Did anyone else have a crush on Dagwood’s wife as a kid? No? Moving on …
Watched Flash Forward this week. It was okay I guess. I don’t know, I kind of like the premise, but I feel like the structure of the story is all wrong. The plot and people’s reactions are too rushed and spelled out. I guess “overly-expository” would be my official complaint? Too soon to make a full judgement of the show I suppose, but so far I’m not crazy about it. It has two more episodes to hook me in.
On to news of the awesome: The Dollhouse premier was great. Definitely uping the ante from season one. I’m not going to beat the Dollhouse drum every week (except for maybe the finale), but seriously guys, start watching this show. Except for the first three or so episodes, the show is well-crafted around an interesting but flexible premise, emphasizing characterization and mysteries of the radical kind.
Picked up Batman: Arkham Asylum on Friday. Dear. God. The game is incredible. I’d tell you about how good it is, but basically I’d be writing about every single thing in the game. Here is my brief pitch:
Combat? Amazing. It’s got a Tony Hawk-like premise of chaining combos that is so fun and challenging without being frustrating.
Boss fights? Pretty darn cool. Batman has maybe the best rogue’s gallery of any superhero, and most of his villains seem to be in the game. Diverse fights have made them all memorable so far.
Voice acting? Most of the cast from the amazing cartoon show of our youth (Mark Hamil, Kevin Conroy, etc.)
Script? Paul Dini is UP INS.
Things that make games bad, like tiresome inventory screens, ammunition and health hassles, or useless maps? Nope, none of that here.
Extras? God, there are so many. Mini-games that are really fun, like seeing how many dudes you can beat up at a time; character profiles, Arkham interview tapes, and a few other little things.
Can you solve mysteries? Yup. Tons of awesome gadgets? So many. Fly with your cool cape? Uh huh. Zip line all over the place? Heck yes. Sneaky stealth stuff? Mmm-hmm. Beat up like 10 guys at once using your crazy martial arts skills? Damn straight.
I could go on, but seriously. If you own a damn Xbox or PS3, go pick this up. Now.
<3 Mike
Post Script: Sorry for the bit of lateness everyone. We had some time-space issues in the Lead Paint offices, but every seems to be back to normal now.
College budget says no Arkham Asylum until somebody on my floor pirates it, but everybody is salivating in anticipation (Oh, tech school, look what you do to us!). In other news, I’m digging the background art in this one, especially the colors. Keep up that good work!
@mike: phil and i watched flash forward the other day and i would agree with everything you said. people seemed to stumble across major revelations way too easily just to move the plot forward. also the main guy was insanely melodramatic and his eyes are slightly too close together on his face. you’re way more patient than i am because i’m not watching it again unless phil forces me to.
@jbo: thanks for the compliments as usual! i was trying something new with the backgrounds and colors so it’s nice of you to comment.
-dana
Hey Mike! so, I regret to inform you that this is my first actual visit to leadpaintcomics.com despite previous efforts from Vanessa to check it out! LOL and Im not actually sure why I waited so long! They are short and funny and why not read em?! Also, the drawings are SO GOOD Ive always wondered how comics are drawn? Is it on the computer? I guess it would have to be since all the bubbles and fonts are always the same… hmm… I would love to be enlightened. Keep up the good work! – Vicki
I loved Dagwood’s wife still, she’s hot as hell….
@Vickymania: Haha, that’s fine Vicky. Just like anyone else, I’m flattered that you stopped by at all. Glad you like the comics, and I agree that Dana has drawn them all very well.
The comics are all drawn on a computer. I can’t speak too much to the details of the process, but basically Dana using something like a “Wacom Tablet,” which you can google for more info, but it’s basically a pressure-sensitive pad that is connected to her computer. Her motions translate to lines in a special program, where she can also add all the words and colors, more or less like MS paint, except nicer and with a lot more features. I hope that answers your question?
@ChelseaLea: Yeah, she might be the hottest syndicated cartoon character, except for maybe the secretary in Beetle Bailey or the random Bimbos that show up in the Lockhorns.
I used to read the funny pages a lot when I was a kid.
-Mike