#because it's huge; infinite; beyond frontiers... | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thevindicativevordan · 2 years

Note

Any thoughts about the recent Dawn of DC announcements ?

Let's see if the new DC is the same as the old DC.

DC's official press release says that 20 new books are coming, and they only revealed 10 (one of which was last year's Round Robin winner), so 10 more books are coming that have yet to be revealed. Let's take a roll call:

Unstoppable Doom Patrol by Dennis Culver and Chris Burnham - Burnham has me excited, Culver has me skeptical. All of Culver's DC work thus far has been lousy. His Justice League Incarnate book with Williamson was the weakest of the Infinite Frontier trilogy, his Future State Gotham book was really bad, and Doom Patrol is a great team that demands unorthodox writing. Rooting for Culver to surprise me here because God would I love to have a good Doom Patrol book with Way never coming back at this point. Can't believe it took DC this long given the success of the DP HBO Max series. Jane having a new alter that places her in the role of the Chief is a cool idea at least.

Superboy: Man of Tomorrow by Kenny Porter and Jahnoy Lindsay - I voted for this, I'm glad it won, I've enjoyed DC Mech, I expect I will enjoy this. I'm praying Lindsay gives Conner a new costume, it's time to ditch the 90s look for something new. No more looking back for Conner, that terrible Fitzmartin YJ mini was right about one thing: we can't live in the past. He needs a new modern costume, and a story that reestablishes who he is in a post Jon Kent world. This and PKJ Action are seemingly going to accomplish that, both in terms of who Conner is on his own, and who he is in the Superfamily. Given the long wait between when this series was announced as the winner and when it is finally coming out, there shouldn't be any delays at least.

Green Lantern: Hal Jordan by Mariko Tamaki (Artist TBA) - Tamaki is mostly good with a few misses, her Tec, Supergirl: Being Super, and (apparently I haven't read it) Crush & Lobo books were good, her Wonder Woman run not so much. In fairness that was blatant movie synergy and didn't leave her much freedom to work with. I liked her Tec run and this appears to be aiming for something similar. Hal back in Coast City on Earth, rebuilding his life here is exactly the kind of thing they should have done after the Johns era's nonstop cosmic epic. Give me revamps of old Hal Earth villains beyond Hector Hammond that we haven't seen in a while, Hal struggling to make friends with the neighbors the way Tamaki had Bruce do in her Tec run, and put Hal and Carol back together again, and I'll be happy.

Green Lantern John Stewart by PKJ (Artist TBA) - Now this has my attention. Giving PKJ another book means they trust him, giving him a John Stewart book - who may end up being the main DCU Lantern if that HBO Max GL series actually gets made - means they view him as one of their up and comers. He's expressed a lot of love for and desire to work in GL before, he's set up plot threads for GL such as the Revenant Queen threat that would give John his own Rogues which John desperately needs, and I obviously am a huge fan of the cosmic storytelling over in Action which I fully expect will be repeated here. DC Cosmic has been crying out for a worldbuilder to flesh it out more for ages, this is an exciting choice. My hunch is that John will be dealing with another Aspect of Olgrun, since there are six more out there unaccounted for. Inject some of that Warworld Saga storytelling into Green Lantern, let's get John a love interest, and maybe Stewart will finally get that equivalent to Johns run on GL with Hal which his fans have been begging for. Sampere is a huge GL fan who has history with PKJ before, I would say he's a natural choice for this book, but he likes Hal more so I could see him ending up on Tamaki's book instead.

Cyborg (Creative Team TBA) - Wish I could be more excited for this, but I have to know the team and the pitch before being interested. Too many Cyborg stories rehash the same "am I a man or a machine?" crap for me to pull this sight unseen.

Batman: The Brave & The Bold by Tom King and Various Artists - King got robbed of his 100 issue Batman run so I guess he's going to make up for it by doing secondary Batman books forever. Does Batman really need another team-up book given World's Finest already has him teaming up with Superman and the rest of the DCU? I'll be reading this so I guess I'm part of the problem, but I really wish King would take on another of the A-Listers. All he does is Batman books, C-Listers, and the occasional dabble in the Superman sphere. I want to see him tackle another Justice Leaguer's ongoing, give him an Aquaman or Martian Manhunter book since everyone else seems to be claimed. Apparently he's shifting back towards the mainline DCU ongoings after spending a couple years doing minis of dubious canonicity. Looks like creative teams will rotate and since Rob Williams is here and he's a writer not an artist, guess he's next up after King.

Green Arrow by Josh Williamson and Sean Izaakse - Williamson has been building up to this since the start of Infinite Frontier, cool that he's finally announcing the book. I'll admit I'm annoyed it's opening with a "we have to find Ollie who is lost out in the Multiverse!" arc, I'm sick of the Multiverse and I'm tired of DC "building up" to doing what everyone is asking them to. Just write a damn Green Arrow back where he's in Star City/Seattle interacting with the Arrow Family! Maybe Williamson doing a Multiverse story with a smaller cast will be more palatable, I did enjoy his Flash run after all.

Shazam! by Mark Waid and Dan Mora - Other than Superman proper this is probably the book Waid has been dying to write the most. He, Morrison, and Gail Simone pitched to take over the Marvel Family way back when, I bet he's got loads of ideas on how to revamp the character, and his ideas will probably be better received than Johns' revamp was. Solicit sounds great, Mora on art (and apparently still doing art for World's Finest, dude is a machine) is perfect, and Waid's handling of the Fab Five over in WF has shown he can handle younger characters still. Should be fun in the same way WF is.

The Penguin by Tom King and Stefano Gaudiano - Hah that's a pretty great team for a synergy book. King's Penguin in his Batman run was... well he seemed to be teasing that Penguin had sex with actual penguins, so clearly his take on Penguin is untraditional to say the least. Pitch seems interesting enough, Penguin back in crime because the government forced him back in as their agent is intriguing.

Steelworks (Creative Team TBA) - On one hand hell yes a new Steel book! Tell me Greg Pak is writing this and I am there day one. If it's not Pak however then I have qualms. The brief description in the press release makes it seem like John Henry is giving up on being Steel and handing over the role entirely to Natasha, and I've got no interest in that. S&L make me into a Nat fan but I love John Henry more, and I am not going to be happy if DC's idea of celebrating his 30th is him handing over the role to his niece. He better be the main protagonist and he better get to suit up and be Steel. Glad that DC has enough faith in PKJ to start spinning new series out of what he's doing.

Only two Bat books so fuck it, let's call it a win. Satisfied overall with the creative teams announced, for those that were actually announced, DC is playing it safe but after Infinite Frontier took risks and bombed that's exactly what I expected to happen. I guess the next event is going to be called Knighttime and will be another Batman event. Ugh. Also is that red circle with a bird supposed to represent Penguin, because it sure looks a lot like Hawkman’s symbol. Maybe a new Hawk book will be announced as part of the second wave? For the second wave I want books for Zatanna, Aquaman, Vixen, Justice League Dark (use the Shadowpact name if we're keeping the JL on ice for a while), Suicide Squad, and Legion of Superheroes, but as an opening lineup? I'm pretty happy with this!

26 notes · View notes

ufonaut · 3 years

Note

Wait, what was even that mess of text? Blocked for "trolling" and "not answering their question"? While the question regarding why Jennie-lynn needed (or more accurately didn't need Molly as a) mother figure? ... but you DID answer that question though and provided the comic/issue where you found said information

right? it's completely ridiculous! i don't get how my perfectly civil (if, admittedly, firm because you never know when homophobia regarding alan's situation might make itself apparent in these situations) reply passes for "trolling", i wasn't even stating my opinion -- i'm not a huge fan of what alan says in infinite frontier #0 regarding his marriages -- but facts. literal facts. with series & issues numbers mentioned and the whole shebang

i just said i'm confused by their fixation on jennie apparently needing a mother figure because i can't come up with a single reason for that beyond some horrible take that it's because she's a girl? what other reason could they possibly think of? infinity inc #33 clearly states that from when she was adopted as a baby to her twenties (when she willingly left home after hs to become a superhero/try to make it as an actress) jennie had a perfectly happy life in a middle class nuclear family. i would entertain their argument if it was about todd, who did grow up in a severely abusive household, but jennie? hell, when she's talking about introducing her first serious boyfriend to her family in infinity inc #32, hank specifically asks if mr hayden will like him -- jennie's clearly thinking of the family she's grown up with rather than alan & molly. the only reason this hasn't been brought up in the modern era is that it's been literal decades since we were shown anything in depth about the kids' personal lives

JUST. WEIRD ALL AROUND. VERY WEIRD

#looser132 #asks

1 note · View note

aion-rsa · 3 years

Text

How Dark Nights: Death Metal Reboots the DC Universe

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

The end of Dark Nights: Death Metal #7 is the last stop of more than a decade of Scott Snyder driving the DC metaverse’s bus. The conclusion to the Dark Nights saga, which started in 2017 with Dark Nights: Metal and ran through an entire Justice League series before concluding here, closes off storylines Snyder and his creative partner Greg Capullo seeded as far back as their first issue of Batman when the New 52 launched.

And with Infinite Frontier and Future State, DC’s next publishing initiatives, on deck, it’s worth taking a look at what Death Metal did so we can try and understand how the pieces fit together. Because if there’s one thing to take away from Death Metal, it’s that everything fits together. Even if you really gotta stomp on the pieces to get them to stick.

THE ANTI-CRISIS IS HERE!

The final couple of issues of Death Metal throw a little bit of a curveball at readers. The entire series has felt like it was heading for a confrontation between Wonder Woman and The Batman Who Laughs, the Jokerized Bruce from the Dark Multiverse who (everybody take a DEEEP breath now) led an army of dark Batmen on behalf of Barbatos, the evil Bat god, in Metal; escaped captivity with Lex Luthor’s help in Justice League; betrayed Lex and usurped his role as evil overgoddess Perpetua’s right hand in Hell Arisen; and had his brain dropped in the body of a Bruce Wayne who had been turned into Dr. Manhattan after being killed by Diana earlier in Death Metal (with a chainsaw made from her invisible jet…just roll with it), giving him the nearly limitless power he needed to betray Perpetua earlier in this series. And from this point forward, we’re referring to him exclusively as BWL. Now let’s all go get a glass of water.

Ok, back? Cool.

So the rematch in the last couple of issues of Death Metal is what the rest of the series has felt like it was building towards. And we definitely get a BRAWL: Diana, charged up with Anti-Crisis energy (we’ll get there), is a giant embodiment of her golden lasso, and several times in the issue, she punches BWL so hard he traverses the history of the DC Universe.

But it turns out BWL isn’t just fighting to dominate the entire multiverse. The Hands are returning.

The Hands and the Green Lantern Connection

You know how DC time travelers can’t go back and watch the beginning of creation? Whenever they try, they just see a giant hand. This is pretty well established, going back to John Broome and Gil Kane’s old Green Lantern story about Krona, the Guardian scientist who first attempted to see the dawn of time.

Turns out, the giant hand is part of a race of them: enormously powerful cosmic entities that bear a passing thematic resemblance to Marvel’s Beyonders, only sized up in power a few times. That hand we see when Krona tries to violate the laws of the multiverse, it belongs to Perpetua, and she’s one of them. Now they are coming to judge this local multiverse, and Perpetua and BWL both think it’s going to go poorly. So poorly, in fact, that BWL is asking Diana to join her Anti-crisis energy with his, as it’s their only hope of preventing The Hands from sweeping everything away and starting over.

Crisis Energy and Anti-Crisis Energy

Oh that.

Perpetua and BWL power themselves up first (in Justice League and Hell Arisen) by harnessing the unseen dark forces of the multiverse – the invisible spectrum that manifests as John Stewart’s Ultraviolet Lantern powers, or the Speed Force’s opposite number, the Still Force, for example. They eventually graduate to eating universes to expand their power. These are examples of what Death Metal categorizes as Crisis Energy.

Diana is charged with its opposite: Anti-Crisis Energy. This energy is produced by the connective tissue of the history of the DCU, by the totality of the DC Universe’s history. That’s why “everything counts” in Death Metal #6 was a big deal: it was a massive power up for Diana. It’s also an interesting meta critique of DC’s history of reboots.

Crisis Energy is described *by Diana* as being selfish and short sighted, focused on short term gain at the expense of respecting the sweep of history. Anti-Crisis energy is constructive, drawing strength from the depth and breadth of 80 years of DC continuity.

We have to be careful assigning authorial intent where none may exist. But it is certainly a valid read of Death Metal to see criticism of DC’s accelerating continuity reboot cycle built in. It doesn’t take an enormous leap of logic to transpose Crisis Energy and all of Diana’s critiques over to Crisis Events and some of the fan criticism – short term sales boosts at the expense of the richness of an 80 year publishing history.

Who Was Right? Wonder Woman or the Batman Who Laughs?

Diana, of course. She refuses to give into BWL’s cajoling, punches him through continuity a few times, and eventually meets The Hands, who come to her wearing the form of…her.

More specifically, they show up as Golden Age Wonder Woman.

The Hand she speaks with explains to her that they were going to sweep away Diana’s multiverse because of its propensity for gross selfishness, but Diana’s personal heart and generosity touched them, so they’re giving the DCU another shot. Only this time, they’re putting everything back in place: the full history of the DCU, along with a blossoming multiverse. And it’s heavily implied that the barriers between worlds in this multiverse are going to be…less walls, and more suggestions. The price the Hand extracts for this boon is Diana’s existence: she ascends, no longer living as a physical being on Earth Prime. Instead, she joins the Hands protecting the new multiverse from a hinted at but as yet unstated threat.

It’s worth noting here that this evolution of the DC multiverse somewhat mirrors Snyder’s evolution as a writer at DC. His early Batman work, on the “Black Mirror” arc of Detective Comics, and early in his New 52 Batman run is very carefully plotted and paced. They’re written more like traditional detective/horror stories. Similarly, the DC multiverse has been slowly returning to continuity since Infinite Crisis and 52, only very slowly, with rigid rules and boundaries about what constitutes the new multiverse. Remember the Orrery of Worlds?

The difference, in both Snyder’s style and the cosmogony of DC’s multiverse, are the rules don’t matter anymore. Death Metal, both in how the story is told and where it leaves the DC multiverse, has a certain “FUCK IT, EVERYBODY HAVE FUN AND WE’LL CLEAN UP LATER” vibe to it and if we’re being entirely honest, that’s kind of exciting.

What Does this Mean for the Future of the DC Universe?

I’ll admit, it hits a little different landing after a year of wild rumors about the future of DC’s publishing line. The journey of Death Metal saw a bunch of new bosses coming in and rumors and threats that they were going to rip the DC Universe down to the studs, and whatever came next wasn’t anyone’s business.

The end of Death Metal is a jubilant explosion of everything bright and beautiful about the DC Universe – our heroes have made it, and not only did they survive, but they did so specifically because everything in their publishing history saved them. Everything counts now, everything happened, everything mattered, and it’s that counting/happening/mattering that saved the day. And then Black Canary, Superman, Wally West, and Batman play a big metal concert for all the celebrating heroes. With Jarro on cowbell.

Future State is the next step, in-universe and out of it. Death Metal closes with a group of heroes and villains – Martian Manhunter, Mr. Terrific, Hawkgirl, Lex, Talia, Vandal Savage, and maybe Wally West (it’s not explicitly clear that he’s part of the group and not just visiting) – gathering together to talk about the cosmogony of the new omniverse. Hypertime is healing, the multiverse is growing so infinite that it’s now the omniverse, pasts and futures are opening into what Wally calls an Infinite Frontier (NEXT PUBLISHING PHASE MIC CHECK!). But Earth Prime is no longer the center of the multiverse the way it once was, as you can see from your handy dandy Multiversity map. It’s replacement is actually two worlds: one yet unstated, and one the group of DCU bigwigs is calling…the Elseworld.

After reading the first batch of Future State books, one could be forgiven for assuming many of those stories take place there. Each book has a blurb about the saved multiverse, and the wealth of new possibilities growing out of the ashes of Death Metal. These books are dripping with multiversal references. But I think that’s beside the point – some of the Future State stories will end up being Elseworlds tales; some, possible futures; and some will slowly integrate to regular continuity. I think the variety is the actual point here; variety of settings, variety of stakes, and a variety of stories and storytellers.

One would think that emphasizing variety might also lead to variances in quality, but the hit rate for the Future State books is remarkably high. These books are genuinely exciting to read. Several of them look nothing like what DC has been doing before, almost to the point where we can hold a funeral for DC House Art Style.

The characters are certainly vastly different from what came before, and a couple of them are going to be absolutely huge – watch Yara Flor, the new Wonder Woman. If Joelle Jones’ first issue of Future State: Wonder Woman is any indicator, she’s going to be extremely popular.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

It has been a long, and sometimes very odd journey to get here, but between the power chords of hope from the end of Death Metal and the completely new jams being played in Future State, it’s hard not to be cautiously optimistic about the future of the DC Universe.

The post How Dark Nights: Death Metal Reboots the DC Universe appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/38iD7SX

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

0 notes

architectnews · 3 years

Text

3dreid Architects Office News

3Dreid, Buildings, Edinburgh Office News, Images, Design, Developments, Scotland Studio, Photos

3Dreid Architects Office

Architecture Projects by 3Dreid in Scotland + England – Design Practice News + Info

3DReid News

3Dreid Architects News

17 December 2020 Planning Achieved for 65 London Road in Edinburgh image courtesy of architects HG Developments has had planning approved by City of Edinburgh Council at committee yesterday (16th December) for a redevelopment of the site at 65 London Road to form a high quality 76- bed Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA). Designed by 3DReid the proposal will replace the disused car wash buildings that are currently present. Planning and development consultancy Turley is provided planning advice for the scheme:

Read more at 65 London Road

28 Aug 2020 Plans submitted for 65 London Road in Edinburgh HG Developments has submitted plans for a proposed redevelopment of the site at 65 London Road to form a high quality 76- bed Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA), designed by 3DReid that will replace the disused car wash buildings that are currently present. Planning and development consultancy Turley is providing planning advice for the scheme:

65 London Road in Edinburgh

17 Apr 2018 Oxford Street Christmas Lights Competition Shortlist, London, England, UK image courtesy of architects Oxford Street Christmas Lights Competition Design by 3DReid 3DReid one of four designs shortlisted in the architectural competition for the redesign of Oxford Street’s word-famous Christmas lights.

11 Apr 2018 KM Central Edinburgh 3 Star Hotel, Edinburgh, Scotland photo © David Cadzow Photography KM Central Edinburgh Hotel 3DReid has completed a £2.7m refurbishment of a former student residence to create a three star, 45 room hotel for Edinburgh First, the commercial arm of the University of Edinburgh.

Working within the confines of the existing student room structure, KM Central offers a quirky ‘left bank’ style interior concept with 3DReid’s design making use of all the available space to create comfortable and well equipped bedrooms and a breakfast room that doubles as a post graduate student common room.

20 Nov 2017 Millbrook Park Master Plan, Barnet / Mill Hill, NW7, North West London, England image courtesy of architects Millbrook Park Master Plan 3DReid have re-imagined the Millbrook Park master plan phase 5 designs which overlook the newly created Panoramic Park and Officers’ Mess Gardens, with 111, 1 and 2 bed apartments and 33 townhouses for Joseph Homes. The scheme gained reserved matters approval from the London Borough of Barnet Planning Committee on 19th September 2017.

31 Oct 2017 132 Princes Street Offices, Edinburgh, Scotland photo : David Cadzow, Cadzow / Pelosi 132 Princes Street Offices in Edinburgh Architecture practice 3DReid has completed a sensitive £2.0 million conversion of three of the few remaining original Princes Street townhouses to office use. By converting the vacant upper storeys of the B-listed buildings and adding a contemporary extension, 3DReid has created 15,810sqft (Gross Internal Area) of light and practical quality office space for client and developer Hazledene House Limited.

31 May 2017 3DReid Appoints Noel Street as Director

Award-winning architecture practice 3DReid has appointed Noel Street as Director to its Birmingham studio to develop strategic business partnerships and build upon the firm’s outstanding reputation for design and delivery excellence.

A leading national practice providing full architectural services from five studios throughout the UK, 3DReid Birmingham – led by Mark Anders and David Burrows – has a number of major projects in Birmingham and the West Midlands currently including the extension of Merry Hill shopping centre in Dudley, the redevelopment of the Touchwood Shopping Centre in Solihull and Primark’s new flagship store in Birmingham city centre. A specialist in transforming redundant or poorly performing buildings into distinctive, modern and efficient spaces, 3DReid recently won ‘Refurbishment Architect of the Year’ in the BD Awards 2017.

Noel joins 3DReid from Stephen George + Partners where he was a Director based in their Leicester office and prior to this, Noel was Studio Director for AHR Architects in Birmingham.

“I am delighted to be joining 3DReid. I have admired its multiple award-winning architecture, values and proven delivery models over many years and I am excited to now be part of this great team.” Noel Street, Director, 3DReid

“Attracting someone of Noel’s calibre into the business is a great endorsement of our strategy and ambition. He brings with him incredibly strong knowledge and experience which will be vital as we continue our plans to expand our regional cross-sector clients and project workload.” Mark Anders, Group Director, 3DReid

Noel’s experience with architectural and multi-disciplinary companies in both the UK and Hong Kong ensures a wealth of client-relations expertise. He has successfully controlled and delivered large scale, complex projects and frameworks across the Public and Private Sectors in the UK for office, leisure, education, healthcare, industrial, transport, retail, residential, mixed-use and the MOD.

Noel is actively involved in a number of professional organisations and industrial committees including the Construction Industry Council, Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership and the Royal Institute of British Architects on a regional and national level.

3DReid is an award winning architecture practice. Established in 1979, we have over 130 staff across offices in London, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester. The practice provides full architectural services from masterplanning to interior design. Our reputation has been built on providing creative and intelligent architectural solutions that meet their operational brief without compromise.

We approach every project with the same ambition, whether it is an office refurbishment or a new airport terminal. We bring value to all of our projects though clear analysis and well executed design. Every one of our buildings must not only work beautifully but also positively affect its users and the wider public. We design with consideration for the environment and our legacy to future generations.

The success of our practice relies solely on the quality of the people we employ. Everybody at 3DReid is here because they are exceptionally good at what they do. We encourage all our people to learn, grow and develop with us. We believe that the best buildings and places come from a culture of open discussion and collaboration with our clients, colleagues and fellow consultants. Above all we enjoy the process of making good architecture.

For more information about 3DReid, please go to www.3dreid.com.

Signature Flight Support – London Luton Airport, Bedfordshire, England, UK Design: 3DReid images from architects London Luton Airport Terminal 3DReid has added to its growing portfolio of exclusive VIP terminals with a new facility for global leader in Fixed Base Operations (FBO) Signature Flight Support. A ground breaking ceremony was held at Signature’s London Luton Airport location where it announced that it is commencing construction of a new, 3DReid designed state-of-the-art fixed base operation (FBO) to replace its existing facility.

15 Jan 2013 New Gibraltar Airport Building Design: with bblur Architecture photo : Hufton & Crow Gibraltar Airport Building Gibraltar Airport’s uniquely situated new terminal building is modern, dynamic, transparent and airy. The new terminal is the first building visitors will see when they enter Gibraltar by air, road or on foot and is located immediately at the frontier, with the Rock as a backdrop.

Emirates Arena Glasgow by 3DReid photo : McAteer Photograph Emirates Arena and The Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Glasgow, Scotland 22 Nov 2012 – Designed by 3DReid, the £116 m Emirates Arena and The Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, is the only major new sports facility for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The building will have a lasting post-Games legacy as a centre for sporting excellence, a community sports facility, and as a catalyst to major investment and regeneration in the area.

3DReid Architects – Joint Project

rotatED – External Learning Environment, UK : 3DReid & Blue Forest Launch picture from architect 3DReid – concept design Architects 3DReid in collaboration with Blue Forest have revealed the first images and details of their new, innovative and sustainable external learning environment. ‘rotatED’ has been developed as a single modular entity capable of being turned on any of its seven sides to create an outdoor place with infinite possibilities for activities such as play, learning and performance within a sheltered, natural environment.

3DReid – Expansion into Asia Pacific

8 Mar 2010

3DReid has announced the opening of a new operation in Malaysia. The new office, located in the Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, will be managed by Azmall Jamaluddin. Azmall has been promoted from within and will bring a wide cross-section of international expertise with him having worked on major projects in Shanghai, Berlin, Moscow and London.

photo © Tom Ravenscroft

Head of International Business Development at the practice, Mark Taylor, said: “Having recently won two major resort projects in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur provides the perfect strategic location as we look to develop the business across the Asia Pacific region. The country has the highest economic growth in the area and there is huge demand for international expertise.”

Malaysian Azmall Jamaluddin added: “This is a really exciting opportunity both personally and for the practice to expand the office’s presence and brand in Asia to deliver exciting architectural opportunities.”

“Beyond the masterplans that we are delivering, we are particularly looking at transferring our sustainability knowledge and expertise within the airport, hotel, retail and education sectors. We will look to supplement these capabilities with regional knowledge and are investigating possible collaboration opportunities with local practices and consultants. We are already working successfully with Malaysian practice W&W Architects on the two resort projects.”

3DReid architecture Building News

Turnberry Hotel, Scotland, UK Design with Fox Linton Associates photo from 3dreid Turnberry Resort Architects 3DReid working with Fox Linton Associates have completed the refurbishment of the iconic Turnberry hotel which has re-opened as part of the renowned Starwood Luxury Collection brand. The works have been completed on behalf of owners Leisurecorp who have invested close to £40m in the restoration.

Co-op Headquarters Manchester, England image from 3dreid Co-operative Group Manchester – head office building The design for The Co-operative Group’s new head office building in Manchester has been revealed. To be built on land on Miller Street, opposite the Co-operative Insurance tower, the new building will serve the UK’s largest mutual retailer which now has a turnover of over £13 billion

Staffordshire Council, England picture from architects Staffordshire County Council HQ With a BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating and proposed A-rated performance certificate for its sustainability the scheme has already been hailed as a potential model for UK town centre development.

3DReid – Key Buildings

Air Traffic Control Tower Newcastle Airport, northeast England 2007 image from 3dreid Newcastle Airport building

Commonwealth Games Stadium Glasgow, Scotland, UK 2007- image from 3dreid Scottish Sports Stadium

Edinburgh Airport Control Tower Scotland 2007 image from architects Edinburgh Airport

Farnborough Airport Buildings, southern England, UK 2006 Airport image from REID Architecture Farnborough Airport

Northumbria University Building, Newcastle, North East England, UK 2008 photo © AW Northumbria University

Slough Cultural Centre Building, Berkshire, England, UK 2008- image from 3dreid Slough Building

3dreid Buildngs – no images

Princes Street Shopping Development 3D Architects : Princes Street building, Edinburgh, Scotland

Western Isles Schools Project, Scotland 3DReid wins Design Team Contract for £55m Western Isles Schools Project

Holyrood offices, Edinburgh, South East Scotland 2007 Holyrood office building

19 George Road – headquarters building, Edgbaston, Birmingham, England 2007

The Herald Building, Glasgow, South West Scotland 2007 Client: FM Developments

More buildings / projects by 3dreid online soon

3DReid Student Prize

Location: UK

Architects Practice Information

3D Architects & REID Architecture merged the two practices in Jun 2007

The new practice will operate under the name 3Dreid. 3D and REID have an interconnected history, going back 25 years, with several key 3D personnel having spent portions of their careers at REID.

