Off-Topic Tuesday!

[icon_uk]

In the comments to these weekly posts (and only these posts), it's your chance to go as off topic as you like.

Talk about non-comics stuff, thread derail, and just generally chat amongst yourselves.

I had a glance through the BBC News page for any interesting/potentially amusing new snippets, but it's a pretty damned depressing assortment today, So I'm sticking with pop culture.

The ever-entertaining Transformers Rescue Bots officially became the longest running iteration of the franchise this week, with it's 99th episode meaning that it's outlasted Gen1. Though the fact that it achieved this milestone on the 32nd anniversary of Gen1 debuting in North America is sort of tactless perhaps.

LEGO Dimensions announces forthcoming packs for Knight Rider (A Fun Pack (one character, one vehicle) with David Hasselhoff's Michael Knight and KITT) and two for The Lego Batman movie (Which will feature a Batman Fun Pack ("Excalibur Batman" suit, with mecha-Bat-horse) and a Robin and Batgirl Story Pack (Two figures, one vehicle and a Batcomputer portal build). Robin will be able to upgrade to Nightwing in-game, and since we find out in the trailer that Robin's costume is actually Batman's old "Jamaican themed Batsuit" I can only wonder what Nightwing will be, but I am PRAYING that it's Discowing!

Angela Lansbury, though sadly now confirmed as NOT appearing in Game of Thrones despite the rumour, did show that at 90, she can still wow a crowd with a live performance of Beauty and the Beast.

And the comparitively youthful Toni Basil (probably best known for her take on "Mickey" back in 1982), shows that, at 72, she can still dance rings around folk a fraction of her age.

And I won't even bother linking to Dolly Partons new acapella version of "Jolene" with Pentatonix, because at a mere 70, it seems unfair to showcase such a slip of a girl after those two. (Oh all right, but I have to say, the performance is amazing, but I genuinely HATE that song)

Comments

[scorntx]

I suppose that does solve the question of how a LEGO Batman Movie Batman set would be different from Regular Batman.
Well played, LEGO Dimensions. Well played.

[icon_uk]

Let us not forget we have seen LEGO Batman meet LEGO Movie Batman.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuR0lLzjldM

I assume that "The LEGO Batman Movie" Batman is the same as the "The LEGO Movie" Batman... but who knows....

[janegray]

The constant fauxrages over politics are really pissing me off. There is *SO MUCH* genuinely terrible horrifying and scandalous stuff politicians do (somebody poisoned an entire city with lead and covered it up, for fuck's sake!). But what do people choose to bitch about? OMG WIKILEAKS REVEALED THAT A STAFFER GOSSIPED THAT HILLARY PERSONALLY DISLIKES OBAMA EVEN IF SHE STILL CHOOSES TO WORK WITH HIM FOR COMMON GOALS, SHOCKING HYPOCRISY!!!11111

Even assuming that gossip from a staffer counts as actual evidence (*insert Man In Black reference here*), oh my God who cares? Have you seriously never done anything that you personally weren't happy about because you thought it was objectively the best course of action? Is supporting a coworker you personally would never have a coffee with, because you recognize that they had the best skillset for the job, the fucking Twilight Zone for you?

It's like you are in a zombie apocalypse, and while the infected are banging their rotting and blood-dripping fists against the windows, your fellow survivors are throwing a fit because the car does not have AC.

[icon_uk]

The Brexit debacle has given even my jaded, cynical politcal worldview a demoralising workout like I had never anticipated... and we haven't even started the wretched process yet.

My personal "favourite" bit is that, as a result of the Brexit vote (which was ostensibly to allow the UK to make it's own international trade deals and control immigration, and cut down on immigrant workers) we've discovered that we'll need about a thousand trade negotiators to carry out that work for the Government.

But the UK doesn't have any international trade negotiators because they all retired since the 1970's when we entered the EEC and no one took their place, so we're going to need to recruit from abroad...

[cainofdreaming]

So, a neo-Nazi idiot killed someone during their rally some days back in our country. And now certain politicians are going on how this is the fault of the lefties and their pro-immigration politics.

Argh. This country. Sometimes I don't even want to belong to our species.

