Category: Amish Otaku

All the stuff I published when I ran a nerd blog

Amish Otaku, Comics, DC

Bat-mania: Batman: The Dailies 1943-1946

Guest Post

From rich-guy superheroes to black and white dailies, this collection fits in thematically with my AO work from the past month. There is one difference, however. Unlike Iron Man and the Celebrated Cases of Dick Tracy this is not a must see, except for the die-hard Batman fan due to the historical significance of being the largest body of work that Batman creator Bob Kane penciled solo. The stories are near 100% camp and it is clear that the creators were writing only to kids and from that aspect the stories cannot be faulted completely.

This collection also has the first references to the Bat Cave by name, the great, spectacular, first appearance of the Joker and loads of cruising in the Batmobile and Batplane, the former of which – honestly – looks ridiculous in the initial incarnation while the Batplane looks wicked. Other than that, the stories are generally predictable and not good. Joker’s nickname for Robin, “Boy Hostage,” a grim term that would become serious when the Clown Prince kills the ward (actually Robin II) in the dramatic 1990’s Batman: A Death in the Family storyline, has never been truer. Robin always gets knocked out and captured. I realize that the addition of Robin was for kids to connect with someone their own age and imaginatively tag along with the Batman, but what fun is imagining yourself getting ensnared by crazed villains every other day? Continue reading “Bat-mania: Batman: The Dailies 1943-1946”

admin
Amish Otaku, Caught My Eye, Comics, Features, Image

Caught My Eye: Noble Causes Archives Volume 1

Guest Post

Noble Causes is a book that has caught my eye for a long time, but I just never got the full urge to read it until the recent archive collections were solicited. While some comic books are often compared to soap operas due to the themes and long running plots, Noble Causes embraces that concept and bases the entire series on it.

That does not mean the comic is looking for an audience within stay at home moms and grandmothers, but that it focuses on the characters and builds on them in ways few other comic books do.

The release of this archive collection (and soon the second volume) coincided with a new push in the series. These two huge collections contain the entire series up to the point in the series where it takes a five year jump in the story as a way to get new readers to try out the series and feel comfortable with all the history of the title. From a marketing perspective, that seems like a good idea since DC did something similar with One Year Later following the Infinite Crisis crossover.

Continue reading “Caught My Eye: Noble Causes Archives Volume 1”

Clint Page
Amish Otaku, Comics, Marvel, Movies

Iron Man

I finally watched Iron Man. And because of it, I am writing the AO response. It was cool. Very cool. I do not know if Tony Stark was ever that cool in the comic book since I never picked it up. My version of the Iron Man origin comes from a kiddie book on tape and accompanying storybook which also featured the origin of Victor Von Doom, aka Dr Doom.

In the brief origin I read, there was not any room for Tony to be the Bruce Wayne on steroids playboy that he apparently is, just enough space for him to get injured, get saved by the Vietnamese doctor (this was an earlier version) and blast his way out of the cave in his going-out version of the Iron Man suit. The sound effects on the audio tape were fun. And honestly, I always remember Tony Stark having that creepy Steve Buscemi/John Waters style pencil thin mustache. Definitely not so cool.

Continue reading “Iron Man”
Ahmad Chaudhary
Amish Otaku, Caught My Eye, Comics, Features, Viper

Caught My Eye – Gypsy Joe Jefferson

Guest Post

It would seem that I’m turning into something of a roadie of writer Jason M. Burns, but the truth is he’s sending me advance things to review that no one else has! One thing that can be said about Jason’s work is that he has a billion ideas rumbling around in his head. I kind of think of him as a new up-and-coming version of Grant Morrison because he has some pretty out there ideas that are just different from what you’re used to. Gypsy Joe Jefferson proves this trend continues.

Gypsy Joe Jefferson is a former boxer who has retired from the sport due to getting older and not being able to compete with the new, younger guys. His wife is a corporate woman who landed him a gig in security where, naturally, the bigwigs decided to take more from him than his yearly bonus. The basic plot is that he was altered in such a way that after being around people for five minutes, they start to go stark raving mad. The story follows Joe as he comes to terms with this and tries to find those responsible. Continue reading “Caught My Eye – Gypsy Joe Jefferson”

Clint Page
Amish Otaku, PS2, Video Games

Shinobi: Don’t Call It A Comeback…Seriously

Shinobi is the Playstation 2 title that brought the classic Sega series to the 3-D generation, along with a new hero and a new mission. Although the game looks great and is constantly keeping the player on his toes, overall it does not feel like the comeback the franchise deserves.

You play as Hotsuma, the last of the famous Oboro ninja clan, out to avenge the death of your brethren at the hands of the sorcerer Hiruko. To make matters worse, Hiruko has resurrected your clan and forced them to fight against you – and one of the zombies is your own brother, Moritsune! So yeah, the storyline is nothing too groundbreaking, but it gives you motivation and opens up the game to some interesting plot points and character interactions.

