The current lawsuit against the Internet Archive

 

This guy wonderfully breaks down the current lawsuit against the Internet Archive.

He suggests that the Archive shut down the ebook lending program that started the lawsuit, and that they offer the publishers suing them a lump sum settlement. I hope against hope that they do that.

Poignant Quotes, Part 2

 "Friends don't lie" - The Hawkins Heroes, "Stranger Things"

"Live Long & Prosper" - a Vulcan philosophy, "Star Trek"

"Be excellent to each other", Bill S. Preston Esq. and Ted Theodore Logan, "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure"

"Maybe you're not evil and it's just the way you're drawn. But you don't even think of me as human, just a pawn. Life for you is one big selfish, everlasting con. It would make this universe much simpler if you were gone"- Beth Smith, "I'm Fine" music video by Whitney Avalon

"'Trust No One.' What an absurd and paranoid idea. Trust shouldn't be given unconditionally, but it should be given a chance to be earned. There is strength in having the humility to work with and sacrifice for others - a strength I now realize was in my brother all along" - Stanford Pines, Gravity Falls: Journal 3 by Alex Hirsch and Rob Renzetti

Aliens Headhunters prologue from Comic Shop News #500

Here's an oddity from Dark Horse's Aliens comics line.  A prologue to the Aliens: Headhunters comic was published in Comic Shop News #500. I did my best to scan the story.  Hopefully, someday Dark Horse or 20th Century will officially reprint this story.  Until then, enjoy my scanning of it.

Some words on Stranger Things

So, I finally sat down and watched all three seasons (to date) of Stranger Things for the first time ever two months ago.  I know, I'm far behind everyone else.  For once, some of my friends and family members are ahead of me when it comes to geek culture.  And that's great, because Stranger Things is now my most favorite TV series (at least as far as live-action shows go) ever!

I could go on and on about the Duffer Brothers' pride and joy, but I think I'll save it for a book or something once the series eventually ends.  I do have a few things to say:

First of all, Eleven (or "El" as both myself and the show's characters more commonly call her, or Jane Hopper/Ives to give her real name) is IMHO the best fictional female character introduced in this decade.

And I want to share the log-line from Entertainment Earth's page for Stranger Things merchandise (not a plug, I swear. Friends don't lie):

Does Stranger Things Keep You Up at Night? Try This Merch!
Evil never ends - it evolves - and friendship is always stronger than fear. You should keep these points in mind as you watch the next season of this nail-biting sci-fi horror web-TV drama on Netflix. Arguably the most popular character in the series, Eleven (played by Millie Bobby Brown) is back along with other unforgettable characters, both on the screen and in the form of action figures, vinyl figures, plush, costumes, ornaments and other holiday décor, games, and more. So, if you're in the mood for a Stranger Things Funko Pop! or any other such themed toy or collectible inspired by the denizens of Hawkins, Indiana, your timing is excellent! Plus, you don't need special psychokinetic abilities or an intimate familiarity with the parallel dimension called the Upside Down to move any or all of the above or the other cool items below into your cart. And who knows, with a little luck, that creepy predatory humanoid known as the demogorgon (named after but not particularly similar to the powerful demon prince you may know from the Dungeons and Dragons game) might leave well enough alone as well and let you place your order… although that Stranger Things monster isn't exactly known to be forgiving. But give it a try!

 The sentence I bolded above really resonates with me.  I definitely feel at least the second part is true.  Friendship, along with family and forgiveness, ARE always stronger than fear.  And that in a nutshell perfectly sums up why I love Stranger Things so damn much.  The show isn't horror with coming-of-age-dramedy overtones like, say, Stephen King's It.  Stranger Things, to me, is a coming-of-age dramedy/mystery/suspense show with horror, sci-fi and action elements.  It perfectly blends almost everything that made the best mainstream American films of the 1980s so memorable, while balancing light and dark tones.

In fact, the recent third season resembling the works of John Hughes more so than those of John Carpenter leads to one of Stranger Things's few notable weak points.  So much of season 3 feels like a comedy that whenever the horror/sci-fi/action elements come in focus, its almost intrusive.  The show has so many great characters that Stranger Things 3 has trouble giving them all satisfying arcs and development.  It is still highly entertaining, flaws and all, and sets up a potentially even better fourth season.

Right now, it's somewhat unclear how much longer Stranger Things will last, although a fourth season was just officially announced.  Hollywood insider John Campea has said that friends of his connected to Netflix are saying that season 4 will "definitely" be the last.  However, he has heard conflicting reports that there may be a post-series movie that wrap up the series, and it will apparently have a limited theatrical run.  I would like to note that David Harbour (who plays Hopper in the show) said a few months ago that he doesn't know how many seasons the show will run for, but he knows how the show will end and doesn't think four seasons will be enough to conclude it.  So, I'm very much inclined to believe that the post-series movie is happening, but either way, I really hope we get an official word on when the story will end soon.

But more importantly, Harbour says that he thinks the ending of Stranger Things is "beautiful".  So, our next and possibly final trip to Hawkins, Indiana should be a pleasant one.

Arale-Chan in the flesh: Dr. Slump goes live-action

Here's something I somehow didn't know about until a day ago or two.

Last summer, the Japanese clothing producer/retailer GU produced a commercial based off Akira Toriyama's Dr. Slump to promote a new pleated skirt.   It features Ayami Nakajō as Arale, Yuki Uchida as Akane, and Kengo Kora as Peasuke.

Here's the commercial, followed by some behind the scenes goodness.  I hope you enjoy it, even if you don't know Japanese.

Erik Larsen's WildCATS #14 in Japanese

Once upon a time, in the fall of 1994, the six Image Comics co-founders all swapped books.  As part of this, Erik Larsen wrote and drew WildC.A.T.s #14, in which the characters from his series Freak Force and Savage Dragon mixed it up with Jim Lee's Covert Action Team.

What's interesting to note is that this issue was localized for Japanese readers, even though Larsen's own titles never were.

The sixth collection of WildC.A.T.s comics translated into Japanese was released by Dengeki Comics on August 15, 1998.  It not only included Larsen's issue #14, but also issue #13 (the concluding installment of a story arc by Jim Lee and Chris Claremont, which guest-starred Claremont's Huntsman characters) and #15 (the first of a short-lived run by James Robinson and Travis Charest).

Here are some excerpts:

The front cover, utilizing artwork from WildC.A.T.s #13.

The back cover.

This guide to the Freak Force characters served as a forward to issue #14.

The first page featuring Freak Force in this issue.

Freak Force leaps into action.  Note that Ricochet's "Yee-haw!" is left unaltered.

Can you find the reference to Terminator 2?

Dragon enters the picture.  Note that the editor's note regarding Dragon and Grifter's prior encounter is untranslated, and references an issue never released in Japan.

