It's time to get graphic with Grozz...

And now, for something completely different...!

(Sort of.)

I've mentioned my good friend Art (AKA Grozz) before here on Monstrous Matters when I wrote a bit about the boxing microgame Ring Doctors that he inspired me to try creating.  Since then, I've learned that (1) his name is, indeed, Art, and (2) we share many interests beyond the tabletop sports sims that were at the center of our meeting back during Covid.  I'm not even completely sure what he knew about me that led him to take this specific approach, but it was somewhere around the time he left a random voice text that was just a selection from Rorschach's journal (read in character) that I was like, "Yeah, I think this dude is weird enough that we'll probably get along pretty well..."

Grozz

As we talked comics more, I realized that Art took the time...seemingly after every comic he read...to put together concise but detailed reviews of the work he had just made his way through.  As in...it seems to be part of his process...like a comic isn't fully digested until he has it summarized in review form.  And he was about to take a journey through a list he found of the top 100 graphic novels ever.  It's the kind of thing that I would want to share here on the blog if I were ever organized and methodical enough to do it for everything I read.  But, y'know.  I'm not.

BUT...I also thought it'd be cool to collect his reviews in one place.  And since I have a blog about nerd stuff...I have that power.  And so, today I introduce to you a new section of Monstrous Matters...Gettin' Graphic With Grozz.  There's a permalink up there on the menu bar below the header; I'll try to post when new entries are added.  The plan is for them to be collected on that page as long as Monstrous Matters is plugging along as an amorphous expression of my life and interests.  As a bonus (for me)...I've just started a new job and have fallen off of the blogging schedule I managed to build up for a little while there, so this gives me something to make me feel like I'm tending my little corner of cyberspace a little more than I actually am... ;)

I definitely appreciate Art "trusting" me with his reviews!  Obviously, this isn't exactly a hub of internet nerddom, so I'd be a little surprised if the overall number of eyeballs on his work is actually increased significantly by appearing here in addition to the other spots on the web where folks post reviews...

But, hey...you never know.  And to all of you readers/victims of the usual Monstrous Matters content, I hope you enjoy!  It's all definitely a work in progress...please let me know if you have any thoughts or suggestions for making this feature worth even more of your time.

(Oh!  And in case it needs to be said:  Art's opinions, on comics or anything else, are not mine, nor do my opinions = Art's.  And the opinions expressed in "Gettin' Graphic With Grozz" are not the official stance of Monstrous Matters.  I suppose you could say that my opinions actually are the official stance of Monstrous Matters, but that view implies a level of perceived self-importance that makes me pretty uncomfortable, so I'm not gonna be the one who says it.)

Now...first up:  Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness!

Wheeled Wednesdays: Maybe, someday, in 1:18?

When I was growing up, 3.75" action figures (AKA 1:18, AKA God's scale) were understood to be the default size for any new toyline coming out, especially if the line included a fair number of vehicles.  This is thanks to G.I. Joe and Star Wars, of course...and while there were certainly some iconic action figure lines that deviated from this scale, if they were going to do so, they needed to have a reason.  It has been a lot of fun as a grown-up kid to see characters that weren't originally available in that size (or weren't originally available at all) make their way into 1:18 form through lines like Super7's ReAction Figures.  Several years back, Hasbro even released a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive set that featured characters from brands that spent the '80s in another scale (e.g. MASK, Rom, Visionaries) brought in line with the 4" G.I. Joe figures of the era.

Official product shot, found with this review at the Transformers Wiki Community

Much like MASK, the 1980s Wheeled Warriors toys were released in a much smaller scale than G.I. Joe and Star Wars (and even smaller than MASK, for that matter), which allowed for an extreme focus on cool vehicles without vaulting the toys out of the price range of their target audience.

Image from eBay

My renewed interest in these toys was spurred, at least in part, when I was thinking recently about what other lines or properties I would enjoy seeing with 3.75" figures, and I realized that Wheeled Warriors would be very close to the top of that list (if not at the very top).  I like the idea of having Joe-sized figures to represent the generic folks that came with the toys (like Drill Sergeant's driver above), but since Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors was a reasonably popular cartoon, some action figure customizers have naturally turned their attention to the series, and I'd also like to occasionally look at some examples of these creations here on Monstrous Matters.

The first set of awesome customs is from artist Chris Sizemore, who posts on Instagram as sizemore77customactionfigures and on the HissTank.com boards as Flint_rocks.  Four of the show's heroes, as well as main series baddie Saw Boss, are represented here in the updated (4") G.I. Joe scale.  I definitely recommend clicking over to this thread on the forum to see these in greater detail...!

