The First Time I Discuss Super Bowl Commercials

Probably the last time as well. There was a commercial during the Super Bowl with David Letterman, Oprah, and Jay Leno watching the Super Bowl together. It didn't seem like a fun gathering, as Leno seemed depressed and Letterman just looked peeved.

Watching it, I wondered, did Letterman invite Oprah, and she brought Leno along? Or is it Oprah's party, and she invited both without informing them who else would be there in the hopes they'd put aside their differences, in the time honored tradition of sitcoms? Heck, I don't even remember what it was a commercial for (Oprah's show? Letterman's? Leno's? How hard it is to forgive and forget?) All it all, it seemed like it was just supposed to be a funny bit, which isn't a bad thing, just a bit strange.

I had an idea for something they could have added to it. At the end, cut to a shot of Conan O'Brien watching the Super Bowl all by himself, and looking suitably down. It'd be awkward, but the bit was already that, so what's the harm? If you'd prefer it be more uplifting, one of my coworkers (several of us went to a BBQ place to watch the game since we have no TV reception at our lodgings) suggested Conan get up and leap into a pile of that money he received to vacate the Tonight Show. Maybe he could porpoise through it like Scrooge McDuck. That would be cheery. OK, it still wouldn't make any sense, but we can't let that stop us.

The Brainless Undead Aren't Much To Fear

Watched Zombieland this evening. I don't know that I'm a huge zombie fan. When they're slow, they hardly seem like something to fear, overwhelming numerical superiority or no. But fast zombies don't seem quite right* somehow. The most entertainment I've had with zombies was discussing with Alex what we'd do in the event of your standard zombie outbreak.

So it's good that Zombieland isn't terribly serious about its zombies. They run about and kill people, but it's clearly people who weren't being smart, 'cause if you're smart about it, you'll be fine. because zombies are dumb. The main characters only seem to get into trouble when they give in to hope, letting it override their common sense. Why would an amusement park be blessedly free of zombies**? As Morgan Freeman said in Shawshank Redemption, hope can drive a man insane.

The movie follows a path for me that's rather common. In the early going, when characters are being established and we haven't hit the turning point, I'm really enjoying myself. Columbus' rules, his interactions with Tallahassee, the initial run-ins with the con artists. Then things start to turn, the situation gets somewhat more serious, and I find myself annoyed the plot (or is it the character arcs?) is asserting itself on the film***. Maybe the increased camaraderie between the characters would have worked better without Columbus' inner monologue about how this group is what he's been looking for all along. It fits with the movie, since this is a fellow who actually wrote down all his rules for survival, even though he appears to have memorized them, but I was sitting there thinking 'I got it, you care about all of them! Not needing to be hit over the head.'

Perhaps it was an error to expect subtlety from a zombie comedy flick? I'm sounding far too negative. I really enjoyed Woody Harrelson's character, Wichita and Little Rock were appropriately manipulative to the point I doubted their sincerity constantly, which feels proper since the characters just met, and the ladies had hijacked the fellas twice. The movie star cameo (I won't name them in case it would spoil it) was strange, but I'm focusing too much on why that particular actor, rather than just letting myself enjoy his appearance. I don't think he needed that much makeup to appear undead. Better safe than sorry, I suppose.

* There's a question for you: In zombie movies, which do you prefer, slow and shuffling, or fast?

** I wonder who spreads the rumors of havens from zombies. People with out of date information? Crazy people? Evil people who are trying to use zombies to eradicate the rest of the human race, after which they'll flip a switch and kill all the zombies, leaving them the sole inheritor of earth? Or is it someone who just likes to mess with people?

*** Office Space is my classic example. I love that movie up to the point where their embezzlement scheme goes awry, and they all start freaking out, and Peter snaps out of his relaxed, go with the flow attitude.

Some Villains Just Can't Make It Stick Can They

As the cover says, this is Spellbinder. Detective Comics #358 is the only Batman-related comic of my father's I still have. If he'd waited another month, he could have bought the issue with the first appearance of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. And it wouldn't be worth jack because it probably wouldn't have its cover either.

I didn't keep this issue out of some great love for Spellbinder*, though I have to admire the chuztpah of any man who stops Batman cold with cartwheels (the acrobatics, combined with the costume, hypnotized Batman). But if comicvine is right, that's the last time he tangled with Batman for almost 30 years (showing up again in a two-parter in 1995). Maybe because the Mad hatter took control of the mind control bit, and Hugo Strange had other avenues of messing with Batman's brain covered, I don't know.

Oddly enough, Spellbinder has had decent career in the Batman related cartoons. He was in an episode of The Batman, though he was a fallen monk who mastered a "third eye" which enabled him to alter people's perception of reality. He's actually one of the most frequently occurring villains in Batman Beyond, with three appearances, tying him with Inque, Shriek, and Mad Stan for second place behind Kobra**. Interesting he'd experience more success as a character on TV than in the comics.

