Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Which is the better trilogy?

So, I watched the entire Lord of the Rings Trilogy over the span of last week (seriously people, for being newly single, my social life is right up there with lepers and Republican church wives). And Emery has been adamant that we watch a Star Wars movie when he comes to crawl in bed at midnight or so (of course, he falls asleep about 5 minutes into it but I'm too much a geek to stop watching). With this recent side by side comparison, I got to thinking about which is the better trilogy. I know there are purists out there who will decry this post as blasphemy, screaming from the rooftops that there is only one, true trilogy. But I'll tread where fanboys fear in this situation. So, which flavor do you prefer? Original Star Wars (I'm sorry, but the prequels are spinoffs in my mind) or Lord of the Rings? And whilst your working on that, I have a few fanboy questions:

1. We all know that Empire is the greatest of the Star Wars movies (and I'll arm wrestle you if you disagree) and that The Two Towers is the best of the LOTR (well, it is in my mind), but which is the better sequel between the two? Personally, I'll go with Empire, because it hits you with the double whammy of Luke losing his hand AND finding out the truth about his father (from the same guy, no less). Dark and edgy, ending on a down note, Empire should be the standard by which sequels are made.

2. Who would you rather have on your side in a fight? (my answers in parentheses)
Luke Skywalker or Aragorn? (Aragorn...he is such a bad ass, he makes dead people afraid of him)

Yoda or Gandalf? (Yoda...Nothing against the White Wizard, but I'll take the Muppet with the effed up syntax any day of the week and twice on Sunday)

3. Who is the better bad guy, the Emperor or Sauron? (The emperor by a nose. He had more screen time and he didn't need no stinkin' orcs to fight his fights)

4. Finally, who would kick more ass in a fight, Darth Vader or the Lord of the Nazgul? (Vader? Nazgul? It could go either way, but my fanboy heart wins out and says Vader)

Friday, February 20, 2009

Disconnect

I'll probably put the whole story into the next 'zine (due next week, right?) and I don't want to bump the Pulpys down, but I'm not getting any feedback on the new story DISCONNECT and if you're interested here are the links:

Part One

and

Part Two

Y'know,if you'd like to read them now. Part three up on Monday at the LiveJournal.

Monday, February 16, 2009

2008 Pulpies ballot!

VOTE!!!

Cover of the Year
Spider-Man, Seth Jones, #39
Fantastic Four, Toby Mays, #40
Rock and Roll Can Never Die…, Zara Roberts, #41
Back to the Future, Vanda Toews, #42
Batman and Superman, John Byrne/Toby Mays, #43

Best Interior Art Moment
Photo of misty mountains/valleys, Romelle, # 39
Photo of island golf green in the Dominican Republic, Jones, #39
FF Story, Mays, #40
Weird Journey (Quantum Mechanics), Mays, #40
Quantum Mechanics Pinup, Mays, #40
The Death of the FF, Jones, #40
Zara’s rock photos, Roberts, #41
Photos of Hanoi, Roemmele, #41
Batman cover to Amateur Art #2, Mays, #41
Citizen, Mays, #41
Old Amateur Art Covers, Mays, #41
Music back cover, Bowen, #41
JLA cover to Amateur Art #3, Mays, #42
Quantum Mechanics #1, Mays, #42
Photos of Tibetan Protesters, Baxter, #42
Spider-Man versus the Mind Moth, Jones, #42
Dr. Solar’s Date from Hell, Jones, #42
Futuristic back cover, Zaric, #42
A Case Against Mercy Cover, Griesbach, #43
Cheesecake, Griesbach, #43
Flash, Mays, #43
Valiant Tryout Cover, Mays, #43
Body Dumper, Taylor, #43
(write-in)_________________________________

Best Fiction Story (written or sequential)

The Well, Arnett, #39
Steamy, futuristic noir starring a hard-luck detective

The Death of the FF (sequential), Jones, #40
12-page comic where the FF is killed off, one by one

Look Both Ways, (script), Littlejohn, #41
Monty Pythonesque TV show pokes fun at society

Where the Earth Meets the Sky, Arnett, #41
Tale of a boy who finally reaches the end of the horizon

