Betty Paginated

Merry Christmas all!

2011-12-25T11:31:00.000+11:00

2011-10-06T14:42:00.001+11:00

TWO of my favourite things have come together in the best way possible: a comics podcast and Fresh Ink host Blair Butler. The beautiful, talented lady is interviewed at War Rocket Ajax. Check it out at http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/09/26/war-rocket-ajax-15-blair-butler-talks-heart-and-reviewing-c/

ZINE REVIEW: PEE #47

2011-10-04T00:09:00.000+11:00

Pee #47: Defeater…The Carrier…I Exist…Stolen Youth…Warbrain…One Vital Word. If you recognise any of these punk bands, then you’ll want to read this beautifully produced, informative zine. If you think they’re just random words thrown together by an intelligent ape bent on conquering Earth, then look elsewhere for your reading pleasure. Comes with a free CD and a fistful of stickers. Pete Pee, PO Box 238, Marden, SA, 5070, AUSTRALIA, zine@peerecords.com, www.peerecords.com [AUD$6.50/email for overseas prices, 60M, :10+ depending on your interest in punk] – Dann Lennard

Will you just STOP with the zine reviews?!!

2011-09-14T00:28:00.000+10:00

Zombre #2: Subtitled “The Magic Forest”, this is the latest comic misadventures of our semi-intelligent zombie as he wanders round a national park, scaring the tourists and generally causing mayhem. This appears to be a continuing story, so I’m intrigued where Ansis goes from here. Lovely colour cover, too. Ansis Purins, 14 Saxon Rd, Newton, MA, 02461, USA, siransalot@gmail.com, www.ansis.tv [email for prices, 52S, :20] – Dann Lennard

Biblio-Curiosa #1: The subtitle to this fantastic read by veteran zinester Chris Mikul is “Unusual writers/Strange books”. And there’s certainly plenty of that. You’ll be amazed by the bizarre story of the sociopathic Gibbons twins, one of whom wrote the extraordinary The Pepsi-Cola Addict (1982). And your brain will melt when you read the plot to the startling The Fangs Of Suet Pudding (1944). And there are two more incredible essays after that. This is seriously one helluva great zine. Chris Mikul, PO Box K546, Haymarket, NSW, 1240, AUSTRALIA, cathob@zip.com.au [AUD$5/email for overseas prices, 48S, :60] – Dann Lennard

Biblio-Curiosa #2: Editor Chris must have the best library in the world – hell, he certainly has the weirdest. This time he tackles the crazy life and even stranger death of eccentric F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre. And then blows our collective minds with reviews on two of the oddest books ever published, The Yellow Yasmak and Zalma. Chri’s writing style is funny, entertaining and enlightening. Can’t ask for more than that. Chris Mikul, PO Box K546, Haymarket, NSW, 1240, AUSTRALIA, cathob@zip.com.au [AUD$5/email for overseas prices, 48S, :60] – Dann Lennard

Recreational Drug Use: Beautifully photographed zine of porn stars at play, posing for the camera or caught unawares by snapper Dennis McGrath. I loved this wordless zine, but it’s not cheap and the content isn’t for everyone, obviously. sales@hamburgereyeland.com, http://www.hamburgereyes.com [email for prices, Must be over 18, 40S, :05] – Dann Lennard

It’s A Fanzine #51: After the positive feedback he got on #50, editor Gene Kehoe produced a “sequel”. This time, the lead article is a minister’s take on a highly religious sci-fi tale written and drawn by Steve Ditko in 1959 (which is also reprinted). There’s also a ton of fun news snippets and heavily illustrated articles that would greatly appeal to fans of old-school comic zines of the 60s and 70s. Newer fans won’t care for it though, I expect. Gene Kehoe, 2265 Byron Ave, Waterloo, IA, 50-702, USA, iaf1952@yahoo.com, fangene@aol.com [US$3, email for overseas prices, 44S, :45] – Dann Lennard

Ninja Sushi #2: Nasty-beautiful art by Kapreles plus some surreal, nonsensical fiction. I liked it, but it’s not for everyone. Yves Albrechts, Postbus 100, 2000 Antwerpen 1, BELGIUM, kapreles@gmail.com [email for prices, Must be over 18, 24S, :10] – Dann Lennard

25 Albums That Changed My Life And Other Dumb And Pointless Lists: Very personal zine for those who like likes lists on music and books. The highlight is “Stars On 78”, where the editor reviews old 78 records he grabs from a pile in his garage and plays on his old stereo. Kami, PO Box 278, Edwardstown, SA, 5039, AUSTRALIA, cammy@arcom.com.au [Trade/your lists/etc, 20S, :15] – Dann Lennard

Fried Cat Comix #1: I just love indy zine comix, especially from Australia – they’re dark, funny, drug-fuelled, scatological, random. This comic is the same…but different. It’s a mix of comic strips, reviews, bizarre snippets and an interview with Robin Bougie of Cinema Sewer fame The lead strip, “Deep Fried Drifters”, is an ongoing saga about a potato cake and an onion ring striving to survive in a hostile world. Love this mag. friedcatcomix@gmail.com [AUD$$/email for overseas prices, 28S, :30] – Dann Lennard

Kamuke #2: If you love ukuleles, then you’ll love this slick, full-colour, very professionally put together mag from Australia. Fans will be chuffed to read an exclusive interview with multi-Grammy Award-winning artist Daniel Ho. But as a non-uke fan, my fave piece was the bio piece on forgotten hero Cliff “Ukulele Ike” Edwards. Quirkily brilliant. kamuke80@gmail.com, www.kamuke.com [email for prices, 32S, :30] – Dann Lennard

BOOKS

Subterranean Redneck Blues: Kami writes poetry. He’s also a dear friend. That said, he writes good poetry so I’ll cut him some slack. Kami writes are about growing up in rural Australia, getting drunk, trying to get laid, making mistakes, learning from them, making more mistakes and slowly realising your limitations. They are beautiful and they speak from the heart and they’re not bullshit. So I’ll grudgingly give this booklet a thumbs up. But I still hate poetry. Seaview Press, PO Box 7339, West Lakes, SA, 5021, AUSTRALIA, seaview@seaviewpress.com.au, www.seaviewpress.com.au [AUD$15/email for overseas prices, 84S, :30] – Dann Lennard

Guess what? More zine reviews!

2011-09-13T00:13:00.000+10:00

No More Coffee #3: This guy’s got some talent – five pieces of short fiction in a range of genres. “O, Bury Me Not…” is a slice of urban life with a strange twist and a moving ending. “Stagger Lee” starts taking you down a path about a teenager given the opportunity to have his revenge against high school bullies, but then goes in an unexpected direction that I dug. Like I said the guy’s got talent. Ben Spies, NMC Zine, 1847 W. Byron St, Chicago, IL, 60613, USA, nomorecoffeezine@gmail.com [US$2, FTP, 32S, :40] – Dann Lennard

Beauty In Confusion And Harmony: Southeast Asia From American Perspective In Year Of The White Tiger: Stupidly long heading and occasionally pretentious, patronising writing aside, Mark Billings’ zine is a fascinating, heavily illustrated diary of an outsider’s experience trying to live, explore and work in Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia. When he stops projecting mystical import on every fucking thing locals do (seriously, dude, they’re just people selling you stuff), then it’s a fun lil’ travelogue. Stop getting all spiritual and get a grip, guy. Other than that, a well-interesting read. gaiting@yahoo.com, www.gaitpublishing.com [email for prices, 64S, 0:60] – Dann Lennard

Last Slice: A cool collection of cartoons about life, childhood memories and growing up – all with a Latino flavour. Some toons are funny, some are bittersweet, but they’re all good. Jaime Crespo, PO Box 112, San Anselmo, CA, 94979, USA, crespocomix@yahoo.com, www.jaimecrespo.com [US$4 USA & Mexico/US$5 Canada/trades, 44S, :25] – Dann Lennard

Too Blue Comix #1, #4, #5: Sexy (at times pornographic) minicomix in the mould of Brad Foster’s classic Goodies. Oh, wait…there’s Brad’s art on the front cover of #1, so no surprises there. If you like nudity, explicit sex and toilet humour, then you’ll wanna check these out. If not, stay clear. Jerry Goebert, 156 Howard Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15235, USA [US$1 USA/US$2 overseas, 8XS, 0:05] – Dann Lennard

Mishap Collection: Weird underground-style art and story about a guy called Major Mishap visiting Dallas in November 1963 and crossing paths with Lee Harvey Oswald. Seriously strange yet compelling – and it’s all told in just eight panels. Jerry Goebert, 156 Howard Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15235, USA [US$1 USA/US$2 overseas, 8XS, 0:05] – Dann Lennard

Comparratives: Two cartoonists record a panel-by-panel concurrent history of their lives, starting in 1986 (when Joanna was born and Don was 11) to now when the pair are a couple. It’s their first collaboration, and what a great way to start. Cool concept and well executed. Don Picton & Joanna Goss, 461 S. 4thh St, Aurora, IL, 60505, USA, friendprices@gmail.com [US$2 USA/US$2.50 elsewhere/trade, 28XS, :15] – Dann Lennard

Best Dream Ever…: I dream about thrift stores, too. This wacky lil’ strip is like looking inside my own head. Don Picton, 461 S. 4thh St, Aurora, IL, 60505, friendprices@gmail.com [US$0.75 USA/US$1 elsewhere/trade, 12XS, :05] – Dann Lennard

Showman? The Bret Braddock Adventures, Vol. 1: Crisis Ignored: This is the possibly true story of a hideous man, Bret Braddock, and the horrible workplace he runs. Bret thinks he’s going to produce a children’s TV show and get rich. Nothing goes the way he’s planned and it’s pretty much due to the fact he’s a dumb, arrogant dickhead. This collection of strips by the immensely talented David Blumenstein is funny, infuriating and upsetting, all at the same time. I think most of us have worked for or with a Bret Braddock at some time in our lives. Nakedfella Productions, PO Box 361, Flinders Lane, Vic, 8009, AUSTRALIA, office@docklandsentertainment.com, www.nakedfella.com [email for prices, 52S, :45] – Dann Lennard

Wow! Even more zine reviews

2011-09-08T00:10:00.001+10:00

Yuck! #2: Gross-out horror comix – you pays your money, you know what to expect. Actually, some of the artwork is quite nice, especially Jacek Zabawa’s pussy-licious cover. Talented Aussie artist Ben Hutchings also makes a worthy appearance. Milk Shadow Books, PO Box 651, Northcote, Vic, 3070, AUSTRALIA, www.milkshadowbooks.com [AUD$4.50 + contact the site for overseas p&h, 40S, 0:20] – Dann Lennard

Chicks With Horses #1: What…no bestiality? Sadly, this zine is exactly what it says on the cover, page after page of photos of girls with horses. Most of them appear to be tearsheets of chicks at the races. The overall effect is still unsettling. You’re left with a strong sense of “Why?” David Puckeridge, PO Box 872, Katoomba, NSW, 2780, AUSTRALIA, [AUD$1/probably $3 overseas, 32S, :05] – Dann Lennard

Geneva 13 #15: Possibly the most narrowly themed zine I’ve ever read. Unless you live in Geneva, NY this publication will mean little to you. Having said, this pizza-themed issue was interesting in parts. No-one makes pizza like New Yorkers, that’s for sure. Still, I can’t really see why anyone outside Geneva would want to read this zine as a rule. Geneva 13, PO Box 13, Geneva, NY, 14456, mail@geneva13.com [$2/free if you live in Geneva, 60S, 0:45] – Dann Lennard

Operations Manual Vol. IX: Bizarreness on a grand scale. Eclectic subject matter includes the mystical power of the number nine, trepanation, how to use your hand as a thermometer, a detailed study on the phrase “a friend in need is a friend indeed”, healthy flea remedies…hell, this doesn’t even scratch the surface. One of the best zines I’ve read this year. GodBlessGenerica@gmail.com [email for prices, 40S, 0:30] – Dann Lennard

nnnnnnnnnnYES! #1.1: This zine makes me mad – mad with rage that someone (probably via a government grant) wasted a lot of coin producing a high-quality zine full of pretentious shit. Bad poetry, bad fiction, bad collage “art”. Just bad. Given the financial resources the people behind this publication had, I could’ve produced a zine 100 times more interesting than this overpriced crap. I’m pissed off now. nnnnPatrick, RM301, 984-5, Yeogtong 2 Dong, Suwon, Gyeong-Gi, 443-813, SOUTH KOREA, nnnnnnnnnnyes@gmail.com [US$11 to everywhere except Mexico…where it’s US$13/trade, FTP, age statement required, 0:10] – Dann Lennard

Reviews of zines and such

2011-09-06T23:14:00.000+10:00

Grunted Warning #11, July 2011: The world is a strange place and some of the media snippets we absorb every day in the newspapers are even stranger. This is a collection of such strangeness. It is awesome. Awesome and strange. Stratu, PO Box 35, Marrickville, NSW, 2204, AUSTRALIA, sstratu@gmail.com, blackguard23.livejournal.com [AUD$1/trade/cool letter or postcard, 12S, :15] – Dann Lennard

Word Balloons #12: In this special full-colour issue, Phil interviews three folk working at the coalface of graphic novel publishing in Australia. You think it’s hard to get your shit published in the US? Try doing it in a backwater like Oz. Also, Phil wraps up his fascinating multi-part tale about his involvement in the Aussie comics scene, this time focusing on the rise and fall of the ambitious 80s/90s anthology Fox Comics. Philip Bentley, PO Box 286, Sandringham, Vic, 3191, AUSTRALIA, secondshore@yahoo.com, secondshore.blogspot.com [AUD$10, 32M, :45] – Dann Lennard

Crazed Mazes #1: I’ve never quite come across a zine like this before – it’s a zine full of amazing mazes, a crossword and other picture puzzles devised by Myron. I can safely say that it’s a family-friendly zine and would keep kids of all ages amused on a long car trip. Very quirky indeed. Myron Smith, PO Box 354, Ridgeway, VA, 24148, USA, crazedmazes@yahoo.com [US$2 + SASE, 20M, depends] – Dann Lennard

The Poetry Explosion Newsletter (The Pen), July 2010: 99% of poetry is shit. About 98% of it is to be found in this amateurish publication full of turgid, rancid poems. Avoid unless you really, really, REALLY love poetry zines. PBC, PO Box 4725, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206-0725,USA, wewuvpoetry@hotmail.com, thepoetbandcompany.yolasite.com [US$4 (email for overseas prices), 26M, :20] – Dann Lennard

The Great Stereopticon #1-3, June-Nov. 2010: This got sent to me as one newsletter, even though it’s three very short zines, virtually letters. James is a very smart, Buddhist, vegan, libertarian living in rural Washington. Not much to do here except ride bikes, visit your local library and write zines. I won’t pretend that I understand half of what James is writing about – he completely lost me on philosophy and the like. To be honest, I preferred his writings about being an outsider living in the American heartland. It seems a very lonely existence. James N. Dawson, PO Box 292, Malden, WA, 99149, USA, jamesndawson@yahoo.com [SASE/trade/the usual, FTP, 8M, :25] – Dann Lennard

Some more zine reviews

2011-09-02T15:50:00.000+10:00

Narcolepsy Press Review #7: Another great issue from Randy, focusing less on zine reviews this time and more on what music he’s been listening to, and books he’s read. Plus new celebrity hotties he’s discovered. There’s also cool art from his very talented daughter Tabitha. Randy’s a firm atheist, so Christians should be prepared to be offended by some content. Also if, like me, you think prisoners are worthless scumbags, you’ll want to skip his looooong letters section, which is filled with missives from them. Other than that, I love NPR to death. Randy Robbins, PO Box 17131, Anaheim, CA, 92817-7131, USA, narcolepsypresszine@hotmail.com [US$3/stamps/decent letter in the US/email for elsewhere, FTP, 32S, :20 (longer if you read the letters)] – Dann Lennard

Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Aug. 29, 2011: Someone had to do it – the lead story this week is an in-depth history of the birth of Brazilian fighting style Vale Tudo, the spiritual ancestor of modern-day MMA. A well-written, fascinating article. It’s followed by all the usual wrestling and MMA news from around the world. Get this and you’ll know more than your friends when you’re talking rasslin’ or UFC in front of the TV. Dave Meltzer, PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA, 95009-1228, USA, dave@wrestlingobserver.com, www.f4wonline.com [US$11 for four weekly issues in the US/check the site for other subscription prices, 20M, :90] – Dann Lennard

A few zine reviews

2011-08-23T00:19:00.000+10:00

When The Crash Meets Something #5: There are some zines you receive that are unexpected pleasures – this is a perfect example. Gabrielle is an ex-junkie, former sex worker who’s now a single mum striving to deal with her fucked-up past and what promises to be a much brighter future. Through older journal entries, poems and more current articles she eloquently explores where she’s been and who she is now. It’s breathtakingly shocking and extremely moving. Not surprisingly, as a dad of two small children, I found the author’s article on her child’s developmental issues particularly heartbreaking. We’ve all been there as parents, Gabrielle – you have nothing to fear, mate. Gabrielle Congrave, 215 Spurce Ave SW, Bagley, MN, 56621, prettythingpress@gmail.com [US$3 US/Canada/Mexico, US$4 everywhere else, trades welcome, 40S, :30] – Dann Lennard

The Ken Chronicles #16: I was really enjoying this zine for the first 20 pages. Ken’s a guy in his early 60s (I assume) who’s the kinda cool grandfather we probably all wish we had. He’s computer literate, a dude who remembers Woodstock and has pretty cool musical tastes. And he loves zines. Sounds like the sorta guy I’d wanna catch up with for a beer. Then he ruins the zine with a sad tale about him going to see a psychic. The transcript he provides of the session is a classic example of cold reading by a leech who preys on the misery and gullibility of others. It’s sad that Ken – so savvy in so many ways – is taken in hook, line and sinker by this charlatan. Ken Bausert, 2140 Erma Drive, East Meadow, NY, 11554-1120, USA, PassScribe@aol.com, thekenbauserchronicles.blogspot.com [US$2/trade/letter of comment, 28S, :30] – Dann Lennard

Serial Anarchist #2: Oooooooh, a celebrity prisoner-created zine. For those who don’t know, Francisco Duran is serving 40 years for attempting to assassinate then-US Prez Bill Clinton in 1994. His zine is full of clipped articles (ranging from nonsensical and paranoid to mildly interesting), oddball ravings about anarchy, an extreme sex fantasy and pleas from the author for “pictures of girls in their panties”. Buyer beware. Francisco M. Duran, PO Box 6000, Federal Correctional Institute, Florence, Colorado, 81226, USA [no prices listed…a few bux? Trades? Panty pix?, 32S, :15+] – Dann Lennard

Just saw the first issue of BP#32 roll off the presses...

2011-08-14T18:28:00.000+10:00

It looks pretty damn good if you ask me. The cover feature is on Amanda Fucking Palmer. Watch the clip below to see why I think she's so frigging awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udHpzUnoHSk

Pfffffft. I'm over Charlie Sheen now.

2011-07-07T22:14:00.003+10:00

Charlie Sheen is my new god

2011-03-09T09:44:00.002+11:00

A MACHETE and Tiger Blood...what's not to love?

REVIEW: Charlie & Co. Burgers

2011-02-16T14:01:00.001+11:00

ADDRESS: The Sydney Room, Level 5, Westfield Sydney, cnr Market and Castlereagh St, Sydney WEBSITE: charlieandco.com.au

THE overwhelming feeling I had upon leaving Charlie & Co. Burgers was shame…mainly ‘cos I left so much food on my plate. What a waste.
While I recommend that anyone going to this upmarket eatery should do so on an empty stomach, don’t be like me and assume your stomach can deal with what your hunger thinks it wants.

The place was half-full when I arrived, but quickly filled up with lunchtime customers. So that was a good sign. However, queuing to be attended by a waiter before ordering a mere burger seemed a tad pretentious…as did the faux newspaper that serves as a menu.
Anyhow, upon being ushered to the counter by the polite waiter, I ordered my lunch: Classic Fried Chicken Burger ($16), Parmesan and truffle fries ($8), Onion rings ($7) and a small Coke ($2.50).
When I went to pick up my order I instantly realised I’d f*cked up. While the burger looked manageable, the fries and rings were clearly designed for group snacking. I should’ve skipped the rings (even though I have a weakness for them) and just stuck with the fries. But, frankly, I doubt I would have finished them either.

Getting to the meal…the burger – two fried chicken fillets topped with lettuce, tomato, and herb and garlic mayonnaise – was okay. The fried chicken (basically a glorified chicken schnitzel) was nicely spiced when eaten by itself, but got lost when mixed with the strongly flavoured mayonnaise.
The fries tasted amazing at first – the parmesan mixed with truffle dressing was quite decadent. But you really don’t need too many of them before you start to feel a bit queasy from the richness of it all.
Sadly, once I ate some the onion rings (which tasted primarily of salt and batter), I couldn’t taste much of anything anymore.

Despite my best efforts, I’d barely made a dent in my side orders after 30 minutes, by which time the rings were cold and greasy (bleh) and the fries weren’t quite so inviting anymore. In the end, I finished the fillets and had to even leave part of the bun behind.
There was a time – not all that many years ago – when I would’ve made a valiant attempt to clear everything on my plate (my mother’s stern reprimand, “There are children starving in Ethiopia!” ringing in my head), but not now. What’s the point of eating till I’m sick?
Despite having spent $33.50 for lunch – Ouch! It hurts just writing that! – I walked away from my half-eaten meal without so much as a backward glance. I left Charlie & Co. Burgers bloated, burping garlic and onion…and wishing I was a Catholic so I could go church and cleanse myself of this lingering guilt.

The greatest alphabet ever!!!

2011-01-21T14:51:00.001+11:00

Worth checking out just for "J" alone. :D

http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2010/03/25/the-most-badass-alphabet-ever/

A coupla late reviews for ya

2011-01-09T00:21:00.005+11:00

Kamuke editor Cameron Murray (photo by Penny Ryan)

Kamuke #1: Ukuleles are making a resurgence around the globe and this glossy, full-colour, professional zine covers the Hawaiian instrument’s renewed popularity with well-written, informative articles. Highlights of the first issue includes features on top performers Uni and Rose Turtle Ertler, as well as historical pieces on Marilyn Monroe’s uke-strumming in Some Like It Hot and English legend George Formby. Editor Cameron Murray’s love of the ukulele cannot be denied. Cameron Murray, 6/42 Lombard Street, Glebe, NSW, 2037, AUSTRALIA cameronm@horwitz.com.au [AUD$5, 32S, :45] – Dann Lennard

Bizarrism #11: If Chris Mikul lived in New York or Portland, Bizarrism would be swiftly recognised as the greatest zine on Earth. But as it comes from exotic Australia, it remains zinedom’s best-kept secret. Each vaguely annual issue is a cause for celebration. Modern-day bohemian Mikul revels in the weirdness of this world and he tackles some extremely oddball subjects in this issue. They range from the relatively well-known (sadistic comic book artist Fletcher Hanks and the Raelian cult) to more obscure gems such as Mormon-kidnapper Joyce McKinney and Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha. There are also some Australian eccentrics highlighted, but the ghoulish gem of this ish is the horrific tale of 20th century surgeon Ferdinand Sauerbruch, who continued to operate on patients well into his 70s, despite being batshit crazy. Medical horror at its worst. Chris Mikul, PO Box K546, Haymarket, NSW, 1240, AUSTRALIA cathob@zip.com.au www.bizarrism.com [AUD$6, 40M, :90] – Dann Lennard

Unbelievably good!!!

2010-12-22T11:39:00.003+11:00

UNBELIEVABLY BAD - the greatest music zine in Australia - has a Net presence. Check out Matt's awesome writing here!

Another review

2010-12-19T22:06:00.000+11:00

Call & Response #4: This issue is subtitled “Windows” and is a series of essays about what people around the world can see out the windows of their homes. Helen and I were one of the people asked (we live in a part of Sydney, Australia predominantly inhabited by Indian students). There are also essays from Japan, Singapore, Spain, Denmark, Turkey, Sweden, Germany and various parts of the US and UK. All are accompanied by photos. The standard of writing varies, but this remains a very interesting and successful project. Gianni Simone, 3-3-23 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama-shi, 226-0027 Kanagawa-ken, JAPAN, jb64jp@yahoo.co.jp, http://gloomy-sundays.blogspot.com [$4 worldwide, 56S :60] – Dann Lennard

Eliza Dushku...I love you

2010-12-19T19:06:00.002+11:00

A random comic book page about Ben Hall heralds this important notice...

2010-12-19T17:26:00.002+11:00

ALL comics-related podcasts and blog entries will now appear in Kirby Your Enthusiasm.
Wrestling-related entries and blogs can be found at Rasslin' Riot.
Wrestling-themed comics are located at Whooooooo! Wrestling comics, baby! and photos of women with unfeasibly large bottoms are still located at Booty Call.

And this blog will focus on EVERYTHING ELSE.