From the HissTank.com forum

Wheeled Wednesdays: Let's go ahead and get this out of the way about Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors

Okay, after focusing last week on the greatest contribution of the Wheeled Warriors to 1980s pop culture (that theme song!), today we have to come to terms with some of the fundamental issues of the IP.  It's worth it to talk about these things now, so we can keep them in mind while evaluating aspects of the series and toys, and then set them aside as needed to get closer to fully appreciating the franchise.

Image from Wikipedia

#1 - The cartoon is remarkably disconnected from the toys.

This isn't completely out of line with 1980s standards.  With the onslaught of toy/cartoon one-two punches of the era, there were often discrepancies between the onscreen product and the items found on store shelves, especially if the toys included comics giving a glimpse into the world of the toys.  (See, for example, the early efforts of the Masters of the Universe toyline.)  With that said, there's a special kind of disconnect going on here.

The show is called Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors, yet a Jayce figure was never released.  In fact, the figures that came with the toys weren't even given names and were essentially generic soldier-drivers onto which kids could paste whatever background they wanted.  Now, I actually think this is pretty cool.  I had tons of fun with my Wheeled Warriors (despite later trading them for a MASK Switchblade).  It's probably worth noting, though, that my little south Georgia town also didn't even have access to the syndicated show, so the only time I was able to see it (same with MASK, fwiw) is when we visited my grandmother in Florida.  My kid brain definitely conjured whatever version of WTF it was able to grasp when I did finally look through Grandma's TV listings and find this show about a dude named Jayce.

Image from the Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors Wiki

#2 - The cartoon's first episode...and arguably its entire premise...is a mess.

I really look back on the Wheeled Warriors fondly.  I like the idea of playing in that universe, especially in the form given to us by the toys, with a small army of freedom fighters who work to save the galaxy/universe from a cabal of evil plant-brains who are self-aware enough to call themselves the Monster Minds.  And I'd love for that form of the franchise to be tied closely to the cartoon that lots of kids presumably watched in the '80s.  And I've watched the first episode of the show multiple times, wanting to love it each time.

Unfortunately...it just has some issues that are so glaring it's practically impossible to ignore them.

Now...once you get past the first episode, if you just catch up later with where the characters are in their (sort-of) arcs, this isn't much of a problem.  The show is well known for the participation of J. Michael Straczynski in its writing (and world-building?), and that may be why it comes across as so much stronger after that introductory story.  In fact, the last couple of episodes are probably some of the best 1980s toy-cartoon tales I've ever watched.  (Seriously, just find out the basics of the universe and skip to the last couple of episodes if you want to start out enjoying the series...)

But that pilot...oh man...

There's no way I'm going to be able to do justice to this whole topic in one hastily-tapped-out blog post, so I'd like to direct you to some YouTube creators who have delivered excellent looks at the series.  First of all, the channel Secret Galaxy (formerly Toy Galaxy, and arguably the best channel on YouTube) has a really nice overview that you can find here.

Second...and I'll embed these here...the channel RetroBlasting produced a three-part series on the franchise that I would imagine has served as a pretty comprehensive introduction to the IP for many people in the nearly 12 years since its upload.  Let me note...and I'm not completely sure why I feel the need to note this...that I really became aware of the dude in RetroBlasting's pair of hosts when he had a weird online beef with another guy whose Masters of the Universe (and general toy industry) content I liked.  It gave me a weird view of the guy to start with (one that was potentially completely unfair, btw) and has kind of made me assume this fellow's general approach to...everything...is to act annoyed by it.  Well, whether that's the truth or not, that attitude is pretty perfect for looking at the Wheeled Warriors and dissecting the franchise's foibles.  (And either way, these folks know their stuff and make great videos...)

The first episode here is largely a skit (that's actually pretty funny and demonstrates some of the fundamental problems of the IP well).  Part 2 covers the cartoon, and Part 3 hits the toys.  If you think they're worth a bit of your time, I hope you enjoy...!

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I'm still going to game-ify the Wheeled Warriors on here.  Soon.  Just a reminder, I want to be able to make a character sheet for this guy:

Image from eBay

Musical Monday: Seal sings "kissed by a rose on the grey," and my world is falling apart (a little bit)

"Kiss From a Rose" has to be one of the most well-known and well-loved pop songs to be heavily associated with a superhero movie.  Originally released in 1994, its inclusion on the soundtrack to 1995's Batman Forever (not a bad movie btw...something maybe suited for a future post...) is what vaulted it into the public...ear.  And it does work amazingly well with the Batman mythos, since Bruce Wayne's lasting emotional trauma after the death of his parents gives a simple connection to the song's rose on their grave(s).

