Andrew Bud Adams's Blog, page 5
January 28, 2013
No Justice for Young Justice
It came out today that the two animated series currently filling Cartoon Network's DC Nation block - namely Green Lantern: The Animated Series and Young Justice: Invasion - are not being renewed for the 2013-2014 broadcast year. This has been feared for a while, particularly in regard to Young Justice, which will become yet another excellent Greg Weisman series canceled too soon - or should I say too Young?
I mention this here because something else Young Justice-related came out today. I've started writing a few product descriptions for the web site nerdywithchildren.com, and today they released my endorsement of Young Justice: Season 1 - Volumes 1, 2, & 3. I originally wanted to spotlight the recent release of Season 2 Part 1, but they asked me to do this instead. I was happy to oblige and to take time out of my day to explain why I think this series deserves to stay on the air.
Also, here's the first time I ever lauded Young Justice. It's ironic that it was about "The staying powers of superhero shows." Sigh...
UPDATE: Here's a petition you can sign: http://www.change.org/petitions/cartoon-network-warner-bros-bring-back-young-justice-and-green-lantern-the-animated-series
November 28, 2012
Days of Future Past
Yesterday Bryan Singer, known to be directing the X-Men: First Class sequel Days of Future Past, tweeted to confirm that Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart would be reprising their roles as Magneto and Professor X, respectively, implying that the film will indeed adhere to its comic origin as a time-travel narrative. As a fan of the franchise I couldn't help but geek out over this...to the extent that I tried to see if I could retcon the series' otherwise messy continuity. Tell me if I missed anything...
X-Men Film Continuity Problems Possible Explanations The Last Stand and First Class depict Beast as an early member of the team, transformed in his youth. This is contrary to X2, where he is briefly shown in a television interview, pre-transformation. The Hank McCoy seen on the TV could be a double because the real Hank is still too ashamed of his appearance. Mystique and Xavier's brother/sister relationship as shown in First Class has no basis in the other films, where Mystique is coldly antagonistic toward Xavier (poisoning him via Cerebro in X-Men). Events transpiring during Days of Future Past could further polarize their relationship. In First Class, Hank creates Cerebro, but in X-Men, Xavier says that he and Magneto built it. The one featured in First Class isn't the same as the one in the X-Mansion, which we haven't seen constructed. Maybe Charles and Erik build it in the interim or in Days of Future Past. Magneto acquires his telepathy-canceling helmet in First Class and uses it against Xavier, but in X-Men, Xavier claims he's unfamiliar with it. He forgot? Being portrayed by different actors is one thing, but Sabretooth in Origins is far more interesting, witty, and dangerous than in X-Men, where he doesn't even seem to know who Wolverine is. Wolverine's excuse is his amnesia, so maybe Sabretooth has it, too? Or he does recognize Wolverine (he seems possessive of his military tag, after all) but has been tamed and manipulated by Magneto. Last Stand and Origins depict a bald, standing Xavier older than James McAvoy in First Class, who is paralyzed and put in a wheel chair (with hair!). Xavier’s paralysis is temporarily cured in the interim, so he ages without his wheel chair. Somehow he needs it again by the events of X-Men. Emma Frost—or a character very much like her—is depicted in Origins as a teenager, yet she appears in First Class as an adult. The Origins character isn’t actually Emma Frost, proven by the fact that she is never named in dialogue or the credits. Moira MacTaggert is appropriately depicted as Scottish in Last Stand but American in First Class (and too close in age). Also, she’s a doctor in the former and a CIA agent in the latter. Maybe the Last Stand Moira is a relative/daughter of the First Class Moira, raised in Scotland for some reason, and looked after from afar by Xavier. The experiment that gives Wolverine his adamantium skeleton is depicted differently between X2 and Origins. Wolverine’s amnesia made his memory of the event unreliable in X2 (even though it was more interesting). When Jean Grey “dies” at the end of X2, her flaming Phoenix figure is foreshadowed. However, the same flaming figure is completely absent from Phoenix in Last Stand. Not sure how to fix this one. This is more of a complaint about how the character was treated, which is really a whole different subject…
October 29, 2012
A Zombie Comedy
Panel 123:Centered on Anton standing among zombies who are both sitting and standing, but all listening intently, many laughing. Anton holds in his hand a copy of A Modest Proposal and appears to be doing a dramatic reading.
That's my favorite part of "Greener," which came out today. But don't worry - not all the jokes are that pretentious! If you like zombies, dark comedy, or graphic novels sans graphics, head over to Limn!
