To 75 years and more!!!

:Peace

The world of animation include designs, portraits, and stories made into motion to that provide a visual representation of art, but inspires the minds and imaginations of individuals of all ages. Some people think that cartoons are mostly just colorful nonsense designed only to attract the minds of children in their early years. However, there is something special about a cartoon that attracts not only children but even adults, especially the ones that remind people of the happy times in their youth. There is something about cartoons that bring generations together and let the imagination go wild. A cartoon series is something I would like to produce someday. The world of animation has always fascinated me, especially cartoons like the Looney Tunes and Mickey Mouse. I dream of one day being the next animation legend like Bruce Timm and Greg Weisman, Bringing some reminiscence to my work while still featuring something new in the animation world.

By the time I graduated from high school, I had decided to pursue a career in animation. The world of cartoon animation always held a special place in my heart, well more like my life in general. I was a kid who had a vivid imagination, and I would often turn on the TV and watch fun shows with theme songs I still hum to myself ever so often. There were shows that often poked fun at real life, like the surreal and imaginative exploits of a guy named Doug. Other shows were zany and made no sense, but my cousins and still found them entertaining, DuckTales, being an example. In my opinion, there were shows that cleverly included real adult humor while still maintaining the guise of a kids show, like Animaniacs. However there are even some cartoons that are pretty much adult humor, like Futurama and Archer.

Some of my favorite shows came from great animators like Bruce Timm and Greg Weisman who have contributed to such amazing shows like the adventures of a fearsome caped crusader or the story of mythological creatures living in the modern era. Those were the shows that created cult followings that are still going strong today. These shows really fascinated me in my youth, and as I grew up, these shows made me even more convinced that I want to choose that career path. I would love to animate so many classic literature stories, or at least what is left. There have been so many great animated classics from the Hobbit before it was featured in live-action in ongoing Disney movies. One of my absolute favorites was The Black Cauldron, which was actually based on the fantasy novels The Chronicles of Prydain. It would be a greater delight if I could base an animated show on never before seen concept art of the movies. Many designers from the animated show Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels have produced incredible episodes featuring the influence of Ralph McQuarrie, an artist who worked on the designs of the original Star Wars trilogy. Also, it would be a great honor if I was allowed to retell the stories of some comic book characters.

I have so many ideas I would like to do for Batman or the X-Men, but that would mean I would have to deal with people who own the creative rights to the characters and the fans who love them. The problem that new shows face today is that there are always going to be diehard fans of shows that aired around their generation, that have great difficulty dealing with the slightest change to something that is classic from their era. Those fans will immediately go in an uproar. When it comes to rebooting or trying something new to a memorable franchise, it doesn’t hurt to include something classic, but still try to make the show its own element. It doesn't hurt to look back into the past, but it is also important to look towards the future, with new, innovative and creative inclusions.

I’ve had this idea of creating a comedy series based on Airplane, The Naked Gun Trilogy, and several Mel Brooks movies like my favorite Blazing Saddles. It would be a show about the lives of superheroes and crazy shenanigans that resulted in their adventures. I could see myself as a writer, someone who can literate stories that can be entertaining or maybe an artist, who can feature great designs for certain characters to make them pretty artistic. Perhaps I can be a bit of both since it is my own project I’m working on. I do look through various parts of media and literature that revolves around comedy to learn how they presented the humor in crafty ways. I would like to present it in a way that would represent still something that is a bit different from what most of other animators have done in the past so it can be known for that uniqueness. It would be a great representation to present entertainment for two different audiences and yet make something that that enjoyable for comic book fans and average viewers will get it too.

The show Futurama became very unique because of the way it often presented theories about the universe and still bring real-life situations into the program. I believe this animated show made viewers learn about the characters featured, made you laugh with the nerd culture, made you feel emotional, and made you feel good about life. The show also did a special animation called cel shading: a special animation technique designed to make 3-D computer graphics appear to be flat so it can mimic the style of a cartoon or comic. I would love to do something that really defined the modern age or hopefully for the future of animation. I want to be that animator who shows creativity in my work and also one that provides meaningful messages in the topics that I choose.

