Keep Sweet!

YAY!!!! A new spin-off band of The moon Knights has gone public just a few hours ago with a new song for download. The Keep Sweets is Lester's new band (I think it's just him; confirmation needed) and The MySpace page says it sounds like "a faggier version of clap your hands say yeah". For now I think that is pretty apt description, meaning this music rules. Go get it now!

For trivia purposes here is a list of all past and present moon knights spin-offs:

The Moon Knights- Lester, Julie, Ted, Adrian (reserve and past members: Dan, Jeff, Sam, Tad, Anna)
Leprechaun House Society- Lester, Anna(?)
The Yellow Circles- Ray, Kate
The Sourdoughs- Lester
Sultans of Rock- Dan, Lester
Secret Santa- Dan, Lester
Black Bolt & the Inhumans- MC Doug, Adrian, Ted, Julie, The Blue Wasp
Bees, inc.- The Blue Wasp
Oprah's Gay Nightmare- Ted
DJ.SNESDS- Adrian, Julie
The Wolfblitzer- Omega, Alpha, Alpha (reserve drummers: Alpha, Alpha, Alpha)
!*!SHADOW!*!DIPPER!*!- Grifter, Grifter, Grifter
!^!ANTI!^!SHADOW!^!DIPPER!^!- The World Mind
The Keep Sweets- Lester


hahahaha... that's almost ridiculous. As far as I know 8 of those 14 have performed live, and only one of those was ever cursed off the stage (!*!SHADOW!*!DIPPER!*!). Did I forget any?

SO... The Keep Sweets. !YES///YES!

To be young again...

Quick reviews of the stuff i read:

Mark Millar and John Romita JR deliver the first issue of their new series Kick-Ass. Briefly, this is about a regular kid in the real world who decides he wants to be a super-hero. This book is amazing. The story is great and the main character is one I can relate to in exacting terms. JR Jr is the best artist in all comics when it comes to storytelling and his pencils in this book are perfect for bringing an insane kineticism, without which this story would fall. It gave me the same rush as reading Rick Spears and Rob G's Teenagers form Mars and Dave Gibbons' The Originals. The difference is this is just better.

I was on the razor's edge of being this stupid in high school. Like the protagonist, I think a lot of my child hood was spent "feeling numb and playing video games" (or finding other suitable distractions). He is an only child of a widowed father where as I was an only child of divorced parents. I was constantly alone as they had to work constantly and I was left with more than enough time to develop "the perfect combination of loneliness and despair" that drives this story. I can't wait for more.

Elephantmen: War Toys 2 came out and that was really good. I read once (maybe in Understanding Comics?) that European comics focused on world building significantly more than American or Japanese counterparts. I feel that sense of world building in a big way with all of the Elephantmen books, and this miniseries is a great example of that. We have seen this future world Richard Starkings' design from so many points of view that it really comes alive. I love all of the work done in these books.

The new issue of Morrison's Batman continued what is a solid run for the character. This issue would be great if realized by a better artist. Tony Daniels' style is a little to traditional to allow this arc (which features hallucinations as a heavy part of the narrative) really take off. Yay for more Bat-Mite!

Young Avengers Presents 2 (featuring Hulkling) was probably just OK. I guess I really wanted this series of one shots to somehow advance a plot or something. Instead we get introspective character moments that could be accomplished in the space of a few pages, or even panels. It also frustrates me that Jim Cheung seems to be doing nothing but covers when he is a really great artist.

To briefly self promote, I am going to be doing a show with my wife as DJ SNESDS next Wednesday. We will be one of the openers for Harry & the Potters.



The house party is at 1566 Summit View Street, Anchorage, AK 99504 and anyone who wants to come is welcome. Their is a 5$ suggested donation that will go to Harry & the Potters who are visiting from Boston. Plane tickets aren't cheap!

DJ SNESDS @ 630
TongueBrainKeeThigh @ 7
Harry & The Potters @ 8
iLeah after that
Liz Burrito after that

Times are approximate guesses but we are definately playing first so if you wanna catch it be early. That Friday, The Wolfblitzer will be playing at the Kodiak bar and grill (21+).

i am become ass at the walls of troy

I have recently come into possession of a rare Captain Ahab CD-R, i am become ass.



