the happy mania

I love the_dark_cat.

In other news, I spent the weekend watching the entire 2 seasons of Big Guy and Rusty. For those much younger than I (sob, sob) this was a series aired on Fox's defunct Fox Kids animation block ten years ago. Produced by the same team of the animated Men In Black, the show was loosely based on a Dark Horse published comic of the same name and featured a boy robot and his much larger patriotic idol, the Big Guy. Unlike the comic with its main influence from Japanese monster movies and robot manga (Astro Boy anyone?), the show's landscape is wholly American: vaguely 50s character design mixed with futuristic mecha, with a healthy dose of 90s pop culture snapbacks (Hannibal Lecter-mind vampire, oh my).



( long entry is long )

Speaking of canceled shows, tomorrow is live-or-die night for Chuck. Aw no, we hardly knew ye! It's not official, but it's very much a possibility the show might not be renewed. Other than scour cbs for issues of the limited Chuck comic series released months ago, what are fans doing? Subway, for one. The idea is to drive sales for Subway to show fan appreciation for the sponsors of Chuck; after all it is sponsors who decide whether a show is making money or not. The specifics of how this helps the show is iffy, but its heart is in the right place. So: if you don't want Chuck to go off air, Monday is when you'll walk into Subway, spend some hard earned money, and write a comment about saving Chuck into the suggestions box. Or call nbc/tweet/blog about Chuck. Fingers crossed!

South Asia: The first anniversary of Benazir Bhutto's assassination amidst growing tensions between India and Pakistan after the Mumbai attacks (BBC | LA Times).

Middle East: Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip kill 225 people (BBC | Guardian | Times UK | WA Post).

Entertainment: The Spirit debuted in 2,509 theaters and was pulled from theaters only 2 1/2 weeks after (Newsarama).

Yesterday, whilst chatting with a bloke at ye old LCS, I was nearly floored by a simple question posed to me.

Bloke: Wait, so The Spirit has nothing to do with Sin City?
Me: ... *curses Frank Miller times infinity*

I have seen the second trailer, but was trying my best at denial. This new trailer makes the movie seem like a live-action adaptation of a harem anime. How depressing. It really is more Frank Miller than Will Eisner, whose name appears like a mere footnote.

At this point, I'm sad, not angry. The Spirit we love is now being replaced by Miller's version in popular culture. Will the latter endure? And Denny, I hope Miller at least does you justice.

Then again, he did give you the lines 'She is my mother, she is my lover.' BWAHAHA!

I suppose we can be grateful Miller didn't restart the Batman franchise.

[7/9/2008 11:26:52 PM] Kiley says: what would happen if bale as the bat actually was in a batman movie directed by miller?
[7/9/2008 11:26:53 PM] Sal says: HOOOOOORRRRS HOOOOOOORRRSS!!!
[7/9/2008 11:26:58 PM] Sal says: HOOOOORSSS GALOOOR!
[7/9/2008 11:27:29 PM] Kiley says: i prefer to think bale would never agree to do it
[7/9/2008 11:28:06 PM] Sal says: He replaces bale with a hoor.

*sniggers* Never gets old.

Posted this on scans_daily, and am a bit conflicted about the new role. Ahhh, it'll work out in the end, won't it? *hyperventilates into a paper bag*

In other news, Chelsea lost the European Championship. My supervisor at new job rubbed it in, made me laugh with his impression of Rooney, and then we both commiserated on the state of the English Premiership (he's a Liverpool fan, haha!). Stupid penalties. Stupid Man U. Grr.

I haven't had dinner yet, having returned at 8pm before diving into preparing the SD post (yeah, my priorities are messed up). I still have a bagful of comics to catch up on, as well as newslinks. The one I'm most interested in at the moment is this International Herald Tribune article on Finding The Best Way to Cook All Those Vegetables. No, it's not a cooking column. It reports next month's findings in The British Journal of Nutrition of raw and plain vegetables not being 'the best'. Hey, maybe that means I won't have to succumb to the raw food diet to allay my allergies after all.

And finally, I'm posting this pic so's Sal can finally figure out my costume for this year's San Diego Comic-Con. A farthing for those who can guess correctly the character!


Now if you'll excuse me, Law & Order Season Finale awaits!

Oh dear god. The Comicon was... does a word that could accurately describe the damnable and giddy level of fandickery that is the SDCC exist? After an hour at Wednesday's Preview Night, I felt like my sanity had snapped. But in a good way, you know? As in, picking at a scab that hasn't healed yet.

Unbelievably on Saturday, Saloppe (as in the nick the friend I went with uses) gushed about 'next year'. I had not wanted a cigarette more than at that moment. It's just a crazy mix of things to see and things to fangirl at (Darwyn Cooke!) that all attempts trying to be sensible, damnit, ultimately failed.

Personally, I think it degenerated by the end of day 1 when making meaningless Goddamned Batman and Frank Miller jokes actually became hysterically funny. Sal, on the other hand, would argue it would be the morning of day 2 when we began our long-running Reverse Jesus skit (take the Reverse Flash, turn him into a wrestler, and add a pinch of blasphemy).

Will I go next year? *sigh* This Comicon actually forced me to look at my own reality (funny, innit?). Just as the SDCC allowed Sal to reconnect with her future career in animation (amazing how many people she knew there), the experience made me confront the choices in my life. Didn't I want to be a writer? Didn't I want to break into comics? Goddamnit, didn't I regret turning down that Tokyopop job?

There's nothing like illness, medication, regret, and alcohol to fuel a night's worth of melancholy. Not even the screening of 300 could cheer me up. But sometime that night when Frank Miller poignantly told us to 'Own Your Work', I realised, hell yeah I do want to write. And if the Comicon can be the catalyst to get my stupid arse in gear, I shall be there next year. And also to take my revenge at Ed Brubaker, who nearly made me cry at Wondercon years ago.