Category Archives: Columns
JokerFish #06: Time-Travelling Robotic Nano-Flea By Lantern Savage
Imagine for a moment that you were bitten by a time-travelling robotic nano-flea that embued you with extraordinary abilities. I’ll give you a moment.
…got it? Okay.
So, given your strange new powers, would you step out on the streets to uphold the tenets of truth and justice? Would you cross swords with authority and concern yourself only with number one? Would you eat a bowl of cereal and go back to bed?
Ever since Sony Online Entertainment started releasing video footage of DC Universe Online in action, I’d been itching to start creating characters. The game could have played like a big flea-ravaged dog, and I still would have bought it just so I could mess with the character creator for 30 days.
See, the way I look at it is this: creating and playing a character on DC Universe Online is the closest you can possibly come to creating a character for the DC Universe proper (outside of writing and drawing your own fan fiction or, you know, actually working for DC Comics). Making my own little doppelganger and having him do battle with The Joker is the kind of thing I’d have dreamt about doing as a kid, except back in the 80’s the only choice I had was “Beast Man versus Bobby The Henchman” (10 points to anyone who recognizes those names).
However, this time around I knew I wouldn’t be making a virtual Lantern Savage straight away. If Lex Luthor sent an exobyte from the future to bite me on the butt so I could save the world from an impending Braniac invasion, I’d probably still try to get one more hour’s sleep in before getting up to trudge through waves of HIVE drones and Trigon’s minions. For me, creating a character for DCUO meant I would need to forge something new, something fresh, something original.
Continue reading JokerFish #06: Time-Travelling Robotic Nano-Flea By Lantern Savage
The FlashPoint Build Continues: Give us your thoughts!
The week ended in a very cool way with some awesome previews of FlashPoint on the Source. This is an event that has gotten me more excited over time. Initially, I had no idea it would be so far reaching. I assumed it would be just a Flash Family story.
The more I am seeing though, the more I want to dive deep into this changing world. I am curious to see if any of the characters from the event make it back to our continuity. My excitement and interest is growing. How do you feel?
Check out some of the previews below Continue reading The FlashPoint Build Continues: Give us your thoughts!
Batman Live Storyline Announced!
http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/03/02/batman-live-storyline-announced/
I had no idea this show was being produced. I know the Spider-man show has had it’s share of mishaps. I truly hope they get worked out because I like the idea that comic properties are taking a “swing” at a variety of mediums. (Yes, I am even groaning at my poor joke, lol.)
As a kid, I remember Sea World having the various DC Comics characters in a water show. I am hoping this winds up being well produced because I would be very excited to see a Batman performance live on stage. Your thoughts?
Martha Kent cast!!! Superman movie news!
http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/03/02/diane-lane-cast-as-martha-kent-in-warner-bros-pictures%e2%80%99-and-legendary-pictures%e2%80%99-new-superman-movie/
I am thrilled with this announcement. I think Diane Lane is an amazing actress. She can pull of the compassionate side of Martha Kent while keeping her the strong character that we all know her to be. I am glad more announcements are coming out. I am quickly going from “worried” about the film (Although I wasn’t really worried, it was just that geeky part of me that wants it to be great) to excited and hopeful! How are you feeling?
JokerFish #05: The PhD And The Shiny Helmet
Hi there Raging Bulleteers, and welcome back to a new edition of JokerFish.
“What’s JokerFish?” I hear you ask. I don’t blame you. Even if you’ve been around these parts for a while you may not remember what JokerFish was. I started this little blog about a year ago when I won a box of comics from DC colorist and friend of the show David Baron. My original intention was to review every book in the box, all dated about November ’09. Well… I reviewed about four books. I was really looking forward to taking a literary stroll across the DC universe, as I was following most of the books at the time, and I was keen to dip a toe into those titles that I’d neglected.
“Bwahaha! So you like to make plans, do you?” laughed Fate (the metaphorical kind, not the one with the PhD and the shiny helmet), as life proceeded to jump up and down all over my intentions. Without giving you a complete dissertation on the Lantern Savage Chronicles, I can tell you that basically my girlfriend moved to New Zealand from Las Vegas last November to live with me, and we’ve since been quite busy with the working and the living together and the blah blah blah. So now you know why there hasn’t been a JokerFish entry on this site since, oh, June 2009, whether that interests you in the slightest or not. Apologies to Sean and Jim and the three other people who were reading!
Continue reading JokerFish #05: The PhD And The Shiny Helmet
First Wave Cancelled
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/02/23/first-wave-crashes-dc-to-cancel-line/
I am a huge fan of the Spirit. I think David Hine really knocks this book out of the park. It has easily risen to be one of my top 10 favorite titles. First Wave’s mini didn’t quite grab me at first but after rereading the first 5 issues, I connected with it. I found a lot to love. Doc Savage has also been growing on me. This cancellation bothers me because the whole universe was really getting cool. It’s hard when you are new to characters because attachment takes time. You need to get to know the supporting cast. I found with each issue, there was something fresh to like. If you missed these, give them a shot.
I am sad to see so many unique books up for cancellation in a short stretch of time. These cancellations add to the loss of some of the more
Dwayne McDuffie will be missed!
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/Dwayne-mcduffie-dead-110222.html
Dwayne McDuffie will be missed. I am shocked and saddened by this news. I was just watching All Star Superman last night. Once again it featured a fantastic script. His work on the animated features has just been stellar. They have been some of the most exciting animated features because he truly understood the motivations of the original stories and the characters. The dialogue was spot on.
Dwayne McDuffie’s Justice League run was really terrific. I admit that I didn’t read Milestone when it was out but as he was introducing the characters into the Justice League, I was really gaining interest in them. I have picked up the recently released collections and plan to continue to pursue some of the foundation work. It’s clear I missed out on something exciting the first time around.
It’s a sad loss for the comic industry.
LITG: The dangers of being a fan By Mandy Stegall
Long-time readers of this column know that I’m a huge fan of Smallville. In fact, I could probably write a column every week if it was Smallville related. But, I don’t think the general reader on this site would want to read my comments week-in and week-out. I’ve read comments all over the Internet blasting the show for killing the character of Superman by drawing out Clark’s journey for so long, so I know my feelings of love aren’t necessarily shared.
Like many people, I have searched out other people on the Internet who share the love, just like I sought out Raging Bullets because I read DC comics. More specifically, I sought out people who love Lois and Clark. And because this is Smallville, most of the conversation is about the building of their relationship and how Lois fits into his world and is instrumental toward him becoming Superman.
Continue reading LITG: The dangers of being a fan By Mandy Stegall
Smartphone app?
I have toyed around with the idea of an app for the show. I find that I love apps on my various devices and have been wondering if there was listener interest. An app would cost, $1.99 I believe. That is the minimum Apple allows you to charge. I would also look into an Android app option. Our goal isn’t to make money off it which is why we’d only charge the minimum. Honestly, I would offer it for free if I could.
If you think an app is something you would like, vote above and let me know. It’s not a guarantee we will offer one but certainly significant listener interest would push me to look at providing one. I am all for anything that is convenient for our audience.