Today, no time for blog, Dr. Jones.

But while you wait for my drunken crack whore muse to vomit again in my general direction, you should go over to ChaosMonkey's Abysmal Pit and read this great poem he wrote for a creative writing class. It's a hoot.

Time now to go drink rum & coke and read comics. Got everything listed earlier except the Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft. It was 15 bucks, and I didn't want to spend over 20 today so I shall bide my time until the next 25% off sale. Paged through it, though, and it really looks good. The Jill Thompson art in the last story was almost worth the cover price alone, plus there's a new Hellboy story in it too. And yes, I know that it will most likely be in the next HB trade, whenever that comes out. But still.

Speaking of Hellboy, I got my prize for winning the contest Steve Lieber had a couple of months ago, a drawing of the World's Most Famous Paranormal Investigator...and it's sweeter than Ashley Olsen's sticky buns. I'll post it as soon as I scan it so's you can all envy me a little.

Chin-chin!

Over at ESPN.com, as part of their 25th anniversary celebration, they're inviting readers to vote on the 5 best sports-related movies of the last quarter-century. To see the full list of films you can choose from and vote if you like, go here..

Huh? My list? It went something like this.

1. The Natural (This flick chokes me up every time...one of the best film scores ever, by Randy Newman)
2. Eight Men Out (And me a White Sox fan! I think they totally nailed the period flavor and the performances are all top-notch. Shoeless Joe Jackson and Buck Weaver should be eligible for the gorram Hall of Fame)
3. Caddyshack (One of the funniest films of all time, bar none. Candy bar. Heh)
4. Major League (Another one of the funniest films of all time. "Yo, bartender, Jobu needs a refill.")
5. Hoosiers (If you don't apply silly stuff like logic to this film, it's a classic. Hackman is great as always, so is Dennis Hopper, and the basketball scenes are excellent)

If I had to choose another five:

6. Bend It Like Beckham (Most enjoyable film I've seen in a good long while)
7. Raging Bull (Brutal and gripping, a classic film film, not just a sports film)
8. Jerry Maguire (Hey, it's got Renee (sigh) Zellweger at her sexiest in it! What more do you need? What's it about? I forget. Oh, right: "Ambassador of Quan! Show Me The Money!" One of the things I liked best was Cameron Crowe's music choices for the soundtrack- love scene set to McCartney's "Singalong Junk"- brilliant!)
9. A League Of Their Own (I think this one set a record for combined airings on TBS, TNT and HBO/Cinemax in one year, but it's got a great cast, great story, Geena Davis looking all sexy and dirty, and Jon Lovitz going home to give his wife the "pickle tickle". Well, OK, it's got Rosie O'Donnell, but nothing's perfect...besides, she's pretty good in this. So is Madonna- maybe her best screen role!)
10. Bull Durham (A little overrated by many, but still fun)

I liked Cobb, but not enough to be in the top 10. Same for the cloying Field of Dreams. 61*, an HBO movie, was pretty good but not especially remarkable. I liked White Men Can't Jump, but Woody pissed me off so much at the end (whatta dumbass) that it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth when I think of that flick. Omissions? Where's Any Given Sunday? Happy Gilmore? Kingpin, fer chrissakes!

Time now, finally, for a look at some of the books I've received in the mail...

Y'know, it's not easy to do slice-of-life stuff, especially light-hearted slice of life stuff, well- especially given the cynical mindset of most TV, film, and print writers these days. Look at all the downbeat and exceedingly lame TV sitcoms, dramas, comic strips, etc. we have out there to bear witness to that fact. When one runs across an instance in which it's done right, then we need to stand up and shout about it, and that's most definitely the case with Tom Beland's True Story, Swear To God: 100 Stories, a collection of Beland's two-tier strips which are basically about him, his life, his relationships, his fanboy-ish-ness, his career as a cartoonist, his childhood, etc. In less capable hands, this could get tedious real fast, but Beland manages to hit the right note nine and one-half times out of ten, and the end result is that you can't put this down once you get started. He even manages to be engaging when he shifts gears and writes about the death, in his teenage years, of his parents- quite wrenching, especially if you've been through something similar. Invaluable in keeping the tone light throughout is Beland's cartooning style- he has a swooping, graceful line which reminds me a lot of the great Al Hirschfeld, and this makes Beland's vignettes a pleasure to look at, even when he's getting all serious on us. True Story, Swear To God, the ongoing, is a title that I pretty much overlooked when it came out initially, there's just so much to buy and so little money with which to do it with...but I'm thinking I might need to start picking it up as soon as possible. If you're looking for a fun read, written by an engaging storyteller with no hidden political agendas or cynical attitude to impose, then I definitely recommend picking both this and the ongoing up. You'll be glad, I think, you did.

Hench is the story of, well, a super-villian henchman, surely as much a staple of comics lore as the cape, mask and secret identity. This sort of thing has been touched upon before, I think, but I can't recall when it's been looked at in as much depth as here. Set , of course, in a world in which superheroes and supervillians do their respective things, football star Mike Fulton blows out a knee, has trouble adjusting to life without sports, specifically getting a job and providing for his wife and young son, and eventually falls into the henching profession. He winds up working for an assortment of colorful costumed lunatics on a number of big heists- sometimes they pays off, sometimes they don't and he gets busted and sent to prison, which causes serious strain on his marriage. When we first meet Fulton, it's late in his career and he's pondering just how it got to the point it did, plus, he's contemplating one last big score so he can get away. Problem is, the job is for the biggest psycho nutjob in the city...and somehow he winds up holding a gun at the head of the other big psycho nutjob in the city, a Batman-ish crimefighter named "Still of the Night". Does he shoot him in cold blood? He can't let him go, surely! Along the way, we get a look back into how he got into the life, and how much it's cost him. Hench is a nicely written character study, populated with imaginative characters, and it's writer Adam Beechen's straightfaced approach to the subject matter that keeps it from veering into Tick territory. Art-wise, Manny Bello is a bit on the raw side, especially in his figure drawing, but manages to keep the proceedigs going efficiently enough. He gives us a handful of full-page swipe illos, inspired by and credited to the likes of Ditko, Kirby and Steranko, and these are well done. So I think Bello bears watching in the future, and perhaps we'll look at this like we do X-Men 53 when considering Barry Smith. Hench isn't perfection, but it is a solid effort by a couple of creators who, I'll bet, will be heard from often in years to come.

Later: Malinky Robot: Stinky Fish Blues and Jax Epoch.

There's a new Christgau Consumer Guide up over at VillageVoice.com. Most notable is his pan of the new Wilco CD...but not surprising since he's never really been an admirer anyway.

The book I've been illustrating for Mrs.B is complete as of a couple of hours ago. All that's left is to mail off the files and keep our fingers crossed. I've printed out copies for them to refer to, but they're not color correct (I've tried to calibrate my monitor and printer as best I can, but I don't have the necessary equipment to do it right) so that's my biggest concern- first, have I made the correct color choices, and second, will they be able to print them satisfactorily judging by what I've given them? We shall see.

Anyway, you may have noticed I've had more writing time now that my toiling is over, hence the entries today. Next thing I intend to do is some character sketches for a script I received recently, plus a drawing for its writer, then I'll see what I can do with the script itself. After that, who knows.

I wanted to get around to writing about some of the books I've received in the mail recently, most notably Malinky Robot 1, Hench, True Story, Swear To God: 100 Stories, and Jax Epoch (and the impossibly long title)...but it's gonna have to wait another day. But I'll get to them, I swear by the Hammer of Granthar.

Huh? What's the dealy-o with the above panel featuring Official Super-Hero Mascot of the JBS Super-Hip? Well, I'll tell ya. Scott Shaw has featured an issue of Adventures of Bob Hope starring Tadwallader Jutefruice's swingin' Brian Jones-lookalike alter ego in his regular Oddball Comics page on Comic Book Resources, and I wanted to tell you about it so's you could go read it for yourself! Click on the picture above and you are like there, daddy-o!

DARK HORSE BOOK OF WITCHCRAFT
STEVE RUDE'S THE MOTH #3
BATMAN HARLEY & IVY #3
JLA #100
MIDNIGHT, MASS: HERE THERE BE MONSTERS #6
SLEEPER SEASON TWO #1
TEEN TITANS GO #8

Here's what I'll be getting Wednesday, according to the new Diamond shipping list. I'm kinda hoping that (as good as I'm sure it's gonna be) that I didn't sign up for that Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft, since it's 15 bucks. But if I did, I'll get it. Other interesting titles (to me, anyway) include the welcome return of Kelly, Mahnke and Nguyen to JLA, more great art to gaze upon in Harley & Ivy and The Moth, and the long-awaited debut (well, I've been looking forward to it anyway) of the Mad Mod in the new Teen Titans Go!. And joy unspeakable, Sleeper returns this week.

If I don't pick up that Book of Witchcraft, then I might get last week's Catwoman. I had ceased to pay attention to that book to the point where I wasn't aware that Sean Phillips did the art in that issue! And of course, there's Free Comic Book day coming up on Saturday...I'm gonna be in town so I'll stop in and see what kinda swag I can pick up. And lest I forget- if you find yourself with an extra 13 bucks or so, and your gaze falls upon the Same Difference and Other Stories trade by Derek Kirk Kim, buy it. You'll be so happy you did. I would, but I've got enough to buy as it is. Besides, I read the lead story when Kim serialized it on his website and enjoyed it a lot, so I'm kinda leaning towards buying something I haven't already read. Plus, I'd be seriously shocked if my comics shop got a copy in...

Hey! Another Vinyl-O in the house! For those who may not be familiar with the Mondo Vinyl-O, it's where I write a paragraph or three about a number of those paragons of antiquity the 33 1/3 long-playing vinyl recorded album, specifically those I've listened to in the period since the last Vinyl-O. This was prompted originally by a new turntable I purchased in late 2002, and my joy in being able to listen to a lot of albums that I hadn't been able to for a heck of a long time, or to be specific, the demise of my previous turntable. So anyway, on with the show.

IAN HUNTER'S OVERNIGHT ANGELS (1977)
You're probably aware of Hunter- lead vocalist and primary songwriter for the great Mott The Hoople, big hit "All The Young Dudes", also wrote "Once Bitten Twice Shy" (Great White had a hit with it, shudder) "Cleveland Rocks" (you remember- Drew Carey). In 1975, having gone as far as he felt he could go with Mott, he struck out on his own (well, with former Bowie main man Mick Ronson at first) and released his self-titled debut later that same year. It went over pretty well, but Ronson couldn't hang around thanks to his rotten contract with Tony DeFries and MainMan, so Hunter was left to his own devices and recorded the more low-key and jazzy All American Alien Boy in America the next year. While this was an excellent album, it contained no hits and stiffed. Hunter went back to England, formed a band, recorded some new songs with then-white-hot Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker, and named the record after the band, "Overnight Angels". All good, right? Monster record, right? Wrong. Columbia USA, for some reason, didn't like the album and chose not to release it, and it was available only on import for several years. Of course, you know I had to search all over God's earth to get a copy because I was an absolutely rabid Hunter/Mott fan back then, and I managed to score this album a year later thanks to the efforts of Bill Lloyd at Tunetown. Anyway, it's a mystery why Columbia didn't like this- it's certainly no worse than the first two. With Baker at the helm, it has a bit more bombast than we were accustomed to getting from Ian at the time, but it really added a galloping, frantic edge to cuts like the side one opener "Golden Opportunity" and the next cut, "Shallow Crystals". Track three, which name-drops the band in "Hey Hey We're The Monkees" style, opens ominously but soon breaks out into a surging rocker. "Broadway" is a typical Hunter song about young girl in the big city and showbiz and rock 'n' roll and all that, and is marked with nice dynamics. Side two begins with a bopping rocker "Justice of the Peace", featuring doo-wopish vocal backing; it's agreeable but slight. Next up is another fallen angel song, "Miss Silver Dime", which again has a nice theatrical dynamic with its swelling chorus but features some rather sexist lyrics (Hunter sometimes fell into this trap, sadly). "Wild and Free" attempts to be just that, but is really the only clunker on the record- it's a lot of bash and crash and nothing else. "Ballad of Little Star" is similar in feel to "Shallow Crystals" and "Broadway". The album's closer is really out of left field- "To Love A Woman" is almost pop-soul, and sounded very radio-friendly to my ears with its Queen-ish backing vocals. It's anybody's guess why this album received the treatment it did, but the upshot was that Hunter disbanded the group (one of the members had gone to join Foreigner anyway) and came back two years later with what was his best-selling (well, Ian Hunter might have sold more, I don't know) solo album, You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic, so it all turned out OK. I still like to dig this out and give it a listen once in a while, and I'm happy to have it!

SUPERTRAMP-EVEN IN THE QUIETEST MOMENTS (1977)
This was the album that set Supertramp up for its late 70s-early 80s success, thanks to its hit "Give A Little Bit", a charming piece of poppery that sounds good on the radio to this day. Supertramp as a group was an odd duck- too pop to be prog, too elaborate in its song structures and subject matter to be pop- but most often they got lumped in with the progressives. Of course, after the next album Breakfast In America went sextuple platinum, they started getting compared to the Beatles, with whom they did share a definite knack for writing memorable melodies. Anyway, there's plenty of those on this album, which is quite all over the map with its influences. Of course, there's strong popcraft throughout, augmented with jazzy sax and chord changes and even some gospel flourishes here and there. Quietest Moments isn't as pop-friendly as its successors were, several cuts are over six minutes in length, the best being the big magnum opus track "Fool's Overture", essentially a "Fool on the Hill" type statement which incorporates synths and a sampled Winston Churchill speech, and is actually very memorable despite its self-pitying lyric. Other cuts of note include the love-song title track, again melodically strong, the theatrical-sounding "Lover Boy" which kinda comes across as music-hall on Thorazine; "From Now On", with its catchy gospel-choir BVs in the chorus and fadeout; and my favorite cut, ironically the simplest and shortest- "Downstream", a very touching love-n-devotion song with a haunting melody. Groups like Supertramp may be one of the reasons why we got Punk, but they were OK with me. I listened to this album a lot back in '77 and '78, so it remains a sentimental favorite, even though later I got really really tired of hearing "Take The Long Way Home" on the radio.

JOAN ARMATRADING-THE KEY (1983)
West Indie-born Armatrading was a husky-voiced singer-songwriter that everybody always thought was one album away from having that ONE HIT single or album which would propel her into superstardom...and while it never happened, she's managed to have a long, steady if not spectacular career which continues to this day. This album was as close as he came to grabbing the brass ring. It was produced (to distraction, some might say) by Steve Lillywhite, fresh off successes with XTC, Big Country, and especially U2, and he did his typical bombastic thing on nearly every cut. The Key is very much a 1983-type record, loaded with synths, syndrums, and agressive reggae-ish beats, and fortunately for Armatrading her songs were strong enough to hold up under the weight of such treatment. There are several tracks i flat out love, like the rockish (if a bit dodgy lyric-wise, in a PC way) "I Love It When You Call Me Names"; the swaying reggae-ish title track- the "key", of course, is to your heart; and a couple of heartfelt ballads ("Everybody Gotta Know", "I Love My Baby") which close each side and are very moving despite the overbearing synth accompaniment. "Drop The Pilot" is another catchy rocker. Adrian Belew guests on several cuts. According to AMG, this one crashed the US Top 40, but I don't think she ever returned. Lillywhite went on to absolutely butcher (in my opinion, a lot of people dig it) Marshall Crenshaw's second album, and produced a handful of subsequent Armatrading releases. I dig this one out occasionally and get taken straight back to '83.

