A period of mourning will follow

Marty missed out again, making it the third time an actor-director has beaten him to the director Oscar, after Robert Redford with the boring Ordinary People, and Kevin Costner, who went on to make The Postman. The other two times he lost to Barry Levinson, who directed Toys and Sphere, and to Roman Polanski, who had sex with a 13-year-old girl. As you can tell by these harsh slatings of talented people, I'm not in a good mood about it, even though I knew, in my heart of hearts, that they were going to give it to Clint. Apart from my bias, my predictions of the 'big' Oscars were okay, except I didn't think that the academy would actually be nice to the deserving Freeman.

With my feelings in turmoil, no new content today from me. Instead, I'll point you to other people who are providing me with distractions from my sorrow.

Tom does a fantastic liveblog of the Oscars for those, like me, who didn't watch it while it happened, with such lovely entries such as:

7:48 -- Yo-Yo Ma performs during the Obituary Page portion of the evening. Applaud for the most popular!

Thanks, Tom, for a great job. Makes me almost want to have seen it, if not for the aforementioned sadness.

Paul O'Brien makes some excellent points about the online comics community over at Ninth Art. He has a great way of hitting the nail on the head sometimes:

There is no such thing as an invalid reaction. If the readers think the book sucks, it's no answer to turn round and tell them that their opinion is inadequately reasoned. It's still their opinion. It might be expressed in an uninformative and rather boring way, but it's an opinion nonetheless.

If you don't already, you should read his reviews at The X-Axis. Sharp, perceptive, funny and always readable, even if you don't read the X-Men. Alan David Doane agrees, in response to the article, in his own way of course.

Jog posts an excellent look at Seven Soldiers #0, covering everything you want to know about it.

Ian has a wry idea of how comics will look in the future, based on internet reaction.

Greg talks of his love for Elizabeth Braddock (but in a good way) in a great post charting the history of the character, that makes me want to get out my old Claremont X-Men books and relive my youth.

Harvey opines for the loss of the Priest version of the White Tiger in this eloquent post, now that Bendis is introducing a new version in Daredevil (and Priest's Black Panther run is being ignored for the new hip-hop flava version currently in stores).

The Pulse has a chat with Devin Grayson and Brian Stelfreeze about their upcoming Matador creator-owned series in this post [EDIT: they did, honest, but the link definitely doesn't work] (if the link thing works), trying to help me decide whether to wait for the trade or not.

That should keep you busy until tomorrow, when I should have reviews for last week's comics.

Cinema: Oscar Predictions - my futile attempt

Blog notice: I've added a bunch of blogs to the links list, most importantly adding Tom the Dog to the list after all this time, which is incredibly embarrassing as he is not only one of the guys I enjoy reading the most but he was the first guy to link back to me and put me on his blog roll – I hope you can forgive me, Tom, I'm real sorry. I've also changed my blog description (until it annoys me again), and included a quote as well, which should hopefully change weekly, to keep me amused. And now ...

My Oscar predictions, or 'Getting It Wrong In Public'

Original Screenplay – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Fulfils the title of the award perfectly, being the most original screenplay, and for showing the end and start of a relationship in a fascinating way. Kaufmann deserves it already.

Adapted Screenplay – Sideways
While The Motorcycle Diaries was very good, adapting the journals into an absorbing study of an iconic figure, Sideways is smart, moving, funny and too lovely not to get the Oscar, especially as it won't win for anything else.

Supporting Actor – Clive Owen
I don't think they'll give Morgan Freeman the Oscar he definitely deserves just yet. I know M$B has been getting all the buzz, but all fingers point to Owen getting it, even if I don't think he is a particularly good actor.

Supporting Actress – Cate Blanchett
This is my guess, because you can never predict it. I want to go for Natalie Portman but I think the academy will think she's too young to get it just yet, whereas Cate has proved her acting chops and had nominations before, with The Aviator thing helping too. But I'm still not sure.

Lead Actor – Jamie Foxx
Already has his name on it. Shame for the other actors in the category, really. I don't know if he has got what it takes to live up to the honour in the rest of his career, but we shall see.

Lead Actress – Hilary Swank
I don't know if the academy particularly wants to give Hilary a second Oscar; she's too young and she's only been good in two films, her other films have been pretty poor, but it just seems like this will happen. Personally, I'd give it to Kate Winslet, but that won't happen. The only other option would be Imelda Staunton, but America doesn't really know her (except maybe as Gwyneth Paltrow's maid in Shakespeare In Love).

Director – Martin Scorsese
Although Clint got the DGA, a very good indicator of the Oscar, I still think that Marty will get his due this year. Or perhaps I'm confusing supposed logic with my own desire for Marty to get the statue. I'm definitely biased on this one, so take with a pinch of salt.

Film – The Aviator
My initial thoughts on this were that they would split the difference; whoever got best director, the other would get best film. I still have a feeling that's how it's going to go but, by picking Marty through heavy bias, I'm not in the best position to judge. Therefore, I reckon they'll go for the comfort of a 'big' film winning the big two over the 'smaller' film (size referring to scale of the film).

There you have it. I won't be able to watch the event live as it happens, unfortunately, as I'll be fast asleep and I have to go to work in the morning. (Before, I've taken the day off, taped the show, avoided radio in the morning and watched as if live – yes, I am that sad.) No doubt Tom the Dog will have a blow-by-blow account of the show, so that I can at least enjoy it vicariously.

Brain prism: one mind, many links

My brain is all over the place today, so no real new content today. Instead, some links and turgid commentary.

Here is an article about those lovely comedy chaps, Mitchell & Webb. I've previously shared my love for their TV show (and their radio show is excellent too), and now everyone's jumping on the bandwagon. (The author might be trying to start a Little Britain backlash, which seems a little harsh, even if their comedy isn't as funny as in the first series; they can't help being popular and people enjoying their material, even if it is now only dressing up in silly outfits.)

Empire does a nice in-depth [EDIT: They did, honest. No longer there, even though it's a search result.] look at the Oscar nominees, helping me for my predictions/hopes, which I'll post tomorrow. I'm usually pretty bad at predicting the Oscars and tend to go for my favourites over what I know will win, but that won't stop me getting it wrong again.

Greg Rucka talks about OMAC over at Newsarama. I enjoy Rucka's work (the Atticus Kodiak novels are very enjoyable, and Queen & Country made by 100 List) but I do feel hesitant about picking up this when it's part of the DC Countdown event. See if he can persuade you.

As you may or may not know, Marvel has changed its rating system. Scott at Polite Dissent mocks this ever so elegantly in this post.

It was via Polite Dissent that I learned of Suspension of Disbelief, a new blog that checks the facts in comics books, and they're off to a good start.

Logan threatens physical violence on my personage for not reading Y: the Last Man. That's the way to get people to read good comics, Logan. (Only kidding; thanks for the recommendation.)

I was saddened to see that the Iranian blogger was sentenced to 14 years; the Committee to Protection of Bloggers [EDIT: blog no longer there] is still on the case.

In news of a more bizarre and less serious note, an odd man sues Sean Connery for living in an apartment that caused damage to his apartment and playing loud music, even though Connery doesn't own the other apartment, and hardly spends any time in New York anyway. Meanwhile, a woman is suing Hewlett Packard for secretly progamming expiry dates in their ink cartridges. The world is a very strange place sometimes.

