2. 2 Editor: Xander Cosgrave
Designer: Robert O’Sullivan
Film & TV Editor: Olivia Brown
Music Editor: Holly Cooney
Arts & Lit Editor: Colm Furlong
Gaming Editor: Aoife Gleeson
Fiction Editor: Austin Dowling
Humour Editor: Lauren Mulvihill
BYLINE EDITORIAL STAFF
There is a game, called Call of
Cthulhu, based on the works of
HP Lovecraft, where you are an
investigator trying to stop some
form of overbearing doom from
comingtotheworldanddestroying
everything you hold dear, usually
by doing lots of research. This
game has a mechanic for your
character going slowly going mad
while you sit in libraries trying to
eke out some use from the esoteric
knowledge being presented to
you by insane academics and long
dead prophets.
Obviously, this game was designed
by someone who really wanted
to bring the college experience
to everyone, but also had some
fascination with tentacle monsters
from beyond space and time.
But you’re not here for the bleak
reality of your degree, you’re here
to read some stuff that makes you
seem intelligent and cultured in
the old bar, and we’re here to help.
This week, we have an interview
with cartoonist and game designer
John Kovalic, a personal hero of
mine, and someone who shows
us all that we can actually achieve
our dreams of following our nerdy
and obscure passion, we just need
to buy into things like a 26 hour
day. No hassle at all then right?
On our list of awesome things that
are happening soon, Deadpool is
coming out, and I really just want
to see a Ryan Reynolds superhero
movie where he doesn’t glow. Less
awesome than that is Valentine’s
day, so if anyone needs me on the
14th, I’ll be watching Deadpool,
alone. Making an amazing meal
for two people, Alone, and then
eating that meal, Alone. It’s a
wonderful time of year.
In all seriousness though,
February is grey and grim, so if
you’re feeling down at all don’t
forget to talk to someone, and
get out of the library occasionally
so you don’t forget what the sun
looks like. Actually, it’s February,
I guess I mean so you don’t forget
what rain feels like? Something
like that. This is all bullshit, when
is Spring coming.
At the Desks of Madness
#XanderFhtagn
What’s Inside... Headlines of Byline:
FILM & TV
MUSIC
ARTS & LIT
GAMING
HUMOUR
INTERVIEW
“Zoe Fitzpatrick looks at the best of the Brit Awards
nominees from the past & the future, while Music
Editor Holly Cooney reviews the current direction of...
One Direction following their announced split”
“Colm Furlong reviews the Green Road following its
recent republishing, talks about what it’s like to do
poetry & drama live on stage and Designer Rob talks
about Deadpool, the greatest modern lit. character”
“Jonathan Soltan previews the next great crowdfunded
games, Kieran Collins reviews the great Deadpool
games & Gaming Editor Aoife Gleeson looks at what
we know of Nintendo’s next gaming console”
“A (bath) bomb scare in Lush, mysterious tins of tuna
explained, #SoberBants on nights out and local racists
deny logic exists in a startling new move”
“BYLINE interviews John Kovalic: writer, illustrator
and creator of games like Munchkin, Kobalds Ate My
Baby and other cult classics. Interview courtesy of
Radio Warpcon, and was conducted at Warpcon 26”
“Zoe Fitzpatrick talks through the best of & the best
upcoming Netflix Original Series, while Express Editor
Brian Conmy talks about the failures of our national
broadcaster, Raidio Teilifis Eireann”
3. 3
POETRY
FICTION EDITOR - AUSTIN DOWLING
Listen to Me
The Party Poem
Some Morning
by Julia C.
by Dylan P. O’Keeffe
by Dylan P. O’Keeffe
Do not look into your mother’s room, Poppy. It will only bring
you back.
Poppy, pull the rug on the stairs to straighten it out and walk
right into your cat. Your cat will cry out in pain. You will run off
into the television room and hide from your own cat and you
will wonder what happened to the days of calling it a ‘living’
room. Your cat has forgotten you ever stood on its tail but you
won’t leave the television room for hours. Not until it scratches
at the door and its imagined tears dig like sharp nails deep down
into your soul. Not until your cat is desperate for food. That cat
is all you have these days, Poppy. That cat is your family.
You will return to the bottom of the stairs, Poppy, and once again
you will stare at your mother’s room. Do not even consider it,
Poppy. Some doors are better left closed.
Poppy, walk into the kitchen and make yourself a meal before
bed. It is bad for you to eat before bedtime but it is far worse
to sleep on an empty stomach. You will have no trouble falling
asleep tonight. As you prepare a light sandwich you will listen
to Chet Baker and your dreams will take shape.
When you reach the top of the stairs you will wrap your hand
over the handle of mother’s door. You asked the priest to lock
that door and he is keeping the key safe for you, Poppy. He is
keeping the key away from you. It will not open.
Do not dream of mother tonight, Poppy. Dream of someone
you have long forgotten. Let the snoring cat, who has long since
forgiven you, fool you into thinking Eddie has returned. Let the
cat take Eddie’s place and let the memory of Eddie keep you
warm. Do not dream of mother tonight, Poppy. Dream of Eddie
and let the sad songs of Chet Baker take you far away. Dream
of something far away, like the night you first met. You were
warmer then.
When you wake early and the cat is asleep and you have no
work to go to because you are old, do not stand at mother’s
door, Poppy. Do not knock at her door. Mother is not inside.
Do not knock at her door, Poppy. It will not open.
I remember when I was dancing
I heard those titan words,
That something will restore Life
To each and every one of us,
And no more.
We’re not happy or enlightened,
Flaunting sighs by the door,
Parading some complexity,
Endeavouring for something more,
For touch,
And sight, skin on skin,
Fluff and fuss,
Losing line of sight-
Before catching again,
To find-
We never taste as we smell,
It’s not about understanding,
But fascination and feel.
For Clob
Could you burden my chest
With your windy hand,
Light of low refrain,
And speak of your sky,
Breathe in and sigh
Of some blue of the night,
And what if clouds were no thing
At four AM or PM-
Whenever we’re awake,
Would you whisper
Of floating,
So naturally, so painfully?
4. 4
HUMOUR
Scientists Still Not Sure Where that Tin of Tuna
In Your Press Came From
Sober Guy in Nightclub Assures Friends He’s
Having Fun
by Raymond Luxury-Yacht
by Lauren Mulvihill
HEADLINES
TV LISTINGS
Sports: Someone won
something, presumably
News: All UCC students
suddenly very aware of
the inner workings or
medium scale servers
for some reason
Fashion: Everybody still
trying to forget about
the noughties
College: Increase in
number of lads asking
for a cheeky finger
during sex, “Sur Kanye
loves it”
Music: Public
wondering what Seán
Kingston has been up to
lately
Politics: Politicians
being bitchier than
usual in run-up to
general election
RTÉ One, Friday @
9PM: Harry Potter
and “the Philosopher’s
Stoned”
UTV Ireland, Saturday
@ 6PM: Two hours of
static, because we don’t
even care.
Top scientists have revealed this week that they’re still
not entirely sure where that tin of tuna in your press
came from.
Researchers from every major university in Ireland
apart from Trinity College (on account of them being
“hard work”) have spent the past decade attempting to
explain the phenomenon, theorising that tins of tuna
generally do not appear in a press without someone
placing them there. So far, however, the theory remains
unproven. Dr. Joan West of University College Cork
explains why.
