Thursday, September 29, 2005

Oh. My. God.

No, Zod.

Zod. FREAKING ZOD!!!!!!

How fucking cool is that? It's the greatest thing EVER on TV!!!!!!!!!!

And he hasn't even shown up yet, not really.

The Depeche Mode song was...weird.

If this is the last season, I hope they go out with one hell of a bang.







ZOD!!!!!!!!!!

-L

Major Suckage

Well, damn if the last two days haven't been terrible. After my DVD player broke I went about the task of hooking up one of the others directly to the TV (it's this whole complicated mess see, I had 2 DVD players, a VCR, an X-Box, a PS2, a GameCube, an N64, an Atari and a Dreamcast...all hooked into one TV), which involve unhooking all of that junk. When I went to hook the X-Box back up, somehow I blew the fucking power supply. Now, my Box is modded, and if you know what that means, then you know how much of a bitch that whole thing is. So, in the last two days I've essentially lost a DVD player, an X-Box and EVERY FUCKING GAME I EVER BOUGHT FOR IT!

But, maybe, just maybe, the Box can be fixed, if not, well, I'm just waiting for the 360, screw buying another one dammit.

Maybe I'll actually get around to that whole link thing tomorrow, for now I have a column to finish and a piece of crap X-Box to try and fix, AND the season premiere of Smallville to watch!

-L

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

My DVD player is broken! What am I going to do! The world is ending!

Wait, I have like seven more, never mind.

Seriously, one of my DVD players is now busted, I just get a Bad Disc message. I guess I burned the damn thing out. It would be the one with the VCR combo though, which sucks, but at least the VCR still works, cuz I only have two of those!

Coming later- Links, what else?

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Desperate Time (AKA Quickies-9/27/05 The TV Edition)

Sunday saw the anticipated season premiere of Desperate Housewives. What did I thnk? Eh, it was okay. I think there should have been a new narrator, Bree's (sp?) dead husband. I was disappointed by the lack of follow up on her semi-affair. The "new mystery" was a bit too bizaare to get me really interested. It's still a decent show, but the excitement of last season isn't there. It could get better as the season progresses though, at least, I hope it does.

Sunday also had new episodes of Simpsons, Family Guy and American Dad. Oh, and The War at Home, which is pretty much crap.

Simpsons was okay, both episodes. It's gotten to be pretty standard and formulaic and is now just riffing on itself, but occasionally still funny. Family Guy is good, not as good as the original episodes, but still good, but American Dad is only a half-funny show, good for one or two jokes at most, but there's a DVD on the way regardless.

I miss Malcolm being on Sunday, moving it to Friday is surely a death knell.

Monday had Arrested Development, which was fan friggin tastic as always. Can't wait to see what Chalize Theron is up to. Like so many others, I think the show may be to rewarding to longtime viewers and punishing to new viewers. It's not easy to catch on to, but it is excellent. While you're at it check out the website, I'm Oscar (dot com).

I didn't get to see Kitchen Confidential, because the person I was with wanted to see How I Met Your Mother, which, again, wasn't that funny. Better than the premiere, but not by much. Doogie is great though. After that was Two and a Half Men, which was hilarious. Again, I'm amazed that this show is even on CBS. I couldn't stop laughing, in fact Bumper to Humper is one of the funniest one-note lines ever. After that was more crap, the Henry Winkler comedy Out of Practice. Tom says it better than I do. In fact, Tom has a great rundown of tons of new shows, so spend some time over there.

Tonight was My Name is Earl, whose premiere I saw just yesterday. Definitely my favorite new show of the season, it reminds me of all the people I know, and I used to live in a trailer too. This week's episode was as good if not better than the premiere, with Earl tracking down a guy who took the fall for a crime Earl commited, being forgiven, the getting his ass kicked by the guys mom. Funny stuff. After that was The Office. Not my thing I guess, I didn't laugh at all. I also watched the According to Jim premiere, which was okay, I haven't watched the show in a while, and while there were some funny jokes and set ups, it seems to be repeating some of its older gags. After all that was the premiere of Boston Legal. Yeah, the Shat is Back Baby! Excellent, excellent stuff. But, I don't really like some of the new faces, they're kind of annoying, but Candice, Shat, Spader, that's all I really need. Yeah, it kicks ass.

I bought the Family Guy movie today and watched it as well. Ummm....not funny, not really. And it's not at all what you think it is. It has its moments though, and it's probably worth it for die hard fans.

I got a bonus DVD with that, it has three Fox shows on it, a season 2 episode of Arrested, and episode of Stacked and a episode of American Dad. The only one I haven't seen is Stacked. It's okay at times, but not great. The other shows are much better, especially AD, but it was free, so that rocks period.

-L
The Dedicated List

Actor Don Adams died yesterday at 82, so Don, this one's for you buddy!

The Amazing Race - The Complete First Season

A bunch of people race around the world, drama and comedy ensue.

Britney & Kevin: Chaotic... The DVD & More

If you buy this, I'm totally kicking your ass.

Carlito's Way - Rise to Power (Widescreen)

Look for a DTV prequel to The Godfather next year.

Kidding!

I hope!

Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked

One of the History Channel's recent Doc's about the Capes comics business. It was decent.

The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus 16-Ton Megaset

If you can afford this...well, you must have great job.

Creature Comforts - The Complete First Season

I don't know about you guys, but I want another Chicken Run movie.

Dr. 90210 - The Complete First Season

Ummm, no thanks, Nip/Tuck is certainly better anyway.

The Evil Dead 2 (Book Of The Dead Limited Edition)

I don't own any of these. Yes, it's sad, I know.

Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin - The Untold Story

YAY!

Gilmore Girls - The Complete Fourth Season

Wow, can't believe it's been on that long.

Henry - Portrait of a Serial Killer (20th Anniversary)

The movie that got Rooker in Mallrats.

Hogan's Heroes - The Complete 2nd Season

Hoooooooooooooogaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!

Hurricane Katrina 2005

Oooooooookaaaaaaay.....

Knight's Tale

An extended edition of an underappreciated movie, IMO of course.

Law & Order - Special Victims Unit 2

Because you can never have too many cop shows.

Lords of Dogtown

The origin of the X-Games begins here folks.

MADtv - The Complete First Season

Worth it for the hilarious Santa claymation farce alone.

Robots (Widescreen Edition)

I like how the commercials say "Robin Williamks is back!" Where the fuck did he go?

SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete 3rd Season

He lives in a pineapple....under the sea...how cool is that?

Star Trek Enterprise - The Complete Third Season

Man, they really like to milk Trek fans for all their worth.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II - The Secret of the Ooze

The secrets is that this movie stinks.

Darn, missed it by THAT much!

RIP, Don, we'll miss you!

-L

Monday, September 26, 2005

Delenda Est Wrong

Hahaha, forgive me Dave, I couldn't resist.