GRAHAM NASH-WILD TALES (1973)
Around 1972, when glam, bubblegum and shock-rock were ascendent, many of the old-school 60's rock stars were seeing the writing on the wall for the hippie dream, and many of them recorded downbeat, depressed records which reflected on their lives and what went wrong. A great example of this is Neil Young's excellent Time Fades Away, and his CSNY compadre Graham Nash followed suit with this, his second solo album, which shares many similarities with Young's album, including many of the same musicians and general sound. Of course, it's nowhere near as good as TFA, but there are several worthy tracks here including the side one opening title cut, which finds Nash in a cranky mood as he confronts someone who keeps complaining to him, set to a "Woodstock"-ish beat. It pretty much sets the feel of the record- Nash is in a bad mood, and almost every cut has a scolding, didactic tone which becomes kinda opressive for a while. He makes George Harrison sound like a happy-go-lucky free spirit sometimes. Misery loves company, I guess. Anyway, some other memorable tracks include the country shuffle "You'll Never Be The Same" which features some nice harmony vocals even as he gives the kiss-off to a former girlfriend, "Grave Concern", another uptempo rocker with that mid-70s Young rhythm section sound and some tasty David Lindley slide guitar; and "And So It Goes", which reminds somewhat of Young songs like "Cowgirl in the Sand" and "L.A." and again, nice harmony vocals- in fact, that's a given throughout the record- say what you want about CSN and the occasional Y- those sumbitches could harmonize. Brilliantly. Beautifully. My favorite cut is the gently loping "Hey You (Looking at the Moon), which has a low-key but engaging melody, nicely sung of course and featuring some wheezy harmonica licks in the mix. One serious negative to this album, though, is the Dylanish "Oh Camil (The Winter Soldier)", which finds scornful Nash taking the high moral ground in judgment over a Vietnam vet. This is simply reprehensible, and while he took some flak over it, he didn't get enough if you ask me. Anyway, Wild Tales, overall, is a strong, and overlooked record, like its predecessor Songs For Beginners. Nash engages and entertains even as he repels with his glumness and hectoring. My love for the early-mid 70s CSNY sound is enough, apparently, for me to overlook the most egregious of subject matter.

BONNIE RAITT-THE GLOW (1979)
Bonnie, having released six good-to-outstanding albums featuring her distinctive blues/country/pop/folk throughout the 70s to almost complete chart indifference, was looking (like Joan Armatrading above) for that ONE BIG HIT which would propel her to the next level. It looked like her cover of Del Shannon's "Runaway" from 1977's Sweet Forgiveness was gonna do it, but it stalled before reaching the upper heights of the charts, so enter Peter Asher, who was experiencing mega success as the producer of both James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, who were both superstars at the time. Hook her up with Bonnie, and the sky's the limit, right? Uh, wrong. The Glow failed on a lot of levels, and a big part of it was Asher's production style, which poured layer after layer of gloss on an artist best left with some rough edges here and there. The record came out and sank without a trace in the post-punk- and-early-new-wave-late 70s. Bonnie, for her part, didn't help much- her originals were uniformly dull, and what spark The Glow has comes from the covers, such as side one opener "I Thank You", the old Sam & Dave hit and the first single, which doubtlessly got overshadowed by ZZ Top's cover of the same song from that same year- a bigger hit, as I recall. Still, it was a rocking track and definite reason for optimism. It's followed by another Hayes/Porter blues song, "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)", and while you'd think it's right in Bonnie's wheelhouse, it's given a plodding treatment and seems two minutes too long. And that remains a problem- there's a tired feeling about just about every song on the record. Tempos are mid-at -best, and each song has a generic sameness about it that makes almost every one of them dull and boring. Not the best way to propel onesself to stardom. There's a Jackson Brown cover, "Sleep's Dark and Silent Gate", which is played for dramatics but becomes a snooze (of course, it doesn't help that I'm not a big Browne fan anyway), a woulda-shoulda been fun cover of "Bye Bye Baby", a rocking cut for about a minute and a half but again it goes on too long and doesn't get any more interesting; a dumb reggae-style cover of the great song "The Boy (Girl) Can't Help It", and some primo lounge-schlock on the title cut. Towards the end, it perks up a bit with a cover of Robert Palmer's "You're Gonna Get What's Coming", which was also a single and probably should have been a hit- it's catchy as all get out but overlong; and the album closes with Eric Kaz's "Goin' Wild For You Baby", a tuneful ballad in which Raitt finally sounds as winning as she can, and hearkens back to previous efforts like her excellent 1975 Home Plate. The Glow was a total disaster, in my opinion, and kinda hastened her slide into dire career straits during the 80s. Asher didn't fare much better after this album, either- he was less in demand by the middle of the 80s as Ronstadt went off into other musical directions and Taylor went into semi-retirement. Of course, it took an even slicker approach by producer Don Was to get her that long-awaited and well-deserved stardom via 1989's Nick of Time, but she went through a lot of down periods beforehand. Oddly enough, I saw her in concert on the tour for this album and she delivered a great show, which convinced me that it was Asher what sunk this record.

299 days remaining until land burning and sea boiling time, according to FireflyFans.net. Click on the banner above to go to the brand new official Serenity (the movie) site! Hope they spiff up the graphics a bit in the future...

BEST OF THE WEEK

COMICS COMMENTARY!
What I bought and what I thought, week of June 23

JOHN CONSTANTINE: HELLBLAZER 197
Funny. I read better-illustrated comics (Wanted) and better-written comics (The Losers) this week, but none of them engaged me like the latest chapter in the saga of John Constantine, amnesiac. Of course, we've been down this road before with ol' Conjob, most notably in the long-ago Ennis/Dillon days, but Mike Carey has been lessening the deja-vu with some sharp dialogue and some interesting trappings like the demon who's following him around offering to give him back his memories. This issue's story framework, a cult centered around a malignant "savior" (ensconced, naturally, in a creepy abandoned church) provides sufficient menace and enough gravity to make me actually wonder, for the umpteenth time, "How the heck does John get out of this". I'm not sure about the demonic cult leader's identity, but I have a suspicion it's someone from a previous arc, one that I didn't particularly care for, and the notion of making recycled characters more interesting appeals to me somehow. I think what puts this issue on top for me, though, is the return of Marcelo Frusin to the art chores. His work is easily the best we've seen here since Sean Phillips left, and I'll hate to see him go, even if it's to make way for Leo Manco. A-

WANTED 4
Looks like our MarshallMathers Man "hero" is beginning to show signs of being what passes for a "good guy" in this series after all, as the machinations of Mister Rictus and all the less than benevolent members of the super-baddie community tighten around him. Nicely paced and tightly written, what prevents this (so far) from turning into what passes for a surlier version of Astro City or a perverted version of The Tick is the superlative art of J.G. Jones, who really must be considered one of the best there is these days. Worth mentioning is the awful early 90's Image-style art in the "bonus" preview of the upcoming must-avoid series called Human Kind, which tempted me to dock this comic to a B+. Really, fellas- that sort of thing is not what comics needs right now. A-

THE LOSERS 13
Horrors! What is this, the latest issue of what is probably my favorite comics series not named Jack Staff or Promethea, coming in at #3 out of 4? Gadzooks! Anyway, the answer's pretty simple- the fill-in artist left me cold. Somehow Nick Dragotta, who (it says) worked on X-Statix (presumably after I stopped buying), manages to make the energeting, vertiginous layouts of regular artist Jock and change them into some sort of clumsy amalgam of Matt Wagner, Cliff Chiang, and not surpisingly, Mike Allred- and while that may not sound too bad since these are fine artists in their own right- for every nicely drawn panel we get cartoony Sambo faces on Pooch, genie cowboy boots on Cougar that only a Don Martin cartoon character could wear comfortably, and general inconsistency all round. And he's coming back next issue, oh joy. A shame, too, because the Diggle script is as good as ever, with our misfits being shanghaied by Quataris (Quatari Force? Hee) and approached about doing some "work" for them, while the ever-more-interesting Agent Stegler finds his new assignment less and less to his liking. This is not a bad issue, far from it- it reads as well as ever, but the art just kills it. Where's Shawn Martinbrough (the artist that reeled me in to this title in the first place) when you need him? B+

THE WITCHING 1
Basically a "getting acquainted" issue, so the jury's still out. The three main characters are interesting enough, and the script by unknown-to-me Jonathan Vankin is fine, if a little convoluted. Bonus points for the unexpected cameo at the end, which explains the "special thanks" credit to Peter Gross. The art, though, is something else again. In penciller Leigh Gallagher (another unknown, to me anyway) and inker Ron Randall we get another of what seems to be the preferred Vertigo style these days...a stiff, mannered, far-too-neat-and-pretty approach that frankly puts a distance between the reader and the characters. Well, this reader anyway. Of course, the MacPherson cover is almost worth the three bucks all by itself. B

OK, I'm back. What started as a one-or-two day break at most practically turned into a weekend hiatus! And gee, the Comics Blogospheriverse and the Music Blogospheriverse and any other Blogospherowhatevers that I may fit in went right on without me. How humbling. Anyway, the book's almost finished, work may or may not slow down (ya never know)...but I plan to get back in the saddle effective right now.

Thanks for your patience. And please- no "I didn't even know you were gone" remarks from the back there. And special thanks to Kate Bosworth for being the JBS spokesperson in my absence. She performed mah-velously.

Hello out there, Johnny Bacardi Show readers! I'm Kate Bosworth. You may remember me from such films as Blue Crush, The Rules of Attraction, and Win A Date With Tad Hamilton!. I'm also proud to be the official Johnny Bacardi Show spokesperson for the month of June, and I'm here because he's asked me to extend apologies to all of you faithful readers- who come here on an almost daily basis looking for his usual trenchant commentary on the worlds of comics, music, movies, and, when nobody's looking, sports- for not posting anything of significance for the last few days. You see, Johnny's been very busy between his crap job, his not-quite-as-crap job, the children's book project (see the JB Sketch Blog for more), reading comics, cursing at his fantasy baseball team's pitchers, and so much more. Anyway, he extends his sincere apologies, and promises to be back, better than ever (well back, anyway) soon.

Thanks so very much- you've all been wonderful. I really mean that. Good night, and may whatever God you acknowledge bless. Mwah!

Someone named Justin Peters has written a somewhat condescending, but mostly informative article on the boom in animated shows lately, specifically Adult Swim's Williams Street studios. While I wonder what kind of hay the WS guys could make of a writer that uses such phrases as "the Adult Swim shows are united by a shared postmodern ethos: ironic detachment and meta-commentary on the metaphors and tropes of bad television" and "...Unsurprisingly, most of the shows that came from the networks were putrescent abortions", not to mention conclusions like "The 1970s and early 1980s saw a downturn in cartoon quality (true enough-JB), as the airwaves became cluttered with shows about innumerable latently homosexual superhero teams (wha?-JB)" and a title like "Toon In" in the first place, it's still a mostly perceptive article and worth your time. Plus, it gave me the opportunity to poach that cool Aqua Teen Hunger Force picture above!

I think it's the word "tropes". Makes the old pretension klaxons in my head go off every time, it does. Not to mention "shared postmodern ethos" (thanks, Mik).

Found via Franklin, whom I hate because his icon looks more like him than mine does. Look like me. I don't want mine to look like him. Aw, you know what I mean.

It seemed like there, for a while, comics bloggers were popping up in droves- but it seems to have levelled out for now. Thanks to Johanna Draper Carlson's Cognitive Dissonance, we are now presented with two new ones: The Comic Queen (...perchance to dream, she used my head like a revolver- little T.Rex joke there. Sorry.), and the Precocious Curmudgeon, whose real name is David, thus adding to the Legion of Comics Bloggers Named David.

Welcome to the Comics Blogosphereiverse, and I'll link to ya as soon as I can get behind a PC.

Longtime readers may recall that I used to do these Bacardi Show Birthday Greetings (henceforth referred to as BSBdG's) quite frequently, whenever I ran across the b-day of a musician, actor, or other noteworthy kinda person. After one year went by, though, I kinda got out of the routine of checking celebrity birthday pages and so on, 'cause I'd pretty much observed most, not all, but most, of the people I wanted to put in. I didn't always want to do a lot of reruns, if you will.

But.

Three birthdays of note have come up, both yesterday and today, and I wanted to, well, note 'em. So here ya go. First:

Kinks-man Raymond Douglas Davies, 60 yesterday. My love for the music of the Kinks is entirely based on the period from, oh, 1966 to 1975, when their music was inventive, melodic, wistful, clever, raucous, and many other adjectives. After a label shift in 1976, though nearly every trace of what made their music so special (subtlety, wit, melodicism) was left behind in their consuming desire to compete with the Punks and to "Give The People What They Want" by incessantly touring America and delivering a pandering arena-rock sound not only in concert but also on record, "Come Dancing" notwithstanding. By the time this no longer became an issue, Ray and brother Dave had apparently lost the plot for good. Of course, now the Kinks are long broken up, and Ray soldiers on as a solo performer, giving pretty good performances of the classic Kinks repertoire, and good on him. One 80s Ray tune that I love, though, is "Quiet Life" from the soundtrack of the film Absolute Beginners.



Also, musician/producer/graphic artist/man with many hats Todd Rundgren turns 56 today. Todd's another artist whose music has left me cold since 1986 or so, but I always hold out hope that he still has one great one left in him. It's faint, but flickering. He usually can still be counted on to give a pretty good live performance, though, and I've seen a couple of TV lately. The number of albums he's produced that I love deeply is significant, from Steve Hillage's L through XTC's SkylarKing to The Pursuit of Happiness' One Sided Story and so on and so on. Favorite album: 1973's Carole King-on-acid A Wizard/A True Star. Underrated: 1984's Utopia on Nettwork records, a great poprocksong collection that should have garnered more attention than it did.



Finally, Howard Kaylan, (R above) the "Eddie" of Flo & Eddie, is 59 on this very day. First as a member of the deranged pop group The Turtles, then as Zappa's vocalists/comedy relief in the early 70s Mothers of Invention, then on their own and as vocalists for an amazing number of artists such as Marc Bolan & T.Rex, Kaylan and his partner Mark "Flo" Volman have been responsible for a lot of excellent tuneage over the years. When, oh when are we gonna get 1973's Flo & Eddie on CD?

Happy birthday to all.

Another week, another Diamond shipping list!

HELLBLAZER #197
LOSERS #13
THE WITCHING #1
WANTED #4

And that's all!

A welcome change from the massive hauls of the last two weeks. I'm not especially impressed with the interiors I've seen from The Witching, although cover-wise, Witchin' is bitchin'. As usual, the highlight of the week promises to be The Losers, although Hellblazer and Wanted are usually always highly readable.

Ale Garza, who will be doing fill-in honors on upcoming issues of The Losers, has posted some links to a couple of pencilled pages. One features Aisha, and the other features someone getting interrogated, but I can't tell who's the interrogator and who's the interrogatee. Anyways, go look at 'em, they're not bad. Not quite my cup of tea (you can tell Garza has studied many an issue of late 90's X-Men), but I think I can live with it...

