Back in February I mentioned that video game papercraft was far surpassing it’s cousin (comic book papercraft).  However, I think the tide may be turning in this battle.  In a major couter attack we now have the Batmobile created entirely in papercraft. 

Just looking at it gives me paper cuts…

In last week’s column I was talking about how great Joss Whedon’s new project Dr. Horrible was.   I considered it one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a long, long time.  Sure I recognized it’s darker aspects (for instance, the fact that Dr. Horrible never really showed any hint of remorse for his actions). 

But I wasn’t prepared for the much darker third act.

The problem is, since Whedon relied so much on viral marketing (i.e., you and I spreading the word in emails and forums) I feel a bit mislead as to what I was marketing. 

While I still recommend Dr. Horrible to just about anyone.  I wouldn’t claim it’s “funny” or “light hearted”.  It’s a significantly dark story.  Which isn’t bad, it’s just not what I was led to believe.     

Now maybe I told myself it was going to be a comedy.  And maybe I shouldn’t have jumped to that conclusion.  But that’s the challenge of marketing like this.  Whedon may create a new way to market creative content – but he (and others) better be careful to not alienate their “marketers.”

Joss Whedon has been wildly successful (at least creatively) with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly.  He’s one of the most original and talented creators I can think of.  And there’s no question he’s at it again with Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along. 

As any good comic book fan knows not all villains are cut out for the lime light.  Some just don’t quite have what it takes to become the next Black Mask. 

I don’t want to spoil too much of the action, but you should check this out.  And you’d better do it in a hurry.  The whole series disappears on July 20th.   

You can catch Act 1 here.  With Act 2 and 3 arriving later this week. 

I can’t take it.

I just can’t take it anymore.  I need to know what Blizzard is up to.  Of course I only have to wait a few more days and it will all be over.  But those few days seem like an eternity right now!

Blizzard has a tradition of building up suspense and speculation prior to a major announcement.  Last year they did it with Star Craft 2.

But this year seems particularly rough.  I have been looking forward to a new Diablo for a very long time.  I thought I might get my fix with the much anticipated Hellgate: London.  But since that game seems to be a flop, I am stuck playing Diablo 2 several times a week.

In the end if the game announced isn’t Diablo 3 I’ll be disappointed.  But I also know that Blizzard only seems to make good games, so I trust that this trend will continue.  As much as I want to see Diablo 3, I want to see it done the right way.  Better for it to take another decade and be done well, then come out this weekend and be a disappointment.

I did it. Something I was convinced I would never do. I finally went and saw Iron Man.

After several years worth of columns saying how horrible I thought this movie would be, it turned out to be one of the best comic book films I’ve ever seen.

Apparently admitting you’re wrong isn’t quite as hard as I thought it would be.

Before I get to the stuff I liked, let me talk about the one thing I didn’t – the pacing. There was something about the movie that made me keep looking at my watch. What’s strange is I can’t pinpoint what. It’s not like the movie wasted a lot scenes like the Transformers movie. And it’s not like there wasn’t a lot of action to keep my attention. The only thing I can figure is that since I knew the origins of Iron Man, I just wanted to get to the giant suit of armor!

Outside of this one object though, I really enjoyed Iron Man.

I thought Robert Downey Jr carried the movie. Now lets be honest – that’s not a sentence I ever expected to type. He was truly the perfect cast as Tony Stark: impulsive, playboy, technological genius, and a bit obsessive compulsive. He really did a great job.

As most fans of Iron Man will tell you, one of the secret joys of the character is “the montage” of technology. There’s something that appeals to fans in that sequence. It’s the same thing that makes us want to go and upgrade our own computers. And the movie perfectly captures this.

Think about it, the A-team had an entire TV series built around the montage. As did MacGyver and The Pretender. The montage is such an important part of this “culture” that Team America and South Park even wrote a song about it.

So what’s not to like about a movie where you get at least three extended montage sequences?!

I probably won’t watch Iron Man in theaters again for a second time (who can afford that with $10 tickets?) But I will watch it again in the future. Iron Man is one of the classics, and I look forward to a sequel.

