Hey all. Was just checking a blog when I saw this

http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/10/01/scott-pilgrim-videogame-dlc-knives-chau-modes/

Amoung other things, the announcement of the final playable character (three guesses who it is), as well as new modes and bug fixes.

Laters.

I know I have yet to reply to some other comments, but in the mean time:



I was bored :P

As if it wasn't decided already, I am SO seeing Iron Man 2!

IT
HAS
THE
FRICKING
ARMOUR
BRIEFCASE
FROM
THE
COMICS!!!

And if THAT wasn't sweet enough, they played "War Machine" by AC/DC when War Machine came on.

EPIC!

OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG!

A SWEET INDI ROCK BAND HAS WRITTEN AN AWESOME SONG ABOUT GREEN LANTERN?! A HYBRID OF MUSIC, COMICS, GREEN LANTERN AND ROCK MUSIC?! :D



EVERYONE JOIN IN

# IN BRIGHTEST DAY; IN BLACKEST NIGHT #
# NO EVIL ESCAPE MY SIGHT #
# LET THOSE WHO WORSHIP EVIL'S MIGHT #
# BEWARE MY POWER - GREEN LANTERN'S LIGHT #

Dan, if this appears on Rock Band, will you download it for me? ;) I promise I'll pay you back :D

... And new beginnings are around the corner!

1. I'm looking to meet a girl I've been chatting to online this weekend. I've been texting her quite a bit over the past week or so, and keen to see where it goes. Maybe something great will start, or maybe something won't. Either way, it'll hopefully give me a new "love interest" (as Dan put it) to help me move onto the new chapter, and...

2. I've just put my CV back up on Monster, and specified my desire to live in the Lincolnshire area. I've made my first step towards Operation Move To Lincoln, or MTL for short.

3. I've been feeling great in general since the start of the new year. While certain things may not have gone the way I had hoped on NYE (leading to lots of ribbing from Dan, Liam and Pineapple :p), the experience was good, mistakes were learnt and above all I'm not going to let it get me down. Always next time :D

4. What happened in 2009 stays in 2009. I'm no longer going to let events regarding certain people get me down. Sure I've said this before and not always followed through with it, but my Will is stronger now than ever before and I refuse to let it beat me!

OK first of all, Pineapple, I WILL do your comic heroes soon. I have a Marvel hero in mind but I'm still racking my brains for a good DC hero.

Anyway, as many of you know, I'm a HUGE fan of Linkara from ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com. Recently he posted a video showing how he made a new Dragon Dagger as a prop for his show. Though I had no interest in making one myself, I still watched it with curiosity and I could feel a Geek Spark get reignited inside of me.

I've always liked weapons with a fancy design, whether or not it's truely pratical, and I always felt the Rangers had some pretty cool looking weapons. Many moons ago I wrote a fan fiction, which has evolved over the years into a sprite comic and later back to a fan fiction. Some of the characters I made on Dan's SCIV save originated from there. Most of the key characters had ties to an element (Light, Metal, Wood, Water etc.) and a fancy weapon they'd make with said element (i.e. Yuno would turn metal around him into a lance, Giomitri would transform water into a trident etc.). Watching the video suddenly wants me to put pen to paper and draw/design a look for each of the weapons. However to a degree I feel I've moved on from my fan fic/character creation days (bar when I'm playing SCIII and IV). I've tried writting a new version of my story and keep getting ideas for it, but at the same time feel it's an element of the old self I killed for personal growth.

In an effort to make a more positive journal for once, I decided to do a new meme. The rules are simple. Post something heroic below, and I'll use my Comic Book Geek Class to tell you which DC hero and Marvel hero you reminde me of. It may be due to personality, character traid, special skills or perhaps a running gag (and no, I won't list "Northstar" as your Marvel character Liam. I promise :D).

I'll start with myself, but to make things more interesting I WON'T use anyone from Green Lantern or Spidey:

DC Hero - The Ray. This one is a bit of a cheat really, as I've not actually read any comics with him in. Instead this is based more off his power - Light Manipulation, or as I like to call it "Photokinesis" (mmm I love that word). As some of you may know, in my old sprite/fan fic days I made my character a Photokinetic, who absorbed the suns light and required a pair of bands which acted as power suppressers to keep his abilities under control (which doubled up as a backup light source should he find himself in the dark). Costume wise I do quite like the look of Ray Terrill's. Thus this character is based more off the superpower I'd love to have than any other simular character trait.

Marvel Hero - Captain Britain. The key British superhero in the Marvel Universe, Captain Britain was recently killed off at the start of the excellent but under appreciated series "Captain Britain and MI: 13". Naturally he was revived in issue 3 and able to deliver the blow to save England from the Skrull Invasion. And just like when he was killed and revived the first time, his powers were revamped. Instead of being tied to his suit as they were in the past, they were now tied to his emotions. When his confidence and determination are at their peak, little can stop him. If his confidence takes a nose dive, he's about as strong as wet paper. As many of you know, my emotions and confidence are key aspects that make me who I am today. I often feel the "Seven Emotions" used in the GL universe (Rage, Avarice, Fear, Will, Hope, Compassion and Love) on a frequent basis and my confidence fluctates. I can either be outgoing and in your face or quiet and reserved, depending on how I feel at that one moment in time (it even lead You-Know-Who to wonder if I was bipolar). Thankfully in recent months I've leaned more towards the confident, outgoing side of my nature but there are still moments when I feel hesitant.

