I'd like to thank the folks who sent e-mails over the past few days and then yesterday following Jeff's passing.
If you get an opportunity, I'd like for you to do the same for Jason.
If you've been following Jason's blog, like me, you might have been truly amazed by the outpouring of admiration and adoration for Jeff and Mandy.
I'm going to try to be brief this evening, but I want to point out how clearly loved Jeff was by so many people. This list includes folks from high school, college, family friends, co-workers, and even folks who didn't know Jeff outside of the internet, all of whom have taken a moment to remember him.
At Jason's site, more than 30 people have logged in to leave a message.
On the Statesman's site, I lost count of how many folks had left a message, but it goes on for four pages.
Some Leaguers have posted, too.
Sugar and Splice
CBGblog
Maxwell of Cowgirl Funk
Natalie
Distorted Veracity
The broadcast news in Austin has also covered Jeff's story.
KXAN
KVUE
Thanks to Jim for pulling some links for me on this one.
I didn't meet Jeff until shortly before leaving Austin for Phoenix, and thus I'd only see him when I'd pop into town for a few days. He and Jason literally live across the street from one another, and I sort of thought they really needed to build a bridge across the street or some sort of point-to-point pneumatic tube as it occasionally felt like one shared space.
Like a lot of you, I know Jeff largely through e-mail and blogs, and his contributions to Nanostalgia.
and, like a lot of you, I'm going to miss him, too.
We should all be so lucky as to have so many people ready to speak as kindly on our behalf.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Monday, July 10, 2006
As many of you know, Jeff Wilson has been hospitalized since the evening of July 3rd. It is my understanding that as of today, Jeff has passed.
Jamie and I wish to express our heartfelt sympathies to Jeff's family and his many friends who will all be so profoundly touched by this tremendous loss.
God bless you and keep you, Jeff. We will all miss you so very, very much.
The Austin American Statesman has posted a short article.
here.
Jamie and I wish to express our heartfelt sympathies to Jeff's family and his many friends who will all be so profoundly touched by this tremendous loss.
God bless you and keep you, Jeff. We will all miss you so very, very much.
The Austin American Statesman has posted a short article.
here.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
God bless my brother for being the guy he is. I don't know how many of you have been following his blog over the past few days, but he's been up at the hospital in Austin standing vigil with Jeff Wilson's family as Jeff continues to fight for his life.
I've done my fair stints in a hospital, but nothing, absolutely nothing, is like what he and the Wilsons have been going through. I love that guy, and I wish I knew what I could do to help him out.
Sorry, ya'll, but right now Jeff, Mandy and Jason are on my mind quite a bit.
What else...?
Did anyone else watch the two final World Cup games? Nerve wracking. Absolutely nerve-wracking. Both games. Well, Germany won pretty decisively, but if you watched the game... Heck of a game. Germany deserved their win, especially at home. I was rooting for Italy in the Italy/ France final, mostly because France had the 1998 Cup and I've come to really like Italy's goalie over the course of the tournament.
I have no explanation for Zidane's headbutt. I confess, it was kind of awesome, but I was left with a huge questionmark floating over my head. No matter how angry I've ever become, it has never occured to me to hit someone with my head. Who does that?
Went and saw "The Devil Wears Prada" today rather than brave the maddening crowds in attendance to see Pirates. "The Devil Wears Prada" is not a movie for fashion-impaired dudes, like myself. Honestly, my RTF Narrative Strategies training was going into the red zone for a huge chunk of the movie, and I went into "dissect the movie" mode for the first hour, eventually wearing myself out and just giving up.
The movie is the sort of morality play that's possibly worth seeing for folks ages 18-24, but once you've actually gotten that first job and realized "my boss is an autocrat, and what I think is largely irrelevant", a lot of the movie just doesn't have much of a lesson to share (and it most certainly exists to share exactly that lesson). I had a laundry list of issues with the film, but I won't go into that here.
I will say I never thought the movie did a good job of ever explaining why anybody should care about fashion, and I think that was a major failure of the film. Yes, they explain how fashion eventually trickles down to stores like "Fashion Bug", but it mostly told me what I already know about why the stuff on the rack is there. They never made it sound any less silly than I always suspected the process to be. The rest is largely like most 80's "it's not all about professional success" movies where Michael J. Fox realized financial wealth isn't worth it when you hurt the ones who care about you.
That said, both Streep and Anne Hathaway were okay, although I think Anne Hathaway was getting away with just being pretty an awful lot, but, hey... that's what the movie celebrates even when it's decrying all that.
Anyway, enough.
Ya'll keep Jeff in your thoughts and prayers. And Jason, too.
I've done my fair stints in a hospital, but nothing, absolutely nothing, is like what he and the Wilsons have been going through. I love that guy, and I wish I knew what I could do to help him out.
Sorry, ya'll, but right now Jeff, Mandy and Jason are on my mind quite a bit.
What else...?
Did anyone else watch the two final World Cup games? Nerve wracking. Absolutely nerve-wracking. Both games. Well, Germany won pretty decisively, but if you watched the game... Heck of a game. Germany deserved their win, especially at home. I was rooting for Italy in the Italy/ France final, mostly because France had the 1998 Cup and I've come to really like Italy's goalie over the course of the tournament.
I have no explanation for Zidane's headbutt. I confess, it was kind of awesome, but I was left with a huge questionmark floating over my head. No matter how angry I've ever become, it has never occured to me to hit someone with my head. Who does that?
Went and saw "The Devil Wears Prada" today rather than brave the maddening crowds in attendance to see Pirates. "The Devil Wears Prada" is not a movie for fashion-impaired dudes, like myself. Honestly, my RTF Narrative Strategies training was going into the red zone for a huge chunk of the movie, and I went into "dissect the movie" mode for the first hour, eventually wearing myself out and just giving up.
The movie is the sort of morality play that's possibly worth seeing for folks ages 18-24, but once you've actually gotten that first job and realized "my boss is an autocrat, and what I think is largely irrelevant", a lot of the movie just doesn't have much of a lesson to share (and it most certainly exists to share exactly that lesson). I had a laundry list of issues with the film, but I won't go into that here.
I will say I never thought the movie did a good job of ever explaining why anybody should care about fashion, and I think that was a major failure of the film. Yes, they explain how fashion eventually trickles down to stores like "Fashion Bug", but it mostly told me what I already know about why the stuff on the rack is there. They never made it sound any less silly than I always suspected the process to be. The rest is largely like most 80's "it's not all about professional success" movies where Michael J. Fox realized financial wealth isn't worth it when you hurt the ones who care about you.
That said, both Streep and Anne Hathaway were okay, although I think Anne Hathaway was getting away with just being pretty an awful lot, but, hey... that's what the movie celebrates even when it's decrying all that.
Anyway, enough.
Ya'll keep Jeff in your thoughts and prayers. And Jason, too.
Catching up with Comics
Land's sake, Leaguers... It has been a while since I went all straight up comic review on you.
Here's some stuff I've been reading.
The All-New Atom #1: Here's an idea. How about a superhero who doesn't start his career as a dorky teenager? Well, our hero in question IS a bookworm, but in this case, it's all too appropriate for the hero to be of the pocket protector set. After all, you can't be The Atom without being one of the world's top physicists.
Dr. Ryan Choi takes on Ray (The Atom) Palmer's job in Ivy Town following his disappearance at the end of Identity Crisis. A world class genius among world class geniuses, Ryan is quick to discover the source of The Atom's power as well as some of the perils of shrinking at will.
Gail Simone is on writing chores, following an outline by Grant Morrison, working her usual magic with popping dialogue and natural characterization. She sets up a supporting cast in an organic fashion, introducing the characters as Ryan arrives on campus.
The Atom is now officially a legacy character, from Al Pratt, to Ray Palmer and now to Ryan Choi (you can fit Atom Smasher/ Nuklon in there however you please), and Gail creates an interesting dynamic between Ray Palmer and Ryan. Ray is played up as the distant mentor (Ryan is from Hong Kong and corresponded via letter and e-mail), and, at some point, I'm sure Ray's fate will play out in the title.
John Byrne has managed to utilize the internet to create a not-too-popular image of himself as a cranky curmudgeon. It would be unfortunate to skip this title simply because of Byrne's personal views and inability to step away from the keyboard. His pencils are in great form, and the inking on the book (Trevor Scott) is better than what I recall seeing in either JLA or Action Comics.
I've never really understood why The Atom's costume just appears whenever he shrinks.
The threat established in this comic is especially suited for The Atom, and I'd be fibbing if I wasn't a little concerned how The Atom can continue to find a list of villains which meet his unique talents. I always liked Ray as a utility player in the JLA comics, as both the scientific genius and sub-atomic hero. DC has done it's usual magic of coming up with some crazy ways Ray could utilize his powers, which, no doubt, will also appear in the new comics.
Anyhoo, of the new DC titles, this was probably the strongest first issue.
Blue Beetle #4: This one came out last week, but I'm playing catch-up.
A lot of ball's are in motion already with issue #4. I'm not necessarily on the fence with this book. I'm enjoying it and plan to continue to pick it up. BUT... the book constantly rides the line between yet another book about a teenager figuring out how to be a hero with powers thrust upon him (ie Spider-Man) and something truly unique.
Giffen seems to take one step back into familiar territory with every two steps forward in crafting a title which should be a "must read". Giffen's take on the Blue Beetle's powers, the environment of OYL, Jaime's family all are a new thing, and those moments are when the book shines. However, the villains are too mysterious for their own good, falling right down the slippery slope thanks to their ill-defined "magical" ties. To keep Jaime from sitting around talking to himself, Giffen has given him two best-pals, the over achiever and the goof, creating holy trinity of comics since the 80's. Unfortunately, there's nothing there other than the place-holder status we've seen in dozens of comics prior to Blue Beetle.
I guess my frustration comes from having followed Firestorm for the past two years as writer after writer has tried to make the premise work, the doofus best friend, the straight-from-central-casting "angry father", etc... all work. But it feels like for two years, I've been holding my breath, waiting to see the title cut loose. Instead, we've seen iteration after iteration not really work.
There's a lot to like in Blue Beetle, but Giffen needs to take a sharp left turn when he starts heading into the territory of the familiar and see what it takes to define the new Blue Beetle as the true next generation of superheroes.
Action Comics #840: Wow. Johns and Busiek wrap up the OYL run with a bang.
