Posted with no comment





-Swinebread

WAAAAAHOOOOOO!

There's gonna be a Showcase Presents Ambush Bug collection. see here


Now there is something to look forward to in the future.



-Swinebread

My New Comics

This week's best cover is Ambush Bug: Year None #2.


Northlanders #9 DC Comics/Vertigo.

Necronomicon #1, Boom Studios.

Ambush Bug: Year None #2, DC Comics. It's good to see Amber Butane again… Hell, it's good to see World Balloons on a cover again.

Star Trek: Year Four: Enterprise Experiment #5, IDW.

H.P. Lovecraft's Haunt of Horror #3, Marvel Comics.

She-Hulk #32, Marvel Comics.

Skarr Son of Hulk #3, Marvel Comics.



-Swinebread

Generation Freakazoid!

I finished up Generation Kill this week. The reviews have been very positive and I have to agree. This HBO mini-series based on the book by Even Wright is, in some sense, the most elaborate docudrama ever made because it simply lays out what happened. Nothing is glorified, and the Marines’ boredom is as palpable as the combat. It’s easy to make up your own mind about the folks involved and their actions but Generation Kill never asks you to and I appreciate that. And of course Sergeant Majors are crazy… …they’re always crazy. The tagline for this production might be “War is”

Here’s one of the Trailers. Note that the show itself doesn’t have a “soundtrack” like this trailer.


____________________________________________________

I picked up the first season of Freakazoid!. It’s got a cult following so I wanted to see if it lived up to it’s rep. Well, I have to say it’s a fun show with lots of wild antics and an Animaniacs style of humor. I like crazy superheroes a lot and this one doesn’t disappoint. Freakaziod is clearly a forerunner to the content of Adult Swim on Cartoon Network.

Another reason I was interested in this show is because of the controversy with Madman creator Mike Allred. Madman is considered to be one of the main “unaccredited” influences on Freakazoid but I really don’t see it all that much. Ambush bug and the Mask seem to be ripped off much more directly.





-Swinebread

Movie of the Week

My super at work tasked me with choosing a movie of the week. All this means is that I select some random movie and post its poster or a still from it in our work area. I don’t even have to have seen it. It’s one of those little cultural enrichment type deals.

Well, to keep it interesting I thought I’d post it here on Atomic Romance too. I’m not setting any rules for this, so maybe I’ll talk about the film or maybe I just upload a picture. We will see. This could be fun.

The first film up is Mansquito. I was telling the gang how awful the Sci-Fi channels original movies were, and they didn’t believe me that a made for cable movie was actually titled Mansquito. I've only seen about one minute of the film.





-Swinebread

Watching the Watchmen Watchers

With the Watchmen Trailer out, I decided to read the comic again since it’s been awhile. I’d forgotten how great the story is and I was reminded how practically every comic book has ripped it off since its initial publication in 1986. I’ve noticed some folks dismissing Watchmen but it really was a quantum leap forward in sequential storytelling. If you don’t believe me pick up some back issues of Secret Wars II that came out the same year and you’ll see what I mean.

After Watchmen came out, a light turned on about how great comics could really be, and I’m talking about structure here. As an example: to this day, I can’t stand over exposition in comics. It really bothers me when captions describe what is already clearly shown happening in he panels; basically I think it’s insulting. I can see that Superman is flying you don’t need to tell me he’s flying too. Watchmen got rid of this and other tired techniques and basically pushed the boundaries on how to tell a great comic book story in the same way Citizen Kane pushed how to make great movie.

The dark and somewhat nihilistic take on superheroes is much more of a downer nowadays and I can see why some folks are put off by it but you have to remember this was all new in 1986. To the general public superheroes were a joke and comics didn’t tell adult stories when I grew up, so it was really nice to read something that stimulated the intellect. I mean hey, Watchmen reminded me that gold is only made in the heart of supernovas.

A lot of folks were taken aback by the trailer before Dark Knight and so rushed out to pick up a copy of Watchmen. I’ve been reading folks reviews on Amazon.com. Here's a few:

I first heard of Watchmen when I saw a trailer for its movie. Liking the trailer very much, I bought a copy of the graphic novel to see what it was about. What I expected was a light fun read full of pointless action like most other comics.
I couldn't have been farther from the truth.
What I read instead was a captivating novel with wonderfully developed characters and an intriguing plot with romance, action, and deep questions involving morality and the value of a human life.

I have never been a reader of comics, and this is only the second graphic novel I've tried. I have to say, I am so glad I did! I still have 3 chapters left, but every panel of Watchmen is beautifully crafted, both in the story and the illustration. I will admit that I bought this so I will have some idea what the upcoming movie is about, and now that I have read the novel, I really hope Hollywood has done it justice!