So, the Falcons won, and I couldn't be happier. I was extremely pleased with their performance, but there were a few things they could have done better. Vick looked better than he has, passing wise, and his running game is still there after that small injury last week. I know Dunn is a high-paid, big-name player, and I love him to death, but there needs to be more to the running game than that. Duckett is too good to be playing second fiddle, and that's what he's doing essentially, I can't even remember if he had a carry in the first half. Sending Dunn up the middle= idiotic. Sure, if the guy can find a hole, he's gone, but he doesn't have the strength to plow through when there isn't one, Duckett does. Dunn could be better used in a screen pass situation, or run him more on the outside. But that's my assessment, what the hell do I know? We can't seem to put anyone away either, we had too many chances to put the Bills down and out for good, byt we kept letting them get the ball back, definitely not good. That's something that goes back to a theory I've had for years; we can only play half of a ball game, usually the first, but last week it was the second half, and had Vick not hurt himself, I think they would have pulled off the comeback in Seattle. I don't mean we should always be decimating the competition, but that in the four or so times we got the ball in the fourth quarter yesterday, we should have been able to get another score, almost ensuring a win. Instead it was three downs, punt, three downs, punt, three downs, punt. You keep giving good teams opportunities, eventually they'll make a comeback. We just got lucky Buffalo couldn't put it together. Injuries...man do we have some. Rossum is severely missed, I hope he's healthy next week, because I can't take anymore crappy returns, never mind his other duties. Over/under throwing is still an issue with Vick, and right now, it shouldn't be (I think, anyway). He should be better than what he has been, but he still doesn't have the control, which kind of baffles me. But like I said, he looked better yesterday. He's taken some great strides in the realms of throwing the ball away/getting it off before a big loss, but eventually that will lead to interceptions. Speaking of...what the hell was that one he threw all about, talk about boneheaded, but it happens I guess. But, all in all, I'm happy with the team right now, even if we only win 9 games this year it'll be history making.

-L

Sunday, September 25, 2005

Holy Friggin Crap!

Did you guys see who was on JLU? That kicked ASS!!!!!!

-L

Friday, September 23, 2005

Quickies & Links-9/23/05

First, the reviews:

City of Heroes #4

Ummmm....oookay. This is my last issue of the book, seeing as how I was getting it for free with my game subscription. Even if I renew the subscription, I'll probably opt out of the book, it just stinks. The art isn't that bad, sort of typical superhero stuff (ditto on the plot), but the dialogue is awful. Seriously awful. I've read bad fanfic that was better than this stuff. So, yeah, don't buy this. D-

Dead or Alive- A Cyberpunk Western #1

The cover, done beautifully by Alberto Ponicelli and Alex Horley, depicts a clow carrying a chainsaw and an ass load or guns. I repeat; A clown with a chainsaw and guns! If you need to know more than that, well, I can't help you. Okay, how about this: He's a meat inspector, and he's investigating some not-so-pure beef, with the intent to shut it's seller down. It's extremely bizaare, but it works. The art is beautiful, reminiscent of Giffen's work on Trencher, and the plot does read like something out of his brain. Old west and moderntechnology fused into one of the most enjoyably unique comics I've ever come across. A

Writer's Block 2003 #1

This is half mag half comic really. It's got interviews with the three writers involved (Mark Waid, Jo Duffy and Roger Stern), cunducted by the artist (David Miller) and three strips. The premise of the book is to take the same art panels and give them to three people (as well as a loose plot) and see what they can come up with. What you get is three similar but different tales involving two pregnant femme fatales. It's pretty good stuff, though Waid's strip is the best by far, the interviews are so-so, mainly just advertising their previous works and talking about their histpry in comics. I wouldn't mind tracking down some of the other issues of this, I really liked the idea behind it. B+

Mallrats: The Extended Edition

In their intro, Smith and producer Scott Mosier call this "the version that never should have existed", and boy were they right. It's basically the movie if it had stuck to the script, incorporating smith's original "accidentally shoot at the mayor" plot, instead of the "Julie Dwyer died" plot. Even before this, Mallrats wasn't Smith's best work, but it was enjoyabl and funny, this version is very stiff, the jokes feel forced, and it's too damn long. The DVD has the original version, as well as a new 10th Anniversary Q&A with the cast and crew (some of em anyway), so it's still worthwhile for fans, especially if you don't already have it on DVD, but the new cut of the movie is HORRIBLE and unfunny. D

Fat Albert

I don't remember much of the show, but from what I do remember the movie really captures the spirit. Like Garfield before it, it's a kids movie, but this one isn't dumbed down and should appeal to fans of the show and the young ones. They kids in the roles of the Gang are really great, especiall Mush Mouth. Learning to talk like that must have been incredibly hard (and now that I think about it, South Park's Kenny surely owes his creation to this character). There's a few genuine laughs, but mostly it's a "life lesson" type of film, which is pretty much all the cartoon was. I'd have liked to see them play those goofy instruments though, instead of using more modern stuff to do their singing. Still, not bad at all. B-

Links:

Be sure and check out Chris Allen's new Breakdowns over at CBG, as well as the rest of the week's columns and reviews (if you haven't already!).

Dave's Long Box is on hiatus for a week. It's okay though, Boob War Week is over, so it's not like we need him for anything anymore. Boob War Week was totally fucking Airwolf.

Having a twin of my own, I got a kick out of Dial B for Blog's Evil Twin covers today.

Progressive Ruin points the way to the Kid Chris blog. Sweet.

Fed Hembeck gives Wolvering a cuddle.

Tom the Dog runs down the new TV shows.

Growing Pains on DVD.

And, you might notice a new link on the sidebar, Stupid Fiction Blog. It's another fiction blog by me, but this one has no real direction. It's been a while since I wrote something that wasn't non-fiction, so I wanted to give it a go. With no real outlet, I just decided to blog it. It'll probably be just short stories. The first one, The Tie, is up now. Check it out if you like, and feel free to comment!

-L

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Nip/Tuck Season 1

Finished it off last night. It's definitely different from most of the shows out there, and fits well with the other FX dramas (The Shield, Rescue Me) in a sort of "redefining TV" theme. I like show-creator Ryan Murphy's assessment that it is a heterosexual love story between main characters Christian and Sean. Together they own McNamara/Troy, one of Miami's many plastic surgery destinations. The surgeries often serve as a catalyst for many other events in the lives of the duo, bringing Christian the wealth and sex he craves and providing Sean with the cash to support his family, and eventually the tools to inadvertantly tear that family apart.

Like the shows stars (Dylan Walsh and Julian McMahon), the surgery stuff made me quesy at first, and occasionally made me reach for the remote to speed through it, but once I got midway through it I could handle a majority of it. The acting is mostly superb, especially from the guest stars. I had some problems with Joely Richardson (playing Julia McNamara), she seems to be on the verge of tears whenever she's speaking, it's off putting. But, she's easy on the eyes, and I admire her ability to shed her accent for a more American sound (ditto to Julian McMahaon, but I think they could've used the accent in his role as Doom in the FF film), but she just seems on the edge constantly.

