Monday, August 6, 2012

Rock 'N Roll #31



Go 'Nilla, Go 'Nilla, Go! Or, rather, the secret origin of Vanilla Ice!




NOTE: The creator of the "travel Pollo" seen at the beginning is made by Featherweight. Check out his twitter @Featherweight_

ANOTHER NOTE: As several people are pointing out, he probably mean "histrionic" and not a misspelling of ironic. It's still a spelling error since "hisrionic" is not a real word.

101 comments:

boooratt said...

What's going on?! The episode is an hour late today and it won't play!? The one day I was on here in time to catch it early for once!
Ice-Ice-Baby!!!

Anonymous said...

Glad to see the storyline progressing.

Shadowpapa said...

First And Dont forget ninja ice

MetalheroD said...

I think it's supposed to be Histrionic (Aka trying to get attention), divided by a dash acting as a "This is one word but we ran out of space on this line, so we're continuing next"

Unknown said...

I believe that it was meant to say histrionic not his rionic

Jimmy Styles said...

Hisrionic, not "his rionic".


hisrionic - adj. & n.
--adj.

1 of or concerning actors or acting.
2 (of behaviour) theatrical, dramatic.

--n.

1 (in pl.) a insincere and dramatic behaviour designed to impress. b theatricals; theatrical art.
2 archaic an actor.

areoborg said...

Why do I think that Vanilla Ice was trying to keep his street cred going with the whole badass troublemaker from birth thing?

Did Janeway travel back in time and tinker with the Holo-Linkara program? She did re-program the replicators to drug Picard's tea, and re-route all of his recommendations to be promoted to her file, so this would be right up her ally. :D

LucasChad said...

I would love to see the next episode of Todd in the Shadows' One-Hit Wonderland on Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby!" I bet his information on the singer would fare way better than this comic.

Also, I'm pretty sure Linkara didn't think things through when he decided to let his hologram take care of the show. Who would want to hurt poor 90's Kid?

Anonymous said...

oh dear, Holo-Linkara has gone insane

Tyler said...

Wow Hollo-Kara is a self obsessed asshole, just like Vanilla Ice.

marconius666 said...

It always fascinates me when Linkara makes a negative comment about a comic being in black and white. I'm more of a manga reader than a western comic book reader myself, so I'm always surprised for a moment when someone actually mentions a comic lacks color... since, y'know, for manga, that's the norm.

Kyle said...

90's Kid shouldn't be allowed to watch Lupa videos anymore.

Anonymous said...

As for the "Dancing in the womb" bit, you didn't think of a Son of the Mask joke?

Then again why would anyone what to see that again.

Mountain King said...

and I was just thinking Poyo might not be the only program developing a few glitches...
As for Bland Slush. I have and will never understand his brand of "rap". Heck to me "Rap" is simply urban poetry to a repetitive beat. His poetry lacks, meter, rhythm, rhyme and, of course, depth.
The comic reflected that pretty well. Trying to be positive at the start before the writer seemed to give up, as if he couldn't understand Ice's actions so explaining them to the reader was impossible.

Thomas

Michelle Barnett said...

Duuuuuuuuuuude, you can't do that to 90s Kid! That's like kicking a puppy. A really really loud, annoying puppy.

Timothy said...

Good review, as always.

I do have a question though: the Nostalgia Critic was listed in the credits, but he didn't make a cameo or anything.

Was he helping you out with that special effect behind the scenes in the stinger or something? Just curious is all.

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"Good review, as always.

I do have a question though: the Nostalgia Critic was listed in the credits, but he didn't make a cameo or anything.

Was he helping you out with that special effect behind the scenes in the stinger or something? Just curious is all."

The "Ice Man" bit is from his review of Cool as Ice.

Anonymous said...

Pretty sure that - means they are linking his and rionic for hisrionic for a screwed up pronunciation of histrionic. But that might be giving it too much credit.

Wait, An Indian Motorcycle. One of the most expensive even more so than Harleys. He was trying to kill any chance at cred with this wasn't he?

Even then you could by 2 if not 3 New Cars for the price of an Indian Motor Cycle.

Asshole=Cred 90's kid idiocy exactly.

Top Gun is Definitely superior to Arnold Freeze.

Stone Rave up. My opinion. You'd have to be stoned to confuse it for being good.

Vanilla Ice is deep in Distrucity.

Where is the mobile emitter in the shirtless moment?

TMNT was great work by the Henson creature shop. TMNT 2 was the last one which they got brought in on to work on.

Great composite work holding his heart like that. Strange thing is other than the homicidal aspect I agree with ERH Linkara.

boooratt said...