There is a reason Time magazine named it one of the best novels of the 20th century - Watchmen transcends all other comics (with the possible exception of Frank Miller's epic The Dark Knight Returns) in its art, depth and believability. If you have never read a comic before, you don't have to worry: unlike Superman, X-men or any of the other established comics, Watchmen is entirely self-contained.

I thought it was a very very good book...for it's time! Don't get me wrong, yes, it was a great book! Everyone should read this!! I just thought it was a long long long long read, for such a so so ending. If you haven't read this, please give it a try, I just didn't think it lived up to the "Best Graphic Novel"

I'm not going to make this long but basically I saw the trailer for the movie and was blown away. When I found out it was based on "the greatest graphic novel of all time" I knew I just had to get a copy. I'm not much of a comic person but the artwork is impressive. The story has interesting characters, the ending is VERY unpredictable. Other than that, if you're like me and you read lots of novels, short stories, and movie scripts don't expect to be knocked off your feet.

Not a masterpiece everyone makes out to be. Although compare to other graphic novels, it's alittle bit better. Bascially a murder mystery that along the way in solving it, goes into each of the character's backstory until mystery is solved in the end. Ending somewhat disappointing and boring.

Wow, Time Magazine 100 top novels. Basis for Major Movies. The work that changed a genre. I had to read this book. Well, after finishing I realize I really didn't have to read it. I figure this book is like Fried Chicken. If you have a passion for Fried Chicken you will attempt to elevate it to the level of fine dining. But sorry its just fried chicken full of grease and salt and thats what makes it good. you should be happy for whatever merit there is in that. This is a competent comic book for a mature audience. It has mediocre artwork, the characterizations are thin and often poorly reasoned. But gosh its got some gory violence, space monsters and even a competent love scene.

I picked this up since there has always been a lot of hype about it in the gaming, comics and online world. It barely held my interest. It is a dark and gloomy story that is more melodrama than anything.

All I can say after I finish this book is "WOW!" LITERALLY! Its also my first graphic novel I read, I got it for my 20th birthday this year after I saw the previews in theaters while watching BATMAN: The Dark Knight. It is my favorite birthday gift this year. People that have not read this, BUY IT NOW!!! YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!!! Its my new favorite book now!

I think I speak for a lot of people(who didn't read watchmen before) when I say "The movie trailer was CONFUSING!!!!!!" That's probably the main reason why I bought this book. I'm only half way through, but WOW the writing is good. Now I know why it's in the Time Magazine top 100 list and won a Hugo. If you plan to watch the movie but was confused by the trailer, or just want a really really really good comic to read, buy this, you won't regret it.

The characters are what make Watchmen great. There are so many fascinating and deep characters here, and Moore uses them to explore morality on virtually every level. For this is what Watchmen is on its basic level: a morality tale, albeit a fairly bleak one.

Tons of readers are giving credit to Moore for inventing the neurotic superhero. But Kurt Busiek doesn't. Nor does Grant Morrison. Nor do most superhero writers. They give the credit to Superfolks, a comic novel (not graphic) that came out in 1977. With a quote from Nietzsche. With the smiley yellow face. With a superhero up to his neck in personal problems. And with a lot more humor.
Superfolks clearly "inspired" Moore to write Watchmen.
So check it out on Amazon. Don't just take my word for it, because I'm biased. I wrote it.

Normally when I see or hear a lot of hype or hyperbole about something, I choose to ignore the subject, due to being disappointed too many times in the past.
But with this product I'm glad I gave in and tried it.
I've never read a graphic novel in which the characters are so well; "fleshed out" as these.

The whodunit on steroids…

Watchmen is probably one of the greatest comics ever written. Unfortunately in today's modern time the story has lost a lot of what made it great because the direction that the industry has taken. With everyone going for darker, grittier stories Watchmen just hasn't been able to stand the test of time. A great story but, you can't go in with a regular state of mind when reading it. It's a great story and worth the read.

The storytelling and artwork are as cohesive as you'll ever find, and if you're like me, you'll find yourself picking this book up every few years to give it a fresh read.

I am happy with my purchase. I got it quickly and in great condition

Incredible story, even if the ending left me a little unsatisfied. Cant wait for this to hit the big screen.

On the surface this is a story about superheroes. But it isn't deeds or super powers that are the hallmark of these characters, but rather it is who they are. Who are these people that dress up in costumes and fight crime?