BEST OF THE WEEK

COMICS COMMENTARY!
What I bought and what I thought, week of June 16

DAREDEVIL 61
As you will discover the farther you go in this post, I purchased 13 comics this week, and every one of them was very enjoyable and worthy of your attention. However, since my custom when writing this column (for lack of a better term) is to place the reviews (again, for lack of a better term) in my own personal order of preference, I had a dilemma. Which title did I enjoy the most? And after a lot of thought, I settled on this, the latest issue of nouveau critical-whipping-boy Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev's Daredevil because, to be perfectly honest, it was the most memorable story out of all of them that I read. Maybe this means that I don't know what I'm talking about, that I don't know shit from shinola, my ass from my elbow, whatever. All I know is that Bendis has a down-to-earth take on these corporate properties, and part of his job is to take unrealistic situations and make them feasible, which he has done for the most part as far as I'm concerned. Much of the reactionary criticism has focused on Bendis' dialogue, slamming it for not being really being "realistic"...of course, it's not realistic. Very little comic book dialogue, if any, is. But it does scan like natural dialogue, and sharp, smart and refreshingly pithy (despite the surfeit of it), especially compared with the stilted likes of Claremont, Busiek, or just about any mainstream superhero writer you can name. And sure, it's dark and dour and talky. So what? Is there some rule somewhere which states that comic book superhero adventures are required by law to always be big, bright, brash, colorful and light? It's called establishing mood, kiddies, and you may not like the notion of a gloomy superhero story, but that doesn't make it any less valid or enjoyable to those who don't make such distinctions. Last issue, I liked the resolution of the Yakuza battle arc that has drawn a lot of this flak but deplored the fact that at the end it was back to the status quo for both the Matt Murdock character and his alter ego; this issue, we do get some interesting examinations of the fallout including the details of the dissolution of Matt's marriage and its effect on him, some interesting spy stuff with Nick Fury and the Black Widow, and a potential political conflict down the road. Bendis does especially well in establishing Matt's often contradictory attraction to the Widow in a series of inner dialogue panels. Maleev, for his part, excels where he usually excels and isn't expected to draw much in the way of spandex throwdownery, and that plays right to his strengths. He draws a great Widow, in my opinion. So there you go. I don't expect to convert any of the anti-Bendis infidels; they're set in their ways and extremely vehement. But, me, I like...and you can draw whatever conclusion you want from there. A

JACK STAFF 5
In which we get some long-delayed answers regarding the nature of Jack's disappearance from the British superhero scene, referred to from the beginning but never explained and Weapon H and its relationship to Unit D. All those letters. Anyway, Paul Grist's wonderful and inventive layout skills are once again a highlight, and while I still think I prefer Jack in black and white, Phil Elliott does a great job on colors. A gnarly tale, full of fascinating characters, cleverly told...business as usual for Grist and Jack Staff. A

DEMO 7
Speaking of "moody", here's a very moodily illustrated tale about a reluctant soldier who got more than he bargained for when he joined the army. An expert sharpshooter, he doesn't want to kill other people, which (as you can imagine) causes him a lot of problems when he's sent to Iraq, where sometimes people are shot because of the potential threat they represent, not any actual threat they may carry out. Brian Wood poses a lot of implicit and explicit questions in his tough and spare script, and while the ending may be ambiguous it doesn't disappoint like last issue because we're given all we need to know to sympathize and appreciate our S.O.L. soldier's plight. We can pretty much imagine what kind of future he's gonna have, and it's not likely to be a happy one, the way our society is set up these days. Becky Cloonan does another outstanding art job, once again becoming an stylistic chameleon using blown out, under-rendered highlights and blocky, solid shadow areas to give the whole story a stark, minimalistic feel. A definite contendah for best issue of the series...or does that go against the grain of the whole idea behind this most resolutely unconnected of ongoing and seperate short stories? A

WALKING DEAD 8
The Days of Our Lives...if Our Lives had zombies which popped out at inopportune moments. As always, solid and involving, with Charlie Adlard proving that he brings a lot to the table as Tony Moore's successor. This month, our motley crew deals with pregnancy, hunger, the usual fear, shock and horror and other stuff, and find what seems to be a safe haven for a while. But we all know better, don't we, fright fans? Tune in next month for...As The Flesh Rots! (cue organ music) A

CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN 1
Well, of course you know by now that this resembles the Challengers we all know and love in name only...really, I don't understand why Chaykin felt the need (or was asked to by TPTB at DC) to call this "Challengers of the Unknown", because, well, it's just not! It's not even as faithful to the concept as the X-Files-ish Challs we got in the late 90s. Fortunately for us, though, whatever the title this is primo Chaykin, with little of the smarminess he's capable of and a heaping helping of his idiosyncratic dialogue...lets face it, nobody writes smartass and snappy words for his characters like this, not Bendis, or Ellis, or anybody. And certainly not David Tischman. As breezy as the script is, though, the biggest delight for me is seeing 22 pages of Chaykin's adventurous artwork, with his sharp-as-ever layout style. It's like he picked up where he left off from his long-ago Times Squared, and it's a welcome sight. I initially had reservations, after checking out some preview pages, about the frankly dumb names he's given his cast, but even that was explained to my satisfaction. So, welcome back, Howie, and I hope you can keep it up for five more issues! A

CLOCK MAKER ACT II
This clever series made its debut a couple of years ago, and attracted more attention (negative, I'm afraid) for its unusual tabloid-size format than its subject matter. It lasted four issues, after which some serious rethink was done and now we have CM back, in squarebound prestige-format size, picking up where it left off last year. For the uninitiated, our protagonist, Astrid Bonn is summoned back to Switzerland on the occasion of the death of her father and brother, both of which she barely knew having grown up in the USA. She soon discovers that it was their responsibility to maintain and protect a huge clockworks which controlled and stabilized the Earth's rotation and ecology, and due to the death of her father and sibling, it's now her responsibility due to family succession. Of course, she doesn't want anything to do with it or her responsibilty, but her protestations soon become moot when they're all threatened by not one, but two menaces. Of course, you just know that she'll come to accept, if not completely understand or endorse her charge, so that leaves us to follow how she and the clock maintenance crew deals with the threats, and so far they've been handled with an appropriate air of mystery and menace. Miss Bonn is not a particularly likeable character, even though writer Jim Krueger devotes a lot of time to letting us in on her private thoughts, but that's not especially important because we can sympathize with her reluctance to accept her situation and new acquaintances. It's a novel premise, and so far it's been carried out well. The art on Clock Maker is something else again...Matt (never saw an ongoing I could finish yet) Smith started it out in his Mike Mignola-ish style, but bailed sometime around issue 2 as is his wont. It's still his character designs and his style that sets the tone for subsequent issues, though. We get a new penciller this time, one Jason Baroody, and he's often good but sometimes a little awkward- but between him and inker Michael Halblieb we get an acceptable faux Mignola thing going on. I don't know if we're going to get a memorable resolution out of all this, but for now I'm interested and content to go along for the ride. A-

MEAT CAKE 13
I wish I could adequately explain what it is about Dame Darcy's comics work that interests me so...her stuff is a definite octagonal peg in a world of round and square holes. Part Charles Addams, part Grandma Moses, part Tim Burton, it's whimsical, fanciful, cheeky, often cutesy and cloying but never excessively so, and Darcy's unpolished art can generously be best described as "primitive". But what attracts me to her work the most is, I think, the sheer Grimm's Fairy Tales-like imagination she brings to her vignettes, full of odd characters with heaving bosoms and devious notions like the perpetually horny Effluvia the Mermaid (who bears a strong resemblance to the author, who also appears as herself occasionally), the witch Strega Pez, a winsome young lady who "speaks" via small tablets, with words printed on, that slide out of a bloody slit in her neck and the morbidly vivacious Siamese twins Hindrance and Perfidia. And much of this is sexy even- sometimes she romanticizes her androgynous male characters to the point of fetishism, and is never averse to showing her creations lusting and loving with abandon. Of course, this is all done in a style which reminds of old Murder Ballads, or the more lurid examples of, shall we say, more "lowbrow" fiction of the late 1800s and early 1900s in both America and England. Aah, I could go on and on, and 9.5 out of 10 comics readers who pick this up will say, to paraphrase Dorothy Parker, "This is a comic which shouldn't be lightly tossed aside, it should be hurled with great force". Too bad for them. If any of this sounds even remotely interesting, I urge you to check Darcy's Meat Cake series, recently collected, by the way, out- if nothing else but to let me know that I'm not out of my tree. Kudos to Fantagraphics for continuing to support whimsy in all its myriad forms. A-

LUCIFER 51
Several different stories going on in this one, all somehow connected to the repercussions after the fact of Yahweh's abdication. Some are a bit more compelling than others, but each is interesting enough, plus we're given a helpful and humorous recap of the recent events in the last couple of issues by the fallen cherub Gaudium aka comedy relief. Also, a cameo by one of the Endless, more angels, a haunted murderer, more mythological characters and their devious schemes, familiar faces like Jill Presto, who's been with us since #1, and the title character even makes an appearance once or twice! I'm sure all these plot threads will cohere eventually, and knowing Carey the results will be outstanding, but the process is s-l-o-w. The art, this time out by Peter Gross and Ryan Kelly, is solid as always if not exceptional. A-

GOTHAM CENTRAL 20
The Mad Hatter is cover featured, but one gets the feeling that he's not quite the prime bad guy this time out as the GCPD continues to investigate a cold murder case that was originally given to Harvey Bullock. Solid as always, even though that nagging "can't tell the players without a scorecard" feeling persists. Two characters that don't fit this description: Bullock, who is a fascinating character (I've not been a regular Batman reader over the years, so I don't know everything about him) as written by Ed Brubaker, and Josie Mac, whose addition to the cast was a masterstroke. She livens up every scene she's in, especially this issue's Mad Hatter interrogation. Mike Lark's art is great as usual. Wish I could say the same about the coloring. But Gotham Central remains a great read, and this arc is a definite rebound from the previous so-so arc. A-

HUMAN TARGET 11
While trying not to wonder about how many times Chris Chance has gone under the knife to restore his face, and how often, in real life, one can do this without coming to resemble Michael Jackson, I found myself caught up in the story of how Chris deals with his reunion with Frank White's wife, who, if you recall, he fell in love with while impersonating her less-than-reputable-as-it-turned-out Hollywood producer husband. Milligan makes some obvious, but no less correct observations about getting in too deep and the trust that is implicit in any successful relationship no matter how weird it may be, and Javier Pulido returns to illustrate all this with a loose, sloppy, borderless style which recalls advertising art from the 50s...an odd choice, but it works- and in no small part because Pulido the colorist helps Pulido the artist out with a great-looking scheme of pastels. As always with the Target, I have reservations but don't have too much trouble overcoming them...which, in an odd way, makes me feel like Chance must feel about most of his relationships. Wow. DC's first interactive comic book! A-

EX MACHINA 1
Anybody remember Super President, a Saturday morning cartoon from the 60s? Just wondering. A lotta smart people are praising this to high heaven, and I can't say that I blame them...but for some reason this failed to grab me quite as hard. Perhaps a couple of issues on I'll appreciate this one more, who knows. It's a pretty good idea for a story, but it tries to be the Rocketeer with a political slant, and doesn't really have a consistent tone. It's difficult to take a protagonist dead seriously with a contrived name like Mitchell Hundred, convenient explanation notwithstanding, but there's very little, if any, humor here either, unless you consider having a Russian character named Ivan nicknamed "Kremlin" a hoot. Anyway, we're just getting acquainted for now, so the jury is still out. Biggest attraction here, anyway, is the welcome return to regularly scheduled comics illustration of Tony Harris, inked by Tom Feister. Of course, just as with Starman, sometimes Harris' reach exceeds his grasp and we also get occasional instances of that ol' "drawn facial expression doesn't match logical reaction" bugaboo, but as a whole, it looks wonderful. I'm still not convinced it's all that wonderful, though. B+

SEAGUY 2
I've noticed some disappointment around the Web about this, and I suppose that shouldn't be surprising. Seaguy 1 was so eagerly anticipated, and so hotly discussed and dissected, that the straightforward (well, as straightforward as we can expect from Grant Morrison, anyway) nature of its followup was bound to cause some backlash. This issue is a bit disappointing on the heels of the weird and wonderful #1, but that's not necessarily this is bad...it just isn't as head-scratchingly stupefying. After some opening weirdness with minions of Mickey Eye and smoking Easter Island statues, we delve deeper into the mysteries of XOO and its shady purveyors, then Chubby Da Choona makes a tragic mistake at the Temple of Poseidon. Are there multiple meanings, metaphors, and allusions herein? You betcha! Are any of them easily understood? Well, not to me. That's OK, I'll just sit back, enjoy the pretty pichers and trust that it will all become obvious at the end. In short, just like I approach every Grant Morrison project. B


My hand hurts, not to mention my head. I'll be back later on with more, including a Father's Day salute, and eventually a look at The Originals Ashcan, Hench, True Story, Swear To God: 100 Stories, and Jax Epoch and the Quicken Forbidden: Borrowed Magic, if not tonight then tomorrow.

Of course, today is Father's Day. Above you see four generations of Jonesmen, in a photo taken in 1983. From left to right, that's yours truly, my son Britt, my grandfather Herbert and my father, Hulen. My dad passed on in 1990, and he is sorely missed to this day.

Happy Father's Day to ya, Dad, wherever you may be...

Bacardi Show Birthday Greetings go out today, on this Father's day, to the fellow who once incorporated the phrase "The Child is the Father to the Man" in a song: Beach Boy Brian Wilson, one of the greatest songwriters in popular music history in my own humble opinion. Brian's been unusually active over the last year or so; not only does he have a new album coming out, but has also pulled the Lazarus-like task of reviving the legendary aborted Smile project some 36 years after it was conceived, first as a series of concerts and as a brand-new studio recording, wonder of wonders, due in September.

Amazing to think that of the three Wilson Brothers, Brian is the survivor. Long may he run.

Coolio pointed me to Yahoo!'s Bobbleheadworld Store, where you can buy a lot of fun and clever bobble head dolls, including our lord and saviour Football Jesus above. I suppose that's wrong on several different levels, but it cracks me up. And even better, they have a sense of humor about it- witness the funny dialogue between the FBJ bobblehead and the Daunte Culpepper bobblehead on this page. The Virgin Mary is also represented, so Catholics won't feel left out. Here's a great picture of the Jesus, Mary and Ozzy Osbourne bobbleheads together.

I'm strongly tempted to drop $15 on one of those, if nothing else but to annoy the hyperreligious people I work with...get thee hence, Football Satan!

Found at DJ Spoof:

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Hm. Not a favorite, but a movie I enjoyed anyway. Took another personality test at SimilarMinds.com:

Brain Lateralization Test Results

Right Brain (52%) The right hemisphere is the visual, figurative, artistic, and intuitive side of the brain. Left Brain (42%) The left hemisphere is the logical, articulate, assertive, and practical side of the brain

Are You Right or Left Brained?(word test)
personality tests by similarminds.com

Some would say that I'm hare-brained, but that's neither here nor there. Or left or right. Or whatever.

That Fred Hembeck. He cracks me up.

Just for gits and shiggles, I did a bit of fiddling about with the Portrait Illustration Maker that everyone else in Blogistania got tired of weeks ago. It's a bit babyfaced for me (looks more like my son, actually, but people say he looks like me anyway so what da fug), but I didn't feel like tinkering around too much with it. So here it is.

Kind of a slow day at work (although there's still plenty of time for late ads), but I just don't have much I feel inspired enough to write about. You've all been there, I know. Not to mention that I generally don't feel like I can get on a good writing roll here since I never know how many ads I'll get and how often they'll be coming in, and I have a hard enough time writing coherently even under the best of circumstances, let alone when I'm being constantly interrupted. So, all the time looking over my shoulder, I think I'll just type some odds-and-ends type things that have been crossing my mind lately and let the chips fall where they may.

Went back to the comics shop and got the rest of the titles that I didn't get on Wednesday. All total, twelve, count 'em, 12 comics, thirteen counting the Originals ashcan, and another of which was $4.95. Thirteen! In one week! I've dropped a lot of cash mon-nay on my funnybook jones lately. This can't continue. I need a decent-paying job. In case you're wondering, I did drive up to Bardstown to jump through hoops for the fine folks at American Fuji Seal, Inc. Didn't do too well on a skills test they gave me, sorta understandable since I haven't had to dissect files in Illustrator since 2000, and certainly not in Illustrator 10 on OSX. Of all the graphics programs I know, with Quark and Photoshop being #'s 2 and 1, respectively, Illustrator comes in at a distant #3. I kinda knew what I needed to do, but was kinda hesitant and a bit slow in unfamiliar territory. Excuses, excuses. Haven't heard from them since, but I have a feeling that I'm asking for too much money, plus they won't help me relocate, so au revoir, American Fuji Seal. Didn't really have a very good feeling about the place anyway. Nothing else on the horizon, although I'm trying to keep an eye on a situation closer to home with the help of the Political Correspondent. Not gonna hold my breath.