“You would imagine that this would simply be a
matter of finding out whether or not people bought
the tins and then put them in the press,” Dr. West,
who has headed the research team since 2006, said in a
statement, “but the answers we have gotten have been
inconclusive. It’s as if the tuna has been lying around
since time immemorial.”
Conspiracy theorists have since taken matters into
their own hands, with internet forums such as ‘Bigger
Tuna Fish to Fry’, which is based in Sweden, gaining
popularity as scientific research has continued to
yield inconclusive results. The most popular view
being subscribed to at the moment claims that the
confusion is an elaborate plan by tuna aficionados to
indoctrinate as many people as possible, through the
use of subliminal messaging, into some sort of tuna-
worshipping cult.
“Nobody even likes tun [sic], man! U know who
likes tuna?? CULTS,” DublinersAgainstTunaSecrecy,
a regular visitor to the BTFF forum who is believed
to be from Dublin, posted on Monday. Researchers
have since broken their silence around the conspiracy
theorists to assure the public that while the scenario is
“unlikely”, they are “looking into it”.
“Between you and me,” Dr. West revealed to our
reporter in a confidential conversation, “this whole
thing is making me lose faith in my discipline, which
is physics. Y’know what is cool? Aliens. I’m thinking of
giving it all up and focusing on them. But don’t publish
that.”
The next step in the process will be the most
adventurous yet, with a nationwide survey being sent
to every Irish household in the coming weeks. Previous
surveys carried out in Britain suggest that the tuna tin
phenomenon – described as “possibly paranormal”
by the British Journal of Natural Sciences – affects at
least 8 in 10 households, although commentators have
suggested that confusion over whether tins containing
brine count may have skewed the results.
Seán Power (20), a sober guy in a local nightclub, spent
much of Tuesday night assuring his drunk friends that
he was indeed having a nice time, according to reports.
The Marketing student has revealed that he
was simply “feeling it” at pre-drinks, whereas most of
his friends were “pure gone” by the time they headed
into Cork City at approximately 11PM. By the time the
group headed to a popular nightclub two hours later,
Mr. Power was fully sober, but made sure his friends
knew that he was still having a nice time.
“I love swaying awkwardly in the corner while the lads
are out on the dancefloor. It’s great craic,” he insisted, a
single tear glistening in the corner of his eye.
According to witnesses, Seán was seen dancing
self-consciously among a group of acquaintances at
least twice throughout the night, with some describing
him as looking “like a sad plank of wood”. Others
observed that “he was smiling, but not with his heart”.
Throughout all of this, Mr. Power was heard repeating
the phrase “no, I’m grand. This is great craic. It’s grand.
It’s great craic.”
When contacted for a statement, Seán
continued to insist that he loves going to nightclubs,
even while sober.
“It’s not at all uncomfortable,” he stated forcefully. “I
enjoy being able to fully experience being pushed
around by people who can’t dance as well as they think
they can, and waiting at the bar for twenty minutes
before being served watered-down drinks. And,
y’know, with all the people getting the shift and, like,
groping each other, it’s a bit like a modern-day romcom.
I wasn’t a bit self-conscious or uncomfortable. I was
having fun. It was great craic. It was…” he paused as
his voice broke, “… it was just great craic.”
Mr.Powercontinuedtoreassurehisfriendsthat
he was having fun as they headed to a nearby chipper
at closing time, and then insisted on continuing the
party at the apartment of another group that they had
become acquainted with while intoxicated. According
to a reliable source, Seán was heard responding with
“I’m totally comfortable with that, this is all great craic,
and all I want is for you all to accept me.”
“Banter,” he added, with a quiet sob.
5. 5
HUMOUREDITOR - LAUREN MULVIHILL
Local Racists Officially Renounce Logic
(Bath) Bomb Scare in Lush
by Raymond Luxury Yacht
by Lauren Mulvihill
Authorities have recently re-opened
Oliver Plunkett Street to the public
after a bomb scare in popular
cosmetics shop, Lush, caused chaos
early this week.
Thebombs,believedtobeof
the bath variety, were described by
customers as “suspicious-looking”,
“round”, and having a “pleasant
smell that [they] just didn’t trust”.
Reports have claimed that the shop
in question was carrying hundreds
of the small, inconspicuous-looking
weapons of mass destruction, which
activate upon coming into contact
with water.
The threat gained public
attention following the Christmas
period, when thousands of ‘edgy’
youths began to post images of
the bombs on social media, often
coupled with ominous comments
such as “couldn’t help myself!” and
“bath bombs for life”. Believing
this to be yet another example
of counter-culture, government
agencies largely ignored the issue
until receiving reports from across
the country that the young people
were deploying the bombs in their
own homes. This led to a complete
disruption of services in Oliver
Plunkett Street as shops belonging
to the cosmetics chain known as
Lush were raided by Garda bomb
disposal units nationwide.
In a statement following the raid,
Enda Kenny assured the public
that, if re-elected, Fine Gael would
continue to take a firm stance on
threats of this nature.
“Sure, some would call it an
‘overreaction’. Some would describe
this so-called Lush place as a
shining example of ethical trade and
practice, and possibly the least likely
international terrorist organisation
in the country. But, at the end of
the day, we have to ask ourselves
– if Britain can detain a child for a
misspelling the word ‘terraced’ as
‘terrorist’, can we not deploy a few
special forces to raid a little shop
every now and then?”
Employeesofthechainhave
defended their actions, describing
the highly destructive bath bombs
as “not at all dangerous”, “cute”
and “very relaxing to dissolve in
bathwater”. These claims come
despite allegations from a highly
unreliable source that the bombs
are also fitted with miniature
recording devices – allegations that
most media outlets have essentially
confirmed, because, like, the source
seemed nice enough.
Gardaí have assured the
public that the raids were successful,
and also that the venture was in
no way meant to distract from the
continuing lack of police presence
in rural areas. Senior Gardaí were
quick to add that they also almost
definitely possibly found what
could be some sort of napalm,
which had the texture and smell of
shampoo and was labelled as such.
The raids therefore, they stressed,
were in no way a distraction from
more important issues.
Local racists have made headlines
this week by officially renouncing
the concept of logic.
This position has come as
no surprise to the general public,
as the abandonment of logic has
long been an unofficial policy of the
group. However, many observers
had previously expressed doubts
as to whether or not the racists
would take a hard-line stance on the
subject.
Prior to the adoption of this
new policy, racists simply ignored
all scientific and sociological
evidence as well as common sense
in favour of what is included in their
unwritten constitution as “Basically,
Useful Lies and Libel – Stuff that’s
Handy Instead of True”, sometimes
abbreviated to “B.U.L.L.S.H.I.T.”.
Sources say that the group has now
come to understand that they are
fooling nobody but themselves, and
believe that transparency is key to
being racist in modern Ireland.
Paddy O’Donoghue (32), from
Cork City, described the new policy
as “a relief”.
“Before this, if I wanted to say
that all Muslims were terrorists,
people would have thrown really
inconvenient and distracting things
at me like ‘facts’ or ‘figures’: all
this liberal, airy-fairy shite about
them being ‘people’. Now I’m free
to believe that my neighbours are
an ISIS, so I can harass them guilt-
free,” he added, referring to the
Sikh family-of-four that live across
the road from him – “their actual
beliefs are fairly irrelevant as long
as they have that look about them,
d’you get me”.
