Lets get cynical!
What do you get when you cross a week
of being nauseated, hacking and coughing, add a dash of Valentines
day “I will be single forever” induced cynicism, eating WAY too
much chocolate and add in a whole month of media and political
stupidity?
You get another “My Reaction to”
post!
Unlike the last few times where I give
my reactions to one specific topic, this is going to be a bunch of
little topics. Call it a preverbal spring cleaning of the most stupid
stuff of things that made me slam my head against the table. Aaaand
some things that gave me hope in humanity. instead of splitting it up
into two separate articles, I decided just to do it all at once. Rip
it off like a bandaid. Don’t expect everything to be intelligent
talk. I have a lot of rage and fanism to get out. (Fanism. Is that
even a word?) That said, Enjoy my pain!
Also SPOILERS AHOY!!
-----------------------
Calgary Comic Con
D&D
In the Angry Corner:
Spider Death Threats
When this started, it took every bit of
self control not to write about this instead of my League of One
review.
So, one of the books to come out of the
Marvel Now campaign is Superior Spiderman. In the final issues of
Amazing spiderman, Doc Oc found a way to switch minds with Spiderman,
and, at the end of the book, he not only gained all of perter parkers
memories, along with his own, but the real Peter Parker dies in Doc
Ock's body. Peter parker was dead, and the rein of Spider-Ock had
begun. And no one in the marvel universe knew.
So what happens? What always
happens, of course. Fans FLIPPED OUT! They didn’t just complained
about Parker’s demise, Dan Slott was sent DEATH THREATS! DEATH. THREATS.
This is why we can’t have nice
things!
Ignoring the fact that this is a
fictional character, and therefore is not even close to
qualify for death threats, it’s Peter Parker. He just had a
new movie and another one is on the way. Marvel is not getting rid of
one of their biggest cash cows. Popular super heroes never stay
dead for long. And, not to mention HE’S A FICTIONAL CHARACTER!
I have done a LOT of complaining about
bad writers, stupid editors and terrible artists, but it’s no
wonder when companies won’t take our complaints into consideration,
when certain fans keep pulling stunts like these.
And for those still upset about
the ordeal, here is the final page of Superior spiderman issue 1:
OH HAI PETER PARKER! YOU LOOK SO VERY
NOT DEAD!
NEXT!
W.T.F.
Oh, DC, you still continue to be in my
bad books. Whether it’s your hypocrisy, the continued sexist
treatment of characters such as Amanda Waller, Harley Quinn, the fact
that Stephanie Brown is actually being called “toxic” and won’t even be allowed as an easter egg on a comic cover (I don’t even believe in conspiracy theories, but really?)
or the fact that you just can’t stop making Batman the main
character of every story who is always in the right, (like the new
Injustice game seems to be becoming), and continuing to make
characters darker, and fix things that aren’t broken, you still
can’t decided what the heck you want to do with your company. Are
you going to focus on movies? Are you going to focus on tv shows. Are
you going to focus on comics that people like? Or, are you going to
continue to try and bring in readers with very very stupid gimmicks
that will prove to be utterly pointless.
That’s right. I’m talking about the WTF initiative!
WTF Initiative. It's a real thing? It's a real thing. If you haven’t heard about
this yet, DC’s latest gimmick is a series of covers that show
something super secret and spoilery on the back of the comic.
... I... I don’t even know how to
respond to this. I mean, even if you go to the type of comic book
store that puts the comic in envelops, which hide the image, the
“super secret image” will be in the internet within moments of
someone buying an issue, because people own cameras on their phones
and a great deal of those people have internet on them too. And they
are calling this WTF initiative. Seriously.
DC. Please. Please please please listen
to me. STOP. THE GIMMICKS. People are making fun of you. And
with good reason. This is a stilly name, and a silly way to sell
comics. Next your going to bring back the Holo-foil covers and 3-D books
But this...this is dumb. I am
seriously getting worried about you DC comics. Your starting to sound
like every story I’ve heard about Marvel when they were going
bankrupt. Gimmicky comics, less focus on good stories and outside
merchandise such as TV and Movies.
NEXT!
The Lone ranger movie
Please please please please be good.
NEXT!
The Fridging Of Lois Lane
Ughhhh....I am going to need a serious
break from DC after this. I’m also a little worried that I’m not
one to talk about this issue , since I haven’t read the actual
comic but... I’m not sure if I should. I DON’T want to
give this thing money and I haven’t found a friend yet who’s
buying the issue.
