Maybe Friendship Really Is Magic

Back in January, I wrote a post about My Little Pony spurred on by my daughter getting one of the happy meal toys based on the new version of that cartoon from my childhood. I was pretty disappointed with the new look of the updated ponies and had concluded that we would be sticking with the old school version of the cartoons when and if I let my daughter watch any MLP down the road. At the time, I saw that there had been a few straight-to-DVD movies released aroundabouts 2006 and they looked thoroughly meh, so I really didn't think they were worth my time and attention. What I had neglected to notice was that the toy that spurred my thoughts on the topic (and my daughter's toothpaste design) was actually brought in by a new new MLP show, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, created by a completely different team (as far as I can tell) than the 2006 movies. Had I noticed this at the time I probably still wouldn't have cared, I'll admit. My mind was pretty made up.

But then I was talking to my husband sometime in the last few months and we somehow got onto the topic of MLP (I have no idea how), and he asked if I had been watching the new version. I told him no, of course not. He said he had actually heard really good things about it, and that it was the people behind Powerpuff Girls who had made this new version. Now, I love PPG, and my husband knows it. I kind of feel like that is exactly the kind of cartoon I want my little girl to grow up watching, because while yeah, there's an element of the girly to it, it also has a huge element of kick-butt and independent thinking involved. As well as just being completely entertaining. My husband implored me to give the new MLP a try. That's right, my husband asked me to watch My Little Pony. I told him sure, I'd check it out at some point, and the matter didn't really come up again.

A little time goes by...and all of a sudden, I can't get away from the new ponies. Apparently there's this whole concept of "bronies" that has sprung up around Friendship is Magic. A combination of "bro" and "ponies" it refers to the fact that a ton of teenage and up guys (and gals) have totally gotten hooked on the show. Artist Lar DeSouza (who draws for two of my favorites, Looking for Group and Least I Could Do) is among their ranks, and in June finally gave in and started sketching his own ponies in homage. He drew himself as a pony, and then the Looking For Group character Richard as one as well (Richard's battle cry is "For Pony!" so this seemed especially appropriate). He spread his pony love by drawing fellow comic artist Joel Watson, of Hijinks Ensue, as a pony also. The last straw came about two weeks ago when Katie Cook, the genius behind Gronk, mentioned that she, too, has become totally enamored of Friendship is Magic and drew a Gronk pony, which was just the cutest thing ever. There's even a site on the CHEEZburger network called My Little Brony. It is LOLcats with ponies, y'all. These are two of my favorites that I've seen:

I finally caved and started watching the show. I set it to record in my DVR and my daughter and I have been catching up on the first season ever since. It is actually kind of spectacular. Suddenly the extra stylized look and big eyes of the new ponies are forgivable, because they make sense in the context of the show, which is drawn in a very anime-inspired style. The pony Pinkie Pie, with the balloons on her butt? Yeah, she's kind of one of my favorites now. Lauren Faust, who served as a writer and director for Powerpuff Girls, created Friendship is Magic, serving as a writer and producer on the first season, and set to continue as a writer for the upcoming second season. The PPG influence is definitely there for those who are looking for it, but I feel like it also manages to capture a lot of the spirit and charm of the original series, which was an extremely pleasant surprise for me. There's even a dragon, yay!

The basic premise of the show, from what I can gather, is that Twilight Sparkle, a student of pony royalty Princess Celestia, has been kind of isolated and had her nose stuck in her books for most of her life. So Princess Celestia decides to expand her pupil's education by sending Twilight Sparkle and her assistant Spike (the dragon) down to Ponyville to continue her studies but also to get out and meet other ponies and make friends. Each episode Twilight Sparkle learns some lesson of how friendship works and she sends a report back to Princess Celestia with what she's learned (the moral of the story, so to speak). It's a cutesy concept, sure, but it works to show that people ponies are not perfect and give and take is part of the normal course of things. Other than the bit at the end, the show doesn't try to cram the "lesson" down the viewer's throat, and the writers do a good job of just making it become apparent throughout the episode.

I like that there are different kinds of ponies as well--pegasus ponies, regular ponies, and unicorns (who have magic). It's fun to watch how the ponies manipulate their environment given that their hooves don't give them the best grasp of things and they lack opposable thumbs. That is a neat level of detail, and the fact that the show runners are paying attention to that kind of thing impresses me, I'll admit. Also, instead of saying "everyone" and "nobody" and the like, they all say "everypony" or "nopony." I have decided to find this cute rather than be annoyed by it.

In one of those weird convergences, we started watching the show right before my daughter's birthday, and even though I hadn't mentioned it to anyone, she got two different MLP toys for her birthday. I was very pleased to see that the actual toys are not so skinny as the happy meal toys were (even though the happy meal toys do seem to be more on par with how the ponies on the show look).

