Photobucket was down for maintenance, otherwise I would have uploaded this much earlier.
I thought about doing the head exploding more akin to “Scanners” partly because that would allow me to watch the film again (I love it). Nevertheless, I just bs’d it.
Okay, I have a 2 hour class in less than an hour, I have to print out an essay that I just edited for it, but what am I going to do instead? Yeah, that’s right, give you some gift ideas.
Why? Well, I kinda pooped out on all of the followers for Christmas. So, I’ll go with this, instead.
BEST GIFT FOR SOMEONE OLDER THAT YOU LOVE:
Learning to Love You More by Harrell Fletcher and Miranda July
Okay, to be truthful, I haven’t read this book. I am a massive fan of the website and I’m sad to leave it go. So, what’s this about?
Well, the organizers of the website came up with various things for people to go out and do either by themselves or with someone else. Some of these were completed by entire families.
Some examples of the assignments are: “Make an Educational Public Placque,” “Record the Sound that is Keeping You Awake,” “Document Your Bald Spot,” and “Braid Someone’s Hair.”
The book collects some of the best submissions on more of the visual items (like people making posters of shadows) for your viewing pleasure. The book not only excites you to go and try new things, but encourages bonding.
BEST GIFT FOR SOMEONE THAT’S A BIT YOUNGER:
Tiny Titans by Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani
Really, this comic is timeless. It’s appealing to young and old because it’s super fun. Recently, the comic has focused on some of the romance between Starfire and Robin, and that can definitely be super cute and valentine’s day-ey.
Trust me, this will be much more appealing to a little kid to collect and to hold than candy or pajamas.
The bright, stylized artwork along with a clever script really hits the spot for everyone. You may find yourself reading this along with some kids! AWWWW Yeah!
BEST GIFT FOR THAT PERSON YOU’VE GOT A CRUSH ON:
Boys to Girls –
Phonogram by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie
This comic is pretty cool. Definitely for a fan of obscure music/pop culture references. Definitely a comic appealing to that “hip” crowd. So, if that special girl you like has a nack for loving music and being super trendy, this is the edgy comic you need.
The first series focused primarily on BritPop while the second series became a bit more broad with a few mondern-ish references.
Girls to Boys -
Chew by John Layman and Rob Guill0ry
Want to impress the socks off of that special boy!? Well, get him “Chew!” Nothing is more Valentine’s Day appropriate than a comic about a cybopath who can take a bite of anything and find out where it came from.
At times both humorous, gory, dramatic, and sharp, this comic really delivers.
For an issue more focused on love, check out issue #3.
Other –
The Authority by Warren Ellis:
Want a superhero comic with a super fine married gay couple!? Wildstorm delivers the promises in something that is well written, well drawn, and truly respects the LGBT community. Plus, it’s a kickass superhero comic!
Also:
Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel
Dykes to Watch out for gives another opposite side of the spectrum with the lesbian community. Bechdel really hits stride on this nationally acclaimed strip that covers all manners of life including love for lesbians.
Also, I do know that some of the early 80s Legion of Superheroes featured Transgender/Transexual themes that some may find appealing.
MY TOP PICK!
Tales of Woodsman Pete with Full Particulars by Lilli Carre
Quite frankly, I would love if someone just got me another copy of this. It’s soooo good that I would love multiple copies of it.
You can blaze through this book in about 30 minutes, but the stories stick with you. They cover love, loneliness, depression, happiness, and other the entire spectrum of the human experience.
I believe the best Valentine’s Day gift isn’t something plastered with hearts, but something that helps someone else realize what love is or, at least, get a better sense of their emotions. This short little graphic novel will do that and much more because it’s timeless and beautiful.
Hope that helps, folks!
Time to print and go to class, I’ve got 10 min.
Shit, I’ll update when I’m done about a movie or two that are good gifts.
Sprawling off of the theme of the previous 1000 Things We Hate, this one spawned from a couple of people in my classes over the last few weeks.
You do know that I can totally see that you have a camel toe right now, right? I can see your underwear underneath your leggings, too.
Alright, I’m going to state some atrocities with just leggings in public worn as pants:
There’s a growing phenomenon attacking our nation and the daily fashion industry: laziness. Leggings are meant to be a thicker version of tights so people can go around feeling a little bit warmer and a bit more covered up while wearing skirts or what have you. So, why have people begun to abuse this process?
Nice thong and ass and poor sense of modesty.