I didn't like the Pilot's murderous ending, it reminded me too much of The Shield's premiere, but where as Vic and crew contiued to be borderline evil doers (but, never were as bad as that first episode made them out to be), Christian and Sean go right back to the way they were, it never seems to effect them, even though it's brought up occasionally. The season ends with a few little twists that made me smile, I never saw em coming. They wrap up all the family drama nicely and still adds a few new layers, one of which I did see coming from the very first episode.

I can't wait to check out Season 2.

-L

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Link-o-Rama

Comic Book Galaxy has a few new things, including my latest Loose Staples and Rob Vollmar's International Georgraphic, so check those out.

Gordon knows what's wrong with comics.

Lefty has stuff for you to buy.

Via the Comics Reporter- HotD and Galaxy fave, Bluesman moves to NBM after Absence of Ink collapsed. A little birdie told me an announcement was coming, had no idea it would be this soon. Awesome!

Comic covers featuring comic covers.

Guess what? Permanent Damage!

Goodbye Kid Chris!

Lex Luthor kicks ass.

Off to work!

-L

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

The Longest List

The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D

There's a 2-D version too....Why? I have no clue.

The Batman - Season 1, Vol. 2 - The Man Who Would Be Bat

After a mediocre first disc, I wonder if the show gets better?

Battlestar Galactica - Season One (2004)

Best sci-fi on TV, so I'm told.

Bob Dylan - No Direction Home

Last week it was lost, this week it's this...not funny? Okay...

Crime Story - Season One
Crime Story - Season Two

More Dennis Farina than you'll ever need...or want.

Desperate Housewives - The Complete First Season

Can't wait to see where this goes in Season 2, still think it's a drama, not a comedy, and Arrested Development was robbed!!!!!

From the Earth to the Moon - The Signature Edition

Just in case you think you didn't shell out enough dough for the first release...

Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats

*begins singing theme song* WOOOOHOOOOO!

Inside Deep Throat - Theatrical NC-17 Edition

This version includes the scene from the movie...you know...it kinda gets it's name from it...just curious who would buy the R-rated version...it's about porn, why not just go all out?

Justice League Unlimited - Joining Forces

When does the next season of this start? Can't wait!

The Longest Yard (Widescreen Edition)

What no "Unrated & Uncensored!" version?

Mallrats (10th Anniversary Extended Edition)

Kevin Smith is locked in an ongoing battle with George Lucas to see who the biggest whore is. I'm still buying it, I'm such a sucker!

Ned and Stacey - The Complete First Season

Hey, Wings will be on DVD next year! How friggin great is that?!

The Outsiders - The Complete Novel (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Ooooookaaaaay....this is a movie...not a book...it's based on a book...not the same thing.

The Pretender - The Complete Second Season

This will be easy to find on shelves, it'll be the one pretending to be interesting. Har Har

The Ren & Stimpy Show - Season Five and Some More of Four

Buy it you eeeeeeeeeediot.

Teen Titans - Season 2, Volume 1 - Fear Itself

Best theme song ever!

-L

Monday, September 19, 2005

Funny as hell, Not so Funny, Funny, and Pretty Dull

That describes my TV viewing for the evening.

Arrested Development premiered, and it was friggin' excellent, unfortunately CBS decided to move another ratings whore program to air next to it, King of Queens. I don't watch it, but it has an audience, and that may not bode well for AD. After that I tuned in to CBS to check out their new line-up. First, How I Met Your Mother. It's too bad this pretty much stunk, the cast is capable and the premise is decent enough, but the writing was just horrid. Neil Patrick Harris is just playing himself via Harold and Kumar, and the others are just dull delivering their lines. It just doesnt work. After that was Two and a Half Men, which was great as usual.. Then it was the new Henry Winkler/Stockard Channing show. It sucked so bad I don't remember the name. Well, at least I have two shows to look forward on Monday nights, as well as the occasional football game.

I watched the first disc of Nip/Tuck Season 1 today too. I'm hooked for sure. I'm adding Season 2 to the Netflix Queue and I'll make it to it eventually. I have to finish off a few series first, including the recently rented The L Word. I'm on disc 2 now and loving it. Like it's male counterpart, Queer as Folk, it has its problems, mostly just being a sex show (which Nip/Tuck seems to be as well), but this one is more...hetero friendly I guess would be the best word, exploring more than just lesbian relationships. There's also the "stereotyped" casting, just like in QAF, but, just like it, the writing is good enough that it's forgivable. Sadly no comic book geeks in this show though.

Come on Julius Jones, I'm losing my fantasy game!!!!!!!

-L
It's About Hope

So, about a week ago Shawshank Redemption came on TV. Not really a big deal, it's a cable television staple, and should be, it's the greatest film ever made. A few people I know can't watch it, or won't watch it rather, and I finally confronted them on this little fact. Why? I asked.

Their answer, summarized: "It's too sad, watching a man go through that, thinking about how justice failed, how he was raped and beaten, wrongfully imprisoned, denied his release, it's all just painful to watch."

See, it always amazes me what people take way from movies. They aren't wrong, not really, but I think it says something about them, about how they view life in genral. Or maybe I'm just reading too much into it.

See, I don't think the movie is any of those things, I think it's about hope. Hope in the face of adversity. First, he wasn't wrongfully imprisomed, he admits as much towards the end of the film. "I killed my wife. I didn't pull the trigger, but I killed her."

It's about what we can become when faced with what we are. It's about living through the pain, knowing that there is something waiting for you on the other side. It's about crawling through that river of shit just because you want to keep on living. It's probably the most inspirational film I've ever seen, and my favorite movie ever, depending on what day it is, and I just can't imagine seeing it any other way. But, to each his own.

-L

Sunday, September 18, 2005

You Can't Win Em All

That seems to be the slogan of the weekend.

I lost two poker games Saturday night, but got home in time (I played for maybe two hours, which sucks by normal comparison) to finish most of my next Loose Staples column. Fortunately I was able to finish the rest this afternoon, and it's now in the capable hands of Mr. Chris Hunter. I woke up just in time this afternoon to catch the first football game, in my area it was Jaguars/Colts game, I was pulling for the Cats the whole time, and they almost pulled it off, but defense can't hold out forever, and the offense couldn't get anything going. The the Falcons/Seahaks game...man did the Hawks look good or what? I like to think those three TDs in the first half were God getting back at us for a missed call by the Ref's. That ball that Finneran lost was a fumble, no two ways about it. Still, we out played them in the second half, and if not for Vick injuring himself, I think we would've salvaged the game. The Patriots proved who should have won the Superbowl two years ago, man the Panthers really handled business. And after saying "The Niners look good!" they blew it with Philly today, big time. The Vikings proved again that they are not "better off without Moss" by getting their asses handed to them, and while the Pack tried at least, they blew it against the Browns...the FREAKIN Browns beat them. It makes me laugh. Also, my fantast team is losing too, but I'm not sure by how much. I need Dallas to kill tomorrow night, otherwise I'm toast. Oh, and ESPN fixed their little problem, so here's my roster:

TQB
Raiders
Tampa Bay

RB
Julius Jones
Brian Westbrook
Thomas Jones

WR
Marcus Robinson
Rod Gardner
Keyshawn Johnson
Eddie Kennison

TE
LJ Smith

K
Janikowski
Elam

D/ST
Redskins
Bills

So, yeah, this weekend was a losing kind of thing. Maybe next weekend will be a winning kind of thing!

