Free Comic Book Day 2012

As many of you know, yesterday was Free Comic Book Day, which is always the first Saturday in May. Cindy and I made a day of it, as usual. My nephew Braxton stayed over the night before, and we all set out Saturday morning for Southern Fried Comics. We had a ball, then had lunch, hit some thrift stores, and capped it all off by going to see The Avengers. (I'm not gonna bother reviewing the movie, but seriously, go see it. It's a fun superhero comic come to life! If you've liked any of the Marvel movies, you will love it!)

Unlike many comic shops, SFC does not limit you to only two or three of the FCBD offerings, nor do they require you to purchase anything to get any of the free comics. I missed out on the Donald Duck, Image 20th Anniversary, and Smurfs comics I wanted, but I did get everything else I was interested in.

(Braxton really liked that one!)

I've never read a Mouse Guard comic before, but the book is actually hardcover, and it is just adorable. It even has a nameplate on the inside cover!

Also got the Thor figurine, and the comics in my pull box. (If you care, those were the last two issues of Simpsons Comics, the last issue of Spongebob Comics, and the latest issue of Simpsons One-Shot Wonders, featuring Milhouse.)
Free Comic Book Day is a  great event, and the people at Southern Fried Comics go above and beyond each year to make it fun. With a second event centered on Halloween beginning this year, I'm really looking forward to the next one!

DC Dead #1: Superman

This is the first piece in a new series that's been gestating for quite a while. Sure, zombie mash-ups are nothing new, but who cares? They're fun to draw, and fun to look at.

The scanner picked up some stuff on the other side of the paper, such as all the red streaks from where I was dabbing off most of the red paint on the tiny brush to get the fine splatter on Superman's S-shield just right. The stuff on the other side is not visible to the naked eye when looking at the art. 

GO SEE JOHN CARTER AT THE THEATER

John Carter is doing well in the international market, but it seems to be tanking domestically. People, go and see this movie. It's the kind of epic for which theaters exist. My girlfriend knew absolutely nothing about any of the characters or concept, and she liked it quite a bit. Same with my 13-year-old nephew. It really is a big, epic, fun movie for the entire age spectrum. It's disheartening that the latest rape of a Dr. Seuss classic-- "The Lorax," which is being used to sell SUVs, for crhissake-- is doing much better. We don't get big action movies with a brain very often.
 And for anyone who thinks some aspects of John Carter look derivative: Edgar Rice Burroughs INVENTED this stuff with his John Carter of Mars work. Without John Carter, there would be no Buck Rogers, no Flash Gordon, and certainly no Star Wars. (And that's exactly how SW family tree looks: John Carter --> Buck Rogers --> Star Wars.)
 If you like movies that take you on a grand adventure without insulting your intelligence, GO AND SEE JOHN CARTER. When garbage like Michael Bay's Transformers abominations rake in countless hundreds of millions of dollars and we let quality films like John Carter wither and die on the vine, we have no one but ourselves to blame when we just keep getting more of the same crap.

Rant Review: Showcase Presents Batman, Volume 1

Five and a half short years after its publication, here are my thoughts on the first volume dedicated to Batman in DC's phone book-sized Showcase Presents reprint series. This is an expanded version of the review I posted on Goodreads.

This collection shows a Batman who is in a transitionary phase, slowly leaving behind the goofier elements common to superhero comics of the 1930s-50s. Beginning with the debut of the "new look" Batman in Detective Comics #327, this volume slows a slightly more down-to-earth Batman; gone are the strange transformations and travels to alien worlds. There is still plenty of lovable Silver Age goofiness though, and there is rarely a dull moment. Stories from this era provide a nice balance to the dark, "gritty" Batman that has been common the past few decades. I prefer the darker interpretation myself, but I also enjoy these more light-hearted tales quite a bit.

What is the "new look" Batman, you ask? When DC editorial decided to get rid of the over-the-top fantasy and sci-fi elements and bring the Batman books back to a more grounded level, the shift was personified in a costume tweak for the Caped Crusader; this was the debut of the yellow oval bat symbol we're all familiar with. The art style also changed; instead of a legion of ghost artists delivering art in the house style for Bob Kane to pretend he had drawn, Carmine Infantino started illustrating some of the Batman adventures, beginning with issue #327 of Detective Comics. Longtime Kane ghost artist Sheldon Moldoff (who tragically passed away a week ago) altered his art style to better fit the more realistic stories, and the overall look of the books improved a great deal, in my not-so-humble opinion.(It shows just how versatile Moldoff was that he shifted his art to such a large degree practically overnight, without missing a beat!)