And if you wanna source my podcasts directly (plus a bunch of posts on wrestling, comics AND wrestling comics) head straight to Kirby Your Enthusiasm at libsyn.

Are we clear on all that? Any questions? Good.

Zine reviews

2010-12-19T17:05:00.008+11:00

On Subbing: This has probably been reviewed before in Zine World, but dammit! I’m gonna review it anyway. Dave Roche is a straightedge punk, a vegan and a proud shoplifter. I should hate the guy, but he’s also a teacher working with the worst kids suffering with physical, mental and behavioural problems. So I kinda admire his strength and compassion, too. From 2000-04 he worked as a substitute education assistant in various schools in Portland, Oregon. It’s a tough gig and Dave doesn’t sugarcoat his experiences. This isn’t so much a book as a series of well-written journal notes – at times horrifying, at other times moving. Clearly, it’s struck a chord with people as it’s now up to its third printing. The 2008 postscript was also powerful – sounds like Dave’s had a rough run in the past few years. Hopefully, life’s got better for him in more recent times. Microcosm Publishing, 222 S. Rogers St, Bloomington, IN, 47404-4936, poodrow@hotmail.com, http://www.microcosmpublishing.com/ [email for prices, 132S, :120] – Dann Lennard

To Praise Is The Thing: More beautiful poetry/prose from this promising Queensland writer. This is a brief tale of fruitpicking in the heat of a 1996 Australian summer. The explanation of how it came to be written is equally sweet and moving. Tamara wishes to be more positive and less of “a whinger”. This piece is a start. Tamara Lazaroff, PO Box 6148, St Lucia, Qld, 4067, AUSTRALIA, taazan@hotmail.com [E-mail for price 38S :10] – Dann Lennard

Grunted Warning #5: The fifth issue already? Wow! And it’s the Christmas edition, so the hideous Krampus image on the cover is appropriate. Inside there are more oddball news clippings and photos that make you think, “WTF?” Old-school cut’n’paste. A fun lil’ read. Stratu, PO Box 93, Paddington, NSW, 2021, AUSTRALIA, sstratu@gmail.com, blackguard23.livejournal.com [AUD$1/trade/cool letter or postcard, 12S, :15] – Dann Lennard

Narcolepsy Press Review #6: Randy gives us an update on the current events in his life: going to see The Donnas with his daughter Tabitha (who sounds like an extremely cool kid), eating Pennsylvania Dutch Funnel Cake at a fair and celebrating the second anniversary of his heart transplant. Plus a healthy dose of atheism. It’s then onto an extended letters section followed by a ton of zine reviews. Another fine issue. Randy Robbins, PO Box 17131, Anaheim, CA, 92817-7131, narcolepsypresszine@hotmail.com [$3, 24S, :20] – Dann Lennard

Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dec. 13, 2010: Sure, you can read it online nowadays, but some of us still prefer to read this long-running weekly sheet the old way: on paper. This particular issue begins with what editor Dave Meltzer does best: well-researched obits, this time on legendary Hawaiian pro wrestler “King” Curtis Iaukea. There are PPV reviews and a ton of news from all the major wrestling and MMA organizations around the world. Comprehensive and well-written (even if the typos drive me up the wall). Wrestling Observer Newsletter, PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, dave@wrestlingobserver.com, http://www.f4wonline.com/ [check online for prices, 17M, :90] – Dann Lennard

Check out my very first podcast (this one's on comics).

2010-12-02T10:04:00.000+11:00

http://kirbyyourenthusiasm.libsyn.com/

COMICS READING FOR OCTOBER, 2010: the very best and the very worst on offer

2010-11-07T23:36:00.006+11:00

* NOW WITH STAR RATINGS (ala Wrestling Observer Newsletter PPV reports) *

HOW I RATE THE COMICS VIA THE ALAN MOORE SCALE
***** Watchmen, Marvelman, V For Vendetta
**** Supreme, Swamp Thing, Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?
*** Legion Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Axel Pressbutton, Tom Strong
** Promethea
* WildC.A.T.S.
DUD (or lower) anything he’s written for Avatar

1.-29. Savage Dragon #136-164 (Image, 2008-10) (ave. rating **)
30. Free Comic Book Day: Savage Dragon (Image, 2009)
Stay tuned for a big feature in the next BETTY PAGINATED about what’s wrong with Savage Dragon, why I dropped this title from my standing order after 18 years...and my email exchange with creator Erik Larson.
31. The Man With The Getaway Face (IDW, 2010) *****
A great prelude to the awesome new book (see below).
32. Avengers Academy #5 (Marvel, 2010) ***
33. Young Allies #5 (Marvel, 2010) ****
34. Naked Justice: Beginnings #2 (Class Comics, 2010) ***½
Of course, if you don’t like big cocks and gay sex, then you’ll probably hate this comic.
35. Zahn #2 (Class Comics, 2010) ***½
See above.
36. The Amazing Spider-Man: Back In Quack (Marvel, 2010) ***
Anything starring Howard The Duck is alright by me.
37. Eeek! #1 (Black House, 2010) DUD
This comic has led an interesting life. I first bought a copy several years ago from Lulu. I’ve also seen it being advertised for sale at Indy Planet, both are websites where indy comics can be purchased “on demand”, printed one issue at a time on request. But now Aussie writer/artist Jason Paulos has got Eeek! published by a “real” publisher and it’s being sold in newsagencies around the country for a mere $3 a copy. That should be good value for readers these days, but sadly it isn’t. Jason serves up some Creepy-style B&W horror yarns that aren’t scary or gory. In other words, a waste of time. He’s a competent artist – even if characters’ faces at times change from panel to panel. But his writing skills are poor.
38. Pistolwhip: The Yellow Menace by Jason Hall and Matt Kindt (Top Shelf, 2002) ***
Writer Hall does a reasonable job, but I bought this (on special) to see Kindt in his earlier days. An interesting tale of murder, madness and masked justice.
39. The CDLDF Presents Liberty Annual 2010 (Image, 2010)
40. Heartbreakers Meet Boilerplate (IDW, 2005)
Saw this marked down at Kings and almost bought it. Then read a Boilerplate comic in The CDLDF Presents Liberty Annual 2010 and was intrigued by the character, so I bought it. Writer Anina Bennett presents an intriguing steampunk adventure involving a mock history of robotics, biplanes, clones and robot love. Paul Guinan’s art technique, “paintography” (photoshopping photos to look like art), is basically a more honest way of saying, “I’m gonna do an Alex Ross, but not pretend I’m a great artist or anything.” God, I hate Alex Ross.
41. The Dark Detective: Sherlock Holmes #5 (Black Books, 2010) **½
Five issues? FIVE? How does this newsstand comic actually make any money? I’m the only reader, surely (because of my stupid desire to support the Aussie comic industry). Would any 10yo actually spend five bux to buy this odd title that merges the story of Sherlock Holmes with the myth of Frankenstein? I honestly don’t think so. 42. Richard Stark’s Parker by Darwyn Cooke (IDW, 2010) *****
This is the motherfucking goods! The best thing I may read all year! Cook does film noir perfectly.
43.-45. Burger Force #1-3 (2009)
This Aussie comic is sorta similar to Heartbreakers Meet Boilerplate, artwise. The “art” is heavily photoshopped photos. It’s basically Alex Ross in B&W. God, I hate Alex Ross. But I lurve this comic – very funny, quirky stuff. Check it out on Facebook or at burgerforce.com.
46. The Invincible Iron Man #1 (2010 reprint, Marvel, 2008) ****
More Iron Man reprint goodness, this time courtesy of Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca. Terrorists with Iron Man technology. Shiiiiit. No wonder I bought the graphic novel the other day from Lone Star. This is gonna be great.
47. House Of Mystery #16 (Vertigo, 2009) ***
Richard Corben art. Nuff said.
48. Magnus Robot Fighter #1 (Dark Horse, 2010) ***
Big dumb robot-killing fun by Jim Shooter and Bill Reinhold. The Russ Manning reprint from 1963 is a nice bonus.
49. Sea Bear & Grizzly Shark (Image, 2010) ***
They got mixed up! Gloriously stupid.
50. Daredevil Black & White #1 (Marvel, 2010) **½
A cute idea that doesn’t work well in practice. Anthologies are always a mixed bag. The highlight is the first tale, “Second Sight”, by Peter Milligan and Jason Latour. Does Daredevil work better with or without sight? It’s an interesting concept.
51. The Horror Of Collier County #4 (Dark Horse, 2000) ***½
Rich Tommaso’s psychological horror yarn is disturbing even though I’ve dipped in partway through a five-part series. Is Fran losing her mind or are her new neighbours really monsters out to kill her? The last two pages are particularly memorable: “Mom, What’re you doing?!” “I just have to kill the neighbours, honey.” Brrrrrrr. I’ve ordered the rest of the series from Lone Star. Can’t wait to read it.
52. The Batman Gallery #1 (DC, 1992)
Hey! It’s a comic. Just ’cos it’s nothing but posters don’t mean it’s not a comic, okay?
53. Big (Hit Comics/Dark Horse, 1989) **
A pedestrian retelling of the hit film starring Tom Hanks. The only redeeming quality is the Paul Chadwick cover.
54. Hellshock #1 (Image, 1994) –*** (yep, I’m giving it minus three stars!)
Man, Image put out some pure shit in the early 90s, didn’t they? Jae Lee sucks cock as an artist and a storyteller. What you get is 14 pages of confusing main story, followed by four shitty posters, followed by three pages of the original indy comic that spawned this crap. Pretentious AND hideous.
55. Oni Double Feature #4 (Oni Press, 1998) **¾
Any time you get Bill Sienkiewicz you know you’re onto a good thing. Seriously, Ash Wood and Ben Templesmith should get on their knees and pray that Bill never susses out that they TOTALLY ripped off his style. Anyway, Bill’s lead yarn is kinda funny and weird. The back-up tale, “Bacon” by Troy Nixey, is trippy and vaguely disgusting, but I love the art.
56. Orion #21 (DC, 2002) DUD
How did this tripe reach 21 issues? Seriously? Walter Simonson has never been so mundane. Yawn...the New Gods are so fucking useless.
57.-62. Iron Man: Extremis (Marvel, 2006) *****
Oh my fucking word! Best thing I’ve read since Parker. Warren Ellis and Adi Granov took a second-rate superhero and turned him into something amazing. Imagine what Iron Man would be like if a grown-up wrote it...THIS is that book. A racist becomes a super-powered terrorist, an upgraded killing machine more powerful than Iron Man. What will Tony Stark have to do to himself to become more powerful than his foe? Beautifully written, exquisitely drawn. Just perfect.
63. Scatterbrain #4 (Dark Horse, 1998) ***
Humour comics can be hit’n’miss, but this isn’t a bad effort, featuring the likes of Sergio Aragones and Evan Dorkin.
64. Guardians Of Metropolis #4 (DC, 1995) *
Almost worthless.
65. Namora #1 (Marvel, 2010) **
The Ramona Fradon cover was nice. Otherwise, this yarn’s pretty forgettable.
66.-68. Gorilla-Man #1-3 (Marvel, 2010) ***¼
Gorilla-Man is the new Wolverine. You mark my word.
69. Deadpool Team-Up #889 (Marvel, 2010) ***¼
Told you. Deadpool and Gorilla-Man fight to the death as Borgia Omega (possibly the coolest villain Jeff Parker’s ever created) watches on. Dumb fun.
70.-74. ATLAS #1-5 (Marvel, 2010) ***½ (except ATLAS #5 **)
Damn you, Marvel, for killing off my fave comic. Grrrrrr. At least 3-D Man (finally) returned to the ranks. However, it’s a shame Jeff Parker had to wrap up everything so quickly – #5 was marred by several text pages used to quickly cover a lot of ground. The issue felt rushed and unsatisfying. Clearly, this arc was originally meant to stretch out for at least another issue. A bloody shame.
75.-76. Heroes Reborn: The Return #1-2 (Marvel, 1997) **
Personally, I would’ve pretended the mid-90s never happened at Marvel. But nooooo...they had to try to explain everything away (and failed slightly). Still, this four-part miniseries was a noble effort to fix everything Marvel had fucked up for the previous 2-3 years.
77. Libby Ellis #2 (Eternity, 1988) *
One of the creators behind this title was called Dennis Pimple. Comedy gold, my friends.
78. Jim Lee’s C-23 #8 (Image, 1998) DUD
Richard Corben cover. Nuff said. Everything else is garbage.

Cosplay is good for something, I guess

2010-11-03T15:12:00.004+11:00

SEE the rest at thechive.com/2010/09/20/steampunk-is-the-new-cosplay-27-photos.

Fries with that?

2010-10-27T11:49:00.004+11:00

I LOVE Burger Force by the very talented Jackie Ryan intensely - it's the best thing I've read all year. Quirky, funny and the fumetti-style comic hates fast food as much as I do. And it's Aussie! Check out past episodes at http://www.burgerforce.com/. ...Although you may have trouble opening them up - I did today for some reason.

Or you can "like" Burger Force on Facebook. I do.

I love Stratu...

2010-10-27T11:33:00.003+11:00

...in a purely brotherly, manly way. :D

He's the publisher of comics anthology Blackguard and cut'n'paste zine Grunted Warning (already up to its THIRD issue - amazing!). They're both excellent and you can learn more about them and everything else that's great about Stratu at http://blackguard23.livejournal.com/.

And I'm not just praising Stratu 'cos he praised my own zine, Betty Paginated, here.

Gutter press

2010-10-27T11:20:00.002+11:00

COMICS fans should appreciate the toons found here.

Topical, mean, insightful, funny...and well-drawn to boot.

Kings Comics queens

2010-10-12T20:25:00.005+11:00

MY TWO favourite comic shop ladies, Dee and Kara, from Kings Comics in Pitt Street, Sydney, hang out with Iron Man (as you do).

COMICS READING FOR SEPTEMBER

2010-10-12T00:06:00.005+11:00

1.-3. Tarot, Witch Of The Black Rose #55, #56 & #58 (Broadsword Comics, 2009) **** (for nudity) DUD (for everything else)
Big tits. Big tits. Big tits! Haunted vaginas! Ineffectual superheroes. Tarot taking a bath that lasts for 10 pages (actually, I can’t complain about that). Obvious photo swipes. Meandering storylines that lead nowhere and make me not care even when we get there. Machina ex deus endings (or non-endings). Big tits. Big tits. Big tits!

4. Mirage Mini Comics (Mirage Studios, 1989) ***
5. Newave! The Underground Mini Comix of the 1980s (Fantagraphics Books, 2010) ****
The above two books inspired me to do my own minicomix (with a little help from my friends). Minis ain’t dead, brother...just sleeping. Loved loved loved NEWAVE, by the way.

6.-7. Whatever Happened To Baron Von Shock #1-2 (Image, 2010) *
Rob Zombie trying to write 80s dialogue is hilarious. Sadly, it’s the only entertaining thing in this series.
8.-9. Thunderbolts #139-140 (Marvel, 2010) *** ¼
Co-starring my fave super-team, Agents of ATLAS. This was a darkly entertaining two-parter.
10. The Avengers #4 (Marvel, 2010) ***
11. Dark Reign: New Nation (Marvel, 2009) *** ¼
12.-13. The New Avengers #3-4 (Marvel, 2010) *** ¼
14. I Am An Avenger (Marvel, 2010) ** ¾
15. Secret Avengers #4 (Marvel, 2010) ***
16. Young Allies #4 (Marvel, 2010) *** ¼
17. Avengers Academy #3 (Marvel, 2010) *** ½
18.-25. Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1 (Marvel, 2009) ****
- featuring Giant-Size X-Men #1 and The X-Men #94-100 (1975-76)
A bargain at $20 (slightly shop-soiled) from Kings Comics.
26. 32 Stories: The Complete Optic Nerve Mini-Comics by Adrian Tomine (Drawn & Quarterly, 2010) ****
27.-30. Incorruptible Vol. 1 (Boom!, 2010) *** ½
- featuring Incorruptible #1-4
31. Stray Bullets #18 (El Capitan, 1999) *** ¼
32. Marvel Poster Book featuring The Amazing Spider-Man (Marvel, 1991) **
Too. Much. Todd. McFarlane. Noooooooooooooo...
33. Don Marquez’s Retro Blast #1 (Amryl Entertainment, 2002) ** ¾
34.-38. Avengers: The Initiative #12, 14, 15, 17, 19 (Marvel, 2008-09) *** ½
3D Man...wooooooooooooot! :D
39. The Avengers #5 (Marvel, 2010) ***

40. Secret Avengers #5 (Marvel, 2010) *** ¾
Just when I was about to give up on this series... Thank you, Ed Brubaker for bringing back Max Fury and paying tribute to the awesome “Who Remembers Scorpio” storyline from Defenders #44-50.
41. Avengers Academy #4 (Marvel, 2010) *** ½
42.-45. The Incredible Hercules #138-141 (Marvel, 2010) *** ¾
Brilliant finale to the Herc series PLUS more Agents of ATLAS!
46. Frank Frazetta Fantasy Illustrated #3 (Quantum Cat Entertainment, 1998) **
Neil Gaiman fiction, stunning full-colour art by Richard Corben, Joe Jusko & The Hildebrant Brothers, a cover by Frank Frazetta...how could all these elements come together and be so...mediocre? Well, bad writing sure helps. So do lacklustre storylines and tired subject matter. The Gaiman short yarn is far and away the best thing in this patchy, scrappy publication.
47. Marvel Boy: The Uranian #1-3 (Marvel, 2010) ***
48. Iron Man: Extremis – Director’s Cut #1 (Marvel, 2010) ****
- originally published in 2006
How did I not hear of this awesome yarn before now? I MUST buy the graphic novel. Warren Ellis is on song for a change and Adi Granov’s Metal Hurlant-style art is gorgeous. Ellis’s prolonged dig at controversial Aussie documentary-maker John Pilger is also amusing (even if Ellis’s stance on Pilger’s work – as expressed through Tony Stark – are wrong). Can’t wait to read the rest of this.
49. The Return Of Adam Strange #1 (DC, 2004) *** ¾
Read a recommendation of this title at Living Between Wednesdays (I think). First issue was exquisitely drawn by Pascal Ferry. Andy Diggle’s story is intriguing. I’ve ordered the rest of the eight-issue miniseries, and I look forward to see where this is going.
50. Strange Adventures #3 (DC, 2000) ***
Richard Corben art. Nuff said. :)
51. MySpace Dark Horse Presents 5 TPB (Dark Horse, 2010) *** ½

Some zine reviews

2010-10-04T00:33:00.004+11:00

Vworp Vworp! Vol. 1 (Dec. 2009): Doctor Who fans are obsessive types. Who woulda thought there’d be a need for a zine dedicated to the long-running Doctor Who Weekly magazine? Well, there is and this is it. Fans of the British sci-fi TV series will appreciate this unashamedly geeky, train-spotting, professionally put together publication. It has some intriguing interviews (Dave Gibbons, Pat Mills, Dez Skinn and more), features on classic DWW comic strips and new strips. Plus free transfers! A lot of love and effort has gone into Vworp Vworp! and it shows on every page. Vworp Vworp!, 46 Venice Court, Samuel Ogden St, Manchester, M1 7DB, UK, vworp@vworpvworp.co.uk, http://www.vworpvworp.co.uk/ [£5.99, 80M, :90+] – Dann Lennard

* Actually, this issue may be sold out now. Still, check out the site anyway, eh?

Wrestling Then And Now #180 (Summer 2010): It’s a double reason to celebrate for Evan: his always-entertaining sheet hits the 20-year anniversary mark and he got married! The lovely couple appear on the front cover. Inside, the issue provides the usual fun: a review of Rey Mysterio’s autobiography, obscure western rasslers, plus a fascinating piece on Kris Kristofferson’s son, Jody, making his pro-wrestling debut. Evan Ginzburg, PO Box 640471, Oakland Gdns. Station, Flushing, NY, 11364, USA evan_ginzburg@yahoo.com, http://www.wrestlingthenandnow.com/ [US$2.50, 12M, :20] – Dann Lennard

Word Balloons #11: This time round, Phil interviews veteran comic artist Chris Johnson, most notorious for his soft-porn strips for Aussie men’s mags like The Picture in the 80s and 90s. There’s also part nine in Phil’s “My Life In Comics”, this time focusing on the mid-80s history of the highly regarded Fox Comics anthology, which he was a part of. As always, informative stuff. And the zine’s now in full colour! Philip Bentley, PO Box 286, Sandringham, Vic, 3191, AUSTRALIA, secondshore@yahoo.com, secondshore.blogspot.com [AUD$7, 24M, :30] – Dann Lennard

Grunted Warning: This is so old-school, it hurts. But in a good way. Artist Stratu has collected the quirkiest news clippings he could find and pasted them into this one weirdly wonderful zine. I liked it. Stratu, PO Box 93, Paddington, NSW, 2021, AUSTRALIA, sstratu@gmail.com, blackguard23.livejournal.com [AUD$1/trade/cool letter or postcard, 12S, :10] – Dann Lennard

Road Kill: Demented French artist Marcel Ruijters gives us brief bios of famous killers and the cars they chose to drive. His portraits are chilling yet, at times, amusing. The usual suspects are here plus a few unexpected gems such as Aussie cannibal killer Katherine Knight, The Yorkshire Ripper, Leopold & Loeb and Marc Dutroux. Marcel Ruijters, Zwaanshals 248-C, 3036KZ, Rotterdam, HOLLAND, troglo@xs4all.nl, www.xs4all.nl/~troglo [email for price, 52S, :20] – Dann Lennard

You’re An Angel, You Li’l Devil #4: If you like devils, then this is the zine for you. It’s packed with news clippings, cartoons, ads and photos of hot women with tails, tridents and horns. Snaps of devilishly saucy tattoos are a highlight. Randy Robbins, PO Box 17131, Anaheim, CA, 92817-7131, USA, narcolepsypresszine@hotmail.com [Email for price, 40XS, :10] – Dann Lennard

Bachelor Pad #12 (Summer 2010): This is the coolest, swingingest, heppest mag around, daddy-o. Hot girls, hot clothes, hot cocktails, hot fiction. Hand your PC coat to the dame with the great gams at the front door and cruise on in to the Bachelor Pad club, baby. It’s soooo money. java@javasbachelorpad.com, http://www.bachelorpadmagazineonline.com/ [Email for price, 52S, :30] – Dann Lennard

The Hungover Gourmet #11: It’s a sad day when a zine dies, especially when it’s as consistently entertaining as THG. Sadly, editor Dan Taylor is calling it quits for family reasons. Thankfully, the final issue goes out in style with an issue dedicated to my favourite poison: coffee. The pros and cons of the devil’s brew are debated by a ton of great writers. There’s also Louis Fowler’s funny (but flawed) attempt to live on $20 worth of groceries for a week, courtesy of some weird’n’not-so-wonderful cheap crap bought from Big Lots. And the important question is asked: “Is Bud Chelada the Worst. Drink. Ever?” (Answer: it is.) The Hungover Gourmet, PO Box 5531, Lutherville, MD, 21094-5531, USA, editor@hungovergourmet.com, http://www.hungovergourmet.com/ [US$2, 44S, :60] – Dann Lennard

Snackbar Confidential #29: This cut’n’paste zine – stuffed with vintage ads for candy, films, TV shows, rock concerts, clothing and more – proves what your parents always told you: their childhood really was more fun than yours. Artificial Banana Taffy B-B-Bats, Mister Softee Chilleroo, Ho-Aloha Chinese Polynesian Restaurant, Land Of The Giants, LEGO Planet Of The Ape action figures, Pink Floyd live in Jersey City in 1973, a drive-in double of Race With The Devil and Easy Rider… Jealous? Me, too. Snackbar Confidential, PO Box 1359, Huntington, NY, 11743, USA, shango7200@yahoo.com [US$2, 24S, :20] – Dann Lennard

Rat’s Alley: I know Matt Smith. I like Matt Smith. Matt Smith writes poetry. I hate poetry. But if you like poetry, then you might like this collection of his work. It’s grim, gritty and urban. I hope Matt Smith gets laid by some impressed uni arts student after reading his poems. That would be nice. Jazz From Hell, PO Box 278, Edwardstown, SA, 5039. AUSTRALIA, cammy@arcom.com.au [email for price, 36S, :10] – Dann Lennard

Nerf Jihad #9: Matt Ford has a sense of humour that you’ll either “get” or you won’t. He reminisces about his high school days, he writes to companies with odd complaints (occasionally they write back), he talks about crows, he writes mangled (at times libelous and false) bios on famous people (this issue it’s Australia’s Queen of Pop Marcia Hines). Nothing is laugh-out-loud funny, but the weird humour builds until eventually you’re smiling at each page. Matt may well be a genius…or a homeless person. Possibly both. Matt Ford, PO Box 575, Gosford, NSW, 2250, AUSTRALIA, matt@nerfjihad.net [email for price, 36S, :45] – Dann Lennard

Narcolepsy Press Review #5: Maybe I’m reviewing NPR ’cos it’s so damn well written. Or maybe Randy slipped me a few bux with his zine. I’m not telling. Anyways, this is another fine issue, even if much of it consists of an extended Letters to the Editor section. Randy Robbins, PO Box 17131, Anaheim, CA, 92817-7131, USA, narcolepsypresszine@hotmail.com [US$3, 24S, :30] – Dann Lennard

Sprak! Vol. 2 #6: A distinctly Aussie flavour makes this trash film and music review zine worth picking up, especially for overseas readers. Down-under movie classics such as The Club, Don’s Party, The FJ Holden and Dogs In Space are the kind of down-under classics that won’t be discussed anywhere else. Plus any zine that reviews Circle Of Iron (1978) starring David Carradine is instantly awesome and should be read by EVERYONE. Kami, PO Box 278, Edwardstown, SA, 5039. AUSTRALIA, cammy@arcom.com.au [email for price, 32S, :30] – Dann Lennard

The Wonderella Printed 2010 Curiosity Catalog: The Tomb Of Illumination, The Mentalist’s Handbook, The Museum Of Lost Wonder, books on gnoming, goblin-proofing your chicken coop and more. Who knew there were such wondrous things available to the jaded reader of the 21st century? Wonderella Printed, Publishers of Practical Esoterica, PO Box 10145, Berkeley, CA, 94709, USA, marsh@wonderella.org, http://www.wonderella.org/ [email for price, 16S, :15] – Dann Lennard

Comics reading for August...

