Posts Tagged ‘cartoons’

Since the dawn of, well, the 90s, there have been television shows of all kinds incorporating musical episodes into their seasons.

It is not just that these rare and entertaining occurrences are hilarious and if not well sung then at least still enjoyable to watch, but they express something unique about characters’ psyches that might not have otherwise been displayed openly if not through song.

Sci fi and Fantasy television shows are no exception to this phenomenon, and today I am going to go through the many wonderful examples of musical episodes fitting my beloved geek theme. This includes live action and animated examples, so hang on, pop in your favorite show-tunes album to set the mood, and enjoy the show.
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I am torn on this one. With the other versus blogs I had a clear favorite even when most of the time I greatly respected the opposing side, but with this particular debate it is harder to choose. I would say Marvel simply because Spider-Man, Deadpool, and the X-men are some of my favorite characters of all time, but then DC has Batman, and it really is hard to compete against Batman.

There is a lot more to cover with these franchises than with any of the others I have compared thus far, so bear with me. Onto a brief history of each of these incredible comic publishers.
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I once got into a heated debate over how only an idiot would think Harry Potter wins in a comparison with Lord of the Rings because the writing is so superior. Me? I was on Harry’s side.

To some readers J. R. R. Tolkien drones on and on about the details of a leaf when we just want to get to the story, while J. K. Rowling has readership with children barely in their double digits as well as with their grandparents with equal success.

So what is the definition of ’superior writing’ exactly?

As with my previous blog entry, Star Trek vs Star Wars, I do not want my opinion to further cloud this comparison, as I see great strengths in both franchises. Let us begin then, as before, with a quick history.
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“I would like the world to remember me as the guy who really enjoyed playing games and sharing his knowledge and his fun pastimes with everybody else.” — Gary Gygax, 1938-2008

Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson—may they rest in peace in a land where skimpy chainmail really does protect better than full body armor on big-breasted women—created D&D and published its first book in 1974.

It was different from tabletop wargames in many ways, allowing for each player to essentially create and become a single character of their design to embark upon adventures in a fantasy setting. This was all guided by the Dungeons Master or DM.

Besides telling the story the players’ characters live through, the DM’s job is to try and kill the characters off. Hopefully, your DM wants you to succeed, but if they’re not throwing challenging monsters and puzzles your way that could potentially kill your character at every turn then they are not doing their job.
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Tattooing has been around almost as long as human beings, seen in many cultures throughout history for many varying reasons, usually for personal, cultural, or spiritual expression or identification.

In the previous century there was a time when tattooing was seen as something only for the hardcore, scary people like bikers and gang members, or sailors who got drunk one night on leave. In Japan it is still generally thought of as a sign that you are part of the yakuza, the native gangsters.

But these days nearly everyone you run across could potentially have at least one tattoo, even if that one is merely a typical ‘tramp stamp’ on the lower back.

The average person might only have something small and simple, like Woodstock on their hip or a flower on their ankle, but even the unexpected person might surprise you with a slew of tattoos hidden beneath their clothing.

Tattoos with a geeky origin are more common these days than you might realize. All three of mine fall under that category.
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Batman

May of this year celebrated Batman’s 70th birthday, having first appeared in Detective Comics #27. Ironically, our modern DC Comics decided to celebrate this milestone by killing Batman off. This instigated the Battle for the Cowl miniseries that named Dick Grayson (the original Robin) as the new Batman until Bruce Wayne’s inevitable return.

But even if Batman were to remain dead, lost forever to the comic world that needs him, he would never be forgotten by fans thanks to his many other incarnations since first being imagined in 1939. Batman has been a comic book hero, a television hero, a movie hero, a video game hero, and more, so many times that listing them all would probably be ostentatious. Batman is DC Comics’ crown jewel, even more popular than Superman, who has been around longer.

For me, the love of Batman did not begin with the comics, or with Adam West, or even with the wonderful Tim Burton movies—Batman’s 1989 release having marked the then 50th anniversary of the character. No, my love affair with the Caped Crusader began with a cartoon.

I am referring to, of course, Batman: The Animated Series.
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Being a girl geek in the new millennium can mean a number of things. There are anime geeks who gush over prettily drawn bishounen and the powers of their favorite magical girl. Video game geeks who can tell you every possibility of that date with Cloud at the Gold Saucer in Final Fantasy VII, including how to get Barret.

There are also comic geeks who have already chosen which ring color they are going to root for in DC’s Blackest Night saga, as well as those of us beaming over Marvel’s Rogue character finally being able to turn her power on and off (where’s that Cajun?). 

And that’s not even mentioning all of the possible fangirling that geeks commit over certain movies, television shows, books, and more.

Me, I like to think of myself as a little of all of the above.
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