So, demonstrating my usual disregard for the facts of life as I live it, I sat here the other day and did some figuring to see how much it would cost me to go to the San Diego ComiCon next month. My wife would love to go back to San Diego- she went there a couple of years ago and had a large time. My reasons for wanting to go are obvious, I would think...today's the last day you can register online, by the way. OK, let's see. Con registration, $120 for two people all four days. Flight, according to Expedia.com, round trip $706. Hotel, the Best Western Bayside Inn, $847 for 5 nights and 4 days, the most affordable one I could find in the same zip code as the Convention Center, again according to Expedia. Car rental: (I'm not walking everywhere, and we do want to go other places besides the Con) $143 for a midsize car. That's approximately $1800 bucks, not to mention that we should probably take another thou so I can buy stuff at the Con, and we can hit some other places, not to mention all those other miscellaneous expenses that always pop up. I had thought it would be cool to go see a Padres game at their new stadium, but they're out of town that weekend. Crap. Anyway, guess a dream it shall remain 'cause that's a lot of money for me, especially the way things are right now. Just donts gots da chedda. Oh well, someday...someday...

Work proceeds apace on the children's book Pumpkins on the Vine...the cover, pumpkins and cats are already inked and awaiting the scan/color process; the splash page of the pumpkin patch where most of the action will take place is about 75% inked, and the money shot, a splash which explains the mystery of where those gosh darn pumpkins went in the first place, is loosely drawn and I've just begun to ink some of the figures. This is going out late next week, so there's my deadline, and another reason why I haven't written much hereabouts in the evenings whilst at home- I feel like I should be working on this art project instead of spending my time blogging. So...if I don't post much between now and, oh, Sunday, I hope you understand. I love all of you guys, but I gotta live with the author!

Went shoe shopping with me Mum back on Monday, got some cool black suede Converse One Stars, and found the DVDs of Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch for less than 20 bucks together- but I didn't buy. The more I think about it (and the more I listen to the Lock, Stock soundtrack, like I have been today), the more I want to go back there and get them. I know, I know, if I wouldn't spend all my money on comics, DVDs and CDs, not to mention lunch out five days a week, I'd have money to go to San Diego in July! That's what my parents would say anyway, God bless 'em. I am truly their son.

Brian Wood, over at his LiveJournal, mentions new Channel Zero t-shirts. I didn't know there were old ones! I sure would like to get me one of those! Anyway, you can go here to see what he has. I like the design of the "I Heart Vermont: Freedom and Unity" shirt, but that color makes my eyeballs bleed.

I can't imagine why you reading this might not check out Ilana's Sugar-n-Spicy site, but if you don't, I'll keep on passing along some of the cool links she posts. Like this one, a really nice Alphonse Mucha gallery that's typeset in foreign characters...but the illustrations are the main thing anyway so what the heck; also, here's a site which features The Advertising Art of Dr. Seuss. Fascinating stuff.

That's all for now. Don't know if I'll get the chance to post much this evening or tomorrow, but I'll try to get comics reviews up, if nothing else, by Sunday evening. I'm the ringmaster of the holy roller circus at WLOC most of the day Sunday, so I should have some time to blog a widdle bit.

You'd think that people would have had enough of Paul McCartney...I look around me and I see this isn't so...oh no...

Since it's his birthday, I won't take that lyric to its obvious conclusion, but will instead send out the coveted BSBdG to Sir James Paul McCartney of the Wings pop group, 62 today. Seems like he was in another band, can't recall the name offhand.

Favorite album: still, after all this time, 1970's solo debut McCartney. He's done many fine records since, but as far as I'm concerned he's never topped this, his homemade declaration of independence. Underrated: quite a few, like 1986's Press To Play and 1977's London Town (I've always thought "People pass me by on my imaginary street/ordinary people it's impossible to meet" was an incredibly poignant line from a songwriter not known for wearing his inner feelings on his sleeve), but I don't think he's done an album in a long time in which he stretched so much and got little recognition for it like he did in 2001's Driving Rain, which gets better with repeated listens.

Oops, almost forgot, while on the subject- I bid on and won this the other day. You may be a bit surprised to find out that I didn't already own a copy, but frankly I had no use for this particular Macca solo effort until just recently, when a chance hearing of the album cut "She's My Baby" made me think "Hm. I'd like to hear that again." Hooray for me.

Remember that humongous list I presented to ya on Monday, of the comics I was supposed to get on Wednesday? Well...I didn't get 'em. Not all of 'em anyway. I got the first five I cited, but not the rest. The culprit this time isn't my comics shop, but UPS! Brown let us down. I was told that it was simply that they didn't deliver both boxes that they were supposed to- they left one on the dock! This is the kinda stuff that my beleagured CS has to deal with a lot, although they haven't had this happen lately. Anyway, no Seaguy, or Jack Staff, Daredevil, Clock Maker, Walking Dead, or Meat Cake either. Hopefully, they'll arrive today, or at least that's what I'm told. One thing I DID get, though- Demo 7!

Tune in tomorrow for the ongoing saga of "Will Dave Get His Comics?"...

Go here for a preview of Viper Comics' upcoming Daisy Kutter, by Kazu Kibuishi.

I'm looking forward to this, it looks fresh and fun. Maybe it's because I have a thing for spunky blond heroines with curly locks, can't say for sure.

At the risk of sounding like a boring old fart, musically, (I fully admit that I qualify on the other counts of being a BOF) I just wanna state for the record that Rod Stewart's 1972 cover of Bob Dylan's "Mama You Been On My Mind", from his Never A Dull Moment album, is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard, with its pleasant, homey acoustic accompaniment with harmonicas, accordian, and steel guitar. Anyway, had that song on my mind (so to speak) this morning so I gave it a spin before I went to work. Man I love that song. Update: By the way, I did some checking and found that I had erroneously credited Danny Thompson with bass on this cut- after checking AMG at prompting from reader Jeff Sellers I found that he's not even listed in the credits. Don't know where I got that notion. I think he did play on an early Stewart solo album, but it ain't this'un!

While I'm on the classic rock tip, is there a more exciting opening to a rock song than can be found in the first couple of minutes of The Who's "Baba O'Riley"? With the burbling synth riff, then Townshend's syncopated, slashing guitar chords, then Moonie coming in like an avalanche on drums...boy. They don't make 'em like that anymore, do they?



Also, while I was looking for a picture of of ol' Rod from circa 1972 to post with this particular ramble, I ran across a site with a BUNCH of great photos of many of my 70s musical heroes like Robert Fripp, Bryan Ferry, and others like the above shot of the June 1, 1974 album and concert lineup of Kevin Ayers, Nico, Eno and John Cale! Conspicuous by his absence: Marc Bolan. Guess everyone couldn't shoot the guy. Here's the link, go check it out! Back in the day, I had a t-shirt with a picture of Neil Young from what appears to be the same show. Cool, huh.


Oh well, just wanted to share. The nurse is calling me back in for my feeding, then I'll get my catheter bag changed, then it's meds and naptime.

Boys and girls, I give you the all-new, all-different Jonny DC!

As a graphic designer (or so my diploma says, although as with so many other things, my skills are eroding with disuse) I gotta say that this is one spiffy logo. Kudos, as they say, kudos to the designer.

Although I've seen it linked to on a couple of blogs already, the skinny, the 4-1-1, the straight dope can be found over at Newsarama. The comments section seems to have devolved into an argument about getting comics back in 7-11's and other places instead of in comics shops only, to which I can only say amen, mah brothas.



We also are given examples of some upcoming titles that sport the logo like the Justice League Unlimited above. I post it because two things jumped out at me- John Stewart's stylin' beard, and get a load of the gams on Zatanna! Hot'sa minoochie, as Chico Marx would say. Homina homina!

What do you MEAN, I should wear light colored clothing when I jog?

Don't know if you guys ever watch the Late Night With Conan O'Brien show, but if you do, then you'll know what I'm referring to when I bring up the fact that I can't scan the title for Ah-nold's latest Terminator flick without hearing the voice of the fellow who does those TV screen interviews (you know, moving mouth, still photo on screen) imitating the Gov of Cali: Tuh-minatah TREE! Rise uh duh MACHEEENZ!

Which, in my roundabout way, is my way of bringing up that I watched most of Termninator 3: Rise of the Machines last night when it aired on HBO. I say most because after about 15 minutes I got unbelieveably bored and restless and started flipping back and forth between ESPN News, the Lakers-Pistons game, and the movie. Navy NCIS was a rerun I had already seen. Anyway, what a lazy, cynical, by-the-numbers, clichéd sequel T3 is. The performances aren't bad, but the script, oy. It's essentially a rewrite of T2, except that the killer 'bot is now female (and a quite comely one, I might add) and we don't have Linda Hamilton's muscles to stare at when the going gets slow. I feel sad (well, not that sad- she probably made more for this film than I'll make in the next ten years at my job) for poor Claire Danes, who is apparently getting less than adequate advice from her agent and is headed down that slippery slope to becoming as irrelevant as Jamie Lee Curtis, who I could swear she resembles in some of the lesser-lit scenes. Of course, Ah-nold has the requisite amount of moments when the music swells, then stops, he utters a quip of some sort, and something gets blown up or someone gets hit. Just awful, and Schwarzenegger, who managed to be fearsome in the first one and sympathetic in the second, just looks like a big teddy bear now since he's spent the last 20 years trying to soften his onscreen image. The scene towards the end, in which he has to reboot himself or kill Nick Stahl's character is unintentionally hilarious. In fact, that's what it had devolved to by the time me, my son, and his girlfriend got to the end of this flick- we were doing our best Tom Servo, Crow T. Robot and Mike impersonations. If you can avoid this film, please do so. If you're curious, don't be. If you are such a rabid Ah-nold as the Terminatuh fan that you absolutely MUST see this, then God help you, 'cause you probably already own the DVD.

More sequels? Please, Arnold, say "not to be".

Steve Wintle over at Flat Earth has been posting a lot lately about the earth-shattering event that was the DC Implosion, and the two subsequent limited-issue Cancelled Comics Cavalcade releases that DC, somewhat cynically if you ask me, put out so that people who actually wanted to read the stories that were reproduced therein would have to go through hell and gone to obtain one. As someone who was there and buying comics at the time, I was disappointed that many of the titles wouldn't be coming out- I was one of about three people on Earth who was actually looking forward to more Green Team and Prez, and I was digging Ditko's Shade, which got canned along with its interesting-sounding backup feature "The Odd Man", and as I recall Claw The Unconquered was mighty readable- but mostly I received the news with a shrug. Life went on. I was too busy smoking dope and trying to hook up with girls to care all that much...the more things change the more they stay the same, I guess. Hee.

Anyway, Steve's been posting links to several of the pages from those long-ago omnibi, and you can go here and here to check them out. Of course, of most interest to me are the Jerry Grandenetti pages from Green Team and Prez; his work on them is much better than I remembered although the Joe Simon story on the GT tale had some dodgy political implications to many, I'm sure. Also included are pages from the aborted first issue of The Vixen...I'm unsure who the artist is, but the inks look like Ernie Chan or one of the Filipinos. It might have been an interesting title, by 70s standards anyway. Y'know, since she and Animal Man have essentially the same abilities, maybe they should have hooked up. Oh well.

Nothing in particular to say about Dina Meyer (above as Oracle from the late unlamented Birds of Prey show). But one of the birthday sites I check occasionally listed today as her birthday, so I hunted up a cool pic to do a BSBdG- but then discovered that her birthday isn't really until December and the site was in error. hate to let a cool shot go to waste, though, so here it is. Guess I'll have to find another one in December.

Just viddied the trailer for the upcoming Constantine flick. It looked pretty good except for one small detail. THE TITLE ROLE IS ONE OF THE WORST EXAMPLES OF MISCASTING IN THE HISTORY OF CINEMA! I think this has the potential to be one for the ages, and I like Keanu, generally. Oh, to be able to chuck bricks at the people who made the decisions for this one...

Here it is Tuesday already, and nobody's gotten around to dissecting the season finale of Deadwood yet, and that's a wee bit disappointing (Jeff Chatlos, wherefore art thou?). But it's entirely possible that everyone's like me, and hasn't fully processed all the ramifications of what happened. One thing I do know- they certainly didn't treat this last episode like a season finale! We did get some things resolved, for sure, but for every resolution we got two more possibilities opening up. As always, the most frustrating thing about Deadwood for me has to be Timothy Olyphant's Bullock character. I just can't ever get a handle on where's he's coming from...he errs on the side of the angels as often as Al Swearengen errs on the slightly less virtuous, and while his decision to take up the badge again is satisfying on a surface level, I just don't think it's going to be a good thing. And boy, Al sure had a busy night, didn't he? Really nicely done closing shot of the excellent (boy, I never thought I'd be typing those words, Lord of the Rings notwithstanding) Brad Dourif as Doc Cochran (what an emotional prayer scene he had) dancing with Jewel. Lotsa funny lines, as usual, in this one, mostly from the exasperated Swearengen (no big surprise here). I've been clicking around on the Deadwood site on HBO, and have found a page which collects many of the best lines from each episode. It's been a hell of a first season, and I am, of course, eagerly awaiting season 2. That makes three series (Deadwood, Dead Like Me, and Dead Like Carnivalé...whoops, make that Carnivalé...heh...) I am now anxiously awaiting season twos for. About time one of them came back on, isn't it?

This is all I got right now. Maybe I get more later. Ta.

New Diamond shipping list up. Here's the haul I should expect Wednesday:

CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN #1
EX MACHINA #1
GOTHAM CENTRAL #20
HUMAN TARGET #11
LUCIFER #51
SEAGUY #2 (Of 3)
JACK STAFF #5
DAREDEVIL #61
MEAT CAKE #13

and, of course, the tardy DEMO #7, which is supposed to be coming up from the Nashville shop. Then there's also CLOCK MAKER ACT 2 and WALKING DEAD 8, which were both on the list to come out last week but didn't, at least at my shop, and I was assured they were shipping this week instead SO WE SHALL SEE. Either way, looks like another pay-through-the-nose comics week. Any notions I might have had about sampling the FALLEN ANGEL trade will have to be put on hold. Looking forward to seeing what Chaykin will do on Challengers, Ex Machina looks promising, and hey-! Seaguy is only a three-issue series? Da Fug! There will also be another putrescent issue of the Worst Comic Ever, Daredevil, and a new issue of Jack Staff, always cause for rejoicing around Casa Bacardi. And speak of the devil- Dame Darcy returns with a new Meat Cake...an acquired taste which I acquired a long time ago. Don't ask me why, I just did.

And dat's what I be gittin, yo. Word to your mutha.

Meat Cake writer/artist (What! You don't read Meat Cake ? I don't believe it) Dame Darcy had a fashion show a few days ago; here are pictures from it. Margaret Cho's there, too. Geez, O Grande Dame, would it hurt your face to smile once in a while?

Shane at Near Mint Heroes has started a mean little meme that's spreading like wildfire through the comics blogosphereiverse. Of course, I'm referring to the "dream teams" in which we pick artist/writer teams we'd like to see on certain characters. Of course, I want to play, but I haven't had a lot of time to dwell on it and have only come up with three so far. So, I thought I'd post these and hopefully do more later. Here goes:

LEGION of SUPER-HEROES by SCOTT McCLOUD; I've always thought McCloud's style would be interesting on the 30th Century superteam, and he's shown that he can write human interest disguised as superheroics a la Zot!. It may not work, but I'd still like to see it.