Mind Running, Zaric, #41
A runner creates high-action in his own mind during a morning jog


Untitled Ghost Story, Sweeten, #41
Emily helps solve crimes by communicating with ghosts

Citizen, Mays, #41
A super-hero has cancer

Quantum Mechanics #1, Mays, #42
The origin story of Toby’s Quantum Mechanics super-team

With a Little Help From the Folks, Zaric, #42
A ten-years-in-the-future Zaric tells the story of a father’s day gift of running in a marathon completed in stages by his family

An Enviro Rant, Zaric, #42
A ten-years-in-the-future Zaric gripes about how environmentalists have evolved into green-friendly street gangs

Waydown #57, Harris, #42
A ten-years-in-the-future Marlan goes back and writes about the one deadline for PL he missed and remedies the missing issue with examining what his life was like ten years ago for that missing issue

The Castle on the River, Arnett, #43
A journey to a strange castle takes the main character to see someone he recently lost, and some self-discovery

Short Holiday Superhero Fiction, Taylor, #43
An average couple give up their super-powered child for adoption to a super-hero couple

(write-in)_________________________________


Best Written Work, Single Issue

The Well, Arnett, #39
Steamy, futuristic noir starring a hard-luck detective

Dead Forever, Baxter, #39
Baxter reminds us that we need to put the Archie comics down and live our lives because we will all be dead soon

One Morning with My Daughter, Jones, #39
Seth describes a typical morning getting his 1-year-old daughter ready for her day

Edna M, Tjarks, #39
An essay on the life of Tim’s mother, who died in late 2007

Coachella review, Harris, #40
It’s not too hot in the desert to rock – Mar evaluates all the bands he witnessed at Coachella 2008

Psycho Time!, Zaric, #40
Zeke Zaric’s hockey team upsets the league power to win it all

Mar can’t support free comic book day, Harris, #40
Marlan explains how there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and why that keeps him from supporting FCBD

Restaurant Managers, Jones, #40
Seth recalls the diverse assortment of restaurant managers he worked for in his younger years

Born and Raised a Jayhawk, Bowen, #40
Copy J writes about what it’s like to be a Jayhawk growing up in Wildcat territory

The Bubblemen, Roberts, #41
Zara recounts the orgasmic experience of a rare Bubblemen sighting

What Does ‘No’ Mean Anyway?, Arnett, #41
Exploring the true meaning of the word ‘no’

Hanoi, March, 2008, Roemmele, #41
Graham recounts what he loves and hates about the Vietnamese city

My Songs, Part 1, Zaric, #41
Zaric analyzes John Lennon’s “Mother” and how it relates to him

How I Make Beer, Zaric, #41
A step-by-step guide to how Zaric brews his own beer

There’s a trapdoor in the sun, Jones, #41
Jones asks, do you prefer writing, or reading, or both?

I’d Like it if Prince Farted the Batman Theme, Jones, #41
An essay about how fandom affects one’s ability to judge impartially

Zimbabwe: Diary of Violence, Baxter, #41
Baxter details the sights and sounds of photographing in Zimbabwe during such dangerous times

Burma: Covering the Aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, Baxter, #41
After disaster strikes, Baxter scores a flight to Burma and assignments with Newsweek and the NY Times

Count the Colors, Goellner, #42
Analyzing the steadily changing hair colors of Wally West’s kids

They Need to Cancel all the Books Produced by Marvel and DC, Griesbach, #42
Brian argues that characters like Batman and Superman are worn out, and the future of comics is in new stories from the smaller publishers

The Future of Comics, Mays, #42
Toby muses about how he hopes that someday, his grandkids will look back on the comics he created

Dark Knight rant, Jones, #42
Jones gives a laundry list of reasons why The Dark Knight sucked

Watching Time Stop with Stan the Man, Jones, #42
CBR story where Jones describes a thirty-minute visit with Stan Lee aboard the CBR yacht

Lollapolooza 2008, Jones #42
Jones tells war stories about attending the 2008 Lollapalooza with Marlan

Ten years, Gone, Arnett, #42
A ten-years-in-the-future Jason reflects on all the major event in America since 2008, including wind farms and global warming