This CD-R was 'made in conjunction with the summer 2005 "Ass Holocaust" tour with Rose for Bodhan'. This is sort of a transitional EP, 7 tracks in length. Moving from the less overt The Sex is Next to masterwork of After the Rain my Heart Still Dreams, i am become ass is the chrysalis stage of the Ahab butterfly.

The Tracks:

1. Your Body is a Wonderland- This cover is a poppy string of almost childish synth lines and electronic beeps. Julie (my wife) hates the original and this version is pretty funny.
2. I Can't Believe It's Not Booty (Radio edit)- The idea that this song would ever be played on radio is hilarious. Check out the single version on the 2nd video in my Valentine's Day post. This version replaces all the F-bombs with the word Love. The keys are also more lo-fi and the secondary keyboard part is much more pronounced. This track is completely great.
3. Sk8er Boi- Before there was Girlfriend their was that other amazing Avril song. This cover could be some terrible serious attempt to make this song techno workout/dance music. This song starts to show Captain Ahab's ability to walk the line of irony so silently that the casual passerby might not notice it.
4. This Music Sucks- A song that rips on its own genre for almost 5 minutes. The drum & bass brakes down in the middle for a noise & vocals tirade. Brilliant.
5. Climate Control Abe Lincoln vs. Fairy Princess Ballerina Bride (Live)- An electronic instrumental with "announcing" of what sounds like a pro wrestling match, this is a song that seems to be almost 100% based on being there. Why does this work for me? It's a horror trick, that what you don't see can be scarier than what you do see. Same deal here, with funnier being the operative word.
6. Goliath!- This is a narrative about David and Goliath mostly sung from Goliath's point of view. This reminds me of old comic books or Saturday cartoons where the bad guy constantly brags of their own evil. Goliath boasts about being a "befouler of the land" and a "metaphor of selfishness" and "proud to be uncircumcised"; while the Philistines refer to themselves as godless. Good stuff.
7. The Captain Ahab Megalomaniamix- This is probably my favorite track. It's an almost 16 minute mix that highlights past achievements and alludes to what would be their very bright future.

I am now eagerly awaiting the first package from the fan club that should come out soon. Of course, I can't wait for their next full length The End of Irony.

I was going to review the latest Incredible Hercules but its been out for a week now so I'm just going to link to this post (and this one and this one) that sums up everything I wanted to say and has prettier scans. If you've wondered why I have links to fashion blogs on my page here, i think this should clarify. Modern "high fashion" consists mostly of costumes. Inspiration for this line seems to have come from the Adam West Batman series of yore.

The new heroclix set, Crisis, comes out today!

#1 want: Klarion!

Also coming out that I'm getting: Batman, Elephantmen: War Toys 2, Kick-Ass and Young Avengers Presents 2. Yeah!

5 pages, 5 pages

Another day and no real post!? That's right. Here are some previews to check out:

5 page preview of upcomming Jonathan Hickman series TRANSHUMAN. Everything Jonathan Hickman has released thus far has blown me away.

5 page preview of Elephantmen: War Toys #2. War Toys is an awesome mini series within Elephantmen, which is an awesome on-going series in support of the amazing mini-series Hip Flask. This preview is non-spoilery and War Toys #1 would be a nice introduction into the world. Hip Flask and Elephantmen are virtually indispensable reading and each issue includes so many articles, sketches and extras its almost a magazine.



Tomorrow: real post!

Nihilism, Masochism, Cajun

No time to post today so you get GAMBIT!!!!!!!

Let's be clear. If you don't get out now, you will probably ruin a small piece of your soul, because here comes Gambit tribute videos!!!



The first is set to "Wild Thing" and is by "GhettoGypsy", maker of many terrible marvel tribute videos.



Here is one set to... umm... which Linkin Park song is that? Anyway, this piece by "fuz888" illustrates my theory that there is a video of everything set to some terrible song by garbage Linkin Park on YouTube.



"prahfit619" gives us one set to Offspring's "The kids aren't all right". huh...



...and finally, "remyslove" ruins the Motorhead song "Ace of Spades".