Racists outside the city
have also come out in favour of the
move, with many taking to social
media to showcase their newfound
confidence in their own incorrect
opinions.
“This is a great day for Ireland,”
one Theresa Moore posted to her
Facebook page. “No longer will
I have to say ‘I’m not racist, but’
before saying something racist. Now
I can just let my ignorant prejudice
run free.”
The renouncement of logic
has paved the way for a brand
new type of discourse among Irish
racists, who now will not stand for
anyone being critical of Irish culture
or society because we built America
and racism doesn’t exist here and
sure aren’t we the loveliest, most
welcoming people in the world as
long as you’re a tourist who’ll be
going back to your own country
next Friday and sure didn’t my
niece’s cousin go out with a black
lad for a week or two, how can I be
racist.
Inside sources claim that
the decision to abandon logic and
reasoning mainly aims to allow
racists to complain about refugees
receiving more attention from the
government and the media than
the homeless, while continuing to
do literally nothing to help either
group.
The coming weeks are sure to see
more casual racism and ignoring of
the rise of far-right movements.
6. 6
GAMING
Crowdfunding for DummiesJonathan Soltan explores recent ups and downs in crowdfunded games
Crowd funding in the video game industry has only been mainstream for about three or four years now since it exploded onto the scene with the
Kickstarter campaign for Double Fine Adventure in 2012, which would eventually be released as Broken Age. Since 2012, the system has had its ups and
downs as some games got delayed, failed to deliver everything that was promised or just plain failed to release altogether. Ironically, one of the first major
negative stories to come out of crowd funding was the same one that popularised it: Broken Age. Although the game reached its funding goal eight times
over, due to feature creep and bad money management, Double Fine ran out of funds to finish the game with and ended up releasing the game in two
parts with the first releasing in January 2014 and the second finally releasing over a year later.
Massive Chalice
Double Fine again dipped into
the Kickstarter pool when they
launched the campaign for Massive
Chalice. This game was seemingly
managed much better with only one
minor delay until eventually being
released from its beta in Steam
Early Access to generally favourable
reviews. Another Double Fine game
that was put in the Early Access
programme was SpaceBase DF-9.
However, this game would again
sour the public’s view of Double
Fine when it was announced in
September of 2014 that the game
would exit Early Access the next
month with all support for the game
stopping at that point. This was seen
as a slap in the face by some as the
game was missing many features
that had been promised during
development.
Psychonauts 2
Recently Double Fine launched
a crowd funding campaign for
the long awaited Psychonauts 2.
While many rejoiced at the revival
of a beloved franchise, it’s not all
sunshine and roses. The company
that’s hosting the campaign, Fig,
was founded by the former COO
of Double Fine. In addition to that,
Tim Schafer, the founder of Double
Fine, is on the advisory board of
Fig. All of this serves to make the
situation very muddled, to say the
least. On top of all of that, there’s
some very confusing wording in
the terms of service which make
it seem like any money donated
doesn’t actually have to be used to
make Psychonauts 2. It’s a strange
situation all around but only time
will tell whether or not Double Fine
will deliver the game on time and as
promised.
Mighty No. 9
Another game that raised a lot of
money on Kickstarter is the Mega
Man spiritual successor Mighty No.
9. Spearheaded by former Mega
Man developer Keiji Inafune, the
campaign launched in late August of
2013 and, like Broken Age, shot past
its original goal. With the pedigree
of Inafune attached to the project,
people were extremely confident
that the project was a slam dunk.
However, as of this writing the final
quality of the game is unknown and
the development has been anything
butsmooth.Thegamewasoriginally
scheduled to release in April of
2015, but this was pushed back at
the last second to September later
that same year. In August of 2015
the game was delayed again to early
February 2016. Again, however, just
a few weeks before the expected
release, the game has been pushed
back once again to a nebulous
Spring 2016 release window.
The delays alone would be cause for
concern, but there have been more
worrying signs. Since the original
Kickstarter campaign, Comcept,
Inafune’s development studio,
have launched several others. They
launched one campaign to fund
DLC for the game, one for a new
game called Red Ash and another
for an anime series based on the
same game. Although the campaign
for the anime series succeeded, the
campaign for the game itself fell
far short of its goal. On top of this,
just a few days before the campaign
deadline, Comcept announced that
the game would be funded in full by
a company called Fuze, regardless
of the success of the Kickstarter
campaign. This left many fans with
a sour taste in their mouths as
this announcement made it fairly
evident that the game could have
been funded through traditional
means without money being taken
from fans. Again, only time will tell
if things turn out for the best with
these games.
Darkest Dungeon
One game took a different path
through development, and it’s been
an unqualified success. The small
team behind Darkest Dungeon set
up a Kickstarter campaign and,
like others, blew past their original
goal. Approximately one year after
the end of the campaign, the game
was put on Steam Early Access.
Throughout the next year the game
was consistently updated using
feedback from the community to
help steer the path of development.
The game finally had its full release
on Steam on the 19th of January
2016 to very favourable reviews. The
developers have since stated that
the game has already sold 650,000
copies including backer rewards. A
release on PlayStation 4 and Vita is
expected sometime in early 2016.
While most of these stories have
left people angry at some point,
nothing can be as bad as the recent
story that broke of the developer of
Ant Simulator having all the money
raised through crowd funding
spent on booze and strippers by his
(now former) friends and business
partners. Let that be a lesson to
everyone: be careful who you give
your money to.
7. 7
GAMINGEDITOR - AOIFE GLEESON
Deadpool’s Best Games
What is the Nintendo NX?
Kieran Collins looks at the Merc with a Mouth’s video game history before the film’s release
By Aoife Gleeson
X-Men Legends 2: Rise of
Apocalypse (2005)
In the classic anti-hero style,
Deadpool appears in this game first
as a boss battle, but only because
he was hired and payed to do so.
After defeated, he joins your party
and becomes a playable character.
Thanks to the games great writing
Deadpool is excellent here,
complete with hilarious jokes and
references and, of course, 4th wall
breaks.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance series
(2006, 2009)
With Deadpool playable from level
one and providing witty phrases
throughout, these games provided
yet another fantastic adaptation.
In the sequel, he is again a boss
fight and then a party member, but
this time his reason for fighting
is different. As Washington D.C.
is being attacked, he’s pissed off
that the cherry blossoms are being
damaged. The most hilarious
example of just how good they
did Deadpool in this game is if
you replay the D.C. level with him
already unlocked, he questions why
there are two of him and where the
“continuity guy” is.
Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two
Worlds (2011)
Deadpool certainly doesn’t
disappoint in his fighting game
debut. You would expect him to be
merely a joke character, but he is
actually a very well-rounded and
fun fighter. That doesn’t mean his
signature wit isn’t present though.
He speaks
directly to
the player,
moonwalks
and, funniest
of all, uses
his health bar
to bash his opponent in one of his
attacks. Nolan North stars as the
regenerating degenerate and kills it
(pun intended).
Lego Marvel Superheroes (2013)
Who doesn’t love a good Lego
game, especially if its story is
narrated by Deadpool? Nolan
North reprises the role and, given
much more dialogue, represents
the Merc with a Mouth with style.
It’s a standard Lego game, so if you
like Lego and you like Deadpool,
it’s definitely worth your time.
