I apologize in advance
...but after the first one, which is just silly, the rest kinda spilled out of me.
Don't judge.
I really should stop being surprised at how many images there are for a "Supergirl Upskirt" search.
(Hi, Googlers!)
I really should stop being surprised at how many images there are for a "Supergirl Upskirt" search.
(Hi, Googlers!)
Random Crap
A few thoughts off the top of my head...
- Since when can Bulleteer fly? This is the third time I've seen her zooming into battle. Are artists just drawing her that way because of the way she looks and, well, she's the Bulleteer? Or did I miss something.
- World War III represents the first time I've been suckered into purchasing a "big two comic event" in a long time. Several times while reading it I actually said out loud to myself, "You Moron!" Man, what dreck.
- After next week, I'm pretty sure my attitude towards 52 will be along the lines of thinking it was a decent story, with faults and sloppy patches, but some neat ideas and fun moments. For a first-time experiment, pretty well done, taking it all into account. Knowing that Dini's learned from this and has already got a well-crafted 100+ page master plan ready to go, means I'll be buying Countdown, too. I'm trusting that most of the kinks will be ironed out. And I trust Dini in general.
- Speaking of 52, Ellen Baker was smokin' hot! I'm not used to thinking of her that way. I may have to reassess her MILF factor.
- But did they have to go and kill off The (one true) Question? So far, that's what hit me the hardest. I've always loved that character.
- Apparently, the toy tie-ins already on the shelves for Spider-Man 3 contain major spoilers for the movie. Keep that in mind if you find yourself in the toy aisle of your local Wal-Mart or Target.
- Speaking of, I was able to get a cartoon compilation DVD in the cheapie bin at Wal-Mart for $6. It has 60 classic 30s and 40s Fleischer and Harvey cartoons, including the first six Superman cartoons, which is why I bought it. Also included are: old-school Popeye (including the Sinbad mini-movie), Betty Boop, Felix the Cat, Mutt and Jeff, Baby Huey, Little Audrey, Casper, and the Hep Cat Symphony. For $6. Go buy it. And while you're there, the 1960s Batman movie is right next to it in the same bin. But, if you don't already own that, I don't know what to say...
- I've been re-playing the Marvel Ultimate Alliance game using my "didn't come out of Civil War looking like total dicks" team of Captain America, Wolverine, Spider-Man, and The Thing. Note that Spider-Man is also on my "did stupid, uncharacteristic things to further the plot in Civil War" team along with Reed Richards, Thor (I love yelling "Clor! To Battle!"), and of course, Iron Man. It's curious to note that the game does not include Hulk. Makes ya think, don't it?
- Finally, I'll leave you with reason #342 why World War III was a crappy comic:
Green Arrow missed a hovering Black Adam from about 100 feet away. Twice. Green. Freckin'. Arrow.
*sigh*
Most Wanted
Possibly the worst week ever for Most Wanted since I've been doing this - there wasn't a single book that I would call a "must read." Nothing really jumped out at me with anticipation. Oh, there are several solid books here, but nothing that gave me that "Yes!" feeling as my box was pulled at the LCS. Still, if I had to pick which of this week's lot I'm most looking forward to (and I do, or else this would be a very short entry), I think I'll go with:
Daredevil #96
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artists: Michael Lark & Stefano Gaudiano
I've been getting Daredevil since about mid-way through Bendis' run because, frankly, it's a great comic. Always brings the turmoil, the gritty, and the individual character focus that I like in my Daredevil. By getting away from the supervillians (and lets be fair here... Daredevil has one of the worst rogues galleries in all of comics) and focusing on DD as a Batman-esque agent of the night cleaning up the streets of his horribly crime ridden city, Bendis made him a character you rooted for. You liked him, and wanted him to finally succeed.
Then, Bendis destroyed him. Well, basically. It was very well done and really crushed you, the reader. Personally, I think this type of thing works especially well with Daredevil - remember Karen Page? Elektra? Daredevil is doomed to tragedy. Brubaker understands this, too.
As this issue starts, DD is in between tragedies. He recently escaped prison, cleared his name, was reunited with Foggy (whom he thought dead), reconciled with his new wife, forced the Kingpin to leave the country, and is just getting back to Hell's Kitchen to resume whatever kind of normalcy a blind devil-suited crime fighter can have in a city called Hell's Kitchen.