LOS LOBOS by JAIME HERNANDEZ: Waitaminnit! Los Lobos? The blues-rockers from East LA? They're not comic book characters! But each of them has such a distinctive look that they could be...and I think a book, drawn by Xaime, featuring the Lobos guys getting into weird adventures and spy stuff all over the globe would be a hoot and a half. I'd just like to see Jaime draw the band...his terrible portrait of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers on their new album notwithstanding.

Finally, you may remember that I've written about this one before-

SUPER-HIP! by Grant Morrison and Philip Bond. Pete Milligan and Mike Allred might be fun too, but I'd rather turn Grant loose on the World's Most Disgusting Super-Hero. Leave the Benedict Arnold High faculty at home, except for Badger Goldliver and Tad's girlfriend, and have Tadwallader Jutefruice's swingin' alter ego fight the Mad Mod in 1966 London, something which I just know Bond would nail visually.

OK, that's all I got for now. Hopefully I'll think of more down the road.

Oh look at the sun - it's all a-glow
Slow burning star - sinking low
Heaven knows where you go
Out of sight, out of minds eye, no
Aw such a shame - you must leave
All day long you were a friend to me
Still - the moon´s company
Until morning when larks will sing
Horizon´s appointment you´ll keep
For sunswept flamingos must sleep
Scenes like these from my dreams
Cover cutting-room floors all over .....
Warm heart we spin slowly from view
Why are you sad - do you disapprove?
How we´ve wasted our time
Sunset - end of my day - my decline
Postscript you trace colours the sky
Red-letter light fades, is filed away
Sunburst fingers you raise
One last sigh of farewell - goodbye

"Sunset", from Roxy Music's Stranded LP. Lyrics by Bryan Ferry.

Picture taken this evening at approximately 7 pm CST from my deck.

Feel free to put the album or CD on now if you own a copy.

BEST OF THE WEEK

COMICS COMMENTARY!
What I bought and what I thought, week of June 9

STREET ANGEL 2
Meirda santa! Maybe you can resist such cheerful, straightfaced nonsense, but I know I sure can't. My biggest concern about this issue was if it would be able to achieve the same goofy tone as issue 1, and I'll be damned if they didn't go out and top it. Highlights include the somewhat dim and definitely Angel-whipped ninjas (who should be pissed that pirates and monkeys seem to be hogging all the attention these days), the seedy Australian Buzz Lightyear type, sexy fishnets on the Incan deity's secretary, a Surgeon General's warning for young impressionable readers, Spanish conquistadors and virgins (always useful) and..man. I am often slack-jawed in amazement. I'm sometimes slack-jawed anyway, but that's neither here nor there. I want an Inti, the Sun God bobble-head doll right now. He's too cool for school. I also wish for a crossover with the Scurvy Dogs...but that might cause my brain to explode so best leave well enough alone. A

100 BULLETS 50
The prodigal title returneth with the usual tough-talking barflies, gun battles, and Machiavellian machinations that Azz and Rizz are known for, except this time a lot more of it. We also get some welcome light shed on the Trust and its history, which apparently goes waaay back a lot farther than I imagined. Picking up like they left off when they went to play with Batman, another good-sized piece of a far-from-complete puzzle. A

FABLES 26
Not much happens this time out, characterization-wise, but as if to make up for that shortcoming we get a surfeit of battlefield goings on, as the beleaguered residents of Fabletown fight for their lives against the wooden soldiers of the Adversary. One surprise death (at least as far as these characters can "die") that I didn't see coming, some amusing confrontations during the melee, and a great re-appearance of a missing fable at the end add up to another satisfying chapter of a tale that I think will read better collected. A-

LOVE & ROCKETS V2 10
Another bigger-than-usual issue, squarebound no less, for no apparent reason than the Bros. were feeling their creative oats this time. We get more "Julio's Day", continuing Beto's preoccupation with poor Mexican dirt farmers; the conclusion of the somewhat convoluted "Me For The Unknown", a great one-shot "Roy and His Pals", which sends up superheroics in fine, absurd fashion and proves that the Street Angel guys and Grant Morrison have nothing on Gilbert when it comes to surreal absurdity;, and a fun feature in which we "catch up" with many of Beto's characters from years past. Jaime is represented by one story only, but it's a doozy- A long Maggie tale in which she deals with Izzy's house burning down and some occult-loving geeks that think she has some sort of special powers since she was her friend, then eventually becomes a manic flashback sequence, then ends up at Mag's apartment building. Lots of evocative images, and you're never really sure what's real and what isn't- and that is both a strength and a bit of weakness. I understand Jaime's storytelling quirks somewhat after having read them for almost 20 years, so I'm not especially annoyed, but I would kinda like to know for sure what is actually going on here. Maybe we'll find out more eventually. Also of note is a three-page feature in which Jaime, Gilbert and Mario list their favorite comics, trés mucho fascinating. I also bump this up a notch for Gilbert's right-on-the-money assessment of the 70s career of David Bowie in a four-panel throwaway strip, in which he also gets even more on my good side by giving Marc Bolan props for pioneering glam. Right effing on, Gilbert. A-

IDENTITY CRISIS 1
An impulse purchase on Thursday, when I went back in to check on a couple of MIA books from Wednesday. You probably already know the Big Significant Plot-Driving Event behind this, and I won't mention who dies in case you haven't. Part of me deplores that it was considered necessary to kill this particular character, who was one of the more pleasant stories in the DCU, but I can't think of a single character with a low profile whose death would be more affecting and regrettable. So if that's what writer Brad Metzger was aiming for, then he succeeded in spades. The funeral scenes were, frankly, quite touching, in no small part because I grew up with those characters (the victim and his/her significant other) in the 60s and 70s and kinda liked them. So mission accomplished, he now has my attention. I'm not especially familar with Metzger's previous work- I've didn't read his Green Arrow, nor have I sampled his prose work. I will say that he does a nice job with the relationships and dialogue here, and while I will confess to wondering exactly what the point of the street-level events of the stakeout which eventually proved to be a distraction was, and if there will be repercussions to the shooting of second-string super villain Bolt, I'm willing to go along for now. The art is first-rate- few are better at depicting action and extreme emotions better than Rags Morales, even when he's under the tight-assed line of Michael Bair. So far, pretty darn good for one of those Big Summer Event series. B+

GLOBAL FREQUENCY 12
The exceptional art of Gene Ha gets this, the final chapter of Warren Ellis' extended TV series proposal, over. That's usually the case- the scripts Warren has given us for this series are fairly rote and formulaic- only one or two issues have deviated from the "menace is discovered, Miranda Zero barks at Aleph, Aleph barks at a bunch of people we've never met before, said people deal with menace quickly and efficiently" format...and when the artist is on, as with Chris Sprouse a while back or Jason Pearson last issue in one of the more atypical storylines, the events are much more interesting. If not, then the routineness becomes grating. Fortunately, I tend to like this sort of thing, but for others, your mileage may vary. Good luck with the TV series. A- Entire series: B+

H-E-R-O 17
Unlike Tegan, this concept works best for me when there's some sort of connecting thread. I was frankly getting bored until Pfiefer finally whipped out Robby Reed and brought back the most interesting, or just most likeable, recent owner of the H-dial yet and gave them something to do. We've got a plausible "is-he-or-isn't-he nuts" thing going on, and while Robby appears on the level, we are given just enough to have our doubts about his motives. For the first time, we have a motivation and a purpose instead of aimless vignettes. And new artist Dale Eaglesham does a very nice, painstaking job on the art- I'm enjoying his style more and more as the series progresses. We may be back to "owner-and-power-of-the-month" before long, but for now I'm finally digging this series again. A-

WORLD'S BEST COMICS: DC SILVER AGE ARCHIVE SAMPLER
Another impulse buy, and 150% more wisely compiled than the baffling Golden Age sampler we got a few moths ago. I'm always up for a Fox/Sekowsky Justice League story, and it's been a hell of a long time since I read this one, in which Green Arrow joins the club. The script is episodic and stiff, but always extremely imaginative, and I never get tired of Mike Sekowsky's solid and dynamic, if oddly proportioned, art. The second feature has never been among my favorites, since I've never really been a fan of the early 60s Curt Swan and Wayne Boring-era Superbooks. They always struck me as quaint, stiff and dull, and the first appearance of the Legion of Super-Heroes, as historic as it may or may not be, is no exception. *I'm sure this read better when I was 4 or 5 than it does now. Finally, we get the first ever appearance of DC's long-running soldier boy, Sgt. Rock- here called "Sgt. Rocky", and it's a corker. Primo Ross Andru and Mike Esposito art (has there ever been a more sympatico penciller-inker team?), and a typically breathless Bob Haney script which reads more like a folk tale than a comic book war story. First-rate. A-

BITE CLUB 3
Y'know, I'm just not caught up in this despite a typically gnarly plotline, a diverse enough cast and dialogue with the requisite snark (and the occasional chuckle-inducing zinger) factor in full effect. Hard to say why, too. Maybe it's the lets-face-it-it's-all-wrong-for-the-book art by David Hahn, which is actually very good in his Linda Medley-meets-Trina Robbins style. I like Hahn's work, I just don't know if it's up to the task of this grubby script. Everybody's just too clean, pretty and neat. The monochromatic coloring is odd, and for once I agree with Johanna Draper Carlson's assessment that it reminds her of a box of crayons. Interesting choice, but it definitely works against the mood. Maybe Chaykin would have been better off pitching this to HBO instead; I think a live-action TV approach would work a lot better than this. Anyway, I'm interested, if not completely won over, so I'm gonna stick around to see if it gets better. Kinda doubt it, but I'm feeling optimistic today for some reason. B-

Couldn't not send out a BSBdG to my Forties inamorata Priscilla Lane, who would have celebrated her 89th birthday today.

OK. Now...the grande finale of my ALL-TIME TOP 20 FAVORITE COMICS SERIES (and certain runs on certain titles) series, THE NINETIES!

Again, the standard disclaimer- these are series that are my personal favorites, not what I'm trying to tell you were the absolute best comics ever published in a particular decade. I also reserve the right to edit this list to include series I forget about, which has happened with depressing regularity in the course of this list. The lists are grouped by publisher, in no particular order.

DC
1. MAJOR BUMMER by John Arcudi, Doug Mahnke, Tom Nguyen and others
2. CHASE by D.C. Johnson, J.H. Williams III and Mick Gray
3. HAMMER LOCKE by Tom Joyner, Chris Sprouse and K.S. Wilson
4. IRONWOLF: FIRES OF THE REVOLUTION by Howard Chaykin, John Francis Moore, Mike Mignola and P. Craig Russell
5. FLEX MENTALLO by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
6. THE SANDMAN by Neil Gaiman and Various, most notably Marc Hempel on THE KINDLY ONES
7. TERMINAL CITY by Dean Motter and Michael Lark
8. PREACHER by Ennis and Steve Dillon
9. CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
10. GEMINI BLOOD by Chris Hinz and Tommy Lee Edwards

MARVEL
11. HELLSTORM by Warren Ellis and Leo Manco
12. DRUID by Ellis and Manco

FANTAGRAPHICS
13. HATE by Peter Bagge
14. EIGHTBALL by Dan Clowes

SIRIUS
15. SCARY GODMOTHER by Jill Thompson

DARK HORSE
16. HELLBOY by Mike Mignola and others
17. NOCTURNALS by Dan Brereton (originally from Malibu/Bravura comics)
18. MONKEYMAN & O'BRIEN by Arthur Adams

SLAVE LABOR
19. DORK!/MILK & CHEESE by Evan Dorkin (I know, I cheated here. Sue me.)

MALIBU/BRAVURA
20. STRIKEBACK! by Jonathan Peterson and Kevin Maguire (thanks, Mark!)

Honorable mentions include JOHN CONSTANTINE: HELLBLAZER by various, most notably Ennis and Dillon; STARMAN by James Robinson, David Goyer, Tony Harris, Peter Snejbjerg and Wade Von Grawbadger; SCENE OF THE CRIME by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark; TOP 10 by Alan Moore, Gene Ha and Zander Cannon; DIRTY PAIR: RUN FROM THE FUTURE by Adam Warren ( LOVE Warren's work, and I think this was his creative apex to date); THE SPECTRE by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake; HITMAN by Ennis and John McCrea; MOBFIRE by Gary Ushaw and Warren Pleece; RED ROCKET 7 by Mike Allred; KANE by Paul Grist (this one would have been on the list, but I didn't discover Grist and Kane, or Jack Staff until the 2000's); JINGLE BELLE by Paul Dini, Stephen DeStefano and various. I think Jingle Belle first premiered in 1999, I'll have to check on that one. YOUNG HEROES IN LOVE by Dan Raspler, Dev Madan and Keith Champagne; SIN CITY by Frank Miller (sometimes I love this, sometimes I'm underwhelmed); MADMAN by Mike Allred. I would list FROM HELL by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, but I've never completely read it! Embarrassing, I know...but I don't remember my shop getting in the individual issues of Taboo, and never felt like I could afford a collection. It's on my "to read" list. LEGIONNAIRES by Tom & Mary Bierbaum and Chris Sprouse; SKELETON KEY by Andi Watson (this one should probably be in the 20...but I can't think of what I'd replace!); the last of Morrison & Case's run on DOOM PATROL, plus the last six issues of Rachel Pollack and Ted McKeever's stint; ECLIPSO by Robert Loren Fleming, Bart Sears, Keith Giffen, Luke McDonnell, and others; AMBUSH BUG by Giffen and Fleming; CHRONOS by J.F. Moore and Paul Guinan; BEWARE THE CREEPER by Len Kaminski and Shawn Martinbrough.

Update 6-13 God help me, I keep thinking of series I can't leave off, including one I just wrote about the other day! Compared to the 60s and 70s, in which my income was kinda limited and I just couldn't buy every issue of everything I liked, and the 80s, which had some definite highlights but a lot of stuff that I just don't remember quite as affectionately, I think that the 90s really had it going on, as the kids say. We'll do the Aughts in six more years, so keep me bookmarked!

Before I get wound up, a quick note to Larry Young: that Jeff Johns is damn good. Get him started on a project ASAP! Now, on with the post...

Young posts more (look for the June 11 entry) about reaction to Demo on his site, specifically that troublesome issue 6 that we all had such a time with. He provides us with an anology that explains his reaction to some of the reaction: his idea that someone could delve into the backstory of the characters portrayed by Chuck Heston and company, "Before the Planet of the Apes". And besides being a clever notion, he uses this perceived non-importance of the PotA characters' backstory to demo-nstrate (heh) that (repeat after me, kiddies) "Sometimes the story is the story is the...". All well and good. I'll grant that on a list of movies I want more backstory about, "Planet of the Apes" ranks mighty low. But that doesn't really address my concerns about that issue 6, specifically, how he heck did Ken get from point a to point b after what went down in his flashback, if we can all agree (and I think there are some valid disagreements with this) upon the veracity of Ken's story. The events in the original Planet of the Apes film and its sequel were sufficient to tell me all that I wanted to or needed to know about these characters. Chuck flew into a time warp, landed on an Earth where apes were in charge and men were hunted and treated like, well, animals...Chuck proves he's different and wins an independence of sorts, then finds out that he's on Earth after all, and Mankind made itself expendable. Then James Fransiscus shows up looking for him and pisses everybody off, so they blow up the world. Everything I need to know about the characters and the position they find themselves in is explained, more or less, logically and satisfactorily to me so I can understand and appreciate the Apely goings-on. But in Demo 6, once more with feeling, Ken is directly or indirectly responsible for the mass slaughter of the residents of his neighborhood, who admittedly had it coming, but there you go. When we are introduced to him, he's got a nice girl, and we are told he's happy and successful. Now I find it a stretch, even in the best of circumstances, that everything was just hunky dory the next morning after Ken's little guignol apocalypse, his parents let him back in so he could continue to have a more-or-less normal life and attend school and get a great job and his great girl, and when the police showed up his parents just shrugged and said "Dingoes? Who the f- knows"?

