Buys
Well, the number one "purchase" this week is that with all the RPG talk, I re-subscribed to Pyramid Online, Steve Jackson Games' e-zine. For 20$ a year, I get weekly articles and access to all articles ever (including the last 3 years, which I missed). Seeing as I'm gearing up to GM some Dream Park one-shots with a younger crowd of players from my area, I'm thankful for the extra inspiration and material.
Finally got Manhunter vol.4 TPB. This is a series I've enjoyed in trades after the blogosphere basically sold me on it, and while it's too bad it's over (or possibly on hiatus again), if I haven't read it yet, it's new to me. The Justice League: New Frontier DVD also came into my possession, but I'll let "Accomplishments" do the talking (below) on that one.
There are other DVDs as well: Two new classic Doctor Who's, both from the Tom Baker era - Planet of Evil and Destiny of the Daleks. And it seems Peter Greenaway's films are being given the treatment they deserve, so I bought The Draughtsman's Contract to see how these releases will shape up. If I really like it, I might order A Zed and Two Noughts, though it's really Prospero's Books I've been after for at least a decade.
"Accomplishments"
Flipped the New Frontier DVD, and I was a little non-plussed by it. I mean, it's really quite good, don't get me wrong, but it had the same effect on me Sin City did. It's so much like the comic that it feels like I've seen it all before. And since the book is obviously better (for the Losers sequence alone...), well, that's that. The 2-disc release also features two commentary tracks, letting you in on Darwyn Cooke's thought process, as well as some documentaries on the Justice League (a good document about the comics rather than the cartoon), villains (which looks like something that should have been on the Challenge of the Super-Friends release) and New Frontier itself. Three bonus JLU episodes are included, but I have them all anyway. Good overall value even if it can't replace the book. I was a lot more enthusiastic about the NF Special out this week - read it, it's great.
The other recent arrival I popped into the machine is Doctor Who #81: Planet of Evil, starring the 4th Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith (the Kitty Pryde of the Whoniverse). I didn't have very many memories of Planet, and I can see why. While it has relatively high production values and some good Sarah bits, it lacks the wit of other stories in this period. Throw in some ludicrous technobabble about anti-matter turning people into werewolves and you have a seriously lackluster release. The DVD does include a charming (Liz Sladen of course) commentary track and relevant documentaries about the making of. Producer Hinchcliffe riffling through archived papers makes a really interesting 10-minute easter egg.
I finally dug in and finished Alejandro Jodorowsky's Fando y Lis which I'd abandoned a couple months ago. This is his first picture, a free, surreal adaptation of the absurdist play (which I know virtually nothing about). Jodorowsky's commentary is in broken English (but subtitled) and gives up some of the secrets of this film, but it's still tough going at times. I can definitely see why it was banned in Mexico at the time for some truly disturbing imagery. The real gem of this release is "La Constellation Jodorowsky", a French documentary on the man and his work (not just his film work). Participants include Marcel Marceau, Peter Gabriel and Moebius. Certainly made me want to dig out old Dark Horse comics where the two collaborated.
A lot of passive "achieving" thanks to a pretty aggressive cold, though I managed to make a few cards for the Unauthorized Who CCG before I succumbed, finishing the lot for Gridlock. Started work on the beautiful Human Nature, but it was too complex to finish within the week.
Someone Else's Post of the Week
Maxo over at Great Caesar's Post learns the hard way what happens when you cheat on your friendly neighborhood comics store in Shopping Around. All I have to say in my own defense is that my store cheated on me first!
Well, the number one "purchase" this week is that with all the RPG talk, I re-subscribed to Pyramid Online, Steve Jackson Games' e-zine. For 20$ a year, I get weekly articles and access to all articles ever (including the last 3 years, which I missed). Seeing as I'm gearing up to GM some Dream Park one-shots with a younger crowd of players from my area, I'm thankful for the extra inspiration and material.
Finally got Manhunter vol.4 TPB. This is a series I've enjoyed in trades after the blogosphere basically sold me on it, and while it's too bad it's over (or possibly on hiatus again), if I haven't read it yet, it's new to me. The Justice League: New Frontier DVD also came into my possession, but I'll let "Accomplishments" do the talking (below) on that one.There are other DVDs as well: Two new classic Doctor Who's, both from the Tom Baker era - Planet of Evil and Destiny of the Daleks. And it seems Peter Greenaway's films are being given the treatment they deserve, so I bought The Draughtsman's Contract to see how these releases will shape up. If I really like it, I might order A Zed and Two Noughts, though it's really Prospero's Books I've been after for at least a decade.
"Accomplishments"
Flipped the New Frontier DVD, and I was a little non-plussed by it. I mean, it's really quite good, don't get me wrong, but it had the same effect on me Sin City did. It's so much like the comic that it feels like I've seen it all before. And since the book is obviously better (for the Losers sequence alone...), well, that's that. The 2-disc release also features two commentary tracks, letting you in on Darwyn Cooke's thought process, as well as some documentaries on the Justice League (a good document about the comics rather than the cartoon), villains (which looks like something that should have been on the Challenge of the Super-Friends release) and New Frontier itself. Three bonus JLU episodes are included, but I have them all anyway. Good overall value even if it can't replace the book. I was a lot more enthusiastic about the NF Special out this week - read it, it's great.
The other recent arrival I popped into the machine is Doctor Who #81: Planet of Evil, starring the 4th Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith (the Kitty Pryde of the Whoniverse). I didn't have very many memories of Planet, and I can see why. While it has relatively high production values and some good Sarah bits, it lacks the wit of other stories in this period. Throw in some ludicrous technobabble about anti-matter turning people into werewolves and you have a seriously lackluster release. The DVD does include a charming (Liz Sladen of course) commentary track and relevant documentaries about the making of. Producer Hinchcliffe riffling through archived papers makes a really interesting 10-minute easter egg.
I finally dug in and finished Alejandro Jodorowsky's Fando y Lis which I'd abandoned a couple months ago. This is his first picture, a free, surreal adaptation of the absurdist play (which I know virtually nothing about). Jodorowsky's commentary is in broken English (but subtitled) and gives up some of the secrets of this film, but it's still tough going at times. I can definitely see why it was banned in Mexico at the time for some truly disturbing imagery. The real gem of this release is "La Constellation Jodorowsky", a French documentary on the man and his work (not just his film work). Participants include Marcel Marceau, Peter Gabriel and Moebius. Certainly made me want to dig out old Dark Horse comics where the two collaborated.A lot of passive "achieving" thanks to a pretty aggressive cold, though I managed to make a few cards for the Unauthorized Who CCG before I succumbed, finishing the lot for Gridlock. Started work on the beautiful Human Nature, but it was too complex to finish within the week.
Someone Else's Post of the Week
Maxo over at Great Caesar's Post learns the hard way what happens when you cheat on your friendly neighborhood comics store in Shopping Around. All I have to say in my own defense is that my store cheated on me first!
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