So apparently I got tagged by Calvin a couple of days ago without realizing it. Better late than never, right? Right! So, let's get to it, shall we?
- I have to post these rules before I start.
- I have to tell you eight facts about myself.
- I have to tag eight people to participate.
- I'm supposed to leave a comment telling them they're tagged and to read my blog.
- And the tagees need to write their own blog post, telling us eight things and posting the rules.
Hm, let's see what we can think of here...
1. Despite the fact that I consider myself something of a film/pop culture "buff," there are plenty of classic films that I've never seen. The Godfather, Schindler's List, Citizen Kane, Apocalypse Now...none of em. I get most of the "hep" references from said films, but I'm still ashamed to admit that I've never seen these American classics. Meanwhile, I have copies of Elektra and Hulk in my DVD collection...think what you will.
2. Speaking of DVDs, over half of the DVDs in my collection are box sets of some of my favorite TV shows. Of the actual films that I own, at least a quarter of those are box set collections as well.
3. I once wrote that Buffy the Vampire Slayer was what introduced me to the wonderful world of serialized storytelling, but looking back, that's not really true. In reality, it was K.A. Applegate's Animorphs series. Despite an "8-12" age label, the series explored themes like war, combat, and dehumanization in a way that I'd never experienced at the time. I still foster a great love for the books, and all sixty (fifty-two reglar novels, four deluxe editions, and four backstory novels) still sit on my bookshelf today. I'm very seriously considering picking them up again after all this time.
4. Despite my appreciation for the characters, I absolutely cannot read Fantastic Four from the Lee/Kirby era without becoming bored at best and appalled at the ridiculousness at worst. However, I can read Silver Age Superman stories and enjoy the hell out of 'em. What's up with that?
5. I'm extremely interested in what some might call "alternative" religion. I'm very into researching the theology of certain faiths, important events in their history, and the lives of their leaders. One of my favorite religions to research to date has been the Latter-Day Saints (aka Mormons). Don't ask me why they stick out to me, but they do.
6. I own copies of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Lord of the Rings that I've never bothered to read.
7. The first comic book I ever read was an issue of the Archie Comics Sonic the Hedgehog series. For years, it was the only book that I read. To this day, I still have an enormous run of at least 100 issues, as well as most of the 32-issue run of its spin-off, Knuckles the Echidna.
8. At times I can have notoriously low self-esteem. When put in a position with another whom I see as my better in some way, I can't help but feel useless in their presence. This has, at times, affected my writing - I often feel that whatever I have to offer has probably already been more succinctly stated by another, more intelligent person.
So, according to the rules, I have to tag eight people. Lesse...how's about Tom, Sally, Steven, Spencer, Jon, aaaand...Engblom.*
Let the games begin!
-M
*I originally DID have eight, but alas, I discovered that two of my tagees had already done this little excersize. Oh well.
Some thoughts on Injustice
8 hours ago
7 comments:
My son has read some of the recent Sonic Comics and I find they contain a lot of storytelling elements I enjoyed in Bronze Age Marvel Comics.
Who knew?
Re: #3: I'm a huge fan of the Animorphs series (bordering on obsession, at times). The books were largely excellent, and the ones which tended to be on the lower quality side (as I've come to find out) were the ghostwritten ones. I've always been fascinated by the "kids with superpowers" stories, and Animorphs outshines most in that regard.
#4: Sometimes, Stan can just be so dense. It takes me a long time to read most Silver Age Marvel Comics, mainly because Stan Lee crams so much verbiage into each issue. Bu the time he was doing Spider-Man, I think he'd hit a sweet spot, but I've noticed that a lot of the early Fantastic Four (and Avengers, for that matter) is overly verbose and under-characterized.
Incidentally, I was the only person in the theater to laugh at Johnny's "What, do you have a problem with capitalism?" line to Sue in FF2 last night. I'm one of the few who went in knowing that one of Sue's earliest lines was urging the flight so they could beat the Commies.
#5: Speaking as a former sorta-Mormon (RLDS was kind of the Episcopalian to Mormonism's Catholic), it might have to do with the US-centeredness and unabashed goofiness of Mormonism. Not only is there a lot of well-documented information about the founder (and his history as a con-artist), but it's all set so close to home.
#7: I started out reading Sonic, but it's really become more my brother's thing. I've long since given him my issues (the first three or four), and he has a near-complete collection, which he's been following since we were kids.
Re: #3: I'm a huge fan of the Animorphs series (bordering on obsession, at times). The books were largely excellent, and the ones which tended to be on the lower quality side (as I've come to find out) were the ghostwritten ones. I've always been fascinated by the "kids with superpowers" stories, and Animorphs outshines most in that regard.
I think my favorite books in the series were #20-22, the "David trilogy" - when some kid learns their secret and they're forced to make him an Animorph, and the chaos that follows. Those, to me, were prime examples of the amount of maturity Applegate was able to inject into "kiddie" books. The ending to #21 (in which Jake is left for dead after a battle with David) kept me on pins and needles the whole month I waited for #22 to come out.
I recently heard that Applegate is interested in doing another book or two to wrap up the (intentional) cliffhanger the series ended on. I'm not sure how accurate that is or how I'd feel about it if it were, but if it should ever come to pass I can guarantee I'd be lined up outside my local Borders the day #55 was released.
-M
Ah, I've been tagged!
I've never seen Citizen Kane either. Hell, I've never seen all of Gone with the Wind! I can however, quote all of Dr. Suess's Green Eggs and Ham from memory.
Some good stuff, Matt.
That is damn funny, since I haven't seen Schlindler's List either. (I'm the wrong age to have seen it in school, which is where most people probably catch it.)
Citizen Kane...haven't seen it in years, but I've been thinking about it again, since the AFI made it number one. Kind of sad I'm more familar with Orson Welle's work on Transformers: The Movie.
As a person who only watched Citizen Kane for the first time a few years ago, I've got to say that though it's obviously a very good movie, it's hard to watch it today and understand how amazing it must have been upon release. Since most of the advances it made in terms of movie-making have been stock-in-trade of Hollywood for so long now. That, and the fact that the Simpsons has practically parodies every. single. scene at one point or another. Seriously, if you've watched a fair amount of the Simpsons, you'll start shouting out the episodes about half-way through.
I think I might be able to appreciate Citizen Kane more now, because a couple of semesters ago my film history class viewed RKO 281, which focused on Welles and his battle to get the film into theatres. Without that, I doubt I could appreciate the massive milestone that Citizen Kane represents for filmmaking.
-M
Post a Comment