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mobius-prime · 4 years

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180. Sonic the Hedgehog #112

Welcome to a very special issue! Nearly every page is packed with really interesting and relevant information, dealing with the emotional issues of a few important characters, and also containing not one, not two, three, or four, but FIVE different character profiles! This is a really meaty one, so let's get busy!

Mistaken Identity Crisis!

Writer: Benny Lee Pencils: Art Mawhinney Colors: Josh & Aimee Ray

So we got a little bit of a hint about it last issue, but ever since his free will has been restored, General D'Coolette and Antoine have been spending a lot of time together, making up for lost time as father and son. They're strolling through Knothole one day when out of nowhere, a dimensional portal begins to crackle above their heads, and Sonic, recognizing the look of the portal, rushes over just in time to catch Zonic as he falls from it.

Aww, don't feel bad, Antoine! Weirdly enough, for most of this issue, the artists seem to have forgotten that Zonic is supposed to be affected by sideways gravity, and so when Sonic rushes him off to the hospital he's just lying down in an ordinary bed without any problems. It's honestly not too big of a deal, but it is weird, especially given that later issues that go further into the concept of the No Zone actually incorporate this idea of sideways gravity into the story in some quite fascinating and unique ways. Dr. Quack begins looking after the injured Zonic, but until he wakes up from his stupor, they'll be unable to find out who attacked him, so for now Sonic heads back out of the hospital to go talk to Antoine and his father once again. The general is clearly very impressed at Sonic's heroism and valor, but while Sonic is initially happy to receive the praise, he notices Antoine is looking troubled behind his father's back, and, realizing that he's feeling unappreciated, decides to help him out.

I mean, while I disagree that Antoine isn't a hero, it's incredibly sweet of Sonic to go out of his way to ensure that Antoine can look good in front of his father. I would actually say that Antoine is the definition of brave, as bravery isn't just feeling unafraid in the face of danger, it's actually being afraid, but stepping up anyway, which is exactly what Antoine always does when he's faced with something terrifying. Sonic strolls away after explaining his plan, and Antoine goes back to his father feeling confident and excited about whatever Sonic might be cooking up, but as soon as Sonic is out of earshot he's called back to the hospital to speak to Zonic, who is waking up.

So one of Sonic's "worst enemies" is hanging around here, huh? Meanwhile, Antoine is giddily describing a somewhat-embellished fight between him and Robotnik to his father when none other than, who else, Evil Sonic shows up to ruin their day! Antoine is certain that this is in fact Sonic Prime, merely dressed up and putting on a performance to give Antoine the chance to show off by beating him up in front of his dad, and thus immediately karate chops him on the head, knocking him out. Sonic and Zonic exit the hospital and come racing up, pleased and amused to see Evil Sonic already out cold, and Sonic knowingly congratulates an oblivious Antoine on his victory…

See, Antoine? You're a courageous hero after all!

All right, now before we dive into the backup story for this issue, we've got a lot of character info to cover! Our first character to look at is Sonic himself. Since he's what I used to get my measurement ratios, his height and weight are the same as those from the games. He's 100 cm or 3'3" tall, and weighs 35 kg or 77 lbs. We already know he's sixteen, though by now I'd imagine he's a little closer to seventeen as it's been a while since he celebrated his last birthday. But when is his birthday, exactly? Well, it's actually not the same as his birthday in the games - in the Archieverse, his birthday is on June 11. Now, remember how I said several issues ago to keep in mind the date of Robotnik's death during Endgame? That date was June 13… and Endgame took place over the course of three days. Which means that, yes, the mission where Sally supposedly died took place on Sonic's birthday.

This changes goddamn everything. Can you imagine? Sonic isn't so bigheaded that he would expect all operations against Robotnik to cease just to celebrate his own birthday, so of course he wouldn't be too fazed over having to infiltrate Robotropolis on his big day. He probably expected a successful mission and a happy return to Knothole, where he and his friends would have a little celebration of both the mission and his birthday. Instead, he was abandoned at the city, and returned on his own to Knothole to the news that his childhood best friend was dead and he was suspect numero uno. What was supposed to be a day of celebration turned into his worst goddamn nightmare. Two days later, of course, everything was resolved and Robotnik was dead, but still, what a horrible thing to deal with while it was all still going on! I will also note that this gives a little more perspective to the amount of time he and Tails were away from Mobotropolis while in search of Naugus. They returned (and Elias was brought back from the Floating Island) on his sixteenth birthday, meaning that in between defeating Robotnik and returning to Mobotropolis after defeating Naugus, an entire year had passed. The comics are finally starting to really solidify the timeline of events and pay more attention to the passing of time, and we can see it all coming together by the inclusion of these dates.

Apart from all of that, the rest of the page doesn't tell us much that we don't already know. It hasn't been mentioned in a long time, but yes, Sonic's middle name is still officially Maurice. His real first name is listed as being "unknown," but luckily, I have the power of internet research on my side! He never got a chance to include it before he stopped working on the comic, but Kenders originally intended to eventually reveal that Sonic's birth name was in fact Ogilvie, which is a real-world surname that is Scottish in origin. Apparently, he was named after one of his grandfathers, but quickly picked up the nickname Sonic due to his running everywhere as a small child, and eventually legally changed it to such, because no one wants to be stuck with the first name Ogilvie. I mean, come on! Ogilvie Maurice Hedgehog? That's the worst name I've ever heard in my goddamn life! Actually no offense to Kenders on this one though, I'm not meaning to imply that I disagree with this idea on his part, as the entire point of it is obviously meant to be that Sonic was born with a horrendous name and was eager to change it to something better as soon as he grew old enough to choose for himself. With that context, it's downright hilarious.

But Sonic isn't our only character file to look at! Next up, we have Knuckles, who actually gets two whole pages to himself due to how much content there is within his own backstory. First, his measurements. He's 103 cm or 3'5" tall, which is a little bit shorter than his game counterpart, and he weighs 37.4 kg or 82.3 lbs. He's also sixteen, though with a birthday of September 8 he's a few months younger than Sonic, as we already know. His actual file, though it mostly again just covers info we have already received through past issues, gives us some more context for how his earliest years of life went. He was in fact taken out to the Floating Island for Guardian training at the age of only three years old, and his father essentially homeschooled him in basic things like math and science while also training him in his inherited duties. We also find out that in fact he was only ten years old when his father left for Haven through the wall of fire, which even given his accelerated development as a child is still quite young to be left with the impression that one has been abandoned by the only parent one has ever known. Over the five or so years before he met Sonic, Knuckles became quite sour and bitter in attitude, seeing as he knew nothing of why he was abandoned and why he was even here, and his only friend on the island was Catweazle, who as we know isn't exactly the kindest or most reliable of friends. Of course, once Sonic and Robotnik showed up, and he met the other members of the Chaotix, he began to lighten up more and enjoy life, as well as learn everything about his race's history and as his own personal destiny, but it's honestly quite sad just imagining this lonely, near-friendless ten year old Knuckles wandering the island, listlessly doing his duties because that's all he's ever known while believing himself to essentially be an orphan. Even in the games, Knuckles at the very least knows nothing of his own past, so there's nothing for him to feel sad about, no real sense of personal loss - he's just alone. I'd say it's worse for preboot Archie Knuckles, as he does have those memories of loving parents and a sense of purpose - he just doesn't have those things anymore. Again, he did eventually get back everything that could make him happy, but still, it's sad to think about.

Okay, onto the next one! This time we're looking at Miles "Tails" Prower. He's 80 cm or 2'7" tall, and weighs 30.6 kg or 67.3 lbs. His height is actually exactly the same as his game counterpart's, but he weighs significantly more - about 50% more, in fact. I'm going to attribute that to his older age, as in the games he's only eight, while in the comics he's currently eleven years old, with his birthday being on October 24. His original backstory explained that his father was roboticized the same day he was born, but we find out here too that at some point after Robotnik's coup, his mother mysteriously disappeared as well - not roboticized, mind you, as otherwise she and Tails would have reunited after the sword restored all the Robians' free will. For whatever reason, neither of his parents have shown up at all ever since their disappearances. Most of the rest of the info is, again, stuff we already know, but we actually run into a bit of a discrepancy with the reiteration that the Tails we've currently been following in the comics is actually a false duplicate, with the real Tails missing somewhere. The initial issue that revealed that he was a duplicate made it seem like he was replaced somehow when he was in transit with Athair from Knothole's public school to Knuckles' location, but this page claims that instead the switcheroo happened all the way back in freaking StH#56, which was the very first time he ever transformed into Turbo Tails. If this was true, then we wouldn't have seen the real Tails since very shortly after Robotnik was first defeated all the way back in Endgame! It would mean that the entire, nearly-year-long adventure with Sonic around the world in search of Naugus never happened with the real Tails, and that for all intents and purposes the real Tails would not even be aware of the renewed war against Eggman. This is definitely a mistake, as every other issue that acknowledges his replacement with the duplicate indicates that he was indeed replaced when Athair teleported him away, but it's still such a bizarre mistake to make given how much time has passed since the first Turbo Tails incident.

Okay, next up, we have Amy Rose! She's 92 cm tall or 3 feet exactly, and weighs 28.7 kg or 63.1 lbs, which is actually less than Tails despite being a good bit taller than him. As we know, she's a bit of a special case in terms of age - mentally she's ten years old, while the Ring of Acorns aged her physically to about the equivalent of a sixteen year old. Interestingly, her birthday is on July 5, which if you'll remember is also Sally's birthday! I kind of like that two characters share a birthday, honestly. Amy's page actually does give us quite a bit of background info on her that we've never heard before, unlike many of the others'. Apparently, she actually lived in Mercia her whole life, which is why she was merely Sonic's pen pal in StH#25 - she lived overseas. She was born to Mercian nobility, but her extremely rich parents became overwhelmed with sympathy after witnessing the plight of so many of those less fortunate during the two back-to-back wars, and decided to give up the entirety of their wealth to charity, officially making them the coolest rich people that have ever existed. However, unfortunately, soon afterward both of them were lost in the fighting against General D'Coolette and Robotnik's other agents in the area. She was taken in by Rob - who weirdly enough is described as her "father's brother" here despite every other source saying they're cousins - and once she had recovered somewhat from the loss, he sent her to live in Knothole with the hope that it would be safer for her there, apparently not being aware of the extremely close proximity the village had to the literal center of the war. From there, we basically know the rest, including her sudden age-up from wishing on the ring. Apparently she still has plans to marry Sonic someday, but unlike her game counterpart she keeps these intentions strictly hidden, understanding that Sonic isn't the mushy type and hoping to wait for the right chance to win his heart in the future. Man, it actually kind of seems like she understands exactly what I was talking about last issue about his lack of romantic attitude, huh?

Okay, last off we have a file for not a single character, but the entirety of the Brotherhood of Guardians! Unfortunately for this post, it really doesn't tell us anything new. We do get a look at a picture of every Guardian in their prime all lined up together, and a brief history of the formation of the organization, all the way from scientist Kayla-La's discovery of the incoming comet bearing down on their city, down to Knuckles today in the middle of his evolution into a living Chaos Emerald. Athair is included in the lineup, as even though he ultimately rejected his role as a Guardian, he still was part of the bloodline beginning with Edmund. Other than that, we really got nothing new from this, so it's time to finally end our journey through this issue's numerous profiles and move on to our backup story!

Forgiven

Writer: Karl Bollers Pencils: Art Mawhinney Colors: Josh D. Ray

So we haven't actually heard anything about Lupe and her pack for some time, but with every Robian's free will restored, she and her family are back to normal, albeit still roboticized. They've been staying in Knothole for the past few days, but now everyone is throwing them a going-away party as they plan to head back to their own homeland once more. Sonic goes into Uncle Chuck's lab to invite him to the party, but Chuck, seeming uncomfortable, uses the excuse that he's too busy to go right now. Sonic leaves, but a few minutes later returns… having brought the party with him. He seems pleased by his own genius, obviously not having noticed Chuck's mood, and while Chuck tries to smile for his nephew's benefit he's actually torn up inside at seeing everyone so happy.

Lupe notices his mood and follows him, claiming that she's noticed that he's been avoiding her and her entire family ever since they regained their free will. At first he attempts to deny it, but it becomes apparent that he's actually wracked with horrible guilt over it being he who roboticized them in the first place.

It's honestly so sad to see Chuck like this. He's a genuinely good person and a great character whose past decisions inadvertently led to some of the worst tragedies this world has seen, and he clearly blames himself for all of it, despite having no way of knowing how things would have turned out. He quietly says that all he truly wants is to be forgiven by those he's wronged… but while he and Lupe were talking, everyone else in the party has come out as well and overheard his last statement. Sally says to him that they can't do that unless he's willing to forgive himself first, and Lupe, determined to show him that no one blames him, announces that the celebration is no longer just about her family, but about honoring Chuck as well. He becomes overwhelmed with emotion and embraces her, thanking her profusely, as everyone cheers. Hopefully, this encounter will allow him to finally put some of that guilt to rest, poor guy. He's suffered enough.

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #sth 112 #writer: benny lee #writer: karl bollers #pencils: art mawhinney #colors: joshua d ray #colors: aimee r ray

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nimbus-cloud · 5 years

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Taka-Talk 2019 Review

I was lucky enough to get tickets for two out of his three sessions in Tokyo (sessions 1 and 3), and died of cute. Full synopsis under the Read More for those who are interested!

Session 1 Even though we had tickets for the first session in Tokyo, I already felt like I was behind? Takato did his Taka-Talk in five cities total this year, placing them conveniently as Engeki Haikyuu hopped between cities. And since I couldn’t go to Osaka or Nagoya or Sendai or Hakata, I walked in going, what did I even misssssss??? There was a postcard with a crossword where you could fill in the keywords by attending EVERY session where the keywords were given, and then you could mail it in later for special bromide prizes. I had no shot at winning that obviously lol.

Anyway, session one started with him walking down the aisle toward the stage, walking past us as we did. We had aisle seats for the first session, and he did pause for a little while to mess with my friend’s pull-out desk (the venue was a lecture hall so each chair had a pull-out desk) before going to the stage. One girl walked in a little bit late, rushing to her seat as he got up onto the stage. When he asked if anyone had attended other sessions in other cities, people raised their hand. When he asked who lived the closest to this venue, several people raised their hands. The first girl said it took her 20min by train, another said 15, and then the girl that was late said that she lived one station away. And Takato, being the little shit that he is, just CALLED HER OUT, and was like,

“So you live the closest and got here the latest?”

But she explained that she got here, then realized she’d forgotten her ticket, and rushed back home to get it and came back. That exchange probably feels a bit innocuous, but it’s kind of rare for actors at fan events to be THAT casual? Takato often forgets to use polite forms in his Japanese, defaulting to casual forms not just with his guests but even with us, and sometimes he’ll correct himself, sometimes he doesn’t.

He also asked who came from furthest away, and I did raise my hand but there wasn’t time to call on everyone, but there was a girl in the back who answered that she’d come from Taiwan! And oddly, Takato heard it correctly, that she said Taiwan, but a group of fans in the front tried to correct him, because they heard her say “Hawaii.” So he was like, “Eh? Eh?? Wait, no, say it again.” And she answered louder, ‘Taiwan’ and he just draaaagged that section lololol. He was like, “See!! I was right! You were trying to correct me, but I was right, aren’t YOU embarrassed?!!”

Then he called out the first guest of the day, who was Ishigami Ryuuya, who is the new actor for Fukunaga from The Tokyo Battle. My god he was so cute and shy. He was sort of obviously very nervous, especially at first, but the more Takato talked to him and the more they got into telling stories about the tour, the more he loosened up.

Apparently, Ryuuya calls Takato ‘oyabun’ which roughly translates to like... boss... but in like a criminal setting. So more like ‘don.’ When Takato asked Ryuuya, “Why do you call me that again?” And he just stammered, “W-well, y-you told me to.”

Takato did NOT remember this lololol, but it was apparently as they were starting Engeki rehearsals. Ryuuya, being new and inexperienced, was trying to figure out what to call him. Nagata-san? Takato-san? And Takato was like nahhh just call me Takato-kun. But Ryuuya felt really uncomfortable with that, but then he realized how even Takato-san might be too formal now. So Takato joked that he should just call him ‘boss’ and Ryuuya latched onto it and that’s what stuck.

The Takato film that he prepared for our session was a personal challenge to himself. He would wait in Shibuya in Hachiko square, hoping that someone walking by would recognize him as an actor and start talking to him. But twenty minutes apparently went by with nobody approaching him so then he decided to start approaching random groups of people to ask if they might know him. Since his recent TV Drama is the one with the most reach, he’d start out by asking people if there were any dramas they’d been watching recently, had they watched HajiKoi maybe... then he clarified which character he played. Unfortunately 3 out of 5 groups did not know him at all so he failed his personal challenge and had to eat bugs again. There was one group where they did, in fact, watch the drama, but they didn’t remember who he was even so. And another group where they said they watched the drama, and when he pointed out who he played, they were like, “Oh no way, really?!?”

As is traditional of Taka-Talk films, there’s always a credits page where it’s just like:

Starring: Nagata Takato Director: Nagata Takato Producer: Nagata Takato Script: Nagata Takato Editing: Nagata Takato Cinematography: Nagata Takato

More stories from Ryuuya and Takato, although a good chunk was about how much Yugioh they played in their downtime and how much time the two of them spent together. In trying to remember all the times they played, Ryuuya said that Takato won maybe 80 times and lost 10. He’s very good at YGO apparently. Before Ryuuya left the stage, he did an acrobatic sequence for us and we cheered so loud, Takato got jealous and went, “That’s the loudest you guys have been!!”

Then there’s the Takastagram portion where he walks through the crowd and we’re allowed to take photos of him (hence the photos above).

Then he sang three songs for us (which is the reason for the penlights). He sang a guitar ballad cover of a song he’s been liking recently, he sang “Try” again from last year’s Taka-Talk, the one that he and Kazuma wrote together, and then a more upbeat pop song that SURPRISE had 4 back-up dancers! They were all 4 other guys from his agency, Cube, including Kanda Masakazu (who played Kunimi in The Strongest Team).

At one point he asked them to list one thing they liked about him, and they all picked fairly shallow reasons like hair color, the color of his clothes today... Kanda was a little less shallow since he said he liked Takato’s accent/dialect. The last of them said that he liked Takato’s black shoelaces lololol.

To close it out, we got to give him high fives as we left, with staff pushing us along so that we didn’t linger lol. I just told him, ‘thank you’ in English and he opened his eyes wide and said, “Thank you!” back. It’s a bit fun for me that he’s shorter than I am.