If you thought I was joking, I bet you're sorry now. Gambit is SOOOOOOOO terrible.

Pee-Day!

Happy Presidents Day!!! yeah...

In honor of P-Day I've got The New Adventures of Abraham Lincoln on deck, but first...

Hawnay Troof has made a new remix of High Places' "Head Spins" that you can and should download for free on the High Places MySpace Page. I like this remix a lot. "Head Spins" is a great song that makes me want to dance and bob my head. The remix, "Head Spinz", makes me want to do a different dance and bob my head faster.

Also, Eating Disorder is looking for a title for her Summer release. Send her your ideas. While you are there you should take a while to look around and be creeped out. Eating Disorder is a musician whom you really want to be friends with on MySpace. It's a lot like how you should be Warren Ellis' friend. The bulletins are frequent and crazy. She also has free downloads.


So on to "The New Adventures of Abraham Lincoln" by Scott McCloud, of Understanding Comics fame. I really like this book.


As you can see, I got a deal-and-a-half. I never even knew about this book until I found it for 99 cents in a discount bin in Fairbanks. Here is an excerpt from McCloud's description:

I like to think of The New Adventures of Abraham Lincoln as a "noble failure." The consensus of comics fans at the time seemed to be that "failure" was description enough.

McCloud blends CGI backgrounds with very cartoony and characters. The result is... a little... is painful the right word? The upside is that the art and storytelling are very clear and the pacing serves the story well. The story itself is actually pretty brilliant, and I think probably increasingly relevant in modern America. Young student Byron Johnson is a young black kid, frustrated with the vacant people around him. Here is Byron's reply to his teacher's question of what "Four score and seven years ago," means to him.


Ouch! Things look up when "Honest Abe" busts in to detention hall!


YEAH! Now that's executive action! The reader comes to realize that something is not quite right with ol' Abe when he acts like a complete idiot and cranks out the charm. Byron and his friend-who-wants-to-be-his-girlfriend Marcie have to expose the fraud before things get really out of hand, but what can two kids do against the charm of an American icon ressurected?

Enter: ABRAHAM LINCOLN!?!?!?!

That's right the real Abraham Lincoln is back too! Now they just have to figure a way to prove this all to human man is more real than the guy that looks like the face on the $5 bill. The story has action, excitement, and I seriously cry every time I read the ending. Symbols are powerful, scary things. From the real Lincoln:

SYMBOLS, America, can be useful tools.But beware of those who would have you used by them! Some of their symbols are pictures, some are familiar phrases, some are mere gestures. They are all designed to steal your hearts, America, but care little for your minds. It is your duty to assign both organs to attend them!

Heck yeah! This book serves up plenty of thrills, but maybe more importantly humanizes Lincoln in a way that nothing else I have encountered does.

Happy President's Day. Trust no one.

Tiny Post

Tiny post today.

This week saw the debut of Tiny Titans from DC comics. I got this because it s ridiculously cute.



For the most part I was satisfied. It is a book of vignettes of a bunch of the teen titans as kids in elementary school. It's no Mini Marvels, but what is? My favorite Tiny Titan??

Ravager

Now, I'm not really any kind of fan of her mainstream counterpart, but "Rose" is great with the baby blue eye patch. Her shtick so far is embarrassment, as she is the daughter of new principal Deathstroke.

My favorite story was this 2-pager




GOLD! The classic 60s Titans are my favorites, and they are well represented here. Anyway, this is a cute comic, well worth $2.25, and I'll keep picking it up.

I subscribe to a few "Song-of-the-day" podcasts and MPR's "The Current Song of the Day" has consistently been the least exciting. Nevertheless, today's offering I liked. From Minneapolis band Skoal Kodiak, "Harpie" has a good, head bobbing groove, based on a constantly modulating distorted bass (or synth?) line. The vocals are so distorted they offer no discernible lyrics. The effect is kind of like one of the funkier Bjork tracks you might hear.


FRIDAY!

Happy V-Day!!! Captain Ahab and MODOK!!!

Happy Valentine's Day! Here is some prime love ballads sandwiching choice MODOK soft-core. So take a trip with me to the land of love.

