Digsy Has A Blog!

Halloween 2009 - Time To Choose

2009-07-17T22:58:00.015-05:00

I've pretty much decided to be one of the following. Since both costumes are almost identical (which I didn't realize until today), it really comes down to the accessories. Which is better, public?

BANSHEE

Pros: Banshee is an X-Man and I made a vow to always be X-Men for Halloween. I would love the chance to have red hair and sideburns on Halloween AND talk in an Irish accent. Plus that cape looks like a lot of fun.

Cons: It's overall not as exciting and hilarious as my other choice. Plus yellow boots are a pain and I'd probably have to do the converse and yellow knee socks again this year. And the less amount of time I have to wear yellow rubber gloves, the better.

Or...

IRON FIST

Pros: I'd get to wear actual shoes I could actually find somewhere. I wouldn't have to wear rubber gloves. I'd get to have a bare chest and capri pants, which is just hilarious to me. This is more iconic.

Cons: It's not an X-Man and it's actually a character I know less about. I love the recent Immortal Iron Fist series, but I have a bit of poseur guilt since I haven't read anything starring Iron Fist pre-2007. I could change my vow to always be a Marvel Character, which isn't that big a stretch. Also I could foresee that mask getting annoying...but if I wanted to go super authentic I could dye my hair blonde for the night.

I think Iron Fist is more fun just because he's probably one of the only heroes who DON'T have implausible gloves or boots. But Banshee is actually an X-Man and one I like. VOTE ON THIS.

Where I've Been

2009-07-10T17:17:00.003-05:00

Yeah...don't know what I'm doing writing wise anymore. Here at least. I feel guilty about not updating this, especially since my main reason for having a blog is to keep track of my own life. I usually fear that I will forget everything. Yep! This has been a pretty stellar week, oddly enough. I started my new job as a page at The Late Show, and all the fears I had were pretty immediately silenced once I got there. It's fun, a fun job. And I'm back at Late Show in some capacity. And I got to see Rainn Wilson on my birthday, so that was awesome.

Tuesday I got to go to Six Flags with some great friends. I liked this. The day got 5.5 flags, the rain that came in knocking off the half a flag. We met costumed critters!
We also spent the weekend before at Matt Mayer's pool house, or Fort Mayer as I called it. I was reminded all weekend long how much fun my friends are, and how much I love spending an unstoppable amount of time with them. I didn't shower all weekend and slept on a hardwood floor one night, and it was still so awesome due to company. Here are eight of the minutes from the epic Fourth of July weekend.

I also got asked to submit to be a Maude writer (a.k.a a sketch writer) for UCB by the artistic director on Thursday morning. That was unexpected and completely mind-blowing, a big ol' pat on my back that I didn't really need (I had such a great time in 201 and I was already feeling good about myself) but it undoubtably heightened my outlook and mood and perception from feeling really good to feeling really great. Even if I don't get it, it's so flattering to have been suggested and gotten the opportunity. A world of wow.

So many good things are happening to me and my friends right now. Is 2009 turning around? Did I jinx it by writing this?

Comics: Uncanny X-Men #242

2009-06-16T17:45:00.002-05:00

UNCANNY X-MEN #242
March 1989
"Burn!"
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Marc Silvestri
Inker: Dan Green
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

Wow, if ever there was a doubt about Marc Silvestri's artistic talent, that opening page shatters all of them. The closeup image of Wolverine kissing Jean Grey passionately has become quite iconic, and it makes for a doozy of an opening page. And then...there's the rest of this issue. This giant-size issue. Way too many pages are spent with the X-Men fighting X-Factor for...really no reason. Sure the X-Men are sorta under demonic control, but that doesn't seem to bother Storm whenever she's reunited with Jean Grey. And then everything is back to normal and both teams join up to defeat N'astirh. It's kinda ludicrous and I really could have done without all of it. Yeah the fanboys want to see the two teams fight, but when there isn't really any motivation besides petty name-calling and there's no resolution besides saying "hey, let's not fight," it's just silly. There are some cool moments during the fight to defeat N'astirh, like Iceman creating a slide to hurl a falling Colossus directly at N'astirh. The art is pretty great throughout, I just with this was a normal-sized issue with a lot less ridiculous in-fighting.

MY SCORE: 8.2/10

Comics: New Mutants #73

2009-06-16T10:18:00.003-05:00

NEW MUTANTS #73
March 1989
"The Gift"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciler: Bret Blevins
Inker: Al Williamson & Mike Manley
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

This issue pays off Magik pretty well, as her character falls fully prey to her dark side and then goes back to the light in a final sacrifice for the greater good of the world. It's a fine story that's only hindered by being all mystical and seemingly nonsensical (I'm really getting bored with all this stuff). I love these characters, so that gets me through it. The art is highly kinetic, emotive and fun. They really did a good job of saying farewell to Magik. Her storyarc with the Mutants feels complete after this and it's a shame that she had to be resurrected last year. This issue sets up the new status quo of Magik being reverted to her six year old (right?) self, which she will maintain until her death in 1993. That will then be undone in 2008. Oh well.

MY SCORE: 8.1/10

Comics: X-Factor #37

2009-06-16T10:00:00.002-05:00

X-FACTOR #37
February 1989
"A Matter Of Honor"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciler: Walter Simonson
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Petra Scotese
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

The length of "Inferno" seems to have taken its toll on Walt Simonson, who starts to turn in some lazier-than-normal pencils with this issue. Proportions are off, faces are weird, it's not that bad but also not as great as he usually is. Plus the entire issue is X-Factor and Madelyne Pryor playing hot potato with baby Christopher. It gets old and definitely didn't need a whole issue devoted to it. Once again, so much mystical mumbo jumbo is tossed around it's all kind hard to follow. The last page has a decent cliffhanger, with Wolverine's hand plopping down on Marvel Girl's shoulder. Who wouldn't want to read Uncanny X-Men #242 with the promise of a reunion?

MY SCORE: 7.9/10

Comics: X-Factor #36

2009-06-16T09:43:00.002-05:00

X-FACTOR #36
January 1989
"Transformations!"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciler: Walter Simonson
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Petra Scotese
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

This is a fine issue. Beast and Iceman battle a demonized subway train while Marvel Girl and Cyclops re-enter Manhattan by mini-jet and fight their way through tons of airborne goblins. Beast and Trish Tilby face each other after Beast's re-furry-ization and deal with that (she's okay with it eventually) and the original five X-Men are once again reunited on the last panel when Archangel (or Angel...or Death...can't remember what he's going by at this point) swoops in. Trish Tilby is a well-rounded character with as many strengths and weaknesses as the main cast and there's a real sense of importance in that last panel when the core X-Factor unit is reunited after almost a year's worth of issues spent apart.

MY SCORE: 8/10

Comics: Uncanny X-Men #241

2009-06-15T16:15:00.002-05:00

UNCANNY X-MEN #241
February 1989
"Fan The Flames"
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Marc Silvestri
Inker: Dan Green
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

Yeah, I'm about eight issues behind with these reviews. I'm going to try and speed through them and since they're all part of "Inferno," you can apply the following to pretty much every issue:

1. Including all the build-up, this story has gone on way too long.
2. I think Limbo and all the magic stuff is generally annoying and uninteresting.
3. It's cool seeing a lot of big and iconic plot points happening.

Okay, with all that out of the way I can say that this is another above-average issue of Uncanny. Even though the issue is essentially not much more than an extended fight scene between the X-Men and Marauders, the "not much more" involves Mr. Sinister telling Madelyne Pryor her origin. For that alone the issue is exciting, since as someone who came along way after Pryor's death it's interesting to see the beginning of her end. My biggest problem with this issue is the "demon" Colossus fights on page 19. It's...not a demon. It's one of the Right's armored goons from the pages of X-Factor that, well, looks nothing like a demon. It looks like a robotic egg with a smiley face and Colossus says that he's seen "his kind" before in Limbo. No, I don't think he has. Unless I'm missing something, there was some sorta miscommunication between editorial, Claremont and/or Silvestri.

So, a fine issue with a really weird error.

MY SCORE: 8.6/10

I wanna jinx it!

2009-06-09T17:08:00.004-05:00

I am now starting to have a lot of fun in comedy. JINX. I'll probably hit slump town again. But I've had a nice streak of enjoyable shows, mostly due to the fact that I am trying to take ownership of my playing style (pretentious sounding, yep). I have been trying to play in a style completely opposite of how I naturally want to play for the past year, in an attempt to strengthen that side of my playing and get more real. But...it's been confusing and not a lot of fun. I think the goal now is to attack improv from the other direction. I am big characters, I am decisions, sometimes non-sequiters...but still, I'm not boring and I'm rarely the guy who figures it all out. I think I need to figure out how to play fearlessly and loudly with a dash of realism and sense, instead of the other way around. It's working so far so...keep it rolling. And my Spank is coming along. It's all written out now and going into second drafts. I'll be in the process of casting it and figuring the rest out soon. Now I need to get to work on a job.

RIGHT?! RIGHT.

I've also been helping out Will Hines with some UCB Comedy shoots, which has been awesome. I like making videos, and it's been a pleasure to help with them. Hope I can continue with this and all my other ambitious video-making friends. Here's one I helped with last week. I held the boom mic!

Comics: Uncanny X-Men #240

2009-06-09T15:44:00.003-05:00

UNCANNY X-MEN #240
January 1989
"Strike The Match"
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Marc Silvestri
Inker: Dan Green
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

The X-Men all begin their descent into madness in this issue. It starts with Madelyne Pryor and Havok on a date at the Rainbow Room in NYC, which turns bloody when the demonized building starts eating people just barely off-panel. Gateway teleports the couple back home and Madelyne then goes out, alone, in full Goblin Queen gear to visit and pout at Jean Grey's grave. Jean's parents happen across the grave and Madelyne turns them into demon henchmen out of anger. Back at the X-Men's Australian headquarters, Dazzler gets extremely mad when Rogue flirts with Longshot. And then Longshot gets upset when he realizes Dazzler considers him hers and, after being a slave for Mojo, doesn't like the idea of being possessed. Cut to the Nebraska orphanage that Cyclops and Jean visited a couple issues ago in X-Factor and Madelyne starts uncovering some secrets about her history. The X-Men then track the Marauders to the Morlock Alley and start getting some revenge. The issue ends with the reveal that Mr. Sinister believes Madelyne should call him...father!

Overall this is a good issue. Several plotlines lurch closer towards their climax, and the issue also includes a lot of slam-bang action. At first I was wondering why the X-Men were all of a sudden so blood thirsty for the Marauders. Sure the Marauders kicked the crap out of them before, but the X-Men have never really been about revenge. It's hinted at later that all of this is dark energy influencing the team. I like that Alex is insecure about his new relationship with Madelyne and I like that Colossus still feels remorse for killing Riptide (who is alive again, shockinlgy) back during the "Mutant Massacre." The end reveal is bold and it feels like all the loose threads that have been dangling for the last few years are coming together...even if this isn't what Claremont envisioned.

The art is fun. Silvestri turns in solid action work, even if his faces tend to be fairly flat when he shows them from a low angle...which he does a lot. But anyway, it's still fresh and crisp. Solid inking from the vet Dan Green helps, definitely. I don't really get why Madelyne Pryor's dress changes from panel to panel during her date with Havok. I'm assuming it's to show her dark mastery over matter, or evil sorcerous ways, and maybe to highlight the surrealness and creepiness of the date and her control over Havok's perception...but none of that is mentioned. It's subtle, so I will take it as intentional.

Good issue, and a lot better than the New Mutants and X-Terminators issues of this crossover since it doesn't focus on the demons as much as it does on the characters.

MY SCORE: 8.7/10

Comics: New Mutants #72

2009-06-09T15:29:00.004-05:00

NEW MUTANTS #72
February 1989
"Demon Reign"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciler: Bret Blevins
Inker: Al Williamson
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

The New Mutants side of X-Terminators #4 is shown here, with us following Magik as she flees through the demonized Manhattan and the rest of the Mutants help dissolve the portal to Limbo above the city. I'm almost always a fan of comics that show other sides of the same story (like the improv form Tracers...and no one reading this review gets that reference...) so I got some enjoyment out of that. But on the whole, I feel that this issue is really just average. The characters are all acting like themselves, the plot is fine, and I get a geek thrill out of seeing the seeds of X-Force planted here with Boom Boom and Rictor going on their first mission with Cannonball and Sunspot. Nerd grin! Also Blevins' art wins me over as always. It's so youthful and kinetic, I really enjoy it. Where'd he go after New Mutants was up?

I don't really like most of the bits with Magik, like her getting a demonic makeover, and I also just generally don't care for magic based stories. So, "Inferno" is going to be rad, I can tell. I just think that magic based stories have no real rules that the reader knows. Like as a reader I can put a terrorist story or a bank robbery or anything that actually happens in real life in context. Magic based stories feel like you're playing a game with someone who keeps making up rules. Of course this defeats that, sure why not. There's no realism to back it up and it all just feels kinda fake. That's what most any battle between Magik and N'Astirh feels like. Also I have to wonder what modern coloring would do to this book. Reading these old comics I'm realizing how spoiled I am. Nowadays N'astirh would probably have texturized skin and scales, with gradients of disturbing brown. In 1989 he's just one big color block of brown. I'd love to see this stuff touched up now.

So another okay issue. Characters I'm biased towards liking and snappy art barely outweigh the fact that I'm getting tired of all this demonic mumbo-jumbo.

MY SCORE: 7.9/10

Comics: X-Terminators #4

2009-06-03T16:17:00.002-05:00

X-TERMINATORS #4
January 1989
"Finale!"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciler: Jon Bogdanove
Inker: Al Milgrom
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Petra Scotese
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

Preposterous magickal computer aside, this climax is executed pretty well. The book's light-hearted side brings us some slapstick of Artie and Leech trying to, literally, unplug the magickal computer and also has Taki creating a huge gestalt of six flying planes for the X-Terminators to use in their assault on the demons and their mission to rescue to captured infants. It's all a lot of fun and, when put in context with the rest of the series, justified. The stakes are actually so high that I really felt that some characters were in jeopardy even though I knew no one was going to die. Skids' selfless declaration that she was going to save the infants was well-played and had the gravitas of a last act, as did Taki's last minute near self-sacrifice to stop N'astirh. And considering what Taki would go on to do (you know, nothing) he probably should have died in this issue.

This is also the first time that the New Mutants and X-Terminators meet, thus chaning all of their lives forever. With this team-up, the seeds of X-Force have been planted as all the characters invovled (except Warlock, Wolfsbane and, ugh, Gosamyr) would go on to be involved in the book as either members of the MLF or X-Force. It's a big moment, in a good way for us X-Force fans. Fans of the older New Mutants status quo probably felt that the intrusion of those other X-Teens was a jump the shark moment. But really, why are there two teams of teen X-Men running around? Maybe it's because I grew up considering Rusty, Skids, Boom Boom and Rictor all New Mutants, but I had to keep telling myself through this issue that the X-Terminators weren't New Mutants. The cover of this issue just looks like a New Mutants team photo.

I also have to note that Rictor still doesn't have much of a personality, but his new punk look is a step in the right direction. It seems that in most issues of X-Factor he was merely the other guy, with no personality. I don't know whose decision it was to have Ric dress himself in a leather vest and studded gloves, but that bad boy image would soon become his main character trait. I'm excited to watch his character grow into what I know him as, and I am curious as to which writer first started writing him that way.

Good issue, and a nice end to a fun mini-series.

MY SCORE: 8.1/10

Comics: New Mutants #71

2009-06-01T18:50:00.003-05:00

NEW MUTANTS #71
January 1989
"Limbo"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciler: Bret Blevins
Inker: Al Williamson
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

The fantastical side of the X-Men universe has never really grabbed me, so spending all this time reading about Limbo and demons and spells is getting kinda tedious. Luckily all the great characters make it tolerable and somewhat entertaining. In this issue, the New Mutants try teleporting back to Earth by way of Limbo, but get stuck there due to the spell N'astirh's casting over in X-Terminators.

This issue mostly goes over stuff that was covered in Uncanny X-Men a hundred issues prior, but it's necessary since apparently Magik's teammates didn't even know her origin. These parts are well done, with Magik going just crazy enough and the rest of her teammates acting justifiably horrified.

And while I don't really care for all the demon stuff, it is still terrifying to see the transformed objects of Manhattan wreak havoc on tourists. The binoculars stealing a man's eyeballs for its own personal use and the elevator filled with blood and bones are illustrated with a manic glee by Blevins. Good work.

The stakes are set up well by Simonson, who ends the issue with a gateway to Limbo being left open over Times Square, raining demons all on it. This is essentially Magik's last story and it feels like it. There's a sense of dread and urgency, and the character feels like she's coming to a climax. It's well done. So, of course, she was resurrected earlier this year. Thanks, Marvel. Whooooah brother.

MY SCORE: 8/10

Comics: X-Terminators #3

2009-05-30T15:19:00.004-05:00

X-TERMINATORS #3
December 1988
"Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciler: Jon Bogdanove
Inker: Al Milgrom
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: John Wellington
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

The all-ages fun of a bunch of demons kidnapping babies and trying to eat them keeps on rolling with the latest issue of X-Terminators. I think this is the problem with mini-series; they are usually designed to tell a single story with a singular vision and tone, so for the most part the problems you have with one issue are there for all four. This one has the fine art that see-saws between overly cartoony and a classic workman style like the other two issues. It also has the same creepy mix of cartoony action and demons. The slapstick battles between the big kids and all the animated inanimate objects of New York City are fun, until you realize that it's hell energy animating them. Then it's creepy.

I do have a problem with N'astirh seriously thinking that a computer can help his spells because they have spell checkers on them. Now...I know that computers were as common as Bigfoot back then (man, 1988 you guys, Stone Age!) but doesn't N'astirh at least know that spell has two different meanings? Really? But looking past that, Taki's interactions with him are great and really show him having a cunning mix of snotty whininess and tactical thinking. I like Taki. Why did he disappear?

So yeah, it's an okay issue. It seems like it's an essential part of "Inferno" so far, but then again I might get into the actual story later and realize that all this could be covered by narration captions. For now it's fun. And way better than Fallen Angels.

MY SCORE: 7.9/10

WOOOOORK

2009-05-27T15:31:00.003-05:00

I've fallen out of the habit of writing here everyday again, but is that such a big deal since all I was writing before were reviews of late '80s X-Men comics (those are coming back, by the way, I just have to read some first). Memorial Day weekend was long and fun, with pool parties and picnics and board games. I took the night off last night, which was both good and bad. I needed some me time but every time I take it I just feel awful. So I need to figure that one out. I guess seeing people everyday is a good thing, even if I don't think I feel up to it. I spend too much time getting all the figures on my desk to stand up. Psylocke and Gambit have been having some leaning problems lately. Hey guys, I'm not going to start a new paragraph! I watched all 9+ hours of the Beatles Anthology over the last day and a half. Wow, a lot of Beatles. I wish I had access to similar docs about the Rolling Stones and the Kinks. I'm writing sketches, I think I'll try writing one a day for a week. See if that works. I just need to get a body of work put together that I can really show to people and polish. I want a body of work.

Cash 4 Skulls

2009-05-20T14:28:00.001-05:00

I can't believe I never posted this here. Here's Cash 4 Skulls, a commercial parody I shot with Laurel for my sketch 201 class show. Enjoy and share!

Comics: X-Terminators #2

2009-05-19T13:57:00.005-05:00

X-TERMINATORS #2
November 1988
"Speed Demon!"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciler: Jon Bogdanove
Inker: Al Milgrom
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: John Wellington
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

This issue continues the weird mix of light-hearted slapstick and dark demonic hijinks that started last issue. Really most of this issue is like reading an adaptation of a fun Saturday morning cartoon (the kids use their powers to get money out of a Pepsi machine, they try on clothes, ride around in a flying car, etc). That's totally fine. I'm always a fan of comics addressing both where money AND costumes come from, as they seem to just be on hand when needed at all times. I like that this issue is dedicated to the team getting costumes, although I have no idea what store would sell the spandex top Rusty is wearing.

The light-hearted events are interrupted by a pretty harrowing subplot involving N'astirh's demons stealing babies. One kidnapping is preceded by a two-page build up that realistically introduces us to a young couple trying to cope with an economic downturn and a move to the suburbs. The two pages are really involved, with tons of dialogue that makes you sympathetic to the couple...only to have demons bite the crap out of the father's neck, spewing blood everywhere, before they fly off with the couple's baby. It's crazy dark and effective in selling the serious stakes of this mini even if it does come in between pages from Saved By The Bell: The Mutant Years.

So another okay issue with decent art and a quirky mix of the serious and the silly.

MY SCORE: 8/10

Comics: X-Terminators #1

2009-05-18T16:06:00.003-05:00

X-TERMINATORS #1
October 1988
"Invasion Of The Baby-Snatchers"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciler: Jon Bogdanove
Inkers: Al Williamson & Al Milgrom
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: John Wellington
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

The wards of X-Factor star in their own limited series and play a part in launching "Inferno." This doesn't seem that gratuitous, although it surely must have at the time. Just five years earlier only Uncanny X-Men existed. Then in 1988, X-Fans all of a sudden have New Mutants, X-Factor, Wolverine and Excalibur to get every month. And now there's this, another mini-series. X-Fans of 1988, get ready. It only gets worse.

