Review- Persia Blues: Leaving Home

Persia is the ancient name for the modern country of Iran.  Or something like that. I must admit I'm not too knowledgeable about Persia/Iran.  I believe I first heard of the country when I was in grade school, in the late 1970s.  A group of Iranians had taken Americans hostage after invading the American embassy in Tehran.  That's not the best way to come to know about a country.  So there was a lot of hate towards Iran going around ("bomb Iran") and some fear that the USA would get involved in another war. This was not long after Vietnam- a war I do not remember.

Anyway, my point being that when there is conflict between two countries it is often easy to accuse the other guys of being inhuman monsters.  We so it all the time.  Since I was raised in the Cold War era, I heard about how Russians were "not like us".  And this, somehow, leads me into talking about Persia Blues.

Persia Blues tells the tale of Minoo Shirazi, a young Iranian woman and an ancient Persian warrior with magic powers. Yes, somehow she's both.  The story changes settings regularly and with great effect, keeping the reader interested and wondering what is going on.  The art is different in each era.  In ancient tomes, artist Brent Bowman uses a grey pencil effects with lots of cool shading.  In modern times, he uses ink lines for a traditional, black and white comic book look.  He also draws horses very well- just thought I'd mention that 'cause it's cool.

Since this is volume 1, we don't get to find out the ultimate connection between Minoo and Minoo, but they are definitely the same person somehow.  I'm hoping there's something here I'm not seeing that ends up a big surprise.  In the story in ancient Persia Minoo is a swords-woman and has some magic powers. she ends up on a quest involving some gods and has a over and companion accompanying her. It's very classic fantasy I'd say.  In the modern world we learn Minoo is a bit rebellious and not conforming to the strict religious rules of Iran. She has the same independent personality as the ancient Minoo, and this leads her to getting an education in Oklahoma.  Or maybe it was Columbus.

Writer Dara Naraghi was also born in Iran and educated in the United States.  So he's really writing about what he knows.  At my age, I really enjoy learning about other places and cultures. It's nice to see that people are, in general, the same everywhere.  We need to be careful about stereotyping "those people" as "not like us".  As the Russians ended up regular human beings, I'm sure all our "axis of evil" foes will turn up likewise eventually.

By the way, I wrote a review of the preview of Persia Blues some time ago.  And I should note that Persia Blues is an award-winning comic!  Volume 1 and 2 are currently available.  Se details here


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Review: Day Drinking with Alicia and Rose (OWD 4.11)

I'm only reviewing one episode of Out With Dad today. This is so I can do the next two Counselling episodes together, since they go together well.

So in this episode we have Rose and everyone's best friend Alicia talking while drinking at Alicia's place. Alicia has just found out about Vanessa II's name.  They talk about Rose's plans with Vanessa II and how Rose will miss the GSA (Gay/Straight Alliance) meeting.  There's a neat little thing here how Rose doesn't want to go to the GSA meeting. Avoiding being the "lesbian" I think. Rose is unsure how to approach a first date. For example, she doesn't know what to wear to "impress a girl".

Then Claire calls!  Yes, it's the incredible return of Claire!  Sort of.  I mean, she's in the episode via a video chat, but not actually IN the episode.  But it's still more than a cameo appearance.  It's a real appearance.  Whatever they call that in Hollywood talk I don;t know.

Where was I?  Oh, yeah.  Claire calls and has a slightly awkward but kind conversation with Rose. Claire also seems to be having some trouble with her living arrangements.  Very vague. Hopefully more on this later.  Then Claire gives Rose some amazing dating advice.  Claire is sweet and just amazingly Claire-like.  I'm glad Jason didn't go with having them get in a argument or anything like that. They sounded like a pair of adults!  Bravo!

Still, this episode is the set-up. The payoff should be the REALLY interesting episode!

Review: The Peanuts Movie

I didn't watch "It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown" this year.  But I did manage to see the recently released "The Peanuts Movie" and I feel the need to discuss its merits.

First, I am a huge fan of Peanuts, and I believe Charles Schulz is not just a great cartoonist, but a true National Treasure.  His little creations have captivated audiences for generations, do so all these years after his death (despite no new comic strips) and will certainly continue to entertain people for many decades to come, if not until the end of time itself. I reviewed the early Peanuts strips in this post back in 2014.

