I swear I'm not trying to depress or scare anyone...
As if winter isn't usually depressing enough, I just picked up another post-apocalypse novel, this one from 1959 entitled Alas, Babylon. If you read it, it's very much a product of its time, with the racial and gender norms of the era in play. But somehow, it still sounds modern, reminding me of Stephen King's portrayal of small town Maine (and Florida, too, in his novel Duma Key). Though unlike King, a lot of things the characters thought about each other never had a chance to resolve or go off as they might in most literature these days. For example, a banker who holds a grudge against the hero and his family doesn't get to "avenge" himself the way he might in a King book (usually after going nuts and showing up when you least expected it). I'm kind of amazed it hasn't been made into a movie, though it did see a 90 minute TV adaptation once. From a practical standpoint, there wouldn't have to be a ton of special effects, as most of the story takes place in one small area of Florida (so between the location and the nukes, it's a warm winter read). I think it would have made a much better television series than "Jericho" did; you actually got a nuclear war, and the problems faced by the cast seemed more realistic and urgent. The part I liked (if I can say to like something about such a thing) about the nuclear war itself was its cause; it made more sense than a shadowy conspiracy, and, like so many historical events, was touched off by high tensions and one small accident leading to a major tipping point. Anyway, maybe AMC can take a crack after it after it's finished with "The Walking Dead."
To bring us back to our 'happy place,' how about some science-themed valentines cards? I have to say I wouldn't mind seeing the next PBS science show for kids featuring an animated Carl Sagan.
It looks like Marvel might be trying to bring the Black Panther to movie screens again. They're looking to get Wesley Snipes to put on the costume, which could work quite well. He was one of the best things about the Blade movies, especially when the plots and villains started to go downhill (especially in the third film). I'm wondering when the character might show up in an Avengers film? If Sony didn't have the Spider-Man rights, a team-up with web-head against Kraven the Hunter could be a decent popcorn-fest.
In Batman movie stuff, Tom Hardy is set to play the villain "Bane" in "The Dark Knight Rises." MTV has a Bane primer for those unfamiliar with the character. I've heard that the Chris Nolan Batman films are supposed to be a trilogy, so this could be the last one in the series he's got planned. Assuming they don't kill Bane off, perhaps we might get a "Breaking of the Bat" movie (or movies) at some point, though that would call for a much larger infusion of the DC universe to work, I think. Granted, a film could just have Bruce fighting his way back from injuries suffered at Bane's hands, but having to reclaim his cape and cowl from a new Batman that was out offing criminals would be kind of interesting. But I still think Bane's most powerful appearance was this one in "Batman: Beyond." I love how the innocuous rating of "Y7" for cartoons like this and "Invader Zim" still allowed low-grade nightmare fuel to get through on occasion.
Which is something I'm going to have to confab with the wife about as our son takes an interest in media: What's inappropriate when it's not obviously violent, sexual, or otherwise objectionable to TV censors? Sci-fi families, I think, have to take a more active role in gauging what might be upsetting, cool, or both to their younglings, as it appears the concepts presented don't fit in the usual pigeonholes (which, as I said before, can be thrilling for the right kind of kid and/or adult). And "Batman Beyond," as previously mentioned, gave up some other things that could be disturbing, if you thought about it:
- "Earth Mover" S02E02. While the idea wasn't all that new (toxic waste creates a monster), you get to see a guy who has fused with the earth, can't move, and now has veiny tendrils going out of what's left of him to animate golem-like creatures made of mud, roots, and sludge.
- "Lost Soul" S02E04. Another sci-fi trope of a guy uploading his mind and becoming a rogue A.I. that even takes over Batman's high-tech suit. The creepy part is when he's being expunged from the suit's systems, and starts regressing through his life, saying things that he remembers as he's being erased, ending with a child's voice before 'dying.'
- "Sneak Peek" S02E18. Again, this seemed to start out kind of 'yeah, some guy uses future-tech to disguise himself and phase through walls to get gossip scoops for his show.' But then it gets darker when it turns out the gizmo he's using is making his body go into phase-mode permanently. He eventually phases out completely, falling through every floor until he falls through the sub-basement of the building he's in, headed towards the Earth's core.
I hope we've got a kid that can appreciate the 'Twilight Zone' aspect of this kind of thing, but I can also recall the kinds of things that gave me nightmares as a kid, and these were along those lines... and I wouldn't trade the memories for anything. Anyone remember the claymation Mark Twain film that had the characters run into a certain fallen angel? The scene was very Neil Gaimanesque, more cosmic in scope and more subtly scary.
And don't even get me started on Zombie Optimus Prime. :)
I wanted to post some pics of the nephew's pinewood car, but thanks to a snowstorm and his household being struck with some flu-like disease, we'll probably have to cram to get it ready this weekend. But since he's in grade school and I'm an 'artist,' doing things at the last minute shouldn't be unusual for either of us. In the meantime, the 'Webcomic Project X' is still proceeding; the editors like a lot of the concepts and we've been tweaking the characters to make it fit. The initial run will be for a month with its future decided upon soon after, so while there won't be a whole heck of a lot of plot, you can rest assured that the characters all have fleshed-out (though silly) backstories. And while I won't have a running gag of one character dying every so often like a certain henchman, a major character will be dead (not undead or a ghost or anything, but dead) and remain so for the foreseeable future. I don't think he'll have too many direct quotations for merchandising purposes.
So while I hash out a few scripts for this endeavor, I'll turn on the hyperlinkdrive:
- Some guys in the UK are producing a delightful series of illustrations based on Twitter posts, done in crayon. The illustrations, not the posts, as that's probably not good for your electronics.
- We could have two suns in the sky for a while, just as soon as a (relatively) nearby star goes 'foom!'
- Kids these days are starting their musical careers so early...
- I think this is what The Flash sees on the 4th of July.
- Forget settling Catan. I want to consume its natural resources until only a barren wasteland remains.
- It's meme-time again! You know those captchas that show you two distorted words that you have to type in to prove you're a human? Sometimes those suggest odd situations to the viewers, and they construct cartoons based on them. Here's one such series that I can actually post without a load of disclaimers and warnings. :)
- But this one has a few. There's a not-nice word in the title, but that's just a reference to the song this next clip parodies. The original was by Cee Lo Green, so if you've heard it, you know what it is. Some nerdy puppeteers put together their own version about missing out on some con swag called Frak You. I figure I'll hear this in three-part harmony at this year's San Diego Comic Con.
- A while back I posted the plaftormer game, "KOLM." Now its sort-of-sequel, KOLMIAM (KOLM In A Minute) presents you with 60-second time limits on a series of mini-levels based on the previous game.
- I'm a horrible parent because I didn't build my kid one of these.
- Another Who-item: You must have had a wild time at the Travelodge if you manage to leave your full-sized Dalek behind.
- But redemption may lie in a line of Doctor Who 'character building' sets. I have no idea what the sets will be like beyond the figures, as 'character building' is a rather difficult search term to whittle down.
- George Lucas says he was only kidding about believing in that 2012 thing. Right, George. We will find the starship you plan to make your escape with.
- While this print of famous prosthetics in film is pretty cool, they left off the one worn by the great Inspector Kemp.
- Launch & upgrade games have combined with those keepy-uppy games in Blastoff Bunnies. Click to launch your bunnies and keep them in the air to earn money for things to make them go even higher.