So, who do I see you as?

I've never really had more than a passing interest in Iron Man. I remember the Iron Man cartoon (complete with kickass opening theme) on the Marvel Action Hour



and I've read some team comics, namely New Avengers and Mighty Avengers, where Tony has been a member but otherwise I've never followed his work. However I LOVED 2008's film Iron Man. I'd even go so far as to say I feel a little sorry for the film. It was a wonderful adaptation of the Iron Man mythos and I'd even go so far as to say have some slight anti-war elements (though with people dealing with WOMD with a robot suit). However it was quickly over looked in favour of The Dark Knight. A great film, don't get me wrong, but I feel I prefer Iron Man slightly but more from a sympathetic point of view.

Naturally a sequel was announced not long after the film’s release and among the first things announced was the inclusion of War Machine. If you were one of those people whose first entry to the Iron Man mythos was through the film, this chat I had earlier will explain War Machine to you:

21:19 - pawcanada84: where as DC seems to use "Legacy Heroes" - someone else taking over "the mask" when something happens to the primary hero - Kyle becoming GL when Hal goes mad and kills things, Waly taking over as the Flash after his uncle gives his life in a heroic fashion
21:19 - pawcanada84: Marvel has what I call "Variant Heroes"
21:19 - pawcanada84: heroes whom are similar but have their differences
21:19 - pawcanada84: War Machine is the best example
21:19 - pawcanada84: remember Rhodey
21:21 - pawcanada84: his best bud from the first film?
21:22 - Dogmeat: ohhh right
21:23 - pawcanada84: in the comics, Tony's alcoholism gets so bad, Rhodey takes over as Iron Man
21:24 - pawcanada84: and Tony later develops a gun heavy black and white suit called War Machine
21:24 - pawcanada84: they later switch over so Tony is back in the IM armour and Rhodey gets the WM armour
21:24 - Dogmeat: and ah right I see
21:24 - pawcanada84: think of Iron Man as being say Vincent and WM as Barret
21:24 - Dogmeat: lol I get that reference
21:24 - pawcanada84: Vincent snipes things, Barret blows it to kingdom come
21:25 - Dogmeat: Tony Stark ain't emo enough though :p

However despite my best intentions I've not ONCE seen any of the supposed trailers or images of movie War Machine. That is, until I saw the new poster today:



I will admit I had a BIT of a geekgasm when I first saw it. From what little we can see its faithful adaption (so far) and the teaser shows and hides just enough to keep my interest higher. I really can’t wait to see more pictures of War Machine and the film itself.

I was planning a big(ish) update for today but I think i'll hold off as I'm a bit sad right now. Before I go into it I'm going to have to take a leaf out of Linkara's book and tell you some "Comic History You Don't Care About But Need To Know In Order To Understand This".

Back in the early/mid ninties, DC felt the Green Lantern "Hal Jordan" was to plain a character for fans to really relate to. Thus they decided to write a story that would remove Hal, the Green Lantern Corps and allow them to create a new Green Lantern. Additionally, without the Green Lantern Corps to back him up, this new guy would be the one and only Lantern in existance and thus would have to learn everything the hard way and through trial and error. Enter Kyle Rayner.

However DC's plan to remove both Hal and the Corps resorted in the destruction of Hal's home town Costal City and the death of around 7 million people. When Hal sat in the ruins of his home and everyone he ever loved and cared about (with the exception of his on-again/off-again love interest and one of his brothers elsewhere and thus still alive), Hal snapped. He attempted to use his ring to comfort himself, only for the Guarians to step in, slap him on the wrist and telling him off for using the ring for personal gain. Hal, enraged by their decision, turned on them and subsiquently killed everyone bar Ganthet, the only Guardian who chose to take a name and generally showed he wasn't part of the flock like the other Guardians.

To put it another way, think of Kyle as being like Raiden from Metal Gear Solid 2 - the writers wanting to take the series in a new direction, so they kill off the main protagonist and introduce a new guy so the plot can focuse around him. Surprise surprise fans were OUTRAGED by this decision and when Kyle was introduced a large number of the fanbase were turned against him simply because of the means they took to introduce him.

