Digital Graphic Novels: Comics Evolved

It seems like every time I walk past the comic or magazine area of a grocery store, book store, or games shop there's a new super hero or comic on display that looks just as indecipherable as anything else that would be hanging on a local comic book shop. Typically a muscular man or woman flying into the air, legs together, hands gripped into fists, glowing with some generic "super power", some unoriginal icon type logo on their chest and/or ammo belts, and the same old stipulations as to what their power is, how they got it, what their weakness is, and why they are doing what they're doing. WASH - RINSE - REPEAT.

Who are they making these comic books for? Kids, teens, and semi-adults seeking episodic, graphic-oriented alternatives to books? It sure doesn't seem that way. In fact, it seems more like these comics are being made for the creators themselves, and for all of the aging, old, comic fanatics of yesteryear that have yet to move onto a new medium. The potential for profit by aiming these comics at the YOUNGER audience is huge, but they insist on ignoring it, and continuing to poop out the same crap over and over onto tons of wasted tree slices(paper) for a buck-fifty.

This is ridonkulous.

Where's the innovation? Where are the new ideas? The modern takes on old ideas? No? No future settings? Dark themes? Sci-fi adventures? No. Still the same old flying super heroes with generic powers and forgettable names. The same old dying comic book heroes that either don't seem to die or have passed their costume down to a younger, and even more forgettable, heir to the task of being (something stupendous)man!

There is an audience out there that seeks change. That seeks dark themes, sci-fi action, undead and horror based creativity, and all out craziness that the fogey comic book industry doesn't seem to "get". Why do they keep ignoring this calling? Is it because they can't write this sort of stuff, can't get their heads around it, or could it be because the medium itself, the $1.50 comic book, has outlived itself?

Artists have been creating and releasing digital, computer-based, graphic novels on something called the "internet" for years. Quickly laying out story boards, rendering art in photoshop, and releasing on their websites without any risk of publishing or financial woes. This gives them immense freedom. No need to fit the "episode" of their story into X amount of pages, or be worth X amount of dollars. They can span their offerings across multiple pages, archive each of the releases, or even release "bites" of their story on a day by day basis if they choose.

The genres and art styles of these online gems have a huge range such as sci-fi, horror, romance, cartoon, kids, teen drama, action, and even small bits of college humor. This not only ensures a great selection, but allows them to be easily access by this miracle known as the "internet". Sure, some will go to certain lengths to provide sign-up/login functionality and charge for their releases, but for every one of those you find on the net, there are 10 other artists that release for free. Besides, many of these pay sites offer higher quality images, longer stories, and occasionally extras to accompany the novel such as music downloads. You get what you pay for.

There will be a day when comic books dry up and have been over run by the unstoppable juggernaut that is the web. There will also be a time when the little tikes of today are tomorrow's artists and dreamers. So let us immerse them in the wonderful world of digital graphic novels as an alternative to comics or kiddie magazines. Even nickelodeon and many of the crap shows on cartoon network(daytime) should be replaced with this new medium as often as possible.

So, what is the point of my whole rambling? Comic books will eventually be as dead as their ideas currently are. The new future of artistic creativity in the graphic novel realm is online distribution- much like everything else. It offers superior quality, creativity, selection, and overall benefit to the readers. If you want to support comic books, and remain firm on your love for them, then that's fine. But it is definitely certain that paper-based comic books will eventually be phased out and replaced by online methods, and the more people that make the jump to online the better. One day you won't even be able to read the latest Spiderman without going online to the Marvel website and signing up.

So what's it gonna be? Killing trees for a $1.50 worth of ink and paper or going online and future-proofing your mind?

PS3 <3

Thursday, January 18, 2007, I bought a PS3. I couldn't take it any longer. Dreaming of having one sitting under my tv and enjoying all of it's splendors eventually ate away at me. I succumbed to the desire for fantastical HD entertainment. Am I ashamed though? Certainly not.

I have a PS3. Wow. I can finally say that. It makes me feel so warm and jiggle-boocious inside that I would like to share with you dear readers my journey from opening the box to turning it on. It was super neato!

Time to make way for the new guy. That means the cable box has to step down....

There he is. Sparkles, my PS3.

There was a small puncture in the box, but no harm done.

Yes. That is of course the wonderful 60gb label to the left.

Well packaged and smelling of fresh electronics.(I believe I have a fetish for this)

Contents: Manuals, SIXAXIS, ethernet cable, AV cable, AC cable, and USB cable for controller.
(Unfortunately no Talladega Nights Blu-Ray movie was included.)

If this was a child birth this would probably be the part where I remove placenta, cut the cord and spank it's ass!

Can't get enough of that fresh smell...

I have no shame whatsoever.

Too shiny to use the flash...


The front panel with USB and card slots + back panel with I/O ports.

I win.

As you can see it's a dust magnet, but only visible in photos with flash. No fingerprints or dust is visible with the naked eye normally, unless around extreme lighting.

At first I thought it was too wide to fit with the cable box but they do, in fact, both fit. The only problem is that if both are plugged into the power strip my tv freaks out- regardless of weather or not the PS3 and/or cable box are powered on. Guess I have to unplug cable box to play PS3, but why waste energy?

