So, 44 days ago I placed an order on etsy for an absolutely adorable Touhou cellphone charm I was going to put on my 3ds. It was a custom made charm that could be any character I wanted from the vast cast of bullet hell ladies. I picked my favorite character, Parsee Mizuhashi. I wanted to buy two, one of Parsee and one of leading lady Reimu Hakurai, but the check out process was a little odd and I ended up ordering only one. I figured I'd wait and see the quality before making another order.
Seems I don't need to worry about quality! I never got the first order. 44 days ago I placed the order, 45 days after a payment is made with PayPal is the limit for requesting money back. Now, the item was only $5. That isn't much. I spend $5 without thinking about it all the time. I also agonize about purchases as little as a dollar. I'm a complicated man with money on my mind, got a $10 in hand and she has my $5 in her's. I was going for something there... didn't hit the mark.
What upsets me is that 1.) this is my first order off Etsy (for myself) and it has gone belly up. And 2.) THIS IS THE SECOND $5 I HAVE GIVEN SOMEONE FOR SOMETHING THEY WERE MEANT TO MAKE ME AND NEVER DID! Get to the second one later.
I tried being nice in the e-mail I sent this girl, I really did. I understand that life gets in the way and that sometimes you just... don't... have... time. I get that. I'm an understanding person. I'm caring. Thing is, she quickly replied when I asked if I could have ANY character (before the order was placed) and about two weeks after the order was placed she changed the style of charm. Which means she was active on the site. I sent a message a week ago via etsy's message system and never heard back. E-mailed her today. We'll see what happens. Come 6pm I'm going to file a dispute with her. Some people.
The second item I paid for and never got was paid for about six months ago, or more. I keep forgetting about it, to be honest. It was a small $5 commission off someone from DeviantArt. A wonderful artist that Kat and I follow who was asking for commissions to afford Portal 2...
...Portal 2? THAT CAME OUT IN APRIL! It's been nearly 10 months! Almost a damn year! Okay, anyway. I paid for a commission of a character of mine from the comic, Karen. I love Karen and she is my second favorite character in the story, behind Effie. I was so looking forward to his very distinctive style being placed over the emotionally damaged little rich girl. Never happened.
Now, he hasn't even been on DA in about 9 months, at least. The guy might be dead* for all I know. He lives in Australia, so there are plenty of chances to get eaten or stung. They also have terrible internet there, so I've heard.
What am I trying to say here? Not much, really. I have bad luck with home-made items that cost $5.
I also never got the package Jeff sent me, but I'm not mad about that. I am so very thankful that I have him as a friend and he is kind enough to buy me a birthday gift, and Pony toys, when I never get him anything for birthdays or gift-giving winter holidays. One day when I have more money I'll try to repay him. I am, though, a bit worried. He sent that thing like two or three weeks ago, I think.
I think I'm working on a theme for this blog. Nerdy stuff. I mean, I'm a nerd and everything I post about is nerdy, so it makes sense. Touhou was mentioned in this so that counts. My Little Pony was also mentioned. And our comic was mentioned and our comic is a comic, so... that is nerdy.
Comic in your comic so you can comic while you comic. There, did it for you.
*I don't wish harm upon him over $5 and I know that joke was out-of-line. I'm frustrated here. I really, really hope he is okay and everything in his life is going well. I also hope he got his copy of Portal 2 and $5 worth of it wasn't playable. Preferably the best $5 worth of it.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
The Title is the Hardest Part.
Wolverine is such an over played character that when I decided to get into comics part of me wanted to avoid him altogether. I mean, avoid him as best as a person can while still reading anything by Marvel comics.
I failed in that as I am reading and loving Wolverine and the X-Men, which is best described as Harry Potter & the Wolverine & the X-Men. Also helps that I love the art for the first four issues, done by the talented Chris Bachalo. Long story short, Snicktbub opens up the Jean Gray School For Higher Learning and gets to play headmaster to some mutant kids. Harry, in this instant, is a pink haired omega-level wannabe anarchist mutant by the name of Kid Omega.
There is, of course, a lead up to all this that I have not read. I'd like to, but here is where we enter my problem with Western comics. If I jump back to find how they got there I'll have to go back further to find how they got to that point only to be curious how that happened and... well, I'll be reading X-Men #1, having gone entirely in reverse.
That may be a bit of a dramatization but the fact stands that there is a lot of mythology in western comics and I want all of it. I read the high lights on Wikipedia and friends what they know and remember. Their war stories of Spider-Man and Huntress and other heroes and heroines. Sadly, though, the prophet who used to fill me in is now much further away and only so much information can comfortably be transferred via text message while wasting time at work. Listening to him tell stores about comic book heroes and JRPGs I never had the time or patients to dive into myself was like a child laying on the floor engaged in his grandfather's tales of slaughtering Nazis for Uncle Sam. I miss those times.
By the way, I drew that Wolverine in Swapnote on my 3DS. Mr. Marvel comics, I await your call.
To the Big Garage In the Sky
The car died today. I had to run back to the house to pick up the crayons, construction paper and temporary tattoos I had forgotten to take to class with me this morning. My college class. For a presentation. In my college class.
