#Lobster Johnson: The Forgotten Man

[towritecomicsonherarms]

Lobster Johnson: The Forgotten Man

[extraordinary-heroes]

Lobster Johnson: The Forgotten Man #0 (Cover art by (Tonci Zonjic)

[imjustheretoseetheprivateblogs]

Rating:

Warning: Spoilers under the Cut

Well, it’s no use denying it. I did watch this movie. I thought it was my duty as a Hellboy fan to do so and see the cut of its jib.

And its jib… was rather roughly and awkwardly cut.

Earlier, I made a summation of its quality with some rather pointed undertones and looking back, I’m rather embarrassed to have made it (if it’s not deleted at the time of posting this review, assume it will be in the next few days)

So, let’s see if I can’t be a little more in depth.

The movies main problem is it’s over abundance of plot points. Plot points that each could make an entertaining, maybe even well-made Hellboy movie all on their own.

Hellboy goes to Tijuana to find a friend he ultimately cannot save? Interesting.

Hellboy hunts giants in England until he’s betrayed and now has to survive being hunted by humans and monsters alike? Delightful.

The Baba Yaga trying to get revenge on Hellboy? One of my favorite Hellboy stories.

Hellboy clashes with BPRD policy and, worse, his father while trying to defeat a villain he has a paternal connection to? A Classic.

But the fact that the movie tries to do all of them at the same time and still kick off a franchise torpedoes any dream a studio could have of making a cinema mainstay to line their pockets with.

That’s not to say that the film is without it’s positives.

David Harbour’s portrayal of Big Red isn’t the same as Ron Perlman’s seminal performance, but that’s to his credit. Whereas Perlman’s Hellboy was a young man straining to find approval, Harbour’s Hellboy is more world weary, sarcastic, and tired of fighting monsters, wondering just what the point of it all is while still managing to be emotionally vulnerable.  The rest of the cast is similarly well-chosen for their roles. Daniel Dae Kim is suitably serious and skeptical as the “tough guy eventually won over”, Sasha Lane stands out as an action girl and I hope we see her in more to come. The odd man out is Ian McShane as Professor Bruttenholm. For me, McShane is too “cool” for the role of Bruttenholm and while his performance isn’t bad (some scenes between him and Harbour’s Hellboy even has what borders on father/son chemistry), McShane feels more like Trevor’s brother or father than the soft-spoken Professor Bruttenholm of the comics.

Milla Jovovich plays the villain, Nimue, as well as the script allows. She’s regal, ethereal, commanding, and even sexy at times, but her character sadly can’t seem to shake the cinematic faux pas that seem to be plaguing villains in the past few years (but that’s an essay for another day). Frustratingly, the gangly Baba Yaga, a character created by not one but two actors is a much more interesting and refreshingly cruel villain and possibly would have made for a much more gruesome good time in this film’s conflict of human vs monsters. A post credits scene seems to indicate plans for this as a sequel (had they but known…)

Benjamin Wallfisch’s score is rather middling, not capitalizing on it’s heavy metal influences and lacking the beauty of his work on A Cure for Wellness or the Creepy creativity of some of his tracks for the IT soundtrack, but still has some memorable riffs and sounds built into it.

Even more frustrating is the fact that the best action scene, one full of energy and crazy camera work, all scored to that Motley Crue hit Kickstart my Heart, is the final scene of this two-hour trudge (it’s less messy than a slog, but nonetheless tiring for the ill-prepared). And the final nail in the frustration coffin is that the funniest scene is a mid-credits scene where Hellboy meets his childhood hero, the vigilante Lobster Johnson. IOUs for better movies, it would seem.

Speaking of humor, the jokes in this film are on the tone deaf side. Several instances of characters talking when their lips are not on screen indicate that many of the jokes and one-liners may have been dubbed in during post production in an attempt to make the film appeal to a wider audience.

The action scenes are fair; still too much starting and stopping for my taste though. Again, I only enjoyed the final fight scene without any caveats.

All in all, this Hellboy film is one that fans of both the comic and the Guillermo Del Toro films (which I hopefully avoided using to beat this movie down) will likely be safer skipping. It’s a Hellboy for the modern movie aesthetic and should just be allowed to be forgotten in peace.

[djemerald]

My ‘sweetest’ Favorite 2019

もはやただのメモ！だけど、今年もやっぱりやっておこう。 ということで、2019年のスウィートな音楽をずらりと。 画像はアルバム・LP・EPのみの分をコレクションしてみました。 去年書いた「過去最高のスピードで世界中の音楽が聴けるようになった」のは、今年も継続中。 ただ、画面の中で自動的にレコメンドされるよりも、周りの友達に「これよかったよ〜」とか、「これ好きそう」とか教えてもらう方が、断然、うれしい。 ジャンルは相変わらずいろいろだけど、ジャズ的な要素が増えた気がする。（dublab.jpの影響か、原雅明さんの影響かしら、どうかしら） あと、今年はアルバム通して聴く機会が多かった、というか、その方がフィットしてた。もともとCDを買っていたときの感覚に戻ったようで、なんだかしみじみしちゃう。 そして、11月あたりからじんわりとミニマルハウス〜テクノに惹かれ中。シンプルがゆえに、好みを見つけるのがむずかしい、でも楽しい。新しい境地。 DJ MIXはほとんど聴かなかったなぁ。音楽の聴き方って、1年の間にこんなにも変わるものなのね。 dublab.jpでラジオ番組をはじめたことも大きいかな。 ありがとう、グッドバイ2019年。 2020年は、審美眼を磨きつつ、軽快に。生身の肌で感じたい。 *アルファベット順です *今年リリース以外のものも多くあります *Vanessa Paradis、Marlene Dietrichは常時アイコンなのではぶきます ＊ - My ‘sweetest’ Favorite 2019 - ▽▼▽ ALBUM / LP / EP ▽▼▽ AFK & Bludwork / Loyalty N Service [100% Silk] Akira Rabelais / CXVI [Boomkat Editions] Alexis Le-Tan & Jess present / Space Oddities [Permanent Vacation] Amazondotcom / Mirror River [SUBREAL] Ambien Baby / En Transito [FATi Records] Ana Roxanne / ~~~ [Leaving Records] Anna Homler ‎/ Deliquium In C [Präsens Editionen] Archie Shepp, Jasper Van't Hof ‎/ Mama Rose [SteepleChase] Bartosz Kruczynski, Poly Chain / Pulses [Into The Light Records] Basil Kirchin / I Start Counting [Trunk Records] Basil Kirchin / Primitive London [Trunk Records] Black Boboi / Agate [BINDIVIDUAL] C.Tappin / Ashes to Ashes [Melting Pot Music] Charlie Haden & Pat Metheny / Beyond The Missouri Sky [Verve Records] Chihei Hatakeyama(畠山地平) / Void XIX [White Paddy Mountain] Chocolate Lips / Chocolate Lips [Sony Music] Derric Gobourne Jr. / Supremacy [P-Vine Records] Deweekend / Deweekend [OutOfStock] Dome / Dome 2 [Editions Mego] Eberhard Weber / Encore [ECM Records] Eleventeen Eston / Delta Horizon [Growing Bin Records] Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou / Ethiopiques, Vol. 21 [Buda Musique] Eric Serra ‎/ Le Grand Bleu (Bande Originale Du Film) [Virgin] G.S. Schray / First Appearance [Last Resort] Giovanni Guidi / Avec Le Temps [ECM Records] h hunt / Playing Piano for Dad [Tasty Morsels] Helena Deland ‎– Altogether Unaccompanied Vol. III [Luminelle Recordings] Holdie Gawn｜Micawber ‎/ Gleech Huis｜Parsec Telemetry [Sylphe] infinite bisous / Period [Tasty Morsels] Ion Ludwig / A Better Future To Long [Metereze] J!N /pink stm & wite ptl [Hizz] JAB / Erg Herbe [Shelter Press] Jacqueline Humbert & David Rosenboom / Daytime Viewing [Unseen Worlds] Jai Paul / Do You Love Her Now｜He [XL Recordings] jan and naomi / Fracture [cutting edge] Jan Jelinek / Loop-Finding-Jazz-Records [~scape] Jeff Majors / Yoka Boka (For Us All) [Invisible City Editions] Joao Gilberto / Amoroso [Warner Bros. Records] Joe Tossini and Friends / Lady of Mine [Joe Tossini Music] Joseph Shabason / Anne, EP [Western Vinyl] Juan Hidalgo / Rrose Sélavy [Discos Transgénero] Kali Malone / The Sacrificial Code [iDEAL Recordings] Khotin / Beautiful You [Ghostly International] Kit Sebastian / Mantra Moderne [Mr Bongo] Leech / Data Horde [Peak Oil] Leonardo Marques / Early Bird [180g x Disk Union] Leonore Boulanger / Practice Chanter [Le Saule] Les Yeux Orange / Ghost Dog [Good Plus] Lifted / 2 [PAN] Liv.e / ::hoopdreams:: [Not On Label] Lloyd Miller / A Lifetime In Oriental Jazz [Jazzman] Loren Connors / Evangeline [Recital] Loving / Lately In Another Time [Last Gang Records] Lucas Arruda / Onda Nova [Favorite Recordings] Lunz / Lunz 3 [Curious Music] Mary Lattimore / Hundreds Of Days [Ghostly International] Mega Bog / Dolphine [Paradise Of Bachelors] Meitei(冥丁) / Komachi [Métron Records] melodiesinfonie / A Journey to You [JAKARTA] Molinaro / What The Future Was [Apron Records] Nadia Reid / Preservation [Basin Rock] Neu Balance / In My Life, I've Loved Them All [Budget Cuts] Nia Andrews / No Place Is Safe [rings] Nico Rico / Primitive Thinking EP [Not On Label] Nina Keith / MARANASATI 19111 [Grind Select] Nitai Hershkovits / Lemon the Moon [AGATE / Inpartmaint] Normal Brain / Lady Maid [Vanity Records] Olsen / Dream Operator [100%Silk] Operating Theatre / Miss Mauger [Allchival] Pejzaż / Pejzaż Remiksy [The Very Polish Cut-Outs] Powder / Powder In Space [Beats In Space Records] Priori & RAMZi / Jumanjí [FATi Records] Profit Prison ‎/ Six Strange Passions [Avant!] RAMZi / Multiquest Niveau 1: Camouflé [FATi Records] Regularfantasy /Sunsets & Sublets [Total Stasis] Repetentes 2008 / Galaxia Fini [Superconscious Records] Repetentes 2008 / Gelo Gerônimo [Gop Tun] RIP Swirl / 9TEEN90 [Public Possession] Robert Minden Ensemble / Long Journey Home [Otter Bay Recordings] Robert Minden Ensemble / The Boy Who Wanted To Talk To Whales [Otter Bay Recordings] Robert Minden Ensemble / Whisper in My Ear [Otter Bay Recordings] Robert Wyatt / Shleep [Domino] Rupert Clervaux / After Masterpieces [Whities] Santilli / Surface [Into The Light Records] Sarah Davachi / Pale Bloom [W.25th] Sebastian Gandera / Le Raccourci [Efficient Space] Simone De Kunovich / Mondo Nuovo Vol. 1 [Superconscious Records] Sipprell / I Could Be Loved [Sipprell] Sonia Sanchez / Full Moon Of Sonia [VIA International Artists] Sonny Sharrock / Black Woman [Vortex Records] Soundwalk Collective / What We Leave Behind | Jean-Luc Godard Archives [mAtter] Sparrows / Berries [flau] St. Joseph / Player Nr. 1 EP [Dokutoku Records] Stephen Steinbrink ‎/ Utopia Teased [Western Vinyl/Melodic Records] Takayuki Shiraishi / Missing Link [Studio Mule] Tamaryn / Dreaming The Dark [Dero Arcade] Teebs / Anicca [Brainfeeder] Teiji Ito / Music For Maya [Tzadik] The Caretaker / An empty bliss beyond this World [History Always Favours The Winners] Tim Hecker / Anoyo [Kranky] Tujiko Noriko / Kuro(OST) [PAN] Unknown Mobile / Daucile Moon [Pacific Rhythm] Vanishing Twin / The Age of Immunology [Fire Records] Various ‎/ I Am The Center (Private Issue New Age Music In America, 1950-1990) [Light In The Attic] Various / Visible & Invisible Persons Distributed In Space [Numero Group] Various / Wys! V&a Ep [WYS! Recordings] Various / زمان يا سكر = Zamaan Ya Sukkar - Exotic Love Songs And Instrumentals From The Egyptian 60’s [Radio Martiko] Various Artists / 4 Down [Deek Recordings] Various Artists / Turkish Hamam House Disco [Arsivplak] Viola Klein / A Passport And A Visa Stamped By The Holy Ghost [Meakusma] Violet / Togetherness [Togetherness] Voices In Latin / Voices In Latin [Morgan] Wilson Tanner / II [Efficient Space] Yasuaki Shimizu / Music For Commercials [Crammed Discs] Yohuna / Mirroring [fear of missing out records] Yoshiharu Takeda / Aspiration [METANESOS Records] Yoshinori Hayashi / γ [Smalltown Supersound] Zenit / Straight Ahead [P-Vine Records] 元ちとせ / 元唄 幽玄 ～元ちとせ 奄美シマ唄REMIX～ (Remixes) [Au(g)tunes] 孔雀眼 JADE EYES / 渴望 [香港商黑市音樂股份有限公司台灣分公司] ∞σ / DG Hadi [Hizz] ⣎⡇ꉺლ༽இ•̛)ྀ◞ ༎ຶ ༽ৣৢ؞ৢ؞ؖ ꉺლ / ⣎⡇ꉺლ༽இ•̛)ྀ◞ ༎ຶ ༽ৣৢ؞ৢ؞ؖ ꉺლのʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡(ƟӨ)ʃ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡ ꐑ(ཀ ඊູ ఠీੂ೧ູ࿃ूੂ✧ළඕั࿃ूੂ࿃ूੂੂ࿃ूੂළඕั✧ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡|̲̲̲͡ ̲̲̲͡͡π̲̲͡͡ ɵੂ≢࿃ूੂ೧ູఠీੂ ඊູཀ ꐑ(ʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡(ƟӨ)ʃ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡ [༈೧ູ≢)ꐑʅ(Ɵↂↂ. l̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡*̡̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡| ̲̲͡ π̲̲͡͡.̸̸̨̨ ఠీੂ)༼ू༈೧ູ࿃ूੂ༽(ଳծູ l̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡*̡̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡| ̲̲͡ π̲̲͡͡ ɵੂ≢)_̴ı ̡͌ ̲|̡̡̡ ̡ ̴̡ı̴̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡ꐑ*:･✧(ཽ๑ඕัළඕั)ꐑʅ(Ɵↂ๑)✧*:･ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡| ̲̲͡ π̲̲͡͡.̸̸̨̨ ఠీੂ)༼ू༈೧ູʅ(ƟӨ)ʃ ꐑ(ཀ ඊູ ఠీੂ)༼ू༈೧ູ࿃ूੂ༽(ଳծູɵੂ≢ↂ. l̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡*̡̡ ̴̡.]

