2014 In Review--My Favorite Ongoing Comics This Year

And The Winner Is...
To kick-off my series of segments looking at 2014 I thought I would make sense to start with some of my favorite comics from this year that were ongoing series. Now, I do have another post that deals with my favorite cancelled comics of 2014, but that will go up at a later date and these are ongoing titles that seem to be continuing into the foreseeable future. Now, in no particular order my top three ongoing series and an honorable mention...

...These Comics!
Zero

Ales Kot has a fascinating comic he is writing here. Each issue has a different artist (but the same colorist in Jordie Bellaire) but it isn't too jarring as often we view different times in the life of Edward Zero, a man who was raised by "The Agency" but then left it. It is a fascinating series exploring the mindset of a man who for so long lived in violence and then tried to achieve peace, but as we see from scenes set far in the future with Zero as a young man things went horribly wrong. Each issue's artist compliments the plot well, be it brutal violence, a peacefully quiet vignette, or whatever else Kot feels like having occur. I just really, really, enjoy this.

Moon Knight

Warren Ellis absolutely killed it on the first six issues of this comic with artist Declan Shalvey and colorist Jordie Bellaire (the same person from "Zero"!) contributing art that complimented the writing in ways that resulted in something quite often amazing. I was concerned when Brian Wood took over writing with art by Greg Smallwood, but since came on I have continued to be impressed. This results in a comic that despite having a big change in writer and artist (thankfully Bellaire continues to supply amazing color-work) still found itself as one of my favorite books of 2014.

Moon Knight is of course a hero I absolutely love to a degree you could argue is an unhealthy level of fanboy-ism, so even if his comic were terrible I would probably pick it up. Therefore, it is just wonderful that a comic about one of my most beloved characters can also be a book I think is just stellar and which continues to impress even as it seems Marc Spector may not be as much of the "Moon Knight" he once was. What will happen before the next creative team appears for the next arc will remain to be seen, but as long as it continues the trend of quality work I'll be eager to read "Moon Knight".

The Wicked and The Divine

This one took a little while to grow on me, besdies instantly loving Luci. The early issues had me unsure what exactly I was dealing with, the immense cast could be confusing, and I wasn't sure if the main protagonist Laura was especially interesting a person. However, as the first four issues passed I found myself being more and more drawn into this world where every ninety years Gods manifest on Earth--but only for two years. I was fascinated by the pantheon of characters as we got to know them a bit better, and then the absolutely shocking events of the fifth issue (why did they do that to Luci?) followed by an ominous sixth have me completely hooked.

Kieron Gillen and Jamie Mckelvie are of course a stellar team, turning in such amazing works as  "Phonogram" or "Young Avengers", so when you get a writer and artist duo that seem to work so perfectly in sync it just results in a wonderful title. "The Wicked and the Divine" is a prime example of that and I am excited to see where it goes.

Honorable Mention--Afterlife with Archie

Is this really an ongoing comic? I mean, I suppose it officially is in that there is no determined final issue and we get a new entry in the zombie-infested adventures of Archie and crew every long once in a while. That said, this just comes out so rarely I wasn't sure I could truly say it was one of my favorite ongoing comics this year so much as declaring it is a stellar comic on the rare occasion an issue comes out of this sadly oft-delayed title. How delayed is it? Well, this issue discusses Thanksgiving and the next one which has an undetermined release date is the Christmas issue...and Christmas just passed us. All of that aside however, this is a stellar comic with art by Francavilla that blows my mind and quality story-telling by Aguirre-Sacasa. I just wish "Afterlife with Archie" came out more often than every 4 or 5 months.

There Are Plenty More Thoughts on 2014 to Share
That's the start of my thought-pieces on 2014. Come on back soon for more. It should be a fun six days.

Merry Christmas! Also, My "2014 in Review" Posts Start Tomorrow!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas full of joy and cheer. I myself celebrated the end of Hanukkah on the 23rd and now will enjoy this day too. It might interest you to know that I have a whole bunch of posts discussing 2014 in review that I plan to put up over the next six days between Christmas and the start of the New Year. I hope you enjoy all the posts, whether you agree with my thoughts or not. Now, the spirit of the season I wanted to share the video Christmas card Kanye West and Kim Kardashian put out last year. Well, Saturday Night Live's version of it at least:

(Not A) Film Friday: So Much for "The Interview"

A Bland Title, A Big Controversy

So, "The Interview", you may have heard about it. A comedy movie featuring Seth Rogen and James Franco, they play the head of (and producer for) a tabloid-styled news program. They learn the leader of North Korea--Kim Jong-un--is actually a fan of the show, and get invited to interview him. This leads to the CIA asking them to assassinate Kim, at which point I imagine various shenanigans and acts of mischief occur. I may never actually know, as Sony has basically given in to the demands of self-declared terrorists hackers and announced that "The Interview" will not be coming out on Christmas day, or possibly at all. That's right, there isn't even a plan to delay the movie or make it go straight to video-on-demand. It's just cancelled. Wow. How did we get here?

How We Got Here.

Another thing you may have heard about was that just recently Sony was hacked (yes, again, but this time it was even worse than in 2011). It now has been confirmed that North Korea-located hackers were behind it, and all sorts of things were leaked. Nothing illegal has come out about Sony, but private details and correspondence now is being gleefully reported by various media outlets. Putting aside the ethical question of if we really need to know about what was in the leaks (if Sony wasn't doing anything illegal do we have the right to pry into the privacy of employees who sent messages about actors they disliked or such? I mean, this isn't at all like with the NSA leak...) it has caused a headache for Sony. In addition, further threats that theaters showing "The Interview" could face attacks were made, and within this week "The Interview" has gone from being an upcoming Christmas release to basically dead in the water.

