Year End

...and with that, we draw to a close.


It's been one insane year. I don't know about you, but I am about to start getting duded up for a costume party. Lots to do and miles to go, etc. I've really enjoyed writing for this site every day (or as often as possible, as the occasion would permit). Sometimes it has been a snap, when coming up with ideas. Other times I've had to push myself to get an idea out there. One little trick has been to keep a running list of things I want to cover and write about, in case the well ran dry or inspiration never struck. As a result, there have been some things I've wanted to do longer posts on but have never been able to fit in to the schedule. So rather than force a bunch of half-hearted ideas and arbitrary posts, I thought I'd just run through them all in one shot, to show what could have been. 


In no particular order, here are the ideas and things I wanted to write about and will be culling from the year's to-do file:


The Goonies - I wrote about the soundtrack, but never mustered the wherewithal to really dig into why I love this childhood staple so much. Still a favorite of mine, all these years later.


Despicable Me - Super fun and overlooked. An adorable, surprisingly funny movie with Steve Carrell and Jason Segel providing voice work. Mad scientists doing wacky stuff.


Ectopiary - A crazy, long running web comic that only gets better and better. Free and not for the faint of heart.


The Elephant Vanishes - A great collection of short stories by one of my favorite authors. Simply too overwhelming to attempt to unpack the myriad of ideas put forth.


Bioshock - This amazing game got me into the modern era of videogames after holding out for about five years. Astounding and groundbreaking in every way. A must play, if you missed it (like I did).


Earthbound - My favorite old school SNES game. The internet already had enough articles about this quirky and idiosyncratic masterpiece.


Lunds Sandwich - No joke. Didn't want to be another food blogger, but this thing had turkey, cranberry mayo, swiss and bacon on cinnamon bread. I was in heaven every time I had it. 


That about does it for 2011. It's been phenomenal for me. Thank you so much for reading. I'll see you on the other side. Happy New Year!

Untraditional

This may get kind of weird.


Since I've started down the path of Xmas Xceptions I've tried to keep a loose yet cohesive set of parameters for inclusion. Some of it has been sweet, some of it has been irreverent. How about we get gross and grimy? Let's take a look at a holiday phenomenon that crosses the line when addressing Christmas. It's audacious and awesome. It's The Last Christmas.

Published by Image Comics in 2006, The Last Christmas is a twisted tale of holiday cheer turned vengeance. Written by comedian/writers Brian Posehn and Gerry Dugan, with artwork by Rick Remender, the six-issue series tells the story of the end of the world and how it affects Santa's desire to die. Yes, you read that right. You see, when the zombies rose up from the earth, mankind went to hell. People died off in the millions and marauders took to the highways, stealing all they could and pillaging the remaining clusters of humanity. Still, children believed in Santa so he was able to continue existing. When the marauders make their way to the North Pole, though, tragedy falls upon Santa's village and he falls into a deep, seemingly endless despair. Only after a letter from the last child believing in Santa does he sober up long enough to take action. He decides to kill the last child who believes in him, to bring about his own death.

Merry Christmas, one and all.


This book is deranged. Santa hits the bottle, and hard. The undead devour the living. Snowmen lob ornament-grenades at men in spiked helmets. It's the most original take on Christmas I've ever seen. While Santa may actually waiver on the whole killing-his-last-believers thing, even that it toes that line is bonkers. On top of all the madness is a heart that somehow is sweet and sincere amidst all the bloodletting and zombie-slaying. I don't know how they did it, but this book hits all the wrong notes at just the right time.

The Last Christmas is the perfect sort of cathartic release a person can get for the holidays. Feel uninspired or bored? Feel like you could just snap and knock over a pine tree, decorations and all? Pick up this bizarre, profane and undeniably fantastic comic before the big day. You will never forget it.

Box Out

These things have a way of bleeding into each other. 


It's been a fun weekend. As much as I enjoy parties, especially holiday ones with special drinks, I had just as much fun doing errands with my better half. Somehow we always get lost in Target and end up wandering around looking for something we've passed. It's like a casino in there - shiny stuff everywhere, tons of other weirdos and no clocks or visible exits. As I write this, the melted snow and ice are slowly re-freezing. I'm not looking forward to the drive tomorrow. It's nice and dark and quiet here. It makes me want to go and re-experience Outside the Box. 

Outside the Box is one of my favorite not-so-secret things on the internet. An online flash comic (wait, please stay with me for this) created by Brendan Cahill, Outside the Box is a great way to spend a quiet night. Cahill, hailing from San Francisco  created the strip/site/flashthing back in 2002, with the first run closing out in 2004. A one shot and second run followed in the ensuing years. It's not a strict re-paneling like some of Marvel's online content, or single page, three panel affairs like Penny Arcade or The Oatmeal. Box is a moving, vibrant noir tale that just has this unassuming but totally surprising edge to it. 


