#THIS WAS PEAK 2021 COMIC ART STYLE

[dantelionwishes]

clavell asks player who his crush is (speaking of, where's clive?)

[the-monkey-ruler]

After Jade Emperor had Erlang's father and brother killed and his mother was captured, is it known who took care of Erlang and Sanshegmu? Or what did they do after that happened? Where did they go? Are there any media that mention that? Or can we assume that Erlang had to take care of himself and his sister?

I think that in Demon slaying chronicles, the comic, it is implied that Erlang had to take care of his sister on his own, but I don't know if it is different in other media or if there are mentions about it in stories and myths.

After Jade Emperor had Erlang's father and brother killed and his mother was captured, is it known who took care of Erlang and Sanshegmu?

Yes, we know that Erlang Shen went to train under Yuding Zhenren who we are to assume that both Erlang Shen and Sanseng Mu were trained as they were both able to cultivate to become gods when Erlang Shen confronted the heavens.

Or what did they do after that happened?

I can't say how long it took them to find Yuding but they must have been still relatively young at least. I haven't read Romance of the Three Kingdoms or FSYY so the details on my part are a bit blurry.

Where did they go?

Jinxia Cave located in the northern part of An County, Mianyang, Sichuan Province

Are there any media that mention that?

It's mentioned in Fengshen Yanyi and Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Or can we assume that Erlang had to take care of himself and his sister?

He undoubtedly took care of himself and his sister for however long they were on the run until they found an immortal master to train under. But I can't say how long that time was really.

I think that in Demon slaying chronicles, the comic, it is implied that Erlang had to take care of his sister on his own, but I don't know if it is different in other media or if there are mentions about it in stories and myths.

I haven't read the Demon Slaying Chronicles but it looks really good! Art style if Peak!! There is a lot of media that does have Yuding in it such as:

Creation of the Gods I (2023)

Erlang Shen (2023) 

The Legends of Changing Destiny

New Gods: Yang Jian (2022) (I have seen this one! Really good!)

The God of War (2022)

Erlang Shen (2021)

The Magic Lotus Lantern (2021)

Investiture of the Gods (2019)

Lotus Lantern Prequel (2009) 

Investiture of the Gods (1990)

The Boy Fighter from Heaven (1986)

Highly recommend some of these!!

[thedevilsrain]

Like i could totally google it and it'd be fair if you told me to do that but like. What's the comic/manga you're posting lots about? I really like the style

estalando meus dedos antes de escrever isso (porém vou deixar em english pros gringo entender também ahushauhs)

SO its called From Eroica With Love by yasuko aoike. its from 1976. its mainly about two guys, dorian, the earl of gloria (AKA eroica), whos a flamboyant fun gay art thief, and major eberbach, a conservative workaholic NATO (ew) intelligence officer - and their respective teams, dorian with his found family of thieves, and eberbach and his men who hate and are scared of him

by irony of destiny, they just keep meeting each other, either because dorian, whos in love w/ the major, will deliberately mess up his missions to mess with him, or because they'll just meet up for one reason or another. this is them!!!

i personally picked up the series back in 2021 because my friend told me, in my peak led zeppelin phase, there was this manga where the characters are just. blatantly inspired by the members of led zeppelin and Are Gay, and i said oh my god i need to fucking read this, and then i did! but then last month i jus got a burst of affection for it and here i am lol

the series is labeled a "shoujo" by manga standards and bc of the art style, and even a BL/yaoi because of the main character being gay (im guilty of this but i do it for the bit), but its very much an action-adventure and comedy manga, if you could guess by the title itself the whole thing is supposed to be kind of a james bond parody as well

its pretty dated, and unfortunately theres like 30 people in the entire fandom, but i still love the series and the characters to bits and it has genuinely made me break into fits of laughter from how funny it was

if you wanna read it, its available both on mangafox and mangakalot. have fun from gio with love xoxo

[alitreofpeace]

2023 wrapped: part 1 - art recap!

i'll be honest, after the lowest art rate (2 drawings/year) that i achieved in 2022, i thought it would be really hard for me to bounce back from that, especially since i spent the first three months in severe creative burnout. i had to throw away a ton of art at the end of 2021, and that left a gaping emotional wound that made it hard to recover from, on top of the difficult academic year that 2022 proved itself to be.

however, we came back much stronger, with a sketch at the beginning of me and my fiance in my signature art style of I Cannot Draw Eyes.

i was actually really proud of this, especially because this would have taken me hours more just two years ago, and i was surprised that i was still... capable? either way, it gave me the drive to keep going.

my next drawing was this attempt at drawing markjin kissing - you will find a theme in following artwork - and it's nowhere near perfect but this was the first time i'd drawn two people kissing and didn't cringe and want to burn the end result, so major win for me.

my return to twitter was marked by me getting swept up in the hype that comes when one of my ships ends up doing something extremely homosexual, this time in the form of dropping a selfie with the most quintessentially Mark caption with donghyuck looking at him in a manner that i struggle to write about. and well, as a result, this drawing was born, in a creative burst after a long day of work, because that's what yaoi does to you.

heavily inspired by mark's golden hour, that always makes me think of aeri because i once forgot what song it was when she was singing it in her car - and later that year i find out she listened to the song almost ten thousand times. and i thought i was crazy for listening to broken melodies 1100 times.

one of the times this year that i thought i'd peaked was when i wrote stomachaches and dandelions (hate this distance) on the day before and on my birthday. 14000 words in forty-eight hours, i thought i would never top that, and the style of writing was so different from my usual, i could feel myself growing as a writer and i was so thankful that i didn't give up on writing for good.

i took one of my favorite paragraphs and made my first comic!

my birthday also brought my favorite selfie from this year! thank you nomin for smiling upon me, i know i'm your favorite :) i drew this on the train to milan, next to a bunch of loud aunties who were laughing and talking in fast italian while i sketched this out.

i also drew this picture that had dropped on the train after! again, never do i regret the day that i decided government assigned ships were the way to go.

sitting in a small hotel room on the italian countryside after my sister had fallen asleep (our sleeping times are always staggered by 2.5 hours at least), i drew this little sketch for my fiance, who adores all the cats in the hostels and attempts to win their favor constantly.

the end of july was when i attempted yet another comic, when i came across one of the cutest poems i'd ever read in my life (oranges by jean little). this was harder because i had to draw more people and i tried, and i know it's not perfect, but i am extremely proud of the way i drew that orange.

i drew a gift for my fiance towards the beginning of august! a collection of pictures and a bunch of little jokes on all the things i loved him for.

mid-august brought along the birthday of a man who has silently occupied a very high position on my bias list since i got into nct.

to this day, i still call myself a Jaemin Girl when i buy cute things for myself and turn my dosas heart-shaped and eat when i'm supposed to.

in the middle of a career crisis, vitamin d deficiency, and academics kicking my ass, i couldn't draw for another month and a half, but my wayv brainrot came back strong and i found myself making a quick triplets sketch towards the end of september.

getting back into the drawing groove, i found myself sitting at my laptop for a solid five hours thinking about nomin kissing. hence, this. i have nothing more to say for myself. it's that goddamn magazine's fault.

christmas nomin drove me damn near insane, a fact that the pass girls and ila can definitely attest to, and in the middle of stressing about how much i had to write for it, i ended up drawing for it instead (do you see what i mean when i said there would be a theme?).

one of my biggest dreams is to have an artist draw art for my fic, but until then, i think i'm quite happy multitasking. i was particularly proud of this one, it was really nice to complete.

i started drawing more on paper in november, just to remember what it was like to do that again, and i thought it would help me get better at copy drawing, considering that original drawing is really not my forte. here are some of my favorites!

i drew the final drawing of the year this morning! mildly melancholy, but i am genuinely so happy at the end of this year, and i am so proud of all the art i managed to create. it was a great year.

here's to an even more creative 2024!

[popculturebuffet]

The Disney Afternoon: Legend of the Chaos God!: The Only Wolf Among Them (Commission for WeirdKev27)

Happy Halloween all you Happy People!.. I’m Jake, I do deep dives into comics and animatoin. And it’s finally time for one of the greatest combos of those in Disney History. Something i’ve been slowly working my way up to for a whole year.  And something that makes the perfect kickoff to my faviorite time of the year, Halloween: LEGEND OF THE CHAOS GOD. 

For those two of you who have never heard of this epic tale, a little backstory:  It was the early 90′s and being at it’s absolute peak with the Disney Rensiance and the Disney Afternoon, Disney naturally captalized on owning kid’s childhoods once again with Disney Adventures, a really cool little digest magazine that had stories about upcoming movies, artcles for kids and best of all comics, fresh for your little brain.