To be sure, these stories still contain quite a bit of goofiness and ham-fisted narration and dialogue, but it was a drastic change from what had gone before, and a big step in the right direction. There was even a long-running story featuring the mysterious Outsider that unfolded over the course of a couple of years, which was highly unusual for the time. Things were going quite well in the Batman books, and then a certain TV show debuted... but that's something to discuss another time.

Bottom line: if you enjoy the inspired goofiness that pops up frequently in Silver Age comics, you'll enjoy this book. If you're a fan of the animated Batman: The Brave and the Bold TV series, this book is right up your alley.
My score:
Check this book out, fool!

Today is Creator-Owned Day!

As detailed here, March 1 is creator-owned day. I only just found out today, so I took a half hour to whip up some art of one of my favorite characters I've created, Penumbra. Here's the original black & white drawing, and a red-tinted version. You can open each one in a new tab to see the full-size versions.

Penumbra is wielding his sword Golgothar, which assembles around his hand from components housed in his gauntlet. Everyone be sure to check #CreatorOwnedDay on Twitter to see what everyone has posted!

Rant Reflection: The new WATCHMEN comics

After years of rumors and leaks, DC announced this morning that they are producing new Watchmen comics beginning this summer. Naturally, this has set off a world-class shitstorm across the internet. Alan Moore himself told the New York Times "I tend to take this latest development as a kind of eager confirmation that they are still apparently dependent on ideas that I had 25 years ago," and called DC's plan "completely shameless."

“I don’t want money,” Moore told them. “What I want is for this not to happen.”

My thoughts: tough shit. Alan Moore has long acted like a total dickhead when it comes to his work, at the expense of the fans that have supported him for decades. I won't recount endless examples here; it's easy enough to find countless examples with a quick Google search. At some point, it's time to let go of old grudges and move on, particularly when hanging on to all that bad blood costs his fans things they want(i.e. the 15th anniversary action figure line that wound up not happening once Moore threw another of his crazy-hermit fits).

Moore also comments in the NY Times piece that "there weren’t that many prequels or sequels to MobyDick. ” You know what? If Moby Dick had been a comic, there would have been. Comics are serialized storytelling. When you create a comic character or concept-- particularly when you create them work-for-hire and base them on characters already owned by the company for which you are working-- it's a given that others are free to pick up and play with those toys once you put them down. DC has been overwhelmingly generous to Moore by abiding by his wishes for the past 25 years, when they were under absolutely no obligation to do so. Just as Moore has used characters and concepts created by others for his own stories, now some of his are being put to further use. That's how it works, and Alan Moore needs to grow the hell up and stop acting like a 4-year-old who isn't getting his way.

That aside, many people have the far more legitimate concern that the new Watchmen comics won't live up to the original series. This is a concern I share; while I don't think Watchmen should be held as an inviolate sacred cow, the fact remains that the original series is basically perfect as it is. Fortunately, there are two things working in favor of the new comics:

1. The new comics are set before the events of Watchmen. This is crucial, as the original series needs no sequel. The decades before the events of the series, that we see very little of, however, are wide open for exploration. For years, I've hoped they would take this approach if they actually did produce more Watchmen comics, and thankfully, that's exactly what we're getting.

2. The creative teams, on the whole, are out-friggin'-standing. Look at this lineup:

RORSCHACH (4 issues) – Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: Lee Bermejo
MINUTEMEN (6 issues) – Writer/Artist: Darwyn Cooke
COMEDIAN (6 issues) – Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: J.G. Jones
DR. MANHATTAN (4 issues) – Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artist: Adam Hughes
NITE OWL (4 issues) – Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artists: Andy and Joe Kubert
OZYMANDIAS (6 issues) – Writer: Len Wein. Artist: Jae Lee
SILK SPECTRE (4 issues) – Writer: Darwyn Cooke. Artist: Amanda Conner
Now, I'm not Straczynski's biggest fan. and I find Adam Kubert's art just plain ugly, but on the whole, that is an amazing lineup. While nothing is going to live up to the legend that the original Watchmen series has become at this point, I think we're going to be getting some damn nice comics out of this all the same.