DD's Former enemy but newly reformed Melvin "The Gladiator" Potter has (apparently) killed several guards while serving out his time at Ryker's. Matt Murdock's firm has decided to represent him and Daredevil is busy trying to figure out what really happened on the streets of Hell's Kitchen. The issue goes from talking head lawyer scenes to DD kicking butt, back to the lawyers, back to the butt-kicking. I counted no less than 6 panels where someone's face is getting kicked, which should please a certain blogger to no end.
As you'd expect, it turns out that there's more to Melvin's dilemma than what lies on the surface, and this issue sets up what will probably be a big reveal for the next one. It's all good.
Typical Brubaker Daredevil issue, which is not a bad thing at all. I'm really enjoying his run on this series - it's easily comparable to Bendis'. In fact, it may be better, but it's too soon to tell. There's certainly less of the talking heads and more of the face-kicking.
Most Wanted Panel:
Thought I'd beat him to it.
Greatest Team-Ups Ever
Tell me this idea wouldn't rock. In some strange universal DC cross-over event thingee. Somewhere where wacky fun and hard-core violence collide...
Click to biggify. Really, this time. Honest.
I'm going to let this one lie right there. But no one alive can deny that a Jonah Hex / Ambush Bug team up would be Nine Shades of Awesome.
Seriously.
EDIT: I just noticed that clicking the image doesn't make it all that much bigger. I'm a dummy. I can't fix it while I'm at work, but if you open it with Windows picture viewer, the zoom works pretty well. I'll fix it later tonight.
EDIT x2: Seems I didn't have Photobucket's uploading options set to allow big pics. Fixed it. Now with big clicky image goodness!
EDIT x3: Sorry, but adding the antennas was just too funny to pass up. I should've thought of it earlier. But I'm slow like that. Takes me an hour to cook Minute Rice, y'know...
Heroes Hang-Up
Late post .. but I had a busy weekend (the doggies were featured in a little league baseball game! When, ... umm... they got loose and ran around the excited kids on the field during the early 7th inning before we could catch them. In hindsight, that was *extremely* funny) and tonight's Heroes re-start kept me occupied.
I take no phone calls during Heroes. I do nothing productive during Heroes. It's that good. Expect late Monday posts 'till the season is over.
Anyway, I promise not to reveal anything about the awesomeness that was this episode tonight, but I thought I'd share a bit about how clever this show is for those who actively follow it, to geek-level detail. And how this may be a big example in how "multi-media" is going to entertain us in the future.
A few years back, I remember a murder-mystery video game that promised a "real-world" experience in that it would text message you, email you, and all-together bug you to finish the game's mystery when not even on line... fill you with clues and hints, villian threats and calls for help during your real life. Fake companies working as covers faxing you their virtual shops' wares, characters IM'ing you... the whole lot. I thought that was a neat idea, but never tried it. Much like that Pirate joke, it probably would've driven me nuts.
Heroes does a bit of the same thing. Huge footprint, this show has ... and it knows its audience.
Example:
Being the curious geek that I am, wondered if the cover business on the show, Primatech Paper, was actually set up as a real on-line fan-lovin' cooperation. Click, and find out.
What the hell, I went to the "Applications" section and filled out an app. With my real email.
I got a message a few weeks later about how "We're sorry, all positions are filled, but we'll keep you in mind if ever any 'special' people are needed."
A few weeks after that, I got an email from Hanna. Hanna is the Cypher on the show who can talk to computers and read cyber-traffic through the air and has been slowly unraveling the thing from behind the scenes. The brief message was "you seem like you want answers. Contact me."
That was cool. Clicking on it, she let me in on a lot of things she was doing while not on camera to further her agenda. I sporadically get emails from her directing me to other sites that reveal a bit more of the mystery each time. She's like my little cyber conspiracy buddy. I'm waiting for an IM. This show has a huge footprint. It's awesome that way.
(Plus, she's hot. Hanna? Call me, K?!)
This is the way TV - well, entertainment - is going, I think. As the TV / Computer /Cell Phone barrier starts to disintegrate, you're going to see a lot more of this "active" participation entertainment. It's fun to watch it develop in its infancy. It's all going to be mushed together very soon - and all at hand-held convienience. Pretty soon, you'll be living this stuff, daily. Entertainment will soon include you directly in its broadcasts. Good or bad? Dunno. Close call.
