The Adventures of a Struggling Comic Book Writer

Comics: God Among Men Pin-Up

2011-11-13T10:39:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't been keeping up with my writing career, God Among Men is the comic book that I pitched in 2008, that got picked up in 2009, and will (hopefully) arrive in stores in 2012. The book, its characters, and its look have gone through many creative hands, and the pin-up you see above is the result of all of our hard work.

I hope you like it, and when I'm allowed to post colored interiors, your mind will be blown. Vitor, Tiago, and Luis are phenomenal individuals, and I can't wait to share their work with the rest of you.

Advice: Thoughts on "Grown Up" Relationships

2011-10-17T21:14:00.000-07:00

As we get older, it's only natural that we lose small bits of who we were as children. Although certain core traits tend to stay the same, childish ideologies go by the wayside because we realize that our naive beliefs are rarely sustainable. It's impossible for us to want to be a fireman, a police man, and a super hero all at the same time, and we can't sit on the couch, watch cartoons, and eat Frosted Flakes forever. The world will surely push us away from the simple joys we once enjoyed to a system of jobs, rent, bills, and most importantly, "grown up" relationships.

By "grown up" relationships, I mean ones that we see all around us every single day. One's filled with compromise and sacrifice. One's that we hope will last, but frequently don't. One's that are influenced by our past experience in such a way that it makes us mature and sensible but also harder and colder when we approach each new relationship. Although I've set them up rather negatively, I certainly do not believe that they are bad by an means. Adult relationships are healthy, mature, and a necessary part of our socio-economic system. And, it's also possible to find true, everlasting love as we get older (or at least I hope so), but I believe only a few of us are able to find it because of our fears of being alone and our fears of heartbreak. It is these very fears that destroy the naive ideas of love that children are fed by Disney movies and romantic comedies and create relationships that are more compromise than compassion; are more appreciative than affectionate; and sometimes, are more in like than in love.

But, if there's anything that I learned from Elliot and Bowie [video above], it's that even though the world will do its best to crush our childish belief systems we should still hold on to as many dreams and desires of our childhood selves because it is in those foolish, naive, and silly moments that we were most happy. It is our young, juvenile understanding of what love should be that makes love such a worthwhile pursuit in the first place.

Even though we'll get older and kisses and hand-holding will be replaced with making out and marriage, let us thrive to enjoy all the little kisses we share with our partners and be just as ecstatic in our relationships as Elliot and Bowie are in theirs. Because, yes, it's foolish, childish, and possibly temporary, but at least it's pure and gentle and filled with love.

And if that doesn't help, maybe this story will remind you why it's okay to continue the good fight:

Batman Arkham City: Trailer

2011-10-17T16:58:00.000-07:00

This might be the best trailer advertising Batman Arkham City, which, I might add, comes out tomorrow.

Comics: The Starfire Controversy [from a man's point of view]

2011-09-27T19:36:00.000-07:00

From ComicsAlliance.com

The comic community has been debating about the representation of females in comics for as long as I can remember, but with September's relaunch of the DC Universe, the arguing has reached a level that is impossible to drown it out due to images like the one above. If you're not familiar, this character is Starfire. She is an alien from space who possesses super strength, flight, and energy projectiles. She used to look like this:

From ComicVine.com

Although she's always been a seductive character, she still had a personality and became incredibly popular with the 2003 cartoon Teen Titans. However, with the reboot, DC Comics has decided to make her more sexually liberated. From what I can only assume, they wanted Starfire to be more of a "Samantha" character rather than a "Charlotte" [Sex and the City reference]. Unfortunately, DC's attempt at doing this has sparked a huge fire within the comics world because there's a very big difference between being sexually aware/open/liberated and being a whore from a porn that teenage boys are watching behind closed doors:

From ComicsAlliance.com

As any educated reader can see, this isn't the sexual liberation that DC might have championed. Instead, the character comes off as one of those girls out of porn that happens to find a penis in their pizza and proceeds to blow the guy rather than slam the box on the delivery man's dick and pepper spray the shit out of him. Starfire isn't a genuine representation of anything other than the fantasies of DC's perceived target audience.

What DC forgot, though, was that when you parade your comic book relaunch so that new readers can sink their teeth into some of the most iconic characters of the modern age, anyone will read it including seven year old girls.

So what does this man think? I think Starfire, at this point in time, is a cheap way to get the male readers to come back for more. In the same way that Power Girl might have been gotten readers for her obscenely large breasts and money shots, Starfire will easily do the same. But what I hope is that Scott Lobdell and Kenneth Rocafort can do what Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Amanda Conner were able to do. Take an obviously sexual character, give her depth, and make her into strong, honest representations of a certain segment of women.

As it stands, however, Starfire isn't the ballsy character that Kim Catrall played on Sex and the City [if that's what Lobdell, Didio, Johns, and Lee were going for], and if they were going for just a "modern" female voice in a 30 year old character, they failed at that too. Because this first issue doesn't present even a shred of dignity in Starfire. She isn't someone that you can commend for her openness. She isn't someone you want to be. And really, she isn't even a hero. She's a one dimensional character that doesn't provide anything to the story [or the changing landscape of minority representation in comics]. All we're left with is a comic that we'll have to hide from our daughters and sons for two very different reasons.

[Read Laura Hudson's post at ComicsAlliance for a much more articulate critique]

Confirmation: I Live with a Girl

2011-09-24T07:10:00.001-07:00

I love my roommates, and I'm so glad that I'm able to live with Megan--a friend from college who I know has goals and dreams and won't leech up all the electricity and not be able to afford it. It's a really great situation.

Except for when we're getting ready to go out.

Up until this point, I thought, "Wow! Living with Megan is great. There's not a single problem in the world!" And then the below conversation happen, and my epiphany plowed me over like a truck: I live with a girl!

7:48pm.

Me: So, I told Abbee we would be at her place at 9.
Her:Oh..I thought you said we were leaving at 9. I have to shower.
Me: Whoops. My bad. ^^;; oh well then we can leave whenever you’re ready.

(Author’s note) This is where I made my mistake. (/Author’s note)

Her: I’ll just leave with my hair wet.
Me: Okay, sounds good.

8:30pm.

Her: I’m going to straighten my hair.
Me: It’s cool. We’ll just leave a bit late. Maybe get there at 9:10, 9:15.

9:03pm.

Me: It’s nine o clock.
Her: My hair is only this much done [shows me a complete mess].
Me: Is that good?
Her: It’s like…half way.

9:10pm

Me: Yo. It’s 9:10
Her: I only have a little bit left! [shows me a more manageable mess and walks back toward the bathroom] I also have to put on make up.
Me: [Insert audible grumble]
Her: I’m going as fast as I can! I have a lot of f—-ing hair!

9:21pm

Me: [walks into her room and sees her putting on socks] Is this a good sign?! Are you almost ready to go?
Her: [venom-filled eye stare]

9:30

[we leave]

Writing: Thought Catalog

2011-09-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends showed me a few articles on Thought Catalog that she felt mirrored our lives, and after slowly reading a few pieces every so often, I've quickly found myself reading at least one article every day on the subway. I believe this is the case because the articles, usually, have strong writing, and the writers are able to vocalize a lot of the internal dialogue I have with myself on a day-to-day basis. More importantly, certain authors (Ryan O'Connell, Stephanie Georgopulos, and Colette deVille to name a few) are able to shed new light on life, love, and the human experience. So what more can you ask for?

Here are a few of my favorite pieces to get you started:
1. Things To Remember When You're Single
2. I Just Broke Up With My Partner Of Five Years
3. A Letter To Your Crush
4. Reasons Why You Shouldn't Be Friends With Your Ex

Things I Want To Say To The People On The Subway

2011-09-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

"Thank you, Music Man. Normally, I would call you a douche bag for blasting your music so incredibly loud that the entire train car can hear what you're listening to, but today was a long day. Today, was one of those days that made me question whether or not my life was passing me by. That one day I would wake up to go to work, and suddenly, I ten years would have passed me by, and I would have no idea what happened to the boy that wanted to 'change the world'. Hearing Jimi Hendrix's rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner" at a volume that makes me question the long term endurance of your ear buds rejuvenated me for just a moment. It made me feel pride in my country, and it made me remember that no one should be able to question or condemn our choices to make us happy even if we are disturbing other people on the subway. More often than not, I will look at you with rage, but today, I give you a fist bump."

"Where are you going with that enormous suitcase? Since your monstrosity of a luggage has a perfectly minted white tag that says "SFO to JFK" it looks like you're a new resident to one of the greatest cities on Earth. So, what brought you here? Has this always been part of your post-undergrad plan or did you decide one day to pack up your whole life and move out here to figure out what you want to be? Did you watch too many movies and fall madly in love with an idea of what the Big Apple could be like? If so, what movies were they and has the harsh reality smashed through that fragile image like a wrecking ball through glass? Because behind all of the bright lights, great theater, and beautiful sites [and people], New York will bleed your bank account till there's not a drop of liquid left, and unless you have an immense amount of determination, it will take all of your hopes and dreams, kick you out when your year lease is done, and fill your spot with next bright-eyed, eager twenty-something looking to 'make it big'."

"You are wonderful. Judging from the sand pail, shovel, and neon green beach towel, you probably just took your boy to Coney Island. Also, since it's now 7PM and your son's head is resting on your lap, you probably spent the entire day running around and doing whatever you could to make him happy, and the fact that you're still doing your best to keep your eyes open so the two of you won't miss your stop is absolutely amazing. I wish I could give you a hug and a medal and tell you that these are the moments you and your son will cherish forever, and that when he's older and he argues with you and tells you, rather hastily, that he hates you, he will, in fact, always love you for taking him to the beach and building sand castles."

"What's your story? I don't really care about your name, age, religion, race, or anything that you might think I would care about unless it's actually relevant to your story. I really want to know who the person is behind the Kindle-reading, iPad-checking, music-listening wall that we have all consciously created so that no one bothers us. No judgment! I do it to, but I'm trying something new and maybe you could give me your story and tell me what brought you to this subway stop at this very moment? Why did you pick the seat that you picked? What music are you listening to? Why do you--or rather, society--feel that it's necessary to build walls to be left alone? Do you think that the world would be a better place if we looked up from what we were doing and smiled at one another? Read the signs above the seats that said 'Priority for Handicapped' and actually followed them? Do you think that if we just put down our eReaders, unplugged our iPods, and saw the world around us that we could see beautiful people that all have stories to tell but are too jaded to even give just an inch of who we are to another person in fear of being vulnerable? And do you think that if we just shared a fraction of who we are, where we're going, or where we've been that maybe we can see how we all struggle, how we all have bills to pay, and how we all are, in some form or another, looking for happiness? And do you think that if we could just begin this journey with a simple 'Hello' that maybe the world will be a better place? Or are you just really tired and want to be left alone?"

Introduction to Getting a Job: Basic Basics

2011-09-16T15:28:00.001-07:00

I was talking to my boss at Soap.com about being on the other side of the hiring process. After all, I just got my first grown-up job a month ago, and I'm curious to know what it's like to select candidates, interview them, schedule second rounds, and being the hirer rather than the hiree. From our conversation, I was really surprised by a couple of things that he brought up, and it made me wonder how many people stumble at the most basic level while trying to get a job.

---

If you're actually reading this post, that means you genuinely care about finding a job, so here's just a five things I've learned from my boss and my own experience:

1. Cut the fat
One of my more brilliant friends who was recruited his senior year of college to be an analyst told me a hiring manager spends about 30 seconds looking at a resume before he or she makes a decision to continue reading or dump it in the "do not contact" file. With that in mind, make your resume as easy and appealing as possible so that a recruiter can soak all of you up in 30 seconds and crave for more. This means a resume that can fit on ONE page is absolutely crucial. I've heard of two page resumes, but you better be a mid-to-high caliber candidate with tons of experience before you pull that maneuver. The safest bet is a detailed, single page with important information about what you did, how you did it, and what marketable skills you have.

2. Do not fear change
If you've been applying to jobs and have posted the same resume on Monster for the past few weeks and you've heard nothing, it's time to make a change. Whether it's expanding on more relevant positions you've held, going with a creative resume like a PhotoShop Resume/Final Cut Pro Video/Website, or simply starting from scratch, you're better off reassessing your resume then continually sending the same resume when results have shown that your application seems to be dead on arrival. Change isn't a bad thing, and although it's frustrating to start again, it's more frustrating to have your bank account drop to $0.

3. Use technology to your advantage
How many e-mail accounts do you have? I have 3, and all of these e-mails were responding to job opportunities and were linked to accounts on Monster. More often than not, your 1 resume is sitting in a huge database with hundreds [if not, thousands] of other names, and if there's anything I've learned from gambling, it's that even a small increase in odds can mean the difference between going home with the money or just going home. You might think that you're bombarding them with applications, but most hiring managers aren't even notified when you apply (sorry, you're not that special). They'll just open a folder on their hard drive and see names and resumes. If your name is listed multiple times, it gives you better odds for one of your apps to be spotted and then opened. And getting opened is about 30% of the battle.

4. Be genuine, be interesting, be yourself
Usually, you're going to be interviewed by someone with a fair amount of experience at the interviewing game so they can smell the bullshit from a mile away. If you don't know something and you try and fake it, you're dead. If you went a bit too far with a fib on your resume and can't back it up, you're dead. Little exaggerations are generally manageable as long as you can keep them close to the chest and use them to highlight your attributes.

Hiring managers also want someone that's interesting to work with. After all, a position you might need to pay rent is actually an investment on the company's part, and they'd rather hire someone that can have a decent conversation than a brilliant, socially inept tool for 1+ years. Do whatever you can to find a common topic and share your insights on that subject.

Lastly, I put "be yourself" because as much as you need a job and you somehow pass all interviewer's BS-radar, you might loathe the person you pretended to be. It's better to be yourself and not fit with the company culture than work at a place where you don't belong. All you'll be left with is a paycheck and a desire to go back on the hunt in a week or two.

