Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the pad
Not a creature was stirring, except for one lad.
He tried to fall asleep, with all of his might
But his mind was racing, with childish delight.
When suddenly a rustle could be heard from the first floor
The lad grabbed his knife from his dresser drawer.
He ran down the stairs, as quick as The Flash.
He held up his knife, and went for a slash.
He stopped his blade amazingly quick
For standing in front of him was Jolly St Nick.
"I can't believe it, look at all the toys!
But Santa, what's with all the noise?"
Santa glared with all of his rage,
"It's because of this damn electronic age.
Not a Chimney in sight, just windows and doors.
It all just adds to my holiday chores."
"Magical alarm stoppers and so many lock picks
I spend my whole year, working on these tricks."
The lad held a grin that went on for miles
"But isn't it worth it for all the kids smiles?"
Santa rolled his eyes, his emotions didn't shift.
"Yeah whatever, you just want a gift."
The boy looked around, and was filled with such guilt
By the tree a empty table, covered by a quilt.
"My god, I forgot your Christmas Treat."
And he sprang the kitchen, feeling upbeat.
Rummaging around with quite a hustle
Making sure to move quickly and use every muscle.
He returned to the tree, with treats in hand,
And it filled Santa's heart with a feeling so grand.
Santa held back a tear and started to choke
The boy brought him a Pie, and delicious Vanilla coke.
"But these are your favorites, I can't take them."
He let slip one tear, shinning like a gem.
"Santa you work so hard, just for some snacks.
This is a holiday of family, kindness and generous acts."
Santa walked out the door, and sprang in his sleigh.
With tear filled eyes, he couldn't keep his emotions at bay.
The sled flew into the air, he yelled from a height
"Merry CHRIS tmas to all, and to all a good-night."
And if you haven't seen my Christmas Film, check it out below!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
December 24, 2011
September 28, 2011
Starfire Dilemma
By now many of you have heard about the depiction of the DC comics super hero Starfire in "Redhood and the Outlaws" by Scott Lobdell. The hot button issue is that she is "anti-feminist" and doesn't properly display a strong woman who knows what she wants, and is just eye candy. Let me start with saying, I don't disagree, but I think this hype is not good. So let's go thru the arguments!
1) She just has sex for no reason, with guys she has no feelings for.
Yeah ok, I'll agree that this isn't good and completely true about this issue, but women demanded diverse females in comics that display all types. There are real woman who have sex with men and don't give a crap about who they are and are constantly displaying themselves. No, it's not what women should aspire for, but they are out there.
2) Starfire was never like that.
Not to that extreme, no, but Starfire has always been scantily glad and loves sex. This is just a more extreme version.
3) She's not a good role model like the original.
Uh...this comic involves shooting people's heads off and blowing up tanks and follows a super villain...are you seriously letting your kids read this? This shouldn't be "role modeling" for anyone.
4) Scott Lobdell just wants to sexually attract men.
First of all, he's the writer, not the artist. He does have some control, but it's not absolute. Secondly, this may be true, but this is only issue one. Six pages of the first issue display Starfire, the rest of the comic is about Redhood. She hasn't been explained besides "powerful alien" so how about we wait till issue three, where we know all three characters have to face their younger selves, and Starfire was a sex slave. Maybe this will help explain why she's like this or help her grow to be not like this.
Furthermore, Scott wrote Generation X, the new Teen Titans and Superboy, which all have very different types of females who aren't sluts, so let's not attack him for one comic.
5) DC is messing up their females all around, like Voodoo and Catwoman.
Agreed, but the comics aren't connected. Don't judge all three extra for each individual comics failure, just judge DC for not fixing it. Also, it was shown in interviews that woman of DC explained to Lobdell that he should emphasis the "sexual slave" part to help explain Starfires sexuality. DC is aware of the issue and may need time to fix it or has it out.
(Side note: I didn't read those other two comics, so don't know how bad they were.)
6) This works against everything feminists fight for.
This argument bugs me because no one ever explains it. When men are depicted this way, it's either not commented on or just written off as flat character. When women are displayed this way it's a crime against all women. If you're going to argue this, at least explain why, and I want to thank all the reviewers and bloggers who did explain it.
