Vector Cartography (or Making Maps is Tough Shit and Other Stuff to Occupy Your Day)
i've been working on a map of the entire southeast asian region, plus neighboring countries. it's an interesting exercise; i've never made a real map before. although, making a map of the philippines purely from of memory back in grade school might count. but since i can't possibly do it again, it doesn't. anyway, making maps is hard work. it causes inordinate strain on the eyes and hands, not to mention the mind-numbing grind of making dot after dot after dot while tracing in illustrator. it should qualify as a Minor Ordeal under Work-Related Problems.
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for some reason, i've been looking at old marvel stuff recently. probably nostalgia stemming from viewing the iron man trailer. he was probably the first superhero i liked (definitely the first marvel hero i liked - how far you have fallen, tony stark). blame it all on an old oversized black and white comic book collection. memory fails me as to why it was in that format ( a coloring book perhaps?), but it featured a couple of neat stories featuring the fantastic four (versus the frightful four in agatha harkness' mansion) and the iron man squaring off against the grey gargoyle (who had turned the armor into stone!).
strangely enough, though, i haven't been looking at a lot of iron man stuff. i've been checking out the old marvel crossovers (Onslaught, The Twelve, Galactic Storm, Acts of Vengeance) and i've noticed that the farther back you go, the better it actually reads today. there's too much hitting and screaming (along with brooding and frowning) in the 90's crossovers. it's actually kind of nice to see that Acts of Vengeance opened up with a kooky iron man-dr. doom story involving merlin and arthur in the future. (interesting side note here for people up to speed on current marvel continuity: iron man battles an evil descendant of his; i guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree) i actually used to own an tie-in issue of Acts, something i only remembered when i came across that particular story. it featured spider-man (with the captain universe powers - don't ask) fighting titania in the daily bugle. i was halfway through the comic already when it suddenly clicked: i used to have this! i burst out laughing.
it's been great remembering the old stories that i grew up reading before i really discovered DC. like thor seemingly dying and his power given to a mortal named eric masterson. i always loved how he seemed to be in over his head at all times, even with the power of the thunder god. and how the romance between titania and the absorbing man always fascinated me. i remember having an issue of the hulk where he was fighting his inner demons, wrestling with the abuse he suffered from his father (or was it step-father?).
of course, reading too much marvel really only makes me want to read more DC.
* * *
for some reason, i've been looking at old marvel stuff recently. probably nostalgia stemming from viewing the iron man trailer. he was probably the first superhero i liked (definitely the first marvel hero i liked - how far you have fallen, tony stark). blame it all on an old oversized black and white comic book collection. memory fails me as to why it was in that format ( a coloring book perhaps?), but it featured a couple of neat stories featuring the fantastic four (versus the frightful four in agatha harkness' mansion) and the iron man squaring off against the grey gargoyle (who had turned the armor into stone!).
strangely enough, though, i haven't been looking at a lot of iron man stuff. i've been checking out the old marvel crossovers (Onslaught, The Twelve, Galactic Storm, Acts of Vengeance) and i've noticed that the farther back you go, the better it actually reads today. there's too much hitting and screaming (along with brooding and frowning) in the 90's crossovers. it's actually kind of nice to see that Acts of Vengeance opened up with a kooky iron man-dr. doom story involving merlin and arthur in the future. (interesting side note here for people up to speed on current marvel continuity: iron man battles an evil descendant of his; i guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree) i actually used to own an tie-in issue of Acts, something i only remembered when i came across that particular story. it featured spider-man (with the captain universe powers - don't ask) fighting titania in the daily bugle. i was halfway through the comic already when it suddenly clicked: i used to have this! i burst out laughing.
it's been great remembering the old stories that i grew up reading before i really discovered DC. like thor seemingly dying and his power given to a mortal named eric masterson. i always loved how he seemed to be in over his head at all times, even with the power of the thunder god. and how the romance between titania and the absorbing man always fascinated me. i remember having an issue of the hulk where he was fighting his inner demons, wrestling with the abuse he suffered from his father (or was it step-father?).
of course, reading too much marvel really only makes me want to read more DC.