Have Been Unavoidably Detained By The World

Kirk and Bones Star Trek Reboot Fic!

2009-12-03T03:24:10Z

I was browsing unanswered prompts in the ST XI Kink Meme so I could drabble off something quickly without over-thinking it, and I saw this and thought. "Hmmm, bet they never thought it'd be answered by a non-slasher."

So then I HAD to do it, you see.

Title: I Can Hear Them
Author/Artist: eldarwannabe
Pairing(s): None. The fic star Kirk and Bones, though.
Rating: G
Summary: Written for a request on st_xi_kink: "Post movie, Kirk starts having nightmares. The only time he sleeps through the night? When he crawls into bed with Bones."
Notes/Warnings: Fluff and angst. Not necessarily in that order.

They had finally landed on the moon yesterday, and most of the crew had been shuttled down to San Francisco for debriefing this morning. They had all smiled for the cameras, and been assigned debriefings times, counseling times, and various other duties. Classes were going to start again in a few weeks so they could complete the year and receive their official stations.

Jim had eaten dinner with Sulu and Chekov in a depressingly empty cafeteria. Now that they were back, it was horrible how obvious their losses truly were. Sulu had quietly informed them that his roommate had been assigned the Farragut. Chekov told them how one of the first-year cadets started crying when he walked past her in the hallway. Jim silently wondered how Bones was doing moving his last critical patients to the best facilities on the moon.

He was supposed to take the shuttle in three days. God, Bones was going to hate taking it by himself.

Jim tried to keep his mind on that as he rolled over and stared at Bones' empty bed. Tried to think about the fresh vegetables at dinner, and how Bones was going to grumble as he took the latest of his space-transport vehicles back to Earth.

Tried not to think about the billions - a planetfull - of screaming voices that had woken him with a start not ten minutes ago. Tried to ignore the glowing clock readout of 04:25 from across the room. Tried not to remember how the silence of space came alive with it's own soundtrack of fear and terror as he dreamed about those first few ships coming out of warp for a threat so totally beyond their technological resources as to be almost funny.
________________

"Damn fool shuttle. Shook the whole way down." Bones said, dropping his medkit on the bed, and cracking his back.

"But you made it!" Jim said, forcing a smile. Bones looked at him critically for a moment.

"You look like shit." Bones observed.

Jim cracked a brief grin. "Thanks, Bones." He watched Bones throw his medical blues into the laundry basket and drop some PADD disks onto his desk.

"Place is damn depressing." Bones muttered, and Jim shifted uncomfortably.

"Classes start again in two weeks," Jim offered.

Bones grunted. "I'm going to take a shower. Want to go for dinner afterwards?"

"Sure," Jim said, and stared at the ceiling while Bones peeled off his shirt and grabbed a towel.
_________________

"Go back!" Jim screamed. "Don't come out of warp!"

But they didn't go back. They didn't they didn't and they stopped and that horrible ship (it looks like a squid. A giant monstrous squid. The time that snatch fish out of the sea with the same sudden swiftness as it uses to shoot) decimates the ships.

But it's not ships, it's people and Jim sees them pouring out of the wreckages like cereal, but their eyes were popping out and they couldn't breathe they couldn't breathe the planet was exploding, people dying too fast to even fall into space, shattered into pieces of nothingness and they screamed together logic lost in the darkness -

"Jim, wake up! Wake up, Jim!"

And Jim jerked into wakefulness with the same sudden panic of every night since he's been on the ground. Then he grabbed Bones' arm. His throat felt raw and painful.

"I can hear them, Bones," he gasped, "while they're dying. I can hear them screaming."

Bones paused. "That's not possible, Jim. It's just a dream." He patted Jim's shoulder awkwardly.

Jim closed his eyes and took a shaky breath. "I know, I know."

They sat there for a few moments, then Bones got up. The numbers 02:17 glowed over his shoulder. Damn, it was getting earlier.

