Category: Amish Otaku

All the stuff I published when I ran a nerd blog

Amish Otaku, Bubonic Comics, Comics, Features, Marvel

Bubonic Comics: The Incredible Hulk #456

Guest Post

It’s been quite a while since I dug through the comic bins, but I’ve decided to share with you a comic that marked my departure from reading Marvel Comics for roughly six years.

Growing up, I had been a huge Marvel Zombie. It had the most popular characters, the coolest adventures and the best artists, but the crapfest that was Onslaught and Heroes Reborn killed my affection for Marvel. I followed a few titles, including The Incredible Hulk, afterward.

The ridiculousness that was The Incredible Hulk #456 sealed the deal, however. And, as you read on, you’ll agree this issue should stay crammed in the back of your collection, never to see daylight again.

Currently, Hulk is receiving tons of well-deserved attention. World War Hulk is perhaps his brightest moment, especially considered how cut off from the rest of the Marvel Universe Hulk was during Bruce Jones’ run on the title. World War Hulk is as exciting as it is destructive. This issue, though, is embarrassing. It revolves around Apocalypse transforming Hulk into the Horseman War. Before we find out how that transpires, though, the issue begins with Rick Jones and his great-granddaughter (she’s from the future…don’t ask) driving around New Orleans. Continue reading “Bubonic Comics: The Incredible Hulk #456”

Charlie Robinson
Amish Otaku, PC, Video Games

2 Moons: Open Beta

Guest Post

“No mercy for the weak, no pity for the dying, no tears for the slain!” declares the tagline for David Perry’s latest game in open beta; 2 Moons.

The game – yet another fantasy-based MMO – takes place in Haran, or “the Immortal Land,” during a period of growing dissonance. Centuries before, a heroine named Trieste had saved Haran from an event known as The Corruption by sacrificing her own life and sealing evil beings known as the Pitborn back into their own realm (along with their master, Abaddon).

Now, with Trieste’s magic wearing off, the seal is breaking and the Pitborn threaten Haran once again. And, as before, the people of Haran are forced to fight. Continue reading “2 Moons: Open Beta”

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Amish Otaku, Features, Interviews, Video Games, Xbox 360

Interview: Bryan Lam on Guitar Hero

Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s has less than half the number of tracks as Guitar Hero II for the PS2 yet carries the same price. Why wasn’t a lower price sought at launch?

Well it’s something we definitely took a careful look at. Comparing GHII to GH 80s, there were different timelines, licensing agreements and other logistical parameters to work within, though we strongly feel we put out a title that felt and played just as well as the other GH games. And just to put it into perspective – and from what the media is saying – Rock Band is only going to have forty songs available on the disc, yet it’s going to cost gamers a whopping $200 to play.  As reference, Harmonix worked on both of these titles. What are your thoughts on that?

Although Harmonix’s new game will cost over $200 to play with the full experience, it must be said that it is a richer experience. At best, Guitar Hero allows for two separate instruments at once while Rock Band will allow four inputs simultaneously. It’s like comparing apples and pears: they’re close, but still different fruit.

It’s also important to remember that while GH 80s price per song is about $1.30 compared to the 360 version of GHII, which had a price per song of $0.88, the downloadable content is priced at a whopping $2 per song: double the price per song of the Xbox 360 GHII. Incidentally, at a $200 price point Rock Band comes out to about $5 per song. Continue reading “Interview: Bryan Lam on Guitar Hero”

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Amish Otaku, Manga, Shogakukan

Yakitate!! Japan

Guest Post

These days, it’s not unusual to find a manga about almost anything. Having discovered that fantasy, sci-fi, magic, mecha and spiritualist storylines have been done so much they’ve practically become cliché, manga-ka (the people who draw manga) have been left scrambling to find interesting ideas for stories that draw upon the ordinary, rather than the extraordinary. Sports storylines have been popular for a long time – even going back to 1968 with Tomorrow’s Joe – but while artists continue to draw them, even the stories have started to seem a bit lackluster and overdone. Continue reading “Yakitate!! Japan”

