8.25.2007

SHILLING FOR A DOC

Notice the new banner ad above? That's for the documentary debuting on 9/7/07 titled, "You Must Be this Tall."

It's a doc on the now abandoned and destroyed Rocky Point Amusement Park - a RI institution until about 15 years ago when it went bankrupt.

I spent many a summer day at the park in my youth, often feeling sick on the Rock & Roll, the Corkscrew, or the Musik Express after chowder and clam cakes from the Shore Dinner Hall.

Click on the link and check out the site, and come September, if you are in the Little Biggest, please see the movie.

Also, 75orless Records will be issuing the soundtrack to the film, later in the month. In case you didn't know, I created the logo for the label, do a lot of the layout and design work for the albums they produce, and have had a personal hand in printing more than a few (thousand) of the hand-pressed cd covers myself. So head over and check out all of their selections as well.

8.22.2007

GOOD COMICS I READ THIS MONTH

It seems that after a period of DC books just treading water, the company has made a major effort to step up their game. This happens a lot in comics, in my view - a sort of cyclical rotation of the books that just seem to be right, while others languish in mediocrity. For a while, since all of the hype behind One Year Later, 52, and Infinite Crisis (and its infinite tie-ins) died down and the company shifted to putting the marketing machine behind Countdown, the books seemed to lose quality while they gained quantity.

While the push behind Countdown and its countless tie-ins is still moving strong, the fan reaction to it has been weak. Things have reached their saturation point. Or rather the over-saturation point. There is just too much out there, and none of it, on its own, seems to hold any water. The books just feel thin. I am still sort of enjoying Countdown, for its universe-spanning feel and some of its more entertaining points (see my Countdown Rundown weekly column over at FOG! for my views on the weekly book), especially the story of the comic Flash Rogues, the Pied Piper and the Trickster.

But in the last month, the change in the quality of the DC line has come from the books that aren't related to Countdown and the books leading to the coming Final Crisis. Rather the best books coming out of DC have been the stand alones; books like Green Arrow: Year One, The Metal Men mini-series, The Un-Men (yes, I know it's Vertigo!), The Outsiders: Five of a Kind weekly event, The Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps War event, and Booster Gold.

While the Sinestro event and the new on-going Booster Gold are both related to the coming Crisis, they stand on their own, and would be perfectly enjoyable even without a vast knowledge of the current DCU. Solid, entertaining stories about super-heroes that aren't ashamed of their core "super-heroness." GA:Y1 has been much better than I could have hoped for - Andy Diggle and Jock having updated the arrow-slinger's origin and mixed in a very riveting and socially-conscious story, while staying true to the character's nearly 70-year-old roots.

With only one issue under their respective belts', both Vertigo's Un-Men (spinning out of old Swamp Thing stories) and the regular DCU 8-issue mini The Metal Men have both shown great promise. The art on Metal Men alone should be winning fans across the board. Plus, their appeal to both old and new fans (me being one of the later, at least for the Metal Men) should serve as a model for all new comics.

And, with the nostalgia-serving homage to the 80s classic, Batman and the Outsiders, the current August-shipping event Five of a Kind is following in the footsteps of Metal Men - serving up old-skool fun in the form of unlikely team-ups and fast-paced, action-packed one-shot stories (this week's Metamorpho/Aquaman serves as a perfect example.) At the same time, the event is pushing the concept forward for a new generation of fans.

Maybe there is hope for the "Nu-DC" and the regime of Dan Didio after all. I liked what the senior VP-Editorial did when he first came on - ambitious world/universe building and a revamp of the entire line - but lately, that ambition has turned into stubborn adherence to a failing vision. Maybe with the end of universe-spanning events in sight with Morrison and Jones' Final Crisis (for which I and countless fans have very high hopes), the DCU will finally get back to what it does best - solid, character driven stories of iconic super-heroes.

For Marvel fans, check back in over the weekend for a look at what's making me happy from their line - can you say, "Hulk SMASH!!!??"

8.17.2007

NEW RUNDOWN UP AT FOG!

The latest column is up over at FOG!

It's a double shot of last week's and this week's issue of Countdown. Check it out, we could use the site-hits!

8.14.2007

MY FAVORITE BATMAN COVERS

Part 2 of a series

Continuing my series of classic and personal favorites, we jump to the modern era and the most recent Batman covers to hit the shelves (actually two haven't even come out yet, but what the hell!)

Batman #667 written by Grant Morrison; art and cover by J.H. Williams, III

Writer Grant Morrison's current story resurrecting the "Club of Heroes" focuses on the Silver Age Bat-emulators from around the world - think of guys like Bat-Hombre (now El Goucho) and the United Kingdom's Knight & Squire - reuniting with their inspiration, Batman on a remote millionaire's private island. Morrison's modern updating of the concept is of course, phenomenal, and it's only a third of the way into the story.

When one of the Club of Heroes is murdered on the island and the killer taunts the heroes while wearing the peeled off face of their millionaire benefactor, Batman takes the lead in tracking down the ruthless killer.

The first issue of the three parter (Batman #667) just shipped last week, and if you can find it on the stands, I urge you to do so. It was one of the best Batman comics I have read in years. It's too bad that artist J.H. Williams's stint on the book is so short - he has the perfect combination of moody art and action driven story-telling that's making this an instant classic.

Tune in later in the month for some of the Silver Age covers that inspired the story behind the new Club of Heroes.

























Covers to issues #668 (on the right) and #669 (left) also by J.H. Williams, III. My personal favorite of the three is the cover to #669, although it is hard to argue with the graphic genius behind the cover to #668. Both books are shipping to comic shops within the next 2 week to 1 month.

8.07.2007

YADDA YADDA YADDA

Click this.

Yes I am talking to you.

from the genius of kevin.

8.02.2007

MARVEL GOES OLD SKOOL ON YO' ASS!


The first three covers for Marvel Comics' upcoming Spider-man uber-ever, One More Day. The covers are by series artist and E-I-C Joe Quesada. A fourth mystery cover will be revealed later.

The story marks a major turning point in the life of Peter Parker and will reset the Spider-man franchise for Marvel. After this cross-over, Marvel will only produce Amazing Spider-man as a core 616 Marvel Spidey title, eschewing Sensational and Friendly Neighborhood.

The catch? Marvel will be producing and putting Amazing on the shelves three times a month - with three super-star (sort of) creative teams, including artists Phil Jimenez and Steve McNiven and writers Bob Gale and Zeb Wells.