Hey guys, I'd like to take the time to all the viners out there specifically to the 400 who have been following me and leaving comments with me, I love to hear from every single one of you and listen to your opinions on comics and the comic industry. Those who have read and commented on my reviews and blogs were always welcome and always enjoyed hearing from you. it will almost be a year when July comes around And there have been many amazing people that I have had a great honor to talk to and share opinions.
So what have we achieved in the year following up to now and almost being a year here on comic vine. Lets look at the stats card: Forum : 610 posts. Reviews : 46 reviews, 5 of them were not under my usual title of OTR. Review Stats : 170 of 174 people liked my reviews. 97.7% accuracy at writing reviews. Wiki Points : 5,477 wiki points, for those who notice is mostly been on He-man and Skeletor. Lists : 5 lists... how sad. But Canadian Characters has received large response from many of you out there. And you guys like to comment on my Favorites list.
So what does it all mean in the end? I still have tons more work to do. cause its not just here its out there, helping and educating everyone on the benefits of reading comics and trying to make comcs a positive and creative influence in their lives.
Capital of the Aquian Empire. Biggest navy to control the Garland Sea. With an uneasy peace with the Orchani of Nu'moss Of the southern part of the continent, Though they have superiority over their navy, Their ground military is not as adiquite to deal with ground based attacks. The city itself is governed by a parliment in which the empire is run by a house of commons to keep the people happy.
The city itself does have chapels and buildings of worship for the gods, but not many of the citizens outside of the rich and the nobles really practice religion, except until recently when an infestation of Shalligan's have been appearing in the city of Aquillas, coming in through the port. Once a month for a week when the green moon is over head, the Shalligan's infest the common areas of the city where they destroy and sometimes loot, though city guards suspect local theives do that. They call this time the Blood Moon; Any person who gets in the way of the shalligan's have been killed.
Shalligan: aquatic servents of Leviathan who dwell and live at the bottom the ocean with mermaids and other naga and very rarely show themselves. Orchani: Race of green skinned humanoids, often called orcs for short. Often living in the southern interior of the continent.
To best counter this, The city at the time of the blood moon evacuate the common area's of the city while the rich stay in the heavy fortified areas near the castle. The priest claim this is the work of the god leviathan to show he is not happy with the level of worship. So many a beginning to think this is the work of the gods, King Heron, plans to make Harem Marstang Arch Bishop in the house of Leviathan to help counter act the problem.
Another subject brought up by many is that it could be the thieves guild, Some how they must be some how behind these acts to get people to leave and then loot what they want from the city. Though some known thieves have said themselves that the Guild is hardly capable of something of this magnitude. "Though of course the Thieves guild does not exist.... >_>" said Therson, The notorious pick-pocket. Some of the "reformed" theives have been seen out with the people during the time of evacuation. Maybe they are not the best examples but still something to watch in the future.
The prime minister seems to suggest this could be a ploy by the Orchani horde nation as a way to capture some of the smaller cities and ports from the empire and expand their horde territory, Though no sightings of any of their fleet, and official letter had been sent to the people of the empire suggesting they could send "security" officers to help keep the peace if this problem has expanded. Though an official no was placed the guards are told to watch any local "orc" activity in the city, as they might be behind the actions. most of the Orchani orcs work in the cities underground water purification plants to supply the city with fresh water.
Fisherman seem to think that maybe the sea creatures are planning to attack the surface, fishing is still a big industry in the empire and maybe taking some of the food supply from the ocean might be upsetting those under water creatures. though there has been no signs of fish species being endanged from the ministry of wildlife and magical wildlife. Some fishing ships have been known to be attacked in the past but no navy ships have been noted for attacks. and why only attack the city?
Investigation: (also rules)
You people are investigators and adventurers in a some what fantasy (early 1700's like era) magic exists and this world is loosely based in a final fantasy like universe where the famous summons are gods and exist in a single magical plane. though they do have influence on the mortal realm they rarely interact with it due to constant fighting amungst themselves.
