brawl2099

You have such a big problem with a person, ignore them.

Come on!

Honestly, I think the person in question's making an effort. I'm giving him one chance, and he hasn't burned me yet. Of course he's never going to make nice with everyone, especially a few in particular, but get a life and ignore the guy if you can't stand him. Otherwise, it's just flame baiting.

I recently got a fourth generation iPod Nano. This the second iPod I've owned (the first being a year-old refurb Shuffle) and so far I love it. It's a fun little gizmo. The sound quality is great, and it's got a great video screen. My only problem is that it shuffles when you shake it, when unlocked. It's sensitive enough that if I'm walking quickly, it'll shuffle.

So I got a free $15 iTunes giftcard with a shell case I bought for it. For the last two weeks, I've been staring at that bloody card, asking myself what I should buy with it.

I'm asking y'all for suggestions. What I'm looking for is good stand alone episodes of TV series (sci-fi in particular) and some good music.

Thoughts?

If you've ever talked video games with me, you probably know that I ADORE the Lego games by Traveler's Tales. Star Wars and Batman are two of the most fun and purely enjoyable games I've ever played, and Indiana Jones, while not quite as good as the others IMO, is close behind. The games have a great sense of humor, awesome replay value, and can occupy my short attention span for hours on end.

Now, there's rumblings of Lego Rock Band, but the next game in the series has officially been announced.



Brilliant!

You've seen the X-Men come together. The Supernatural world has exploded. Now, it's time for the greatest heroes on Earth.

It's time for the Avengers to assemble.

In the same spirit as our X-Men, Supernatural and upcoming Street initiatives, Marvel Anthology is looking to continue to fill out the site with titles featuring Earth's mightiest heroes. But, wait, the site already has Avengers, Avengers West and Force Works, what do we need?

This time, we're looking to put the spotlight on the individual Avengers. Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye and more are all available for solo titles.

If interested, contact Erik Fromme at devillantern@yahoo.com or myself!

With the Star Trek simming group I'm a part of, we've established the foundations of a Star Trek RPG set in the new timeline established in the movie. Please check it out below. More information will come as we work more on it.

http://tenforward.slasims.com/viewtopic.php?f=381&p=154329#p154329

If the answer is yes...

http://brawl2099.mybrute.com

I've decided to become a political blogger, inspired by this amazing young woman...

A conversation/argument I was having last night got me thinking about politics last night. I'm going to get up on my soapbox for a minute, and I'm sorry if what I say makes you uncomfortable, or makes you mad, or whatever. It's politics. If I make you mad, you've probably made me mad. We're even, get over it.

I'll start by saying I'm conservative. I'm not right-wing. I'm not a Republican although I tend to vote that way. I'm conservative and I like to think I'm more moderate than most. I'll vote for the issues and candidates I believe in, not ones from a particular party.

Right now, for example, I'm finding myself believing more and more in rights for gays and unmarried couples, even though I disagree with the lifestyle (because of my religious beliefs). I enjoy listening to Hannity and Rush, even if I don't always agree with them. Hell, my favorite part of Hannity's show is when a "liberal" calls in to argue, and I find myself agreeing with points from both sides.

One of my problems with politics are extremists. I don't meant just people who lean to the far left. I mean people who lean to the far right also. Why? Because they're so blind to the other point of view that it's absolutely unbearable to talk to them. I find talking to political extremists is as bad, if not worse, than talking to religious extremists. As a Latter-Day Saint missionary (aka Mormon), I would come upon people so set in their ways that they were blind to the common ground we shared.

Common conversation:
"We believe in Jesus Christ also."
"Yes, but you believe in the wrong Jesus."
"What do you mean?"
"You believe in the MORMON Jesus. He's different."

I find myself getting into the same conversations with people when I discuss politics. "You're wrong because you believe differently than me." Yes, I do. I don't believe in big government. I don't believe in socialized health care. I don't believe in Obama, yet (I'm still holding the opinion of "cautiously optimistic" about him). Big deal. I'm sure if you were actually thinking rationally we could find common ground, and actually have a reasonable, rational discussion.

Another issue I have with the extremists is how blind they are to the issues. All I hear about is how "(Insert conservative pundit/politician's name) is wrong because they have an opinion." When I talk politics, I want to talk about the issues. I want to talk about the policies. I don't want to have a debate about people's opinions because they're OPINIONS. Tell me how you feel about an issue, not how you feel about how Hannity feels about the issue. I can tell you, I agree with Hannity fairly often, but I do disagree with the man. I usually agree with Utah Senator Hatch, but if he has an opinion about an issue I disagree with, then okay. I disagree, but I'm not going to yell and scream about how Orrin Hatch is an idiot because I disagree with him.