Also, look for my essay "Mormon Faith, Fantastic Transformation, and Free Will" in Jan/Feb from Irreantum, the literary journal of the Association for Mormon Letters.
August 7, 2012
Vox in a Box
Thanks to the folks at Limn Literary & Arts Journal for including my short story "Vox in a Box" in their inaugural issue! Click on the link to read it for free, or find a short annotation regarding it on the Creative Work page.
Thanks to the folks at Limn Literary & Arts Journal f...
Thanks to the folks at Limn Literary & Arts Journal for including my short story "Vox in a Box" in their inaugural issue! Click on the link to read it for free, or find a short annotation regarding it on the Creative Work page.
July 20, 2012
About My 'Wayne of Gotham' Book Review
My Wayne of Gotham book review came out today, which is almost a month after I wrote it. It's somewhat strangely edited, so if you're interested, I wrote a new one on its product page at Amazon.com. (There's also one at Goodreads).
As a final note, and after having just watched last night's midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises, I can't help but acknowledge that the film and Hickman's book draw from some of the same comic book source material--in particular, the ending to Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. However, I also feel that Nolan's film retold this material much more satisfyingly, making a comparison between the two feel somewhat silly.
July 9, 2012
Why I Believe in 'The Dark Knight Rises'
I didn't realize it until today, but an article I wrote in anticipation of the upcoming Batman film was published three days ago at ksl.com. Click the image and head on over to read why I believe in The Dark Knight Rises!
June 20, 2012
Honorable Mention
In 1997 I completed a 200,000-word fantasy novel over the process of a single summer. While I had it peer reviewed, revised quite a bit, and did eventually pitch it to publishers (only three, to be exact), I later shelved it after deciding it was too cliché.
In 2003 I jotted down notes for a new approach to the fantasy genre, one that was more conscientious of its history as well as my own faith-based inspirations.
In 2005 I started college and declared a literature and writing major specifically for the sake of that novel idea (with no thought for how it would translate into an actual career). In my last semester (2008) I completed an honors thesis that I labeled as the theoretical foundation for the novel.
In 2009 I started a MFA in Creative Writing program, using it, more than anything else, as an excuse to actually write the novel. I eventually named it Winteraster and completed four complete drafts, threw out around 200 pages, and earned my degree with it (which, lucky for me, also earned me a position teaching writing, which is great).
Now, in 2012, I have yet to start pitching Winteraster anywhere because I wasn’t completely satisfied with the master’s thesis version and have been “polishing.” Currently around 130,000 words long, I expect the finished version to come out at around 150,000 and to be ready to submit to agents and/or publishers by the end of summer.
In the meantime, and in my impatience, I’ve done what’s generally considered a “no-no,” which is submit excerpts of the novel to small journals and contests. My hope was to achieve some minor success with said excerpts, thereby making it easier to pitch the full manuscript. An online article and an author neighbor of mine recently reminded me why this may be a bad idea.
Still, at the end of 2011 I sent around 17,000 words of the novel, as a stand-alone novella called "Golden Boy," to the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest and just learned that it received an Honorable Mention from K. D. Wentworth, longtime Coordinating Judge who recently passed away (which explains why her signature is missing from the certificate, though I was told mine was one of the last stories she read). In truth, the contest usually chooses somewhere around 100 honorable mentions each quarter—I’d guess maybe 10% of total entrants—and there are several tiers of “honor” above them. I’m aware that some regular contestants have around eight or more such mentions. But I figure it doesn’t hurt to file this away among my most flattering rejections.
In 2003 I jotted down notes for a new approach to the fantasy genre, one that was more conscientious of its history as well as my own faith-based inspirations.
In 2005 I started college and declared a literature and writing major specifically for the sake of that novel idea (with no thought for how it would translate into an actual career). In my last semester (2008) I completed an honors thesis that I labeled as the theoretical foundation for the novel.
In 2009 I started a MFA in Creative Writing program, using it, more than anything else, as an excuse to actually write the novel. I eventually named it Winteraster and completed four complete drafts, threw out around 200 pages, and earned my degree with it (which, lucky for me, also earned me a position teaching writing, which is great).
Now, in 2012, I have yet to start pitching Winteraster anywhere because I wasn’t completely satisfied with the master’s thesis version and have been “polishing.” Currently around 130,000 words long, I expect the finished version to come out at around 150,000 and to be ready to submit to agents and/or publishers by the end of summer.
