Lurker > scarletspeed7

davidponte posted...

Merry Christmas, Scarlet!

For example, a great name I totally forgot to mention. Merry Christmas, David!

WickIebee posted...

New laptop gotten today, I can check how it works then probably move towards trying to play games again, or at least attempt to return to us watching Fate/Zero. More to be discussed through Discord though, no reason to say everything here, ahaha~

And of course, Merry Christmas.

That is the best possible news. I feel some gaming nights coming on!

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Promise to get back to this tomorrow. Christmas has been busy!

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Every year, it has become tradition for me to be thankful to everyone on the board. This year is no exception, of course. Of particular note, of course, are the fantastic partners-in-crime who agreed to join my DC Comics-based RPG campaign. All of you have enhanced my life tremendously. The nine of you never cease to encourage the project and create a positive atmosphere. I always feel inspired after conversations with all of you. Obviously, the campaign has been a huge time-suck, but one that has been absolutely worth every moment. Thank you Han, Wickle, Ermine, MI, War, hombad, Vis, Scare and Johnbobb.

To the wrestling-chat boys on Discord - you all are the best wrestling fans on the planet. I can't believe how lucky I am to have a group of passionate fans like you guys around to chat about one of my favorite pasttimes. I'm so fortunate to have friends who don't mind a little cynicism here and there, a little snark... but at the same time, your love for great wrestling and good storytelling unites all of us. I was so fortunate to meet Iceman and SHINE, two of the excellent regulars at the New Japan show in Dallas. I hope to increase those numbers though! Steiner, thanks for watching some fantastic matches here and there and just generally gelling with my style of conversation. Ed, of course, you and I probably share more in common wrestling-wise than anyone else would willingly admit, and I love chatting it with you. Jakyl, you always have great takes. Nick, your passion for wrestling is always infectious.

JONA, Ermine and Wickle. We haven't been playing games as much together as of late, but I hope we can soon rectify that. I loved the Payday nights with Wickle and JONA, the regular wrestling with JONA is something that anchors my busy weeks and JONA really is just a great friend. You don't demand much friendship maintenance at all, but I feel like you're a true, reliable friend. Ermine, watching One Piece with you was not something I would ever have predicted, and yet I'm having a blast.

As for the rest of the board, I know my projects have been all over the place. This has been a weird year of transition. But I wanted to say thanks to so many of you for being here, being active. Being the sorts of people who will engage in discussions. Quinton, it's so wonderful to see you back on the board. Lopen, you always are a devil's advocate, but one I welcome. Darkx (Underleveled), you were one of my first friends here, and I always click a darkx topic even if I have nothing to add. On and on I could go. Great users like Raka, or KBM, or whoever I'm sure I've forgotten.

The board has become less rowdy over this last year, a shame given the passion and creativity and excitement that used to drive the board, but as we all get older and theoretically more mature, things change. I hope that, ultimately, the board still remains a place in our lives where we can share our own, bizarre, wonderful brand of geekiness with one another. To argue endlessly about Star Wars quality. To commiserate about Game of Thrones. To delight in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. To love our Zeldas, or hate our Zeldas, or whatever. To play silly board8 games in order to pass some odd moments.

Because it's Christmas - and when else can I say it? - I love you Board 8.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

https://twitter.com/JeffDLowe/status/1209533577374961664

Welcome to your new horrifying Christmas Eve tradition.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Some wrestling fans*

You can put that on yourself. I'm freaking great.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Throwing out the amazing team of Private Party also.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

StealThisSheen posted...

Kevin always runs into some old person that helps him out when he needs it most

What if that person ends up being Lex Luthor

How dare you call Lex old

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

You named two of the three of the teams I voted for, Ed.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Sorry, got busy. More soon.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diDnLvyoDUk

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

For the record, Artemis has been a phenomenally presented character in a campaign full of great characters that I am lucky enough to host. Good job Ermy!

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

All I've seen online so far is praise for it.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Oh, good to hear you have that much positivity! Bodes well for my first watch.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

I don't have anyone I think needs to be added to the last. Any thoughts on when I need to finish it, or at least start posting them in conjunction with everyone else?

