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More "scenes from San Diego 2008," starting with something odd I saw at Fred's Mexican Restaurant: Apparently, William Shatner has a new show coming out. I'd love to know if this is how they used ALL of the posters, or if the restaurant just had a clever person on staff...

I was at a store in the Gaslamp district for this next one, but someone in the con hall should have been selling these rather Jedi-esque foot coverings. They look like they're from Kenner(tm), but it's Adidas(tm) behind these shoes. Get 'em before the lawsuit. :)

I found I hadn't posted a photo of a Cylon yet, so here it is. I don't know if the sign to the left of it on the floor is a warning to humanity or a tribute to TRON's "Master Control Program," but whatever keeps the kill-bots happy is fine with me. And the SciFi channel wanted to remind us that Eureeka premieres next Tuesday, and they effectively bribed me to say so by offering me wares from an appropriately themed ice-cream truck as well as cleverly-tagged candy in a tin. Regarding the ice cream truck (they were passing out "Drumstick" cones), the person inside must have had a psyche made of iron, as that truck was in the same spot for over 4 hours playing the show's theme song. Now, I like the theme, but I'm sure even a song I liked for 4 hours would be a bit much, especially when surrounded by ice cream hungry con goers in the heat of the afternoon. Plus, after eating it, I halfway expected to be taken over by nanites or find myself turning into soft-serve as some wacky experiment-gone-wrong found its way into Blue Bunny's confections...

One other major life-event took place today: I sang karaoke in public for the first time. Cristi was so enthralled and I was so nervous that I forgot to have her take a photo as I sang the Barenaked Ladies' hit, "If I Had $1,000,000." I almost sang out "If I Had A Million Eisner's," but I thought that might be too much.

I'll continue my hunt for interesting Comicon tidbits tomorrow! In the meantime:

- As a kind of writing stimulus, i09 has their favorite opening lines from sci-fi novels. I kind of dig the one from the Dark Tower (which apparently didn't make i09's list): "The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed."
- And because he was so well-received on "Have I Got News For You," we present Brian Blessed giving a speech, part 1 and part 2.
- Some more "cool real places for D&D adventures" in the form of abandoned (kinda) Russian castles.
- Similarly, these photos of science labs at night could fit into modern adventures. X-Files, anyone?
- A puzzle game called Spinin' 1 has you tilting a board to get the "smiley" tile to the exit. It kind of reminds me of Tetris mixed with those old-fashioned steel-ball maze games.
- And a spaceship shooter with leveling up fun called Space Wing. Shoot everything that moves and collect that XP, as games were meant to be. :)

*****************

From a purely financial point of view, this is a strange argument to make at the moment, coming right after record breaking box office receipts for The Dark Knight and Iron Man. But, to restate the obvious: this summer has featured a lot of superhero flicks, leading some people to greet the arrival of Hancock and Batman with an agonized auugh! can't Hollywood do anything other than superhero flicks?????? (Of course, this led to one of you then deciding to skip Batman thanks to superhero overload and see Mamma Mia instead, only to be apparently overloaded and sickened from Pierce Brosnan singing overload,* meaning that pain comes in all guises). So I think we can agree that five superhero flicks (six if you are including Wanted) might be putting a significant strain on the audience. (And quite possibly lowering the box office receipts for a few films -- movie watchers deciding that they could only handle one or two superhero films at the most per year possibly decided to restrict themselves to just Iron Man and The Dark Knight, a speculation based solely on box office receipts.)

