WordBalloon, on the other hand, is an outlet for unanimous praise. Its content often verges on advertising, and it has an obvious existential (if not financial?) interest in nothing but positivity. It is conducted by a professional radio host with a clear desire to play nice with professional creators so that they'll return to the show again. (For example, see a certain podcast John did years ago with Jeph Loeb, in which Ultimates 3 was hailed as a irreproachable work and any reader who didn't think so was called an idiot. Loeb put forth those conjectures, and John smilingly agreed. The episode was extremely memorable in its shamelessness.) Negative criticism is basically verboten on WordBalloon, and I have only ever heard of one instance (Matt Fraction being interviewed about Fear Itself) when John actually took a creator to task for anything.
Does that mean that John is being a "shill", here? That DC Animation is paying him to come on here and defend their cartoons?
No, but it does mean that he's always in the mindset of explaining and excusing everything away. Defending the industry, and every subpar product in it, no matter what. I'm sure there are writers, artists, comics and cartoons that he doesn't like, but whatever enters his realm of discussion must be praised.
This is the same guy who made a big stink a few months ago when CGS gave X-Men Legacy #1 a poor review. Meanwhile every other review site that I saw also gave the book dismal, single-star ratings as well.
But, hey, to each their own. If John wants to go out of his way defend X-Men Legacy #1, Ultimates 3, and an obviously imperfect DC cartoon finale, that's his opinion and that's his sad problem.
Hilarious!
My complaint about Murd's critique of X-Men Legacy was the fact that he didn't feel the title represented what we got in the book. (shrug) I think Legion trying to figure out what his dad and his life's mission was all about sounds like a subject that could be titled X-Men Legacy. Pretty basic.
Word Balloon is an outlet for me to interview creators who's work I like, and sure it gives creators the chance to promote their books. That's kind of standard for any interview talk show.
Unanimous praise? Well there's only one host and the guest, so I guess that;'s unanimous, although I've told Loeb directly that there are books of his I like and others I don't. Do I have to do that everytime he's on?
I think you can figure out what I don't like, by the lack of certain creators or subjects that aren't brought up on the show.
You looking for a rip fest? If so, than my show isn't for you.
I do give all creators the benefit of the doubt that they're trying to be entertaining, even when their stories fail.
And IIRC Loeb and I talked about Ultimates 3 being judged when only 2 issues of a 5 or 6 spart story are out. that's;like reviewing the Usual suspects before you discover who Keyser Soze is, of Citizen Kane's Rosebud.
I'd rather hear what the creators were trying to do, rather than come from the POV of "Why do you suck at what you're doing?' I usually get much more interesting answers.
and why doesn't the shamrock shake taste good like it did when I was a kid, when I now mix in booze...oh wait, it actually does tastets good. Never mind.
One bit of advice. When you finish the first series and go onto the second series, if you watch the second series on DVD, there is a special video in the extra content section that would you should probably watch first as it's a special look at the 10th Doctor that was filmed for a British organization called "Children In Need" and it takes place between the last episode of the first series and the Christmas Invasion episode which launches the second series. It's pretty good and about 7 minutes long. .
Thanks for the tip. I watched the series one finale and Christmas invasion episode already since they just showed them on BBC America, but I tracked down the "Children In Need" special and it does fit nicely in between the two.
“We really wish that we would have gotten more seasons,” and acknowledging that in the finale, “A lot of questions are answered but it was written with the assumption that there would be more seasons.”As to why Green Lantern only got one season, Keaton said, “From what I’ve heard the performance of the [Green Lantern] movie made it so there was a lot of movie toys still in stores. And so the stores didn’t necessarily differentiate between one being movie toys and others being animated series toys. They just said, ‘Green Lantern? We already have those.’ And so because of that, a toyline wasn’t even made. And because a toyline wasn’t made, we really didn’t have the funding to go on in that sense, because a lot of funding is tied to that. So it’s unfortunate. It wasn’t because the fans didn’t like it. It wasn’t because of the ratings. It really, at that point, came down to the merchandise, and we had a lot to overcome from the performance of the film and that’s where it was.”
I made the posts in this thread because I'd assume it changes Jamie's view on the finale and also gets the truth out to other listeners. I assume that's the same reason John of Wordballoon came here as well. I still love CGS, I love Wordballoon. It's a discussion. It's what Pants asks people to do at the end of each show.
Who gives a fuck who these shows are made for? I watch them and my 4 year old daughter watches them. Whatever the production cycle of GL was doesn't matter to me either. The ending worked for me and it didn't for Jamie D and that is fine.
I also don't always like reviews that are of the "this isn't the story I wanted" but it is also very difficult to leave years of baggage behind and strictly review what is on the screen, album or page and not filter it through some lens. Personally I want to scream every time Pants mentions how he isn't really enjoying new 52 and misses the old characters and continuity. Those aren't the stories DC is telling but I understand his investment in the old DCU.
There are 2 ways to look at this. Either read the book and review based on what is on the page or read the book and either like it or not based on the expectations and biases you brought to the book. Most reviews are probably a mix of the two approaches. Even the most objective, academic, cold review has some reader/listener/viewer bias.
and why doesn't the shamrock shake taste good like it did when I was a kid, when I now mix in booze...oh wait, it actually does tastets good. Never mind.