2010-08-31T22:14:00.006+10:00

I HAVE long abandoned my plan to read 50 comics a month - it's impossible with two kids and a ton of other stuff to read (I'm currently perusing the excellent novella THE THIN MAN by Dashiell Hammett...who knew alcoholism could be so cool?).
Anyway, here's my comics reading for the past month:

1. Usagi Yojimbo #1 for $1.00 (Dark Horse, 2010)
2. Secret Invasion: Who Do You Trust? #1 (Marvel, 2008)
3.-4. Agents Of Atlas #10-11 (Marvel, 2009)
5.-6. X-Men vs Agents Of Atlas #1-2 (Marvel, 2009-10)
7.-10. Avengers vs Agents Of Atlas #1-4 (Marvel, 2010)
11.-13. Darkstar & The Winter Guard #1-3 (Marvel, 2010)
14. Avengers Prime #2 (Marvel, 2010)
15. Young Allies #3 (Marvel, 2010)
16. Secret Avengers #3 (Marvel, 2010)
17. The Avengers #3 (Marvel, 2010)
18. Avengers Academy #2 (Marvel, 2010)
19. The New Avengers #2 (Marvel, 2010)
20. Marvel Super Action #4 (Marvel, 1977)
- featuring Marvel Boy reprints from the early 50s
21. The Incredible Hercules vs The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (Marvel, 2010)
- bought it for the Agents Of Atlas back-up yarn
22.-33. Avengers Forever TPB (Marvel, 2000)
- featuring Avengers Forever #1-12 from 1998-99
34. Tarot: Witch Of The Black Rose #53 (Broadsword Comics, 2008)
35. Tarot: Witch Of The Black Rose #63 (Broadsword Comics, 2010)

You Aldi be congratulated

2010-08-31T12:30:00.001+10:00

GOING to an Aldi supermarket is like entering another world: a poorer Third World. Everything is cheap here...cheap and somewhat less tasty.

But beggars can't be choosers - or perhaps they CAN at Aldi - and we needed some sugar, so we popped into our local Aldi in Parramatta the other weekend.

Much to my surprise, I came out of the store with much more than a 2kg bag of the white stuff (and it wasn't just a new appreciation for the Aldi company providing chairs for its check-out chicks and chick-blokes).

I also found cheap junk food, the kinda stuff that LOOKS familiar, but isn't - alternative-universe versions of the chocolate bars and chips I've grown to love and consume in vast quantities.

So I bought some of these foody substances and tasted them.

First up, there was the Romeo bar, which is a copy of the better-known Bounty (right down to it being sold in the same 50g pack as two separate mini-bars).
Taste-wise, there was little difference between Romeo and Bounty. This surprised me - I expected it to taste like shit ('cos the Coles versions of the Cadbury/Nestle range are distinctly fucking awful). In the end, I have to say the Romeo was inoffensive, which is probably the kindest thing anyone can say about it.
Next, I tried the Racer, the Aldi equivalent to Snickers. While being slightly tougher to bite into, Racer compared quite favourably to the original.

After that, I tried the Blackstone Deli Style Potato Chips, copying the upmarket Red Rock brand, right down to the rip-off "classy" packaging.
I've only tried the Smokehouse Paprika & Sour Cream variety and it wasn't too shabby...even if it tasted more like honey-baked ham than anything else. Not too greasy, which is a bonus.
I haven't tried the Rochefort Cheese & Spring Onion variety yet...although I fear that if I do it may taste just like honey-baked ham. In fact, I suspect all the Blackstone varieties taste the same, but have been given different names to hoodwink the working class.

Ultimately, the selling point for all these faux junk foods is the price: they're CHEAP.
Unfortunately, that's not enough anymore.

When Coles and Woolworths also sell brand-name chips and choccy at ultra-low prices (for example, I can buy Snickers bars for 80 cents at my local Woollies), then why buy these slightly inferior copies? Price isn't a factor anymore.

Still, I was pleasantly surprised by my Aldi junk food experience. I honestly expected to get some form of food poisoning. The fact that I didn't is a win for me, I think.

This week, I have been mostly...

2010-08-31T08:28:00.000+10:00

READING Tarot: Witch Of The Black Rose #63 (the stupidest comic I've perused in some time, probably the dumbest since Tarot #53). Read awesomely funny reviews of both issues HERE and HERE...

...and Avengers Forever - the TPB of the 12-issue Marvel maxiseries from the early 2000s tried to make sense of the convoluted history involving The Avengers, Kang and Immortus. In the end nothing was resolved and I had a headache. But at least I got to see the 1950s Avengers again (the version with 3D Man in the team).

WATCHING Until The Light Takes Us (http://www.blackmetalmovie.com/). I love the Norwegian black metal story, but this film was slightly wankier than it needed to be. Still, great doco.

LISTENING to The VeeBees' Root'n'Blues (http://www.veebees.com.au). Great drunken pub rock! :)

Chip off Dad's block...

2010-08-30T13:37:00.002+10:00

MONTANA FISHBURNE...your father may not approve of your sex tape or appearance on Playboy.com, but I applaud your attempt to gain fame via the "Kim Kardashian Method".

Who needs to have talent or work hard to gain fame in the 21st century? Just get a mate to film you naked and fucking. Worked for Kim. Worked for Paris. I'm sure it'll work for you, too.

I see a reality series on E! Television very soon. Maintaining Montana, perhaps?

See more of Ms Fishburne at http://montanaexposed.com/.

I never get tired of looking at her...

2010-08-30T11:38:00.000+10:00

ADRIANNE CURRY in Playboy from a few years back. I could stare at Mrs Peter Brady forever and a day.

My 50 comics challenge for July (better late than never)

2010-08-23T20:24:00.007+10:00

AND I failed miserably. Having a newborn baby will do that to you. Anyway, here's my comics read for last month:

1.-2. Secret Avengers #1-2 (Marvel, 2010)
3.-4. Young Allies #1-2 (Marvel, 2010)
5.-6. The Avengers #1-2 (Marvel, 2010)
7. Avengers Academy #1 (Marvel, 2010)
8. The New Avengers #1 (Marvel, 2010)
9. Avengers Prime #1 (Marvel, 2010)
10. The New Avengers Finale (Marvel, 2010)
11. Enter The Heroic Age #1 (Marvel, 2010)
12. Origins Of Marvel Comics #1 (Marvel, 2010)
13.-15. The Heroic Age Magazine, featuring Marvel Premiere #35, Free Comic Book Day 2009: New Avengers & Tales Of Suspense #57 (Marvel, 2010)
16.-24. Agents Of Atlas #1-9 (Marvel, 2009)
25.-34. Agents Of Atlas hardcover collection featuring Agents Of Atlas miniseries #1-6, What If...? Vol.1 #9 & several 40s and 50s reprints (Marvel, 2007)

As you can see, I'm getting heavily into Agents Of Atlas (even rereading the hardcover so I could be up to date with the next series that came out two years later). And I've officially entered Marvel's The Heroic Age. How long I stay there is anyone's guess.

Firstly, let me say that I love Young Allies – the first few issues have been very entertaining, although I thought the Ground Zero explosion in #1 was a bit...tasteless. And I’m not even American.

My big problem with this series is the current problem I have with a lot of villains in the Marvel univese: they’re TOO evil.
The Bastards Of Evil - a great band of evildoers with an awesome name - openly admit they’re thrill-killers who, between them, have murdered hundreds of people.
Bullseye once killed 107 civilians during a battle with Daredevil (discussed in Shadowlands #1).
In that shitty one-shot about The Sentry’s funeral, The Thing casually mentions how The Wrecker murdered a bus full of kindergarten kids.
Okaaaaaaay then. So where do we go from here?

For starters, you can’t use The Bastards or The Wrecker in the next Great Lakes Avengers special or wacky Dan Slott-written yarn. :)

And if they get caught by the good guys, what happens to them? They go to jail. To later escape. Again.
That doesn’t make the heroes morally superior to the villains, it makes them stupid, weak and ineffectual. We all know that every Marvel (and DC) hero/villain never truly dies, so why can’t comicbook writers have some balls and have superheroes start KILLING the most heinous villains.
I’m sick of Cyclops/Steve Rogers/whoever constantly using the same excuse, “Because we have to show that we’re better than them.” Well.....thanks, assholes. Because of the mercy you showed The Wrecker, he went out and killed a bunch of kids. You dicks!

If Marvel raises the ante on these villains to such a level where some of them have become sadistic, mass-murdering psychopaths, then they have to realise that 2010 is a different world and it’s OKAY for fictional cartoon characters to use lethal force to put down bad guys who’ve GONE BEYOND THE PALE.

Hell, they’re happy to have The Punisher running around shooting every Mafia guy he sees, but they can’t show Luke Cage breaking The Purple Man’s neck. That’s just dumb.

I don’t want heroes becoming killers, but I don’t want them to be weak wimps either. Which is how most of them are currently portrayed.

When you even have the characters joking about the fact that these villains get caught, escape, then get caught again......well, it’s funny if the villains are wacky two-bit villains. But we’re talking about baby-killers and mass murderers now. That’s not funny (even in a “funnybook”). Marvel (and DC) have painted themselves into a corner.

One solution could be to “kill” the villain but keep the mask.
For example: The Wrecker is a psycho with a magic crowbar. Have the guy behind the mask die (hero kills him, he falls off a cliff, eats a bad burrito, whatever...). Then someone new picks up the crowbar and decides to don the mask and carry on his villainous legacy. Hey presto! You have a NEW Wrecker without the old baby-killing baggage.

Anyway, as a sidebar to my thoughts on this matter, it's nice to see good guy Gravity beat himself up philosophically on the kill/not kill issue in Young Allies. I'm glad someone's discussing it in the Marvel universe.

As for The Avengers and The New Avengers, I’ve enjoyed both new runs, although the plots seem a wee bit...similar. Teams get formed, they stand round jawing, then SOMEONE EVIL magically appears in front of them (Kang & Apocalypse in The Avengers, corrupt Son Of Satan and Stephen Strange in The New Avengers). I thought Bendis could write something a tad different to kick off both titles and show a degree of difference between the two teams. Oh well...

However, I’m glad Marvel seems to have thrown continuity out the window – it’s kinda cool to see Spider-Man and Wolverine in both teams, even if it’s physically impossible for them to be in two places at once. Then again, it’s impossible for a 90lb man to turn into a 700lb monster, or a kid to develop super-powers from a radioactive spider, right?

What? No 3-D Man?

2010-08-11T18:03:00.001+10:00

A FAKE trailer for the 1952 film The Avengers. How good is it? :D

What I done bought at Elizabeths Bookshop today

2010-08-11T17:01:00.000+10:00

WITH my weekly burden...sorry, STANDING ORDER at Kings Comics down from its usual astronomical amount this week, I suddenly had more coin in my pocket to spend frivolously.

So I decided to check out what cheap comics were available at Elizabeths Bookshop in Pitt Street.

Currently, all mags are $2 each, so I made up my mind to buy $20 worth AND NO MORE.

But what to choose? A run of DC's All-Star Squadron looked inviting (many of these issues I'd owned 10 years ago before a now-regretted purge of my comics collection, which I WILL NEVER DO AGAIN, HELEN). But in the end I decided against it and looked elsewhere.

Here's what I eventually picked up for my lobster.

Firstly, I scored Machine Man #2, #3, #6 & #8 from the late 70s. Obviously, I got them for the classic Jack Kirby art and not The King's borderline-incoherent writing.

Next is The New Guardians #1 (DC, 1988 - "From the pages of Millennium"). Not sure why I got this: probably 'cos it has Joe Staton art.

The Mist #1 (1998) is part of DC's shortlived "Girlfrenzy!" line and is a spin-off from James Robinson's classic Starman series. Looks intriguing.

DC Universe Holiday Special 2008 - the Frank Quitely cover won me over.

Finally, there were three 80s Legion Of Super-Heroes comics: #309, #314 & #60 (from the Baxter deluxe line). I'm pretty certain I don't already have these ones.

Can't complain about that haul. Of course, I have to write about this stuff now, 'cos once I get the mags home, they'll get dumped in my study and I'll probably forget about them for years. :P

Comic reading for June...

2010-07-09T13:18:00.010+10:00

WE HAD a goddamn baby on June 9 and I STILL read 51 comics! Bow down before me, geeks!

1.-6. Irredeemable Ant-Man Vol. 2 Digest TPB (Marvel, 2007)
(originally published in Irredeemable Ant-Man #7-12)
Story: Robert Kirkman/art: Phil Hester and Cory Walker
Rollicking fun...the way comics should be.

7. Pure Images #2 (Pure Imagination, 1990)
Part one of “The Birth Of Marvel Comics” plus a colour comic insert starring Greg Theakston’s lame-arse superhero, “Powerhouse”. The text piece is by far the superior part of this comic magazine. Theakston was also the publisher of the incredibly influential (especially on me) The Betty Pages. Oh yeah, there’s also an upbeat one-page article titled “Are You Ready For The 90s?” which is hilarious to read in 2010. I bet Greg was bitterly disappointed when the year 2000 rolled round and he looked where comics, music and films had gone in the previous 10 years.
8.-32. Showcase Presents Legion Of Super-Heroes Vol. 2 (DC, 2008)
(collects Adventure Comics #316, 322-348, and 365; Superboy (Vol. 1) #117 and 125; and Superman Annual #4)
Writers: Jerry Siegel, Jim Shooter, etc. Art: Curt Swan, Jim Mooney, John Forte, etc.
500+ pages of cheap B&W LoSH goodness. Momentous stuff includes the first real encounter with the Time Trapper. The “death” of Triplicate Girl. Lightning Lad loses an arm to an alien Moby Dick and much more! Shooter arrives to introduce some new life into an already tired formula (thanks for nothing, Siegel), along with new recruits Ferro Lad, Karate Kid, etc. This is awesomely awesome.

33. Mike Hoffman’s Tigress Tales Pin-Up Book #1 (Amryl Entertainment, 2002)
Well...it looks like a comic. Nice Frazetta/Schultz/Wally Wood-style girly art by a variety of artists (including Bruce Timm), but mainly Hoffman.

34. Chronicles Of Wormwood: Preview (Avatar, 2006)
More blasphemous stuff from Garth Ennis, plus sweet art by Jacen Burrows.

35.-36. Carvers #1-2 (Image/Flypaper Press, 1999)
Pander Brothers art – yes!
Robert Loren Fleming’s lame yeti/snowboarder yarn – no!
Annoying snowboarder slang – nooooooooooooooo!

37. Vampire! #6 (Gerald Carr, 1979)
Aussie Carr intermittently put out these semi-decently drawn, badly written comics throughout the 70s and 80s. I have most of them, but I’d not seen a copy of Vampire! till recently. It was a curiosity buy only. This is a weird mix of boring vampire/zombie strips plus a bizarre photographic tribute to Errol Flynn and a lame pirate tale. Plus a confusing introduction to Carr’s superhero duo, Brainmaster and Vixen.

38.-42. Ex Machina: The First Hundred Days (Wildstorm, 2005)
(originally published in Ex Machina #1-5)
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan/Art: Tony Harris and Tom Feister
I love Harris’s art, but he seems to over-rely on photo references in this comic. It’s a bit distracting. That said, this is a brilliant graphic novel, focusing on an ex-superhero who’s now mayor of New York. More The West Wing than Heroes and I loved it. I need to get more of these TPBs.
43. Mystery Society #1 (IDW, 2010)
Writer: Steven Niles/art: Fiona Staples
Recommended by a chick at my local comic shop. And I love Staples’ art.

44. The Bulletproof Coffin #1 (Image, 2010)
Writer: David Hine/art: Shaky Kane

45.-50. Power Girl: A New Beginning Vol. 1 (DC, 2010)
(collects Power Girl #1-6 (2009).
Writers: Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti/art: Amanda Conner
Nice rack...er, comic. Reminds me in its lighthearted tone of the late, lamented She-Hulk series written by Dan Slott.

51. LCD #2 (Kieron Dwyer, 2001)
Writers & art: various
I really only bought this “funny” book for Dwyer’s cover. Got it for half-price and it was still overpriced at $6. Puerile crap.

Comic reading for May (continued)...

2010-07-08T13:56:00.007+10:00

42. The Futurians GN (Marvel, 1983)
Story/art: Dave Cockrum
Depressingly mediocre...and I love Cockrum. Just real paint-by-numbers superhero action, preceded by several pages of one of the dullest prologues in comics history. Despite this, I’ve bought every Futurians comic I could find just to be a completist. I even intend to get the new series, Avatar Of The Futurians, put out by David Miller.

43.-46. The Savage Land GN (Marvel, 1987)
(originally published in Marvel Fanfare #1-4)
Story: Chris Claremont. Art: Dave Cockrum, Bob McLeod, Paul Smith and Terry Austin
Passable mid-80s X-Men action. This time they team up with Ka-Zar and Spider-Man against Sauron. Lots of Claremont’s signature pointless torture scenes that no-one cared about. The guy really liked his torture porn back in the day.

47.-54. Rising Stars: Born In Fire TPB (Image, 2001)
(originally published in Rising Stars #1-8)
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski/art: a bunch of substandard geeks
Good story so far. Will have to buy the next two GNs, I suspect. Just hope the art rises above shitty 1990s Image level.

55. The Horrorist #2 (Vertigo, 1996)
Writer: Jamie Delano/artist: David Lloyd
Awesomely bleak Hellblazer.

56. Negative Burn Winter 2005 Anthology (Image, 2005)
Featuring Kurt Busiek, Evan Dorkin, Phil Hester, Erik Larsen, Jim Mahfood, Ben McCool, John McCrea, Brian Bolland, etc

57. Grafik Muzik #2 (Caliber Press, 1991)
Story/art: Mike Allred
An early appearance by Frank Einstein, which is nice. Also, Mike has the same taste in music, book and films as me. Well...he did back in 1991 anyway.

58. The Jackaroo #1 (Eternity, 1990)
Story/art: Gary Chaloner

59. Solar, Man Of The Atom #48 (Valiant, 1995)
Writer/artist team: Dan Jurgens & Dick Giordano
Perfectly adequate mid-90s superhero action. My first Valiant comic, coincidentally. I just can’t believe this Solar revival got so many issues under its belt.

60. Excalibur #5 (Marvel, 1989)
Writer: Chris Claremont/artist: Alan Davis
Arcade! Davis art! Captain Britain! Win!

61. Legion of Super-Heroes #0 (DC, 1994)
Writers: Tom McCraw and Mark Waid/art: Stuart Immonen and Ron Boyd
A retelling of the LoSH’s origin in the post-Zero Hour world. This looked and read pretty cool, but then I’m not sure what happened afterwards. The series seemingly died (again) before yet another fucking reboot/threeboot/boot-up-yer-arse.

62. Cadillacs & Dinosaurs #2 (Epic, 1990)
Story/art: Mark Schultz
More cars’n’carnivore fun in that classic Al Williamson/Frank Frazetta style. Did you know this got turned into an animated TV series (with its own toy line)? I did not until recently.

63.-67. Marvel Adventures: Black Widow & The Avengers Digest TPB (Marvel, 2010)
(originally published in Marvel Adventures SuperHeroes #17-21)
Writer: Paul Tobin/art: various
More bargain-priced fun from the best line in Marvel (till they shitcanned it). Tobin is one of my fave writers out there.

68.-73. Irredeemable Ant-Man Vol. 1 Digest TPB (Marvel, 2007)
(originally published in Irredeemable Ant-Man #1-6)
Story: Robert Kirkman/art: Phil Hester
A sheer delight to read. A scumbag SHIELD agent gets his hands on an experimental Ant-Man suit and proceeds to use it for utterly sleazy reasons (like spying on Ms Marvel in the shower). Deliriously wrong-headed, amoral and fun. Kirkman showed he still can write well when he’s not wallowing in bloody torture (see recent issues of Invincible and practically everything in Walking Dead). Hester’s art is always a joy to behold.

Dann's 50-comic-a-month challenge for May

2010-05-21T00:08:00.003+10:00

......so far (and only slightly interrupted by preparations for our impending second child):

Comic reading for May...

1. Free Comic Book Day: Iron Man/Thor (Marvel, 2010)
2. Marvel Previews: The Heroic Age (Marvel, 2010)
Not technically a comic, I guess, but...y’know...it has lotsa cool covers and some B&W Alan Davis artwork. Kinda cool.
3. The Amazing Spider-Man: Grim Hunt: The Kraven Saga (Marvel, 2010)
Again, more of an overview and background info on the upcoming new Kraven multi-parter. Reading this kinda made my head hurt – the history of Kraven is so fucking convoluted. Possibly as convoluted as Captain America or Wolverine. Sheeeeesh!
4. The Marksman #2 (Heroic Comics, 1987)
See “Whooooooo! Wrestling comics, baby!” (http://rascomix.blogspot.com/2010/05/marks-and-marksman.html)
5. FCBD: Sonic The Hedgehog (Archie, 2010)
6. Wilson By Daniel Clowes (Drawn + Quarterly, 2010)
The usual misanthropic genius from Clowes. I have to mention that I avoided buying this hardback from my local comic shop ‘cos it was like $45. Bought it from Amazon.com for US$13.17 (like AUD$15) and, thanks to a one-day promotion, I only had to pay the airmail postage and handling on it. So the book cost me US$9.98 (like AUD$11). ELEVEN FRIGGIN’ DOLLARS!!! Bargain!!!
7.-8. The Guild #1-2 (Dark Horse, 2010)
9. FCBD: EC Sampler (Gemstone, 2008)
10. FCBD: The Death-Defying ’Devil (Dynamite, 2008)
11. FCBD: The Penguins Of Madagascar/Shrek (Kizoic, 2010)
12. FCBD: Bongo Comics Free-For-All (Bongo, 2010)
13. FCBD: CSI (IDW, 2004)
14. FCBD: Love And Rockets (Fantagraphics, 2009)
15.-21. Johnny the Homicidal Maniac: Director’s Cut GN (Slave Labor Graphics, 1997)
- originally published in JTHM #1-7 (1995-97)
22. FCBD: Dan Dare/The Stranded (Virgin, 2008)
23. FCBD: Toy Story (Boom Kids!, 2010)
24. FCBD: Doctor Solar/Magnus, Robot Fighter (Dark Horse, 2010)
25. FCBD: Del Rey Showcase (2010)
26. FCBD: Green Hornet (Dynamite, 2010)
27. FCBD: Fearless Dawn (Asylum Press, 2010)
28. FCBD: Fame: Lady GaGa (Bluewater Comics, 2010)
29. FCBD: Atomic Robo (Red 5 Comics, 2010)
30. FCBD: Yow! A John Stanley Library Grab-Bag (Drawn & Quarterly, 2010)
31. FCBD: The Avengers (Marvel, 2009)
32. FCBD: Iron Man & Thor (Marvel, 2010)
33. FCBD: The Tick (NEC, 2010)
34. FCBD: War Of The Supermen #0 (DC, 2010)
35. FCBD: The Batman Strikes! (DC, 2005)
36. The Spider one-shot (Action Ink, 2002)
37. Tanlines: The Art Of Devon Massey (Basement Comics/Amryl Entertainment, 2003)
Great good-girl art...worst cover logo EVER!!!
38. Trencher #1 (Image, 1993)
39. Warlock 5 #16 (Aircel, 1988)
40. Airboy Versus The Air Maidens #1 (Eclipse, 1988)
41. Batman: The 12c Adventure #1 (DC, 2004)

The most outrageous Lady Gaga costumes

2010-05-18T13:59:00.001+10:00

Because you're worth it.

http://damncoolbabes.blogspot.com/2010/05/most-outrageous-lady-gagas-costumes.html

Real-life superhero foils robbery in Adelaide on FCBD!