"I'm fine, Bones." he mumbled, then lay back down. Bones hesitated, then got back into his own bed. The lights dimmed automatically.

"I'm not sleeping." Jim blurted into the darkness. "I haven't slept a full night in weeks and since we got back I haven't been able to go back to sleep after the nightmares." He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands.

Silence. Then, "Jim, you've had barely two hours of sleep."

"I know."

They lay there for an endless amount of time, the bizarre quietness of the campus engulfing them both.

"You're not asleep yet, are you?" Bones asked, the hint of worry sneaking into his voice.

Jim stared at the ceiling. "No."

"Dammit." Jim heard Bones shifting over in his bed. "Get over here."

"What?"

"You're having nightmares, you need to sleep. I need to sleep. Get over here."

Feeling slightly ridiculous, and oddly like a four-year old, Jim swung his legs over his bed and shuffled the few feet over to Bones. He crawled into the bed, and Bones threw the blanket over him. It barely covered them both.

Jim twisted onto his side, pressing his back against Bones' to fit them both on the bed. The heat seeping through made him fell oddly better.

You didn't get everyone, Nero.

"Bones?"

"Mmm?"

"Thanks."

"...Go to sleep, Jim."

And he did.

Everything you ever wanted to know about me!

2009-12-01T03:16:05Z

Meme! I haven't done one of these in a while, but this actually looked like fun, so here goes. Also, I realized that my answers are insanely long, so I edited it to have one-work answers, with commentary!

Leave me a comment saying "Resistance is Futile.:
-I'll respond by asking you five questions so I can satisfy my curiosity (until I get bored)
-Update your journal with the answers to the questions.
-Include this explanation in the post and offer to ask other people questions.

So 90scartoonman asked me:

1)If you had to spend the rest of your life only reading one comic book company, what would it be?

DC

Yeah, while I would miss Captain America and the Fantastic Four a whole lot (not to mention anything I might pick up from the smaller companies, or the manga companies) it has to be DC all the way. Although, are we counting Vertigo and CMX? In which case DC wins doubly over. (I've got Sandman and Swan? Yay!) But even if you limited it to the mainstream stuff, I'd still be there. Moaning and griping, but firmly in the DC camp.

2)What's your favorite TV show?

!?!?!?!!!

I don't know! Um, um, there are so many! (My roommate laughed when I asked her to help me on this one.) I'll be totally honest and say that Law and Order is the one show I can basically watch anywhere, anytime. But I won't buy it, as repeat episodes tend to lose their impact. In terms of shows I have spent money on - Batman: TAS, Princess Tutu and Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad are the only ones on my shelf. I currently watch a buttload of shows regularly (see this previous post) My Amazon wishlist includes Buffy, Angel, Mad Men, Ouran High School Host Club, Justice League (and Unlimited) the Superman Animated Series, Cowboy Bebop, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Firefly (which is NOT my favorite show after the second go-round. Space prostitutes...), The West Wing, Pride and Prejudice BBC edition (it's kind of a TV show) and Arrested Development.

Huh, Arrested Development might win, at that. At least the first 2 seasons. I've rewatched it at least three times now, and I still want to buy it. Hmmmm.

3)Roughly, how much do you spend on comics per month?

~$25

Hoo boy. At my height, I was spending around $60+ a month (including back issues/trades I just Could Not Wait For!). I now wince at the thought. These days, due to the fact that I am immersing myself in a lot of different mediums (see: Media Studies major) I'm not picking anything up monthly, although I did grab all of Wednesday Comics. I'm keeping tabs on my favorite characters, but I'm sticking with trades, and I'm trying to only buy them in cost effective ways, like Amazon.com. But every time I manage to step into a comic shop, I can't stop myself and buy about $10 in random issues. (I can't help it!) I'd say I'm keeping it under $25 a month on average. I'm much more focused on quality these days.

4)Where are you from originally?

NYC

I was born in New York City! Columbia University hospital, I believe? ~~That's where I was imbued with powers beyond those of mortal men and I dedicated my life to helping the helpless with truth, justice and the American Way!~~ Perhaps that explains my undying love for the city that could really use some sleep.