[janegray]

In happier news, if you are a fan of Jojo's Bizarre Adventures, you may want to read this fancomic :D

http://higgsbison.tumblr.com/post/150610468640/when-you-spend-100-years-in-a-coffin-on-the-bottom

[informationgeek]

Hey guys, I got a question for you. Several months ago, there was a comic I read called Cry Havoc #6 (I believed someone did some postings on it). Reading, there was something that happened within it that just didn't sit right with me but I didn't know how to properly describe.

Let me explain it to you (warning for spoilers):
The story involves a lesbian woman named Lou who one day becomes part vicious and dangerous blue werewolf creature. She joins this special operation from a group that knows about monsters that says they can help her out with her condition. Shenanigans ensue and eventually we get to the end of #6. The group she was working for was exploiting her (they turned her unborn baby into a bomb somehow to shut down a lot of the bad guys) and the group she was chasing down in the first place was a crazy monster cult filled with really downtrodden monsters that weren't all bad (despite the fact they were planning to rip the baby out of her and drain her of blood).

But anyways, the group Lou was working for and the cult leader were wiped out. Now Lou gives this big speech at the end to the monsters that she understands their situation, how bad it is with how the world sees them, how it affects the way they view themselves, and how they should all move beyond it. In the end, they all elect her their new leader and follow her command.

Now here's my issue with that ending. Besides being rushed, does anyone feel it is a bit tone deaf or unintentionally questionable? You have a person (Lou) who was a part of a majority (aka human) but now ends up part of a minority group (aka monsters). However, after only spending a few months as part of a minority, she suddenly starts speaking with great authority and wisdom that she completely understands there situation, even more than people who been a minority all of their lives. All the minorities listen to her and go along with what she is saying, even making her their leader. Does anyone else see a problem with this or is it just me? It's been driving me crazy for months.

[torberg]

Seems we've got a variant of the Mighty Whitey trope

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MightyWhitey
(Warning: Time sink site!)

[dustbunny105]

No, I'm with you, that's... something alright. It's got a hair's breadth of leeway since Lou is a minority herself even before becoming a monster and I do see how that would give her some insight. But it's still off that she would be able to speak with authority on the issues of an entirely different minority, especially with more authority than longer-standing members of that minority.

On top of that, Idk, I'm leery of real life oppressed groups (in this case, LGBT) and their plight being equated with literal monsters that aren't all bad.

[vagabondprince]

I've been reading Grant Morrison's run on Doom Patrol for the first time and I'm really liking it. So I'm wondering if anyone can tell me if any of the subsequent doom patrol series are worth reading.

[kamino_neko]

I liked Pollack's a lot (more than Morrison's), although it wasn't well served by the art. (I know I'm in the minority on that.)

The Arcudi run is also excellent - my favourite run, in fact. (I am sad that the characters have been ill-served since it ended.)

The Byrne run is best forgotten.

The Giffen run was...OK. Not nearly up to the Morrison->Pollack->Arcudi sequence, but certainly not terrible. Would rank higher if not for what it did to Mr Nobody (from Morrison's run) and Thayer Jost (from Arcudi's). (Still behind all the others. Except, of course, Byrne's.)

I'm liking Way's so far, but it's just one issue in, so...

I also enjoyed Kupperberg's run that led into Morrison's, though it was a lot more standard-super-hero than subsequent runs.

[icon_uk]

Thank you for reminding me to post some issues from that. I enjoyed the hell out of it back in the day.

The Rachel Pollack run that follows on from Morrison's is well worth a read too IMHO.

I know that the Arcudi run has quite a loyal fanbase, less so the Byrne "There has been no other Doom Patrol before this one" take.

Not sure the post Infinite Crisis one, but I wasn't a fan myself. I think one of issues was how they depicted The Chief. He was shown to be a decent, if odd, person in the original Silver Age run, then Morrison revealed him to have secretly been a manipulative bastard all along, and one who actually caused most of the accidents which led to the original Doom Patrol's creation (and presumably lots of others which just led to dead people).

Since then he has been shown to have been a manipulative bastard from the outset, which makes him incredibly creepy and unsympathetic, which changes the whole tone of the book.

[commodus]

Is anyone looking forward to the return of the TV show Vikings?

