Multifandom geekout
Aug. 20th, 2005 03:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakThe Very Quick Day Trip to London went well, save for the weather, which was abysmal, and I wouldn't have minded except that I had to spend considerable time outside. Otoh, I made a lot of British bookstores and DVD sellers richer as well. Among other things, I finally was able to aquire the second season of West Wing, which I have started to watch. Considering Ron Moore references WW a few times in the BSG podcast, I take it the idea of the season 2 opener wherein the immediate aftermath of Adama's shooting is cross cut with the Adama/Tigh flashbacks came from In the Shadow of Two Gunman? OMG, Leo McGarry is the more functional version of Tigh. Next? No, seriously, the flashbacks on how everyone came to work for Bartlett were great, and I think I finally see the Donna/Josh thing..
I also soothed my overseas Serenity waiting woes by buying the first issue of the comic Joss obligingly wrote to fill in the events between Objects in Space and the movie. So far, so neat. It was so good to "hear" everyone's voices again. Art-wise, there is a gender divide - the drawings of the men look like them, but alas the women look more like generic pretty women than Zoe, Kaylee, Inara and River respectively. My favourite snark of the issue belonged to Book and was his reply to a certain question of Mal's. I *heart* Book.
Speaking of comics: I also aquired the first issue of 1602: New World (not bad, but it'll take more good issues to convince me to change my "only Mike Carey should be allowed to write Neil Gaiman spin-offs" rule) and two trade collections of Fables. The later because![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
londonkds, oyceter and kangeiko all liked it, so I put aside my Bill Willingham issues enough to buy them. The preliminary verdict: okay, I still think he ought to be punished somehow for what he did to Thessaly and should never be allowed to write her again, or any other Sandman character. But his own stuff is good. The fairy tale characters done the noir way gimmik works, and Bigby Wolf and Snow White are really entertaining twists on the hard boiled detective and the fast talking, tough dame respectively. Was also impressed that he didn't always go for the obvious, as with the entire Prince Charming versus Blue Beard confrontation. I'm a bit uncertain what the rules about the Fables are, because they aren't all fairy tale creatures. Pinnochio comes from a novel by Carlo Callodini. And in his grand remembrance speech, King Cole referenced Narnia and Aslan, also products of a whole series of novels. So can we expect hobbits any time soon? Put another way, this reminds me of Phantásien (aka Phantasia) in Michael Ende's Neverending Story, or indeed the Dreaming, where all fantasy creatures ever dreamed up coexist.
On Thursday, I saw Bride and Prejudice and by sheer coincidence the trailer for the new film version of Pride and Prejudice. I must say, the former was far more fun than I suspect the later will be. Like Clueless (updated version of Emma) and Ten Things I Hate About You (aka Taming of the Shrew), it transported the plot of the original into a different setting. So instead of inwardly ranting "they got that wrong, and this isn't how I imagine X", one sits there and thinks "wow, that's a clever equivalent" and otherwise just basks in the fun. In this case, Bollywood fun. Was very amused that the Bollywood rule, which incidentally is also an Austen rule, was kept - no kissing! Lots of dancing and songs instead. I adored this film.
I also soothed my overseas Serenity waiting woes by buying the first issue of the comic Joss obligingly wrote to fill in the events between Objects in Space and the movie. So far, so neat. It was so good to "hear" everyone's voices again. Art-wise, there is a gender divide - the drawings of the men look like them, but alas the women look more like generic pretty women than Zoe, Kaylee, Inara and River respectively. My favourite snark of the issue belonged to Book and was his reply to a certain question of Mal's. I *heart* Book.
Speaking of comics: I also aquired the first issue of 1602: New World (not bad, but it'll take more good issues to convince me to change my "only Mike Carey should be allowed to write Neil Gaiman spin-offs" rule) and two trade collections of Fables. The later because
londonkds, oyceter and kangeiko all liked it, so I put aside my Bill Willingham issues enough to buy them. The preliminary verdict: okay, I still think he ought to be punished somehow for what he did to Thessaly and should never be allowed to write her again, or any other Sandman character. But his own stuff is good. The fairy tale characters done the noir way gimmik works, and Bigby Wolf and Snow White are really entertaining twists on the hard boiled detective and the fast talking, tough dame respectively. Was also impressed that he didn't always go for the obvious, as with the entire Prince Charming versus Blue Beard confrontation. I'm a bit uncertain what the rules about the Fables are, because they aren't all fairy tale creatures. Pinnochio comes from a novel by Carlo Callodini. And in his grand remembrance speech, King Cole referenced Narnia and Aslan, also products of a whole series of novels. So can we expect hobbits any time soon? Put another way, this reminds me of Phantásien (aka Phantasia) in Michael Ende's Neverending Story, or indeed the Dreaming, where all fantasy creatures ever dreamed up coexist. On Thursday, I saw Bride and Prejudice and by sheer coincidence the trailer for the new film version of Pride and Prejudice. I must say, the former was far more fun than I suspect the later will be. Like Clueless (updated version of Emma) and Ten Things I Hate About You (aka Taming of the Shrew), it transported the plot of the original into a different setting. So instead of inwardly ranting "they got that wrong, and this isn't how I imagine X", one sits there and thinks "wow, that's a clever equivalent" and otherwise just basks in the fun. In this case, Bollywood fun. Was very amused that the Bollywood rule, which incidentally is also an Austen rule, was kept - no kissing! Lots of dancing and songs instead. I adored this film.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-08-20 02:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-20 03:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-20 03:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-20 03:16 pm (UTC)I used the new icon space for more Laura from Kathy, too.*g*
no subject
Date: 2005-08-23 01:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-23 05:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-20 03:24 pm (UTC)Abysmal is the word. I thought of you as we sailed (very nearly literally) down the M11. Ironically Thursday was a beautiful day.