Very much looking forward to Superman titles as Busiek and Johns continue on with the Superman series.
Crisis Aftermath: The Spectre #2: I'd read a review in which this issue was described as "more whining" before I had a chance to read the issue. That reviewer is looking for ass-kicking action, I guess, and missed the point of this mini-series.
For almost as long as Superman has been zipping around in 4-color comics, Jerry Siegel has has another creation, The Spectre, dispensing horrific justice upon the wicked. This series is asking good questions, attempting to tackle the inherent illogic of The Spectre's mission.
I'm not sure how long the Cris Allen version of The Spectre will continue, and I can't say I'm nuts about the "goatee'd" Spectre, but occasionally DC needs to take a few steps back and examine some of their time-honored ideas just to make sure they still work. In two issues this series has done more in a far more satisfying manner than the Hal Jordan-Spectre series for the 8 issues or so I followed it.
Detective Comics #821: Paul Dini and JH Williams take over the title in the post-OYL era. Paul Dini's name may ring a few bells as a writer/ producer on "Batman: The Animated Series" and as a writer on ABC's "Lost". JH Williams was responsible for the genre-defying art work on Alan Moore's "Promethea".
Dini is doing what he did best on the animated series. He's telling single story issues using a timeless version of Bruce Wayne/ Batman, including Robin where necessary. This first issue is good, solid work, and a great point for new readers to start picking up Batman comics again.
Supergirl #7: My GOD, this title would be a nightmare for anyone without a bachelor's degree in DC History. You know, I'm giving this comic about three more months, and then... well, they've got three more months to get this title in line. I have no idea where they're going, which is part of why I'm sticking with the comic. If it were not for the solicits for September, I'd have given up already.
So far, DC has managed to turn out one serious mess of a character launch. My advice to DC: scrap this Kara Zor-El. I don't care how you do it. The original pollyanna in a mini-skirt worked. Somehow in 7 issues you've managed to give us a character ten times as messy as the old Mae/ Matrix/ Linda Danvers/ Earth Angel car-wreck.
While Ian Churchill's art on this title is gorgeous, that's about all I can say that's positive about the comic to this point.
Land's sake, Leaguers... It has been a while since I went all straight up comic review on you.
Here's some stuff I've been reading.
The All-New Atom #1: Here's an idea. How about a superhero who doesn't start his career as a dorky teenager? Well, our hero in question IS a bookworm, but in this case, it's all too appropriate for the hero to be of the pocket protector set. After all, you can't be The Atom without being one of the world's top physicists.
Dr. Ryan Choi takes on Ray (The Atom) Palmer's job in Ivy Town following his disappearance at the end of Identity Crisis. A world class genius among world class geniuses, Ryan is quick to discover the source of The Atom's power as well as some of the perils of shrinking at will.
Gail Simone is on writing chores, following an outline by Grant Morrison, working her usual magic with popping dialogue and natural characterization. She sets up a supporting cast in an organic fashion, introducing the characters as Ryan arrives on campus.
The Atom is now officially a legacy character, from Al Pratt, to Ray Palmer and now to Ryan Choi (you can fit Atom Smasher/ Nuklon in there however you please), and Gail creates an interesting dynamic between Ray Palmer and Ryan. Ray is played up as the distant mentor (Ryan is from Hong Kong and corresponded via letter and e-mail), and, at some point, I'm sure Ray's fate will play out in the title.
John Byrne has managed to utilize the internet to create a not-too-popular image of himself as a cranky curmudgeon. It would be unfortunate to skip this title simply because of Byrne's personal views and inability to step away from the keyboard. His pencils are in great form, and the inking on the book (Trevor Scott) is better than what I recall seeing in either JLA or Action Comics.
I've never really understood why The Atom's costume just appears whenever he shrinks.
The threat established in this comic is especially suited for The Atom, and I'd be fibbing if I wasn't a little concerned how The Atom can continue to find a list of villains which meet his unique talents. I always liked Ray as a utility player in the JLA comics, as both the scientific genius and sub-atomic hero. DC has done it's usual magic of coming up with some crazy ways Ray could utilize his powers, which, no doubt, will also appear in the new comics.
Anyhoo, of the new DC titles, this was probably the strongest first issue.
Blue Beetle #4: This one came out last week, but I'm playing catch-up.
A lot of ball's are in motion already with issue #4. I'm not necessarily on the fence with this book. I'm enjoying it and plan to continue to pick it up. BUT... the book constantly rides the line between yet another book about a teenager figuring out how to be a hero with powers thrust upon him (ie Spider-Man) and something truly unique.
Giffen seems to take one step back into familiar territory with every two steps forward in crafting a title which should be a "must read". Giffen's take on the Blue Beetle's powers, the environment of OYL, Jaime's family all are a new thing, and those moments are when the book shines. However, the villains are too mysterious for their own good, falling right down the slippery slope thanks to their ill-defined "magical" ties. To keep Jaime from sitting around talking to himself, Giffen has given him two best-pals, the over achiever and the goof, creating holy trinity of comics since the 80's. Unfortunately, there's nothing there other than the place-holder status we've seen in dozens of comics prior to Blue Beetle.
I guess my frustration comes from having followed Firestorm for the past two years as writer after writer has tried to make the premise work, the doofus best friend, the straight-from-central-casting "angry father", etc... all work. But it feels like for two years, I've been holding my breath, waiting to see the title cut loose. Instead, we've seen iteration after iteration not really work.
There's a lot to like in Blue Beetle, but Giffen needs to take a sharp left turn when he starts heading into the territory of the familiar and see what it takes to define the new Blue Beetle as the true next generation of superheroes.
Action Comics #840: Wow. Johns and Busiek wrap up the OYL run with a bang.
Very much looking forward to Superman titles as Busiek and Johns continue on with the Superman series.
Crisis Aftermath: The Spectre #2: I'd read a review in which this issue was described as "more whining" before I had a chance to read the issue. That reviewer is looking for ass-kicking action, I guess, and missed the point of this mini-series.
For almost as long as Superman has been zipping around in 4-color comics, Jerry Siegel has has another creation, The Spectre, dispensing horrific justice upon the wicked. This series is asking good questions, attempting to tackle the inherent illogic of The Spectre's mission.
I'm not sure how long the Cris Allen version of The Spectre will continue, and I can't say I'm nuts about the "goatee'd" Spectre, but occasionally DC needs to take a few steps back and examine some of their time-honored ideas just to make sure they still work. In two issues this series has done more in a far more satisfying manner than the Hal Jordan-Spectre series for the 8 issues or so I followed it.
Detective Comics #821: Paul Dini and JH Williams take over the title in the post-OYL era. Paul Dini's name may ring a few bells as a writer/ producer on "Batman: The Animated Series" and as a writer on ABC's "Lost". JH Williams was responsible for the genre-defying art work on Alan Moore's "Promethea".
Dini is doing what he did best on the animated series. He's telling single story issues using a timeless version of Bruce Wayne/ Batman, including Robin where necessary. This first issue is good, solid work, and a great point for new readers to start picking up Batman comics again.
Supergirl #7: My GOD, this title would be a nightmare for anyone without a bachelor's degree in DC History. You know, I'm giving this comic about three more months, and then... well, they've got three more months to get this title in line. I have no idea where they're going, which is part of why I'm sticking with the comic. If it were not for the solicits for September, I'd have given up already.
So far, DC has managed to turn out one serious mess of a character launch. My advice to DC: scrap this Kara Zor-El. I don't care how you do it. The original pollyanna in a mini-skirt worked. Somehow in 7 issues you've managed to give us a character ten times as messy as the old Mae/ Matrix/ Linda Danvers/ Earth Angel car-wreck.
While Ian Churchill's art on this title is gorgeous, that's about all I can say that's positive about the comic to this point.
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Did you send in a Nomination to the Mellies? You did? Super.
Well, if you did, chances are you'll be getting a token of The League's appreciation in the mail.
Nothing much, mind you. You try to split a pie 16-ways, and suddenly all you've got is a sticky mess.
Luckily, Loyal Leaguer Nathan Pericles Cone was good enough to put together a truly kick-ass musical sampler. You all should be getting that and whatever else I had laying around that I could afford to send without the cost of the mailing costing more than the contents of the envelope . You dig?
Anyway, thus concludes the 2006 Mellies. Next time we're going to figure out a way to have a grand-prize winner so it's less work for me.
Well, if you did, chances are you'll be getting a token of The League's appreciation in the mail.
Nothing much, mind you. You try to split a pie 16-ways, and suddenly all you've got is a sticky mess.
Luckily, Loyal Leaguer Nathan Pericles Cone was good enough to put together a truly kick-ass musical sampler. You all should be getting that and whatever else I had laying around that I could afford to send without the cost of the mailing costing more than the contents of the envelope . You dig?
Anyway, thus concludes the 2006 Mellies. Next time we're going to figure out a way to have a grand-prize winner so it's less work for me.
Onward through the weekend
Not much to report. We've been keeping a low profile since returning from Houston. It's always good just to spend time with the dogs and the cat. I got up yesterday with the pups, and no sooner did I rise than I had it in my head that I needed to re-read the end of DC's story "New Frontier". Also, I didn't feel like running.
If I was going to push the hard-sell on any of you Leaguers, one book would be this late 1950's/ early 1960's-set story of the dawn of a new age of superheroes. There are overtones of the optimism and paranoia which led to the space program, but there's also a lot of the wild imagination which led to the explosion of Marvel and DC Silver Age craziness.
Anyhoo, I tried very hard to read a lot of comics yesterday, also playing catch-up with the stuff I didn't get to read last week and the stuff from this week that I just picked up.
Did I mention what a brilliant guy my brother is? No?
Well, every holiday I hear from everyone in ear-shot how impossible it is to shop for me. What does one buy The League? Apparently folks think I would buy each and every comic right off the shelf, but that's not true. I have to be careful in what series I can pick up on a regular basis. Recently I've become very interested in Green Arrow, but haven't had it listed as an in-store subscription quite yet.
Anyway, Jason got me a subscription to Green Arrow and one to Hellblazer.
How does one find a way to earn The League's gratitude? Free comics. Yes, yes... my birthday was in April and it's now July, but whatever. I just gave him his birthday present last weekend and his birthday was in March. I hope he liked that "JLA: Rock of Ages" book.