2010-05-04T15:06:00.002+10:00

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article7114800.ece

I was in that store only a coupla weeks ago.

Nice finds in Adelaide...

2010-05-03T15:40:00.008+10:00

WITH all the great scores I made on FCBD last weekend, it would be remiss of me not to mention the cool stuff and bargain-bin wins I picked up last month while on holidays in Adelaide, South Australia. I only had one big shopping day, but I was very happy with the results.

Kicking off...I headed to the Adelaide Comic Centre in CitiCentre Arcade, Rundle Mall hoping to find a few bargain bins to riffle through. I was pleasantly surprised to come across several boxes of adult comics being cleared for only $2 each. Considering these titles were originally priced at $7-8, I was delighted to sift through them and pick up some classic filth for next to nix.

I got Elementals Swimsuit Spectacular 1996 (1996, Comico); Carnal Comics Presents Porn Star Fantasies #9 (1996, Re-Visionary Press - featuring my fave MILF porn starlet Lisa Ann); Carnal Comics Presents Superstars Of Erotica #2 (1996, Re-Visionary Press - I bought this solely 'cos Vanessa De Rio was mentioned on the cover. I assumed they'd be a comic strip featuring her; instead, there was just a one-page promo pic of her. This comic was such a sad, fanboy rip-off...even with the tasty Brad Foster art); Still Insatiable (1999, Re-Visionary Press - I owned this Marilyn Chambers comeback flick once, it was pretty hot); Scream Queens Undressed! #1 (1998, Re-Visionary Press - rare nude shots of Michelle Bauer? Hell, yeah! I'm there!); Legends Of Porn: A Cartoon History Of Annie Sprinkle #1 (1998, Re-Visionary Press - I think I might actually have this one. D'oh! Still...nice fanny photo of Annie on the back cover); Tanlines (2003, Basement Comics/Amyrl Entertainment - awesome good-girl pin-ups by Devon Massey); and Maximum Force #1 (2002, Atomeka - this isn't even porn; just a ton of Steve Bisley illos).

I don't know who was sadder - me for buying this stuff or the dudes who published it in the first place.

While wandering through the cavernous store I also came across some hard-to-find action figures I needed: Mon-El, Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad (Legion of Super-Heroes) and JSA villain The Shade. Mon-El also came with a free copy of LoSH #2 (Sept. 1984) taped to the backing card while Lightning Lad had LoSH #6 (Jan. 1985)...which was nice.

I visited my favourite second-hand comic shop, Twin Plaza Book Exchange, 22 Twin St, Adelaide, and nabbed nine titles for a mere $28.00. My haul included Big Bang Comics #27: The History Of Big Bang comics 2 (1999, Image); The Spider (2002, Action Ink); Secret Origins #40 (1989, DC - Gorilla Grodd, Congorilla, etc); Mighty Crusaders #12 (1985, Archie Adventure); Collier's #4 (1998, Fantagraphics); The Horror Of Collier County #4 (2000, Dark Horse); Scatterbrain #4 (1998, Dark Horse); The Air Fighters Meet Sgt Strike one-shot (1988, Eclipse); Airboy Meets The Prowler #1 (1987, Eclipse); Target: Airboy #1 (1988, Eclipse) and Nexus #78 (1991, First).

Finally, I nabbed five Aussie-made comics from Pulp Fiction Comics on King William Street for a mere $20. They were Truly Confused by Dave Hodson (2001, Paper Tableaux), penguin noir in In For The Krill Book One & Two (2008, Panic Productions - writer: Jill Brett & Greg Holfeld/artist: Greg Holfeld) Blue Smoke (1999, Paper Tableaux - writer: David Bird/artists: Angelo Madrid, Greg Gates, Malcolm Ritchie, Michael Nason); and Scraps From The Tableaux (2006, Paper Tableaux - various).

Free Comic Book Day 2010 ruled!

2010-05-03T02:00:00.004+10:00

MY HAUL was impressive this year (thanks to Helen also grabbing some free comics for me). Nine free comics, people. NINE!

From Phantom Zone in Parramatta I scored The Tick, Fearless Dawn and Love And Rockets (actually a leftover from 2009). Helen got Iron Man/Thor, Yow!: A John Stanley Library Grab-Bag and The Avengers (again a 2009 leftover).

But that's not all. As part of the shop's one-day sale I also grabbed two $5 TPBs: Negative Burn Winter 2005 and Black Panther Vol. 2 (hey, I won't sneeze at classic Jack Kirby art for five bux!).

Sadly, Kings Comics in the CBD was not so successful as they were nearly stripped clean of free comics. I scored War Of The Supermen and a War Machine Heroclix. Meh.

At least there was a 20% off sale going on, so I took the liberty of nabbing the Art School Confidential screenplay by Daniel Clowes (already reduced to $10), Starman Omnibus Vol. 4, and Superman And The Legion Of Super-Heroes TPB.

Thankfully, Kinokuniya just down the road from Kings was much better: I grabbed Atomic Robo while Helen got Fame: Lady GaGa. Supremely cool.

I also took advantage of the bookstore's 20% sale to also pick up Atomic Robo Vol. 1, Justice League Of America: The Lightning Saga and Ex Machina Vol. 1 (on special for $10...with discount, a mere $8).

Reviews are forthcoming: I just wanted to brag about my haul first.

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL. Because thanks to my very good friend Bosco in Chicago, I also picked up an additional SEVENTEEN free comics: Bongo Comics, C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation, Batman 12cent Adventure - War Games, Shrek, The Batman Strikes, Devil Man,
Doctor Solar/ Magnus, Dan Dare, EC Sampler, Marvel's Greatest Collections, Invincible Iron Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, Toy Story, Daredevil, Del Rey Showcase, Amazing Spider-Man and Green Hornet.

I love FCBD. :)

Dann's 50-comics-a-month challenge for April.

2010-04-30T23:26:00.000+10:00

AND this month was a big FAIL.

Comics read for April:

1.-5. The Dark Detective: Sherlock Holmes #0-4 (Black House Comics, 2009-10)
Writer: Christopher Sequeira/artists: Dave Elsey, Phil Cornell, Tim McEwen, W. Chew Chan, etc

6. The Night Owls TPB (Zuda, 2010)
Writer/artist: Peter and Bobby Timony
Dick Tracy updated for the 21st century? Why not? This is some cool faux daily strips right here – hardboiled 30s detectives (including a gargoyle) take on the strangest cases: werewolves, vampires, giant eyeball monsters and more. Delightfully written and drawn by the Timony twins. I want Volume 2!

7. The Bronx Kill HC (Vertigo, 2010)
Writer: Peter Milligan/artist: James Romberger

8. Choker #2 (Image, 2010)
Writer: Ben McCool/artist: Ben Templesmith

9. The Comic Reader #157 (Street Enterprises, 1978)

10. Negative Burn #11 (Image, 2007)
Writers & artists: various

11. Palookaville #19 (Drawn & Quarterly, 2008)
Writer/artist: Seth

12. .Madman #9 (Image, 2008)
Writer/artist: Mike Allred (pin-ups: Darwyn Cooke)

13. Queen & Country #32 (Oni Press, 2007)
Writer: Greg Rucka/artist: Chris Samnee

14. The Wretch Vol. 1: Everyday Doomsday (SLG Publishing, 2003)
Writer/artist: Phil Hester
Picked up at cover price from The Phantom Zone in Parramatta. I like Hester’s stuff and this was suitably quirky B&W stuff.

15. Red Razors TPB (DC, 2004)
Writer: Mark Millar/artists: Steve Yeowell & Nigel Dobbyn
Picked up at cover price from The Phantom Zone in Parramatta. Originally published in 2000AD in the early 90s, this series takes the Judge Dredd concept to its nihilistic extreme. Millar displays his love for shocking audiences with outrageous violence (tempered slightly by the fact that the British comic was/is a “kiddies” title). Red Razors showed some early potential before Millar seemingly lost interest and killed off Red in the second chapter. The first chapter (with excellent art by Yeowell) is great, with Russians worshipping the corpse of Elvis Presley. When the skeleton is stolen from Sov Block Two, Judge Red Razors – formerly a psychotic gangster, now employed as a psychotic cop – is sent to retrieve it. When he runs into trouble, he gets assisted by a covert special ops team that looks remarkably like the Scooby-Doo gang. This sorta demented inventiveness could’ve been further explored but Millar clearly had bigger fish to fry. The second chapter is far inferior: Razors goes crazy, reverts to his villainous former self and is eventually hunted down and executed by a revived Judge Dredd. A disappointing end to a promising series.

16. Truly Confused (Paper Tableaux, 2001)
Writer/artist: Dave Hodson

17. The Amazing Spider-Man: Grim Hunt – The Kraven Saga (Marvel, 2010)
Writer/artist: various

18.-27. Crossed Vol. 1 (Avatar, 2010)
(originally published in Crossed #0-9 (Avatar, 2008-09)
Writer: Garth Ennis/artist: Jacen Burrows

28. The Adventures Of Ford Fairlane #2 (DC, 1990)
Writer: Gerard Jones/artists: Russell Braun, Jose Delbo & Don Heck

29. Eclipso #7 (DC, 1993)
Writers: Keith Giffen & Robert Loren Fleming/artists: Giffen & Ted McKeever

30. Animal Man #38 (DC, 1991)
Writer: Tom Veitch/artist: Steve Dillon

31. Bone #19 (Cartoon Books, 1995)
Writer/artist: Jeff Smith

32. The Horrorist #1 (Vertigo, 1995)
Writer: Jamie Delano/artist: David Lloyd

33. L.E.G.I.O.N. ’89 #1 (DC, 1989)
Writer: Keith Giffen & Alan Grant/artists: Giffen, Barry Kitson & Mike DeCarlo

34. Human Target #1 (Vertigo, 2003)
Writer: Steve Milligan/artist: Javier Pulido

35. The Example (Gestalt, 2009)
Writer: Tom Taylor/artist: Colin Wilson

36. Justice Society Of America #8 (DC, 1993)
Writer: Len Strazewski/penciller: Mike Parobeck/inker: Mike Machlan

37.-38. The Eye Collection TPB (Hamster Press, 2002)
[some content previously published in The Eye – Special Edition #1 (1999) and Heroes Vs. Hitler #1 (2000)]
Writer/artist: various

39. Gunpowder Girl And The Outlaw Squaw TPB (Active Images, 2005)
Writer/artist: Don Hudson

40. Tigress: Journey To Caldathera TPB (Antimatter/Hoffman International, 2003)
Writer/artist: Mike Hoffman

41. Skyape TPB (AIT/Planet LAR, 2001)
Writers: Philip D. Amara & Tim McCarney/artist: Richard Jenkins

42. 1001 Nights Of Bacchus TPB (Eddie Campbell Comics, 2000)
Writer/artist: Eddie Campbell

Betty Paginated #31 is now available

2010-04-28T22:58:00.003+10:00

BETTY PAGINATED #31 is now available from me. The issue contains all the usual Dann rants plus great columns and interviews by some of the leading writers in the zine world/blogosphere including Raven Mack, kami, Shane Cubis and more.

Interviews with Aussie comedienne Fiona O'Loughlin, Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons, Australia's greatest stuntman Grant Page and many more.

Features on "Chopper" Read, Mickey Rourke, and tributes to Lady GaGa and Bettie Page.

Plus much, much, much more.

US$10 or trade - please state you're over 18 years of age when ordering this issue.

What I did on my holidays...

2010-04-27T00:24:00.002+10:00

Yep, me and Red Rian and Nila indulged in a little Star Wars plagiarism. Hehehe...

Erm...actually, I found Star Fighters by Robert E. Mills in an opportunity shop in Hay, NSW. I couldn't resist the $1 price tag after seeing my name on the cover. Love the lame rip-off title (plus the vaguely Conan-esque quality to the author's name). It was published in 1978. Here's the breathless back-cover blurb:

THE DARK EMPIRE STRIKES BACK!

Picking up where Star Quest left off, Star Fighters, second in the "Star Quest Series", once again finds Red Rian, Lady Nila and Dann Oryzon locked in mortal combat with the Dark Emperor and his evil captain, Lord Blorg.

In a last great assault on the dreaded Death Legion, the three spacefighters find unexpected friends - and enemies! - out among the stars.

Can they break the Dark Emperor's power over the universe, or are they just expendable toys in Yiang-Yiang's vicious galactic game?

I wonder if a third book got published, or whether George Lucas sued Mr Mills out of existence first.

$1 specials

2010-04-15T17:59:00.004+10:00

MY LOCAL comic shop doesn’t do a lot of sales, but they’re currently offloading a bunch of damaged comics for $1 each. Now, a buck is a bargain in anyone’s language, so I grabbed four issues of titles I’ve not checked out in the past – to see if I might want to get into them down the road. Here are my thoughts on ’em:

10. Negative Burn #11 (Image, 2007)
Writers & artists: various
THE typical mixed bag of half-decent short stories and absolute shit. The pick of the bunch were “Avengers Number Four” by Ron Kasman and RG Taylor (a wistful tale about a classic Avengers issue; the disturbing “Sprinkles” by Michel Fiffe (I’m still not sure what this one is about, but it was unsettling); and the delightful “The Librarian And The Jock by Bradley Walton, George Broderick Jr and Ken Wheaton (an elderly librarian gives an aggressive jock hell about an overdue book). The comic looked fine to me – not sure why it was so cheap.

11. Palookaville #19 (Drawn & Quarterly, 2008)
Writer/artist: Seth
OK. This was seriously damaged – several pages had been printed twice by mistake, which made following this convoluted yarn even harder. It was part three in a series called “Clyde Fans”. Middle-aged Simon has just put his mum in a nursing home and he spends much of this issue reminiscing about her personal items in her old room. Kinda slow, kinda sweet – it reminded me a lot of Dan Clowes at his most introspective.

12. Madman Atomic Comics #9 (Image, 2008)
Writer/artist: Mike Allred (pin-ups: Darwyn Cooke)
Love Allred’s art and I liked his old series featuring supergroup The Atomics. The hook for this issue is that every panel takes up two whole pages, and is an ongoing battle/narrative as Madman and Mr Gum try to save team mate Luna from being eaten by some otherworldly flying teeth (yes, teeth). I dived into this issue with no idea about what had gone before, so Madman’s ongoing narrative (sorry, “whining”) left me confused. But I liked the idea of double-page panels. It worked really well. Allred’s art is as good as ever and as an added bonus, there are two pin-ups by Cooke at the end of the mag. Sweet. Issue seemed undamaged.
13. Queen & Country #32 (Oni Press, 2007)
Writer: Greg Rucka/artist: Chris Samnee
I have no hope of understanding this comic – having missed the first 31 issues in this political thriller. But some agents and a journalist have been kidnapped in Afghanistan and are awaiting execution while their colleagues fret back in America. The thing that struck me most about this issue was Samnee’s art, which strongly reminded me of David Lloyd’s bold art in V For Vendetta. Very nice work. There was some rubbing on the front and back covers, so I can see why this mag was reduced in price.

Will I pick up any more issues of these four series? Probably not, but it was a noble experiment. Hey, for $4, I had nothing to lose, right?

How ALLURE-ing

2010-04-14T15:42:00.003+10:00

HOORAY for meaningless celebrity nudity, this time in Allure magazine. Here's one of my favourite MOR singers, Colbie Caillat (top) and one of my favourite American Idol judges Kara DioGuardi. Pity...I was hoping Randy would pose starkers.

REVIEW: The Dark Detective

2010-04-14T15:37:00.003+10:00

The Dark Detective: Sherlock Holmes #0-4 (Black House Comics, 2009-10)
Writer: Christopher Sequeira/artists: Dave Elsey, Phil Cornell, Tim McEwen, W. Chew Chan, etc
I’M A sucker for some Victorian Era action (Avatar’s Captain Swing is a must-read for me) and I’m partial to a bit of Sherlock Holmes any day of the week. There’s a huge amount of classic material to be stripmined for comics (isn’t that right, Mr Moore?).
As always, I’m more than happy to support Australian comics, especially those that are trying to make a go of it on the newsstand, a tough proposition in this day and age. And Dave Elsey’s striking covers on this series are enticing. But that’s where the good news ends.
The Dark Detective is let down by some shaky storytelling by Sequeira (which I’ve pointed out to him in the past, not that he likes hearing that from me) and substandard art by Phil Cornell. His action scenes are some of the most confusing sequences I’ve read in a supposedly professional comic in many years. He’s much better when he’s just drawing guys standing round and talking. Get them running or fighting and poor old Phil falls apart.
I picked up TDD #0 at Supanova last year. “The Ghost Of Mary Shelley” is a nice taster for the regular series, featuring a Holmes and Dr Watson encountering Frankenstein’s Monster. Sadly, this is the series’ high point, maybe ‘cos McEwen did the layouts for poor old Phil.
TDD #1-3 is “The Claws Of The Chimera”. Holmes is on the outs with Scotland Yard as he tries to uncover a large criminal conspiracy while Watson struggles with his doubts over his friendship with the arrogant detective. Guest appearances by Professor Moriarty, Frankenstein’s Monster and a certain Mr Baskerville are entertaining enough, but the story is confusing, there are storytelling and logic gaps. And, ultimately, poor old Phil’s art can’t rise above mediocrity. I was left with a strong feeling of disappointment.

TDD #4 is actually quite misleading. The only Holmes on show in this issue is Sherlock’s brother Mycroft, playing host to three short stories ranging in quality. Poor old Phil’s framing sequences and final story, “Mycroft Holmes: The Lodge Of Bellerophon Affair” are the weakest segments. “Blackmoore Of The Boneyard” features a strong cast I’d like to see more of and nice art by Chan, while “Harker Of The Central Press Syndicate” (drawn by McEwan) is a clever twist on the usual vampire yarn.
To be fair to Sequeira, he’s clearly setting up a comic world filled with interesting characters and intriguing subplots. Whether the series survives long enough for these aspects to be explored is hard to say.
Despite my criticisms, I’ll keep supporting the series – I hope other comic fans do, too. I just wish Sequeira could find a better interior artist than poor old Phil.
Get more info about The Dark Detective and other Blackhouse books at www.blackhousecomics.com. (Not that I’ve seen any other title in my local newsagencies, but supposedly they’re out there.)

REVIEW: Showcase Presents Legion Of Super-Heroes Vol. 1

2010-04-08T18:18:00.005+10:00

Showcase Presents: Legion Of Super-Heroes Volume 1 (DC, 2007)
Writers: Jerry Siegel, Edmond Hamilton/artists: Curt Swan, John Forte, Jim Mooney, etc

It’s a weird obsession, to be sure. About three months ago I decided to read every Legion Of Super-Heroes yarn published from the group’s debut in Adventure Comics #247 (April 1958) till the group evaporated up DC’s arse in 1989 (The title’s since been rebooted, “threebooted” and brought back into some kinda normal DC continuity...only waiting to be fucked over again a few years down the track by some new wunderkind dickhead writer).
Fuck the post-1989 shit (for the time being) – I wanted to wrap my head around the classic LoSH that ran for 30+ years. I’ve always been fascinated by the team – its massive numbers, its quirky roster with odd names (Lightning Lass? Cosmic Boy? Mon-El? Ultra Boy? Bouncing fucking Boy?). Thanks to the Showcase volumes (three have been released and volume four comes out later this year), I can get my hands CHEAP on the first 10-15 years of continuity – more than 2000 pages of B&W art – at a mega-cheap price.
Volume 1 is 550 pages and covers their first appearance in 1958 up to Adventure Comics #321 (June 1964).
I half-expected lame plots and a complete lack of characterisation (similar to what I encountered in Showcase Presents: Challengers Of The Unknown Volume 1). And, to a degree, that was true. But the series made sense – with a few exceptions – made a logical progression and earlier yarns had repercussions down the track. There was a sense of continuity and history to the LoSH right from the start, which I dug. There’s also a lot of shocking sexism, but that’s par for the course in the late 50s, I guess.

Originally, the Legion was connected with Superboy (then Supergirl and even Superman, who encountered the adult version of the team). They all had single powers and Superboy had multiple powers, so he ruled the roost in the 30th century (occasionally called the 21st century by various confused DC writers) when he hung out with them.

In his first encounter in Adventure #247, Superboy’s invited to join the original team by Cosmic Boy, Lighting Boy and Saturn Girl (although we also see some nameless heroes in one panel). Superboy’s asked to perform several challenges against the team members to prove he’s worthy of entry into the legion. What he doesn’t know is that he’s been set up to fail all of them. The legion members easily beat him, then reject him from the team in a cruel, mocking manner.
But as he’s leaving, tears streaming down his face, the trio inform Superboy that, “We only gave you a bad time as your initiation.” And he’s allowed into the team...but not before he performs a supreme act of revenge (or super-dickery) by performing a world-saving task only using the trio’s single powers (magnetism, lightning and mind-reading, respectively)...thereby showing the legion gits that he’s far superior to all of them and that he could kick all their arses at once if they ever pull that shit on him again (in so many words).

Speaking of super-dickery, let’s not forget Superboy’s appalling treatment of future legion member Mon-El, who debuted in Superboy #89 (June 1961)
In this feature-length tale, Superboy sees a spaceship crash near his farm. Investigating, he finds an unharmed young man, who’s suffered amnesia and can’t remember who he is. Because the guy’s dressed in similar clothes to Superboy and has a letter that was written by Supes’ dad, Jor-El, Superboy jumps to the conclusion that the guy must be HIS OLDER BROTHER. He names him Mon-El and makes him a part of his everyday life – he even gives him a secret disguise as a travelling salesman wearing a lame suit.
But after a day or so, Superboy starts to doubt his own theory and tests it out BY EXPOSING MON-EL TO KRYPTONITE WHILE HE’S ASLEEP.
“If Mon-El shows any pain I’ll rescue him immediately!” Oh, that’s fucking big of you, Superboy.
Anyway, Mon-El shows no ill-effects, thereby surviving this murder attempt. For some reason - despite being in the wrong and acting like a total cunt - Superboy immediately thinks the poor guy must be an evil impostor.
The next day, while battling some crooks, Mon-El shows a weakness towards lead. Superboy thinks his "brother" must be a scam artist, so he sets up a complex plan to catch him out.
The Boy Of Steel takes Mon-El to an asteroid, having set it up earlier so the planetoid is bombarded by a shower of kryptonite rocks which are, in reality, just lead rocks painted green. This overly complex plan will presumably reveal that Mon-El is just pretending to be a Kryptonian (remember, it was Superboy who made this wild assumption in the first place). Anyway, when the lead shower of rocks hits Mon-El, he starts to die. Superboy assumes he's putting it on and starts teasing him, telling Mon-El that the jig is up, only to realise – too late – that Mon-El REALLY IS DYING OF LEAD POISONING.
To add to Superboy’s super-guilt about being a super-murderer, Mon-El’s memory returns and he remembers he’s actually from the planet Daxam, whose inhabitants are vulnerable to lead.
Mon-El travelled to Krypton and met Jor-El many years ago, which explains the Krypton connection.
So…the poor guy’s dying thanks to Superboy. So how does our hero save him? He sends Mon-El TO THE PHANTOM ZONE.
“I must warn you, Mon-El!” says Superboy. “There are dangerous villains at large in the Phantom Zone! Life may be hard…but at least you’ll be alive!”
Now, here’s the kicker…Mon-El is later rescued from the Phantom Zone and cured of his lead poisoning…by the Legion Of Super-Heroes.
In other words, he spent ONE THOUSAND YEARS in the Phantom Zone with a bunch of murderers, rapists and psychotic nutcases.
Which means Superboy (and Superman) just sat around with a thumb up his arse for all those years and never saved the poor bastard WHO HE TRIED TO KILL IN THE FIRST PLACE!
Superboy, YOU are a total dick.

But he’s not alone. Some of the early LoSH adventures are marked by bizarre cruelty and frat-boy pranks. Team members are surprisingly untrusting, too, withholding secrets that cause other team members to suffer terrible physical or mental anguish...only for it to be revealed at the end that it was a ruse to trap some terrible space pirate or killer robot.
That’s the basic plot of one of the most crucial early LoSH tales, “The Stolen Super Powers” (Adventure #304, January 1963). Saturn Girl takes over the Legion and becomes a tyrant, sacking some members and stealing others’ powers. It’s finally revealed that she acted like a total bitch because she’d learned that a computer had predicted a Legion member would die battling a space invasion. By sacking or grounding everyone on her team, she planned to sacrifice herself. However, Lightning Lad learns of her ruse. He stops the space invasion and dies in her place. So we had our first LoSH death and it affected the team in many ways for the next 12 months.
This volume chronicles the first appearances of Ultra-Boy (Superboy #98), The Legion Of Substitute Heroes (Adventure #306), Element Lad (Adventure #307), Lightning Lad’s dramatic return from the grave and the death of team mascot Proty (Adventure #312), and the curious double debut of both Dream Girl and the legion’s most notorious adversary The Time Trapper (Adventure #317).
Overall, as weird and unsettling as some of these stories were, this was a helluva cool read. I can’t wait to check out Volume 2 and see how the legion progresses and develops as the comic heads towards the mid-60s.