Your job is to figure out who or what is behind the recent infestation of the Kingdom city of Aquillas. Any interactions done with anyone outside of each other will be done through me (Trodorne) and you can PM to ask a specific person and ill try to RP that and give clues. When playing yourself just think of yourself as a Low level person with little resources and access to magic or social status.
*EDIT* You can work together with a friend or friends to investigate, or you can work by yourself to see if you can solve it on your own. Do not use information someone has used as that is meta gaming. Role play and tell the story of what happened in the PM's that you would have with me. as this can be your chance to role play what you are doing. If in a group designate someone to be the poster of your groups actions and investigations.
When BLOOD MOON is posted it means that any investigation will be done outside of the city where the citizens stay temporarily until the infestation is done until the next time. It lasts for 1 actual week in real time. So go out find the evidence and end the infestation of Aquillas.
Start the Conversation
edit: oh and i forgot to mention this is very loosely based on a Final Fantasy type of universe.
Hey guys, its your friendly neighborhood jerk. bringing you a simple and yet complicated puzzle. This is from my personal story/world. so the contest will be 2 months long. that should give you time to work on this as well to work with others or yourselves. the winner or winners will get a free comic book which I will send them, as well as personal glorification on my comicvine profile, and possibly have them involved in a future comic review. so not much of a prize but still something none the less. This contest will end June, 22nd of 2011. And here it is...
What you see here was exactly what was drawn on the sheet. now for some back up information.
In Story Info:
On a recent expedition to the interior of the Halvijnor Continent, a group of Hume archeologists searched for any remains of ancient text or civilization prior to the demonic wars that lasted 387 years. during those wars, most of texts of their history had been lost. leaving most to live with a "now" philosophy, bits of steam technology and magic intertwined. Deep in the Vacneer Forest was found remanents of what used to be a crude lookout tower. upon many months of excavation found ruins of Orchani (orcs) and Hume architecture.
The largest building in which was excavated found catacombs and underground crypts of what were priests, and shamans. Upon one such crypt was the finding of a runed tablet. the tablet itself seemed to be in ancient Hume runic system which was derived of the Northlander tribes of the Wyvern Mountains in the deep northern regions of the continent.
Taken with care and under the scholastics of scientists and magi of the 3 major nations, the tablet's language has yet to be deciphered as all key texts were destroyed during those ancient wars. but from some close observation, there is reason to suggest that the tablets speak of either of a magical weapon, a recount of an important point in history. or possible ancient calendars based on astronomical constellations.
The tablet itself was tested and found to be close to 4,200 years old, it also seemed to have been enchanted by a time spell to slow down natural degradation, the ruins itself seem to suggest that it was built around 1,850 years ago. so the origin of the tablet may not be from that area. all attempts of scrying the history of the tablet have failed. Now the tablet sits in a Museum with new attempts every so often to study and solve the mystery of the runes.
Rules:
1.You may work by yourself or with a single partner. 2. You can ask up to 3 questions regarding the tablet in terms of details of the research done on it. or ask about the world to get more of grasp of it or any other related finds. (no asking what the runes say...) 3. All discussions about the tablet are open, all answers that are submitted will be with a H2 titled Answer:. 4. All answers submitted are final. (so try to be serious when submitting them.) 5. Please leave credit in your answer if you are basing it on someone else's idea. give credit where credit is due.(but take the prize for yourself ;P ) 6. Have fun with this. 7. All entries must be submitted before June 22nd, 2011. 11 Comments
Now this is a fellow who likes his new reading material. Pulling into almost a few days now from the post aftermath that was free comic book day. For those (though highly unlikely) who have not gotten involved with thatday, it is another day to take the opportunity to try out new comics that we normally do not spend our hard earned money on. for others it was another chance to see if we get an original story from our existing fan favorite titles. While the publishers use this opportunity to release first shots at what would be a new series that would come out for them and get feed back on the success of how well received it would have been. Example of this would be Elric, though not new to the comic world this is a new and up to date version being done by BOOM! studios.
Now, more and more people are being cautious with their money. The comic book industry is not short of new or re-invigorated stories. This has been especially so since the over whelming success of Darkwing Duck, but the success to that was a series that caught the attention to many of the young adult and older crowd that watched the show many years ago. Point is that new series though an idea is old, can be better received than others.
