Mod Post: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 among yourselves.

We enter another week of global reaction to the pandemic.

Italy and France are looking to open things up slowly next month (last I heard), so that's a positive!

Trying to work out how to comment on the American Federal government reaction, as an outsider, feels like an exercise in surrealism, so all I can do is sympathise.

The UK is coming under more scrutiny for it's many perceived failures to act in a timely fashion. We shall see if/where that leads, but it does look likely we may end up with a higher toll than other European countries.

I will note that the UK lost Tim Brooke-Taylor to the virus. He was one of the stars of "The Goodies" in the 1970's, and worked consistently ever since, mostly on radio (A regular on "I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue" for example). He was one of the first people I can remember actually crying with laughter at whilst watching television as a kid (probably in black and white too), and that's not something you forget easily. Mornington Crescent will never be the same again. :(

Before all this started I picked a novel at random from the local library, about vampires revelaing themselves and becoming part of society, sort of like True Blood, but the vampires weren't ancient, they were a new development, and it tells their story from a variety of human viewpoints a a sort of social history. Had I been aware that the plot was actually about the appeatance of a mutant virus which triggered the transformation, I might have been just a liiiiiitle bit more cautious about picking it.

Kirameiger is making an interesting choice this year. KiraRed is named leader because he has the power of imagination (to the extent he designed and created the Zords by applying his imagination to their gemstone forms) and that's the tradition where their powers originate from. But KiraYellow is the leader in every sense other than title, he is actually the tactical genius who comes up with team strategies and plans against the bad guys and the fact he's NOT leader sort of rankles (and it's hard not to see his point). So what DOES make a leader? (Other than marketing)

It's been confirmed that next year Power Rangers series will be based on Ryusoulger, last years sentai about dinosaurs and knights, so expect something like "Power Rangers: Dino-Knights". A shame, as I'd have liked to see them try the constellation themed Kyuuranger, but such is life.

Oh, and if anyone has a preference for a Theme Week, do please mention them in the comments

Comments

[scorntx]

Some concern about the UK continuing its lockdown while France and Italy loosen theirs might lead to certain Brits taking the attitude of "well, if they can do it, why can't we?" and trying to ignore the lockdown some more.


It's a shame they're skipping Kyuuranger, since that looked pretty cool, and we just had a dinosaur themed Rangers not four years ago, but I can see the logic behind it, same reason as Ryusoulger was made in the first place:
Dinosaur toys usually sell good.
(Also, dinosaurs! What more reason does one need?)


It's taken about two episodes for Digimon Adventure Colon to get to Omnimon.
... too much to hope that's letting the writers get it out of their system, isn't it?

[icon_uk]

Yeah, even if you thought Steel was an odd "Not-Ranger to Ranger transformation" (and it is), then Blance to Tenbin Gold/Libra, and especially Raptor 283 to Washi Pink/Aquila might be pushing it. :)

And yeah, the Ryosoulger designs are very nice, and this is a show with a narrow target age range, so it's just us oldies that it's very soon after Dino-Charge for.

[cyberghostface]

Maybe something for the Joker’s 80th anniversary?

[icon_uk]

We do have plans for four 80th's this year. we've had Robin already, and the others are Catwoman, Joker and Wonder Woman

[crinos]

Some good news out of Wisconson: Democrat judge Jill Karofksy triumphed over opponent Daniel Kelley for the state Supreme court seat. This was after some rather disgusting voter suppression tactics by the GOP, mainly by having the Supreme court refuse to extend the voting date or accept mail in votes or such. Which means people had to stand in big lines all day to vote during a PANDEMIC. But we still won so fuck em.

In less good news, the Coronavirus is hitting the USPS pretty hard, with Trump refusing to bail them out (Because the GOP hate the post office, and they really hate vote by mail) so they really need some help. If you can, go buy some stamps from their website to help them out, and if you live in the states make noises about this to your congressfolk and senators. Every bit helps.

In entertainment news, the next Disney live action remake has been announced. And its... Robin Hood. The one with the foxes. Yeah. I can only assume they made that decision because they were looking at what people were watching on Disney+ and picked based on that. All I can say is they are doing this, but they still haven't put the Aladdin TV series on the service.

