DC Comics and Film Stars React to Colorado Shooting Tragedy - Orlando Comic Books | Examiner.com (Director's Cut)

DC Comics and Film Stars React to Colorado Shooting Tragedy - Orlando Comic Books | Examiner.com

Yeah. Now, here we go.

First of all, I might be done reporting on this subject altogether. Unless it involves something positive (and no, I don't count the depressing stories of those who had so much to live for yet were gunned down in an act of heroism), I may well be done with this. You've probably noticed a pattern--hell, more like a glut of Examiner articles hitting this thing lately. There are (mostly business) reasons for that, but I have to draw a line at exploiting something like this for that purpose. Kinda like the Bret Michaels run I did when that dude had a stroke. But I digress.

I might be done with this because now the story is wading in to that dense, muddy swampland where there are monsters around every corner. Like the media (particularly ABC news) driving in to the ground as much as the ground the idea of James Holmes being called "The Joker". They take one witness statement and alluva sudden, they have their "hook". Makes me want to punch someone there in the dick for not only being un-creative enough to make the too-obvious comparison, but for forever associating that character and Batman as a whole with this nonsense.

You know, ABC...I was born at night, just not last night. (Actually that's a bald-faced lie; I was born on a rainy Monday morning, which explains quite a bit in terms of mindset.) You're owned by Disney, who now owns Marvel, who would love nothing more to crush their competition. But stop polluting and poisoning an iconic character just to sensationalize a tragedy and use it as a crass business move.

The next turn for the worse is Torrence Brown, Jr. You may not know the name offhand, but you will soon because he's filed the first lawsuit in regards to the shooting. A guy who saw his best friend die. But didn't take a bullet himself. And isn't related to anyone. Waited an excruciating five days to sue somebody.

Now, I'm all for a good lawsuit. If it were someone who actually got shot or a family member of someone who did, I understand it. This is uhMERR'ka, dammit. We have the right to haul infidels in to court and makes ourselves richer off the suffering off of others. And by suing the theater for not having a guarded back exit door (because what theater does?), Holmes's doctors (because they were just dying to conduct a psychological experiment on the man), and Warner Bros (because Holmes allegedly mimicked the content of a movie that he'd never seen before because it premiered the night this happened), that's exactly what this feels like to me.

Hate to say it Torrence, but if this is a cash grab off the misery of others, you're just as sick as ABC News for exploiting this for your own gain. And I can't be in the same company as either of you.

It's hard enough living with myself sometimes having to do several stories about something like this. There's a fine line walked between covering the news and exploiting it. I've always busted my ass to make sure I don't cross that line. Sometimes to extremes of ignoring said news altogether because I don't want to walk in to that trap. There aren't many "journalists" (and I use that term very loosely, especially when dealing with mass media) that have any kind of integrity, much less enough to realize when enough is enough in dealing with a particular kind of story and walk away. It's one of the reasons I did the piece on Steve Vai about the same time; something - and someone - I can at least respect and balance out this aberration to society. And that's to say nothing about the shooting and James Holmes himself.

So, no more Aurora for me. Done. I'm letting these victims and families - including that of Holmes, who had to have no idea this was coming and are living in their own private hell right now - get some peace in peace.

Count3rCu1ture, The New DC: Justice League #1

Exclusive to Tumblr! Starting today and twice a week for...probably a while, you can see how the New DC unfolds and how a jaded fan reacts with surprise (in some cases).

Oh, hey, while I have you here...

You may remember a while back I mentioned that Shinobi Ninja had their video for "Rock Hood" out for your perusal. In case you didn't catch it, let's go to the instant replay:



So why am I bringing this up again? Because this video now has a chance to be in regular rotation at MTVu. And you can help make it happen.

If it can be done, Shinobi Ninja has promised a surprise for their fans. I'll let them give the details (courtesy of the Facebook Event page they've set up for this):

If we win this contest, we're going to throw a FREE rooftop party/concert with all sorts of swag and food. Invites will go out to everyone who votes, blasts the link, and attends and posts on this FB event. If you aren't an NYC native, you'll get an exclusive invite to stream the show and party with us online.

Its been a long and winding road but today, we're here to tell you dreams really can come true!!! Right now at this moment, Shinobi Ninja is on the brink of something amazing. No label, no suits, no BS...All of it is because of the love and support that fans like you have given us over the past three years.

A few weeks ago, MTVU.com posted an interview with us on the "Hot Seat" section instead of adding our Rock Hood video into rotation. The response to the interview was so overwhelming that MTV's staff came to see us play later that week in NYC at Arlene's Grocery. The combination of our live performance and our incredibly dedicated fans earned us a shot at the BIGTIME!!!!

Every week, MTVU selects 5 new artists to compete for an add in MTVU's regular rotation.

Millions of people discover new music on MTVU every day.

THIS WEEK, ITS OUR TURN! Its the biggest thing to happen to us since we played our first show ever at the Knitting Factory in August 2008 (by the way we are about to play our SECOND show at the Knit this week...coincidence or destiny?!?!)

Help us write the last sentence in the first chapter of the story of Shinobi Ninja and vote for "Rock Hood" on MTVU.com!

Just a little hint, you can vote as many times as you'd like!

Share this link on your social networks and tell your friends to vote too!

Happy Voting!!!!

Terminator Dave + Shinobi Ninja

The reasons I'm putting this out there?

1) Hell yeah I want an invite to this show online!