I love comic books, and I wanted to love Watchmen. I expected to love it. It won a Hugo, after all. Well...it started off great, with the murder of a retired costumed hero, the Comedian. We're soon introduced to Rorschach, a somewhat mentally disturbed but very effective sort of good guy and a bunch of other costumed heroes, most now retired. The book went downhill soon after. One of the good guys, a Superman clone, is framed and goes off to Mars in a huff. A very boring chapter of his philosophical depression then follows. In the end, the "bad" guy is too powerful to be believed (he's a human without supernatural powers but he can catch a bullet in his hand--I don't think so), the plot too complex to be plausible and it depends, to a large extent, upon science that had not been previously introduced. You can use cloning and telepathy (to give an example) only if you introduce cloning and telepathy early in the story. It's like Kirk saying, "Scotty, time for the interdimensional transport beam," when no such thing has ever been mentioned. The reader does not appreciate such cheap tricks. In the end, this is a pompous work that takes itself way too seriously. Too bad. It could have been great.

Maybe in its day it was revolutionary and unique, but it hasn't stood the test of time for me. I'll stick with V For Vendetta- a true classic.

*Disclaimer: I only read a small portion of this graphic novel*

Since I'm hating on a widely acclaimed graphic novel, I feel like I first need to give some taste credentials. Sandman was awesome, Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men is a trip and Moonshadow was phenomenal. For a graphic novel to be good, it should have a good story, good art, good characters, witty dialog, and humor. I'm willing to believe that the story behind the Watchman is amazing because why else would people like it so much, but everything else is just terrible.

The artwork is gross and uninteresting, the characters, at least in the first 60 pages, are completely boring, uninteresting and hollow. And there's not a moment of comic relief. Here are some minor, but representative examples to support my claims.

The dialog and characters are completely inane. The novel begins with the death of "The Comedian," and old super hero, and we then see the reactions of his former colleagues. Everyone flashes back to days of old and I don't know how many times they made retarded comments like "We'd always thought he'd get the laugh last." It's not even funny in an over the top sort of way, it's just lame. I skipped to the middle to learn a little about the antihero's origins, and you find that he's being analyzed by a psychologist who, we are told by the author, is a really nice guy and one of the best in his field. But he's just dumb. He fully believes the crazy antihero is becoming more sane when he claims to see butterflies and daisies in a Rorschach test. And then, later, the psychologist appears wounded to the core when the antihero makes fun of him and calls him out. How is this at all believable. What kind of psychologist goes through his career never encountering a moment of adversity. It just makes no sense. I know these sound minor, but every page is filled with stupid stuff like this. It's all like the idiotic scene in V for Vendetta, when the main villain is broken because his computer has an affair with V.

I know that it's arrogant and mean to come down hard on a graphic novel so many people know and love without even reading enough to get into the story. But, there are so many glowing reviews of this piece or literature that Alan Moore can deal with a little bit of criticism. The whole story just felt so hollow and empty that it seems pointless to continue reading to find out more.

Some of the reviews on here are a little ridiculous. YES, it is a tedious read. YES, the plot is difficult to understand and follow. YES, some of the themes are dated. However, that does not negate the fact that this is, by far, the BEST.Graphic.Novel.Ever. The characters feel real, the plot is absolutely mind blowingly good once you fully grasp it, and the action is perfectly paced. I absolutely cannot wait for the movie!

In short, Watchmen is a great, great comic that has had a profound influence over the years. If you've been at all impressed by the more adult comics in recent times, you not only have this volume to thank, in part, but you also owe it to yourself to give this book a read. You'll be happy that you did.


-Swinebread

Comic Book Break-in

Last week, someone broke into to a relative’s house where I was storing most of my comic books… Now, I was greatly concerned about the safety and wellbeing of my relative but of course when I was told some of my comics were dumped on the floor and rifled through, I freaked.

My relative’s stuff looks OK for the most part and I told them about securing themselves from ID theft, but it really looks like the perp(s) were looking for money of which there was none. After looking around at what was searched through, I realized that the perp(s) spent the most of their time looking through my comics. Weird. I don’t have them in any kinda order despite a few title groupings, so I can’t be entirely sure that they didn’t steal any comics but if they did, they didn’t take much. I think they might have grabbed a random stack out of one box. I don’t have any real valuable comic books anyway, but I do have a few Bronze Age gems that they could have grabbed if they knew what they were looking for… but thankfully, they didn’t. I thought at least my early ‘80s X-men would have been taken but I guess they wasted their limited ransacking time by looking at Alpha Flight, Excalibur, and Power Pack.

A few comics were damaged but I’m just glad my collection is basically intact. This is one of the few legacies’ I have to give to Swinebread Jr. Needless to say, I removed my collection post haste to a new location.

Weird Fact: I discovered, while checking my comics over, that I have three copies of the Ambush Bug Christmas Special. Hmmmmm…. …all in excellent condition…




Here you can see the boxes are open and the comics are on the ground. I wonder if Gilded Lily on the cover of Alpha Flight #20 freaked ‘em out so much they stopped searchin’ TRY TO FORGET HER!


