Nic Cage is back in the theaters this coming week, starring in Outcast. Costarring is the seldom seen Hayden Christensen (although some think that’s a good thing). Here’s the trailer to judge for yourself.
DIRECTOR: Nicholas Powell (directorial debut. X-Men: The Last Stand, Batman, Cinderella Man)
WRITER: James Dormer (The Holding)
PRODUCERS: Alan Zhang (Waiting in Beijing), Jeremy Bolt (Shopping, Event Horizon, Resident Evil, The Dark), Christopher Milburn (An American Haunting, Getaway, Transit), Karine Martin (Magic Beyond Words: The JK Rowling Story), Gary Hamilton (Lord of War, The Bank Job, Predestination),Ye Ying (Three Kingdoms, 14 Blades, The Four). George Mizen (The Holding), Léonard Glowinski (The Diving Bell & the Butterfly, Unknown, Alexander), Xun Zhang (CJ7, Forever Enthralled, The Founding of A Republic)
CAST:
Nicolas Cage (Leaving Las Vegas, National Treasure, Moonstruck)
Hayden Christensen (Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Jumper)
Yifei Liu (The Forbidden Kingdom)
RUNNING TIME: 98 Minutes
RATING: Not rated
SYNOPSIS:
When the heir of the Imperial throne becomes the target of an assassination by his despised older brother, the young prince must flee the kingdom and seek protection. His only hope for survival is a reluctant war-weary crusader named Jacob, who must overcome his own personal demons and rally the assistance of a mythical outlaw known as The White Ghost. Together they must fight side by side in an epic battle to return the prince to his rightful place on the throne.
I recently passed the one-year mark at my day job – in-house graphic designer for a software company in the higher education sector – and in having my performance review I reached an odd catharsis. I realized that I’d been a graphic designer professionally for over a decade, and had finally crossed the bridge beyond what I deemed pixel pushing. With that in mind, my desire for more was evident. Without a professional filter, I let my boss know exactly what I’d had in mind. In a flash of a few minutes, I’d all but admitted that I was being wasted as an asset… and for the first time, it wasn’t just a load of bull-squat. Just so you know: The first ten years on the job is really you learning to become a productive member of society.
My coworker lamented to me (post review-rant) that I was “so talented” (I swear I didn’t pay her to say it), that it baffled her I wasn’t “actually doing what I love.” That stung, but not for the reasons you might think. She was specifically speaking to my desire to work in comics, professional wrestling, the movies, TV, or just about any medium where scantily clad men and women fight for reasons that make little to no sense. While some might sigh that they’ve not attained their dreamed station in life, my ire was raised more because those aforementioned media are all veritable pipe dreams to me because of the systems built around them.
From the outside looking in, becoming an entity worthy of a title page (or credit roll, etc.) is akin perhaps to getting a city job in Chicago. As my Uncle Howard once lamented on his position: “It’s more about who you know than what you know.” For every year as an indie creator attending comic cons, those ladies and gents working at Marvel and DC (and Boom!, IDW, Dark Horse, etc.) all seemed to carry a collected air amongst them. An unspoken bond, I assume, built through late-night editor notes, insane deadlines, and the knowledge that at the end of the day your name appeared next to Batman, Deadpool, or G.I. Joe. And when pressed for how these lucky ducks got into their positions? Well, it’s been said in my column enough for you to know the joke by now: Getting into comics is like getting out of prison. As soon as you find a way to do it, they seal it up on your way out.
And what of the great and powerful WWE? Well, according to their careers page, you must have 5-10 years experience writing for TV before you can even come knocking on the front gate. So how might one get into writing for TV? Well, step one would be not living in Chicago. The simple truth is tinsel town isn’t looking beyond its borders for the next big thing. Why? Because they don’t have to. The next big thing is serving them a latte, parking their car, or telling them jokes in a dive-bar on a Thursday night.