Session 3 So the evening session was like, almost 2 hours long, essentially double the length of the first session, but it is the last Taka-Talk of his five-city tour, so I guess the goal was to make it extra special. This session was supposed to have a ‘secret guest’ and truthfully he had about three, although he did announce Yuushin beforehand.

The fun part was that the secret guest was originally supposed to be someone else, but his managed messed something up and they became unavailable or couldn’t make it, so the secret guest ended up a secret to even Takato! He was like, “We had to get someone else, and even I don’t know who it is, so... I’m gonna hide over here, and you guys let me know when I can look!” His first secret guest was a co-star from the drama HajiKoi, which I haven’t seen, so I did not shriek with the rest of the crowd when he walked in the door lololol. It was Wakabayashi Takuya, who plays Kisa in the drama.

Takato was just crouching on the left corner of the stage, hiding his face behind the curtains, and once Takuya ended up more or less center stage, we called out to Takato that it was fine, he could look, and he was super surprised to see him there. Of course, because his own guest was a surprise, his emcee cards were also covered in sticky notes so that he couldn’t see what his own agenda for the session was going to be, and he kept peeling those off as the session went on to figure out what he was supposed to do lololol. He kept whining at the staff the entire time, but he was also just having the time of his life, and he was just like, “I love surprises! This is so fun!”

The guest event involved playing back scenes from HajiKoi, and then beeping out certain lines and then Takato and Takuya had to guess (with their little boards and markers) what the bleeped line was. To make it extra difficult, literally none of the bleeped lines were anything that either of their characters said. It was always someone else’s line, so they kept getting stuck and would just start writing down nonsense answers instead. So honestly, nobody won, but Takato was just like, “I won, right? It was me?” And Takuya, being a gracious guest, just conceded lol. Takuya also kept apologizing that he wasn’t Ryusei, who’s the actor who plays the pink-haired lead in HajiKoi, since he was sure more of the girls would’ve preferred to see him, but honestly the crowd seemed pretty happy either way. They also decided to give away the little boards they wrote their answers on, so they’d call out random seat numbers or go for whoever rose their hand first. Just like last year, a girl sitting right behind me won one of the prizes, and she was pretty thrilled.

And then the second secret guest was another actor from Cube, Isaka Ikumi, nicknamed Ikumin. I actually know Ikumin from another show (Yuugeki) so I could follow the conversation a little bit better this time. Takato was hiding again, but Ikumin decided he would go up on the stage and then just go straight to Takato and hug him from behind, so we didn’t have to give any cues before Takato looked to see who it was lol.

Ikumin confessed that he’d always always always wanted to be a guest at Taka-Talk, so when the staff approached him about it, he was super excited and said yes immediately, but then they told him that he’d be the second secret guest of the last session and then he got super nervous about it. But Ikumin was basically the type of guest Takato loves to have, aka, the type that extols his immense love for Takato and sings his praises to his face.

The game that they played was truths and lies. So they picked cards that gave them themes, and then between them, one of them would would tell us something true, and the other one would lie. We had to decide who the liar was, and they got us good because we got it wrong both times and nobody had to play the penalty game of eating bugs lol.

One of Ikumin’s lies though, he said that he went to go see the press preview of Engeki Haikyuu, and sat in the 8th row and got super excited when Takato looked at him at the end of the play during the last dance sequence. That was a lie; the truth was that he sat in the 3rd row, and wanted Takato to looks his way the entire time but Takato never did. lololololol We thought Takato was lying when he said that he’d never once lost to Shouri in playing Yugioh, but it turns out that was the truth! And Takato is very very proud of this fact.

Ikumin was like, “Really?” And Takato was like, “Well Shouri’s so good at everything, ya know? Like his athletics, his height, but you know, he could never beat me at Yugioh. We’d start playing, and he’d put a card face down, and then I’d play a card face down, and then he’d put down a monster--” and he started rambling, and Ikumin just interrupted, “Just send that story to Takahashi Kazuki!” Takahashi Kazuki is the YGO manga-ka.

Then there was another video to show us the secret word for that session and it showed Takato visiting Tokyo Tower, because that’s where there is a special One Piece space, which has the One Piece Live Attraction show. Takato made his acting debut with that show playing Luffy, so it was framed as a sort of, going-back-to-his-roots, walk-down-memory-lane type of video. He was getting teary-eyed at certain points in the video, so it was really sweet, and the end of it had him thanking all of us for supporting him and being his fans.

Then he came out to wrap up with the music session, and he tried to lighten the mood again by saying things like, “The staff told me to look super nostalgic while going through the One Piece areas, but I don’t actually remember half of what I touched.”

He sang a different ballad from the first session with Yuushin, this one being an original they wrote together. It was a song about love, but they both had the intention of writing it from a woman’s point-of-view, so that was interesting. They’re always a wonderful duet to listen to~ After that, Takato asked Yuushin if he had any upcoming events/shows he wanted to promote or announcements to make, and Yuushin had this long pause before he was like, “Well it’ll be announced tomorrow.”

And I was just thinking in my head, YES HELLO NEW ENNOSHITA. I’VE SEEN THE LEAKS. I KNOW IT’S YOU.

A final round of high-fives, and then I went back to the goods table for ONE MORE set of bromides to try my luck, and it turned out that Takato was handing out those purchases, so he handed me my final set of purchased bromides and ughhhhhhh he really does have the most adorable smile~!!!

Couldn’t quite get every bromide (and it was impossible because he had city-specific bromides too); they were random. But I also have that penlight and his little tote bag.

He did also announce that he’s doing his first birthday event this year, on Aug. 25th, and he hinted that we could bring these penlights again for that, and then there’s the C.I.A. Mission in Summer event (with nearly all the actors from Cube), and since he’s going to be in that event too, he hinted that we should bring his penlights to that too. I’m honestly not strictly sure that it would be allowed for the CIA event, given that it’s going to have several different people, but who knows lololol. I can only imagine how annoyed the other actors might get at him seeing Takato’s bright red penlights in the crowd. XDDDDD

So another wonderful Taka-Talk, and four total times high-fiving Takato adding in my experiences from last year~ ^_^

#nagata takato #taka-talk #fan event

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comicteaparty · 4 years

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February 12th-February 18th, 2020 Reader Favorites Archive

The archive for the Reader Favorites chat that occurred from February 12th, 2020 to February 18th, 2020. The chat focused on the following question:

When applicable, what about a creator’s art might convince you to check out their comic?

carcarchu

I like a wide range of art styles so it's hard to pinpoint specifics but if an artist is able to draw very attractive looking characters (recognizable character designs, outfits that don't look like they came out of 2004 gap catalogue, characters that can still be recognized even when they change their hair style) then i find that very appealing. beyond that how well an artist can integrate the characters with the actual space they exist in is something i find very important as well. a bunch of floating heads can only carry a series so far. if the artist can make the characters feel like they properly exist in the space i think it can really elevate the series although in practice this is something very difficult to do.

Deo101 [Millennium]

For me, honestly some art styles are very inspiring to me and that will sometimes get me to read just because I want to see the art more and learn from it. Things like textures, colors, character design... It can draw me in just by exciting me as a learning opportunity

chalcara

For me art‘s the hook and story the line. Come for the art, stay for the story, you know?

Funnily I‘m looking less for pretty art and more for good visual story telling. I want the art to show whats going on without having to rely on dialogue.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I'm honestly very picky about art styles when it comes to comics, and that's a personal issue It has some to do with art styles being attractive to me, but honestly, the most important aspects of a creator's style to me are (1) consistency of style and anatomy, (2) level of completion, and (3) clear communication of what's happening. When it comes to whether or not I check out the comic initially, the main things that come into play with the promotional materials, covers, and/or thumbnails are contrast of the image and cleanness of the rendering. Of course, obviously, my personal tastes play into it. (I tend to like semi-realistic styles, sort of anime-ish but with a twist, or painted styles that may resemble concept art.) But honestly, probably more important than grabbing me initially to begin reading is readership retention. And that's where the 3 qualities I look for come into play: (1) Consistency of style and anatomy: This is probably the most important part for me as a reader. If I can't tell who is who because the characters change appearance from panel to panel, I'm ducking out, because that affects the clarity of storytelling. I also cringe everytime I see a particularly egregious anatomy error. I know what people look like. I see them every day. If I feel pain from looking at an artist's work, I'm not sticking around. (To be fair, everyone makes some kind of anatomy mistakes, but really it's if the anatomy mistakes are really awful to me and aren't as a result of a deliberate style CHOICE. Keyword, C H O I C E.) (2) Level of completion: This really just means that if it looks like the artist rushed through the panels or they were being lazy, I feel like their comic isn't worth my time. I mean, if an artist themselves doesn't care about their work, why should I?(edited)

. (3) Clear communication of what's happening: Once again clarity of storytelling is absolutely essential. If the composition of a large portion of the panels don't clearly show the actions of the characters, I can't follow the story. Aaaaaand as a bonus: Please, please, for the love of all powers that be, please, make your fonts legible. If I can't read the comic without squinting because your text is too tiny or hard to read, I'm not going to try. I have bad eyesight as it is. Take pity on your readers. I'm not going to suffer for your work. I have dropped far too many comics to count because the creator didn't care enough to make sure that the font was legible. And this applies to both desktop view, mobile view, scrolling format, and page to page format. Just.... Make your fonts big and clear.(edited)

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

That's interesting to think about how recognizable characters are when their hair style changes. I might try to use that as a character building exercise

Deo101 [Millennium]

Solid excercise: can you tell them all apart when they're bald and naked?

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

OoooooooOOOOOOOOOOHHHH

Might partake that challenge

Deo101 [Millennium]

Also it's really fun to draw characters in all sorts of hair and clothes so idk what id do if I couldn't tell them apart when doing that!!! That's like 40% of my art!

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

This just convinces me more and more to do AU art

Deo101 [Millennium]

Yeah aus are another 20% of what i draw LOL

Look im drawing the comic most of the time so I wish to partake in non canon things the rest

carcarchu

@sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD) i've read series before where the character gets a hair cut / dyes it and i'm like WHO ARE YOU? IS THIS A NEW CHARACTER?

Deo101 [Millennium]

Oh another good excercise is drawing your Characters in many different styles and seeing if they remain unique when not in yours.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I want to do all of this

This is stuff I hardly ever have time for

So I am extra attracted to it

Also, there IS a time later in the comic where a certain character's hair gets partially burned off

And then he cuts it pretty short to get rid of the singed edges

And I feel like his hair is like 80% of his character design

So I'm just a little scared about that

Deo101 [Millennium]

Also, @Cronaj (Whispers of the Past) , I am unsure what you mean by "readership retention" with something that makes you interested in a comic, could you explain?(edited)

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

By readership retention, I mean aspects of the art that decide whether I'll continue reading past the first few pages

(obviously story comes into play as well, but I won't pretend that the art in the first few pages of a comic don't contribute)

Deo101 [Millennium]

Oh okay, I thought you meant like how many readers have unfollowed or something

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Nah

More like, "oh cool! Your cover and blurb seem interesting. Lemme check out the comic!"

And then after reading the first few pages/chapter:

"ah... Not for me." Or "Nice, I'll keep reading!"

Deo101 [Millennium]

Gotcha

Capitania do Azar

Ohh I don't feel like dissing particular artsyle choices, but I know a few aren't for me. I'm no big fan of ultra realistic, hyper detailed stuff you usually see in super hero comics (other genres pick that style too sometimes and I still don't really appreciate). I particularly like artstyles that are distinct and recognizable, I have a hard time with stuff from different authors that just looks... Like a carbon copy (sometimes, the style being referenced is waaay too obvious and that is always a big no for me) Good use of color is key. Give me some good values too. I want colors to make sense and I am very tired of pink. I also appreciate consistency. If you give me artwork with a more paintery style but then the comic is cellshaded, that might tip me off. But not necessarily (tho I appreciate inner consistency inside the comic itself). Rushed stuff, like mentioned above, is also not a good look, but only insofar as it distracts me from what's happening in the story. Consistency is a very important word here, because I love seeing a common line that is able to take in all the differences that are necessary in character design and backgrounds, but also make me believe that they all could live in the same world.

Oh! And also: if the artstyle involves using lineart, I am really fond of sharp, clear lines with weight variation

sagaholmgaard

I'm curious about what you guys mean with consistency- do you guys not like if an artist's art style changes over the several years it might take to make a finished webcomic? Is it that it peeves you when the backgrounds are done in, say, a painterly style while the characters are done with lineart? Is it when the artists makes ordinary illustration work in a completely different style from their comic pages? (This is genuine curiosity I hope no one's feeling attacked rn ^^)

carcarchu

i personally really like seeing an artist's skills improve and evolve over the many years it takes to draw a series

even at the expense of a more "consistent" final product

sagaholmgaard

Yeah me too, it's one thing i really like about webcomics

chalcara

Can‘t talk about the others, but I get thrown off when one page is sprite comic, the next painterly, third cell-shaded without having a in-story-reasons for those style changes, like flashbacks or pov-changes. But more commonly, the issue’s the classic „comic‘s usually coloured, but oops, this time you only get the pencils because I had no time to update“. If that happens too often and/or doesn‘t get fixed for the archive I just lose investment in the comic.

Art evolution is natural, both in webcomic and published work with a dedicated artist.

Ah, that‘s another source of inconsistency - people switching colourists or even artists around. Once in a while is fine, but if it happens every month or so, I tend to get annoyed by it. It‘s actually why I killed my first webcomic twenty years ago; it was a collaberation and life kept getting in the way forcing me to switch colourists every five pages or so.

carcarchu

oh actually i have read a webcomic where they changed artist's 18 chapters in. i really fell in love with the magical and dark tone of the original artist and was engrossed in the world that they set up. they had a painterly style and it really set the atmosphere of the entire series but then the new artist had a super clean and cutesy art style and the sudden tonal shift really threw me off. in the long run the new artist was actually extremely consistent and better at actually releasing long chapters and very good quality chapters and the writing actually improved too because of it but it was never able to recapture what it was that i really loved about the original art style. also the new artist changed the character designs a little so the heroine was no longer even recognizable as the same person

since it was relatively early in the series i definitely would have preferred if they just got the new artist to actually redraw the first 18 chapters in the new style just so the change wouldnt be so incredibly jarring

chalcara

Any harsh breaks like that will cause some people to break away from the comic, I found. I dumped one of my favourite-for-years comic because the creator got bored by their main character and completely sidelined her in favour of a group of minor characters I had absolutely no interest in.

Didn‘t mean the comic got worse - by all accounts its still beloved by quite a sizable audience - it just wasn‘t for me anymore.

sagaholmgaard

Ahh that I can relate to. I get super attached to the main character and usually have a hard time getting into any spinoffs with the rest of the cast, even if I want to (and im a hypocrite because i also want to make spinoffs for ever side character in my own comic LOL) i guess if the style changed a LOT from page to page that would throw me off too. that feels like the artist is trying to experiment, maybe making sort comedic comic strips would be more acceptable then? Every style would at least be contained to one strip at least

DanitheCarutor

That's... actually a really good question. I don't really go for a specific aesthetic. Sometimes what's going on in the thumbnail attracts me, or it could be the use of color, the style, a character design. I'll check out a comic with just about any art style. I guess maybe if I have an idea of what the creator is going for with their art? Like, the art may have a lot of kinks, but maybe being able to tell what style they're trying to go for makes me want to check out their work? Honestly, I don't have a really strong art bias, as long as the comic is readable I'll go for almost anything. Maybe I won't check something out if the style looks extremely uninspired... like if it were the most generic, based off Japanese cartoons, style ever then I might give it a pass. But even then I do sometimes check it out anyway, so I really don't know! This question is surprisingly hard to answer! To give my last quip about last week's topic, since I don't want to derail the current one. I feel the creator's personal life is no one's business. I understand if they're a legit bad person, but digging into a creator's life to see if they qualify to be supported is... I dunno. This mindset makes me feel that if someone who liked my work ever tried to get to know me, they would be doing it solely to see if I'm good enough for them, which feels really invasive and predatory. I fully understand most people can't just enjoy something, that's how the world is, it just kinda sucks sometimes. The world kind sucks sometimes. Alright! I'm doing with giving my final thoughts on that subject.(edited)

Deo101 [Millennium]

The question is specifically about what draws you to art, rather than what turns you away so if you don't want to rag on any art styles that's not what it was asking for I think! Though yes it's very closely related (and it's not bad to say what you don't like)

Eilidh (Lady Changeling)

I definitely am more likely to read a comic that has a distinctive style - no particular style preferences, really. Interesting use of colour/value is definitely a bonus. But as long as it's engaging and the composition is good/readable, I don't really mind whether the art is "good" or not.

DanitheCarutor

@Deo101 [Millennium] I wasn't trying to rag on anything. I couldn't specify what about someone's art would draw me to their comic, it was easier to the one thing that might not, but I still said that I may be drawn in regardless. Sorry if I came off like a douchebag, totally not my intention. <_<'

Deo101 [Millennium]

No I know, someone earlier said "I don't feel like dissi g particular styles" I'll be honest I was typing my post as you were and so I didn't even read yours til after I said something(edited)

Just kind of a general thing! Feels like it went to what turns us away instead of what draws us in so just kinda a reminder of the op

sagaholmgaard

Readability is definitely important for me to want to continue following a comic, but what about the art that makes me want to read something...? I definitely have a preference toward cartoony styles overall. A solid character design will make me wanna check out a comic. If the main character has a recognizable silhouette and interesting shape language. I also love really bold lineart, especially if it's used to create shadow and contrast. Interesting color schemes too. I think how the background is drawn can really make me want to read something as well. I know BGs aren't people's favorite thing to draw but to me if the setting looks very well though out and designed, that definitely motivates me to check something out. And awe-inspiring sceneries are always hella cool! I read a lot of things outside of my artistic preferences though, but I think these are the things that might make me pick something up based only on the art itself.

keii4ii

I think I tend to find more appeal in certain compositions, which is a more subtle aspect of style. I am a major sucker for evocative use of backshots/ not-showing-the-(whole)-face, for one thing. Compositions that make full use of the three dimensional space around the figure(s) is another (this doesn't necessarily mean putting a lot of stuff around the character; you can have a mostly empty space and still make it feel very 3D).

(I hope both of those things show in my own works... I just love those things soooo much )

Deo101 [Millennium]

Oh I LOVE when a panel like... Cuts a face. Something about it makes me lose my mind every time

DanitheCarutor

@Deo101 [Millennium] Ooh! Lol sorry about that! I was so caught up with off computer stuff that I didn't notice anything else typing while I was. I haven't read the whole conversation yet, but I can see how it would turn to that. "What draws you in" is a hard topic to stay on. At least I imagine it would be since it's hard for me to talk about.