After reading X-Factor I have to say that the kids steal the show in most cases. Simonson clearly has fun writing them and they're a relief from some of the more melodramatic elements of the title. So here they are, in their own limited series. This issue, which follows Artie and Leech to a special school for younger kids and the four teens to a boarding school, is both fun and juvenile. It's very much an all-ages book with lots of slapstick and sometimes "Archie" like art from Jon Bogdanove. It is odd to have a book have both goofy action sequences and baby-snatching demons, and X-Terminators barely pulls it off. It never swings too heavily in either direction and plays down the middle as both an all-ages romp and an installment in a very sinister linewide crossover.

Taki's power is somewhat over the top and he reacts pretty calmly to finding out he's a mutant. Plus I'm shocked that that random school employee knows so much about demon lore to identify that Artie and Leech have been captured due to the effigies left behind. Maybe that was common knowledge in the '80s?

I love Boom Boom and Rictor and have a soft spot for Artie and Leech, so that adds a lot to my enjoyment of this issue. It's fine. And as long as it doesn't get as out of hand crazy as Fallen Angels, this will be a fun mini.

MY SCORE: 8/10

Comics: Uncanny X-Men #239

2009-05-16T11:52:00.003-05:00

UNCANNY X-MEN #239
December 1988
"Vanities"
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Marc Silvestri
Inker: Dan Green
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

And so it begins. After reading months of buildup in various titles, "Inferno" starts up here. This is a relatively quiet issue, with a decent amount of time spent on all the main team members and setting up the inner struggles that are plaguing them during this stretch of issues. The pacing works at building up tension since the issue starts with a very dark scene between Mr. Sinister and Malice. Just knowing that Sinister is out there scheming affects all the scenes with the X-Men that follow. The readers know a horrible challenge is coming and seeing all of our heroes in such emotional turmoil doesn't lead us to believe this is going to be a pleasant action romp. This is going to be tough.

The first couple pages of the issue follow a family visiting the Empire State Building in the slowly demonized New York City. An elevator eats the entire family, and a clueless janitor accidentally mops up all their blood. Wow, 1988, epic bloody win right there. Shock of shocks.

Havok is a very complex character and I like that Claremont has dusted off his old paranoia about his power using instances that recently occurred, like him trying to kill his possessed ex-girlfriend and a couple Brood aliens. I'm glad that his reckless actions are taking a toll on him.

Other than that, Storm gets freaked out because she finds out that Wolverine has been keeping the news of Jean Grey's resurrection secret and a sparring match between Psylocke and Rogue and Colossus gets a little too serious. Yep, our team isn't in the best of shape, putting them square into the underdog category. The issue ends with Madelyne's downright creepy seduction of Havok, which is expertly laid out by artist Marc Silvestri who manages to capture a dark atmosphere in the middle of a bright and scorching Australian summer. We then find out that Madelyne has gone nutso and is working with the demon N'astirh to kidnap a buncha babies.

Claremont's strong characterizations are again running amok all over this issue, and his wordiness is only a small problem (like during Havok's dream sequence, the art explained it all perfectly and was only hurt by all those flowery words). Silvestri's art is solid and despite my dislike of aspects of his sketchy style, it tells the story beautifully. Although seeing art like this in 1988 and knowing it's leading to the insane art of the early '90s...it's hard to appreciate something knowing it's going to inspire tons of crap imitators. It's like trying to listen to Nirvana and not hearing a bit of Puddle of Mudd in there.

MY SCORE: 8.6/10

The Features @ Piano's

2009-05-15T16:22:00.005-05:00

I haven't seen the Features in almost two years, which when considering that I saw them roughly fifty times from 2001-2006, that's a big drought. A big drought. I still find it hard to rationalize that I now live a life almost completely void of this band, aside from listening to them on my iPod. They were my life in Tennessee, through message boards, friends, hanging out, flyering, going to shows, making mix CDs, it was just what me and my friends did. It was nice to have even more Tennessee friends up here than the last time they played in New York in 2007. It felt right being able to freak out and have a good time with some of the same people I freaked out with back in the Boro.

The show was great. It's nice to see that the band still brings it with every performance and that their onstage personas haven't dulled at all. They're all still highly energetic and captivating performers with tunes to back them up. I'm of course bummed that I can only hear album tracks now, as the spontaneity of the Features shows of yore was a large part of the appeal. Being able to yell out "Damage Is Done" and have them decide to play it after a year of not, or having the power go out to inspire an acoustic version of the seldom played "Bumblebee." But this show was definitely a solid show with a consistent set of songs, all of which had me freaking out. I really lost it to "Me & The Skirts," of all songs. I get nostalgic for that jam every time, maybe because I remember the first time I heard it and the bit we still do to this day when discussing it (thick country accent: "You see that all them sang on that song right there!"). I don't know, memories flooding back.

The Features play Brooklyn on Sunday night, at Union Hall. You should go.

Here are some pictures that Davis took. You can also fall in love, either again or for the first time, with this band daily at The Damage Is Done.

Comics: Excalibur #5

2009-05-15T12:27:00.003-05:00

EXCALIBUR #5
February 1989
"Send In The Clowns"
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Alan Davis
Inker: Paul Neary
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

So pretty much all my complaints about last issue are in this one, since it's a continuation and conclusion of the story. Courtney Ross is still a solid character. I think I understand who Meggan was, personality wise. She was just a standard X-Woman when I read Excalibur in the mid-to-late '90s with no personality, but here I think I understand what made Claremont like her. She's very dependent, which is shown through her powers, and doesn't know her own strengths. It's good. The epilogue with Nightcrawler and Captain Britain's discussion about Meggan is tops, where they actually analyze a relationship that has real faults and isn't perfect. This stuff isn't addressed in comics...ever really. People date, then they sorta break up, get back together, etc. Or all their problems are power based or super hero based. Captain Britain and Meggan's relationship has a very real problem (Meggan needs Cap and he fears she doesn't exist outside of him). Nice. Also the ending, with Coutrney getting zapped by her other dimensional twin, is a great twist and pretty dark. Just what the issue needed after a dozen pages of silly running around with Alice in Wonderland characters.

And yeah, that's the problem with this issue. All mind-swapping and brainwashing malarky. I don't even get how Shadowcat frees Phoenix from mind control. She merges with her mind by actually phasing into her? Um? Does that work?

Also, this issue has talking custard pies.

A mixed bag. Claremont should stick to the drama, since that's what he does best.

MY SCORE: 7.8/10

Something Else...

2009-05-14T16:12:00.002-05:00

Okay, I know almost no one is interested in comic book reviews from the last '80s except me, right? But in the interest of giving myself some stability I'm going to keep on doing them. I need stability!

I'm also doing daily junk at my two other sites. Yesterday's Special is my usually daily nostalgia blog, focusing on all the crazy stuff that entertained me as a kid in those precious pre-X-Men years (also known as the first eight years of my life). If you haven't seen the opening credits for "TaleSpin" or the first third of one of the greatest episodes of "Muppet Babies" ever, then that site's for you.

I also just began The Damage Is Done, which is where I'll be posting one song by The Features a day with a brief recap/history/opinion on the song. I love this band and I want to provide a place online for people to go to get a good grasp of what they're all about (to paraphrase their song "Buffalo Head").

And there's Tales To Diminish, my webcomic that's a bit on hold right now as I gear up for a revamp. Go there and enjoy the ten strips I've done!

And that's it for now. I'll try to post other things besides comic reviews here...anyone interested in daily updates on what "food" I'm eating? No? Sometimes it's NOT frozen pizzas, you guys. Isn't that interesting?

Comics: Excalibur #4

2009-05-14T14:09:00.003-05:00

EXCALIBUR #4
January 1989
"Still Crazy After All These Years"
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Alan Davis
Inker: Paul Neary
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

I can't think of any other issue in recent memory that contains both everything great about Claremont and everything frustrating about him. I'll start with the great.

The main cast is great. Claremont expertly builds friendships between cast members that were previously strangers, like with Meggan and Nightcrawler. Their flirtation is so palpable and believable yet subtly done. Nightcrawler has received a new lease on life with this title. Alan Davis was born to draw him, it seems, and Claremont is really rejuvenating everything that made the character such a winner. With Wolverine and Storm taking center stage in Uncanny, Nightcrawler was getting overshadowed. Here he's front and center and deserving of the attention.

The friendship Phoenix and Shadowcat began forging in their previous title has carried on across the pond and to Excalibur. I love that Claremont so bluntly states what each character's viewpoint is on each other's fashion choices and has them play off each other. It's kinda simplistic, but it's so rare that readers get these personal glimpses into superheroes' lives. We never hear what music or movies or books characters like, and most every hero has absolutely zero fashion sense outside of their spandex. They usually just wear a t-shirt and converse.

Lastly, Courtney Ross grows as a supporting character in ways few other writers could accomplish. Claremont was never content at just letting his core team members get personal growth. He was always striving, either with Moira MacTaggert, Amanda Sefton or Stevie Hunter, to have the supporting and powerless players be as strong and fleshed out as the top billed names. Courtney Ross is fierce, independent and totally charming. I like her. She's much more than Captain Britain's ex-girlfriend.

And now on to the stuff that Claremont fails at. The Crazy Gang. I know this is supposedly a comedy book (the cover is comedically meta), but a team of villains who dress up (or are?) characters from "Alice in Wonderland"? Seems like another idea that only Claremont is interested in. Was anyone really that psyched to see a Tweedledum analogue named Tweedle Dope? No? Believe it or not, these characters were actually created by Alan Moore...pre-Watchmen. Tying them to Arcade makes some sense, and Arcade does have a known vendetta against Captain Britain so that's all sound, I just don't want to read about the Crazy Gang.

This issue ALSO features body swapping and mind control. I'm actually tired of complaining about how much Claremont uses these two story devices, so I'm just going to say that he uses them too much, wag my finger, and move on.

So this was a mixed effort, which was definitely bumped up due to Alan Davis' impeccable art. Was this guy ever bad? It seems that he started out as strong as he is now. That's amazing.

MY SCORE: 8.5/10

Comics: X-Factor #35

2009-05-13T13:08:00.002-05:00

X-FACTOR #35
December 1988
"Go To The Orphan Maker!"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciler: Terry Shoemaker
Inker: Joe Rubinstein
Colorist: Petra Scotese
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

Cyclops and Jean Grey, Nanny and her forces and N'Astirh's demons all convene at the orphanage of Cyclops' youth with the same goal: steal some babies. This storyline has been building up for months and Louise Simonson has woven the various ongoing stories in X-Factor in with the wider scope of "Inferno" quite well. Cyclops' lost son Christopher is the main target for N'Astirh's demons, who were working alongside X-Fator foes Right until last issue, when they splintered off after finding out where a ton of mutant babies were. It's all well done.

This issue is really exposition heavy and melodramatic, two things which tend to plague Simonson's work on this title. Both Cyclops and Jean talk in powerful and bold statements that are clearly executed, which doesn't fit well with how comics are written now...or how people talk. Plus knowing more about Cyclops' past now, all these flashbacks to his orphanage make me wonder how well they fit in. Is the bully that's picking on him supposed to be Mr. Sinister? Cyclops mentions how cloudy his memories of the place are, which is a big red flag too that something is wrong. I also don't know how orphanages work, but his brother Alex is just shipped away as soon as possible while Cyclops is in a coma. That's rough, right? Do orphanages do that, just split up siblings after they lose their parents? That's cold!

Nanny as a villian has never excited me or worked, so I'm glad that her prevalence in the late '80s gave way to near-non-existance in the '90s and now. This issue introduces some more of Nanny's hench men, none of whom get clear code names or powers. Two of them turn out to be Jean's neice and nephew, which is kinda random (was her sister killed by Nanny? Can't remember that far back right now). Still, the scene where Cyclops finally sees his son again is touching and Simonson sets up the stakes for "Inferno" pretty well.

Terry Shoemaker turns up as fill-in artist again after doing (or maybe before doing) this month's issue of New Mutants. He does a fine job, but when a book is so defined by Walt Simonson's peculiarly energetic style it's hard to fill-in. I also liked the fill-in work Shoemaker did in the '90s more than the everyman-esque stuff he's doing here.

Overall, not the strongest issue of X-Factor dialogue wise, but the plot is fine.

MY SCORE: 7.8/10

Comics: New Mutants #70

2009-05-13T10:39:00.002-05:00

NEW MUTANTS #70
December 1988
"Self-Fulfilling Prophesy"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciler: Terry Shoemaker
Inker: Al Milgrom
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

This is still Louise Simonson, right? Yup, her name's on the book. Can't figure out where the stilted dialogue suddenly came from. The issue begins with the Mutants imprisoned by Spyder on the alien world. Spyder then delivers two pages of exposition explaining who each New Mutant is by saying "Ah, ____, you do ______ and feel _____." Yep, he actually says "ah" and then the name of a character three times in a row. Is there a rule about not repeating words or vocal patterns back to back, because it's something I always eliminate from my creative writing and hate when I read it.

Gosamyr's family is stirred early and are "born" prematurely, thus unleashing their crazy giant monster modes on the team. They're only thwarted by Lila Cheney, who apparently teleports them into a nearby sun (which obviously doesn't stick as she is back alive as early as 1992, maybe even before). As Spyder sics his forces on the Mutants, Illyana decides to risk her soul and teleport the kids home by way of the ever-worsening Limbo. The issue ends with the team stuck in Limbo against the foces of S'ym, thus preparing their involvement in "Inferno."

This issue wasn't as much fun as the previous ones, mainly due to the less enthusiastic art of Terry Shoemaker and some clunky dialogue. Plus this story has gone on far too long. Simonson is at her best when she's treating these kids like kids and putting them in fun/realistic drama. This has been way too much, especially since it follows the almost exact same Bird-Brain story arc (mysterious inhuman needs help, thus leading team to exotic locale and tragedy). I'm looking forward to the X-Terminators joining this book after "Inferno."

MY SCORE: 7.7/10

Comics: Excalibur #3

2009-05-12T15:08:00.003-05:00

EXCALIBUR #3
December 1988
"Moving Day"
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Alan Davis
Inker: Paul Neary
Letterer: L. Lois Buhalis
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor In Chief: Bob Harras

Excalibur and Wolverine have always been the biggest holes in my X-Knowledge. Both series were harder to find and more expensive when you did (this issue's cover price is fifty cents more than the standard Marvel Comics at the time). I also have to note that this issue has held up amazingly for being ten years old. The pages are all still very crisp and white, unlike every other comic I'm reading from this era. I don't know what's different with the paper stock, but that extra fifty cents has somehow made all the issues of Excalibur that I've read so far hold up far better than all the other comics I have from this time. Interesting.

This is also my first time reading Excalibur's early issues and I'm quite surprised by how good they are. Claremont's run on Uncanny at this time was by no means poor, but all the characters had very much settled into their stereotypical Claremont voices and all the crackle and energy of the John Bryne and Paul Smith years have faded away into something a bit more amorphous (but still good). It might be Alan Davis' gorgeous art or the fact that the creative team is obviously excited by this new series, probably both, but this series so far and this issue in particular is really fun and holds up amazingly well today.

The issue opens up with that stuffy/slutty old English lady we saw last issue busting Juggernaut out of a prison and putting him in the path of Excalibur. The fight scene that follows is almost as funny as some of Giffen and DeMatteis' run on Justice League International, with Captain Britain stubbornly thinking he can take on Juggernaut and Shadowcat using her phasing powers in creative ways against a car full of escaped convicts. The team displays effortless teamwork and it's really a joy to behold.

The second half of the issue mixes light moving in comedy (Kitty in the bathroom too long, Nightcrawler's morning exercise making noise) with serious character moments (Captain Britain gets an impromptu intervention because of his drinking and almost gets with lady pal Courtney Ross). Shadowcat also stumbles across a parallel universe/wacko version of herself and Lockheed, thus giving the team more evidence that something fishy is up in their new lighthouse home.

Overall, this issue was ten times more entertaining than I expected it to be, and I'm now looking forward to reading the next issues of Excalibur.

MY SCORE: 8.8/10

Comics: X-Factor #34

2009-05-12T10:38:00.003-05:00

X-FACTOR #34
November 1988
"Death!"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciler: Walter Simonson
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Petra Scotese
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

The newly created Archangel comes face to face with X-Factor's former publicist and current arch-enemy Cameron Hodge in this issue. Hodge has kidnapped Candy Southern due to a weird mix of hating her because she fell in love with a mutant and also being a bit jealous that Archangel started ignoring him when he fell in love with her way back when. Undertones? The issue's main story consists of Archangel slicing his way through hordes of demons (thanks to Hodge partnering up with N'Astirh) until finally reaching Hodge, who pulls the plug on the comatose Candy, and beheading him.

Simonson gets some nice mileage out of Hodge's Christian anti-mutant viewpoint and his partnership with the demon N'Astirh. She really sells Hodge as a big time threat...and then keeps on selling him for a couple more pages. The issue is bogged down in a lot of posteuring and recap (do we have to actually see Angel lose his wings and be reborn as Archangel on panel if it's referenced constantly by Hodge and Archangel?). Still, the issue pushes "Inferno" one step closer to fruition and continues to build momentum to the big event.

I also have to say that the Right robot-people look way too much like Nanny, leading me to always believe that they're the same. I guess all egg-shaped googly-eyed robots look the same to me. But really, the whole Orphan Maker bit is so dark. A villain who murders the human parents of infant mutants so that the babies won't be persecuted by their parents? That's intense.

The art is the usual Walt Simonson style, very angular and expressive. The only part that I didn't get was Hodge's beheading. It really looks more like Archangel's wing has taken a chunk out of his shoulder. I guess the comics code preventing blood kinda gets in the way of depicting an accurate decapitation.

MY SCORE: 8.1/10

Comics: New Mutants #69

2009-05-11T11:15:00.003-05:00

NEW MUTANTS #69
November 1988
"Bad Company"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciler: Bret Blevins
Inker: Al Williamson
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

The trek I began through the X-Canon after my birthday on July 6th, 2006 rolls on after a bit of a lull. I received the first Uncanny X-Men Omnibus and began reading every X-Men comic in chronological order, starting with Giant-Size X-Men #1 from 1975. This also includes all the spin-off ongoing series that I own (New Mutants, X-Factor and now Excalibur). So here I am, at the end of 1988 after almost three years of reading. I've covered a lot of ground.

This issue of New Mutants finds the teens in the thrall of Gosamyr, a sexy alien who the Mutants are trying to aide, and in the clutches of Spyder, the sadistic arachnid-esque alien who has kidnapped mutant rock star Lila Cheney. The issue begins where the previous one left off, with Spyder's minions threatening to blow up the incoming space yacht carrying the Mutants and Gosamyr. Spyder intervenes and allows them to land so he can capture them as well, which he does by the issue's end. Cliffhanger!

Louise Simonson continues her strong grasp on each character with this issue, even if the book reads a little heavy at times. There's a lot of arguing and angst, but at least those characteristics align more readily with teenagers. Yeah, Illyana constantly moaning about being evil is annoying, but it does work with her and especially her age. Teenagers are whiny and annoying. Gosamyr's emotional trickery also brings some fun rivalries out, like Sam and Bobby's machismo-off and prudish Rahne's worry about having feelings for Sam. Simonson has a very tight cast that all plays off each other very well. With Karma, Magma and Cypher out of sight, she's really getting a lot of mileage out of the remaining six and how they all play off each other. It's all done well.

There are some minor problems with the plot, like the whole fact that the New Mutants have left the planet on a whim to help some total stranger alien who isn't that interesting of a character. Spyder's also incredibly generic and only has his odd repo man angle to set him apart from other spider-like alien baddies. Also, Dani's immature fleeing from the ship as soon as it lands because of how mad she is isn't in character, but I assume that's Gosamyr's effect.

Bret Blevins' art continues to be the best this book has had, outside of Bill Sienkiewicz's abstract take on the teens earlier in the series run. His pages crackle with energy and his characters all look young and mix physical vulnerability with emotional strength. It's good stuff.

I also like the general hints and foreshadowing that are popping up in all the X-Books right now, leading up to "Inferno." Illyana's sword is acting wonky and Emma Frost senses something horrible coming. There's a real sense of foreboding in the line right now, and it's selling the upcoming crossover very well. Looking forward to getting to it.

So a mediocre story is saved by some fun art and believable characters.

MY SCORE: 8/10

X-Men: Switching Sides

2009-05-04T15:44:00.008-05:00

After seeing the completely disappointing X-Men Origins: Wolverine, watching half of X-Men: The Last Stand and beginning my journey through season two of the stellar 90s animates series (now available on DVD!), I stumbled onto the one thing that separates that great cartoon from a lot of the recent missteps in the franchise.

Heroes that become villains.

This disturbing trend has been in all of the bad adaptations of Marvel's mutants and absent from all the great ones. The 90s animated series kept the X-Men firmly aligned with the good guys, even if they weren't members of the team (Colossus, Angel and Bishop all aided the core team), and were never used to fill in as villains. The same thing can be said for the first and second X-Men films, where the writers and director used actual villains from the comic book instead of using formerly heroic characters. Lady Deathstrike, Mastermind, Stryker, etc., all villains in the comics and films.

With X-Men: Evolution things get a little murky. Both Gambit and Colossus were introduced as members of Magneto's Acolytes, which fits with both of their characters since Gambit has always been shady and Colossus actually was an Acolyte in the comics. But since they were introduced as bad guys, it make it that much harder for them to ever align with the X-Men, which is where most all fans want to see them. I'd rather see Colossus being friends with Wolverine than fighting him. I didn't follow Evolution much after season one, so I never got to see the episodes featuring Gambit and Colossus. Maybe I shouldn't even comment on this, then, but still it's weird that they would draft these two long-standing X-Men to Magneto's side, especially when there are tons of other energy projectors and muscle men to use that are villains (Random, Ramrod, Scalphunter, Blockbuster, Sunder, Slab, the Kleinstocks, Forearm).

