Trace

Given that this thread was started by Mick, I think I read its title and subtitle about 10 times, laughing hysterically each time.

What's good, everyone? I'm back and older than ever.

Dr. Doom and Luke Cage

Mary Marvel goes insane

Alright, so it's been modified-- still excellent.

Batman and Robin discuss Lord Deathman from his original appearance in the Bat-Manga

Cole kicking a bear in the nuts, from Girls

I still get a kick out of this:

Brock Samson License

Guess I'll update the poll with some more names...

John appearing in the mainstream DCU surprised the hell out of me when I saw the tease in the back of Detective Comics* because I remembered Bond saying in the letters column of Hellblazer #279 that there wouldn't be any superheroes in Vertigo-- I assumed it was a 2-way street.

Nice to know Swampy and JC will mess around with some supes, been dying for John to slag off a number of the spandex set.

*solid run by Snyder so far, btw for those looking for good Batman stuff outside of Mozza

I've finally gotten a chance to watch all 17 episodes of The Prisoner, and it's a lot of fun.

Love the new No. 2 (yes, yes, POOP) each episode and all the crazy mindfucks they pull.

I can see how the series has influenced many current writers (Grant Morrison being the most obvious) and producers (J.J. Abrams/Damon Lindelof, et al).

Having re-read Seaguy before and after reading Slaves of Mickey Eye, I now rate "Act 1" as some of the best stuff Morrison's ever done. I've also come to appreciate Cameron Stewart's art, which is just perfect for the series.

Destroyer #1

Kirkman gets an old, old character to re-invent/update/modernize in the MAX tradition (which basically just means making the proceedings a violent, swear-filled affair). Not bad, but also not highly recommended.

The Boys #29

Carnage, carnage, carnage, with at least one "Fuck Yeah!" moment. You know what to expect from the series by this point.

Irredeemable #1

Mark Waid's take on Superman gone bad. Great art, solid writing, definitely will stick with this for a few issues. Evil Superman (specifically, The Plutonian) is an absolute delight, if somewhat unoriginal.

Seaguy, Slaves of Mickey Eye #1

This fever-dream pastiche of recurring Morrison themes, tones, and tropes does not disappoint.

Thus far it is my favorite comic of '09.

Isn't that just a photoshopped Kristen Bell?

I've only got up to #8.

I'm pretty sure that's all there is.

Yet another solid Ellis series put on indefinite hold.

Amazing Spider Man Fred Van Lente is one of Marvel's best writers. Now if we could only get him on an "edgier" title...

Crossed #0-4 Garth at his Garfiest. Not bad stuff, but I keep thinking "Wozza beat you to the extreme Avatar zombie tale." However, I actually feel the plight of our protagonists, and the suspense never lets up. My only real complaint is that the flashbacks are so seamless in places that I didn't immediately realize they were flashbacks. Jacen Burrows is one fucked up dude.

Bad Dog #1-2 So much fun, I'm definitely in for the long haul. Some of Joe Kelly's best writing, he out-Aarons Jason Aaron. And the art is lovely to boot.

Big Guy & Rusty the Boy Robot #1-2 Geof Darrow's graphomaniacally hypermeticulate art is always a pleasure to look at, even if the story kind of sucks.

Battlefields - Dear Billy #1-3 This might be the best thing I've ever read from Ennis. Garth's writing is just beautiful and note-perfect. Pacing, text boxes, dialogue, mood, tone, everything just clicks. War stories are definitely Ennis's strong point; he clearly has the knowledge and the passion to pour the best parts of his creativity into these books. Highly recommended.

Started in on Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth. It's a trip.

Starbuck's arc was kind of poopy, but her final fate was in keeping with what had been established (remember, she died a while ago, then came back to lead everyone to the dead Earth [Harbringer of Death], but then redeems herself when she uses the the Music of the Universe [apparently, Dylan] to lead them to pre-history Earth.)

I have no problem with Anders flying the fleet into the sun. After all the shit everyone went through (most of it due to misuse/misunderstanding of technology) I empathize with their desire to "start over."

The finale was certainly crammed, and it definitely had all kinds of holes in it, but I still thought it was a nice swan song-- one that tried really hard to wrap everything up and entertain.

I'm curious to hear someone who has seen the entire series without taking any long breaks makes of it all, especially the last season.

For anyone that still has questions, check out:

http://en.battlestarwiki.org/wiki/Main_Page

Re the new thread title: Vertigo editorial may or may not be a joke, but I don't see the announcement as being symptomatic of said joke.

What the frog said.

