From the latest issue of The New Yorker…I totally feel like that Santa Claus is me, all curmudgeonly and ready for payback. Or maybe it’s just been one of those days…
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I’ve got a post about The Venture Brothers Season One up at The Best Shows You’re Not Watching, in honor of the upcoming season premiere on Sunday October 18th. Head on over and check it out. As always, comments on the Best Shows site are always welcome – thanks!
I’m personally invested in The Good Wife being successful (Adam is working for the show) so you should know that upfront, but that little detail out of the way I can honestly say that The Good Wife is far and away the best new show I’m watching this year.
The first episode was great, the second episode was even better, and as I realized it was Tuesday today (through the joys of unemployment I didn’t realize it until about 2pm) I got all excited that The Good Wife was on tonight – which is a sure sign that I’m loving it – even more than I realized. And quite frankly, it’s been a long time since I felt that way about any network show other than 30 Rock or The Office…a really long time. So I’m excited.
If you’ve missed the first few episodes you can watch them in full online and catch up. Do it, seriously, it’s good stuff.
A lot of strange words come together to send people to this blog. I’ve done a bunch of comics (like the one above – and you can see some here, here, here, and here) about the bizarre search terms that have brought people to 1979 Semi-Finalist, but this week I got one of my weirdest. Are you ready?
“Sexually Enchanting Long Legged Ladies”
Awesome.
What do you think someone is really looking for with search terms like that? It boggles the mind.
Anyway, just wanted to share, you may now continue with your day. 
And that time is October 18th at Midnight.
According to Jackson Publick’s livejournal, THE VENTURE BROTHERS SEASON 4 will premiere on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim on Sunday, October 18th at Midnight…which I guess technically is October 19th, but whatever…don’t let it confuse you and miss out.
All I have to say is….GO TEEEEEAM VENTURE!
Thanks to reader eowyn324 for alerting me to this awesome news that broke today.
And if the title to this post makes no sense to you, check out this one, which will make everything make, um, sense. Probably.
Someone at DC deserves a raise (probably Mark Chiarello) because the limited 12 issue run Wednesday Comics is the best idea (and the best execution of said idea) I’ve seen in a very long time. These beautiful, full color newsprint broadsheet style comics, each telling 16 individual full page on-going weekly stories by some of the most talented writers and artists working in comics today are quite frankly…awesome.
The real genius of the project comes from DC Art Director Mark Chiarello approaching some of the absolute best writers and artists in the industry and simply asking them what character and story they would most like to tell given the opportunity. That freedom to tell any story, to take on any character, without having to worry (so much) about all the other stuff – like heavy editorial interference (etc.) had absolutely breathtaking results. The authors and illustrators love for the characters and story is not only palpable, but contagious.
EXCERPT FROM MARK CHIARELLO’S INTERVIEW WITH NEWSARAMA:
MC: I think that’s an astute observation. In comics, creators are often asked what they would want to do with a certain character within certain boundaries, but this is “what do you want to do?” from the very start.
That’s what I did when I did Solo, I picked the artists, like Tim Sale, for example, and just let him go. As an artist myself, I can tell you that you’re very rarely asked to do what you really want to do – historically, I think every comic book company could take a bit of a lesson from that. I don’t think someone called Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons and said, “We’ve got this idea called Watchmen that we’d like you to take a go at.” That sprung from them.
Emphasis mine. And what a great lesson that is. I hope that Chiarello quote gets posted on the walls of corporations everywhere.
I didn’t read all of the stories, mostly because some characters just interest me more than others – for example despite Dave Gibbons being an utter genius I’ve just never been that interested in Kamandi. There are a few cases where the format does not work to the authors’ advantage such as in the Wonder Woman strip. Ben Caldwell’s Wonder Woman has perhaps some of my favorite illustration work in the entire series, but the layout for the story is overly complicated, too small, and confusing, making it nearly impossible to read. At some point (issue #2?) I gave up on reading Wonder Woman…but that’s the great thing about Wednesday Comics…where one story fails one person or another, there is still so much left to choose from and to still get incredible enjoyment (not to mention your money’s worth) out of a single issue.
Above: Caldwell’s Wonder Woman – beautiful!
The art across the board is fantastic, although Amanda Conner, Eduardo Risso, Joe Quinones, Brenden Fletcher, Rob Leigh, Kyle Baker, and Lee Bermejo stand out as particularly exceptional.
My personal favorites are Batman (natch), Superman, Green Lantern (shocking! I’ve never thought of myself as a Hal Jordan fan), Flash, Deadman, Metamorpho, and The Demon and The Cat Woman. I’m not usually a fan of the silliness of super pets but Palmiotti’s Supergirl is a nice breath of fresh air in the usually so serious superhero world and Conner’s cartooning for Supergirl really cannot be beat.
