This is why I refused to see Daredevil until the California office had called in:

Feb 24, 2003 12:24 AM from Argent to Beaucoup Fish

There’s just nothing there to make it worth spending money on. If there’s blizzard and you’re bored, maybe, but don’t get your hopes up.

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So, it’s official: I just am not paying more than, oh, nothing for it now, as Aaron’s ideals for Superhero Flicks aligns very closely to my own. Now, a superhero movie well worth seeing is The Storm Riders, a fine HK comic-book flick from 1998. Basically, it’s got everything you’d need in a good movie: crazy kung-fu, Sonny Chiba (in a suprisingly good turn as the supermegavillian), Shu Qi (meep!), and…Firey Monkey. Firey Monkey rules, even if he’s only in the movie for a moment. Not even the dodgy CGI effects that marred The Touch with Michelle Yeoh can sink this juggernaut. See this at all costs, kids, as you will be blown away. That is, unless you have problems with people flying around and shooting energy balls out of their fists.

If you have a problem with that, then go back to your Ya Ya Sisterhoods and Tootsies, because I don’t wanna talk to you anymore.

Read Creature Tech. There’s giant space eels, a symbotic relationship with an alien, a slug-monster, rednecks, slightly effeminite British ghosts, the Shroud of Turin, and church picnics piled into this warm, funny, and exciting tale. Well worth the cover price and then some.

Action Comics has hit 800 – a milestone celebrated with a decent-ish read; there’s a bit involving “the man who inspired Clark to become a reporter” that I was fairly un-fond of, but other than that, nice enough.

I got Disco 3 – only one listen so far, and as I’d heard most of the material in one form or another, sort of a letdown, excluding “Positive Role Model,” which has a huge honkin’ Barry White sample, so it’s happy-making. The new NewOrder DVD is most excellent – a sparkling good live show in 5.1 surround.

We’re in a blizzard now. I’ve been shovelling the sidewalk every hour or so just to keep up. The Weather Channel now has a thing called ALERT MODE that seems to indicate that we’re all going to die. All of us. So, even if you’re not in the northeast, you’re dead, my friend. Dead, dead, dead.

The machine at the BPL says I have 7 minutes to do this, so let’s be brief:

Get The Complete Copybook Tales by J. Torres and Tim Levins – if you are a child of the 80s, it’s a must, even if it’s not the greatest graphic novel ever written or even in the top 300.

If you have a strong stomach, Rick Vietch has put Maximortal back in print. It’s…great stuff, even if there’s a character named El Guano. His name says it all. The story itself takes a fantastic approach to the creation of a Superman-like character and its creators, but that only scratches the surface. I’m eagerly awaiting Brat Pack, also by Vietch- it’s about kid sidekicks and their twisted lives.

And visit the Buzzboy site. Here’s online comics done right – It’s actually using the website to promote and expand the original material, which was recently collected. I really, really love Buzzboy. Really.

Wow, this not-having-a-machine-at-home things bites. I’ve been just checking my email from the shop and yes, Courtney, I know I owe you a missive. I have spent the downtime productively and did the great sorting of 2003 – my comics are now hard-alphabatized from A to Z without any of the odd “lumping” I used to do, such as sticking Action, Adventures of Superman, and Action together and managed to cull any duplicates. Now, it comes to filling holes and, thanks to Aaron, I’ve got a whole list of Cary Bates Superman issues that I should purchase. Thanks. Really. Not having a job and wanting to read tales of the Superman Revenge Squad that aren’t in stock here isn’t making me happy.

I did manage to get some cheap issues of All Star Squadron at his suggestion and they’re great fun. Roy Thomas does go a bit over-the-top with his dialogue (no surprise there, really), but seeing all those 1940s heroes as rendered by Jerry Ordway makes it all smooth and better. Rick Buckler, unfortunately, draws the first chunk of the series with Ordway inking, but it’s competent. Apparently, McFarlane draws issue 47 with Vince Colletta inking – a combination that I find intruiging, if not actually palatable in concept.

Just picked up Buzzboy and Maximortal in trade. Woo.