▽▼▽ SONG ▽▼▽ Akis / New Age Rising (Part VIII) [Into The Light Records] Anatolian Weapons / Ofiodaimon (Tolouse Low Trax vs Anatolian Weapons Remix) [Beats In Space Records] Anna Karina / Pierrot Le Fou-Jamais Je Ne T'Ai Dit Que Je T'Aimerai Toujours (いつまでも愛するとは言わなかった) [Barclay] Baba Stiltz / Showtime [XL Recordings] Bartosz Kruczyński / Pastoral Sequences [Growing Bin Records] Beatrice Dillon / Workaround Two [PAN] Bee Gees / How Deep Is Your Love [RSO] Bell Biv DeVoe ‎/ Poison [MCA Records] Betonkust, Palmbomen II / Rejected Demo Tape [Dekmantel] Blue Gas / Shadows From Nowhere [Archeo / Best Record] Bobby Hutcherson / Tranquillity [Blue Note] Bohren & und Club of Gore - Karin [[PIAS] Recordings] Cécile McLorin Salvant / One Step Ahead [Mack Avenue Records] Cigarettes After Sex / Heavenly [Partisan Records] Cleaners From Venus / Corridor of Dreams [Man At The Off Licence] De Beren Gieren / Broensgebuzze 8.2 [Sdban Ultra] Dolphins Into The Future & Lieven Marten Moana / Lava (Long Version) [Edições Cn] DOS / Need U [Nerang Recordings] Dove, Le Makeup / Angel Diaries [Pure Voyage] Duval Timothy / DYE [NTS Radio] Eliza Dickson, Braxton Cook, Lauren Desberg / Gold [Tokyo Dawn Records] Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch / End Scene [130701 (FatCat Records)] Empress Of / When I’m With Him (Perfume Genius Cover) [Terrible Records] Fafá de Belém / Aconteceu Você [Som Livre] Gary Burton / Las Vegas Tango [Atlantic] Hanne Mjøen / Sounds Good To Me [Spinnin' Deep] Haruomi Hosono (細野晴臣) / 薔薇と野獣(New ver.) [Speedstar] Jay Som / Superbike [Lucky Number] John Cameron / Half-Forgotten Daydreams [KPM Music] John McLaughlin, Mahavishnu Orchestra / You Know, You Know [Columbia] Joni Mitchell / Shine [Hear Music] Karen Gwyer / Ian on Fire [Don't Be Afraid] Kelsey Lu / I’m Not In Love [Columbia] Klein Zage / Womanhood (DJ Python Remix) [Orphan Records] Kllo - Back To You [PLANCHA] Laurie Anderson, Tenzin Choegyal, Jesse Paris Smith / Lotus Born, No Need to Fear [Smithsonian Folkways] Laurie Spiegel / The Unquestioned Answer [Unseen Worlds] Leon Vynehall / I, Cavallo [Ninja Tune] Lucrecia Dalt / Tar (Jan Jelinek Remix) [Rvng Intl.] mabanua / Call on Me feat. Chara (Knxwledge Remix) [Lawson Entertainment] Madeline Kenney / Nick of Time [Not On Label] Marc Johnson, Eliane Elias / Swept Away [ECM Records] Marcella Bella / Nell'aria [CBS] Mary Lou Williams / It Ain’t Necessarily So [Jazzman] Matthew Halsall, The Gondwana Orchestra, Josephine Oniyama / Into Forever (feat. Josephine Oniyama) [Gondwana Records] Mehmet Aslan / Beat Two Chase [Highlife] Mehmet Aslan / Lobster Is Coincidence [Planisphere Music] Men I Trust / I Hope to Be Around [Men i Trust] Michael Andrews / I’m Not Following You [Everloving] millennium parade / Plankton [PERIMETRON] Murlo / Ferment (Yamaneko’s Flashback) [Coil Records] Noname / Self [Not On Label] Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan / Mustt Mustt (Massive Attack Remix) [‎Real World Records] O Terno / volta e meia [Risco] Octo Octa / I Need You [Technicolour] Ralph Tresvant / Sensitivity [MCA Records] Ratna Das / Rajuan Bulan [Rice Records] Roberto Musci / The Advent of Rose + Croix [Les Disques Victo] Ronald Langestraat / Lowdown [South of North] Salami Rose Joe Louis / Nostalgic Montage [Brainfeeder] Simon Hinter / Makros [Purveyor Underground] SKRS / Dub Shoulda Known [Ancient Monarchy] Smoke Trees / Man in the Moon [Urban Waves Records] Steve Hauschildt ‎/ Strands [Kranky] Tash Sultana / Salvation [Mom + Pop] Tei Shi / Even If It Hurts (feat. Blood Orange) [Downtown] The Golden Filter / Autonomy [4GN3S] Tyme./Tatsuya Yamada / Catch A Fire [astrollage] Unknown Mortal Orchestra / Hanoi 6 [Jagjaguwar] Will Saul / Room 9 [Aus Music] WONK / Sweeter, More Bitter [EPISTROPH] Yo La Tengo / Eight Candles [Verve Forecast] ギターウルフ / バッテラ惑星 [GuitarWolf Records] ちあきなおみ / 泣かせるぜ [TEICHIKU ENTERTAINMENT] んoon / Gum [Flake Sounds] 近田春夫 / 超冗談だから [Victor Entertainment] 佐藤千亜妃 / Lovin' You [EMI Records] 小沢健二 / 彗星 [Universal Music] 大貫妙子 / タンタンの冒険 [Dear Heart] 中原理恵 / ヒーローはあなた [CBS/Sony] 優河 / June [P-Vine Records] (Sandy) Alex G / So [Lucky Number] ▽▼▽ DJ / LIVE ▽▼▽ Sapphire Slows at SUPER DOMMUNE [28 Nov] Nia Andrews at Blue Note Tokyo [31 Oct] Julianna Barwick / Mary Lattimore / DJ Shhhhh at Shibuya WWW ［1 Jul］ Meakusma X dublab.jp at Shimokitazawa Cage LỒNG VÀ QUÁN [28 Apr] 東京楽所第12回定期公演「奉祝の雅楽」 at サントリーホール［2 Feb］ 12月25日のdublab.jpの番組《In Every Second Dream》内で、一部楽曲をON AIRしたのでそちらも是非◎ アーカイヴはこちらから↓

愛を込めてxxx DJ Emerald

[eddycurrents]

Lobster Johnson: A Chain Forged in Life - “The Forgotten Man”

Story: Mike Mignola & John Arcudi | Art: Peter Snejbjerg | Colours: Dave Stewart | Letters: Clem Robins

Originally published by Dark Horse in Lobster Johnson: The Forgotten Man | April 2016

Collected in Lobster Johnson - Volume 6: A Chain Forged in Life

Plot Summary:

Homeless men are going missing from their tent city within New York. As an army vet attempts to get help from the Lobster, he discovers that their disappearance is tied to something more horrific than he could have imagined.

Reading Notes:

(Note: Pagination is in reference to the chapter itself and is not indicative of anything found in the issue or collections.)

pg. 1 - Peter Snejbjerg artwork throughout the Hellboy universe is always a treat. The feel of the the shanty town here is haunting, especially with the grey pall of Dave Stewart’s colours. It’s very gloomy.

Also, I love that visually it seems to be placing this one at Riverside Park, even before the location is named. What with the placement of where the Empire State Building happens to be in the background. Nice attention to detail.

pg. 3 - This is disappointing, but definitely an accurate depiction of how many people see, or don’t see as it were, the homeless. No longer as people.

pg. 4 - This is Proverbs 19:21. I quite like the rather insidious seeds being planted here about controlling people. It pretty much immediately sets up the preacher guy as someone suspicious.

pg. 5 - And it’s made even creepier when Isaiah finds his friend’s university ring. This soup kitchen is serving people!

pg. 7 - It’s kind of funny as to how many times these cannibals are going to show up in one form or another in Lobster Johnson. The idea of New York City having a sewer cannibal plague is right up there with alligators and the midnight meat train.

pg. 8 - Great hero reveal with Lobster Johnson’s appearance.

pg. 9 - It’s disturbing as to how this stew was put together. That just the bones, buttons, and viscera would be thrown together is horrifying. Not that a tidy stew would make it any better, but it just shows the bad cooking as well. Horrifying on multiple levels.

pg. 10 - I like this touchstone for Harry and Cindy’s relationship.

pg. 11 - Preacher guy’s definitely a little batty.

pg. 12-14 - Wonderful action here. I also love how as the fight gets more and more dire for Lobster and his team the shadows get darker and the light in the colour starts going out.

pg. 15 - It’s great to see the homeless men arrive as back-up.

pg. 17 - Like with the cannibals, we’re really getting another callback here. Frank previously was in Get the Lobster! I quite like the shift for the flashbacks.

pg. 20 - This ties back to both what was going on in Get the Lobster! with the radio controls that were being planted in the heavies’ brains and the earlier bit from Proverbs this issue. It’s about as disturbing as the people stew.

pg. 21 - This is kind of chilling.

pg. 22 - And we get a hint of what was to come for Cindy.

Final Thoughts:

Though a great little story in its own right, with some gorgeous artwork from Peter Snejbjerg and Dave Stewart, this is one of the single issue stories that gets lost in the collected format. In that I mean that while it works well standing on its own, the elements through the story serve as a connective tissue through the Get the Lobster! arc and planting the seeds for Cindy Tynan’s career change in Metal Monsters of Midtown. It’s only a little thing, but it’s different reading it after the fact rather than in individual issue publication order. Similar things happen in Abe Sapien. This is something, however, that’s often fixed when reading in an omnibus.

d. emerson eddy is wondering what he’s going to do with all that snow.

[khashanakalashtar]

Check Please characters as shit my friends have said

Bitty: "What are you going to do with three batches of snickerdoodles, may I ask?" "TAKE OVER THE WORLD." "Obviously."

Jack: As a person who has written super long essays in foreign languages, I'm sort of laughing at your pain.

Shitty: Glitter aliens have no concept of gender.

Lardo: "I want to hear all about it when you can update us puny mortals." "When did I become not a puny mortal?" "When you got a summer job at the SMITHSONIAN."

Ransom: Someone needs to tell your nervous system to calm its ganglia!

Holster: I think moving into college can best be summed up thusly: I've just pulled a pair of jeans out from under my bed. I don't know why they were there. I don't remember putting them there. I only know that they've been there for several days, and I haven't found it convenient till now to remove them.

Nursey: You know you've gone full hipster when it's second nature to take a record out of its inner and outer sleeve, wipe it, put it on the turntable and drop the needle but when confronted with a CD you've forgotten how to open the case

Chowder: Oh shit, oh shit, now who is it that's trying to seduce my girlfriend? Oh, it's me. That's okay then.

Dex: CUDDLING LOBSTERS SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD THING A+++++ 10/10 WOULD RECOMMEND

Ford: There was a man voyeuristically learning acting.

Johnson: We now return to our regularly scheduled nonsense.

Kent: I’ve been kidnapped to an American apparel store. Send rescue.