There’s no doubt about it – we live in a golden era for superhero acceptance. We’ve had dozens of movies come out. Some better. Some worse. We’ve also had maybe a dozen TV shows based on comic books come out in the last few years.

So if you’re a fan, this is a good time to be alive!  Or at least glued to your couch.

But despite this acceptance, there really are only a handful of exceptional superhero TV shows.  Since this is the part where I list my 5 favorite comic book shows, let’s just begin:

1. Batman: The Animated Series – a classic no matter how you define that word.  It still sets the standard for the genre.

2. Teen Titans – sure the anime influence annoyed people, but I found it refreshing. The stories were both clever and fun. And the animation was just the right style for the zany action.

3. Avatar the Last Airbender – ok, this might be a bit of a stretch to include as a “superhero”. But this is a fantastic show, with sharp writing, and good action.

4. Justice League Unlimited – when this show was simply “Justice League” it was awful. When it became “unlimited” it was one of the best shows on TV.

5. Spectacular Spider-Man – admittedly the jury is still out on this one, but with one season under its belt, it has signs of great potential. Even as it stands today, it’s the first Spider-Man cartoon ever created.

Honorable Mention: Samurai Jack - if Jack were based on a comic book character he might be able to steal the #1 spot from Batman: TAS.  But he’s not.  So he doesn’t quite qualify for this list.  That said, it’s such a brilliant cartoon that it deserves to be mentioned.   

Now I know some of you are complaining that all of these cartoons are “recent.” And I admit that’s true. But I would argue that the quality of cartoons continues to improve each decade. While I really enjoyed the 90’s version of Spider-Man, it has not aged well. You can clearly see serious flaws in both the plot and the animation. And if you go further back to cartoons from the 1970’s or 1960’s, you see even larger holes in the plot or animation.

Let’s face it, sometimes the “classic” shows just aren’t as good as the new stuff.

I spent a lot of my formative years watching Batman the Animated Series. And I loved it. That show defined not only Batman but all superheroes with its atmosphere, stories, and characters. Every single cartoon or movie is chasing the standard that Batman: TAS set.

Even the artwork was brilliant. It was the first show that I actually noticed the animation style. And I still think it used shadows better than any incarnation of Batman I’m familiar with.

That’s a high bar.

And in recent years I’ve feared that maybe my memories were tinted by rose colored glasses. Maybe Batman: TAS wasn’t half as good as my mind recalled. After all, I thought Voltron was the best show ever – it was devastating to learn that it’s not.

Talk about crushed childhood dreams.

Well let me relieve the fear – Batman: TAS is still the standard to beat. Watching it on TV these last few weeks has reminded me just how brilliant it was. What’s surprising is the show’s probably better than I remember!

As a kid I enjoyed it because of the action, the art, and the “coolness” of Batman. But I instinctively knew there was something more there – I just didn’t now what. Now I can now fully appreciate the subtlety of the characters and artwork. I can enjoy it for the depth of the story telling and character development.

Batman: TAS is still the greatest superhero cartoon ever created. And may possibly be the best cartoon ever created.

I’m a completist.  And as the name implies, I like to complete things.  Those “things” don’t really matter.  It can be completing video games, reading the whole run of a comic book, or watching all the episodes of a TV show. 

The only thing I don’t like to complete is eating all my vegetables. 

But this can be a problem.  For example, what happens when something is horrible?  That’s when the completist is in trouble.  Suddenly he or she finds an internal struggle brewing.  Do I finish the <insert name of current obsession>?  Or do I cut my losses and run?  It’s a tough position for a completist to be in. 

Collecting comic books, despite an awful story, is probably the most commonly discussed example.  However I have one that’s much worse – I have an almost compulsive need to finish watching the entire run of a TV show.  This is especially true of anime.  

I tell myself, “I can stop anytime I want.”  But I can’t.  I’m stuck between wanting to turn off the TV and being committed to the end.   

For instance, I wasn’t a fan of Full Metal Alchemist, One Piece, Death Note, or Blood +, and yet, I kept watching.  In some cases I’m still watching. 