Now, the legacy of Peanuts was long ago transferred to the big and small screen via some really clever animation and  classic story lines, chief among these being the first Christmas and Halloween specials on TV. There have even been some animated special produced since Schulz's passing. However, this version of Peanuts is different on one big way: it's animated using modern 3-d technology.  When the first trailers came out, I heard a lot of people decry this choice, not wanting to walk all over the classic look of the strips and previous animation. However, I'd say the animators did a wonderful job translating the Peanuts characters and environments. They didn't try too hard to make things special just because they were 3-D.  What I mean is there wasn't a lot of gratuitous 3-D scenes. Instead, the animation really takes a back seat to the story.

And the story is classic Peanuts! There's one new character, who's really a figment of Snoopy's imagination, and a lot of classic characters that aren't updated, modernized, or made "cool".  This movie should be enjoyable for generations to come.  The only thing I noted they took liberties with was having all the kids attend the same school, when we all know Peppermint Patty and her gang are supposed to be from "across town".  And the ending is a little saccharin, but I think they had to give Charlie Brown at least one win.  After all, his charm is that he stays the nice guy and keeps trying no matter how many failures life hands him.

Snoopy has a great subplot also, interacting with the rest of the cast in the zaniest ways. I laughed a lot at the Snoopy scenes, but also at plenty of others, including Peppermint Patty;s inability to stay awake in class.

As I said, classic Peanuts!  I'm hoping for a sequel!

Review: King Tiger

King Tiger is a character created by Dark Horse Comics back in the 90's when they launched a line of super-hero books and I was in college getting my Bachelor's Degree.  I remember it well because the premiere was drawn by one of my all-time favorite cartoonists, Paul Chadwick.  Paul's Concrete comic is my all-time favorite comic run of anything, and I hope he'll do more someday.  But I digress, what I mean to say is that Paul introduced me to Dark Horse Comics, the company. I then read King Tiger partly because Paul drew it.  And now, all these years later I bought King Tiger's first limited series.  And did I enjoy it?  Let me put it his way: it is probably the best comic I've read over the past year!

 

King Tiger is a martial art magician.  Kind of like a combination Brue Lee and Dr. Strange.  Unlike the Doctor, Tiger uses a lot of weapons in his fights, but they are enchanted weapons that rely on mystic as well as mundane strength.  The four-issue series does a good job introducing the reader to Tiger and his history and abilities through the eyes of his recently hired assistant/caddy Milo.  Milo is brave and loyal, but a complete novice to Tiger's world.  Like the typical reader.  The third main character is Tiger's girlfriend Rikki, who supplies Tiger's squad with a headquarters, repairs vehicles, and funds his world-saving missions.  It seems Rikki is terribly rich, which is convenient, but also works well in the context of  the story.

Writer Randy Stradley does a great job of telling the story, getting in all the introductory bits in a way that keeps the plot flowing, and giving each character a unique personality and "feel".  The story is VERY engaging, as the good guys are in constant peril and there are multiple twists in the plot.  Artist Doug Wheatley is just spectacular!  I spent as much time looking at the details in the artwork as I did reading the words on each page.  Somehow, Doug makes the most fantastic subject look extremely realistic.

Anyway, this comic is a definite A+ and I hope it is successful enough to warrant further series of even greater tales!  I'm only sorry I didn't get it read earlier so I could have completed this review a while ago.  But I'm pretty sure you can still order the series from Dark Horse or your local comic shop!  So go do it.  I'd love to hear the opinions of other who have read the series!

SPACE (Prize!)

The Small Press and Alternative Comics Exposition (SPACE) is just around the corner. I'm always excited to check out the new work by my favorite independent artists, meet fans, and make new acquaintances. But this year I'm especially happy because I will, for the first time, be accepting an award for my comic work!

 

I won second prize in the "webcomic" category for my comic Mutant Elf.  In case your reading my blog for the first time, Mutant Elf is about an elf who comes from the Fairy World to our world to round up stray fairy creatures and take them back!  A human helps her out, and all hilarity results!  Or at least I hope so.  My current storyline, "The Package", is a little more serious than most, and hasn't included our title character except for one short mention.  The story is based on a short story my brother wrote years ago and includes Nor, a guy who can turn into a dragon. Nor appeared in an earlier Mutant Elf storyline.

 

While I'm mentioning webcomics, let me also mention Lady Spectra & Sparky. J. Kevin Carrier's mother/daughter super team.  He is currently running a colorified version of "The Godmother Principle", a crossover with Lady Spectra and my hero, Lizard Man. The colors look great!

Finally, please check out my latest: Mutant Animals vs. Zombies vs. Machines vs. Humans! It's the comic with something for everyone!

Well, that's all for today. We award-winning cartoonists must get our rest, so we can produce more comics tomorrow!

