August 23, 2018

Scanning My Collection: Superman–Secret Files & Origins

It’s time for the next “Secret Files & Origins” one-shot, although if memory serves one of them will reach a second issue. This time it’s Superman, and it’s interestingly timed. This is during the whole “Electric Superman” phase, which makes me wonder if the writers were just running out of ideas for Superman or really wanted to test someone with these powers and used Superman as a sort of “backdoor pilot” of a superhero idea. We did later get Strange Visitor, a woman with similar powers and just a really dumb name. (“Livewire” was a villain in the DCAU so I guess that name was out.)

Just like our previous SF&O book, this features a bunch of profiles and short stories, this time focused on Superman. The stories all take place (and the first one possibly written) before they doubled-down on the dumb and gave us the blue and red Electric Supermen so outside of the profiles it’s only Electric Superman Blue that shows up.

I wonder what Superman’s favorite color is? I’m thinking green. What about you?

Superman: Secret Files

I should note that it says “Secret Files And Origins” on the cover but just “Secret Files” in the indicia. I kind of like the full version on the cover.

DC Comics (January, 1998)

PROFILE PAGES WRITER: Roger Stern

PROFILE AND FEATURES COLORIST: Tom McCraw

COVER PENCILER: Tom Grummett

COVER INKER: Denis Rodier

COVER COLORIST: Patrick Martin

There are various writers and artists involved, but I’ll only list the ones I’ll be going over. I will say that all the art is fair to good.

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Posted by on August 23, 2018 in DC Spotlight, Yesterday's Comics and tagged , , , , , .

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August 23, 2018

“Yesterday’s” Comic> Transformers: Movie Prequel #3

“This is the last time I ask Optimus Primal to tend my garden.

Transformers: Movie Prequel #3

IDW Publishing (April, 2007)

WRITERS: Simon Furman & Chris Ryall

ARTIST: Don Figueroa

COLORIST: Josh Burcham (assisted by Mark Bristow)

LETTERER: Robbie Robbins

EDITOR: Dan Taylor

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Posted by on August 23, 2018 in Movie Spotlight, Yesterday's Comics and tagged , , , .

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August 23, 2018

BW’s Morning Article Link: Kickstarters For Kid-Friendly Comics

I see a lot of crowdfunding projects promoted for comics that approach darker subject matter or other adult themes (not necessarily adult comics, but I’ve seen those too). But I don’t see a lot for kids or “all-ages” comics (AND YES THERE IS A DIFFERENCE!) tossed around. So here is a list of a few you might want to check out. The comics industry as a whole seems to have abandoned the age group that made comics because they don’t want the medium to be considered a “kids medium” by people whose opinion really shouldn’t matter and that just annoys me on so many levels. Not that I don’t want comics to target other demos but I want them to target ALL DEMOGRAPHICS! All age groups, all social/political/spiritual perspectives (or lack thereof, all genders, all economic and geographic circles! Comics needs to be like Oprah. “You get a comic, you get a comic, you get a comic…”

Posted by on August 23, 2018 in Comic Spotlight and tagged .

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August 22, 2018

No Article Tonight

“Look at da preddy birdies. They want me to take a nap. Okay, preddy birdies.”

That’s kind of been me this week. My sleep cycle is worse than usual as of late and I’m considering taking a week off to get stuff done and otherwise just sleep in the hopes of getting it back when it was. The odd thing is I was more aligned with the schedule I want when I was recovering from my surgeries. I never should have agreed to go on the night shift two managers ago and now unemployed I still don’t have it back. Or rather I did while recovering and somehow slipped back into this after I supposedly recovered. That’s why postings have been late this week.

I guess this means Finally Watched is delayed ANOTHER week. I think this is why I stopped updating my week’s plans.

Posted by on August 22, 2018 in Uncategorized.

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August 22, 2018

“Yesterday’s” Comic> Doctor Who Classics #6 (IDW)

Another appearance of Werewolf By Night?

Doctor Who Classics #6

IDW Publishing (May, 2008)

“The Dogs Of Doom”

(originally presented in Doctor Who Magazine #s 27-30

While I’m missing the Marvel US reprints I did manage to pick up the next story from IDW’s own reprints, which contains new coloring. It also has the last strip of “Doctor Who & The Star Beast” because they left the comics completely as they were in the magazine, complete with chapter breaks. I like the way Marvel did it better.

WRITERS: Pat Mills & John Wagner

ARTIST: Dave Gibbons

EDITOR: Paul Neary

SELECTED COVER ART: Joe Corroney

IDW COLORING: Charlie Kirchoff

EDITOR: Chris Ryall

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Posted by on August 22, 2018 in Television Spotlight, Yesterday's Comics and tagged , , , .

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August 22, 2018

BW’s Morning Article Link: The Other Annoying Romance Trope

Here’s one that could be a Trope Shark article except it’s actually not written by me, so I’m considering it an unofficial entry. But it’s about that most annoying of romance plots where a woman is involved with one man, but then some new “hipper” man comes along and she runs off with him instead. Can we have some variety here?

Posted by on August 22, 2018 in Movie Spotlight, Trope Shark and tagged , .

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August 21, 2018

Thundercats Roar Vs. Modern Mythology

I know, we’ve all calmed down until next year, when Thundercats Roar hits Cartoon Network but I found this video and I wanted to show it. And while Thundercats is used as an example the arguments in the video hold true for the direction kids TV has gone and the arguments against getting upset at not-stalgia and mockstalgia when it comes to kids TV.

Really the defenders of these shows use one very insulting argument to the creators of the original show: “it’s only a kids show”, as if somehow that’s a bad thing. As if kids shows don’t have a lot of work put into their lore. You know what else is “only a kids show”? Steven Universe, Star Vs. The Forces Of Evil, Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend Of Korra, Batman: The Animated Series, Ducktales, Gargoyles, and that’s the shows made for kids that get heapings of praise by adults for their lore and characters. You know what other show had a strong lore and well thought out characters? Thundercats!

I’ve been following the channel of author and modern mythology teacher Michael Critzer, aka “Professor Geek“. One of the reasons is this follow-up he did to his previous video on Thundercats Roar, the comedy-fied mockstalgia of the classic series. He counters some of the arguments made in defense of the new incarnation and why fans of the original are right to not be happy with the new incarnation. And it starts with the Iliad, which is also a work of fiction but we call it mythology.

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Posted by on August 21, 2018 in Animation Spotlight, Television Spotlight and tagged , , .

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