5)How do you like your eggs?

Scrambled

Scrambled and moist, but not runny. If they are too dry (which happens to me a lot when I cook) I add salsa for moistness and flavor. My ideal eggs also include cheese and vegetables. (favorites including mushrooms, onions, and peppers) Weren't expecting such a crazy answer, were you?

Yeah, I though my last answer was unnecessarily long, then I looked back at the second question. Ooops.

~*~*~

And this is a good a time as mention this. I know I've been posting a lot these days, and there's actually a good reason for that. I've decided to try and write at least 2 pages a day of non-school related material, which can include fanfiction, ramblings, livejournal posts...you see where I'm getting with this. I'm aware that I'm kind of spamming everyone, so, I'm sorry! I'll try to cut back on the lj-stuff, but at least I'll be more active than I have been in the past!

Sandman, Gaiman, Fandom (and Burton)

2009-11-30T03:14:12Z

Occasionally I browse Neil Gaiman's blog. Because it's fun, mostly. Sometimes he links to cool stuff. (Mostly, I have this theory that he and Tim Burton managed to create something amazing* and I enjoy it). And he linked (on the bottom) to a couple on things recently that I would like to comment on.

So first, there is this NPR post about Sandman. On the one hand, great that something more mainstream is blogging about Sandman. On the other hand, why must the recommendation be so backhanded? The closest I get to the fanbase experience described here is the face that I like listening to Breaking Benjamin yelling at me on my morning walk to class. (It helps me wake up faster). Really, there is no reason to put down the fans like that, even though it might make the series seem more attractive in a you-should-check-this-out-despite-the-fanbase kind of way. Both Neil himself and a blogger he links to (Dan Stryker) comment on this. And I totally agree.

Dan takes it a step further, and that is

The original NPR article mentions that Sandman has a "remarkably high" barrier to entry and the story doesn't really start until volume IV.

Dan claims on his own blog (which looks pretty fun, actually) that he doesn't understand what is so high about the barrier to entry. Buy the first volume. Read it. You have now Entered! And he has a point, I think a reader will figure out if he/she likes the story before the fourth volume (which is where the NPR article claims the story really starts). But he's also missing the basic issue: The barrier-to-entry is very high.

I'm a comic book fan, and Neil Gaiman fan, a fantasy fan, you name it. And it took me three tries to get far enough into Sandman Volume I to figure out that I really did want to continue. I didn't mind the integration into the DC universe that Neil was trying, but I do know how that could really REALLY frustrate someone else. I didn't know Scott Free when I started reading it, and I certainly didn't know John Constatine. Those parts had me utterly confused, but I enjoyed figuring out who those characters were later. A Gaiman fan who doesn't like comics, or someone who just picked up the volume would have a much harder time, and would be likely turned off by the expectation that they know these characters beforehand.

Even more than that for me, though, was the art. It took me seemingly forever to get used to the art. I know why, of course. The place that this comic was coming from was more indie-style and more horror-based, both genres that I was not into at the time. I liked (and still like) my art clean, with clean lines and clearly delineated boundaries. I don't need perfect style, but I like Persepolis a lot for the simplicity and cleanliness of the art, and Sandman seemed to bleed everywhere in confusing, dark tones. I had no idea what was going on in the first chapter until I re-read it after finishing the first volume. I didn't really really get it until I re-read it multiple times. The art was just too confusing to be explained by the text alone. And that trend continues for a while, until I got used enough to the art to be able to figure it out.

This is not to say that I don't like the art. I do. It's moody and atmospheric and nearly perfect for the story being told. But it is a high barrier to entry, especially to people who don't read comics. And I think that has to be acknowledged.

(Hey, Gaiman and the crew were still figuring out exactly where they were going in the first few volumes, I understand that. It's a common trend in manga too, where a single story is being told by a single author over a lengthy amount of volumes. Not all the details are ironed out before the story gets going, and things do improve considerably. I have the same thing on a smaller scale when I write stuff - just no one ever sees it because I don't publish.)