But that audience strain doesn't necessarily translate to film strain, which is where I think A.O. Scott, who I usually like, goes off the mark here, in a couple of different ways. For one, he's picked a bad comparison: the Western genre. I keep hearing, over and over and over again of the "death" of the Western, only to see yet another Western (last year's 3:10 to Yuma) pop up again and again and again, and although the most recent batch of Westerns focus on "thoughtful" (read, let's chat about the meaning of violence, kids!) reinterpretations of that genre, that's hardly a new approach to Westerns -- think, for instance, of High Noon. (On a mild note, A.O. Scott's protestation that superhero flicks are under unusual financial pressure is also wrong -- Hollywood was just as interested in making money in the 1950s, and those Westerns were expected to bring in heavy profits.) Two, as A.O. Scott admits, all Hollywood flicks are governed by conventions: if you are complaining that superhero films must have a climatic fight between villain and superhero, you have to complain that romantic comedies must have a misunderstanding between hero and heroine. It's not the conventions, it's what a film does with them. Three, true, Hollywood, in general, is not known for the creativity -- or indeed, particularly interested in the creativity -- the goal is money. (Which, according to BoxOfficeMojo, all of the superhero flicks, except Hellboy II (so far) amply provided.) Hollywood rehashes old ideas, flicks, and TV shows (hello to the non-superhero flicks Sex and the City, Get Smart and the upcoming X-Files), but in some ways, superhero flicks -- especially those like Hancock and Hellboy II not as tied to audience preconceptions of the character -- can actually revel in more creativity than some other films. After all, the praise for The Dark Knight isn't because it's the all time ultimate portrayal of Batman, but because the film had something to say about law, terror and morality, combined with a pretty damn good car chase.

In other words, instead of discovering the limits of the superhero genre, as A.O. Scott suggests, I think that these particular films have shown just how much these limits can be stretched -- suggesting that quite possibly, the genre doesn't have limitations at all. I may, of course, be reacting from a long term fondness for comic books and superheroes, or I may be reacting the same way I react to any statement that any genre or art form has died. (Outside of, say, sillouettes, which probably won't be making a major popular comeback any time soon.) Because that suggests that as artists, we are restricted by the pathways carved by previous artists -- rather than finding hints of what we can do next, of how we can stretch those conventions a little bit more, and maybe, along the way, produce something original -- or if not wholly original, at least a dazzling new take on the old. Kinda the way Shakespeare did.)

Or maybe I'm just being optimistic, and from here on out, every superhero movie will be utter crap.

* I haven't seen Mamma Mia, but I have been assured by its viewers that Meryl Streep should sing, and Pierce Brosnan should not.

Now it's time to discuss. ( Major, major spoilers. If you haven't seen the film, I strongly suggest not clicking – one strength of this film is its twists. )

---

As for the book itself, I did enjoy it as one of the first "deconstructing superheroes" stories I read, soon to be followed by comics like "Top 10," "Astro City," "Planetary," and other graphic presentations of superheroes with a dash more "real life" than had been seen before. I think the film has the potential to be more dark than even The Dark Knight currently is (and the word "dark" appears more times in the collected reviews for the Batman film than it probably does in the database of player names in "City of Heroes"), and I do wonder how much of that they're going to let show through in the end. And will this let other comic book movies go a bit more towards the shady side of things? With Marvel putting out an "Avengres" film soon, will they take, say, the disfunctional relationship of the Pyms from "The Ultimates?" Perhaps give Tony Stark that brain tumor?

But my biggest question about these films is... will there be permits issued for Doc Manhattan cosplayers? This could be REALLY important.

Has B5 gone beyond the rim for good? JMS seems to think it has, and I kind of agree with his premise; further installations should add to Babylon-5, rather than detract from it. And if Warner Bros isn't willing to cough up more than $2 million per DvD feature, and that's not enough to do something worthwhile, then it's probably best not to go ahead. Not that I wouldn't mind an honest-to-Valen theatrical movie, but that would probably take a lot of persuasion for most studios. I say that because things seem to go south for Straczynski when studios begin to cut back or meddle.

But more importanly, the final chapter of Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog is up for download, and it goes on to iTunes (where you have to pay) after Sunday, so what are you waiting for? Stop filling out that to be his sidekick and watch, already!

