eldarwannabe

Am drawing my first storyboard for class tomorrow. Have discovered my total lack of ability to draw angles.

Low angle shot you say? Well, how about a high-ish-angle-close-up instead? Totally different effect? Fine, YOU DRAW IT!

Not to mention that I have to FILM to storyboards I am drawing, which is basically impossible right now due to my lack of actors!

And my ability to distinguish my characters in my storyboards is thus: Girls is looking right and has long hair. Boy is looking left and has short hair. Good thing there aren't any more or I'd have to draw a blonde.

(in my defense - I can draw better than this, really. Well, not the angle thing. But if I was working with bigger boxes and a few more days to draw, they'd look much, much better. Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of time)

I also keep using comic terms for these things. I have referred to gutters, panels and layout as if I'm drawing a comic. I think I'm confusing my partner, who has already volunteered to play the boy (who needs to be right-handed) so I only have to hunt down one actor. So he's great, at least, and puts up with me.

______

In other news, I have a Dreamwidth account now to follow Scans_Daily 3.0. Part of me is seriously considering switching over there because I agree with them on almost all the problems I have with LJ (also, their name is v. cool.) But everything that isn't S_D that I care about is over here. Which isn't a ton, but here it is regardless. I'll think on it.

Fine, so maybe I was a little (very) over-excited. Turns out the color on the nook is limited to the touch screen at the bottom of the nook (to which I am simultaneously excited and wary)

Still - it does apparently have PDF support, which means comics can be uploaded on to them now, although .CBR or .CBZ support would be better. Color comics probably wouldn't translate well, but manga, black and white comics, and inks of comics would work out great. As DC seems to be publishing a lot of their library in those cheap B&W collections, that would translate well to an e-book reader!

I'm still excited about the nook, and it might be the reader I finally break down and buy. Not anytime soon, mind you, because the price is still steep. But I'm waiting for it to come out officially so I can see if there will be ways to check email and such, which could tip my time frame.

I would need some disposable income, so I would need to to get an actual job, which would interfere with my internship plans next semester. (That I reallyreallyreallyreally want. Really.)

So, remember when the Amazon Kindle was talking about putting manga and comics up on their e-book selections? The screen is the wrong size, and it would be limited to black and white, but it was looking pretty cool. Then, of course, I heard nothing about it at all. The idea just disappeared...

Well, Barnes and Noble just put out their new e-book reader: The Nook

It's certainly very shiny. Decent storage space options, same look-it-will-be-readable-in-sunlight! screen, a touch screen, which is very in right now, etc.

And it's in color! Suddenly, the full world of sequential graphic literature is open to e-readers!

Part of me is giddy with excitement. If Nook 2.0 (or maybe even this one, I barely scanned the specs) can support image formats, (CBR/CBZ being good options as they are already pretty standard, but I'm sure anything with decent quality would work) Marvel and DC should cut a deal, straight up. I'm not sure who should pay who, because it could be crazy beneficial to BOTH sides of the arrangement.

You see, DC and Marvel could offer their comics at a reduced rate to buyers. Say, $1.50 a pop for a new monthly issue (I think they should go lower, but I don't know how much of the cost is publishing vs. everything else). Now, as a side, they could put up the new issues on Friday instead of Wednesday, so the people going into the stores will still have an incentive. Or maybe they can post the new issues a week late. I'm sure they could work something out.

Meanwhile, the Nook has a monopoly on the comic-buying market! Any comic fan that would prefer to use the a digital device and save themselves a LOT of trouble (besides traveling to the store and back, storage space can become a big problems for comic fans!) will be stuck buying the Nook to do it. There won't be another device that supports the option. And the page will only go through some shrinkage, not a ton. They will have to find a way for people to back up their purchases, though. I personally would want to back up a comic collection on a hard drive or something, and not just leave it in the device, in which storage might run out, or it could get lost. Or maybe Barnes and Noble could remember your purchases for future re-download if something happens. Whatever, a backup system should be put in place regardless of e-comics anyway.

