Niall Teasdale's Blog, page 23
July 28, 2016
The Less-Than-Lethal Joke
An admission: I am a comic fan who has not read a lot of ‘classic’ comics. My really big comic-buying period was in the eighties and I tended to stay away from many of the big names, though I did read the Ten Titans (back when they weren’t a joke) and the X-Men. Batman appears in my lists in Batman and the Outsiders and few other places, largely due to the old TV series. (In my Ultrahumans books, Night Shift is based on the Batman I saw in those earlier comics – a jerk in a suit – while Mink is representative of the slightly more modern Batman… Though the New 52 Batman is still a bit of a jerk.)
Anyway, I’ve never really felt the need to read a lot of the old classics because I knew the plots anyway. I have read Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, but I’ve never read Death in the Family (aka, Jason Todd is voted off Gotham Island) or The Killing Joke… until last night. With the animated film of The Killing Joke coming out soon there has been a plethora of review videos on YouTube dealing with the original comic, which everyone says I should read, so I picked up a copy on Comixology and I read it.
If you don’t want the story spoiled – it’s been 30 years people! – then stop reading here.
A summary: The Joker breaks out of Arkham, again, with a plan, again. He is going to show Batman that they aren’t really that different (again?) by demonstrating that the strongest person can be driven mad by ‘just one bad day.’ To this end, Joker buys (well, steals) an old amusement park, shoots Barbara Gordon through the spine, and kidnaps Jim Gordon, her father. Joker then strips the commissioner, puts him in a dog collar, and has him driven through a sick, ghost train ride where he is tormented by the Joker’s singing followed by pictures of his naked, now paralysed daughter which the Joker took earlier. Batman turns up to rescue Gordon (the Joker told him where they were, and Gordon hasn’t gone mad), and chases down the Joker. In the final scene, Joker tells an actual joke (which was quite funny), and Batman joins in the slightly maniacal laughter, and then you get a fade. Some people interpret the last few frames as showing the Bat killing the Joke, hence the title, but that’s debated.
Okay, so I went into this knowing what was coming. The is basically the origin of Oracle, a horrifying, sadistic backstory to one of Batman’s more unique sidekicks and the keystone of the various incarnations of the Birds of Prey team. But… It was published in 1988. I’m almost certain that I wouldn’t have found it as shocking as some back then (I’m a sick and twisted individual and have been for a while), but now… Well, it was just not that shocking. It’s a masterful mindfuck on the Joker’s part and it was maybe the first time he’s been shown to be quite that psychotic, but in the light of modern history and the way fictional villains, including the Joker, have progressed, it’s not that big a shock.
I can’t help but think that people are looking back on this rather short story with blood-tinted spectacles. Alan Moore, who wrote and received awards for it, does not consider it one of his better stories. The fan-love for it seems to stem from two basic elements: the shooting of Batgirl and Joker’s treatment of her, and the idea that Batman kills the Joker at the end. A lot of this stuff stems from the idea that The Killing Joke was intended to be an alternate-world plot intended to be the ultimate Batman-Joker story, the one that ended it all. Hence, Batman could end their battle the only way it seemed likely to end.
Over on YouTube, you can watch the Variant Comics review of The Killing Joke to see the fan-favoured viewpoint. Then I’d recommend watching the NerdSync video on whether Batman does kill Joker. The latter was most informative, the former was watching someone gush about a comic. Basically, The Killing Joke was always part of the main DC universe plotline, it was not retconned in later. Barbara had retired as Batgirl before the events of The Killing Joke. Alan Moore doesn’t think Joker dies at the end; in fact Moore says that in the end, nothing has changed, and the identical first and last panels (of rain falling into a puddle) are meant to indicate this. The key frame which ‘shows Batman reaching for the Joker’s throat’ doesn’t; as directed by Moore, it shows Batman holding Joker’s shoulders. For me, the clincher is that Gordon has ordered Batman to bring Joker in, by the book, as it’s the only way to show him how wrong he is. Batman tells Joker that’s what he’s doing and I don’t think one reasonably funny joke is going to finally tip Batman over the edge. (In the New 52, Batman does not exactly kill Joker during Death of the Family, but he does let him die (maybe). This takes a lot more than what happens in The Killing Joke; like 30 years more!) I don’t believe the ‘Joker dies’ idea. The facts just don’t support it.
