Torn from the pages of Showcase 95 #9 where they totally forgot to put down the credits... or so I assume.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Lobo Is NOT Invited To My Wedding!
Torn from the pages of Showcase 95 #9 where they totally forgot to put down the credits... or so I assume.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Weekend Matinee: CLOVERFIELD
It's Sunday afternoon (really!) and, if you're anything like me, you're still all fired up after seeing Super 8 that all you really want to watch is another great JJ Abrams-inspired monster romp. Well, why don't we check out the obvious answer to our genre pangs: the 2008, Matt Reeves directed CLOVERFIELD.
Man, I wish every giant monster movie was like this one. Not with the constant shaky, "I'm videotaping all of this in real time" stuff, but the smaller, man-on-the-street style of the story. I dig my sweeping epics as much as the next guy, but there's something more satisfying when the we only get to see a small sliver of the larger story.
To me, and I'm sure many others, Cloverfield is what the '98 remake of Godzilla should be. It celebrates the idea of a giant monster attacking a major metropolis, and doesn't get too bogged down in biology or Jamiroquai hits.
It's been a while since I've seen this one, but man has it stuck with me. It wasn't necessarily the characters that did, but rather the intensity and those fantastic 'movie moments' that make me proud to be the genre fan that I am. I sincerely hope that Cloverfield gets either a direct sequel soon, or at the very least another spiritual followup a la Super 8. Because I'm eagerly waiting for the day when I can do that three movie marathon.
So my clip this week, ironically, has no giant monsters in it. Instead, it's my favorite scene in the movie where the heroes are attacked in the sewer by some smaller, helper monsters and awesomeness occurs.
Man, I wish every giant monster movie was like this one. Not with the constant shaky, "I'm videotaping all of this in real time" stuff, but the smaller, man-on-the-street style of the story. I dig my sweeping epics as much as the next guy, but there's something more satisfying when the we only get to see a small sliver of the larger story.
To me, and I'm sure many others, Cloverfield is what the '98 remake of Godzilla should be. It celebrates the idea of a giant monster attacking a major metropolis, and doesn't get too bogged down in biology or Jamiroquai hits.
It's been a while since I've seen this one, but man has it stuck with me. It wasn't necessarily the characters that did, but rather the intensity and those fantastic 'movie moments' that make me proud to be the genre fan that I am. I sincerely hope that Cloverfield gets either a direct sequel soon, or at the very least another spiritual followup a la Super 8. Because I'm eagerly waiting for the day when I can do that three movie marathon.
So my clip this week, ironically, has no giant monsters in it. Instead, it's my favorite scene in the movie where the heroes are attacked in the sewer by some smaller, helper monsters and awesomeness occurs.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
The Bill June 8, 2011
Another week full of promise, another week that fails to live up to it. That's right, it's one of those kinds of weeks. Imma try to not get too bitter this time though. Let's see how I do...
Terribly Confusing:
Fearsome Four # 1
Writer: Brandon Montclare
Artists: Michael Wm Kaluta, Ryan Bodenheim, Simon Bisley
This is normally the kind of tie in I love: A collection of lower tier or obscure characters interacting with a larger event in a smaller, more interesting way than anyone else. And it doesn't get anymore lower tier or obscure than Man Thing, Frankenstein's Monster, and Howard the Duck; it ought to be all kinds of fantastic! Spoilers: It's not.
It's not so much the premise - which involves a fear drunk Man Thing on a rampage, it's pretty awesome - as much as it is the presentation. Sure the inclusion of the keeper of the Nexus of all Realities is a great diegetic reason to change up the art styles every few pages, but it creates a very uneven reading experience. I could never really fall into synch with this book, and that's a major problem.
Adding to my person disconnect from the book was the strange character choices. Not so much who they chose, I guess, but more how they were presented. She Hulk is just down right pissed the whole time, Howard looks hideous, and Nighthawk suddenly became a psychopath. It's weird and I don't like it.
Unless I hear of some drastic reveal in the next issue, I think my travels with the Four will end right here. And I don't think I'll miss anything aside from confusion.
Stumbling out of the Gate:
Ghost Rider # 0.1
Writer: Rob Williams
Artist: Matthew Clark
As much as I wanted to go into this one with an open mind, I think I knew deep down that it was going to be DOA with me. However, I thought it'd be more about not liking the direction of the story, than the quality of the writing.
To put it simply: this ain't no Jason Aaron series and it suffers for it.
