Comic review: 41 vol. 2 #1

That's right.  Its signed.  You wish you were me.

It has returned!  Bob Frantz is back with another tale from the post apocalyptic world of 41.  Its been 41 years after a meteor strike wiped out nearly everything and mankind is working to claw its way back.  In the first volume we got a paramilitary squad.  This time, we shift gears with a new cast, new story, and a new artist.

This starts off as an old school kung-fu theater revenge story with a sci-fi twist.  Human experimentation led to a martial artist becoming very powerful, but the same experiment ended up wrecking his body.  Now widowed, he has trained his young son to get revenge.  Its not clear whether the boy also underwent experimentation, but the entire town they were from did so that would easily explain this kid's level of bad-assery.  This level of bad-assery comes in quite handy as Elroy, the big bad responsible for the human experiments and other hoorible type things, has a bunch of armed guards ready to take out the kid and his old man.

I really like that Frantz is taking the opportunity to explore something entirely different in this book.  The feel of it is entirely different, and in a good way.  It keeps the world of 41 fresh and exciting.  Also with the focus being on just two main characters instead of a whole team its easier to jump on board with this new series.  The artwork by Hoyt Silva is a big departure from the previous artist.  Its a bit more cartoony, which may seem off-putting considering how harsh much of the action is, but then again people complained about Steve Rolston's artwork being too cartoony for QUEEN AND COUNTRY and it only won an Eisner.

Glad to have more of the series coming out, and am excited to see where this story goes.  Check out more about this at the offical site!

Falling back to comics!

I AM RESTED! Its Sunday, November 6, 2011, I fell back, and this is The Side! I love this weekend. I get a whole extra hour to sleep. It used to be fun when I work at the bar and was telling everyone it was time to go. There'd always be at least one person who would try to say we'd be open an extra hour. The clocks actually roll back at 2AM (that's the facts, Jack!) and that was when the bar closes. One woman looked at me aghast and told me she had a whole limo of people coming. Too damn bad.

I never liked that annoying broad anyhow.

COMIX!!

USAGI YOJIMBO #141 tops us off this week. This is a very significant issue because its the 200th issue of comic Stan Sakai has done. That puts him in a very elite spot that he shares only with Dave Sim with his work on CEREBUS. And the great this is, the book is just as enjoyable after all this time. The back cover features all 200 covers of the comics and is really neat stuff. On to the book itself, its a fun read. This issue is a stand alone but it touches back to the "Murder at the inn" story that wrapped up last issue. The bandit in that story kept talking about his brother and how tough and terrible he was. Seems the brother has taken over a town with his gang. There's also a neat bit here in that a sculpture in this town had a dream that the town would be rid of the bandits if he sculpted 200 little statues, called Jizo. By the end of the book the sculptor is asked if he would continue to make the Jizo since he completed 200, and he said he would as long as his hands let him. Here's to that.

THE GOON #36 pits The Goon and Frankie up against one of their toughest opponents yet: The Queen of Burlesque! The drinkin', smokin', strippin' machine! Roxi Dlite! Dlite is a real life burlesque performer and here she is guest starring. This was a hoot and a half. Ridiculous sex. Ridiculous violence. A bunch of laugh out loud moments. Its a goof caper story with a stolen knick knack. Eric Powell always knocks it out of the park. Its hard to give much detail because every time you turn the page, two things smack you right in the face: its wall-to-wall nuts, and its a really great comic.

The boys from Primal Paper are back with THE BAKU #1. Mike Fererali (THE SKYROCKET) teams up with Drew Moss for this one. This is flat out the best book Primal Paper has put out yet. Yes, I do have a soft spot for these because I know most of them. Yes, I do know Mike and Drew. I like Mike and Drew. Its hard to give a review on something from people you like especially when its not the best thing ever. Fortunately, I have no problems here. Mike's writing is his sharpest yet. Drew is probably one of the best artists you haven't heard of. This book is great. Its a supernatural western. The main character, Baku, reminds me a lot of Jaeger Ayers, from Carla Speed McNeil's FINDER. Baku isn't knock off though and has plenty of his own quirks. The first issue gives us a great introduction to the character and the world without reading like an instruction manual. Its fun and weird and I'm really looking forward to seeing more of this series.