There’s often that illusion that one might be able to make it in their own town – grow a brand, and fan base, and then let the big boys find you – but that in and of itself is a house of cards. Take it from the indie guy whose been doing it long enough to know; there’s plenty of other great talents working shoulder to shoulder with you right where you are, sharing the exact same hopes and dreams. In short, it’s not always going to be the sweat on your brow, or the meticulously crafted prose you spout that will find you your meal ticket. “It’s more about who you know than what you know.”
You can see the rabbit hole now a bit better, can’t you? The fact is that life gets in the way of our dreams. And even those living the dream might be the first to tell you that it’s not all sunshine and roses. As far as I can tell, even those who are making those DC and Marvel comics aren’t exactly raking in fat salaries with benefits. Aside from what is likely the top 5-10% of the industry (my best guess that could easily be fixed by Mike Gold, or others here on this site), the freelance work-for-hire creators are working in a revolving door system that is built to chew them up and spit them out. Unless you’re topping the charts with that issue of Voodoo this month, you’re likely back in artist alley with that copy of Idiosyncratic Youth you’re hocking next to the Voodoo sketch cover variants. And over in the WWE… well, let’s just say that I actually knew a writer who worked for them, and he was pretty clear that it was a quaint stop for any aspiring writer who wanted to be told “no” from old guard at every corner.
Top that with the fact that I have a wife, an adorable three year-old, a mortgage, and a need for health insurance. Natch.
Now, let me make it clear: beyond any specific employer I may covet a position with, I’m doing what I love. I draw a salary for being creative. It’s something I do not take for granted given that my two studio mates have not shared in that luxury. The fact is that with Unshaven Comics, I’m not banking a living wage (or really enough money to do more than print more books and attend more cons), but I’m still tangentially living the dream. Even if pixel pushing keeps my lights on, I’ve accepted that my creative endeavors outside of 9-5 can remain my forever lotto ticket. Whether my number gets called is really up to chance. But if it does, at least I’ll be ready for it. And when that jackpot runs out, well, I’ll still be well employed elsewhere. And security to me is just as dreamy as those scantily clad heroes and babes.
Batman vs. Robin, based on the Grant Morrison storylein from DC Entertainment’s Batman comics is the next direct-to-video animated release, scheduled to arrive April 14, 2015.
BURBANK, CA (January 20, 2015) – The world is turned upside down when one of the world’s greatest super heroes – Batman – finds himself under attack by his own son in the newest DC Universe Original Movie – Batman vs. Robin. This all-new original film arrives April 14, 2015 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Blu-Ray™ Deluxe Edition, Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack, DVD and Digital HD. The brand-new product offering, Blu-ray™ Deluxe Edition, will include the Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack, along with a Batman figurine in a gift set.
Batman vs. Robin will be available on Blu-rayTM Deluxe Edition for $29.96, Blu-rayTM Combo Pack for $24.98 SRP and on DVD for $19.98 SRP. The Blu-rayTM Combo Pack includes a digital version of the movie on Digital HD with UltraViolet.* Fans can also own Batman vs. Robin in Digital HD on April 14 via purchase from digital retailers.
The shadows of Gotham City are no place for a child but Damian Wayne is no ordinary child. Now bearing the mantle of Robin, he blazes a headstrong and sometimes reckless trail alongside his father, Batman. While investigating a crime scene, Robin encounters a mysterious figure, Talon, who leads him on a life-altering course through the depths of Gotham’s secret society, known as The Court of Owls. It’s a dangerous journey that will force Batman and Robin to face their most dangerous adversary, each other! Based on the #1 best-selling graphic novel, Batman: The Court of Owls, this action-packed caper is one that fans won’t want to miss!
“Batman vs. Robin has all the elements of a memorable film – powerful villains, treacherous plot twists and tensions amongst allies,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Vice President, Family & Animation Marketing. “Showcasing a fantastic voice cast, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is proud to release Batman vs. Robin as the next DC Universe Original Movie.”
Television stars Jason O’Mara (Terra Nova, USA Network’s upcoming Complications) and Stuart Allan (Son of Batman) reprise their roles as the voices of Batman/Bruce Wayne and Robin/Damian, respectively. Adding to the celebrity-laden voice cast is Jeremy Sisto (Law & Order, Suburgatory) as Talon, singer/songwriter/comedian Al Yankovic as The Dollmaker, David McCallum (NCIS) as Alfred, Grey Griffin (Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends) as Samantha, Sean Maher (Serenity) as Nightwing, and Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series) as Thomas Wayne.
Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment, the film is directed by Jay Oliva (Batman: Assault on Arkham) from a script by award-winning comic writer J.M. DeMatteis. James Tucker (Justice League: Throne of Atlantis) is supervising producer.
BLU-RAY AND DVD BONUS CONTENT
Batman vs. Robin Blu-rayTM and Blu-rayTM Deluxe Edition contain the following special features:
Gotham’s City Secret: The Mythic Court of Owls – The Court of Owls is the secret society that directly connects the past of Gotham to the current city. Are they silent guardians that are the noble benefactors or are they the malevolent force that manipulates a city toward their grand design?
Talons of the Owl – If the Owls are the masterminds, their instruments of destruction are their assassins. Appropriately called The Talons, these warriors are designed to carry out the will of the Owls.
Batman Vs. Robin Audio Commentary
A Sneak Peak at Justice League: Gods & Monsters – An advance look at the next DC Universe Original Movie with the creators and cast.
Bonus cartoons from the DC Comics Vault
Batman vs. Robin DVD contains the following special features:
A Sneak Peak at Justice League: Gods & Monsters – An advance look at the next DC Universe Original Movie with the creators.
DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION ELEMENTS
Batman vs. Robin will be available for streaming and download to watch anywhere in high definition and standard definition on their favorite devices from select digital retailers including Amazon, CinemaNow, Flixster, iTunes, PlayStation, Target Ticket, Vudu, Xbox and others. Starting April 14, Batman vs. Robin will also be available digitally on Video On Demand services from cable and satellite providers, and on select gaming consoles.
If you thought things looked bad in Batman Eternal before, well now they’re even worse. But enough about Batman Eternal, let’s look at where this year-long story has put our friend Commissioner James Gordon of the Gotham City Police Department. It’s not looking too good for him, either.
In Batman Eternal # 21, Commissioner Jim Gordon, who had been tried on 162 counts of manslaughter was found guilty on 123 of them. That must have been soooome interesting trial. The prosecution alleged Gordon negligently discharged his service revolver in a subway station, causing a transformer box to explode. This catastrophe somehow caused two subway trains to collide. The resulting death toll was 162, hence 162 counts of manslaughter. So, based on these facts, how was Gordon convicted on only 123 counts? Shouldn’t he have been guilty of everyone who died in the crash? Not most everybody?
Did 39 people who were on the subway all die of sudden, simultaneous heart attacks just seconds before the crash? Or 28 died from slow-acting poison administered by their wives at breakfast, while 10 of them succumbed to Legionaries’ Disease, and one of them just burst out in spontaneous human combustion? No, there’s nothing wrong with this result, I’m just curious as to what evidence the jury could have heard that made them believe that Gordon was responsible for only 123 of the deaths but not those last 39.
Anyway for some reason not explained in the story, Gordon was convicted of 123 counts of manslaughter. Then, for some reason also not explained in the story, he was promptly sentenced to life in prison in Blackgate Penitentiary.
Now we are in the realm of something legally wrong with the result. Long story short – a term that can’t be applied to Batman Eternal, itself – Gordon really wasn’t sentenced to a life term, because he couldn’t have been.
Under the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution – an Amendment which applies both to the federal government and to the individual states by incorporation of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment– no government may deprive a person of liberty without due process of law. And even though some people who suffered through six seasons of Snooki and her drinking buddies might want to disavow New Jersey, it is part of the United States. That means the Fifth Amendment fully applied to Jim Gordon’s sentence.
What does the Constitution mean when the Constitution says that a person can’t be deprived of liberty without due process of law? Among other things, it means that a defendant can’t receive a sentence which is not authorized by the sentencing statutes of the jurisdiction in which he or she was convicted. See, e.g., Williams v. New York (1949) 337 U.S. 241.
