Infendo Radio Episode 280: Rock and Organics

Sadly, I was not able to attend this episode of Infendo Radio due to an already overflowing schedule. However, Lewis and Harrison were given the opportunity to welcome back our old friend Holly! Holly was a writer for Infendo when I first started writing for the site and it really was sad to see her go!




I look forward to rejoining the next podcast, as we rebrand the Fab Four of the Nintendo Community!

Of Course, don't forget to find us on Itunes and give us a star rating to show us how much you care!  You can also leave any questions and/or comments below, you might just get a shout out on an upcoming show!

Affleck and Batman and other Super Hero Thoughts

Over the past few days, the internet has been aflutter with news that Ben Affleck has been chosen as the new Batman.   While there are more important items to focus on in the news, sometimes insignificant stories such as this are needed to break the monotony of terrible things we often see in the news.

So, I thought I would humor the news and share my thoughts and views on his selection, as well as some of the past superhero decisions.  Since we are talking about Ben Affleck, let's start out with Daredevil.  Now, I thought the Daredevil movie was okay.  It was not mind blowing, and it was not horrible, just okay...  For me, Ben did a pretty good job, but the movie itself was not the best portrayal of his character.  If Daredevil were made now, within the new Marvel Movie Universe, I think we would see a movie of a much higher caliper.  Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, The Avengers, and Wolverine have all set the groundwork for a believable universe in which to reintroduce the characters that failed to captivate the past audiences.

Even an attempt to bring us DC's Green Lantern was not an utter failure.  I actually enjoyed Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan.  Sure, he was not as serious as I would have wanted him to be, but he played the role well.  I do see him more as Deadpool, which he would undoubtedly be amazing at.

One thing I have learned from growing up with comic books, and some of you comic living friends may be able to back me up here, is that the heroes (and villains) did not always choose their destine, fate did.  Many of them were unlikely heroes, Spiderman is a great example.  From the outside, he was just an ordinary kid, nothing special except his intellect, and happened to be in the right place at the right time.  No one would have ever guessed that there was anything spectacular or amazing about him.  But there was, and he made a huge difference in the Marvel Universe.

If characters in a comic can be portrayed by those that do not "fit the bill" as a superhero, why can't real life actors play characters that seem an inconceivable fit?  In my opinion, choosing Ben Affleck as Batman is a great choice.  Visually, he is believable.  His voice is a match (with some voice coaching, his ridiculed Boston accent can be gone).  Everything about him screams that he fits the role, especially since he is not a likely choice.

When young Bruce Wayne witnessed the unforgiving murder of his parents, he was in no shape to make a decision to dress like a caricature of a bat and rid Gotham of inconceivable villains, the likes the world had never seen.  No, he took his anger, his hate, his sadness, and his hope for a better future and evolved into the hero that he as become.  The super villains just sort of came along with time.  Bruce's evolution was not exactly planned, instead it was a process that our unlikely character slowly transitioned through.  That is why Ben Affleck will be a good fit for Batman, he is not the choice of the masses, yet he will fit in fine.

The only issue I have with Ben Affleck as Batman is summed up in one question.  How long will he be willing to portray the caped crusader?  Too often, especially with Batman; Superman; and Spiderman, we see multiple characters take the role for short periods of time.  For the sake of continuity we need someone that is in it for the long hall.  This is why I am happy that they did not include Spiderman in the Avengers (ignoring the fact that Spiderman is a FOX franchise at the moment).  If we are to create a believable universe, we need continuity.  It is my hope that Ben Affleck will eventually be accepted by the masses, but even more so, I hope he is in it for the long haul.  If we have a glimmer of hope for the Justice League to become just as amazing as the Avengers, and for DC to find its imprint in the Cinematic World as Marvel has, we need to see believable characters that grow within their roles and mesh well with the rest of the universe.  Not to mention that they need to stay true to the origins of the comics.  (Notice I did not mention X-Men in here anywhere....sigh, they started out okay, but after the third it went downhill.  I hope the next one brings things back into line).

In closing, I feel that the negative hype about Ben Affleck is not warranted.  Forget who he is, let's see who he becomes.  We did it with Heath Ledger and Michael Keaton, and both absorbed themselves into their roles, becoming icons for generations to come.

What is a Writer?

Recently, I was witness to a discussion/debate over what it means to be a professional writer or a hobbyist.  As I read through the discussion, I started to wonder.  Does it really matter if you are a professional, a hobbyist, or anything else?  Really, it is almost like comparing someone that writes only short stories instead of full novels.  Is one really better than the other?

In my opinion, a writer is a writer.  It doesn't matter if he or she writes fiction, non fiction, technical manuals, or anything else for that matter, as long as you have a love and passion for your literary art form, then an ranking title is meaningless.

In my opinion, someone that casually writes can be just as successful, maybe more, than someone that writes professionally for a living.  So, does that make the casual writer less important than the professional, I don't think so.

An important portion of the publication industry is the indie publishers.  Many of those indie publishers release books, and anthologies, filled with unknown writers.  I was lucky enough to find one of those indie publishers for my first short story, Rainstorm Press.  I have two published short stories with them.  My next publisher was Cruentus Libri Press, which also accepted two short stories.  I also have one more that is scheduled for release on October 30th from Nightscape Press.  If not for theses publishers that had some faith in my writing, I would never have gotten my name out in front of the masses.

Someone that writes a story, a epic journey, a short tale, or even flash fiction is a writer.  In my opinion, they may not even need to be good at it, as long as they have a passion to share that story with everyone.   We see this all the time in fan fiction.  However, I have met some fantastic writers that have grasped onto those that are not the best at expressing their ideas, and have mentored them into a much better crafter of their tale.  Those are the writers that I feel should deserve the extra attention, those that take the time away from their busy schedule to help guide another through the ins and outs of their writing.  It is those that I tip my hat.

However, as with any profession, there are always those that tend to apply ranks within the professional ladder.  According to those ranks, I may only be a hobbyist, but that doesn't bother me at all.  As with any job I have been passionate about, I have worked my way through the ranks and have become successful.  I will do the same with my writing career.

Feel free to share in the comments below, if you agree or not.  And why?  But please, let's not start an argument over why someone may, or may not be deserving of their title.  Instead, take the opportunity to connect and help each other out within the craft we are so passionate about.