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

#8 - Tomohiro Ishii

There is nothing more enjoyable than your AVERAGE Ishii match. That's purely because an average Ishii match is insanely physical, a story built on a mental toughness that allows a man to endure unimaginable torture at the hands of his opponents. Ishii perseveres at every turn, and he always ropes me into his story. It's impossible not to root for Ishii; he has a great, memorable look and a physical, fast moveset for a man of his size. His brawling skill set still somehow makes him an underdog in big match situations, so his come-from-behind role sucks me in at every turn. Especially after a phenomenal G1, I feel confident in the statement that Ishii is a Top 10 of All Time wrestler for me. Brilliant.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Hey, Quinton, can I just say it's absolutely great to see you back on the board? And also, I would love to hear your thoughts on Star Wars when you go see it.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Good job Saudis

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Why is every topic you make about Star Wars


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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Tagging for when I get home from work. I think the only category I'm set on is theme music!

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Snake5555555555 posted...

John Constantine

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Spot/Porthos territory, you mean.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Grimlyn posted...

now this is the ultimate dream

Could this movie somehow just be taking on a ring of all the EU bounty hunters that have been cruelly yanked away from us? And/or the Rogue Squadron characters. Like the freaking horse that flies X-Wings.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

I'm definitely not dismissing Force-sensitivity, just the pedantic trappings of philosophy written by people who don't get philosophy.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Kyle Katarn and Ahsoka Tano team-up movie go

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

#9 - Fenix

The greatest AAA champion since Jeff Jarrett, Fenix has been an MVP as both a tag team member and as a singles competitor. Few individuals in the wrestling realm come close to his acrobatic prowess, and he capitalizes on raw talent by using a truly amazing since of spatial creativity. I've never in my life seen someone as comfortable and capable on the ropes as Fenix. Whether he's working with Pentagon or running the show down in Mexico as the top champion of his brand, Fenix constantly wows me. Rarely does he end up in a bad match, and the few times it happens, it can easily be chalked up to bad booking. Fenix's run in Impact this year helped elevate LAX to an elite caliber, and his feud with the Young Bucks has been phenomenal.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

My point is Force-use doesn't need to be relegated to the overly simplistic and easily debunked dogmatic notions of the Jedi and the Sith, although both of which have been completely torpedoed by multiple writers failing to be consistent with either philosophies.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Lightsabers could be entirely unattached to the Jedi concept.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Imagine if the end result of this is "We're just moving Star Wars to streaming"

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Mac Arrowny posted...

Yeah. This is why Solo is the best Star Wars movie and Finn and Poe had the best plot lines in TLJ.

Solo had a lot of interesting ideas weighed down by compression, and TLJ was trying to force in roles for characters that had no purpose.

Clone Wars' best episodes focused on politics, Mandalorian doesn't touch on the Jedi, Rogue One steered away from Jedi. And a host of the best Star Wars comics focus on the seedier underbelly. Hell, Thrawn is far away from the Jedi world.

LeonhartFour posted...

nothing beats a good blaster by your side huh kid

Han Solo was right, in the end!

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

I hate to say it, but it's time to give up on Jedis and the Force. The juicy Star Wars material lies in a world not devoted to hokey powers.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

UF8 posted...

I watched it now

It's a trashheap

Not an iota of creativity

I honestly consider it pretty easily the worst film in the trilogy and that says something

Don't worry though, audiences are certified guaranteed to lap this shit up. I had to suffer through over ten standing ovations during it

You must be a treat at parties.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Literally no TK-421

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

I don't know about you guys but I became the Planetary, not the Authority.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

It was very good for an X-Men title. It also was lumped in a year with a lot of great material! It's tough to top Mignola in ANY year, and you had some excellent indie titles out there kicking off.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

And now the first taste of the Top Ten Wrestlers of 2019!

#10 - Tessa Blanchard
https://imgur.com/C8xoMN6

Star quality is an elusive concept, one that gets bandied about in arguments over which minor league stars have the most potential on a large scale. For me, Tessa Blanchard is that star. Her tough-as-nails attitude and cool, sleek presentation combines the best of the old school and the new school. Even as a heel, you want more of her. Not to win, just to exist. As a talent, I daresay that Tessa is the top tier of American women right now. As Becky begins to rest on her laurels in-ring, and AEW presents a division of horrible fuck-ups, Tessa stands out as someone who grinds away every week, dominating with great in-ring action and consistently improving as a promo. Her look is phenomenal - somehow a mix between Sam the Eagle and Tully Blanchard, Tessa's profile alone is intimidating and memorable.