If I sound a bit nostlagic.. i’ts because I am. While I wasn’t even born till a year after it started, the magazine stuck around for almost two decades, from 1990 to 2007, and as such gleefully seeped into my childhood, with the formula of a bunch of disney related articles with some comics in the back holding the whole time. As such I have fond memoreis of a special section of atlantis the lost empire, jetpack pets, and my faviorite comic they ever did: a prequel to lilo and stitch that not only fully invested me in watching the film, which unsuprisingly I ended up loving, but also got my little brain reving as, unlike the movie it put extra focus on the fact that stitch was the 626th experiment. It showed off some of the others in passing, and most important had a little sandwitch making snarker known as 625, aka my faviorite part of the tv show, who was clearly so justifably popular he got ported to the animated series. It was my first experince seeing something imported from a smaller canon to the larger pond and it was glorious.  It’s easily why even today I cheer when something I see in the comcis makes it to screen properly. 

Back to the point, long before my time, DA naturally printed comics about the Disney Afternoon, and two of the best at it were married duo David Cody Weiss and Bobbi JG Weiss. So with the block’s popularity it wasn’t a huge shocker that Disney asked Disney Adventures Editor Marv Wolfman.. yes 

THAT Marv Wolfman, to do a crossover story. So Marv asked the weiss’ to write it which gave them a challenge: All five shows had diffrent canons, storytelling styles, and art styles and Disney hadn’t really done crossovers at that point, so the two weren’t keen on fully blending the worlds. Which I find adorable froma  2021 standpoint where we’ve just come out of a DuckTales that seemlessly melded all 5 shows into the same universe, and as for the current batch, Amphibia and Owl House did a crossover skit at ComicCon this year. Sure it was clearly a cute throwaway thing but just how seemlessly the two worked together is a testament to the fact the two were worryign over nothign: as long as the shows have enough commonality to work it’ll be glorious. 

So the question was simple: how do you have a crossover without the characters actually meeting. And the answer was simple: you give them a common element, an ancient evil to be stopped, and simply have it hot potato from show to show until it’s vanquished. It’s not a terrible style of crossover. While I vastly prefer big team ups as you get sweet sweet character interactions and a better story most of the time, having an evil pass from character to character is still neat, seeing how the villian evolves with each encounter and how each heroes methods differ. I’ve seen a great Green Lantern Story, Fear Itself, do something similar, with a diffrent lantern from each generation battling an elder god, and Dark Horse doing a star wars crossover i’ve never read with an ancient sith threat that bounced from time frame to time frame. 

I will say this story is probably the best use of that: an epic story spanning all five shows, almost every chapter giving you a complete story with only the final two really feeling like a two parter due to said shows sharing characters, and each chapter outlining just what a threat our big bad is while making us wonder WHO he is. It’s a thrilling, enjoyable and utterly awesome masterwork and if you want to read it yourself , lucky for both of us, Fantagraphics just reprinted the story recently in a huge collection also containing reprints of a handful of other stories, most notably a two part adaptation of Just Us Justice Ducks and a full length adaptation of the Goofy Movie that was never offically translated till this collection. As such I have way nicer scans to work with than I would’ve had the story not been recollected this year so thanks Fantagraphics. Please reprint IDW/Joe Books darkwing duck will ya?

But enough plugging for people who aren’t me. (for me personally you can check out my patreon and comission your own reviews from me as Kev here has. But I have more important things to do than shill, so join me under the cut as I gleefully dive into one of the biggest crossovers in Disney History, it’s Legend of the Chaos God.

Part 1: TaleSpin: Crystal Chaos

SPIN IT!  Let’s.. dig this intro page, which serve as a “cover” of sorts since these were magazine stories but are just as attractive and eyecatching as ac omic cover to me, giving us a taste of the story and making is wonder just what is happening. It’s a tad cluttered, but it dosen’t hold the cover back and each story has something like this, with two nice connecting touches: each story has the character who gets possessed out of the main cast with eeire, yellow glowing eyes, and each one shows the crystal slowly getting bigger, till it engulfs the entire page for the final part. 

Onto the story itself, Baloo, Kit and Molly are doing their monthly suply run to the isle of Rankiroon where the famous professor pottershed is trying to figure out why the people of this island disappeared centuries ago. 

His dig has found plenty of artifacts of their civilizatoi which our heroes are picking up. and given their remotely valuable, that attracts the Sky Pirates just as Baloo is flying in. Baloo makes quick work of them though in the most badass and Baloo way possible: he rams the big old ned their tryign to swipe the artifacts with  using the sea duck, the weight of the impact tossing the pirates into the sea. It also causes some trouble for late though as an eeerie red gem and it’s gold setting both fall out, the gem into a flour barrel and the setting into the ocean. 

Our heroes depart and we meet the professor and his son Bisk, who to my surprise isn’t just a know it all little shit whose rude to molly, but vitally important later. We’ll get to that. Pottershed is trying to prove the chaos god Solego destroyed this civilization. 

For now our heroes head home where Rebecca gives Baloo the riot act for being late despite you know, saving their client.. then once he points that out gets mad her daughter was on board for that. 

Thankfully Molly smoothes things over so Rebcca instead goes to check on inventory for next month... and finds the gem after it falls out of a the barrel it ended up in. She touches it and hears the booming voice of Solego himself, who forces her despite her best attempts to fight him off to put the necklace attached to the ruby on. It’s a deeply unerving scene as Rebecca, unlike the other thralls that Solego picks up over the story, is desperatley trying to fight him for control and failing, forced to obey him. It only gets worse when Solego snaps at Molly when she comes in. 

This big of evil overlord nonsense backfires though as Molly can tell Rebecca’s wrong: even at her worst she woudln’t yell at her chlid like that. Rebcca isn’t pleased but Solego simply uses the threat of harming Molly to get her to coperate and steal the Sea Duck.

This once again backfires as, already warned by a panicking Molly, Baloo gets proof her suspcions are true: Becky can’t fly. Somehow Rebecca’s day only gets worse as Baloo and the Kids (The latter not his choice) lasso their way onto the plane, hodling it as a human chain.. and Solego forces her to shake them them off to Rebeccas utter horror. 

Rebebecca does show how badass she can be though, using every ounce of her free will to swerve the plane and save them and then fighting off the god once the rest of our heroes get on board and yanking the chain off.  We also get an utterly heartwarming moment with mother and daughter. 

Aww. So with that Baloo decide sto dump the necklace in the ocean, having kit use tongs to get the deed done. While the professor might be upset, it’s better than riskign taking the thing back to him. So with that the necklace is gone.

Crystal Chaos is a great start to the epic, setting up some foreshadowing and a Chekov's gunman for later. The real highlight though is Rebecca, who gets to really shine here. While she is possessed for most of her page time, she fights Solego every step she can and ends up being the only one to shake off his influence entirely, her love for her daughter winning out. It shows just what a great character. The writing is pitch perfect for the series tone and this is something every chapter has for it’s respective series, while adding a tinge of creepiness to all via our antagonist. 

Part 2: Chip’n”Dale: Rescue Rangers: To Half and Half Not

Now since there is no case too big, and this happens to be a pretty friggin big case, it’s time to call ccccchip n dale. 

So Solego’s gem is found about 30 years later in as digified and epic a manner as you’d expect...

To be fair i’m sure we all want to be spit out by a recently caught fish into waiting hands. Granted i’d want those waiting hands to be Demi Lovato or Keith David but point is , we al lhve our things, let Solego have his fun. 

So Solego naturally posses this random fisherman and has him leave the ruby at a musuem. Since public museums werne’t a thing yet and the most the story tells us when we get his backstory is that his civilization was “ancient”, i’m going to guess this lost society invented the public musuem.. and the plane..... and the fish spitting you into waiting arms fetish. 

Conviently it turns out not only is the museum in.... chipndaleburg having a touring exposition of the treasures of Rankkiroon, but said museum is dipslaying the setting. We also get some more lore hints as the comic also shows off a block of jade that the pieces were found in. Hmmmm. 

So the Rescue Rangers also happen to be there on another case: Fat Cat’s goons are trying to steal the settiing. Dale wonders why their even here since ther’es a security systme and why Fat Cat even cares.. and is shot down by Gadet, pointing out that their backup if they can get past said system, and Chip, who basically says “Its magic and stuff shut your yapper”. 