Our first stop is Captain Ahab's "U Want Me" video. Now, I'm sure many of you are already familiar, but indulge yourself and watch this again. Watch it all the way through. It will set the tone for this blog, the rest of the day, and maybe even change your life. (Caution for those at work, maybe wait 'till later if your office is strict)



Wasn't that great? "TEH H8RED PWNS ME 4EVA!11!!" Captain Ahab is so great. Who doesn't want to be loved like that? Maybe MODOK?

Let's explore some of the highs and lows of MODOK's sordid romantic history. The Mental Organism has had many a dealings with the opposite sex but here are my picks for the three most titilating adventures.

Last year, we learned of MODOK's, or rather George Tarleton's, fling with Monica Rappaccini in MODOKs 11 and the Ms Marvel story arc "Ready, AIM, Fire!" MODOK was once a normally proprtioned, scientist-dork who took advantage of a drunk girl at an AIM gathering. When years later, they have a chance to reunite, Monica spurns the freakish MODOK and condemns their offspring-producing encounter to a mistake. What she didn't realize is that Hell hath no fury like a MODOK scorned. He formulates an insane plan to get back at her by blowing her up with a destabilized Hypernova. She should really have thought about her hurtful and unkind words before she crossed poor MODOK.

Next on our stroll down MODOK memory lane is 1983's The Incredible Hulk 290: "Unholy Alliance". First off, it's refreshing to see how far we've come in 25 years. To call something as beautiful as love "unholy" truly is. MODOK's Conquest in this issue is Dr. Katherine Waynesboro. Now it's hard to tell by Sal Buscema's fairly flat art, but the Dr. is quite the looker. To summarize the plot, AIM kidnaps Dr. K.W. and turns her into Ms MODOK in order combat MODOK who is looking to reclaim AIM for himself.

What AIM didn't see coming was love.




And I don't think anyone saw the consummation coming.



Yikes! Click on that one for the full effect. Well, eventually MODOK disintegrates the Abomination and Ms MODOK is put off. MODOK tries to kill her, but accidentally knocks her into the machine that can revert her to her natural form. Dang!

6 years before this tragedy MODOK had an "encounter" with Ms Marvel in the 7th issue of her first series. Now if you read about their battle in 2007 you will have noticed she never mentions this battle. Here is why:



Oh yeah. Check that out! “She screams a second time, and inside her mind smiles… For MODOK has changed. No longer repulsive, fearful, monstrously evil– the mind ripper mas made him tall and strong and beautiful. It’s made him a man Ms Marvel can LOVE. And serve. A man she will worship as a GOD.” ICE COLD.



I think that image properly sets the tone for this last video. Yes, it is Captain Ahab again with "I Can't Believe It's Not Booty" and NO, YOU SHOULD NOT WATCH THIS AT WORK!



Have a good day and spread the love!

VICE LUVVIN': 2 Sure Shots For The Season

Vice Cooler (of HAWNAY TROOF fame) recently posted a DJ set he did in Europe. Here is his description. "CREW--- I was recentally invited to do a Dj set in the bavarian town of Nurnburg. The crowd was full of people wanting to heard 50 cent's boring slow jams and instead they got me spinning quite the opposite." This is an awesome mix and great party/hang out music. Download it from his blog at the HAWNAY TROOF MySpace page in the Blog section. I'm not sure if you need to be on MySpace to download it, but it is totally worth it. There is also a new remix of his song "Out of Teen" that is awesome. And if you don't already have Dollar & Deed you are completely missing out. Actually, go download this mixtape right now and then buy all of his releases.

Photo by Clare L. Evans

Looking for a good comic to read or buy for your Valentine??? Try this one.

I don't care if you have been married forever or you fear love or you hate everything Valentine's Day has become, this is still a good Valentine's read. I can't imagine what kind of person wouldn't appreciate this book. Buy it, read it, give it to someone, anything. Most major book chains probably have this in stock right now, but check with your local comic store first. It's fun and romantic and excitng and violent and fast and beautifully done by Osamu Tezuka. Just do it.

Oh, and check out the last weeks Dollar Bin show "Comic Book Couples" for some extra fun.