How do you organize your comic books reader? Are you a bookshelfer, a boxer, or a piler? I am now imagining the scariness of the far messier (as it already is incredibly messy) room if I kept all my books just in piles. Insanity. As I posted before, which none of you helped with (yes I’m looking at you reader) I am taking on the daunting task of catching up with current comic book publishing. My first step to doing this, I felt, was to get everything I have already read in some sort of order.
Looking online, there seem to be two factions in the comic book world: the stashmycomics.com users and the excel users. I quickly signed up for stashmycomics.com and failed. Maybe it’s me reader, but I found trying to find how to organize things difficult. There wasn’t much use in the searches, and I just am not getting it. But it’s free reader! And I like free. So if you’re looking for something online, that seems to be the way to go.
After my very quick build up of frustration with stash my comics, I decided to join the second faction. Reader, if you attempt to use excel I warn you that patience must be acquired prior. Luckily I have recently fallen in love with listening to the nerdist.com podcast. If you don’t listen, I seriously suggest checking it out! I cannot say enough good things about the show and its awesomeness. But because I have all of these podcasts to listen to, I’m not completely bored or losing focus while trying to watch a movie and organizing.
I am in the need for some good boxes to keep my graphic novels, as part of organizing an excel sheet is knowing where I’ve boxed my books away. If you guys have any suggestions, particular boxes that really work I’m all ears. Right now I’ve got a couple different types going on. I have some egg crates I think I’d bought from Target, some big plastic tubs usually used for storing clothes (which I don’t suggest AT ALL), and the best are these boxes from Ikea. The Ikea boxes I like best, but I only have three and they’ve stopped selling that type. Plus they are a bit flimsy, so when they’re packed with the books they just aren’t ideal. So again reader, tell me your suggestions below. My main point of the post though is to ask you how your organizational style, and if you have any suggestions for me. An excel sheet seems useful, but I can see it quickly becoming insanely large and almost redundant in massive amounts of information.
I posted earlier today that I am reading the AvX series right now, and as I’m reading it I learn about this Marvel AR app everyone’s talking about lately. So with my newly acquired iPhone 5, I’m keen to try it out and experience the wonder of comic books coming alive! Reader…it was a let down. And I’m only posting this right now because I’m quite honestly frustrated with the app. Otherwise I would be reading right now, but I cannot get the damn thing to work!
Searching online, maybe because it’s a newer app I can’t seem to find all that much besides quick reviews from sites that review apps. Not much help. I can’t seem to find anyone complaining about the app not working! I don’t know if it’s because I’m reading the graphic novel and you can’t bend the pages as easily, or what. But I have been able to get only one panel to actually start working.
I’m sitting here and all night long I’ve just been trying different pages, different panels and moving my phone in all sorts of angles. Nothing! Am I the only one having trouble with this app? I swear I’m not technologically illiterate. This isn’t my first iPhone reader!
I will keep trying later, maybe after I’ve calmed down by reading some more of it. But every time I see that AR symbol in the corner of a panel it’s almost mocking me! I want to see the cool things the Augmented Reality is meant to bring to the experience of reading the story. Still, I got nothing. And I needed to get away from it before I threw my brand new phone across the room, so I am here posting this asking you if it’s just me. Anyone else looking foolish awkwardly holding their phone over a book?
I want to let you know I’ve been incommunicado because I’m reading the Avengers Vs. X-Men series, and it’s a big book so it’s taking awhile. So look out for that review in the upcoming week.
I want to hear from you and get some suggestions on a few problems/queries/conundrums I have with my comic book reading.
For the one reader who may read regularly (hello friend, how are you?), you know that I genuinely discuss comic books on a late schedule. I am always behind, and I’m kind of tired of that. Plus, not only do I want up to date reads, but I imagine you all would too. So my main question to you reader is, how should I go about doing this? I want to catch up, but it is a daunting exercise. I don’t want to just skip ahead and start reading what’s being put out now. I’ll miss out on everything that’s gone on from where I am and what is being published today.
