The comments, reviews and rantings are for entertainment only. If you are offended then someone else is getting entertained. Welcome to the internet. Have at it. This is where I sound off on what I read in comics this week, and occasionally ramble about other things.
Its Friday, March 23, 2012, and this is the Side. Y'know, many of us go through our days thinking we're the stars of our own little shows and that somehow things are just revolving around us. I spent yesterday tired, and kinda irked at the lady at the convenience store around the corner that for whatever reason refuses to listen to me and simply goes along her overly pleasant business.
Then I find out that my mother-in-law was in a car accident, and when they gave her a CAT scan in the ER they found something. This led to an MRI and without going into too much detail she'll be seeing an oncologist today. Perspective.
COMIX!!!
THE GOON #38 tells us the story of Kizzie The Iron Maiden, a woman with strong ties to The Goon. This is an excellent read telling the story of a plain, but strong, woman with big dreams but stuck in a small town. Its a very thoughtful piece and while you get to see Kizzie achieve her dreams on some level you really get smacked in the face with how tough a life this woman has. Its a really good character study. Typically this is one of those comics that is a hoot and half, but this issue is one that shows that Eric Powell can do a lot more than deliver laughs and creepiness. He really knows how to hand good human drama as well.
HEART #4 wraps up the series from Blair Butler and Kevin Mellon. In the previous three issues we watched Rooster rising up through the ranks and it looked like he was poised to make a run at the welterweight belt. This issue shows how he deals with getting stopped cold and sees that his dream of MMA glory isn't going to happen. In short be see a cocky young fighter grow up. I've been a fan of MMA for a long time and this is a story I've seen play out repeatedly. You see some young up-and-comer and he's the next big thing. Everyone figures he's going to be huge one day. Then he suffers a tough loss and he's just not the same. Its not a matter of injury, its a matter of psychology. They're getting in deeper waters and its tougher, and while they've still got the guts to get in the cage they start playing things a little more cautiously. They go from contender to gatekeeper. This is a really gutsy story for Butler to tell. It would have been so easy for her to go the easy route and have Rooster overcome his tough loss come back and win the belt. She definitely didn't go the easy route and as a result, she made an excellent story that really rings true.
RAGEMOOR #1 is a narrative that I would have expected straight out of Doctor Bob Geary's Gothic Literature course from my time at JMU. This book is creepy and that eerie feeling of the numinous is felt in every page. This is a serious horror book. The black and white is perfect for helping to set the tone of dreariness and desperation. We get the classic notes of the solemn man warning his visitors of the place's evil and how they really should not stay, and of course they don't listen. Herbert is the caretaker/owner of the castle Ragemoor and gives the twisted history of the place. He seems like a very noble fellow placed in a horrible situation he can't escape. I'm greatly looking forward to see how this story continues.
Throwing things in reverse we have THIEF OF THIEVES #1. Yes, I know I reviewed the second issue last week, and no, this isn't some bizarre Hickman-esque time travel thingy. I couldn't get my hands on issue one previously but now have a hold of a second printing. Issue two showed us a lot of the reasons why Redmond left the life of a thief. The first issue we get the lead up to him announcing his retirement. We also get to see how he met his assistant, Celia, and a good look at his last job. This is a really great book. Very clever writing, and top-notch artwork. Both the issues at are out are solidly character driven and not heavy on the action, but reward patient readers with a great story about a very interesting character.
ROCKETEER ADVENTURES vol 2 #1 features a trio of really fun stories. Marc Guggenheim and Sandy Plunkett start of with a great story of how folks deal with a vigilante who falls out of the sky and into their lives. Peter David and Bill Sienkiewicz follow up with a great parody story in which The Rocketeer gets more than a little "Daffy". The brilliant Stan Sakai rounds things out with a fun little story that gives a smiling homage to another hero we know well for flying around. All this and a great pin-up from Arthur Adams. Great comic and lots of fun not just for fans of The Rocketter, but anyone who wants to sit down for a read.
