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.

The Adventures of Mathman and Dragongirl!

Don't forget to watch tonight's ALL NEW episode of Stargate Universe on Syfy!!!!

2011 ECCC Logo

Oh my goodness, Emerald City Comiccon (ECCC) was an absolute blast! We met some cool people, I came out of my shell a little bitty bit, I got lots of photos, a few videos, and a TON of swag. My husband and I also got to do a few touristy things while we were in Seattle outside of the convention. All in all, I'd say we celebrated our sixth anniversary in style.

We are flying back home today, and losing two hours in the process because of the time change (joy). I am looking forward to seeing my daughter again, I can tell you that. I know she is going to look like she has grown exponentially since we left, sigh. I am going to split up my recap of the convention into a few posts for you (partly because one entry would be MASSIVE, which I don't have the time for at the moment, and partly because my laptop doesn't like the video format my camera uses and I also have a few photos I need to scan so I can post, so there are some things I can't share with you until I am at home anyway).

Today, we'll focus on webcomics. I got to meet everyone I was hoping to meet, and picked up quite a few books and other merchandise. (Yay!) I even picked up a book for a new comic that I hadn't heard of but that looked really interesting, as well as cards for several other potential new series to check out. I will let you know more about those if I enjoy them! I was really impressed by all of the webcomic artists represented at the show, I can see why this convention is one of the favorites of the folks I read. Everyone I met and talked to was really nice. We got quite a few groovy sketches, and I even managed to get photos with my top three (well, four, technically).

Lar de Souza, me, and Ryan Sohmer.

On day one I got to pose for a photo with two very talented guys. Lar and Sohmer draw and write (respectively) Looking for Group and Least I Could Do, and they are the creative force behind The Gutters. That's a lot of strips to manage, but these guys manage to keep it going and maintain three top-quality comics. I rushed right to their booth as soon as the con opened up so I could be sure to get a stuffed Fel Bunny (to go with my stuffed Li'l Richard). I also got a new Richard shirt. They were both super nice and genuinely excited to be at the convention.

Also, I got oodles of compliments on my Pony shirt that day, which was really nice, and it let me point a few people towards the LFG/LICD/TG booth.

Me with Dave Kellett.

On day two I got to pose with Dave Kellet, creator/writer/artist of Sheldon and Drive, which I have gushed about here before. Met him on day one (his booth was right behind Lar and Sohmer's), but wanted a photo with him in my Sheldon shirt, so went back to say hi again the next day (and to tell him how awesome the newest Drive strip was). When we were buying swag from him on the first day, he had forgotten a sharpie with which to sign prints, and I had one in my bag, so I gave it to him (I have many, many sharpies at home). We had to pop into Walgreen's Saturday morning to pick up something for my husband and I wandered past the section with sharpies, so we decided to pick up a couple more for Kellett, so he could have them just in case. He possibly thought I was a little crazy and sharpie-obsessed (it is not as if he would be wrong to think this, mind you), but he was super nice every time we stopped by to talk to him. Just a stand-up guy.

Me with Jeph Jaques.

On day three I rounded out my artist trifecta with a picture of myself and Jeph Jaques, creator/writer/artist of Questionable Content. I also ended up buying a second QC shirt (I have mentioned that I love the shirts this guy makes, right? The two I got this weekend bring me up to at least four for his strip, and we bought another two for someone else as a gift for Christmas last year), one about sharks. I my have weirded him out a bit when I told him that he has ruined dolphins for me, but I meant it in the best way possible. That way being that I am sure his intent was to educate people about what jerks dolphins are, and in my case, he succeeded. Super glad I got to meet him though. I also got a pretty nifty sketch of Momo (the most adorable anthroPC in the strip) in my book, score!

Since one of my major goals for the convention was to get to meet/get photos with/get sketches from my favorite webcomic artists, on that note alone, I think we can call the weekend a rousing success. Of course, there were many, many other awesome moments throughout the weekend, and I'll go into some of those tomorrow.

(Brief aside: Yes, Stargate Universe starts up again tonight, yay! Though, grr, why did they move it to Mondays? Sigh. I probably won't get to watch it tonight because we will be getting in from our trip right around when it airs. I will do my episode recap/review later in the week though, I just ask for a little patience on that front. Regular Stargate blogging (now on Tuesdays) will pick up next week.)

To close today, I thought I'd show you all of the swag my hubby and I picked up at the convention:

Stuff! Stuff! Stuff!

For reference, that is a king-sized bed. Yeah...

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.