Farscape

I'm up to episode 8 now and essentially of the same opinion as earlier:  It's fun, I like it, I like the characters.  I'm not in love but I'm in like and all is well.  The only problem I really have so far is John's relationship with the peacekeeper tech girl.  She seemed ok, but that whole aspect of that episode felt really forced and awkward and...well...boring.  It's like they were trying to force some acknowledgement that Aeryn finds John "interesting"(which I thought they'd already done a good job of) and couldn't think of any other way to.  it wasn't straight up bad, but it was the first time I found myself not really paying attention as much.

I do have 2 overall quibbles, but they're actually just quibbles with SciFi in general, not Farscape.

1)  Almost every race on this show is made to look very distinctly different from humans, even if you may have to do a double take to realize it, and sometimes it's just coloring.  The only race to look human is...the female lover interest's race.  I mean, what's with that?  They can't even make the Peacekeepers look a little different?  I mean, even without the Farscape obsessed f-list, I would have immediately known Aeryn was the nominally intended love interest from that alone.

2)  Everyone is supposed to be injected with the universal language system thingie, right?   Why is it, then, that the more exotic female aliens speak differently, even if the others of their race don't.  Take the zen farming type planet.  Everyone there spoke just like the rest of the cast...except the much more exotic looking leader.  She spoke much more slowly and distinctly and the way they played it, it was like she was trying to find the words because she didn't speak the language.  Except it wouldn't be an issue if her entire race didn't have that speech problem...  It's supposed to add to the exoticness, but it generally just irritated me(in an "oh, not this again" way, not this instance in and of itself.)  I also had that problem w/ the 2 people from D'Argo's cousin race(though I  gues they didn't explain why she might sound different) and have noticed it-to a lesser degree-with Zhaan a few times.  I get what it's "supposed" to do, but usually in SciFi, it just makes my logic centers twitch.

Farscape

I'm up to episode 8 now and essentially of the same opinion as earlier:  It's fun, I like it, I like the characters.  I'm not in love but I'm in like and all is well.  The only problem I really have so far is John's relationship with the peacekeeper tech girl.  She seemed ok, but that whole aspect of that episode felt really forced and awkward and...well...boring.  It's like they were trying to force some acknowledgement that Aeryn finds John "interesting"(which I thought they'd already done a good job of) and couldn't think of any other way to.  it wasn't straight up bad, but it was the first time I found myself not really paying attention as much.

I do have 2 overall quibbles, but they're actually just quibbles with SciFi in general, not Farscape.

1)  Almost every race on this show is made to look very distinctly different from humans, even if you may have to do a double take to realize it, and sometimes it's just coloring.  The only race to look human is...the female lover interest's race.  I mean, what's with that?  They can't even make the Peacekeepers look a little different?  I mean, even without the Farscape obsessed f-list, I would have immediately known Aeryn was the nominally intended love interest from that alone.

2)  Everyone is supposed to be injected with the universal language system thingie, right?   Why is it, then, that the more exotic female aliens speak differently, even if the others of their race don't.  Take the zen farming type planet.  Everyone there spoke just like the rest of the cast...except the much more exotic looking leader.  She spoke much more slowly and distinctly and the way they played it, it was like she was trying to find the words because she didn't speak the language.  Except it wouldn't be an issue if her entire race didn't have that speech problem...  It's supposed to add to the exoticness, but it generally just irritated me(in an "oh, not this again" way, not this instance in and of itself.)  I also had that problem w/ the 2 people from D'Argo's cousin race(though I  gues they didn't explain why she might sound different) and have noticed it-to a lesser degree-with Zhaan a few times.  I get what it's "supposed" to do, but usually in SciFi, it just makes my logic centers twitch.

and while I'm talking about scifi anyway...

Here's something I've never eally been able to figure out:  I know a LOT of people who dislike fantasy, but live for scifi and will sing the praises of things like Farscape and Star Wars  for as long as anyone will listen, and yet, most outer space scifi is almost literally just high fantasy in space.

Star Wars, of course, is very blatant about it.  But Farscape?  Normal guy transported to a strange world where he meets a beautiful woman who initially can't stand him, a comedic little guy with delusions of grandeur, a warrior-not nearly as bad as he initially seems-who intially thinks he's useless, a holy figure with A Past, and a defected enemy who joins them because they have no other options, not to mention quickly making enemies with a powerful person meant to hunt them down?  I read this story multiple times as a teen, in fantasies published in the 80s and 90s(for that matter, I read one such series earlier this year-Mickey Zucker Reichert's Bifrost Guardians.)  In fact, the entire setup and cast of Farscape is really your normal high fantasy cast and plot so far, the main difference being spaceships and guns instead of magic and swords.

