Back to Sunnydale

I have to say that I was pretty dissapointed after voting for this year 's Scream Awards on Spike TV. After navigating the confusing maze that is their website and finally figuring out how to vote, it was hardly worth it as their comic book categories were as generic as they could be. Hey Spike TV, here's a hint: there are other comic books besides Civil War and Captain America, though I admit the latter is an excellent book. There are also other comic book writers besides Brian Michael Bendis.

Apparently Spike TV only goes for what's popular as their list didn't feature many indy books.

Hey Spike TV, have you guys ever heard of Dark Horse comics or Image? Or even Devil's Due? Probably not.

At least their biggest moment in comics portion gave us plenty of choices including the death of Captain America, the unmasking of Spiderman in CW 2 and the smackdown between Superman and Superman Prime in Infinite Crisis, but what about the reveal that Elektra was a skrull in New Avengers 28-34. I guess Spike TV people don't read New Avengers. In fact, I doubt they read any comics at all, they probably only look at publishers' solicitations.

Still, I gotta almost forgive them because despite their obssession with Grindhouse and 300, and their contribution to the decline of western civilization with TNA wrestling and Ultimate Fighting and commercials featuring boob shots and graphic violence, they do air Star Trek TNG re-runs on weeknights. where else can a sci fi aficionado get his/hers fix of the federation and the travails of Captain Picard??

I can always count on comics to make me feel good, even when the outlook for everything else might be bleak. So here I present for you as detailed by ICV2 News the top 10 comics for the month of August:

All hail the conquering Green Goliath. Seriously, this book is top notch. John Romita Jr's artwork is superb and the Hulk and his warbound brothers taking revenge of Marvel's elite is an absolute blast. Even if it's an extra buck, you should buy this book because it is so worth it, it's a fanboy's dream, a perfect blend of smashing action and manufactured comic book comflicts and intrigue.

Not to be outdone is DC with JLA #12 which has gone into second printing. This is the end of the Brad Meltzer run and I say good riddance! His story arcs have been boring and slow paced. I've had more fun watching the mildew grown on my bathtub. Seriously, this guy takes the best cast of superheroes that DC has to offer and reduces it to a soap operaish mess. Its only redeeming quality is it pays homage to the silver age JLA but I'm already looking forward to Dwayne McDuffy's new direction with the book starting with issue 13 which seems to be more in tune with the Justice League Unlimited cartoons.

Finally, rounding out the top 5 is Stephen King's Dark Towers (yawn) and New Avengers #33 and Astonishing X-Men #22. The latter comes out too infrequently for me but the former is a top notch comic despite Brian Michael Bendis' inability to write good team dialogue to save his skin. Still, you can't go wrong with the artwork and with the plot twists month in and out. Skrull invasions, the Hood and now symbiotes running amok. Now that's a hell of a good book and it has the sales numbers to back up the fact the fans can't get enough of it.

I was driving my van, trying to make my way out of the staff parking lot D3 at Mt. SAC when a big station wagon in front of the entrance blocked my way and the way of some people trying to get in the lot. This lady kept honking at me and I told her I could not move. She said I wasn't supposed to block the entrance and I tried to explain that I was being blocked myself, why didn't she yell at the station wagon guy in front of me I wondered??

Well, it's been that kind of a week, I am actually sick and have been "under the weather" for the past couple of days. I guess I can't complain too much, staff parking makes all the difference when you're working at the biggest community college in the state of California and I have been blessed with it since summer started.

I asked my supervisor at the lab if I could do a half shift instead of my regular full thursday so I could go get some rest before my communications class tonight and she said yes, but when I got home and tried to sleep, I was laying down wide awake with little desire to sleep. So here I sit sipping orange juice and inhaling cough drops and eating citrus and trying to boost my immune system while trying to decide if I am going to go to my class later tonight.

I thought going from Walnut and Pomona to Glendora on a regular basis would be too much for me but thus far I have been able to handle my hectic work and school schedule, that is until this cold threatened to derail me.

The adviser at Mt.SAC's newspaper emailed me and says she will pay me to help update their website, essentially getting some cash for a job I was doing for free when I was a student there. Apparentlly they've published 3 issues thus far this fall but haven't updated their content. Well, sorry for the infrequent posts and updates but as I mentioned I am sick so until I feel inspired or in better health I leave you with this symbol, and if you're a communications major or just a big couch potato, you should know what it once stood for:

Is anyone still reading this?

Curiously enough, this weekend I won't be looking forward to an NFL matchup the most, I am actually looking forward to a high school contest. Usually I find the high school games to be inferior in quality to the NFL where a much improved and polished version of football can be enjoyed but this weekend I am looking forward the most to tomorrow night's game between Claremont and South Hills High for several reasons.

First off, South Hills is kind of our local team. The school is literally blocks away from my house and my brother Nick graduated from there where he played in the band.

The team was projected to be the top ranked team in the sgv by the Tribune when the prep season onpened, but has of late fallen in hard times. They are off to an 0-2 start. I will be covering the game for the Tribune this friday night and chances are that I will get more than the usual 2 or 4 inches of print because it's a top ranked team. I am sort of hoping they bounce back with a big game.

