Japan Snapshot
Melissa and I are back from Japan. Here's a taste of the Trip Report (forthcoming):
Labels: comic, Japan, Photoshop, Trip
Tony Stark Done Right
Dear Sweet Holy Ghost of Stan Lee. IRON MAN has just unseated SPIDER-MAN as my favorite comic book movie. And I didn't think that could be done. While Spider Man is a milestone of Superhero movies done right, IRON MAN overtakes it in the end. And while the CG is schweeEEEEEEEET, what really makes this film is Robert Downey Jr.
I knew he was just the right pick for Tony Stark. Because Tony Stark isn't some guy who accidentally gains a superpower and has to learn to respect it: He is a man who has made something of himself, and then discovers that all he has worked for has been thwarted. He has to make the decision to change his life and become something great in order to undo his own folly. This is no easy task for an actor, because not a lot of this can be written into the script. It has to be subtext, reaction, expression, measured silences and thoughtful glances. And you completely believe that Robert Downey Jr. IS going through all this. And in the complete production, even with its comic relief moments and fight sequences and CGI robots, the gravitas of the CHARACTER rises to the top.
Craig and I caught a 9:00 showing tonight. I can't wait to see this again.
PS:
The "Talk to the Repulsor" T-shirts are available from NightLight Press.Labels: comic, Iron Man, Movie, Review, Superhero
Comic Strip - Fall Conversation
I took Matthew out for a walk yesterday morning. The northerner in me loves when the weather spikes suddenly cold in November. It reminds me of August in Chicago.
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"Daddy! Look at all the Acorns!"
"Yes, kiddo, all over the place. And all the pretty leaves too."
"They're all on the ground."
"Of course. This season...this time of year is called 'Fall'. Because the leaves turn colors and fall to the ground, and the acorns fall too. This is daddy and mommy's favorite time of year."
I look over and see his underwear poking up, so I adjust his jeans.
"Jeez, why do your pants keep coming down?"
Matthew blinked and looked up. "Because it's fall?"
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This is just one of those moments in parenthood that you want immortalized somehow. The triumph of Kindergarten logic. If anyone can draw or knows someone who can, I seriously want to commission this as a 4-panel comic. Will pay money. Comment to contact.
Labels: comic, Fall, Leaves, Matthew
Penny Arcade Dodge
I'm a big fan of the online comic
Penny Arcade, since it's all about gaming, SciFi Fandom and geeks. A few weeks back, I found
a link to a cool Desktop wallpaper they made of one of their storylines, "
Armadeaddon", where they repulse a wave of zombies at the local mall.
I downloaded it onto my work PC and I love it. Matthew came in today and asked what it said at the bottom. I told him.
"And what's that with the red things?" he asked.
"That's... a robot." I answered. I didn't tell him the robot was a juicing machine gone haywire named "
Fruit FuXXOR." (See his part int he saga
Here and
Here.)
"And what's the red stuff on him?"
Blood. From the Zombies they all just slaughtered.
"It's ... Juice. Yeah, you see, he's a JUICING Robot. And he just... got a little carried away. So everyone has red... fruit juice... splattered on them."
Matthew smiled, said "Yeah, He's a silly robot!" and went off, satisfied.
Labels: comic, Matthew, Penny Arcade, Wallpaper
