Moments when a piece of entertainment completely lost you.

hyzmarca · Post by **hyzmarca** » Tue Sep 25, 2012 4:13 pm

Cynic wrote:
Prak_Anima wrote:Some industries just make that quick spike in sales their entire business model, like porn.
Isn't a lot of porn about quick spikes?

Most of it, yes. There is a sub-genre of porn designed for women that's slow and romantic, though. Honestly, as a guy, I prefer it to regular porn.

Maj · Post by **Maj** » Mon Oct 01, 2012 10:44 pm

erik wrote:Man, I know it's beating a long dead horse, but damn I would love to get paid 1 and a quarter million dollars to do 3 stick figure comics over the course of 6 weeks. But at least kick-starter rewards are being produced rite?

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/599092525/the-order-of-the-stick-reprint-drive/posts wrote:I've been having trouble juggling the digital work with the regular comic (resulting in neither one getting done)
More power to him I guess.

Screw making an RPG and figuring out how to market and publish it, you have better chances with a webcomic.

Resurrection, I know, but I just saw this in Wired:

5 Kickstarter Projects Slammed With Success

I never knew too much money would be a bad thing...

erik · Post by **erik** » Tue Oct 02, 2012 9:04 pm

Maj wrote: I never knew too much money would be a bad thing...

Usually it's not. But not knowing how to manage it is. Also by having a bigger wallet you become a bigger target.

I hope that when people see their kickstarters going through the roof some have the foresight to start the hiring process on getting help at managing thing before it snowballs uncontrollably.

Cynic · Post by **Cynic** » Tue Oct 02, 2012 10:59 pm

I wonder if a kickstarter for a legal aid fund for those who use kickstarter should be started...

hyzmarca · Post by **hyzmarca** » Tue Oct 02, 2012 11:07 pm

Cynic wrote:I wonder if a kickstarter for a legal aid fund for those who use kickstarter should be started...

That's against Kickstarter's terms of service. They only do projects to make actual things, possibly events.

Username17 · Post by **Username17** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 4:18 am

erik wrote:
Maj wrote: I never knew too much money would be a bad thing...
Usually it's not. But not knowing how to manage it is. Also by having a bigger wallet you become a bigger target.

I hope that when people see their kickstarters going through the roof some have the foresight to start the hiring process on getting help at managing thing before it snowballs uncontrollably.

According to the article, the Printrbot guy got stuck with a $330,000 IRS bill. Which means that he obviously had no idea how to estimate and deduct expenses. That's the real tragedy on that one: he has lots of legitimate business expenses and now he's running out of money because he couldn't figure out how to claim them and ended up paying taxes on his gross as if it were net.

-Username17

nockermensch · Post by **nockermensch** » Thu Oct 04, 2012 1:44 am

FrankTrollman wrote:
erik wrote:
Maj wrote: I never knew too much money would be a bad thing...
Usually it's not. But not knowing how to manage it is. Also by having a bigger wallet you become a bigger target.

I hope that when people see their kickstarters going through the roof some have the foresight to start the hiring process on getting help at managing thing before it snowballs uncontrollably.
According to the article, the Printrbot guy got stuck with a $330,000 IRS bill. Which means that he obviously had no idea how to estimate and deduct expenses. That's the real tragedy on that one: he has lots of legitimate business expenses and now he's running out of money because he couldn't figure out how to claim them and ended up paying taxes on his gross as if it were net.

-Username17

Somebody on Wired's comments said something pretty good:

Don Clark wrote:I would think that KICKSTARTER would have a sister division by now that helps the creators complete their projects (it is in their best interest) - or connects them directly with various help (supply chain, lawyers, finance, etc). Why not a rated supply chain site that aids people in development of various projects? At the very least, a tips/advice section on product-to-market.

In this case, it was on their best interest to provide tax-filling counsel to that guy. I get that this is still a pretty new funding model, and hopefully it'll be refined by providing assistance to people that suddenly find themselves smothered by money.

Lago PARANOIA · Post by **Lago PARANOIA** » Mon Oct 15, 2012 1:55 am

Is Shortpacked! still excruciating? I haven't read it in like a year, the Amber/Mike thing turned my stomach so bad that I just straight-out dropped the comic.

Lago PARANOIA · Post by **Lago PARANOIA** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 12:53 am

How in the name of David Koresh did a Red Dawn remake get out of the planning stage, let alone made? I mean, I see advertisements for this shit plastered all over YouTube and it's like... what the fucking hell?

Hey, American social conservatives: why do you fuckers continue to humiliate me and my country with your paranoia and jingoism and shelteredness? Wasn't fucking up Transformers enough? Do you know how exhausting and infuriating it is for us non-morons to have to reflexively cringe whenever American media focusing on international relations is brought up?

Shrapnel · Post by **Shrapnel** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 1:28 am

Especially since the Cold War has been over for like twenty or more years. The first one was that good, and remakes never improve upon the originals. Not often at least.

As for the Shortpacked! thing, David Willis is really funny, and a MASSIVE Transformers geek. He makes me look like a casual fan. The bastard. I want his children.

But, Shortpacked! has indeed gone down in quality since Mike gained prominence. Asshole characters can work, if you make them sympathetic, like the titular character from the TV show Archer, or they get their cumuppence, like many characters in a varitey of various media.

However, other comics of his like Recordicons (a TF comic that focuses on the adventures of Shattered Glass Ravage. It runs online and in the TF Collectors Club magazine) are still really good, despite Shortpacked's decline.

I plan on going to BotCon 2013 next year, singleing out David Willis, and asking/telling him two (2) things:

1) Did you know that my brother is the son of Larry Blamire (creator of movies such as The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra)*?

2) Did you know that no one likes the character of Mike in Shortpacked! and that he RUINED FOREVER the strip, but that Recordicons is still funny, so that's okay?

And when I receive his answer, I shall post it here. If I remember too. Which I will.

*For once, I am not embellishing. My brother is Cory Blamire, who is Larry Blamire's son. Technically, he's my half-brother (we share the same mom), but still...
Actually, my brother went out to Hollywood to work on the film with his dad. He was about 18 at the time. He was the Mutant in some of the shots, and was also the "Skeleton Wrangler".
I am hoping that this connection will earn me some street cred and respect from Willis, if not the world in general.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 5:09 am

Shrapnel wrote:Especially since the Cold War has been over for like twenty or more years. The first one was that good, and remakes never improve upon the originals. Not often at least.

You shitting me?

Red Dawn was the most blatant Cold War propaganda film from the 80s that didn't involve Sylvester Stallone.

Unless you're saying that given how bad the original was, and since a remake would be even worse, a Red Dawn remake would be realllly shitty.

Or that it's enjoyable in the same ironic way Rocky IV was.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 5:21 am

I think Shrapnel meant to say "wasn't that good."

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 5:23 am

That would make a lot more sense.

But this is Shrapnel we're talking about.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 6:31 am

Darth Rabbitt wrote:That would make a lot more sense.

But this is Shrapnel we're talking about.

Yes, he has some taste, I mean, at least he's a fan of Transformers and not Gundam.

Leress · Post by **Leress** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 6:56 am

Prak_Anima wrote:
Darth Rabbitt wrote:That would make a lot more sense.

But this is Shrapnel we're talking about.
Yes, he has some taste, I mean, at least he's a fan of Transformers and not Gundam.

See now it really depends on which Gundam and which Transfomers

I like the original, War in the Pocket, Stardust Memory(aka Metal Gear Gundam), G Gundam for it ridiculousness, and 8th MS Team.

I like the original and original animated movie, Beast Wars, Animated, and Prime. The rest of the series can go to hell.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 10:15 am

The Gundam thing is mostly my snide remark regarding an online acquaintance who was obsessed with it and would blather on endlessly, even though she knew that it meant nothing to me, and I wasn't really interested enough to go and watch it all. She tried to get me to watch it, all of it, from the very damned beginning, but I just couldn't manage to get past the bad 80s art style. Because I'm a snob who also can't get past Adventure Time's art style, for all it's other awesomeness.

Chamomile · Post by **Chamomile** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 10:41 am

Probably about half of the Gundam series are spin-offs that require zero understanding of the originals and have vastly superior artwork. The only actual Gundam series I ever watched all the way through was Gundam Wing, which is a self-contained series that has about as much to do with the original Gundam as Final Fantasy VII had to do with VIII.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 10:53 am

I should also mention that I'm not big on space operas. Was never all that fond of Star Wars, even. Though... does Firefly count as space opera? Because that's the one example I actually like.

edit: Ok, checking the TV Tropes page, apparently the Space Opera genre is so broad and ubiquitous as to be essentially a useless term if you're trying to say you don't like something, unless you simply don't like sci fi. I definitely like sci fi, I mean, hell, I'm watching Doctor Who at the moment, so...

fuck, what the hell is it I don't like about Star Wars and Traveller and such that is absent from Firefly and Doctor Who?

K · Post by K » Fri Nov 23, 2012 11:35 am

Firefly is a Western. A Space Western.

Doctor Who is a space opera, though a quirky example.

The key trait is epic scale, like opera. Space opera involves a cast of thousands, giant space battles, and the fate of worlds and maybe the galaxy/universe. So Star Wars is a space opera because of the big themes of good vs. evil and thousands of worlds in the balance where Star Trek is just sci-fi.

Cynic · Post by **Cynic** » Sun Dec 09, 2012 4:43 am

So I read the first volume of "Justice League Dark." I had already shat upon it without reading it because it took characters like John Constantine and Shade the changing man and made them superheroes.

I've kinda fumed about the fact that they've integrated these two characters from the Vertigo continuity into the DC universe. Basically taking two characters who have explored many mature concepts and just making them superheroes. JC has even gone as far as saying that he hates superheroes and other magic users.

Anyway, back to "Justice League Dark", it's shit. It lost me very quickly. John Constantine is made to be just a grumpy antihero who is more about just doing a lot of conventional magic that he normally tries to avoid. Shade is made into just being a tormented man. Deadman and others are all stock DC characters in the first place and aren't changed more than just making them angrier versions of themselves.
Plot behind spoiler

The plot seems to basically copy the Marvel "House of M" storyline with a witch (Enchantress instead of Scarlet witch) losing control of her powers and effecting reality all over the globe. Madam xanadu (Layla Miller in Marvel) basically acts as a narrator and manipulator of the other characters.

For someone who doesn't know Shade or Constantine or Mindwarp or Madam Xanadu, they are just thrown into the plot without much introduction or development of the characters. I don't even know how this is called Justice League Dark when there doesn't seem to be any mention of them being part of the Justice League in the first place.

The saddest part of all this is that they are going to close out the "Hellblazer" series that runs under Vertigo. Really I have no problem with this. I mean it's going to end up at 300 issues. Such a long series always ends up having some serious continuity problems. I'm only sad because the reason for ending the series is so that they can completely reintegrate Constantine into the DC universe.

The time I saw John Constantine punch something with a fist surrounded by magical energies, I wanted to punch Peter Milligan in his nuts.

Parthenon · Post by **Parthenon** » Sun Dec 09, 2012 2:44 pm

Wait, its been a while since I read any Hellblaze, but I thought the whole point of Hellblazer is that magic is really dangerous and often fucks things up, and that Constantine hates it and himself for using it. And now he's a magic using superhero who uses it all the time with no cost. What the fuck?

Username17 · Post by **Username17** » Sun Dec 09, 2012 4:11 pm

Parthenon wrote:Wait, its been a while since I read any Hellblaze, but I thought the whole point of Hellblazer is that magic is really dangerous and often fucks things up, and that Constantine hates it and himself for using it. And now he's a magic using superhero who uses it all the time with no cost. What the fuck?

In Animal Man, he doesn't use magic much at all. I've been a lot happier with the Animal Man / Swamp Thing crossover stuff than the Justice League Dark stuff. The New 52 material varies wildly in quality. At the low end, Rob Liefeld was given control over Hawkman, and Hawk and Dove, which makes both of those titles incomprehensible.

-Username17

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Sun Dec 09, 2012 4:26 pm

I basically agree with Cynic re:Hellblazer. While I wouldn't mind off-continuity stories where John Constantine is forced to interact with the spandex crowd - I always thought a Hellblazer/Green Lantern or Helblazer/Captain Marvel crossover would be brilliant if written right - it's sad to see JC become a cartoon of himself.

Cynic · Post by **Cynic** » Sun Dec 09, 2012 6:29 pm

There are some random DC issues where you see Constantine making a guest appearance or one of the endless making a guest appearance.

That's okay. I mean we see this sort of cross over shit all over the place. Random homages or uses another imprint's character.

yes, Superhero Constantine is a bitch.

Frank: I haven't read any of the Animal Man/ swamp thing stuff. Can you give a little critique to give me an idea if it's worth picking up.

I'm pretty cool with Swamp Thing and Animal Man being part of the DC universe. They've usually been part of the universe for a long time.

Username17 · Post by **Username17** » Sun Dec 09, 2012 7:01 pm

The first thing to know about the new Animal Man / Swamp Thing continuity is that it has a weird art style that I find atmospheric and some people find "hideous". Here's a NSFW bit to give you an idea of what I'm talking about:

Anyway, aside from the fact that the art style is about as polarizing as the New 52 Wonder Woman (which I also happen to like), the material itself is both bloody and "low key epic". That is, there's this whole mythology built up about a three way fight between The Red, The Green, and The Gray, where the first two have the champions of Animal Man and Swamp Thing, and the last one is championed by Arcane and the Unmen. And there's a time vortex where if it doesn't settle out the world will be devoured by "The Rot" and the whole world will be overrun by impressively disgusting zombies. Also the real champion of The Red is supposed to be Buddy Baker's daughter, but the weird totem beings of meat world have to settle for Animal Man because he is at least an adult. But while the stakes are huge and there's armies of Unmen gathering to overrun the world and the zombie apocalypse from which not even Superman can save us is nigh, the book spends much of its time focused in on little stuff like how Animal Man's family doesn't really want him to be a super hero at all and how his son has a mullet and no powers and his younger daughter has all kinds of mojo and goes around reanimating cats to play with.

From left to right: The Totems of The Red, Animal Man & Family, Arcane & The Rot, Swamp Thing, Abigail Arcane, and the Avatars of The Green.

The stories are frankly better when they aren't doing the "Rot World" alternate future thing, because I'm already pretty sure that I know how the Rot World future is going to be unwound and in any case it was always obvious that Rot World was not going to be the actual future. Personally, I find it harder to invest in "alternate future" stories, because it seems like events are even less likely to have longterm consequences than the comic book medium already ensures. But there's about a year of Animal Man before the Rot World plot, and it's nicely disturbing the whole time.

-Username17