The drawer style storage boxes had been quickly opened and checked. Nope, no Action Comics number one here…



This drawer box was looked through by pulling up a few random issues but then the perp also shoved the box closed and bent fuck out of Amazing Spiderman Annual #20. You know this issue. It’s the one where time traveling Arno Stark kills the Blizzard…

-Swinebread

Warp Their Minds From the Beginning

We received lots of wonderful and useful gifts from friends and family for Swinebread Jr. but Dean Wormer really knows how get the programming going early. Thanks buddy!

My son will wear these loud and proud.

Cthulhu fhtagn!

-Swinebread

Screw you John McCain and Michael Goldfarb

As a roleplayer and Veteran, I just have to say I'm thoroughly disgusted with Michael Goldfarb's comments:

"It may be typical of the pro-Obama Dungeons & Dragons crowd to disparage a fellow countryman's memory of war from the comfort of mom's basement..."

see Dean’s post here

Instead of making baseless attacks to distract the media and the public away from Senator McCain’s horrible record on actually helping Veterans when they need it (like the GI Bill), I suggest that Mr. Goldfarb do a little research before he debases a whole segment of the population that includes active duty service members, veterans and *surprise, surprise* even non-liberals. Using moral panic tactics of the early 1980s and supposed jock vs. geek paradigms shows that the McCain camp has wrong ideas, is drastically misinformed and is clearly out of touch.

Basically the McCain campaign is stating directly that people that play D&D are unpatriotic and in-fact not real americans. This is so stupid it sounds like something Dan Quayle would say. With the election so close, making disparaging comments about anybody seems like a really dumb idea and very petty.



Edit: I liked this point

Goldfarb apologized, displaying a tongue in cheek familiarity with the rules of the game.

If my comments caused any harm or hurt to the hard working Americans who play Dungeons & Dragons, I apologize. This campaign is committed to increasing the strength, constitution, dexterity, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma scores of every American.

That's the kind of deep, personal animosity that you associate with experience, which clearly Goldfarb has. It’s not hard to imagine that some basement somewhere holds the abandoned d20s, dusty rulebooks, and broken heart of a young Michael Goldfarb who never got to be Dungeon Master because he wouldn’t stop yelling. In fact, it’s hard not to wonder if, when Michael Goldfarb is berating the D&D players of the world, he’s really just berating Michael Goldfarb.

from here

-Swinebread

Arte Y Pico Award

The fantastic Becca selected my blog for an Arte Y Pico Award! I am greatly honored. Thank you Becca.


Here are the Rules:

1. You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award through creativity, design, interesting material, and also contributes to the blogger community, no matter of language.



2. Each award should have the name of the author with a link to their blog.



3. Award winners have to post the award with the name and link to the blog of the person who gave them the award (done at the end of Paragraph 1).



4. Please include a link to the “Arte Y Pico” blog so that everyone will know where the award came from.



5. Show these rules.



Here are the 5 Blogs I selected:

Matt at Paleo-Future has a great blog about the Future that never was. Every generation has had practical and totally bizarre ideas about what sort of culture or inventions there might be in "the future" and this blog makes sure they still have a home. All our forgotten tomorrows are logged whether they’re from the 1880s or the 1980s.

Arkonbey has been creating and posting self-made comics on-line at Obscurum. His Obscure Tales series is just what a jaded, cynical comic fan like me needs right now. What’s additionally cool is his discussion about the process he uses to create his pages, Fun and informative.

Dr. Zaius has, in my mind, has the best designed and the best content in the whole bloggershpere. His greatness is only matched by his intellectual capacity. Go to Zaius Nation and you’ll see what I mean.

Comics Fairplay was one of the first comic blogs I latched on to. Heidi Meely’s (and James too sometimes) frank but respectful discussion about a medium I love keeps bringing me back. I’m not even reading the same titles as her, but her blog just has that certain something. It’s like a four-color pub discussion over a brew. Plus, I appreciate the simplicity of the layout. Comics Fairplay makes comics almost seem like a real legitimate topic to chat about. Imagine that! I’m not a closet comics fan anymore thanks to Heidi.

How could I pick just one blog by Rob!? Well, the rules are the rules, so take a gander at All in Black and White for 75 cents. Never has a better comic series been written on the topic of comic book magazines. There was an age undreamt of where Horror and Adventure had a home. Where fantastic art, relayed the visions of amazing writers in a larger, adult format. Recapture those lost journeys or discover them anew with this amazing blog. (Hell just check out all his fun sites you’ll be glad you did).


-Swinebread

It Went So Quickly...

