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examining the art of storytelling

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December 10, 2023

Jake & Leon #582: Christmas Memories

A fire shouldn’t be THAT open.

Since I’m trying to get Captain Yuletide done on time this year (for a change) article and Jake & Leon production might take a hit, as well as adding Christmas specials and music to the various playlists. Just an early warning. Talking about storytelling is fun but becoming a better storyteller includes…telling actual stories. I’ll try to get the feature article out at least, especially next week when I want to do that Chapter By Chapter review of A Christmas Carol.

Over at The Clutter Reports this week, Warner Brothers Discovery pulling Discovery Network shows off of Sony’s Playstation streaming is proof that physical media should not be allowed to die…on top of the other nonsense by some of these sites and IP owners.

So I am going to try to get articles out but we’ll see what happens as the week goes on. I just hope the comic is worth it, if only to get some feedback on my journey. Have a great week, everyone!

Posted by ShadowWing Tronix on December 10, 2023 in Christmas Spotlight, Jake & Leon and tagged comic strip, Jake & Leon, web comic, webcomic.

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December 9, 2023

Saturday Night Christmas Showcase> The Smurfs’ Save Mr. Nicholas’ Sack

I hate when I have to take an afternoon nap because it throws my whole day off. Tonight’s Christmas special is one I posted before in a compilation video but it comes from the official Smurfs channel and I’m low on time to make post time. So here we go.

While I’ve posted Smurf Christmas specials solo in the past (and apparently way too many reposts of the He-Man & She-Ra Christmas special than I needed to), this is from a regular episode of the original Smurfs cartoon by Hanna-Barbera. An evil enchantress steals a magic sack from kindly toymaker Nicholas, and the Smurfs have to get it back or the kids in whatever land the Smurfs hail from won’t have a Merry Christmas. Enjoy.

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Posted by ShadowWing Tronix on December 9, 2023 in Animation Spotlight, Christmas Spotlight, Saturday Night Showcase, Television Spotlight and tagged Christmas episode, Saturday Night Showcase, The Smurfs.

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December 8, 2023

Beast Machine Hunters> The First Season Guide part 8

Last time on Beast Machine Hunters we took a tour of Beast Machines Cybertron. Based on a quick skim I think we’re on our last three installments of the season one guide before moving on to season 2 to see what’s different. Depending on what’s kept between writer guides that may be a short one.

This time we’re looking into deeper concepts of the Beast Wars/Machine world. We’re talking how technorganic transformation works, what technorganics are, the way this show tells time on Cybertron, and how the two shows differ from each other. Next time we go over the intended episodes and plans for season two and other details to follow. So far it’s been interesting to see what the intentions were versus what we (or at least I) thought were changes as well as what the final product changed. Now we get into the real worldbuilding, the minor details that make a world seem lived in, but without getting so detailed that it stops being fun. It begins with the new form of transformation.

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Posted by ShadowWing Tronix on December 8, 2023 in Animation Spotlight, Beast Machines/Hunters: Transformers and tagged Beast Machines, Fox Kids, Mainframe Entertainment, show bible, story bible, Transformers, Transformers: Beast Machines, writer's bible, writer's guide, YTV.

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December 8, 2023

“Yesterday’s” Comic> The Blue Beetle #37

Basically this series is now “Blue Beetle endangers children” in a way sidekick haters only joked about.

The Blue Beetle #37

Fox Features Publications (Spring, 1945)

I’m not quite as disappointed as I was during the Holyoke run because I can get one or two stories that work. Unfortunately the bad keeps outweighing the good, and with an anthology like this one gets the impression they were just tossing ideas out there. Longer stories might have been the way to go. Well, this issue has three stories, no O’Brine Twins, the usual bonuses, but no sign of the serial. I haven’t read it yet but it’s already feeling more like an annual or a secondary issue, but it’s continuing the same number trend. Numbering in the 1940s was weird, so who knows? Hey, I can go a week without Gloat and Saturina.

[Read along with me here]

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Posted by ShadowWing Tronix on December 8, 2023 in Yesterday's Comics and tagged Blue Beetle, Dan Garret, Fox Features Publication, Joan Mason.

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December 8, 2023

BW’s Daily Video> Is Santa Claus In The DCAU?

Catch more from Watchtower Database on YouTube

Posted by ShadowWing Tronix on December 8, 2023 in Animation Spotlight, Christmas Spotlight, DC Spotlight, Television Spotlight and tagged DC animated universe, DCAU, Fictional theorizing, Santa Claus.

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December 7, 2023

Sing Me A Christmas Story> Driving Home For Christmas

I’m finding I’m running low on Christmas songs that are narratives. Most Christmas music speaks to the moment rather than tells a story. I was thinking “I Saw Three Ships” but I already did that. Luckily for me I thought of one: Chris Rea’s 1978 classic “Driving Home For Christmas.

What’s that, you say? You didn’t think the song was that old? Well, that’s when he wrote it. It wouldn’t appear in the world until the B-side single off of his 1988 album New Light Through Old Windows, the a-side belonging to “Hello, Friend”. While not as popular on the original release (the B-side rarely gets fame: see also the underappreciated “Captain Santa Claus & His Reindeer Space Patrol“, which I made a Captain Yuletide story out of) it has gone on to be the one you know, and is even part of my Christmas music “Yule Log” playlist here at the Spotlight. So what is the tale of this recent classic?

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