SMAX... that blue guy in TOP 10, right?

[Buster's Uncle]

Vish?  Since you're following this thread, check this, from The Reading Corner:

The Infinity Concerto by Greg Bear.

-So far, this seems very good, notwithstanding a title that sounds like a Marvel Comics crossover event about Thanos taking up classical music.

I hope Vishniac sees that joke.  I remember when Jim Starlin used to write comics that weren't stupid.

[Buster's Uncle]

As I said, Nicolas was a strong leader, but his regime, the very system was old, outdated and was going to collapse. It may be a Marxist Theory but its a theory that has turned out true, and not just for the Russian monarchy, but ALL monarchies. Nearly ever monarchy now is non existent, or non functioning. Of course lots of that is due to world wars kicking them out of power, but why didn't so many European nations re-instate their monarchs into full power after the conflicts? Because people do not want monarchies is why. They were/are outdated establishment that is unrelated to the modern society.

That's basic democratic/capitalist theory too, you know.  Monarchy is a very bad system of government - if it's a meritocracy, they fight, and everyone suffers.  If it's purely hereditary to avoid the fighting, you end up with inbred hemophiliac boy kings, and that's no good, either.

The British constitutional monarchy model renders them at least harmless, if expensive to keep up.

[JarlWolf]

The British constitutional monarchy model renders them at least harmless, if expensive to keep up.

And utterly useless to boot.

[Buster's Uncle]

I meant to be implying that.

...

You know, I had no idea you were into comics at all before we started chatting about V.  Anything else you like?

[JarlWolf]

I only like certain comics. I am not a big fan of most superhero stuff, I find it boring and the storylines rather... lacking. I've read the original Batmans too. (And they are quite possibly some of the most silly things I've read.

I liked Frank Miller's Sin City, love it to death.
Also liked some graphic novel adaptions of other things. I forget the exact name but there was a graphic novel adaption of one of my favourite Sony Playstation 1 games: Metal Gear Solid.

Walking Dead and a few other ones also come off the top of my head.

Not a fan of anime much, art style hurts my head and the plots make me vomit for the most part (plus I didn't grow up with comics as much as most: and especially not anime, its not aimed for my generation at all.)
Though I did watch the odd two shows I think... Full Metal Alchemy/Alchemist and Ghost in a Shell were the ones I've seen, my daughters showed it to me and its the only two I've seemed to like for the most part.

There is others as well but that's all I can recall at the moment.

[Buster's Uncle]

Fullmetal Alchemist (the anime) is the only thing besides Ghost in the Shellon that list I know well enough to discuss intelligently. 

The entire run of the Fullmetal Alchemist; Brotherhood version can be watched here http://www.watchcartoononline.com/anime/full-metal-alchemist-brotherhood-english-dubbed-guide BTW.  The latter half the original series went its own way; this follows the manga.

I loved both anime.  Not a big fan of the genre, but this is pretty good stuff.

I'm also quite fond of Cowboy Bebop and Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi.

[JarlWolf]

Huh. I'll have to watch those when I get back... thanks for digging it up.

[Buster's Uncle]

Frank Miller in general I can talk bout, mind you; I just haven't read any Sin City.  The Dark Knight (original) really is as good as you've probably heard, and I don't get why people reportedly found Ronin so hard to follow.  It was good stuff in the trademark Frank Miller style.

[JarlWolf]

Haven't yet read Ronin unfortunately. As for Sin City I always loved the atmosphere of a cesspit crime town like he portrays  with that classic noir style. It really portrays a hard case setting in a very interesting fashion; and in general its really bad ass. Loved the characters that came out of it, guys like Marv are one of my favourite fictional anti-heroes.

[Sigma]

I saw the Sin City film but it kind of soured me on the books because as I understand it they are almost shot for shot adaptations, and I was deeply disappointed by the movie; which sucked because it probably still has, to this day, the best trailer I have ever seen for any motion picture.

[Buster's Uncle]

Jarl, I wish I could reach into the innerwebs and loan you my copies of Ronin and Dark Knight...

[JarlWolf]

Jarl, I wish I could reach into the innerwebs and loan you my copies of Ronin and Dark Knight...

Could always screenshot it, but that'd be tedious. And mailing it is out of the question 
We'd both be dead by the time they'd arrive. The postal system here is garbage.

I saw the Sin City film but it kind of soured me on the books because as I understand it they are almost shot for shot adaptations, and I was deeply disappointed by the movie; which sucked because it probably still has, to this day, the best trailer I have ever seen for any motion picture.

The film wasn't terrible, but it was seriously lacking in lots of the stories that set the mood and tone of the entire series. Plus it borrowed off too much from the Matrix craze back then with it's special effects. I honestly hate the Matrix with a passion, I do not find it interesting at all: now a movie or series about a war against transhumans/sentient robots would be interesting because you'd have so many moral implications going both ways.

[Buster's Uncle]

Dark City played with the same sorts of themes, and while not perfect, IMAO was a much better film, aside from having Jennifer Connelly in it.

I never got why The Matrix impressed so many people so much.  I found it merely okay for the kind of thing it is.

[Buster's Uncle]

Also?  Darren ghost-wrote most of the original OHOTMU Sabertooth entry.  Impressed the heck out of me...

[Vishniac]

-So far, this seems very good, notwithstanding a title that sounds like a Marvel Comics crossover event about Thanos taking up classical music.

That makes Thanos...smile!