Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
That’s me and my old (as in 85 years young) buddy, Jim Ivey last week after having one of our extended breakfast meetings. About every six months or so we get together over a hearty breakfast where we catch up on the latest goings on, share old war stories (and some of Jim’s are literally war stories) and generally have a fun couple of hours. It’s always time well spent and I can’t wait to do it again!
I’m happy to say that I started watching LOST with season one, episode one and never missed a single show. When the series first started I was intrigued by the mysteries of the characters and the island. Somewhere along the way I began to think that we’d never get all the answers we’d want, but I was still enjoying the ride, so I went along.
Unlike many, who felt the final episode was a let down because we were left with questions unanswered, I felt that the finale was a fitting ending to a series that was always more about characters and questions than storyline and answers. If you want to read a really cool account of what the LOST finale means [supposedly written by someone who actually worked on the show] then click on this link to io9.com’s repost of a piece that originally ran at Dark UFO.
Newsarama recently ran a six page preview of Darwyn Cooke’s adaptation of Richard Stark’s The Outfit. It’s the sequel to Hunter [also an adaptation of a Stark novel] and it…
…won the 2009 Diamond Gem Award for Original Graphic Novel of the Year, is nominated for a 2010 Eisner and was a New York Times bestseller.
If that doesn’t make you want to check it out, nothing will.
A couple of days ago when I was looking for art to accompany my post about Frank Frazetta’s passing, I considered a ton of pieces. The decision was a tough one because Mr. Frazetta had created so many iconic images throughout his career and because so many had made such an impression on me. One that I had considered was the Judge Dredd cover that Frazetta had painted for Mad magazine. I thought that the cover might be an interesting choice since it had a Sly Stallone connection. Ultimately, I decided against it.
Today, as I was reading Mark Evanier’s blog, I came across a piece about Frank Frazetta that included a story about how that Mad cover came to be and why the painting’s background had to be yellow. It’s an interesting post even if you’re not a Stallone or Judge Dredd fan, but even more so if you are. Plus it gave me the opportunity to post the Frazetta/Stallone connection art.
That’s the partial cover to Bullet in the Head #2 published by Dynamite. I’d actually meant to post about the series sooner, but it’s still not to late to get on board — the first issue won’t be out until June. Bullet in the Head was first published in France back in 2004. It went on to win “Best Story” at the Prix Saint-Michel comics awards. In 2009 the film rights were optioned by Warner Bros.
So, what’s Bullet in the Head about you ask? [And I’m glad you did.] Bullet in the Head is a crime noir about a pair of buddy cops, a pair of buddy hitmen, some femme fatales and a ever-increasing body count. Written by Matz, with art by Colin Wilson, the series is geared toward mature audiences.
You can read more about the series and see the first two covers here.
I like paradoxes. You know, a statement or group of statements that leads to a contradiction. Perhaps the simplest paradox is…
This statement is false.
If the statement is false, then it is in fact a true statement thus making it false. Huh? Exactly.
Another paradox…
God is all powerful and can do anything. God could even create a rock so heavy that he couldn’t lift it.
If God couldn’t lift the rock, he isn’t all powerful… and if he couldn’t create the rock, then he isn’t all powerful. But suppose God could create a rock so heavy he couldn’t lift it… then the fact that God couldn’t lift it would mean he wasn’t all powerful. And if he could lift such a rock would mean that he wasn’t powerful enough to create a rock he couldn’t lift.
There are also a lot of movies [The Terminator, Back to the Future, 12 Monkeys, etc.] that involve time travel paradoxes. So, I’m pretty familiar with a lot of different types of paradoxes. I’d never heard of the Pinocchio paradox until I stumbled across it at Neatorama. I got a kick out of it. I hope you did as well.
The Pitch: Cowboys and Vampires, oh and did I mention Stephen King wrote one of the stories?
The Overview: Two stories [one written by Scott Snyder and the other by Stephen King, both with amazingly good art by Rafael Albuqerque] combine to tell the tale of Skinner Sweet. In 1880, Sweet was an outlaw in the wild west. That was also the year that he became a vampire. Jump forward 45 years. A young woman named Pearl comes to Hollywood to make her fortune in the movies. Things are rough, but she has no idea how bad things can get until vampires are thrown in the mix, and I’m not just talking about Summer Sweet.
The Good: Both stories are excellent. The concept works. Rafael Albuquerque’s art is a joy. Love the characters, especially Pearl. Summer Sweet’s appearances in Pearl’s story is well done. I am looking forward to more about the vampires in Hollywood. Alburquerque draws a great western! Love the foreshadowing with the big, bald guy.
The Bad: Going to a Hollywood party hosted by vampires. Shooting a vampire and it only ticks him off.
The Ugly: What happens to guests at parties hosted by vampires. What happens when you tick off a vampire.
The Summary: I loved the first issue. Everyone involved did a bang-up job and I look forward to the second issue. American Vampire #1 is available now.
No, that isn’t me when I first wake up. It’s actually a card that my buddy, Rafael Kayanan did for a Lord of the Rings trading card set. You can see that card and others when you check out this interview with Raf over at the Sketch Card Art Blog.
Happy New Year!
