Please Stand By…

Should be back at the end of August.  Cooking up some new creations.

Comics will learn ya good or Old School. New School. Shit i didn’t go to school!

Comics can be windows into great wisdom, let’s take a look now…

AstroCity: The Dark Age Book #3

- Apparently in AstroCity they refer to the age old sport of JARTS as “Target.”  And it’s still dangerous.

- The Stone of Skhmt holds the accumulated might of Dynasty upon DYNASTY!  If you don’t give up the power you hold…He will take it for reals.

- When time-traveling superheroes show up to save the world reporters will still be jerks.

Captain America Reborn #1

- There was one time when Cap was stuck on a mysterious island, and he kept saving this kid Charlie…

- Hank Pym chooses Flip Flops as his lounging foot-ware of choice.

- “Arnim Zola is a Human Intelligence in a mechanical body…not a “Robot.”" says the Vision.  Take that Pym.

The Sword #18

- An elemental god-being, when assuming a giant rock form of himself will make sure to be anatomically correct,

- “SLRCH” is the sound of yer arm being torn off.

- Staying up late, and watching “Comedy Programs,”  will cause you to miss the bus.

Justice League: Cry for Justice #1

- Pissed off superheroes and crying Congorilla’s make for some boring comics.

Batman:Streets of Gotham #1 The Commentique.

Bear witness now as Northern New York’s only married ComicBook commentators take on Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen’s new Batman series in the arena of sport we call the COMMENTique.  That means we’re gonna take this sucka apart page by mutha trukin’ page.    Onward…

Pages 1-2.

Zebtron: Here we go with a “street” level look at Gotham with the Commish.  I’ve always liked Dini’s Gordon.  He has a nice handle on his voice.  (the man is his work stuff)  Nguyen draws the hell outta this issue.

K.Hop:  First things first, I love Commissioner Gordon, love him.  I especially love when he’s drawn traditionally with his bushy mustache, thick glasses, etc.  I also can’t help but hear his voice as it sounded in the animated series as I read his words, and I’m not complaining.  I’ve also come to love his attitude (when written to my liking) his sarcastic one liners included, you know, trying to be hard on the outside but a big ball of love on the inside.

Pages 3-6

Z: Harley Quinn.  Co-created by Paul Dini.  A character born in the animated series, she works best as a cartoonish character, and Dini delivers.  Dig the civvies too.  Apparently, during the whole Battle for the Cowl thing, Arkham got destroyed again (snore).   Enter BatmanGrayson and DamienRobin.  It’s interesting to see Dick filling Bruce’s shoes.  Dini has him playing it tight.  Reminds me of Christian Bale’s Bat.  Classic Damien here, “…may I cut out her tongue.”  The kid has no time for Harley’s antics.

K: So not to overuse the word “love,” but I love Harley Quinn.  If she’s in it, I’ll read it.  She’s quirky and funny and best portrayed by Mr. Dini.  Enter Batman Dick. (Z:Batman Dick, I’ll leave this one alone) Originally in Batman and Robin #1, I did not like Dick Grayson as Batman.  This comic is making me question that thought.  “A word of advice…”  I can just hear Grayson’s gnarly voice growling to Harley just like Bruce Wayne would have.  I think he’ll fill the shoes well, at least for the time being.  Robin Damian however, I am still not sold on.

Pages 7-9

Z: …and it was looking so promising.  Meet Katy, teen-whore.  I guess this book is going to stick with, what seems to be, DC comics “Adult Initiative.”  I’ll make it quick here.  A whole bunch of DC books have decided to drop the HBO bomb in their comics without the swears or boobs.   I understand wanting to write to an audience, (mostly adults these days) but this is truly the tasteless way to do it.  Really, this isn’t more sophisticated storytelling, it’s just lazy.  Anyhoo…Katy is here to introduce to us some big guy that punches guys, looking for teen-whores, with his brass knuckles that then leave an impression of the word, “Abuse,” etched in their heads.

Did I mention Nguyen is a great artist?

K: Okay, I did not have as much of a problem as Zebtron had over this little arc.  Sure kid whores are grimy and sad, but so is Batman a lot of the time.  I think this little side story was just trying to show how bad Gotham has really been without its’ Dark Knight.  Thanks to Katy, we see that’s it’s really bad.  Also, I think it was an easy way to introduce, what I can only assume is a new vigilante in Gotham.  Enter “Abuse.”

Pages 10-13

Z: Hey now, it’s Firefly.  The pyro thing is almost always boring, no exceptions here.   I’m imaging little Katy is doing her Human Torch impression at this point.   (I’m going for an Adult review now!)

K: So I have no background with this Firefly fella, but he’s obviously a b-rate villain.  I think the concept of what he’s doing is kinda cool -  the whole,”I touch you, you turn into flames” bit seems appealing and wouldn’t mind having the ability to inject people with that sorta thing from time to time.