Then there is the bizarre case of a cancer charity refusing a donation from Jerry Springer - The Opera due to a threatened protest by a religious group. I'm so dumbfounded by this, I can't think of anything clever or funny to say.

In a case of 'don't look up to someone for too long or you might hurt your neck', Kevin Smith disappointed me in this scan of a Stuff magazine piece, where he defends his right to drive an enormous, gas-guzzling SUV with the excuse that he wants to keep his kid safe. I really hope he was being facetious, as he usually is in print, but it doesn't appear to be, and using the same hive mentality to justify damaging the environment as all the other people who drive those stupid cars is rather sad for someone who is usually smart.

Finally, a bizarre thought that goes a bit serious. I live in London, which means that when I walk past a phone booth, I see postcards advertising prostitutes (these cards are also known as tart-cards), which are basically photographs of naked women, with perhaps some small stars to cover nipples and orifices. I thought, for some reason I can't quite remember why, that it might be a good idea to take the cards off the phone booth walls (being a nice chap and wanting to protect little kids, and to try and keep London a better place to live), scan them and post them on a blog (with the phone numbers removed) in order to highlight the issue. This sounds a little frivolous, now that I write it down, and it turns out that it's a little more serious than I initially thought. With 14 million cards being put in phones a year (according to this item), and the people who put the cards in the booths (called tom-carders) threatening violence to people who remove them (there is a scheme called Adopt A Phone Box [EDIT: there was a scheme, but the webpage no longer exists], organised by the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, where people take down the cards after the tom-carders have put them up) and the debate over whether it's better to have prostitutes working via this method or having to walk the streets (even though most prostitution is run by ruthless vice gangs), it becomes a little more complicated. It still sounds like the idea might work, if only because people love to look at naked women so the site would get a lot of hits but, just to show that I'm way behind, you can get a book on the subject already.

I told you my brain was all over the place. Congratulations if you read this far.

Comics: My ridiculously late 100 Things I Love About Comics

Better late than never, eh? With the speed of the web, people have moved on from this particular meme, but I thought I'd have a try anyway. A bizarre collection of personal memories, in strange alphabetical order:

1. 100 BULLETS by Brian Azzarello & Eduardo Risso

2. 2000AD, back in the mid-to-late 1980s

3. The cheesecake beauty of the art of Adam Hughes

4. Alan Davis

5. Alan Moore

6. AMBUSH BUG by Keith Giffen

7. ANIMAL MAN by Grant Morrison

8. The epitome of comic book art, Art Adams

9. ASTERIX by Goscinny & Uderzo

10. ASTRO CITY by Kurt Busiek

11. THE AUTHORITY by Warren Ellis & Bryan Hitch

12. Back issue boxes, especially with cheap comics in them

13. BARRY WEEN by Judd Winick

14. BATMAN: YEAR ONE by Frank Miller & David Mazzuchelli

15. The wild art of Bill Sienkiewicz

16. BLACK PANTHER by Priest (especially the first 12 issues, introducing Everett K. Ross)

17. CALVIN and HOBBES

18. Captain Britain, drawn by Alan Davis, written by Davis or Moore

19. The gorgeous art of Carlos Pacheco

20. CLANDESTINE by Alan Davis (well, that was obvious, wasn’t it?)

21. COPYBOOK TALES by J. Torres & Tim Levins

22. Cover art by James Jean, Dave Johnson, John Cassaday, Brian Bolland, Glenn Fabry, Phil Noto and Dave McKean.

23. DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN by Frank Miller & David Mazzuchelli

24. DEADPOOL by Joe Kelly, for the insanity & the comedy

25. Direct interaction with comic book creators via the internet & email

26. DOOM PATROL by Grant Morrison

27. DORK and MILK & CHEESE by Evan Dorkin

28. ENIGMA by Peter Milligan & Duncan Fegredo

29. EPICURUS THE SAGE by William Messner-Loebs & Sam Keith

30. FIREARM by James Robinson

31. THE FLASH by Mark Waid (particularly with Mike Weiringo)

32. FORTUNE AND GLORY by Brian Michael Bendis

33. GOLDFISH by Brian Michael Bendis

34. Garth Ennis

35. Getting letters printed in Transmet, Usagi Yojimbo, Quantum & Woody, Stormwatch, Xero

36. Gosh! comic shop

37. Grant Morrison

38. An old Judge Dredd story called The Fists of Stan Lee (with art by Barry Kitson)

39. HALO AND SPROCKET by Kerry Callen

40. HELLBOY by Mike Mignola

41. HITMAN by Garth Ennis & John McCrea

42. THE INCREDIBLE HULK by Peter David

43. The Invisibles letter page where Grant Morrison asked everybody to wank to increase sales of the series

44. Jim Lee’s artwork, first witnessed in Uncanny X-Men

45. KANE by Paul Grist

46. KINGDOM COME by Mark Waid & Alex Ross

47. Kurt Wagner, aka Nightcrawler. Although cursed, he’s still noble and positive.

48. Kyle Bakers' THE COWBOY WALLY SHOW & WHY I HATE SATURN

49. THE LEGION OF SUPER HEROES (Five Years Later) by Keith Giffen

50. The art of Leinil Yu

51. The lettering of John Workman, Tom Orzechowski, and Todd Klein

52. MAGE: THE HERO DISCOVERED by Matt Wagner

53. MARSHALL LAW by Pat Mills & Kev O’Neill

54. The medium of comic books themselves, that allows anything, no matter how mad or bizarre, to be communicated from the creators to the audience (if done well, obviously)

55. Neil Gaiman

56. THE NEW MUTANTS by Chris Claremont & Bill Sienkiewicz

57. Passing round bottles of champagne on the UKCAC stage with Grant Morrison (and Mark Millar) at his panel on a Sunday morning, which he had purchased as a grandiose gesture using the money he made from writing Spawn #16-18

58. The perfect team of Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely (Flex Mentallo, New X-Men, and beyond)

59. PLANETARY by Warren Ellis & John Cassaday

60. POWER PACK by Louise Simonson, June Brigman and John Bogdanove

61. POWERS by Brian Michael Bendis & Michael Avon Oeming

62. PREACHER by Garth Ennis & Steve Dillon (“Until the end of the world.”)

63. PvP

64. QUANTUM & WOODY by Priest & MD Bright (“We are not a couple.”)

65. QUEEN & COUNTRY by Greg Rucka & various

66. Rec.arts.comics.* news groups, helping fans communicate in the early days of the web

67. A reprint of an X-Men story by Denny O’Neill and Neal Adams that was my first X-Men story, where they repelled an alien invasion by Prof. X. channeling the minds of the world with their thoughts of love.