To stop illegal sharing, Marvel and DC make it that the ONLY way to download the files is directly to the e-reader, or something like that. Barnes and Noble could set it up like podcasts, you sign up to have it delivered monthly or weekly, pre-paid unless you cancel!

And why stop there? Old archive issues, put at a discount rate! Offer discounts for people who buy a year of Detective Comics in advance! Offer an entire run of Young Justice for $25! It's not like your making any money on it now anyway! Offer certain comics for free/crazy cheap to try and attract new readers! Hey, I would pick up all the old Legion of Supherheroes comics, if offered to me at a reasonable price. It would save me time, space and money from hunting them down across the country.

My mind is literally exploding with possibilities. I think this could be the best thing to happen to comics since the word balloon. The 21st century is here guys, let's get with the picture and explore the options!

(Plus, I haven't even talked about how this could impact the smaller/totally independent publishers! If the reader will support their formats, their audiences could explode! Plus, manga can jump this bandwagon as well! If the picture formats are already supported, it doesn't matter that it's in black and white! Tokyopop, Viz, Random House/Del Rey, not to mention CMX, would all lend their bargaining clout and considerable libraries to the Nook deal. And don't even get me started on webcomics!)

The other part of me knows that, yeah, this is completely unlikely. But if Marvel can premiere their newest motion comic in Union Square, why not this? The comic book industry in America needs innovators and big ideas these days, and no, I'm not talking about major crossover events (which e-readers would be perfect for!). I'm talking about risks and rewards and crazy ideas if it wants to survive to sell my kids Superman and Fantastic Four. Which I am totally in favor of, by the way.

Two nights ago I had a dream about the Chronicles of Narnia.

No kidding. I was running around and having adventures with Edmund and everything! And now I'm writing fanfiction again! Agh! I have no tiiiiiiime!

In other news, I kinda, almost met Billy Boyd. Sort of.

I was in the same room with him, OK? And yes, his accent is that awesome in real life. Details to follow if I find the time!

So, there is this being published right now. I'm not following it monthly (I'm not really following anything monthly) but I have noted it, in a back-of-my-mind kinda way. I mean, it's Kevin Smith. There's a good chance I'll check it out later. I really really like Green Arrow: Quiver. (Too bad it had to lead to what we have with GA today)

The point right now is the title. When I first heard "Batman: Widening Gyre" my reaction was, "hmm, sounds dramatic. I wonder what it means?"

Then I go to the FIRST DAY of college classes, weeks ago, and my oceanography teacher is all, "the ocean is wicked awesome y'know, there's non-carbon based lifeforms at the ocean floor," and when I was distracted by the thought of the sci-fi potential at that comment, she dropped, "and look, here's a gyre!"

And my DCU-based brain waves went, "HOLD IT RIGHT THAR!"

But see, now that I know what a gyre is, I might as well not. A gyre is like an ocean-scale whirlpool. They are made up of shipping currents and such going 'round and 'round. Still a cool name, but unless climate change gets way way worse then we want it to, they won't widen (or shrink) all that much.

But you see, I know nothing about this book (except that Poison Ivy is involved) but in my mind I keep going, "Hmmm, so Batman is trapped in a trading-current from the West Indies, and he's SINKING, but he's OK, but because he can BREATHE in SPACE but then the gyre WIDENS and the Earth is DOOMED! And somehow Poison Ivy can control phytoplankton!! (remember, Oceanography class)

I finally finished Avatar: The Last Airbender. Yes, I know I am late. Really late. I had already decided to be a fan of this show while Season ONE was airing on Nickelodeon. But there it is.

The first season was good. The second season was very, very good to amazing. The last season was very, very good to fantastic.

I have few, and minor complaints. I'm seriously considering purchasing the series by box sets. (I would buy them backwards, season 3 to 1, because I am limited funds and that is the order I want to own them in)

Zuko's self-discovery arc in season 2 is particularly poignant. Yes, I know that his real turnaround was in season 3, but the base was built in season 2.

