Roll Models [Movies!]

Looks like I'll have to see this movie that's talked about on AICN.

Called Role Models, it makes fun of LARPers apparently, but in a good way or something. And it's got McLovin and Sean William Scott. Paul Rudd is a plus, too.

It just may rule. Or roll. We'll see!



(x-posted to my Livejournal)

A grip of short reviews [Comics!]

Right, so I've been lazy again. I'll quit saying that as, uh, I tend to say that a lot. Things have been really busy in my neck of the woods, and I'm even working on a couple projects.

That said, let's do a few short comic reviews, eh?


The Man With No Name #4













This comic is panned by some as boring and slow, but to me it's a nice, slow burn. Sure, each issue could hold three issues the way it's going, but TMWNN is just great to read for it's mood. Yeah, I don't know why Blondie has the weird font for his talky bubbles either. But I don't care. The art is sweet and, well, moody; and when the action does get going, it kicks ass. I have a feeling things will be heating up even more next issue. Lethality: The posse manages a daring escape only to have 4 out of the 5 of them shot off their horse by Josey Wales. They never even heard the shots.

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Battlestar Galactica Origins #10










You know, at first I thought this particular end of the series was a bit too mashed together, and trying too hard to combine back-stories for Helo and Starbuck; but I'm pleased to say this issue is a marked improvement. The art is still kinda... eh. I know Lau is better than this... what's up? Maybe it's just me. On the plus side, the art isn't bad or anything-- so cool. The duo of writers seem to be gaining a nice pace and the story is goin' nice now. And what's up with the make-out sesh? 'Shippers: get some! Lethality: 3 raptors vaped, 1 cut in half, one got away back to it's battlestar.

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Army of Darkness #13










The King For a Day story lands on our heads and holy crap do I LOVE IT. This series is one of the best things to read if you dig irreverent humour, wild action, monsters & the undead and, oh, the Evil Dead films. This is what I'm talking about folks. A great one-shot story that sets things up to come. Damn, this is a shining, bloody example of why I read comics. Army of Darkness movie lovers will love this one! Top bone-notch writing and killer art. Lethality: The entire platoon of Deadites were cut to pieces. Not even Sgt. Headstone could save them. He's back to being plain ol' dead, too.

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Judge Dredd Megazine #276













Not much to say other than "a drokking gruddamned fine issue!". The real stand-out, though, is the Snow/Tiger Pax Americana single issue collection that's included. Andy Diggle and Andy Clarke need to do more with this vastly underappreciated anti-terorist high-tech hyper-violent thiller. And my fave thing of the bunch was the awesome sweet-as-Pye cover art. One of my faves in the last few years! Lethality: Total Block Kill. The usual, really.

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The Boys #23










This series keeps getting better and better. Wow. We got more on The Seven, under-the-door wanking, Homelander saying "fuck" some more, Darick Robertson kicking so much art-ass that I'm wearing my balls as goggles right now, and a bunch of other stuff. The last page made me fall out of my chair. Nice one. Lethality: Total Super-jerk Party Kill. Not surprising.

--

Well, that's all the time I have for now, folks. Lot of Dynamite in there, yeah? Well, they mmake excellent comics, so I cannot help myself. I have some stuff from Boom! to read, which I think I'll get to today. As well as working on the new TPK, of course.

Cheers!

The United States Constitution [Previews!]

This is the trailer for the Farrar, Straus & Giroux comic book, The United States Constitution:



"Our leaders swear to uphold it, our military to defend it. It is the blueprint for the shape and function of government itself and what defines Americans as Americans. But how many of us truly know our Constitution?"

Tis the season, kids. Out now.

Blog-data courtesy of Periscope Studios.

Read more about it here.

(Cross posted to my Livejournal.)

For your eyes and reading pleasure... [Pimpin'!]

Here's a quick 5-page comic short that is sure to entertain many of you: The First Boy

It involves a boy and a sword in a stone. And it won't end the way you think it will.

It's the first offering from Wicker Man Studios Presents, from writer Park Cooper and artist Ryan Howe.

And if you want to see something really, really cool from Ryan Howe, I made his SALVUS pin-up the background for my Twitter Page!

It certainly tiles nicely.

The full image is above.
Click on it to make it bigger, yo!

After seeing what Ryan did, I immediately wished I had a truckload of money to properly convince him to do a sword & sorcey comic with me. Man, I dig his style. See more of what he can do in Gun Street Girl, a freaking excellent webcomic of modern-day crime smashing headfirst into urban fantasy.

Plans are brewing. But that's the way it usually is in these parts. Stay tuned for more mayhem.

(This was totally x-posted from my Livejournal!)

What's The Fuss? #1 [WTF?]

I just started doing a new bit on Comics Waiting Room called What's the Fuss?, and it doesn't have a specific format. For now, I'm just interviewing folks in the industry.

Kicking things off is an interview with the mega-talented Brendan McGinley, who's the strategic and tactical mastermind behind HANNIBAL GOES TO ROME over at Shadowline. Check it out-- especially if you love history!

CWR has a lot of other great stuff they're offering this bi-week, so get on over there and start reading!

And there will be a new Total Party Kill soon. Never fear!

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Punisher MAX Vol. 5: The Slavers [Comics Safari]

"It had been a long, long time since I hated anyone the way I hated them."