-L

Friday, September 16, 2005

The Week's Purchases

Spent a few bucks this week, here's the junk I bought:

Undertow

Stars Josh Lucas and Dermot Mulroney, looks interesting and has an overwhelming endorsement from Roger Ebert.

Criminal

It's got Maggie Gyllenhal, that's all I need to know. Oh, and John C Reilly.

The Woodsman

Looks interesting enough, like the cast, even Kevin Bacon.

The Life & Death of Peter Sellers

With the reviews it's gotten, couldn't pass it up, not for $5 anyway.

The Jacket

Adrien Brody, Kiera Knightly...I'm there.

Dallas 362

Directed by Scott Caan, who I like, so I picked it up.

Wool Cap

William H Macy is one of the best actors alive today, if he's in it, I'll watch it.

Comics-

Wild Cards #1-4

Someone talked about this series in the last few months and it sounded cool, saw it in a discount bin and picked it up, all four issues for $2.

Dead or Alive: A Cyberpunk Western #1

The title speaks for itself.

Happydale: Devils in the Desert #1

Looks kooky enought for me to enjoy, and I immediately recognized Laura Allred's [participation.

Galactus the Devourer #5-6

Because I have #1-4 and they were fifty cents each, now I have the set, yay!

-L

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Quickies-9/15/05

Franklin Richards, Son of a Genius

This one-shot collect the previos Franklin stroies from Mark Sumerak's recent Power Pack mini-series, and adds one more story as well. I've read all the stuff here (except the new story) before, but still got a kick out of re-reading them. It's essentially Calvin & Hobbes in the Marvel Universe, but it works, really well in fact. Eliopolous and Sumerak even manage to make the much hated H.E.R.B.I.E. interesting, even if he's just joke fodder. The new story sees Franklin making clones of himself out of Jello and sending them trick-or-treating for him. Only they eat all the candy and destroy his room. It's great kids-level humour that works for adults as well, if this got added as a back-up to the regular FF books I might just have a reason to pick one of them up. Grade: A

Desperadoes: Epidemic

This is my first exposure to the long running Desperadoes series, hopefully the other books are better than this. It tries to combine westerns with sort of a Hellboy-like supernatural thing, and it just doesn't work that well. The gang rolls into a small town and finds themselves quarantined. Turns out to be some paganistic ritual meant to bring hell on earth, or some such. Really, it just doesn't work that well. The art is okay, with layouts by the always wonderful John Cassady, but it's occasionally muddy and too busy. The cover is nice though. Grade: C

Matchstick Men

I hate figuring movies out, really I do. There's a ton of recent horror films I've figured out from the previews alone (to name two: Hide & Seek and the Village), and too often I start watching a movie with a "twist" and the twist becomes all too apparent twenty minutes in. I don't say that to make myself seem smart, I mean I never saw the Sixth Sense or even the twist in Batman Begins coming, or Unbreakable for that matter, just that movie makers rely on the twost too much now, why the hell does there need to be a twist? So, anyway, other than an all-too-obvious plot twist, one that's been done to death, this is a good flik. Cage out-acts HotD fave Sam Rockwell, which amazed me, his nervous little ticks were irritating and funny, which is exactly what they were supposed to be, and he really seems to connect with the rest of the cast. Rockwell, though, has almost nothing to do in the flik, playing second fiddle, and seeming to be okay with that. It's a quirky little dramedy that's worth a catch on cable if you see it, or even a rent, but I don't recommend going out and buying it before you see it. Grade: B-

-L

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Wednesday Links

Check out this interview with Tim Bradstreet, via Cinescape. Good stuff.

Also, Invincible statues and busts coming soon. By soon they mean next friggin year.

If you haven't been reading one of the new blogs posted to the sidebar, be sure and check this one out, with lines like "It has become apparent, over the time that my band has been in existence, that my band-mates are desperately trying to play Russian Roulette with my penis." he's definitely one of the funniest bloggers out there. And if Bush-bashing political stuff is your bag, well, he's got that too.

Poor JK. His brother is a political prisoner...in Australia. Geez, I always thought the gang down under was a tad bit more easy going. Well, actually, he's on his way home now, but, still...

Check out Tom's sidebar, where he'll be reviewing all the new sitcoms and dramas handed to us this TV season, he's already got a few of them up and ready to read. He's nuts.

New Permanent Damage!

Bye Franklin, it's been fun.

What have we learned, Greg? Well, we learned a Falcon beats an Eagle on Monday nights.

Dave's Long Box presents-The Best Post Ever.

ADD says goobye for now too, but he's still running Kolchalkaholic, today's update includes a cool interview. I've said it a few times, but, here I go again; it's wonderful to see someone working on something so positive, both his Kolchalkaholic blog and the Bluesman site are works of love from a man many people point a finger at for just flat out hating comics. He does hate some comics, I'm sure, and in the past he'd be plastering his loathing for most of the stuff out there anywhere he could, but it shows a great maturity for him to focus more intently on the positive. It's something a lot of fanboys could learn from. Alan David Doane, he buys what he enjoys and enjoys what he buys.

The Galaxy is also updated with some new stuff this week, thanks to CH. Go read Joe Rice's Make-Believe War and Rob Vollmar's International Geographic. Great stuff.

-L

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Totally Speechless

That's pretty much the way I feel after the Falcons slaying the Eagles last night, so instead of me ranting about blowing it, here's this weeks list:

Ben-Hur (Four-Disc Collector's Edition)

Fours discs? GEEZ.

Big Girls Don't Cry... They Get Even

A pretty good family film, funny enough on my VHS copy of the ninja Turtles movie there's a trailer for this, only by another name, IMDB lists it as AKA Stepkids, but that wasn't it. I'll have to look it up.

The Brady Bunch - The Complete Third Season

Also available packe with the first two seasons.

Carlito's Way Ultimate Edition

Yay, another DVD edition we didn't need!

Cheers - The Complete Sixth Season

Enter Rebecca, exit Logan (that's me, in case you don't know).

Coal Miner's Daughter - 25th Anniversary Edition

A guy I know calls her Sissy Spastic.

Cowboy Bebop Remix 1

New sound mix and coomentraks make this worth buying. Great flippin show.

Da Ali G Show - The Complete Second Season

Bleh, I hate that guy.

Dragon Ball Z - Bio Broly Movie 11

I quit watching after the last Broly movie, just wasn't that interesting.

Everybody Loves Raymond - The Complete Fourth Season

I'm happy this is finally off the air, I never liked it that much, and now I can watch Arrested on Mondays!