In the gaming world, this Thursday the next Magic the Gathering expansion drops (for Arena and Online, you'll have to wait a bit longer for the real life cards). Its called Ikoria, lair of Behemoths, and it has a Kaiju/Monster Hunter/Attack on Titan sort of motiff. To further drive that point home, a lot of cards have special alternate art depicting characters from the Godzilla franchise. Oh yes, Godzilla, Mechagodzilla, Ghidorah, Rodan, BabyGodzilla, Mothra, Destroyah, Billoante, Space Godzilla, Angirus, King Caesar, and Dorai all get cards in this set. (Also one of the Space Godzilla cards was called Space Godzilla: Corona of Death, which is getting not released after the initial run because of the unfortunate naming). This set introduces two new mechanics: Mutate (Which lets you basically stack monsters on top of each other to turn one into another) and Companions (A cycle of 10 monsters who, if you build a deck around them, let you play them from your sideboard). This set also see's the return of the cycling mechanic.

And that's all I got to say today.

[icon_uk]

I did wonder how Wisconsin had turned out after the fuss. That's a good sign

I meant to mention the USPS as I've seen a lot of mentions of it on social media, so thanks for that!

Robin Hood is an oddly generic choice. I mean it's not famed as a musical and it's nobodies "defintiive" take on Robin Hood, so why this when they could have gone for something a little more out there. Treasure Planet perhaps?

[zachbeacon]

"the Coronavirus is hitting the USPS pretty hard, with Trump refusing to bail them out"

Can we not call it a "bail out"? Its part of the government. The government doesn't "bail out" the military. "Bail out" implies that it is some outside business that needed a handout instead of a government agency that was being actively sabotaged even before the plague hit because it is inconvenient to those in power.

[stubbleupdate]

Disney's Robin Hood is now defined by Claire Hummel's vision of Maid Marian as a Disney Princess


A lot of people have been asking about Maid Marian, so I figured I might as well give her a shot- a bit tougher when you’re looking at clothing on anthropomorphic animals, of course, but there are still a couple of details that point to the 15th century- the cut of the dress, the ears disguised as a horned hennin headdress, the bag sleeves, etc. I still tried to maintain the relatively simple silhouette of Marian’s dress, just with added period details- making it more of a houppelande by design, and resolving the v-shaped neckline to show the kirtle underneath.
Also really wanted to hide some foxglove motifs in the lining of the gown- it’s subtle, but I think it really ties the whole design together.

[skjam]

I suppose the cops vs. robbers sentai would have been a little difficult to get past Standards and Practices, especially as OG Arsene Lupin is not a thing in the US.

Over at my blog, I finally get around to watching Castlevania: http://www.skjam.com/2020/04/14/webtoon-review-castlevania-seasons-1-3/

[icon_uk]

Yeah, LupinRanger Vs Patoranger would have been a VERY hard sell. (I remember Disney making one of the mottos of "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" being "A pirate never steals" which does make you wonder if anyone had a clue what was going on there.

[malurette]

France just bought itself four more weeks of lockdown so while technically it's scheduled to end next month, I really don't trust people here to behave responsibly enough... so I'd bet on rather six, maybe eight more weeks. Wait and see?

From The Orcadian on March 26

[stubbleupdate]

Re: From The Orcadian on March 26

[icon_uk]

:)

As the 13th Doctor put it in her most recent address to the nation "United We Stand. Two metres apart"

[leahandillyana]

Hungary is using the pandemic to force a law banning legal gender change, even retrospectively, and Poland is using it to ban even informal sex ed and completely outlaw abortion in all cases. The forest near Czarnobyl is burning and the fire may reach the infamous plant soon. Earth itself is unstable, with six vulcanoes erupting at the same time in Indonesia, a serious earthquake near the Yellowstone caldera, and the earthquakes in places where there shouldn't be any earthquakes, from Croatia to Poland. Refugees are left to their own devices, and the ones locked in tents with no medical care can count themselves lucky, as at least they were not left to drown in the Mediterranean. I don't have any good news.

