It's tough to write a conclusive comic book story arc in six issues. So I can't imagine how difficult it must be to capture the life of a comedic legend, who's career spanned decades in just 24 pages, let alone FIVE. But that's what this book and it's creative team managed to do. And I know what you're thinking, "it says Three Stooges, not five." And you are so right, and wrong at the same time. Today the Hardcore Review is tackling three (five) lummoxes that were a comedy dynamo, Bluewater's Comics: The Three Stooges, which is the third issue of the Comics biographical series written by Jaymes Reed and drawn by issue one's Apriyadi Kusbiantoro. And recently, I have become a fan of the art of the documentary.
Reed again somehow does what might seem the impossible, to make people care about our history. And in a day and time when it's so fucking relevant to know about our past, we as a species, called Americans, seem to fall ever short. When we have a former comic book god like Frank Miller, bashing the Occupy Wallstreet movement, and even the Republican party silently gagging everytime Mitt Romney hits their tax payer funded flat screen televisions, we need to remember what it was to laugh. And I remember, like all of you, busting my sister on the head with a ferris wheel fist, or torquing someone's nose with a pair of pliers, that there was a comedy troupe that preceeded Kids in the Hall and Saturday Night Live. History my friends. And I am happy to report that I learned something. I know, learned something from comics. The fuck did I learn from comics other than Miller's illustrious word smitherie of, "I'm the goddamn Batman?" But I did. I found out a few things actually. First is Curly was NOT an original Three Stooge. That was Shemp. And another fancy tidbit, Shemp, Curly and Moe were brothers.
There was like only 2 word balloons in the entire book. Which, much like issue one about George Carlin was really not all that funny. The Stooges were born at the turn of the twentieth century. And it wasn't until after the Great Depression where they made their mark on not just the comedy world, but the entertainment world at large. And before when I said there were actually five Three Stooges, there were factually six, although Joe Besser, who was only known on screen as "Joe" was a very short lived career as a Stooge.
You know, the only complaint I think I even have about this book would be, I think I might have liked it even better in black and white. But that's only cause that's how I remember the Three Stooges. Well that and a better grad on my Reid Park Zoo project in design school. I did a Three Stooges parody piece that paraded the "Three Simians," with three different types of apes, with the classic Moe, Larry and Curly haircuts. Complete with the old school Three Stooges font and everything. But that's got nothing to do with Reed and Kusbiantoro's fine work here.
As some of you may know, and I'm seriously getting kinda fucking tired of reminding you, I don't review like some fat schlub from Chicago, or some pansy assed douchebag from some gossip rag piece of shit that spawned John Tesh. I don't even used a letter system, you know, like most of you got in remedial English. According to a friend, I am using "the lowest common denominator," but then again, according to me, I hate KISS and all they stand for. So here I go with my grade. The moment was something, nobody was ready for, and got somebody in a lot of trouble with his boss. In 1994, Mick Foley as Cactus Jack wrestled for WCW. When they established a shortlived relationship with the upstart ECW, Cactus wrestled Sabu in a dream match. Cactus lost, but not without delivering one of the most violent sounding chair shots I've ever heard, with a plastic fucking chair. And then afterward, Cactus delivered one of his most poignant promos ever, when he spit on the WCW World Tag Team title belt. This pissed off his boss, WOOOOOO, the man who would later call Foley nothing more than "a glorified stuntman," Ric Flair.
Showing posts with label sabu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sabu. Show all posts
Monday, November 14, 2011
Friday, November 4, 2011
Showcase Presents Booster Gold vol. 1; A Hardcore Review
What the fuck can I say about this mother fucker? 80's cheese? sure. But with some great writing and sweet art. Booster Gold is Michael Carter from the 25th Century. A former All-Everything quarterback for Gotham University, Booster had it all, potentially. But Booster lived most of his life in poverty, as his father had gambled away the family's life savings and then left afterward. Carter's mom and sister were all he had, and they lived in the ghetto. His only way out, make the big time through professional football. And he would have, if he could have just waited till he left school for the pros. But Michael's mother's health was failing, and without an operation, a very costly operation done in zero gravity, she was a goner. So Booster took on with the organized crime racket and started shaving points. He vowed never to throw a game, just make things work for those guys with crooked noses. And he got busted. Guess what kids, crime doesn't pay. Unless you're an "elected" official. Cause, then it pays up the ass. Thrown out of school and his professional status pretty much less than zero, Carter left home and took up a menial job as a night watchman of the Metropolis History Museum. With security bot, Skeets at his side, Booster recognized and incredible opportunity, steal some relics and travel back in time to become a super hero. A super hero with mega endorsement deals and movie contracts. He reprogrammed Skeets and did the deed.
Showcase Presents Booster Gold volume one is over 600 pages of "are you fucking kidding me?" But it's awesome. It didn't come highly recommended by my comic book dealer, as he reads everything that isn't television or movie related that comes into his shop (he did speak highly of Ambush Bug volume 1 though), but I decided to take a chance. I mean 600 plus pages for under twenty bucks is pretty fucking sweet. Especially if I enjoy the fuck out of it. AND I DID! For the most part Booster Gold was written with pencils by Dan "The Death of Superman" Jurgens and mostly having been inked by Mike DeCarlo, this tomb was amazing. So much better than volume one of Showcase Presents Green Lantern. Probably because it took place in the seriously fucked up 1980's instead of the seriously whacked out 1950's where every woman was supposed to be June Fucking Cleaver, but for some reason had a hardon for being married, even when they were an heiress to a multi-million dollar aircraft company (stupid bitch). i had fun the whole way through this ride. Jurgens knows how to craft a compelling story about an extremely vapid and superficial character. And some of the plot twists... totally fucked up.
The best part of the book had to be, straight man Skeets. Providing his knowledge of the verbal vernacular of the times to the woahfully wordless-smith Gold was hilarious. Correcting all of his misuses of 80's slang was hilarious. And it seriously rocked cause in my head I was hearing the voice of Skeets from the Justice League Unlimited cartoon who was voiced by Billy West (Futurama) while I read. And even though I was not reading comics in the 80's, this book definitely encompassed the idea of the 80's. Especially if you compare it to Brett Easton Ellis' American Psycho. There was a lot of materialism involved. Money grubbing and fame seeking, Booster Gold provided laughs, cheers, boos and even some sympathy along the way. His story reads like that of so many inner city youth who's only possible escape from poverty are sports, or illegal means. And in Gold's case, it turned out to be a little of both.
Booster Gold volume one had guest stars galore. The Legion of Superheroes made an appearance as Booster Gold tried to save the president from an assassination attempt. The Teen Titans, or at least Donna Troy showed up for like one fucking panel. Batman, Robin, Superman and the mid 80's incarnation of the Justice League showed up, which included Martian Manhunter, Blue Beetle, Rocket Red, a seriously 80's version of Black Canary and Guy Gardner, with amnesia. But it could have not had any of these other characters, and just included perrenial mort, Rainbow Raider, which was an awesome story by the way and an android Booster, which wouldn't have worked without Superman, and the Dimension X crew.
Honestly I do not know what the fuck I was expecting from this book, but I got more than I bargained for and I now include Booster Gold and Skeets among my favorite characters. Gold sought to be a super hero for all the wrong reasons, fame and money. But he ended up being a super hero none the less. With that, I give Showcase Presents Booster Gold volume 1 a train wreck of a debut as its grade; as it also included his first appearance and origin stories. In 1993, in ECW a wrestler debuted who was so unorthodox that the wrestling world was forever changed. "The most homicidal, suicidal, genocidal maniac known to man" appeared in the ECW Arena. Bound to a dolly with a chain, with his mouth covered like Hannibal Lecter, Sabu emerged. Throwing chairs and attacking fans, the man who was considered revolutionary among his peers, but never saw the coin he deserved, made his mark on American soil. Sabu went head to head with the relatively new wrestler, The Tazmaniac (Taz) in a match that saw slingshot leg drops, suicide dive planchas and Asai Moonsaults. In his ECW debut, under the guidance of manager hunter Q. Robins III and with his handler, 911, Sabu defeated Taz, the man he would eventually win the ECW tag team titles with, and main even the very first ECW pay per view against. "The human highlight reel of professional wrestling," and whirling dervish of the squared circle cemented his place in the annals of professional wrestling.