As if this couldn’t be pushed far enough, we are presented with the new trend (like jeans) of ripping the shit out of leggings or creating some ridiculous pattern that completely contradicts the point of clothing meant for winter.
Wear are we going with this?
Now, I’ll give you some of my rules for, at least, what I find to be alright for wearing leggings in public:
Notice how the legging cuts off in the leg which makes it also look wrinkly. This may work if you have tall boots, but not with shoe-heel thingies like that.
So, garment striking today’s youth from one sorority house at a time, what do you have to say for yourself?
HMMMM???
Alright, I’ll take just a “these are only meant – by themselves – to be worn at home.”
For another hilarious ruling on this indecent practice, check out: CupCakesandMace.com
One of my favorite things to do to pass time and still create art is to just slap some frames on a page and make up a narrative based off of that. Sure, sometimes it may not be coherent, and it typically ends up looking a bit messy. Nevertheless, you end up with a product that may be an exercise as well as a great fun piece of artwork for yourself. Sure, I typically pull on my own life (yeah, this is totally about my own life), but I really enjoy drawing close-ups and then suddenly pulling the view out.
On this, I tried to go with a 3 color palette (blue, black, and white), but then it felt a bit too empty. So, I threw in the yellow to add to it. I felt that going over and above with the yellow in the first two frames and then reducing it for the next three and ending it with a decent prominence in the last frame was important for the themes.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy. I’m going to pet Sabretooth because her ear’s twitching as she’s sleeping.
Oh, and I should probably do that homework I’ve been avoiding all day.
I have two more that I hope you enjoy. I have a list of other secrets that I may whip out and share sometime in the future, as well.
These ones are a bit more positive or goofy than some of the previous ones.
Visions Across an Empty Room
I could feel my eyes tire,
as my voice began to falter,
fading into fragments.
I could feel him pull me close,
as quiet, ghostly fingers traced the
frail imperfections upon my trembling skin,
left frigid by the clouds,
unwilling to give shelter from
the cold memories of the stars.
The numbness I thought would never fade,
gave way to something small,
the slightest shiver.
My eyes fluttered.
I drew a ladder that stretched
through the black.
I scanned the barren sky
for a hint of the inevitable,
for a remnant of the past;
nothing but the moon remained.
Time hung still as I placed
my hand upon the next rung.
A shadow reached out to me;
a soft murmur called to my ear,
leaving the smallest of hairs to quiver.
Disquiet dissolved in our laughter.
There was a rush,
an excitement,
from the mystery of a moment
skirting past our lips.
We hadn’t the slightest of
what we were doing,
or where we were going.
We had anything and
everything in front of us,
just within reach.
It was all we had ever wanted.
That was our confession.
Whispered words echoed across the
sky on the assuring night’s breath.
A rare truth.
We flew on a hope, a dare;
waxen wings outstretched,
fingers sculpting the air.
Again we were children;
softened features caressed
the watery reflections that
rippled beneath our toes.
All the could have been’s,
that might have been’s,
that never were’s,
gurgled at us
from their shallow graves,
just beneath the surface;
we took no notice.
I could feel the wind change;
a warm current circling,
tasting my bare shoulder.
The long curve of my neck twisted
to catch his eye across my shoulder,
softly peering into mine;
the perfect shot.
I slipped my hand down to my side,
expecting to take hold of something,
of anything.
But I was only met
with cold emptiness,
who’s narrowed eyes
were cruel and unforgiving.
I always had a hard time
deciphering my dreams from reality.
I could never quite put my finger on it.
Perhaps they were one in the same.
I feel like a cold treat. Ice cream? Water? An Icy Kiss?
Sitting above everyone else eating, I sat eating. Forks pressed against lips feeling the tinge of sterling taken for granted despite hundreds of years using cutlery nearly every day. Social memory failing the masses, I suppose. Eating and talking. They were doing the talking: I, observing.
Comfy chairs by a small fire in the commons as chatty conversations echoed with a low reverb profile; maybe it was recorded in a conversation. A conversation recorded in the commons near a kitchen.
A girl briskly lifted her arm triumphantly holding an umbrella in hand; earlier it was sprinkling I had noticed outside. I was nervous of the glow reflected from the fire off the polystructure of the plastic and metal beams. I wonder who invented the umbrella.
Then – as if it wasn’t obvious through all of the horror stories – she naturally, reflexively pressed the button to shoot the second half of the contraption towards its unfolding; unfolding like a flower shot over the days with the film sped up. It was elegant, but it was work. She didn’t work. The machine worked elegantly.