Telling the tale of office drone Jamie Black as he gets caught up in the world of private detectives and mobsters and the recently deceased, Box is a solid story told in an original format. It could work as a traditional format, but the way Cahill took advantage of the limited movement gives a whole added layer of context and storytelling to this mystery. Subtle tricks like shadows moving or showing characters moving through blueprints add a cinematic aspect that would otherwise be lost on a conventional comic. Through the novel medium, we see Black slowly separate from his office job as he gets pulled deeper and deeper into the mystery unfolding around him.

A nice touch on Cahill's part was the inclusion of suggested soundtracks. More than a handful have been covered here, the usual trip hop and down tempo stuff, as well as more off the beaten path artists like Two Lone Swordsmen. Throw on some of your favorite sneaking, gumshoe-esque tunes and dive in to the motion comic. It really paid off in the end. While it may be old hand in internet parlance, it still makes for a fun, gripping ride.

Vagrants Beware

Word. 

Alright, so I am a bit sheepish about the interference the other night. We're all human. To offer a make-up post on something awesome, may I suggest some light-hearted unwinding from the insanity that is the post-Black Friday shopping season? How about some intelligent and rewarding humor in the form of an online comic? Sound good? Yeah, you deserve a laugh. You deserve a look at Hark! A Vagrant! 

Drawn by Kate Beaton, Hark! A Vagrant is an online comic that plays to the high minded but never becomes as obtuse or inscrutable as, say, the New Yorker. Regular subjects include historical figures and classical literature, as well as the histories of Beaton's homeland, the fabled Canadas. It's hard to pin down exactly what she calls her sense of humor. Subjects and punch lines vary from strip to strip, but they cover everything from Nikola Tesla's frustrations with adoring female fans to Benjamin Franklin flying kites instead of signing the Declaration to Dude Watchin' with the Brontes. No matter the subject, though,Beaton approaches the comic with a human sensibility and down-to-earth language the is absurdly contradictory to the stuffy jumping off point. It's not crass (often) but more silly and sweet and irreverent. She takes unwieldy historical figures and makes them asinine buffoons or takes the stuffing out of our assumptions of antiquity. The idea for establishing time zones, for example, seems impossible to craft a joke from, yet Beaton does it with swift inanity that makes me smirk. Jane Austen's true motivations? Adorable. 

Not all is history-lesson fodder, though. Pop culture seeps through, as well. Her take on a crass and surly Wonder Woman are hilarious, as is her neurotic and concerned interpretation of Aquaman. Also hysterical and adorable - her drawings of a feral Wolverine and a look at how life is different with Brown Recluse Spider Man. My particular favorites of Beaton, though, are her interpretations of Nancy Drew cover illustrations. The expressionist humanism style on the books is distinctly post-WW II insanity, with clear artistic intentions despite the sub-par design. Using the illustrations as a jumping off point, Beaton takes inspired turns into the bizarre and disjointed world Nancy Drew must have been investigating. Her own artistic style is incredibly unique and charming, yet it almost makes the covers seem like a natural fit for inspiration. She gives similar irreverent treatment to old-timey book covers by Gorey, as well. 

Other notable comics on Hark! A Vagrant include her real-world take on Mystery Solving Teens, who, instead of solving the mystery at hand, just sulk and act like normal teenagers. It's a sublime dissection of ideal vs. reality. Also of note is her collection of strips about The Great Gatsby, which are not only incredibly funny but also nuanced and insightful views I hadn't necessarily been able to articulate about the famous story. 

I really can't say enough good things about Kate Beaton and her amazing writing and illustrations. It's intelligent. It's adorable. It's well drawn. It's a funny, fresh voice that hits a part of my funny bone that is rarely touched on. I think you should unwind and spend some time clicking through her site, or if you want to please the bookworm in your life - head over to her online store and pickup prints, shirts, mugs or collected strips. Online shopping is less stressful than any mall, we all know. Get a laugh and ditch the rat race. Read up! 

From Below

Let's lighten the load, shall we?

Yesterday's piece on The Living Dead collection was a bit grim. That is one macabre book full of dismemberment and head shots. Fun stuff if you're into it, but maybe we take a bit lighter approach today? Let's use today's Book themed Spooky Month post to take a look at one of my favorite comics. Let's take a look at Hellboy.

 Created by Mike Mignola back in the early 90s, Hellboy is something of a fighter. The long suffering but good natured demon weathered the treacherous comic industry that snuffed out many a smart book in the latter part of the decade. A surprisingly enjoyable movie was adapted from the first few volumes of the book, directed by Guillermo Del Toro and starring Ron Perlman in a perfect fit for the titular demon. On top of that, Big Red has seen enough enduring appeal and marketability to warrant a second, more ambitious motion picture adaptation while the book continues its extended run. Spin offs have been successfully launched. Animated adventures have been created to expand the universe and satisfy a demanding audience. All of this without being on one of the two major labels. The cigar chomping, trench coat sporting paranormal investigator is one hard demon to keep down.