This cancellation of "The Interview" has upset basically everyone. In the delightful paradox of how we always want to see things we can't people now are saying that they had minimal interest in "The Interview" but now they have to see it. Mitt Romney said Sony should offer it for free online as a big middle-finger to North Korea,and Obama said Sony made a mistake choosing to not release it. That's right, Democrats and Republicans agree Sony should release the flick--and the rarity of politicians from both side of the aisle agreeing is equivalent to your odds of seeing a White Rhino.

So, Here We Are

We are basically now at the point where is Sony doesn't release "The Interview" they look like terrorist-capitulation-types who hate America, and if they do release it basically everyone is going to go see it, whether it is good or bad. This actually has had some folk mulling over if we are playing into a secret plan of Sony. I mean, Sony getting hacked clearly wasn't a trick, but seeing all the heat "The Interview" is causing and threats it is getting might have had some crafty Sony executives think, "Hey, this movie is getting so much press, what if say we aren't going to let folk see it?" and of course people will go ballastic because we as a society are more prone to the Streisand-effect than one could believe. I'm not sure how likely this conspiracy-theory is. I would totally believe it that Sony freaked out when threats were made that theaters could be attacked and due to their own choice or because the film industry was nervous at the idea of people avoiding cinemas on Christmas, any immediate release of "The Interview" was canned.

The exact reason behind why Sony chose not to release "The Interview" may be unclear, but now everybody wants to see it for reasons that range from having just been interested in the movie and its actors (as I had been), to feeling it is now a political act. I myself just really enjoy movies with Seth Rogen and James Franco, finding almost anything they team-up in to be good--except maybe "This is the End" which I found extremely underwhelming--so I was excited to see "The Interview" and now am sad that I may not be able to. We will probably see in the upcoming days something definitive occurring. Namely, Sony gives a new release date, puts "The Interview" online, or something of that sort. I would be a bit surprised if they really do just scrap it and try to have us all forget it existed. We will see. In the meantime I can always re-watch "Pineapple Express" to get some laughs.

UPDATE On 12/23/14:
It took until Tuesday, but it seems Sony is going to allow theaters to show "The Interview" and offer it as a video-on-demand for those who feel unease about going to see it. Now the question becomes what theaters will be willing to show it (some independent ones have already said they will) and if all of this hullabaloo over the movie will end up helping it, hurting it, or having little effect on the total profit.

Reviews of some BOOM! Studios Comics from the Last Three Weeks

The Fuse is Lit...

I enjoy reading comics from a variety of publishers, but there are some who have stuff I've followed from when they first started to where they are now. One example of a publisher this applies to is BOOM! Studios, or BOOM, as I will refer to them from this point on so as to make my spell-check freak out less about the grammatically-inconvenient exclamation mark. BOOM came into existence in 2005, around when I started reading comics again, and I recall the old and new material fondly.

I remember some of their early stuff, be it Cthulhu-themed comics or the book "Tag" about a curse that causes you to decompose and which the only way to stop is by passing it to someone else--i.e.--tagging them. Yes, there was some good stuff from BOOM. Over time they have grown from their smaller output however, now releasing many comics from a variety of creators, and even acquiring another publisher--Archaia--a little while back as an imprint now. Thankfully, despite getting larger in size and number of comics that hasn't stopped BOOM from putting out books I mostly like. With that in mind, let's examine some of their recent output and my enjoyment of it...

...BOOM!
Memetic #2

I absolutely loved the first issue of "Memetic" and while this one isn't quite as amazing (which is not its fault, as part of the appeal of the first issue was the suspense of wondering what the mysterious meme would do) it still is a really good time. Throughout this issue it begins to become more apparent how the meme may just look like an image, but in fact is a dangerous idea that's in a way viral--and constantly evolving.

In this issue we get a bit more character development between our two main protagonists, a young fellow who is unaffected by the meme due to being color-blind and a former military-man whose loss-of-sight spares him from the danger. I still love the concept as it is still terrifying of how it seems eerily possible for a potentially innocent Jpeg such as the comic's, "Good Times Sloth," to in fact be wielded as a weapon in our incredibly-technologically-connected society. Plus he just looks so cute:

Throughout this issue society continues to fall apart, our characters fight to survive, and the mystery of just who could have been behind the meme grows. All-in-all its a stellar issue and I am excited to see what happens in the upcoming conclusion!
4.5 out of 5 stars.

Escape from New York #1

I haven't seen the film "Escape From New York" in quite a long while, and while I can barely remember the details, this sequel-comic thankfully requires you only recall the ending of the flick (or check Wikipedia for a light plot description) in order to have an idea of what is going on. The reason for this is the comic is written quite well and fills-in-the-blanks of any questions that a reader who is mostly unaware of how the film took place may have. As I mentioned, this is in fact a sequel, starting up at the last moments of the film and proceeding from there. Basically our "hero", Snake Plissken, is on the run from the United States government due to his general refusal to play nice, and along the way encounters a variety of interesting characters.