Naturally Fat Cat’s hired goons get through the defenses. Luckily our heroes already had a plan tucked away and Gadget simply crossbows some flint. I also want to take a moment to appricate the tech here as it’s all cobbled together from junk about the heroes size and it’s fun to look at: The Cat Gang uses a grapple gun, but iwth a plunger up top , and mor eimpressively a protractor refitted with a sharper blade and a suction cup to cut the glass. Meanwhile on the good guys side Gadget’s mini-crossbrow is made of a pencil nub and a doll comb. It’s just really neat stuff and shows off the fun you can have when your characters are small like this. It’s why I have a soft spot in my heart for shrinking heroes.. that and hank pym is concentrated awesome and I won’t hear any arguments otherwise. 

Said crossbow has flint which triggers the sprinkler, causing the alarms to go off. A fight insues in a cool setting as the sprinklers are causing a small flood... might want to get those checked...not a huge deal for the... humans that..c ome in...

Okay.. okay... they had Dog Faces earlier so these COULD be those.. and we don’t see the face. .but they are drawn with human hands.. but this version of the rescue rangers is implied to fit in with the rest of these four shows where there are no humans.. so are there humans in just one town? are they segregated? if so why is there a human only town? Do the funny animals know mice can talk? Was there some offscreen war? Your raising questions no one wants to ask or answer Legend of the Chaos God, please stop. 

Chaos, naturally ensues as our heroes chase fat cat who has just the best response to their telling him to stop. 

A chase insues and Gadget uses a teacup so her and Montery can ride afte rhim. They end up finding the box.. somehow.. .the curator must leave his office full of precious artifacts unlocked, and Fat Cat ends up dropping the setting.. and Gadget ends up dropping on top of Solego who takes hold. once again the effect is GENINELY creepy

Seeing Solego take over such innocent characters is really terrifying. Thankfuly he dosen’t last long as the Rangers Assume Fat Cat is attacking gadget and stop him, which shocks her into letting the rock go. Due to having him in her mind, Gadget now knows at least enough: The gem contains a god, he can posses whoever touches it and he wants the setting to take over the world. 

So naturally he hypnotizes the feeblest mind they have: Dale. However it is noticeable that he changes tactics slightly this time. Instaead of talking to the subject WHILE he has them in his thrall, he only does so to hypnotize them.  While a large part of the reason Rebecca could throw him off was motherly love, it also didn’t help that Solego let her KNOW what he was doing every seconda nd thus wasted precious energy trying to force her to do it instea dof spending that MAKING HER do it, a mistake he rectifies with Dale who parachutes after the setting. Our heroes follow. I’ll also note the art here REALLY gets how to do something like this, as the possessed versions of the characters all move slightly different, giving Solego a sense of personality even before he speaks more in this chapter or is fully formed in the finale. 

Solego faces down Fat Cat who clearly has figured out that’s not Dale in the driver’s seat.. and dosen’t care, citing that if he want sit that bad, the setting has to be powerful. This leads to a cool chase on a t-rex skeleton which Solego ends up winning, We get a really cool chase through the stuff as fat cat’s goons try to get the setting, solego tries to ge tthe setting and our heroes try to stop both of them.  Bringing in an archmedes screw and a folcault pendlum for good measure. 

The chase ends with the gem and the setting falling into fat cat’s hands, with Solego seemingly have won.. for all of a panel till the generator behind him shocks him conveniently. 

As a result our heroes get both pieces, and have their raven friends Edgar and Allen fly them to opposite ends so they can’t be reunited. And we end on.. this panel. 

The boys faces are fine but gadget looks off in both. In the first she just has DURRRRRRRRRR written all over it and in the last one while it’;s drawn better, she looks angry for some reason. Like “you’d better be right Chip or i’ll throat rip ya” angry. It’s weird

To Halve and Half not is another excellent chapter. It’s only real flaws are the flood scene gets a bit hard to follow in terms of where everything is, but it luckily doesn't trip up the story. Other than that it’s another stellar entry; Fat Cat gets to square off with our arc villian, the climax is cool and like the last issue almost everyone gets something to do, Monty being the only one who really doesn’t. But given the limited runtime, that’s fair enough and he still gets more than enough screen time that he isn’t left out or feels irrelevant to the story. 

Part 3: Goof Troop: Spookus Ex Machina

So it’s time to report to the Goof Troop, as Edgar ends up dropping the gem due to exaustion, with it landing in the grille of a car.

Naturally giving Pete likes flashing his cash around, it’s his new car. Given Pete’s divorced a few years after this, it’s not suprising he didn’t ask Peg and plans to just schmooze her later. We also see Max and Pj as the car is loaded into the driveway. Turns out it’s a smart car before those were a thing, with those mechanical arms you see holding our heroes in peril on the cover used normally to polish hub cabs and what not. Pete then shooes the children away.. and that’s the last we see of them in this story

Yeah. I feel they were ONLY included on the Jewel in the intro by mandate as the two are drawn smiling all happy and such while Pete and Goofy are drawn more like the characters are in other installments. But I do get why: The story just works better JUST focusing on Pete and Goofy with Peg in a supporting roll, and I can’t blame them for wanting this story to be streamlined when it was likely the hardest one to come up with: the other four shows in this five part crossover are all action adventure shows with a touch o comedy. A horrifying ancient evil fits into the puply adventure stylings of TaleSpin,  Chip N Dale and DuckTales perfectly, and equally squares up with the superhero themed darkwing duck. 

But an evil chaos god out to destroy the world sticks out like a sore thumb in the sticommy world of goof troop, and it was hard enough making those two elements mesh without putting kids at the mercy of a haunted car. For TaleSpin and DuckTales , both of whom use kids an dperil int heir chapters, i’ts a normal tuesday but for Goof Troop it might be jarring enough to kill any comedy. 

So while pete sings the praises of his new haunted car, though sadly not literally... though now I really want to hear Pete sing “Jane’s a Car” from the nightmare time episode of the same name. 

It’s really disappointing that much like that episode of nightmare time they cut out the full on sex scene between Pete and Solego. 

So Pete commences with schmoozing Peg, and actually SUCCEEDS this time. It’s eerie. It’s like the two times Team Rocket has actually won. This is bad news for Goofy who senses SOMETHING’S wrong with the car but like any good horror protagonist he can’t exactly tell Pete. And I meant what I said as this chapter shifts into a horror movie vibe, which fits: our heroes this time aren’t seasoned adventurers used to this kind of stuff, their two subruban schmucks.  So much like a horror movie it’s normal people who can’t go to the authorties or even their own families against an unstoppable horror. 

That night Solego muses, actually happy with his new car body and with technology. It’s a nice change: most ancient evils detest technology or are baffled by it, but Solego fully embracing it and realizing it’s FAR easier to posses something that can’t fight back and that can easier guard his vulnerable gem. 

He’s clever though, deciding to get the info of where to go next BEFORE he strikes to get Pete’s key’s so he can move more than the cars mechanical arms.. and using Goofy’s tv to do it, looking on the news and finding out that Scrooge bought the Gem off a pawn shop, and is keeping it in his bin for safekeeping. With that Solego knows where he must go... and Goofy follows Solego’s cord to find the car ALIVE. 

Goofy goes to warn Pete who dosen’t remotely belivie goofy as you’d expect... until Solego makes his presence known, demanding the keys. After bluffing to Peg, Goofy suggests they perform an exorcism. Yes folks this story has Goofy PERFORMING AN EXORCISM ON A CAR. 

That went as well as expected but boy is it one of the best moments in the Disney Canon and I will fight you on that fact. Goofy tried exorcising a car possessed by an ancient snake god, including STAKING THE THING.  The only missing is Goofy shouting “Die monster you don’t belong in this world!” And given Symphony of the Night wasn’t out yet, that’s more than acceptable. 

So the car yanks them inside and they have no choice but to give Solego the keys less he do something worse. It dosen’t get any better when Pete DOES give him the key as Solego drags them with him to Duckburg, but before he can kill them or drop them off in kansas, where they’d pray for death, Goofy instead swerves the car off a cliff, giving Pete and Goofy just enough time to jump out and Solego no time to repair the car. 

As Pete mopes about his lost car he still has to payoff, Solego simply calls for a tow. How he knew what tows are I don’t know but at least this time it’s reasonable given he’s linked to the car’s brain, it likely knows how to autodial a tow service and Solego simply absorbed the info. 

Spookus Ex Machina is a fun story. It’s surprisingly creepy in parts, mostly the red glow of the car’s headlights under Solego’s influence, but it’s mostly a fun Goof Troop adventure with some horror elements. It still fits just fine with the rest of the stories, while playing to Goof Troops sitcom strengths. It also has Goofy , once more for clarity PERFORMING A GODDAMN EXEORCISM ON A CAR. I can’t hate any story having that and I sadly doubt we’ll ever see a scene like this again in the disney canon. 