Swinebread Jr.'s grandma went back to Japan today. There was much crying. She's been such a big help to all three of us it just seems strange that she won't be here anymore. It was so special to have her here for the baby's birth but now she's gone. She'll only get to see him once a year at most.

We tried to give her as much time as possible with her grandson these last few days. She greatly appreciated that, but she made sure her face was turned away so we wouldn't see her tears as she held our son.



-Swinebread

I thought this was a funny cartoon


-Swinebread

My New Comics

This week’s best cover is Fall of Cthulhu: Godwar #1.


Conan the Cimmerian Dark Horse.

Fall of Cthulhu: God War #1, Boom Studios.

PistolFist #3, BlueWater Comics.

Cthulhu Tales #4, Boom Studios.

1985 #4, Marvel Comics.


Why is Animal Mother on the Cover of 1985 #4? ...and is that Charlie Sheen in the center there? Sorry mister Edwards, I noticed but then your swiping is rather blatant. You probably ripped off the rest of the soldiers too. Just tracing stuff sucks. Plus, the uniforms are all wrong for 1985.

Hey, Marvel it’s time to stop allowing this kinda crap.


-Swinebread

Random Comic Panel

-Swinebread

Kobe's Dream

-Swinebread

Faded Memories in Black and White

TMNT#6 one of the first, if not thee first, black and white indy comics I bought.

Back in the first half of 1980s there was a small boom of independent comic book publishing with black and white comics. It really kicked off because of the success of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and spawned all sorts of creative and not so creative books from individuals and startup comic companies. Besides TMNT the biggest legacy of the Black and White boom would have to be Usagi Yojimbo and Dark Horse Comics (all of DHC’s initial output was black and white). It was a Wild and Wahoo time in comics and I was in the thick of it as a kid, reader, and collector. I bought a lot of it and still own most of the crazy crap I purchased. There were some real gems once in a while but most of it was quite disposable. Regardless, it was still fun to pick up some odd stuff because you never knew what you might find between the pages.

As a lark, I thought I would list all the black and white 80s comics off the top of my head I can remember without snooping around the net. Most the comics I’ll mention I actually own but some were just memorable because of their title. I did this exercise a few years ago on a thread someplace but I thought it might be enjoyable to revisit it again, so her goes:
(I’m excluding Manga and Magazines)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (of course)
Critters
Usagi Yojimbo
Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters
Geriatric Gangrene Jujitsu Gerbils
Preteen Dirty Gene Kung-Fu Kangaroos
Space Ark
Tales of the Aniverse
Dead World
Mildly Microwaved Kung-Fu Gophers
Gnat-Rat
Laffin’ Gas
Ex-Mutants
Wild Knights
The New Humans
War World
Dark Horse Presents
Aliens
Boris the Bear
Wacky Squirrel
New York: Year Zero
Portia Prinz (sp?)
The Dreamery
Miami Mice
Hamster Vice
Guerilla Groundhog
P.J. Warlock
Tales of Beanworld
Puma Blues
Samurai Squirrel
Twilight Avenger
Concrete
Aldebedo (sp?)
Cutie Rabbit (is this one?)
Xenoxic Tales
Samurai Penguins (is this one?)
Reagan’s Raiders
The Tick
The Crow
After Apocalypse
Zooniverse (was that in b/w?)
Fusion
Trekker
Bratpack (was that in b/w?)
Baker Street
Zot!
Combat Wombat
Predator
The American
Logan’s Run (not the Marvel one)
The March Hare
Man
Revolving Doors (was that b/w)?
The Realm
Four Fisted Tales
Mister Monster (When he was at Dark Horse)
Adventures (I think)
Captain Jack
War of the Worlds
Reid Fleming the world toughest MilkMan
Ms. Tree (was that b/w?)
Kola Commandos

That's all I got...

If I made mistakes oh well



-Swinebread

Beijing Olympics: Faking Scandal Over Chinese Goddess

The Chinese Gods have admitted to deceiving the public over another highlight of the Olympics: the Goddess of Compassion, who blessed the games, was not considered attractive enough to represent China.



The hotty with big knockers that was introduced to be Guan Yin, the ancient Goddess of Mercy, had become an international sensation after her nasty trysts with tourists and athletes of both sexes.

But Lei Gong, the Duke of Thunder, felt forced to set the record straight. He gave an interview, which said that the attractive deity that raised eyebrows and passions with her lusty ways was not Guan Yin at all, but rather Chuang-Mu, the Chinese Goddess of the Bed and Sexual Delights. The real Guan Yin was considered too motherly and not sexy enough to represent the Heavily host of China and was swapped out at the eleventh hour.

The Jade Emperor had no comment on the switch.