And, I'm convinced that in some way, comics will follow - or merge. Digital print is the way to go, and the loss of physical paper comics is all but certain ... perhaps a new direction will strengthen the medium. But, it will take pioneers to make it work. New ones.
But no less of pioneers than the originals were.
And, hell.. Part of me would love to take an active part in Metropolis. Or Keystone. Or The City. Or Oracle's network. Or... pick your pleasure....
Meme: Supes
While re-reading some old Superman's, I came across this panel:
And thought, "Hey, Soup! That would make a pretty good meme to muck around with!"
So... I went a little nuts.
This was obvious
A little more subtle. Old school!
Multi-layered joke! I'm the funny!
My dog was wearing a sweater while I was looking for ideas. Seeing her made me do a doggie Google search. She may regret that. Cute costume.
OK, I'm done.
This was done strictly for my own amusement, but if you want to play at home (both of you), here's the blank:
Enjoy!
Kirby vs. The Mob
Now this is interesting! And something I've never seen before... Kirby doing mob stories? In digest size? With "Period Humor" by Aragonès? Free "Authenic" Dillinger poster?
I've would've loved this as a kid.
I mean if, of course The Mob even exists. And if it does that this book treated them kindly. Because I wouldn't want to speak ill of The Mob. If they existed. Which they don't.
Most Wanted
Not a very good week for top tier anticipation, I'm sorry to say. There was only one book that leapt out at me as I headed home from the LCS. As I do every week, I pick that most looked-forward to book and read it first thing so I can write a post about it. And since I'm not really looking forward to the World War books all that much, and the Ultimates are what they are, this week's choice really was made for me.
The Spirit #5
Artist / Writer: Darwyn Cooke
The Spirit is an enterprise that I completely missed out on growing up. It was only after I expanded my comic history knowledge that I even heard the name Will Eisner, and later of this, his most famous creation. And, in hindsight, I'm a bit ashamed that I never really thought to go and pick up some of his stuff just to see what all the fuss was about. Just as well, I suppose, because knowing what I now know, I really wouldn't have appreciated it much. I didn't understand storytelling, pacing, plotting, and all of the other subtleties that Eisner's stories are just riddled with. It wasn't "Fuck, Yeah!" enough for the young Soup. So, until recently, I just knew of the character - that he was some kind of goofy Batman detective type that got beat up a lot. Oh, and it had pretty splash pages with "The Spirit" cleverly hidden in the backgrounds.
Then Eisner died, and all that attention got me to really look into him. And I started reading back issues, finally. And I was very impressed. That guy could write! I mean, freaky good write! I didn't get all collector mentality on it, and I certainly didn't read enough to see all of the ways Eisner was using The Spirit as a way to frame stories - so he could push them into different areas, but I read enough to have a healthy respect for the man. Especially after all of the biographical information his death brought to the surface.
So, when DC released The Spirit / Batman one shot last year, I picked it up. Now, I'm not a big fan of Leob's writing - unless it's something television-related (Heroes starts up again next week! Yay!), so I picked it up with a little trepidation.
It was decent. The story was neither fantastic nor off-putting. All in all, it was a pleasant read.
But the art! Great Galvanized Gorillas, Batman! was that some sweet artwork! And thus, I learned of Darwyn Cooke. And thus, I added "anything drawn by Darwyn Cooke" to the list.
Shortly afterwards, I learned of The Spirit ongoing. And that Mr. Cooke was going to be writing as well as doing the artwork. That was a happy day. I think I got to play with puppies, too.
Since it's first issue, The Spirit has been fantastic. These "done-in-one" stories are near-perfect comics. They're just the right balance of crime drama, character advancement (Cooke had to re-introduce and modernize the entire Spirit universe), adventure, whimsy, and gosh-darnit just out and out fun. They're a joy to read. And, of course, the artwork is incredible. His use of style, mood and pacing is as good as it gets. Oh, and don't forget those awesome splash pages - which I may collect and get framed together in some sort of poster. And it just occurred to me that J. Bone and Dave Stewart deserve a lot of credit for that mood and style as the finishing and coloring are perfect compliments.