(frozen)

[monsieur_safior]

I'm genuinely disapointed of scan-daily, at first I was expected a open mind board well you can expose scan from all type of comics.

But recently recent event make me question that.

With people who play prude aboot female anatomy but are giggle to male objectification (even if for some of them is unintentional) and being uspet when some one expose the hypocrisy.

And after that they have the approval of forced recton on a old character because it introduce more gay, wich is insulting for both orientation, first we have a psychic girl who read the mind of someone and claim that he is gay ? how is this a good thing ?

And after they have the excuse to explain thit by saying he never have a succesful relationship with a women; wich is just the same situation 99% of heros not popular enough to have their own long runing title (and emply then people who don't have a succefull relationshipt are gay is even more insulting.).

Firts befor we call me of homophobe, I have no problem with homesexuality and I'm not againt the integration of more "minority" in the media, I'm just agasint forced recton (marvel speciality) on old character!

Arecton of a bland character like Shatterstar, yeah no problem, he have no real backstory (or it crappy.) and the way Peter David use it is great (and it expose Rob Liefeld homophobia), but you character for 60's who have a long story in universe, a recton like for the sake of "diversity" this is insulting.

I thin scan_daily boearder should think twice aboot this kind of thing or in a soon futur become a caricatural tumblr like board when people spit on heterosexuality, cis or other vague term .

I'm gonna to receive a ton of insulting replys, but I don't care,I said what needs to be said.

(frozen)

[commodus]

I've never seen anyone giggle at male objectification. And honestly, this place has been one of the most positive atmospheres I've encountered - with comic fans who I can actually chat to, without being insulted or getting super heated. We can all just talk and get along, and I think people here are really nice.

I'm sorry you've had a different experience.

(frozen) Mod Note!

[icon_uk]

We think it might be of benefit to remind you of the purpose and rules of conduct of scans_daily, which can be found here

Like it says at the top of our home page, we are a community, created and fostered by girl geeks and members of the slash fandom. As such we have what might be viewed as an atypical view of comics, and we are proud of that.

As regards the points your raise.

The sexualisation and objectification of men does not happen at the same rate, nor for the same reasons, that it does to women, hence the reason people react differently to both. It is perfect valid for community members to both discuss those differences and call attention to objectification when it actually occurs.

As such, it should come as no surprise that Nightwing, as one of the very few male heroes regularly drawn with an eye towards "the female gaze", is the source of much commentary on this topic.That doesn't render it immune to criticism where appropriate, but does inform our outlook.

It is important to have a fundamental understanding of systems of inequality before deciding to refute an argument that's being made on the subject. Otherwise derailment and silencing tactics will be perpetuated instead, which perpetuates the other real problem of diminishing marginalised voices, which violates our terms of service.

Additionally, there is nothing wrong with publishers changing existing characters to make them more accessible to diverse readers and to compensate for past discrimination of these groups.

So Iceman being retconned as gay is a minor change to the character, but making one of the original five X-men gay is introducing some long overdue representation.

You are free to not be impressed by such a change, but constantly repeating how unimpressed you are does not offer anything constructive,

If you seriously think giving more visibility to people who have a history of being ignored by the publisher is a bad thing, you need to re-evaluate your thinking, and not just when posting here.

There is no right and wrong way to do this. If you think there is, it would probably be a good idea to check your internalised prejudices before making statements or starting a discussion on the topic.

Finally, we also insist on courtesy between posters, if you are getting to the point of name calling, then you need to stop. right there and then, because it WILL lead to disciplinary action.

So, Lego.

[owlbrigade1]

Does anyone else feel the best legos are the ones that you find in second hand shops or charity shops? Rather than the actual kits, the stuff that has been pre-played with and donated, which the shop workers have either dumped into a big bin or just divided up into bags randomly? I've always loved those legos more, even when I was a kid, because you found the weirdest stuff in them. Sometimes some really old discontinued stuff too. The kits are great and all, but they are little too targeted and directed, or is that just me?

Oh, and 80s spaceman will always be my favourite lego figure.

Re: So, Lego.