The comic does a good job supplying the action-feel and dark humor of the original movie, making it clear that this isn't some straight-faced shoot'em-up comic, but one with a bit of a satirical bent, mocking a potential future (now past) in which society has become a laughable mess. Snake doesn't say too much in the comic, but he doesn't need to, what he does says more than any words. It is clear that Snake isn't a simple do-gooder willing to follow orders, but he also can't stand people who are evil and violent for no reason. This leads him to start heading down to Florida to confront a cult-ish militia which seems to have a strange view on the world and which has taken over the state.

This issue ends with Snake arriving in Florida and coming face-to-face with its twin rulers. It is abundantly clear that despite all the trouble we saw Snake go through things aren't going to get any easier, and that is perfectly alright as Snake has yet to meet a task he's unable to tackle.

I enjoyed this comic, but wasn't overly amazed by it. Snake is kind of a strange character, in that he's so amazing and talented it's tricky to give him a true challenge with some risk. If the next issue shows the apparently uber-powerful twins to be that, it will make for a good read. However, should the series just consist of Snake easily dispatching foes it'll get boring fast. As it is, we will have to wait until the 2nd issue and see what happens. For now though, I'm awarding this comic a very respectable...
3 out of 5 stars.

Thomas Alsop #7

This has been an interesting and very weird series. A surreal mixture of magic, media, and a main character who is as easy to despise as he is to love, the life of Thomas Alsop throughout this comic has been one of struggle. Whether that struggle is a personal one in trying to get along with his friends, or a professional one in facing constant backlash for his announcement of how he is going to perform an exorcism on Ground Zero in New York City, Alsop is always up against something, and that's how I like it!

This issue Alsop manages to break out of a police station and narrowly avoid being murdered by some other magic-users who would prefer he didn't exist. Chris Miskiewicz continues to expertly walk the fine-line of dealing with a recent tragedy such as 9/11, having other characters point out how to someone who isn't aware that Aslop means well, his proposal of a big exorcism event is quite offensive.

This is another solid issue of "Thomas Alsop" and with the final one coming up next I am intrigued to see what will happen. Depending on that conclusion I also wonder if we may see more of Alsop in future mini-series or an ongoing-series, but time will only tell about that.
4 out of 5 stars.

Deep State #2

"Deep State" started out in a way I found a bit interesting, with my hoping that we would learn more about our main characters--and the mysterious John Harrow in particular. Unfortunately, this issue is mostly just our main characters dealing with an alien threat from the moon, with us readers seeing the creature beginning to take over a town. It is perfectly alright, but has more of a horror-bent than the first issue with its mostly sci-fi feel, and lacks much of any character-development for our main duo.

The thing keeping this from being an utter disappointment is that the mysterious thing that is working its way through this town is fascinating in its foreign biology. Seeming to be a weird mesh of flesh and machine, the resulting creations it makes are familiar in some ways and entirely alien in others.

As it is, I would say this is perfectly average, but writer Justin Jordan has me hoping he will start to delve into our characters' psyches a bit more at the end of the issue, so this could in fact end up going somewhere pretty cool.
2.5 out of 5 stars.

Eternal #1

A series about a future where people can make clones of themselves with all their memories--thereby making a person potentially immortal--this new comic was as interesting to read as it was confusing. The confusing aspect was that there is a lot of talk about "pures" and such, but the comic never exactly spells out what a "pure" is and why it is so important. I'm actually okay with a comic choosing not to hold the reader's hand and give them a big info-dump, instead leaving us to fend for ourselves and figure things out. As best as I can tell, in this future certain people haven't been cloned, and that makes them worth a lot genetically as their "code" is needed for everyone else to continue being cloned--at least, that is my guess.

Another thing that is a bit confusing is that it is not exactly made apparent who the main characters are. Could it be the officer fed-up with how "pures" are treated? Is it someone working to sabotage the genetic purity of others and save them from being harvested (or whatever happens to them)? I don't know, and that is perfectly alright as each individual we see a vignette with seems interesting enough to carry the book on their own. It does bother me that we meet so many characters though, giving each scene a somewhat annoyingly short feeling where as soon as we are getting the feel for things the focus changes.

While I don't mind the lack of having everything spelled-out for me, I do wish the comic explained a little bit more about the background of this cloning technology, and how it came about. I imagine how that occurred along with why exactly "pures" are needed will be touched upon, so I'm not overly worried. I am more perturbed by how the sheer avalanche of characters has made it a bit tricky to keep track of who is who, however. All of that said, this looks to be a promising series and I am interested in seeing how it proceeds.
3.5 out of 5 stars.

And There Was The Explosion

BOOM clearly puts out some good stuff and I didn't even review any titles from the all-ages KaBOOM imprint or now-imprint Archaia in this segment! While not everything is amazing, there still is a good deal to read, and that is why I thought I would spotlight BOOM in this segment. So, go out there and check out some BOOM! Studios comics.

Links, Yet Again!

What Do We Want? Links! When Do Want Them? Why Not Now?
If you ever read this blog by now you know the drill. I find things on the internet that I consider interesting, I share a link to them, you follow it if you want, and we all learn something new. At least, that's the idea, I think.

Them-Thar Links

Comics Alliance will on occasion do snazzy write-ups of various comic series or story arcs. This piece on when Moon Knight recently re-launched under then pen of Ellis, Shalvey, and Bellaire is another one of those solid reads.

Reading about the, "Odd History of the First Erotic Computer Game," provides you with a fascinating exploration of what was basically the first dirty computer game--although because it was text-only much of the raunchy-aspects were being imagined by the player typing commands. Oh, and the game's name was, "Softporn," like software and porn. Yeah, the 1970's and 80's were different.Note this link is potentially not-safe-for-work despite not having any actual nudity, just a hint of it.