God knows I don't mean to be picking at this scab, but I just wasn't given enough information or logic to fully appreciate what I read in Demo 6. As the story stands, it's an enigma to me. I will always remember the powerful buildup and release of Ken's anger and frustration and the terrible toll it took, but I simply can't buy anything else I read in the story because it just doesn't make sense to me that Ken could skate after such a cataclysmic event. Sure, we don't need to know Ken's backstory to follow and appreciate #6, but it sure would help it make more sense. Brian Wood chose not to give this to us, fair enough, but it kept me from wholeheartedly embracing an otherwise fine story.

Imagine, if you will, Planet of the Apes if we hadn't seen the scenes with the astronauts crashing, essentially the first 15 minutes or so, and our first glimpse of Chuck & Co. had been in the tall grass, being pursued by apes with nets. What the-? How did these intelligent humans get there? Who are they? Why is everyone else sub-intelligent? What the heck is going on in this friggin movie? And imagine that we are never told. We are just asked to accept that there is one intelligent human, and he's on that planet, and we better deal with it because...the story is the story is the story is the...

How about some linkblogging today!

Giants and Girls, an online gallery featuring images of, that's right, giants (monsters, gorillas, etc.) menacing and carrying around girls! There are several screen grabs and lobby cards from that most Psychotronic of films, The Brain That Wouldn't Die, among many others. Found via the newly redesigned Sugar 'n' Spicy, all stylin' in her new template.

The official website of Chiaki Kuriyama, also known as everybody's favorite psychotic Japanese schoolgirl bodyguard/assassin Gogo Yubari in Kill Bill Vol. 1. Caveat: the site is in Japanese characters, so there are a lot of question marks where letters should be. Also, no gallery. But wait! here's one! What a sad, pathetic old man I am...

Also via Ilana: ChaChaCharming, a web magazine which is a "Journalistic Tribute to Girl-Powered Pop- Past, Present and Future, and From All Over The Globe". Cool.

Thanks to Fred Hembeck, (no permalinks- yesterday's entry) I dropped twelve bucks on that Mojo Who Special he wrote about. Man, I love that Quadrophrenia album deeply, and the writeup it gets in that special is spot on. Here's Pete Townshend's website, in case you care to check it out.

I really liked that odd British anthology comic that Eclipse put out in the 80s, Strange Days...I whsh that there had been more! One of the main reasons was artist Brendan McCarthy, whose vivid, detailed painted art is amazing to behold. Here's his website. I think this has been linked to already by a couple of other bloggers, so apologies for poaching.

Oh well, that's all I got for now.

RIP, Ray Charles.

Damn. Seems like I'm posting too many of these notices lately. Ray was one of those artists that, growing up, it seemed like all the people my Dad's age liked, and I didn't get it. But when I got older, I came to appreciate his wonderful voice and performing talents. Another great one gone.

Now that I have your attention...

Nah, nothing about Britney. I think she messed up her knee recently, though. Besta luck to ya, little missy.

I've got a few minutes here at work, and no time to write anything much substantial (although, of course, comics reviews and my favorite 90s comics list are coming. Is coming. Whatever. I'm still compiling the latter, and I haven't finished reading the former.) Just thought I'd ramble a while until they bring me more work. So here goes nuttin.

I'm listening to Outkast's Speakerboxx/Love Below twofer as I type this. When I decided to order it (part of the same order in which I got that Essential Clash), it was because I liked the songs from the videos I'd seen- "Hey Ya", "The Way You Move", "Roses". I also figured that I'd prefer Andre's side because I'm such a fan of Prince's 80s and 90s output, not to mention the P-Funk sound as well, and it sure seemed like he was channeling that. So surprise, surprise- I'm digging on Big Boi's Speakerboxx side a lot more! It sounds like a great lost warped demented Parliament album. The Love Below's side is fine, great in places, but right now Boi is rocking me. Go figure.

Other CDs I got in that order: All That We Let In by the Indigo Girls and Richard Pryor: The Anthology 1968-1992. They must love my orders from Columbia House...!

Yesterday was comics day, and I got most of the stack that I wrote about back on Monday with some notable exceptions: Demo 7, no surprise there and more on that later; the Clock Maker Act II (big disappointment there- seriously), and Walking Dead 8. I think WD came in but didn't make its way into my folder...also, I overlooked it on the rack. I hope. Clock Maker I don't remember seeing at all. I called my comics shop and they're checking on it, so hopefully all will work itself out. About Demo- my comics shop's manager was finally there for me to talk to about it, and he is having a copy sent up from Nashville. He apologized for the problem, said he'd make sure that I got it in the future, and also said he intended to order a couple of rack copies after I told him a bit about the title. I laid a great spiel on him that would make Saint Larry proud! Anyway, hopefully, the upshot is that I'll be able to get the last four issues on time. We shall see...Matt's a good dude. He's a Replacements fan, y'know, and Dylan, and the Fabs. I think he'll come through. I also picked up one of those 99¢ DC Archives reprint comics...this one with some Silver Age stories in it, most notably a Justice League reprint I hadn't read probably since I was a teenager.

OK, step back, I'm gonna get personal for a minute, so watch out. State of Dave's Union time. You probably know I finally got a job back in December, after being out of full-time work for seven months, with a local newspaper. Well and good. I'm happy to have it- it beats unemployment and I have benefits, after a fashion. But the pay, to be kind, sucks. It's roughly half of what I was making at my previous employer, and I was living paycheck to paycheck with them. Plus, while the people here are nice enough and have been very nice to me, I have almost less than nothing in common with most of them plus the way they run their prepress drives me INSANE, it's so arbitrary and inefficient. So it will probably come as no surprise that I'm still out there looking for a better, shall we say, situation in the prepress graphics/graphic design field for myself...and one's come up, I think. This company, located in Bardstown, Kentucky (about an hour and a half-two hours from where I live now) has approached me about an opening in their graphics department, and I'm scheduled to go for an interview Monday at 1:30 CST. Keep your fingers crossed. The more I find out about them the more impressed I am. I'm also trying to get in the mix at this Bowling Green company as well, thanks to a tip from the Bacardi Show Political Correspondent, who works there. Seems they'll have an opening coming up in their creative department, and I'd love to get my foot in the door. I've sent resumés to the necessary people, but so far nothing. Feh. Funny thing, I actually worked for them for a couple of months back in 1997, on a freelance basis. Stay Tuned!

Complicating things is that I'm suddenly immersed in art projects for the first time in ages. My plate, which I had consigned to a neglected cupboard stored in the attic of my mind, is full-to-running over. I have some art requests to fill, such as a couple for the redoubtable Ken of Ringywoodyrageyfucky note; and I am also committed to doing the illustrations for a children's book written by my wife, who is consumed with a passion to write the things. She's found a publisher/printer online, has arranged to pay their fee, and is now anxiously awaiting on me to provide the drawrings. She's been after me for years to do this, and naturally I've put it off and resisted, but I'm out of excuses now. This particular story is one I had done several illos for already, but did them in Prismacolors and scanned them on the computer so I could cut and paste some of the more repititious images. Problem is, when I was forced to wipe my hard drive back last May, these working files, like those of my Thriller website, were wiped too. Thought I had them backed up, but soon discovered this was not the case. Anyway, I had rethought my approach and decided to scrap the Prismacolor style anyway and redo it...but then I procrastinated more. Now, I'm doing them. Penciled, the pen-and-inked, and computer colored. That's the way I'm gonna go. But it's taking time, and I know she's getting impatient with me!

By the way, I posted a whole bunch of sketches on the sketchblog the other evening, but it didn't show up on the Comics Weblog Update-a-tron 5000 so I'm telling you now. They're mostly pieces I had already posted here at the Show, but it occurred to me that perhaps there were people who, God bless 'em, have never seen this blog and so consequently have never seen those sketches...so up they went. Go look 'em over, and leave comments if you like. Even if you don't like!

OK, that's all I got time for now. I'll be back later. It may be tomorrow, or even Saturday, but I'll be back. Chin-Chin!

I was sent the notification for this several days ago, but it slipped my mind until I saw it noted on Artbomb: Sonny Liew has posted pages from the second Malinky Robot book, Bicycle. Go! Look! It's excellent stuff!

I intend to do a catch-up post, to comment on some stuff I've gotten in the mail lately like Malinky Robot 1, Jax Epoch and the Quicken Forbidden, and the Bruce Campbell bio If Chins Could Kill- Confessions of a B Movie Actor (when I finish it, that is!). But that's for another day.

You may recall my friend Chris Tabor, a fine artist who is currently working on several projects (plus a full-time job) when he's not serving as the Bacardi Show Political Corrspondent. One of these projects is a concept named Fatalysia with writer Liam Kemp. Announced over a year ago, Chris has made some, but not a lot, of progress on this ambitious story, and is now seeking assistance to get it finished. I'll let him tell you in his own words:

David,

I was wondering if I could take advantage of the growing prominence (snicker snicker-J.B.) of The Bacardi Show to help steer the Fatalysia project back on track? I sent an email to William today to the effect that he and I really should try to get the project moving again. I explained to him that a key factor was finding an artist with plenty of time on his/her hands to handle the majority of the interior art chores. I'm perfectly willing to handle the cover art duties, as well as any supplemental art that may be needed, as well as lettering and graphic design chores, but I really just don't have the time, or passion really, for doing the numerous panels of sequential art. So, to sum up my blabbering, could I advertise for a penciller/inker on your site? I could forward you a synopsis of what Fatalysia is all about, along with some of the concept artwork. Maybe it will attract some interest and, in doing so, make my day. I've never lost any interest or faith in the project, nor have I thought that it wouldn't happen. I guess that I came to the conclusion that NOTHING was going to happen until I solved this art dilemma. I'm still going to tackle a lot of work, I just need some help. Of course, I know that no artist is going to work for free, so I'm going to try to come up with some sort of money arrangement. Anyway, get back to me and let me know if 'The Show' can help.

Gracias!
-El Tabor

So there you have it. We're all about help here at the JBS. Anybody know anyone who would be willing to jump on board? Remember, only you can prevent forest fires. Or something like that.

Time now for the weekly sports post. Semi-weekly, anyway- can't remember if I did one last week. First up, the Official NHL Team of the JBS, the Calgary Flames, came a cropper in their quest for Lord Stanley's Cup in a hard-fought (and not always wisely fought) series that matched them against a team which was very similar, both talent-and-hustle-wise, the Tampa Bay Lightning. Now, under ordinary circumstances, say if the Lightning had been up against the Red Wings (no offense, Annie) or Rockies, I would have rooted like hell for them...but I had already been swayed by the upstart, scrappy Flames. Besides, the Flames' jerseys are about 150% cooler than the 'Ning...I like the lightning bolt on them, but they really, really really should get rid of that mega-cheesy "Tampa Bay Lightning" in that mega cheesy font on their shirts. The bolt is classy and stylish, but the text just ruins it. Plus, oddly enough for someone that tends to root for a hockey team operating in Arizona, it just doesn't seem right to me to have one hockey team in Florida, let alone two. But that's OK. The 'Ning deserve the Cup, they just plain old out-scrapped and out-played my Flambés.

In baseball, my Sox are playing pretty darn well right now, despite their closer troubles (in the words of Don Fred Flintstone: "Billy Koch, you are dead to me now. Dead." It's that stupid-looking goatee he wears. If he shaved that thing off, he'd remember how to throw strikes. I know it.). MLB is beginning interleague play, a blatant grab for fan support which I supported at first...until I saw how they decided to do it. The schedule is now a monstrosity, unbelieveably unbalanced, because they don't let every team play every team, instead drawing up the schedule to have teams from this division playing teams from that division only, and not any others. This rotates on a something like three year basis. So like everything else MLB does, from the designated hitter on, it's done in a half-assed fashion. I know, I know, it's more important to have NL teams playing the bulk of thier schedule against NL teams, and the same for the AL, but because MLB thinks it has to have home-and-away series with the teams, plus certain sexy "rivalries" like the Chicago Cubs vs. the Chicago White Sox, Mets-Yankees, and so on, then what we have is a big blip in the middle of the summer, and divisional rivals playing two weeks' worth of series in May and not seeing each other again until September, and that's not right either. The schedule is a mess, and it bugs me. I think, as with a lot of things, I'm in the minority here, but frankly I wish they'd scrap interleague play altogether if they can't give us TRUE interleague play. Like the DH, which is offensive on a lot of levels but never more so than because one league has it and another one doesn't. Make both leagues use the DH, or drop it completely. I have spoken.

Football never really goes away, and this year has been no exception. My Falcons haven't made too much noise in the free agent market, so I haven't been following it as closely as I could or probably should. Kinda wish Atl would look into signing UK grad Tim Couch as Mike Vick's backup and let Ty Detmer (I shudder as I type t hat name) go back to working in a construction crew or whatever the hell he's been doing since his NFL career tanked. I think Kurt Warner is going to be a lot better than people think for the Giants...you don't really want to throw Eli Manning to the wolves right away, and people just don't seem to understand that Warner's hand was injured. You can't throw a football, something which quarterbacks are asked to do quite often, with a hand injury. That will affect your playing time, stats, game composure, and a hundred other things, which has been pretty obvious over the last two years in St. Louis. Sure, he's been a head case a lot lately, and his wife is obnoxious, but most of that is frustration and perceived lack of support from his coaches, and that will make even the most even-tempered among us a bit cranky. Warner seems to be healthy, and has something to prove...so that makes him real dangerous in my book. Also, since we were discussing schedules in the last paragraph, have you ever noticed that whenever there's some sort of major player or coach move or shakeup, it never ever fails- the team to which the player or coach goes (if it's acrimonious, even better) will ALWAYS play the team they left that upcoming year? An example: Terrell Owens wants to leave San Francisco. He wants to go to Philadelphia, but his agent screws up in submitting his free agency papers, and the Niners gleefully trade him to the Baltimore Ravens, much to Owens' dismay. The league steps in, compensates the Ravens, and disallows the trade, allowing TO to go to Philadelphia as a free agent . The Ravens are pissed, but whaddaya do? A lot of rancor is exchanged between Philly, Owens, Baltimore, and San Fran. So when you look at the schedule for the upcoming NFL season, what do we see? Why, of course- Baltimore plays Philadelphia on Halloween. The only surprise is that is it isn't in Baltimore. There have been many, many other examples of this happening over the years. No, I'm not going to give you more instances, life is short. You'll have to take my word for it. Now, I'm not one that sees conspiracy everywhere he looks, cheese notwithstanding, but if I wanted to build the argument that professional sports (especially the NFL) are as scripted as pro wrestling, then that's one of the first points I'd make.

This has been the semi-weekly sports post. We now return you to your regularly scheduled comics, music, TV and movie blogging.

Could I make one request of comics fandom in general and the Comics Blogosphereiverse in particular?

Can we please eliminate the term "gritty" from the lexicon? I defy all of you out there to review or even comment on a comic that is slightly more mature in tone and subject matter than, say, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories and not use the word. Can't do it, can ya?

"Grim" is OK. Sufficiently descriptive. But "gritty" makes me wince. Perhaps it's teenage memories of sex on the beach (the act, not the drink); perhaps it's the association I make, nine times out of ten, of the word with Stimpson J. Cat's "greety keety litter". Perhaps it's simply been EFFING OVERUSED enough to make me wince when I run across a reviewer or message board poster or even a blogger that falls back on the phrase that was worn out in 1989, let alone 2004, failing to think of anything else to use. Whatever. Could we stop, please?

Toldja I was in a grouchy mood today, didn't I.