More often than not, this is the face I got from people not wanting to try something new. A recent test was taken in my local comic store and I found 3/4 of adults tend to just stick with their ongoing series, for many it could be Batman or Spider-man. Those people who did not want to try out series that was similar in character or story said they would wait for a trade to come out. 1/4 in which i made several recommendations were interested in trying out new series. many of which already had $1.00 comics of the first issues.
Though I can get into Trades Vs Individuals, That was partially done in the roundtable discussions on comicvine (that's my community plug for the evening). With man sources for people to try out new comics available, having able to download comics as part of apps, getting essential or showcase collections, or even trying out the $1.00 issues that are around in your local comic stores. Many companies have $1.00 issues to entice more people to try out their series. BOOM! has Boom Blast, IDW has 100 penny press, Marvel has Marvels Greatest Collection, and Image has Image First, and Dark Horse has a few greatest hits collections.
Before the test i asked many people today both online and in the store before running this if they were open minded to try a new or cheaper comic. Though i can say i caught many peoples attention on free comic book day with the offer of giving away a free comic with no strings attached how many just do not accept to read something that is different from what they are used too. Though many said they were open minded about getting into a new series, only 1/4 of them were willing to trying something out at lower price or free. He looks like Lion-o from the Thundercats. even more reason to read this. Now before it becomes a mud slinging session, Its all fine to stick with a series. I think its great that people still support comics by buying either online or from their local stores. but it is also should be noted to recognize the other and independent comics that are out there. So this week at the comic store, i think im going to go where i never went before. I am heading to the Mature adult section of the store as i was never into blood,gore, and just plain old crazy adult comics. Avatar has been a company i stayed away from mainly because of Crossed, but I think ill try out an issue, if i don't like it then oh well.
So before I close things off, I want to ask you a question. Do you think it matters if people try out new comic series on the shelf? And tomorrow when you head to your local comic store or whenever you go there, Are you willing to make a leap foreward to try a new series you never read before. If you try something new and let me know what it was and how you liked or disliked it here in the article or find me where ever and comment. (facebook or comicvine)
Troy Martin is a independent journalist at "Sod off you nosey git".. 3 Comments
Earth! Fire! Wind! Water! ... and heart? Hey guys, what a week. Especially with the great news that the rat bastard Osama is dead. but back to comics, it has been a week with big blows and amazing turn of events. though i won't discuss every comic, and i could just as easily done reviews of these new comics, but im sure we have enough of them. DC was the biggest hitter last week with the end to Brightest Day, Action Comics #900, and the end of Justice League: Generation Lost. though the releases did over shadow much of the other issues done by some of the independent companies. Dr.Solar was another great title that came out for Dark Horse, the final issue of Velocity FINALLY came out. Boom! had a few comics come out this week which are surprisingly great series that i got into a little later than i should have, but mainly Traveler #6 which to me it was not as strong as it first started but still keeps bringing the goods each time. Incorruptible is another great series, though im late getting in #17 makes it worth reading. Marvel had only a few issues worth getting into this week. Future Foundation #2, the issue where we see doom getting involved (Shudder) and ends with a surprising twist, To me the most important issue was Uncanny X-men where we return to the people of Breakworld which was involved in the Joss Whedon Astonishing X-men series. But enough of summary lets break down of the hit and misses of the week. Heart...crap.. Go Planet! Brightest Day #24: For those who have not read Silkcuts review of Brightest day then i would suggest you read it. i would say he covers many points in this which i might mention. Here. Mainly my feelings on this issue was i felt i was cheapened out on the ending, much like Geoff Johns does this as a last minute change everytime i figure out his story line...I swear the man is watching me. too me this issue was a bit of a miss, when it came down to choosing to buy this, I chose Justice League: GL as the issue to buy of the two. With the help of Captain Planet....opp sorry, "Swamp Thing". my biggest problem much of the universe was returned to the status quo. deadman dead again, the fallen elementals are back again and all was well with the universe. There seemed to be a much bigger emphasis on Deadman as per the story that it seemed cheap to throw the ring to someone else. Anyways I find this issue was a big miss and maybe pick this up later in the future when i have the money.
