tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55663792011-12-30T10:55:21.021ZThe sometimes daily thoughts of Englishman-no-longer-in-a-strange-land Kelvin Green.Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.comBlogger6521100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-7066544641460023982011-11-10T11:00:00.000Z2011-11-10T11:00:05.352Z

Too Much sex & Violence #1 is out! I've not seen a copy yet, but it's been getting good reviews. Rol has pencilled me in -- pun sort of intended -- for a few pages in the third issue, and I should be getting a script for that in the next couple of weeks. I had good fun drawing the introduction of vampiric DJ Gary Gore and I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a tiny bit of jealousy that

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-35182270307591693932011-11-07T10:48:00.004Z2011-11-07T11:04:14.285Z

Remember UFO: Enemy Unknown -- or X-COM if you're a Colonial -- that great strategy game that took the mechanics of the wonderful Laser Squad and bolted them on to a setting not altogether dissimilar to Gerry Anderson's UFO? It was quite popular. Just like Syndicate it's coming back! Just like Syndicate it's coming back as a first-person shooter. Sigh.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-52798159583856415322011-09-21T20:46:00.002+01:002011-11-07T10:47:34.342Z

I was, for just a moment, excited that there's a new Syndicate game on the way, as the original was one of my favourites back in the day. I had most fun running around the cities and using the Persuadertron to brainwash every living thing. So, yes, excited. Then I read the article and saw the screenshots and, oh look, it's another first-person shooter -- or Doom-clone as we called them in the

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-43260547479167010722011-09-19T18:22:00.001+01:002011-09-19T18:22:41.840+01:00

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-60148920023729265362011-08-20T18:31:00.000+01:002011-08-20T18:31:53.687+01:00

I ordered the new Wii rpg Xenoblade Chronicles, but I decided I wouldn't start playing it until I'd cleared at least one game from my current backlog. I've been near the end of Final Fantasy XII for a while, but I've been reluctant to go for the final push until I'd mopped up some of the subquests and side missions. As of today, I've done that, so I cracked open the Xenoblade box. Hang on,

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-35461896001269623942011-08-15T23:39:00.001+01:002011-08-15T23:41:26.741+01:00

Here's another page of Rol Hirst Too Much Sex and Violence, still due in September.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-21450876732618388152011-08-02T18:32:00.000+01:002011-08-02T18:32:08.080+01:00

Here's one of my pages for Rol Hirst's new comic Too Much Sex and Violence, due in September.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-47176543330609532492011-07-24T21:46:00.002+01:002011-07-24T21:48:31.497+01:00

There's a trailer below for the second half of this year's Doctor Who series. It shows River Song with an eyepatch, and I'm sure that the geek world is already speculating on her eventually becoming the Scary Eyepatch Lady, and so in some timey wimey way becoming responsible for her own birth. I suspect that this is bluffery; they're not going to give away a twist like that in a trailer, we've

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-70067561579229578652011-07-19T18:35:00.000+01:002011-07-19T18:35:31.579+01:00

Starting September - a new comic written by Rol Hirst. Issue #1 art by Andrew Cheverton, Paul Rainey, Kelvin Green, Nigel Lowrey, Mark Renhard, Martin Eden, Adrian Bamforth and Rob Wells. Design by Dave Metcalfe-Carr. Future issues to include art by Dave Metcalfe-Carr, Chris Askham, Tony McGee, Ryan Taylor, Neil Cavenham, Stephen Prestwood and others... To be sure you don't miss the latest

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-6693872067158215652011-07-18T20:39:00.000+01:002011-07-18T20:39:05.709+01:00

I've been busy. Work -- the thing which I once enjoyed but now only tolerate -- has picked up, but due to cutbacks and layoffs, there aren't enough people to do the work, so there's that. The big drain -- although drain implies something negative, and this is anything but -- on my time at the moment is my art. I have been producing a lot of art in the past few weeks, often to short deadlines, and

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-60945337838422097142011-06-04T23:55:00.001+01:002011-06-04T23:58:06.249+01:00

