Do Not Siege Walled Cities - 298

Stark Backgrounds

QUICK CHECK IN BEFORE WE GO HARD

Hope this finds everyone in good repair. Had a fun week of dog beaches. Tasmania is a specifically lovely place and the beaches are top-tier. The one we’ve been visiting is wide and long, colliding on either end with rock outcrops so massive there’s homes built on them.

And when not on a dog beach, I’ve been writing comic books, assembling comic books, pitching comic books, and reading comic books. A pretty great month.

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FAVORITE PANEL IN MY INBOX THIS WEEK

Matteo’s colors are putting panels through a new lens for me. Here’s one from GEHENNA: NAKED AGGRESSION issue 2.

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IN DEFENSE OF GOONERISM

Lately I’ve devoted entirely too much time to a video game. It’s a nightmare of an experience for me because it’s marketed as survival horror but is really just a puzzle game. In Haydee 2 you play an android that needs to leave. That’s it, really. Looks like she’s escaping from a sex doll factory, which seems reasonable enough. But the whole map is one complex interlocking puzzle. A metroidvania that requires specific paths to make it out.

The protagonist is, seemingly, a sex doll as well. Though perhaps I’m judging a book by its cover.

I say the game is a nightmare because I play games for an hour here-and-there, and this one is made for marathons. Because once you lose track of your path or the next area to tackle, you’re left wandering. And boy does that suck.

So I tried. I really did. I put Rush on the Winamp. Let my B.O. dominate the room. And put hours into this ‘gooner game.’

Winamp skin chosen to match the vibe of the game.

But I’m still not outta the woods. WHY WON’T THE GATE BETWEEN FLIGHT CONTROL AND MAINFRAME OPEN UP? I shoulda quit a long time ago. But the novelty really did a strong job of keeping me around. You see, this is a PURE fan service product. The H-cup protagonist’s eyes follow you if you rotate the camera. She can be made to sit with her legs spread, for no play-benefiting purpose. The player can choose her clothes, including a lack thereof. It’s for horny teens.

And then it also isn’t. The game is very well made, even if I hate it. And the vibe is domineering. It’s not an easy game to forget.

And I walked away from this hell with enduring respect. To package your PEDANTIC AS HELL puzzle metroidvania in this jiggle-physics simulator is not just a genius move, but also highly relatable.

I think there’s a lotta confusion around ‘boob books’ and other fan servicey comic books, games, etc. There’s a presumption that the creators are deviants, or at least preternaturally horny. I don’t think it’s anything of the sort.

Artists like to draw women. I know this because GEHENNA is the project of mine that variant cover artists have been most excited and engaged. It’s just a fun thing to engage with, visually. And I’m quite certain readers agree. So within that framework you can deliver any type of story. Regardless of if the boobs are central to the story or merely window-dressing, it’s a hook that signals a willingness to transgress and have a good time. Readers like that.

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WHITE OUT

Speaking of GEHENNA and the female form, I wanted to talk about how a single figure on a white field always works.

I’m withholding issue one cover for the big announcement, but soak in issue 2.

Now, a huge part of me rejects this idea because I grew up with the idea that covers were supposed to represent the story within the specific issue of the comic. But I cannot deny that a white cover grabs attention, particularly for a creator-owned comic without the recognition of SUPERMAN.

PRISON SCHOOL lead the way.

How striking was this the first time you saw it? I was frozen.

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VIDEOS FROM ME

This one about comic books, but really about being a creative person and how that is received by the world.

The latest edition of Tubi Theatre, wherein I ‘review’ Deadly Crush. Ever make love to a ghost? My last video went huge relative to my channel’s age, and I appreciate anyone who watched it. Do the same here.

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MEDIA CONSUMPTION

Red Wind was a bite-sized Chandler story. Felt more like a stage play than a novel. Still a good time. I enjoyed the setting of LA during Santa Ana winds.

As an actress, you’re expected to look beautiful but also maintain some fake simulacra of ‘natural’ beauty if you want to get work. So, get your lips done, but not too done. Boobs? Yeah. But, y’know, tasteful. Oh you went over the line? Whoops. No jobs for you.

So Megan Fox, vocal advocate of beauty maintenance/augmentation, must’ve felt like she hit the jackpot with this film where looking artificial was essential to the plot.

Was the movie good? No. Definitely not. But as far as things my wife makes me watch, at least it was visually engaging.

Unlike this mess.

There was nothing redeemable in this film. I suppose I like the message that even if you could somehow forgive and even co-parent with a man who abused you, being with him is not an option. But, that’s about it. Boring for the eyes. Goofy for the ears.

This next one left me with a lotta thoughts, though not the ones I think it intended.

First, I should note that the limp trigger warning leading off this movie on Amazon Prime also acts as a spoiler. Next, I should say that I liked it. Basically an edgy Black Mirror or Twilight Zone episode, I think that type of digestible nugget of sci-fi always makes for a fun movie. I also appreciated that it WENT for it and didn’t flinch. And it ended with a dark sci-fi/horror twist that felt classic.

‘Tech bros’ are a really feeble villain and so of-the-moment it should be reason enough not to do it. Movies like this will age like the nipponophobia films of the 1980s.

I suspect the only reason this film was able to receive financing is because a woman directed it. The content is ‘too rough’ coming from a man. Or so an executive would tell you. And that’s too bad. The message of this film would hit, or not, regardless of Zoe Kravitz’s sex. And the bits that make you wince would do so regardless. There is no secret magic imbued in the thing because of Kravitz’ womanhood. Annoying to think about, if you’re a creative person. And likely irrelevant to you if you’re not.

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THAT’S IT I GOTTA GO

Substack says I’m reaching my limit. So go work on your shoulders and I’ll see you next week. Do for self.