Year: 2016

What would a demon-themed month be without looking at the fiercest demon villains? InuYasha’s villains break the mold when it comes to usual anime villains. They’re a serious challenge to the cocky, headstrong, immature hero InuYasha (means Dog Demon). Their role is to make him grow up into the half-demon his father would’ve wanted. Like all villains, they’re among the most interesting characters of the series! Ready to pay them a visit and see what they have to teach us?

It’s 2 days after Father’s Day, but that’s close enough to unleash the demons in the time-honored tradition of harping on dads! A theme among many villains and antagonist is “daddy issues.” Demons springing from the actions or inaction of a father drive the antagonist to A.) become the villain they are today or B.) become a worse villain.

That said, there are actually villains and antagonists who are very good fathers. We’ll look at both types of villains here.

We continue this month’s theme, Demons, with a look at the main types of demons as they relate to people’s pasts. There are two general focuses: internal and external.

Internally focused demons are probably more familiar than you like. They usually start with you saying, “If only I had [fill in word/deed here that supposedly would’ve saved the day].” This is Guilt, which grows into Self Loathing. It often turns into Depression.

The second type, external, starts with you saying, “If they had/hadn’t [fill in act that was necessary/unnecessary and that would’ve prevented the disaster that exploded later].” This is Blame, which grows into Hate. This often turns into Vengeance.

Happy June! It’s the beginning or summer, or as we call it in Slaughter Swamp, Hellscape Season. In honor of this blistering time of year, we have a suitably fiery theme: Demons. To quote Vicious, my favorite villain from Cowboy Bebop, “When angels are forced out of heaven, they become devils.”

Duality of natures, outcomes of choices, and the causes of strife are some of the issues we’ll look at this month. It might be influenced a bit by the two big name superhero movies dealing with civil wars and versus match ups… Hello, DC and Marvel!

Disney is known for its beautiful artwork and fluid character designs. There are few cinematic experiences as impressive to the eyes as a Disney production. The Disney villains are no exception. Black, red, purple, green, blue – it’s like a rainbow of evil! I thought it would be interesting to take a peek at other artists’ renderings of these iconic villains. These artists appreciate villains as much as we do, and that in itself is a beautiful thing.

Consider this Disney Villain Art Appreciation.

The spotlight’s normally on the Big, Bad Villain, and rightly so. They’re the one the hero fights and fears. They’re the brains behind the operation. But who executes those evil schemes? Few villains do their own dirty work. That’s right, the work falls to the henchmen. The cronies’ competence can range from insta-fail to impressive, though usually they’re a mix of incompetence and comedic relief. The majority of the time, it’s thanks to their mistakes that the hero stands a chance. Only after facing down the assorted henchmen is the protagonist ready for the Boss Battle.
It’s about time the henchman received a bit of appreciation.

While villains have a lot of positive aspects, they also have a lot of flaws. Keeping with our theme of Disney villains this month, we’re going to look at the worst flaws of all, the Seven Deadly Sins. Guess who’s helping us? That’s right, seven guests you’ll recognize.

A villain just isn’t a villain without an Evil Plot. While plot aims differ – from taking over the world to making the hero’s life a nightmare – every good scheme follows the same process.
A favorite Disney villain of mine and of many people is that Mistress of Fashion, that Devil in Furs, Cruella De Vil from Disney’s 101 Dalmatians (1961)*! She’s got evil henchmen. She’s got an evil lair (Hell Hall). And she’s got an evil plot: In the pursuit of high fashion, she wants to create the ultimate fur coat.

Her plan is very detailed and has many components. In 101 Dalmatians, there isn’t any advanced technology or magic to use, so she has to pull off her plan through normal channels. These factors are why she’s a great model for project planning. (Fun fact: there’s actually a profession called Project Manager. Worth looking into if you enjoy organizing, leading, and planning.)

It’s May all month! If Florida that means you have about 3 weeks to get to Disney World before the hordes of screaming children, ankle-slamming strollers, and lobster-red tourists sweep down upon the Park. The weather doesn’t get any cooler from here out either. In honor of this sacred time, we’ll be looking at a sample of Disney’s iconic villains.
What you can expect:

More variety; more evil; and most importantly, more pictures!

What is it about Joker that makes him so fascinating? If we met him in real life, we’d be terrified. If you’re a normal Gothamite, you’re probably not in much danger, other than when he conducts his mass-casualty attacks or threatens the city in general. If you attract his individual attention, though, you can’t be sure what you’re in for. He might kill you, he might not. When he takes a hostage, it’s either to teach the person a lesson/kill them, such as when he kidnapped Mayor Hill after the politician offended Joker, or to lure Batman into another “game.” This unpredictability makes him a villain you don’t want to cross.