Thursday Night Thinking

Yet another meme, from Title Undetermined. I'm working on an actual post, but for now, marvel at one man's magnificent mental magnitude!

Monday Morning Macking

Answering The Roar (mating call?) of Comics, I'll make this quick and to the point, just like Archie.

JLA #10

I haven't bought it yet (though I spoiled myself on the ending); I got to my comics shop on Thursday and by then they were sold out. I could go to the other shop in my town to buy it, but I'm not sure I want to. Honestly, I'm torn between frustration at not having the last issue in the JLA/JSA crossover and relief at not having to spend money on Brad Meltzer's awful writing and that Michael Turner monstrosity on the cover.

Five with Filby

There's a fun meme going around where you ask someone to interview you with five quick questions. It's a nice way to pass five minutes, so here are my answers to the questions posed by the lovely Ami Angelwings.

1. If you could swap 2 superhero/villains costumes permanently, who would they be? :D
That's a tough question, since comic book characters are pretty much defined by their costumes. I guess I'll say the two Blue Beetles, Ted Kord and Jaime Reyes. Not that Jaime looks bad in his, but I think that as a scientist, Ted should have had a more high-tech costume. He could even modify it with his own inventions, which would be pretty cool.

2. Cats, dogs or walruses? :D
I'm both a cat person and a dog person; not so much a walrus person. Sorry, Chumley. Over my lifetime I've had one dog (Comet) and five cats (Siam, Marten, Min, Max, and Molly; Molly was a boy, btw), so I'd say cats win out.

3. What's the strangest thing you've done while sober? :o
Geez... well, I've never been drunk (alcoholism runs in the family, so I never drink), so pretty much anything strange I've done has been while I was sober. Back when I was, I think, a junior in high school, I spent the better part of a year writing down the names and descriptions of various D&D monsters on index cards for no reason other than my own entertainment. Looking back I have no idea what the hell I was doing wasting my time like that. I was a weird kid.

4. If you could get one superhero high for a whole issue, who would it be? :3
Guy Gardner. No question.

5. What's your favourite non-DC/non-Marvel superhero movie? :3
Definitely The Incredibles. Partly because I'm an animation buff, but really, it was the perfect homage to the Silver Age of comics, celebrating all its wonder, its innocense, and its absurdity.

Honorable mention goes to Mystery Men. "Sorry - am I to understand you've inserted your father's skull inside of that ball for bowling?" "No. The guy at the pro shop did it."

I don't suppose anyone will take me up since the only people I'm aware of who read my weblog have already taken it, but just in case...

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."

2. I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions. (They probably won't be the same ones you see above!)

3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

It's in the Cards...

I've been in a fairly cranky mood lately. I'm out of school and missed my opportunity to enroll in June summer classes, my job hunt keeps coming up short, and my bus pass expired and I haven't had a chance to get a new one yet so I've been cooped up in the house for a couple weeks.

So I decided to cheer myself up today. Since my sister got me back into the game recently, I went out and bought myself some new Magic cards for the first time since 8th grade (up 'til now I'd been using my old 10-year-old cards and some my sis' gave me). I don't plan on doing so often 'cause it's an expensive hobby to keep up, but I thought it would be fun to indulge myself for once.

And I got a Hobbit card!!! OMG! It was the one card in the set I wanted the most, and there it was right when I opened the pack!

I'm so happy, I could eat lunch. :)

SQUEEEEEEE!

Aww, tha'ss just adorable. *huggles teh Squee*

Magic Words

So in a powerful scene in 52 #52, Captain Marvel changes Black Adam's magic word to something he'll never guess so he can no longer transform into his super-powered alter ego. At the end of the series, we're left wondering what it could be. And now, in Countdown #47, about a month later, we learn that it was... "Sorry."

How... lame. It's completely mundane, and as such cheapens the excellent issue of 52 in which the plot point was introduced.

Can I do better? You bet I can! Here's some new "magic words" that a kid like Billy Batson might come up with that Black Adam would probably never utter even if he did guess it.

"BILLY R0XX0RS THE BIG ONE!!!"
"I'M A LITTLE TEAPOT!!!"
"LATE 360 SHOVE IT TO BONELESS!!!"
"SPOON!!!"
"HAN SHOT FIRST!!!"
"TETSUO!!!"
"JENGA!!!"
"NOBODY TOSSES A DWARF!!!"
"THAT'S THE WAY UH-HUH UH-HUH I LIKE IT!!!"
"I'M BATMAN!!!"
"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE-UP!!!"