We'll wrap things up with an early review of 41 #4 which will be available this week. This is also from Primal Paper, and I did say that THE BAKU was the best book they've put out so far. This comic is one hell of a follow up. This is the best issue yet. It wraps up the ongoing story in brutal fashion. I'm reminded a bit of the anime feature X in which we have all these character pop up and is obvious that they all have their own stories and are interesting, but with what they're up against you know they don't have much of a chance. Still, if Bill and his crew are going down, they're going down swinging and with lots of company. The production on this comic has gone way up since issue 3. The book looks great. The writing by Bob Frantz is tight. There's still a couple of holes here and there that I have questions about, but they don't hold up the story at all. Its a last stand story for this arc's last issue, and it goes out in style. Great work.

MUSIC!!

That's right! I'm posting a song by a violinist! Because I'm classy, and tasteful, and shit.



That's a wrap for me. Hm, with all my extra rest, does that mean I don't need to brew an coffee?

MADNESS!

See y'all Wednesday.

2D Boneyard

HAPPY EASTER!! Its Sunday, April 24, 2011, its a day for new beginnings, and this is The Side. Funny how things work out. The guys I'm talking about have risen from the radio graveyard to start something new. They didn't conquer death like a certain fella that I'm a big fan of did a couple thousand years ago, but in their own way they're showing that The End doesn't always have to be the end. The End can be the beginning of something really great.

TAG 'EM AND BAG 'EM!!!

I wrote last week about my buddy Bob getting the raw end of the stick due to Arbitron handing out flawed data. Here's the thing that makes Bob Fresh one cool dude. Yes, he's a comic book writin' sum'bitch. Yes, he was part of one of this areas most popular radio talk shows. But the real reason is when that got swept out from under him, he didn't cry, he didn't rally his fans (and there's a lot of them) into a boycott, he didn't just go away. He dusted himself off, and went on to do something new. And that something is Bob's Boneyard.

And yes this does present us with a certain amount of weirdness, as Manny Fresh has come back from the dead. Yes, this is the same Manny Fresh that was the target of internet harassment and hunted down his would-be tormentor. The same one who was the target of a conspiracy to destroy him complete with his own personal Jezebel Jett. And yes it did seem is if he was killed off, at least to the point where it had to be explained to some fans that he wasn't really dead. He was obviously lost in the time stream, but now he has returned. The bones are in the yard, and Manny will soon be traveling around the world recruiting more Manny Freshes for Manny Fresh Incorporated. For those out their thinking this would be just the thing for you to be your area's Manny fresh, be warned, the recruitment process involves nipple clips and a car battery.

Jokes aside, I'm really proud to know Bob. In the past year he's become a father and a comic book writer. Now he's repackaging himself and what he does towards new media. This is gutsy. He's got a loyal audience, and he's got talent, but what a person does in one medium that brings success doesn't always translate into success in other mediums. TV stars don't always make great radio people, for example. So he's on a learning curve, but fortunately he's got good, talented people around him. So I'm happy to support by checking out the show whenever I can.

I was ticked that he got the bad end of things for a really stupid reason, but I'd love nothing more than to see him turn it around into a huge success. I don't doubt that he will.

STUFF!!

No secret to anyone you reads this regularly that I hate 3D movies. I already wear glasses, I don't want to wear glasses on top on my glasses just for the sake of a cheesey special effect. The last 3D movie I saw was SUPERMAN RETURNS in 3D IMAX, and I would have walked out of the theater if not for the fact that my mother had bought the tickets as a birthday gift and was with the group on us that went. Terrible movie made even more terrible by being in 3D IMAX. And some of you may be wanting to leave a comment telling me about how far the technology has come since then and how really great the effect is now and how I should give it a chance what with that sweet looking new THOR movie coming out. Save your typing. You've got a better chance of convincing our Pop Star-in-Chief that spending more money than you're bringing in is a bad idea.

There's also a percentage of the population that experience physical discomfort at watching a 3D movie. I'm not in this category as I just find it stupid. Fortunately for us all, there is Hank Green.



That's right. Hollywood is spending millions of dollars in 3D technology and people have found a way around it. That's kind of telling. I'm honestly thinking of buying a pair of these glasses based solely on principle. Fortunately the movies I've seen that are out in 3D always have showings that are not in 3D which is fortunate.

