Shut Up and Listen 16
Sunday July 1, 2001
Canada Day
Today marks the one hundredth and thirty-fourth year of Canada’s existence officially as a nation. It’s a day for celebration for every Canadian everywhere. Know why? We’re not American, British or French. We could have become any of these because everyone wanted to own what is now called Canada.
The Vikings were the first European visitors, but what they did is inconsequential. The second visitors were the French I believe, followed by the British. Each staked a claim to parts of Canada, plus Britain got the US. France had the Eastern part up to Quebec and Britain had Ontario. But Britain wanted more and went to war with the French and conquered the rest of Canada. The US broke free somewhere in there, too, but who cares about that?
The US and Britain were bitter enemies and Canada would be caught in the middle because it was owned by Britain and was right next to the US. They tried to invade us in the War of 1812 and the War of Independence. Guess what? They lost both times. Yeah, eat that, bitches!
In 1867, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia proposed to Britain for them to break free as an independent nation of Canada. We still hold ties with Britain, but are our own nation. We now have ten provinces instead of the original four and three territories. We’ve whooped ass in numerous wars, including the ones against the US. I’m sorry, but I love that. Damn arrogant pricks think they’re the best. Well, we’re the undefeated ones!
Lunchbox And His Bad Weekend
Lunchbox had a bad weekend and like any good friend, I’m going to exploit it for my own purposes. Seriously, he logs on tonight and I ask him how he’s been. He tells me how he and Shirtless Andy of the Weekenders are no longer friends. The Lunch Lady cancelled their date.
Seems a discussion with Shirtless Andy convinced Lunchbox that the guy is a prick who tries to bring the people around him to his level. This was a long time coming.
The cancellation was nothing to me. She wanted to get some sleep for a trip she was taking. Lunchbox is a little melodramatic at times. But can we blame him? He’s got a girlfriend, which in itself is amazing, so he should be a little paranoid. I mean, the dude is homely. Just kidding, man. Trying to get to you through insults and sarcasm.
Monday July 2, 2001
Writing
Okay, I’ve got a couple of cool comic gigs lined up.
First, have to redo my historical story for Twisted Gate. They wanted historical stories from a fictional person’s perspective, not a retelling of real history. This suits me a whole lot better. I wasn’t comfortable with the other way.
Second, last week I got an e-mail from a guy at Lone Wolf Comics asking if I wanted to do some stuff for them. He sent this to pretty much anyone who posts on the Writer’s Board at Wizard World. I did a sample off of one of the plots posted on his site and sent it in last night. Got a response saying he liked it a lot. We chatted on ICQ and he told me that he wanted me to do a four-issue mini with another plot of his. It’s called Bomb and is about a police guy who defuses bombs and stuff. That’s all he gave me, the rest is up to me. This is quite sweet. I’ve posted the eight page story I did, too; it’s called Lucre Inferno. I only did 8 out of 22 pages I was planning on doing. I set it up like it was going to be three or four issues. Actually, I think I’m going to turn this idea into a screenplay for Twisted Gate. I have the guy at Lone Wolf’s permission and everything.
Tuesday July 3, 2001
Authorised Art
In my art section is now a link to a section which features the colouring of Authorised, a fellow Authority Message Boarder and member of HIDA. He colours some good stuff, check it out.
The Story Of Dream Conception
Now this isn’t going to be like Lunchbox’s or The Captain’s stories where I had a set story in mind about chicks. This is more of just a telling of what I know of the guy and my feelings on things relating to his stuff.
I first heard of Dream Conception in grade 10 from Motorcycle Mark. Seems Dream Conception had asked Motorcycle Mark something during a gym test that got them both zeroes. Motorcycle Mark was not impressed with Dream Conception, so neither was I. Dream Conception’s probably my only friend that I disliked before I even met him and now consider a friend.