MUSIC!!!
Can't say as I'm feeling overly "RAWR" today, so I'm going to keep things mellow.
That;s going to be it for today. Any prayers and well wishes for my mother-in-law, the Missus and the whole family are greatly appreciated. Thank you, and see y'all Sunday.
OINK! It's Sunday, January 15, 2011, I is ashamed, and this is The Side. Nobody's perfect, and boy, I sure ain't. Yes, there's often plenty of typos in here. Yeah, I've had times in which I haven't posted when I said I was going to post. This week I had a serious headdesk moment.
COMIX!!!
Last go around I raved and raved about HEART from Image Comics. I poured over the first first three issues and took in the whole book. Loved every bit of it and its a really great book. Its also the first comic from Blair Butler and I noted this saying that this book is his first outing as a writer. Well, I got a comment on the Comic Kings website:
Not to be that guy, but… Blair Butler is a lady. Other than that, great review. I’ll have to pick up “Heart.”
Oh, he's so totally that guy.
GAH! It never occurred to me that Blair Butler is a woman. I've only know one person named "Blair" and he was a dude. There's that there Blair Underwood actor fella, he's a dude. The only "Blair" I know of that's a who was on THE FACTS OF LIFE. I even read an interview with Butler that was featured in one of the comics. Still had no clue she was a she.
This isn't like that whole Lady Gaga thing in which the song gets played, you ask "What the fuck is this garbage?", and then you she a picture of Gaga, and you ask "What the fuck is that?" And it seems obvious that that we're dealing with a Boy George type thing and its a cross dresser. But then they are claims that its a woman and you're stuck wondering "pre or post op". This is totally different.
Its also not the first time I've made this mistake. I spent months thinking Taylor Swift was a guy. People kept talking about how amazing Taylor Swift is and I'm wandering around half wondering who is he? He's certainly got a cool name. I was curious, but not curious enough to bother Googling Swift. Then I saw a magazine cover with a gorgeous girl on it and in big bold letters it said "Taylor Swift". I'm looking at the magazine thinking to myself, well I guess this guy must be popular to be the lead story in this magazine. Then the realization slowly crept in that Taylor Swift was the gorgeous girl on the cover.
This is even worse. Yes, Butler wasn't even a blip on my radar before Wednesday. I just knew there was an MMA comic out there that I wanted to check out. I had no clue that she was the girl on the cover of that one issue of BOOSTER GOLD. Usually when there's a writer I don't know very well, but their stuff blows me away like HEART did, I do a bit of research. Sure, my schedule has been pretty jam packed this week, but I could have at least checked out her website which was listed in the comic.
And its worse because I'm all for more women getting into the comic industry. Now one throws her hat in the ring and I think she's a he. I even read back through the comic armed with this new knowledge. The comic is from the viewpoint of an up and coming MMA fighter. Butler absolutely nails it. I would have thought that this comic was written by an MMA fighter. I don't expect women writers to write about hearts and unicorns and crap. I've ready plenty of hardcore stories from Gail Simone. Carla Speed McNeil's FINDER is still one of the best comics you probably aren't reading. I feel like a freaking hypocrite because it never dawned on me that the writer of comic that it brutal and honest about the stuff an MMA fighter goes through and is so pumped with adrenaline could have been written by a woman. I wouldn't blame Blair Butler one bit for wanting to kick my ass. Right now, I want to kick my own ass.
So, I want to apologize to Blair Butler, who isn't a guy. She's a woman who writes really awesome comics. And if you haven't picked up HEART yet, you suck nearly as bad as I do.
MUSIC!!
Rough weekend, but I did get to hear some really good music yesterday.
That's it for me this go around. Hope you enjoyed my tale of being a stupid sexist jerk, as well as the video with the cute little hamster. See y'all Wednesday, at which point I'll try to be a better person.
