I read a LOT of comics, okay?

Also:

COMICS:
(This time including commentary for my favorite/only commenter... HI MAX!)


-The complete run of Alias.
Not to be confused with the TV show of the same name. I'd highly recommend this one to anybody. It's about a mediocre superheroine who decided she wasn't cut out for superheroics and became a private eye. So basically she goes around solving weird mysteries, having guy problems, trying to sort out her fucked-up life, and swearing heavily. It's pretty awesome, and self-contained too.

-World War III.
Wow, DC's latest stuff is really leaving me unimpressed. That is, except some random Superman stuff I've read recently. They have Kurt Busiek writing it, and he's really good with hugely powerful heroes. He focuses on the stuff that makes them human, but still manages to write in some kickass fight scenes.
But yeah, World War III turns out to be some dude nobody who hasn't been following 52 cares about killing some random b-list superheroes while Martian Manhunter contemplates. YAWN.

Indulging my Inner Geek

Well, it had to happen. Sooner or later we all knew I was gonna start talking about Magic cards. But this is game theory (well, the theory of games, not that John Nash stuff) so it's not totally geeky... right?

So I was reading a review of a Marvel-based Trading Card Game the other day, in which the reviewer stated straight-up that he did not think that Trading Card Games qualify as real games.

(An aside, for those who I have no idea what I'm talking about: A Trading Card Game or TCG is a card game in which each player collects cards by purchasing packs of randomly assorted cards. The cards have different rules that apply to them. The player then constructs a deck out of the cards that he has in his collection and uses that deck to play against others...)

Back to this review. The guy says TCGs are not games because you can't own the complete game and because you can't see what you're getting before you buy a pack of cards. In short, he thinks this sort of game is a scam that forces you to spend an inordinate amount of money buying things you wouldn't buy simply because the packs are filled with a random assortment of cards. I agree that most of these games are rip-offs, but I don't think that changes their fundamental nature as games.

The thing is, this model isn't that different from, say, Texas Hold 'Em. In Hold 'em, you have to throw down the ante to see the flop. In essence, you are paying money for the opportunity to get cards that will potentially help you win the game, but you pay before you see the cards. The could be useless and you won't know until you've already thrown your money in. It seems to me that the TCG model is really just a version of this same mechanic, only extruded out in a way that is most beneficial to the people making the cards. So yes, when people complain that TCGs favor those with more money to spend on cards, they have a valid point. At the same time, though, there is a precedent. The poker player with more money is at a huge advantage over his opponent(s). It doesn't make Poker any less of a game, just like it doesn't make TCGs any less of a game. All it means is that they're a type of game that involves gambling and gambling with real resources rather than plastic soldiers or chocolate coins. That some people don't find the reward equal to the risk just means that perhaps TCGs are not the games for then.

Culturewatch

I think I've given up on trying to successfully write down all the comics I've been reading. There're just too many, but here we go:

COMICS:
-Thunderbolts (a good portion of the first year)
-Spider-man: The Other
-Batman: The Long Halloween
-Blade: Undead Again
-Every issue of the The Irredeemable Ant-Man
-Various current Marvel comics dealing with the death of Captain America and the Initiative.
-Kingdom Come
-Spider-man Loves Mary Jane, Vol. 3
-Most of the Stan Lee meets... 65th Anniversary series.
-A ton of old Doctor Strange Comics
-The complete run of Spectacular Spider-man

Also, I read the first two issues of DC's new Countdown series, which I thoroughly disliked. There's too much going on, and it's too focused on characters that I've never heard of before. This wouldn't be a problem except that they don't introduce the characters particularly well. You have to have been following along for the past year or so to have any hope of understanding the story. Again, this wouldn't be the problem if they weren't the first two issues of a brand new series. A reader should be able to pick up a new series and be able to follow it from the start. Hell, Spider-man mentions his origin in almost every single issue. So I dunno, trying to keep track of all the different alternate universe Robins and Joker's daughter and such makes my head hurt.

Movie-wise, it's just one lonely entry...

MOVIES:
-Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

I actually really enjoyed Pirates 3. Granted, it was way too long, and the plot was utterly incoherent (hey, remember that Calypso story with no payoff?) but it was silly fun summer entertainment. Still doesn't match up to the first one, though... not even close.

Weekend Update

It's hard to keep a steady blog when you've got a roughly 60 hour work-week, but I'm gonna try. So I present you with two random thoughts:

-If I ever make a Silver Surfer movie, I'd like to have the band M83 do the music.