And to wrap things up, I give you the same two pages not included in the Savage Dragon: Possessed trade paperback:

A brief history of Image Comics

For decades, Marvel and DC Comics have had a stranglehold on the American comic book industry.  The Big Two and their respective superhero universes have dominated the hearts, minds, and wallets of fans and dictated the way creative talent are treated.   The term "work-for-hire" didn't exist when the comic book industry was born in the 1930s and '40s.  Thus, publishers regularly took away all rights from creators often without any formal contract.  And when copyright law was revised in the 1970s, the contracts that companies began offering favored the corporations over individuals.  But there were glimmers of hope.  Self-publishing became a viable option, and smaller publishers like Eclipse and even Marvel's Epic imprint offered creators a chance to own their characters and stories.  But the company-owned Marvel and DC superheroes still topped the bestsellers lists.  But then, in the early 1990s, something happened to change the comics world forever.

By 1991, seven artists best known for their work on Marvel titles were becoming enormously popular.  Todd McFarlane and Erik Larsen were getting noticed for their work on Spider-Man.  Jim Lee, Whilce Portacio, and Marc Silvestri all did eye-catching artwork for X-Men.  Rob Liefeld retooled the X-Men spin-off New Mutants into X-Force, introducing the mysterious cyborg hero Cable and the wisecracking assassin Deadpool along the way.  And Jim Valentino (previously known for autobiographical comics and the superhero satire normalman) guided Guardians of the Galaxy to be the most successful non-Spider-Man or X-Men-related book from Marvel at the time.  So, the question was, was the name recognition and fanbase of the artists driving the books' success, or was it the popularity of the characters?  While these artists were mostly happy with the people they worked with at Marvel, there was some unease.  Trading cards, t-shirts, and video game covers reused their artwork, without any sort of compensation whatsoever.  And characters created by them (like Jim Lee's X-Man Gambit) were being made into action figures, and an X-Men cartoon based visually on their work was right around the corner.

Around this time, the publisher Malibu Comics courted Liefeld, Larsen, and Valentino, saying they would publish anything created by them.  In mid-1991, Liefeld took out an ad in Comic Buyer's Guide for The Executioners.  It was meant to be a mutant superhero team book published by Malibu in association with an imprint devised by Liefeld called Image.  Liefeld got the name from a TV commercial for a camera with the tagline "Image is everything".  Marvel threatened legal action, and said they would fire Liefeld from X-Force, so the book was scrapped.  But Liefeld in association with his friend Hank Kanalz reworked the book to feature a team they developed in the late 80s, the government-sponsored Youngblood.  But Liefeld didn't want to launch Image on his own, so he got McFarlane (then taking a hiatus from comics due to the birth of his first child), Valentino, and Larsen on board.  During a comic book art auction in New York City, they talked Lee, Portacio, and Silvestri into joining them, and promptly went to Marvel's offices to tell them off.  They then went to DC's offices (where Lee had never been before), only to say that they wouldn't work for them either.

In early 1992, the formation of Image Comics was officially announced, leading to a drop in Marvel stock.  Malibu would help distribute Image's books for the first year, but the Image partners still called the shots.  Youngblood was finally released that spring to massive success.  Many of the Image partners dusted off characters that they created in their youth, now that they would retain all rights.  McFarlane introduced Spawn (the first issue of which is the bestselling non-Marvel or DC comic),  a government assassin whose deal with the devil brings him back to Earth as a powerful undead being. Larsen revamped his character as the Savage Dragon, a more character-driven superhero book with a green, fin-headed guy at the center.

Lee and Silvestri both came out with series that had a similar aesthetic to the Marvel series they had cut their teeth on, Uncanny X-Men.  Lee and longtime friend Brandon Choi unleashed WildC.A.T.s: Covert Action Teams, a team made up largely of members and descendants of the Kherubim, a benevolent alien race that crash-landed on Earth eons ago along with the sinister Daemonites.  Silvestri's Cyber Force told the tale of a ragtag band of mutants rebelling against the wicked corporation that turned them into cyborgs.  Both titles were based on characters that their respective creators had created in the past but never used.  WildC.A.T.s and Cyber Force also both lead to multiple titles set in the same universe.  Lee used WildC.A.T.s as a springboard for other "WildStorm Universe" titles such as Gen 13, StormWatch, and Deathblow.  The "Top Cow Universe" that rose from Silvestri's Cyber Force would include such popular titles as Witchblade and The Darkness.

Valentino had planned to put out a series called The Pact at the start of Image, but shelved it after seeing a glut of team books in the company's initial lineup.  So, he instead unveiled ShadowHawk, a vigilante not unlike Batman, but with brutal methods and an unrevealed (at first) identity.  Eventually, Paul Johnstone, the first ShadowHawk introduced to readers, died from AIDS, and a little later, the young Eddie Collins took up the mantle.

Portacio had planned to collaborate with veteran X-Men writer Chris Claremont on Claremont's character The Huntsman, though that book failed to materialize (Claremont did get use Huntsman and company in story-arcs of WildC.A.T.s and Cyber Force he guest-wrote, however).  Portacio's own series, WetWorks, was delayed for over two years due to Portacio dealing with his sister's illness and eventual death.  WetWorks, which ended up being part of the WildStorm Universe, focused on a military team enhanced by golden symbiotes.

Soon, other creators joined Image.  Some notable books including Sam Kieth's surreal urban-bum-hero-in-Wonderland saga The Maxx, Dale Keown's Hulk-like Pitt, and 1963, a dead-on homage to early 60s Marvel comics, written by Watchman's Alan Moore, with art by his erstwhile Swamp Thing collaborators Steve Bissette and Rick Veitch, among others.  There was some controversy.  While anyone who creates a book published by Image Central owns their work outright, it was a different story for those who worked for the Image partners' respective studios.  WildStorm, Top Cow, McFarlane Productions, and Liefeld's Extreme Studios all partook in work-for-hire practices not much better than those at the Big Two.  This was seen by Bissette and the comics journal world as unbelievably hypocritical.

Lee did use his Homage imprint to showcase other people's creator-owned works, such as Kurt Busiek's Astro City, Terry Moore's Strangers in Paradise, and James Robinson's Leave It to Chance. Other popular indie titles like Groo, Bone, and even the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles all found a home at Image during this period.  The work from Liefeld's studio was given a big boost when Alan Moore took over Liefeld's Superman analogue Supreme.  Unfortunately, when Liefeld was accused of trying to steal artist Michael Turner away from Silvestri's studio, he ultimately left Image in a huff.

Only 2 years later, in 1998, it was announced that Lee was selling his studio and family of characters to DC Comics.  With only four partners left and a changing, unstable market, Image was hurting for material to publish, and ended up releasing just about every kind of comic under the sun.  From 1999 to 2004, Valentino was named the company's publisher (Larsen replaced him in 2004, and would in turn be replaced by former Liefeld assistant Eric Stephenson a few years later).