5. Be polite and send a thank you note
I found out from my boss that there are a lot more people that don't send follow up/thank you notes than those that do. In almost every career seminar or website, candidates are told to send follow up e-mails [or, go big with a handwritten note] to remind the hiring manager who you are, and you appreciate them spending time with you. This links so intimately with my fourth point because it proves that you are in fact interesting and genuine, and it'll go a long way to set yourself apart from your competition. But you have to write one yourself. Do not use a template because it'll come off generic and forced, which is actually worse than sending no note at all.

The other great thing about sending a note is that if there was any part of the interview that you thought you tripped over, you now have the time to compose a thoughtful response with near-unlimited time! During my interview for Soap, I completely failed to answer a question correctly, but I immediately sent a thank you note with a follow up response in the body paragraph. I found out that the interviewer also was disappointed by my answer during the interview and questioned if I was capable of doing the job. A follow up answer shows that you care enough about the position to try again, and although it wasn't a make-or-break moment, it did give me bonus points when the decision had to be made.

---

I hope these five tips will help you [whoever you are] in the future, and if there is a demand for more pieces like these just e-mail or comment and I'll be sure to write more. I like helping, and I really enjoy teaching so sounds off in the comments if this is something of use!

Internship: Marvel

2011-08-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

Free comics from working 1 week at Marvel

I was looking through what blog posts get the most hits, and, not surprisingly, it was the post I wrote two years that Marvel and DC were hiring new interns. I think the reason why people tend to read that post is because both internships are sort of shrouded in mystery. When I first applied for it, I didn't know where to go or what the process would be like. I just used Google and figured it out, but even after getting my "thank you for submitting" e-mail, I still had no idea what would happen next.

Recently, Marvel has done a really great job at letting interns tell their own stories about the experience. A particularly good one is written by an intern I used to know, Devin, and details what the Editorial Interns would do on a day to day basis. Another post that I wrote for this blog was an answer to a question I had received from someone who was pursuing the internship at the time. I was incredibly proud that he ended up getting the internship and helping someone who had the same questions and concerns I did back then. So for those of you who are interested in applying or have already applied, here's a few bits of information that might help you down the road:

1. Just because you haven't heard back immediately does not mean your application failed. I applied for an internship for Spring, and Marvel ended up contacting me for a Summer internship that year. Whether or not you can actually work immediately, take the time to apply. Strong candidates will always be noticed among the stack, and they may work around your schedule.

2. You have an unlimited word count so use it. The internship application does not limit you on words so don't just send one paragraph telling them you are the biggest fan in the world. Everyone that works there is a fan. Prove to them why you have actually skills to excel at the position. If you can do that in a paragraph, great, but from my own experience, both of my "long" answers were two pages double spaced. Take as little or as much space to adequately explain who you are and why you want this.

3. Be persistent. If you really want the internship and you haven't heard back in a year, don't give up. Retool your application and apply again. I applied the summer of my sophomore year and never heard back. On my second attempt, I took my time with the application and finally heard back.

4. Dress to impress. If you make it to the interview round, take the advice of your career adviser and dress well. I debated wearing a comic book t-shirt to prove my authenticity, but I don't think that angle would have helped. Like I said, everyone that works there is a fan, but they are also some of the most intelligent people I know. Coming in like you came from a comic book store might seem cool, but Marvel is still a company and they need interns that can balance their passion for comics and a practical approach to business.

5. The experience and connections are invaluable. Through the entire program, I have met great people and having Marvel Entertainment on your resume is a huge boost after college. I've recently found that it is a big conversation piece while interviewing with other companies because it is a huge company that is only getting bigger. Plus, having your supervisors at Marvel as your references definitely helps in the long run.

6.Free comics are great. Although the internship is unpaid, getting free comics is a nice bonus for working at Marvel. Usually, the main staff receives bundles every Wednesday or Friday, and many of them don't need every single comic book story published so after they have had their pick, interns are usually able to pick up a few books to take home. In the two months working there, I didn't need to spend money on comics, which was a great way to increase my total disposable income while living in New York.

Hopefully, this list can help a few people out, and if you have any questions, don't be afraid to sent me a tweet or shoot me an e-mail. And lastly, here's the direct link to the Marvel Internship page.

Movies: John Cho on Harold and Kumar

2011-08-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

With the release of the new A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas trailer, I thought it would be important to just share the above video what John Cho (Harold) believes this role has done for Asian American representation in cinema.

The important line I wanted to highlight was Cho's closing remark: "Race is a fraction of their identity rather than a sum of their identity." This beautifully sums up what direction minority representation should be in cinema, and when I say minority, I mean all minorities. A female character should not have her femininity define her character, and I believe that Hollywood has gotten a lothttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif better with that especially with films like Salt or Columbiana. Neither female is limited to the kitchen. They kick ass and their gender is only a fraction of their overall appeal.

Although I write frequently on this subject, change doesn't happen overnight and therefore writing should be ever vigilant in promoting a positive direction for our society. With that in mind, I'm glad that we no don't see characters like Long Duk Dong or Fu Man Chu as frequently (not to say they still don't exist), but at least with another Harold and Kumar movie hitting theaters, everyone can see two Asian American guys getting stoned and screwing up pretty much everything and everyone that comes close to them, which is so much better than the played out model minority theme.

King of Chinatown: Review

2011-08-13T19:18:00.001-07:00

King of Chinatown is marketed as the story of Justin Wong, one of the brightest starts in the fighting game community, and his hope to not only to be the best in the video game community but also to survive off of a hobby. What the trailers and movie posters don't reveal is that although the story is very much about Justin it is also about his former manager, "Triforce", who represents the brand Empire Arcadia. In the two year span of the film, we see the inner workings of Triforce and Justin's business and personal relationship as well as the eventual collapse.

What I enjoyed most about King of Chinatown was the amount of heart that the entire team put into the production. It is certainly a documentary, but it feels like an equal amount of story and plot was considered when director, Calvin Theobald, and editor, Jordan Levinson, began working on the film. Justin is portrayed as more than just a nerd or the man that controls "Rufus" (one of Wong's most popular picks in Street Fighter 4). He is a struggling kid that is thrown into the video game world to not only earn enough money to support his own life but that of Empire Arcadia, their entire team of players, and finally his aunt. The reveal about his aunt is easily the most humanizing moment of the film, and one that turned the film from a documentary about one of my favorite past times to something that struck a deeply emotional cord.

However, every plot must have a hero and a villain, and if Justin is portrayed as the protagonist then Isaiah TriForce Johnson is definitely spun as the villain. In almost every scene that Triforce is in, he comes off as a leech that uses Justin in order to promote the Empire Arcadia brand and reach success. I do not know Triforce as a person, but his character seems far less developed in comparison to Wong. Although there are moments where he gives insight on his own past to possibly redeem himself, he is framed as far too evil to the point where the documentary started feeling like a smear campaign.

Along with the attack on Triforce, the music also really hurt the film. It was loud rock with bits of electronica that did not sit well with the tone of the movie. If the story was meant to be an insight onto a video game player I would have loved some throwbacks to the 8-bit era or just some light music for the introspective moments.

Neither of these factors should prevent someone from watching the movie especially since the documentary is supposed to be Justin's story and his attempt to become the titular King of Chinatown. Although the movie hiccups when it comes to honesty and music, it is still an enjoyable film that warrants a watch from fighting enthusiasts and interested-on-lookers alike.

Movements: Free Bradley Manning

2011-08-08T23:16:00.001-07:00

Alan Moore on Bradley Manning:

""With any legitimate trial of whistleblower Bradley Manning still being at an unspecified date in the future, it would seem that what is presently on trial here is Western culture itself. When the persecution of an individual who has exposed an evil is pursued so ruthlessly and yet the evil itself is studiedly ignored, all of us know that there is something very wrong with the way that our society is conducting itself. And if we do not protest in the strongest terms about what is being done in our name, then we become complicit.

There is no third option. Bradley Manning and others like him everywhere are vital to our continued moral health and well-being as a people, and unless we offer them our full support in their often dire and isolated circumstances, it is we, as a people, who will end up the losers."

--

I will admit that I am a bit late to the Free Bradley Manning movement, but I think it's an important one to share. Bradley Manning has been in solitary for over a year without trial, and I cannot imagine the amount of psychological damage something like this has done to him. And for what? Speaking the truth.

Although it is morally gray and he did break laws, I always thought one should at least be listened to for revealing atrocities to those around him. If we, as a society, can't voice our opinions or the facts that we discover because of fear of being persecuted, it certainly makes me wonder what "progress" has really done for us all.

New York: I Found My Heart In Brooklyn

2011-08-07T07:37:00.000-07:00

Found this while walking around my neighborhood. I think it adequately sums up my NY experience right now

I've been in New York for about a month and a half now, and I am loving it. It really is a phenomenal city, and after you do away with all the touristy nonsense, you're left with one of the most culturally diverse areas in the world. With that, walking from somewhere like Spring St. all the way up to Columbus Circle is almost like walking past 3 or 4 different cities. Needless to say, it is a lot of fun.

FOOD

Along with the Chinese place downstairs that I frequently get dinner from (it's $5.25 for a ridiculous amount of Kung Pao chicken), I've been eating and drinking at new places all over the city to find out what places I love the most. Here's a list of the best I've had and why:
-Eileen's Cheesecake: I wish I took a picture, but I devoured my cheesecake in about a minute and a half. It was the lightest, most delicious piece of cheesecake I've ever had. The prices are pretty fair, but the taste was like no other.

-Won Jo: This restaurant in Koreatown had some delicious side dishes [the ones in the above photo]. I ended up getting the Bulgogi Gobdol Bibim Bop, which is sliced rib-eye over rice and vegetables. It looked like:

It was delicious. It wasn't the most amazing Korean food I've ever had, but it filled the order since I've been craving some real Korean food ever since I had bulgoki prepared by my friend's mother.

-Shanghai Cafe: No picture, but their Xiao Long Bao was amazing. They hand roll their dough so for $4.95 they give you about 8 surprisingly large Baos filled with pork and a soup base. Although their health rating was a "C", my Taiwanese friend and I agreed that Chinese restaurants rarely care about their health rating. As long as the food is good, people will keep coming, and Shanghai Cafe, on food quality alone, will not be going out of business any time soon.

Miscellaneous Photos and Thoughts

This is my stop. About 40 minutes from Manhattan, but it's cheap, quiet, and safe.

This was taken at about 5:15AM on a Saturday. It was still 92 degrees in my room, and I couldn't sleep. The sun was just about to rise so I walked out to the balcony and snapped this picture.

While unemployed, I figured it was time to finally read the Harry Potter series. I wasn't allowed to read them because my terrible elementary school, Fremont Christian, believed that magic was from the devil, which meant Harry Potter was a devil spawn. By the time I could read them, I was in high school, and I was more focused on video games than reading. Now, at the ripe age of 21, I'm finally understanding why the books are so much better than the films, and more importantly, why institutions like Fremont Christian--who promote prejudice, surface evaluations, and fear propaganda--are terrible and need to be removed.

New York: Help Me Design My Room

2011-08-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

This is how my room currently looks in my apartment. I'm really strapped for cash right now so it only has the basic things I needed. However, things are looking good, and I'm starting to think how I want to design my room because I'm becoming more of a grown up and I can't have my room being terrible.

With that in mind, here are three designs I've come up with that add a few objects to the room and move things around to maximize space, comfort, or general hominess.

Template 1

This layout moves the bed closer to the first door, moves the desk closer to the window, and the bookshelf to where my closet is [that second door and the 2 cell space off to the side.

Template 2

This one keeps everything in the same spot but adds a two night stands, a recliner, and a dresser.

Template 3

Lastly, this moves things a bit but only adds in 1 night stand and a full size dresser. I couldn't really find a space to practically incorporate another chair so I just took it out.

PLEASE let me know what you think by commenting. OR, if you're a better designer than I am, run with the required items from the first photo and go crazy! If you do, I'll follow your twitter, blog, tumblr, or give you my first child. Whichever is easiest.

LBFA: "A Good Guy"

2011-08-03T19:52:00.000-07:00

From Let's Be Friends Again

I frequently praise Let's Be Friends Again for their spot on comic book comics. Whether it's something just for laughs or with a real political message, they always get it right.

This week is no different. With the announcement of Miles Morales, a half-Black, half-Latino, Ultimate Spider-Man, the media outlets and the internet have gone wild with praise and/or skepticism and/or racism. But in only 3 panels and 6 word balloons they have captured the true significance of this event or rather super heroes in general.

At their heart, we--whether white, black, yellow, brown, or any other crayon color--love super heroes because they represent the good that we should be striving for each day. To protect and respect our fellow man and do the right thing as frequently as possible. Spider-Man--along with every hero in comics--were created to tap into the good in all of us. Let's remember that and enjoy our funny books.

Comics: Lack of "Other" Minority representaton

2011-08-02T22:53:00.000-07:00

"Marvel comics have been populated with many minority heroes over the years, from Luke Cage to War Machine to the Black Panther, many of whom have starred in their own books. And several men of varying skin color have wielded Captain America's shield and worn Iron Man's armor."
Taken from USA Today

Yesterday, I blogged about the announcement of the new African-Mexican Ultimate Spider-Man, Miles Morales, who will become Marvel's latest Webslinger. The quote that I attached above comes from USA Today, the article that first broke the story. I don't have a problem with the story, it just always upsets me when media--or the world--bundles the word "minority" with just one ethnic group. All three of the minority characters that are listed are African or African American. Also, let me be the first to say that all three characters are absolutely essential to the Marvel Universe, and I am glad that there is a lot more diversity in the whole Marvel brand then their competitor [look at the Justice League relaunch and tell me how many non-white males there are].

What becomes problematic is when a banner word like "minority" is then equally synonymous with ONLY one group. Because then when the discussion of progress and the end of racism comes up, certain individuals are more than ready to talk about how there is no such thing as racial barriers anymore, and that we are now in such a progressive 21st century that anyone of any color, gender, or sexual orientation can do anything. Obviously, this is wrong.

After all, DC Comics has recently received a massive amount of fan backlash after Dan DiDio didn't really care about the lack of female creators working for the company. Along with that, there is still a paltry amount of Latino or Asian heroes [how many Vietnamese super heroes can you name?], and this isn't limited to the world of comics.