I'll be honest, Jason's got a lot going on these days. Jeff is fairly stable, all things considered, but there's a long, long way to go and nothing is certain. Anyway, my brother is on my mind these days as much as Jeff, Mandy, Kim and Sigmund. If I were in town, at least I could go and hang out with him at the hospital and keep him entertained and distracted. Well, he's got a cell phone, so I just keep calling. That's probably getting annoying at this point.
Today I ran for the first time in a week. It was odd. I finished, still running, but I was just running so darn slow. I wasn't really uncomfortable. There was no cramping or anything, I just... couldn't... get... going... fast... enough...
I've missed the last few games of the World Cup. In fact, I missed the games that put France and Italy over the top. I'm picking Italy. Germany looked great today and wrapped up the tournament like the champions they should have been. (Darn you Brazil for not advancing!) If you didn't see the game, you need to check out the highlights to see the strikes and self-goal.
Hope all of you are having a good weekend. I'm off to go clean and organize.
Not much to report. We've been keeping a low profile since returning from Houston. It's always good just to spend time with the dogs and the cat. I got up yesterday with the pups, and no sooner did I rise than I had it in my head that I needed to re-read the end of DC's story "New Frontier". Also, I didn't feel like running.
If I was going to push the hard-sell on any of you Leaguers, one book would be this late 1950's/ early 1960's-set story of the dawn of a new age of superheroes. There are overtones of the optimism and paranoia which led to the space program, but there's also a lot of the wild imagination which led to the explosion of Marvel and DC Silver Age craziness.
Anyhoo, I tried very hard to read a lot of comics yesterday, also playing catch-up with the stuff I didn't get to read last week and the stuff from this week that I just picked up.
Did I mention what a brilliant guy my brother is? No?
Well, every holiday I hear from everyone in ear-shot how impossible it is to shop for me. What does one buy The League? Apparently folks think I would buy each and every comic right off the shelf, but that's not true. I have to be careful in what series I can pick up on a regular basis. Recently I've become very interested in Green Arrow, but haven't had it listed as an in-store subscription quite yet.
Anyway, Jason got me a subscription to Green Arrow and one to Hellblazer.
How does one find a way to earn The League's gratitude? Free comics. Yes, yes... my birthday was in April and it's now July, but whatever. I just gave him his birthday present last weekend and his birthday was in March. I hope he liked that "JLA: Rock of Ages" book.
I'll be honest, Jason's got a lot going on these days. Jeff is fairly stable, all things considered, but there's a long, long way to go and nothing is certain. Anyway, my brother is on my mind these days as much as Jeff, Mandy, Kim and Sigmund. If I were in town, at least I could go and hang out with him at the hospital and keep him entertained and distracted. Well, he's got a cell phone, so I just keep calling. That's probably getting annoying at this point.
Today I ran for the first time in a week. It was odd. I finished, still running, but I was just running so darn slow. I wasn't really uncomfortable. There was no cramping or anything, I just... couldn't... get... going... fast... enough...
I've missed the last few games of the World Cup. In fact, I missed the games that put France and Italy over the top. I'm picking Italy. Germany looked great today and wrapped up the tournament like the champions they should have been. (Darn you Brazil for not advancing!) If you didn't see the game, you need to check out the highlights to see the strikes and self-goal.
Hope all of you are having a good weekend. I'm off to go clean and organize.
Overheard at Uno's - Tales from RTF School
Huh. Somehow this didn't post. Well, I wrote it the night before we left for Houston.
So Octavio and I hit Uno's today for lunch as they have the greatest number of TV's showing World Cup. I was rooting for italy v. Ukraine, mostly because I'm hoping my folks brought me an Italian Football t-shirt or pin or banner or something.
The guys sitting at the next table over were deeply immersed in their very loud conversation, and not watching the game at all.
And then I heard one of them say "(blah blah blah) Lynda Carter!" so of course that piqued my ears. Then I heard "Marilu Henner. Carol Kane." I turned to look over to see what was going on, and I saw that the very loud guys all had 3-ring binders and cell phones out. "(blah blah blah) at CAA. (blah blah) at William Morris. Check their availability."
One of them picked up his phone and started barking into it. "Is Jason there? No? Is this Brian? Dave. Who? We're with (blah blah blah)."
I was having a hard time keeping up with the game thanks to these chowderheads.
"We're thinking Jonathan Silverman and David Schwimmer."
"Martin Short. Rick Moranis. Or John Stamos."
"What about Arsenio Hall? @#$%ing everybody knows Arsenio Hall."
"Aren't they twins?"
"No, they're just brothers."
"There's the one line that says (blah blah blah). That's why people think they're twins."
"They should fight a lot more. Twins fighting? I think of the twins in Harry Potter. Twins fighting is just funny."
When I was in film school we'd sort of play this little game. It was the 'mediocre movie game', but we didn't call it that at the time. The unspoken goal was to come up with the blandest movie with the dullest casting you could muster.
"He wears a leather jacket, never takes off his shades, chews on a toothpick. He doesn't take crap from anyone."
"We'll call it 'Stingray.' It'll star Timothy Hutton."
Stingray, for some reason, sticks out the best in my mind, aside from when I played the game at my old office with Beta-Juan (the lesser of our two Juans).
"It's a penal colony. In space. Bruce Willis is there for a crime he sort of committed, but he was justified. Self-defense."
"He finds a mentor in Robert Duval, a guy whose been on the asteroid prison for 30 years."
"Chris Rock is the smart alecky prisoner nice guy."
"The prisoners riot and take over the space prison. Led by Ving Rhames."
"He's turned on the boosters and he's flying it towards Earth for a ransom."
"Robert Duval is secretly evil. After the ransom is paid, they can't shut off the boosters. He's so bitter, he wants to crash into New New York."
"The movie is called 'SC 666'. Space colony 666. It's where the worst space prisoners wind up."
As I listened to these guys (who were getting louder as they were on their third or fourth round at 12:15), it completely reminded me of why I decided not to pursue my Hollywood dreams. They didn't seem nearly as interested in making a half-way decent movie as they were interested in hiring actors they used to like. They didn't even seem to understand their own script, and had plans to make it "edgy" by hiring non-SAG actors.
I was guessing their budget was somewhere between $250K and $500K based on the figures they were tossing around. And you just knew, these guys are going to spend all that money on a film that nobody... I mean NOBODY... is going to want to see. If it gets picked up, that'll be no small coup for these guys and their little indie film. But most likely, at best it will run after 10:00 on one of HBO's channels, sort of filling time so HBO doesn't have to put up color bars and 1K tone.
God bless 'em. Somebody has to make those movies. I'm probably just going to refuse to pay to see them.
Huh. Somehow this didn't post. Well, I wrote it the night before we left for Houston.
So Octavio and I hit Uno's today for lunch as they have the greatest number of TV's showing World Cup. I was rooting for italy v. Ukraine, mostly because I'm hoping my folks brought me an Italian Football t-shirt or pin or banner or something.
The guys sitting at the next table over were deeply immersed in their very loud conversation, and not watching the game at all.
And then I heard one of them say "(blah blah blah) Lynda Carter!" so of course that piqued my ears. Then I heard "Marilu Henner. Carol Kane." I turned to look over to see what was going on, and I saw that the very loud guys all had 3-ring binders and cell phones out. "(blah blah blah) at CAA. (blah blah) at William Morris. Check their availability."
One of them picked up his phone and started barking into it. "Is Jason there? No? Is this Brian? Dave. Who? We're with (blah blah blah)."
I was having a hard time keeping up with the game thanks to these chowderheads.
"We're thinking Jonathan Silverman and David Schwimmer."
"Martin Short. Rick Moranis. Or John Stamos."
"What about Arsenio Hall? @#$%ing everybody knows Arsenio Hall."
"Aren't they twins?"
"No, they're just brothers."
"There's the one line that says (blah blah blah). That's why people think they're twins."
"They should fight a lot more. Twins fighting? I think of the twins in Harry Potter. Twins fighting is just funny."
When I was in film school we'd sort of play this little game. It was the 'mediocre movie game', but we didn't call it that at the time. The unspoken goal was to come up with the blandest movie with the dullest casting you could muster.
"He wears a leather jacket, never takes off his shades, chews on a toothpick. He doesn't take crap from anyone."
"We'll call it 'Stingray.' It'll star Timothy Hutton."
Stingray, for some reason, sticks out the best in my mind, aside from when I played the game at my old office with Beta-Juan (the lesser of our two Juans).
"It's a penal colony. In space. Bruce Willis is there for a crime he sort of committed, but he was justified. Self-defense."
"He finds a mentor in Robert Duval, a guy whose been on the asteroid prison for 30 years."
"Chris Rock is the smart alecky prisoner nice guy."
"The prisoners riot and take over the space prison. Led by Ving Rhames."
"He's turned on the boosters and he's flying it towards Earth for a ransom."
"Robert Duval is secretly evil. After the ransom is paid, they can't shut off the boosters. He's so bitter, he wants to crash into New New York."
"The movie is called 'SC 666'. Space colony 666. It's where the worst space prisoners wind up."
As I listened to these guys (who were getting louder as they were on their third or fourth round at 12:15), it completely reminded me of why I decided not to pursue my Hollywood dreams. They didn't seem nearly as interested in making a half-way decent movie as they were interested in hiring actors they used to like. They didn't even seem to understand their own script, and had plans to make it "edgy" by hiring non-SAG actors.
I was guessing their budget was somewhere between $250K and $500K based on the figures they were tossing around. And you just knew, these guys are going to spend all that money on a film that nobody... I mean NOBODY... is going to want to see. If it gets picked up, that'll be no small coup for these guys and their little indie film. But most likely, at best it will run after 10:00 on one of HBO's channels, sort of filling time so HBO doesn't have to put up color bars and 1K tone.
God bless 'em. Somebody has to make those movies. I'm probably just going to refuse to pay to see them.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
We are back.
As far as family visits go, despite the unfortunate events in Austin, Jamie and I managed to spend some good quality time with the Steans side of the family.
Jason was in until Tuesday morning when he and Susan departed. Cousin Susan was in on Sunday morning, coming through the gate while Jason, Jamie and I floated in the pool. Obviously being out in the desert means I don't see much of Susan, so I'm always glad when our schedules align and we can see one another. Sue is headed for China for a few weeks in the fall in some sort of Occupational Therapy exchange program.
