#reye/flip reed

[homosherb]

my life was forever altered last year

[berrymuttbb]

charon docks at daylight by zoe reed moodboard

[zrreed]

If I may ask, why when you write the authors name says Zoe but your name is Reye? Feel free not to answer this, totally no pressure

Nah that’s a valid question xD. So, when i first started publishing, my extended family was just getting used to the idea of me being lgbt, so i wanted to use a pen name to make it a little more difficult for them to find my work. which... didn’t end up happening cuz my parents were proud of me and told everyone lmao. but also, i wasn’t sure at the time (i was 17/18) if i wanted people to know my real name, i was hardly active online (didnt have tumblr till i was like 21) and the anonymity of it made me feel a little safer.

obviously now i don’t care, and since coming out as trans, while publishing under zoe reed doesn’t bother me, I do get a little uncomfortable tinge when someone calls me zoe or uses female pronouns (not all their fault tho if they don’t follow me on social medias). i have thought about changing my publish name to Z. Reed so it’s a little more gender neutral, idk, maybe in my next book i’ll put a note about changing it in the future.

anyway yeah, my real name is Reye (like ray), and my nickname is Flip. y’all can call me either :)

[finnofamerica]

Awful Heart - Dwalin X Reader || Part Three ||

Summary: Being a live engineer for Poor Impulse Control, you usually don’t get a lot of attention. However, playing at seedy bars and the growing popularity of the band has caught the attention of some man - a stalker. With no idea who he is and his notes coming more frequently your production manager thought it’d be safer to hire a bodyguard. (Modern AU)

Word Count: 1,788

Date Posted: 05.01.2020

Note: Y’all I’ve been on a roll with this series that nobody wanted. I am rolling. Rolling. Guys. I can’t. 

|| Masterlist || Part Two || 

Dwalin was up early the next morning to make sure that the contract would make its way back to Erebor. Since the tour officially started last night in the Band’s hometown, Dwalin thought it’d be best if he made sure you got home safely last night followed up with a promise to meet you back at your apartment in the morning.

“So you’ve worked at this bar before?” Dwalin asked as he prepared to ride with you to your apartment. 

“Yeah, all the time. The owner is an old friend of Aaron’s so he lets us play for a discounted price.” You shrugged. 

“So it’d make sense if your stalker was a regular patron then.” 

“I really don’t want to talk about that.” 

Dwalin shook his head. He could understand why you didn’t want to talk about it, but not talking about it wasn’t going to fix the problem. 

As early in the morning as it was, you were awake when he arrived. In fact, you had already packed by the time Dwalin knocked on your door. 

“Morning,” Was all you said when you opened the door. 

“Morning.” Was all that was returned. 

“The bus will be here in fifteen minutes. It’s good that we had the sense to pack everything in last night.” You set your bag down and stretched. Dwalin had to restrain himself from eyeing the sliver of skin that showed just above your pants. Be professional, he chastised himself. He wasn’t a blind man, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t control himself better than a teenage boy. 

It was quiet for a long time while you waited for the van to arrive. Your neighbor passed by quietly with his dog, bidding you a good morning. 

“You’re sure there’ll be enough room for me?” Dwalin asked, interrupting the quiet of the morning. 

“There’s gonna have to be. Aaron hired you along.” You shrugged, then noticing his frown you continued, “We have a big van. You’ll be fine.” 

The van in question was actually Josh’s old van. She was sturdy and she’d get you where you wanted to go, but after all these years, she needed a little TLC. You settled into the van with ease, ending up in the middle row while Everett, that ass, laid across the entire back seat. Up in the front passenger seat with the same fluffy blond curls and boyish smile as ever, was Dix. 

“Hi, Dwalin right?” He reached a hand out. “I’m James Dixion, though most everyone around here calls me Dix. You can too if you’re cool. I’m the lighting tech. I see you’re already well acquainted with our lovely little Y/n/n.” 

Dwalin nodded, letting Dix do most of the talking. 

“Driving is Joshua Vaughn, he is our drum tech. This sack of shit van is his.” 

Josh reached over and smacked Dix across the head with the back of his hand. 

“Ignore him,” Josh said, flicking some of his shoulder-length brown hair over his shoulder, glancing at Dwalin in the rearview mirror. “He’s jealous that his tiny dinky car couldn’t make the cut.” 

“My dinky car is perfectly fine!” 