Fever Pitch (Boston Red Sox Collector's Edition)

I wonder if the original ending is on the disc?

Frasier - The Complete Sixth Season

Seeing as how they might box all these together (a la Friends next month, I think) I'm glad I haven't been buying them.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Widescreen Edition)

To buy or to rent? That is the question.

Las Vegas - Season Two

They should make a Mickey Blue Eyes sequel.

One Tree Hill - The Complete Second Season

What a dumb friggin name.

Rumble Fish (Special Edition)

Outsiders was better.

SCTV, Vol. 4

Funny, but outrageously overpriced.

Sigmund & The Sea Monsters - First Season

You better run, you better hide...

Smallville - The Complete Fourth Season

Except for Lois and the finale, it was crap.

Taxi - The Complete Third Season

Reiger!!!!!!!!!!!

Not a great week folks...

-L

Monday, September 12, 2005

Oy Vey!

Tonight will be my baby brother's bris (I'm sure I spelled that wrong), and for those that aren't Semetically inclined, that means they'll be cutting him...just don't ask where. Since his mom is Jewish, and kids get their religion from their parents, Avi will be Jewish. I imagine most southern families would shun both the kid, his mom and my father, but fortunately she married into his, and we're not really in a position to be shunning anyone, what with the multiple siblings infrequent jailings, the lousy jobs with low pay, little education and all around lunacy. In fact, I'm often amazed we ever made it out of the trailer parks.

All kidding aside, this will be a pretty cool event. I've loved that her family is open enough to allow us to participate in all of their traditions, and in fact, WANT us to participate, it's all been a learning experience, and it will hopefully continue now that we have a new little Jewish fellow in the family.

I'm eagerly anticipating/dreading the Falcons game tonight, hopefully everyone will be pretty much gone by the time it starts. I'd hate for them to see my dad go into a fit when the Falcons are forced to kick a field goal on the five yard line after going three and out.

-L

Sunday, September 11, 2005

Finally...Football

Anyone not interested in football, come back tomorrow, I'll have something else.

I had to work Thursday, so I didn't get to see the season opener, and honestly didn't much care. Though, I do have Oakland's QB on my fantasy team, after Collins 70 yd pass to Moss I'd have 20 pts, but oh well, my other QB is Tampa Bay, who looked decent enough today.

My area, on Fox anyway, got the Carolina/Saints game, and I was disappointed in it entirely. I was rooting for the Panthers, no matter what the Saints may represent at the moment. Football is football, I'm not gonna pull for the Saints because of some tragedy, which they all escaped anyway, and they'll get a new stadium out of it. I'd actually say the Saints came out ahead in all of that, maybe it's the stadium that's been holding them back, after all, how can a team that's never been to one play happily in something named FOR the super bowl that was played there. But, I still wanted them to lose, they're too iffy a team, always have been, if they do get on a high point they tend to implode and bring everything down with them.

Right now I'm flipping between the Dallas/Chargers game and Agassi's amazing feat in the US Open. Man I hope he beats that punk kid, heh. REAL football, though, doesn't begin until tomorrow night, when my Falcons go against the Eagles. I have ZERO confidence in their ability to win, I'm just hoping for a good game, if the team looks good I can begin my ginormous , nail-biting hoping spree. Can they actually make it to the big one? I can hope right?

I have dismal hopes for my fantasy team, who's line-up I can't give you because ESPN sicks ass and apparently can;t support its fantasy traffic. Next year I won't be playing on their site.

I have little predictions for the year, but I do think Dallas will be the surprise of the season.

Tonight marks the beginning of Fox's TV season as well, but I'm most looking forward to Arrested Development's premiere, and for those who don't know, it's moved to Mondays, which may just gain it some viewers now that Raymond has gone.

So, anyway, more football and tennis now, maybe some comics later, and probably a rant about how the Falcons blew it tomorrow night. Peace.

-L

Friday, September 09, 2005

Quickies-9/9/05

So, here's some reviews to tide you guys over for the weekend.

303 #5

I like Garth Ennis. Probably more than any grown man has a right to like a guy who writes comics, especially one he's never met...but I just don't seem to understand what the hell is going on in this book. I loved it when it started, but how it became this, and what exactly happened last issue is kind of a blur. I need to re-read the whole thing when it's finished, which thankfully will be with the next issue. But, given Avatar's infrequent releases, that might not be until December. Grade: ? (I think I'd have to understand it to grade it)

Intimates #11

Well, that was fun. Just one issue to go before it's all over folks. At least, I think it ends with #12. It's ending either way. This is a definite step up over the crappy last issue. The art is doable, and Casey hasn't lost a step with his dialogue or scripting. I'm interested to see how the Wildcats, or at least Marlowe, ties into all this in the end. I could've done without the pity-party Casey turned the scrolls into. We all know his books get canned and he's been editorially screwed as much as anyone else working today, but do you really need to start addressing it inside the damn comic? Here's hoping it ends with a bit of respect for the readers it does have instead of bitching about the ones it doesn't, otherwise I doubt I'll be picking up anything again by Casey.

Cable & Deadpool #19

A filler issue, i can only assume to help add more to an eventual TPB. Still, pretty good stuff. We get a bit more personal with Wade than I think we've ever gotten, which was nice, even if it was predictable...kinda. I really like this series, I like that there's a funny letters column, I like that there's a funny intro updating the reader on the goings on, I like that the one guy who knows the characters better than anyone is getting to write their story, I like that it's pretty much schlock that will never be anything better than an action packed mutant book, and Faber's KNOWS that. I like stories about two guys sittin' at a bar talking about things in ways only two guys at a bar can talk about. I just like it. Grade: 3.5/5

The Batman Chronicle #11

A Paul Pope Batman tale is reason enough to check this one out. It's got three stories in it, all Elseworlds tales. Pope's is easily the best, titled "Berlin Batman", it's just Batman in Berlin in 1938, only Bruce is an effiminate socialite painter, working in the shadows to help those in need as The Batman. It's a damn interesting take on the character, one that has to be read to really be appreciated. The others, a pirate tale by Chuck Dixon and Quique Alcatena which stinks, and a noir story called "Curse of the Cat-Woman" is so-so, written by J.F. Moore with art by Kieron Dwyer. It's pretty much standard for the genre, but it has a cool little origin for the Batman at the end. If you can find it cheap, worth it for the Pope story. Grade: 3.5/5

Ousiders Double Feature

Collect issues #1&2 of the most recent volume. Basically it's the Teen Titans redux, with a few new cats thrown in for the hell of it. It's not good, but it's not that bad, kinda standard capes stuff. I'd like to know how the story ends, but I just can't drumm up enough interest to buy any more issues. I'll stick with my ending, it's better anyway. I'd like to think Grodd kicked the living shit out of them, then took over the city, and eventually the world, and now the DCU looks like something out of a Planet of the Apes movie. Just not the Burton one, that one sucked. Grade: 2.5/5

Death: The High Cost of Living

So, here's Rog's first recommendation. I loved it.