Suzanne:...y'all stink at this 'good influences' thing, you know that?

[lobocomicsandtoys]

LOBSTER JOHNSON TRADE PAPERBACK VOL 06 A CHAIN FORGED IN LIFE

Collecting five Lobster Johnson one-shots featuring the Lobster in a Christmas robbery, a prison break with a familiar enemy behind it, an art museum heist, a preacher serving up more than scripture, and a zombie hitman! Collects Lobster Johnson: A Chain Forged in Life, Lobster Johnson: The Glass Mantis, Lobster Johnson: The Forgotten Man, Lobster Johnson: Garden of Bones, and Lobster Johnson: Mangekyo.

Available at Lobo Comics & Toys this coming Wednesday, 03/07/2018

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[biggoonie]

Lobster Johnson Volume 6: A Chain Forged in Life TP

Mike Mignola (W), John Arcudi (W), Ben Stenbeck (A), Stephen Green (A), Peter Snejbjerg (A), Toni Fejzula (A/C), Troy Nixey (A), Kevin Nowlan (A), Dave Stewart (C), and Tonci Zonjic (Cover) On sale Mar 7 FC, 144 pages • $19.99 • TP, 7″ x 10″ Collecting five Lobster Johnson one-shots featuring the Lobster in a Christmas robbery, a prison break with a familiar enemy behind it, an art museum heist, a preacher serving up more than scripture, and a zombie hitman! Collects Lobster Johnson: A Chain Forged in Life, Lobster Johnson: The Glass Mantis, Lobster Johnson: The Forgotten Man, Lobster Johnson: Garden of Bones, and Lobster Johnson: Mangekyo. “Fitting in perfectly in the “Mignola-verse,” I would put this up there with an issue of B.P.R.D. or Hellboy anyday.” –Pop Culture Uncovered

[weirdpaul]

Every Band I’ve Ever Seen Live!

Abdominal Snowmen

Abysme

Action Camp

The Afghan Whigs

Alabaster Box

Alan Astor

Alaska

Algebra Suicide

Align Alike

Allegheny Rhythm Rangers

Allies

Alpha Control Group

Alzo Boszormenyi

AM/FM

America Hearts

Amoeba Knievel

Anita Fix

Annie and the Bombers

An Offhand Way

The Anti-Psychotics

The Antiques

The Antiquities

The Aquabats

Assassinate Caesar!

Atom and His Package

Atomic Mosquitos

ATS

Auk Theater

Automatic Matty P

Aydin

Baby Bird

Baby Shakes

Bad Fathers

Bang Bang Lulu

BaggyPantsRich

Bald Mountain Band

The Bassturd

Bastard Bearded Irishmen

The Bastards of Fate

Bastro

Bat Zuppel

The Beagle Brothers

Beard Science

Bearsuit

Beasters

Beat Happening

The Bedspins

Ben Blanchard

Bennett-Blanchard

The Benquick

Big Mouth Strikes Again

Billy Castle

Billy Catfish

The Billy Nayer Show

Birdcloud

Birthday Suits

The Blandinas

Blast Off 3.0

The Bloated Sluts

Bloodbaby

Bloodless Cooties

Bloody Incisors

The Bloody Seamen

Blue Chair

Blue Oyster Cult

Blue Skies Collapse

Blunderbuss

Bob Log III

Bobby Conn

James Bogacz

Bomb Banks

Boom River

Bootsy Collins

Bottomless Pit

Bowhunter

Bradford Reed and the Amazing Pencilina

Brain Handle

Brass Chariot

Brass Panda

Braz Cubas

Brewer's Row

Broke Boland & the Dirty Pickles

Brown Angel

BS2000

Buddy Nutt

The Bumps

The Burndowns

Burning Cacti

Burnout War Cry

Butter Kings

Butthole Lipstick

The Buzzcocks

C-Money and Karl Kash

Cactus Wheelhouse

Camp PP

Canasta

Candy Machine Guns

Canned Hamm

Captain Catfeesh

Casino Bulldogs

Casy Stelitano

Catnip Coma

The Causey Way

Caustic Christ

The Ceiling Stares

Celebration

Centipede E'est

Cex

Channel Scorpion News

Charlie Anteater

Charlie Slick

The Cheats

Chestnut Station

Chet Vincent

Child Bite

Children of October

Choke City

Chris Leo

Chrome Moses

Churchbuilder

Chux Beta

City Dwelling Nature Seekers

The City Steps

The Claymores

The Clearing

Cloaca

Clownvis Presley

Cobalt Black

The Cocktails

The Code

Colin and the Shots

Colombian Express

Combustible Three

Concrete Elite

CooCoo Rockin' Time

The Copyrights

Corpus Christi

Cougars

Crank Radio

Creta Bourzia

Crisis in America

The Crow Flies

Crucial Unit

Crunk Witch

Cryptorchid Chipmunk

Curses and Kisses

Daily Grind

Daiquiri

Daniel Johnston

Danielson

Dark Lingo

Darren Keen

Dave Bernabo

David Liebe Hart

Dead City Dealers

Dean Cercone

Death of Samantha

Decaffeinated Grapefruit

Decision Way All-Stars

The Degenerettes

Demander

Deral Fenderson

Derek Deprator Band

Derica

Dethlehem

Developer

The Devil Dogs

The Devil is Electric

The Devil's Jukebox

Devin Russian

Devo

Die Kruezen

Dirtbag Diary

The Dirty Charms

Dirty Fences

Dirty Sunshine

Dirty Weekend

Discuss

Disrobe

Divine Seven

Divorce

Do Crimes

Don Caballero

Don Capicola

Dollar Shots

Donora

Doog

Dookie Houser Emcee

The Douglass Brothers

Down By Law

Downside

The Dozal Brothers

DQE

Drink Tax

The Dripp Brothers

Drug Dealer

Duckmandu

Duke of Uke

The Dumplings

Duo!

Dwarf Fortress

Ear to Ear

Earlimart

Earls of Industry

Ec8tor

Echolalia

Edie Sedgewick

Ed's Redeeming Qualities

Eggs

8 Cylinder

Eighty Eight Magnum

'85 Flood

El Boxeo

El Grosso

Electric Grandmother

The Elemental

Elephant Bones

Elf Power

Eli “Paperboy” Reed

Elliott Sussman

Elsinore

Ember Schrag

The Emergency

Emerson Jay

Emily Jo Fabiszewski

Endless Mike and the Beagle Club

Eoley Mullulay

Erectus Monotone

Eric and the Electric MP3 Player

Erika Carey & the Calamities

The Eruptions

Eskimo '88

Estelle

Eugene Chadbourne/Jimmy Carl Black

Euphonic Brew

Everyone Everywhere

Evolution Control Committee

Ezra Lbs

Face Down in Shit

Falon

Fancytramp

Fangs of the Panda

Fat White Family

Fate of Icarus

Jerry Fels and the Jerry Fels

Fezzwig

The Fife and Forth

The Fingers

Fire & Sex

The Fireworks

First Into Space

First Jason

First Person Singular

The Fizzies

Flaming Lips

The Fletch-heads

Flotation Device

Flotilla Way

Folk Implosion

The Forbidden Five

Forgotten Nobody

Four Dead Flowers

The Four Roses

Four Seasons Boys

Frank Barone

French Toast

Fry Jones

Gadgits

The Garden

The Garment District

Gary Musisko

Gary Twoman

Gentleman Auction House

George Willard

German Shepherd

Ghost Road

Gil Mantera's Party Dream

Girl Talk

Girl Trouble

Glad Girls

Go Pills

Go Pillx

The Goblins

The Goonies

Goonland

The Goops

The Gothees

Grand Buffet

Grand Piano

Granola Explosion

Grant Valdes

Gravel

The Graveyard Rockers

Great Ants

Greg Cislon

Groundwater Mafia

The Grow Ops

Grumpy

Guided By Voices

Guru Guru

Guyliners

Half Japanese

Happy Flowers

Har Mar Superstar

HARM

Hard Money

Harry and the Potters

Heaven & Hell

Heavy Cream

The Hecklers

Height

The Heiz

Helmet

Hell Yeah the Hellcats

The Helper T-Cells

The Heretics

The Hidden Twin

The Hi-Frequencies

The Hillbilly Varmints

The Hips

The Hodag

Hogwind

The Homostupids

The Hope Harveys

Hot Dog Forest

Hot Mess

Hotness

Houdini's Psychic Theater

House of Assassins

Household Stories

Hovland

Howard Jones

HTML

The Human Brains

Hungry Bill

Hurra Torpedo

I am the Lost Sea

I Speak Tree

Ian Semasko

Ice Capades

Icon Gallery

In the Wake of Giants

The Independents

Instead of Sleeping

International Espionage

The Invisible Nothings

IO

Irene Moon

Ivenfaint

J. Marinelli

Jack in Irons

Jack Medicine

Jack Sabbith

Jackson

Jad Fair

Jake and the Jakeman

Jam Messengers

Jana Bates

Jandek

Jane's Addiction

The Jasons

The Jealous Zealots

Jefferson Golfcart

Jericho Theory

The Jim Dandies

Jody Perigo & Laura Totten

Joe Jack Talcum

Joe Landes

Joey Molinaro

Johnny and the Razorblades

Johnny Locomotive & the Engineers

The Johnsons

Jonathan Hape

Jonathan Richman

Jonny Cohen

Joybox

JPS Brown

Judas Priest

The Juicy Girls

Juno Vega

Jupiter's Girlfriend

K-Hun

Kafka Romance Dissolver

Kalon

Karl Hendricks

Kazimier

Kevin Finn

Khaled

Kick Old Man

Kick the Can

Kill Or Be Killed

Kind of Like Spitting

King Karcass

King Kong

King Missile

kingdom Of Not

Kisswhistle

Kitty Pryde and the Shadowcats

Koala-T

Kracfive AllStars

The Kyle Sowashes

The Lady and the Monsters

Landing Strip

Landmonster!

Laura Kahl

Lavacola

Le Cachot

The Left Turns

Leonard Cohen Ensemble One

Leo's Operation

Les Georges Leningrad

The Lesser Apes

Let Them Eat Cake

Libre Duo

Life in Bed

The Limbs

Living Praise Choir

Liz and the Bandits

The Lobster Quadrille

Loose Interpretation

The Lopez

Lord Grunge

Lorelei

Lorenzo's Oil

Los Swamp Monsters

Lost Weekend

Lou Barlow

The Love Drunks

Lover 29

Lunachicks

Lung Mountain

Lydia Lunch

Mac Sabbath

Magic Wolf

Magnolia Electric Co.

Maguillacutty

The Main Events

The Make-up

Mama Spell

Man Found Dead

Manherringbone

Manhole

Margo Van Hoy

Mark Mallman

Marshmallow Pop Orchestra

Marumari

Marvin Dioxide

Massif

Master Mechanic

Maurice Rickard

Maxi-Pads

McCarthy Commission

MC Cliff B

MC Habitat

Meatballs/Fluxus

Mecca Normal

Medium Ugly

Meeting of Important People

Meisha

Meltdown

The Melvins

Bill Merante

The Meridians

Microwaves

Middle Children

Midge Cricket

Midnight Creeps

Midnite Snake

Mike Dillon Band

Mike Maimone

Mike Tamburo

Mikey C

Milagres

The Minders

Mindless Chaos

Miniature Giant

Miniature Table Concerts

Miss Massive Snowflake

Missile Toe

Missing Pilots

Modern Life

Modern Vending

Modey Lemon

Moldies and Monsters

The Molecules

Molesuit Choir

A Moment of Clarity

Mommy's Little Monster

Moonlight Motel

Moons of Saturn

Mortis

MOTO

Motorhead

The Motorpsychos

Mr. Funky

Mr. T Experience

MSC

The Muckrakers

Mud City Manglers

Murder of Bridges

Murphy's Law

Mustache Required

Mutant Mountain Boys

My Boyfriend the Pilot

My Captain, My Sea

My Dad is Dead

My Niece Denise

My Prodi

My Sexiest Mistake

My Superhero

The Name of This Band is Not Talking Heads

Nanako

Narse

Byron Nash and Plan B

Nathaniel Seer

The National Rifle

Nautical Almanac

The Need

Negative Reaction

Neighbors

Neil Hamburger

Nest

The New Alcindors

Newband

Nicholas Megalis

Night and the City

Night Shall Eat These Boys and Girls

Night Terror

The Noble Brats

Nobunny

Noctuelles

Northern Bushmen

The Northern Spy

Nosotros

Nox Boys

NRBQ

O Lendario Chucrobillyman

O.C. Feef

Oakley Hall

Octopus, Inc.

