Nightwing: A Knight In Bludhaven. Written by Chuck Dixon, Pencilled by Scott McDaniel. This was a surprisingly good read. It begins with a journal entry by Barbara Gordon (fitting and well written). Funniest quote, "I'd like to think Master Grayson recognized my detective and martial arts skills. But I suspect he liked the way I filled out my costume." I'll admit the art style took some getting used to. Pony Tail Nightwing? Hm....no. But the panels that he's leaping and rappelling are dynamic and well drawn and appealing, and the near non stop action fits with the gritty storytelling Dixon lays down. Soames as the corrupt inspector is a slimy and compelling foil to Dick's grim crusade in Bludhaven and the ending with Blockbuster left me wanting more. So, recommends and continued reading in the subsequent arcs, yes.
JLA: Ultramarine Corps. Written by Grant Morrison, Pencilled by the ever Amazing Ed McGuinness and Val Semeiks this arc had me meh-ing at the story and LOVING the artwork of Mr.McGuinness. Semeiks was ok, but didn't jump off the page for me at all. First part of the story was pretty good, with Cannibal Grodd dripping blood on nearly every panel and NEH-BUH-LOH The Huntsmen radiating some cosmic style power and of course, looking to subject our Universe to his Queen of Terror (carpets of skulls, blah blah blah) you wonder how Batman can get this done with the rest of the JLA in another verse fighting evil. This is an Image crossover, and as soon as it goes to Imageville it loses me. No more great art, the character interactions are ok, but not terribly compelling. Grifter gets some of the best lines, smartassing his way through the last portion of the arc. So, a decent library read but nothing I'd puchase for the private collection.
This is my Dell Inspiron 1525. It has an Intel Core 2 Duo T5750, 2.0GHz, 667Mhz, 2M L2 Cache. It is slated to become my big boy helper in school and go everywhere I go. I will get to unchain from my desk and STILL be productive. (I should mention I do a lot of my schooling online through a reputable community college) This is most excellent as I will actually get to have some sunlight on my face again, thus dispelling the rumor that I'm actually one of the pasty wan subjects of the Mole Man, a Moloid. And as this will also help me achieve my second goal, world domination I think that really, it's worth it. ;)~
Created by OnePlusYou - Online Dating Site
JSA Annual 1# (which I have yet to hold in my hot little hands) features a geriatric Joker, complete with oxygen mask and smiley faced ballons. Kirk Warren does moments of the week on his blog and this was one of them. I had to agree, if just to see an old Joker with a slight paunch on wheels. I don't know about you, but I always thought he'd live fast, die young and leave a creepy clown faced corpse. Buried of course in a Jack In The Box.
Look carefully at the bottom left corner, where I engaged in a little creative photoshoppery/DC sabotage....
So I follow Kirk Warren's link to pics from the San Diego Con and I'm immediately thinking about how I can wrangle my way there next year. Some of the costumes were noteworthy and I picked a few pics out to share, with commentary of course.
Skeletor has really let himself go since He-Man was cancelled back in the '80's. I sense two possible outcomes: a) an appearance on Robot Chicken or b)A new reality show that brings together the He-Man cast for fist fights, naked bbq'ing and xbox hooliganism. Skeletor's xbox nom de plume? Big_Boner. He IS a villain after all...(yes, I went there)
She gets sexy costume award and bonus points for cleavage artfully displayed. This was her Joker costume apparently and although I would normally haggle over the lack of similarities, I'm inclined to let her have this one on um...merit.
Venture Brothers villain 'The Monarch' makes an appearance. No doubt to recruit for his evil organization in a quest for world domination and a hot pastrami sandwich on rye.
I had to pick up this one because well....I'm such a big fan of Hello Kitty? *coughs* Emma Frost looks great, I wish her hand wasn't in the way of the pic though....
I'm going to give these girls points for picking two of my favorite fem vigilantes/crimefighters but I'm going to have to admonish Batgirl, seriously now as a role model you should lay off the ganja before a gig. 
Foo Fighters - The Pretender (Video Premiere)
So, I went with Juan, K, B and Quiz Boy Cranium™ to see the Foo Fighters at Key Arena last night and had some yummy Thai food at Racha Thai before we all strolled over to the Arena to see the show. SuperGrass (the second warm-up band) was pretty good (I'll have to check them out more throughly on Rhapsody soon). They had funky grooves and good energy coupled with pretty lights on their logo (O.B.=sucker for pretty pretty *grins*).
Then comes the main event, the Foo Fighters. They rocked for 2 hours and 40 minutes and shredded the entire time. Dave Grohl was funny, swore constantly, teased the crowd, told hilarious stories and banged his head like he was still a man of four and twenty. K and I were amazed he could headbang, run up and down the ramp leading to both stages, give a stellar performance on guitar and STILL sing without wheezing. They officially go on my list of top 10 live performances in the history of me. The whole band was amazing but take note, the drummer Taylor Hawkins was intensely and supremely talented and well worth watching.