X-Men: The Last Stand turns this up a notch and is even worse. Okay, making a cartoon is relatively easy. It doesn't cost any more money to do great affects and accurate powers, so seeing your favorite characters in a cartoon isn't that big of a deal. It's cool, but whatever. You see them drawn every month on a page. But seeing them on the big screen, being played by a real flesh and blood person? That's a big deal! So...why does Multiple Man have to be a bad guy? I know Madrox's power makes him the perfect cannon fodder generator, but he wasn't even used in that way in the film. Any other faceless mutant could have played his role. Even worse was Psylocke, who was put in the film, made evil, never called by her name, displayed none of her actual powers and was then murdered. Seriously? Psylocke isn't the most widely known X-Man (pretty sure her thong kept her out of the animated series, and thus out of public consciousness), but she's been a pretty constant presence in the team for over two decades. To have her senselessly killed after a non-part was just insult to injury. They should have just not named that character Psylocke and everything would have been fine.

From the first seven episodes I've seen, Wolverine and the X-Men is a very well executed cartoon that is much more faithful to the source material than Evolution, but there's an insane amount of good guys turn bad guys. From just the episodes I've seen, Rogue and Domino have been made members of the Brotherhood instead of various other candidates. At least Rogue made the decision to become evil within the first couple episodes. But looking at the future episodes on Wikipedia, Blink, Scarlet Witch, Mercury and Polaris are all Acolytes and Multiple Man and Archangel are Marauders. Why? There are enough members of both the Acolytes and Marauders that are actually evil, you don't have to use random X-Men as filler characters!

Quicksilver has been a bad guy in the last two of the three X-Men animtead series. I guess his snotty nature and parentage makes him an obvious bad guy, plus he was a bad guy when he first appeared. But I hate that a character that is now much more defined by his role as an Avenger and member of X-Factor is now known as a menace to the public.

Now we come to the latest offender, X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The movie gets a lot of the allegiances right. Deadpool is a mercernary, Gambit is just mysterious and not evil, Blob is played as oafish (even though they destroy his character in every other way) and Wraith is void of anything memorable much like his comic book counterpart. But what they did to Maverick was completely out of this world bad. Much like Psylocke's misuse, all they had to do was not call the character David North or Agent Zero (Maverick's other code name). First, he's not Asian. Second, he's not a ruthless killing machine. Third, he's not a jerk. And having him be all of these things didn't really add much to the movie, it just provided a small bit of comic relief in one scene. That's it. Also, apparently Dominic Monaghan was playing Bolt, a very very bit character from the comics. Who knew that?

I know this is all really nerdy and nit-picky, and I think these switches are fine if the character isn't jeopardized or ruined. Quicksilver being evil in the cartoons is fine. That's accurate to how he started out. The same can even be said of Rogue in Wolverine and the X-Men since she herself has a bad streak in the comics. I even can look past Multiple Man being a bad guy in The Last Stand because he was played as a witty guy with a flippant attitude similar to his comic book counterpart. It's just when characters get so many alterations added to them that they are unrecognizable, like Maverick and Psylocke, there's no reason to give them the same name.

Overall, there are enough evil doers in the X-Men mythos that the mass media doesn't need to play switcheroo on us. Right?

Meh, I'm going to go back to watching my 90s X-Men DVDs.

BEATLE MANIA

2009-04-16T16:23:00.004-05:00

You know, the Beatles aren't one of my favorite bands. They aren't even my favorite '60s band. They're not even my favorite '60s British band (hello, Kinks). But for some reason I've been DYING to watch The Beatles Anthology for the past five years.

The documentary was first aired on ABC in 1995 and I was crazy about it. I didn't like the Beatles then, didn't know much about their music, and I also didn't really know what a documentary was. Something about it must have tapped into my natural enjoyment for their music and documentaries, both of which I'd discover later. Just at the time, I went into Beatle mania and didn't know why.

Now I do like the Beatles and am a big fan of documentaries, so I keep going back to The Beatles Anthology and wanting to watch it. I read about the band on Wikipedia often, the behind the scenes stuff about the making of their final albums. All that. Plus the DVD version of the Anthology has like, five extra hours on it, I think. I have to see it! And I have the time now!

On a side note, I remember having an argument with my cousin in 1995 about which contemporary artist would eventually receive an Anthology style documentary. I said it would be Hootie and the Blowfish. He said it would be Coolio. If trashy cable reality shows count as docs, then we were both right.

TV: Lost "Some Like It Hoth"

2009-04-15T21:47:00.007-05:00

TEASER Okay, a Miles episode. Finally. It's been long enough and now that my initial distaste for the character has worn off, I'm pretty stoked for this episode. Seriously, his cranky pants attitude for most all of last season was really annoying, leaving me to hope that his neck would meet Sayid's furious feet (he killed a guy with his feet, people, a moment I should bring up at EVERY opportunity). Now Miles has chilled out a lot and is becoming a lot more likeable. We already have a thoroughly creepy flashback and some nice mysteries unfolding. Promising teaser!

The episode title is way lame though, and it's from my favorite movie of all time.

ACT ONE Miles' father is Alvar Hanso. We get it. We know, right? We've known from the season premiere, right? But it's "Lost," they have to do the cryptic big build ups for the things we already know (like Claire being Jack's half sister, Jin being alive, etc). I love new hyper aware Hurley. He's cutting through a lot of the miscommunication junk that bogged down the first years of this show. "Are you on a secret mission?" Yep, Hurley, he is, THANK YOU for figuring that out! If this was a year ago, Hurley wouldn't pick up on it until Miles was about three round deep into Taboo with the corpse. Also, pretty awesome that our gang is the security for Dharma. They seem kinda untouchable right now.

ACT TWO So Hurley is crazy, right? Like, that's how he talks to dead people. I never once thought that his convos with Charlie were anything but him being just a bit nutty. Well, I guess they could be some sorta vision quest island thing, but I was always sure that they weren't the real deal. Also, for a second I was thinking there might be some creepy Kate/Ben's Drunk Dad hookup moment but that quickly turned. For the better, mind you, Kate's become annoying but I wouldn't wish that drunkwad on anyone. And what is Hurley doing? Is he writing "The Empire Strikes Back"? End of the episode, please come soon so I know what in the world that bounty hunter bit and the title of this episode's all about. And I can't wait to see what dead person spilled the beans about Miles' parentage.

ACT THREE Finally! We now know that the island has given Jack magical chalkboard cleaning powers! That thing went from being covered in scribblins to being squeaky clean in just the blink of the camera! Wowzers! Hurley's attempt at bringing Miles and Hanso together (what's his real name? I should look that up, he's not Candle or Hanso) was priceless, as was the look Miles' shot his dad when he revealed he liked country music. Great little moments. I really enjoyed the foreboding banging of the numbers onto the hatch, too. Bring dem numbers back, yo! Such a stink has been made about them not being able to change the future, I wonder if Hurley's going to go to great lengths to stop that hatch from being built.

ACT FOUR Is it weird that I had the same reaction to hearing the year 1977 that Hurley did? My initial thought a couple episodes ago when they ended up in that time was that if I was there, I would be hightailing it on a submarine back to the US as soon as possible so I could see it in the theater. Straight up. Glad Hurley has a variation on the idea, even though he really doesn't remember how "Empire Strikes Back" begins. Also, I guess we were just introduced to some new faction of players? Some possible shadow cult, maybe obsessed with the four-toed statue and all it's mythic voodoo? We'll see. All the stuff between Miles and Hurley about Miles' father was really well done and acted. I love how this show dissects human emotion like that, all with time travel and jumpsuits. Nice to see some of dirty old Sawyer come back. Get some rope, indeed.

ACT FIVE Geez, Hurley, did you even WATCH "Empire Strikes Back"? Luke got his hand cut off BEFORE Vader told him he was his father. Der! But leave it to Hurley to rationalize things using pop culture. Probably why he's my favorite character on the show. I'm also glad that Faraday is back. He's a weird character but I'm sure that with his return comes a lotta answers. Excitement! Excitement that has to wait two weeks. Ugh...

MY SCORE: **** (out of 5)

Journalista!

2009-04-15T14:30:00.004-05:00

Whoah! Okay, so wow. That's impressive.

In an effort to increase readership, here's an easy guide to some of the comic book related stuff I've written about. That you might care to take a gander at.

First, Twitter!

I love the X-Men. Here's a series of blog posts on all things X-Men. X15

I used to review comics regularly here before landing a job at Wizard, which forbids you from reviewing for any other site while working there. I will most likely start reviewing comics here again. Comic Reviews

I just started a tumblr for comic strips starring my G.I. Joe and Marvel Universe figures. If you like comics, you will like these. Guaranteed. So guaranteed. Do it. And share it. Tales To Diminish

If you live in New York and want to see me do improv comedy, you can become fans on Facebook. Bad Data and Iron Ruckus

Do you remember the show "Kid Nation"? Well, I slavishly reviewed every episode of it a ways back. They are very faux serious. I miss that show...Kid Nation

Also used to review episodes of "Lost." That'll probably start again. Lost

Come back! I have statcounter, so I can track you. I'll know if you leave me. I'll know.

I'll know.

Sleepy Hunger

2009-04-15T11:11:00.003-05:00

Sketch class went well last night. Our show is this Sunday at 5:30. Please come! I didn't go to Harold Night due to my overwhelming hunger, something I need to figure out how to triumph over, and the rain. Okay, I know how to triumph over hunger, it's just that when you leave home at 5 p.m., it's hard to have consumed enough food to not get hungry the rest of the night. Of course...here it is, 12:17 and I haven't had breakfast or lunch yet. I should eat quick!

Yes, readers, I will be talking about my eating schedules on this blog, apparently.

I did a new Tales To Diminish last night out of boredom. Trying to figure out if that counts as today's or if I should do another one today anyway. I've gotten a lot of good feedback on this, so far. I would like for it to become sorta viral, or like, I don't know. It might be already. I can't figure out how to measure a tumblr's success. Twitter tweets about my blog, or other tumblr blog posts about it, seem to be the only way. I'm getting there, thanks to Dan and Ben. Tell people!

On the job front I....still haven't done anything. Geez, I am really succumbing to the unemployed lazies. I'm not getting up until 11 a.m. every day. That has to stop! I am theoretically going to start e-mailing comic sites for freelance work today.

Tonight I will be editing Cash 4 Skulls for inclusion in my class' sketch reading on Sunday, and hopefully making it to the P.I.T. in time for Improdome as part of my "perform more" promise to myself.

Go Sketch

2009-04-14T10:04:00.002-05:00

Okay, so, at some point I'm actually going to start writing things of interest here. As of now, though, I'm just going to keep you updated on my day to day wanderings.

Last night I saw six sketch shows at UCB. The first was Get Psyched followed by Roll Call, which features four good friends of mine who I've had the pleasure of performing with and hanging out with over the last two years. It was awesome to see them create something so fun to watch. Talent! The same can be said for Maude Night, which I have missed seeing for the last, I dunno, twelve times. I wish I had been going all along. The feeling I got last night while watching it, it was pretty intense. I enjoyed all the teams and I now have some sorta drive/urge to really put more work in my sketch writing.

Hopefully that starts, in earnest, today.

If I didn't have such a strong group of friends and so much creative work to do to keep me busy, I'd probably be losing my mind.

Brand New Day

2009-04-13T09:49:00.003-05:00

I know I should have capitalized on all the heat I was getting last Thursday, but I chose to wait until Monday to make my triumphant (and highly scheduled) return to the world of blogging. So here it is.

I was let go, which fills me with all sorts of emotion...and a lot of free time. I got tons of great memories, lots of cool sketches and made some amazing friends. I've met some of the most genuine, honest, caring and talented people ever. And...I spent a year watching them get harassed, fired, let go, belittled, annoyed, infuriated, etc. I will miss all of them, but I won't miss seeing them emotionally destroyed on a daily basis and I won't miss being one of them getting destroyed. So, onwards and...well, not upwards yet. Onwards. Upwards in some ways, not bank-statement-ways.

This comes at a crazy time, right after my Harold audition experience and during a pretty successful sketch 201 class. If there was ever a time to focus on my comedy and making something of myself, giving myself some great experiences and credits, then now is the time. So I will, in theory, hopefully, be blogging here daily. Personal stuff, funny stuff, review stuff, comic stuff, news stuff, dumb stuff, all of it. I also have started this and will continue to update this. I will also be seeing more improv shows and sketch shows and, fingers crossed, start teching shows to make some cash.

I'm ready to focus on what's important, and that's being creative. And eating. Not dying, too. That's important. And "Tough Love." Seriously, you guys watching that show?

Ballad Of a No Callback Kid

2009-04-06T08:04:00.003-05:00

The most tumultuous season for the indie improv community started on Friday and is expected to end sometime midday on Wednesday. Harold auditions. Auditions that determine which of us get to perform on official house teams at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.

I have a lot of thoughts on this process, some of which I'll try to clumsily convey here. I failed spectacularly last year. I went in not caring, did one bad scene and one mediocre scene and then left, more upset than I should have been. I didn't know how badly I wanted it until I didn't get a callback and felt that I'd ruined my chance by not caring. I decided to take a different attitude this year, opting instead to not even worry about a callback (and definitely not making a team), instead focusing on simply having fun. For some reason, fun has not really been part of my improv for most of a year. I've been nervous, afraid that I'll get found out, that I'm not really that good at all. All the natural instincts and desires I've had when doing scenes have been stomped out, leaving me uncertain of my own ideas. I've lately figured out how to stop this, and in the last week I've just been having fun again. So my audition went well.

I did two scenes in the audition, one with Rob who I've been friends with for a while and seen perform numerous times. The other one was with Bryce, who I've been on a team with for a year. So both scenes were fun, had game, and didn't really fall trap to any of the big improv no-nos. I succeeded in having fun. That was the main goal. I did not get a callback, which is actually what I was expecting. For some reason I feel that my path to "success" is not as easy as getting on a team my first audition or even just getting a callback on my second. I think that after last year's failure on all accounts, the next step this year was to have fun. Done. Next year, maybe I can worry about a callback.

I hate this entire turn of events because it makes a lot of my friends (and myself) upset in varying ways. Seeing my extremely talented compatriots kicking themselves over two botches scenes in an extremely artificial and stressful setting isn't cool. If anything, these auditions have made me love our community more and the opportunities that we've given ourselves over the past two years. There are now more teams doing more shows, thus allowing all of us to get more stage time than I think any past generation has had. We've all gotten so great so fast because of our friendships and support. Making it on a team at UCB is validation and a great goal to have, but not getting a callback isn't the end of that. Every one of us has so many other things going on, none of which are as glamorous or, really, as important as a Harold team, but these things are valuable learning tools that help strengthen our community. Shows like the Kaleidoscope are vital to our community. Also having a ton of indie teams either having hit or approaching their 2 year anniversaries is a great accomplishment. The fact that we've all stuck together so long has added a sense of permanence and validation to the indie community. Indie teams are no longer what we improvisers do to kill time before we get on a Harold team, they're viable in their own right. We're awesome. And so is UCB.

I wouldn't have a social setting up here without UCB. The opportunities that theatre gives to students that are serious about improv are pretty amazing. Yes UCB has grown exponentially and it is difficult to get on teams there, but it makes actually accomplishing anything feel that much more rewarding. UCB doesn't just hand out success, they make you work for it in an environment that is conducive to learning, trying, failing and succeeding. On top of that are all the amazing friends I now have, who I'm proud to see on Harold teams and, as of Wednesday will be proud to see on even more Harold teams.

What it all really comes down to is that improv is fun. And even if I never get on a team, I'm proud that I'll always be able to get covered in improv jizz and get rufied while driving a car on various stages across NYC.*

Thanks guys, let's keep it up.

*Both of these happened last night, thanks to Daddy. Thanks Daddy!

What's shaking in March?

2009-03-02T15:02:00.005-05:00

I have started a Tumblr for the sole purpose of reminding everyone of things that used to be awesome. It's a lot less stress than Blogspot (whatever that means) but I hate how hard it is to navigate and how limited it seems to change the design. I am not a master of HTML!

I really have been wanting to post here regularly again, but that's just not happening. I've started to be active on weekdays, mostly just performing. I've been doing shows with Bad Data, Iron Ruckus and, occasionally, Daddy at least 3 times a week. That's pretty crazy and I think I've already performed more shows in 2009 than I did in all of 2008. That's an exaggeration but, it's almost true. I'm hitting a bunch of weird bumps in my improv, bumps that I hope will be smoothed out in my Zach Woods 501 that I'm taking at the end of this month. And I'm beginning Sketch 201 with Neil Casey in a week, so I'll have even less free time to blog here!

I've become obsessed with buying 3 3/4" action figures, thanks to the arrival of the X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie figures and the Marvel Universe line. The fact that I can now take pictures like these...

...are enough support for this madness.

Not fit for man, definitely not beast.

2009-01-16T07:09:00.002-05:00

It feels like -1 outside and...well that's reason enough for the world to just take the day off, right? I don't want to go out in that! I don't know how to live with that weather!

Iron Ruckus had a show last night at the PIT. It was fine overall, even though I'm still finding my own performance lacking. I seem to be in a phase where I just lock up and can't say anything on stage. That's not good, not good at all.

I bought the first trade of Immortal Iron Fist yesterday and read it while I ate alone at Chili's. Yeah, it's as good as everyone says. I need to get volume two ASAP but I ALSO need to not spend any money whatsoever!

For a brief moment on the drive home yesterday, I felt pretty good about everything. That changed later that night a bit, but...I have to work towards making 2009 great so I can peak again in 2010. I have a theory that I peak ever 4 years, and 2010 is the next such occurrence.

Bad Data has a show tonight at the PIT that I'm excited about and then I'm SHOW-FREE for the rest of the weekend!

Quick and early thoughts!

2009-01-15T07:25:00.003-05:00

Okay, 2009, I'm going to worry more about quantity and not quality with this here thing. I have realized that no one reads this thing for it's biting social commentary since, well, there's none of that here. There's nothing here. So instead, here's a scattershot post about some things going on right now done at 7:26 AM, about four minutes before I need to leave for work.

Bad Data might be on Animal Planet.

Insurance probably IS NOT going to cover my wreck.

The eBay buyer who bought my Iron Man poster hasn't paid me yet and it's been a week.

Abra debuted on Harold Night. So awesome!

"Real World" looks great so far and is very entertaining, in the kinda boring way that the first couple seasons were.

I need to start buying "B.P.R.D." comics.

I'm in a new improv duo with Ethan Kaye called Ultimate Alliance.

2009 has been emotionally draining, moreso than most of 2008. Okay, exaggeration.

There's a blog in my brain about Tommy Wiseau, and it'll come soon.

Top 10 2008: Comics

2009-01-06T18:00:00.019-05:00

10. SECRET INVASIONIssues #1-8 / Written by Brian Bendis, Art by Leinil Yu

You'll note that this is the only Skrull-related comic in the top ten, mostly because I was absolutely green in the face (PUNZ) after about two months of all the wrinkly-chinned hullabaloo. It got old, Marvel. And yeah, as the flagship series this series weighed way too heavily on slow-paced action and not enough on big reveals or characterization...or plot really. But okay, the art was amazing, the entire creative team was A-list (Mark Morales and Laura Martin rounded out the team, and they're the biggest inker and colorist working today) and the kick-off issue was downright paranoid glee. Good stuff and, as a whole, a bit more sturdy than Civil War. So that's it, no more Skrulls on this list. For the most part.

9. UNCANNY X-MEN
Issues #494-505 / Written by Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction, Art by Mike Choi, Greg Land and Terry Dodson

A lot of Uncanny's 2008 was spent with its wheels furiously spinning around with the car parked in neutral (that car metaphor works, right?). The great "Messiah Complex" storyline of 2007 ended and, well, led into five months of farting around until the fancy and multiple-covered 500th issue. Since then things have been slowly improving, with Fraction (and a bit of Brubaker) bringing in a bunch of slow-burning plots that all seem to be destined to dovetail together in a big ol' Claremont-ian event of awesomeness. Along with having a downright retro feel, the book is also breaking new ground with the current San Francisco locale change which has made a huge impact on the line as a whole. It's not great yet, and Fraction can do great things, so I'm looking forward to 2009.

8. ASTONISHING X-MEN
Issues #24-27 and Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1 / Written by Joss Whedon and Warren Ellis, Art by John Cassaday and Simone Bianchi

The stellar Whedon and Cassaday run came to an end with a truly epic moment and probably the biggest sacrifice the X-Men have endured since...well, the first death of Phoenix. There's not much more I can say about that part of Astonishing's run that I haven't said before. Whedon ruled, Cassaday did the best art any x-book has seen in a long time, the only problem was with the book's scheduling and the fact that the big climax was ruined in the other titles a month before said issue hit. Following that team's run was going to be hard, but Ellis and Bianchi haven't done...horribly. Okay, Bianchi's art is...odd...but I always appreciate Ellis' insane take on tradition and his seeming respect for continuity. This is no longer the flagship title but under Ellis, it's an okay one.

7. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: SEASON EIGHT
Issues #10-20 / Written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, Art by Georges Jeanty and Karl Moline

2008 was split between two storylines, one stellar and one fun, and a couple one-off issues that were all enjoyable. Drew Goddard's "Wolves at the Gate" really nailed the humor, conflict and bloody death that made the best episodes of Buffy memorable. The more recent "Time of Your Life" crossed over with Fray, a series that I just read. This was plagued by a bit of a delay, a fact that hurt the story a lot since I had no clue what Fray was all about. I now do. The storyline was better in retrospect. Big things are coming in Buffy, and I'm stoked.

6. CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI: 13
Issues #1-8 / Written by Paul Cornell, Art by Leonard Kirk

If you had told me a year ago that a series starring Captain Britain and a bunch of D-List English heroes would be in my top ten list of 2008, above two X-Books, I would have said something ridiculously sarcastic, rolled my eyes and walked away asking myself why you even bothered talking to me. And now, here we are, stepping into 2009 and Captain Britain is one of my most-anticipated books each month. Solid art, intricate and careful characterization and some big ol' action with a shot of the UK added in. It's a pretty great read month in and month out and MI: 13 is becoming a ragtag group of heroes up there with the old school X-Factor team. Good stuff.

5. RUNAWAYS
Volume 2 Issues #29-30, Volume 3 Issues #1-5 / Written by Joss Whedon and Terry Moore, Art by Michael Ryan and Humberto Ramos

This book spent most of 2007...um...not coming out, so it was nice to have seven months of Runaways in 2008. Both of the creative teams lacked what the other had and vice versa. Michael Ryan has the strong storytelling that Humberto Ramos lacks, but Ramos makes up for it with tons of attitude and charisma. And while Terry Moore is crafting a story that feels much more like Runaways than Whedon's time travel story, there's no denying that Whedon's run was much funnier and snappier. So, you know, good and bad. Overall I'm ecstatic about where this book is going, especially because it's coming out regularly again. Moore may not be as flashy or buzzworthy as Whedon, but he really appreciates these characters and knows how to craft stories with them. The future is bright.

4. X-FACTORIssues #27-38, Layla Miller and Quick & The Dead one-shots / Written by Peter David, Art by Pablo Raimondi, Valentine De Landro and Larry Stroman

The first half of 2008, X-Factor was experiencing a creative rebirth. Wolfsbane's departure yielded one of the series' best issues and led into one of its best storylines with "The Only Game in Town." That arc was aptly named as it was the only X-Book to really kick the events of "Messiah Complex" into high gear instead of sitting around for five months. The two one-shots spotlighting Quicksilver and the time-displaced Layla Miller were real highlights, especially Layla Miller. And then...well, the team moved to Detroit and lost a lot of its appeal. This coincided with the awkward return of Larry Stroman, a move that was highly anticipated and ended up disappointing. With 2008's close, Stroman has departed and Peter David has acknowledged the series' slide. He promises that things are going to pick up and with Madrox and Siryn's baby being born right now, well, I believe him.

3. ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN
Issues #118-129 / Written by Brian Bendis, Art by Stuart Immonen

Yeah, this is probably the best this book has ever been. Stuart Immonen's art is perfectly suited for the title and the fresh energy he has brought to Spidey has completely rejuvenated Bendis' writing. Venom, Gwen Stacy, last month's arrest of Aunt May...everything is illustrated with a detailed urgency unlike any this series has ever seen. Bagley was great, yeah, but this title really needed an offbeat artist to make it stand out. The teenage angst has never been this palpable. This is the only "Ultimate" book that matters.

2. X-MEN/X-MEN: LEGACY
Issues #207-219 / Written by Mike Carey, Art by Scot Eaton

This is also the title everyone either loved or hated in 2008. I, obviously, fell on the "love it" side. Of course I'm obsessed with continuity, so Mike Carey going back and fixing past wrongs and making every bit of mutant minutiae make sense had me in giggle fits every month. We saw Hazard again this year, people! Hazard! He appeared like, once! Fifteen years ago! Awesome! But seriously, Carey's doing all this while telling a smart story and making Professor X a relatable and complex character. Plus, you know, Gambit came back and didn't suck. So, that was cool. The Legacy setup is ending soon I think, and Carey said the book is going to change into something else that has never been seen in this corner of the Marvel Universe. I'm excited to see where this book goes.

1. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
Issues #546-581 / Written by Dan Slott, Bob Gale, Zeb Wells, Marc Guggenheim, Joe Kelly and Mark Waid, Art by Steve McNiven, Salvador Larroca, Phil Jimenez, Chris Bachalo, Barry Kitson, Marcos Martin, Mike McKone and John Romita Jr.

Thirty-six issues. This one comic alone shipped three times the amount it normally does in a year and somehow managed to make every one of them (of the twenty I read) the most worthy additions to the legendary Spider-Man mythos that I've read in my long tenure reading comics. The writers and artists listed up there are not only among the best in the industry, they're among my personal favorites. Slott and Romita Jr.'s "New Ways to Die" arc was a thrilling read every week, an arc that successfully re-purposed Eddie Brock and brought him back from obscurity. Marcos Martin's page layouts during his two storylines ("Peter Parker, Paparazzi" and "Unscheduled Stop") were divine, his completely unparalleled and unique vision of the webhead surely inspiring artists all over the country to give it a try. And of course, I can't say enough about all of Chris Bachalo's work on the title, especially his arc with writer Joe Kelly. Their two-part "Family Ties" arc was simply, well, amazing. Spider-Man's one-liners had never been so hilarious and his look had never been so abstractly exhilirating. In all of Marvel Comics, there really is none better when you look at the monumental goal they set for themselves by deciding to publish thirty-six issues in a year and see how they succeeded. And no, "One More Day" did NOT need to happen and Peter Parker SHOULD still be with Mary Jane, but "Brand New Day" is the best thing that could have happened to Spider-Man. Things are only going to get better.

Top 10 2008: Songs

2008-12-17T12:17:00.005-05:00

This year was somewhat lackluster for me, no matter how hard I tried to give all these new-fangled indie blog Pitchfork bands a chance. Some of'em impressed me and made the list, but you'll still mostly find the same ol' bands in my top 10.

First some honorable mentions, which really make this a top 13 instead of a top 10. But whatever.

The Decemberists "Valerie Plame"
I just bought all the Always the Bridesmaid singles yesterday so I'm a bit late to the game. This is a catchy ditty with another fun Colin vocal along with a fun Colin tune. There's nothing really exemplary here, but I'll take all the pop tunes I can get from this band before they release theirfull-on Decemberists prog-rock-opera in 2009. I fear for the future.

Franz Ferdinand "Lucid Dreams"
I tend to forget how much I like Franz Ferdinand until they release an album, then I get all tangled up in Franz Mania again. 2005's You Could Have It So Much Better was stellar and, despite all the talk about techno/tribal/Devo/whatever inspirations (you know, the same stuff ALL bands say about the album they're recording), this song is classic Ferdinand. Here's a video of some kid playing the drums along with the song.

Frightened Rabbit "The Twist"
My teammate on Iron Ruckus, Drury Pants, told me to download this album. I did. This is a good song from an album that is better than I thought it would be. Honestly, a band named Frightened Rabbit, in my head, plays eight minute long instrumentals featuring a wide variety of objects, none of which are instruments, and names all their songs after unsung political documents of the 1800s. Anyway, this song disproves that notion since it's a high enjoyable song with just the right amount of emotion and crazy (I loves some crazy in my music).

10. The Kills "Sour Cherry"
I read somewhere (probably Pitchfork) that all a Kills' song is is a drumbeat and vaguely sexy/dangerous lyrics. Good enough for me. Thanks to Frank, another Ruckuser (is that what we are? Ironer? Ironer Ruckuser?), for suggesting I download Midnight Boom, which is a lot better than No Wow was when I listened to it years ago.

9. Vampire Weekend "Oxford Comma"
Just like I did with the Strokes in 2001, I came around to Vampire Weekend. I don't like Paul Simon, I don't dig their aesthetic, and I hate how overhyped they were. I managed to hear this album in its entirety numerous times in various places before finally downloading it just a few months ago, which shows how ubiquitous this album was. This is a good song and one of the real standouts from the album. The guitar solo reminds me of Brenda Lee's Christmas songs from the '50s, so that might explain why I like it.

8. Tilly & the Wall "Pot Kettle Black"
I love sass and this song sizzles with so much sexy sass that I can't stand it. The chorus is pretty euphoric when it finally erupts after almost ninety seconds of tap-dancing anxiety.

7. R.E.M. "Living Well is the Best Revenge"
I've always been a fan of R.E.M. singles, but I wrote them off a while ago when their singles started being boring or, well, nonexistant. Accelerate was a huge surprise and actually ended up being one of my favorite albums of the year. R.E.M. basically do what I say every band needs to do when their discography starts hitting double digits: turn up the volume. It seems that with age every band gets slower and more introspective, which leads to boring and uninspired albums (like Reveal and Around the Sun). With this song, R.E.M. makes it seem insanely easy to recapture the urgency and sound of a band fresh out of their garage. Plus, Mike Mills' backing harmonies in this song are outstanding.

6. She & Him "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?"
I've avoided M. Ward for a while now based solely on my usual dislike of singer/songwriter types, but pairing him with The Girl Who Sings Real Good From Elf got me interested. This song is pure pop genius. It's like it was unearthed from a time capsule from 1967, and that is just fine with me.

5. The Futureheads "Work Is Never Done"
I love Ross Millard's voice and the fact that this is his only appearance on This Is Not The World is a postpunk tragedy. At least his one contribution is as rambunctious and driving as this one, which has some awesomely overdramatic lyrics that are fun to scream along to. Plus I like how Ross sings the word 'run.'

4. Beyonce "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)"
From being the inspiration for one of the best Saturday Night Live bits this year to causing a veritable storm of people trying to do the choreography on YouTube, there's no way I could keep this song off the list. Everything about this song is joy, even the part where Beyonce quotes Buzz Lightyear.

3. Oasis "The Shock of the Lightning"
Better than "Lyla" and "The Hindu Times," this song got the word out that a very different Oasis was emerging in 2008. No longer the song-based melody makers of 2005's delightful Don't Believe the Truth, the Oasis of 2008 proved to be challenging, difficult and ultimately rewarding. This song itself grew on me until I was won over by the pulse-pounding drums and classicly irrelevant and irreverent lyrics. This ranks up there with some of their earliest and best work.

2. The Features "Still Lost"
For a band that I used to see three times a week, it was odd getting their new album and not being in Tennessee to go to all the release shows and hear them workshop the new songs in concert. "Still Lost" is a tiny song with a big heart, as saccharine as that sounds. The slow build, the back and forth sway of Matt Pelham's vocal delivery and the psychotic squeal of Mark Bond's keyboards all make this song one of the Features' best. It manages to tell a full story in two minutes, to me, with the early wariness of the vocal delivery being replaced by confidence towards the end. The emotions in the song ring so true with me that, I have to admit, it's the only song on this list that has made me work in the waterworks factory. The live version below isn't the best, but at least its something.

1. The Go! Team "Milk Crisis"
The song first appeared on the bonus disc to 2007's spectacular Proof of Youth, but this new version, featuring a new verse in English that is actually understandable, completely dominated my 2008. It's fast, triumphant, unstable, cocky and pretty much how all music should sound. I still haven't gotten enough of this song even if I have listened to it over a hundred times.

How To Make "Chuck" Not Suck

2008-11-25T19:54:00.007-05:00

I said in the previous post that I've been watching a lot of television, thus me not writing here that much...or at all. And it's true that most of it is disgusting reality TV (I just got a tad bummed about "America's Next Top Model" not coming on tomorrow...help me, someone), but some of it is scripted television. Sadly, it is only some because I don't think there are enough good scripted shows on network TV to fill a VHS tape in SLP mode. One of those shows I watch weekly is NBC's "Chuck."

I've watched "Chuck" since the first episode, which was actually charming and full of promise. The rest of the first season played out fine, for a first season. The universe was set up, the rules were written, there were some okay turns and surprises. We're now in season two and "Chuck" is still happily trudging along, confined by it's own rules. There have been some big changes (that one government guy getting blown up, Chuck's ex working for Fulcrum) but they haven't amounted to much. As a guy who loved "Alias" and is big on genre comedy/dramas ("Buffy" and "Angel"), this show should be right up my alley. But it's not. It's pretty boring. Here's what should be done to make "Chuck" not suck.

I thought about this on my drive home to keep me from falling asleep.

1. Kill Captain Awesome. Seriously, someone has to die and it should be Chuck's future brother-in-law Devon, who apparently is credited as Captain Awesome in every episode. I didn't know that. I actually didn't even remember his name is Devon until I looked it up, which doesn't bode well for a character I've been watching weekly for almost two seasons. But yeah, this guy needs to die just to give Chuck and his sister something real to do. Plus, all the great shows I mentioned above made sure to kill someone early on (Francine, Jesse, Doyle) thus letting the viewing audience know that everyone is expendable. As it is, I never believe that any character is in jeopardy. Heck, I never even believe that the status quo is in jeopardy. Which is why...

2. Chuck needs to quit the Buy More. The show is founded on two basic plot points: Chuck is the Intersect and he's an average dude who works a crappy job. You can't get rid of the Intersect plot because, well, no one would watch an hourlong show about a guy who works at a Best Buy, especially when the show used to involve a lot of martial arts and sometimes scantily clad ladies. Still, the nature of episodic television dictates that change happen otherwise things get stale. Right now, the Buy More is getting insanely stale. I say that the show needs a comedic side more than it needs the Buy More. The Buy More is just a setting for the lighter stuff to take place and none of the characters are really that improtant to the show that they can't be ditched for newer characters in a new location. The only character that really matters in this setting is Morgan, who is easily transplantable into any situation that Chuck goes to (it's also in character since Morgan is pretty much a follower). How many more weeks can we see Chuck complain about working at the Buy More and not doing anything with his life? There's no drama in that especially when Chuck ditches his shifts all the time with no consequence. He doesn't really need to get fired or quit, he just needs to start caring. If he doesn't, then he should start going back to school, get an adult job and get a passion that he actually won't want to run away from to play CIA man. And Morgan should follow.

Overall, the comedy part of the show does not need to exist outside of Chuck. If Chuck is not involved in a Buy More plot (or wherever the new comedy setting is) then it doesn't need to be in the episode. Right now it seems like we're watching two shows a week and when none of the Buy More staff is relatable or even enjoyable to watch, it means that half of the show is painful. Give Chuck a setting he cares about and make him want to spend time there with people that both he and the audience enjoy. This is especially the case with Morgan, who I don't think has shared more than 10 minutes of screen time with this entire season. They need to hang out and be buddies.

3. Chuck is NOT a CIA agent. This is one of the biggest mistakes the show has made this season. Chuck is an average guy who is cursed with a bunch of info. Yes, Chuck has to go on adventures, that's why we watch the show. But at no point should the CIA, Sarah or Casey send Chuck on missions. That's happened way too much this season and he's actually been called a CIA agent. No. Chuck is a dude. This is like some sorta okay college football player joining the Tennessee Titans just because he shows up to all the games and sneaks onto the field. That doesn't happen. Ever.

4. The comedic characters don't need to be retarded. Everyone in the Buy More is one note. If these characters and the Buy More in general is going to stay around, I need to care about these characters more. There needs to be some depth added to the trio of characters whose names I don't know and Morgan, as soon as possible. Also, when you're watching Chuck being tortured, Sarah defusing a bomb, Casey driving a car through a building, etc...you can't cut to a scene at the Buy More involving a hastily rigged cage match fight for the new management position. The viewer doesn't care. Extreme example, but it's like someone deciding to show "Two and a Half Men" right in the middle of Hurricane Katrina coverage. I am on edge. People are dying. Stuff's going crazy. I don't need to be made to watch an eating contest. Until the show grounds the comedy and figures out pacing, I suggest they save the insanely goofy Buy More stuff for episodes where they can make it the A plot and focus on it, and give a minor spy plot the B status.

5. Fulcrum needs a face. Right now Chuck and company are fighting the idea of a rogue operation. Fulcrum needs a charismatic leader who has a plan that the audience KNOWS about and can get invested in. This would have been perfect for Chuck's ex, but they just sent her to prison. Oh well. Still, Fulcrum needs to get their plan out there and actually start making strides in completing it, and it needs to be huge.

6. Chuck and Sarah need to do it. Yep. They need to be a straight up couple. No more of this will-they-won't-they hooey. The writers need to commit to it, and play it real. If they break up in a year, they break up. If they go great together, they're great together. Period. This would also help Sarah out who, as of now, is a faceless model agent. Her shirking her responsibilities and dating Chuck outright could lead to a lot of great material, like her generally getting more rebellious, getting replaced as Chuck's handler, etc. Ideally they'd break up in a season, which would lead to a lot more emotional drama.

7. Casey needs to be found out. Quick. Casey was sent to kill Chuck in episode one, right? And the bigwig CIA lady they now answer to was the one who wanted him dead, right? Even in an episode as recent as the season premiere...right? Well then...have him try to kill Chuck. Have him kill Captain Awesome. Have him do something that will put this to rest. This is too big of a plot point to not be addressed more often or just completely ended. I was pretty excited when the guy CIA bigwig was killed because I thought it would lead to a different dynamic between the good guys, but it hasn't. She needs to order Casey to kill Chuck and Casey either needs to attempt it and be sent away and replaced or refuse and overthrow the CIA lady bigwig. Yes, that would get rid of some drama but it would clear up Casey's character immensely by firmly aligning him either with or against Chuck and Sarah. He can still be grumpy, but we need to know he either isn't going to kill Chuck or have him try every episode. You can't just toss a plot point like that in there in the first episode and ignore it 90% of the time. Plus, whoever replaces the CIA lady bigwig would obviously throw a monkey wrench into the show by not understanding the dynamic of Casey, Sarah and Chuck.

So yeah. I guess if I was planning the rest of the season, I would...

Reintroduce Chuck's ex as the head of Fulcrum
Have her tell Captain Awesome that Chuck is CIA
CIA Lady Bigwig has Casey kill Captain Awesome
Chuck gets depressed and Sarah falls for him, they start dating
Chuck gets motivated and enrolls in school again, as would Morgan
CIA Lady Bigwig fears Chuck will go rogue and she'll have Casey sent to kill him
Casey doesn't, and CIA Lady Bigwig turns out to be evil, she's killed
New CIA bigwig, fires Sarah and puts her on another assignment
New handler is a Fulcrum agent

Bam, I don't know, that's just off the top of my head. But if all of that happened over the rest of season two, I think it would move the show into a much more fluid place that would keep the audience guessing.

Blah blah blah, I'm hungry.

My Blog Post For November

2008-11-25T12:19:00.002-05:00

You know, I have some spare time. I really do. It's just that I've been spending my spare time watching a lot of television. Like, almost to the levels I watched television at before the MyFaceTwitBlog craze. But unlike my habits back then, I watch mostly junk right now. Seriously, I've been quoting an episode of "Wife Swap" since Friday and I'm way too into "The Pick Up Artist 2." Just be thankful, waning readers, that I haven't felt passionate enough about these shows to do a "Kid Nation" style weekly review. Or maybe I should be doing that. Anything to get me writing again on a regular basis is good.

On the subject of writing, I'm writing a sketch show my friend and new teammate on Iron Ruckus, Frank. It's going along fine, I just have to get some ink cartridges and a suitable work station so I can be productive again. The main excuse I will use that isn't Celebreality related for why I don't write is that I used to do it all at work. Now I can't since work is crazy busy all day everyday. But back on track, we'll be applying for a slot at UCB sometime early next year I'd say, probably Spring-ish actually. But it's happening!

Iron Ruckus performed in Cage Match on October 23rd and had not only our best show ever, but one of the Five Best Improv Shows I've Ever Done. We lost to Hot Sauce but the audience seemed to enjoy us more. Or at least they were very, very into our show. There were people actually sitting on stage, so I'd actually guess that this was the biggest crowd I've ever performed in front of. And, by the way, the five best improv shows I've ever done are...

Bad Data's 18th show, at the Parkside Lounge on January 13, 2008
Final ImproVerité: The Documentary class show on May 6, 2008
First Shannon O'Neill 501 class show (as McCama, currently known as Daddy) on August 12, 2008
X-Men improv show at Bad Date IV on October 11, 2008
Iron Ruckus Cage Match on October 23, 2008

This has been a good year for improv. But...well, before 2008 I had only performed a handful of times on an indie team and in class shows. I can't believe I've only been doing this at this level for a year. It seems like an eternity. In a good way. Right?

I'm pretty lukewarm on the new Of Montreal album. The Kills "Midnight Boom" is really good. 2008 has been a pretty lackluster year for music, for me at least. Tell me more things to download.

And lastly, there's a lil' survey going around asking questions about if you were on a team full of seven other yous. So, a team full of eight Brett Whites.

1. What is your team name?
The Stakes

2. What music do you come out to?
"Milk Crisis" by the Go! Team, about six seconds in.

3. What warmups do you do?
Hugtag, Beastie Boys, Any variation on that one where you have to follow multiple patterns at once while making eye contact. This is seriously called like, 8 different things, but I like all of them.

I could clone this night a hundred times.