The important thing to remember is that there is definitely progress in the comic book world with the announcement of Miles Morales, and although Marvel received the mailbags full of racist hate mail today, they are definitely trying to make the comic universe a bit more like our actual one. I just also hope that we can see more characters like Tony Chu from Chew or Cecilia Reyes or Northstar as well.

New Site: christung.tumblr

2011-08-02T20:08:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine told me to make a Tumblr and so I have.

I do enjoy the fact that both of my blogs are aesthetically clean. I value cleanliness and quiet beauty above all else, and so I definitely think this blog and the Tumblr show that better than anything else.

Comics: The New Ultimate Spider-Man

2011-08-01T23:47:00.000-07:00

Image is here so as not to spoil things right away.

But obvious SPOILERS AHEAD
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For those of you that don't know, the Ultimate Spider-Man died a few weeks ago like a true hero. He sacrificed himself to protect the people he loved, and honestly, is there any other way for Peter Parker to go out?

But, like every comic book property, heroes don't really die, they just either come back in a new way or get brought back to life in increasingly bizarre ways [I'm looking at you Phoenix]. Bendis is actually choosing a more realistic way of ushering in a new age for Spider-Man with a completely different teen under the mask, and it's a completely new character. More importantly, he's a completely different race.

Miles Morales is a half-Black and half-Hispanic teen who chooses to fight crime as the webslinger for a yet to be revealed reason. The fact that Axel, Sana, and Bendis are choosing to diversify such an iconic character proves the positive steps that Marvel consistently takes to make a more modern comic universe. And although I am expecting a massive amount of hate mail and racist comments will eventually be hurled at Marvel for this shift, I, for one, am happy that diversity is being promoted in such a monumental way. [And also, this allows for the possible Donald Glover Spider-Man to happen in the future]

Work: New Resume

2011-08-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

Decided that the old resume wasn't getting enough bites so I tried something new. I worked off a template that my friend gave me and moved a few things around and tried to keep the aesthetic as much like myself as possible.

With that in mind, I am still actively looking for a career as an Assistant Editor, Marketing Assistant, Production Assistant, or anything that lets me exercise my creative muscles. Please contact me at the email attached to my resume.

Movies: The Amazing Spider-Man Trailer

2011-07-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

If you made it through that trailer, then you know that this is Marc Webb's interpretation of Spider-Man--one of the most anticipated reboots of 2012. Unfortunately, I'm not entirely sold on what we are watching. The trailer definitely creates a sort of "mini-movie" feel showing the unfortunate origins that Peter was forced to grow up with. Moreover, the trailer tries to make the statement that THIS will be a darker version and YOU should love, but because it spins such a dark tale for a character who has an origin of being snarky and witty, I'm left feeling that the creative team is just trying to make a Spider-Man version of Nolan's The Dark Knight.

This is the Spider-Man I grew up with, and the one that I loved. Raimi's trailer is clearly marketed toward a 2002 audience. One that hasn't seen Batman Begins yet and one that doesn't live in the shadows of the awful Spider-Man 3. This trailer is fun and has a series of quick cuts. More importantly, we see our Spider-Man in the first 20 seconds of the trailer rather than being teased for 2 minutes and 20 seconds and then a quick glimpse of Garfield in the costume. We all know he's going to be Spider-man, Mr. Webb, so just show it to us.

My other problem with Webb's trailer [I'm only judging trailers not movies since one is not out yet] is that I just don't get the sense that I can get behind Garfield at all. Peter Parker represents the every man. A brilliant kid with really bad luck and when he gets super powers, his bad luck still rears its ugly head. In Raimi's trailer, we get a really fun Parker who loves the girl but can't quite be with her because of his new responsibilities. But rather than be brooding like Garfield [0:30] he makes jokes with Ben, Aunt May, and the viewers can laugh along.

After watching 2:30 of the new Spider-Man trailer, I'm supposed to feel something for this reboot. Instead, I just feel like I'll stay home and watch Spider-Man 2 on Blu-Ray.

Music: Vincent Chin

2011-06-28T22:54:00.000-07:00

It's been about almost a month since my previous blog post, and I apologize for the massive break between writing. I recently moved to New York and am pursuing a career in publishing/editorial so things have been busy, but I finally have some time to sit and surf the net.

I then chose to pull up a website I frequent every so often (Angry Asian Man and I had to post this video/music video that Model Minority created to remind the Asian American community about our people's history and to emphasize the fact that the struggle for equality does not just go away. It is constant. Without further ado, here's the song:

Although Model Minority clearly put hours of work into each word, I just wanted to take some time to focus on these lines:

"If it's Vincent Kim it's still the same/ If it's Vincent Sato it's still the same/ If it's Vincent Nguyen it's still the same"

From the Asian American people I talk to--be they family, friend, classmate, coworker, etc.--I frequently find them making cultural distinctions that ultimately limit the Asian American communities ability to unite and create change. Rather than seeing the shared experiences that one Asian Ethnic community has with another, Asian Americans (1st, 2nd, etc.) only see the differences.

"I'm Chinese and he's Korean so his struggles are not my problem". But what Model Minority is able to expertly touch on is that in the eyes of other racial groups (in particular, the white hegemony that dictates the distribution of wealth, power, and education in America) only see the similarities. Ronald Ebens and his step son, Michael Nitz, did not recognize that Vincent Chin was a Chinese American. They assumed that yellow skin and slanted eyes must mean that Chin was a harbinger of the Japanese economic take over of the United States car manufacturing industry (which is a flawed argument for so many other reasons that I can't get into now).

This is how the majority sees the "Other". We are not Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Cambodian, etc. We are Asian. We are a homogenized group and it did not matter if Vincent Chin was Vincent Kim or Nguyen, it was the fact that he was Asian that allowed Ebens and Nitz to commit a murder and allow a white judge to let these men walk with the following claim:

"These weren't the kind of men you send to jail... You don't make the punishment fit the crime; you make the punishment fit the criminal."

Because two "up-standing" white men murdered an Asian American man, it HAD to have been a misunderstanding. A one time thing that Ebens and Nitz should not be punished for because they would NEVER do it again.

Although we live in the 21st century and great strides are being made for equality (New York just legalized Gay Marriage!), we--and by we, I mean all marginalized groups--need to recognize that the struggle for equality has and will always exist. Do not assume it is over because the group you affiliate with suddenly crossed off all the things on their "Equality List". Others are still under fire. Others are still being persecuted. And Others--like you once were--are still struggling for basic rights that we take for granted.

Skatter Tech: DC Comics Announces Day-And-Date Digital

2011-06-01T12:43:00.000-07:00

My two loves are comics and technology, and I have been waiting for a story that I could write for Skatter Tech that could start bridging the gap between these two hobbies. Thankfully, DC Comics has announced there day-and-date digital distribution after Flashpoint, and I obviously had to write the story.

Give it tons of likes and tweets so I can start writing more and more comic-related stories. And who knows, maybe Skatter Tech could someday get a Skatter Books section.

Skatter Tech: We Are Hiring!

2011-05-25T15:21:00.001-07:00

If you're passionate about technology, gadgets, games, or anything in that arena, head on over to Skatter Tech and send us your resume.

In other news, I'm heading off to E3 in about two weeks, which is pretty amazing because I've wanted to go since the moment I picked up my first SNES controller. Very excited for the work, the lack of sleep, and the general awesomeness that is E3.

Skatter Tech: 3 Things Sony Needs For the NGP To Succeed

2011-05-23T18:41:00.000-07:00

Most recent article that I've written for Skatter Tech discusses the NGP and what it will need to do for the NGP to be a winner.

I was an early supporter of the PSP, and unfortunately, that handheld ended up falling flat on its face. But as a huge supporter of Sony devices I do hope that the NGP will succeed.

Batman Arkahm City #1: Review

2011-05-13T22:35:00.000-07:00

From Joystiq

I'm pretty freaking stoked for Batman Arkham City, the sequel to one of the best super hero games of all time. As a way to tease and/or make more money off of fans, DC will be releasing a series of Batman Arkham City comics. Issue #1 came out this past Wednesday, and I just wanted to say that it's a must buy for any Arkham Asylum fan or Batman fan.

Written by Paul Dini one of the quintessential Batman writers, you already know the story has potential. Taking place a few months after the fall out of Arkham Asylum, Mayor Quincy Sharp has launched a crusade on masked criminals--Batman included. However, Sharp is not alone in his crusade. In the shadows of the story, we can see Sharp's psychologist, Doctor Hugo Strange, slowly manipulating the Mayor's strings for a yet to be revealed purpose.

An interesting premise that is well written, but it would be nothing without Carlos D'Anda's art. If the name does not immediately ring a bell, Carlos was actually the primary character artist for the original video game, which means the aesthetic that gamers fell in love with drives the story. D'anda's Batman is strong and chiseled while his Joker is maniacal, frightening, and hilarious all at once. If you were like me and wanted more of D'anda's art in the original video game, you have to get this comic.

Great art and an intriguing first issue make this issue a definite buy. However, it remains to be seen if the series will not only have a self contained pay off, but also increase excitement for one of this year's most anticipated video games.

4/5

Skatter Tech: HTC Droid Incredible 2 - Review

2011-05-13T22:33:00.000-07:00

It took about a week of testing and a solid 8+ hours of writing, but my HTC Droid Incredible 2 Review is done. Find out what I thought about the sequel to one of last year's best phones.

Skatter Tech: PlayStation Network Returns Next Week

2011-05-01T15:23:00.000-07:00

PlayStation Network Returns Next Week and Skatter Tech has an explanation of what Hirai revealed at the press conference.

Movie: Strangers, Again

2011-04-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

When it comes to writing, directing, drawing, any expression of the human condition, it's important that we present our findings in the most honest way possible. Often times, that requires the individuals producing the piece to reveal more of themselves in a particular work in order to illustrate to the audience the gravity of their work. If done correctly, the audience can connect their own lives to what they see on the screen/canvas/pages and the piece does its job.

In Strangers, Again, I would say that WongFu productions does this in superb fashion. The breakdown of a relationship into stages--although common--is just so faithful to real life moments that you can't help but wonder how much of this is "fiction" and how much is real life events from Philip Wang (the writer and director). My only major problem was the jump in endings. I felt that they probably should have done one big cut revealing the possibility of the break up and then jumping back to Stage 4 where they discuss the two options in any relationship: breaking up or marriage. However, this is only a small problem in the film because, like any relationship, it isn't about the ending. Rather, it's about all the little steps and moments that get you to where we ultimately end up. And Strangers, Again captures those moments--the laughs and the tears--as honestly as possible.

Skatter Tech: PlayStation Network is Down

2011-04-23T00:18:00.001-07:00

Check out Skatter Tech for my most recent article. Today, I focused on the recent PlayStation network down time, and the possibility of Anon/Anonymous being responsible.

This article is especially noteworthy for me because in the span of a few hours, I achieved a new personal high score for comments. As of now, it's at 129 comments which is more than all of my previous article combined. Chock it up to right timing, good writing (unlikely), or just trolling but it's good to know that I'm getting hits and people are interested in a discussion.

Skatter Tech: Kindle with Special Offers $114

2011-04-12T00:09:00.000-07:00

Please check out Skatter Tech to see what the new Amazon Kindle with Special Offers means to you! [Also I start getting paid starting with this article so the more hits the better]

Also hello two new followers. Not sure who you are, but I hope this blog and I are helping you in some way [or if anything keeping you entertained].

Skatter Tech: Anon Attacks PlayStation

2011-04-05T21:46:00.000-07:00

2nd article in a week. It's great to be writing again.

Wondercon 2011: Debrief

2011-04-03T20:42:00.000-07:00

Wondercon has now come and gone, and all I can say is this was the best con ever. I drove down to SF with some great friends, saw some great sites, and really, just enjoyed what little time I have left in California. Although this may be my last Wondercon for a very long time, I'm just glad that it ended on such a great note. Here are some of the best photos of the weekend:

For the first time ever, I decided to book the official convention center, which meant that the trip might be a little more expensive, but we could make some great memories. This is the view from the 23rd floor of the Marriott Marquis. The first of many memories [and where some would inevitably be forgotten]

Rainn Wilson posing at the Super panel. The panel itself wasn't anything amazing, but the conversation between James and Rainn was hilarious. After hearing how funny the movie could be, we decided to catch the 10PM showing. Honestly, it was probably the weirdest, craziest movie I've seen all year, but it was also so incredibly awesome! Definitely try and find it in your Indie-r theater near you and support good films.

After a long day of panels, we went to the top of the Mariott Marquis and sat in The View. We got drinks and saw the world below our feet. After seeing the amazing view, my friend Jack summed up exactly how I felt in 7 words: "I could get used to the city."

This is my delicious basket of fried chicken from Brenda's. I am a huge fan of Marvel's C.B Cebulski's Eataku blog because I do my best to learn the ways of a foodie. When I can, I do my best to visit as many eateries that C.B writes about. This was the most recent one on the blog, and we were only a 20 minute walk away. The food = amazing.

The last thing we saw was the Doctor Who panel. Although I don't watch the show, I am a huge Neil Gaiman fan who wrote the fourth episode of the season and also made a guest appearance at the panel. As always, it's extremely special when anyone gets to meet one of their hero's in real life, and Neil has been a huge influence on my life so the panel was a must go. At the end of it, they teased Neil's next big project with this simple picture. Looks like I'll be watching an episode of the Simpson's in November.

Skattertech: Why the Kinect is Better

2011-04-03T18:20:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't see it yet, my analysis of the Kinect versus Move went up on Skatter Tech a few days ago. Hope you like it!

Also, Wondercon 2011 just ended so I'm a little beat, but I'll do my best to post up some pictures and write about my experience in between Colossal Cave Adventure and more Skatter Tech writing.

Movies: Captain America Trailer

2011-03-23T17:24:00.000-07:00

I don't know how long this will stay up, but the minute a hi-def version goes online I'll post it up here.

UPDATED: With a better quality version.

Movies: JGL to Play Alberto Falcone

2011-03-19T20:27:00.000-07:00

Variety has recently gotten the scoop on Joseph Gordon-Levitt's role in Nolan's next Batman film--The Dark Knight Rises.

