Month: May 2012

No Case Too Small: My Little Pony – Friendship Is Magic

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The case in question is episode 50 of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic – “MMMystery on the Friendship Express“

hisuiconMurder on the Orient Express is one of Agatha Christie’s most famous mysteries with countless remakes and homages over the years.  But one of the most unexpected places to see such a tribute is My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. While Twilight Sparkle is not investigating the brutal stabbing of criminal Pegasus who previously was caught up in a tragic kidnapping, the story is fairly faithful to original. Over all it is a clever little episode that manages to take a classic mystery and make it accessible to a younger audience. It even manages to reference several other famous mysteries and spy stories in the process.

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Free Comic Book Day: Mighty Heroes, Politicized Robots, and Boring Hookers

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I have to admit that Free Comic Book Day kind of slipped my mind this time around and so I didn’t really have a plan as in previous years. New York City being New York City has quite a lot of festivities dedicated to the day, but instead of that I participated in a much purer essence and went to my most local comic book store in Brooklyn.

There was a three comic per person limit so it took a while to decide what to take a chance on. That also means we all strategically plotted out who would get what so as to have the biggest spread of stories to read. And in the spirit of the day I also bought some comic trades.

Free Comic Book Day’s main goal is to help entice new comic readers while at the same time giving current comic fans a sample of titles they might have otherwise ignored. It is also a good way of helping people back into comics if they have been away from the hobby for a while. For me it is usually an interesting, all be it limited, look at what is going on in the American comic industry. It is a regular smorgasbord of mainstream and independent comics. Theoretically everyone is putting their best foot forward in an effort to attract new readers so it is a good time to see what everyone is offering for the year. Sometimes comic publishers will have their B-teams work on the material for Free Comic Book Day but there is nothing I can do about that. I can only judge the comics on what I see. So any over positive or negative receptions might be merely based on the small sample I got here. But like so many other people this is often the most critical impression publishers can give me so I make judgements without reservation.

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All Points Bulletin: From Dubai to Sternbild City

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If you have any suggestions for what to highlight on an APB drop us a line via email or Twitter.

Hisui’s picks:

Narutaki’s picks:

  • The Successful 1st Year of Middle East Film & Comic-Con
    I have never been to the Dubai myself, but this report has a great overview of the city and the convention. I’m always curious about fandom outside of the U.S.
  • Learn a New Language ASAP!
    Looks pretty concise. I’m going to try out this method myself. The estimates of time needed for a harder language like Japanese is longer, but still since I know some basics the 6 month time frame seems doable for a certain amount of understanding. Besides the part about watching Japanese TV shows, I think we’ve all got that down.
  • I’d Rather Be in Westeros
    A great essay about the portrayal of women in HBO series Girls VS. Game of Thrones. And I really must agree, “If this is the stereotype offered of today’s modern woman, I’d rather be in Westeros.”
  • Sherlock is a Rock Star
    This is a recap of the BBC Sherlock event in NYC, it sounds a bit nuts. I can’t really blame them, but apparently PBS had no clue what they were in for.
  • Disney’s First Indian Animation
    Arjun is a fantasy story about a great hero, always a plus. The animation is interesting, a seeming hybrid of CG and cell-shading. It opens later this month but of course has no U.S. plans. I’m hoping this will show up at the New York International Children’s Film Fest next year.

Listen up, lowly humans who will never amount to anything!