New Year, New (Old) Resolutions

I’m sure there are many other posts of a similar nature to this one – resolving to blog more frequently and talking about why the previous timeframe was devoid of regular posting – but that doesn’t stop me from doing it as well. One tries to be an innovator, but one can’t help being an imitator.

I obviously don’t have the discipline to write something new everyday (and seeing as I write reviews, they do take up a fair chunk of time), so I aim to try for three regular posts (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) with perhaps something on a weekend if time, events or schedule (such as a themed-week) dictates. I’ll still be keeping with my remit of ‘online journal of my entertainment choices’ but I might try to stretch myself with more ‘opinion pieces’ of current concepts, if only in an effort to help the blog be more topical. I think these are achievable goals; if I can maintain that for several months, I’ll be happy and might start branching out.

As for reasons why I have not been posting – well, that’s just a combination of things, one of the weirdest being that I have been writing things. Let me explain, as I confess to a secret. In trying to overdo things and aim for a week of posts, I would create a draft on a day but not actually post anything, then create a draft on the next day but not post anything, and repeat this until I had finished things then post them all at once, making it look like I’ve been regular. I haven’t done this a lot – once or twice on this site – but it caused my recent downfall when my big plans got too big and then I never got round to finishing things. I will go back and finish those weeks off (for example, I have a Stardust week and a TV catch-up week) but it will feel odd after posting this. I have a lot of things written up, ready for posting, so there will be no shortage of content; it just requires me to be more disciplined.

The second reason is the discovery of a new method for obtaining new entertainments. I have discovered that my library has a reservation process that takes in ALL of the London libraries – this means that I have access to an unbelievable number of comic book compilations that I haven’t tried, and I swamped myself with the amount of books to read (that I have written about but haven’t posted). I was like a child in a sweet shop, and made myself sick with all the books I could get hold of, which lead to reading too much and not writing regularly.

The third reason was the presence of decent television on a regular basis in the autumn schedule – with Heroes (very enjoyable but a big poo-plop of an anti-climax), 30 Rock (very funny), a weekly double-helping of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (which was really good all the way through, no matter what anyone else said – I write about it in one of my TV catch-up posts that I haven’t posted yet: let’s say it’s here and I’ll edit it later on) and my DVD rental company providing me with the third season of Battlestar Galactica (which was also excellent), I was provided with a surfeit of quality entertainment rather than rubbish that I would bitch about.

The final reason was the coming of Super Mario Galaxy. Even though it came out in November, we saved it as a Christmas present and played it practically every day since – it is exquisitely delightful and thoroughly enjoyable, and I find myself laughing at its imagination and swearing at the screen in exquisite agony at repeated failures to finish a level in equal measure. In the build up to this, I played Super Mario Sunshine from the beginning to get in the mood and as a tribute – I’ve never understood why this has been disliked by the hardcore gaming community: I thought the FLUDD was a great addition, expanding the variety of Mario’s moves; the ability to wander around and explore the levels was a delight; and the variety of levels based on ‘real’ concepts (compared with the mind-bending concepts in Super Mario Galaxy) was great.

Anyway, all this added up to making David a bad Clandestine Critic, especially around Christmas. And then Christmas comes along and nobody does anything, and then the New Year comes along and then it’s time to start things afresh, but I don’t want to start on the first of January (that’s a cliché), so I wait until now, a Monday, to try for the new weekly schedule. Just so you feel like I’m including actual content, I’ll talk about the two new things over Christmas.

Firstly, the Christmas Doctor Who – decidedly average. I’m not a big fan of disaster movies, waiting for the various characters to die, so having a Who disaster episode (particularly one that reminds me of the dull but somehow perceived as ‘classic’ The Poseidon Adventure) isn’t going to help. And Kylie, while she has a nice bum, really can’t act very well. And there were no special bits, a line or a joke or a moment, to rescue it.

Secondly, the Extras Christmas special – Andy Millman becomes a total arsehole you have no desire to watch, let alone see redeemed, and this is supposed to be cheery Christmas telly? If I want to be depressed, I’ll watch bloody Eastenders. The final 10 minutes save it from being a complete waste of time, with the anti-celebrity rant and the resolution with Maggie, but it was only the cameos that made it bearable: ‘Fuck off! I’m Clive Owen. That’s mental.’ was worth it alone and Clive Owen deserves an award for saying it.

And so ends the Return To Blogging post. With actual content. Now, let’s see how we do this time …

Buffy Brings Me Back

No, I’m not dead.

I’ve felt like it sometimes, but that’s just work for you.

So, with a mix of serious work overload, fatigue and a few days off for a break, no blogging for some time now. This regular blogging mularkey is tough.

Enough with the angsting, and get with the writing.