I had JUST filled the car up with gas yesterday. At first this thought made me angry. What a waste of $35. If I had waited I wouldn't of been out nearly the price of a Nintendo 3DS game.
But after giving it some thought I'm not angry I filled it up. It wasn't my car but it had done so much for me. It drove me from Ohio to my new life in Florida. It took me to campus every day. Countless trips to the comic shop. I worked that car hard. The least I could do was give it a final meal as it was dying. It deserved that much, at least.
I had JUST filled the car up with gas yesterday. At first this thought made me angry. What a waste of $35. If I had waited I wouldn't of been out nearly the price of a Nintendo 3DS game.
But after giving it some thought I'm not angry I filled it up. It wasn't my car but it had done so much for me. It drove me from Ohio to my new life in Florida. It took me to campus every day. Countless trips to the comic shop. I worked that car hard. The least I could do was give it a final meal as it was dying. It deserved that much, at least.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Breaking the seal on this blog.
I originally posted this as a face book update but it was this post that made me think “Hey, maybe I should make a blog?” so here I am.
I've edited, spell checked, and added to this, so it's like the director's cut.
I both love and loath the Power Girl trade I just read. I'm going to get all 4 in this series, but I know what to expect soon. What the trade DID do for me, though, is make Power Girl a character I can take seriously. The first real exposure I had to her was in the animated feature Batman/Superman: Public Enemies and, to be honest, see seemed like a total joke. I was never able to take her a serious character before, mostly because of her design and that animated feature, but she's a pretty cool character. Atlee (Terra) adds to it with her charm and innocence. I'd like to read more about Terra (all forms, why shouldn't I?).
There is a lot of sexism in Power Girl (surprise, surprise, amirite?) but most of it seems to be there for Power Girl to overcome. Every wants her (or just her body) and every girl... well, we don't see how women react to her, really. She gets hit on, asked out, ogled, and jokes are made at her expense (and expanse... if you know what I mean, which you do, because this is Power Girl we're talking about). She takes them all in stride.
I also read Batgirl: Batgirl Rising, which is the tale of Stephanie Brown taking the Batgirl mantle from Cassandra Cain. Batgirl is another super heroine that I've always had an interest in, as was lady Robin and Spoiler. I have this thing for strong female characters. Or just female characters in general. Anyway, I bought the trade on my local comic shop's recommendation and enjoyed it but I couldn't help pick out all the weird sexism in that too.
I'm not reading Batgirl and Power Girl to watch super powered ladies in tight suits hitting other ladies. Well, that isn't the whole reason I'm reading them. I am doing this sort of personal research into sexism in comics, all on my own. As an independent comic writer (Oh, you're too kind, I'm hardly even that, but thank you!) I think it is important that I get my characters right. Maybe I do. Maybe I don't. I don't want to rely on stereotypes and sexism to make my characters likeable to a given demographic, I just want them to be realistic. You don't have to like a character, or want to “do” a character, for them to be a strong female that pushed the story.
Quick tip I was given by a wonderful artist, who got it from somewhere else, once told me;
“If you can't put a man in that position without it looking awkward you shouldn't put a woman in that position.”
Speaking of Batgirl, Power Girl and Terra trades...
So I got into comics about 10 months ago (I had to look at what issue of Mega Man was the most recent) when I started reading (as you just read) Mega Man by Archie Comics. Since then I have dove, head first, into the world of sequential art. There are TONS of trades I need to go back and read and story lines I've been wiki'ing, but I sort of have a problem.
See, I buy trades on a whim and almost never buy something I intended to buy. I grabbed Power Girl: Old Friends off the shelf and bought it without much thought. I later learned that it was the fourth and last trade in a set. I then, of course, obtained the first trade and read it... thus this entire endeavor. Now, I had an interest in Power Girl from the start, and it wasn't just because she was falling out of her costume. No, it was an interest beyond that, but not one I really ever thought I would go too deep into. After all, how many Batmans and Supermen do I have to read before I am well versed in their tales? How many Spider-Men and X-People do I have to sift through before I am on my way to comic book expertism?
So, I diverged and bought Power Girl. I'm not saying that I should only read the aforementioned caped crusader's stories, but that I had this mental list of stories I wanted to read before anything else and have completely ignored. I've had All-Star Superman sitting on my shelf for at least six months and I've hardly cracked it. Power Girl on the other hand I tore through like she would tear through something soft and squishy. Maybe a sponge.
Nothing wrong with this. All-Star Superman is said to be the greatest Superman story ever told, and as I am still a newborn in the world of comics I can simply only go off recomendations. I'll get to it. It isn't going anywhere. I just have this problem of not doing what I want to do, or what I think I want to do, and very easily doing other things that I wasn't expecting to do at the moment. I procrastinate on things I enjoy doing, is what I am trying to say.