(Wow, it’s been a few years since I’ve used the old “See, e.g.,” in a sentence. Nice to know the muscles haven’t atrophied.)
Boiled down to its essence, if a state trial court imposes a sentence which is greater than the sentence that jurisdiction’s sentencing statutes authorize, that sentence is void. Boiling the essence down to its essence, if a defendant is convicted of theft and the statutes authorize a maximum sentence of only one year for theft, then the defendant can’t be sentenced to two years. Not even if the defendant stole candy from a baby and the judge thought a longer sentence was more appropriate. The harsher sentence was not authorized by the law and due process says only the sentences authorized by law can be imposed.
In the same way, if a person is convicted of manslaughter in New Jersey and the New Jersey statutes don’t authorize a life sentence for manslaughter, then imposing a life sentence is unconstitutional and the sentence is void. Doesn’t matter that the defendant’s manslaughter was magnified by a factor of 123, the judge can’t up the sentence to something not found in the law, just because the crimes were particularly heinous. (Which means, unfortunately, no matter how much we may think they deserve it, the producers of Jersey Shore can’t get the death penalty.)
New Jersey Statute 2C:11-4 defines manslaughter. It, in fact, defines two kinds of manslaughter. They are aggravated manslaughter, a felony of the first degree, and manslaughter, a felony of the second degree. If you surmise that felonies of the first degree carry harsher sentences than felonies of the second degree, you are correct. Congratulations on your astuteness. If you happened to make this surmise based on what your learned after years of reading “The Law Is a Ass,” then congratulations on your good taste and thanks for paying attention.
Batman Eternal never actually mentioned whether Gordon was charged with manslaughter or aggravated manslaughter. For the purpose of this little treatise, I’ll assume he was charged with the worst form of manslaughter: aggravated manslaughter under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life. Why? Because that’s the version of manslaughter that has the longest sentence. If any version of manslaughter was going to carry a life sentence, that would be the one.
Buuut, it doesn’t. The same statute that defined aggravated manslaughter also set the maximum sentence for aggravated manslaughter. Set it at 30 years.
That’s 30 years; not life.
Last time I looked – in fact every time I looked – a life sentence was longer than 30 years. Gordon’s life sentence exceeds the statutory maximum sentence for a manslaughter conviction in New Jersey. Which means the life sentence imposed on Gordon was illegal. And unconstitutional.
Sure, the judge could have imposed a maximum sentence of 30 years on each of the 123 counts of manslaughter and ordered Gordon serve them consecutively; that is one after the other, after the other, and so on until you reach 123 of them. Quick math – okay, quick use of the calculator app on my computer – reveals that maximum, consecutive sentences in Gordon’s case yields a sentence of 3,690 years. But that’s still not life.
Yes, 3,690 years is the functional equivalent of a life sentence. In fact it’s closer to the functional equivalent of a life sentence with a few extra zeros added to the back end just to seal the deal. Not to mention seal away the defendant for a good long while. But 123 sentences of 30 years maxed and stacked, is still shorter than a single life sentence. The life sentence was illegal.
Which is why I say Gordon couldn’t have been sentenced to a life term. Because he couldn’t.
Would it have been that difficult for someone to have checked what sentences would be possible for Gordon’s manslaughter convictions? I wasted a whole ten seconds writing a simple and rather unimaginative Google search on “New Jersey manslaughter sentences” which produced a whole page of links almost any of which revealed the answer. With that information, the writers could have given Gordon an actual and legal sentence not whatever sounded the worst.
For that matter, does life actually sound worse than 3,690 years? I don’t think so. After all, 3690 years, much like Batman Eternal, is actually longer than life.
As has become habit, some of the most eagerly-awaited media ad spots, debuting on Sunday’s Super Bowl broadcast, are being released a wee bit early.
The reboot of the Terminator franchise is among the films being advertised but you can watch the ad now.
PARAMOUNT PICTURES and SKYDANCE PRODUCTIONS Present
“TERMINATOR GENISYS”
Executive Producers Bill Carraro, Laeta Kalogridis, Patrick Lussier, Megan Ellison, Robert Cort
Produced By David Ellison, p.g.a. Dana Goldberg, p.g.a.
