GeekNights 080416 - Marvel Teamup and Invincible

Rym

Tonight on GeekNights, we review two comics: Invincible (which Rym liked) and Marvel Teamup (not so much). In the news, the New York Comic Con is this weekend, where we will be interviewing TMR on Sunday in Kinokuniya at 3:00pm along with Tokyo FM, and the Korean Harlock movie is somewhat unlicensed.

Scott's Thing - Awesome Housing Map
Rym's Thing - Sumo!

Viga

Mitzvah tanks?

That was a strange opening bit.

Zeehat

Good topic. I almost bought Marvel Teamup. Now I save teh monies!

Rym

Mitzvah Tank.

Victor Frost

That Mizvah tank thing is awesome. I wish I could get an old ambulance and make a Lan party tank.

Erwin

Invincible is awesome.
But the next volume is darker.

jcc

Opening bit, definitely fascinating. I've never lived anywhere with a high enough concentration of Jews for them to have more than a marginal influence on the local culture.

Funfetus

I've never lived anywhere with a high enough concentration of Jews for them to have more than a marginal influence on the local culture.

Yeah, me neither. A friend of mine recently moved to Brooklyn, and he says "the Jewishness in my life has increased a thousand fold".

Boy Blue

Invincible is awesome.
But the next volume is darker.

For sure Invincible has a twist in feel past volume 1 and is worth a further look...

HungryJoe

Okay, I've been going back and listening to episodes that I missed. I just listened to this one on the train this morning and I have a couple of thoughts.

Yes, I understand that the supers all wear underwear. Yes, I understand that it's not realistic and might not be cool. However, I've been watching some animes since Otakon, and I must say that it seems that a very high percentage of those characters are either wearing high school uniforms or black leather, they all have ridiculous hair, and they all seem to either turn into robots or pilot robots at some point or another. To me, that's just as ridiculous as the supers running around in their underwear. Further, if you look at a couple of traditional superhero books you'll notice something, namely different art styles. I've watched a bunch of animes lately thinking that I must be missing something, and I've noticed that the art looks pretty much the same. I don't know how you can even tell some of these characters apart. I don't guess it matter, because they all end up in giant robots (that all look the same as well).

I understand the gripe about the BOLDING. I had that gripe as a kid. However, I've been reading comics for so long that I don't even notice it anymore. It's a minor gripe at best. I just don't understand how you could get so worked up over Wolverine muttering to himself about tourists seeing different guys and then using those guys' names. What's wrong with using names? What's wrong with a little bit of dialog? When you said that there was too much in the dialog balloon I thought you were going to talk about a set of balloons that looked like some Lee/Kirby X-Men that nearly took up all of the space in the panel. That dialog balloon you were talking about must have been relatively small.

Finally, what's wrong with being serious? It seems to me that I've seen at least a few animes that take themselves WAY too seriously. If you want to camp it up and read some stories that didn't take themselves very seriously, look at some Silver Age Justice League.

I guess it's just personal preference. I'm about half-and-half with the comics, as Scott would say. I like the non-superhero stuff, but I read the superheroes when I was a kid and so I'll always have a soft spot, and therefore a very high tolerance for them.

Apreche

Anime and superhero comics both have varying art styles. The problem is that you only see huge differentiation in art style at the very top of the heap.

The vast majority of Marvel and DC books all look the same. Only the top artists like say Alex Ross, Jim Lee, etc. have extremely distinctive styles. The vast majority might have small differences, but are largely extremely similar.

The vast majority of anime and manga have very similar art styles. Big eyes, small mouth, colored hair, etc. Only the anime and manga at the top of the heap have huge differences. You can tell an Osamu Tezuka, Yoshitoshi ABe, or Ryoichi Ikegami immediately. It's a lot harder to tell apart the average stuff.

And of course if you go into the "indie" realm of any medium, all you are going to see is huge variation in style, regardless of quality.

