WHERE IS S. HOWELL? Some of you may remember my Quest for the Lost Webcomics. Well, I'm still questin', but finding only terrifying dead ends for my troubles.
Today I tried using the Wayback Machine on the old site for the Nine Swords webcomic by S. Howell. No comic pages showed up (damnit!), but the contacts page came through. It linked to a LiveJournal community (deleted), a Y!Gallery account (that didn't exist), and an AIM screenname (that isn't online). It also contained an email that I dutifully attempted to make contact with, but my hopes for success are minimal.
Guys, I'm scared that S. Howell is dead. Like, really scared. He seems to have fallen off the face of the internet.
But just in case he's still out there somewhere, here's a letter for him:
Hello S. Howell,
I read your webcomic Nine Swords religiously when I was in high school. Now I am in college and I'm looking for it again, but it's disappeared off the face of the internet. Even the wayback machine is turning up jack diddly - the livejournal community has been deleted, your Y!Gallery page doesn't seem to exist, the comic archive is unattainable... Listings of webcomics still link to Nine Swords but all the links are broken and honestly? It just breaks my heart. I loved Nine Swords, and the fact that you don't seem to exist on the internet anymore makes me worry. I hope you're okay. I im'ed you once and you seemed like a very cool dude. If you could, PLEASE get in touch with me and let me know what's going on.
Characters who were intended to be sidekicks but, through some author's whimsy, become main characters, will always end up sucking.
Examples include Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean) and Drizzt do'Urden.
Can you think of any more? Or do you disagree entirely?
(See also - the "badass decay" article on TVtropes. I won't link to it because I'm not evil. Also I have to go to class at some time today and cannot afford to lose four hours to the black hole of the internet.)
SAVE 10 DOLLARS, HELP STOP RACIAL DISCRIMINATION M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN’S “THE LAST AIRBENDER” WHITEWASHES ASIAN AND INUIT CHARACTERS
Just a few decades ago, in the golden days of old Hollywood, for many directors, screenwriters, and many others in the movie industry, yellowface was their bread and butter. Never heard of “yellowface”? In short, it is the Asian equivalent of blackface, which was seen most often in minstrel shows (comic and exaggerated performances by white actors who painted their faces black, beginning in the 1830’s and lasting all the way to the 1960’s). If that doesn’t sound right to you, neither should this:
Perhaps you remember the “infamous Dr. FuManchu,” “the yellow peril”? His many movies and TV shows were immensely popular. They also featured white actors (Warner Oland, Boris Karloff, Christopher Lee, etc.) who wore prosthetics and makeup to make them appear Asian. This same practice was repeated for decades, even in roles that did not seek to mock or villanize images of Asian characters. Doesn’t this beg the question, why not simply hire Asian actors in the first place? Unfortunately, even today, in 2009, we have not yet seen the end of racial discrimination and even yellowface in Hollywood.
2005. The animated TV show Avatar: The Last Airbender aired on Nickelodeon. The show featured heavy cultural and ideological influences from Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Inuit cultures, and also incorporated Chinese martial arts and Hindu and Buddist philosophies. Originally aimed at young boys, Avatar’s careful research and sensitive portrayals of its Asian and Inuit heroes made it wildly popular among adults and children alike worldwide.
2008. Director M. Night Shyamalan, who had purchased the rights to make a live-action film version of Avatar, announced his cast of heroes. In his version, known officially as “The Last Airbender,” and set for release in 2010, the Inuit brother and sister Sokka and Katara, will each be played by white actors (Jackson Rathbone and Nicola Peltz, respectively). Aang, the titular “Avatar,” whose clothing, philosophy, and entire culture is based upon Tibetan Buddhism, will be played by a 12 year-old Caucasian boy from Texas, Noah Ringer. Put simply, this is WHITEWASHING. Originally, the part of antagonist Prince Zuko was given to blonde, blue-eyed popstar Jesse McCartney, though that decision was later revised due to McCartney’s “scheduling conflicts.” Instead, the role was given to Indian Slumdog Millionaire’s Dev Patel. The choice, however, does not excuse Paramount Pictures of blame. Following Patel’s casting, they promptly cast several other Indian, and Iranian actors to play key roles in the villanous Fire Nation. The problem with this?
Paramount has given race a priority in the story in a way it was never meant to be. They have created a situation wherein GOOD WHITE HEROES must overcome their EVIL BROWN FOES. This is not right. It’s time we gave children of racial minorities heroes that look like they do. We don’t want ever want to see this on the screen again:
(Mickey Rooney as Mr. Yunioshi in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961))
“If you're Korean, wear a kimono. If you're from Belgium, wear lederhosen.” – DeeDee Ricketts, casting director of “The Last Airbender”
Don’t support racial discrimination. PLEASE BOYCOTT “THE LAST AIRBENDER”!
If you want me to draw you a COMIC, you need to have it scripted out for me to draw. Dialogue and basic action, at the very least. Black and white comics are $20.00 a page.
You can pay me through PayPal, or by sending cash/check through snail mail.
If you want a commission, either comment here, PM me, or email me at ambrmerlinus at hotmail dot com.
Woolworths shut its doors in the U.K. last week, sending many into a frenzy of nostalgia and bargain shopping. What now-closed store or chain do you wish was still open?
Once upon a time, in a land far far away, known only as "Athol," there was a little bookstore. It was just a few buildings down the street from my mother's office. It had two floors, with lots of Klutz and Magic Attic Club books, and a few stuffed animals for sale. It was called "The Hobbit Doorway," and it had a hobbit door on the second floor to prove it.
About ten years back, it got turned into a tattoo parlor.
This is going to be so fucking awesome. If this clip isn't enough to convince you, perhaps telling you that Mr. Giles has a significant role will be more persuasive.
Yeah. Paris Hilton and Anthony Stewart Head in a rock opera about organ transplants in a dystopian future. It's gonna be wicked.
These are three of the little papers that I found at work. I work in a warehouse assembling giftboxes. All the little parts that I have to assemble come from China. Recently, other workers and I found a bunch of little paper scraps with what appears to be Chinese lettering on them. Tragically, I do not read Chinese.
This is where you come in.
If you read any Chinese, or know anyone who might recognize these characters and know what they mean, please help me figure this out. I know it's probably something like "inspected by number four" or whatever, but I still want to know what the Chinese workers who made the parts I assemble want me to know.
Feel free to copy this image and spread it around the internet. I figure the more people see this, the better chance I have of finding someone who can read at least some of it.
You will notice that each of the original scraps of paper (1, 2, and 3) have been rotated (A, B, C, and D). This is because I honestly have NO CLUE when it comes to Chinese writing, and I don't know which way is up.
Okay, it's been maybe a day and a half and already I forgot how I found this, but srsly - is best anime ever.
H'okay, first off: the title?
LIBRARY WARS
And yes, it is exactly what it sounds like. Librarians protecting free speech and the right to information with powerful firearms! People die for great literature! It's fuckin' fabulous!
*snuggles Library Wars* Srsly, go watch. You will love.
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