My final plea for The Amazing Spider-Man

My final plea for The Amazing Spider ManWhen the initial news hit the internet that Sony would no long keep the money train going with Sam Raimi but instead reboot the Spider-Man movie series fan boys went ballistic! If we were in Victorian times I pretty sure they would rolled out the guillotine at the time. As time went on and a director and star were chosen the madness escalated and it appeared that fans had forgotten about the flaws of the Raimi films. Were we so clouded by our sheer hatred for change that we couldn’t even give these new guys a chance? “Its to soon,” was the battle cry of the anti-Spidey-reboot brigade. However, at the same time they enjoyed in mass the reboot of Batman by Christopher Nolan. Why wasn’t it too soon for that franchise to get a reboot? The difference between reboot time frames was only 3 years, surely not enough for the internet fan boys to lose their collective minds over, right?

Best 80s American Martial Arts movie scenes!

Best 80s American Martial Arts movie scenes!

I am a child of the 80s, and I carry no shame in this. I still love listening to the music of that time, however the fashion has made a resurgence and that just ain’t right. While I love Iphones, high speed internet connections, and instantly streaming movies there is something about the 80s that I miss. As a avid movie watcher I cut my teeth on some great films over the years and some movies have stood the test of time. Not all are high quality but they do possess moments from my childhood I don’t ever want to forget. Action movies were my drug of choice during the decade of electric colored clothing and Madonna. My youth was peppered with masterpieces like Predator, Die Hard, and Rambo. However, there was a sub-genre that really took off during the mid to late 80s, American martial arts! I for one loved it and we movie goers got some top notch popcorn cinema out it. Here is my ode to some of my favorite scenes. These aren’t in order of best to worst, just a collection. What are some of your favorites? Let me know in the comments.

Editorial: Power to the P***Y

Editorial: Power to the P***Y

After watching the documentary Machete Maidens Unleashed and listening to Nerdpocolypse’s episode What Dreams are MAID of?!, I am left with some lingering thoughts about our fascination with bound women or MAIDens (metaphorically and literally).

The documentary, which is streaming on Netflix, profiled the series of exploitation films made during the 60s, 70s, and early 80s in the Philippines “where stunt men came cheap, plot was obsolete and the make-up guy was packin’ heat!” Legendary B movie producer Roger Corman produced countless films with images and plot elements that would end up on the cutting room floor today with the current ratings system where women were repeatedly raped, bound, caged, tortured, etc.

Editorial: The Men are Talking: Women as Second-Class Superheros (pt.1)

Editorial: The Men are Talking: Women as Second Class Superheros (pt.1)

Amy Counts and Matthew Sutherlin

In light of a recent discussions on The Nerdpocalypse podcast and articles posted the blog, I thought I would tackle another controversial topic of interest concerning women in comics. That is the topic of the female superhero. Let’s start at the beginning, the beginning of Western history that is…In Genesis (the book of the Bible, not the band),

Editorial: Ranma 1/2 and Turbo Teen: Sex Change to Oil Change

Editorial: Ranma 1/2 and Turbo Teen: Sex Change to Oil Change
“More than meets the eye” is line from the theme song for the Transformers that informs you that more lies beneath the surface than what might be originally seen by the naked eye. The phrase also refers to the transformation that occurs when the Transformers spring into action. Transformation is not something that only happens for robots in cartoons; it has been attributed to humans as well. This article deals with two examples from the 1980’s and 1990’s Turbo Teen and Ranma ½. The goal is to look beneath the surface of these cartoons at the underlying sexual and gender implications for their protagonists.

Editorial: Richie Rich is a Self-Indulgent Bastard!

Editorial: Richie Rich is a Self Indulgent Bastard!

Starting in 1953 a new kid hit the block; his name is Richie Rich. One can imagine the opening to Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous in which Robin Leach begins the tale of Richie’s rise to fame and fortune. The contemporary version would be MTV’s Cribs.

Captain America sequel idea

<em>Captain America</em> sequel idea

The burden of a Cap sequel is the timeline. Captain America: The First Avenger was bookmarked on both ends with modern day scenarios. Having the character go back to the past for a full movie would not feel right and most likely cause confusion. After Cap battles alongside the rest of The Avengers there won’t be much of a desire to see him go back to the past. So how do you work with a guy who’s entire history is rooted in the 1930s? The best way is to give some links to the past, but focus on his life post Avengers.

Digital Comics need a revolution, badly!

Digital Comics need a revolution, badly!

Digital Comics: Why is this concept so difficult?

Ever since I cracked my first comic I was fully invested in the notion of keeping up with storylines and major events. From the weekly Spider-man comics to who the Avengers were beefing with that week, I couldn’t get enough. Fast forward to the age of the ubiquitous smart phones and tablet computers, and the seemingly easy access to not only books, but also comics especially. As time had gone on I lost my dying need to read the standard weekly. I would just hold out for the large events or just buy the trade paperbacks, or TPBs. Buying trades has become the optimal choice, as I hate having to wait so long to get a full story arc. Give me 20+ issues bundled together and a quiet afternoon and I am all set. I read Marvel’s Fear Itself in one sitting because of the convenience of just having the book in its entirety, minus the side stories, at my fingertips. So trades are the way to go! YEAH! Problems solved, right? Not quite.

Marvel Knights: What to do next with Ghost Rider

<em>Marvel Knights</em>: What to do next with Ghost Rider

I wrote about the topic previously, but here it is flushed out in more detail here.

The intersection between the failure of Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance and Marvel’s upcoming summer blockbuster, The Avengers, is more obvious than you might think. Its no secret that The Avengers is pretty much a sure thing as far as money making is concerned. The reason why is much more interesting to talk about than how much it will make.

WHY HAVE THERE BEEN NO GREAT WOMEN COMIC BOOK ARTISTS?!

WHY HAVE THERE BEEN NO GREAT WOMEN COMIC BOOK ARTISTS?!

Art by Pia Guerra

In 1971, Linda Nochlin’s article “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?”  was published in the magazine ArtNews. This is an important turning point for art history because those on the margins of art creation were brought to center stage, and a new realm of art history was created. In this essay, Nochlin explores the reasons for why women have not achieved the same acclaim in the art world as men. While one can think back through history and find examples such as Vigee-Lebrun or Rosa Bonheur (who coincidentally dressed like a man in order to paint), they are the exceptions rather than the rule. Nochlin argues that this has to do with restricted access to education and societal expectations. With this in mind are there new restrictions in place that cause the following question to emerge: WHY HAVE THERE BEEN NO GREAT WOMEN COMIC BOOK ARTISTS?(Nochlin, 1971)