You know how Sean Hannity got his job? He voiced his opinions on the issues eloquently. You know how Orrin Hatch got elected? He spoke up about his beliefs and backed them up when the opportunity presented itself. And that's just as true for Obama, Biden, Pelosi and Reid as it is for Hannity, Hatch, Limbaugh, Beck, McCain, Palin, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

If you disagree with someone about an issue, great. But when your political opinions are completely founded on the basis that you disagree with someone, and not on your actual beliefs... Well, it's laughable and pathetic.

There's my two cents, and my opinion. If you disagree, GREAT! That's what helps this great nation thrive.

Oh, and Romney/Huntsman in 2012. Just sayin'.

With the summer rapidly approaching, does anyone have any books to recommend? I'm going to start with Twilight, and then probably a Dresden Files novel, but considering I'll have quite a bit vacation time, I'll need at least one or two more.

Watch the order screen closely and watch the full video!

I just heard some of the GREATEST sci-fi news EVER!

Red Dwarf, one of my favorite sci-fi shows ever, and easily my favorite British import, is returning for FOUR NEW EPISODES next week.

Yeah, I'm a little thrilled.

DC announced the new regular Green Lantern artist this morning.

( Link and name behind the cut )

Yeah, I totally want to write GL right now...

Brawl Tells All: JLA #50-51 @ JLU2001
"Blackest Night" Parts 1 & 2 by Dino Pollard
http://www.carnaj.com/JLU2001/jla/jlatitle.htm (JLA Gatefold)

In my opinion, Dino is one of the strongest plotters in our community. One of his greatest talents is to come up with a story that is genuinely thrilling. Unfortunately, at times execution is lacking. In these two issues, that flaw in Dino's writing is sadly evident.

The part of the JLA (Superman, Batman, J'Onn J'Onzz, Zauriel) has gathered to debate a new member, the modern-day Apache Chief, Manitou Raven, while the other members of the team are scattered across the globe with various tasks. Suddenly, a threat that is left ambiguous strikes, MOVING the Watchtower, along with Superman, J'Onn and Zauriel, and moving the remainder of the team into a full alert status.

The Good: Dino does a fantastic job building a sense of dread. From what happens in these two issues, you know what's going to happen is HUGE. The character interactions are done pretty well and everyone's in character, something many writers seem to forget in team books like JLA or Avengers. Dino's love for Grant Morrison is evident as well, as he uses two Morrison creations (Zauriel and Aztek) here very efficiently, and very well.

The Bad: Why was this two separate issues? It was good, but it was also two issues of pure set-up. So far, we know the threat is big, it somehow involves the Green Lanterns/ Hal Jordan and the New Gods are a bit freaked out. There were no answers to the questions posed in the first issue. There was no action to keep things moving and progressing. These two issues would have been much better suited as a single, double sized issue. The first issue was great, and actually had me a bit excited for the story, but the second kept me on the edge of my seat and ultimately left me unfulfilled because at the end I still had no idea what was going on. If they had been combined into a single issue, I would have probably liked it a LOT more. Another issue is that there is very little character explanation. I know who Manitou Raven is, I know who Aztek is, but how did they get to this position in JLU?

Overall: I say this with a lot of respect for Dino. He attempts to write stories that few others would even allow past the "Wouldn't it be cool if...?" stage. Sometimes, he succeeds. Other times, he fails. I wouldn't classify this as either, but unless something happens to progress the plot next issue, it will head straight for the fail column. Ultimately, it comes down to an issue of pacing. If paced a little bit better, this issue would have scored MUCH higher in the end.

Rating: Three punches thrown of five. This arc has potential to be a great read and score higher, but the pace needs to be picked up. Two issues of set-up for a JLA arc is too much without any complimentary action/ answers. I'll be looking forward to the rest of the arc before passing final judgement. I hope Dino turns it around and gives us a great arc.

I always like to post one of these whenever I see someone else do it. Thanks Munn.

Marvel Anthology- http://ma.bhyphen.com

Avengers- #2 will be out in the next update. This is one of my favorite books to write, with an eclectic but awesome cast. #3 will be an Avengers/Silver Sable throw down (seriously!), leading into a conflict with the Leader and one of the most bad-ass Avengers bad guys ever, IMO.