Odin Heed and the Headwinch

Ohmu

The Ohsees

On Vinyl

Only Flesh

The OPD

Orvill Rex

Ouais

Overseas

Owl Style

The Pacifist Femmes

PAK

Paleface

Pam Hanlin

Pancreatic Aardvarks

Parvulus Infectus

Patrick Elkins

Paul Green Rock Academy

Paul Kotheimer

Paul Labrise and the Trees

Paul Lynde 451

Paul Tabachnek

Pete Bush and the Hoi Polloi

Pete Donnelly

Pfunkt

The Phantom Maggots

Phat Free

Phat Man Dee

The Phone Calls

Phred Rainey

Piasa

Picasso Trigger

Pierogi Pizza

Pig Iron

Pikadori

Pinche Gringo

Pitchin' Woo

Pleaseeasaur

The Pleasureheads

Poingly

The Polyatomic

Polvo

Ponytail

Poopy Necroponde's Burgee Boys

The Pork Torta

Porno Tongue

Pox

PPDB

Presque Vu

Pretty Girls Make Graves

Professor Purple

Proto-martyr

Psycho-a-go-go

Puma Barrier

Quaranteened

R. Stevie Moore

The Radio Beats

Radio 4

Rainy Day Regatta

The Ramones

Rapscallionz

Ray Zen

Reason and Eos

Red Vs. Black

The Red Western

Refried Boogie

Reo Speedwagon

Requiem

The Residents

The Resistables

Rex Morgan M.D. Trio

The Rhodora

Rick Bach

River Is To Train

RJ Myato

Xylen Roberts

Robin Vote

Rocket From the Tombs

Rocketsled

The Roger 6

The Rogers Sisters

Rollins Band

Rot Shit

Roulette Waves

Round Black Ghosts

Royal City

The Ruins

Run DMC

The Sablowskis

Sad Tropics

Salt Chuck Mary

Sam Goodwill

Samuel Locke Ward & The Boo Hoos

Santa Inferno

Satanic Bat

Satyr/Elfheim

Savage Lines

Says She

The SB

Scandal

Science is Dead

Scott Demian

Scott Fry

The Scratch n Sniffs

Scrawl

Seam

Seas We Fear To Sail

Season Finale

Sebadoh

Secret Paper Moon

The Seeing Eyeballs

The Semi-Supervillains

Senator Flux

Sewercide

The Sewing Machine War

SFX

Sheer Mag

Shitappa Oyabun

Shonen Knife

The Show is the Rainbow

Sick Ridiculous and the Sick Ridiculous

Signifiers

Silbia Han

Silkworm

The Silver Eagle Band

Sissy Baby Boys

Skinless/Boneless

The Skirt Tasters

Slant 6

Slate Dump

Sleeping in Class

SleepyV

Slices

The Slow Reel

Sludgehammer

Smokey Bellows

The Smugglers

Sneaky Mike

Sodastream

Soft Sickle

Solarburn

Son of Bitch

Song of Zarathustra

Songs About Robots Sorry I'm Dead

Soul Excursion

Sounding Rockets

South Ken

South Sea Sneak

Sovron Court

Spacefish

Sparrow

Special Ed

The Speeds

Spidercake

Spoon

Sports Metaphors

Spudboys

Spynda, Pace and Kress

Star fk Radium

The Stars

Stars of the Dogon

Steady Matt

Stephen Foster and the Awesomes

Steve Boyle

Steve Malkmus

Steve Whitten

Sticky Pink Chew

Stone Temple Pilots

Jim Storch

Stuck in Standby

Styles For Modern Living

Styx

Subdevil

Sugar Daddy

The Suicide Dolls

Summer Erickson

Summer Lungs

Super Fun Time Awesome Party Band

Superchunk

Supersystem

The Surface Dwellers

Sweet Icing

Sweet Nothing

Take No Damage

TBA

Tecumseh EQs

Ted Leo + Pharmacists

Telecorps

Telefonics

Telesys

The Telethons

Television

Terror, Inc.

Testament

The Test Patterns

Thee 50's High Teens

Thee Speaking Canaries

They Might Be Jerks

Thin Sketch

Things That Aren't There Anymore

Third Class

.38 Special

This Present Expression

Three Day Stubble

The Thunder Chickens

Thee Starry Eyes

Tianna and the Cliffhangers

TigerHorseSheepPigCow

Tilt

The Tinklers

Tonks and the Aurors

Torus

Treeline Freeline

The Tree Three

Triggers

Tron Ate My Baby

Truckasaurus

True Love Always

Truxon

TsuShiMamiRie

Tub Ring

Tulpa

Tusklord

TV John

2020K

Uke and Tuba

Ukebox

Ukiah

Ukulady Liz

Ultimate VAG

Ume

Uni Sami

Universal Congress Of

Unlikely Japan

The Upholsterers

Upskirts

Vale and Year

Vampire Nation

Vampire Weekend at Bernies

Vehicle Flips

Vel

The Velcats

Velvet Monkeys

Vequinox

Videohippos

Viewers Like You

Village of Dead Roads

The Viragos

The Visitations

The Vivians

Von Ludendork

Vox Robotica

Wake

Wallace's Fallen Obelisk Kidz

The Wasps Nest and Valerie Kuehne

The Waxwings

WE are the Asteroid

We are the Dead

We Came From Space

The Weasels

Weird Al Yankovic

Werewolves

Wesley Willis

Western Pennsylvania

The Whipped Cream Explosion

The White Stripes

Will Simmons & Turdburglar

William Wesley and the Tiny Sockets

Wimp Factor 14

The Winterbrief

The Wire Riots

The Working Poor

Workshop

Wyld Stalyns

The Wynkataug Monks

X.13

The X Brothers

Asher Yatzar

The Youngstown Tramps

Your Favorite Assassin

Yung Ka

Z-Man

Za Dharsh

The Zambonis

Zigtebra

Zelazowa

The Zou

Zubat and the Bees' Knees

The Zvills

[deanogarbage]

Just a Room (Britchell)

Pairing: Anders Johnson / John Mitchell Rating: T, for language? Genre: Fluff/Angst Words: 1541 Summary: When Bragi leaves, what is left of Anders?

~

“How terrible to be forgotten by the god that made you, even if you're just a room. How could you love something that could do that anytime?” - Peter S. Beagle

Anders never thought it would happen to be honest.

His hopeless and daft baby brother found the Frigg.

The Ga was the catch.

What if Mitchell forgot him? Could he make Mitchell fall in love with him again?

He was pretty certain the first time was a fluke, a cosmic mistake. The fact that John, 120-something year old vampire, Mitchell chose him was beyond him.

He wasn't even a good partner.

When he was balls deep in Gaia, pinning her to the bed, each other fighting for control with desperate lips, and Mitchell, poor sweet Mitchell, finding them.

He had asked Gaia if she wanted bloody tea.

I understand what it's like to have urges you can't control...I hate it, I wanted nothing more than to rip her throat out, but I know it's not her fault or yours.

So fucking sensible. It made Anders wanted to scream.

Yet there he lay with Mitchell, the night before the Ga; rumblings of his own self-depreciation building.

"You know I'll remember you right? I'm not a mortal."

Anders looks up from his tense gaze of the tangling dark curls of Mitchell's chest.

"But what if you don't, Mitch?" "Then you'll help me remember." "What if you don't even remember how you came to New Zealand? What if you're scared and looking for your friends wondering if the fucking Old Ones kidnapped you?" "I know good people when I see them. I'll know you're good, and I can trust you. I’ll stay with Dawn; she should remember me. When I notice she’s confused at where she’s at, I’ll call you." “Maybe we can make a video like Dawn and Ty are?” “Can’t. I don’t show up on video remember?” “Oh shit, right…well let’s hope I don’t have a vampire with amnesia on my hands, yeah? I wooed you once, I don’t think you’ll fall for it again.”

Mitchell rolls his eyes with a smile but kisses him

Anders just leans up and kisses him back with a signature smirk. The night is anticlimactic for what could be their last night together. It's sweet nonetheless, full of gentle kisses and soft words.

Anders softly prays to his patron God before he falls asleep.

I��d give anything to not lose him. Don’t fucking ruin this for me.

He soon leaves Mitchell at Dawn and Ty’s place, knowing that them being together is good. Even if shit hits the fan, they have each other.

Finally, after nearly three years of searching, Odin receives his Frigg and ascend to Asgard.

The pain is unbearable at first, like Anders is being ripped in half. Then it's emptiness. A sudden barren feeling that makes him feel fifty pounds lighter. The feeling isn’t sudden, it’s creeping and unsettling.

He feels vulnerable.

The shield and power of Bragi gone, leaving him to just be...Anders.

Ty is genuinely the only one coming to him, smiling and clasping his older brother's shoulder.

"You good, Anders? Isn't it a relief?"

Anders looks at him and pauses before he just nods.

"We should check on Mitchell and Dawn..." his voice is soft and worried.

It’s not his. No, it is his. It’s not Bragi’s.

Anders doesn't have to wait long before Mitchell rings his cell.

"Anders? Love? It's happened isn't it? Dawn had no clue where she was so I had her watch her video. It's done, yeah?" "Y-yeah, Mitch. It happened. No more Gods. No Bragi."

Mitchell lets out a relieved sigh.

"I'll be waiting, be safe." "Yeah, ta."

Anders feels almost in a daze as he gets in Ty's van and they drive back to Ty's place. He feels anxious and nervous, never having realized how constant Bragi's presence was.

Even his own mum knew what God he was to be before he was 21. Bragi had always been with him, whether he realized it or not. Now he was gone and he felt like a shell.

When they arrived at Ty's, Mitchell was pacing nervously with Dawn frozen with confusion on the couch replaying the video.

Ty rushed to her, the small blonde woman slinking instinctively behind Mitchell; the only familiar face in the room.

"Dawn, that's Ty. You know him, you love him, trust me. Let him explain some things okay?" He gently guided her to Ty, promising to stay in the room.

Anders stood by the door, hands in his suit pockets. Mitchell beamed at him and rushed over kissing him in relief.

"I told you I would remember," he grinned kissing him again. Anders kisses back with a sudden shyness, something held him back.

The vampire pulled him back worriedly. "Is everything alright, Ands?"

Anders nods. "Yeah, just ace."

Mitchell's dark brows furrow and he gently rubs his arms.

"Are you sure, I figured you would be over the moon...I thought you'd be happier?"

Anders nods quickly looking up at him.

"I am, I mean, I'm happy. It's just..." "Just what?" "I don't know how to say it..." "Babe, you know I'm not going to judge or tease like your brothers? It's okay to be upset, I know you and Bragi were close."

Anders looks up at him almost helplessly.

"No, Mitch. That's not it...I don't know how to say or describe..." his voice rises a little in panic. "Say what, Ands?" "Anything!" He blurts. "Nothing is making sense, not like it used to." Mitchell looks at him confused then turns his head. "I'm not following, love."

Anders lets out a deflated sigh. "Exactly."

Mitchell gently takes him into a hug.

"Do you want to head home? Maybe you just need a good night's rest."

Anders nods and leans on his shoulder. They say good bye to Ty and Dawn, who seems to be remembering bits and pieces of her life with Ty.

Mitchell drives them home and lets the car fall to silence after prodding Anders a bit.

Silence.

Something he rarely experienced from the Kiwi. He was always chattering or babbling about something, even if Mitchell was clueless on the subject. He often joked that the only way to shut Anders up was to shove his cock down his throat. But this, this was complete and utter silence.

Mitchell kept making quick glances to if he was awake; the blond just staring out the window in pensive thought.

When they arrived at the apartment, Anders followed him up without a word. Mitchell smiled when Anders slipped his hand into the vampire's, but no words were spoken.

Mitchell hoped his partner would open up as they got behind the safety of the apartment.

Anders silently slipped to the washroom and then to bed with nary a thing on, Mitchell following like a pup.

"Are you sure nothing happened? Axl and Mike weren't dicks were they?"

Anders shakes his head and pulls a blanket up and over himself. Mitchell sits on the bed.

"Are you mad at me?"

Anders looks over and shakes his head with fervor.

"No? Why would I?" "You're ignoring me!" "I'm not." "You've never been quiet! Not like this! It's like Bragi left and took your voice with- oh..."

Mitchell freezes in understanding and sees the upset look on Anders face.

"Yeah, he did. Or I think so," his voice shakes, trying to keep some façade of stoicness.

He breaks as soon as Mitchell scoops him into his arms letting him bury his face in his shoulder.

Mitchell doesn't say a word, not addressing the growing tear stains on his shirt. He gently rubs Anders’ back and whispers soft reassuring words. Despite his own words, fear filled him as well.

Without Bragi, who was Anders really? Would he be the same man? Would he love Mitchell the same?

So much of Anders was his way with words, his suavity, his humor.

Who would he be without that?

Anders wipes his eyes sitting up after a moment.

"Sorry, thanks," he whispers. "It's okay, babe. You know I'm here for you, always."

Anders nods and gives him a quick peck.

"I'll kill you if you call me Ariel," he mutters. "Ariel?" Mitchell scrunches his face in confusion. "The Little Mermaid?"

Mitchell can’t help but beam at the small joke.

Oh yeah, his Anders was there. Maybe a little different, but he was there.

"Oh no, it's on, your highness. Should I get the singing lobster now or later?" He teases ruffling his hair.

Anders falls back with a dramatic groan, throwing the blanket over his head. Mitchell lays next to him and ducks under the covers with him.

"You know we'll figure it out, right?"

