The first post, and I’m mentioning Spawn?

The first post has to be the hardest. Seriously, this is where you have to sell yourself, make people interested in continuing to read your blog along with, or (depending on their time) instead of someone else’s. After all, there are a ton of other comic/entertainment blogs online, and most of them are either critique sites, news sites, or self-promotion. Some are all three, which is what I hope to make of this someday. But you can get the specifics on the “About” page.

First, a little full disclosure. Yes, I’m a conservative. Yes, I’m a Christian. Yes, I’m 35. All of that makes me barely part of today’s “target demographic’. However, while the overall product may not be to my personal taste, I can still appreciate quality storytelling even when things turn me off. Take for example HBO’s animated Spawn series.

I can see my house from here!

(I’m still learning to use WordPress’s software, so bear through the first few posts. Oh, like your blog started out all nice and perfect from day one!)

I saw one episode and knew instantly this wasn’t my kind of show. For some odd reason I did watch another and that confirmed it. However, despite the rather bloody violence, dark themes, and having no clue how the whole God/Satan thing actually works (remember, I am a Christian), the voice acting was well done (it’s Keith David, how could it not?), the characters seemed well thought out and worth being interested is (who can’t feel sorry for a guy cut off from his family because he made a deal with the Devil, even if he deserved to burn in Hell), and the story does draw your attention for the full episode, if you can stomach the language, gore, and situations.

See, not my kind of show by any stretch of the imagination, but what I saw does demonstrate a certain level of quality storytelling. Just not enough, and frankly it does give me concern about what goes on in Todd McFarlane’s head. (As do some of the comics I’ve skimmed or read about, and not just his “baby”.) I can still appreciate the work that went into it, from the writing to the animation to the voice work. And there are more examples. However, don’t think I’m not going to rant about things that bother me. Check that “About” page. Long story short: vulgarity, violence, nudity/sex, and gore just for the sake of having them rather than fulfilling the needs of the story just seems wrong, needless, and loses a lot of potential audience. Although, I do love a good explosion.

And the fun really starts next year (hopefully) when I start making my own comics, since there are stories I want to read and see that nobody’s making. So I’m not just going to complain about how awful most of the stuff coming out of Hollywood today (although there will be plenty of that), nor how great everything was in the old days (some stuff does not stand up to time, and I’ll fully admit a lot of my enjoyment comes from nostalgia or just being a fan of odd things). On the other hand, while today’s writers avoid some of what didn’t work back then, they have abandoned what they did right. Then there are the editors of comics, producers of shows, and various parties with their own, barely disguised agendas that they’ll either swear they don’t have or slander anybody who doesn’t agree with them. So what we have here is a three-fold agenda (at least I admit to one):

• To call out the entertainment media (primarily comics and TV) when they mess it up
• To showcase when they get/got it right
• To be part of the solution rather than simply ranting like a crochety old man (only 35)

So I hope I add something to the blogosphere, and can post at least once a week (hopefully more) with something worth reading. Between time, stringing my thoughts together, and whatever else comes along (I’d already have a comic if illness hadn’t robbed me of Spring–stupid Crohn’s Disease and your inflammation!), I can’t promise a post a day. However, if I can make the wait worth it and contribute something, I’ll be satisfied. So welcome to the BW Media Spotlight. Enjoy!

Did I mention I tend to ramble? Yeah, plan to work on that, but better here than some other blog’s comments section. Hmm, maybe it’s a four-fold agenda?