2) After seeing their set and meeting them at Nerdapalooza, I can personally vouch for not only their talent and stage presence, but for the fact that this is a genuinely nice group of folks who love recording and performing. Their enthusiasm is infectious, and I can't help but dig that.

3) They said it themselves: Shinobi Ninja is on the brink of something amazing. No label, no suits, no BS...All of it is because of the love and support that fans like you have given us over the past three years. This is a classic tale of a do-it-yourself act that's gotten to where they are on nothing but hard work, fan appreciation, and an ethic that this site embraces. They deserve to see their dreams come true, and this could be the chance they have to make it happen.

So please, go check out the video and vote for them. I'm sure you want to be invited to the party too, right?

C3C1 5 - Superheroes

Welcome to as personal of a look at me as you’re going to get here.

“C3C1 5” is a series of lists detailing my personal favorite...whatever topic I happen to choose. I am trying to make these a weekly ongoing feature. Of course, my reputation for regularity isn’t the greatest in the world; heck, I’ve already skipped a week due to having to get a lot of other work done while adjusting to a new schedule, but now we commence with round 02.

The reasons and rules for this are available in the first installment. Suffice to say, they can be summed up very simply with this statement:

The views and opinions expressed herein are those solely of the author and may not necessarily reflect those of the rest of the human race.


Welcome to round 02 (Fight!) of C3C1 5. This week’s list of five is:

Five Fave Superheroes

It’s that simple, folks - the big guns. The guys we all know and love from the funny book pages. I was actually going to save this because I wasn’t sure I wanted two comic-centric lists back-to-back, but there is a particular reason this is going up now. You’ll get a hint later and find out exactly why tomorrow.

Enough of the jibba-jabba. Let’s do this:




05: Green Lantern

Admittedly, I’m a little late to the game here. And Geoff Johns has a lot to do with GL’s placement this high on the list with the way he’s completely redefined the mythology. All that out there, Green Lantern - and make no mistake, this is certainly Hal Jordan we’re discussing here - has always fascinated me because of the idea of redemption. From losing his dad early on and living up to the ideal he thought his father would have had, to losing his schtuff when Coast City was destroyed, setting him on a path of evil and a return to righteousness, Jordan’s story has always been one I’ve enjoyed following and, at times, certainly relating to. And let’s face it, that ring can do some amazing stuff.






04: The Hulk

(A momentary aside: you can tell I’m pretty much a DC guy when there’s one Marvel character that cracks the C3C1 5. Not that I hate Marvel at all; I grew up with the X-Men. I dig the Avengers trinity as much as the next fan. But, when it comes to individual characters, you can tell which publisher has always had my attention more than the other.)

Anyone who’s seen my temper up close and personal knows exactly why The Hulk is on this list. I can rage with the best of them, and most times it’s for the same reason - I’ve always let myself be walked on when it comes to relationships with other people. When I see just how bad I’ve gotten the shaft for how long...yeah. I don’t grow to 5x my size or turn green (or gray or red), but this is pretty much the result. Nowadays I’m a lot better at not letting my temper get that far. However, if I went through what the Hulk did in Planet Hulk, I totally would have done what he did in World War Hulk (one of my fave Hulk stories). And I wouldn’t think twice about it.






03: The Flash

The Flash is what got me started on comics in the first place. It was The Trial of Barry Allen, and the end of his first series. Watching a man go through losing his first wife and then almost having his new fiancee murdered by the same person was captivating. That did it.

There’s a lot more to be said for The Flash and Barry Allen (the version represented here, although Wally West is a very close second). And it will be said tomorrow. Some news came about The Flash in the New DC that has to be discussed in detail. Yes, The Flash is the reason this list was posted now instead of later. Stay tuned.






02: Batman

Bat man is a straight-up icon of a man honing himself to be the pinnacle of human achievement using only his mind and his will. It’s the reason he tops probably a couple million “favorite superhero” lists - he has no superpowers; he’s just a man that built himself to be the best, an ideal most o0f us strive for.

What made me love Batman was Batman #400. It was here that Batman’s nightmare came to life, putting him against odds he couldn’t possibly overcome. And yet, he did. It’s a story that sums up his will and ability to overcome anything, all done in a beautiful, self-contained story.






01: Superman

If you don’t think the comic book fanbase has its share of hipsters, think again. It’s all the rage to hate Superman nowadays. “He’s too powerful”...”he’s such a boy scout”...”man his recent stories have really sucked.”

Okay, I can’t argue with that last one. But everything else is excuses in the form of gross oversimplifications. Superman was the first superhero. He captured imaginations in 1938 for the same reason he does now - who doesn’t want the ability to do damn-near anything? Many fans that bag on him now cover that jealousy with another excuse: “He can do anything he wants, yet he chooses to be a good guy?”

Yes, he does. And for all that ability and power, Superman is still mortal. He’s just as human as any of us. The best stories illustrate this perfectly, and even comic creators tend to screw that up. Hell, J Michael Straczynski inexplicably wrote one of the best and worst superman stories ever!

He’s a tough character to nail because not any people can fully grasp how someone so all-powerful can also be so vulnerable. But when he’s done right, Superman shows us that he is our actual self, while Batman is our ideal self. Batman has made himself perfect, while Superman was made perfect, but continues to show us how human we all are.

Anne Hathaway as Catwoman

No face mask with ears? I'm actually in favor of that. The goggles are a plus toward the more realistic feel and design. And is she ganking Batman's bike? That's too funny.