2008-10-14T07:39:00.026-05:00

On Saturday night, Bad Data hosted the fourth Bad Date (titled Bad Date IV: Book Of Shadows). Bad Data looked like this...
Yep. My dream of doing improv as the X-Men finally came true, and in a big way. The night also featured "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" improv (hence Jess being all Dark Willow-ed out) and "Law & Order" improv (which is why Kim looks so business-like). But yeah, a childhood of practice finally paid off on Saturday and we all looked a lot more like our characters than when I played X-Men as a kid.
That's me as Gambit, Frank Hejl as Mr. Sinister, Crystal Delahanty as Jean Grey, Laura Zeis as Dazzler, Sam Bradford as Beast, Phil Weintraub as Cyclops, Bryce Richardson as Wolverine and David Bluvband as Nightcrawler. We all got prepared at my apartment in Queens beforehand. It was like getting ready for prom only using much more blue body paint and much less glitter (not that Laura didn't try).
Riding on the subway was even more fun. Somehow when you're dressed like an X-Man, surrounded by six other X-Men, it doesn't seem weird. It actually seems uncanny.
Laura got looks like that all night. I've never seen so much cartoon eye-bugging and tongue elongating in my life. The show itself was actually great. When you do costumed improv or watch it, it seems like a lot of it coasts along on the gimmick. Sometimes it works through sheer insanity (Cosby-prov), other times the gimmick falls flat through lack of commitment on some performers' part (Juno-prov). I think getting in costume and riding the subway and all that really got us all into character because we all owned it. Our suggestion was Catholic. We did a pattern game opening.
Dazzler stepped into a confessional with Nightcrawler, who had a very hard time sitting in his chair normally.
Beast did some amazing object work with test tubes.
Gambit and his son Nightcrawler had a heart to heart about ladies and the ministry.
Dazzler tried to seduce Cyclops, much to Jean Grey's disapproval.
Mr. Sinister: "I cloned your dead ex-wife and set you up on a blind date with her...hope that goes well."
Wolverine stepped in to play the clone. There was much tension.
Mr. Sinister cut to the delivery of their baby, a baby that he then stole and took to the future.Nightcrawler and Gambit picked up a hitchhiker on their way to the Incubus concert.
Cyclops played lead guitar in Dazzler's band while Beast played drums...with his feet.Gambit played a Sentinel just trying to do some office work for Cyclops' law firm.
That wasn't the whole show and there were some amazing lines that escape me right now. Heck, I can't even remember what our blackout was. But, overall, this was one of the best performances I've ever don and it was easily the best Bad Date thanks to solid and great shows put on by Buffy-prov and Law & Order-prov.

I think we'd have to reunite the Swarm and give out hundred dollar bills to all in attendance to top this at Bad Date V.

Pizza Party?

2008-09-24T08:30:00.004-05:00

There are numerous reasons why I don't post here enough. One being that I have enough occupying my time, between a full-time job and (now) four improv teams. The other excuse is that I'm insanely lazy and when I get home, I usually have to go out and be social or sit around and watch really bad television (I watched a RERUN of "WIFE SWAP" last night on LIFETIME). The biggest reason I don't post here enough, though, is because most of what I want to write about has no place on this blog, either because it's too personal and I don't want you to know it, or it's too personal and you'll be bored by it. So, in an effort to solve both of those problems and generate actual content for this here thing, I'm going to post about my two biggest braintime-wasters using a cryptic and shoddy pizza metaphor.

I've been sick at my stomach some lately because of this pizza I eat way too often. It's not like I don't like pizza, don't get me wrong. I eat it all the time because I love it. I mean, in some ways I was born to eat pizza and have been doing so daily well before I started, um, well, eating pizza all the time. But here's the thing: this pizza takes a long time to cook. Seriously, it's intense. The dough is hard to manage, I keep losing the sauce and the pepperonis are really...really...expensive. Not to mention the restaurant keeps getting inspected (twice so far!) and the cost to keep the restaurant open is pretty high. But I mean, worth it because, hey, I love pizza. But goshdarnit if the meal wasn't book-ended not only by the long preparation but a good deal of time afterwards spent in the ol' bathroom. Anything I might get out of that pizza is totally lost by the time I claw my way out of the stall. And you know what? I kinda miss burritos. I really do now that all these anchovies and weird vegetable-esque things have been landing on my pizza. Seriously, didn't ask for those, 'kay?

And the other...

How long do you have to keep a pizza in the oven before you can actually enjoy it?

MPD

2008-09-23T20:49:00.001-05:00

In college I participated in a debate on the pro-side of whether or not multiple personality disorder was real. I wish I had had this video at that time as it not only proves the existence of multiple personality disorder, but at least a dozen other mental disorders not yet catalogued.

It's coke.

2008-09-10T15:04:00.005-05:00

Finally, hardcore data to back up my belief.It's all coke. I'm from Tennessee and this backs me up. People always think this is wrong or confusing, but it's not to me. I just grew up able to figure out whether or not coke was capitalized or not. Like, "Mom, can you please go buy some cokes for my party?" "Yes, I would like Coke to drink." It makes sense to me. I remember this caused some areas of confusion when I worked at the movie theater. Some people would look at me like I was a retard when they ordered a Coke and I asked them if they wanted Coke. Some people, like not-Yankees, knew that I was just trying to clarify coke from Coke, and they would correct themselves ("Oh, yeah, duh, it's all coke. Give me a Sprite."). This also happens to be one of the first questions I ask people, what they call soft drinks. That and what their middle name is.

I can't stand "pop" and won't ever bring myself to say it. It really just sounds pompous, arrogant, completely anachronistic, it really grates on my nerves. I know that's a harsh reaction to a word for soft drinks but I sometimes have it. It doesn't help that it naturally comes out with a very mid-western/northern accent when said, like "paaahp." Soda is okay, it's the lesser of two evils. Once again, in my head this is associated with the annoying "sooo-dah" pronunciation. I'm starting to think growing up in the South has done a number on me.

These regional differences sometimes bug me, or make me realize how different we all can be even though we come from the same America. Seriously, what's a bubbler? And that's a milk shake, hence Steak & Shake, not Steak & Frap (although Frank & Frap would be a good alternative...). This happens all the time in improv scenes. I've had to correct myself many times when talking about toboggans in scenes or monologues, since saying that usually results in odd stares. Toboggans are what you wear on your head in the winter (or in the summer if you're a douchebag, usually with a Korn logo). I think they're called beanies or...touks?...or something, cap? I'm note ven sure. I just know we call them toboggans. This also happened on Sunday in class when I called what most people assumed was a bed skirt a dust ruffle.

And also, is Yankee a really offensive term? I usually say it in jest and to make my Southern charm shine, unlike some members of my family who do say it in anger. Yes, I've become somewhat and oddly proud of my Southern heritage upon moving to the North. It's my rebellious streak, I think.

I need to buy some cokes now. Like Sprite and Dr. Pepper.

How's that for an update?

2008-09-09T10:25:00.009-05:00

I think it's almost time that I started forcing myself to write something every day, even if I have no funny internet-bit to share or new revelation. I always fear that my memory is only as good as my blog entries and that any minute piece of my life will slip away if not cataloged here. So here are some random pieces of me. And I just had a Jewel flashback. And I now have "Who Will Save Your Soul?" stuck in my head. And now you do. Oh, this is bad for all involved.

The biggest recent event for me was Bad Data's one-year anniversary. We debuted last year on Setpember 1st and celebrated on the 6th with Bad Date III. It's been a heckuva year but I'm very proud to be part of a group that has now hit that landmark. It seems like only a handful of teams are still around from when we formed. Okay, I guess that's not so true, but only a handful still perform regularly. The UCB house team lineup is almost completely different, I can definitively say that. I can also definitively say that we've had some amazing group photos.

August 2007

November 2007

December 2007 (by Adam Bozarth)

April 2008

August 2008 (by Brett White)

The show was a great deal of fun. Despite the huge tropical storm and the show being in Long Island City, it was packed to capacity. Fat Penguin and The Scam had awesome sets, as did the lottery team at the end (thank you for not breaking that skull!). There was no dance party/improv jam at the end like normal, but hopefully we'll have all that sorted out with the venue (wherever that may be) in time for Bad Date IV.

I had the first ever MST3K Mondays gathering last night at my place. A very nice turnout, "Pumaman" and Flour Tomato Amy's Pizza Snack Fun Times got the week off to a solid start. Is it Friday yet? I think I'm going to try to have these every week. You know, doing things with friends that don't involve improv or bars is fun.

I'm trying to read more political stuff, but it really feels like trying to read 100 Bullets starting with issue #92 (which I've done...and it's confusing). I don't know so many basic things about government procdure and lingo that, in a normal sized article, there are maybe only 3 sentences I totally understand. I know I'll pick up on things by reading them but my eyes and brain actively resist reading political anythings. I try and I always, without fail, feel my brain withdrawing and thinking about anything else. I think the only time I feel my brain is when it's freaking out about having to read political stuff. I'm trying. If anyone has any tips or useful sites, let me know. I'm sure I could get passionate about politics, but I'm just too behind and uninformed to know where to start. It's daunting task.

My improv 501 class ends next week and this makes me sad. I have never had a class this talented and exciting and I doubt I ever will again. I've learned so much from the class structure and from seeing so many talented people work out their own personal kinks, it's been truly eye opening and entertaining. So supportive, committed, such a great class. We got to do a Harold as senior citizens on Sunday. I had a blast acting like a 70-year-old trying to remember all the things brought up in the pattern game.

I'm currently in the process of re-building my work's MySpace and Facebook pages. Please friend them.

That's about it for now. How's that for an update?

Labor Day!

2008-09-03T18:06:00.048-05:00

I went to the Jersey Shore, Sea Bright to be exact, this past weekend for Labor Day. I don't think I've ever done anything more exotic than going to the river with my family, so going to a beach in Jersey (popularized around the country by MTV True Life's "I'm A Jersey Shore Girl") with well over a dozen improvisers was bound to be an experience.

Bozarth, Patrick and myself all got off work at 3 on Friday afternoon, so we met at my place in Astoria and got into Governor Nigel Canterbury as soon as Anna met us.
The drive wasn't horrible but I did get lost a couple times. Thank you, GPS, for both getting me lost and finding the way again. You are a complicated lady. We did come across a ratty tailoring store between 8th and 9th Avenue (to give you an idea of just how ratty) called Options!, so that was worth it.

My car was the first to arrive at Sea Bright, arriving while Matt Mayer (whose beach house we were staying at) and his lady Sarah were picking up Tyler from the train station in Red Bank. The four of us killed time by going to 7-11 and buying junk, like a cap gun. Good purchase, Patrick.
Question: Is Russian Roulette with a cap gun disturbing or infinitely nerdy? Answer: Mix of both. Bluvband and I just read our comics. Not really, but we did pose for this picture.
Other activities of the night included a couple games of Werewolf and the most hilarious viewing of "Judgment at Nuremberg" to ever happen.
Okay, this was taken during an off moment. But it was hilarious, trust me.

Rob, Bluvband and I went down to the beach in the late hours of the night to scope out the area we would become so familiar with. We found some rocks!
The rest of the night was filled with an insane bit involving the nonexistant titular lines from films. I couldn't come up with any so, after listening to them for about an hour, I went to sleep. And everyone else stayed up for about 3 more hours doing them.

Hello Saturday morning!
We heard from Matt Mayer that there was a good diner for breakfast, so we went. Steve's Diner would feed me breakfast during the entire trip. The grilled muffins were life-changing. I don't think I've ever been as blown away by a breakfast food. Including Rice Krispie Treats Cereal.
Before going to the beach, a car had to go pick Phil up from Red Bank. And not just Red Bank, Jay & Silent Bob's Secret Stash. Kevin Smith's comic store. Yup, a car full went to pick him up. Phil and Rob posed with memorabilia, and we all posed with our purchases.
Enough with the nerdiness, BEACH!
After hitting the beach hard, we crashed.
While Rob slept, we watched all 130 minutes of "Starship Troopers."

Dinner on Saturday was at a place called Something Fishy.
Reviews were mixed overall, but I enjoyed my crab legs.
Of course I played with them.
Patrick played some too.

We got ice cream after that. Dom enjoyed his, as did I. But I don't have a picture of me eating ice cream.
With the arrival of a couple more people, the population of 24 Surf Street hit close to 20. So, like any fledgling community, we gathered around in the dark and told ghost stories.The storytelling then moved outside, and we all gathered around the fire.
This picture happened, although I don't know why.
Sunday morning! We watched about a million John Cougar Mellencamp videos.
Sunday was the day I spent in New York City visiting with all my old "Late Show" buddies. I know pictures were taken but SOMEONE hasn't posted them on facebook yet. I met up with Patrick, who rode back with me Sunday morning, around midnight. We made our way back to Sea Bright in record time and began our beach adventure for a second time. That night was filled with the "Hey, remember when Phil invented laughter?" type bits. I swore to do no bits on this trip, but that didn't happen. Instead I decided to have fun.

Melanie had a huge Rice Krispie Treat that became one of us. Until we ate it.

Dom decided to rig up a trap for all the people in the back bedroom asleep well after us. Apparently, according to Tim, this trap killed Phil.We went to Steve's one last, well-documented time. Oh, sweet grilled muffin!
I never took a picture of the muffins. Huh.
Chris Scott stayed outside on the beach from around 7:30 AM til that afternoon. He's as red as you would think. More beach!
We all capped off the weekend with a "Cops" and "Press Your Luck" marathon. We all learned that Flokati rugs are to be laughed at and you should never, never flag down a cop when someone takes your $20 bill and gives you plaster instead of crack cocaine.

I'm still trying to readjust to life not on the beach.

Bathroom Issues

2008-08-20T19:49:00.005-05:00

I have weird bathroom/privacy issues, too many to list. The one you need to know for this story, or maybe you don't and I just want to share, is that I always use stalls. Always. I think growing up I felt that using a urinal was something that had to be taught to me, like shaving and tying my shoes. It was never taught to me. I started off using stalls and, well, never looked back. This has lead to many awkward situations but...okay, that's getting into the other bathroom issues.

Anyway.

You all know I work at a place where comics runneth like water. They're everywhere. They're all over my desk, on conference tables, stacks all over the place. It's pretty awesome. So last Friday I was in the bathroom, which is usually home to a recent-ish issue of ToyFare or Anime Insider, doing a number one. Peeing. Yeah, I think number one is the universal phrase for that, right? Anyway. I'm peeing and I see that, in the trash bin next to the toilet, floating somewhat at the top over kleenexes, toilet paper, bathroom stuff, is a comic book. I've never seen an actual comic book in the bathroom. It's face down so I can see the back ad, which is an anti-smoking one. I notice, while peeing, that there is a little Twin Towers emblem with a red, white and blue ribbon around it. I instantly recognize this as the emblem that was on all of Marvel's comic books for the six months or so after September 11th. So I've identified the comic, while peeing, as a Marvel comic from late 2001. I then play a game in my head to see if I can guess which title it is. I think Avengers, or Uncanny X-Men until settling on Amazing Spider-Man. I figure I'll turn it over and check it out, before washing my hands. So, after peeing and zipping up, I gently pick the comic book out of the trashcan between my index finger and thumb.

It's an issue of Amazing Spider-Man all right.

It's #36.

The September 11th issue.

The newstand variant that is worth, I kid you not, $80 mint condition. It's also the only issue of JMS and John Romita Jr.'s run on Amazing Spider-Man that I don't have...because it's worth $80.

After freaking out for a second that someone not only took the September 11th issue (you know, the one where Spidey goes to Ground Zero just after the events and helps dig people out of the rubble) to read on the crapper, but they threw it away afterwards...I was faced with a big dilemma.

Do I really need this issue enough to take it, in it's far below average condition, out of the bathroom stall's trash can, into my hands, and into my home? I decided no, I did not, and put it in the larger trash can next to the sink. I sorta regretted it but, honestly, I didn't want to relate this story and then have people freak out when I took it. So yeah, I wanted it but was more worried about what people would think. Then I related these events to my teammates during a stretch-and-share exercise in practice on Sunday and they all flipped out that I didn't take it. So yeah, apparently taking the germ-infested $80 comic from the bathroom actually is the right thing to do.

Knowing that we get the trash taken out like, once a week, I went back on Monday and there it was...still in the big trashcan with a couple paper towels over it. I grabbed it, immediately bagged and boarded it, and brought it home. I've gone through the issue looking for...unsightly stains...and I found none. So, that's good. The issue's not in great shape, I could probably resell it for maybe...maybe $3-$5, but I now have the complete JMS/JRJR run.

And whoever this mystery co-worker is, this week they left the recently published guide to Ed Brubaker's Daredevil in the same trashcan in the stall. I passed that one over. I mean, if I'm going to dig a comic out of the trash, it has to be worth at least $25.

!2YRS!

2008-08-18T19:06:00.016-05:00

Two years ago yesterday I entered New York City (Brooklyn to be exact, Bensonhurst to be painfully honest) with hope in my heart and excitement in every step. At the time I was only coming up here for sixth months, any extension of that stay to be decided after I figured out whether or not I could live by myself in the big city. Believe it or not, New York City is a tad different from Murfreesboro, although New York state is nowhere near as civilized. I get scared up there, ya'll!

I've accomplished quite a bit since moving to New York...I think. Okay, yeah, I now have two entertainment institutions that helped form my opinion of comedy on my resume, so that's pretty awesome. It's quite weird to think about how much I owe to everyone at Late Show and them picking me to intern there two years ago. That opportunity, everything I've done, it all goes back to Late Show. If not for that internship, I have no idea how I would have made it up here. Sincere thanks go out to everyone there.

Two years ago tomorrow night I saw longform improv for the first time (thanks Ashley). It was Mother, Saturday night at 9:00, with Doug Moe, James Eason, Tara Copeland and Jon Daly. That was the four. Seeing that show completely blew my mind and caused me to go back, either by myself or with other interns (okay, just Jon and Ashley), quite often. I saw Mother regularly and eventually saw ASSSSCAT 3000 for the first time in mid-September. By October I had started going to see Death By Roo Roo by myself on a weekly basis. In retrospect, future classmates Beth and Phil were there too, as the intern and fellow audience member, respectively. I did this weekly, actually, and I would always be on the phone in line trying to explain to people why I saw this show every week.

My improv career started on October 15th, 2006, at 3:30 PM when I started my 101 class with Ari Voukydis. Now here I am, two years after seeing my first show. I guess now's as good a time as any to sort out what I've done and where I've come from.

101: Ari Voukydis - This was one of the reasons why my internship was so memorable. Not only was I furthering my career through a fantastic internship, I was taking matters into my own hands and taking a class in my spare time. I figured I was only in New York once and I should go for it while I could. I didn't know if I'd go to level 2 (because I didn't know if I'd still be in New York) and I didn't know what in the world I would use those skills for, but from that first class I knew it was something I was missing. Aside from going to ASSSSCAT a couple times after class, I didn't really hang out with many people from UCB. But it felt good to be a part of something, of a scene, especially being so new to the city. In between the end of my internship in December and the start of my 201 in February, I spent 5 or so nights a week at UCB, always seeing the same people but not talking.

I learned a lot from Ari that I still use to this day. I like to think that I'm pretty okay at object work and this is 100% Ari. I try to never let scenes be in just Improv Space, mainly because Ari did such a great job at making our scenes physical. That's stuck with me, on top of the solid job he did of introducing "Yes And" to me. Ari also boosted our egos by telling us how confident and advanced we were. I remember having game discussions in 101, which I don't know how often that happens. Ari wasn't at our graduation show. Bobby Moynihan filled in and I will never forget the congratulations he gave all of us after the show. He looked me square in the eye, smiling, and said "You were really good!" I'm glad that two of the most awesome guys at UCB were so encouraging and, of course, I had to go on to level 2.

201: Shannon O'Neill - I know I never felt as emotionally destroyed by 201 as others did, but I had a rough go of it sometimes. I don't so much remember what I learned in 201 as who I was learning it with. But if you're reading this far, you've already heard the countless Abe stories. 201 was influential since that's where I first met most everyone who would become Bad Data. My first ever practice group also happened in 201, at Matt Mayer's apartment in Hoboken. I learned a lot about character work in 201, I remember, or at least I tried to. My class show had a moving corpse in it...that really shouldn't have been moving. I did go to Under St. Mark's for the first time during 201, as well as the Magnet and PIT.

301: Shannon O'Neill - This started the very next day after my 201 ended. I know I focused a lot more on support work in 301, which is something that I really want to start focusing on more now. Plus, you know, there was more Abe and The Most Violent Harold In History in my 301 class. Bad Data formed during 301 and I was in and won my first ever Cage Match. Looking back at the lineup, I performed alongside people that would go on to become good friends and part of the thriving indie team community. Really, winning Cage Match during 301 was one of the highest highs I've had in improv. Golden Bullet Band for life.

202: Joe Wengert - This was an eye-opening class. I actually took notes in it that are back in my blog somewhere, if you click on the 202 tag. By the end of the four week class there were only 8 of us, so that last class was, as Joe said, "like Harold team practice." He was the first teacher to actually give all of us personalized notes and goals in front of every other classmate, and I highly appreciated that. And yes, sigh, we're holding improv dildos in that picture to commemorate the...the many improv dildos I introduced into the last Harold we did in the class.

401: Michael Delaney - Class is in session. This, actually, was the hardest class I've ever taken but not in a bad way. Delaney just doesn't let you pick anything to be the game, and he really forces you to your limit as a performer. But he also, at least in my class, really got to know us in a way. He would open up and spend the first ten minutes of every class just talking about his childhood or his son, or whatever came up. Still, I'll never forget the forty minute Harold I watched, or Old Timey Radio...it was great having class with Kim, Matt Mayer and Patrick though. Bad Data got a name and had their first show during this class, and I started interning at UCB.

501: Chris Gethard - Truly amazing. I don't know...I really don't know if I've had a teacher that really cared for us the way Gethard did. He took a personal involvement in making us better and also got great joy at seeing us succeed. Gethard did everything he could to make us uncomfortable (backwards Harolds, gibberish Harolds, etc) but it was exactly what all of us needed and so helpful. The level of trust I got in that class was pretty much a new thing and our second class show was phenomenal. I mean, I got to do a group game that started with "Okay all you Marvel superheroes, get in here!" Gethard also gave us all personal notes, which, man, is the exact same personal note I got in 201 and 401. I get game, I don't need to worry about that. I have to worry about my characters. System Error, the monthly show hosted by LD, TYR and Bad Data, started during my first 501. I haven't been able to make the last couple due to my current 501, but I like what System Error has become. It's always a fun, free time and Bad Data did some of their best shows there.