So all and all, I support displaying women in proper ways to help show they aren't just hot bodies but people. I just wish people would give these things time before going all out. You can ask anyone I discussed Redhood with, the Starfire scenes intrigued me by how drastically she was changed, but were very off putting and were a brick wall mid comic. Pin up pages don't further the story so I don't need them. But I love Redhood as a character and how Scott wrote him, so I'll give it a few more issues to see where it evolves. If there are more brick walls like that, then I'll stop, but for now patience and understanding will hold me over.
Oh, and if you don't like it, don't buy it and they'll stop making it. DC has said that a million times. If it keeps going, someone is still buying it.
1) She just has sex for no reason, with guys she has no feelings for.
Yeah ok, I'll agree that this isn't good and completely true about this issue, but women demanded diverse females in comics that display all types. There are real woman who have sex with men and don't give a crap about who they are and are constantly displaying themselves. No, it's not what women should aspire for, but they are out there.
2) Starfire was never like that.
Not to that extreme, no, but Starfire has always been scantily glad and loves sex. This is just a more extreme version.
3) She's not a good role model like the original.
Uh...this comic involves shooting people's heads off and blowing up tanks and follows a super villain...are you seriously letting your kids read this? This shouldn't be "role modeling" for anyone.
4) Scott Lobdell just wants to sexually attract men.
First of all, he's the writer, not the artist. He does have some control, but it's not absolute. Secondly, this may be true, but this is only issue one. Six pages of the first issue display Starfire, the rest of the comic is about Redhood. She hasn't been explained besides "powerful alien" so how about we wait till issue three, where we know all three characters have to face their younger selves, and Starfire was a sex slave. Maybe this will help explain why she's like this or help her grow to be not like this.
Furthermore, Scott wrote Generation X, the new Teen Titans and Superboy, which all have very different types of females who aren't sluts, so let's not attack him for one comic.
5) DC is messing up their females all around, like Voodoo and Catwoman.
Agreed, but the comics aren't connected. Don't judge all three extra for each individual comics failure, just judge DC for not fixing it. Also, it was shown in interviews that woman of DC explained to Lobdell that he should emphasis the "sexual slave" part to help explain Starfires sexuality. DC is aware of the issue and may need time to fix it or has it out.
(Side note: I didn't read those other two comics, so don't know how bad they were.)
6) This works against everything feminists fight for.
This argument bugs me because no one ever explains it. When men are depicted this way, it's either not commented on or just written off as flat character. When women are displayed this way it's a crime against all women. If you're going to argue this, at least explain why, and I want to thank all the reviewers and bloggers who did explain it.
So all and all, I support displaying women in proper ways to help show they aren't just hot bodies but people. I just wish people would give these things time before going all out. You can ask anyone I discussed Redhood with, the Starfire scenes intrigued me by how drastically she was changed, but were very off putting and were a brick wall mid comic. Pin up pages don't further the story so I don't need them. But I love Redhood as a character and how Scott wrote him, so I'll give it a few more issues to see where it evolves. If there are more brick walls like that, then I'll stop, but for now patience and understanding will hold me over.
Oh, and if you don't like it, don't buy it and they'll stop making it. DC has said that a million times. If it keeps going, someone is still buying it.
July 8, 2011
Things A Tired Chris Thinks About
This past week I've been getting up at 7 so I could teach at a summer camp. The new sleep schedule mixed with some challenging kids has led me to becoming a exhausted zombie. These are a few highlights of things that went through my brain (and sometimes said outloud) this week that I can only assume were caused by lack of sleep.
Who came up for the name "pants?" Why is he such a rebel he can't use the S system we had going? Shirts, shorts, skirts, suits, scarves, sneakers, sandals, socks, slippers, sherpa, etc. He must have gotten to the meeting late and just yelled out Pants not knowing how stupid he sounded.
Do the residents of Mushroom Kingdom actually own bathrooms? Mario is a plumber, but we've never seen him do any plumbing. We've also never seen any other plumbers so there can't be that much of a demand. Besides Luigi's Mansion, we've never really even seen a bathroom.
