March 1, 2022

BW’s Daily Article Link> Webcomic Grubbs To Get An Animated Series

image source: Three Men In A Tub

I didn’t think they were running out of comic books because knowing the storytelling pecking order in the entertainment industry I wouldn’t think webcomics would even been on the radar. And yet the Keenspot-hosted comic Grubbs is getting an animated series. Not that this article fills me with hope. Just on a base level Marry Me, another Keenspot comic mentioned in the article, got an adaptation in name only. One of the writers of the show worked with Sarah Silverman and the girls division at Mattel so based on today’s Hollywood I wonder how she’ll handle a little boy as the lead (and couldn’t Variety find a better picture?) while I don’t trust the modern entertainment industry to make a proper adaptation of anything. They saw something inspired by Calvin & Hobbes, knew they couldn’t get a show about that comic due to Bill Waterson’s history, and decided to do what they do with ideas that are more about marketing than storytelling.

I hope to be proven wrong but history has shown this may no end up that good. Not that I can see what the comic originally was since there doesn’t seem to be a home for the comic anymore. You can only get it by buying books so it’s not even a “webcomic” anymore, it’s a physical comic book series. The only site I could find apparently sends red flags to my internet provider and they won’t let me use it. The sample image came from another website. So what started out to be a celebration turned into my trust issues when it comes to the modern day (alleged) entertainment industry getting worse.

Posted by on March 1, 2022 in Animation Spotlight, Television Spotlight, webcomics and tagged , , , , .

Leave a comment

February 28, 2022

Chapter By Chapter> Robotech: Before The Invid Storm chapter 2

Chapter By Chapter features me reading one chapter of the selected book at the time and reviewing it as if I were reviewing an episode of a TV show or an issue of a comic. There will be spoilers if you haven’t read to the point I have, and if you’ve read further I ask that you don’t spoil anything further into the book. Think of it as read-along book club.

The previous chapter was all backstory for anyone who missed the end of the Masters saga and the original takes from the previous novels. This time I’m hoping for some actual advancement. We only have 17 chapters to go and the action doesn’t start until Col. Wolf shows up with the SDF Plot Device.

I’m not sure why but I don’t have a lot to say going into this. I guess having already reviewed Robotech comics around this period I already said plenty there. Also I don’t have any expectations when it comes to the story. I mean, I always expect a good story and more often than not that’s delivered on. However I mean I have no expectations about the story outside of wondering how all five factions (still counting Dana as her own faction) are going to play into this story. I guess we’ll just start the review and see what turns up.

Continue reading →

Posted by on February 28, 2022 in Animation Spotlight, Robotech: Before The Invid Storm, Television Spotlight and tagged , , , , , , .

2 Comments

February 28, 2022

“Yesterday’s” Comic> Robotech: The New Generation #7

I don’t care personally, but this anti-pineapple pizza stuff is getting out of hand now.

Robotech: The New Generation #7

Comico The Comic Company (April 1986)

“Paper Hero”

ADAPTATION: Jack Herman

PENCILER: Reggie Byers

INKER: Tom Poston

COLORIST: Kurt Mausert

LETTERER: Bob Pinaha

EDITOR: Diana Schutz

Continue reading →

Posted by on February 28, 2022 in Animation Spotlight, Television Spotlight, Yesterday's Comics and tagged , , .

1 Comment

February 28, 2022

BW’s Daily Article Link: A (Fairy) Tale Of Two Romances

Ah, young love. There is a right way and wrong way to tell that story. Author John C. Wright compares Disney’s Aladdin (the cartoon, not the nightmare show) and The Swan Princess to see which movie got it correct and which one is a romance that doesn’t make sense.

Posted by on February 28, 2022 in Animation Spotlight, Movie Spotlight and tagged , , .

Leave a comment

February 27, 2022

Jake & Leon #518: Un-Super

Modern DC heroes are becoming people I aspire NOT to be.