So why the love? Why all the adoration for what could easily have been a one-shot or cameo, a character too outlandish or taboo to last?

I think it has to be the attitude. Not like Poochy, I should clarify. Despite the amazing and vivid artistry on the pages, I suspect it has to be the scripts and dialogue that make this comic such a (forgive the pun) dark horse. Created and published at a time when darker, edgier and more extreme were the rules by which the suits played, Hellboy kept it simple and accessible despite the other-worldly concept and settings. One could chalk it up to serendipitous choices in creative direction, but you get the sense within just a few pages that Mignola struck just the right balance between Lovecraftian-inspired, n fueled trappings and a 'just my luck' down to Earth sensibility for the comic. Hellboy may be dealing with Old Gods and steam-punk stormtroopers but he does it all with such a dogged good nature that you don't feel like you're reading a dour and unpleasant comic. Red's got a soft spot for kittens and cartoons, how dark can it be? 

That being said, I love everything about the Hellboy universe - from the folklore that creeps in to the mixture between slapstick and violence that (unlike many comics) has danger and consequences. Characters die. Things hurt. Baba Yaga has a house on a chicken leg. Rasputin summons Red with incantation and painfully cool devices that look right at home among the pop-art-meets-German-expressionism stylings of the comic. Subject matter that could come across as too self-serious or absurd in the wrong hands instead has an air of mystery and menace, walking that fine line between horror and jovial comedy. What many have pointed to as an unrecognized reason for the success of Ghostbusters and Shaun of the Dead is also a large part of the enduring appeal of Hellboy - that back and forth interplay between the comedy and horror. They play off of each other in such a subtle manner you forget they are separate elements. That they work together so seamlessly is a testament to the craft. 

Of course, none of this would work as well without the dynamic visuals. The characters lend themselves to such iconic depictions that it's no wonder they've made the impact they have. The bold, bright colors and heavy lines compliment the old-world themes. Fellow paranormal investigators Abe Sapien and Liz Sherman the pyrokinetic look just as impressive as Red himself. There is such an undeniably cool simplicity to the pop-art aesthetic here that place Hellboy in its own league. I can think of few other books that feature anywhere near as much architecture as this - an inspired move that aids immensely in creating vivid, almost tangible settings for outlandish happenings.

Full of things that go bump in the night, these comics are a perfect compliment to Halloween. Trade paperbacks of the first issues are easily available today. If you're not into reading a comic the movies are fantastic, loving adaptations of the source material. Not all the best comics are Marvel or DC, for those of you that don't know - Hellboy is a great place to go off the beaten path. Check it out and see for yourself. 

Noses in Books

...and so ends Book Worm Week.

It's been a fantastic journey into the imagination, gang. I love reading, there's nothing quite like sitting down with a great book and whiling away an afternoon, especially when it's raining outside or if you've opened a nice bottle of wine. You just kick your feet up, sit back and get lost in a world that assembles gradually in front of your mind's eye, bit by bit. As much as I enjoy TV or a good movie, the written word is so simple and essential, such a vital part of being human that has such a profound effect on how we see the world. Books are able to transport us, both through stories and new ideas, to places we would never dream of. It brings me so much joy to know there are people out there who still love a good book. Hey, doesn't even have to be a book - the first thing I bought for a kindle was The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, appropriately enough. Although I suppose my phone would be The Guide, instead of a kindle. Regardless, people (even American people) still love to read. To wrap up Book Worm Week here's everything I've posted about the written word:

Sleepwalk With Me - Mike Birbiglia's hilarious and touching stories about sleep disorders, interspersed with comedy.

Simpsons/Futurama Crossover Crisis - a bizarre and super-fun comic that sees two great things mashed together.

Calvin & Hobbes - the smartest comic strip ever to grace the funny pages, in my humble opinion.

A Dirty Job - Christopher Moore at his best, in a tale of a man having to do horrible things to save the world.

The Stand - Stephen King's take on an American Lord of the Rings. Simply phenomenal.

Fluke - Another Moore novel, this time about whales and secrets and hidden evolution. Mind bending.

Sin Titulo - A free web-comic that tells a trippy and engaging story, absolutely worth a look.

Norwegian Wood - Haruki Murakami, the rock star of Japan, tells a sad and poignant tale of loss and love.

A Wild Sheep Chase - More Murakami, this time a surreal gum-shoe story about missing sheep.

Dance, Dance, Dance - The sequel to Sheep Chase, just as good and just as weird.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Still more Murakami, now even weirder and more emotional.

House of Leaves - The trippy meta narrative about a book about a book about a movie about a house.

Bossypants - Tina Fey's hysterical and insightful memoirs about being the boss of everyone.

Next - Michael Crichton's bleeding-edge look at a harrowing future full of ethical genetic dilemmas.

