Scans Daily Friending Meme!

[schmevil]

To participate, C&P the below questionnaire and post your answers as a comment to this post. SD members will decide your friendship compatibility, based on your responses. So make them good.

All questions are optional!

<strong>Name:</strong> <strong>Blog/Journal/Site:</strong> <strong>Other places we can find you:</strong> <strong>Location/Country of Origin:</strong> <strong>Age:</strong> <strong>Occupation:</strong> <strong>Favourite Writer:</strong> <strong>Favourite Artist:</strong> <strong>Favourite Character:</strong> <strong>Desert Island Top Ten Comics (series/issues):</strong> <strong>All time favourite panel/page/scene (scans encouraged):</strong> <strong>How do you feel about Rob Liefeld?</strong> <strong>What's your stance on bees?</strong> <strong>Other fandoms:</strong> <strong>Fannish activities:</strong> <strong>Political Leaning:</strong> <strong>Favourite Sports Team/Player:</strong> <strong>Favourite Performer:</strong> <strong>Favourite Writer (fiction/non fiction):</strong> <strong>Someone You Admire:</strong> <strong>What else are you into?</strong> <strong>What's one awesome thing you did this year?</strong>

Comments

[thehefner]

I have such a love/hate with these things, mainly because I find it so hard to think of favorite anythings on the spot. It takes me several hours to fill them out.

Name: John Hefner (And I don't care WHO knows it!)
Blog/Journal/Site: thehefner.livejournal.com/www.thehefner.com
Other places we can find you: The only other place I actively comment at on occasion is the AV Club,
Location/Country of Origin: Cabin John, Maryland, USA
Age: 26
Occupation: Performance storyteller

Favourite Writers: Alan Moore, Keith Giffen, JM DeMatteis, Paul Dini, Ed Brubaker, Andrew Helfer, John Ostrander

Favourite Artists: David Mazzucchelli, JH Williams III, Jim Aparo, Jose Luiz Garcia Lopez, Will Eisner, Darwyn Cooke

Favourite Characters: Harvey Dent, Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, Dr. Otto Octavius, Dr. Victor Von Doom, Jervis Tetch (DCAU)

Desert Island Top Ten Comics (series/issues): In no particular order:
1.) BATMAN: YEAR ONE
2.) DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN
3.) STARMAN
4.) BATMAN ANNUAL # 14: "Eye of the Beholder"
5.) WATCHMEN
6.) Batman: "Night of the Stalker!"
7.) TEEN TITANS SPOTLIGHT # 13: Cyborg vs. Two-Face
8.) Ennis' PUNISHER MAX
9.) JLA/AVENGERS
10.) THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SCROOGE MCDUCK


All time favourite panel/page/scene (scans encouraged): that JLI sequence from MARTIAN MANHUNTER. You know the one. "Hurry hurry! Faster faster faster! He's gaining!" "COO-KIE!" THOOM! KRAASHH! drip drip drip. *sploot!*

How do you feel about Rob Liefeld? I hate his art, but by all accounts he's a terribly nice fellow. Between that and the fact that there already are other people who hate him, I don't mind him so much. Unless, of course, he becomes super-hot again and we have to see his art dominating the comic stands.
What's your stance on bees? Nuh... no not the BEES... NOT THE BEEEEES! AAAARUUGHHABLUHABLUH THEY'RE IN MY EYES, THEY'RE IN MY EYES ARRGHUBLUH BLUH *ptoo* *ptoo*

(Alternate answer: I love them. How can I not? They barf honey! If I could barf honey, I'd be set for life!)

Other fandoms: Venture Bros
Fannish activities: Writing an Harvey Dent novel, seriously considering starting a whole blog dedicated to all things Two-Face

Political Leaning: Liberal
Favourite Sports Team/Player: What is this... "sports"... of which you speak? Is it some form of LARPing?
Favourite Performers: Daniel Day-Lewis, Christopher Titus, some people you probably don't know unless you go to Fringe Festivals
Favourite Writer (fiction/non fiction): Dostoevsky, Stephen King

What else are you into? Performing on stage--particularly at Fringe Festivals around the world--taking road trips, and looking for the best burgers 'n pie in the country

What's one awesome thing you did this year? It's a tie between:

A.) Performed my show at NYC, Orlando, Montreal, Winnipeg, Indianapolis, and Vancouver Fringe Festivals (Indy and Winnipeg being the most fun/rewarding experiences, whereupon I made the most new friends and had a great time)

or

B.) Found the first healthy relationship I've ever had with an awesome girl I met at scans_daily 1.0

[schmevil]

Dostoevsky fans unite!