It looks like it's the story of Death as she decides to come to this plane of existence for one day, but it's not, not really. It's really the story of Sexton, a teen with typical teen feelings. He's suicidal, faithless and believes his life is over at 16. A kid that obviously knows nothing. Everything else is just a way to show this kid, and anyone reading, that life is what you make it, it's a decision, one no one but you can make. That, no, there may not be a point to life other than just living it, just staying up to see what happens next, to see what surprises wait around every corner. It's all of that covered up with a cute story about Death inhabiting a body to experience cab rides, hot dogs, actual death, human interaction, danger, all of the things we have to face everyday. Even assholes being assholes. It's not really a new story, it's kind of It's a Wonderful Life-ish, but it works, really well. I even like Bachalo's art, which is something I don't think I've ever been able to say, usually it's too crowded, but it works excellently here. Maybe it's Gaiman's script that helps with that, I dunno. I just know I enjoyed the hell out of it. Thanks Rog! I'll crack the others you recommended later this weekend, for now though, it's off to work!

-L
Recommend My Reading

Well, it's obvious who the first volunteer should be, since he wants me to get to readin' them books, come on down Roger Green! You suggest I crack some of them open and give em a read, so, guess what Rog, ol buddy ol pal? I'm gonna let YOU pick what I should read next! Then I'll review it, definitely here, and maybe over at the Galaxy if it's recent and/or good enough to warrant that.

I think I might make this a regular little feature, maybe each week I can post the list and someone can recommend what book (or books perhaps) I should read. Because I suck at deciding on anything.

BTW Rog, a few of those will show up in my next Loose Staples (here's a hint: Ant #1, Supergirl #1, Fragile Prophet #1, and maybe one of the GNs or trades, haven't decided...plus whatever books I buy before then at the LCS), so you can avoid those.

So, you have the list, you want me to read 'em, I say you tell me what to read. You, yes, YOU, Roger Green, get to be the boss of me!

I'm anxiously awaiting your choice (or, choices maybe!), and do so hope you take this in the light-hearted manner it's intended!

And, if anyone else wants to chime in, feel free, though I can't promise I'll get around to readin' your selection anytime soon. ADD, Chris (either of you), any of my fellow CBG-ers, if you have anything on the list you're dying for me to review for the Galaxy, either as a solo review, or in my column, by all means, add your voices as well, I'll get on them ASAP!

This might be a pretty cool little experiment, if anyone bothers to comment that is.

-L

Thursday, September 08, 2005

Comics-What I Got

Thanks to ADD and the DCBS, and eBay, I've gotten a TON of comics in lately. So, for the hell of it, I made up a list of all the books sitting in my room waiting to be read. In no particular order:

Supergirl #1 (New Series)
Fragile Prophet #1
Ant (Vol. 2) #1
Elseworlds Finest #1
Kissing Chaos: Nine Lives
Juggernaut: The Eigth Day
Dark Corbers #1
Reflux #1
Weapon X #1
Enemy Ace: War Within #1
Volcanic Revolver #1, 3
Writer's Block #1
Shotgun Mary #1
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #1
Fantastic Four: Atlantis Rising
GenerationX/Dracula Annual
Donatello #1
Michaelangelo #1
Black Knight:Exodus
Avengers #1 1/2
Archangel One Shot
What If...? (Vol. 2) #50
Hulk 2099 #1
Sleeper #1
Firestar #1
Fade From Blue #1
Thor (Vol. 2) #1
Midnight Sons Unlimited #1, 7, 9
The Hornet #1
Magneto #0
Ghostewerks Comics #1
Pirate Club #1
The GOAT #1
Ocean #1-2
Angeltown #1-2
Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes #1-2
DC Comics Presents-Hawkman, JLA, Green Lantern, Flash, Batman
Desperadoes: Quiet of the Grave #1-3
A Distant Soil #1-3
Lone #1-3, 5
Mary Jane #1-3
The Pulse #1-3
Battle Pope: Mayhem #1-2
Pitt #1-4
Swamp Thing (New Series) #1-3
Creeps #1-3
Route 666 #1-4
A Touch of Silver #1-5
Resurrection Man #1-5
Major Bummer #1-4
The Losers #1-9
Small Gods #1-5
Eden's Trail #1-3
My Flesh is Cool #1-3&Preview
Mortal Souls #1-3
Reign of the Zodiac #1-8
Daydreamers #1-3
Punisher: The Ghosts of Innocence #1-2
The Foots Soldiers (Vol. 1&2) #1-4, #1-5
Capes #1-3
Havok & Wolverine: Meltdown #1-4
Barb Wire #1-9
Barb Wire: Ace of Spades #1-4 (Don't ask, I just have them...)
Brit Books-Brit, Red White Black & Blue, Cold Death
Street Angel #1-5
American Century #1-27
Blood: A Tale #1-3
Some Dynamo Joe books (Mars, First Adventures, DJ Special)
The All New Exiles #0-11
JLA: Gatekeeper #1-3
Scene of the Crime #1-4
The Ray (Mini) #1-6
Nomad (Mini) #1-4
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane #1-4
Challengers of the Unknown (Chaykin mini) #1-6
Avataars: Covenant of the Shield #1-3
X-Men: True Friends #1-3
Chimera #1-4
Truth: Red, White and Black #1-7
Batgirl: Year One #1-9
Turtle Soup #1-2
Marvel: Shadows & Light #1-4, One-Shot
DC 1st- Superman/Lobo, Batgirl/Joker, Green Lantern, Superman/Flash
Stalagmite 2
Gene Pool
Batman: Holy Terror
JLA: Primevil
JLA: Seven Caskets
JLA: Shogun of Steel
JLA: Island of Dr. Moreau
Just Imagine...Aquaman
Supergirl: Wings
JLA: Haven
The Making of Astronauts in Trouble
Underworld (The Movie)
Job Wanted
Shot Callerz
Vignettes
9-11 Vol. 1&2
Human Target
The Wang: The Big One
Hellblazer Vol. 1
Sandman Vol. 1&2
Formerly Known as the Justice League
She-Hulk Vol. 1
Billi 99
Planet Racers Vol. 1
Less Than Heroes
Carnet de Voyage
100 Bullets Vol. 5&6
Strangers in Paradise Vol. 9&11
Cla$$war Collected Edition
Death: The High Cost of Living
Futurama-o-rama
Suicide Blonde
Tech Jacket Vol. 1
The Maxx Vol. 4-5
Ojo
Ragmop Vol. 1 Preview
Canvas
Jane's World Vol. 1
The Adapted Victor Hugo
Hello, Again
Texarkana Vol. 1
No Dead Time
The Cute Manifesto
The Dare Detectives Case 1.1
The R. Crumb Handbook
Satan's 3-Ring Circus of Hell
Transmetropolitan Vol. 1
Runners Vol. 1
The Ride Vol. 1
Cerebus Vol. 1
Dreadstar: The Definitive Collection Vol. 1 HC
Invincible: Ultimate Collection HC Vol. 1