Saw Shannon Lowry. Josh was a no show thanks to the rigors of the "telecommuting" world. Sucker! Shannon's still working long and hard for a life insurance company. Her job sounds pretty interesting, and I'm a little jealous. The Lowry's are headed for Arkansas to join up with Josh's kin for some post-Holiday fun.
Apparently my old high school buddy Nick has returned to the bountiful land that is Spring, Texas. He has a billboard on the side of the road announcing that he's gone into business as a realtor. So, you know, if you're buying houses in Spring, let Nick know. He will broker you one heck of a deal.
I was so taken with the idea that Nick's mug was now adorning billboards that I called him. I think he was a little surprised, but it made me realize I hadn't talked to the guy in years and years. Anyhoo, I'll bug him next time I'm headed back to Spring.
Hit Bedrock City comics and picked up some Superman back-issues. I was pretty excited as, while doing my wandering around the store, I noticed they were selling all Superman merchandise at 20%, so I was able to grab a few DC Presents issues I wasn't sure I could afford. Well, I got them. And an issue of Promethea whose cover I didn't previously have.
On the 3rd, Jason and I went and blew a collective $36 on fireworks, putting on a minor extravanganza in the driveway (Jason was already scheduled to leave town on the afternoon of the 4th). I shot off my first missle of my life, and I'll be honest. It was fun. I did feel a little bad about seeing all that plastic disappear into the sky. I guess I thought the little plastic fins would be left behind. Not so. Ah, well. All in all, I think the fountains were my favorite. Lots of bang for your buck and no plastic hurling into your neighbor's yard.
Steve Magsig joined Rick, Jamie and myself for a stellar Cubs v. Astros game on the 4th. We had a great time, although I missed a great bottom of the 8th when I ran out to the hat shop to grab an 80's-style Astros cap. Oh, well. I've now seen the D-Backs play both the Astros and Cubs and the Astros and Cubs play one another. That's got to be some sort of sign of baseball synchronicity or something... By the way, if you haven't been, Minute Maid Park is really cool.
Yesterday we didn't get up to much of anything, but the day sailed by. We went down to some far-off portion of Houston to my Dad's office. The Admiral took us on le grande tour of his offices' facilities. They just moved in, so I spent the whole time geeking out over their AV systems in their training and conference rooms. While I'm surprised they skipped the AMX control systems, they managed to come up with some good analog solutions (that saved them a LOT of money).
Mom seems determined to get me fatter. She feeds us continually while we're home. We have fun, we do. We played some Uno, swam around the pool and spent some time tooling around Spring. Lots of hanging out with the folks, but she did ride to Austin with Jason on Tuesday and fly back that same night, so you know what kind of super trooper she can be.
I'm a little tired, and although it's 10:15 AZ time, it's now 12:15 Houston time. I'm headed for bed.
Hope all of you are doing well. Thanks for the well-wishes for Jeff.
As far as family visits go, despite the unfortunate events in Austin, Jamie and I managed to spend some good quality time with the Steans side of the family.
Jason was in until Tuesday morning when he and Susan departed. Cousin Susan was in on Sunday morning, coming through the gate while Jason, Jamie and I floated in the pool. Obviously being out in the desert means I don't see much of Susan, so I'm always glad when our schedules align and we can see one another. Sue is headed for China for a few weeks in the fall in some sort of Occupational Therapy exchange program.
Saw Shannon Lowry. Josh was a no show thanks to the rigors of the "telecommuting" world. Sucker! Shannon's still working long and hard for a life insurance company. Her job sounds pretty interesting, and I'm a little jealous. The Lowry's are headed for Arkansas to join up with Josh's kin for some post-Holiday fun.
Apparently my old high school buddy Nick has returned to the bountiful land that is Spring, Texas. He has a billboard on the side of the road announcing that he's gone into business as a realtor. So, you know, if you're buying houses in Spring, let Nick know. He will broker you one heck of a deal.
I was so taken with the idea that Nick's mug was now adorning billboards that I called him. I think he was a little surprised, but it made me realize I hadn't talked to the guy in years and years. Anyhoo, I'll bug him next time I'm headed back to Spring.
Hit Bedrock City comics and picked up some Superman back-issues. I was pretty excited as, while doing my wandering around the store, I noticed they were selling all Superman merchandise at 20%, so I was able to grab a few DC Presents issues I wasn't sure I could afford. Well, I got them. And an issue of Promethea whose cover I didn't previously have.
On the 3rd, Jason and I went and blew a collective $36 on fireworks, putting on a minor extravanganza in the driveway (Jason was already scheduled to leave town on the afternoon of the 4th). I shot off my first missle of my life, and I'll be honest. It was fun. I did feel a little bad about seeing all that plastic disappear into the sky. I guess I thought the little plastic fins would be left behind. Not so. Ah, well. All in all, I think the fountains were my favorite. Lots of bang for your buck and no plastic hurling into your neighbor's yard.
Steve Magsig joined Rick, Jamie and myself for a stellar Cubs v. Astros game on the 4th. We had a great time, although I missed a great bottom of the 8th when I ran out to the hat shop to grab an 80's-style Astros cap. Oh, well. I've now seen the D-Backs play both the Astros and Cubs and the Astros and Cubs play one another. That's got to be some sort of sign of baseball synchronicity or something... By the way, if you haven't been, Minute Maid Park is really cool.
Yesterday we didn't get up to much of anything, but the day sailed by. We went down to some far-off portion of Houston to my Dad's office. The Admiral took us on le grande tour of his offices' facilities. They just moved in, so I spent the whole time geeking out over their AV systems in their training and conference rooms. While I'm surprised they skipped the AMX control systems, they managed to come up with some good analog solutions (that saved them a LOT of money).
Mom seems determined to get me fatter. She feeds us continually while we're home. We have fun, we do. We played some Uno, swam around the pool and spent some time tooling around Spring. Lots of hanging out with the folks, but she did ride to Austin with Jason on Tuesday and fly back that same night, so you know what kind of super trooper she can be.
I'm a little tired, and although it's 10:15 AZ time, it's now 12:15 Houston time. I'm headed for bed.
Hope all of you are doing well. Thanks for the well-wishes for Jeff.
We're flying out of Houston in a few hours and leaving for the airport in an hour, I think.
No doubt I'm going to be feeling even more useless in Phoenix than I've felt in Houston over the past couple of days.
Jason has been up at the hospital quite a bit with Jeff, but as he's in ICU, he can't stay in the room for any length of time. He's made two posts on Jeff, Kim and Sigmund's status, and I suggest sticking with Jason's blog to get updates.
Meanwhile the Austin media has picked up on Jeff's story. They've done their due diligence and located Jeff's blog. And they're quoting from it.
here.
I'd feel worse about what I feel is a bit of an invasion of Jeff's privacy, but they are getting across Jeff's incredible energy and his determination to make the most of his life. Sort of. And Joe Turner (who I don't know) had some spot on things to say.
Oddly, the Steanso/ CrackBass band "Crack" also gets its first public mention in the article.
We're back to Phoenix as of tonight. I'll be pointing back to Jason's blog on a regular basis as events warrant.
No doubt I'm going to be feeling even more useless in Phoenix than I've felt in Houston over the past couple of days.
Jason has been up at the hospital quite a bit with Jeff, but as he's in ICU, he can't stay in the room for any length of time. He's made two posts on Jeff, Kim and Sigmund's status, and I suggest sticking with Jason's blog to get updates.
Meanwhile the Austin media has picked up on Jeff's story. They've done their due diligence and located Jeff's blog. And they're quoting from it.
here.
I'd feel worse about what I feel is a bit of an invasion of Jeff's privacy, but they are getting across Jeff's incredible energy and his determination to make the most of his life. Sort of. And Joe Turner (who I don't know) had some spot on things to say.
Oddly, the Steanso/ CrackBass band "Crack" also gets its first public mention in the article.
We're back to Phoenix as of tonight. I'll be pointing back to Jason's blog on a regular basis as events warrant.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
NEWS
If you've been keeping up with "League of Melbotis" or "Adventures of Steanso", you are probably familiar with Jeff Wilson. You may know him as CrackBass.
Last evening, while leaving a concert outside of Austin, Jeff and several others (including, I believe, Sigmund and Kim Bloom) were struck by a motorist. Jeff is in critical condition in the intensive care unit at one of Austin's finest hospitals. Sigmund received several injuries, and I believe Kim has a broken leg and is under observation for possible internal injuries.
At this time, I don't have many details. Jeff is not conscious. My brother, Jason, left Houston at 8:00 this morning to get back to Austin.
Jeff has many, many friends, including folks on this website. As I understand it, there has been a stream of visitors from all over Austin to see Jeff and lend his wife, Mandy, a hand.
I'm asking that you guys keep Jeff and the others in this accident in your thoughts and prayers over the next few days.
And for the love of God, please remember Jeff, Sigmund and Kim when you decide to get behind the wheel after you've had a drink.
***UPDATE***
Steanso has updated his blog.
More after the jump.
Here.
If you've been keeping up with "League of Melbotis" or "Adventures of Steanso", you are probably familiar with Jeff Wilson. You may know him as CrackBass.
Last evening, while leaving a concert outside of Austin, Jeff and several others (including, I believe, Sigmund and Kim Bloom) were struck by a motorist. Jeff is in critical condition in the intensive care unit at one of Austin's finest hospitals. Sigmund received several injuries, and I believe Kim has a broken leg and is under observation for possible internal injuries.
At this time, I don't have many details. Jeff is not conscious. My brother, Jason, left Houston at 8:00 this morning to get back to Austin.
Jeff has many, many friends, including folks on this website. As I understand it, there has been a stream of visitors from all over Austin to see Jeff and lend his wife, Mandy, a hand.
I'm asking that you guys keep Jeff and the others in this accident in your thoughts and prayers over the next few days.
And for the love of God, please remember Jeff, Sigmund and Kim when you decide to get behind the wheel after you've had a drink.
***UPDATE***
Steanso has updated his blog.
More after the jump.
Here.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Friday, June 30, 2006
JAPAN'S LEADER HAS EXCELLENT MUSICAL TASTE
Bush plays tour guide at Graceland? Koizumi the karaoke champ?
Hail to the King, baby.
read more here.
Bush plays tour guide at Graceland? Koizumi the karaoke champ?
Hail to the King, baby.
read more here.
...DO THE HOT DOG DANCE...
I like pirates!