My first idea is to possibly read the digital comics on Marvel and DC’s websites. But I ask you, reader, are these digital libraries a good source? Will they have everything I want to keep up to date and get caught up? I don’t want to pay and then not get what I want out of them.
My second idea was to try and go to my local comic book store and just try and find everything I would need. But I am awful at remembering comic book numbers, and which ones I’ve read. I read a lot, and I’m not always remembering which series went up to #6 or #7. I’m always second guessing, did I read the series New Avengers #25-30 or was it Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes #25-30? Do you understand my trouble reader?
Ultimately I want to hear from you guys, what would be my best path to success? How do you keep up to date? Do you get a mailed subscription, digital subscription, or are you frequenting your comic book store? Also how do you get your comic book news? I want to know do you listen to particular podcasts, read particular blogs (other than mine of course), and where should I go for the optimal nerd experience? And as a quick note, the last time I made a post asking my readers’ opinions I got like a ton of people liking the post…but no comments. Come on guys! What good is that to me? Even if you think it’s a dumb comment, or I might not want to hear your opinion, you’re wrong. I want to hear from you reader! Speak!!
So I did a quick look, way back, at the first Batman video game in the Arkham series. Reader, I am excited to tell you, the third game has been confirmed for 2013! Arkham City was a brilliant development of the first game, I can only imagine what is in store for the third! Here’s a quick link for some more details, mainly it’s just rumors at the moment. Personally, earlier on I heard tell of the possibility of Batman meeting some of the other heroes of DC Nation. Some seem to believe the third will be a prequel at the earlier years of Batman’s career. One way or another I will be waiting fairly impatiently for the release!
There’s been a lull of great movies lately, reader. In the face of the low quality of theatre-going entertainment I want to look ahead to what we can all expect will be on the big screens. The major ones I’m sure you know are coming, a few I had no idea about until I did some googling, and some at this point are unlikely and just rumors. Let’s make a list of my top 10: (by the way what’s with list blogs? I don’t get it…there’s no substance…just a particular number of random facts/opinions/objects…moving on):
X-Men: Days of Future Past (expect a rant forthcoming)
Kick-Ass 2 (nice surprise)
Nation Awakes (interesting surprise)
Now I will say there are more than just those 10, obviously reader. And I may comment on a few more than just the ones I listed, but those are the ones I want to focus on primarily. Settle in, grab a beverage or snack, and find a comfortable spot because I intend for this to be a long post.
Now Iron Man 3 is the first upcoming movie, debuting May 3, 2013 in America but if you want my opinion click on the link I posted above. Man of Steel will be my first focus, and I am so excited for its release on June 14! Now reader you might say, “But cptmrvl (using my username rather than my actual name…a bit impersonal reader), is it at all possible to have a successful Superman film since that single horse decided to destroy and lay a curse upon the industry?” And I would respond, of course! Granted there have been some epic failures…and some failures that weren’t even big enough attempts to have failed on such a large scale. Like I parenthetically stated earlier, I have hope.
Zack Snyder has already shown that he can direct some awesome films, let alone a superhero film. How could you not enjoy his style in Watchmen? He captures perfectly a book which attempts to bring the fantastical into the real life. In Man of Steel, from what the trailer shows us, I think he will be able to do the reverse. I think Snyder can bring real life to a character which is so far beyond the fantastic, and borders on near unrealistic expectations. Superman, in some of his other movies, is just too big for the tiny films he’s been placed in. But what will make Man of Steel actually work, is we see who Superman started off as, and how young Clark Kent is just as important to who he becomes.
One minor comment I had with the new costume. Personally I am a huge fan of the New 52 revamped costumed, and this one looks very similar. The only main difference is the absence of the red belt, which I think would make this costume work a lot better. Man of Steel costume is a bit centered on the codpiece. And trust me reader, I have nothing against a good codpiece. I think the belt would definitely keep the eyes from centering in straight away to the very obvious…bulge. Or am I the only one continually staring at it? Reader? You there?