Part 4: DuckTales: Tow for Broke

DuckTales was LONG finished at this point, having finished back in 1990... but it was still replaying, had ties to Darkwing Duck as much as the creator tries to act like that’s not a thing (It is tad, it is), and was still monstrously popular. So having it here was a no brainer. 

So we open with Scrooge being an asshole

Scrooge is mad someone (Aka Solego) towed himself there under his name and tells Fenton to refuse to pay the towman, who goes to get a hotel and some rest while they sort this out. Fenton is of course upset because he knows Scrooge will blame him for this .. when Solego gets really clever, using the fact he CAN talk in the gem to cry for help.. then hypnotizing Fenton to pick him up the first chance he gets. 

Like Rebecca Fenton fights back,though in his own way: as soon as he feels the mind control coming on summons the Gizmoduck armor,. which allows him to fight it off better. It’s a valiant effort.. that backfires HORRIBLY as Solego naturally takes a liking to having a technologial body that’s not only more like an actual body than the last one, but gives him a full arsenal so he dumps fenton out and puts up a hologram of his own visage...

He naturally goes on a rampage, easily tearing past the triplets, who Fenton clues in as much as he can without giving away his identity. I’d question why hide it from them.. but frankly the triplet’s IQ in this series flops between “Genius” and...

So not telling them is the right call. Solego demands his setting and Scrooge unlike the triplets figures out it’s not Fenton... given the big terrifying projection and the fact GizmoSolego is acting nothing like Fenton, it shoudlnt’ of taken a deductive genius, so this is probably one of the boys cat swinging days. 

Solego eventually senses the setting isn’t in the bin, and departs, with the police chasing him.. but being utterly useless. The boys switch back to clever mode and consult the JWG. Shockingly the book DOSNE’T have much, which is in itself eerie: given this book normally has everything about everything the fact all it has about Solego is that he’s a god of distruction and to see Potsherd, the professor from part 1. Curiously despite being old even 30 years ago, he’s the one who sponsored the museum tour we saw in part 2 and s Scrooge has him flown out to see them to see if he knows anything that can stop the rampaging god.  You KNOW it’s serious when Scrooge is actually paying money with no caveats or griping about Jet Fuel. 

The Potsherd our heros found though turns out to be Bisk, who in the 30 years since has grown up and is a far nicer person as an adult, glad to help Scrooge. We also get some more backstory: Turns out scrooge is the diver who found the setting the first time, mentoind back in part 2, and while not willing to sell it, was willing to loan it out for the tour. Scrooge mentions the jewel and Bisk is horrified to realize his father was right: Solego is real. 

As a result he gladly tells the ducks all he knows and thus we finally get an expllination as to who Solego is: Long ago, Solego was the most powerful sorcerer in the world, conquering all who stood in his way and only getting stronger and stronger as he rampaged and conquered throughout the ancient world. The Chaos God Moniker came from the fact that, much like Voldermort, no one dare speak his actual name. He also made himself immortal, meaning no one could hope to stop him.

Eventually though , as often is the case, someone stepped up to stop him: a young wizard of Rakkinroon named D’Shane, who created the amulet to seal Solego. Despite the dread wizard’s sheer power, D’Shane somehow overpowered the wizard and sealed him up: He put solego’s mind in the gem and his power in the setting, hence why Solego can’t just whip himself up a body. Presumibly the body taking is simply still there since i’ts metnal and thus coudln’t be properly seperated. The jade block was designed to keep them seperate until Pottersherd made the horrible mistake of seperating them for study, though even he wasn’t stupid enough to touch the gem, attaching the chain for that. Though as we learned, that simply gave him a way to be portable, a for effort. He then recaps what happened with Baloo and we get back to present day. 

Bisk is at least hopeful the bin can keep it safe.. only to learn Scrooge sent it to St. Canard to be cleaned. Meanwhile Solego muses about just how wonderful technogy is and plans to add it to his arsenal once he’s back in full.. for now he’s headed for St. Canard. WIth little time left scrooge sends fenton to go help while he calls S.H.U.S.H. to get the one man who can possilly stop solego on the job: Darkwing Duck. 

Tow For Broke is a decent chapter but it has it’s flaws due to the form: GizmoSolego is truly terrifying, and the exposition is neat, explaning who Solego is just in time for the finale while leaving it open for our heroes to find out his weakness next time. 

The chapter’s own weakness is in the use of the characters: Our characters never really fight Solego: Fenton looses his armor to him, Scrooge yells at the guy and that’s it. While Scrooge bringing bisk in is vital, so he and fenton still contribute to the story just fine, it just dosen’t feel as much like a DuckTales story and more like a bunch of table setting. And table setting in a big event like tthis normally isn’t bad.. but after getting three complete adventures that felt like their respective shows at their best, ti’s a bit of a let down if a necessary one. 

Part 5: Darkwing Duck: Reign and Thunder

So we’ve come to our epic conclusion with the only choice to go head to head with the god himself: Darkwing Duck

We open at SHUSH HQ, where J. Gander Hoover is briefing our hero on his most important assignment yet: to pick something up from the jewelers. Launchpad has understandable questions

I mean he’s not wrong.. especially since he was one of them. Though to be fair EVERYONE Scrooge has working for him is low paid. It’s why he’s been under investigation so many time.. and why he pays for the alligator pit in his office. 

Fenton rushes in to impart how serious this is and drags our heroes off, explaining things on the way. Our heroes arrive too late as Solego has already arrived first.. and has a solution for wordy superheroes

This leads ... to the inevitible. After 30 years of struggling, Solego has finally reunited the two pieces.... 

Darkwing, being Darkwing, decides insulting the guy is the best option which nearly gets them killed and assumes they’ve fought worse

For the record you really haven’t.. which is a shock. Solego prepares to “Summon forth the black army’ Darkwing naturally goads him and we find out just what that army is

Solego can bring inanimate objects to life, which is mildly comedic.. but still terrifying. Someone being able to turn EVERY object around you into a living weapon who only wants to kill you.. it explains why he was so feared. Solego naturally does so with some stone lions after Darkwing tells him to pick on someone his own size. Darkwing ends up a flagpole and requires Gizmoduck to help.. and being Darkwing yells at the guy fo rhelping and want shim to leave. 

Gizmo has a score to settle though..a nd dies for it. Well more like ends up exploding out of the gizmosuit screaming because they clearly drew fenton in there to avoid the implication he died, especailly since Darkwing talks about Solego “disnentgrating him” next panel. I mean fenton probably still died so.. there’s that. 

With that only Darkwing stands against him.... which Launchpad takes offense to, mistakingly making a “what am I chopped liver joke” in front of an angry god, thus getting transformed. It’s pretty horrifying thougH: in minutes he’s kileld two of the shows best heroes, and has darkwing running scared. He’s almost completely won and soon reveals darkwing ONLY lived this long because Solego wanted a challenge and gives one hell of a villian speech. 

So we’ve come to the weakest part of this five parter. While it is pretty good as a whole, and i’ll explain why more in a bit, this climax.. isp retty disapointing. Darkwing ducks behind a satlite dish with no help in site

And said dish just HAPPENS to be reflective and, as Bisk explains during the summation soon after this, is how D’Shane Beat him years ago. Solego is put back in the gem and setting , his victims are revivied and Bisk puts the gem and setting back in the block, ending the Legend of the Chaos god once and for all. 

Bisk putting him back isn’t bad, it’s fitting and gives the story a nice bookend.. btu the way Darkwing beats him is just weak. Ther’es no strategy, no Darkwing thinking that’d work.. our hero just gets VERY lucky. While it would probably work for one of the chapter endings it just dosen’t work as a finale: all they had to do was make it inteitonal. Instead humanity wins by pure dumb luck and i’ts just utterly unsatsifying. 

That said, Reign and Thunder isn’t a terrible climax. While HOW our big bad looses sucks eggs, the build up is still intense; Solego easily gets his power back, and is in control the whole time, eaisly dispatching our other two heroes, and is geninely terrifying> The tone fits darkwing perfectly, mixing the sheer terror with some godo gags and egotisim.. I just wish it hadn’t ended on such a weak note. 

Final Thoughts:

While , one more time, the ending is a tad week as a whole, Legend of the Chaos God was fondly remembered for good reason. It’s an epic story, weaving together all five shows and leaving clues throughout to who Solego is and to his backstory we get towards the end, and setting up things that become important later. It feels like a complete story that simply switches main characters each time, each bit adding more and more till it builds up to an okay climax. Even with the bullshit dues ex machina ending.. it’s still a fun ride, with each show , even DuckTales which easily had the weakest chapter, feeling like one of the shows best episodes in print form. 

