Zatz Not Funny!
All your digital media goodness.
Writer: Jamie Delano
Artist: Jock
Letterer: Clem Robins
Apparently, all DC had to do to ensure a runaway success was put Jamie Delano back on Hellblazer. Our regular shop sold out of Pandemonium by the time we got there last Wednesday night. While out and about yesterday, we wound up calling six different shops, which only netted us one copy, Meltdown’s last. We had them hold it just in case. The effort was well worth it, though. There’s not many combinations of writer, artist, and subject that will make us drop $25 on a thin-ish hardcover sight unseen.
I cut my adult comic teeth on Hellblazer. While the first issue someone handed to me with the timeless order of “Read this” was written by Neil Gaiman, it was Jamie Delano that really drew me in to the character and his dysfunctional world. Hellblazer remains the only comic I hunted through back-issue bins for in the days before reliable trade publication, a fact I’m glad about now given the holes in the series’ republication.
While it takes place in the here and now, Hellblazer: Pandemonium feels like it fits perfectly into Delano’s run on the series. This is John as I remember him best: stumbling into trouble, shrugging his shoulders at it, and then meandering out again at his own pace. He certainly tries to do the most good on his way out, but does so with his usual charm- or lack thereof. Only John Constantine could lose himself to the wicked joy of sating his gambling addiction in a game of poker where the chips are human souls and not come out tainted on the other side.
The battle for your mobile identity may now have supplanted the living-room wars. This thought comes to mind as I watch the extended buzz around the Windows Phone 7 OS launch. As important as the new operating system is for Microsoft on mobile handsets, it’s equally strategic in its integration of several Microsoft properties: Xbox LIVE, Zune, and even Mediaroom. Microsoft built its success originally on an ecosystem of desktop applications. Now it’s attempting to recreate that omnipresence across a different set of devices, one that moves with you whether you’re in the office, living room, car, or anywhere else.
Identity may be too limiting of a concept here, but it does seem apt given that an ecosystem of integrated services leads to the ability to move among those services with greater ease. The different applications know who you are and (theoretically) deliver services accordingly. Google is possibly the most blatant example of this – your gmail address unlocks your online profile, contacts, Google docs, digital payment service, etc. – but the concept is popping up in a number of different places. Your identity through Comcast, Verizon, or whoever gives (or will give) you access to TV Everywhere services, free Wi-Fi, and more.
Meanwhile, individual apps now let you take your identity with you too. I can access my Snapfish photo albums on the HP Dreamscreen, or my custom Slacker radio stations on my Squeezebox or Android phone. The joy of the cloud.
All of this leads to the point that my digital identity is now mobile. And ultimately convenience is going to lead me to choose a mobile identity that operates multiple applications and services. Folks much smarter than I have been touting the OpenID concept for years, and it makes a lot of sense. But will it win out? Will it really be open? And will it encompass enough of what I use to make it worthwhile? Or will I end up locking myself in to an ecosystem that promises the best services or easiest access at a given time?
Dave picked up his Nike+ gear nearly three and a half years ago, and has since moved on to check out Runkeeper (a favorite of buddy Kevin Tofel), and, most recently at CES, the Adidas miCoach hardware. However, if you don’t have a GPS-enabled phone, and want to tread lightly into the world of workout tracking, you can’t beat the Nike+ iPod sensor. And if you’ve got a loved one with a predilection for outdoor runs, the $19 Valentine-Red accessory is an easy purchase. ($29 for the full sport kit if you don’t have a qualifying iPod/iPhone) I picked one up for my hubby this Valentine’s Day. You’ve still got time to run out to an Apple store and get yours.
Last month, Aliph unleashed their latest Jawbone Bluetooth earpiece. And PC Magazine declares the Icon to be “the best-designed and potentially the most flexible Bluetooth headset on the market.”
Of course the Icon features Jawbone’s trademark “NoiseAssassin.” But the Icon should also expand Jawbone’s customer base as the lowest priced Jawbone (at launch) – coming in at $100. Interestingly, Aliph has probably confirmed what we already knew in that Apple is done making Bluetooth earpieces, given authorized usage of the iPhone Bluetooth charge indicator.