REVIEW: Lady Gaga in concert (April 7, 2010)

2010-04-08T18:01:00.004+10:00

MIDWAY through the Lady GaGa gig at the Sydney Entertainment Centre last night, my friend turned to me and said, “This is like the gayest pantomime ever.”
And she was absolutely right. But the sell-out crowd of 12,000 didn’t care – they loved every second of this homosexual Wizard Of Oz pastiche.
I may well have been the only straight male in the audience, but at least I wasn’t the oldest. It was an equal opportunity audience – there were OAPs, cougars, fags, dykes, tweens, teens and inbetweens.
(Speaking of which, a funny moment occurred before the gig even started. I walked past a security guard to go to the male loo. On exiting, I was nearly stepped on by a stunning six-foot GaGa lookalike coming in. The security guard went to stop her only to be told, “It’s OK. I’m a girl…er, a guy!” That cracked everyone up.)
All joking aside, Lady GaGa was a fucking phenomenal theatrical experience – albeit kinda cheesy in places (the singer’s “I love you, Sydney” monologues bordered on laughably cliched at times).
But the corny bits didn’t matter in the overall scheme of things. GaGa’s major strength is her music – all her songs have a killer hook and are very listenable (as long as you’re into 70s glam and 80s Euro-disco). She’s also multi-talented – there’s no denying her fashion and artistic creativity, but the girl can sing and dance and is, dare I say it, hot.
While I loved the spectacle of her many costume changes, the high-brow video interludes, the choreography and campy-but-impressive sets, what blew me away about this show was GaGa’s talent.
For me, the concert’s highlight was her sitting at the piano and doing stripped back versions of Brown Eyes and Speechless. No dancing, no crazy pantomime – just a genuine artist showing off her piano-playing skills and vocal prowess.
Is Lady GaGa the most important music star of the 21st century? Is she the new David Bowie or Madonna? It’s too early to tell, but if she follows up with a third CD as great as The Fame and The Fame Monster, and keeps putting together amazing gigs like the one I saw, then it’s highly likely.

REVIEW: Doctor Peculiar #1

2010-04-07T19:06:00.000+10:00

Doctor Peculiar #1 (Madison Comics, 1984)
Writer: John Jacobs/penciller: John Jacobs/inker: Ken Landgraf
I have to thank Mike Pindell for finding this comic – it’s been a bit of a Holy Grail for me. I’ve searched for this obscure, bizarre comic for more than 25 years, ever since I first read about it in The Comic Journal. At the time, the description of its contents blew my mind, but finally reading this brain-bursting comic was far more incredible than I could have ever imagined.

Firstly, let me say that John Jacobs is/was a strange man. This issue is badly drawn (even Landgraf’s inks can’t save it and the writing is even worse – but that only makes Doctor Peculiar something far better than your standard indy B&W comic – we’re talking outsider art territory here, people. The main story – “Dr. Peculiar Versus Vegeton The Living Plant” – could be a parody of 50s sci-fi schlock...except Jacobs plays it with a straight bat. The constant religious references are unnerving (Peculiar defeats more bad guys through the power of prayer than through his nebulous superpowers), as is the badly-drawn full-page panels (eat your heart out, Rob Liefeld) and strange collection of heroes in the supporting cast (The Sow? The Human Dog? The Bronze Bruin? Jackass?).

In the two back-up yarns, Jacobs’ religious obsession continues, but it’s now coupled with sexual perversion. In “Lady X”, the scantily clad heroine is confronted by a hideous monster called The Zathutas. Lady X says, “It likes to copulate with its victims before gobbling them up! Br-r-r!” In “Muffy Brandon Space Explorer”, the bikini-wearing Muffy is captured by the evil Pigeon People and thrown to The Krotas, which “likes to copulate with its victims before it devours them! Bad luck!” Hmmm...do I detect a theme here?
This is, simply put, the most disturbing insight into a comic book creator’s mind that I’ve ever experienced.
“I don’t know what happened to Jacobs,” Ken told me in a recent e-mail. “I’ve tried to locate/contact him but [he] never turned up. He was a very eccentric person with a lot of interests, his own brand of music, writing and drawing. Poetry, too!
“John was Jewish but became a Christian. His dad was a rich surgeon who paid for the comics. There were around 20 comic books created. The last I heard John was letting a lot of homeless goofballs live in the mansion in Arlington, Virginia. I think they may have used up all the money he inherited. A gallery years ago had me recreate 10 pages of art in that style and they all sold. Several of the new-wave artists like Daniel Clowes have e-mailed me telling how much those books influenced them. I guess one would call this outsider art. I tried many times to contact John. The last I heard he sold all the art on eBay. I tried to contact him through the comic book store where he sold the artwork. They said he looked fine. He must be in his 60s. I would have liked to team up with him to make some money. It was fun inking him.”
So the whereabouts of Jacobs is a mystery. But if you want to find Landgraf - who went on to a real career drawing for Marvel and DC - you can check out his impressive resume (and even buy some of his original art) at http://www.kenlandgraf.com/.

REVIEW: Amoeba Adventures

2010-04-07T18:13:00.001+10:00

Amoeba Adventures #14, Amoeba Adventures: Mushrooms & Dinosaurs (AA#15-19), Amoeba Adventures Fifth Anniversary Special, Amoeba Adventures #20, #23 & #24 (Protoplasm Press, 1994-95)
Writer: Nik Dirga/artist: Max Ink
I’m a sucker for superteams, the quirkier the better. Doom Patrol, GLX/Great Lakes Avengers, Freedom Force, Miracle Force, etc. But this obscure series from the early 90s may well be the coolest “oddball” collection of heroes ever. Amoeba Adventures was the tale of a super-powerful amoeba called Prometheus, who teamed up with a bunch of weirdos to form The All-Spongy Squadron. The core group was Prometheus, Rambunny (a rabbit cross between Rambo and Wolverine), Ninja Ant, humans Dawn Star and Spif, and – my fave of all – Karate Kactus (pictured above). Although these guys seemed hokey and their adventures SHOULD have been, Dirga actually wrote this yarn pretty straight and the result is a surprisingly warm, moving and, at times, tragic superhero yarn.
#14 is a stand-alone issue about domestic violence. #15-19 (collected as a graphic novel) sees the beginning of the series’ longest arc as the Squadron face the growing menace of the Dark One. Along the way, they’re accidentally sent back to the time of the dinosaurs in a faulty time machine, Prometheus gets it on with Dawn Star, Rambunny returns to the team for Christmas shenanigans, The Asbestos Mushroom frames the Squadron for heroin trafficking, and they clear their names with the help of The Period!
The Fifth Anniversary Special is a series of articles, posters and one-pagers covering what was a pretty significant milestone in independent comics publishing.
The final three issues I have cover parts 1, 4 and 5 of “The Dark Ages”, the final cycle in the series. A darker, more realistic tone pervades these issues: The Dark One seriously injures Rambunny, murders Karate Kactus and reveals his true traitorous face before a final confrontation with the remaining members. And then... I don’t know. If I ever find out from Nik and Max, I’ll let you know.
All in all, though, a damn fine lil’ comic book.
And Dirga’s art kicked arse.
To find out what these two talented dudes are up to now, check out Nic Dirga and Max Ink.

Dann's 50-comics-a-month challenge (March 2010)

2010-04-06T01:05:00.008+10:00

I HAVE Mike Pindell, the top bloke from The Comic Book Attic podcast, to thank for this ongoing challenge. I turned 43 during March. To celebrate, I aimed to read FORTY-THREE comics (plus another SEVEN comics to celebrate the length of my manhood)! Yep, FIFTY comics in total! Did I do it?

DANN’S COMIC READING FOR MARCH

1.-5. The Bomb (Asylum Press, 2008) – originally published as The Bomb #1-4 & The Bomb Swimsuit Edition (Atom Bomb Comics)
Writer & artist: Steve Mannion
TECHNICALLY, I started reading this mostly B&W graphic novel on February 27, but I finished it on March 1, so I’ve lumped it into my March reading. Pfffffft, so sue me. Back to the book: I love Fearless Dawn so I sought out this prequel from Lone Star. It’s full of Nazis, zombies, monsters, Nazi zombies and Nazi monsters. Oh...and hot babes, Bettie Page look-alikes, dinosaurs and pirates! Basically, everything that is good in this world. Mannion’s been doing his Fearless Dawn character since 1994, so it’s fun to see how the strip’s developed over the past 15 years. For starters, the character has moved from 1939 to some near-future world for the new Fearless Dawn series. The only thing galling about The Bomb is the woeful spelling errors. Bananna? Friends? Villians? Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek! The subeditor in me just wants to sub the fuck outta this book. But the art is amazing: half 50s-era Mad magazine/half Phantom Lady-style good girl naughtiness.

6. WWE Heroes #1 (Titan, 2010)
Writer: Keith Champagne/artist: Andy Smith
See Whooooooo! Wrestling comics, baby!

7. Kamandi #45 (DC, 1976)
Writers: Martin Pasko & Denny O’Neil/artists: Keith Giffen & Bob Smith
Giffen channels Jack Kirby.

8. Teen Titans Spotlight On: Jericho #4 (DC, 1986)
Writer: Marv Wolfman/penciller: Ross Andru/inker: Larry Mahlstedt
Mute superheroes with muttonchops are lame.

9. Usagi Yojimbo #25 (Fantagraphics, 1990)
Writer/artist: Stan Sakai
I’ve had this comic for years, but I reread it recently and it was like the first time I’d ever read it. I couldn’t remember it at all. But it was a lot of fun. A samurai bunny kills a demon on a bridge. Good stuff.

10. Black Lightning #1 (DC, 1977)
Writer: Tony Isabella/artists: Trevor Von Eeden & Frank Springer
The worst premiere issue ever. God, this sucked. Some anti-drug shite. Black Lightning is just the shittest super-powered type ever. Von Eeden was, like, 17 years old when he drew this – it shows.

11. Blackhawk #248 (DC, 1976)
Writer: David Anthony Kraft/layouts: James Sherman/inks: George Evans
Blackhawk and his group of racist stereotypes fight some power-mad cyborg called Biolord and “my matchless Metadroids”. Lame. Blackhawk “dies” at the end of the comic. I don’t care.

12. Spidey Super Stories #48 (Marvel, 1980)
Writers: Jim Salicrup & Michael Siporin/penciller: Winslow Mortimer/inkers: Villamonte & Esposito
Marvel Adventures is comics for kids done right. Spidey Super Stories...isn’t.
Lame puns, simplistic plots, pedestrian artwork and guest appearances so thoughtlessly thrown out (Luke Cage and The Impossible Man) they’re not even advertised on the cover. I hoped this would be a hoot to read. I was wrong.

13. Marvel Tales featuring Spider-Man #290 (Marvel, 1994)
(reprinting The Amazing Spider-Man #282)
Writer: Tom DeFalco/penciller: Rick Leonardi/inker: Bob Layton
I only read this ’cos I liked the original X-Factor, but there really wasn’t much to it. J. Jonah Jameson hires the bounty hunters to capture Spidey. They fight, then stop fighting, then X-Factor tell Triple J to go fuck himself. I’m bored just writing this synopsis.

14. Lockjaw And The Pet Avengers Unleashed (Marvel, 2010)
Writer: Chris Eliopoulos/artist: Ig Guara
The mainstream Avengers titles suck, but this wackly lil’ offshoot is pretty awesome. Lockjaw, Lockheed, Redwing, Zabu, Hairball (a feline Speedball), Frog Thor and the hilarious Ms Lion return for a second miniseries and I can’t wait for the insanity to unfurl.

15. Powers #3 (Icon, 2010)
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis/artist: Mike Avon Oeming
Holy shit! Best comicbook car chase ever. Best superpowered mum vs daughter argument ever. Best fucking everything. I’m loving this Rat Pack-flavoured storyline. Bendis is a dick, but he sure can write good Powers.

16. Girl Comics #1 (Marvel, 2010)
Writers/artists: various
Cool Amanda Conner cover of She-Hulk beating Iron Man in arm-wrestling, then the usual mix of good and meh short stories. This miniseries’ twist? It’s all-women creators. “A Brief Rendezvous” (writer: Valerie D’Orazio/artist: Nikki Cook) featuring The Punisher was unexpectedly nasty. There’s also a nice tale starring Venus (writer: Trina Robbins/artist: Stephanie Buscema). A bit girly, but I’ll probably pick up #2.

17. Batman/Doc Savage Special #1 (DC, 2010)
Writer: Brian Azzarello/artist: Phil Noto
I’m digging this First Wave thing – I’m a fan of Bob Kane’s original vision of Batman. I’m a fan of Doc Savage. And don’t get me started on The Spirit. This lil’ team-up/rumble between Bats and Savage is a pretty cool intro into the First Wave universe. I like the fact that Commissioner Gordon is on the take, too.

18. First Wave #1 (DC, 2010)
Writer: Brian Azzarello/artist: Rags Morales
Azzarello has The Spirit down to a tee – Will Eisner would be proud. I like the fact that Commissioner Dolan is on the take, too. No Batman this ish, but plenty of Doc Savage and Spirit, plus guest appearances from the Blackhawks and Rima the Jungle Girl. Can’t wait for the next instalment.

19. Sparta U.S.A. #1 (Wildstorm, 2010)
Writer: David Lapham/artist: Johnny Timmons
Yetis. Fucking yetis! This instantly rules. Creepy town with sinister secrets surrounded by yetis – I need more!
20. Mesmo Delivery (Dark Horse, 2010)
Writer & artist: Rafael Grampá
I bought this on a whim (I do that a lot now with graphic novels) and I’m glad I did. A gloriously insane gorefest starring a hasbeen boxer-turned-trucker and his Elvis wannabe sidekick (with a very, very dark secret). They find trouble from a bunch of rednecks in Bumfuck, USA. And then things get turned totally on their fucking head. Brilliant art – I loved every minute of this book.

21. DC Comics Presents #84 (DC, 1985)
Writer: Bob Rozakis/pencillers: Jack Kirby & Alex Toth/inker: Greg Theakston
See KIRBY YOUR ENTHUSIASM!

22. Doctor Peculiar #1 (Madison Comics, 1984)
Writer: John Jacobs/penciller: John Jacobs/inker: Ken Landgraf

23. Captain Swing And The Electrical Pirates Of Cindery Island (Avatar, 2010)
Writer: Warren Ellis/artist: Raulo Caceres
I love Ellis. I love the legend of Spring-heeled Jack. I love the marriage of technology and 19th London. I don’t normally love Avatar’s overpriced books. But I looooooooooooooooooove this title.

24.-27. Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man And The Avengers (Marvel, 2009-10)
(reprinting Marvel Adventures Super Heroes #13-16)
Writer: Paul Tobin/artists: Marcelo Dichiara, David Baideon, Amilcar Pinna and Denis Medri
Tobin is genius. These stories are an all-ages delight: easy to understand and thoroughly enjoyable (unlike Spidey Super Stories back in the 70s). There are tons of great team-ups: Spider-Man, She-Hulk and Tigra hunting for an LMD (Life Model Doggie), Hawkeye and Blonde Phantom, Hulk and Tigra vs Mysterio (not the rassler) and Spider-Woman, Beast and Giant-Girl. Funfunfun.

25.-34. Amoeba Adventures #14, Amoeba Adventures: Mushrooms & Dinosaurs (AA#15-19), Amoeba Adventures Fifth Anniversary Special, Amoeba Adventures #20, #23 & #24 (Protoplasm Press, 1994-95)
Writer: Nik Dirga/artist: Max Ink

35.-50. Showcase Presents: Legion Of Super-Heroes Volume 1 (DC, 2007)
Writers & artists: various (550+ pages)

The greatest thing ever! :D

2010-03-24T09:46:00.001+11:00

Two great bands you never heard of

2010-03-08T22:15:00.004+11:00

GARFUNKEL & OATES are piss-funny. Pregnant Women Are Smug is a classic and so are their many other funny ditties. Check out the gals on YouTube or at their official web site.

BILL is awesome. Since 1987, the band - led by Bill, who has Down's syndrome - has rocked mightily. Steve Pepper is one of the best punk songs I've ever heard. Look it up on YouTube.

Buy their CD, buy their shirt (I did both). Go the web site and support Bill today!

Didja know WATCHMEN was also an 80s TV cartoon series?

2010-03-08T18:38:00.003+11:00

Dann's 50-comics-a-month challenge (part 2)

2010-02-28T16:29:00.005+11:00

I HAVE Mike Pindell, the top bloke from The Comic Book Attic podcast, to thank for this ongoing challenge. This month – having a full 28 days to achieve a 30-comic goal – I decided to up the ante. So I decided to read FIFTY comics for February. I hit 29 comics by February 20 (read about them HERE). Here’s what I got through in the last week.

DANN’S COMIC READING FOR FEBRUARY 21-28)

30. Zenith Phase 1 (+ Interlude 1: Whitlock & Interlude 2: Peyne) (1987-88)
Writer: Grant Morrison/art: Steve Yeowell
Better than Watchmen? Maybe. Morrison does grim heroes for a grim Thatcher Britain before deconstruction of the genre became passé. It’s a pity that Zenith is almost impossible to find now – the early collected works are out of print, later storylines haven’t been printed (and probably never will be due to legal issues), and eBay prices for old copies of 2000AD – which ran the original 3-4 page instalments – are fuck-off expensive. Luckily, I was given the full Zenith saga (all five phases plus other bits’n’pieces) on a CD from my mate FabSeb. I hate reading comics on a computer screen, but when you have no other choice...well, you make do. Anyway, I can’t wait to read Phase 2.

31. Marvel Team-Up #96 (Marvel, 1980)
Writer/artist: Alan Kupperberg
Only a Howard The Duck completist like myself would’ve felt the urge to track down this issue for his collection. It’s oddball material that sees Spider-Man and Howard take on the glib-tongued villainy of Status Quo. No, not the band. This guy wants to stop all fads, by any means necessary. I find it funny that the things Alan considered a fad – skateboarding, Frisbee and jogging – are still around 30 years later. As for disco, that fad was dead by the time MTU#96 rolled around, which makes this issue particularly perplexing.

32.-39. Kick-Ass hardcover graphic novel (Marvel, 2010) – contains Kick-Ass #1-8 (2008-10)
Writer: Mark Millar/penciller: John Romita Jr/inker: Tom Palmer/co-creators: Millar & Romita
Kicks ass! I still have a problem with the concept of a 10yo girl as a stone-cold killer ninja. Apart from that, it was damned entertaining. And I can’t wait to see the movie.

40. Complaints (2010)
Writer/artist: Noah Van Sciver
12-page B&W mini-comic listing all the shit Noah has to deal with every day. Depressing-yet-funny. Guy has talent.

41. Minty Comics Wrasslin’ Extravaganza (1998)
Writer/artists: various
See WHOOOOOOO! WRESTLING COMICS, BABY! for a review.

42. Moon Knight #29 (Marvel, 2009)
Writer: Mike Benson/artist: Jefte Palo
See WHOOOOOOO! WRESTLING COMICS, BABY! for a review.

43. Firestorm The Nuclear Man #52 (DC, 1986)
Writer: Gerry Conway/penciller: Joe Browzowski/inker: Steve Mitchell
See WHOOOOOOO! WRESTLING COMICS, BABY! for a review.

44. Choker #1 (Image, 2010)
Writer: Ben McCool/artist: Ben Templesmith
I’m a huge Templesmith fan, but not all of his work has been accompanied by strong writing. Thankfully, the Aussie’s great art is easily matched by McCool in this tale about a bitter private dick given one last chance to get his old life back and re-enter the police force that booted him out years earlier. Their vision of Shotgun City is nightmarish – this miniseries promises to be huge. In some ways, it reminds me of another dark police comic, Fell, also illustrated by Templesmith.

45. Marvel Assistant-Sized Spectacular #2 (Marvel, 2009)
Writers & artists: various
Another quirky helping of second-string heroes. This time it’s Luke Cage, Galacta and Elsa Bloodstone, Monser Hunter. I’ll be honest here: I’ll buy anything starring Elsa (the same goes with Captain Ultra, 3-D Man and B’wana Beast – I’m just odd that way). Anyway, her tale – “Daddy’s Little Girl” (writer: Chris Yost/penciller: Joh James/inker: Victor Olazaba) – is the pick of the three stories. I enjoyed this micro-series and I hope Marvel revisits it again in the future.

46. Cadillacs And Dinosaurs #1 Special Tyco Toys Edition (Kitchen Sink, 1993)
Story & art: Mark Schultz
This came out to promote the short-lived Saturday morning cartoon on CBS and the line of toys that accompanied it. This was originally Xenozoic Tales, a late 80s comic I bought for a while before I sold them for peanuts. It was fun re-reading the adventures of eco-warrior Jack Tenrec as he navigates his 50s Cadillac through a future landscape populated by dinosaurs and the far more dangerous human reptiles, politicking to take control of this world. Schultz’s art is part-Wally Wood, part-Al Williamson, part-Frank Frazetta and all good.

47. Captain America #172 (Marvel, 1974)
Writer: Steve Englehart/penciller: Sal Buscema/inker: Mike Friedrich
Another perfunctory story from the Marvel House Of Ideas. Cap and the Falcon have been framed for murder by the original Moonstone. They escape to Nashville where they, coincidentally, bump into the then-evil Banshee. Brawling commences. The story ends with cameos from the pre-new X-Men. Not much to write home about, although the Gil Kane cover is lovely. Jeez, it seems like Gil drew just every Marvel and DC cover during the mid-70s.

48. Legion Of Super-Heroes #6 (DC, 2005)
Story: Mark Waid & Barry Kitson/writer: Waid/penciller: Kitson/inker: Art Thibert
I got this...thing happening. A burgeoning obsession, if you will. I recently made up my mind to read EVERY LSH yarn ever written. That’s 50+ years of continuity, reboot, threeboot and return to continuity to deal with. I’m not sure why – I think’cos I’ve always had a thing for the costumes and names (Ultra Boy, Shadow Lass, Karate Kid, Cosmic Boy – what’s not to love?) I’ll document my efforts in coming months, but for the moment I wanted to dip my toes in and get a feel for the Legion. So I randomly bought this LSH threeboot written by one of my current fave writers (with input from Kitson). It’s kinda cool – the Legion as bratty teenagers rebelling against a staid, reactionary government is intriguing. Even though I’ve jumped right into the middle of things, I didn’t feel confused either, which is a tribute to Waid. And Kitson’s art is pretty awesome. I’m gonna have to pick up more of this run.

49. M.O.D.O.K. Reign Delay one-shot (Marvel, 2010)
Story & art: Ryan Dunlavey
M.O.D.O.K. as comedy relief? M.O.D.O.K. as a whining loser who lives at home with his parents? Why not?

50. Marvel Heartbreakers one-shot (Marvel, 2010)
Story & art: various
A mediocre collection of short, love-related yarns starring Marvel superheroes. The only interesting tale stars my Nextwave faves Boom Boom and Elsa Bloodstone discussing ex-superpowered boyfriends in “Super Boys!” (writer: Rick Spears/art: James Callahan). The rest of the strips are forgettable.

51. FVZA #2 (Radical, 2010)
Writer: David Hine/illustrators: Roy Allan Martinez & Wayne Nichols/painters: Kinsun Loh & Jerry Choo
What started out as a joke web page about The Federal Vampire & Zombie Agency has become an engrossing (and gross) miniseries about mankind fighting against age-old vampires deadset on unleashing a zombie virus on the American population. Bloodsucking terrorists? Subtle references to America’s torture tactics in Iraq? Some ballsy ideas here. Radical’s presentation is also amazing – high quality at a reasonable price. I’m enjoying this muchly.

52. Tails Of The Pet Avengers (Marvel, 2010)
Stories & art: various
I loved last year’s miniseries and this oneshot (leading into a new miniseries) has some enjoyable solo yarns on the various members in the team. It’s dumb but it’s fun. Ms Lion the spoilt pooch is rapidly becoming my fave Pet Avenger, although arrogant Redwing is a close second.

53. Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man #59 (Marvel, 2010)
Writer: Paul Tobin/penciller: Ben Dewey/inker: Terry Pallot
Spidey takes on the Uncanny X-Men (Claremont/Byrne version) and whups their arses, just to prove how powerful the guy really is. Fun stuff. But I’m not sure how this title fits into other Marvel Adventures’ continuity. I mean, in Marvel Adventures: Avengers, Spider-Man, Storm and Wolverine are long-time teammates. And Spidey attends high school in his own title, yet seems older in Avengers. Maybe, Avengers is set a few years in the future? I don’t know why I’m even having this pointless conversation as the Marvel Adventures line has been cancelled.

54. 1st Issue Special #2 (DC, 1975)
Writer: Joe Simon/artist: Jerry Grandenetti
“Introducing The Green Team” – three wealthy brats and a shoeshine boy who makes a million bucks on the stock market. The team have million-dollar adventures. I couldn’t care less about any of these characters. This is simplistic stuff with a racist edge. Too offensive to even be dumb fun. Simon clearly wasn’t suited to writing 70s comics.