There is one thing that I am curious about as far as 3D goes and that's the Nintendo 3DS which boasts a 3D effect without the use of special glasses. Reviews of the effect have been pretty mixed, but it does have me curious. I do doubt I'll be getting one any time soon though. Little too rich for my blood. Actually, a prime rib steak is too rich for my blood at this point.

MUSIC!!!

I tried to get a hold of Bob to ask what song he'd like in this post. Didn't happen, but I think he'd approve.



That'll do it for me. Time to get ready for church and some quality family time, including Hootie Nozz feeding the lot of us. SCORE!!! Happy Easter, y'all, and we'll see ya back here Wednesday.

Radio Free Norfolk!!!

Bangalottaguys? Its Sunday, April 17, 2011, I'm pretty damn pissed off, and this is the Side. Why am I angry? Because my town sucked just a little bit more this week and my pal got the raw end of the stick.

VIVA LA RESISTANCE!!

Recently my favorite radio station changed formats, which is very annoying, but worse they got rid of my favorite radio show, The Mike and Bob Show. I've talked about the show on here before, mainly discussing the strange circumstances of their previous sidekick, Manny Fresh. This radio show has been around over ten years. They have a strong and loyal following. So why were they canceled?

I did some digging and came up with this message from the radio station's own. Here's the main reason sited for the changes:

All radio stations in the United States are affected by Arbitron ratings. The Arbitron company changed their radio rating system about a year ago. This new rating system has had a very negative impact on many talk shows and morning shows on music stations nationwide. Unfortunately, under this new system, the ratings for The Mike and Bob Show on 96X were much lower than the ratings during our music hours, and that is the only reason that I felt I had to make a change.

OK, now if low ratings are the case and the show is not acquiring and keeping listeners and sales for advertising on the show was down then there's a definite problem here, but something doesn't add up. The show has bounced back and forth between afternoons and mornings a few times. Most recently its been in the mornings which worked out better for the three dudes involved and their family lives. But here's another bit from the owner's massage:

Prior to the change in the rating measurement system, the Mike and Bob Show was very successful and popular. Under the new ratings system, this was no longer the case.

Hold the phone. The show was doing great, but the company that does ratings changed how they do things and now its not doing great? And this change has impacted radio talk shows nationwide showing lower ratings? So we're to take it that everyone across this great land is just tired of listening to radio talk shows, including in this area which has a talk show that is popular?

This honestly smelled like a conspiracy. It was time to do a little digging, and by little I mean it took about five minutes to uncover the problem. Four of those minutes was waiting for the computer to turn on and the internet to come on. I may have also gotten a snack.

Arbitron, the company that does these ratings has been sued repeatedly for putting out flawed data, with one case even handled by the Florida Attorney General. There was another one handled by the New Jersey Attorney General in which Arbitron had to pay up, big time. So there's a definite problem with the ratings system. I've always wondered how shows and music with such high ratings typically ended up being a lot of crap and for a while I just thought that this awful stuff just had a huge audience that I'm not a part of. Now, I'm starting to think otherwise.

And here's a big old nail in this here coffin from Arbitron's own site:

PPM ratings are based on audience estimates and are the opinion of Arbitron and should not be relied on for precise accuracy or precise representativeness of a demographic or radio market.

Frakking wow.

So this company is making guesses and giving opinions and radio stations listen and make changes accordingly? I want that job! There'd be a lot more Warren Zevon songs on the radio I'll tell ya that!

So, should The Mike and Bob Show be back on the air? Probably, unless they just weren't selling any advertising which I really doubt considering how many remotes they did and appearances they made. And yes, I am biased. I called into that show regularly. I hang with Bob at Kings. He's a friend. All those guys were friends to their listeners. It was the longest running FM talk show in the area, and there's reason for that. It was a good show. It helped make a lot of people's commutes a lot more bearable. When word got around that the show was gone and, that took a bit because there was no announcement or send off, that station lost a lot of listeners. And yes it seems messed up that a show that's been around for over a decade didn't get a nice send off, but if they did and word had gotten around in advance then those listeners that Arbitron says don't exist would have rallied like the last stand in INDEPENDENCE DAY and made things very difficult for the station.

Honestly, I truly think the Dudes have a case against Arbitron. But things don't end there.

MUSIC!!