Showcase Presents Booster Gold volume one is over 600 pages of "are you fucking kidding me?" But it's awesome. It didn't come highly recommended by my comic book dealer, as he reads everything that isn't television or movie related that comes into his shop (he did speak highly of Ambush Bug volume 1 though), but I decided to take a chance. I mean 600 plus pages for under twenty bucks is pretty fucking sweet. Especially if I enjoy the fuck out of it. AND I DID! For the most part Booster Gold was written with pencils by Dan "The Death of Superman" Jurgens and mostly having been inked by Mike DeCarlo, this tomb was amazing. So much better than volume one of Showcase Presents Green Lantern. Probably because it took place in the seriously fucked up 1980's instead of the seriously whacked out 1950's where every woman was supposed to be June Fucking Cleaver, but for some reason had a hardon for being married, even when they were an heiress to a multi-million dollar aircraft company (stupid bitch). i had fun the whole way through this ride. Jurgens knows how to craft a compelling story about an extremely vapid and superficial character. And some of the plot twists... totally fucked up.
The best part of the book had to be, straight man Skeets. Providing his knowledge of the verbal vernacular of the times to the woahfully wordless-smith Gold was hilarious. Correcting all of his misuses of 80's slang was hilarious. And it seriously rocked cause in my head I was hearing the voice of Skeets from the Justice League Unlimited cartoon who was voiced by Billy West (Futurama) while I read. And even though I was not reading comics in the 80's, this book definitely encompassed the idea of the 80's. Especially if you compare it to Brett Easton Ellis' American Psycho. There was a lot of materialism involved. Money grubbing and fame seeking, Booster Gold provided laughs, cheers, boos and even some sympathy along the way. His story reads like that of so many inner city youth who's only possible escape from poverty are sports, or illegal means. And in Gold's case, it turned out to be a little of both.
Booster Gold volume one had guest stars galore. The Legion of Superheroes made an appearance as Booster Gold tried to save the president from an assassination attempt. The Teen Titans, or at least Donna Troy showed up for like one fucking panel. Batman, Robin, Superman and the mid 80's incarnation of the Justice League showed up, which included Martian Manhunter, Blue Beetle, Rocket Red, a seriously 80's version of Black Canary and Guy Gardner, with amnesia. But it could have not had any of these other characters, and just included perrenial mort, Rainbow Raider, which was an awesome story by the way and an android Booster, which wouldn't have worked without Superman, and the Dimension X crew.
Honestly I do not know what the fuck I was expecting from this book, but I got more than I bargained for and I now include Booster Gold and Skeets among my favorite characters. Gold sought to be a super hero for all the wrong reasons, fame and money. But he ended up being a super hero none the less. With that, I give Showcase Presents Booster Gold volume 1 a train wreck of a debut as its grade; as it also included his first appearance and origin stories. In 1993, in ECW a wrestler debuted who was so unorthodox that the wrestling world was forever changed. "The most homicidal, suicidal, genocidal maniac known to man" appeared in the ECW Arena. Bound to a dolly with a chain, with his mouth covered like Hannibal Lecter, Sabu emerged. Throwing chairs and attacking fans, the man who was considered revolutionary among his peers, but never saw the coin he deserved, made his mark on American soil. Sabu went head to head with the relatively new wrestler, The Tazmaniac (Taz) in a match that saw slingshot leg drops, suicide dive planchas and Asai Moonsaults. In his ECW debut, under the guidance of manager hunter Q. Robins III and with his handler, 911, Sabu defeated Taz, the man he would eventually win the ECW tag team titles with, and main even the very first ECW pay per view against. "The human highlight reel of professional wrestling," and whirling dervish of the squared circle cemented his place in the annals of professional wrestling.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Unwanted; A Hardcore Review *SPOILERS*
Several years ago (2008), when people were still using Myspace on a seriously regular basis, I became "friends" with Diablo, one of the writers on the graphic novel that would shortly be released called, The Unwanted. A bit later, at San Diego Comic Con 2007, I met Diablo and picked up the original book. Shortly thereafter I began to read it, but for some reason could only get about twenty pages in before I had to put the book down.
Three years since that time I finally sat down and read the book. It works on so many levels. The base of the story itself reminds me of the movie Stigmata. Thinking about it, woman goes to South America and buys a relic from a vendor. The relic, a necklace is manifesting in a type of possession of whomever wears it. The woman is a teacher at a school for juvenile delinquents. And the evil spirit is hunting the kids.
These stone wall, emotionless kids realize what is going on and they plan to take out the demon. The gather up everything they can find to use as weapons. And even though they started out as enemies, they became a team.
After they kill one of the demons incarnations, one of the kids gets sucked into a parallel world of brimstone and fire, populated by these creatures. With the help of one of the other instructors at the school/detention facility they find out how to bring her back. Smash the amulet.
The end of the story shows some of the kids, who at the beginning hated each other show a survivor's solidarity.
At times the writing was a bit stiff and hokey. Like some of the slang the kids threw, just seemed forced and unnatural. But on a whole, this is a solid story, that seems to scream for a sequel and a prequel. The artwork, as I was informed by Diablo was farmed out to an artist in South America, Juan Romera. His style is completely graphic and stylized. All the line work has a single line weight. Which in some respects is annoying, however, Romera has his own style, much like Mignola or Mike Allred, of Mad Man and X Statix and X-Force before that. The artwork is wholly rendered in black and white, graphic styling. And it works on so many levels. I appreciate small press, which this totally qualifies as. Diablo Productions is the publisher.
This book, as with everything else I review is graded based upon hardcore moments in wrestling history. The Unwanted rates a moment from Japan, probably the FMW or Frontier Martial Arts and Wrestling promotion, which inspired ECW in many ways. The moment came when Sabu was walking to the ring for a match. A fan grabbed Sabu's burnoose off of his head. Sabu, in full character jumps the railing and begins punching the fan. Sabu was and is a wrestler who was taught to protect the business by his uncle Ed Farhat, the Original Sheik. And by staying character Sabu is probably one of the last of a dying breed of wreslters who never wanted to be a superstar.
Three years since that time I finally sat down and read the book. It works on so many levels. The base of the story itself reminds me of the movie Stigmata. Thinking about it, woman goes to South America and buys a relic from a vendor. The relic, a necklace is manifesting in a type of possession of whomever wears it. The woman is a teacher at a school for juvenile delinquents. And the evil spirit is hunting the kids.
These stone wall, emotionless kids realize what is going on and they plan to take out the demon. The gather up everything they can find to use as weapons. And even though they started out as enemies, they became a team.
After they kill one of the demons incarnations, one of the kids gets sucked into a parallel world of brimstone and fire, populated by these creatures. With the help of one of the other instructors at the school/detention facility they find out how to bring her back. Smash the amulet.
The end of the story shows some of the kids, who at the beginning hated each other show a survivor's solidarity.