A very quick sketch of Madame Vastra, a Victorian sword-wielding lizard detective, introduced in the Doctor Who episode "A Good Man Goes to War". She's a fantastic character with a great deal of potential, and if there's not a spinoff forthwith, I shall be disappointed indeed.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-41213858895290554892011-05-31T22:12:00.001+01:002011-05-31T22:16:42.765+01:00

This week sees my first exhibition. Sort of. A few months ago, a friend of a friend asked if I could provide some artwork for her media practice degree project, the original plan being some kind of mural. The mural was kiboshed by those in charge, so the image got reworked as a large canvas that is to be hung as a background to the main piece: The Re-Boot Sale is an interactive installation that

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-83273756666330136802011-05-22T20:16:00.000+01:002011-05-22T20:16:21.731+01:00

Splash meets The Fifth Element, with a little bit of Coccoon. Beautiful -- and defiantly non-3D non-CGI -- animation, and perhaps the most pleasant post-apocalyptic film I've ever seen.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-838315891971144402011-05-17T11:24:00.000+01:002011-05-17T11:24:27.234+01:00

My problem with A Game of Thrones was that everybody in the A plot was a self-destructive idiot, while the B plot -- the Conan and the Horse Lords stuff -- was dull, which is quite the achievement when one's dealing with rampaging barbarian tribes, mysterious witches and legendary dragons. The good news about the TV adaptation is that it's very faithful to the book. The bad news about the TV

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-47906059926063142502011-05-15T09:50:00.002+01:002011-05-15T09:52:36.256+01:00

I can't wait to see what Rol says about last night's Doctor Who; he's made his dislike of Neil Gaiman's work very obvious in the past, but I had very few complaints -- and those minor -- about the episode. In fact, my only real complaint was that the "old" console room was just the previous one, as I would have liked to have seen one of the proper old consoles make a one-off return. There wasn't

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-60011407022766242732011-05-11T19:00:00.001+01:002011-05-11T19:02:13.196+01:00

This is Rol's fault. He's uncovered a wonderful site that can tell you which Marvel comics were on sale the day you were born, and of course I couldn't resist having a look for myself. It's not a bad month, although the comics on sale the week I was born are not too impressive. That said, there is this: I'll take that.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-83746754630158063952011-05-10T09:52:00.001+01:002011-05-10T11:15:08.405+01:00

Much of the preview material for "The Doctor's Wife" features a prominent female guest star, and it's clear that the BBC want us to believe that she is the titular spouse. This is going to be a bluff, and the wife referred to in the title will be the TARDIS. The Doctor's time machine is often referred to with female pronouns, and the TARDIS is the only companion constant enough to be considered

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-53755028387988947792011-05-01T14:50:00.002+01:002011-05-01T14:50:59.762+01:00

"You will bring the silence." That's what the Silence said to -- a possibly pregnant -- Amy Pond in "Day of the Moon". What did they mean? Is her potential child something to do with them?

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-87918123985582601292011-05-01T11:44:00.001+01:002011-05-01T11:49:20.540+01:00

Well, it's clear that this year's Doctor Who is going to be all about hints and mysteries. "Day of the Moon" answered some questions, but posed a lot more. There is certainly a strong suggestion that the Girl in the Spacesuit -- and why did the Doctor decide it wasn't worth chasing after her? I hope this is deliberate, rather than choppy writing, as it was the only duff note in an otherwise

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-71566108571786153142011-04-25T13:56:00.001+01:002011-04-25T14:01:37.874+01:00

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-21723897454502861242011-04-24T10:33:00.003+01:002011-04-24T12:17:45.861+01:00

This is not so much a theory, but more what I would do if someone were stupid enough to let me write Doctor Who. The TARDIS team are all worried about starting off a paradox, but there's already one in action and all of the Future-Doctor's manipulations are aimed at fixing it. The astronaut on the beach in 2011 is not the same one we see in 1969, and it's the Doctor himself under that helmet. (

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-34318505571601431232011-04-07T22:06:00.000+01:002011-04-07T22:06:05.595+01:00

