Steve Ditko sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/ditko_... was born on this day, so here's some examples of his early cover art (1954-1957):

Have seen this before, but like to repost.

#WritingCommunity #Publishing #Ageism
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Overall, my GOTY so far is Digimon Time Stranger. Hades 2 is in the running for second, JWE3 delivered a lot of good will even if mixed and isn't nearly the letdown Civilization 7 was. But Dev Diaries hint my great bugbears about Civ 7 may get resolved soon so here's to hoping!

But there's enough there between the campaigns, sandbox & a much less grueling challenge mode (natural scenery as fences is such a money saver) make it fun even as you wait for new stuff to be added. So the most *feature complete* game of the series so far. Having a lot of fun,but its mixed. 11/11

... so there is very clearly content that will be added throughout the games cycle. While I love these games to death I always say for people to *wait* before getting them. Launch is always their weakest state, free updates, patches + later expansions all make the much more feature complete 10/11

Its also launching with a portion of JWE2's finished roster. And while we'll be getting a bunch of those missing Dinos as free updates (at least the base game ones) its highly likely we'll be getting others DLC which sucks. Likewise, movie skins do not translate to both dinosaur sexes & babies 9/10

Its even more of a mixed bag. Overall, launch is always the weakest state of these sorts of game. JWE3 adds a good 60+ hour campaign plus Challenge Modes plus Modular Building plus baby Dinosaurs plus Sandbox on Every Map which neither of the previous two did at launch which is a plus... but... 8/10

Overall writing in JWE2 was weaker in every respect to JWE1 that rendered it laughable in places. It was very clearly hampered by Covid and Universal demands and the content from JW: Dominion were split between *two* DLC. By the end of its cycle it was much more feature filled but with JWE3... 710

Was very clearly a half-complete game. It gave us lagoons and more in depth aviaries sure (and more biomes) but its campaign was a glorified tutorial and its challenge mode was servicable, with its "what if" Chaos Theory mode being a hit and miss of fun ideas, lackluster executions. 6/10

And more sandbox maps, by the end of its dev cycle it was pretty feature full with three additional DLC sub-campaigns via Dr. Wu DLC, Claire's Sanctuary and Return to JP DLCs. But comparatively, it is a very rudimentary park builder whose launch had a ton of problems... JWE2 on the other hand 5/10

Before I go into JWE3, lets go through a history of the other two:

JWE1's meat was its campaign and later challenge mode, with its launch only giving us *one* sandbox map. It is barebones as can get out and while free updates added stuff like the infamously grueling challenge modes... 4/10

Honestly can't say more than what hasn't been said by professional critics, Hades 2 good, stop the presses.

Now, Jurassic World Evolution 3... having played the previous two since each of their launches, I'll say JWE3 has the strongest launch of the three, but its a mixed bag. 3/20

I've talked at length of how fucking great Time Stranger is, so I won't tread old ground. I loved Hades 1 and am loving Hades 2, even its ending, which is controversial. Hades 2 is really great, art is amazing, and is unashamably queer in a year that is scary to be such. 2/10

Didn't play much new games this year, since this was a hell year, but this October I remedied that by playing through Digimon Time Stranger, Hades 2, and Jurassic World Evolution 3.
A Mons JRPG, Rogue-Lite and Park Builder is... a mix, lol. 1/10

Artist and astronomer Lucien Rudaux sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/rudaux... was born on this day. Best known for his influential space art, he also whimsically illustrated an article by Rene Thevenin in 'The American Weekly' (May 1938) titled "The Bizarre, Human-Animal Hybrids Imagined":

Everything I've seen from makes me think a a positive review from him is more of an indictment IMO.

Thats just it. Good scenes, ideas, or set peices that otherwise weren't supported well by the rest of the film. Good ingredients, poor cooking.

I generally try not to be negative on movies. I didn't hate this movie, but there was so many little things that took me out completely. There was some scenes I did GENUINELY like. The Quetz eating scene and the Utahraptor attack after the Deinonychus raid was legit creative and harrowing... but...

The ingredients and set pieces *can* be an amazing dish, Vietnam but with Dinosaurs is an amazing premise, but the result is a mess of a dish that makes you lament what could have been. You had perfectly good kobe beef and you burned most of it, leaving you disappointed to what could have been 10/10

Which honestly just sums up the movie. Sets out to do a lot of ambitious ideas: accurate dinosaurs, vietnam movie pageantry, soldier psychological breaks, action scenes, etc. But it bites off more than it can chew and ultimately ends up an overcooked rubbery steak. 9/10

I honestly couldn't give a damn about Hollywood accuracy, but if your going to champion yourself as an answer to JW, and commit all the same sins as JW movies (the female Rex is fucking kaiju sized in some early shots) then you've failed what you set out to do 8/10

I've heard a lot of mixed things about Primitive War. It champions accurate dinosaurs, while at the same point suicide charging armed entrenchments of soldiers being gunned down by the hundreds. Okay, are they animals or murder monster? I'm not sure the movie knows either 7/10

With some scenes that feel straight up video-game set-piecey with gunning down tons of suicidal dinosaurs charging at people in different set peices. Which honestly? Feels like a Call of Duty game. Cookie cutter action set-pieces with tenuous plot-structure between them. 6/10

At least with a movie as bizarre as Carnosaur or as bad as its sequels, it *knows* what it is. Which I don't get that feeling with Primitive War. Is it a war movie? pulp adventure movie? As it stands, it just feels like knock-off Call of Duty Black Ops w/ Dinosaurs 5/10