Site of the Week -- April 17, 2000
here are a lot of comic books to read out there, and
Psycomic, "The Final Word on comics," wants to
help comics lovers take it all in.
Psycomic seeks not only to satisfy diehard
fans--whose input it more than welcomes--but also to be
useful to anyone looking for an introduction to the
world of comic books. Yet, while the site's
ambitions are both exciting and
impressive--with news, reviews,
columns, forums, fan art, interviews and a
retailer database--they are still somewhat unrealized
and poorly organized.
The information, a great deal of
which is very good and substantive, is scattered across
many and various pages. A number of the site's main features (like
its database of comic book titles) are still under construction. And while
Psycomic does have a decent amount of comics-related
graphics and pictures, its overall aesthetic design is
nothing to write home about.
It'll be interesting to see what Psycomic becomes once it's
finished getting itself together; it certainly has
the potential to be very cool.
-- Matthew McGowan
Site of the Week -- April 10, 2000
tarship Modeler is a pleasantly designed and content-rich site devoted to science fiction and space kit building. The site features an illustrated newswire that covers in depth the flow of new kits from the world over, kept current with twice-weekly updates.
Even more impressive is the richly detailed catalog of model kits, complete with descriptions, photographs and reviews. It's broken out by franchise and context, making it easy to find that Babylon 5 Omega-class destroyer (it's under "Babylon 5, Earth Alliance"). Alongside the catalog is a gallery showing completed versions of many of the kits, plus a reference section showing the "originals" of the modeled ships. The site also provides a helpful section on how to buy SF kits, including listings of hobby shops and model manufacturers. There's even a trading post to help those scrounging (or selling) hard-to-find items.
Starship Modeler is a superb resource for those who enjoy building the future with their own hands.
-- Mark Wilson
Site of the Week -- April 3, 2000
he rumor that much-criticized character Jar Jar Binks would resurface in Star Wars: Episode II was greeted by fandom with a chorus of
groans and jeers. The digitally inserted creature's Stepin Fetchit dialog
and inane form of heroism have made him one of the least favorite SF
characters ever, and that inimical sentiment is proudly displayed on the
Jar Jar Sucks.com Web site.
Jar Jar has a peculiar power to incite detractors. The site consists largely
of vox populi comments, some surprisingly vicious. Even reasoned
discussions of why the character damages Episode I can end with a
sudden demand that he die a gruesome death. These comments are balanced with
equally earnest pleas from Jar Jar's defenders.
Others vent their disdain by creating multimedia and still images
that depict a variety of calamities befalling the misfit alien. Some of
these are funny, some are well-executed, and many underscore the fact that
this site is not for kids.
The running commentary by the site's maintainers can be funny too, an ironic reflection on the people who get that worked up about a digital puppet. Still, this
much-visited site has a gaping hole where a simple, all-points run-down of
the character's flaws and ramifications might be. So far, this soapbox is
being used primarily as a place from which to lob tomatoes at an easy
target.
-- Mark Wilson
