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Since people seem to be in a mood to analyse Marvel lately: the only "mainstream" Marvel U "post Civil War" comics I was getting were New New Warriors and New Order (which is a cheap and easy joke, but hey, so's your Mom). And I'm not getting them anymore. They're perfectly serviceable comics, but I'm just not interested in this "going nowhere slowly" between crossovers approach so many of Marvel's titles seem to have. Now there's nothing wrong with going nowhere slowly, but it's so much better to be going nowhere fast, you know?
I'm also not particularly interested in the current state of the Marvel universe. DC, for all it's flaws, has managed to hold my interest, and that's partly because the heroes still act like good guys and the villains are clearly identifiable as bad guys. You can't quite make those distinctions at Marvel anymore. And it doesn't help that the consequences of Marvel's big events don't really get dealt with because the stage has to be cleared for the next big event. Say what you will about Countdown and its cross-overs, but you can't really argue that DC isn't thoroughly exploring the consequences of the last few event titles in those books. At Marvel they almost seem to be burying the problems created by their events under the weight of new events. "Oh, we made Iron Man a fascist, but we can't deal with that now, the Hulk's attacking. Ooops, we made the Hulk a mass-murderer, but we can't deal with that now, the Skrulls are invading. Ah, we've established that Wolverine is actually a hyper-evolved stoat and not a mutant, but we can't deal with that now because Namor has the Serpent Crown and is trying to flood the surface world..."
Say you're an American publisher. And say you have the rights to publish, in America, newer and older licensed comics that are successful outside the US, but haven't really sold well in the US for a couple of decades. And say that, about ten to fifteen years ago, there was an animated series based on the comics you have a license to. An animated series that did several loose adaptations of some of the better known comics in the series. And let's say that the animated series in question was very successful and is largely credited with revitalizing an area of the animation industry that had become moribund. It would seem like a no-brainer to do a book collecting the best stories that inspired the series, and to slap the logo of the series all over the book, right? So why would you go and put an introduction in the book that spends a good deal of time blasting the quality of the show?
Which is what Gemstone did with their Carl Barks' Greatest Ducktales Stories books. Oh, comics industry...you so stupid...
Stephen Sadowski's pencils for Superpowers #0 are very nice, but with him only drawing the preview book, I'm not sure I'm interested. I REALLY did not like Justice, and the "nostalgia for grandpa's childhood" vibe is strong on this project. Which means I'm probably holding out for Avengers/Invaders. YES! I'm a hypocrite! I complain about Marvel than look forward to one of their projects!
You know what's fun? Video games.
It's like a virtual pet, only it's Daffy Duck, and the idea is to torture him as much as possible.
It's an old-school "point and click" puzzle game, only on your console. And since it's on the Wii, you have to mime out using the object with the remote. It makes you look like a complete tool, so I recommend playing with the blinds drawn.
Lars and the Real Girl was an excellent, excellent film, very sweet and heartfelt, with just enough sadness and darkness underneath it to give it some real emotional heft.
Sexy Cowboy I think it's the combination of chaps and fringe that really sells this look.
Sexy Cop Oddly, not the only "shiny fake vinyl" cop costume I spotted.
Sexy Devil Yes, the Prince of Darkness wears frilly lace. It's those gay indicators that really sell the evil.
Sexy Disco Dancer It's amazing they found purple leopards...
Sexy Highlander Men in dresses=sexy, every time.
Sexy Hippie Or, I suppose this could be Sexy Ironically Postmodern College Student. It depends on whether or not he stinks of patchouli.
Sexy Convict And he's a bargain, at only eight cigarettes a night!
Sexy Knife Thrower It's not the most practical costume...I imagine wearing this involves lots of walking into doors.
Sexy Peasant Man, he can vassal my serf any day!
Sexy Pimp Hey, the racial and sexual politics of the 'pimp' costumes are great fodder for deep intellectual discussions of the issues they raise, and that turns my crank.
Sexy Victorian Serial Killer It's the frills. Gotta be.
Sexy Pirate To repeat a point that needs repeating from time to time: what, exactly, did people think cabin boys were for?
Sexy Roman See? Skirts. It works.
Sexy Vampire I think it's the casual nature of this ensemble that sells it. I mean, he's going to rip out your throat and drink your blood, but he's going to be relaxed about it...it's not a 'dressy' event.
Sexy Werewolf I'm the only one who finds werewolves sexy, aren't I?
I was going to make a post about how little J.K. Rowling "outing" Dumbledore matters, but Kalinara beat me to the punch and said just about everything I was inclined to say anyway. This was not a "brave" move on her part. Waiting until after the character has been killed off, and after the book series is complete, to throw out, as an after-thought, "oh yeah, and Dumbledore was gay" is actually kind of craven. It suggests to me that, mindful of the occasional "why are there no gay characters in the Harry Potter books" complaints she gets, she decided to throw the queers a bone and let them have Dumbledore. So, let's not rush to congratulate Rowling for her bravery or her commitment to diversity. She had seven books in which to make the barest suggestion that Dumbledore was gay, and couldn't be bothered to.
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