I was able to connect my PS2's Component cables to the PS3, and everything else was a snap.

EXTREMELY light weight. I love the new triggers though, as well as the wireless range. The analog sticks also have a much better "dead zone" so it's easier to play shooters.

I have a PS3. Yes, yes I do.

Let's pick up the controller and power it up shall we?

Tater eagerly anticipates what will happen as Gizmo hides in fear.

OH......MY.......CRAB-APPLES....

I turned it on, named my PS3 "Sparkles"(required to name it), created my login, synchronized my controller, configured my settings, and enjoyed fantastical HD goodness until nearly 11pm last night. I tried to go through as many features as possible and test out as much stuff before bedtime, so let's go over what I did so you can see what all the PS3 actually does before deciding you would like one too:

• Setup my net connection via the PS3's Wifi - super easy!
• Registered my online username "OrganicShadow".
• Selected an avatar and added my buddies from PS3Forums.com
  
• Set my PS3's display size to 720p. Other options were 480i/480p/720p/1080i/1080p.
• Inserted Jamie's new "OK GO" cd and imported album info before ripping to the hard drive.
• Listened to the "OK GO" songs in it's own folder placed under "music".
• Listened to music and watched the crazy visualization while eating with Jamie.
• Went to the PlayStation Store and downloaded GripShift, BlastFactor, and Resistance demos.
• Also downloaded the trailer for the game Warhawk as well as the movie 300.
• Played the HD trailers I downloaded and created 15-second preview icons for them.
• Connected Jamie's camera to the PS3 and imported the photos.
• Viewed the photos in a slideshow with various awesome display modes.
• Got the PS3 to play music from the music folder in the background during slideshow. This will be a really cool thing to have going on in the background during get-togethers.
• Connected my PS2's EyeToy and Logitech USB Headset and tested them in the system settings: both worked flawlessly.
• Tried to import an .avi video file from Jamie's camera to the PS3 but it did not detect it. No worries, will try again today with a USB drive, and possibly with different formats.
• Played the GripShift demo: 7/10 rating with a few levels. Good for when im bored.
• Played the BlastFactor demo: 8.5/10 rating, but only 3 levels. I NEED MORE!!!
• Played the Resistance: Fall of Man demo: absolutely kicked my ass....9.5/10 rating. This game is the utmost reason to buy a PS3. The screenshots and videos online don't do this game's graphics and smoothness any justice at all. Please find someone with a PS3, go to their house, and pleasure your mind with this wonderful treat.
• Turned it off and went to bed.

Cannot wait to go back home and try to beat the R:FOM demo! I also want to try importing stuff from my USB drive as well as ripping some more CD's. I think that Resistance will be my first game, followed my Full Auto 2 and then Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. I also would like to get an HDMI cable because the bottom of the screen is a bit cut off for some reason, and the digital connection may help fix this issue. An extra SIXAXIS is also needed, as I would really like some friends to come over and play with me split screen.

I am so insanely excited about being a new PS3 owner, and I don't even have any games yet! Keep watching this space and continue to watch as my new "lifestyle" progresses.

Thank you for reading my PS3 day post!

Game Manual Typos and You

There MUST be some fussy employee at every video game company that insists that he wants a part in the development of each and every project. He/she doesn't have a degree, he/she doesn't have any development skills, and he/she certainly has a job that nobody else wants to do, thus putting those in charge in a pickle: they must let this person "participate" in making their game.

*sigh*

What could we allow this person to do? Certainly not help with asset creation and/or management, seeing as it is one of the biggest parts of creating games. Nor should they direct any art, do any storyboarding, write any dialogs, engineer sound effects and music, or provide any vocal talent. What will he/she do?

Throw together the game manual text.

Although the art, layout, and instructions for the manual have already been created, it should be but a simple task of organizing these in the order that the table of contents specifies, and hitting the ctrl + s on the Quark document, right?

Wrong. Apparently.

Throughout my video gaming days growing up from a wee NES player to a near PS3-owner, I can say that I have seen a hefty share of typos, mistakes, and out right negligence in a variety of game manuals from different companies and publishers. Why does this happen? Who lets these people take care of these jobs? Does anyone proof them? Guess not.

Some may argue that nobody reads the manuals, or most people can figure out how to play based on the first level of a game where the tutorial is, or even picking it up from a friend who already owns the game. But it still stands that the manuals are there, and they are being read by someone, and they are apart of the publishers' budgets. I read them. And if I hadn't have used my good ole' context clues skills I acquired from grade school then I would have been in quite the sticky situation in Digital Devil Saga, where I am supposed to know which part of the hud is my health, and which part is my Macca(money).

Thankfully underneath this part of the manual it indicated where my MP bar is located, and I put 2 and 2 together to create the number of the beast. Are others out there this smart? Seeing as some people even find button-mashers too complicated and difficult I see no reason why there are people out there vulnerable to blunders like these.

[piratevoice]So it be a lesson to all you gamers out there! Be lookin' out fer them typos and mistakes in the game manuals, and be writin' them publishers letters about 'em![/piratevoice]