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To bad about School Judgement. You'd think Death Note guy + Pheonex Wright style would equal a winner

About a week ago a coworker comes up to be asking, "have you heard anything about this new sci-fi Ex Machina?" I said "No" and immediately opened up my iPad to Apple trailers to see what was up. The wonders of modern technology, no?

From there a quick google search lead me to IMDB and Wikipedia. Seeing the name Alex Garland attached as writer/director definitely got my eyebrow up. 28 Days Latter, Sunshine, DREDD... guy's had his hand in some pretty good pies.

I'm actually surprised that this is his directorial debut. For some reason I thought he had directed those other films. I really should pay more attention.

At any rate, Ex Machina. Its a techno thriller about artificial intelligence and its perceived dangers. In a secluded compound far from society the world's first artificial intelligent machine has been built and computer programmer Caleb has won a chance to interact with it to determine if its intelligence is real or simply programmed algorithm.

In many ways I'd describe it as a lower key Blade Runner, focusing more on a protracted Voight-Kampff experiment (or in this care, the real world 'Turing Test'). The movie is very much a thriller, with tension you can cut with a knife. And unlike in many similar science fiction films, it actually asks (and even sometimes answers) some of the more obvious questions the audience might be asking. Which definitely made this sci-fi nut happy.

In many respects I don't agree with the films conclusions about artificial intelligence, but it definitely touches on some of the fears today's top minds have on the subject (as the trailer I watched was very overt in presenting). But its an EXCELLENT film. Smart and just a little unnerving*. I highly recommend checking it out. Unfortunately its not getting wide showing, I actually got lucky and a local art house theater was doing a showing. None of the big chain theaters seem to have it, despite my seeing advertising on the major TV networks. BAFFLING. Did it get wider play in the UK already?

*going into the flick I actually was not sure if it was an out and out horror film based on the trailer. Its not.


For the 2000 AD bunch, Ex Machina is basically a really great [spoiler]Future Shock[/spoiler]

Bruce Timm Batman Universe. That's my ideal Batman and supporting cast. Neither movies, comics, or video games have truly captured that spirit of Batman IMO

I wound up buying a bunch of FINDER volumes to replace my print volumes. I wish I had more money this year, these annual Dark Horse sales are always great, but I didn't get nearly as much as I really wanted this year.

I'm really hoping a fresh start might make me not hate Naruto. I actually kind of liked the final chapter of Naruto with all the next gen characters. So if it follows that... I might not bash my face into a wall.

Lobster Random Vol. 2 & Vol. 3 were a Meg floppies. Meg 342 & 353

I'm still annoyed that Vol. 1 is not available digitally in any form.

Also that we never got a Vol. 5 (or 6, if you count The Vort)

Also, more Harry Kipling.

and Bec & Kawl.

Astro City, Copperhead, Saga, Transformers v GI Joe... yeah its looking like a pretty good week.

I actually think that Langley art looks worse because he changed the cropping and touched up his lines on some figures (see: Slaine's hair)

But at least he's the original artist. But it still smacks of revisionism. Which is a slippery slope.

Updated coloring isn't a bad thing, and in fact with some older work is nessisary for future reproduction because the original is lost and scaning from print isn't ideal.

The bad thing is slapping all those transparency layers and dodge tools on everything. You should at least try to keep the updated digital coloring in line with the original color pallet. Sheesh the those updated Star Wars pages look pretty bad. Completely burying that nice line-art.

?!!

Just in time for Christmas, PLANETES is coming back to print Via Dark Horse! Hopefully this helps wash the bitter taste of Vinland Saga being discontinued in English a bit.

I still have my old Tokyopop Volumes, but I hope this means I can upgrade to a good digital edition.

Black Clover was fine, but you just know how formulaic it's going to be. At least Kagamigami felt different compared to everything else.

[Note that one of the dinosaurs - possibly a brontosaurus, now refuted by science, but possibly still real in League-land - has a dinosaur version of a Howdah, or elephant carriage-seat.]

Anyone know if Nevins has a contact e-mail. I'd like to point out that...

Page 26. Padraig O Mealoid writes, "The markings on the plane's wings are M for Mors, and an interlinked R & N for Robur & Nemo. Note that one of the dinosaurs - possibly a brontosaurus, now refuted by science, but possibly still real in League-land - has a dinosaur version of a Howdah, or elephant carriage-seat.

That's not just a elephant carriage. That's a Slate Rock & Gravel Co. crane attachment, from the Flintstones.

I picked up on that with the pie scene, but he's not actually suppose to be [spoiler]Desperate Dan[/spoiler] is he?

Book turned up on ComiXology this week, so obviously I devoured it. Overall I liked it as much as the other Nemo titles. Fun adventurous romps through the reference layden world of LOEG.

I will say one thing, I LOVE [spoiler]Hugo. He seems like a genuinely likable guy, as well as being absurdly powerful. [/spoiler] which is actually a bit weird for LOEG [spoiler]to have a character that purely likable and not have anything to suggest he's a monster of some kind[/spoiler] In a lot of ways he reminds me of the classic interpratation of [spoiler]Popeye[/spoiler]. Which based on a little research is not a coincidence.

Edit: also, good use of [spoiler]the Stepford Wives[/spoiler]