Ah! I admit I really like shots focused on scale, specifically ones were you can feel how tiny the MC is compared to what the camera is focused on. Does that make sense? Like the panel shows this ginormous thing, and it has the MC in it to show how massive it really is. That's awesome when done right.

Deo101 [Millennium]

Tiny little person. Yes. Very good

DanitheCarutor

Tiny people in giant worlds are the best!

keii4ii

I love those too!

DanitheCarutor

Oh, also this isn't a webcomic, but I've been interested in reading Vinland Saga after seeing this page on Twitter.(edited)

Something about extremely hideous expressions on semi-realistic faces jives with me.

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

What draws me in easiest is the design aspect of characters, environment and the webcomic title! It's a bit of a turn off when the title doesn't look polished. That's one of the main draws for me is an intriguingly designed logo with a catchy name that follows through their chosen aesthetic. I've seen many comics that stand apart from the title image they chose and it's a bit jarring to see! Great examples of wonderful execution of these aesthetics are BlackOut City, O'Sarilho, Sink Your HookTeeth and Shadrunners(obvs there are many more) I have to agree with @sagaholmgaard about backgrounds! There are quite a few creators who avoid them and stick to simple colours and gradients that just dont keep me in the comic- though my fave genres include a lot of world building, so BGs in a romance may not be emphasized as much. Lastly, dynamic character design!! I love a wonderfully crafted cast that allows me to read the characters easily no matter what setting or outfit they're in. Also it's really random but i do love an artist who can draw really good shoes?? That is always a draw in for me (edited)

Capitania do Azar

Oh I meant it in the way that if you spend a lot of time experimenting with different styles and techniques, you'll never be good at any of them. Style and approach changing over time is, imo, inevitable and good :) @sagaholmgaard(edited)

@@FeatherNotes(Krispy) I constantly think my logo looks like crap next to other webcomics', so thank you (edited)

DanitheCarutor

Oh god, @FeatherNotes(Krispy). Titles and logos are legit my weakest point, that part of the comic creation process is the worst! I have this cosmic-horror/fantasy comic I've been developing since 2005, and it took me till just last year to come up with a decent title. It'll probably take another 14 years to come up with a passable logo. Lmao!

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

It is really hard! Because that image/logo and name represents the body of work so firmly, its also got to stand strong with what it's representing and stand up to other titles too! Basically, i like to think of something that will help generate top results when i search on google for the title, which to me helps it stand on its own on the web, and sound catchy enough for pitches in person! I don't want to steer the convo away too much from the prompt, but there is definitely more to discuss about titles and their chosen aesthetics

varethane

@DanitheCarutor have you read Golden Kamuy? If you love hilariously hideous expressions in manga, it seems like it may be your jam lol

(it's also set in a specific historical period and contains a lot of really interesting material about the time/place it takes place in)

Also I feel like I have never, even one time in my life, come up with a good title for anything-- both Chirault and Wychwood are placeholder titles that I used just to kinda name the story for myself, which I initially intended to change when something better came along, and then nothing ever did

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I know I'm generally drawn into a comic if it's just... generally a visual feast? And it doesn't even have to be a beautiful feast - just... a feast! A super intriguing artstyle, beautiful or not, is something for my brain to pick apart and enjoy. Detailed backgrounds, intricate costumes, fascinating presentation/layout... all the way to crazy expressions and fun asides, and even some gory or scary bits to make me go EEK. Basically, if I'm reading it, and my hand is twitching with the prospect of drawing fan art, then I'm in for good.

DanitheCarutor

@FeatherNotes(Krispy) Urg that is such a nightmare! And there are only so many different styles you can do for a logo, and so many variations of words, it's like how there aren't any truly original stories anymore. I got lucky with the title for my current comic, it's the most generic thing ever, but fits in a tongue-in-cheek way. @varethane I've never heard of it, but the face compilations I'm seeing are intriguing! Man, I love stupid facial expressions.

Capitania do Azar

@varethane golden kamuy, I see you are a fellow of taste as well

varethane

(I love it so much)

Capitania do Azar

@DanitheCarutor oh idk about the "only so many things you can do with logos", I've seen amazing things in this world, if there's a limit I'm not seeing it

varethane

(I can always tell exactly when I was binging it because there's a big chunk of my phone's photo gallery that's all screencaps of Asirpa making dumb faces)

Capitania do Azar

@varethane guys shooting each other in the woods? I'm always in for that

DanitheCarutor

@Capitania do Azar Lol I guess? I can't see how you can have an infinite number of designs for writing, while still trying to keep it vaguely readable. But I really don't like lettering, so my imagination is hardcore lacking in that department.

Capitania do Azar

Lettering and logo design are their own fields of expertise, it's ok

meek

Hmm I'm similar to a lot of previous responses where I can't pinpoint a specific style or trend of art work that draws me in because the styles of comics I read differ incredibly. That being said, there are some things that I do look for to keep me coming back: 1) Consistency of style/anatomy: unless there's a specific reason for the general art style to change (not including semi-deformed or chibi versions of characters), I appreciate characters staying proportionate or just otherwise consistent throughout the comic. And art evolution isn't something that's at odds with consistency, it can actually help that by making characters more distinct and easier to distinguish from each other. 2) Potential for art evolution: Almost the opposite of the previous point lmao but if I find a new comic and I see the latest page is of a much higher skill level than the first page, I'm immediately hooked. I want to see the journey. And I want to see how far that journey goes, even past the point where the art "gets good". There's at least one comic that I can think of where once it hit the style that it wanted to, the art has stayed consistent for the past several years but so much so it's almost plateaued and become stagnant. It's still good art, by all means! But I want to see it grow and evolve more. 3) Good panel/speech layout: Okay it's not quite art in the same sense but someone else mentioned this above and I think it's important too? There are so many comics I can think of that I couldn't read or I dropped off at a point because reading was a chore, either because of giant or unsightly speech bubbles, tiny or ill-fitting font, a combination of the two, etc. Sure, graphic design and layout is a skillset completely different from pure illustration, but it's one worth knowing because otherwise you could do a disservice to your art and your story.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

@meek Seriously, the text is so important to me, and I consider it a large part of page layout and design

meek

Agreed!! It's something that bothers me with printed comics all the time. I've tried to read so many "classic" graphic novels and I just.. I can't get past the giant text boxes with small font with miniscule kerning and ESPECIALLY if they then add color to it. Please, keep in mind your readers with reading difficulties But to turn this into a positive One of my favorite things that also helps make a comic feel more personal is when the creator turns their handwriting into a font or otherwise have FUN with the speech bubbles

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

YES. As someone with bad eyesight, typography is one of my favorite aspects of finishing a comic page.

Deo101 [Millennium]

It also is super important for me with ADHD, reading is hard enough as is! so bubble layout and clarity can really bring the whole thing together and elevate a comic

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

I tried that but got the feedback that my text is hard to read and the way i format my speech bubbles is distracting (: But some people have said they really like it so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Though I do think I could have done better with the font. I have good eyesight and bad handwriting do I think i have a much easier time reading weird text than many. Since you guys care so much about text, would you mind taking a quick glance at my comic and telling me how readable it is? It'd be nice getting feedback from random people as opposed to only my readers who felt strongly enough to leave a comment unprompted

meek

Oh man I have this specific panel in mind from some early 2006 Avengers comic of like.. what not to do Basically it was a bright yellow text box with this white/light blue font. It was just. It was a nightmare to read Oh sure!! Definitely send me a link

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Yep! Send me a link too! I'd love to help you out

I also have a good typography book to recommend if you're interested. I can drop it into #art_resources(edited)

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Here is link: https://www.webtoons.comen/challenge/puppeteer/list?title_no=290620

Thanks for taking the time to give me critique!

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

The link's not working, but I can probably find it on Webtoon

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

And I think i dould find a typography book interesting, so yes please do send the link

Sorry, i think the link is missing a slash

Did we both delete the link

Deo101 [Millennium]

did we both delete a

yah

i got it

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Lol

Deo101 [Millennium]

https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/puppeteer/list?title_no=290620

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Thanks

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I found it

(The font is a bit small on mobile, but the font is fine?)

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Wait can we move to shop talk?

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

(maybe we can have this discussion on shop talk channel? )

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Sure

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

OH LOL

DanitheCarutor

@Capitania do Azar Oh god, they so are! I envy anyone who enjoys that craft, I'm a lot better than I was, but lettering is still so hard. ;v; At least the fancy stuff is hard, regular speechbubble lettering is easy as long as my hand cooperates.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

There's a book I had to read for a web design course I took, and it is seriously a life saver

It put text in a whole new perspective

DanitheCarutor

I do all my lettering traditionally, but maybe that book would be helpful, I legit hate doing it no matter what medium I use. (sorry for continuing to derail the channel.)

Capitania do Azar

@DanitheCarutor i used a website that converts handwriting to fonts + font forge for tweaks to get personalised fonts

DanitheCarutor

I used to type bubbles out, and I've thought about it for my current comic but I mix up words and letters really bad, and I forget to add words entirely while typing. It wouldn't be so bad if my brain saw the mistakes while rereading everything, although sometimes it takes a couple days or another set of eyes for me to actually see them. When I write the bubbles in with a pen I make a lot less mistakes since it takes more effort to write out each letter, also my brain can keep better track of the ones I do make. I feel like that's an excuse that makes no sense.

Deo101 [Millennium]

no it totally makes sense

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

I can't say I'm ever especially drawn in by art? Besides the sense of "it looks like a lighthearted action story and I like lighthearted action stories", not much catches my eye. Though, I will drop a comic if I'm put off by the art. Like I can forgive if some things look janky at the start of the comic, but if that jankiness doesn't improve over time, I'll drop the comic. I'll also drop the comic if the character designs are bad (i.e. indistinguishable from each other, or in rare cases just too gross to look at). But again, I can't exactly say "good character designs draw me into the comic" because a lot of comic banners/thumbnails don't really show off full character designs.

chalcara

Varied bodytypes are catnip for me. And I like comics with expressive characters over comics that limit expressiveness to keep the characters pretty.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Oh, definitely agree with that second part. Comics where it looks like everyone has had a ton of Botox is a huge pet peeve of mine

Like, eyebrows are not the only part of the face that can move.

Do more

renieplayerone

Yeah i agree with the janky art thought. I think it helps me follow through the jank if i see that the later pages, the artist has shown growth, and i dont want to force anyone into a "gotta redraw it" loop if thats not something they want (of course everyone has their reasons and theyre also valid af) Ill tend to be more forgiving about the jank if i know its someones first webcomic or first comic in general, because you cant learn how to make comics without actually sitting down and making the dang thing. So yeah, the jank can be a double edged sword(edited)

What super draws me in is comics with a great sense of color. While i love anything vibrant, if the softer watercolors are done well, they're chefs kiss. Prime example of that is Stand Still Stay Silent

mariah (rainy day dreams)

I've been thinking about this question all week and I think I finally boiled my answer down to something short, sweet, and to the point. It's gotta be some kind of spooky and some kind of cute I have a pretty broad range of art styles I like and I definitely also read stuff that doesn't fall under those categories, but I think my favorite stories or artists are some blend of those two things. I don't really have a preference between color and greyscale. Like I definitely love a good color feast comic, but if you know how to use your grey tones or even just black and white well it's just as good for me. Maybe that's also just me trying to justify being mostly a greyscale artist to myself TuT

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

@mariah (rainy day dreams) devils candy would def be up your alley then!

mariah (rainy day dreams)

Devil's candy v good

renieplayerone

Devils Candy is amazing

mariah (rainy day dreams)

I love to combination of cute monsters and action also.

DanitheCarutor

@renieplayerone I'm not sure if it fits totally with your preference, but if you're looking for watercolor Lost Honey is gorgeous! https://www.losthoney.com/

mariah (rainy day dreams)

Lost Honey is another great comic great to look at, really interesting world

DanitheCarutor

It's one of my faves! ;v; There is another comic that was half watercolor half digital that I used to love reading (if I remember right pages set in the current time were digital, and backstory stuff was in watercolor.), but it has been discontinued for years now. It was called Toilet Genie/D00R, a comic about a genie who was locked in a public toilet and was awakened by a pug that got thrown out by her owners. It was so pretty, with such an interesting style!

mariah (rainy day dreams)

Oh wow I haven't thought about that comic in 5 years! X'D I didn't read much of it, because I don't think there was much of it available at the time, but yeah, that one was also very pretty (edited)

renieplayerone

Oh those colors are really pretty!!

DanitheCarutor

Right? Lost Honey is total eye candy. @mariah (rainy day dreams) Yeah, it's sad the creator never got to finish it. I think about it every so often since it's one of the extremely rare (semi)watercolor webcomics out there.

Also I'm extra attached to traditional mediums since I work in a traditional medium myself.

mariah (rainy day dreams)

Same. Got that ink wash/watercolor bias.

Eilidh (Lady Changeling)

My current comic is marker shaded but I so want to do something with ink wash after this one...

DanitheCarutor

Yeah, right now I'm working with color pencils since they're cheap but I want to give gouache or acrylic a try for my next project, depending on which story I do.

Kabocha

Hm, the question is... a lil' challenging to answer. I think in a lot of cases, the art isn't necessarily what gets me, but when it does -- Sometimes it's when someone uses a resource I like/made and I can go "OOOH! I know that thing you used!" Screentones are another one that gets my attention pretty quick. Sparkles... And probably effective spot color use. As much as I enjoy many full color webcomics, there are many that get tiring to try to read for one reason or another (usually it's either a font or a saturation issue - too many similarly saturated colors near one another gets tiring to read). Also, soft coloring. Oooh, just... when the art feels like it ought to be printed on those soft-touch covers... Yeah, that gets my attention. ...and watercolor/inkwash, too. ... okay that's a lot of things that grab my attention, but tl;dr: oh hey look at all that cool stuff that people can do!

mariah (rainy day dreams)

That was part of what was so hard for me thinking about this question cuz really, a lot of things get my attention X') and the more I thought about it the more I was like "I like when a comic is like X, but oh also Y is great and I do really enjoy Z as well!" I just ... like so many things. But I think that's better than being really picky. I've meet some folks that are super picky about art and basically only like one style and I'm just like... you're missing out on so many amazing things!

Kabocha

Right? And heck, even in some comics where the style would normally be unappealing (to me), there's just something about the art and the aesthetic that clicks to make it all work together for that project.(edited)

I do think, though, that there's always going to be a special place in my heart for greyscale or screentoned comics. There's just something about art that knows how to effectively make use of shading and contrast to make their work... well, work for me.

kayotics

Art is probably the first thing that draws me in to read a comic. The top, top tier thing that gets me to pay attention to a comic is really strong inks. I love inking, and unusual inking styles. To those who know me, that's probably incredibly unsurprising. I also love really angular styles. Some other stuff I gravitate towards: cartoony styles, expressive faces, and kind of ugly characters. I enjoy seeing characters that might be described as plain or are drawn in a bit of an ugly way. The last thing that draws me in? Hands. If an art style pays attention to hands, then I'm all for it.

mariah (rainy day dreams)

Does a comic have characters with big, crooked, toothy grins? I'm down for the count X'D https://media.tenor.com/images/618576ebcc4f6d2a12438624be77c54f/tenor.gif

varethane

oh hey, did someone mention webcomics done in ink wash/marker?

Chirault was that!

1367 pages of..... ink with greyscale marker..........

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

honestly blows me away that you toned it traditionally like, all of GJS is inked trad, but to ink AND tone in marker is just.....damn

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

I love ugly characters

RebelVampire

When it comes to art, I'd say there are about four factors that will draw me in. First, readability. Can I visually follow wtf is going on in the comic? I have no interest in the visuals if I can't understand what action characters are taking. So the first point is always for if that is true. Second, character distinguishability. Can I tell one character from another? I am notoriously bad even in real life at being able to tell people apart, so when reading for fun, it's super important to me that I don't have to put a lot of effort into telling characters apart (exceptions for identical twins, of course). Third, personal appeal. Do I think the art is pretty or cute? Like, obviously this is subjective so I can't really put into words why I'd find one style appealing and the other not. But ya know, I like stuff I think is pretty to look at. Fourth, backgrounds. If a creator puts a lot of effort into their background scenery, I'm very sold on it. I love beautiful backgrounds, and the effort put into them give me an overall better impression of the comic as a whole. Since it takes some real passion to take care with backgrounds. All this being said, I'm not much of a stickler for art. If a comic is well-written enough, they can fail all these points and I'll still read it. This is just a list of what aspects have to be in the art for it to draw me in.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

My points are pretty much the same as Rebel's, with the addition of a few things: I adore comics with dramatic facial expressions and consistently excellent anatomy. Also, if the art style is unique? If I feel like I've never seen someone draw that way before? That's ++. So good. I've read comics where I thought the art was good but the story was mediocre, but I've never read a comic where the art met all my points (and Rebel's), where it made me go, "holy fuck," audibly, and then had the story disappoint. Comics where the art made me go "holy fuck" audibly: Excecutioner's Academy: The art is so pointy and colorful and detailed and weird. It's full of personality and life and so are the characters. Warning: hiatus comic ): https://tapas.io/series/Ex-Ac Ava's Demon: You guys know about Ava's Demon, right? With original music and animations ending every chapter, this might be the most effortful comic I've ever seen. https://www.avasdemon.com/pages.php#2611 Sfeer Theory: Everyone looks so different from each other, it's fantastic. Some characters are not conventionally beautiful, yet they're still so appealing. And backgrounds! And a thought-out and unique magic system! https://sfeertheory.com/comic/01-00/ Electric Bones: Backgrounds! Banter! http://electricbonescomic.com/index.php/comic/page-001/ I also loved Prague Race, but unfortunately it was cancelled ):

If anyone else has recommendations for comics with amazing art, I'd love to hear them!

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

For me, it just has to be an art style I like to attract my attention. I generally like realistic art, stylised art, or pretty much any style that hasn’t been done to death (like generic anime art; much as I love manga, I’m really tired of the over-saturation of bland and soulless anime-inspired art). Pretty much anything unique and well executed will grab my attention. I especially like greyscale and limited palettes.(edited)

And just to clarify, I do like anime-style art when it has expression and/or skill behind it; just not when it looks generic and manufactured. Overall, though, it’s the writing that’s ultimately the most important thing to me in a comic, so I’ll enjoy comics for their writing even if I’m not a fan of the art.

#ctparchive #comics #webcomics #indie comics #comic chat #comic discussion #comic tea party #ctp #reader favorites

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confusedsmoulder · 5 years

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Monthly summaries for September

September was a month that had a lot going on and I am happy to relay that October will be a little bit more relaxed. We have a couple of fun things that we have planned. During this time we are encouraging tying up any loose ends that you may still have.