Waiting to be re-read/reviewed:

Frankenstein Mobster #0-3
1602
Aztek #1-10
Trpublemakers #1-19
DC: The New Frontier #1-6
Bone Vol. 2
Desperadoes: Epidemic
Hero@Large #1
Jon Sable, Freelance: Bloodtrail #3
Machine Teen #4
Batman Chronicles #11
The Outsiders Double Feature (#1&2)
Daredevil HC Vol. 1-3
Fantastic Four HC Vol. 1
Ultimate Fantastic Four HC Vol. 1

Thassa alotta friggin comics. Off to work, later folks

-L

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Dexy's Midnight Links

New stuff up at the Galaxy. Actually, it was new yesterday, but I'm a bum. My latest Loose Staples, my review of a decent mini-comic, Brush and Pen, along with Sterling's Behind the Counter, and best of all, the one and only Rob Vollmar actually has a new International Geographic this week. This is why he rules and you all drool. None of you give me presents like this.

Except Steven Grant, who has a new Permanent Damage up.

Fell CBG-er, Gordon has a new Stripped Books up. Go read it. NOW! It's about that Potter fellow that all the kids seem to love.

Thank you.

Darn, no Kids Incorporated DVDs.

But we do get more Clone Wars!

Comicscape has a rundown of this weeks comics.

Progressive Ruin celebrates post #1000. Good on him. He should write more fanfic, this was hilarious.

The world according to Kid Chris, via Dorian. I'd say we start a petition for a KC blog, but Mike and his little gang have enough members already.

Wanna know why some people stayed? Here's a poem. This is heartbreaking.

If you haven't yet, sign this petition!

Hah! I have no (and I do mean NO) training whatsoever in writing. I have a high school education for fuck's sake, and I turn out better stuff on a weekly basis than this idiot. Why the hell would this even get published? If I sent this in to CBG, Alan would have a "serious talk" with me about my place on the site. First of all, there's nothing there. NOTHING. I don't dig on Kochalka's auto-bio stuff, I just don't, but if I was going to talk about it I'd say something at least informed. This guy doesn't seem to have even read any of his stuff, only read reviews he found through Google. What a fucking moron.

-L
The Lost List

Y'see, it was on a plane, making its way to me, and it crashed. Took me a while to find it, so here it is 4 AM and I'm just now getting to it. Lots and lots of great stuff though.

Buffalo Bill - The Complete First and Second Seasons 1 & 2

Despite starring Dabney Coleman, I've never friggin heard of this...why is that?

Call Me - The Rise and Fall of Heidi Fleiss

This is like joke overload. "Call me...a dirty whore!" "Rise and fall...get it? Rise and fall? Heh heh heh."

Okay, those are the only two I have.

Charmed - The Complete Second Season

Most shows don't survive one cast member leaving, how the hell has this survived two?

Crash (Widescreen Edition)

Never heard of it, but Sandy bullock is in it, so that means "Nope!"

Daredevil (Director's Cut)

This is a rerelease, so the price drops. All of you who wondered why Daredevil sucked so bad, now's your chance to see it actually being pretty darn good.

Doogie Howser MD Season Two

Dammit, now I'll never get that theme outta my head.

Dr. Sex / Wanda the Sadistic Hypnotist

Ummm, yes please!

Fraggle Rock - Complete First Season

Maaaaaaaann, you have no idea how BAD I want to buy this...must...resist...singing...

Lost - The Complete First Season

I found it!

Yeah, that was bad. Adding it to my Netflix queue now...

Macgyver - The Complete Third Season

You can take the set apart and reassemble it into a bomb.

Millennium - The Complete Third Season

I think they should have Lance Henrickson sell this door to door. How creepy would that be.

Please Don't Eat My Mother

Well....okay...I guess I don't have to. What about your dad?

Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends - The Complete Third Season

Must kill moose and squirrell.

The Sting (Legacy Series Edition)

Newman+Redford=PERFECT

Toy Story (10th Anniversary Edition)

$15 at Circuit City. Just go buy the damn thing.

See? Good stuff!

-L

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

And the Winner is...

Good buddy Rog Green is getting himself some Fantastic Four comics, courtesy of yours truly. As for the other few that entered, guess what? Well, since I'm such a great guy, you're all getting something too! I'll get a small list together tonight, it won't be much, but you'll get something at least. I'll mail it off to you guys and it'll be a first come first serve kinda thing...I think. Unless you'd rather it be a surprise?

-L

Monday, September 05, 2005

Labor Day Indeed!

Apologies for the blog abandonment this weekend, but you'll understand shortly.

It's been a rather eventful weekend. I spent all of Saturday working (college season makes it busy as all hell) and then spent all of Sunday sleeping Saturday off. Sunday night I played in a long-ass poker game (lasted about 4 hours at least) and played designated driver to a few people, so I got to bed around 5:30 AM this morning. At 7:30 I get woken up by my Dad, we had planned a family get together for the day. It was called off...my step-mother was going into labor.

The thing here was, it was a planned c-section...there wasn't supposed to be a "going into labor", but this kid apparently wanted out, and bad. I spent all morning in a waiting room, dead tired, with the rest of my dead tired poker-playing family. At about 1 today we finally got the announcement. I have a baby brother, Avi Craddock Polk. No, not the best name, but my Dad's never been one for great names, but the intent is there. Avi Arad has become like a hero to my Dad, for bringing his childhood hero to the big screen, Spider-Man, plus the kid is gonna be half Jewish, so they liked that it sounded at least eastern. Craddock was my Dad's mom's maiden name, a name that died with her on December of last year (do the math, my dad and s-mom got preggers right before or right after her death, comforting and eerie), and it's his way of preserving it. So at least his heart is in the right place. But no matter, Avi will be loved regardless of name.

I haven't been excited about the coming birth, not really sure why, but when I held the little guy for the first time, I was so excited I could barely stand still. I'm still excited, going off the adrenaline alone right now after only 2 hrs of sleep. After watching all the devastation in NO this week and flip-flopping on what I think about it, it's nice to have something so fucking positive come into my life. It suddenly makes all the bullshit seem like exactly that, bullshit. What do comics, finger-pointing, the arrest of a sibling (another story for another time perhaps...) and movies have on the birth of a child. Not a damn thing I tell ya.

I know it sounds like he's my kid and not just my brother, but being 26 I'm old enough to make him a responsibility to me. To make sure this kid gets what he needs, to help my dad in any way I can. This will by far be the biggest adventure of my life, and it's one I'm looking forward to more than I ever thought I would.

So, Avi, welcome to the world!

(Contest winners announced tomorrow!!!!)

-L

Friday, September 02, 2005

Quickies (and other stuff)-9/2/05

Let's get right to the comics, shall we?

