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Our Poll Position this week deals with super-heroes transitioning to new roles in their professional lives:
Discussion after the jump.
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Posted in Versus
(From "Thrilling Comics" number 14, 1941.)
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Posted in Daily Random Panel
That's right, today is a BONUS Mechanics of Creation, requested by Whit and seconded by RSC5 within literal seconds of each other. So any brain damage or seizures should be blamed on them. I don't know if they have a really good RSS feed or if they're stalking me. But either way, I am bound by the rather fuzzy terms of my contract with Jeff to write about whatever the dwiddle I care to, so here we go!
(Edited to add: Hey you two, I am so sorry that it turned out like this. I had no idea it would grow into this abomination. Forgive me?)
Today's subject is going to be MASKING. Apparently there's a whole lot more people having trouble with this than I thought, and certainly others who must want some pointers. So I'm going to tell you a little story about a guy named Mr. Blank. Blankey here is a normal guy who wants to be a cool superhero like Ratman, The Green Batterin' or Sliderman (patents pending.) But he has no way of doing all this without a spiffy costume, so it's time for Queer Eye for the Superhuman Guy Damien's Masking Tutorial! Continue reading
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Posted in Damien's Blog, Tips & Tricks
Time for the latest DamienBlog! Today we're going to look at the idea of "What you see isn't what you get." Now, for many of you who've been with this site for awhile (especially you contest finalists!) there's a certain familiarity with the program that allows you to make stuff up from items that weren't intended. Now, I'll help pass this idea on to those who may be struggling with it. Continue reading
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Posted in Damien's Blog, Tips & Tricks
(From "Thrilling Comics" number 10, 1940.)
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Posted in Daily Random Panel
(from "Thrilling Comics" number 10, 1940.)
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Posted in Daily Random Panel
We had a major wind storm here tonight that has left us without a barn door, missing roof bits, and no Internet access, so posting Friday will be light. Hopefully things will be back to normal soon. Nothing major, just aggravating thankfully.
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Posted in Uncategorized
(From "Thrilling Comics" number 10, 1940.)
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Posted in Daily Random Panel
Sometimes it's difficult to find a new source of inspiration for a particular project. I find that happens both as a writer and an artist. (I use the term "artist" loosely, since I haven't really drawn anything since HeroMachine 2 came out...) But there is inspiration waiting for you everywhere you look, if you just find it. I recommend taking a notebook to work, assuming you don't have anal-retentive bosses who hate notebooks. (I've had a few...) Jot ideas down as you go through your day, no matter how ridiculous. (I once had an idea with little meadow creatures who dueled with feathers, but I ended up dismissing it for its similarity to Redwall. You know, that immensely popular series with little critters acting medieval...?)
Orson Scott Card, the famed author of science fiction, fantasy, and dabblings in other genres once said that a good story starts with two radically different premises that work against each other to create conflict. (No, this is not a direct quote, I'm just typing it the best I can remember.) His book Ender's Game pitted a plot of teaching children to be military geniuses against a plot of invading aliens. And he included at least two major plot twists towards the end whose consequences reshaped the story entirely for the reader. His story has since won numerous literary awards and is studied by military academies for its insightful look into military training techniques. The point is, he created an awesome story with two opposing ideas, neither of which would have been promising material without the other. Continue reading
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Posted in Damien's Blog
As Pixar documented so brilliantly in "The Incredibles", capes present a real dilemma to the super-hero fashion designer:
Capes can kill you, and when they're not killing you, they're all folded up on themselves so you can't even see what's on them, which is why most heroes who opt to wear one go for a plain, one-color affair.
Which is where "The Green Turtle" -- already reeling from losing the "Animal Mascot Lottery" -- goes so horribly, horribly wrong:
In case you can't tell, his cape features an enormous green turtle design on it, terminating with his head in place of the turtle's. Which, let's be honest, is as ridiculous as it is silly. He doesn't even have a turtle beak, for goodness' sake (and while we're on the subject, why the hell do turtles have beaks anyway? That's just wrong.) That's just a bad cape. When he's at rest in no wind, you can't see the design. Of course this is a comic book so there's always a dramatic wind blowing, but still, the only people who can appreciate it are those who are behind him. I suppose it's a good thing his enemies -- who you assume are the ones in front of him -- can't see it, because that's not exactly the picture next to "intimidating" in the dictionary, you know?
Of course, then there's the rest of his outfit. Or should I say, the not-rest of his not-outfit, since it's pretty much just swimming trunks, gloves, and boots:
Granted, he's fighting in China where the climate is pretty hot, but still, I dare you to think of another job where running around that close to bare-ass-nekkid won't get you arrested at the minimum. And no, "Baywatch extra" doesn't count. You have to give him credit for loyalty to his theme, though, right down to that "I can't believe I have to hold on to the hilt with these legs sticking out of it" turtle dagger.
So to review: "Incredibles" good, turtle mascots bad, especially non-violent green turtles; capes bad, ugly capes worse; and cover up those man-nips, nobody wants to see a fifty year old retired male super-hero at Mardi Gras shouting to the girls "Let me show you MY boobs!"
Which concludes this "Most Random Bad Costume Post EVER", I believe I have meds to take now.
(Images from "Blazing Comics", number 3, 1944.)
Comments Off on The Conundrum of the Cape
Posted in Bad Super Costumes
Three middle-aged nerds (including yours truly!) review all of the MCU movies in chronological order. Short, funny, and full of good vibes, check it out and let us know what you think!
Nerdmudgeon.com