[thehefner]

Woot! What's your favorite? Mine's THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV, followed by THE IDIOT. Those are the only ones I've read all the way through. I tried DEMONS, and liked it, but never got past the first hundred pages. I only go for the recent translations too by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, those are like poetry.

I'm told CRIME AND PUNISHMENT is brilliant once you get through the first quarter, but I never made it that far. I will try again someday! But man, I love all of KARAMAZOV, but even with my favorite translators, that first quarter of C&P is a slog.

I have a special fondness for THE IDIOT, even though it's wildly uneven (it never seems to recapture the brilliant momentum of its first part). When I was twenty, I even dedicated a summer to writing a whole play script adaptation of it, with the intent of mounting a production in my community theatre troupe. It never panned out. I should reread it, see if it was any good.

[schmevil]

Oh gosh, I did a Dostoevsky intensive a few years ago. We read:

The Idiot
The Brothers Karamazov
The Idiot
The Double
Notes From Underground
Devils

I've got House of the Dead on my shelf, waiting for me.

I love, love, love The Idiot. It's a really fascinating work. I wrote my major paper on it (40+ pages iirc). I'm also quite fond of Devils. It's about a band of radicals, trying to upset a town. Obviously the major works are awesome. Crime and Punishment is well worth finishing.

God, now I want to reread. <333

[thehefner]

What did you think of THE DOUBLE? I know almost nothing about it, but I wonder if it might have themes that could appeal to the Harvey Dent researcher in me. Also, is NOTES FROM UNDERGROUND worth checking out?

One of these days, I will very finish CRIME AND PUNISHMENT. Actually, I keep trying to find this absolutely wonderful made-for-British-TV version I saw a bit of, starring John Simm and Ian McDiarmid. But it's apparently still not on DVD or anything! Bah!

God, it's so cool to meet someone else who loves, loves, loves THE IDIOT. Most people I know haven't even heard of it!

[schmevil]

You should definitely read The Double. I think you'll get something out of it. It's got that crazy, Dostoevsky momentum and inventiveness, and it's an interesting treatment of the idea of a double. Golyadkin is apparently suffering a serious breakdown - or is he? Dun dun dun. It's really effective.

[thehefner]

Awesome! I'll see if my favorite translators have done THE DOUBLE and check it out!

[kingrockwell]

Aw yeah Karamazovs!

[thehefner]

Aw yeah indeed! God, I love that book.

Ever seen the movie with Yul Brenner and William Shatner? I long for it to be out on DVD, but I think at least it's on YouTube! I really adore it, even though it does away with all of the rich philosophical stuff from the book (necessarily, I fear).

[kingrockwell]

I haven't, but I've heard of it! Wasn't it Shatner's debut?

I've always been fascinated by "fall of aristocratic family" type stories, and always end up looking for analogues between them (i want to see the an adaptation of Brothers Karamazov played by Robins someday). With Karamazov being my favorite novel, it's backed up by The Royal Tenenbaums being my favorite movie and Arrested Development my favorite TV show. I'd prolly throw The Magnificent Ambersons in there somewhere if I'd ever seen it more than once (there's another that needs to be on DVD!)

If I had the money, I'd already have a tattoo that says "I always wanted to be a Karamazov" in some mixture of Russian and English (most likely just English in Cyrillic letters).

Which is your favorite brother?

[thehefner]

I'm gonna need to watch all time sometime and see how it holds up. I remember LOVING it as a film (as an adaptation, it's more suspect, but as a film, I found it a moving and sumptuous experience).

It was Shatner's third film! He played "Alexi," better known to most of us as Alyosha. Since the philosophical parts were put on the backburner, he's essentially relegated to being a supporting character (the moral guide) while Dimitri (Brenner) is the lead and focus.