TMNT #23

Wow, since this book come out every two months, that means I've been buying it for four years. This is probably the most progressive book on the stands, meaning that things are constantly changing for the four Turtles, hell until recently it had been quite a few months since they were even in the same room together, their stories taking four seperate routes, and even now Mikey isn't with the other three. After finding out April's disturbing origin last month it was nice to have some focus on the Turtles, but I'm anxious to see how her subplot wraps up, as well as the Turtles. Mikey is on another planet, Raph is some Godzilla look alike, Don is the size of one of my G.I. Joes, and Leo seems to be pretty normal still. And the changes are somewhat permanent, especially in Raph's case. I love seeing this book on the shelves, but with Laird admitting that each issue is losing money, it's a wonder that it's still going. So, please, everyone, buy this book! If it's cancelled I'll have to come to your house and beat you up! Grade: A

Grounded #2

I JUST reviewed issue #1 over at CBG, and now I have issue #2 in my hands. It was a lot more structured than the first ish, and still had plenty of the "funny", but wasn't any more enjoyable, which isn't saying it's bad, just so-so. I love the cover though! Azaceta's art is muddy but beautiful and Sable's script is funny, even if the plot holes are still kind of there. But, they're only plot holes until they're resolved right? It's cool watching scenes from the first ish be repeated here, but with different outcomes, since Jonathan is now in a completely different environment.The dodgeball scene is particularly good. All in all good, unconventional capes book, but it could be better. Grade: B-

Tales of the TMNT #14

It's nice having two Turtles book, especially with the focus being so different. This ish wraps up a two-part tale that saw four Leo's from various ages travel back in time to free a mystic monkey. Pretty "high" concept no? Good, good stuff, great action scenes, good dialogue, and a plot that's to die for, there's even a "kick you in the pants" ending that made me smile. This series jumps in quality from issue to issue, but I'm happy to say that this story was as good as anything that's happened in the regular series lately. And I love the art! Grade: A

So, there, I talked comics! You happy?

The "other stuff" is just icing on the cake!


I meant to link to this the other day, but unfortunately it slipped my mind and I forgot to bookmark it, so here it is:

Stripped Books from fellow Galaxy contributor Gordon. At the site are two online strips he does, Stripped and Multiplex. Stripped is a non-fiction comic that looks at the happenings in Chicago that have to do with comics. It's a lot less confusing than it sounds, I swear. The quality varies from strip to strip, but it's overall enjoyable stuff. But, I LOVE Multiplex. Gordon is pretty good with the humour, and it has movie references in it, so it's like paradise for me. Please, go check them out!

Other new stuff at the Galaxy: Breakdowns, Last Call and International Geographic. Three of my favorite things!

Yeah, I got fooled with the International Geographic thing two, man was I all excited. Let's hope the "time consuming work" involves the words "Blues" and "Man". Thanks a lot Chris Hunter!

I kid because I love. But, while there' no manga column, there is a contest! Lots of good books for very little work!

Speaking of contests, enter mine already! Just email me at dedpool1979@aol.com, put FF Comics in the title, include your name an address if you'd like (otherwise I'll contact you when and if you win), and bam! you could win some free Fantastic Four Comics!

ADD has a cool interview up at his Kochalkaholic blog. Despite anything that's said about him, and all the negativity in comics today, this is just one happy blog. It's just nice to see anyone be excited about anything the way that ADD gets excited about Kochalka's work. While you're there, sign his petition!

Greg Burgas sums up how I feel about N'awlins. But I'm gonna say it here anyway.

Is it a disaster? Yeah, you bet. But 9/11 it is not. Those people died for no other reason than there are idiots running things and religious zealots running other things. I feel sorry for the people that have lost so much, but only a fool would ever go back. My grandmother's trailer was once decimated by a tornado. She had a pretty big plot of land, so when it came time to get another one, well, she wasn't fool enough to put it back in the same place. New Orleans is a lost cause in my opinion. It will take years to get it back to something resembling what it was, and I just don't see the point. You cannot defy nature. You can stand there, with your chest puffed out, screaming at her all you want, but when she comes at you full force, you're going to fall, and you're going to fall hard. This will happen again, it's only a matter of time.

So, that's it for me. Have a great weekend folks. I'll be back at somepoint during it, I'm sure.

-L

Thursday, September 01, 2005

Celebrate Good Times

It's the beginning of another month, and gladly the end of summer. I hate the summer, not only is it the worst three months for business (Just about any business too...), but it's hot, most especially here in the South. I think our hottest day with the heat index was 120, but I may be wrong about that. We surprisingly had a wet summer too, last year there was a drought, this year it must have rained twice a week or more.

Anyway, I didn't come here to talk about my shitty summer, I came here to talk about a man.

Five years ago today Alan David Doane launched Comic Book Galaxy. I wasn't there, so I don't have any funny stories to tell about the site's early beginnings. Hell, I can't even pin down the date I discovered the site, though I'd say it's been about four years or so, so I was almost there from the beginning.

Instead of talking about CBG like she was a person, I'm just going to talk about the man behind it all, because, really, without him, there is no site. Even when he's not there, he's there. Lots of people have lots of things to say about Alan David Doane, some of them good, but I'd wager most of them bad, and for the life of me I just don't get it.

What's so bad about a guy that goes to great expense to get his opinion out there? Does the geek world at large find him too forceful? I don't see why, because you can walk into any comics shop in America and find someone (who probably looks a lot like me) waxing poetic about how they'd change comics if they could. And by comics they ALWAYS mean Marvel or DC. Well, guess what, Alan David Doane DOES change comics. He changes them every day of his life. He changed them while you were scratching your ass and deciding which Claremont book you were going to buy then trash on the internet. He changed them while you were typing up your diatribe about how Bendis is the greatest thing since sliced bread, he changed them while you were filing away your books in their neat little bags into those long ass boxes, never to be opened again, he's changing them right now as I type this.

How does he change them? Why, by demanding more. And when he doesn't get what he wants, well, he quits buying the damn book. He doesn't buy every issues of X-Shit just because he's been buying it since he was 12. When it stopped being good, well, he stopped fucking buying it, and you should to. He's changing the face of comics by reading books he enjoys, and when he finds a book like that, he champions the living hell out of it. Castaways, Street Angel and Bluesman are three books that come immediately to mind. They'd be great even if Alan had never read them, sure, but how many copies got sold because he got off his ass (or rather, sat down on his ass) and shoved them down people's throats. It won't be in the thousands, but even if it was just one, he changed comics.

So, why does everyone find it so appalling that he has a strong opinions and is very abrasive? The entire superhero reading world is opinionated and abrasive, why the hell should Alan David Doane be any different. Thankfully he's not, and thankfully he finds books that deserve champions, and he opens his mouth about it.

Alan David Doane is a lot of things to a lot of people, a friend, a boss, a dad, a husband, a jerk, and loud-mouth, a co-worker, and to most of the world he's just another face in a sea of dorks talking about dorky things. But to comics, he's a hero, and this world definitely needs heroes.

-L