The early word for this book was that it was supposed to be a pulpy, grindhouse throwback to the world of the 70s, full of hard drinking, loose women, questionable morals, and plenty of action. Basically, everything that the Jason Aaron run on the book was. In practice, the book comes off as kind of tame and pretty uninspiring. For a "grindhouse" book about a flaming skeleton on a motorcycle that fights demons, there's a lot more belly aching than should be legally allowed.
Honestly though, I could forgive all that if the characterization was anywhere close to being right. I don't know if Rob Williams had checked out any Ghost Rider issues before this one, but he seemed to miss the point Johnny Blaze. Or rather, disregarded how he's supposed to talk. I don't want to spend too long harping on this, but come on, Johnny Blaze should not say "dude". I don't know why exactly, the word just seems outside of his vernacular range. But that's just me.
Still, I'm intrigued by the idea of a new and different Ghost Rider moving forward, so I might stick around for the next issue. Maybe...
Bitterness quotient reached! You're all free to leave me. Come back next week, hopefully with at least 50% less bitterness...
Terribly Confusing:
Fearsome Four # 1
Writer: Brandon Montclare
Artists: Michael Wm Kaluta, Ryan Bodenheim, Simon Bisley
This is normally the kind of tie in I love: A collection of lower tier or obscure characters interacting with a larger event in a smaller, more interesting way than anyone else. And it doesn't get anymore lower tier or obscure than Man Thing, Frankenstein's Monster, and Howard the Duck; it ought to be all kinds of fantastic! Spoilers: It's not.
It's not so much the premise - which involves a fear drunk Man Thing on a rampage, it's pretty awesome - as much as it is the presentation. Sure the inclusion of the keeper of the Nexus of all Realities is a great diegetic reason to change up the art styles every few pages, but it creates a very uneven reading experience. I could never really fall into synch with this book, and that's a major problem.
Adding to my person disconnect from the book was the strange character choices. Not so much who they chose, I guess, but more how they were presented. She Hulk is just down right pissed the whole time, Howard looks hideous, and Nighthawk suddenly became a psychopath. It's weird and I don't like it.
Unless I hear of some drastic reveal in the next issue, I think my travels with the Four will end right here. And I don't think I'll miss anything aside from confusion.
Stumbling out of the Gate:
Ghost Rider # 0.1
Writer: Rob Williams
Artist: Matthew Clark
As much as I wanted to go into this one with an open mind, I think I knew deep down that it was going to be DOA with me. However, I thought it'd be more about not liking the direction of the story, than the quality of the writing.
To put it simply: this ain't no Jason Aaron series and it suffers for it.
The early word for this book was that it was supposed to be a pulpy, grindhouse throwback to the world of the 70s, full of hard drinking, loose women, questionable morals, and plenty of action. Basically, everything that the Jason Aaron run on the book was. In practice, the book comes off as kind of tame and pretty uninspiring. For a "grindhouse" book about a flaming skeleton on a motorcycle that fights demons, there's a lot more belly aching than should be legally allowed.
Honestly though, I could forgive all that if the characterization was anywhere close to being right. I don't know if Rob Williams had checked out any Ghost Rider issues before this one, but he seemed to miss the point Johnny Blaze. Or rather, disregarded how he's supposed to talk. I don't want to spend too long harping on this, but come on, Johnny Blaze should not say "dude". I don't know why exactly, the word just seems outside of his vernacular range. But that's just me.
Still, I'm intrigued by the idea of a new and different Ghost Rider moving forward, so I might stick around for the next issue. Maybe...
Bitterness quotient reached! You're all free to leave me. Come back next week, hopefully with at least 50% less bitterness...
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Weekend Matinee: JASON X
In case you weren't aware, I'm currently in preproduction for my first feature film and this week was pretty awesome. Why, you ask? Because this week we got our first cast member, horror legend and all around crazy guy KANE HODDER! And I'm totally over the moon for it. So to celebrate, I figure we might as well turn our attention to Kane's final turn at his star making role as Jason Voorhees in the underrated 2001 end-of-an-era masterpiece: JASON X
Okay, so maybe it's not that good, but it still holds a very special place in my heart. This was the first Friday the 13th movie I ever had the pleasure of watching, and it totally opened my eyes at how fun the genre could be. I mean, come on, it's about a frozen psychopath getting unfrozen in the future and terrorizing space cadets on their crazy future space station. Try to tell me that isn't awesome!
And then, for the third act twist, our titular character gets upgraded from the murderous zombie he was (Remember he was brought back to life in part 6) into a murderous cyber zombie with the influx of nanomachines. Finally, a Jason that can terrorize my grandkids just like he terrorized me.