As for the men in tights situation, I think it really has to do with believability. When anime characters are wearing crazy costumes, it usually makes sense, contextually. Lina Inverse's getup is totally insane, but it makes sense for a sorceress in a fantasy world. Some of the things that Major Kusanagi wears are basically just tights, but they make sense for a cyborg in a futuristic world. All the people around her are wearing normal clothes for the situation. The pilots in Evangelion wear plug suits, which makes sense because they are going to be swimming in LCL. In superhero comics it does not make sense for Superman to have a cape. Nor does it make sense for Batman to have a cape. It's not about the craziness of the costumes themselves, its about how much the costumes make sense given the context of the situation.

HungryJoe

In superhero comics it does not make sense for Superman to have a cape. Nor does it make sense for Batman to have a cape.

It is true that Superman does not always need a cape. However, he has used it before to wrap people up to protect them when he flies them somewhere in a highly expeditious manner, so it does have at least some utility.

Batman's cape has always been part of the scary image. He needs a cape to aid in scaring the crap out of people. He often used to dodge bullets and stuff by allowing his cape to flow around him and giving the shooter a false perspective of where he actually was inside the cape. Lately, all kinds of other uses have been found for the cape, such as helping him glide. I've seen him use the weighted, sharp edges of his cape as a weapon.

So, I have some sympathy for the it-makes-no-sense-for-Superman-to-have-a-cape argument, but Bats needs his cape.

Cremlian

In superhero comics it does not make sense for Superman to have a cape. Nor does it make sense for Batman to have a cape.

It is true that Superman does not always need a cape. However, he has used it before to wrap people up to protect them when he flies them somewhere in a highly expeditious manner, so it does have at least some utility.

Batman's cape has always been part of the scary image. He needs a cape to aid in scaring the crap out of people. He often used to dodge bullets and stuff by allowing his cape to flow around him and giving the shooter a false perspective of where he actually was inside the cape. Lately, all kinds of other uses have been found for the cape, such as helping him glide. I've seen him use the weighted, sharp edges of his cape as a weapon.

So, I have some sympathy for the it-makes-no-sense-for-Superman-to-have-a-cape argument, but Bats needs his cape.

I'm pretty sure Superman's cape is made of the same near indestructible material his suit is made of, allowing for the uses Joe mentioned. You might want to find a better example of this... Like pointing out how Women always were armor or protection that doesn't protect ANYTHING (the Japanese and American's both have this problem).

Apreche

Like pointing out how Women always were armor or protection that doesn't protect ANYTHING (the Japanese and American's both have this problem).

The armor in Bubblegum Crisis makes sense.

Cremlian

Like pointing out how Women always were armor or protection that doesn't protect ANYTHING (the Japanese and American's both have this problem).

The armor in Bubblegum Crisis makes sense.

Yes, Bubblegum Crisis is one of the only examples...

Apreche

Like pointing out how Women always were armor or protection that doesn't protect ANYTHING (the Japanese and American's both have this problem).

The armor in Bubblegum Crisis makes sense.

Yes, Bubblegum Crisis is one of the only examples...

Voltron.

Cremlian

Like pointing out how Women always were armor or protection that doesn't protect ANYTHING (the Japanese and American's both have this problem).

The armor in Bubblegum Crisis makes sense.

Yes, Bubblegum Crisis is one of the only examples...

Voltron.

That's a vehicle not a powersuit....

Apreche

That's a vehicle not a powersuit....

I'm just listing shows where the girls wear something that makes sense as opposed to something unnecessarily sexualized. Planetes.

Eryn

I'm pretty sure Superman's cape is made of the same near indestructible material his suit is made of, allowing for the uses Joe mentioned. You might want to find a better example of this... Like pointing out how Women always were armor or protection that doesn't protect ANYTHING (the Japanese and American's both have this problem).

Agreed, too many anime (not all, but a lot) have this problem with female armour. The only one I can think of off the top of my head that can get away with the minimal armour thing is Claymore. They have shoulder plates, wrist guards, shin guards, metal boots, and faulds, and that's it. However, it needs to be that way because Claymore bodies can distort and grow larger when they release higher levels of their energy, so they can't have their whole body covered in non-flexible armour. Any part of their bodies that can't easily be covered in armour is covered by a light jumpsuit-like garment instead.