And that leaves us with Barbara/Batgirl. Here I’m going to turn to another video on YouTube: Nerdwriter1 recently released his views on why Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice doesn’t work. The theory, and it’s one I think holds a lake-full of water, is that Zack Snyder is too focused on moments, single images which hit you in the face and implant in your memory, rather than scenes, which actually tend to advance plot and character development. Moments are great, and the things we frequently talk about after a film (or comic) is over, but if your film (or comic) consists only of moments held together with some exposition scenes, you don’t have a great film, you have a great talking point (and talking around the water cooler, or internet fan page, can go either way). I honestly believe that that is what we have with The Killing Joke. People remember the moments and don’t notice that the story is short and just a little pointless. The shooting of Barbara Gordon is a masterful set of panels, and the punchline with Jim Gordon being faced with the pictures Joker has taken has punch. There are two scenes which are memorable, to me, and stand out more: Barbara waking up in the hospital and thinking not of her own condition, but of what the Joker has planned for her father, and the telling of the final joke along with the dialogue which leads up to it. The first of those is frequently ignored, and the only comment most people seem to make about the second revolves around the Joker’s supposed death.
So, that’s my opinion of The Killing Joke. I’m looking forward to the animated version, quite a lot actually, and I don’t regret reading the original. I just really don’t see what all the fuss is about.
July 23, 2016
Emergence Emerging
Emergence Cover Emerges
I am aiming to have Emergence in the (virtual) shops by tomorrow noon. Given my fractured sleeping habits of late this is no mean feat and it might happen sooner.
One of the things which has been keeping me up at night is the cover. Okay, that’s a lie, what’s been keeping me up at night is the airless atmosphere, but the cover has taken a while to produce. Not saying it’s my best ever, but it’s probably my most ambitious. This thing has five layers in it! For a professional artist that’s chicken feed, but I get nervous when I have more than one layer.
Anyway, I hope you like it, and that it gives some hints/confuses you regarding the book.
July 11, 2016
I Hate Summer
That’s probably a bit strong, but summer gets to me. Summer, for those not in England, is something of a strange event. It’s kind of the same as winter, but warmer. Except that recently we’ve had drier winters. And then it turns around and boils you alive for two days before a sudden cold front blows in, just about the time you’d planned a picnic or you’re about to go on holiday to Brighton. (Brighton being a traditional place to holiday in England, though I couldn’t say why. I blame the Victorians.)
So, anyway, the weather is depressing. At night, it has a habit of remaining warm and humid. My sleeping habits could be described as ‘random at best’ most of the time, but recently my sleep has been more like the kind of thing chaotic system mathematicians salivate over. Add in a few other things that could be going better right now… sigh.
Why, you ask, am I telling you this? (If you haven’t asked then… I’m going to tell you anyway.) Well, my motivation is shot. The new Unobtainium book has stalled, partially because I had this other idea I want to flesh out a little, and partially because I can’t actually motivate myself to do much at all. This is a problem, but may not delay the book. It was slated for October anyway, and that’s plenty of time to get the thing in shape. I have two Fox Meridian books ready to go out this month and next which will hopefully keep you happy, and I might have something new to drop in later in the year because I think I’ll try a bit more of that sci-fi thing I mentioned to see whether the characters mesh before going back to Unobtainium-land.
This motivational issue is one of the reasons I’ve been quiet for a while. The other being that I didn’t have much to say. I should be reporting on the next Fox book soon, however. I’m going to need a cover… hmm.
June 25, 2016
Kissing Cousins?
Well, it was asked for and I’d already created this one, so…
June 23, 2016
Fox’s World Gets a Little Bit Closer
I failed miserably to get any sleep last night so I was up and watching the BBC’s web site when the news came in that we have voted to leave the EU. I don’t want to get heavily political or give away how I voted or anything, but… Da Fuck!