Action Comics #900: first thing that comes to everyones mind is Superman renouncing his american citizenship. to me i would say that was 3rd for this issue. First thing that really caught my attention was Richard Donner, you know the man who founded the modern media of Superman by bringing such iconic people to the big screen such as christopher reeves who is still the standard in which superman actors are always pitted against. His story of "Only Human" was a great piece of Superman showing his human side which he has always had. the second point which came up was the last issue Black Ring, which i thought really brought out the essence of Lex Luthors character to destroy an alien who he always thought was taunting him with his power. but it seemed to move very well into the next big story for action comics. its amazing how much of a big difference one "S" can bring...litterally, With the Reign of Doomsday turning into Doomsday's. I would say with the multiple stories and the conclusive beginning? that this issue was a Hit.
Future Foundation #2: Doom Nation, I mean wow. And i thought Degrassi High was a dramatic show. with Doctor Doom being involved with the Future Foundation, This series has some points of humor but overall its so serious to the point that you almost dislike all these egg heads. but intellectuals like this working together in the same room is going to cause problems. With the ending of this issue that involves the deal between Valeria and Dr.Doom it will sure to leave you cringing. All in all with this series im going to say Hit, only because there is not enough to make it a miss.
Velocity #4 of 4: Wow talk about taking its sweet time to get the ending out. I mean, how was it going to end when the last issue had Velocity decapitated in Italy. but she is alive and well. this is the conclusion to the pilot season series. Frankly it was something of a satasfactory ending for myself though the fact her character seems so much of a typical teenager. In the end, those of us who have been waiting for the end of the series i would say hit, pick up the issue and finish story, trust me its good to get this out of the way. i hate leaving things half finished. so Hit. The boys are back in town. Justice League: Generation Lost #24: Now this was the startling conclusion to the series where max lord tries to destroy the surviving members of the Justice League international. lets get to the point in the ending of this series. Obviously we are supposed to look out for the new and improved Justice League international with Booster Gold as the leader. I think one of the highlights in this issue at the end was Jaime the current blue beetle taking down Omac Prime saying "This is for Ted Kord" blasting the head right off the robot. I think that was their gesture to be like that was justice for Ted to me should have been a shot to the head to max. With Captain Atom lost in the timestream he will make an interesting story for the time he does come back. over all the issue is mainly a Miss, Why? because this series was for those who have loved work done in this series. for those on and off people who read specific issues, you will find this slightly dissapointing and not the climactic ending what you were hoping for. so i would say Miss, HUGE Hit for all of us fans.
The Traveler #6: One of the series that overshadowed from the big DC week. the traveler seems to keep with its twist and turn story as we learn more about Kronis as more of the events making him what he was is revealed. major catch to this series is that if you are starting anywhere around this latest issue, you will be found lost. so I have to say Miss for this issue, only because ive read the previous issues leading up to this current one. If you plan to try out the series, you can check out my old review of the first issue. Here. In terms of those who know what is going on, i did not find that story that compelling but enough to make me read the next issue when it comes out here in may. so im on the fence with a hit. Why would they think you would slaughter them? they only shot a moon sized bullet at your world. Uncanny X-men #536: Refugees from Breakworld make an appearance in this new issue of Uncanny X-men. For us fans of the Astonishing X-men series this is a great storyline that brings us back to the days of Whedon and Cassidy when they dropped their hand in the X-men pool after the grant morrison run. Much of the hatred still lingers for Colossus from the events of Astonishing X-men which seemed to long ago. but more intrigue is brought in as Magneto becomes more obsessed over the metal from breakworld. So all in all this issue is exciting and has much to offer the readers new and old to the series before the events of Schism later on this summer. so Hit.
Thats all im going to get into right now as those i see as the high points of the comic industry. Though down below i would like to hear from you guys what comics were hit and miss from you or what comics do you think were worth discussing here.
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This is something i finished on my free time. So being the kind and fun loving person that i am... SHUT UP I AM! I would share something personal with all of you. or at least that is how I am interpreting it as..
Hope you enjoyed that. if you would like to see yourself as a fantasy sprite let me know and ill see what i can do for you.