Great review as always!
Ok, I still don't think it's a word but it didn't say "Rionic" it said "Hisrionic"! That - at the end of His meant that the word was too long to fit the caption box so it was cropped off. My Google search keeps kicking back, "Did you mean Histrionic" and that results in Histrionic personality disorder (HPD)! Which means attention seeking... so I think it was a typo!
Is it weird I think this seems to be the most honest bio-comic I've ever seen! Like yea h a lot of the time they tend to leave out the bad stuff and promote up the good, but this one seems to remain fairly neutral one way or the other!
I'm just as confused as you are! Are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles real here or not!? I'm guessing since this comic was meant for younger people at the time they didn't want to flat out state they are fake or not.
Ok, I'm calling it! Vanilla Ice slept with that reporter he's giving that interview with and that's why he seems to be nude in his bed!
I never was a fan but I do gotta admit and so do so many other Ice-Ice-Baby is a classic nearly! If the song was as bad as people made it out to be we still wouldn't be using it today! I've heard it in 5 commercials before lunch today!
So, you like Ninja Rap?
Is that Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer yelling at each other on the back of the cover!?
I'm really curious of other books by this publisher with a name like Rock & Roll they gotta have some more metal comics! XD

I was expecting you to play us out with Pretty Fly for a White Guy!

So, in this universe Metchakara is descended from Holokara instead of Polo!?
I always loved enemies that can do that! Faze threw some one's chest and squeeze their heart! Like in The Frighteners!!

PopCultureOtaku said...

I never was a fan of vannalia ice. I mean I like ninja rap and all but the rest of his music is really crap. Biography comics were never interesting to me and just proves that linkara is right about them. Stupidly produced and un nesscary comic. Oh crap on the end.

Master Control Cynic said...

Ok.... Linkara. You are an avid star trek fan. How did you not no that the PRACTICALLY SENTIENT HOLOGRAM was a terrible idea?

....swear to god just BURN the damn holodeck....

Turkish Proverb said...

Huh. Man some guys just can't get a break. No artificial life-form that looks like that can help but be evil it seems.

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"Where is the mobile emitter in the shirtless moment?"

On the hat.

D-doc said...

Great review as always, though I wonder how that was even published. It seems to be more like an amateur's home made comic rather than a professional job.

And is it me or is Holo-Linkara channeling Mechakara's personality at the end?

Anonymous said...

DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE!...

That's my heart...

*collapses*

Anonymous said...

You know, this just gives me more and more fodder for my "Linksano is behind it all" theory.

I will post it once in full here, cause I would love to get some people's opinion on it.

Linksano has been planning to go back to being evil for months, ever since they discovered that it was Lord Vyce in the new Pollo body. Because if he is trapped at the edge of the solar system, Linkara's threat to have Linksano banished to the same winter planet/dimension as Vyce should NIMUE catch him doing something evil or betraying Linkara is now null and void, especially since we know that Linksano can tavel through the multiverse himself, since that is how he got to this universe in the first place.

He was studying for months, looking at Comicron-1 and its resources, as well as studying the magic that serves as Comicron-1's power source in order to best neutralize Linkara's magic.

He was attempting to make his own Anti-Magic Field Generator, as we found out back in his arc before Vyce came around, so who is to say that he wasn't able to make one after studying Insano's and the energy of Comicron-1?

But how to get the AMFG into place where Linkara would be neutralized wherever he went? Simply. Make the generator moveable. And to do that, why not install it in a robot that he helped create, specifically, the new heavy assault cybermat.

When the gunslinger attacked, either having been hired to attack by Linksano or just Linksano taking advantage, and Linkara called the cybermat down to help defeat him, Linksano took advantage.

Now, some might ask why the field still affects Linkara and the Magic Gun when he went to get information from Linksano or when he went on his journey. Linkara took the cybermat with him, not thinking anything about it other than a way to help defend himself while his magic was on the fritz, and in doing so accidentally brought the AMF with him as well.

It would also explain why the gun Linksano made for Linkara wasn't finished on time, Linksano doesn't want to give Linkara any more weapons than he has too. And with NIMUE now being tasked to do more and more thanks to the Linkara's magic being on the fritz, she can't keep as close an eye on Linksano, leaving him freer to do more and more of his plan. Notice we haven't seen much of him lately?

Then we come to today's episode. Holokara goes crazy and attacks 90s Kid, holding his life in his holographic hands. Aside from his science lab, what was one of the things Linkara gave Linksano in order to convince him to work for him?

Unlimited access to the holodeck of Comicron-1. And the mobile emitter still works because it was based on that tech, rather than Linkara's magic.

Seriously, Linksano is looking more and more like the culprit to me as this arc progresses. I could be completely wrong, but it makes a frightening amount of sense.

TL:DR---Linksano is behind it all, and the review was great as lways. Keep up the good work boss!

Jillian Jensen said...