Over at Comics Continuum, they have a preview of the upcoming Vertigo series, The Witching (not to be confused with The Witches, I suppose). It looks kinda interesting to me, plus, and this is a BIG plus, it has those wonderful Tara McPherson covers. So, I'm looking forward. I'm sure that I'll love it, and then I'll start reading here and there about how terrible and clichéd it is.

Kinda in a cranky mood today, cant'cha tell?

More bad news: Robert Quine, it has just been reported, was found dead Saturday. Fucking heroin, of course, was responsible.

I've always enjoyed Quine's guitar work as a sideman for so many of my favorite artists, like Lou Reed, Lloyd Cole, Marianne Faithfull, Tom Waits, and especially Matthew Sweet. His solo on Girlfriend's "Your Sweet Voice" blows me away every time with its quiet grace.

What a shame.

Note to Neilalien, who may already be aware of it: an unsold pitch, complete with sketches by someone named Jeremy Rock, for a new Doctor Strange series by someone named Ryan Scott Otney.

Very sorry to hear about the passing of Kate Worley, who wrote Omaha The Cat Dancer. Condolences to her loved ones.

Adam somebodyoranother (can't find a last name anywhere) over at Completely Futile has written, in the best "kid who shouts out "The Emperor's not wearing any clothes!" style, a scathing critique of the first 10 pages of Bendis and Maleev's Daredevil 56, proclaiming it "worst...comic...ever". Naw, that's not a quote. Here are quotes. "...(he doesn't) remember reading a worse comic book" and "...it was awful from beginning to end". Dialogue and art especially "offend" him, as if he actually paid for the comic itself. Good thing he didn't! God knows what kind of carnage might ensue...

I am one of those who has praised Bendis and Maleev's Daredevil since their run began a few years ago. I've always found it intelligent, moody and thoughtful, and a cut above the usual spandex theatrics. Usually, stilted or clumsy dialogue and poorly proportioned, amateurish art (or at least what I perceive to be so) jumps right out at me and gets in my face like one of those clingy critters from Alien. So I guess either my mediocrity radar malfunctions totally whilst reading Daredevil, or I guess I'm full of shit and don't know a terrible piece of sequential storytelling when I stick my head in one.

Which of these is true, I'll leave for you, gentle readers, to decide.

Further proof, I suppose, of why you should take what I write about comics with a grain, nay, a block of salt.

The Comic Gods are toying with me. I open the new Diamond shipping list, and I see now that I must do penance for my ridiculously light week last week. Here goes nothing.

100 BULLETS #50
BITE CLUB #3
FABLES #26
GLOBAL FREQUENCY #12
HERO #17
CLOCK MAKER ACT 2
WALKING DEAD #8
DEMO #7 (we'll see...we'll see)
LOVE & ROCKETS VOL 2 #10
STREET ANGEL #2

Jesus H. Christ on a popsicle stick! 10! Especially stoked to see the return of CLOCK MAKER, an interesting concept in a dubious package, now reconfigured and resequenced, all the better to read it, my dear. Looking forward to seeing if the second STREET ANGEL is as much fun as the first, and then there's that DEMO book I keep hearing so much about. All the DC titles, especially the long overdue 100 BULLETS and the climactic issue of the most recent story arc in FABLES, are promising. And it's always interesting to see whether we get good GLOBAL FREQUENCY or bad GLOBAL FREQUENCY. Hopefully Ellis will see that the finale is memorable, so we'll all be geeked about the TV show.

Time now for the long-overdue part three of...MY ALL-TIME TOP 20 FAVORITE COMICS SERIES (and certain runs on certain titles)! THIS TIME...THE EIGHTIES!

Of course, since I had a hard time narrowing it down to 20 from the four decades in which I've been reading comics, I've been taking 'em decade by decade...and so far no decade has given me as much trouble as the Eighties. I generally credit many of the excellent series that came out in this decade as keeping the faint spark of comics collecting alive in my now-fully-grown-mannish would-be/should-be adult heart and brain...but honestly, I had to reach for several of these. As usual, I'm sure I'm forgetting many and I'll have to update as I go along. The old brain cells just aren't what they used to be. Anyway, here's the list, finally ready for your perusal and presumed commentary. Again, grouped by company, and in otherwise no particular order.

DC:
1. THRILLER by Robert Loren Fleming and Trevor Von Eeden. All right, yeah, Bill Dubay and Alex Nino, too.
2. THE SHADOW by Howard Chaykin, Andy Helfer, Bill Sinkiewicz, and Kyle Baker
3. WATCHMEN by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
4. (SAGA OF THE) SWAMP THING by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, John Totleben and others
5. JUSTICE LEAGUE (INTERNATIONAL, EUROPE, ETC.) by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatties, Kevin McGuire, Adam Hughes, many others
6. DOOM PATROL by Grant Morrison, Richard Case, and others
7. THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS by Frank Miller and others
8. BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE by Moore and Bolland

MARVEL
9a. DAREDEVIL by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson (Added after the fact, and one of my faves of the 80s. I completely forgot it when I was coming up with this list. See, I told ya!)
9b. TIMESPIRITS by Steven Perry and Tom Yeates
10. STARSTRUCK by Elaine Lee and Mike Kaluta
11. THOR by Walt Simonson
12. MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL 7: KILLRAVEN: LAST DREAMS BROKEN by Don McGregor and P. Craig Russell

COMICO
13. MAGE by Matt Wagner

ECLIPSE
14. ZOT! by Scott McCloud

PACIFIC
15. THE ROCKETEER by Dave Stevens

FANTAGRAPHICS
16. LOVE & ROCKETS by Gilbert, Jaime & Mario Hernandez

FIRST
17. AMERICAN: FLAGG! by Howard Chaykin
18. TIMES SQUARED by Chaykin

AARDVARK/VANAHEIM
19. THE FLAMING CARROT by Bob Burden

KITCHEN SINK (and later FANTAGRAPHICS)
20. OMAHA the CAT DANCER by Kate Worley and Reed Waller

Honorable mentions: MAUS by Art Spiegelman; AZTEC ACE by Doug Moench and Gene Day; SCOUT by Tim Truman, which co-featured a fun action strip I often liked more than I did the lead, FASHION IN ACTION by J.K. Snyder III; COYOTE, by Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers and Steve Leialoha, which went straight downhill after Leialoha bailed; VOID INDIGO (incl. MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL 11) by Steve Gerber and Val Simieks; MOONSHADOW by DeMatties and John Jay Muth; HELLBLAZER by Jamie Delano, John Ridgeway and others- HB ran one year in the 80s...I came to enjoy the book a lot more in the subsequent decade. Same with Gaiman's SANDMAN. Dan Clowes' LLOYD LLEWELLYN; Marv Wolfman & George Perez' TEEN TITANS; MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL #35: HITLER'S ASTROLOGER by Dennis O'Neil, Mike Kaluta and Russ Heath. And that's about all I can think of. I suppose the 80s were the best of times and the worst of times, as the saying goes...

Laura "Tegan" Gjovaag, meet D.C. Dill. I think you may have something in common.

Saw the bad news yesterday evening...Reagan's dead.

What?

Not this Reagan? The other one...oh. Heh. Oops!



Felt like I should write something on the occasion of the passing of our 40th President, just didn't know exactly what to say, since I don't generally like to speak ill of the dead. Then I thought what the hell...why not?

I was 20 when Reagan assumed the Presidency, wrapping himself in the flag and waving apple pie and God and Country in our faces. But I didn't trust the man from day one, even at the ripe old age of 20. He was an actor, for chrissakes, who better to be a puppet president than an actor? As the years went by, it became obvious that Ronnie didn't have a clue what was going on under his very nose, and didn't want to know either. He was content to play his assigned part on the biggest stage of his life. His was the first example, that I had ever seen anyway, of a figurehead, and it seemed plain that he left the actual decision making to his "advisors", most of whom were in pocket to special interests. At least Nixon, as reprehensible as that old bastard was, could say that he was his own man. Ronnie was Nancy's man first, then his cabinet's, and then the man of those whose pockets he helped line and those wistfully foolish enough to don blinders and think that he had their best interests in mind. Not even Nixon made me as cynical about the political process as our late former President did. And Bush Senior stepped right in to carry on his predecessor's fine work, and now we've come full circle with his equally-as-clueless-as-Reagan son.

Yeah, Reagan was a fine, likeable actor. He was even in a couple of movies with my Forties inamorata Priscilla Lane, lucky him. I want to say we'd all be better off today if he had stayed an actor, and retired gracefully, but no- they would have found someone else...it was inevitable.

So, while I'm happy he's over his struggle with Alzheimer's, an ironic twist if there ever was one and a disease I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, you'll forgive me if I don't shed too many tears for the late Mr. Reagan.


See? Who says I never blog about politics anymore?

BEST OF THE WEEK
COMICS COMMENTARY!
What I bought and what I thought, week of JUNE 3!

B.P.R.D.: A PLAGUE OF FROGS 4
It's pretty easy to say that this series is by far the most effective Hellboy spinoff yet because of the presence of Mignola, and his somewhat singular writing voice. While many fine writers have attempted, and some have done very well, no one can get just the right scripting tone like he can. Plus, it's a continuation of one of the more compelling HB storylines, the very first one. But I think that what has really gotten this particular endeavor across, to me, anyway, is the outstanding art job that Guy Davis has done, wonderfully abetted by the vivid hues of colorist Dave Stewart. Between this and The Nevermen, Davis has really been on a hot streak. Not coincidentally, he's also finally figured out how to draw women that don't look like Howard Cosell. Of course, this is not perfect: sure, a major cast member dies at the end of this issue, but if you think this m.c.m. is gonna stay dead then I have some choice property I'd like to sell you. But that's a minor quibble, and hopefully next issue we'll find out for sure. B.P.R.D.: A Plague of Frogs is proof, at long last, of what many of us longtime Hellboy fans suspected: that there are good, interesting tales to be told about the supporting cast. Took 'em long enough! A-

SWAMP THING 4
Now, I haven't been a regular Swamp Thing reader since the middle of Rick Veitch's ill-fated run back in -what?- 1986?, so I may be jumping to a wrongish conclusion- but isn't this little Swampy vs. Téfe vs. Abby vs. John Constantine tango essentially the same thing that's been played out by every subsequent writer since Alan Moore pulled up his roots and shambled elesewhere? There have been a lot of writers that have tried their hand at this title, and it seems that every time I'd idly pick up a copy, this (or variations on it) would be going on. Sure, we have a few wrinkles, this time out- and not all of them on Sargon's Professor Farnsworth-like body- but there's a "been-there, fought-that" feeling that keeps nagging at me even as I enjoy Andy Diggle's otherwise fine writing. Dialogue's great, especially with John Constantine (who it would seem Diggle was born to write, his tepid Lady Constantine notwithstanding) and Téfe, and the dramatics are just right, not too maudlin but still affecting. The usual Enrique Breccia complaints apply- wonderful mood and horrifying imagery, but the human form (especially the female) is a challenge. I think I'm willing to stay with this despite the deja vu because I honestly believe Diggle (and hopefully Wil Pfiefer after him) intends to go in a different direction after the preliminaries are over. We'll see. B+

That's it! Light week, huh! Like I had hoped, the new Mojo magazine came out, which meant that I didn't have eight bucks attached to one of my usual twenty-something dollar purchase weeks. Morrisey's on the cover, not exactly an enticement for me because I've never been a Smiths fan at all, but there's a nice previously unpublished Lennon NYC photo gallery, an article on Graham Nash (an artist that I find interesting in spite of himself), and Morrissey-inspired lists of the 100 most miserable songs ever recorded in various musical genres. As always, good readin'.

Once again poaching from Kevin Melrose, I see that over at CBR we have an interview with Hawaiian Dick creator B. Clay Wilson about the long-awaited (by discerning comics readers, anyway) HD sequel, The Last Resort. Can't wait! Also included in the feature article is a sweet splash by Nick Derington (see link in sidebar), who assumes artist duties from Steve Griffin with issue 2.

Looks like I've had more down time today than I expected, enough to do some clicking around on the 'Net anyway. One thing I checked out was...wait, I think I should preface this with a little story.

When the subject of AiT/PlanetLar books came up for the first time, I made a remark somewhere or another that I had never read an AiT/PlanetLar offering before. Seeing this, Larry Young, the patron saint of the Comics Blogosphereiverse, took pity upon my plight and sent me one of his by-now-the-stuff-of-legend boxes full of graphic goodness, so I could sample the rich and bountiful harvest that his imprint had to offer. And I did, and I'm most thankful for the opportunity to do so.

But I lied. Well, lie is a harsh word. Fibbed. Told an untruth because of my forgetfulness, to be exact.

I had read the first issue of Electric Girl when it was first released. I saw the solicit, was curious, and skimmed through it on the rack when I got the chance, but for some reason I didn't buy. Maybe I was in my "I'm out of work and not looking to add new titles" mode, maybe I was in a bad mood that day, don't know. But I didn't pick it up, and did not become a regular reader. And now I'm thinking that I missed out on something good (certainly not the first time this has happened to me, nor will it be the last, I'm sure), because I've been reading the online samples at the official Electric Girl site, and I think they're just wonderful. Lotsa fun.

There appear two be two collections available, and methinks that one of these days I will place an order for them both. I'll re-add the PayPal button I used to have so you can all chip in and assist me towards this goal.

Anyway, go check 'em out! I like.

And doesn't EG's gremlin buddy look like Roger, the bully from Doug?

Not to be outdone, over at Pulse they give us a look at DC's upcoming graphic novel & collections list, and while there's a lot of good stuff coming out that I can't afford so I won't be getting it anytime soon, I noticed with interest (and more than a little surprise) that they're coming out with a trade collection of the 1991 Jeph Loeb/Tim Sale Challengers of the Unknown limited series, titled CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN MUST DIE!, which may have been the title of the limited series as well, back in 1991- I forget.

Anyway, this was a great take on the Challengers and their convoluted history; a bit cynical, perhaps, but I really liked its mature tone (a bit of a rarity for DC in 1991, Alan Moore notwithstanding), and the script was sharp and smart...a tad satirical, perhaps, but never condescending and made these characters more real than anybody ever had. It was Loeb's first comics work, and one of Sale's first art jobs for a major publisher. It takes place in more or less present-day, with the Challs ensconced in Challengers Mountain and getting a bit bored. The town at the foot of the mountain has turned into a tourist trap, with Challs merchandise, Mountain tours, rides, and other things like that. Everything's fine at first, but then, while Prof Haley is working in his lab, an explosion occurs, pretty much taking off the top of the mountain and causing death and destruction in the town below. Despite the fact that the Challs (without Prof and June, who are assumed dead) descend to rescue who they can, they are held responsible by the authorities and are soon taken to court. The second issue is pretty much a courtroom story, with a great cameo by Superman, who testifies in their behalf. As a result of the trial, the Challengers disband and go their seperate ways...Ace delves into the mystic arts, Red becomes a mercenary soldier-of-fortune, Rocky gets into movies, hooks up with an old "friend" and soon descends into a self-destructive routine of drinking, gambling, and sex. Even though it doesn't sound all that bad, he does bottom out, trust me. Prof and June? They're dead. Problem is, the explosion has made it possible for something to enter into our world, and the Challs (and a nerdy, annoying reporter whose name I forget) must reunite and defeat the menace somehow. The ghosts of Prof and June figure in, as well. Don't want to give away too much, because there's much more going on in the eight issues than I should list here. I was a little dismayed at the nature of the menace at the end, which is a bit of a cliché that was overused even back then...but the resolution itself is great and negates the reservations I had.

The hardcore Challs fans had a hissy fit when this came out, as I recall, which might have kinda hurt its sales, which were lukewarm at best. Seems the CotU lovers out there didn't want to see their heroes being treated in such fashion, And DC hasn't really seemed to be particularly proud of it either, since this is the first time I've ever even seen it mentioned by them in 13 years. That's why I'm so surprised to see it get the collection treatment. Here's what Loeb himself told me in an email (he dropped me a line to thank me for commenting on it in the posts section of the Pulse article):

Included in the collection, seen for the very first time, is
a 12 page epilogue that we had written, drawn, inked and lettered
for a Justice League International annual that was cancelled.