According to the article, Joseph Gordon-Levitt will be playing Alberto Falcone, son of famous mob boss Carmine Falcone who we saw in the first Batman film. What makes this so interesting is that this would creates a common thread throughout all three films. Although Nolan is keeping a lot of information heavily guarded, I would argue that by adding Alberto Falcone, who eventually becomes The Holiday Killer in Loeb's The Long Halloween, we'll get to see how the world changes when a superhero like Batman is introduced. In the first film, crime was running rampant and so Bruce donned the cowl and become the hero the world needed. In The Dark Knight, we saw how the game changes once the world sees a masked man fighting crime, and villains will escalate their strategy and become characters like The Joker or Two-Face. Going into the final film, I predict we'll see how the the over-the-top lives of superheroes and super villains can push normal characters like Alberto Falcone or Selina Kyle into becoming their own form of masked hero/menace. But that's just a guess.

MVC3: How to Beat Sentinel

2011-03-19T02:06:00.000-07:00

Although my blog is mostly geared toward comics, films, and writing, I'm also a huge video game player. In particular, fighting games are my thing. There's something about the rush of depleting another player's health bar to zero that I can't really get from anything else. And now that there's in game voice chat, I can hear players whine in anguish as I crush them in my hand (I'll get to why this is important later).

The game I've been playing most recently is Marvel vs Capcom 3. My team consists of Sentinel, Ryu, and X-23 because I need a heavy tank, an average ranger, and I have to represent the X-Office the only way I know how--with Laura Kinney as my anchor. The problem I've been facing online from the whiney voice chat players I mentioned above is that my Sentinel is "too cheap". I can see understand why they might think that. After all, Bolivar Trasks's greatest invention has a crap-ton of health, huge damage potential, and I'm also pretty great at playing with him.

But is he cheap? My answer is "no". Because the old tin can isn't any cheaper than someone who uses Akuma's infinite combo or Amaterasu's 100% damage combo as a tool in their fight book. Capcom has all of these moves set up in the game and players manipulate them how they will. It's our jobs as players to be better than our opponents. If you know the set up for Akuma's infinite, don't get caught. If you know Sentinel can kick the crap out of you in a close range fight, know when to dash in and punish. And if you still feel the need to complain about how Sentinel is impossible to beat, please watch this educational video. It is both informative and hilarious:

X-Men: The "Anime" Animated Series

2011-03-10T13:04:00.000-08:00

From Marvel

Marvel has recently announced that they, in conjunction with Animax, will be releasing a brand new X-Men Anime. That's anime, not animation because it will be stylized more in line with Japanese animation rather than a Western aesthetic like previous X-Men cartoons.

Also, can I just comment on how bad ass Cyclops and Hisako look? If the costumes are indicative of the series to come, it would seem that the story will be following some of the key story elements from Astonishing X-Men, which is fine by me considering Astonishing--both Whedon's and Ellis's--has been a phenomenal series with great story moments.

And in case the costume poster isn't enough to whet your appetite here's the teaser trailer Marvel posted up a few weeks ago:

Wondercon 2011: Exhibitor, Small Press, Artist Alley, and More

2011-03-10T12:17:00.000-08:00

With Wondercon 2011 quickly approaching, many of us--or is it just me--have been waiting for the Exhibitor and Artist Alley list to be officially posted. Well, good news, true believers, the list is finally up and you can start planning which booths you'll be hitting up and what places you'll be dropping your paychecks on.

Movies: Comic Book Future Film Slate

2011-02-15T12:53:00.001-08:00

I was trying to find a list of all the major comic book films that would be coming out for the next few years, and I couldn't easily find one. So with a little help from Google, Wikipedia, and Comicbookmovie, here's a list I've gathered of all the Marvel and DC films that will be coming out for the next two years:
Bold = Marvel
Italics = DC

Thor- May 6, 2011
X-Men First Class- June 3, 2011
Green Lantern- June 17th, 2011
Captain American: First Avenger- July 22, 2011
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance- February 17, 2012
The Avengers- May 4, 2012
The Amazing Spider-Man- July 3, 2012
The Dark Knight Rises- July 20, 2012
The Man of Steel- December 2012
Iron Man 3- May 3, 2013

It's a pretty amazing slate of films with Marvel coming out as the victor in terms of numbers, but in content that will be left up for the fans to device. In the end, the fans win because we get to see our favorite heroes on the silver screen.

Movies: What if John Hughes Directed The Legend of Zelda?

2011-02-15T10:18:00.001-08:00

It would probably look something like this:

There's a ton of little easter eggs for both the gamer and the 1980's teen movie buff. I particularly love the Hyrule undies that Tingle carries over his head in an homage to Anthony Michael Hall's triumphant moment in Sixteen Candles.

Movies: X-Men First Class Trailer

2011-02-10T20:09:00.000-08:00

After X-Men Origins: Wolverine, I wasn't too sure how I felt about more X-Men films. I thought that maybe the series had jumped the shark and the films were turning into action, popcorn flicks rather than studies of the human condition using super heroes as a metaphor for things that couldn't be as easily said. But now after watching this trailer, I think we might have a winner. I use the word "might" because I also said that Origins: Wolverine was a winner because Gambit was in the film and we all know how that turned out...

Life: Where the Hell Have I Been

2011-02-08T22:00:00.000-08:00

The blog hasn't been updated in almost a month, and that's something I can't really make up for in one post because there's a lot of things going on in my life right no. However, I'll do my best to update you guys on the life of this struggling comic book writer:

- It's Winter Quarter 2011 right now at UC Davis, which means I'm one quarter away from graduating and entering the job market. I'm really not sure what will happen once I get out there, but I'm going to follow Marjorie Liu's advice and go for the dreams that I've set up for myself. That means after graduation, I should be heading back to New York, and like all English majors, applying for anything remotely related to my field. Don't be surprised if a salesman by the name of Chris Tung asks you if you want to buy some insurance or take a survey. Food, beer, and bills aren't cheap especially in the Big Apple.

- On the writing end, I submitted a screenplay, Memories, to the Ivy Film Festival. It's a short story that I won't go into too much right now, but if it gets chosen for the semi-finals and/or wins any awards at the Festival maybe I'll post it up here for people to read? We'll see. But for now, I just want to give a huge shout out to the people that helped with the creative process: My dad, Stephanie Wu, Kevin Oswald, Rahul Krishnan, Brittany La, Tope Adebanjo, Andrew Joustra, Zack Rosenberg, and finally, my co-pilot, Ivan Lubomirsky, for helping me with every aspect of Memories.

- Colored pages for God Among Men are coming in, and I wish I could throw some up on the blog. However, things are still being looked at by my editor so nothing can go up until things are finalized. For now, I'll just say that coloring is an art in itself. It is so much more than adding red where the lips should be or blue where the sky should be. A good colorist can give your piece so much life. GAM would only have been a fraction of what it is if I didn't have my amazing team.

- Books I'm reading or want to recommend right now: Strange Tales, Shortcomings, Children's Crusade, American Vampire, Age of X, Ultimate Spider-Man, and Wolverine and Jubilee.

Comics: God Among Men Update

2011-01-11T20:19:00.001-08:00

I don't believe I can actually post up anything just yet, but in case you were wondering, my comic book is not dead. In fact, Committed Comics is gearing up to take 2011, and judging from the pages that my colorist has been showing us, it'll be a good year for God Among Men, and if YOU buy it, then it'll be a good year for me :) Keep checking back because once I can start posting up some pages they'll be here first.

Advice: "Try" from Marjorie Liu

2010-12-30T17:39:00.000-08:00

Marjorie Liu--writer of Black Widow, X-23, Daken--wrote a blog today that I felt was important to share on this the Eve of New Years Eve because it relates so much to what I believe and what I want this blog to really be about. Riddled throughout my writings there is a constant theme of "trying". Depending on your belief system, we only get 1 shot at life, and if we never try then a life of monotony is going to be the only outcome.

So check out Liu's The Night Before for some words of advice from one of Marvel's best female writers. But for you lazier readers, here's the important beat:

"That’s the first step, you know. That permission you give yourself to try — to try anything. To try and be happy, even."

Writing: 73 Ways to Become a Better Writer

2010-12-27T11:23:00.000-08:00

The Copyblogger has posted up their 73 ways to become a better writer which is something every struggling writer should read. It's a pretty thorough list of things that either help improve your craft or just your perspective on life, and all 73 are notes of wisdom that writers should take to heart and mind. Here are some of my favorites:

3. Accept all forms of criticism and learn to grow from it.
8. Live with passion.
9. Be open, curious, present, and engaged.
24. Listen to how people talk.
34. Be inspired by other art forms – music, dance, sculpture, painting.
61. Break out of your comfort zone.
72. Take risks – don’t be afraid to shock. You are not who you think you are.

Webcomics: Stuff I'm reading

2010-12-21T01:56:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged in a good month or so, but suddenly, I have a desire to post stuff. I figure I post as much now before school starts so that I have a few things you can read while I try and get out of Davis as fast as possible.

With that in mind, here are the webcomics I'm reading right now:
1) Let's Be Friends Aagain: They never disappoint when I'm looking for serious humor about comics. Their Comics, Everybody! sketches posted on Comics Alliance are also hilarious.
2) Questionable Content: I'm a bit late to the game, but my friend Xu told me to give this a look. I'm really glad I did because it has some pretty great characters and from the 100 or so strips I've read, the story gets better and better.
3) Penny Arcade: Be it comics, films, games, or social commentary, Penny Arcade always delivers.

Give these 3 a look if you haven't already.

Storytelling: The Climb

2010-12-21T01:42:00.001-08:00

The idea of a character climbing up the mountain to reach the goal at the top isn't a new idea. In fact, it's the most basic element of story telling minus the plot and character. We, as readers or audience members, want to see our character face difficult obstacles in order to reach their goals. The more challenging the obstacles, the sweeter the reward. This is something that I've always known, but only until yesterday did I really understand how important it is to make a steep mountain than a small mole hill.

I've been working on a screenplay to submit to the Ivy Film Festival, and I've been having my closest friends and fellow writers take a look at it to help me improve the storyline. Yesterday, I received two comments that forced me to take a brand new look at my story and reevaluate what it is I want to tell and a better way of telling it:

1) My friend Kevin said that the main character is difficult to really care about. By the end of it, he couldn't rally behind the character but he thought he was simply, "meh".
2) My friend Ivan pointed out that the climb was pretty much nonexistent. Although there were some difficulties in getting to where he needed to go, the hero pretty much was walking up a tiny little mole hill. What he demanded was having the character climb up Everest with "rocks, flaming arrows, rain, etc." attacking him as he moves a boulder up the hill.

Together, these two comments have sort of forced me to start over. Not completely, but I have to really study my character and create more obstacles again because, and this is the educational part here, if the character has extremely difficult obstacles to get over we begin to cheer more for the character because of the seemingly impossible odds. In addition to this, if we care more about the character AND he or she is able to make it to the top of their metaphorical mountain, we experience a similar catharsis as the character. We need our comic scripts or screenplays or novels have characters with unique lovable [or hate-able personalities] so that in some way or another we have an emotional connection with the character. Once we do, when the arrows and gunfire and demons start attacking our character, we want them to succeed not for the character but for US to make it to the finish line with them.

Wondercon 2011: Special Guests Announced

2010-11-27T02:37:00.000-08:00

Wondercon has updated their website with a bit more information for next year's bay area comic convention. If I haven't said it already, Wondercon is probably my favorite convention because it's like a mini Comic-Con, which means you get all the great comic guests that San Diego can pull in, but none of the crazy Twilight fans that prevent comic fans from actually buying tickets.

Though, it looks like Wondercon 2011 will be the biggest Wondercon to date. I don't mean in terms of attendance (although the show is growing almost exponentially), what I mean is that the Special Guests announced for the show are already pretty great with many more to come. A couple noteworthy ones include Paul Levitz (former DC Comics President) and Joe Quesada (current Marvel Editor-in-Chief) along with fan favorite Kevin Smith (director of Chasing Amy, Zack and Miri Make a Porno) who is probably there to promote his next flick, Red State. And finally, a person I am very excited to meet and talk to is Terry Moore, creator of Strangers in Paradise, and a huge inspiration for my writing.

And these are only the special guests that will have panels and what not, but other big guests have yet to be revealed plus there is always artist alley and the booths that will be exhibiting. Needless to say, I am extremely excited for Wondercon and hopefully I'll see some of you there!

DC Universe Online: First Impressions

2010-11-22T10:29:00.000-08:00

The official release of DC Universe Online isn’t quite here yet, but for the past couple of weeks the beta has been up and running giving lucky gamers a sneak peak at Jim Lee’s massive multiplayer online brainchild. This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to be the first to enter a beta key courtesy of Jim Lee's twitter, and I’ve been grinding away in Gotham City so that I could write an adequate “First thoughts” on, arguably, the most anticipated comic book video game of all time. After about 12 hours of play, here are my initial impressions.

Character Development
Once you watch the Blur-made introduction video, you are brought into the character creator. Think of it as a more upgraded version of the Dragon Age/Oblivion character creator but a downgraded version of the Sims 3 version. Starting with gender, height, and hero or villain, the character development gets a bit more fun when you start choosing what your powers will be and who you want as your mentor. If you aren’t too sure what you want your character to play like or if you just want to jump right in, you can choose to have your character be “Inspired By” an existing DC character. I ended up choosing Catwoman and made some personal tweaks to his power structure. Once all that was done, you jump right in.

The character development is a lot of fun especially for people who love to spend time making everything look exactly perfect (my friend who loves Sims 3 spent a good 45 minutes on color choices for her character’s wings and pants). But I also love that the development team made it easy for those of us that just want to play. The “Inspired by” option is brilliant and the fact that you can still make changes to anything that you might not necessarily like for your personal hero/heroine. I do hope, however, that they have more choices in the final game because even though they have a ton of face masks, many of them are extremely derivative of the others. I imagine that simple patch updates will add more options and of course there’s always that whole DLC thing that companies love to get more cash from us.