In 2003, Robert Kirkman (who had become involved with Image due to collaborating with Larsen on the latter's character SuperPatriot) pitched a zombie apocalypse comic that supposedly involved an alien invasion.  When the comic, now called The Walking Dead, was released that fall, Kirkman revealed to Image that the claim about alien invasion in the series was a red herring.

Kirkman even managed to get Liefeld involved with Image once again.  While Liefeld is still no longer a partner in the company, he currently publishes several books through Image, several which have gained cult following.  Kirkman became the first new Image partner since the company's launch, and vowed to never work for Marvel or DC again.

Image's publications have grown even more popular over the last decade.  Many creators (like Grant Morrison and Bryan K. Vaughn) known for their more mainstream work, come to Image in order to create stories and characters that they own whole-cloth.  And Image's deals with creators prevents the publisher from having any involvement with movie or non-comic merchandise rights.  Thus, ensuring the creators benefit the most from their creations, not the publisher.

A brief history of Troma Entertainment

One of the longest-running and most beloved independent film companies in recent memory is Troma Entertainment, the NYC-based outfit established and owned by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz.  Ever since Troma was formed back in 1974, it has given the world memorable characters such as the Toxic Avenger and Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD, and worked with present and future stars including Stan Lee, Kevin Eastman, James Gunn, and Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

Back in the 1960s, Kaufman and Herz attended Yale University, and both shared a love for filmmaking.  During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Kaufman and Herz produced several different film projects, sometimes working with a pre-fame Oliver Stone.  Even though the two formed Troma in 1974, it would be a few more years before they would officially produce a film under the studio's name.

"Squeeze Play" was a sex comedy (one of the first), echoing the Woman's Rights Movement by pitting a team of women against their husbands and boyfriends in a game of softball.  At first, no theater was interested in showing the movie, but when one theater took a chance on it, it became a surprising success.

"Squeeze Play" was followed by three more "sexy comedies", "Waitress!", "Stuck on You", and "The First Turn-On".  Eventually, Kaufman and Herz decided to move away from this genre, as the major studios were copying the formula in films like the "Porky's" series.  Around this time, Troma also produced two films directed by Kaufman's brother Charles, the slasher movie "Mother's Day", and the "Kentucky Fried Movie"-esque comedy anthology "When Nature Calls".

During the 1970s, Kaufman also worked on films like "Rocky", "Saturday Night Fever", and "My Dinner with Andre", scouting locations and sometimes playing bit roles.  But he had to be part of the Directors Guild in order to do so.  So many of the Troma-produced films were attributed to the pseudonymous "Samuel Weil", to prevent Kaufman from violating the Guild's strict rules.

It was during the production of "Rocky" that Kaufman hit upon the idea for making a film set in a health club.   Some years later, Kaufman and Herz read an article declaring that horror films were dead.  Thus, Troma began development on a project tentatively called "Health Club Horror".

But Kaufman was struggling to make the concept work.  The film, as written at the time, would have featured a villainous monster killing equally villainous people.  It was only when Kaufman thought up the conceit of making the film a comedy with a heroic monster that things started to click.  "Health Club Horror" was eventually retitled "The Toxic Avenger".

The first major screening of "The Toxic Avenger" was a disaster, as even the Troma fans in attendance were turned off by the film's abundance of sex and outlandish blood and gore.  It wasn't until the Bleecker Street Cinemas in New York started showing the film in 1986 that "Toxie" became an icon to horror fans over the globe.

Troma followed up "The Toxic Avenger" with a similar film called "Class of Nuke 'Em High".  "Nuke 'Em High" was also a violent comedy satirizing the nuclear industry and the Power Elite (or as they're better known today, the 1%).  It was also successful, but Troma's next project wound being surprisingly controversial.

"Troma's War", the most expensive film in the company's history, was meant to be a commentary on the Reagan era's jingoistic films such as "Rambo".  But trouble started early when the Directors Guild found out Kaufman was the real Samuel Weil, and forced him to leave their union.  Likewise the MPAA made Troma trim out some of the best scenes in order to achieve an "R" rating.  This especially infuriated Kaufman and Herz, as their director's cut of the film was calculated to be no more extreme than the mainstream action films of the day.

With "Troma's War" bombing at the box office, Troma went back to the well with a Toxic Avenger sequel.  With backing from the Japanese firm Gaga Communications, Toxie, and the Troma Team, were given the chance to go to Tokyo.  But when the first cut of the film was around four hours long, Kaufman panicked.  He then decided to split the film in two.  Thus, "The Toxic Avenger Part II" and "The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie" were released.  But the more cartoonish violence and toned-down nature of these sequels left fans very disappointed.

But the Toxie sequels helped open doors for Troma in the mainstream entertainment world.  Fred Wolf Films, the producer of the 1980s and 1990s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon expressed interest in adapting Toxie to animation.  And Gaga Communications, along with Pac-Man producer Namco wanted to make a film with Troma for the Japanese market.

Troma, along with Gaga and Namco, produced the film "Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD", a superhero comedy.  Kaufman wanted to make a more extreme film, but almost everyone else, including the Japanese studios, Herz, and then-Troma bigshot Jeff Sass, were dead set on creating a more family-friendly movie.  In the end, the PG-13 and unrated (equivalent to a soft "R") cuts of "Kabukiman" pleased neither parties.  DiC Entertainment head Andy Heyward, however, developed a pitch for a Kabukiman cartoon with Troma, since his kids liked the film.  But due to Anti-Japanese sentiment in the States (this was when Sony bought Columbia Pictures, for example), the Kabukiman cartoon was never made, and the "Kabukiman" film wouldn't be released in America for about half-a-decade.

Fred Wolf and Troma had considerably more success with the "Toxic Crusaders" cartoon.  That show spawned a line of action figures (from TMNT toy makers Playmates), several video games and comics, and assorted merchandise.  In 1991, Troma made a deal with New Line (a then-independent studio that had distributed the Ninja Turtles movies) to produce a live-action Toxic Crusaders movie.  It looked like every was set in place.  Kaufman even assigned directing duties on the second and third Nuke 'Em High films to another filmmaker, since the contract allowed him the chance to direct New Line's picture.  But New Line's mid-1993 deadline came and went, and the film wasn't produced.

The mid-1990s could be seen as a dark point in Lloyd Kaufman's life.  Not only did Troma sue New Line, and win an untold amount in damages, but Lloyd's father Stanley passed away, and his wife Pat suffered a near-fatal case of breast cancer.  Around this time, Kaufman was planning a Tromatic take on Shakespeare's classic, "Romeo & Juliet".

It wasn't until he teamed up with a younger writer named James Gunn that "Tromeo & Juliet" began to really take shape.  More extreme than the Troma films before, "Tromeo" was a major critical success.  Kaufman and Gunn collaborated on the best-selling book "All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger", which would lead to more books from him (including a novelization of the first Toxie movie).