To discuss the other upcoming Marvel movies, I think I need to share with you reader my stance on their prequels. I was content with Thor, and generally thought it did a good job in context. It wasn’t going to be a blockbuster, but it succeeded despite just being a warm-up for The Avengers. On the other side, I found Captain America: The First Avenger to be lacking. I wasn’t a huge fan of Chris Evans’ casting (how can you be Captain America and the Human Torch?!), though I will admit his acting got better in The Avengers. Still, Captain America was underwhelming and really didn’t work for me. I felt that it was just a plastic period piece. Not even a good period piece, just one attempting to go through the motions. Plus, Steve Rogers pre-injection has to be some of the stupidest graphics used in any superhero movie ever.
I’m hoping that the new Thor and Captain America films will be even better than the originals. I don’t really have any idea what Thor will be about, and the premise from searching online is very vague. Captain America: Winter Soldier will be interesting to see how they introduce Bucky as the Winter Soldier. Will he be the antagonist? Are they going to have the “present times” Winter Soldier who for a short time is a new Captain? I just hope they do a better job than the first movie, and Evans’ acting is on par with The Avengers. The one thing I’m looking forward to CA: WS most is the addition of Sam Wilson “Falcon” being played by Anthony Mackie. I always liked Falcon, and I don’t know Mackie’s work but I hope he brings something extra to the film.
It should be noted, the above picture, and obviously any picture for Justice League are all fake because it is no where near complete. Actually, I was a bit let down to discover reader, there have already been some hiccups in the film making process of JL. In the post I linked above, JL rights were finally in the hands of Warner Brothers but that’s almost where production has stopped. Supposedly Will Beall (Gangster Squad) submitted a script for the film, but reports say it wasn’t quite good and may have been thrown out the window. Rumors have let slip that the movie will center on Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the Flash. Not surprising as many non-fans don’t know much about J’onn J’onzz, and even today Aquaman doesn’t hold up to the other big leaguers.
Some people seem to think the movie will be a waste of millions of dollars, and frankly reader I can’t decide myself. There are just so many questions that leave me unsure. DC has by far, the most iconic heroes of all times in the Justice League. Is that a good thing, or does that mean there’s too much going on in one film? Will Christian Bale reprise the role of Batman or are we going to have to get used to another actor’s interpretation? Will Warner Brothers pull an Avengers and recast the big green guy? (They definitely should in this case…Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern is comparable to Ben Affleck’s Daredevil) Right now it’s all up in the air, the studio might end up paying big bucks for script after script, it might not meet its expected release of 2015. At the moment it seems most heavily dependent on Synder’s Man of Steel, just one more reason I have my hopes invested in Superman.
The most surprising movie out of all the upcoming superhero films was The Wolverine. Reader I had no idea! I hadn’t heard of it, there’s no trailer, and yet it’s coming out this summer! July 26 as you can see by the poster on the left. Hugh Jackman, the one constance in all the X-Men films is returning as Logan. Supposedly the film takes place after X-Men Last Stand, and Wolverine travels to Japan to take on some samurai baddies (idk?). The X-Men film series, I feel like, is slowly becoming the film industry’s Legend of Zelda. No one quite knows for sure where the films correspond canonically, except for maybe the first three because they were…well…1, 2 and 3. But I will hold my major rant for when I cover the next X-Men film.
The only reason I feel like Marvel is holding on to trying to place the films in some sort of connection is Hugh Jackman. But really, I think we can all agree, we would be fine with them revamping and keeping Jackman on still. After all, he is one of the only things that works for the films! But with that said, how have I not heard of this film until now reader? I’m not completely oblivious to the world. I try and keep up with this kind of news for the blog. I’m extremely excited for the movie though! I loved X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and as a continuation of the sub-series (again idk?) it could be promising.