Batman: Year One - The best Batman comic ever, told in a believable fashion. Really. I swear.

The Long Halloween - The followup, which served as a basis for The Dark Knight. Phenomenal.

World War Z - The best damn book about Zombies and the end of the real world you'll ever read. I swear.

That is the full list of my verbal devotions. I love reading, as long as I have time for it. I hope you do, too. It feels like, when you really get hooked by a good book, you're feeding your brain, giving it sustenance that TV and pop culture can't. Then again, half of that list is comics and comedians, so what do I know? Regardless, I'm happy to know anyone would take a recommendation. Thanks for sticking out another themed week. Tomorrow it's back to the usual tricks. I'll see you on the flip side!

Batboy

Happy Weekend, everyone!

We're still in the midst of Book Worm Week. In the interest of switching genres abruptly, let's go completely outside of the box and look at something fun and easy for a Friday night thing, shall we? Today's post is on Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli's stunning Batman: Year One. 

I know what you're thinking. Comics, for real? I know, I'm another in the long line of emotionally stunted men who still read comics as adults. Some are more like actual novels, like the sprawling and long form Y: The Last Man. Others are completely whacked out, like Hellboy or anything involving the X-Men. Batman, I honestly believe, falls somewhere between the two. Sounds insane to say, but hear me out - Bats has no superpowers to speak of. He's just a very wealthy, well trained man with an over-accentuated sense of justice. Nothing supernatural or completely far out, depending on the story you're reading. My preferred tales of the Batman are all closer to reality than some of the more fantastical story lines and continuities. So this excellent tale of how the Dark Knight got his start grounds itself in that same sense of reality. Let's take a closer look. 

I've got to assume that if you're reading this, you have at least a passing familiarity with Batman's origin. As an child, Bruce Wayne witnesses the death of his parents at the hands of a desperate mugger, the tragedy creating a void in his life that can never be filled. As a young man he travels abroad for 12 years, studying martial arts and along with a wide range of studies, preparing himself for cleansing corruption from Gotham City. The opening of the book sees him returning to the city and setting about the process of figuring out what to do. The plot for the book essentially follows the arc of Bruce Wayne's first year in his foray in donning a cape and cowl to fight the corruption threatening to destroy Gotham City. Simultaneously Detective Jim Gordon deals with transferring into a corrupt police force and has to face the task of combating crimes from the inside while holding on to a struggling marriage. The two men and their divergent methods of dealing with the problems they face make for an excellent read, the contrast in their dramas making for an engaging back-and-forth storytelling style. What many would dismiss as flights of fancy for teenagers and kids is actually a well written and beautifully drawn book that tells a believable tale of vigilantism taken to the extreme. 

The wonderful power of Year One comes not only from the images but the script. Too often you find hammy and over-the-top writing can pull you out of what could otherwise be a great story. Frank Miller's script, though, is fantastic - the dialogue and action are, given the circumstances, fairly grounded and true to life. Sure, it's hard to suspend you belief to accept a man dressing as a bat to fight crime, but if you read the scene in that sees Bruce finally deciding to use the likeness of a bat in his quest it really can be powerful. Likewise, the scene in which The Batman finally makes his presence explicitly known to the Mob families of Gotham is a tense, dramatic scene that plays incredibly well on the page.

The artwork here is simply gorgeous. They style of Mazzucchelli isn't one of over-exaggerated muscles and impossibly proportioned women with too little too wear. Instead it's all grim and grit, the smoke of the cigarettes wafting off the page, the rain making you feel chilled. The tone of the visuals is a bit of a throwback, drawing influence from old-school yarns that originated the format, re-contextualized in the style of the time (late 80s). It's a tale told in the shadows and gloom, yet it never gets lost in the dark - the dynamics make for a remarkable piece, all pops of color and highlights that draw attention to key elements. For men who work in the shadows, it's incredibly bright work.


No matter your stance on the format, you owe it to yourself to read one of the finest tales the medium can offer. If you've never read a comic, or anything about Batman, it's the perfect place to start. If you're passingly familiar with the world, it's an example of how high a standard the form can set. If you're a die hard, you already know just why you should re-read this classic. Batman: Year One is gospel. Do it for justice. Do it for the art.

Page Views

Hey there, friends and nieghbors.


