Posted on June 2, 2010 and filed under Uncategorized.
Hey it is Stew, I have not posted in a long, long time because of work. I should be a lot more consistent on the site. Mirth has been out of commission the past couple of days with his back giving him issues. Let us know what you think of the new theme.
Posted on May 20, 2010 and filed under Comic.
Stew has been raving for months about Invincible but I only recently picked up the series. I have no idea how he let me get away with not reading it until now. Invincible may be the greatest superhero comic that I have ever read. The depth of the characters, the uniqueness of the plot lines, and the emotionally charged nature of the conflicts come together in a symphony of art and word. Ottley’s art is spot on amazing, especially when it comes to depicting gore. Seriously, in one HUGE panel there are about 2,000 droplets of blood. (its probably the best panel I’ve ever seen).
After finishing the first to entries in the “Invincible: Ultimate Collection”, I assumed that this would be a simple story of Mark (Invincible) versus his evil father Nolan (Omni-Man). That would have been easier to handle I think. This installment in the series plunges the tale into the realm of tear-jerking unbelievability. All of the side stories are just as compelling, which makes me believe that Kirkman is a witch doctor or a soul-less swindler who’s deals with the devil have made his writing potently dangerous.
The bright crisp art from Ottley is only a further credit to the script, and contrasted perfectly with the violence and gore that invariably finds its way into the panels. I cannot image any other artist making this story more compelling to look at, or more perfectly pulling off the heart-wrenching facial displays of emotion. Rarely do I force my wife to read anything, but in this case I must.
Mirth
the shiz got real.
Posted on May 18, 2010 and filed under Comic.
The Last Days of American Crime is an incredibly suspense-filled criminal comic. The warning on the cover does not lie, “Mature Readers” only please. The disgusting depths that this book goes to are not for youthful eyes. It is hard to describe the filthy feeling that pervades this story, its as if Remender has given you a ticket into the darkest corners of the underworld and you can’t get off the ride until its over. Rape, torture, murder, and promiscuous sex in all of their cold variations drive the story and paint the panels. Tocchini’s art is superb, his loose and colorful style adding real gravitas and grit to the backdrop.
Remender seems to let his pen trace the edge of the taboo and outre, slicing the “politically correct” and daring all to be offended. He seems to force his readers to the cliff of what they will accept, and then he shoves them off just as they were achieving balance. I admire his daring, but I wonder how much of his writing is tied down by this gimmick. Is he such a good author because of his extreme style and taste? or are his depictions of the bizarre and offensive a smokescreen to poor writing? For me, it’s too early to say.
The Last Days of American Crime follows a nobody thug named Graham Burke as he tries to pull off one last heist. The American Government is taking paper money out of the equation in favor of Federally-Controlled electronic credits. Also, they intend to broadcast a signal country-wide that will effectively brain wash the populous, making it impossible for any citizen to knowingly break the law. In the last issue, Graham had to hire some new partners because the Mexican gang he was allied with double-crossed him (and he “burned” them for it). He hired Kevin (a safe cracking specialist) and his girlfriend Shelby (who knows her way around computers (and the bedroom *wink)). Kevin says he knows where to find a laser cutter, and he leaves Graham and Shelby to prepare for the heist. The problem is Graham’s old partners want back in, and they are willing to do anything to get revenge.
Here are some predictions for next issue: So far, Kevin has been oblivious to Graham and Shelby’s affair (seriously, they go at “it” every chance they get). But I don’t think that he doesn’t know. I am betting that Kevin put Shelby up to “it” in order to blindside Graham and take all the money for themselves in the end. If you don’t smell the double-crossing coming, then you best open your nostrils.
Mirth
all kinds of trouble...
also, here is a teaser for their new project…
Posted on May 17, 2010 and filed under Comic.
bad ass
The feelings of dread and foreboding permeate this issue like a foul stink. Conan is still a whimpering sick mess, lost in hallucinatory madness. Olivia (the damsel in distress) has now been “broken” by the wicked Shah Amurath, and Conan still does not know of her. BUT, if I know anything about the Conan universe, I know that he is going to rescue her and beat the sick mustache off Amurath’s face. The Free Companions of the Sword find some evil rivals in the south, where they have been plundering unabashed for weeks. These rivals sell them down the river to the Shah and bring the combined armies of Amurath down on Conan’s army. But Conan is no fool…
The Cimmerian senses the trap, and quickly routes the forces of Amurath. This causes great embarrassment to the Shah, and also puts him in danger with his lord. In this victory, he does not conquer the Shah, he merely rouses his anger. Amurath returns with legions of men to put down the Cimmerian’s army, and he does so successfully. One of Conan’s lieutenants, a Hyrkanian, is captured by the Shah’s men and they brutally torture him to find Conan’s places of retreat. It was seriously disturbing to read (no where near the severity of Walking Dead though).