-Swinebread

My New Comics

This week’s best cover is The Walking Dead #51.


Zorro #6, Dynamite Entertainment.

The Walking Dead #51, Image.

The Last Defenders #6, Marvel Comics.

Brothers In Arms #3, Dynamite Entertainment.


Sure enough, they put The Station, I Was Kidnapped by Lesbian Pirates From Outer Space, the Lone Ranger and Buckaroo Banzai in my box. I had to remind them of what I had dropped and it was cool. They only comic book that gave a slight twinge for not buying it was the Lone Ranger one, but Mego Scotty and Mego Keeper Alien sure smoothed things over!




-Swinebread

Watcthfriends - Watchmen meets Super-Friends

It had to be done by somebody right! Great job Ironycoast!





-Swinebread

Everybody Wants to See the Baby

We’ve been keeping Swinebread Jr. at home and away from the crowds. He’s been putting on a lot weight and he’s starting to look like a Rubenesque Cherub. We had a small medical scare yesterday but our little one is completely healthy and happy, so no worries.

It’s funny because the baby on this Alien Encounters cover almost looks like Swinebread Jr. I’ve observed that expression from him several times already. Hmmm… I wonder what he’s really seeing when he does his baby gawk.


-Swinebread

New Uses for Good Earth

There are so many things (crimes) to get upset about when it comes to this administration but destroying our environmental future is beyond the pale. The blatant, greedy F-you that Bush is throwing at us by gutting the Endangered Species Act is unconscionable. Ruining ecosystems and losing threatened animals just so some irresponsible quacks can easily make few bucks in the short-term is downright criminal. Enough is enough!

But we need more strip-malls and Mansions right?

Totalitarian democracy and corporate feudalism are alive and well in the states…


-Swinebread

The Atomic Romance Implosion

Well folks, I knew it was coming and I bet you did too. The wife and I had the talk… the talk that I’m spending too much money on comics (and other related stuff), which, alas is true. With the new baby and our saving goals for the family, I need to drastically reduce my cash outlay at the comic store by about half.

It’s funny because I was thinking about doing a post about how comics were too expensive nowadays and how the days of getting a weekly stack of comics are just about gone unless you’ve got a lot of disposable income. It wasn’t long ago that trades were a viable option and in some case they still are but the price has jumped on these books too especially Marvels. Thirty bucks for the Invaders volume 2, Sorry I just couldn’t swing that and what’s with all the hardcovers? (Hey Marvel, maybe this why your income is down on the publishing side) And now the price on regular comics has really gotten out of hand for me. I have to create a budget and I must stick to it. That means if the comic is four F-ing dollars an issue, it better be dam good from day one or I’m dropping it posthaste. Gone are the days when I’ll stick around to see if it improves because I’d rather spend my meager funds on something that’s stellar out of the gate.

I feel bad because I have this urge to buy a lot, because I want to have the sense that I’m a part of something. I’m “participating” in geek culture. By cutting down my number of books, it “seems like I’m losing out because comics are really what I’m interested in. Plus, I’ll have nothing to talk about on my blog. I do remind myself though, that times are tough and I’ve got a decent job. So I shouldn’t be such a whinny bitch. I bet there are plenty of people in the world that would love to have this as their only problem. What I need to do is start hitting the library and actually review the few comics I’ll still be following to stay relevant.

Here’s my initial list of cancellations submitted to the Comic Store yesterday. I’m sure I’ll add more

I was kidnapped by Lesbian Pirates from Outer Space, Platinum Studios
Actually, this is a rather cute title from both the art and the writing perspectives. If I were a female high schooler I’d sure share this with my Girlfriend… but I’m an older white dude and so I like my lesbian pirate action a little more in the adult, Heavy Metal realm.

Battlestar Galatica (All Titles), Dynamite Entertainment
What’s funny about this is that my comic book store just forgot to put the BSG comics in my box and after a few months went by, I realized that I didn’t really care. I added this to cancel list merely as a formality.

Project Superpowers, Dynamite Entertainment
I am really interested in the old Golden Age Characters that are part of this series (as some of them were quite popular in their day) and I was also quite excited by Alex Ross’ designs but actually this title has been rather boring. All the great heroes pop out of thin air after being are stuck in jar for decades? Oh come on… The action just starts up without any frame of reference for just whom these guys are. There needed to be more of an introduction to the world that these forgotten characters inhabit. See Miracle Man or the Twelve on how to revive long lost superheroes. Also, the internal art isn’t living up to the Ross covers. Sound familiar… Earth X cough, cough…

Wrath of the Titans, Blue Water
I think this title is over anyway but just incase. I didn’t like the manga-ish art and the subpar coloring job. If a comic has Ray Harryhausen’s name on it, the artwork should match his style.