That's The Spirit in general. In this issue, we get gangland hits, stolen identities, pet vultures, Russian mob bosses, exploiting the children and The Spirit gets beat up again. Oh, and beans. Lots and lots of beans. Beans. Delicious, delicious beans.
If you're not reading The Spirit - I'm not going to convince you if everyone else in the freckin' comics blogosphere hasn't already. Pick it up, already. Or better yet - since this is issue #5, wait a month and get the trade. However you do it, this book deserves to succeed. Imagine the incredible honor to Mr Cooke if The Spirit ends up winning "Best ongoing series" from the award named after its creator. Me, I'd plotz. That'd be like winning the Emmy from Mrs. Lou Harris. Or an Oscar from this guy.
All in all, The Spirit really is just an example of darn fun comics, and I have it on good authority, that that's the way they oughta be.
Most Wanted Panel:
Crazy 8's: Superman
They should've tried this on the Hulk, using a Betty Ross puppet. And Superboy is seriously being a dick, using the cute girl who befriended Bizarro to lure him to an Army shooting range.
The Balloonie: Living out his existence at the Krypton Zoo in a state of constant fear for the entertainment of the Kryptonian elite. Oh, noble creature, thou art!
I think Superman meant to say "Incestuous."
Attention people who dress up in costumes at conventions: If one of you will come to a convention I'm attending dressed as Bizarro Scarecrow Superman, I will take back every mean-spirited thing I've ever said about you.
Lois: Wait a minute, Clark! There's no way you could have survived that explosion!
Clark: Umm... *gets down on one knee* Marry me, Lois! I love you! I always have!
Lois: Oh! I must have been mistaken.
Mxyzptlk: Pimp
BWAHAHAHAHAAA! Oh, man.. Oh *gasp* BWAHAHAA! I can't, I really can't..
Seriously, this is one of the best Jimmy Olsen stories ever. Write up coming.
Gordon's Fisherman: Cockblocker
Me Solicit. Me am Soliciting!
I'm not really soliciting anything, it's just Bizarro-Speak. Clever, huh? Anyway, just for giggles (and because I haven't prepared a proper post. I blame TiVo. And the Dr. Who marathon. and beer. Lovely, lovely beer.), let's go through a few things on DC's July solicitations...
BATMAN #668
Written by Grant Morrison
Art and cover by J.H. Williams III
Batman, Robin and the Club of Heroes are stuck on an island rigged with elaborate death traps. And even as the villain behind it all begins to explain his twisted motives, he continues to pick the heroes off one by one.
On sale July 25 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
Y'know? Morrison does Murderworld could be really, really fun. Of course it's also the kind of story he could write in his sleep. I'm hoping for the former.
This picture beautifully encapsulates my personal torment over All-Star Batman and Robin. I honestly can't decide if this is a pop-art, over-the-top for over-the-top's sake piece of utter creative brilliance that was probably making Frank Miller laugh manically with glee even as he was drawing it ... or if it's crap. I can't judge it. I don't get it. But... part of me - a part deep, deep down in the lower areas of my mind.. the bit that I inherited from evolution's genetic programming that either tells me to be awe-struck by something unknown or to flee in terror .... that part of me kind of likes it.
The comic is the same way with me. I wish I could go all in, yelling "Fuck Yeah!" at the manly man-ness that he's going for here.. but I usually just read it with a big ol' question mark over my head. Yet for $6 a year, I'll keep reading it. I can budget quixotic surreality in at that price.
BATMAN CONFINDENTIAL #7
Written by Michael Green
Art and cover by Denys Cowan & John Floyd
What kind of person becomes a Joker? Writer Michael Green (Heroes writer/producer) and classic Batman artist Denys Cowan shed light on who the Joker was before he became the Joker?and how he and Batman crossed paths even before the day he was created.
On sale July 11 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
Please, comic writers. Please listen to me. PLEASE!! This one's easy. You ready? Pay attention:
I didn't want to know Wolverine's origin, and damn well didn't want him to get his memory back. I don't want to know the Joker's backstory any more than I already do. They are better characters when the reader doesn't know. It actually adds depth, not hides it. Remember Phantom Stranger? There's a reason he's hands-off as far as origin goes. He works better when he's an unknown. Let the Joker begin with Alan Moore and stop going backwards. He's supposed to be enigmatic, dammit!