John Woo finally remembers how to make a decent film, in doing so upstaging Peter Jackson's The Two Towers and The Return of the King, but also remembering to include the requisite fight-while-holding-a-baby, Mexican standoff, and unnecessary flurry of white doves.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-78971076467440226762011-04-05T22:35:00.003+01:002011-04-05T22:35:00.105+01:00

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-75507671397739451462011-04-05T19:04:00.000+01:002011-04-05T19:04:22.722+01:00

One of the more interesting things about the original was that the Thundercats were invaders from another world, and that Mumm-Ra sort of had a point in wanting them off his lawn, as it were. Also, there's not nearly enough Panthro.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-57319529327625715942011-04-03T22:35:00.000+01:002011-04-03T22:35:40.182+01:00

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-34262275284693834212011-03-29T18:24:00.001+01:002011-03-29T18:44:49.965+01:00

In response to the Acrobatic Flea's post here: Cap demonstrates the dangers of improper font choice.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-90610753804794240382011-03-28T19:12:00.003+01:002011-03-28T19:16:02.421+01:00

From the BBC News Technology page: I can't tell if this is a random glitch, clever manipulation of deliberate page hits, or someone at the BBC having a laugh. Given that the volume dial on the iPlayer goes to eleven, I wouldn't be surprised if it were the latter.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-18400425276799045922011-03-19T11:36:00.002Z2011-03-19T11:51:13.977Z

Fight On! -- the magazine of funny shaped dice and pretending to be elves -- has released its eleventh issue, and I'm in it. Observant readers may notice that the image above is not my cover, but I did get the back, and I have a couple of other pieces in there. Doxy makes an appearance, of course. If you also like funny-shaped dice and pretending to be an elf, you can order a copy -- in print

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-82461058078549233442011-03-16T21:03:00.000Z2011-03-16T21:03:31.596Z

Despite its popularity, I have never been tempted by the manga Death Note and its many spinoffs and adaptations; it seemed to be all goths and pretty boys, exactly the kind of manga I cannot get into. Lovefilm delivered the 2006 live action adaptation the other day, and I don't know how close it is to the source material, but it's really quite good. Genius law student Light Yagami becomes

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-7732074323495558642011-03-14T17:57:00.004Z2011-03-14T18:06:07.651Z

The producers of Being Human have always been good at putting together a finale, and last night's was no exception, going some way to making up for what's been a choppy third series. This series took a while to get going, with a fair bit of filler in the early stages, such as the zombie plotline that went nowhere, and the introduction of the teenage vampire Adam -- I have this suspicion that

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-78068177636875414532011-02-23T22:43:00.000Z2011-02-23T22:43:45.737Z

It's The Omega Man meets Clueless and it's very, very 80's. It's not as good as I remember it being when I was a child, but it's much better than it should be.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-18204556299615788362011-02-06T18:45:00.002Z2011-02-06T18:45:00.676Z

One of the reasons I bought GoldenEye 007 over Call of Duty 17 was because the former seemed more light hearted than the po-faced seriousness of the latter franchise, all macho posturing and un-ironic Dad Metal soundtracks. So it pleased me no end to see this: It's an actual -- if short -- game, and it's also a reminder that there are some people in the games industry still with a sense of

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-5245036775635086052011-02-04T17:50:00.002Z2011-02-04T17:50:54.633Z

Love Actually + The Matrix + steampunk = Why didn't more people see this film?

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-64215972212744243722011-02-04T14:38:00.000Z2011-02-04T14:38:11.776Z

A bit slow to properly buckle the swash, but it has good performances, a great script, and a big fat Welshman who says "look you" a lot, none of which feature in the 2010 film of a similar name.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-35640087474575260282011-02-03T18:05:00.000Z2011-02-03T18:05:59.020Z

People are literally fighting for their freedom on the streets of Egypt. People are being beaten and shot just for demanding the right to vote. And David Cameron comes out with: These are despicable scenes that we’re seeing and they should not be repeated. They underline the need for political reform and, frankly, for that political reform to be accelerated and to happen quickly. We need to see

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-53528861574060638952011-01-27T21:36:00.002Z2011-01-27T21:37:18.953Z