Troma's further projects have included "Terror Firmer" (a satire of Kaufman's career and filmmaking style), a fourth Toxie film, "Tales from the Crapper" (salvaging footage from an aborted webseries), "Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead" (a vicious takedown of the fast food industry), and "Return to Nuke 'Em High" (a two-part film ala "Kill Bill").

Troma has also distributed films from up and coming filmmakers.  Before Trey Parker and Matt Stone hit it big with "South Park", their first feature "Cannibal! The Musical" was released by Troma.  Parker and Stone have made cameos in later Troma productions, alongside comic book icons Stan Lee and Kevin Eastman, notorious porn actor Ron Jeremy, and the late Lemmy Kilmister from Motorhead.

Toxie continues to be a cultural icon, even starring in a popular stage musical.  Both a big-budget remake film and fifth entry in the original series have been mulled for years, with Arnold Schwarzenegger attached to the former.

But one thing's for sure.  Troma's endurance in a constantly changing industry is due to its irreverent sense of humor and the personality that Kaufman brings to the company as its public face.  And the Troma brand has a created a loyal fanbase that will keep the spirit of Troma alive for many years to come.

Has Kyle Kallgren cut ties with Brad Jones & Larry Bundy, Jr.?

In the comments section of this article from the Irate Gamer Sucks blog, http://irategamersucks.blogspot.com/2015/07/toys-pixar-and-cameras-for-paranoid.html , a discussion came up about Chris Bores (a.k.a. Irate Gamer) unfriending Larry Bundy Jr. (a.k.a. Guru Larry) on social media, when someone claimed that Kyle Kallgren (a.k.a. Oancitizen) had blocked Larry and Brad Jones (a.k.a. the Cinema Snob) on social media.

I sent Larry a private message on Facebook about this, and this was his response

More info from http://channelawesome.com/forums/threads/has-kyle-cut-ties-with-brad-larry.54922/

According to "Jonathan101",

"Kyle blocked a bunch of people and Larry was one of many; his reason was along the lines of "I'm sorry to everyone I just blocked; I just think you are all horrible people with horrible views" (paraphrasing).

Led to a lot of aggressive second-hand name calling from both parties. I won't go into details (not that I know much else), but that's the gist of what happened."
If anyone else can shed more light on this controversy, please do so.

My last article on DC Comics' Convergence

Here's my final article on DC Comics' Convergence event.

Some final thoughts on DC Comics’ “Convergence”

By John Pannozzi

Since DC Comics’ multiverse-changing event Convergence has now ended, now is the time to talk about the other issues in the series as well as the tie-ins.

Over the course of Convergence #3-8, Deimos, an evil magician from the DC series Warlord, becomes the new antagonist, and it is revealed that Telos was once a man with a family of his own before Brainac erased his memory.  When Deimos is defeated, because of the power he had absorbed from a group of time travellers, a temporal imbalance is created and it threatens to destroy all of reality.  Brainiac then severs Telos’ link to the planet and intends to send everyone back home to their original universes, but the events of the original Crisis on Infinite Earths prevent him.  Several heroes from other universes also go back to stop the mulitversal collapse that occurred in the original Crisis, and they succeed, thus changing the history of the multiverse.   The remaining Earth 2 heroes remain on the planet, which is transformed by Telos into the new version of their home planet.

In Convergence: Swamp Thing #1-2, the muck monster forms a somewhat uneasy alliance with a vampire version of Batman to rid the latter’s Gotham City from a vampiric plague.  While this story is not particularly special, it does create a suitably creepy atmosphere, and boasts the writing of Swamp Thing co-creator Len Wein.

            Convergence: Shazam! #1-2 involves the classic Captain Marvel and the rest of the Marvel family (no relation to a certain rival comics publisher) fighting their old foes again.  They also team up with the steampunk version of Batman from Gotham by Gaslight.  While this doesn’t rank among the greatest comics of all time, it evokes nostalgia for the more innocent and whimsical days of comics’ Golden Age.

            Convergence: Batman – Shadow of the Bat #1-2 involves not only the Caped Crusader, but also Azarael, who had been Batman’s replacement when his back was broken by Bane in the famous Knightfall storyline.  They are forced to fight WetWorks, a superheroic military unit originally from the WildStorm Universe.  The second issue is perhaps the most interesting, as Batman and Azarael end up fighting WetWorks on a defunct Navy ship in the WildStorm Universe’s San Diego.  The military lingo and tech is quite believable, given writer Larry Hama’s real-life experience during the Vietnam War.  Hama is well known for his work on the G.I. Joe comics, and also edited Marvel’s more serious war comic The ‘Nam.

            The second issues of the Superman: Man of Steel and Aquaman tie-ins continue the heroes’ respective battles against the WildStorm characters Gen 13 and Deathblow respectively.  Again, being a WildStorm fan, seeing the original versions of these characters is a nice treat even if they aren’t given a whole lot to do.

            Convergence: Green Lantern/Parallax #2 continues to follow Kyle Rayner’s attempts to minimize the damage done by a power corrupt version of Hal Jordan.  While there isn’t much to say about the story, the art by penciller Ron Wagner and inker Bill Reinhold intrigues me, as its sharp quality is somewhat reminiscent of the work of Savage Dragon creator Erik Larsen.  Convergence: Speed Force #2 has a intriguing message of compassion overcoming wickedness.  Wally West (the Flash) and his children, along with the cartoon turtle speedster Fastback take on the despotic Flashpoint version of Wonder Woman, showing that those motivated by love and kindness are mightier than the power mad.

            Convergence: Nightwing and Oracle #2 has the titular duo, aided by Black Canary, take on the ruthless Hawkman and Hawkwoman of the El Inferno world.  As another example of good beating evil, the ending of this issue will please many fans of this pair of characters.  In Convergence: The Titans #2, Roy Harper manages not only to get back his daughter Lian, but he and the other Titans also manage to keep the vile and all-powerful Extremists at bay.  This story ends on a happy note, and succeeds in providing closure for those displeased by Lian’s prior death.

            In Convergence: Harley Quinn #2, Harley goes up against both Captain Carrot, and for a brief instance, his fellow Zoo Crew member Pig-Iron.  While not quite as hilarious as the first issue, the carnival setting provides for some fittingly cartoonish mayhem.  Finally we have the masterpiece that is Convergence: Supergirl Matrix #2.  It involves Supergirl and Electropolis’s Lady Quark forming a temporary alliance to get a hold of Ambush Bug, who has something they need.  A chase ensues, as the characters traverse the multiversal cities making up Telos’ planet.  Several unexpected faces show up, and there is a delightful abundance of playfulness throughout.  It manages to be a very enjoyable, and humorous read.

            At the end of the day, Convergence and especially its tie-ins are worth reading if you’re a longtime DC fan.  Many loose ends and unresolved issues from past eras and timelines get sorted out, and even if we never see many of these versions of the DC characters again, Convergence gives them a fond farewell, and helps to clear the slate for the future.

