Vinay: Monkey Man Cometh Part 1

I thought long and hard about what to write. And I am still thinking. In the meanwhile here is the first part of a story that nudged its way into my head. Don’t worry; there is a comic connection that will be clear eventually. I hope.

Monkey Man Cometh – Part 1

Trouble.

The first thought that ran through my mind as the dame sauntered into my office. Cool, composed, tough and undeniably a heart breaker. Those were the next few thoughts to run through my mind. Thoughts of my wife followed suit and I got down to business.

“Can I help you darling?” I used my best Sean Connery imitation.

“Start by dropping the fake voice old man. Are you the detective the police chief raved about?”

I felt shattered and proud at the same time. Sean Connery had let me down but I got the police chief recommending me now.

“I prefer being called a consultant. I am a bit too old for being a detective.”

“You are a bit too old for a lot of things.”

An Introduction to Manga - Part 2

(Continuing from part 1)

The Rise of Manga
Despite the rapid growth and prosperity displayed in today's manga world, in truth, manga didn't see significant growth until World War II. Back then Japan was still struggling under the strains of the war and was undergoing a period of economic upheaval. Disillusioned hungry masses looked to distractions. Cinema began to flourish as the talkies became an easy escape from the harshness of life. Under the influence of the great manga artist Tezuka Osamu (1928–1989), manga too began to gain not only national but also international recognition with works such as Astro Boy, Black Jack, Buddha, and many more. In the midst of a post-war economic struggle, Tezuka's manga adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island sold 400,000 copies to become the nation's top-seller.

Having Geek Pride

Remember in high school how being a geek was a bad thing? Remember the freshman and social hazing? Remember all of the name calling? Remember the snobby looks and derogatory comments? Did you ever stop and realize then even though you’re an adult not a whole lot has changed? People just find new ways to degrade you by pointing out that you’re older now so it’s just more pathetic than anything. The comments made as you’re flipping through a comic book or the odd stares in Toys R’ Us as you look through the action figures only further erode the all ready depleting self confidence.

If this article seems like a downer so far, may we offer the sincerest of apologies. That’s not the intent. In fact, it’s time to take pride in your geekdom. It’s time to get happy with your geeky self and we’re here to give you a whole bunch of reasons why. For just a little while, lets let the “normal” people be outed. Ready to start feeling good? Here we go!

The Adventures of Karen Ross (Part 1)

Click. Click. With every step I took my crutches clicked. Wooden crutches don't do that, but the metal ones will. I stopped by the low brown fence to adjust my backpack. High school was bad enough, but add dislocating a knee in in front of everyone and the joy of being on crutches and it became all but a disaster. I took off my blue L.L. Bean backpack and set it on one of the square posts. My upper body hurt enough without the extra 50 pounds on my shoulders. The wind picked up blowing some of my dark brown hair out of the pony tail. I propped the crutches against the fence while I did a balancing act on the leg that wasn't injured as I tried to get my hair back under control. After that little chore was taken care of I unzipped my coat a little. It was cool, but at the same time warm for October; especially in Maine.

The Fun and Importance of Costumes

In keeping with the current theme of how the adult practice of enjoying comic books and other like pursuits are seen as childish this article tackles one of the biggest. Today we’re going to look at cosplay. Which, lets be honest, is a fancy word for adults playing dress up and pretend. Now calm down for a minute. If you remember anything from past articles this is not a bashing, but a way to help boost your self esteem for the things that you enjoy which others look down upon as mindless drivel. Also, as usual, we’re gonna give you some reasons to help you out when you meet with these snooty critics.

Just to forewarn you folks, we’re going start right in with the heavy hitting stuff first. That’s right, lets look at cosplay from the psychological angle. According to Ape Playground, who make and sell playground equipment, in a release of a pamphlet called, ‘

The Psychology of Play and Well Designed Play Structures

’, they list several reasons why play is important in a developing child. Here are some of the highlights courtesy of that pamphlet:

- Play gives children a sense of power and control

- Play promotes imagination

- Promotes investigation, repetition

- Stress depletion

- Helps with social interacting.

- Promotes language and communication

That really seems like a strong argument to continue playing. So then why is it, as adults, if these benefits are so good for us, do we replace “play” with “sacrifice”? The way we see it, those who participate in cosplay are ahead of the curve.

Given these reasons why is it so bad to dress up and play pretend for a couple of hours? One thought, and we’re just throwing this out there, perhaps others are too uptight to let themselves go and have fun because they might get caught having fun. There are all of these reports out there about adults and stress and the health effects and how important it is to relax and have fun. So why are cosplayers getting sneered at?

Consider this for a moment; actors and actresses get paid an obscene amount of money to play dress up and pretend for a living. Why aren’t they getting shunned like cosplayers? Everyone sees them dressing up in costume, but not only that, they’re paying money to see these people dress up and play pretend for a couple of hours. Does that make any sense? Why should they have all the fun?

Admit it; admit that it’s thrilling and exciting to don the tights or armor of your favorite superhero and pay homage to them as best as you can. For a little while you’re not John Smith or Jane Doe, but Iron Man and Wonder Woman who are two loved and widely recognized icons. You get that same childhood thrill that you got at Halloween when you got to wear your costume to show off as you went door to door collecting candy. Only as an adult it’s better because you look more like the character. As a woman you developed and as a man you were able to put on muscles to fill the suit better.

