No.1 With A Bullet

I saw the cover of issue #2 of the Image Comics series "No.1 With A Bullet" and was so intrigued by the art that I had to take a closer look. When I did, I saw that there was still a copy of issue #1 underneath, and so, without a single idea of what the comic was about, decided to pick it up both for something to read later that afternoon.

 At first I had a hard time even grasping what was going on much less what the story was about, All I knew was that the comic was following the frantic and stressful life of an intern for a huge TV Talk Show named Nash Huang, and at first, the story seemed so hipstery I was afraid I had given up "Snot Girl" only to be saddled with yet another "Cool young teens" comic.

But then the issue reached its climax where Nash finds she is a victim of a "Sex Tape" of sorts- someone has used  the new "Iris" contact lens camera to record her having sex at an old Christmas party and had released it online. The comic then changes from a seemingly frivolous one to a very real and emotional story as Nash deals with cyber-bullying, judgement from her neighbors and co-workers...and dealing with a crazy fan who is stalking her and has already invading her private residence! This is an intriguing story that I'm gonna have to follow through to the end!

Legion Of Super-Heroes Poster

Here's something fans of the 1993 Legion Of Super-Heroes reboot might remember- when Issue 13 came out, it came with an insanely cool pull-out poster of the team, and I was so stoked I had it mounted and laminated so i could hang it on my wall! 

Yeah, it's pretty beat-up and discolored nowadays, but it survived every move I made in the 25+ years since I got it, and it always goes back up on my wall when I've moved to a new place and designated the 'comic" corner" of my home!

Injection, Vol.3

Hallelujah, Injection volume three is finally HERE! Man, it is always hard waiting for these stories to be run and then collected into trades, but Injection is even longer as it's only bi-monthly, but it's such a  great and intriguing story!

Re-reading my original five issues (i originally picked up Injection issue by issue but the wait was too damn long) and second trade paperback before digging into Vol. 3 to refresh my memory!

Maus Vol. I and II

Re-reading this classic once again. I remember when it first came out, somehow the idea of having mice and jews and Cats as Germans seemed so overly clever  and calling the book by the German name for Mouse turned me off.... It wasn't until years later when my friend Gerg (who was a HUGE fan of the book) handed the two collections to me and said "Read 'em if you feel like it. If not, don't worry about it." Since I had the books right there I decided to give it a chance and I was immediately swept away by Art Spiegelman's captivating storytelling. Now it's one of my all-time favorite graphic novels to read and re-read again.

The Man Called Nova 1-25 (Complete Run)

Ohhhh man, this series did NOT hold up well over the years.

Almost excruciating to re-read.

Re-Reading The Classic Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons WATCHMEN

I was rapping with a co-worker about Bladerunner 2049 (We both loved it) and somehow the 2009 Zack Snyder film Watchmen came up. We both agreed that the movie was pretty good,  but when I began talking about the comic, he said he hadn't read it.

I told him  some of the differences in the comic and movie, including the BIG change of the 'threat" at the end. Well, that weekend I had to order a bunch of comics online and decided that if I saw a cheap copy of the collected Watchmen Graphic novel, i'd pick it up for him.

Lo and behold, there was a copy for only a few bucks! I ordered it and upon it's arrival I decided  to re-read it again to brush up on my memories . DAMN, what a GREAT freaking BOOK! The things I loved about it were as good as ever and there were even a few things I noticed that I NEVER saw before...that's how DENSE this book is, every PAGE is just filled to the BRIM with images and ideas, and MULTIPLE readings are required to soak it all in!!!

Truly one of the greatest Comcis of all time!

Queen Theater Then and Now

Someone uploaded a picture of the old Queen Theater back in its heyday circa 1950s or so (the Abbott and Costello movie "It Ain't Hay" came out in 1943, so maybe even earlier?) and since that theater is still standing there i thought I'd snap a pic to see how much it's changed since then....

Huh, gotta say that though obvious things like the marquee and theater sign itself are completely overhauled, I'm surprised by how much things as still the same!

Posted by zinkognito @ zdorama.blogspot.com

Happy Halloween!

Back in the 60's Tom Fagan organized the annual Rutland Halloween Parade centered around Marvel and DC superheroes alike, and the festival would occasionally show up in the pages of the comics, like Amazing Adventures 16 where the Beast encountered the Juggernaut!