600: Porter Mason "The Documentary" - Probably, yeah, of any class I've taken, this one is the closest to my heart. I signed up for it to work on my characters after all the notes I had gotten from Gethard, Delaney and Shannon. In this class I learned how to stop freaking out, relax, and just take it slow and real. I've never been prouder of a show and never had more fun with a class. I mean, we kept doing it after class and did a show at UCB. Hopefully we'll keep going in some capacity because this form is so amazing and the people even moreso. Plus, Porter Mason as a teacher and coach was phenomenal. The notes he gave me really helped me out and he's also just a great guy that I can talk about X-Men with.

501: Shannon O'Neill - As awesome as my first 501 and the Doc were, this is it. I mean, okay, Gethard really improved my relationship with improv by being so compassionate and insightful. And yeah, the Doc form is so amazing and the team, coach, class, the shows, they were all such a blast. But this, this class has made the Harold exciting. Shannon splits the class up into teams and you stay with them throughout. Somehow, through doing organic Harolds, the 8 of us, most of whom have never performed together, have formed a truly cohesive unit. There is trust, admiration, camaraderie, and a real group mind that I've not felt before in a class. For 8 people tossed together randomly, we've come together in a great way, both halves. The class show last week (which I will now blog about) was the best thing I've ever done. All of us were on the same page and, man, there's no better feeling than having a good show (at least to me right now). That's why I do improv.

So here I am, seven classes and a handful of workshops later. What is my deal? I think I've become notorious for being hard on myself, which is in part because I think the world of my indie peers. Coming up with these people, with the generation that produced Fat Penguin and Stamp & Coin Club, getting to play monthly with LD + The Scientist and Thank You, Robot, I'm constantly surrounded by truly gifted young improvisers entering their prime. I am constantly trying to figure out where I fit in, but I think I realize that my low points come when I'm trying to figure this out. Most of the Doc was spent trying to justify my inclusion to myself. I have fun when I just don't care. I don't know if that's a good thing, but when I'm really cutting loose I feel great. I have to figure out how to connect that to doing good scene work, but I think Shannon's 501 and my practices with Bad Data and Iron Ruckus of late have been really helpful.

I think I'm finally figuring out where I fit in, which goes back to the notes Porter gave me a while back. I do have a goofy energy that is pretty infectious, and I know that when I'm committed and cutting loose, I get laughs. On the other hand, I really want to learn how to slow down and support more, get some range. I'm definitely an improviser that plays instinctively and through his emotions, so I need to harness that. I wish I had great notes and insights like my friend Ben does after two years, but I haven't taken notes regularly and I have a hard time remembering things. I'm going to change this, though. If I can remember, I'm going to start taking notes during every class and after practice. I just want to be all I can be!

Here's to two more years, am I right?

X15: Favorite Characters - Warpath

2008-07-30T18:27:00.030-05:00

X15 is a series of blog posts celebrating the 15 years of x-fandom I have experienced. From the 15th anniversary of first seeing the X-Men in Fox's animated series (late October 1992) to the 15th anniversary of my first comic book purchase (January 1993), I will explore every facet of Professor Charles Xavier's gifted youngsters.

Unlike the other countdowns I'm doing as part of this blog series, I really can't assign rankings to my favorite characters. Multiple Man is my favorite, but Wolfsbane and Kitty Pryde have both caused me to tear up on occasions, and I probably relate to Cannonball more than any other X-Man. Seriously, the top ten all have a place in my heart. Limiting this to ten was hard enough (I know everyone out there really wants to read a couple hundred words about Maggott, but that will sadly not happen anytime soon).

So, here it goes...

WARPATH
REAL NAME: James Proudstar
FORMER ALIASES: Thunderbird, Proudstar
FIRST APPEARANCE: New Mutants v.1 #16, June 1984
GROUP AFFILIATION: Currently X-Force, formerly Hellions, New Mutants, X-Force, X-Corporation, X-Men
APPEARANCE HISTORY: X-Force v.1 (1991-2001), Uncanny X-Men (2006-2008), X-Force v.3 (2008-Current)
CREATED BY: Chris Claremont & Sal Buscema

Warpath makes my top ten because his personality is so rich and complicated. Possibly without knowing it, every successive writer has placed a new personality on the character that, somehow, has managed to only enhance his previous characterizations. Now, looking back with a critical eye, I can see the evolution of what was initially a carbon copy of a dead X-Man into a truly unique individual who is finally coming into his own and earning some respect.

The X-Force kids live in my heart. Seriously. They have their own Camp Verde right there, next to a ventricle or something. I'm not sure why, but almost half of my top ten favorite characters called Cable a mentor at one point or another. Perhaps it's because I love underused characters. How else can I rationalize loving Boba Fett and Wedge Antilles, two characters that have, maybe, 10 lines between them throughout six Star Wars films. When I started reading comics, I could see the heroes in X-Men and Uncanny every Saturday at 10 AM on Fox. Heck, Cable appeared way more than he probably should have, a result of him being a character created with pretty much every Totally Awesome Gimmick of the early '90s. The X-Forcers were a mystery to me. They had their own book, they had a history, and in the last page of the first issue I bought (#24), it looked like Magneto was going to be appearing in the next issue. Magneto! Big time! In X-Force? Who were these kids?

As I started collecting X-Force, Warpath stood out to me. He was really witty during Rob Liefeld's run on the book, making quips in the heat of battle and not much else. The inner-dialogue Fabian Nicieza gave him, though, really piled on the angst. I mean, back in the day he did try to murder Professor X for "letting" his older brother, the X-Man Thunderbird, die on his second mission. With a start like that he's always going to have some emotional problems. But the way it was balanced with wise-cracks was unheard of to me back then. After Liefeld left, Nicieza introduced Warpath's undying and unrequited love for Siryn. Warpath nursed her when she was hungover and helped her with her alcoholism. As this happened, knowingly or not, Nicieza quieted Warpath's rage and his humor. He just became a really stand-up and mature guy, all through his interaction with probably the first woman he ever loved.

Jeph Loeb's run on X-Force took Warpath in a different direction, but one that needed to happen. Adam Pollina gave him a haircut, toned down his muscle mass, and gave him (and the rest of the team) cutting edge fashion. Warpath stopped moping about Siryn, quit the team, hooked up with the mysterious mutant Risque and shirked all responsibility. For a character so defined by rage and so hung up on a woman who just wouldn't return his love, it was great to see this relationship with Risque and even better to see it blow up in his face. He loved and learned, much like people do. In real life. Comics can be like real life!

When he returned to X-Force after a brief sabbatical, he was a much more whole person. He had accepted his relationship with Siryn and put the demons of his past behind him, leading him to ditch the name Warpath for his surname for a while. Warpath became a solid team player and a supportive friend. Then Warpath gained the ability to fly and I really stopped caring. The early 2000s weren't a good time for him. Grant Morrison banished him to the Mumbai X-Corporation alongside Feral, a character that...well...had ripped Siryn's vocal chords out in front of his face a couple months prior. For a continuity nut like me, that was unreasonable.

Thankfully Ed Brubaker came along, jettisoned the ridiculous flying power, gave him back the codename Warpath, and finally made him an X-Man. Brubaker's take on the character was once more cocky and battlesmart, but also respected by his peers (including Nightcrawler and Wolverine who joined the X-Men alongside his older brother). Warpath held his own. Brubaker even remembered Warpath's friendship with Caliban from their stint on X-Force together following Caliban's death. Warpath is back home in a title called X-Force that doesn't really star the X-Force I love, but he's still being written well and treated with respect. Honestly, it's this portrayal that put him in my top ten. Before this, I seriously thought Warpath would never be viable, exciting or treated well again. Thanks to one writer's interest and dedication to making him a great character, he's now a big part of the X-Men saga. Thanks, Ed.

When I asked Billy Tan, the artist who introduced Warpath to the X-Men alongside Brubaker, to draw James Proudstar for me, he was surprised to hear that he was one of my favorite characters of all time. He has the spirit of a warrior, a mouth full of quips, and supports his friends to the very end. Sounds like a great character to me.

FAVORITE WARPATH COVERS

WARPATH ACTION FIGURES

I hate indie music.

2008-07-24T15:08:00.006-05:00

Shock! Truth! Zounds! Scandal! The title of this blog would have been completely inaccurate and voted "Sentence I Will Never Type/Say" if we all hopped into the wayback machine and visited an 18 year old me as he first started college. "I love indie music," I would have said before telling you all about my love for The Strokes and Interpol.

Then something happened. Something...truly chilling. Indie music got way boring.

It was easy for me to keep up with the stuff in college. I DJed at the college radio station and had access to all the new releases. My show, both solo and the ones I co-hosted, were of the indie persuasion so I, well, I played indie music. And I knew about it, oh I knew about it.

Then I moved to New York.

One would think that moving to the busiest and most important city in the country (if not the world, people, the world) would have made me a hip-happening guy with all the latest jams on his iPod and the most obscure hits in his heart. Interning at "The Late Show" got me loads of new CDs by bands I otherwise would never have listened to (The Go! Team, Hot Chip, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah) but that didn't matter. A free box at a late night talk show is nowhere near as fast as the internet.

Before I, nay, the entire country knew it, bands were popping up left and right. Every one of these bands was important, every one of them were critical darlings, and every gosh darn one of them was absolutely the hottest-most-in-thing...until they release another album, that is. Bands and artists like Aesop Rock, Bat for Lashes, Battles, Beirut, Cool Kids, Dan Deacon, Deerhunter, Jans Lekman, LCD Soundsystem, Liars, Okkervil River, Man Man, Yeasayer, Black Lips, Cut Copy, Fleet Foxes, Foals....ugh, I could just go on and on. And that's the problem! Everyone has a blog and everyone reads blogs, so everyone who goes to a show writes about every show they see, and everyone else reads these blogs about other shows and then they all trade MP3s and send mix CDs and blah blah blah it never ends. There's no filter.

I know that as a young, "hip" New Yorker I should loathe major labels and all that but, honestly, I thank them for weeding out the crap. Let's look at the late '70s. Television. Talking Heads. The Ramones. Blondie. The B-52's. Major labels snatched them up and pressed their records and, hey, that's the only way people heard them. Instead of listening to every single band that sounded just like Talking Heads and having every single one of them be praised, we just got Talking Heads and never got to hear the second rate copies. Now, thanks to the blogs/the internet, we get EVERY. SINGLE. BAND. that sounds like the Talking Heads. Do we really need Grizzly Bear, Man Man and Yeasayer when only one will do? My Brightest Diamond when we have Regina Spektor? Hot Chip, Of Montreal, LCD Soundsystem? I know I'm treading on Andy Rooney territory (please stop reading if I go off on a tangent about people carrying bags), but it's all too much.

And it's all too boring.

The kids who listen to and write about this stuff live in their Brooklyns and wear their American Apparels and work at their hip record labels. They don't eat meat and are liberal as all get out. And the music they listen to? Well...it's...um, well it's quite boring. Whispered chants, guitars that will blow away with the slightest gust of air, sparse drums, it's the lightest of flower power folk dressed up like The Ramones. Back in my day, indie rock had some gusto, some flair, and lots of attitude. Hate on them all you want, but The Strokes are much more charismatic and rock and roll than anyone in Vampire Weekend. I guess I'm simple minded, but I need my songs loud, fast, and insanely catchy, three things that used to go hand in hand with indie rock.

I've been trying to find new bands lately by downloading anything on Stereogum and, well, it's made me quite depressed. I've listened to the songs, okay, and Deerhunter, Islands, Les Savy Fav and Dirty Projectors blow. And for all the hype, there is nothing fun or enjoyable about half of Arcade Fire's songs and nothing really exciting about LCD Soundsystem.

That's my opinion.

Suck on it, Pitchfork. Your Top 100 songs of 2007 was way lame.

It's never too soon.

2008-07-23T19:34:00.013-05:00

I usually start thinking about Halloween in the summer. Not the candy, which I think about and consume daily (I had a whole big bag of Peanut Butter M&Ms for breakfast!). Not the dancing/partying, which is fun but done to celebrate things other than Halloween. Nope, I start thinking about my costume. Yeah, I could wear my costumes at other times during the year since most all of them are in the comic book realm. It's just, well, I work at comic conventions and approaching Peter David for an interview while dressed as Madrox the Multiple Man just...seems...odd. So yeah, Halloween is my one chance to go costume crazy.

Before I reveal my 2008 Halloween costume, here are some from years past. And yes, my Mom helped.

Nightcrawler (2000)

P. Diddy (2001)

Charles Nelson Reilly (2002)

Austin Powers (2003)

Fred Schneider of the B-52's (2004)

Tim Canterbury from the UK "Office" (2004)

Han Solo (2004)

Peter Parker (2005)

A member of The Hives (2006)

Multiple Man (2007)

I've decided to do another X-Men costume, of course. This time I'll be doing the original X-Men school uniform, as worn by the New Mutants. And since I'm not blond or Brazilian or, um, a lady...I will be myself as a member of the New Mutants.

This costume is going to be tight. Literally.

Chicagothon

2008-06-30T13:38:00.027-05:00

I know this blog has been pretty dead lately for reasons both unreasonable and understandable, but I have a very good excuse for the last five days inactivity: Wizard World Chicago. Oh, and my car was busted into on Sunday night/Monday morning, so that explains the couple days before that. And I was in Tennessee for a couple days before that, so that's excusable too. Okay, enough with the excuses, on to the real meat of this here word collection.

Wizard World Chicago is the biggest convention we do. It is three full and long days with a preview night tacked on and, for the first time ever, loads of nighttime events that extended my work day well into the night. I stood a lot, I ran a lot and I shouted directions at aimless fans a lot, but I also geeked out a lot, laughed a lot, and awkward-danced a lot. It was pretty stupendous.

Adam, Jodie and myself got there early Wednesday morning and checked into the hotel which was located across the street from the convention center. I love hotels!

It was so modern! I mean, for a hotel.

Wednesday was spent stuffing around 21,000 bags with free Magic: The Gathering card decks.
That is maybe a third of them. Maybe.

I still don't buy that I actually have cobbled together enough social aptitude to function amongst people who I respect and admire, but that's what is still happening. I spent most of the weekend in Artist Alley where all the comic creators sit at their tables to meet fans and avoid the insane crowds of the retailer and lobby sections. There I talked to many people about many things (yes, mostly about comics and yes, mostly about X-Force), but also a bit about game shows and Nashville. While patrolling the Alley, I picked up three more additions to my X-Force project. I now have Freddie E. Williams II's Shatterstar...

...Chris Uminga's Sunspot...

...and Mike Norton's Cannonball to frame and place on my wall...or frame and leave sitting on the back of my couch.

Continuing with X-Force (of course), the creator of the team and many of its characters was present at this convention. Rob Liefeld and five of the other Image founders reunited for a two hour retrospective panel. Say what you will about Rob Liefeld, but I can't think of any other artist that brings as much energy and pure excitement to comics as he does. After I watched a guy in a very homemade Deadpool costume (sweatpants does not a merc-with-a-mouth make) hold a sword to Liefeld's throat for a picture at Liefeld's request, I shook the man who created Domino's hand and had him sign a copy of X-Force #1 that I bought about three minutes prior for a dollar.

So I got three commissions, two of which were from guys I personally invited to the convention and helped promote their stuff with online content, and one autograph from the...well, The Rob Liefeld. Artist Alley? Success.

On Thursday night we had our first after hours event, a Hero Initiative benefit displaying all 100 hand illustrated covers of the recent Hulk #1. Me and Wizard World's own Jodie were escorting Peter David, a name you guys might recognize from past sentences I've written including the words favorite, writer, and ever, to the event when I stopped to drop his backpack off in the show office so he wouldn't have to carry it all night. I then found out the show office was closing at the same time the convention floor was, which was right then. It was at that moment that I made a decision that I followed through on until a fateful hand guided me in another direction: I decided to carry and keep up with Peter David's backpack for him at the Hulk event. The man that wrote X-Factor #84, defined Multiple Man, named Wolfsbane, I owed him this. Until he saw me carrying it at the event and took it back for fear of being a burden before I could protest. That's Mr. David there, to the right, with his backpack and three other guys who got into the event for free by wearing torn purple pants. One guess what's in those cups, heyo.

Guest of Honor Warren Ellis did 'performance art' on Friday night. This consisted of him reading aloud from his upcoming book and answering questions, pretty much the norm for a panel. Why was it called performance art?
That sums it up, right?

Since it as already close to 10 PM and I was entering my fourteenth hour of on-my-feet nonstop work, I spent the first part of this event backstage eating pizza and chilling out max and relaxing all cool (which is a Fresh Prince reference which I'm just now remembering is appropriate for our last con in Philly and not Chicago...man it all runs together). I went out for the Q+A session which, really, was amazing. Ellis is really nice and personable, something that I would not have assumed from the sheer level of insane genius that is his body of work. But there he was, chatting with fans and answering their questions and giving life lessons for close to three hours when he could have been back at his hotel room with his self-proclaimed best friend, whiskey. Well, actually, his best friend was by his side at the podium so I guess he wasn't lonely. Anyway, he's truly a great speaker and the many hours went by quickly thanks to his darkly dazzling wit. I cut out early when I started falling asleep in the audience (from exhaustion, not boredom) and feared Ellis would make fun of me. He already told our photographer that he could kill him with his eyes. Success!

I made it a point to drop in on as many panels as I could since, for the first time ever, we had them every hour on the hour instead of leaving a half hour buffer in-between. I witnessed some truly great moments, most of which I were fairly convinced they were going to crash and burn. I helped put together a panel about podcasting which, to be honest, I didn't think would be a hit. It was assembled by a lot of Chicago's comic book podcasters (podcasting is BIG in Chicago I tell ya, BIG!) and moderated by DC writer and nice-guy-extraordinaire Sean McKeever. How many people were going to come out and see this? Apparently a lot. It was in the smallest room, yes, but there were no seats available. My knowledge of podcasting is minimal at best, but for the seven-ish minutes I was there I was entertained. Success.

I was also worried about Robert Kirkman's panel, only because I've heard he doesn't do many conventions and it was a last minute addition, but once again I was completely wrong. The man is hilarious and the only space left in the room was the safe distance people required around their highly collectible and newly purchased treasures. I've never laughed so hard at a convention, I would have to say. Success. Bendis versus Johns panel, success. "Moral Orel" panel, success. Pretty much every room was always jam packed.

Okay okay okay, I know you guys want to see people in costumes. That's the main attraction of conventions, right? Right? I mean, really, is that right? I have no clue, but here are some of the ones I remember...

...that I got sick of seeing...

...that I was greeted by...

...that I did not touch skin-to-skin...
...that I made fun of earlier and now think is kinda more what Deadpool would look like in real life...

...that I was amazed by...

...that confused me in so many ways...

...and two that trump all others.

Yes. A dad dressed as Mojo and his daughters as Spiral and Dazzler, shown in the above picture showing her dad the star that fell off her costume. If you ever wondered what concerned parent Mojo looked like, look no further. Here's a side view. This costume is insane.

The creepiest costume had to belong to the guy dressed as Granny Goodness. For some reason, guys crossing the gender line is even weirder when done in superhero costumes (see the above Supergirl picture). I saw this photo being taken on the floor and it weirded me out.

Now, I know that the photo is only as creepy as any other photo of a man with granny hair in spandex holding an unsuspecting baby. Now, imagine witnessing the granny man giving the baby back to the mother after the picture was taken...and the mother giving granny man back the camera.

...

The mother didn't want her baby's picture taken with Granny Goodness. Granny Goodness wanted his picture taken with that baby.

...

Moving on. Wizard World Texas is in November and since we have four months to plan for it, I think it'll be pretty darn amazing. On a side note, the Win, Lose or Draw game we played with comic book artists went pretty darn well. All I'm saying is that me hosting Match Game with comic book writers in Texas doesn't look that far-fetched now. After all, I have experience hosting Match Game.

Man, I had fun in college.

X15: Favorite Covers 80-61

2008-06-18T18:17:00.024-05:00

Covers 90-81

80. Deadpool (volume 3) #4
Ed McGuinness, 1997
79. Cable #92
Michael Ryan, 200178. X-Force #66
Adam Pollina, 1997

77. The Loners #1
Jason Pearson, 2007

76. X-Factor #16
Walter Simonson, 1987

75. Uncanny X-Men #266
Andy Kubert, 1990

74. X-Force #52
Adam Pollina, 1996

73. X-Men #50
Jim Steranko, 1969

72. X-Factor (volume 3) #1
Ryan Sook, 2006

71. Uncanny X-Men #476
Billy Tan, 2006

70. X-Men (volume 2) #80
Carlos Pacheco, 1998

69. X-Men #126
Dave Cockrum, 1979

68. Uncanny X-Men #169
Paul Smith, 1983
67. X-Men #17
Jack Kirby, 1966

66. X-Men (volume 2) #41
Andy Kubert, 1995

65. Astonishing X-Men (volume 3) #12
John Cassaday, 2005

64. X-Men (volume 2) #44
Andy Kubert, 1995

63. X-Factor (volume 3) #7
Ryan Sook, 2006
62. Uncanny X-Men #219
Bret Blevins, 1987
61. New Mutants #38
Art Adams, 1986

Digsy Doodles IV

2008-06-17T21:29:00.005-05:00

I started another project that I won't finish! This time it's to draw every X-Man in the order they joined in my favorite costume of theirs. Here are the first three.

PROFESSOR X
(Jim Lee's 1991 design)

JEAN GREY as MARVEL GIRL
(Don Heck's 1967 design)

CYCLOPS
(John Cassaday's 2006 design)

It's June?!

