Punisher: Nightmare is a Punisher story. If you've read enough Punisher, seen a movie or two, or remember the Punisher episode of the Spider-man animated series in the '90s, then you know what that means. Punisher is a brute who murders bad guys and he does so because his family was murdered by bad guys.
There have been a lot of fantastic issues of Punisher. In fact, I've grown to love Punisher, especially after Greg Rucka's Punisher and Punisher: War Zone comics. It may be because of amazing depictions of Punisher such as these that I did not enjoy Punisher: Nightmare. Reading Punisher comics can sometimes be like being in the movie Groundhog Day - you keep experiencing the same thing over and over again. Frank Castle is more obsessed with his tragic origin story than Batman, and we've all heard Batman comics being reamed because the writers focus on the murder of Batman's parents instead of developing different areas of the Hamlet-esque complicated hero. Punisher: Nightmare merely uses the same method of Rucka's Punisher - with Frank Castle witnessing another individual who is like him both in character and extreme circumstances - except writer Scott Gimple does so with less finesse.
The writing in this volume is actually quite good. It may even be interesting if you have never read a Punisher comic in your life. But it starts with material that has been beaten to death and moves into a weird and gimmicky way of incorporating blogging into comic books. Gimple has talent, but in Punisher: Nightmare it just feels like he doesn't have direction.
I wouldn't waste my time with Punisher: Nightmare #1, and that is not a general reflection on Marvel Comics, Punisher or Scott Gimple in general. If you have a yearning for good Punisher, read Rucka's recent volume and wait for his Punisher: War Zone to conclude. But save your money and save your time and steer clear of Gimple's Punisher Nightmare.
I've syndicated this review at Examiner. You can read it here. If you click on it a few times, spend some time there, or navigate to a new page, I might get some money. But I'm only asking that of you if you liked reading the article here and want to show your appreciation.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
New Avengers #1
New Avengers promises to deal with the repercussions of the Illuminati, a group consisting of Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Black Bolt, Mister Fantastic, and Namor, among others, and brought together in order to control world events. One issue into Hickman's 2013 volume, we see the world from the perspective of Black Panther, who was invited to join the New Avengers but had moral issues with their existence. Black Panther is no longer the king of Wakanda. He is now the creepy king of the Wakandan crypts, and he encounters a team of universe-hopping beings who are interested in a particular relic of power.
Already, New Avengers is stronger than Hickman's sister title Avengers, which deals with Iron Man/Tony Stark's plans to create a response team in order to defend the universe from the greatest evils. Much of this has to do with the fact that Black Panther appears to be at the center of this book and we have a chance to deal with some of the interesting twists the character has experienced since the events of Hickman's Fantastic Four/FF and the summer Avengers vs. X-Men crossover event.
Hickman is an amazing story-teller. Some of his books can be difficult to access, as it seems that he does not think in the same linear way that you or I usually do, but New Avengers has already begun to stand out in that sense. New Avengers, with Brian Michael Bendis's All-New X-Men, has a chance of being one of the most interesting titles of the new wave of comic books called Marvel Now.
The one thing that is problematic about New Avengers is a chronic problem in the Marvel Universe. (And trust me, the DC Universe is no better.) Black characters can be on teams, and they can even lead teams, but neither of the big two publishers trust black characters to have their own title. In much the same way that Captain America is a title that features characters like Falcon and Dum Dum Dugan, New Avengers could easily be titled Black Panther and feature stories connecting to Iron Man, Doctor Strange and the others. I am really bothered by the fact that black characters must either be buried in a team or used as sidekicks, but you'll probably also notice that I rated this first issue at four stars, which means that outside of my moral concerns it is a really good book.
I'd recommend this comic for purchase. I'd recommend that you add it to your pull list. It doesn't look like this book is going to go the way of Aquaman, Action Comics, and the like, comics that lose their amazing creative teams before they even hit issue #20. It looks like Hickman is here to stay and you'd be well-served by having these issues in that box in your closet with all your other favorites.
I've syndicated this review at Examiner. You can read it here. If you click on it a few times, spend some time there, or navigate to a new page, I might get some money. But I'm only asking that of you if you liked reading the article here and want to show your appreciation.