Ok so I go to the Image website (for like, the first time ever. My geek cred falls slightly on the index) and check out Shark Man #1 as a free download and notice a comic titled, 'Sidekick'. I think, 'Eh, might be ok.' It's better than alright, especially for anyone who was a fan of the Tick (comic and/or animated series and/or the short lived and imho hilarious tv series). Written by Paul Sidekick (alter Ego, Paul Jenkins) and illustrated by Chris Moreno this first issue makes fun of superheroes, secret identities, the sidekick (the guy with the funniest lines in the issue and not incidentally the main character and narrator) Superior Boy (pizza boy by day, smart ass sidekick by night) and his hero/mentor(?) Mister Excellent. If the next issue is another like this first one, I'll be seriously considering putting it on my pull list.
Just when you thought Cap couldn't possibly be any more awesome...
Now, as everyone knows...Walter Simonson had his finest moment as a writer and artist on his run with Thor. When Walter Simonson jumped onboard with issue #337, he had his new creation
To me, this story arc encompasses epic storytelling and fantastic artwork and Walter gives 110% to the mythology that is Asgard.
Watch as Walter Draws Thor at a Convention....
(and check out his shirt, the guy has good taste! *grins*)
Have you read Emily The Strange? This title has an extremely cool website, an upcoming movie and scads of accessories. Rob Reger created Emily in 1993 and it’s taken off from there. I’m a recent convert to the title, but I have a feeling I’ll be back collecting as much as I can get my hands on. Besides, this is one of the better revenge lists I’ve seen (feel free to suggest any others, never let it be said I didn’t have an open mind!) Yes, Banana in the tailpipe has been done before...(Ah Beverly Hills Cop, thank you for the Eddie Murphy voice over every time I say, 'Don't be puttin' no banana in my tailpipe!') but the addition of the SUV gives it a timely update in a time of great terror for SUV manufacturer...banana in the tailpipe indeed...muha!
I have to give props to Superdickery.com...they have the most comprehensive listing of simian themed comic covers/panels that I've EVER seen. Well worth the stroll over to their blog if you share the monkeys make the world better philosophy. I know I do!
Edit: Evie, I found this link to the EW article about the Marvel project you mentioned (generously donated by Blag-h! de Wicked Juan). I can see the meeting minutes now, "C'mon, everybody LOVES monkey themes!" *cheering* "So let it be written, so let it be done." I'm unsure how this simian crossover will come across, one can hope it'll be hilarious...
I'd like to think I'm lawful good, but I'm prolly a more neutral to lawful mix. Saw the link on Blah-g! de Wicked Juan and had to mac it! *grins*
Kevin MacGuire does the Defenders. Not as dirty as it sounds, honestly.
Batman reflected in one gauntlet. Robin in the other. And Booster actually looking badass? Jurgens and Rapmund did FINE work on this pic. Anyone who says an inker doesn't contribute to the quality of the artwork produced hasn't actually looked at every aspect of the piece, nor do they likely appreciate collaborative works in general. Norm Rapmund makes this piece pop with his finishes. This (imho) enhances and enriches Dan Jurgens pencils (much as bad inks can totally sabotage them). It's really too bad Dixon has had his recent woes with DC, with all of their talents together it could've been a longer lasting association that gave the fans something to look forward to in the DCU.
Chuck Dixon writes a two-part "Booster Gold" arc beginning in August's issue #11. Check it out.
Now, as you've probably observed I have very little in my biography. Well, if you follow the link to the the Wikipedia entry for Barbara Gordon it's sure to provide fresh insights into a brief history and motivation for becoming a vigilante/librarian turned computer genuis.
http://www.giantmicrobes.com/us/orderform.phpFor the complete interview follow this link : http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=92159514&blogID=387641412
HE WASN'T ALWAYS A RAY OF SUNSHINE, FOLKS
Since his death a couple of years ago, Will Eisner, creator of many things, including THE SPIRIT, has been the subject of many a well-deserved, well-intentioned eulogy. None of these eulogies, however, paint a completely accurate portrait of my mentor, the man I loved. Allow me to throw in my own two cents.
Will was a suave man, no doubt, and when he chose to be, a disarmingly charming fellow. Most who met him discovered this quickly. The rest saw only a grandfatherly figure on stage, exuding a Burl Ives level of grace and goodwill that turned the crowd into butter as he handed out the comic-book awards that bear his name. There's no doubt he cultivated that image as successfully as he achieved everything else he set his mind to. And he was, to back that up, a very good, generous man.
He also happened to be one tough son of a bitch.
If he hadn't been one tough son of a bitch, the comic-book industry would've swallowed him whole. And we'd all be much the poorer for it. There'd be no SPIRIT movie, just as a for instance—at least not one so bold.
It was behind closed doors that Will Eisner revealed the side of himself that made THE SPIRIT possible. That tenacious, scrappy street kid, that brass-balled Bronx Jew—that's the kind of man who could not only face a blank sheet of Bristol board with a sable brush and revolutionize an art form, but also, and almost as astonishingly, defy comic-book culture and maintain total ownership of his work.
That the same man would, some three decades later, reappear with A CONTRACT WITH GOD is only further testimony to Will's ruthless, unforgiving vision.