So, like pretty much everything the internet gets fired up about, it's not the end of the world. If Alan Moore can take characters from classic stories and make them fuck each other-- check out Lost Girls if you think I'm just making shit up-- then I see nothing wrong with the company that owns the characters he created, using characters they already owned as the basis, and weaving some new stories with them.

Fun with dead bodies in Skyrim!

One of the most macabre methods of making your own fun in Skyrim is finding creative ways of displaying the bodies of your fallen enemies. Here are a couple of examples. Be warned: there may be some minor spoilers ahead!

As Keldor the Unbroken, I was all too happy to off the shrill lunatic Cicero when the opportunity presented itself. In the bowels of the Dark Brotherhood's long-abandoned sanctuary near Dawnstar, there was one obvious choice of storage for his body.

Rest in peace, ya loony!

Obsessive Mythic Dawn historian Silus Vesuius got what was coming to him after I looted his entire museum behind his back. It seemed like a fun idea to store him inside one of his own display cases. This was made far more amusing due to a basket that somehow attached itself to his foot.

Then, just for kicks, I closed the door. Things started going crazy, as he doubled up inside the basket, his limbs flopping around like a freshly-caught fish!

Naturally, I had to take a look at him with the door open again, and he was now in this state:

My nephew Braxton's surly Argonian  murdered the smarmy merchant Belethor-- or Ballathor, as we call him-- earlier today, and managed to store his corpse on top of the large moose's head in his shop, cradled by the antlers. (For some reason, I could not get a decent pic of this one no matter what!)

Hilarious!

The Santahkiin!

A little drawing I whipped up. The dragon looks pretty lousy; this showed me just how out of practice I am at drawing monsters.

As a nice little easter egg, the dragon isn't speaking gibberish. Head to Google and find a dragon language translator to see what he's saying! ;)

Xmas narrowly salvaged!

When my girlfriend Cindy came to my house to get the last of her presents earlier today, disaster had struck struck!

Inside the chest which was supposed to contain her second ring was this note!

It reads: "I suppose you were expecting to find a ring here. Unfortunately for you, the infamous Kleptothiar struck first! Accept my apologies, and take solace in the knowledge that the proceeds from the sale of your shiny bauble will be put to good use. Yours, M. Kleptothiar"
The dastard!
Cindy had no choice but to follow her destination marker.

Arriving at her goal...

...our adventurer came upon a most gruesome sight!

This letter was found near the unlucky thief's body:

It reads: This is a communication from the Daedric prince Blingathor. Your lust for bright and shiny objects pleases me, so I have struck down the petty thief who snatched your ring, and sealed his soul forever into an immobile plastic form. Your jewelry may be recovered in the chest from which it was stolen. Wear it well, and rejoice that you have had the great fortune to gain the benevolent notice of one of the immortal Daedra."
Hurrah, the day was saved!

Claiming her ring at last, Cindy had a glorious day! I hope all of you have had as exciting and wonderful a day as we have!

(Hopefully she won't find out that the thief and I were guildmates...)

This is what happens...

... when you try to fuck with Keldor the Unbroken.
As Keldor, the sinister Dark Elf battlemage, I was exploring the countryside, gradually making my way to Markarth for a Dark Brotherhood mission. After killing some Thalmor scumbags, I went poking around in the menu and noticed that I had picked up a small bounty somewhere along the way. Naturally, the next small settlement I came across had a guard posted, and he immediately came running toward me. The fine was small enough that I figured I'd just pay it, so I went into my inventory before the guard reached me so I could drop all the stolen items I had on me. (Stolen items are confiscated when you pay a bounty off or go to jail. How a pissant guard can recognize something you stole on the other side of the continent is beyond me, but there it is.)

So, I pay my fine to this jackass, and then remember that I have to go to the nearest city with him. The game loads, and I'm in the middle of Markarth! I quickly run back to where I dropped all my stolen items, and begin picking them back up. Oddly, a ring of them was suspended in the air, and would drop to the ground as I walked into them. A few items never did drop, so I suppose they're still hanging there. I should go back and check on that.

