While I can appreciate articles that are critical of this hobby (it helps re-enforce that I'm not the only one seeing some of these things) this article reads as though you found one decent talking point and then stretched it into an entire article.

The main point of contention I have with the article is the way it comes off as you don't quite "get" fandom. The main site you use is Joedios, however the vast majority of people on this website don't make Dio Stories, which you constantly refer to solely as "dios" this and the paragraph dealing with Joe fans and the Marvel comic. There's been a comic vs. cartoon debate for 13 years. The things I listed plus other people acknowledging that all sorts of other hobbies have there own version of the thing sort of makes the article hard to take credibly.


Please don't mistake me as some butthurt G.I. Joe fan, I haven't read a Dio Story since 2006 and I haven't enjoyed one since Zartan's Domain's GI J was still online. I'm more of a butthurt fan of critical G.I. Joe articles



Also would you mind explaining this“This is the most punk-rock thing I’ve ever done.”? In my experience that's something said by people without a lot of punk rock exposure

Insomuch that photographing toys in public is counter-culture, I'll agree. I'm very self-aware if I'm highly visible when I shoot outside. But it's not a bloody-knuckle, shoot-up-heroin kind of hobby. For me, anyway.

I'm surprised to hear that Star Wars fans don't dio. Too much criticism?

So how does toy diorama making compare with more traditional subjects? Nobody would call a Civil War diorama "geeky" or a tribute to Iwo Jima fanboy-driven. I think there's something else there. An artistic desire to create? I mean, photographing fruit bowls and landscapes isn't nearly as fun. Or frustrating.

They do. As I stated earlier, the pure total is probably the same but because of the overall size of the fan base, finding them is much harder because they can be drowned out. I also said more SW fans build dios than Joe fans as well, its just for display in recreating scenes.

ToneGuns and I discussed the SW Dio thing and all we could come up with is that George Lucas shuts down sites that do SW dios. The few that we have have had either legal disclaimers or approval by Lucas's company. I'm sure there ARE SW dio people, it's just we don't see them cuz the lawyers go after them or something.

So I'm just imagining niennunbsuniverse.com (which many people have upload Frank's files here), yakface.com, customalliance.com, etc as hosting and having dio stories/photo novels?

Need to do your research plenty of threads in the links below (besides mine that is LOL):

http://www.yakfaceforums.com/phpBB3...b98e3768863ef36

http://threads.rebelscum.com/postli...t=&Board=Fanart

http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SM....php?board=88.0

And just for point of fact Lucas has always been very supportive of fan related endevors. He even gives awards each year to the best fan films (None of which have any sort of approval or endorcement prior to winning, really even after beside the award). In an interveiw last year (I think) he said that it keeps the property alive and going.

Diorama, Dio-stories, even the "one-shot" are fingers on the same hand. Each has the ability and the beauty of telling a story, be it comical or dramatic.

I think a touch more research was needed, and surely a better cross-section of those that are and have been dio story artisans to show the diversity. Zed is a family man who once was a business owner. General Hawk Justin is an IT professional in a family of such. Some of the dios that I have done for others include military personnel, entertainment business owners, students of all academia, and even a few business housewives.

In the reply I sent to the article shown, the diorama with figures and sets is as old as Egypt. I have seen diorama that were not "war table" pieces at the Met in NYC, as well as a few that were created by the Norse themselves depicting certain memorable voyages and incidents. Like our ancient fellow creative people, we tell stories as well.

The medium of this craft is no different than that of the production miniature and set designer of a large budget movie. When I was looking at sets that inspired me, I was surprised (and a touch envious) that the sets/miniature domiciles made for the Lord of the Ring movies were made from the exact same materials I have used to flesh out many peoples ideas. As I noted in my reply to the article (if approved), an account of that size for creating something we all enjoy is 'life-changing' money.

Pity that those that have shattered the ceiling with their works, such as Jedsoon's Large Army which won accolades were not mentioned. Though it was animated, one cannot negate that it was still created with Joes and sets.

Thanks for the feedback, folks.

I hadn't read the piece since I submitted it several weeks ago, and I'm pretty unhappy with it now that I look back on it.

It's one of those cases where you think it'll be easier to write about something you enjoy, but for whatever reason it is more difficult.

I'm still really disappointed that they didn't use any images (not least 'cause it took me FOREVER to compile a collection of them with our slow internet), but most of the flaws are my fault.

Actually, TG and I were looking for SW Dio-specific sites like what most JOe guys use for their dio stories. THis is as opposed to guys hosting images and then putting them into a forum. Therefore, while the 3 sites that have been listed don't count in our eyes because they aren't fotograph-specific. But thanks for listing those.

The only site we ARE aware of is this one :

http://www.shadowsfanfilm.com.br/cenariesusa.html

And notice the copyright notice at the bottom.

The copywrite thing is a CYA move, I have seen Joe and transformer sites do the same and as far as I know they are not required either.

On the picutre specific site, well part of that is the nature in which the SW bring the medium, usually in the threads themselves and copy and paste to other forums. Why is SW fandom this way, well from what I have gathered (by actually speaking to them) most haven't got HTML knowledge and apparently the ones who started were even worse. The [aste from photobucket method seems to be the norm, odd to me granted but no less or more than making your own pages on a website. Point is the way they developed is vastly different than Joe dios.

Photocomics, by the same token, developed differently as well. Most have the daily or multi daily format of thier drawn cousins. It makes one or the other no less viable, useable, or even valid. But the nature of how these things developed in different communities plays heavily into how they are presented, presearved and who exactly hosts them and where.