Above: Amanda Conner’s Supergirl
I think one of the things that Wednesday Comics also nails, without perhaps even trying to, is their success in capturing the nostalgia of a simpler time. I’m not that old (okay, I’m sorta old) but I never really had the true youth experience of reading superhero comics in the newspaper like many others, but I can still appreciate the format and it somehow still reminds me of my childhood, which given all the screw ups in comics these days is really one of the reasons I always come back to them. Better memories of simpler times in my life…and my perceived belief that that meant a simpler time in the world at large.
Above: Eduardo Risso’s Batman
Today (9/23/09) marks the last issue of the twelve week, twelve issue run. The finale in a great experiment that I hope DC will make a habit of – perhaps every summer for the rest of my life? Or better yet, perhaps they can find a way to translate what made these stories so refreshing and wonderful to their regular books…now wouldn’t that be a sight?
You can pick up Wednesday Comics #1 – 12 at your local comic book store – or if you’re having trouble tracking some of the issues down, you can find them on Amazon (some are already above cover price – so don’t delay). Also, below the jump you can see the writer and artist for each of the strips.
So thanks to Kate Harding and Jezebel, I have just yesterday, discovered Dooce. Where have I been since 2001 you ask? Honestly, I have no idea. I thought I was here, you know, hanging out, but it turns out I must have been in outer Mongolia, or the Congo, or maybe just living in my backyard with no internet connection, because this woman has been a major blog presence for EIGHT YEARS and has written TWO books* and was on the Forbes Most Influential Women In Media (#26 represent!) list and I’m just TODAY learning about this.
Frustrating. Regardless, I’m on board now and I’m SUPER on board. I’m going to have to slowly work my way through eight years of posts, but honestly…every single one I’ve read so far has made me laugh out loud. Ms. Armstrong has a fantastic, honest voice that has the huge benefit of being constantly hilarious. I think (so far) my favorite thing about her is how “normal” and like me she sounds even though she has kids. If gives me hope that if I ever have children that I’ll be better able to hold onto that “me” that I like (the parts I don’t like…happy to be rid of).
But I think the biggest lesson I can learn from Dooce, is that people hate people that I think are AMAZING AND TALENTED BEYOND BELIEF. And I don’t understand why they do that. But maybe it will make it easier to bear when they start hating me. I seriously doubt I’ll ever be as famous or prolific as Ms. Armstrong, but as my blog has become (slightly) more popular and I’ve had to seriously consider the idea of my book actually OMG getting published and bringing attention to myself…it’s been hard for me to imagine people actively hating me…even though they don’t know me. I don’t like how that feels (who does?) but it seems like I have have a little more trouble dealing with it than other people (case in point Adam – “who cares what other people think – they’re morons and they usually can’t spell”). Anyway, I’ve gotten a little tiny taste of the vitriol this summer when my blog got some serious page views and I really didn’t like it – but learning that people actively hate Ms. Armstrong somehow makes it easier to understand that some people are always just going to be crazy nutbags. And that I can ignore and laugh at those people…hopefully all the way to the bank like Ms. Armstrong.
I’ll also confess that we have the “Utah connection” and though it sounds like we had totally different experiences (in a nutshell she was raised Mormon and I was not) I totally feel like we would bond over that. Um, that sounds all stalker-y, but I mean it in the most normal non-stalker-y way possible (seriously though, CALL ME). Anyway, this was just a post to acknowledge how far behind the curve I am, and to formally rectify said situation.
Done and done.
*Okay, she only wrote one and edited one, but STILL.
So I’ve been meaning to blog about this for a while, but I’ve been kind of swamped (you know, jobless, but somehow still full of commitments) and so I’m finally getting to it today – just in time to promote the premiere episode in New York this weekend during New York’s Craft Beer Week.
First things first, if you’re going to be in New York on Sunday, September 20th, you should come out and see the Beer Quest Premiere at the Studio Square Beer Garden in Queens (full details at the bottom of the post).
Beer Quest, is the brainchild of Kieran Valla and my good friend Jonathan LaPearl, both young independent filmmakers with east and west coast sensibilities, and an obvious mutual love for great beer.
Beer Quest is a show that features the people behind the micro brews. It’s part documentary, part comedy and part travel show and it strives to provide a rich cultural and geographical experience for viewers. The show travels to various regions, exploring the history and landmarks of each location they visit, along with sampling all the local beers. The premiere episode is a salute to NYC – featuring Brooklyn Brewery and Sixpoint Craft Ales among others. Beer Quest is currently being marketed as a TV series, and this is your opportunity to get on board before everyone finds out about it. Finally, this is your chance to be the guy that knows FIRST!