I still highly recommend this series to friends, family, neighbors, strangers, classmates, etc. And when I do, my disclaimer has nothing to do with the fans, I just recommend that they read the entire first volume before making a judgement call. And I explain why. It's not a big deal.

Personally, I once got a friend to read Sandman based on "24 Hours." My friend couldn't get the first chapters, so I flipped her to the "24 Hours" piece and she may never sleep again, but she appreciated the artistry and skill of the story enough to try once more. I wouldn't recommend that to everyone, though. One person saw the skinned face from A Game of You and will now never ever read Sandman. Ever. So, it really depends on the audience, I guess.
____________________

*Every once in a while I muse that Tim Burton and Neil Gaiman (and a handful of less famous others) managed to create a new genre in their works. Bear with me. Their genre is mostly, but not exclusively, a subsection of the fantasy genre, but it is particularly dark and horror-influenced, while not necessarily kid-unfriendly. in some ways it draws on classic fantasy stories and fables by being unusually dark for modern kid stories, and in others it breaks new ground by utilizing tools and ideas that might never have hit those medieval story-weavers. I think there should be a name for it (not goth, not emo, no no no. It's available and attractive to all people who like modern stories and fantasy and just a hint of shade in their literature) but I honestly can't think of anything more apropos than that-genre-that-Tim-Burton-and-Neil-Gaiman-basically-created/popularized. So that's what I call it in my head, where no one can hear when I get confused on tongue-twisters.

Fanfiction and I (boy, I'm posting a lot these days. Just wait until I finish the meme!)

2009-11-26T21:14:41Z

have noticed about myself, that when I have time and am doing nothing. (this can happen while I'm waiting for a class to start, stuck on a boring bus ride, walking home, grocery shopping...) that I tend to "compose" fanfiction in my head.

I say compose because I'm not technically writing anything down. This is mostly sounding-board time, when I bounce ideas off of myself, try to think a story through, weigh my characters, etc. Probably one reason I suck at endings is because I tend to focus on the opening and the more emotionally-driven scenes in my head at these times, and I'll end up skimping on the finale. Sometimes I'll have a scene in such detail that I find it easy to write.

Sometimes I have these scenes so detailed that I find it almost impossible to write, because it's so crazy-specific that I'd have to write pages and pages to capture every aspect I've laid out. Those are the times I wish for drawing skills, so I can capture all of it without boring my readers. And with my media training, these scenes have gotten a lot more cinematic. I'm thinking about angles and everything. Still can't draw, though.

I tend to focus on a few different stories/scenes at a time. Most never make it past my head (or my hard drive), but I've always got a few running. These days I've got one or two for Outsiders, at least four for the Star Trek reboot, dozens of bits and pieces for the DCU, and even the occasionally odd Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, or some such.

And the ones I'm focusing on at the moment are like grooves in my brain. I slide into them easily and tweak only little bits, replaying them like clips in my brain. I have this one where Darry has driven up to Oklahoma University (I FINALLY confirmed that it's close enough for an emergency drive to Tulsa. Harder then it should have been, really) and surprises Ponyboy, who has been in a fight on campus he never told his brother about. It's part of a longer story that I'll probably never finish, but it's mostly a scene about two brothers. I've got this wild multi-part series going on about the current kids of the Teen Titans. It's had to change a bit over time due to changes in the DCU (Damian is now a character!) but overall it's focused on Lian and Ceridan and I've been building up their stories. That one probably won't make it very far, as there doesn't seem to be a lot of interest out there.

Well, I guess my point it that that's one way I tend to write fanfiction. It's not the only way, at all. I've found that I write most of my short snippets while I'm sitting at computer and scribble them in between doing other things. I only ever finish writing something if I have it on the computer to work on. Unlike a lot of writers (or so it sometimes seems) I prefer to type, not to hand-write. I write much, much slower than I type, and I think faster than I can do either, so I prefer to computer. Less time lag.