68. A review of X-Men #1 by Warren Ellis in the British magazine Speakeasy where he wanted 'to kidney-beat Chris Claremont with a crowbar until he puked fountains of blood'

69. THE SANDMAN by Neil Gaiman, for everything it was.

70. SCARAB by John Smith & Scot Eaton

71. THE SAVAGE DRAGON: BLOOD & GUTS by Jason Pearson (I just really dig it)

72. SHADE, THE CHANGING MAN by Peter Milligan

73. THE SHADOW revamp by Howard Chaykin, for opening my eyes to a different world (which I initially saw in a British reprint magazine, somewhere around 1989–90)

74. The silly, fun and enjoyable comics of Keith Giffen (Justice League, Heckler, Trencher, etc.)

75. The early detailed pencil & ink artwork of Simon Bisley, especially in ABC Warriors

76. Sound FX in comics (SNIKT. BAMF. SKKKEERASSSSHH! KRAKKA-DOOM!)

77. Spaced, the Channel 4 sitcom, and its love & referencing of comics

78. THE SPECTRE by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake

79. STARMAN by James Robinson & Tony Harris

80. SUPREME by Alan Moore, for bringing back the love of silly ideas

81. The suspender-and-stocking filled art of Howard Chaykin

82. The soft and ‘bouncy’ lines of the art of Terry Dodson

83. THE MIGHTY THOR by Walt Simonson

84. TOP TEN by Alan Moore, Gene Ha & Zander Cannon

85. TRANSMETROPOLITAN by Warren Ellis & Darick Robertson

86. The worth-the-very-long-wait for the art of Travis Charest

87. U.K.C.A.C. (RIP)

88. THE UNCANNY X-MEN by Chris Claremont, before things went wrong, for being my first.

89. USAGI YOJIMBO by Stan Sakai. The greatest black & white samurai rabbit in the world.

90. V FOR VENDETTA by Alan Moore & Dave Lloyd, for the poetry

91. Walt Simonson’s art, and his signature.

92. Warren Ellis

93. WATHCMEN by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons. Still the best.

94. The way Alan Davis characters’ hands have their two middle fingers next to each other when their hand is splayed out

95. The word ‘felching’ in The Books of Magic by Neil Gaiman after DC told him to remove the word ‘fucking’

96. Writer-driven comics doing well

97. The X-Men on film in X-Men and X2

98. ZENITH by Grant Morrison & Steve Yeowell. Superheroes in 200AD.

99. The fact that my girlfriend reads and enjoys them as well

100. Finally, the comics blogosphere, for all the love of comics that gets shown on a daily basis.

Comics Reviews (or How I Stopped Worrying and Learnt to Respect Don & Randy)

Call myself a comics blogger without any comics reviews? What's the name of your blog again, David? Hmm? Here's some quick reviews on last week's purchases:

303 #3
It's nice seeing Garth writing something with a bit more 'oomph' to it than just pumping out Punisher scripts (and for the video game, apparently). The dialogue and story make you realise that he does war stuff like nobody else, and he's matched perfectly with Jacen Burrows, whose art looks really good in colour.

100 Bullets #58
Well, I wasn't expecting that to happen, even in a book like this. Sometimes I think about getting 100 Bullets in trade form, as the longer stories read better that way, then along comes an issue like this one, which has me eager for the next part of the story, and I know I can't wait.

Authority Revolution #5
The issue itself, while well illustrated and well written, didn't do too much for me until the last page, where the villain is revealed. Being an Ellis fan, it's got me hooked for the rest of the series.

Daredevil #70
The ending might be a little abrupt for some (what, only Don Corleone can have a weak heart?), but I liked it. Maleev does some nice work on the DD-White Tiger fight, capturing snapshots rather than excessive dynamism, and the dialogue matches the work perfectly. Bendis is trying to do some interesting things with his Daredevil stories, and I for one am enjoying what he's doing.

Ex Machina #8
I'm really going to have to get Y: The Last Man, aren't I? Vaughan writes intelligent and funny and interesting stuff here, and Runaways is great, so I'd be pretty stupid not to avail myself of good comics. I love the idea of a former superhero as mayor, and Tony Harris' art hasn't looked so good since the first time I saw it in Starman. This is definitely one of the best debuts of the last year.

Jack Staff #7
Is the long delay between issues killing this title for me? I was already feeling bad for passing on Burglar Bill, but I'm not enjoying this as I once did. Is it the colour? Is it the feeling that the story seems to be taking a long time to get anywhere, without giving us enough to hold onto in between? Or perhaps it's that I didn't read any of the British comics that this references (and soon to be restarted by Moore & Gibbons in Albion)? I mean, yes, I get the Steptoe & Son reference (Sanford & Son to Americans, I believe), which always makes me laugh, but is that reason enough to continue buying a comic series?

Ocean #4
This is another one of those great combinations; Ellis writing intelligent sci-fi (and knocking Microsoft at the same time) and Sprouse doing some fantastic work on the art, from small to big scale. Nicely paced, allowing the story and characters to breathe, with some zippy Ellis dialogue to keep you smiling.

PVP #14
Even in the world of comics, some things are subjective; you either get them, or you don't. I get PvP – I like penmanship of Kurtz and the life he brings to his characters, and I like the pop culture riffing and geeking out that brings the funny. This is another issue with more of the same, and while the Robert Kirkman stuff doesn't work as well as the rest, in my opinion, there's still plenty of laughs to be had along the way. Which is more than can be said for the letter pages, where Kurtz tries a little hard.

Queen & Country Declassified Vol 2 #1
Rucka & Burchett, back together again after the Batman/Huntress mini-series, and this look at how Tom Wallace joined SIS is great stuff. This filling-in of history for the ongoing series really complements the dense tapestry that Rucka is creating in the best (only?) spy title on the stands, and Burchett does a great job of capturing the right atmosphere for the story.

Runaways #1
They're back - the best new team in the Marvel Universe. Vaughan writes great dialogue (and I love the teen superhero rehabilitation group, Excelsior) and Alphona's art creates the perfect mood for the story. Lots of strands and a jumpstart to the series in the final few pages with 'a visitor form the future' plotline, to which I am particularly partial. Long live the second series.

(Promethea #32 has yet to be read, partly because it can be so daunting, and partly because I don't want the series to end, so I'm almost considering rereading the whole series prior to taking in #32, which is even more daunting.)

Phew, that was exhausting. And I didn't even do the other six comics from two weeks back. I think I've had enough for today. Proper reviews soon, as well as my 100 Things I Love About Comics list.

Comics: Incoming Issues

I can hear voices, singing to me ... (with apologies to the late, great Curtis Mayfield)

I'm your Marvel, I'm your DC,
I'm that indy in the alley.
I'm the seller of your books.
Want some comics? Have a look.
You know me, I'm your friend,
Graphic novels, thick and thin.
I'm your Pamphlet-Man.

The pamphlets of pictorial pleasure, aiming to get me high this week:

Legion of Super Heroes #3
Seven Soldiers #0
Sleeper Season Two #9
Wonder Woman #213
Hunter-Killer #1
Fantastic Four #523
Powers #9

A fine selection indeed, from the mellow weed high of Waid superhero comics, to the dialogue & noir ecstasy of Powers & Sleeper, to the amphetamine madness of Seven Soldiers, injecting pure Grant Morrison into my veins. Thursday's too long to wait....

(Edited to include LSH, which I don't know how I forgot it, making it a hat-trick week for Waid.)

Comics: Marvel Solicitations for May

CBR has the full list for all your cover & blurb requirements. Let's get stuck in, shall we?

JMS gets hold of another long-standing title in the Marvel universe, starting with Fantastic Four #527, which might have fans who've read his Spider-Man a little worried, but it gives me the excuse to not spend all my money on comics by stopping after the excellent run by Waid & Ringo.

Marvel Nemesis: The Imperfects. Marvel & EA, working together? Shudder. I point you towards this strip at Ctrl+Alt+Del for views on EA.

