There was an entry here.

It's gone now.

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The Avatar
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This film was released here yesterday and I just came back from seeing it.

It certainly wasn't what I was expecting -- from the 10 seconds of trailer I had seen. However one of my predictions did prove to be correct and that one was that it would be totally friggin awesome.

Usually I don't go for underground crime movies, but what makes this film brilliant (and, in fact, what motivated me to see it) is the fact that the feature is soaked in style. From the dialogue to the editing to the little mannerisms that define the characters, it's piled on hard and thick and it really makes the film stand out. Interesting was seeing a film noir that isn't deliberately overdone as per the likes of Sin City, and I'd recommend it even to people who find the film's premise outwardly uninteresting (as I would have, had I cared to read it beforehand).

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Overall I'm thinking dA v5 is pretty awesome. I don't much care for the blue links and the IN-YOUR-FACE HUGE TEXT and the generally less useful Recent Deviations set-up but it's a more interesting show overall, especially with the really very boring-looking dA v4 in retrospect.

In other news, I've been seriously falling behind on my comics lately. I don't have an excuse -- well, I do, but were I to tell it you'd end up drinking from a glass full of angst so I'll opt not to waste. Instead I'll just settle for ARGGHHHHHHHHH!!!

The Avatar
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Regarding The Avatar's new SERIUOSUOUSOUS direction:

I've been hearing criticism for the shift in focus from random humour to serious storytelling. I was completely expecting this -- in fact, what I wasn't expecting was for several fans to actually like the new direction... but that's not why I'm typing this.

I recognise that there are going to be people who just aren't going to be interested in the (rather weird) story I have lined up. But let me say right now that familiar-sounding husband/wife exchanges aren't going to constitute a major portion of it; today's comic was necessary, that's all. I also feel the need to point out to everyone that the comic was always intended as a serious story. The reason it was a mindless humour comic for so long was simply because, and anyone who's seen my old comics knows this for a fact, I just wasn't capable of delivering a half-decent comic when I first started. To put it bluntly, the first 200 comics were pretty much a way for me to improve my art and writing skills (which are, admittedly, still not that fantastic) to the point where I felt confident I could do my concept justice.

I'm going to be honest: there's not a whole lot of comedy in The Avatar's future. However, I'm hoping that anyone with any kind of interest in a weird, somewhat unconventional and vaguely science-fictiony story will hang around to see where it's headed. What's happening currently is, and I'm not exaggerating, little more than a prologue. This comic is only just beginning.

With that said, for those who enjoyed The Avatar's comedy (which I guess is all of you since it's only been serious for a few weeks), there is something new on the way I think you'll enjoy. I won't say what it is yet, but I will say that it is The Avatar and it is comedy. If I stay on schedule, and I'm terrible at that but here's hoping, it should begin in a couple of weeks.

The Avatar
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