*KRAKOOM!*

Anyone got something else that isn't another lame-duck pop culture reference, as that seems to be all I'm good for?

Megaman: Lord of the Dance

As I sit here, sipping iced lemonade, I find myself in an uncommonly pleasant mood.

As such, to reflect my good vibes, I give you Megaman doing a cute little dance to Aya Hirano's "Hare Hare Yukai."

On Subs vs. Dubs

The eternal debate in anime fandom. Do you watch it in the original Japanese with annoying English subtitles cluttering up the screen, or do you watch it with American voice "actors" hamming it up and stumbling over Japanese names? And if you like the one that I don't, what the hell's wrong with you?!?

Ultimately I think it's a moot point. If the show is popular enough to make it to the States, then the DVD will have both subbed and dubbed versions available to watch, so what's the problem? I think it may have to do with plain old self-centeredness. How dare you like something I don't? Of course, you don't really get a choice when it's on TV, and most new anime fans (myself included) enter the subculture through dubbed televised shows. I think this is why dubbed anime gets so much flak: It's all that's available for many people, and most of it terrible. I'm sorry, but it is. The American dubbing industry can't afford the best cast and crew (like Central Park Media), or just doesn't care enough to put in the effort (like 4Kids Entertainment).

Which segues into my next point, which is my personal preference. Well, truth be told, I really don't have a preference -- I take it on a case-by-case basis. Like I said, I think most dub jobs are crap, but there's the occasional gem that really shines out, like the American productions of Cowboy Bebop or (my favorite dub) Fullmetal Alchemist, not to mention Disney's star-studded dubs for Studio Ghibli's films (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle). Even if the quality of the dub ain't so hot, I occasionally get a kick out of it anyway -- for instance, I enjoyed the over-the-top old-school dub of Record of Lodoss War (I will forever hold a torch for Lisa-Ortiz-as-Deedlit-the-Elf); and while the acting on Azumanga Daioh was a little choppy, it was apparent that the voice actors loved their characters, and that gave it a real charm.

There are still instances where I prefer to watch anime with subtitles. Contrary to popular belief, I don't feel that Japanese voice actors are better (or worse) on the whole than their American counterparts, but when you're not fluent in the language, you just don't pick up on poor acting as easily as you do in your native tongue, and that helps when you're trying to immerse yourself in the show. Furthermore, generally speaking, I like seeing foreign film in the original language, and anime is no exception. A dub also really isn't an option when you're viewing the newest series -- last year, I followed The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Ouran High School Host Club (both of which I really ought to write posts about sometime) as each episode came out in Japan, so of course there was no dub yet. Of course, by the time I caught a clip of the American Haruhi Suzumiya dub, the original version was ingrained into my mind, and listening to American voices coming out of the characters' mouths just felt wrong.

One other factor, which is totally a footling point, is that it just creates an odd dissonance for me when characters who are Japanese are speaking English. It feels weird to me. On the other hand, if an anime series is set in, say, London (Hellsing) or the characters are all obviously Anglophones (Fullmetal Alchemist), hearing them speak English just feels more natural.

Moral Outcry and a Short History Lesson

A tip-o'-the-hat to Thom Wade.

This is pretty damn creepy.

You know why you see this garbage in manga? It's because Japan's post-war constitution, which was drafted by the occupying American forces, was poorly worded in that it prohibited the depiction of pubic hair in any publication -- but said nothing about underage children. It wasn't long before some jackasses realized they could get around the anti-porn laws by depicting prepubescent girls. By the time the laws were revised, it was too late: Lolicon had entered the public consciousness and had staying power in self-published underground comics, which makes up the bulk of manga sales among otaku.

So there you go: Lolicon is Douglas MacArthur's fault.

A Brief Thought on Pulp Fantasy

I enjoy reading fantasy novels based on licensed properties. Dungeons & Dragons, Forgotten Realms, Magic: The Gathering, etc., etc. Yeah, I know, they're basically officially-sanctioned fanfiction written by novices trying way too hard to be J. R. R. Tolkien, and the characterizations swing wildly depending on who's writing, but I still get a kick out of exploring the little details behind my favorite games. (There's also the fun of knowing that, hey, I could do this!). But there's one thing I can't stand.

SO MANY SPELLING ERRORS. If TSR/Wizards of the Coast rakes in millions a year from their games, then why the hell can't they hire a decent editor?!?!?

Pirates of the Carribean at World's End

Disjointed thoughts on the pirate movie. I went to see th' film wit' me sisters and one o' their boyfriends (a scurvy lout if e'er there be one), and below be me impressions. Read on, if ye be pirate enough!

I thought it was pretty good. The big naval battle was amazing (tho' lacking in logic -- where does the Black Pearl's crew keep coming from when they're getting killed by the scores, and where was the rest of the pirate fleet?), the cinematography blew my mind, and at no point did the special effects look "fake" and take me out of the movie. Elizabeth's speech was AMAZING. I got all misty.

I really didn't like Sao Feng... he was just this side of Fu Manchu on the "stereotypically scary Asian guy" scale, the scene where he tried to force himself on Elizabeth was pointless, and he was in the movie for no reason other than to make Elizabeth captain upon his passing. He did come off as a human being, tho', which is more than I can say for Manchu. The character wasn't as overtly racist as the Caribs in the last movie. And the rest of the Asian pirates, including Mistress Ching, didn't come off as any different from the rest of the pirates. All in all, tho', a waste of a good actor.

I've heard some people complain about all the people switching sides all the time. All the betrayals didn't bother me. Just about everyone was one degree of Chaotic Neutral or another, so it's to be expected. The only problem was in remembering who was betraying who at any given time.

Norrington's subplot could have used a bit more... more. That would have made the movie all the longer, tho', and with my knee bent uncomfortably to fit in the annoyingly narrow aisles and a large cup of Dr. Pepper in me bladder, I don't think I could have taken it.

I was pleased with the Davy Jones/Calypso subplot. Jones remained appropriately badass throughout the film.

Barbossa was nerfed, tho'.

I was happy with how things turned out with Elizabeth, Will, and Jack. The lovers' ending was suitably sweet and sad for me, and it's good to know Cap'n Jack's still out there chasing his dreams.

The final scene was kinda flat, tho', especially after the rip-roarin' cliffhanger (I jumped outta me sofa when Barbossa reappeared, I tells ye) at the end of the last.

Flawed to be sure, but the Pirates trilogy is now firmly ensconced in my list of favorite fantasy films. All in all, not a waste of six bucks.

Rehabilitating Vibe

A brief thought vis a vis (I love using gratuitous French, it's so pretendous) the Multiverse...

Somewhere out there, on some alternate Earth or another, Vibe may still be alive.

And cool.

...

...

...

It's a good thing I'm already sitting down 'cause I think I broke my brain.

~~~

Seriously, I think it would be cool to see Paco Ramone back among the living. What if El Vibe-man's encounter with Doctor Ivo's killer robots hadn't done him in? It could have given him a new perspective on life and motivated him to leave his gang-banging days behind him and move on out of the ghetto. And then become a social worker or something, to teach kids about the dangers of gangs and drugs and stuff. And maybe (GASP!) drop the inane Charo accent. But he'd still know how to breakdance like a demon, natch.

Vibe's costume would need a truckload of work. I say change it to a black turtleneck and slacks, retaining the red-and-yellow color scheme on his belt. He'd keep the funky shades, and maybe have a ponytail, just so we all know he's still hip.

Hmmm...

Woo

Finals are over.

Halle-fraggin'-lujah.

Seduction of the Innocent

I mentioned a while ago that, as part of a research project for school, I'd gotten my hands on Fredric R. Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent, the book that prompted the creation of the Comics Code Authority and contributed to the fall of the Golden Age. I haven't read the book from cover to cover, but what I did read of it has made me think quite a bit.

It may surprise some to learn that Wertham was a liberal, a progressive. He spoke at length in his book against racist portrayals of blacks and Asians in comics, and decried the overdeveloped physiques of comic book women as harmful to young girls' self-image. He was in the battle lines of the crusade against racial segregation in the 1950s. He truly cared about other people and wanted to make their lives better.

I feel for Wertham. He was doing what he thought was best. He really, truly, genuinely believed that reading comics made children turn delinquent and felt it vitally important to get that information out to parents -- even if he had to stretch the truth, make up connections, and employ sensationalism to do so.

Seduction of the Innocent is a terrible book with shoddy research and outrageous claims. The only reason it had any impact was because it came during the era of Joe McCarthy and his witch hunts, the single most paranoid and unenlightened point in American history, when people were so obsessed with "decency" that they'd stifle civil rights to ensure it. Yet its author, Doctor Wertham, had the best of intentions.

And you know what they say about good intentions.