Marvel Next – what is it with Marvel and their need to put their name in front of innocuous words in order to give themselves some bizarre buzz speak for a section of comics? The cover for Machine Teen #1 is a James Jean topper, but I really don't think the world needs a Machine Man revamp.

Marvel Hardcover – what about Marvel At That F%£+ing Price? Maximum Fantastic Four sounds like a very interesting idea, with a lot of thought and effort put in, suggesting that they're going for a coffee table dissection of the first issue, so why embarrass it with such a silly and geeky name? Are they only going for the hardcore audience? Surely a less 'Ultimate'-sounding title might have been more appropriate?

Going through the Marvel solicits, I realise I don't get as many as I thought I do, which makes me feel a little better going through this. I look forward to The Ultimates, with its sweeeet Hitch art, even though Mark Millar seems to be going out of his way to become an annoying twat (the end of Wanted, the end of The Chosen, killing Northstar, talking a load of bollocks online), but this is probably because I'm someone who didn't grow up with The Avengers, so I enjoy his stories, even if the trial of the Hulk has been done before. Similarly, I didn't get into The Defenders, so I have no preconceptions going into Ultimates #6, where they show up in Ultimate-form for the first time.

Apologies for skimming over the Spidey section but I simply don't have much interest in him, which I realise might throw into doubt my status as a comic fan in some circles. The relentless buggering up of his life (money problems, Aunt May and her heart, J. Jonah Jameson making him out as a villain, etc.) for the sake of keeping him miserable about being Spider-Man seems quite vicious at times, and doesn't give me the buzz I seek in my four-colour fix. I know I don't get it when it comes to Peter Parker, but that's just the way I am (so, sorry, Greg, but I won't be owning the various Comics You Should Own titles you've listed so far).

Marvel Knights – after all the gorgeous Maleev covers for Daredevil so far, why are the Decalogue (Bendis & Maleev's swansong on the title) covers so ugly?

I still can't see the point of Marvel Milestones: Wolverine, X-Men and Tuk the Cave boy. However, it makes me feel young because I've never heard of Tuk the Cave boy, but also old as Uncanny X-Men #201 was the first X-Men comic I ever purchased (a double purchase along with New Mutants #35), ensuring it of a special place in my heart and which started me on the strange, but wonderful, path that has led to writing a blog about comics.

It's always nice to see Bill Sienkiewicz drawing DD (on Daredevil; Redemption #5) but doesn't it seem a little as if he just knocked it out on a wet afternoon?

Oooh, a blacked out character on the front of Wolverine #28, so mysterious, what could the mystery possibzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Sorry, fell asleep there. Where was I?

The blurb for GLA #2 is the best of the bunch, so I'm just going to include here for my own enjoyment:

With the life-expectancy of hamsters, and an ever-thinning lineup, the GLA is in desperate need of new blood. But what self-respecting super-type would sign up for THIS!? Guest stars galore, including Brother Voodoo, El Aguila, and Captain Ultra. Plus Spider-Man, Wolverine, Daredevil, and all the other spotlight-hogs you can't get enough of! Oh, and don't forget, in this issue ANOTHER GLAer DIES! Well... besides Mr. Immortal.

Pulse #9 sees Michael Lark bring his stylings to Bendis' slow crossover with his even slower Secret War series, for which I am grateful, as Brent Anderson's work didn't look very good in the last issue I read, but it will have to be good to make up for the state the story is in at the moment.

New Avengers #7 sees the start of a three-part look at The Sentry. I still don't get why Bendis has brought him into the fold, as Jenkin's creation wasn't exactly riddled with exciting possibilities, and he's losing the 'try anything' faith card some writers get from me, but I'm curious to see what he does. Call that a 'definite maybe'.

Power Pack, even though it's a limited series, and looks like it's aimed at the younger audience, still can't wait to get the Fantastic Four as guest stars in issue #3. While they are appropriate to the book, if you've read the previous series, which I'm not ashamed to say I have, as it's wonderful stuff (and still have the books in my collection, bar the non-Simonson- or Bogdanove-written ones, and I'm still waiting to actually see Power Pack #27, let alone buy it), it still seems to smack of desperation. Or I could be channeling my cynicism here.

Public Notice: Buy Runaways! One of the best things sold by Marvel at the moment. Great writing and art. Buy it! We now return you normal service.

Marvel Must Haves: NYX #1–3: when they say 'Reprinting the sold-out NYX #1–3', do they mean, 'Reprinting the issues no-one can remember being printed because they were so long ago.'? And then the cheeky 'Look for MARVEL MUST HAVES: NYX #4–5 next month – and NYX # 6 in July!' seems hopelessly optimistic ...

A grand total of 18 X-Men related comics for me to safely ignore (even if Alan Davis is doing some beautiful work over in Uncanny X-Men) and waiting for the trade on Astonishing X-Men means I have nothing to say about all them, which must be a crime in the blogosphere.

Garth Ennis has been keeping to the 'write 6 issues in a story line' edict that has been handed down over at Marvel for the Max Punisher, so I'm waiting on trades for them. However, the one shot, The Cell, looks interesting enough to tempt me away from my economically sensible policy.

Powers #11 'presents the most important moment in the life of Detective Deena Pilgrim – a truly shocking POWERS event!' This usually doesn't mean anything in normal comics, but Powers has the leeway to do whatever Bendis & Oeming cook up, so it has a lot to live up to, especially as I thought they were going to bump her off in the first arc of the Icon-housed series.

More TPBs than you can shake an electronic Hulk Fist at, which is good to see, but I'm tired now, so I'm going to put this one to bed now. Insert pithy comment here that would sum up the post for me, thanks.

Free Mojtaba and Arash Day

The title of the post comes from seeing this news item on BBC online, about the Committee to Protect Bloggers [EDIT: post no longer available]. I'm just doing my bit, even if it's only a small bit.

I'm in a blog-link mood, so here's some more:

The lead in V for Vendetta film has been announced – the decidely not-ugly James Purefoy. Odds on his face being covered by the symbolic Guy Fawkes mask for the length of the film: zero.

Joss Whedon & John Cassaday will be doing more Astonishing X-Men. I don't buy the floppies (which is good, based on the wait for them at the moment) but I'm looking forward to the trade, as the first was fabulous stuff.

Andy Diggle is doing a creator-owned series with Leinil Yu – sensory overload will ensue on a wonderfully insane sounding Silent Dragons, described as 'a sci-fi/crime/action/tragedy/love story with really big robots', containing 'a crazy melting pot of cyborg Yakuza, holographic ghosts and samurai war droids.'

Logan is having a competition over at House of the Ded, so go enter already. Details at the top of the page.

I wanted to put a link to the comedian Richard Herring's blog, Warming Up, because I think it's rather good and because I went to see his show, The Twelve Tasks of Hercules Terrace, on Saturday and really enjoyed it, and this is my small way of returning the favour (short of writing a review, which I might yet do.)

Finally, Tom has posted his 100 Things I Love About Comics, with links and images, which has a lot in common with my, as yet unposted, list. I have no excuse not to get off my arse (well, metaphorically speaking – I have to sit down to put it on the computer, obviously) and post the damn thing ...

Coming up, the Marvel solicitations for May.

Comics: Image Solicitations for May

There aren't as many comics as for DC and Marvel, but I thought I'd have a try at the Image comics for May, found here at CBR, especially after getting a taste for it in this post. Here we go:

Shadowhawk #1. Does the world really need more Shadowhawk? When was the last time this was an ongoing concern? I can vaguely remember reading a Giffen & Grant take on this, but even they couldn't get me interested in the character.