The merger will see 3DReid with a combined workforce in excess of 320 people, with offices in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Glasgow, London and Manchester. An expected turnover in the first year in excess of £20m will rank it amongst the UK’s top 10 practices. Current 3D Architects Director Charles Graham-Marr will be Chairman of the new organisation.

Architects in Edinburgh : architecture office

REID architecture : Industrial/R&D Architect – Architect of the Year Awards 2006

World Architects

Buildings / photos for the 3Dreid Architecture page welcome

Website: www.3dreid.com

The post 3dreid Architects Office News appeared first on e-architect.

#e-architect

1 note · View note

communelife-blog · 6 years

Text

We are out of Timeless

We are Out of Timeless-

How our search for meaning is lost in our search for our identity

The search for meaning in life first demands that we examine what life is itself.

If there are a set of rules for why the universe is the way it is, if it has logical, comprehensible meaning, then human life would be an expression of those rules. Therefore, those rules must be able to be found inside the human being as well and from a subjective point of view, it’s the easiest place to start!

What is life? Firstly, life is the condition that sets humans, animals and plants apart from inorganic matter. And while endless sentences can be added onto this statement, I will suggest that what is more important that the definition is the experience of it.

Our sun gives light and we see ourselves and we see the universe because of it. We know that light speed is not infinite, and that that therefore warps our view of the distant universe. But on earth, the light and the heat of the sun is creating/giving what we call life. What moves light or creates light (is there God?) is a question presently beyond the need of this piece.

The force of the sun creates and works through all living matter in an ever- evolving movement. This movement has produced all the intricate ecological systems on earth. These systems allow multifarious and infinitely complex forms to thrive, reproduce and prosper.

Again, definitions such as this are endlessly debatable and ultimately unhelpful in first understanding properly what life is.

What is important in this description is to understand in gross terms, the power, balance and creativity capable by the movement of light over consecutive momentary movements.

Since the formation of our planet, if we are to follow conventional evolutionary thinking, human life has, as well, grown out of this movement of light.

On the frontier of all evolution on earth, light never exists outside the immediate moment. Yet it evolves things, growing and creating the variety of life that exists in our planet. Including that of the intricate physical, mental and emotional structure of the human.

During the early evolution of man, his conscious mind was bound in space and time to the passing moment, we were genuinely ‘human beings’. We were being human. They had little or no capacity to reflect or predict. Early humans only experienced life as a constant sense of being in the present moment, the feeling of now.

“The present moment” and “Now-ness” have had a lot of coverage in the recent decades as a way of connecting ourselves with general feelings of spirituality or its multitude of reported health benefits.

But the present moment is much deeper than most people practice or allow into their lives. Even saying the word “Now” we can observe a small but distinct movement of time between the sound of the N” and the sound of the “w” reaching our intended target. Even more so, the sounds exiting our mouths in the same way and again more so if we regard the movement of air that passes through our vocal chords to produce the sounds.

In fact when we are really paying attention to the present moment, before we even start speaking, it is far beyond us before we can even acknowledge it. The moment in itself is timeless because there is always a deeper level of attention we can give to its passing. Ultimately, perception through the senses comes before the thinking analysis of what those senses are telling our brains.

Yet light is still there in the smallest moments, creating and evolving as always.

The amazing thing about this is that without our conscious planning or effort, we managed to evolve to such an amazing degree, a complete synthesis of blood, tissue and bone and sense. Anthropologists estimate we did this over hundreds of thousands of years, possibly even millions. Yet, the 7000 years of recorded civilization has brought us to this current climate of near self-destruction. What’s changed?

Our separation from the animal consciousness came as we slowly evolved a capacity to live outside the present moment and see space and time from a broader perspective.

In being able to see outside the present moment he developed a capacity to observe the way objects around him were moving. He was able for the first time to be captivated by the beauty that evolution had provided his environment with. It helped him develop language, art and culture.

Now he could see his own movements in comparison to others. To reflect and predict what might come next. For the first time he was able to understand how his actions affected his environment. It allowed him to dominate other life forms around him.

But he also developed a new trait. Before, processes in the present moment were changing him. He grew from an infant to an adult with the passing moment. Now, he also knew he was separate from others around him in some way.

He understood that there was something unique about his individual nature. But the clarity of this perception also confused him. In knowing the beauty of his own harmony in nature but feeling separate in some way, he began to question, “Who am I? Where am I? And what is my individual purpose here?”

He learned that his actions provoked a positive/ pleasurable or negative/painful response. So he learned it to be a good or bad, or a right or wrong behavior. His ego was being born.

This opening of consciousness, where for the first time, we saw outside the momentary movement of light that was creating our lives, could be the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. From the innocent perfection of life, they metaphorically ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

No longer was he solely part of the evolving natural world around him, he began to take control of things himself. In the 20th Century, Sigmund Freud grossly explained how ego worked by saying that it needed to maintain a positive image of itself.

In the same way, it was no good for the newly self-conscious man to have the same qualities as someone else. It didn’t separate him from the others around him. Therefore he felt it could not be an accurate description of who he really was, as this separate, free- thinking individual, moving independently.

He was compelled to learn, to push himself into different situations to show his individuality, to explain who this human was. In practice, he never left the eternal evolving moment but his opened perception, now stretching infinitely in front and behind him, encouraged him to believe that he could learn who he was and control his environment through the accumulation of knowledge.

The more you know, the more you realize you know nothing- Aristotle

Society grew out of this rapidly expanding basis for self-discovery. The ability to dominate our neighbors is a way of expressing our egoic identity, of defining ourselves separate from the whole. We think we are better or right or think life is good this way.

The fear of the uncontrollable, namely death, pushed us to work harder. To learn as much as we could. We realized that death was the barrier to learning everything. And we couldn’t stop it coming to us.

The result of the last 7000 years or so of human civilization has been a flowering of the scientific, rational, knowledge and intellectually- based wonder of man’s ability to analyze his environment.

Our individual identity has developed to such an extent that we find the idea almost foreign that our existence is still 100% connected to nature. From how we move, to what we wear and produce to what we eat, what we drink and what we breathe and how we connect to others.

In the age of hyper information via the internet, we are discovering that there is no limit to how much we can learn. And because we value learning as a way of self- expression, of discovering who we are, we are constantly trapped into the technology that we hope will show us our individuality.

“Peace is not merely an important goal we seek, but the means by which we arrive at that goal” Martin Luther King

So, the question is, what does this imply for finding meaning of life?

Man is trapped in two lives. The one that happens to him with the movement of light through his matter, evolving with the earth as it has since the beginning. The other is trapped in an egoic vision of himself, pursuing an elusive goal, consuming greater and greater amounts at faster and faster speeds.

We are being overwhelmed with information and the evidence is mounting. It has been suggested that in the UK in the last decade , there’s been a huge increase in mental health problems, particularly with the young. As many as 25% of 16-25 years olds (a generation reared on the values of ‘self-expression’ and the internet) are reporting mental health issues.

