A Comic Book Fridge Moment #1

                                 Amazing Spiderman #692


The ultra annoying Spidey sidekick, Alpha. Hopefully Dan Slott will have worked this bad idea out of his system before too long.

Dude Looks Like A Lady

Amazing Spiderman #692

As Steve Tyler once said "Dude looks like a lady!"

American Vampires: Two of a Kind

American Vampire #18

Poor Pearl Jones, life with a mere mortal was never meant to be was it? The tender love story of the 2nd American Vampire and a mere mortal travelling musician, Henry Preston, came into being on a moonless night when Pearl's vampire tendencies were at their weakest. But despite Pearl's love for Henry, and whether she recognised it or not, there were other weaknesses at work here, ones that would outlive the ageing Henry. Skinner Sweet, an outlaw from the wild west, a killer and a thief who was turned by a gang of European Vampires during his attempt to evade the gallows, went on to cross paths with Pearl, infecting her to save her life and in doing so giving birth to an intense slow burn sexual tension that has been building for the last 28 issues of American Vampire and the strength of Scott Snyder's storytelling and Rafael Abuquerque's artwork shows no sign of letting up. What now for Henry Preston, his lover now giving in to the enigmatic Skinner Sweet in one explosive release of pent up passion? Issue 30 was a heartbreaker for sure, but with Skinner distrustfully eyeing the reader in the final panel, there's no doubting we'll be back for more!

American Vampire #30

Squid at the end of time

From the final issue of iZombie by Chris Roberson and Mike Allred. Gwen Dylan the grave digging zombie confronts an inter-dimensional squid monster with a ravenous appetite for souls. Mike Allred was the perfect choice of artist to depict her journey to the heavens, from the whacky town of Eugene, Oregon, where a colourful cast of characters multiplied over the 28 issue run of this comic. A were-terrier, a 1960s ghost, a band of paint balling vampires, monster hunters, an ancient Egyptian mummy etc. At times the fun became a bit too silly, but the art was always strong and Gwen was a strong lead who, if given the right story line, could have seen out her days in Eugene reflecting on the life she had left behind, eating brains and flashing on the memories of the recently deceased.

In comics..the Swiss army knife connection

Sporting a diamond encrusted baseball bat and a Swiss army knife, Csar and his stunted partner in crime 'Big Murder' grace the cover of this time traveling adventure/farce mini from Marvel. Much delayed, but great fun to read, the story has Spidey and Wolverine jumping back and forth through time and shadowed by villains Csar and Big Murder at the behest of a mysterious super villain.

In this issue our two heroes come face to face with Mojo, a megalomaniac psycho with the attention span of a gnat who has been playing 'Truman Show' with Spidey and Wolverine and broadcasting the results to the television hungry masses on his planet. Great fun comics, well written by Jason Aaron and nice pencils by Kubert.




In Terry Moore's Echo 29 we follow Julie Martin, NSB agent Ivy Raven, Dillon Murphy and Vijay Narayanan into the frozen wastes of Alaska as they close in on the top secret project that is the Phi super collider which could potentially bring about the end of the world. Julie Martin who has been fused with the ghost of Dr. Annie Trotter, an experimental physicist who was killed whilst wearing an experimental flight suit made of a strange and powerful metal, faces her penultimate challenge in the last couple of chapters of this brilliant tale from Terry Moore.

In the image below the gang find a ventilator shaft to the collider complex and Vijay cuts himself in an attempt to remove the lid with his trusty Swiss army knife. You can read an interview with Terry Moore about Echo here.

Got a light boy?

Jason and Ronnie square up to the Anti -Monitor in DC Comics Brightest Day 22. Only two more issues to go now and I'm not even thinking of the money that I've poured into this year long story line. In this issue we get to see Jason and Ronnie working as a team to unleash the powers of Firestorm to defeat the universe eating Anti-Monitor. Firestorm conjures up a giant kitchen match and hurls it at 'Monty's' head which has been encased in a ball of hydrogen. KABOOOM!!

The comic book page: Love and Hate part 1.

Love...

Silver age romance! Batman falls for the new bat on the block. Batwoman seals the deal in this panel drawn by rising star Chris Burnham from Grant Morrison's Batman Incorporated no.4.

Hate...