Short post today, still fighting the lovely bug I picked up in the aeroplane. Weather is gorgeous (for this time of year) in MPLS. Tomorrow is Friday, super excited for that after an exhausting week. Been reading on the bus a lot (and my lunch break when I can sneak it in) and working my way through the stack of books my loved ones were kind enough to impart on Christmas. Shows you how busy I've been and how many books I received if it's April and I still have a few left. I don't want to just chew through them though, blindly flipping pages and glossing over developments in a desperate quest for completed titles. To quote The Simpsons "I would be morally remiss to display these books on my shelf if I hadn't read them, all". So in the interest of encourage more torrid affairs with the written word, secretive nights with reading lights and hardcovers, I offer these posts I've written in lovely ode to the written book:


Sleepwalk With Me - In which Mike Birbiglia breaks our hearts and funny bones with personal anecdotes.
Calvin & Hobbes - Hands down the funniest, smartest strip to emerge from the newspaper.
A Dirty Job - How the gift of this book introduced me to this amazingly funny and twisted fiction author.
The Stand - King's magnum opus, an American Lord of the Rings, inspiration for the amazing Lost.
Fluke - Another of Moore's insane, funny and astounding novels, this one about whales in Hawaii.
Norwegian Wood - Murakami blowing my mind with his touching, nostalgic work about (not his) youth.
Wild Sheep Chase - Another amazing Murakami work, this one a hard-boiled detective story.
The Long Halloween - The best Batman you'll find, other than Year One. An crazy good tale, inspired the Dark Knight.


That's all for tonight, folks. I'm gonna cut loose here. Gotta rest up and get plenty of fluids and rest. Tell you what - I'll make a deal. You read some of these and I will too. How's that sound? Good? Cool. See you tomorrow.

Freebies

Afternoon, kids.

The snow continues to fall here in Minneapolis, seemingly with no end in sight. So it goes.

Rather than pound flesh against the keys for simple yardage in a misguided effort towards productive writing, I'll save us all the trouble and offer a shorter, more digestible article today. If nothing else it will remind me that volume is not always the requisite for quality.

One of my favorite things about the world we live in now is the wealth of absolutely free entertainment. While this could be something so simple as watching the sunset or having a friend over for dinner, I'm speaking more in the vein of free media content. I've already extolled the virtues of some of my favorite webcomics and albums that are available at no cost. Hulu is another excellent service that's totally free and even more rewarding if you sign up for membership - doing so allows you to set up queues and subscribe to shows, essentially becoming a remote version of DVR if the conditions are lining up with your viewing habits. While I could certainly drone on and on about how wonderful Hulu is, it's the idea of quality, free stuff out there on the web that I love. I'm not towing the typical line about information wanting to be free (artists should be able to eat, after all) some kind souls impart their work simply to put it out there and hope that allowing direct access will benefit their work. I adore that optimistic endeavor. Like I said, I've certainly written about the idea before and intend to do so at future points as well. Today, of course, is another such example. 

Sin Titulo is a fantastic, online and totally free comic written by Eisener Award winning author/artist Cameron Stewart. Stewart, who has done titles for Marvel, DC and Dark Horse Comics among others, has worked with heavy hitters like Ed Brubaker and Grant Morrison on their respective Catwoman and Batman & Robin, as well as critically acclaimed titles like Hellblazer and B.P.R.D. Hailing from Canada, Stewart has been a longstanding member of the comic industry. Housed online by the amazing comic site Transmission X, Sin Titulo is an ongoing comic about a man whose dreams and visions start to break into his daily life as the world he knows crumbles around him. It's a bizarre and eerie tale of uncertain realities and questioned humanity that twists and turns with every installment. Alex Mackay's grandfather passes away mysteriously and without any notice. As he sets about putting the pieces of his grandfather's passing in order things get stranger, with shadowy figures observing him and peculiar buildings that may or may not be facilitating unusual...things. To go into the details much further would either scare potential readers off or spoil perfectly good and disturbing surprises. 

What Stewart is doing here is absolutely awesome. He's an established and well respected comic artist who feels compelled to offer excellent free content despite already making a living as a professional artist. I can't tell you just how much I've enjoyed following this comic unfold, knowing that I just have to check back on the site every few days to see the latest update, like a surreal and morose soap opera via web comic. The fact that this awesome saga is entirely free to see is just an added bonus.

If you take any enjoyment at all from comics (or graphic novels, if you wanna class it up) please head on over to Transmission X and see what the have to offer, there's some amazing work on display. If you don't really read comics just give it a try or check out any of the other amazing comics they have going at the moment. It's some amazing stuff, all for free. Indulge! Enjoy! But most of all don't pass up great, free opportunities like this!

Light Hearted Night

Evening!

Tonight I'm doing an early Valentine's celebration and you probably are too. So here's a light and  easy post of some of my favorite web comics that will be good for a laugh. If you have no V-Day plans, screw it! Here's some links to make you laugh and feel better!

First and foremost, XKCD is one of my favorites. Insightful and witty, you can expect lots of math and coding related jokes with a fair amount of acerbic wit.

The Oatmeal is another fantastic site with less frequent but amazingly funny material. Anything from fresh takes on air travel to advertising and why your cat is trying to kill you.

Penny Arcade are legends on the web. Known mostly for their work in the medium of video game critique and praise, they have  a storied and amazingly charming backlog.

Looking for quick bites of insanity and absurdist humor? Check out Toothpaste For Dinner and their sister sites, Natalie Dee and Married To The Sea. They all have independent if equally skewed senses of humor.