Gameplay
Once you’re done decking out your character, the game throws you right into a small tutorial-esque Level 1. Here you fight some Brainiac bots and depending if you chose to be a hero or a villain, you’ll be helped by Superman or Lex Luthor. Graphically, the game does a great job at creating environments. The Brainiac spaceship looks really impressive, but once you see Gotham, Metropolis, and the Watchtower you realize how much work was put in by the artists and rendering team. You really do feel like you’re playing a comic book, and for me, that’s the best part. And we all knew that it wouldn’t be too fun if everyone was Superman or Batman, but having them join you in missions and fighting bosses is a lot of fun.
However, I did find that that the combat system was rather bland. Perhaps it’s because it was mostly just mouse clicking and pressing 1-7 on my number pad, but it just didn’t feel as immersive as it should be. I imagine that the controls would work and feel a lot better on the PS3, but for some reason, the rapid clicking of the left mouse button took me away from the otherwise amazing experience.

Questing and Cutscenes
The game progresses through missions sent to your journal. These missions range can be anything from running a course, collecting some items, or beating up a certain number of thugs/monsters/robots/etc. Relatively standard stuff in MMOs, DCUO does make the questing experience a bit better with voice directions from DC’s finest. Hearing Kevin Conroy as Batman telling me that I have to stop Scarecrow once and made me feel a part of the DC world. Plus, once the quests are done, the comic book style cutscenes drawn by Jim Lee pushed my nerdgasm over the top. It’s these conscious decisions by the development team to make these quests feel like legitimate comic book quests and provide dialogue, art, and easter eggs that true comic fans would love is what has made my first couple of hours extremely enjoyable.

The MMO Experience
Though, strangely, the cooperative nature of an MMO is somewhat lacking. Now, my MMO games up to date have been a few minutes with WoW and about an entire year of clocked in hours with Ragnarok Online, but from those two games I feel that MMO’s should push players to play with others while at the same time giving gamers the option of flying solo. So far, I found that DCU is a much more single experience compared to the games I’ve played for it. I fought and defeated both Bane and Scarecrow [two final bosses] on my own with the game assigned hero that tags along with me. Perhaps it’s because my character was a fighter and I had been boosting up his powers, but it wasn’t all that hard to just mash on my the mouse clickers and beat Bane into submission on my own. Though, I did hear others asking for help to fight Bane so maybe it depends on your character build, and I did hear a lot of people asking who was available to fight Solomon Grundy and/or join them in a later dungeon area so I’ll edit this section as I play more. For now, however, I’ve only fought alongside a few players in passing, and if they weren’t there, DarkSh1nobi still would’ve done just fine.

Closing Thoughts
In short, I love the game. It has a lot of things that make it a truly immersive comic book MMO, but it’s definitely not perfect. The game expects SOME understanding of the comic book world [the more the better], and if you have are just a gamer that’s curious, the game does an adequate job bringing them into the game. Though, ultimately, the game has fans in mind, and for that, I will spend hours of my life trying to find every last nerdy easter egg.

Pokemon: Amazing Resdesigns

2010-11-15T23:47:00.001-08:00

From akaitera

How awesome are these redesigns!?

SDCC 2011: Tickets go on sale tomorrow!

2010-10-31T13:33:00.001-07:00

In case you're not a crazy person like me, San Diego Comic-Con 2011 tickets go on sale tomorrow. If you are interested in going to the biggest comic convention in California--and arguably, the world--make sure you log on as soon as you can to get those tickets.

I've blogged quite a bit on how the show has changed, but when I found out that 4-day plus preview night tickets sold out at the 2010 show, I was pretty amazed (or is it sick?) by how much SDCC has changed.

But am I still going? You better believe!

Jobs: DC's First Job Openings

2010-10-04T10:33:00.000-07:00

It looks like it's time for DC Comics to start hiring again.

In case you haven't been keeping up with the ever changing landscape that is the comics world, the vast majority of DC Entertainment will be moving from NYC to Burbank. This attempt at re-synergizing the Time Warner/DC Entertainment relationship not only means that those that want to stay with DC are going to have to move over to the Golden Coast, but the now vacated jobs are going to need to be filled...quickly.

Although the new job postings aren't creative, editorial, or entry level jobs , it is safe to say that DC will begin to post more jobs in the very near future. If I were you, I would keep the Time Warner Careers website bookmarked if you're looking to work with Superman and Batman in the near future.

WTF: Racism on NBC?

2010-09-23T21:51:00.001-07:00

So over on the west coast, the season/series premieres for Thursday have finally come on the air. I was mostly happy with the shows that I chose to watch...mostly. The one show that I had a huge problem with the minute I saw the trailer was NBC's new show Outsourced, which is based off of the Indian guys in the Sprint commercials.

If I had simply judged the program based off of what I saw in the trailer, I could tell you that it's a program targeted to a specific audience that will chuckle at the inabilities of a minority group to pronounce the English language. I could also tell you that this primary demographic would love to laugh at the people they have to deal with on the phones whenever they call in for tech support. And extending that just a bit on the more extreme side, I could predict that this audience might also want to watch the show just to mock and ridicule a minority group because of the notion that it is the country of India and its people that have stolen jobs from America. However, I didn't want to just write a blog about assumptions that have been supported by a long history of alienating and vilifying a minority group on television for the consumption by White America. So I figured I would give the program a watch before I actually wrote about.

Here's some comments that immediately come to mind.
1- When the main character arrives in India, he comments that driving in India is like Frogger but with real cars. It's a humorous jab at the country, but it's filled with implications of uncivilized and savagery that White America already assumes from the Asian people (see Edward Sayid for further readings)

2-When he encounters Indian food for the first time, there is the reinforcement of point #1 that Indian food is strange, bizarre, or unfit for Americans. For example, when he meets the other American fellow, the other guy tells the protagonist that if he eats the food he will have to crap for 5 days straight. Add this with the close up shot and gradual pan to the main characters disgusted face and we have a clear judgment call on another cultural practice of a foreign country. What's more frustrating is that the food is your standard curry with meat or vegetables, but since I'm a Californian, I guess I just encounter other cultures more often. Our main character, on the other hand, sells Mid-American novelties, which I guess is the creator's way of saying, "Hey! He's from Mid-America so he's just a stupid American we're making fun of." The problem with that argument though is that if Outsourced does remotely well and gets an audience of maybe 20 million people, the audience won't remember what company or location the white hero is from. They'll remember that eating Indian food apparently makes you shit for five days straight.

3-The socially awkward Gupta and the undersexed Manmeet tackle two Asian stereotypes and reestablish age old stereotypes of Asian males . Gupta is talkative, annoying, and rather shy in his personality. He aches to have friends and be known but cannot get passed his apparent awkward behavior. He reminds me so much of the emasculated Charlie Chan or Kato characters that have come before him. Looking at Manmeet, we have the typical Asian man who wants just wants to take any American girl he can find and have sex with her immediately (look to Yellow Peril political comics for further reading). The counter argument is probably that Manmeet will learn something about dating from the hero while the hero will learn something about "true love" from Manmeet, but from what I saw today, I just kept seeing Long Duck Dong from Sixteen Candles all over again.

4-Along with the stereotypes of Asian men, we had the two super common stereotypes for Asian women--the seductive, hyper sexualized temptress and the meek victim. Asha is the hyper sexualized, seductive looking Asian woman that will no doubt have a love triangle with the main character and his white Aussie lover. Then there is the super shy Madhuri that cannot fend for herself, and the show writers even put a great moment that brought the "White American Knight Saving Ethnic Women from their Ethnic Men" theme back to the forefront. When the Indian boss tells the hero to fire Madhuri since she is from a "lower caste and doesn't belong" our hero tells the boss he won't do it because firing her would be wrong and it's not what he believes in. It's a great move on the heroes part, but again, I can't help but see elements of Madame Butterfly being pulled into Outsourced.

So if you haven't figured it out yet, I wasn't too happy with the show. Not only was it pretty racist, it also just failed as a concept. But another problem I have is why did it even make it passed the concept stage in the FIRST PLACE? You're telling me that of all the shows that were pitched this year, Outsourced was the strong contender that NBC studios wanted to come on after The Office?

WTF.

Movies: HP 7 Pt. 1 trailer

2010-09-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

More Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I Videos

Comics: Nemesis #3 Cameo

2010-09-22T17:31:00.000-07:00

Today, Nemesis #3, the third issue in Mark Millar and Steve McNiven's super villain epic, came out today. Normally, I wouldn't really blog about the release of a single comic book, but there's something rather unique in this particular issue...I am in it!

At one of the most crucial twists in the story, I am the namesake for the lead trauma expert in the news report. A part of me did want to scan it and put it up online, but since the twist is such a huge moment in the series, I felt that it would be a huge spoiler that might get me in trouble with the people up top. However, if you do want to see it, go pick up Nemesis #3 and find me!

Special thanks go out to Assistant Editor Jake Thomas for writing the news report and throwing my name in there and Editor Nick Lowe for approving the blurb.

Video Games: Tekken Tag Tournament 2

2010-09-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

I wasn't expecting this announcement at all, but it's exciting nonetheless.

Videos: Geek and Gamer Girls

2010-09-16T22:53:00.000-07:00

EMBED-Geek and Gamer Girls Song - Watch more free videos

With appearances by Stan Lee, Katee Sackhoff, and Seth Green, this is probably the coolest geek parody songs to hit the net in a while.

[UPDATE]
Also thought I would point out that the lovely ladies are dressed up as Psylocke from X-Men, Lara Croft from Tomb Raider, the Baroness from G.I Joe, and a Lady Han Solo from Star Wars for those that may not be geeky.
[/UPDATE]

Comics: O.M.I.T

2010-09-13T11:10:00.000-07:00

Just finished Amazing Spider-Man #641 and I have to say that I was happy with the finality that Quesada gave to the M.J chapter of Peter Parker/Spider-Man's life.

Going into it, I was a bit uncertain what Marvel would be making out of One Moment In Time. Afterall, One More Day became an event to simply reset Peter Parker back to his youthful, single origins. Audiences love the Spider-Man story because he is the awkward guy trying to get the girl while juggling a day job and a night job as one of New York's finest super heroes. That massive swirling storm of problems and how Peter deals with them is why people gravitated to the character. However, over time, Peter needed to finally get the girl, and once M.J and Peter got married, he became a married man that resembled our fathers more than ourselves.

With One More Day--and Brand New Day--readers got the original Spider-Man back, but the story itself became a bit more unsatisfying than readers had hope. However, even though the event itself was a bit uneven, it's the stories we are now getting that make Spider-Man so enjoyable, but with the announcement of One Moment in Time, I wasn't sure if the four parter would be a gimmick or if the event would actually provide a good story.

Thankfully, O.M.I.T is actually pretty great. Not to do too much spoiling, but the event basically explains how the world forgot that Peter Parker was Spider-Man but using Tony Stark, Reed Richards, and Stephen Strange as the erasers rather than the demon Mephisto. The science behind it is definitely a bit hokey and you'll have to suspend your belief a bit if you want to be happy with the explanation (and since not too many panels are wasted on the explanation).

But what makes O.M.I.T so great is the story of time and change that Quesada is trying to tell. At some point in all of our lives, the status quo is changed and although we may not like it immediately, in time we realize that things can be good again. For Peter, that means letting go of M.J, and as upsetting as that might be for Peter and loyal Spidey readers, the well of stories that made us cheer for Petey when he was chasing Mary Jane is all but dried up. The character of Peter Parker needs to move on to a new chapter in his life (possibly even entering the Heroic Age of his life).

We may miss Mary Jane. We may miss the old days and the familiar stories, but change is never something that we want but often times something that we need. With O.M.I.T and the newer, fresher direction of the Spider-Man stories I think we'll eventually be okay without Mary Jane (although knowing comics, she won't be too far away...)

Music: Iyaz-Solo [Instrumental]

2010-09-12T21:41:00.000-07:00

A while back, I posted a video of my friends Wesley Wang and Mark Patena playing an instrumental version of Taylor Swift's Love Song.

Well, Wes and his friend is at it again and did a pretty amazing version of Iyaz's Solo so I though I would post it up for people that liked his last video.

Internship: Reflection

2010-08-28T20:52:00.000-07:00

The internship has come to its inevitable close, and I had some free time on the ride home so I figured that I would type up my reflection on the experience. Some of the obvious questions that “2 years ago me” would want to know was what it all worth it, and that’ll be the first question I answer.

In short, yes. It was a thrill to work with some of the most influential people in comics today. And you might be thinking “well editing isn’t as cool as working with the writers or artists”, but you actually DO get to work with the creative individuals. However, it’s also important that we don’t short change the entire comics making process. Everything from art returns, finance, bullpen, editorial, and beyond play a crucial role in the comic book you are holding so next time you think that it’s JUST Marjorie Liu and Dan Way that made that awesome new Wolverine book I would hope that you could also remember Nick Lowe, Axel Alonso, Jody Leheup, and Jeanine Schaefer that put a lot of editorial work to make it feel, look, and sound like the Wolverine books you’ve come to love. Not just the editorial staff, but so much work is put in by the bullpen and proofreading (shout to the sweetest lady in comics and Stan Lee’s former assistant—Flo Steinberg!) that by the end of it all the “creative team” that are the superstars have quite a few helping hands to get the book out on to newsstands. And connecting this all to the internship, I never knew ANY of this stuff. And the fact that I had the chance to work with all of these awesome people so close and learn how to write, edit, and make comics better is something that was well worth the NYC expenses.

Another thing that I loved about the internship was the fact that you got to see so many things before they ever made it to the newsstands. One thing that I can now talk about is I did the lettering placements for Deadpool Team-Up #898, which was a dream for me because I’m a huge Micah Gunnell fan. Ballooning over his pencils was a great experience and I got to read the story and see the art before most readers, which, for any comic book reader, is awesome because you get to see exclusive stuff before anyone else. Also, writing recap pages was such a HUGE deal for me. I figure that I wouldn’t be able to write anything for a Marvel comic, but Jody Leheup gave me a shot at writing a couple of them and I’ll be eternally grateful for that chance. But, some of my recaps definitely sucked and Jody showed me how to do it better but some remain very close to what I submitted so not only do I have my own writing in a Marvel comic, but I received valuable experience about how to be more engaging in less words (although this blog post is not displaying that new found skill at all).