At times the writing was a bit stiff and hokey. Like some of the slang the kids threw, just seemed forced and unnatural. But on a whole, this is a solid story, that seems to scream for a sequel and a prequel. The artwork, as I was informed by Diablo was farmed out to an artist in South America, Juan Romera. His style is completely graphic and stylized. All the line work has a single line weight. Which in some respects is annoying, however, Romera has his own style, much like Mignola or Mike Allred, of Mad Man and X Statix and X-Force before that. The artwork is wholly rendered in black and white, graphic styling. And it works on so many levels. I appreciate small press, which this totally qualifies as. Diablo Productions is the publisher.
This book, as with everything else I review is graded based upon hardcore moments in wrestling history. The Unwanted rates a moment from Japan, probably the FMW or Frontier Martial Arts and Wrestling promotion, which inspired ECW in many ways. The moment came when Sabu was walking to the ring for a match. A fan grabbed Sabu's burnoose off of his head. Sabu, in full character jumps the railing and begins punching the fan. Sabu was and is a wrestler who was taught to protect the business by his uncle Ed Farhat, the Original Sheik. And by staying character Sabu is probably one of the last of a dying breed of wreslters who never wanted to be a superstar.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Clerks 2; A Hardcore Review
The third venture for Dante and Randal in this finality to the Jersey saga. Ok so maybe it's not final. What would all my Generation X slacker brethren have to do with the rest of our meaningless cumulative existence without more Kevin Smith goodness?
First off I have to admit I had not seen this epic on the big screen as I was in San Diego for the 2006's San Diego Comic Con International.
Having Randal back for another round is always welcome. Kevin Smith writes the best non-sensical dialog, and it is always a good thing no matter how many times I have seen it.
My serious issue with this movie is that Smith keeps putting his wife in his films. Dude, she is not nearly as hot as you seem to think she is. And she's not a very good actress. She's too stiff and not easily acceptable as one of the loser geeks in his reality. That and giving her the Mary Jane line was a bit much.
The use of Randal as a gay catalyst in Clerks is something I didn't really understand other than Smith wanting his gay brother something to hold onto in his films. Somehow I doubt the GLBTQ community is ready to send an award to Smith for his outreach to their plight. I empathize with Randal as he seems to find something wrong with everything in his way. And he always has the best 1Liners and come backs. I see a bit of myself in this character who can always make others laugh at crude fucking humor and shit.
Things get better as Rosario Dawson shows up in a bra that doesn't quite hold her tits in place while she dances to the Jackson Five. Fuck. That and the really unusual musical number he insists that he has always wanted to have in one of his flicks.
And as much as people protest, the donkey scene is quite hilarious. The new common denominator of Randal versus Elias is a welcome change from the usual rigamerole of Dante v. Randal.
In all this movies has almost everything the original had and more including Jay reinacting the scene from Silence of the Lambs and a whole juxtapositon for about go-karts versus masturbation.
I think this is the first time I have watched this in my home since I bought the DVD back in 2006.
As an end all I give this quality classical Generation X slacker flick as the pentultimate basis upon which I will base all other slacker projects, movie, comic or otherwise. This movie rates Sabu slashing open his biceps on the barbed wire versus Terry Funk (a wound that required over 100 stitches) and taping it shut and finishing the match.
First off I have to admit I had not seen this epic on the big screen as I was in San Diego for the 2006's San Diego Comic Con International.
Having Randal back for another round is always welcome. Kevin Smith writes the best non-sensical dialog, and it is always a good thing no matter how many times I have seen it.
My serious issue with this movie is that Smith keeps putting his wife in his films. Dude, she is not nearly as hot as you seem to think she is. And she's not a very good actress. She's too stiff and not easily acceptable as one of the loser geeks in his reality. That and giving her the Mary Jane line was a bit much.
The use of Randal as a gay catalyst in Clerks is something I didn't really understand other than Smith wanting his gay brother something to hold onto in his films. Somehow I doubt the GLBTQ community is ready to send an award to Smith for his outreach to their plight. I empathize with Randal as he seems to find something wrong with everything in his way. And he always has the best 1Liners and come backs. I see a bit of myself in this character who can always make others laugh at crude fucking humor and shit.
Things get better as Rosario Dawson shows up in a bra that doesn't quite hold her tits in place while she dances to the Jackson Five. Fuck. That and the really unusual musical number he insists that he has always wanted to have in one of his flicks.
And as much as people protest, the donkey scene is quite hilarious. The new common denominator of Randal versus Elias is a welcome change from the usual rigamerole of Dante v. Randal.
In all this movies has almost everything the original had and more including Jay reinacting the scene from Silence of the Lambs and a whole juxtapositon for about go-karts versus masturbation.
I think this is the first time I have watched this in my home since I bought the DVD back in 2006.
As an end all I give this quality classical Generation X slacker flick as the pentultimate basis upon which I will base all other slacker projects, movie, comic or otherwise. This movie rates Sabu slashing open his biceps on the barbed wire versus Terry Funk (a wound that required over 100 stitches) and taping it shut and finishing the match.
SCUD The Whole Shebang!; A Hardcore Review
I had begun collecting issues of SCUD several years ago, although I found several different issues, I never collated a complete series. And after several years at San Diego Comic Con 2008 SCUD creator Rob Schrab announced that SCUD had been collected into an omnibus after he had finalized the series with the last four issues.
The compilation is amazing, including all 24 covers and a tremendous intro by Kate Freund. The story is top notch on the weird-o meter. A story about a robot assassin that self distructs after its target has been terminated, and it's available at your corner "venting" machine. It's a concept that is destined to be legendary. The humor and grandeur that it amasses is truly a thing of beauty. This book spans more than a decade worth of Rob's work and two major heartbreaks in his life. Rob has a tremendous gift of creativity and amazing use of the brush. His line work is quirky and just right for the job of a disposable assassin named after the greatest nemesis weapon of the first Gulf War. SCUD delivers on all fronts, spanning the diverse plane of earth all the way to heaven for the woman he loves. SCUD is the best of a medium that can go anywhere. SCUD even became a video game, and an action figure.
The idea of a machine that kills based on a preset contempt level is sheer genius. The fact that it desires to keep its target alive and on life support in order to sustain its own life is Orwelian. And then he goes to work for the mob in order to earn money to pay to keep his primary target on life support so he too can remain alive.
In short, you gotta read SCUD to believe it. And once you do, it will change your life. And it will also make you realize why Rob Schrab should be writing all of Comedy Central's programming.
The grade I give SCUD is a flashback from 1994 when Chris Benoit earned his nickname, "The Crippler" by suplexing Sabu right onto the top of his head, breaking his neck.
The compilation is amazing, including all 24 covers and a tremendous intro by Kate Freund. The story is top notch on the weird-o meter. A story about a robot assassin that self distructs after its target has been terminated, and it's available at your corner "venting" machine. It's a concept that is destined to be legendary. The humor and grandeur that it amasses is truly a thing of beauty. This book spans more than a decade worth of Rob's work and two major heartbreaks in his life. Rob has a tremendous gift of creativity and amazing use of the brush. His line work is quirky and just right for the job of a disposable assassin named after the greatest nemesis weapon of the first Gulf War. SCUD delivers on all fronts, spanning the diverse plane of earth all the way to heaven for the woman he loves. SCUD is the best of a medium that can go anywhere. SCUD even became a video game, and an action figure.
The idea of a machine that kills based on a preset contempt level is sheer genius. The fact that it desires to keep its target alive and on life support in order to sustain its own life is Orwelian. And then he goes to work for the mob in order to earn money to pay to keep his primary target on life support so he too can remain alive.
In short, you gotta read SCUD to believe it. And once you do, it will change your life. And it will also make you realize why Rob Schrab should be writing all of Comedy Central's programming.
The grade I give SCUD is a flashback from 1994 when Chris Benoit earned his nickname, "The Crippler" by suplexing Sabu right onto the top of his head, breaking his neck.