Argh! Next thing you know, we'll have an Iwrin Schwab adventure from before he was Ambush Bug. And on that day my friends, the terrorists will have won.
'Course that said, this is drawn by Denys Cowan, so I'll probably buy it. I'm shallow like that.
Incidentially, isn't it spelled "Confidential?" It'll be a hoot if it's that way on the cover.
BATMAN: SECRETS OF THE BATCAVE TP
Written by Bill Finger, Dennis O'Neil and others
Art by Bob Kane, Sheldon Moldoff and others Cover by various
Step into the Batcave in this new collection spanning Batman's career! Featuring stories from BATMAN #12, 35, 48, 109 and 348, DETECTIVE COMICS #158, 186, 205, 233, 235, and 244, WORLD'S FINEST #30, BRAVE AND THE BOLD #182, BIZARRO COMICS #244, and SECRET ORIGINS TP, this volume features the finest stories set in the mysterious lair of the Dark Knight!
Advance-solicited; on sale August 29 o 192 pg, FC, $17.99 US
Yes, please. Oh, yes. Nice price, too.
+ (331° rotation + colors) - Supergirl =
I'm Jus' Sayin'
JACK OF FABLES #13
Written by Bill Willingham & Matthew Sturges
Art by Tony Akins & Andrew Pepoy
Cover by CLASSIFIED
Jack's been impaled by the sword Excalibur, and only the One True King can remove it from him. But where is he, and how long can Jack last with a sword sticking out of his chest?
On sale July 25 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US o MATURE READERS
OK. Lemme take a stab at this one (Hah! I slay me!). I'll guess that the thing pinning Jack to the stone on that cover is... ummm... that it's some kind of stabby thing... ummm, from a king ... piercing stabby weapon ... Royalty ...
OK, I'm gonna go with... Aquman in the parlor with a Harpoon! Curse you Aquaman and your Fable-stabbing ways!
And if that cover is indeed drawn by Brian Bolland, then this is officially the worst kept cover "CLASSIFIED" solicitation I've ever seen.
Hmmm.. I kind of like this one. Something really draws the eye... can't quite put my finger on it, but I feel my line of vision strangely pulled towards something. It's hypnotic, almost mesmerizing...
Oh well. Maybe it'll boobies to me later.
Gah! Ack! Make it stop! Nononononono....
Well, that was fun! Maybe I'll do these more often! Now excuse me while I go watch some Supergirl Justice League Unlimited episodes to scrub the Super-Porno-Girl image out of my head. Honestly, does that thing above look like it would be relaxing in a towel, sipping hot cocoa with "Babs," high fiving each other because they just made the news? Then laughing playfully as a casual touch becomes oh so much more when you're young and innocent. Then a knock at the door as Mary Marvel enters wearing only a ...
Umm.. Forget I said that. I don't want to be responsible for anyone building a scenario around that. Or worse, writing some fan-fiction. *shudder*
(Boom-Chicka Wow-Wow!)
On Hairstyles and Farming Tools
I'm a bit of a newshound and talk radio junkie, which means of course, that I could not escape the overblown politically correct hysterectomy that was this week's Don Imus incident. In no way do I want to discuss the whole stupid affair here (or ever again for that matter), but what CBS is currently doing to remove all traces of anything related to that stupid, really bad for business Imus comment reminded me of how comics periodically do recons to clear out the stupid, really bad for business things they do.
Yes, it's a curse tying comics into everything, everyday. I can't help it.
Anyway, after I boarded that particular train of thought, I realized that there's an even better parallel: Imus was fired (retconned) for using the expression, "Nappy-headed Ho." So, let's further this week's inadvertant (I swear) Pimp's and Ho's theme by remembering that at one time DC retconned an actual Nappy-Headed Ho:
(Careful readers will notice the editorial nudity coloring on the last panel. Unless her skin-tight leather pants are really, really shear)
Ah, the 1989 Catwoman: Year One story. Actually, I believe it's actual running title was "Her Sister's Keeper," but it came in on the heels of Batman: Year One's success and was a sort-of tie in to that. In this origin (doesn't Catwoman have like, what, nine? haha.. I crack meself up!), Selina starts out as an often bitch-slapped-around street hooker with a cat / bondage /furry fetish. Hey, yo' gotta keep yo' bitches in line yknowwhati'msayin'? Eventually, after her hooker friends and Sister sister get caught up in the violence, she decides that enough is enough, gets some training from Wildcat then starts kicking ass. And showing ass. It's all good. Well, not the plot, or the dialogue, or the art particularily, but I'm all for the ass-showing.
