THE RACK: Staff Picks

Here’s some staff picks to give you something to read.

NEW SITE: This Is Terrorism

This Is Terrorism is a linkblog focusing on the radical movements inside America and how their activities should be considered outright terrorism, despite the fact that our government and media seem shy about using that particular word. The submission form allows everyone to contribute regardless of their political point-of-view.

THE LONELIEST ASTRONAUTS: Monument

Steve gets reflective.

Just when I thought the whole “Pop Culture-Themed Version Of A Well-Known Song” video trend had finally died.

Don’t tell anyone this is filk.

THE RACK: No One Is Safe

A rescue mission is launched.

“I realise that ALOT of my customers smell like a bag of assholes…”

Do your worst task first.

A YEAR OF GIVEAWAYS: Three “Classic” Marvel Collections!

OK, we’re back on track with another giveaway, but let’s get the usual thing out of the way first and offer our congratulations to “hardtravelinghero,” who should really talk to his parents about their naming convention. They could have named him Oliver or Hal and not forced him to spend an hour arguing every time he showed his ID, and– oh, that’s a pseudonym. People still do that on the internet? Wow. I thought To Catch A Predator convinced everyone it was a bad idea.

Anyway, this week’s a three-fer to make up for last week’s lack of a giveaway. You can get your hands on two vintage reprints and a more modern collection of older stories, all from the house than Stan, Jack, and Steve built! Hercules: Prince Of Power collects the two Bob Layton miniseries; Fantastic Four Versus The X-Men does what it says on the tin with typical Claremontian dialogue covering up Jon Bogdanove’s pencils and The Dragon Seed Saga is an ambitiously named, if pretty pedestrian Iron-Man-Goes-To-Stereotypical-China story written by John Byrne with art by Paul Ryan and M.D. Bright.

How do you win these three paperbacks? Just leave a a comment with your favorite Marvel comics from the 80s or 90s that aren’t collected yet. For me, it’d be the Roger Stern/John Buscema Avengers run whose highlight was put into trade as Under Siege but the rest has been sadly left out of the reprint game (excluding the first part of the return of Jean Grey.)

Just leave said comment before 12:01 AM on Saturday, April 3, 2010 to qualify and the winner will be chosen using Random.org’s random number generator. Previous entrants do, in fact qualify, because I’m such a nice fellow like that. Comments that don’t qualify (such as the person from the Harley Quinn contest who just babbled about how great the Dodsons are) will be deleted.

Terms And Conditions:?
Please note that because of shipping costs, this contest is for residents of the United States of America and Canada. You must leave your email address with your comment to qualify, as I’m not going to spend any time hunting down someone who didn’t want to be contacted about their amazing prize. One comment per person and yes, I will know if you cheat and will probably mock you in public.

THE RACK: Meet Gail Greer

The new The Rack does what it says on the tin.

SHE DIED IN TERREBONNE: Episode 23

Our flashback to Sam taking this case on continues.

THE RACK: No More Words

Lydia uses modern gossip technology.

Deb Aoki told me to read BIOMEGA. She’s now in the will.

THE RACK: Staff Picks

Here’s where fake people tell you to buy real books.

I think this right here explains exactly why I am a Mamet fan.

An excerpt from a long, long email Mamet wrote to the writers for The Unit, a show he made for CBS.

REMEMBER YOU ARE WRITING FOR A VISUAL MEDIUM. *MOST* TELEVISION WRITING, OURS INCLUDED, SOUNDS LIKE *RADIO*. THE *CAMERA* CAN DO THE EXPLAINING FOR YOU. *LET* IT. WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERS *DOING* -*LITERALLY*. WHAT ARE THEY HANDLING, WHAT ARE THEY READING. WHAT ARE THEY WATCHING ON TELEVISION, WHAT ARE THEY *SEEING*.

IF YOU PRETEND THE CHARACTERS CANT SPEAK, AND WRITE A SILENT MOVIE, YOU WILL BE WRITING GREAT DRAMA.

IF YOU DEPRIVE YOURSELF OF THE CRUTCH OF NARRATION, EXPOSITION,INDEED, OF *SPEECH*. YOU WILL BE FORGED TO WORK IN A NEW MEDIUM – TELLING THE STORY IN PICTURES (ALSO KNOWN AS SCREENWRITING)

THIS IS A NEW SKILL. NO ONE DOES IT NATURALLY. YOU CAN TRAIN YOURSELVES TO DO IT, BUT YOU NEED TO *START*.

I CLOSE WITH THE ONE THOUGHT: LOOK AT THE *SCENE* AND ASK YOURSELF “IS IT DRAMATIC? IS IT *ESSENTIAL*? DOES IT ADVANCE THE PLOT?

I have no idea why people think there needs to be more women in comics, do you?

Designed by Amanda Conner, Sculpted by Jack Mathews.

Designed by Adam Hughes, Sculpted by Jack Mathews.

(To be fair, Hughes designed this pretty boss version of Barbara Gordon in costume as well.)

THE RACK: Far From The Tree

A new cast member is introduced.

THE LONELIEST ASTRONAUTS: Seen And Not Seen

Automated equipment tests are carried out.

On Akira Kurosawa’s 100th Birthday

2.
He knew Toshiro Mifune was the motherfucker before anyone else did.

3.
Every time someone approaches me about my Seven Samurai tattoo, I end up babbling a bit about why I have it and try to impart how elegantly how his most popular work thrillingly presents seven men that are willing give to so much for so little reward and how it codifies a moral stance that I would only hope to live up to, given the circumstances. It also involves swords and cutting dudes, which is something that also codifies a stance I hold.

4.
If you can sit through Ikiru without losing by completely at the end, you’re probably at least 1/3 robot.

5.
The early melodrama The Quiet Duel or the bloated, too-fanciful Dreams may be among his lesser works, but his fingerprints are all over the final product, making them worth a viewer’s respect and study.

6.
Without Akira Kurosawa, I wouldn’t have the drive to tell stories that I do. He inspires me more than anyone else and I can’t imagine a world without his films and his spirit. He will always be The Master to me.

7.
“One thing that distinguishes Akira Kurosawa is that he didn’t make a masterpiece or two masterpieces, he made, you know, eight masterpieces.” – Francis Ford Coppola

A YEAR OF GIVEAWAYS: Called On Account Of Sickness

We’re taking this week off, but next week will see the winner of the Harley Quinn hardcover announced and a heck of a prize package will be up for grabs; the biggest since our epic Spider-Man giveaway that kicked this whole thing off!

THE RACK: Mash Up Mondays

We were going to do Thrown-Together Thursdays and then I realized that it’d mean less story for you guys, so now that’s mash-up Monday.