I maintain that A CONTRACT WITH GOD will prove Will's most influential moment in comic-book history. Out of nowhere, the master reappeared on the scene, stabbing his sword in the sand, declaring with format, content, and its self-description as a "graphic novel" (a term I don't like, but more on our disagreements later), that comic books need not be ephemeral things with a shelf life measured in weeks, but, if worthy of it, capable of literary permanence. It changed the way artists, then publishers, viewed comics. Back then, in the dog years of the early seventies, Will charted a map for the future that may have saved comic books from self-induced extinction.
A CONTRACT WITH GOD was not the work of a humble man. To say the least. Nor were any of his works to follow.
Nor was THE SPIRIT.
It sure as hell wasn't a humble man I first met, back in the late seventies. That was at a party held at the legendary Continuity Studios of the equally legendary comics artist Neal Adams. He introduced me to my idol with a typically gruff "this kid might make it, after all". (This, after Neal had spent several years telling me how much my work stunk, how I should give up—and teaching me, step by generous step, this very difficult craft. But there's no need to eulogize Neal, here. He's relatively young, still very much alive, and still knocking everybody's socks off with his own comics and enterprises. Leave us say mentors tend to be gruff.)
At his first glance at my comics, Will offered up gentle enough bromides and set about dazzling the room. I figured that was it, my first encounter with my idol was going to be a wash.
Then along came Jim Shooter to jump-start the whole conversation.
Jim Shooter was, back then, Marvel Comics' Editor In Chief, and had fomented an arresting change in the whole Marvel line. Jim's chief issue was visual storytelling itself: a primary passion of any comics (or movie) artist. I was one of his favorites.
Jim just wouldn't let up on Eisner, showing him page after page of my latest issue of Marvel's DAREDEVIL, proud as punch, until Eisner finally broke down and read the first page. Then he glared, first at the page, then at me.
"That caption down there is utterly redundant," I recall him growling, "You've already shown everybody where the hero is. Why beat them over the head with it?"
I offered some vague defense about the necessity of underscoring the blind hero's conclusion, but Will Eisner would have none of it. He excoriated me, and did it with a voice that, at will, could use a single word as a stiletto blade or a blunt lead pipe. Suddenly it was a street fight, one for whom this twenty-something was ill prepared.
His eyes showed a glint of interest. I pursued him, in the weeks and months to come, with a mix of vigor and existential fear. We talked a fair amount, in coffee shops and at his studio, as I produced each new comic and laid the poor baby bare to the scrutiny of a master. He was not kind to any of them.
Will Eisner was not a nice man, not when it came to comic book storytelling. He forgave no laziness, to traditional "outs", to easy solutions. His love of the art form was absolute, greater than politeness could allow. When it was a page of comic art in front of him, he had no charm—and showed not a stitch of mercy.
Will and I would argue about the function of gutters (those white spaces between panels) until both of us were reduced to exhaustion and not-occasional vulgarity.
He was tough. He was rude. When it came to telling a good comic-book story, his "Burl Ives" persona went south and one nasty taskmaster took over. I lived with that, and learned from that, and took my bruised artistic ego back to my drawing board where it belonged.
Then, while I was finishing my first original comic-book series, RONIN, he gave me the acid test—tour, or, more precisely, one mean twist of that stiletto of his: Will invited me to guest-teach his comic-book class at The Art Students League in New York. He was, of course, in attendance himself. How else to make his point? His sharp, sharp, serrated point…
At that class, which was filled with fans of mine, he interrupted a round of cheering for me to first praise a particularly bold two-page, mostly-black image I'd used. "This is the atom bomb," he said. He then went on to show how genre-driven—indeed, how borrowed from current popular culture—my dear RONIN was, to his eyes.
(I still disagree with him about that. Here his Humanism collided with my Romanticism, to unpleasant effect. What I saw as rumination on heroic fantasy-making, he saw as beside the point. I had similar complaints about his later works, most markedly INVISIBLE PEOPLE. But then, Will and I wore no gloves when we boxed.)
After that class, once he'd torn my RONIN a new asshole, Will and I sat down. He advised me to move to France, get my heart broken, and inform my work with real human experience. I didn't mention to him that I'd been married for several years. That didn't make him wrong.
Years later, after much life experience, I produced my SIN CITY series, and I honestly believe I gained his grudging respect. But we still had so very much to debate…
…the debate lasted many years ("Graphic novel? Sequential Art? What IS this pompous shit, Will?"), until a few weeks before we lost Will Eisner. He won most of the arguments: I'm proud to say, he won not each and every of them, but most.
What I must add here is that in his unguarded moments, when the crowd wasn't watching, I got to know a very angry man. Angry, because past publishers had screwed him financially, and most angry that the practitioners of his beloved art form seemed so lacking in creative ambition. But, like every soul I've ever cherished, Will Eisner would never express self-pity, nor countenance its presence. This remains my marker for a true mensch.
And a better word for Will Eisner than mensch, I will never find.
I miss our fights. God rest you, my dear friend.
More on the movie next time.
FM
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