Another reason for lack of blogging inclination has been Buffy the Vampire Slayer. With the Season 8 comics from Joss Whedon hitting stores, I rekindled my relationship with my favourite television series. Ever since my best mate introduced me to the series when I visited him in the US, Buffy was show for me – it was funny, smart and filled with genre, and great characters.

I own the first three seasons of the show on DVD. I’m not in the Noxon-produced-hating camp; I just didn’t connect as much with the later seasons. True, there are some excellent episodes in the later seasons (Hush, The Body, Once More With Feeling) but each of the later seasons as a whole didn’t work for me. This started from Season 4, when Buffy became Whiny Buffy (the only reason to watch season 4 is Anya) and didn’t change much for the last seasons. But still I watched. Because it was Buffy.

So, I’ve been reliving the fun Buffy, when it worked on its original principle – high school as horror – which it lost when it moved away from high school. Still, the enjoyable is still enjoyable – the much loved season enders, the double episode of Innocence/Surprise – but there is so much else that can be viewed again and again. Watching it reminded me why it was so fun in the first place, especially an episode like Doppelgangland, a personal favourite, but that could be just me.

Anyway, I hope to be blogging again now that I can only watch Buffy via my DVD rental account, and start talking about recently watched films and comics and books (I just picked up Mike Carey’s The Devil You Know, right before CBR has an interview with him about the release of the novel in the US), so let’s try this ‘regular’ blogging thing again.

Running On Empty

I got nothing today.

I feel bad about it. I didn’t know what to write about. I think it’s because I’m more a reviewer than anything else. I love talking about things I have seen or read; it’s something I’ve always done.

When I was younger, I wanted to be Barry Norman (no relation) doing the Film programme on BBC1. What a great job; being paid to watch films and then talk about them. Fantastic.

Obviously, life didn’t work out like that, hence this blog. And the reason for this post is that I haven’t seen a film or read a comic recently for the purposes of reviewing.

Not that I’m not reading or seeing things. My commute to work means my book reading is going strong. For example, recently I’ve read:

The Thursday Next novels (funny, charming, whimsical, with a great alternate history involving George Formby becoming President of England for life, and a great way with names, such as Schitt-Hawse)

The His Dark Materials trilogy (a wonderful story, mixing fantasy, quantum physics, religion, the concept of growing up, parallel worlds, the personification of souls as personal daemons, among many other things, told in a cracking adventure)

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (a charming tale of magic and history in England in the 1800s, told in a whopping 1000 pages of Victorian-like prose)

Charlie Brooker’s Screen Burn (a compilation of his scathingly funny articles from the Guide section of the Saturday Guardian for the last five years)

Peter Biskind’s Gods and Monsters (a collection of his essays, the early ones being particularly dour politically oriented stuff that was hard to get through)

Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of Comics (a fascinating look at the creation of the comic book industry, with particular emphasis on Superman)

That’s just off the top of my head; I’m probably forgetting a few. However, writing a book review is hard, which is why I’ve never tried it (because I am a coward), so I don’t bother talking about them.

I’ve also been watching films on DVD and tape, but not to a degree to write about them: The Corpse Bride was a slim tale, told well, but not overly engaging; Red River, which took me a long time to get round to seeing, was worthy of its classic status (and I’m amazed that it was Montgomery Clift’s first film); Rabbit Proof Fence, which was worthy and well done, if a little dry; Closer, which was a good, if depressing, film that I never need to see again; The Aristocrats, an interesting look behind the scenes of the comedian, which might had more impact if I was more familiar with some of the American comedians in the film.

In the world of comics, there should be plenty to talk about but I don’t feel connection to the mainstream action of the moment. Contrary to popular opinion, I always found the first Superman film merely watchable, ruined by the bloody annoying and stupid ending, but I don’t revere it the way so many others do, meaning that I am only vaguely interested in Superman Returns. The spoiler ending of Civil War #2 doesn’t really affect me, as the character is one that I have never been emotionally connected to, and it doesn’t feel like it will stick; all the big events that seemed design to get press attention (as this did, in the New York Post) never last, like Superman dying and Batman’s broken back. I don’t know if I’m just getting old or if it is to do with the fact that telling a good story that also happens to be the spine for company wide crossovers, such as Civil War or Infinite Crisis, are mutually exclusive; trying to tell a satisfying narrative that sets up the new status quo for a continuing medium is tricky enough, without it being the event that the company wants it to be.

(Edit: additional note that the BBC is reporting on the Spider-man reveal here. Now I know it's real.)