Next up, The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Really isn’t a huge surprise there is it reader? The first film was a success. I know you’re going to be surprised reader, but I had no qualms with the movie at all. I thought Andrew Garfield was brilliant (British idiom successfully used) and Emma Stone had great chemistry with him. Of course it helps when you’re actually dating in real life, but certainly not a complaint! I thought Marvel was genius for revamping the series because the Tobey Maguire series was awful (New Goblin…really?). And the first film took baby-steps, starting with a minor villain like Curt Connors.
In the upcoming second film they’re using another unused villain, Electro, and you may be surprised to hear Jamie Foxx got the part. Interesting choice having Max Dillon black, but again not a complaint on my part reader. I’m actually excited to see all the racist tweets proclaiming they’re “not racist but why is Electro black?” I am incredibly interested to see how Dane DeHaan portrays Harry Osborn, as I really liked him in Chronicle. But Amazing Spider-Man 2 isn’t done with the right wing casting yet, Paul Giamatti is playing Rhino! Anyone else think he’s just too squirrely to play such a big hulking brute?
Now reader, are you settled and comfortable? Because this next section might be a doozy, but I’ll try to keep it as brief as possible. X-Men Days of Future Past seems to be a mind fuck. I’m sorry reader, I don’t know how else to describe the news I’ve heard so far. It’s ten years after X-Men First Class and will be a continuation of that sub-series, but will also have cast members reprising their roles from the original trilogy. What?! Why?! Can we not all agree that the first trilogy just made no sense by the third film? They hardly seem connected to each other, barely had the same characters the same, let alone now trying to connect it to the new series?
Supposedly, X-Men Days of Future Past will follow the story line of the comic book series of the same name. An enlightened idea! One which, except for maybe the very first film, no other X-Men film has thought to do. You have all these series that are successful in text, why not just make them into a film? But it’s an even bigger slap in the face when it supposedly continues from First Class. Which if it weren’t for James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender’s amazing talent, I don’t think would have been successful. Here you have a film which could have been a great revamp, following a series which Marvel created to revamp their comic books! But no, you call the film X-Men First Class, yet don’t have any of the actual first class, save one. Beast. Because I sure don’t consider the one girl “Angel” a canon character, when she’s not anywhere remotely similar to the real Angel or any other character for that matter!
Sorry reader, First Class as a fan of the comic books was an epic fail to me, in that it misrepresents everything except for Professor X and Magneto. And because of that, I think trying to connect this new series to the old series should make any true X-Men fan enraged. There are so many flaws in the new series, but the old series at least attempted (at first) to create the original X-Men. Bringing those two together would be bringing two different universes together, creating one cataclysmic event! But quickly, the cast line-up so far will include: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, Anna Paquin, Ellen Page and Shawn Ashmore. It’s also set to be directed by Bryan Singer with the script written by Simon Kinberg. Suffice it to say, I don’t have high hopes for it being more than another irresponsible X-Men movie packed with action scenes and coat tailing on two incredible actors.
A quick look as we come toward the end of this post reader, Kick-Ass 2 is coming out this summer June 28th in America. Oddly, there’s no trailer or much promotional photography for a movie that’s coming up soon. Even weirder is that there seems to be little in the ways of what it’s going to be about. I think it’s safe to say that Kick-Ass will be meeting a lot more heroes, as he said at the end of the last film, that he inspired. About all I can give you right now is the list of actors and that it’s directed by Jeff Wadlow, as Matthew Vaughn moves up to the producer’s role. The main cast line-up consists of Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (no one has simple names?) reprising their roles as Kick-Ass, Hit Girl and The Mother Fucker. They’re going to be joined by Jim Carrey (not a big fan reader so not too excited about this choice), Donald Faison, Robert Emms, Lindy Booth, Daniel Kaluuya, Clark Duke, Augustus Prew, Olga Kurkulina, Andy Nyman, John Leguizamo, Enzo Cilenti, Morris Chestnut, Yancy Butler, Lyndsy Fonseca, and Claudia Lee. I know it’s a little lazy but I’ll let you figure out who they’re all playing rather than listing them all off with characters too. This film is on a let’s see how it goes status. I liked the first one, and I really don’t see how they could ruin this one as it’s a pretty funny concept all around.