55. Firebreather #4 (Image, 2009)
Writer: Phil Hester/art: Andy Kuhn
Duncan avenges the death of Belloc, his city-stomping monster of a father, at the hands of super-powerful alien robots. A powerful conclusion to this arc, but what happened to this series? #5-7 have been solicited, but I can’t find them anywhere. It’s a great comic – part-superhero action, part-high school drama – so I hope Firebreather comes back one day.

56. Powers #2 (Icon, 2010)
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis/art: Mike Avon Oeming
I’m digging the idea of Christian Walker being a superpowered wiseguy in Las Vegas after WW2. This arc is off to a great start.

57. Justice League Of America #193 (DC, 1981)
Writer: Gerry Conway/art: George Perez & John Beatty
I bought this ish to get the All-Star Squadron 16-page preview (writer: Roy Thomas/penciller: Rich Buckler/inker: Jerry Ordway). The Conway-penned JLA yarn is awful – a Red Tornado origin tale featuring T.O. Morrow and sentient tornados (!). Utter crap. The Squadron tale was marginally better – basically, a set-up for the first issue of the regular series. I must also add that the printing of this issue is shoddy – the text boxes are so muddy and blurred I could barely read Conway’s substandard script. Hmmmm...no loss there, then.

WOW! 57 comics! I outdid myself this month. Let’s see if I can hit another 50 in March.

Dann's attempt to read 50 comics in February (part 1)

2010-02-22T15:09:00.007+11:00

I HAVE Mike Pindell, the top bloke from The Comic Book Attic podcast, to thank for this ongoing challenge. This month – having a full 28 days to achieve a 30-comic goal – I decided to up the ante. So I decided to read FIFTY comics for February. It’s February 22 and I’m 29 comics down (I’ve been reading me a book for the past week – plus I’ve got my weekly Wrestling Observers to peruse), so I’m pretty happy with my quota so far.

DANN’S COMIC READING FOR FEBRUARY, 2010 (AS OF FEB. 22)

1. Batman: The Brave And The Bold #13 (DC, 2010)
Writer: Sholly Fisch/penciller: Robert Pope/inker: Scott Morae
THIS is becoming a habit. Again, the first comic I read for the month is an issue of this title. I read a strong online recommendation for this particular ish and I wasn’t disappointed. Batman breaks his leg and is sidelined, so a bunch of superheroes from other cities come to Gotham City to cover his absence. It’s kinda cool seeing friendly heroes pitch in to help a downed comrade – it makes a change from the grim, bickering heroes you see in the “real” DC universe. Having them dress up in Batman costumes (but with their own distinctive costume flourishes) is a nice touch. But the real reason to pick up B:TBATB #13 is for the many guest stars: Plastic Man, Captain Marvel (in his old-school button tunic), a Silver Age Green Arrow and Aquaman. Plus cameos from Angel & The Ape, B’wana Beast (my NEW favourite minor DC superhero), The Atom, Red Tornado, Guy Gardner, Black Canary, Bronze Tiger, Bane, Killer Croc, The Penguin, Catwoman and the Joker. As another reviewer touched on, Pope and Morae’s version of the Joker is straight out of the 1940s, ala Dick Sprang and Bob Kane, which is really cool. Easily the best issue I've read so far in this entertaining all-ages series.

2. Helen Killer #1 (Arcana, 2007)
Writer: Andrew Kreisberg/art: Matthew JLD Rice
IT TOOK me ages to track down this comic and I eventually had to pay top dollar for it from eBay. But boy, it was worth it just to say I’ve read one of the most ridiculous comics of the 21st century. Deaf and blind Helen Keller as a secret service agent in an alternate reality? Fucking stupid brilliance. I don’t know what’s funnier: artist Rice thanking “our Lord” in the credits or Kreisberg discussing the real Helen Keller at the back of the comic and casually mentioning that she “fought for...world peace”. Naturally, Kreisberg and Rice turn her into a psychotic ninja. Yep, ’cos that’s what a peace-loving, blind’n’deaf chick would do with her life if she somehow got super-powered glasses that helped her see, hear, speak and...oh yeah, have goddamn ninja powers! Gotta love comic nerds. :P

3.-26. Showcase Presents Challengers Of The Unknown Vol. 1 (containing Showcase #6-12 & Challengers #1-17) (DC, 2006)
Writers: Dave Wood, Jack Kirby, Arnold Drake & Ed Herron/illustrators: Jack Kirby, Wally Wood, Roz Kirby, Marvin Stein, George Klein, Bruno Premiani and Bob Brown

See KIRBY YOUR ENTHUSIASM for full review.

27. Marvel Super Action #1 (Marvel, 1977)
Writer: Stan Lee/penciller: Jack Kirby/inker: Syd Shores

See KIRBY YOUR ENTHUSIASM for full review

28. Fearless Dawn #2 (Asylum Press, 2010)
Writer/artist: Steve Mannion
Dumb, sexy good-girl fun starring a psycho chick in leather, even more psycho Nazi bad guys (led by hot Nazi chick) and a guest appearance from a babe called Betty who looks suspiciously like Bettie Page. Mannion’s art is the bastard love-child of Wally Wood and Mark Schultz. I love this miniseries!

29. Hit Monkey #1 (Marvel, 2010)
Writer: Daniel Way/art: Dalibor Talajić
I’m a sucker for monkey stories but this one-shot didn’t impress me. The idea of a monkey hitman is inherently funny, so why is his original tale so perfunctory and humourless. Daniel Way...you continue to disappoint me.

Hmmmm...21 comics, three working days, six commuter train trips...this should be a piece of piss, blog-readers.

Chip, chip, hooray!

2010-02-17T20:48:00.002+11:00

CONGRATS to Aline for winning the Smith's competition. Aline's Caesar Salad is awesome! :D

More zine reviews

2010-02-15T23:34:00.001+11:00

Nicola Hardy…Is Having Adventures So She Has Something To Write About: Short tales of scary sex, good sex, tragic love tales, drugs, loss, abandonment – all told in an achingly beautiful voice. I’m glad Nicola’s having these adventures, ’cos it would break my heart if I had to have them. nicola@secretenvelope.com, http://www.carcrashwitness.blogspot.com/ [e-mail for price 24S :30]

Samurai Dreams #6: I want to say I love this zine. Hell, any publication focusing on obscure, hard-to-find videos is aces in my book…normally. But there’s one thing about Samurai Dreams that bugs the fuck outta me. Each issue contains a couple of fake reviews – issue six has THREE of the fuckers. Why?! When I read reviews of weird old films I don’t want the thought floating round the back of my head, “Gee, this flick sounds cool…except it may not even exist.” I think it’s an insulting idea that undermines the readers’ faith in what is an otherwise smart, cleverly written zine. Films reviewed in this issue include Circus Of Fear, Miracle Mile, Slime City and The Vampyr: A Soap Opera. Samurai Dreams, 60 Fairgrounds Rd, Cummington, MA, 01026, USA, samuraidreamszine@yahoo.com, myspace.com/samuraidreams [e-mail for price, 52S :30]

Blackguard #2: A “fathers” issue that NO father should read. What has been seen can’t be unseen. What has been read can’t be unread. The best – and worst – that comics can be. Clawing one’s eyeballs is not an option. Blackguard, PO Box 93, Paddington, NSW, 2021, AUSTRALIA, sstratu@gmail.com [AUD$5, e-mail for price if from overseas 96S :15]

Photo art as zine. And why not...

2010-02-06T20:47:00.001+11:00

FUCK AUSTRALIA DAY or "If You Have A Southern Cross Tattoo, Then You’re A Racist Cunt"

2010-02-05T20:05:00.005+11:00

Australian cricketer Peter Siddle...fuckwit

WHEN I see an Australian flag attached to a car window or hanging from the window of a house, I feel a twinge of apprehension and uneasiness...especially on Australia Day. It makes me question a lot of things about the person who owns the car or lives in the house, the biggest one being, “Are they racists?”
This sentiment is multiplied 1000% if the Australian flag is replaced by a Southern Cross flag. And if the Southern Cross is actually TATTOOED on a person’s body, I just automatically assume they’re knuckle-dragging fuckwits.
When did it happen? When did flags become symbols of hatred and intolerance? And when did January 26 – Australia Day – degenerate from a harmless public holiday to a jingoistic excuse for idiots to get drunk and abuse fellow Australians of non-Anglo descent?
It wasn’t always like this, surely? I’ve never thought much of Australia Day, it was always an annual joke – the day when a bunch of convicts invaded someone else’s homeland. I mean, give me a fucking break.
But it was essentially harmless – unless you were an Aborigine, of course. Growing up, I regarded Australia Day as a day off school, a day off work and a chance to laugh at the idiots who got Order of Australia Medals. Mark Taylor? John bloody Farnham?
So when did it change? When did we go down that nationalistic path?
Personally, I blame former Prime Minister John Howard. The rise in xenophobia, racism and rampant jingoism in this country can initially be traced back to his pandering to redneck independent MP Pauline Hanson and her brain-dead supporters back in the mid-90s.
Add to that the growing ill-will towards Muslims after 9/11, followed by the Tampa/children overboard scandal in 2001 and you could see where things were heading.
Then came the Cronulla riots in December 2005, a shameful day in this nation’s history. Idiots running amok, attacking non-Anglos on the beach, in trains. It was a fucking disgrace.
It wasn’t a coincidence that a few weeks later – on Australia Day 2006 – came the first news reports of groups of Anglo teenagers wearing Aussie flags round their neck (the so-called “Cronulla cape”) forcing non-Anglos to kiss the flag while proudly displaying inane slogans – “You flew here, I grew here!”, “Fuck off, we’re full!” – scribbled on their bodies with zinc cream.
It was at this point that I began to worry about the mentality of anyone who displayed an Aussie flag, or temporary flag tattoos on their faces, or wore flags as capes, or had the Southern Cross (or the Cronulla postcode) tattooed on a body part.
I live in Harris Park, near Parramatta, which has probably the biggest Indian population in Sydney. Right now, being Indian must be one of the hardest gigs in Australia – they’re getting regularly mugged in Sydney and even murdered in Melbourne ’cos they’re seen as soft targets by muggers or easy marks by racist scumbags.
On Australia Day 2010, I came home from work and told Helen we weren’t taking our daughter and the dogs for a walk that night. Why?
Xenophobic arseholes + a day of boozing + the bloodsport of taunting harmless Indian students who live and work in our home suburb = a very good reason not to stick your nose out the front door.
So we spent the rest of the evening at home while I looked forward to January 27 and the end of another stupid Australia Day.
So...thanks, lil’ Johnny. The seeds of intolerance you sowed have taken root and flowered. Hope you’re happy.

The future of this country

The 30-Comics-A-Month challenge: January!

2010-02-05T09:45:00.001+11:00

I HAVE Mike Pindell, the genius behind The Comic Book Attic, to thank for this. Several years back, he took on a challenge: to read 30 comics a month. Sounds easy, eh? Well, maybe it is, but I was inspired to emulate him.
As you can see, I easily made the 30-issue quota in two weeks, starting January 15.

Of course, I didn’t read any “real” books during that period. I have a few non-fiction paperbacks lined up, so we’ll see how I go comics-wise in February.

DANN’S COMIC READING FOR JANUARY, 2010
1. Batman: The Brave And The Bold #6 (DC, 2009)

Writer: J. Torres/pencils: Andy Suriano/inks: Dan Davis

I like kid-friendly superhero comics (which is why I'm so annoyed Marvel has canned its Marvel Adventure line). So good on DC for keeping their dckids line running. I certainly enjoyed this issue, mainly 'cos of the guest stars - Kid Eternity, western hero Vigilante, The Viking Prince, The Shining Knight and G.I. Robot (plus a cameo from the Golden Age Hourman). It's just a lot of fun as they battle the menace of General Immortus. I wouldn't pick up this title on a monthly basis, but it's cool to dip into from time to time.

2. Marvel Assistant-Sized Spectacular #1 (Marvel, 2009)

Some nice, quirky story-telling in this first of a two-part series dealing with Marvel's second-string heroes. The linking story (writer: Chris Eliopoulos/artist: Jacob Chabot) sets the scene as Marvel's put-upon assitant editors come up with their own ideas for comics while holed up in the men's bathroom. First we get D-Man (writer: Brian Patchett/artist: Xurxo G. Penalta), which has such a Top Shelf-style look to it that it practically screams "Indy!" But the tale is kinda cool: D-Man is now an ordinary grunt in Iraq, who gets outed by some of his soldiers. They push him into resuming his superhero duties by night and they join in with mixed consequences. American Eagle (writer: Jason Aaron/artist: Richard Isanove) delivers a modern variation on frontier justice to super-villain Cottonmouth. Not too shabby. Finally, it's Hawkeye done Mini Marvels style (writer/artist: Chris Giarrusso). Hawkeye gets no respect from both The Avengers and Dr Strange, even after he rescues them from the evil Crimson King. All in all, I loved this issue and I've ordered #2 from Lone Star Comics in Texas. Can't wait to read it.

3. Liberty Comics #2 (Image, 2009)

It's all for a good cause, but this could've been slightly more entertaining, couldn't it? Nice preview of Choker (writer: Ben McCool/artist: Ben Templesmith) and a cool Mr Gum piece (writer: Jamie S. Rich/artists: Mike Allred & Dave Johnson). Paul Pope's B&W art is always appreciated, so I liked Place A Loverman!! a lot. Jack Staff (writer/artist: Paul Grist) is always welcome and ... hey! This isn't a bad comic after all. And it's for a good cause. So fuckin' buy it!

4.-7. Lockjaw And The Pet Avengers #1-4 (Marvel, 2009)

Writer: Chris Eliopoulos/arist: Ig Guara

Chris is rapidly becoming one of my favourite writers. What's not to love about a grouping of Avengers featuring Lockjaw, a froggy version of Thor, Redwing and Lockheed the dragon? Plus guest appearances from Devil Dinosaur and Thanos? Nice stuff. :D

8.-13. The Umbrella Academy: Dallas #1-6 (Dark Horse, 2008-09)

Writer: Gerard Way/artist: Gabriel Ba

My Chemical Romance may be pants, but singer Way's a damn good comic book writer. This series was a helluva lot weirder than the first miniseries (and that was pretty fucking strange, let me tell you). I can't explain the plot quickly: suffice to say, it involves our "heroes" re-assassinating JFK. There's also some ultra-violence from some psycho aliens called Hazel & Cha Cha including one truly up-chuck moment in #2. Recommended, motherfuckers.

14. Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #51 (DC, 1986)

Writer: Gerry Conway/penciller: Joe Brozowski/inker: Rodin Rodriguez

Pro-wrestling is once again reamed up the arse by haters. Manager Eddie Slick has been plying his man, King Crusher, with steroids and naughtier substances for years. But the latest lot of happy pills turns Crusher into a full-on monster. This is the set-up ish and there's a ton of badly written expository dialogue, sub-plots that I cared not a whit about and truly mediocre art by guys who I suspect were hanging round some trash bins outside the DC building when Gerry walked past them and said, "Hey, fellas. I'll buy you a ham sandwich if you bang out a coupla comics for me real quick."

15.-26. Marvel: The Lost Generation #1-12 (Marvel, 2000-01)

Plot: John Byrne & Roger Stern/writer: Stern/penciller: Byrne/inker: Al Milgrom

I was eagerly looking forward to this series, which was a brave attempt to correct the glaring gap in the current Marvel timeline. Fantastic Four #1 came out in 1961, but according to Marvel continuity the team was formed "about 10 years ago". So that leaves the 60s to 90s as uncharted territory in the Marvel Universe. Which heroes and villains were around during these decades? And what became of them? And why doesn't anyone remember them now? Byrne and Stern try to fill in the gaps...and partially succeed. They create a ton of great new characters but the time-hopping story (going from #12 - #1 in numbering) is a tad too confusing. It reads like a bunch of "DC 1st Issue Specials" trying to launch new characters rather than one cohesive story. The open-ended final issue seemed to indicate that the plotters hoped M:TLG would become an ongoing series. They were wrong. Which is a shame 'cos this was a very promising-if-flawed maxiseries.

27. Starman #81 (DC, 2010)

Writer: James Robinson/artists: Fernando Dagnino & Bill Sienkiewicz

I haven't cared shit about "Blackest Night" (or any of these fucked Marvel/DC year-spanning epics that achieve sweet fuck-all), but I'm a fan of Starman so I was interested to get this one-off revival of the 1990s series, especially as original writer James Robinson was coming back to it (as was original cover artist Tony Harris). Well, it's a fun little read starring The Shade and the revived evil corpse that was Starman's brother, David Knight. Like I said, I enjoyed it, but not enough to get into "Blackest Night".

28. Australian Mad Classics #19 (Next Media/EC, 2010)
I mainly got this for yet another Watchmen parody, this one illustrated by Tom Richmond and written by longtime Mad writer Desmond Devlin. Like pretty much everything in Mad it was merely okay.

29. Rich Corben: Odds And Ends (Fantagor Press, 2009)
$17 is a lot to pay for a 32-page B&W publication, featuring part two of unfinished yarn "From The Pit" and a bunch of illos. But hell! It's CORBEN!!! And he signed it for me, so I'm not complaining...much.

30.-35. Speak Of The Devil (Dark Horse GRAPHIC NOVEL, 2008) by Gilbert Hernandez
– originally published as Speak Of The Devil #1-6)
I thought this was some kinky sexy yarn about a female peeping Tom. Then, somewhere round issue four, it veered into psycho serial killer territory and completely lost me. Gilbert is a sick fuck.

36. Neil Gaiman's Coraline: The Graphic Novel (Bloomsbury, 2008)
Adapted and illustrated by P. Craig Russell
Still haven't read Gaiman's original novel, but this GN was the next best thing. A fantastic, creepy modern fairytale that was stunning and inspired me to buy the DVD.

37.-41. Coward (Icon GRAPHIC NOVEL, 2007 – originally published as Criminal #1-5)
Writer: Ed Brubaker/artist: Sean Phillips
Bad guys doing bad things, written and drawn in a good way. I love Brubaker.
42.-53. Nextwave: Agents Of H.A.T.E. #1-12 (Marvel, 2006-07)
Writer: Warren Ellis/artist: Stuart Immonen

I loooooooooved this maxiseries and I'm glad it finished when it did. There was absolutely no point dragging it out - it's perfect at 12 issues. Just a fantastic, perfect, dumb-yet-meta superhero romp. Best thing I read during January. :D

54. The Staros Report 1996 (Top Shelf, 1996)

Chris Staros's indy comic zine/magazine that preceded him launching the excellent Top Shelf line. Here he covers Love & Rockets, Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman and interviews an obnoxious. pretentious Eddie Campbell. Reading this mag, I can now see what drives Staros to do what he does.

55. Ed Hannigan: Covered (Marvel, 2010)

I always thought Hannigan was a typical 70s/80s Marvel Bullpen hack. I don't know whether my opinion's changed much after reading this fund-raising special (the poor guy has MS), but he did design some nifty covers, I guess. And jeez, I'm always happy to support a comics guy in trouble, so I was happy to shell out the bux for this book. Take care, Ed.

So there you have it: I smashed my 30-comic challenge by TWENTY-FIVE comics!!!

I'm gonna do this again in February. Actually, come to think of it, I should easily make the 30-comic quota for the month 'cos the next thing I’m reading is Showcase Presents Challengers Of The Unknown Vol. 1 (containing Showcase #6-12 & Challengers #1-17). So that’s 24 issues right there. :P

F**k you, Marvel!

2010-01-22T19:05:00.003+11:00

I just read in the latest Comic Shop News that plans are in motion to discontinue its all-ages Marvel Adventures line as of March. To that I say, "F**k you, Marvel!"

In a world filled with dark, depressing comics, Marvel Adventures was a breath of light-hearted fun. Easy for kids (and kids-at-heart) to read. No death, no ultra-violence, no whining superheroes, no conflicted antiheroes, no cold-blooded vigilantes, no koala-raping supervillains, no frigging crossovers, no f**ked-up drawn-out can't-make-any-sense-of-it 40+ years of continuity. Just pure mindless superhero-reading pleasure. And that's the way I like it.

Marvel Adventures: The Avengers has been consistently the best title put out by Marvel in the past five years. It shits all over whatever the hell Bendis is doing to the team in the mainstream Marvel universe.

So why the hell is Marvel discontinuing this line? Idiots.

Things are changing...

2010-01-22T18:57:00.003+11:00

I've got plans for this blog. I think it's going to become more comics-oriented. I'm also toying with the idea of doing a semi-regular podcast. I've been inspired by Mike Pindle's excellent The Comic Book Attic. Check it out - it's really fun.

More later...

Some new zine reviews

2009-12-04T23:27:00.003+11:00

THESE reviews were originally written for Zine World.

House: This is a powerful series of short stories, detailing Tamara and her mother’s escape from an abusive marriage. They move into a small flat, are “saved” by Tamara’s grandfather, then find themselves trapped again in another prison, this one created by her grandparents. It’s a moving tale of childhood confusion and distress over events out of her control and beyond her understanding. It doesn’t have a happy ending so much as a hopeful ending. Tamara Lazaroff, PO Box 6148, St Lucia, Qld, 4067, AUSTRALIA, taazan@hotmail.com [E-mail for price 32S :30] – Dann Lennard

A Zine About Canberra: Canberra is Australia’s capital city – it is also, in my opinion, boring, sterile and ugly. The weather is too hot in summer, too cold in winter and there are too many fucking junkies. Plus it’s filled with politicians, embassy staff and bureaucrats. Julian accepts all this but loves his home city all the same. This amusing, enlightening zine lists everything that’s good about Canberra…of which there is quite a bit, apparently. Julian Fleetwood, 8 Jagara Street, Aranda, ACT, 2614, AUSTRALIA, julian.fleetwood@yahoo.com.au, www.traversepoetry.org [E-mail for price 40S :30] – Dann Lennard

Word Balloons #10: Full colour comes to Australia’s most thoughtful comics zine and it looks damn fine…and expensive. Let’s hope this experiment lasts. Phil’s main feature is an interview with cartoonist and children’s book illustrator Douglas Holgate. He’s the sorta guy whose art deserves to be seen in colour. Elsewhere, Phil explains the birth and development of the acclaimed 1980s Aussie anthology Fox Comics. Reviews wrap up another satisfactory issue. Philip Bentley, PO Box 286, Sandringham, Vic, 3191, AUSTRALIA, secondshore@yahoo.com, secondshore.blogspot.com [AUD$5, e-mail for price if from overseas, 24M :40] – Dann Lennard

A Day In Rennes-le-Château: Chris details in words and illustrations his visit to the mysterious French church that inspired the controversial pseudo-historical book, The Holy Blood And The Holy Grail (which was subsequently ripped off by Dan Brown for The Da Vinci Code). Whatever the truth behind Father Bérenger and his alleged hidden treasure in the late 19th century, this is a fascinating little read about a fascinating place with a fascinating history – hell, any priest who places a statue of a devil at the entrance to his church is worth discussing, right? Chris does so with wit, style and intelligence. Chris Mikul, PO Box K546, Haymarket, NSW, 1240, AUSTRALIA, cathob@zipworld.com.au [E-mail for price, 28S :30] – Dann Lennard

Dann's 12-word comic reviews

2009-11-04T23:41:00.004+11:00

War Heroes #3 (Image) by Mark Millar & Tony Harris

Finally! Terrorists get superpowers, kill soldiers. Traitors have change of heart. Rescue!

Destroyer #5 (of 5) (Marvel MAX) by Robert Kirkman & Cory Walker

WW2-era superhero takes on death and kicks its arse. Satisfying finish.

FVZA #1 (Radical) by David Hine & Roy Allan Martinez

Mock zombies/vampires web site inspires cool adaption. Vampire terrorists attack America!

GRANDVILLE by Bryan Talbot (HC)

Talking badger detective uncovers 911-style conspiracy in alternative Europe. France rules!

My weekend: Boxers, boogeymen & braaaaaaaaiiinnnnns

2009-11-03T23:04:00.006+11:00

SOMETIMES, I have the coolest job in the world. I had Friday off work (I only work three days), but I'd got an invite to attend the launch of The Contender Australia.

The launch - on the rooftop of the swanky Tilbury Hotel in Woolloomooloo - guaranteed free food, free booze and a chance to perv on host Charlotte Dawson. I got all three wishes. :D

I also chatted with a few of the aspiring boxers competing in the reality TV series including Junior "The One" Talipeau, Luke "Kool Hand" Moloney, Kariz Kariuki and Josh "Cast Iron" Crenshaw. I didn't talk to the series' bad boy, Sonni "Jungle Boy" Michael Angelo, but he made his presence felt on the day. The charismatic-but-crap fighter (from all reports) hijacked the speeches much to the amusement of the attendees and the consternation of the FOX8 suits. All in all, beer and barbecued meat on a beautiful sunny day in Sydney? What more could one ask for?

