Reports Of Our Demise Have Been Slightly Exaggerated

No, we're not dead, just busy and pissed at comics.

We're also trying to get a screenplay written.

We're also in the throes of football season fast-approaching.

We're also working 50 hours a week.

We'll be back Sept. 1. Promise.

Mike Weiringo, R.I.P.

Details can be found here.

I still can't believe it. What a fucking way to start the week.

EDIT: Hey Marvel/DC, how about some sort of mention on your website, fucktards?

Anger.

A Word About Starlord

I'd just like to say 3 things about Starlord #1, out last week and part of the Annihilation:Conquest series of pre-minis.

1) Keith Giffen really is a fanboy with the will to power, isn't he? How else do you get away with selling Quesada and co. on the idea of a team consisting of Mantis (MANTIS!), Rocket Raccoon, Captain Universe, a Shi'ar, a bug, and a giant tree? I get the feeling that he'd have put ROM in there as well, if stupid Marvel would ever get the license back.

(Side Note: Marvel, if you ever do get ROM:Spaceknight back in action, you should pay Giffen or Busiek howevermany wheelbarrows of cash it takes to get them to write it as an ongoing. We would also accept Jeff Parker or Brian K. Vaughan.)

2) The art is just outstanding, with Timothy Green II doing his best Lee Bermejo impersonation (particularly in the back half of the issue) and managing to make even Rocket Raccoon look intimidating, particularly when firing heavy weapons while standing in the palm of the aforementioned sentient tree.

(Additional Side Note: That's not mean as a backhanded compliment, it's meant as a genuine one.)

3) This crazy misfit team Cosmic Marvel take on the Dirty Dozen might end up being my favorite miniseries of the year, if the humor and plot of the first issue is any indication.

(Son of Additional Side Note: Between Annihilation:Conquest and World War Hulk, Marvel is running two events simultaneously that I'm really liking. We are through the looking glass here, people. Up is down, black is white.)

I guess what I'm saying is, once more, Keith Giffen is just friggin' awesome. Like you didn't already know that.

Annihilation:Conquest is shaping up nicely even at this stage, and if you're a fan of cosmic action or war comics, or comics that are, um, real good, you should at least go back and get the Annihilation:Conquest Prologue one-shot, because it's two shots of 120-proof bitchin'.

A Lying Sack

Hi all --- I know the plan was to get started again blogging in earnest yesterday, but the Arizona Department of Safety had other ideas, and the less said about that the better.

(No, I'm not in trouble or arrested or anything like that.)

Anyway, whilst I gather my thoughts, here's something to tide you over --- if you love (or even occasionally like) maps, here's a blog entirely dedicated to strange, unique, and interesting maps, fictional and otherwise. Oddly enough, it's called "Strange Maps". Enjoy!

P.S. World War Hulk? Makes me feel ten years old again, and that's a good thing.

Whiskey Tango Fridays

For all your general WTF-ery needs:

I did so not need to see this first thing this morning.

Back better than ever on Monday!

Tidbits on the 8/1 Books

Greetings Greetings Greetings

I got books. I got mostly good books. I got some great books. But I am sad that this week contains no Annihilation:Conquest chapters. Those are DAMN FINE BOOKS!!

Jonah Hex: Taking a cue from "The Prestige", Jonah meets Thomas Edison on some hunt for stolen "technology". A nice read. Nice that some of these books can come up with not a lot of violence and some fun dialogue. I liked it.

Supergirl: Tying into Amazons Attack, tis the only reason I bought it. It was...alright. At least she didn't look like a slutty dressed teen. They actually gave her some....body I guess you'd call it?

Fantastic Four: I like McDuffie's writing, especially his brief stint on the outgoing Firestorm. I enjoyed this one too. Good inner-team working. I hope Sue gets to beat some ass!

Spiderman/Red Sonja: Come on, you KNOW I had to buy this one!! It was slow. It wasn't bad. It was just slow. It should pick up in the next chapter, so I"ll at least buy the next one. Kinda a crazy scheme to make this work, but hey, its a comic, right?

Welcome to Tranquility: I think I'm going to be short-timing this book. Its appeal to me has worn down, the stories just aren't grabbing me. The last book was just not good, and this one is even picking up on the zombie craze. Sigh. C'mon Gail, I know you have more in ya than this.

Warbird: Man, MachineMan is a prick, isn't he? I"m just going to give this one an ok. But PuppetMaster? Oh come on! The AIM storyline was better than this. At least I get me some MachineMan I guess.

World War Hulk: I eat my words from much earlier on in a post where "I asked the point of World War Hulk?" Hulk Smash, Hulk Smash Good, and its just excellent. This is a damn fine "event", and glad to see its doing well. But Sentry? COME ON, he's a big wuss. Give me THOR any day, even though I know that's just not going to happen. However, go Doc Strange! OOOO, that musta hurt? So sorry Doc Strange.

Thor: I am totally impressed by this book! I"m loving it. I had doubts about JMS. I had doubts about chainmail. Still don't care about the chainmail, but I am enjoying this writing, I am enjoying this art and am damn glad that Thor is back. I love the slow pacing of bringing him back (although I sure as hell wouldn't yell about Thor kicking Hulk's ass either!!) and starting with just Thor, now Asgard, and soon his friends. Can I dip into the treasury too?

No Grimms' Fairy Tales for me this week. I think it missed the boat or something. Maybe next week.

Bye for now
Randy