Comics Are the Cure for the Common Cold (Or, I’m Reading Things)
Grading is done, and I’ve got a dissertation to complete so I can defend it and get a real person job. And, as with Christmas tradition, I am catching some sort of cold or flu monstrosity. This seems to be the norm for me. It wouldn’t be so terrible if the only illnesses I got around Christmas were colds, but as I’ve mentioned before, I also spent one whole Christmas on my first cycle of chemotherapy for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, so there’s sort of this added hatred of being ill around the holidays. So, instead of finishing a glorious blog post on why the Galactic Empire from Star Wars has always been about fascism and Nazis, I’m going to read some comic books. Currently, I’m reading the following: Champions (Marvel) This series is actually fantastic. It features Ms. Marvel as the sort-of leader of a group of young superheroes, including Miles Morales’ Spiderman, Nova, Viv (Vision’s daughter), a young Cyclops (it’s a long story), and some new version of the Hulk that is oddly super charming. Unlike the other superhero groups, they are guided by a non-destructive, non-lethal ethos, which makes sense given that Ms. Marvel is at the helm. You should definitely check it out! Jessica Jones (Marvel) I Hate Fairyland (Image) This comic is just batshit crazy. There are about a dozen others on the list, but those are the main ones. I also tried reading the first issue of the latest Ultimates, but I couldn’t stand the art; that’s one that will go on the “don’t pull anymore” list. So, I’m going to take a nap and wake up tomorrow fresh eyed and weird. In the meantime, a question: What comics are you all reading?
Addendum: Strong Male Characters (or, That Rogue One Review is Full of Crap)
Two days ago, I wrote a post about “strong male characters” that took to task some comments made in a review by Todd McCarthy. At the time, I had not seen Rogue One, so my argument essentially rested on the idea that we don’t need “strong male characters” in every movie. Now that I have seen the movie, I feel it necessary to come back to McCarthy’s review to address the substance of the claims. Expect some spoilers ahead! As a reminder, here is the relevant quote from McCarthy’s review: What the film really lacks is a strong and vigorous male lead (such as Han Solo or John Boyega’s Finn in The Force Awakens) to balance more equally with Jyn and supply a sparring partner. None of the men here has real physical or vocal stature, nor any scenes in which they can decisively emerge from the pack in a way that engages audience enthusiasm. Both Luna and Ahmed have proved themselves repeatedly in big-screen and television performances, but their characters never pop here, to the film’s detriment. And given that Jyn is rather less gung-ho and imposing than was Ridley’s Rey, there’s an overall feel of less physical capacity on the part of the main characters. None of this is remotely accurate. Actually, I’d hazard to call it complete and utter bullshit.
Shaun’s Rambles 014: Anticipating Rogue One
So, I’m about to see Rogue One. In this totally random and very short episode of Shaun’s Rambles, I talk about why I’m looking forward to the latest addition to the Star Wars franchise! Let me know what you thought of the movie in the comments! https://media.blubrry.com/shaunsrambles/archive.org/download/ShaunsRamblesEpisode014AnticipatingRogueOne/ShaunsRamblesEpisode014–AnticipatingRogueOne.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Strong Male Leads (Or, Why You Don’t Need Them in Every Goddamn Movie)
The Bourne Identity, 007: Specter, The Fast and Furious, The Dark Knight, Indiana Jones, and Rocky. What do these films have in common? Well, aside from being action films and most of them featuring the name of the main character in the title, all of these films have male leads and, at best, female supporting characters. Is this a problem for these franchises? Not really. A series about Rocky should probably feature Rocky, after all, and it makes sense that the same be true for most of the films I just listed. For the most part, men dominate action franchises, with some notable exceptions That’s been the way of things for decades, and only until recently has that power been properly challenged, with more and more female-led action franchises hitting our screens. It’s a good thing. Some of those new franchises are fan-friggin-tastic. And those other franchises are fantastic, too. We can have both! Which brings me to the latest “men aren’t getting their fair share” argument in film… By now, some of you have seen Todd McCarthy’s review of Rogue One at The Hollywood Reporter. As far as reviews go, it’s a fairly standard piece; read it if you like, but be warned there are some spoilers. Part of the reason McCarthy’s review has garnered a lot of attention, particularly on Twitter, is the following quote:
On Ethics and Linking Policies (or, Yeah, DNL Doesn’t Work That Way)
The Internet is a wonderful place. The Internet is a terrible place. The Internet is where dreams go to live and die in a messy conglomeration of joy, hate, madness, rage, love, sadness, and bewilderment. We want this Internet place to be safe for everyone. Yet, so often it is not. Given the right prompting, Internet detectives can hunt down your information, reveal your identity, and really ruin your day. Hell, in some cases, these folks have ruined entire lives, making people feel unsafe in their actual homes. It’s an obvious problem, and one that thus far we don’t really have a solution for — at least, not one that doesn’t involve putting your entire online identity behind a firewall of private accounts. Even then, it doesn’t necessarily work, since your private accounts can be infiltrated by especially motivated people.
Some Thoughts on the Battlefield 1 Beta
The beta has ended. B1 is now purchase only. For the past week, I’ve been playing the beta, learning as much about the ins and outs of the game as I can, and engaging in copious amounts of shenanigans. Now, I’m asking myself the big question: is the game worth its $60 price tag? This is a big thing for me. I’m a huge fan of Battlefield 4. It is one of the few games I play on a semi-regular basis while I’m doing this whole PhD thing. The rounds are short, and the game, while extremely fun, doesn’t suck me in the way other games do, leaving me with good feelings but no pressure to play for 9 hours in a row while putting off things I should be doing as an adult critter. So, you can imagine my excitement when DICE announced Battlefield 1, set in the First World War and featuring brand new gameplay, weapons, vehicles, etc. Equally exciting: getting access to the open beta! Let’s dig into the pros and cons: