We Got Spiked

A SpikeTV Scream award, that is. All the way back in October we won the 'Best Screen to Comic' award for "28 Days Later: The Aftermath" at the second-annual Scream awards show, and the trophy arrived in the mail this very day. It's all kinds of awesome. A picture is below, and a link is also provided for you RSS folks.

A huge thanks, as always, to Steve, Jimmy, Dennis, Diego, Nat, Symon, and Timmy B!

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g84/relieb/Photo243.jpg



Later

New Comics Day!

Good old Wednesday. 'Hump day', some say. Not I, for Wednesday ushers forth that weekly cavalcade of four-color merriment known as New Comics Day. And without further ado, here're are the books I plan on picking up this eve:

BPRD 1946 #1
EVIL DEAD #1
GOON #20
BAT LASH #2
COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS 16
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #20
JLA CLASSIFIED #50
SALVATION RUN #3
SIMON DARK #4
SUPERMAN #672
YOUNGBLOOD #1 (wtf? is it the 90s again?)
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #546 (please see monday's post for a delightful spidey primer, fyi)
HULK #1 (red hulk?)
MIGHTY AVENGERS #7
ONSLAUGHT REBORN #5 (it really is the 90s! why the hell didn't someone tell me???)
PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #15
TWELVE #1
X-FACTOR #27

Later

Pax Romana

I like history. I like Romans. It, therefore, stands to reason that I like Roman history. And that, friends and countrymen, is a fact.

The 'pax romana' refers to a period in Roman history, ushered in by Ceasar Augustus, during which the empire was at its peak. It's also the latest comic series from writer/artist Jonathan Hickman, creator of last year's most excellent series "The Nightly News".

I must confess that "Pax Romana" caught me off guard. I didn't know much about the book going into it, but my socks were officially knocked off by issue #1. The premise alone is fascinating (a tasty religion/science/time travel melange), but it's Hickman's style that seals the deal (he writes like Bendis after a week-long speed binge - I honestly didn't know so many words could be packed onto a single page), complimented by art that I swear came from that illegal Bill Sienkiewicz / Ashley Wood clone I cooked up last year (that reward is still valid if anyone finds him, by the by).

I mean, c'mon... what's NOT to love about a book that opens with the line, "I am the Bishop of Rome, the Panchen Lama, the Pratyekabuddha, the Last Caliph, the Eternal Priest of Amon-Ra, the Black Rabbi and the White Shaman... I am the Vicar of Christ... I am the Gene Pope".

(No snippy comments about the religion-centric quote above; as Hickman himself notes, the story is more a sociological study couched in quantum mechanics and religious dogma and less an overt commentary on religion proper, organized or otherwise).

Seriously, go pick up this book and give it a read. I will be here when you get back. Promise.

(they keep me chained to the desk...)

Later

Spidey Got the Boot!

The re-boot, that is (and I'm not talking about the vastly under appreciated, late-90s Canadian CGI TV show, no-sir... nerd alert). No, as those who follow this wonderful corner of the geekdom universe are painfully aware (and, perhaps, as new info for those unfortunate souls who have unknowingly stumbled upon this page), Spider-Man just experienced the dubious glory that is the Cosmic Reset Button. Just what is this button, you may ask? Simple - it's that magic (and I imagine red, almost candy-colored) button that a writer can press in times of need (or, more specifically, convenience) in order to undo any plot point/character/story/etc etc they so desire. Just watch an episode or two of Star Trek (esp the crap-tacular Voyager) to see the Cosmic Reset Button in action - when Kirk/Picard/Sisqo (is that how you spell it?) / Janeway (oh how I wish Janeway) dies before the first commercial break yet is all piss and vinegar and everything is status quo by the end of the episode, you too will know the magic of the Button.

Yet I digress, as usual. Essentially, the last twenty-odd years of Spider-Man history never happened, the biggest being that Peter and Mary Jane are no longer married, and Peter is back to pretty much how he appears in the recent films (even Spider-Man 3... sigh), sans those crappy organic web-shooters. And as much as the fanboy in me LOVES to complain, to be perfectly honest, after a bit of thought on the matter (and NO, I don't sit around thinking about these things all day... honestly) coupled with a bit of sage wisdom by the lovely and talented Heidi made me realize that this isn't such a bad thing. Yes, the method by which they pressed the magic Button was a bit hokey, but it takes the characer back to where he needs to be. Simple - a kid struggling with money, girls, and the responsibility that his powers bring. Spider-Man has been bogged down ever since his marriage, what with the clone saga, Venom, more Venom, then Carnage, Kraven killed him, he was reborn with Spider-Totem powers (WTF?), he unmasked to the world (booo), etc etc. And people wonder why I don't want to get married.

As an aside, Adam over at Comics Ink made the observation that if Mary Jane can trick the devil, then who CAN'T?! Classic.

Happy New Year!

Hard to believe that 2008 is already upon us. According to those news reels from the 1950s (as well as a Kubrick film or two) we were supposed to be living on the moon and riding around in flying jet/hover/aqua cars by now. However, all I have to do is take a loving glance over at the iPhone and all thoughts of not flying to work in a jetpack simply fade away. Living in the future rocks!

But I digress. Your fearless EIC got a bit caught up in the holiday madness, what with all of the annual wraps ups, parties, parties, and familial drama that Santa Claus tends to ferry forth each year, but now I’m back and ready to rock and/or roll. 2008 is going to be a fantastic year; we’ve got a few things up our sleeves that shall be revealed in due course…

Until then, please do yourself a favor and read Green Lantern. It rocks. Also pick up the latest issues of Spider-Man – as that fat lady’s head in Total Recall said to the security guard before if blew up, “Get ready for a surprise!” Feel free to discuss in the message boards below!

Later

New Comics Day!

Fear not – I live still! I came down with a bit of a cold post-Thanksgiving (darn turkey), but I’m slowly working my way back to full capacity. To aide in recovery I have retreated into the comfort of the weekly wonder that is New Comics Day; here’s what a kind friend is picking up for me to read whilst I sneeze:

CRIMINAL MACABRE MY DEMON BABY #3
CUT
FEAR AGENT HATCHET JOB #1
ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN THE BOY WONDER #8 (oh yea!)
AUTHORITY PRIME #2
BATMAN #671
BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #2
COUNTDOWN LORD HAVOK AND THE EXTREMISTS #2
COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS 22
FREDDY VS JASON VS ASH #2
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #18
SUPERMAN BATMAN #43
TEEN TITANS #53
TRIALS OF SHAZAM #10
UNCLE SAM AND THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS #3
BAD PLANET #4
CASANOVA #11
FRANK FRAZETTAS DEATH DEALER #5
BLACK PANTHER #32
CABLE DEADPOOL #47
DAREDEVIL #102
MARVEL ZOMBIES 2 #2
DAN DARE #1
DOCK WALLOPER #1

Later

Turkey Time

Hard to believe that yet another year is soon to be put to bed. My, how time files! Due to the Thanksgiving holiday this week the postings may be sporadic, but fear not, you will all be in my heart (and the turkey will be in my stomach – wakka wakka).

I saw a movie last weekend that I think would make for a perfect comics series: the Cohen Brother’s No Country for Old Men. I’m not talking about a straight adaptation of the film, mind you (because that’s boring), but rather an ongoing series that follows the continuing adventures of Javier Bardem’s vile hitman character. This is literally one of the best villains I have seen in a long, long time, and his warped, ‘there but not there’ take on reality is utterly fascinating.

Random, I know, but it would work. Trust me.

Later