Pulps vs Supers and Why Atomic Robo is the best comic in print.

Yes I was among the people who tweeted about Robo which lead to this article. But I'm not really talking about the article itself but one of the comments to it:

Dolphinandrew wrote:

Sounds good. But I don't really see how it doesn't fit the description "superhero comic".It sounds very superhero-y.

And based on the description given in the article I can understand his confusion, which brings to mind the fine distinction between pulp fiction and superhero fiction. Superhero stories, in broad terms, are about costumed, superpowered, individuals fighting crime incognito, while pulp is more broad including S&S fantasy, lovecraftian horror, noir detective, and over the top two fisted action. Sure, Robo is more resilient than the average human, but Indiana Jones got dragged behind a truck for a mile without so much as a bruise, and he can heft a Buick, but the stories in Atomic Robo aren't about his powers it's about crazy awesome adventures and larger than life situations.

While I'm on the subject I may as well review the first two volumes of the series. I could talk about clever dialogue, endearing and interesting characters, great layout,and art that reminds me of the best of Mike Mignola and Genndy Tartakovsky, but anyone who knows me knows when I recommend something I do so by listing all the Awesome shit that happens in it so lets roll with that.

Volume 1:

* Robo blows up an immortal Nazi occultist while dragging a squad Nazi infantry
* Hurling Buicks at giant ants
* Steam-powered pyramid with a solar powered death ray, staffed by mummies.
* Robo, stuck on mars for a year without anything to do for year spends his time using rocks to spell out "Stephen Hawking is a bastard" so large its visible from orbit
* Nazi cyborgs, lead by a cackling mad scientist
* Edison summons the ghost of Rasputin to discredit Tesla

Volume 2 (set mostly during WWII):

* Dieslepunk mecha
* Slavering, mad, genetically engineered super soldiers
* Train-top fight
* Incomprehensible Scottish commando kicking 17 kinds of ass while dragging a disassembled robo
* A freaking weather cannon
* Giant enemy crab
* 60 ft tall robot created by north koreans invading Seoul

Yeah, the comic runs on mad science and coolnees cranked to 11, and I can't wait for volume 3.

Tvtropes has ruined my life I waste altogether too much on that site. when i could be wasting my time watching cartoons or something. Also most of the tropes have crept into my regular vocabulary, making it awkward for anyone not familiar with the lingo.

Trends

Cruising through the fantasy section of of a bookstore the other day and noticed that a lot of urban fantasy/paranormal novel cover all seem to have one of the following two elements:

A Full Moon
A shot of a woman from behind
A tramp stamps to go with that shot
Woman looking over the shoulder
Bladed weaponry for no discernible reason.

What's the deal with that?

Soundtrack of my life

MY LIFE ACCORDING TO The Who:

Are you a male or female:
Dreaming from the Waist

Describe yourself:
Mike Post Theme

How do you feel:
Whiskey Man

Describe where you currently live:
The Good's Gone

If you could go anywhere, where would you go?
Run Run Run

Your favorite form of transportation:
Glittering Girl

I suppose I like to
Cousin Kevin

Thought for the Day:
It's Hard

Your closest friend?
I am the Sea

I think Sunrise sums them all up.

You and your friends are:
We Got A Hit

What's the weather like:
Fortune Teller

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
Cooks Country

What is life to you:
Too much of Anything

Your relationship:
Christmas

What do think of when you think of love:
I've Had Enough

Your fear:
Odorono

What is the best advice you have to give:
I Can't Reach

How I would like to die:
Batman

My soul's present condition:
I'm One

My motto:
Baby Don't you do it.

Frat-Boy presents: Barbequeing with Booze

I thought I throw up a couple of easy recipes before bbq season ended. First up we have a nice little steak marinade. Sorry, guys no pics with this post.

Beer Beef Marinade
1 Tbsp Sea Salt
1 Tbsp Lemon Pepper
12 oz beer of your choice
1-2 dashes Worcestershire sauce

1. Combine ingredients in a shallow container
2. place steak in container, cover let sit for at least one hour before grilling

note: this recipe covers about 1 lb of meat.

Garlic, Herb and Whiskey Rub
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 oz whiskey of your choice (I use rye, but have experimented with using bourbon, both are awesome)
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
chili flakes to taste
1 dash Worcestershire (optional, though recommended for beef dishes)

1. stir all ingredients until it reaches a thick paste-like consistency
2. coat meat in rub, grill

this one also works great for beef roasts.

Thoughts on adaptations, fan reaction, and oh yeah new astro boy trailer

Whenever some nerdy property gets adapted to a new medium or remade there's a big stink about not being faithful to the original. Honestly, most of this is pretty stupid. It's adaptation not translation things get changed around for the sake of a new medium, and new interpretations can be very interesting. If you're so attached to the original just stick to that and ignore the what you don't like. This brings us to the trailer for the Astro Boy movie. Go watch it, it's short, I can wait.



All I can say is that they nailed the sleek retro-cool look for the films visuals, but otherwise I remain very skeptical. Astro Boy was mostly an allegory for prejudice with occasional examinations of what it means to use a robot to replace a person emotionally. This trailer seems to be about yoinking plot ideas from The Iron Giant and Short Circuit. Also, Nic Cage voice acting and machine gun butt, questionable.

Lost in Space...with Cheese

'Tis a dark dark for scientific endeavour and dairy products as the world's first successful attempt to put cheese in space has been lost after landing.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1202755/Hard-cheddar-Pioneers-lose-cheese-space.html

I can't help but wonder that they lost it on purpose to gain more publicity. Also, the reward for finding the lost capsule is you get to eat the cheese that touched the face of god.