Li_Akahi

Nor does it make sense for Batman to have a cape.

In the new Batman movies it actually makes perfect sense as to why he wears a cape. He sends an electrical charge out of his gloves and onto the cape which hardens and creates a glider.

...

However, I've been watching some animes since Otakon, and I must say that it seems that a very high percentage of those characters are either wearing high school uniforms or black leather, they all have ridiculous hair, and they all seem to either turn into robots or pilot robots at some point or another.

What the heck have you been watching? You make it sound like it's Fast Karate rant material.

However, it needs to be that way because Claymore bodies can distort and grow larger when they release higher levels of their energy, so they can't have their whole body covered in non-flexible armour.

Someone cry "SPOILER!" ;-;

HungryJoe

However, I've been watching some animes since Otakon, and I must say that it seems that a very high percentage of those characters are either wearing high school uniforms or black leather, they all have ridiculous hair, and they all seem to either turn into robots or pilot robots at some point or another.

What the heck have you been watching? You make it sound like it's Fast Karate rant material.

Comcast has some free animes on its on demand service. They're all about little high school girls who turn into giant robots. A little of that goes a long way.

...

Comcast

Ugh.

They're all about little high school girls who turn into giant robots.

Oh god, decisions, decisions, decisions, should I ugh louder at this? But... Comcast... then again... GAH! *brainsplode*

But seriously, what's the name? It can accompany Strike Witches on my blacklists.

Apreche

Comcast has some free animes on its on demand service. They're all about little high school girls who turn into giant robots. A little of that goes a long way.

Judging all anime based on the genre of high school robot girl shows is like judging all books based on DragonLance novels.

Eryn

However, I've been watching some animes since Otakon, and I must say that it seems that a very high percentage of those characters are either wearing high school uniforms or black leather, they all have ridiculous hair, and they all seem to either turn into robots or pilot robots at some point or another.

What the heck have you been watching? You make it sound like it's Fast Karate rant material.

However, it needs to be that way because Claymore bodies can distort and grow larger when they release higher levels of their energy, so they can't have their whole body covered in non-flexible armour.

Someone cry "SPOILER!" ;-;

How is that a spoiler? It's a basic part of what Claymores can do. It's hammered into your head in the beginning that Claymores of HALF-HUMAN, HALF-YOMA ZOMG and that they can release varying levels of their power depending on the circumstances. At a 10% release of yoki, their eyes will become yellow and get slit pupils. At 30% release, their faces start to look monstrous. And at 50%, their bodies start to distort. If I said any further than that, THEN it would be a spoiler.

Cremlian

Comcast has some free animes on its on demand service. They're all about little high school girls who turn into giant robots. A little of that goes a long way.

Judging all anime based on the genre of high school robot girl shows is like judging all books based on DragonLance novels.

You mean they are all awesome. I mean Kenders with time traveling devices.. Can it get better then that?

...

If I said any further than that, THEN it would be a spoiler.

I didn't know it was told at the beginning. I thought they would've been more secretive about the OMG THEY ARE MONSTERS! And my guess is dragons. Or at least reptilian.

Judging all anime based on the genre of high school robot girl shows is like judging all books based on DragonLance Heatnovels.

Fixed.

HungryJoe

Comcast has some free animes on its on demand service. They're all about little high school girls who turn into giant robots. A little of that goes a long way.

Judging all anime based on the genre of high school robot girl shows is like judging all books based on DragonLance novels.

Is that a whole genre?

Apreche

Is that a whole genre?

Yes.

I suggest you stick to the serious sci-fi genres for starting.

HungryJoe

Is that a whole genre?

Yes.

Then my bad opinion of anime in general is justified.

Apreche

If it is, then my bad opinion of anime in general is justified.

Go on iTunes and watch "Tales of a Street Corner". If you watch that, and you don't realize that there are good anime out there, then I'll reimburse you for the cost of it.