Comics: Can Jeph Loeb Redeem Himself?

Coming out of the Diamond Summit is some big news by the Marvel branch. More specifically, the Ultimates franchise is about to get a boost with two more books in a post-Ultimatum world. I don't know if you actually read Ultimatum, but it definitely wasn't on my pull list by the end of the series. In fact, it was arguably one of the worst books of the year. However, the conclusion of the series made some drastic changes in the Ultimate Universe: the decimation of the majority of mutants and the Ultimate X-Men franchise as well.

All that is about to change with Ultimate X, which, although is not being marketed as a new X-Men book, definitely is connected to that universe (points to the Sabretooth looking man on the promo art). Who is writing this? Jeph Loeb. Who wrote the awful Ultimatum? Jeph Loeb.

Oh, but it doesn't stop there. Jeph is also creating a new branch of Ultimate Avengers in this universe: The New Ultimates. I don't mind that it isn't a very creative title because it allows the reader to associate one good thing (New Avengers) with a new product Marvel is trying to sell (New Ultimates).

The problem arises when the writer's of one series is not the same as the other. More importantly, when the writer of one series (Bendis on New Avengers) is considered one of the best comic scribes to date while the other (Loeb on New Ultimates) wrote two back-to-back disasters for the Ultimate Universe (Ultimates 3 and Ultimatum).

I've read Jeph's work, and I know that he is capable of some fantastic stuff (Long Halloween just to pick one out), but I am a bit worried that his legendary status is allowing him to ride on the coat tails of his fame and preventing him from writing the classic material he once did. I know for certain that if a lower level writer (hell, I'll name myself) wrote such poor characterization and plots with so much gore for the sake of gore, I would never work in the industry again.

All I'm saying is I'm a bit apprehensive about the success of these two books. I pray for the best (also I love Cho's art, but not even Cho can carry a book on his own)

Comics: Chew #1 A Review

Wizard Magazine is a useful little tool. Usually, I flip through the issue looking for articles about artists or writers that I admire, which are usually books from the Big Two. But as I was flipping through one of the older issues, an article about Image Comics's new series Chew basically said that this is one of the most amazing new series from Image, and that it was deserving of a look. So instead of doing my homework, I decided to give it a read.

Wow.

And not "Wow" in that "wow that was cool" or "wow that was bad", but "wow" in such a way that after I finished the first issue all I could say was "Wow", and for someone that rarely is at a loss for words, I knew right away that this was something special.

As someone who is trying to break into the industry, I definitely have had my fair share of ideas that I thought would be cool but seemed to ambitious or writing that one amazing first issue that could pull my readers into a new universe that they've never known. Chew #1 did all of that and more. It introduces Tony Chu--a cop that suffers Cibopathy or the ability to know everything about what he eats--who hates his job as a low-end cop, but through a series of events, is offered a job of a life time. The aforementioned series of events is what comprises the plot of the first issue, and it does a phenomenal job of pulling the reader into the world. With every turning page, Layman forces you to keep reading, and with a world that no one has ever heard of, Layman always keeps you on your toes.

On the art end, Rob Guillory's cartoonish art style is perfect for the book. Because of the graphic nature of the series, a realistic approach from someone like Dennis Calero or Alex Ross would have made the world too real, too gory, too shocking. However, Guillory's art makes the character's of Chew real and relatable without being too horrific.

For a first issue, Chew establishes Tony Chu as a character that I relate to (extra plus for being an Asian American character that doesn't talk in an accent) and a plot that I can't stop thinking about. Chew is most certainly on my pull list, and I'll be heading down to the store to get caught up to date.

5/5

Updates: I Apologize

This is my apology to my readers. I know I only have four "followers", and maybe 1 or 2 more that don't actually have google accounts to follow me (thanks girlfriend!), but I want to apologize for my lack of blogging these past few months. It's been really busy on my end. Actually, I'm not going to lie. It's been super chill this last summer, and I've just been relaxing, reading, and relishing life. Unfortunately, blogging can sometimes be a chore--especially, when it comes to reviewing books--so I took a break for a while, but I do want to start up again. So in short, I apologize, and here are some updates on my end.