Along with the premiere of Beer Quest there will be over 40 beers on tap, live music, and a raffle – I’m not sure you can go wrong.
For more on Beer Quest, Mr. LaPearl, and Mr. Valla visit: thebeerquest.blogspot.com
You can also friend Beer Quest on Facebook so that you never miss an event.
BEER QUEST PREMIERE
STUDIO SQUARE BEER GARDEN
35-33 36TH STREET
ASTORIA QUEENS
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20th, 2009,
TWO SHOW TIMES – 4:00pm and 8:00pm – BUT BEER ALL THE TIME.
Last week’s DC Nation page featured a Wonder Woman renumbering controversy that fans of Wonder Woman hold dear to their heart – the issue is this – Why the hell is the preeminent female superhero of the DC Universe currently on issue #45 while Superman and Batman are edging towards #700?
Wonder Woman, like her Justice League teammates has actually had just short of 600 issues, however her title has been relaunched so many times that she’s now “technically” only on issue #45 of her latest relaunch. And there’s been a campaign going on to get her the recognition she’s earned. Well the fan cries have been heard because last week Editor-In-Chief Dan Didio addressed the issue in DC Nation and gave fans an opportunity to actually make a difference: send in a postcard in favor of Wonder Woman getting renumbered to #600 and if they receive 600 postcards, it will be done.
Now, I hate blogging about Wonder Woman because I always feel a bit like a wolf in sheep’s clothing as I’m really not a true fan. I keep trying…I WANT to love her so badly. But no writer has been able to make it happen for me yet. So why should I bother blogging about this issue? Three reasons.
1. I think it’s great when DC (or any corporation) actively wants to listen to their fans – and truly gives them an opportunity to voice opposition or approval and affect change, as Dan Didio is doing with this postcard pledge.
2. I’m not a big fan of revamping and “relaunching” books in general, so I see this as a way to right those wrongs. Not that books don’t sometimes need an update, or when they’ve gone horribly wrong, don’t deserve (or yearn for) a fresh start, but I’m pretty against starting off with an “ALL NEW FIRST ISSUE!” every time things get tough. I understand that it gets people excited and likely sales briefly spike, I get it, but as a long time reader I’m not a fan. It makes being a reader (and a collector) a huge pain.
“You’re talking about issue #3 right? Oh, wait, which issue #3…would that be volume 1, volume 2, the super secret alternative arc volume 8? ARGH!”
And I do believe it’s some of that madness that freaks other “normal” people (i.e. non comics fans) out and away from comics. Comics are DAMN complicated. And they don’t have to be. Sure, relaunch a title with a new creative team…but you don’t have to call it “ALL NEW WONDER WOMAN ISSUE #1” and undo the last 200 or however many issues.
There are of course cases where relaunching a book with an all new #1 has worked and been a huge benefit, not just in sales but in content and direction, but in general I’m not a fan, especially when the character isn’t changing. For example, though I’m personally not a fan of the ALL NEW Batgirl #1 relaunch, it makes sense for that to be a new series in a way, because it’s a new character. Sure it’s still Batgirl, but it’s no longer Cass Cain (much to my chagrin) so I find that more palatable. But Wonder Woman, in all her incantations over the years, is still Diana. And she earned the hell out of that #600.
3. I’m a feminist. Whether Wondy and I have come to love each other or not, she still deserves the same recognition as her teammates. And I think it’s only fair to acknowledge that as a female superhero, she’s actually had a much harder time becoming a success than Superman and Batman, and yet she has prevailed and stood the test of time. She deserves the recognition of each one of those issues she struggled for.
Didio made a decent point in his argument that he thinks the #45 is less off putting to possible new fans than the #600, but I just don’t think it’s really that much less off putting. 45 issues is still nearly four years of issues – so it’s not like it’s issue #3 or something and you can just jump on board with zero drama.
Anyway, if you agree with me, or if you have your own reasons. Send a postcard in to Dan Didio at DC proclaiming that you want Wonder Woman to start renumbering at #600. My postcard is in the mail. See?
Hello fans of 1979 Semi-Finalist!
I wanted to give all of you heads up that I’m a contributor to the new The Best Show’s You’re Not Watching blog, and this week my first post – a review of the HBO series Hung went up.
Please head on over and check it out. Leave comments about the post there – so that I become their most valued contributor 😉 and don’t forget to sign up to follow the site on twitter if you like what you see.
Thanks for the support everyone.