Hey, great episode!
Also, hate to be the Debby Downer, but I think a spelling error was missed - "caucasian" was spelled with an O instead of the third A.
This is why I'm going to school to be an editor, I suppose :)

FugueforFrog said...

Oh frig, Holo-Kara just pulled a Perona on 90s Kid...that's not a good sign. Could this be Insano's revenge...or just a really bad malfunction?

It's weird really: just as the Vanilla Ice review started, I actually found a copy of a comic from the same company that was part of a mini-series they did on The Beatles. The company and these "rock and roll" comics are really just trashy tabloids willing to dig up any scandal they want to and present their "biographies" in the most trashy, ludicrous ways possible. And the funny part: there was an ad for the Vanilla Ice comic in the Beatles comic!

And while I don't want to get into some music conversations due to my own feelings and insecurities, this was a terrible comic and really proves that you can't just make up random crap just because it's some popular celebrty of the moment. Though the Iceman bits were funny, and the TMNT bits...were WTF.

One last note: rap was sort of in the mainstream from the get-go; considering the Sugarhill Gang did hit the top 40 in 1980...even if it was a novelty at the time. But then again rap was never really my genre...so I'll shut up now.

Mr Mcguffin said...

Great REVIEW linkara, and im glad to see that the storyline is getting into motion, also i loved that bit with pollo and 90's kid at the beginning and end.

TheFlyingPhoton said...

You are very pasty.

LeeshaJoy said...

So, in an alternate universe, Pollo killed you and became Mechakara. Now Holo-Kara is threatening to kill your fellow cast members.

It may be time to admit that you don't know how to program an AI that won't turn homicidal. Just sayin'.

revolverocelot2501 said...

If Vanilla Ice was really the "Ice Man", when the girl said he was as hot as ice, he would have replied with, "Remember, there might be some momentary discomfort."

Des Shinta said...

Oh Dear, the ERH has begun show AI rampancy. What are the odds that before the 'real' Linkara gets back, the ERH is going to go Starkers and try to kill the costars?
Bets on either a fight, or an emergency shutdown program.
Linkara has bad luck with AI that look like him.

Bazookoidben said...

Oh, Lounging with Linkara. I see that as a new series. XD

Man this comic was kinda...off on it's portrayal of ice. Got this Gollum thing with the "We hates him we does...no we loves the precious Ice..."

I'm intrigued with this evil Holo!Kara. Perhaps this is all that repressed ill feelings towards his co-stars thats on the surface now. Good thing to know those mobile emitters can be turned off with the whack of a PADD.

Though that attack on 90's kid. Someone been watching Voyager recently? Was never sure how that trick is ment to work. But it wins me over by being both awesome and horrifying.

Looking forwards to seeing where this goes!

pokemega32 said...

Disappointed that Linkara didn't say "Paint me like one of your french girls" while posing.

MichaelJGleason said...

This episodes a bit scary, I mean if he was Mechakara, that would be a good progression. I just assume that it's a glitch.

Anonymous said...

review batman and son

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"review batman and son"

Why?

Eileen Gonzalez said...

...Dang, I forgot all about Vanilla Ice being in TMNT2. I remembered that goofball dance scene, I just didn't remember it being him specifically. What a timeless and unforgettable artist he must have been.

Also, are you sure that magazine interview wasn't for Playgirl instead of People?

The Exiled One said...

Would 90s Kid really like Vanilla Ice? Wouldn't he be more into metal and grunger, or at least into more hardcore rap?

Well, I'd rather take an honest biography like this than something like the Micky Mantle comic, that turned Mantle into some kind of messiah figure.

Also, this wouldn't be the first time the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would be treated as existing in real life. Remember "The Making of the Coming Out of Our Shells Live Tour"? (and yeah, that's another Doug review that connects with this comic)

--------------

"It always fascinates me when Linkara makes a negative comment about a comic being in black and white. I'm more of a manga reader than a western comic book reader myself, so I'm always surprised for a moment when someone actually mentions a comic lacks color... since, y'know, for manga, that's the norm."

Linkara, by his own admission, is not a manga reader, he prefers Western comics, which is why his "The Electric Tale of Pikachu" review is so unique.

Also, he started reading comics in the mid-90s, and his first comics were the mid-90s run on Teen Titans (back when they were just "The Titans"), so he missed the whole 80s black and white indie comic scene.

"The "Ice Man" bit is from his review of Cool as Ice."

Again, I would have preferred if Doug actually made a cameo rather than you stealing one of his funny jokes. And if you are gonna steal a joke from that review, why not the White-O-Meter? That was the best part of that review!

"Top Gun is Definitely superior to Arnold Freeze."

Still, given that Linkara is a comic fan, I was actually expecting a reference to Iceman from the X-Men.