1. I've more or less completed my first series. It's still relatively rough, and I cannot talk too much about it because of the fear of the editor. But for now, I can at least say that I'm a hell of a lot closer to being a published comic writer than ever before.

2. The company that had the courage to pick up my property just so happens to have a book for pre-order in this month's Diamond Comics Previews. You can check it all out here. Please please please order the book if you're interested in some light hearted, good 'ol fashion super heroics. If you want to get more information, check out the link above or see them at Long Beach Comic-Con going on RIGHT NOW!

Sorry for the short blog, but I will do my best to get a few reviews up for this weeks batch of books and perhaps add another "WTF" moment.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for following.

Comics: Disney to Buy Out Marvel Comics

I never would have thought that I would see a main stream company be so interested in comic books, but with the rise in popularity of comic book films and the growing acceptance of comic books as legitimate forms of literature, it seems that now would be the best time for a big company to buy them out.

Walt Disney is stepping up to the plate.

This is huge news considering that Marvel is steadily on the rise as a new powerhouse in mainstream media. They have been head to head--or arguably, doing better than--their competition, DC Comics. Marvels independently financed film--Iron Man--was a box office hit, and it looks like Iron Man 2 is going to do even better. Needless to say, Marvel Entertainment as a whole has been doing extremely well for themselves. The fact that Disney--a company that owns amusement parks, ABC and ABC Family, Pixar, etc.--is going to buy them out will only help Marvel reach the potential that very few thought they could reach during the 90's.

Or so it would seem.

I'm skeptical of this deal just because having a huge corporation holding the strings of Marvel could actually do more harm then good. In the interview, CEO Robert Iger says that this acquisition will allow Marvel to reach a wider audience, but at what cost?

My big questions are:
-What about the Marvel MAXline? If Disney wants to maintain their image as a kid friendly company, will they allow writers like Garth Ennis to write the stories they want to or will Disney force them to write stories with less blood, less profanity, less adult focused stories, and essentially, eliminating the elements that make the MAX line what it is?

-Will this create fewer jobs for future writers and artists or simply deter them from even applying? In the long run, will writers like future Grant Morrisons or Frank Millers be allowed to present their radical ideas to Marvel/Disney without being instantly turned away. Disney now has their reputation on the line and if a parent buys a comic for their children, won't Disney want to maintain their reputation as wholesome and family-friendly? This would naturally prevent writers from being allowed to write darker events in the main canon and artists from pushing the limits of their potential and the books they are working on.

-In short, will Walt Disney forever change the landscape of Marvel Comics? It's difficult to predict what will happen in the future. Perhaps Walt Disney will let Marvel Entertainment make decisions on their own and let them do what they have been doing. After all, they have been doing it well for the past few years. Or will Disney step in and change the way the company is run, alter the products to reach a wider audience but isolate the primary audience that comics used to target?

To sum up all my thoughts in one sentence, I will use a quote by Tim Gunn:
"This worries me"

WTF: Sony PS3

WTF Sony.

In a recent article posted by Arstechnica, John Koller, Sony's director of hardware marketing, was interviewed by ars technica's Ben Kuchera. When Mr. Kuchera asked if consumers need to "stop yapping about backwards compatibility", Mr. Koller responded with this:
"It's not coming back, so let me put that on the table"
He went on to say that the reason people buy PS3's are "for PS3 games and Blu-ray movies". He went then repeated "that [PS2 backwards compatibility] won't be returning".

Wtf. How can the PS3 director of hardware tell readers that the reason why people buy PS3's are because of games and Blu-ray movies? Keep in mind, I bought a PS3 on launch for the ridiculous price tag that Sony put on it. Through and through, I am a Sony person, but this is bullshit. For their hardware director to squash any hopes of backwards compatibility seems a bit hasty.

When the sixaxis came out, Sony said they could not put Dualshock into the controllers because it would be impossible to do. A few months later, the first release of pictures came, and suddenly, it arrived in stores and everyone was able to get their vibration on. I guess that wasn't so impossible?