The game also has meaning for me because it might be the last one I do for the Tribune. The gig covering football games hasn't gone as planned. It seems that the paper treats the stringers as seasonal workers with very little intention to hire any full time and I am not looking for that. I am looking to attach myself to a newspaper permanently in whatever capacity they see me fit, copy editing, writing, layout or whatever else needs to be done.

If I am only getting two or three inches per issue then the gas, expense and time that goes into covering these games is not justified. I have had a great time for one and a half seasons covering prep football and I have seen some terrific games, and some which weren't so great. This game between the South Hills Huskies and Claremont will be my swan song, but I am sure going to miss covering these games on a regular basis. I am going to miss driving back at midnight with the lingering memory of the bands playing in my head and with the rush of completing a deadline and I am going to miss seeing my byline on saturday mornings. Alas, that time has passed and I will concentrate on writing articles for the Walnut Weekly and also freelancing for the Citrus College magazine.

The first installment of Michael J. Straczynski's final story arc on Amazing Spider-man was mostly a disappointment. But before I get into a review proper, I would just like to point out how insulting it is for Marvel's marketing department to raise the price by $1 while all the while claiming the change never occurred.

They must think that long time readers are idiots who are either too stupid to look at the previous issues in their collection or not smart enough to figure out that their claim that the comic is "still only $3.99" is a nonsensical lie given the fact all the previous recent issues were priced at $2.99.

If you want to charge me an extra dollar for comics Marvel, don't insult my intelligence by trying to make me think that's the price I've been paying all along.

Readers are not treated to any extra pages for the price they pay, but are instead given a six page prose recap of Spidey's long history adorned by artwork by the likes of Gil Kane, Lee Weeks and John Romita Jr. There's also a few pages of sketches and a recap of all the various costumes used by Spidey over the years. I could have done without all these "extras" if it meant additional pages of story and artwork.

The story within the covers is mostly pedestrian which is disheartening considering how much hoopla has been associated with this new arc. A lot of what's gone on before happens again with Peter desperately figuring out what he must do to try and save Aunt May.

Although it is interesting to see Peter's confrontation with Tony Stark, since the former blames the latter for Aunt May's current condition, this is the only new development in the entire issue.

A greater sin is committed by the writer when he fails to include the detective incapacitated by Peter last issue and by not advancing the plot of the severe consequences to Peter's law breaking actions. I realize this is only the first issue in this new arc, but by completely ignoring these subplots, Straczynski does not play off the sense of urgency which made the previous issue's cliffhanger so effective.

I can't make heads or tails of the cover either. While it is a nice homage to some of the covers from previous Spider-Man eras and an arresting visual treat, it doesn't make much sense within the context of the story. Is Spidey being tangled by problems he's created himself as represented by the webs? I think that's what the artist was going for.

All and all, an average read in a title which has been blistering hot prior to this issue. It will be a major disappointment to fans who expected the supernatural aspects suggested by the story arc's name would begin to materialize with this opening chapter. The appearance of Dr. Strange in the second installment of the series in Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #24 suggests these developments are still in the near future.

If there's one redeeming aspect to this comic, I would say it is that Joe Quesada's artwork isn't bad. Though I had grown accustomed to the regular artist's style on this tile, Quesada does a good job of rendering the Spider-Man cast and is adroit at rendering action sequences, even if his Peter Parker doesn't resemble Peter in many of the book's panels. The final two page spread featuring a Spider-Man webslinging in his red and blue costume doesn't make that much sense given the fact no reason was given to ditch the black suit. But then again, his reason to wear the black and white costume was also flimsy at best.

As I drive to El Monte this weekend to cover the Mountain View/Azusa matchup for the Tribune, I will probably be thinking and anticipating the big NFL matchup of the week between my San Diego Chargers and those cheating bastards from New England.

I always gave the Pats the benefit of the doubt in the "tuck rule" game vs. Oakland because I hate the Raiders and whenever they lose, it's always good, and also because I don't believe they were intentionally trying to cheat then. Things were different last week vs. the Jets and the Patriots were busted by the league for stealing the Jets' signals and I am glad that the comissioner has come down hard on them, although if you ask me they should have been asked to forfeit that win.

Nevertheless most so called experts believe the Chargers have no chance vs. the Patriots this Sunday. I don't know how they come to that conclusion. L.T. has 3 100 yard games vs. New England and we've beaten them before in New England.

The Patriots could be said to have a slight advantage playing at home, until you realize that the Chargers were 6-3 on the road last season if you include their playoff loss to the Pats. If McCree had held on to a pass which hit him on his breadbasket, the Chagers would have gone on to the AFC championship game. The Pats record at home last season? 5-3! Two more evenly matched teams I could not find.

Nevertheless, that was then and this is now. We are going to go into Foxboro and spank them on our way to a 2-0 start.

ABC family's new show "Slacker Cats" has been in the center of a minor controversy since its premiere in August on ABC Family. Much like "Family Guy" this cartoon about lazy cats has a lot of adult humor, sexual references (the main cat is in love with his owner) and some gross jokes and swearing. It's definately not for the kiddies. The network maintains this is clear because it runs on Monday nights at 10 PM but parents still say that commercials for the show run at all hours.