Since its on the table, I love Grey Goose, on the rocks...with just a lime.
Personally, I've very mixed feelings about Big Finish. On the one hand it's great to hear people speak the English language beautifully and it's classic Who. On the other I find the stories to be very "preachy" (especially those featuring Colin Baker). I am very thankful that it's given McGann a place to explore his Doctor. I've enjoyed his adventures very much.
The Colin Baker stories from Big Finish I've heard have been the ones I've enjoyed the most, but I can see where you're getting the preachy vibe from. I think that works for his Doctor, though, and I'm something of 6 apologist, anyway, so maybe you can't go by me. But let him expound on language like in ...ish or riff on Gilbert & Sullivan like in Doctor Who and the Pirates, and I'm a happy fanboy.
I owe the show and the forum a big thanks for continually discussing GL and Young Justice. I've been checking them both out and enjoying them very much. It sucks they both got canned so soon, but 2 seasons is better than none.
Pants, welcome to Doctor Who! Big fan here, I can't wait to hear your thoughts on future episodes.
(I'd totally support a CGS Who-centric spinoff 'cast. Just a thought...)
Matt's right: Grey Goose is very good, and smooth.
Are the Big Finish productions available in the States? I bought my son a few from the UK but they were a bit pricey that way.
Yes. You can buy the CDs or download directly (which is usually quite a bit cheaper). If you're logging in from the US, it should display in US funds, anyway (it always does for me).
I've just been buying downloads, especially when they're running sales. And you can log back in to redownload any past purchases if you want to go back and listen to them again later.
Comments
My complaint about Murd's critique of X-Men Legacy was the fact that he didn't feel the title represented what we got in the book. (shrug) I think Legion trying to figure out what his dad and his life's mission was all about sounds like a subject that could be titled X-Men Legacy. Pretty basic.
Word Balloon is an outlet for me to interview creators who's work I like, and sure it gives creators the chance to promote their books. That's kind of standard for any interview talk show.
Unanimous praise? Well there's only one host and the guest, so I guess that;'s unanimous, although I've told Loeb directly that there are books of his I like and others I don't. Do I have to do that everytime he's on?
I think you can figure out what I don't like, by the lack of certain creators or subjects that aren't brought up on the show.
You looking for a rip fest? If so, than my show isn't for you.
I do give all creators the benefit of the doubt that they're trying to be entertaining, even when their stories fail.
And IIRC Loeb and I talked about Ultimates 3 being judged when only 2 issues of a 5 or 6 spart story are out. that's;like reviewing the Usual suspects before you discover who Keyser Soze is, of Citizen Kane's Rosebud.
I'd rather hear what the creators were trying to do, rather than come from the POV of "Why do you suck at what you're doing?' I usually get much more interesting answers.
M
Allright, let's take a listen to Hal Jordan himself, Josh Keaton:
ign.com/articles/2013/03/19/green-lantern-the-animated-series-star-josh-keaton-discusses-the-shows-end
“We really wish that we would have gotten more seasons,” and acknowledging that in the finale, “A lot of questions are answered but it was written with the assumption that there would be more seasons.”As to why Green Lantern only got one season, Keaton said, “From what I’ve heard the performance of the [Green Lantern] movie made it so there was a lot of movie toys still in stores. And so the stores didn’t necessarily differentiate between one being movie toys and others being animated series toys. They just said, ‘Green Lantern? We already have those.’ And so because of that, a toyline wasn’t even made. And because a toyline wasn’t made, we really didn’t have the funding to go on in that sense, because a lot of funding is tied to that. So it’s unfortunate. It wasn’t because the fans didn’t like it. It wasn’t because of the ratings. It really, at that point, came down to the merchandise, and we had a lot to overcome from the performance of the film and that’s where it was.”
I made the posts in this thread because I'd assume it changes Jamie's view on the finale and also gets the truth out to other listeners. I assume that's the same reason John of Wordballoon came here as well. I still love CGS, I love Wordballoon. It's a discussion. It's what Pants asks people to do at the end of each show.
I also don't always like reviews that are of the "this isn't the story I wanted" but it is also very difficult to leave years of baggage behind and strictly review what is on the screen, album or page and not filter it through some lens. Personally I want to scream every time Pants mentions how he isn't really enjoying new 52 and misses the old characters and continuity. Those aren't the stories DC is telling but I understand his investment in the old DCU.
There are 2 ways to look at this. Either read the book and review based on what is on the page or read the book and either like it or not based on the expectations and biases you brought to the book. Most reviews are probably a mix of the two approaches. Even the most objective, academic, cold review has some reader/listener/viewer bias.
M
I owe the show and the forum a big thanks for continually discussing GL and Young Justice. I've been checking them both out and enjoying them very much. It sucks they both got canned so soon, but 2 seasons is better than none.
Pants, welcome to Doctor Who! Big fan here, I can't wait to hear your thoughts on future episodes.
(I'd totally support a CGS Who-centric spinoff 'cast. Just a thought...)
Matt's right: Grey Goose is very good, and smooth.
Thanks again!
I've just been buying downloads, especially when they're running sales. And you can log back in to redownload any past purchases if you want to go back and listen to them again later.