Sure the movie is a bit uneven, with terrible Syfy movie-esque music and some pretty terrible acting, but it makes no bones about what it's trying to be: A fun slasher about a mentally challenged camp kid in space with only his machete.
This week's clip is the first appearance of Jason 3.0 - Or would it be 4.0 because of all that demon worm stuff from Jason Goes to Hell? - as he shows off what his fancy new body can do. ENJOY!
Okay, so maybe it's not that good, but it still holds a very special place in my heart. This was the first Friday the 13th movie I ever had the pleasure of watching, and it totally opened my eyes at how fun the genre could be. I mean, come on, it's about a frozen psychopath getting unfrozen in the future and terrorizing space cadets on their crazy future space station. Try to tell me that isn't awesome!
And then, for the third act twist, our titular character gets upgraded from the murderous zombie he was (Remember he was brought back to life in part 6) into a murderous cyber zombie with the influx of nanomachines. Finally, a Jason that can terrorize my grandkids just like he terrorized me.
Sure the movie is a bit uneven, with terrible Syfy movie-esque music and some pretty terrible acting, but it makes no bones about what it's trying to be: A fun slasher about a mentally challenged camp kid in space with only his machete.
This week's clip is the first appearance of Jason 3.0 - Or would it be 4.0 because of all that demon worm stuff from Jason Goes to Hell? - as he shows off what his fancy new body can do. ENJOY!
Friday, June 3, 2011
The X-Men First Class Spin Off You've Been Waiting For
The X-Men First Class Rejects.
I dunno about you, but I would totally pay 8 bucks to see that at the theater. It couldn't be any worse than that Wolverine movie, that's for damn sure.
X Men - First Class REJECTS Trailer - watch more funny videos
I dunno about you, but I would totally pay 8 bucks to see that at the theater. It couldn't be any worse than that Wolverine movie, that's for damn sure.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
The Bill June 2, 2011
Short weeks are just the worst! I mean, not when it comes to the work week of course, but more when it comes to trying to get shit done. Do you realize how quickly a Wednesday can sneak up on you when you're not prepared? Pretty damn fast!
But whatever, what's past is past. Let's check out some reviews...
Marvel's Big News of the Week:
Fear Itself #3
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Stuart Immonen
I remember, months ago, reading the press for Fear Itself and wondering what Matt Fraction had planned when he talked about cracking the internet in half with issue three. "It's something noone will see coming," I'm sure he said, "and something that will have long lasting implications on the universe. Fans will definitely be talking about this for a long time..."
And then DC had to go ruin things with their non-reboot reboot announcement. Those jerks!
Just as well, I suppose, because I can't really tell what the big deal is with this issue. Sure, it involves scenes of The Thing grabbing a hammer, but that was spoiled months ago. And yeah, I guess it has the death of a major character, but I don't really buy it as anything other than a fake out until issue four comes out. I dunno, I just don't see what the big deal was supposed to be.
Don't get me wrong, I'm still digging this crossover to no end, but it doesn't necessarily have the twists and turns that, say, Civil War had. Color me intrigued for the rest of the series, but not totally hooked... yet.
Revisiting the 90s:
Uncanny X-Force #11
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Mark Brooks
I think I've made this joke before, but I don't care: This book is the 90s squared. It's not enough, apparently, to just showcase badass anti-heroes, now they have to take them into the high water mark for 90s X-books: The Age of Apocalypse.
Not that I'm complaining. Honestly AOA was one of those crossovers that hit me at exactly the right point in my comic development to make it one of my favorite storylines of all time. And so far, this is a much better representation of that classic story arc than that horrible ten year anniversary book was a few years back.
My conceptual love aside, it's actually a very fun issue. From the straight-forward premise, to the surprise appearance at the end, I never ran out of things to love about this issue. As a matter of fact, this one went a long way in making me consider buying this book for the long haul. It was just that much fun.
Now if I could only get over my X-book phobia...
That's all I got for this week. I'll try to deliver on time next week! Until then!
But whatever, what's past is past. Let's check out some reviews...
Marvel's Big News of the Week:
Fear Itself #3
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Stuart Immonen
I remember, months ago, reading the press for Fear Itself and wondering what Matt Fraction had planned when he talked about cracking the internet in half with issue three. "It's something noone will see coming," I'm sure he said, "and something that will have long lasting implications on the universe. Fans will definitely be talking about this for a long time..."
And then DC had to go ruin things with their non-reboot reboot announcement. Those jerks!