Unsuprisingly fans later down the line loved this story and wanted to honor it. A sequel to the story was intended for the Boom! Darkwing Duck Comic, and given Rescue Rangers and DuckTales comics had launched toward the end of Boom!’s time with Disney, it’d likely be another big crossover. That was shelved sadly due to Marvel buying Disney, and Disney taking their sweet time to get comics published half decently again, going to IDW, their own ill fated JOe Book simprint, and eventualyl settling on fantagraphics, who have now taken over full reprint duties, leading to the very collection this story was in. Given Fantagraphics has also reprinted Wizards of Mickey alongisde this collection, it does give one hope said darkwing duck comics may return.. and may finally get a proper finale. 

But the story did end up getting the nod, something the creators were incredibly proud of in the afterword for this story printed in said collection: Solego got a cameo in the DT17 episode “Let’s Get Dangerous”. Fittingly given the mutliverse theme, he was retooled itno a mad inventor who created a VERY dangerous way of travleing the multiverse. I wouldn’t be shocked if Frank had bigger plans for him and simply hadn’t got to him but who knows? Maybe w’e’ll get a legend of the chaos god movie if Disney pulls their head out of their ass. Time will tell. But as it stands we just have this epic.. and given how awesome it is, that’s more than enough. This story , warts and all, is a shining example of how to do a crossover right and I highly recommend seeking it out, especially this month given how suprisingly perfect i is for spooky season. 

So with that this saga concludes, the disney afternoon pilots in the books, the chaos god rests and so do i. See ya real soon. 

[formulaorange]

Tuesday May 18th

2021 Spring Anime Season So Far

My Hero Academia Episode 8 We've unlocked yandere Todoroki 🔓 This episode was by far my favourite from season 5 so far. They did not have to go that hard with the soundtrack, and the animation style is starting to feel a lot better with the way they're using the show. I like the new addition of the comic onomatopoeia's throughout the action scenes and the new eye style looks really neat. Overall - the most solid episode yet. Tokyo Revengers Episode 6 Draken's backstory I honestly thought this was so cute how they met - I mean, look at these two beans!!

I Very cute - overall kind of a filler episode but I'm ok with it! To Your Eternity (Fumetsu no Anata E) Episode 7 As always - an excellent show and excellent episode. I think part of the reason I like this show much, along with many other people, it really depicts the basics of life and purpose. This episode in particular with Fushi's interest in education and learning more about the world he lives in is so pure and I can't help but feel excited for his future. I've Been Killing Slime for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level Episode 7 I will never not hate typing this name out. The usual chaos - This is fun to watch but I likely won't be updating on here from now on as it's not really plot based or anything. But I'll still watch and finish it, post a rating when I'm done - for now it's a solid 4 or 5/10 Pretty Boy Detective Club (Bishounen Tanteidan) Episode 6 The humanless portraits I think I'll also hold off on updates for this one until it's done, since similarly it doesn't follow a plot line and is kind of all over the place. Definitely fun to watch though, very pretty and I always like being reminded of how nice this art style is. Mars Red Episode 7 Ok ok ok, this was super cool to see how we led up to episode 1. It definitely adds some punch to the storyline so far and where it'll go from here. I think it's a perfect midway point to move the show forwards. Odd Taxi Episode 7 I think we're getting close to the peak of this show? I don't get why there's always random people rapping in confrontations. Anywho - this episode was meh, clearly starting to lead somewhere though. So I'm a Spider So What Episode 18 Yet another back and forth of not a whole lot happening on either end. Seems like all the helping happening in this episode is gonna turn into some kind of religion in future episodes worshipping the spider - similar to what happened to Mob in MP100. But we're almost done the series... I hope they don't keep dragging it on just so they can make another season. Slime Diaries Episode 7 This series is so much fun, I know it isn't adding much to the show but it gives the characters extra depth and makes the world more full. I feel like this past episode with Milim was kind of weird and had more flashbacks than others but it was still fun. I'll try to cut down the number of shows i post about since this is a bit much and maybe just say a few things on the episodes I really enjoyed. Always a work in progress!

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: June 2021

We in Ontario are still mostly locked down and my area is the MOST locked down (not being dramatic, it’s genuinely the only region that isn’t opening up at the start of July). What this means is there’s still lots of time for safe, distanced, indoor activities! Here’s how I spent June.

……….FILM……….

Groundhog Day (1993) Despite liking practically every time loop movie I’ve watched, I’d never seen Groundhog Day. It was great! I was surprised by how much of a journey Bill Murray’s character went on. Just when I thought he’d gotten to the point where he would break the cycle, the movie says “nope!” and digs deeper. Now I understand why it gets referenced in all the other time loop movies.

Cruella (2021) It’s a fairly bonkers premise and it’s just campy enough to work. The scenes where it slows down for drama feel...unnecessary, but maybe overall it was still a good time at the (at home) movies! It takes some swings and I’ll never complain about that.

……….TELEVISION……….

Loki (Episode 1.01 to 1.03) I tend to prefer my Marvel stuff a little more fantastic so this is...right up my alley. Time travel, strange planets, it’s all great. Very Doctor Who. Keen to see how this shapes up.

The Bachelorette (Episode 17.01 to 17.04) Katie gives off such a good “I’m not supposed to be here” energy that I can’t help but enjoy this season. That and the change from Chris Harrison to Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe is the breath of fresh air I need.

Neon Genesis Evangelion (Episode 1.12 to 1.17) Still a very slow burn and a slow watch for me but I’m digging it! It seems to be in an exposition/bigger plot phase right now so not as much giant robot v monster battles but hey, I’m all for variety.

Superstore (Episode 4.12 to 5.08) The series has really transitioned from Jonah and Amy to the full cast and that’s great! Also hitting some surprisingly topical story beats.

……….READING……….

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Complete) I have a rather limited exposure to the gothic genre (Dracula, Frankenstein, and Crimson Peak are pretty much it) but this felt right at home. Turns out I really dig contemporary gothic novels! If you liked Crimson Peak then check this novel out. If you haven’t seen Crimson Peak, watch that and read this.

DC: The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke (Complete) Still one of my absolute favourite comics. I’d pitch this as Mad Men meets the Justice League. It deftly weaves fun superheroics into real-world events around the late 50s (including the overt racism and misogyny of the time). The pacing and artwork are cinematic, the narrative feels big enough for a full-team threat, and everyone feels like they’re a piece in a bigger puzzle. Just love it.

Beautiful Darkness by Fabien Vehlmann and Kerascoët (Complete) One of my favourite graphic novels to reread every so often. It’s so dark and sad yet beautiful to look at. I admit I less enjoyed the...meanness of the tiny fairy-like characters on the latest reading, but I think that’s byproduct fo the general climate in which I’m reading the book. Still highly recommend.

Head Lopper Volume 2 & Head Lopper Volume 3 by Andrew Maclean with Jordie Bellaire (Complete) Volume 2 is still my fave of the trio. The plot and pacing are ace and the style feels a lot more pulpy. Volume 3 is a really fun story that expands the world but it all feels...rushed in a way that the previous volumes didn’t. Maybe it’s the larger cast and the bigger story, but there were a number of times where I felt like panels were missing. The evolving art style is a lot more loose and I like it overall, but I think the art would be better complimented by more breathing room. As critical as this is sounding, I still have a blast every time I read this series and I’ve preordered volume 4, so know that I criticize because I love it all so so much.

……….AUDIO……….

The Adventure Zone: Ethersea (Podcast) I fell off of The Adventure Zone a while back but I’m digging this new premise! I know the worldbuilding episodes may not be loved by some but I really dig seeing how the sausage is made and getting a glimpse at another gaming format. Good stuff.

Love to See It (Podcast) With all the Bachelorette stuff going on this summer, I’m glad this podcast is back (albeit with a different name).

……….GAMING……….

Neverland: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) The adventurers have made some MAJOR waves on the island! Or at least with one faction. I won’t spoil anything so there’s a more thorough breakdown over on Reddit!

Super Mario 3D All Stars (Nintendo) I wrapped up Super Mario Galaxy and I’m reminded that I always enjoy the 3D Mario games for about 60% of the time it takes to complete it. It just doesn’t feel as satisfying or challenging (in a good way, you know?) than the 2D platformers. It’s just not for me, an old.

And that’s it! As always, let me know if you have anything to recommend and happy Wednesday!

[marlinspirkhall]

2020 Art Masterpost/ My Year In Art

Here is a masterpost of all the art/fanart I did in 2020 (mostly Star Trek fanart) for future reference, because we all know tumblr is Not Good at organising things, and I forgot I did some of these (see: May).