Already, New Avengers is stronger than Hickman's sister title Avengers, which deals with Iron Man/Tony Stark's plans to create a response team in order to defend the universe from the greatest evils. Much of this has to do with the fact that Black Panther appears to be at the center of this book and we have a chance to deal with some of the interesting twists the character has experienced since the events of Hickman's Fantastic Four/FF and the summer Avengers vs. X-Men crossover event.
Hickman is an amazing story-teller. Some of his books can be difficult to access, as it seems that he does not think in the same linear way that you or I usually do, but New Avengers has already begun to stand out in that sense. New Avengers, with Brian Michael Bendis's All-New X-Men, has a chance of being one of the most interesting titles of the new wave of comic books called Marvel Now.
The one thing that is problematic about New Avengers is a chronic problem in the Marvel Universe. (And trust me, the DC Universe is no better.) Black characters can be on teams, and they can even lead teams, but neither of the big two publishers trust black characters to have their own title. In much the same way that Captain America is a title that features characters like Falcon and Dum Dum Dugan, New Avengers could easily be titled Black Panther and feature stories connecting to Iron Man, Doctor Strange and the others. I am really bothered by the fact that black characters must either be buried in a team or used as sidekicks, but you'll probably also notice that I rated this first issue at four stars, which means that outside of my moral concerns it is a really good book.
I'd recommend this comic for purchase. I'd recommend that you add it to your pull list. It doesn't look like this book is going to go the way of Aquaman, Action Comics, and the like, comics that lose their amazing creative teams before they even hit issue #20. It looks like Hickman is here to stay and you'd be well-served by having these issues in that box in your closet with all your other favorites.
I've syndicated this review at Examiner. You can read it here. If you click on it a few times, spend some time there, or navigate to a new page, I might get some money. But I'm only asking that of you if you liked reading the article here and want to show your appreciation.
Morbius the Living Vampire #1
Doctor Michael Morbius is one of the more interesting characters to come out of the various Spider-man series over the years. He is not exactly a vampire in the sense that we understand, not like Jubilee or half of Blade. Morbius is, like many of his fellow villains, a science experiment gone wrong. But he's also one of the most beautiful and complicated minds in the Marvel Universe. It is easy to agree with the assertion that Michael Morbius always intends to do good but for some reason, be it his blood thirst or something else - and if this series is to develop into anything really important I believe it will have to explore the "something else" category - he fails, and does enough bad to be remembered as a member of Spider-man's rogue's gallery.
The 2013 ongoing series Morbius the Living Vampire is promising. In issue one, Keatinge quickly (and surprisingly thoroughly) catches us up with exactly who Michael Morbius is from the days of his crippling illness in Greece to his current state as a super-villain who has just escaped from The Raft in the aftermath of the fantastic final arc of Amazing Spider-man. If you picked up this volume knowing nothing about Michael Morbius, you would put it back down feeling fairly certain of who this person is. You might not have that personal understanding that a comic reader gets from reading about a character for years and watching the character progress, but you could probably wow all of your friends if any of your friends care about comic books.
While Keatinge is good at letting you know who Michael Morbius is, his methodology smells strongly of the introductory scenes of the 2009 film Zombieland where Jesse Eisenberg's character Columbus outlines how one is to deal with zombies. In fact, there is a decent amount of Morbius the Living Vampire that stinks of other stories. The premise feels a lot like that of the Hawkeye ongoing series which amazed many comic readers in 2012: a well-known character sets out on his own and deals with non-traditional superhero issues like everyday life, gangs, etc. Furthermore, it is hard not to feel like this series only exists because Marvel is trying to capitalize on the vampire and zombie pop culture revolutions, both of which are past their peak of excitement. (Witches are going to be the next big thing. Mark my word.)
Keatinge's writing is surprisingly good. The fact that Morbius's origin/catch-up story is framed by an event in which he is, for all intents and purposes, murdered doesn't sound particularly original or interesting, but it is delivered with enough craft that I want to keep reading. On the flip side, Morbius feels like a brand new character, which feels disrespectful to a character with over forty years of history. Keatinge's Morbius is really cool, really fresh. He is part of the badass trend in recent comic books that was championed by Mark Millar's Kick-Ass. But the real Michael Morbius is a sensitive genius whose Greek origin gives him a strangely antique older-than-his-years quality. It's clear that someone like Dan Slott or Jason Aaron (one of the few writers who remembers that Illyana Rasputin is Russian and not just blonde and evil) would be able to deliver this complexity and balance it with humor. It is not clear yet, however, that Keatinge has a grasp of this idea.
