« Posts tagged Comics

State of the Blog: 8-17-10

August 17, 2010 / posted in News / No Comments

So, yeah, that was a bit of a snafu wasn’t it?

For one reason or another the database locked in a loop and tried to add about 5000 of the weekly Twitter Roundups. I’m not entirely sure why as of yet, but it may have to do with the plugins we are using and Twitter’s new authentication system.  Again, I apologize to everyone that saw those post come down their feed.

In other news:

  • Brotherhood of the Hand will be late this week as there is still a lot of fixing that needs to be done to the site
  • Principle photography has wrapped on the Brotherhood of the Hand movie! We’ll drop some pics into the feed here at some point.
  • We’re still looking for folks to contribute to bkI, be it reviews, fiction, poetry, art, music, comics, interesting uses of duct tape, etc.  If you’d like to contribute, drop us a line at slushpile@badkarmaink.com

Again, apologies and thanks for putting up with the problems over the weekend.

Comic Book Concerto

February 3, 2010 / posted in Harmonic Vicissitude / 1 Comment

I have been on a comic book kick as of late.

It really should come as no surprise for those of you that have been following along with bkI.  Really, the only non-musical articles I’ve shared here were comic related.  And guess what?  There will be more comic related posts coming to a web browser near you.  Just as soon as I write them, that is.  So, it’s only logical that this week’s Harmonic Vicissitude takes a detour into the world of superheroes, evil geniuses and  alternate universes.

Now, with Hollywood’s penchant for taking a good story premise and milking it for all its worth, a lot of comic book properties become big budget films that sometimes hit the mark and sometimes miss entirely.  Still other properties are converted for television, either for the Saturday morning crowd or, if we’re lucky, for prime time.  Let’s not forget that musicians enjoy a good comic and sometimes get the urge to express their appreciation.    In all of these cases, success depends on how well the musical theme fits with the comic icon represented.  I, of course, have some opinions on what makes a comic book theme song work.  Of course, I am all about the show-and-tell here, so I have a few modest examples of some good comic-themed songs to share with you, in no particular order.

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Altered States

December 14, 2009 / posted in Broadcast Domain / No Comments

From the early times of man, humans have used states of altered consciousness to attempt to enhance their ability to tell stories. Shamans used drugs, fasting, dancing, and whatever else they could find to open a channel to divine inspiration. The inspiration they received was in the form of stories of the creation of the world, or wise tortoise and foolish scorpion, or where the sun goes at night.

The tradition has continued into modern times. The writers, painters, and poets of Victorian age France used absinthe to pave the way to their storytelling muse. Hemingway used vermouth-free Martinis and “newly discovered” Daquiris to find his writing spirit. The songwriters and admen of the 50′s floated in on a veritable barge of cocktails. The writers of the 60′s used psychedelics. Hunter S Thompson appears to have used anything that would work and he could find.

It’s my belief that another fine age of altered states is coming upon us by way of technology. Technology is more involved in storytelling at this time than in any era (that we are aware of) thus far. From the fact that this blog is being prepared right now on a desktop computer, to the digitization of the comic book industry, to the CGI effects of Hollywood filmmakers, technology is bringing stories to us.

I think soon, technology will be bringing us to the stories.

Do you remember Choose Your Own Adventure books? I always loved them as a kid. It made you the star of the adventure, and increased your attachment to the protagonist immensely. Sadly, the suspension of disbelief always got a little broken as you hurriedly flipped to page 114 to see what happened when you tried to hide behind the rock while the dragon breathed fire at you.

Ebooks don’t have to have that problem. Ebooks can react to what you are reading, as you are reading it. In a choose your own adventure Ebook, when you choose to hide behind the rock, you could just click the link, and go right on reading. You could be greeted on the new page by the sound of the dragon breathing fire at you!

With the eye tracking technology we have at this time, you could actually read an entire book and have sound effects that match the action be emitted by the book the entire time. Chirping birds and the soft trill of a nearby brook as lovers meet in a secret glen. Honking horns and cursing taxicab drivers mixed with the sounds of a thousand people going about their daily lives as the gumshoe’s internal monologue follows him down a busy New York street. Whatever it might be.

Virtual reality always sounds hokey to people. They forever imagine bulky headgear and tactile bodysuits that show images unworthy of a Pac-Man arcade game. I have a feeling our glide into virtual reality will take place through an ebook reader, and the realm of sound as we read. I could be entirely wrong, but it seems so logical to me. Bring out the foley artists!

Steps into the virtual world revitalize the imaginations of the audience, which often leads to an incredible era of creativity. Maybe enough creativity will lead to the invention of true virtual reality gear. I’d love to see entertainment move to the level of the interactive book from Neal Stephenson‘s The Diamond Age.

Only the future can get us there. Until then, I’ll check out more cocktails on Drinkhacker and see what inspiration hits me for next week.

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Guilty Little Pleasures

December 10, 2009 / posted in Art, Fiction, Writing / No Comments

Amazing Spider-Man #62“They’re not comic books.  They’re graphic novels!”

Heard that before?  It is the usual alibi grown men (and women) give to their friends when caught with a comic book collection.  There is usually some teasing involved, some good-natured and some not, which usually follows up with the guilty party blushing with embarrassment and quickly stowing away whatever trade paperback he or she happens to be reading.

My question is simple.  What is so wrong about enjoying a romp through a comic book?

Let’s see if I can guess the answers.   Usually, the first response is very straightforward…comic books are for children.  My reply would be also rather direct.

You’re wrong.

Quite simply, there is some rather complex concepts being thrown about in your average comic book.  Let’s take a look at the comic shown, Amazing Spider-Man #62.  First seen back in July of 1968, this happens to be the oldest original comic book I have in my possession (reprints don’t count).  The general synopsis is rather self-explanatory.  Super-powered boy meets super-powered girl.  Boy fights girl.  The two find that they are both on the same side, fighting only because of some misunderstanding.  Boy and girl go separate ways.  The typical formula for having one hero show up in a cross-over in another hero’s storyline.  At least, that’s what is on the surface.

But wait, there’s more.  Medusa, as it turns out, is really on a scouting mission, to see if society would be able to accept her as she is.  Spidey is worried about how to win back Gwen Stacy after seemingly betraying her father, with the both of them too heartbroken to be able to speak to each other.  Norman Osborne is slowly going mad as memories of his past life as the Green Goblin slowly begin to surface after suffering partial amnesia.  A company executive tries to manipulate first Medusa, then Spidey…all for the sake of publicizing hair spray.   Finally, Medusa rejects society, regretting the fact that the human race is just not ready for the likes of her.

What do we have, then?  We have a story about seeking social acceptance, betrayal, heartbreak, madness, greed and regret.  Not bad for 20 pages of graphic art.

The colorful graphics and flashy art may pull in the kiddies, but it is the intricate plot hooks, far-reaching story arcs and subtle references to real life that keep the grown-ups entertained, too.

So, don’t be ashamed of those comics, err, I mean graphic novels,  in the corner.  Break out an old one and give it a fresh reading.   See what lies beneath the gratuitous imagery.  You might be surprised at what you find.

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