In the meantime, and in my impatience, I’ve done what’s generally considered a “no-no,” which is submit excerpts of the novel to small journals and contests. My hope was to achieve some minor success with said excerpts, thereby making it easier to pitch the full manuscript. An online article and an author neighbor of mine recently reminded me why this may be a bad idea.
Still, at the end of 2011 I sent around 17,000 words of the novel, as a stand-alone novella called "Golden Boy," to the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest and just learned that it received an Honorable Mention from K. D. Wentworth, longtime Coordinating Judge who recently passed away (which explains why her signature is missing from the certificate, though I was told mine was one of the last stories she read). In truth, the contest usually chooses somewhere around 100 honorable mentions each quarter—I’d guess maybe 10% of total entrants—and there are several tiers of “honor” above them. I’m aware that some regular contestants have around eight or more such mentions. But I figure it doesn’t hurt to file this away among my most flattering rejections.
May 5, 2012
The Staying Powers of Superhero Shows
This article was edited and accepted by Deseret News a week ago, but as it has yet to appear online or in print, and as the subject is somewhat time-sensitive, I'm posting a slightly updated version here. It reflects standard AP style (i.e., titles of films are in quotation marks instead of the usual italics).
Last November I wrote an article for the Deseret News about “The staying powers of superhero shows,” highlighting Cartoon Network’s then-new or returning animated television series “Young Justice,” “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “ThunderCats.” Of these revamped characters and continuities, I argued that older audiences just might appreciate them more than newer generations — or at least differently.
By way of update, Cartoon Network recently launched a special Saturday morning block for DC’s animated counterparts—what they’re calling “DC Nation.” Preceding DC Nation is the returning season of “ThunderCats,” a show that continues to take an independent detour from the cartoon it's based on.
I previously commented on the more mature nature of the plot, which holds true. One episode told the backstory of the cast’s comic relief siblings Wilykit and Wilykat, proving even their past is fraught with realistic tragedy. As predicted, my 6-year-old treasures a plastic Sword of Omens but can’t seem to stay interested in the show itself, which progresses somewhat slowly.
This has also been true of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” which finished its fourth season in March. Viewers familiar with the Episode 1 prequel film may have (may have) gone giddy over the return of Darth Maul, previously supposed dead, but my kids had no clue who he was and couldn’t have cared less. As far as CGI goes, they prefer “Green Lantern” (which, in my opinion, is a very similar space opera) or “Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness,” a far more comical show airing on Nickelodeon.
“Young Justice” has the edge over them all. Though filled with as many twists and turns as the TV show “Lost” and combining continuity from a variety of heroes’ backgrounds, the result is satisfying to adults and children alike.
We all cheered during the first season finale, “Auld Acquaintance,” when Robin and Batman faced off in a mind-controlled duel, Superboy and Superman reconciled their differences and all the guy-girl pairs stole a New Year Eve kiss. The show’s mixture of action and complexity is to thank. The questions I field from my sons lead to discussions as rich, even profound, as the ones we share while hiking through the hills near our home. Fortunately, the new season, subtitled “Invasion,” already premiered two weeks ago. While my kids and I are baffled by the five-year leap forward, we're also loving the debuts of additional teen heroes like Batgirl and Beast Boy (both alluded to in the first season).
But what’s new to this discussion comes by way of comparison to other franchises. Over at Disney XD, Marvel has responded with the return of “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” and the series premiere of “Ultimate Spider-Man,” which boasts writing by Paul Dini and its own supporting cast of teenage superheroes. This is an interesting switch-up because Greg Weisman, who brought us the last and possibly best Spider-Man cartoon (“The Spectacular Spider-Man”), moved on to co-create the tightly written and mostly serious “Young Justice,” while Paul Dini, best known for his work on the famously dark “Batman: The Animated Series” and the wildly successful video games “Arkham Asylum” and “Arkham City,” has traded over to Spider-Man.
It’s arguable that even Dini won’t be able to pull off a group dynamic for the hero known to work alone — that he’d have been wiser to get in on “Young Justice,” which, in all honesty, is doing just brilliantly without him. Now with several successful cartoon series under his belt, Weisman is becoming the man to beat.
But any competition between DC and Marvel is probably more fan-based than otherwise. More than a few comic creators have worked for both companies, and crossover undoubtedly occurs among their fans as well.