-The Fuse channel has a show called "Pants Off Dance Off", which is exactly what you'd think it is... and no, that link is not exactly safe for work. This is why flipping through digital cable's channels at 1:00am is kind of dangerous.

And continuing with my culture blog, I'm back home and have started work at Marvel, which means lots of movies and comics.

TV:
Just the newest Entourage and Heroes. Need to catch up on Scrubs.

MOVIES:
-The Descent (Which still freaks me out, even if its scares were occasionally a bit cheap.)
-Brick (which I found somewhat overrated and kind of pretentious.)
-Executive Decision (which still kicks just as much ass as it did when I was 12.)

COMICS (I know these titles won't mean anything to most people besides Max, but this is partially for me):
-Everything related to Marvel's recent Civil War story arc and what's happened since then.
-The House of M.
-Thor: The Ballad of Beta Ray Bill.
-Marvels (Which I'd actually recommend even to non-comic book fans because the art is beautiful and the story is decidedly non-standard super-hero stuff.)
-Spider-Woman: The Origin.
-Doctor Strange: The Oath.
I'm sure they're more but I can't really remember right now. I read a lot of comics at work, y'know.

BOOKS:
Still just trudging though The Children of Húrin.

Well, that's all for now.

Well, There's Always Next Year...

I haven't mentioned this before, which is ironic since I got involved solely because I thought it would make for a good blog entry, but I spent a bunch of time this past school year working on the infamous CTV Soap Opera, The Gates. The first episode was pretty terrible, even with my glorious acting as the sleazy frat boy.

We submitted a shortened version of the second episode to the SoapU contest that SoapNet (the Soap Opera channel owned by ABC) was running. I can tell you objectively that it was better than the first, because we made it to the finals in the contest. We found ourselves shooting a five minute promo for a new show about celebrities and pop culture called The Insiders. I got on board again, mainly to do music, but ended up doing a bit of acting and some oscar-winning boom mic holding.

Anyway, turns out we didn't win, but I still think it's pretty damn impressive. I wrote most of the music without even seeing the scenes I was writing for (or with less than a day left before the final copy was due) so I think that turned out alright and my acting was, well, I'll let you judge for yourself. You can see our promo here or you can watch the goofy 2 minute documentary they made about us. Also take a look at the other entries if you've got some time; I actually think the one that came out on top was really well done.

Which do you want first?

The good news is that the Shake Shack is now open until 11pm. I can now stop by every night on my way home from work, when there isn't any line.

The bad news is that the Shake Shack is now open until 11pm and I can now stop by every night on my way home from work, which is disastrous for both my health and my wallet.

DAMN.

WWWD? (the third W is for Wilco)

Pitchfork has an interview with Jeff Tweedy from Wilco up since their new album comes out next week. I've been listening to the album for a month now and I think it's outstanding, though I doubt the critics will feel the same way, since it has a very subdued, classic rock vibe to it.
Back to the interview, though, Tweedy really nails everything I think is important about pop music. He rejects labels like "experimental" and his response to the question about nostalgia is spot-on:
"There's nothing nostalgic about Wilco. There's nothing nostalgic about anything. I don't find it to be important at all. I would think that what we're talking about and what I'm really describing is more being honest with yourself about language and using it to say who you are."

Anyway, rather than quote the whole interview, I'll just suggest you go read it. He's really smart.

The Times has a pretty solid article on Philip K. Dick today. Still doesn't mention how pathetic the translation was with Next. Oh well.

Cultureblogging 3

Since last we spoke, I finally finished James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon and also saw Spider-man 3 (as if that weren't expected). There will probably be a full entry devoted to Spider-man tonight when I'm "studying" but I'm at work right now so I don't want to write a long post.

Coming up on my list:
This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel Levitin and the new Tolkien book, THe Children of Hurin. Woo! Go reading on the subway!

Cultureblogging, Pt. 2

Yesterday...


COMIC BOOKS:
-Justice, Vol. 1, 2 by Jim Krueger, Alex Ross, and Doug Braithwaite.

BOOKS:
-

The Most Dangerous Game is... APARTMENTS!

I'm not sure if I'll ever really have a handle on how to go about finding an apartment to sublet for the summer, but I'm doing my best, mainly with Craigslist. The truth is, though, I don't even know where to begin... prices vs. square footage vs. neighborhoods, etc. And don't even get me started on what it's going to entail once I've found a place. I saw some guide in New York Magazine that mentioned having all sorts of financial information available and ready to go. Right...

Any advice on the topic would be appreciated. I'm looking at you anonymous commenter; you may be the sole reader I have left after my extended absence.