“We are not putting six people in that tiny car.” 

“Six people?” Dwalin asked. 

“Oh yeah,” Dix continued. “Aaron will be joining us whenever he gets too annoyed at Ryker. Whom you’ve already met, and the girls Magdalyn Rose, Ava Reyes, and Juniper Drake.” 

“Why would he be getting annoyed at Ryker?” 

“They’re siblings,” You explained, “Ryker and Aaron Jones. When the band started getting big, Ryker turned to her brother to help her manage gigs and now he’s the production manager.” 

“Can you guys quiet down, I’m trying to sleep.” Piped up the voice from the back seat. 

“And that lazy lump back there is Everett Reed. He’s our guitar tech.” Dix finished off the introductions. Everett lifted a hand over the back seat, flipping off Dix. 

It was at that moment that Dwalin realized he’d be spending a lot of time in this van and he wondered if signing up for this was really worth the paycheck. Then he saw your smile, and how much you loved these boys. So he settled in and dug a book out of the bag that he’d brought. 

It was quiet for a long time, Josh and Dix talking amongst themselves in the front while Everett’s light snores served as ambiance. You studied Dwalin for a moment, growing bored of staring out the window or giving Josh and Dix a reason to argue. 

Dwalin was leaning back against the bench reading The Art of War. As big of a man as he was the book looked small in his hands. His beard was long and rough, but well kept at the same time. 

“You’re staring again.” He said, barely taking his eyes off his book. 

“You remind me of a bear.” You commented. It wasn’t a big deal to you, lots of people reminded you of animals. He just rose a brow at you, huffed, and went back to reading. 

. . .

Several days went on like this, long days in the van driving to the next location for the next gig. Then it was up again in the morning and off to the next show. Switching up whoever was driving whenever the person in the driver's seat got too fatigued. Days felt like years in the van, everyone getting a little stir crazy, knowing that their only breaks were stops for meals and the restroom. 

“Y/n/n,” Dix whined from the middle seat. You were in the back by yourself stretching out your legs while Everett drove. “I’m bored.” 

“You’re kinda S.O.L then, aren’t you?” You rose a brow at him. 

“Play something.” He pouted, turning his brown puppy eyes on you, “Please?” 

You sighed, leaning over the back seat and opening up the guitar case you had stashed back there. Pulling out a beautiful electric guitar that looked like the night sky, and a small battery-operated amp that you could plug directly into your guitar. 

“What then?” You asked, strumming a few chords to check the tuning. 

“You can play the guitar?” Dwalin asked. He wasn’t much for talking, but a few things he wanted answers to. 

“Yeah,” Dix grinned, “She taught Ry everything that she knows. Though, Ry did always have the voice for this. Y/n/n should be in the band in my opinion.” 

“You know that that’s not happening, Dix.” You shook your head. “I don’t like attention.” 

“Which is kinda ironic when you think about it.” The blond mused. 

“I don’t want to talk about it.” 

. . .

The more Dwalin learned about you, the more he wanted to know more. You didn’t like talking about your stalker or why Dwalin’s services were needed in the first place. You would simply refuse to talk about it. He’d thought long and hard on the situation at night while you slept, leaned against his side. 

“We’re here, everyone,” Aaron pulled to a stop alongside another bar. A light sleeper yourself, you woke at his words, but Josh and Everett took stronger efforts. 

“The Royal Growler?” Dix snorted incredulously. You sat up in your seat, taming your hair before climbing out of the van, happy to stretch your legs after a fourteen-hour drive. 

“I’m gonna go introduce myself to the house guy.” You told Aaron, knowing that he’d be following close behind, along with your mountain of muscle that he hired. 

“You too, Big Bear,” You didn’t need to say it, but you wanted to see if you could get Dwalin to squirm. He didn’t outwardly squirm, but squirm he did. Big Bear? What the hell did that mean? He hated it but at the same time, it didn’t sound so bad coming from you. So he followed, he was going to regardless, but he followed in shock. 

However, soon enough your crew was cleared to set up. Each one of them was happy to have the chance to actually use their muscles, including you. 

Dwalin was beginning to love watching you work, watching you carry and move all of these heavy boxes, upwards of seventy pounds apiece. It didn’t help that today your muscled legs were exposed due to your shorts, and suddenly Dwalin felt like a teenager again. You were under his charge, he shouldn’t be looking at you like you were available to him. You weren’t available to him. You’d never be. It wasn’t appropriate. 