In an interview for the documentary “Batman and Me: The Bob Kane Story,” Marvel mogul Stan Lee reminisces about going with the Batman creator to the 1989 motion picture premiere and laments that he didn’t live long enough to witness the big-screen success of “Spider-Man” in 2002. As for Dini and Weisman, they both wrote episodes to “Batman: The Brave and the Bold,” with Dini penning last fall's self-aware, franchise-parodying (albeit praising his own contributions) series finale.
Superhero fanatics may follow all of the above shows with equal adoration, especially with the aid of a DVR. They may even add Nickelodeon’s new “Legend of Korra” to that schedule — and should, because the follow-up to “Avatar: The Last Airbender” is just as spectacular and perhaps slightly more geared for adults, having grown with its fans.
But while that latter series’ embarrassing movie adaptation never should have been made, this year’s superhero theatrical line-up has generated so much hype that fans can’t help but get caught up in passionate debates. When it was announced that the newest trailer for "The Dark Knight Rises" would be attached to the release of "The Avengers," most commentators seemed to agree that the pairing constitutes an event you won’t want to miss.
Then there’s me, who at first admitted that the greater draw was that Batman trailer. Christopher Nolan showcased new footage recently at CinemaCon 2012, and according to Batman-News.com, one viewer Tweeted, “Avengers, you got nothing on this.” But Warner Bros. made sure you don't have to see "The Avengers" to catch the trailer by releasing it online as part of their infamous viral marketing campaign. I appreciated the separation. Although I wore a Batman t-shirt to "The Avengers" last night, I still got caught up in the Marvel hype when the title appeared on screen and everyone cheered. It was like ante-up time in a poker game: everyone wanted in.
And, if you ask me, they won their bets. I'm a latecomer to Joss Whedon admiration, but in preparation for "The Avengers" I decided to sample his short-lived cult series "Firefly" on Netflix. His trademarks are instantly recognizable: deft handling of an ensemble cast and well-timed combining of action and humor. While this almost makes his plots too clean, too predictable ("Ah, hear that reference? Hear that joke? That's going to be important later."), it certainly doesn't take away from an entertaining movie-watching experience. "The Avengers" is easily the best in the Marvel Universe franchise because this guy knows how to handle his heroes' strengths and weaknesses; the result is something real and even emotional but perfectly true to its comic book origins.
In the end, then, I'd say neither side in the Marvel vs. DC debate has gained any ground — or in other words, that your loyalties will lie with which heroes you like best. This is a credit to the films because it means they bring out the best in what they have to work with.
The phrase “It’s just good business” comes to mind. Whatever the differences in characters and comic universes, it’s clear that the companies feed off each other. Nolan’s Batman franchise may have set a new standard in superhero films, but these would not have been possible without “X-Men” in 2000. And so on.
Now in one summer we’re getting new adaptations of the Avengers, Spider-Man, and Batman, with the rebooted Superman movie only a year away. In that case, maybe the question we should be debating is not which franchise is better, but whether any other genre will ever attain such staying power.
Last November I wrote an article for the Deseret News about “The staying powers of superhero shows,” highlighting Cartoon Network’s then-new or returning animated television series “Young Justice,” “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “ThunderCats.” Of these revamped characters and continuities, I argued that older audiences just might appreciate them more than newer generations — or at least differently.
By way of update, Cartoon Network recently launched a special Saturday morning block for DC’s animated counterparts—what they’re calling “DC Nation.” Preceding DC Nation is the returning season of “ThunderCats,” a show that continues to take an independent detour from the cartoon it's based on.
I previously commented on the more mature nature of the plot, which holds true. One episode told the backstory of the cast’s comic relief siblings Wilykit and Wilykat, proving even their past is fraught with realistic tragedy. As predicted, my 6-year-old treasures a plastic Sword of Omens but can’t seem to stay interested in the show itself, which progresses somewhat slowly.
This has also been true of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” which finished its fourth season in March. Viewers familiar with the Episode 1 prequel film may have (may have) gone giddy over the return of Darth Maul, previously supposed dead, but my kids had no clue who he was and couldn’t have cared less. As far as CGI goes, they prefer “Green Lantern” (which, in my opinion, is a very similar space opera) or “Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness,” a far more comical show airing on Nickelodeon.
“Young Justice” has the edge over them all. Though filled with as many twists and turns as the TV show “Lost” and combining continuity from a variety of heroes’ backgrounds, the result is satisfying to adults and children alike.