Time will tell. I know that I'm interested enough to pick up the second issue of Morbius the Living Vampire, but I'm not committed enough to follow the entire run. I'd suggest getting a cheap digital copy of this issue or borrowing your friend's copy.
I've syndicated this review at Examiner. You can read it here. If you click on it a few times, spend some time there , or navigate to a new page, I might get some money. But I'm only asking that of you if you liked reading the article here and want to show your appreciation.
The 2013 ongoing series Morbius the Living Vampire is promising. In issue one, Keatinge quickly (and surprisingly thoroughly) catches us up with exactly who Michael Morbius is from the days of his crippling illness in Greece to his current state as a super-villain who has just escaped from The Raft in the aftermath of the fantastic final arc of Amazing Spider-man. If you picked up this volume knowing nothing about Michael Morbius, you would put it back down feeling fairly certain of who this person is. You might not have that personal understanding that a comic reader gets from reading about a character for years and watching the character progress, but you could probably wow all of your friends if any of your friends care about comic books.
While Keatinge is good at letting you know who Michael Morbius is, his methodology smells strongly of the introductory scenes of the 2009 film Zombieland where Jesse Eisenberg's character Columbus outlines how one is to deal with zombies. In fact, there is a decent amount of Morbius the Living Vampire that stinks of other stories. The premise feels a lot like that of the Hawkeye ongoing series which amazed many comic readers in 2012: a well-known character sets out on his own and deals with non-traditional superhero issues like everyday life, gangs, etc. Furthermore, it is hard not to feel like this series only exists because Marvel is trying to capitalize on the vampire and zombie pop culture revolutions, both of which are past their peak of excitement. (Witches are going to be the next big thing. Mark my word.)
Keatinge's writing is surprisingly good. The fact that Morbius's origin/catch-up story is framed by an event in which he is, for all intents and purposes, murdered doesn't sound particularly original or interesting, but it is delivered with enough craft that I want to keep reading. On the flip side, Morbius feels like a brand new character, which feels disrespectful to a character with over forty years of history. Keatinge's Morbius is really cool, really fresh. He is part of the badass trend in recent comic books that was championed by Mark Millar's Kick-Ass. But the real Michael Morbius is a sensitive genius whose Greek origin gives him a strangely antique older-than-his-years quality. It's clear that someone like Dan Slott or Jason Aaron (one of the few writers who remembers that Illyana Rasputin is Russian and not just blonde and evil) would be able to deliver this complexity and balance it with humor. It is not clear yet, however, that Keatinge has a grasp of this idea.
Time will tell. I know that I'm interested enough to pick up the second issue of Morbius the Living Vampire, but I'm not committed enough to follow the entire run. I'd suggest getting a cheap digital copy of this issue or borrowing your friend's copy.
I've syndicated this review at Examiner. You can read it here. If you click on it a few times, spend some time there , or navigate to a new page, I might get some money. But I'm only asking that of you if you liked reading the article here and want to show your appreciation.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Money Talk: Rent
It's been quiet here at Cavemen Go. I've been plotting out the course of my future since the end of summer and work work working to make things happen. In November, I began outlining a novel tentatively titled 1999, and just before Thanksgiving I began writing freelance for the Lowell Ledger. It is not for lack of words that I've been gone: it is for lack of time and lack of focus. For some time this blog just puttered along without purpose, content for the sake of content, but I intend to change that.
My financial obligations stand between me and my dreams. I expect that you have much the same problem. But money doesn't have to be as much of a deterrent as it is: we can join together and talk about how to save money and reapply it elsewhere. Let's start with the rent.
Finding the Right Place
Amy and I had a stroke of luck while looking for our current apartment. There are two apartment complexes in Lowell, and if either has an opening it is seldom at best. Beyond that, there are a couple independent property owners who rent to the public. When we were looking for a place to stay, Harold Ball the owner of Ball's Softee Cream was looking to fill a vacancy.
I don't want to tell you exact figures, but we have just about the cheapest rent in Lowell. The apartment is the upper story of a homey duplex and we absolutely love the place. But rent is still our most expensive single bill.
What is your experience with housing/paying rent?
Government Aid
When we first moved in, I had no idea how we were going to pay our bills. I was underemployed and encumbered with debt. In my first attempt to understand my options, I stumbled upon government assistance options. I don't like being dependent on state or federal assistance, but at the time it seemed like a possibility. My research lead me to an e-mail address and a non-response. I imagine we wouldn't qualify, but I know that some of you out there do.