"Ok.... Linkara. You are an avid star trek fan. How did you not no that the PRACTICALLY SENTIENT HOLOGRAM was a terrible idea?

....swear to god just BURN the damn holodeck...."

..oooooor, you could be right and this is the typical "the holodeck is malfunctioning and trying to kill us AGAIN" plot. I think that's more accurate, since I doubt Lewis would be bringing Mechakara into this arc when he already has the Gunslinger, especially the very week when "To Boldly Go" is supposed to be released. Yeah, I think you nailed it, Master Control Cynic.

"It's weird really: just as the Vanilla Ice review started, I actually found a copy of a comic from the same company that was part of a mini-series they did on The Beatles. The company and these "rock and roll" comics are really just trashy tabloids willing to dig up any scandal they want to and present their "biographies" in the most trashy, ludicrous ways possible. And the funny part: there was an ad for the Vanilla Ice comic in the Beatles comic!"

Well, that explains it. I bet their Beatles comic would include stuff like the "we are more popular than Jesus" line, their drug use, Yoko Ono's damaging influence on the group, John's atheism (or at least, his lack of support for religion), the Fifth Beatle, and Paul's constant ego-trips.

Come to think of it, Linkara should review the Beatles comic in a future episode...

"One last note: rap was sort of in the mainstream from the get-go; considering the Sugarhill Gang did hit the top 40 in 1980...even if it was a novelty at the time. But then again rap was never really my genre...so I'll shut up now."

Expanding on that note, people like Flo Rida, Kanye West or Will Smith also tried to bring rap to the mainstream...but they are all black, so they don't get the amount of venom that Vanilla Ice gets.

"It may be time to admit that you don't know how to program an AI that won't turn homicidal. Just sayin'."

I'm starting to get suspicious about Nimue. Remember that super-intelligent GPS that Ask That Guy built? It eventually went Yandere on his ass and tried to kill him. Why is Linkara so sure that the same won't happen to Nimue?

Kth-77 said...

I KNEW IT! I knew that fakekara coldn't be trusted!

Shanethefilmmaker said...

Holy crap did not see that coming. Though judging by your history of evil duplicates I should have. I was too busy suspecting Boffo. Speaking of which I figured out why he creeps me out so much. It's not the clown thing. I don't know if you did this intentionally, but when you played as Boffo he seemed to look disgruntled. Like he had better things to do than to be standing and honking his horn. In a way he reminds me of Sideshow Bob.

Anonymous said...

Wow the camera angle makes it hard to spot. Thanks for answering the question on where it was I know I wouldn't have spotted it on my own half this easily.

Heck I'm use to mobile emitters being used on the other side even though that isn't really mandatory.

Falcovsleon21 said...

Called it! Holokara turned evil. Why does this always happen with technology?

Anonymous said...

at 23:10

GAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!! MY EYES!!!!MY EYES!!!!! IT BURNS!!! IIIITTTTT BUUUURRRRRNNNSSSSSS!!!!!

Sijo said...

I'm convinced whoever write this comic hated Vanilla Ice and just took the chance to make him look bad. What surprises me is that he (or his agent) didn't notice. But then they might not even have bothered to check.

Btw, please don't take this the wrong way, Rap Critic, but I don't think that Vanilla Ice (or any other non-black artist) being the first big-time rapper really matters. Music isn't about civil rights, its entertainment. What matters is that our society has moved along on such issues. The cultural origins of Hip hop and Rock and Roll should be pointed out, yes, but the music itself *belongs to us all*.

Ohh, now that was an unexpected twist at the end. NOW things are getting serious! Can't wait to see more! 00

Stoi said...

"The hologram ISN'T evil, Stoi."

"Stop being so paranoid all the time, Stoi."

YEAH. GUESS WHO SAW THAT COMING. ^_^

Anonymous said...

Wow...

What an emotional twist! You actually have us feeling sorry for 90s Kid!

Andrew Graff said...

I think this is the point where Nimue contacts Linkara to come home, what with Holographic Linkara becoming Homicidal Linkara.

SailorCardKnight said...

Fun Fact: Vanilla Ice has a series these days on the DYI network called The Vanilla Ice Project" where he goes around and remodels homes. I know this because my mom watches it.

I was a little sad you didn't make somekind of reference to it, would have made for a good joke somewhere. Then again, I didn't even know he had such a show until I saw that my mom had episodes of it on the DVR.

weckar said...

Whoa, Linkara! I never thought the holo-kara would have any physical impact on the world. How can a hologram even hold a heart while still penetrating the flesh & bones?

ackbarfan5556 said...

Hey Lewis, what do you think of this?

Freeze: The Ice Man Cometh!
Bill Corbett: The Adudiance Goeth!

Rabbi Joe said...

You were right all along. There is no such word as "hisrionic". Don't use "Click4everything" as a legitimate dictionary, especially since that very page is not even consistent.

