Four-Color Critiques #0: My Brain Unhinges
Apr 21Part of me wants to be more disciplined about writing comics reviews–or just reviews period, for that matter.
I had a whole imaginary post composed in my brain; I was gonna launch a review column or something that would take place weekly and would just compile all the scattered thoughts I have about comics I read, old shit and new. I would do this both to discipline myself into thinking more critically again about the entertainment I consume, and out of a deep insecure need to feel the approval and attention of the scattered collection of burnouts, wannabes, and poets known as the “comics blogosphere.”
Read that last phrase again–that’s what’s giving me pause. Among other things.
Fans on Trial! Phleghm at 11!
Apr 14First, it was Lucasfilm laying the legal smack down on a rogue element in the UK churning out plastic Stormtrooper outfits.
Now another ginormous figure in modern geek entertainment, J.K. Rowling, is taking a fan to court over sticky copyright wickets.
The suit, filed late last year against RDR Books, an independent publishing house in Michigan, alleges that RDR’s plans to publish a print edition of the Harry Potter Lexicon, a Web site that serves as a rather daunting compendium of all things Harry, violates Warner and Rowling’s copyright and takes away the future market for a similar compendium that Rowling plans to write.
The Rowling case is more interesting and “grey” than the Lucas case, frankly.
Authority Disassembled: How to Fix Wildstorm
Apr 09Sometimes I get these itches in my brain, dumb ideas that are just fanboy fantasizing, and I can do naught but share.
In case you haven’t noticed, the Wildstorm Universe is in a bit of a shambles, and has been for a while. This latest tailspin seems to have been precipitated, oh irony of ironies, by the most recent attempt at a star-studded “relaunch,” which saw Grant Morrison putting out a grand total of TWO comic books before his entire involvement vanished. Meanwhile, the few titles that did actually hit the scene were left standing out in the marketplace virtually naked.
Since then, we’ve had miniseries, and the odd attempts at ongoing series, and a few more “events” that I cannot even confess I bothered to steal off the internet. If memory serves, I think there are TWO more “events” stacked up in the near future: The current “Number of the Beast” miniseries, and something by Keith Giffen crossing the Wildstorm universe over into the DC universe.
It’s a mess. I’d like to see it cleaned up.
You go, George Lucas! Kill that fandom!
Apr 07It looks like George Lucas is finally getting around to a lawsuit aimed at stomping out the common practice of purchasing screen-accurate plastic Stormtrooper costumes and then parading around conventions like you own the place and you’re some kind of costume genius because you had an extra couple grand burning a hole in your pocket.
(I kid, I kid. I love those 501st guys. Except the ones who are absolute pricks. I hate them.)
On the other hand…why, George? Why not just put out your own version, one that’s better and has the Lucasfilm marketing machine behind it, and bury the guy through old-fashioned free market capitalism? Instead, you file lawsuits and chase them across the ocean to make sure you get your way.
Why you gotta be like that, Lucas?!
Happy Blogiversary, Us
Apr 05Today marks the second anniversary of this here blog.
This is a completely self-congratulatory post to offer a big thanks to my fellow bloggers, Sarah and Chris, for two years of great fun and many more years before that of great friendship.
Truly, GO US.