Grandma's Boy; A Hardcore Review
So, I had to do something heavily weed related for the April 20 (4/20) "Hardcore Review." And here it is, Grandma's Boy is a flick I have seen more than half a dozen times in the span of the last year and a half. And it is just as funny as the first time. Guy gets booted from his apartment, because his roommate takes the rent money and spends it on "massage therapy." Or as Kevin Nash says, "yeah, they'll massage your cock for money." It's hilarity the way I always wanted a slacker film to be. Slacker films took a dive in the mid ninties, but made a comeback with titles like Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Grandma's Boy. Ever wondered what the day to day life of a video game tester was like? It's pretty extreme, from losing your housing due to your roommates sexual proclivities to telling your coworkers why you are always tired due to the massive orgies you have almost nightly with your three female roommates. To your coworkers finding out you roommate with your grandma and her two elderly friends. And a twenty something virgin getting it on with one of said roommates, to a very quirky asshole who designs the games you test talking like a robot and thinking he's part of "The Matrix." This movie has everything you need in a qualit slacker flick, including plenty of sexual innuendo and almost an hour and half of weed smoking.
From thievery to lunchtime video game challenges to a guy jerking off without locking the bathroom door (not a pretty picture) with insanely hilarious results, Grandma's Boy is your cure to a boring night at home. It's probably even funnier when your stoned.
In terms of grading this fil m in my own unique way, I give this flick a high grade in Sandman versus Sabu at Houseparty 1998. The original Stairway to Hell match. Sabu breaks his jaw, and Sandman is bloodier than I have ever seen him in a vitory that takes knocking out the Suicidal, Homicidal, Genocidal Maniac with a homerun-like swing with Jim's trusty friend, a singapore cane.
From thievery to lunchtime video game challenges to a guy jerking off without locking the bathroom door (not a pretty picture) with insanely hilarious results, Grandma's Boy is your cure to a boring night at home. It's probably even funnier when your stoned.
In terms of grading this fil m in my own unique way, I give this flick a high grade in Sandman versus Sabu at Houseparty 1998. The original Stairway to Hell match. Sabu breaks his jaw, and Sandman is bloodier than I have ever seen him in a vitory that takes knocking out the Suicidal, Homicidal, Genocidal Maniac with a homerun-like swing with Jim's trusty friend, a singapore cane.
The Wrestler; A Hardcore Review
I have seen this movie four times now in this new year. This is the first time I watched it legally. That should tell you all something. That I would get a bootleg, watch it three times and then go and get the movie when it's released on BluRay.
For the uninitiated, wrestling is a dance of sorts. And this movie chronicles a short period of time in the life of Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a wrestler who is past his glory days. Ram, as I will sometimes refer to him during this review, is played by Mickey Rourke, who as perhaps destiny would have it is a past his prime actor, whom many critics have said has revitalized his career with this flick. Ram is broken down, physically and mentally by the business and life. As many wrestlers will attest, being on the road as much as wrestlers are, he has become estranged from his daughter. This was probably the most realistic depiction of the life of a professional wrestler EVER! The road and the wrestling life does weird things to otherwise normal and honest people. Drugs, cheating on spouses. Drinking and driving. The famous time when Triple H met Ric Flair for the first time, in the buff with a balloon attatched to "Space Mountain." Fucked up shit happens on the road. There's not a lot to do when you live out of a suitcase and the cheapest motel you can find is your home 300+ days a year. It's a tough life. And when people say, "well making a hundred grand a year is worth it." Try staying away from your loved ones, your home and yourself in all actuality for over 300 days a year and see if the money is worth it. Not the least to add to that is also the fact that you wrestle five days a week, twice on Sunday and you get no time to recover from the injuries that pile up on you. And after you see this movie and learn a little about the world of pro wrestling, you will know that it is probably the least fake industry in the world. These are real men and women whose lives get torn assunder because they do what they love.
This film is gritty and quasi documentary-like in cinematic scope. Shot with a "live" feel to it, where you feel like someone who is in on the action, you become privy to all the once secret brotherhood of pro wrestling.
Ram's only interpersonal relationship is with over the hill stripper, Cassidey, played extremely well by Marisa Tomei. Cassidey is Ram's confidant. She knows more about him than his own daughter. And when he decides to mend broken fences he finds out just how much of that bridge he burned.
This is the story of a man, who never learned to follow what should have been important in life and instead persued unhealthy relationships, prolonged a career that he was not willing to let go of twenty years ago when he was on top.
This analogy came a week ago when Michael Jordan was voted into the Hall of Fame. It is from ESPN's Mike and Mike in the Morning. Jordan was the best in his field for 14 years. Basically the entirety of his career. But 14 years is well short of a lifetime. And for someone who once had the adulation of millions, and was revered by little boys and girls on every playground basketball blacktop in the world, it is very hard to stop and become a normal person. It's the reason soldiers have terrible times acclimating to mainstream society after seeing the worst toils of war. Someone like myself can be an artist and a writer until the day I drop dead. Even if I were to ever be thought of as the best, I can still do what I do for as long as I choose to. It is harsh to think of the devastation this wroughts on men, who in their fifties are still vital, physically and mentally and just not viable commodities in the field they chose.
This industry is brought to the forefront of the public eye. Wrestlers are not offered health insurance. They are a select few without pensions, or retirement options. These are men and women who give of themselves for the love of those who come to see them. This is something Vince McMahon and Dixie Carter need to look at and realize that withouth these men and women killing themselves night in and night out are left bankrupt, homeless, without families and without futures in broken down shambles of human bodies. This industry needs to change. And you the fans, and people who believe everyone in this country deserves that chance to have a future can help make that possible. Voice your opinions. Make the change happen. Vince can afford to give his employees health insurance. Right now all wrestlers are "independant contractors" and that means Vince and Dixie can make all the profit off their backs they want, and not pay into the system.
For everything this movie has done in being a great film and bringing awareness to the public, the honor I bestow upon it is not another hardcore moment in wrestling history, but a spot in my Top Five favorite movies of all time. I was asked why I did not have a typical grade for this film. I thought that placing it in my top five favorite movies was enough, but here goes. The grade I give this dates back to 1996 when a new feud was begining. A broken ring and a one hour time delay could not keep these two combatants from tearing the house down. Rob Van Dam and Sabu put up a four star match which included the ring ropes breaking during the match, the two wrestling around the arena and then pulling off a great finish. Triple Jump Moonsaults, Super Arabian Facebusters, all with a broken set of ring ropes. It may be known as the broken ring match, but many remember this as the match that started the war between two men who flew higher and performed crazier acrobatic stunts than the next five fliers in total. RVD v. Sabu was one of the most entertaining feuds from ECW, as they teamed up while they still hated each other to capture the Tag Team Belts, and then battled over the ECW World Television Title all while being cheered on by fence sitter Bill Alphonso, who finally joined with RVD after Sabu was released from his contract in 2000.
For the uninitiated, wrestling is a dance of sorts. And this movie chronicles a short period of time in the life of Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a wrestler who is past his glory days. Ram, as I will sometimes refer to him during this review, is played by Mickey Rourke, who as perhaps destiny would have it is a past his prime actor, whom many critics have said has revitalized his career with this flick. Ram is broken down, physically and mentally by the business and life. As many wrestlers will attest, being on the road as much as wrestlers are, he has become estranged from his daughter. This was probably the most realistic depiction of the life of a professional wrestler EVER! The road and the wrestling life does weird things to otherwise normal and honest people. Drugs, cheating on spouses. Drinking and driving. The famous time when Triple H met Ric Flair for the first time, in the buff with a balloon attatched to "Space Mountain." Fucked up shit happens on the road. There's not a lot to do when you live out of a suitcase and the cheapest motel you can find is your home 300+ days a year. It's a tough life. And when people say, "well making a hundred grand a year is worth it." Try staying away from your loved ones, your home and yourself in all actuality for over 300 days a year and see if the money is worth it. Not the least to add to that is also the fact that you wrestle five days a week, twice on Sunday and you get no time to recover from the injuries that pile up on you. And after you see this movie and learn a little about the world of pro wrestling, you will know that it is probably the least fake industry in the world. These are real men and women whose lives get torn assunder because they do what they love.