I really met Dream Conception sometime in grade 11. I don’t remember the exact time, but my first memory was going to the mall with him and a group of friends during exams. It was the Monday or Tuesday after my birthday, so I bought an N64 memory pack for WCW Mayhem and Live’s third CD, The Distance To Here, which kicks ass. It was a fun trip in which I gave Dream Conception a quarter to phone and wake up Dream Conception’s Little Sister (not really his little sister, he’s an only child; just a really good friend of his). Man, was she pissed off.
During the second semester of grade 11 I had lunch with him almost everyday, along with The Captain and a few others. It was during this time that he started going out with DC’s (as in his now) Ex. Now, I’ll be honest when I say that I don’t know what he saw in her. I told him this when they were going out; very tactfully I believe because he did not kick my ass. They went out for four and a half months and he was a very happy man. Then she cheated on him with another of our friend’s boyfriend.
That morning at the bus stop was interesting since both DC’s Ex and the other girl go on my bus. I’m standing there and then the yelling started. And continued for a good five minutes. The bus ride home was even more interesting as Dream Conception’s Little Sister goes on my bus, too, but wasn’t on it in the morning. There was a good five to six girls waiting to lay a hurtin’ on DC’s Ex. I lost my seat to one of them and wasn’t ready to argue about it. What, do you think I’m stupid or something?
Several months later Dream Conception started going out with Mouse. I’ve known Mouse for about a year and a half. We had grade 12 english together. She’s cool. I ended up having religion with Dream Conception and since then we’ve become pretty good friends. I’ve downloaded all of his songs and he’s been a big supporter of my writing. He seemed happier at my getting published by Twisted Gate than I did.
I want all of you to now go and download all his songs and buy his first CD called First Conception. The man’s got talent.
Download my favourite of his Live Your Dreams right here and then go to his page at Ampcast and download the rest.
Wednesday July 4, 2001
Cold World
Tonight was a repeat of Politically Incorrect, but still a great episode. They were discussing Vietnam and the Cold War. Whether Vietnam was justified, the evils of Communism, the goodness of the US and the Nazis. I’ll try to avoid bringing up what they said in my following rant.
Okay, I’ll say this again for all those who didn’t hear me when I said it before numerous times: THE COMMUNISM WE’VE SEEN IN THE WORLD HAS NOT BEEN TRUE COMMUNISM, BUT FASCISM IN DISGUISE. Okay, understand? Communism: everyone is equal. Fascism: a few people control the rest of the people, who are all equally poor and oppressed.
I think Vietnam was crap. It wasn’t necessary and was a huge waste of lives. The US claims it was taking a stand against “Communism” and winning one for the good guys, but killed hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent people on the process. There were cases of US soldiers lining up women and children and killing every one of them! And they were the “good guys.” Now, I admit that the “Communists” committed a lot of horrible atrocities and needed to be stopped. They were killing tons of people and that was wrong. The US just fought the wrong way. You don’t defend innocent people by killing innocent people!
The US claims that the “Communists” were bent on world domination; what, and the US wasn’t? They see fit to go into any country that isn’t just like them and change it to be just like them. The fucking place is called the “melting pot” for fuck’s sake! They want the rest of the world to follow what they do and if you don’t you are “evil” or a “Commie.” I still find it funny that a country that prides itself on democracy also worships capitalism. Those two ideals are opposites when you get to their basics. Democracy is when everyone has an equal say and is involved with what goes on. Capitalism is everyone for themself and screw anyone who gets in your way.
The US likes to think itself the moral guideline of the world, but does some of the worst things. Where was slavery most popular? Which country’s businesses use sweatshops the most? Which country has taken it upon itself to bomb the shit out of any other country that disagrees with them the most? I say they’re almost just as bad as the “Communists” of the Cold War. The world’s richest country also has one the biggest poverty rates. It’s a country that puts the freedom to shoot people above the right of health care and education. It’s a country that waited until Japan attacked it to get involved with World War Two and now hails themselves as the saviours of the war. I think if Japan didn’t attack them they wouldn’t have gotten involved. “So what if the Nazis conquer Europe and kill all the Jewish people? As long as they don’t bother us, we won’t bother them.”
