Ow! My eyes!
May 17Really? Really, really? Fanboys like boobs is news and suddenly appalling? Did we cure cancer and I missed it? Is that why we have all this free time? I think I strained a muscle rolling my eyes at both sides (Seriously dude. Any rebuttal that includes “You obviously don’t or haven’t read Spider-Man in the past 20 years or you’d know this.” isn’t helping. Or winning, for that matter.)
Really, if and when Hughes ever designs the 70’s, Club 54, party-girl comiquette (why is nobody complaining about that word? Is it just me?) of Miss Watson, will there be enough spare outrage to rail against injustice? Perhaps it should be saved for a better shot than this.
But here we are. Fanboys – own up. You’re buying statue boobies and everybody knows it, you Maxim-wanking lunks, you. Offended fangirls, give ‘er, but I think in a world where Jae Lee art gets into the hands of tens of thousands of young men, a limited edition run of Spidercheesecake isn’t the best shot (but it’s generated a lot of discussion, so what do I know?) – I think of it like this; Spider-man has a day job and a night job, whereas Mary-Jane just has the day job, and it’s acting, so I think it’s very nice that she offered to do his laundry. This once…
…or maybe NOT! Maybe she’s going, “Tiger, this sweaty body suit stinks – and it’s dark, so please don’t throw it in with my lights.”
We just don’t know.
So, someone fill me in – how’d we conquer cancer?
[UPDATE]
Despite grumpily swearing I wasn’t going to fight this one, I kind of kept thinking about it. I still think this is a stupid battle for a good war. I’m now attempting alternatives.
I hope Matt’s post makes it onto When Fangirls Attack soon, but until then dear readers, go here.
Ahhhahahahahahahaha! Awesome. It’s like the office discussion rendered into reality.
Not So Mighty Marvel Mites
May 15Found this through the always-awesome Pop Culture Junk Mail:
“These tiny tots are completely useless in the ongoing struggle against evil. Not only are Spiderman and Captain America helpless babies, they’re revealing their secret baby identities.”
Mars Does the Limbo
May 15So the upfronts are this week and I’ve been waiting and waiting and gnawing my nails off and refreshing webpages in hopes of hearing the official word on the fate of Veronica Mars. It’s been a total rollercoaster for us Marsians. There was the news that the network was quite keen on Rob Thomas’ re-vamped Veronica, which fast-forwards a few years and showed us our girl as an FBI agent. There was continued buzz that the show’s less-than-stellar recent ratings spelled certain doom. When Gilmore Girls got canned, it actually seemed like a positive — one more drama slot on the schedule! But still no news of either a pick-up or a cancellation.
The CW presents Thursday, and virtually every series except Veronica has gotten the official word either way. Variety cites the old “people familiar with the situation” to claim it’s very likely done. TVGuide.com’s Michael Ausiello sez Dawn Ostroff might not even make a decision until after the upfronts, which seems cruel and unusual (or marginally hopeful, depending on your outlook).
All this waiting is making me crabby. And yet, I’m still holding onto that slender ray of hope. It’s all I have, you understand. I guess this limbo situation speaks to the unique place the show inhabits: it’s a culty fan favorite that Ostroff reportedly loves, but it just doesn’t bring in the numbers of that fucking Pussycat Dolls show, or even the odious One Tree Hill. And yet, like so many culty fan favorites, the fans that do love it love it hard.
I’ve also heard that Rob doesn’t exactly resolve things in the season finale. Gulp.
If Veronica does leave the airwaves, it will mean the end of an era, for I will have no Iconic Girl Powah show to latch onto and that is a sad thing indeed. Before Veronica, there was Alias, and before Alias, there was Buffy. I guess I better hope that Bionic Woman (clips in that link, FYI) kicks ass, eh?
Counting (Way) Down
May 14I think what Countdown is lacking for me right now is both novelty and the mad buzz of creation without a net.
52 was novel, of course, and also had the added excitement of being this large, mostly shapeless thing being created whole cloth by four of the industry’s best writers. I think you could often feel that in the writing–a sense of excitement and anticipation, of talented guys pulling off something that even they may not have thought they could pull off. High-wire creative gymnastics on a big-time stage.
With Countdown, a very experienced showrunner from the world of TV has been brought in to perform those same duties on a comic book. Paul Dini’s a talented guy, but there’s a stench of structure and strategy on Countdown that makes it seem far more conventional.
What can shatter that perception are great ideas, and I hope Countdown will deliver those in spades, since, y’know, Dini’s great. But if not, it’s just gonna shape up as 52’s pedestrian sequel, which would be a wasted opportunity.
"Are you here to rescue or kill me?"
May 11
I was very excited to be connected in some way to the latest issue of Geek magazine – you might however imagine my chagrin when I found out my pal Toren had trumped me by being quoted AND having his picture published. I’ve complained to the editor, but I don’t think he cares.
The magazine missed out however on the next chapter in the rock nerdity that is The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets. They wisely chose The Thickets as a high watermark in geek rock (they’re the only HP Lovecraft inspired band I know that make madness something to danceable), but were too early to cover the new album, due any minute now – The Shadow Out of Tim. Imagine a whole album that retells Lovecraft’s The Shadow Out of Time. It goes to eleven as well as being educational.
If anyone wants a taste, they’ve posted the first track, Marine Biologist (technically second, but it’s the first “chapter” of the story), on their MySpace page – there’s a link for the mp3, somewhere, for those of you that want to rock out in a portable fashion.
I knew the album was solid – I’ve heard it and it’s gooood. But I knew it was going to be a hit when they made Marine Biology seem badass.