The Human Fly

One of the more obscure titles that Marvel published in the 70's, The HUMAN FLY was a character that my friend Larry really dug for some reason, and I specifically remember a much-read copy of issue 18 at his house!!

 The Human Fly was a puzzling one....the by-line read that he was “The WILDEST Super-Hero…because he’s REAL!”, but me and most of my friends weren’t sure if he REALLY was a “real” character or just a “Made Up” character we were MEANT to think was real.

Come to find out the Human FLY WAS based on a real person, stuntman Rick Rojatt:

“Rojatt, a Canadian, says he once was a Hollywood stunt man—although the California union has no record of him. He also says he was in an auto accident in North Carolina six years ago which killed his wife and 4-year-old daughter and badly injured him. He had 38 operations in four years, he says, which allowed him to walk again but left him with a body that is “60 percent steel parts.” He says he conditions himself by rising at 3 a.m., running six miles and then plunging into a bathtub full of ice cubes.”

-From People Magazine 1976

Howard the Duck #18: "If You Knew SOOFI"

How many of you remember Anita Bryant and her Anti-Gay “Save The Children” crusade which resulted in her getting a pie in the face and inspiring Steve Gerber to create the villainous organization SOOFI (Save Our Offspring From Indecency) in HOWARD THE DUCK?

Like the Save The Children Organization, SOOFI had similar plans to “Cleanse America” of its “filth” …and targeted Howard for indecency because he was walking around without any pants on! HAHAHAHAHA

It’s a widely held belief that Gerber alluded the “person under the mask” of SOOFI Leader Supreme Soofi to be none other than Anita Bryant herself; though no real mention of Anita is mentioned, the folksinger was well known for her association with Florida Orange Juice, and the SOOFI’s round orange “Citrus Heads” (as Howard calls it) certainly hints at this, and when the Supreme SOOFI confesses to Howard that she is “a Girl from the Sunshine State”, who else could it be!?

Howard The Duck was such a GREAT comic- Steve Gerber infused the most sharp and witty satirical takes on the problems of the 70’s into Howard’s exploits!

Posted by zinkognito @ zdorama.blogspot.com

FreakAngels (Complete Run)

 FreakAngels as originally an online comic, and it was a joy to tune in each week and read the four of five new pages of story and beautiful art. They were part of my weekly ritual, and for the first time in years, I've been having a hankering to re-visit my old friends back in Whitechapel...

Outcast, Vol.5: The New Path

Volume Five of the awesome OUTCAST arrived so it's time to dig out my earlier trade paperbacks and read the series all over from book one again!!! Really love this series.

Desolation Jones: Made in England

Reading Desolation Jones again for the umpteenth time. Man I love this book. Such a cryin' shame that Warren Ellis baled on this one after (thankfully) completing this first story arc "Made in England".

As I re-read this again, I consciously tried to pin down what I love about this comic so much, and you know what, it comes down to the characters. I LOVE the characters here, especially Jones' relationship with Emily, the chemically-altered Special Agent who got operated on to produce alluring pheromones but instead with a botched trait which gave off an aura of near-revulsion instead.

No man or woman can stand to be near her, and so it is Jones alone who can endure her company and be there for her when her loneliness becomes unbearable. Very touching.

Unfollow, Vol.3: Turn It Off

I have to say that while I was initially intrigued by the idea of a billionaire giving away his fortune to 140 chosen people, by the time the second book came out, it had veered so far from what I was expecting that I decided to drop the book. But then I read that the third trade paperback was going to be the conclusion of the series, and, having invested my money into the first two books, made a point to pick it up later when I could get it cheap.
 What instead happened was, I got tickets to see the new Bladerunner 2046 movie but found that tit was going to be tow hours before my showing. With so much time to kill, I wandered into a comic store in the neighborhood, and, seeing the third Unfollow book. decided to pick it up and read it after all.
Meh, have to say it still didn't grab me and will probably not read it again, but it was an adequate way to kill some time.

East Of West, Vol.7

Been a YEAR since East of West Volume Six came out (Volume Seven was scheduled to be released in early June but kept getting postponed til September) and so I decided to dig up all my books and start reading them all over again from the beginning. Gonna take my time reading this one so I'll be preoccupied with this for awhile....Damn, this is such a great freaking series!!!!!