A gladiator fighting a giant shrimp. Underwater. For Fight On! #11, coming soon.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-28760395489792553962011-01-25T20:11:00.003Z2011-01-25T21:46:02.967Z

I see that Toy Story 3 has been nominated for Best Picture, marking the first time that the eighth instalment in a franchise -- because let's face it, The Incredibles, WALL-E and Up aside, they've been making the same film over and over since 1995 -- has got the nod. It's also been nominated in the animated category, which it will almost certainly win, not least because it's up against only two

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-31010523801437650032011-01-24T23:29:00.000Z2011-01-24T23:29:19.191Z

Darren Aronofsky's Teen Wolf remake lacks the subtlety of the original.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-613940816756798342011-01-22T21:55:00.001Z2011-01-22T22:04:28.811Z

My primary artistic influence has always been comics. I devoured them as a child, reading them cover to cover then grabbing a pencil or pen and drawing my own stories on any bit of paper I could find. It's fair to say, however, that I was also influenced and inspired, in no small part, by the imagery of fantasy gaming. Now, since I was a bit of a solitary sort, this meant that I spent a lot of

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-45494497512005674722011-01-10T21:31:00.003Z2011-01-26T08:37:36.837Z

Games Workshop's Warhammer is a juggernaut of a franchise. Its runaway success has changed the company from a single hobby shop in Hammersmith to an international corporation, and the game has expanded beyond the tabletop into board games, role-playing games, video games, MMORPGs, novels, comics, and even, in the latter stages of 2010, a straight-to-dvd film, although reviews haven't been too

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-17067689273186137952011-01-06T19:58:00.002Z2011-02-23T22:39:34.335Z

The old laptop on which I'm typing this right now has seen better days. It should have been replaced a long time ago, but I was reluctant to splurge on a new machine, so I staved off the inevitable with some more memory. Then the hard drive failed, then the power supply began to fail, then the USB ports began to fail, and it became clear that the poor thing was heading for a complete system

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-63160480622077050732011-01-03T00:20:00.000Z2011-01-03T00:20:24.857Z

Another image for James Maliszewski's upcoming Petty Gods, this time Neuph, the god of silent, isolated places.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-12927841575098652972010-12-31T10:56:00.000Z2010-12-31T10:56:29.683Z

The strip I drew for the first issue of Rol Hirst's anthology comic PJANG! is now available to view free online. Not only that, but the far superior strips drawn by Tony McGee and Andrew Cheverton are also available for your viewing pleasure.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-35618385738568238802010-12-27T14:35:00.003Z2010-12-27T14:35:00.198Z

This won't be one of those best-albums-films-books posts, because I lack the capabilities to be a music enthusiast -- although I have developed a liking for Crystal Castles -- and I've spent most of the year trying to get through Don Quixote, so I've not had much time for anything else. I did see quite a few films -- including some new ones for once! -- and I'll be a dissenting voice in saying

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-18135325800474164712010-12-21T21:05:00.001Z2010-12-21T21:06:15.590Z

Rol has just published the fifth issue of his not-The Jock-and-not-Escape Committee-but-still-quite-good comic-for-misanthropes PJANG! and the latest issue has a story drawn by myself. It's not all bad news though, as it also features a story drawn by Paul Rainey. You can order a copy for the bargain basement price of £1.75 by clicking on the image below.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-60166665012430801532010-12-20T20:04:00.001Z2010-12-21T21:06:52.055Z

Fluxalle, the petty god of corroded cookware and brewing gone bad. For James Maliszewski's upcoming Petty Gods book:

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-18855961410204542072010-11-18T10:26:00.001Z2011-09-19T18:21:59.799+01:00

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-55975587782289118792010-11-14T17:41:00.003Z2010-11-14T22:55:25.196Z

I have been contributing art to the gaming magazine Fight On! for a while now -- I think it's been two years -- but so far it's been internal illustrations only. I'd never even considered doing a cover, in part because I'd not been struck by a good idea for one, and also because I didn't consider myself in the same league as the usual cover artists: They're working on the eleventh issue