In the end, it was all worth it. I had to leave a lot of my friends and a job that paid me real money for a chance at fulfilling a childhood dream of mine, and if my blog shows anything about me, it’s that I believe in jumping when you might not know if there’s a net to catch you. It’s a dangerous belief for sure, but sometimes, as Neil Gaiman put it in Sandman, sometimes when you fall you fly.

I thank Jody, Daniel, and Sebastian for picking me as their intern and giving me a chance to prove that I can fly, and in one year’s time, I’ll hopefully by flying back on over to Marvel.

Movies: The Black Swan Trailer

2010-08-17T15:22:00.000-07:00

I am a huge Natalie Portman and Darren Aronofsky fan (recently saw Requiem for a Dream for the first time--beautifully horrifying) and so combining the two of them might just make my favorite movie of the year. In the trailer, we can already see that reoccuring theme of "sacrifice for some perceived happiness" that Aronofsky loves to put in all of his films, but what I'm really curious to know is that in the end is Portman just going crazy from stress? Actually turning into a Black Swan? Or will it be left up to us to decide a la Inception?

Twitter: My Account & Internships: Best Wishes

2010-08-07T08:50:00.001-07:00

I didn't realize that I never posted up my twitter account. Here it is:

http://twitter.com/comiccajun

Follow for my daily thoughts on food, bowel movements, poker, gaming, comics, movies, and whatever else comes through my mind throughout the day.

###
Also, I just saw some interns interviewing at Marvel. So if any of you stumble across the blog and are interviewing Monday, Wednesday, or Friday I'm a short Asian guy with black rimmed glasses in some sort of Woot t-shirt.

Best of luck!

Runaways: My Disappointment with the Open Casting Call

2010-08-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

Today, Marvel/Disney announced that they will hold open auditions for their upcoming movie "Runaways". If you're not a comic book person, Runaways is Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona's story of a group of awkward kids that rebel against their parents. Basic, angsty teen stuff except that their parents are a group of super villains, and through their acts of rebellion, the Runaways actually do good to right their parents wrongs.

I've read the entire run while sitting in the X-Office, and I've come to love these characters very very much, and what disappoints me so much today is the lack of emphasis on the role that ethnicity plays in the character's lives. In order for that to make sense, you'll first need to see what the casting call is so here goes:

Boy 1: Very smart, natural leader, in need of a father figure.
Male, African American, must play 16-18

Boy 2: A rebel, ignores rules and authority, wounded inside.
Male, must play 16-18

Girl 1: Uniquely beautiful, nurturing but guarded
Female, must play 16-18

Girl 2: Chubby oddball, smart and verbal
Female, must play 16-18

Girl 3: Conventionally beautiful, with an unchecked ego
Female, must play 15-18

Girl 4: An innocent, wide-eyed and overprotected
Female, must play 8-10

So what's my problem with this? Boy #1 is clearly Alex Wilder, the leader of the Runaways. He is an African American boy in the story, and so in the casting call, it clearly says they need a "Male, African American, that can play 16-18". That I'm fine with, but Girl #1 who is EXTREMELY important to the series is a girl by the name of Nico Minoru. She is a Japanese American character and a very strong willed teen. What makes her such a great draw not only as a female but as a female of color is that she doesn't fit into the stereotype that have existed for her. She is not meek; she doens't have bound feet; she isn't a dragon lady or a geisha. She's a teenage girl struggling with normal, everyday things. But in the casting call, there is no mention of needing an "Asian/Asian American" actress. I might be overlooking it, but why have Alex's character call for an African American male to remain true to the comics but not call for an Asian American female to remain true to Nico?

Internship: Question #1

2010-07-31T21:47:00.000-07:00

A reader of the blog sent me some questions, and I've asked his permission to post one of the questions because I felt it was a good question that many people have about any internship especially one as competitive as Marvel's.

What was the most difficult part about it?
A tie between 1) answering the questions on the application and 2) taking a red eye from San Francisco to NYC for the interview and then flying back at 5pm the same day knowing that I had to miss school and work. The flight was physically taxing and also costly...the questions on the other hand were intense because that's what the departments are looking at when they are choosing and since they know nothing about you you have to do your best to cram as much of who you are into those three questions.

And just to elaborate, that the questions really are everything. Like any good job application, don't clutter it with unnecessary information. Make every word count.

Skatter Tech: I'm on Wikipedia!

2010-07-30T05:35:00.000-07:00

Another one of the goals I planned for myself was being on Wikipedia and having a wiki page. I know it's stupid, but it's sort of like one of my older goals which was to be in the credits of something, and if my book ever sees the light of day, then that one will be fulfilled.

But the wiki goal is now semi-complete. If you search Skatter Tech, you can find me next to my fellow writers Manish and Vineet in the Tech Reporter rectangles.

I don't have a full page yet, but every completed goal had to start somewhere.

Avengers: Here They Are!

2010-07-24T21:38:00.000-07:00

Check out Comic book Resources to see who will make it in to the Avengers movie.

Or I'll just put a tiny picture here:

From Left to Right: Robert Downey Jr. [Tony Stark/Iron Man], Clark Gregg [Our lovable Shield Agent], Scarlett Johansson [Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow], Chris Hemsworth [Donald Blake/Odinson/Thor], Chris Evans [Steven Rogers/Captain America], Samuel L. Jackson [Nick Fury], Jeremy Renner [Clint Barton/Hawkeye], Mark Ruffalo [Bruce Banner/Hulk], Director Joss Whedon, Producer and Marvel Studios' President Kevin Feige

Video Games: Street Fighter X Tekken

2010-07-24T14:28:00.000-07:00

This will either be the coolest thing since MvC 2 or the most disappointing fight game of all time.

UPDATE: After the initial excitement, one thing that worries me about this game is whether or not the battle system will be able to treat each character fairly. Because other than Devil and Ogre, none of the Tekken characters have long range attacks. I can see how they can make some characters have them either with accessories (give Nina a machine gun or let Kazuya's lightning uppercuts actually hurl lightning) but what about Asuka or Roger Jr.?

Internship: Midway Reflection

2010-07-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

Free comics given to me by the X-Editors

It's about the midway point for the internship, and I thought I would write a quick blog about how it's been going as well as my thoughts on the value of the internship since that's what I imagine most of you guys are more interested in.

For those of you that may not know, the internship is unpaid. They do not provide you with financial aid of any kind, and rent, transportation, food, and things necessary for survival are all on you. But back in May when I first got the internship, I told myself that it's all a test. Taking the red eye for the interview was a challenge to prove my dedication. Everyone else around me had similar credentials but if I/you wanted it bad enough then you would risk everything for your dream. And thankfully, I passed, but knowing that I would have to find an apartment on my own and find a way to survive in the concrete jungle for 2 and a half months was again part of the test asking me, "Are you independent enough to handle this? Are you independent enough to work at Marvel knowing that we'll rarely tell you what to do? Are you mature enough to work here?" These were the kinds of questions that I believe were being asked through the entire beginning process, but for the longest time, I was very concerned whether or not it would be worth it.

In short, it most definitely has been. I've had the unique opportunity to meet writers and artists that I have admired in the industry without the construct of a "convention" placing me in the situation of "fan" and them "rock star" and thus limiting the interaction between them and me. Getting to meet these creators in relaxed settings and seeing that they are in fact normal people allowed me to remove those ruby colored lenses and understand that any great writer is still just a normal person with opinions, emotions, and ideas. In short, writers are people just like you and me. If that's not an inspiring tid-bit for any aspiring writer then I can't give you anything else.

The work has also been a great learning experience. I may not be managing life insurance or selling bonds, but I'm learning what makes a great comic first hand from the best editors in the industry. I've had the chance to do placements on books, write recap pages, edit scripts, etc. But I think a misconception about the internship is not how much you will do, but how receptive you are to the things going on around you and to learn from those. Watching Jody and Jeanine edit a book and seeing how they dissect everything about it to make a great product from something that would have been just a good product is where the true value of the internship lies. Watching them edit, teaches me--a struggling comic book writer--how to write better, and for my peers that are artists, you can most definitely learn how to tell a better story without having each panel look like a pin-up.

As of right now, I can tell you that if your biggest concern about the Marvel internship is the financial cost then my question to you is, "how badly do you want to work in comics?" If it's very tangential or a stepping stone to your true passion, I would say don't do it. The work won't be as fulfilling for you if you're not passionate about the industry plus you could probably find a paid internship somewhere else. But if the answer to my question is, "More than anything" then find a way to make it work. Following your dream is never easy, but if you get the acceptance phone call and you are debating shelving your dream to save some money then I can tell you that THIS internship is worth every penny.

Also, I will add that if you have any questions about me, what I'm doing, or the internship just ask. I try to answer all the emails I get.

New York: What I've been up to

2010-07-10T21:26:00.000-07:00

I know I've been pretty lax about updating the blog. Normally, I would blame laziness or being too preoccupied, but this time it's actually my computer that is preventing me from blogging. As of right now, I have a corrupted hard drive and cannot boot Windows 7. I am running Ubuntu 10.04 netbook edition from an external DVD drive I bought at the Midtown Best Buy (really great store). I'm waiting on a package from my uncle any day now, which will include a bunch of stuff from a Windows Repair CD to a fully functional Windows 7 Home Premium DVD. So once that gets in, hopefully I can repair my netbook and get back to movies, writing, and blogging.

For now, here's some updates about the internship/life in NYC:
-A lot of really interesting people come in and out of the Marvel office. I always figured big name talent like Brubaker, Bendis, and Fraction would stop by to drop off scripts or hang out (which they did), but last Friday, the Old Spice Guy--Isaiah Mustafa--dropped by for a visit. Apparently, everybody loves comics.

-In terms of work, the internship has been great. I've gotten to: balloon a lot of books, formatted scripts, did some art comparison stuff, and get references. Some cool things I've gotten to do were write recap pages for Deadpool #25 and Wolverine Origins #50. In case you were wondering, a recap page is basically the introduction to the story you're about to read. A sort of "Previously in ________" type of page. So it'll be really cool when those books come out and have some of my own writing in a Marvel comic (although you probably won't see my name in it).

-I also just want to say how fortunate I am to be working at the X-Office. All of the editors are really great people and have given me a lot of opportunity to explore the insides of how a comic book is made. As people, they really inspire me to continue what I'm doing because I know a lot of them at some point in time were interns and have made their way to where they are now. And listening to Nick Lowe's story about going from college to editing 1602 with Neil Gaiman to where he is now is a pretty great journey and something I hope to replicate in the very near future.

-Getting to read a lot of scripts from all forms of writers (novelists, television/film writers, comic writers, etc) definitely has taught me a lot about what fields of work excel at what, and also that even if you are a fantastic writer you still need a little bit of help. I always thought that when a book came out it was the writer that came up with the entire process, but seeing the editors work has really showed me that it is a very complicated process and sometimes the "super star" artist or writer that the consumer sees is only seen that way because of the amount of effort that the editors put in. Often times, the editors are forgotten during the praises from fans, but I just want to give a shout out to every editor out there because that job isn't easy and you get very few fans compared to the "talent".

-NYC is expensive. Period. But getting TONS of free comics helps. I think I've spent about 20% of what I would normally spend on comics during my time here. And I've also gotten bout 10x more than what I would normally get.

-If you haven't been to Zaitzeff, go...NOW! Their sweet potato fries are insanely good.

-I've been trying to be better about reading. A while back, I came up with a reading schedule to apply myself. Didn't finish all of them, but I did a lot of it. And when I heard that Jeanine planned to read 30 books every year, I felt inspired to start up a reading list yet again.
So this summer I have planned: The Dark Knight Returns, Ultimates Vol. 1 and 2, The Fountainhead, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and 1984. So far I've finished TDKR and Ultimates Vol. 1. The Fountainhead is HUGE and I'm currently on page 300. If I had started with Dorian Gray or '84, I'd be able to cross another one of but of course I had to start with the monster first. Hopefully, I can get all of these done before school starts because I probably won't have time to read anything else once Senior year starts.

Comics: Every Submission Guideline in the Universe!

2010-07-06T08:27:00.000-07:00

Over at Optimum Wound, they have a post dedicated to every comic book and manga publishing company and the submission rules that these companies have. Probably not every company in the universe, but it's pretty thorough and has companies that most people haven't even heard of, which is a great thing because that means not that many people are submitting to them.

Check it out here. And I just want to point out that no one ever got into the big leagues without having to play the minor leagues first. I know firsthand that Marvel editors SCOUR the internet for new talent. What they do not do, is take your word for it and give you the next big Marvel event without any previous work experience.

Movies: The Happy Ending?

2010-07-05T07:22:00.000-07:00

Just finished watching Up in the Air, and the ending definitely got me thinking about America's understanding of endings. More often than not, American audiences expect a happy ending at the end of their books or movies or comics. It could be because of the Disney-fication of our media or even the "pursuit of happiness" being a fundamental value of American society, but regardless of the root cause, most American's expect their mediums to give them a happy ending.

Recently, I've had a chance to watch There Will Be Blood, The Wrestler, and Up in the Air. All three great movies, but all three don't give that happy ending I came to expect, and it got me wondering if the problem was with me or with the movies. I came to the resolution that it is my fault that I expect Mickey Rourke's character to end up with the girl or Daniel Day Lewis to be happily reunited with his son. The problem with this "happy ending" logic is that it alters the organic nature of each character, and in doing so, ruins the overall impact of each movie.

In writing classes, you're always taught to follow the growth of the character and write the most organic story as possible. If Rourke or Clooney ended up getting the girl, then the struggle for identity that both men suffer from would be happily resolved but in a way that isn't true to each character. Rourke's wrestler suffers from a severe loss of identity but at the heart of that man is wrestling. He IS the wrestler and the fans, the ring, the whole experience is what gives him life. To end that film with him hugging Marissa Tomei and have them walking off into the sunset would have been a cop out and a Disney ending that movie viewers didn't pay to see. They want to see the rise, fall, and eventual (up for debate), death of that man but it his death that we praise because for him dying in the ring would be a warrior's death.

