"TJ Glenn" sounds like a gay porn alias, doesn’t it?
Comments Off | Posted: October 23rd, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
The crass self-promotion just keeps on coming!
Comments Off | Posted: October 23rd, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedThe Cover Girl trade can be had for 45% off through Discount Comic Book Service. In case you’ve somehow forgotten about this despite my endless prattling on about it, here’s the solicitation:
He’s Alex Martin, the down-on-his-luck actor whose star is rising thanks to a roadside rescue caught on tape. She’s Rachel Dodd, the bodyguard assigned to keep him alive after several mysterious attempts on his life. Will Rachel be able to keep Alex alive long enough to get to the bottom of the attacks on the actor? Will Alex be able to keep his hair perfect the entire time? Andrew Cosby (Sci-Fi’s Eureka) and Kevin Church (Cthulhu Tales) team up with artists Mateus Santolouco, R.M. Yankovicz and others to tell the story of two people that are trying to stay alive now, if only to kill each other later!
The City Desk: Hallelujah Jones – Busted!
Comments Off | Posted: October 23rd, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
I’ve got a brief piece about about pirate radio up at The City Desk. Go read it.
If you’re on Facebook, RJ White interviewed me about the piece.
The Rack: Scum and Villainy.
Comments Off | Posted: October 23rd, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
I’m probably going to get locked up for my hideous character abuse, aren’t I? Also: Birdie picks the best strip titles.
Oh, thank God that someone’s thinking of the women in comics.
Comments Off | Posted: October 22nd, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
Dreamhost Promotional Codes: A Friendly Reminder.
Comments Off | Posted: October 22nd, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedIf you’re looking to set up your own domain, you can save $50 when you use the Dreamhost Promo Code BEAUCOUPKEVIN when signing up for service. I’ve been extremely pleased with my Dreamhost account; they’re very good at updating their customers through the Dreamhost Status blog and have gotten back within two hours when I have asked a support question. That support, when combined with features like one-click installs of popular applications like WordPress and Gallery, means that they’ve got a customer for life in me.
The Rack: Pilgrims In An Unholy Land
Comments Off | Posted: October 22nd, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedThe Sunday Special is on order for you people to pick up at the counter.
Click to see how I spent Saturday night.
Comments Off | Posted: October 21st, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
I’ve Got Your "Comics Journalism" Right Here.
Comments Off | Posted: October 21st, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
Cast: KEVIN: A regular customer and general hanger-on of the local comic shop.AARON: The soon-to-be-departing full-time employee at the local comic shop.
Setting A small but busy local comics shop on a Sunday afternoon.AARON is behind the counter with a COMPUTER in front of him while KEVIN is standing to the side.
KEVIN: -but what about Night Man?AARON: Aw, what? Goggles that help him see at night? Fuck that.KEVIN: He was also a bitching saxophone player.AARON: No, no, that was Shadowman.KEVIN: I’m very sure that Night Man played the saxophone as well.AARON: No fucking way. No way would there be two saxophone-playing superheroes that operated at night in two separate comics universes. That’s just stupid.KEVIN: It was the 90s.AARON: Point!(BEAT) OK, fine, we’ll look on the Wikipedia.AARON types for a moment. AARON: OK, Shadowman.(BEAT) (READING ALOUD) “Shadowman was created by industry legends Jim Shooter and David Lapham. The Valiant comic book starred Jack Boniface as a jazz-playing voodoo-themed superhero from New Orleans.”(BEAT) Says here the first issue was written by Shooter and Englehart.(BEAT) See, I’m right.KEVIN: I didn’t say you weren’t right. Now look up Night Man.AARON: Fine, fine.AARON types for a moment. AARON: (READING ALOUD) “Johnny Domino is a well-known San Franciscan jazz musician who is accidentally struck by lightning in a freak cable-car accident.”KEVIN leans over and points at the screen. KEVIN: What’s that say there, at the top?AARON: (READING ALOUD) “NightMan is an American television program running from September 1997 to May 1999, loosely based on a comic book published by Malibu Comics and created by…Steve Englehart.”(PAUSE) KEVIN: Holy.AARON: We’re like fuckin’ Woodward and Bernstein over here.KEVIN: We’ve cracked a genuine comics conspiracy.AARON: That conspiracy being that Steve Englehart loves him some jazz musicians with superpowers.KEVIN: Or he was just lazy.AARON: That could also be the case, but I prefer the idea that Steve Englehart is obsessed with jazz-playing superheroes. Like it’s all he can think about – how he can work some jazz into the background of any character he works on. I bet he’d do it to Hank Pym in a heartbeat, given the chance.KEVIN: And I thought Geoff Johns had problems with his love of ultraviolence.AARON: Tip of the comics iceberg, my friend.~~FIN~~
Friday Night Fights: Luggage Beatdown.
