Tag Archives: Fame Day

Fame Day: Geek Love

Posted on February 14, 2013 by | 1 comment

It took me some time to think of a Fame Day topic that also intersected with Valentine’s Day [which is today, if you didn’t know], but once I came up with it there was no doubt in my mind that it was the right one.

Featured on the IGN YouTube channel START, Geek Love tracks individuals as they take part in Sci-Fi Speed Dating at New York Comic-Con. The show originally aired in full-length episodes [focusing on more than one person] on TLC, but never got past the first two episodes.

In the pile-on of proper nouns that was that last paragraph, I’ve neglected to define what exactly Sci-Fi Speed Dating is. Sci-Fi Speed Dating is regular speed dating, but at a comic convention, meaning that most of the participants are cosplaying [in costume]. Everyone must involved must be single and interested in members of the opposite sex [they can be interested in the same sex as well, but it must be in addition to that], and, since I don’t want to go through every single rule, it’s hosted by a very large man dressed up as a Jedi; he is hilarious.

To give you a fuller understanding here’s the first episode, “Brony Friend Zone (Alex)”:


It paints a picture of the stereotypical nerd/geek, a bespectacled pudgy young man with chops who lives with his parents. A show’s got to have some variety, though, and Episode 3 stars a girl named Brittany:


For the record, I would go get coffee with this girl in a heartbeat. I don’t even like coffee, but I would order some and drink it if it was something she was into.

Brittany is a person who “likes video games, particularly BioWare, comic books, Marvel, [she likes] the shows Once Upon A Time, Lost, Doctor Who,” in case you missed that. She’s also, by most people’s standards, not a physical representation of what a nerd looks like. She’s also friendly and personable, exhibiting none of the tendencies we’ve been expected to observe thanks to shows like The Big Bang Theory.

The reason I’ve decided to spotlight Geek Love today is because it highlights the diversity within the growing community of people who identify themselves as “nerds” or “geeks.” Episode 4 features a guy who cosplays as Jimmy Olsen [“Superman’s Pal”], and basically no one he talks to recognizes him. As a comic-lover it was hard for me not to get upset at them and scream at the screen, “You call yourselves nerds?!” They were, though. They just like different things. Episode 6 follows Mary, who’s primarily a movie buff. That differentiates her from someone who is very into anime, but doesn’t discourage her from “looking for love” at this convention.

As a show Geek Love also serves as a means of discussing how important your personal likes, passions obsessions etc. are in finding a significant other. Over on his blog Mightygodking discussed this in reaction to a story arc of popular webcomic PvP, and while I may not agree with him 100% his discussion on the necessity of shared interests in a relationship is a good one [be sure to check the comments section, too!]. Clearly the people on this show are looking for potential girlfriends and boyfriends at Sci-Fi Speed Dating because finding another person who loves the same things you love is important to them. How high this should be on your personal compatibility list is up to you, but for them its rank is up there.

Geek Love is a pretty fantastic show for people who are interested in comic books, video games, science fiction, and finding a person to share all of that with. It’s also arguably a good show for anyone who wants their perceptions of that particular sub-culture to broaden their views.

YouTube Channel Playlist Page: Geek Love – YouTube
Updated Every Thursday

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Fame Day: Matt Fraction and Hawkeye #7

Posted on January 24, 2013 by | 3 comments

Imagine my joy when I found out that Hawkeye #7 is being released on January 30th, making this post both contemporary and relevant. Redundancies aside, Matt Fraction is a man who’s worthy of a fair amount of praise.

First of all, he’s a man who clearly loves comics. Secondly, as the current writer of Fantastic Four he’s basing the Reed family on his own wife and two children. Thirdly, he’s married to extremely talented comics scribe Kelly Sue Deconnick, who has revitalized Captain Marvel in a huge way. Fourthly, he is also the writer of Marvel’s new-ish Hawkeye title, and it is fantastic.

Fraction’s take on the character is through the lens of a man who, when not rubbing elbows with super soldiers and Norse gods, is just a guy. Take the following panels into account:

Okay, that about just sums up what I said. Check this one out, too:

hawkeye

So now, we’ve established that Matt Fraction’s writing is great. David Aja, who illustrates the title, is also great [at drawing]. Greatness all across the board, you guys [and girls], this is a comic that you should be rolling your eyeballs across.

That’s worth a Fame Day. But you know what’s even more worth that? The cover on the left. It’s for, and the title of this blog post is pretty self-explanatory, Issue #7 of Hawkeye. Why is this a big deal?