At the beginning of the month we bared witness to the destruction of Hell’s Kitchen. This was due to the hand of the Jester whom after loosing Jingles has faded into the back ground but swears he will be back for more fun in the future.

The trial of Loki occurs. Loki is on trial for moving Asgard to Midgaurd. Asgard unfortunately was put right on top of Atlantis.

The Trial:

Opening statements occur and it is obvious that the air in the room is thick.

Matt Murddock:

“Let’s get the obvious out of the way: I wish I could say it was good to see you this morning, but I can’t. I’m blind. I’m an unconventional choice of representation for a woman who has enough money and power and resources to hire whomever she wants. The opposition wants to paint a picture of her as some power hungry, war-mongering, not-of-this-world invader who intended harm to Earth. And before you say oh she picked you because you’re cut from the same cloth...Remember: She didn’t hire me for this grand of a stage. The world maybe even interplanetary stage. She hired me because she needed someone who knew Hell’s Kitchen. She wanted to change a neglected, poor, crime ridden section of city that’s seen better days. I grew up there. I was blinded there. And I have fought —quite literally— for it to be a better. And she’s tried to help it. Not just Hell’s Kitchen but countless cities. Is she perfect? No. But we’re not trying to prove that. We’re going to prove she is what she says she is: Someone who cares. Someone who has never intended the world harm. No. She is someone who has tried to prevent violence and harm. She is loyal and loving to those she believes in and has constantly striven to be better. Loki Odinson is many things but guilty is not one of them.”

Lucianna Felix:

"As we gather here I would like to remind everyone in the room that Atlantis has lost up to 80% of there population due to Asgard being moved into its current location. 75% of Atlantis is currently struggling to rebuild and it has lost a far amount of its history and historical land markings do to this. Atlantis although not recognized outside of myth until recently is protected under the unknown lands protection act that was established a couple of years ago under section D35 where it mentions that lands containing sentient beings that have been located on Earth for more than 50 years are placed under the UN protection clause. Seeing as Loki had not asked to move Asgard onto the earth without going through the proper space approval channels. We are pursuing the harshest punishment possible in light of her crimes. I would like to also remind the court that Loki refers to herself as the 'Ruler of the Nine' which includes the Earth or as they phrase it on Asgard: midgaurd. Looking at her actions it is highly plausible that she feels she is above all laws and jurisdictions. Just some food for thought."

As the trial continues Matt Murddock finishes his questioning of Stephen Strange. Stephen makes a strong case of Loki’s character that is nearly unshakable. Lucianna Felix shows Stephen Strange a phone number to see if he can I identify it as Kate Bishops which he was able too. There are several text messages on the phone to Silkie Va’nora detailing how she was now related to Garth which meant that Loki was now her sister and how Stephan and Garth were the best parents she ever had. Seeing this the court takes some of what Stephen Strange has to say in consideration although viewed as heavily biased. The facts are reviewed by the court during a brief recess.

Seeing as Stephen Strange was the only witness to Loki’s character the three judges have Loki stand and plead her case in better explanation to the court. Loki taking the stand pleads her case talking more so towards the other leaders in the room rather than the court itself feeling she had a better chance of swaying them. After stepping down from the stand Loki takes her place with her family and her lawyer. The judges then request other countries to plead their stance on what Loki had done.

Wakanda’s stance is that if it was the last option that they would have done so, however they would have went through and picked a location that wouldn’t be in the way or an issue along with going through the proper channels.

Themiscyra’s stance is that they would have done what Loki had done and felt that if anyone was put in her situation that they would have done so. Proper channels or not if it was life or death of a nation or if they felt incoming threats that they couldn’t protect themselves from it would be done. If they had the ability to do so at least.

Atlantis’s stance is that they would not have done so. It is obvious that the king’s son does not agree to this with the look on his face however he stays very quiet.

With these statements the court goes into another recess for deliberation. Once they are settled in court the Judges ask Loki to stand. Loki is found guilty however they have the most sympathetic judge speak.

-Asgard is to be moved although it is allowed to remain on the Earth seeing that it is already here they can’t just ask for Asgard to go back to it’s realm. It is moved to be floating above the earth’s ocean the Atlantic. It will not receive tourism do to it’s distance above the Earth.

-Loki is not acknowledged as The All Nine

-Asgard is to help rebuild Atlantis and supply funds if needed.

-Loki is seen as unfit to be put in any ruling position be it political or figure head.

-Loki is not imprisoned seeing as a few countries and hidden societies would have done the same in her position if their hand as forced and they had the ability.

The Fake Civil War:

After the trial Loki does not release a statement and changes her appearance to remain unnoticed for the time. She avoids the press and lays low with her family. Tony on the other hand…

Standing in front of the camera’s Tony clenches his fists not being 100% healed from his resent secret surgery. He wears make up to seem less sickly than he actually is. Looking a cross the sea of camera’s and media excited to hear from Iron man himself, Tony waits watching the room hush enough to a murmur he clears his throat a bit. “Trial sentencing for Loki? It’s bullshit. Look, I don’t want her dead. Danvers and Banner love her, but...political offices stripped from her and she had to fork over money? At least Ambassadors have to follow certain rules and conduct themselves with some kind of decorum. She brought an entire super-powered civilization and plunked it down. What does that smell like to you? Invasion. Act of War.And now, it’s been days. We haven’t heard anything from her. What’s she planning? What’s she going to do now that she’s been let off the leash?I’m not gonna sit around and find out.” Tony states it with anger a ploy that he used in hopes to get the correct response. As the room erupts into a fit of shouts and questions he steps away from the microphone and walks away.

At the time of the press release Wanda and Loki find their way to Asgard to request the help of Moni. Loki explaining everything that has occurred is hoping that the fight will draw out Hydra from hiding. Moni agrees to help offering the space that is needed.

Loki and Tony ask all heroes to secretly meet up at the sanctum. Explaining the plan each person agrees to be apart of the plan. Especially since she had the feeling that Hydra has some hand in the outcome of her trial. With the flash drive that Steve had gotten from the Hydra base it was all more than possible.

Sending Wanda and Loki to Asgard the pair work together to make a large fight that is purely fake and done with magic happen.

As this fight begins Carol, fake Loki, Bruce, and heroes who have chosen to stand on her side are lined up. On the opposite side Steve, Tony, and a few others stand on his side. The fight is large and massive being recorded by drones the live footage being live-streamed to all outlets. As they went on for most of the day they were finally down to four people on their field just before the final blow the footage is cut.

-After seeing this the Super Hero Registration act and the Mutant Registration act are brought into the spot light. Being just passing comments and on the back burner for most legislation seeing this massive battle as pushed these things into the spot light. Fast tracking making them law in the next couple of years.

-As for Hydra the ploy hadn’t worked and they had nothing to do with the outcome of Loki’s trial.

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eduardomeneses · 5 years

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Faves of 2018: Anime contd.

My reflections on the last set of shows I enjoyed from 2018:

1. Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These - To my understanding, this is a remake of the anime that aired in the 80’s - 90’s, and covers the first volume of the original novel, and I’m glad this is how it’s being presented. As to be expected, the show is clean and crisp, none of the animation being disregarded. This space opera is full of politics and intergalactic military strategy. The main characters are quite captivating and the writing is smart all around. The show has a clever way of jumping between the conflicts and politics that happen on both the battlefield and each respective federations territory. The anime is incredibly tight and concise, this first season consisting of just 12 episodes, but it is among the best produced packages to release this year. A highlight of the year that I can’t wait to see more from, and a show I’d recommend to anyone looking for an anime with a little more substance.

2. Megalo Box - an anime that restored that feeling. With just 13 episodes, Megalo Box did an amazing job of showcasing the rise of underdog boxer within a world that refused to recognize him. Very much the typical underdog story, akin to Rocky or any other sports film/anime, the familiarity of Megalo Box does nothing but boost how enjoyable it was in a summer season that didn’t have much going on. The show had an old school vibe, coming through in the plot, the characters, and the art direction. The cast is incredibly charismatic and each episode left me thirsty for more. I have got to say that I’m a sucker for these kinds of shows, and it delivered on all fronts. Like the main character, this show is relentless, but paced well with thoroughly profound writing. Something about the true nature of humans lies in the anime and it is certainly a genuine article as one of my favorites I’ve had the pleasure to watch.

3. Persona 5 The Animation - Unaware of the game that acts as the anime’s source material and the universe the show comes from, I’d have to say I really did enjoy the strangeness in Persona 5. Some of the sequences and animation were a bit offbeat, but in a charming way. At times it felt like watching a cut scene within a game. The anime really delivered with the plot and it pulled me deeper and deeper into its world, which I was fine with, even with not knowing where it would take me. There are plenty of tricks and deceits that are a part of the storyline that makes it a captivating watch. It feels as if the show breaks the fourth wall at times to really mess with the viewer. The art is clean, nothing revolutionary, but the anime continued to turn in on itself which made each week surprising. I have to say that some of the pacing threw me off, especially around the 3/4 mark, in the stretch between episodes 17-20, but it picked up well and I’m very eager to see how the cliffhanger is resolved.

4. Food Wars: Shokugeki No Souma SZN 4 - Continuing its reign as the gold standard for food in anime, Shokugeki no Souma is here again to amaze and flex its mastery of the culinary. There aren’t enough words to be said about how beautifully composed the anime is. It is faithful to the source material and adds dynamism and even more excitement to all the events and dishes served. I won’t keep you for too long, harping on how much I love this anime, but it is among my favorite of all time. It is pure entertainment and the perfect balance of sensuality, beauty, and comedy. Elite.

5. Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online - an offshoot of the Sword Art Online universe and arguably the strongest among the other series in the franchise, SAO Alternative: Gun Gale online, is fun, plain and simple. Existing within the SAO universe, GGO is able to surpass its counterparts because it doesn’t take itself too seriously. I was unsure of what to expect, with this anime, considering I’m not a fan of the original SAO series at all, but I’m glad I stuck around for all of GGO. It does so much with very little, electing to make the characters and overall story very lean. The motivations and ambitions are clear for everyone we are introduced to and the main focus of the show exists as a tournament between teams looking to win the battle royale. GGO does itself a great service by not trying to muddy the story with deep, complex real world actualities and commits to the virtual game world, making for an exciting sequence of events that unravel over 24 episodes. The anime operates as the most fun and enjoyable stream of FPS gameplay anyone could ask for, with genuinely likable characters, and that places it leagues above its predecessors.

6. Attack on Titan SZN 3 - Attack on Titan takes my vote for most improved thus far. Now airing in smaller, 12 episode seasons, Attack on Titan has figured out how to pace itself in a way that follows the source material and makes the events as interesting as possible. The first season suffered a bit in that it dragged for stretches while trying to build up the overall narrative. The journey has proved to be worth all the trouble because the past two seasons have been exceptional. Season 3 finds us mining much more of the human factor within the Attack on Titan universe, and although the show is addressing much more of the politics and personal dramas, it’s provided in digestible doses. With the 12 episodes, we are given a well-balanced plot that touches on every positive aspect of the show while being concise with the points that feel more laborious. What I also found interesting is the turning point this season proved for several characters, so now there is much more to look forward to in the ways the entire cast will develop as they dive deeper into the murky waters of the titan infested, human manipulated world they inhabit.

7. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind - Most Certainly bizarre and the most cohesive series in the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure universe, Golden Wind delights with its charm and eccentricities and I hope it continues the course it is running. Anyone new to the JoJo universe doesn’t need to go back and watch previous seasons to enjoy Golden Wind, but it may help overcome some of the strange stylistic choices the anime takes. The show, like the previous seasons, is full of character, color, and life, and like previous seasons also a bit grotesque, maybe not the right word, but the first one that comes to mind. The story is interesting and the Italian setting makes it even more captivating. If taken not too seriously, the show is well executed and a carnival for the eye. There are enough interesting characters thus far, and I”m eager to see where the show takes them over the next 20+ episodes.

8. SSSS.Gridman - Another Studio Trigger production, another beauty to debut this year. A modern animated adaptation of the early 90’s live action series, SSSS.Gridman is a super stylized, sophisticated anime about a giant robot that fights of giant monsters, what’s not to like? The anime is the glossiest rendition of the robot vs monster genre that slowly unravels to reveal ambitions to investigate the human condition. What was first something simply fun to watch, has transformed, like the protagonist of the show, into something much more complex. The show has done a good job of taking a seemingly childish setup and adding layers to it. With the show on a few episodes away from the finale, I find it to be one of the most satisfying 12 episode anime to come out of 2018.

9. Banana Fish - Fitting that the heaviest anime of the year is about to end just as the year is wrapping up. Thousands of words would be needed to fully unpack all that Banana Fish has addressed in its 23 episodes thus far, and with one to go, it will continue to build upon the sturdy foundation it started laying out when it premiered at the beginning of July. Banana Fish is a brutal, realist take on crime, drugs, sexuality, and desire. It never pulls any punches and is a winding tale that has turned on itself many times already. There is a coating of sadness that wraps every aspect of the show and succeeds in being able to pull at the audience at every event. I’ll have to revisit this anime after it ends and I’ve had more time to reflect because it truly has an extraordinary amount working for it.

#anime #favorites #2018 #review #anime review #banana fish #ssss gridman #jojos bizarre adventure #legend of the galactic heroes #megalo box #attack on titan #sword art online #shokugeki no soma #persona 5

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aion-rsa · 5 years

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Why Batman Still Matters: DC on 80 Years of the Dark Knight

https://ift.tt/2HWmob3

Detective Comics hits #1000 as Batman turns 80. We talked to Kevin Conroy, Bruce Timm, Scott Snyder, and more about the hero's legacy!

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John Saavedra

Batman

Mar 27, 2019

DC Entertainment

Scott Snyder

Kevin Conroy

Bruce Timm

This Batman article contains spoilers for Detective Comics #1000.

It all began with two shots in the dark, pearls spilling onto the blood-soaked cement. No, it all started when the bat crashed through the window. Actually, it was when the boy fell into the cave. Maybe it was that hostile takeover at Apex Chemicals? Dozens of stories have shaped the legend of the Batman over his 80-year history, tales that have made the Caped Crusader arguably the most iconic character in comic book history, rivaled only by Superman.

When Bill Finger and Bob Kane put pen and pencils to paper for 1939's Detective Comics #27, they had no way of knowing that they were creating a new American myth that would captivate readers and movie audiences for decades to come. They certainly didn't expect their first Batman adventure, "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate," to spawn 973 more issues of Detective Comics, let alone become a blockbuster franchise of movies, TV series, video games, and McDonald's Happy Meals.

But here we are: this week sees the release of Detective Comics #1000, written and drawn by some of the best creators in the business. The giant-sized, 96-page issue features stories by legends such as Dennis O'Neil, Neal Adams, Steve Epting, Christopher Priest, Jim Lee, Kelley Jones, Paul Dini, Brian Michael Bendis, Warren Ellis, and Geoff Johns as well as the current custodians of the Bat-mythos -- Tom King, Tony S. Daniel, Peter J. Tomasi, Doug Mahnke, Joelle Jones, Scott Snyder, and Greg Capullo. And that's not even including the excellent covers by Jim Steranko, Bernie Wrightson, Bruce Timm, Frank Miller, Jock, Tim Sale, and more.

Batman is only the second DC A-list superhero to reach such a massive milestone, the other being the Man of Steel, who celebrated his own 80th last year with the release of Action Comics #1000, and the company is celebrating every era of the character in this Bat-themed anniversary issue, from one of his very first (and longest) cases as a young vigilante to his very last on the eve of a lonely birthday.

In one story, we see Bruce struggling with a fateful decision that will change his young ward Dick Grayson's life forever, while in another, Batman's extended family of heroes gets together for a hilarious reunion on a rooftop. There's also Bruce getting some much-needed guidance from Leslie Thompkins as well as a story about the worst henchmen in Batman's rogues gallery that perfectly recreates the tone of Batman: The Animated Series. The issue's most poignant tale is about Bruce's search for the gun that killed his mother and father in a ghastly scene that's been retold through every generation of the character. All of these excellent stories are meant to explore both Batman's growth, from pulpy masked vigilante to modern symbol of hope (Zack Snyder movies notwithstanding), as well as the nature of the legend itself.

What is it about this story of a boy who suffers a terrible tragedy and grows up to avenge the death of his parents night after night that has kept it at the forefront of our pop culture? Batman has been able to outlive or overshadow many of the characters that inspired his own creation -- Zorro, The Shadow, Doc Savage, Sherlock Holmes, The Phantom Detective, Dracula, among others -- but what makes him so special?

I was fortunate enough to speak to Batman writers Scott Snyder and Peter J. Tomasi, artists Bruce Timm and Jock, and the Caped Crusader himself, Batman: The Animated Series' Kevin Conroy, about why Batman still matters after all this time. Their answers showcase different aspects of the Dark Knight, from his flexibility as a character to just how damn good he looks in that costume.

But according to Conroy, who I spoke to at New York Comic Con in 2017 and 2018, Batman's continued popularity goes back to something way more primal than form and function. To the classically-trained actor who was immortalized as THE voice of Batman in the '90s cartoon, the Caped Crusader is a modern retelling of myths and stories humans have been passing down for thousands of years.

"He's such a theatrical character," Conroy says, speaking of his initial hesitance to audition for the role. At the time, he was a theater actor who'd never done an animated role. But when he began reading the script, the character clicked. Conroy recognized this story. "They were absolutely right to cast a theater actor, especially one with a classical background, because this is Shakespeare. They're doing high drama. Batman is Achilles. He's Orestes. He's Hamlet."

The tragic Greek character Orestes is particularly on Conroy's mind when playing Batman. He's performed several plays as Orestes, a son who avenges his father's murder and goes mad because of it. By the end of the story cycle, Orestes has gone through hell and back because of his thirst for vengeance. Naturally, Conroy brought that familiarity with Orestes to his portrayal of Batman.

"He's a Homeric hero," Conroy says of the Caped Crusader. "I think of it often when I'm doing Batman because Orestes is haunted by the Furies. He descends into hell. He comes back. He's resurrected at the end. And I think so often, this is a very Orestial-like journey that Bruce Wayne goes on. His Furies are the memory of his parents' murder. It haunts him through his life. It's transformed him."

Conroy calls Batman a "classic character." Like Orestes before him, Batman has become the protagonist of our very own mythology, according to the actor.

"He's come out of such a fire and instead of letting life crush him, he turns that metamorphosis into something even greater than himself. He overcomes the tragedy that is his childhood to help heal the world...They've been telling that story for thousands of years, in different cultures and this is our culture's way of telling those stories, and I think they're just as valid."

