Batman vs Superman? Again? July 29, 2008
Posted by symbolicgodzilla in heroes, webcomics.Tags: batman, comic, entertainment, Least I Could Do, superhero, superman, webcomic, webcomics
1 comment so far
In a recent Least I Could Do comic strip Batman (who has been showing up in the recent strips for some unknown reason) acts childish and beats up Superman… hands down. And he always will (click the image to enlarge):
Batman Comics: Last Moment of my childhood July 14, 2008
Posted by symbolicgodzilla in comics, entertainment, heroes, movies, webcomics.Tags: adam west, batman, batman & robin, batman begins, batman returns, comic, entertainment, heroes, ishtar, jim carrey, joel schumacher, movies, saturday morning breakfast cereal, superhero, the dark knight, the phantom menace, the wash, tim burton, webcomic, webcomics
1 comment so far
In today’s comic, from Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, the speaker remembers a harrowing experience from his youth:
I remember when Batman died for me. I love the old campy Adam West Batman film and show which really were what first turned me on to comic books. I also loved the dark Tim Burton movies and as I watched them started to see the potential for comic book heroes to be more interesting than just running around with laser vision. The problem was when Joel Schumacher took over Batman. As much as Batman Forever didn’t live up to the earlier potentials, Jim Carrey was a great Riddler and that pretty much carried that film. For me Batman died a little death in the hands of Joel Schumacher’s second outing Batman & Robin which earns the dubious honor of actually being one of the few movies that I have actually turned off and left unfinished. I sat through Ishtar. I sat through The Phantom Menace (though I was on a date with a cute girl which was the main reason I did that). I even sat through The Wash.
I usually have a good eye for picking movies, which is lucky, because it is quite hard for me to shrug off a horrid piece of filth once it is in my dvd player. I at least find enjoyment in campy cheesy films such as American Ninja or Dog Soldiers. So the moment when I couldn’t find any reason to continue watching Batman & Robin, starring my hero of heroes dressed in leather and psychological illness, I akin it to the death of childhood experienced in today’s comic. Christopher Nolan holds in his hands a chance to resurrect that innocence with the Dark Knight Returns. Maybe I’m getting my hopes up to high. I should stop reading the reviews.
Dark Knight is coming to town, like Santa Claus July 7, 2008
Posted by symbolicgodzilla in comics, entertainment, heroes, movies, webcomics.Tags: batman, christopher nolan, comic, dark knight, healthcare, heroes, mask, saturday morning breakfast cereal, superhero, web comic, webcomic, webcomics
add a comment
As I have already purchased my tickets to see Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight in IMAX despite the long lead time, I decided it prudent to present a series of comics related to Batman, his friends, his foes, and other masked superheroes with mental issues. The first selection is from Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal (click the image to see the original page):
If you’d like me to share one you know of, send a link to symbolicgodzilla@gmail.com.
First Review of Dark Knight Returns I’ve Found June 26, 2008
Posted by symbolicgodzilla in entertainment, movies, reviews.Tags: batman, batman begins, christopher nolan, comic, criticism, dark knight returns, entertainment, following, insomnia, literary analysis, memento, movie, nolan, review, superhero, the prestige
add a comment
Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers has managed to see a copy of the Dark Knight Returns and, from how he describes, we should expect it to be closer to your classic Christopher Nolan movie than Batman Begins. To me, the only thing missing from Batman Begins were the twists you get from his other films such as Insomnia, The Prestige, or Memento. I have no plans to spoil any of those with a literary analysis at this point but this summer’s return of Batman may change that and give me a newfound interest in Nolan’s work. Click here to read the review of the film.
Monster movies + scientific advancement + Ridley Scott + a new Dinosaur Comic June 26, 2008
Posted by symbolicgodzilla in comics, entertainment, monsters, movies, webcomics.Tags: alien, alien vs predator, avp, comic, creature from the black lagoon, criticism, culture, dinosaur comics, entertainment, freddy, godzilla, jason, monster, monster island, monster movies, mothra, movies, nuclear power, predator, ridley scott, scare factor, symbolism, symbols, vampire, video games, webcomic, werewolf
1 comment so far
I used to be convinced of something very similar to what T-Rex is on about in today’s Dinosaur Comic- if only more creatures of darkness donated themselves to science maybe we would have a better world. We could use the powers of the Creature from the Black Lagoon to enhance undersea exploration. We could replace our nuclear power plants with giant Godzilla monsters kept happily penned in on a reservation where we’d only need them to spew their atomic breath into some sort of container every so often. But to keep their menace our monsters need to be kept at a distance and always misunderstood, otherwise they lose their value.
