“The Spectacular Spider-Man” Five Years Later – Has Online Fandom Completely Changed?

Posted on 2013/03/08 | 3 Comments

misdirection

Today marks the fifth anniversary of The Spectacular Spider-Man animated series’ television debut. If you know me through even the narrowest degree, you will understand that I am obsessed with this cartoon to a fault. I mean that quite literally: this passion stands as a serious flaw in my character. I have no doubt turned more people away from the show through my persistent and earnest promotion than I have won over. That said, I have no regrets about displaying the love I hold for this exceptional program, and I can’t help but think that its inability to amass the following it deserves reflects some interesting changes that fandom culture has gone through in the past few years.
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Posted in Animation, Comics, Social

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Cybersix is Done

Posted on 2012/09/05 | 5 Comments

As devastated as a number of you might be to hear this, I will not be continuing the English translation project for the Cybersix comic. It’s hardly a surprise after two years of complete silence on the subject, and it’s a tough announcement to make when the mere possibility of posting more chapters brings in more traffic to this blog than any legitimate interest in the things I actually talk about, but the others previously involved in the project have moved on, and I have to as well.

That is not to say I’ve been doing nothing all this time: not only have I actually gone through and redone all 83 previously translated pages with better quality scans and revised translations, I’ve managed to pound out one more chapter, bringing the translated total to 94 pages. (Just over half of the first volume.)  A link to download these “remastered” pages, along with scans of the entire French-language version of the series is available after the jump.

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Posted in Animation, Comics

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Panel At Anime Revolution This Saturday

Posted on 2012/08/16 | Leave a comment

If you’re going to be attending Anime Revolution in Vancouver this Saturday, I will be hosting a panel! Come to the “History of Anime on Canadian TV” where I will do a lot of talking about Albator, counting the number of voice actors Goku has had, and exploiting the audience’s fond memories of Bionix for personal gain. It will be taking place in Panel Room #3 at noon on Saturday 18 August. It was added at the last minute, so you won’t find it in the program book. Be sure to tell anyone who might be interested!

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Why Reddit And Bronies Are Ruining Everything

Posted on 2012/05/30 | 9 Comments

Ten years ago, the idea of a “Men’s Centre” at a University campus would have cued a laugh track. An idea so hilariously petty and anti-progressive that it would’ve barely held up as a comical scheme on a low-budget Canadian sitcom. The dialogue has changed somewhere along the line though, because Simon Fraser University is now being showered with praise for pioneering the concept of a safe space for men. Amidst the celebration, few have stopped to consider that perhaps this isn’t so much a sign of progress as it is the result of current media and internet culture wearing down resistance to a very negative type of thinking. Especially if Bronies wind up being involved.

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Posted in Animation, News, Social

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The Terrifying Future of Copyright

Posted on 2012/04/14 | 3 Comments

Copyright is a frustrating topic to say the least, and the future of it is a scary thing to think about. No matter how versatile or efficient a system we wind up with over the next decade or so, the circumstances are almost certainly going to be a complete nightmare for somebody, whether they’re artists or users or educators, or… well, basically everybody except copyright lawyers. I feel that exploring the future of copyright is best done by establishing a clear idea of what shouldn’t happen. To do just that, I’ve written a little story that you may want to check out after the jump. In case you’re wondering, this work takes part in the Future of Copyright Contest, which you can read more about here. Enjoy the story, and be sure to check out the other entries as well!

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Cartoon Network Canada Is Coming, And People Still Care

Posted on 2012/02/09 | 1 Comment

The confirmation that Teletoon and Turner Broadcasting will be launching a new Canadian version of Cartoon Network and Adult Swim before the end of 2012 may seem to be too little too late for those who had desired the channel in its prime years, but tell that to the countless internet denizens ruminating about its launch. Even websites that have been on unexplained, extended hiatuses for months are getting in on the action.

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Posted in Animation, Anime, Television

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The Hand That Writes The Naughty List

Posted on 2011/12/24 | Leave a comment

With voting on the SOPA legislation in the United States on the horizon in the coming year, it seems that the festive story I wrote a few years ago, You’re a Pirate, Santa Claus, is more relevant than ever. While not quite as topical (and certainly not as timely), I would like to present to you a prequel. Set at the end of the Cold War, I hope that it sheds some light on Santa’s backstory, building up to his ultimate decision to become one with the internet. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas! Continue reading →

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Why You Should Care About Digital OTA Television

Posted on 2011/06/22 | 17 Comments

There is certainly a lot less confusion going around these days over the upcoming transition to digital television on August 31 than there was a few years ago. Unfortunately, a good portion of the public, namely those who have become perfectly content with their expensive cable and satellite packages, seem to be completely unaware of why this is so important. Anyone who thinks that picking up television signals for free with an antenna is a lowly, vestigial practice from the Cold War could certainly learn a lot from the growing number of Canadians embracing it, as well as the countries using it for innovation in mobile phone technology.

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Posted in Policy, Social, Telecommunications, Television

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Clear Sailing For The Ceeb… For Now

Posted on 2011/05/05 | 10 Comments


Speculation has run rampant that Stephen Harper’s majority Tory government would spell certain doom for Canada’s public broadcaster. In light of this fear, former (and presumably current) Heritage Minister James Moore has stepped in to assure Canadians that funding for the CBC will not be decreased.

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Posted in News, Policy, Television

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Wikileaks Confirms US Orchastrated Copyright Reform in Canada

Posted on 2011/05/02 | 2 Comments

Just in case you weren’t completely convinced that the Canadian government’s campaign to paralyze technological innovation and user rights with insanely restrictive copyright legislation wasn’t completely influenced by direct pressure from the United States, a new cable document released by Wikileaks should eliminate all doubt.

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Posted in Copyright, News, Policy

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