Instantly, I thought about the superstition. In a second instant I thought about how I wasn’t superstitious. In the next, I questioned how many people at the same exact moment of the umbrella reaching its climax indoors had thought about superstition. Then I asked if they were also not superstitious. In an instant this shot past me. Shot past me like control.
The girls laughed.
I wondered if those instants, that elegance, that reverb, that machine, that sterling, that “that” proved the existence of god.
Alright, I’ll admit it: I’ve been slacking on the comic book side of things. However, new things have been happening in my life that have made me feel pretty damn good. I’m more than likely moving, I have a girl that I like and even though she just wants to be friends and not have a relationship I still enjoy every goddamn moment I’m with her, I’m actually trying to make new/more friends and succeeding, and Quantum Leap is a show that will never lose its beauty to me.
So, where does that leave me? Oh yeah, I’m in a damn fine mood to go to the comic store and post about what I’ve read.
Batwoman in Detective Comics #861:
Wait, this comic doesn’t have the beautiful work of J.H. Williams III in it? Fuck, I’m not picking that up.
Well, you should because this was by far the best read I’ve had in awhile. Jock’s artwork flows flawlessly with Rucka’s script which is not only occasionally surprising, but instantly badass. Everyone should read this book… and I’m not kidding. Everyone. Whether you like comics or not. Here, we have a kickass superhero who’s a lesbian and uses her defining qualities to her advantage.
The thing I loved about this issue was that Batwoman gets stabbed a lot but keeps on fighting like a pro. The duality of the story in the past with Batman and the story with Batwoman in the present really brings it home that Kate may not have the same amount of training as Bruce did, but she can still hold her own against anyone else in the Bat-family.
God, I loved this.
Invincible Iron Man #22:
Tony Stark is still kinda in la-la land stuck in his head, and ruling him out as the main force in the comic is a pretty interesting thing to do, but Fraction nails it home with this issue. I’m really enjoying this series. Sure, Marvel’s been having the whole problem lately of “hey, we don’t like to schedule our books out in proper sequential order so you get spoilers in issues all the time,” but I’m okay with that.
Bringing in Strange is a clever, mildly desperate move, but I like when he realizes that this task may just end up being a lot harder than he expected it to be. Has anyone else noticed that him and Tony look nearly identical with a few modifications? It’s kinda distracting.
Red Robin #9:
Fun.
That’s the best way to describe this issue.
Wait, what? Describing the new badass “I’m dark and angry like my Daddy” attitude Red Robin-Tim Drake-Wayne-(Draper) as fun is a little weird. However, it works.
I loved the contrast in this issue of how Tim comes back to Gotham, talks about how shitty it is yet feels the need to apologize and actually crack a smile for good ol’ times. Ra’s is super menacing in this issue and his plan seems pretty dastardly. I feel like this actually has some substance.
The nice thing about this series – so far – is that it works the way a comic should work. It has nicely developed storylines in 3-5 issue arcs that play a role in the bigger picture. Not only that, it also makes reference to what’s going on in the whole universe. Sure, I would have liked it if Tim did some more world-touring, but I love how this comic and Batman and Robin #7 came out at relatively the same time with similar themes with different approaches.
It probably helps that I’m a huge Tim Drake fan.
Batman and Robin #7:
Let’s admit it, this issue had problems. From the ridiculous way Batwoman gets brought into the story to the accidental dialogue switch in a certain frame that’s a bit confusing.
Let’s also admit that Cameron Stewart just brought new life to this series. I was a converted fan for the first Quitely issues, then I got the Phillip Tan ones and thought, “fuck, I hate this art.” I hated it so much, in fact, that I was going to stop getting this series. Then, I read some reviews of the issue and decided, “okay, you’ve got another shot, don’t disappoint.”
The things this issue does well completely overshadows the above problems. The issue is at such a breakneck speed that sometimes it’s hard to keep up, but then you read something later on and pick up what actually happened earlier. So, Morrison kinda safeguards himself on that.
The interrogation scene is killer like 3 pages of absolute glory.
So Cameron, you got me. I’m picking up the next issue.
The Walking Dead#69:
Ever wanted to see what post-Zombie Washington DC would look like? Well, here you go.
The mistrust simmers down in this issue and a mini crisis happens in which we discover this community our characters are going to is pretty damn well-off in terms of resources and firepower.
Things may just be looking up for the group, but I’m expecting something to happen in issue #73 that shakes things up… just a guess.