Anders hesitates but nods a little.

"It's weird. I don't want you to not like me," Anders confesses. "Hey, I love you no matter what. Bragi or no Bragi. You're still my Anders...even if you made shady deals with sea witches. You didn't even get a tail or anything out of the deal." He smirks. "I didn't!" Anders groans, playfully pushing him away. "You're the worst. An egg."

Mitchell laughs softly before kissing him.

"I love you, Ands." "Love you too, John."

Mitchell pulls him into his arms as they both fall off to sleep, both nervous but reassured about living in a post-Gods and post-Bragi world.

[arg-machine]

Comics: recent favourites

…and BANG! Yes, arg is back – and for the fourth time, too! – with another installment of Comics: recent favourites, the post that lists the comics and graphic novels he’s read and enjoyed over the last year or so. In this installment, however, arg has decided to include titles that he’s read [and enjoyed] not just in the last year, but over the last few years.

As a result, this post includes books that were published several years ago, and not just in the 2017-2018 period. Even then, he has probably missed many titles that are otherwise regarded as indispensable or must-reads. So, keep in mind that these posts are not exhaustive lists, and are limited by the various constraints placed on arg and machine HQ. Also keep in mind that many of these titles – though not all – tackle mature themes and issues, and are not suitable for younger readers.

The Books Here they are – some more of arg’s favourite graphic novels and comics, listed below in alphabetical order, with thematically-similar titles included in the also recommended sections.

For over 40 years, British comics magazine 2000 AD has not only delighted its readers with freaky futuristic fiction, but has also contributed – albeit indirectly – to the growth of the comics medium by producing writers and artists, many of whom have gone on to become some of the finest in the business today. All these acclaimed creators – Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison, Garth Ennis, Dave Gibbons, John Wagner, Brian Bolland, Alan Grant, Steve Dillon, Peter Milligan, Mike McMahon and more! – were writing and/or drawing for 2000 AD in the early stages of their careers.

So when this magazine puts out its “greatest” tales, you better be paying attention. Included in this volume are well-loved and classic tales featuring some of the publication’s most iconic characters – Judge Dredd [pictured above], Strontium Dog, Nemesis the Warlock, Doctor Sin… and it also collects the short tale that went on to inspire the cult sci-fi film Hardware. How cool is that!

Also recommended: Other 2000 AD anthologies, William Gibson’s Archangel, The Sandman: Overture, Last Days of an Immortal, The Best of Milligan & McCarthy and The EC Archives: Incredible Science Fiction.

Mike Mignola, the well-known creative force behind the popular Hellboy franchise, is also responsible – along with author Christopher Golden – for this moody and bleak title. Set in the early years of the 20th Century, it follows Lord Baltimore [see him in action above] as he travels far and wide, hunting for the ancient vampire Haigus. He [Baltimore] is assisted in his dark and perilous mission by allies he finds along the way, and together they battle the many manifestations of supernatural – and not-so-supernatural – evil that stand in their path.

Also recommended: Batman: Gothic, Laid Waste, Whispers, The Sleep of Reason horror anthology, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Graveyard Shift and the Lobster Johnson titles.

Jack Cole is best remembered today by comics fans as the creator of the super zany 1940s superhero Plastic Man, one of the first titles to blend humour and mainstream action narratives together. He was, however, also a popular cartoonist for Playboy magazine, and went on to create Betsy and Me, a humorous comic strip about a dysfunctional, post-war American middle-class family. The strip, created in May 1958, had immediate success and was soon picked up by more than 50 newspapers…

…but three months later, in August 1958, Jack Cole killed himself, and his suicide has remained one of the most baffling events in the history of cartooning. This volume brings together all the original Jack Cole Betsy and Me strips in a single book, and is a fitting tribute to the talented, short-lived creator.

Also recommended: Popeye – The Great Comic Book Tales by Bud Sagendorf, Henry Speaks for Himself, Mr. Twee Deedle – Raggedy Ann's Sprightly Cousin – The Forgotten Fantasy Masterpieces of Johnny Gruelle, The Cross-eyed Mutt, Beef with Tomato and the Billy Hazelnuts books.

“This story is structured like a traditional twelve bar blues song, with three sections each made of four chapters. It follows blues musician Lem Taylor's harrowing journey across Arkansas of the late twenties, hunted for a crime he didn't commit. He and his blues companion find a gig in a 'juke' outside a small town. Their music takes it by storm leading even to a well-connected man offering a recording session.

That night, however, they accept the invitation of two ladies to go home with them, a fatal mistake, as one of the ladies' lover is a white man who happens to belong to a powerful bootlegging family. The result is a triple murder with only Lem and his lady friend left standing…”

Also recommended: Billie Holiday, Lennon – The New York Years, Jazz Maynard: The Barcelona Trilogy and Total Jazz.

“Ruled by the Fates. Manipulated by the Gods. Commanded by Caesar. In the year 65 AD, one’s destiny was not his own. At the height of Nero’s reign, a veteran of Rome’s imperial war machine has been dispatched to the farthest reaches of the colonies to investigate unnatural happenings… In the remote outpost of Britannia, Antonius Axia – the First Detective – will become Rome’s only hope to reassert control over the empire’s most barbaric frontier… and keep the monsters that bridge the line between myth and mystery at bay.”

Also recommended: Mata Hari, The Death of Stalin, Northlanders, Vice Squad, Death to the Tsar and Suite Française - Storm in June.

“Fans of Alan Moore have been enjoying his surreal trip down memory lane to some of the creepiest theaters of the imagination ever presented. Cinema Purgatorio is a unique anthology series that brings together some of the biggest names in all of comics to present twisted horror tales alongside Moore. Comic book giants like Garth Ennis, Max Brooks, Kieron Gillen, and Christos Gage are delivering an episodic delight with terrifying tales every month.” Enough said.

Also recommended: Infidel, Black Hole, Whispers in the Walls, Black Fire, Breathtaker, Sons of the Devil, Brothers Dracul and the Popgun anthologies.

“Daytripper is the rarest of graphic novels – a work meeting all the expectations of great literature that somehow emerged from the grinding gears of the American mainstream comics industry. Written and drawn by Brazilian twins Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá, Daytripper is organized around the life of an aspiring writer named Brás de Olivia Domingos, whose father is a revered novelist.

Originally serialized in ten separate comic books, Daytripper achieves the almost impossible task of playing equally to the individual unit and the finished work by making each story an alternative version of the last day of Domingos’s life, marking that point at a variety of locations along his possible timeline.” [excerpt from a World Literature Today review].

Also recommended: Blankets, Class Photo, Beta Testing the Apocalypse, Michigan: On the Trail of a War Bride, Wrinkles, Different Ugliness Different Madness and The Sound of the World by Heart.

A critically-acclaimed tale of a “sea mutant with the soul of a poet in search of true love”, Dear Creature is a beautiful mix of ’50s monster films and Shakespeare. Pathos! Doomed passion! Freaky talking crabs! What more can you ask for in a love story?

Also recommended: Black is the Color, Demeter, Polina, 5,000 Km per Second and Modern Speed.

An intriguing underwater sci-fi murder mystery! “Mia is a special investigator hired to uncover possible sabotage taking place at a deep-sea research station. What she finds is a mind-blowing crime scene filled with suspects with terrible secrets, strange deep-sea creatures, and an impending flood!”

Also recommended: Old City Blues, The Metabarons, Indiana Jones, Port of Earth, Low, Pacific Rim: Tales From Year Zero, Cognetic, The Five Fists of Science and The Beauty.

“Michael Jones was a British MI6 spy who'd seen better days – but things took a turn for the worse once he fell into the Desolation Project's hands. Now he's the pre-eminent detective for an elite clientele: the underground community of ex-spooks in gritty L.A.” A tasty Tech-espionage-crime fiction combo.

Also recommended: Sleeper, Jinx, Marshals, Interpol, The Fix, Minky Woodcock - The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini and Grendel vs. The Shadow.

“Created by Eisner Award-winning artist Lorenzo Mattotti, Fires sweeps readers off into a hypnotic, haunting fantasy centered on a mysterious island where the hills are constantly ablaze. A series of vessels have inexplicably disappeared from the vicinity, so the battleship Anselm II is dispatched to investigate.

When the expedition's leader, Lieutenant Absinthe, comes ashore, his encounter with the burning island's bizarre residents results in a form of psychic possession that leads to mayhem, madness, and murder. Mattotti's vivid illustrations, rendered with the depth and richness of paintings, propel the eye through a brooding, brilliantly-colored atmosphere of mesmerizing imagery.”

Also recommended: A Sailor’s Story, Pacific, Challenger Deep, The Mercenary Sea, Deepwater Prison, Blacklung and Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea.

“From Eisner Award-winning cartoonist Skottie Young comes a satirical fairytale adventure that smashes its cute little face against hilariously-violent comedy that’s definitely NOT bedtime story material for the kiddies. Join Gert – a grown woman in a six-year-old girl’s body, who has been stuck in a the magical world of Fairyland for over 30 years – on a maddening quest to return home. It’s just her, a fly named Larry, a giant blood-soaked battle-axe and an endless amount of cute and cuddly Fairylanders standing in her way.”

Also recommended: Groo: Friends and Foes, Head Lopper, Curse Words, Usagi Yojimbo, Star Wars Adventures, Milk and Cheese – Dairy Products Gone Bad! and Blacksad.

It’s a concept Ray Bradbury would have enjoyed. “Ice Cream Man is a genre-defying comic book series featuring disparate one-shot tales of sorrow, wonder, and redemption. Each installment features its own cast of strange characters, dealing with their own special sundae of suffering. And on the periphery of all of them, like the twinkly music of his colorful truck, is the Ice Cream Man – a weaver of stories, a purveyor of sweet treats. Friend. Foe. God. Demon. The man who, with a snap of his fingers – lickety split! – can change the course of your life forever.”

Also recommended: Gideon Falls, Frankenstein Alive, Alive!, Victor LaValle’s Destroyer, The Last Ones, Rachel Rising, Flayed Corpse and Other Stories and Hungry Ghosts.

“After a black writer is found dead at a scandalous interracial party in 1920s New York, Harlem's cub reporter Zane Pinchback is the only one determined to solve the murder. Zane must go ‘incognegro’ – using his light appearance to pass as a white man – to find the true killer. With a cryptic manuscript as his only clue, and a mysterious and beautiful woman as the murder's only witness, Zane finds himself on the hunt through the dark and dangerous streets of ‘roaring twenties’ Harlem in search for justice.”

Also recommended: The original Incognegro graphic novel, Scene of the Crime, The Black Monday Murders, Grass Kings, Little Tulip, Kill or Be Killed, Sex Criminals, Choker, Four Women, DMZ,and The Bronx Kill.

“It’s 2005. Nicolas Wild is a French cartoonist. He’s broke and about to be homeless. He’s a man without a plan. That is until destiny shows up in his inbox: a paid job… In Afghanistan! In Kabul Disco, Nicolas Wild brilliantly explores the differences between the Afghan culture around him and his own, as he and his fellow expat friends crash Asura celebrations, avoid the afterlife, and muse on the differences between Christian Easter egg hunts and Islamic penance.”

Also recommended: Illegal, The Persepolis books, The Arab of the Future, Hostage, Marzi, Cuba: My Revolution, The Photographer of Mauthausen, Second Generation – The Things I Didn’t Tell My Father, Local, Late Bloomer and Royal City.

“In a universe that could very well be either a predecessor to our own civilization, or be set in a much more distant future, intergalactic space travel and advanced robotic technology exist amid an established social structure reminiscent of our own medieval times. The Emperor Elias holds the difficult task of maintaining a semblance of unity within a galaxy whose every planet is prey to frequent internal power-struggles.

And when these men meet to wage battle, however, it is no longer at the risk of losing their lives. For a maximum duration of a few hours, the spirit of the warrior is transferred into a combat robot whose design resembles that of the classic knights of yore. When the Prime, a deadly alien race, invades the Empire, Elias attempts to rally his nobles to war…”

Also recommended: Megalex, Darth Vader, Strange Adventures, Symmetry, 100% Biodegradable, Isola, American Flagg! and Southern Cross.

“In 1951, Doris and her little girl, Cora, entered one of America’s most prestigious facilities for the treatment of Tuberculosis, The Waverly Hills Sanatorium. The events that befell them shortly thereafter, both of a supernatural and criminal nature, were some of the most sordid of the time.”

Also recommended: The Loving Dead, Regression, Devolution, Rex Mundi and Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children.

“When an abandoned baby, sporting a tail, is rescued from a South American rubbish bin by a dwarf transvestite prostitute, you know you’re reading a story that only the mad genius of cult film maker and acclaimed creator Alexandro Jodorowsky could conceive! The child grows up to become Juan Solo, a vicious gangster and political enforcer, whose savagery sees him quickly rise through the ranks. Until his past catches up to him…”

Also recommended: Outlaw territory, Fistful of Blood, Pretty Deadly, Hawken, Kingsway West and Point of Impact.