"I think what makes him deeply enduring is that it's a really primal folk tale," Snyder, who's been writing Batman stories since 2011, says on the phone. "It's a story about a boy who loses everything and turns that loss into fuel to make sure that what happened to him never happens to anybody else."

While most of us aren't billionaire playboys with the resources to fight crime on a global (and sometimes cosmic) level, we understand pain, both emotional and physical, and a need to rise above it, even if we can't always do that. And we sympathize with Bruce's biggest regret -- if only he hadn't made his parents take him to see that Zorro movie, if only he hadn't been scared at the opera, if only he'd been braver and faster as the thug pulled the trigger, things might have been different. For Bruce, his crusade to stop evildoers comes down to replaying that single fateful moment over and over again. If only he'd done something...

Yet, Batman perseveres despite all of this pain, which is why people flock to the character, according to Snyder.

"It's a story of triumph over your worst fears, worst tragedy, and about taking your loss and turning it into a win," the writer says. "There's just this kind of power to him that speaks to our own potential, the human potential, even when we're challenged by things that seem insurmountably horrible."

Snyder has spent the better part of a decade showcasing Batman as a symbol of hope for the citizens of Gotham, putting him through the ringer, reopening old wounds while also making new ones -- the writer even killed the hero off at one point -- just so that he can pick himself up again and keep fighting.

But the character isn't all tragedy, death, and knightmares. Who could hang with a downer like that for 80 years?

"There are the fun elements, of course, that are similar to James Bond, like the gadgets, and the cars, and the planes, and just the cool factor of his costume."

Timm, who co-created Batman: The Animated Series and designed the show's iconic Art Deco aesthetic, is unsurprisingly most taken by Batman's look.

"I just think Batman looks great," Timm says during our chat at NYCC in 2018. "He's got the best costume motif in comics. Nothing comes close. He's dark and sexy and broody. It's really intoxicating and compelling in a way that almost no other in comics can come close to it."

He also admires the durability of the character through the different eras of comics, from the Golden Age, to the sillier '50s and '60s stories of the Comics Code era, to the darker takes we're more accustomed to today.

"It is amazing to me how flexible he is as a character. That you could have something as silly as the Adam West show or the old '50s comics, and then you have stuff like Neal Adams and Frank Miller and what we did. And you know, even more extreme, [Grant Morrison and Dave McKean's graphic novel] Arkham Asylum and things like that. And yet their all kind of the same character. It's like that character can encompass all of those different things. He can do space aliens and serial killers, you know? Yet, it kind of works."

This flexibility has allowed plenty of writers and artists to experiment with the Dark Knight, creating different versions of the character over the years. There really isn't a definitive take on Batman. Undoubtedly, one of the big reasons he's still so popular and speaks to so many people is that there's a Bat story for everybody. You can love the Batusi, Bat-Mite, or Mr. Freeze's cool party and still be right on the money about the Caped Crusader. You'd be remiss to call the character stale. The guy has done it all.

"It's almost like he's a force of nature, in which stories can happen around him, and there's something primordial, maybe, about the character and the way he looks, as well," veteran Batman artist Jock, who is currently working on a six-part miniseries with Snyder called The Batman Who Laughs, says on the phone. "You could put Batman in a new pose, and he'd still flourish, and I think those kinds of characters are very rare."

Tomasi, who has the huge responsibility of ushering in Detective Comics #1000 as the current writer on the series, puts it best in our email exchange:

"He's a character who can work across all genres. Somehow, someway, he can simply fit into every story, be it a war story, a western, a love story, a comedic angle, sci-fi, horror, fantasy, you name it, and of course any detective story you can possibly imagine."

Detective Comics #1000 closes with a prologue to Tomasi's next arc on the series, which will be drawn by Brad Walker (The Demon: Hell Is Earth) and introduce the Arkham Knight character from the recent Batman video game to DC continuity. While Tomasi can't say much about the story, especially when it comes to who is underneath the imposing Arkham Knight armor, he did share that the villain "looks at Batman as a curse on Gotham City and will do whatever it takes to destroy Batman and bring light to a city drowning in darkness."

Tomasi previously wrote the Batman: Arkham Knight tie-in series that acted as a prequel to the game, so he knows this rogue better than anyone. It's very fitting that he's using a new villain to begin Detective's run to another 1000 issues and a new era of Batman.

Will we still be talking about Batman in another 80 years? Sure, superhero stories are enjoying a second golden age, but tastes change and trends eventually end. Superheroes won't always be at the top of our pop culture food chain. It's inevitable that many of the characters we love today will fade with future generations, just as the Shadow, Doc Savage, and the Scarlet Pimpernel did. We may eventually embrace new forms of familiar myths, becoming obsessed with new idols. But only a fool would bet against a character who's survived as long as Batman has. Remember, the Batman always wins.

John Saavedra is an associate editor at Den of Geek. Read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @johnsjr9.

from Books https://ift.tt/2CHhHP1

#aion-rsa #Books

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hollywoodjuliorivas · 4 years

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‘Dirt’ reveals a failing of book industry

The establishment deemed it the great immigrant novel, yet it doesn’t reflect Latino experience

JEANINE CUMMINS said she was nervous to write a story of the plight of Mexican migrants and wished “someone slightly browner than me would write it.” (Joe Kennedy)

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ESMERALDA BERMUDEZ

By now, you’ve probably heard about the uproar that took place last week over a book.

“American Dirt” by Jeanine Cummins was celebrated by critics as the great immigrant novel of our day.

“Masterful.”

“Pulse-pounding.”

“Soul-obliterating.”

“A ‘Grapes of Wrath’ for our times.”

Even Oprah Winfrey dove in early Tuesday morning, the day of the release, and anointed “American Dirt” with the holy grail of endorsements, selecting it for her book club.

“I was opened, I was shook up, it woke me up,” Winfrey said in a promotional video. “I feel like everyone who reads this book is actually going to be immersed in the experience of what it means to be a migrant on the run for freedom.”

It was a perfectly orchestrated mega-budget campaign that might have gone off without a hitch if weren’t for Latinos. Many who grew up in actual immigrant families unleashed a storm of criticism — unlike anything the book industry has seen in years.

I was among those who spoke up.

I’m an immigrant, after all. My family fled by foot and bus to the U.S. in the 1980s as right-wing death squads were killing and torturing thousands across El Salvador, including several of my relatives.

The trauma of those dark days shaped everything about me.

I figured I might recognize some part of my story in Cummins’ book, which follows an immigrant mother and son on their harrowing escape north from Mexico.

Then I read the book. My skin crawled after the first few chapters.

Not because of the suspense, though that’s probably the only thing this narrative does well, like a cheap-thrill narconovela.

What made me cringe was immediately realizing that this book was not written for people like me, for immigrants. It was written for everyone else — to enchant them, take them on a wild border-crossing ride, make them feel all fuzzy inside about the immigrant plight.

All, unfortunately, with the worst stereotypes, fixations and inaccuracies about Latinos.

Sure, I know it’s all fiction and I’m no literary critic. Cummins is not obligated to write a book that reflects my life. But it’s strange that a novel so many are praising for its humanity seems so far from all the real-life immigrant experiences I’ve covered.

Never in nearly two decades of writing about immigrants have I come across someone who resembles Cummins’ heroine, a Mexican woman named Lydia.

She’s a middle-class, bookstore-owning “Mami” who starts her treacherous journey with a small fortune: a stack of cash, thousands of dollars in inheritance money; also an ATM card to access thousands more from her mother’s life savings.

Why is she fleeing? Because while her husband, a journalist, was investigating a drug lord, Lydia was flirting with that same narco.

Moments after he walked into her bookshop, “She smiled at him, feeling slightly crazy. She ignored this feeling and plowed recklessly ahead.”

Later, when Lydia is running for her life, debating whether she and her 8-year-old son should jump on La Bestia, the perilous northbound freight train that’s cost many immigrants their limbs and lives, she has an identity crisis. She used to be “sensible,” “a devoted mother-and-wife.” Now she calls herself “deranged Lydia.”

Because hint, hint, reader: Any immigrant parent desperate enough to put their kids in such danger must be crazy, right?

It’s a book of villains and victims, the two most tired tropes about immigrants in the media, in which Cummins has an “excited fascination” with brown skin, as New York Times critic Parul Sehgal pointed out in one of the few negative reviews of the book. Her characters are “berry-brown” or “tan as childhood.” There is also a reference to “skinny brown children.”

When two of her leading characters, sisters migrating from Honduras named Rebeca and Soledad, hug, “Rebeca breathes deeply into Soledad’s neck, and her tears wet the soft brown curve of her sister’s skin.”

When’s the last time you hugged your sister and stopped to contemplate the color of her skin?

All novelists offer vivid descriptions of their characters, but Cummins’ preoccupation with skin color is especially disturbing in a society that constantly measures the worth of Latinos by where they fall on the scale of brownness.

Soledad, by the way, is also “dangerously” beautiful. She’s a “vivid throb of color,” an “accident of biology.” Even in the “most minor animation of the girl’s body … danger rattles off her relentlessly.”

Of course. Everywhere we Latinas go, our bodies are radioactive with peligro.

Speaking of Spanish, you’ll pick up quite a few words in “American Dirt.” Cummins, in stiff sentences that sound like Dora the Explorer teaching a toddler, will introduce you to conchas, refrescos, “Ándale,” “Ay, Dios mío,” “¡Me gusta!”

All this, it pains me to say, was praised by nearly every U.S. critic who reviewed it as a great accomplishment.

It’s what the Washington Post’s critic “devoured” in a “dry-eyed adrenaline rush,” what kept the Los Angeles Times reviewer up until 3 a.m., what the New York Times initially said had all the “ferocity and political reach of the best of Theodore Dreiser’s novels.” (The latter paper later deleted the tweet, and an editor explained the line had been from an unpublished draft.)

The heart of the problem is the industry — the critics, agents, publicists, book dealers who were responsible for this project. They’ve shown just how little they know about the immigrant experience beyond the headlines.

So we are left with this flawed book as our model, these damaging depictions at a time when there’s already so much demonizing of immigrants.

Cummins said she questioned whether she was the right person to tell this story.

She was born in Spain and raised in Maryland. A few years ago she identified herself in the New York Times as “white,” though in the book she plays up her Latina side, making reference to a grandmother from Puerto Rico. Her publisher publicized the book by promoting Cummins as “the wife of a formerly undocumented immigrant.” She doesn’t mention that her husband is from Ireland.

“I worried that, as a non-immigrant and non-Mexican, I had no business writing a book set almost entirely in Mexico, set entirely among migrants,” she said in her author’s note.

“I wished someone slightly browner than me would write it.”

Still, she saw herself as a “bridge,” so she plunged in.

I don’t take issue with an outsider coming into my community to write about us. But “American Dirt” so completely misrepresents the immigrant experience that it must be called out.

Cummins said her goal was to help immigrants portrayed as a “faceless brown mass.” She said she wanted to give “these people a face.”

How’s that for a captivating book pitch?

The industry ate it up. In a rare three-day bidding war, Flatiron Books reportedly won Cummins’ book for a seven-figure sum.

The number astounded many writers. It fell with a blunt force on Latinos, who are constantly shut out of the book industry.

The overall industry is 80% white. Executives: 78% white. Publicists and marketing: 74% white. Agents: 80% white.

These numbers include 153 book publishers and agencies, including what’s known in the book world as the Big Five, which control nearly the entire market.

This diversity study, the most comprehensive in the industry, was launched by a small independent children’s book publisher in New York called Lee & Low Books. They’ve conducted it twice, in 2015 and in 2019. (Figures noted above are from the latest study, which will be released Tuesday.)

In those four years, the numbers showed no significant change.

“The power balance has been off for so long,” said Hannah Ehrlich, director of marketing and publicity for Lee & Low. “Even when a big mistake is brought to their attention, when there’s a sense of urgency, publishers don’t fix it — or they try, with good intentions, but they don’t know how.”

They don’t know how. (Insert emoji of head exploding.)

The solution is simple: Hire more Latinos. More people of color. Listen to them. Promote them. Treat them fairly so they don’t leave.

Ehrlich kindly walked me through the world of publishing, which of course is very similar to journalism, including in its glaring lack of racial diversity.

Often, Ehrlich said, what happens is gatekeepers go looking for good stories, stories that resonate with their view of the world. If they come across a compelling pitch about a person of color, the question becomes, “How do you sell this idea to a broader, mainstream audience?” Translation: white people.

By focusing on one audience, the industry makes it harder for writers of color to break through and also for publishers to build a more diverse customer base.

So it goes, in a long process that many writers of color know all too well, where the best of our stories are frequently sanitized, devalued, tropicalized, manipulated, shrunk down, hijacked.

All for sums that don’t come close to seven figures.

And for deals that don’t get the kind of superstar treatment of “American Dirt.” That includes books that Cummins studied closely to prepare for her novel, with real migrant stories like Oscar Martinez’s “The Beast,” Sonia Nazario’s “Enrique’s Journey,” Luis Alberto Urrea’s “The Devil’s Highway.”

Cummins has no regrets about reaping the benefits of the system. She already got a movie deal and will travel to the border with Oprah for more publicity.

“I was never going to turn down money that someone offered me for something that took me seven years to write,” she said in a recent interview.

When asked about the criticism, the author often keeps the focus on the question of appropriation, saying writers shouldn’t be silenced. I have no desire to silence her, but her book is a symptom of a larger problem.

Cummins said people should direct their attention to the publishing world, not individual writers like her.

She’s got a point. In the end, the real fight over “American Dirt” is not about this writer. It’s about an industry that favors her stories over ones written by immigrants and Latinos.

Still, it’s hard to let Cummins off the hook.

Not when she has posted photos on her Twitter account showing her celebrating “American Dirt” with floral centerpieces laced with barbed wire.

“That’s what I call attention to detail right?!” she wrote in a comment below the photo she posted of the party.

I can’t explain the gut punch I felt when I saw this image on the internet.

Growing up, my family spoke of this barbed wire. How it encircled them, how it tore their hands and legs in their treacherous trek north.

For us, the boogeyman that forced us to leave El Salvador was not some drug kingpin with a quivering mustache like La Lechuza.

It was a brutal 12-year war of terror waged on poor people by oligarchs, backed by the United States, which spent billions to train and equip Salvadoran death squads and the Salvadoran military; the U.S. helped pay for their weapons, bombs, jeeps, uniforms, gas masks. More than 75,000 Salvadorans died in the fighting.

Before my third birthday, I lost just about everyone: My grandfather, uncle and aunt were killed. My father was exiled. My mom was forced to leave me behind in El Salvador to come north.

It’s a story that repeats itself among the hundreds of thousands of Salvadorans who fled to the U.S. in the 1980s.

Because of greed, a thirst for power and government violence in Central America — a place where the United States has heavily intruded since the 1800s — thousands of families continue to run north. From Honduras. From Guatemala. From El Salvador.

This is the immigration story of our times.

Hopefully, soon, the book world will gather the nerve to let more of our own writers tell it. And give that story the same royal treatment it gave “American Dirt.”

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cinemamablog · 5 years

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My So-Called Adult Life through Film

Some people find comfort in family and friends, others in less healthy habits like overindulging in food or shopping or alcohol. Then there’s me and my kindred cinephiles, who find nothing more reliable and cozy than to hide under a pile of blankets, prepare a bowl of popcorn, compile a selection of movies, and press “play.” This habit of finding solace in cinema served me well the past eight years of adulthood. I can even chart the changes in my life by the movies that felt like a warm jacket in the emotional winters of my 20s.

In my college years, I found solace in two stylish movies: the Vogue documentary The September Issue (2009) and the Wes Anderson family dramedy The Royal Tenenbaums (2001).

I loved the style and drama of the behind-the-scenes Vogue doc. At the time, my first semester as a college freshman, I still had dreams of acting on the big screen, or working as a fashion photographer as my “back-up” plan. Not only did I use the movie to unwind from my theatre classes and distract myself from a terrible heartsickness, I thought I was studying for my future career. I looked up to Anna Wintour, Grace Coddington, and Andre Leon Talley, like mentors who lived on my laptop screen and in the pages of magazines at the grocery store. For a little over an hour, I shared in their posh struggles. I “tsk”ed at Mario Testino’s flightiness and Sienna Miller’s stubbornness. “Why didn’t you take more photos for the cover, Mario? Just cut your hair, Sienna! It’s the September issue, people!” I’d mentally accost the persons seemingly sabotaging the project. I sided with Coddington when she butted heads with her longtime workplace champion and challenger, Anna Wintour. But above all, I loved lingering on set with Coddington, eating pastries with models in Versailles and researching photography books from the roaring ‘20s. While the internet has repeatedly “cancelled” Grace Coddington, my 18 year-old self basked in her whimsical attitude towards fashion, beauty, and storytelling. I hope some of that whimsy rubbed off on me.

Later in college, during my History major years, I spent all day in class (or skipping class) and all evening either working at Blockbuster or rehearsing for a small show. My fragile mental state wreaked as much havoc on my self-esteem during this time as it did during my early college years, but at least this time I could point to my accomplishments and plead my case: “Look! I’m productive!”

In the strange (but not always unpleasant) smelling aisles of my Blockbuster, I shelved movies and, for recommendation purposes, took note of which of my favorite movies were back in stock. I even lent my personal copy of Anderson’s Rushmore to an unpresuming hipster couple, who returned the movie a couple weeks later with a sweet note and a five dollar bill. As one of the perks of working for near minimum wage, I could rent ten free rentals a week, as well as rent new releases over the weekend before their official release. With this wealth of discs at my fingertips, I discovered a lot of new favorites over my year and a half under Blockbuster’s employ, but repeatedly returned to Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums.

Everyone relates to dysfunctional family dynamics, unless they’re lying. But the familial aspects of the Tenenbaums’ story didn’t stick with me the way the characters’ malaise did. Adopted sister Margot soaking in a bathtub for days, her husband simply stating his wish for death, Richie Tenenbaum taking care to shave his beard before slitting his wrists. The family’s simple melancholy, expressed without melodramatics but rather matter-of-fact statements and actions, struck me. The bluntness of the script, communicating an overall sadness in a straightforward fashion, felt foreign but welcome to my depressed self. I considered myself a powder keg in my adolescence, always the one to spout off my cruel thoughts at the expense of the feelings of those close to me. The way the Tenenbaums expressed themselves, clearly but calmly (save for maybe Ben Stiller’s Chas Tenenbaum), while acknowledging big and uncomfortable feelings, seemed new and exciting. A different, maybe better, way to express myself without exploding from the inside out every other day. While it would take a bit longer before I found the key to bringing a sense of stability to my inner life (it’s called managing expectations and setting boundaries), I found comfort in the Tenenbaums’ home.