- Some point-n-click adventure fun with Escape From Octlien. I managed to "win" without getting the full score. Be sure to click on all of the wall panels.
- From the "real places that would make awesome D&D adventure settings" comes the underground town of Kariz, Iran.
- Star Rebellion is a turret defense game with some resource gathering tossed in just to make everything more strategic.
- Habanera, as performed by the Swedish Chef, Beaker, and Animal.
- Ever wanted a blog where you can find celebrites and oddball match-ups that they Totally Look Like? I never knew Fred Thompson looked so much like Vigo...
- There's a new (warning for the young'uns, as there's mutant head-shots in store) Fallout 3 trailer that includes some pretty sweet-looking gameplay footage.
- Lastly, from the "I wish I'd thought of that for a t-shirt" file, comes the worlds nerdiest cross-stitch.

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Dork Tower by John Kovalic

Current Comic

coldecho

But we were not there for the tiramisu, but rather to see Mongol, a film explaining why Genghis Khan grew up to be Genghis Khan, which appears to be because several people were very, very mean to him when he was a kid and end up hitting him a lot, so, naturally, his lifetime goal became world conquest and unification, which you can kind of see. (I'm not worrying about too many spoilers here, since, after all, we all kinda know what happened to Genghis Khan, and to most people that ran into his armies, eventually.) Also, a wolf is involved somehow, but the movie doesn't make that part clear. Indeed, probably because of the sheer complexity of the subject matter, the film does choose to skip over several parts of Genghis Khan's life, leading to quite a few "Huh? Where exactly did he get that army again?" moments, particularly at the end, when what appears to be about ten years army building (my guess – I know pretty much zilch about the life of Genghis Khan prior to the whole invading of central Asia part, so if I'm wrong, feel free to correct me) is kinda squished into about 45 seconds of film – and we still have two more films to go, since he's barely started the whole "I'm so gonna rule the world and kick everyone's butt for hitting me" bit. (A rather overdeveloped sense of revenge, I suppose, but if I'd been sold into slavery as many times as Genghis had, I'd probably get some delusions of world grandeur as well.)

Fascinatingly, for a film focused on exploring the roots of Mongolian history and tradition, and the life of the traditional Mongolian hero, the film also spends an extraordinary amount of time showing how many things go seriously, seriously wrong every time someone follows these traditions (lots of people end up dead.) And Genghis appears to win, in the end, partly because he learns to defy one sensible Mongolian tradition: fear thunder. Yes, we're celebrating the life of the man who created Mongolian traditions, says the film, but to really kick butt, don't follow any of them.

Later today, another little revenge flick – bring on the Batman! Who-hoo!

All good words. What am I going to think today? No one knows. Not even me. At least, until I think it. I need more artistic expression in my life. Whether it be writing, drawing, painting, composing music, or whatever, I want it... nay, I need it. What is stopping me? Life and all its distractions. Or in other words, me. I am stopping me. Happens all the time.

I want to be involved in the exploration of the psychic world, or whatever name is fashionable at the time. I want to find and expose myself to paranormal situations. I know I say this as if I haven't done it before. I have, many times. I just want to keep myself in the loop. I don't want it to be self-indulgence, however. Notice I didn't say self-delusion? Although they are similar in this case... I make the distinction. Self-indulgence in this case would be presuming certain capabilities in yourself, and allowing the nugget of possibility be the scapegoat or the reason for much more than is reasonable. For example, if I assume I have some strong effect on people near me, I may begin to blame myself for things they do and say that has nothing to do with me. Self-delusion would be further into convincing yourself of something that isn't true. The two terms overlap, I agree.

I have digressed slightly. I just want to witness and explore phenomena that I can continue to form my own opinions about.

I want to go to Dragon*Con. This may become less likely as I am running out of time to make room arrangements. My previous room plans have disappeared - somewhat due to my own lack of clarity. I seem to remember that someone from the Vaxer group was going... I don't remember his livejournal name, but his real name begins with J. I don't want to say the name, to protect the not-so-innocent. He's a north-florida kind of person.