Typically this is the part where I include a video of a song I'm either really digging now or on occasion something that plays into what I was previously talking about. Well, there's a lot on my mind concerning music because not only did 96X remove their premier radio talk show, they changed their format. 96X kicked off in the early 90s. In this area there were only two choices in rock and roll stations, and they're both still around now. One plays classic rock, and other plays classic rock and newer stuff with a leaning towards hard rock and heavy metal. Thing is in the early 90s that's when Alternative Rock started coming to forefront and it was different from anything I had heard on the radio around here before.



It was this new, exciting sound that I really dug and it was a lot of unfamiliar territory. When I tuned into 96X then I knew I was likely going to be hearing music i had never heard before. The old, tired rock songs that I had heard all my life and probably knew all the words to weren't here. This had a new different energy. It was the energy of my generation and we were making music.

There was the Seattle music blow up and that had a lot of airplay, but fortunately it went beyond Nirvana and Pearl Jam. They also weren't afraid to pump out some punk rock besides the Ramones and the occasional Clash tune.



It was pretty much a "screw the big hair and make up" we just want to rock mentality. And when things shifted in alternative music and there was something popping up that was weird and different but still pretty damn awesome you knew the X would probably being playing it, and usually about a year before any other station around here was playing it and calling it new music.



No joke, Chris and I were driving to Heroescon in Charlotte, NC and rocking out to "Superman" by Three Doors down when it was brand new. The following year we were driving to the same con and that song was being played on another radio station and being called "new music". Some of the more tired stations are still playing that damn song like its the newest, hottest thing out.

The station changed formats once before to top 40 and every listener cringed to hear boy bands and Brittany frakkin' Spears being played on the X. Predictably it went over like a fart in a submarine and the X returned to its roots. But now there's Arbitron ratings and they're saying that the listening audience is made up of twice as many dudes as ladies, and they're hoping to even that out a bit.



That's not going to work because there's other stations in the area actively courting female listeners to the Point that tuning into the stations markedly increases a person's estrogen levels. The new sound is coming off like a heavy dose of adult contemporary music has been infused but still keeping a little of the old stuff to help us transition. The only old out on there now is the Late Late Rock Show which features indie music and less featured stuff.

And even if the numbers are completely accurate (which at this point is extremely doubtful), so what if more guys listen than ladies? Is that a reason to try to blend in with what a bunch of other stations are doing? Yes, music shifts as different influences and vibes become prevalent. If you had said back in 1992 there'd be a popular punk rock bands featuring some violins and sometimes bagpipes people would have thought you were nuts. And yes, the alternative sound that came from Generation X in the infancy of the station is long gone, however that's now reason not to stand out from the homogeneous rabble on the radio.

Right now the music that spoke to my generation doesn't have home on the airwaves in my town. Most likely, it'll be back because if listeners want to here the type of stuff they're playing now they've already been following different stations that have been playing it for years. The X went from the leader to the led.

And with that I'm going to be listening to a lot more CDs in my car.

Alright, that's going to do it for today. I'm going to go be ticked off about things. See y'all, Wednesday.

Cornell is Selling What Tomorrow Means

OSU! Its Friday, March 18, 2011, I'm as ready as I'm going to be, and this is The Side. With so much being afoot I'm still trying to get back into fighting shape. My body has some thoughts of its own about this. Been training with my boat oar again, and I feel stronger than ever with it. I hadn't really used it for a couple years with my being out of the tournament circuit. Still, while practicing with it the other night while performing a technique that I've done hundreds of time I smacked my own leg with weapon and sent it flying out of my hands.

I wasn't hurt, but it did lay there on the dojo floor. Fortunately, it was undamaged. Still, I had to think "this does not bode well".

Can't focus on that right now. There's stuff to do, and comics to discuss!

COMIX!!!

KNIGHT AND SQUIRE #6 is the wrap up for this fun little mini-series. The Joker has come to London and has kidnapped Jarvis Poker, the British Joker. Along with that he's looking to wipe out all British Superheroes. Knight and Squire look to rally the forces and save Jarvis continuing the very clever use of media that we've seen throughout the series. One thing that does jump out at me is how differently Paul Cornell writes the Joker in this series than he did in The Joker's appearance in Cornell's ACTION COMICS. It very much follows the Morrison notion of Joker reinventing himself repeatedly. The series has been pretty whimsical, but took a nasty turn with this storyline. At the same time it still stays true to the characters and theme showing that these fun folk can get the job done even against one of the DCU's top villains.