I'm waiting for Sony to eat their words again because it is not that hard to come up with some way of playing a few of the PS2's massive library. If some random person can come up with a functioning XBox emulator for low end PC's, I'm certain that Sony can invest a small fraction of their R&D department to making an emulator that runs on the PS3. The PS3 is a monster of a machine [what other machine--minus a super computer--can do the amount of DNA folds that the PS3 can?], but Mr. Koller is telling us they can't even release a firmware update that has a PS2 emulator?

Wtf.

Ponyo: A Review

I'm a bit late on my review, but I felt that since the film is hitting US theaters soon I should review the movie even if I'm about two weeks late.

I was able to catch an advance screening of Ponyo at San Diego Comic Con, and needless to say, I was mesmerized by what I saw. Before the film began, Miyazaki appeared and introduced the film by saying that computers are such a huge part of our life now but he is very concerned that they might enter our brains and change the way we think. He went on to say that he wanted Ponyo to be extremely simplistic and was proud of the product when a five year old boy said he was happy that a film drawn by a "child" made it into theaters. Miyazaki then chuckled a bit and smiled. From this story, I braced myself for (hopefully) another magical Studio Ghibli film that would emphasize the simplicities of the world while at the same time playing to the child in all of us.

And like all of the animated features that have come out of Miyazaki's animation house, this film succeeds in every way.

Ponyo, a take off of the classic Little Mermaid tale, focuses on a young fish girl that upon escaping her underwater world finds love in the form of Sosuke, a five-year old boy who lives by the beach. However, Ponyo's father, like any father, is concerned about the well being of his daughter and with his negative experience with the humans above will do anything to severe the ties between Ponyo and Sosuke. From the there, Miyazaki crafts a tale that focuses on many of Miyazaki's key themes in all of his films: Man and Nature, Love, and the period of growth between childhood and adulthood and the things we gain and lose on this journey.

This narrative is beautifully crafted by Miyazaki's animation team. The art expertly displays the characters and their emotions, but then Studio Ghibli is somehow able to go a step further. When Ponyo is ecstatic and running on water or when Sosuke is terrified that his mother may not come home or any of the other emotionally charged moments, the characters feel real and through these moments, the film is able to tap into the fears and joys we all had when we were kids.

On top of that, Disney was able to nab some fantastic voice actors yet again (Liam Neeson, Cate Blanchett, Cloris Leechman, etc.) that made the english dub come to life. I do believe that without these strong iconic voices there would be little point in watching the English dub because more often than not the Japanese actors are far superior than their English counterparts, but with the help of these US staples, Ponyo thankfully survives the translation.

All in all, there was very little I didn't like about Ponyo. Yes it's based off of a familiar tale, but for Ponyo and Sosuke everything is new and exciting. Because of Miyazaki's expert narrative and animation, I too was brought back to my childhood and that familiar Hans Christian Andersen story was the furthest place from my mind. All I could do was keep my eyes glued to the screen to see the magic that would come next.

4.5/5

WTF: Windows Vista

[Note: Apparently, I'm just in the mood to rant about shit that's pissing me off. So here's another one with a much more colloquial attitude]

WTF is up with Windows Vista? Seriously, the Operating System (OS) that attempted to make itself appeal more to a youthful generation (see: Apple Users) ended up falling flat on its face. They spent so much time making it perfect, and in reality, the final product ended up sharing so many similarities to Leopard that the line between Windows and Apple began to blur.

Just some things that Windows is stealing from the Apple House:
-A circular loading icon (Windows, I thought you loved the hour glass?!)
-Widgets (Apple) and Gadgets (Windows)
-A task bar with icons that "pop" and appear larger when you hover over them. The difference between the two brands? Mac has it on the bottom. Windows has it on the top.
-Switching between Windows as if they are slides is shockingly similar to Macs ability to press F11 (my mac friends help me if I'm wrong) and make all the individual screen appear allowing you to select the one of your choice.

These are just the most obvious of ones, but I'm sure there are many many more. What I'm getting at is why the f--- did Windows invest so much time to make XP "better" when in reality they appear to have sat in a room and try and incorporate all of the things that made OS X or Leopard work and differentiating them enough so they wouldn't get sued?

But I guess even Windows knows how shitty Vista is. How do we know this? The ridiculously short release time between Vista and Windows 7. Great job, guys.

WTF.