Current Mood:

contemplative

However, my director indicated during a One-on-One that I should sign up for all the offered Outlook 2007 classes because of being the resident expert. We agreed that I should be exposed to the same training that other people in our agency would be taking. It is good to know what they are being told. Plus, he isn't one of those people who appreciates what it means to learn by on-hands experience. Certificates seem to mean more to him than know how. It is true that I need to learn more and take exams to prove I have learned it... that's what "school" is all about!

In other news, things are normal. I have reduced the number of role-playing games I am involved in, though some were by circumstance rather than choice. In some ways I am glad for this, because I have time for other things. On the other hand I like hanging out with friends and creating interactive stories. Although I am still playing World of Warcraft and City of Heroes, those don't provide the same satisfaction as gaming face-to-face. I will be creating a game for Halloween this year, so that should be fun. I hope.

Of course, another very close friend has moved out of my area. mariness moved up to the Orlando area. A fact I am not personally happy about, but it is best for her current circumstances. *sigh*

I would say more, but the class is starting. I'll try to post more later.

Current Location:	Downtown
Current Mood:	awake
Current Music:	Instructor Voices

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Work continues apace on ps238 #32, which I will send to press this week (the computer going splat last week did NOT help in the least), and I've already got #33 and #34 written and ready to draw! I've also got a little story planned for the future involving a detour from "heavy plot land" into "creative writing class," which I think will be a hoot, as readers will finally get to see what they've been craving: crayon drawings by Zodon. I'm serious.

Anyway, last week I was warned to skip "Bonekickers," a new show that just aired its second episode in the UK. Much like how I've often defied things that say "requires adult supervision," I took a look at it. I've watched me some bad TV in my day, and this... Here's the thing: I can see where there was almost a good idea here, combining the supernatural with archaeology. However, it wound up being the product of the worst mix of Indiana Jones, CSI, Tomb Raider, and, at least in the first episode, Highlander. The acting is something I usually ignore with most new series, at least in the beginning, since (1) I want the story hook to be the strongest part and (2) I know it takes the actors and writers a while to figure out what the characters are about. In this case, we've got a site in England being excavated where some Templar Knights were killed, and they've got a bit of what could be the True Cross. We also have a religious fanatic who wants to start a crusade against Muslims (our main baddie for this first show. The fanatic, not the Muslims), and a lot of followers of said fanatic that go so far as to wear overcoats to hide their broadswords (Doesn't everyone in Britain have one? Isn't it a law or something?) and shirts with Templar crosses on them. Of course they get wind of the dig and the clues there that might lead to the True Cross itself, buried somewhere nearby. The final set piece just screams "Raiders of the Lost Ark," but by then you've kind of decided to forget about the plot and wait for the closing credits. They also have what I assume is going to be the "mystery" that arcs through the first season, involving the leader of the team who has some connection to finding a mystic sword (if I guess it's Excalibur, do I win something if I'm right?). Between "Bonekickers," "Primeval," and "Torchwood," I think we've got quite enough wacky teams doing things to save the world from CGI effects for a while. :)

Additional: I just saw the second episode. Add "National Treasure" to the source material for "Bonekickers."

I know LiveJournal has had a lot of drama in its past over various topics, but I've noticed something new that seems troublesome, and wondered if anyone else out there has: Spammers with actual LJ accounts. As I understand it, a lot of forums and places where comments can be left are being spammed initially by seemingly innocent short comments, usually of light praise, like "great site, keep up the good work." The reports then say after these are left alone or become somehow "trusted," the spamming starts with the usual links to junk you don't want, don't need, or don't like to see.

In the past, these were anonymous postings with gobbldegook screen names, but now they are actual accounts with LJ's made up of semi-gibberish that read like a bad translation of Japanese news items or something (the yellow template on that link is also pretty common among the ones I've found thus far). The comments, while pretty easy to catch (they often make little sense) seem to operate on an algorithm that scans what they're replying to and tries to match text strings to the topic. Replying to a reader comment about the "Primeval" TV series, one suspect LJ post read, "He says with great spirit, "As it's my first drama series I'd like to have fun acting in it but, because it's such a special setting, it looks like I may turn stoic in my daily life too (laughs)."