R.E.B.E.L.S. #26 has Starro back on the march, and this time he's got a very pissed off Lobo to contend with. While it looks like he's struggling to get his act together in the face of the threat of the Main man, his invasion takes a creepy turn as in invades Rann. I'm bummed that this series is getting a axe because its rock solid and always entertains. This time around it gave me a pretty big chill with a certain splash page.

RED ROBIN #21 continues Tim Drake's battle against the Unternet. This storyline is pretty oddball for me because the notion of entering a virtual world mentally just seems dated. I almost expect old bearded Jeff Bridges to come strolling through a panel. Still, FabNic keeps me around every issue because he writes a very cool Tim Drake. His fight this issue with the Mad Men is cool. I do like that this book is playing off of some things that I dug in FINAL CRISIS, and things in BATMAN INC, but it feels like cool notions being explored in ways that aren't quite as cool as originally envisioned. Its not bad, but not as engaging as I'd like.

Let's move things on over to TINY TITANS #38. The underwater world is a strange and mysterious place, and Aqualad and Lagoon Boy discover just how strange it is. Baltazar and Franco have a bit of fun with the old TERROR TITANS series with this issue as our underwater heroes meet some underwater Titans. Despite being around since issue one, poor little Aqualad hasn't really been around all that much in the series, but he's a hoot in this. The series continues to be great for kids and fun for older fans who enjoy the parody bits that and slipped in.

Baltazar and Franco join up Mike Norton on YOUNG JUSTICE #2 which is adapted from the new Cartoon Network series. I've never seen the show, and comic doesn't make me feel like I'm missing much of anything. Its passable I guess, but its featuring Superboy, and this version of Superboy has all the personality of a chair. There's a lot more action than their was in the first issue (which isn't hard as someone kicking a soccer ball would be more action than the first issue) and not a bad twist towards the end, but first such a dull protagonist its difficult to get into the story. I really wanted to like this series, but I won't be picking up issue 3.

Let's wrap things up with 41 #2 Bob Frantz is joined by Alexander Singleton has he continues his freshman effort into comics. Frantz doesn't take the easy route with this book in that he's managing to write an ensemble cast and still make them all sound individual. Tricky for a new writer sometimes. He also let's us know something very important with this issue: these characters aren't safe. One of the team doesn't make it back from a mission and the others have to deal with that. Singleton's artwork is very tight, and he gives each character a unique look. The one thing that could be done to really improve this book is place a little intro caption by the characters when we first see them in the book. This was done in issue 1, but was missing here. Makes it a lot easier for new readers and with this being issue 2 everyone is still a new reader. Great book and I'm looking forward to issue three.

MUSIC!!!

Because my goal in life is to keep running.



Alright, big chop socky day tomorrow. I'm completing in the Petersburg Karate Open and we've got a hot UFC card for Saturday night. Expect a beatings wrap-up Sunday. See y'all then.

You is dead to meh, Bobby Fresh!!

I love it when a plan comes together. Its Sunday, January 16, 2011, I watched The A-TEAM movie the other night, and this is The Side. The movie was great. For those who haven't seen it, the team is trying to recover stolen plates so that people can't print unbacked US currency since that could destroy the entire economy. Makes me wonder if they're going to take down the Federal Reserve in the sequel.

I got suckered and suckered hard in other news. Mike and Bob were discussing best sidekicks on their radio show with the new Green Hornet movie coming out this weekend. I'm driving down the road and the first one that popped into my head was Kid Flash because when I was a kid, if I was going to be a superhero sidekick, that's the one I wanted to be. So i call, and actually made it through and on the air. I give my answer for quality sidekick as Kid Flash, to which Bobby responded with a "Flash sucks" which is really a legitimate analysis considering the current writing and direction of the character, but in the heat of the moment I responded with a "Get bent" and descended into a squabble as to defending the character based, stupidly enough, on his power set as opposed to the character himself.

I am truly ashamed of my inner fanboydom, and for that shame coming out into the open, I blame Bobby Fresh. He is my Tully Blanchard.

So now I must redeem myself, so let's do this thing.

SIDEKICKS: THE TOP 10!!

The ones I dig and why they are awesome.

10: Tonto. The Lone Ranger was pretty cool to me as a kid and Tonto was awesome. He always had some special skill of trick up his sleeve.