As long as Tessa remains in Impact, she will be pushing against an immovable ceiling. But as she continues to incubate there, Tessa's platform is strong. I would never subject someone to watching Impact like I do, but if you do, know that there is a talent there ready to break out in the biggest way possible.

I'll post the rest of my top wrestlers for everyone to disagree with tomorrow.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

#1 - Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen (by Matt Fraction)
https://imgur.com/OXgQfIP

Matt Fraction and Steve Liebers bizarre continuation of the wacky status quo they set up in the Leviathan Rising special takes that storys strengths and doubles down on them. Beginning with a prelude in the pre-Metropolis colonial days, it shows that apparently theres been an epic feud between the Luthors and Olsens dating back to when the first Luthor in America murdered the first Olsen and now Lex is still feuding with Jimmys filthy rich, corrupt relative (brother?) Julian. Julian is none too fond of Jimmy and the issue sets up a hilarious new status quo for Supermans pal as hes become a viral video superstar, experimenting on himself for clicks and making dreams come true. The first major action segment of the issue has him transforming himself into a turtle-Kaiju and jumping out of a plane, having to be rescued by Superman and demolishing a beloved Metropolis statue.

This is all from issue #1.

Jimmy Olsen is often written off as a joke with modern comic readers, so it should surprise everyone that his original series lasted 170 issues and featured nothing less than the debut of Darkseid and the New Gods by its end. Somehow, the butt of Superman jokes is currently the star of the best, wildest, most ridiculously good series in comics.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

#2 - Green Lantern (by Grant Morrison)
https://imgur.com/NqjoGyz

Arguably, Morrison and Sharp's take is the most exciting the Green Lantern book has ever been outside of Geoff Johns' run, following Jordan on his strange, deep-space cop adventures as the Green Lantern goes undercover and navigates various alien cultures. In many ways, The Green Lantern recaptures the era of experimental storytelling last seen in the 1970s, back when the superhero genre was bending into previously unimaginable shapes; Morrison's wild ideas and Sharp's stunning art not only allow the reader to escape their life but feel like they're actually experiencing the final frontier.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

#3 - Die (by Kieron Gillen)
https://imgur.com/IsiqwId

Everyone who has ever played a fantasy role-playing game (or, for that matter, first encountered fantasy literature as an impressionable young child) has wondered what it would be like, if not devoutly wished, to be transported to the setting of that game. Not everyone, however, has put the same degree of thought into it that Gillen has in crafting this very dark vision of what would happen if a game master brought his vision to life for his players with some very real - and deadly - consequences.

As much fun as the book is - and it IS fun, and well worth a read for fantasy fans and gamers in particular (none of whom will be surprised by a certain real-life fantasy lit titan ghosting through the pages of the book) - even more fun is the after matter, in which Gillen painstakingly details not only the creation of his world, but the source material that informed it, and analyzes numerous archetypal characters in order to deconstruct them.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

#4 - The Immortal Hulk (by Al Ewing)
https://imgur.com/68g4xCO

Since debuting last year, The Immortal Hulk has been a commercial and critical success that has lead to multiple printings of each issue and reports that, in some comic stores, it outsells the likes of Batman comics and The Amazing Spider-Man. A year ago, nobody wouldve guessed a Hulk comic that features very little smashing while it wallows in bleak darkness would be the talk of the industry, but here we are. The Immortal Hulk is one of the best superhero comics being published because its smart, philosophical, scary, and perfectly structured.

When writer Al Ewing and artist Joe Bennett launched The Immortal Hulk back in 2018, they made it clear right away they were taking the character in a very different direction. The first issue is about a gas station robbery gone wrong. Its about a 12 year-old girl being murdered. The Immortal Hulk featured no supervillains or evil aliens bent on world domination. It was about the sort of evil that people do everyday. It was dark and unforgiving.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

#5 - Lucifer (by Dan Watters)
https://imgur.com/H29RCvR

A love letter to the original series, Lucifer's art is bold and phenomenal, it's writing is timeless and provocative, and the star of the series remains true to his comics core. Lucifer was always the most worthy spin-off of the Sandman universe, and in the new Sandman Universe line, this remains the case. Watters has carved his own niche into the franchise with ease, creating a world bursting with wicked magical wonderment. Amazing.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

#6 - Undiscovered Country (by Scott Snyder and Charles Soule)
https://imgur.com/oI0sdl7