Anyway, in the universe Fox Meridian inhabits, the EU has broken up thanks to economic and climate pressures. The UK jumped ship prior to the union failing. What remains of the EU is basically the northern European countries, lead by German, and is known as the Nordeuropäische Union, the NU. Most of southern Europe is semi-arid and insolvent, hence the change.
This was based on various future timeline predictions which I did not make, but the way things were progressing in Europe and the rest of the world, it seemed a pretty viable future. We really don’t seem to be keen on fixing the climate, and the economic aspects of the EU are creaking. The refugee crisis has not helped. But… I figured I’d be dead or senile before it all started. Guess I was wrong.
This brought to you by the “We did what?!!” newsroom. Another post with book links coming up soon.
Frostburn Real Soon Now
I’ve done the final edits and I’ll be creating the upload manuscripts this evening (when I’ve recovered). So, Frostburn should be available first thing tomorrow, or later tonight, depending on where in the world you are. I’ll post links tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the next Unobtainium book is currently called King Solamet’s Mines and it’s up to 11,300 words. Might change the title yet, but I think that one fits. It does give a fairly big hint about the plot, but then if you hadn’t figured that much out, you haven’t read the first book…
June 16, 2016
War of the Steam/Dieselpunk Worlds
I’ve wrapped the first draft of The Ghost in the Doll and I finally got bored enough with all my o available media that I picked up Penny Dreadful on Amazon. Well… only one thing for it, I’m going to have to write another Unobtainium book. Well, not totally promising, but it’s being plotted and researched: Kate, Charles, and Antonia are going back to the Dark Continent.
Meanwhile, I’ve been digging through Steam and Dieselpunk material for inspiration. I’ve got a load of Lady Mechanika comics I haven’t read, more Penny Dreadful to watch, at least one book I should get around to. Plus, well, it’s not quite right, but it’s also so right, Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds is playing as I write this. The original one, not the new version.
Now, War of the Worlds came out when I was a kid. I first heard some of it when a girl in my class brought it in (on vinyl) for a sort of show and tell thing. I was gripped. It was awesome! I put it on my Christmas or birthday list and soon I had my own gatefold album with two records and a very evocative art book which had all the lyrics in it. I’d sit in front of our record player with headphones on and sing along… Yeah, I can’t sing, but hey, I couldn’t here me. Now, probably 35 years later, I can still remember all the lyrics. Not just the ones everyone knows. Oh no, I can remember the duet between the parson and his wife, Spirit of Man. My geek credentials are, apparently, well up to date.
Still have to wonder how the infantryman thought he was going to start a brave new world ‘with just a handful of men,’ but I guess it had to rhyme.
June 11, 2016
Cyborgs and Androids and Robots, oh my!
I’m proofreading Frostburn before it goes out for Kate to do a professional job on it, and these things need a break to be taken, so…
Late last night YouTube threw me a recommend which piqued my interest. I should know better: anyone who says they’re going to analyse something is generally going to take something you like, dissect it in what they think is a detailed manner, and bore you to death with it. With AnimeEveryday’s Ghost in the Shell – Film Analysis, I instead got frustration and irritation. Partially it’s because he insisted on calling the Major by her first name throughout and then, I’m fairly sure, mispronouncing it, but mostly it was down to the fact that a lot of his assertions were based on a profound lack of knowledge of the (fictional) technology. I gave up before the end. (His analysis of the Arise series is, in my opinion, flawed as well, but for different reasons.)
However, this got me thinking about cyborgs and androids and such, and I decided to explore both the GitS view of things and mine. As a result, I learned more about GitS cyberbrains, which was interesting and annoying. It’s a prime example of why you should avoid looking under the covers because the cybernetics in GitS makes little to no sense. It’s a little like another classic sci-fi piece, Neuromancer: Gibson more or less created what we think the VR representation of the internet will be like, and he did such a great, evocative job because he hadn’t got a clue about computers. It’s apparent that something similar is working with GitS, except with electronics, computers, and neurology.