2008-06-17T20:47:00.014-05:00

I have a million excuses for why this blog has been barren for the last two months, but none of which you care to read. I've been working way too hard over the last two months and have even traveled. I don't even foresee the blog becoming active again in the near future since, yes, I'll be traveling some more. It's crazy, I know, I never thought I'd get a job that would send me to the far corners of America but, well, here I am. Actually I didn't think I would get a job that would send me to the far corners of New York on a daily basis, but whatever. If we're friends on Facebook then you've been seeing the almost daily updates I post there. In my brief tenure at my new job I've interviewed and had conversations with many of the people whose work I admire, adore and obsess over. Hey everybody, Chris Claremont and Peter David have read my name many many times and responded to my e-mails. That's RIGHT.

I went to Philadelphia for my first Wizard World convention. I got a bag full of free artist sketchbooks given to me after interviewing them, as well as a couple of really awesome commissions (pictured below, just waiting for you to click on them to enlarge).

Work has been pretty overwhelming lately, and that's the main reason I haven't been on here. I spend all day writing press releases and transcribing interviews, so I usually don't feel like doing any extracurricular creativity. My new year's resolution to write five pages a week has completely tanked, obviously, but since I now have a "published" interview with Peter David I can't really complain.

Since I last blogged, I auditioned and failed at getting on a UCB Harold team, lost Cage Match, started performing with another improv group called Iron Ruckus (pictured right, which you can also click on to enlarge), had both Bad Data and (the soon-to-be-renamed) ImproVerite: The Documentary get accepted into the Del Close Marathon and started practicing a new form with a new coach in Bad Data. I was really hitting some performance high points before Memorial Day (playing David Letterman, Kurt Loder and a Rivers Cuomo wannabe all in THE SAME SET at ImproVerite's last show) and WW Philly took me away from improv for two weeks and caused me to return to the fold back at average. Ho hum. Improv is all about peaks and valleys, so I know it'll swing back around. I've enrolled in Shannon O'Neill's 501 starting when I get back to NYC on July 13th. That should be what I need.

Okay, well, that's about it for now. I may try to post mini-blogs or something daily-ish for a little bit, just to get back in the habit of this. For a while I was trying to make this blog more focused and not so "Hey ya'll, here's what I did blah blah," but I don't really have the time for anything else right now.

Going Con Crazy!

2008-04-19T19:14:00.008-05:00

The last comic convention I went to was in 1995. I was in the 6th grade, chubby, and very much a bowl-cut enthusiast. I don't remember much except that I met Stan Lee and had him autograph an X-Men trade paperback that remained framed on my wall until I moved to New York.

Thirteen years later and I'm the associate editor of the Wizard conventions department and producing nerd heaven in LA, Philly, Chicago and Texas each year is in my job description. I've spent this weekend scoping out the competition (New York Comic Con) and pretty much having the best two workdays anyone could imagine. Wizard World's entire presence at the convention is to make contacts and introduce ourselves to as many people as possible. It's a brand new day in Wizard World and we're here to let the people know. I tell you, I don't know if there's a better feeling than being able to talk to creators that you straight up admire and then be able to offer them publicity on our website (which I pretty much write). These guys have given me my favorite stories, now I get to help them sell comic books. It's a pretty awesome feeling.

The list of creators that I got to introduce myself to and praise heavily is pretty lengthy. Paolo Rivera, Khoi Pham, C.B. Cebulski, Billy Tan, Fred Van Lente, Clayton Henry, Greg Pak, Mike Choi, Mark Brooks, Joe Kelly, Art Baltazar, Jim Calafiore, Mark Morales, Peter David, Aaron Lopresti, Tommy Lee Edwards, Bob McLeod, Emily Warren, David Nakayama, and Christina Strain all got a face full of me over the last two days! I have been incredibly surprised at just how nice and friendly and approachable all of these people have been. I went to a DC cocktail party on Thursday night where I immediately reverted into awkward middle school mode and stood in the corner most of the night. The only person I really talked to on my own was Art Baltazar (artist for the awesome Tiny Titans) and he remembered me when I went by his booth today. He's hilarious, as is his creative partner and Titans author Franco. The two of them have a comedic chemistry up there with Larry and Balki, except both are funny and neither are foreign. While I interviewed Art and Franco, Art drew the most awesomely adorable Nightcrawler I've ever seen.

I spent most of Friday introducing myself and handing out business cards, not really using the digital recorder I had on me. Maybe I was still nervous. Scratch that, I definitely was. I left yesterday determined to rack up interviews since I only got one with Mike Choi. On Saturday I managed to interview seven creators, interviews that were definitely helped by my ridiculously detailed memory of comic credits. These will be transcribed and put on Wizard World starting on Monday, theoretically. I'm pretty excited.

Instead of going up to people I really admire and giving them a business card and calling it a day, I went and grabbed my favorite issue of theirs (pretty much every comic in existence can be found in the bajillion dollar bins at the con) to gush about before giving them the wizard spiel. The first autograph was from Joe Kelly, author of Deadpool and one of my top three favorite eras of X-Men. I introduced myself by telling him that his work on those two books reshaped the way I view, read, and write everything...which is pretty much the absolute truth. The man is a living legend in my mind just from his work on Deadpool and X-Men. He was flattered and signed my X-Men #70.

The other big name to get was Peter David, the man I claim as my favorite writer of all time. The guy made Multiple Man who he is so that's enough right there. Meeting him was and actually being able to tell him to his face that he has made me love these characters was oddly rewarding. I asked if he wanted to promote anything for his upcoming Wizard World Philly appearance and he handed me a copy of his new novel Tigerheart, which I plan on reading so I can conduct an interview with him about it.

The other autographs were all great to get. I had Tommy Lee Edwards sign one of my favorite comics of all time. Even though he said he wasn't pleased with how the issue came out, I'm glad he drew it. Bob McLeod, co-creator of the New Mutants, signed an issue of the series for me. He is a true veteran and to meet the man who created Cannonball...priceless. I scored a two-for-one when I stopped by to see Mike Norton. He penciled the Gravity limited series that I really enjoyed and suggested that I get the writer to sign it as well since he was standing behind me. In one fell swoop I got Sean McKeever and Mike Norton's autographs.

I really wanted to commission Mike Norton to draw Gravity and Tommy Lee Edwards to draw Siryn, but I had already spent too much money and couldn't afford it. Most every artist at the cons will draw whatever character you like. The prices vary from $5 to $100 based on how popular the artist is and if you want a full body picture or just a head shot. When I got my Nightcrawler for free I decided that that was good enough. I walked around with my buddy Ethan all day Saturday (he was there blogging for Wizard) as he got artists to do sketches of the Mad Hatter. While wandering around we came across two incredibly lively young guys just outside of artist alley. They were loud, laughing, and drawing up a storm. Seriously, the crowd around these two guys was as big as some of the Marvel and DC people and they're still trying to make it. They were giving out headshots for $5 and the talent both of them have is on par with some of the big names. Ethan got them to do Mad Hatter for him and I gave them a business card. They're coming to Philadelphia and were ecstatic when I told them that I can promote them on the website. This is when I realized that I love my job and I can make a difference. I came across these two amazing artists who are waiting for their big break, and I can give them exposure. It's a great feeling! I commissioned them both to draw Deadpool for me, and I can't wait to pick them up tomorrow and possibly get an interview with these guys. I have one of their business cards (Antonio Clark). Check him out!

I've also decided that I'm going to commission artists to draw X-Force characters for me at every con. I may swing back by Art Baltazar tomorrow and get him to draw Cable for me.

My conversation with Christina Strain, the spectacular colorist for Runaways, was memorable. She was pleased that I love her work and I asked her some questions about it. We talked about Old Lace, Joss Whedon, the upcoming storylines, a great conversation. She said she likes doing Wizard cons but always feels like she's low on Wizard's totem pole. I said "Well, you're high up on my totem pole." And "Ha! I like your totem pole!" was how she responded. Christina Strain likes my totem pole. Awesome.

The only disappointment was not getting John Romita Jr. to sign Uncanny X-Men #210. It's my favorite comic cover of all time and it's also the wallpaper on my cellphone (which I would have shown him had I met him). I saw he was doing an official Marvel signing at 3:30 when I went by his booth at 2:30. I rushed around to find a cheap copy of the issue, finally finding one for $3 after finding two for over $20. I got to the Marvel booth just as they cut the line off, so I missed him. Oh well, I'll hold on to the issue for a future convention.

All in all a great weekend. I spent around $100 and got all this.

I am aware of that.

2008-04-04T15:46:00.003-05:00

I have just finished my first week as Associate Editor of the conventions department for Wizard Entertainment and I am exhausted. Partly because I've done a lot of work this week but mostly because I've dealt with a total of 25ish hours spent on buses, subways, and walking along highways commuting to and from work. Yeah, I'm beat. Thankfully my awesome parents drove my car up here last night and today, so I'll be back on the road come Monday morning.

The highlight of the work, or the story that I will tell for the rest of my life, is how I was told to call Chris Claremont literally within ten minutes of starting my first day of work. For those of you not in the know, Chris Claremont basically jump started the X-Men 33 years ago and turned them into the powerhouse they are today. Around 80% of the material you saw in the three X-Men films was based on his stories. Nearly all of my favorite characters were created by him (Multiple Man included). He was the voice of my favorite comic of all time for around sixteen years. And I had to call him to invite him to our upcoming convention in Philadelphia. I made sure to test out my sales pitch on other creators first (Mark Brooks and Phil Jiminez, pretty big comic artists whose work I enjoy). When I called Claremont I tried to remain cool and I pretty much did. I saw in the notes that I should mention that Marvel wanted Claremont to promote New Exiles, so I made sure to mention it. "Marvel wants you to promote New Exiles." And he replied, in his vaguely British accent, "I am aware of that." Nice.

On Tuesday I talked to an NYJedi who, when I told him I live in New York and saw them march in the Halloween parade, told me I should drop by and take a lightsaber fighting class at their facility. So much of me thinks this would be awesome for both a good story and also because I kinda want to learn how to build and fight with a lightsaber.

It's been a crazy week and I'm sure I'll have more stuff to talk about soon. I already have some articles up on www.wizardworld.com here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Comics: 3-19-08

2008-03-29T11:27:00.003-05:00

ANGEL: AFTER THE FALL #5
Plot: Joss Whedon & Brian Lynch
Script: Brian Lynch
Illustrator: Franco Urru
Colorists: Jason Jensen & Art Lyon
Letterer: Robbie Robbins
Editor: Chris Ryall

Another over-priced issue of Angel. I'm still paying $4 for a decent story and absolutely dreadful art. So far this series has provided a nice amount of surprise even if it sometimes feels a little over-the-top. I'm still wondering why werewolf girl from one (bad) episode in season five now gets a major part. The rest of the characters are all behaving like themselves and Lynch has really managed to write for these characters in a consistent and believable manner. That's the only high point of this series. Whereas previously my only noticeable complaint was the ugly pencils and ill-defined inks, I can now add garish coloring to the list. Everything has a rubbery shine and the coloring team colors like they're using a box of 8 crayons. There is no reason why Lorne's horns, eyes, lips, and crown should all be the exact same shade of Crayola red. Maybe IDW can't afford real coloring software. This issue ends on a nice cliffhanger and the next three issues focus on the first night of the big Hell attack on LA. One issue is drawn by John Byrne, so I'm excited to see how much this series improves when it's illustrated by someone with real experience.

MY SCORE: 7.8/10

THE ORDER #9
"9: Dennis --or--Bad Moon Rising"
Writer: Matt Fraction
Breakdowns: Barry Kitson
Pencils: Javier Saltares
Inks: Stefano Gaudiano & Derek Fridolfs
Colors: Sotocolor’s J. Roberts
Letterer: Artmonkeys Studios
Editor: Alejandro Arbona
Supervising Editor: Warren Simons
Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley

You can read this review at Comixfan.

Fat Bad Robot Club

2008-03-26T17:44:00.007-05:00

Of course it's been a while since I did a non-comic related post. That's how things go, apparently. I've been journeying through the wild world of temping and boy has it been interesting. I worked for Juilliard for a week, helping with their audition process. This involved me sitting in front of a door for around eight hours, breaking every fifteen minutes to knock on the door to tell the rehearsing instrumentalist that it was time for them to go down to their audition. During this time I read all of Mortified: Love is a Battlefield, David Sedaris' Naked and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, The Kinks: A Very English Band, and most of Bob Newhart's I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This. All of the Sedaris intake led me to write two humorous (hopefully) essays that will probably find their way to this blog at some point. I also wrote another five pages in my comic book and was interrogated by Asian men in blue smocks. The week at Juilliard was pretty grand. I've also temped for Classic Media and EuroRSCG, both of which lasted a day and weren't as interesting, although I've never seen an office as amazing and high class and modern as the one at Classic Media. It was pretty awesome. Hardwood floors, light walls, a huge aquarium, Eames-like chairs everywhere, and awesome prints of the cartoon characters they represent on every wall.

Improv has been going well. Between Cage Match, Harold Night, and the Chris/JR/Anna birthday party, I've had plenty of good times with good people (or the Fat Bad Robot Club). All it takes is a good house party for me to realize how lucky I am to be part of such an amazing scene with such truly friendly and funny people. When all you do is go to improv shows with people, you miss out on a lot of their personality. I'm glad nights like that happen so we can all do something other than the make-em-ups. I think a karaoke party is in order. Last night was the first time I stayed at Harold for all five teams and the 600 show in months. I saw Fwand perform their last show to a standing ovation and 1985 do a backwards Harold without warning. Nights like that remind me why I go to shows and what my goals as an improviser are.

I ventured to the Russian & Turkish Baths on that Saturday with Ethan for his small birthday celebration. I'd never been to a sauna or steam room before, so it was all a new experience... experienced in ill-fitting trunks and nothing else. After reading the essay in Naked about David Sedaris' experience in a nudist camp, it was all I could think of after putting my clothes on again. I had gotten so used to seeing people barely dressed for the almost three hours we were there that putting on clothes again seemed weird at first. Truly odd since I was meeting two of these people for the first time and was immediately introduced to them in all their glory. This was a lot of fun and is exactly the sort of thing I need to do this year. It was a true New York experience, even if I wasn't solicited for sex like in stereotypical bath houses.

I kept up the "non-improv fun time" theme the next day with a small Easter get together. I hooked up the Nintendo and we all had a nice relaxing time fighting with sticks and watching both Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Turtles on Oprah, which will become a viral video whenever I figure out how to get it on YouTube. The night got me wondering why a faithful live-action adaptation of Super Mario hasn't happened yet. Playing "Super Mario 3" had me itching to write the screenplay, even though I already have one passion project with my draft of X-Men 4. But really, wouldn't it be awesome to see a big Italian guy crawling through a pipe only to drop out of it, land on top of a ferocious turtle, pick up his shell and chuck it at an ornate box, thus knocking a giant leaf out of it. It'd be pretty rad. In my head it is.

Things are going well right now and fingers crossed that I get a real job.

Comics: 3-12-08

2008-03-21T12:12:00.008-05:00

FANTASTIC FOUR #555
"World's Greatest 2 of 4"
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciler: Bryan Hitch
Inkers: Bryan Hitch & Paul Neary
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: VC's Rus Wooton
Associate Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley

Millar and Hitch continue their run with a new issue four weeks after the last one came out. Yes, that's how a monthly book is supposed to be done but for a Millar/Hitch book, it's a pretty phenomenal feat. If they get the third issue out on April 9th, there may be hope for a hitch-less run (pun way so intended). This issue isn't as much slam-bang fun as the last one since most of this issue plays with the exciting reveal of last issue. This issue's only new development is almost a head scratcher and would be a detriment if I thought it wasn't going somewhere. Johnny's Storm's mystery villain/make-out buddy is initially void of personality and possesses very ill-defined powers (she makes things go...um, she throws things and, well...she can cause riptides or earthquakes or...huh?). Johnny accuses her of trying to raid a diamond truck but nothing on any of the pages makes that clear to the audience and their make-out session almost seems to be the stuff of mind control. It's jarring but I know it's going somewhere, so I can't really fault it yet. Other than that it's a solid issue and I'm looking forward to seeing the FF fight a force of nature that is, in fact, nature and not Galactus.

MY SCORE: 8.5/10

MIGHTY AVENGERS #10
"Time Is On No One's Side"
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciler: Mark Bagley
Inkers: Danny Miki & Crimelab Studios' Allen Martinez
Colorist: Justin Ponsor
Letterer: Dave Lanphear
Assistant Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley

The most fun I've had looking at a comic in years. For this time travel issue, the creative team went back and actually made every page look like an old comic from 1975. Footer notes, newsprint coloring effect, faded off white pages, it's done with such detail and enjoyment that it leaps off the page and into the reader. The story itself isn't so spectacular; Iron Man, Sentry and Dr. Doom try to find a time machine to get back home without disrupting the time-stream. Snappy dialogue and seeing the Marvel of days past make this issue special, particularly the panel where Doom admires Mastermind's abilities and then says that more people hate Iron Man now than Doom. Great great great exchange. Mighty Avengers is a great old-school hero comic and it's showing no signs of slowing down.

MY SCORE: 8.8/10

X-FACTOR v.3 #29
"The Only Game In Town 1"
Writer: Peter David
Penciler: Valentine De Landro
Inker: Andrew Hennessy
Colorist: Jeromy Cox
Letterer: VC's Cory Petit
Editor: Aubrey Sitterson
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley

X-Factor has made a habit of addressing the problems that the other x-books forget. M-Day was first, last issue we had the impact of the super covert (sarcasm) X-Force, and this issue we have the dissolution of the X-Men. As the only game in town, hence the story arc's title, Madrox is determined to keep the team together even though most of the others have other ideas. This team has really come together to be one of the most dynamic casts in all of Marvel and I love seeing David come up with new obstacles for them. I'm excited about where everything in this book is going, even more so now that Larry Stroman is returning after almost 16 years away. This is a great time to be an X-Factor fan.

MY SCORE: 9.1/10

Comics: 3-05-08

2008-03-18T16:46:00.012-05:00

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON EIGHT #12
"Wolves At The Gate 1"
Writer: Drew Goddard
Penciler: Georges Jeanty
Inker: Andy Owens
Colorist: Michelle Madsen
Letterer: Richard Starkings & Comicraft's Jimmy
Executive Producer: Joss Whedon
Editor: Scott Allie

March 5th was Frustrating Comics Day, leaving me uninspired to write the reviews until now. This one has maybe the most talked about fourth page of any comic ever published. You know, the one that reveals that Buffy has had a one-night stand with Satsu, the slayer who confessed to her love of Buffy last issue. My immediate reaction to this was one of shock, the page screaming "look how high above the shark I am!" Buffy has never been a lesbian, never had lesbian tendencies, and this new development just pushes the comic further away from being the Buffy I love. The main cast feels splintered and the new characters are all one-note. Making Buffy act out of character is just insult to injury. Upon another read and having a couple more weeks to digest the turn of events, I can see where this fits in with her character. This is the woman who had sex with Spike, someone she loathed, in the Bronze while watching her friends dance. This is the woman who immediately fell for Parker and slept with him on the first date. Buffy is a young woman with sexual desires and it's not unusual for her to do whatever she can to satiate them. When faced with an attractive individual that admits to loving her, it's not that surprising that Buffy would jump on it (hmm). Thankfully Goddard has the entire cast of the book find out about the tryst in one of the funniest sequences in a comic from recent memory. This gets the secrecy problem that plagues even the best of series out of the way, sparing the audience a year's worth of stories about Satsu and Buffy almost getting caught. I'm actually glad to see Dracula back. His episode was never one of my favorites because it always seemed, well, fan fictiony and it never played a big part in the Buffy mythos. I think this arc will, if it's done well, make that episode even better.

MY SCORE: 8.3/10

CABLE v.2 #1
"War Baby 1"
Writer: Duane Swierczynski
Artist: Ariel Olivetti
Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna
Assistant Editor: Will Panzo
Editor: Axel Alonso
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley

Pretty underwhelming, I have to say. As far as plot, this issue doesn't really have one. Cable arrives in New Jersey in the future, takes out some troublemakers, and then gets shot by Bishop at a diner. The mood is great, the artwork is really different and sets the tone well, I just wish something would have happened to make me want to buy the second issue. It seems like Marvel is making ongoing series now knowing that, in today's market, it's rare that an issue makes it past issue 12. I don't know how else to explain the current crop of comics being released with such light premises that you have to wonder how long they can really run. This, X-Force and the renamed X-Men: Legacy all seem like books that will have run out of story and momentum in a year when their simple premises stop generating ideas. Maybe that's why nothing happens in this issue. I'm not a fan of Bishop's portrayal at all. I can understand his turn to the dark side, which was done pretty believably. I do not believe that he needed to get a monstrous robot arm and glowing red eyes. It's like they're trying to make Bishop out to be 1940s Red Skull, some huge caricature of a villain. Really, just ditch the ridiculously huge arm and red eyes and Bishop would be a lot more believable. I'm interested in knowing more about the mutant baby but, art aside, nothing about this premise or setup really fascinates me. There was plenty of space in this issue to discuss more of Cable's plan, why he's in the future, what he thinks of Bishop, what he thinks of the baby, just, you know, more. As it is we have a very one-dimensional portrayal of Cable and the mustache-twirling Bishop, neither of which I'm that interested in.

MY SCORE: 7.2/10

UNCANNY X-MEN #496
"X-Men: Divided 2"
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Mike Choi
Color Art: Sonia Oback
Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna
Assistant Editor: Will Panzo
Editor: Nick Lowe
Executive Editor: Axel Alonso
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley

Click here to read the review at Comixfan.