Now I’m going to wrap it up with this final film reader, rather than making some big conclusion. I don’t know how I would wrap up all of the ranting and information I just gave to you. I was the most interested in this film, the post you can see above, headlining out of Pakistan. With all of the American success in the superhero film industry, I am loving that other countries are taking their own bite out it. To be frank there isn’t a whole lot of information that I could find out about the film. The website and the Facebook page are fairly empty and lacking in information. But despite that I am fascinated with the concept, and really truly want someone besides Hollywood to be able to make a buck of what I think is the supreme fantasy of all of ours. Superheroism and all of its iconography goes beyond of us because every one of us at some point wanted to put on a pair of tights and fly around.
No matter your taste, hope you enjoy and please turn off all cellular devices whilst enjoying the films!
A quick heads-up to my video game inclined reader. I’m sure most of you have heard of the new upcoming DC game, Injustice: Gods Among Us. I have been dragging my feet about whether I want to pre-order this yet (mainly because I suck at fighting games). But ever since I saw the booth at Comic Con a tiny voice in my head keeps telling me I really should just bite the bullet.
I’m not going into detail now, and give you a full run-down. Most of you who are reading this have already heard about what’s up with this game. So instead, here’s something you might not know about. On Injustice’s website they’re polling your opinion on who would come out victorious in different fights. The first week (which ends in a little more than a day so hurry up!) pits Batman vs. Bane and Wonder Woman vs. Harley Quinn.
I picked Bane to beat Batman’s cowled butt, and Wonder Woman to smack the smile off Harley Quinn. Go and pick your choice winners and you become eligible for some pretty cool swag. Plus, you’ll also automatically get a background for your Xbox or Playstation, and items for your Avatar!
Stepping off the regular beaten path of Readers Assemble, I want to share with you reader something I just stumbled upon. As anyone who frequents the Interweb network (or just doesn’t have a life) you sometimes catch yourself lost in YouTube watching all types of different videos. Tonight, I have no idea how I got there at this point because we’re talking about a few hours in, I have come across Tested.com‘s YouTube channel. Take a moment (after you’re done reading through my post of course) to check out their site and their videos, as I’m going to be focusing primarily on one aspect and you can find all the other stuff their site offers.
A portion of their YouTube channel is centered on Adam Savage’s man cave, and all the really cool items he’s collected and created over the years. If you don’t know who Adam Savage is by name, then maybe you’ll figure it out when I say, not the beret-wearer from Mythbusters. Basically reader his work shop…it’s nerd-vana. He’s got replicas, real props, all sorts of cool toys and machines from everything we nerds enjoy. Whether you’re a film aficionado, a comic book lover like myself, or an anime fanatic he’s got something in his cave you’re going to be jealous about. The video below is one of many where he shows off a costume he uses to cos-play at San Diego Comic Con. Not only is the dude a Mythbuster but I’m loving that he’s a nerd just like you and me (just with a lot more money to be spending on cool stuff)!
His Mark 1 costume is pretty awesome, and he details all the different techniques he used to make it perfect. Go watch the video, and maybe like me you’ll find a few hours have passed in a YouTube coma. The two “hosts” of the videos I’ve watched seem to be the main guys on Tested now, but I will say I like Will better. Sorry Norm, but I find you to be a bit awkward on camera sometimes and I cringe. Still it doesn’t detract from the videos and if only shows one more level of nerdiness to the videos! I’m only taking a break now from all the different videos to share this with you, so I’ve got to get back to seeing what other cool props and replicas he’s got!
Readers Assemble! 