Of course! How could they possibly keep up the amount of learning taking place around them? Finding an ‘egoic home’ is virtually impossible. The inevitable result is a lack of self-esteem, of helplessness, the most common cause of depression (a leading complaint).

Man has mostly forgotten that he owes his own life to something way beyond the control of his time and mind- expanded conscious reasoning.

Our religions used to be an escape for finding deeper significance in life. But modern religion is also trapped in a two- way crush. One, as institutions connected to individual states, they compromise any notion of universal meaning for man by supporting governments that promote self- interested ideas, competition and barriers against others. Two, absolute commitment to dogma rather than to life itself has promoted a confusion of interpretation, made worse by the sheer numbers of languages that exist on earth.

I can say with all my heart, that the current system of world governments can only lead to war, barbarism and conflict- Einstein

But the essence of all true religions at their heart is not only a search for peace, but also a commitment to silence. Monasticism in Christianity, Kabala in Judaism, Sufi Islam, Buddhism, Taoism and Hinduism all share a commitment to prayer, contemplation, meditation or some practice to focus and quieten the mind.

To achieve this they surrounded themselves in silence, usually in nature. The early Christian desert fathers took to the Egyptian sands for the stillness of the environment, the silence outside helping them reach silence and clarity inside.

Keep silent, because the world of silence is a vast fullness- Rumi, Islamic Sufi

God speaks in many ways but silence is his first language- Thomas Keating, Dominican Monk

When you go beyond yourself and sit for a moment in peaceful silence then you can appreciate who you really are- Karen Berg, Kabala

Silence is an empty space. Empty space is the home of the awakened mind- Buddha

Silence, the unique language, ever surging in the heart, is the state of grace- Ramana Maharashi  

In the attitude of silence, the soul finds its path in a clearer light and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness- Gandhi 

The biggest revelation is silence- Lao Tzu

Seen from this viewpoint it is clear that the current direction of the world is unsustainable. Our world demands noise and busy- ness at all times.

The problems of this world lie in our inability to live in the harmony from which we have evolved. We are following a misguided belief that solely through analysis and accumulation of information we can resolve our greatest questions.

But the less time we have in our life for space and consideration, the more prone we are to making decisions on impulse, factors that make us increasingly susceptible to being manipulated by government spin, advertising and instant self- gratification.

0 notes

theseventhhex · 7 years

Text

Natasha Agrama Interview

Natasha Agrama

Photo by Manny Canseco

Having become a standout in the Los Angeles music community over the last few years, Natasha Agrama is a unique and inspiring singer, songwriter, and live performer, blazing a trail with many of the entities in the ever growing West Coast Get Down. Natasha’s full-length debut, ‘The Heart of Infinite Change’, is a representation of roads defining Natasha’s artistic connection to the LA music world and beyond, diving into master compositions by Charles Mingus, Duke Ellington, Joe Henderson, and Bilal. The record is a rumination on the deep purity of Natasha's vocal musicianship, communicating messages of personal freedom imbedded in the relief of finding a timeless home in the history of jazz artistry… We talk to Natasha about the Sufi language, Game of Thrones and dragon juice…

TSH: Given the time that’s passed with many of the compositions, is 'The Heart of Infinite Change' very much a snapshot in time for you?

Natasha: Absolutely. That's precisely what it is. My first release was originally part of this album, so some of the tracks were recorded at the same recording sessions and some a year later, but they are part of the same collection of songs originally. The latest recorded session on this album is from 2013, so it's actually a historical documentation for me. I've actually recorded two albums since, which I'm looking forward to releasing.

TSH: Does the album title have a broader meaning?

Natasha: The title itself is less about the lyrical and musical content as much as it is about the story behind making the album with all of the amazing people I had on board. I wanted this album to be a gateway and for it to sort of allude to the fact that there is a lot more coming. My next one will be a lot different.

TSH: What lead to you gravitating towards 'Black Narcissus'?

Natasha: 'Black Narcissus' is a Joe Henderson tune and I grew up with my stepdad playing this track hundreds and hundreds of times. My stepdad is a hardcore warrior with his music and out of all of the tunes he played; 'Black Narcissus' was one that I developed a deep affinity for. I knew that if I was going to make a jazz album, I'd like to try my hand at 'Black Narcissus'.

TSH: What's the core foundation for a piece like 'In A Sentimental Mood'?

Natasha: I have to credit a few names for this piece becoming so impressive. I had a guitar player named Mitchell Long on board and he specialises in world music. Whenever we played this piece it would always be different, but over the years, we locked into certain arrangements with the bare bones of his guitar playing, which is very much embedded into the larger layered composition heard on the record today. Also, it was so valuable to have George Duke on this piece; he added an immense range of genius to the track and really took it to the next level. I actually composed the background vocals on the fly for this one too.

TSH: How pleased are you to see Kamasi Washington’s rise to fame?

Natasha: What I will say about Kamasi is that it's such a huge relief that the world is recognising him. Kamasi personally helped me; he gave me opportunities and believed in me. For me, seeing him live and seeing his mastery was almost like cognitive dissonance, the world didn't make sense to me in a way. I say this because I could see he was among the best in the world and I kept wondering why he wasn't recognised. To now see Kamasi's amazing progression has made me so happy. It's a huge sense of relief and the world makes more sense to me knowing he's getting praised.

TSH: What's making its way into your recent musical expressions?

Natasha: One project that I have been working on for many years, which is a developing collection of work at the moment is pivoted towards the bedlam in the world. Also, I've been composing music for ancient Sufi poetry. The Sufi language is timeless. I'm fusing the Sufi language into my own jazz world and my modern sensibilities. I like that it all feels natural to me without having to go outside of myself and research other styles.

TSH: Growing up there was a plethora of musicians and singers who visited your home. How much of an impact did this have on you?

Natasha: It's interesting you ask that because at one stage I was initially repulsed from music and wasn't attracted to it. I was so intimidated that I spent my time developing other talents. I have a degree in fine arts and worked as a graphic design artist and video producer for many years. I traded my music for other routes and I stopped playing for 7 years. When I moved back to Los Angeles for my degree and worked for musicians and record labels, that's when I started to play again. I had to take responsibility for my true passion, which is music.

TSH: Do you feel at times being isolated from your daily life allows for your intentions to become more singular and focused?

Natasha: Yes, I do. For the last 5 years off and on, I've worked in a very special social action cafe; it’s a vegan cafe here in Hollywood. We feed the homeless and do a lot of social action programmes, which has really made me feel a sense of service. I feel music has to be a sense of service otherwise it can feel quite disconnected. It's been important for me to have some humility around my music.

TSH: How do you like to unwind, outside of music?

Natasha: Well, I haven't watched TV in many years. People I respect very much love this show Game of Thrones and they suggest it to me often. I feel like I'm being tempted by some social entity or something, ha! I just don't want it to colour me, I don't want to know what everyone else knows.

TSH: Have you been getting a satisfactory supply of dragon juice lately?

