Spider Man Unmasked, Heel of the Week, and the IB gets Political!
Songs that Should Never be Covered, Ever
The music with Band of Gypsies was the best music Jimi Hendrix ever recorded. If you haven't heard their one album, you are doing yourself a disservice – this is one of the best albums ever recorded. No song off of it (and there are only 6) should ever be performed by anyone else. End of story.
The Idiot Box Proper
Only one news story worth my while this week. Check it…
Marvel comics has come under fire from superhero fans for unmasking one of their stars at a fictional press conference. Enduring crusader Spider-Man unexpectedly takes off his mask in front of awaiting reporters and snappers at a Washington publicity call in Marvel's latest edition, revealing the identity he has battled to keep secret for 44 years. Peter Parker agrees to the unmasking after federal legislation requires super heroes register and reveal their identities in a crackdown inspired by the deaths of hundreds of children at an elementary school when a battle between heroes and villains spills onto their grounds. But Marvel's editor-in-chief Joe Quesada reassured disgruntled fans on Wednesday that the unprecedented move is a positive step for the comic adventures. He said, "It is arguably the most shocking event in comic book history. It can be very intimidating if you don't know where the story is going or how it ends; we do, so we're just excited about where it takes us and the story possibilities it offers."
Publicity stunt? Hell yes, but nothing super-weak like "Superman gets a new costume" or the even worse "Batwoman is a lesbian" (like anyone even knows or cares who Batwoman is) which were obviously done ONLY to get mainstream attention. This was also done as a stunt, but it's a good one. This is a BIG change for Spidey, and I'm interested to see where it goes.
My only hope is that they don't pull one of those cop-out things like in "The Flash" where a mystical guy snaps his fingers and POOF everyone forgets that he is a Spider Man again. Because this is comics, that is always a possibility.
The Idiot Box Gets Political!
Why I Don't Like Liberals – What is it, exactly, that you guys stand for? I know that liberals love to bitch about the way things are, but rarely do I hear them come up with any ideas for a new way to do things. Nope, they just like to look down their noses at the past and the present and say snippy things… but not actually think toward the future.
Why I Don't Like Conservatives – Would you guys shut the fuck up about God already? This is America, a place where we don't *have* to believe in God. That is protected under freedom of religion. When the Founding Fathers built this joint, they specifically made a separation of church and state, to keep this sort of shit from happening. There is nothing wrong with believing in whatever God you want, but for crying out loud, keep your faith out of the government – it's called "faith." It can't be FORCED, it can't be COMMANDED, it is a personal commitment between a person and their imaginary friend who lives in the sky.
In all honesty, I myself am somewhat conservative. But my political views are not based on the Bible, or what Jerry Falwell tells me to think. And it drives me crazy that I can't find comradary among conservatives. To me "conservative" means that America takes care of America. It doesn't mean that nothing ever changes, ever. It doesn't mean that you have to hate gay people. And it most certainly DOES NOT mean that we all follow Jesus. It means that we focus on what makes America great, and work on keeping it great. It's a simple as that.
I've said it before and I'll say it again – if you want a great example of what happens when you combine religion and government, look no further than the TALIBAN. There is nothing wrong with being religious or having faith, but there is something wrong with forcing your faith on others.
Why I Don't Like Liberals Part 2 – If liberals are so liberal, why are they always kissing religious ass? You don't have to blend in with the conservatives, folks. You don't have to bend over backwards to agree "in principle" only to bicker of a minor detail.
They inserted "under God" into the Pledge of Allegiance in the 1950s, as a way to combat Communism. Our country did just fine before that. Americans have always had religion, since our inception as a nation, so why is it that NOW of all times, when we are locked in combat with religious extremists from other parts of the world, we are running to hide under God's robes? Are we really that fearful as a people?
Once again… religion is not bad, it just needs to be kept out of our government. And liberals are the ones who need to step up and say something.
The Pull List
The Definitive Runs (part 1)
Every comic book has a "definitive run." Under the guidance of a particular writer or writer/artist team, this run is a span of the comic's life in which sets the standard for the comic and/or the characters. For example, Peter David wrote "The Incredible Hulk" for an incredible 12 years, and I doubt you would find anyone who would argue that David did not deliver the best Hulk stories ever.
Another example is the much-ballyhooed work that Chris Claremont did with "Uncanny X-Men." With the Phoenix Saga and Ghosts of Future past, plus 15 additional years of X-men writing, Claremont is considered by many to be the definitive X-men storyteller.
But not by me. Yes, I agree completely that the X-Men wouldn't be the X-Men without Claremont. And yes, I also agree that the stories he wrote helped guide and shape the X Universe (which means, in essence, the Marvel U). But since this is the Idiot Box, and I'm the Head Idiot in Charge, I am not going to agree with the concensus view.
For me, the X-Men were always a good super team. Not in league with the Avengers or the Fantastic Four, but still good. Most of the characters didn't truly enthrall me… at least, not until the comic was re-christened "New X-Men" under the hand of Grant Morrison.
Starting in 2001 with "E for Extinction" Morrison rebuilt the X-Men from the ground up, and rampaged through the world of mutants for 40 issues.
To say his run on the comic was "highly controversial" is putting it lightly. While he did re-ignite interest in the comic with his bold, far-out ideas and tightly-written characters, he also pissed off a lot of X-Men purists and old-schoolers who didn't like the changes he made. And that is fair.
To me, Morrison's run is the definitive X-Men run because 1) he did something new 2) he broke out of the soaop opera mode the X-Men had been stuck in, and most importantly, 3) for the first time in my life, he made me a committed fan of the X-Men.
I was never really one to buy X comics (not since Onslaught, anyway) but Morrison got me hooked right off the bat – Genosha destroyed, "wild" Sentinels built from spare parts, humans becoming extinct, and a wicked new X-villain named Cassandra Nova. And all this in ONE story-arc. It would take Brian Michael Benids 15 YEARS to tell that story, and Morrison did it in a few issues.
When he left, he turned over the reigns to fan-boy fave Joss Whedon… who promptly lost my attention by the end of his first issue.
Heel of the Week
Ann Coulter. Once again, she proves that she has no soul or no real politics or ethics – all she has is an agenda to make money and make herself a star. This is not much different from any other pundit or talk radio host, admittedly, but few of them attack with such venom, and such little forethought. Most recently, Coulter attacked the widows of 9/11 victims. This is not "conservative" or even "far right" – this is simply cold blooded hate spewed to generate controversy and help her sell books. Truly, she is worthy of either pity or scorn – I'll let you know when I figure out which.
Merle Vaughn is an ex-soldier, an ex-bodyguard for a Vietnamese druglord, an ex-con, and an ex employee for a local dope trucking operation. After his new wife is murdered, this lifelong killer and thug is now the single father of a four month old baby girl. Merle wants to protect his daughter, and he'll kill the entire city to do it.
I'm using the blog to post updates and chapters on a crime novel. It's tough, violent, brutal in spots, even – but there is more going on than crime. Check it out
And after that, head over to theGainesville Sun
where you'll find a bi-weekly Podcast, featuring yours truly expounding upon B movies, music, and dumb shit with a couple of actual journalists. It's called Scene and Heard. This week we've got my buddy Jeff from Philly on the cast with us, and throwing down in an iPod battle.