My mom believes that animation is something that is directed towards children and mostly acts too childish, but in my opinion, it is so much more than that. It plays a special impact in our lifetime; with artistic wonder that last for generations. I would want my work in animation to also bring that great sense of inspiration. Deepak Chopra believed that real enduring myths and the characters that populate them are never created by one creator. They are drawn from those universal fields that are the fruit of eons’ worth of human dreams, aspirations, fears, and imaginings; for that they are in constant transformation and evolution. I believe that animation plays a huge part in the continuation of myths and legends because it brings animation to life with such artistic wonder. It doesn’t have to be a related to comic books or even novels and adaptations, it can be something entirely different and new in the storytelling. It’s one thing to present something entertaining but it is so much more when you can present something that has a lasting effect for the viewers, whether they are old or young. Animation presents a unique opportunity to provide amusement, education, and even guidance to a certain degree to people of all ages. Animation can be adjusted to accommodate and influence different age groups over multiple generations and so could possibly consider a good source of entertainment.

“Animation offers a medium of storytelling and visual entertainment which can bring pleasure and information to people from of all ages everywhere in the world.” I hope to do exactly that as Walt Disney once said. The amazing skill of animation brings a unique form of entertainment, it is a career path I would like to do someday. So for now, my drive and my passion to become an animator is pushing me to continue my education and the pursuit to my chosen career as an animator, and also continue to reach and hope for a great opportunity to come my way. Sometimes you got to have that bit of dream, luck, and hope to continue on. It really gives me a purpose and motivation.

:Peace

Animation never gets any better than this. My dream job right here!

Someday, there will be comic book movies created by this!

Link: http://vimeo.com/97143634

:Peace

Just got back from my usual stuff. Been traveling with the folks and taking online classes in the process. Man the places you go. Anyways, I just thought I would make this blog post to keep anyone viewing this up to date. I just saw Godzilla and X-Men: DOFP; they were both great. May think of doing reviews on both of them. Also thinking of post some more blogs in the future. Not sure yet. Don't have much to talk about soooooo......that's it.

Bye

I'm planning on leaving this site. There's been nothing but problems for me every time I log in. I just can't seem to upload images on internet explorer, I have to use chrome which I don't often use. I can't tag the images in the right place because every time I remove one tag labeling certain images, it somehow erases the entire thing, forcing me to tag all those images again. Plus just I had another problem logging in. I don't know maybe it's my laptop or something, but I don't think I can do this anymore. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one, but I just can't put up with it anymore. I'll see if I can get help for this but until then I'm only going to post images and comment on topics if I get the chance. I don't know, this is really bothersome. Post to ya guys later. :Peace

A long time ago in a neighborhood far, far away a boy would receive a gift of three video tapes called “Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition”. Watching them as a young kid, he thought it was the coolest thing ever and as he grew up into adulthood, he became one of the biggest fans of the sci-fi fantasy. That boy was me. I am a huge fan of Star Wars, both the movies and the Expanded Universe that it is based on. Any books, novels, and various forms of media that I could get my hands on afforded me to opportunity to learn more about one of my hobbies in life. I expected that the series was over and there would only be stories within the six movies, but that all changed in 2012.

The Galaxy Far, Far Away is continuing to expand, for better or worse. Since Disney bought Lucasfilm, many things have been happening. Now with new movies coming to the cinema and TV shows in production, Star Wars is coming back in full force; but is it coming back the same? How will this effect Expanded Universe canon, which is mostly licensed information of the Star Wars universe outside the feature films? This is my opinion regarding the changes coming to the Star Wars Expanded Universe.