“The Isles of Los Angeles 2089: humanity is addicted to technology. Getting a virtual buzz is the only thing left to live for, and gangsters run it all. And who do these gangsters turn to when they need their rule enforced? Constables Led Dent and Debbie Decay are about to be given a job that will force them out of the familiar squalor of LA and into the last tech-less country on Earth: The Garden Nation of Tokyo…” Fine story with terrific art.

Also recommended: Border Worlds, Finder, John Carpenter’s Tales of Science Fiction, The Massive, The Surface, Heavy Liquid, Colonus and Global Frequency.

“Tom Taylor’s life was screwed the second his dad’s fingers hit the word processor. His father was the superstar author – the creator of Tommy Taylor books, a series of children's novels starring a boy wizard that became more popular than any piece of fiction ever written.

So what’s the problem? The books got so popular that fans started confusing real-life Tom with fictional-life Tommy, turning Tom Taylor into the lamest Z-level celebrity imaginable. And as much as Tom was angry at Dad for abandoning him once his novels were completed, he finds one more reason for his resentment: Tom Taylor isn’t even Wilson’s biological son.

So who is he? The more whacked-out opinion is he’s the fictional character from the books made flesh. But if that sounds ludicrous, why is there a mysterious cabal stalking him? How are they using the power of stories to fight a secret magical war? And how can Tom – whose never even had a marketable skill, much less a talent – travel within the most famous stories ever told? To learn who he really is, Tom must answer all those questions while rubbing shoulders with the cast and characters from Frankenstein, Moby Dick, A Thousand and One Arabian Nights, and more…” 

Also recommended: Mage, Sweet Tooth, The Magician’s Wife, The Books of Magic, The Magic Order and the Woody Allen short story The Kugelmass Episode from his 1980 collection Side Effects.

…whew! That’s the end of another gonzo machine HQ blog post! Now, while arg pauses a bit to catch his breath and give his typing fingers some rest, go check out The Apocalypse Project on twitter and on tumblr, and stay tuned to the machine HQ blog for more cool stuff…

But wait – before he signs off, here’s a bonus...

You know Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Spiderman… but do you know Doll Man, Doctor Hormone, or Spider Queen? In The League of Regrettable Superheroes, you’ll meet one hundred of the strangest superheroes ever to see print, complete with backstories, vintage art, and coloruful commentary. Prepare yourself for such not-quite-ready-for-prime-time heroes as Bee Man [Batman, but with bees], the Clown [circus-themed crimebuster], the Eye [a giant, floating eyeball – just accept it], and many other oddballs and oddities.

“Drawing on the entire history of the medium, The League of Regrettable Superheroes will appeal to die-hard comics fans, casual comics readers, and anyone who enjoys peering into the stranger corners of pop culture.”

Also recommended: [here, arg is including some more titles that didn’t fit elsewhere in this post] Almost Silent, Age of Reptiles, Moonshot – The Indigenous Comics Collection, Black Dog – The Dreams of Paul Nash, The Imitation Game: Alan Turing Decoded, Dream Logic and Hit Reblog – Comics That Caught Fire.

[comiccrusaders]

Valiant is proud to announce your first look at SHADOWMAN (2018) #4, the beginning of an ALL-NEW ARC and NEW JUMPING-ON POINT in the POWERFUL ONGOING SERIES of 2018! On June 20th, incredible artist Shawn Martinbrough (Thief of Thieves) joins acclaimed writer Andy Diggle (Green Arrow: Year One) to kick off “DEAD AND GONE,” as today’s Shadowman meets one of the many loa-ridden ancestors who came before him!

For years, Jack Boniface believed that he knew the true story of the Shadowman loa – the true story of the curse inside him. He was wrong.

For the first time, Jack Boniface is about to discover the long-hidden history of the supernatural power that became his birthright. Unmoored in time and space, the loa is about to reveal its untold dimensions…and now, the last defender of the wall between our realm and the Deadside is falling backwards through the astral void, finding himself face to face with his forebears across the centuries – from the paranoia-addled alleyways of 1940s New York to the fire-scorched plantations of the Civil War…all the way back to the primeval height of the African savannah in 40,000 B.C.!

In the shock-inducing aftermath of “FEAR OF THE DARK,” master storyteller Andy Diggle (Daredevil) will lead a rotating cast of superstar artists – beginning with Shawn Martinbrough (Black Panther: The Most Dangerous Man Alive) and continuing with Doug Braithwaite (Justice) and Renato Guedes (Wolverine) – to reveal the full scope and power of the Shadowman mythos…and how three of its forgotten champions stoked its earliest embers…with a legend-fueled odyssey into eons past as “DEAD AND GONE” tells all!

On June 20th, Andy Diggle and Shawn Martinbrough journey back to the Fightin’ Forties in SHADOWMAN (2018) #4 – featuring covers by Tonci Zonjic (Lobster Johnson), David Mack (Kabuki), David Lafuente(Ultimate Spider-Man), and Dave Johnson (100 Bullets)!

PLUS! Fans and retailers, take note: The deadline to order the SHADOWMAN #4-11 PRE-ORDER EDITION BUNDLE has been extended to the final order cut-off date of May 28th, 2018! Released monthly from June 2018 through January 2019, each PRE-ORDER EDITION comes packed with trade paperback-style extras and bonus content, including creator commentary, behind-the-scenes looks at the creation of the comics, process character designs and artwork, and first looks at upcoming issues – plus exclusive covers by rising star Hannah Templer (Tomb Raider) that can’t be found anywhere else!

Available only as a pre-order set to fans who reserve the next eight issues from master storyteller Andy Diggleand superstar artists Shawn Martinbrough, Doug Braithwaite, Renato Guedes, and Stephen Segovia, the SHADOWMAN #4-11 PRE-ORDER EDITION BUNDLE – eight 40-page, massively expanded editions of Valiant’s next essential ongoing series – can only be ordered as a set and must be ordered with your local comic shop, now by the final order cut-off date of May 28th, 2018!

For more information, visit Valiant on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and ValiantEntertainment.com.

For Valiant merchandise and more, visit ValiantStore.com.

SHADOWMAN (2018) #4 Written by ANDY DIGGLE Art by SHAWN MARTINBROUGH Cover A by TONCI ZONJIC (APR181846) Cover B by DAVID MACK (APR181847) Interlocking Variant by DAVID LAFUENTE (APR181848) Shadowman Icon Variant by DAVE JOHNSON (APR181849) $3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+ | On Sale JUNE 20th (FOC – 5/28/18)

SHADOWMAN (2018) #4-11 PRE-ORDER EDITION BUNDLE Written by ANDY DIGGLE Art by SHAWN MARTINBROUGH, DOUG BRAITHWAITE, RENATO GUEDES, and STEPHEN SEGOVIA Covers by HANNAH TEMPLER (APR181850) $3.99 each [8 issues] | 40 pgs. each | T+ | Issue #4 On Sale JUNE 20th (FOC – 5/28/18)

Andy Diggle & Shawn Martinbrough Travel to 1940 in SHADOWMAN (2018) #4 – In Stores June! Valiant is proud to announce your first look at SHADOWMAN (2018) #4, the beginning of an 

[brendanmoviedate]

“This is the dream! It's conflict and it's compromise, and it's very, very exciting!”

It’s time for another one of these end of the year best of lists. Last year the process wasn’t too difficult to navigate, as there was a clear number one in Mad Max: Fury Road that couldn’t be touched by any of the other releases in 2015. With no obvious front runner in 2016, and with my ridiculous increase in movie-going this year (see my next post for more on this), narrowing down my list to 10 and ordering them appropriately was a gruelling process that left some films I truly love off the list. Though I did see a lot of films this year, I’m only human and haven’t seen everything, so films with a lot of buzz surrounding them, like Elle and Silence, won’t be on my list because I haven’t seen them yet. Others, like Green Room and The Lobster, were released theatrically this year, but I included them on my best of 2015 list, as I saw them at last year’s Vancouver International Film Festival.

While obviously this or any other list is by no means objective, films that are emotional, beautiful, well acted, funny, and re-watchable are ones that tend to place highly, while those that are “important,” but stilted, or “challenging,” but glacially paced, tend not to, as I doubt I’ll ever revisit them and can’t whole heartedly endorse them. 

10. Dheepan

Dheepan was one of the earliest films I saw this year, but its powerful look at Sri Lankan refugees settling into a French tenement complex was compelling enough to keep it on my list all year. That it straddles the line between family drama and crime thriller earns Dheepan a lot of points with me and will have me coming back to watch it more than a straightforward refugee story would.

9. Nocturnal Animals

A lot of buzz surrounded this sophomore film from fashion director Tom Ford after his universally praised debut, A Single Man. And while a lot of that attention died down after it failed to match the acclaim of its predecessor, Nocturnal Animals is still a great film that looks good and provides some great acting from leads Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal. 

It’s a film about ambition, relationships, grief, and revenge as Amy Adams’s character Susan reflects on her past as she reads her ex-husband’s debut novel, a thinly veiled allegory for how their marriage ended. While the framing story is contemplative, lushly shot, and immaculately designed, the meta-narrative is grimy and violent, and features a scene-stealing performance from Michael Shannon that was good enough to warrant the film’s inclusion on this list alone. Seriously, he’s that good.

Also great: Isla Fisher plays the novel version of Susan, vindicating my earlier confusion of her and Amy Adams when they first broke out around ten years ago.

8. Hell or High Water

From director David Mackenzie and writer Taylor Sheridan, who wrote the incredible Sicario last year, comes Hell or High Water, a western/heist thriller that’s solid all around. It has a great script, beautiful cinematography, and the best performances to date from both Ben Foster and Chris Pine. Jeff Bridges is game for a new twist on his gruff mumbly voice for a truly great performance. 

I don’t have a lot else to say about this film, other than that I’m excited to see what Sheridan has up his sleeve next, as he’s 2 for 2 so far, and look forward to what’s next from David Mackenzie.

7. The Witch

The Witch still has the distinction of being the best horror film of 2016 and has joined the list of all-time horror greats for its incredible atmosphere and the deeply unsettling goat, Black Phillip. 

6. Embrace of the Serpent

Embrace of the Serpent is a beautiful, funny, contemplative, and sad film following two different explorers chasing the same mythical plant 30 years apart. The film examines the effects of colonization on the cultures of South America and the knowledge lost as a result. It’s imagery is so beautiful that I still think about it long after I’ve forgotten the specifics of the plot.

5. Moonlight

Spanning three stages in the life of Chiron, Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight is a poignant and powerful coming of age story of a young, gay, black man. It’s three-part structure is quite brilliant as it allows us to see Chiron’s life at different pivotal moments, shaping not only his own identity, but also forming and depicting the relationships with his mother, his surrogate family, and most importantly his friend Kevin. While the first two acts are powerful for the depiction of the struggles of Chiron’s relationship with his mother and the bullying he endures in school, it’s the third act that has the most impact, with its quiet, subtle reconciliation. 

All three actors playing Chiron do a great job, but it’s Trevante Rhodes that has the difficult task of having to depict the entirety of Chiron’s emotional baggage with nothing more than a glance. The point where he’s able to finally release that burden is one of the most emotional moments in film in 2016.

Mashershala Ali is great as the young Chiron’s surrogate father figure, while Naomie Harris is transformative as his unreliable, drug-addicted mother.

4. The Handmaiden

The Handmaiden was my favourite film at the Vancouver International Film Festival. Having recently rewatched it, everything I loved about it the first time around is heightened, as I didn’t need to pay as much attention to the plot. The humour is even more apparent beyond the surface level gags, the set design and cinematography are more controlled and beautiful than upon first viewing, and the little incongruous details stick out more and add a perceived backstory beyond the main narrative.

3. La La Land

I had the hardest time getting into this movie. It was sold out at every theatre in the same way that a tentpole blockbuster would be. After 4 missed attempts (I’m usually too disorganized and impulsive to buy my tickets ahead of the time), I finally got to sit down and enjoy La La Land. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are wonderful in this pastiche musical about the struggles of balancing a relationship and a dream. 

While some of the dancing is a little underwhelming and Gosling’s vocals aren’t the greatest, the direction is at a high level for Damien Chazelle, a young director with only one other feature to his name (the even better Whiplash). He has a very confident focus and the musical numbers are mostly single camera continuous shots that rove around the dancers with as much choreography as the performers themselves. Cinematographer Linus Sandgren, who worked with David O. Russell on his last two films, is obviously deserving of a lot of credit for these numbers and for the rest of the brightly, colourfully shot film.

La La Land might not be as culturally important as a number of the films on this list, but it is an extremely well made movie that serves as a fun piece of escapism with incredibly catchy songs that you’ll be signing for days. 

2. The Nice Guys

I raved about The Nice Guys when it first came out in May, and my excitement for it hasn’t died down since. It’s a refreshing take on the buddy cop action comedy with perfect against type casting. It’s my favourite Ryan Gosling movie and my favourite Russell Crowe movie, and yes, I’m aware they were in Drive and L.A. Confidential, respectively. It’s too bad this is unlikely to spawn a franchise in the way that Black’s Lethal Weapon did.