Deadpool (2013)
Finally, the big one: Deadpool’s solo
game. In the style of a hack and
slash game, this entry goes really
deep into the character’s lore. Love
interests Domino and Death (Yes,
for those of you unversed in all
things Deadpool, Death incarnated
is a love interest), best friend Cable,
and rival Wolverine, all show up
prominently. The writing is easily
this game’s best part. Deadpool is
writing the game as it goes along
and he and the voices in his head,
provide commentary throughout
in their perspectives. Again, Nolan
North (who seems to have the
monopoly on Deadpool voice
work) plays Wade Wilson and
gives one of his best performances
yet. His voice work, along with the
stellar writing, really make this a
game that any Deadpool fan would
be sorry to miss. And with its
recent re-release to coincide with
the movie, it’s one of the easiest
game on this list to get your hands
on.
Rumours have been circulating for a while now concerning Nintendo’s
next gaming platform, cryptically codenamed the Nintendo NX. Little
is officially known about the console, with speculation running rampant
in the face of little detail being provided by the company. Here’s what we
do know at the moment: the NX is a dedicated gaming platform being
released as two consoles, a handheld later this year followed by a home
console in 2017. Nintendo has also partnered up with mobile developer
DeNA to create multiplatform games featuring Nintendo IPs. Our first
high profile example of this is Pokémon GO, which will be released on
iOS and Android later this year. This seems odd, as Nintendo appears to
be cannibalising its own future NX sales by releasing a Pokémon game
(a proven console mover) on mobile platforms. This would seem to lend
credence to the rumour that the NX handheld would run on Android,
but Nintendo quickly quashed this rumour. Regardless, this seems to be
Nintendo’s answer to dwindling profits but it makes you wonder why
they would bother launching another handheld console at all. Perhaps
the answer lies with Pokémon X and Z, which we still have scant details
about. NX has been rumoured to function with smartphones, PCs and,
bizarrely, PS4s. While Nintendo’s profits have drastically dipped, I doubt
they’d be desperate enough to stick their games on a competitor’s console.
Change is coming
though. In an
interview with a
Japanese magazine
Nintendo President
Tatsumi Kimishima
said that, with their
new console, the company was
not looking to build on old ideas but offer
entirely new ones instead. This implies that the NX
will not be an evolution of the Wii U before it, but instead distance itself
conceptually. One thing’s for sure: Nintendo will need to communicate the
concept of this console in much clearer fashion than they did with the Wii
U. By introducing a new console barely four years after the launch of the
Wii U, the company appears to be cutting their losses on a failed console:
a good strategy. While the NX is still conceptually murky, hopefully
Nintendo has the games to back it up. The Legend of Zelda Wii U was
revealed back in 2013 – it’s likely that this will make the jump to being
a launch game for NX, not unlike Twilight Princess’ dual release on Wii
and Gamecube. While Nintendo has had a rough few years, they do have
a long history of soaring highs and crushing lows: they always bounce
back. Remember, the Nintendo 64 came out just a year after the Virtual
Boy, one of the biggest console failures in gaming history. I wouldn’t count
Nintendo out just yet. Nintendo will, reportedly, reveal the console later
this year around E3.
8. 8
ARTS & LITERATURE
Meet Deadpool: The Greatest Character of Modern Literature
Deadpool Comic Series to Read Before (or After) You See the Movie
Robert O’Sullivan looks at the history of the Merc with a Mouth & states his case that Deadpool is the best invention of modern literary works
Deadpool is a character created by writer Fabian
Nicieza & artist Rob Liefield in 1991. Initially
created as a carbon-copy of DC’s Deathstroke
(whose real alias, Slade Wilson, was oh-so
subtly ripped for our hero’s name Wade Wilson),
Deadpool started life as a recurring hero/anti-
hero in various Marvel books & storylines
throughout the early-mid 90s. Deadpool was the
subject of two mini-series in 1993 & 1994 but
this Merc had yet to get his Mouth. That wouldn’t
happen until 1997 when he became a bit more
fleshed out in his own series, first under Joe Kelly
& then under Ed McGuinness.
Deadpoolwasoneofthefirstcharactersinpopular
fiction that had fourth-wall breaking as a central
character trait; Deadpool, using several different
colour text boxes to represent the different
personalities in Wade’s head, communicates
directly to the audience & uses references from
our popular culture and history that may not
exist in the world of Marvel. Wade, having
developed a rare form of cancer, undergoes risky
tests as part of the Weapon X program, the same
which gave Wolverine his adamantium skeleton.
Having been given Wolverine’s healing factor
Wade’s cancer is in flux, constantly being healed
and killing him simultaneously. This causes him
to develop the aforementioned personalities,
similar to Dissociative Identity Disorder. What
for most characters would be a struggle is an
advantage for Deadpool, being a large part of
his humour & character in both the real world
sense & fictional sense. He not only conquers
his disabilities & illnesses but makes them his
strengths, not just using them for storylines.
As mentioned, Deadpool possesses the same
healing powers as Wolverine, effectively making
him immortal. Taking away the chance of death
would, one assume, take away any consequences
or tension in a story. Instead it adds another
dimension to the Deadpool
story, removing the tension
death adds and allowing for the
levity of the humour to take centre
stage. In fact, the personification
of Death (a character in the Marvel Universe) is
Deadpool’s main love interest, forming a great
‘forbidden love’ couple.
While all the previous points were incredibly
well-written, well thought out & based in fact,
but this one is entirely nerdy. In several series,
namely Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe,
Deadpool Killustrated & Deadpool Kills
Deadpool, Deadpool proves my theory correct.
In this three part series a new text box pops up
and drives Deadpools to kill all your favourite
Marvel heroes (and villains), great literary
characters such as Tom Sawyer, Moby Dick and
Sherlock Holmes and, finally, to kill every single
version of himself there has ever been.
Before you see the Deadpool movie (or even
after) I encourage you to read some comics!
Cable & Deadpool Deadpool Corps ‘Deadpool Kills...’ three-arc series
9. 9
ARTS & LITEDITOR - COLM FURLONG
Green Road Review
Open Mic Nights
Review of the Green Road in the wake of its reprinted edition.
Colm Furlong discusses reading prose and poetry aloud
Anne Enright’s The Green Road is a novel which
is set in Ireland and covers a time span of roughly
twenty five years. It tells the story of the Madigan
family; Matriarch Rosaleen and her four children
Hanna, Dan, Constance and Emmet. Ultimately,
the novel is a character study, which examines
the fragmented lives of these characters through
equally fragmented storytelling as the whole
family returns home for one last Christmas in
their family home.
The first four chapters of the novel each depict
a portion of one of Rosaleen’s children’s lives.
They read as separate short stories which invite
us into the character’s life, and deliver backstory
and exposition to the reader. Enright shows the
reader Hanna as a young girl in the family home,
Dan who is living in New York and coming to
grips with life as a gay man, Constance in Co.
Limerick who undergoes a cancer check-up, and
finally Emmet and his life in Mali. These stories
act as set up for the children of Rosaleen, and do
little aside from this to actually advance the main
story of the novel. From here, the main plot of
the novel makes its first appearance, as Rosaleen,
bitter in her old age, writes to each of her children
to invite them home for one last Christmas. The
story carries on from there, as the family reunites
and Enright delivers the reader a look at how the
Madigans spend their Christmas.