Natasha: Haha! I haven't had my fill of dragon juice lately, I've been meaning to have some, but I'm so overwhelmed right now. This whole process of putting out my album has consisted of me editing and directing my own music videos. I also make clothing, I have a visual art practise and I teach one on one vocal coaching. I have my hand in so many things and I do struggle with balance as creativity really takes the front seat for me.

TSH: Are your future plans very much about changing the conversation with each passing body of work?

Natasha: Absolutely. I'm so relieved to release this album, it’s been a great gift to me and I've incubated it for long enough. I feel a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I'm simply happy to free up the flow and I can't wait to release the other material that I have. You know, I'm just ferociously excited to get back into the studio and tackle new frontiers.

The Heart of Infinite Change

#Interview #Natasha Agrama

0 notes

thevindicativevordan · 3 years

Note

have any specific thoughts on Calvin Ellis and Val-Zod as Supermen considering their increase in attention lately?

Calvin I love, Val I loathe. Shouldn't really come as a surprise given I'm a huge fan of Morrison and don't like Taylor's work in general with a few exceptions. Kind of wish you had asked about them each separately, but I'll tackle them both.

Calvin Ellis

Calvin is such a Morrison character at heart. A Superman that is complete rejection of "realism", who is born out of the more optimistic ideas of what Superman can do for the world beyond just punching bad guys, while still managing to kick ass where required. Took a while for him to start getting the attention he deserved, but recently he's been a bunch of stories that have me feeling good about his future.

Beyond being a Morrison creation, why do I like Calvin? Because he's Superman but he's so different from Clark. Not just in the physical appearance sense, he has a completely different civilian job which flies utterly counter to Clark's sense of where his duties lie. Unlike other Supermen who tend to either shun politics so they can be morally "pure" or become evil tyrants, Calvin went and got democratically elected! Nature of politics means there's no way Calvin hasn't had to get his hands dirty, but he didn't seize power. Exploring his day to day life, how does he balance the twin duties of the Presidency and Superman, what moral lines is he willing to cross, what's his stance on lethal force either personally or indirectly via the American military, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies, offers up constant sources of moral conflicts for Calvin to wrestle with.

Yes I know some people dismiss him as "Super-Obama" and Obama's election was a factor in Morrison creating him, but that's just another avenue of opportunity to explore! Have we all forgotten what Obama ran on, what trait of his was plastered in big letters on posters? Hope. Gee I wonder if that's a relevant trait to explore with Superman stories? Also the same desire that swept Obama into office is the desire that lies at the heart of Superman's creation and fuels our love of superheroes in general: A desire for one person to come in and fix things, to save us. We all saw how well Obama delivered on that, Calvin is a character you can use to explore that desire in a way you can't with Clark. Why is "fixing things" so much tougher than it seems to be, even with a "good man" in charge? How does the political structure throw up roadblocks to make change difficult, even when it's necessary? Even when all the stars seem to align and all our hopes seem primed to be delivered on, sometimes shit still doesn't work out. Why? And what do we do afterwards? These are all tough questions, but they're worth asking. Personally I don't believe that Superman should just be cotton candy feel good stories that shy away from provoking reactions by exploring difficult topics.

Calvin has so much fucking potential and we only got a small taste of it with Brandon Thomas' Infinite Frontier Secret Files issue on him, as well as Morrison's stories with him previously, and Williamson's work on him in the main Infinite Frontier series. He's established as a character who doesn't have much of a personal life, unlike Clark he isn't married and doesn't seem to have a "Lois". In a way Calvin is Superman+, he's managed to turn both of his identities into powerful forces for good, but at the cost of sacrificing any chance of personal happiness beyond the joy he gets from serving others. Calvin and Clark have both founded "Justice Leagues" but Calvin took it one step further and formed a multiversial superhero team as well.

In matters of superheroics Calvin has achieved more than Clark has. Given Clark's new pivot into trying to be more proactive, and ramp up his efforts at building a better world by building a new team to face challenges he can't handle solo, at the same time Calvin is also dealing with a Multiversial Crisis of the nature he built Justice Incarnate to solve, feels like a missed opportunity we didn't get to see the two of them have a discussion. Show us the two of them debating the ethics of how they've operated and whether they're satisfied with their accomplishments or not. Clark founding the United Planets and building a new Authority team to tackle cosmic threats feels like he's starting to dip his toe in the political arena which Calvin has made his home. Love to see if Calvin had any advice for a fellow Superman who has grown discontent with the status quo while still respecting humanity's autonomy. Not to say that we aren't getting some interesting back and forth between Calvin and his new partner in the "Multiversial's Finest".

Deciding to pair him and Thomas Wayne Batman together was a neat decision, I like the way Williamson has the two play off of each other. Both have been consumed by their mission but Calvin's position in life is a result of not having a family while Thomas' is a result of losing his family. Two of them have the classic Superman/Batman dynamic of being so different and so similar at the same time. Shame we haven't seen more of Calvin's background beyond the basics Morrison told us, we still don't know what was the inciting incident that pushed him to run for office.

With Calvin what I'd like to know more about is his pre-Presidency life while also getting stories set in his "present". All I'm asking is this: please do not make him a journalist. Calvin is so engaging to me because of how he differs from Clark while still being recognizably Superman. Personal idea of mine is to have Calvin be a lawyer because like Clark he wanted a career where he could be challenged in ways his powers couldn't circumvent, and also wanted a job where he could do some good. Ideally he was a defender who protected innocent people from being convicted for crimes they didn't commit, he met his "Lois" (please not a literal "Lois Lane" just someone who fills that role for Calvin) at the law firm, and the two ended up getting engaged. Similar enough to Clark's trajectory, but then for some reason Calvin decided to enter politics, and that was the real divergence. His "Lois" left him and he never found another he loved enough to marry. Ultimately while Calvin has had other romances, (I always thought he and Nubia were a couple at some point, and I think the romance tease with Dr. Multiverse that Williamson is doing has potential) his biggest regret is over not convincing "Lois" to stick with him. Despite arguably being the most successful Superman in the Multiverse in terms of heroic achievements, Calvin has many regrets about how he's done a worst job of maintaining personal relationships compared to Clark.

Even if the Coates movie ends up being garbage like I expect given his weak runs on Black Panther and Captain America, that DC is clearly pushing Calvin so there's material to put out when the movie comes makes me happy. I'll happily take more Calvin stories in the comics regardless of what goes on with the films, and I dearly hope we see Brandon Thomas write Calvin again. Thomas gets how Calvin works, he shows us how Calvin is similar to Clark, but then immediately flips the board and reminds us that he's different. Little tidbits he showed in the Secret Files issue (Earth 23 has multiple moons! Black Martians instead of White, Green, or Red! Calvin's parents are Raoists!) excited me and made me think about the stories waiting to be told there. Gimmie a 12 issue mini with Thomas writing that tells us what Calvin's run for office was like, and what pushed him into running! Would be a good standalone story for Black Label you could have on hand to sell come the movie reboot.