In the end, we watch Conan drag himself through the muck of the swamp and see the ghost his fallen lieutenant visit him. I can’t wait to see what he has to say! I bet he’s pretty angry….
Mirth
Posted on April 7, 2010 and filed under Comic.
Kimono Dragons
This chapter of the ‘Y’ saga creates excellent context for the rest of the series. We finally begin to understand the motives of several of the main characters. The group has finally made it to Japan, where they have begun their frantic search for the missing Ampersand. Alison and Rose head for Alison’s Mother’s lab while Yorick and 355 head to Tokyo for the capuchin. When Alison and Rose find that the lab has been torched and there is no sign of the Alison’s family, they head for a secret garden in the city that her mother kept. They find her mother, but they also find the Ninja Toyota who has lost Ampersand. After a few stabbings and a sword fight, Toyota takes Alison’s mother hostage and leaves both Alison and Rose wounded. The deal is, Alison can have her mother back as soon as they bring Ampersand to Hong Kong.
Elsewhere, Yorick and 355 discover an incredibly advanced android man (mandroid) that has been pimped out by an ex-cop. This ex-cop is named You. You tells them that she had Ampersand at one point but was forced to sell him to the Yakuza for self preservation. The funny thing is, the Yakuza is now run by a Canadian pop-star that was stranded in Japan when the plague hit. With the help of You, Yorick and his friends infiltrate the Yakuza building to rescue Ampersand, and they aren’t sure they are going to make it out alive….
We finally get a glimpse of Alison Mann’s backstory, how she came to resent her family so much and how she came to grips with her sexuality; also why it is so hard for her to open up to anyone. At the end, Alter rears her ugly head and extorts some information from some of Yorick’s old friends in Kansas. The only good thing about this is that we finally get to see what her back story is.
Understanding these motivations adds a great deal of depth to the story. Earlier, I didn’t realize how shallow some of the characters seem, but after the revelations presented here, I am excited to re-read the old volumes in context.
Mirth
Posted on April 7, 2010 and filed under Comic.
‘Bad Night’ is a chilling addition to the Criminal series. Jacob is a retired counterfeiter who was crippled by the mob. He suffers from intense insomnia and other more sinister mental ailments. While visiting a favorite haunt, he gets tangled up with a sexy red head and the shiz hits the fan. Her reckless abandon and feral sexiness plays ping-pong with his emotions and causes the more irrational side of his mind to take over.
This story is a classic tale of a no good girl and the effect she can have on even the most level headed man. I was deeply satisfied by the complex plot, Brubaker never fails to deliver. And once again the art was consistent and moody and just dark enough for the subject matter. This trade paper back (more than any of the others so far) reminded me greatly of Max Payne. I could only sit back and watch as Jacob made bad decision after bad decision because of Iris (the hot broad). There is even a scene where she starts to kiss him, and he pulls away saying, “we can’t do this, it’s not right. He’ll be back soon.” And she gets angry and pulls a gun on him. She screams at him to have sex with her, and he says, “You can’t force me.” So she sets aside the gun, and starts to strip tease instead. I bet you can guess what choice Jacob made. Bad Night is a riveting thriller full of morbid twists and seductive turns. You won’t regret reading it.
Moral of the story, never pick up a strange sexy woman on the side of the road. Unless you think the sex is worth losing everything…..
Mirth
She's a Vixen
Posted on April 5, 2010 and filed under Comic.
The conclusion? Was anyone else surprised as hell to find that this was the last issue in this series? Seriously, I turned the final page and was shocked that it was over. Any guesses as to who was responsible for killing it? Anyone? It was beanie douche himself, ALEX MALEEV. “Oh, I am getting so sick of drawing this character! I can’t do this anymore! Too much work, not enough time shopping for beanies!” Just when the writing started to get good, it was over. Which brings me to my next point: Brian Michael Bendis is a GRAPHIC NOVEL WRITER. I think that he struggles to make anything worthwhile happen within a single issue, but give him one hundred and fifty pages and he shines like a diamond.
So, basically this ends with Spider-Woman finding a Skrull and fighting it womanfully. She barely survives the encounter but predictably wins when her friends the Avengers show up. But she doesn’t have any friends right? Wrong Jessica Drew, you always had friends. You were just to silly to recognize it. (And she doesn’t even kill the skrull, Wolverine does).
I would recommend this series only to those who love comic book artwork. Because this really was a beautiful piece of art. As far as a piece of writing goes, it was the dumps. Frankly, it is kind of nice that it is over because now I don’t have to feel guilty about buying a comic just because of the art and not because of the writing. Reader beware.