This film is gritty and quasi documentary-like in cinematic scope. Shot with a "live" feel to it, where you feel like someone who is in on the action, you become privy to all the once secret brotherhood of pro wrestling.
Ram's only interpersonal relationship is with over the hill stripper, Cassidey, played extremely well by Marisa Tomei. Cassidey is Ram's confidant. She knows more about him than his own daughter. And when he decides to mend broken fences he finds out just how much of that bridge he burned.
This is the story of a man, who never learned to follow what should have been important in life and instead persued unhealthy relationships, prolonged a career that he was not willing to let go of twenty years ago when he was on top.
This analogy came a week ago when Michael Jordan was voted into the Hall of Fame. It is from ESPN's Mike and Mike in the Morning. Jordan was the best in his field for 14 years. Basically the entirety of his career. But 14 years is well short of a lifetime. And for someone who once had the adulation of millions, and was revered by little boys and girls on every playground basketball blacktop in the world, it is very hard to stop and become a normal person. It's the reason soldiers have terrible times acclimating to mainstream society after seeing the worst toils of war. Someone like myself can be an artist and a writer until the day I drop dead. Even if I were to ever be thought of as the best, I can still do what I do for as long as I choose to. It is harsh to think of the devastation this wroughts on men, who in their fifties are still vital, physically and mentally and just not viable commodities in the field they chose.
This industry is brought to the forefront of the public eye. Wrestlers are not offered health insurance. They are a select few without pensions, or retirement options. These are men and women who give of themselves for the love of those who come to see them. This is something Vince McMahon and Dixie Carter need to look at and realize that withouth these men and women killing themselves night in and night out are left bankrupt, homeless, without families and without futures in broken down shambles of human bodies. This industry needs to change. And you the fans, and people who believe everyone in this country deserves that chance to have a future can help make that possible. Voice your opinions. Make the change happen. Vince can afford to give his employees health insurance. Right now all wrestlers are "independant contractors" and that means Vince and Dixie can make all the profit off their backs they want, and not pay into the system.
For everything this movie has done in being a great film and bringing awareness to the public, the honor I bestow upon it is not another hardcore moment in wrestling history, but a spot in my Top Five favorite movies of all time. I was asked why I did not have a typical grade for this film. I thought that placing it in my top five favorite movies was enough, but here goes. The grade I give this dates back to 1996 when a new feud was begining. A broken ring and a one hour time delay could not keep these two combatants from tearing the house down. Rob Van Dam and Sabu put up a four star match which included the ring ropes breaking during the match, the two wrestling around the arena and then pulling off a great finish. Triple Jump Moonsaults, Super Arabian Facebusters, all with a broken set of ring ropes. It may be known as the broken ring match, but many remember this as the match that started the war between two men who flew higher and performed crazier acrobatic stunts than the next five fliers in total. RVD v. Sabu was one of the most entertaining feuds from ECW, as they teamed up while they still hated each other to capture the Tag Team Belts, and then battled over the ECW World Television Title all while being cheered on by fence sitter Bill Alphonso, who finally joined with RVD after Sabu was released from his contract in 2000.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Powergirl 1-12; A Hardcore Review
The 12 issue run by writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti with art chores handled by Amanda Conner. Variant covers were done for the first 3 issues by legendary pinup and cheesecake artist Matt Hughes. This run followed the successful 4 issue origin run in JSA Classified, with writing handled by Geoff Johns and pencils and inks by Amanda and Jimmy respectively.
The stint, showed Powergirl as her alter ego, Karen Starr building her new corporation Starrware Industries from the ground up. Starrware is a company that is helping the Earth go green by inventing products that can be utilized, but there's one problem, none of their inventions are being picked up by anyone.
On the other side of the cape, Powergirl hangs out with her new gal pal Terra. Who is not the reincarnation of Terra from Teen Titans glory and traitor-dom; but a whole new manifestation from the underground, literally. She is a being from the underworld. But she still has the same powers as the original Terra. The two fight a menace, not seen in quite a while in Ultra Humanite, who tears Manhattan from its foundations and lifts it into space. And it's a good thing Terra's around to watch PG's back, cause the entire JSA roster is busy.
The two celebrate their victory over Ultra Humanite, the new Dynamic Duo have a girls night out with a movie. But that gets interrupted with a meta human attack, that leaves Terra in her skivies. Afterwards, Powergirl lets Terra know about the importance of always wearing her uniform under her civies.
Powergirl takes on the likes of a universe traversing macho pig who's only hunting the best woman for the hope of a next generation on his planet. He attempts courting Powergirl, who rebuffs his advances. And after a whole issue, finds out no actual physical contact is needed in order to help his people have progeny.
Earth 2 Supergirl, Kara Zor-El fights the likes of Satanna, and Ultra Humanite yet again. Only this time Humanite has somehow transferred his persona into Terra. And after letting loose and taking out "evil" Terra, PG restores her friend he own mind, and effectively erases Humanite's hatred of her, not to mention helps cure Humanite so that he is no longer cursed to wear the permanent ape suit.
The coup de gras was of course a young man who snaps a few pics of Powergirl changing from PG to Karen Starr on a rooftop via super high quality camera lense. He blackmails Powergirl into doing his bidding. His first order of business is to have Powergirl escort him to his favorite comic book store? But that was on the cover, and something like that would never actually happen, would it? But after the pseudo- date, the kid becomes a local celebrity, and even gets asked out on a date by the cute girl who works at the comic book shop. So the remaining blackmail is averted and he surrenders the hard copies and digital files. This is the issue I had Amanda sign at San Diego Comic Con this year. I told her it was by far my favorite issue of the dozen. She was happy with my diagnosis and also said how disappointed she was when she was younger reading a comic and didn't get to see some of the cool things that were slated on the covers.
Powergirl 1-12 was a super fun ride, that was the first book I read every single month. And the grade I give to it is conversely hardcore. I give to you a match from Major League Wrestling. It involves the "Chairman of professional wrestling," La Parka (who is now known as LA Park) and the "Suicidal... Homicidal... Genocidal... Death defying maniac" known the world over as Sabu. This was the most hellish match in MLW's short history. And almost saw the unmasking of La Parka when Sabu repeatedly stabbed him in the face and head shredding most of his mask. Sabu was seconded by Bill Alphonso and help Sabu he did. Sabu seemed to have settled down a bit since his more suicidal days in Extreme Championship Wrestling, due in part to coaching by Alphonso. At least that's what Joey Styles said. He called the match. It was bloody, and high flying, with a lot more mat wrestling than you have come to expect from the two time former Heavyweight World Champion. But La Parka succumbed Sabu's famous finisher, the triple jump moonsault. Afterward, Sabu shook La Parka's hand and raised his arm in a show of good sportsmanship. But following that, La Parka attacked Bill Alphonso outside of the building, still clad in his shredded and blood covered mask. Fonzie screaming about how his arm was broken from the bottom of a pile of garbage cans.
See for yourself folks....
Sabu versus La Parka in Major League Wrestling
The stint, showed Powergirl as her alter ego, Karen Starr building her new corporation Starrware Industries from the ground up. Starrware is a company that is helping the Earth go green by inventing products that can be utilized, but there's one problem, none of their inventions are being picked up by anyone.