Aaaaanyway, I just wanted to comment on something that struck me as I watched.

At the end of the first season, the gang finally makes it to the Northern Water Tribe. Katara, the waterbending girl of the group, goes with Aang to get some formal battle!waterbending training, but is instead directed to the healing training, as battlebending is for Men Only. Oh no! Sexism!

And this strikes me as interesting, because the Water Tribe (and the Earth Nation) are the Good Guys. And typically, the Good Guys are Enlightened and Equal, and it's the Bad Guys that oppress their women. (See, well, the only thing I can think of off the top of my head is The Horse and His Boy from The Chronicles of Narnia, but it's definitely a trope)

But in the world of the Avatar, this is totally subverted. Because Azula, a Bad Guy if there ever was one, is treated the exact same way as her brother. Actually, she is waaay favored over Zuko. It seems in the Fire Nation (aka Bad Guy Central) people are judged purely based on skill, and sex has nothing to do with it. This is later confirmed when Azula is declared Fire Lord. LORD, note, not Lady. Hmmmm. Obviously Zuko, the eldest, and the male, is being leapfrogged in favor of his powerful and obedient sister. And I can only approve of the idea that people should be judged by skill and progress, and not by boy or girl.

I really like how the producers/writers/etc. played with expectations a lot in the show. As I am so very far behind, I knew that Katara and Zuko were never to be, but I had a great time watching the hints and misdirections fly in the show. And I knew Zuko was going to join the side of good, but I am surprised by how long it took him, and how nuanced his transformation really was.

And I love Toph. I just gotta say it.

I now watch Northern Shaolin Kung Fu videos on youtube and I can't help but see fire coming out of the fighter's hands and feet in my mind's eye. It's amazing how the show so clearly utilized real-world martial arts in the bending techniques. I could really see the differences between different groups when they fought on screen. Part of me is pretty sad the show was so short, but I am impressed by how well it was crafted.

So, I'm back in the country, mildly jetlagged and only slightly getting back into the groove of things. I've hauled most of my stuff to college, but I've still got to do some grocery shopping and empty out my binders from last semester. Also, I probably should purchase textbooks.

But all of that is only mildly important. I've only glanced across the internet, but it seems that Cassandra has left cape and cowl (where has she gone?) which has me a little nervous, but no panicking yet.

Because it seems that Stephanie Brown has taken up the mantle of her best friend. And this could be a great thing. Stephanie has clearly grown beyond the girl that sewed her own suit and biked around Gotham trying to prove herself to Batman and Tim. She has strong connections to Tim, Cassandra, Barbara (and Dinah, even though she's no Bat). She's highly competent, and putting her in the Batgirl role will hopefully cause writers to treat her that way, instead of just the "girl Tim worries about." and the "almost-but-not-quite-Robin."

On the other hand, she has almost NO connection to Dick, the current Batman, and I don't even think she's met Damian. Tim, her main connection, is globe-trotting, and Cassandra has a good chance of disappearing into the mists of the DCU (alive, but never mentioned and never to appear). This causes some mild worry.

I would LOVE a meeting between her and Dick (who should be coordinating this stuff). And some acknowledgment from him that she was a Robin. Or maybe from Damian. Hmmmm.

On the super-bright side, she's on good terms with Alfred! That can only be good!

I'm on a borrowed laptop, with spotty internet access, but the world must know:

I HAVE WEDNESDAY COMICS ISSUE ONE!

There are something like two comic book stores in the country and I managed to get to one of them yesterday. Of course, I have serious doubts about my ability to do it again, but at least I got the first issue, right? I've been slowly savoring it, like hot tea, little sips at a time. It's just so awesome!

(I think I might spontaneously combust next Wednesday if I don't get the next issue. Kaboom.)

I miss you all! I'll try to get some more time in later so I can catch up with people and fandom. (Barbara! What is happening with you?)

Anyway, gotta run! I hope this loads OK!

So, I got an internship abroad for the summer (which is really cool, I'm not gonna lie) and I'm leaving for the airport in an hour.