Random Scribblings #847, Baxter, #43
Will goes through an entire relationship in a blink of an eye and a few sentences

Valedictorian Speech, Zaric, #43
June Zaric’s nursing program graduation valedictory address

Getting in Touch with NY, Zaric, #43
Bob Dylan visits Neil Young’s childhood home in Winnipeg

Seth gets V For Vendetta, Jones, #43
Seth tells about when he first discovered V for Vendetta #1 while on vacation in Santa Fe and how it affected his view on comics

Chinese Democracy Review, Harris, #43
Marlan reviews the long-awaited Guns n’ Roses album

(write-in)_________________________________

Best Non-fiction Story

Cambodia’s Lawless Leaders and the Landless Poor, Baxter, #39
A story on corruption in the Cambodian government and its effect on Cambodians

An Unchristmasy Christmas in Northern Thailand 2007, Roemmele, #39
Graham joins a friend for a motorcycle ride through remote areas of Thailand

One Morning with My Daughter, Jones, #39
Seth describes a typical morning getting his 1-year-old daughter ready for her day

I thought I’d jinxed them, Arnett, #40
Jason writes about how he thought he doomed his KU Jayhawks by leaving a premature voice message

Big Al’s Wedding, Zaric, #41
Zaric enjoys a wedding where ditch-jumping is part of the festivities

Chicago Comicon Report, Jones, #41
Seth sums up his three highlights from Chicago: heading CBR’s coverage, the Warren Ellis interview and the Gotham Knights premiere

San Diego Report, Jones #42
Jones recounts his top three stories from Comi-Con; meeting Stan Lee, staying on the CBR yacht and interviewing the Aquabats

Frisco, Zaric, #43
Zaric recounts his trip to San Francisco

Don’t Make JRJ Angry, Jones, #43
Jones tells the story of a meeting with a stood-up John Romita Jr.

(write-in)_________________________________


Funniest Moment

Levels of Strength, Littlejohn, #39
Bart describes his three favourite levels of strength: newborn, old man and drunk

Not to Be (Winnipeg loses the Grey Cup), Zaric, #39
Zarko details the agony of losing the Grey Cup to hated arch-rival/hillbillies Saskatchewan

Four Hot Chicks Reading Fantastic Four, Jones and Pumpelly, #40
In honor of the FF-themed issue, four hotties are pictured reading FF comcis

Jayhawk Superstitions, Jones, #40
Seth details all the weird superstitions he took on during KU’s championship 2007-2008 season

Look Both Ways, Littlejohn, #41
Monty Pythonesque TV show pokes fun at society

He-Ho and the Ho-Ho’s, Littlejohn, # 41
Bart’s fake ad for his new band and their album which includes hits like, “There’s always the Adam’s apple, look for that”

Burger Chunk, Littlejohn, #41
Bart’s tale of how some bad Burger King almost made him miss seeing Radiohead for the first time

Photo of Racheal with Steranko fingers, Harris, # 41

Pictures of Tom’s Office, Spendlove, #41

Warren Ellis Interview, Jones, #41
Jones recounts his 10-minute interview – which resulted in 5 seconds of recorded tape – with Warren Ellis

My Search for an Intern, Littlejohn, #42
Bart searches for an intern – qualifications include knowing kung-fu and being able to prevent him from buying a monkey

My Soccer Trip and the Cumulative Downfall of Man, Littlejohn, #42
A bus trip to a Kansas City soccer game results in debauchery, including some jerk puking in the beer bin

Sitting Near Michael Jordan and Tony Romo, Jones, #42
Seth’s friend insists on buying MJ a beer and the awkwardness that ensues

Dr. Solar’s Date From Hell, Jones, #42
Dr. Solar uses Match.com to find his next date, but once again nukes the girl when the date goes sour

3708, ?, #42
Written in gibberish, when translated it tells the tale of a man trapped in a room, desperate to get out

Drgbl, Arnett, #43
Air ships in unique situations

DC Tryout, Mays, #43
Batman and Superman end up caught with their pants down

(write-in)_________________________________

Best Blog Post (http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/)

How many copies of ___ have been CGC’ed?, Jones, 1/9/08 http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/01/how-many-issues-of-have-been-cgced.html