I think the reason why these Academy nominated films don't have happy endings is because of the real message they give the audience members once the credits role. In There will be Blood, we are taught a very dark message of what power and money can do to a man. In The Wrestler, we see how coming to terms with one own's identity is absolutely necessary before one receives closure even if that identity isn't a happy family man identity that we all expect because of a Disney-fication of media. In Up in the Air, we are shown the hard realities of life and similar to The Wrestler, we are shown how very real characters define their families and their homes. All three of these films don't give us the great ending that makes us feel all warm inside, but what they do give us is real characters that we can relate to. More importantly, when those credits role, each of these films/characters gives us an ending we need rather than an ending we want.

Booth Babes: Why do we have them?

2010-06-29T12:08:00.000-07:00

Go here for a great article on why we should, or rather shouldn't, have booth babes.

The whole thing needs to be read as a whole in order to get any part of an excerpt I would put here so I'll decide not to and let those of you curious about the subject matter read it yourself. But it's very well written, and it's a subject that I've thought about since I first discovered video game and comic conventions [although with every passing year those thoughts became less and less perverted].

Goals: Here's the Plan

2010-06-24T18:57:00.000-07:00

Before the Marvel Internship, before Committed Comics, before this blog, before college, I started out as a kid with a dream. It was an impossible dream--I want to write comic books--but as a naive kid, and I guess a naive adult, I believed that it would all work out someday. And as I grew older, I made up some goals for myself that I hoped to fulfill before I died. I never really shared them with anyone outside of my immediate family because they were all pretty ridiculous at the time, but now sitting in an apartment in NYC and getting ready to go to bed because I have work at Marvel Comics in the morning, perhaps it's time to share those dreams to maybe inspire others to follow their heart.

So here's the plan that I came up with sometime around the 11th grade:
-Go to college [completed]
-Get an internship at a comic book company [skipped]
-Get an internship at Marvel Comics [completed]
-Start practicing writing comics [completed]
-Get an idea picked up by a comic book publisher [completed]
-Get published [incomplete]
-Graduate college and get a degree as close as I can to "Comic book studies" as possible. [incomplete]
-Get a job working with comics either writing, editing, mailroom, whatever [incomplete]
-Get an Eisner in any shape or form [incomplete]
-Get an Oscar or Golden Globe in any shape or form [incomplete]

So there's a lot of stuff left to do, but I'm proud enough to say that I've done more than I ever thought I could. And the reason why I believe I have made it this far is because I worked at it and I tried where others gave up. My dad told me [and still tells me] that there's only one Michael Jordan. And every time he tells me that I remind myself that before Michael Jordan there were other greats that he was compared to, but Jordan put the time, work, and dedication where others chose not to out of fear of failing or falling short.

So I might not be able to get that Oscar any time soon, and to be honest, it's a huge long shot to even be considered for one. However, only a couple of years ago, I felt the same way about getting an internship at Marvel and now I'm here. So if there's anything I want the reader--yes, YOU!--to get from this post is that in order to make your dreams become a reality you must do what others before you have failed to do--TRY!

NYC: 4th day at the Office

2010-06-21T17:45:00.000-07:00

Things I did/learned today:
-Met Brian Bendis, Matt Fraction, and Ed Brubaker. They came in before their Time Square signing so it was pretty cool to hear them talk to the editors and be normal people without fans barraging them for autographs.
-Ballooned a few books
-Found some references for books [wish I could say more but I don't think I'm allowed to]
-Sent art boards out to artists

Also I wanted to add that on Day 3 I had a chance to meet Flo Steinberg who works in Proofreading. She was the assistant to Stan Lee back in the beginning days of the company and is an icon for females working in the industry. She is one of the nicest people I have ever met, and I wish she could be my grandma [not to say that I don't like my grandma but Flo plus my own grandma would equal amazing Christmas and birthday presents]

NYC: Second Day at the Office

2010-06-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

Things I did today:
-Learned how to log into the scanner
-Learned how to use our scanner
-Learned how to send our mail from the scanner to an editor
-Made friends out of fellow X-Men Intern, Adam Del Re, and Talent Manager, Zach (forgot last name)
-Apparently, interns can go out to lunch if they so choose (I stayed in on the first day and didn't eat out of fear of getting locked out)
-Where to get references for artists/writers
-Learned how to run a cover (and who to run them to)
-Technically, I learned not to interrupt the flow of an eyeline by implementing a word bubble right in between the action.

Updated [6/17/2010]: Also the one thing that I learned was never stop reading comics. Even those shitty ones that you thought "Damn it wasn't fun; it didn't progress the story; it didn't even have character development". That book is still a useful book because it helped me find an obscure reference almost immediately because I have read that shitty book. So read as many comics as you can, you never know when it'll come in handy.

That's all for today. We'll see what Friday will bring. Also, for anyone that cares, on Tuesday and Thursday I should almost always have an article up for Skattertech. So if you want some tech news from your's truly, go there!

NYC: First Day at the Office

2010-06-15T09:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first day at the Marvel office, and it was a pretty great experience so far. Unfortunately, I can't post any pictures because Marvel has a very strict no photos policy while on the premise, which is totally justified considering all of the stuff they are working on in the office. Also, I'm not really allowed to talk about anything that goes on inside of the office sooo...here's what I can talk about:

-Took the subway at 8am to get to Marvel by 9:30.
-Got out of the wrong side of the station, and then walked the wrong way which set me back 15 minutes.
-Got outside of Marvel at 8:50 so I went across the street to the Au Bon Pain and ate a Apple tart to kill sometime.
-Went in at 9:10 and met up with Sara Del Greco, the Internship Coordinator, and signing a bunch of paperwork like Nondisclosure Agreements and Work for Hire contracts.
-Sebastian, Assistant Editor over at X-Men, took me around the 10th floor and showed me where's what and who's who.
-Then I got to mark where the word bubbles would go for the letterer, which sounds cooler than it is because the letterer and editor have final say, but still it was cool just reading dialogue and placing them.
-And by the end of the day, I got my Marvel email set up and that was about it.

Mortal Kombat: The Movie?

2010-06-09T02:26:00.000-07:00

I'm not entirely sure what this is or what it could mean for the future of Mortal Kombat, but one thing is for certain, this is the best thing to happen to the series since the introduction of the Fatality.

My thoughts are that this could be a promo for a new game, but also a push for a hard R MK movie. The fact that they use real actors with legitimate credentials means that if they get the green light, the actors could actually, well, ACT! and with a franchise as ruthless as Mortal Kombat all of the actors do a great job capturing the intensity (even if it is at times a bit comical).

Skatter Tech: Google TV: Web and TV Meet

2010-05-20T17:56:00.001-07:00

My Google TV article is now posted.

I'm actually really proud of this article just because of how fast I wrote it, how little it was edited, and how fast it was posted up. Really proud of how far I've come.

Skattertech: Google I/O is Live Streamed

2010-05-19T08:37:00.001-07:00

Check it out here

The Racial Politics of Regressive Storytelling

2010-05-18T09:49:00.001-07:00

The Racial Politics of Regressive Storytelling is one of the best articles that I have read that merges my two academic interests: cultural studies and comic books.

Please read it, but if you can't read the whole thing at least read the following excerpt:

"Which is one of the things that's so galling about the regression from Ryan Choi to Ray Palmer. It's been a running gag among my friends that in comics, only white Americans ever find meteors, get splashed with chemicals or get visited by spacemen, everyone else (from Jack O'Lantern to Black Bison to the Gaucho to Apache Chief to Samurai and so on) has to have a power that relates to their race or their country -- specifically, the broad stereotypes drawn from white Americans' perception of their race or country. It's almost inescapable, and it reinforces the idea that non-white characters are defined solely by their ethnic differences.

But Ryan Choi was a character that actually had a character, and was one of the few Chinese-American characters in comics that didn't have powers relating to Kung Fu dragons. He was just a guy with super-powers that was filling a role that nobody had bothered to do anything with in years. "

Siege #4: Review

2010-05-12T10:46:00.000-07:00

Brian M Bendis. Oliver Coipel. Marketed as the final exclamation point of seven years worth of work. Siege #4 is Brian Bendis’s final act for Marvel’s grandest epic to date, but does it satisfy all the loose ends that we need? Does it provide the right conclusion of seven years of expectation?

Almost. I know it’s not a yes or no, but the answer is never that easy, and at times, I loved Siege but also was infuriated with the lack of development in some of the build up issues. However, Siege #4 provides the answers we need and a great ellipses for the future of the Heroic Age.

To avoid spoilers, I won’t say anything in terms of plot, but I will critique Bendis’s writing. As anyone who reads my blog knows, I am a huge fan of his work in Ultimate Spider-Man because of his ability to capture the dialogue of the Peter and his friends. In Siege, this knack for dialogue is proven yet again, and I especially love when the smaller characters like a Young Avenger or two get a line of dialogue. It’s not great, but considering that Bendis has to balance the voices of every Marvel character inserting a one liner here and there works to remind us of the magnitude of the event. Moreover, with Bendis at the helm, the supporting cast still sound like themselves. In terms of the trajectory of the plot, Bendis’s Siege #4 does a great job wrapping up loose ends. Some villains escape, which is inevitable if Marvel wants to build toward another event, while some antagonists are given their just desserts. And I will say that one villain pays the ultimate price for his crime, and it is great that Bendis does this to remind the reader that although this is a comic book event people can die (I.e Nightcrawler). And as usualy, Bendis can write his Avengers like no other. Spider-man is snaky and witty. The Captain plays the stoic, right wing hero. And Iron Man takes control of his Avengers and takes his spot as the Commander on the ground.

Simply put, Oliver Coipel is a master. I loved his work on House of M, and it is a joy to see him provide the art for the final chapter of the event. Although his faces tend to look the same, it’s not too distracting, but it is there nonetheless in case you aren’t a fan of artists like Coipel, Quietly, or even Cheung. But his splash pages are fantastic, and when shit hit’s the fan, Coipel illustrates them marvelously.

All in all, Siege #4 is an enjoyable and necessary read for anyone that will continue reading the Avengers line of books. It explains how the heroes take the keys back from Norman, and Siege does it in a fun way while maintaining focus on the plot. Don’t expect it to blow you away because, come on, everyone knew the heroes would win (points to Marvel’s extensive Heroic Age advertising), but it will provide a fun read that will satisfy the kid in all of us that wants to see huge explosions. In addition to the explosions and the fighting, the plot itself holds and Bendis essentially opens the door into a new age for Marvel Comics.

4/5

Marvel: Summer 2010 Intern

2010-05-11T08:19:00.000-07:00

A while back, I blogged about some comics related questions I was asked earlier that day. At the time, I couldn't reveal why I was asked these questions or under what circumstance.

I can now safely and confidently reveal that I was asked those questions in a job interview for the Editorial Intern position at Marvel comics, and that I did in fact get the job for Summer 2010.

It's been one hell of a ride since I first started pursuing the internship, and I can't help but think that my experience writing this blog and staying adamant about making it all happen had a significant role in landing, in my opinion, the Harvard of comic book internships.

If anyone reading this also happened to get the job, I look forward to seeing you in a month or so, and to everyone else, if you ever dreamed that you wanted to do something but thought it might be too difficult, JUST DO IT and when you do do it, always do it BIG.

Frank Frazetta: RIP

2010-05-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

Frank Frazetta passed away today. Don't have much time right now, but I thought it was important to take a moment of a silence for a legend.

RIP.

Iron Man 2: Review

2010-05-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

My review of Iron Man 2 is up at Skatter Tech.

Excerpt:

"Iron Man 2, as a whole, is a great summer blockbuster. It has been reviewed negatively by other critics because unfortunately Iron Man 2 does not provide that same “wow” factor that its predecessor offered. However, I think it is unfair to expect the same from Iron Man 2. It had ridiculous expectations to live up to, and although it may not provide the same in depth character study of Tony Stark that the first one did, I believe it doesn’t have to. The audience knows who the character is now and all they really want is an enjoyable summer movie that makes them laugh and has some great action scenes. This is probably why the crowds of both screenings I want to all praised the movie. We understand that this is not going to be the next Godfather, but we don’t want it to be. It is a hilarious action packed ride that wont’ disappoint you if you approach it for its fun factor."

Skatter Tech: God of War: Ghost of Sparta

2010-05-05T22:36:00.000-07:00

Another Skatter Tech article posted. Go check it outhere.

Skatter Tech: Technocel T360 Review

2010-05-02T19:38:00.000-07:00

Over at Skatter Tech, my Technocel T360 review is finally up.

SkatterTech: HP Buys out Palm

2010-05-01T14:15:00.000-07:00

I recently accepted a job at a technology news/reviewing website called Skatter Tech. It was started by Sahas Katta, a student at UC Davis, and I can't be happier to be a part of the Skatter Tech family.

My first article is about HP buying out Palm. I didn't know too much about either of them, but with some help from Sharath, the General Manager, I was able to write a much better piece than my first draft.

Go check out Skatter Tech if you have time. It's a pretty great website for accurate, objective reviews for tech products.

Video Games: Ebert is Wrong

2010-04-19T22:38:00.001-07:00

Dad is Dead: Rebutting Roger Ebert from IGN is one of the most thought provoking articles I have read all day (and I read articles for school ALL DAY).

Mike Thomsen approaches his topic of discussion--Ebert's assertion that video games cannot be art in this lifetime--from an analytical point of view, and does not resort to simple fanboy logic. Instead, he complicates Ebert's statements with examples from the history of gaming, and ultimately, resting on the statement that Ebert is wrong. Or rather, Ebert is ignorant for prejudging a medium without experiencing it first hand, and that his foolish statement has huge negative implications for the video game community because to assume that video games cannot be art is to also imply that those that create, review, and play video games are indulging in a fruitless activity.

If Ebert had played Heavy Rain, I'm almost certain he would be stunned at what a "video game" can really do.

Comics: Young Avengers-Children's Crusade

2010-04-18T22:05:00.000-07:00

Easily, my favorite piece of news coming out of C2E2 is the return of Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung to the Young Avengers. I'm not sure what it will entail, but if you click the picture above, the article at CBR reveals that the follow up season to Heinberg's widely successful Season One of Young Avengers will be a large event that will have a few crossover moments with the other major books at the House of Ideas.

Other than that, Heinberg is keeping everything close to the chest, which is fine by me as long as the series isn't late and as well written as the last one (which I bet it probably will be because come on...it's Allan Heinberg).

