3/19/23-3/25/23
Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania
I knew this thing was gonna be banger the second it was released.. Dead Cells is the best run-based rogue-lite action games I’ve ever played, and it’s clear that there’s a lot of inspiration from Castlevania in the game. I’m not even done with it yet, but it’s as addictive as ever, and with the amount of content I haven’t played even besides the Castlevania content, it’s going to be a game I keep coming back to for at least the next month or so. A nice little go-to to de-stress.
The Cable Guy
This is such a weird movie to revisit. While I would say not a lot of people would go out of their way to ruin someone’s life for not being friends with them (fuck, I hope anyway), a lot of people in the ensuing decades since this movie’s release became the Cable Guy. The amount of people who are obsessed with various forms of pop culture, TV included, have exploded under the despicable guise of “nerd culture.” They’ve taken over the entirety of culture and tend to treat it as moral choice with vitriol for those who don’t same the share the same enthusiasm. The truth is, the Cable Guy won in the end.
Anyway, Yeah, it’s pretty solid. That nightmare scene scarred me as a child.
Snake ‘n’ Bacon’s Cartoon Cabaret by Michael Kupperman
As far as I know this is the first collection of Michael Kupperman’s work, and as usual, I’ve found it to be the prime example of comics that are actually funny. It doesn’t hit some of the heights of Tales to Thrizzle, but it’s still got some good laughs in there. The only thing I take issue with is that the actual quality of the book is pretty bad. The image reproduction is fuzzy, especially on the cover, and it’s a shame that there isn’t a higher quality version of this book. But then again, I doubt Kupperman would want to go back to HarperCollins to try and finagle a re-release when he can just put up the best stuff up online himself.
Shaman King Omnibus 12 by Hiroyuki Takei
I have a somewhat complicated history with Shaman King, as it was the one series in the American print version of Shonen Jump that I really latched onto. And nearly 20 years after that was released, I finally finished the whole thing up. I feel like I could write a big, long article about the series as a whole, but I’ll keep it short. I like the idea of the ending more than the execution and the worst parts of the final volumes are the moments that are more common in other shonen action series: filling pages with illustrations with nearly incomprehensible super moves by our main characters. I can’t blame Takei for that—I’m sure it was something the editors would’ve pushed for at the time— but I’m still a little cold on the whole idea. I do appreciate that there are the chapters from the first spin-off here, and it seems like it could be an interesting thing to follow-up on, but it’s only being published digitally, and I just don’t feel like I have time for that sort of thing in my life.
Mark Twain’s Autobiography, 1910-2010 by Michael Kupperman
Another novel effort by a cartoonist, and luckily, much of the writing retains Kupperman’s humor. If you’re a fan of Michael Kupperman’s work (and why wouldn’t you be. Hey, did you know he has a patreon? Maybe you should sign up for that. Unless you’re some sort of chump or something), you’ll know that Mark Twain is a fixture of his work, usually being paired with Albert Einstein. Functionally, it’s a series of short stories told from the (literally) immortal Mark Twain’s point of view, finding himself getting entangled in whatever sort of fad or historical moment of the day, and includes a few comic pages here and there. It’s a solid read, not too long, and it has this passage in it that has stayed with me since I read it:
SOUNDTRACKS:
Discoholics Anonymous by Discoholics
Sounds like disco.
Ladies in the City by Night Tempo
Fanservice by Superflat
Montaime, Vol. 1 by various artists
Junky Memorabilia by Superflat
Night Songs Pt. 1 by Sui Uzi
Apex by BarbWalters
Forget by ev.exi
Radiant Racer by VAPERROR
EMAIL by Hatena
Kudatah, Vol. 1 by Various Artists
Blue Cassette by AST3R3O
Evening by Luanmer
Kanji Title by TANUKI
Rest by Charlotte Gainsbourg
Some great tracks, mostly frontloaded, but a solid album all the way through.
Homogenic by Bjรถrk
Fantastic!
Point by Cornelius
I don’t know if I like this or not. I’m gonna say I don’t, until I change my mind later.