Following the horrific fallout from a bank heist in downtown Manhattan involving the new super villain 'Massacre', spiderman checks into his private clinic to have a bullet wound seen to. Now that he's without his 'spider sense' fighting crimes has become a different ball game all together! Misfired webs, inability to track spider tracers, no early warnings... looks like its time to suit up!

Spiderman is also still reeling from the recent death of Mayor Jameson's wife Marla, who was killed during the Spider Slayer's attack, making it hard to swallow these words of critisism from 'gun for hire' super hero Paladin.

Birds and animals in Comics Part 1.

From Batman Inc no.4. A mysterious and powerful ring around the world, 'the serpent eating it's own tail'. Grant Morrison is crafting a story that stretches right back to the Silver Age. Super spies, Nazi scientists, criminals, a mad old man feeling the web from a remote South Atlantic island and an ultimate weapon 'Oroboro', powerful enough to "blow a hole in the world". So, south Atlantic island and penguins, which means judging by the art that these little 'happy feet' must either be Adelie or Rockhopper penguins.

When the sun shines on Peter Parker

Picking up in Ultimate Spiderman 155 following the events where Spidey and JJ Jameson were held captive by Mysterio, JJ finds out about Peter Parker's big secret, gets himself shot in head and narrowly escapes death. In issue 155 JJ offers PP a college fund, his old job back at the Daily Bugle and not surprisingly a handshake on a deal that suits both of them, but mostly JJ (ha ha!).

I love the panel where they shake on it, JJ goes from well meaning ('we've shared a life experience together') to hard nosed JJ ( 'we all know too well') brokering a deal. His smile never slips as he tells his new employee to get out of his office, PP on the other hand...


So Peter gets his old job back, Kitty Pride returns to the fold, everyone celebrates his 16th birthday and to top it all off Peter declares his love for Mary Jane and wins her affections. This rosy glow however is about to lose it's shine with the upcoming arc of 'Ultimate Death of Spiderman'. Here's hoping that this great little comic isn't coming to a close with each issue being accessible, engaging and fun.

Chris Samnee was a great step in artist for this issue, he drew a fab retro JJ Jameson who looked 'so' much better with that hat on, Daily Bugle interiors were top notch and even the panels of Spiderman swinging through the city punched fresh air through the page. Next stop.. white doves and the light of heaven shine down on our web slinging hero.

Li'l Depressed Boy

Poor old L'il Depressed Depressed Boy watches the sun drop. I'm really enjoying this new series from Image which has been running as a web comic for a long time now. Lovely coloring, simple panels and music pointers similar to Phonogram. Nothing happens really, we just get to be the fly on LDB's wall as he struggles with his daily routines. Top marks Image!

Marvel..ous bedding!

I opened up the latest issue of The Invincible Iron and let out an audible gasp, surprisingly this is something that I don't normally do when I'm reading my comics, but this advert for the 'sweet dreams' bedding and accessories on the inside front cover was, I have to say, worthy of such a reaction. I wonder if they do this in an adult king size?

I can't really see my long suffering wife snuggling up to me under the creased muscles of the Hulk and the Mighty Thor, but you know we could take it in turns, one week it could be Cath Kidson polka dots and flowers and the next week heroes of the Marvel Universe. I've already spotted a natty pair of 'Man of Steel' underpants going for a fiver down at Primark, I can just see myself slipping under the covers wearing these with a wry smile on my face. Maybe that should read 'Balls of Steel'.

mmm... fresh Gopher!

Marshal James Book's battle with the ruthless outlaw and American Vampire, Skinner Sweet, may have ended but his struggles certainly haven't.


Now he has a new weakness, and that weakness is a hunger for blood. The first arc of Scott Snyder's American Vampire has been very well received, with a back up story from horror writer Stephen King. Vampires may be wearing thin, but this has been an engaging series so far and well worth picking up in trade.

From American Vampire, issue 5

The longest walk

Man of Steel hoofs it across the great American heartland, like a strange mix of David Carradine in Kung Fu and The Littlest Hobo, Superman is digging deep to reconnect with the common man, the restless lone Kryptonian canvasing for the popular vote, but has the readership got the energy to see through this period of soul searching and readjustment, in this 12 issue arc? Issue 701 was the first leg of the journey, the art was nice and I did like his final encounter where we get treated to Superman the philosopher.

I'll stick with this, I like a good walk and I can stick drawing pins into a wall map to track his progress. He should be raising money for charity though, surely this is a missed opportunity for DC?