[icon_uk]

I'm from a large family, and our cumulative LEGO collection was very impressive, and all of it the older, generic sets. My younger sibling, and then some of my siblings' kids who inherited OUR ammassed collection, were swimming in the stuff! Of course, back when I was a lad, slanted roof tiles were considered to be fancy-schmancy developments! :)

I agree that a whole lot of fun could be had out of the basic sets and creating your own take on things... like Luke's landspeeder or an Imperial Star Destroyer. Yes they weren't perfect. but when you're a kid it didn't matter and you played with them and your action figures, regarldess of them being out of scale.

Of course, it'd be hard to recreate that level of... innocent acceptance once you're older, and I can't fault people who love the more detailed, licensed sets (I have picked up quite a few as one might imagine). So I'm torn... perhaps we ban any child under... say 10 from getting a licensed set, and they have to use the basics! ;)

If you've found a lot of LEGO in second hand/charity shops, my hat is off to you, normally that stuff disappears out the door faster than Terry Pratchett paperbacks!

[dustbunny105]

The last few years have instilled a very sensitive panic button in me indeed. I somehow picked up on "Angela Lansbury", "sadly" and "90" before any of the rest of that sentence and assumed the worst.

[coldfury]

I think 2016 alone has done that to us.

[bradygirl_12]

I've been pleasantly surprised with DC's Rebirth titles. It seems almost as if they finally got a clue or lurked on comms like these and listened (I know, amazing!) to what our complaints were about the unlamented Nu52. We've got a Superman I'm feeling emotionally attached to again, and Wonder Woman has her old supporting cast back, Steve and Etta! For the first time in a long time I'm looking at DC with some positive reaction instead of being turned off.

Sorry, I know this isn't exactly off-topic, but I just felt like expressing my happiness at the change in direction at the comic company that was always my favorite growing up. :)

[mrstatham]

I think it's a fair enough reaction - I think the titles certainly look more promising than the majority of the New52. And, while I liked elements of the New52, I think it's safe to say that most of the books I actually liked - Swamp Thing, Batman, the JHW3/Blackman Batwoman, Burnside!Batgirl, Harley's newfound popularity, etc - didn't exactly require the reboot, Barbara's book aside. So I definitely see what you mean, but at the same time, I still think people look at pre-New52 DC with rose-tinted lenses. Nearly nothing from DC in the New52 was quite as awful, for instance, as Identity Crisis or Cry For Justice.

But.. Yeah. I think these things are always cyclical, like the characters. There's always periods where DC is better than Marvel, and vice versa; the only difference these days is that increasingly, it feels like Image are increasingly gaining on both of them.

[thezmage]

I'll admit I haven't seen Knight Rider or the A-Team in a long time, but it seems to me that they could be combined into one adventure world. I'm not sure how they could build levels for both without feeling redundant

[scorntx]

But... Knight Rider!
The crime solving car!

[informationgeek]

Hey guys, I'm not really good at talking about this, but I'm not feeling too well. I'm having both money issues with paying for my electricity and my great grandmother passed away the other day. I could use some words of encouragement if you guys don't mind. It be nice...

[kamino_neko]

*hugs* So sorry to hear it. Things will get better.

[stubbleupdate]

I am replaying Mass Effect 3 and

A) I hadn't realised before how much it contributed to my model of good mental health

B) I gave Shepard has the same hair colour as me

C) Has anybody else entered the Explorers Wanted competition

[cainofdreaming]

C) If anyone plans to partake I'd suggest you record and listen to your voice prior to it. If nothing else so that you'll recognize it if you happen to get into the game, I know that when I did I found out that my voice sounds totally different from within my skull and outside of it.

[sarahnewlin]

RIP brangelina

[halloweenjack]

Have you heard the slowed-down version of "Jolene"? It's very, very different. (See also the similar version of "9 to 5".) Along those lines--and this really surprised me--Miley Cyrus' version.

[junipepper]

Got a political flier delivered recently, on a very, very local issue no one here could possibly care about; actually I don't even really care about. But it was this gloriously incoherent screed that culminated with "IT'S TIME TO STOP FILLING CORRUPT GOVERNMENT COIFFEURS."

It's just, you know, I feel like government coiffeurs is more of a concern on the federal level. ;-)