Today at ComicsAlliance, I offer up a review of the Astonishing X-Men Motion Comic, and in order to cement my status as a cranky old man before my 28th birthday hits on Thursday, I did not like it.
Now turn down that hippity-hop and get off my lawn, you good-for-nothings.
OMG, his pizza has a healing factor! How handy is that?
I’ve enjoyed motion comics in the past (Watchmen, Wolverine: Origins), but the ones I’ve seen seemed…smooth. This one you review, though, doesn’t. It seems icky. The “Marvel Super Heroes” cartoon reference is something I’ve thought before, and is a good reference point.
Good review!
Motion comics are a bullshit, stupid-looking waste-of-time-and-money scam.
I actually thought that the motion comic of Watchmen was a bigger travesty than the movie, despite just being an “animated” version of the art with all the original dialogue intact; the bizarre need to have characters caper from side to side for no reason than to show that they’re moving was somehow disturbing to me.
It was like the difference between being subjected to someone’s shitty Groucho impression (the movie) versus being beaten into unconsciousness, thrown into the back of a pickup and driven out to the graveyard, where, once you come around, Groucho’s body is dug up and manipulated, puppet-like as you’re forced to watch in horror* (the motion comic).
*Assuming for the sake of argument that you live within driving distance of Groucho’s grave and that his remains would still be in a state to allow such a thing.
What bugged me about the Watchmen motio comic was that it sounded like one dude did all the voices. Including Laurie’s. It reminded me of the radio play in Fallout 3. I don’t remember the capering, but I was barely paying attention. I should get around to watching the Spider Woman one, since it was done at the same time as the comic (and the dvd came with the trade).
I do have to say that I’m impressed that Valkyrie’s boyfriend out crankied you there, Chris. I may never be able to look at Groucho or motion comics the same again.
Old man? You’re the cool older brother. The true cranky, bitter old men of comics blogging are Tucker Stone and Dorian Wright.
You sat through a motion comic and took the time to write a well-reasoned article just so you could plug your birthday, Sims? Sneaky old man.
My ways are both subtle and devious.
Holy shit, the characters all look like they’re melting.
I’m going to have nightmares tonight about Kitty Pride and her freeform eyeballs coming to get me.
It sure doesn’t help that Whedon and Cassaday’s X-Men was, by and large, fucking horrible after the first arc. Search your feelings. You know it to be true.
“Logan, get off that couch and stop eating pizza all day long!”
Seriously though…. these animations mainly serve to highlight the limitations of the comics medium — i.e. that it’s not “really” moving (except in our miiiinds…).
Hey, any medium has its limitations, I’m not dissing comics here. Motion comics is just this awkward attempt to fuse comics and animation, but you end up with neither…
It seems weird to me that most hybrid-type things are the result of technological limitations (slow processors or download speed), but this looks more like a purely financial limitation. The iPhone/whatever can play full animation and full movies, so this ‘giant step backwards’ of a less-than-fully animated comic seems more like something ten years past its’ time.
still, i watched that first episode on Youtube and i must admit that by about halfway through i was at least getting used to it.
Dan – My attempts to convince people that Dangerous was one of the worst comics storylines of 2004/05 have generally fallen on deaf ears, sadly.
I agree with your review 100%, Chris.