Everett brought back Mexican food. 

“I wasn’t sure what to get you, big guy, so I got you the biggest thing I could think of.” He handed a bag to Dwalin, “Tonight’s not gonna be much fun on an empty stomach.” 

Dwalin watched on as Everett turned his attention to you, handing you a styrofoam box of your own. “For you, Little Mamma.” 

You did a little dance in your spot, excited at the prospect of digging into your duo beef and cheese enchiladas. Now that wouldn’t have impressed Dwalin in the slightest if it weren’t for the fact that it also came with rice and beans. It seems that Dwalin wasn’t the only one who could pack away food. Is it bad that he found that attractive about you? 

And soon enough the lights were down, the alcohol was flowing, and the crowd was beginning to thicken. Dwalin stood close to you, on one hand, to keep the drunks away, on the other because he wanted to be close to you. 

You didn’t mind really, he gave you enough space not to crowd your work, and you knew he was watching out for you. When the bar got hot, he’d shrug off his leather jacket, and when you weren’t admiring the muscle in his arms you were admiring his sleeves of tattoos that ran down his arms. 

The tattoos weren’t as hardcore as you expected. One arm was a mountain range and a forest, beautifully done. You almost couldn’t believe that it was ink on skin. The other, clockwork and skulls and flowers. Edgy but soft, and you had a sneaking suspicion that this grouchy mountain next to you was just like that. 

Then the crowd was gone, like a whirlwind, and things were being packed up. You could hear some party song playing loudly at the other end of the bar, but that didn’t matter because it was the end of the night and you were ready to pass out from exhaustion. 

Then the bar owner arrived and handed you a note. 

Just a small scrap of paper. 

Did you miss me these past few days? I missed you, beautiful. 

I’ll see you at the next show

- N

tags: open || Part Four || 

[luvneedsnosyt]

My Selections for GRAMMYS 2020

Continuing what I started last year here’s my reaction to the GRAMMY Nominations with my selections for who I believe should win, and also who I would have picked for each category.

Let me first lay out the ground rules: - I will be following the time frame for eligibility which is October 1st 2018 to September 30th 2019. - I will be ignoring categories for genres I don’t listen to enough. Metal, Country, Classical, Jazz, will be left off. - I am ignoring that the Performance categories are a mixture of recordings and live performances and just treating them as genre specific “Records of the year” awards. The one’s with “Song” in the title are geared more towards the song writing. - I will first make my selection of the available options. Bold and underlines will be my top selection with underlined not bold as my runner up. - I will then make my own selections for each category and who I think should win out of that. - My selection is not just a list of my favorite albums. My selections will be a balancing act taking in account artistic accomplishments, Impact both culturally and popularity as well as what I personally think is good. - I made a few liberties with some of my selections, mostly from the rules for eligibility being vague in spots. - This list is just all my biased suggestions. I’m sure there will be some major differences in opinions with anybody who reads this. - Feel free to shoot me a message to discuss more with me anything you wish to!

Album of the Year:

Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next Billie Eilish - WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE SO WE GO? Bon Iver - I,I H.E.R. - I Used To Know Her Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rickwell Lil Nas X - 7 Lizzo - Cuz I Love You Vampire Weekend - Father Of The Bride

My Picks: Big Wild - Superdream Jacob Banks - The Village Illenium - ASCEND Khalid - Free Spirit Lizzo - Cuz I Love You Nick Murphy - Run Fast Sleep Naked Nilfür Yanya - Miss Universe Tyler, The Creator - IGOR

Record of the Year:

Ariana Grande - 7 Rings Billie Eilish - Bad Guy Bon Iver - Hey, Ma H.E.R. - Hard Place Khalid - Talk Lil Nas X - Old Town Road (Feat. Billy Ray Cyrus) Lizzo - Truth Hurts Post Malone & Swae Lee - Sunflower

My Picks: Avicii - SOS (Feat. Aloe Blacc) Bon Iver - Hey Ma Flume - Let You Know (Feat. London Grammer) G Flip - About You Illenium - Good Things Fall Apart (Feat. Jon Bellion) Khalid - Talk Lizzo - Cuz I Love You Taylor Swift - Lover

Song of the Year:

Billie Eilish - Bad Guy H.E.R. - Hard Place Lady Gaga - Always Remember Us This Way Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell Lewis Capaldi - Someone You Loved Lizzo - Truth Hurts Taylor Swift - Lover Tanya Tucker - Bring Me Flowers Now