Chicago leftover, Jones, 1/10/08 http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/01/chicago-leftovers.html

Live blogging from Buffalo Wild Wings “assembly party”, Arnett, Jones, Littlejohn, Bowen, 2/9/08
http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/02/assembly-post.html
http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/02/pink-hair-jokes.html
http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/02/hey-man.html
http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/02/i-am-awesome-and-seth-is-not.html

Some books from a random long box, Jones, 3/7/08 http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/03/some-books-from-random-long-box.html

Dave Stevens (1955-2008), Heitmeyer, 3/15/08 http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/03/dave-stevens-1955-2008.html

What’s your favourite comedy?, Sweeten, 4/3/08 http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/04/whats-your-favorite-comedy.html

Billboard with Spirit, Harris, 4/18/08 http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/04/billboard-with-spirit.html

DC Universe 0, Spendlove, 4/30/08 http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/04/dc-universe-0.html

Major breakthrough for our own Will Baxter, Jones, 5/10/08 http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/05/major-breakthrough-for-our-own-will.html

Random semi-interesting story from last night, Jones, 5/17/08 http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/05/random-semi-interesting-story-from-last.html

Fear, Arnett, 5/24/08 http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/05/fear.html

Comic blogs response, Moore, 6/4/08 http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/06/comic-blogs-response.html

St. Patty’s Day photos – the outtakes, Jones, 6/16/08 http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/06/st-pattys-day-photos-outtakes.html

What would you give them? Sweeten, 6/20/08 http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/06/what-would-you-give-them.html

Wolverine: Healing powers don’t do shit for allergies, bub. Jones, 7/16/08 http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/07/wolverine-healing-powers-dont-do-shit.html

The Dark Knight, Arnett, 7/20/08 http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/07/dark-knight.html

My highlight from SDCC, Moore, 7/29/08 http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/07/my-highlight-from-sdcc.html

Leftover MCs, PL 40, Jones, 8/18/08 http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/08/leftover-mcs-pl-40.html

Sad Day, Zaric, 9/9/08 http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/09/sad-day.html

Momento Morti # 61 (part one) Jones and Littlejohn, 9/21/08 http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/09/momento-morti-61-part-one.html

Momento Morti # 61 (part two) Jones and Littlejohn, 9/25/08 http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/09/momento-morti-61-part-two.html

A new Bart and Jonesy uh… joint, Jones and Littlejohn, 11/13/08 http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/11/new-bart-and-jonesy-uh-joint.html

Whoops… Jones, 11/19/08 http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/11/whoops.html

Merry Christmas, Arnett, 12/20/08 http://pulplegacy.blogspot.com/2008/12/merry-christmas.html

(write-in)_________________________________

Best Use of CD-ROM Medium

Cover production Video, Jones, #39
Seth documents the progress of the cover for issue 39 in a video set to music

The Well, Arnett, #39
Jason narrates his fiction story

The Sky Inside Me, Arnett, #40
A series of flash fiction dreams

July 4th, 2008, Anett, #41
A video of Christmas light displays around Lawrence, Kan.

My Songs, Zaric, #41, 42
Zaric includes John Lennon’s “Mother” to accompany his essay about what the song means to him

Momento Morti, Jones/Littlejohn, #42
A ten-years-in-the-future Seth and Bart send us a “thought blast” about their flying cars, failed movies and living in a cardboard box

A Little Something, Bowen, #42
Set to random clips – including She-Hulk doing squats -- ten-years-in-the-future Eric talks about life, including his vast wealth and the Seth Jones presidency

Best Reviewer

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Best Designed ‘Zine

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Best MC’er

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‘Zine of the Year

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Make your own pulpys:

(worst attitude, most likely to get hit by a bus, most typos, etc.)

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

is this how it starts?

Marvel announced a new form of comic book will be sold via iTunes. With a recent article in Time sounding the death knoll for traditional publishing, I can't help but wonder if we are starting to see the end of ink and paper media? We have gone digital (and likely for the same reasons that other companies will go digital: money) with no real dropoff in membership, which makes me think that more and more people would accept an e-book or even an e-comic book. Opinions?