Next Issue Project, Image
Actually the first title in this series was quite good. Kinda like a cross between and indie book and Bronze Age comic. It’s just too expensive for me continue with right now. If an affordable trade shows up at some point, I may purchase it or at least borrow it.

The Dead Rider, Dark Horse
This thing is seems to be published so sporadically that I don’t remember what going on from issue to issue so it’s gone.

Lone Ranger, Dynamite Entertainment
This is a well-written comic, but I guess I’m just more of a revisionist western type of guy so it’s Jonah Hex for me.

Buckaroo Banzi, Moonstone
This is an OK series; I suppose I’m just not as excited about the main character as I thought I was.

Love and Rockets: New Stories, Fantagraphics
I’m an old school Love and Rocket fan. I’m just bailing on this before I have a chance to see it to save some cash.

Reign in Hell, DC comics
If your going to have folks just standing around hell talking about what their gonna do, then have Neil Gaiman or Mike Carey write it or don’t bother.

Night of the Living Dead, Avatar
I just wanted the one-shot. I’m just making sure that they didn’t sign me up for a regular series.

She Buccaneer, Great Big Comics.
Great concept and a great main character but this title needs better plotting. At Four bucks a pop it should be a superior product and right now it’s merely a B-movie.

Super World, Near Mint Press
Something I signed up for a long time ago that never showed up. Just making sure it never does at this point.

Storming Paradise, Wildstorm
The premise of this title is very intriguing, it’s actually something I’ve given some thought to. So, when Wildstorm announced that they were doing a WWII invasion of Japan alternate history comic, I was pretty stoked. The problem is Storming Paradise isn’t focusing on the things I’m interested in, such as things like the experimental jet aircraft built by the Japanese that would have factored into any invasion battles or the Russian invasion of Hokkaido. I might still pick up the next issue as it’s a good title but if I can’t, no worries.

The Age of the Sentry, Marvel
I like the silver age aesthetic of this comic but it hasn’t come out yet so it’s gone. Plus I really disliked the last Sentry mini.

Criminal Macabre, Dark Horse
Good stuff but if I’m not reading it, I don’t know what I’m missing right?

Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters, Dynamite Entertainment
I picked this up out of nostalgia for the 80s. It’s OK but with a smaller budget I need bigger laughs to keep going with it.

No Hero, Avatar
This is actually a really interesting psychedelic superhero offering from avatar. No complaints here. I hope I can pick up as trade during a sale someday.

The Station, Boom Studios
A crime comic in space? That’s what the station offers with a murder scenario on the international space station. It isn’t out yet that’s why I dropped it. I’ve been burned a few times with some of Boom’s titles not living up to the hype so I guess it’s better to wait and see if the buzz is good for this book, besides Boom’s trades tend to be more economical anyway.

Streets of Glory, Avatar
One western too many I guess.

Savage Tales, Dynamite Entertainment
One of the things that’s been bugging me about the Red Sonja title is that it’s supposed to set during the Hyborian Age, which I fined a very compelling fantasy world, but Dynamite has been keeping her travels very vague as to where she is. Sonja is just in some generic medieval land rather than the time of Conan. I like the character so much and that’s what keeps me coming back to her own title, but Savage Tales with its McMagic world stories about other guys? No thanks anymore.

Salem: Queen of Thorns, Boom Studios
I thought I would be in the mood for a good Salem witch horror story. I guess I’m not. If you are, check it out it’s just not my bag of chips at this point.

Anna Mercury, Avatar.
I picked this one up for the art, which is great. I’m just not into Warren Ellis’s sci-fi premise that’s presented in this title. Maybe She reminds me of too many other sci-fi action heroines like UltraViolet and Aeon Flux.



-Swinebread

My New Comics

This week’s best cover is Army@Love: The Art of War #1.


Crossed #0, Avatar.

Tor #4, DC Comics.

Army@Love: The Art of War #1, DC Comics.

Avengers/Invaders #4, Marvel Comics.

Red Sonja #36, Dynamite Entertainment.

Army of Darkness #11, Dynamite Entertainment.

The War that Time Forgot #4, DC Comics.

Hulk #5, Marvel Comics.

Storming Paradise #2, DC Comics/Wildstorm.

Jonah Hex #34, DC Comics.

She Buccaneer #2, Great Big Comics.

Star Trek: Assignment: Earth #4, IDW.

Doctor Who Classics #9, IDW.