Krem

Speaking of video-games, I haven't played the well-reviewed, "Dragon Age: Inquisition" yet, but have heard almost only positive things. One interesting thing I'd seen mention of is that "Inquisition" features a transgender man known as Krem as one of the members of your questing-party. This article about how much work went into making the character seem like a real person and not just a stereotype makes for a cool read.

Because I feel like sharing a lot about video-games today,lets discuss the importance of NPCs (non-player characters) in games and how it can be hard to make them feel, "real," in a sense.

I've liked all the newer James Bond movies with Daniel Craig (yes, I'm even one of those people who strongly defend "Quantum of Solace" as being a really good film), but agree they aren't perfect. This editorial about how misogyny has often been an issue in all Bond films past and present is interesting and presents a valid viewpoint on how as we continue having more films in the Bond franchise we have a chance to see even more strong female characters--not just the usual damsel in distress.

While we are discussing movies, it is always worthwhile to talk about how useless the PG-13 rating is. I mean, ratings in general from the MPAA have been shown to be a crock of phooey, but the PG-13 rating really waters things down, as is discussed here.

One topic covered by the info-graphic.

Just so you know your rights, USA Today has created a neat info-graphic about what you can and cannot do during a random police encounter on the street.

The CIA lied about engaging in torture, even though it was arguably unconstitutional to do so? Wow, color-me-not-surprised at all. I mean seriously, you had Bush and Dick Cheney saying how, "Enhanced interrogation," was important, but now some foreign countries have called for them to be tried for war crimes. What a world.

Lastly, because I like to end with news that sounds absurd, it seems in June DC comics may do a mini re-launch. Yes, the same company that did the whole Universe-reboot in 2011 might have a smaller re-launch of sorts. Really? I mean really?

Television Tuesday: Don't Judge a Show Based on Its First Couple of Episodes AKA "Rick and Morty" Season 1

Can't Judge A Book/TV, Show by its Cover/Pilot

Often in Television Tuesday posts I talk about shows that I enjoy--because why would I want to watch a season of something I hated, after all? That said, it can interesting how I discover I am a fan of a show. I may come into it later in the first season, or even many seasons in, find the episodes I see interesting, and seek out the earlier stuff. Also, maybe I'll see a brand-new show and find it intriguing enough to keep following. That said, I've often found one interesting trend in a variety of shows I have enjoyed. Namely, I never can judge them accurately based on the first couple of episodes.

Numerous times I have seen the premiere of a show and thought it looked like something that was either not for me, or just, "Meh." Then I'll see later episodes and think, "Wow, this really found its footing, I need to watch it from the start!" This can make being able to buy/rent/stream the entirety of a show's season really helpful. I didn't like the first episode of, "Bob's Burgers," but enjoyed ones shortly after it. I thought, "True Blood," was quite boring until (spoiler alert for a show that actually ended a year ago so I don't know why I'm issuing a spoiler alert) the Grandma died a few episodes in.

There are other shows that follow this trend for me too. For example, "The L Word" doesn't hit its stride in the premiere season until around the 3rd episode, feeling a bit wobbly and unsure of itself at first. Key and Peele wasn't too great in the debut episode, but I did like the 2nd one and its grown into quite the popular program in later seasons. Clearly, you can't judge a show by its pilot/beginning and sometimes not even the 2nd episode. Hell, despite people claiming that "Lost" was gripping from its action-packed pilot on, I didn't find myself that impressed by it until the fourth episode!

There are a lot of shows I have greatly enjoyed or at least appreciated (I never really got into "Lost" as much as some folk), which I would maybe have not given a chance if I didn't see later episodes and suffer through questionable starts, or just put-up with difficult beginnings figuring it would all get better. This brings me to a discussion of my latest favorite program, and one which if I had happened to only view the pilot and the 2nd episode would have not appreciated as much as I do. That show is, of course, "Rick and Morty".

"Rick and Morty" is an Incredible Delight

Originally starting out as a raunchy parody of "Back to the Future" characters, "Rick and Morty" are a grandpa (Rick) and his grandson (Morty). The show is about them going on absurd sci-fi adventures, with Morty's parents (Jerry and Beth) and sister (Summer) often having their own story-lines intersect with and diverge from the going-ons of Rick and Morty in interesting ways. Created by Dan Harmon (of "Community" fame) and Justin Roiland, I caught what is basically the seventh episode one night on Adult Swim (the "Rasising Gazorpazorp) and was immediately intrigued.

I picked-up the DVD of the show and proceeded to get excited! Then I watched what is officially the first episode/pilot. I was not impressed. There were some good jokes, but mostly I found it all pretty subpar.

Next, I watched the next episode, "Lawnmower Dog." It was a bit better with its jokes about "Inception" but it seemed to drag in its humor and even riffing on, "A Nightmare of Elm Street," for a gag couldn't save it from feeling a bit dull.

I was concerned after these two episodes. Had the one I'd caught on T.V. before been a fluke? Was this in fact a relatively mediocre show that just happened to have that one good episode? These were worries floating through my mind, but thankfully when I started watching the third episode ("Anatomy Park") I found myself very amused. After that it was basically all gold, with every episode being at least quite fun, and some being just amazing ("Rixty Minutes" for example is my jam with its mixture of humor, heartfelt moments, and general silliness--also, "Meeseeks and Destroy" is hilarious).

Once you watch the show you will find this meme to be the bomb-diggity.

