Cosmic greetings, all! This is Leo Wyld, the Raccoonatic Commander. We Raccoonatics have had much cause for celebration the past couple weeks, with a deluge of all variety of Guardians of the Galaxy related news, from the Toy Fair to the trailer to hearing Rocket speak on the movie for the fist time (and, oh yeah, I won Marvel Fan of the Week). This month will be important to me for another reason, but that is a few weeks off, we are gonna slow down a bit this week and reflect...Flarkin' Awesome! 009 - That Was... Flarkin' Awesome! (A Retrospective)
What is true today, may not be true tomorrow. In the fast-paced world we live in, where information can be presented and adjusted constantly and continuously, facts can change within hours of expressing them. Even an internet publication, such as a recurring blog segment, say, can suffer from this, especially when such a segment could potentially be read months after it was written. Technically, I could go back and edit past Flarkin' Awesome! issues to make them more accurate, but that would not help those who have already read those issues. So, today, I am gonna take a look back at the past issues of Flarkin' Awesome and see if/how the subjects they address have changed or progressed. (And there is something new discuss at the end, so at least read the closing, I have a request of the community) - (More After the Jump)
My debut issue. This was about Rocket's voice and how it been portrayed in media where we hear Rocket speak. As some are likely aware, Rocket once had something of a subtle Cockney accent. One reason that this topic was decided on was the then-rumored casting of Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon. We now know that rumor was quite true. And, after a Twitter exchange with Agent M, not long after that issue, we learned Marvel's vision for the hero no longer includes that Cockney accent. First heard without the accent on the Ultimate Spider-man cartoon, he later lacked it in the ad for the NYCC exclusive Rocket plushie. And now we have heard Bradley's take on the hero. Do I miss the Cockney, maybe some. But I'll still have it on Marvel Heroes. And, that aside, I think Bradley sounded fantastic in the snippet we heard! So, to summarize, no more Cockney accent for Rocket, and I think I can adapt.
Rocket's costumes for Marvel Heroes. I am happy to report Marvel Heroes is still doing well and still running. Unfortunately, Rocket's costume collection is still pretty much exactly the same. We did get one new costume, Deep Space, but still waiting on some of those wish list costumes. Especially Timely Inc. And I have learned that the name"Timely Inc." was one of the main things making it difficult for Gazillion to get the costume added, I have suggested alternately titling it "Mailroom Clerk" or "Employee Raccoon". The former got a favorite from Gazillion's Community Manager. They really wanna see that costume happen, too, so still hoping. And, another note, the incomplete "mask" on Rocket's Guardians NOW! costume is not a bug, but intentional. I had a response from the artist and they said the look was indicative of the reference picture Marvel had given them for the costume (I think I unintentionally insulted them in the process of the discussion, but I did apologize for the misunderstanding)September 22nd marked six months from the date I coined "Raccoonatic" as a word for a fan of Rocket Raccoon (might want to think about that for a moment, it will be related to something upcoming). I examined how I became the Raccoonatic Commander and looked at the fandom in general. Now, it is becoming a great time to be a Raccoonatic, with the Guardians of the Galaxy, and thus Rocket himself, slowly beginning to capture the mainstream public's attention. To paraphrase a certain popular movie, though, "We liked Rocket before it was cool."
Rocket's a complex dude with a complex past, and, as such, he has a bunch of question marks surrounding who he is, what he is, and his history. Just a quick summary, nope, still don't have all the answers. If anything, with Bendis continuing to dance around the raccoon/not-a-raccoon retcon concept, I may have more questions now. (Don't get me wrong, though, Rocket issues aside, Bendis is a cool guy and I think volume 3 is entertaining). Will we have solid answers to some of these questions soon, maybe. I think many of them will be resolved in his own series this summer. Remember, as to the what, the official Raccoonatic stance is that we will always consider Rocket to be a genetically modified raccoon, any indications to something else are clearly the work of some illusionist/mind-warping villain working behind the scenes. Hehheh.
If one article had a major, major turnaround in the subject presented... it was this one. Wow. The article was an examination of what merchandise was available for Raccoonatics to purchase. As was the situation at the time, not a whole lot. Part of the article was essentially lamenting the lack of cool stuff Rocket fans had to buy compared to other heroes. Come this summer, we now know that is gonna totally and completely change. Largely because of James Gunn's awesome film, the Raccoonatics are going from drought to flood. Seriously, it looks like it will be quite overwhelming financially, but, hey, I prefer that to the alternative! (Also, for the video games section, Rocket has essentially been confirmed to be coming to the kid-friendly browser based Super Hero Squad Online)Rocket's moves on Marvel Heroes are examined and compared to comic canon. No real update here. I do not think Rocket has even seen a balance adjustment since that writing, and his large redesign is still likely months off. So, not much to say. I dunno, play Marvel Heroes if you haven't, it's awesome.
Flarkin' Awesome! 007 - Raccoonatics vs. The World
No link, because I am withdrawing my own support of this editorial. I have issues I need to work through, and I am emotional sometimes, maybe became I am artistic sort. Sometimes I get in bad moods, and I was in one when I wrote that. I was also dealing with some bullying in Marvel Heroes and on Twitter at the time, so that did not likely help. Some of the basic concepts of the complaints I stand by. Sly is awesome but not as awesome as Rocket, I stand by that. A genetically modified raccoon is an origin for Rocket that was first presented in the comics, not the movie. I bought the 360 version of LEGO Marvel, love it, and the people who made the game have just been totally cool to me on Twitter, but I still think Rocket should've had some situational powers. And Rocket Raccoon should have absolutely and totally been one of the top 25 heroes of 2013 (you're totally awesome Marvel, but still a little vexed about that). All that said, it was wrong of me to specify the sites involved and attack them in the way I did, so my sincere apologies to superheromoviesnews.com and heyuguys.co.uk. I've asked that the Issue be deleted and I have unlinked it from my home site. I am gonna actively try to be more positive from here on out.
About Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3's portrayal of Rocket Raccoon. This article was only written a couple weeks ago about a console game that had already been out for years before I wrote the article. You may not be surprised to learn, then, there really is not anything to update factually for that issue. Except for one fairly significant thing. Capcom completely lost the Marvel license. Which means that the game can longer be purchased digitally and, also, that the DLC for it is no longer available (which means no 80's costume for Rocket for the Raccoonatic Commander. Not a big deal, if I had really wanted it, I would have bought it before it was pulled)
And Here We Are...
I once proposed the concept of a recurring segment that was specifically about Rocket Raccoon to a friend of mine. That friend said simply the idea would not work, that it was a bad idea. To be fair, this friend skews critical about most things and is not really a Raccoonatic, so I can not blame that opinion. But I think I've done okay with the idea, so, readers, use that as an example of why you should believe in yourself. Ok, mini-PSA over, we need to talk about the future...
I have a request from you, my readers, Galaxians, Raccoonatics, newcomers... I am writing this on the 1st of March, in three weeks from this writing, I have my tenth Flarkin' Awesome. It will be important to me for a particular reason and I am asking for your input. Tell me why you think Rocket Raccoon is awesome. Or if you have any other cool insights into the hero you would like to share. Do so in the Comments section.
Until next time, stay awesome, and I'll see ya Round the 'Raccooniverse.