So, if you read my Marvel recap, you remember that I had certain issues with 'Captain Marvel'. Said issues largely amount to 'It's an incredibly stupid film with a hateful protagonist'. Naturally, as with Black Panther, I thought about how I might have tackled the character, and the results are presented below (fair warning, this … Continue reading How I Would Have Written ‘Captain Marvel’
Writing
A Disappointing Ending
I finished Cowboy Bebop this weekend, and, I have to say, I was really disappointed by the ending. I won't say what happens, except that's it's ambiguous and the writer has explicitly said that he wants people to make their own minds about it. Well, I can do that. In fact, I might end up … Continue reading A Disappointing Ending
Compare – Contrast: ‘Street Fighter’ vs. ‘Mortal Kombat’
The two biggest fighting game franchises of their time (and ours) were adapted into feature films one after another: first Street Fighter in 1994, then Mortal Kombat in 1995. The question is, why did one work and the other didn’t? The Structure: The first and, I think, the most important factor is how the two … Continue reading Compare – Contrast: ‘Street Fighter’ vs. ‘Mortal Kombat’
Friday Flotsam – Mostly on Superman
1. Been adjusting lately to various life developments (yeah, I'm gonna go with that), which means I haven't quite worked out how to fit blogging into the picture. I intend to blog more regularly going forward, but so far I haven't worked out how. 2. Working on a post summarizing how I think Zack Synder … Continue reading Friday Flotsam – Mostly on Superman
Repost: Heroes, Dark Heroes, and Antiheroes
Found this excellent post through a friend's blog, and I highly recommend it for an insightful summary of the progress of the past hundred years or so in storytelling. The key point, it seems to me, is this: There’s a reason humans innately love morally upright characters, and it’s because storytelling was originally a vehicle … Continue reading Repost: Heroes, Dark Heroes, and Antiheroes
Some Thoughts on ‘Silver Spoon’
I have recently begun to seriously explore the wonderful world of anime and manga. And one of my favorites so far has been Silver Spoon, which I am currently in the process of reading after having finished the anime (which, unfortunately, only covers about the first half to two-thirds … Continue reading Some Thoughts on ‘Silver Spoon’
The Nuances of How Superpowered Characters Are Received at Home
The irreplaceable Caroline Furlong has another insightful essay in her series on writing superpowered characters; this one is on how they should be viewed in their own world. In it, she hits several points of nuance that the vast majority of modern writers (especially those working in Hollywood or in the comics industry) seem incapable … Continue reading The Nuances of How Superpowered Characters Are Received at Home
Do the Powers Make the Hero?
The Irreplaceable Caroline Furlong writes an excellent piece about whether the superhuman powers of a hero is what makes him a hero worth rooting for, or not: Due to the numerous ways extraordinary faculties can be introduced into a tale, there are several conditions that an author must consider when creating powered protagonists. In today’s … Continue reading Do the Powers Make the Hero?
On Moral Ambiguity
"There are precious few at ease / with moral ambiguities / so we act as though they don't exist." That's a lyric from the show Wicked, in which the Wizard - here portrayed as wholly a bad guy, rather than an ultimately harmless 'humbug' - sings about why he deceived the ignorant and superstitious people of Oz. I … Continue reading On Moral Ambiguity
Nanowrimo Sample
Nanowrimo is in full swing and I'm actually on a path to completing it this year! I thought I might share the first chapter that I've come up with, just to see what people think. Keep in mind that, as a first draft written more for speed than precision, anything or everything in it is … Continue reading Nanowrimo Sample
Serpent's Den 