I don’t think I’m going to do the eyes like this again. Every time I’ve tried I failed to get it right. It’s like a cross of two different styles and the worst part of both of them. Otherwise, my commentary stands.

In this week’s Clutter Report I had to watch TV because I don’t know what’s going to survive when they change cable boxes. This one is constantly having issues. So I got caught up on a few shows but because I’m lucky if I get up before noon lately because of how long it takes me to both get to bed AND fall asleep I don’t get into bed until late. I’m hoping to get in one more Finally Watched but I have hours to go and I don’t know what will survive. It depends on whether or not our current provider stores on the box or on the cloud.

So whether or not I get that Finally Watched in, it’s chapter two of Robotech: Before The Invid Storm, the next installment of the Many, Many Intros Of Superman, and I’m not sure what else. Hope you all enjoy it and have a good week!

Posted by on February 27, 2022 in DC Spotlight, Jake & Leon and tagged , , , , , , , .

2 Comments

February 26, 2022

Saturday Night Showcase> Transformers: Prime

Well, I’ve done other Transformers shows and I want to take a break from Ultraman, so let’s watch Transformers: Prime. It’s the only TV show in the so-called “aligned continuity” that I haven’t posted. I’ve done Robots In Disguise, I’ve done Rescue Bots and Rescue Bots Academy…wait, I have done those two yet? Well, that’s coming.

Prime is easily the darkest and most serious of the four shows, though on par with the video games. The series follows a group of Autobots hiding in secret on Earth but working with the government to keep the Decepticons from taking over. While not my favorite of the offerings it is a well done show, even if it is responsible for the continuity to not be all that aligned. For whatever reason Hasbro doesn’t have season one on their YouTube channel but you can find the series streaming in a number of places. As a sample here’s the first episode of season two. After the defeat of Unicron at the end of season one (and yes, there is where the “Unicron is Earth” nonsense began and hopefully ends with the Bayverse), Optimus isn’t himself and it’s up to the other Autobots to rescue “Orion Pax” from Megatron’s influence. Along with their human allies–Jack, Miko, and Raf–can the Autobots restore their leader? It will take three episodes to find out. Enjoy.

Continue reading →

Posted by on February 26, 2022 in Animation Spotlight, Saturday Night Showcase, Television Spotlight and tagged , , , .

Leave a comment

February 25, 2022

The Many, Many Intros Of Superman: When He Was A Boy

By 1988 the DC comics universe had already undergone a major upheaval, as we talked about last week. The universe was rebooted, the various alternate realities merged into one…though the success of that merger is certainly questionable in a few spots. John Byrne was in charge of reintroducing Superman into this new continuity and one of his acts was to remove the idea that Superman fought villains in his teens as Superboy. The concept had been created in 1945 in an attempt to build on Superman’s success by telling stories of his teen years. I don’t know Byrne’s reasoning for dropping this like he did any other Kryptonian, though his parents would now survive to Clark’s adult years, having found a fan base through the Superboy comic and appearances in the Filmation cartoon.

After George Reeve’s death there was an attempt to create a Superboy series but it never got past the pilot, which was later adapted into an issue of the comic. It then seems odd to create a series around Clark as a teen superhero with his usual power set intact as this had been removed from continuity. I’m guessing Alexander Salkind had the same thought that the pre-DC National Comics had, to build off the success of…well, three of their movies, maybe two if you ask many fans. (Personally I liked Superman III conceptually and it was just the comedy that failed, while Superman IV: The Quest For Peace is total trash and I’m one of the few defenders of the Supergirl movie.)

The Superboy TV aired in syndication and had to work on a syndicated series budget, which is smaller than a network or a modern cable channel/streaming service, and the effects reflected that but weren’t too bad considering that restriction. The show aired for four seasons but surprisingly the intros aren’t broken down by season. You’ll see what I mean pretty quick.

Continue reading →

Posted by on February 25, 2022 in DC Spotlight, Superman and tagged , , .

Leave a comment