Government assistance exists because we pay for it, but I still don't think people should become dependent on it. If you need help, you should apply, but I challenge you to go in with an escape plan. If you're saving money, put it away toward something that might help you reach the escape velocity from your circumstances: technical training, an interview outfit, etc. But most of all, act inn such a way as to minimize the amount of time thou rely on the benefits.
How do you feel about government assistance and access to government assistance?
Equity
Currently, Amy and I are renting. That means that my entire monthly payment goes to staying in this place for one month. After a year, if I discontinue this payment I own nothing and have accrued zero equity. It would be nice if we had something more to show for our payments, so we're looking into buying a house.
The main trouble is that my debt is great and my income is not. If we are to buy a house we will need via co-signer, and even with one it may not be enough. My goal is to pay the equivalent of our current rent toward a mortgage, and with said mortgage to gain equity enough to have other financial options.
To me it is a long and confusing process. Has anyone out there recently bought a house? What was it like? What are the tips and tricks that people should know about the process and the market?
We don't need to be under anyone's thumb financially. Let's talk about this. Let's free ourselves by degree.
My financial obligations stand between me and my dreams. I expect that you have much the same problem. But money doesn't have to be as much of a deterrent as it is: we can join together and talk about how to save money and reapply it elsewhere. Let's start with the rent.
Finding the Right Place
Amy and I had a stroke of luck while looking for our current apartment. There are two apartment complexes in Lowell, and if either has an opening it is seldom at best. Beyond that, there are a couple independent property owners who rent to the public. When we were looking for a place to stay, Harold Ball the owner of Ball's Softee Cream was looking to fill a vacancy.
I don't want to tell you exact figures, but we have just about the cheapest rent in Lowell. The apartment is the upper story of a homey duplex and we absolutely love the place. But rent is still our most expensive single bill.
What is your experience with housing/paying rent?
Government Aid
When we first moved in, I had no idea how we were going to pay our bills. I was underemployed and encumbered with debt. In my first attempt to understand my options, I stumbled upon government assistance options. I don't like being dependent on state or federal assistance, but at the time it seemed like a possibility. My research lead me to an e-mail address and a non-response. I imagine we wouldn't qualify, but I know that some of you out there do.
Government assistance exists because we pay for it, but I still don't think people should become dependent on it. If you need help, you should apply, but I challenge you to go in with an escape plan. If you're saving money, put it away toward something that might help you reach the escape velocity from your circumstances: technical training, an interview outfit, etc. But most of all, act inn such a way as to minimize the amount of time thou rely on the benefits.
How do you feel about government assistance and access to government assistance?
Equity
Currently, Amy and I are renting. That means that my entire monthly payment goes to staying in this place for one month. After a year, if I discontinue this payment I own nothing and have accrued zero equity. It would be nice if we had something more to show for our payments, so we're looking into buying a house.
The main trouble is that my debt is great and my income is not. If we are to buy a house we will need via co-signer, and even with one it may not be enough. My goal is to pay the equivalent of our current rent toward a mortgage, and with said mortgage to gain equity enough to have other financial options.
To me it is a long and confusing process. Has anyone out there recently bought a house? What was it like? What are the tips and tricks that people should know about the process and the market?
We don't need to be under anyone's thumb financially. Let's talk about this. Let's free ourselves by degree.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
The State of Black Comic Book Characters: Conclusion
I'm not sure if I made it clear when I started this blog series, but I'm white. I know Rodney was quick to point it out when he shared my first article on Twitter. I'm not certain if it makes me disingenuous to forget to remind my readers of my social context, but some readers might note that a white person is the only person who can just decide to end his racial criticism of the comic books that he loves. I'll be the first to admit it: if comic writers and artists are giving me great stories that I can connect to, I honestly think I could get away reading books that are entirely composed of white characters. This may have something to do with the severe lack of minorities in some of the places I've lived, but it also has a lot to do with what privilege and whiteness do for a person. I honestly think that it would take me out of a story if all of our good and upright protagonists were white and all of our villains were black gang members who spoke only in broken English, but beyond that stark of a distinction I could get by.