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-73860629216580654352010-11-02T12:33:00.002Z2010-11-02T12:33:00.117Z

I can't think of any films which would have been improved by being filmed in 3D. I can think of a whole host of films which would have been improved by better writing. I trust you can work out the rest.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-46594067294801699082010-10-28T03:03:00.002+01:002010-10-28T03:03:00.916+01:00

I'm not going to do one of those top ten horror films posts, mainly because it would be Halloween at #1 and everything else jostling for second-place. Anyway, Rol said: Since it was banned in the UK as a video nasty throughout my youth, I expected to be disappointed by [The Texas Chainsaw Massacre] when I finally saw it. Disappointed, I was not. Disturbed, I was. Not by the expected scenes of

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-15565922266016771202010-10-26T19:57:00.003+01:002010-10-27T00:22:53.044+01:00

Back in my wayward youth, the BBC did a series called Clive Barker's A to Z of Horror; I don't remember much about the series at all, but I liked it enough to pick up the accompanying book, which seemed to have been written mainly by Stephen Jones rather than Barker himself. I read that book cover to cover umpteen times, although I've long since lost my copy. Anyway, I was reminded of Barker's

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-32327063450692361392010-10-19T19:19:00.001+01:002010-12-19T21:46:02.708Z

I am not a huge fan of dentists at the best of times. I'm not sure why this is, but it may have to do with the butcher who gave me a bunch of unnecessary fillings -- including in wisdom teeth which should have been pulled -- without anaesthesia. I've managed to talk myself down from full-scale terror, but I'm still not comfortable in a dentist's surgery. I went to a new dentist today and I was

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-75262253550755169402010-09-25T21:43:00.002+01:002010-09-25T22:00:57.343+01:00

I just watched Kung Fu Panda. It's not half bad, truth be told. The action sequences are very well done, and it's often beautiful, but even so, the whole thing is in that generic 3D style that has become dominant ever since Pixar came on to the scene. And that's a terrible shame, because it opens with this: I find it depressing that the US animation industry is in such a state that something

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-52399418819443329312010-09-21T22:33:00.001+01:002010-12-21T21:07:31.107Z

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-63257017440913456662010-09-01T21:45:00.005+01:002011-01-24T23:28:54.033Z

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-69146165665107029592010-09-01T07:21:00.002+01:002010-09-02T07:41:03.722+01:00

Long-time readers will know that I have little love for Mark Millar. He dragged himself up to being a fairly strong writer circa 1999-2000, but since then it's been all empty bluster and superficial shock tactics, as he swaggers around the comics world like some kind of rock star, rather than a ginger bloke from Coatbridge. On the other hand, this swagger brings with it a rampant enthusiasm for

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-60354010257362425992010-08-30T17:01:00.000+01:002010-08-30T17:01:10.192+01:00

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-6436042034902294682010-08-22T17:02:00.000+01:002010-08-22T17:02:23.992+01:00

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-20317420675931751212010-08-18T22:59:00.002+01:002010-08-22T17:02:40.778+01:00

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-86468752042754667602010-08-16T21:48:00.000+01:002010-08-16T21:48:04.482+01:00

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-26373568781766646262010-08-06T18:57:00.000+01:002010-08-06T18:57:30.026+01:00

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-87768478174888544152010-08-02T22:43:00.000+01:002010-08-02T22:43:09.976+01:00

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-87329692409572904602010-07-29T00:31:00.001+01:002011-01-24T23:28:58.022Z

Christopher Nolan would like you to know that he liked Dark City just as much, if not more than the Wachowskis did. Christopher Nolan would also like you to know that he likes On Her Majesty's Secret Service best of all the Bond films. Christopher Nolan needs a script editor.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-4063782589636060542010-07-24T14:20:00.000+01:002010-07-24T14:20:19.153+01:00

From this week's Radio Times, on the BBC's new Sherlock Holmes series: Some viewers will recoil from the very idea of BBC1 updating Conan Doyle's characters to modern London, with [...] a Dr Watson who fought in Afghanistan. From Wikipedia, on Conan Doyle's Watson: In the debut Holmes story A Study in Scarlet (published in 1888), Watson, as the narrator, tells us that he had received his