My articles on DC Comics' "Convergence"

Here are some article I wrote concerning DC Comics' event "Convergence".  I plan to write more about in the future.

A Primer for DC Comics’ Convergence

By John Pannozzi

A tradition among comic book publishers is having at least one big crossover event each year, often in the summer or spring. These events typically involve all the company’s different characters forced to fight one another and/or uniting to face a trans-dimensional threat.  DC Comics’s big event for this spring is called Convergence.  It, like rival publisher Marvel’s upcoming Secret Wars, involves a world made up of the remains of alternate universes and parallel dimensions from their respective company’s past, with the remaining inhabitants forced to battle one another for survival. 

The path to DC’s Convergence is a somewhat complicated one.  Ever since the 1950s, the comics of DC have told stories about different universes.  Their multiverse became so vast and complicated, that to celebrate their 50^th anniversary in 1985, DC decided to streamline it.  The event Crisis on Infinite Earths involved an epic fight with a villain called the Anti-Monitor, which resulted in the five main universes being combined into one.  This provided an excuse for DC to retell the origins of its most famous characters (in stories like John Byrne’s Superman: The Man of Steel, and Frank Miller & David Mazzucchelli’s excellent Batman: Year One).  The 1994’s Zero Hour and 2005’s Infinite Crisis altered the continuity even further. In 2006, 52 featured the recreation of the multiverse, and in 2008, Final Crisis finished the Crisis trilogy.  Then, in the finale of 2011’s Flashpoint, Barry Allen (the current Flash) merged the DC Universe with the worlds of DC’s imprints Vertigo and WildStorm, creating the universe of the New 52.   The New 52 has proven to be highly polarizing among fans.  Whereas the Batman and Green Lantern-related titles in particular acknowledged much of the previous continuity’s events, others, most notably Superman and Wonder Woman, started from scratch.   Currently, The Multiversity, written by fan-favorite Grant Morrison, tells the adventure of the inhabitants of the New 52-era multiverse.  And then we come to Convergence, which was conceived to ease DC’s editors as their offices moved from New York City to Burbank, California. 

The premise of the series is that Brainiac, one of Superman’s iconic foes, has been capturing cities and people from different universes at the moment of their destruction, depowering the superheroes, and placing them in domes on a limbo planet.  In Convergence #0, Brainiac goes away to attempt to collect the New 52 Earth, leaving the captured New 52 Superman with Telos, Brainiac’s servant and the living embodiment of the planet.  Telos, who appears to Superman in the form of past incarnations of Brainiac, lets Superman go back to his home (with his memory erased) when Brainac fails to retrieve the New 52 Earth.   Telos then decides to only let the strong survive.  At the start of Convergence #1, Telos destroys the Gotham City from the Injustice: Gods Among Us series, deeming its quarreling inhabitants and their world a failed experiment.  Then, the surviving heroes of Earth 2 arrive, but without their own city.  Telos takes this as a sign to finally decide which cities are worthy of surviving by removing the domes and making their respective residents fight each other.  In the process, Telos reveals himself to the residents of all the cities at once, saying that only one city will survive, and he will destroy anyone who refuses to fight.

While at least some knowledge of DC Comics history is required to fully comprehend and enjoy it, Convergence is nonetheless a dream come true for those who have always wanted to see what became of their favorite versions of the company’s legendary superheroes.  If you like any of DC’s characters, then I strongly suggest picking up the main Convergence series (consisting of #0 and 1-8) and whichever of the forty 2-issue tie-in miniseries that seem appealing to you.  Also, don’t forget the new Secret Wars from Marvel.  Now is definitely an exciting time to be a fan of superhero comic books!

A look at “Convergence” #2 and assorted tie-ins

By John Pannozzi

            To continue my look at DC Comics’ multiverse-spanning event “Convergence”, I will be taking brief looks at “Convergence” #2 and assorted tie-ins from the first two official weeks of the event.

            “Convergence” #2 is mostly told from the perspective of the Earth 2 version of Dick Grayson (who in the mainstream DC Universe was the first person to serve as Batman’s ward Robin).  It opens with a flashback of Grayson’s memory of the last moments he spent in his world, having to leave his wife and son, who along with the rest of Earth 2’s population are seemingly killed off by Darkseid’s forces.  Then in present day, the Earth 2 heroes, after fighting Telos, find out that his weak point lies beneath the planet’s surface.  Grayson and the Earth 2 Batman (Thomas Wayne, who is other continuities is the father of Bruce Wayne) go to the Pre-Flashpoint version of Gotham City and sneak their way into the Batcave.  There, the Earth 2 Batman meets the Pre-Flashpoint version of his son, culminating in a touching family reunion.  “Convergence” #2 manages to keep us excited about the unfolding chapter in this epic event.

            And we cover several tie-ins.  First up is “Convergence: Superman: Man of Steel” #1.  This issue features the Pre-Zero Hour version of Steel and his niece and nephew facing both their local villain Parasite as well as the WildStorm Universe’s teenage superhero team, Gen 13.  Being a big fan of Gen 13, I was a touch disappointed that they were given relatively little to do, but I’m happy to see them again nonetheless.  “Convergence: Aquaman” #1 shows what the Pre-Zero Hour incarnation of the Atlantian king has been up to since the arrival of the domed entrapment, and sets up WildStorm’s Deathblow as his multiversal opponent.  Again, the former WildStorm character is not given a big role, but his appearance is still welcome.  “Convergence: Green Lantern/Parallax” #1 gives us a different take on Pre-Zero Hour Hal Jordan, who after losing his powers due to the dome mopes about how his slaughtered his fellow Green Lantern Corps members as the power-mad Parallax.  Once the dome is lifted, Hal becomes Parallax and his somber attitude completely washes over, and surviving Green Lantern Kyle Rayner attempts to keep in line.  “Convergence: Speed Force” #1 features the Pre-Flashpoint version of Wally West (the Flash) and his children Iris and Jai.  After travelling all over the planet, they find an ally in the form of Fastback the turtle from the Zoo Crew and a foe in the form of Flashpoint’s Wonder Woman.  All of these issues are fine, but I don’t have much to say about them.