My one problem is that this comic always feels short. I know that Charlie Adlard typically does about a page of art a day, and it would be pretty mean to force him to do more. I guess it is a sign of a good comic when you’re craving the next one as soon as you read that one (hence why this series works better in trades, but I’m so goddamn impatient I can’t wait).
Green Lantern #50:
I guess it’s fairly significant that Hal Jordan turns back into Parallax in issue 50 when in Vol 3 of Green Lantern he’s infected with Parallax and destroys the Corps.
So, takin’ down the Spectre, huh? That’s neat.
This issue just sort of felt “meh” for me. I mean, it’s cool seeing all of the new Corp members dealing with their bosses (I love Atrocitus urging Mera on), but the issue just moved really quickly at first to me. Then, once it hit halfway it moved a little slow. I think it’s just suffering from having too many characters at this point. I want more screen time for all of them, but there’s just not enough room.
In terms of Blackest Night, this plays a decent role. Plus, I wonder how Parallax is going to be put back into his cage.
Oh, and the part between Hal and Carol is cute.
The art on this issue is pretty good. Not amazing, but better than a lot of art.
I guess I may just be caught in the rut that I’m putting this series to a (deservedly) higher standard. Hmmm.
Tales of the TMNT #66:
A bit frustrating to find 100 versions of a Batman and Robin cover and only 10 of a TMNT cover – all of which are quite small.
So, I went into this thinking that this issue probably wasn’t going to work for me. I’ve always have loved Tales for covering aspects of heroes’ lives typically not seen in comics, but an issue about dog smuggling by a gang in NY that’s pretty lame in the TMNT series just was not doing it for me in description since it’s so arbitrary.
Nevertheless, upon reading it, I found the issue to be fun and meaningful. Sure, I don’t really have much of a recollection of how it went and I read it two weeks ago, but I remember smiling and rooting for my characters. So, I suppose if a comic can have even that short term effect, then it must be pretty damn decent.
For something that didn’t require too much, Lawson still kicked out some great art.
World’s Finest miniseries #1-4:
Okay, I meant for all of those images to just line up horizontally, but it wasn’t happenin’. So, I picked up the first issue of this miniseries on a whim partly because of good ol’ Timmy being in it. Sure, he was drawn like he was 40 and not 19 which was a bit upsetting, but oh well.
The miniseries was entertaining. It wasn’t great nor was it bad. Just a nice pairing of the two biggest franchises for DC which was fun. I did enjoy how most of the stories convalesced together in the final issue. That was nice. It was also nice to see Superman drawn in a way that made him actually seem like a mentor who has aged since the beginning.
I was a little offended with how carrying the trend of Damien being a jerk, he’s made yet another comment about Stephanie being fat or not – basically – a skinny ass, busty, big hipped, typical comic book female. I think she’s one of the few mainstream female characters that might just happen to have a real body.
The ending of the series was a bit goofy, and totally feels like a lead-in to War of the Supermen. Oh well. Overall, if you want an introduction to some new characters that are staples for their universe(s), then check this out.
Heard I should probably check out Siege. I mean, what with people being torn in half!? I’m just not a big Marvel guy… oh well.
Also, in case you were wondering: I’ve read all of 100 Bullets and caught up to date with Fables recently. So, expect posts on that and Zot! soon.
The dexterity of a Saint.
One of my favorite (addictions) things about WordPress is the Stats feature. I obsessively check this multiple times a day willing the number to increase and increase and increase. So, I figured I’d share some info. with the devoted readers about how goddamn well and proud I am of this blog.
January was the best month yet with a total of4,070 views (!).
The average views per day was 131 which is 2x (+) more than any other month.
The last week of January had an astounding average of 208 views per day.
The former busiest day in October was surpassed on the 25th with 237 views. Two days later, the blog got 236 views.
Most Popular Posts:
- J. Scott Campbell with 685 views
- Andrew Lloyd Weber with 419 views
- Super HeroiHot She-Hulk with 144 views
Top Search Terms:
- “Cats Musical” with 220 views caused by search
- “Jesus Christ Superstar” with 73 views caused by search
- “Phantom of the Opera” with 71 views caused by search
Strangest/More Memorable Search Terms:
The strange thing is: some of those were searched multiple times. Plus, I wonder if just one person happened to have a Gorilla obsession? Also, there’s a lot of people that come here expecting hentai of children’s characters… which is awkward. Hate to disappoint.
I hope you enjoy seeing what I get to check every day!
MechanisticMoth
Crocodilicus