Excited? Yes.

BUT my internet access is going to be between "rarely" and "never ever" for the next 2 months or so. This doesn't mean I don't want to communicate with you, I just can't.

And I know this is really really bad timing. Between Batgirl, Batman, Superman, Wednesday Comics(!), my new Star Trek craziness and just general fandom activities, I'm going to be waaaay behind on everything for 2 months. Two months which I will spend writing fanfic and worried about Barbara Gordon.

So, ciao everybody! I'll miss you!

Title: Would Have Been Fantastic
Fandom: Star Trek (specifically the new movie)
Disclaimer: As this fandom is decently old, I really have no idea who it really belongs to. But it's certainly not me, and all the contributers to the franchise in general and the most recent Star Trek movie in particular deserve their full credit.
Character(s): Winona Kirk, and little Jimmy
Warnings:: Angst ahoy! Also, I have never written in this fandom before, and I've only seen the movie once. This is extremely unusual for me! I don't think I wrote LotR fanfic until I'd read the books twice!

( George would have been a fantastic father )

So, I saw the new Star Trek movie about a week ago.

I should note now that both of my parents are Star Trek fans, and I grew up watching the occasional rerun of TOS and TNG, and I recall managing to sneak in many late nights while my parents were distracted by Voyager and DS9. (and Law and Order and The Practice, but that's another story)

So I have an itty bit of background in Star Trek, but very little.

But I loved the movie!

( Reactions to the movie and Star Trek in General )

And now for the fandom end of things.

( Star Trek Fandom )

P.S. THIS is where slash fanfic probably began. And it got it's own Wikipedia article. I will now laugh forever and ever.

So, have you ever watched a television show where there's someone on death row and the lawyers (or Project Innocence) launch an appeal? (I just recently watched the episodes of The Practice and Bones with this basic premise)

( And then this frustrates me )

Ed Brubaker wrote Gotham Central and the current Captain America? Oh my gosh, I love this guy. I must read everything he has ever written ever.

Ok, fine. If Cassandra isn't going to be Batgirl, I want a TEAM of Batgirls. You heard me. Steph, Cass, Charlie...hell, go get Sin from wherever Green Arrow stuck her. Swarms of Batgirls taking care of Gotham while Dick keeps Damian from doing anything bad and Alfred runs the Outsiders and Tim goes and broods in foreign countries. We can even give the costume back to Helena, not that I'd think she'd want it anymore.

In face, why hasn't this been done with any heroes before? It would be brilliant for maintaining a secret identity, especially for the non-powered Batcrew. Even better, the Batcrew has worked on maintaining an air of mystique about themselves that lends itself to multiple behind-the-cowl characters. I mean, there's been a couple of Batmans, and as far as we know, the average Gothamite is none the wiser.

And, yes, there are two Green Arrows and lots of Green Lanterns, but they each maintain their distinctiveness on purpose. I'm arguing that the Batgirls should claim (at least publicly) to all be the same person.

If they're going to change my favorite status quo, this could actually be pretty cool.

(I could also totally see Steph getting into the DAAARK VEEENGEEENCE shtick with Charlie. Cass would still be silent and deadly. I would also like it if they retconned out every mention of Evil!Cass ever, while we're living in my fantasy world.)

(I also don't know if this idea is entirely a product of my brain, as it has been mentioned a few time on scans_daily and I honestly can't remember what came first. So disclaimer!)

EDIT: Apparently it was kingrockwell of InsaneJournal who mentioned it first on Scans_Daily. As that was probably how the idea started seeding in my brain, I'm giving credit.

To follow up on my earlier fears, Frank Quitely is drawing Batman a little squarish for my tastes. I'd like it if Dick slimmed down a little.

The first issue of Batman and Robin was fun, and I'm willing to hang around for a bit to see what happens. I'm not buying as they come out, I'm just following on the interwebs (I'm sticking to trades these days. Between my crazy schedule making my LCS an inconvenient chore and paying attention to the moneys, it just makes more sense.) but the first trade will hit my amazon wish list if it keeps going this way.