THAT evening, AW invited me to a free screening of Paranormal Activity, the low-budget flick that's supposedly this year's Blair Witch Project. Made on a US$15,000 budget, it's already raked in more than US$20m in America. I think it'll probably do very well here. Frankly, it's a shit-scary lil' flick - not "the scariest film ever made" as some over-excited people are claiming, but it has lots of bumps, jolts and startling moments, and the ending will stay with you long after the film ends. Hell, despite the fact that Michael Jackson's This Is It was blaring in the cinema next to ours, and I had a chick behind me who was constantly telling her boyfriend, "I'm scaaaaared", I still found Paranormal Activity to be an effective chiller. My recommendation? Go see it with your fave rooting partner and watch them cuddle up next to you during the spooky bits.

ON SATURDAY night, I did something I rarely do these days: I PAID for a movie ticket. Yep, I plunked down my hard-earned for a ticket to an advance screening of Zombieland. It was a part of "A Night Of Horror Halloween Screenings" held at the Dendy Newtown, as part of the Fantastic Planet Sycney Sci-Fi & Fantasy Film Festival (fuck, what a mouthful!).

Being Halloween, a ton of folk dressed up for the occasion, my personal faves being the cutie done up to look like Harley Quinn and, fittingly (considering what happens in the film...don't worry, I won't spoil the surprise for ya), two blokes in full Ghostbusters costume...including working ghost-busting apparatus. Awesomely geeky work, fellas. :D

As for Zombieland, I thoroughly enjoyed this gory comedy romp. Woody Harrelson is back, people, and he's funny as fuck! And, I have to say, I love fast-running zombies, folks. It just adds to the scariness - I'll never take slow-moving zombies seriously again.

Anyway, do yourselves a favour and go see this flick when it premieres in Australia - it is a fucking hoot. Best film of the year? Hmmmmm...quite possibly.

The great Smith's Chips "Vote For Me" Challenge (GRAND FINAL)

2009-11-01T19:41:00.004+11:00

WELL, the moment of truth has arrived. First, here's an interesting fact: I've checked Woollies and Coles all over Sydney and Aline's Caesar Salad is virtually impossible to find (the reason why it took so long to do this final taste test was because it took until today to track down the last packet of her flavoured chips at a Woolworths in Harris Park!).
The other finalist, Lucas' Late Night Kebab, still has a few packets left on sale, maybe a handful.

The buttered popcorn flavour? A reasonable number of bags have been sold but there are enough left to make you realise it wasn't too popular with punters. And guess who's lumbered supermarkets across Sydney with boxes and boxes of shitty unsold chips? Yep, BBQ Coat of Arms. So no surprises there on why these last two flavours bombed in the semifinals.

But let's not muck around any longer. It's time for the final!

Lucas' Late Night Kebab: A great taste and they definitely leave you wanting more. A damn fine flavour.

Aline's Caesar Salad: Probably the more gourmet flavour of the two. Whether I could eat more than one or two packets in a single sitting is debatable as the flavour may be too intense. But as a stand-alone packet of chips, Aline's really effin' rocks.

WINNER (BY A WHISKER): Aline's Caesar Salad

BUT hell! They're both fucking great! Congrats to both Lucas and Aline for coming up with two winning flavours. Nice one, guys! :D

Be a hero

2009-10-31T16:36:00.002+11:00

BE a hero and donate to The Hero Initiative. At the very least, buy this comic and help out some of the people who created your favourite comics of yesteryear.

Comics sales: comparing 1966 to 1969 to 2009

2009-10-31T15:52:00.012+11:00

I think comics have more to fear than the Black Lanterns

I FOUND this interesting item while perusing Uncle Scoopy's Other Crap earlier this week. Uncle Scoopy's thoughts on comics and their decline in sales - as part of a larger story on the year 1966 - is fascinating. More of my thoughts at the end of this piece.

"My best memory of that era: comics sold for twelve cents. Twelve cents may seem outrageously cheap to you, but in fact, the 12-cent cover price had been considered scandalously high just a few years earlier, in 1962! I remember it well. The top-of-the-line comics had sold for 10 cents from more than a quarter of a century, from 1934-61. Dell led the market up till when they raised Walt Disney's Comics And Stories to 15 cents in 1961, and the superhero lines went up to 12 cents in early 1962. That famous Disney comic peaked in 1953, when it was the top seller in the comic world with a circulation of more than three million. By the time it had raised its price to 15 cents, its circulation had already declined to about a million. It was already dying, but the price increase nailed the coffin. By 1968, although Dell had dropped the price back to 12 cents in order to compete with the super-hero titles, the famous Disney comic had dropped to a tenth of its 1953 circulation, and its circulation was no longer near the top titles in the category. By then the top Disney comic was 34th on the list!
In 1966, the legendary Disney title was still hangin' in there in 14th place, two spots higher than the up-and-coming Spider-Man. Here are the top superhero comics of that year ranked by average circuation:

1. Batman DC 898,470
2. Superman DC 719,976
3. Superboy DC 608,386
4. Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane DC 530,808
5. Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen DC 523,455
6. World's Finest Comics DC 513,201
7. Action Comics DC 491,135
8. Adventure Comics DC 481,234
9. Justice League of America DC 408,219
10. Detective Comics DC 404,339
11. Metal Men DC 396,506
12. Amazing Spider-Man Marvel 340,155

Note that Marvel had not yet begun to loosen DC's grip on the market. There are 12 superhero comics on that list, and DC has the top eleven!

The story had changed dramatically by 1969 because Marvel made inroads. That line was hipper than DC's, and more in tune with the concurrent cultural revolution. DC still trod on old, familiar ground, and had really screwed up the signature Batman title by making it jokey like the TV show. Here are the 1969 comic book sales figures:

1. Superman DC 511,984
2. Superboy DC 465,462
3. Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane DC 397,346
4. Action Comics DC 377,535
5. Amazing Spider-Man Marvel 372,352
6. World's Finest Comics DC 366,618
7. Batman DC 355,782
8. Adventure Comics DC 354,123
9. Fantastic Four Marvel 340,363
10. Thor Marvel 266,368
11. Incredible Hulk Marvel 262,472
12. Daredevil Marvel 245,422
13. Captain America Marvel 243,798

You can see that DC was still hanging on the top slots, but with greatly reduced numbers. Batman had lost 60% of its circulation in just three years, despite the free advertising provided by a hit TV show! In terms of comic sales, the New Campy Batman was the New Coke of its day.
Marvel had launched six titles into the top 13 by 1969, and was flooding the market with new titles, thus spreading out the fairly flat circulation of the total category among more titles. DC's individual titles had thus been deflated to the point where the #1 comic in America in 1969 was no longer Superman or Batman, but the dreaded Archie! (The charts here show only the superhero titles.)

Those 1966 and 1969 circulation numbers for individual titles may seem small compared to the three million amassed by Walt Disney's Comics And Stories in 1953, but are still enormous by the standards of today's fragmented market. Here are the top titles in September of this year. They include a variety of price points:

1. Blackest Night 3 $3.99 DC 140,667
2. Captain America Reborn 3 $3.99 Marvel 108,240
3. Batman And Robin 4 $2.99 DC 106,835
4. Green Lantern 46 $2.99 DC 103,579
5. Wolverine Giant-Size Old Man Logan 1 $4.99 Marvel 93,744
6. New Avengers 57 $3.99 Marvel 85,526
7. Green Lantern Corps 40 $2.99 DC 83,042
8. Dark Avengers 9 $3.99 Marvel 79,662
9. Batman 690 $2.99 DC 76,936
10. Uncanny X-Men 515 $2.99 Marvel 73,523
11. Amazing Spider-Man 606 $2.99 Marvel 70,118
12. Ultimate Comics Avengers 2 $3.99 Marvel 68,539
13. Thor 603 $3.99 Marvel 65,210
14. Amazing Spider-Man 607 $2.99 Marvel 62,517

For reference, the venerable Superman title, issue 692, could manage no better than 58th place, with a circulation just below 40,000. Action Comics, issue 881, had numbers almost identical to Superman."

I'm stunned by how low those "top-selling" titles are in 2009 - clearly, there's been major fragmentation in the marketplace due to the sheer quantity of new titles being published each month.

[It's same situation with the magazine industry (speaking from an Australian perspective only): too many titles in a crowded marketplace means that circulation figures have (in general) dropped remarkably in the past 15 years, even for the so-called top titles like Woman's Day and New Idea. And look at TV, ratings have declined because the networks are now competing with Foxtel (and the many HD stations available, too, not to mention DVDs, the Internet and people downloading their favourite shows on broadband).]

Speaking of the Net, I would suggest that the World Wide Web and computer games have also severely hurt comics sales in the past 15 years. There's too much else for children and teenagers to get into these days, so comics (which are relatively expensive) wind up being the less appealing entertainment option for many kids.

I'm not sure what the future holds for comics. I don't believe they'll ever disappear for good, but they're gonna become more and more a niche product for an ageing fan base. Hell...I rarely see someone under the age of 18 in my local comic shop. Nor do I see many kids reading comics on trains or buses or when I visit friends who have children.

I guess Disney and Warner will keep Marvel and DC, respectively, alive as the comics are essentially advertising for upcoming Hollywood movies, which is where the real money lies. Still, it's sad to see such a beautiful artform in what appears to be an irreversible freefall.

What would Audrey Hepburn think...?

2009-10-27T10:42:00.005+11:00

I DON'T recall any nudity in the 1961 film version of Breakfast At Tiffany's. :O

Clearly, this recent English stage version has sauced up the story considerably - Holly Golightly's pert bottom is played by the delicious Anna Friel.

What I read on my holidays in South Australia. By Dann Lennard (age 42 1/2)

2009-10-26T23:30:00.001+11:00

ART OUT OF TIME by Dan Nadel

I PICKED up this book earlier in the year, but held off on reading it till I was on holidays recently. I needed a good toilet read during my 3000km, 10-day cross-country ordeal...er, vacation.

I've been eagerly anticipating reading Nadel's book for months - yet at the same time putting it off...maybe 'cos I feared I'd be disappointed once I started reading it. I'm weird that way, I guess.

Anyway, this overview of a bunch of obscure, brilliant, eccentric or just plain mad comic book artists and newspaper cartoonists was a fascinating read, although a bit hit'n'miss.

The author claimed this was a look at "unknown comics visionaries" from 1900-69, but some of them didn't deserve to be featured in the book, I reckon.

For example, Howard Nostrand and Bob Powell were pedestrian horror artists from the 1940s who got a guernsey on the strength of one offbeat yarn apiece. Rory Hayes' underground stuff was no better or worse than most of the amateurish UG stuff churned out in the late 60s.

Others got into the book for newspaper strips that barely lasted a few weeks or months. Herbert Crowley's The Wiggle Much (1910) is downright disturbing, but I don't know whether he deserves a place.

Admittedly, Harry Grant Dart's The Explorigator (1908) is wonderfully illustrated in a Little Nemo kinda way, as is Norman E. Jennett's Monkey Shines Of Marseleen (1909).

And Garrett Price's Wild West adventure serial, White Boy (1934), warrants a book of its own except there weren't enough episodes produced to fill a book (even a slim one).

Despite a few misgivings about the worthiness of some entries, there's no doubt Art Out Of Time has inspired me to order some other books collecting the works of Dick Briefer (of 40s/50s Frankenstein fame), Fletcher Hanks and Ogden Whitney's Herbie.

Overall, I loved this book and I appreciate Nadel's enthusiasm for (obsession with?) some truly oddball comics and cartoon strips (and their equally oddball creators).

BAT-MANGA! by Chip Kidd et al

SPEAKING of oddball, brilliant book designer Chip Kidd has compiled this wonderful collection of an unusual, largely undiscovered (till now) aspect of the Bat-mania that swept the world during the mid-60s courtesy of the Batman TV series.

It appears Japan took Batman and Robin to their crazy collective heart and bought shitloads of bizarre Bat-merchandise especially made for the local market.

There was even a shortlived manga series based loosely on his exploits.

Bat-Manga! collects many of the comic strips - translated into English but still retaining a distinct Oriental weirdness. There's also oodles of photos of Batman toys, trading cards and other shite sold to eager Japanese kids during the 60s.

Holy Bat-crap - this is fascinating stuff. And as per usual with a Chip Kidd book, it's beautifully designed.

THE 3 GEEKS: GOING TO THE CON by Rich Koslowski

This cheaply printed TPB of the original three-part miniseries (published in 2000, I believe) was a quick, fun read. It takes the piss out of comic book fans and comic conventions. And, frankly, there can never be enough piss-taking of conventions and convention-goers. I've been to a few myself and this series really nailed the absurdity of it all, especially those sad fucks who walk around all weekend dressed as a Klingon or a Star Wars stormtrooper. Sheeeesh.

I picked this up at a second-hand store in Adelaide for $10, so it was a bargain.

OPTIC NERVE #1-4 by Adrian Tomine

The real find of my second-hand storing were these rare mags from 1995-97. And I do mean RARE. They are almost impossible to find on the Net (I later discovered). Even the collected TPBs aren't easy to track down. So this was a major score for me (only $12 for the four issues).

Anyhow, I've seen Optic Nerve floating round my local comic shop for many years, but I'd never picked up a copy until now. I don't know why I waited so long.

These B&W anthologies - featuring bitter-sweet short tales about some very fallible people going through some bad-to-really-fucking-bad situations - remind me a lot of Dan Clowes at his finest (most depressing). For a young guy (well, he was back in the mid-90s), Tomine had/has a lot of talent.

Some of his tales like Echo Ave. (#1), The Connecting Thread, Summer Job and Pink Frosting (#2), Supermarket and Hostage Situation (#3), and Hazel Eyes (#4) have a disturbed, haunting quality that stayed with me long after I'd read them.

If there's one negative, I'd say it's that Tomine's tales are unrelenting in their bleakness. There's only a couple of strips that would be considered "lighthearted" or "hopeful", and I'm probably stretching the definitions of both words here.

Still and all, Optic Nerve is fucking brilliant and I feel compelled to seek out TPBs of his later work.

Who says there's nothing good on YouTube?

2009-10-24T16:37:00.003+11:00

THESE are some screen grabs from Framing Hanley's Lollipop. Someone descided the emo kids needed a hot video of webcam cuties getting (discreetly) nekkid while sucking on lollipops. It's all very arty and tasteful.

Well...maybe not that tasteful.

Check out the full three-minute clip at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxsz-AaGwpc. It'll make your day.

PREVIEW: Dead Set

2009-10-24T15:18:00.005+11:00

'Big Brother' host Davina McCall has had better - more alive - days

THERE'S a double-whammy of zombie goodness running this way: Dead Set is coming to both DVD (late November) and SBS One (premiering Monday, November 9, at 10pm).

Anyone who loves Big Brother (or, even better, HATES the reality TV series) and the fast-running flesh-eaters of 28 Days Later and Dawn Of The Dead (the remake) is gonna love this horror miniseries laced with heavy doses of black humour.

It's Friday night at the Big Brother compound. Inside, the housemates are preparing to lose one of their group in the weekly eviction. Outside, a large group of fans has gathered. Meanwhile, adjoining the BB house, the production crew are furiously working against time to make sure the eviction episode goes off smoothly. They are pushed, prodded and verbally abused by their permanently stressed out, arsehole producer Patrick (Andy Nyman).

Production runner Kelly (Jaime Winstone) is having her own problems with her strained relationship with boyfriend Riq (Riz Ahmed) and a dodgy mobile phone.

But that's all gonna pale into insignificance by the end of the night. All over Britain, riots are breaking out and civil unrest is growing. Patrick is afraid the live eviction is gonna get bumped for news coverage - in fact, something much worse is about to happen.

Everywhere, the dead are coming back to life and attacking the living. They in turn die and return as zombies - fast-running creatures eating anyone still uninfected.

As zombies descend on the compound, a massacre takes place and no-one is safe - the audience, the production crew, even host Davina McCall. No-one that is except a bunch of blithely oblivious contestants inside the BB house.

But what happenes when they eventually discover the world has been overrun by zombies? And how will they fare keeping out both the growing hord of undead monsters gathered outside the house - and the few remaining survivors desperate to break in to what may be the only safe place left in the country?

Dead Set is a dead-set riot: funny, ferocious and bleak, all at the same time. Featuring a great cast including Big Train comedian Kevin Eldon and ex-The Bill star Beth Cordingly (who even gets nude for a shower scene).

DANN SAYS: You'll wanna come back for seconds. Yum, yum!

Which is hotter...?

2009-10-24T14:42:00.005+11:00

HERE'S American Idol cycle one winner Adrianne Curry dressed up as Slave Girl Princess Leia (above), Wonder Woman AND Silk Spectre at some convention. So....which costume is hotter?

Go to http://www.egotastic.com/entertainment/celebrities/adrianne-curry/adrianne-curry-is-slutty-slave-leia-slutty-wonder-woman-and-slutty-silke-spectre-005041, check out the pix and make up your own mind.

Personally, I think all three are smokin'. :P

The great Smith's Chips "Vote For Me" Challenge (second semi-final

2009-10-21T19:43:00.003+11:00

Steve's Buttered Popcorn: First up, I have to ask, "WHY?" If you crave popcorn flavour, then eat fucking popcorn. It's like me putting out Twisties-flavoured chips - it's pointless, dig? Anyway, that nitpicking aside, this flavour sucks arse. Basically, it's heavily salted butter menthol. Like...REALLY HEAVY on the salt. God, this was awful.

Lucas' Late Night Kebab: Wow! There's an orgasm party on my tongue and I think I just came. The lamb flavour is subtle but the garlic sauce flavour on top is a fucking killer. Seriously, this is one seriously fuckin' moreish chip.

WINNER (BY A LANDSLIDE): Lucas' Late Night Kebab!

NEXT TIME: The grand final!

REVIEW: Marvel Adventures' Hulk #13

2009-10-19T21:53:00.003+11:00

IT'S no coincidence I ran a Batman "mummy" cover below. They were already on my mind after reading this fun lil' mag.

It's my contention that the Marvel Adventures line is the most consistently entertaining comics being produced at the moment. While I predominantly read The Avengers, I'll occasionally pick up other titles if they capture my attention.

...And how could I resist this cover, pastiching the classic Avengers #1 from 1963?

Inside, veteran Incredible Hulk writer Peter David gives us a fairly perfunctory tale about New York being taken over by the Living Pharaoh, with most of the city's superheroes being mummified in the process.

What makes the ish is Juan Santacruz and Raul Fernandez' kick-arse art: their renditions of the mummy Captain America and mummy Thor are quite shocking.

Overall, Hulk #13 is a decent read: not earth-shatteringly good, but a fine toilet read...which is perfectly fine by me.

Mummy dearest

2009-10-19T09:32:00.002+11:00

http://www.cracked.com/article_16870_20-most-ridiculous-batman-comics-ever-released.html

Two new zine reviews

2009-10-17T18:07:00.004+11:00

Sprak! Vol. 2 #5: Where does Kami find these obscure gems? Punk Rock, Suzie Heartless, Population:1, Metalheads, Demons Among Us, Isle Of The Damned, Retardead – flicks so bizarre you think they’ve been made up for a prank. But no, these films exist…and Kami loved ’em. Elsewhere, he reviews some films I have heard of like Repo Man (overrated in my opinion), Howling III – The Marsupials, Fair Game (deranged kangaroo shooters vs Mrs John Denver) and the brilliant Ozploitation documentary, Not Quite Hollywood. Every issue of Sprak! leaves me keen to warm up the VCR with some trash cinema while knocking back a few beers. SPRAK!, Kami, PO Box 278, Edwardstown, SA, 5039, AUSTRALIA [AUD$2 for postage, e-mail for price if from overseas 32S :30] – Dann Lennard

Amphetamine Wolverine Blues #0: Who said cut’n’paste is dead? Kami takes his scissors to a bunch of old electronics and hobbies mags and this is the end result. He proclaims, “No computers were hamred in the production of this product.” Amen to that. The zine also comes with a free noise CD created by the author. Surprisingly, I found it quite a comforting listen – in a hypnotic sorta way. Kami, PO Box 278, Edwardstown, SA, 5039, AUSTRALIA [AUD$2 for postage, e-mail for price if from overseas 16S :15] – Dann Lennard

This is the greatest web site EVER.

2009-10-16T21:38:00.001+11:00

And the song will stay in your head all day.

http://existenz.se/out.php?id=17275

The great Smith's Chips "Vote For Me" Challenge (first semi-final)

2009-10-16T17:49:00.005+11:00

IGNORING the fact that Helen and I should have had at least ONE of our many EXCELLENT suggestions nominated for Smith's Chips' "create your own flavour" competition, we still bought packets of all four finalists at Woolworths last week anyway. After all, we're interested to see who'll win this contest and score 1% of profits from sales of their particular chip flavours.

Personally, this is how we see it going down:

Aline's Caesar Salad: The guy on the checkout gave these chips the thumbs down, but we both thought it perfectly captured the flavour of a good Casesar salad (the dressing anyway). Not too sharp, not too tangy - an excellent chip to munch on with a mild lager. Big thumbs up.

Vinnie's BBQ Coat Of Arms: Allegedly barbecued kangaroo and emu in flavour, this chip wound up tasting more like regular BBQ-flavoured chips, only much blander. Perhaps with a hint of pepper in there, but not enough to give it any real zing. Very disappointing.

WINNER: Aline's Caesar Salad!

NEXT TIME: The second semi-final!

REVIEW: The Ghost Of Young Griffo

2009-09-19T12:06:00.006+10:00

THIS is the review I've sent to the always-excellent Zine World. And I'm not biased just 'cos Kami is a mate. This chapbook is excellent value for boxing and poetry fans alike (and I dislike both boxing AND poetry, so that's rare praise from me).

The Ghost Of Young Griffo: Young Griffo is a fascinating figure from boxing's dusty past. The drunken Aussie battler was near-untouchable in the ring for much of the 1890s - a genius at ducking, weaving and hitting. His win-loss record was incredible. Sadly, Young Griffo was also an alcoholic and his addiction ended his career. He died a forgotten pauper in New York City in 1927. Through verse and a nice selection of photos, Kami weaves a moving story of flawed pugilistic genius. I hate poetry and have never thought much of boxing, but I loved this. Kami, PO Box 278, Edwardstown, SA, 5039, AUSTRALIA cammy@arcom.com.au [email for price, 24S :10] – Dann Lennard

Some graphic novels what I have done read lately

2009-08-28T17:31:00.000+10:00

Richard Stark's Parker, Book One: The Hunter.

Adapted and illustrated by Darwyn Cooke
(HB, 140 pages, IDW)

I'VE been aching to see this book since it was first announced earlier this year. Noir comics are the in thing these days (after zombies), but you had to think that the combination of Cooke's retro art and tight'n'taut writing style, combined with the cynical prose of Stark (a pseudonym for the late Donald Westlake), would make for something beyond great. And there was no need to fear any less.

Cooke - a fave of mine thanks to his brilliant work on DC: The New Frontier and Catwoman - has done Stark proud here. In gripping blue-and-white, he deftly retells the 1962 story of Parker, a career criminal who gets crossed on a job by his girlfriend and his partner.

But Parker survives their betrayal and begins a single-minded, relentless pursuit for revenge. Nothing will stand in his way, not even the entire New York Mafia.

DANN'S CALL?: Hard-boiled crime yarn tastes damn good.
RATING: A+

Omega The Unknown Classic
by Steve Gerber, Mary Skreanes, Jim Mooney (& others)
(TPB, 224 pages, Marvel Comics)

I IDOLISED Steve Gerber as a kid - I knew his shit was weird, but I loved his work on Howard The Duck and The Defenders. Omega The Unknown, however, was an...ahem, unknown quantity for much of my formative years.

Due to poor/random distribution in country SA, I only ever saw one issue in a newsagency - Omega #4 - and it kinda weirded me out. School bullies beat the shit out of a fat kid, while a mute alien superhero gets whupped by a cat-throwing dude called El Gato. This seemed too way out to me.

My fondness for the late Gerber's writing - plus a renewed interest in the character courtesy of Jonathan Lethem's recent reimagining (see below) - prompted me to pick up this TPB (featuring a beautiful Gil Kane cover), reprinting the complete Omega #1-10 from 1976-77, plus the disappointing conclusion in The Defenders #76-77 (and one page in #78).

In a nutshell, Omega was an alien superman mysteriously linked to a strange boy called James-Michael. The boy is orphaned when his parents are killed in a car crash (they turn out to be actually robots). He winds up living with a nurse and her groovy friend in New York's Hell's Kitchen where they enjoy strange adventures, occasionally assisted by the silent Omega.

Now, I know a lot of folk have defended Gerber and Skrenes - including Lethem himself in interviews - saying their original vision for Omega was compromised by corporate interference and poor sales. But even taking that into account, the first two issues are crap. Gerber was at the height of 70s Marvel-speak in his writing. Long-winded soliloquies and faux hip street talk clash in this tedious tale about dying alien races, cosmic gods trapped in a hell on earth and symbiotic relationships that seemed to be going nowhere even before the editor stepped in to try to steer the ship back on course.

