Groonkly Bit: A Story is a Story is a Tale is a Yarn


Also CNN and news media in general … if you’re going to write a story titled “Biff! Bam! Kapow! Comics aren’t just for kids anymore!” please rename it to “Patronizing Thoughts On A Medium I Only Know Stereotypes About Which I Happened To Acquire Decades Ago”.
—Ryan North, The Rant for November 13 2008.

Jorge F. Muñoz got me thinking on the Animation Age Ghetto again.



The Best/Worst Overload to Keep You Busy


The year’s nowhere near over but the best/worst lists are piling up like week old laundry. I don’t have anything against such year end reviews. I just never made the time to see/watch/read/do all the things discussed on said lists. Any reviews I make would be damn incomplete. So I’ll rely on others to do my dirty work.* Then judge them appropriately when I find their results wrong.

Heh.

Entertainment Weekly’s Best & Worst of 2008
It’s surprising how a crap magazine can get a few things right once in a while.

himym-indyshoot

I’m tempted to pick up EW tomorrow for the HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER photoshoot. The entire cast acts out random moments in 2008. If the show were as cool as the cast seems to be, I’d still be watching HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER.

Pitchfork Media put forth two bits of bests so far. For those who don’t know, they’re the Indie Rock Pete of the online music media game. Bursting forth from the ashes of what Rolling Stone used to be, maybe 20 years ago, I look forward to running through their tracks to discover something new and majestic and not found easily on mainstream radio.



Goku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei's OP Part the Second Blasts Your Soul


Being amazed, and slightly disturbed, by the GSZS first opening sequence was not enough for SHAFT.

Part two of Goku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei OVA series has arrived to strip your brains of all fears and hate. Then it will tease your desires with grand dollops of meta-potty humor. Above you see the new OP(that’s opening to non-anime watchers) for this direct to DVD version of the series.



SNOWBLOOD: Within Those Slopes Lay Frozen Danger


Marek Berger, whoever you are, I must say that you amused the piss out of me this fine, cold morning. SNOWBLOOD looks to be a 2nd semester film in a study of classical animation. A short bit of goodness that was found after viewing Punkybird use her mad skills drawing up Octopus Pie in super time lapse.

What is SNOWBLOOD? I’d rather let you discover that on your own. Let’s just say there’s something dangerous on those slopes. If you’re not prepared, you could meet a horrible, frosty end.

Also, the hero is totally based on my shredding adventures.* Only I’d look like shit in dreds. Artistic license, you know.

I highly recommend watching this in high quality widescreen over on the You Tube. Its worth the extra click. Yes, one could hack the you tube embed to play high quality but it is late/early. Getting into code, no matter how simple, does not appeal at this hour.



Welcome to DragonCon! Hope I Survive the Experience


The Internet told me to do it.

Gone to let Dragon Con 06 eat me raw and spit me out. I’ll meet geek celebrities and be glad of it. I’ll meet the light and dark sides of geek culture and, hopefully, survive it.

Futurephone reports are a definite.

As I don’t know about my access to internetivity the next four days, I most likely won’t be back on until late Monday or Tuesday.

I was sent these clever instructions from DragonCon vets.

dragonhead.gif Take an open mind and a sense of awe and enthusiasm.

Keep your eyes open and looking around, you never know what you will see.

There are (at least) 2 classes of people at Con. The day people and the night people.

Make sure and spend some quality time in the Art Show, Dealer Room, and the Walk of Fame.

The Masquerade is not to be missed, it is the highlight of the weekend.

Bring a camera with plenty of film (or a big memory stick), and backup batteries, keep it handy.

Have snacks on hand, you never know when you will have accidentally missed the window on open restaurants or just not have time to stop for a real meal.

The longest lines are at Wendy’s, consider eating at odd times.

Don’t spend all of your money in the first 10 minutes in the dealers room. I say this because I have seen it happen more than once.

When you have some down time, coordinate your schedule with your friends and figure out which tracts you want to see and when you want to take out time for the sideshows.

Learn the back way around the main hotel and between the hotels.

There is a stairwell near Con Registration that is never busy.

There is a stairwell by ConSuite (2nd floor) behind the big plastic Italian guy by the pool.

There are indoor elevated walkways between the main 2 hotels and the mall food court.

Take some cough drops and tylenol. I have gotten some level of cold in ~3/8 years I’ve gone to Con.

The Anime room is a good place to burn some time.

(compliments of Nathan H. and Dunc!)

Great Maker, What have I gotten myself into?