And I'm a huge fan of Quitely's art, actually. I know a lot of people can't stand it, but the fact that his people have folds is just so unusual in comic art, land of shiny perfection. This picture made me love the Quitely interpretation of Dick even with Bruce's chin. All the folds in the cloth seem to weigh him down even further with the Batlegacy he has inherited. This is actually starting to help me reconcile with bits of Battle for the Cowl - see, Bruce told Dick not to take the mantle in a rare moment of paternal protection. When Bruce recorded that message (which I'm guessing was slightly post-cruise, as I think it probably mellowed him out a bit) he wasn't thinking about Gotham, or dead parents, or traumatizing gunshots. For a moment, he was totally focusing on Dick's needs, and he chose to show it by advising his son against taking a role that would slowly grind the spirit out of him.

Of course, I still think it was a pretty stupid move, but a few more personal retcons and I might be able to reconcile with the status quo without claiming it was all caused by magic. ("Oh yes, Jason is missing? MAAAAAAGIC! Tim has taken the mantle of Elseworlds!Dick and Coundown!Jason? MagicMagicMagic!!")

But Didio? Your luggage will never be safe again. Seriously.

I have to give a five minute powerpoint presentation for one of my business classes. Now, this presents an interesting dilemma. The topic was due last week, so I quickly scribbled, "The history of Barbara Gordon," down as my topic of choice. I had already begun planning it for another class's presentation (I ended up doing "how a comic book page is made," instead) so I thought now would be the perfect time to do it. At five minutes, I figured I could highlight her career as Batgirl, the Killing Joke and her evolution into Oracle, touching on a few other elements, like her relationship with Batman, the Birds of Prey and maybe maybe passing on the mantle to Cassandra Cain. I would frame this with a discussion of fan reactions to characters over the ages, and conclude with the discussion "should Barbara become Batgirl again, or is she better off as Oracle?" with a heavy bias toward staying as Oracle, of course. (I doubt anyone in my class has ever read any comic book with Barbara anyway)

I've already got a basic outline done. I would just have to flesh it out, then cut it down to five minutes. But I talk fast, and I'm using powerpoint, so pictures would make my storytelling easier. ("and then," CLICK BUTTON, "the Joker shot her." SEE EXCERPT FROM THE KILLING JOKE. EVERYONE GASPS. Or something like that.)

But then, I started thinking. How much will my audience get out of this? Sure, they'll know about Barbara, but this could be my opportunity to really tell people about comic books. After all, they have to listen to me. (Mwahaha) And while Barbara is the awesome, I'm not sure if she's as accessible as I'd like her to be.

So I got to thinking. Maybe instead I should do a presentation version of my earlier post about things people should know about the American comic book industry. I would give a brief explanation of what comic books are, (A MEDIUM) and touch a little bit on the history of comic books in the U.S. (because I am not an expert in the slightest) and then outline how to buy comic books and what is available now. Maybe I could close with recommendations. Or possibly talk about how the industry is doing?

The point is: I can make it interesting. (I'm a dynamic speaker, although that might not be obvious from my rambly postings. (Interesting Note: I tend to write in this journal more like the way I would speak the same information. In other words, I write for speaking, which can be different, and more casual, than writing for reading.) I'm also quite loud, which gets people to pay attention)

I'd aim the speech more toward the audience, and I might actually teach them something about a medium in the country.

On the other hand, I have the other one more written out.

And one my friends told me that I should do the Barbara one (and her opinion does count, because I'm going to be practice on her before I give the presentation in class) even though she doesn't know anything about either subject.

Oh, yeah, and the outline of my presentation is due tomorrow. No pressure to make up my mind or anything.

Just read this

Yeah, I followed that. It took me years to get to a place where I could figure it out. And Matrix still confuses me.

