"I'm not dead yet. I feel happy!"

So its been a few months since i posted last. work and personal upheavals have kept me focused on the "real" world over my geek-nation. Every time i return from a sabbatical of geekery, the first way I check the pulse of geekdom: comic books.

Before video games, role playing games and parallel with anime was my childhood exposure to comic books. I've always had more than a love for comics. a devoted passion, with the leniency of a pussy whipped teenager dating the super model. i love comics.

but every now and the i grow a pair and put my foot down. in the early 90s i chose marvel over DC. in the lat 90s i choose image over both. i decided that batman was cooler than superman and that (while everyone else seems to love him) Hugh Jackman IS NOT wolverine.

I've come to that point once more. while we all know that there is an un-written rule that comic book characters can never stay dead, i believe that it doesn't apply necessarily to the one that holds a mantle or title yet instead to the title itself. granted prerequisites are necessary ( batman must be a solemn, intelligent, bad ass), but I'm realy getting tired of characters dieing and not staying dead.

the "alternate reality/clone/time travel/robot/resurrection" bit was stale in the 90's. now i just feel taken advantage of. as far back as Bucky Barnes, characters have been killed and brought back from the dead. i believe the dead deserve a little respect. if your going to resurrect everyone then it goes without question that their death meant nothing in the first place. and that i can not stand for. i love this medium too much to watch it become a bad cliche without respect for itself, only looking for its next payday.

I'm not against resurrecting characters though. the Jason Todd and Bucky Barnes Resurrections both meant something important that changed their respective landscapes. but consider this . . . everyone remembers the death of superman . . . who remembers his resurrection? reign of the supermen anyone? what about Batman's and Capt America's recent deaths and resurrections? now ill admit i missed final crisis, but civil war was my baby. few comics are as lauded as this one by myself. and when a resurrected character himself, Bucky Barnes donned cap's helm i couldn't have been more happy. then with Dick Greyson becoming the new batman all i could think was "its about damn time!" but unfortunately it appears like neither of these revamped super heroes will get their chance to shine.

as a side note, its almost a joke how often Jean Grey and Xavier have died, and how many flash's and Green Lanterns are we up to now? like 9 or something? give a character a little time to develop. even Jason Todd wasn't killed immediately and everyone hated him . . . . but 15 years later they resurrected him and now i cant see the DCU without him as a villain!

i would like to present this question to anyone that cares: if you could kill off any comic book character, who would be your top 5?

My Anime or may not return to its glory days . . .

I remember being 10 years old and waking up to watch Dragon Ball early in the morning before all the other cartoons came on . . . years before Cartoon Network would turn it into the American fad that it became. I remember Gundam and Vultron right along side my He-Man, Thundercats and Transformers. My little sisters watched Sailor Moon and you know what . . . I watched it to. Why did Anime fall by the wayside? was the popularity in America to much for the medium to keep up with with licencing fee's and dubbing costs? are American Anime fans so fickle, that they just move on to the next popular thing when they don't get / would rather pirate what they want? or has the quality of Anime really declined in the last decade?

I am a die hard Anime loyalist. I pop Ghost in the shell (the original) or Akira in my Xbox every few months. so why do i find it hard to find any good Anime? and why am i not the only one. in the past 5 years I've found about 5 or 6 good Anime films or series. Does America need to step up and do its own conversion of Japanese material the way that GONZO did Afro Samurai? Idk, I just don't want to see one of my favorite mediums die in obscurity.

Men, Excusses and Ass-Holes

In a moment of self reflection today, I had an epiphany. All men are Ass-Holes. Now i don't mean that in a derogatory sense. To a degree, all males have a innate desire and aspire to be and ass-hole. Its a carnal and primitive instinct that, like sleep, men can not go with out or else they go insane (or become gay: that's another discussion altogether). Allow me to explain. There isn't just one way to be an ass, as far as men are concerned, there are five ways.

The first and most prominent is the common "Dumb-Ass". This iteration has only one thing on his mind: have fun at all costs. Usually laid back and care free, he is easily entertained whether its acting like a fool with his friends, risking his life in brain cell killing-physical stunts, drinking himself into the bottom of a keg or neglecting the worries of life along with common sense out of laziness or preoccupation. He usually has nothing to lose and is typically a lower-class or middle-class American with limited financial resources, education and the cheapest need to be entertained. Thus resulting in your Steve-O/ Johny Knoxville-esk, stupor inducing combination of humor, pain, and alcohol, often missing out on life altogether for a brew and a few laughs.

Speaking of Steve-O brings us to our second classification. the "Jack-Ass". Unlike the Dumb-Ass, the Jack-Ass can be found in any lifestyle and environment. A truer narcissist in every way, shape and form. He must be the center of attention by any means necessary. Whether by obnoxiously flirting with every single female present, insulting someone for a insignificant yet obvious flaw, or flaunting their own personal attributes and possessions. They are prone to be overly physical and demanding, using sheer "masculinity"and raised voices (over brawn and reason) to get what they want. When two Jack-Ass' met the resulting "Pissing Match" or Bar Brawl is soon to fallow. Stereotypes are the Jock, Prep, and Professional. But this does not exclude others such as the Playa and Over Compensator.