On Saturday the good ship HMS Melbotis lifts anchor and heads for the glittering shores of Spring, Texas.
The League and Jamie will be spending Saturday through Wednesday at the Admiral and KareBear's country manor, tucked amidst the pines and live oaks of their sprawling estate. I believe Steanso and Cousin Sue will be joining us for what is sure to be a delightful few days. Just what a gentleman needs to rejuvenate himself.
Blogging may be light, Leaguers. If you are in Houston, feel free to pop by. We don't really have any plans to actually leave the house. Well, that's not true. On Tuesday we have a baseball game to attend (go Astros! Wait, who is pitching that day..?), and I am sure there will be a cook-out led by the courageous Admiral.
In lieu of fireworks, I plan to buy several bottles of Diet Coke and a few packs of Mentos. I've seen evidence that combining these two items causes an amazing display.
Monday and Wednesday night are now, unfortunately, no longer up for negotiation. Jamie has dialysis scheduled for both evenings.
I am looking forward to the endless and meandering storytelling which will occur as Mum and Dad relate the tales of their trip to Milan and Rome. I've heard they bought a picture book of Rome, so hopefully they can tell me a little bit about what's in there.
Mostly I plan to just float in the pool, hit Bedrock City Comics, eat some Tex-Mex and BarBQ, and convince Susan that Pierre could be the ultimate dog fighter. If, you know, Steanso wants to see Superman Returns during a late showing, I'm up for that.
Don't hesitate to get in touch with me via comments or e-mail. Or phone, you know, if you know how to find us.
Happy Days, Leaguers. Now get out there and celebrate your independence.
I like pirates!
On Saturday the good ship HMS Melbotis lifts anchor and heads for the glittering shores of Spring, Texas.
The League and Jamie will be spending Saturday through Wednesday at the Admiral and KareBear's country manor, tucked amidst the pines and live oaks of their sprawling estate. I believe Steanso and Cousin Sue will be joining us for what is sure to be a delightful few days. Just what a gentleman needs to rejuvenate himself.
Blogging may be light, Leaguers. If you are in Houston, feel free to pop by. We don't really have any plans to actually leave the house. Well, that's not true. On Tuesday we have a baseball game to attend (go Astros! Wait, who is pitching that day..?), and I am sure there will be a cook-out led by the courageous Admiral.
In lieu of fireworks, I plan to buy several bottles of Diet Coke and a few packs of Mentos. I've seen evidence that combining these two items causes an amazing display.
Monday and Wednesday night are now, unfortunately, no longer up for negotiation. Jamie has dialysis scheduled for both evenings.
I am looking forward to the endless and meandering storytelling which will occur as Mum and Dad relate the tales of their trip to Milan and Rome. I've heard they bought a picture book of Rome, so hopefully they can tell me a little bit about what's in there.
Mostly I plan to just float in the pool, hit Bedrock City Comics, eat some Tex-Mex and BarBQ, and convince Susan that Pierre could be the ultimate dog fighter. If, you know, Steanso wants to see Superman Returns during a late showing, I'm up for that.
Don't hesitate to get in touch with me via comments or e-mail. Or phone, you know, if you know how to find us.
Happy Days, Leaguers. Now get out there and celebrate your independence.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
SUMMER OF SUPERMAN: SEEN THE MOVIE NOW
Let me just start by saying that I may never go to an opening weekend show ever again.
I bought my tickets several days ago online. When I ran my card through the machine, it coughed up a receipt that said "We're sorry! This theater has been cancelled!" Panic set in immediately. I walked back to the box office and showed them the stubs, and asked what I could do. The guy behind the glass with the dumb light bulb hair that all the teen-age boys are now sporting proceeded to treat me like an idiot as he got me tickets for a different showing (at the same time, natch) and I tried to pay for them.
"You've already paid, sir..." he groaned as I pushed my debit card through the little coin tray window. I don't honestly think I DID pay. I think the machine had refunded my money, but, you know, whatever...
The theater was pretty full already half an hour before the show. Lots of families. Lots of families with small children, as it should be, I guess. The lesson I learned is that Disney isn't screwing around by limiting their features to 80 minutes. The constant squirming, whining and general noisiness in the theater was constant for every moment that something on screen wasn't exploding or shattering, or, in general, assaulting the senses.
The family of five behind us started out the film by chatting away until I shushed the mom, but I was glad I did it then rather than let the frustration grow. The mind-boggler was the three-year old they'd brought who seemed interested in the movie as he kept his own ongoing narration, parroting lines and telling us what we were seeing. I gave him the "adult stink-eye" three or four times, and each time he'd quiet down for a few minutes. Luckily his older sisters kept shushing him. Dad just ignored junior. It was kind of fascinating.
The kid next to me spent half the movie playing with a handful of coins, until I finally asked him to stop.
Look, I HATE having to ask others to exercise common courtesy, but I also want to enjoy a movie without constant interruption. I'm amazed how few people feel the same way. In some ways, I absolutely knew this was going to happen if we went to a 7:00 show on opening day, but I also didn't want to wait two weeks to see the movie. There's got to be a happy medium in there somewhere.
Also, people, for the love of God... Why are you checking to see who called you on your cell? Yes, yes... you've put it on vibrate, but when you check to see who called and your dinky 1" x 1" screen lights up, we can all see the bright blue light in the otherwise very dark theater. And, teenagers, same goes for texting.
I'm fully in support of theaters using cell-phone blocking technology. The many, many stupid people have officially overcome the needs of the few who might actually need to take a call in the middle of a movie.
okay... the movie
The movie was very enjoyable. It had a few logic problems and should have been longer in the beginning and shorter at the end, but overall, yeah..! I liked it.
Brandon Routh, despite the seemingly endless desire to compare him to Christopher Reeve, handles the dual roles with a lot of charm and does own the role. I would have liked to have gotten to see a bit more in the way of Superman being Super about town, but the moments you do get are amazing. Just beautifully executed. Singer and Co. have done a remarkable job of thinking through scenarios and the use of technology, and Routh manages to more than fill the Man of Steel's red boots. That plane scene from the trailers? It's stunning.
The bottom line is this: I really enjoyed the movie. You always feel a little odd telling people you really believed something was that good, even when you saw the flaws. One man's Matisse is another man's messy canvas. I've heard varying reports on different actor's performances, and I am sure there will be some serious debate among comic geeks as to certain elements in the film... but as a separate entity from the comics, from the TV shows... Yeah. Yeah, I enjoyed every minute of it.
And, yes, if it's been twenty years since you watched Superman I and II, I highly recommend watching them again on DVD before hitting the theater. This movie is a sequel in every conceivable way.
I'm very much looking forward to the next installments. Singer did such a good job of building upon what he'd established in X-Men with X2, that the scope of Superman Returns sequel seems almost limitless.
In the meantime, just prepare to sit back and enjoy the spectacle.
Let me just start by saying that I may never go to an opening weekend show ever again.
I bought my tickets several days ago online. When I ran my card through the machine, it coughed up a receipt that said "We're sorry! This theater has been cancelled!" Panic set in immediately. I walked back to the box office and showed them the stubs, and asked what I could do. The guy behind the glass with the dumb light bulb hair that all the teen-age boys are now sporting proceeded to treat me like an idiot as he got me tickets for a different showing (at the same time, natch) and I tried to pay for them.
"You've already paid, sir..." he groaned as I pushed my debit card through the little coin tray window. I don't honestly think I DID pay. I think the machine had refunded my money, but, you know, whatever...
The theater was pretty full already half an hour before the show. Lots of families. Lots of families with small children, as it should be, I guess. The lesson I learned is that Disney isn't screwing around by limiting their features to 80 minutes. The constant squirming, whining and general noisiness in the theater was constant for every moment that something on screen wasn't exploding or shattering, or, in general, assaulting the senses.
The family of five behind us started out the film by chatting away until I shushed the mom, but I was glad I did it then rather than let the frustration grow. The mind-boggler was the three-year old they'd brought who seemed interested in the movie as he kept his own ongoing narration, parroting lines and telling us what we were seeing. I gave him the "adult stink-eye" three or four times, and each time he'd quiet down for a few minutes. Luckily his older sisters kept shushing him. Dad just ignored junior. It was kind of fascinating.
The kid next to me spent half the movie playing with a handful of coins, until I finally asked him to stop.
Look, I HATE having to ask others to exercise common courtesy, but I also want to enjoy a movie without constant interruption. I'm amazed how few people feel the same way. In some ways, I absolutely knew this was going to happen if we went to a 7:00 show on opening day, but I also didn't want to wait two weeks to see the movie. There's got to be a happy medium in there somewhere.
Also, people, for the love of God... Why are you checking to see who called you on your cell? Yes, yes... you've put it on vibrate, but when you check to see who called and your dinky 1" x 1" screen lights up, we can all see the bright blue light in the otherwise very dark theater. And, teenagers, same goes for texting.
I'm fully in support of theaters using cell-phone blocking technology. The many, many stupid people have officially overcome the needs of the few who might actually need to take a call in the middle of a movie.
okay... the movie
The movie was very enjoyable. It had a few logic problems and should have been longer in the beginning and shorter at the end, but overall, yeah..! I liked it.
Brandon Routh, despite the seemingly endless desire to compare him to Christopher Reeve, handles the dual roles with a lot of charm and does own the role. I would have liked to have gotten to see a bit more in the way of Superman being Super about town, but the moments you do get are amazing. Just beautifully executed. Singer and Co. have done a remarkable job of thinking through scenarios and the use of technology, and Routh manages to more than fill the Man of Steel's red boots. That plane scene from the trailers? It's stunning.
The bottom line is this: I really enjoyed the movie. You always feel a little odd telling people you really believed something was that good, even when you saw the flaws. One man's Matisse is another man's messy canvas. I've heard varying reports on different actor's performances, and I am sure there will be some serious debate among comic geeks as to certain elements in the film... but as a separate entity from the comics, from the TV shows... Yeah. Yeah, I enjoyed every minute of it.
And, yes, if it's been twenty years since you watched Superman I and II, I highly recommend watching them again on DVD before hitting the theater. This movie is a sequel in every conceivable way.
I'm very much looking forward to the next installments. Singer did such a good job of building upon what he'd established in X-Men with X2, that the scope of Superman Returns sequel seems almost limitless.