Written By Laeta Kalogridis & Patrick Lussier
Directed By Alan Taylor
Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, J. K. Simmons, Dayo Okeniyi, Matthew Smith, Courtney B. Vance and Byung-Hun Lee
Synopsis: When John Connor (Jason Clarke), leader of the human resistance, sends Sgt. Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) and safeguard the future, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline. Now, Sgt. Reese finds himself in a new and unfamiliar version of the past, where he is faced with unlikely allies, including the Guardian (Arnold Schwarzenegger), dangerous new enemies, and an unexpected new mission: To reset the future…
I spend way too much time on social media. I’m often lurking in the background, checking out what weird Internet gems people have found or created. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve seen this fandom day meme pop up throughout my social media feeds.
Based on the date chosen, it is possibly meant as an early April Fools’ joke but it still brought something to light. In every posting I saw of this meme, I saw fans stating they apparently needed to wear a rainbow of fandoms. In some cases, it seemed like people were asking permission just to show support for multiple fandoms. (The other complaint being they left out a ton of groups.)
This just boggles my mind. Who needs to choose one fandom?! Most geeks can fit in more than one. I have attended Firefly meetups, where more often than not everyone is talking a variety of other fandoms rather than just the crew of Serenity. And the mashup genre has become a big hit. Facebook pages dedicated to a random grouping of interests rather than a singular one are running rampant.
Geekdom, in general, is its own fandom. Within the confines of our passions are our singular interests. Just like a historian or chef or doctor (yeah, I know I’m stretching boundaries) can specialize in a certain area, so can geeks. While I’m definitely weak in the Doctor Who and Supernatural areas, I can rock the Buffy and Harry Potter zones. I may choose Star Trek and DC Comics in the big fan debates, but that doesn’t stop me from rocking a Wookie hat and an Avengers t-shirt.
Maybe I am just making too much out of an Internet meme. It will eventually disappear and resurface, then disappear again. But just don’t ask me to choose between my Star Wars Wookie hat and my Star Trek Gorn t-shirt. Then we are going to have a problem.
The second issue wasn’t much better. It involved a rather convoluted effort to (re)create the original, Donna Troy Wonder Girl, but in a way that made her grim and gritty and probably the pawn of an evil, power-hungry crone. As a power-hungry crone who doesn’t like to think of herself as evil, I found this to be a personally distasteful plot development.
Still, I recognize that I don’t represent a significant part of the audience, so I thought I’d give it one more try. Open-minded… that’s what I am.
By the first page of issue #38 (current run), I knew this would be my last issue.
If you haven’t read the story, Diana is not only Wonder Woman but the new God of War as well, so there are lots and lots of battle scenes. The story opens on Themyscira, where the Amazon army fights a big, bad monster.
With bare midriffs.
Not the monster. It is, I presume, naked, but covered in scales and shadows. Most of the Amazons, however, leave their bare skin fully exposed. They might have metal bras, and possibly metal thongs to protect their sexy bits, but otherwise, they are naked. It also seems that the higher one’s military rank, the more clothing one is entitled to wear. No one, however, gets to have any protection on her thighs.
Am I supposed to believe that this is what a warrior society does when faced with danger?
It’s not even lazy. It would take nothing more than a different choice by the colorist (and/or whomever supervises the colorist) to make a bare torso look as if it were covered with armor. I have to believe that someone thought it was titillating for the Amazon cannon fodder to be semi-nude.
There are other ridiculous and incoherent parts to the story. Diana is haunted by nightmares and wakes up in a bed with bloody sheets. Every woman on this planet who is lucky enough to sleep on sheets has had this experience. I would imagine that writer Meredith Finch has had this experience. However, rather than being something normal, an event that requires nothing more than a trip to the bathroom for a tampon (or its Amazon equivalent), it’s presented as being a Portent of Things To Come. I find this almost as difficult to believe as bare-belly fighting.