Rowan LeFey said...

*wolf whistles * I see Doug finally made you sign that contract with one shirtless scene per epsiode... your fangirls thank you ;)

Jay Allen Sanford said...

Ha, I wrote this comic and ran the publishing company, Revolutionary Comics! Several typos in that one - I recently did an autograph signing for the new DVD "The Story of Rock 'N' Roll Comics," at Forbidden Planet in NYC, and - to my shock and amazement - several people had me sign these Vanilla Ice comics. Bluewater Productions has been reprinting the best RnR Comics in graphic novel collections (Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zep, etc), but I'm pretty sure I won't be signing off on any Ice reprints.... http://www.facebook.com/jay.a.sanford

Anonymous said...

Dear Linkara,

Can you Please, Please, PLEASE re-release you MST3K Season 11 stuff so your fans and I can watch it and enjoy it. I can't find a working copy anywhere and I am incredibly curious. Even if you don't think they are any good, it will still be great to see how you evolved from where you were and where you are in terms of writing. Perhaps if you can't release the movie bits, you could at least show the sections with just you and the puppets.

Please consider, Thank You.

Sincerely, a loyal fan.

Jay Allen Sanford said...

And if you think THIS comic was gawdawful, you should see my MC Hammer and Beverly Hills 90210 bio comics (the latter included paper dolls!) -

Anonymous said...

I watch the show for the 90s kid!

Metal B said...

This has properly nothing to do with today's show itself, but what is going one with the commercial on blip? First it takes 200 second, second there is a country song playing with random still shots from gay people, old people, ill people and a bridge. There is just the title "Waiting to die" and i still have no idea, what the commercial is trying to sell to me ... The other day i got an advertising from a guy talking to an child and selling courses in money making (i believe). Really strange blip.
So the time is up and i can enjoy the show.

Anonymous said...

As much as I loathe the phrase "reverse rasicm", this might be the only possible situation in the entire universe where it could maybe be sort of accurate. Obviously Mr Ice isn't getting rejected because he's white, he's getting rejected because he's not conforming to the expected stereotype of a rap artist, specifically a black rap artist. Basically it's upholding a rasict stereotype of what a PoC is "supposed" to be.
Or maybe that's just your basic rasicm. In which case, never mind.

Blackcat325 said...

I love that you fitted travel Pollo into the show - and I love Pollo's reaction to the body.

The ending! For a moment there, I was actually scared for 90's Kid. I mean, I know you probably wouldn't kill off such a popular character, but still...

Hmmm... the hologram is based on Linkara's personality and memories, and not long before he left, Linkara got really mad at 90's Kid. Sure hope Dr Insano's not planning to show up any time soon.

Gareth said...

First reaction: I don't watch it for the 90's kid but I do love it when he appears

Second reaction: Don't hurt 90's kid. He may be stupid and have an inexplicable love for the worst parts of the 90's but in my opinion he is a sweet boy and doesn't deserve to be hurt.

Third reaction: OMG, I know I have missed an episode or two but when did Linkaa become inexplicably evil.

I know I made the time lord victorious reference before but this is what I imagine it be like if The Doctor hadn't stopped the whole "I have no limits" thing.

Mandilo said...

This is what i call a hell of a good review, it has the rythm, the fun, the surprise! I wouldn't mind a full review with shirtless agent holokara ! I'm hooked by the double threat of this year, it opens so many possibilities ! 

And i will spend my afternoon with go ninja go stuck in my head, thanks a lot! 
(sorry if i do franglish)

Unknown said...

It just end with him holding a gun, that is stupid just when it could get interesting.
Btw great review

Ellipsis Flood said...

Holokara is behind everything. I'm calling it.

Jonathan M said...

The term reverse-racism is in and of itself, racist. It implies that the only normal type of racism that exists is of African-American people.

..I'm pretty sure racism has existed longer than the USA has existed, so I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that's too narrow a term for racism.

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"And if you think THIS comic was gawdawful, you should see my MC Hammer and Beverly Hills 90210 bio comics (the latter included paper dolls!)"

Well, first of all, hello! It's not often that I actually have a chance to talk to a creator, especially for something that's on the more obscure side of comics.

A lot of people have been curious about this one - was it INTENTIONALLY written to put Vanilla Ice in a bad light, or was it that it just reflected the reality of what was going on at the time?

Also, thanks for the recommendations! I'll try to track them down at some point and thanks for liking the video! ^_^

Nate said...

I get the feeling Linkara has been watching Red Dwarf.

Anonymous said...

I remember the company that did this comic also did some New Kids on the Block comics that got them in trouble with the band. Jay if you're still around do you have any stories on that?

Also on the subject of Vanilla Ice, believe it or not he managed to get Chuck D to do a guest spot on one of his recent albums. I don't know how that managed to happen.