9: Rusty the Boy Robot. "Comin' atcha!" The original graphic novel was weird stuff, but cartoon series was a hoot and half.

8: Little John. I've liked the character in almost every incarnation I've seen, especially the Phil Harris voiced bear. A big guy who is good with a staff? I want him on my team.

7: Kato. When you're martial arts kid growing up Bruce Lee is the man. Watching him as Kato on the old TV series was awesome.

6: Wonder Girl. The only reason that I don't rate her higher is that she doesn't work often enough with Wonder Woman. She's more of a hero in her own right, but still kind off maintains a sidekick status.

5: Robin (Dick Greyson) There's no denying how awesome Dick Greyson is. He was the first of the superhero sidekicks. Its almost impossible to think about Batman without having Robin to back him up.

4: The Squire. Beryl Hutchinson rules. She is a lot of fun with a ton of heart. Comics are markedly better whenever and wherever she turns up.

3: Robin (Tim Drake). Rating him over Dick? That's right. He did complement Batman better with his computer skills. A solid detective in his own right he was also very dangerous in a fight.

2: Kid Flash (Wally West). Ah yes, the character that was at the root of the argument. Wally was the first sidekick to fully take on the role of his mentor. We watched him grow into the role as well. His back story as Kid Flash was a tale of faith being rewarded. He'll always be my favorite superhero sidekick.

But wait, that was only the number 2 position! What about the number 1 spot? That's right, its occupied by a classic character who doesn't need spandex to stop crime.

1: Doctor John Watson. This Afghan War veteran was always ready to aid Sherlock Holmes when the goings got rough. An able bodied student of Holmes's method, he had no problem jumping into the thick of things to help solve a case.

MUSIC!!

Bobby Fresh likes Lady Gaga, so in honor of that, I won't be playing any Lady Gaga. Ever.



So TAKE THAT, Bobby Fresh! I know you'll lose sleep over this scathing post and my refusal to ever put Lady Gaga music on here! Vengeance is mine! And with that, I'll be listening to him again on Monday on 96X, and seeing him at Comic Kings at their new location soon. As for the rest of you, see y'all Wednesday.

Mark Waid drops an F-bomb in a Port-a-John!!

All right, you lot! Its Friday, December 10, 2010, this post ended up a lot longer than planned, and this is The Side.

I really had jack squat for today. I was going to review a bunch of comics, and put up a music video and that's about it. Then sure enough I got hit with a ton of stuff to write about and some news to share. Fortunately, I had time to type it all.

COMIX!!

Let's get the ball rolling with BATGIRL #16. Bryan Q. Miller has really hit his stride with this book. I'm loving Dustin Nguyen on pencils. This book is a ton of fun. Our Steph has been framed for murder and has a pretty hefty amount of the GCPD hunting her. Plenty of action to be had here as the "Grass Before the Scythe" two-parter concludes. This book is one of my "TV sit-com" books. It has fun characters that I like and I look forward to it every month, but it doesn't require me to ponder every last detail of everything. Its light, and you've got to have some light, fun book to read. Otherwise, the grim and gritty overtakes your soul. Nobody wants that.

Moving onto another fun book TINY TITANS/LITTLE ARCHIE AND HIS PALS #3 in which the long standing funny book tradition is up held. If characters from two different companies ever appear in the same book there must be a competition to see which is superior. In this case its Cyborg versus Jughead in burger eating contest! What I'm really digging is that they keep bringing in more characters from the Archie side to play with. last month it was Josie and the Pussycats. This month it's Sabrina the Grade-school Witch! Great stuff from Art Baltazar and Franco. This book is consistently a treat.

The fun doesn't end there! KNIGHT AND SQUIRE #3 was on the stands so Paul Cornell could let us know that England is a very weird place. This go-a-round Britain's Dynamic Duo are up against the clone of King Richard III, who is eeeeeeevil. Obviously there's a battle and the turning point comes with online social media? Its a hoot and half to go along with a bit of knuckle dusting and it seems there's a bit of romance in the works was both Cyril and Beryl seem to have prospective love interests. It adds just the right amount of 'cute' to the weirdness. Although I still need a translation for a good portion of the slang.