On the other side of the cape, Powergirl hangs out with her new gal pal Terra. Who is not the reincarnation of Terra from Teen Titans glory and traitor-dom; but a whole new manifestation from the underground, literally. She is a being from the underworld. But she still has the same powers as the original Terra. The two fight a menace, not seen in quite a while in Ultra Humanite, who tears Manhattan from its foundations and lifts it into space. And it's a good thing Terra's around to watch PG's back, cause the entire JSA roster is busy.
The two celebrate their victory over Ultra Humanite, the new Dynamic Duo have a girls night out with a movie. But that gets interrupted with a meta human attack, that leaves Terra in her skivies. Afterwards, Powergirl lets Terra know about the importance of always wearing her uniform under her civies.
Powergirl takes on the likes of a universe traversing macho pig who's only hunting the best woman for the hope of a next generation on his planet. He attempts courting Powergirl, who rebuffs his advances. And after a whole issue, finds out no actual physical contact is needed in order to help his people have progeny.
Earth 2 Supergirl, Kara Zor-El fights the likes of Satanna, and Ultra Humanite yet again. Only this time Humanite has somehow transferred his persona into Terra. And after letting loose and taking out "evil" Terra, PG restores her friend he own mind, and effectively erases Humanite's hatred of her, not to mention helps cure Humanite so that he is no longer cursed to wear the permanent ape suit.
The coup de gras was of course a young man who snaps a few pics of Powergirl changing from PG to Karen Starr on a rooftop via super high quality camera lense. He blackmails Powergirl into doing his bidding. His first order of business is to have Powergirl escort him to his favorite comic book store? But that was on the cover, and something like that would never actually happen, would it? But after the pseudo- date, the kid becomes a local celebrity, and even gets asked out on a date by the cute girl who works at the comic book shop. So the remaining blackmail is averted and he surrenders the hard copies and digital files. This is the issue I had Amanda sign at San Diego Comic Con this year. I told her it was by far my favorite issue of the dozen. She was happy with my diagnosis and also said how disappointed she was when she was younger reading a comic and didn't get to see some of the cool things that were slated on the covers.
Powergirl 1-12 was a super fun ride, that was the first book I read every single month. And the grade I give to it is conversely hardcore. I give to you a match from Major League Wrestling. It involves the "Chairman of professional wrestling," La Parka (who is now known as LA Park) and the "Suicidal... Homicidal... Genocidal... Death defying maniac" known the world over as Sabu. This was the most hellish match in MLW's short history. And almost saw the unmasking of La Parka when Sabu repeatedly stabbed him in the face and head shredding most of his mask. Sabu was seconded by Bill Alphonso and help Sabu he did. Sabu seemed to have settled down a bit since his more suicidal days in Extreme Championship Wrestling, due in part to coaching by Alphonso. At least that's what Joey Styles said. He called the match. It was bloody, and high flying, with a lot more mat wrestling than you have come to expect from the two time former Heavyweight World Champion. But La Parka succumbed Sabu's famous finisher, the triple jump moonsault. Afterward, Sabu shook La Parka's hand and raised his arm in a show of good sportsmanship. But following that, La Parka attacked Bill Alphonso outside of the building, still clad in his shredded and blood covered mask. Fonzie screaming about how his arm was broken from the bottom of a pile of garbage cans.
See for yourself folks....
Sabu versus La Parka in Major League Wrestling
Monday, August 16, 2010
The Tick, The Complete Edlund; A Hardcore Review *SPOILERS*
Hilarious from start to end. I must first admit to not knowing much about the Tick other than him being a giant nigh invulnerable goof until Free Comic Book Day this year. I picked up the first issue as a freebie at Charlies Comics here in Tucson, AZ. Reading through it, I started to understand what all the fuss was about. So I inquired to Charlie about there being any trades of The Tick out. He stressed that the best one by far was The Tick: The Complete Edlund which contains the first 13 issues of the Tick, his super rare first appearance and a whole lot of dvd-like extras.
Edlund weaves a tale of Don Quixote-like proportions in "The City," the Tick's chosen stomping grounds. Here our big blue friend runs afoul of Clark Openheimer, a mild mannered reporter who wears.... hypno glasses as a disguise. Doing his best delusional hero thing, The Tick manages to somehow access Clark's Fortress thingee (careful to avoid lawsuits) and weaken him with a piece of green Otter Creekite, which turned out to just be a green eraser.
From there, the Tick meets Oedipus who looks a lot like a rick Greek who was trained by ninjas in Night of a Million Zillion Ninjas, where he has to beat up, literally a whole fucking lot of ninjas. And the Tick then declares that, "I thought they only hung around airports getting sucked up into jet engines." It is during this story that Tick meets Paul the Samurai, who smuggles his Katana blade through security at the airport in a loaf of French bread.
From here the Tick soon meets Aurthur. Actually it was during this storyline involving ninja and Paul and Oedipus. Tick moves in with Aurthur and the begin going out on patrol. The duo realize that there's little for them to do in The City so they strike out on the road to New York City to find their destiny of fighting super villains. It is during this road trip that they run across the Chainsaw Vigilante. Hilarious stuff like this should'a been a cartoon tv show. Oh, wait, IT WAS! In New York Tick meets Barry Hubris, who is also the Tick. The two fight a classic battle, where the Tick barely knows whats going on while getting pummeled. And only wins cause he's nigh invulnerable and Barry Hubris gets fucking tired. Turns out when you beat another hero who sports the same moniker, you get to keep the name and all of his crime fighting stuff. So the Tick inherits Hubris' Tick Cave, kitchen, dining room and one bathroom of his insanely Wayne-like estate.
The art is fantastic with just enough detail and splendor to make is pseudo-grimm and gritty, but to still have a ton of hilarity. Edlund is a master at comedy superheroism. So much so that I have considered changing the direction of my comic Youth in Asia to be more humorous. Still unsure about it. I know it would bring in more readers, but I dunno if it's the way I want to go. But I know it would be a lot of fun. I actually met Ben Edlund at Comic Con this year. Super nice guy. I didn't expect a comic book creator who has such a cult fan following to be so genuine and funny. He drew me a Tick head in my sketchbook and signed my copy of The Complete Edlund. I also gave him a copy of Fuzzyface, which sort of falls into the humor genre, although it's a horror-omedy.
In all, I have to give this story a deserving grade. I wanted to give it a funny hardcore grade, but I am seriously lacking on ideas for that right now. So, with last weekend, or the weekend before that, I watched TNA's HardCORE Justice ppv. The main event was scheduled to be Rob Van Dam against Jerry Lynn. But Lynn hurt his back while training so in stepped, the Suicidal, Homicidal, Genocidal Maniac known the world over, as Sabu. Sabu is a step slower than he used to be and the match was not as face paced as their wars in the past had been. But it still lived up to the memories. Sabu, spring boarding off the top rope into the crowd in pursuit of Van Dam, all the while Bill Alphonso lead the cheers in both directions. Sabu even hit a second rope spring board DDT, and a Super Arabian Face Buster. It was classic in every sense of the word. But in the end it was Sabu missing an Atomic Arabian Skull Crusher, where he went through a table. Van Dam capitalized hitting the Five Star Frog Splash and the match went home. These two men have had "respect" matches, stretcher matches, and World Television Title matches, but there was still gas in their tanks. And that gas was fucking combustible.
Edlund weaves a tale of Don Quixote-like proportions in "The City," the Tick's chosen stomping grounds. Here our big blue friend runs afoul of Clark Openheimer, a mild mannered reporter who wears.... hypno glasses as a disguise. Doing his best delusional hero thing, The Tick manages to somehow access Clark's Fortress thingee (careful to avoid lawsuits) and weaken him with a piece of green Otter Creekite, which turned out to just be a green eraser.