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Amish Otaku, Features, Kosher Kuts, Manga

Kosher Kuts: Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

Guest Post

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is the manga equivalent of Rodney Dangerfield: it just doesn’t get any respect. It was released in Japan after hits like Fist of the Northstar and Dragonball had captured the attention of Japanese fans several years earlier. Despite its reputation as the second-longest ongoing manga series for Shonen Jump in Japan, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure just doesn’t seem to garner much attention from American audiences. It was only recently released in the United States and skipped much of the initial storyline. Furthermore, the title is not as easily made kid-friendly as other popular martial arts manga (Believe it!). I finally pursued the series when I heard that several parts of it were skipped in its passage to America. So, is this series derivative of its Shonen Jump predecessors, or does it carry its own distinctive traits?

Unlike most manga titles, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure manages to summarize itself perfectly. Weird characters and brutal battles are the hallmark of this series and, if you don’t have the stomach for one or the other, this book might turn you off quickly. Continue reading “Kosher Kuts: Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure”

Joshua Goldberg
Amish Otaku, Comics, Features, Interviews, Loaded Barrel

Interview: Jared Barel on Brielle and the Horror

Guest Post

A few months back, I reviewed the first issue of Brielle and the
Horror, which you can check out in our archives. I had the great fortune to find the first issue while at the Wizard World Philly Con a few months back and was blown away by both the uniqueness and the quality of the book. As con season begins to wind down, Jared found some time to speak to me about the genesis of this work, his studio and what comes next…

Jared, you have a background in both film and graphic design. Do you feel they complement each other when it comes to producing a comic book?

My experiences in design and film have definitely proven a complement to each other. Both disciplines are visual mediums, and in their own ways they’re both about telling stories and packaging those stories in a way that is pleasing to the audience. In a sense, it is a marriage of the storytelling abilities of both art forms that allow us to tell the story of Brielle and the Horror in the way that we do. Continue reading “Interview: Jared Barel on Brielle and the Horror”

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Amish Otaku, Convention Coverage, Features

Convention Coverage: Otakon 2007

Guest Post

As mentioned in the July edition of Villain’s Exposition, Otakon’s premiere anime pickings were somewhat different than initially expected. While some of it was things we’d never seen before, the rest of the “premieres” would have been more accurately labeled “spotlights,” as they sought to draw attention to shows that the big four had already released.

That said, however much fun people had with the other shows at Otakon, it was the industry news – and the series/movies/OVAs that were part of it – that was on everybody’s mind. Continue reading “Convention Coverage: Otakon 2007”

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Amish Otaku, Features, Video Games, Villain's Exposition

Villian’s Exposition: Command and Conquer, Act on Instinct

Very few people today will deny that the original C&C was an amazing game. In addition to a fairly realistic physics engine, an intriguing plot that actually bordered on the believable and an interface that streamlined play, Command & Conquer was also one of the first games to standardize the use of live-action cut scenes – usually for mission briefings. Prior to C&C, the third installment of the Wing Commander series was the only successful game to incorporate what, at the time, seemed like a minor point, even if it did make the games that much more awesome.

Today, the mission briefings for C&C seem a bit hammed-up, and certainly nothing to write home about. With the exception of Kane’s murder of Seth in one of the later Brotherhood missions, about the only “action” in them is when the screen would cut to CGI explosions. For the most part, you had an actor either standing in the open or sitting at a desk. Continue reading “Villian’s Exposition: Command and Conquer, Act on Instinct”

Andrew Yager
Amish Otaku, Comics, Vertigo

DMZ: America’s Second Civil War

With DMZ, Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli have created one of the best comics of this decade. While it’s just as good as Y: The Last Man or 100 Bullets, DMZ is almost patriotic, albeit in a very subversive way.

The story takes place in an alternate-present or near-future setting, whichever makes you more comfortable. An army calling themselves the Free States and espousing a return to the true democratic principles of America has come from the Midwest. On the other side of the line is the incumbent, the good ol’ United States of America, which goes about things just as you’d expect our current administration to. Continue reading “DMZ: America’s Second Civil War”

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