The third is the less common "Smart-Ass". Similar to the Jack -Ass, yet differentiating him self, the Smart Ass is charismatic, intelligent, and more often then not, financially and socially stable. The Smart Ass is the most clever and sly of men (although often not as intelligent as he would lead you to believe), so he is easy to miss altogether, appearing suave, debonair or elegant. He uses sarcasm and wit to say what he wants and get away with it. He talks a big game because he can. He is that damn good and he knows it. Whats more is he must let everyone else know it as well. his strength is magnified by how many people are around him. That in and of it self is his own weakness. While in his element, he is king. but once removed he becomes insecure , defensive and unpredictable.

The fourth has been influenced by Hollywood and Pro-Sports more than anything else. the Bad-Ass. Combining aspects of the jack ass and smart ass, the bad ass is an unstoppable force consisting of testosterone and meat. Pain is temporary, glory is forever. He lifts weights for the sole purpose to lift even more weights the fallowing day. He doesn't try to hook up with women, they try to hook up with him. He eats steak three times a day and then goes and shoots a building with a Howitzer. Everything that the Bad-Ass is , is an exaggerated personality with little or no self control, done often enough becomes habit and habit becomes lifestyle. The Bad-Ass often has positive and aggressive characteristics that seem to be successful, but in reality he' just a dog off his leash. Let him go and he wont stop until he gets what he wants and when he gets bored with that he finds something else to obsess over.

The final Ass-Hole is a classic. The Hard-Ass. Akin to the Bad-Ass except none of it is exaggeration. very old school "Clint Eastwood". Quiet and reserved, often nihilistic and never wrong. These men are hard workers, with leathery skin and personality's to mach. they believe the way the world has treated them gives them an excuse to treat everyone else the same. do unto others before they do unto you is the Hard-Ass Golden Rule. As rough and tough as these men are, fortunately the often have a sense of honor and respect. these two traits long forgotten by today's society are reason enough for their bitter demeanor and short tempers. Conservative to a fault, they hate the gaudy and articulate Smart Ass or the irresponsible and lazy Dumb-Ass. They just want to be put in charge so they can do "it" right or be left alone.

When it comes down to brass tacks, the qualities we attribute to Ass-Holes is actually natural selection at its finest. Weed out theweak for the betterment of the species. All men try to "One Up" each other for female attention, professional success, social status and Psychological well being. We males may come of like a bunch of Douche Bags ( and rightfully so) but many of those traits people dislike come with qualities we need. Then again i could be completely wrong.

I have a Mass Effect in my pants

Just finished Mass Effect 2 on my first play through (yeah, I know I'm a little late. I'm poor what do you expect?), and i gatta say ... Jizzed in my freaking pants!! While the game is far from perfect, the experience and immersive story more than make you forget about its flaws(scanning ... scanning ... scanning).

(Spoiler Alert) So when i started the game, no surprise, the customizable protagonist: Commander Shepperd dies . . . thus allowing him to be cloned and start an new epic tale. This time though its not about you. In Mass Effect 1 the game leaned on what will "you" do?or how do "you" effect the galaxy? This time well over half of the game focuses on your team mates. This allows you get a greater sense of connection or familiarity with "your crew". And when team members die . . . you mourn their loss. This moral ambiguity is one of the defining moments of ME2. You can be Superman or an Ass-Hole! both sides are neither punished nore rewarded, just different paths to a similar goal. It's beautiful. My complaints about the plot are thus: I want my Sci-Fi to be a bit more . . . . dirty. And i don't mean Terinteno blood-baths, Post-Apocalyptic nihilism or God of War sex scenes( . . . although I wouldn't complain). I mean every thing just seemed vanilla. The worlds best vanilla ever! But still vanilla. Million dollar vanilla. Jack and Moridin spiced it up a bit . . . but everyone else was about what I expected. No surprises.

Now the Gameplay. While not the focus of the game, it holds it's own with many other 3PS's and RPG's out there. It's a "Gears-clone", cover based shooter with powers, techniques and equipment to spare. Universal ammunition replaces the "over heat system" and new "heavy Weapons" replace the boring grenades. The Level Up and Upgrade systems have both been overhauled to be simple and to the point. Get in, level up, grab your gear and go shoot something. Biotics and Tech powers are freaking sick <) and combining powers is simple and satisfying (melee attacks are still pussy-fied). But the Gameplay harbors most of the games issues. While Combat drives the game forward, the only enjoyable reprieve is the Interactive dialogue. Puzzles are easy and repetitive. Adventuring consists of moving forward on a different planet. And the 800lb gorilla in the middle of the room: Resource gathering. "Excuse me, Waiter? there's a RTS in my 3PS". Over one third of my gameplay was harvesting minerals so i could upgrade my equipment. To overcome these issues, I think they need to take a page out of Resident Evil handbook and step away from the "gatta catch em'all" mentality.