But I’m appalled that so few
people are angry about this.
If you haven’t heard this yet (I hope
that’s why more people aren’t angry), in the comic made for the
Injustice game, Superman takes a very dark turn, like he has in
various comics and alternate reality stories. So, how did they do it
in this story?
The joker kills Jimmy Olsen, then using
a mixture of kryptonite and fear gas, makes Superman believe that
Lois Lane, is Doomsday. Superman takes Lois Lane up into space,
killing her, and then finally realizes who she is. And then Joker
blows up metropolis.
So, yes. Joker doesn’t just kill
everyone Superman knows, he’s tricked into killing Lois Lane with
his own hand, who currently in this story, is his wife. And, oh, one
more thing---
Lois was also PREGNANT.
This is Woman in Refrigerators. No
argument. I have seen stories where Superman has turned darker for a
lot less, and, really, they could have just said, “it's an
alternate reality where Superman and the others are evil”. Like,
y’know, that one set of episodes from the Justice league TV series.
Or the Crisis on Two Earths movie. But no, instead, they decided to
torture Superman in every way possible, and not only have everyone
Superman cares about killed, but have him murder Lois lane while
they are in a strong relationship, and to top it off, involve an
unborn child, when no such child needed to be written.
Woman in refrigerators is when a
character is killed, tortured, etc, in a vicious way, so that thier
significant other will have a reason to fight. The character’s pain
and death becomes a plot device and nothing more. One day, I’m
going to get into the difference between meaningful character death
and
“fridging”, but not today.
Back on topic: even if you think that
killing Lois was the only way to turn Superman evil, you can’t say
that about the unborn child.
The child did not need to be written.
It was expressly written so it could die in this moment. Even
if you don’t think Lois’ death was a case of Woman in
refrigerators, the child IS.
I’m disgusted and insulted. From what
I hear, Lois lane is already being treated like a third rate character
in the current superman stories, but this isn’t just bad story
telling. It’s just wrong.
However, I’m not going to put all the
blame on the writer,. He seems like a decent writer, and in his interview of the comic, he stated that when he was told to kill lois,
he didn’t want to write this story. And made is clear to the
artists that he didn’t want Superman to viciously beat her. So, I
can at least be a little thankful that he tried to leave some
dignity for Lois despite the disrespectful end.
Sexism and the constant and needless
death of characters is constantly being brought up in DC and Marvel a
lot lately. Many would argue that, this isn’t sexist. But it is
needless. And appalling. And I can’t help but see hypocrisy when
fans seem to be okay with this book, and dispute not being
okay with so much else.
NEXT!
Avatar was not a ripoff.
It’s not a ripoff of Dancing with
Wolves, or Titanic, or Pocahontas and especially not Ferngully. And
while we’re at it, Hunger Games is not a ripoff of Battle royal, or
the Running man or the Most Dangerous Game or even Theseus! If you
want to complain about poor writing, or one dimensional characters,
that’s fine. But if I hear one more time that Avatar is a ripoff of
another movie, and that’s why I should hate it, I think. I’m
going. To scream.
Avatar and Hunger Games contain stories
that are passed down from generation to generation. The story of a
person being introduced to a new culture, different from them own,
and adapting to it, and the story of characters being hunted down and
forced to battle one another. Unless they have scenes that are
exactly like another movie or story, then it’s not a ripoff.
Though, I really could have done
without the Navi sex scene. Just saying.
NEXT!
Movies in Jeopardy
Movies in Jeopardy
The wonder woman pilot got moved to
next season and the JLA movie apparently wont’ be made if Man of
steel doesn’t do well. And it probably still won’t happen because
no one wants to work on it. Yay.
NEXT!
Guns, Games, and Gamer Girls
So the US government are once more
trying to look into connections between gun violence and video games.
Despute that there have been multitude of studies on the subject.
Despite that video games are probably only so gun toting in America
because American culture puts so much emphasis on guns culture,
instead of just worrying about actual gun laws and having law
enforcement do their job. Words are being said about how games are
worse then guns, with no actual proof behind them. As usual. And once
more the world is groaning at how controlling and stupid the US
government is being. Again.