I was going to do a side by side comparison of “look at how much my art has improved in a year” but I’ll uh. Save that for January, I think.

Note: I am not claiming all of these are good, I am merely stating they exist.

Star Trek Fanarts 2020: (AO3) (Gdrive link)

January: “Merry Kissmas” (AO3) (tumblr), for the fic of the same name by All_New_Wolverine

February: “The Space Between Us” (AO3) for @herenya-writes​‘s fic of the same name

Tumblr: The Reflection Pool, Meditation, Scattering Petals, Comic

I’m A Junkie Not A Science Experiment

March-May:

Star Trek Pinups (AO3) (tumblr: Sulu, Kirk 01, Kirk 02, Spock 01, Spock 02)

I don’t know how I feel abt these anymore, but they were a lot of fun at the time & the start of a few really good internet friendships, esp with @thenorsiest​, who I love very much. So even if someone later looks back on these as cringe (hello, future-me), it still has infinite value. Also I still really love the Sulu one, sorry not sorry.

Related work: “Pin-Up Style Spock” by Norsy

“The Illogical Insult” (A03) (tumblr) for the fic of the same name by Norsy

“Let Me Help” (AO3) (tumblr) (for herenya_writes)

“The Feud” (AO3) (tumblr) for the fic of the same name by ughdotcom, @gender-snatched

Is Spock Warm-Blooded Or Cold Blooded? [comic] (This, like all things, originally started as a conversation with Rachel)

Nichelle Nichols as Spock

But Spoooock

Kirk, Library

Kirk, Kalinda’s Top From By Any Other Name

June:

Rainbow Robes Surak

“Confess”, (AO3) (tumblr) for “The Descent Of Halycon” by @itwastheband​

Thy’la Bang 2020:

“Kril'es (Or In Other Words, Harmony)” (AO3) (tumblr) for the fic of the same name by @let-me-dream-with-the-stars​

“Estuhl'uh Nash-Veh (Touch Me)” (AO3) (tumblr) for the fic of the same name by @jimkirkachu

“Find Someone To Love You” (AO3) (My Art, tumblr) [My teammate, Majel’s Art] [Sweet-bollito’s fanart], for the fic of the same name

Spock and cats (cw, death of a pet

July:

“Captain’s Log/ Ice Cave” (AO3) (tumblr)

“Spock’s Latest Sibling” (AO3) (tumblr)

“Sarek, Not Again” (AO3) (tumblr)

“Sulu Portrait” (AO3) (tumblr)

“Mirror Uhura Portrait” (AO3) (tumblr)

“Worf Portrait” (AO3) (tumblr)

(AO3) (tumblr)

August: (I.e, the month I got really into drawing comics) (and also watched the entirety of Heroes in two weeks)

“#1 Dad/ Family Reunion” (AO3) (tumblr)

“It Happened Again” (AO3) (tumblr)

“Gaydar” (Spirk) (AO3) (tumblr)

“Favourite Person” (Spirk) (AO3) (tumblr)

“The Fright Of Mah Life” (AO3) (tumblr)

“A Kiss” (spirk) (AO3) (tumblr)

“Sparkly Bandage” (AO3) (tumblr)

“Fandom Love Letter” (AO3) (tumblr)

September:

“Starfleet-Approved Bedhead” (AO3) (tumblr)

“Borg Crab” (AO3) (tumblr)

Spock Sketches (AO3) (tumblr)

“Sunset Bloom” (Daforge) (AO3) (tumblr)

“Triumvirate” (AO3) (tumblr)

“A Message Home” (AO3) (tumblr)

“No, This Is Spock” (AO3) (tumblr)

October:

“We’re Your Mommas Now” (AO3) (tumblr)

Sarek And Amanda Portrait (AO3) (tumblr)

“All In The Line Of Duty” (Riker, Replicators) (AO3) (tumblr)

Among Us/ Among The Federation:

“Chekhov Isn’t Himself” (AO3) (tumblr)

“A Body Was Discovered In Electrical” (AO3) (tumblr)

“Impostor Syndrome” (AO3) (tumblr)

Palette Challenges: (AO3), tumblr:

[Pallette 07, Sulu, Embarrassed]

[Pallette 20, Riker, Confused]

[Pallette 26, Chekhov, hungover]

[Pallette 16, Spock, Excited]

[Pallette 27, Bones, Sleepy]

November:

“Yesteryear” (AO3) (tumblr)

Spock Quicksketch (Tomorrow Never Comes) (tumblr)

“Engraving Of A Kiss” (AO3) (tumblr)

“Side By Side” (AO3) (tumblr) for the fic of the same name by @herenya_writes

Rainbow Spocks (AO3) (tumblr) for @uglysockperson

Academy Kiss (AO3) (tumblr)

December:

Withdrawal (tumblr)

“Spock, Amok Time” (AO3) (tumblr)

Sarek and baby Spock “My Logic Is Always In Question Where My Son Is Concerned” (AO3) (tumblr)

Tantalus (AO3) (tumblr) for Tomorrow Never Comes

Winter Holidays On The Enterprise (AO3) (tumblr)

[Sherlock] John Look (AO3) (tumblr)

Uhura, hot chocolate (tumblr)

Spock As A Cat (tumblr)

I’ve already got three pieces finished and ready for posting in 2021 (sneak peak), so follow @marlinsart​ or @marlinspirkhall​ on tumblr or archiveofourown.org if you’re interested, and thanks for reading.

[bamfdaddio]

X-Men Abridged: 1964

The X-Men, those wacky mutants that have sworn to protect a world that hates and fears them, are a cultural juggernaut with a long, tangled history. Want to unravel the tapestry? Then read the Abridged X-Men!

(X-Men 3 - 8) - by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

Fantastic Four 28

The X-Men’s sophomore year basically serves as a recruitment drive for  Professor Xavier and Magneto: both our heroes and those nefarious villains try to recruit various mutants (The Blob, Namor, Unus the Untouchable), all with absolutely no success.

We also meet Magneto’s home team, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. (Later on, they would drop the ‘evil’, because why would Magneto call himself evil? He believes he’s doing the right thing.) The Brotherhood consists of:

An acrobatic toady;

A white-haired speedster whose entire personality is that he loves his sister;

A fashion victim with nebulously defined disaster powers;

A creepy, sexist illusionist, who is by far the most useful on this squad. He is literally the only reason Magneto briefly conquers a country.

i, too, enjoy towers of mashed potatoes (X-Men 4)

Magneto is fleshed out more: he still remains fabulously extra, but he develops an obsession with owning strongholds and/or land. In this year alone, he owns one island (1), one manor (1) and one asteroid (1). He also briefly takes over the nation of Santo Marco. Magneto also does some astral projection, because magnets can... do... that? (Just go with it.)

he is just so ridiculous <3 (X-Men 7)

magnetic intensity indeed. like toad and rogue, I would fall in love with magneto in a heartbeat (X-Men 5)

While the Toad’s and Mastermind’s loyalty to Magneto is never questioned, Pietro and Wanda, meanwhile, show plenty of reluctance in following the mutant despot. They even help the X-Men once or twice, but ultimately remain loyal to Magneto because he saved Wanda from an angry mob. (The mob is traditionalist rather than racist: They want to burn her because she is a witch, not because she’s a mutant. So it’s fine.) 

However, this year does mark the first appearance of anti-mutants sentiments: a crowd attacks Hank after he saves some kid from a water tower, simply because they suspect he’s a mutant. I always thought it was Claremont who introduced this theme, but apparently, he merely expanded on something Lee started. It also introduces the conflict between Xavier’s views and Magneto’s: the hippie professor believes in peaceful coexistence, the flamboyant villain in the dominance of homo superior.

they were so mean, Warren, they even took my glasses! (X-Men 8)

It’s also the first example of Professor X opening up his home to a villain in an attempt to reform them. The Blob, petty and churlish, refuses, but I have to admit I would read the fuck out of a What If? where the Blob accepts Charles’ offer.