New Mutants #12: Review

2010-04-15T15:40:00.000-07:00

In my previous blog, my biggest issue with Uncanny X-Men #523 was that Dodson’s art wasn’t the most fitting for such a dark and violent piece of work. Although I love Dodson as an artist, the pencil and coloring of his panels felt like too much of a disconnect between the content and narrative.

New Mutants #12, on the other hand, is perfect in terms of art. I’ve never read a New Mutants book; therefore, I am extremely unfamiliar with Ibraim Roberson. But in twenty two pages, Roberson was able to get me on board with his vision of what Second Coming should look like. Wolverine, the New Mutants, Cyclops, etc. all look great and are neither too cartoony like Dodson or even too gritty like Finch. Roberson is a perfect fit for Second Coming, and I felt this perfection most when I saw his illustrations of Hope. She is always a huge problem because of her age (neither too young nor too old), but Roberson tackles her perfectly and the colorist Brian Reber makes her--and all the other characters--look just right. And the fact that the characters and events do look “just right” allows the violence and death to feel valid to the story but more importantly, the images fit the story as well forming a cohesive and powerful product.

In terms of writing, the issue as a whole is strong. There were certain plot moments that were built up just right, and the tension that Wells is attempting to create is pulled off very well, which is great because when the shit hit’s the fan, we aren’t too disappointed because of a lack of development or slow pacing. On the topic of pacing, Wells is able to juggle all of the characters and events without making these transitions too jarring for the reader. Moreover, with the introduction of Rogue and Danger and the confusing sleeping chamber of the old Hellfire Club members, Wells is able to create a bridge between his own self contained issue and the next.

New Mutants feels like Second Coming is actually going somewhere. Heroes and villains alike are injured, and this book helps solidify the selling point that Second Coming will be a reality altering event. Wells is able to make the reader understand what is really at stake in New Mutants #12 and is able to tease the reader of what is to come next week, which is all I can ask for from an X-Men event book (and is apparently, too much to ask for sometimes…). Finally, with an artist like Roberson illustrating the scenes, New Mutants #12 feels like the kind of action movie where the writer of the screenplay and the director of the movie share the same vision. It doesn’t change the X-Men universe just yet, but it was definitely a fun book to read that gets me excited for next week.

Also just to add, Adi Granov’s covers are amazing.

4/5

Uncanny X-Men #523: A Review

2010-04-08T09:30:00.000-07:00

Second Coming, for me, has not disappointed. Although Uncanny X-Men #523 is only the second book in the series, it seems that the team of writers that are collectively ushering in the future of the X-Men franchise have clearly planned out what they want to do, and how they are going to do it. This seems rather obvious since these unique writers wouldn't just be writing amongst themselves, but Second Coming has been a joy to read because of its seamlessness. In the Utopia and Messiah Complex, the separate books--with unique writers and artists--felt jarring and felt like the different teams were trying to get different points across. Thankfully, Uncanny X-Men #523 shares in the same vision that X-Men: Second Coming #1 started.

The only disconnect that I felt was by the artist. I'm a huge fan of Finch and Dodson, but the two types of art are so different in terms of style and art that I felt that Uncanny X-Men #523 was a tamer version of Second Coming. Not to spoil too much, but a seen where blood and violence would be at the forefront in a Finch book, is toned down a bit because Dodson's art would seem too animated for such a gruesome act. This isn't so much a complaint with the book, but more of a complication of Marvel's choice to make events like this. I understand that Marvel will want to keep the same creative team especially if that creative team is what is selling the books, but with an event like Second Coming versus Siege or Blackest Night, the different artists some time have very different (sometimes positive and sometimes negative) effects on the series. In Uncanny X-Men, Dodson's art is a bit more animated but it also depicts Hope as if she IS a child which Finch's tight and realistic pencils can't seem to do. Thus, Uncanny X-Men, although very different from Second Coming #1, is still a beautifully drawn book that fits Fraction's script and the audience but personally, I find that there is a disconnect between the different artist approach.

All in all, I enjoyed Second Coming for what Fraction and Dodson bring to the event and moving the story along without this "bridge" issue feeling like a regular, dull issue that will lead to a bigger fight seen.

4/5

Comics: Questions I was asked today

2010-04-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

1. Thor v. Hulk. Who wins? Thor
2. MJ or Gwen Stacy? MJ
3. Worst Comic I've read recently? What if? Fallen Son #1
4. Current pull list? Blackest Night/Brightest Day books, Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate X, Siege!

Hopefully, in a week or so I can talk more about today. Until then!

Wondercon 2010: Cool Happenings

2010-04-05T00:14:00.000-07:00

[Just in a blogging mood today I guess]

-Talked to David Finch. Super nice guy and chose to miss out on lunch Saturday to try and sketch as many pieces for his fans as possible. That gesture alone puts him at the top of the list for nicest guy at the con.

-Ethan Van Sciver on Friday was denied early entry into the Exhibit Hall by a guard at the door. He didn't have his exhibitors badge only his Pro and guest badge, but apparently, that wasn't enough. Pretty ridiculous that the guy that drew the cover of the Wondercon booklet was denied. I understand not everyone knows the big name people, but you need to at least READ THE BOOKLET to know who not to treat poorly.

-Darwyn Cooke draws sooooo fast and so well. His pieces at the CBLDF Live Art Jam sold like mad and they were absolutely stunning.

-Amanda Conner, as usually, is one of the sweetest ladies I've ever met. This time around, I actually got to talk to Jimmy, and he gave me some really great writing advice. Books recommended by Jimmy Palmiotti: Stephen King's On Writing [or was it Bag of Bones...] and David Lynch's Meditation.

Scam: Comic Book Artist FAIL!

2010-04-04T22:39:00.000-07:00

A guy by the name of lalit kumal wit the email "kumals1@hotmail.com" just emailed saying that he was interested in an art job that I posted up on deviantart.

The samples of his work are here.

What do you notice about some of the pages? Oh they're just drawn by some of the best people in the industry!

He is stealing from Art Adams, Leinil Yu, and Gabriele Dell'Otto.

If ANYONE is contact by someone linking to this portfolio of work, RUN AWAY as fast as you can and try and get the word out. There's nothing worse than plagiarism or [in this case] straight up robbery.

Advice: Don't stop writing

2010-04-04T21:00:00.000-07:00

If there's anything I learned from Wondercon, it's that you actually HAVE to write. After the Friday "Writer/Artist Speed Dating", I realized that the biggest problem in the room wasn't that the ratio of writers to artists was about 4:1, but that the people that believed they could "write" comic books never actually put the pen to paper. And if they did actually start writing, a lot of them never fully developed them.

I talked to quite a few people that were trying to "get started" or trying to "break in", but when I really talked to them, they had an idea but that there was no full script. OR the artists that I talked to didn't bring their portfolios to an event like this. If you want to get discovered and you're a writer, you bring samples of your writing or any possible credentials that you might have. And if you're an artist, you BRING YOUR PORTFOLIO! How else am I supposed to adequately gauge your art if all you tell me is that you can draw. Your word might mean something else where, but your actions speak louder than words.

And it's the idea of "action" that is the crux of the problem. No one ever asked me to write God Among Men when I first started and no one is asking me to write what I am currently writing on. Reason being, I'm not Geoff Johns or Allan Heinberg. I don't get paid to do the job because I am a 20 year old nobody trying to break in, but does that mean that I can just sit around and write fan fiction in my head? No. There is no time like the present to start writing, and if you want to get in the industry, you write and write and then submit to companies. Marvel isn't going to phone you up and ask you to write. You cold submit to Dark Horse, Image, Viper Comics, Committed Comics, Archaia, etc. until someone says, "Hey! Let's meet up sometime and talk about this"

Until you get that email, you keep writing. Correction, you get that email and you continue to write because that's what I've learned in these past few months. Once your idea gets contracted and the honey moon period goes away, the book still isn't out and you still have nothing to show and so you keep writing. I thought I was hot shit because I had a book at a company but then pencillers drop out and colorists can't deliver and the book doesn't come out when you want it to, and I realized that the time I wasted after I put the last period on God Among Men was time I could have done developing another idea and using my momentum and experience to get to the next place.

And that's what I hope this next project will be and who knows maybe it'll get picked up or maybe not, but that doesn't mean I should stop writing. You keep writing until Marvel or DC gives you that call, and when that call does come...you write better and faster because once you think you "made" it, there's still a hell of a lot more world out there.

Wondercon 2010: Where I'll be on Friday

2010-03-29T14:37:00.000-07:00

12:15-1:30 WonderCon Talent Team-Up: "Speed-Dating" for Writers & Artists— Lee & Kirby. Claremont & Byrne. Loeb & Sale. Great comics happen when great writers come together with great artists. How will you find your perfect match? Where can you meet someone who will share your vision, your working style, and your commitment to publish? The WonderCon Talent Team-Up might be the place. You'll get to sit down with 10-15 potential new working partners, ask them questions, compare ideas, and possibly forge a working relationship that lasts for years to come. Bring business cards (if you have them) and samples of your writing or artwork to share. Both amateurs and professionals are welcome. Facilitator Douglas Neff, president of Toucan Learning Systems, will lead the session. He's been called the "Tony Robbins of Geeks" and will offer practical tips and strategies for maximizing your experience. Room 236/238

That is where I will be first thing on Friday once the convention opens. I'm working on a brand new super hero/anti-super hero idea that I'm thinking about self financing so if there are ANY artists that would prefer a page rate rather than a percentage of sales (which I've come to learn is many of you) please go to that panel and perhaps we can meet up and chat OR just message me via this blog.

Currently, I've mapped out almost all of my short run and my ideas if I get a long run, but for now, I'm on full script page 6 and it'll be ready by Wondercon. If you are interested in making a partnership like Loeb and Sale or Lee and Kirby, then please let me know via email or perhaps I'll see you at the meet and greet.

Comics: Ultimate Spider-Man

2010-03-26T03:51:00.000-07:00

Just finished reading my copy of Ultimate Spider-Man #8, and I just wanted to say that I absolutely love what Bendis can do with a laptop and some creativity. The series flows like a traditional teen dramedy but with the perks of the superhero subplot, and I think calling the super hero element a "subplot" rather than the "main plot" is significant in describing Bendis's approach to the Web Slinger because the super hero nature of Spider-Man is only one of the many facets of the character. At the end of the day, he is just a teenager like many of the readers of the series, and he has the same problems as any other kid.

Yes, he can climb walls and shoot webs from his wrists, but Bendis doesn't approach these powers as naturally great things. Like any kid who has exceptional height people might call him a giant or awkward and then a trait that might have seemed great to someone as short as myself becomes more of a burden than anything else. By approaching powers as traits rather than the central drive of the character, Bendis makes Spider-Man and his friends relatable while allowing the escapist nature of a super hero comic to still play out.

Although this is the natural (or should be the natural) approach of any super hero writer, Bendis has a knack for writing to the audience. Parker, Storm, Stacy all of the cast really sound their age without sounding too cliche or as if Bendis was studying facebook lingo in order to write correctly. It all seems real, and in a super hero book, that's something to be applauded.

Comics: Advice from Dustin Nguyen

2010-03-20T01:31:00.000-07:00

Dustin Nguyen is the current cover artist for many of the Batman books and has made a name for himself for his amazing painting skills and his beautiful compositions.

He recently wrote an article about what it takes to make it in the comics industry. The important part of his message?

The point is, you cant expect people to like you right off the bat, especially if you're not a big name. You gotta work for it.

Photos: Anton Kawasaki

2010-03-09T12:41:00.000-08:00

Property of Anton Kawasaki

Anton Kawasaki is the DC Comics Collected Edition Editor. I found him via twitter, and after looking through his flickr, I felt that it was necessary to share his photos with the world. He has an amazing eye (which is probably why he makes an awesome editor), and his pictures of NY show the life, love, and loss inside that tiny big city.

Comics: Jeph Loeb Back on Track

2010-03-06T19:14:00.001-08:00

A while back I wondered if Jeph Loeb could redeem himself because of how upset I was with Ultimatum. I mean that event was bad. Like...really bad. So bad that I wanted the entire Ultimate line of books to disappear and have Bendis and others use their time to write 616 books.

However, I just finished reading Ultimate X and Ultimate Comics New Ultimates #1, and I have to say that I enjoyed them, which was a pleasant surprise. The original reason why I picked up the books were because of the two artists attached to the books. I am a sucker for Frank Cho's work, and I am ashamed to say that I've never read an Art Adams book so I figured I should pick that one up and take a look. Of course, Art's art is amazing, but the plot that was driving the story was also pretty decent. It wasn't anything like Bendis or Johns or even old Jeph Loeb, but nonetheless, it was a really fun read.

And the reason why I think it was such a good read was because both books returned to what EVERY writer advises any up and coming writer: let the character drive the story. What I hated about Ultimatum was that Loeb shot himself in the foot and said that people will die and that the entire Universe will change. In doing so, he set up huge plot events that needed to happen in only 5 issues. Because of the short number of issues, Loeb wasn't able to provide the appropriate amount of characterization and pace in order for the other characters to absorb the death's of founding Ultimates/Avengers members. They died and the story had to keep going.

This time around, Ultimate Comics New Ultimates #1 was narrated by Iron Man and is a study of his struggles with a terminal illness and why he NEEDS to create the Ultimates. This drives the story and gives insight into the troubled mind of the Ultimates version of Tony Stark.

In Ultimate X, the series is paced slowly and allows the reader to understand why Jimmy Hudson is Wolverine's son. It was pretty obvious since the cover of the series has Jimmy popping claws out of his hands so it was clear that the main character would be a mutant and the son of Wolverine, but what would have been a predictable and boring story (especially if approached like Ultimatum), Ultimate X was instead a character study of Jimmy--a troubled youth--as well as the parent-adopted son dynamic with new Ultimate characters James and Heather Hudson (The Guardian and Vindicator of the 616 Alpha Flight). This made the issue deep and emotional, and for me, proves that Jeph just needed to have a series that he could reflex all of his creative muscles without having a huge event to lock him in.

For now I'll give both of these books a 3/5 because they aren't great in comparison to other books, but it is definitely better than what Loeb has been working on before the Ultimate world went into the shitter (by Loeb of course)