September 28, 2014

INTJ

First off, before we get started here, I'd like to shove you in the general direction of gently nudge you toward the new page I created on my current WIP novel.

And now that you've done that (You have, right? Thanks. You're an awesome human being. High five!), on to the actual post. Basically, I'm going to list a few characters who supposedly share my personality type and my thoughts on them and our similarities (because I like making lists).

If you want to try this, you can take the test here and find the character list here.

Brief summary of my type (INTJ): INTJs are clever, analytical, pragmatic and logical, and are not scared to tell someone (or themselves) when they're being stupid. They emphasize efficiency, making them simultaneously loners and excellent leaders.

Batman from DC Comics
As you probably already know, I'm not a huge DC fan and I really don't know enough about him to judge my thoughts on this one, but hey, I'm Batman!

Ebeneezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol
Um I really don't think so but oookay? Maybe I can see him being an INTJ, but I'm still not really very much like him.

Four (Tobias Eaton) from Divergent
I haven't read Divergent yet but I'm going to file this away for future reference.

Some Incarnations of the Doctor from Doctor Who
That's not very helpful. Maybe if I knew which ones it was talking about? Twelve, I suppose?

Severus Snape and Lord Voldemort from Harry Potter
NOPE. Voldemort isn't an INTJ.  I can say that for a fact. I mean, those long "I'm going to gloat and rant about you before I kill you" speech he does every time he gets his hand on Harry isn't very "clever, pragmatic, and logical" of him, is it? Maybe I can go with Snape. But not Voldemort.

Marvin the Paranoid Android from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
AHAHAHA My life is complete. I am Marvin the Paranoid Android. I guess I can maybe see a tiny bit of a resemblance? Maybe?

Smaug from The Hobbit
Why yes I do have a nasty habit of hoarding treasure. This is turning into less of a "deep thoughts on my similarities to the characters" and more of a sarcastic commentary.

Amon from The Legend of Korra
WOAH OKAY let's take a detour and talk about storylines that don't live up to their potential, yes? Because Amon and the Equalists had a lot of wasted potential. When they were first introduced, I had kind of expected them to be more of a metaphor for other real life equal rights movements. But then the show kind of brushed them off as being bad guys who think that the Benders are privileged even though they aren't. I felt like the storyline would have been a lot more interesting if it were more about Korra questioning the world as she knew it, and who was right- the Benders or the Equalists. If that makes any sense? Anyway. Back on track.

Scar from The Lion King
Why am I always the bad guy? Geez.

Loki from the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Um, yeah, I can agree with that one, actually. Even though he's a villain.

Tiana from The Princess and the Frog
YES AN AWESOME AND AMBITIOUS DISNEY LADY! AND SHE'S NOT A VILLAIN!

Professor James Moriarty and Sherlock Holmes from Sherlock Holmes
Annnnd another villain.

Khan from Star Trek: Into Darkness
First Sherlock, and now Khan. I'm sensing a pattern here.

So basically a short list of villains, with a few heroes and more sympathetic villains scattered in between. And I must say, I like a lot of the characters on this list.

September 19, 2014

My Favorite Comic Books

So, yes. It's been a really really long time since I actually posted on here. But hopefully I'm back now! And to get this blog up and running again, I've compiled a list of my favorite comic books, including what I liked, what I didn't like, etc. Enjoy!



The Avengers
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Main Characters: Iron Man, Captain America (Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes), Thor, Red Hulk, Spider-Man, Hawkeye, Wolverine, Spider-Woman
What I Liked: I've actually liked a lot of the Brian Michael Bendis stuff I've read so far. He does a really good job with the team dynamics, and sometimes the plotlines.
What I Didn't Like: You know how I said "sometimes" the plotlines? Yeah, well, in Avengers they're kind of a hit or a miss. Some I loved, some I didn't.
The Verdict: 6/10