My Picks: Flux Pavilion - Somebody Else (Feat. GLNNA)  G Flip - I Am Not Afraid Gryffin & Aloe Blacc - Hurt People Kahlid - Better Maggie Rogers - Alaska MUNA - Stayaway LÉON - You & I

Best New Artist:

Billie Eilish Black Pumas Lil Nas X Lizzo Maggie Rogers ROSALÍA Tank and the Bangas Yola

My Picks: Billie Eilish Clairo Dermot Kennedy G Flip Jacob Banks Kim Petras Maggie Rogers Nilfür Yanya

Best Pop Solo Performance:

Ariana Grande - 7 Rings Beyoncé - Spirit Billie Eilish - Bad Guy Lizzo - Truth Hurts Taylor Swift - You Need To Calm Down

My Picks: Bon Iver - Hey, Ma Billie Eilish - Bad Guy G Flip - About You Maggie Rogers - Alaska Nilfür Yanya - Heavyweight Champion of the Year

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:

Ariana Grande & Social House - Boyfriend Jonas Brothers - Sucker Lil Nas X - Old Town Road (Feat. Billy Ray Cyrus) Post Malone & Swae Lee - Sunflower Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello - Senorita

My Picks: James Blake - Barefoot in the Park (Feat. ROSALÍA) JOHNNYSWIM - Souvenir Khalid - Outta My Head (Feat. John Mayer) Mark Ronson - Late Night Feelings (Feat. Lykke Li) MUNA - Stayaway

Best Pop Vocal Album:

Ariana Grande - thank u, next Beyonce - The Link King: The Gift Billie Eilish - WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? Ed Sheeran - No. 6 Collaborations Project Taylor Swift - Lover

My Picks: Billie Eilish - WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? G Flip - About Us Kim Petras - Clarity Maggie Rogers - Heard It In A Past Life Nilfür Yanya - Miss Universe

Best Dance Recording:

Bonobo - Linked The Chemical Brothers - Got To Keep On Meduza Feat. Goodboys - Piece Of Your Heart RÜFÜS DU SOL - Underwater Skrillex & Boyz Noize - Midnight Hour (Feat. Ty Dolla $ign)

My Picks: Big Wild - Joypunks Flume - Let You Know (Feat. London Grammer) Flux Pavilion - Somebody Else (Feat. GLNNA) Illenium - Good Things Fall Apart (Feat. Jon Bellion) Elohim - runnin

Best Dance/Electronic Album:

Apparaty - LP5 The Chemical Brothers - No Georgraphy Flume - Hi This Is Flume [Mixtape] RÜFÜS DU SOL - Solace Tycho - Weather

My Picks: Big Wild - Superdream Alan Walker - Different World Illenium - ASCEND RÜFÜS DU SOL - Solace Whethan - Life of a Wallflower Vol. 1

Best Rock Performance:

Bones UK - Pretty Waste Gary Clark Jr. - This Land Brittany Howard - History Repeats Karen O & Danger Mouse - Woman Rival Sons - Too Bad 

My Picks: FIDLAR - Get Off My Rock Karen O & Danger Mouse - Turn the Light Mother Mother - Dance and Cry The Ting Tings - Estranged Foals - Exits

Best Rock Song:

Tool - Fear Inoculum The 1975 - Give Yourself A Try Vampire Weekend - Harmony Hall Brittany Howard - History Repeats  Gary Clark Jr. - This Land 

My Picks: Brittany Howard - He Loves Me Circa Waves - Sorry I’m Yours Karen O & Danger Mouse - Woman Of Monsters and Men - Rororo Vampire Weekend - This Life

Best Rock Album:

Bring Me The Horizon - amo Cage The Elephant - Social Cues The Cranberries - In The End I Prevail - Trauma Rival Sons - Feral Roots

My Picks: Bring Me The Horizon - amo Circa Waves - What’s It Like Over There? Foals - Part I: Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Mother Mother - Laugh and Cry The 1975 - A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships

Best Alternate Album:

Big Thieft - U.F.O.F. Bon Iver - I,I James Blake - Assume Form Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride Thom Yorke - Anima

My Picks: Bon Iver - I,I Nick Murphy - Ran Fast Sleep Naked James Blake - Assume Form Karen O & Danger Mouse - Lux Prima Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride

Best R&B Performance:

Daniel Caesar & Brandy - Love Again H.E.R. - Could’ve Been (Feat. Bryson Tiller) Lizzo - Exactly How I Feel (Feat. Gucci Mane) Lucky Daye - Roll Some Mo Anderson .Paak - Come Home (Feat. Andre 3000)

My Picks: Kindness - Hard To Believe (Feat. Jazmine Sullivan & Sampha) Mahlia - What You Did (Feat. Ella Mai) Maverick Sabre - Slow Down (Feat. Jorja Smith) Nicole Bus - You Rationale - Explosions 

Best Traditional R&B Performance:

BJ The Chicago Kid - Time Today India.Arie - Steady Love Lizzo - Jerome Lucky Daye - Real Games PJ Morton - Built For Love (Feat. Jazmine Sullivan)

My Picks: BANKS - Look What You’re Doing to Me (Feat. Francis & The Lights) Jacob Banks - Love Ain’t Enough Kahlid - Better Lizzo - Cuz I Love You Ruti - Racing Cars

Best R&B Song:

H.E.R. - Could’ve Been (Feat. Bryson Tiller) Emily King - Look At Me Now Chris Brown - No Guidance (Feat. Drake) Lucky Daye - Roll Some Mo PJ Morton - Say So (Feat. JoJo)

My Picks: BJ The Chicago Kid - Reach (Feat. Afrojack) Khalid - Free Spirit Lucky Daye - Concentrate Maverick Sabre - Weakness Ruti - Racing Cars

Best Urban Contemporary Album:

Steve Lacy - Apollo XXI Lizzo - Cuz I Love You Georgia Anna Muldrow - Overload NAO - Saturn Jessie Reyes - Being Human in Public

My Picks: BANKS - III Kindness - Something Like War Lizzo - Cuz I Love You Maverick Sabre - When I Wake Up NAO - Saturn

Best R&B Album:

BJ The Chicago Kid - 1123 Lucky Daye - Painted Ella Mai - Ella Mai PJ Morton - Paul Anderson .Paak - Ventura

My Picks: BJ The Chicago Kid - 1123 Dawn Richard - New Breed Jacob Banks - The Village Kahlid - Free Spirit Anderson .Paak - Ventura

Best Rap Performance:

J. Cole - Middle Child DaBaby - Suge Dreamville - Down Bad (Feat. J.I.D., Bas, J. Cole, EARTHGANG & Young Nudy) Nipsey Hussle - Racks in the Middle (Feat. Roddy Rich & Hit-Boy) Offset - Clout (Feat. Cardi B)

My Picks: Denzel Curry - RICKY Big K.R.I.T. - K.R.I.T. HERE Freddie Gibs & Madlib - Palmolive (Feat. Pusha T & Killer Mike) Little Simz - Boss Mustard - Pure Water (Feat. Migos)

Best Rap/Song Performance:

DJ Khaled - Higher (Feat. Nipsey Hussle & John Legend) Lil Baby & Gunna - Drop Too Hard Lil Nas X - Panini Mustard - Ballin (Feat. Roddy Rich) Young Thug - The London (Feat. J. Cole & Travis Scott)

My Picks: Chance The Rapper - All Day (Feat. John Legend) GoldLink - Zulu Screams (Feat. Maleek Berry & Babi Bourelly) Kevin Abstract - Joyride Lizzo - Tempo (Feat. Missy Elliott) TOBi - Come Back Home (Feat. VanJess)

Best Rap Song:

YBN Cordae - Bad Idea (Feat. Chance The Rapper) Rick Ross - Gold Roses (Feat. Drake) 21 Savage - A Lot (Feat. J. Cole) Nipsey Hussle - Racks in the Middle (Feat. Roddy Rich & Hit-Boy) DaBaby - Suge

My Picks: Boogie - Soho (Feat. JID) JID - 151 Rum Rapsody - Nina Raja Kumari - SHOOK YBN Cordae - Have Mercy

Best Rap Album:

Dreamville - Revenger Of The Dreamer III Meek Mill - Chamionships 21 Savage - I Am> I Was Tyler, The Creator - IGOR YBN Cordae - The Lost Boy

My Picks: Denzell Curry - ZUU GoldLink - Diaspora Rapsody - Eve Lil Simz - GREY Area Tyler, The Creator - IGOR

Producer of the Year (Non-Classical):