Talking of Keith Giffen, he has a new limited series, Common Foe, starting this month. Time was, I'd try almost anything by the Giff, but he's only co-writing, and it doesn't jangle any bells for me, but your mileage may vary.

Felt: True Tales of Underground Hip Hop. This could be an interesting experiment from Jim Mahfood – Lord knows he goes on about hip hop enough in his other books, so a book attempting to visualise an album into comic strip format is novel, if nothing else.

I point out Hero Camp, only because I don't think that anyone else outside the US have summer camps (correct me if I'm wrong) where parents ship off their kids to get them out of their hair for three months.

Scott Kurtz has a 16 page, 50 cent primer, PvP #0, for his enjoyable PvP series, in the same vein as the recently solicited Invincible #0, so those guys must share ideas when they're working on their new book together. I already get the book, as well as regularly visit the site, so I don't need this intro, but it's good to see that Kurtz is trying to keep it accessible, which it is, as it doesn't have a lot of history required to enjoy the strips.

Burglar Bill continues from Paul Grist, but I'm not reading it anymore and feel a little guilty. I've been reading Kane since it came out (and miss it, looking forward to the graphic novels) and the sporadic Jack Staff, but I didn't dig on this new series at all. I don't know why I feel guilty, but I do.

Invincible keeps on keeping on. The word on the blogosphere for this series is good, but I've never tried it. I think it's the tag of good, old-fashioned superhero comics that might be putting me off. I tried some Kirkman in the form of Battle Pope; it was okay, but not enough to make me run out and try his other stuff, which might be a lack of experimentation (or funds) on my part.

I can't believe there's a comic book called Night Club; it just sounds so ... silly, and not in a good way. Maybe I just have negative connotations of night clubs in my head which I can't shake when I hear the words, but it just makes me imagine a comic book full of men in white suits, women with bad hair, glittery disco lights and girls dancing around their handbags.

Is there any reason for Spawn to still be going? In the Smith/Quesada instant messenger transcript, Smith said that McFarlane told him he didn't want to draw anymore. And he seems to be more interested in making money via the toys section of his business (this month, you can get basketball dolls, sorry, I mean, action figures, as well as action figures of Elvis, soldiers and fairy tales, you lucky people).

Hunter-Killer continues, with Marc Silvestri still drawing the interior pages, despite initial rumours from Rich Johnston that caused Mark Waid to write this post about him.

Has anyone ever read any of the spin-off series from Rising Stars? I remember there was another one before this Voices of the Dead limited series, but damned if I can recall what it was (or bother to Google it to find out). I know I'm not the audience for it; I've been enjoying Rising Stars for the most part, despite the trouble with artists and the delay caused by Top Cow selling off the rights without letting JMS know, even if it's not as great as it could be, but why would I want to see someone else play with a fraction of the story which is supposed to be this epic from the mind of one person? Isn't that like someone doing, I don't know, Rorschach: The Crazy Years after Watchmen?

Finally, I had to mention Top Cow Art: The Coffee Table Collection, just because it makes me chuckle that they'd do it in the first place, and describe it as 'Creamy goodness' in the process. 276 full-colour pages for $24.99 to chart the history of Top Cow comics. Shouldn't this be a hardback, and a large one at that, to qualify as a Coffee Table Collection? Just curious.

Well, all finished, more or less. Still don't think I've quite got the hang of this yet, but it was fun (for me, at least). Bring on the Marvel Solicitations!

Links: Oddities and commentaries

There's some items I read that hit me and I have the urge to remember it, just in case I forget or need to proof to back up my failing memory. That's what these sort of posts are for – helping me with my senility.

Firstly, a review of Nathan Barley that is enjoying the show as well. Strange how this programme, mocking hipper-than-thou journalist types seems to get a lot of coverage from journos ...

Secondly, a review of A Life In The Theatre from Londonist, who provide a more general review of the play, compared to the theatre reviewers (who only seem to write for other theatre reviewers, and not people who see a play infrequently, like me). They like it, which is good news, as I'm taking my girlfriend to see it on her birthday (she already knows, so it's not a secret or anything).

Regarding remembering to do things, I wanted to write about these two items yesterday but, erm ... forgot. Ahem. This item documents Star Trek fans attempts to keep Enterprise on the air. I find most Star Trek fans to be intelligent, but this seems stupid. Persuading corporations to change their mind on a show that's losing money, asking another channel to take on a show that not many people like, and then asking fans for money in order to keep it going. Utterly bizarre. And they wonder why people mock them?

Also, the new Bugs Bunny thing. Dave posted about it yesterday, which was where I first read about it, but his news link to CBS didn't take me to the story. So, I've Googled to find it here, with some images of the Bugs Bunny of the future, who looks a little bit embarrassing, to say the least. Why anyone thought this necessary is beyond me, but it matches the recent changes to Desperate Dan, and to his home comic, The Dandy, so there must be some sort of viral thing going around. Personally, I can't see these sorts of things appealing, but I also don't want to be a grumpy old man, complaining how things were better in the old days and kids these days. However, Bugs Bunny looks stupid, and that's that.

There's probably more but, as I said, I've probably forgotten them already ...

Edit: I knew there was something. Mike knows how to make his audience laugh, and probably increase his hit rate, with this. And people talk about the power of the medium of comics for art?

Film Review: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

I love seeing films for free. I'm a cheap bastard like that. Even if it means getting up on a Sunday morning. I always worry that this might colour my review; not paying money and early mornings can influence matters, no matter how one might try to maintain critical distance. I say this because I saw quite a few reviews that were down on the film (Rotten Tomatoes has a 48% rating) and I was wondering why.

I'll start out by saying that I enjoyed the film. I'm not a great fan of the whole sea life idea and couldn't care less about Jacques Cousteau, so I'm not particularly disposed to the subject matter. However, I became involved with the characters, I laughed, I cared about them and was moved by the ending, which is an impressive feat in my books. The film is about Steve Zissou (Bill Murray), a riff on Jacques Cousteau, from the red bobble hats to the complex love life, leader of Team Zissou and captain of The Belafonte, sea explorer and documentary film maker. They are off on an expedition to kill the shark that ate Zissou's friend. They are joined by a reporter (Cate Blanchett) and a man who claims to be Zissou's son (Owen Wilson). Along the way, there are dealings with his nemesis (Jeff Goldblum), who happens to be his wife's ex-husband, pirates and strange sea creatures.

The film is definitely Anderson-esque, if he has earned the right to an adjective of his name from the four films he's made, with oddball characters, strange settings and idiosyncratic dialogue. The film is not about the plot, more about Zissou, as he reflects on his life, his decisions and the people in his life. Murray is great; it's like his body and face have grown into his film persona, meaning he's at the perfect age for his wry looks and dry delivery. All the supporting actors are people you enjoy watching; Cate Blanchett as the pregnant reporter; Michael Gambon as the producer; Angelica Houston as the brilliant but exasperated wife; Owen Wilson as the son; Jeff Goldblum as the rival; Willem Dafoe, hilarious as the German crewman with emotional issues.