I think this probes at a deeper question: Is this sort of reaction all right? Can we call literature good if it has no sense of justice, if it ignores the things that the status quo already find much too easy to ignore in the first place? This is the line between aesthetics and ethics, between beauty and justice, if ever such a thing could exist. Is art even considered art if it has no content that challenges, if it only placates and brings comfort? Or is that something else entirely?
My home town of Grand Rapids decided that it wished to develop a strong sense of culture while I was enjoying my travels. I am often hearing national news items about things like Art Prize, where art installations are featured throughout downtown Grand Rapids for a span of several weeks or about Heritage Hill which is considered one of the best historical neighborhoods in the country. When I was young, the only thing I ever heard about Grand Rapids was that it was the second cloudiest metropolitan area in the nation behind Seattle. While this fact could lead to providing a handful of artists with motivation for a blue period, it was rarely anything to be proud of.
In order to kick off Art Prize this year, Baltimore film director John Waters spoke at the Civic Theater and my girlfriend - who brags about her step father Cliff seeing one of the first scratch-and-sniff film experiences Waters ever put on - was quick to get tickets. Waters was introduced as a film maker but also as a collector. I didn't know if this meant that he collected strands of hair from his victims in his strangely successful second career as a serial killer or if he simply enjoyed his attic full of pogs, but after thinking for a moment I became aware that the announcer wanted the audience (many of whom were artists themselves) to know that Waters likes to buy art. Waters explained that he has never bought a piece of art that didn't originally repulse him. This might be an overstatement of art's connection to what is good and clean and moral and conservative, but I think it is a good starting point. I believe, with Waters, that art should trouble, disturb, move or de-center you.
I absolutely could get by reading comic books without thinking about issues of race. But it would be a little ironic to read the stories of superheroes constantly dealing with complex issues of justice without forcing myself to think of issues of justice, be it social, economic, racial or otherwise. At the end of the day, however, I would be reading comic books for the same reason my mother reads romance novels: it helps her pass the time between work and sleep and it conforms to an easy-to-predict formula. That just wouldn't fly for me. I am one of those armchair revolutionaries. When I see how much time I've spent watching reality TV on Netflix and think of all the adventures I could have gone on and art I could have made, be it literature or music or whatever, I hurt, and I want to rebel against myself. If I am going to be spending my time reading a comic book, one of two things has to happen: the book has to challenge me, or I have to challenge the book, preferably both.
I may have teased the idea of going back to a life where I can ignore issues of race in comic books, but I feel like the people who know me know that I could never do this. If it were possible before I began this short-lived blog series it certainly wasn't afterwards. I was able to humbly enter into a dialogue with people who don't have the option to check out when it comes to these characters. They will be made fun of if they dress as black Wolverine for Halloween. And I do believe that is a worst fate than being made fun of for being fat Spider-man, although I have only experienced the latter. In addition to this, I did an audit of every current comic book by the big two, Marvel and DC, from the New DCU/X-Men: Schism until present and gave all of these comics an incredibly subjective grade. I know where all of these comics stand when it comes to their black characters, and although it is a much better place than that of Asian, Latino/Latina, and individuals who belong to the dreaded "other" checkbox, it is not a good place. If I'm allowed to quote The Jeffersons, these people need some "movin' on up", and they need it fast.
If depression and white guilt weren't enough, the final reason that I need to end this project is because I have grown to despise articles where I find myself as the arbiter of what is good and bad. With an issue of race it is especially bad to place yourself on the top of the food chain, as judge, jury and executioner, because here's a gruesome fact: there have been white people who have made this decision and black people who have been lynched, enslaved, tortured and oppressed as a result. And that can't be me.
Continue the conversation. Bring questions and statements to this blog in the comments section. Challenge me on my Facebook. Hit me up. I want this to go on either forever or until everyone is hunky dory and there are no divisions of power. Look at your comic books differently. Learn to enjoy them not just for the intrigue of their plots, the development of their characters and the beauty of their illustrations - learn to love comics for their justice.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Frog Tries To Eat Fly Off Screen
I was in an incredibly bad mood when I noticed a link to this on Amy's Facebook - which she keeps open all of the time - and it was more than enough to cheer me up.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Borderlands 2 - Glitch or Feature
Steam pointed out how humiliating this situation is. You run out onto a poopslide. You get electrocuted. Then you get swirled up into a literal s*@%storm.
Here's my thought: What do you put in that obituary?
(I'm sure I'll have more Borderlands 2 tidbits to come. I'm a little bit enraptured with it at the moment.)
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