Dan Auerbach Finneas Jack Antonoff John Hill Ricky Reed

My Picks: Big Wild Diplo Jack Antonoff Seven Lions Tyler, The Creator

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1129

Monday, September 24, 2018

 Hello all you off the rackers. How's it going eh? I've been away the last couple of weeks on a trip out west. We landed in Victoria, BC on September 6 and did a road trip visiting Duncan, Comox and Tofino. Had a wonderful reunion with my childhood friend from the Glebe in Comox who I haven't seen in nearly 25 years. Time in Tofino was spent walking the beaches and enjoying all sorts of culinary delights. If you've never been to Vancouver Island you should go just for the drive through the mountains. We could see a glacier from the air B&B in Tofino that we stayed in. Penny and I spent an extra couple of days in Vancouver before returning to Ottawa where we had a lovely dinner with some Comicshop alumni from the 1980s. Thanks to Brent, Colleen, Keith, Louise and Scooter for showing up and catching up.

 A tornado touched down in our area on Friday, September 21. The power at the house went out at 7 PM and we didn't get it back until 11 AM on Saturday. No damage in our neighbourhood but others were heavily damaged. Our new fence held up excellently, thanks to Keith Astley. We were very lucky to only be inconvenienced a little. I feel for the folks who lost their houses and businesses. I had to drive around on the weekend and was glad to see most people being patient and courteous at the intersections where the traffic lights were not working. I did see a few anal pores who thought that the rules didn't apply to them and made other drivers hesitate and thus slow the whole process down even more.

 This may very well be the last off the rack that I write. Comet Comics is closing down it's current location and moving its subscription service to a used book store up the street. I will be out of a job and will not be able to borrow comic books to read anymore. Thanks to Brent at The Comicshop in Vancouver, I found out that I started to write for the newsletter back in 1986 with an editorial and then writing the Newswatch section. My first off the rack was in 1994 and I have been doing it weekly since then with only a few breaks. I love sharing my thoughts about the comics that I read but it sometimes feels like I'm doing an unpaid job too. Thanks to Ron Van Leeuwen at The Silver Snail and Heather MacDonald at Comet Comics for allowing me to enjoy my comic book hobby gratis. I wish you all the best. Thanks to the folks that read my musings and the comments you've shared with me. You guys take care, okay?

 Cover #1 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) David Mack (art) Zu Orzu (colours) Carlos M. Mangual (letters). Things start off at a comic con where we meet Max Field, comic book artist. It looked to me that this was going to be about comic book covers like the reprints in the back of the book of the ones David Mack has done, but then we meet a super fan of Max's with very deep pockets. Her name is Julia. The story gets a lot more interesting when Julia shows up at a con in London, England and tells Max what her job is. David Mack's art is very distinctive but I didn't guess that this was drawn by him until I got to some painted panels later. This is an intriguing new book and I would put it on my "must read" list.

 The Immortal Hulk #6/LGY #723 - Al Ewing (writer) Lee Garbett (art) Paul Mounts (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I am very impressed with the writing. It's sophisticated and thought provoking. The new military organisation set up to handle the Hulk is creepy and eerie. This issue sets up a big fight between the Hulk and the Avengers so it looks like next issue will be a smashing good time.

 The Dreaming #1 - Simon Spurrier (writer) Bilquis Evely (art) Mat Lopes (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). The Sandman is AWOL, the Dreaming is crumbling and its denizens don't know what to do. Lucien the librarian is in charge but he seems overwhelmed by the chaos around him. Meanwhile, new character Dora is hopping about between dreams and we get a glimpse of her true self. There is so much that is intriguing about this new Vertigo series based on Neil Gaiman's creations that I think Sandman fans will be pleased.

 Return of Wolverine #1 - Charles Soule (writer) Steve McNiven (pencils) Jay Leisten (inks) Laura Martin (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). I consider myself to be a pretty good artist spotter. I can flip open a comic book and tell you who drew it but this time I was fooled and thought that Barry Windsor-Smith did the art for this issue. I still enjoyed the visual feast featuring Logan's return to the racks. Some fans might not be satisfied with no real explanation of how Logan came back to life and starts fighting the bad guys but I just accepted that he's here and has a mission to save the world. His foes are formidable and he starts off wearing the old familiar yellow and blue costume but changes by the last page to a more contemporary one. As much as I liked this getting a running start I do hope they tell us how Wolverine gets resurrected down the line.

