Review: End of Month Reviews #72 - December 2009 [spoilers]

[Andrew Perron]

On Sun, 31 Jan 2010 23:58:22 +0000 (UTC), Scott Eiler wrote:

> On Jan 30, 6:15 pm, Saxon Brenton <saxonbren... at hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> Digital JUMP! #12
>> 'LEMBAS! Turn Down Your Lights Where Applicable'
>> A Legion of Net.Heroes [LNH] series
>> by Andrew Perron
>>
>> On The Deadbeat Special: Beige Happy Hour!
>> A Net.Trenchcoat Brigade [NTB] story
>> by Arthur Spitzer
> 
> Have any of you ever had a problem diving into a comic-book universe
> that's been around for twenty years or more?  I haven't successfully
> made it into Legion of Net.Heroes before now.  Usually I trip over the
> inside jokes.  (Seiler smash puny Dvandom Stranger!)   I'll keep
> looking at the new material, but I'm not going to try to catch up with
> the old.  But I do see some hope...

I know what you mean.  Of course, I started reading comics in the
continuity-heavy crossoveriffic early '90s, so I got used to it, but!

I tried to make DJ! #12 pretty new-reader-friendly, both to those new to
the series and those new to the LNH.  Not sure how well I succeeded.

>> Legion of Net.Heroes Volume 2 #33
>> 'Gathering Dust'
>> Misanthropic Tales of the Net.Trenchcoat Brigade {high concept 5 contest}
>> by Saxon Brenton
> 
> This story taught me respect for LNH.  When you want to write a
> straight adventure story, it's nice to have a universe full of
> original characters ready (such as Doubt the Eighth Endless), plus
> protocols for swiping, er, making more (such as the Load Ranger).  It
> had two stories worth of action, and met the terms of the High Concept
> challenge admirably.

If you're going to catch up on any LNH series, LNH v2 is the one I'd pick.
...okay, after Limp-Asparagus Lad and Easily-Discovered Man.  But LNH v2
gives more of the flavor of the overall LNH.

> Just one quibble:  I think it's kind of silly to change the name of
> Nevada (Neva.Dir?  How about Net.Vada?), but I guess it's no sillier
> than Gotham City.  And in a shared universe, a rule's a rule.

Honestly, you don't have to - pretty sure there were some early authors who
didn't do the net.names.  But it's a style point, y'know?

>>      All that social interacting gives full opportunities to compare and
>> contrast the attitudes of different eras.
> 
> Andrew liked how the Gelding was optimistic about the present.  I
> liked how the Gelding was realistic about the past.  Pretty much the
> same thing, only I usually try not to be called optimistic.

And I'm the kind of person who sees optimism as realistic!  So.

>> And if that wasn't enough, the
>> character of Dr Palmer Smith, who is one of the scientists who helps
>> reactivate the Gelding, is also bought to bear.
> 
> I've already mentioned, the one thing I though the story was missing
> was menace.  Maybe Dr. Smith has a robot cowboy ready to break Our
> Heroic Robot Horse.

That'd be interesting, but I get the feeling that actually doing something
that proactive would be against his character.  Maybe some kind of psychic
device that projects his inner desires?

>>      I rather liked this one.  Now, it has to be said that the brevity
>> of the story and the fact that it's a vignette for a larger mosaic
>> setting are still making me hunger for longer stories that focus on a
>> particular aspect of the Earth being thrown into a new orbit.
> 
> But writing long stories is haaard.  8{C>

See, I'd start with something like "The Mayas Were Right", then add detail.
Go over it a few times, putting a little extra description and dialogue in
each time.

> In the best tradition of comic book monsters, this
> thing has the full powers of its creators.  That is to say, it's as
> good at astronomy as the entire Mayan priesthood.

With the porportional stargazing of a Chilam Balam!

>> Or will it rise again in only
>> a few years and have to recalculate all over again?
> 
> Only if someone moves the Earth again.  Which one can never rule out,
> in a world like this.

Heck, the quest to move it back could be a long-term plot-driver.

Andrew "NO .SIG MAN" "Juan" Perron, sort of like Decimation should've been.