[dragontail]

It's great to hear some more love for Kyuranger! I was in Japan with my family at the time the series was airing and fell hard for it, particularly the "positive thinking isn't enough, you have to put in effort and hard work as well" message and the motivation of the main villain (which shocked me with its metaphorical impact). I've since become a rather obsessive collector of the characters and their merchandise.

I'm kind of torn as I'd love to see an adaptation for the West, but I know it would be so vastly different from the source material that part of me is glad we're seemingly going to miss out. That said a show with nine rangers (to start with) and a mix of older and younger characters would make for a pretty nifty anniversary season for Power Rangers with some returning cast members...

[icon_uk]

I've been a sucker for constellation based stuff since Saint Seiya! :) (Well, long before that too, but it's a fun concept to see turned into a toy)

Dino Charge had ten Rangers (Eleven if you count both Purple Rangers) so it CAN be done, but not easily.

We're having returning cast members in the current season of Beast Morphers. And they were there only two years ago in the second year of Ninja Steel, so it might be seen as overkill?

[janegray]

The reviews for the Final Fantasy VII remake are all super positive, I haven't heard a single bad thing about it. I'm so glad! :DDD

I loved FFVII as a kid, and I would have been really sad if the remake had sucked.

And speaking of FFVII, I can't for the life of me understand why people lust after Sephiwhatever while Rufus is right there.

[deh_tommy]

I’ve heard there’s a lot of filler (understandable given the nature of the game thus far) and the ending is something that will possibly make or break the whole thing, but apart from that that looks pretty good.

Is Sephiroth someone people lust after? I’m not too well-versed in FFVII beyond the basic plot beats, but my guess is Sephiroth is more recognisable and memorable than Rufus, partly down to how cool and pretty he is and how his presence haunts the party throughout the game (plus, he also gets one of the best tracks in the game).

[cygnia]

Bought "Oxenfree" on Steam for something to do.

[janegray]

Been watching a lot of Lupin III lately. One thing I appreciate about the character of Fujiko, is that she is pretty much the only character I can think of who a)is canonically super sexy and irresistibly attractive to all, and b)has brown eyes.

Brown eyed character are never the show's Hot Person^TM. They can, occasionally, be considered attractive by the audience (ex: Yuri Katsuki), but they are not meant to be thought of as sex bombs in canon.

This is so pervasive that even black people are given blue eyes when the designers want to indicate that the character is beautiful.

So, yeah. I'm glad Fujiko breaks the trend. Hurray for the brown-eyed sexy queen!

[deh_tommy]

Is there really a shortage of brown-eyed Hot Persons(TM) in media, or this strictly an anime thing?

[kamino_neko]

Italy and France are looking to open things up slowly next month (last I heard), so that's a positive!

Positive if it's because they're getting their numbers under control. Not so positive if it's a Trumpian 'I say so'.

I will note that the UK lost Tim Brooke-Taylor to the virus.

It also took John Horton Conway, a mathematician who came up with such delightfully named concepts as surreal numbers and the Doomsday algorythm...although probably his only contribution that non-math folks would recognize is his Game of Life.

[deh_tommy]

Happy birthday to agartha75! May you find merriment in this time.

Does anyone else feel like Power Rangers keeps recycling themes? Every other year that feels like we’re either dealing with ninjas/samurais or dinosaurs. I was kind of hoping to see them do Kyuuranger and/or Patoranger vs. Lupinranger. Ah, well, as long as that’s good I won’t complain, and knights are pretty cool (I’m surprised they haven’t really dealt with them before outside of Dino Charge).

[icon_uk]

They pick what sells, but that's different in the US, to Japan sometimes

Dinoaurs sell, ninjas and Samurai are cool, and animals usually go down well.

But if you take ToQger, as an example, it was a popular series in Japan, but the theme, and zords, were based around trains. Trains
are very big in Japan which has a thriving rail network, but wouldn't sell in the US, where the rail network is a pitiful thing nowadays, so ToQger won't be translated, which is a shame as, and unfortunately inappropriate Megazord to one side,



it had a cool. "Rangers can swap colours/powersets" gimmick

[tripodeca113]

Tim Brooke-Taylor, sigh....