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So the handsome bastard is right, go to your local comic book store. spread the word to others. With the concept of free comics other people should take the time to introduce others to comics that they are not normally into. those who like reading might find that comics are fun, there are quite a few comics which are based on books or have famous authors with their names put on several comics to get those types of readers.
So do your part for not only the community but for the industry itself. i mean this is a great opportunity to get those who look down on comics into it with a free comic of their own. Most establishments will often make a party of it. and if you work in a comic store, why not make a party of it. May 7th is the day this year where we can share our world not with each other but with others who normally would not get involved.
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Blog inspired by: Off My Mind Article by Tony "G-man" Guerrero. (Click Here, to see the article) Social media; Facebook,Twitter,Tv, and the Internet part of our daily lives. So but in terms of competition in the media to attrached the numbers of people that is has it must in turn be able to appeal to those who don't understand it in the first place. Comic books are another form of media that too suffers from this "Dumbing down".
The idea of dumbing down came from John Algeo, He was a former editor of American Speech, to which was said that an idea or story is simplified to a person of very little education or intelligence. it was also recorded in a 1933 film as a slang, "Dumb Up".
So with that in hand, there were aspects of the article with refers to that Superman's suit should not appear at the series finally of the show Smallville. Mainly the idea is that people are used to calling Clark Kent the "blur" so much that making him into superman would just confuse some of the already existing audience who just watch the show and do not care or think of Clark's actual comic book origins.
But its not just DC that has done this for some of their shows, Marvel has done many similar things. In a Comic Vine interview video with Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada; He stated that in order to do any show, game or movie that you have to appeal to a broad spectrum of people that reside outside of the comic community, but even when taking the level down for the audience they also can not ignore the audience which made the series what it is, otherwise the series will become a complete flop.
It has gotten in the point of media of television and/or movies that any deep complicated story line that deals with actual continuity or thought provoking ideas that they are automatically chastised for; A) Not making any sense. or B) Making the viewer feel stupid for not knowing the information before going into this show. many of us are guilty for it. I myself was angry with writer Grant Morrison in terms of the event Final Crisis. mainly because it was complicated and dealt with things ive never heard of. When looking back at his work i realized that he covered almost 30 years of comic book continuity and did it so well in one single series.
Flash Fact: Smallville is in Kansas. though regulars who ive met that have watched the series from beginning to end some did not know where smallville was supposedly located in the series. the average was 3 out of 5 knew where it was.
In the end when we "dumb down" or over simplify our media, we do not stimulate thinking. out of all the comic fans who are fans of a specific series we here on comic vine or iFanboy have only a fraction of the people. Even Tom Pinchuk had to drop the level of the questions which many of it was basic elementary level questions in the world of comics. People respond to images and not by thought. it becomes impulse to like a series because you remember sitting down in that movie or saw images of that character on tv for a few seconds and it must mean you like it that much that your a hardcore fan.
It is the hope that one day that media of tv and movies would inspire people to think about what they are watching, or make them ask the basic questions of who,what,where, and why. for just questioning will open up the world in terms of research and stimulating the mind into learning and possibly into more reading. and for those who don't know and want to know more there is Comic vine for help, or if there is no constant access to the internet then one can simply go to their nearest comic store and ask the clerk a question. For $20 most people can get an essentials or showcase book that give the reader 10-12 of classic comic books, not in color but its a start.
Would like to apologize to the following; Grant Morrison (for doubting your work or sanity, mainly sanity), Matt "Inferiorego" Effring (was not trying to insult you I still love you...platonic-ally), and the rest of the human species (theres hope for us all). 2 Comments
Before i start anything I want everyone to know this was something based on a very well crafted blog post by Typing Kira so i recommend you check that out first. this one will be more of humor and a parody of it as it is my life. :D Click here to see the original blog.
So i know what your all thinking; "Troy you northern ninny, we all know your just going to talk about how you have stiffy for a half naked muscle man in a loin cloth." to which i respond after lifting weights, spitting , polishing my fast car and not thinking of touching another mans junk. that no I lived quite a diverse life of heroes in my life as well as expanded into pop culture of the times So now i break down my childhood from the ages of 5 to 27.