We all cheered during the first season finale, “Auld Acquaintance,” when Robin and Batman faced off in a mind-controlled duel, Superboy and Superman reconciled their differences and all the guy-girl pairs stole a New Year Eve kiss. The show’s mixture of action and complexity is to thank. The questions I field from my sons lead to discussions as rich, even profound, as the ones we share while hiking through the hills near our home. Fortunately, the new season, subtitled “Invasion,” already premiered two weeks ago. While my kids and I are baffled by the five-year leap forward, we're also loving the debuts of additional teen heroes like Batgirl and Beast Boy (both alluded to in the first season).
But what’s new to this discussion comes by way of comparison to other franchises. Over at Disney XD, Marvel has responded with the return of “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” and the series premiere of “Ultimate Spider-Man,” which boasts writing by Paul Dini and its own supporting cast of teenage superheroes. This is an interesting switch-up because Greg Weisman, who brought us the last and possibly best Spider-Man cartoon (“The Spectacular Spider-Man”), moved on to co-create the tightly written and mostly serious “Young Justice,” while Paul Dini, best known for his work on the famously dark “Batman: The Animated Series” and the wildly successful video games “Arkham Asylum” and “Arkham City,” has traded over to Spider-Man.
It’s arguable that even Dini won’t be able to pull off a group dynamic for the hero known to work alone — that he’d have been wiser to get in on “Young Justice,” which, in all honesty, is doing just brilliantly without him. Now with several successful cartoon series under his belt, Weisman is becoming the man to beat.
But any competition between DC and Marvel is probably more fan-based than otherwise. More than a few comic creators have worked for both companies, and crossover undoubtedly occurs among their fans as well.
In an interview for the documentary “Batman and Me: The Bob Kane Story,” Marvel mogul Stan Lee reminisces about going with the Batman creator to the 1989 motion picture premiere and laments that he didn’t live long enough to witness the big-screen success of “Spider-Man” in 2002. As for Dini and Weisman, they both wrote episodes to “Batman: The Brave and the Bold,” with Dini penning last fall's self-aware, franchise-parodying (albeit praising his own contributions) series finale.
Superhero fanatics may follow all of the above shows with equal adoration, especially with the aid of a DVR. They may even add Nickelodeon’s new “Legend of Korra” to that schedule — and should, because the follow-up to “Avatar: The Last Airbender” is just as spectacular and perhaps slightly more geared for adults, having grown with its fans.
But while that latter series’ embarrassing movie adaptation never should have been made, this year’s superhero theatrical line-up has generated so much hype that fans can’t help but get caught up in passionate debates. When it was announced that the newest trailer for "The Dark Knight Rises" would be attached to the release of "The Avengers," most commentators seemed to agree that the pairing constitutes an event you won’t want to miss.
Then there’s me, who at first admitted that the greater draw was that Batman trailer. Christopher Nolan showcased new footage recently at CinemaCon 2012, and according to Batman-News.com, one viewer Tweeted, “Avengers, you got nothing on this.” But Warner Bros. made sure you don't have to see "The Avengers" to catch the trailer by releasing it online as part of their infamous viral marketing campaign. I appreciated the separation. Although I wore a Batman t-shirt to "The Avengers" last night, I still got caught up in the Marvel hype when the title appeared on screen and everyone cheered. It was like ante-up time in a poker game: everyone wanted in.
And, if you ask me, they won their bets. I'm a latecomer to Joss Whedon admiration, but in preparation for "The Avengers" I decided to sample his short-lived cult series "Firefly" on Netflix. His trademarks are instantly recognizable: deft handling of an ensemble cast and well-timed combining of action and humor. While this almost makes his plots too clean, too predictable ("Ah, hear that reference? Hear that joke? That's going to be important later."), it certainly doesn't take away from an entertaining movie-watching experience. "The Avengers" is easily the best in the Marvel Universe franchise because this guy knows how to handle his heroes' strengths and weaknesses; the result is something real and even emotional but perfectly true to its comic book origins.
In the end, then, I'd say neither side in the Marvel vs. DC debate has gained any ground — or in other words, that your loyalties will lie with which heroes you like best. This is a credit to the films because it means they bring out the best in what they have to work with.
The phrase “It’s just good business” comes to mind. Whatever the differences in characters and comic universes, it’s clear that the companies feed off each other. Nolan’s Batman franchise may have set a new standard in superhero films, but these would not have been possible without “X-Men” in 2000. And so on.
Now in one summer we’re getting new adaptations of the Avengers, Spider-Man, and Batman, with the rebooted Superman movie only a year away. In that case, maybe the question we should be debating is not which franchise is better, but whether any other genre will ever attain such staying power.
September 29, 2011
Nomination
"They Call Me Madman" has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize.
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