Like I said, short but sweet update with lots of love for amazing web comics. These sites are all well known in their respective fields, but the more love they get, the merrier. Give them a read and see what strikes you as funny. Something in there will, I guarantee.

Tomorrow may be another truncated post, depending on what I can get accomplished with another project. Stay tuned and check back in on Sunday night!

Not In Season

Alright, friends and neighbors! I'm back at an actual keyboard with a real chance to sit down and type this out. Travelling was amazing but coming back to the Midwest was hard. I could feel the cold radiating through the bulkhead of the plane before we even touched down. Like a dummy, I hadn't brought a coat so my shock was even more severe. I got back to the apartment and unpacked, shivering the whole way, I shoved a couple books back onto the shelf. Something there leaped out at me. A comic that reopened the genre for me. That comic?


The Long Halloween.


Written and inked by the highly regarded team of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. Loeb and Sale are renowned for spinning excellent yarns about the Dark Knight, netting them both Eisner Awards in the process. I may be getting a bit ahead of myself here, but I assume if you're reading this blog you have at least a passing familiarity with Batman and his endeavors. Created by Bob Kane, Batman has been an anomaly in the comic industry for his nature of being a non-super hero, a man whose gadgetry and detective skills are more involved in the story than superhuman feats. Possessing a rich and immersive back story to draw on, The Long Halloween tells an epic tale of corruption and human fallibility in the city of Gotham. 

Having the origin story exquisitely retold in Frank Millar's  Batman: Year One, Loeb and Sale were approached about continuing the world set in motion in Millar's tale of gangsters and corrupt policemen. Year One was a straight-forward, old school retelling of the first year of Batman's first 12 months getting into form, becoming the figure that would stand against evil in Gotham. While the plot resolved in the collected issues there was definitely more story to tell. Mob Bosses left in power and super-criminals on the horizon remained to be taken down by the bat.


Setting this 13-issue arc into motion is the marriage of Johnny Viti, nephew of "The Roman" Carmine Falcon. Asking for for Bruce Wayne's favor on a bank vote, Falcon is rebuked and swears to investigate into the Wayne Foundation and put the screws to Bruce. A burglar on the scene sends the reception into disarray, necessitating Batman's intervention. Meanwhile Harvey Dent, nosy DA that he is, is in the garage taking down license plates on those in attendance for future record. The contrast of the two knights, and the main underlying theme of the book, is apparent here - The Dark Knight, brawling with mobsters in the office upstairs, The White Knight dutifully doing the paperwork in the parking garage and receiving a beating for his work. The disparate methods these two forces of justice approach their work with is a central theme to what unfolds and things quickly spiral out of control. Inspiring a majority of Christopher Nolan's fantastic 2008 take on The Dark Knight, The Long Halloween sets up a pact between Bats, Dent and long suffering Commissioner Gordon in a long-form plan to bring down The Roman and his family.

All sides agree to work within the law, or "bend it" at the most. As I wrote above, however, things quickly go awry and people start turning up dead. First off is Johnny Viti, shot in his bathtub. Next, the Irish gang that attempted to bomb Dent for his noble actions. On New Years, Carmine's son is shot during a party aboard the Roman's yacht. So it goes for a calendar year, an organized, calculated hit on someone involved with the mob on all the major holidays. Suspicions and paranoia run rampant. Accusations are cast. No one feels safe. The first time I read the comic I was genuinely mystified, pouring over the pages trying to suss out the person behind the Holiday Killings. Bats? Dent? Catwoman? Batman works his way through the rogues gallery of usual suspects, apprehending them all and interrogating them for whatever he can get on the matter. Joker, Riddler, Solomon Grundy, The Penguin, Scarecrow - they all make excellent appearances here, in wonderfully fleshed out versions of themselves. It's a thoroughly gripping tale of intrigue and deception, with the ending leaving your head spinning and the reader asking themselves if what they saw was true.

True to form for some of the best Batman stories, it's a full on noir comic. Pistols with serial numbers filed off, heat-waves setting the scene for smokey, booze filled weddings, footprints in the snow from criminals and confrontations in the sewers - it's all here. This hits all the hallmarks for all my favorite scenes for a story. The scenes and dialogue are incredibly dynamic and of the highest quality. The inspiration for The Dark Knight is clear throughout the book - entire scenes have been drawn upon, while motifs are apparent in others. What is essentially a crime story plays out in fantastical fashion, with a pair of twisted and obsessively driven detectives at the center. 


I honestly cannot recommend this comic enough. If you've never read a Batman comic it's a great starting point - all the major players are here with a massive yet digestible story at the heart. It's also one of the high water marks, so there are few places to go but down. If you have read anything about Batman - WHY HAVEN'T YOU READ THIS? You should know better. I'm disappointed in you. You should know better. 


