Espionage is an instantly recognisable genre. Due to its very clearly defined tropes, everyone can remake a spy movie – just think about it now, you can already see the grand opening action sequence in your mind. But when we get down to particulars, lots of spy media are very different. Goldfinger is not the […]
Genre Police: Where DM’s dare
The War genre is widely variable. Depending on nation creating the media, the level of patriotism acceptable in the cultural environment and the directors intent, a ‘War Story’ can be anything from a heavily edited propaganda piece, meditation on the cost of war, a high action thriller, documentary or long running comedy that also makes […]
Genre Police: Pouches & Punishment!
If you were researching comics history and you asked Wikipedia for its opinion, you’d see posits that the publication of Watchmen creates a modern, more sophisticated age of comics overnight that is still in place today. This is a commonly held sentiment and is also is massively wrong. Go pick up an issue of Watchmen, […]
Genre Police: A Change Is Gonna Come
Mostly when I write a genre police story, I begin by picking the genre and then discussing the issues around the context and creation of the genre. But today we’re going to have to approach this article from a different perspective. We’re about to talk about the Bronze age of comics, a style and era […]
Genre Police: Look, Up In The Sky!
Is it a bird, is it a plane? No! It’s the wonderful world of superheroes. Easy to discuss Supers, just check out Captain America, right? What do you mean he comes from a different genre to Thor? What about Rorschach? Claire Bennet fits in here somewhere as well, doesn’t she? Now we are in a […]
Genre Police: Pulp Fiction(s)?
So, Pulp. I’ve left this one off for a long while because I think we needed to discuss a few of the other genres to get here. When someone mentions Pulp tales, we all know what we are talking about. We’re fighting Nazis on a plane wing, discovering lost valleys with golden temples, escaping dinosaurs […]
Genre Police: Trenchcoats & Tragedy
I know you’ve put the trenchcoat away since we did Gothpunk but it’s time to get it out again. Put it back on, find a hat and pour yourself some bourbon straight from the bottle. There’s a mystery to be solved and we’re gonna have to crack some writer’s knuckles to do it – let’s […]
Genre Police: You Call it Wuxia, I call it Wushu
From a western perspective, Wuxia and the Samurai genre can be very easy to blend together. In reality, though, Wuxia is a different beast. It has a history of rebellion, heroes disinterested in serving a local lord and finding their own destiny. Sound familiar? It’s probably the content of most weekly gaming sessions. Let’s take […]
Genre Police: Eventually We Had To Mention Katanas
The Samurai is now culturally everywhere. Most western geeks understand the concept of Bushido code and can happily argue the difference between wakishai and a tanto. However, when it first arrived, I imagine it was an odd genre for western audiences because while it was wildly aesthetically different, it had many hallmarks recognisable in our […]
Genre Police: The Only Good Pirate Is A Fake Pirate
Hoist the mainsail! Stow the booty! Set Sail For Outer shores! And while we’re at it, make sure we paint over anything that might make a bunch of bandits at sea look like criminals! Spend some time with us and let investigate the genre of pirates and how its far from a guide to the […]