1. Arrival

Arrival is the best movie of the year. It was the best looking, the most emotional, and it showed up just when we needed it too. It’s the rare film that exposes the problems of the world by depicting a solution to them (even if it’s a fantastical one), rather than just confronting you with them. I left the theatre broken down with the hope that this divided world we live in could be whole. We’re obviously further from that now than we’ve been in decades, but that’s all more reason we need films like Arrival to blindside us with that hope.

Honourable Mentions

There were a number of films that left me heartbroken that I couldn’t include them on the list, including Sing Street, The Wailing, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, Swiss Army Man, and Manchester by the Sea. On another day, I easily could have switched out films 10-8 with any of these.

While they may not be top ten material, a number of films were surprisingly better than they had any right to be, including Ouija: The Origin of Evil and the live action remake of Pete’s Dragon.

2017

Though I still have a few lingering movies from 2016 to check off, I’m fully excited to move forward and dive into the huge slate of upcoming films. Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner is at the top of that list, but I’m also excited for Bong Joon-ho’s next film, Okja, with Tilda Swinton and Jake Gyllenhaal; Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk; Alex Garland’s followup to Ex Machina, Annihilation; Ben Wheatley’s latest Free Fire; and Duncan Jones’ Mute.

Even the blockbuster line-up looks promising, with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-man Homecoming, Logan, Wonder Woman, Kong: Skull Island, The Lego Batman Movie, War for the Planet of the Apes, and John Wick: Chapter 2 all suggesting something more interesting than what we got this year. Along these lines, Star Wars: Episode VIII and Thor: Ragnarok are the two I’m most excited about. Rian Johnson is one of my favourite directors, proving himself on the big screen with bonafide classics Brick and Looper and the small screen with some of the best episodes of Breaking Bad, including the climatic episode “Ozymandias.” I’m excited to see what vision he brings to the space opera franchise. Similarly, Taika Waititi has a masterful grasp of both drama and irreverence, with his most recent films What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople being some of the best offbeat films of the past few years. He’s taking Thor to space and bringing Jeff Goldblum, Cate Blanchett, and Sam Neill with him. If any of the Marvel movies needed a creative rejuvenation, it’s the Thor series; I can’t think of a more perfect director for the job.

[solo-bolo-trollo]

A COMPLETE LIST OF ALL THE FILMS I WATCHED IN 2016

1.       About Schmidt (2002, dir. Alexander Payne)

2.       The Accused (1988, dir. Jonathan Kaplan)

3.       All The Way (2016, dir. Jay Roach)

4.       The Alphabet (1968, dir. David Lynch)

5.       Anomalisa (2015, dir. Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson)

6.       Armageddon (1998, dir. Michael Bay)

7.       Backdraft (1991, dir. Ron Howard)

8.       Bamboozled (2000, dir. Spike Lee)

9.       Battlefield Earth (2000, dir. Roger Christian)

10.   Beverly Hills Cop (1984, dir. Martin Brest)

11.   Bicycle Thieves (1948, dir. Vittorio de Sica)

12.   The Big Short (2015, dir. Adam McKay)

13.   The Blair Witch Project (1999, dir. Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez)

14.   Bo Burnham: Make Happy (2016, dir. Bo Burnham & Christopher Storer)

15.   Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006, dir. Larry Charles)

16.   Bridge of Spies (2015, dir. Steven Spielberg)

17.   Brooklyn (2015, dir. John Crowley)

18.   Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969, dir. George Roy Hill)

19.   Cabaret (1972, dir. Bob Fosse)

20.   Carol (2015, dir. Todd Haynes)

21.   Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010, dir. Werner Herzog)

22.   Chasing Amy (1997, dir. Kevin Smith)

23.   Cinema Paradiso (1988, dir. Giuseppe Tornatore)

24.   Clerks (1994, dir. Kevin Smith)

25.   Clue (1985, dir. Jonathan Lynn)

26.   Coffee and Cigarettes (2003, dir. Jim Jarmusch)

27.   Confirmation (2016, dir. Rick Famuyiwa)

28.   Cries and Whispers (1972, dir. Ingmar Bergman)

29.   Crimson Peak (2015, dir. Guillermo del Toro)

30.   Crumb (1994, dir. Terry Zwigoff)

31.   The Danish Girl (2015, dir. Tom Hooper)

32.   Days of Heaven (1978, dir. Terrence Malick)

33.   Dazed and Confused (1993, dir. Richard Linklater)

34.   The Decline of Western Civilization (1981, dir. Penelope Spheeris)

35.   The Departed (2006, dir. Martin Scorsese)

36.   Die Hard 2 (1990, dir. Renny Harlin)

37.   Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995, dir. John McTiernan)

38.   The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972, dir. Luis Buñuel)

39.   Don’t Think Twice (2016, dir. Mike Birbiglia)

40.   Dr. No (1962, dir. Terence Young)

41.   Dressed to Kill (1980, dir. Brian De Palma)

42.   DumbLand (2002, dir. David Lynch)

43.   The Earrings of Madame de… (1953, dir. Max Ophuls)

44.   Evil Dead II (1987, dir. Sam Raimi)

45.   eXistenZ (1999, dir. David Cronenberg)

46.   Falling Down (1993, dir. Joel Schumacher)

47.   Fantastic Voyage (1966, dir. Richard Fleischer)

48.   Fatal Attraction (1987, dir. Adrian Lyne)

49.   The Fisher King (1991, dir. Terry Gilliam)

50.   Fishing with John (1992, dir. John Lurie)

51.   Following (1998, dir. Christopher Nolan)

52.   Four Rooms (1995, dir. Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino)

53.   Freddy Got Fingered (2001, dir. Tom Green)

54.   Freedom Riders (2011, dir. Stanley Nelson)

55.   From Russia, with Love (1963, dir. Terence Young)

56.   Ghostbusters (2016, dir. Paul Feig)

57.   Goldfinger (1964, dir. Guy Hamilton)

58.   The Good Dinosaur (2015, dir. Peter Sohn)

59.   Goodfellas (1990, dir. Martin Scorsese)

60.   The Graduate (1967, dir. Mike Nichols)

61.   The Grandmother (1970, dir. David Lynch)

62.   Grizzly Man (2005, dir. Werner Herzog)

63.   Gummo (1997, dir. Harmony Korine)

64.   Hail, Caesar! (2016, dir. Joel and Ethan Coen)

65.   Halloween (1978, dir. John Carpenter)

66.   The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992, dir. Curtis Hanson)

67.   Hard Candy (2005, dir. David Slade)

68.   A Hard Day’s Night (1964, dir. Richard Lester)

69.   Hard Eight (1996, dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)

70.   Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011, dir. David Yates)

71.   The Hateful Eight (2015, dir. Quentin Tarantino)

72.   Heathers (1989, dir. Michael Lehmann)

73.   Hell or High Water (2016, dir. David Mackenzie)

74.   Hellraiser (1987, dir. Clive Barker)

75.   High Tension (2003, dir. Alexandre Aja)

76.   Hoop Dreams (1994, dir. Steve James)

77.   House (1977, dir. Nobuhiko Obayashi)

78.   Howards End (1992, dir. James Ivory)

79.   Jesus Christ Superstar (1973, dir. Norman Jewison)

80.   John Wick (2014, dir. David Leitch and Chad Stahelski)

81.   The Killer (1989, dir. John Woo)

82.   Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014, dir. Matthew Vaughn)

83.   Kubo and the Two Strings (2016, dir. Travis Knight)

84.   Labyrinth (1986, dir. Jim Henson)

85.   The Ladykillers (2004, dir. Joel and Ethan Coen)

86.   The Last Days of Disco (1998, dir. Whit Stillman)

87.   The Last Waltz (1978, dir. Martin Scorsese)

88.   The Lobster (2015, dir. Yorgos Lanthimos)

89.   Love Actually (2003, dir. Richard Curtis)

90.   Love and Friendship (2016, dir. Whit Stillman)

91.   M*A*S*H* (1970, dir. Robert Altman)

92.   Macbeth (1971, dir. Roman Polanski)

93.   Mad Max (1979, dir. George Miller)

94.   Mad Max: Fury Road (2015, dir. George Miller)

95.   Malcolm X (1992, dir. Spike Lee)

96.   Mallrats (1995, dir. Kevin Smith)

97.   The Man with the Golden Gun (1974, dir. Guy Hamilton)

98.   The Martian (2015, dir. Ridley Scott)

99.   Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall (2016, dir. Spike Lee)

100.                        Midnight Special (2016, dir. Jeff Nichols)

101.                        Miller’s Crossing (1990, dir. Joel and Ethan Coen)

102.                        Mommie Dearest (1981, dir. Frank Perry)

103.                        Moonraker (1979, dir. Lewis Gilbert)

104.                        Naked Lunch (1991, dir. David Cronenberg)

105.                        Naqoyqatsi (2002, dir. Godfrey Reggio)

106.                        National Lampoon: Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead (2015, dir. Douglas Tirola)

107.                        The Negotiator (1998, dir. F. Gary Gray)

108.                        Network (1976, dir. Sidney Lumet)

109.                        The NeverEnding Story (1984, dir. Wolfgang Petersen)

110.                        A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984, dir. Wes Craven)

111.                        Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979, dir. Werner Herzog)

112.                        One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975, dir. Milos Forman)

113.                        Patton Oswalt: Talking for Clapping (2016)

114.                        Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday (2016, dir. John Lee)

115.                        Persona (1966, dir. Ingmar Bergman)

116.                        Primal Fear (1996, dir. Gregory Hoblit)

117.                        Purple Rain (1984, dir. Albert Magnoli)

118.                        The Remains of the Day (1993, dir. James Ivory)

119.                        The Revenant (2015, dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu)

120.                        Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991, dir. Lam Nai-choi)

121.                        The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975, dir. Jim Sharman)

122.                        Room (2015, dir. Lenny Abrahamson)

123.                        Scarface (1983, dir. Brian De Palma)

124.                        Scream (1996, dir. Wes Craven)

125.                        Se7en (1995, dir. David Fincher)

126.                        Secret Honor (1984, dir. Robert Altman)

127.                        Sense and Sensibility (1995, dir. Ang Lee)

128.                        A Serious Man (2009, dir. Joel and Ethan Coen)

129.                        Showgirls (1995, dir. Paul Verhoeven)

130.                        Sicario (2015, dir. Denis Villeneuve)

131.                        Sing Street (2016, dir. John Carney)

132.                        Singles (1992, dir. Cameron Crowe)

133.                        Six Men Getting Sick (1966, dir. David Lynch)

134.                        Sleepwalk with Me (2012, dir. Mike Birbiglia)

135.                        Spotlight (2015, dir. Tom McCarthy)

136.                        Spy (2015, dir. Paul Feig)

137.                        Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980, dir. Irvin Kershner)

138.                        Star Wars: Episode VI—Return of the Jedi (1983, dir. Richard Marquand)

139.                        Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens (2015, dir. J.J. Abrams)

140.                        Steve Jobs (2015, dir. Danny Boyle)

141.                        Straight Outta Compton (2015, dir. F. Gary Gray)

142.                        The Terminator (1984, dir. James Cameron)

143.                        The Thief and the Cobbler (1993, dir. Richard Williams)

144.                        The Thin Blue Line (1988, dir. Errol Morris)

145.                        The Thing (1982, dir. John Carpenter)

146.                        Thunderball (1965, dir. Terence Young)

147.                        Time Bandits (1981, dir. Terry Gilliam)

148.                        True Stories (1986, dir. David Byrne)

149.                        True Story (2015, dir. Rupert Goold)

150.                        Trumbo (2015, dir. Jay Roach)

151.                        Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992, dir. David Lynch)

152.                        The Usual Suspects (1995, dir. Bryan Singer)

153.                        Vernon, Florida (1981, dir. Errol Morris)

154.                        A View to a Kill (1985, dir. John Glen)

155.                        Waking Life (2001, dir. Richard Linklater)

156.                        Wings of Desire (1987, dir. Wim Wenders)

157.                        The Witch (2016, dir. Robert Eggers)

158.                        World of Tomorrow (2015, dir. Don Hertzfeldt)

159.                        Zodiac (2007, dir. David Fincher)

[ultradude13]

This is a comic that I want for my collection!