Now, I have no problems with this....in fact, the only time I really like outer space scifi(I generally prefer near-future post-apocalyptic) is when it acknowledges this and plays up to it(Which Farscape very much does, by the way.  Often blatantly and even gleefully.)  I just don't quite understand claiming dislike for a kind of fiction, then praising that kind of fiction the second the trappings are changed.

Incidentally, I also know fantasy fans who refuse to touch any scifi, and scifi fans who won't touvh Star Wars because it is a fantasy in space, or a show like Firefly because it's a western in space.  Though those, of course, will praise Star Trek until the end of time, even though it's esentially naval exploration and colonization in space.

This isn't about any one person, or several people(and the first ones of any mentioned variety that I'd think of don't even have LJ to my knowledge)  just something that always bugged me.

and while I'm talking about scifi anyway...

Here's something I've never eally been able to figure out:  I know a LOT of people who dislike fantasy, but live for scifi and will sing the praises of things like Farscape and Star Wars  for as long as anyone will listen, and yet, most outer space scifi is almost literally just high fantasy in space.

Star Wars, of course, is very blatant about it.  But Farscape?  Normal guy transported to a strange world where he meets a beautiful woman who initially can't stand him, a comedic little guy with delusions of grandeur, a warrior-not nearly as bad as he initially seems-who intially thinks he's useless, a holy figure with A Past, and a defected enemy who joins them because they have no other options, not to mention quickly making enemies with a powerful person meant to hunt them down?  I read this story multiple times as a teen, in fantasies published in the 80s and 90s(for that matter, I read one such series earlier this year-Mickey Zucker Reichert's Bifrost Guardians.)  In fact, the entire setup and cast of Farscape is really your normal high fantasy cast and plot so far, the main difference being spaceships and guns instead of magic and swords.

Now, I have no problems with this....in fact, the only time I really like outer space scifi(I generally prefer near-future post-apocalyptic) is when it acknowledges this and plays up to it(Which Farscape very much does, by the way.  Often blatantly and even gleefully.)  I just don't quite understand claiming dislike for a kind of fiction, then praising that kind of fiction the second the trappings are changed.

Incidentally, I also know fantasy fans who refuse to touch any scifi, and scifi fans who won't touvh Star Wars because it is a fantasy in space, or a show like Firefly because it's a western in space.  Though those, of course, will praise Star Trek until the end of time, even though it's esentially naval exploration and colonization in space.

This isn't about any one person, or several people(and the first ones of any mentioned variety that I'd think of don't even have LJ to my knowledge)  just something that always bugged me.

comics!

 Today was Annihilation Day for comic book reading.  As we all know, Annihilation Day is a glorious day of comic book reading.

I love Annihilation muchly in all it's fun, pulpy, scifi glory.  A pity most of the rest of Marvel and DC doesn't have a clue how to make a good adventure comic anymore.

( AnnihilationAssimilationAnnihilationAssimilationAnnihilation )

In other news, I have been linked to an article where Rob Liefeld apparent disses Alan Moore.  I shall now go investigate.

comics!

 Today was Annihilation Day for comic book reading.  As we all know, Annihilation Day is a glorious day of comic book reading.

I love Annihilation muchly in all it's fun, pulpy, scifi glory.  A pity most of the rest of Marvel and DC doesn't have a clue how to make a good adventure comic anymore.

( AnnihilationAssimilationAnnihilationAssimilationAnnihilation )

In other news, I have been linked to an article where Rob Liefeld apparent disses Alan Moore.  I shall now go investigate.

Rob Liefeld opens his mouth, forgetting Alan Moore's beard alone could off him

 The article in question.

A few of my favorite bits:

“But then he took that formula and just kinda did that same thing, I mean, Tom Strong is Supreme, it’s flattering that he found his groove back with us and started winning awards back with us because people forget, he’d fallen off the map, you can’t really find a great Alan Moore book from ’90 to like ’96

Oh, he was just off making massively acclaimed comics that would later get turned into movies in those years, that's all....And Tom Strong is not Supreme.  Tom Strong is a tribute to every pulp hero who ever existed.

“If you’ve done business with Alan, you have a different opinion of Alan. He markets himself as a poet, but he’s just a ruthless businessman, like everybody else, he kept wanting to more work because he just wanted to get paid. Jeph Loeb, he can tell you.”

Wow...I didn't realize it was such a terrible thing to expect to get PAID for your work and toexpect to be able to live off it when you're one of the most acclaimed people in your field.  Besides, I've only ever seen him market himself as a comic book writer...a bit too much of one, but hey...

“You worship at the altar of Alan, and then you go, oh, he’s just another guy that’s looking to get paid, and that’s why he’d do 3-4 books a month for us. Literally, he’d send three scripts through the copy machine”

Urm...you mean fax machine?  Of course, I guess the guy incapable of meeting a deadline within even 6 months of the original date would view being able to actually get work out there as a bad thing...