Except I just found out yesterday that he isn't singing "grave," he's singing "grey."  And I'm not sure how to feel about it.  It seems to be a pretty commonly misheard lyric...I'm definitely not the only one to be shocked by it, and I found at least one person suspecting the Mandela Effect at play.

Which would make sense...I mean, we even see the Waynes' graves, and roses, in the music video, don't we?

Wait...don't we?  Wtf do I remember THAT from?

Hmm.  What else am I going to find out about all of this?

Wait a minute, Val Kilmer died?!

Okay, I'm leaving this and coming back to it...

The last skill list I'll ever need...

...because it'll work for everything!

Fantasy?  Check.

Historical?  Of course.

Modern?  Yup!

Superheroes?  Absolutely!!

TRON-style interprogram conflict within a computer system?  Uh...

Maybe not everything.  I guess.  But I do want to have one that I can apply across most genres I'll be playing...and potentially mixing into the games that sprout from my fantasy heartbreaker.

Well...I wanna create stats for Mutt from the G.I. Joe team, right?  So let me think through this...

The core of the game is D&D Fifth Edition.  It has 18 skills, which were kept identical in the transition from the 2014 to 2024 editions and which are used as-is by the 5e-forked rules of Tales of the Valiant.  They're a solid set for fantasy and in general hit a nice level of broadness (breadth? too weird a word for this use...).  Some of the really specific choices from 3e/3.5 have been absorbed by others, and we're left with a selection of nouns that feel more specific than ability/attribute descriptors, but that all could also be subdivided into more specific tasks.  So...no Use Rope.  They should all stay; here's our base:

• Athletics

-----

• Acrobatics
• Sleight of Hand
• Stealth

-----
• Arcana
• History
• Investigation
• Nature
• Religion

-----
• Animal Handling
• Insight
• Medicine
• Perception
• Survival

-----
• Deception
• Intimidation
• Performance
• Persuasion

And vehicles, FWIW, are treated as Tools, so a different kind of proficiency entirely.

Now, I consulted with a couple of modern takes on 5e to see how they deal with the skill list -- Everyday Heroes and Ultramodern5.  They're both worth looking at!  And since both games are pretty open and have SRDs just a search away, I think it's probably safe to talk about their skill selections pretty...er, openly.

So...both end up with 22 total skills.  Ultramodern5 does this by just adding four more on top of the 5e list: Computer Use, Demolitions, Engineering, and Sciences (all designated for use with Intelligence, although I'm not TOO concerned with that yet, as I think it might be best to just let every skill check have its associated ability determined at the time of the check).  And vehicles, once again, are handled by a proficiency separate from skills.

Image from DriveThruRPG

Everyday Heroes, meanwhile, also has a list of 22 but goes about it in a different way.  For one thing, as you might have imagined I would get to by my mentions of them above, Vehicles is a skill in itself.  The rules also drop Arcana, History, Nature, Religion, and Animal Handling.  Arcana is arguably gone just to fit the modern setting better.  It's also possible that it is simply taken up into the new skill Social Sciences, much as History and Religion must be.  Natural Sciences can then absorb Nature.  (Getting rid of Animal Handling is a little bit of a head-scratcher for me, though.)

Image from DriveThruRPG

The other additions are Endurance, Computers, Mechanics, Security, Arts and Crafts, and Streetwise.  (Oh...and if it matters, Medicine is moved from Wisdom to Intelligence as the standard base ability.  I do like it better with INT...)

As I mentioned above, I want to take the Ultramodern5 route and just keep the basic 18 from 5e, adding on what's necessary.  So, from what I see here...what's necessary?  Both games have a computer skill...that's a good one.  Demolitions?  Nah...I definitely had a phase where I thought Demolitions made sense as a skill, but that just seems so...specific.  It can be a Talent/Aptitude/whatever I end up choosing to call the proficiencies that work kind of like Tools but don't have to be tools.  Same with Security from Everyday Heroes.

I'm fine with just one Sciences skill and letting Nature hang around as a related but not identical set of knowledge that someone may have.  After all, quantum mechanics seems to be at the root of how nature works, but that's not what we mean when we say someone has an understanding of Nature.

Arts and Crafts?  It's broad enough to fit the theme, but just seems...unnecessary.  And do we need Streetwise when we already have Insight, Perception, Survival, and all the skills that describe characters' impact on those around them?  (I don't think so.)