Star Wars Rebels

A new age is coming when the fans finally learn more about the period between Episodes 3 and 4, which is a time between the Prequel trilogy and the Original Trilogy. This era described when the Empire was at the height of its power. The series will follow the adventures of new characters that will play a big role in the formation of the Rebel Alliance. We don’t know much of the plot as of yet, but I have a feeling that it will be revealed in the future. I can’t wait to see what they have in store and the various homages paying tribute to legendary concept artist Ralph McQuire. The show would be a perfect opportunity to follow up on the Force Unleashed video game if writers are willing to give it a chance. I believe that if this show becomes successful enough, some episode might go between the Original Trilogy, which would provide much needed content for longtime fans. It would also be good if the show is connected another television series…

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Ah yes, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The animated series took place between Episodes 2 to 3 within the Prequel Trilogy. Currently there are many people still conflicted about loving it or hating it. In my opinion this show has done a great job in expanding the legendary universe of Star Wars by adding more to the mythology. I can’t wait for the final episodes of the series and have great expectation that they will bring a great amount of closure for fans of this show, both old and new. Plus with the incredible characters the writers and producers created and resurrected (like a certain Sith Lord), I as a fan would love to know if they lived on during the era of the Empire. That’s right, I want Ahsoka, Hondo, Bo-Tatan, Embo, Suki, Ventress, Captain Rex, Gregor, the Jedi Younglings, and even Darth Maul to return in Rebels!

The Clone Wars has done a great job bringing the characters, the worlds, and the technology to the small screen in a big way; it would be very interesting to see what these elements from the show transfer to Rebels creatively. I have a bigger hope that there is some connection to the 2003 cartoon series in the final episodes as well.*

Video Games

Star Wars often brought great video games to the table. Examples of which are the Force Unleashed, Bounty Hunter, Republic Commando, Empire at War, and fan favorite Battlefront. Now there’s a possibility that they are no longer part of Star Wars canon, which I believe is disappointing. Games like Bounty Hunter, Republic Commando, and the Force Unleashed should be titled as canon because they were really good stories. Honestly I believe that the Force Unleashed should be canon alongside this series because I really believe that the first game provided a worthy story within Star Wars territory. The first game had a great story, interesting characters, and of course awesome gameplay. While the Force Unleashed is a good candidate to be labeled as canon in the Star Wars Universe, there are games that deserve credit as well. I mostly root for Force Unleashed because I prefer the game’s origin story about the formation to the Rebel Alliance than the one with Rebels (but that opinion could change depending on the direction the creators of the show will go).* I also root for Bounty Hunter to be canon because Jango Fett was to me a highlight in Attack of the Clones, and this game gave fans an understanding why he is the catalyst for the Clone Army. These games were not only an opportunity to expand on great storytelling, but it gave fans a lot of fun ways of interacting with the adventure and the character. I was really devastated when the Boba Fett related 1313 was cancelled, denying us a great opportunity to explore the adventures of this amazing character who deserves more screen time (Hopefully this game will be featured possibly a spin-off……movie?). Hopefully there will be a chance that these future Star Wars games will provide great stories.

Comics

When it comes to comics, Star Wars can definitely deliver, especially when it comes from the publisher Dark Horse. Now that Marvel owns the property next year, I’m a bit skeptical on what future comics will be featured, but hopefully it will feature really good writers and artists who are fans of the saga. It would truly make this change impressive.*

Novels

There are a lot of great Star Wars books, and I mean a lot. From tales of the Old Republic to the odyssey of the New Jedi Order, Star Wars books are really a good read.* Just like the comics, the novels provide a great opportunity to expand the series further and go into territory that has never been explored before. I hope that Disney will allow Del Rey to continue writing these amazing stories and that these novels will be officially canon in the movies or TV shows.

Movies

I love all the movies, both the Original and Prequel trilogies. Lucas is a great storyteller, the way he interprets the story on screen is quite amazing. The purists hate George Lucas because they didn’t get what they want and they spent too much time hating on one single character and a species.

When it came to the Prequels, I believe Lucas should have let someone else be the director, because it seemed to work better with the Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Episode 1 should have been that calling card that the director’s job was best left to somebody else while still following the exact story he wrote. The creativity and most of the timing was not as effective with that storyline and I do believe it was because of the direction taken at the time. The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones were okay, but they only highlights for me were definitely the graphics and the action scenes, especially when the climax lead to the lightsaber duels which in my opinion definitely the best part of the movies. Revenge of the Sith is actually one of my favorite next to Empire Strikes Back because it was kind of Shakespearean Romantic in a way. The idea of evil triumphing in the end, but the power of good endures on really captivated me. Plus the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker was very interesting, even more so when I started watching the Clone Wars TV shows, giving us a unique example of a tragic hero. The Duel on Mustafar is a true testament to why this series is the best combining science fiction, fantasy, storytelling to generational audience. The newer movies also are cinematically beautiful; I mean the planets featured in the movies are spectacular, and before James Cameron’s Avatar or even the Star Trek reboot, Star Wars really upped the scale of sci-fi for the modern age. I can’t wait to see what JJ Abrams has in store in the upcoming movies, because I bet it will be fantastic. After all, look at what he’s done for Star Trek and he was not even a fan!* I can’t wait for the upcoming movies and I hope they live up to the hype everyone is expecting them to be. Remember that George Michael song. You “Gotta have Faith”.

A crazy guy can dream.

Expanded Universe

Finally, I’ll talk about the Expanded Universe itself. The universe that encompasses all the elements of the Star Wars films featuring books, comics, video games, television, and other media. Nowadays some parts of the fictional universe are coming to live within the television, which so far counts as canon. There are already some parts of the Expanded Universe that have been presented, like Quinlan Vos, Nightsisters, and even Republic Commandos. I hope that Star Wars: Rebels and other future Star Wars projects borrow some elements as well, like Mara Jade (crossing fingers!!!), Red Squadron, Scoundrels, and the Heir to the Empire series (or basically, anything Timothy Zahn as written in Star Wars).

These are my opinions and hopes on what could be a great future for the Star Wars franchise. As always, it feels nice to express my opinion about these sudden changes. Hope you enjoyed this blog and let’s look forward to a positive future. May the Force be with you guys.

:Peace

A new year begins, and so do my everyday adventures!!! Huh, it sounded better in my head for some reason. Anyways, just celebrated my birthday this week and trying to get through a Saturday, because it was during the weekend after B-Day that my dear grandma left the family and went to heaven. But somehow, there was a good thing to that, cause she left a special present for me during one of these occasions. Something to remember her by and a special note that came with it. I gotta tell ya, it felt really uplifting to know that she is always there in spirit. So far still looking for employment and taking a lot of classes to gain enrollment to college. Man sometimes I wish it was easier. I’ve been really obsessed with speaking my opinion against nerds and geeks. There are times I wonder why they act this way and do I even have to be a geek and a nerd. What I mean is that they keep having issues about the new Star Wars trilogy and the prequels, then they hammer on about the Simspons and Spongebob being past their prime, and that they don’t like change. Not that I’m convicting everybody, but I think that they are wrong, mostly all the time. Gamers like TotalBiscut think they are so competent in knowing what makes video games perfect, nerds like Andre(aka. Black Nerd Comedy) think that no one will accept changes to cult classics, and geeks like Whovians act like religious purist bent on cleansing newcoming fans of Doctor Who or people who make a certain mistake about the series. To even get more personal, I wonder why some people of different races spend time on the bad qualities of diversity (like racism, stereotypes, and constant reminders of the past). It’s amazing that it’s the small amount of problematic people that actually make the most noise just to make things harder for average Joes like us. But now that I’m older now, I realize that people are entitled to their own prerogative, whether they are doing it for the benefit of mankind, or just to act like a complete idiot. More importantly give them the best revenge of all, prove them wrong. So hopefully, I’ll get a job at either IGN or here at Comic Vine or Newsarama or even New York Times (I’m dreaming so bear with me) sooner or later, and let my voice be heard. I actually hope I get a job in animation, because I have an amazing idea for an animated series. I wonder if I made sense during this whole blog? Perhaps I should create a podcast instead or create a YouTube channel? You never know, I could. Well, that’s all I have to say for now so until then; The Legend Continues…

I know that there have been a lot of complaints about the current animated shows featuring our favorite superheroes. In my opinion, the shows are good but not quite up to greatness yet. My opinion maybe received with a great deal of protest but I do believe that there many that will agree with my observation.

This is my opinion on several animated shows. I like Ultimate Spider-Man, especially after the second season. Teen Titans GO! is ok, but too childish. There were some episodes that I liked (Colors of Raven, Staring at the Future, and Sidekick) but there were a lot I didn’t. The new Beware the Batman shows has some potential (with Katana being a side character and a kick-ass Alfred), but the lack of classic villains featured alongside the lesser-known villains just didn’t work for me. I love the DC Nation animated shorts, but I feel like Warner Bros. currently holds back on some great potential for them. Avengers Assemble and Hulk Agents of SMASH had a few good episodes, but it’s still early for me to decide on whether or not these shows are capable of becoming fan-favorites.

I believe that cancellation should not be in order, more like improvements. These shows can really become classic as, dare I say, the DC Animated Shows if they just work on some ideas. These are some of my ideas would like to share with them:

More characters to mingle with the main cast

Most comic book shows often do a recurring theme where they feature appearances of certain comic book characters that are well-known to fans. Thanks to the right amount of direction and writing they can leave quite an impression that will often gain the interest of viewers who don’t recognize the character.

• Marvel has been doing well with that throughout their shows. I get a certain geeky delight when shows like Ultimate Spider-Man feature appearances of characters that I’ve only seen in the comics.
• Teen Titans Go is a show that I’m interested in seeing expand more into the DC Universe. I know that the show should only feature the main cast, but believe it would be more entertaining if the people working on the shows can incorporate other characters. Seriously, why haven’t they featured the Super Best Friends yet? Could you imagine the fun an episode like that would bring? Even make the writers of Tiny Titans come in a write a couple of memorable episodes if Cartoon Network would give them a chance.

I know that it is important that the show should be about the main cast, but in such a shared universe like Marvel and DC, would it hurt to acquaint with other characters?

Not everything should be pure Nostalgia

The problem with new shows is that there are always going to be viewers who were fans of shows that aired way before them. If they see the slightest change to something that is classic from their era, the fans immediately go in an uproar. When it comes to rebooting or trying something new to a memorable franchise, it doesn’t hurt to put something classic, but still try to make the show its own element.

• I believe that the problem fans have with Ultimate Spider-Man is that they keep focusing more on the Marvel Universe rather than the original comic books series. I say it is rather more like the Avenging Spider-Man comic, which is cool. Don’t get me wrong, I would very much like to see episodes featuring some story arcs from the comics and who knows they might probably do that in the future.
• Beware the Batman would be good if they featured both recognizable characters alongside lesser known characters. Plus, to be pretty honest, Brave and the Bold has already done that.

Stop putting the show on hiatus for a long time

Does anyone remember shows like ThunderCats, Tron: Uprising, Green Lantern: The Animated Series, and Young Justice? They were shows that had potential of being classics, but what kept them at bay? A word that I’ve really detested since last year: Hiatus. The networks have been doing a really good job at frustrating the viewers by postponing the airing of certain shows. Then have the tendency to not provide a single explanation of why this show is on hiatus or why it was eventually cancelled. To me, that is just insulting as the new YouTube Content ID claim to gamers. It’s like companies or corporations expect people to forget and move on and keep underestimating the power of the people. But they’re wrong, and no matter how long, it could possibly lead to that company or corporation’s downfall. What I’m saying is that once they complete all the episodes, they should just go ahead and release them all as scheduled. Then once the season of that show is done, they can take the time to think about should they produce the next season. The pattern they continue to use is ridiculous and I’m really sick and tired of hearing this news again and again. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one too.

Fans should cooperate as well as the creators

I have a problem with interacting fans of comic books, TV shows, video games, and books etc. mainly because they like things in a certain balance; when they are first introduced to something they haven’t seen before and they like what is presented to them, they don’t like to see any change that comes with it. Change is hard for anyone to handle, whether you’re a comic book fan, sports fan, or someone of religion. Embracing it or adapting to it is even harder, but sometimes it’s is for the better. Fans of the comics should embrace new shows that come out with at least a bit of optimism, because it can give them a sense of hope and understanding.

Never be afraid to try Something New

It doesn't hurt to look back into the past, but it is also important to look towards the future. One huge problem I have with some shows is that the companies keep using the same characters to produce a series. Since there is such a vast comic book universe, I would like to know why they haven’t made any attempts to do something different and features shows with different characters. Reason: merchandising, merchandising, and more merchandising. Building something great takes time, patience and precision and that is something companies are lacking thereof.

• For DC Nation I can’t tell you how much I love watching their animated shorts. They seem far more interesting than the shows mainly because of the effort put into them. I'm calling it now: Animal Man show, Super Best Friends on Teen Titans GO, Deadman show, Metal Men show, Thunder & Lightning show, Atom show, Tales of Metropolis show, Vibe show, Doom Patrol show, Amethyst show, and Plastic Man show! Do it now DC!!!
• I mean in Ultimate Spider-Man, I don’t mind Drake Bell voicing Spider-Man, really. It’s just that every time he talks it sounds like cheesy dialogue made only for kids. Sometimes I even think that it is more like the Spider-Man in the comics at times (Come on guys even you have noticed). If the writers can be a bit more creative with the dialogue, I’m pretty sure it would be entertaining.
• As a Batman fan, this is hard for me to say this, but Batman needs a break. I really believe that DC has been overusing this character for far too long. They forget about others like Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and others. I’m really surprised there haven’t been more attempts at another Superman animated series.

Well these are my ideas on how they could make these shows good. I’m pretty sure nobody important is ever going to read it, but it feels nice to express my opinion about these sudden changes.

:Peace

Ah, it's been a while since I've done one of these. Maybe it's because I've been doing so much stuff at my house. Also, trying to get through algebra. Also excited for this week! Lego Marvel Superheroes and Batman: Arkham Origins is coming out around this time! I've been looking forward to playing them in for so long! It's going to be a blast. Also can't wait to see some playthroughs featuring them on Youtube, especially that have funny commentary. I've always liked those. One thing that really gets to me though is, with so many success like the Batman Arkham series, why don't game developers do other games on other Superheroes as well? You have any idea how many times I've been praying for a next-gen Superman game, or a He-Man and the Masters of the Universe game, or a Green Lantern: War of Light MMO game, or a Thor: Tales of Asgard MMO video game that would challenge Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, or (for the millionth f****** time!!!) an actual G.I. Joe game that would finally put Call of Duty and Battlefield in their place?! Also, why did they delay Star Wars 1313? That game would have given us an opportunity to play as Boba Fett before he was Boba Fett! Even get us a chance to put on his armor! I'm betting this was a business move by Disney to probably make a standalone film for the character. *Sigh* I'm telling ya, I'm going to work my ass off of school so I can finally get a job somewhere in those companies, then go to hell and high water just to make these games happen! It's may sound crazy, but I have some faith and in times like these you got to have a bit of that to keep going in your life. Well, I'm off to probably finish more algebra. Math: It can be so simple once you get the hang of it, then become completely complicated when you take more classes.

:Peace

I'm just about to replace my old IPad after accidently dropping it a few times...well you try and carry a ****ing ****load of books, and folders to college when you stupidly decide to give away all your backpacks to your cousin! Hey I'm not that bright all the time! Anyways I've decided to wonder about what career path I really want to pursue. Then it just hit me, I wanted to work in animation. To me, animation always held a special place in my heart, well more like my life in general. When I was a kid who had a vivid imagination, I would often turn on the TV and watch fun little shows like Doug or Ducktales or Babar. These shows really fascinated me, often making me wonder if I could go into that world. After high school, I decided that animation was a goal I would like to achieve. I'm already taking classes to really keep up, but there is like so much more I have to take care of. This is some serious stuff and I almost feel like I can't handle the pressure. But then I realized, "I'm young, ambitious, and a dude who has no idea what he's going to do next!" That gives me an edge! So for now, I continue pursing my career and just hoping for a stoke of luck to come my way. Sometimes you got to have that bit of hope to continue on, it really gives you a purpose and motivation. Plus it's a better way of being patient. Well, I hope my new IPad is good, and I really got to take care of my butterfingers. Mike out

:Peace