For reals, yo. Read The Long Halloween. It's amazing.

Buzzkill

It is with a heavy heart that I write this.

Yesterday evening, after another excellent trip to Fuji Ya for dinner, I was walking home on Lake Street. As I passed Bryant Lake Bowl and wondering why I never bowl, I saw this sign hanging on the door of my favorite comics store.

That's right. Double Danger Comics, the impeccably up-kept comic store of my neighborhood, is closing. 

What a tragedy! Here we had a nice, freshly done and locally owned comic store and it's going out of business. I remember being so excited, walking from my condo to their grand opening on National Comic Book Day, eager to see what the place looked like and what their selection was. It was a double bonus - not only was a great, new shop opening right down the street from where I lay my head at night, but it was Free Comic Book Day! I picked up the best of the freebies and (of course) did some legitimate business as well, managing to tack down some issues I had not been able to find for quite a while. They had a fantastic store and I made sure to be a consistent patron whenever I could, instead of shopping at one of the bigger book stores. Super cool prints for sale, an excellent asetethic, figurines, good selection and variety and above all a friendly and patient staff. It was a great place to have, right in the neighborhood. You would think Uptown, of all places, would be able to support the need for such a place, especially with the gap left in the community ever since mainstay Shinders closed down earlier in the decade.

Granted this is only the physical location closing its doors. According to the staff they plan on maintaining their online presence and selections while shuttering the shop on Lake Street. It really is a bummer, even if they ring you up with a smile and recommendation for things you might like, based on your purchase. Such an awesome store, going the way of the buffalo. The one, small silver lining, a minor positive to this situation, is the massive liquidation happening as a result, but even that makes me feel guilty for taking any pleasure in it. Considering the awesome back log of stuff still available, I picked up a few trade paperbacks and recent issues, as well as a Futurama figurine for my desk. Get in while you can and the selection lasts, there were some amazing things available for a whopping 50% off. Again, I got some great deals but at the cost of losing my favorite store in the area. A sad trade, if you ask me. 

Quelle domage. Here's their site, check 'em out if you can, or if at all possible, help them out by reducing inventory. I know I plan on making a trip back before the end of February, their last day of open doors. It was an excellent shop, worthy of your business and mine. I just wish I could have helped more. 

The Days Are Just Packed

Good afternoon!

After giving a truncated update yesterday I wanted to take the holiday to post two pieces today. Le premier piece continues from yesterday's segue, namely the genius and sorely missed Calvin and Hobbes.

The creation of the talented and reclusive Bill Watterson, the strip ran in national papers from 1985 - 1995 and featured six year old Calvin (no last name given) and his life with the stuffed but lively tiger Hobbes. It was the rare jewel of the comics section that was at times sweet, goofy, insightful, mischievous and philosophical. For a taste of what no longer is, check out this excellent sample of selected pieces.

My own predilection for (often unintentional) critical thinking no doubt had its roots in my childhood devouring of the strip. Calvin would ruminate on such esoteric ideas as why scientists had dubbed a magnificent and dynamic theory on the creation of existence itself something as dry and clinical like 'The Big Bang', offering his own preferred title - The Horrendous Space Kablooie. It makes me smile to know the Calvin's alternative actually has caught on in some scientific communities. Other times the story would stretch out over days of strips, such as the sprawling tale of snowmen-come-to-life "Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons." To this day I can't see a snowman without picturing Calvin's wonderfully disturbed creations. While the strip ran the seasons along with the rest of the world, Watterson seemed to really take joy in creating the winter comics. Tales of sledding and snowball fights shaped my understanding of what winter can be. I may not be out cross country skiing everyday, but given the chance and proper snow, I'd leap at the chance to construct my own bizarre snowmen.

The strip pictured above stands out as a particular bench mark for what the series had to offer. There's no joke, no humor to be found at all, really. It shows how Watterson's characters can not only make you laugh but be taken seriously as well, without coming across as self-aggrandizing or preachy. The dynamic style of Calvin and Hobbes makes them standout from the scenery, despite the stark setting. Just the first frame is worthy of critique - the bird is drawn as real-to-life, as it he were trying to show the reader that the strip would be more "real" than a story about the duplicator box or tormenting girl-next-door Susie Derkins (one of the few examples of a last name). There's an underlying sadness present, but it isn't hopeless. It's the melancholy of life, that there is joy in sorrow, or a give and take that we assume things make sense when we're older and we wince at a precocious six year old assuming the world will one day make sense. 

Then again, there is always the delightfully absurd sight gag like the strip above, which is so simple and Dada-esqe that it verges on a non sequitur. The blank expression on Calvin's face is absolutely priceless. In sharp contrast to the above comic, this strip illustrates the flip side of the sense of humor.

And here we have a summation of the elements described above - winter, humor, eccentric views. 

