The graphic novelization of Batman: Year One (originally published as Batman, issues 404-407) was two years old when I bought it in 1989, but according to the copyright page, the book was already in its fourth printing. I’m surprised my copy is still in such good condition, considering I got it when I was 12. Well, the spine does crack a little when I open it and it’s beginning to smell musty, but it’s lived a good life. (more…)

To anyone who’s seen Akira or Evangelion, the idea of Japan building a backup Tokyo is nothing new. It’s even fair to say, after the massive firebombing campaign of WWII, that the current Tokyo is, in fact, Tokyo-2. So it should only come as mildly surprising that Japanese lawmakers have proposed a backup Tokyo (Tokyo-3) to be built and presumably left vacant until disaster strikes. (more…)

“All the new thinking is about loss.
In this it resembles all the old thinking.”

–Robert Hass, Meditation at Lagunitas

Since Makoto Shinkai’s arrival on the anime scene, he’s created some of the most breathtakingly beautiful – and heartbreakingly depressing – feature films in the industry. He’s one of the few directors out there to regularly be compared to the great Hayao Miyazaki, and with each release the comparison becomes more favorable. Every single one of his films, however, has dealt with the very same theme: loss of love and disconnection over time and space. Even before he released 5 Centimeters Per Second (2007), some of his critics (particularly those named Daniel Imperiale) had begun to wonder whether the young anime auteur had anything else to say. (more…)

Fall is historically looked upon as a big deal in the world of American television (even though that tradition is slowly changing). Japan, however, doesn’t have that same tradition, history or yearly cycle. In the Far East, every quarter of the year is a fresh start and you’re never sure when the big shows are going to hit…or not.

It turns out that this fall features a pretty thin, weak field. For us in the U.S., perhaps it’s just as well, given the higher-than-average number of geek-friendly primetime show premieres that we have the good fortune to check out this year. Of course, there are at least a couple of things here that may be worth your viewing time. (more…)

I just powered my way through all 26 episodes of an anime that was completely devoid of philosophical depth, utterly substandard in artistic quality and about as emotionally mature as the 11-year-old girls that make up its target audience. Oh, and did I mention that I loved it? (more…)

Like the NFL and NBA before it, The Simpsons is facing the very real threat of a lockout.

20^th Century Fox has issued an ultimatum to the voice cast of The Simpsons to the tune of a 45% salary cut, Deadline.com reported yesterday. While still looked upon as profitable, studio executives are refusing to accept the actors’ proposal to accept a 30% cut in pay, which would see actors receiving about $4 million per season, and agree to make up some of the difference through back-end incentives. This request was summarily declined.

And now negotiations have hit a brick wall, putting a 23^rd season in jeopardy.

In a released statement, 20^th Century Fox admitted its inability “to produce future seasons under this financial model.”

Inability or unwillingness? Seeing as, while far off, a Simpsons cable channel is still discussed as a possibility, 20^th can’t be that strapped.

While this author is calling ‘shenanigans,’ he is begrudgingly prepared for a future without The Simpsons.

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Share your fondest Simpsons memories with Peter via Twitter @peterlangcrime

Call me biased, but outside of a few impressive action sequences I can’t get behind Michael Bay’s current crop of Transformers movies calling. Maybe it’s the confusing robot designs? Maybe it’s the weird racial stereotype Autobot twins, Skids and Mudflap? Maybe it’s the pair of wrecking balls swinging between Devastator’s legs? Or maybe it’s because, outside of the aforementioned action sequences, there’s really no subtext or character development to get me invested in these current movies. (more…)