Part of the issue is that by the time I realize I don’t like a show, I’ve already invested 20 or 30 hours into it.  That’s a lot of time to simply say, “yeah I don’t care about what happens.”  But I know I’m lying to myself.  I want to know how it ends.  What’s the good of starting a story if you’re not going to finish it?

The other part is a total lack of options.  If I want to watch anime on TV I can either watch Cartoon Network…or buy my own.  So at the moment I am subject to the Cartoon Network programming overlords.  Which means watching anime that under my own powers, I wouldn’t be watching.

I suppose this is just the completist dilemma. 

So how about you?  What do you have trouble giving up even though you know you should?

I realize this post has nothing to do with any of my usual subject matter. But this is a column called Off the Cuff, so what do you really expect?

In the 90’s three men (Vitaly Komar, Alex Melamid and David Soldier) decided to create the most annoying song ever. Why? Because men are practical.

Or at least that’s what Dave Barry would say.

So what goes into the world’s most annoying song?

1.  Rapping opera singer? ….check
2.  Wal-Mart? ….check
3.  Kid’s singing? ….check
4.  Harmonica? ….check
5.  Holiday music? ….check
6.  Banjo? ….check

The only thing I didn’t hear was dog’s barking a Christmas carol.

So did they get close to their goal? No. Not even close.

The song is so bad that it becomes hilarious. In fact it’s almost a perfect parody of American culture. That alone makes it worth the price of admission. Which, by the way, is free. There are certainly moments when the song gets close to being totally annoying. Especially with the stupid kid’s choir. Seriously if your music ever contains children singing, just hang up your ukulele.

Or you can always do all your shopping at Wal-Mart!

Okay, I admit it, I’m a sucker for these quizes. They obviously have no scientific value. But what they lack in accuracy they more than make up for in fun!

Interestingly it came down to a tie breaker question between my love of technology and my laid back personality.  I went with the technology.  But I think Iron Fist might have been a bit more accurate.  After all, who would think of me as a super nerd?

On second thought, don’t answer that.

So how about you?  What superhero are you?  Take your test and post your results here.

Marvel Superhero Personality Test created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Mister Fantastic/Reed RichardsYou are the super nerdy, intelligent and adventurous Mr. Fantastic. Mister Fantastic/Reed Richards 83% Iron Fist/Daniel Rand 83% Multiple Man/ James Madrox 75% Doctor Strange/Stephen Strange 67% Power Man/Luke Cage 67% Silver Surfer/Norrin Radd 67% Professor X/ Charles Xavier 58% Thor/Thor Odinson/Donald Blake 58% Captain America/Steve Rogers 58% Spider-Man/Peter Parker 50% Daredevil/Matt Murdock 50% Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes 42% Cyclops/Scott Summers 33% Human Torch/Johnny Storm 33% Ghost Rider/Johnny Blaze 25% The Hulk/Bruce Banner 25% The Punisher/Frank Castle 17% Gambit/Remy LeBeau 8% Wolverine/James “Logan” Howlett 8% Nick Fury 8% The Thing/Ben Grimm 8% The Sentry/Robert Reynolds 0% Iron Man/Tony Stark 0% Deadpool/Wade Wilson 0%

Some nights I lose sleep. 

I fear that perhaps I’m not really doing enough to solve the problems that face this country (and the world).  I wake up wondering, “did I do enough for the SotS community?”  And “if not, will Craig ever let me use the company restroom?”

I decided that I just can’t live with this kind of fear anymore.  So I’ve taken some new measures these last few weeks.  And I can now say, with certainty that SotS is “new” and “improved”.

The first step was to make this blog at least one safe place in the world.  There’s no question the biggest problem facing the world today is brain-sucking zombies.  It’s so obvious that it really goes without saying.  But here at SotS, we take these things seriously.  So I’m proud to announce several new policies that should improve this situation:

Of course there are other considerations as well.  Namely a total lack of Reece’s Peanut Butter cups in the SotS offices.  But I can only address one crisis at a time. 

So without Craig’s knowledge I’ve taken the liberty of moving the blog to a super secret location, one that should remain secure (and environmentally friendly).  And certainly a place where I can’t foresee any kind of problems developing:

So next time someone tells you that SotS doesn’t take their job seriously, just remember that we’re certifiable.