I decide that, for inconveniencing me so greatly, this asswipe guard needs to die. So, I walk over to the mine entrance he is guarding. Some douchenozzle in a puffy white shirt starts talking to me, but I ignore him and go stand by the guard. I figure Nozzle has to go into the house at some point, and I'll be able to take care of the guard without any witnesses to deal with.

Several in-game hours pass, and Nozzle is still hanging around. I go talk to him, and realize he is involved in a quest focusing on that mine, so he's probably not going anywhere. "Fuck it," I said eloquently to myself," I'll kill him too." The guard dies quickly with the one-two punch of a fireball and my sword in his face, and then I turn to chase down Nozzle. I lob some flames at Nozzle, and his knees buckle as I swing my sword. This leads to one of the most badass finshing move animations I've seen in the game; I plunged my sword through his chest as he bent over backwards, and basically pinned him to the ground like a prized butterfly.

I figure Nozzle's part is done, but I'm still not finished with that asswipe guard. I take everything he has, including his uniform and his douchey helmet. (It was at this point I got the idea to document this with photos; since I don't have the game on PC, I can't do hi-res screencaps, so my rather crappy photos will have to suffice.)

I drag him to the top of the rocks nearby...

Drop him off the cliff...

And I lob some fireballs after him for good measure.

Just a fun little diversion in my Skyrim day!

The (Skyrim) story so far...

I had the idea a few weeks ago that I might keep some kind of running commentary on my experiences playing Bethesda's latest sprawling monster of a video game epic, Skyrim. One problem: I've been way too busy playing the hell out of Skyrim to do it. Perhaps writing a brief overview will galvanize me to make this a regular thing, as I had originally intended.

I had to wait nearly two weeks after the game's release to play it. I received it on December 1 as an early Xmas gift from my wonderful girlfriend. Suddenly, all the time she spends doing various things online for her church seemed like a blessing, as it enabled me to keep playing Skyrim when she is over at my house. She witnessed the creation of my first character, Valkara the Reaver, a gigantic Nord woman with flaming red hair, piercing blue eyes, and a bevvy of scars that serve as reminders of all the battles she's experienced prior to her experiences in Skyrim.
(Readers of some of my stories will probably remember the name; this character is indeed based on the character of the same name who appears in them.)

The character creation is much better than in earlier games in the series, although the customization options are still not up to the level as games such as the WWE series; for example, you cannot adjust your character's height. Still, with the sliders for facial features, and adjusting the character's physique, you could make a very realistic version of yourself, if you were so inclined. Personally, I often play as a female character in these games simply for change of pace, as the majority of video games have you playing the role of a big hairy guy. It's nice to be able to go the other direction sometimes.

Thankfully, I haven't experienced many of the bugs and glitches that have plagued some people. I'm playing on the Xbox 360, and have not installed a single patch for the game, so I'm not bothered by the issues introduced by some of them. Aside from a few graphical glitches-- such as the horse whose front half was embedded in the ground-- the only problems I've experienced are weapons plaques in one of my houses that will not work, and once the door to the cistern in the headquarters of the Thieves' Guild would not open. In that case, thankfully, I had literally just saved my game, so I just reloaded the save, and it worked fine from that point on.

I currently have two characters, as I made a second one a few days ago. I am by no means done with my original character, but I usually like to have two characters in these games with focuses on different skill sets, and therefore, different play styles. I alternate between them depending on my mood. Whereas Valkara is a virtuous hero, an unstoppable beast in combat, and knows only a few essential spells, Keldor the Unbroken is a sinister Dark Elf who relishes the kind of action he gets in the Dark Brotherhood, and is more of a battlemage. He roams the land with a spell ready in each hand, and a nasty sword at hand just in case he needs it. It is testament to the depth of the game that each of these characters offers a very different experience in playing it.

So, those are some quick thoughts about my experiences in Skyrim so far. Now, I'm off to make some more!

Update for regular Rant readers

Regular readers (all 60 of you!) have surely noticed that there were no comic reviews this week. Like I said when I began the weekly reviews back in August, I reserve the right to bail at some point, and it looks like that time has come. With everything else that's going on, it's become harder and harder to find time to do them each week. That may change in the future, and I've thought about only dong a few key books each week, so there is a chance reviews will return in the near future. In the meantime, I'm working on another weekly feature that will appeal to all of you who have enjoyed the blog thus far. Stay tuned!