THIS is what happens when I take time to do my homework and don't pay attention to the internet

2009-11-26T00:21:31Z

They KILLED Kyle Rayner!?

Oh, no. They absolutely did not.

First, I've been avoiding this whole Blackest Night thing in general because, like all Big Crossovers, you mostly just wait for the convoluted storyline to finish so you can sort through the rubble and assess the fallout. (So that you can memorize a new status quo and keep tabs on it until the next Big Crossover, which you will wait out. Rinse and repeat.)

This does apply to the people who follow it monthly as well. Because when you figure it out ahead of time? They'll switch the Big Bad on you. Thanks, DC.

Plus, I think they've been handling a lot of the basic concepts very, very badly. (Since when was death an emotion? Why are these corpses sexy? Ewwwww. Can they come back to life? How many characters do you have to kill to make this stupid mess relevant?)

That's not totally fair. I think this is a much more interesting way to do DCU!Zombies. I think there's a lot of potentially good story to tell. I honestly don't think DC can manage that right now.

(They basically only got me for a bit because Tempest showed up, and I happened to pick up the first two issues to catch up on comics for something not related to my typically comic-buying patterns. So, Tempest is one of my favorite oft-ignored characters. So I was thrilled. Briefly. Then I was confused and sad.)

Back to my point. Kyle Rayner was the Green Lantern when I first got into comics. At that point I had completely figured out the Ages Of The DCU. (I was somewhat wrong, but bear with me.)

I'm going to use Green Lantern as my base for this argument.

First, there was the Old School Superhero Age (coughGoldenAgecough). This was the age of Alan Scott and the JSA.

Second there was the New School and Continuity Superhero Age (Silver Age). This was the age of Hal Jordan and the original JLA.

Then there was the Sidekicks Grow Up and Are Awesome Superhero Age (I think this is the Modern Age?). This was the age of Kyle Rayner as GL, with Wally West as the Flash, Dick Grayson as Nightwing (because Bruce is was going nowhere) and Connor Hawke as Green Arrow.

And I thought it was kinda cool. I was, and still am, a continuity junkie. While I will preach about the barriers to new readers and the frustrating obscurity of some important references, I love it. Tracking this stuff down makes me happy and when I know a reference as I'm reading I'm completely thrilled. But there is a balance that has to be maintained. Continuity should support new and exciting stories, not trap them. So, for me, this stuff was connected to that. Like, you had to know about Hal Jordan to fully understand Kyle, but at the same time Kyle wasn't mired in it. His girlfriend was Jade and they had interesting adventures together, but he didn't have to sit and explain the Entire History of Alan Scott to act out a single date (good think I missed the Kyle/Donna days, because I hear that was a lot more forced.)

Anyway, the point is that I like Kyle a whole lot. I was excited when I heard they were bringing back Hal, but since then I have made a 180 and I'm actually totally against that whole move. Plus, after reading Quiver, the Return of Hal Jordan falls very short of the mark. It was not worth the way it brought Kyle down.

Kyle single-handedly acted as the only Green Lantern in the universe for years. I don't like him as the rookie, I don't like him as second-best to Hal (who went insane, remember? I think it would be an interesting element of his character to explore). But mostly, I don't like him dead.

Ack.

The Next Harry Potter? Puh-leeze.

2009-11-23T05:09:05Z

Yeah, I finally saw the Twilight movie. The first one, mind you. I'm somewhat considering seeing the second one as a social even-type of thing. (I have friends, sometimes I want to hang out with them. Who knew?)

So, the internet as a whole has managed to deconstruct and analyze the film way better than I could ever hope to. As always, I think it's a terrible fable-story for today's youth, and Meyers gives me creepy crawlies.

But there's one thing I really liked about it that I didn't really see mentioned. The movie captures a lot of the awkwardness of real life. There's not enough head room in a lot of shots (I actually seem to notice that in a lot of movies today) the characters don't have well-articulated, scripted-sounding conversations.