Although despite the mindset we really must ask that you cosplay responsibly. For example, don’t get too carried away as Power Girl and try to pick up a car or as Green Lantern don’t try to make the power ring work, or even worse, fly. Answering only to that character name is acceptable, but trying to show off your powers and abilities, not really.

If anyone doubts as to the fun that goes with dress up or cosplay, here’s a quote from Orlando Bloom; “I mean, I have a great job. I get to dress up and become somebody else, especially when it's someone like Legolas, who's this super-cool kind of otherworldly elf. It's, like, I'm lucky, man, so why would I not appreciate that?” You heard it from an expert folks. Dressing up is a good thing.

Many of you are well ahead of the game we’re sure, but it never hurts to have additional resources. Here’s a list of places online to get great costumes and accessories. For those of you just starting out these are a great place to start.

Discount Superhero Costumes

Official Superhero Costumes

Costume Discounters

Costume Craze

Buy Superhero Costumes

Discount Halloween Costumes

So go forth and wear the spandex proudly. Remember, you’re not an immature adult; you’re simply exercising your creativity while de-stressing yourself. If all else fails tell people you’re trying out for a low budget superhero flick and that should take of things for a little while. The bottom line is this; you’re having fun!

Aalok Deciphers DC-Legends: The Collected Edition

Welcome back to a new edition of Deciphering DC! Here I present the DC Universe as evolved from the ground floor which was CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS. My attempt is to build up, and simplify the convoluted structure of the DC Universe, reviewing almost every trade, and covering events mostly chronologically.

LEGENDS-THE COLLECTED EDITION
Collects: LEGENDS 1-6
Writers: John Ostrander, Len Wein
Artists: John Byrne, Karl Kesel


LEGENDS is the next big event the DCU. Before this we have covered CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL VOL 1 & BATMAN: YEAR ONE.

LEGENDS features John Ostrander's DC debut, as
scripter, while Len Wein provides the plot & story. It is here, after a few memorable appearances by Darkseid pre-COIE (Fourth World, Super Powers!, Legion of Super Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga) we see him at his wily worst (for then!). This time he's out to discredit the super heroes, reveal them as menaces & shatter their psyches.
Darkseid strikes in various ways, first sending the behemoth Brimstone who fights Firestorm, Cosmic Boy & then the Justice League to a standstill. Macro Man then shows up to bedevil Shazam, who inadvertently ends up causing his death. Amanda Waller & Rick Flag are gathering up the villains from all corners of the DCU to form Task Force X-otherwise known as the SUICIDE SQUAD. BATMAN, FLASH (Wally), GREEN LANTERN (Guy), BEAST BOY, BLACK CANARY & BLUE BEETLE face the general public who are inciting against their heroes at the behest of G. Gordon Godfrey, AKA Glorious Godfrey, another minion of Darkseid.
The Suicide Squad succeeds in their 1st mission but at the cost of one of their team mates. Doctor Fate selects the heroes he will need to fend off the threat of Godfrey. The book reads as a formulaic super hero story, wherein Darkseid is content to sit plotting and viewing his minions' success, with the Phantom Stranger asserting that he will not succeed. No other hero except Superman faces up to Darkseid physically, though the encounter is not visible here.

The main book is only 6 issues long all collected here but the crossovers, spin offs are too many most of which have not yet been collected. This makes the read a bit uneven. Hard to make complete sense of this story without these crossovers.

Three monthly magazines (THE FLASH, JUSTICE LEAGUE & SUICIDE SQUAD) & 1 mini series (SHAZAM: A NEW BEGINNING) arise from LEGENDS.

The story on the whole is entertaining enough. It is from a time when the grim n gritty aspect was coming out but still not concrete enough, so it ends up being a light hearted adventure, an all ages story, if you prefer. This is JOHN OSTRANDER's first work for DC. However, since the script is by LEN WEIN, too little of John's own "voice" comes out. It's difficult to see his genius (except in some places of the SUICIDE SQUAD sequences). The trade paperback features an introduction by Mike Gold, editor which I like. In the old days, all trades used to contain intros by either the writer/artist or editor, a lot more better than some celebrity who writes it just because he's getting paid or is a big fan as this details what went into creating this work.

Rating: I liked it, 7.5 on 10 stars.

Contains full covers, with covers of the crossover & spin off issues, cover price 9.95 US$. This trade paperback is out of print though, so you'd do good to track it or track the single issues. They're worth your while.

Exclusive Preview : Jump issue 3 (season 2) - Shaurya..

Level 10 comics have kindly shared the previews form their upcoming comic anthology Jump (season 2 volume 3), series - Shaurya..

If you haven't been reading level 10 comics, you are missing out on a revolutionary comic company in India. They are doing a tremendous job in bringing back the comic culture that we used to love and enjoy so much..

Their stories have been fresh and energetic. They have been experimenting with art styles recently, which is good as far as we are concerned.. slowly and steadily they are becoming a force to reckon with.

We at Comic Addicts love Jump anthology and wait for it every month with bated breath ...Watch out for our special article focusing on Jump and level 10 next week right here!

We are also going to make a very special announcement relating to Level 10 next week.. so stay tuned and enjoy the preview pages below..

Don't forget to tell us what you thought of these pages!!