Image via Wikipedia

Things have been slow on the DS front as things have not been slow on the real life front (Don’t ask about my word count. It frightens small publishers).

Comic Review 1: Robin/Spoiler.

I’ve just read the Robin/Spoiler special in all its awesometastic awesomeness.  Steph’s diary notes are squee worthy. A totally awesome combo would be Spoiler + Blue Beetle as a team up.  The Jaime Reyes and Steph Brown combo would be awesome.

I love Steph going “Tim Drake Wayne” in her diary. That’s awesome. Also, this version of Robin is much more the Robin I grew to like in the main DCverse.  BabyBatcontrolfreakTitanRobin doesn’t resonate with me as a Tim Drake that fits into the larger DCverse.

Blue Beetle 27

On the Blue Beetle Foreshadowing Hammer of Doom, could the end two pages of Blue Beetle #27 please, please not be a foreshadow? Not just for the sake of the characters, but for the sake of the sales and story writing quality of the title?

BATMAN:WIP and Trinity (1 to 4)

Meanwhile, DC Universe hits the almost but not possible combination punch with Trinity AND Batman RIP. I read both. I paid money for both. Side by side, they suck.  Side by side they are two of the worse comics series to experience back to back.

ndividually, I’m finding myself quite fond of Trinity, and Batman:RETCON IN PROGRESS is very cleverly shaking the foundations of the DC established known continuity.

Here’s the problem though - on the right hand, Batman is a mythic level centre piece of a year long arc.  On the other hand, it’s the end of the Batman as we know it *handclap* it’s the end of the Batverse as we know it *handclap* and the two storylines are on the shelves at the same time.

That makes them both suck.  It’s not even the MuliWolverine syndrome (Sixteen Skrulls and counting). It’s two totally divergent stories in allegedly the same continuity.  Together, they’re fail.  Separated by a year or two, they’d both be key parts of the DCverse.  Right now, you can’t take either as serious contributions to the mythos,

Batman:WIP Theory: Given the number of times the DC universe has been hit with time rifts, weirdness and reality mergers, I think the events listed in Batman#677 did happen - but happened on Earth n+1 rather than the main timeline.  This time crisis/infinite crisis  sort of thing should have resonant impact on key players like Batman.

Oh, and if Jezebel Jade is the villain and/or cops a fridging, DC needs to hire writers. Actual writers, not story recyclers.

Trinity: I couldn’t stop laughing at the open serious seriousness visions - and thinking “Oh hey, it’s baby from that time when Dick Grayson humped the TimeStream back in inFinite Crisis”. I think the Tarot card metaphor is straining at the edges by #4, unless they start putting together a full deck of DC cards. That has merchandise and mythos approval.

Booster Gold #10:

Good comic, and ouch ending. Oh man. Oh man. That part of the arc ain’t over though, because there’s just something that says things turn out in an unexpected way.

Rightio, that’s the monthly wrap up.  I’m going to run silent for a little while whilst on tour for my day job, and whilst I set to planning what to do next with the DS column.  Suggestions and ideas would be most welcome.

Image via Wikipedia

Can we have a case for the fourth wall? It seemed to have died in that episode. (cf:Batman (aside to camera) “And that’s why there was no case” *winks at camera*)

I’m in mixed feelings.  I’m on record as wanting the case more than Steph’s return. Partly because, well, I didn’t want to retcon Batman from “Worlds Greatest Detective” to “World’s Second Rate Detective”.  Let me tell you about the time Batman couldn’t prove that his nearest and closest medical ally smuggled his former Robin out from under his Batnose.  Let me tell you about the way he bought Leslie’s alibi about killing Steph without question. Let me show you the way that Batman would totally not worry about another sidekick comeback from the grave.  Let me show the way the as fabulous as it is to see Stephanie Brown back in the canon, back in the mask, and back from exile, it makes Batman look seriously… not Batman.  C’mon, they didn’t even check the corpse? WTF? For serious?  Batman is allegedly so paranoid and meticulous he’ll do weird isolation chamber meditation, but totally forgot to check the body in the box belonged to someone who had the wherewithal to break into the Batcave and steal one of the big secret game plans to trigger War Games?

Flipside, I have many many reasons to feel happy at seeing Spoiler back. I just have a large number of reasons to feel that the tidying up of a plot point before BATMAN: RIP (Retcon In Progress) was handled in a quite weird manner.  So, yay! Spoiler! and WTF Batman?