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 27 May 2019

Quick Bits:

A Walk Through Hell #10 somehow gets even more disturbing as we’re shown some of McGregor’s past as he was abused and set up as a suicide. The horror that Garth Ennis, Goran Sudžuka, Ive Svorcina, and Rob Steen keep exploring in this series keeps getting more personal and seemingly has no limit to its depth.

| Published by AfterShock

Amazing Spider-Man #22 concludes (mostly) the “Hunted” arc as Kraven continues to try to convince Spider-Man that he’s a killer and to finally put Kraven out of his misery. It’s incredibly messed up logic, but Nick Spencer, Humberto Ramos, Victor Olazaba, Edgar Delgado, Erick Arciniega, and Joe Caramagna make it interesting. You could consider this end anti-climactic, especially after how long this has been, but I get the feeling we’ll be dealing with the ramifications for a while to come.

| Published by Marvel

Amber Blake #3 takes an interesting turn as an undercover operation into a modelling agency reveals that Amber’s childhood friend Amanda is still alive. The level of intrigue and twists in this story just keeps escalating, matching the density of the layouts and art from Butch Guice, Mike Perkins, and Dan Brown.

| Published by IDW

Angel #1 is incredible. Possibly even better than the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series and that has set a ridiculously high bar. Bryan Edward Hill, Gleb Melnikov, Gabriel Cassata, and Ed Dukeshire embrace the darker, moodier feel of Angel consistent with the different atmosphere that was present in the television series, while diving deep into building up his dark past and conflicted future. There’s a lot that is new to this interpretation, which just makes it more intriguing. And the art from Melnikov and Cassata is gorgeous.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Ascender #2 advances the vamps’ plan to eradicate the remaining technology in the universe, as Andy is reunited with Bandit, and the vamps come to threaten him and his family. This remains an interesting new take on the Descender world from Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen, and Steve Wands as we see more of what’s happened since the end of that series.

| Published by Image

Batman: Last Knight on Earth #1 is an interesting debut from Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, FCO Plascencia, and Tom Napolitano. On its surface, it’s an “Old Man Bruce” story, as a previously comatose Bruce awakens in a dark and strange future. But this existence is weird and unreliable. Especially as Bruce awakens in a fiction at first, being told that he’s in Arkham and that all of his villains and time as Batman were fever dreams cooked up by a fractured mind. This may well be the best art ever from Capullo, Glapion, and Plascencia.

| Published by DC Comics / Black Label

Black Science #40 shows that the story still has some surprises in store as it rockets towards the end. Also some ridiculous jokes. Matteo Scalera and Moreno Dinisio continue to inventive as hell with the art.

| Published by Image / Giant Generator

Coda #12 is the explosive, brilliant conclusion to what has been on the best series of this year and last. Si Spurrier, Matías Bergara, Michael Doig, and Jim Campbell have delivered some stunning flights of imagination, tapping into some highly inventive nihilistic fantasy, presenting the final battle battle this issue, and, man, does it stick the landing. Phenomenal storytelling all around.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Daredevil #6 begins “No Devils, Only God” in a New York City without Daredevil. Lalit Kumar Sharma, Jay Leisten, and Java Tartaglia come on for art duties for this arc and it’s an interesting shift. Sharma’s style reminds me a bit of Klaus Janson’s, but without the heavy inks and shadows.

| Published by Marvel

Detective Comics Annual #2 heads into Year Two territory as we get a new Reaper from Peter J. Tomasi, Travis Moore, Max Raynor, Tamra Bonvillain, Nick Filardi, and Rob Leigh. This is a nice use of the annual format, giving us a satisfying single issue story setting up a possible future arc.

| Published by DC Comics

The Forgotten Queen #4 brings an end to this excellent series exploring the history of Vexana, War-Monger, from Tini Howard, Amilcar Pinna, Ulises Arreola, and Jeff Powell. Very interesting depth added to the character and interesting hints as to what more might be coming, hopefully.

| Published by Valiant

Hellboy vs. Lobster Johnson: Ring of Death elaborates further on Hellboy’s time in Mexico making wrestling movies in a pair of tales from Mike Mignola, Chris Roberson, Mike Norton, Paul Grist, Dave Stewart, Bill Crabtree, and Clem Robins. Seeing a presentation of the movie Hellboy starred in is a real treat.

| Published by Dark Horse

Immortal Hulk #18 leans hard into the body horror aspect of the series, debuting both Betty’s full form as this new Harpy and in the Abomination. Joe Bennett, Ruy José, and Paul Mounts just nail this perfectly.

| Published by Marvel

Killer Groove #1 is a great first issue from Ollie Masters, Eoin Marron, Jordie Bellaire, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. It’s a taut crime drama mixing a never-was musician with the potential of life as a hitman, as he lucks into a kill during a chance encounter. Great art from Marron and Bellaire.

| Published by AfterShock

The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #3 advances the alien plot, sending Kamala and her parents off to Saffa to supposedly fulfill the role of their Destined One, saving the planet again. Saladin Ahmed, Minkyu Jung, Juan Vlasco, Ian Herring, and Joe Caramagna are doing some interesting world-building here, and ensuring that nothing is quite what it seems.

| Published by Marvel

Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt #5 is the beautiful conclusion to what has been a brilliant series from Kieron Gillen, Caspar Wijngaard, Mary Safro, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. It’s been a sequel, satire, criticism, and repudiation of Watchmen, but it’s also been an interesting mediation on “being better” while coming to terms with the nature of reality and learning to deal with the human element.

| Published by Dynamite

Queen of Bad Dreams #2 gets more into the grit of IJ Wei’s investigation into the escaped figment, delivering some great police procedural stuff. The artwork from Jordi Pérez and Dearbhla Kelly is wonderful. Reminding me a lot of some of the work from John Watkiss, particularly during a very impressive action sequence.

| Published by Vault

She Said Destroy #1 is an intriguing science fantasy debut from Joe Corallo, Liana Kangas, Rebecca Nalty, and Melanie Ujimori. It taps into Celtic mythology, presenting a war between Brigid and the Morrigan, but also appears to be telling a coming of age story with some members of the Morrigan’s flock as they try to combat Brigid’s oppression. 

| Published by Vault

Star Wars #108 is essentially another one-shot in the 80th anniversary of Marvel celebration, with Matthew Rosenberg and a murderers’ row of new and old Star Wars artists delivering a tale set in the old Marvel continuity. While you’ll get more out of it if you’re familiar with the original series, with familiar faces like Valance Hunter, Domina Tagge, and Jaxxon, but it still works well on its own without having any foreknowledge of previous events.

| Published by Marvel

Stranger Things: Six #1 begins another prequel mini-series, this time introducing us to “Six” and looking into the experiments going on at the Hawkins Labs, from Jody Houser, Edgar Salazar, Keith Champagne, Marissa Louise, and Nate Piekos. I quite liked the first one that served as a view into the terror that Will went through during season one, but this one looks like it’ll be breaking some new ground. Very interested to see more of what happened earlier.

| Published by Dark Horse

Superman: Leviathan Rising Special #1 is a tease for Event Leviathan, the next turn in the Superman series, the forthcoming Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen minis, and the upcoming Supergirl arc once she returns to Earth, but it also manages to tell a fairly entertaining story in its own right as Talia al Ghul kidnaps Clark Kent.

| Published by DC Comics

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #94 continues “City at War” as everything gets nastier and dirtier, and we still haven’t had a full-on incendiary spark yet to ignite even larger warfare. Dave Wachter and Ronda Pattison deliver some incredible artwork. Splinter is very chilling in this one.

| Published by IDW

Thor #13 will make you care about Cul Borson. At least, a little bit. Maybe. Jason Aaron, Mike del Mundo, Marco D’Alfonso, and Joe Sabino deliver on another single issue story broadening the bits and pieces of the War of the Realms.

| Published by Marvel

Transformers #6 takes a break from the ongoing narrative and gives us a look into the past friendship between Megatron and Orion Pax, from Brian Ruckley, Beth McGuire-Smith, and Tom B. Long. There are some interesting parallels between Megatron’s observations and the drifting apart of these two old friends.

| Published by IDW

Wolverine: The Long Night #5 concludes this adaptation of the podcast of the same name from Benjamin Percy, Marcio Takara, Matt Milla, and Joe Caramagna. This has been a mature, psychological thriller amidst all of the violence and darkness, with this final chapter delivering more twists even as it brings the answers.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: Age of X-Man: X-Tremists #4, Bad Luck Chuck #3, Black Panther #12, Blossoms 666 #4, Catwoman Annual #1, Dark Red #3, Dead Kings #5, Delver #4, Dick Tracy Forever #2, Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #8, Dog Days of Summer #1, Fantastic Four #10, Fight Club 3 #5, Four Sisters 2: Hortense, Grand Abyss Hotel, KINO #16, Life on the Moon, Lumberjanes: Somewhere Green #1, Major X #4, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #39, Princeless - Book 8: Princesses #3, Punk Mambo #2, Punks Not Dead: London Calling #4, Rick & Morty #50, Spawn #297, Star Trek: Year Five #2, Star Wars: Vader - Dark Visions #4, Superior Spider-Man #6, TMNT: Urban Legends #13, Thanos #2, Wailing Blade #1, War of the Realms: Giant-Man #2, War of the Realms: Spider-Man & The League of Realms #2, War of the Realms: War Scrolls #2, Wasted Space #10, X-23 #12, X-Men: Grand Design - X-Tinction #1

Recommended Collections: Death Orb - Volume 1, Dept. H Omnibus - Volume 1, The Goon: Bunch of Old Crap, Judge Dredd: Toxic, Punisher - Volume 2: War in Bagalia, Rick & Morty Presents - Volume 1, X-Force - Volume 1: Sins of the Past

For the week of 20 May 2019

Quick Bits:

Action Comics #1011 is the last stop before Event Leviathan starts in earnest and it raises more questions as to what’s going on. Brian Michael Bendis, Steve Epting, Brad Anderson, and Josh Reed have done a great job elevating tension through this lead-up and moving the pieces around the board.

| Published by DC Comics

Assassin Nation #3 is another brutal issue from Kyle Starks, Erica Henderson, and Deron Bennett. The body count remains high and we get more questions about who authorized the hit. There’s some hints that it may all just be misdirection.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Detective Comics #1004 gives us the life history of Astrid Arkham. It’s told largely in full page montages, really allowing Brad Walker, Andrew Hennessy, and Nathan Fairbairn to cut loose on the visuals.

| Published by DC Comics

Faithless #2 sees Faith go to a party, and then it gets weird. This feels like that Griffin Dunne film of him wandering around New York, only with more magic and gorgeous art from Maria Llovet.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Ghost Tree #2 delivers well on the promise of the first issue, going further with Brandt’s conversations with the spirits around the ghost tree, and setting up the possibility of something horrible coming soon. More gorgeous artwork from Simon Gane, Ian Herring, and Becka Kinzie.

| Published by IDW

Incursion #4 is a fitting conclusion to this series bringing Gilad back to a regular status in the world of the living, with some interesting teases as to what might be further down the line, from Andy Diggle, Alex Paknadel, Doug Braithwaite, Diego Rodriguez, Leonardo Paciarotti, and Marshall Dillon.

| Published by Valiant

Justice League Dark #11 continues “Lords of Order” and keeps burning down the magical side of the DC Universe, while diving very deep into the back catalogue to build up the new. James Tynion IV is developing a very interesting structure for what might be coming.

| Published by DC Comics

Middlewest #7 shows the sheer devastation that Abel can unleash as his powers manifest, similar to the rage that his father has shown, and how his newfound “family” can also let him down horribly. Great work from Skottie Young, Jorge Corona, Jean-Francois Beaulieu, and Nate Piekos as the story seems to be headed for more dangerous waters.

| Published by Image

Star Wars: Age of Rebellion - Jabba the Hutt #1 is an entertaining little story of how Jabba manipulates others to accomplish his goals.

| Published by Marvel

Stone Star #3 gives us another surprise as Dail tries to save Kitzo from being eaten in the arena by Most-Maw. It’s very interesting how this series plays with elements of hero shooters and the designs for the characters and creatures by Max Dunbar are incredible.

| Published by Swords & Sassery

Other Highlights: A Shining Beacon, Age of X-Man: Amazing Nightcrawler #4, Animosity #21, Asgardians of the Galaxy #9, Avengers #19, Batgirl #35, Battlestar Galactica: Twilight Command #4, Bone Parish #9, Books of Magic #8, Clue: Candlestick #1, Cyber Force #10, Dial H for Hero #3, Doctor Strange #14, The Flash #71, Freedom Fighters #6, Gasolina #18, GI Joe: A Real American Hero #262, The Goon #2, Highwayman, Invader Zim #43, Invisible Kingdom #3, Martian Manhunter #5, Marvel Comics Presents #5, Mary Shelley: Monster Hunter #2, Miles Morales: Spider-Man #6, Monstress #22, Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur #43, Mr. & Mrs. X #11, Redneck #20, Riverdale Season 3 #3, Road of Bones #1, Rumble #12, Runaways #21, Shuri #8, The Silencer #17, Star Trek: Q Conflict #4, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge #2, Tony Stark: Iron Man #11, The Unstoppable Wasp #8, Venom #14, War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery #3, War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas #2, War of the Realms: The Punisher #2, War of the Realms: Strikeforce - The Land of Giants #1, War of the Realms: Uncanny X-Men #2, The Warning #7, Welcome to Wanderland #4. Wolverine: Infinity Watch #4, Wonder Woman #71, X-Force #8

Recommended Collections: Black Badge - Volume 1, Black Magick, Cover - Volume 1, Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Volume 1, East of West - Volume 9, Fantastic Four - Volume 2: Mr. & Mrs. Grimm, Friendo - Volume 1, James Bond: Blackbox, Middlewest - Book 1, Planet Terry Complete Collection, Redlands - Volume 2, Summit - Volume 3: Truth & Consequences, Wayward - Book 3

d. emerson eddy thinks there should be more hours in the day.