"What is Bow-Tie Camel?"
Bow-Tie Camel is a blog where I (and some friends I'll invite along the way) will be sharing reviews/commentaries on what we're currently into as far as books, comics, movies, music, games, and whatever other media or performances we come across. Our focus isn't necessarily going to be in reviewing any one form of media or a specific genre (though you will notice personal leanings from the reviewers' posts), nor will it be to review the latest releases.
"Why do a review blog that way?"
Two reasons:
1) We don't want to get burned out doing something that should be fun and natural for us as a bunch of opinionated nerds.
2) We're hoping that this will allow you, the reader, to come across items that you find interesting and are discovering for the first time or media you've wanted to learn more about before tossing down your hard-earned cash. Additionally, we're hoping the mix will give you opportunities to share in the discussion as well.
Essentially, VARIETY = HAPPY ALL AROUND!
"What's the spin on Bow-Tie Camel?"
As far as material being reviewed, I can only speak for myself as all other reviewers will have their own focus.
Personally, for comics I tend to lean towards Marvel stories (Fantastic Four and Thor being some favorites) as well as trippy indie reads. For books, while I read the occasional novel, I'm more of a theology/philosophy/science/history man. For movies, more towards older, esoteric, indie, and trippy - the heavy instead of the light - though I do like my superhero and action flicks. For music, I'm pretty diverse when it comes to style but meaningful lyrics are what move me - folk is a favorite. For games, story and gameplay will beat out popularity and flashy graphics for me every time - you'll notice I may lean toward pen-and-paper RPGs, board/card games, and other party games as well - and I have a thing for survival horror.
As far as how the material is reviewed, again, I can only speak for myself.
I want my reviews to focus more on the concepts involved, although I will inevitably discuss technical aspects as well as simple likes and dislikes. My goal is to avoid throwing out the baby with the bathwater when it comes to items I don't enjoy and I want to provide some topics to think about for the pieces reviewed. A major factor here then is: what can I (and you) get out of this?
As far as content delivery . . .
I'm starting with basic blog posts but I'm toying with the idea of video segments as well, especially when it comes to games. Additionally, I can see myself developing discussion questions for group studies or viewings - I've worked as both a teacher and a youth minister so this comes naturally to me.
"Wait a second, a youth minister? Does that mean you're going to write reviews about bad language or sexual stuff? And didn't you review . . . ?"
Actually, as a youth minister, that's kind of the review style I'm trying to avoid as I understand that focus on the surface appearance doesn't cut it. I've seen too many cases where one movie is shot down for having "too many" words from some list even though it has a depth of plot and central message that should make it noteworthy while another film with terrible acting, a shallow script, and several other pit-falls gets praised because "that one church made it" or somebody who is an outspoken Christian is in it or simply because it's "clean" (I'm looking at you, Facing the Giants). Yes, I will point out if certain aspects are so overused or awkwardly used that they just become stupid (because my favorite line from I, Robot is, "Stop cussing, 'cause you're not good at it"). And, yes, I will drop the hints that if __________ bothers you, you might want to pass on this one. Finally, yes, my faith will provide a unique perspective on the wide-variety of things I come across and will also lead to a few of my selections - but if you're not interested in my thoughts on a commentary on the letter to the Hebrews, stick around and read my thoughts about a zombie viking comic book or an indie survival-horror game.
Also, it's interesting to note that my inspiration for doing this has come from the boys I work with asking me questions about comic and movie recommendations and one who wanted me to start doing "Let's Play"/video game commentaries.
"So why Bow-Tie Camel?"
I'm a big media consumer - better yet, I'm a big information consumer - and I like to play around with various topics in my head. A while back, I realized that I wasn't doing anybody any good by keeping it to myself. Yes, I naturally talk to people about what I'm reading, watching, or playing and I do use the concepts and stories I come across when teaching, but I understand that there is a need for being more productive with my hobbies. Also, as I mentioned above, in some ways this is also for my kids.
"No, I mean, what's up with the site name and the camel wearing a bow-tie?"
Oh, that's just Carter, the quite dapper camel.* Our site mascot and namesake who lives on my dining/work table adding color to my drab apartment. He stands, or sits as the case may be, as a symbol of the sophisticated oddity that makes up this blog.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the content that's soon to be rolling out on Bow-Tie Camel!
This has been Captain Stormfield (and Carter), anchors aweigh!
* - "Carter, the quite dapper camel" and "Carter Camel", as well as "Bow-Tie Camel" and all related images © Shannon Nichols 2013.