Nevermore said...

Sad that you used a Jim Carrey clip but completely missed out on the opportunity of referencing "White White Baby".

"I told the world I was stabbed in the butt, but it was a toilet paper cut!"

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"Sad that you used a Jim Carrey clip but completely missed out on the opportunity of referencing "White White Baby".

"I told the world I was stabbed in the butt, but it was a toilet paper cut!""

I got the clip, but couldn't think of a good place to put it. XD

Anonymous said...

Contrary to what you say, Mr. Lovhaug, I happen to LIKE "old Lightbringer" a lot! :) I like your storylines and how they all come together to fit o well, and i like your characters (especially your hero, and all your creepy villains!) and your writing style isn't all that bad either.

It's certainly a lot better than what I can do. I write fanfiction for games that are underated, such as King's Quest.

Jeremy A. Patterson said...

Hey, Linkara, I have a question about next week's episode: Which Future Shock are you reviewing: The 2006 Image FCBD book 'Future Shock' #1, or the 1997 Malibu comic 'Ultraverse: Future Shock' #1?

Jeremy

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"Hey, Linkara, I have a question about next week's episode: Which Future Shock are you reviewing: The 2006 Image FCBD book 'Future Shock' #1, or the 1997 Malibu comic 'Ultraverse: Future Shock' #1?"

Neither.

Gareth said...

Oh of course that is only a hologram, I forgot. I haven't been keeping up to date with at4w as much lately. It's a relief that Linkara isn't turning evil.

Jay Allen Sanford said...

We won the New Kids lawsuit against Rock 'N' Roll Comics, establishing (for the first time in a courtroom) that comics have First Amendment protection - we ended up doing around 300 comics at Revolutionary. The Story of RnR Comics DVD documentary (which co-stars Alice Cooper, Gene Simmons, Mojo Nixon, and a bunch of comic biz guys like Denis Kitchen and Gary Groth) has a lot about that, plus covering the murder of company founder Todd Loren. I also wrote a feature about it all for the San Diego Reader, if anyone's interested - http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/sep/22/the-history-of-comic-books-in-san-diego-the-90s/

DVD trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KTVoR31Fek

The story of how we ended up working with Kiss can be found at http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/12/komplete-kiss-komix-kronicles

Lewis, email me your snail mail addy (jas2669@aol.com) and I'll be glad to send you some examples of our best (Beatles, Elvis, Led Zep, Pink Floyd, all still in print in bookstore graphic novels and in various school systems) and worst comics (too many to list - it ain't easy making a good bio comic!)

As for this query: "A lot of people have been curious about this one - was it INTENTIONALLY written to put Vanilla Ice in a bad light, or was it that it just reflected the reality of what was going on at the time?"

None of us could stand Vanilla Ice, so we mocked him at every opportunity. We did do some good hip-hop comics - the Ice-T issue was Stuart Immonen's first pro comic gig - but the Hammer and Vanilla Ice comics are about as bad as anything akin.

And that includes the current Bluewater bio comics. They reprinted our best stuff in several graphic novel compilations, but their own stuff is usually pretty dreadful.

So I guess our New Kids lawsuit win is to blame for Bluewater, which couldn't exist otherwise. In fact, the same lawyer who sued us on behalf of the New Kids once went after Bluewater over their Lady Gaga comic (which you also mocked, quite splendidly). He quickly gave up and went away (again) -

Jay Allen Sanford said...

And thanks again for the honor of having the VI comic mocked so splendidly - my face was hurting from laughing! The weird thing about that issue is that it sold just as well as most of our other comics around that time (30,000 to 45,000 copies). It was one of our first issues to hit the stands after making a big newsstand distribution deal, one of the first indie comics ever to show up everywhere from 7-11s to K-Marts.

I imagine any real Vanilla Ice fan who bought it was baffled by the disrespectful tone. That said, tho, anyone buying everything with VI's face on it MUST have ended up buying far worse junk than our silly comic ---

Taranaich said...

I don't really have anything much to say about the comic, but the stinger was great. That's one of my favourite Voyager episodes, and I really wish they did more about holograms and sentience.

Anonymous said...

Wait, were you going to do a review with Nostalgia Critic about Swamp-Thing or was that just a joke?

Kaibaman41 said...

Holokara going self aware and going evil, I was wondering when this was coming, the signs of Holokara's attitude a few episodes changing slightly hinted something is going on..that and seeing the Q&A of the latest liveshow gave it away as well. Well done Linkara,pretty nice reveal of Holokara going evil.

FugueforFrog said...

"
Well, that explains it. I bet their Beatles comic would include stuff like the "we are more popular than Jesus" line, their drug use, Yoko Ono's damaging influence on the group, John's atheism (or at least, his lack of support for religion), the Fifth Beatle, and Paul's constant ego-trips."