In the meantime, just prepare to sit back and enjoy the spectacle.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
SUMMER OF SUPERMAN: All that's left is the waiting.
By the time you read this, some of you will have already seen Superman Returns. I haven't gotten to see the movie yet, but I've been waiting a long time. A few more hours won't hurt. It seems like yesterday I was looking at a countdown ticker telling me I had a year left before the movie was released.
At this point, I guess the honest question to ask ourselves is this: Can Superman Returns possibly live up to the hype and expectations?
I don't think so.
I don't really expect to be disappointed in the movie, but I'm also aware it's a movie. Possibly a film made by folks with the best of aspirations, but there are going to be flaws. There are going to be portions and performancess that don't quite hit the mark. There are going to be things that don't stick with Superman canon.
Whatever.
After all the opportunity for a movie which was not, in any way, representative of the 70 years of Superman comics, I'll take a flawed movie which at least respects the ideas and ideals behind the character.
Superman, unlike any other superhero and unlike many other fictional characters, is an icon. Trying to capture the wonder and grandeur of any superhero is tough, but some ideas are more easy to translate than others. Capturing an icon, putting them to film, is like lightning in a bottle. When it doesn't work, somehow the disappointment is all the greater. Everyone knows who Superman is supposed to be, and we're unforgiving when he somehow doesn't meet out expectations.
From the trailers I know the screen writers and director have taken the challenge head on. They're well aware that journalists have spent a lot of ink pondering Superman's irrelevance in a world that, they believe, has outgrown the need for Supermen. We need, these journalists insist, our heroes tarnished and barely functional. Who can believe in a Superman who deflects bullets?
I eagerly await Singer and Co.'s answer to that question, especially as the reviews, both good and bad, never raise the question.
I'm looking forward to my time with Jamie tonight, standing in line for popcorn and a Diet Coke. I'm looking forward to the titles and the music. I'm also looking forward to the quiet ride home where we don't say too much to each other.
I have no idea how to make the perfect Superman movie, and even if I did, someone else would find problems with whatever I wanted to do. So all I can do now is end the anticipation and hope for the best.
Up, up and away...!
By the time you read this, some of you will have already seen Superman Returns. I haven't gotten to see the movie yet, but I've been waiting a long time. A few more hours won't hurt. It seems like yesterday I was looking at a countdown ticker telling me I had a year left before the movie was released.
At this point, I guess the honest question to ask ourselves is this: Can Superman Returns possibly live up to the hype and expectations?
I don't think so.
I don't really expect to be disappointed in the movie, but I'm also aware it's a movie. Possibly a film made by folks with the best of aspirations, but there are going to be flaws. There are going to be portions and performancess that don't quite hit the mark. There are going to be things that don't stick with Superman canon.
Whatever.
After all the opportunity for a movie which was not, in any way, representative of the 70 years of Superman comics, I'll take a flawed movie which at least respects the ideas and ideals behind the character.
Superman, unlike any other superhero and unlike many other fictional characters, is an icon. Trying to capture the wonder and grandeur of any superhero is tough, but some ideas are more easy to translate than others. Capturing an icon, putting them to film, is like lightning in a bottle. When it doesn't work, somehow the disappointment is all the greater. Everyone knows who Superman is supposed to be, and we're unforgiving when he somehow doesn't meet out expectations.
From the trailers I know the screen writers and director have taken the challenge head on. They're well aware that journalists have spent a lot of ink pondering Superman's irrelevance in a world that, they believe, has outgrown the need for Supermen. We need, these journalists insist, our heroes tarnished and barely functional. Who can believe in a Superman who deflects bullets?
I eagerly await Singer and Co.'s answer to that question, especially as the reviews, both good and bad, never raise the question.
I'm looking forward to my time with Jamie tonight, standing in line for popcorn and a Diet Coke. I'm looking forward to the titles and the music. I'm also looking forward to the quiet ride home where we don't say too much to each other.
I have no idea how to make the perfect Superman movie, and even if I did, someone else would find problems with whatever I wanted to do. So all I can do now is end the anticipation and hope for the best.
Up, up and away...!
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
SUMMER OF SUPERMAN: SOME SUPER MISC. STUFF
You poor Leaguers are probably sick to death of The League rooting on the release of Superman Returns. Well, all that will end before the end of the week when I've seen the movie and begin getting excited about Pirates of the Caribbean. Oh, yes. Pirates!
In the meantime, here are some quick bits.
1) Jim D. is scheduled for the 10:00 on Tuesday screening of Superman Returns in the BMT. Due to Jim's terrorist threat to inundate me with spoilers, Jamie has forbidden me any contact with Jim from 12:30AM Wednesday until Thursday morning.
2) For those of you who planned to re-watch Superman: The Movie prior to seeing Superman Returns and are just now realizing that ain't going to happen, Nathan points us to Angry Alien. They've got a featured flash movie retelling Superman in 30 seconds. With bunnies!
Hop over to that site here.
3) I know it's almost $400, but this is what I want for Christmas, Steanso...
4) Here's some marketing madness. WB's marketing arm is projecting the Superman logo onto landmarks around the country. After the jump, there are some photos of the logo on Niagra Falls. Made famous, of course, in Superman II. Because nobody had ever thought to visit before that.
5) If you've got kids, take 'em to see the King. Burger King has Super Toys in their kid's meals. Including a Super Pedometer. Which is great, because if your kid is eating at Burger King often enough to collect all the toys, they're probably going to need that pedometer. And bypass surgery.
The movie, last I checked, is PG-13. If your kid is five, s/he is under half the recommended age for seeing this flick. I know parents pretty much ignore ratings, but it's a bit of interest, I suppose.
Of course, what do I know? Eventually both Rambo and Robocop got their own cartoon series and toy lines.
More Super News as events warrant.
You poor Leaguers are probably sick to death of The League rooting on the release of Superman Returns. Well, all that will end before the end of the week when I've seen the movie and begin getting excited about Pirates of the Caribbean. Oh, yes. Pirates!
In the meantime, here are some quick bits.
1) Jim D. is scheduled for the 10:00 on Tuesday screening of Superman Returns in the BMT. Due to Jim's terrorist threat to inundate me with spoilers, Jamie has forbidden me any contact with Jim from 12:30AM Wednesday until Thursday morning.
2) For those of you who planned to re-watch Superman: The Movie prior to seeing Superman Returns and are just now realizing that ain't going to happen, Nathan points us to Angry Alien. They've got a featured flash movie retelling Superman in 30 seconds. With bunnies!
Hop over to that site here.
3) I know it's almost $400, but this is what I want for Christmas, Steanso...
4) Here's some marketing madness. WB's marketing arm is projecting the Superman logo onto landmarks around the country. After the jump, there are some photos of the logo on Niagra Falls. Made famous, of course, in Superman II. Because nobody had ever thought to visit before that.
5) If you've got kids, take 'em to see the King. Burger King has Super Toys in their kid's meals. Including a Super Pedometer. Which is great, because if your kid is eating at Burger King often enough to collect all the toys, they're probably going to need that pedometer. And bypass surgery.
The movie, last I checked, is PG-13. If your kid is five, s/he is under half the recommended age for seeing this flick. I know parents pretty much ignore ratings, but it's a bit of interest, I suppose.
Of course, what do I know? Eventually both Rambo and Robocop got their own cartoon series and toy lines.
More Super News as events warrant.
Monday, June 26, 2006
SUMMER OF SUPERMAN: CEREAL SPECIAL
On the eve of the release of Superman Returns, I've decided to try out a little Super Snack. Better living through League of Melbotis.
It's Cap'n Crunch! Now, with real Superman Shield Shapes! Jeff approves.
You can see for yourself the shiny, pretty Cap'n Crunch Box. You can almost begin to imagine my anticipation. Note: It promises to turn my milk blue.
Superman wouldn't steer you wrong! See, free entertainment. Jeff and I have a game scheduled for Thursday evening.
Superman, ahoy! Lookie there. Those are some Super Shields mixed in with the usual Crunch barrels. I confess, I love me some Cap'n Crunch. I'm kind of excited.
For scale, here is an example of a Crunch Shield. Note the color. It is red. Sort of.
Wha..? As advertised, the cereal turns the milk blue. Some of the shields get a little blue or purple, but... but... there's some serious mad science going on here. I'm a litle scared.
Skeptical. Simply skeptical of blue milk.
It smells like The Cap'n. Sweet. Crunchy. Delicious.
I am reluctant to take my first bite.
Sweet. Crunchy...
Not dissimilar to my usual bowl of The Cap'n.
Not dissimilar at ALL. I believe I WILL have another bite.
Yowzah! Now that is some cereal. SWEEEEEEEET!!!!
You'll have to pardon this photo. I'm on a sort of diet. Not much sugar lately.
ARGHHH!!! Crunch scrape. Must slow Crunch eating to a crawl.
Yes, this is a truly Super addition to my Super diet. The League fully endorses this product.
Next up, some Super 4-Cheese pasta.
On the eve of the release of Superman Returns, I've decided to try out a little Super Snack. Better living through League of Melbotis.
It's Cap'n Crunch! Now, with real Superman Shield Shapes! Jeff approves.
You can see for yourself the shiny, pretty Cap'n Crunch Box. You can almost begin to imagine my anticipation. Note: It promises to turn my milk blue.
Superman wouldn't steer you wrong! See, free entertainment. Jeff and I have a game scheduled for Thursday evening.
Superman, ahoy! Lookie there. Those are some Super Shields mixed in with the usual Crunch barrels. I confess, I love me some Cap'n Crunch. I'm kind of excited.
For scale, here is an example of a Crunch Shield. Note the color. It is red. Sort of.
Wha..? As advertised, the cereal turns the milk blue. Some of the shields get a little blue or purple, but... but... there's some serious mad science going on here. I'm a litle scared.
Skeptical. Simply skeptical of blue milk.
It smells like The Cap'n. Sweet. Crunchy. Delicious.
I am reluctant to take my first bite.
Sweet. Crunchy...
Not dissimilar to my usual bowl of The Cap'n.
Not dissimilar at ALL. I believe I WILL have another bite.
Yowzah! Now that is some cereal. SWEEEEEEEET!!!!
You'll have to pardon this photo. I'm on a sort of diet. Not much sugar lately.
ARGHHH!!! Crunch scrape. Must slow Crunch eating to a crawl.
Yes, this is a truly Super addition to my Super diet. The League fully endorses this product.
Next up, some Super 4-Cheese pasta.
NO LIMITS!
I was sitting in my cushy swivel chair at work on Friday, just sort of zoning out prior to a video conference I was to man, sort of just flipping my issues around, sort of like when I'm making Jamie's coaster-sized pancakes on a Sunday morning on the griddle. You look at each pancake individually, but there's a common theme there as they cook at about the same rate, some better than others, some needing a little nurturing, some needing the spatula lest they bleed into one another and create an unweildy pancake infinitely more difficult to deal with now that they've merged.
You flip them over, these ideas, to see how the other side is doing, and then at some semi-arbitrary moment you declare those pancakes done. You could wait a little longer, you could have pulled them off a little sooner. It doesn't really matter too much, I guess. Especially when you plan to then smother those ideas in Log Cabin.
I have come to a conclusion. A Super conclusion. A conclusion so colossal and stupefying that I am afraid to say it out loud.
It will take heavy lifting, this idea. It's a matter, now, of lining up the principles and designing a plan for execution. However, that's what they pay me for at my current job. Find the impossible task, figure out what has to happen, what's the timeline, gird your loins and lift. Hold the weight until you're used to it.
No limits.
I am convinced there's nothing we can't do, we two, we just need to put our backs into it and take ourselves a chance. Trying to stay within certain boundaries has not worked up until this point, so it's time, now, to start looking at doing it the hard way. What is it they say about anything worth having?
So I want to do this thing. No one else is going to do it for me.
But one thing I've learned is that The League is not just our little squad sitting out here amongst the tumbling tumbleweeds. We've got connections, and we've got reserves. We've got caped and masked allies everywhere, and this could be the big cross-over event of the summer.
The story will have romance and intrigue, adventure and pathos, I am sure. And unlike so much else, in these monthly comics, I have no idea how it's going to end. This is the sort of "fly through the kryptonite field and on through the red sun" sort of risk-taking that I'm not usually too good at. If only Mogo is there to catch me when I fall.
When we are lucky, we have only the limits we set upon ourselves.
I feel ready to break the chains and leap into the sky.
No limits!
I was sitting in my cushy swivel chair at work on Friday, just sort of zoning out prior to a video conference I was to man, sort of just flipping my issues around, sort of like when I'm making Jamie's coaster-sized pancakes on a Sunday morning on the griddle. You look at each pancake individually, but there's a common theme there as they cook at about the same rate, some better than others, some needing a little nurturing, some needing the spatula lest they bleed into one another and create an unweildy pancake infinitely more difficult to deal with now that they've merged.
You flip them over, these ideas, to see how the other side is doing, and then at some semi-arbitrary moment you declare those pancakes done. You could wait a little longer, you could have pulled them off a little sooner. It doesn't really matter too much, I guess. Especially when you plan to then smother those ideas in Log Cabin.
I have come to a conclusion. A Super conclusion. A conclusion so colossal and stupefying that I am afraid to say it out loud.
It will take heavy lifting, this idea. It's a matter, now, of lining up the principles and designing a plan for execution. However, that's what they pay me for at my current job. Find the impossible task, figure out what has to happen, what's the timeline, gird your loins and lift. Hold the weight until you're used to it.
No limits.
I am convinced there's nothing we can't do, we two, we just need to put our backs into it and take ourselves a chance. Trying to stay within certain boundaries has not worked up until this point, so it's time, now, to start looking at doing it the hard way. What is it they say about anything worth having?
So I want to do this thing. No one else is going to do it for me.
But one thing I've learned is that The League is not just our little squad sitting out here amongst the tumbling tumbleweeds. We've got connections, and we've got reserves. We've got caped and masked allies everywhere, and this could be the big cross-over event of the summer.
The story will have romance and intrigue, adventure and pathos, I am sure. And unlike so much else, in these monthly comics, I have no idea how it's going to end. This is the sort of "fly through the kryptonite field and on through the red sun" sort of risk-taking that I'm not usually too good at. If only Mogo is there to catch me when I fall.
When we are lucky, we have only the limits we set upon ourselves.
I feel ready to break the chains and leap into the sky.
No limits!
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Comics in Review - Week June 21ish
I was going comic reviews over at Nanostalgia.com, but as mentioned last week, I'm moving some of that back here.
Mostly I read and review DC books, but I'm trying to branch out a bit.
Here we go.
Civil War #1 and Civil War: Frontline #1 - Marvel Comics:
Decent story. Overkill on the books I'm expected to pick up. Event fatigue creeping in around the edges.
I think I honestly enjoyed Civil War #1 more than Frontline #1. Frontline seemed to be forcing the square pegs of Marvel's make-believe issues into the round slots of real-world political issues in a way which sort of strained logic. The worst offender was the nebulous story at the end of Frontline #1 which I'm still not sure wasn't suggesting that Japanese-Americans were doing their patriotic duty by being herded into internment camps during World War II. I don't honestly think that's what the writer intended to say, but there were a few lines about patriotic duty, blah blah blah and then the folks entering the camps.
The League doesn't want to get political, but we're also not really sure this was a well executed story.
Also, Spider-Man's "Iron Spider" outfit is lame.
Uncle Scrooge #355 - Gemstone Publishing:
This is so dorky, but I've started picking up Uncle Scrooge comics. They're just genuinely fun and goofy comics. These comics by Gemstone include work by Carl Barks as well as new work, pretty much continuing the Uncle Scrooge comics that have been in print for fifty years.
There's certainly a pastiche for the past, but also a certain "all-ages" quality to the comics that Disney used to hold up as their gold-standard of story-telling.
Due to the amount of content in each issue of Uncle Scrooge, the price is that of two comics, but I'm okay with that.
I'd highly recommend these comics as a springboard for kids. There's plenty going on in each comic, and the characters are very likeable.
All-Star Superman #4 - DC Comics
Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
After having just read my way through 500+ pages of Jimmy Olsen stories in Showcase Presents: Superman Family Vol. 1, this issue was a welcome treat. As he's done in the three previous issues of All-Star Superman, Morrison has taken the Silver-Age concept and brought it into the mid 21st Century. Quitely's art is just as astonishing in this issue as the previous three, but his "re-design" of Jimmy suggests a hipster idiot-savant.
For those of you who may not know, Jimmy Olsen carried his own title for decades at DC Comics, routinely falling into as much or more trouble than Lois Lane, and counting on Superman to pull his fat out of the fire. No matter the circumstances, Jimmy would get the story and learn a little lesson about, say, not walking into a hail of bullets just because you've previously signaled Superman with your secret signal watch.
In this issue, Superman discovers the super-dense black Kryptonite, which seems to make him act the opposite of his nature, in this case, evil, and Jimmy is unable to call in Superman to combat the threat as the very threat is Superman himself.
Anyway, highly recommended.
Shadowpact #2 - DC Comics:
Art and Story by Bill Willingham
I have no idea why, but this comic keeps getting good reviews.
During Infinite Crisis, Willingham stated that he planned to re-imagine magic in the DCU, an act which raised The League's eyebrows as magic in the DCU had always been pretty cool. I like Dr. Fate. I like The Spectre and Phantom Stranger. I love Zatanna.
Willingham has pretty much turned magic into a superheroic power battery, like radiation, etc... etc... without really adding anything. In short, Shadowpact is nothing more than a C-List team of superheroes fighting C-list "magical" villains. I could forgive all of that, but the writing just doesn't feel terribly imaginative and none of the characters have been explained or developed from a "power" standpoint, or from who the heck they are.
The villains are unimaginative "magic" characters whose names I can't be bothered to remember who, like in Ghostbusters 1 & 2, seem to be trying to summon an evil power from beyond. Whatever.
I think I realized I gave this comic a shot because I liked the idea of Detective Chimp. There's absolutely nothing else of interest going on in this comic. At that, Willingham put Detective Chimp in combat tights for some reason.
This is a bad comic. I give it 8-12 issues. Issue #2 is my final issue.
Give me Dr. Fate.
Superman/ Batman #27:
Mark Verheiden and Kevin MacGuire
A filler issue if there ever was one. Readers have been patient. DC should have just waited until July for the next storyline. This story was deeply embedded in Earth-2 DC history and ultimately adds nothing.
I'm a pretty big fan of Power Girl and will pick up pretty much anything with her on the cover, but this isn't a good way to treat a flagship title, even if the creators are A or B+.
DC, you've got a lot of people watching you in a post-IC market. This is exactly how to drop the ball.
The Flash: Fastest Man Alive #1
Written by Paul DeMeo and Danny Bilson; Art and cover by Ken Lashley
Ultimately, this wasn't a great comic. There's a lot of promise here, but from a structural standpoint, the comic was a mess. If DC was planning to pull in all new readers with their all-new Flash, this was not the way to do it.
The art is good, but not great.
I'll stick with the comic, partly because these things have a tendency to settle themselves, and partly because I think we'll see 6 issues with the current creative team and then an established comic writer will take over.
For whatever reason, DC decided to hand writing chores over to some of the guys responsible for the 1990's era Flash TV show. In my mind, you've just finished one Flash series with some of the top guns of the comic industry writing (Mark Waid, Geoff Johns), and you put on two writers unknown to the industry? That's a misstep.
And I have to vent a little bit here: What is up with every roommate to every super hero being a clueless party-dude? Yes, it does set up a stark contrast between our troubled hero and the care-free youth he'd like to be, but there's got to be another stock character.
Also, I'm not buying the "concerned intern" bit of the pretty, bespectacled girl who is interested in the fate of Bart Allen. To complicate matters, Bart is, if you do the math, somewhere around 10 years-old. There's just something icky about forcing the romance thing where it doesn't belong.
I've enjoyed The Flash on and off since middle-school. I have fond memories of sitting in my bunk at camp and re-reading an issue of The Flash (and sharing it with my bunkmates) over and over until it more resembled confetti than a comic. It was so destroyed, in fact, that it never made it home. I just didn't think a comic with a footprint on the cover was going to look good in my collection.
I was hoping for a re-launch worthy of The Flash franchise, and this one doesn't quite hit the mark. Still, it's The Flash, so I'm hopeful he can outrun some sub-par writing and land squarely on his feet, no matter who is behind the mask.