HA! My best friend in college and I had the exact same idea of doing BROTHERS KARAMAZOV with the Robins! I'd absolutely love to see that done. I may have to write the bloody thing myself if no one else does. My big idea would be to have Harvey be Smyerdakov. He was Batman's first partner, pre-Robin, and he's the bastard child and Wacky Uncle of the Bat-Family.

Only problem is, I honestly can't decide which Robin would be which brother. Which one's the idealist? Which one's the cynic? And which one's the passionate one teetering on the edge of darkness? Arguments could be made for all of them!

If the question is "Which of them killed/kidnapped Batman?", depending on how in-canon one wants to make this adaptation, Jason would be the likeliest for Dimitri. With that done, I could sooner see Dick as Ivan and Tim as Alyosha, but I dunno. What think you?

God, agreed on TENENBAUMS. I adore fucked-up family dynamics. I do need to see ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT and MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS at some point too. The latter's too important not to see, and the former might already be too browncoated for me to enjoy, but I gotta check it out.

My favorite brother? Hard to say! It used to be Alyosha, because he was like a Prince Myshkin who could actually survive and function in this harsh world of ours. But the Harvey Dent fan in me definitely sees the appeal in Dimitri. Until I reread the book, I'm gonna put my money down on Alyosha.

[kingrockwell]

Harvey as Smerdyakov is an interesting thought, one that hadn't occurred to me. I would've just shoe-horned Damian in because he's the youngest, most arrogant and I think they're both jerks. He's young enough though that we could make him Ilyusha if we really stretch it.

To me, the division's pretty clear, it just plays with the birth order a bit. dick would be Alyosha because they relate to people in much the same way, and though he's shown a rebellious streak at times, he's often the last person to judge Bruce for any particular slight. Jason is very much to Bruce what Mitya was to Fyodor, and certainly the most hot-head of the three. Tim is easily the brainy one, and while often a little cheerier than you might connect with Ivan, his disposition more recently puts him jut dour and serious enough to fit the bill, especially the way he's been shirking all his friends since Red Robin started.

The obvious correlation between Alfred and Gregory is probably what started me thinking about this, so that's practically gift-wrapped. I'd be tempted to cast Steph as Katya for the Tim/Ivan connection, though it's weak, and I can't think of a good fit for Grushenka, either (if you want a shallow one, there's Selina). I do think I'd like Aunt Harriet for Mrs. Khokhlakov, though. Also needs a spot for Babs so bad (and Cass too).

I've got a firm lack of Zosima, but I can't think of anyone. The closest comics analogue I can think of is Richard Dragon, but he's not really a Bat-character.

I've got a fondness and sympathy for each of the brothers (except for Smerdy, that guy's a dick), but Alyosha is easily my favorite, prolly for much the same reason I like Wonder Woman. 'Cos damn if I don't wish I could act more like them more often!

[thehefner]

Aw shit, that's right. We have Damian to contend with now. Also, Steph. We came up with this idea back in 2003, before either Steph or Damian became Robins. Actually, before Jason even came back to life!

The question really becomes which time period we're drawing from. Me, I'm choosing around that Red Hood period with Jason back, so we just have the three boy Robins and Harvey. Because the dynamics change all around every couple of years with continuity. But generally, I think you're right: Dick as Alyosha, Tim as Ivan, and Jason as Dimitri.

Another reason I'd want to use Harvey for Smyerdy: he has a pivotal relationship with all three Robins. He's been the trial by fire for each of them, there's crazy history there. Really, the only one who doesn't have a reason to outright hate Harvey is Tim, our Ivan, which could thus make that relationship work even more.

Obviously, we'd have to fudge the adaptation, if only because Batman is not the sleazy shitbag that Fyodor was, nor will Bruce be killed (unless this is out of continuity).

Crazy thought: Zosima=Superman? Just thinking about Clark's relationship with Dick.

Also, if Grushekna is getting involved with Fyodor and Dimitri alike, then... well... Talia? It's not perfect, but it's all I got.