There's a wonderful unreal quality to the film, an atmosphere of 'outsideness' that Wes Anderson creates in his films, such as the doll house quality of the interior of The Belafonte when we follow two characters through it in a tracking shot. I think this was why I didn't enjoy the intrusion of the bluntly real pirates in the film, even though they possess an unreal quality themselves, as it seemed unpleasant for them to be there. The dialogue and the characters are wonderfully bizarre and amusing, and I was genuinely touched by the end, where everyone touches Zissou on the shoulder in the small submarine. I wonder if some of the more negative reviews for the film are suffering from some sort of 'I preferred his earlier stuff that I discovered before you' attitude, as this film is easily as good as his earlier work.

Rating: DAVE

Comics: Careful what you wait for...

One of the reasons I haven't gone over to the 'waiting for the trade' game is because of my worry that the things I won't like won't get collected. I'm not talking about the big stuff which I know will be collected – as much as I enjoy Joss Whedon's writing and the art of John Cassaday, there is no way in hell that Astonishing X-Men wasn't going to be collected, which is how I purchased, and thoroughly enjoyed, the series. I'm talking about the stuff which you know in your bones has a slim chance.

Something like Razor's Edge: Redbird, which has been cancelled, according to this brief report, without the first one being published. After me saying only the other day that I might wait for the trade ...

According to this comment on the post where I first saw this item (thanks Graeme), Ed Brubaker steps in to quell the rumours that it's nothing to do with his exclusivity deal with Marvel. He can't mention details, obviously, but it is a reassurance. It's just a shame we won't be seeing some Pearson art. I've loved his stuff since his Legion of Super Heroes days, thought his Dragon: Blood & Guts (a homage to the Hong Kong films of John Woo, using the Savage Dragon) was deliriously good stuff, and enjoyed Body Bags immensely. I hope we get to see some stuff from him soon.

Content is an illusion, links doubly so

My brain isn't firing correctly at the moment. Bizarre thoughts percolate. I see a news item about how DVDs are going to be harder to copy – my brain wonders if that is going to make the DVD pirates say to themselves, 'Ah, look what they've done now. We're never going to crack them now, so we might as well forget it now lads.'? But then it thinks, why would they announce it? Are they laying down a challenge to the copiers?

Either my brain isn't as sophisticated as I thought it was, or I am getting old and my mental capacity is deteriorating rapidly. When reading that someone who had their mobile phone stolen and then found out it had been used for £625 worth of calls to Pakistan, my brain thought, why would anyone make that amount of calls to Pakistan? It's kind of sad, really.

Anyway, I want to write my review of the film screening I saw on Sunday (although, I feel a bit odd doing a review of a film that has been out in the US for a while, knowing that the global nature of the internet means it looks odd for someone doing a review of a screening so long after it has been out), but can't do it while the mind is melting. So, instead, by the power of linky blog magic:

The trailer for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is online [EDIT: not any longer – link removed), at Amazon.com of all places (via Empire). Looks good, even if aimed at people who haven't read the book.

A review of That Mitchell and Webb Sound, by a slightly scary looking old woman, saying how wonderful it is, which is true, even if she gives me the creeps.

A review of Nathan Barley. I keep wondering if I should, in tradition of accumulating comedy catchphrases from programmes I enjoy into my vocabulary, use the ones from Nathan Barley; however, would that prove that I am an idiot, as in the show, by using the same vapid expressions invented by the creators to parody the lack of creativity of the very people they are lampooning?

An interview with James Jean, Eisner award winner for covers, at Newsarama, the day after I was saying how great he was. Spooky …

There's probably more, but head-controlly thingy not thingying properly anymore, so …

Comics: DC Solicits for May

In order to gain official status as a comic blogger, and to break my solicits cherry, it's time for me to look at what DC Comics will be publishing in May and given my considered, if uninformed and highly biased, opinion. (You can see a full list here at CBR.)

The Batman Begins merchandise madness, erm, begins. Along with the pointless comic book movie adaptation, you can buy replicas, statues, busts, and (don't call them dolls) action figures. I'm sure that your film experience will be greatly enhanced by purchasing a load of useless old crap. In addition, over a dozen Batman-related comics, including specials, are available for this month (overload, you say?), of which I'm only interested in Gotham Central, but good luck to DC if they think that they'll see a repeat of the Tim Burton film knock on to the sales of comics.

Is Byrne really an attraction anymore? I mean, isn't this cover quite ugly? Gail Simone might be a fun writer, but that won't get me to buy Action Comics #827.

Most of the DCU stuff doesn't do much for me, I have to say. Although I like the art of Carlos Pacheco, I don't enjoy the writing of Geoff Johns, so Green Lantern won't make it to my pull list.

Hawkman #40 wins the cheesecake cover award for this with the buttock-exposing skirt and prominent nipple on the female character in the front left. Joe Bennett, you're a classy guy. For an example of an outstanding cover, check out Green Arrow #50 by James Jean, who is fast becoming one of the best cover artists around. I haven't read any GA by Judd Winick since I dropped it some time ago, but I can admire the cover art.

I'll be picking up the Giffen & DeMatteis JLA: Classified in TPB, just to make a statement of the fact that it should have been a self-contained mini-series of its own in the first place.

To make up for not getting a lot of DCU books, I seem to overcompensate by getting a shedload of Wildstorm books. Authority: Revolution, Ex Machina, The Intimates, Planetary and Sleeper (I'll miss Sleeper, which ends, but what a great cover), to be added to this month with the latest Warren Ellis, Desolation Jones, which sounds like a lot of fun. I'm still undecided on Redbird, because I love Jason Pearson's art (Bodybags, anybody?), so might wait for the trade, along with Chaykin's City of Tomorrow.

Another book which looks interesting is Top Ten was one of the most wonderful things Alan Moore has done, I simply do not buy hardcovers, even though I want Top Ten: The Forty-Niners more than a crack addict wants his next fix.

The Vertigo section sees less of my money than it used to in days gone buy, with the only monthlies being 100 Bullets and Fables, but at least the new Losers TP, Trifecta, is out for me to catch up on the series (it was dropped for monetary reasons, not quality ones, when I had a comics cutback recently), which is good news for me and hopefully for Andy Diggle & Jock, who are still being allowed to progress with the series, as it reaches #24.

And that about covers it for me. There are some 2000AD collections that I read when I was growing up (I've always thought Bisley worked best in pen and ink, personally, and always loved his art in the ABC Warriors for this reason), and lots more bizarre products for you to buy, such as a Batman marionette (why, dear God?) and lots of different action figures, but I only buy the books, so that's your lot. Now, go pre-order to make sure you get what you want.

Comics: Incoming Issues

It's that time of the week again, where I let you know about my obviously excellent taste in comics and my girlfriend can find out how much money I'm spending at the comic shop again ...

Garth Ennis 303 #3
100 Bullets #58
Authority Revolution #5
Ex Machina #8
Ocean #4
Promethea #32
Jack Staff #7
PVP #14
Daredevil #70
Runaways #1
Queen & Country Declassified Vol 2 #1

Yipes. That's a full week. And all of it good stuff. At least I can take some financial comfort in the knowledge that Promethea is finishing with this issue, and 303, Authority, Ocean, Runaways and Queen & Country are all limited series, or I'd be in serious trouble. And I haven't finished reading last week's stack yet. There will be a lot of reviews on this blog soon ...