Yeah, a lot of characters seem pretty 2-D, but in high school, the people you aren't very close too seem to devolve into flat caricatures, because you don't know them very well. And Bella basically ignores everyone but Eddie-poo anyway.

Ignoring that this trend seems to extend to the main characters, I really do like it. Jessica's odd breathing, her misplaced comments during uncomfortable moments, I enjoyed that. I also like the beach scene. It felt cold and messy and awkward and everyone seemed to be a little unsure of themselves and everyone was having second thoughts about actually swimming. It's not clean and shiny.

Yeah, this element can be easy to criticize. "That's so...thoughtful." "Yeah, thoughtful." "Giggle, giggle." It's no Shakespeare. But neither is high school! I've seen those exact conversations!

Oh, well, that's not the only reason I like Twilight. The other one is that it is the first time I can think of - off the top of my head - that a Native American is portrayed as one of the main cast. And a Good Guy. And that is awesome, and long overdue. (Also, as Avatar: The Last Airbender has FAILED to do this properly, I have to applaud the Twilight effort.)

Still doesn't overcome the huge problems in the movie, the books, the premise and the delivery. But it's great for me to watch camera movements! (ooooh, a shot-reverse-shot.)

(And I personally find the graduation-cap mural hysterical. I'm easy to please like that.)

To do this, I am ignoring all of my other homework. Tomorrow will not be pretty.

2009-11-17T05:41:44Z

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.

nook update

2009-11-09T16:12:57Z

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.)

E-Comics!

2009-10-22T01:32:42Z

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.

Oh, Fandom. You just never let go, do you?

2009-10-06T01:22:00Z

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!

Another Way DC Has Taken Over My MIND

2009-09-29T16:03:15Z

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 Am The Slowest Fan Ever

2009-09-07T04:47:26Z

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.

Back and Totally Unprepared for Action! (Also, Batgirl #1!)

2009-08-30T04:44:40Z

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!

Absolutely had to share!

2009-07-09T10:23:09Z

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!

Life update!

2009-06-29T19:15:56Z

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!

I do my fandom old school

2009-06-28T08:47:29Z

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!

The original tv show opened with words that went something like this:

"Space... the Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before."

And with that started a television show that would change...well, it would change many things. Geekdom, for one. Integration on televisions shows. Add a whole host of things to our cultural lexicon.

But think of the premise for a minute. The entire point of the mission is nothing more than "to explore strange new worlds...go where no man has gone before."

That's it. This ship isn't going to fight a war. It's not even racing Russia anywhere. It's going for the sake of exploration, to find new things.

Can you imagine the sheer optimism of it? The whole point is to go looking for something new and wonderful. We've lost that..that...gumption! Look, we're gonna go explore stuff! Because we can!!

And despite the fact that I loved the movie (and I did! I did!) that's not the premise of the movie. It's about proving yourself, overcoming obstacles, growing up. But that's a more shallow, modern theme, pretty common to the movies aimed at my generation. And I noticed a distinct lack of of a deeper exploration of social commentary that I'm seeing in the original series episodes I'm watching now.

So yeah, Star Trek=awesome. The fact that they can change with the time is probably a good thing, even though it doesn't excite me half as much as William Shatner cosmos hiking with Leonard Nemoy just because Roddenberry dreamed up the technology to make it possible.

And now for the fandom end of things.

I am no stranger to fandom, of course. It all started with discovering Animorphs fanfiction (arguably, it started earlier, with intense Power Rangers discussions on the school bus, but I tend to start counting with Animorphs) and went on for years until I finally got an ff.net account, an lj account, and the most ridiculous lurker tendencies. And now I have so many fandoms that I my friends normally have no idea what I'm talking about (Also, when I make cross-fandom jokes, like that Shonen!Legions of Super Heroes post a while back. Trust me guys, it's hysterical)

But where did fandom start really? Well, it could be argues that fandom as we know it cam straight out of Star Trek, folks. And I've always wanted to get into Star Trek, because it sounds like it's right up my alley in a lot of ways. Sci fi adventuring? Hot guys running around saving the universe? Social commentary? Action? Adventure? Insane canon that I don't have time to get involved in, but I will memorize and be nitpicky about forever!? Sign me up!!