I don't believe in beating children, but after teaching at a summer camp I do believe they would learn faster if I was allowed. Yes, it would be a bad thing to do, but I can promise you one thing, they'd listen.
Why do gold fish smile back? Do they want to die because their lives suck or has Pepperidge Farm brain washed them into believing that being eaten is awesome? Maybe they just don't get that people are about to eat them and are just happy to be out of the bag...moral of this story, I don't want my snack smiling at me.
Vanilla coke is the single greatest soda of all time...true story. I should carry a bottle of vanilla with me where ever I go so any time I have regular coke, I can turn it into vanilla coke.
If I wear a purple t-shirt I know I will be mistaken for something I'm not. I could come off as a pimp or a bold fashion guy, but more than likely people would think it was for gay pride. What I'm really getting at is I don't know why I told my mom it was ok to buy me a purple t-shirt.
The world is just one giant touch screen, and when I'm bored I must test all of the apps! (this thought was followed by touching a strangers convertible...)
Who came up for the name "pants?" Why is he such a rebel he can't use the S system we had going? Shirts, shorts, skirts, suits, scarves, sneakers, sandals, socks, slippers, sherpa, etc. He must have gotten to the meeting late and just yelled out Pants not knowing how stupid he sounded.
Do the residents of Mushroom Kingdom actually own bathrooms? Mario is a plumber, but we've never seen him do any plumbing. We've also never seen any other plumbers so there can't be that much of a demand. Besides Luigi's Mansion, we've never really even seen a bathroom.
I don't believe in beating children, but after teaching at a summer camp I do believe they would learn faster if I was allowed. Yes, it would be a bad thing to do, but I can promise you one thing, they'd listen.
Why do gold fish smile back? Do they want to die because their lives suck or has Pepperidge Farm brain washed them into believing that being eaten is awesome? Maybe they just don't get that people are about to eat them and are just happy to be out of the bag...moral of this story, I don't want my snack smiling at me.
Vanilla coke is the single greatest soda of all time...true story. I should carry a bottle of vanilla with me where ever I go so any time I have regular coke, I can turn it into vanilla coke.
If I wear a purple t-shirt I know I will be mistaken for something I'm not. I could come off as a pimp or a bold fashion guy, but more than likely people would think it was for gay pride. What I'm really getting at is I don't know why I told my mom it was ok to buy me a purple t-shirt.
The world is just one giant touch screen, and when I'm bored I must test all of the apps! (this thought was followed by touching a strangers convertible...)
May 10, 2011
"My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" Review
After this, no one can ever say I'm not a man of my word. Most likely by now you've seen at least a commercial for the show "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic." I'm an animator so I attempt to give all animations a chance, but My Little Pony didn't have anything to interest me. As a kid I never played with the toys or watched the old show. As an adult I was annoyed that the toys were sleeked down to appear more "sexy." So when my friend Zach became obsessed (I'm talking image tagging, fan comic making, shrine in his closet obsessed) with this show I really couldn't understand why. That being said, I agreed to watch one episode, chosen by him, and give him my 100% unbiased opinion of it. Zach and his friend Alex agreed I should watch episode 15, "Feeling Pinkie Keen."
This story is about a pony named Pinkie Pie who has the ability to make predictions via twitches on her body. Another Pony named Twilight doesn't believe in this ability because there is no scientific explanation. Essentially it is a metaphor for faith versus science. It covers all the necessary bases to tell the story without going too deep. It's perfect for children and ends with a solid moral, though parents who believe in science over faith might not like it.
I love traditional and tradigital 2D animation. When the animators take time to draw frame by frame each image the whole thing just flows better. So watching these flash based motion tween style animations just feels lazy by comparison. Having only the person talking move while the others just react isn't good. It's not how real life works, people don't just stop all motion but blinking.
On that note, this is a great example of the detailed work that can be done in flash. When it's moving the animation flows smoothly and there are enough replacement pieces for each character to have subtle and over the top expressions. It does save time and in the end will help later seasons be produced faster. This type of animation isn't my cup of tea but, like the Erin esurance commercials before it, I can really appreciate when this technique is used right.