Enright’s narrative style is marked by exposition.
The plot moves forward at a slow pace, with the
authorinsteadchoosingtofocusonbackstoryand
setup. The first four chapters are an experiment
in storytelling- the author herself has said that
“each is told in a different tradition of writing.”
Once the main plot begins, the exposition of
the setting is interwoven with the narrative as
it progresses, rather than stalling it as it does
in the opening four chapters. Enright further
experiments with narrative voice; with the style
changing dependent on whom the chapter of the
novel follows. Dan’s chapters read differently to
Emmet’s, Hanna’s to Constance’s and so forth.
Through use of free indirect style, Enright often
allows her characters to tell the reader part of the
story by removing authorial flagging. An example
of free indirect style in the novel is as follows:
“Foolish Alice, with her helpless goodness, her
idiotic lack of guile.” The story is predominantly
told in the third person; and the point of view
really works in the plot’s favour. I do not believe
the first person perspective would have worked
as well.
While the story revolves largely around Rosaleen
and her actions, there is no one character truly
identified as a
protagonist. Each
of the characters is
given equal time,
and it is not the
story of a single
character; rather it
is the story of five.
This allows Enright
to display her
flair for character
creation, as each of
the Madigan clan is unique and different from the
other, while also retaining some familial traits.
Character is one of, if not the most important
thing in fiction, and Enright certainly has an
interesting cast of characters in this novel.
Anne Enright’s The Green Road is one for those
who are fans of so called “literary fiction”. It does
not play to a particular genre, rather it focuses
on dissecting the lives of its characters with each
and every word. It is an examination of multiple
aspects of the human condition. As stories go, it is
unconventional. The Green Road was nominated
for the 2015 Man Booker Prize, and has been the
recipient of high praise. The novel is published
by Jonathan Cape, and it retails at €15. It is 310
pages in length.
The idea for this article came to me off the back of a recent Ó Bhéal open
mic poetry night I attended. Several of my course-mates were reading some
of their work; some of them for the first time. They did a great job.
Many people wonder how beneficial these open mic nights are, and if it is
worth it to go and read some of your work. Anybody who has ever done so
would tell you yes, it is.
One of the greatest benefits of reading your work aloud, is that it is a great
way to see how it reads and sounds. You can find out what parts of your
work flow nicely, and what parts come across as slightly clunky when read
aloud. You will see where it reads smooth, and where you stumble over too
many words, or awkward phrasing or punctuation. It is a lot different to
reading on the screen or on the page, and it will greatly help with further
drafts.
Another wonderful benefit is that reading aloud allows you to gauge the
reaction to the work. At the Ó Bhéal night, there were numerous oohs
and aahs and chuckles as the audience listened to the words of the poets.
Reading aloud to an audience allows you to see what parts of your prose or
poetry work, which parts they get. It also allows you to see which parts do
not quite work and fall flat. Having an audience react well to something you
read aloud is a great feeling.
Pride. There is something to be said for you, as a writer, being proud enough
of something you create to share it with others by reading it aloud to them.
It shows that you truly believe it is worth others hearing. If you allow that
pride to come through in a reading, the audience will feel it and be all the
more appreciative.
A further benefit is that the people who attend these open mic nights are
always people appreciative of craft. They are respectful of everyone who
reads, because they are respectful of the craft of writing. They enjoy hearing
the differing voices of each and every writer who gets up there. Most of
them are writers themselves.
As an audience member, the open mic nights are a wonderful opportunity
for you to go out and experience some fine writing by some of the country’s
up and coming writers. You experience a huge variety of writing, as well as
a huge variety of voices.
Open mic nights are a wonderful experience for writers of any kind,
and also for
anyone who
loves to read.
I would highly
recommend
heading out to
one of Cork’s
many open
mic nights.
There are
n u m e r o u s
different ones,
and they all
feature some
great writing.
10. 10
INTERVIEW
with...John Kovalic
John Kovalic is a world renowned cartoonist who famously does the design for games like Munchkin. He is co-founder and co-owner of
Out of The Box Games, a company that makes party games such as ‘Apples to Apples’, which is a game primarily built around arguing
with your friends. John also writes and illustrates the comic ‘Dork-Tower’ among many others, as well as having his work appearing in
The New York Times and Washington post.
Colm Lundberg is a irish games designer, and has recently released his first game Love 2 Hate. Both of these men are seminal parts of
the modern Irish Gaming scene, and were recently in Cork for Warpcon, and Colm graciously allowed us to sit in on his interview with
John.
(Editors note: The interview published below has been edited for length, but the unedited version will appear on our website,
UCCExpress.ie, at a later date)
Colm: Let’s start by addressing a
very serious question that I think is
on everybody’s minds and we need
an answer to, what is your obsession
with Cork and WARPCON and
why do you keep coming back?
John Kovalic: Because I keep being
asked (Laughs)
Colm: That’s a fair comment, so it’s
our fault is what you’re saying,
JK: It is totally your fault, it’s a
delightful convention I love it, this
is close to my 10th year, a couple of
years off here and there but I pretty
sure I’m in double digits at this
point and this is one of my favourite
places to be on the entire planet,
at Warpcon with all of the gamers
here, at this point in time kind of
everyone feels like a friend
Colm: Ahh that’s very sweet we like
to think of you as one of ours, not
like the British think Saoirse Ronan
is one of theirs, but like an adopted
Irish person. I think I’m correct
in saying you started off kind of
cartooning and I suppose a little bit
about that and then how you made
the jump into gaming. How you got
all from cartooning into gaming.
JK: I’ve been a gamer since I was
15/16, I was into role playing
when I was in school, D&D and
traveller but I’ve always been a
cartoonist, when I was in school
I was doing comic strips for our
school newspaper, then when I got
to college I started doing comics
for the college newspaper and then
for the city newspaper in Madison,
Wisconsin, I was also doing some
feature writing for the paper at the
time. I feel out of gaming a little bit
since college, I didn’t have a regular
gaming group and I was starting to
get back into it and I convinced the
newspaper to send me to GENCON
which was just about two hours
away in Milwaukee at the time to
cover it for the paper, and going
to GENCON every year to cover
it for the paper I met a bunch of
people from the gaming industry
and started doing some cartoons
for a couple of the small but still
important magazines and I just sort
of tripped into it and found myself
in a position where my hobbies have
become my job.
Colm: That’s a pretty good place
to be in, so obviously we can’t talk
about your connection to gaming
and not talk about the big one, I
know you started off doing some
work for Illuminati New World
order with Steve Jackson games,
JK: that was probably my first
professional gaming illustration
work,
Colm: and you did a few cards after
that?
JK: I did twenty cards for the first
release, I’d been doing cartoons
for the Steve Jackson game called
Murphy’s rules which was a
long running feature in Pyramid
magazine which sort of pointed out
some of the odder quirks of some of
the roles and the games that were
out there at the time in a humorous
way and hilarity ensued.
Colm: No no, I think your style and
your cartooning is so well known
as a style now, when you go back to
your (Illuminati New World Order)
cards now, and I’m a huge fan and
always have been and I really hope
they re-release it, and you can look
at the cards now and it’s very hard
to equate what you do now with
what that is, and so linking on to
steve Jackson games, we have to talk
about, good lord, the massive beast
11. 11
INTERVIEW
that is munchkin, how many
cards have you done so far for
Munchkin?