[kingrockwell]

Well, Bruce may not be a sleazebag, but he's got ways of his own to alienate the people around him. And his currently being "dead" makes it work pretty well for right now!

I dunno about Supes for Zosima. While he has a mentor-y relationship with Dick, he's better known for his relationship with Bruce, which could color everything involving the two of them very differently!

Hmm, on some level, I really kind of like Selina for Grushenka, but on the other hand there's nothing about her in Grushy's "pining away for her soldier" backstory. Talia might be better, especially if you cast Ra's as Musijalowicz, with all the unfavorable implications that would carry.

Now, if I had any problem with Harvey as Smerdyakov, it would involve his loss of status in that role. Going from a position of power to one of subservience changes the dynamic between himself and the Robins immensely, and strips him of the respect and authority he might regularly command.

One thing about Damian in that role is that he's already at the bottom of the ladder, but, like Smerdyakov, perceives himself at the top. And whether it's in the text or not (i haven't read much of Morrison's pre-BftC Batman), I've always seen his relationship with Bruce as a kid trying to prove himself but falling on deaf ears. The kid of bitterness that would eventually inspire definitely makes him for Smerdyakov, though it would change his relationship with Tim, though not on Tim's part. I guess it would just make his hatred for Tim less outright, really.

[thehefner]

True, but again, we get into the fudging aspect of adaptation even with Bruce's "dead" status. Because if we went straight-up with KARAMAZOV, the story would then have to set Jason up as the main suspect, then reveal the "killer" to be Damian.

Well, until we can think of a better Zosima figure for Dick/Alyosha, I'm going for Supes. Heck, I could even see potential for exploring the father figures clashing, even if we make them friends rather than what Fyodor and Zosima were in the book. It may have to be one of those major but necessary differences with this adaptation.

And hell, let's face it, this version would have WAY more fight scenes that Dostoevsky's original. ;)

Yeah, Selina works for a lot of Grushenka, but not all the time. Talia does seem to work better, unless we can think of anyone better. Who else has (or could) Jason have a history with who can also have history with Bruce? Nocturna? Or was she with Dick?

That's a good point, and lord knows I wouldn't want to strip Harvey of his power status. But I wouldn't have had Harvey in a position of subservience, necessarily. Perhaps what sets this off is Tim and Harvey having an encounter early on, during which Tim inadvertently gives Harvey the cause/idea/"permission" to kill/kidnap Batman and frame Jason.

Your arguments for Damian are compelling, but the major problem with it, as far as I see, is that Damian wouldn't actually do anything to Bruce. He's capable of many things, but he clearly worships Bruce, and deaf ears or not, he always strikes me as far more willing to take out that anger on the Robins (Tim, in particular, but also Dick, whom he currently chastises for essentially not being Bruce), but never on Batman himself.

Hm. For the Devil, do we use the Joker? Or even Neron? Eh, fuck Neron. Perhaps Etrigan? I'm leaning towards Joker.

Shit, who else is there in the book? It's been six years since I read it!

*checks out SparkNotes' character list to refresh memory*

Oh, what about Lise? Could that be Babs or Cass? I could see young Batgirl-era Babs working for Lise, with some work. Older, more mature Babs, I dunno. Or if we fudge the adaptation a good deal... dare I say, Babs for the Madame Khokhlakov figure and Cass as Lise? That would be seriously fuzzy, but maybe there's potential?

Also, alternate for Damian: what about Rakitin?

And check out how they sum up Zosima: "Zosima preaches a message of actively loving mankind, forgiving the sins of others, and cherishing God’s creation. The clarity of Zosima’s faith gives him extraordinary insight into the minds of the people he meets." Yeah, I'm giving that to Clark.

Hey, if there's going to be a trial sequence where Jason is accused of killing Batman, maybe that's the place for Harvey? He could be the defense and Two-Face, the prosecution (and the Judge for the judge, even though I really dislike the idea of a third personality)?

Sorry, I'm just seriously having fun running with this. I've wanted to do this for years, but I haven't ever met any other Bat-fan who's read the book.