A couple years later, after living in LA for a few months, I enjoyed renting movies at South Pasadena’s local video store, Videotheque. Located just a couple exits from either of my jobs and always open late (when the traffic conveniently dies down), I spent my evenings after stressful closing shifts roaming the store’s shelves of DVDs. I tried to mix things up: pick one movie from the horror section, one from a director’s stack of movies, and one from the silent or classic sections. (Videotheque’s organization system spoke to my movie-loving heart, though sometimes I noticed errors, like the silent film The Great Gabbo misleadingly sitting in the Greta Garbo stack.) It was in Gillian Armstrong’s filmography that I discovered a movie that brought me a great deal of comfort in lonely Los Angeles: Starstruck (1982). The pink and glittery spine of the case caught my eye. (As anyone who’s seen me drive around in my little pink car can attest: I adore the color.)

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I returned to our Glendale apartment and holed up in our bedroom with my rental selections, including Blue Underground’s aesthetically pleasing release of Starstruck. Jo Kennedy, an authentic punk singer, stars as Jackie in Gillian Armstrong’s New Wave musical about a young woman aspiring to stardom with the help of her clingy cousin/manager, Angus. Ms. Kennedy brings an insane amount of style and showmanship to the role’s musical numbers, whether in a club and wearing a kangaroo suit or on the counters of her family’s diner. The absurdity and overwhelming joy of Armstrong’s follow-up to My Brilliant Career served as a welcome antidote to my low morale, the result of feeling defeated by my part-time work and lack of creative output in one of the world’s most artful (but also corporate) cities. I embraced Kennedy’s bright hair and gutsy interpretations of even brighter pop songs. Starstruck nearly gave me a cavity after indulging on such a sugary confection of music, attitude, and style. It gave me a cinematic epiphany: movies could be colorful, youthful, and a treat for my senses, the same senses that adore the color pink, ‘80s synthesizers, and over-the-top fashions.

Once I returned to Iowa from my all too brief time in California, I felt like I was back at square one. I knew we could make enough money to keep a roof over our heads, which was a blessing, but also, it felt like I reached the end of the road at the ripe old age of 24. I felt wasted, like all the things I had to give rotted away before I even had a chance to share them. During this bleak time of reflection, I returned to a movie that I initially disliked upon my first viewing: Noah Baumbach’s Mistress America (2015).

When I first saw Mistress America in theatres, I walked out of the theatre afterwards to terrible news for my acting career: I had auditioned for a dream role and instead earned a part written for a girl half my age, with less than ten lines. I wonder now how that particular strike to my ego affected my initial impression of the slapstick Noah Baumbach/Greta Gerwig collaboration. Thank goodness I gave the movie a second chance and re-watched it on some streaming service.

Now, as a 20-something, I could relate to the story of Mistress America: a young college freshman, Lola Kirke’s Tracy Fishko, struggles to find her place and gravitates towards an older, seemingly wiser woman, Greta Gerwig’s Brooke Cardinas. Upon my first viewing, I hadn’t really related to either of the main characters. I existed in the awkward space between graduating college and finding my footing, neither in Tracy’s world nor Brooke’s. Upon my second viewing, my life had changed significantly and I had begun a chapter of my life in which I recognized that artistic stagnancy meant emotional death. I saw so much of myself in the character of Brooke Cardinas: dabbling in every hobby that caught my interest and confidently proclaiming my opinions on the facts of life when, on the inside, I felt confident about absolutely nothing. I began to frantically grab at straws to feel like I brought something worthwhile to the world: a business plan for a horror shop, a draft of a local theatre newsletter, a local film newsletter, several drafts of scripts, notes upon notes upon notes on potential theatre projects.

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The quick banter of Mistress America, full of zingy one-liners, initially turned me off to the movie. I wrote the script off as “trying too hard,” when later in my 20s, I relished the fantastical intelligence of the dialogue. Yes, no one actually talks like that, but god, I wish they did. The manic pace of Baumbach and Gerwig’s characters matched the pace of the marathon in my brain, where I ran a personal race to create something worthwhile.

Now I wonder, in the next few years, what movies I will look back at and think, “Wow, how did that movie find me when I needed it the most?”

#personal #critique

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logh-icebergs · 7 years

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Episode 10: Jessica’s Battle

Summer 796/487. Yang and Julian travel to Thernusen, where Yang has been ordered to attend a ceremony at the military academy. Upon arrival Yang is unwittingly sucked into a political battle between pro-war and anti-war factions, and we learn that politics have gotten no more civil in the next 1600 years: Yang is attacked by peace party goons; peace party goons are attacked by the PKC; and finally Yang is saved from Jessica’s rather aggressive advances when the headquarters of the peace party is bombed, killing their candidate. This strategy backfires badly, as Jessica runs in his place and receives 80% (!!) of the vote. Meanwhile, Julian is repeatedly denied the chance to have any fun.

Yang, Asexuality, and Representation

One frankly astonishing thing about Legend of Galactic Heroes is the breadth and variety of queer characters, each with their own personal relationship to issues of love and sex and romance, each with their own personal struggles against societies that want to cram everyone into neat normative boxes, each with their own methods of navigating those expectations. Hell, it’s only episode 10, and already we’ve gotten to know one gay couple well and seen another gay couple in the background; we’ve gotten glimpses of Magdalena and Hilda, whose respective ways of navigating imperial society as queer women we’ll discuss at length as we see more of them; we’ve met Dusty, who flies slightly under the radar by embracing a “confirmed bachelor” identity; and pretty soon we’ll meet a gay character who attempts to pass by loudly proclaiming his (dubious) heterosexual conquests at every opportunity. In the future we’ll get to know a handful of bi characters, some quite promiscuous, others very shy about sex and romance. We’ll see multiple different characters grapple with their parents’ reactions to their queer identities. This is not representation as in box-checking and calling it a day. This is representation as in an actual reflection of the myriad ways that real people relate to these issues individually.

And there’s Yang, who is asexual. I’ve been dancing around this for several episodes, ever since one of the first details the show chose to tell us about him in “My Conquest” was his apathy toward the piles of love letters he receives:

Hints of this have been there all along (remember his overly flustered reaction to feeling like Cazellnu was attempting to matchmake for him?), but finally in this episode, through his interactions with Jessica and backstory about his time at the academy, we get enough detail and body language to start to put the puzzle together. Alliance culture of the late 700’s being remarkably similar to much of Earth culture of the late 1900’s, Yang lacks a good framework for understanding this aspect of himself, and throughout the show we’ll see him struggle with an inability to explain the anxiety he clearly feels when confronted with romantic situations. Although he’s not aromantic, the potential sexual expectations that go along with romance lead him to shy away from it, as he did with Jessica, and is already starting to do with Frederica.

What Yang says here is "tondemonai," which I'd translate as something like "not at all!"

Wading through online lists of supposedly ace characters in media, one finds a pretty frustrating mix of characters who are either actually gay (with asexuality used as a cloak by the creators and/or audience to sweep that gayness under the rug), or rendered “asexual” through some accident or medical condition, or are some kind of biologically asexual being, with just a handful of actual examples scattered throughout. But Yang is not a robot or a legendary Pokémon, or a background character who just never gets paired off romantically. He’s a protagonist, a warm and empathetic and brilliant person with many complicated relationships in his life spanning friendship and romance. The nuance and realism with which his love life is depicted throughout the show is both impressive and Really Fucking Important.

Aww Yang.

Yang and Jessica

I love the motif of reflections in this show. This shot captures the distance between them in a way no words I could type here can.

There are so many facets to the sadness and tension that pervade every scene between Yang and Jessica: their different approaches to working to end the war; the pain of Lapp’s recent death and Yang’s guilt surrounding it; and, as we learn in this episode, lingering regret on Jessica’s part that Yang never pursued a romantic relationship with her. Because of the complexity of their dynamic and the fact that Yang himself is confused about how to act around her, untangling their interactions is a difficult task. There’s a lot that’s deliberately left ambiguous; and while I love that LoGH doesn’t feel the need to make relationships simpler than they are in real life, it doesn’t exactly make our job as viewers easy.

What was Yang about to say? An explanation of why he feels it’s best for him to play nice with his superiors even though they’re using him for propaganda? An invitation to socialize that he decides could be taken the wrong way, or would be turned down because of the political gulf between them? Just tell us dammit, to hell with realistic storytelling!

Our goal, then, like that parable about the blind men and the elephant, is to find the reality that best explains the sum total of the details that we see, even when each detail on its own may feel ambiguous. And the main thread that runs through all of Yang’s behavior, both in the flashback to his first year at the academy and in the present, is his complete lack of initiative when it comes to anything romantic.

Case in point number one: Although we’re told twice—through Julian, importantly—that part of Yang’s agenda in going to Thernusen is to see Jessica, he never once actually makes an active effort to do so, instead filling his free time by flopping on the hotel bed griping about politics and taking Julian out to fancy restaurants.

Is Julian a reliable narrator here? Unclear—if you’ve ever had the sort of hero-worship proto-crush that Julian has at this point, you might recognize an over-eager interest in that person’s love life as one of the symptoms. Yang’s “oy mind your own business” reactions tell us that the situation is complicated, but not much more than that.

When we last saw Yang and Jessica together, they were saying an extremely awkward and fraught goodbye at the airport; in particular, Jessica seemed to be waiting for Yang to say something further, before finally giving up and walking away. At the time I suggested that Yang’s sadness in that scene could stem partly from not feeling comfortable fulfilling the role that her wistful gazes seem to ask of him, and his reluctance to reach out to her while he’s in Thernusen fits with that. Julian, being astute and keenly interested in the subject, has also picked up on vibes beyond “old college friend” between Yang and Jessica, and his natural assumption is that this ought to mean Yang will seek her out. But on the contrary, Yang’s reaction is to withdraw.

Turns out he didn’t need to seek her out: Like it or not they’re thrown together twice by the political melodrama that’s going down in this city. After the second incident, in which Yang rescues one of Jessica’s friends from PKC thugs, he finds himself walking with her past the military academy campus, and at her suggestion they sneak in.

Pictured: Yang Wenli in his natural habitat, on a romantic walk at night alone with a girl.

This incredibly closed off body language contrasts not only with how Yang acts in situations where he feels comfortable, but also notably with the body language between Reinhard and Kircheis in...well okay in every scene that includes both of them, but I’m thinking specifically of the episode 8 flashback, which also takes place in the romantic setting of sitting together on the grass at night.

Being at the academy leads to a nostalgic mood, which brings us to case in point number two of Yang’s passivity. Through an extended flashback we learn that he first saw Jessica when his friend Lapp literally dragged him away from scrolling through Instagr— I mean studying history, in order to ogle a hot girl he found through a window.

Quick aside on Lapp and how much he sucks: ...a lot. This is fucked up. If Lapp likes her, why drag Yang into it? In his mind he’s probably being generous, but it reeks of positioning Jessica as an object that must be competed for and won in order to have real value. Wtf Lapp. I talked above about the beauty of how this show captures the true panoply of human experience, but did straight white douchebag guys really need the extra representation??

Lapp procured two tickets to a party that Jessica will be at, and when he asks Yang if he wants one Yang responds with an almost offended “of course”—why wouldn’t he? At the party Lapp and Yang are both standing around being wallflowers until Lapp decides it’s time for one of them to make a move on their target, and flips a coin for the privilege. Yang wins the flip, and so finds himself asking Jessica to dance, swept along into that position entirely by Lapp’s own interest in her.

I’m emphasizing Yang’s lack of initiative here because it’s important to the overall picture; I’m not suggesting that 18-year-old Yang isn’t sincerely hoping that things go well with Jessica. My read on college!Yang is that if left to his own devices he would sit around studying history all day, but if anything he’s grateful to have a friend who’s better at this girl stuff than he is who can push him a bit.

When they start dancing, however, it’s immediately clear that Yang is way, way out of his comfort zone.

Yes, Yang “never learning to dance” can be taken as a metaphor for his asexuality. This symbolism is yet another "iceberg": the part above the surface is the actual events of the story, while the hidden depths are the metaphorical connections that we can draw from what's depicted to help us understand things the show can’t talk about more directly.

He’s failing so badly to perform the proper role of smoothly sweeping the girl off her feet that Lapp decides it’s necessary to save Yang from further embarrassment by cutting in for him; Yang seems (rightly!) a bit miffed at this, but quickly resigns himself to being a wallflower again.

Lapp: Did I mention he sucks? This is another asshole move cloaked in ostensibly good intentions. Lapp would have ceded this “prize” to his friend if he won her fair and square, but as soon as he sees Yang deviate from the proper protocols of seduction, he decides Yang is no longer worthy and claims her for himself.

Jessica seems susceptible to Lapp’s charms, and some undetermined time later Yang spots them giggling together under a tree and realizes, a bit wistfully, that things between them seem to be clicking.

As always there could be a lot behind this wistfulness: wondering what might have been with Jessica if he’d had more of a chance; or more general envy that Lapp knows how to do this stuff and he doesn’t.

Which brings us back to the present, and Yang again finding himself swept along into a situation out of his comfort zone, sitting under a tree with a rather emotional Jessica. When Jessica confesses that she had been hoping Yang would ask her to dance again, Yang evasively cites Lapp’s infatuation with her, an excuse she doesn’t seem to totally accept.

What Jessica actually says here is “otoko-doushi no yuujou tte wake?” which I’d translate as “sooo it was a bro code kinda thing?” Good to know that fantastic concept survives for another 1600 years...

And when, overcome with various emotions, Jessica finally breaks through the closed-off body language and throws herself at Yang, we come to case in point number three of Yang failing to assert himself. Although he’s done all he can to passively signal that he’s uncomfortable with the hints of romance between them, he can’t seem to bring himself to actively reject her—maybe just because he hates the thought of hurting her, maybe because part of him wishes he were more interested and feels conflicted, maybe because part of him is interested but doesn’t feel comfortable pursuing it. Whatever the case, as soon as the more passive thing to do is to reciprocate her advances, he goes along with it.

Fortunately for Yang, this incipient tryst is interrupted by the PKC bombing the headquarters of Jessica’s political party, killing their candidate. Despite their last real interaction being an aborted kiss, Yang slips immediately back into passive avoidance mode, making no further attempts to follow up with her before heading back to Heinessenpolis the next day. Jessica is caught up even further in politics, as she runs in place of the murdered candidate and wins; and Yang returns to his military life, glancing at her on the television as he heads off to a meeting with Frederica and wishing her luck. Despite Jessica’s lingering feelings and Yang’s wistfulness, the gulf between them has very clearly widened.

Julian

In the background of all of the drama of this episode we find Julian, teasing Yang about Jessica, listening to Yang’s rants about feeling used by the politicians, lying through his teeth to hotel security, and just generally being a completely adorable shadow-slash-caretaker to Yang.

Here Julian takes on the role of managing Yang’s emotional state: turning off the TV when thinking about politics is making Yang cranky, then visibly collecting his own emotions enough to smile and offer tea.

In possibly my favorite moment of the episode, Julian is one second away from getting to be the hero who saves Yang from the peace party thugs who are attacking him...only to have his thunder stolen by Jessica. Poor kid.

Yang...Yang...literally thirty seconds ago this abandoned street was full of violent PKC goons who bear a grudge against you and people you care about, and you just… Listen who the fuck put Yang in charge of another human being?

If you pay attention throughout the episode you’ll notice a dozen or so shots where Julian is perfectly mimicking Yang’s body language and expression. (I’ll restrain myself and only include four here.)

So much is conveyed by all of these tiny moments and details, without Julian ever being the actual focus of the episode. It’s beautiful storytelling.

Aww Julian.

Stray Tidbits

Worldbuilding alert! We get a bit more detail about how these awesome self-driving zipcars work when Yang hails one. I love how real this feels; how many years away are we from actually having these?

One thing that I find really interesting about the politics in LoGH is that we see characters disagreeing not just about the ultimate goals, but also about questions of the right methods to achieve them. Yang and Jessica both hate the war and feel an imperative to do what they can to minimize the damage done by it; the political tension between them comes from different philosophies about pursuing that end. The questions raised here are difficult and I like that the show never really tries to settle them.

Like episode 9, much of the plot of this episode is anime-only; in the novels Jessica’s victory in this election is mentioned only in passing.

Visibly Angry Yang is a rare specimen and I love him.

Clearly no one was ever supposed to have the technology to pause and move frame-by-frame through the sequence of Yang bouncing up into a sitting position on the hotel bed...this is probably the single most horrible LoGH screenshot I’ve ever taken.

#Legend of Galactic Heroes #Legend of the Galactic Heroes #author: Rebecca #Alliance #Yang #Jessica #Julian #asexuality #queerness #Legendary Pokémon #dammit Lapp #dammit Cazellnu #bro code

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kinneypride · 7 years

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“Fans” complain about diversity and representation in comics, and why is pretty obvious. Thor - Bill Masterson was Thor in the 90s, and there was the whole future Thor thing with Thor 2099 and the Dargo Ktor Thor too. These “fans” didn’t actively complain until it was a woman in the role. A woman I might add, that’s been proven to be worthy of the hammer since the beginning and has been a staple of Thor’s comics from the beginning. My reaction is more towards why did it take so long to do this story that’s been foreshadowed since Donald Blake himself first raised the hammer. Her comic also outsold original Thor’s by quite a lot, and even the drop off of readers still held above the dropoff of readers in original Thor’s comic. A complete unknown white male can pick up the hammer with no problems, but the second a woman who has a long history with Thor does? Oh lordy, shut the internet down. Captain America - In the 90s, John Walker became Captain America for awhile. And in recent years, Bucky became cap(a hero with a prosthetic arm), and currently Sam Wilson is, two characters that have been sidekicks and partners to cap for almost his entire run as opposed to a complete unknown white man. Yet they get all the hate for “replacing Steve.” It’s Sam Wilson’s turn with the shield, and someday Nomad will pick up the shield too. Cap’s early comics are rooted in this notion of the sidekicks/partners eventually will pick up the shield for him. It’s a golden age comic staple of the genre. Taking Captain America and making it about the legacy of what the mantle means to each individual. You can see it over in DC too. Legacies do pick up the mantle eventually. Ms. Marvel - Kamala Khan has been a great read full of personality and fun, but people are still crying out for Carol as Ms Marvel and whining about Carol’s shift to Captain Marvel. Yet that is the natural growth for both their characters. Carol to full take on the mantle of the source of her powers, and Kamala as being a hero who was inspired by another in her youth like many of the greats started themselves. Kamala’s title has been outselling the original’s for awhile now at that.