Thus ends the light fun as we move onto RED ROBIN #18. I'm giving this book a try because I like Fabian Nicieza. He writes good Tim Drake. He also writes good stories that don't easily break down into black and white/good and evil bits. Done wrong, stories like this end up with the hero being less than heroic, the action seeming forced, and the readers left a bit unsatisfied. Nicieza puts Tim firmly in a bad spot in which he has to take on a friend and ally who he's not to sure about anymore in Red Star. This issue puts up a ton of questions as to who is really the good guy here, and Tim is stuck in the middle trying to make heads or tails of things. Fortunately, this is one of the top detectives in the DCU we're talking about being a written by a very competent journeyman. This is part one of what looks like the beginning of a very good story, so I'm giving it my "read of the week" stamp.

Meanwhile, out in space, R.E.B.E.L.S. #23 wraps up a story about two rookie Green Lanterns getting caught up in Vril Dox's propaganda push and this brings in John Stewart. As GL's go, I like him. You always know where you stand with him. He's got some great scene's with Adam Strange in this issue. Its a very weird issue in that our "heroes" are very nearly the villains of the story. We know Dox is a world class jerk and manipulator, but there's always been a positive spin on his schemes and ploys. People have benefited from them. This time around it was just to push his own agenda, which is completely in character for him, but it was odd reading "his" title and not being in his corner. That said, Bedard handles Green Lanterns very well, so if you're a GL fan and not reading this title, its a good story to introduce you to the book, and hopefully you'll stick around because this book is consistently awesome.

Wrapping up my reads this week is 41 #1 from my buddy Bob Frantz AKA Bobby Fresh and Pablo Peppino AKA ... um... "Peppy"? OK, Peppino doesn't have an AKA yet, but with work like this he'll probably get one soon. The art is pretty sharp, and will no doubt improve as the series continues. This is Frantz's freshman effort as a comic author, and for a freshman effort, this is one hell of an ambitious project. World building with an ensemble cast is a giant pain in the ass. So much can go wrong and turn things into a confusing mess. Frantz side steps a lot of this by giving the reader just enough information about the world of 41 for them to hit the page running and meet the cast. The cast in question are a group of mercenaries in a post-apocalypse world that do what needs doing. We follow team leader Tex Hernandez and his men as they take on a job and meet some nasty resistance along the way. Lots of action, and a fair amount of humor as well. It certainly has the best "F-bomb" I've seen in a while. Knowing Bob is what got me to pick up the book. It being good is what is going to keep me around for issue two.

BUH-BYE... sorta..

Got some breaking news for ya.

December 9th, 2010 – Los Angeles, CA – It is with a heavy heart but also with great warmth and fondness that BOOM! Studios bids adieu to one of its own: effective immediately, Mark Waid is stepping down from the responsibility of Chief Creative Officer at BOOM! Studios. Waid will continue his run on IRREDEEMABLE and INCORRUPTIBLE and his brand new break-out hit collaboration with Stan Lee, THE TRAVELER.

"Mark was key in BOOM!'s transition from a promising upstart to top tier publisher," Ross Richie, the Chief Executive Officer of BOOM! Studios remarked. "Now that we've reached this stage, Mark's made it clear to me that he's ready to take on new challenges. And we wish him the best!"

"I learned a lot in my time at BOOM! about the ever-evolving job of publishing comics in the 21st century, and it’s been an invaluable experience," Waid said. "But now that BOOM! is in a strong place with its best foothold ever in the market, it’s time for me to refocus my energies on writing and on creating. And maybe take one of these ‘vacation’ things that people are always talking about.”

At Comic-Con International in 2007, BOOM! Studios shocked the industry with the appointment of Mark Waid as Editor-in-Chief of BOOM! Studios. After three years as Editor-in-Chief, and writer of some of the bestselling BOOM! Studios titles like IRREDEEMABLE, INCORRUPTIBLE and most recently THE TRAVELER, Waid was promoted to Chief Creative Officer in the summer of 2010. Today, after a little over three years at the company, Waid leaves BOOM! Studios firmly entrenched as one of the top comic book companies in North America.

"Working day-to-day with a creator of Mark's caliber is an experience I'll never forget," said recently-minted Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon. "Thankfully, with IRREDEEMABLE, INCORRUPTIBLE, and THE TRAVELER going strong on the stands, I still get the pleasure of working day-in-and-day-out with Mark. He's one of the greats and I wish him the best in the next chapter of his influential career."