Val-Zod

Meanwhile there's the other guy and he sucks. Does Taylor creating him prejudice me against him off the bat? Know myself well enough to admit the answer is "yes". Hard to separate my distaste for Taylor's writing style when talking about a character he created whole-cloth. Putting that aside I still wouldn't like him for a couple reasons: he's born out of yet another "evil Superman" story, his background and motivations are lazy and uncreative, and he hijacked a book that was not supposed to be his in the first place.

Remember way back in the bad old days of the mid-2010s when we had around four fucking evil Supermen and Taylor was writing half of them? Yeah that bent me all out of shape as you might expect. Is it fair to blame Taylor for something Robinson set up in his last issue? No, but I suspect editorial wanted to cash in on the "evil Superman" craze that Taylor kicked off with Injustice. Given the plethora of evil Superman stories they were pushing at the time, I doubt it was Robinson's idea, more likely an editorial edict that he introduce an evil Superman to get sales up. Instead Robinson left and the book that was supposed to be about revamping the JSA instead became the book for Taylor's OCs such as Val and Thomas Wayne Batman. Central premise of the book was that the Trinity were dead and there was a new Trinity, Taylor threw that out completely and the book never recovered in quality.

Next con is he's poorly built character. Lazy as can get when it comes to background. Oh by the way here's this new guy, he was the adopted half-brother of Kal, Kara's best friend as a kid, and a Zod. Not the Zods you're thinking of though, he's a kid of nice Zods who were pacifists (Taylor trying to prevent anyone from doing to Val what he's made a career of doing to Clark I suspect). Also he got here in a rocket too! Isn't that convenient? Military found and locked him up but don't worry he was brainwashed by his parents en route to Earth to be a pacifist and holds nothing but love and kindness in his heart! THAT'S SO FUCKING LAME! What the hell is the point of making him a Zod if you refuse to do anything interesting with it, if he's a Zod in name only because Taylor just wanted to give him an "important" family name? What's the point of stealing the Flashpoint origin if again, nothing is done with it? In a matter of a few issues Val ditches the pacifism and the fear of outdoors because of course he has to, Superman Returns showed that people want to see Superman punch bad guys. After that he's just "generic Superman but black" because he has no real foundation to fall back on beyond that.

Superman isn't a product of one big moment, he's supposed to be a product of a series of life lessons learned from the Kents. He feels a connection to Earth and a responsibility to humans because he was raised among them. Val has none of that, his only justification for being the way he is are the recordings of his parents that indoctrinated him on his journey to Earth. Then he spent Rao knows how long locked up in a cell. Add on the trauma he should feel about seeing Krypton die, which Kara has too and usually manifests itself in much more believable ways such as struggling to connect with Earth the way her cousin has, and I just cannot buy into this character as he's presented. Forgive me for not believing that someone who saw his parents executed, his planet die, got imprisoned by humans for an extended period of time, learned his adopted brother Kal is evil and he has to go beat him up, is going to just be able to be "Superman" as quickly as Val does. His personality, relationship with Earth, identity, all should be radically different, but they aren't because all of this background is just flavor Taylor threw in to try to make him "matter". End of the Earth 2 series has him wearing glasses as a disguise because he's black Superman and that's what Superman does, never mind that Val doesn't even have a secret identity and why would he freaking want one? Just smile at the empty reference for the empty character. Taylor wanted a black Superman in a setting that wasn't built to accommodate one, so he brute forced it and the result is a fanfic tier character. Not surprising considering Taylor's handle on Clark is dubious at best, of course a Superman he makes from scratch is going to lack depth.

Hernan Guerra/Lor-Zod does the "non-white Son of Zod who is also Superman" slot far, far better than Val does. John Henry Irons is the more interesting "black legacy hero who takes up the S-shield when Superman dies". Calvin is the cooler black Superman. Kenan is the superior non-white legacy Superman. Val has a cool costume and as dumb a character as he is, Earth 2 Thomas Wayne and Dick Grayson Batmen were waaaay worse legacy heroes. Those are about the only two pros I can list for Val. Don't like him, annoyed MBJ fished him out of the hole so he could play Superman in a vanity project, hope it's just a one and done limited series that I can ignore.

#calvin ellis #president superman #val zod #infinite frontier #earth 2 #grant morrison #tom taylor

18 notes · View notes

architectnews · 4 years

Text

3dreid Architects Office News

3Dreid, Buildings, Office, News, Images, Design, Developments, Studio, Photos

3Dreid Architects

Architecture Projects by 3Dreid in Scotland + England – Design Practice News + Info

3DReid News

3Dreid Architects News

28 Aug 2020 Plans submitted for 65 London Road in Edinburgh image courtesy of architects HG Developments has submitted plans for a proposed redevelopment of the site at 65 London Road to form a high quality 76- bed Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA), designed by 3DReid that will replace the disused car wash buildings that are currently present. Planning and development consultancy Turley is providing planning advice for the scheme:

65 London Road in Edinburgh

31 May 2017 3DReid Appoints Noel Street as Director

Noel joins 3DReid from Stephen George + Partners where he was a Director based in their Leicester office and prior to this, Noel was Studio Director for AHR Architects in Birmingham.

For more information about 3DReid, please go to www.3dreid.com.

3DReid Architects – Joint Project

3DReid – Expansion into Asia Pacific

8 Mar 2010

3DReid architecture Building News

3DReid – Key Buildings

Air Traffic Control Tower Newcastle Airport, northeast England 2007 image from 3dreid Newcastle Airport building

Commonwealth Games Stadium Glasgow, Scotland, UK 2007- image from 3dreid Scottish Sports Stadium

Edinburgh Airport Control Tower Scotland 2007 image from architects Edinburgh Airport

Farnborough Airport Buildings, southern England, UK 2006 Airport image from REID Architecture Farnborough Airport

Slough Cultural Centre Building, Berkshire, England, UK 2008- image from 3dreid Slough Building

3dreid Buildngs – no images

Princes Street Shopping Development 3D Architects : Princes Street building, Edinburgh, Scotland

Western Isles Schools Project, Scotland 3DReid wins Design Team Contract for £55m Western Isles Schools Project

Holyrood offices, Edinburgh, South East Scotland 2007 Holyrood office building

19 George Road – headquarters building, Edgbaston, Birmingham, England 2007

The Herald Building, Glasgow, South West Scotland 2007 Client: FM Developments

More buildings / projects by 3dreid online soon

3DReid Student Prize

Location: UK

Architects Practice Information

3D Architects & REID Architecture merged the two practices in Jun 2007

The new practice will operate under the name 3Dreid. 3D and REID have an interconnected history, going back 25 years, with several key 3D personnel having spent portions of their careers at REID.

Architects in Edinburgh : architecture office

REID architecture : Industrial/R&D Architect – Architect of the Year Awards 2006

World Architects

Buildings / photos for the 3Dreid Architecture page welcome

Website: www.3dreid.com

The post 3dreid Architects Office News appeared first on e-architect.

#e-architect

1 note · View note