            And then there is “Convergence: Titans” #1, which tells a potent, hug-tugging story, albeit one that requires some back-story expositing.  Shortly before “Flashpoint” and the New 52 continuity reboot, in the much-reviled limited series “Cry for Justice”, Lian Harper, the young daughter of Roy Harper (formerly Green Arrow’s sidekick Speedy, now going by the codename “Arsenal”), suffered a horrible death.  Roy was broken by his loss, but since the coming of dome, has found meaning in a more peaceful environment by taking care of displaced families and children.  Things change, however, when the dome comes down, and Roy and his fellow Teen Titans alumni Donna Troy and Starfire face the Extremists, a group of super villains from another world.  One of the Extremists, Dreamslayer, turns things upside when he resurrects Lian by plucking her from a time before her death, and forces Roy to fight his friends to the death so Lian will stay alive.  This issue packs a strong emotional punch and leaves us with the highest stakes imaginable, so I highly await its follow-up.  While not quite as engaging, “Convergence: Nightwing & Oracle” #1 should bring tears to the eyes of many longtime DC fans.  In it, the Pre-Flashpoint Dick Grayson proposes to Barbara Gordon, but Barbara declines.  But there’s no time for Dick to talk it over with her, as the villainous incarnations of Hawkman and Hawkwoman from the Wild West world of El Inferno attempts a hostile takeover.  Once again, the story is captivating and left me wanting more.

            And last but not least are two tie-ins that not only provided superheroics, but also a good amount of humor.  “Convergence: Harley Quinn” #1 centers around the Pre-Flashpoint version of the Joker’s on-and-off-again right hand woman and lover, who first appeared in Batman: The Animated Series.  In the year since the dome emerged, Harley has been rehabilitated into a somewhat sane and normal life.   But Telos’s projection on the dome shows that Harley is slated to fight the lagomorphic hero Captain Carrot, Catwoman and Poison Ivy have to knock the sanity out of her.  A small running joke through this issue is that whenever Harley’s obsession with the Joker is brought up, we see a mental image of Joker looking much like he did in the early Batman comics by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson.  It’s little touches like this that are not only funny, but also acknowledge the rich history of DC Comics.  The lighthearted and comedic nature of “Convergence: Supergirl Matrix” #1 is apparent from its first page, which reads like an affectionate parody of the superhero comics of yesteryear, with a “by popular demand” blurb, and several humorous footnotes.  It features the Pre-Zero Hour Supergirl (who has a confusing origin, basically, instead of being a Kryptonian, she’s actually a shape shifting being called Matrix), who, interestingly enough, has become a bodyguard for Superman’s arch nemesis, Lex Luthor.  Supergirl is pitted against the married couple of Lady Quark and Lord Volt from a world called Electropolis.  The snarky back-and-forth between Luthor and Supergirl, as well as Lady Quark and Lord Volt’s bickering proves to very funny.  It’s no surprise that this was written by Keith Giffen, who is most loved for writing superhero stories with a solid sense of humor, including Lobo, Ambush Bug, and several Justice League series (one of the aforementioned makes an appearance here).

            While some of the tie-ins are a lot more interesting than others, on the whole, I am quite pleased with “Convergence” so far, and look forward to future issues and tie-ins.

The Two Pages from WildC.A.T.s #14 that weren't in Savage Dragon: Possessed

Nearly all of WildC.A.T.s #14 was included in the trade Savage Dragon: Possessed, except for two pages (or at least parts of them).  For referential sake, I am including them here, with the hope that maybe Erik Larsen could include them as an extra in a Savage Dragon collection one day down the line.

6 Back to the Future predictions that came true! (Nerdist News w/ Jessic...

How to Draw the Simpsons

Here's an article from the Summer 1992 issue Simpsons Illustrated that showcases tips and tricks to drawing Our Favorite Family:

Fore more information on drawing and animating the Simpsons, check out Cartooning with the Simpsons and the Simpsons Handbook.

The Simpsons Parody Youngblood and WildC.A.T.s

"When Bongos Collide!" was a comic book storyline that ran through Itchy & Scratchy Comics #3, Simpsons Comics #5, and Bartman #3.  In it, the residents of Springfield were transformed into reckless super-powered beings (the story behind all this is really funny, and I don't want to give too much away).  Included were parodies of the Image Comics teams Youngblood (as "Old Blood") and WildC.A.T.s: Covert Action Teams (as WildB.R.A.T.s: Wild, Bullying, Rowdy, Adolescent Team):

Note the reference to the name-change of a certain member of Youngblood.  For more info on "When Bongos Collide!", check out The Simpsons Wiki or Wiki Simpsons. You can buy the entire storyline in the trade paperback Bartman: Best of the Best, or in the magazine-sized Simpsons Classics #3 (from which I procured these scans).

Who the hell is Savage Dragon? | Meanwhile...

Savage Dragon is my favorite superhero comic book ever, and it's impressive that it's made it to issue #200.

IS YOUTUBE DYING?

COPYRIGHT WAR (Jimquisition)

This is a must-see video that I strongly agree with.

Poignant quotes, part 1

Here are some quotes that I find quite poignant:

"The kids of the early '90s liked humor and bright graphics and appealing characters to latch onto. The Simpsons and Nickelodeon proved that. And despite all the talk of 'postliterate' culture, they liked narrative. The astounding success of R.L. Stine's Fear Street and Goosebumps series of juvenile horror stories proved that. These kids had grown from toddlerhood to school age loving the Ninja Turtles and the Muppets. They'd been raised in a commercialized, competitive time, but generally by parents more serious about their duties than parents of the late '60s and '70s. Most kids of the middle class, at least, had been given a relatively optimistic and structured world. What could the superhero subculture, with its bizarre combination of vicious violence, hard-boiled posing, whiny melodrama, and geeky pretension, say to them?"

From The Comic Book Heroes by Gerard Jones and Will Jacobs (2nd edition)

I feel this quote captures me and my generation to a tee, and in a way shows our place in the comic book industry of the 1990s.

"When I first saw Godzilla at the studio screening, I couldn't help crying when I watched Godzilla become a skeleton. I thought, 'Why did mankind have to punish Godzilla like that?'...Mankind seemed like a bigger villain than Godzilla, and I felt sorry for him. I think sympathy for him still exists today. If Godzilla were truly evil, people wouldn't have loved him so much. We were responsible for triggering Godzilla's violence."

Film star Akira Takarada, originally from an interview in Toho SF Special Effects Movie Series Vol. 7: Godzilla vs. Mothra, later quoted in Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of "The Big G" by Steve Ryfle.

This quote needs no explanation.

Understanding Video Games Post 4: My Choice

With this blog post for my Understanding Video Games class, I have been given the choice to talk about any topic that I want. Thus, I have decided to focus on a certain area of video game culture that has fascinated me over the past five years, yet has seldom been thoroughly analyzed-- the growing trend of comedic video reviewers of games on the internet.

The catalyst for this trend was James Rolfe, a big fan of movies and a budding filmmaker in his own right. Way back in 2004, Rolfe did two video game reviews, and decided to humorously subvert the more professional style of traditional video reviews of games by being overly negative and tossing in some profanity for good measure. Two years later in 2006, Rolfe's friend and collaborator Mike Matei encouraged him to post his game reviews on Youtube. Soon, Rolfe, in association with Matei and musician Kyle Justin, began producing more game reviews as part of the "Angry Video Game Nerd" series. The Nerd soon took Youtube and the internet in general by storm, and many were influenced by the Nerd's foul-mouthed and quick-witted reviewing style.