Just as well, I suppose, because I can't really tell what the big deal is with this issue. Sure, it involves scenes of The Thing grabbing a hammer, but that was spoiled months ago. And yeah, I guess it has the death of a major character, but I don't really buy it as anything other than a fake out until issue four comes out. I dunno, I just don't see what the big deal was supposed to be.
Don't get me wrong, I'm still digging this crossover to no end, but it doesn't necessarily have the twists and turns that, say, Civil War had. Color me intrigued for the rest of the series, but not totally hooked... yet.
Revisiting the 90s:
Uncanny X-Force #11
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Mark Brooks
I think I've made this joke before, but I don't care: This book is the 90s squared. It's not enough, apparently, to just showcase badass anti-heroes, now they have to take them into the high water mark for 90s X-books: The Age of Apocalypse.
Not that I'm complaining. Honestly AOA was one of those crossovers that hit me at exactly the right point in my comic development to make it one of my favorite storylines of all time. And so far, this is a much better representation of that classic story arc than that horrible ten year anniversary book was a few years back.
My conceptual love aside, it's actually a very fun issue. From the straight-forward premise, to the surprise appearance at the end, I never ran out of things to love about this issue. As a matter of fact, this one went a long way in making me consider buying this book for the long haul. It was just that much fun.
Now if I could only get over my X-book phobia...
That's all I got for this week. I'll try to deliver on time next week! Until then!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
The Obligatory Flashpoint Reaction
So... apparently the DCU is doing a semi hard reboot of their universe come September as a result of the Flash-centric, alternate reality shenanigans that is Flashpoint. Honestly, I don't know what to think about this one.
On the one hand, good for them for trying something drastic to get readers. For too long, the DCU has been hip deep in a strange, labyrinthine continuity (says the guy who loves the Marvel U) with an unclear focus. Perhaps doing this crazy reset will help them get over the hump, clear everything up like they've been trying to do since Infinite Crisis and put them in a great position for the massive readership that may result from the Green Lantern movie. Kudos to them for that.
However...
On the other, this doesn't seem like a very good idea. I may be a simple blogger, but giving your readers an opportunity to jump ship is never a smart thing to do. It's one thing to restart a few books here and there, or to focus on some undeveloped heroes for a bit, but a whole-sale restart in this day and age might result in more readers leaving, then would jump back in the fray. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out, to say the least.
And then there's the other huge bomb in that announcement: Digital day-and-date sales. It seems whatever sales DC were to pick up wouldn't be shared with the retailers, and that's a real game changer. They've been talking about the death of the direct market for as long as I've been reading comics, and honestly today is the day that I think I can see the sky falling.
The next six months are going to be fun to watch...
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Weekend Matinee: RAIDERS OF THE LIVING DEAD
It's Saturday afternoon and, if you're anything like me, you're looking for something to watch this beautiful Memorial Day saturday while you're busy nursing that hangover from the night before. In that case, I have the perfect movie for you, the beautiful horribleness that is RAIDERS OF THE LIVING DEAD.
This is the kind of bad movie that I love. Between the bad plotting, shoddy storytelling, and ridiculous scripting, this one is just begging for a full on group screening with plenty of booze and quippy one liners. It's like The Room kind of bad, and that's what makes it so awesome.
By far and away, the best thing about this movie is the kid hero (who's name escapes me, but whatever) and all of his scenes. From his first appearance where he tries to do his homework while his grandfather rambles about his boring ass life to his experiments with his homemade laser beam, the kid is pure gold. Oh yeah, did I mention that he makes a laser gun out of laserdisc player and then subsequently kills his hamster with it? Yeah. It's amazing! Totally worth the price of admission right there.
The best thing about this movie? You can watch it RIGHT NOW! FOR FREE! Youtube for the win! If you're still not convinced at how awesome this movie is, then check out the trailer. And if that doesn't do it for you, man I don't know what to do with you. If a free movie doesn't get you excited, maybe you need to reexamine your priorities in life. I'm just saying...
This is the kind of bad movie that I love. Between the bad plotting, shoddy storytelling, and ridiculous scripting, this one is just begging for a full on group screening with plenty of booze and quippy one liners. It's like The Room kind of bad, and that's what makes it so awesome.
By far and away, the best thing about this movie is the kid hero (who's name escapes me, but whatever) and all of his scenes. From his first appearance where he tries to do his homework while his grandfather rambles about his boring ass life to his experiments with his homemade laser beam, the kid is pure gold. Oh yeah, did I mention that he makes a laser gun out of laserdisc player and then subsequently kills his hamster with it? Yeah. It's amazing! Totally worth the price of admission right there.
