'Nuff Said: American Graphic Media

There is some bad buzz around Pacific Rim on the web. I suspect the possibility of a giant robot movie being awesome is too much for some people.  The internet is full of dark corners, but until we see the movie we won't know the box office.  What we can tell right now is that Idris Elba is doing his part to make the movie a success. A standout performer, Elba has made a name for himself in countless productions .  He achieve wide recognition for his turn on the big screen in films such as Thor and on the small screen in the BBC's Luther . Of course, the open question about actors of color in any film is whether not they will help or hurt the box office.  Will Smith recent disappointment with After Earth opens the door for this conversation. His lack of success sparks the question who will be the next "bankable" star of color. There can be only one! See what I did there:-)  These sentiments reflect a Hollywood centric approach that ignores Nolly...

I can't understand why this didn't happen sooner.

E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) 2013 is the showcase event for the videogame industry.  I situate videogame within the sphere of the comic narrative, indeed I have long defined comic broadly, writing  and thinking about comics and related media as a way to acknowledge the cultural fusion inherent to our contemporary experience.   Since 2011, I have used two phrases to try to identify and clarify the process linked to comics.  My assertion is that comic books are an urban topic, thus I see comics narratives as spaces where actual events and imagine circumstances linked to urban life come together in a fictive, yet evolving narrative.  This cross narrative urban bleed draws from multiple socioeconomic and culture sources to create a kaleidoscopic point -- a space to process and reprocess societal ideas about urban life. Intrinsic to kaleidoscopic point is the assumption of the malleability in the modern urban experience. This idea of constant c...

Rational Crank: The Late Night Snack - 018 :   Is Iron Man a Humanist? Who does the Joker Pray to? Are the Wonder Twins members of the Church of Latter Day Saints? In this episode ...

  Batman is an enduring franchise.  The iconic nature of character intersects with problem associated with urban life and culture.  The success of the Christopher Nolan's trilogy has been matched by Batman: Arkham City video game developed by Rocksteady Studios .  Since 2008, the Arkham games have given players the chance to live the gritty Batman existence. The Rocksteady franchise has stylized versions of iconic characters, but the game play is engrossing.   The success of the Arkham City series standout in a game landscape full of failed tie-in games and lackluster original content.  The key to Rocksteady's success is that the developers recognizes the core ideas behind the source material and caters to a highly specialize customer's expectation. The Arkham City series routinely calls into questions perceptions linked identity, gender, and community. As has been noted in The Video Game Theory Reader (2003), the relations...

Star Trek Into Darkness seems well on its way to box office success. I'm not surprise. Since J.J. Abrams took over the franchise reigns, he and his collaborators ( Damon Lindelof ,  Roberto Orci and Alex Klurtzman ) have deftly managed to stop the franchise's decline. Of course, as is the way of modern media, a comic book series continuing the movie universe continuity has been a big success .   Like many film and tv series, Star Trek has used an ongoing comic to "continue the story" for diehard fans.  Arguably more engaging than other efforts, the producers of the film are using the comic book series to retell classic stories.  Indeed, any fan of the comic series already read " Where No Man Has Gone Before ," the Gary Mitchell centric storyline that was focus of speculation as the inspiration for Star Trek Into Darkness.  The producers are using the comic book to keep interest high among diehard fans, rewarding them with insight to the new ...