Pages 14-16

Z:Damien has been visiting Hush?  And he’s whooping him at Chess?  Interesting.  As much as I despise Hush, it’s neat to see Damien using him like a lab-rat to study one of his Dad’s (lamest) villains.  Like father like son, know yer enemies kid.

K: I do not like Damian.  Until he gives me a good reason, I will not change my mind.  He seems like a pompous, spoiled jerk.  Hush is kinda lame, I can agree with that.  But I definitely enjoyed the stories of  Thomas and Bruce as childhood friends (different comic, stay on topic here lady).  Needless to say, I am curious what Damian’s motives are for visiting Elliot.

Pages 17-21

Z:Dick and the Commish are on to Firefly pretty quick.  The wee incendiary chips are shaped like bugs, nice touch.  The issue ends with a pair of, fantastically drawn, pieces of the dynamic duo watching Gotham(ites) burn.

K: Damian is more fast acting that I thought he would be.  He got right in there trying to save that person from the burning car.  I also thought it was admirable that Nightwing Batman stopped the police officer from shooting that dude and took the responsibility upon himself (stand up guy if ya ask me).  I do agree with the Z man, we are left with a couple greatly drawn panels of  Batman and Robin.

Afterthoughts…

Z: I have nothing to say about the Manhunter back-up feature except for I liked Daredevil better when he was a man and not a mom.  Probably done with this series for now.   The $3.99 price tag, Manhunter, and Dini’s so-so writing just won’t cut it.  It’s a shame because Nguyen is AMAZING really.

K: First, the art is amazing.  I would even say beautiful.  Secondly, I did not read the Manhunter story as she is kinda boring and I had no real interest.  Lastly, I must say that Batman is one of my favorite heroes.  One of the things that makes him so, are his villains.  I’m not talking about some Firefly guy or Hush.  I’m talking about some Harley Quinn (more than 2 pages please), Poison Ivy, Penguin, Two Face, the Joker (insert your favorite here), you get the idea.  Those are the villains I want to see in my issue of  Batman.  Is that too much for a gal to ask for?

The Road. The Parking Lot.

Bleak.

1: exposed and barren and often windswept

2: cold, raw <a bleak November evening

3 a: lacking in warmth, life, or kindliness : grim b: not hopeful or encouraging : depressing <a bleak outlook> c: severely simple or austere

I sat in a car, in a parking lot, during a thunderstorm last Monday reading The Road.   Like the mysterious forces that left the Earth brutalized and Bleak in  the novel, my purposes for being in that parking lot are irrelevant.  What’s important here is the experience.

I’m a depressed person.  Glass is half-empty and the water is contaminated.  Currently unemployed, stuck in a Limbo that is all to familiar.  I don’t consider myself an escapist when it comes to my choices in consumerism.  I’m an agoraphobic explorer.

Enter The Road.

Avoided direct eye contact with Viggo as best I could.  Wanted my own mental image of The Road.  Goddamn these movie tie-in covers.

Anyhoo…into a Bleak world I went.  Short, terse, windows into a world I could not pull myself away from.  (I finished the gnarly thing in day)  One man, one boy.  On a journey outside of hope really.  Everything dead, dying, ugly.  The rain beating away on the windshield, I moved forward with this duo.  The world outside my car slurred, wet, and gray.  The world inside The Road growing more horrible by the page.  “The winder wasnt turning.”  oh shit.

QUESTION: How does one come to terms with life when hope becomes quelled?

ANSWER: Throw hope out.  Just survive.  Keep moving.  You need to leave safety occasionally.  Sometimes you find what you need.  Sometimes you look under the bed and the boogieman is really there.  Run.  Run.

But you don’t give up.  I’m one of the good guys, I’m carrying the fire.  Keep trying.  don’t give up.

Dreaming.  The Man on The Road informs the boy that nice dreams are an omen of surrender.  you quit.  you gave up.  I cherish good dreams, I live in them.  I escape into them.  Oh hell, am I running?

I’m no fool.  I know the past is often a trap, it’s twisted and warped by our perceptions.   An illusion.  Tradition, nostalgia… dangerous.  The Future is a funny thing.  Obsession.  Plan  ahead.  Those that fail to prepare, prepare to fail.  (that’s a classic that was on the wall in the weight room back in the high school sports days)  But c’mon.  Be here now and stuff right?  Focus!!  Get yer head in the game.  The Road.

I enjoyed that afternoon in the parking lot.  The sun shone a bit brighter on my drive home.  Trivialities seemed, well, trivial.  Just being seemed like enough.  The glass seemed half-full.  I had read a book but more importantly I had lived.  I had ventured outside of safety in a Bleak parking lot reading about a man and a boy that could never go home.  It was a terrible world.  It was a beautiful story.

Avoid the dream, stir it up.  Carry the flame.  Never give up.