There's a voice that keeps on calling me
Down the road, that's where I'll always be.
Every stop I make, I make a new friend,
Can't stay for long, just turn around and I'm gone again ....

Once Upon a Time in the DC Universe

Liberty's silhouetted arm reaches up into the sulfurous night sky above the city that never sleeps, its skyline brightly etched in the swirling waters of the Hudson. The red beacons atop the Brooklyn bridge blink as a tug boat trails a plume of smoke below.

So begins DC's 'Legacies', an old man looks back on his life long obsession with the mysterious masked men of Justice, his bookshelves crammed full with old newspaper articles, photographs, cuttings from magazines. He introduces himself as Paul Lincoln, a once upon a time street punk growing up on the hard streets of Suicide Slum. Together with his friend Jimmy they earn their keep making collections for Moran, a gangland boss running protection rackets on local business'.

Paul has a conscience and a heart and isn't so sure, but his friend Jimmy sees only the quick lucrative buck and a path leading out of the gutter where the have not's huddle round burning oil drums to keep warm. In this era of mobster rule we see the first costumed avengers swing into action, determined to clean up the city, to bring back law and order and give back hope to the honest man.


The two boys have their first run in with this new breed of hero when the masked Crimson Avenger bursts in on Moran's hideout with guns blazing, and again whilst helping to move illegal booze from a warehouse down on the docks when the Sandman and the Atom drop in, leaving the boys a calling card. It is at this point that the two boys choose their separate paths. Jimmy continues to follow a life of crime but Paul is enthralled by the mystery and daring do of these fearless vigilantes of justice, and it isn't long before a group of them team up to form the Justice Society of America.

So begins a new day, the dawn of the Golden Age. Written by Len Wein, and drawn and inked by the superstar father and son team of Andy and Joe Kubert, by the second issue we reach the end of the Golden era and the disbanding of the Justice League in the cold war era. Pulled before a special congressional hearing into un-American activities the members of the JSA are asked to remove their masks and reveal to the world their true identities, but they refuse and in a blinding flash they vanish from the building.

I've loved this series so far, the artwork has been great, very atmospheric, giving the reader a tangible whiff of prohibition America. It would have been nice if the friendship between Paul and Jimmy had been fleshed out a bit more and I was reminded of Sergio Leone's gangland movie epic 'Once Upon a Time in America', the four hour long tale of Jewish youths growing up on the streets of New York to become prominent crime figures.

Only in the evocative Kubert rendering of life on the streets, the colours and attention to detail opening a portal between now and 1984 when I sat uncomfortably watching as the haunting soundtrack of pan flutes hard wired itself indelibly into my brain.

Still from the film - Once Upon a Time in America

Gardeners reading

Jessie here is reading about the lives of agricultural labourers in the 1800s. The guy photographed on the cover is a ditch digger, and at the time this photo was taken he was in his 80s and still working long hours and not even able to afford to buy a loaf of bread. The life of a Victorian labourer was not a good one!


David's taste for dystopia is well and truly met here with this set of essays by Huxley. Its a return to Brave New World, Huxley's fantasy vision of a future mired in over population and individuals controlled through scientific progress. It is within these pages that he argues that his fictional prophecies aren't too far wide of the reality checkpoint.


For good comics you can't go too far wrong with the 3 times monthly episodes of the Amazing Spiderman. This is the final part of the 'Shed' storyline. Army doctor Curt Connors has spent a lifetime researching cellular regeneration after losing an arm in combat. The downside being that he has been infected by the lizard serum that he's been using and the lizard side of his brain is looking to take control of his body.

Animal instincts such as territory and strength come into play when his current boss at a pharmaceutical company engages Conners' pretty female assistant in a romantic affair. Jealousy triggers the Lizzard and results in a carnage, that includes the death of Conners' own son. The Lizard seeks ultimate control and as we see Conners slipping away, Spiderman is stretched both physically and emotionally to breaking point.

It would not be a spoiler alert to inform you that Spiderman wins the day, but in the end it is an exhausted and distraught Peter Parker who turns up at his Aunt May's doorstep seeking solace, and in there lies another story. Top marks!

Destination: Further

From DC's Brightest Day, issue no.3


Hawkman and Hawkgirl have tracked the evil Egyptian priest Hath-Set deep into the Peruvian jungle where he has used the bones of Hawkman and Hawkgirl's many incarnations to activate a gate/portal to another world. The Hawk couple arrive just after Hath-Set has crossed over. Either that or the Hawks have traveled back in time to a Grateful Dead concert and are now 'enjoying' the visuals during the hour long Space/Drums section of the show.