Art-wise, there is a gender divide - the drawings of the men look like them, but alas the women look more like generic pretty women than Zoe, Kaylee, Inara and River respectively.
Hm...how annoying. Good to hear that the first issue is around over here though as I looked for it and couldn't find it a couple of weeks ago. Another trip to the comic shop is in order I think. Will also watch out for Bride and Prejudice.
I think I need to make some more Laura icons *g*.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-20 03:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-20 04:59 pm (UTC)I'm not sure if you read the Animal Farm story in there, but there's a nice chat between Rose Red and Snow White that explores the different strengths of each of the fableverse characters. Red's very angry because everyone loves Snow White, which funnels a lot of power Snow's way. I reckon that it works with any character - the amount of thought on and attention to any particular character allows them to build a power base. In some cases a name becomes synonymous with something (and in Pinnochio's case, I think that Disney has a lot to ansewr for, as they were the ones that made him a household name), or in others you have a general 'bad guy' that gather up all the power that accrue to generic bad guys. A recent storyline tackles this via Jack; you should check it out.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-20 07:59 pm (UTC)So then it works like with the Gods in both the Sandmanverse and American Gods?
no subject
Date: 2005-08-23 03:50 pm (UTC)1602 new world
Date: 2005-08-20 05:01 pm (UTC)i was very disappointed with this. where was the actual dialogue in it? writing credit, my arse, it was batman-style *kerplow!* *splat!* etc.
Re: 1602 new world
Date: 2005-08-20 08:03 pm (UTC)Re: New World: I was amused by Jonah Jameson showing up, and figured the action was because mundanes complained that we never got to see the Hulk and Spiderman in the original. But at least nobody was ooc, so I wasn't as incensed as by what Willingham did to Thessaly in his two Thessaly storylines. (He made her cute. And having your avarage comic female great figure and tight clothes. And gave her an annoying ghostly sidekick. My darling heartless no-nonsense millennia old witch. May he never go anywhere near Sandman characters again.) But yes, totally apparent that whoever writes this isn't anywhere near N.G.'s format.
Re: 1602 new world
Date: 2005-08-23 03:47 pm (UTC)But at least nobody was ooc, so I wasn't as incensed as by what Willingham did to Thessaly in his two Thessaly storylines. (He made her cute. And having your avarage comic female great figure and tight clothes. And gave her an annoying ghostly sidekick. My darling heartless no-nonsense millennia old witch. May he never go anywhere near Sandman characters again.)
Ah. Still haven't read Sandman. Only real exposure I've had to Willingham has been through Fables, and he quite stole my heart with Bigby Wolf.
I am curious, actually, to read Sandman now and see whether it lives up to my expectations. I've read so much stuff associated with it, and I've been readinf Lucifer as well, it'll be interesting to go back to the source material.
Re: 1602 new world
Date: 2005-08-23 06:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-20 07:38 pm (UTC)You know, this kind of nails the reason that I normally like updates more than I like adaptations. I am going to see P&P for Matthew McFadyen (Tom Quinn fangirl + I'm the weirdo who loves Colin Firth in every role BUT Darcy,) but I don't anticipate being thrilled with Keira Knightley as Elizabeth (Jennifer Ehle inhabited the role so nicely for me that I really never need to see another Elizabeth). Plus there's Judi Dench as Lady Catherine, and how can that go wrong?
I just got issues 6-9 of Sandman, and I intended to reward myself for a morning spent moving houses by reading these, and watching the 3rd disc of Alias (finally getting to eps I've never seen before -- expect meta on why Sydney Bristow could learn a thing or two from Starbuck).
no subject
Date: 2005-08-20 10:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-21 05:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-21 10:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-21 12:16 pm (UTC)Is it ever explained why Bigby can shapechange but the pig hanging out at his place in #1 can't?
no subject
Date: 2005-08-21 12:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-23 03:56 pm (UTC)Well, Other than the cursed dagger, Budby should have been able to shapechange anyway, as he was fathered by the North Wind (hence the huff and puff, blowing the little pigs' houses down). However, he was stubborn (or something), and so got 'stuck' in wolf form. Hence the dagger.
Some of the other fables can shapeshift because of enchantments they have purchased from the witches and warlocks that survived. the pigs, presumably, weren't able to afford the costly enchantments, or they had objections to the principle.