The design is...it's my little pony's...do I really need to say more? It's cute, brightly colored and adorable. The characters designs aren't doing anything girl based toys or cartoons haven't done before. What is really great about the design is the background images. They are almost always jam packed with unique objects making them full of life. The few occasions the backgrounds become empty that life is drained away. It's not a show stopper, but it's noticeable.
Each character has a unique voice that matches their individual personalities, but they do come off as overly stereotyped. The farmer sounds like a classic cow girl and the Pinkie Pie is the sitcom "blond." There isn't anything inappropriate or unsafe about what you'll hear. Each line feels like something someone would really say, but doesn't become too complicated to alienate children. What really makes this simple dialogue work is the voice actors energy. Without them this script would be a lot blander.
Although there is some entertaining wit, many of the greatest laughs are from physical humor. Whether it be a exaggerated expression or a Loony Toons style anvil drop, you'll be hard pressed not to laugh at least once.
Over All:
B+
This show is perfect for little kids, and by comparison to shows like Flapjack, Hanna Montana, Adventure Time, and most the kids shows out there right now, this is a shinning gem. It will be one of the shows that 20 years from now college kids will be talking about having watched as kids, like how my generation discusses Spiderman. Will I watch this show again? No, but if I had kids I would want them to watch it and gain some simple morals with fun stories. It's the kind of show parents can watch with their children and not feel like their brains are melting. They might even get a few moments out of it themselves.
And now to you Zach, fine, your right. It wasn't as bad as it looked, but your over the top obsession with it is...well over the top. I guess, like the Naruto anime, we'll just have to disagree. Now if they do a My Little Pony: Apocalypse Pony season, maybe we can talk.
This story is about a pony named Pinkie Pie who has the ability to make predictions via twitches on her body. Another Pony named Twilight doesn't believe in this ability because there is no scientific explanation. Essentially it is a metaphor for faith versus science. It covers all the necessary bases to tell the story without going too deep. It's perfect for children and ends with a solid moral, though parents who believe in science over faith might not like it.
I love traditional and tradigital 2D animation. When the animators take time to draw frame by frame each image the whole thing just flows better. So watching these flash based motion tween style animations just feels lazy by comparison. Having only the person talking move while the others just react isn't good. It's not how real life works, people don't just stop all motion but blinking.
On that note, this is a great example of the detailed work that can be done in flash. When it's moving the animation flows smoothly and there are enough replacement pieces for each character to have subtle and over the top expressions. It does save time and in the end will help later seasons be produced faster. This type of animation isn't my cup of tea but, like the Erin esurance commercials before it, I can really appreciate when this technique is used right.
The design is...it's my little pony's...do I really need to say more? It's cute, brightly colored and adorable. The characters designs aren't doing anything girl based toys or cartoons haven't done before. What is really great about the design is the background images. They are almost always jam packed with unique objects making them full of life. The few occasions the backgrounds become empty that life is drained away. It's not a show stopper, but it's noticeable.
Each character has a unique voice that matches their individual personalities, but they do come off as overly stereotyped. The farmer sounds like a classic cow girl and the Pinkie Pie is the sitcom "blond." There isn't anything inappropriate or unsafe about what you'll hear. Each line feels like something someone would really say, but doesn't become too complicated to alienate children. What really makes this simple dialogue work is the voice actors energy. Without them this script would be a lot blander.
Although there is some entertaining wit, many of the greatest laughs are from physical humor. Whether it be a exaggerated expression or a Loony Toons style anvil drop, you'll be hard pressed not to laugh at least once.
Over All:
B+
This show is perfect for little kids, and by comparison to shows like Flapjack, Hanna Montana, Adventure Time, and most the kids shows out there right now, this is a shinning gem. It will be one of the shows that 20 years from now college kids will be talking about having watched as kids, like how my generation discusses Spiderman. Will I watch this show again? No, but if I had kids I would want them to watch it and gain some simple morals with fun stories. It's the kind of show parents can watch with their children and not feel like their brains are melting. They might even get a few moments out of it themselves.
And now to you Zach, fine, your right. It wasn't as bad as it looked, but your over the top obsession with it is...well over the top. I guess, like the Naruto anime, we'll just have to disagree. Now if they do a My Little Pony: Apocalypse Pony season, maybe we can talk.
