCIFRu0_34I/s1600/Kinetic_02_005.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 262px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0v2lEUV27CnGxEnT02Y5nk4Rs48XQgWJ1mMPFV40TVbHF9V9A_j61FTLZyykgl_iYiwE4zFglphP7C8ztq15-jjMck7acphRfL8chdOfIPLbU_gWngVihOULVeY5dvaYkCIFRu0_34I/s400/Kinetic_02_005.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480771791630460242" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;"><div style="text-align: center;">If anyone says this stuff isn't emotionally powerful I will punch their SOUL with my wimpy sensitive fists</div></span><br />Huh, that might be the first time I've ever made note of the lettering in a comic. Who did it in this? Oh, Pat Brosseau, I've heard that name before. Oh Pat letters Sweet Tooth, another series with <span style="font-style:italic;">AWESOME</span> lettering.<br /><br />On that note I should actually mention and suck up to the creative team on this. The initial concept and character and such is created by Allen Heinberg of Young Avengers, The O.C. and 'that one Wonder Woman arc I actually liked that wasn't Diana Prince: Wonder Woman' fame. I'm not sure how much I can attribute to his initial premise, so I'll just say that he's a part of this tapestry of brilliance along with Kelley Puckett, co-creator and actual writer of this mini.<br /><br />Puckett is probably best known for creating Cassandra Cain, the previous Batgirl to Stephanie Brown. That's some pretty massive creative stature there, as Cain was one of the most well-received characters in the recent history of DC comics. But WAIT, that's not all. Puckett also created the BEST Green Arrow, Connor Hawke, whom I've actually read some material of so I can say something a bit more substantial, like <span style="font-style:italic;">ONE OF THE BEST THINGS EVER CREATED EVER EVER EVER</span>. And I don't say that lightly. Connor Hawke is up there with Rikki Barnes, Arana, Lyra and Phonogram as far as <span style="font-style:italic;">BEST THINGS EVARRRRR</span> go... Most of the time. Sometimes he's not, but that's not Puckett's fault.<br /><br />The art is by Warren Pleece, whom I'd never heard of previously, but have been assured that he is a british artist who has contributed to such titles as The Invisibles and Incognegro, as well as the apparently brilliant 2000AD title Second City Blues. He's a pretty great talent who really should do more stuff that I'm reading, if only because it's easier for me to notice an artist when they're creating stuff I care about. Shove him on something like... um... <span style="font-style:italic;">ON SOMETHING. DO IT!</span><br /><br />So, this has been a little slapdash, if only because this is the first piece of proper writing I've done since what, mid-March? Anyway, I'll wrap this up by saying that Kinetic is a one-in-a-million experience, that title you've never heard of that amazes you when you have the courage to check it out. It does little wrong and really knows how to work within the confines of its 8 issue length. You can probably hunt out the trade paperback on <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kinetic-Kelley-Puckett/dp/1401204724/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276093558&sr=8-1">Amazon</a> and I heartily encourage you to do so, else never quite understand all this crap I'm spurting out of my mouth. Oof that's not a nice image, I need to go wash my mouth out now.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">So that was K, what's next? Oh it's L, and the pornagraphic high-art of Lost Girls. Gird your loins, but not in that way, as it's coming soon!</span>Maxy Barnardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17734557004600699906noreply@blogger.com1