Growing up as a Marvel fan, I only really knew about the Trinity - Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. I was first introduced to a number of DC's heroes, including Green Lantern, when I picked up the 96/97 crossover "Marvel vs DC/DC vs Marvel". Though Kyle battled and lost against the Silver Surfer, the character's power left an imprint on me and I slowly looked at reading Green Lantern. In the mid 2000's Green Lantern was picking up a lot of praise after writing a story about homosexuality. Kyle had been given a new job and assigned a young asisstant Terry. When Kyle proposed to his girlfriend (who, fact fans, was the daughter of Golden Age Green Lantern Alan Scott. Like many of Kyle's love interests she's dead), he turned him down but they stayed together (or something. That part of the story was never collected in trades so I've never read it. One trade litterly ends say an issue or two before that comic, and the next picks up say an issue or two after...). When Kyle told Terry, the young boy was heart broken and Kyle twigged Terry had a crush on him. Kyle let him down gently but the two became good friends, and Kyle later went on to become a confide. When Terry had difficulty talking to his parents about his sexulaity, Kyle was able to be there for him.

Ultimatly Terry met and began dating a young man only for the two fo them to be chased by three thugs after a date. Terry is cornered and beaten to near death and as soon as Kyle hears this, he is PISSED. It's said the Green Lantern ring is the most powerful weapon in the DC universe. It's fuled by the Will of the wearer and how strong his/her imagination is. By day Kyle is an artist and it's been stated his imagination surpasses Hal's, Guy's and John's (the three other earth based GL's. Alan's ring is different to theirs). Anyway, one of the thugs is caught by the police and Kyle chose to pay him a visit. He then procedes to torture him in order to find out where his friends are. The next page then shows the other two trying to escape, only for Kyle to appear. As he procedes to vent his rage against him, he taunts them, saying things like:
"What's wrong? Are you finding it difficult to fight me because I'm not a 16 year old boy who's about half your size?"
and
"I'll turn my back to you so you can hit me from behind, as i know that's how you like to fight"
(it's been a while so the quotes will be a bit off).

Towards the end of the issue, Kyle realises he's no better than them. As mentioned, the thugs outclassed Terry in age, size and strength and Kyle outclasses them because he's wearing a Green Lantern ring. That scene alone made it stick in my mind as one of my favourite storylines. I later tracked down to trade, "Brother's Keeper" and while the following storylines didn't quite have a scene to match it, were still good.

Kyle was also DC's answer to Peter Parker, even if they wouldn't admit to it. Two of his three key girlfriends (Alex and Jen) died because of him. He was a freelance artist and it wasn't until the job that lead to him meeting Terry that he got a decent paycheck on a frequent basis. I've never been a big fan of Batman and it's only recently that I've developed an interest in and respect for Superman. Kyle was the best example of a Marvel style hero (one who deals with real life problems) in the DC universe, and acted pretty much as the doorway for a Marvel fan like me to get interested in DC.

Hal was ultimatly revived in 2004/2005 by Geoff John's "Green Lantern Rebirth". John had previously regained his power ring when Kyle left earth due to the events of Brother's Keeper, Guy also regained one during the storyline and the Green Lantern Corps were quickly reborn at the start of the fourth volume of Green Lantern. Kyle was bumped down to the bottom of the pecking order, and labelled as "Green Lantern 2814.4" (2814 is the space sector Earth resides in, and there is two Lanterns (originally just one) for each of the 3200 sectors) and not really given a comic to star in until after 2007's excellent "Sinestro Corps Wars", where he (along with Guy) became one of the key characters in "Green Lantern Corps" (prior to SCW it focused on a large number of GLs). The two became like brothers and I developed a slight interest in Guy because of this.

At the start of Blackest Night I just knew Kyle was likely to die. Many fans had theorised he'd become a Blue Lantern, as he'd shown to be the most hopeful of the four Earth based Lanterns. However most shot this down as just a fan theory and/or an idea that seemed good on paper but wouldn't really last. Towards the end of every month, fans get to see previews for comics that would get released in three months time. To put it another way, by the end of November I'll know what books will be available in February. Back in September's previews, the cover for Green Lantern Corps #43 showed Guy as a Red Lantern. This not only spoilt a major plot point that we wouldn't see for three months but also helped a Kyle fan like myself start to wonder if he'd make it out alive. To make matters worse, some comments I read for a review of GLC #42 said someone was indeed going to die (but not who). Three guesses who popped to mind first :p. I resisted temptation to look at Wikipedia as I didn't want to spoil it.

Sadly though, my suspicians were true, though he didn't die the way I was expecting. I thought a Black Lantern would succeed in ripping out his heart and using it to fuel the resurection of Nekron (another thing spoilt thanks to previews!). Instead Kyle released a HUGE explosition of Green Light that vaporised all the Black Lanterns in the area (for now any way). Linkara has said he doesn't mind if a character dies so long as it's the greatest thing they've ever done and I think it's hard not to agree this is the greatest thing Kyle has ever done. However, for fans like myself, well, yeah. Of course there's a possibility he'll be revived. Maybe the Ion (the living embodyment of Will) or perhaps the Blue/Hope Entity will bond with him and revive Kyle. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

For those who don't know, Kyle is my default icon on Live Journal, the only charatcer I have two icons for and my avatar on Steam and my blog. So yeah, I'm a big fan of him :p