Stick People Comic Reviews: Countdown #22

It's like a regular review, but with more Stick Man.

Turns out they're not killing Batman.

Yeah, according to yesterday's Lying in the Gutters they're not going to kill off Batman. Not due to fan outcry, mind you, but because when the brass at Time Warner, DC Comic's parent company, caught wind of the plans they stopped that plan cold. Turns out it's a bad idea to kill off the lead character of a franchise known world-wide and featured in films, television programs, and just about every bit of merchandise imaginable, from lip-gloss to underwear to wedding cake figurines. To say nothing of the fact making Jason Todd the new Batman would've just been wrong, but there you go.

This makes me:

Countdown to Final Crisis #23 - - Sold Out?

So, yesterday I went back to my local comic shop to look for a couple of back issues and to get a book or two that I missed on Wednesday -- Captain America #32 and Countdown #23. Captain America because it's a great book that I really enjoy following month-to-month, Countdown because I'm an idiot who doesn't know when to stop reading a book, much less a finite title like Countdown, even if it does mean I'm committed to it for another six months.

I got Captain America, of which they still had ample copies. I didn't get Countdown.

Now I don't know if they under-ordered the latest issue -- that would be the obvious solution -- but this is the first time in as long as I can remember, even going back to 52 (Countdown's predecessor in the weekly DC Comics game), that it's been sold out. The fact they still had extra copies of the last four weeks worth of Countdown issues could mean they finally curbed their orders accordingly. And certainly the fact the issue seemed to be about Superboy-Prime* torturing Mr. Mxyzptlk doesn't make cry out "must have collectors item".

I'll have to make a point of finding out what happened on Wednesday. Unless I forget, which I will almost certainly do.

And by the way, I got a copy of Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer: Gotham by Gaslight #1 instead. Yeah, yeah. I know.

*Because calling him Superboy-Prime sounds less stupid than Superman-Prime for some reason.

Sycophantic Jack Sez:

Declarative George Sez: No More Voiceovers

Why does it seem like movie trailers are regressing to the way they were made in the 1980s? Not that the last ten years of movie trailers have always been great, but there's been a shift away from telling the audience what the movie's about, to showing them what the movie's about. And for the better, I must say. In fact, the norm has been that any telling is usually done via a text card or two. Granted it's a shame that means less work for your Don LaFontaines, but really, with the exception of trailers directed at children, there's really no need to have to beat your audience over the head with what your movie's about, because, quite frankly, it's not that hard to follow a two minute preview of a movie, and if you don't get it, all the more reason to check the movie out. Right?

The first sign was the "Horton Hears a Who" trailer. I'll concede that, yes, this is a movie aimed at children, so it's fine to spell things out for a five year olds who don't know what's going on. I do have a problem though when the Horton trailer is shown before "Superbad", to an audience presumably smart enough to follow what's going on and why it's going on. I mean, if you're going to advertise Horton before "Superbad", do us all a favor and make a trailer that doesn't seem like it was supposed have been shown before "Bratz". That said, I was fine with it. I mean, "Horton Hears a Who"? Of course they'd want a trailer that makes sure you follow everything. It's a kids movie, right? And because it stars Jim Carrey and Steve Carrell, sure you might want to advertise it before "Superbad" because there's probably a lot of folks there who like them too.

The reason why this has become an issue for me stems from another trailer I saw on HD net, on their program that shows new theatrical trailers for an hour or whatever. It's a mixed bag, but some of them are quite good, and they look great in HD. But there were a few, can't remember what they were, that stood out as being... quite frankly, amateurish, which is my way of saying they couldn't tell a story clearly enough on their own so they added a narration. It bugged me, but I don't think I thought much of them because they probably weren't important releases, and, really, they were a couple out of a dozen or so. Not cause for alarm really, but certainly they stood out enough for me to wonder why they had to have a narrator walk you through the synopsis instead of, I don't know, perhaps giving you the synopsis visually. Isn't that the point of film, to convey through visuals? The moving picture, as it were?

At this point I realize I'm harping on this like a little pissant. I mean, trailer narration? Really? How asinine a topic to give even a second thought to, no? But if you're like me, an avid movie-goer who likes to get there early enough to catch the previews and see if there's anything good or at the very least enjoy the surprise of a few minutes of movie that a trailer holds, then you're probably noticing that these throwbacks are a real threat to the modern trailer. And if you doubt me, think back to your favorite trailer, and odds are it didn't have a narrator holding your hand through the two minutes of story.

And in case you think I'm going too far with this, here's a new trailer that I think ably proves my point.



I know if I saw that in theaters I'd be pretty miffed. How about you?

Declarative George Sez:

I just noticed the Hungry, Hungry Hippos post was my 37th of the year, bringing the total higher than the number of postings from my first two years combined. It'd be more impressive if that weren't the total number of posts the average blog logs per week, but I'm happy. I guess. Although, it probably means I'll have to think of more stupid things to say if I want to keep up or pass that number next year.

Hungry, Hungry Hippos

Not much to say, except the other day I went into ToysRus -- wasn't really looking for anything in particular, just hoping to see something cool, like a neat action figure or Transformer or something. On my way into the store they had a bin by the entrance full of "travel-sized" games, one which was Hungry, Hungry Hippos, so naturally I got it. I've always liked the game, but was never able to justify it's thirty or forty dollar price tag. Getting a version of the game for $9.99 was fine, even if it's not as cool as the full sized version.

So yeah, getting Hungry, Hungry Hippos was my highlight of the week. Not that it's a bad thing. It's Hungry, Hungry Hippos for chrissakes!

Haven't been able to think of anything to write...

Here's a few more Stick People Theatre cartoons, courtesy of a complete lack of ideas. Hopefully I'll come up with something for the next post. Not that there isn't something enriching about comically violent Stick People cartoons, but still.

From Todays "Lying in the Gutters"...

"In June/July, DC are killing off Batman. Or rather, Bruce Wayne. Robin will inherit the Batman cowl. One of the Robins anyway. Tim Drake. Jason Todd. Or possibly Red Hood. Hey, maybe Jean-Paul Valley, it has been ten years since Azrael."

This makes me:

But here's the upside:

"Either way, the book will relaunch with a nice shiny #1."

Yay.


Sigh.

Hi there.

Hi. Hope everyone had a good Halloween. I was hoping to actually do something last night, but my semi-plans fell through. I guess the fact my pumpkin imploded when I was getting ready to carve it implied my Halloween would be about much fun as the last nine New Years. Pleasant, but woefully uneventful.

Anyway, I'm contributing to the Marvel Appendix website and my latest profile should be on the site in the next day or two. Don't think I've mention it in the blog so far, but figured I ought to lieu of having anything more recent to write about.

http://www.marvunapp.com

Edit: Turns out I mentioned it, not a week earlier. Whoops?