I can only guess that these are dummy accounts that will someday be used to perpetuate link-spam or some other clutter. While I've caught every one (they also often show up on REALLY old posts), I've had to delete and ban about 10 accounts today alone. I mark each comment as spam, and hope LiveJournal can do something about it, as I can see this being a really big problem for some of the more active journals who can't police their archives and stay sane.

Diversion is the key to sanity, mostly, so here goes:

- Let's start with a puzzle game: Open Doors. 30 levels of figuring out how to get past increasingly difficult passageways to the exit.
- What hit movie franchise is heading to Broadway? Here's a hint: it does whatever a spider can. I wonder if that classic ditty will be the overture?
- One of the internet's funniest animated felines is back! Simon's Cat: TV Dinner is live. And Simon really needs a DVR.
- I have yet to meet my cat quota. Some might remember the classic flash-loop Catdrums, but he might lose his kitty-bongo crown, for a challenger has appeared!
- There are cosplay costumes that are unique, some that are dumbfounding in effort, and others that you have to be very brave to wear. This knitted Wonder Woman costume is all three, and will be seen around the San Diego Comicon!
- I got 10 out of 10, but I did guess on two questions when I took this MST3K quiz.
- And for those toy collectors headed to SDCC, here's a pretty comprehensive list of the goodies available if your action figure collection feels "unfinished." I kind of dig the Red Baron TIE Fighter.
- Fans of "Worms" will get a kick out of Sling Wars, where you pick a conquering civilzation and take over the world by picking stuff up and hurling it at your opponent!
- And Joss Whedon's Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog has posted its first act! Thanks to frequent poster Codeguyj for the head's up!

Apparently to shield health workers objecting to abortion, Bush administration proposing conditions on federal aid for health programs.

I have no objections to the federal government putting strings on federal money -- indeed, I rather wish that more strings had been attached to the massive bailouts happening over at Fannie and Freddie Mae (like, for instance, stating that since their executives have clearly not done the best jobs of running those two places, they should see salary reductions as a consequence. But I digress.) I also, in principle, agree with any statement arguing for less discrimination in hiring cases.

What concerns me here, though, is this bit, the definition of abortion:

"any of the various procedures — including the prescription, dispensing and administration of any drug or the performance of any procedure or any other action — that results in the termination of the life of a human being in utero between conception and natural birth, whether before or after implantation."

This includes, in many minds, IUDs and the pill -- which the majority of women use primarily so that they won't have an abortion, but that isn't the point.

The two points are this: 1) by this definition, a blastocyst (the initial state of embryonic development in all vertebrates, including humans) is a human being, which I have severe biological questions on; 2) the greater issue, of course, is that this forces hospitals and other health care providers to hire people that can legally refuse to dispense prescribed medication.

As I've stated before, not everybody goes on the pill or Depo-Provera or the Nuvo Ring or whatever to prevent pregnancy: many women go on these medications to prevent major, debilitating cramps, anemia, and other health problems. I was one of these women, and it's not an exaggeration to say that Norplant allowed me to keep my job and my life.

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Dork Tower by John Kovalic

Current Comic

-Dr. Horrible

I woke up this morning to Dr. Horrible's Sing A Long Blog. The long term effects of this have yet to be determined.

I can, however, say that we are all about to be deeply grateful, or deeply regret, ever praising Joss Whedon for "Once More With Feeling" and Firefly.

This is why, seriously, mutation is easier, even if Batman gets all the money. Though I still think his greatest flaw is not so much that he can only be on top for a couple years (if you believe Scientific American, and we probably should) but that he keeps freaking telling people, especially temporary girlfriends, who he really is.

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Dork Tower by John Kovalic

Current Comic