Here's another trade you must pick up. Especially if you are a Punisher fan, and more especially if you are a fan of cold, hard justice and payback.

The Slavers is one of those story-arcs that proves just how good of a writer Garth Ennis is. See, though The Boys and Preacher are great and, of course, his work on Punisher-- The Slavers shows he and do a hard story with hard (and I mean HARD) themes, douse them in some petrol and then light it up. I actually got physically angry reading this book. Angry in a way where I wanted to get a piece of heavy pipe and find the first motherfucker who abuses the innocent and then cave their skull in. Then go after their friends.

Yeah, The Slavers is THAT intense.

Through the usual bullet-soaked rain our story begins with Frank happening upon a women gaining vengeance for her dead baby. We then find out she is a slave in a well-oiled Eastern European based salving operation. You know, the kind of operation that abducts young women, turns them out, then makes them into sex-slaves, the playthings for those assholes out there who want to pay for it. It's all pretty damned horrible, and from the get-go "Kill them all, Frank-- kill them all" will become a mantra you mumble while reading this trade.

But the story gets tougher from there. Moments will come when you will feel punched in the gut, where you will want to reach into the pages and do some killing of your own.

That's the beauty of the story: It's ugly. It's REAL ugly, because we know this kind of shit happens on a regular basis around the world. We know that Garth Ennis is simply using Frank and a means to express his rage at the sheer, insane and evil injustice in the world. The Punisher is his tool, his poet of righteous violence. The Punisher speaks to us in such a way that no other driven sociopath can. He tells us that the world is a bad, bad place and it's best you hide under the bed while he shoots some bad, bad people in the face.

A lot.

I would say the ending of this story is one of the most satisfying on record, and if I were a normal person I suppose I'd be a little ashamed for cheering and exclaiming "Yes, Frank! YES. Don't come back here, bastards".

The intesne brutallity of this comic is assisted in no small measure by the excellent art Leandro Fernandez provides. To be perfectly honest, I think he's my favourite illustrator on Punisher MAX to come along so far. What he shows us is the dark underside of the reality we live in. His images blur the lines between justs being a comic and a story that will grab you by the throat and throw you around until you don't know which way is up, down, or sideways. It's bleak and detailed and full of raw emotion. The shadows seen will speak to you more than the clear picture. The lines are pitch black and full of meance. The pages will speak to you with more than words, my friends. Though I have no doubt in Ennis' writing ability, Fernandez easily catapults his way to "amazing artist" with this series. Man, the whole package is just... as I said: Intense.

I may never need to read this story again, this being my second time through (the first time was with the singles). I bought the trade because I saw it on sale, and it needs to be on everyone's bookshelf, you know? The story resonates with me like no other in recent memory. It's just the kind of thing that will stick to you, and stick for maybe forever.

My sincerest thanks is extended to the creative minds behind this tale. It's rare that anything I read, and certainly anything I read with comic books, makes me feel something more than just mild amusement or happy to pass the time in an entertaining way. Goddamn, this book is good.

It hurts a bit, too. So you should be prepared for that.

More information on this can be found here.


Lethality: Total Party Kill. No one in the party makes it out alive. The way it should be.

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Bullseye: Greatest Hits [Comics Safari]

"See, they're afraid that if I have a solid bowel movement, I just might kill somebody with it."

Hey, it's been awhile since I updated on here. Sorry about that-- the usual excuses apply.

Lately I've been picking up trades here and there that I think I may enjoy, and one which caught my attention is the Bulleye: Greatest Hits collection. I was curious, you see. I love Bullseye, and he's one of the few superhero/villain characters I really, really dig. Plus, it has Steve Dillon on art! Always a plus.

But Daniel Way, who some I know know call "Dreaded Danny", was on writing duties. Would it be good? Somewhat good? Or... awful? "Where there's Way, there is uncertainty and, honestly, fear," a fellow comic reviewer person once told me.

I am pleased to report that this Bullseye trade is a glorious headshot, kids. In fact, this is Daniel Way's best work. He weaves a story filled with pathos, lies and deception, and more red herrings than you can wave a fish market at. Even saying that much, I give things away, so I won't go into detail. Let's just say that the whole package is excellent, and you might learn a thing or two about my fave Marvel assassin. In the end, I was howling with laughter. Thanks, Mr. Way-- you totally kicked this geek's ass. Nice work.

As for the art? Brilliant. Steve Dillion has a certain style that only he can get away with. I have to be honest, most of his characters look similar across all the things he's worked on. You can always spot Dillion's work. And if someone tried to be like him they may be called lazy or in need of some new approaches. But dammit, Dillon totally pulls it off again and again. It's not just what he delivers, you see, it's how he delivers. His work is always clean and neat, easy on the eyes and never, ever bad. He also draws one of my all-time favourtist versions of The Punisher (who has a brief cameo in Greatest Hits, bless their hearts).

All told, this is a fantastic book and is well worth whatever money you drop on it. The flat-out tricky narrative and terrific visual style make this of of the must-have trades for me.

It's a good thing I have it then, eh?

If you love Bullseye and a fun, evil romp of a story that plays out like a Usual Suspects or Lucky Numer Slevin movie, then you are in for a treat.

For more information, go here.

Lethality: Boom. Headshots. That party will never fuck with a near-toothless hooker ever again.

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