It is the only thing Tim and I have worked on that hasn't been
published. Really of it's time, it centers on Guy Garder, Ice,
and Multi-Man... It's fairly hilarious -- intentionally.

Also, don't know if you're a Brian Michael Bendis fan, but we
got Bendis to do the introduction -- his first work for DC --
and it's quite brilliant.

Add to that the fact that each issue had a cover by a different artist such as Kyle Baker (above), Brian Bolland, Gil Kane, Art Adams, Matt Wagner and so on, which I'm sure will be included, and this sounds like a hell of a package for my twenty bucks!

Gonna be one of those days where I post quickies, when I do get to post, between building and correcting ads. Anyway, kudos to Alan David Doane, whose 5 Questions feature that he used to post on his now defunct blog has found a new home over at Newsarama- which has really stepped up its interesting quotient lately. Anyway, his subject this time out is indie darling Seth, and the above is the new cover for the next Peanuts collection, which he designed. I like it better than the first one, and I think it's because of that deep blue.

Go here to check it, mah brothas.

I see over at Thought Balloons that CBR has posted a 31-page preview of Flight, and one of two stories it reproduces in its entirety is the contribution by Vera Brosgol...which kinda reduces my need to buy this (of course I still will). But her (somewhat autobiographical, I think) story is a small jewel, and if you read nothing else from these previews you should read it.

Vera just rocks. Totally.

And by the way, yes, the story ends ambiguously, and I still like it. Which should prove that I don't always want everything sketched out in big neon letters. In fact, those who know me should know that nothing could be further from the truth. It's a fine-line thing, this ambiguity, and it's as easy to fall on one side of the line as it is the other. I think Vera B pulls it off with aplomb. But that's just my opinion, I have been known to be wrong before.

Just to demonstrate to everyone that I don't spend all my time wandering around in a clueless daze, completely missing any and every point there is to be made, I ordered this yesterday.

To those who know me well, or are longtime readers of mine, it will come as a shock, I think.

Like Dr. Evil says: "I'm hip; I'm "with it""...

It's time for the long-awaited (well, somebody must await it) return of the MUSIC TODAY! feature which appears sporadically here at the JBS, which lists the various recorded musical sounds I have listened to during the course of my busy day. * signifies vinyl. Take it away, maestro!

Todd Rundgren-Runt; Jeff Beck Group-Beck-Ola*; John, Paul, George and Richie-Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band; XTC-Nonsvch; Rod Stewart-Sing It Again, Rod*; Sinead O'Connor-I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got; Elton John-Tumbleweed Connection; The Thorns; The Jayhawks-Smile; Bowie-Pinups.

Spent a lot of time clicking away on the ol' keyboards today with the headphones on, don't ya know. Yesterday, too. Here's a list, as best I recall:

Martin Mull and His Fabulous Furniture From Your Living Room; I Am Shelby Lynne; Julian Lennon-Mr.Jordan; Eels-Daisies of the Galaxy; Cornershop-When I Was Born For the 7th Time; Mercury Rev-Deserter's Songs; Strawbs-Ghosts*; Pink Floyd-Relics*.

My fellow Stupid Llama Mik Cary sent me this insightful Kurt Vonnegut piece today, and I thought I'd share.

Just finished reading a nicely done webcomic by Erika Moen, I Like Girls. I like I Like Girls. Go check it for yoreself!

Sean Collins, who's been giving me a lot of linky goodness lately, and I'm thankful 'n' thoughtful for it, has commented on something he noticed in my review of the latest Demo. I think he's misunderstood me a little, and so I'm gonna try to clarify my position.

Just because I said I found it a bit bothersome that there wasn't some sort of connecting thread doesn't necessarily mean that I want there to be. Believe you me, as I said when I wrote about the first five issues, the very last thing I'd want to see is for all these characters we've encountered so far to meet up at the end and dedicate their life to fighting evil, or some such crap like that. I'm not necessarily looking for some sort of father figure, some sort of wizard or kindly professor or anything like that to come along and explain things to these people either. That's the sort of thing, and pay attention now 'cause I won't say it again, that I have become BORED TO DEATH with in mainstream popular fiction. BUT. For me, the very lack of some sort of reason or purpose to these singular events blunts the impact for me as a reader...renders them trivial and inconsequential somehow. There's no lasting significance, nothing I carry away from these stories. It's like looking at random black & white pictures of objects. Shoes. Or Rocks. Or anything like that. The pictures may be well shot, and may suggest some sort of idea to my mind or give me some sort of impression that I'd carry with me for a while...but in the end they're just random snapshots of objects, no more, no less, and as such are easily forgotten and lacking any sort of context whatsoever. And that's kinda what Demo's been like for me so far. Very nicely illustrated, and the stories in and out of themselves are well written, with great dialogue and some genuinely shocking or surprising moments. But without some sort of big picture or rhyme or reason, the impact is mitigated with me. They're stories easily shrugged off, even though (and this is certainly the case with #6) the imagery may be memorably horrifying. So what if Ken massacred his neighborhood? Who cares? We'll never see him again! I may have learned my lesson about rage, but hell, I knew that one already!

Far more disturbing to me with Demo 6 was what was left unexplained, like what happened to Ken after the climactic events of this issue? His parents slammed the door in his face in fear! Did they leave him out there in the yard until the police came? Did they somehow disown him? Did they get over their fear and raise him anyway? He certainly appeared to be prosperous, successful and happy when we first see him- how did he get this way? Just stating obliquely that he's "lucky" doesn't cut it...

Anyway, I hope that clarifies my position. I LIKE DEMO. I don't LOVE it, though, and I just want everyone to know that I get the point with this series...but the point itself is my problem!

Furthermore...(thoughts on the drive home from work) I suppose that it's just that I don't do ambiguity well. Which is not to say that it's not a valid tool for a writer when creating stories, but simply on a personal level it often (not always) comes across to me as a cop-out of sorts; if the author can't be bothered to give us some sort of resolution, leaving it up to us instead, then he absolves any sort of responsibility for whatever conclusions we, the reader, might draw...and that usually always bugs me. It's either that, or the writer is unwilling or unable to come up with an adequate continuation or resolution himself, and that can't be good either. Sure, Wood gave us a resolution for this particular incident in the Ken character's life, but I'm left with so many questions that it becomes frustrating to me, and I have just never had a very high frustration tolerance level. Did this ever happen again to him? What was the aftermath of this massacre? Did the police blame a roving band of Huns? Pirates? Were there no reprocussions when several families in a neighborhood are slaughtered? Did Scully and Mulder investigate? Did Ken ever reach that level of rage, fear, or, well, frustration again? Since this particular issue of Demo will never, ever be followed up, then we'll never know. And in that, by leaving me with this unfulfilled desire to get the rest of the story, Wood has both succeeded and failed in what he set out to do. He crafted a story and a character that I'd love to know more about- heck, all of these characters just beg to have the rest of their stories expanded upon...but it ain't gonna happen. Nope, forget it. Not to be. Can't be! That would invalidate the very premise of Demo in the first place, and that frustrates me. And as the reader, I feel cheated somehow. It's like hearing one chorus of a song, or a backing track without vocals.

New Diamond shipping list is up, and here's what I'll be getting. Don't blink.

BPRD: A PLAGUE OF FROGS #4
SWAMP THING #4

Aaaand...that's it! Make-up week after last week's fat stack, I suppose.

Maybe I'll get lucky and the new Mojo magazine will come out instead of one of the weeks in which I drop 25 bucks.

Each and every aspiring comic book writer out there, and even you aspiring comic book artists, should go check out Kevin Melrose's new project: Scryptic Studios. It promises to be a great resource.

Maybe I should start a "How not to be a professional comic book artist" resource site.

Did a little movie watching over the weekend. First, I caught a screening of Hitchcock's Saboteur, which I had seen years ago but not since I developed my fascination with this film's top-billed star Priscilla Lane. From what I've read and heard, this was a troubled production from the beginning- Hitchcock still wasn't at the stage in his career where he had total control over his films, and he had to make several compromises which, I'm sure, did nothing to help his enthusiasm for the project. One thing he wanted was different leads- Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck instead of Lane and Robert Cummings, and while I thought Lane was fine, Hitch was right on in his instinct about Cummings, who plays his part, that of a munitions worker who's framed for sabotage and the death of his best friend and co-worker, in a strangely happy-go-lucky fashion, always chipper and blithely upbeat. Odd choice. Lane, for her part, is radiant as always (little biased here, I guess), but tries a bit too hard to channel Stanwyck's acting style (at Hitch's request? Don't know), I believe, and doesn't play to her strength as an actress. The script itself, despite co-writing credits by Dorothy Parker (!), is a mishmash, held together with chewing gum and duck tape, relying on coincidence and belief suspension to advance the plot...but still, this is, of course, Hitchcock, and in spite of everything he manages to keep the proceedings moving at a fast clip and works a couple of scenes for some nicely effective, tense moments. The finale (for which I would imagine this film is best remembered) on the Statue of Liberty is a classic scene. So while Saboteur is a disappointment, it's still very watchable.


Also caught Down With Love, on the surface a tribute to those fluffy Rock Hudson/Doris Day sex comedies of yore. I thought it might be good fun, but the problem is that this film is nowhere near as clever as it thinks it is, and completely loses whatever charm it might have engendered (something those old films had) with its arch, condescending tone. The leads are fine, even though the characters they're asked to play are too broad and cartoonish: Ewan McGregor is dashing, and Reneé (sigh) Zellwegger is energetic and winning. Reneé's buddy in the film is played by Sarah Paulson, who was Murlee in American Gothic(!). Professional nerd David Hyde Pierce is also on hand, to function as the Tony Randall character. Randall himself has a cameo, and it's cool to see him in the brief time he gets. Down With Love, with it's excellent reproduction of the look and styles of the early 60s, if not the feel, is technically great, imaginative even, but it seems to be a film made by fashion designers and artists for fashion designers and artists, and there's just no heart or soul in it. It's worth one watch, but I can't imagine why anyone should want to view it over and over. I'm borderline obsessive about Zellwegger, but even I have no desire to see this again.


Finally, I got to see a film I've been curious about for a long time, 1962's Carnival Of Souls, a film which has gathered quite a reputation over the years as being an atmospheric, seminal, influential horror movie, and after one viewing I can see why. Shot on the cheap, it does have that low-budget, grainy quality to it which often adds to the feel of this sort of film...and many of its scenes are very creepy indeed. From me that's saying something 'cause I don't creep easily. The story of a young church organist who appears to have survived a car accident and drowning, but is subsequently haunted and pursued by a ghostly stranger and visions of ghosts dancing on an abandoned pier, Souls is indeed long on mood but is hamstrung by some terrible, amateurish perfomances and a constant, shrill organ score which some say contributes to the creep factor but just got on my nerves. Lead Candace Hilligoss, who only made one other movie of any note, shows a little ability but is very stiff (and it's possible that the role needed this). I'll bet George Romero watched this a few times, because the ghostly people bear a distinct resemblance to his zombies in his original Night of the Living Dead. Almost as interesting as this film (to me) is that the director, Herk Harvey, (who had made his name making those instructional videos that everyone likes to make fun of so much) never made another completed film! And it's not like he died at an early age- he lived until 1996! Strange. Hilligoss had discussed doing a sequel to Souls with him a few years before he died, but nothing came of it. Called "required viewing" by no less an authority than Michael Weldon in his Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film, Carnival of Souls is quite effective (and mercifully brief), but again is a film that's more interesting from a historical perspective than from a purely casual viewing viewpoint.

Meant to pass this on the other day, but let it slip my mind- Alan David Doane is back and writing a column in the resurrected Comic Book Galaxy. ADD is a hell of a writer, and you should all have bookmarks in place by now. Anyhoo, he posted his answers to a Comics Journal Messboard thread, and I decided to follow in his footsteps by first answering the same questions and then reproducing them here for all to see. So here goes.


1. Do you tend to go to the nearest store, the best store, any store, or does it matter?

There's only one comics shop in an 80-mile radius, in the town where I work, so that's the one!

2. Ladies, what books do you tend to purchase, or what kind would you like to purchase (if you are a male please leave blank or supply what a girlfriend reads)?

My wife, an aspiring children's book author, doesn't read many of my comics, but when she does she tends to enjoy Scary Godmother and Jingle Belle, and I'm trying to get her interested in Courtney Crumrin.

3. What one thing would you add or change about your most frequented store (i.e. What is the worst thing about the store)?

I'm mostly satisfied with my store, but I really wish they would offer discounts to their holds customers again, plus bag 'n' board their holds customers' comics. Sometimes, and I can't say whether this is their fault or Diamond's, or both, they have a hard time getting in certain titles, mostly Indie.

4. What one thing would you not change (i.e. What is the best thing about the store)?

My shop is pretty good-sized, and carries a variety of merchandise- music, movies, paperbacks, gaming stuff, music magazines, and has a well-organized selection of back issues. I think it's one of the best comics shops I've been in, and certainly doesn't live up to the stereotype at all. Plus, there are three gorgeous girls that work there...wouldn't change that either.

5. Do you read any small press comic books currently? Which one(s)? (examples: Lone Star Press, Avatar)

Depends on how small we're talking about. I've always read at least one or two from here and there- right now, I'm reading Demo and Scurvy Dogs from AiT/PlanetLar, Evil Eye, Love & Rockets, and Meat Cake from Fantagraphics, Aleister Arcane from IDW, and various titles and limited series from Oni, Slave Labor, and of course Scary Godmother from Sirius, whenever it comes out. I'm sure there are others, but I forget.

6. What back issues do you buy?

Not many, Just don't have the disposable income- I do well enough right now to get the weekly new comics. When I do get back issues, it's usually of some title I didn't pick up on at the beginning, have sampled and liked, and scrambled to go back and fill in what I've missed. If I had a lot of cash, I'd try to rebuild my Silver Age DC collection that I once had, and would add back issues of Bob Hope featuring Super-Hip!, Mike Sekowsky's Wonder Woman run, some issues of Tales To Astonish with Giant-Man, and other stuff. I'm not gonna stand on one leg waiting.

7. How do you decide what comic book to buy? Writer, artist, character, word of mouth, etc?

All of the above. I tend to be visually oriented, so I will buy a book because I like the art more so than vice versa.

8. Do you buy strictly current age comic books or do you buy older comic books? What kinds?

All kinds- whatever strikes my fancy. I'm not purchasing too many straight-up superhero comics these days; I'm simply bored with most of them. Mostly new- like I said earlier, I just don't have the extra chedda to get old comics.

9. How do you feel about graded comic books?

Not much of an opinion one way or another. Can't see me ever buying one, just generally too expensive.

10. What comic book related merchandise do you buy?

Not a lot. I'll get a t-shirt once in a while, and I used to try to collect Hellboy or Scary Godmother stuff...but I couldn't keep up. I'll buy the occasional action figure if it's of an off-the-wall character I really like, but usually I wait till my store has a sidewalk sale and hope to see it out there where I can get it at a substantial discount.

11. What do you read if you are not reading comic books?

Mostly music magazines or other pop-culture related publications; I'm addicted to Mojo magazine. I read at least one newspaper every day, and have been known to crack a novel from time to time as well. Blogs, of course.

12. What do you buy at comic book conventions?

Rum and hookers, mostly. All seriousness aside, I just don't get the opportunity, having a limited income and living smack dab in the middle of Nowheresville, USA to go to them. I'd probably pick up a shirt or two, or some back issues, and spend the rest of the time hobnobbing and trying to collect sketches.