JK: at this point it is well over
5000,
Colm: Wow
JK: and that’s over a 15 year
period and equates roughly to
about a card a day, over that
entire time,
Colm: That’s insane, but you
haven’t had the luxury of
doing a card a day
JK: (Laughs) sometimes the
deadlines are tighter than other days, I think
there are some days when I’ll have to try and get
12-15 cards out (Colm: wow) I don’t like those
days, buts that just the reality of working in the
game business, one of the nice things about my
newspaper background is that you learn to work
quickly and you learn to respect deadlines.
Colm: That’s good, of course it’s not only the
cards that you do but the cover art for the boxes
and the ancillary art,
JK: I love doing the covers because those I will
allow myself proper time for, and though they
tend to be large pieces, they tend to be quite a bit
more detailed than I could possibly hope to put
on a card given the time constraints so they are a
lot of fun to do
Colm: and that’s not counting the millions of
cards you so graciously do for people at games
Conventions when they come up to you at
GAMECON, I’m sure you’re cursing the day
Steve Jackson released blank munchkin cards.
JK: yes I’m actually cursing the worst day I’ve ever
had which is a first world cartoonist problem,
I’m sure there are a thousand cartoonists would
swap their problems with mine. In Germany
at the giant Spiel convention, our publisher
had produced hundreds of blank cards as the
promotional give-away, so I was supposed to do
2 one hour signings a day for this convention,
they had also nobody stopping the line,
Colm: and you’re too nice too
JK: well, I’m very grateful for people who buy
products that I produce, which puts food on my
family’s table, it’s very humbling to have someone
enjoy your work so much that they would like to
have it signed and de-valued
Colm: We should talk about your games
designing background, and the first title that
springs to mind is Apples to Apples, and again
moving from illustrator to games designer, and
how did that emerge from that?
JK: Well Apples to Apples is
just one of those once in a
lifetime phenomenon, I got
the chance to join a company
in Madison Wisconsin called
Out of The Box publishing
because the founder of the
company Mark Osterhaus,
the majority holder in the
company was a gamer and he
had seen my illustrations in
illuminati new world order,
and so I was brought on board
to illustrate one game which
they were releasing which they
had designed called Bosworth,
which was a lovely game, if you
can ever find a copy, it’s a chess
variant, a terrific chess variant,
and the company was hired to produce the chess
variant, it’s a very limited market, but we did not
know this, so we produced this delightful game
it sold reasonably well for a chess variant, and
the first convention we went to was the
Origins convention in Columbus Ohio,
a relatively large gaming convention
in the US and a fellow brought
a game to us called apples
and oranges and we were
not looking for another
game to publish but one of
our publishers arranged
for a meeting with Matt
Kirby, the designer of
Apples and Oranges after
the show floor closed,
and the original game
was this big sprawling
trivial pursuit type game,
with bells and whistles and
there’s this one little part in the
game where you had these cards in your
hand and it’s very close to what Apples to Apples
is now.
Colm: so it was a sub-part of the game?
JK: yes it was the 5th part of the game, and that’s
the point when mark said, wait this is the game,
and we picked it up and moved to another table
and spent hours playing with these little cards
and we were blown away it was absolutely unlike
anything we’d ever seen before in gaming.
Colm: yeah and it kind of set the base for those
word based interaction type games,
JK: exactly, it absolutely changed gaming, and
that’s nice to have something you’re associated
with, and so we out of the box developed the
game, my main contribution coming up with
the flavour text for the cards because early on,
because the others involved wanted to keep all
the cards simple so that everybody knew what
they were playing, what the nouns were, who
the people we were referencing were, I thought
that could have been a very dull game at that
point, and I just suggested that we put in flavour
text, being a Magic the Gathering player, at the
bottom and as it turns out we had a game that
changed gaming, as up to that point most party
games were trivia games, and that’s nothing
against trivia games, I’ve played many a game of
trivial pursuit and enjoyed it, but I think Apples
to Apples actually changed the gaming landscape
for good.
Colm: I think it did and I think it made a good
cross-over into mainstream, the format, the feel
for the game, it started games like Cards against
Humanity which is iniquitous, I don’t think that
would have existed without Apples to Apples. I
don’t know if that’s a good thing or not, it brought
in this new generation of party games, and this
generation of let’s sit in a bar or a café and break
out something fun for 15-20mins, half an hour, I
absolutely think that’s a huge legacy, and as you
say nice to be a part of.
Colm: and on the writing I hope it’s okay to
mention you said you were branching
into another form of writing, you’re
talking about maybe a children’s
book?
JK: yeah I’ve written
one book, looking for
a publisher now, called,
that’s not how mom does
it,(Colm: you heard it
here first he’s looking for
a publisher) and I’ve got a
couple more in the works,
in fact I’ve come up with
another one on the flight
over here, so I quickly sketched
it down on the flight from Madison
to Detroit, before flying to Europe,
Colm: probably the closest thing you get to down
time these days,
JK: it’s nice once I get on the plane no one
can call me, no one can interrupt or no email,
except they have that now. It’s wonderful I get
to do all these different things for a living, , it’s
unbelievable I hope never to take it for granted I
can just sit down at a table, create something and
somebody’s going to pay me for it.
Colm: In a way we feel lucky to have you, as a
hobby, you’re a really nice guy and what you
bring to gaming is unique in a very good way and
the development of the games you’ve brought us
and your accessibility is a gift you’ve brought to
all of us,
JK: Thanks you, very much
(For the full interview go to UCC Express.ie)
12. 12
MUSIC
With the annual Brit Awards taking place on February 24th , Zoe Fitzpatrick takes a look at the prestige of the Brits, a long celebrated awards ceremony which
predicts the risings stars of the popular music scene.
The big event for music in February is, of course, the Brit Awards. This
is a highly anticipated event, and this year’s show is set to be no different
with Adele, Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Coldplay among the acts already
announced to be performing.
Nominations for the Brit Awards
this year have been what was
expected for the most part. The
standard of the Best Female
Solo Artist is impeccably high,
with Adele, Florence Welch
and Amy Winehouse receiving
nominations. Adele is a favourite
for this category, following the
phenomenal success of her album “25”, and is also predicted to clean up
in the 3 other categories in which she was nominated. Meanwhile in the
“best solo male” category nominations go to Mark Ronson, Calvin Harris,
and Jamie XX among others, a more difficult category to predict but with
Mark Ronson being a general favourite to win. Another close category
will be “Best British Group”, with One Direction, Coldplay and Blur all
being among the nominees. Some other notable nominations are Justin
Bieber and The Weeknd for “International Male Solo Artist”, Lana Del Rey
and Ariana Grande for “International Female Solo Artist”, and the high
standard of the International Group nominations with “Eagles of Death
Metal”, “Major Lazer”, and “U2” all receiving nominations.
In the past the Brit awards has been known for the success of winners
following this award. The record for the most Brit Awards won is currently
held by Robbie Williams, with five wins as a member of Take That and
12 as a solo artist. “International Male Solo Artist” was one three times
by rap giant Kanye West in 2006, 2007 and 2008. One of the most
notable winners of the Brit Awards has been The Beatles, who won
Best British Band at the 1977 Inaugural Brit Awards, as well as
“Best Album” for Sargent Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. In
that year they shared an “Outstanding Contribution to Music”
award with L.G. Wood. Also in 1977 Bohemian Rhapsody
had a colossal win for “Best British Single of the last 25
years”, and Queen went on to later win an “Outstanding
Contribution to Music” Award.
