Saturday, March 20, 2010

Comics Make Me Happy!



The final (re: "other") blogger to answer my public offering to all comers for participation in Crisis On Earth-Blog: The DC Challenge was our own frequent commentator LissBirds. Actually, that's not entirely true, as Liss hadn't decided to throw her hat into the comic blogging ring yet, but thought spinning out of the crossover would be the way to go about it. A brain who didn't want to go the pretentious route, Liss launched Comics Make Me Happy! on Thursday, January 21, 2010. Making good on the interest shown the Martian Manhunter in comments here, Liss has made J'Onn J'Onzz the focal character of her blogging so far, beginning with Men In Hats Part 1. She continued with The Case for John Jones: Noir Comic Book Hero, The Trouble With Telepathy?, a potential costume tweak and J'onn J'onzz is the Ideal Crimefighter, Because Michio Kaku Said So. Biased as I am, these have been my favorite posts so far, and I'm looking forward to her finishing a ten-point guide to writing Martian Manhunter so I can showcase that here as well.

It hasn't all been about the Jones, though. Another hero Liss has touched on, and based on his presence in her banner will likely see his role inevitably expanded, is Adam Strange. I've always wanted to like The Man of Two Worlds more than I do, so I'm hoping she can talk sense into me. After all, Adam Strange... is the nicest guy in the DC Universe and he has swell Fashion Sense.

Balancing thoughtful analysis with goofy fun, I'm consistently entertained by Comics Make Me Happy! You can be too, through the links above and below:
Getting to know LissBirds (via survey)
The Fine Line Between Homage and "Just Plain Ripping Off"
I Readed A Book! (Review of Huntress: Cry for Blood)
Happy Valentine's Day...or something.
The Purpose of Comics, or, Why Grant Morrison Doesn't Write Comics Part I
Wait a Second...! (Human Target Shoots the Shark)
Forward the Bromance!

As for Crisis On Earth-Blog: The DC Challenge, Liss adopted the Metal Men, and ran with that with an unrivaled abandon. She crafted a Metal Men Cross(over)word puzzle game that will kicks your butt up and down the street. I decided I wanted to have an interactive story throughout all the blogs, then did a faceplant when it came to drafting them. Liss, in one weekend, knocked out a mammoth branching epic spanning over twenty chapters. The lady is class, and continues to impress. Here's an overview of the arc, in case you missed some parts last month, or are interested in dissecting this puppy...

The Metal Men: Part 1

Path 1A: You Chose to Draw the Injustice Gang Away From the Auditorium

Path 1B: You Have Chosen to Go With The Injustice Gang (Featuring Captain Boomerang, Abra Kadabra, Shark, I.Q., Floronic Man, and Ocean Master.)

Path 1C: You Chose To Surrender Yourselves to the Injustice Gang (Death & Space)

Path 2: The Adventure Continues! (A side trip to Earth-S with Captain Marvel, Phantom Stranger & Zatanna)

Path 3: You Have Chosen to Go With Adam Strange (with Captain Comet & the Secret Society of Super-Villains)

4 comments:

LissBirds said...

Well, I'm just beaming. I'm printing this post out and FRAMING IT.

I'll certainly try to get you and everyone else to hop aboard the Adam Strange Appreciation Bandwagon. All it took to get me to hop on was the ray gun and rocket pack, but I guess other people need a little more coaxing.

Wow, you outlined the whole Metal Men story! Very nice. Writing that was some good ol' sleep-deprived fun. And much appreciation goes to you, because that open invitation to the challenge is what ultimately convinced me to throw my hat into the blogging ring in the first place.

Diabolu Frank said...

I'd actually meant to offer a more glowing recommendation, but these linkposts are deceptively difficult to produce. That's why I've quit/severely truncated The Linkypeux at ...nurgh... By today's midnight deadline, I was just too plumb worn out to be as enthusiastic as I'd hoped. I've been organizing my blog and others all day, after all.

Point being, I love your blog, am proud to have helped launch it, and am disappointed only by my inability to fully articulate the preceding.

It's funny, because in suggesting the interactive story, even after producing a few, I tend to forget what a complex web it is to weave. Kudos!

mathematicscore said...

Yay Lissbirds! Now if only I wasn't such a sack of unproductivity, I could join in too! Hopefully sooner than later.

LissBirds said...

Frank, I thought your write-up was quite articulate, as always, and I'm glad you enjoy the shenanigans over at my blog. One of these days I've got to post an official and glowing thank you.

Don't worry, m.c.! I have faith in you. I'm sure you'll get around to starting your blog when the time is right.