Atticus

I could be wrong, but I've always believed it to be a mixture of sand and rock salt.

Aye, I particularly enjoyed the way it confounded the expectations we had after episode 1 that Rook would use Crumb to unleash a vampire massacre, thereby securing his dept's position.

I have no idea how this is going to play out now, except that it involves Hal being a big time bad-ass.

I'm really keen to see this - loved the original, and would like to see how Francis Underwood compares to Francis Urquhart.

But I don't have netflix (not even sure how it works) so I'll have to wait for a uk freeview channel to pick it up, or for the dvd.

Nice to see Dominic Rook's taste in suits - lapels in particular - has improved.

It was 1986 and the man was talking like he just stepped out of Victorian England... "Jolly good time." who the hell says that anymore!?

Well, very few, anymore. But as a viewer of British TV in 86 I can confidently say a decent number.

No, Boston Irish sounds like this. Whatsamatta wit ya, Are ya Retaaarded!

Surely that would be "Aah ya retaaahded"? I've seen The Town, The Departed, and Good Will Hunting.

As Frankie says "That's life".

Well, some people DO get their kicks stompin' on a dream.

True, but I still feel like a spoiled ungrateful brat complaining about Delano these days.

I think I'm on record somewhere on this site voicing my vague grumbles about how I find Delano's work in general and the Fear Machine in particular to be on the over-wordy side and prone to run on too long.

He can get away with it because the end result is usually worth ploughing through, but Fear Machine certainly could've do with being a bit shorter.

Seems a bit churlish though, to be complaining about that given what we've endured from Milligan.

We know based on the latest story-arc in Justice League Dark that John's super-power is apparently lying, and that his lying ability is based in magic. Hence, no magic, John is unable to lie.

Oh dear god, no. Haven't we all suffered enough.......

I know the ending was ambiguous - is he alive but with all his magic stripped away he's just an old jakey in the pub telling improbable stories? Or is being old & powerless his version of hell?- but I didn't think for a minute his whole life was retconned out of existence.

I hope thats not who is represented there.

If that's the case it's a bit egotistical to write yourself into a comic's final issue in that way. I could understand if they drew Moore & Delano, but this would be like putting yourself on a pedestal.

The editorial teams I can understand, but the creative folk already have their names on the bottles. Why should Milligan et al get more prominence (apart from self promotion)?

TAINTED MEAT! TAINTED MEAT!

Couldn't find that app on android - any chance of a link, Lou?

Happy whatever-it-is-day, Christian

50 bucks? Is that all?

I mean, it's still $50, but that seems like good value.

You'll have to speak up, Atticus. I cannot hear you.

Oops. That ok for you now? Ya cheeky bastard

Aye, it is very impressive.

I want one. It would be so useful to show initial design concepts to clients, especially seeing as in my experience so few of them seem to be unable to visualise a 3D form from a 2D drawing.

Picked up Matt Wagner's The Shadow Year One #1 yesterday, to make up for the titles that didn't make it to the UK.

It was really pretty good. I liked the dialogue - great italian cursing from the mobsters - and I liked the muted colours of the artwork which suited the noir tone of the subject perfectly. As an origin story it has me hooked; don't know how much of the Shadow's origin has been explored before, but I know that I don't know any of it. There definitely seemed to be a slight reluctance to Lamont Cranston in his role as an avenging hero in this issue that was refreshing (or maybe I was just reading it wrongly).

Anyway, I enjoyed it greatly and I'll be back for more. 10/10

I heard he might be doing something for Vertigo.

I thought #300 sucked a bit less than #298-#299 but it was still pretty awful.

I got the impression that after last month's teasing (where we expect to see JC turn up at almost every page turn, for him finally to appear when we've just about written off the possibility) Milligan tries to use the same trick again.

He's alive! No, he's not. He's a ghost! No he's ALIVE! No, he's falling apart. Is he a ghost? is he alive? Is he old?

There were a couple of nice ideas (the use of"made-up" magic incantations and the power of bullshit - which, while tapping into Hellblazer mythos, shouldn't have worked on such a powerful demon as Julian) but these were executed poorly (being used by Finn Bejaysus Begorrah O'Constantine, who seems to have become rather proficient pretty fucking quickly). The smoking the ashes just seemed a bit shoved in at the last minute as a handy device.

I too am fed up with seeing Gemma in such a pathetic state, when she was once so confident and assertive. The FotF's cameo was well-meant but laughable. It also seems that someone told Milligan at the last minute that he had to stick Chas in somewhere. The business with the magic gun was ridiculous.

The last few pages gave some ambiguity to the resolution, but only insofar as to leave the reader wondering "was that shit, or reeeally shit?". The bottles on the bar were a nice touch, though the artwork was pretty poor overall.

A rather poor end to a much loved series, but a fitting end to the last few years of shit.

Did you not get the memo?

You're right, of course. I'm aniseptic, frasmotic, even compunctuous to have caused you such pericombobulation.

Watched episode 2 of Black Mirror "White Bear" last night. Spoilers ahoy (can't figure out how to get the spoiler tags), so don't read if you haven't seen it.

Still with me? Good.

I didn't enjoy it anywhere near as much as last week's. I did think it was good, but it worked better as maybe a Twilight Zone type-drama rather than Brooker's intent to provide a dark reflection of our today's society.

The idea that a criminal would be memory-wiped and subjected to a Derren Brown style hoax reality for a baying crowd's entertainment on a daily basis was clever, but just too far removed from today's world compared to the other Black Mirror episodes. The world was recognisably the one we live in, but in reality no civilised society would condone subjecting a crminal - no matter how heinous their crime - to such a punishment.

At least the other episodes in the series have reflected the sensibilities and morals of our current society - even The National Anthem had many people who were disgusted by the PM's pig-fucking on TV, and those who were disgusted with themselves for watching it - or they were in a world visibly distant by a number of years (15 Million Merits) that we could allow ourselves the suspension of disbelief to get involved with the story.

For that reason alone, I felt it lacked the authenticity that the other episodes have had.

That said, it was a good episode even though I didn't think it was as good as those that have gone before.

Lenora Critchlow's performance was gripping, and she was never less than believable as the memory-addled Victoria. It's nice to see the main characters in these shows looking like real people when they have to (dishevelled, distraught, and bedraggled) rather than the highly-polished, make-up-always-intact types we often get on TV. After Hayley Atwell's grieving widow last week, and Critchlow's unkempt and confused role this week, I'm wondering if Brooker has a competition on to make pretty actresses look as awful as possible.

Still looking forward to next week's The Waldo Moment.

Waking up Mon- Thursday at 6:30 A.M. and having to get to a 8 A.M. Math Class.

The world will be a better place when all Americans start their Math (sic) lessons with a short English lesson that tells them it's called "maths".

That goes for all you other strange speaking types too.

Don't know if it's officially spring yet, but I do know it's been proper daylight when I've been going to work and coming home for the past week or so.

Yay daylight!

That preview is ace, as I am no longer inclined to buy Constanteen #1.

Yup - I was erring towards not picking it up anyway, but this preview clinches it. Thanks, DC!

This. Very much both of these.

I really truly intended to give Constantine a fair crack of the whip, but those 3 pages are enough to make my mind up.