Neither of the TV versions relied on cartwheels, and perhaps that's the key. Gymnastics were just too dorky to be a threat to Batman. Though the comic version had more up his sleeve than that, it's just what was up his sleeve were pinwheels and bottle rockets. Kind of humiliating for Batman to keep being thwarted by a guy with kid's toys.

* I actually kept it for the Elongated Man back-up story.

** Kobra appeared in 4 episodes, but it was really just three stories since one of them was a two-parter.

The Music Is Chosen To Encourage Rampaging

It's the mark of a good game where I spend 2.5 hours playing it, think "I'd better save and call it a day", and 2.5 hours later I'm still playing and telling myself I ought to save and quit. Or it's the mark of a game that's yet to start making sense and has really long cut scenes. One or the other.

But I'll discuss Dreamfall: The Longest Journey another day. I've also been playing quite a bit of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City lately. I guess you'd call it playing. I beat the game years ago, and now all I do is drive around, collect money from my various businesses (some of which are even legit*!), and wage war on gangs and buses.

Part of the fun of driving around is being able to listen to music as I go. Typically, I stick to music I transferred from my own CDs to the XBox, but lately I started listening to some of the game's radio stations. Mostly it's been Wave 103, and you wouldn't think pop music (or new wave, whatever) would be a sound that fits a game about mayhem, but it works on me. Part of it is a result of the use of synthesizers, so a song starts, I hear a beat and think it's one song, but wait, it's a completely different song! I think it's "Sweet Dreams Are Made of This", but it's actually "I Wear My Sunglasses at Night"**. There's at least two other songs where the beats make me think it's another tune entirely. At least the station is making fun of it. There are commercials for synthesizers telling you that no musical talent is required to make great music, and one of the personalities for the station says 'Who needs music with soul? We've got drum machines!' Plus, she has a British accent that really works for me.

What? Don't judge me and my love of British accents.

I guess the major issue is the primary DJ, Adam First. Inspired portrayal of a man who thinks entirely too highly of himself. Whether he's hoping you'll enjoy a song as much as he did listening to it in absolute darkness, or saying that the record companies know he will only play the hot underground tracks. Or the prize quote, when he starts off describing it as his most favorite album, and that it hits with 'unprecendented lyrical intensity', the song starts, and he's describing Gary Numan's 'Cars'. The first time I heard that sequence, I nearly drove my motorcycle into a building.

The good news is, it puts me in the mood to go forth and wreak havoc. Bad news, I don't know where that station is, so I can't direct my havoc at the DJ. Not that it would do any good. Blow it to hell today, and it'll be back tomorrow. For all Vercetti's wealth, he's powerless before the design of the game. He can never eliminate the cops, or the threatening gangs, or any buildings that offend his eye. There's a lesson to be learned there. Or I'm talking nonsense. Probably the latter.

As you may have derived from Thursday's post, I'm returning to the Boonies shortly, which means the return of twice monthly comic reviews. It also probably means more video game related posting to fill the time in between. Maybe some more book posting too, if I feel like driving to a book store (sixty miles away). I guess there's the library. We'll see what I can come up with, OK? Perhaps some truly insane bit of inspiration will come along. The Boonies always seem to spur some of that on.

* I think some of them are legit. It's been a long time since I completed the missions to get them up and running. I know I did some nasty stuff to help the cab company, but I think it really is just a taxi service.

** Every time I hear that song I think of Tony LaRussa. Sunny day? He wears sunglasses. Cloudy game, night game, game inside a dome? Sunglasses. He says it's so the other team can't read his eyes and divine his intent, but Tony, it's not much of a secret. If it's late innings, you're trying to figure out how many relief pitchers you can get away with using in one inning. Last season, until mid-July, you were trying to discern how many at-bats you could waste on Chris Duncan before the fans stormed the field and assaulted you both.

It's A Nice Tirck, But Is It Widely Applicable?

I'm talking about Shiva's little stunt in The Question #37. I guess it was Montoya and Rodor's trick too. They voided themselves of all emotion and became invisible to Black Lantern Vic Sage.

Like the title says, it's a nice trick. I'm not quite sure how it works. How did Shiva rid herself of all will? Is it a willingness to accept everything, reaching a state of mind where she doesn't try to resist anything? 'Become like water'?

I'm also a little surprised how easily Montoya and Rodor were able to follow suit. Shiva's had who knows what kinds of odd training, so I can buy that she can supress or expel all emotion from herself. Plus, she was there to fight a Black Lantern, and she'd done that, so she accomplished her goal, and maybe that makes it easier. But Renee and Aristotle don't have nearly her training, and I figured they both had deeper ties to Vic, so the ease with which they divorced themselves from their feelings was surprising.