I watched several episodes and think it's hilarious. Tabitha is my favorite character.

You can watch the first half of the first episode here:

I was telling Wendy about how some people will surprise you. I had a friend who didn't seem very bright but after going to Jack in the Box one day with a group, we started talking about movies and books and he had read Faust by that famous German writer which influenced Marlow and a lot of later writers.

Well, this friend started talking to me about it and I was surprised he had read it. He said, "Oh yea I love reading cool shit like that." Another friend in the same group admitted he doesn't really read and one of my best friends from High school says he only reads the paper because he doesn't have the attention span for anything else. This was proven later on when I lent him my copy of Friday Night Lights and he didn't even bother to read it. How sad!

I used to read a lot more, but there are so many good comics around and books based on comics that I think I have been spoiled. The last good book I read was a thriller called Creepers by David Morrell, the same guy who wrote Rambo First Blood, though I had no idea it was the same dude when I read the book. It was a great read, but I only bought the book because I had a gift card to the college bookstore and it was one of the items I purchased.

There's a big trend in comics now with publishers like Marvel trying to get novelists like Brad Meltzer and even Morrell who penned a recent Captain America mini series. For the most part, these comics I find to be inferior to authors who pen comics on a regular basis like Grant Morrison.

Morrison's recent run on Batman has been excellent for example, so I bought a copy of the latest issue today.

I also plopped $4 on the latest issue of Superman which is more than its regular price but has more pages than the usual standard 22 page comic. Superman has been inferior to recent issues of Action Comics, big blue's other title currently co-written by Richard Donner, albeit rather sporadically. Donner seems to be the exception to the screenwriters and novelists who write comics badly.

Lastly, I bought a fantasy book called Innocent Mage which the guy in the bookstore says is garnering a lot of attention from a British Sci fi publisher called Orbit. I'll let you guys know if it's any good.

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Artists: Ron Garney (p),

Publisher: Marvel Comics


Plot: Following an assassination attempt which left his Aunt May in a coma, Peter Parker is a desperate man. As the authorities investigate May’s condition, Peter is forced to take drastic measures.

Comments: Amazing Spider-Man continues to be one of the best reads in Marvel's stable of comics. The latest issue continues the momentum Straczynski’s built up since the Civil War tie-ins.

Ever since Peter unmasked in Civil War #2, Marvel’s Spider-Man flagship title has been one stunning development after the other. I wasn’t reading the title until then, but I haven’t missed an issue since, and the quality hasn’t waned. This isn’t to say that there haven’t been flaws or that some plot points haven’t made much sense. For example, the confrontation between Peter and the Kingpin was a bit of a letdown. How could it have been anything else? Spidey may be wearing his dark suit, but the reader knows that Parker isn’t a murderer or a vigilante like the Punisher and we all knew he wouldn’t end up killing the Kingpin. Yet, it’s been interesting to read how the events of “Back in Black” have pushed Parker almost to the breaking point.

Another strange point which has probably been commented on ad nauseam in other reviews but which bears repetition is the fact that Spider-Man’s excuse for donning his old black suit is flimsy. Straczynski and Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada conveniently forget, or choose to ignore, the reason Spidey ditched his black threads in the first place following the events of Amazing Spider-Man #300 and beyond. Mainly, Mary Jane is terrified of it because it reminded her so much of Venom. Be that as it may, one could make the point that MJ has been too preoccupied with her vigil of a comatose aunt May to notice. Despite the somewhat misleading cover, events in this comic push Parker’s desperation almost to the brink. And even though some of the events in this comic feel like a retread due to the fact Aunt May previously died in Amazing Spider-Man #400 and then was brought back by Marvel, long time readers can’t help to be touched by Peter’s strong bond with his aunt and by Peter’s one way conversation with May which opens this story.

Another disturbing plot point is the fact this story appears to occur in a vacuum from other events taking place in the Marvel universe. The Hulk is on a rampage with his Warbound brothers tearing apart Manhattan. How can the Hulk have taken on the New Avengers including Spidey and defeated them while Spider-Man is busy trying to figure out how to save May? Spider-Man is also running around with the New Avengers in the title written by Bendis. I guess this should not bug me as much, since other top tier characters like Wolverine also seem to be everywhere at once, but it does.

Straczynski has done a great job of revving up the action and the consequences to Peter’s actions each and every issue. Garney has also grown on me as an artist over the course of the current story arc. Following the footsteps of John Romita Jr. and the other great artists who have worked on this title has been no easy feat, but I think Garney has been up to the challenge.

Final Word: I was simultaneously riveted and horrified by Peter’s actions this issue, but also they are very understandable. He is mostly reacting now and is trying not to let things get in the way of saving his world which is slowing crumbling all around him once more. This is a fantastic way to lead into “One More Day” and also a great way for Straczynski to end his run on the webslinger’s main title and to turn Peter into everything he’s always fought against: A criminal. Prior to Civil War, Straczynski’s plots were lackluster at best, but he leaves the book in good shape.