It is hard to describe "Rick and Morty" as each episode is its own beast, often relatively free of any continuity from other episodes outside of the occasional mention here-or-there. As I said, it just is a really funny show that takes the lighthearted fun of adventures, but inserts a lot of twisted and dark humor into the proceedings, while just occasionally being sweet enough to make you care about the characters instead of flat-out hating them. You can in fact watch the episodes on Adult Swim's website easily (although a cable provider log-in is needed for the official site, other methods exist such as buying the episodes online or finding shoddy YouTube streams if you are a real cheapskate/unable to afford paying) so I would recommend doing so--although maybe start with "Anatomy Park" instead of the first two.

Give Things a Chance

Were I to have just watched the first two episodes of "Rick and Morty" I would have missed out on a show I now adore.I have found out yet again that you just can't judge a program based on its initial episodes. Sometimes a show needs a couple to get situated, feel comfortable, and really start putting out good stuff. There can be occasions where it takes a long time (I hear "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't finally get good until toward the end of the 1st season but has been enjoyable since), and sometimes something can even start strong and quickly go downhill ("Homeland" apparently had a stellar first season but has been a wreck since), but usually you should give a show a chance to expand beyond its initial growing pains as a caterpillar and turn into the beautiful flower it can be (I'm mixing my metaphors, but you follow what I'm saying).

You shouldn't judge a show based on simply its starting episodes, if the multiple programs I have viewed in the past have taught me. As a show such as "Rick and Morty" illustrates, if you give something a chance it may become your new favorite thing to watch. You just need to be patient sometimes. Unless of course it is in fact the show "Lost", then you end up mad about how it had a shoddy ending after all the energy and emotion you invested in it (I'm glad I never really cared much).

Anyways, watch "Rick and Morty" if you have the kind of sense of humor I do (which if you enjoy the blog I assume you would), you should find it extremely pleasurable too!
5 out of 5 stars.

Interview Time (Special Audio-Visual Edition): Jim Balent and Holly Golightly

Having discussed, "Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose" on various occasions, I told Jim Balent and Holly Golightly about my recent review. I also inquired if they were interested in doing an interview, and they were! We conducted it today via Skype and I have it embedded below as a Youtube video with images to accompany the audio after some helpful links. View it, share it, and go support the Kickstarter we discussed!

To visit their Kickstarter go here.

To visit the main site click here.

If you want to see the School Bites website check this link out.

Now, the interview:

Film Friday: Space Station 76

This is a Weird One (in a Good Way)

I've seen some odd movies, but this one is really bizarre, and that's why I like it so much. Taking place in the future--but as it would have been imagined around during the 1970's, "Space Station 76" is a comedy, but a really dark one. Like, pitch-black in its humor. Despite being made on a really small budget it has some quality talent (Hello, Liv Tyler and Patrick Wilson, fancy seeing you guys here!) and if anything else really nails the art-deco style and look of the 1970's expertly.

The script was apparently developed through a variety of improv sessions with actors in the film with the director, Jack Plotnick, and the awkward quirkiness of the characters and their interactions carries some of that, "Off-the-cuff," feeling of improve sessions that are going well--except in this movie it seems everything is going wrong, at least for our characters. The captain of the ship (played as wonderfully angry-yet-sympathetic by Wilson) is incredibly sexist and prone to heavy-drinking, with these actions taking place either to hide how he is deep in the closet, or to deal with the emotional ramifications of having to deny a big part of who he is. Liv Tyler's character is sweet and well-meaning but has issues of her own.

Wilson and Tyler are two favorite actors in the flick.

Besides those two basically everyone else on the ship is a walking mess--from the "cook" (Marisa Coughlan) who spends her time downing Valium when not clicking buttons to order the day's food, to the horribly immature character played by Jerry O'Connell who has a child with a loving wife but doesn't let it stop him from rampantly cheating on her. Basically any person in this movie is a wreck except for the sole young child on the spaceship--named Sunshine (played by Kylie Rogers), who seems old enough to realize the adults around her are disasters, but young enough to have the naivete that things will work-out.

With such miserable characters you would be forgiven for thinking the movie was a depressing slog, but the film actually uses this sadness quite well, to bring us a variety of humorous situations that might cause you to cry if you weren't laughing (the captain's repeated failures at attempting suicide are sold wonderfully through the discouraged look on Wilson's face every time the ship counteracts his efforts through its safety measures). Also, the movie will occasionally inject just enough optimism into the proceedings to keep you from feeling as down-in-the-dumps as everyone else on the ship, with the genuine bond between Liv Tyler and Matt Bomer's characters (a repairman on the ship who is married to Coughlan and the struggling-father of Sunshine) giving us some much-needed joy when they laugh and smile together for what feels like the first time in a long while for the people they play.

A review of the movie on Rogerebert.com says that the reviewer has, "...no idea who the audience for this film is, beyond the people who made it, and that's what makes it special." I agree with that thought, but would argue that I someone in the audience for this film--a person who likes dark comedies with plenty of pathos but also pieces of soul.

Yes, a person who wants to really feel for the characters when they're down and smile when they are allowed some joy would enjoy this. I'm one of the members of the prime audience for this film--someone who likes strange and unique movies. Should you be someone who does also I recommend you check this out via your video rental store/Redbox/On-Demand/whatever, or you could even buy it. Folk still buy movies in this version of the future we live in now, right? If you do, and fit the demographic for this movie I described, perhaps buy it, you most likely won't regret it.
4.5 out of 5 stars.

Two Great Independent Comics, and Another that is Always Enjoyably Weird

Smaller to Larger

"Look honey, an article on those 'independent comics' our friends are always going on about."

In the field of independent comics there is a wide range. You have the really small-press (some call it "micro-press" but I find such a term a bit dismissive), to the kind of publishers who have some titles that in appear in "Previews" but are still pretty small, all the way to the much bigger-yet-still independent publishers who put out good stuff such as your BOOM!, IDW, or Image. Today I wanted to discuss three independent comics, growing in "size" with each publisher. First is a publisher whom is small-press (Nix Comics with their seventh issue of the  "Nix Comics Quarterly"), followed by the larger (in that some of their stuff appears in "Previews") publisher, Northwest Press, with the 2nd issue of the so far quite enjoyable "Dash". Lastly, I'm going to cover the ever-reliable Jim Balent and Holly Golightly, the married couple with the long-running little comic that could, "Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose" through their own publishing brand, "Broadsword Comics." Why "Tarot", you may ask? Because despite arguably being a bunch of T&A with aspects of Wicca sprinkled in it tends to always be enjoyable in its weirdness.

Nix Comics Quarterly #7

Nix Comics is a small-press publisher, founded by Ken Eppstein back around the year 2010 (with the first-ever issue from the publisher releasing in January of 2011). While it all started with the quarterly that focuses on being a rock and roll-type horror anthology, Nix Comics has branched out into some other genres such as your Western comics or youth-focused stuff. Seeing as how it began with "Nix Comics Quarterly" however I thought it would make sense to review the newest issue that came out a couple months ago in September of this year. True to its stated goal of being equal parts "rock" and "horror", this anthology has many tales involving music and is perhaps not scary enough to give you nightmares, but definitely contains some stories that were a bit spooky. There is a good deal of humor too--not unlike the old EC Comics back in the day the series draws inspiration from, and that helps carry many stories along nicely.

The humor I just mentioned actually plays an integral part in my two favorite stories within this issue of the anthology--"MP3s of Madness" and "Do This For Chuck". "MP3s of Madness" is the first yarn in this comic and kicks things off nicely. Written by Christian Hoffer and illustrated by Derek Stewart it is a post-apocalypse-meets-Cthulu story. Basically, it turns out that low-quality MP3s along with small-sized media players actually opened up another dimension which invaded ours with these squid monsters, and it infected almost everyone except your "purists" who stuck to vinyl, and I assume even CDs. It sounds like a bit of a snobby idea for a horror story--"Oh, those dullards with their crappy sound-quality!"--but has enough of its tongue firmly in-cheek to get away with the concept. 

Anyways, an unnamed main character who owned a record store roams the city in search of supplies and upon encountering a survivor has an intense (but funny for us) discussion about the man's music tastes and if he might in fact be carrying the evil trans-dimensonal monsters inside of him. It turns out his affinity for U2 and their love of releasing music digitally has sealed his fate and things get violent. It's dark, but also a bit silly, and that makes it a tie for the other story I liked. 

The other piece is written by Nix-owner Ken Eppstein and illustrated by Jess L' Heureux. At first it makes little-to-no sense with these rocker-girls talking about honoring the last wishes of someone named, "Chuck." Well, after debating for a bit and then  grabbing some shovels and beer they go out to the graveyard and dig up a body holding a gun, at which point they remove the gun and replace it with a beer with the punchline finally becoming apparent with the name on the tombstone--"Heston". Yes, they went there and made a gag out of Charlton Heston's famous NRA quote about how people could take his rifle from his, "Cold dead hands." It's an incredibly stupid and tasteless joke, and that is probably why I loved it. The incongruity of these teenage girls even knowing who Heston was and digging up his corpse has just the right mix of being a horrifying concept and a hilarious one that for some reason it really work for me.

As for the other stories in the anthology, they are all perfectly fine with Eppstein writing some and other folk doing others with good artists all-around. The only stories that didn't really "do" anything for me were two bits about a man named Ned who bothers people waiting at a bus station with him. His stories come off as a bit more sad than funny. Otherwise, it is all good stuff. Should you be interested in getting this issue from Nix Comics or any of their other wares, you can do that here as they are a smaller publisher and not found in "Previews". So yeah, good stuff!

4 out of 5 stars.

Dash #2

Northwest Press is a publisher that describes itself as focusing on comic-books that can appeal to an LGBTQ audience, but which makes titles for everyone. Therefore, while many of their comics may deal with LGBTQ themes, a cisgender heterosexual male can still enjoy their output, as a good story is a good story regardless of who within it is gay or straight, just as a bad story is a bad story. Therefore, I am happy to say that the newest issue of "Dash" continues expertly from the strong start of the first issue, which I liked a great deal, and even improves upon it!

I wanted to see a bit more of Dash's background when I read the first issue and learn how he came to be the private eye he is in 1940's Los Angles. That's why I was pleased to see that desire met in this issue which explains why some of the general populace seem to not know he is a gay man, but all the police appear to know. It turns out Dash Malone was a hero cop before it "came out" he was actually a gay man, and as that could actually be prosecuted as a crime back then, he was stripped of all his awards and medals. Not one to be deterred, Dash started-up as a private investigator, but due to the shocking conclusion of the last issue where his on-again, off-again boyfriend "Plink" was murdered Dash now is in an understandably dour mood.