Sweetie Belle doll, Baby Girl loves giving her her bottle.

Twilight Sparkle balloon playset. 

A better look at Twilight Sparkle, not an anorexic pony, yay!

Spike the dragon.

Compare the happy meal version with the toy.

Happy Meal Twilight Sparkle.

Granted, I am not giving all updates of shows from my childhood a reprieve (I still refuse to budge on the Strawberry Shortcake nonsense), and I still would really rather people just came up with their own new thing. But I have to say, after giving the new My Little Pony a chance, I am definitely on board. It is fun to be able to watch it with my daughter and know that we are both enjoying it, even it if is on completely different levels. And I'll admit it, the thought of my daughter having her own set of ponies to play with as she grows up makes me a little warm and fuzzy inside. I've already hunted down the basic pony toys of the main six characters. I will likely be getting her at least a few of those for Christmas.

Still, I did go ahead and order the original movie. It doesn't hurt to make sure she knows where this is coming from, right? We watched it last night, and I can admit that, as much as I love the old-school version, as much as I will always love it, the new one is actually probably better. I think the storytelling on the modern version is a lot tighter and the production values, as you might expect with over twenty-five years of advancement, are much better. It is a kids show, sure, but it doesn't feel quite as slapped together as the fare from my day. I thought that Spike the baby dragon was a holdover from the original, and was glad to see I was right. In fact, he is the only character with the same name and appearance (if updated) from back in the day. Clearly Lauren Faust digs dragons. I can get behind that. I did enjoy picking out which old-school ponies had inspired the newer characters too.

And my daughter still totally dug it. That made me happy, oh yes it did.

Webcomics Are Awesome: Not For Kids Edition

So one of the interesting developments with the rise of webcomics is the fact that these comic strips are not being run in your daily paper.  That means that, while many webcomic artists try to make their strips fun and appropriate for the whole family, they certainly don't have to.  And there are quite a few that don't.

Today I thought I would share with you some of those that choose to break the traditional view that comics are only for kids.  I would rate these M for mature audiences due to language or content or both.  These aren't everyone's cup of tea, to be sure, but I enjoy them. Links in the name of the strip are to the comic's "about" page where available and to the first archived strip where not.

Gutters created by Ryan Sohmer (Art Director:  Lar deSouza, Artist:  various)
Updated:  Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Type:  Non-serial

This strip comes from the guys that created Looking For Group, which I have talked about before.  It is a series of stand alone strips that, as Sohmer describes them, basically amount to "an editorial cartoon targeting comic books."  Here Sohmer pokes fun at not only the comic book industry, but also the characters and stories found within their pages.  It is done lovingly, but with a biting humor that is hard to resist.  While his long-time colleague deSouza is the Art Director for the strip, one of the really nifty hooks of Gutters is that each strip is drawn by a different artist from within the webcomic and comic book industries, which results in a lot of absolutely gorgeous panels to look at.  The strip has only been up and running since last June, so it is an easy one to go back and get caught up on, although it is not necessary to do so since there are no story arcs.  The first strip can be found here. 

Hijinks Ensue by Joel Watson
Updated:  Monday through Friday
Type:  Non-serial (with the occasional multiple-strip story arc)

This is another webcomic that I decided to subscribe to after being directed to it many times by Whedonesque (the website that keeps track on all articles related to the Whedonverse and people perceived to belong to it).  Basically, this is a comic about geeky things, by geeks, for geeks.  Watson's strips often revolve around the current happenings in television shows, the news, video games, and other things of that sort.  The main characters in the strip are caricaturisations of himself and two of his friends.  The humor is often dark and snarky, in a way that provides an outlet for that nerd rage so many of us often feel.  It has been running since May of 2007 and you can find the first strip here should you wish to, though Watson freely admits that there is no need to start from the beginning, and in fact, the art gets much better the more the strip progresses.  Mostly just one-off jokes about whatever is going on in the world of geeks right now, this is a great strip to just dive right on into. 

Least I Could Do by Ryan Sohmer and Lar deSouza
Updated:  Daily
Type:  Serial (Monday-Saturday)

Huh.  Oh look, it's those guys again.  Yup, this is the "real world" comic by the Looking for Group guys.  It centers around an absolutely ridiculous sex-crazed guy named Rayne and his, um, adventures.  I started reading this because I love Looking for Group and wanted to check out more by this duo.  I'll admit, though, this has kind of become like a train-wreck that I can't look away from.  It's definitely the raciest of the webcomics I read.  There are the occasional nerdy references, of course, and Rayne is surrounded by friends and family who actually seem to be pretty well adjusted, and keep the story grounded.  More or less.  On Sundays the site runs a series of "Beginnings" one-off strips that show Rayne as a kid.  Dennis the Menace had nothing on him, let me tell you.  But it is an enjoyable strip, and it isn't always about sex.  I am not really sure how to describe this one, other than that.  Here I would just have to say, go check it out, read a week or two worth of strips, and see if it is your thing.  It's been running since February of 2003, and the first strip is here.  One day I am going to go back and get caught up on these, and then maybe I'll actually know what the heck is going on.  But that day is not today. 