I would like to see two things from the Batfranchise though…

1. Tim’s relationship with Bruce become strained over “Oh, I suspected but forgot to mention it” particularly in light of Batman 676.  Please tell me that someone at DC has a Batfreakingplan to write about this (or kill off Batman before it’s resolv…. oh yeah, BatmanRIP. Crud)
2. Steph back in the franchise. Let’s not make this a one shot “There you go G-W people. Now STFU”.  DC, invest a bit in Steph’s return.  Run with it, make something of it.  Give Spoiler fans a reason to spend more money with you

Speaking of the crossover arc of doom. I’m giving Batman:RIPtide a three issue margin of error.  If they break out the fridge on Bruce’s girlfriend, then Steph or no Steph, I can’t keep giving money to a company that’s creatively bankrupt in the hero motivation department.

Cheryl Lynn discussing squirrels…

How can a species with no fear survive for so long?

Power Rings.

Luke Cage Movie in 2009: R-rated?

Movie promises to be “brutual enough for an R-rating” [source, io9 quoting Comic Book Movies quoting Marvel Source Avi Arad.

Whereupon lies the problem - an R rating has been seen as the signature death knell for a blockbuster movie.  For example, the hideous editing done to DieHard4.0 in order to secure the coveted MA15 category.  Or the Terminator 4 proposed PG to MA15 rating… or the ratings of Spiderman, Iron Man, Hulk, Punisher and Batman.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe that comic book films are automagically destined for the MA to PG level of rating. I just don’t feel comfortable that the first shot Luke Cage has at the silver screen will be in a smaller niche than was presented to the rest of the Marvel franchise.  Like it or not, Cage’s take will be judged against the PG-13 movies to determine “if audiences are ready for a black lead character in a comic book film”.

In fact, only the third Punisher film looks close enough to the money to be R-rated.  Wolverine was toned down to a PG13 from a possible R rating, and if there’s one Canadian killing machine that would be well suited to non stop violence brutuality fest that’s worthy of an R rating… it’s Wolverine.

PG13 Wolverine versus R Rated Cage.  Sales figures determine who lives for a sequel

Advertising and its Connection to Violence and Abuse, Special issue of Journal of Advertising,
Edited by Nora J. Rifon, Marla Royne and Les Carlson; Deadline 31 Mar 2009

A spate of recent highly visible advertising campaigns using violent themes, imagery, and acts elicited heightened scrutiny after the 2007 Superbowl. There are a growing number of highly successful video games with violence at their core such as Grand Theft Auto, World of Warcraft, and Halo to name a few, that receive advertising support. There are also a growing number of advertising-based Internet games offered and freely accessible to even young children. Indeed, the success of entertainment vehicles is highly dependent on advertising support systems. The recent intermingling of advertising and entertainment content points to the pivotal role of advertising for defining cultural norms and influencing behaviors of violence, abuse to others and self, and neglect.

Journal of Advertising is one of the A level marketing journals, and they’re traditionally USA-centric in appproach. So, I’d like this call for paper to get a little more attention from outside the marketing academics mailing lists.   There’s a need for voices that aren’t from the usual suspects list (and I say that because on any gioven topic in marketing, we can name the ten most likely authors to respond to a special issue call for papers) and views that aren’t just white male middle class academics* on topics such as the Dehumanization in advertising, Stereotyping and degradation, Symbolic consumption of violence and New media, gaming and violence consumption as a contributor to active and passive child abuse.
Submission deadline: March 31, 2009.
*If anyone needs a WMMC marketing academic to provide the academy firepower as second or third author on a paper, I’m open to collaborations. It is what I do for a day job.

Image by alfredituzz :B via Flickr

I ain’t all sweetness and light bub

Okay, so I’m not much sweetness or light for suggesting wolvering in a swimsuit. But hey, Wolverine swimsuit in a context so obviously trying for the cheesecake factor was a must say.

That said, the poll showed, most people wanted a swimsuit Nightwing.

Sure, Grayson’s pretty, but hey, Hugh Jackman is prettier :)

Want to place bets if the swimsuit poll happens, it’ll only mention the female characters?