Eternals #1 - Marvel Comics:
by Neil Gaiman and JRjr
based on some old Marvel Kirby stuff
If anyone at Marvel will understand that Kirby's Eternals are not just another bunch of superheroes, it will be Neil Gaiman. That said, I've never read any of Kirby's Eternals work, and until it's released in a TPB I can afford, I probably won't. So, in a way, I'm walking into this comic completely unsure of what to expect, and for a comic from Marvel or DC, that's a rare and good thing.
The odd thing, the thing I can't shake the feeling of with this comic, is that I've seen this idea somewhere before. Highlander? Highlander 2? Bendis' "Powers"? Gaiman's own work in Books of Magic? Cosmic sleeper agents? There's got to be a precedent somewhere. Maybe in scientology.
There's something utterly recognizable about what I read in Eternals #1 that I just can't shake. Maybe I read a Marvel handbook entry on the Eternals when I was a kid and it's just been sort of buried there in the back of my head. I have no idea.
Still, the comic is good. It's worth a read. The bits and parts about ancient times pop out of the book like fireworks, JRjr handling the switch between mundane NYC and cosmic doings without breaking a sweat.
I'm in for a while. I'm curious about the whole thing.
52 #7 - DC Comics
Man, are other reviewers looking for reasons not to like this book. They've picked on the art even when it was as good or better than the average issue of pretty much any second-tier "Nightwing"-type comic. They've picked on bits of weak dialogue as if comics are known for their believeable parlance.
52 is a mystery, wrapped in an engima and smothered in secret sauce (thank you, News Radio). More has happened in this comic in 7 weeks than happens in the average Bendis book in three years. Of course, this is just the set-up. We've got 45 more weeks to go.
I was surprised that so few reviewers picked up on the "Island of the Lotus Eaters" bit in this issue, and I saw one reviewer actually misidentify the allusion as an Aesop Fable about lazy animals.
It's impossible to tackle all the threads in this comic in what I am planning to be a brief review, but so far I'm interested in all of them to one extent or another. I'm definitely more interested in the Question/ Montoya storyline than other readers. Really enjoying the Booster Gold stuff.
And, of course, the Kathy Kane entrance had that detective novel entrance you like to see.
I'm still recommending this comic, you bunch of unappreciative thugs.
I was going comic reviews over at Nanostalgia.com, but as mentioned last week, I'm moving some of that back here.
Mostly I read and review DC books, but I'm trying to branch out a bit.
Here we go.
Civil War #1 and Civil War: Frontline #1 - Marvel Comics:
Decent story. Overkill on the books I'm expected to pick up. Event fatigue creeping in around the edges.
I think I honestly enjoyed Civil War #1 more than Frontline #1. Frontline seemed to be forcing the square pegs of Marvel's make-believe issues into the round slots of real-world political issues in a way which sort of strained logic. The worst offender was the nebulous story at the end of Frontline #1 which I'm still not sure wasn't suggesting that Japanese-Americans were doing their patriotic duty by being herded into internment camps during World War II. I don't honestly think that's what the writer intended to say, but there were a few lines about patriotic duty, blah blah blah and then the folks entering the camps.
The League doesn't want to get political, but we're also not really sure this was a well executed story.
Also, Spider-Man's "Iron Spider" outfit is lame.
Uncle Scrooge #355 - Gemstone Publishing:
This is so dorky, but I've started picking up Uncle Scrooge comics. They're just genuinely fun and goofy comics. These comics by Gemstone include work by Carl Barks as well as new work, pretty much continuing the Uncle Scrooge comics that have been in print for fifty years.
There's certainly a pastiche for the past, but also a certain "all-ages" quality to the comics that Disney used to hold up as their gold-standard of story-telling.
Due to the amount of content in each issue of Uncle Scrooge, the price is that of two comics, but I'm okay with that.
I'd highly recommend these comics as a springboard for kids. There's plenty going on in each comic, and the characters are very likeable.
All-Star Superman #4 - DC Comics
Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
After having just read my way through 500+ pages of Jimmy Olsen stories in Showcase Presents: Superman Family Vol. 1, this issue was a welcome treat. As he's done in the three previous issues of All-Star Superman, Morrison has taken the Silver-Age concept and brought it into the mid 21st Century. Quitely's art is just as astonishing in this issue as the previous three, but his "re-design" of Jimmy suggests a hipster idiot-savant.
For those of you who may not know, Jimmy Olsen carried his own title for decades at DC Comics, routinely falling into as much or more trouble than Lois Lane, and counting on Superman to pull his fat out of the fire. No matter the circumstances, Jimmy would get the story and learn a little lesson about, say, not walking into a hail of bullets just because you've previously signaled Superman with your secret signal watch.
In this issue, Superman discovers the super-dense black Kryptonite, which seems to make him act the opposite of his nature, in this case, evil, and Jimmy is unable to call in Superman to combat the threat as the very threat is Superman himself.
Anyway, highly recommended.
Shadowpact #2 - DC Comics:
Art and Story by Bill Willingham
I have no idea why, but this comic keeps getting good reviews.
During Infinite Crisis, Willingham stated that he planned to re-imagine magic in the DCU, an act which raised The League's eyebrows as magic in the DCU had always been pretty cool. I like Dr. Fate. I like The Spectre and Phantom Stranger. I love Zatanna.
Willingham has pretty much turned magic into a superheroic power battery, like radiation, etc... etc... without really adding anything. In short, Shadowpact is nothing more than a C-List team of superheroes fighting C-list "magical" villains. I could forgive all of that, but the writing just doesn't feel terribly imaginative and none of the characters have been explained or developed from a "power" standpoint, or from who the heck they are.
The villains are unimaginative "magic" characters whose names I can't be bothered to remember who, like in Ghostbusters 1 & 2, seem to be trying to summon an evil power from beyond. Whatever.
I think I realized I gave this comic a shot because I liked the idea of Detective Chimp. There's absolutely nothing else of interest going on in this comic. At that, Willingham put Detective Chimp in combat tights for some reason.
This is a bad comic. I give it 8-12 issues. Issue #2 is my final issue.
Give me Dr. Fate.
Superman/ Batman #27:
Mark Verheiden and Kevin MacGuire
A filler issue if there ever was one. Readers have been patient. DC should have just waited until July for the next storyline. This story was deeply embedded in Earth-2 DC history and ultimately adds nothing.
I'm a pretty big fan of Power Girl and will pick up pretty much anything with her on the cover, but this isn't a good way to treat a flagship title, even if the creators are A or B+.
DC, you've got a lot of people watching you in a post-IC market. This is exactly how to drop the ball.
The Flash: Fastest Man Alive #1
Written by Paul DeMeo and Danny Bilson; Art and cover by Ken Lashley
Ultimately, this wasn't a great comic. There's a lot of promise here, but from a structural standpoint, the comic was a mess. If DC was planning to pull in all new readers with their all-new Flash, this was not the way to do it.
The art is good, but not great.
I'll stick with the comic, partly because these things have a tendency to settle themselves, and partly because I think we'll see 6 issues with the current creative team and then an established comic writer will take over.
For whatever reason, DC decided to hand writing chores over to some of the guys responsible for the 1990's era Flash TV show. In my mind, you've just finished one Flash series with some of the top guns of the comic industry writing (Mark Waid, Geoff Johns), and you put on two writers unknown to the industry? That's a misstep.
And I have to vent a little bit here: What is up with every roommate to every super hero being a clueless party-dude? Yes, it does set up a stark contrast between our troubled hero and the care-free youth he'd like to be, but there's got to be another stock character.
Also, I'm not buying the "concerned intern" bit of the pretty, bespectacled girl who is interested in the fate of Bart Allen. To complicate matters, Bart is, if you do the math, somewhere around 10 years-old. There's just something icky about forcing the romance thing where it doesn't belong.
I've enjoyed The Flash on and off since middle-school. I have fond memories of sitting in my bunk at camp and re-reading an issue of The Flash (and sharing it with my bunkmates) over and over until it more resembled confetti than a comic. It was so destroyed, in fact, that it never made it home. I just didn't think a comic with a footprint on the cover was going to look good in my collection.
I was hoping for a re-launch worthy of The Flash franchise, and this one doesn't quite hit the mark. Still, it's The Flash, so I'm hopeful he can outrun some sub-par writing and land squarely on his feet, no matter who is behind the mask.
Eternals #1 - Marvel Comics:
by Neil Gaiman and JRjr
based on some old Marvel Kirby stuff
If anyone at Marvel will understand that Kirby's Eternals are not just another bunch of superheroes, it will be Neil Gaiman. That said, I've never read any of Kirby's Eternals work, and until it's released in a TPB I can afford, I probably won't. So, in a way, I'm walking into this comic completely unsure of what to expect, and for a comic from Marvel or DC, that's a rare and good thing.
The odd thing, the thing I can't shake the feeling of with this comic, is that I've seen this idea somewhere before. Highlander? Highlander 2? Bendis' "Powers"? Gaiman's own work in Books of Magic? Cosmic sleeper agents? There's got to be a precedent somewhere. Maybe in scientology.
There's something utterly recognizable about what I read in Eternals #1 that I just can't shake. Maybe I read a Marvel handbook entry on the Eternals when I was a kid and it's just been sort of buried there in the back of my head. I have no idea.
Still, the comic is good. It's worth a read. The bits and parts about ancient times pop out of the book like fireworks, JRjr handling the switch between mundane NYC and cosmic doings without breaking a sweat.
I'm in for a while. I'm curious about the whole thing.
52 #7 - DC Comics
Man, are other reviewers looking for reasons not to like this book. They've picked on the art even when it was as good or better than the average issue of pretty much any second-tier "Nightwing"-type comic. They've picked on bits of weak dialogue as if comics are known for their believeable parlance.
52 is a mystery, wrapped in an engima and smothered in secret sauce (thank you, News Radio). More has happened in this comic in 7 weeks than happens in the average Bendis book in three years. Of course, this is just the set-up. We've got 45 more weeks to go.
I was surprised that so few reviewers picked up on the "Island of the Lotus Eaters" bit in this issue, and I saw one reviewer actually misidentify the allusion as an Aesop Fable about lazy animals.
It's impossible to tackle all the threads in this comic in what I am planning to be a brief review, but so far I'm interested in all of them to one extent or another. I'm definitely more interested in the Question/ Montoya storyline than other readers. Really enjoying the Booster Gold stuff.
And, of course, the Kathy Kane entrance had that detective novel entrance you like to see.
I'm still recommending this comic, you bunch of unappreciative thugs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)