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-3908855245285856552010-07-18T20:34:00.001+01:002010-07-18T20:35:40.380+01:00

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-47170328999846765942010-07-16T18:38:00.002+01:002010-07-16T18:39:37.909+01:00

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-91334712638321506272010-07-16T11:44:00.001+01:002010-07-16T11:45:14.119+01:00

Oh dear.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-36974477032969879452010-07-10T11:20:00.007+01:002010-07-10T11:20:00.058+01:00

Crikey. That went fast.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-49014927327544121752010-07-01T08:29:00.001+01:002010-07-01T08:29:53.334+01:00

There's a new X-Box 360 out, it seems. They call it the "slim", after the PS2, but it doesn't look much different to me. Anyway, the advert tells us that it has a hard drive, wireless connectivity, and is "ready for Kinect", Micro$hite's more-subtle-than-Sony-but-not-by-much attempt to jump on the Wii bandwagon. One reason the Wii has succeeded is because Nintendo have reached out beyond video

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-56053079639201675592010-06-13T12:09:00.000+01:002010-06-13T12:09:39.089+01:00

I cannot understand why this is a PS3/X360 exclusive. There's nothing in there that the Wii cannot do, and given all the Nintendo references in the original books, it's baffling that Nintendo has been left out. I've been avoiding getting a PS3, but this is pushing me closer.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-6277389759440396522010-06-09T23:05:00.000+01:002010-06-09T23:05:24.721+01:00

I realised two things today: one, that I get a real buzz from talking about "highbrow" subjects like philosophy, science and history, and two, that I'm terrified of talking about these subjects. They're not related; it's not the same kind of excitement/fear you might get from a rollercoaster, for example. No, I get all excited to be talking about this stuff, but then from somewhere comes this

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-54813449805246923042010-05-31T22:26:00.000+01:002010-05-31T22:26:20.871+01:00

From the synopsis of the finale of the current Doctor Who series: "There was a goblin. Or a trickster, or a warrior. A nameless, terrible thing, soaked in the blood of a billion galaxies. The most feared being in all the cosmos. Nothing could stop it, or hold it, or reason with it - one day it would just drop out of the sky and tear down your world." The implication is that this is one of

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-32667889198131680802010-05-24T20:03:00.002+01:002010-05-24T20:18:01.068+01:00

China Miéville clearly quite likes Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, or perhaps he thinks it's deeply flawed. Either way, Kraken marks the second time, after the excellent Un Lun Dun, that he's tried to write his own version of Gaiman's story, but this attempt is rather less successful than the first. The characters are the weakest I've yet seen from Miéville. His protagonist goes from undefined nobody

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-11956238826291789832010-05-21T22:52:00.000+01:002010-05-21T22:52:13.973+01:00

For the first time in I think over a year, I've reviewed an Avengers comic: Up to now, my general opinion of Brian Michael Bendis's superhero comics work has been that he has no idea how to write superhero comics--which one might consider a significant flaw unless, of course, one happened to be a Marvel editor. He can't write action scenes, and he can't put together a plot--both of which are

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-60800949877816356922010-05-21T17:00:00.002+01:002010-05-22T09:59:53.183+01:00

Every year, Brighton does its Festival, complete with Edinburgh-emulating Fringe, and every year I think about being all cultural and going along, because it would be silly not to take advantage of such an event. Yet I never do. It's not well-known, but I'm a bit of a Shakespeare fan. I don't go on about it; you won't see me quoting his plays (except up there, obviously), and you won't get me

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-9633021393239468792010-05-08T13:18:00.006+01:002010-05-24T20:54:29.351+01:00

While Channel 4 brought in Jimmy Carr to make the world a little bit worse with every word that staggered from his stupid face, the BBC's election coverage turned out to be full of presumably unintentional comedy gems. Here are some of my favourites. "Where is Lembit Opik? Has he been killed?" "You're not ruling out the possibility of getting into bed with Peter Mandelson?" - Jeremy Paxman, in