The best thing about this movie? You can watch it RIGHT NOW! FOR FREE! Youtube for the win! If you're still not convinced at how awesome this movie is, then check out the trailer. And if that doesn't do it for you, man I don't know what to do with you. If a free movie doesn't get you excited, maybe you need to reexamine your priorities in life. I'm just saying...
Thursday, May 26, 2011
The Bill May 25, 2011
In my head, disappointing books are almost worse than straight up bad books. A bad book you don't have any expectations for, and will totally surprise you every once in a while. But those disappointing books, they've done something to earn that title. More often than not, they've squandered some kind of inherent good will in the premise and that just makes me sad.
What could I possibly be talking about? Come check me out after the banner to find out.
Just Disappointing...:
Power Man and Iron Fist # 5
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Wellington Alves
This book should be off the charts with awesomeness. It's a great creator with fabulous characters and a fantastic set up, but in the end it just sits there... being a shadow of what it could be.
It's strange, the series as a whole feels both rushed and padded at the same time. And that's never a good sign. I found myself, as I was reading this, wondering what the deal was with the Commedia del'muerte and worse, not really caring what the answer was. Don't even get me started on the whole "Who is Noir" reveal at the end, the less said about that the better.
I dunno, this series was just... not good. For all the promise (and the Don of the Dead appearance), this series was very lackluster. That said, I like everything involved so I'd totally be on board for a second series, but that one I'd only stick with if it kicks things up a notch.
Probably two...
Not As Good As It Should Be:
Amazing Spider-Man #662
Writer: Christos Gage
Artist: Reilly Brown
There's nothing to not like about this book (well, aside from the post-OMD Spider-man, but that's a discussion for a different day), but for some reason it's just not working for me.
As a quick done-in-two, Marvel Team Up style adventure between Spidey and Avengers Academy, it should be firing on all cylinders and be nothing but great. Instead, I found it kind of lacking. It's tough because I can't really pinpoint what my problem is.
I keep thinking that it's because the kids were not totally in synch with their character, but that can't be because Gage is writing. You know, it might just be the throwaway nature of the adventure that's holding me up. The fact that these kids aren't having major turning points in their side adventure with Spidey is a good thing, but I think that's what I expect from those characters because that's what happens in their book every month.
See, there you go: expectations not met = disappointment. You can't fight that kind of math...
And there you go, a bit of disappointment to balance out the lovefest that was last week. Hopefully next week I can achieve some kind of balance in the article... yeah, that'd be kinda nice...
What could I possibly be talking about? Come check me out after the banner to find out.
Just Disappointing...:
Power Man and Iron Fist # 5
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Wellington Alves
This book should be off the charts with awesomeness. It's a great creator with fabulous characters and a fantastic set up, but in the end it just sits there... being a shadow of what it could be.
It's strange, the series as a whole feels both rushed and padded at the same time. And that's never a good sign. I found myself, as I was reading this, wondering what the deal was with the Commedia del'muerte and worse, not really caring what the answer was. Don't even get me started on the whole "Who is Noir" reveal at the end, the less said about that the better.
I dunno, this series was just... not good. For all the promise (and the Don of the Dead appearance), this series was very lackluster. That said, I like everything involved so I'd totally be on board for a second series, but that one I'd only stick with if it kicks things up a notch.
Probably two...
Not As Good As It Should Be:
Amazing Spider-Man #662
Writer: Christos Gage
Artist: Reilly Brown
There's nothing to not like about this book (well, aside from the post-OMD Spider-man, but that's a discussion for a different day), but for some reason it's just not working for me.
As a quick done-in-two, Marvel Team Up style adventure between Spidey and Avengers Academy, it should be firing on all cylinders and be nothing but great. Instead, I found it kind of lacking. It's tough because I can't really pinpoint what my problem is.
I keep thinking that it's because the kids were not totally in synch with their character, but that can't be because Gage is writing. You know, it might just be the throwaway nature of the adventure that's holding me up. The fact that these kids aren't having major turning points in their side adventure with Spidey is a good thing, but I think that's what I expect from those characters because that's what happens in their book every month.
See, there you go: expectations not met = disappointment. You can't fight that kind of math...
And there you go, a bit of disappointment to balance out the lovefest that was last week. Hopefully next week I can achieve some kind of balance in the article... yeah, that'd be kinda nice...
Monday, May 23, 2011
And Now, A Moment With Volstagg...
Volstagg flaunts his 'Worst Houseguest EVER' status in The Mighty Thor 341 from the hospitable mind of Walt Simonson.
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