This year also lays a lot ground for the X-Men themselves, fleshing them out. Hank becomes loquacious and smart, Warren reaches peak himbo and Bobby establishes himself as the jokester. Scott, meanwhile, becomes a lot more emo, tormented by his uncontrollable powers and his love for Jean. She also loves him, but neither of them actually does anything about it. In other character development, Jean straightens her hair.

in 2021, I aspire to have the same confidence as Warren goddamn Worthington entering a fucking room (X-Men 4)

Meanwhile, Charles is apparently also crushing hard on Miss Grey. (Which is fortunately dropped and mostly forgotten about, because ick.) That, combined with the fact that almost every male character notes how sexy either Jean or Wanda is, really does show how badly all of this aged. I haven’t really read old Fantastic Four or the Avengers, but I do hope Sue and the Wasp have a trifle more personality than this.

don’t fret, Jean, the only competition you have to worry about is Magneto (X-Men 6)

But! Charles does other weird stuff too! In a shocking display of extreme teaching methods, Professor X pretends to have lost his powers so the X-Men can prove themselves against the Brotherhood in space. Cyclops nearly dies, but despite that, Professor X graduates his X-Men! He then leaves and puts Cyclops in charge. Solid leadership skills all around.

this is just adorable (X-Men 7) 

Oh yeah, the X-Men also fight Namor and the Fantastic Four, and Iceman starts his bromance with the Human Torch. For those keeping track in the future: this is the point where the young X-Men are time-abducted for their All-New X-Men capers. (X-Men #8, to be exact.) Bobby also has an unhealthy obsession with eating icecream.

it’s 1964, do you know where your teen-age mutant hoodlums are? (X-Men 4)

Must reads: X-Men #3, the introduction of the Blob, and X-Men #4, the introduction of the Brotherhood. The rest are all variations on the same themes and... not that great. 

Didn’t you take Art History? This era is characterized by cheesy, cheesy writing and the kind of art that seems better suited to a Disney comic than a superhero epic. Stan Lee tends to overexplain everything we see in the art. Despite Kirby’s style not really being my cup of tea, he does effective work and some of his spreads are actually gorgeous. Check this out.

so… daddy longlegs is not a mutant? (X-Men 3)

Best new character: The Blob. Hear me out.  He is a different kind of villain than most of the villains introduced in this era: he is petty and small-minded, rather than megalomaniacal and dramatic, which makes for a nice change of pace. Then there’s the fact that he looks grotesque and that even the X-Men, who should know better, mock him and body-shame him. (Nice going, calling him ‘fatso’ while he probably even couldn’t lose weight if he tried, because, you know, it’s his mutant power). He is like a foil to the Thing: mean and selfish where the Thing tries to be heroic and rise above his circumstances. The Blob is an unhappy man who does unhappy things; some authors have realized that he’s more than just a fat joke: there’s something inherently cruel about his mutant power.

then again, Fred does call Jean a cute tomato, so maybe he deserves everything the X-Men throw at him (X-Men 3)

Most audacious retcon: Nobody seems to have a grasp on how strong Professor X and Marvel Girl are. One issue, Jean can toss around a crowd of women, the next, she can’t pick up Hank.  Charles seems to be just as strong as the plot demands. 

Ugliest Costume: The Scarlet Witch. Pink and red? O honey, no.

wanda, what is that headpiece (X-Men 4)

[sorrellab]

Art Analysis Essay

Identifying which printmaking process works for me is pretty hard due to not having much experience in each different process, so I’d have to base this essay and my decision on which technique I’ve enjoyed the most this past year. I evaluated each process and my outcomes, and I feel the best would be Screen-printing. I also, came to this decision due to the speed and efficiency of this process. My art style can be quite graphical, and I feel this process captures that in print form the most, by using digital applications like Adobe Draw initially then exposing them onto a screen to produce a print. Using the specific colours in the initial design or being able to experiment freely without changing the integrity of the initial outcome.

After conducting initial research, I discovered that screen-printing started as early as the 17th Century progressing through the decades ever evolving as the technique, we know it as today. Artists like Andy Warhol, David Hockney and Roy Lichtenstein really giving it the platform of popularity. The process makes up of a exposing a stencil onto a silk screen, then pushing the ink or paint through the screen so it transfers onto the material you’re wanting to print on. The stencil is exposed onto the screen in a similar way to a photograph, using light to burn the image into the reactive emulsion paint which hardens it. Any areas that weren’t covered by the design stencil remain a liquid which can be washed off to reveal the image you’re wanting to print, then allowing the ink to flow the screen to your desired layout or design.

Kate Gibb

Kate Gibbs is artist I’ve researched as part of another project and is printmaking artist from London, England. I loved her work previously, as I find it to be very expressive with her use of colour, lines, shapes and texture. The obvious use of mark making within her work can be visualised in different works. Utilising the chance of happy accidents that can occur during the creative process.

kategibb.co.uk. (n.d.). Kate Gibb. [online] Available at: http://kategibb.co.uk [Accessed 1 Mar. 2021].

My analysis of Kate Gibbs ‘Pleasure Garden’ starts with my initial feelings on the overall, composition, colours, textures and shapes she has used to create this piece. When looking at this design I get cultural references of Japanese printworks though her use on colour and their tonal ranges, after conducting further research I noticed that this design in particular references Kyoto, Japan for a magazine publication. This explains why she worked in this way to portray a more abstract outcome in relation to her way of working. As similar to her other prints works, I’ve researched Kate Gibb prefers the use simple shapes, colours and lines combined with layering. These marks on top of one another make her prints more cohesive to me, I think she does this, so her style is fluent and easily recognizable predominately, in her album cover works. My eyes are more drawn to the circle which looks like sun on the bottom layer, then flow around the composition following the brush strokes down the page into a pool of different mark marking processes. I find this design very relaxing compared to her other designs, the colours are more complementary of each other already mentioning their tones but, also different shades blue ranging to green and aqua. I think she might have done this to relate back to Japanese culture, as I also find the ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’ by Japanese artist Hokusai, very harmonious and calming. I like her use on paintbrush strokes to add texture especially in the larger areas where you can see the background peaking through. The little areas of detail filling negative spaces with repeated patterns and the shadowing of the background adds dimension also, contributing to the flow of direction when looking at the design. I like that there are some elements more subtle than others I think she would have done this to keep eyes on the piece for longer a the more I look and analyse different shapes and lines appear.

Google Arts & Culture. (n.d.). The Great Wave off the Coast of Kanagawa - Katsushika Hokusai. [online] Available at: https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/the-great-wave-off-the-coast-of-kanagawa/fAFp7yddSAtcTQ?hl=en-GB [Accessed 10 Mar. 2021].

Laurie Hastings

Laurie Hastings is a printmaking artist I’ve discovered recently on Instagram; her simple illustrative style of screen printing really caught my eye. Her background as an illustrator shows through into her silk-screen works, with the cartoon influenced figures and use of block colours. She is a commission-based artist with displaying works on her online portfolio but, also international exhibits.

Laurie Hastings. (n.d.). Portfolio | LAURIE HASTINGS Illustrator and Printmaker. [online] Available at: https://www.lauriehastings.com/ [Accessed 1 Mar. 2021].

My analysis of Laurie Hastings ‘The Adventurers - Campfire’ starts with my initial feelings on the overall, composition, block colours and line work she has used to create this piece. My initial reaction was to the process of how this piece was made, as at an initial glance I thought it was a Lino Print, very similar to another artist I’ve researched called Michelle Hughes in terms of line work and block colours. I feel the simplification of only two blocked colours, one darker, one lighter which have no tonal range, shadows or highlights to them, then to be applied in layers create this effect. I get a real homely, warming feel from this, warmth relating the fire and her use of organic lines and shapes in waves. I can feel movement within the design to how it has been illustrated this way with fewer straight lines and the trees being more suggestive than realistic shapes. The figure in the print is of a woman looking out at the sky looking comfortable in her overall position. My own relation to camping and a sitting in front of a fire is that I’ve always found it very peaceful which also, strengthens the warmth intuition as I have a personal relation to it. The ground has also, been flipped in colour to create extra dimension of shape, grounding and stability. Highlighting this area to be different to the sky and other elements of the print. After looking deeper, I discovered this piece being part of a series of 3, with the other designs having similarities within their illustrative forms. Making all 3 designs a cohesive collection together. Looking at the bottom of the print your eyes automatically are drawn upwards due to all the different marks/lines facing vertically then interconnecting with different elements then drawing focus back looking at the print and its entirety.

michellehughesdesign. (n.d.). Yorkshire Dales III, original linocut print. [online] Available at: https://www.michellehughesdesign.com/yorkshire-dales-3-linocut-print?lightbox=dataItem-j97a2han [Accessed 10 Mar. 2021].

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Chuck Sperry

Chuck Sperry is another screen-printing artist I’ve come across recently. He’s an American printmaker based in San Francisco also, working from his studio there. He exhibits his work internationally propelling his American rock poster style into fine arts using a silk-screen process. His use of text, patterns and various materials to print on caught my eye as I’d not seen this before.

Chuck Sperry. (n.d.). Original Art Archives. [online] Available at: https://chucksperry.net/category/original-art/.

