There was big Internet news the other day when Marvel revealed that Robert Downey Jr. was returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe…and that he'd be playing Doctor Doom (?)
The thrill of seeing RDJ on stage sent the audience into thunderous applause of course…we all love this guy ...

The Idea Stage
Banes at 12:00AM, Aug. 1, 2024The Moustache of Evil
Banes at 12:00AM, July 25, 2024
I was rewatching “Sleeping With the Enemy” recently - it's a thriller from back in the early 90's. It's got Julia Roberts JUST before she became a superstar, a tense scene involving bath towels, an iconic use of the song ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ - and a moustache of evil ...
More and More
Banes at 12:00AM, July 18, 2024
I have a friend who's told me, on and off, about the movie/book/comic series he's working on. I noticed at one point that he had a tendency to add in more and more characters, plots, and details that were going to show up in the project ...
And 'Thologies
Banes at 12:00AM, July 11, 2024
The Anti Continuity
Last time I brought up the ‘standalone episode series’ and the ‘serialized episodes’ approach.
Used Books mentioned Anthologies, which is (kind of) the anti-continuity approach. I love anthologies, and have contributed to a few over the years.
Nothing but respect to The Twilight Zone, one of the ...
the Week to Week or the Serial Binge
Banes at 12:00AM, July 4, 2024
I'm still rewatching Star Trek the Next Generation, slowly, and Better Call Saul as well. Both are a treat, and they use pretty much opposite types of continuity. Or close to it -
Next Gen was made in the 80's and early 90's. At the time, the decree ...
Character Wants - The Next Level
Banes at 12:00AM, June 27, 2024
Better Call Saul is the prequel series to Breaking Bad. Both shows are incredible, and probably my two favorite shows. The characters in these shows, especially Better Call Saul, have great nuance to them, and most of them have multiple “wants” or “needs” that are in opposition to each other ...
You Can't Get What You Want til You Know What You Want
Banes at 12:00AM, June 20, 2024
Characters want something - this is a basic building block of storytelling. Identifying what a main character wants is a big step in defining that character. Figure out how they go about trying to get it - that's the beginning of a story. Figure out what's stopping them from getting ...
Where we Start
Banes at 12:00AM, June 13, 2024
I've started a few webcomics at this point, and all of them are ongoing…well, at least in theory.
There's always the question of where to start. What's page one gonna be?
With my first comic, Typical Strange, I LABORED over that decision for years.
Kind of ...
Forced Together
Banes at 12:00AM, June 6, 2024
A tried and true story trope is the “forced together”.
I think it was the director Sidney Lumet who said that he really enjoyed the tension that came from
this kind of situation. Taking two people who would never choose to be together are stuck in
a bad situation. It ...
Horrible On Purpose
Banes at 12:00AM, May 30, 2024
badum-tsss
I thought the first time I appreciated comedy that was “bad on purpose”, it was Fred Willard in Best in Show.
It's possible that some of his quips and comments were funny, or funny to some people…but the point of that character (a clueless commentator at a ...