Comments Off | Posted: October 19th, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
The Rack: Sunken Treasure
Comments Off | Posted: October 19th, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedWarning: urine joke inside.
Multi-topic Linkpost, Thin Horizontal Lines? Oh yeah.
Comments Off | Posted: October 18th, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized“HD video is beautiful for sports, but it doesn’t help comedy, and it doesn’t help humans. I hate being shot on HD video, because I look like two Frankensteins raped a Dracula.” – Tina Fey in Wired.
I wish I could make it to the city in time to check out the Paul McDonough street photography exhibit happening at the Sasha Wolf Gallery in Tribeca. (You’ll have to scroll horizontally there. Yes, it’s counter-intuitive.)
Speaking of photography, this is one of the most disturbing things I’ve seen in a while. Horace Bristol was a hell of a camera-aimer.
Nine Planets Without Intelligent Life is a comedic soap opera about robots. I’m not crazy about the interface but the strip itself? Wonderful. Funny and sad and so well drawn.
Isn’t this like giving away cancer?
I’m about 80% sure that I’m going to go see “The Menagerie” in theaters.
In Which I Speculate About The Goings-On Of The Design Department at DC Comics.
Comments Off | Posted: October 18th, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
Cast: DALE: A new employee in the design department at DC Comics.ANGELA: Director of Trade Paperback design at DC Comics and Dale’s supervisor.
Setting
Angela’s paper-strewn office. Pinups and design ideas line the walls.Scene One
ANGELA, seated at her desk, looks up as an obviously-nervous Dale enters her office.
ANGELA: Well?DALE: Alex Ross wants a fatted calf this time.ANGELA: Instead of the sack of large non-sequential bills or…?DALE: In addition to.ANGELA: Son of a bitch.DALE: He…he also said Joe Quesada bought him a boat. For the Captain America redesign.ANGELA: Wait. A what?DALE: A boat.ANGELA: What kind? Are we talking about a schooner or a paddleboat or…? (TRAILS OFF)DALE: He said he was planning on taking it to the Caribbean this spring and that the helipad would make it easier for him to get the girls in Jana costumes–ANGELA: (INTERRUPTING ANGRILY) Please don’t continue that.(BEAT) Fine, I’ve got an idea. Get the DC Direct guys on the phone. We’re going to need that Bottle City of Kandor prop they made a couple of years ago. We should have a couple hundred in the Jersey warehouse.DALE: Okay. What else?ANGELA: Do you know Photoshop? Lens flares and all that?DALE: That’s one of the reasons you hired me.ANGELA: Right, right, right. Do you see where I’m going here?DALE: I do. I think.ANGELA: Good. Now go get those guys on the–(BEAT) Wait a minute.(BEAT) Oh, Angela, you are a genius.DALE: What is it?ANGELA: How do you feel about wearing a Superman costume?~~FIN~~
Crazy David? More like Crazy Charlie Manson.
Comments Off | Posted: October 17th, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
- I’m pretty sure that even in 1977, wearing a Wings shirt could be cause for stonings, beatings, lynchings, and other unpleasant -ings.
- #274? I think that blob’s supposed to be Farrah Fawcett. Same for #290.
- I hope Rick Dees got paid some cash money for #219.
- I’ve never seen #s 287 or 41 before; I find them pleasing alternatives to #42.
- What the hell kind of animal is that supposed to be on #284? Judging by the period, I’m presuming it’s a Great White Shark, but it looks like a seal or trout.
- You just know there’s some kid who wore #76 who went “Yeah, I saw them…in concert” when he totally didn’t.