Some may call me anti-America and it would be hard for me to say I’m not. What I’ve said though is what I think is the truth. Most Americans would scoff at it, but not many could defend their country against my accusations. I don’t hate America, as hard as that may be for you to believe; I just hate the false sense of pride they have. They think they’re better than everyone else, but they aren’t. Not by a long shot.
Thursday July 5, 2001
Cold World Pt. 2
Just a quick explanation on what I wrote yesterday: I just ragged on the US because no one else does. Everyone has pointed out the faults of the “Communists”, so I didn’t feel it necessary to tell them again. They did some really bad shit, too.
Comics Woes
Got a message from the guy at Lone Wolf saying that I will be paid only 12 free copies of each issue I do. This in itself isn’t that bad, it was just his attitude. He seemed like one greedy fucker. His attitude wasn’t a very polite one. I’m gonna do the series, but this has not been the experience that I was hoping for.
Secret Squirrel
If you haven’t listened to Marcy Playground you should. They kick ass. Right now I’m listening to all their stuff on my computer. The song is Secret Squirrel; it’s about a super hero squirrel. I’ve actually thought about the day that I become a big comic big shot and how I’d like to get the singer and songwriter of Marcy Playground to co-write it as a comic. It would be a fun comic of just plain corniness. It would be sweet.
Friday July 6, 2001
Give It Up!
Okay the tally is up to 13 or so MPs who have left the Alliance caucus. That’s one more than is needed to be recognized as their own party. One of the bigger MPs to leave was Deborah Grey, the longest serving MP the Alliance had. They all want one thing: Stockwell Day gone. I’ve been saying for months that he should step aside, but no, he’s going to screw his party and think only of himself. That kind of shit ain’t right. Now, we all know that I hate the Alliance party, but I hate the likes of Day even more. Even when you’re a right-wing bastard, you should put your party and ideals first and your personal gain second. Oh, wait, right-wing is capitalism; every man for themself. Sorry, carry on Mr. Day!
Recent Updates
If you’ve been paying attention you’ll have noticed my site has a few new features. There’s the Chevett Poll, where I ask you your opinion and you vote on the choices. There my FAQ page, which has standard questions and also a feature for you to ask me questions. I’ll answer them to my best ability. And then there’s my mailing list, which after many problems with Bravenet, I’ve decided to run it totally myself. You e-mail me and I’ll put you on the list. I’ll then mail you when I’ve updated the site and definitely every Saturday. Also, those who subscribe to my mailing list will get an added bonus when I can. A script here, an extra column there. A message board is coming soon; you have been warned.
Saturday July 7, 2001
Comics Pt. 3
It seems yet again I will be nit-picking JMS’ Spider-Man stuff. I don’t know why, but I feel the need to tear down almost anyone Wizard glorifies. I love Babylon 5 and Rising Stars is good, but his Spider-Man has just left me cold.
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I was reading JMS’ interview in Wizard from a few months back and remember a debate that was going on on one of the message boards I visit. It was about maturing characters and getting away from their roots. JMS was saying how he was taking Spidey back to his roots; he’s teaching a class at the high school to get back that dynamic that was present in the early days; getting rid of Mary Jane so Peter can have all his romantic woes; shit like that. I think this is the dumbest thing that I’ve ever heard of. I’m a guy who likes realism in his comics and real people change, live with it. Sure, the old Peter Parker was great, but he’s grown and matured and changed. With all his experiences he should be a very different person than the one we met almost forty years ago.