Our Valued Customers by MRTIM

Updated:  Daily
Type:  Non-serial

Okay, technically, this one is a blog, not a comic.  This blogger works in a comic book store and at some point started doing little sketches of the people that come into his store and the crazy stuff they say.  That's all it is, but it is lovely.  With a few sketched lines and a little bit of dialogue, he manages to paint a picture of these people as clearly as if they were standing right in front of you, just waiting to be smacked.  Seriously, most of them need it.  I don't think it has been running for very long, but it is kind of hard to tell, because I don't see an archive link on the blog, unfortunately.  Thankfully, this is just one you can dive right into though.

Penny Arcade by Gabe and Tycho

Updated:  Frequently
Type:  Non-serial (mostly)

This is a long, long running webcomic.  If you're a gamer, you've probably heard about it.  It is mostly about video games and sometimes about technology or other nerd stuff.  Occasionally they'll get a story and go for a few strips in a row with that.  It is irreverent, and the language is definitely rated R or higher.  I'll admit that I only get about half of the jokes, because these guys are hardcore gamers on a level I know I will never achieve.  But when I do get the joke?  Oh.  My.  God.  HILARIOUS.  That's all I'm saying there.

Questionable Content by Jeph Jacques
Update:  Monday through Friday
Type:  Serial

Not gonna lie, out of the comics listed in today's post, this is my favorite.  It is right up there with Sheldon and Looking for Group as one of my favorite webcomics period.  This is about a group of twenty-somethings who all hang out or work in (or own) a coffee shop called "Coffee of Doom."  But it is nothing like that television show about a bunch of twenty-somethings who all used to work or hang out in a coffee shop, I swear.  Set in a college town (some of the characters work at or are students at the college as well), they are fans of indie music and are just trying to muddle through life trying to relate to each other.  My favorite character is Hannelore, who is super genius and super-OCD, but learning to loosen up a little as time goes by.  There are also AnthroPC characters, which are basically sentient MP3 players or other such like devices.  One of them is a dirty, dirty perv.  It's just a fascinating story and I get excited every single time I see that a new day's comic has been added to my feed reader.  I was, in fact, jumping up and down in excitement when I saw that Jacques had been added to list of artists who will be attending this year's Emerald City Comic Con.  It has been going for quite some time (since 2003), but I think this is a strip that you could jump right into, maybe only needing to go back as far as the current story line.  That's what I did.  I will one day go back and read it all though, so if you want to try that, the first strip is here. Also, this guy is responsible for some of the best t-shirts out there.  I own at least two from the store and have my eyes on several more.

Very Bad Koalas by Nicholas Brendon and Steve Loter
Updated:  Wednesdays
Type:  Serial

Yes, you read that right.  Nicholas Brendon.  This is a brand new strip, it just started at the end of this past September.  It's a weekly strip about two koala bears on the run from the law.  They are wanted for many crimes that they do not remember committing, nor do they seem to know each other, but they have found themselves thrown together on this adventure as they try to figure out just what the heck is going on.  It looks like they are planning for it to only run for a year, and you can start with the first strip here. 

So.  There you have it.  A little taste of what makes me laugh in the mornings.  Also, perhaps more of a glimpse into my psyche than you wanted.  Hopefully you'll find something here that you can enjoy as well.  There are a few other strips that would qualify as not safe for kids on my regular list, but I think those can each pull their own post, so I will save them for a later date.  For now, go check out a strip or two.  I am a firm believer that we should all start our day off with a few laughs.