- #297 is just plain weird. Who’d want to declare that?
- See also #295.
Wonder Woman by Jim Mahfood
Comments Off | Posted: October 17th, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
Click here to find out how you can bid on this and other pieces by artists
including Jim Lee, Adam Hughes, John Byrne, Alex Ross, and many, many more
to support shelters for women who have suffered domestic violence.
The Rack: Staff Picks for October 17, 2007
Comments Off | Posted: October 17th, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
Staff picks for this week are up over at The Rack, along with a recommendation from the creators.
OK, one creator.
OK, just me. But it’s a really good comic.
We’re Oodles and Al, by the way.
Comments Off | Posted: October 16th, 2007 | Filed under: UncategorizedThis preview for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier is so welcome, I’m actually forgiving the use of Comic Sans on the instructional graphic to the right and the horrible interface.
Very few things put me in as good a mood as a new Alan Moore book.
Boosterism: Marvel Ultimate Alliance, a year after the fact.
Comments Off | Posted: October 16th, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
- It’s remarkably up-to-date, taking place in a hybrid of the just-pre-Civil War mainline Marvel Universe and the Ultimate continuity. Bendis must have been pleased that his New Avengers lineup feature so prominently in the game. I honestly never thought I’d be playing Spider-Woman in a game, which leads us to the fact that…
- …there’s an awful lot of nerd porn scattered throughout this. Attuma? Check. M.O.D.O.K? Hooo-yeah. Nick Fury? You betcha. Freakin’ Paibok? Very much yes. This game’s use of the Marvel Universe is probably a bit thick for casual gamers, but for the sort of people that come to this blog pretty often, it’s just right. If you’ve ever wanted to watch Luke Cage beat the crap out of Atlanteans, this is pretty much the only way you can do it outside of creating a skeevy fan-comic.
- It’s not stupid hard, but still provides a bit of a challenge. At least, for me. I’m not some sort of die-hard gamer, but I do like a bit of televisual interactive stimulation on a regular basis and this fits the bill as a time-waster. (That said, this Kraken is giving me a dickens of a time.)
- Replayability seems to be not a problem at all. There’s tons and tons of different mini-missions, player upgrades, and unlockable characters tucked into this game.
Of course, with the good, there’s the bad:
- Fuckin’ camera. I normally hate isometric gameplay, but this manages to avoid a good deal of the problems most of the time, except for, you know, when someone’s behind your dude and you have to turn around and give them some of the business. You get used to it, but man, it makes some things harder than they need to be.
- There’s some really, really bad voice acting. Captain America sounds like a parody of Cap more than the “real” version in my head, and Wolverine needs a bit more Hugh Jackman, a bit less Crappy 90s X-Men Cartoon (Yes, I said it. It was bad. Admit it.) Wolverine.
So yeah, it’s $20 or less now thanks to the obsolescence of the PS2 console and the rapid reduction in games costs once they’re past the “hot” phase now. Order it and find out what happens when Thor and Fin Fang Foom have a chat at the end of the first mission.
Review: Big Plans #1
Comments Off | Posted: October 16th, 2007 | Filed under: Uncategorized
The most disappointing and frustrating thing about Aron Nels Steinke’s minicomic is how little the final product matched up to my expectations. When I came across this mini, I was enthused: the art is instantly likeable and it looked a bit reminiscent of K. Thor Jensen’s lively, self-aware Red Eye, Black Eye. Instead, what I got was one story featuring Steinke hating 90′s comics, going to a bad comic shop, then creating an environmental disaster by burning a stack of the chromium-enhanced books of his youth and another that showed off how scared his girlfriend was of brown people on an airplane. While these would make fodder for interesting, funny comics (especially with Steinke’s graphic sensibility,) the writing simply isn’t up to the task, instead offering a well-illustrated checklist of events. The latter story suffers a bit less from this than the former, but it’s still pretty grating for me.
Big Plans #2 comes out tomorrow, and I’m going to give it a look, at the very least. If Steinke moves more towards memoir and away from simply retelling events he’s experienced, he could easily develop into a talent worth watching. As it stands, I’m cautiously optimistic for his future.
If you’d like to read this comic for free, you can go to Aron Nels Steinke’s website.