I’m far more concerned how someone
can have registered weapons in a state where that same weapon is
illegal. Or why some Walmart sell guns. Or why US certain citizens
are more appalled when someone tries to even bring up the idea of new
gun laws.
Infact, I’m far more worried about
how the gaming community treats women, then what it has to do with
gun violence. Mainly because while the latter is of very little
consequence and truth, the former is a very real, very disturbing fact.
NEXT!
Calgary Comic Con
I probably won’t be going to the
Calgary comic con, unless something changes. This isn’t really
important. It’s just something that’s been annoying me.
NEXT!
Idiots and the Things They Say and Do
By now, you’ve probably heard about
the Geek Girl argument going around. This argument is silly and is
getting all the backlash it deserves.
Heard of the obscene list that James
Gunn wrote about sexy comic woman, yet? The one that is openly
homophobic, sexist and completely disgusting? He is also the same guy
who’s directing Guardians of the Galaxy. I’m a little late to the
party here. I know he apologized. Do I care? Uhhhh...
Truth is, I’m still on the fence
here. Here’s the argument going through my head right now: I want
the Guardians of the Galaxy to succeed. BUT I was extremely offended
by what he said. BUT it was written two years ago and he apologized.
BUT, why was the article never deleted?! BUT. BUT. BUT!
But to be honest, I would prefer that
Marvel got a new director for GotG. No matter how you swing it, this
is just going to continue to be a dark shadow hanging over the film.
At least it’s not as bad as, well,
this:
Superman is being written by Orson
Scott Card: Writer of Enders Game and an openly outspoken
homophobe against gay marriage, gay adoption! And a board member
of the anti-gay group, National Organization for Marriage! And
any money he makes from this job will probably go towards his
protests. In other words, he IS A NOT NICE PERSON AND A BIGOT! And DC
hired him anyway. This is such a bad idea, it should go unsaid! And
yet we’re all saying it anyway, as loud as possible, and DC refuses
to care!
AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGH!
-----------------------
Okay, I think I got that out of my
system now.
In the Happy Corner:
Les Miserables
This movie was not perfect. It really
really wasn’t. It’s cool that the singing was done on set, it’s
cool that a whole new generation of people are now looking into the
original play and soundtrack and the 5 gigantic volumes of books that
made up the full story, and I cannot get “Look Down” out of my
head. However, that doesn’t change the fact that it was sloppy in
places, a little hard to follow in places, some of the singing
and staging wasn’t nearly as good as it could have been if the
singing was done before hand (no offence to the crew, who were
awesome. I merely mean that not all theatre techniques work on film
the same way), and the romance was more sudden then a golden age
disney princess romance.
But despite all of that, I was upset
when something bad happened to the characters, and like the little
emotional woman I really am, I cried my eyes out during the last 20
minutes.
That, and there was something amazingly
refreshing in this movie:
No predictable backstopping or
stupidity. None. Zip. Zilch. Lately, every movie, comic and tv show
I’ve been watching lately has had characters act like idiots,
cliches or generally showed the worse in humanity, to the point where
I expect it from anything coming out of Hollywood. Or comics. Or day
time television.
I was constantly expecting a character
to stab another in the back, that Eponine to get so jealous that she
sets Cozette up for a fall, or for characters to just generally act
like stuck-up morons to each other. But no. Almost everyone is
generally good in this movie. Everyone wants to do what they
believe in, and stay true to their beliefs until the end, even if it
means death. And I liked that.
NEXT!
Lone Ranger Movie
Please please please please be good.
Okay, so I already mentioned this. Have
to say, I’m still on the fence. Guys, I want a Western. A
real western. And I want it to be successful.
I didn’t grow up with the lone
ranger, I have no personal connection to him, and I can’t tell if
they are messing too much with the source material. But I want this
movie. And I want it to be good, even if they are obviously going for
the wacky Pirates of the Caribbean feel.
Though, this image worries me
Wat?
And... huh. The native american is
actually being played by a native american. It's a little sad that that surprises me. But, hey, Johnny Depp is part
native american. That’s... actually pretty cool. Do I wish that it
could be some new actors? Yes, but I will take what I can get.
NEXT!
D&D
I’ve joined a D&D group. Once
again, not actually that important. But I’m stoked anyway.
NEXT!