I’m usually not one that’s happy to see a year end. Most years, even though they have their ups and downs are good ones. 2009 was no exception. Overall it was a good year, with a few bumps along the way. Nothing major. Everyone is in good health. We all have jobs. So, I don’t know why I’m really looking forward to 2009 being over. Maybe it’s because I think that 2010 is going to be so much better.
Many folks make New Year’s resolutions. Not me. I know I should eat less of this and more of that. I know I should exercise more. Appreciate what I have. Focus on the positive. Etc. Etc. Etc. My every day resolution is to try and make things better. I’m not perfect and I don’t always live up to my goal, but each day I go out and try again.
And in 2010, I hope to be even better. Here’s to a new year. May all of your wishes come true.
Happy New Year!
Today as I was updating the StalloneZone and listening to 70’s music, a song came on that I hadn’t heard in years. “Timothy” was a one-hit wonder for a group called The Buoys. It peaked at #17 which is pretty amazing considering that many stations banned it because of it’s references to cannibalism! You read that right, cannibalism.
Written by Rupert “The Pina Colada Song” Holmes, it tells of three miners trapped by a cave-in and when the rescue team finds them there are only two. Although it’s never explicitly said that the two ate the third, the lyrics make it pretty clear.
Trapped in a mine that had caved in
And everyone knows the only ones left
Were Joe and me and Tim
When they broke through to pull us free
The only ones left to tell the tale
Were Joe and meTimothy, Timothy, where on earth did you go?
Timothy, Timothy, God why don’t I know?Hungry as hell no food to eat
And Joe said that he would sell his soul
For just a piece of meat
Water enough to drink for two
And Joe said to me, “I’ll have a swig
And then there’s some for you.”Timothy, Timothy, Joe was looking at you
Timothy, Timothy, God what did we do?I must have blacked out just around then
‘Cause the very next thing that I could see
Was the light of the day again
My stomach was full as it could be
And nobody ever got around
To finding Timothy
Timothy…
Of course when radio station managers realized that the song was about cannibalism they’d pull it from rotation, but by then it was too late. Kids were calling in to request it. Stations that refused to play “Timothy”, faced the fact that the competition would. Word of mouth continued to spread and “Timothy” rose up the charts.
I can remember it was the talk of all my friends who thought the song was too cool. Yeah, eating a co-worker is cool. What can I say? We were kids. Although I have to admit I still like the song. You might too and you can listen to it here.
TV critic, Matthew Gilbert posted up his choices for the TOP 14 Unscripted TV Moments of the Decade. Using just his list here are My Top Ten:
10. Susan Boyle’s first song on “Britain’s Got Talent”: Don’t judge a book by it’s cover and all that. Pip, pip, cherio.
09. Jon Stewart on “Crossfire”: Stewart took them to task for being “theater” — about time someone did!
08. Susan Hawk attacks Richard Hatch on “Survivor”: It was a jaw-dropping moment and one that had everyone talking. Still makes me smile to think about it.
07. Joe Jackson works the red carpet at the BET awards: Michael had just died and Joe Jackson is at the awards pushing his new record label? Grieving, indeed.
06. Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake at the 2004 Super Bowl: A lot of people thought it was the breast best part of the Super Bowl!
05. Police taser a Florida student: “Don’t tase me, bro!” Need I say more?
04. Tom Cruise jumps on Oprah’s couch: Want to bring your brilliant career to a screeching halt?
03. Sully’s plane lands safely: The first unscripted moment to make the list that is positive any way you look at it!
02. Howard Dean screams, is remixed: Dean would have been better off just jumping on Oprah’s couch.
01. The morning of Sept. 11, 2001: Nothing else came close to being #1.
Click here to see the full list or here to see how his poll results.
I’ve been playing some poker on Facebook. It’s not real money and it’s all for fun but look who’s number one. LOL
Tomorrow should be a great day. I’m starting out at the beautiful JBI studios in downtown Holly Hill. I’ll be serving as co-host for John Beatty’s $10 Head Sketch Saturday. John will be drawing live on UStream as fans request their very own sketches. These broadcasts are a lot of fun, so even if you don’t plan to purchase a sketch, drop on by and join in. Details are here.
Then after a full day with Big Beatty, I’m going to join my brother, Boobyboo and nephew, Bartledoo, to watch UFC 105 live [for free] on SPIKE. Let’s take a look at the card and my predictions:
Hopefully my predictions will be as good as Beatty’s sketches.
I recently took this Real Zombie Survival Survey over at Facebook. I have to admit that I was surprised that my survival odds were 95% because I answered as truthfully as possible.
Okay, if a zombie infestation breaks out, we all meet up at my house. That is, unless someone scores higher. Then we rendezvous at his/her joint.
Here’s a survey that I took part in via my Facebook page after I saw my buddy, John Beatty, had taken it. According to the results I am a 21st Century Einstein. I guess I would take more pride in the results, if not for all the mistakes in the summary:
You not just smart in the brain, but also in your common sence. You always no what to do, and everyone goes to you for answers. You brain is… a big balloon! Not literally! It’s full of information. You love learning about things, and you like to read. There’s no stopping you in this world. Be who you want!
“You not” instead of “You’re not”. Smart in the brain?? “Sence” instead of “sense”. “No” instead of “know”… and so on. Well, I do like to learn new things and read.