Anyway, the point of this blog isn't to discuss comics but to pretty much write any crap that comes to mind. That is how I work, after all. I can't write a comic blog. I'm new to the world of comics. When I enter the shop on Wednesday afternoon with Jerry I buy my box and stand to the side while Jerry, who hasn't been reading much longer than I, will have these detailed conversations with the guy behind the counter about these fantastic worlds and the Elder Gods who pen them. I am jealous of his ability to discuss these nerd values the way he can. He named artists and writers and styles... I like when Animal Man punches the bad guy.
See what I mean? He is articulate and informed. I am spending lots of money on a hobby that I feel, no matter how much money and time on Wikipedia I throw at it, I can never fully understand. But maybe I'm setting my sights too high? I should just enjoy these things instead of obsessing over where my knowledge is.
I've edited, spell checked, and added to this, so it's like the director's cut.
I both love and loath the Power Girl trade I just read. I'm going to get all 4 in this series, but I know what to expect soon. What the trade DID do for me, though, is make Power Girl a character I can take seriously. The first real exposure I had to her was in the animated feature Batman/Superman: Public Enemies and, to be honest, see seemed like a total joke. I was never able to take her a serious character before, mostly because of her design and that animated feature, but she's a pretty cool character. Atlee (Terra) adds to it with her charm and innocence. I'd like to read more about Terra (all forms, why shouldn't I?).
There is a lot of sexism in Power Girl (surprise, surprise, amirite?) but most of it seems to be there for Power Girl to overcome. Every wants her (or just her body) and every girl... well, we don't see how women react to her, really. She gets hit on, asked out, ogled, and jokes are made at her expense (and expanse... if you know what I mean, which you do, because this is Power Girl we're talking about). She takes them all in stride.
I also read Batgirl: Batgirl Rising, which is the tale of Stephanie Brown taking the Batgirl mantle from Cassandra Cain. Batgirl is another super heroine that I've always had an interest in, as was lady Robin and Spoiler. I have this thing for strong female characters. Or just female characters in general. Anyway, I bought the trade on my local comic shop's recommendation and enjoyed it but I couldn't help pick out all the weird sexism in that too.
I'm not reading Batgirl and Power Girl to watch super powered ladies in tight suits hitting other ladies. Well, that isn't the whole reason I'm reading them. I am doing this sort of personal research into sexism in comics, all on my own. As an independent comic writer (Oh, you're too kind, I'm hardly even that, but thank you!) I think it is important that I get my characters right. Maybe I do. Maybe I don't. I don't want to rely on stereotypes and sexism to make my characters likeable to a given demographic, I just want them to be realistic. You don't have to like a character, or want to “do” a character, for them to be a strong female that pushed the story.
Quick tip I was given by a wonderful artist, who got it from somewhere else, once told me;
“If you can't put a man in that position without it looking awkward you shouldn't put a woman in that position.”
Speaking of Batgirl, Power Girl and Terra trades...
So I got into comics about 10 months ago (I had to look at what issue of Mega Man was the most recent) when I started reading (as you just read) Mega Man by Archie Comics. Since then I have dove, head first, into the world of sequential art. There are TONS of trades I need to go back and read and story lines I've been wiki'ing, but I sort of have a problem.
See, I buy trades on a whim and almost never buy something I intended to buy. I grabbed Power Girl: Old Friends off the shelf and bought it without much thought. I later learned that it was the fourth and last trade in a set. I then, of course, obtained the first trade and read it... thus this entire endeavor. Now, I had an interest in Power Girl from the start, and it wasn't just because she was falling out of her costume. No, it was an interest beyond that, but not one I really ever thought I would go too deep into. After all, how many Batmans and Supermen do I have to read before I am well versed in their tales? How many Spider-Men and X-People do I have to sift through before I am on my way to comic book expertism?
So, I diverged and bought Power Girl. I'm not saying that I should only read the aforementioned caped crusader's stories, but that I had this mental list of stories I wanted to read before anything else and have completely ignored. I've had All-Star Superman sitting on my shelf for at least six months and I've hardly cracked it. Power Girl on the other hand I tore through like she would tear through something soft and squishy. Maybe a sponge.
Nothing wrong with this. All-Star Superman is said to be the greatest Superman story ever told, and as I am still a newborn in the world of comics I can simply only go off recomendations. I'll get to it. It isn't going anywhere. I just have this problem of not doing what I want to do, or what I think I want to do, and very easily doing other things that I wasn't expecting to do at the moment. I procrastinate on things I enjoy doing, is what I am trying to say.
Anyway, the point of this blog isn't to discuss comics but to pretty much write any crap that comes to mind. That is how I work, after all. I can't write a comic blog. I'm new to the world of comics. When I enter the shop on Wednesday afternoon with Jerry I buy my box and stand to the side while Jerry, who hasn't been reading much longer than I, will have these detailed conversations with the guy behind the counter about these fantastic worlds and the Elder Gods who pen them. I am jealous of his ability to discuss these nerd values the way he can. He named artists and writers and styles... I like when Animal Man punches the bad guy.
See what I mean? He is articulate and informed. I am spending lots of money on a hobby that I feel, no matter how much money and time on Wikipedia I throw at it, I can never fully understand. But maybe I'm setting my sights too high? I should just enjoy these things instead of obsessing over where my knowledge is.
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