-Swinebread

Foxxy She-Hulk

The other day, between feedings and diaper changes, my mother-in-law, and my wife were relaxing while I scanned through cable channels. At one point I came upon Disney 2, which was showing the Incredible Hulk cartoon from the 1990s. Now, I’ve never seen this show because I was outta the country at the time it aired, so I’ve always been interested in it because the 2nd Season starred She-Hulk. The particular episode that was showing did have Shulkie and it was fun to see her in action. Apparently, Jennifer went home for her high school reunion and all broke hell broke lose when the Gargoyle’s minions attacked. He was in love with her and the Gargoyle thought he could force her to be his lover (makes me wonder what the Silver Age Hulk tales would have been like if She-Hulk had been around then).

Anyhoo, my wife and my mother-in-law actually watched the cartoon for a little bit. They found She-Hulk intriguing. My SO remarked, “wow! She’s really tall,” and then she explained to her mom that She-Hulk was the female Hulk in Japanese while making a few more comments. This was fun for me because my wife has seen me read the She-Hulk comics but has always tuned me out when I talked about the character before. I guess it’s another thing entirely to see She-Hulk in action even if it’s just a cartoon. I hope that Shulkie will be in the next Hulk movie that way more folks will get see how cool she really is.

After watching that episode for a while I realized that I’ve heard She-Hulk’s voice before. Rather quickly, I recognized that She-Hulk had the same voice talent as Foxxy Love from Drawn Together… minus the jive of course. Cree Summer provides the voice work for both characters. I’m thinking It would be fun if She-Hulk did have Foxxy’s speech patterns though, imagine She-Hulk saying: "Hey Hey Hey" or “I'm like Sherlock Holmes, if he played tambourine and shaved his cooch.” Hmmmm… sounds like a good idea for a youtube.


-Swinebread

Aquaman Arrives

Rob!, the curator of the wonderful Aquaman Shrine, (and other outstanding blogs), sent me a gift for my newly born son… an Aquaman doll. Very cool of him indeed to do such a thing, apparently he has a tradition of sending out an Aquaman to all the families he knows that have been blessed with a new baby.

Thanks so much Rob! It’s very much appreciated. I’ll make sure Swinebread Jr. has this gift as part of his collection when he’s old enough. As you can see from the picture Aquaman made it out to Oregon just fine, but I had Dr. Gumby check him out just to be on the safe side. ☺ The SO really likes the doll too. She’s not very familiar with American superheroes but she thinks Aquaman is cute. Heh, heh all the girls say that don’t they.

Make sure you stop by Rob!’s blogs for really fantastic comic book memories and info. His stuff is so good in fact, that he’ll be published in Back issue Magazine soon.

Hat’s Off Rob! Much gratitude from Atomic Romance.

Aquaman forever!



-Swinebread

Random "Beach" Comic Cover

Since Dr. Smith and Dr. Zaius are kicking off their Blogger Beach Parties (see here and here), I thought I'd join in the fun with an old Patsy Walker beach theme comic book cover.


-Swinebread

Manga-ized

My brother-in-law's girlfriend drew a picture of my family in honor of the birth of Swinebread Jr. and sent it to us from Japan. Isn't it great? It doesn't look like us and it looks exactly like us at the same time, amazing.


-Swinebread

Never Ever

I was in a store yesterday wandering though the DVD section when a couple passed by me in a hurry to checkout the boxed sets of 24. I guess they were looking for a deal on the latest set. When they noticed that the one they wanted wasn't there they began to walk away dejected and the male of the couple said: "24 is the greatest network show ever... ever"

LOL...

A show that legitimizes torture isn't for me (See here) but most folks are cool with it... sadly.


-Swinebread

We Make Holes In Teeth!

For those of you that might not know about the Cavity Creeps as mentioned in my Tubular Expression post it's Youtube to the rescue.








-Swinebread

Tubular Expression

Three years ago, I took a Photoshop class. I liked the teacher so much that I signed up for her next class, which was Painter. I really wanted to take Illustrator from her but it wasn’t offered that last term when I had a hole in my schedule, so Painter it was. It was a fun class with a nice group. I would have gotten more out of it though, if I’d actually had some standard artistic training under my belt, because I didn’t really have a concept of the different types of media represented by the program. Regardless Painter was still a fun program to mess around with. One assignment was to create a series of three pictures based on the theme of a common everyday item. I decided on toothpaste.

This piece is titled The Holy Order of Aquafresh. I had this image of crusader knights as tubes of toothpaste and so I ran with it. Their defeated foes are the Cavity Creeps. If you look at the mouth of a tube of Aquafresh, the paste kinda looks like a cross made of red and greenish blue. It’s funny because no one in the class knew who the Cavity Creeps were. I guess they didn’t watch Cartoons in the 1980s.


This one is your standard take off on pop art painting. It’s simply called Tubes.


The title of this image is Sir Crestor. I was going for an 1980s sorta vibe with it.


-Swinebread