As for Carol, in one Avengers cartoon that had Carol in it, she can take full on punches from the hulk, but a random pebble while she’s flying a ship incapacitates her and knocks her out so the male characters have to fly the ship(none of which were even pilots!). Yet not one peep from anyone how that didn’t make sense. It was accepted. And you want to tell me this isn’t about sexism towards her character to downgrade her from a military rank that gives respect to her air force days back to a no rank title that uses “Ms.”

All-New Wolverine - I don’t even know where to begin on the ignorance of the complaints here. She’s been building up to becoming Wolverine since her premiere on TV. Her second set of origin comics literally start off with her stepping into Logan’s feet. How anyone can call this “forced”, well, they’re probably an idiot anyway. Wolverine’s comic has never been this fun to read before. Ironman - Riri Williams makes sense taking over the mantle, and even so, she took on a new name for herself anyway. The only other character to come close would have been the niece of James Rhodes. “Fans” will cry and scream that only Tony Stark is Ironman. Yet they’ll conveniently forget that James Rhodes was Ironman in the 80s while Tony Stark was out of commission. Now with Rhodey gone, and plus he’s already been Ironman and has created his own various hero Identities after the fact, it was time for a new person to step into the shoes to begin their own legacy. Makes it hard to believe that those “fan” complaints aren’t anything more than thinly veiled sexism. And lets be honest here, Tony hasn’t been that smart since, well, his creation. He is arrogantly smart, which has led to lots of personal issues and dangerous mistakes. It’s time someone else wore the armor that’s not that arrogantly smart(stupid) to see how she handles it differently without that life threatening flaw that self-creates problems. Especially ones of such magnitude that’d let Ultron turn Tony himself into a puppet because Tony thought nanites and computer parts in his body directly was a good idea. Hulk - Bruce Banner’s original runs have always been about him seeking to rid himself of the hulk. He’s succeeded several times in the past. To the point Rick Jones ended up as a hulk. So “hulk” has had stories in the past of new characters taking over and becoming a Hulk. Now all of a sudden it’s an issue when an asian american man becomes a Hulk. One that has a longstanding history in Marvel as much if not more so than even Rick Jones did before he became a hulk(and then much later A-Bomb). Banner’s wife/Ex-wife Betty becoming a hulk was derided non-stop as well, no matter how fun it was to read. Yet as a story, it makes sense because of how much Banner’s gamma life impacts those around him. Women in his life can get maimed, killed, or even tortured, but heaven forbid one actually get powers of her own because of how Banner’s life impacts them. I mean it’s not like there is history of that happening to loved ones or relatives even from the simplest things like a blood transfusion. Spider-man - The hero costume itself has always been about it could be anyone under that mask. The full covering suit is a metaphor for the fact the kid underneath is any kind of bullied underdog with a good heart. But people whine nonetheless, and even with their whining, many of whom are whining don’t even read the comic. Which is rather obvious by their complaints. They claim this true fan moniker but can’t even recognize an older character reappearing and cry out that Marvel is trying to turn Spider-man into a girl. (*Facepalm.*) And in actual new changes, the alternate universe version over with Spider-Gwen is a fantastic read. One of the best new interpretations of the lore in ages.

“Fans” call it diversity killing comics and heroes. I call it the natural evolution of the characters, and their impact on their world and those around them. The natural progression of stories that should have reached this far in decades past if Marvel back then wasn’t scared of their straight white bread audience that was scared of change. So what’s all the hate really about? Because the rise and fall of sales in comics is nothing new. This happens, and has been happening for the duration of comics as a whole. It’s nothing new. And often enough, it has nothing to do with content. Especially in this day and age where sales are trending towards digital, and print comic sales(floppies) were dwindling much worse before these alleged new “experimental” forays in story telling as people wait for trade paperback collections and hardcovers to read it all at once. Are we really going to call this an experiment when Marvel has done this previously to core title characters in the past? My personal comic buying habits have slowed, and I know it’s not because of “diversity” in the comics. It’s because of the personal finances cost. Much of the material is better than it’s ever been in the past. Heck, much of it is better than it was back during the early 2000s, and here we are nearing 2020. Why can’t comics evolve and their world evolve naturally? Do we really need to leave characters in cryo stasis and telling the same story six ways to Sunday repeated over and over in a slightly different way? Why can’t we have actual new stories? Are you really going to complain about the slowing of the sales of ‘floppies’ when those numbers are still higher than the past? Now also boosted by digital? And an increase in trade paperback sales? So what’s the hate really about? Longstanding comic tropes of heroes naturally evolving as per their character history? Or the fact in some of those cases it happens to be a woman? Or in Captain America’s case, a black man. Or Hulk’s an Asian American? Why can’t Marvel be allowed to tell new stories like they have in the past even with new male characters? We wouldn’t even have War Machine today if not for Marvel doing that in the past. These characters will grow into the mantle, and some will splinter off into new identities. It’s a comic staple that’s as old as comics itself, and if we limit that, we’re cutting off a large chunk of what future comics could become and grow into. If over in DC, the new Wally West took over for Barry, as it happened previously in the comics pre-reboot that brought Barry back, how do you think people will react to that? It’s happened in the past, so it shouldn’t be an issue. It’s part of Barry’s character history. But logic has never been part of a hater’s repertoire. I guess we’ll see how that pans out coming up in the Flash TV series itself. These shifts are nothing new to comics. So why is it ‘now’ an issue when it’s someone that’s not white or not male? This shouldn’t be an issue at all.

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justanothercinemaniac · 7 years

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Epic Movie (Re)Watch #108 - The Road to El Dorado

(GIF originally posted by @dreamworksmoments)

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: No.

Format: DVD

1) Not only is this one of my favorite animated movies, it is one of my favorite movies period. I found it while scrolling through Cartoon Network or HBO Family or something and watched it every chance I could get. 12 year old me found it very edgy. The mild swearing, the cigars, the blasphemy, all of it was very enticing and that’s fed my love of the film since.

2) Elton John & Tim Rice, the songwriting duo behind The Lion King, re-teamed for this film and churned out a nice set of songs. But the strange thing is if you listen to the soundtrack most of the songs are recorded differently than how they appear in the film. The one exception I think is "Someday Out of the Blue” which plays during the end credits. Still, they songs add the fun and energetic flavor to the film. The opening song in particular, “El Dorado,” does a nice job of setting up the mythology we need to get the movie started in a very short amount of time.

3) If you’re a fan of voice over work, you’ll recognize Jim Cummings as Cortez.

Cummings is one of the most prolific and talented voice over artists out there. It would be impossible to list everything he’s done, but his most notable work has been as Darkwing Duck, Winnie the Pooh & Tigger too, Hondo on "Star Wars: The Clone Wars”, Razoul in Aladdin, and Ray the firefly in The Princess and the Frog. It’s fun knowing what he sounds like because not only do you hear him in Cortez, but you also pick up the random nameless characters he plays too with his different voices.

4) The heart of the film, the thing that makes it great: Miguel & Tulio.

The bromance between Miguel & Tulio is what makes this film work as well as it does, it’s what makes it fun! Kenneth Branagh and Kevin Kline voice the pair respectively, and their chemistry is off the charts. It doesn’t hurt that the pair actually got to record their performances with each other, a rarity in animation (although Pixar has done it with Monsters Inc for John Goodman and Billy Crystal).

Their relationship and roles are clear from the start, they balance each other out. Tulio is mildly selfish with a great hunger for gold and an ability to think things through. Miguel’s heart is bigger than their brain, being the dreamer/softie of the group (wanting the map to El Dorado, saving Altivo the horse when he almost drowns, etc.). And they play off each other beautifully.

5) 12 year old me was very fascinated with the slight profanities this film had.

Tulio [when he’s about to roll his dice]: “Come on baby, papa needs that crappy map.”

I thought crap was a real swear when I was twelve. I didn’t lose my innocence until thirteen.

6) Chekov’s Fake Fight.

(GIF originally posted by @somehow-you-will)

The fight comes into play later in the film too, but is a showcase mainly for the wonderful banter between Miguel & Tulio and - therefore - the excellent writing of screenwriters of Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. These guys were my favorite screenwriters when I was twelve, and can you blame me? Their resume consisted of: Aladdin, The Mask of Zorro, Shrek, The Road to El Dorado, every Pirates of the Caribbean film, Treasure Planet, and both National Treasure films. They have a strong penchant for strong dialogue too. Consider the exchange above, and also this:

Miguel: “You fight like my sister.”

Tulio: “I’ve FOUGHT your sister! That’s a compliment!”

I love that.

7) According to IMDb:

The film shares several attributes of its namesake, the "Road" comedies made famous by Bob Hope and Bing Crosby during the 1940s (which helps explain anachronisms such as shared language, pop culture references and lack of historical accuracy).

I just thought that was a fun share.

8) God, I love the banter between these two.

[Tulio & Miguel jump into barrels of water in a chase scene but can’t escape because the barrels are being loaded onto a ship]

Tulio: “What’s happening here?”

Miguel: “We’re both in barrels. That’s the extent of my knowledge.”

9) Even the bad guys have great dialogue!

Cortes (upon discovering Miguel & Tulio on his ship): “My crew was as carefully chosen as the disciples of Christ.”

10) I’m just going to let you know now, so many of my notes here are just quotes from the film I love.

Miguel [giddily, after Cortes tell the pair they will be enslaved in Cuba for being stow aways]: “Alright! Cuba!”

11) For example, another quote:

Miguel: Yes, that's it Altivo. Find the pry bar!

Tulio: Yes, "find the pry bar". He doesn't understand "pry bar"! He's a dumb horse, there's no way he could understand...

[Altivo drops keys into the brig]

Tulio: Well... it's NOT a pry bar.

12) The Trail We Blaze

Animated films are usually short so as to be not too time consuming. It can take years to make 80 minutes of animation. This film has a nice device of compacting what could be very long scenes into neat little montages with the use of a song. We still get Tulio & Miguel’s fun journey through the jungles to find El Dorado, but it’s done in three and a half minutes to a fun Elton John tune. It keep the energy, the adventure, but doesn’t waste the time of the animators or the audience.

13) Immediately Tulio and Chel have great chemistry as they play “pass the golden idol” together!

14) El Dorado.

(GIF originally posted by @dreamworksmoments)

Immediately upon entering the city the audience is filled with a sense of wonder, achieved through gorgeous animation and also Hans Zimmer’s subtle music which adds for extra bone tingling. You marvel at it with Tulio and Miguel, and you understand how it is such a mythical place.

15) Edward James Olmos does some great voice over work as Chief Tannabok.

I’ve never seen “Battlestar Galactica” so I am mostly familiar with Olmos from his work in Blade Runner, Stand & Deliver, and even “Agents of SHIELD”. I think he shows off a nice amount of range with this addition to his resume. Chief Tannabok is not an angry man. He is kind, soft, gentle, patient, but also you can tell that he’s kinda sad. You don’t HEAR Olmos, you hear the chief and that makes him an excellent addition to the cast.

16) And of course our big bad, Tzekel-Kan

Tzekel-Kan is the opposite of Chief Tannabok. He is angry, an overlord of sorts. He wants blood because he believes it is what’s needed. He believes people are wicked and evil just for enjoying life and being kind, and it is his righteous duty to smite them. He pisses me off way more now than he did when I was twelve.

17) This whole bit with the volcano! Miguel goes too far and says that the gods should not be questioned or else they will be forced to release their awful wrath...but Tzekel-Kan wants to see that. Only they’re not gods! So he and Tulio turn away to try and figure it out and we get this...

youtube

There’s an old addage in writing: “A coincidence to get a character out of trouble is lazy.” However in this case I’m 100% okay with that because it’s just funny as hell.

18) How many of us have used this GIF?

19) Chel.

Chel is a nice way of making the duo a trio. Voiced wonderfully by Rosie Perez, she is just as crafty and cunning as Tulio (if not more so) but also understand Miguel’s sense of adventure. The pair balance each other out already, bit if Miguel acts too dreamer-y or Tulio is too gold hungry they throw each other out of whack (as this film shows). Chel helps stabilize them by film’s end and is a lot of fun to watch. Also, bonus points for being an animated female character with a body that is physically possible.

20)

Chel [on why she wants a life of adventure]: “You’ve got your reasons...and I’ve got mine. Let’s not make this personal, okay?”

WHAT ARE HER REASONS!?!? WE NEVER LEARN!!! I MUST KNOW!!!

21) So Chel needs to prove to Tulio and Miguel she’s a good con artist...

[Chel shows the pair the dice she stole from Tulio]

Tulio: “How did you get those?”

Miguel: “Where was she keeping them?”

I’m with Miguel, that’s the more important question.

22) Oh Miguel...

23) It’s Tough to be a God.

The only time this film is a traditional musical (ie: the characters themselves break into song & dance), and considering Kevin Kline’s and Kenneth Branagh’s singing here that might not be the worst thing. The interesting thing is that their version doesn’t even appear on the soundtrack. Instead we get a duet with Elton John and Randy Newman.

24) I need to remember this excuse.

Tulio [trying to convince Tzekel-Kan not to make a human sacrifice to the gods/them]: “The stars are not in position for this tribute.”

Miguel: “Like he said...”

(GIF source unknown [if this is your GIF please let me know].)

25) I don’t identify totally with Miguel or totally with Tulio, but with parts of them. Like I identify with Tulio being kind of the dreamer who thinks things are possible, but this is a very me thing to say:

Tulio [after Miguel tells him he worries too much]: “No, I worry just the right amount! You can never worry too much!”

Same, Tulio. Same.

26) Remember how I said this movie was edgy to 12 year old me. Well it features a scene where Chel tries to seduce Tulio. Like, more than wanting a kiss. But like she shows off her shoulders for a back massage, they’re later found on the ground together all disheveled, it’s not even very subtle when you know what’s going on. Twelve year old me was very innocent.

27) I love their banter.

Miguel [when he and Tulio end up in a big arena to play ball for the locals]: “Well don’t blame me!”

(GIF source unknown [if this is your GIF please let me know].)

28) The ball game is a lot of fun to watch, if for no other reason then Chel on the sidelines.

Chel: “Foul! That was a foul!”

And then it’s her idea to use the armadillo as a ball replacement to cheat.

29) So earlier in the film we got this line from Miguel:

(GIF source unknown [if this is your GIF please let me know].)

And then later in the film Miguel tries to convince Chief Tannabok that the boat they are using to leave isn’t good enough (because Miguel wants to stay) when in fact it’s perfect. When Miguel admits his mistake, we got this line from the chief.

Chief: “Hey, to err is human.”

Miguel goes to get in the boat, but then he looks over his shoulder at the chief and the chief looks at him knowingly. And they don’t say anything else about it.

I love that. I love that the chief isn’t an idiot, but he knows. He knows and he knows it’s good for his people and he knows Miguel is a good guy and...I just love it!

30) I love little things like this.

[A giant stone jaguar, controlled by Tzekel-Kan, attacks the city. It grabs a warrior, ruffs him up A LOT, then lets him fall to the ground.]

Warrior [patting himself down]: “I’m okay!!!”

[Jaguar steps on warrior]

Warrior [from under Jaguar’s foot]: “I’m still okay!”

31) Remember how I talked about Chekov’s Fake Fight?

Tzekel-Kan [when he was Miguel & Tulio cornered]: “I know what you are and I know what you are not. And you are not GODS!”

Tulio [after a beat]: “Y-you’re not a god!?”

The pair then continue to have a very real argument where they say some pretty cold things to each other...

Tulio: “You’re buying your own con!”

Miguel: “At least I’m not DATING mine!”

But it has the same effect. Tzekel-Kan is distracted, enjoying their fighting, and the audience is as surprised as he is when the pair work in sync again and punch the guy out. It’s a nice way of playing the scene out.

32) Friends Never Say Goodbye. A very sad song that plays when it seems like Tulio and Miguel are going to take separate paths in life and are really mad at each other. It actually has some nice truths to it, and again is slightly different on the soundtrack. Elton John is backed up by the Backstreet Boys for the song on the album. I hope that didn’t ruin it for some of you.

33) The film ends with the citizens of El Dorado crashing a pillar into their gate so as to keep Cortes from finding the city, only it is falling too soon. So Chief Tannabok grabs some of the ropes and holds it back for a while. And this is probably REALLY mean of me and I apologize in advance but I just thought of this:

I’m so sorry.

34) According to IMDb:

A series of sequels featuring Miguel, Tulio, Chel, Altivo and even the armadillo going after other legends about gold was planned, similar to the Shrek (2001) series, but following the disappointing box-office results they were immediately canceled.

While that would’ve been interesting I’m kinda glad this film just stands on its own. It’s a nice little gem that way.

I love this film, and think a lot of people out there will too. People don’t really talk about it these days except to talk about how no one talks about it. It’s a nice variation from standard Disney fare, the music is great, freaking Miguel & Tulio are just awesome, and it is just such an enjoyable/adventure filled film. I think you should all watch it now! It’s on Netflix if you have it. So go. Go follow that trail! (Too easy?)

#The Road to El Dorado #Miguel and Tulio #Kevin Kline #Kenneth Branaugh #Elton John #Rosie Perez #Edward James Olmos #Jim Cummings #Epic Movie (Re)Watch #Movie #Film #GIF

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diddgery · 7 years

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the “I Want To Play Fire Emblem But Don’t Know Where To Start” post

Hi! Are you one of the many people whose first and only exposure to Fire Emblem is Smash Bros. and/or Fire Emblem Heroes? Do you want to get in on Fire Emblem but feel unsure what game to play first because there’s so many? Well here, let me help you!

There are three games I consider good starting points for new fans. All of these games have been released outside of Japan, so you don’t need to worry about futzing with fan translations. All of these games have characters that you can get in Fire Emblem Heroes, so if you’ve been playing that game you can learn more about your random pulls in these! Two of them are easy to emulate as well, if you don’t have the systems or funds to play them but want to check them out.

Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, known just as Fire Emblem outside of Japan, is a GBA title and the first game to get a worldwide release after Smash Bros. Melee introduced the world to the series. As such it was designed with a global audience in mind; it is the first game to feature a player-made avatar (though they are not actually playable) and the first ten chapters are designed to gently ease new players into the series by gradually introducing and explaining various mechanics. This game serves as a prequel to The Binding Blade, the game that Roy is from, and one of the main characters is Lyn, who you may recognize from Smash Bros. The game lacks some of the more user-friendly mechanics that have been added in later games- namely, the option to play without permadeath- but if you play on an emulator (or on the Wii U Virtual Console) you can use savestates to make your life easier. This is the game that introduced many fans to the series, and as such it’s a great entry point.