 The Immortal Hulk #5/LGY #722 - Al Ewing (writer) Joe Bennett (pencils) Ruy Jose (inks) Paul Mounts (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I had a feeling I was missing something when I was reading #6 yesterday. This book is hitting the racks every two weeks and I didn't get a chance to read this issue before leaving on my trip to Vancouver Island two weeks ago. I'm glad I did because it explains the mysterious reflection that Bruce sees in the mirror in #6. I thought it was Major Talbot or the Leader with a normal sized head but it's not. Here we have the Hulk fighting Sasquatch and saving Walter Langkowski from himself. This issue also emphasises the fact that this new Hulk isn't just a mindless monster. I really like that this Hulk can have a regular conversation.

 Adventures of the Super Sons #2 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Carlo Barberi (pencils) Art Thibert (inks) Protobunker (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). How are a green Kryptonite weakened Superboy and a bound Robin going to defeat the Gang of young super villains? They get help, that's how. The last page made me smile because it uses a classic twist from the days of "The Death of Superman". This is a fun book.

 Avengers #7/LGY #697 - Jason Aaron (writer) Sara Pichelli (pencils) Sara Pichelli & Elisabetta D'Amico (inks) Justin Ponsor (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). It's the origin story of the very first Ghost Rider plus a super villain that Wolverine fans will recognise. This issue is a nice segue to…

 Avengers #8/LGY #698 - Jason Aaron (writer) David Marquez (art) Justin Ponsor (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The current Ghost Rider, Roberto Reyes, arrives at the new Avengers headquarters and is officially made a member. The new HQ at the North Pole is very cool and pure comic book plausible. After a quick tour the team gets a global alert that Roxxon is up to no good and the battle cry is uttered. It's off to the southern seas and a confrontation with an old ally. Imperius Rex!

 Batman #54 - Tom King (writer) Matt Wagner (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Dick Grayson sticks around after Batman and Catwoman's break up to help Bruce get through it. It's a good excuse to remind us of their partnership. I loved how Dick's humour contrasted with Bruce's dour demeanour. Matt's art was a bonus for me.

 Batman #55 - Tom King (writer) Tony S. Daniel (pencils) Tony S. Daniel & Danny Miki (inks) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). The Dynamic Duo continues to keep Gotham City safe while a one-armed stranger arrives to go about an unknown mission. That mission is revealed in the shocking last page. This incident may just top the Killing Joke.

 Pearl #2 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Michael Gaydos (art & colours) Josh Reed (letters). When the first caption of the first page reads "years ago" you know it's origin story time. This story about a Yakuza tattoo artist/assassin is very different from Brian Michael Bendis's super hero stuff for DC. His work on Superman doesn't engage me like this book, Cover, and Scarlet do. I think it's because he's got to write the Man of Steel to appeal to younger readers too. Maybe I've outgrown Superman.

 West Coast Avengers #2/LGY #104 - Kelly Thompson (writer) Stefano Caselli (art) Triona Farrell (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This is a little more sophisticated than the Adventures of the Super Sons but it's still a lot of fun. I especially like Stefano Caselli's facial expressions. The B.R.O.D.O.K. AKA Bio-Robotic Organism Designed Overwhelmingly for Kissing is an upgrade from the super villain M.O.D.O.K. AKA Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing, but he's still not nice.

 Thor #5/LGY #711 - Jason Aaron (writer) Christian Ward (art & colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). We take a break from the present and travel to the far flung future to see if Old Thor can save the universe from dying. He meets an old friend who turns out to be not so friendly. The amalgam of Wolverine and the Phoenix Force is cool but wait until you see the huge mash up on the last page as the villain is revealed. This guy makes Thanos look like Forbush Man.

[transnames]

Some one-syllable neutral names

(Two-syllable names)

A: Ace, Add, Ade, Aim, Al, Ames, An, Ant, Art, Ash, Aud, Ax, Az

B: Bard, Barr, Bas, Bay, Baz, Beach, Beau, Beck, Bee, Beech, Bel, Bell, Bev, Birch, Bird, Blaine, Blair, Blake, Blaze, Bliss, Blue, Blythe, Bo, Bon, Boo, Brae, Brace, Brave, Bree, Breeze, Bret, Brook, Brooks, Bronx, Bry, Bryce, Bryn, Byrd