Engineering and Mechanics hit a similar note for the games, and I'm definitely tempted to run with one of those...there is something a bit different about these approaches as compared to the more theoretical angle of the Sciences.  That's a tough one, though...especially since we so often think of the scientists in a story/RPG as the ones who come up with all the gadgets.  I'm leaning no, but with these and Endurance, I could still be convinced either way.

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Alright...uh, drumroll please...?  The WIP skill list for the Monstrous Heartbreaker stands at (and please feel free to check my math on this):

• Athletics

-----

• Acrobatics
• Sleight of Hand
• Stealth

-----
• Arcana

• Computers
• History
• Investigation

• Medicine
• Nature
• Religion

• Sciences

-----
• Animal Handling
• Insight
• Perception
• Survival

-----
• Deception
• Intimidation
• Performance
• Persuasion

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I think it might work.  And I'm definitely up for whatever criticisms you may have to send my way...!

Geeky SKAturday: Some love for Skapara!

For today's Geeky SKAturday, I wanted to look once again at Haruto Suzuki, the first agent known to be a member of the Agents of SKA (Sentinel Khrononaut All-Stars).  He was created/introduced back in February when I tried to highlight how much of an international phenomenon the ska scene is.  And then in March, Haruto got some stats and became the first representative of one of the SKA classes, the Three Minute Hero.

Born in Tokyo in 1981, Haruto has undoubtedly been greatly influenced by the multigenerational champions of Japanese ska, the Tokyo Ska Paradise Ochestra.

Image from TokyTunes

Formed in 1988, the band (often simply called Skapara) have become legendary over their 35+ year history.  They've played on video games, on tokusatsu, and at the Olympics.  Their sound is rooted in ska but influenced by styles from all over the map, and their musicianship is always top-tier.  It just seemed worthwhile to give them a bit of a shout out this week.

This year, they released a "best of" album, but they also continue to drop new singles.  I don't think this week's song of note is previously released, but I could definitely be wrong about that.  And for some reason, the YouTube video seems be blocked from embedding here...BUT, if you'd like to hear the track "Toi Toi," recorded with actor (and singer) Murotsuyoshi (Tsuyoshi Muro), just click here for it...

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I think the track does a pretty good job showing off their technical prowess and skill across genres.  I really wish I could embed it.  And I bet there's a way, and I just don't know it, which bugs me.  The GOOD THING, though, is there's a possibility I like the instrumental version even more (with apologies to Murotsuyoshi), and I CAN embed that one!  I could easily see myself using this in the soundtrack for an Agents of SKA game...

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So...for Haruto Suzuki, I really think I'd like to put together a custom action figure that will let him cross over from my SKA adventures to my POA (People of Adventure)...er, adventures.  I've never ordered from them before (and I think their website could probably be a little easier to navigate), but I'm thinking of grabbing a custom combo from Marauder "Gun-Runners."  This head and body combo looks pretty perfect for Haruto as a Rude Boy.  I can give him a few guns.  And instruments.  And if I can find a 1:18 porkpie hat somewhere, even better!

link

link

Marauder even has some pretty solid G.I. Joe cred after dipping into the Red Shadows faction for their own figures.  I'll definitely post here if I get Haruto put together and skanking...!

All the best on this Fourth of July

It has become a minor Linneman tradition to spend the morning of July 4 on Liberty Island, taking part in the 5k around the statue.

With all the ways that American iconography has been co-opted to represent division, opposition to "outsiders," and denying others the benefits we enjoy simply for being born in the right place at the right time (and if some folks get their way, to the right people), I love that the Statue of Liberty has been a tough symbol to peel away from its representation of a promise made to anyone who sincerely wants to take part in the American Dream^TM.

On the ferry, with Ellis Island in the background

Laura's mom has a true-to-archetype immigrant story, arriving in the United States by way of New York Harbor, being greeted by Lady Liberty and processed through Ellis Island.  I hope we...and future generations...can maintain sight of this as representative of a foundational American value.  The American Experiment^TM has obviously had some pathways in need of course correction, but I thought this was one most of us could agree on.  Unfortunately, I don't hear many self-proclaimed patriots saying "Give me your tired, your poor..." anymore.

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But I can save some of that fretting for another day.  As it pertains to the usual fare of this blog, I should also celebrate the Statue of Liberty's role in this masterpiece of animation...

And here are Mutt and Junkyard enjoying a photo op on her massive left foot:

(I'll let you in on a secret, though.  That isn't really the foot of the Statue of Liberty.

It's a replica in the museum on the island.  I've had my picture taken with it too...)

I'm sure any scaling issues are...a perspective thing...

Hmm.

Anyway, happy Fourth, everyone!  I think I'll bring more Mutt and Junkyard to the blog this upcoming week.  Enjoy your weekend!