Shinobi introduces a couple of new mechanics to the action/platform genre. The main means of combat consists of doing Tates, which is where you kill a certain number of enemies within a certain span of time. Doing so activates a cut-scene that shows Hotsuma striking a pose while his victims split apart around him. It’s a very slick touch, especially when done during boss battles. However, Continue reading “Shinobi: Don’t Call It A Comeback…Seriously”

William Hall
Amish Otaku, Comics

The Celebrated Cases of Dick Tracy

By Ahmad Chaudhary

Today is a little after my first-year anniversary with Amish Otaku, but this article is in celebration of my first year nonetheless. Dick Tracy has been my avatar since those first few days, and I have not discussed the self-proclaimed “World’s Most Famous Detective” even once. I did write on Torso, which believe it or not is markedly related to Chester Gould’s fictional crime stopper, who created Tracy in 1931 as a solution to the depression-era headlines that formed the successful part Elliot Ness’ career as a G-Man and at least the murder but not sexual aspects of the Cleveland Torso murders that ended Ness’ career.

If per se, your only perspective of Dick Tracy is (not quite as lantern jawed but pretty-damn close to) Warren Beatty in a yellow rain slicker yammering on his two-way wrist radio, hunting down grotesque criminals wearing not-so-subtle colors with minimal bloodshed being shown, you’re in for a surprise. The collection – anything but PG-13 – is very gruesome and is closer to Bonnie and Clyde, the film in which Beatty starred with Faye Dunaway, than the Dick Tracy motion picture, even though Celebrated Cases is in black and white and is composed of comic strips. Continue reading “The Celebrated Cases of Dick Tracy”

admin
Amish Otaku, Comics, Viper

Dead@17: The Compendium Edition

Dead@17 first showed up back in 2003 from Viper Comics. It follows the story of Nara, an innocent teenager who is brutally murdered in her own home only to be reborn as the potential savior or destroyer of humanity. But that’s just the setup.

The story is really about the ultimate struggle between good and evil. Nara is the intended vessel for the rebirth of the demon Bolabogg in his quest to usurp the power of God. When that plan fails it’s up to Nara, her friends and some shadowy occult paramilitary organizations to stop him from using another unlucky girl who’s just been killed and resurrected in Nara’s stead.

Throw in some zombies possessed by a demon named Legion, a still alive and fighting Joan of Arc and plenty of risqué panels of Nara, her friend Hazy, and substitute vessel – and Nara’s nemesis – Violet, and you’ve got a recipe for an entertaining and thoughtful graphic novel that plays fast and loose with the classic story of the apocalypse. Continue reading “Dead@17: The Compendium Edition”

Daniel Allen
Amish Otaku, Features, Kosher Kuts, Manga

Jew Unit’s Kosher Kuts: Fairy Tail

Guest Post

It has been said that every basic story possible has already been told. Derivation in Japanese manga in this day and age is nearly unavoidable and ends up being encouraged to attract readers who may not know art, but who know what they like. Eventually, though, mangakas must separate themselves from the pack somehow. With stories that have been told many times over – whether inspired by Genji, Journey to the West, or video games – the distinguishing attributes of the media are in the “how” and “why.”

An old plot can shine like new if it is presented in an interesting perspective or given significantly more depth than the reader had thought possible. The creation of an enjoyable world that the reader longs to explore certainly doesn’t hurt either. Even if the plot breaks down, good characters can carry a manga on their shoulders rather effectively. Quirkiness, character progression and the all-important empathy factor can all breathe fresh life into an otherwise mundane story. Successful manga tend to do one or the other fairly well. When the manga cannot, you get something like Fairy Tail. Continue reading “Jew Unit’s Kosher Kuts: Fairy Tail”

Joshua Goldberg
Amish Otaku, DS, Nintendo, Video Games

My Word Coach: Vocabulary Training

Recently Ubisoft received a lot of praise from Nintendo for their My Word Coach title. Specifically, Reggie Fils-Aime said, “You got it. You guys got exactly the type of game we want for this machine.” And Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo, went so far as to treat the Ubisoft team as an internal developer, sharing game design philosophies for the DS and Wii.

After spending a few days with the game, I have to say Nintendo was way off with their effusive praise but Ubisoft is on the right track nonetheless.

The stated purpose of My Word Coach is to improve your vocabulary. Sometimes the game achieves this goal and other times it fails miserably. The game was created in partnership with the National Center for Family Literacy and in association with Dr. Thomas Cobb from the University of Quebec at Montreal. While it’s tempting to discount the game because Dr. Cobb teaches at a francophone university, he does have the credentials to be the creator of this game – not just a technical advisor. Continue reading “My Word Coach: Vocabulary Training”

Daniel Allen
Amish Otaku, Movies

Persepolis: Youth Amid Revolution

Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud’s new film about growing up in revolutionary Iran is as poignant as it is heartbreaking. The movie is lovingly crafted and remains true to Satrapi’s original vision first seen in her two-volume work of the same name, Persepolis.

The movie focuses on a young Marji as she grows up in a rapidly changing Iran in the 70s and 80s and struggles to find her identity in a country she no longer understands and in a world that has ceased to understand her.

The film is also a subtle yet urgent reminder of Iran’s modern history. We are given a firsthand account of the change from peaceful republican monarchy to the radical yet orthodox theocratic republic that we know today. Continue reading “Persepolis: Youth Amid Revolution”

Daniel Allen