He’s brilliant, but to me I think he’s been revealed as someone who’s spiraled wildly out of control. Like, he had a falling out with Wildstorm, you know, he’s having another falling out with DC, he won’t work for Marvel. At some point you put yourself on line and go, well, gee, Alan, is it everyone else, or is it you?”

Given who's saying this, I have no words.

He’s just a guy who wants to get paid, and he cuts deals for himself that he doesn’t like down the line, and then he gets whiny and cries about it...Hey man, he worked for me for two years, I was quiet for like ten years. And then I watched him burn every other bridge, and I go “Hmm.” 

Se above.  Wow.

And he comes out and he lets everybody know now 'I’m going to crap all over the adaptations you do,' he’s shown no loyalty to his fellow artists like Dave Gibbons or David Lloyd. He knows that by coming out and crapping on the movie, he’s gonna keep a certain percentage of the fan base away.

wait wait wait...ok, yeah, Moore's refusal to take money or support movie adaptations of his work is a rather legitimate piece of controversy, granted, but what'd he do to warrant that statement, threatened to hack off Loyd's and Gibbons's right hands if they took any money?  Call them worthless hacks?  What?

He’s a genius, a showman, a shrewd businessman, and a whiner. I have no intention of working with him again.

By all accounts, 3 of the 4 can be accounted to Moore.  By all accounts, only one can be attributed to Liefeld.  No overlap.

Rob Liefeld opens his mouth, forgetting Alan Moore's beard alone could off him

 The article in question.

A few of my favorite bits:

“But then he took that formula and just kinda did that same thing, I mean, Tom Strong is Supreme, it’s flattering that he found his groove back with us and started winning awards back with us because people forget, he’d fallen off the map, you can’t really find a great Alan Moore book from ’90 to like ’96

Oh, he was just off making massively acclaimed comics that would later get turned into movies in those years, that's all....And Tom Strong is not Supreme.  Tom Strong is a tribute to every pulp hero who ever existed.

“If you’ve done business with Alan, you have a different opinion of Alan. He markets himself as a poet, but he’s just a ruthless businessman, like everybody else, he kept wanting to more work because he just wanted to get paid. Jeph Loeb, he can tell you.”

Wow...I didn't realize it was such a terrible thing to expect to get PAID for your work and toexpect to be able to live off it when you're one of the most acclaimed people in your field.  Besides, I've only ever seen him market himself as a comic book writer...a bit too much of one, but hey...

“You worship at the altar of Alan, and then you go, oh, he’s just another guy that’s looking to get paid, and that’s why he’d do 3-4 books a month for us. Literally, he’d send three scripts through the copy machine”

Urm...you mean fax machine?  Of course, I guess the guy incapable of meeting a deadline within even 6 months of the original date would view being able to actually get work out there as a bad thing...

He’s brilliant, but to me I think he’s been revealed as someone who’s spiraled wildly out of control. Like, he had a falling out with Wildstorm, you know, he’s having another falling out with DC, he won’t work for Marvel. At some point you put yourself on line and go, well, gee, Alan, is it everyone else, or is it you?”

Given who's saying this, I have no words.

He’s just a guy who wants to get paid, and he cuts deals for himself that he doesn’t like down the line, and then he gets whiny and cries about it...Hey man, he worked for me for two years, I was quiet for like ten years. And then I watched him burn every other bridge, and I go “Hmm.” 

Se above.  Wow.

And he comes out and he lets everybody know now 'I’m going to crap all over the adaptations you do,' he’s shown no loyalty to his fellow artists like Dave Gibbons or David Lloyd. He knows that by coming out and crapping on the movie, he’s gonna keep a certain percentage of the fan base away.

wait wait wait...ok, yeah, Moore's refusal to take money or support movie adaptations of his work is a rather legitimate piece of controversy, granted, but what'd he do to warrant that statement, threatened to hack off Loyd's and Gibbons's right hands if they took any money?  Call them worthless hacks?  What?

He’s a genius, a showman, a shrewd businessman, and a whiner. I have no intention of working with him again.

By all accounts, 3 of the 4 can be accounted to Moore.  By all accounts, only one can be attributed to Liefeld.  No overlap.

(no subject)

 It has gotten COLD.

This is actually a relatively good thing...I much prefer getting snuggly when it's cold to having to cool off when it's hot.

BUT!

The hot water in my building was out today.  I need my hot showers even when it's 90 degrees out....

Also, it wasn't supposed to be more than a little cool today, so I just put on a 3/4  sleeve shirt and didn't bring a jacket...me chilly...cold nose...

(no subject)

 It has gotten COLD.

This is actually a relatively good thing...I much prefer getting snuggly when it's cold to having to cool off when it's hot.

BUT!

The hot water in my building was out today.  I need my hot showers even when it's 90 degrees out....

Also, it wasn't supposed to be more than a little cool today, so I just put on a 3/4  sleeve shirt and didn't bring a jacket...me chilly...cold nose...