X-FORCE v.3 #2
"Angels & Demons 2 of 6"
Writers: Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost
Artist: Clayton Crain
Letterer: VC's Cory Petit
Production: Paul Acerios
Assistant Editor: Aubrey Sitterson
Editor: John Barber
Executive Editor: Axel Alonso
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley

I think the last thing the comic world needed was the mindless gore, guts and guns of the early 90s to meet the hyper dramatic modern realism style of today's comics. That's what X-Force is. It's a brainless cavalcade of blood dressed up with melodrama to seem intelligent. Isn't it cool how X-23 totally blew up the Purifiers' headquarters and all the key players happened to survive??!!! Isn't it so cool that Warpath is all like "how can you have all this blood on your hands?" and X-23 is all like "whatever you're a pussy I'm a bad ass!"??!!!! Whoah!!! But really, the combination of ruthless violence with strong characterization is painful to read. I don't want to see Warpath's will get broken. I don't want to read about Wolfsbane becoming overrun by vengeance. I don't even know X-23 that well, but I don't like seeing her turned into a complete killing machine. The premise of the series becomes even more ridiculous in this issue when Angel drops by (no clue when all of this fits in with what's going on in Uncanny). If Cyclops is trying to keep X-Force a secret, why is he having meetings at Angel's place? How stupid does he think Angel is? He flies down, sees everyone in their black/sneaky/obviously x-uniforms and isn't supposed to make the connection, especially considering how X-Force was used openly during "Messiah Complex"? The art is also hit or miss. Crain's depiction of Rahne in captivity is strikingly creepy, but he also managed to give Warpath huge breasts and an hourglass figure three pages prior to that one. Crain's not consistent, but his work is definitely at home in this title. His work with Magus on the last page was wonderful. On the topic of Magus, much like The Kitty Pryde Fiasco, this is another huge continuity blunder. Bastion says that Magus was left at the bottom of the ocean by the X-Men when, in fact, he was last fought almost 20 years ago on another planet. So...is this an untold tale that we're about to see? Unlike Cable, X-Force has covered a lot of ground in the first two issues and proven that it does have a reason to exist. Actually, the premise of a black-ops X-Team is one that could go for a good long while, I just don't think I can read it for very long without getting thoroughly depressed.

MY SCORE: 7.4/10

Thanks, Jeffrey!

2008-03-11T20:38:00.002-05:00

Jeffrey tagged me! I've been tagged! I have to post 15 quotes from my favorite movies and YOU guys have to see if YOU can figure out what movies they are from! Whoah! And I get to tag people to continue the fun! I'm going to resist tagging people who have topic specific blogs (Nicole & April, Jennifer & Laurel) because that would be rude, I guess. Instead I'll tag Davis, Frank, Ethan and Katey.

1. Mmm....s'good.
2. Who's scruffy looking?
3. But in the Munich circus, I was known as The Incredible Nightcrawler!
4. Dodgson, Dodgson, we have Dodgson here!
5. My hands are dirty too, what are you afraid of?
6. You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you!
7. We need a hero, courageous sacrificing people, setting examples for all of us. Everybody loves a hero, people line up for 'em, cheer for them, scream their names, and years later tell how they stood in the rain for hours just to get a glimpse of the one who told them to hold on a second longer. I believe theres a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble. And finally gets us to die with pride. Even though sometimes we have to be steady and give up the thing we want most, even our dreams.
8. See, here I'm now by myself, uh, er, talking to myself. That's, that's chaos theory.
9. You might think it upset me that Paul Metzler had decided to run against me but nothing could be further from the truth. He was no competition for me; it was like apples and oranges. I had to work a little harder, that's all, see I believe in the voters; they understand that elections aren't just popularity contests, they know this country was built by people just like me who work very hard and don't have everything handed to them on a silver spoon. Not like some rich kids who everybody likes because their fathers owns Metzlers cement and give them trucks on their 16th birthday and throw them big parties all the time. No, they don't ever have to work for anything. They think they can just all of a sudden one day out of the blue waltz right in with no qualifications what's so ever and try to take away what other people have worked very, very hard for their entire lives. No, it didn't bother me at all.
10. Moesha Moesha Moesha!
11. A Jose Canseco bat?
12. You are as abandoned and noisy as any character in a porn film, Laura. You are Ian's plaything, responding to his touch with shrieks of orgasmic delight. No woman in the history of the world is having better sex than sex you are having with Ian... in my head.
13. I see the fleas, mummy! Can't you see the fleas?
14. Who ever heard of being shot down by salad?
15. There's no reason we need to be shackled by the strictures of the employee/employer relationship. Unless you're into that sort of thing. In which case, I got some shackles in the back. I'm just kidding. But seriously, I've got 'em.

party time wasting is too much fun

2008-03-05T14:51:00.006-05:00

I'm pretty sure I can now expect every March to contain a life-changing out-of-nowhere crisis. Last year I was homeless, this year I'm jobless. I'm shifting gears to focus more on my writing and comedy, which is a good thing even if it wasn't exactly my hand on the gearshift. I was driving the car though, definitely away from the disgusting craphole that is Chinatown. I did not get the job at Wizard, thus giving me a much more visceral hatred of anime. I did have a great interview and I do believe that I made a positive impression that will hopefully lead to an opportunity in the future. I can't deny (actually I flaunt) how emotionally trying it is to keep going to interviews for your dream job only to have it go splat. I have to remind myself that I'm 23 and have my entire future ahead of me. I can't expect to be at my dream job right now, even if I've been close enough to smell it and give it a smooch a couple of times. That was a creepy visual, right? Smelling and smooching?

On Monday night, a group of us journeyed to Davis and Amanda's apartment in Brooklyn and then to the Wham City stage production of They Should All Be Destroyed, a stage play of Jurassic Park.

Yes, you read that right.

The play was staged in one of the more...exciting?...parts of Brooklyn. Let's just say that we knew exactly where the venue was because of the completely out of place herd of white hipsters crowded on a random corner under the subway. The whole experience had a very house show feel to it; everyone sat on the floor and it was strictly BYOB. The turnout was mighty and the enthusiasm in the show was mightier. Papier-mâché dinosaurs stomped around to perfectly synchronized sound effects, John Williams classic score was turned into a sweeping pop ballad through the addition of insightful lyrics, and each role was played with the hilarious combination of a wink, a nod, and glee. This was a true Only In New York experience. Or any of the other surrounding major cities the show is going to.

Another New York Only experience happened last night when I went to the Comic Book Club show at the P.I.T., another improv theater. I got to see an interview with my favorite comic book writer of all time, Peter David. I'll write more about Peter David later as part of my X15 series, but I will say that his initial run on X-Factor back in the early 90s contains more than one of the few absolutely perfect comics I own. I walked in and found my level 501 improv teacher Chris Gethard (check out his blog for some of the most hilarious stories ever written) sitting on the couch reading She-Hulk #26. Of course Gethard would be there; he had a letter printed in X-Factor #105 and is as big a Multiple Man fan as I (remember?). He was invited to be the comedy guest for the show and read his letter on stage to Peter David, the man who made him love Multiple Man so much that he cried when a later writer killed him off. I sat down on an ottoman and waited for the doors to open. When Peter David entered, he was greeted by the hosts right next to me. It's been a while since I've felt that nervous, but having the man who wrote "X-Aminations" stand right next to me caused me to almost hyperventilate. What was even better was having Gethard across from me, a guy whose improv talent I admire and one of the best teachers I've ever had, equally freaking out and mouthing to me "that's Peter David." Comic geekdom, the great equalizer.

The show was a lot of fun, even the parts about DC and Dark Tower, both of which I'm not at all interested in. I was touched to learn that Peter David gave Rahne Sinclair the codename Wolfsbane back in 1980ish while dropping by the Marvel offices and hearing Louise Simonson talk to Chris Claremont about it. "If being a wolf is the bane of her existance, call her Wolfsbane." Rahne is one of my favorite characters, David's writing being a major factor in that, so hearing that really got to me. This whole experience and my new gig reviewing comics for ComiX-Fan has made me love comics even more. I would have killed to work for Wizard (not really killed but you know...) and I hope to someday. In the meantime, thoughts of starting up a blog solely for comics keep running through my brain. I would if I didn't think that this one would suffer entry-wise.

Also, I've been listening to a lot of Roxy Music, hence the title of this blog. I downloaded the rest of the songs from Siren that I didn't have only to discover that they are great. I now have two Roxy Music albums I can listen to from start to finish (hello, Country Life). If I ever get around to it, I'll watch the second DVD of my The Thrill Of It All DVD set. That's all 1980s stuff, which I find to be quite schmaltzy.

That's about it for now. Sigh.

X15: Favorite Creators #9

2008-03-01T10:24:00.010-05:00

WRITER

9. WARREN ELLIS
First Work Read: Excalibur #83 (November 1994)
Favorite Work: Ultimate Fantastic Four #7-18
Notable Work: Excalibur (1994-1996), X-Calibre (1995), Nextwave (2006)

It's rare that a writer can mix insane science, truckloads of sarcasm, a dash of cynicism, and characters as big as a zeppelin and not offend me with one or all of those ingredients. Ellis manages to accomplish just that, most of the time. His stint on Ultimate Fantastic Four introduced the Ultimate versions of Victor Von Doom (Victor Van Damme) and the N-Zone with a very modern sense of excitement and wonder. It's been a while, but from what I recall about his run on Excalibur, he actually treated the characters with respect and was somewhat knowledgeable of the issues prior to his run (looking at you, Grant Morrison). The highlight of this being the pub issue, #91, where Nightcrawler and Captain Britain get terribly drunk and threaten to murder Pete Wisdom if he dares hurt Kitty. A fun moment. Ellis is taking over for Whedon on Astonishing X-Men, and I'm not to upset by that.

PENCILER
9. ADAM POLLINA

First Work Read: X-Force #44 (July 1995)
Favorite Work: X-Force #71
Notable Work: X-Force (1995-1998)

Yes, I only know him for his work on X-Force, but the 26 issues he drew provide the absolutely definitive versions of the team. Rob Liefeld, the teams hyper-excited adolescent-minded creator, could not even come close to the energy, dynamism, innovativeness, and creativity that Pollina brought to the title. The characters looked their age and wore the clothes to match. The covers are all iconic, even if the rest of the comic-loving world doesn't know it. His collaborations with Jeph Loeb and John Francis Moore brought both their work up above anything they could do alone, as proven in the mediocre longer stints they went without Pollina. The man's art was quirky and weird, exactly the right fit for X-Force.

Comics: 2-27-08

2008-02-28T16:53:00.024-05:00

ANGEL: AFTER THE FALL #4
Plot: Joss Whedon & Brian Lynch
Writer: Brian Lynch
Illustrator: Franco Urru
Colorist: Jason Jensen
Letterer: Robbie Robbins
Editor: Chris Ryall

Every issue of After The Fall so far has successfully added new information and, with this issue, re-introduced the entire main cast. There have been surprises and shocks, twists and turns, and everything is coming to a head quickly. There's no decompression here and this feels more like an old school comic book than a padded-for-the-trades title. But something is not clicking.

That something is the art.

Franco Urru may be a solid penciler, but he is definitely not a solid inker. His figures are ill-defined, doughy, and lack any type of emotion. He's a competent enough storyteller but his characters do not emote and, in some cases, don't even have proper faces. It's ugly, distracting, and a major detriment to the title. Honestly, Rob Liefeld would almost be preferable because even though he is a horrible storyteller and has no grasp on anatomy, at least his characters have a kind of structure and energy behind them. Liefeld's work has a completely misguided passion behind it that at least resonates so strongly that it causes outright disgust and laughter. Nothing comes through from Urru's work. No passion, no emotion, not even the urge for me to mock it. It's simply bad. I mean, look at the preview for next month's issue. "The Gang's All Here." Illyria, Angel, Spike, Connor, Gunn and Lorne I recognize. I assume the guy in sunglasses (?) is Wesley. The two females have to be Gwen and Werewolf Lady, although I would hardly consider them part of the gang and they aren't even that distinguishable from each other. And then there's...Xander? Matthew Perry? Jon Stewart? Seriously, who is this guy?

The story, as I said, is okay so far. I like that things are moving along quickly; this issue feels more like #7 than #4. The arrival of Groo is...well, who really wanted to see him again? It feels more like he's there because this is a comic and producers don't have to convince the actor to return (although I doubt it would be hard to pull him away from whatever romance novel cover he's posing for). Whatever, it's an okay development.

I just read that issues #6-8 will feature different artists, including John Byrne. Hopefully Urru won't come back.

MY SCORE: 7.8/10

KICK-ASS #1
"Issue One"
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciler: John Romita Jr.
Inker: Tom Palmer
Colorist: Dean White
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos
Alternate Cover: Steve McNiven
Cover Inks: Klaus Janson
Editor: John Barber
Editorial Assistant: Michael Horowitz
Production: Anthony Dial & Irene Lee
SVP of Business Affiars & Talent Management: David Bogart
Created By: Mark Millar & John Romita Jr.

Between this and the surprise of X-Men: Legacy, this was Romita Wednesday. For a first issue featuring a completely original character and world, Kick-Ass kicked my ass. I am immediately invested in the lead character, I'm totally hooked to the next issue by the cliffhanger, and I can't wait to find out how he gets into the predicament that opens the book. I felt sympathy for Dave when it was revealed that his mother died of a non-revengeable aneurysm. I love that Dave's dad is a good man who loves his son and not a stereotypical abusive absentee. All of the nerd trappings and the lovingly drawn pictures at the top make the horror of what happens to Dave at the end of the issue even more gripping. I'm a little bit in love with this issue.

The art is a true standout. Romita Jr. is detailed, dynamic, and one of the best storytellers in comic history. Dean White's colors go well with Romita's art, giving it a both realistic and nostalgic tone. The palette is soft, reminding me almost of A Christmas Story in a way. It's warm and inviting, and then horrific. Awesomely done.

A lot depends on issue #2, I guess. If it can keep up at least half of the momentum, it'll be a must-buy. For now, it's a darn fine start.

MY SCORE: 9.2/10

NEW WARRIORS v.4 #9
"Thrashed part 1"
Writer: Kevin Grevioux
Penciler: Paco Medina
Inker: Juan Vlasco
Colorist: Marte Gracia
Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: Nic Klein
Production: Paul Acerios
Editor: Daniel Ketchum
Executive Editor: Axel Alonso
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley

Jubilee gets a new costume. And is called variations of Jubilee throughout the issue. But I assume she's still Wondra. Come on, a title like New Warriors where the entire cast is almost interchangeable does not need to start changing costumes and, apparently, codenames! We haven't even learned the old ones! Surely it wouldn't be hard for Marvel to slap some character IDs on the recap page. They do it for Young Avengers Presents and this book has twice as many characters. I'm starting to get the hang of it. Even though I can't tell you the codenames to anyone on the cover aside from Night Thrasher and Jubilee/Wondra, I can at least figure out who the rest of them used to be. Except for the black guy whose sister died. Still don't know who he is.

Geez. That's a problem.

Thankfully the art is back in the capable hands of Paco Medina. He has a distinct style and is finally on a book that seems to match his talents for drawing flashy heroics, a talent wasted back in his New X-Men: Academy X days. Grevioux is finally letting his "Night Thrasher is sneaky" subplot boil over to satisfying results. I like that it's Jubilee calling him out on it to Chamber, er, Jono, er, whatever his new code name is. They do have history and Chamber's confiding in Jubilee is a great touch. I'm also happy that a non-X-book (even if the book stars 100% former X-Men) acknowledges Destiny's diaries and then realizes that Jubilee could see through it. Continuity, good.

The action in the issue is pointless; Alpha-Clan is unknown to me and the fight between them amounts to "let us pass" and "no." As a way to show how manipulative Night Thrasher is, it works. As a part of the story I should care about as a reader, not so much at all.

An okay issue. It is beyond ludicrous that none of the characters are identifiable and this book is, so far, surviving on really good art and the mystery with Night Thrasher. That isn't going to be enough for much longer.

MY SCORE: 7.8/10

SHE-HULK v.2 #26
"The Whole Hero Thing conclusion"
Writer: Peter David

Penciler: Shawn Moll with Val Semeiks

Inker: Victor Olazaba

Coloring: Avalon’s Rob Ro

Lettering: Dave Sharpe

Cover Artists: Greg Land, Jay Leisten and Rainier Beredo

Production: Paul Acerios

Assistant Editor: Thomas Brennan

Editor: Stephen Wacker

Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada

Publisher: Dan Buckley

I've started reviewing comics at Comixfan, so from time to time I'll link to that site for the review. This is one of those times. Link! Odds are I'll repost the entire review with my own 1-10 rating next week when it's not so topical.

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #119
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciler: Stuart Immonen
Inker: Wade Von Grawbadger
Colorist: Justin Ponsor
Letterer: VC's Cory Petit
Cover: Stuart Immonen & Richard Isanove
Production: Irene Lee
Assistant Editor: Lauren Sankovitch
Editor: Bill Rosemann
Senior Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley

Another fun issue of Ultimate Spider-Man, which has become more of a joy to read with Stuart Immonen's fresh take on the series. There's no new ground being broke here, just more of the same with characters you've come to really enjoy. While "more of the same" may sound bad, it's actually a good thing considering the rest of the Marvel and Ultimate universes are being gobbled up by big events. Liz's reaction to being a mutant (maybe) is the freak-out we actually don't see all that often. I'm trying to think, but most stories I can recall feature most mutants already having had their powers for enough time to either be comfortable with them or depressed. It's rare that we see the eruption of power and the confusing rush of emotions that follow. This is one of the few times where, as a reader, I think Peter Parker is a little bit nuts. We get to see how he really thinks and his own motivations come through when he basically tells Liz that she has to be a superhero now. It's actually a lot more simple than that, and I agree with Liz. She doesn't have to be a hero (she does have to go to school, so I don't agree with all of it). Iceman's immature asides are also hilarious, especially the bit with Spidey pointing out Iceman's huge ice trail. The end would have worked better if it wasn't completely spoiled by the cover; still, Immonen's Magneto is an imposing figure indeed.

Good issue. Immonen is still making this title fun.

MY SCORE: 8.3/10

X-MEN: LEGACY #208
"From Genesis To Revelations"
Writer: Mike Carey
Pencilers: John Romita Jr. & Scot Eaton

Inkers: Klaus Janson & John Dell

Colorists: Christina Strain & Frank D'Armata

Assistant Editor: Will Panzo

Editor: Nick Lowe

Executive Editor: Axel Alonso

Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada

Publisher: Dan Buckley

This comic surprised me completely. John Romita Jr. My favorite penciler in all of comicdom making a return to the X-Men universe after 15 years (which is coincidentally how long I've been collecting X-Men comics). Romita was the first regular artist I associated with the X-Men and to see his art on the first page without knowing about his involvement prior made my inner fanboy giggle. If the premise of your retitled X-Men book is a trip down the secret parts of Xavier's brain and the X-Men's history, no other currently working artist can do it BUT Romita Jr. He has drawn the X-Men to amazing results twice and is one of the biggest names in the industry. And, unlike John Byrne, his art is just as powerful now as it was in his x-days. The giant collages of X-Men past and present are so beautiful, I want to frame them and put them in my living room (sorry, roomie). Scot Eaton's art is good as well and provides a nice contrast to the "mindscape" art.

Since the biggest selling point on this issue is the art, I will talk about the coloring next. D'Armata has gotten plenty of high profile gigs despite being one of the most annoying colorists in recent memory. Every one of Eaton's characters are impossibly shiny, looking like they just lubed themselves up. It's unnatractive at best. Also, it's pretty obvious that Exodus is some non-white ethnicity (his wiki entry states that he has fuschia skin, which I never knew was on purpose), but he is colored almost purple in this issue which is completely against his past colorations. It's extreme. He has been colored white or the same color as the Native American characters in previous appearances and to all of a sudden look like a victim of Willy Wonka's factory is jarring. Christina Strain, the gorgeous colorist for Runaways, does some breathtaking work with Romita's images.

For a premise change, this one is interesting. The title change is justified and I'm excited about where this is going. Maybe it was just seeing Moira MacTaggert alive with all of her fiery Scottish passion. Maybe it was seeing Xavier defending his questionable idea of making a mutant army. Maybe it was seeing Cyclops' role as brilliant tactitian and uncapable leader restated this month like the last issue of Uncanny. Mike Carey knows his mythos and I'm excited to see what else he digs up.

The notion that Exodus would save Xavier to preserve a mutant champion when they most need him is far-fetched in theory but in line with Exodus' history. He's never been outright evil, more a follower and a proponent of the survival of mutants. I could see him overcoming the obvious ideological differences he has with Xavier to save him. Plus, there's always the reasoning that Xavier is way more dangerous as a martyr. Carey doesn't explain how Exodus and Karima survived apparently dying during Messiah Complex. I know we should rarely believe that a character has died, but this issue flashes back to that battle and Exodus looks just fine. Very inconsistent and, um, that should have been addressed.

It seems like the fallout from Messiah Complex is a big nothing. All of the books are out now save Cable and every one of them seems to be low key and self contained. I'm fine with this since we're not rushing headlong into the next event. Bold new direction with Romita Jr.? I'm on board.

MY SCORE: 8.9/10

Schizophrenics Are Funny

2008-02-27T10:59:00.014-05:00

Apparently modifying Garfield comics is all the rage on the web; there's also the Garfield Randomizer and Garfield without Garfield's Dialogue. But really, why stop with just taking Garfield's words out when you can remove the entire cat, leaving only what become the hilariously disturbing rantings of a middle-aged man. My friend Davis pointed Garfield Minus Garfield out to me. Here are some highlights.