Puzzles: I'm sorry, but hacking computers doesn't have to be the same thing over and over. It can be fun (ala Shadowrun PnP)! Each computer hack should be innovative or at very least a variant of another puzzle. RE4s puzzles are what hooked me on that game. Now consider the over the top puzzles in Zelda. Why can a hobbit do things my astronaut/commando cant?

Adventuring: while larger areas were fun, they were still claustrophobic and completely linear. level diversity would be greatly appreciated, not just "wheres the next cover" or huge set pieces. actual exploration. Give me an environment that re-spawns enemies and has locked doors that i cant get till later. Give me an area where half the fun i seeing everything there is to see and giving me a reason to do it (not an incentive, rather a reward)

Don't get me wrong. I loved this game. Its defiantly made my top 20 games ever list. But when you love something, you tell it how you really feel. there's a degree of devotion and trust involved. i love Mass Effect 2, and that is why i criticize it so. Cause in real life, my last few girlfriends didn't take criticism to well and didn't look this good in (out of rather) a space suite

Go to the bathroom and Wii

This blogging thing could become an addiction if I'm not careful . . . . .

About to write my second post and this one is a sensitive subject: the Nintendo Wii.

the Doctrine according to Ben. Chapter 1 verse 1. the Nintendo Wii will destroy: hardcore gaming as we know it i.e. intelligent multi-player and imersive single player, gaming ever having a chance at being respected as a viable art form, and gaming ever maturing from being seen as "childish" to being seen as "mainstream"( even though in 2009 gaming nearly tied Hollywood in sales with $9 billion).

This frustration stems from months of tension primarily due to Roger Ebert's continued, biased and uneducated rants. Now, while there is no such thing as a "complete gamer" as everyone has their likes and dislikes, strengths and weakness', I consider myself (on my nearly non-existent income) a rounded gamer. I literally "don't knock it till I've tried it" and I've tried allot, so I believe I see gaming from all sides. My parents are anti-gamers (i played games at my friends house until i was 17 when i got my first PS2 . . . sad), I was a Sony loyalist until I couldn't afford the PS3, and a current 360 and PC gamer (Starcraft 2!).

. . . I'm ranting. My point was the evil success that Nintindo has wrought upon us. I have no problem with the motion control Wii-mote (and it's lack of diversity), I'm actually jealous. How bad-ass would Halo:Reach or Soul Caliber 5 be with motion controls and appropriate acuity?! I don't have a problem with the fact that the Wii has no HD capability. In all honesty the Wii looks amazing . . . not HD, but amazing none the less. My problem is with what Nintendo is purposely marketing. Mini-games. Sports-sims. Exercise games. Sure, you could argue that it still has the Mario, Zelda and Metroid franchises, but that's one maybe two games a year! That's not what is selling consoles. I hope and pray that Nintendo will change It's marketing strategy, otherwise within the next console generation (about 6 years) you can say good bye to the Mass Effect, Uncharted, and Assassins Creed franchises. New games that could all be considered valid forms of Adult Entertainment (not like XXX you dirty minds. I mean high-brow and educated) and cover a vast spectrum of challenging game play, plot-heavy and dramatic experiences, thematic and unique settings and . . . dare I say it, visual art.

Iron Man 2 awesome for it's own good?

Hooooly crap!! I'm blogging . . . . . and I'm not sure what to say. Well the whole point of this in the first place was to share, reflect, and discuss the myriad aspects of Geekdom (geek-dom: noun. pertaining to or having qualities of 'geek culture' e.g. comic books, science fiction, video games, role playing games, general fantasy, anime and 80's cartoons).

I guess I'll start off with something recent. I just saw the new Ironman 2 film last weekend.

As much as my inner-geek was freaking out, about 32.6 million things were going through my head. RDJ (Robert Downy Jr) and Ed Norton can't be cheap and they have two relative no- names cast as Thor and Cap (sure, Chris Evans isn't a no-name, but as the leader of the Avengers, he sure as hell ain't Brad Pitt!) . Will that effect the quality of the Avengers film? Perhaps focusing the film on the "two Stars" and not the Avengers as a whole? Why does Whiplash have a "Suit"? Where is the 10 Rings, the Mandarin and Crimson Dynamo? I actually prefer Don Cheadle as Rhodes over Tarrance Howard.

This series of thoughts lead to other subjects like: when marvel gets the rights to do X-Men, Spiderman and the Fantastic Four from Fox and Sony, will they even bother making movies for them (after their thorough whoring of the franchises by the aforementioned companies)? Will Disney stick their collective rodent nose into further projects, thus making them more "family friendly" and "marketable" (Deadpool anyone)? Call me an opinionated pessimist, but as much as the 12 year old inside me dances with shouts of jubilation (that sounded weird) when ever a new comic book movie comes out i have to stop and think . . . . never forgive what they did to Venom, Deadpool and Galactus.

Thoughts? Opinions?

Wow, that wasn't so hard (that's what she said). Well, as i bid adieu and revel in the glory that is Geekdom . . . . . I ask myself a final Question: who would win, Jango Fett or Major Kusanagi?