I don't know what's wrong with me but I appear to be regressing into childhood (yeah, like I'd ever progressed into adulthood). I say this because two things that I previously thought were only for children, I've suddenly gained an interest in.
The first is in comics. Now I've never hid my light under a bushel as regard anything by the great DC Thompson or IPC, I'm talking about stuff like Marvel or DC. Not that I'm particularly into superhero stuff, but I watched the film version of Alan Mooore's V for Vendetta over Christmas and really enjoyed it. I love anything that portrays Britain as a totalitarian state. Especially one that has John Hurt as its leader. So I'm thinking that I may actually buy some of Alan Moore's comics. Or graphic novels as I believe we must now call them. In fact we must because I bought Ghost World from an Edinburgh branch of Borders in the summer and when walking out I set the alarms off. The guy who served me came rushing from behind the counter and said, in a loud voice, "It must be your comic, they don't always scan properly!" Great, cheers, mate, now everyone thinks I'm a) a man with the mental capacity of an eight year-old or b) some kind of comics anorak.
I've had a soft spot for Ghost World for some time now, ever since I saw the film of it a few years ago. I never realised until recently it was based on a comic, ahem, sorry, graphic novel. In case you haven't seen it it's about two intelligent late teenage girls being bored in a small town that can't contain them and the cast of weirdos they meet. I've always found the kind of people who fancy cartoon characters slightly worrying (especially my sister who fancies a character from King of the Hill called Boomhauer. A man who speaks in an indecipherable Texan drawl). But I think I fancy the two girls from Ghost World (or do I just fancy Scarlett Johansson and Thora Birch who starred in the film?), and should I be worried that I fancy two 17 year-old American girls, as a 37 year-old man, that is? Never mind, I could always email Lily Allen's new squeeze and ask him I suppose...
The other thing I've got myself interested in is electronic gaming. Never appealed before until Guitar Hero, so this Christmas I treated myself to an Xbox 360. But it didn't stop at the latest incarnation of GH, no, I've gone and got something called Grand Theft Auto IV. I've started playing it and I haven't got a clue what's going on. I know you're supposed to nick cars. I've got that far, I know how to steal the cars, you just walk up to one and press the 'Y' button. But I don't know what happens once inside the car. I tend to just drive it around and avoid the 'cops'. Someone at work told me you have to follow a radar or summat. I dunno...
There's also a lot of effing 'n' jeffing on it too. You only have to walk past someone on the street and you get called a 'motherfucker' or somesuch. Apparently there's a strip club to visit somewhere in the game. No doubt, on my current fancying-cartoon-characters form, I'll end up crying myself to sleep over one of the sodding CGI strippers.
I'll keep you posted on how I get on with it. I'm hoping to get Call of Duty: World at War for my birthday. In which you can bayonet stormtroopers of the Third Reich and throw flames at soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army in the Pacific campaign. Top.
7 comments:
If you're getting in graphic nov's Id' recommend...(all of you which you can get dead cheap via Amazon new or used)
The Killing Joke - Alan Moore's take on the Dark Knight and his relationship with The Joker - not one for the kiddies.
Planet Hulk - where The Hulk being viewed as too dangerous to be remain on Earth is tricked, trapped and shot into space.
Civil War - Reality TV teen superheroes atomise an entire American small town, the goverment reacts with enforced registration of all (Marvel)superheroes. if you don't sign up you're an outlaw.
Kurt Busiek's - Marvels. A New Yorker's eye view of the arrival of (Marvel) superheroes in the city ( appearing by original publication timeline).Features the genuinely jaw-dropping artwork of Alex Ross..
And it's always worth checking out
http://www.armagideon-time.com/
A blog of comics, music and social satire
Thanks for that.
I've never cared much for comics, but got one for Christmas called 'Watchmen', which is quite entertaining. 'David Cronenburg's "History of Violence" is also based on a com....graphic novel.
I've got COD4 'Modern Warfare'. I don't play it anymore, so you can have an extended loan if you want.
Watchmen's Alan Moore as well, they're releasing a film of it this year.
That's a very kind offer, VS, but I'm more of a WWII man.
As long as you're not fancying Thora Hird, it's all good.
I have this vague theory that, just as there is a generation gap with Rock & Roll, there is also one with Video Games, and that if you're less than 45 or so, you probably grew up with some form of console in the house, (whether it was a Sinclair Spectrum, Sega Megadrive or Playstation) and as a result Video Games were probably some part of your growing up process (at least if you're male). If you're older they probably weren't.
The average age of somebody who plays video games is 30 apparently, so don't feel too bad about it.
Clair - I've often thought that, in the very minutest chance that I find myself in an intimate situation with La Birch, knowing me, at the point of no return, Mrs Hird would suddenly pop in to my head.
Mind you...hang on...ooh God...that's actually quite erotic. Praise be!
Not that I think of myself in intimate situations with Thora Birch a lot. Ooh, I'll get me coat...
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