Of course, instead I got involved in comics and manga and other time-and-money-eaters, but now that I saw the movie and loved it, I found st_reboot and started reading the stuff. There's stories written by basic newbies, and stories written by old hands and there so much of it, it's all so well-written that I can skip the slashy stuff I'm not interested in, because I'm not missing out on anything much.

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

Star Trek!

2009-06-28T07:31:22Z

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.

It might surprise some of the people who knew him. George could be impulsive and forgetful, and when he was on the bridge he could get so wrapped up in his work that he would snap and growl at any interruptions. But the man was a big teddy bear, and she knew Jimmy would have had George twisted around his chubby little finger within minutes of being born.

Had they all had the chance, of course.

George would have taught Jim baseball in the recreation rooms, and would have gotten all the senior staff to play the bases. George would have made ice cream - real ice cream - in the coolant sector of the engines with contraband milk and synthesized sugar, because the replicator could only do chocolate and vanilla and George's favorite flavor was always rocky road. George would have read all the bedtime stories, and would have popped right out of bed at the first sign of Jim fussing or crying at night, and George would have brought Jim onto the bridge to sit in the captain's chair and play Space Cowboys, because that was the type of person George was.

And she would have been the organized one, with schedules and guidebooks and plans, and she would have taught Jim trans-matter mathematics and 15th century Vulcan poetry, and everything would have balanced out. She would be the boring one, but it would be OK because George would have planned a surprise picnic in the laundry control room just like he did the week after she told him she was pregnant, whispered in the dark after she came back from her shift and minutes before he had to rush out to his.

So George really would have been a fantastic father, really.

But now she's back on Earth, where the gravity is ever-so-slightly too strong, and the sun blazes down on the back of her space-pale neck, and Jimmy is crying, crying all the time, and she wants schedules and order and climate-control and George, it's George she wants with his bright smile and his bright future and his bright, sparkling eyes.

And even while she picks Jimmy up and pats his back and makes shushing noises at him, (because that's what George would do) she's craning her neck back, watching the space stations and shuttles twinkling in the night sky alongside the stars.

Drives Me Nutes - TV Shows and the Death Penalty

2009-06-26T04:04:05Z

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)

Well, they alway have the victim's family get really upset. The family complains that the process is taking too long, and they want the person who killed their daughter/son/other family member taken to justice. And really, they have every right to be angry and upset and confused.

But HELLO! If someone came up to me and told me that the case was being reopened because there was reason to doubt the killer's guild, my reactions would so different. You were just informed that might have the WRONG person. The REAL killer might be OUT ON THE STREETS.

I know that losing someone is very emotional, but I don't think that it should cause humans to lose all reasoning capabilities. I wouldn't demand that the police to kill off the guy they found who might not be the right guy. I would demand PROOF that the guy did it, and failing that, demand the guy (or girl, to be fair) the DID do it.

Then I demand that they off the murderer. Because grieving families do have the right to demand justice.

Sometimes I am super-duper really slow

2009-06-19T03:47:13Z

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.

Barbara will stay Oracle anyway. She can coordinate.

2009-06-18T04:56:00Z

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.

Batman and Didio. And no, I don't rant. Much.

2009-06-17T20:39:58Z

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.

Oh my gosh, is Eldarwannabe posting about real life? Well, sort of.

2009-06-10T20:51:19Z

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.

And they wonder why more people don't read comic books.

2009-06-04T18:33:52Z

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.

Concerning British Accents

2009-06-02T02:40:24Z

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.

I remember when I first learned this...

2009-05-28T05:40:13Z

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.