This issue opens with a detective grilling Dash about his whereabouts when Plink was killed, and we immediately gain a strong dislike for the detective that makes it quite cathartic when Dash beats him up a tad later in the issue--although as he himself points out the only reason he gets away with it is because everyone hates this particular detective, were he to lay a finger on anyone else he'd be in some trouble. The rest of the issue involves Dash investigating Plink's death, and how a woman named Zita is his prime suspect. In an interesting twist things seem to take a turn for the supernatural at the end of the issue, with me wondering if Dash is seeing things or if we're shifting gears from a noir-type tale to an almost sci-fi and horror story. I'm a bit concerned to see the supernatural elements kind of suddenly popping-up without warning, but the character development for Dash has been strong enough that he is the kind of character I like to a good enough degree I'll read about whatever happens to him.

I clearly quite liked the story this issue, but how about the art? I think it was stellar. It continued to capture the mood of the 1940's in its coloring and attention to the details of the era, and it also wonderfully conveyed action. Sometimes in comics it can be tricky to illustrate a fight scene well, but within this issue when Dash and the jerk-detective get to brawling, it only takes about a page-and-a-half of wordless imagery to convey the flowing movement of how Dash is clearly someone not to be trifled with. That is just one bit in the comic, but stands as a good example to how this comic doesn't just tell a good story, but looks good while doing it.

This second issue of "Dash" is stellar and even more enjoyable than the first. The only thing worrying me is the sudden introduction of potentially otherworldly elements at the end. For all I know this could be a fake-out or result in the story actually being even cooler, but for now it has me a bit hesitant. Other than that one concern this is a great read and a series you definitely ought to check out. As Northwest Press is a big enough publisher to be in "Previews" your comic store can most likely order an issue for you if they don't have a copy for sale. If you lack a comic shop or want to order it yourself however you can always go here too. I recommend you do!
4.5 out of 5 stars.

Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose #89

The first issue of Tarot came out back in 2000. Jim Balent had been doing work for years for other publishers such as a run on "Catwoman," but wanted to break out on his own. He founded his own publisher called "Broadsword Comics" with his then-girlfriend and now wife, Holly Golightly, and they proceeded to make a comic together. This comic would go on to become equal parts famous and infamous for its strange mixture of feminism, Wicca, and a lot of nudity with just-tame-enough-to-not-be-pornographic sex. That comic's name? Well, in case my header didn't tip you off, "Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose". Yeah, this is the, "enjoyably weird," comic I mentioned.

Compared to other issues of "Tarot" this one is a bit more tame, with only some hints of nudity and raunchy-talk. Instead, this edition of "Tarot" focuses on the titular character and her sister, Raven Hex, attempting to stop a group of Krampus (Krampuses?) from terrorizing the children of the town. A Krampus is a sort of Christmas-Devil who punishes children that aren't nice with beatings or kidnapping them to be taken to his lair and beat-up some more. Anyways, this issue features a bunch of Krampus on their way to a town and how the sisters want to stop them. It's an issue that has almost no "speech bubbles" instead presenting the story with a bunch of text and pictures to break it up--kind of like a strange story-book almost.

Instead of warming spells to keep your from freezing you could wear more clothes,
that would ruin one aspect of the comic that makes it popular, though.

It is a relatively basic story, with Tarot and Raven trying to fight against the Krampus, facing some difficultly, but basically coming out on top in the end--even if in a way they didn't anticipate (apparently Raven's spells are so terrifying to the townspeople they now fear her more than any Krampus). Quibbles with the story aside, Jim Balent has always shown a masterful skill as an artist, with his page-design and break-downs showing a deep understanding of the comic-page works. He just chooses to use this immense skill to draw stories featuring busty witches with his wife, Golightly, providing the color-work and lettering (and sometimes her own art in a manga-like style). There have been some other titles from "Broadsword Comics" but "Tarot" is arguably the bread-and-butter of the line, with a comic by Golightly called "School Bites" probably bringing in some income too (interestingly enough the next issue kicks-off a cross-over between "Tarot" and "School Bites").

Balent found something he enjoys doing with the love of his life, and they make a solid living creating this comic full of raunchy imagery and Wicca that lets them have their cheesecake-art and eat it too. As for this issue itself and its overall quality, the lack of speech bubbles made things a bit harder to follow, and unlike the more zany issues of "Tarot" that pack-in a bunch of absurd ideas, this one was relatively straightforward. Still, it was a pleasant enough read and a comic I recommend if you're into the weirder sort of comics or enjoy discussions of Wicca.
3.5 out of 5 stars.

Concluding Thoughts

Today I looked at some various independent comics, from the small-press (Nix Comics), to the slightly larger (Northwest Press), to the small-but-also-weirdly-popular (Tarot). Clearly there is a variety of publisher-sizes in the indie world and the most wonderful thing about independent comics is that there can be such a wide spectrum of genres and topics discussed. My suggestion would be to check these publishers out, see if they have something you like, and if they do buy it to support them!

These Two Upcoming Comic-Events Actually Seem Appealing to Me, But Should What is Old be New Again?

The Fever Breaks?

I've discussed in the past how I came down with a severe case of eventitis which I seem to suffer from to this day. Basically, it means I'm tired of the major comic-book publishers (especially the "Big Two" of Marvel and DC) doing supposedly important mega-events where it is bragged about how, "Nothing will ever be the same," and that of course only holds true in that nothing is ever the same, at least until the following huge mini-series a mere month later. This eventitis has resulted in me sitting-out such Marvel events as "Original Sin" and not reading anything that deals with "Axis" unless it occurs in a title I already pick-up. I also have been avoiding the multiple DC weekly titles (which I thought were absurd to begin with) and reading less and less of the publisher in general--excluding the occasional great mini-series or such.