C: Cade, Cai, Cal, Cale, Cam, Case, Cass, Cat, Cay, Ceil, Cer, Chan, Char, Chas, Chase, Chay, Chi, Chip, Chris, Clare, Claude, Clay, Clor, Cloud, Clove, Co, Cole, Colt, Crane, Crow, Cruz, Cy, Cyd

D: Dahl, Dai, Daine, Dale, Dane, Dar, Dare, Dash, Dax, Day, Dee, Dell, Den, Dev, Dez, Di, Doe, Dor, Doss, Dove, Dray, Dream, Drew, Dru, Duff, Dune

E: East, Edge, El, Elk, Elm, Em, En, Eun, Ev, Eyre, Ez

F: Fang, Fawn, Fay, Fern, Fife, Finch, Finn, Fionn, Flame, Flann, Flick, Flint, Flip, Flor, Flynn, Fox, Fran, Free, Frost

G: Gab, Gale, Gen, Gene, Gil, Glade, Glaw, Glenn, Glo, Glynn, Gray, Green, Grey, Grove, Gull, Gus, Gwyn

H: Hal, Hale, Hail, Hall, Halle, Han, Hao, Harl, Hawk, Hayes, Haze, Hyeon

I: Ille, Inge, Io, Ire, Isle, Iss, Iv, Ives, Ix, Iz

J: Jade, Jae, Jak, Jam, Jan, Jas, Jax, Jay, Jayme, Jazz, Jean, Jem, Jeri, Jerre, Jess, Jet, Jewel, Jin, Jo, Joyce, Jude, Jules, June

K: Kade, Kai, Kal, Kam, Kass, Kay, Kaz, Keats, Kei, Kel, Kerr, Kick, Kim, Kit, Klaude, Klay, Klee, Knight, Knox, Kris, Ky, Kyle

L: Lan, Land, Lane, Lang, Lake, Lark, Leaf, Lee, Leeds, Leigh, Leith, Len, Lex, Li, Lin, Liv, Loch, Locke, Lon, Lorne, Lou, Luck, Lute, Lux, Lyre, Lyse

M: Mack, Mai, Maize, Mal, Mar, March, Marl, Mars, Marsh, Max, Mays, Mel, Mer, Merce, Merle, Mies, Miles, Mills, Min, Mint, Moe, Moon, Murph, Muse, Myrl, Myrrh

N: Nao, Nat, Neel, Nell, Nev, Nic, Night, Nile, Noe, Noel, Noor, Norm, North, Nove, Nox, Nyx

O: Oak, Oakes, Oates, Ode, Ore, Oz

P: Pace, Page, Park, Pat, Patch, Payne, Pau, Pax, Paz, Peace, Pearl, Per, Phi, Pier, Pierce, Pike, Pim, Pine, Pip, Poe, Puck

Q: Quail, Quay, Quest, Quill, Quince, Quinn

R: Rae, Rail, Rain, Raz, Red, Ree, Reed, Reese, Reeve, Rei, Reid, Reign, Ren, Reyes, Rho, Rhys, Rian, Ridge, Riles, Rin, Ro, Roan, Roar, Rome, Ronne, Roone, Roth, Roux, Rowan, Rox, Roy, Royce, Rue, Rune, Ry, Ryn, Ryo

S: Sage, Sal, Sam, Scout, Sea, Sev, Sey, Shade, Shale, Shan, Shark, Shaw, Shawn, Shay, Shea, Shel, Sim, Siv, Sky, Slate, Sloane, Smith, Snow, Spike, Sol, Sorrel, Spring, Spruce, Star, Steel, Stone, Storm, Sun, Sy, Syd

T: Tai, Taj, Tal, Tam, Tate, Tau, Tay, Taz, Teal, Tee, Tib, Tide, Tix, Tobes, Trace, Trev, True, Truth, Ty

U: Ulf, Ull

V: Val, Vale, Van, Vane, Verne, Vi, Vic, Viv, Von, Voss, Vox

W: Wade, Ward, West, Whit, Wil, Wild, Win, Wolf, Worth, Wren, Wyle, Wynn

X: Xan, Xande, Xav, Xen, Xi, Xie

Y: Yale, Yang, Yates, Yeats, Yon, Yu, Yule, Yve, Yves

Z: Zabe, Zade, Zahn, Zale, Zan, Zane, Zeal, Zed, Zee, Zell, Zen, Zeph, Zev, Zinc, Ziv, Zo