From there, the Tick meets Oedipus who looks a lot like a rick Greek who was trained by ninjas in Night of a Million Zillion Ninjas, where he has to beat up, literally a whole fucking lot of ninjas. And the Tick then declares that, "I thought they only hung around airports getting sucked up into jet engines." It is during this story that Tick meets Paul the Samurai, who smuggles his Katana blade through security at the airport in a loaf of French bread.
From here the Tick soon meets Aurthur. Actually it was during this storyline involving ninja and Paul and Oedipus. Tick moves in with Aurthur and the begin going out on patrol. The duo realize that there's little for them to do in The City so they strike out on the road to New York City to find their destiny of fighting super villains. It is during this road trip that they run across the Chainsaw Vigilante. Hilarious stuff like this should'a been a cartoon tv show. Oh, wait, IT WAS! In New York Tick meets Barry Hubris, who is also the Tick. The two fight a classic battle, where the Tick barely knows whats going on while getting pummeled. And only wins cause he's nigh invulnerable and Barry Hubris gets fucking tired. Turns out when you beat another hero who sports the same moniker, you get to keep the name and all of his crime fighting stuff. So the Tick inherits Hubris' Tick Cave, kitchen, dining room and one bathroom of his insanely Wayne-like estate.
The art is fantastic with just enough detail and splendor to make is pseudo-grimm and gritty, but to still have a ton of hilarity. Edlund is a master at comedy superheroism. So much so that I have considered changing the direction of my comic Youth in Asia to be more humorous. Still unsure about it. I know it would bring in more readers, but I dunno if it's the way I want to go. But I know it would be a lot of fun. I actually met Ben Edlund at Comic Con this year. Super nice guy. I didn't expect a comic book creator who has such a cult fan following to be so genuine and funny. He drew me a Tick head in my sketchbook and signed my copy of The Complete Edlund. I also gave him a copy of Fuzzyface, which sort of falls into the humor genre, although it's a horror-omedy.
In all, I have to give this story a deserving grade. I wanted to give it a funny hardcore grade, but I am seriously lacking on ideas for that right now. So, with last weekend, or the weekend before that, I watched TNA's HardCORE Justice ppv. The main event was scheduled to be Rob Van Dam against Jerry Lynn. But Lynn hurt his back while training so in stepped, the Suicidal, Homicidal, Genocidal Maniac known the world over, as Sabu. Sabu is a step slower than he used to be and the match was not as face paced as their wars in the past had been. But it still lived up to the memories. Sabu, spring boarding off the top rope into the crowd in pursuit of Van Dam, all the while Bill Alphonso lead the cheers in both directions. Sabu even hit a second rope spring board DDT, and a Super Arabian Face Buster. It was classic in every sense of the word. But in the end it was Sabu missing an Atomic Arabian Skull Crusher, where he went through a table. Van Dam capitalized hitting the Five Star Frog Splash and the match went home. These two men have had "respect" matches, stretcher matches, and World Television Title matches, but there was still gas in their tanks. And that gas was fucking combustible.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Eisner/Miller; A Hardcore Review
Into it holds the idea that we should be fair and balanced and be "nice" and not be damning of a product or its creators. I say this. It would not be truth if I only reviewed things I liked or always in a favorable way. In fact the reviews where I have panned something have brought me the most kudos from readers. And quite simply, if you do not like things to reviewed fairly and in an editorial manner... DON'T FUCKING READ MY REVIEWS! In fact if that's how you feel you should probably never read anything I write... EVAR!
I am going to remind everyone who reads these reviews that the grading system I use is this: instead of thumbs up or stars, I rate on hardcore moments in pro wrestling history. The more hardcore the event, match, promo or moment the more I liked the book, comic, movie or video game I am reviewing. The less hardcore the moment, the more I disliked it. An example would be anything related to Hulk Hogan would be highly NOT recommended. Onto the review...
This was one of the most astounding pieces of comic book history I have ever had the good fortune to pick up and read. I had heard for years about the friendship and respect these two men held for each other. And I had heard about this amazing book which I just recently happened to find amidst the graphic novel section of Bookmans a month or so ago. I immediately tore into this book, which in itself is not a novelization or prose of any kind. This book is the written form of a series of conversations between comic book legend Will Eisner and renegade comics badboy, Frank Miller. Miller and Eisner have been friends for years. Although at some points during this epic conversation you get the feeling they've known each other for their entire lives, and other points maybe only a few days. However, the entirety of this work, makes for one of the most compelling arguments in favor of the comic book industry as a legitimate form of art. And then again it relates back to some of the most harsh moments of creator treatment in the annals of this great industry. Miller vies for the ideal that comic books are a renegade form of entertainment and calls for the continual pushing of limits. While Eisner asks for the continuation of the art of story telling. Ever the master of his craft, Eisner receives constant praise for his contributions to the world of art as a whole and the comic book industry in specific. The idea that two men who are so diverse in their origins and reasoning, could still hold not only each other, but the industry of comics in such high regard marks for so much in our capacity as people, and for our future as creators.
Will Eisner is a classic story teller with some of the greatest attributes of any creative team. Eisner wrote AND drew almost every project he ever worked on, including until his death in January 2005. His last piece of published work was in an issue of Michael Chabon's The Escapist, where the title character runs into Will's legendary creation, The Spirit. His, works of The New York Trilogy and A Contract With God, gave light to the creation of the graphic novel, a new form of outlet for the comic industry. Eisner has never been a fan of the costumed superhero, although The Spirit might say otherwise. Will was a child of the 1930's Great Depression. Story telling took precedence over the "art" of pop and flash. Eisner created the Spirit, adding gloves and a domino mask to fit with the new look of newspaper comic strips were turning into during this era. The character endured even though Will took several hiatus' to work for the Army to draw instructional manuals for the troops and new equipment. But his love brought him back to the 4 color art that he held dear.
Miller brought himself into the industry during the troubling 70's when getting into the business was looked at as an achievement. He began working on Daredevil and brought the character to new heights, by returning him to his human roots, and reviving some third tier Spider-Man characters and making them a menacing lot for the "Man Without Fear." Miller has long expressed a disdain for the costumed do gooder and has always harkened back to the idea of the pulps from the 30's and 40's. His seminal works in his Sin City line is brazzenly his most vicious and also his best (with respect to The Dark Knight Returns). Although, most arguably his most famous work amongst comic book readers is The Dark Knight Returns, which rose from his loathing of the idea that he continued to age, while Bruce Wayne and Batman remained the same age. He, along with Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen brought the idea that comics were most definitely NOT just for children and have enjoyed the toying idea of bringing his vision of the Dark Knight to the silver screen.
These two legends of the field show great hope for the future as both regularly attended the SPX (Small Press Expo) in Maryland until Eisner's passing, to see the next crop of potential superstars and their personal passion and creations.
If something as simple as two friends sharing an intimate conversation about their life's work, in the most respectful tones possible, and comic books are an area of interest, then THIS IS the book for you. Eisner/Miller is a deep look at two men, from very different eras of an industry that is both great and very unforgiving. I leave you with this thought. Jack Kirby has long been called, "the king." Well, if Kirby is the king, then Eisner would be God, right?