[kingrockwell]

Zosima!Supes: But I'm a Bruce/Clark shipper :(
(and Richard Dragon really is a very nice fit without being too disconnected (well, he's generally said to have trained Bruce, but only Dixon's series established him as training Dick, and the less said about that series, the better) or actually superpowered)

Don't like Babs for Lise, even if the wheelchair fits. Can't think of anyone young or Dick-loving enough to fit it properly, or anyone else who wouldn't be somewhat demeaned by the role... Alyosha/Lise is almost closer to Tim/Steph, if you substitute the "you're too young" for "you're not ready", and make Alyosha a sanctimonious dick. Hmm...

Khokhlakov is best Aunt Harriet, though Babs could work if we basically changed everything about Mrs. Khokhlakov. Oh! Maybe Kate (or worse, Beth!) and Bette Kane!

Damian as Rakitin is excellent, my only apprehension is cutting him out of the family completely (though i guess you won't get many arguments against it).

If there is a trial, Harvey's involvement is obvious. Him playing both sides is excellent, but it would change those scenes completely if he was also Smerdyakov. I kind of like having Superman as the judge.

The Joker is the Devil, no contest. Somehow, I also keep thinking of Riddler as Miusov and Harley as Lizaveta.

No problem! I've felt that way for months at least, but most Bat-fans I know aren't as big on Dostoevsky, and most Dostoevsky fans aren't as big on Batman!

[thehefner]

Hey, the shipping doesn't have to get in the way here! Bear in mind, I'm approaching this as canon as I can, which means we have to rework or completely lose aspects of the original Dostoevsky. I mean, it seems rather evident that we may have to pretty well completely change everything about Mrs. Khokhlakov and Lise. I mean, Aunt Harriet is perfect for the character as she is, but she's not a regular figure, and dang it, we need Babs and Cass in there! Although, hmm, Kate and Bette Kane... very nice potential there!

It'd be impossible to cut Damian off from the family, so his inclusion would majorly shake up the adaptation no matter what. I bet there's a way to have him be the Rakitan figure and still figure as part of the family. It'd just have to be one of the bigger liberties to take from the source material.

I haven't read the Dixon storyline in question, and I barely remember Richard Dragon from his stuff in THE QUESTION, but does he work as well as a moral guide for Dick as Clark does (or would as a Zosima figure)?

If it's cool with you, I'd like to link this whole thing to my LJ! I've been having a blast!

[snugglebitch]

Nuh... no not the BEES... NOT THE BEEEEES! AAAARUUGHHABLUHABLUH THEY'RE IN MY EYES, THEY'RE IN MY EYES ARRGHUBLUH BLUH *ptoo* *ptoo*

Oh god, that movie terrified me when I was little.

[thehefner]

... it only came out a couple years ago! How old *are* you?! ;p

Which movie are you thinking about? I was referencing the WICKER MAN remake with Nic Cage.

[snugglebitch]

Ooooohhhhhhhhh...

I thought it was Macaulay Caulkin in My Girl. Oh god, that poor little kid, oh god.

[thehefner]

hahahahahaha, oh, I getcha now. Wow, I've never seen it, but now I never WILL be able to watch it without thinking "NOT THE BEES!"

[saralakali]

What is this... "sports"... of which you speak? Is it some form of LARPing?

That is actually a pretty good way to describe the current state of professional sports.

[sir_mikael]

I feel exactly the same way of filling these out. It tooke me forever.

I have to ask, what is a performance storyteller?
I'm imagining almost some kind of modern day bard now.

[thehefner]

haha, it was my probably-pretentious way of trying to say what might be better described as a monologist. I write and perform one-man shows, solo comedies at Fringe Festivals (alternate theatre/dance/performance art festivals) around the US and Canada.

Oh! "Solo Performer", that might be a better way to say it. We need a general title that your average person can hear and understand! I'm kind of like a stand-up comic except I have a point and don't have to be funny all the time (but it helps if you are!)

[sir_mikael]

Aaah, I did get that there was probably a story that you probably performed, probably in a verbal way. :P But yes that clears it up. A one-man show-man. Or something.
You're probably going to get asked what a "Solo Performer" is too, just so you're prepared for that which you clearly are, as you've explained it already.