Charming!

I arrived at work this morning to find this phone charm draped over the top of my 'Garden Soundtracks' blackboard. I'd like to think that it was a little token gift for me in recognition for all my hard work that I have put into chalking up these daily playlists for last couple of months, although I know its more likely that someone dropped it nearby and a helpful soul has placed it there. For what its worth I'm going to pretend it was for me.

Dinosaurs of the deep

A naval submarine leaves the warm sheltered waters of its Pacific Island base on a mission to discover the reason why an important weather station on the polar ice cap X-3, is no longer relaying data which is being used by bomber command. A small group of elite frogmen, UDT7, are sent out on underwater recon to check on the sub's course.

What follows is a series of bizarre encounters with giant Leviathan monsters of the deep. With each passing encounter the frogmen have the more desperate they become to convince their skipper of what they have been seeing. However after several attempts at capturing the monsters on film prove fruitless they begin to doubt their own sanity. Did they really come face to face with living dinosaurs or have they been suffering hallucinations brought on by the effects of instant Nitrogen Narcosis?


Arriving at the polar ice cap, the Captain sends his men 'topside' for operation 'Deep Freeze'. Once again the men are faced with a dinosaur who is attacking the abandoned weather station, hurriedly scrabbling to photograph the beast the men are again foiled as the sub zero temperatures freeze their equipment. The dinosaur turns on the men, is distracted by the sub just below the ice, it grabs the vessel and plays with it as if it were a bath toy before dropping its prey, sending both the sub and the frogmen flying into the icy waters.

One frogman survives, pulling himself out of the water onto an ice flow. As if by magic another submarine arrives to save the day. The frogman is too cold to tell his rescuers of the horrors he has witnessed, but is delighted when the missing sub is spotted emerging from a dense fog bank. His fellow crewmen all survived, including the skipper, and now the joke is on him as he fails to convince the rescue party of his tall tales of the 'War That Time Forgot'.

From Star Spangled War Stories, no. 112 December 1963. This was one of my London Comic Mart finds which I bought for the cover art, and also because it was cheap, £2. Despite all the ink stamps on the cover which I think gives it a warm fuzzy vibe and adds to its appeal, the interior artwork is very crisp and there were no loose pages. Also in the back was another short story entitled 'No Escape from Stalag 7!' which has loads of German tanks being blown up, although I haven't got round to reading it yet.


From the same comic was this lovely advert for the good ol' American Public Library. "Kids, avoid pesky volcanic ash, flight cancellations, stale cabin air, tropical diseases, stormy seas, jet lag, stress, food poisoning etc etc..., stay at home and read about other peoples adventures at your friendly local library!"

Sensible, very sensible!

Just call me Jack.

In a different life, pre - wife, pre- kids, pre - comics, in training for my life as a gardener, mid metamorphosis from young innocent to settled reflective man I was known to some old friends as 'Flash'. Not because I was able to tap into the speed force, but because I was slow, slow to get the joke, slow to grasp the concept, slow to finish. After a short time this affectionate moniker was dropped in favour of 'Jack', as in Jack Flash.

I digress, and segue slowly into my appreciation of the new Flash series from Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul. Maybe because of my sluggish ways I have been drawn to the Flash character, I tried to follow the red and gold speed freak once before in the recent Flash: Rebirth mini series, but got completely confused and dropped it after issue 2. It was Francis Manapul's dizzy pencils and wonderful city scenes that tempted me to try again with Flash 1, just released last week. So far so good, loving it's juicy panels, pacey pencils and stunning artwork.

I wonder what happened to the guy who nicknamed me 'Flash', he was a jolly geordie from Jarrow that was inclined to whistle like a demented Blackbird at 6am as he went about his morning routine kicking his fellow students bed frames with his steel toe capped work boots.
" Howay Flash, get oot y' sack!"

Still dark outside, frost etched windows, tractors, stone walls, ragged sheep, cold boots and grey skies. Aah, its all coming back to me now, slowly.

May the banana be with you!

Scan from Captain America. Vol.1 No.238 October, 1979



Abducted by aliens?, Need to send out an urgent S.O.S?, then look no further than the fruit bowl. That's right a banana could be all you need to save your own skin.