My being exhausted with events makes it all the more surprising that there seem to be two that actually looking kind of promising on the horizon--one from DC and one from Marvel. Also, the most interesting this about these events may be they are in a way both preying upon nostalgia for each respective publisher's past output, which kind of says something about how we view today's comics, possibly, doesn't it? Before discussing that let's address what these events actually are about though, shall we?

Secret Wars/Remember That Event from the 1980's With the Same Name You Loved?

Marvel's new "Secret Wars" so far sounds a bit like an alternate-reality story mixed with a big callback to the original highly-popular "Secret Wars" event of the mid 1980's. This will apparently be growing-out of what is happening in the Jonathan Hickman-penned "Avengers" comics where various earths from different realities have come into contact with one another, and if one isn't destroyed within a brief window of time both go kablooey. While relatively little is known about what "Secret Wars" will entail, a map of the, "Battleworld," that it will take place in has been released  illustrating the various realities coming into conflict. Also, it has been revealed all those random teaser-images for events Marvel was releasing do in fact directly relate to this "Secret Wars" business.

With there being so little known about "Secret Wars" it is possibly a bit foolish to have any optimism about it, and yet here I am thinking that maybe Jonathan Hickman will write a great event full of alternate worlds interacting in cool ways. This whole thing could end up just being one big mess, but I have some hopes for it and may actually at least check-out the first issue, which is saying a lot compared to the utter lack of attention I've given any other recent Marvel event.

Convergence/All Your Old Favorites Brought-Back For a Couple Months Just so We Can Tease You

DC's offices are making a big move out to California from NYC this Spring, and in order to still have an output of work over those two-or-so months that will be spent relocating everyone who wants to move, hiring new folk to replace those who wanted to stay put, and getting set-up, DC is having a having an event of sorts called "Convergence". This event is basically one nine-week-long mini-series (a rare occasion when an "event" weekly actually kind of makes sense for DC) with 40 other series that will last two issues each. That results in an admittedly HUGE event--clocking in at basically 89 issues total--but the wonderful thing about it is that you don't necessarily have to read every comic to enjoy "Convergence", it would appear.

Basically, creative teams from the past who worked on comics from the 1980's and 1990's that everyone loved are coming back to do the two-issue mini-series with each comic possibly set in its own universe (or "bottle-Earth" if some rumors are to be believed). Therefore we will get to enjoy a Renee Montoya-as-the-Question comic written by the man who made Montoya the popular character she has been, Greg Rucka. To give another example, there will be a Len Wein-penned "Swamp Thing", to the joy of his fans, and so forth with all the minis.

A "Hawkman" comic written by Jeff Parker? Neat!

Yes, "Convergence" is the kind of event that actually sounds extremely appealing to me. It requires minimal-to-no knowledge of previous DC continuity but is extra fun for those who know their history, has an assortment of writers and artists who are skilled at writing/illustrating the characters, and most importantly of all actually looks like it might be fun as opposed to some of the more dour-themed events we seem to get lately. The odd thing about this "Convergence" event and the previously-discussed "Secret Wars" though is that they are new events, but drawing from old concepts--and is it worrying that it takes that to get me and others excited?

Should What is Old be New Again?

"Remember when 'Fantastic Four' wasn't cancelled?"
"Yeah, those were some crazy times!"

I have seen many comments on the internet in forums where people are saying DC's "Convergence" is going to get them to pick up a DC title for the first time in a long while. Because "Name" creator is back doing "Name" title, they now are finally interested in DC again. I've also seen some people remark that they hope this whole "Secret Wars" Marvel is doing will reset some of the more awkward story-decisions that have happened in the Marvel-Universe since whatever year they feel things went off track--e.g. some people say to undo anything after "House of M" others say to simply eliminate "One More Day" and some folk just want to have a "Fantastic Four" comic to read. These comments are interesting and a bit worrisome.

Think about this: many people who have been lambasting Marvel and DC for years are now happy that old concepts from the past are essentially being recycled and given to us with a newer-sheen but possibly less creativity. I admit I'm finally excited for a an event from the companies now, but how does that reflect on us, the fans? We constantly complain we want the, "Big Two," to come up with new ideas, heroes, or concepts--but when given the chance to have our urge for nostalgia stroked--even if just for two months by DC or merely having the idea teased by Marvel--we get all excited and say how pleased we are the companies are going back to, "Giving the fans what they want."

Well, what in the dickens do, "The fans," actually want? Do we want new stories that make us irritated in how they change the heroes we love, or do we want tales more similar to what we remember liking, "Way back when," to satisfy us? We can't have both, and I myself am a victim of being contradictory. After all, I've complained DC wasn't creative enough in its "New 52" re-launch and should have taken more risks, yet I applaud them planning to release a bunch of comics that remind me of how things were pre-"New 52".

I don't know what my point is in this article, I suppose. I can say how these new events look appealing, but then find as a counter to that the argument how I'm just overjoyed about more-of-the-same. I know I like new and creative comics, that's why I'm enjoying so much more smaller-press titles now. Then again, seeing heroes from stories I greatly enjoyed, "Coming back for more," also appeals to me, so perhaps like many human beings I am a mixture of desiring for stuff to be new whilst also longing for the return of older things I also treasured. Hopefully these upcoming comic events can fulfill both desires, giving readers something new and different, but also scratching that nostalgic itch. I suppose come Springtime we will see what happens.