This origin of Catwoman was retconned out of existence during DC's whole Zero Hour thing, which I've never read, believe it or not. I've been told that's a good thing, so I'm sticking with it. Losing this particular origin is kind of a shame because I'd be completely fine with Catwoman tying me up and calling me "Skunk:"
Oh! Whip me, beat me, make me write bad checks!
Y'know, this series was on my eBay sell pile, but I think I'll hold onto it. In spite of it being a pretty crappy comic, all told. Selling it would essentially retcon this version of the character from my collection. I'll keep it just for that, I think.
Never forget. Peace out!
(Insert some hip kissing the fingers salute thing here. Soup is street. Word to your mother.)
Bonus Update
Since recent posts this week have inadvertently (honestly!) turned this blog into Pimps and Ho's Week, and I personally don't want to be accused of poking fun - in a manly manish-man way - of the whole exploiting teh sexy=laughs thing, I'll pass one along for the ladies....
Man, that's fantastic.
Most Wanted
This week's "most looked forward to comic" is really no surprise. Not at all.
All-Star Superman #7
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Frank Quitely
*sigh*
Most Wanted Panel:
WRONG, Camel Breath!
Lately TiVo has been picking up the later seasons of Super-Friends, which currently includes the Challenge of the Super Friends - the ones with Firestorm, Cyborg, and Darkseid. I gotta say - and I know this is a kiddie show - but Darkseid playing a Dick Dastardly level foil leaves me cringing today. He's almost *uggh* comical in his incompetence. I fondly remember as a kid learning about his upcoming appearances in the new season and getting so stoked.. I was one of the few of my friends that actually knew the awesomeness that was Darkseid from the comics. And I also remember that, as much as I wince today, I loved these episodes back then... I think it was just that I got to see Darkseid as a 'toon every Saturday. Just the fact that he was in them. I certainly didn't know bad characterization at that age - just my favorites. This must be how children's television is programmed. It's kind of sad realizing that.
I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of what may very well be the most awesome collection of sequential art ever. It's in the final stages of preparation and afterwards will be carefully packaged and mailed to me cross country at great expense. Prepare yourselves.
It looks like we now know who is the real multi-million dollar baby-daddy. Or, as the best headline in weeks over at Fark puts it: Congratulations to Larry Birkhead, winner of the 2007 Anna Nicole Smith Vaginal Dumpster Invitational! I know of at least two old farts that are not pleased. Not pleased at all.
Now that I've seen the final stats, Mike tripled my daily hits with his many links. Thank you, sir. The negatives have been burned, and the cake has been devoured. The dogs thank you, too. That film has been casting a dark cloud over them for far too long...
And Finally, I've been re-reading a fantastically groan-inducing book (in a good way) that I really must do a write up on soon. In the meantime, enjoy this panel from it, untouched I swear:
Camel Breath? Must've learned that Zinger from Latverian Finishing School: Insulting the People Beneath You
Tomorrow? All-Star Supes! Oh, Hells Yeah!
Linkage
A quick post to welcome any newcomers that found me through Mike's links he put up today over at Progressive Ruin. Gave me a huge traffic spike, that did. But dangit, now I'm going to have to actually post something decent instead of my usual ramblings about dinosaurs and cakes. And dinosaur cakes. (mental note for future topic. Hands off, Sterling, I thought of it first!) Maybe I'll just start posting sober.
Nah.
Just so you know, I try and post daily (well, at least weekdaily) but because I can't post at work and I live in Idaho, new updates usually won't hit this site until around 9-ish Eastern US time. But by then, you all should be drunk enough to understand what passes for humor around here. I'll start working on a new post for later tonight after I post this quickie.
Anyway, look around, smirk a little, and feel free to email me if you need my paypal account info. I want more stuff.
And - just to continue the silliness...
Bizarro. Pimp.
New God Charming
Couldn't help it. First thing that crossed my mind as re-reading this classic. And it made me giggle.
Click to biggie
My mind works strangely, sometimes. And by "sometimes," I mean "every time I read comics. Especially Kirby comics."
On another note, I watched Grindhouse Saturday night at an IMAX theater at 12 am while completely drunk. Heck, I was drinking during the movie. And Dick Dale was on the car's sterio on the way to the theater. Seemed appropriate.
Needless to say, at the time I thought it was the quite possibly the best Goddammed movie ever. Now that I've sobered up, it was actually a great, great fun movie if you know what you're getting into, understand the genre they're homaging, and you have your tongue firmly planted in your cheek. If they would've cut about 15 minutes of the Tarantino dialogue (as good as it was, it was an action-buzz killer) from about halfway through Death Proof, I would have nary a complaint with it. Don't see it at midnight, though. You won't get home until 4 am. Seriously.
And as funny as Machete was, Don't was the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. Don't miss it! Don't!!
Hope everyone had a happy Easter! I decorated my Easter eggs to look like Plastic Man - which was very funny to me, until I pretended that poor ol' Plas had been hit by a freeze ray while caught in egg form and I started rolling him across the table, cracking him open to eat his delicious insides ... No, Plas! NOOOOO!
The Post that Writes Itself
My LCS just sent me the books on the shipping list that it's going to recieve this week, and choosing the subject for this Wednesday's Most Wanted post has never been easier:
New Comics Shipping on Wednesday:
52 Week #49
All-Star Superman #7
All-Star Superman Vol. 1 HC
Battlestar Galactica: Zarek #4
Blade #8
Blade of the Immortal #124
Bomb Queen III #2
BPRD Garden of Souls #2
...cut...
Thank you, thank you, Thank you!
Almost Missed It
I was in the middle of reading Marvel Zombies / Army of Darkness #2 (which is head and shoulders above #1, incredibly funny, and has a last page that everyone should be snickering over), when I did a double-take over this li'l gem:
Zombie Runaways dining off of Old Lace's corpse!!
I swear, beer spewed out of my nose.
Three great tastes
Not much in the way of posting today, so instead let me share with you something that combines my love of Dinosaurs, comics, and drinking all in one handy package:
Click to Biggify
Yep. Broads. I'll drink to that... *slurp*
Bonus Update
Reading through this week's, I was floored with this:
A Bill Sienkiewicz Jonah Hex cover.
That right there is a thing of beauty. I keep staring at it...
Most Wanted
Another week brings another delve into what my LCS had for me to slobber over. A very good haul this time makes up for the few choices last week. Three books rose to the "potentially great" level for me, and while Jack of Fables is always a good read, it wasn't quite up to the "can't wait to read this one!" level we look for each Wednesday. Additionally, any Detective story written by Paul Dini that has Harley Quinn on the cover.. almost. Any other week, that's the book. This week though, it's gotta be:
Runaways #25
Writer: Joss Whedon
Artist: Michael Ryan
I should, in all fairness here say that yes, I'm kind of a Whedon-phyle. Generally, I like his stuff. Sometimes, I absolutely love it. I came late to the game, but after I was talked into watching Firefly, I became completely sold on his story-telling and (more importantly) character developing prowess. Mind you, I couldn't get through season 3 of Buffy, but Serenity was one of the best Sci-Fi movies made in my lifetime. Yes, I'm including Star Wars in that. As far as his comics go, both Serenity and Buffy are basically episodes of the TV series in comics form, but as comics they're very good. Buffy in particular really impressed me, especally as I had no knowledge of how the series ended. Astonishing X-Men is, to me, by far the best X-title going right now, but remember that Cassidy's art automatically kicks anything up an extra notch from the writing. Still, it's a great comic.
I was amazingly upset when Vaughn announced that he was leaving Runaways. And taking Alphona with him. That was bad enough, but the series was going to continue?!? No.. just no. No one else could do it justice.
Then Whedon was announced. Didn't even think about him as a choice... so I did. Hmm... Tight knit group of super-powered teenagers. Dialog driven book (for the most part). Whedon. Yes, I believe we can work with this. So, I've been looking forward to this inaugural issue for a while now.