A seemingly countless amount of AVGN copycats soon flooded Youtube, though many of them were of dubious quality at best. But none of them have been as controversial as Chris Bores, a.k.a. the Irate Gamer. Many of the earlier Irate Gamer episodes not only covered games previously reviewed by the Angry Nerd (like the Back to the Future and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games for the NES), but Bores also critiqued many of the same aspects of those games that Rolfe had. To add insult to injury, Bores has gone to great lengths to discredit or downplay Rolfe as an inspiration. These accusations of plagiarism, combined with many factual errors, extremely weak complaints, an abundance of flubs (in many scenes, Bores's systems are turned off or not set up properly, and he often mispronounces frustrating as "fustrating"), and an increasingly erratic release schedule have resulted in Bores appearing as a flat-out hack in the eyes of many. Despite these criticisms, Bores has had a fair amount of success as a Youtube partner, and has even been invited to the video game's premiere expo, E3.

On the other end of the popularity spectrum, as far as reviewers/internet personalities based on AVGN go, is Derek Alexander, whose web series, the Happy Video Game Nerd, is, as it title indicates, a blatant parody/homage to Rolfe's iconic character. While Rolfe's character focuses largely on tearing apart poorly-made and/or bizarre games, Alexander's Nerd sets his sights on informing viewers about the hidden gems of gaming history. Alexander's videos have become so popular, that even Rolfe has admitted to liking them.

Another notable video game reviewer is Noah Antwiler and his show the Spoony Experiment. Antwiler is one of the most popular internet comedians affiliated with Channel Awesome, the company behind the website That Guy With The Glasses, and it's video game-centric sister site Blistered Thumbs. Other notable Channel Awesome contributers include Doug Walker, whose beloved Nostalgia Critic once had a mock feud with Rolfe's AVGN, and Lewis "Linkara" Lovhaug, whose comic book review show Atop the Fourth Wall has made frequent crossovers with the Spoony Experiment. There are many other video game reviewers at Blistered Thumbs worth mentioning. Among them are the French-based Benjamin Daniel, whose character Benzaie is known for his comedically broken English; "Angry Joe" Vargas, whose reviews are meant to help video game producers improve their creations; Justin "JewWario" Carmical, who focuses on games only released in Japan; and Bennett "the Sage" White, who has reviewed everything from video games to comic books to even poorly-written fanfiction. One former member of Channel Awesome who deserves mention is Jason "LordKaT" Pullara, whose series Until We Win took viewers through some of the most challenging video games ever made.

Understanding Video Games Post 3: Player Culture

In this post, I will discuss where I find myself in the scheme of "Player Culture". To be honest, I mostly play games by myself. I do enjoy enjoy playing video games with my younger brother Michael and my friends, but nowadays Michael is away at college most of the year, and as of late, I usually don't get to see most of my friends on a regular basis. But I have played online co-op on a few Playstation 3 titles like the recent HD port of the nearly 20-year old X-Men arcade game, and Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds.

I am also an active member of gaming's metaculture, as I have joined many message boards over the years

Understanding Video Games post 2: What is a game?

For my second blog post for the Understanding Video Games class, I have been asked the quesyion "what is a game?" Finding out the answer is very easy, yet also very difficult at the same time, if that makes any sense. It's easy to provide aliteral definition of a game (which is a pleasurable activity that involves some sorts of rules), but you also wonder if there can be a deeper, more psychological or even philosophical meaning to the word. Perhaps for some, a game represents a challenge or an obstacle to overcome, or simply something that, if achived, can result in great satisfaction. Perhaps that's why we hear of the "game of life". Like any good game, your life is filled with many conflicts and hurdles, but if you can manage to overcome them, you may feel exceptionally good about yourself and your abilities.

Understanding Video Games Post 1: Something Old, Something New

Note: This is the first in a series of blog posts I am doing for a class I am taking at RIC called Understanding Video Games. In this post, I will pretend to be writing a 1000 years from now.

Looking back at the video games from a entire millennium ago, it is fascinating to see how primitive yet still very ingenious interactive entertainment was back in the early twenty-first century. For instance, "Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo" a manga and anime-licensed action platformer for the Nintendo Wii, requires some quick reflexes in order to beat its tough bosses. The period of 2006-2011 was also notable for marking the start a surge in popularity for downloadable games sold through online services available directly on gaming consoles themselves (such as Xbox Live Arcade, the Playstation Network Store, and the Wii's Virtual Console). This would mark a major turning point for games, as it allowed for lower budgeted and priced but at times ambitious and experimental titles to see the light of day. One such game was Flower, on the Playstation 3. I have only ever played the demo version of this particular title, yet that was enough to realize what unique piece of art it is. The game allows to control the wind as flower petals flow by. This gentle, nature-themed gimmick is outfitted by soothing music, resulting in one of the most extraordinary experiences that the gaming world had ever since at the time. Looking back, it's funny that at the time, the debate over wether or not games could be considered caused a decent bit of controversy, as in my eyes, the mere existance of works like Flowers more solidified games as perhaps the most creative art-form of all.

My Article On Scott Pilgrim

Here's an article I wrote a few months ago for the Rhode Island College paper The Anchor. It compares the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels to its film adaptation.



