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10 Recommended Comics | Akira

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Welcome back to my top 10 recommended comics where I talk about my favourite comics and why you should read them. If this is your first time reading please look at my previous entries, there are links provided below.

Akira_Volume_1_Cover_Japanese_Version_(Manga)

Anime and Manga have a bad stigma attached to them. There are many misconceptions about it that are partly brought on by the ignorance of its critics, who seem to think that it consists of nothing but animated rape porn which actually is no bigger a thing in Japan than it is in the West, or by the ignorance of its fans who seem to think that anime is different from cartoons or that manga is different from comics. Needless to say, that is not the case.

This probably stems from a sense of ethnocentricity that is common in every country from the United States to Japan itself; people will always try to judge things based off of their own cultural standards regardless of how far removed two cultures are. As for otaku’s claiming that manga being made in Japan separates it from a comic book… well they’re just plain wrong.

Akira is widely regarded as both the greatest Japanese animated film of all time and animated film in general. It’s also been heralded as one of the greatest science fiction films of all time and had a massive influence on the cyber punk genre, along with films like Blade Runner, both of which were inspired by “The Long Tomorrow” a short comic from Métal Hurlant.

Those are some pretty impressive credentials… so what about the manga?

Well if you cut and paste my previous paragraph but replace every instance of the word film with “comic book” then you’re on the right track. Akira is a masterpiece. Telling a long, epic, but intimate story with a lot of commentary on Japanese culture, it is truly one of the greatest comic books ever written. However if there’s one thing I can praise Akira for more than any other comic book on this list, it’s the fact that it’s one of the few comics that’s art work is equally as amazing as the story.

It’s often the case with comic books that the art work is not necessarily as strong as the writing (although the reverse is also true) but rather the art style will suit the tone of the comic. For example Frank Miller’s comic books often come with his boxy style that, while not necessarily the most photorealistic or details, brings you into the gritty worlds that he creates.

With Akira, on the other hands, the art work is just truly amazing on all fronts. Pre-dating a lot of the stereotypical anime art styles that we’re confronted with today, the characters look a lot more like real people (something that was far more commonplace in earlier Japanese manga and anime than it is today) and its environments, both urban and natural, are drawn in such pristine detail that it’s hard to believe that Katsuhiro Otomo both wrote and illustrated the comics himself; it’s very rare for an artist to be so supremely skilled in both story telling and pure illustrative ability. More recently it has been re-released in colour but truthfully I think that the colour prints only succeed in making the beautiful line work less noticeable. Either way Akira is a must for science fiction lovers and comic book lovers. Even if you’re put off by the idea of Manga through common misconceptions, look out for this one.

 

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Artificial Intelligence

Gaming models are created by Auctoria using generative AI

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Aleksander Caban, co-founder of Polish VR game developer Carbon Studio, noticed a major problem in modern game design several years ago. He manually created rocks, hills, paths, and other video game environment elements, which was time-consuming and laborious.

Caban created tech to automate the process.

In collaboration with Michal Bugała, Joanna Zając, Karolina Koszuta, and Błażej Szaflik, he founded Auctoria, an AI-powered platform for creating 3D game assets. Auctoria, from Gliwice, Poland, is in Startup Battlefield 200 at Disrupt 2023.

Auctoria was founded on a passion for limitless creativity, according to Zając in an email interview. It was designed to help game developers, but anyone can use it. Few advanced tools exist for professionals; most are for hobbyists and amateurs. We want to change that.”

Using generative AI, Auctoria creates various video game models. One feature generates basic 3D game levels with pathways, while another converts uploaded images and textures of walls, floors, and columns into 3D versions.

Like DALL-E 2 and Midjourney, Auctoria can generate assets from text prompts. Or they can submit a sketch, which the platform will try to turn into a digital model.

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All AI algorithms and training data for Auctoria were developed in-house, according to Zając.

She said “Auctoria is based 100% on our content, so we’re not dependent on any other provider.” It’s independent—Auctoria doesn’t use open source or external engines.

In the emerging market for AI game asset generation tools, Auctoria isn’t alone. The 3DFY, Scenario, Kaedim, Mirage, and Hypothetic startups create 3D models. Even Nvidia and Autodesk are entering the space with apps like Get3D, which converts images to 3D models, and ClipForge, which generates models from text descriptions.

Meta also tried tech to create 3D assets from prompts. In December, OpenAI released Point-E, an AI that synthesizes 3D models for 3D printing, game design, and animation.

Given the size of the opportunity, the race to market new solutions isn’t surprising. According to Proficient Market Insights, 3D models could be worth $3.57 billion by 2028.

According to Zając, Auctoria’s two-year R&D cycle has led to a more robust and comprehensive toolset than rivals.

“Currently, AI-based software is lacking for creating complete 3D world models,” Zając stated. “3D editors and plugins offer only a fraction of Auctoria’s capabilities. Our team started developing the tool two years ago, giving us a ready-to-use product.”

Auctoria, like all generative AI startups, must deal with AI-generated media legal issues. Not yet clear how AI-generated works can be copyrighted in the U.S.

However, the Auctoria team of seven employees and five co-founders is delaying answering those questions. Instead, they’re piloting the tooling with game development studios like Caban’s Carbon Studio.

Before releasing Auctoria in the coming months, the company hopes to raise $5 million to “speed up the process” of creating back-end cloud services to scale the platform.

Zając stated that the funding would reduce the computing time required for creating worlds or 3D models with Auctoria. Achieving a software-as-a-service model requires both infrastructure and user experience enhancements, such as a simple UI, excellent customer service, and effective marketing. We’ll keep our core team small, but we’ll hire more by year’s end.”

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Syphon Filter on PlayStation Plus Premium: Dark Mirror and Ape Academy 2 Have Awards

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Even though trophy support for older games on PS Plus Premium isn’t always great, you can always count on Sony’s first-party games to have it.If you like collecting these digital trinkets, you’re in luck, because today’s big PlayStation Plus update includes two classic games that can now be used to earn Trophies.

Each trophy list for Ape Academy 2 and Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror includes the platinum cherry on top. You can look at their respective listings here and here if you’re interested.

The list for Dark Mirror appears to be quite simple—you can basically earn them all by finishing the game. The trophies in Ape Academy 2 appear to be a little more complicated, requiring you to complete particular objectives in card battles and advance to specified rankings. Nonetheless, it doesn’t seem too difficult, so we’re looking at a couple of quite simple platinums.

Ridge Racer: Type 4 is this month’s other premium classic game; sadly, it does not offer trophies. But it makes up for it by being a complete banger.

However, will you be obtaining some of these trophies with a nostalgic flavor?

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Comics

Beautiful New Book Teaches About the Art of Horizon Forbidden West

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This year, Sony produced some truly outstanding work, releasing four high-profile games on the PS5 and PS4 (not to mention the numerous PC ports). The earliest of these, Horizon Forbidden West, arrived in February of 2022 and got the year off to a strong start. One of Aloy’s sophomore journey’s greatest strengths, among the many other things we like about it, is its excellent art direction. The Art of Horizon Forbidden West allows you to now delve deeply into the game’s visuals.

This coffee table book, which was published by Dark Horse Books, contains 200 pages of concept art and developer commentary. It provides an inside look at the process used to develop engaging characters and settings, and Forbidden West is certainly not lacking in either.

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There will be two editions of the book: standard and deluxe. Both are hardback books, with the deluxe edition having pages with metallic edges and a unique slipcase. These are now up for pre-order and will go on sale on April 25, 2023.

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