Terra Incognita

Terra Incognita

Like a lot of people, I've been on a nostalgia trip lately. The accelerating societal collapse seems to be the catalyst for this phenomenon, so it makes sense that much of today's nostalgia revolves around the High 90s--when most entertainment media sang their swan songs prior to hitting cultural ground zero. For…
July 23, 202035 Comments
Victory Defeated JRPGs

Victory Defeated JRPGs

Besides writing best selling books, I've kept myself occupied during the Corona-chan lock down by going back and playing some classic games. Mainly I've been revisiting celebrated titles from console gaming's 8 and 16-bit golden age. To say it's been a trip down memory lane would be an understatement. I've…
May 12, 202055 Comments
Fempub

Fempub

May be a better name for the dying New York publishing cartel than oldpub. Data courtesy of author Ben Cheah: Some significant context: digging under the following data points turned up that it predominantly applies to oldpub. In that regard, they make for a pretty accurate snapshot of oldpub's readership…
December 26, 201928 Comments
The Seduction of Brand X

The Seduction of Brand X

Like many in his generation, Joe had always dreamed of working in television. Too introverted to be an actor, he chose instead to study writing and break into the industry as a screenwriter. Though he never did master the finer points of prose or dialogue, Joe had a flair for…
December 12, 201925 Comments
The Nostalgia Trap

The Nostalgia Trap

Author David V. Steward was gracious enough to invite me on his Writestream last night. The impetus for the episode was this post, which has caused something of a sensation among Generation Y readers. What strikes you most whenever you get Ys to open up and discuss the past is…
October 17, 201945 Comments
The Corporate IP Death Cycle

The Corporate IP Death Cycle

As a fitting follow up to yesterday's post about how shortsighted corporatism killed American comics, YouTuber David V. Stewart recommended his insightful video The 5 Phases of Corporate IP Ownership. In his video, David breaks down the corporate decision making process that runs franchises across all media, not just comics,…
September 24, 201915 Comments
Did Normies Ruin Comics?

Did Normies Ruin Comics?

A cherished reader passed along this video by David Stewart, wherein David addresses the theory that an influx of normies ruined the comics industry. From the transcript: I don't think that normal or mainstream people ruined comics at all. I actually think it was the opposite. Comics were taken out…
July 29, 201936 Comments
Mean Heathers

Mean Heathers

Hollywood producers long ago figured out that they could repackage audiences' high school experience and sell it back to them. It's a testament to human vanity that a four year stint in what now amounts to a juvenile detention center can be glamorized into a long-running subgenre. As with everything,…
July 22, 201918 Comments
A Tale of Two Cults

A Tale of Two Cults

Repeating the ancient observation that human beings are wired for worship is all the rage these days. Even hardcore atheists are fond of garnishing their rhetoric with that old chestnut. The follow up is usually an argument that treats piety as an evolutionary mistake, like an appendix prone to inflammation.…
June 13, 201934 Comments
Laurel Canyon

Laurel Canyon

Before his untimely death, the late researcher and author Dave McGowan brought to light a number of disturbing facts about the music industry. Could the psychedelic music genre and the entire hippie scene have resulted from a US military psyop? I'm not sure. Decide for yourself. It is the first…
May 10, 201927 Comments