So, there's this character named Mon-El in DC Comics. His premise is a bit wonky, but to sum up the current situation: He's from a planet very similar to Krypton, except instead of being vulnerable to Kryptonite (a la Superman) he is extremely vulnerable to LEAD. Lead is very common on Earth, where he inevitably ends up, because that's where all superheroes end up eventually. To save him from the deadly dangers of lead, Superman sticks him in this "phantom zone," basically an empty alternate dimension.

Following? Good. A cure is discovered for lead-poisoning (doesn't matter how) and Mon-El comes out of the phantom zone. Great, right? Well, turns out Superman is gonna be off-planet for a while, so Mon-El is going to cover for him (protect Metropolis and everything. Remember, Mon-El has the same power set as Superman).

And now, here's the point. READ HERE IF YOU SKIPPED THE LAST PARAGRAPHS: We have an alien on Earth who is learning English as a second language. Rather than using the typical hand-waving of sci-fi, it is decided that Mon-El is going to pretend to be BRITISH to explain why he has an accent and talks with weird syntax.

WHAAAA?

Americans might not BE British, but we know what a real British accent sounds like! If someone has a random accent, I can give a pretty good guess if it's British (or from a British colony, like Australia) or not. There is NO WAY that cover story would work. Make him from some really random country with an unfamiliar accent, like an Indonesian Island or something. I see British people on TV, in the city. I have British friends, know random British slang...bad country choice, DC. Really.

Things about the (American) comic book industry that should be common knowledge, but are not:

Yes, comic books are still being published today. And not just in those books you might see in Barnes and Noble. They are published in those little pamphlets you might associate with the second World War.

The vast majority of comic book in the United States are published by two main companies: Marvel Entertainment and DC Comics, commonly referred to as Marvel and DC.

Marvel publishes Spiderman, The Hulk, Iron Man, The X-Men, Thor, and many, many others.

DC publishes Batman, Superman, The Flash, Green Lantern, and many, many others.

Comic books are sent out once a week to comic book stores on Wednesdays. This is the day every week when a comic book fan will typically swing by his local comic book store to pick up that week's batch of issues.

Most comic book titles are published once a month - so every month, on one of the Wednesdays of that month, there will be a new issue of a specific title. (like Batman, or Spiderman.)

There are more comic books being published then you think there are.

There are also some smaller comic book publishing companies, like Dark Horse, Image, Slave Labor Graphics, etc. They tend to not be as superhero-focused as the big two.

Comic books do NOT have to be about Superheroes, that's just a common genre in the medium

I almost guarantee you are using the term "graphic novel" wrong.

Yeah, those stories you had to read for school, like Maus and Persopolis? Those are comics too. Get over it.

Manga are also comics. So are manwha. Get over it.

For that matter, Archie comics are still comics, even though they are socially acceptable.

Yes, the term "comics," is a bit generic and definitely a misnomer. Thus is language. If you really want, you can call them "sequential art."

And for the last time, it's a MEDIUM, not a genre. To say "I don't like comics books" holds about as much water as "I don't like movies." You mean, you don't like movies at all? This isn't to say there are no people who simply do not enjoy any movies in the slightest, who find the whole idea abhorrent. But it's unlikely.

So, I've finally done it. I've made an InsaneJournal account. It's very similar to livejournal, except crazy-people themed. Like, "communities" are called "asylums," and my "profile" is "my diagnosis." This kinda stuff actually cracks me up, but I actually find some puns humorous, so don't go by me.

I only made the account to follow and post in Scans_Daily, which was my favorite livejournal community before it got the boot (I checked this community while I was out of the country and basically abandoned fandom. At that point, I understood maybe 12.8% of what was going on, but I read it ANYWAY.) and moved over to InsaneJournal.

I made my name Eldabe, because I'm actually kind tired of my totally LotR-specific lj name, but I wanted them connected. So I abbreviated it, like any good manga fan. (Dybree anyone? No one gets that reference.) I like it because as far as I can tell, it doesn't mean anything. A google check just turns up this random law firm over and over again. So, anyway: eldabe.insanejournal.com.

I probably will never post there, and I'm not moving. But I did get to put an icon there that I never managed to use with my lj.