‌My analysis of Chuck Sperry ‘Vivien 2016’ starts with my initial feelings on the overall, composition, colours, patterns and influences that have gone into creating this print. My eyes are drawn to the initial profile of a woman as the title suggests is Vivien. Vivien reminds my highly of Marvels villain Mystique in the X-men series due to her being topless, the colours used for her hair and body along with the watermarked style texture of the background pattern showing through. I also researched his influences and among them was the era of pop art which I can see this print is heavily inspired by. Roy Lichtenstein portrayed women in many of his designs and the facial features and hair of ‘Vivien’ here compared to his ‘M-Mm Maybe’ print look very similar to me regarding there cartoon comic style. Although I do see the differences, I see I that Roy used dots to add definition in specific areas strengthening comic references whereas Chuck Sperry uses florals it his work. The floral head piece which looks as if it’s glowing from radial illusion created is the most eye-catching part of this design dividing the figure away from the busy background. Highlighting aspects of the background, the style of how the leaves have been drawn remind me of Celtic symbolism, and a traditional illustration of a Scottish thistle, the repeated pattern and the colours used a similar to a tapestry. Chuck Sperry has created a series of these designs uses the description of ‘muses’ and female names to title them, each design has similarities to the hair, florals and beauty creating a series print. Although his more recent work in this style looks less like a comic and more like a realistic portrait of a woman. The title of Muse to me highlights the feeling of confidence, strength and beauty which I feel is portrayed along with sensuality.

Wikimedia.org. (2021). [online] Available at: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/23/M-Maybe.jpg.

All of the prints I’ve chosen have some form of an organic natural feel I find I am most inspired by these elements in terms relating to my own work. Different aspects of each artist drew me in for the analysis of their work. I find Kate Gibbs expressive abstract style very freeing with the use of her bold colours and layering. Whereas both Laurie Hastings and Chuck Sperry although using the same printmaking process have more of a graphical, planned technical feel. While writing up my analysis I wanted to include both styles of working as depending on my mood I like to work either way.

Word Count- 1,532

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The upcoming multi-platform release of a remastered Alan Wake, originally an Xbox 360 and PC title from Remedy, has some fans excited, but the developer’s first hit, Max Payne, is much more deserving of a remake. The first Max Payne game released on the original Xbox, PlayStation 2, and PC, making it three generations old. It was released prior to the HD era of gaming, and the jump from standard definition to HD was significantly more noticeable than that of HD to 4k. Alan Wake was already an HD game, and while the remake will no doubt make improvements, given that it will appear on the Xbox One and PS4 as well as current-gen hardware, a one-generation upgrade is of far less impact. Max Payne remains a beloved classic, and though licensing issues make it less likely, a Max Payne remake would be of far more value to Remedy fans than one of Alan Wake.

Remedy has significantly expanded from its humble beginnings as a group of young game developers transitioning from game demos to commercial releases. Max Payne was the team’s breakout hit, providing a third-person shooter with a distinctive style, combining a rich film noir-inspired story, gunplay paying homage to the films of John Woo and Hong Kong action movies, as well as Max Payne’s surrealistic moments, reminiscent of Twin Peaks. Writer Sam Lake was the original face of Max Payne, and he went on to become one of the faces of the company itself, involved in creating Max Payne 2, Alan Wake, Quantum Break, and Control.

Related: Control Doesn’t Solve Remedy Entertainment’s Most Common Problem

Though Max Payne’s story and style remain timeless, the game itself is showing its age. The PS2-era character models and environments are clearly relics of their time, and while the gameplay is still enjoyable, it is noticeably subject to more “janky” moments than later Remedy games. Alan Wake, conversely, still holds up well in its original Xbox 360 incarnation and looks even better for gamers playing it on a modern PC, or on an Xbox Series X/S or Xbox One console through backward compatibility. An Alan Wake remake that includes all the DLC in one package and makes improvement to the presentation to take advantage of the capabilities of newer consoles and PCs still has merit, but Max Payne has much more to improve.

There are, unfortunately, behind-the-scenes reasons why an Alan Wake remake is being prioritized over the more logical and intuitive Max Payne remake. After the release of the first Max Payne, the franchise was acquired by Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games.  Though Remedy still developed the second game in the series, The Fall Of Max Payne, Rockstar was the developer for Max Payne 3, which was a significant departure in style from the prior two titles. With Remedy no longer holding the Max Payne IP rights, it would be up to Take-Two to remake Remedy’s first hit, and as the franchise may be dead due to the polarizing Max Payne 3, there may be less incentive for Take-Two to prioritize such a remake.

Remedy, on the other hand, has every reason to push the Alan Wake franchise forward, as the remake may serve in part to drum up interest for an Alan Wake sequel rumored to be in production. If that is the case, a remake of the first game, expanding to give PlayStation consoles access to Alan Wake for the first time, does serve a more logical business purpose. Still, for many longtime fans of the developer, whose style has consistently combined cinematic storytelling with quality action gameplay, the first two Max Payne titles remain among the best games they have produced, but also the ones that are most clearly showing their age. While HD remakes of the first two Max Payne titles would be an outstanding proposition for gamers, bringing these classics up the standards of presentation set in later Remedy games like Alan Wake, Quantum Break, and Control, due to the licensing issues and the franchise’s trajectory, it is sadly unlikely that will ever take place.

Next: Which Games Are Set In the Remedy Universe?

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As founding members of the Avengers, Captain America and Iron Man have a long and storied history as allies, friends, and even enemies. Rogers and Stark have strong personalities and opinions and have butted heads battled each other on multiple occasions. As much as the two rely on one another, it seems they’re always destined to come into conflict.

Just lihe Marvel Cinematic Universe's Captain America: Civil War did not give a definitive answer to who’d win in a battle, the comics have not declared who is the superior fighter. Captain America possesses peak human strength, durability, and stamina and is a hardened battle-ready soldier who knows how to use tactics, strategy, and old fashioned fisticuffs to his advantage. Stark is a super-genius inventor with billions of dollars at his disposal—and access to high-tech suits that allow him to trade blows with the likes of Hulk, Thor, and Sentry, as well as survive nuclear explosions at point-blank range. On paper, Iron Man has the clear cut advantage, and Cap would likely suffer in closed-quarters combat due to Iron Man’s superior strength and durability.

Related: Chris Evans' MCU Return Can Give Fans Captain America's Best Comic Fight

It should be noted that Cap is not only a master of battle tactics, but holds a mastery of martial arts that far surpasses Tony’s. One could argue that Steve’s fighting advantage is negligible compared to Tony’s overwhelming force, but that would be doing Cap a disservice. Captain America has pulled off superhuman feats via his combat prowess. He combines his martial arts mastery with his gymnastic skills to create a unique fighting style and compensate for his strengths and weaknesses. Captain America’s fighting skill has allowed him to defeat Tony Masters, the Taskmaster, who possesses a photographic memory so great he can instantaneously learn his opponent’s fighting style.

Even though Iron Man’s armor can take nuclear explosions and it allows him to survive blows from the Sentry, Cap has his own arsenal he can employ. He typically carries a utility belt with a host of items, including a first-aid kit and multiple grenade-types. Besides that, Captain America’s suit, while not as durable as Iron Man’s armor, can take quite a beating and is bulletproof. Then there’s Captain America’s iconic shield, which doubles as both an offensive and defensive weapon. Cap’s shield is unique, in that it’s a combination of Vibranium and Proto-Adamantium, the latter a material that has never been duplicated. The shield is so tough it’s allowed him to defend against blows from the likes of Hulk and Thor without even losing his footing or being pushed back. Not only could Cap’s shield protect him from Iron Man’s weaponry, it could deliver critical damage to Tony’s suit if it strikes a vulnerable area.

Of course Stark's suit employs a plethora of weapons including smart missiles, magnetism, and various beams and lasers. But ironically Cap has access to his own Stark-designed exo-suit, which he’s used on numerous occasions. He's also one of the few people with access to Iron Man’s armory as shown in Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers #44. But the coup de grâce is the fact that Steve is worthy of wielding Thor’s hammer, which would certainly make a dent in Tony's armor.

If all else fails, perhaps Cap’s greatest strength is the fundamental difference between his and Tony’s personalities. Captain America possesses an indomitable will, no matter how hard you hit him he’ll keep coming back for more if he believes he’s fighting for what’s right. During the Infinity Gauntlet storyline, Cap alone strode up to Thanos while the latter wielded the power of the Infinity Gems. Cap is also an inspiring figure who can rally people to his cause. So if all else fails, Captain America would be able to assemble an army of heroes to go up against Iron Man.

Next: Every Avenger Thanos Has Killed in Marvel Comics

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