Saturday, August 2, 2014
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
There is no Marvel and DC
In so much jibba-jabba about going American superheroes going digital, one repeatedly sees the names Marvel and DC. Marvel should do this, DC should do that, that sort of thing. Everyone seems to just forget that these comic publishers are subsidiaries of subsidiaries. Marvel is wholly owned by The Walt Disney Company and DC by Time Warner.
Those companies could shut down their comic subsidiaries today and not give a shit. Nuh uh, you say, what about da movies? I didn't say anything about the movies, I said comics. Disney and Time Warner's interests in Marvel and DC lie in their intellectual properties, i.e. the ideas of Batman or The Avengers. With revenues in the billions, they don't give Fin Fang Foom's shit about the pathetic sub 100,000 in sales that the vast majority of comics do.
So, as people discuss price points and print costs and blah blah, the reality of the situation is most likely that Time Warner and Disney could put out all these DC and Marvel monthlies for free, with or without ad support and, again to belabor the fecal, not give a shit.
Those companies could shut down their comic subsidiaries today and not give a shit. Nuh uh, you say, what about da movies? I didn't say anything about the movies, I said comics. Disney and Time Warner's interests in Marvel and DC lie in their intellectual properties, i.e. the ideas of Batman or The Avengers. With revenues in the billions, they don't give Fin Fang Foom's shit about the pathetic sub 100,000 in sales that the vast majority of comics do.
So, as people discuss price points and print costs and blah blah, the reality of the situation is most likely that Time Warner and Disney could put out all these DC and Marvel monthlies for free, with or without ad support and, again to belabor the fecal, not give a shit.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
FUCK AND SHIT!
SATOSHI KON DEAD AT 46! ONE OF THE BEST DIRECTORS IN ANY MEDIUM ALIVE TODAY NOW NO LONGER ALIVE! CAPS ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY NECESSARY!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Breaking News
A bill has been introduced in the United States Congress proposing a Constitutional Amendment banning the usage of sampling in popular music. More as the story develops.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Hyphen Heroes
A mini treatise on hyphenation and super-heroes.
The first thing to say about hyphens and super-heroes is that super-heroes is actually a trademarked term. Marvel Comics and Detective Comics Comics (not my error or 'sic' if you prefer) had made so many claims on variations of this term that the companies ended up sharing a trademark of "super-heroes." You can say your character is a superhero, but you better be working for the Old Two if you want that hyphen. While their claim is apparently legally disputed, what they really should have tried to claim is the hyphen itself. No medium has hyphen history like American comics.
It is usually forgotten or ignored, but many super-heroes (trademark) have hyphenated names. Anybody who's "something-man" should be hyphenated. It's not Spiderman or Batman, it's Spider-Man and Bat-Man, though the Bat's name looks better without the hyphen, pretty much, so it doesn't show up much. Spidey's should always be used, though. Even new characters like Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl show love for the hyphen. However, some characters have never partaken of the hyphen. It's never been Super-Man or Wonder-Woman. Iron-Man, no, save misprints, but Ant-Man, yes.
Despite this silly article, hyphens are serious business. Even a war was waged over them. So think twice, or once, at least, when fusing words that should not be fused, or you are a contributor to the destruction of language and therefore guilty of crimes against humanity. Just an FYI.
The first thing to say about hyphens and super-heroes is that super-heroes is actually a trademarked term. Marvel Comics and Detective Comics Comics (not my error or 'sic' if you prefer) had made so many claims on variations of this term that the companies ended up sharing a trademark of "super-heroes." You can say your character is a superhero, but you better be working for the Old Two if you want that hyphen. While their claim is apparently legally disputed, what they really should have tried to claim is the hyphen itself. No medium has hyphen history like American comics.
It is usually forgotten or ignored, but many super-heroes (trademark) have hyphenated names. Anybody who's "something-man" should be hyphenated. It's not Spiderman or Batman, it's Spider-Man and Bat-Man, though the Bat's name looks better without the hyphen, pretty much, so it doesn't show up much. Spidey's should always be used, though. Even new characters like Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl show love for the hyphen. However, some characters have never partaken of the hyphen. It's never been Super-Man or Wonder-Woman. Iron-Man, no, save misprints, but Ant-Man, yes.
Despite this silly article, hyphens are serious business. Even a war was waged over them. So think twice, or once, at least, when fusing words that should not be fused, or you are a contributor to the destruction of language and therefore guilty of crimes against humanity. Just an FYI.
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