The recent elevation of the crossover mini-series to major events is a curious thing, as it is trying to be the summer blockbuster but comes off as a sweeps week stunt (the US television spectacle where, as I understand it, guest stars and major events of a series are all thrust into shows in specific months in order to get the highest ratings, as these are the ratings that dictate how much the networks can charge for advertising in their programmes). Heavy promotion in the comics and on the web, hopefully pick up some outside press coverage, boost circulation numbers, create something they think the fans will want, give the comic blogosphere something to post about; it all seems a little wearisome and a bit desperate, even if it does show some effort on the part of the two majors, other than throwing enough shit at the wall and seeing what sticks.

So, this is what I write about when I don’t have anything to write about. If only I could invest this sort of energy in writing things I want to write about …

Pondering your opinions...

I didn’t post yesterday because I was thinking about what I did in asking for people’s opinions and thinking about the comments that were left in response. I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to leave a comment; I really appreciate it and read what you said with interest.

The evening after publishing the post, I started to regret it and even contemplated removing it. It looked like I was being needy and looking for an ego massage and perhaps even a bit pathetic. This wasn’t the intent – I am genuinely interested in what other people reading my stuff think. So, apologies if the message came across a bit crass.

To respond to some of the points: Logan, I had the same feeling about Blogger’s comments system, and tried inputting Haloscan, but my web-fu was weak and I wasn’t happy with the way it looked. I’ve seen that Blogger have changed to try and emulate Haloscan with the comments appearing as a separate pop-up (and I like the fact that you can get people’s blog picture in there, as it’s a nice functionality), but it doesn’t seem to be working on my site yet. I’ve asked Blogger Helpdesk and wait to see what happens; if nothing comes of it, I’ll give Haloscan another go.

Regarding the issue of comics outside of my normal selection, it’s something I’d like to do, but it mainly comes down to money and taste. Money because it’s hard to justify buying something I don’t actively want (I’m not a rich man). Taste because … well, I don’t know if I’m a genre fan (as Paul O’Brien said in his infamous post) or if I don’t have a taste for what might be considered the ‘artier’ aspect of comics, such as Blankets or James Kochalka’s work but, then again, I don’t have much of a taste for the excessively arty in other media, such as cinema or books. I appreciate the offer, though. I do intend to try something different and outside of my normal range, as a way of stretching my reviewing abilities, so we shall see.

Jason, I understand what you are getting at; there is a lot of the formula to my blog and others, so it’s a fully justifiable criticism. Part of this is due to my laziness – the links, solicitations, picks and reviews are easy to do, whereas the individuality of which you speak requires effort. This is something I have a problem with but is something I intend to try and rectify. I have quite a few ideas for, for want of a better word, pieces that I want to try which will involve doing research and writing which will hopefully broaden the range and develop some individuality to the site.

Greg, same as Logan and Jason :)

Mark, I get what you’re saying, although I don’t think I’m looking for notice and recognition (unless it’s a subconscious thing, and I am an attention-seeking whore without realising it). I think I’m trying to accomplish several things with this site, but haven’t succeeded yet :) But what you said has given me food for thought, so thanks.

James, I hope I’m not completely lacking in fun, but I get what you mean. Your '10 Greatest Comic Battles Ever' is an example of the sort of thing I want to do, once I get off my lazy arse and put in the effort. My stuff won’t be as good as yours, obviously, but it has got my brain working in ways it hadn’t regarding this blog, joining bizarre connections and creating new ones, which will hopefully be reflected in the future. I don’t know about letting my hair down – I’ve always had it cut pretty short :)

I used to think that I could write regular posts based on some sort of inspiration creating a frenzy of creativity. This was quite retarded thinking and so I hope to start writing more focussed pieces, which might mean not posting everyday, which I have to realise isn’t the most important thing in the world.

Well, that was an incredibly self-indulgent post, wasn’t it? Bloggers thinking out loud in their blogs – it’s blogsterbation, for goodness sake. To make up for this, I will post a long review of a book I should have got ages ago (once Blogger is working normally again, that is, and allows me to upload images).

Now, I want YOUR opinions...

Having accepted the Blogaround challenge (in this post) and then reading that Evan very kindly said nice things about me in this post, after I emailed & blogged some constructive criticism of his site after he asked for opinion of his site, and saw that he got some good criticism from other kindly comic bloggers, it got me thinking – would it be brazen of me to ask for your opinion of this blog? I primarily post for myself but I also want other people to read my blog, so it would be helpful and interesting to know what people think of the blog and what they would want to read here as well.

So, I WANT YOU AND YOUR OPINIONS – I want your non-clandestine criticisms …

Please feel free to either email or leave a comment with your thoughts, criticisms and suggestions regarding this blog; all will be gratefully accepted. Thank you in advance.