It’d be like Monster Island, without the violence. Here’s the comic (click to enlarge):
The problem with such a scientific refuge is that inevitably the monsters would fight, as has been proven by such fine documentaries as Frankenstein vs. the Wolfman, Godzilla vs. Mothra, and Alien vs. Predator.
Incidentally, Ridley Scott has been quoted as saying that he won’t have an Alien 5 because Alien vs Predator reminds him too much of Jason vs. Freddy, which makes a certain kind of sense. Now that they are battling it out with each other, these alien monstrosities have lost a certain amount of the fear they used to generate from the silver screen. Of course, I played the AVP video game and kept getting killed easily despite playing as an alien so that really killed the “scare factor” of the franchise for me first. Plus, simply the fact of learning too much about how the aliens germinate and spread across space has removed the fear of the unknown that they represented. They’re no longer this incomprehensible alien predator, they’ve become one more space monster to fight. Aliens (the second alien movie) realized this and made it much more of an action movie.
So our monsters, our werewolves, our Godzillas, our aliens need to stay out of the light and need to stay mysterious or they lose the power they represent to us and they cease to reflect our fears. In the light of overexposure, they become cheesy jokes.
The Origins of Humanity’s Superheroes + A Softer World Comic June 9, 2008
Posted by symbolicgodzilla in entertainment, heroes, webcomics.Tags: a softer world, batman, bejamin franklin, ben franklin, comic, comics, criticisim, cultural artifacts, culture, entertainment, heroes, joseph campbell, luke skywalker, oedipus, oedipus rex, star wars, theseus, web comic, webcomic
2 comments
Horne and Comeau’s A Softer World photo-comic recently posted a strip involving the origins of our heroes (click on the image to enlarge):
According to Joseph Campbell and other social anthropologists, the heroes of a culture often reflect the values of a culture. Yet so often our heroes, even as far back as ancient Greece, reflect the orphaning expressed in this strip: Batman, Theseus, Luke Skywalker, even Oedipus Rex. Why is it that humanity requires its heroes to be separated so violently from the family unit? Is it a flaw in the species, a need for adversity, or something deeper? Even Ben Franklin, famed American cultural icon, has separation from his family as an integral part of his “myth.”
Another cheap, but accurate, shot at television media June 6, 2008
Posted by symbolicgodzilla in comics, television, webcomics.Tags: comic, comics, criticism, culture, diesel sweeties, entertainment, history, news, television, web comic, webcomic
add a comment
Diesel Sweeties takes a jab at the problems inherent in current televised news and historical broadcasting. Click on the comic to enlarge it.
Would you really trust grandpa television? I wouldn’t.
Internet Acronyms + Dinosaur Comics June 6, 2008
Posted by symbolicgodzilla in comics, entertainment, internet speak.Tags: acronym, blogosphere, comic, comics, criticism, culture, dinosaur comics, entertainment, kik, language, web comic, webcomic, wiki, wikipedia
2 comments
So a long time ago a friend of mine and I decided that we were sick of LOL. Luckily, at the exact same moment, I accidentally typed “KIK” which, if you’ll take a moment to inspect your keyboard, you’ll notice is exactly one keystroke to the left of you’re standard LOL. Thus we began an Internet revolution to convince all of our friends to do the same. It did not travel far at all, though maybe now if I get some help from the “blogosphere” we can continue the uphill battle. This special version of Internet laughter will show off not only your amusement, but also your uniqueness from the norm of society. It’s almost like ironic laughter, only less pretentious.
I also noticed that Dinosaur Comics recently posted this comic about needing to expand the emotional range of their Internet acronym speak (click the comic to enlarge it):
I think I need to get ready to incorporate IMMOGBNR into my vocabulary. Maybe someone should start a wiki for these phrases. Maybe on Wikipedia?
