Anime Has Fallen

Anime Has Fallen

Contrary to many anime fans' hopes, the fanatical, totalitarian Cult that's usurped pop culture isn't letting a little thing like an ocean get in the way of their conquest. Funimation, the American dubbing and distribution house that made news last year thanks to a defamation lawsuit brought against them by…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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,…
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.…
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…
PleastantvilleApple

Satanic Boomer Agitprop

Regular readers will be familiar with my penchant for shining a light on Hollywood's hatred of their audience and Boomers' hatred of every other generation. Much as A Bridge Too Far proves Pigman's Caine-Hackman hypothesis, I have been presented with the ultimate intersection of Hollywood diabolism and Boomer propaganda in the…