The Best of the Best
If there are one book from DC comics
and one from Marvel that I can honestly say you must read, it would
be these ones. Yes, There are plenty of great stories in both
companies right now, but these ones are the ones that keep me smiling
every month and would probably work with most people:
Wolverine and the X-men and Demon
knights
These two, out of all the comics that I
do love from the companies right now, are my absolute favourite.
Wolverine and the x-men are not always cheery, but it’s always fun.
The dialogue, the adventures. If you miss the days when the x-men
were about teenagers growing up in the world, and not constantly
being used as fodder, this is the book for you. Every character you
get introduced to is entertaining and creative, and their problems,
though usually on the super human scale, are relatable. Heck, even
the teachers are relatable and interesting. And for once in a long
time, we have a case of the adults not being treated as idiots in a
story about kids. Instead, they are insecure about being put in a
position of teaching and parently none of them have training in, and
responible when the need arises. Kitty Pride makes a badass
headmistress during her time in the comics, and Wolvering makes a
terrible head master (which is far more hilarious then you’d think)
The only thing that would make me love it even more, is if Laura,
X-23, became one of the schools staff memebers or students (please
make it happen!)
Demon knights on the other hand is
extremely dark, but thanks to good writing, grand art and
entertaining characters and funny dialogue now and again, it’s not
a dark for dark sake. All the characters have a purpose and so do
said dark things. I have been saying that Demon knights is one of the
best of the New 52. These characters have all been rebooted, and
rebooted well. Giving us interesting stories, while still being
respectful to what they once were before the reboot. That, and we’ve
been introduced to new characters that you want to read about.
Runners up is the New Hawkeye series (I
love it, but I’ve only read two issues), and Batwoman (It tends to
get a little two dark at times to be a pick-up-no-matter-what-you're-feeling type of story)
NEXT!
And speaking of Demon Knights...This
scene.
Okay. That is pretty awesome. It’s
still unclear whether his meaning is physical or mental, or in what
way it is physical or mental, but that’s not something we really
need to know. At first, I was surprised few people were taking about
this, but in an interview with Paul Cornell, he said that he’s
actually happy that there is a character like Ystin and it’s not a
big deal. And you know what? That is pretty awesome too.
NEXT!
The 90s didn’t suck and soon you will
know why. Hopefully.
So, over the last several years/decade, the 80s have made a comeback, especially in television. Older
shows have been rebooted, given movies and franchises have been
relanched. But despite growing up on 80s reruns, it doesn't change
the fact that I grew up in the 90s and parts of 90s media, especially
TV, was pretty awesome.
Well, slowly, I’m starting to see
internet being taken once more in 90s media that once made up a lot
of happy times in my childhood. A few small things, like shows from
the 90s finally being rereleased on DVD and netflix. Though I’m
still on the lookout for Buzz lightyear of star command and Mummies
alive. Hopefully the good things of the 90s begin to make a full
comeback. Not just on DVD, but maybe in live action movies. Gargoyles
the movie, anyone? ...Maybe? ...Hopefully? *fingers crossed*
NEXT!
There might be a Portal and/or Half
Life movie
I know it’s a big MIGHT. But let me
be excited, danggit!
NEXT!
USS DEATHSTAR
There are many times when I loose hope
in the US government. This is not one of those times.
So, someone got together enough votes
to send a petition to the US Government for the manufacturing of a
Deathstar. The response is probably the most geekiest thing the US
Government has ever done. One of their reasons to not build a
deathstar?
Because it would be a bad idea to build
something that could easily be destroyed by a single shot from “a
one-man starship.”
Yes. Just yes.
NEXT!
MARVEL AVENGERS PHASE ONE IS GOING TO
ARRIVE SOON! *blows party favour*
YES!
NEXT
Batwoman #17
I am very, very sad that J.H. Williams
III is leaving Batwoman. But DANG, that ending. O_O
I was spoiled before I got my hands on
the comic, but ow, did my jaw hurt when it hit the floor! And
it just got better. Just. Just.
Daaaaang.
Way to go out with a bang, Williams.
*claps*
--------------------------
As you can see, the things that I
enjoyed, I didn’t talk nearly as much about. And that’s fine.
Little thing keep you sane, people. Speaking of staying sane, I’m
definatly taking a break from talking about DC comics for a bit.
Sigh. I feel better. And maybe in the
next coming months, less stupid stuff will...
...
...
...
One day... one... day...
Seeya peoples!
SlugLady28 aka Tegan Dumpleton
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