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-90570461728576467582010-05-02T17:04:00.004+01:002010-05-02T17:08:57.255+01:00

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-11933197408095542852010-04-28T18:54:00.003+01:002010-04-28T20:34:24.918+01:00

Look, I'm no supporter of Gordon Brown, but if someone's whinging about "students" and "immigrants" ruining Britain, then guess what? Perhaps that person is indeed a bigot. That's not to excuse Brown, but let's not all act like he went mental and started insulting her for no reason.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-45400166766469203912010-04-15T19:09:00.004+01:002010-04-15T19:26:44.499+01:00

This whole leaders' debate thing is silly.First of all, it either shows or encourages a wilful ignorance of our electoral system. I can't be certain that the people who run ITV and Sky know how it works, but I'd have thought that the broadcaster with its own dedicated Parliament channel might be able to figure it out. A debate between the party leaders is all well and good, but the thing is, I'm

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-52855877748414742002010-04-14T20:57:00.001+01:002010-04-14T20:57:56.832+01:00

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-74950933853631204922010-04-13T18:19:00.002+01:002010-04-15T19:27:17.522+01:00

I seriously doubt I'll vote for Labour this time around, but I have to give Gordon Brown credit for his response to David Cameron unveiling the Tory manifesto:Prime Minister Gordon Brown said there was a "complete hole" in the Conservatives' plans.Well played, Mr Brown, well played.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-89739374077052127182010-04-12T20:39:00.004+01:002011-04-07T09:17:27.789+01:00

When the BBC announced that there was going to be a new series of Doctor Who games, I was a bit concerned, as I'm worried that they're spreading the franchise too thin as it is, but also because of this: From reading this article, it seems as if the games are in safe hands. Not only is Steven Moffat involved, but he also seems to understand the video game medium. Even better is the news that

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-25596759884176104282010-04-10T00:17:00.003+01:002010-04-10T00:22:24.509+01:00

Marvel "proudly" congratulates the creative team of the cancelled Captain Britain and MI: 13, which has nothing to do with the comic receiving a Hugo Award nomination, despite Marvel's best attempts to kill it, no, not at all.Still, the company is putting two issues of the title up for free online, at the above link, so that's something. Even if the Marvel digital comics interface is horrible and

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-40441142766908855392010-04-06T19:46:00.001+01:002010-04-06T19:47:46.437+01:00

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-62057691254484806142010-04-01T20:41:00.004+01:002010-04-01T20:58:57.468+01:00

Well, it's not a slavish imitation of the book, that's for sure. On the whole, Kick-Ass the movie is less bitter and nihilistic than its parent, and as such, loses some of the dark humour of the original, such as the sad revelation of Big Daddy's true origin. There is still a distinct irreverent edge to the film's approach to superheroics, but on the whole it is a much more traditional type of

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-51355410754178235152010-03-30T20:03:00.008+01:002010-04-02T12:27:33.281+01:00

Mark Millar doesn't do subtlety. It's one of his recurring problems, which is why he's better on big silly stuff like that brilliant twelve-part Wolverine story he did with John Romita Jr. So you'd think that something with a name like Kick-Ass would be right up his alley; however, like his Civil War, here he attempts to merge the big stupid stuff with proper writing like what grown-ups do, and

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-62602667040346510252010-03-17T18:14:00.001Z2010-03-17T18:19:02.479Z

The head of Ireland's Catholics has apologised for his role in mishandling the case of a serial child abuser.A Catholic adoption society has won a High Court battle over laws forcing it to consider gay couples as parents.Yeah, because they clearly are the right people to decide who can look after kids.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-23597700989659323962010-03-14T22:18:00.002Z2010-03-14T22:21:00.053Z

Sod Lady Gaga ripping off Tarantino and Japanese TV, this is better:

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-53212379716288851932010-03-07T21:22:00.005Z2010-03-08T08:13:57.320Z

