The Professional Gamer - May 29, 2015

Hi Readers!  I'm going to change up the format this week due to Denver Comic Con dominating most of my geeky activities for the past two weeks.  Here we go!

Panels: Despite the kerfluffle caused by a certain panel at DCC, the panels that I attended were overall pretty good.  I found the panels about the Denver indie comics scene, Jurassic Park, and discrimination in pop culture, to be very well run and rewarding to attend.  A big thank you to the moderates and participants on those panels for doing such a great job.

Watching: I finished watching Silver Spoon this past week.  It was a lot of fun, but the later half of the second season is really sad.  I enjoyed that the bad things that happen in the series are not so much treated as things to be fixed, but rather as things for one to move past or adjust their lives around.  I also learned that Samurai Jack is now available on Hulu.  So that's what I'll be watching for the next few weeks.  I also realized that Mako voice Aku.

Reading: I'm trying to work through my large back log of comics purchased at TCAF and DCC.  Look for articles about those to be published in the next few weeks.

That's all for this week.  Join me again next Saturday as I discuss another week in the amazing adventures of the Professional Gamer!

The Professional Gamer - May 16, 2015

Hi folks!  I'm just back from the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, but have yet to put together my summary article.  Look for that to be posted in the next few days.  What else have I been doing?  Read on to find out!

Playing: With travel this past week, I didn't spend much time playing video games.  Mostly, I was trying to keep up with an influx of StreetPasses in Toronto.

Reading: Aside from the comics I purchased at TCAF, which I will review later, I finished reading Frankenstein while I was on vacation.  The book is interesting, especially as it contrasts to much of the typically cultural understanding of the story.  The Creature is very different in the original text, especially in his motivations.  If you are a fan of gothic horror, I recommend that you pick up this classic to read it for yourself.

Watching: Once I returned from TCAF, I tuned my local Hulu box to Steven Universe.  At this point, I've watched about 30 episodes, and am nearing the end the what is available on Hulu.  I'm really enjoying the show so far, and kinda embarrassed about how invested I've become in some of the minor characters.  Anyways, I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the series soon.

That's all I've got for now.  I'll be working over the weekend to get my summary TCAF article posted.  Then, I've got to read and review a huge stack of comics and books to read and review.  I'm excited, but also rather daunted at this proposition.  Wish me luck!

The Professional Gamer - May 8, 2015

Hi everyone! As I write this post, I'm sitting in a condo in downtown Toronto.  The Toronto Comic Arts festival is due to start tomorrow, and I'm getting really excited about it.  Travel and vacation usually means more time to enjoy life, and that's been true for me as well.  Read on to see what I've been doing.

Watching: This week, Steven Universe (along with a number of other prominent Cartoon Network serials) were release on Hulu in the US.  I have, therefore, spent much of the past week watching through the earlier episodes.  So far, I've watched 19 episodes, of the 35 currently available, and its been a lot of fun.  Steven, the titular character, is a half-gem / half-human.  Gems are a race of sentient crystals that take on human form.  Steven is looked after by a group of three gems named Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl.  The overall arch of the show so far is the story of Steven learning to use his gem powers.  Along the way, he spends a lot of time making friends and simply growing up as a human boy.  In short, the show simply makes me feel good.  I really enjoy the use of music as well as some of the characters goofy expressions.  In short, Steven Universe just feels good to watch.

Reading: During my flight to Toronto I picked up Frankenstein again.  I had somewhat forgotten where I was in the story.  Turns out, I was in the section where the Creature monologues for 3 chapters.  The most striking thing to me is how different the portrayal of the Creature is in the book versus almost all of popular culture.  In the book, he is grotesque, but highly intelligent and very much able to discuss his feelings with the Doctor.  Whereas most popular portrayals of the Creature take after the now classic version by Boris Karloff.

In preparation for TCAF, I visited Little Island Comics and The Beguilling, two of Toronto's notable comic stores.  I purchased Giant Days No. 1, Lumberjanes Issue 5, and Batgirl No. 35.  Then we got lost in Honest Ed's, so I haven't had a chance to read my new finds yet, but I plan to do so soon.

Playing: Since my 3DS wouldn't leave me alone about it, I download the Pokémon Rumble game. It seems to be alright so far, although I am not planning to spend any actual money on the game.  

Tonight, I'll be tagging along with my artist friends to the Sparkler Monthly party.  And then tomorrow, I'll be off to TCAF proper.  Depending on WiFi availability, I'll try to get some tweets and pictures up.  Until next time, Game On!

The Professional Gamer - April 18, 2015

Hi readers! This week has been another busy one at the office.  With the boss gone, I'm responsible for keeping things moving along on a lot of projects.  In spite of that, I had managed to have some geeky fun this week.  I'm thinking more about the role of media in the world and how comics work.  I also played some video games.  And I, along with Crystal and Chris, will be ComicFest tomorrow.  Come over to the artist alley and say hello, and maybe buy something?  Regardless, read on to see how I spent my geeky week.

Watching: I have again spent most of my week watching episodes of the PBS Idea Channel.  At this point, I've watched 100 of the (currently) 145 episodes.  The most interesting episodes this week have been the discussion about what fiction is and whether it exists.  Crystal and I had some fun discussing the issues brought up in these episodes.  My opinion is that fictional realities are as real as any other cultural constructs that we deal with everyday like the nation-state or money.

Reading: I'm still making my way through Understanding Comics.  I'm now in the last section and should be finished early next week.  I'm really enjoying the book still, and every page provides a new revelation on the craft of comics.

Playing: My gaming has again been limited to Fantasy Life and Hyrule Warriors.  Crystal and I are now concentrating our efforts on the Termina Map in Adventure Mode, which frequently requires you to compete against an AI team to collect more keeps, KO's, or rupees.  This competition adds an interesting twist to keep the game interesting.

That's all I have for this week.  We'll be at the ComicFest portion of Denver StarFest tomorrow, so please come by and say hello.  Have a great week and game on!

In Review - Black Hole

There have been many novels, graphic or otherwise, about the feelings of isolation and rejection that most of us experience during high school.  But few have handled this type of story with the such a skillful and grotesque treatment.  In Black Hole, a new disease has emerged among the teenagers in a 1970's Seattle suburb.  A disease that is passed through sexual contact and leads to monstrous changes in those infected.  The story that unfolds is not a quest to cure "The Bug" or even to understand it.  Instead, Charles Burns presents the story of five teenagers, some who are infected and some who aren't (yet).  As we follow these characters, we see a drama of love, rejection, and acceptance.  

Art

Burns's art tends towards a stark black and white, with spare use of hatching to convey a sense of volume in his subjects.  This art style lends itself well to the story the Burns is telling.  His world is dark and scary, full of doubts.  Burns harnesses his high contrast art style to great effect for a number of scenes that involve dreams and hallucinations.  In these scenes, the dark inking vastly overwhelms the white space, highlighting the confusion of the characters.

Story

Although there are some fantastical elements to the story, Black Hole is fundamentally about the struggles that the characters face. This, I feel, is one of the ultimate strengths of both Science Fiction and Fantasy. As discussed in above, Burns also uses dreams and drug induced visions frequently in the story.  These narrative methods are used effectively for foreshadowing and examining inner conflict within the characters.  Without spoiling it, the end of the story is rather grim for most of the main characters.  

To summarize, Burns has produced a very compelling graphic novel.  The dark nature of the story can make it somewhat difficult to read, and it may not have been the sort of novel that I would have selected to read on my own.  However, I think Black Hole has a merit beyond mere entertainment and moves into the realm of literature.

Overall: 3.5 / 5