Showing posts with label Marvel Comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marvel Comics. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

My best stories shared in 2015

Illustration of a Brontosaurus (nowadays calle...
Illustration of a Brontosaurus (nowadays called Apatosaurus). The idea that Apatosaurus was wholly or mostly aquatic is now considered outdated. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Below are the top links I shared on social media that earned at least 50 clicks in 2015.
  1. "The desire to preserve the past died along with 20% time, Google Labs, and the spirit of haphazard experimentation" http://bit.ly/1ClguHZ | Jan. 31 | 125 clicks

  2. At what point is someone's skin "too black" for the mainstream comic book audience? Ask a colorist. http://bit.ly/1O76eqJ | Mar. 19 | 128 clicks

  3. "It is now possible to resurrect Brontosaurus as a genus, different from Apatosaurus" http://bbc.in/1CQQfr5 | Apr. 7 | 126 clicks

  4. Okay, I'm considering this canon http://bit.ly/1b8lcgI | Apr. 18 | 61 clicks

  5. "All of this might have ultimately been due to fans perceiving her as an ice queen. Which is beyond depressing." http://bit.ly/1RbcCie | May 6 | 162 clicks

  6. "Now if you’ll excuse us, an ugly cry session is definitely in order" http://bit.ly/1FTHCz4 | May 8 | 56 clicks

  7. "I thought my job was to be right. I thought that was how I proved my worth to the company. But that was all wrong." http://bit.ly/1FgLzNA | May 14 | 96 clicks

  8. "You need to stop mistaking Dane Cook routines for peer-reviewed sociological studies" http://wrd.cm/1c5QK7a | May 21 | 74 clicks

  9. I genuinely worry about this with my daughters http://bit.ly/1NIai11 | Sep. 22 | 285 clicks

  10. Look, I respect both sides of the gun control debate (looneys aside), but this is some cowardly bullshit http://bit.ly/1MNR2h4 | Oct. 2 | 82 clicks

  11. 10 years ago, @scalzi used me as an example of what NOT to do with your writing career http://bit.ly/1Rua5yp | Nov. 4 | 837 clicks

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

My controversial opinion on why rebooting comic book characters isn't controversial

Beta Ray Bill
Beta Ray Bill (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Sci-fi fandom's biggest mensch, Paul "Prince Jvstin" Weimer, allowed me to ruin an otherwise perfectly wonderful SF Signal Mind Meld discussing the fallout from Marvel's recent recasting of Thor as a woman and Captain America as a black man, and to follow up with a proposed reboot of a comic book icon.

Basically, I jump right on the landmine of why comics fans who hate change are idiots, and explain why the "still pure" Batman isn't just boring, but nigh-offensive.

Thankfully, authors and experts like Seanan "Mira Grant" McGuire, Sigrid Ellis, Sara Kuhn, Erika Ensign, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Cheryl Morgan, Shira Lipkin, Michael Lee, Cassandra Rose Clarke, Andrew Wheeler, Fabio Fernandes, Erica McGillivray, Abhinav Jain, Lynn M. & Michael Damian Thomas, and my occasional podcast sparring partner Jeff Patterson are there to add a few thousand cogent words to overwhelm my fanboyish pedantry and trolling of narrow-minded Batman traditionalists.

The unabridged (and voluminous) article is available here. Don't judge my peers by their company.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Female superheroes who deserve their own movies (according to professional authors and fans)

House of M #1 featuring the Scarlet Witch. Var...
Here's the sound of Marvel Comics head honcho Joe Quesada pulling the pin on a nerd-rage grenade and tossing it in our direction:
- In a chat [with Ain't It Cool News], Joe told me that he’d love to make a tentpole movie with a female lead, but that he really doesn’t think there is an actress right now who could carry it, or a character that would work either. I’m thinking I might agree with him on this one actually.
Okay, Joe, so you can't think of a single female character or actress worthy of a tentpole superhero movie? Here's the SF Signal Irregulars' collective response:
"Challenge: Accepted."
Stina Leicht, Jeff Patterson, Gail Carriger, Paul Weimer, Patrick Hester and I discuss not only which female characters and leads could carry a tentpole superhero movie, but also why poor ol' Joe can't seem to see the potential here. Get the full rundown in the Hugo-Nominated SF Signal Podcast Episode 131.

This is usually the part where I decry my own meager contributions to the topic and, compared to published authors like Ms. Carriger and Ms. Leicht, that remains the case. But when it comes to the underuse of superheroines in film, Joe Quesada is so wrong even I can make a few cogent points before succumbing to audible idiocy. Listen for yourself.

And, yes, the list goes well beyond Wonder Woman, She-Hulk, Marvel or DC.

As always, my litany of previous SF Signal podcast sins are confessed here.

Thursday, February 02, 2012

The best geek TV and movies of 2011

Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Image via Wikipedia
The SF Signal Podcast (Episode 103): Panel Round up of Our Favorite SF&F Movies and TV Shows of 2011 includes:
Included in the discussion: Cowboys and Aliens, Captain America, Thor, X-Men First Class, The Adjustment Bureau, Battle L.A., The Rite, Black Death, Super 8, Falling Skies, Eureka, Alphas, Fringe, Grimm, Chuck, Warehouse 13, SGU, Once Upon a Time, The Big Bang Theory, Midnight in Paris, Source Code, Attack the Block, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Sherlock, Community, Warhammer 40K Movie, Bridesmaids, Battleship Yamato, Black Mirror, Dinosaur Revolution, Planet Dinosaur, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Young Justice, Iron Man: Anime, Batman: Brave and the Bold, Doctor Who, Adventures of Sarah Jane, Game Of Thrones and Walking Dead.

If that seems rather a lot (or far too little), it is, and you can berate us (me) for it by voicemail at 720-277-9082 via email at voicemail@sfsignal.com.

If you like this episode, you'll love the commensurate one about Our Favorite SF&F Books of 2011, mostly because I'm not in that one.

As always my record of past SF Signal podcast audiocrimes is available here.

Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Me, a Famous Author and 2 Functional Nerds vs. The Avengers, Garageband, Arkham City and Kickstarter

Avengers (comics)
When my pals over at the Functional Nerds podcast decided to retool their format, they couldn't come up with a better guinea pig to pair with multi-talented multi-media author Matt Forbeck than me. The evidence of their desperation is enshrined forever in Functional Nerds Episode 082 – FN vs. The Avengers, Garageband, Arkham City and Kickstarter.

Batman: Arkham City
I am blissfully silent while the big kids are talking, but manage to get my meta-nerd shots in about the new Marvel movie meta-franchise, and its consequences for the career of some guy named Joss Whedon. Sandbox Batman and the revenge of online author donations also come up, and we even discuss the virtue of having a recording studio in your pocket (or are you just glad to see me?).

This podcast features original music by John Anealio. That alone is worth a listen.