Mirth
Posted on April 5, 2010 and filed under Comic.
dirty bombs
The second trade in the Bomb Queen saga was just as satirical as the first. Jimmie Robinson continues his disgusting commentary on our society through the grimy lens of New Port City. I have a LOVE/HATE relationship with this comic book series. I LOVE the storyline, setting, and premise of Bomb Queen’s tale; but I HATE the nudity, crudity, and raunchy humor. Essentially, you have to choose if it is worth it to you. As soon as I had read 5 pages of this trade I said to myself, “I am not getting the next one.” But by the time the final page turned I was saying, “Okay just one more.”
Bomb Queen is looking for love and companionship, when an unlikely male with a charming accent and a chivalrous manner sweeps her off her feet. This causes her to let her guard down, and the man isn’t all that he appears to be. In this volume, we learn Bomb Queen’s history. How she used to be one of many queens: Ice Queen, Scream Queen, Drama Queen, and Bomb Queen. Ice Queen had powers much like Ice-Man or Mr. Freeze. Scream Queen could shred people with the sonic powers of her voice. Drama Queen would grow to enormous proportions if someone made her angry. This trade covers how she came to be the only Queen to rule Newport City, and how that rise to the top wasn’t as easy (or sought for) as we imagined. Dang you Jimmie Robinson for making me have to buy the next.
Mirth
Posted on April 1, 2010 and filed under Comic.
Shivers of disgust ricocheted across my back as I contemplated the possibility of Tony Chu eating a diaper full of baby poop. A masterfully attention grabbing first page greeted my eyes and sucked me into this issue of the Chew series. Part 4 of the “Internation Flavors” story are delivers a hefty amount of action and an even heftier portion of cliffhangers. Tony stops pussy-footing around and starts pulling his rank and firearm like a man.
Back in the U.S., the investigations are piling up and Tony’s partner is running out of lies to tell their boss about Chu’s whereabouts. Tony begs him to think of something, and then continues his investigation of the island morgue. Upon finding the body of a slain soldier, complete with bite marks upon his neck, Tony learns that vampires aren’t fiction after all.
This issue does a fabulous job of bringing all of the characters together in a stressful situation replete with violence and mystery. The worst part of the whole issue was the last two pages. We are left with four different cliffhangers in the storyline. And the best part was, after each cliffhanging panel it said “cliffhanger!” Layman you sly dog….
The last cliffhanger left me a little concerned. It showed Chu’s partner lying next to their boss Applebee in bed. The were both under the covers, obviously undressed…. I don’t know if he is going for the gay angle, but it sure does look that way. Chu told his partner to think of something to distract their boss, I guess he used his body.
Mirth
you can read the first five pages here
Vampires Bite
Posted on March 31, 2010 and filed under Comic.
bloody, gory, mayhem
The Tramp is back! The second issue of Zombie Tramp is even more violent and boob-filled than the first! Janey Belle wakes from fresh death, hungry and filled with anger and confusion. The opening panels of the comic show her staggering out of an alley way in her panties, dripping gore from her wounds and slightly rotten effluence. Two drunks stumble upon her, and quickly assess her ‘assets’ to be worth their attention. She quickly bites the face off the first and decapitates the second in a single movement. This first scene lays the foundation for the rest of the issue.
Janey meets up with a busty black woman, who I assume is the queen of the dead (this is gleaned from her apparent command of legions of zombies and a skull themed loin cloth). This black mistress of death decides to aid Janey in her quest for revenge. She also recognizes that Janey is very special, for she has retained her soul even in death. Together, they set their wicked sights on Madame George and her streetwalkers (Janey makes a costume change first, of course more revealing than the last).
When Janey Belle busts in (pun intended), Madame George and her hussie brigade pull nines and start blasting her. She loses an arm(and one of her pasties), but not her thirst for blood and revenge. Her black mentor teaches her that she can replace her arm by taking one from someone else, and so she does so (gruesomely I might add). The hussies are toast, and Madame George hurries his hairy behind into the back room for a knife he has stashed under his bed.
Janey Belle ignores the pleas of her former pimp and walks slowly across the room (dripping buckets of her victims blood). At the last minute, Madame George plunges the knife deeply into Janey’s breast, but the blade is ineffective. Janey bites the top of Madame George’s head off. AWESOME.
I totally loved this one as much as I loved the first (can you say GUILTY PLEASURE?). The story (as you can see) is crazy gory and the context is just hilarious. Once again I repeat: If you don’t like comic nudity or panties or pasties, steer clear of this comic.
Mirth
and those are the electric tape pasties