December 2004
Saturday, December 25, 2004 0:31 AM
Merry Christmas everyone! No, there isn't a new review today, but I'm updating now because I just. Can't. SLEEP! So since I can't sleep (and maybe neither can you), then I'm here to rant and rave, and maybe I'll actually say something mildly entertaining for once on the front page. Let's see...first off I'm going to state that while I love Christmas and everything it stands for, I will be more then happy that I will no longer have to listen to fricken Christmas music for another 11 months. Now don't get me wrong, I love Christmas music, but I drive my car for a living. Yes, I drive for a living. Don't ask what I do, just know that I spend a good 40+ hours a week driving. As such my radio is my best friend. However when you hear nothing but Silent Night, Little Drummer Boy, and Jingle Bell Rock (which has been GREATLY overplayed this year) over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over again withen a few short hours, you start to really despise the stuff. Also I'm disapointed in the fact that there are never any new Christmas special made anymore. Of course, I know why there aren't any new Christmas specials made: Because families don't watch TV together. Seriously, with TV you either have the choice of either a reailty TV show that degrades humans or a cop show. And what show does the family have to call their own? "7th Heaven," which used to be a great show, but has SERIOUSLY gotten terrible the last few years (what the writers did to Lucy is a crime)! In fact, not only weren't there any NEW Christmas specials, but I'm even 100% sure if any of the classics aired! Charlie Brown? Didn't see. Garfield? Didn't see. Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer. Ah....okay, so I know THAT one aired, but I guessing you can see what my problem is! I remember in 1998 (or maybe it was 1997) when CBS aired the original Christmas special "Anabelle's Wish," which was an excellent and touching special about the friendship between a mute boy and a cow. Sound cheezy? Well, it's a lot better then it sounds. Unfortunetly that was the last original special I can think of, and I just want to cry right now.
Ah heck, I have to make one more point before I shut up about this: NBC DIDN'T FRICKEN AIR "IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE" THIS YEAR!!!!! Good-bye Christmas, it was nice knowing you. Thank God we had "The Polar Express" this year, otherwise I would have walked away from 2004 without any REAL Christmas magic specials and movies to cherish (and if you haven't seen that yet go see it...even if you do miss Christmas when you see it in theaters)! Hmm...maybe I'm sounding too bitter right now. Alright, I'll stop and go to bed, seeing as how the sooner I fall asleep, the sooner I get to open presents. On Monday I'll post a new review, a review that I was going to post on Wensday, but stopped myself from posting seeing as how much of an "inapropriate" review it would have been to post during the holiday season. Just check back on Monday to find out what it is. Also it looks as though there are a few more members in the forum, and I'm going to make another attempt to get those forums attive, so I'd like to invite everyone to join in the conversations at the board (or start your own). See you on Monday.
Wednesday, December 22, 2004 0:01 AM
As promised on Monday, I have posted the long awaited review for "Beet The Vandel Buster." This means that I am no longer commited to posting five reviews next week, however since the holidays will pretty much be over, then I can safely assure you all that the "two review a week" scheduel will return to normal shortly. I was at my local comic book shop recently, where the store manager shouted "Kevin! Buddy, where have you been the past month or so? Don't you realize how many new comic books that came out and you weren't here to buy them? What happened to you man?" See, as you can probably tell, I spend a lot of free time at the comic book store. I go there at least two or three times a week, I buy the new issue's of my favorite series, and I spend time chatting with the store employes, customers, and comic book artists that do signings every now and then. It's a rough life, but someone's got to live it. After I told him that I literally keep myself locked in my house until Christmas is over (I HATE the holiday rush), we started talking about new releases. While we were talking he told me some disturbing news: The "Mary Jane" series from Marvel had been canceled, and the series was most likely not going to make it past issue 6. Apparently while "Emma Frost" had generated lots of sales for Marvel (and rightfully so), "Mary Jane" not only failed to sell that many copies, but there was virtually no females that read the series, which is something Marvel was betting on. When he made that last comment I had to laugh and say "Were they expecting women to buy 'Mary Jane,' a Spider-Man spin-off with which you know the outcome of, over something like 'Kare Kano?'" Yes that was a harsh comment I will admit, but honestly, if American comic book companies think that they are going to attract women to come into the comic book shop by giving a superhero's girlfriend her own series then they are sorely mistaken as to why women are reading manga over American comic books.
I won't get into the discussion again, but the word "varity" explains why manga is selling so much more then most American comic books (Craig Thomson's stuff being the rare exception to the rule). His next comment, however, left me breathless. He claimed that manga was "all the same too," claiming that manga followed a set formula, and he claimed that manga has no more varity then American comics. Excuse me, before I continue I must breath...
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...okay, I'm over the shock of that comment. I'm sorry to say this [name deleated as to save embaressment], but looking at a comic book rack and a manga rack CLEARLY proves you wrong! While on the comic book rack you see seven different Batman's, a few Spider-Man's, and countless versions of X-Men on the shelf, the manga shelf is far more diversed. On one manga shelf you can see "Slam Dunk," a series about a high school student who joins a basketball team to impress a girl he loves. Then on that same shelf you can see "Shaman King," a series about a boy who wants to become friends with the King of Spirits, as well as "SGT. Frog" a serial yet fun series about a frog who wants to destroy Earth (read the review). Heck, you just have to look one rack higher to see "Rurouni Kenshin" (an excellent action series about a wandering samuri) and "Revenge of Mouflon" (a political thriller about terrorists) sitting next to each other. And this isn't considered to be varity? [name deleated as to save embaressment], I hate to tell this to you, but I found all these titles in YOUR comic book shop! Don't you know anything about the product you're selling? I don't want to get into a fight with you, I don't want to tick you off, and you'll still see me at your store at least once a week after the holidays are over, but why don't you actually read some of the manga you sell, and THEN we'll finish our conversation! See you guys on Monday.
Monday, December 20, 2004 9:36 PM
The new review will be posted on Wensday. No really, this time I mean it. Please guys, can you stop laughing, I really mean it this time! Hey, if I don't upload it on Wensday, then I'll post no less then FIVE reviews next week! A review for every day of the week. There, with that bet now in place, time to go back to going over a THIRD draft of the review so that I don't have to be commited to that deal!
Monday, December 13, 2004 0:27 AM
I hate to tell you guys this, but I didn't get a chance to finish the review this weekend, which means that it will be yet another few days until I can post it. Oh sure the review was written, but the review doesn't come to life until I do a second re-write, in which I look at the review as a whole and take things out that don't work, add some lines to make the review flow better, and then finally spell check (although my editor does a second spell check since my grammer tends to be questionable sometimes). So what was so important about this weekend that I couldn't get off my lazy butt and do the second re-write of the review? Each, it was my 19th birthday on Saturday. Yes, I'm 19, and I'm reviewing comic books for a living. Hey, someone has to have the fun job right? Just to let everyone know, I do have an Amazon.com wishlist. You know, just in case you guys would like to, you know.....oh forget I said anything (*sniff* I'm so pathetic sometimes). So getting back to what I was talking about earlier, the new review will "most likely" be posted sometime this week. I'm not making a commitment though, seeing as how my scheduel can go haywire at anytime during the holiday season. But just to reasure everyone here; yes, updates WILL return to normal after New Year's Day! Anyway, catch you guys later.
Wednesday, December 8, 2004 0:40 AM
Despite my jobs mission to rob me of all my free time, I managaed to get my review of "SGT. Frog" finished this week. See you Monday for a new review (yeah, Monday, not Friday).
Monday, December 6, 2004 0:17 AM
Due to a long work shift, today's review will be posted on Wensday instead. Sorry.