Change in comics isn’t bad. People want change. Why did so many people buy all those Superman events where he was changed dramatically or the Clone Saga? Fans don’t want the characters to stay the exact same because the fans don’t stay the exact same. The only problem I see with the changes are who does them. When you’re gonna change Superman by giving him new powers or whatever, you damn well better make sure you’ve got the best people doing it. DC didn’t, so it failed. The editor should be able to say without lying that they’ve got the four or five best writers and the four five best artists on the books. DC had the same group that had been on the books forever. They aren’t bad writers or artists, but they weren’t the best. The concepts were great, but the execution sucked.
Same with the Clone Saga. If Marvel had gotten the nest writers to come aboard and do it originally, than it could have been great and could still be around and affecting Spider-Man, but it’s not. Spider-Man is exactly where he was before he married Mary Jane. It’s like an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation and that every story gets them back to a place where it’s like nothing happened.
DC seems to be on the right track right now. They’re making changes to their universe and have hired good creators to do it. Many don’t agree with what they’ve done, but for the most part I like the idea of Our Worlds At War. Guy Gardner’s death is one of the things that I wasn’t a fan of. Aquaman dying is great. I hope they don’t bring him back. Leave him dead; let someone else take over for him. Like Jeph Loeb has said, it’s war, people die. Hopefully the consequences of this crossover will long-standing unlike every other crossover that’s ever been done. Hell, even the effects of Crisis and Zero Hour have already been erased.
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While I’m on Aquaman, I just wanted to mention something that’s bothered me about the guy. He lives in the ocean and yet he’s got long hair and hair on his chest. One would think that a guy who swims everywhere would be hairless for speed. Why would he let his long hair and beard slow him down?
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How real do we want our comics? Do we really want all our stories to be dark and full of high levels of violence? Someone asked me these questions this past week in response to last week’s column. They’re tough questions.
I don’t mind dark stories as long as they’re written well. Life can be pretty damn dark at times. After Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns the market was flooded with dark and mean heroes carrying big guns and shooting everything on site. That’s crap writing. I mentioned Spider-Man punching through crooks heads by accident last week; that alone would be crappy. What would make that story good would be how a good guy like Peter parker would deal with that. Would he turn himself in? Would he train himself relentlessly until he could control his powers better? Would he not care? Would he just stop being Spider-Man? Would he go insane? I don’t know, but the consequences of harsh, violent actions make a story good.
What I’m saying is, don’t just do a dark and violent story for the sake of doing a dark and violent story. Make it good and real. In real life, actions have consequences.
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Seriously, go out and buy X-Force! It is the best comic on the shelf right now.
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Here’s a quote from a HIDA, the Yahoo Group I belong to. This was my response to a few questions posed by the founder, Lord Kinobote’s brother as a joke. I didn’t know this and gave answers anyway.
Question #1: What draws us back to the good old comic book store every week, month, or so forth?
For me it's the stories. I find the writing in a lot of comics to be better than tons of books. Marvel Boy by Grant Morrison was amazing. I love that book! Warren Ellis, Grant Morrison and all the others are some of the best writers in the world as far as I'm concerned. Plus, there's good art. It's combining books, TV, movies and who knows what else! They can do whatever they want because there is no budget. Whatever a movie can do they can do better if they really want.
Question #2: What do we get out of comic books? How do we apply what we have learned to the real world?
Firstly, I get entertainment. Some comics fit real well in with the real world. I've used arguments from Transmetropolitan in debates. I've quoted comics. My personal mantra of sorts is "Think for yourself and question authority." Comics can teach you a lot if done right.
Question #3: Will there ever be an end? Does the future look good for comic books? Are they keeping up with new world demands (video games and television)?
Hey, I still read them, don't I? I love video games and TV, but they don't have the same appeal as comics/ Comics are like the two combined. They have the interactiveness of video games and the presentation (sort of) as TV. I say comics will be around a long time. They've already survived the competition of TV, movies and video games as far as I'm concerned. Their quality as grown so much within the past five years. The comic medium has finally become an adult and will thrive in my opinion. I'm a bit of an optimist, ain't I?
That's what I think at least, I could be wrong.