It's pretty good. Not fantastic, mind you, but solid. Obviously intended to handle the jump-on "Hey! Whedon's writing this!" new traffic, it starts off with a nice recap of the-series-so-far cleverly written into the current plot and ending in a very nice reveal. That's another strength of Whedon - he writes reveals and cliffhangers very, very well. Another plus for him taking over this title, which has a fair amount of both in every issue. Two of each in this issue, in fact.
The kids are in New York, hopefully only for a few issues, where in exchange for protection from all of the Civil War Shenanigans (The CWS for short), end up taking an ethically ambiguous job. Everything goes wrong, of course, and it's a credit to Whedon's writing that the way in which things dissolve is mainly because these are, first and formost, kids without guidence. Kids. Not a cohesive super-team. Kids. No planning, no experience, bad initial ideas, and simply not mature enough to handle the job. Whedon really does write teenagers and dialog quite well. Once you learn to read it as he put it down. Kinda like Bendis in that way.
The art is ... well, it's there. Not fantastic, not terrible. Perfectly acceptable and actually really clever in parts. With Runaways, it's important to be able to have an art style that differentiates between adults, teenagers, and little kids. This is done very well - his drawings of Molly in particular are just plain adorable. All in all, a decent choice for this book. My only real reservation is that he's not Alphona, and that's not fair, I suppose.
After all this, now that I've finally read it, I'm still stoked. This could be one of the best series hand-offs ever. It has the potential, and this was a very solid foundation issue upon which to build. Here's hoping. Cross your fingers.
Most Wanted Panel:
What can I say? I'm a sucker for a genetically engineered Deinonychus from the 87th century. Especally when they're climbing skyscrapers.
Bonus Update
Just finished cruising the blogs again before bed and read Bully's wonderful post about Top comics. One thing screamed out to me, though.. and since I had Photoshop still up.. and it was quick... well...
Clicky if you no-getty
Boom-Chicka-Wow-Wow!
Welcome to our first semi-safe for work post! Hopefully, the last - well, at least until the uncensored Shanna and Cavewoman editions come out. Warning: Badly-lettered bad language, and a very amateurish cartoony boobie slip ahead. Ha-cha-cha!
I was going through some boxes of irregularly shaped books last night and stumbled upon something I completely forgot that I owned. A few years back a friend of mine acquired a bunch of old amateur comics from the 30s-50s, personally restored/re-drew them and gave them away as little gifts for his friends. He did a great job too, so I thought I'd share them. Well, bits of them, anyway.
Plus, it helps me further my never ending persuit to jack my random Google hits even higher than the Power Girl post at the end of Dave's infamous Boob War Week! So, in that spirit, I present to you all: An original Superman and Supergirl Tijuana Bible!
Behold!
I thought about posting the whole thing, clickable as a NSFW link, but once you've seen one of these things, you've seen 'em all. Heck, I could write these things! Come to think of it, I probably did in middle school with the John Byrne She-Hulk's and whatnot... So instead of posting them complete, I'll make a few panels completely post-friendly so I can share the funny. Well, as post-friendly as I can make them while still maintaining the funny.
But let's not waste any more time here and jump right into it.. umm, as it were...
Check out Clark - still maintaining that nervous disguise. Oh, you! And at only 8 panels, this thing starts up quicker than Roy Thomas on Meth. Get set and GO! Baby! The real fun with this particular one is that Supergi-errr Linda Lee - Schoolteacher, if I remember right- and Superm-errr, Clark Kent - Pulitzer Prize winning journalist writing in a major Metropolitan newspaper daily, both talk in third-person slang:
Y'know? I actually find this drawing of Supergirl more attractive than any Michael Turner cover. It doesn't look like one of those melted and distorted coke bottles filled with 70s colored sand, you know. It's a good curvey. And I really like the Chubby I stuck in there. Yes, that's a multi-layered joke. Yes, I'm ashamed. Sort of.
That's kinda creepy. Above and beyond the fact that you're role-playing (well, kinda) during sex with your underage cousin. Still, Folded Soup says it's good to see those crazy kids finally do be gettin' together!
Ah, youth!
(And why do I get the feeling that somehow this butt will end up somewhere else... Nah, she's too classy'a broad!)
BONUS: Katherine Hepbern with a li'l bit O' poetry!
Tee hee...
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