And now, I’m going to tell you what comics I will be buying this week for my own nefarious reasons:

Jack Cross #1
Legion of Super-Heroes #9
Daredevil #76
Queen & Country: Declassified v2 #2

Note that I am not getting Q&C: Declassified v3 because it is not by Mr. Rucka, no offence to Mr. Johnston. This is probably very silly but I’m not a fan of spin-off material done by someone other than the original creator. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been burned by bad experiences (which I have erased from my memory, as I can’t recall any specific examples) or if it’s a rule of thumb supposedly skewing towards a principle. I feel bad because it is Oni but don’t want to go back on my guideline.

I’m looking forward to Jack Cross, as I’m partial to Ellis, spies and violent gun-play, which is covered by this single book – how lucky am I? Daredevil #76 begins Bendis & Maleev’s final arc, so I’m expecting big things; Bendis has been telling some very good stories, so his final tale should be a doozy.

In other stuff, Greg lets you know that you should own Avengers Forever, and he is quite correct. Logan answers my question regarding why he has so many crap DVDs in his collection. And Peter David talks about the new X-Factor book, which is fortunately not called New X-Factor.

Write here, write now

This is going to be a bit nomadic and aimless, with some thoughts and things I want to remember. On with the show and don’t munch on your popcorn too loudly; please be considerate to other patrons.

Anyone else getting lots of Russian spam? I get an inbox full of subject headings containing Cyrillic letters, which is rather cool. A new source of revenue for the Russian mafia?

Over at the Pulse, Ellis talks about NextWave. Now, I’ll admit that I’m Ellis’s man-whore he-bitch, but this does sound kind of interesting. Immonen’s art has an animated series quality to it that is very pleasing to the eye and Warren seems to be going in to this project with his tongue so far in his cheek he’s going to require extensive oral surgery to remove it, so it could be something to watch.

In other comics news, Wizard World Chicago happened this weekend; see this link for a handy index to all the news, where some people go exclusive for other people, yet more comics are announced, and stuff happened, mostly to the reaction of 'Meh'. I'll look forward to Brubaker and Lark on Daredevil, but I might wait for the trade, despite knowing in advance that I will enjoy it. However, via Jog, the bit of bad news out of WWC is that The Intimates is cancelled as of #12 (you have to read to near the end of the article for the one line that mentions it, so I don't feel too stupid for missing it on my first read through). I feel bad now for my comments about The Intimates in my last post. More grist for the mill concerning why I pick up certain comics.

Which brings me to some of my rambly shit. Jog writes (and writes and writes – the individual posts tend towards the long) good posts; they are intelligent and make me feel inadequate and make me wonder why I do this blogging thing.

Now, I’ll try not to get all whiny, so bear with me. There are some excellent comic blogs around that provide different coverage of the wide world of comics: Mike’s experience of working in a comic shop (and his encyclopedic knowledge of comics); Dave’s Long Box for humour; the sharp writing style of Johnny Bacardi; the cynical and witty approach of another comic shop worker at postmodernbarney, to name a few off the top of my head.

So why do I write this blog?

I don’t have an encyclopedic knowledge of the form, I don’t experiment in the more artistic avenues that the medium embraces, and I don’t have the critical powers of some (despite the title of my blog).

I think the main reason, apart from the enjoyment of writing, was to talk about comics (and film and television and whatever) in a forum where like-minded individuals could possibly engage in discussion, as I am particularly shy when it comes to even commenting on people’s posts in Haloscan, which is pretty pathetic, I know.

This is complicated by the Delay Factor – the majority of the comic bloggers are American and get their comics (and film and television) earlier than us Brits, so I miss out on some discussion due to the fast pace of the web and the nature of blogs themselves. When I lived and worked in the US, I felt delighted to be on even footing when it came to comics and films and (some) television programmes – when I returned to the US, I had to take myself off my film buff mailing list because it was depressing seeing them talk about films I wouldn’t be seeing for some time.

Anyway, I was going to ask why other people blog, but I don’t think there are sufficient readers to initiate a discussion (which isn’t a desperate plea for comments, rather an honest assessment of a blog which lost a lot of momentum when it went on hiatus for several months) and is a feeble excuse for not discussing it further myself. I just wanted to see if the act of writing about the concept behind it would crystallize my thoughts. I’m not sure it worked but it was enjoyable doing it nonetheless. For me, it’s not about getting my blog on the links section of other bloggers (although I am happy and proud when I do see it – I’d be talking shit if I didn’t) or getting lots of hits on the site meter, although it’s nice to know that people are reading this blog. I want to write because I love comics and film and television and comedy and want to see those thoughts published and hopefully get better about writing about them. We’ll take it from there after that.

That’s the rambly shit finished, btw. I have some ideas for specific topics that I will blog about, so look forward to genuine, possibly original, content in the next few days.