Marvel brought in guest stars to boost Omega's sales - The Hulk in #2 and Electro in #3. But the comic wasn't helped by introducing such lame villains as El Gato (#4-5), The Wrench (#6) and Blockbuster (#7, #9).

Then, suddenly, in #10, Omega starts talking for no reason, goes to Las Vegas and gets shot dead by the police. The end. Well...not quite.

The Omega saga was eventually wrapped up in The Defenders a year or so later. With Gerber having left Marvel in a huff, it was up to writers Steven Grant and Mark Gruenwald to make sense of the mess. There was a resolution to Omega's mysterious origin (I won't spoil it for those who haven't read the TPB...actually, I won't reveal it 'cos it's so fucking lame and really confusing) and James-Michael was killed. End of story. For real this time.

So, after reading this whole shebang, what do I think? Well, I think Omega the TPB was over-priced, overrated, overwrought nonsense.

Praise Gerber for his work on Man-Thing or Howard or The Defenders. But not this half-arsed effort.

I'm gonna keep this collection for nostalgia's sake, but I doubt I'll be reading it again.

DANN'S CALL?: Needs more Duck.
RATING: C-

Omega The Unknown by Jonathan Lethem, Lark Rusnak, Farel Dalrymple & Paul Hornschemeier
(HB, 240 pages, Marvel Comics)

THERE'S nothing more satisfying than sex. No, wait, than a beer shit. No, wait, than reading a novel that grips you from start to finish and makes you tingle with warm satisfaction when you reach the end.

That's the feeling I had after reading Lethem's reimagining of the original Gerber/Skrenes effort. Thankfully, the author of Fortress of Solitude, etc keeps the bare bones of the 1970s comic and jettisons the crap (no El Gato, no Blockbuster, no Las Vegas gambling trip, no sassy photographer room mate). Instead, he adds several new, fascinating layers of weirdness to the tale.

Although ostensibly set in the "Marvel Universe", there are no Spider-Man cameos, thank fuck. Instead, the big superhero in town is the arrogant, PR-driven The Mink. He fights Omega, his own giant hand (don't ask), robots and zombies propelled by nanotechnology. And the zombie "virus" is spread through a fast food franchise's hamburgers!

Dalrymple's indy art style perfectly complements this offbeat yarn, possibly the most satisfying "superhero" yarn I've read in years.

And, God bless Steve Gerber, it's infinitely superior to the original Omega.

DANN'S CALL?: Omega is Alpha.
RATING: A+

Movie review: "Anvil! The Story Of Anvil" (2008)

2009-08-27T23:39:00.010+10:00

FREE tickets will make me like anything. Nah, that's not true. I got free tickets to Superman Returns and that sucked. I got free tickets to Catwoman and that licked a dead dog's bollocks. I got free tickets to The Chronicles Of Riddick and the only reason why I didn't proclaim it the worst film I've ever seen was because I'd already seen Catwoman.

But free tickets to see Anvil! The Story Of Anvil AND get a chance to party afterwards with Anvil's Lips and Robb? Hell, it automatically made me go into the George Street Cinemas keen to like this documentary.

And after watching it? Well, I did.........a lot. And I'm not even a fan of heavy metal.

Despite way too many uncomfortable similarities to This Is Spinal Tap, 1984's seminal mockumentary, Anvil! may just be the best film I've seen this year (and I've seen some good 'uns, so that's high praise indeed).

Anvil! traces the story of two lifelong friends, Lips and Robb, who formed Anvil in Toronto, Canada back in the late 70s. Anvil became an influential band in the heavy metal scene, inspiring such supergroups as Anthrax, Guns N' Roses, Metallica and Motorhead.

Anvil achieved brief fame in the early 80s, even performing to sell-out crowds in Japan for a monster heavy metal tour that also featured the likes of Whitesnake and Bon Jovi. Director (and former Anvil roadie) Sacha Gervasi points out that all the bands on that tour went on to make millions...except Anvil. Through mismanagement, geographical isolation and general bad luck they slipped into obscurity. But they didn't die.

The doco follows Lips and Robb as they continue to pursue their rock'n'roll dreams: working crappy jobs during the week and rocking out with the band in front of small crowds in local bars on weekends. We see their long-suffering wives, children and family members, who have to put up with two 50+ metalheads try to cling to the notion that one day they'll hit it big.

The film follows Anvil on a disastrous Spinal Tap-like tour of Europe that sees them degenerate from opening at a huge festival in Sweden to performing in someone's living room in the Czech Republic (with a big fat dude rocking out in front of the stage while SITTING in a comfy chair).

Upon their return to Canada, Lips and Robb hold onto the hope that their 13th album (This Is Thirteen) will bring them good luck. Especially when they get legendary metal producer Chris Tsangarides to twiddle the knobs for them.

But will the success that has eluded Anvil for 25 years finally come their way? And how will it affect the complicated relationship between Robb and Lips? Well, you'll just have to go see the film to find out, but I will say that ultimately the touching friendship between these ageing rockers is the warm heart of this touching, funny, engrossing film.

Robb and Lips: Lips is the charismatic force that drives the story in 'Anvil! The Story Of Anvil'

As for the after-party, my rock chick mate and I went to a trendily decrepit upstairs bar on Oxford Street that would normally NEVER let me in, except I had a wristband and they HAD to let me in. I drank shitty (but free) VB beer all night and stared at hookers (I was reliably informed) - clad in ultra-short miniskirts, fishnets and thigh-high boots - hit on some new indy darling band called Short Stack. And Robb and Lips appeared for a few minutes to hug a few fat music execs, before heading back to their hotel. Not very rock'n'roll at all, I'd say. Still, the hookers were fucking hot.

DANN'S FINAL WORDS: ANVIL...ANVIL!...ANVIL!!!

RATING: A++ (all the way to 11, if you will)

REVIEW: North 40 #2

2009-08-22T00:15:00.002+10:00

North 40 #2 by Aaron Williams & Fiona Staples (Wildstorm)

Conover County's gone to hell thanks to some Goth kids dabbling in Cthulhu territory. Now, those citizens who haven't turned into Gods or horrible demons have become the hunted - and there's no way out.

Dave Atterhull is channelling The Hulk, only he's smart, a redneck and has a major hate for another clan down the road.

Zach Jacobs is turning into thousands of insects, which isn't much use when everyone keeps stepping on him.

Wyatt Hinkle is invulnerable, but the townie who used to give him grief is now a psychokinetic psycho, which ups the hazing ante somewhat.

Just about the only normal person left with any idea of what to do is Sheriff Morgan, but there are only so many bullets in his gun and way too many uppity locals-turned-evil-monsters to deal with. Can a scythe-wielding newbie witch called Amanda be the answer to his prayers?

Maybe, but you can be sure there'll be a lot of grossness and gruesome deaths before this story reaches what I feel sure will be a satisfying conclusion.

Oh... and there's a prom dance and well-dressed zombies in issue #3. That should be fun.

DANN'S CALL?: Love the Lovecraft.
RATING: A

Shit comics I've bought (and love), Part 2

2009-08-21T23:25:00.004+10:00

NOG #1 (1981) - written and drawn by Turtel Onli - may not be the worst comic ever produced, but it's certainly the most confusing.

The introduction is a glowing endorsement of both "the long heralded exploits" of NOG and the brilliance of Turtel Onli ("one of Chicago's leading artist/illusrators"). It appears to have been written by...Turtel Onli.

"Those of you have eagerly followed the adventures of this incredible super hero in comic strips throughout this country and France may now join with other NOG afficianados in celebrating this anxiously awaited entrance into the Comic Book Kingdom.
"Combining well-researched graphic elements of primitive Nubian culture with the imaginative expertise of its science fiction format, NOG appeals not only to an audience that demands quality and adventure from it's comic books, but also to one that is sensitive to the issue of human rights and it's potential for expression in the world of the avant-garde."

Okaaaaaaaay...and here I was thinking NOG was just a few badly ripped-off Marvel superheor poses mixed with some shitty Nubian symbols copied from whatever Black History textbook Turtel was studying at the time. Clearly, there's something deeper going on here. Let's peruse the 17-page strip (or "Book One" as Turtel calls it) and find out, shall we?

NOG is the "Protector Of The Pyramides" and champion of the "funky spaceway". We know this 'cos Turtel tells us every second page. He's also "be the baddest upon dry-land".

NOG protects the planet Nubia, which is suddenly threatened by the monstrous Mag-Non or possibly the T-Monster - they seem to be interchangeable even though they're separate creatures...or maybe they're the same? The scratchy art and pretentious sub-Marvel writing is so poor that this fact is never made clear.

Mag-Non/T-Monster is the "chump-fool supreme". We know this 'cos Turtel keeps telling us every second page. I have no idea what this means - is it an insult? I'm not sure.

At the end of the first instalment, NOG has turned the tables on his foe: "Behold Mag-Non for in this instant I am fluid yet in the next moment gas, in the third I'll return to solid matter and back after your sick ass!!!"

Turtel follows up this epic with "Glossary Of Nog": two pages that explain to retarded readers the meaning of "Africa", "Drums", "Sphinx" and all the other vaguely African words he's thrown into the previous 17 pages of hokey drivel.

I don't think there was an issue two of NOG. And I don't think Turtel became the legendary comic book artist he so clearly was in his own mind.

But don't feel bad for the guy - he eventually landed on his feet. I hear he got his skin bleached and landed an ongoing role in Entourage. Nice one, fella.

Shit comics I've bought (and love), Part 1

2009-08-21T13:05:00.003+10:00

IMAGE COMICS has a lot to answer for. After the success of WildC.A.T.s, Youngblood et al in the early 1990s, the company looked for similar angry, badly drawn team properties to cash in on. This pursuit of quality art and stories led to the release of The Pact in 1994.

The three-part miniseries - created by Jim Valentino primarily as part of a trading card set, it seems - was co-written by Jim and Len Sencal and "drawn" in fine Rob Liefeld-swiping style by Walter McDaniel and Matt Banning.

The cover gives you a clue of what to expect inside. Four angry, screaming superheroes charge towards the reader. One is carrying a huge gun and smoking a cigarette. One is carrying a big, bad-ass sword. The big strong guy behind them has no legs (too finicky to draw). Only one of them has feet (a tribute to Liefeld, maybe?).

But that's just a taster. Summarising the first issue showcases everything that was wrong with Image and superhero comics in general in the early 1990s.

We zoom in on a mansion. On the opening spread, two impossibly angry men in preposterous costumes are yelling at each other with spittle strung between their teeth.

Why are they arguing? Clearly, this comic must start with CONFLICT between team members, even if there's no good reason for it.

Maybe they're upset because they've been given the names Handgunn and Blacklight.

But the fight is broken up by this team's leader, the even more impossibly muscled Slam. Why is he so angry? Perhaps because he has been given the worst superhero name ever.

The token black female of this group is called Cutlass. Her muscles are smaller than the males, but she makes up for it with impossibly large breasts...nearly as large as Slam's.

Handgunn and Blacklight can't be stopped. Their conflict must be resolved with FISTS!

Why are they angry with each other? Who is this band of intrepid adventurers? Why are they gathered together in an uneasy, angry alliance. WE DON'T KNOW. It's NOT IMPORTANT.

Instead, we cut immediately to "The Center". The Center is bad. Why? WE DON'T KNOW.
But inside The Center is a mysterious man. He introduces three evil supervillains. Who to...? The reader? Another mystery man standing next to him? WE DON'T KNOW.

The villains are all female. They are all clad in ridiculously skimpy, impractical-for-fighting lingerie...sorry, costumes. The artists are so lazy they give two of them the same face mask. Their names are Nightstick - she carries a stick. And Sybil who has multiple personalities. And Blast who...uh, blasts things. Their conversations on this page don't flow and make no sense no matter how you read the page, up-down or side-to-side. They are sent to capture The Pact...or some of The Pact...for some reason. Why? WE DON'T KNOW.

Elsewhere, someone is having a bad dream. She's trapped in a padded cell and about to be experimented on by evil men. She wakes up...it's Cutlass. As she wakes, she finds she's about to be killed by Blast. They know each other. They fight. (Finally...this is why we bought this comic, right?).

Everyone fights the bad guys...er, girls. Slam is suddenly worried about his parents. Yes, the mansion belongs to them. And they live here...with four steroid-abusing, psychotic heroes who hate each other. In a mansion that can be easily located by three psychotic enemies.

Slam rescues them from certain death. They don't seem too upset that half their home has been destroyed in a violent melee. They cheerfully tell the combatants, "Now, now, children. Stop that bickering."

Handgunn battles Sybil. They compare guns and Handgunn finds himself strangely attracted to her. "Cause I'm kinda psycho too" he quips through gritted teeth.

The Pact wins, easily defeating the three psycho chicks. Sorta...

Suddenly, another wall explodes and we're greeted with this final two-page spread:

Why are Youngblood here? Why do they want The Pact? Why is it so easy to track down these guys, who supposedly don't want to be found? And why does Shaft's comment - "Don't make us fight you" - ring hollow when he's pointing a bow and arrow at them (not to mention, Youngblood just smashed in the wall of someone's house without provocation)?

Why? Why? Why? WE DON'T KNOW. Because NOTHING is ever explained. Because a plot would get in the way of the HARD-HITTING ACTION!!!!!!

And look!!! More exclamation points!!!!!!

The blurb for the next issue reads: "They thought The Renegades were tough?" (Ohhhhh, so THAT was the name of the three chicks they just beat up, thanks for telling us)

"Wait until The PACT goes up against YOUNGBLOOD! This could be the battle of the century! This could be a very short series!"

Sadly, it lasted another two issues.

Wednesday Comics: halftime review

2009-08-18T18:51:00.007+10:00

YEP, we're up to issue six of DC's ambitious 12-part weekly broadsheet comic (well, I have #6 in my hot lil' hands, but I've only read the first five). Everyone's raving about the title. Everyone loves the idea of bringing back the "good old days" of Sunday comics - the childhood thrill of sitting down with eight pages of colour toons on a Sunday arvo while your parents read the rest of the newspaper. And everyone's dreading that after forking out US$4 per ish for cheap newsprint, we'll get shafted by a deluxed oversized collected edition later this year for half the price. But I digress...

So has the Wednesday Comics concept worked? Well, not across the board. Trouble is, most of the very talented writers and artists on board have made the same errors: pretty pictures alone don't make a fucking adventure strip. The tales need structure - natural weekly highs and lows But, also, we want action, ACTION, ACTION! Some creators have clearly created a 12-page comic and not embraced the cliffhanger concept at all.

Let's break it down, shall we?
Batman by Azzarello/Risso: It has the feel of a traditional Sunday comic...in that it feels like I'm missing six daily strips before I get to the next Sunday instalment. What the fuck is happening? And why should I care about five effing pages of Batman flirting with a femme fatale (and no titties to bargain!)? RATING: C
Kamandi by Gibbons/Sook: Now THIS is an adventure strip in the grand tradition. Rollicking action, a fast-paced storyline. Gibbons is a sharp writer and Sook illustrates it in fine Hal Foster/Alex Raymond fashion. RATING: A+
Superman by Arcdudi/Bermejo: Booooooooring. Too much angst, too much talking, too much walking round Smallville. Do something!! RATING: D
Deadman by Bullock/Heuck: Splashy, flashy. Storyline is thin, but at least it's fun to look at... RATING: B+
Wonder Woman by Caldwell: ...unlike this piece of crap with its scrawly, teeny-tiny caption pictures and speech balloons. I think it's supposed to be a pastiche of Little Nemo. One problem, Mr Caldwell, Little Nemo had fucking great art and engaging storylines. This is just woeful. RATING: F
Green Lantern by Busiek/Quinones: More about Hal Jordan than GL, but this The Right Stuff-style yarn is building nicely. RATING: B
Metamorpho by Gaiman/Allred: An all-star team doing a winning yarn on a B-string hero. And it's done right - like a true Sunday page. Just lovely. RATING: A
Teen Titans by Berganza/Galloway: It's trying to be deep but this anime-style strip is at-times confusing, superficial and forgettable. RATING: D
Strange Adventures by Pope: Paul Pope is genius. Adam Strange has never read better. Give this man his own regular sci-fi/sword'n'sorcery title NOW, DC! It's only slightly regrettable that the evil protagonists in this strip are talking apes, mirroring what's going on in Kamandi several pages earlier. Whoops. Otherwise, this is perfect storytelling. RATING: A
Supergirl by Palmiotti/Conner: Light fluff. Kinda fun but not earth-shattering. RATING: B-
Metal Men by Didio/Lopez/Nowlan: Silver Age-ish fun. Perfect Sunday arvo fodder. RATING: B
Hawkman by Baker: Kyle Baker's art is lovely and the story is a nice mix of grim superhero action and sci-fi intrigue. It's just a pity the strip stars the world's shittest superhero (well...next to Aquaman, that is). RATING: B-
Sgt Rock by Kubert/Kubert: What you'd expect from these guys. Gritty. Probably a bit slow-moving at the moment, but I'm sure it'll pick up. RATING: B-
The Flash by Kerschl/Fletcher: I'm loving this dual tale of the adventures of The Flash and Barry Allen. Yet another evil ape here, this time it's Gorilla Grodd. Hopefully, the current confusion about two Flashes will resolve itself quickly so this tale can...ahem, race to a satisfying conclusion. RATING: B (tentative, depending on what happens in the next week or two)
The Demon & Catwoman by Simonson/Stelfreeze: This should've been great - instead, it's suffering from Batman-itis. I feel like I'm missing the six daily eps to keep me on top of what's fucking happening in the colour Sunday spread. Disappointing, although the art is cool and these two characters are favourites of mine. RATING: C- (hopefully, this will improve)

DANN'S HALFTIME CALL?: They're weekly adventures, guys, so give us fucking exciting, thrill-a-minute storylines we care about! Less talk, more action!
OVERALL RATING: B-

Something to Marvel over

2009-08-18T18:43:00.000+10:00

SOOOOOOOOO.......Marvel owns the rights to Marvel Man now. I wonder where that leaves Miracleman, Neil Gaiman, the original Alan Moore tale, etc etc et-bloody-cetera?

I'll wait before I pass judgment on Joe Quesada (who did the above poster) and pals. But I have this real fear Marvel's gonna fuck up Mick Anglo's creation just as badly as I fear DC will fuck up the Red Circle heroes and Wally Wood's T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents. Sigh...

But I am sooooooooo getting this fucking exclusive-to-North-America T-shirt. In fact, good King Bosco has already bought one for me and it'll soon be winging its way down-under. Nice one!

Quick reviews of some graphic novels what I have done read recently...

2009-08-18T16:42:00.000+10:00

Irredeemable Vol. 1 by Mark Waid & Peter Krause

(TPB, collects #1-4, 112 pages, Boom! Studios)

I'VE had #1, #3 & #4 for ages, but I've had a helluva time trying to find Irredeemable #2 (which is currently out of stock EVERYWHERE, including the USA). So when this appeared out of the blue in my local comic shop last week, I decided to suck it up and buy the GN as I've waited too long to read this damn comic. The first ish looked great and writer Mark Waid maintains the effort in the next three issues.

The premise? What if Superman became a psychotic, genocidal madman? What would you do? Where would you run? Who could stop him? What do the world's supervillains think of it all? And what drove this living god mad in the first place?

Waid - a writer who've I've never really got into in the past - is doing a great job in exploring why a constant stream of small slights and insults could eventually push the Plutonian over the edge.

If Boom! is gonna continue doing such quick turnarounds when it comes to the release of GNs, then I'll skip the regular series and wait for Vols. 2 & 3. This should be a fun ride...even if I suspect I already know how the series is going to be resolved. We'll have to wait and see on that one.

DANN'S CALL?: Irredeemably good.

RATING: A

The Metal Men by Duncan Rouleau
(TPB, 200 pages, DC Comics)

NOW this was a major disappointment. I bought it sight unseen 'cos I'm reading new Metal Men stories in Wednesday Comics and the relaunched Doom Patrol.

But this 2007 eight-part miniseries is just a mess. In fact, some of the reviews on Amazon.com sum it up far more perfectly than I can: "bewildering", "muddled", "science babble" and "the story's non-linear format goes beyond confusing".

Basically, when you muck around with time travel and don't know what the fuck you're doing, then this is what results. You've been told, Duncan Rouleau.

DANN'S CALL?: Metal madness.

RATING: C-

Mysterius The Unfathomable by Jeff Parker & Tom Fowler

(Wildstorm, 6-part miniseries)

I REALLY enjoy Jeff Parker's lighthearted-but-sharp writing on such titles as Marvel Adventures The Avengers and Agents Of Atlas. After Blair Butler gave Mysterius a plug a few months back, I was intrigued enough to pick up all six issues of this supernatural romp and read them in one hit. My assessment? Great art but this isn't one of Parker's better efforts. An amoral stage magician is actually a near-immortal mystic. He and his cynical new PA battle monsters from another dimension and an evil undead mystic. At times it struggles to rise above the cliches. But I do give points to Jeff for basing one of Mysterius's enemies on Dr Seuss. The idea of children reading his books of verbal gobbledygook, not realising they're actually chants to raise demons from the abyss is pretty cool. Overall, though, Mysterius The Unfathomable is a series where the art definitely wins over the story.

DANN'S CALL?: The Sneetches are creatures!

RATING: B-

One wonders why I have a blog...

2009-08-12T14:06:00.003+10:00

...let alone SIX! Especially when I so rarely write on them, it seems. Let's just say life as the father of a very active two-year-old is keeping me extremely busy. Thankfully, I think things are looking up when it comes to time-management issues and I hope to do more posts both here and on my other blogs, especially my long-term pet project, "The A-Z of Wrestling Comics".

Anyway, the catalyst for this revival of activity/enthusiasm/interest is that Helen and I have just completed the second issue of our print zine, Keeping Up With Jones. This is a little A5 publication that we produce for friends and family and keeps them updated on the adorable (to us, anyway) antics of JJ.

Now that it's finished and headed to the printers, I'm gonna step up my work on the next issue of BP (or "Son Of BP" as I call it), plus another wrestling zine and a more...ADULT publication that will be a very limited-release publication.

Anyway, once they're done, I'll be able to devote more of my time to keeping these blogs updated. That's the plan anyway...

Meanwhile, here's a great deal for anyone chancing upon this blog: send me the name and address of someone you think might be interested in BP and I'll send them a couple of back issues FOR FREE. That's right, FREE. Can't say fairer than that, can I?

Just e-mail me at danhelen[at]idx[dot]com[dot]au for details.

As a wise fake Nazi wrestler once said, "And zat is all zee people need to know!"

Supanova: Do the Funky Gibbons

2009-06-29T21:57:00.005+10:00

Artist extraordinaire Dave Gibbons

FRANKLY, I was wondering whether I'd wasted my time at this year's Supanova in Sydney. I turned up late on Sunday arvo - half-pissed - and joined the queue to get something signed by Dave Watchmen Gibbons, only to be told by a coupla smiling Nazis that they weren't letting anymore people into the queue.

"Come back at 5pm and you might get lucky," they said helpfully, while I stumbled away, grumbling to myself. Soured my day, I can tell you.

Luckily, when I rocked back at 5pm, the queue was gone and after a little pleading, I was allowed to meet the great man.

"You're the lucky last," he said, smiling, as he signed my copy of Watching The Watchmen.

Yeah, Dave Gibbons: you ARE a nice man...just like everyone told me.

OTHER SUPANOVA THOUGHTS: AWF ran wrestling bouts all weekend. I missed them, but still chatted afterwards with Aurora, JT Robinson and TNT. All nice folk - shame AWF isn't one of my fave local promotions.

Caught up with AW, Camuke & Ali G. Camuke had a copy of Jiminy Glick in Lalawood for me - you legend! :D

Picked up a $2 introductory ish of Magellan (a promising-looking superhero web comic), a free copy (& poster) of The Dark Detective: Sherlock Holmes from Black House Comics (very impressive comic) and the Tintin-esque hardback graphic novel Captain Congo And The Crocodile King by Ruth Starke and Greg Holfield. This looks friggin' awesome!

Also nabbed some Watchmen fridge magnets for JJ. All in all, a pretty fruitful haul.

Will I attend Supanova 2010? Yeah, maybe...as long as they bring out someone good in the comics field. Ben Templesmith in 2008, Dave Gibbons in 2009, who knows for next year? Fingers crossed.

Kim Kardashian...

2009-05-21T10:11:00.001+10:00

...playing with a football on a beach in Miami. Lovely stuff.

Happy birthday for March 31, Vanessa Del Rio!

2009-03-31T14:56:00.002+11:00

The WebMistress turns 57. Have a great day, VDR.

Kate Beckinsale...good for something, I guess

2009-01-15T14:58:00.006+11:00

THESE pix (and outtakes) from a recent issue of Mean magazine are proof that Kate Beckinsale may be a crap actress, but at least she looks good in photos. So she's not completely useless. Isn't that nice to know?

Oh no...it's Coco!

2009-01-14T12:36:00.003+11:00

COCO oiling her bootylicious body, then getting topless in the swimming pool...

My my my...ya gotta love this. :D