Later in the story, a female television news reporter is doing a story from Peru. Her head is covered as it would be if she was a Muslim woman, or a Catholic woman in a church. She could be Muslim and this is an attempt to bring in more diversity to the landscape of the DC Universe. If that’s the case, it is haphazard. Perhaps I’m over-reacting, but it took me out of the story.
Especially since I thought the reporter was Lois Lane. And then I realized I thought that because she was a female reporter with dark hair, and other than that, looked like every other female character in the story. Why is Lois Lane there? If it isn’t Lois, what’s the news agency? How did they find out about the big, superhero emergency?
I don’t think I’ll ever find out, because I don’t intend to buy any more issues by this particular creative team. Please tell me if it ever gets any better.
NEW YORK, NY—January 29, 2015—Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its groundbreaking Graphix imprint in 2015, with a yearlong celebration to include collectible giveaways, special events, and new publishing. Graphix is dedicated to publishing engaging, age-appropriate graphic novels for children and teens. Supported by librarians, teachers, and most important, kids, Graphix titles have become bestsellers around the globe and continue to receive awards and critical acclaim including multiple Eisner Award wins and nominations, a Stonewall Book Award, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor, an Edgar Allan Poe nomination, and 14 New York Times bestsellers to date.
In celebration, twelve Graphix artists have each created original art in honor of the 10th anniversary of Graphix: James Burks, Nathan Fox, Jimmy Gownley, Matthew Holm, Kazu Kibuishi, Mike Maihack, Dave Roman, Greg Ruth, Jeff Smith, Raina Telgemeier, Doug TenNapel, and Craig Thompson. Prints by these illustrators will be distributed at events and online throughout 2015, including: ALA Midwinter (Chicago, IL), Emerald City Comic Con (Seattle, WA), Texas Library Association (Austin, TX), BookExpo (New York City, NY), ALA Annual (San Francisco, CA), Comic-Con International (San Diego, California), Long Beach Comic Expo (Long Beach, CA), Salt Lake Comic Con (Salt Lake City, UT), and New York Comic Con (New York City, NY).
“I am so proud of what Graphix has accomplished since its founding in 2005. Working with such incredible talent and to have such an exciting line-up of events and giveaways throughout the year is an exceptional way to mark this anniversary and honor the mission of Graphix to publish creator-driven works and get terrific graphic novels into the hands of children,” said David Saylor, Vice President Creative Director, Trade Publishing, and founder and Editorial Director of Graphix.
The Graphix imprint launched in 2005 with the color edition of BONE #1: Out from Boneville by Jeff Smith, the first book in the award-winning and bestselling graphic novel series, which now has more than 6.9 million copies in print. On February 24, 2015, Scholastic will publish BONE #1: Out from Boneville, Tribute Edition. This full-color special edition will contain a brand-new illustrated poem from creator Jeff Smith plus original BONE tribute art from sixteen additional top artists in the form of mini-comics and full-page artwork.
Coming in fall 2015, Graphix is proud to bring three more award-winning and bestselling graphic novel creators to the list. Acclaimed graphic novelist Craig Thompson (Blankets, Habibi)—recipient of four Harvey Awards, three Eisner Awards, and two Ignatz Awards—will publish Space Dumplins (August 25, 2015; ages 8-12), his first graphic novel for young readers. Space Dumplins is also Thompson’s first full-color graphic novel, colored by eight-time Eisner Award winning colorist Dave Stewart. In addition, beloved brother-sister team Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm (Babymouse, Squish) have written and illustrated a semi-autobiographical full-color graphic novel, Sunny Side Up (August 25, 2015; ages 8-12). A three-time Newbery Honor recipient for her prose novels, Jennifer collaborates with Matthew who creates the illustrations.
Looking toward the future, Graphix Editorial Director David Saylor and Senior Editor Cassandra Pelham have acquired exciting new projects by some of Graphix’s bestselling and award-winning talent, including Kazu Kibuishi (Amulet), Mike Maihack (Cleopatra in Space), and Raina Telgemeier (Smile, Drama, Sisters). Graphix will publish two more installments in the New York Times bestselling Amulet series, plus an untitled graphic novel to come by Kazu Kibuishi; books 3 and 4 in Mike Maihack’s Cleopatra in Space series; and a nonfiction family story (similar to Smile and Sisters), a collection of short stories, and a fictional graphic novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Raina Telgemeier.