I started playing Metal Gear Solid. Some day I will get to the point where those two old guys wrestled on top of Mount Rushmore.
Psycho Mantis’ tremendous psychic powers is less impressive having to sit through it the sixth time.

Well that’s Yakuza 6 done. Not the best game in the franchise, not the worst one either.

Archer season eleven has been pushed back. Probably the case with a lot of shows.

The epidemic has gone on long enough that corporations are now making “emotional”, “heartfelt” ads about why we should buy their stuff.

I’m not sure the Final Fantasy 7 remake is for everyone. Sure, I thought Sora, Donald and Goofy’s addition to the plot was well done, but I can see why some people won’t like it.

The things I ordered, haven’t arrived yet and probably won’t for a while…

Next time the finale story of The Clone wars begins….

[deh_tommy]

Stupid question given the purpose of this community, but everything I post is snapshots of digital comics (mostly from Comixology and/or Kindle). How does one actually scan a physical comic, and can I do so without destroying said comic?

[janegray]

Last I checked (no sarcasm here, I mean it, I use older machines and technology changes every couple of years), many printers come with an in-built scanner. As long as the comic is a floppy, it can be scanned without being damaged.

Sadly, it's impossible to get decent scans of thicker volumes, such as trades or volumes, without ruining the spine. Which is the reason I've never posted any scans of manga nor Italian Disney comics here, despite the fact that I really really really wanted to. I got so many awesome stories I wanted to show the community, but my collector's heart could have a stroke at the thought of destroying my beloved mind-condition volumes to scan them.

[remial]

so, what is the name of the vampire novel?

[icon_uk]

Oh right, "A People's History of the Vampire Uprising" by Raymond A Villareal

[janegray]

Hey, if anybody is interested in getting a personalised video from a celebrity, right now Cameo is doing a promotion. If you get a new account through a link provided by a user, you automatically get a $5 coupon.

Tl;dr: click this link here, create a new account, and you get $5 off when you ask Famous Person to say something nice to you.

https://www.cameo.com/join/7llbbcvm

Disclaimer: the person who gave you the link will also get $5 if you buy a video.

[silverhammerman]

In terms of theme weeks, requests are always kind of fun. Beyond that, maybe comics that made you come around to liking a character, best event tie-ins, or comics that reinvented tired characters.

I've been trying a little harder to not just curl up and rewatch the same things I always watch, and to that end have been watching Lupin the 3rd, Part 5, the most recent Lupin series. I've also started reading Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. I'm also thinking about putting in a mail order at my LCS, and maybe buying Death Stranding while it's on sale for PS4.

[mrwalker]

Picked up Netflix again. Finally finished Jessica Jones S3. I was thinking they knew this would be "it" for the whole TV-MCU verse, but if they did they wrote like they were coming back. At least Daredevil got a proper series finale...And that was well before they knew it was the end.

The big bad was very lackluster. David Tennant's Kilgrave left some SERIOUSLY big boots to fill. And I'm not that hard to please....I'm someone who LIKED what they did in Season 2.

Also...are we in agreement that Jeri Hogarth is one of the most vile human beings in the entire MCU?

My main reason for going back to Netflix? Castlevania. Season 3 is a slow burn, but the finale is....something, all right. The composer knocked it out of the park. As best I can tell there is no Bloody Tears moment this season. But the final battle music...I know I'm not the only old school CV fan wondering what classic track it was. It WASN'T though, as I understand....completely original. Yet would be right at home in a CV game.

[featheredserpent]

Seattle is still in lockdown, and is now likely to remain so at least through the beginning of June. I'm lucky I work for a tech company that sent us all home at the beginning of March and refuses to fire anyone.

I'm spending all my free hours volunteering at the local food bank because everybody here has lost their jobs, and still the only people out protesting in the streets are those who can't wait to get back to their dystopian capitalist technohellscape. so, yes, I'm a little disappointed in my fellow Americans.

All the Cons have been canceled, and the Solstice parade (Seattle's answer to Mardi Gras).

However, we're seeing groups of state governors forming alliances and functioning as a quasi-real government in the absence of anything like a competent central authority. Many news outlets have stopped bothering to carry the Fanta Menace's daily press conferences.