The Beatles comic was literally 8 issues...yeah, an 8-issue mini-series which was essentially an unauthorized documentary o The Beatles. It literally starts with what was an homage to the beginning of "It's a Wonderful Life" with a star literally deciding to be born...as John Lennon. I'm not making this up. It has all the controversies and whatnot, and the very last issue, after reaching modern day for the time (early 90s) has a whole "alternate universe" with the whole "Paul is Dead" thing and what they think happened with Paul McCartney. The only reason I know of this is that my sis got really into The Beatles in the early 90s when music became crap and picked up the entire mini-series...so yeah, that pretty much sums up my experiences with "Rock 'n Roll Comics"

Chel Maxfield said...

In the panel about "Giving advice to girls interested in picking him up" ... where is his other finger? His hand only has three fingers and a thumb.

I'm really liking this storyline so far!

Wishes to remain Unknown said...

To explain the lungs like Ali line, boxing with a mouth piece makes it hard to breath. In fact it's suggested by pros that you breath out solely your nose and make sure to exhale when doing anything that requires noticeable energy. So you must control your breathing while boxing kinda like a runner which means you got to have good lung capacity. When you move like Ali did back in the day, it'd probably make it harder to control breathing. The main Ali part comes in when you note that, Ali came away from some fights without being noticeably winded, showing great control and good lung capacity.

Wishes to remain Unknown said...

vanilla is pretty delicious for an actual flavor(what i think he was going for)

Loveable Freak said...

So Holokara's going rogue, huh? CURSE YOU, TECHNOLOGY! WHY MUST YOU ALWAYS ENEVITABLY TURN ON US!?

SirLordJ said...

Ooh I knew it. Holo-kara now has a mind of his own, can't wait to see where this goes. Also Poyo is awesome!

Jay Allen Sanford said...

Most of Ice's quotes are taken from his actual interviews, including his cringe-worthy advice to girls on how to pick him up. Truth is stranger - and funnier! - than fiction.

The "lungs like Ali" comment references how Ice is saying in that panel that he's The Greatest, a line Ali used a lot -

The Beatles comics have some wonky flights of fancy, mainly to counter balance the typeset encyclopedia timelines going down the sides of each page, with historical and related events happening around the same time. The Beatles graphic novel is used in the scholastic market, including sociology classes taught by Professor Deena Weinstein at DePaul University.

The fact that it's still in print, in bookstores and schools 20 years after the first issue was released, would seem to show that occasionally a bio comic manages to strike at least most of the right chords with readers.

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"The fact that it's still in print, in bookstores and schools 20 years after the first issue was released, would seem to show that occasionally a bio comic manages to strike at least most of the right chords with readers."

And I have to admit, that IS pretty damn impressive. I always got the impression that biography comics in the 80s and 90s were a way to do cheap press and capitalize on a star's name, but if they're actually still in use and in schools of all things, it's very cool.

Mind you, I doubt anything like the Stephanie Meyer or Lady Gaga comics are all that great as educational tools.

ToasterTom said...

I think the Linkara's subconscious dark ego about his show is starting to manifest in the conscious actions of the hologram. That might be why Holo-kara almost performed Kano's fatality.

Le Messor said...

This is not Mel Tormé!

I like Rap Critic's personality when I see him (though I don't have nearly enough interest in rap to watch his show), but he kinda lost me when he credited David Bowie but not Queen. (Bowie is somebody I collect, but Queen's my favourite band. In fact, I have the R'n'R comics biography of them.)

In one panel where you made fun of Vanilla Ice's look, I thought he looked just like Corey Haim.

The Max Headroom line would've been a perfect time to mock Taggert's accent on Eureka!

There's no such thing as reverse racism!

marconius666:
"It always fascinates me when Linkara makes a negative comment about a comic being in black and white..."

Besides the fact that most 'colour' comics these days have no more than one (maybe, gasp, two!) colours per page anyway.
A lot of them look like the colourist was late on their assignment and spilled their orange juice across the page at breakfast.
We didn't think you'd notice.

Master Control Cynic said...
"You are an avid star trek fan. How did you not no that the PRACTICALLY SENTIENT HOLOGRAM was a terrible idea?"

He borrowed his holo-emitter from one of the multiple times that worked fine. (Holo-doc; Vic Fontaine, DaVinci (kind of), and Fair Haven all spring to mind. I meant worked fine for the characters, not the audience.)

Taranaich:
"That's one of my favourite Voyager episodes..."

Could you be more specific? I didn't notice anything that relates to only one ep.

Tim P said...