This whole time I've been working under the assumption that Rankin would be doing an OGN a la Carey's AHE, so I'm not sure what all the fuss has been about.

More importantly, have you all been reading these interviews? Rankin seems to have (imo) pedestrian/questionable taste. (Saw LoEG in the theaters 3 times?!? Loved the film adaptations of V for Vendetta and From Hell?!? Constantine in a reality game-show setting? Plus he just doesn't seem to "get" the character the way I'd hope a writer would-- he's focusing too much on the mainstream "cool" aspects of John and his universe. This just feels like it's going to be a trainwreck....)

I for one, am not eagerly awaiting Dark Entries.

You should check out Moore's MiracleMan.

It's awesome and is really where he developed his "superhero deconstructionist" writing that he continued to explore in Swamp Thing and Watchmen.

Pretty hard to come by in "physical" format, so if you're interested in a digital copy of the entire run, pm me.

That was one of the most satisfying, kick-ass finales to anything that I have ever seen.

I now feel justified in sticking with this show.

For you mineralogists out there-- the final episode (#20-- the "second-half" of the finale) is %99.9 ROCK.

I had a brief, strange dream last night (one of many) that involved meeting up with Josh in person. I think we were in SoCal, possibly SD for the Con, but the focus of the dream revolved around convincing Josh that I was indeed Trace. As he approached me for the initial meet I called out to him but he just gave me this incredulous look and kept walking. I looked down the sidewalk at his now scaled-down body (not quite a midget as he was still proportionally the same) and called after him repeatedly. He wouldn't slow down, much less stop, so I ran after him and forced him to confront me. Now his face looked completely different too, sporting a black beard that was well groomed, to match his short black hair and backwards baseball cap. I tried again to convince him of my identity, reminding him that we were supposed to meet up. This is when the dream started to bleed into the next one so suddenly there were flying sharks in the street.

The sweater vest: no longer just for the golf course or Jim Tressel.

Well done, sir.

I like the way books feel and smell.

(ManThinging in T-5, 4, 3, 2....)

From the solicits page at the back of DC books this month:

--Jim Lee on the Wildstorm Universe

Stuff White People Like

Though white people have a natural aversion to television, there are some exceptions. For white people to like a TV show it helps if it is: critically acclaimed, low-rated, shown on premium cable, and available as a DVD box set.

 

The latter is important so that white people can order it from Netflix and tell their friends “they are really into <insert series> and I watched ten episodes in a row in the weekend. I’m almost caught up.”

 

If you attempt to talk about an episode they have not seen yet, they will scream and cover their ears. In white culture, giving away information about a film or TV series is considered as rude as spitting on your mothers grave. It is an unforgivable offense.

 

Recent series that have fallen into this category include The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, and most recently The Wire.

 

For the past three years, whenever you say “The Wire” white people are required to respond by saying “it’s the best show on television.” Try it the next time you see a white person! Though now they might say “it WAS the best show on television.”

 

So why do they love it so much? It all comes down to authenticity. A long time ago, someone started a rumor that when The Wire is on TV, actual police wires go quiet because all the dealers are watching the show. Though this is not true, it seems plausible enough to white people and has imbued the show with the needed authenticity to be deemed acceptable.

 

The popularity of this show among white people has create a unique opportunity for personal gain.

 

If you need to impress a white person, tell them you are from Baltimore. They will immediately ask you about The Wire and how accurate it is. You should confirm that it is “like a documentary of the streets,” the white person will then slowly shake their head and say “man” or “wow.” You will be seen in an entirely new light.

 

If you are not from Baltimore but the white person you are talking to is, they might start asking you a lot of questions. In this situation, you should just say you left when you were young but you still have a lot of cousins there but you don’t like to go back to visit. This will remove all doubts and they can go back to telling you about how John from Accounting needs to “stop snitching” about their two hour lunch breaks.

Totally agree.

I can walk with crutches amd all of my Borg implants have been safely removed. Physical Therapy is rather demanding, plus I'm not stapled to my aunt's anymore; I spend less time online, consequently.

Blue Velvet: This, on the other hand, was awesome. I've seen the first season of Twin Peaks, so I was at least somewhat familiar with Lynch, and this really distilled some of the great points from that show. I loved the colour emphasis, Dennis Hopper, and the overall seediness of it. Lynch is quite good at stripping away a pleasant veneer and make its underbelly quite uncomfortable (yet fascinating) to watch.

So you still have Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Wild at Heart, Lost Highway, and Mulholland Dr. to watch?

I envy you.

Lost Highway haunts me to this day.