Editor’s Note: The Tweeks went on a lovely vacation this week and were unable to have a video ready. So, rather than let them off the hook and fully enjoy their vacay, I asked them to write a little something. And boy am I glad I did! ~Adriane Nash
Sometimes it’s hard to explain to your parents or other assorted adults what exactly you are FanGirl-ing/FanBoy-ing on about if they don’t understand the language. We found that out first hand when our dad thought “Shipping” had something to do with space ships. Oh no, Dad. Really? This week we hope to start bridging the generation gap by sailing our Ships over it.
Shipping is when you take two characters from a fandom who you think would work well together and put them together.Shipping is basically “relationshipping,” but the characters you ship don’t have to be an actual couple (cannon) and can be made up of any combination of genders. Some older people call same-sex ships Slash Shipping, but there’s no need to label.All you need is chemistry between any two people in a fandom.
Fandom is short for “fanatic domain” – a collection of fans for a certain series, book, movie, pop culture, actor, basically anything a person could obsess about, which creates a giant ocean of possibilities.
However, self-insertion is frowned upon, so as much as Anya would like to ship herself with Flynn Ryder, FlynAnya is not a thing.
Chances are that anyone with a fandom has shipped before without even realizing it.The term “shippers” came from an old TV show called The X-Files referring to the fans who wanted the characters Mulder and Scully to be romantically involved.But before the term was even coined, fans pulled for other pop culture couples. Did you ship Archie and Betty or Archie and Veronica? Did you ship Buffy and Angel or Buffy and Spike? You could have even have shipped both, but deep down you’d have your OTP.
If all your fandom ships were a big navy, the OTP (One True Pairing) would be the head of the fleet.For example on Doctor Who, Maddy ships Ten and Rose, while Anya ships Eleven and River, but our OTP is Rory and Amy (Ramy).This is very important – you can have as many ships in a fandom as you can create.But you can only have one OTP.
Fans like to ship and OTP a lot of ridiculous things.When you cannot stand by and support a ship it’s called a NOtp.For example, JK Rowling feels Hermione and Malfoy (Dramione) are a NOtp.We think brothers are always a NOtp because it’s icky and gross and wrong.So obviously, we NOtp Thorki and Sam/Dean.
So let’s say in the Hunger Games fandom someone is Team Gale (like half of our English class).They have every right to (wrongly) ship Kale (Katniss and Gale), but since our OTP is Katniss and Peeta (Katpee, Peenis, Keeta – they are so amazing they have 3 Ship Names!) we will likely engage in a Ship War when the topic comes up.Ship Wars can be violent and intense.Fangirling is fueled by lots of drama.
Shipping and OTPs are not supposed to be platonic, but if you can’t help squeeing over a couple you want to declare the best BFFs forever, then that is brOTP or broshipping.Our Marvel brOTP is Grocket (Groot and Rocket Raccoon).Maddy broshipsPercy Jackson and Nico di Angelo (Pernico).Anya broships Jarchie (Jughead and Archie).Other popular brOTPs are Spirk (Spock and Kirk), Destiel (Dean and Castiel), Stony (Steve Rogers and Tony Stark), and Johnlock (Watson and Sherlock) though these are all way more popular OTPs out in fandom land.
Tweeks Top 5OTPs
1 – Cecilos (Cecil & Carlos– Welcome To Nightvale )
2- Keeta (Katniss & Peeta – Hungergames)
3 – Captain Swan (Captain Hook & Emma Swan – Once Upon a Time)
4- Hagustus (Hazel & Augustus – Fault In Our Stars)
Denny’s continuing his recuperation from back problems, or then again he might be making an excuse as to why he couldn’t shovel all the snow from the mostly-non-event that was supposed to happen to the New York City area earlier this week (sorry, Boston… seriously!)
But Denny is nothing if not on the up-and-up, and we offer our continued and considerable best wishes for his recovery.