Uncanny X-Men- Almost done with #2 of this series. #1 was a blast to write, but this issue I've struggled with a bit. I'm getting my feet under me though, and you should expect this to be one of the best things I've ever written.

Amazing Spider-Man- How Fromme allowed me this trifecta, I don't know. We'll be re-presenting a director's cut edition of my MRev Spidey, which the crappy stuff cut out, for the first 14 issues, then will launch into the first all-new Spidey stories I've written in four years. I am absolutely thrilled about this.

DC Infinity- http://www.dcinfinity.ca

Superman: Man of Tomorrow- The first issue of this relaunched/refocused title just came out at DCI. Expect some classic Superman action, with some higher concepts, including a new Kryptonite Man, Bizarro, and Solaris.


Marvel 2000- http://m2k.omegacen.com

Web of Scarlet Spider- I will be finishing my last two Scarlet Spider issues. Issue #10 is essentially done, but it's short, so I'm struggling with submitting it or adding to it.

JLU 2001- http://www.carnaj.com/JLU2001/main.htm

Legion Worlds- I've got another issue ready to submit to Curt, I just need to remember to email it. I'm debating on the length of this run, but you'll see at least 6 issues from me here. I've also been helping JD Mathis, a new writer looking at Superboy, develop plots for Superboy. JD's full of great ideas, and I'm looking forward to seeing his first work.

Avengers 2000- http://www.ironrodstudio.com/AV2000/

Mystery project- I'm not going to say what this project is until I've got three issues in the bag. Ed and Erik know what it is, and Derrick obviously does too. I can say that I'm taking over an existing title, the cast will feature Hawkeye in the lead, and it's not the site's Avengers title. The cast I have is awesome, and the series itself provides plenty of action AND a shit-load of action. Past these first issues, I'm looking at some big-time shit to happen- Blastaar, Alkhema, alternate realities and a massively evil cosmic threat.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Samuel L. Jackson has signed a NINE PICTURE deal with Marvel studios to play Nick Fury. In other words, Sam will be Fury in Iron Man 2, Captain America, Avengers, possibly Thor AND THEIR RESPECTIVE SEQUELS, *PLUS* a possible SHIELD movie.

Uhm... awesome!

Sam's agent deserves a bonus this year.

Hey guys and girls (the few of you Y-chromosome challenged folks out there)-

We had a good chat going last night and one of the things we talked about was what fanfic was missing. We all had different ideas, but one idea (brought up by both Crosby and I) was that the community was lacking some real diversity right now. We didn't mean that the community wasn't diverse- far from it. We have a great mix of people, politically, racially, religiously, etc.

It used to be that you could go to MX and read Domino and Winter Guard, then head on over to MV1 for the newest issue of Triathlon and Power Man & Iron Fist, then Av2K for Swordsman... It just would go on and on. Now, every site has the core titles, but not a lot of diverse/weird stuff that used to be so wide-spread and, quite simply, fun.

So, what's the challenge?

I'm challenging every active writer to do a single issue (or more) story starring a second tier (or lower) character in whatever universe you enjoy most. Not only that, let's see them! Get them posted somewhere! Every site out there has some sort of anthology book for exactly this purpose- MO has Amazing Fantasy, MA has Tales to Astonish, DCI has Showcase, and so on and so on!

What do you guys think?

Tony

As regular readers of my LJ may be able to tell, I'm a bit bored today. It's the usual Wednesday state for me. So, I got thinking this morning about fanfic groups I miss. Yeah, if you read this LJ, it sure seems like all I think about is fic. Not true. I just don't post my non-geek thoughts here. I post those on Facebook. Yeah... That's still pretty geeky.

So, what's my point? Let's talk fanfic groups. The groups I'm going to talk about aren't just ones that are dead, but also are some completely not what they once were that I want to see them back to what they once were.

The cop-out would be for me to say "I want to see MRev back." No. That's not true. The fun of MRev for me was running my own site and the level of collaboration I experienced there. I don't want that any more. I don't have the time, or the patience. The level of freedom I had there I more or less have now with Marvel Anthology, DC Anthology and DC Infinity (thanks Fromme, Tooley and Hintze). These are sites I genuinely want to see back from a readership perspective.

( What were my picks? What were yours? )