Review: Starrting Out, Again & Counselling Vanessa-Session Twenty-Three

I've been a bit inactive on my blog the past week due to illness.  Hopefully I make up for that now.

I'm not shifting my topic from last post, as I continue to report on  the success of Out With Dad (still my favorite webseries) season 4.  And by success I mean that the season just keeps getting better!  Let's start today with episode 4.09, Starting Out, Again. In this episode both Nathan and Rose are looking for love.  Or it's looking for them.  This episode feels like the installments in previous seasons to me more than any in season so thus far.  I think perhaps that's because we're seeing events that propel the storyline forward towards an unknown future, as opposed to events that tell us of the past. This is the great interaction between Nathan and Rose that we all know and love!  Smart, funny, and compelling! But also, and most importantly, we have the return of "head Rose" and "head Nathan"!  This is one of the little touches that makes Out With Dad so captivating and unique!

First, there's Nathan reuniting with old (but unfamiliar to we viewers) flame Valery. Nathan is hopelessly goofy and hopeful in his encounter.  It's also nice that, as opposed to previous romantic interest Angela, Nathan tells Rose about the encounter right after it happens. Though he is still concerned about Rose's feelings about him dating. Sigh.  Get over it, man!

 

Then we have shaved-dead-girl and Rose.  I will admit being prejudiced against shaved-head-girl at first because...well...she has a shaved head.  Or at least a partially shaved head.  Anyway, to an old person like me that's just not very mainstream-seeming and it scared me. However, in her debut we did not get to hear shaved-head-girl talk and didn't really get to know her.  And she seemed a bit forward flirting with Rose.  I think that put me off, too.  Anyway, once we get to hear shaved-head-girl talk to Rose (conveniently due to her calling right when it fits into Rose and Nathan's discussion) she sound really nice and cool.  So now I like her!  Just shows you should not judge people by the first appearance, huh?  Anyway, things look positive for a future between Rose and her new flame with an old name.  In fact, I will now make sure I do not call her shaved-head-girl.  That's silly anyways. I shall refer to her as Vanessa II.  'Cause that's not silly at all.

There's also Nathan's comments on Owen and Nathan's fear that Rose is slipping away.  Funny.  And finally, Nathan's response to Vanessa II's name, which is priceless!!

But now to discuss the continuing tale of Vanessa I. The original and never truly duplicated Vanessa. IAs we see Vanessa in session 23 of her counselling, we hear her speak of her mother.  The statement she makes that hit me the hardest was when she says that she's how there are people like her Mother still in this world.  That's something I can agree with. I know a lot of prejudice goes back generations, but we live in such a time of communication and understanding.  We aren't living in isolated tribes where outsiders are probably going to kill us.  Yet some people won't give up the us-versus-them mentality.

 

And even if I'm a little prejudiced against young people with weird hair, I don't hate them.  I wouldn't deny them rights.  And I could befriend them, I'm sure.  Even though I'm gonna keep my hair just like it is.

And Vanessa's an Aunt!  Not only is that cool, it gives us a chance to see Vanessa (and Lindsey) smile!

But the comment about losing someone who "wasn't that important" is sad and curious...

Review: Out Clubbing & Counselling Vanessa - Session one (OWD 4.07 & 4.08)

Episode 4.07 of Out With Dad is called "Out Clubbing" and it revolves around Rose and new/old friend Owen recapping their night at some night spots.  The main thrust of the episode is getting Rose to admit she'd like to date someone, since it has been 3 years since the Claire/Vanessa debacle. Rose tries to set up Owen with a date of his own and he agrees if Rose will try to get a date with a girl she met in a club.

 

That's really about it for this episode, except that the conversation is very interesting, fun, and realistic.  This is truly a change of pace from the previous episodes of this season and I liked it a lot.  I see that fans are still upset at the pace of this season, but this looks like it will shake things up.

Oh, and Rose asks "shaved head girl" out for tea.  Tea!  A OWD staple!

And now we turn out attention to Vanessa.

Set  shortly after the end of season 3, Vanessa seeks counselling on her Father's recommendation to deal with the traumas she endured after running away.  We find out why she didn't return to school, and we find out how afraid she is.  This episode sets the stage for the future of Vanessa.

 

Lindsey Middleton is sad and somewhat creepy in her portrayal of Vanessa in this episode. It seems almost too real, and it really shook me up after seeing this one.  This is also a bit of a shock after the light-hearted "Clubbing" episode discussed above.

I'm not sure what else to say but, my does creator/writer/director Jason Leaver come up with some engaging stories!  Lucky for me there's more out right now to watch!!