The Other Hollywood Formula

The Other Hollywood Formula

This recent review at Bleeding Fool of 2012's buried gem of a movie Dredd gave me occasion to meditate on Hollywood's continuing implosion. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Dredd, which sadly is most of you, here's a quick primer. The second film iteration of a cult British comic book…
January 2, 201937 Comments
Smrt Stories

Smrt Stories

My earlier post on SJWs cannibalizing the once-mighty White Wolf Publishing occasioned a friend to recommend the 2004 video game *deep breath* Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. Having lacked a PC capable of running the game back then, I missed it the first time around. I wasn't the only one, either.…
December 5, 201850 Comments
SJWs Take White Wolf’s Pelt

SJWs Take White Wolf’s Pelt

White Wolf, publishers of Vampire: The Masquerade--a tabletop role-playing game that gained massive popularity in the 90s--has succumbed to an SJW outrage mob. Sales and printing of the V5 Camarilla and Anarch books will be temporarily suspended. The section on Chechnya will be removed in both the print and PDF…
November 16, 201820 Comments
Comics in the Rear View Mirror

Comics in the Rear View Mirror

A boy's elders telling him he'd grow out of comic books used to be a common American cliche. That was back when America was still a country, we didn't hate our kids, and the comics industry wasn't just an IP farm for rootless megacorps. If you want a picture of…
September 14, 201820 Comments
Perpetual Episode One Syndrome

Perpetual Episode One Syndrome

Back in high school and college when I was first getting into the anime scene, I came to notice a recurring and highly vexing phenomenon. Bootleg VHS tapes were still the main source of new stuff from Japan back then. Getting our fix legit meant sending away via a mail…
September 10, 201835 Comments
#GamerGate Hoax?

#GamerGate Hoax?

A major bombshell was recently dropped on The Ralph Retort's Killstream, where YouTuber Mundane Matt was caught red-handed falsely flagging the channels of other YouTubers who'd criticized him. The sordid affair was duly chronicled by internet auriga Mister Metokur. His video serves as a dire warning against eCelebrity hubris. Executive…
August 14, 201814 Comments
The SJW Turkey Shoot

The SJW Turkey Shoot

You used to be able to take it for grated that when a studio announced a new TV show, they made the announcement assuming that the creators were dealing in good faith. Back in the 80s, a new Saturday morning cartoon being greenlighted meant the network execs were confident the…
July 17, 201838 Comments
Ophian Rising Casting Call

Ophian Rising Casting Call

Now that the startling conclusion to the Soul Cycle has been out for a while--and none of you have an excuse for not having finished reading it yet--it's high time I followed up on the fantasy cast lists I compiled for Nethereal, Souldancer, and The Secret Kings with a casting call…
July 11, 20182 Comments
The Name of the Wind

The Name of the Wind

The other day I came across this incomplete but astute review of The Name of the Wind at RMWC Reviews. Having read and finished the book, I can vouch for his appraisal. Here are some representative excerpts. 2007 saw the publication of The Name of the Wind, the first book of…
April 4, 201812 Comments
We’ve Passed Peak Pop Star

We’ve Passed Peak Pop Star

In recent Decline of the West news, record sales have fallen off a cliff. Record sales are being touted these days as on a comeback. All you hear is: streaming will save us. But things are pretty dire. For example, Justin Timberlake’s “Man of the Woods,” touted so highly on…
March 15, 201833 Comments