5-6: Around this time my main stream heroes was He-man and the masters of the universe. this was the old 80's show and despite what everyone says there are no gay overtones to which i have a video to prove it. also the major dominates in my mainstream culture was Inspector Gadget (free comic coming this MAY) and Abbot and Costello. I was a fantastic drawer of haunted houses.
7-10: My twin and myself's taste began to mature an expand into the X-men series, though it was more of my twin brothers favorite. My hero was spider-man because and im not bulling you, because he was red. yeah. we collected the marvel 1991 or 92 trading cards which was a popular thing at our school. at that same time i do believe that the power rangers were coming out at the time. Red ranger of course was who i had to be. also around that time we became fans of 2 Queen songs, and being introduced to Michael Jackson for the first time. oh and i had a girl kiss me and i freaked out.... im not gay...I panicked. MOVING ON!
11-15: I may or may not have watched a few episodes of Sailor moon series. but that phase was over and done with. by this time my testicles began to drop and all i wanted to do was kiss a girl. by this time i was playing video games primarily and stepped away from comics and reading. Final Fantasy series was a dominating force in my life. though i liked 7 at first it really started to wear on me fast. I played through 8 at the time and thought it was weird and the main characters as closet homosexuals. to which i just learned about that word around that time too. so i was using that definition on everything. Charmed started to come on and I watched that show like a love sick puppy. not for the plot and story... ah ha no.... for the women. Played my first Pokemon game which i downloaded off the net. Yeah that is a map of all the places you can go in Daggerfall. 16-18: as i became more refined in the art of picking up women, I too became more refined in my game play tastes. at this time i also thought the show Dragonball Z was the best show ever. it had martial arts and more martial arts.....wait what? but this time i started to play more Role playing games and got hooked for a couple of years to a game called Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall. which i have yet to find a game that could beat that. and i started doing writing of stories and Rpg rules on Msn group boards. many of which were Final Fantasy and Dragonball Z based. Also at the time i started playing Magic the Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh! ...never will i fall into those money pits again.
19: From here my tastes take a huge change. i notice more and more popularity of japanese series shows, manga, and games. to me which i thought it was strange While i played my Pokemon games. it was at this time that i found many of the Japanese character arch types the same in every story but only changing the situation. Though i did not mention it in the beginning that i have a huge fascination over mythologies. and when i saw a Japanese company meld their culture with a western European story i was down right pissed. i would say at this age was a defining moment ive held grudges against manga and Japanese pop culture.
Also grew national pride over the years. YAY CANADA! 20-27: now not much has changed here except now i got into Table top role playing games and loved the freedom, I went online and tried Final Fantasy XI and World of Warcraft, many online games that were free i tried but none held my attention for too long and i left. World Of Warcraft made the biggest impact on me and i incorporated it into a table top game. Been primarily a Dungeons and Dragons player and dungeon master for many years. I got back into comics again full time rather than a once in a while catch up comic to see what is going on. started to play heroclix and kick those snotty 10 year olds and showed them whose boss....
I still watch cartoons to this day thanks to Teletoon retro, and reading comics is now a full time job for me as i also work in a comic store. and it was this life that i led that has annoyed so many people. would i change it? slap yourself for even thinking i would have changed it.... anyways im out hope you enjoyed this parody and hope you read Typingkiras original version. 2 Comments
Hey guys its my birthday today on the 22nd of march so rather than make it my birthday i would rather make it a day about you guys (mainly cause i never really celebrate my birthday at all.). So what i would like to do is that im leaving this up to you this week to go out and get a comic book from your local comic store.
Now the thing is you only pick one comic that you have never read before, it being a new series or a new issue. and i want you to read it, come back online and talk about what you read and what you thought of the issue itself. Because to make my day i want to hear your thoughts on either the latest issues, or talk about something old that you never read before.
Then well have a discussion of what company had the best series for this week. so the more variety we have in reading well find out who had a better issue. each and everyone of you have the chance to be an investigative comic reporter for this day. lets celebrate this week in comic and go find something that we all can bring back to the table and talk about.
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