A highly anticipated category is always “Best Breakthrough
Act”, with the success enjoyed by past winners. The most
recent winner of this award was Sam Smith in 2015, who
has since received acclaim for his Bond song ‘Writing’s on
the Wall.” Lady Gaga also won this award in 2010, with
her highly successful album “The Fame”. This title
has been awarded to JLS, the Arctic Monkeys,
Duffy, and the Scissor Sisters among many
who have all gone on to have incredibly
successful careers. This year’s nominees
include Indie rock band “Wolf Allce”,
singer James Bay, electronic group
Years & Years, Catfish and Jess Glynne.
Whoever wins this category is sure
to go on to great things, as many
others have. The favourite to win is
James Bay, but competition will
certainly be stiff
from Wolf Alice.
The Brit Awards
has not been
without its
controversy, and
this year is no exception. Just days ago Lily Allen was seen taking to Twitter
to rant about the corruption of the nomination and voting, and lack of
Grime and rap nominees, saying that the problem is in the fact that “the
voting academy consists of 1000 music industry figures” who would not
benefit from independent artists winning awards. Voters at big labels
are known to vote tactically for their own labels’ artists, so as not to put
other labels’ artists at an advantage - regardless of the talent of the artists.
Allen goes on to state that if Skepta or Stormzy won, or even nominated it
would pose a direct threat to big industry officials, as well as questioning
“who’s ego would get massaged?” were these artists to win. Grime artist
Stormzy also voiced his thoughts, saying that “It was such a great year for
grime and underground music... I thought maybe this year it might get
celebrated.” With this year’s awards being dominated by mainstream pop
artists, however, it does not look like this is going to change any time soon.
Nonetheless, it’s definitely going to be an exciting one!
13. 13
MUSICEDITOR - HOLLY COONEY
One Direction Change Route
With the announcement of the biggest band in the world taking a well-deserved hiatus from the world of
boyband megastardom, Holly Cooney takes a look at what the 1D boys are planning for their time off.
Music, golf and fatherhood are among the many things planned for their break so don’t cry just yet as
we’ll be seeing a lot more of these boys in 2015.
Alas, the time has come for Simon Cowell’s money making machine to
hit the breaks as the One Direction boys take a well-deserved break from
screaming girls and yearlong tours. Strangely, unlike Take That’s soul
crushing 1996 break up that was so damaging to their legion of teenage
fans a helpline was set up, One Direction’s split hasn’t resulted in the mass
hysteria imagined by most. The reason is that they’re merely taking a hiatus
from the band to focus on other things. With various rumours that the
break is permanent the band have refuted such claims and Niall Horan has
spoken out saying, “we’re not breaking up, we’re literally taking time out to
see our friends and see our family”.
The break first came about when Zayn Malik announced in March last year
that he was leaving the band in order to focus on being a “normal 22 year
old”. Well, if you consider normal twenty two year olds getting up close and
personal with one of the world’s top models mere months after splitting
from their fiancés normal then Malik is just your average lad. So far, Zayn’s
solo career is making waves, with first single “Pillowtalk” topping the charts
in 60 countries across the world and it seems his departure has had an
effect on the remaining band members. After a crazy five years Zayn finally
admitted One Direction was never for him and the other lads seem to be
following suit.
Since the split, the remaining four members have all gone in very different
directions. Mick Jagger wannabe, Harry Styles has had some interesting
developments over the last week which show that maybe this break is a
bit more serious than the boys would have us believe. Styles has always
spoken about pursuing a solo career and it seems now is the perfect time
for him. To be fair, I reckon he has the talent and attitude needed to make
the transition from boy band megastar to a respected musician in his own
right, though maybe I’m just brainwashed by his tight pants and luscious
locks. Putting One Direction behind him, Styles has signed a solo deal with
CAA, leaving 1D’s Modest Management. Rumours have it that he already
has some solo tracks written, but we’ll just have to wait and see!
StylesandMalikwerealwaysthestandoutvocalistssoitcomesasnosurprise
that they’ve chosen to go down the solo route though I was surprised to
hear the egocentric Liam Payne has decided to swap life on stage for the
more behind the scenes role of producer. An intelligent move nonetheless
as Payne, despite having a decent voice and good song writing abilities is
obviously aware he is the rich tea in this packet of tasty treats, with none of
the likeability or rockstar
swagger of the others.
He does have some solo
aspirations as his twitter account
shows, with plans to work with
Australian producer Will Singe. As
well as this Payne is planning to do some
songwriting with Zayn Malik and Niall
Horan so it seems there’s no bad blood there!
Mullingar boy Horan has some more unusual plans, planning to take some
time to chill out back home on the Emerald Isle. A healthy lifestyle seems to
be on the cards with the singer saying he wants to do some travelling, around
the world and at home, stating he hopes to “rent a cottage somewhere in
Ireland or get a caravan”. A keen golfer, Horan also hopes to be a low single
figure in golf by 2017. As well as his own personal golfing plans, Horan
is rumoured to be setting up a golf agency for talent from Ireland and
the UK with Modest Management. Songwriting is still on the cards with
plans to keep writing for One Direction’s next album, as well as possible
collaborations.
Last but not least band member Louis Tomlinson broke millions of hearts
worldwide when he became a father to baby boy Freddie Reign back in
January. Probably one of the main reasons for the hiatus, Tomlinson seems
to be taking to fatherhood quite well but this isn’t his only plan for the
break. Continuing his relationship with mentor Simon Cowell, Tomlinson
has a small label imprint and is in the process of forming a new girl band so
maybe management is the way forward, following in the steps of another
famous Louis.
Only time will tell how successful these individual ventures will be and
whether or not the boys will get back together, maybe even all five original
members as Malik hasn’t ruled out a reunion with his former bandmates
just yet. In the meantime, thanks for the good times and the songs we
pretend to hate. As boybands go they’ve been one of the best and I for one
am not ashamed to say that I hope to see them back again soon.
END OF
THE ROAD
CHANGE
DIRECTION
14. 14
FILM & TELEVISION
Netflix Original Series
by Zoe Fitzpatrick
In recent years there has been
a notable shift in how we, as
an audience, watch TV. This is
primarily due to the development
of subscription based streaming
services, the most successful of
which is Netflix. Netflix has blown
competitors Amazon Prime and
Hulu out of the water and although
there has been many reasons for
this, something that has made a
huge contribution to their success
is their immensely popular original
content, the infamous “Netflix
Originals”.
Netflix began the development of
their original content with political
drama “House of Cards.” This series
is based on the novel by Michael
Dobbs and the BBC mini-series
which followed. The first season was
released on Netflix in 2013. It rose to
prominence extremely quickly, with
the first season being nominated
for 9 Emmy Awards. Since then it
has won Golden Globes for “Best
Actress: Television Series Drama”,
also a record breaking achievement
as it was the first web series to
win a major acting award. This
was the first show to bypass major
networks, opting instead to release
a whole season at a time meaning
viewers could watch it at the pace
they chose. All of these firsts have
made for an extremely easy and
facilitative viewing experience,
translating into a major success for
Netflix viewership.