The BBC has been under fire of late, with the most recent example being the planned cutbacks to their internet services, along with the axing of Asian Network and 6 Music.It's easy to moan about the BBC, about the licence fee, or about how output seems to be getting cheaper and more superficial, but I think we take the Beeb for granted. Spend some time in the US, for example, and you'll find you

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-61754178418746791952010-03-06T17:15:00.006Z2010-03-06T22:22:05.134Z

Action Comics #775Amazing Spider-Man #519-524The Authority #17The Authority: Devil's NightThe Authority vs Lobo: Jingle HellAvengers v3 #24Avengers United (UK) #6, 13, 16-18Batman Legends (UK) #1Binary #2,4Birds of Prey #19Buckaroo Banzai PreviewCaptain Marvel (2000) #11, (2002) #1The Chase #1Civil War: Opening Shot SketchbookCla$$war #1The Coffin #1-2Conan (Dark Horse) #0, 11-12Crimson (TPB) v1-

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-88664464936101763332010-02-24T15:06:00.002Z2010-02-24T15:09:59.483Z

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-5416014712594553642010-02-22T15:12:00.022Z2010-02-23T22:24:06.009Z

I meant to do this ages ago, when Nige did it, but I forgot, and Rol has since reminded me. So here goes, again in no particular order:10. Advanced Idea MechanicsHydra's goons get proper supervillain costumes. The Hand's ninjas all get pyjamas in which to go and get beaten up by Daredevil. AIM though, they get to wear, well, what they wear to work. I love that it's just their work uniform, no

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-69340314294856612492010-02-19T10:39:00.001Z2010-02-19T10:42:19.997Z

I have said that this new A-Team film looks a bit like kids playing dress-up, a sort of grown-up version of Son of Rambow. Or perhaps this:I'm not sure I can tell the difference.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-90229129188754675262010-02-15T19:47:00.003Z2010-02-15T19:56:43.918Z

I don't tend to do music posts. I'm not an erudite musichead like Rol; I discovered The Smiths twenty years after the fact, as a particularly embarrassing example. I tend to like stuff no one else does (but not Country, because even I'm not that out of touch), so I don't really feel like I have much to blog about music.My mate Bob knows a fair bit though, and he's in a band and everything.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-11539962404403627772010-01-11T21:46:00.003Z2010-01-11T21:55:10.988Z

I think the thing which sinks it is Neeson's hair. If they'd cast someone with white hair, it would have been fine, but to dye his white just makes it look like a fan film. There's some suggestion here that it's a disguise, but still.For some fun, let's see what kind of "A-Team" related puns we can come up with in the comments, before the film comes out, and all the presumably negative reviews

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-79163226189991760492009-12-19T14:00:00.011Z2009-12-24T10:36:35.832Z

I'm not sure I've seen ten new films this year, I've barely read more than a couple of new books, and I don't know enough about music to write about it without embarrassing myself, so I'm just going to pinch an idea from Rol and just do my ten favourite comic characters. So, in no particular order (except alphabetical):1. The Avengers: Immediately I cheat by chucking in a team. Oh well. I suspect

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-77472692913319600882009-11-09T20:21:00.001Z2009-11-09T20:23:59.289Z

Yee, and indeed, haw.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-37044282178298571642009-11-01T22:35:00.002Z2009-11-01T22:42:08.025Z

There's a film out soon, the trailer claiming that it is based on one of the greatest "holiday" stories of all time, "holiday" in this case, of course, being the American word for "we don't want to offend anyone by saying 'Christmas'". The film? Robert Zemeckis' Uncanny Valley version A Christmas Carol.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-27476271642730313272009-10-31T10:55:00.001Z2009-10-31T11:01:00.786Z

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5566379.post-3434449960187718912009-10-12T18:46:00.005+01:002010-08-22T17:05:53.549+01:00

Two months? Two ruddy months? Egad. Part of that is down to August and September being the busiest time of the year when one happens to work in the enrolment department of a college; early mornings, manic days and late nights all combine to make me pretty much useless by the end of the day. That's all done with now, so I can start to think about having some kind of non-work-related existence.

Kelvin Greenhttps://profiles.google.com/106317332650989453289noreply@blogger.com0