"Mark's such a phenomenal talent, but also a phenomenally good sport." Chip Mosher, Marketing Director added. "I'd like to publicly apologize that the tagline 'Mark Waid is Evil' will follow him the rest of his days! While Mark's presence on the BOOM! team will be missed, I look forward to reading what is next on all the BOOM! books he will continue to concentrate on."

While Mark Waid exits the executive team at BOOM! Studios, Waid will continue writing all three of his current BOOM! Studios titles. This December sees the release of IRREDEEMABLE #20 and INCORRUPTIBLE #13, in what continues to be one of the most successful launches of a new series in the past five years in the Direct Market. The success of the single issues for both series have been surpassed only by the massive trade paperback sales, with December also seeing blockbuster pre-orders for IRREDEEMABLE VOL. 5 and INCORRUPTIBLE VOL. 3 TPBs, that will be hitting store shelves later this month. Waid's collaboration with Stan Lee, THE TRAVELER #2, also tearing up the sales charts, hits store shelves later this month.

As much as I joke about Mark Waid, let me be clear: I love the guy. I'm a huge fan of his, and wish him nothing but the best. BOOM! will be in perfectly capable hands and I'm looking forward to seeing what's next for Waid.

TALKING WITH PEOPLE: part 1

Was chatting with the guy behind the counter while getting my tire fixed. He was telling me about his daughter who is a Sargent in the armed force (I forgot to ask which branch), and while trying to instruct her troops that she was training and of course there was one guy who wasn't listening and talking when he shouldn't be. She told the guy repeatedly to stop talking and pay attention. That didn't phase him, but her yelling at him "HEY! SHUT THE @#$% UP!" did.

"When I'm talking, you keep your trap shut and listen to what I have to say! You think you know more than me? You see these ribbons? I got these for being in combat in Iraq! You ain't got squat on your uniform! You're nothing but a @#$%ing slick!"

And at this point, the guy was on the verge of crying. "Y-you can't talk to me like that! I'll tell the First Sargent!"

"FINE! Let's go talk to the First Sargent! On the way, we can stop by the parking lot so I can beat your ass!"

So off they go to the First Sargent who listens to the guy's story and then approaches the woman. "Sargent, did you really threaten to 'beat his ass'."

"Yes sir."

"Why?"

"I'm trying to save his life by teaching him things that'll hopefully keep him from getting killed should he ever see action. He doesn't want to listen so I'll make him listen."

"Keep doing what you're doing, Sargent. Just next time, when you threaten someone, don't do it in front of other people."

Freakin' awesome.

CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE: part 2

"So, how's it goin'?"

"Not bad. How's things up top?"

*Thump*

"OK, as long as the wind isn't blowin'. When the sun's on you its actually kinda comfortable. I actually broke a sweat up there."

*Thump*

"I can't believe how Mikey hangs over the edge to get that metal in like he does."

"Well, its a pretty tall building, so if he falls off I have time to wave at him on his way down."

*Thump*

"Very nice of you."

"Thanks. But really, its not so bad. It could be a lot worse."

"You mean like being stuck in a port-o-shitter with two guys leaning on the door so you can't get out?"

*Thump*

"Exactly."

MUSIC!!

I had Plant on here and then Page. Time for the combo.



Alright, continue on with your Foxtrot and I'll see y'all Sunday.

Foiled again... again.

I had a cunning plan to post daily on here for a month. It was an effort to force my brain to try to come up with something interesting to say on a daily basis. After which I would go reclaim my drooling moron status and throw April 2009 in the faces of all who would call me a slothful, brain-dead monkey screaming "HA! YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY EVERY DAY FOR A MONTH!"

Well, it didn't happen yesterday. I got caught up reading the Mark Waid interview over at AICN and by the time I was done I needed to get ready to go to work. I thought, well I'll post something when I get home, but that didn't happen because I was drawing something.

27 days seems to be my limit. Bob Fresh managed to do it for six months. I'm not Bobby Fresh, but who among us is? I considered embracing my inner Bobby Fresh, but that would require me to play Dungeons and Dragons, and dice hate me.

Serious. There's a conspiracy among die throughout the world to never come up with the numbers needed to do what I need them to do. So, while I'm fascinated with the game of Craps, I'm also utterly terrified of it.

So April is an abysmal failure. I shall go weep now.