Still, this whole thing is pretty strange anyway, so I guess allowances have to be made. And much of The Question seemed to be about Sage trying to overcome his anger at the world and focus instead on helping people, rather than just lashing out. In that sense, the characters surviving by rising above their emotions fits.

My other thoughts are related, I think. First, is this tactic going to show up in Blackest Night stuff still to come? Second, is this related to why the Black Lantern ring couldn't revive Dove? It said he was at peace, with no residual feelings to exploit, so did that make him undetectable to the ring, as our heroes made themselves to Vic? Being invisible to your enemies would be handy, either to search for a weakness, or to launch an attack. Except, it seems like the various Corps will be the key to victory, and they have to feel their respective emotions to use their baubles, which would make it difficult for them to feel nothing. I can't see how that would work, but I imagine there's a loophole somewhere.

Assuming the "feeling nothing means Black Lanterns can't see you" approach will have any wider use than this comic and wherever Current Question continues the pursuit of her predecessor.

Remember To Think Before You Hug Or Applaud

Nooooooo! You can't go back out there again! {I have to, it's the job.} If you go, then I only get to be on the blog twice a month! {That's what you're worried about?} Yes. {Such warmth. You'll wind up an Orange Lantern alongside Lex Luthor if you aren't careful.}

I'm not greedy! {So you say, but I think you and Aristotle Rodor would get along great.} No! He only cared about what he wanted, so he gets a Bonk! {But don't you see? You are guilty of the same thing.} Oh no! {You have no choice but to Bonk yourself. It's the right thing to do.} I guess so. *hits self, loses consciousness*

Hmm, maybe ABP should've held off on that until we'd finished. Well, I'll soldier on as best I can. Black Bolt learned the depressing truth of his and his peoples' future, so he can use a Hug. Shiva deserves some Applause for figuring out a way to survive against Black Lanterns, even if I'm a little surprised how easy it was for Renee and Rodor to copy. Darkhawk's gonna need a Hug when he realizes he may have just handed Old Sphinx control of the universe. That's all I've got.

What I Bought 2/3/2010

UPS Guy was late again today, though he did make it before noon, that's something. He was short one box, so whoops? In other news, Store Owner Jack was watching Star Trek in the store today - again. It sounds like he watches it every couple of days, which if true, damn. I liked Star Trek too, but that's a bit much.

Nova #34 - Old Sphinx and Young Sphinx pit their catspaws against each other in single combat, first to three victories wins. The Good Guys win! Hooray! Hey Darkhawk, wait, what are you doing? No, don't give him that! Oh, that's right. Their winning still helps a bad guy.

That's the issue, a series of fight scenes, which is OK, but I had hoped for a free-for-all situation. The heroes triumph through teamwork or something similar. Maybe that's being saved for next month. Abnett and Lanning touch on the possible connection between the stones powering Young Sphinx' group and the Ka Stone, and the Darkhawk amulets may be part of that as well, but it's still a mystery how they plan to bring it all together. Mahmud Asrar is the penciler for the issue, and is certainly closer in style to Andrea DiVito than Kevin Sharpe was, so the shift isn't as noticeable. Asrar draws a nice Darkhawk, and the fight scenes are generally drawn well, though the faces have an indistinct quality at times. Maybe Scott Hanna's inks don't suit Asrar's style well?

The Question #37 - It was a small week, so I figured I'd try another one of these series back from the dead. Renee Montoya is hanging out with Vic Sage's old compatriot Aristotle Rodor when Lady Shiva shows up, ostensibly to test Montoya. So they fight until a Black Lantern ring seems to appear, and rebuild Sage's body out of three hairs. Turns out this is what Shiva was actually wanting, to fight a Black Lantern. Considering this is taking place at a seemingly remote lighthouse, I wonder if she wanted to fight Sage specifically, or if anyone would do. If it's the latter, I have to think there were easier ways to find a Black Lantern.

Anyway, our protagonists eventually realize they can't actually beat Vic, and Rodor won't get the info he'd like, they manage a stalemate of sorts. They aren't killed, but they didn't exactly stop Sage either. Still, it's at least a different solution from the standard "find source of light, destroy Black Lantern who said mean things to you" many of the stories seem to be. And it fits with the tone of the O'Neil/Cowan series, where there were rarely clean victories. People died, and the deeper problems persisted, but the Question was able to achieve small victories. There are two inkers for Cowan, Sienkiewicz and John Stanisci. I'm not sure who inked what, and I'm not a fan of the vertical squiggles in many of the panels. I understand it when they're outside and it's raining, but why does it persist when they're inside? It's in the way.

I am curious to see if the technique used in this issue comes up again in Blackest Night itself, since the usual formula doesn't seem to be enough for everyone. Not curious enough to buy Blackest Night, mind you, but enough to see if any bloggers mention it when they discuss it.

That's it for my reviews this week. How'd your comics treat you this week?