It doesn’t help that the same term is used for a range of totally dissimilar technologies: cyberbrain. All the GitS characters, and most humans in that world, have a cyberbrain, but the term is misleading. If you take the likes of Aramaki and Togusa, the two characters with the least cybernetics, what they have are cerebral implants: their brains are basically natural with implanted electronics allowing them to access communications and external memory storage. Up at the top end, Kusanagi and Batou, we have full ‘cyborgs’ with “up to 97.5% of their brain replaced with electronics.” That’s still a cyberbrain. Somewhere in the middle, maybe Ishikawa, there is extensive electronic augmentation with far more natural brain left intact.
I’ve been ignoring various comments in various parts of GitS for ages about the amount of brain replacement in Kusanagi. I used the word ‘cyborg’ in quotes above because, with the amount of her brain which appears to be electronic, calling her a cyborg is kind of silly. Another thing GitS does is play fast and loose with what a cyborg is. Cyborgs are a combination of organic and inorganic components. You can argue over the details, but if your brain is 97.5% machine, calling yourself a cyborg is kind of lame. Those organic bits are doing nothing. This is where the failure to understand neurology comes in. 2.5% of your brain is not going to contain your consciousness. It probably has no useful function because your brain is a huge, complex, interconnected machine. 2.5% of that is a symbol. Sentimentality. Kusanagi is right to question her nature, because it doesn’t make sense.
I suspect that the full-on cyberbrain is really supposed to be like Aneka’s brain. Kusanagi’s cyberbrain is a hardware and software emulation of the brain she (may have once) had. I’m not sure why there’s the continued desire to keep some organic component in the system. This may be a Japanese cultural thing I don’t understand. If Kusanagi was entirely synthetic, I don’t believe that would take away from the integral dilemma facing her. In fact, I think it would add to it.
The other annoyance was the use of ‘cyborg’ for things which aren’t. The Puppet Master is described as being a cyborg because he takes a cyborg body. Well, no, he’s not a cyborg because he has no organic components. He’s an android (or gynoid, since it’s a female shell). He has a cybernetic body, because cybernetics is different from ‘cyborg.’ This apparent failure to understand the technology irked me.
So, for your edification, I present an explanation of how I use various terms. These are mostly from Fox Meridian’s world, where the terminology is pretty well developed.
Android: A humanoid robot. In Fox’s world, this generally means a male form, but can be used generically, and is used for ungendered models.
Bioframe: Currently theoretical, a bioframe is a bioroid with a computer for a brain, hence the organic equivalent of a cyberframe.
Bioroid: Not a robot, but an artificially created life form. Again, currently theoretical.
Borg: Street slang for a cyborg, and yes, it was derived from Star Trek.
Cyberframe: Purely in-world jargon, a cyberframe is any kind of device which can have an infomorph loaded onto it as the operator, or be remotely operated. Technically, computer implants and wearables are cyberframes, and so are things like servers, handhelds, and laptops. Even the humble Q-bug is a cyberframe if it has a powerful enough on-board computer.
Cyborg: A human with mechanical parts either replacing or augmenting their natural ones. In Fox’s world, people with computer implants are not generally considered cyborg’s, though they technically are.
Droid: In Fox’s world, this is the preferred generic term for and android/gynoid where the sex is unknown, or you’re speaking of a mixed gender group.
Frame: Shortened from cyberframe.
Gynoid: A female form android. (Interestingly, gynoid is a recent invention. The original term was ‘fembot.’ Yes, like in Austin Powers. And that’s in the real world!)
Infomorph: A life form composed of data and software. Includes AIs, but also some forms of computer virus, and perhaps some other things.
Robot: The absolutely generic term for any mechanical, self-motivated machine. In Fox’s world, it’s also jargon for machines installed with exclusive operating software such that they can’t be operated by an infomorph.
My definitions are closer to (if not the same as) the real-world jargon terms. The ones I haven’t made up anyway. I think being clear about this and knowing where the terminology comes from makes things easier. For one thing, it means you’re not worrying about what on Earth the writer was thinking when they came up with a plot idea. I just hope no one ever does a psychological analysis of my stuff: I might cry.
