Another disturbing trend in modern comics is the turning of heroes into villains, especially for shock value.
For instance, I was flipping through the last part of the "Avengers Dissembled" storyline (in stores now) and Scarlet Witch is revealed to have been behind the destruction of the Avenger's Mansion and probably the deaths of Vision, Ant-Man, and Hawkeye. (Correct me if I'm wrong, since I'm not actually reading the series. This also brings into play what I've said before about death as a ratings ploy.)
Now, I'm sure the story was well written, and Scarlet Witch didn't really turn evil, as much as just went loco. And it's not the first time something like this has happened. Remember when Iron Man became Kang's spy or something, and the Avengers took a young Stark from the past, and... well, there was all that. Let's not forget Hal Jordan too.
What I'm trying to get at is that we (the fans) like these characters because they're our heroes, and turning them into villains sucks. Who wants their idol turned into a badly written two dimensional villain?
So, Marvel and DC, stop the craziness and leave the heroes alone. Anyway, just like death and any other changes you try to invoke, someone will come and change it back. Just like Hal Jordan.
Friday, November 05, 2004
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Ultraman Nexus and Ultraman the Movie
Here's the scoop on the new Ultraman tv series and upcoming movie:
Ultraman Nexus premiered on October 2 in Japan. Set in the near future, a high-tech security force called TLT (pronounced "tilt") protects the Earth from an invasion of "Space Beasts."
The show will feature the now traditional multi-form Ultraman: the silver version is called "Anphans" (or "enfance" meaning "childhood" in French) and the red version called "Junis" (or "jeunesse" meaning "youth" in French.) Anphans will battle monsters in our universe, while transforming into Junis to do battle in the "Meta Field" dimension. That's not all. There's also a third version of this Ultraman that has yet to be revealed.
Another new concept being used for the series is that multiple people will take on the power of Ultraman. The first host for Ultraman will be actor Yusuke Kirishima, playing a young man surrounded in mystery. Other cast members include Takuji Kawakubo, Tamotsu Ishibashi, and Yasue Sato.
As for the upcoming Ultraman movie, it seems to have been simply titled "Ultraman" and may be released as soon as January 2005. The script was written Keiichi Hasegawa, whose credits include the Ultraman Tiga tv series and the Ultraman Gaia movie. Since these are two of my favorite Ultraman shows, I can't wait to see this movie.
The Ultraman featured in this movie will be different than the Ultraman Nexus one, though it's likely it too will have a transformation ability. The Movie Ultraman looks like a cross between Ultraman Noah and Guyver I. The nerd translation: simply AWESOME.
The only real problem being that I have no idea if any of this will be released here in the U.S. FUNimation, who's released Ultraman Tiga on DVD, should try and get at least Dyna and Gaia released too, but they really only care about selling their Dragonball Z stuff.
Ultraman Nexus premiered on October 2 in Japan. Set in the near future, a high-tech security force called TLT (pronounced "tilt") protects the Earth from an invasion of "Space Beasts."
The show will feature the now traditional multi-form Ultraman: the silver version is called "Anphans" (or "enfance" meaning "childhood" in French) and the red version called "Junis" (or "jeunesse" meaning "youth" in French.) Anphans will battle monsters in our universe, while transforming into Junis to do battle in the "Meta Field" dimension. That's not all. There's also a third version of this Ultraman that has yet to be revealed.
Another new concept being used for the series is that multiple people will take on the power of Ultraman. The first host for Ultraman will be actor Yusuke Kirishima, playing a young man surrounded in mystery. Other cast members include Takuji Kawakubo, Tamotsu Ishibashi, and Yasue Sato.
As for the upcoming Ultraman movie, it seems to have been simply titled "Ultraman" and may be released as soon as January 2005. The script was written Keiichi Hasegawa, whose credits include the Ultraman Tiga tv series and the Ultraman Gaia movie. Since these are two of my favorite Ultraman shows, I can't wait to see this movie.
The Ultraman featured in this movie will be different than the Ultraman Nexus one, though it's likely it too will have a transformation ability. The Movie Ultraman looks like a cross between Ultraman Noah and Guyver I. The nerd translation: simply AWESOME.
The only real problem being that I have no idea if any of this will be released here in the U.S. FUNimation, who's released Ultraman Tiga on DVD, should try and get at least Dyna and Gaia released too, but they really only care about selling their Dragonball Z stuff.
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Monday, November 01, 2004
Chapter Preview
Here's a little treat for all three of my faithful readers: an excerpt from the new Chapter Eight that I'm working on. Enjoy!
Rian moved to the door, and crouched under its frame to fit into the hallway. Zoey heard the stairs creak and moan. Relieved to get the giant alien out of her bedroom, she threw back her sheets, snuck out into the hall, making her way to Sara’s room. She opened the door, not at all surprised to find it empty. Gazing around all the book shelves, she found only one large space of wall, over Sara’s bed, and it was covered by a framed painting. The painting was of a lady in an elegant white dress with a purple sash. She was reclining in an antique chair covered by a floral design with blue drapes in the background. Zoey might have thought it was a self portrait of a younger Sara, if not for the cold, contemptible look on the woman’s face and the fact that her eyes weren’t green.
As she was about to leave, Zoey noticed a picture frame on the desk. It was of two women on a balcony at night. The one on the left had crisp, blond hair that touched her bare shoulders and wore a stylish black dress that hugged to her body. The one on the right was in a mainly black traditional Japanese dress, complete with a white obi that wrapped around her waist. Her long, dark hair was wrapped behind her head into a bun. The two looked of similar ages: late twenties, early thirties Zoey guessed. Both of them seemed to be happy, waving at the camera. Without being able to explain it, Zoey felt that they were both the best of friends. A highlight of that friendship frozen forever within the thin pane of glass. Zoey replaced the frame on the desk and left the room.
Rian moved to the door, and crouched under its frame to fit into the hallway. Zoey heard the stairs creak and moan. Relieved to get the giant alien out of her bedroom, she threw back her sheets, snuck out into the hall, making her way to Sara’s room. She opened the door, not at all surprised to find it empty. Gazing around all the book shelves, she found only one large space of wall, over Sara’s bed, and it was covered by a framed painting. The painting was of a lady in an elegant white dress with a purple sash. She was reclining in an antique chair covered by a floral design with blue drapes in the background. Zoey might have thought it was a self portrait of a younger Sara, if not for the cold, contemptible look on the woman’s face and the fact that her eyes weren’t green.
As she was about to leave, Zoey noticed a picture frame on the desk. It was of two women on a balcony at night. The one on the left had crisp, blond hair that touched her bare shoulders and wore a stylish black dress that hugged to her body. The one on the right was in a mainly black traditional Japanese dress, complete with a white obi that wrapped around her waist. Her long, dark hair was wrapped behind her head into a bun. The two looked of similar ages: late twenties, early thirties Zoey guessed. Both of them seemed to be happy, waving at the camera. Without being able to explain it, Zoey felt that they were both the best of friends. A highlight of that friendship frozen forever within the thin pane of glass. Zoey replaced the frame on the desk and left the room.
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