Welcome once again to Blog Spot, where I take a pause from endlessly plugging my own activities to praise the work of others. This month, however, it's a much more sombre occasion, since I'm paying tribute to a reviewer we sadly lost earlier this year. I refer to Justin Carmical, a.k.a. JewWario, who committed suicide last month aged 42.
I'll freely admit to being only a casual fan of JewWario's main body of work. Being a non-gamer, I wasn't an avid fan of his web series You Can Play This!, nor did I watch many of his videos about different sorts of chocolates from around the globe. My main experience of JewWario came through his appearances in crossovers with other Channel Awesome reviewers, including his appearances on What The F*** Is Wrong With You? and his work on TGWTG's anniversary films, Kickassia, Suburban Knights and To Boldly Flee.
While I didn't have any personal affinity with JewWario's subject matter, I always had time for him as a contributor to other projects. He always came across as a caring, intelligent and gentle soul, with a warm sense of humour and a deep affection for his fans. He went completely against the stereotype of the angry internet reviewer, always inviting his audience to see things from a more positive perspective and trying to bring joy to people's lives in the process. His appearances on the projects I listed are a testament to that, as are the numerous interviews he gave at conventions in recent months.
Seeing as how I didn't have any personal contact with Justin, it's neither helpful nor respectful for me to speculate about what brought him to this point. Nor will I use this to berate people who regard suicide as an act of selfishness or cowardice: now is not the time or the place for that kind of discussion. Suffice to say my thoughts and prayers continue to be with his family and friends as they come to terms with this great loss. He will be sorely missed, and I hope you will take this month to pay tribute in your own way.
You can watch all of JewWario's video on Blip or via YouCanPlayThis.com. You can also order the TGWTG anniversary films (listed above) here. For his contributions to Radio Dead Air, check out the episodes 'A Whiter Bajingo' (with JesuOtaku) or 'Midvale School for the Gifted'. Join me next month for another Blog Spot, but in the meantime, RIP.
Daniel
Daniel
Comments
Post a Comment