This comic was so smart and witty, it was a painful loss when Watterson retired his widely loved pair. If you have the chance, pick up one of his compilations. The collected works could serve as a veritable doorstop, but you can't beat having them all in one place. Smaller volumes make it more digestible and easier to leaf through. I guarantee you'll chuckle to yourself as you flip through the pages. Trust me. 

In The Year 3000

All right, mes amis, today we're going to discuss something that makes my head explode. Strap in, cause it's about to get nerdy in here. 

Ready? 

The Simpsons/Futurama Crossover Crisis. 

Both series are the brainchild of Matt Groening, and being the intellectual property of the same person with vaguely (okay, obviously) similar art styles, a crossover was inevitable. Both Series are/were wildly popular (though Simpsons more so) and had their own lines of excellent comics (see? Told you it would get nerdy). For the Simpsons, it offered an expansion of the universe for rabid fans to devour and catalog. For Futurama it served as a continuing existence after its premature cancellation, before the sublime series was renewed by Comedy Central. Both lines were published by the hysterical Bongo Comics and if you enjoy either series in its TV incarnation I would highly recommend seeing what the transition to print is like. It's often an interesting twist, as it allows for more deviations from the established canons that TV guidelines and censors wouldn't deem acceptable. 

Point of order, here. In my household The Simpsons is gospel. Having been firmly ingrained in mine and my better half's psyche's at the elementary level, it tickled the funny bone in a way that both formed and guided our mutual senses of humor for the rest of our lives. Admittedly the series has waned a bit in recent years but it still is better than almost anything you can throw at it, even on an off day. I recall one of the producers explaining its longevity thusly "How do you stretch a show for over ten seasons? Lower your standards." Sad, but true. It serves as a mental comfort food. I honestly think if some horrible tragedy befell the nation, we would just start a marathon and cook a feast for our friends and family while we burn through the series on a tv in the kitchen. The Halloween themed 'Treehouse of Horror' episodes, which I've written about before, are a tradition for us every October. 

Futurama is more of an oddity. I was sold on the show from the first season, having been raised on a steady diet of Star Wars and Star Trek (and this is the point my future father-in-law forbids the wedding). The in-jokes, the characters and sense of humor, I love it all. It's another one of those things I've written about where it makes me so happy I feel like it was created just to amuse me. Imagine my surprise when my fiancée, who almost never indulges in fictional TV (let alone science fiction, of all things) finds it to be not only interesting but hysterical. The fact that she laughs at anything I do makes my heart skip a beat, and is one of the countless reasons I love her. Funny is funny regardless of medium, and she gets that. So while The Simpsons soldiers on, barely fatigued, Futurama met an untimely end at the hands of Fox, only to be brought back to life by Comedy Central. In the intervening period, though, the most amazing thing happened. 

These two awesome worlds collided. 

How is this even possible, you ask? Conveniently held contracts and friendly lawyers. How it's handled in-universe is a little more tricky, and a whole lot more nerdy (but if you're still reading at this point, you've already accepted that and may actually be interested in how these two distinct intellectual properties collide). It's actually a pretty neat trick. 

The story hinges on the fact that Futurama is, despite its outlandish setting, characters and stories, our universe. In previous episodes of the show it had been established that the Simpsons existed as it did for us (even more crazy, Matt Groening has appeared IN THE SIMPSONS as the creator of Futurama, just to further twist us around). Fry, our lovable everyman, is reading a Simpsons comic, in a wonderful bit of meta-humor. Utilizing a plot device from their phenomenally written 'The Day the Earth Stood Stupid', the Brainspawn, capable of transporting conscious minds into fictional worlds, traps the Futurama crew in the world of the Simpsons comic. After a mind-blowing series of cross-continuity interactions, including Homer and Bender imbibing at Moe's, Lisa and Leela bonding and Fry and Bart causing mischief, the worlds are brought back into balance via the requisite complicated plot devices of meta-awareness and literary boundaries. 

But wait! There's more! 

The wonderful hardcover edition published in 2010 continues the saga in an excellent move. Due to the weakening walls of reality, the cast of the Simpsons is unleashed into Futurama's present day, New New York, 3000 A.D. The two casts must work together to fight off the brainspawn and vanquish various marauding fictional characters back to their respective books, in a display of some of the most absurd, laugh out loud literary jokes I've ever read. I won't spoil the results, but the entire experience is equal parts hysterical, confusing and manic. As such a mash up would be, of course. This volume of comics is an excellent example of what's possible when given free range with ideas, showing how two great flavors go great together. But only in small doses.

I am all too aware of how insanely geeky this whole write up is and yet I do not care one bit. Both of these series are cherished institutions in the annals of pop-culture, and to see them combined in such a fantastic, quality adventure is nothing short of astounding. It's an experience akin to Jetson's Meet the Flintstones, only zanier and with higher standards of production. If you've stuck with me this far, I would highly recommend you seek it out, if only to blow minds at the sight of these two forces combing.