Hawkeye
Writer: Matt Fraction
Main Characters: Clint Barton, Kate Bishop, and Pizza Dog
What I Liked: They were really funny, and the characters were really relatable. It was also really interesting reading a comic about a not-so-super hero while he's not being a... well... hero. And the cameos in vol. 2 were a lot of fun too. And Pizza Dog. I love Pizza Dog.
What I Didn't Like: It's fun. Not that that's a bad thing, but sometimes it feels like that was the sole goal of the book. When the plot did get "serious", it felt kind of... I don't know... dull. I dunno. Maybe I'm not making much sense here. Anyway.
The Verdict: 8/10



Amazing X-Men
Writer: Jason Aaron? I think?
Main Characters: Nightcrawler, Wolverine, Storm, Firestar, Northstar, Iceman, Azazel
What I Liked: Firestar's character development was great. Her change through the course of the story... She became a lot more confident in her place as an X-Man. And Nightcrawler's back! He's been one of my favorites ever since I got into X-Men. So that was great. I guess... just the characterizations overall. And the plot was very well done, too.
What I Didn't Like: The way it ended. I can't really go into detail without spoilers, but... just no. I didn't like the ending.
The Verdict: 8/10



Young Avengers
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Main Characters: Wiccan, Hulkling, Miss America, Kate Bishop, Kid Loki, Speed, Prodigy, Marvel Boy/ Noh Varr/ The Protector/ whatever he calls himself
What I Liked: The team dynamics and character development were AMAZING. I loved each and every one of the characters. And the writing was hilarious. And Billy and Teddy were just so darn CUTE together.
What I Didn't Like: The plot felt really rushed sometimes, like they were trying to cram too much into too few pages. And am I the only one who didn't get the whole Kid-Loki-Turning-Into-Teenage-Loki thing? I dunno.
The Verdict: 9/10



Excalibur (Classic)
Writer: Chris Claremont
Main Characters: Captain Britain, Meggan, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Rachel Summers
What I Liked: These are probably the oldest comics I've read which means they're from before 2000 and WOAH THERE'S MORE THAN ONE TOKEN GIRL ON THE TEAM THIS IS SHOCKING. But seriously. The plot was great (I loved the concept of the Warwolves), and a lot of my favorite characters were included.
What I Didn't Like: I found the art kind of meh, but that's just personal preference. It's also annoyingly hard to get your hands on a copy.
The Verdict: 7/10



Runaways
Writers: Brian Vaughan and Joss Whedon
Main Characters: Gertrude Yorkes, Karolina Dean, Nico Minoru, Chase Stein, Molly Hayes, Alex Wilder, Xavin, Victor Macha
What I Liked: Um. EVERYTHING. No. Just kidding. I'll try to be a bit more specific here. Most of the time, the art was great (most of the time meaning "when it wasn't that weird manga stuff"). The plotlines were stupendous. But the best part was the character development. If you like excellent, three dimensional characters, chances are you'll LOVE Runaways. As an added bonus, Joss Whedon was such a huge fan that when Brian Vaughan left he wrote a few issues.
What I Didn't Like: As mentioned before, after a little while, (around vol 9 I think?) the art style switched to a really weird manga-but-not-really thing and I didn't like it at all. Also, since the series was canceled in 2009, there are a ton of strings left untied that'll have you making up headcanons for years to figure out what happened.
The Verdict: 10/10 as long as you pretend everything after Joss Whedon's books never existed.



All New X-Men
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Main Characters: Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, Angel, Archangel, Iceman, Shadowcat, Storm, Mystique (I feel like I'm forgetting someone, though...)
What I Liked: The plot was really unique, and it was pretty cool to see all the old X-Men trying to adjust to modern day life. Kitty's banter with Bobby was a lot of fun to read. The dark path Jean has started heading down is pretty interesting, although I'm not quite sure what's up with her relationship with Hank? But oh well. He's got to be better than Scott.
What I Didn't Like: SCOTT SUMMERS. Ugh. That guy. Get it? Huh? Huh? Thinly veiled Night Vale reference? But seriously. He's starting to get on my nerves. A lot.
The Verdict: 8/10