Image via Wikipedia

“War Machine is in my list as a favourite, and he’s a reason for me to hang out for Iron Man 2″ - DS Post, Apil 18

Rhodey was awesome.  There’s a moment in the film where I was making incoherent squeeeing and fanboy flailing, and you’ll so totally have to see the film to know where and when, and OMG YAY! (A possibly spoilerish pic from IMDB helps with a clue)

In other news, as a Marvel lightweight, and mostly DC fanboy, this film seriously left me feeling that it’s pretty much over for DC now.  After Christian Bale hangs up the Batcape, the DC comics cinematic tour is over.  There’s nothing or no one in the stable that’s going to compare to the strength of the Marvel movie making machine.

There’s enough hat-tips and subtle cues in the Iron Man movie for deep level fanboy reference, and a damn fine ride of movie for the rest of the universe.  All up, it’s nice to have a comics movie that made me feel happy about comic books.

Free Comic Book Day celebrations and activities with Girl-Wonder

The Links

Keep up with Girl Wonder Blog posts about Free Comic Book Day :

You can discuss the upcoming festivities at our forum topic here. A roll call of possible participants would be great!

• Large Ask Me About Girl Wonder graphic, suitable for stickers, shirts and other large items
• Small Ask Me About Girl Wonder graphic, suitable for online use.
• Superheroine printable Girl Wonder flyer
• Flying Girl Symbol printable Girl Wonder flyer
• Printable Girl Wonder tear off tags to tape to the back of your wall flyers if you want to give people something to remember us by
• Free Comic Book Day official website
• A store finder for participating comic shops
• A list of the Free Comic Book Day free comics available to stores (supplies may vary).
• The Girl Wonder Free Comic Book Day flickr group

For the record: I am opposed to the Open Source Boob Project because the entitlement principles that underpin it, and the attitudes that seek to validate a view women are property or code are reprehensible, wrongheaded, and thoroughly counter to my belief as a feminist.

I have a moderate suggestion.

Let’s put our male entitled view of women’s bodies as our property to use, modify, open source and otherwise interact with into a neatly closed source wrapper, bundle it in DRM, load it on an iPod and repeatedly strike our narrow minded selves in the face until the bleeding starts, and continue until the ability to stand upright stops. Then let’s have a good hard consideration of the idea that what we’re suggesting is utterly unacceptable conduct, and then let’s retrace our steps, say “Fuck, that was stupid”, apologize for the mindset that lent itself to believing that we have any rights to touch another person, or to request it of strangers, and then learn, evolve as a species and move forward.

That goes double for the first one of you to tell me that I’m taking this too seriously. You know why I take this seriously? Because it’s serious. If you don’t think it’s serious, you’ve not been on the receiving end, or you’ve not thought through the consequences of being on the receiving end.

Accosting a random stranger to ask for a grope is an utterly fucking reprehensibly aggresive and hostile action. It is a validation of the belief that women are property, then men are graced with some right to ask a women, and that there’s some form of magical mystical power dynamic off-switch that means if you asked, then hey, none of the rest of society’s pressure on women to conform apply. Let’s not forget the various dynamics of social pressure, group dynamics, and the need for conformity and belonging, and how there’s a long long history of that being used to put pressure on women. Particularly if the women would be made to feel outsiders in the first place.

As for the fundamental idea that it’s okay if you ask, and that asking isn’t a threat? That has been dealt with by society, listed as workplace harassment if they’re employed at the same place as you.

So, repeat after me

Women are not code.

Breasts are not open source.

Verbal harassment is not harmless

This is not acceptable.

If you can’t follow the logic, I’d recommend reading around the experiences of people who have been sexual harassed, bullied, forced to leave their jobs, threatened for the crime of having breasts, and generally treated as disposable playtoys for overentitled men. Then ask yourself if you’re willing to support the consequences of those actions by supporting this particular movement. If you don’t like those consequences happening, then here’s where a stand can be taken, opposition mustered, voiced and raised.

It’s not acceptable, I do not support it, and I will not support it.

ETA: There has been a retraction and apology posted on the original post.  Someone want to tell me that shouting doesn’t have a place? Guess what convinced the change of heart - loud, obvious vocal dissent.

“Wonderland” is a 2D adventure MMORPG based on several ancient South American and Pacific Island cultures; the mysterious Mayans, the huge stone statues of Easter Island and much more combine to form unique quests filled with fascinating elements that our players will experience throughout the game.

I’m struggling to see how a selection of fairly cliche looking anime characters match up with Easter Island, Mayans and South America. Sure, there’s a small Pacific Island called Japan, but really, what gives with the character set for the proposed storyline of the game?   Seriously, WTF?