However, the most dramatic new Jawbone feature is the five MyTalk voices that ship (or can be downloaded) with your Bluetooth headset. Which Gizmodo calls “laughably cheesy.” I have to agree the personas are somewhat over the top and entertaining. But not quite as amusing as I’d like. And, unfortunately, I don’t have the skills to create the sort of soundboard I was envisioning or to remix the various personalities into something like Revolucian’s instant classic Christian Bale tribute (NSFW). However, Dan Dorato turned me on to Garage Band and I pulled together my very first compilation in about 25 minutes on a flight to Vegas yesterday. Click the triangular play button below…
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I’ve threatened to expand our coverage for some time. And content is still king. It’s why we buy the gadgets we buy. So maybe it’s a wee bit ironic that we’re diving in with a primarily print medium. But it so just happens that I know a pair of comics experts in my old high school buddy Chad and his wife Janice. So let’s get this experiment rolling! -DZ
Chapter Three: 28
By: Fábio Moon & Gabriel Bá
Coloring: Dave Stewart
Lettering: Sean Konot
I wanted to review Daytripper when the first issue came out, before our blog existed. We set it up and issue two came out, and I still wanted to review it. I couldn’t bring myself to do it, though, and I’m glad I waited. Reviewing this series on the first issue wouldn’t have done it any justice or allowed me to really say anything; as it stands, I’m still hesitant to speak up on the third issue, because it’s going to be a work that’s judged on its whole. In a market where a great book like S.W.O.R.D. gets cancelled by the numbers on its third issue, it’s a pretty bold statement on Vertigo’s part to release something that’s not even going to really start to make sense until issue three. A lot of things started to click for me when I read “28″ last night, however, and I feel like it’s time to talk about it.
One of the best discoveries I made in film school was the work of Krzysztof Kieślowski. He had a way of taking normal, everyday moments in life and elevating them to levels of great importance and meaning. This worked to tie the everyday existence of his characters into the arching theme of the film, oftentimes resulting in the medium itself or one of its aspects taking a role as one of the characters. The camera in Red is as much an actor as Irène Jacob; the music in Blue is working as hard as Juliette Binoche. They all, in turn, work towards the common meaning, avoiding hitting the viewer over the head with it but still carrying the message. It’s done with purpose, but not didactically, and the end result is lyrical.
Bá and Moon are in the process of accomplishing the same thing with Daytripper. On the surface, each issue is a slice of Brás de Oliva Domingos’ life; not random, meaningless moments, but the normal points of focus we all encounter. The day we meet someone, the day they leave our lives. A trip somewhere you may never go again, an important milestone for someone close to you.
Sure it’s 2010 and you can now get your Olympics fix online (albeit with some headaches), but if you’re home in front of the big living-room screen, why not take advantage of the all-HD experience? NBC Universal is offering coverage on NBC, USA, MSNBC, CNBC, and Universal HD, and, as in years past, the broadcast company has made deals left and right with pay-TV operators to provide on-demand content.
Verizon FiOS:
Want Olympics fare on FiOS VOD? Verizon is promising highlights, complete event replays, info on the Olympic park in Calgary, and even Olympics trivia. On the HD front, FiOS customers will get less than half of the VOD content in high-def, but Verizon did just make the announcement that it’s launching MSNBC in HD, just in time for the opening ceremonies. Oh, and if you’re looking for some interactive TV, stay tuned for an on-screen FiOS app with medal counts, bios, and more.
Comcast Xfinity:
Yes, it’s officially Xfinity now in several markets, but so far the branding hasn’t changed on my Comcast guide. In any case, the VOD menu is full of Olympics clips: an intro of Team USA, physics lessons around different sports (hockey, snowboarding, etc.), a “Where Were You” category with highlights from yesteryear, and a “Best of the Day” selection, which promises daily coverage once the games begin. By my observation, it appears that all of the content is available in HD.
AT&T U-verse:
AT&T is heading into the Olympics not just with on-demand content, but also with a Multiview app for watching several events at once. The U-verse NBC Olympics Application includes up to four different channels on screen and links to information like event schedules, athlete bios, and medal count. According to AT&T, its on-demand fare will include “exclusive Team USA” videos. Not sure how valuable that will be, but exclusive is always good, right?
Something is coming? I’ll do my best to make the trek to NYC for live coverage. Begin your speculation in the comments… now!