May 4, 2011
Free Comic Book Day
Rabidly approaching is free comic book day...well not rapidly...at a normal speed really...whatever, this Saturday is free comic book day! This day always brings me to the question, WHY THE HELL DON'T MORE PEOPLE READ COMIC BOOKS?!?!
Seriously, everyone I know loves super hero movies and knows/loves the characters. Who didn't play and adore Batman: Arkham Asylum? Who doesn't love great art work and amazing fights with heart gripping stories? So it seems only logical that everyone would love comic books, yet many comic stores are going out of business and sales of real paper comics are going down. So for ten years now they've just been handing out comics for free once a year!
Also, digital comics are killing classic comic book stores...come on, having a nice book always feels better than some hard plastic contraption. And you don't risk losing all your comics from a virus or having your identity stolen when you spend cash at a store. Sure they take up space, but it's worth it!
So everyone get out there on Sat and support your local comic store!
Seriously, everyone I know loves super hero movies and knows/loves the characters. Who didn't play and adore Batman: Arkham Asylum? Who doesn't love great art work and amazing fights with heart gripping stories? So it seems only logical that everyone would love comic books, yet many comic stores are going out of business and sales of real paper comics are going down. So for ten years now they've just been handing out comics for free once a year!
Also, digital comics are killing classic comic book stores...come on, having a nice book always feels better than some hard plastic contraption. And you don't risk losing all your comics from a virus or having your identity stolen when you spend cash at a store. Sure they take up space, but it's worth it!
So everyone get out there on Sat and support your local comic store!
April 27, 2011
Project Cafe Attacks
As many people out there know, the Playstation Network went down on the 19th as a result of external intrusion. This has created a very wide spread panic because on Monday it was revealed that the hackers who have caused this issue could have taken private information such as Names, Addresses and Passwords. Sony has done their "best" to fix the situation, up security and get federal investigations to find what information was taken. This concerns me because I'm a huge PS3 fan and have owned my system from day one! Luckily the lack of online play hasn't affected my gaming cause I tend to go solo anyway, but still, I want my private information safe.
Many theories have come out about the invasion, including the newly added Steam connection and hacker terrorist getting revenge on Sony. This has led FBI to investigate several people, Law suits towards Sony and even a U.S. Senator to address the issue. What people haven't mentioned much was a Security Warning that appeared on Xbox 360's and the sudden "un-banning" of blocked 360 accounts. Sure, Microsoft is claiming their in control and these issues aren't nearly as devastating as what's happening with Sony, but we can't just ignore this as a happenstance! These attacks could be connected and there's only one logical explanation...THE Wii 2!
Nintendo's recently announced system has been reported to out powering even the PS3 and was said to change gaming. We all assumed this meant some brand new gimmick, but what if Nintendo went too far this time? What if they made a sentient system? It would make sense that during its testing it would destroy the competition so only it could shine. It's taking PSN information so it can locate any customers it will need to control. It's showing Microsoft they aren't the super power they pretend to be. It's putting its rivals in their places before it even appears on shelves.
At E3 Nintendo may not just be announcing a new system, they may be announcing our new ruler!
Many theories have come out about the invasion, including the newly added Steam connection and hacker terrorist getting revenge on Sony. This has led FBI to investigate several people, Law suits towards Sony and even a U.S. Senator to address the issue. What people haven't mentioned much was a Security Warning that appeared on Xbox 360's and the sudden "un-banning" of blocked 360 accounts. Sure, Microsoft is claiming their in control and these issues aren't nearly as devastating as what's happening with Sony, but we can't just ignore this as a happenstance! These attacks could be connected and there's only one logical explanation...THE Wii 2!
Nintendo's recently announced system has been reported to out powering even the PS3 and was said to change gaming. We all assumed this meant some brand new gimmick, but what if Nintendo went too far this time? What if they made a sentient system? It would make sense that during its testing it would destroy the competition so only it could shine. It's taking PSN information so it can locate any customers it will need to control. It's showing Microsoft they aren't the super power they pretend to be. It's putting its rivals in their places before it even appears on shelves.
At E3 Nintendo may not just be announcing a new system, they may be announcing our new ruler!
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