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon is a DS remake of the first game in the seris and stars Marth. If you’re curious how the series started, this is the best place to go, as you’ll be introduced to many of the series’ recurring themes and character archetypes. This game is also surprisingly friendly towards the permadeath mechanic; should you lose a certain number of characters the game will give you access to bonus chapters where you can pick up new characters you otherwise wouldn’t see. However, if your primary reason for playing Fire Emblem is because you like shipping, this may not be the best choice for you. The support mechanic that allows characters to hold conversations with one another doesn’t exist in this game, and as such many of the characters are woefully lacking in personality. The art style for this game is also not as colorful as other games, opting for a more realistic look than a stylized anime one. This game is available on the Wii U Virtual Console as well.

Fire Emblem Awakening is the first 3DS game and is the most accessible game on this list if you are afraid of the permadeath mechanic- because you can just turn it off entirely! This game stars popular characters like Lucina and Robin (who is customizable and can be renamed) and builds on a variety of mechanics and themes from every other game in the series. This game was designed to be the ultimate Fire Emblem game due to uncertainty about the series’ future, but as a result of its success Fire Emblem has exploded in popularity. It’s easy to understand why if you play it! This one is the most expensive game on the list and can be difficult to emulate, but it’s by far worth it.

“But Diddgery,” you may be saying, “What if I’ve played those games and I want more Fire Emblem? Where should I go next?” Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.

If you enjoyed The Blazing Blade, you absolutely should seek out the fan translation for Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade. This game stars Roy and takes place several years after The Blazing Blade wraps up, so you’ll be able to learn about what happened to your favorite characters and potentially meet their offspring. Some aspects of the fan translation clash with the translations you may see in games like Awakening and Heroes- most notably character names- but the fan translators did a great job of being true to the way Blazing Blade was translated. You should also consider checking out Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, the third and final GBA entry. This game features branching promotion paths and an overworld map, two elements that hadn’t been seen in the series since the NES days. If you happen to be a 3DS Ambassador, this is one of the free GBA games you received, so you really have no excuse not to try it out if that’s the case.

If you enjoyed Shadow Dragon, track down the fan translation of Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem. This game is a remake of Mystery of the Emblem, a SNES sequel to Marth’s first game, and remains the only game in the series to not get a release outside of Japan after the series went worldwide. It features a customizable player avatar who is playable much in the vein of Robin. Many gameplay features that were missing in Shadow Dragon make it into this game- most notably support conversations. Another game you may consider trying is Fire Emblem Gaiden, which is a sidestory set on another continent in the same world as Shadow Dragon and features a variety of unique gameplay differences that have rarely been seen since. Keep in mind this game’s remake, Fire Emblem Echoes, will be releasing outside of Japan in May, so it may be best to just wait for that rather than play the NES original.

If you enjoyed Awakening, you should check out Fire Emblem Fates for the 3DS. It builds and polishes on Awakening’s gameplay and completely overhauls the weapon system of the series. It also goes full anime as far as story and character design goes (albeit with some censorship outside of Japan so you can’t pet and stroke your units). Unfortunately this game has its three storylines divided into three separate games; if you want to play all three, it’s going to cost you about $80 USD and will eat up a lot of time. Whether or not it’s worth it is entirely up to you. Fans of Awakening may also enjoy Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War, a SNES title that Awakening drew heavy inspiration from.

If you liked any of the above, check out Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance for the Gamecube. It’s got catgirls and catboys and y’all like that, right? Also this is the game that Ike from Smash Bros. first appeared. He fights for his friends, and if you play this game you can learn who his friends are and also why he fights for them.

Here’s a link to a page where you can find a bunch of info and links to fan translations, also. Happy Fire Emblem-ing!

#fire emblem

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thecoroutfitters · 5 years

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Written by Wild Bill on The Prepper Journal.

Editor’s Comment: A guest post from James Nelson at Hunting Research to The Prepper Journal. While we know the short answer to the title James provides some interesting insight.

Hunting has a large part to play in American culture and history. It was mainly done as a means to provide the family with food, clothing and shelter. Today, hunting is known as a classic American sport.

However, there are some time-tested hunting tips you should keep in mind. You can read this hunting guide to understand how hunting should be done, and you can get some golden old-school hunting tips too.

Though times have changed, there are good reasons why hunting is still an important skill to take up. Here are my 5 reasons why:

Hunting Helps You to Better Protect Yourself and Your Family

Learning how to handle your weapons is a necessity if you want to master the skill of hunting. Without knowing your weapon well, you will not be able to take a good shot at your hunt. You may end up simply injuring the game or worse still, injuring a person nearby through misfiring.

To build the hunting skill, much time must be put into practice so that you know how to control your weapon. Over time, you will find yourself get better at handling your weapons. Your precision and accuracy of shooting will increase. Same goes to your level of focus and concentration. These are all essential skills for self-defense.

A concealed carry is typically used as a defensive firearm for self-protection. By learning to handle your weapon through building your hunting skills, this can translate to how you handle your concealed carry as well. Should a defensive situation ever arise, you will have the proficiency of using a weapon to defend yourself and your family. You will be able to use your weapon in a way that is safe so as to not injure yourself or the innocent around you.

Hunting Teaches You Adaptability and Observational Skills

There is an increasing disconnect between the people and mother nature in this era. Hunting is one of the bridges to reconnect people to nature. Not just that, it allows us to learn the way of nature. Hunting is not just about the kill. To be successful, you will need to be in tune with nature. This means learning the different patterns of nature. For example, recognizing different trails and habits of animals.

While daily work can become a routine, hunting in the woods will never be a routine because it always presents an element of unpredictability. Each hunt is different in that the weather, foliage around and the signs of game like bedding areas and droppings will change. By putting ourselves out there in the field, we are able to train ourselves to adapt to the ever-changing surroundings. We are placed in a situation where we are challenged to think out of the box.

You really have to rely on your instincts out there in the woods. For example, if you find yourself off your usual trail without a GPS, you will need to rely on the direction of the sun to get back to civilization. If it is at night, you will have to rely on the North Star located at the end of Little Dipper’s handle to help you find north.

Hunting also largely involves being quiet and waiting. This is so that you do not alarm and scare off the prey. You will need to pay close attention to your surroundings like the leaves below your feet and the other foliage around. You will also need to be still until the right moment comes to shoot.

All of these ultimately train our survival instincts as it sharpens our ability to observe the things around us and react sensibly to situations. We also learn the art of being careful and wary of things around. These survival skills are discovered in a way that could never be experienced just by watching shows or listening to the advice of others.

Helps You Hunt Down Animals that are ‘dangerous’

A large part of why hunting is still necessary today is to control the population of wildlife. As we continually crop onto their natural habitats we see more and more interaction with them, especially with deer in North America. And encounters can cause damage to people, property and more. Deer are involved in around 80% of wildlife vehicle collisions resulting in an estimated 200 deaths each year from automotive collisions that involve deer. This excludes the amount of injuries faced. The average cost paid by vehicle owners and insurance companies drives up the cost of insurance. By reducing deer population through sensible hunting management, overall accident levels could be reduced significantly.

Hunting can help to reduce the amount of damage caused to other property as well. Since these animals are adaptable, they move into areas inhabited by humans to find food and shelter. The damage caused to a single property could cost someone up to several thousand dollars.

Hunting Helps Shape Your Mindset

Survival of the fittest is not only about the physical but also the mindset. As you hone your hunting skills, you will find that you will be able to develop your character along the way which changes the way you view things.

Hunting teaches you discipline. Most of the time invested into hunting starts even before the hunt through the preparations. This involves getting your weapon and gears ready, scouting sights, planting food plots and more. There are many preparations to be made leading up to the opportune moment. Discipline is driven into your mind in all of this. Hunting gives you a goal to work towards and teaches you the discipline to stick to it.

Besides, hunting can train your to manage the inevitable disappointments you may face. There are bound to be times where there is failure and you do not manage to catch the prey you were waiting for. Over time, you will learn how to manage your expectations towards each hunt which will help you deal with such setbacks.

Overall, the virtues and qualities from hunting skills do not just stay on the field, but they are translated into the mindset of a survivalist. This can change the way you interact with people and handle life situations.

Hunting Helps Keep You Active

Possessing the skill of hunting comes with an active lifestyle as well. From the pre-hunt, hunters are already actively out and about tending food plots and scouting woods. This contributes to shaping your survival skills much more than living a complacent lifestyle indoors.

Besides, training to use either firearm or bow for hunting keeps hunters active. A lot of time will need to go into training to maintain the proficiency of using the weapon. Drawing back a bow steadily will especially contribute to great muscle endurance, keeping the body fit, and muscle memory, an importing part of shooting anything.

An active lifestyle would lead to a healthier life which is essential for survival as well. Apart from physical activities, game meat is healthy for consumption as well. The meat of wild game is natural and considered healthier than commercialized meat because of the food that they consume. Wild game consumes natural food in the woods, making them healthier. Game meat is generally lean meat as well and has fewer calories and less fat content than domesticated livestock. From venison to elk to birds, all these are low in fat.

Besides physical health, hunting also contributes to a healthier mind. Although preparations can be made, there is no secret formula to succeeding in a hunt. You will need to play by ear when you are on the field. Hence, concentration levels will be sharpened and expanded, keeping the mind active and alert.

Conclusion

Do bear in mind that ‘Hunting’ itself consists of a variety of skill set, and a lot of planning. The reasons discussed above refers to hunting in general, rather than pointing to a specific skill set.

I hope this article gives you the motivation to pick up your weapon of choice tomorrow! Being a ‘great’ prepper takes time and skill, and you can be sure that hunting is one of those skills that can help you get prepared for the worst.

Author bio: I am James Nelson, a survivalist, outdoor and hunting enthusiast. I have dedicated my time and effort to build a website that contains comprehensive information about hunting skills and gear. You can follow me over at Hunting Research.

Follow The Prepper Journal on Facebook!

The post My Five Reasons Why Hunting is an Important Survival Skill appeared first on The Prepper Journal.

from The Prepper Journal Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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The Legacy of Batman: Tom King, Kevin Conroy, and Scott Snyder on the Dark Knight

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This year, we talked to Tom King, Kevin Conroy, Bruce Timm, Scott Snyder, Jock, and Pete Tomasi about why Batman still matters.

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When Bill Finger and Bob Kane put pen and pencil to paper for 1939's Detective Comics #27, they had no way of knowing that they were creating a new American myth that would captivate readers and movie audiences for decades to come. They certainly didn't expect their first Batman adventure, "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate," to spawn 973 more issues of Detective Comics, let alone become a blockbuster franchise featuring movies, TV series, video games, and McDonald's Happy Meals.

But what bigger testament to the long-lasting appeal of Batman than March’s Detective Comics #1000, written and drawn by some of the best creators in the business? The giant-sized, 96-page issue featured stories by legends such as as Dennis O'Neil, Neal Adams, Steve Epting, Christopher Priest, Jim Lee, Kelley Jones, Paul Dini, Brian Michael Bendis, Warren Ellis, and Geoff Johns as well as the current custodians of the Bat-mythos -- Tom King, Tony S. Daniel, Peter J. Tomasi, Doug Mahnke, Joelle Jones, Scott Snyder, and Greg Capullo. And that's not even including the excellent covers by Jim Steranko, Bernie Wrightson, Bruce Timm, Frank Miller, Jock, Tim Sale, and more.

Batman is only the second DC superhero to reach such a massive milestone, the other being the Man of Steel. What is it about this character hellbent on avenging the death of his parents night after night that has kept him at the forefront of our pop culture?

“I think what makes him deeply enduring is that it’s a really primal folk tale,” Scott Snyder, who’s been writing Batman stories since 2011, says. “It’s a story about a boy who loses everything and turns that loss into fuel to make sure that what happened to him never happens to anybody else.”

While most of us aren't billionaire playboys with the resources to fight crime on a global (and sometimes cosmic) level, we understand pain, both emotional and physical, and a need to rise above it, even if we can't always do that. We sympathize with Bruce's biggest regret -- if only he hadn't made his parents take him to see that Zorro movie; if only he hadn't been frightened by the opera; if only he'd been braver and faster as the thug pulled the trigger. For Bruce, his crusade to stop evildoers comes down to replaying that single fateful moment over and over again and making possible a different outcome.

Yet, Batman perseveres despite all of this pain, which is why people flock to the character, according to Snyder.

But the character isn't driven solely by tragedy. Who could hang with a downer like that for 80 years?

"There are the fun elements, of course, that are similar to James Bond, like the gadgets, and the cars, and the planes, and just the cool factor of his costume."

Tom King, who recently wrapped up an 85-issue run on Batman and currently has a Batman/Catwoman miniseries in the works, looks back to the character's real-life point of origin as the reason he has stood the test of time.

"You have to go back to the moment of creation with him. You've got [Bob Kane and Bill Finger], the children of immigrants, so we're like, what, 1938, '39, we're in Manhattan. And at that time, I mean, go back and look at the pictures, Batman was created like 20 blocks from Madison Square Garden where they had a Nazi rally that attracted a hundred thousand people. They were marching in the streets."

These tumultuous times shaped the fabric of Batman, according to King.

"[Kane and Finger] were living here and their literal cousins and grandparents were getting killed in Europe, right? And they created something uniquely American. Batman succeeds because there's something genuinely beautifully American about it."

According to Batman: The Animated Series voice actor Kevin Conroy, Batman’s continued popularity goes back to something primal. To the classically trained actor who was immortalized as the voice of Batman in the ‘90s cartoon, the Caped Crusader is a modern retelling of myths and stories humans have been passing down for thousands of years.

“He’s such a theatrical character,” Conroy says, admitting he was at first hesitant to audition for the role. At the time, he was a theater actor who'd never done an animated role. But when he read the script, the character clicked. Conroy recognized this story. “They were absolutely right to cast a theater actor, especially one with a classical background, because this is Shakespeare. They’re doing high drama. Batman is Achilles. He’s Orestes. He’s Hamlet.”

The tragic Greek character Orestes, in particular, was on Conroy’s mind when playing Batman. By that point, he’d performed several plays as Orestes, a son who avenges his father’s murder and goes mad because of it. By the end of the story, Orestes has gone through hell and back because of his thirst for vengeance. Naturally, Conroy brought that familiarity with Orestes to his portrayal of Batman.

“He’s a Homeric hero,” Conroy says of the Caped Crusader. “I think of it often when I’m doing Batman because Orestes is haunted by the Furies. He descends into hell. He comes back. He’s resurrected at the end, and I think so often, this is a very Orestial-like journey that Bruce Wayne goes on. His Furies are the memory of his parents’ murder. It haunts him through his life. It’s transformed him."

Conroy calls Batman a “classic character.” Like Orestes before him, Batman has become the protagonist of our very own mythology.

“He’s come out of such a fire and instead of letting life crush him, he turns that metamorphosis into something even greater than himself,” Conroy says. “They’ve been telling that story for thousands of years in different cultures, and this is our culture’s way of telling those stories, and I think they’re just as valid.”

Bruce Timm, who co-created Batman: The Animated Series and designed the show's iconic Art Deco aesthetic, is unsurprisingly most taken by Batman's look.

"I just think Batman looks great," Timm says during our chat at NYCC in 2018. "He's got the best costume motif in comics. Nothing comes close. He's dark, sexy, and broody. It's really intoxicating and compelling in a way that almost no other in comics can come close to it."

This flexibility has allowed plenty of writers and artists to experiment with the Dark Knight, creating different versions of the character over the years. There really isn't a definitive take on Batman. You can love the Batusi, Bat-Mite, or Mr. Freeze's cool party and still be right on the money about the Caped Crusader. You'd be remiss to call the character stale. The guy has done it all.

"It's almost like he's a force of nature, in which stories can happen around him, and there's something primordial, maybe, about the character and the way he looks, as well," says veteran Batman artist Jock, who most recently worked on a seven-part miniseries with Snyder called The Batman Who Laughs. "You could put Batman in a new pose, and he'd still flourish, and I think those kinds of characters are very rare."

Peter J. Tomasi, who is currently writing Detective Comics, puts it best:

Superheroes won't always be at the top of our pop culture food chain. It's inevitable that many of the characters we love today will fade with future generations, just as the Shadow, Doc Savage, Zorro, and the Scarlet Pimpernel did. Will we still be talking about Batman in another 80 years? We may eventually embrace new forms of familiar myths, becoming obsessed with new idols. But only a fool would bet against a character who's survived as long as Batman has. Remember, the Batman always wins.

John Saavedra is an associate editor at Den of Geek. Read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @johnsjr9 and make sure to check him out on Twitch.

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Dec 18, 2019

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aion-rsa · 5 years

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Batman at 80: Why the Dark Knight Still Matters

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Batman turns 80 this year. We talked to Kevin Conroy, Bruce Timm, Scott Snyder, and more about the hero's legacy!

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While most of us aren't billionaire playboys with the resources to fight crime on a global (and sometimes cosmic) level, we understand pain, both emotional and physical, and a need to rise above it, even if we can't always do that. We sympathize with Bruce's biggest regret -- if only he hadn't made his parents take him to see that Zorro movie; if only he hadn't been frightened by the opera; if only he'd been braver and faster as the thug pulled the trigger. For Bruce, his crusade to stop evildoers comes down to replaying that single fateful moment over and over again and making possible a different outcome.

Yet, Batman perseveres despite all of this pain, which is why people flock to the character, according to Snyder.

But the character isn't driven solely by tragedy. Who could hang with a downer like that for 80 years?

"There are the fun elements, of course, that are similar to James Bond, like the gadgets, and the cars, and the planes, and just the cool factor of his costume."

Conroy calls Batman a “classic character.” Like Orestes before him, Batman has become the protagonist of our very own mythology.

Bruce Timm, who co-created Batman: The Animated Series and designed the show's iconic Art Deco aesthetic, is unsurprisingly most taken by Batman's look.

This flexibility has allowed plenty of writers and artists to experiment with the Dark Knight, creating different versions of the character over the years. There really isn't a definitive take on Batman. You can love the Batusi, Bat-Mite, or Mr. Freeze's cool party and still be right on the money about the Caped Crusader. You'd be remiss to call the character stale. The guy has done it all.

Tomasi, who is currently writing Detective Comics, puts it best:

John Saavedra is an associate editor at Den of Geek. Read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @johnsjr9 and make sure to check him out on Twitch.

facebook

twitter

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Feature

Movies

John Saavedra

Sep 21, 2019

Batman

DC Entertainment

Scott Snyder

Kevin Conroy

Bruce Timm

Instagram

SDCC

SDCC 2019

from Books https://ift.tt/2SsKpdl

#aion-rsa #Books

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