This book rates one of the most amazing displays of athleticism and shear hardcore hatred and bravado I have ever seen. In 1996 a feud escalated between two men in ECW. One, the fan favorite who already spilled blood on several continents, Sabu, and the brash, egocentric heel, Rob Van Dam. The two had battled several times, with Sabu even extending his hand in a show of respect to the young Van Dam. The boss saw no way to settle this, other than with a match destined to become a classic, "the respect match." The loser having to publicly acknowledge his respect for the winner. Van Dam and Sabu battled back and forth for twenty minutes or more, with Van Dam securing the win with an Super Fisherman's Buster, a fisherman's suplex modified into a brainbuster from the top rope. Sabu was legitimately injured during the match, to which he was brought back to the ring by Paul Heyman so that he could fulfill his contractual obligations as per losing. Sabu, in a feat never repeated during his stay in ECW, spoke on the mic, uttering the single word, "respect" and extended his hand to Van Dam. For a second it appeared that Van Dam would finally shake Sabu's hand. But in his now famous attitude which is his trademark, Van Dam rescinded his hand and said, "Not only do I not respect you. I think you're piece of shit!" This launched the epic feud into the heated annals of ECW history.
I am going to remind everyone who reads these reviews that the grading system I use is this: instead of thumbs up or stars, I rate on hardcore moments in pro wrestling history. The more hardcore the event, match, promo or moment the more I liked the book, comic, movie or video game I am reviewing. The less hardcore the moment, the more I disliked it. An example would be anything related to Hulk Hogan would be highly NOT recommended. Onto the review...
This was one of the most astounding pieces of comic book history I have ever had the good fortune to pick up and read. I had heard for years about the friendship and respect these two men held for each other. And I had heard about this amazing book which I just recently happened to find amidst the graphic novel section of Bookmans a month or so ago. I immediately tore into this book, which in itself is not a novelization or prose of any kind. This book is the written form of a series of conversations between comic book legend Will Eisner and renegade comics badboy, Frank Miller. Miller and Eisner have been friends for years. Although at some points during this epic conversation you get the feeling they've known each other for their entire lives, and other points maybe only a few days. However, the entirety of this work, makes for one of the most compelling arguments in favor of the comic book industry as a legitimate form of art. And then again it relates back to some of the most harsh moments of creator treatment in the annals of this great industry. Miller vies for the ideal that comic books are a renegade form of entertainment and calls for the continual pushing of limits. While Eisner asks for the continuation of the art of story telling. Ever the master of his craft, Eisner receives constant praise for his contributions to the world of art as a whole and the comic book industry in specific. The idea that two men who are so diverse in their origins and reasoning, could still hold not only each other, but the industry of comics in such high regard marks for so much in our capacity as people, and for our future as creators.
Will Eisner is a classic story teller with some of the greatest attributes of any creative team. Eisner wrote AND drew almost every project he ever worked on, including until his death in January 2005. His last piece of published work was in an issue of Michael Chabon's The Escapist, where the title character runs into Will's legendary creation, The Spirit. His, works of The New York Trilogy and A Contract With God, gave light to the creation of the graphic novel, a new form of outlet for the comic industry. Eisner has never been a fan of the costumed superhero, although The Spirit might say otherwise. Will was a child of the 1930's Great Depression. Story telling took precedence over the "art" of pop and flash. Eisner created the Spirit, adding gloves and a domino mask to fit with the new look of newspaper comic strips were turning into during this era. The character endured even though Will took several hiatus' to work for the Army to draw instructional manuals for the troops and new equipment. But his love brought him back to the 4 color art that he held dear.
Miller brought himself into the industry during the troubling 70's when getting into the business was looked at as an achievement. He began working on Daredevil and brought the character to new heights, by returning him to his human roots, and reviving some third tier Spider-Man characters and making them a menacing lot for the "Man Without Fear." Miller has long expressed a disdain for the costumed do gooder and has always harkened back to the idea of the pulps from the 30's and 40's. His seminal works in his Sin City line is brazzenly his most vicious and also his best (with respect to The Dark Knight Returns). Although, most arguably his most famous work amongst comic book readers is The Dark Knight Returns, which rose from his loathing of the idea that he continued to age, while Bruce Wayne and Batman remained the same age. He, along with Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen brought the idea that comics were most definitely NOT just for children and have enjoyed the toying idea of bringing his vision of the Dark Knight to the silver screen.
These two legends of the field show great hope for the future as both regularly attended the SPX (Small Press Expo) in Maryland until Eisner's passing, to see the next crop of potential superstars and their personal passion and creations.
If something as simple as two friends sharing an intimate conversation about their life's work, in the most respectful tones possible, and comic books are an area of interest, then THIS IS the book for you. Eisner/Miller is a deep look at two men, from very different eras of an industry that is both great and very unforgiving. I leave you with this thought. Jack Kirby has long been called, "the king." Well, if Kirby is the king, then Eisner would be God, right?
This book rates one of the most amazing displays of athleticism and shear hardcore hatred and bravado I have ever seen. In 1996 a feud escalated between two men in ECW. One, the fan favorite who already spilled blood on several continents, Sabu, and the brash, egocentric heel, Rob Van Dam. The two had battled several times, with Sabu even extending his hand in a show of respect to the young Van Dam. The boss saw no way to settle this, other than with a match destined to become a classic, "the respect match." The loser having to publicly acknowledge his respect for the winner. Van Dam and Sabu battled back and forth for twenty minutes or more, with Van Dam securing the win with an Super Fisherman's Buster, a fisherman's suplex modified into a brainbuster from the top rope. Sabu was legitimately injured during the match, to which he was brought back to the ring by Paul Heyman so that he could fulfill his contractual obligations as per losing. Sabu, in a feat never repeated during his stay in ECW, spoke on the mic, uttering the single word, "respect" and extended his hand to Van Dam. For a second it appeared that Van Dam would finally shake Sabu's hand. But in his now famous attitude which is his trademark, Van Dam rescinded his hand and said, "Not only do I not respect you. I think you're piece of shit!" This launched the epic feud into the heated annals of ECW history.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Holiday Hell 2009
Back to the old school like so much original ECW.
I worked the overnight shift last night and I am going back for more in an hour. I was a little bitter at first but then I really thought; these guys don't really get to do much outside of the home. So, if I was working anywhere else I might be a bit miffed at having to work. But then I think about how it's just a day. And without kids or a girlfriend it doesn't really mean much to me. Since I was a kid, I've only had two Christmases that were special. Both of which involved shopping for someone I cared about. Don't get me wrong I love my family, but it's really not the same thing. So, I guess in a way I am glad I work somewhere that I am needed. It's kinda nice. Makes me feel more like an adult and a somewhat productive member of society.
On a fun note, I got the dogs a stocking full of toys for their holiday. Grrry instantly began jumping up and even Malory put her front paws up on the counter to see what was going on.
The dogs loved their stuffs. And they've been playing with their new toys off and on while heavy bouts of snuggling took place.
Well, gotta go and get more Fuzzyface work done tonight. That and other stuff. Hope yours was fun. From John, Sabu, Foley and Grrry. Happy Holidays!
I worked the overnight shift last night and I am going back for more in an hour. I was a little bitter at first but then I really thought; these guys don't really get to do much outside of the home. So, if I was working anywhere else I might be a bit miffed at having to work. But then I think about how it's just a day. And without kids or a girlfriend it doesn't really mean much to me. Since I was a kid, I've only had two Christmases that were special. Both of which involved shopping for someone I cared about. Don't get me wrong I love my family, but it's really not the same thing. So, I guess in a way I am glad I work somewhere that I am needed. It's kinda nice. Makes me feel more like an adult and a somewhat productive member of society.
On a fun note, I got the dogs a stocking full of toys for their holiday. Grrry instantly began jumping up and even Malory put her front paws up on the counter to see what was going on.
The dogs loved their stuffs. And they've been playing with their new toys off and on while heavy bouts of snuggling took place.
Well, gotta go and get more Fuzzyface work done tonight. That and other stuff. Hope yours was fun. From John, Sabu, Foley and Grrry. Happy Holidays!
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