For one thing, Fraction is taking time off of his current storyline to explore what happens when Hurricane Sandy hits Clint Barton’s neighbourhood. The real world affects Marvel’s that’s pretty neat.

Here’s something else that’s neat: Matt Fraction will be donating all of his royalties from the issue to Red Cross, which will work towards relief efforts for Sandy’s Victims. 

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, this man will not be making a cent off of the issue. It’s the story about “a girl trapped at a function that she can’t get out of when the hurricane comes, and about a guy helping his buddy move his infirm dad to safe ground” [check the above link]. It’s a story that, for every issue it sells, will benefit those who lost their homes due to a tragic natural disaster. 

If you are a person who thinks they might want to get into comics, this would be a great place to start. It’s a smart, funny title written by a talented man, and it’ll be $2.99, a fraction [pun not intended] of which will go towards people that genuinely need it. Think about it. And at the very least, give the man some credit.

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Fame Day: Bleeding Cool and The Big Bang Theory

Posted on January 10, 2013 by | 2 comments

It all started with this teaser for tonight’s episode of The Big Bang Theory:

“The girls go . . . WHERE NO WOMAN HAS GONE BEFORE.”

This prompted the writing a post two days ago by Rich Johnston on his comics website Bleeding Cool, entitled “Are You A Woman, Have You Actually Been Inside A Comic Shop?” This in turn prompted another post by the name of “Disproving The Big Bang Theory” in which Johnston received feedback from numerous individuals on what they thought of this premise.

A few response tweets:

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And one of the longer email responses, this one from Susanna Baird:

I started reading comic books about a year ago. I’m a middle-aged mom and the first few times I walked to the “New Comics” back wall at Harrison’s in Salem, MA, I felt like I was walking the halls of my junior high school with a new haircut. But after a few weeks, I realized that feeling was entirely my own.

Everyone wanted to talk comics, and no one cared that I was the only middle-aged housewife in the store. Now it’s like all the enthusiastic geekery of junior high minus the mean girls. I love it. Love comics, love Harrison’s – the staff, the clientele – and I love being in a room full of metal shelves lined with three-dollar art.

I love Harrison’s.

Finally, one last post just today revealed that even an editorial staffer at one of the Big Two [Marvel/DC] had things to say about, which I won’t quote here since I don’t want this to just be links to Bleeding Cool articles. You can read that here, though.

Is all of this attention warranted? Should The Big Bang Theory really be criticized for depicting comic book stores as havens for uncomfortably staring virgins?

The fact of the matter is this: it’s the perpetuation of a stereotype that simply isn’t true. More than that, it’s based on the sexist assumption that some forms of media [in this case, comics] are closed off to women. I know for a fact that there are members of the finer sex who appreciate a good comic book, and saying that no woman has ever stepped foot in a comic book store straight-up denies this.

As someone who loves comic books, and wishes more people did, it’s a huge
encouragement to me that so many women are speaking out on this topic. They’re asserting that they appreciate good art and storylines too, and I am immensely pleased that this is happening.

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It’s unfortunate, as well, since The Big Bang Theory has actually been really great this season. They’ve started giving the female cast members equal screentime, and it’s refreshing and creates a lot of immensely funny situations. It’s a shame that tonight’s episode turns to relying on such tired material, but it is definitely worth giving kudos to those who are doing their best to prove its premise false.

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Fame Day: StarCrafts

Posted on December 13, 2012 by | 2 comments

gjscStarCraft, undoubtedly one of the best and most important games of all time, at least according to Wikipedia. This is an RTS [real time strategy game] that commands legions of fans, and its sequel, which launched in 2010, now commands many of the same legion of fans.

But the competitive online scene for any game is not an exceptionally friendly place. There’s the stress and pressure of playing against other players to achieve ranks, and that’s not at all helped by players who are BM (bad manner[ed]). This rudeness can even be found among pro-gamers themselves (see: many of IdrA’s interactions with other players).

Enter Jonathan Burton, also known as “Carbot” and the creator of the YouTube StarCrafts. Set entirely in the world of StarCraft II each episode presents various units from the Terran, Protoss, and Zerg races engaging in a battle that is, in a word, adorable.

Here is an artist’s rendition of the Zergling as it appears in-game:

And this is a gif of what the Zerglings look like in StarCrafts:

And they’re more than just heartwarmingly lovable, they’re also hilarious. Anyone with even the slightest familiarity with the game will lose it when they see a Zealot dancing from side to side to defend a choke, and people who didn’t understand what any of those words meant are still going to chuckle when they see the baby-like Marines running [almost always away from something]. Add to that the fact that almost all of the soundbites used are from the game itself and you have a very impressive piece of work on your hands.