I'm Trying to Keep Up With My Brain Today

But really, it's been a bit difficult.  It's just been racing all over the place since yesterday.  This is largely because I got struck with the huge Mallet of Inspiration regarding my Halloween costume (which I need to have ready one week from today).  Until yesterday, I had been thinking that if I ended up dressing up for anything Halloweeny, I would just reuse my peasant/wench costume from a few years ago, because I hadn't felt like getting anything together.  Well, that's not entirely true.  I have been slowly figuring out how to put together a super cute Kaylee Frye (from Firefly) costume.  Here is the look I am wanting to achieve:

The second picture is her "basic" outfit, though I definitely want to complete it with accessories/hairstyle for the scene from the pilot, which you can see in the fist picture.  See, my husband and I have decided we would like to start going to genre/comic conventions every once in a while, and I thought it would be fun to have a costume put together that I would wear to these.  The main requirements of course would be that it be a costume of a character I love, be something that would be comfortable to wear (especially wandering around a convention hall for hours), and be something that I could put together with my limited sewing skills (i.e., that I could find all of the pieces and would need to make limited alterations to).  Kaylee fits the bill perfectly for all of this.  I had thought I might try to get the basics assembled for Halloween as a kind of test run, but quickly realized that I will need to do some serious searching to get this as close to accurate as I would like it to be.

So, I kind of fizzled out on getting Kaylee put together by this Halloween, though she is still very much on the back burner. 

Then, yesterday, I found out that the Halloween party tomorrow night that I couldn't go to has been moved back to next Friday, when I can go.  And I found myself suddenly in need of a costume.  I considered just recycling the peasant costume, but it's just a cheap store-bought ensemble.  It's got some potential, mind you, but I get the impression that the people throwing this party are a lot more serious about their Halloween costumes than I normally am.  So I was sitting on the couch thinking maybe I'd just check out the costume aisle when I go to the store next week and see if there was anything there that I could combine with my existing costume for something more interesting, when a little thought flickered through my brain.  I blinked, went "huh," and tried to go on about my life, but the thought turned around and came back for another, slower, pass. 

Amy Pond. 

For those not in the know, Amy Pond is the newest companion on the wonderful series Doctor Who.  The most recent season of Doctor Who has gotten a lot of scrutiny because there's been a new companion AND a new Doctor.  And both of them are portrayed by exceptionally young actors.  But I am in the group of fans that have absolutely loved Matt Smith's performance as the good Doctor so far, and that is at least in part to his companion, played by the amazing Karen Gillan.  Together they are just extremely adorable. 

But, back to costumes.  Amy wore a few different outfits throughout the season, naturally, but here's the one that stood out for me:

And I realized this would probably be super easy to put together in a week.  So since that thought occurred to me, I've been doing research online, tracking down items, making lists, and all of that.  It has paid off so far.  I have found the sweatshirt she wears (forum consensus is that it is this one), and there is a store in Dallas that carries it.  My husband has a gig in Dallas tomorrow and offered to head out early and pick up the shirt for me, so they already have one on hold for me!  I love my husband, he is truly awesome.  I've found a few good candidates for the miniskirt online (one of which is from Old Navy, so I can go to the store and actually try it on first), but I am first going to hit up some thrift stores today to see if I can find one there.  Given that it is Halloween time, I have high hopes that I can track down a decent and not too expensive red wig.  Other than that, it is just picking up the pantyhose, socks, and a headband, and hoping that I can track down some blue hi-top Chucks in an actual store so I don't have to pay the ridiculous price of express shipping.  Huzzah! 

I am not going to worry too much about accessories (i.e., jewelry) right now, but once the I get the season on DVD next month, I can keep an eye out for any other pieces I'll need to pick up down the road to perfect my costume.  That way I'll already have one con costume in the bag, and I won't have to feel any kind of pressure on taking my time assembling my Kaylee costume.  I am really quite pleased with myself, I have to say.  Part of me wants to use this as an excuse to justify getting that sonic screwdriver I've had my eye on, but technically that wouldn't be part of Amy's costume, so I will have to make myself wait on that. 

And yes, I do know that it is unlikely anyone at that party next week will recognize my costume.  But I'm okay with that, because I will know. 

Let's see, I have a few more tidbits for you before I let you go for the weekend.  Flick Filosopher linked to this amazing "intro" for Star Wars using the Macgyver theme music.  It is beautiful.  Check it out. 

Also, here's some more behind the scenes dirt from the making of the original trilogy for you. 

And in a slightly Star Wars related item, Joel Watson has a new shirt up in his Hijinks Ensue store, based on this comic strip.  Ewok Stare, I love it. 

Here's a sneak peak at the upcoming Syfy original movie Red:  Werewolf Hunter.  It's a re-imagining of Little Red Riding Hood starring Felecia Day and Kavan Smith.  I don't care if it's a cheesy made for TV Syfy flick, I am super stoked about this.  Felicia Day.  And Kavan Smith.  'Nuff said. 

Oh, and the web series Riese, that I wanted to start watching forever ago, but couldn't because they pulled it off the web for retooling, is coming back via Syfy.  That's pretty spiffy.  Plus, it now has added Amanda Tapping.  Never a bad thing, IMO.  

And lastly, it's Friday, so you should go check out the new Gronk strip. 

Now, go forth and enjoy your weekend.