I'm calling this now: Holo-Kara put Pollo into that travel body so that he is limited. I'm betting that body either doesn't have some of his offensive functions, like his eye laser, or they have been disabled by Holo-Kara. It just seems too... coincidental that he is swapping pollo's body in the same show he's going homicidal...

Gareth said...

@Toaster Tom, that is what I'm thinking. What if the hologram is working fine and it is something that it got from Linkara's mind (perhaps exaggerated somehow) that is turning the hologram wrong.

Iron Balls McGinty said...

Re: Anonymous: "Also on the subject of Vanilla Ice, believe it or not he managed to get Chuck D to do a guest spot on one of his recent albums. I don't know how that managed to happen."

Because Chuck D was an early supporter of Vanilla Ice, and tried to get him signed to Def Jam back in the '80s, before he signed with SBK Records. He called Vanilla Ice the "Jackie Robinson of hip hop".

Iron Balls McGinty said...

RC, can I correct you on a few things?

1. "Lyrics about being a hardcore gangsta" - sorry, wrong. Carrying a gun doesn't equal "gangsta", and he did carry a gun at the time. For protection. Second amendment and all. He's actually a Republican. (That's all I will delve into that area, except that another Texas-based rapper, Scarface from the Geto Boys, is also a Republican.) And the "chumps actin' ill 'cause they're full of eight-balls" was actually just referring to drug addicts, not members of Vanilla Ice's crew. Miami still has plenty of cokeheads, as it did when the song was written.
2. Vanilla Ice wasn't trying to "be black". "Ice Ice Baby" was a big hit in 1989 on an independent single before anyone knew he was white. Chuck D, who tried to have him signed to Def Jam at the time, pointed out that people were actually surprised when they found out that he was white. And Chuck also called Vanilla Ice "the Jackie Robinson of hip hop".
3. Actually, he continued to have independent success, although not as huge as his major label success. The nu metal album HARD TO SWALLOW (released before nu metal had any mainstream success) and its follow up, BI-POLAR, a mix of alt/nu metal and modern hip hop, earned him fans from that late-90s alternative rock culture, and Juggalos, and is currently signed to Psychopathic Records. And he has had a successful career renovating and selling houses, and a home improvement reality TV show called The Vanilla Ice Project.

Linkara, THAT ISN'T A GANG SIGN, the two middle fingers up is just supposed to represent his name: V = Vanilla Ice. It's only slightly different from the Star Trek gesture, but you don't consider Vulcans to be 'throwing gang signs', do you?

Anonymous said...

The comic: Ugh.

Your arc: I'm thinking there's got to be a serious glitch in Holokara's matrix to cause him to do something like that.

Fiery Little One

Ming said...

This comic is terrible, around the level of Vanilla Ice's film, Cool as Ice.

Oh crap, we've got a homicidal hologram on the loose. Linkara, come home quick before the holo-psychopath starts getting ideas . . .

Jay Allen Sanford said...

Wow, I see you're doing an even worse issue of Revolutionary Comics in September, "Psychoman"! A teen slacker "superhero" --

That was actually the last comic publisher Todd Loren scripted before he died. It was among the first published work by Steve Crompton, whose character Demi the Demoness (first published at Revolutionary) is now an underground comic icon (the first x-rated comic book character to be adapted as a live action film).

Only that first issue of Psychoman was ever published. A second issue was scripted and partially drawn, and a #2 cover was published in ads, and then Todd Loren was murdered.

When the RevCom office re-opened, with me in place of Todd as managing editor, I'm pretty sure I cancelled Psychoman sometime during my first hour on the job. It was that terrible. I look forward to seeing your riff on it --

LucasChad said...

Hey Linkara,

I just saw a documentary called The Story of Rock N' Roll Comics, and it's pretty good. If you get a chance to check it out (saw it on Roku), maybe it'll help you find more of their comics to review.

Arianne said...

My craziest fan theory is that because Linkara's tech and magic seem to connect together and work well it's starting to "disconnect" and malfunction sorta speak.If I remember correctly there are Pyramid heads that are stuck inside a pokeball,which in my opinion should be checked on since they're dangerous. Linksano should be questioned because of the holo deck is under his control. Maybe the holokara is acting on his own or acting on Linkara's subconcious because I don't think the real Linkara would make a death threat to 90's kid since the dude is stupidly mostly harmless. As for the comic,I'm glad Vanilla Ice isn't rapping anymore and that I was to young to know that much about the white rapper other than he appeared on a VH1 reality tv show that was my guilty pleasure

Unknown said...

Poor Jay this comic will haunt you forever. Thanx for the link. I'm glad you have such a good sense of humor about it. I can see you laughing your ass off while watching this. I guess any publicity is good publicity. :)

Anonymous said...

Wow. I didn't even like 90s Kid, and I felt that Holokara was going too far. Kudos to your acting Lewis for managing to pull off your scariest character yet.