Social life equals no blog content

So, not much in the way of original posting today. I've had a busy social weekend where I was out enjoying the company of good friends and free films (which I'll review shortly) and helping the Chinese celebrate their New Year by eating Dim Sum in London's Chinatown, so no opportunity to read my comics haul, let alone review them. Instead, a few quick bits.

1. I hate Valentine's day, as does my girlfriend (one of the many, many reasons I love her), so Bah, Humbug! to all you saps who fall for the stupid fabricated commercial sham that it plainly is.

2. TV – Nathan Barley was very funny, and quietly moving as well, but hasn't quite hit its stride yet. The best gags were in the details, so there is genius behind it, so hopefully it will come to the front more often.

3. Comics – The 100 things I love about comics speeds round the comic blogs faster than, well, I suppose it would have to be a speeding bullet, to keep in character, but that seems a little slow for internet; it should probably be something like '... faster than the Flash with a case of diarrhoea after eating a curry' or something like that. I don't know, I don't invent culturally approved phrasings.

Alan has posted his annotations to his 100 Things I Love About Comics, which is timely because a whole load of others have decided to do the same. I haven't joined them yet (see above) but I am thinking about, which is part of the operation. Well done to all the noble bloggers who listed; inspiring stuff all round. Thank you all.

(Update: more comic bloggers join the meme – see Mike for full list, as he keeps updating)

4. Comic blogs – A quick congrats to Johnny Bacardi on doing some professional writing. He is one of the good guys, so it's nice to see something good coming back to him.

That is all.

Film Review - King Arthur (Director's Cut)

Being a Brit of Celtic origin and a fan of mythology (of which comics are but a modern iteration), the Arthur story is something I was drawn to at an early age. The first 'proper' books (i.e. no pictures) I remember actively purchasing as a young teenager were the Susan Cooper 'The Dark Is Rising' cycle, which intercalated the Arthurian legend into a modern story. I even had The Knights of Pendragon comic book, the first series, and how many people can say that? All of this preamble is to say that I may not be completely biased in opinion but, at the same time, I have a history, although I apologise in advance if I ramble and it ends up not looking like a traditional review.

This version is based on some new evidence that suggests that the legend of Arthur is based on a real person who lived in 5th century Briton. This is an interesting idea, even if it's probably nonsense. Arthur/Artorius (Clive Owen) is a half-Roman, half-British commander of Samartian knights, who are finishing their 15-year term of service for the Roman army. They are to be set free but first Rome wants them to rescue a Roman living north of Hadrian's wall, as Saxons are invading there. It is a dangerous mission because of the Woads, a guerrilla army led by Merlin living north of the wall, who hate the Romans and want them out of Briton. Along the way, Arthur learns about being responsible, picks up Guinevere, battles a Saxon army and founds Britain.

The good aspects of the film? Well, I liked that the Saxons and Britons speak a language without subtitles, possibly indicating the commonality of the tongues, whereas the Celtic of the Woads is almost undecipherable (which is true if you've ever actually heard any spoken Welsh or Irish). There is a grittiness that is nice compared to the shiny armour of such nonsense as the awful First Knight. The fight scenes, although not great (will fight scenes with extras ever be any good after we have been spoiled by the CGI majesty of Helm's Deep?), have a certain something to them. All of which isn't saying much, is it?

Some of the bad things. Even though they admit that the true life Artorius lived in the 2nd century and that they moved the story forward 300 years, there are lots of historical aspects that seem out of place, which jars throughout. Fuqua seems more at home with the fight scenes, which have been restored to their bloodier versions (before, presumably, they decided to go for the supposed Keira Knightley, Guinevere, teen audience and had to tone it down), even though they don't really zing. His alternative ending is presumably some attempt at deeper meaning, but it's just silly and was rightfully changed, even if the other ending has problems. The story itself should have ignored trying to link to the Arthur story, (why have Ioan Gruffudd as Lancelot eyeing up Guinevere, when that was a known invention by the French when they introduced it into the myth, because cuckolding was a popular story trope at the time?) and it could have worked better on its own (but then we wouldn't have the recognisability of the Arthur story, working as a known quantity to get people into the cinema in the first place).

David Franzoni struggles with history, the legend, pace and dialogue, making it hard to imagine that he is responsible for Gladiator, although easier to believe that he was responsible for Amistad and Jumpin' Jack Flash. Clive Owen doesn't really look or sound like a leader of men, lacking any kind of authority. I don't want to be prejudiced against him just because he comes from Coventry, but his voice doesn't sound right, which makes me wonder how he would cope as James Bond, as the rumours suggest. Knightley doesn't sound like a Woad at all, her plums tones at odds with the Celtic sound of everyone else, but at least she is good in the fight scenes. Gruffudd comes out best as Lancelot, boding well for the Fantastic Four film, with Stellan Skarsgard, as the head of the Saxons, holding his own.

For the most part, you get the feeling that there might a good film struggling to get out. But, when a film has Stonehenge next to the sea at the end of the film, it gets to be irritating. My girlfriend, also someone who has more than a passing knowledge of the Arthurian legend, had given up on the film long before the end, suggesting that they didn't know where they were aiming the film. If, as some aspects of the film suggest, they were going for an Ancient Briton version of The Seven Samurai (well, The Magnificent Seven; they weren't aiming that high), then it might have worked on the level of Braveheart (Gladiator had a more romantic edge to it, all the bloodletting aside, and the nod towards romance here really doesn't count) but it tries to please too many people and ends up pleasing nobody.

Rating: DA

He was able to narrow it down to 100?

Alan David Doane has long been an interesting and strong voice in the world of comic criticism on the internet at the Comic Book Galaxy. Thoughtful, passionate, a scholar and a gentleman, he has been putting his money where his mouth is by spending his own money on the site to promote excellence in comic books, for which he deserves nothing but respect.

His latest expression of that can be found, in visual form, in '100 Things I Love About Comics'. It is a delightful trawl through his comic book tastes, experiences and sensibilities, and should be the new meme for all comic blogs.

Now, I don't always agree with Alan; I have trouble with the notion of 'art' that plays a strong part in his views. Not that I disagree with the concept of comics as art, just that, after trying some of the things that are classified in that area of the comics spectrum, I was left untouched by them. This could be due to my lack of taste, but it's something I have a problem with in other forms of entertainment. In films and in books, those promoted as 'art' I tend to find either very dull, very rarefied or so far up their own posteriors, their hair is being bleached blonde by their own stomach acids. This doesn't interest me in the slightest; autobiographical tales of bleakness aren't my cup of tea. I want there to be a reason for the story: something has to happen, a plot, a story, an idea, a concept. It should exist because it has to, not because someone thinks it is art. At least, this is my opinion.

So, Alan has his tastes, and I have mine, but I will continue to read his various discourses on the comic book form because it will always be of the highest calibre, even if I have no intention of reading it myself.

Talking of people who don't always agree, Mark Waid's opinion of Rich Johnston and his rumour-mongering isn't very nice [EDIT: there was a link to the quote, but it is now alas dead.], although it is very well written. Rich has a rumour column at CBR where he dishes the dirt on the world of comics and those who make them, as well as lets cats our of their bags in advance of carefully planned promotional campaigns. Joe Quesada and Brian Bendis discuss him this week over at Newsarama, so it might be a case of timing.