Following in the footsteps of
“House of Cards”, Jenji Kohan’s
“Orange is the New Black”, a
comedy series which is
set in a women’s
prison and is
based on a
true story
w r i t t e n
in the
memoirs of Piper Kerman.
It was also launched in 2013
and has since produced
three highly popular
seasons, having been
recently renewed for even
more. “Orange is the New
Black” has also won many
awards; from the recent Screen
Actor’s Guild award that it received
for “Outstanding Performance
by an Ensemble: Comedy Series”,
to Uzo Aduba’s (“Crazy Eyes”)
Primetime Emmy win in 2015, to
Taylor Schilling and Laura Prepon’s
2014 Satellite Award wins for “Best
Actress” and “Best Supporting
Actress” respectively. “Orange is
the New Black” has an extremely
diverse cast which has earned it
praise among critics. Both the
character development and talented
cast have made the characters
extremely likeable, which puts the
focus on who the characters are as
people rather than any other aspect
of their lives, leading to extreme
success in this area.
Some other notable Netflix originals
are “Sense8”, and the Netflix
adaptations of Marvel’s “Jessica
Jones” and “Daredevil”. Sci-fi drama
“Sense8” was launched in 2015 and
hashadacclaimintheUS,France
and Germany. Marvel
shows “Jessica Jones”
and “Daredevil” both
debuted with a positive
reception in 2015,
following different
classical superheroes
in their bid to save
their cities from various
v i l l a i n s .
Netflix have also done a deal with
Marvel to combine a number of
Marvel series, including both
“Jessica Jones” and “Daredevil”
and others yet to launch, in a series
called “Defenders”. This means that
when this show launches it will have
a built in viewership from the other
Netflix Marvel shows - an extremely
clever move in attracting ratings.
Another development in the
success of Netflix has been creating
new seasons of old, popular shows
that either ended or were cancelled.
They have already released new
episodes of “Arrested Development”,
featuring the old cast. They have also
made new seasons of Amy Sherman
Palladino’s “Gilmore Girls” and hit
90s sitcom “Full House” to eagerly
awaiting fans of both shows. “Fuller
House” echoes the original plot
begun in 1987, where widowed
D.J.Tanner struggles to cope with
raising her children alone. Having
the original cast, with the exception
of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen on
board has increased the hype
surrounding the release of
this continuation. The entire
cast of “Gilmore Girls” is
featuring in the new episodes,
a fact which has brought
great excitement with it.
These shows will undoubtedly
be extremely
successful for Netflix, and will
bring an influx of subscribers who
were fans of these shows but aren’t
familiar with Netflix already.
One of the main reasons for the
success of these shows lie with
the company’s use of algorithms.
Netflix collects data based on what
users choose to watch, but this isn’t
just for the purpose of providing
a customised feed to each user.
They also use this data in coming
up with concepts, and writing the
shows themselves. For instance, in
writing “Orange is the New Black”
they used this information to create
a comedy show, featuring many
strong female leads - which is a
very specific idea, however their
ability to launch the show directly
to a suitable audience, based on
their viewing habits, quickly made
it a success. This creation of shows
for a specific audience has given
Netflix an edge on competitors who
lack this use of algorithms. This has
ultimately made Netflix the most
popular streaming service, with
millions of subscribers in over 40
countries tuning in to watch what
they create.
15. 15
FILM & TV
The Failures and Opportunities of RTÉ
by Brian Conmy - UCC Express Editor
There are very few things I would consider myself
to be proud of. I’m pretty good at Tetris but that
very rarely comes up surprisingly. Unlike most
people I place no stock in the idea of being proud
of where you come from, I’m a Limerick boy
and the less said about that the better. Even on
a grander scale I don’t take pride in being Irish
because to me nationality is such a mundane
aspect of someone’s character. Sure how they
interact with the environment they grow up in
is a very formative process but being Irish rarely
means as much as growing up in wealth or
poverty, in a religious or non-religious family or
even in a sporty or non-sporty environment.
One thing I will always be proud of though is
to come from a nation that has produced such
amazing works of art. I’m unsure what unique
aspect of Irishness has led to the amazing stock
of writers, actors, directors, musicians and artists
we claim as our own over the generations but
there seems to be something in the water. To go
back on an earlier comment the one thing about
Limerick I do adore is that it acted as the breeding
ground of the Rubberbandits, amazing artists in
their own right, who have taken so much from
the experiences growing up in Limerick at the
height of the negative media feedback loop that
Limerick developed in my lifetime and theirs.
“...Instead RTÉ consistently
rely on the Republic of Telly
to churn out another set of
unfunny characters to give
another new show to...”
And yet as much as we celebrate these amazing
artists personally our national broadcaster
very rarely seems to do the same. While the
Rubberbandits as an example did get some
airtime on RTÉ over the years they were rarely
given the freedom they deserve to test the
boundaries as they commonly do in their work.
Instead RTÉ consistently rely on the Republic
of Telly to churn out another set of unfunny
characters to give another new show to. For every
Savage Eye we have 3 Damo and Ivers, for every
Love/Hate there are likely ten rejected shows of
equal or greater potential. RTÉ don’t forget, is the
network that passed on Father Ted back in the
day (editors note: not true) . The greatest Irish
TV show of all time wasn’t made by our Irish
national broadcaster (editors note: this bit is
true). As old an example as this is the same lack
of foresight can be seen today in the decisions
RTÉ makes.
Think about this, where did you first see Breaking
Bad? Maybe 50% of you said you pirated it,
49% said Netflix and 1% of you said TG4. RTÉ
somehow didn’t think purchasing the rights to air
Breaking Bad before it had become a mainstream
hit here was a solid decision. More baffling is
why shows like Love/Hate aren’t being shopped
to Netflix for streaming outside of Ireland,
realistically given the show’s origin and themes
there’s every chance it could be a hit in other
territories and ultimately bring much needed
attention to Ireland as a content creator. Worse
still, at least in my eyes, is how risk averse RTÉ
seem to be. Why aren’t graduates of filmmaking
and other creative courses of third level
education immediately scouted to pitch shows
or even enter into some kind of programme that
produces a number of test shows, a number of
which can be aired to decide if the show could
find an audience?
“...I remain hopeful that one
day should young blood and
fresh ideas make their way
into RTÉ that this dream could
become a reality...”
Perhaps I’m somewhat biased in having once
met and talked with someone who works
with talent development in RTÉ, over a few
drinks I got some insight into some goings
on in RTÉ on one level or another. When I
was given a card by this person my brain
almost exploded with potential future
scenarios of pitching content and
seeing what could happen. Obviously nothing
ever came from this encounter sadly, yet still I
remain hopeful that one day should young blood
and fresh ideas make their way into RTÉ that this
dream could become a reality.
Our youth in this country are undervalued
severely. So undervalued that most of us will
find a better life outside of this island in foreign
lands, as is the Irish way it seems. I honestly
believe that among us are amazing talents, with
ideas and abilities going completely untapped for
lack of opportunity. While Youtube and other
outlets have meant that finding a niche and
building opportunities for yourself are easier
than ever this will never take the place of the
high level opportunities an organisation like
RTÉ could offer. I hold out no real hope that
this will happen, sadly, so instead I’ll continue to
grumble about the waste of taxpayer money RTÉ
are to me as they continue to slip entirely from
relevance as they ignore the encroaching death
of live television and their inability to adapt to
the times.
EDITOR - OLIVIA BROWN