Scott Pilgrim meets his strongest foe: Scott Pilgrim

By John Pannozzi

In the past few decades, many live-action films based off animated cartoons, comic books and video games have been released, and despite the occasional knock-out like "The Dark Knight," many of these adaptations have received dismal responses from both critics and the box-office, with the likes of "Howard the Duck" and "Double Dragon" often considered to be some of the biggest failures in Hollywood history. This past summer saw the release of cult favorite director Edgar Wright's "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," based on the increasingly popular six-volume series of independent graphic novels from Canadian-born cartoonist Bryan Lee O'Malley. Though the film's box-office returns proved rather mediocre, it received mostly glowing reviews from critics and those who did see it mostly adored it regardless of whether or not they were familiar with the source material.
It's something of a rarity that such a wonderfully idiosyncratic and genre-defying comic book creation would receive a big-budget Hollywood film adaptation that not only preserves the delightfully weird tone of its source material, but also stands on its own as a wildly hilarious and a visually spectacular treat. Although there have been a good handful of well-received independent comic book-based films, including "Fritz the Cat", "Heavy Metal", the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie "The Crow," "Ghost World" and the "HellBoy" series. Scott Pilgrim's ambitious tone and fairly large budget more immediately calls to mind "Tank Girl", the cult-favorite underground British comic strip turned multimillion dollar box-office and critical dud. But history has shown that director Wright's works (which includes such fan favorites as "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz" as well as the short-lived but well-loved TV series "Spaced"), have a special quality about them that may not result in immediate financial success, but often gain a dedicated and loyal fan base over time, as DVD sales have proven. While the visual spectacle and rapid-fire comic timing earn the Scott Pilgrim film an important place in film history, when seen as an adaptation of O'Malley's work, the film in some ways comes off as rather lackluster. This article will serve as an examination of some the ways in which the film adaptation of Scott Pilgrim diverges significantly from the graphic novels.
It is worth noting that the screenplay to the Scott Pilgrim film was developed during the same time as the later volumes in the graphic novels. Indeed, watching the finished film, it‘s hard to shake the fact that the last two-thirds or so are largely based on rough outlines and concepts O'Malley had in mind for the last few books. O'Malley has said that he created outlines primarily to aid the filmmakers in conceiving a conclusion for the film well before he finalized his plans for the finale of the books. One wonders then if the differences between the film's last act and the last three volumes of the book series showcase how the ideas that O'Malley that initially conceived the end of the series were not good enough for his own work, but good enough for a Hollywood film.
In this reviewer's opinion, perhaps the most infuriating way in which the Scott Pilgrim film differs from its source material is that many of the secondary characters lack the depth and character development given over course of the six graphic novels. Kim Pine, the freckled and redheaded drummer of Sex Bob-omb and Scott's former high school fling is a wonderfully complex and thoroughly appealing character in books, but in the film she never receives any depth beyond a snarky and cynical comic relief role that almost seems like a parody of the way she was initially depicted in the earlier volumes. While in the movie, Scott apologizes to Kim for how he mistreated her in the past, we don't see exactly what happened between in the past (the promotional short "Scott Pilgrim vs. The Animation" shown on Adult Swim sheds some light on Scott and Kim's high school days, but the sixth and final book adds even more depth to their history that is not captured at all on screen), nor do we see Kim gradually show a sweeter side as we do in the later books in the series, particularly volumes four through six.
The lead characters, Scott Pilgrim and his rather literal "dream girl" Ramona Flowers, also suffer from a lack of development. In the books, Scott eventually has to move out of his roommate Wallace's apartment and get a job, which results in him gaining the adult responsibility he sorely lacked at the start of the series, and thus "levels up" in a big way. Also, the fight scenes with the seven evil exes eventually overwhelm the film, while in the comics Scott only fights one ex per book (with the exception of volume five, in which he takes on both of the Katayanagi twins). As a result, we are given much less breathing room and less time for the characters and their relationships to develop, including Scott and Ramona's rocky romance.
In the movie, Ramona leaves Scott because she goes back to Gideon (the last and most insidious of the Seven Evil Exes), due to having a chip implanted in her head that makes her unable to resist Gideon. And when Scott faces off against Gideon in the film's final fight, Ramona does little more than sit by the sidelines, essentially played the damsel in distress role as seen in many older video games like Super Mario Bros. This ultimately makes Ramona seem like a much weaker and more submissive person than she is in the books. In volume five, she does leave Scott due to Gideon manipulating her feelings via "Emotional Warfare" (which is a bit too complicated to explain in full detail here). But in the sixth and final volume, it is revealed that she did not return to Gideon (resulting in a wonderful subversion of video game tropes when Scott and Gideon first face each other and are both shocked to find that Ramona isn't with either of them at the time), but rather left to do some soul-searching and eventually return to say goodbye to Scott and break up on more formal and amicable terms. Following this, Ramona does retreat into her deepest darkest corner of her own personal SubSpace, in which she is basically submissive to Gideon (which Gideon claims to be her innermost desire). But this only for a brief moment, as Scott quite literally head butts this so-called "all-powerful" version of Gideon, allowing Ramona the chance to officially drop Gideon like the bad habit he is. And in the end, Scott and Ramona simultaneously deal the final blow to Gideon, which shows that in quite a few ways, Scott's quest to defeat Ramona's Seven Evil Exes was as much Ramona's fight as it was his own.
Another thing from the last book that adds a very important dimension to Scott's struggle against Gideon but is missing from the film is the way in which the two are not so different. Scott and Gideon both have a tendency to block out memories of being inconsiderate towards past girlfriends, and as a result, overlook their own character flaws. Scott's past mistakes eventually manifest themselves in the form of the NegaScott (who appears in the film with almost no setup or context). Scott tries to defeat NegaScott, but Kim tells him that if he forgets his past sins, he will only make the same mistakes all over again in the future, and after she yells at him to just accept the past, he merges with NegaScott and regains all his memories. Gideon, by contrast, has seemingly repressed his past failings and as a result mistakenly believes himself to be perfect.
Gideon also shows a more hilariously pathetic side in the last book when it is revealed that he formed the League of Ramona's Evil Exes by posting a drunken rant on Facebook after being dumped by Ramona (who left Gideon because he showed no real interest in her whatsoever when they were dating). We also get a taste of the more cruel and twisted side of Gideon when he reveals that he has already cryogenically frozen six of his ex-girlfriends in order to later unfreeze them and date them at his own leisure, and he intends to make Ramona his Seventh Ex.
Finally, one other theme prevalent in the Scott Pilgrim books that I didn't feel was carried as strongly in the film is the idea of moving on from your past. In the books, we get the feeling that Scott is only dating Knives because he wants to make up for his unsatisfying relationships with Kim in high school and Natalie "Envy" Adams in college. He claims that dating a high school student like Knives is "simple", which shows how he tries to shield himself from the painful heartbreak caused by his decidedly less than simple previous attempts at romance. And when he tries to get back with Knives and later Kim in the final book, things don't work out. Scott and Knives are quickly grossed out after briefly attempting to make out with each other again. Kim meanwhile refuses to embrace Scott, as even though Scott notes that Kim has been the one constant in his life, Kim reminds him that her high school days were anything but the typical sappy Hollywood "romance" (this leads to Scott having to face the NegaScott, as described above). Scott ultimately realizes that he needs to move forward in life by being with Ramona, who is more his equal in terms of age, maturity and romantic history than someone like Knives is. Though Knives clearly cares about Scott (this is clear in her last scene in volume six), her attraction to Scott's band Sex Bob-omb turns out to be fleeting (again, reference the sixth book), and she ends being quite needy (as evidenced by how crazy with jealously she is when she believes Ramona stole Scott). The film, by contrast, seemed to be setting up Scott and Knives as a couple (especially when one considers that the original scripted and even filmed ending to the film had Scott choosing Knives instead of Ramona in the end), and as a result, the ending with Scott pursuing Ramona seems tacked on. In the last book, one gets the feeling that regardless of how successful Scott and Ramona's renewed relationship will be, it will prove that the time they spent together and will spend together in the future will shape them and allow them to grow and change for the better. In the movie, however, it's much vaguer as to where Scott and Ramona's path will lead. Whereas the Scott Pilgrim books tell a very satisfying and complete story of a young slacker "leveling up" to become a more mature individual, the movie by comparison, though fun and flashy, ultimately feels somewhat rushed and half-hearted when it comes to the themes and characterization that O'Malley handled so well, yet Wright could not give full justice to on the silver screen.