Waid talks about how Rich's rumour, about Marc Silvestri abandoning Hunter-Killer after two issues, caused grief, anger and hassle to those involved in making the book in response to it. Waid has a point; Rich should have checked some facts first before reporting it. Admittedly, it is a rumour column, but that's no excuse. Rich is a strange chap, who has always been about himself, and he comes from an advertising background, so that should tell you all you need to know about him.

An aside. Quite a few years back, when Rich didn't have quite the position of internet fame he has now, but was very vocal on comics-based newsgroups, I almost met up with him at a comic convention. However, I chickened out when I heard him doing his 'jokes' at a panel at the convention, trying to turn it into The Rich Johnston Show, and I made an instant judgement call on his personality which meant that I never wanted to meet him in person. My loss, perhaps.

Anyway, I won't be clicking on Rich's site so often, knowing that there is the distinct possibility that he only writes things knowing that he is doing it to get more hits on his site and therefore more money in his pocket.

Finally, in news to make me smile, the bill to fine people with their underwear showing higher than their low hanging trousers has been killed by the Virgina Senate committee. I mentioned it reading about it before, so I had to follow up on the outcome, which has been in no small part to the ridiculing that the news got when it was first announced. Real life can be funny sometimes ...

Film Review - Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

Seeing people getting hit by things is funny. It probably shouldn't be, but watching the pain of others is the basis of comedy, so we have no choice. Which is why Dodgeball is funny. Seeing balls, wrenches, cars and fists hit other people in perfectly timed physical comedy will make you laugh.

The plot sees Peter Le Fleur (Vince Vaughan) in charge of Average Joe's Gym, which needs $50K in a month or he'll lose it to White Goodman (Ben Stiller); however, that's not really important. The point is that it allows for embracing and enjoying sporting film clichés for the sake of laugh-out-loud comedy, which is done well so rarely.

Vaughan is great as the relaxed counterpoint to Stiller's preening uber-gym nut (who is funny as a man who gives his nipples electric shocks if he tries to eat a doughnut, or is caught about to hump a piece of pizza because he can't allow himself to eat it but he loves it so much...), and the supporting cast have fun in their roles, especially Rip Torn as the grizzled old dodgeball coach, Patches O'Houlihan, who has some great lines ('You're about as useful as a cock-flavoured lollipop.' 'You look like a bunch of retards trying to fuck a door knob.') and Gary Cole as Cotton McKnight, the dodgeball commentator, ably backed by Jason Bateman as Pepper Brooks, his dim-witted co-commentator. David Hasselhoff shows up for a very funny cameo, and Hank Azaria is very funny as a young Patches O'Houlihan in a dodgeball training film from the '50s. Special kudos must go to Justin Long, who gets hit, a lot, in the head and in the body with all manner of objects throughout the film (and in out-takes), and he is continually funny doing so, there should be some sort of comedy award for him.

I've never seen anything by the writer/director, Rawson Marshall Thurber, but he has a knack for comedy here, with a good idea seen through to the end (although his original ending was so, so wrong) and a good ear for dialogue and names and he makes the story flow well, so I'll be looking out for his next film. There is nothing earth-shattering about his film, it's not the Citizen Kane of comedy (although it is probably the Citizen Kane of dodgeball movies), but it is very funny, in a silly way, which is a good thing. In fact, my recommendation comes with the fact that I actually paid money to see this, instead of getting it via my free DVD trial, and I still liked it.

Rating: DAVE

Links, for the memory....

Joe Quesada's reign at Newsarama continues, with him and Brian Michael Bendis having a seance with Hawkeye (other good stuff includes the interview with Tom Breevort, who is honest and intelligent, as well as the continuation of the interview with Bendis – for the best response, see the end of this Rampage post about it, and then see the blogosphere explode in the comments section).

In bizarre news, Peter David comments in his usual intelligent manner about the Georgia comics retailer being prosecuted for handing out comics with extremely minor, non-pornographic nudity in them, while this news item (found via Warren Ellis) reports on the Virginia state house making wearing your underpants so they are visible above the top of your trousers against the law. What kind of fucked-up country do you Americans live in? (And I lived, for nearly two years a while back.)

To connect comics and sex, here's a link to Howard Chaykin talking about his new comic which, if he does what he does best, should have plenty of buxom women in stockings and suspenders running around in there somewhere (which the preview pages indicate will be true.) Don't get me wrong; I enjoy Chaykin when he does this stuff, owning his Shadow revival, American Flagg!, and even Black Kiss, among others, so I'll be looking forward to this (although probably in the trade format) but perhaps not as much as Ian, who has written very eloquently on why Chaykin is so great.

Did they only report this so that it will be linked on blogs?

Sky News wins the Award for 'Most Bizarre News Item On A Proper News Service' with this: Welsh Rugby Fan Hacks Off Testicles. Genius.

Normally, you'd only see something like this mentioned on Warren Ellis's site, but I felt strangely compelled to post the link, in what will surely be the most linked to piece of news today (he predicted, with absolutely no knowledge of how these things work, nor any experience or ability.)

Sometimes, I wonder about the world, and the people who report on it, and the people who read it. Me included.

Update: I should have checked beforehand – of course Warren Ellis does have this story on his site. I should never have doubted him.

Blogging: Around the web in 60 seconds

Dave has an excellent post on Why He Hates Free Comic Book Day over at his sterling blog, Yet Another Comic Blog. I don't see the point of it FCBD anymore, but I could just be a negative person. Go and let him know what you think.

Via Fanboy Rampage, here's a link to an interview with Alan Moore, in which the mild-mannered magician and madman dispenses wisdom as casually as normal humans breathe.

The dude known as Johnny Bacardi has a similar list of comics for this week as myself, which I find kind of spooky and reassuring at the same time.

CBR reports that Ed Brubaker is officially exclusive with Marvel. This makes me wonder about what will happen to Gotham Central, the excellent police procedural he created with Greg Rucka overat DC (even if his Sleeper is going to end with issue 12 of season two). I won't be reading his Captain America, because the character has absolutely no attraction for me, but I'll be looking forward to anything else that he might get up to over at Marvel, especially if he gets the same sort of leeway that they give Bendis.

Talking of which, Joe Quesada is taking over Newsarama this week, and you can find the first part of his chat with Bendis here. They seem to be genuine friends, which makes for interesting reading.

In non-comics news, we move to animated comedy goodness. Being in the UK, we won't see the episode of The Simpsons in question for some time, but over in the US, the real name of the Comic Book Guy has been revealed, as can be seen at here (link found via Mike).

And in film news, the Academy decides on change – the Oscars won't all be presented in the traditional 'And the Oscar goes to ...' format. (It used to be 'And the winner is ...' but they changed that because that would mean the other people are losers, which they are because they didn't win, but the Academy thinks that all nominees are winners, in a way, which goes to show you how stupid they can be sometimes.) I can't see the point of this; in some cases, they'll stay with the old format, in others, they'll have people go out and annoy famous folk in the audience, while others will have all five nominees up on stage while the winner is read out, which seems particularly harsh. What was wrong with the close-up on the nominees when the winner is announced? It gave us the brilliance of seeing Sam Jackson swearing live on television when Martin Landau got the Best Supporting Oscar for his pantomime impression of Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood, when Jackson should have got it for Pulp Fiction, which was a superb performance, and made Sam's career.

And that's a brief tour of the web for today. Join me tomorrow when I do something completely different. Until then, if you have been, thanks for reading.