The following is probably the best entry into the series, and it showcases the dangers of letting yourself get . . . overzealous. Cue classic CSI scream.

What’s really great though, is how I don’t even really have to be writing this post. StarCrafts has received the recognition it so greatly deserves, and episodes have been featured fairly often on the Blizzard [the game’s creator] site. What’s even more exciting is how they were also aired during game breaks at the first ever BWC [Battle.Net World Championship] in China. A special episode was also created for NASL [North American Star League].

I strongly encourage all of you to check out a few episodes. Even if StarCraft II isn’t your thing [and really, it’s not for everybody] maybe this can help you relate just a little to all the die-hards out there. At the very least, you’ll have spent a few minutes watching an excellently produced video by a very talented man.

YouTube Channel: youtube.com/user/CarbotAnimations
Facebook Page: facebook.com/CarbotAnimations
Twitter: @CarbotAnimation
Personal Site: carbotanimations.com
Updates every Saturday

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Fame Day: Dwayne McDuffie

Posted on November 15, 2012 by | 4 comments

This post is one that I write with both deep respect for its subject, as well as a great sense of loss. His impact on the world of comics is greater than many realize, and it was a truly tragic event when he passed away on February 21st of last year due to complications from emergency heart surgery.

While I didn’t know it at the time, McDuffie had a huge influence on my becoming a fan of comic books. Growing up in the Philippines, my dad got his hands on a bunch of trade paperbacks, one of which was Static [now Static Shock]. The series was one of many that was published my Milestone Media, a comic company co-founded by McDuffie and three others. Their aim was to “express a multicultural sensibility” that he felt was missing from the industry, and they succeeded.

The titular Static was the electric alter-ego of African American teen Virgil Ovid Hawkins, and continues to be one of my favourite comic characters ever. One of the many created by McDuffie for Milestone, he embodied the awkwardness of adolescence and the effects of vigilantism on one’s personal life. His world was realistic and gritty without succumbing to the darkness that other such worlds do. Static was well-written, action-packed, and, most importantly, relatable.

After Milestone had stopped publishing new companies, McDuffie went on to enter the world of television. He was hired as a staff writer for the Justice League animated series, and was promoted to both story editor and producer as the show became Justice League Unlimited. Of the show’s 91 total episodes McDuffie wrote, produced, or story-edited 69. McDuffie also did extensive work on continuing the Ben 10 series, wrote for the Teen Titans show, and scripted a number of DC’s direct-to-DVD animated films.

Dwayne McDuffie also had an extensive career working for both DC and Marvel, and earned three Eisner Awards. In addition he was awarded many others, including Comic Con International’s Inkpot Award. Above all, he was able to affect the entire industry for the better. It’s just a tragedy that he left us as soon as he did.

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Fame Day: Frank Gilbreth

Posted on November 8, 2012 by | 1 comment

Last week I wrote about George Romero, a film-maker who has had perhaps one of the most profound influences on modern culture. Continuing in that vein, today I’d like to stir up some applause for Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Sr., or as you might better know him, the dad the Cheaper By The Dozen movies.

Now if you’ve seen any of the films, you’ll see the father of the twelve kids hopelessly overwhelmed until the family finally remembers that they need a happy ending to appeal to the widest possible audience causing them to get back together in the last ten or so minutes of movie. Truth is, the actual Frank Gilbreth was an excellent parent who took care of his twelve kids as best as could possibly be expected. How did he manage that? Well, it turns out Gilbreth was an expert in the study and application of efficiency, and applied his unique brand of training to his own family, as well as the workplace. Gilbreth was obsessed with reducing the steps every action took (which he named “therbligs,” reversing his own last name). For example, eliminating the “therblig” of having to search for your razor by having the razor painted bright red, making it easily noticeable. Things such as more efficient guns, pedal-operated trashcans, and arguable the entire study of ergonomics all owe a great debt to this man. But that’s not the big thing.

You ever see a nurse handing a surgeon his tools while in the middle of an operation?

Frank Gilbreth Sr. came up with that.

You ever see a soldier or spy blindfolded, reassembling his gun?

Frank Gilbreth Sr. came up with that too.

Think about that. How many lives have been saved and ended because of this guy? The guy died in 1924- think about all the expansion that’s happened in medicine and warfare since then. Think about all the people who have died or been saved since then. Heck, there’s a decent possibility neither you or I would exist without this guy’s work.

And his legacy is a terrible Steve Martin popcorn movie?

Ladies and gentlemen, if you will, a moment of applause for the real Frank Gilbreth.

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