Conceived by the wordy, but clever writing team of Scott Snyder and Charles Soule, this debut delivers a deceptively simple premise, but one that has large-scale ripple effects for the world around said concept. What if the United States, one day in the near-future, suddenly cut itself off from the rest of the world? Standing as a silent, self-contained biome for more than 30 years, the USA has suddenly opened its gates to visitors from an outside world on the brink of collapse. Filled with widescreen panels riddled with lengthy dialogue balloons, Undiscovered Country is just plain big. It has big ideas and big, broadly sketched characters populating the expansive artwork. One part DMZ and one part Tom Clancy, Snyder and Soule together churn out an entirely unique vision of the United States, and one that hopefully will endure for years to come.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

#7 - Criminal (by Ed Brubaker)
https://imgur.com/CfuCkFm

The crime genre is intriguing. You dont find many crime books these days, its even harder to find one thats not a 1950s snorefest. Brubaker and Phillips are like the Godfathers of the genre. Theyve managed to create the crime universe of Criminal and keep it consistently fresh over numerous books and are continuing to do so with Criminal. I wondered if their last deal with Image would end their tenure there, but thankfully they re-upped their contracts, and the long, storied tale of Teeg Lawless continues. In one of the only hard-boiled tales you can find in comics these days, I highly recommend it to anyone looking to break away from the standard superhero fare.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

#8 - Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.
https://i.imgur.com/qclojjm.jpg

Despite rumors to the contrary, Mike Mignola seems to be in the business of churning out the hopefully never-ending series of occult weirdness and Lovecraft love letters that have propelled him to unenduring fame. The handful of one-shots that released this year remained at the apex of Mignola's work, and I, of course, highly recommend the franchise so long as Mignola keeps things rolling.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

I haven't played Three Houses and likely never will. I just have never had the inclination to get into Fire Emblem.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

#9 - Books of Magic (by Kat Howard)
https://imgur.com/AYbW1AJ

This feels like a classic Tim Hunter story - no one knows exactly what's going on, there are larger forces at work, and Tim has people who may or may not be allies. I appreciated the artistic and in-text references to the old Books of Magic series (it was awesome to see the Peter Gross art referenced), which made me want to go back and reread all 75 issues of the original series to remember how Tim's character arc progressed there to see if where he is now makes sense. The only thing that was missing for me from this series was Molly (of course! how could you do Books of Magic without Molly?), but I'm perfectly willing to wait and see how things progress. This was a great start.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

The Top Ten Comic Books of 2019!

#10 - Conan the Barbarian (by Jason Aaron)
https://imgur.com/AF1Su7l

The beauty of this series is how there is a taste of every type of Conan story. From Conan at sea and fighting pirates, to King Conan, to Conan fighting in wars set in the desert, there is a little bit of everything here. The opening issue delivers a gladiatorial battle for those looking for blood-soaked swords and properly sets up the new characters who are plotting against him.

Jason Aaron does a fantastic job establishing Conans legacy, first being born on a battlefield, then becoming king, and then cutting to when he was younger, fighting men for gold and wine. His life is storied and the way this issue is plotted that is made very clear. There are plenty of fight scenes, magic afoot, and a promise by the end that Conan may be facing his most challenging battle yet.

New fans are going to easily get into this book. A lot of blood does flow and heads do get lopped off. Its marked with a parental advisory for a reason. This book delivers on everything that makes Conan great, whether its his strength, his tenacity, or his love of women and wine. This book lives up to the aptly titled barbarian in more ways than one. Opening with two full-page splashes and following that a double page splash, its made clear this is an epic tale that spans time, many deaths, and a heros journey like no other.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

It really is crazy how far apart those two are, but they are both so brilliant.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

This topic is beneath you, Ana.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

We'll pick up again tomorrow with the the top ten comics.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

#1 - Watchmen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmEf3AU1Aww

Reznor and Ross have been top dogs in the world of music, and the world of film music more specifically, for years, but for my money, this is the best work they've ever done. Television has never been given such a phenomenally orchestrated backdrop. Somehow, this score summons up the original bleak 80s deconstructionist tendencies while still evolving for the late 10s and early 20s. The decompressed sound of industrialism paints an undeniably sci-fi soundscape for the series, unflinchingly cold and hard. And let's not forget that it actually, legitimately, kicks ass. Music for TV or film rarely feels like boots kicking in doors and beating the crap out of lesser musical scores. It's a bully of a composition.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful