Lost in collecting- Om's Journal by oldmilwaukee6er

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Small update-

Bought this off eBay for well under guide for a raw Fine.

It is a nice upgrade to my CGC 6.5 copy.

New case issues are likely no problem for an 8.5, but it will be fun to hold it in hand, scan it, and decide whether to crack/mylar or reholder at Wizard World Chicago.

The hot weather is breaking slightly and I hope tonight sinks down into the high 60s.

Swam in the lake FRI, so beautifully cold (water temp around 55 degrees). Says it is up to 63 degrees today, but I doubt it.

Mighty Con was SUN. Went with the chef (lady stayed home) and I spent about $60 on mostly $1 books (lots of Grendel for the lady off her new want list).

The chef was shut out.

The lady is experiencing con fatigue. I do not blame her.

Mostly grinding on my online class and job hunting these days. Two decent interviews last week, so the wheels are in motion.

Gonna sip a coldie and watch Straight Outta Compton on HBO.

That’s the news from Lake Wobegone, where the lady is 100 hours into Dragon Age Inquisition, the Om is leaning into his part-time status, and the kids are my sister's problem.

PS. It has almost been one year to the day since I started the journal.

I wonder if the front cover tell I have for Mr. Natural #1 1st has been published yet. Was it in the newest Fogel guide? I don't have a copy of the newest guide.

The Lady Speaks. . .Dark Jem Saga & What I’ve Been Reading

• The Dark Jem saga is a six-part storyline the runs issues #12-17.

The setup is that Jem and Holograms are going on tour with The Misfits. Unlike the cartoon which made The Misfits the enemy of Jem and the Holograms, the comic has them as more of uneasy frenemies. Kimber and Stormer are still involved.

Rio and Jerrica remain a couple and are still incredibly boring. How he doesn’t know about Jem/Jerrica is stretching plausibility at this point. Especially since Rio doesn’t like Jem.

Pizzazz is still sidelined due to vocal damage so The Misfits need a new singer for the tour. They end up going with Blaze, who just happens to be transgendered. While it’s cool to see a transgendered character, it’s handled so blasé that it almost seems unimportant.

Synergy is infected with something that causes an evil version, Silica, to manifest. Silica turns people “dark” through music. Luckily the dark phase only lasts about 8 hours, unless the victim is subjected to the music continually. As we learn from Jerrica, a semi-traumatic experience can also cure the individual.

Jerrica’s experience with Silica has left her rattled and she’s not sure she can be Jem anymore. She wants Synergy to hologram Jem until she gets her confidence back.

Techrat is the one who figures out what is going on with Synergy, sort of. He wants to find the Silica code to do something evil with it.

Pizzazz shows up at the end of Part 5 of the story to save the day but her plan isn’t really all that groundbreaking. It’s have the Misfits and the Holograms play together. One has to wonder why no one else thought of this since the whole point of the series so far seems to be trying to get the Misfits and Holograms to be friends.

Due to Jerrica’s unease at being Jem, Synergy fakes Jem and Jerrica stays backstage to track down the Silica virus and to keep Techrat away. Her logic here is pretty sound. Synergy being a hologram can’t do what Jerrica as flesh and blood can do but Synergy can fake Jem pretty easily.

Pizzazz is recovered enough to sing, but she is going to allow Blaze to stay in the band as a guitarist and backup singer with the possibility of soloing.

There’s yet another band wanting to take down the Misfits and the Holograms. They’re British. That’s where the series is going next.

Honestly, I’m not that into this title anymore. I’m at the point where I let the issues build up over months and then read that in one chunk only to forget most of what I’ve read. I do appreciate some of the more modern takes the story has on young adults in 2016. It’s a progressive book. I still love the art, but I have to make a decision—do I stop collecting it now at almost two years in or do I let the completionist part of my brain convince me that I have to have them all.

• Assassin’s Creed #9 & 10

Sadly, I think I’m throwing in the towel on this one. You know I love me some AC, but this comic hasn’t really grabbed my interest and I’m almost a year in. The clunkiness of trying to weave Animus stories into a modern day story really ruins any flow the book manages to eek out. It actually concerns me that the movie may suffer from similar issues and I really want the movie to do well. Not just as an AC fan but as a video game fan. It’s time someone makes a really good video game adaptation.

I recently tried reading one of the AC novels and it did absolutely nothing for me. And I’m the gal who read all the Myst books. Part of me wonders if AC is best left as a video game.

• Assassin’s Creed: Templars #3

I really enjoy this comic. The fact that it takes place in the 1930’s in China gives it a wonderful noir feel. The Black Cross is a compelling character and the depths of deceit within the Templars is fascinating. The story telling is smoother than AC and I think having fewer main characters works better.

I’m going to stick with this one a bit longer as it’s only on the third issue

• Tank Girl: Two Girls One Tank #2

I love me some Tank Girl and this is a limited run so I’m going to see it out.

• Munchkin #18

Munchkin remains my favorite read. It is the one that I immediately consume when I get it home from the comic book store. It’s funny, witty, goofy, and appeals to my RPG loving nature (as does the game so that makes sense). You never really know what you’re going to get with each issue. At least I don’t because I don’t go and read previews of it. I like the surprise element.

I’m definitely going to keep collecting this one.

• Faith #1

I love that there is a fat superheroine in the Valiant universe. The first issue just came out so I can’t make too many snap decisions, but she does meet her (self-proclaimed) arch nemesis in the first issue so that’s fun.

Her alter ego as a writer for a Buzzfeed-esque type of business is pretty spot-on for a Millenial superheroine. The parallels to such super heroes as Superman and Peter Parker are not lost on me. Yes, I know she’s a much older character dating back to the early 90’s and Harbinger, but this updated version feels fresh and fun. Faith is optimistic, smart, psychic, can fly, and rocks a skin tight costume without feeling ashamed at her size.

She’s a body positive superheroine without cramming it down your throat. You see her size, it’s not discussed. It’s not an issue, it’s just reality.

Her enthusiasm and positivity are a breath of fresh air in a world of dour, dark, depressed super heroes.

I would like to see where this one goes.

• Reliquary: Mayhem and Magic #1

Yeah, this one I’m passing on. It just feels like it’s been done before. . .and better. Magician steals stuff for a living, steals from the mob, mob steals his dog to force him to steal something for them. Dull. Although, it started great with this overview of the different types of magic (pain, pleasure, sensing, and mindf*ck) and our main character is paranoid about “feeling pleasure.” So it at first I was intrigued but as the story evolved into a by-the-numbers mob/revenge story, I lost interest.

I wonder if the front cover tell I have for Mr. Natural #1 1st has been published yet. Was it in the newest Fogel guide? I don't have a copy of the newest guide.

No it does not, it has a distilled version of Kennedy 1982, which is "1970, 1st, 50c, Printed by Apex Novelties on IFC, BC art is 5.5 inches wide"

Do you mean the lower left hand corner FC of a Mr. Natural #1 1st printing will ALWAYS have that triangular "scuff" of non-color?

You taught me that... right?

I admit to looking at the backcover art long and hard before popping on this book because of the new case & the fact that the FC cover scuff is slightly less pronounced in this copy / image.

It gave me just a shade of doubt for a minute.

After BrotherJ...

Vans Shoes x Zap Comix artist Robert Williams

Soundtrack:

More info: http://www.vans.com/vault2.html#

The Lady clued me in to the news that Robert Williams (painter, cartoonist, and founder of Juxtapoz Magazine) teamed up with skate shoe manufacturer Vans to create footwear renditions of three Williams's paintings- "Flaming Cobra," "Jalepeña" & "Malfeasance." One painting paired to one classic Vans silhouette (from L to R)- the Sk8-Hi , Slip-On, & Authentic.

Williams is a part of the Zap Comix collective, joining the series with issue #4 (along with Spain Rodriguez) and doing cover work for #5 & #11. Per the Wiki “his mix of California car culture, cinematic apocalypticism, and film noir helped to create a new genre of psychedelic imagery.” Known collectors of his art include Nicolas Cage, Leonardo DiCaprio, Artie Shaw, Debbie Harry, Anthony Kiedis, Von Dutch, Stanislav Szukalski, Ed Ruscha, and Timothy Leary.

I like the clear rubber soles with the painting’s imagery.

I first became aware of Williams’ art from my cassette tape of Appetite for Destruction by Guns n Roses c. 1987 (at the formative age of 13… nipple!).

I always wished I had the Vaughn (Mark) Bode Puma shoes from c 2007, and if Jim Mahfood would move away from sweet lady gams and get into sneakers (maybe he has), I would be all “shut up & take my money!!” But that will probably not happen for a while...

So I popped on a pair of the light blue Authentic “Malfeasance” from Sole Classics out of Columbus, OH (props). While the light blue is not my favorite color, I love the environmental imagery and I kinda wanted to go “all-in.” I mean if I am going to pay sneakerhead prices, I want me some sneakerhead flash. As such, I picked up a T-shirt too (the black Coochy Cooty design; not pictured).

Coochy Cooty was Robert Williams’ underground comix antihero (after the Wiki), introduced in 1970 Coochy Cooty Men's Comics and Zap Comix #5.

I mostly used my Paypal balance, which technically knocks the ASM1 fund back down, though maybe I can lobby the lady for general funds.

I predict the "Jalepeña" Slip-On will be the first to sell out and the most popular. However, slip ons are just not for me. I like the look of them, but they are just not a practical shoe for me. If you do pop on a pair, I suggest using the keyword search ‘Vans Vault Online’ to find an online retailer as these seem limited to just few stores nationwide.

The Hypebeast interview with Robt Williams: http://hypebeast.com/2016/7/robert-williams-vault-by-vans-collection

Zap Comix #5 1st. 30 universal copies in the census; 5 in 9.4; 5 higher

Zap Comix #11 1st. 7 universal copies in the census; 1 in 9.4; 1 higher

I wonder if the front cover tell I have for Mr. Natural #1 1st has been published yet. Was it in the newest Fogel guide? I don't have a copy of the newest guide.

 

 

No it does not, it has a distilled version of Kennedy 1982, which is "1970, 1st, 50c, Printed by Apex Novelties on IFC, BC art is 5.5 inches wide"

 

Do you mean the lower left hand corner FC of a Mr. Natural #1 1st printing will ALWAYS have that triangular "scuff" of non-color?

 

You taught me that... right?

 

I admit to looking at the backcover art long and hard before popping on this book because of the new case & the fact that the FC cover scuff is slightly less pronounced in this copy / image.

It gave me just a shade of doubt for a minute.

Yeah, that's the one. I used that to pick up several cheap copies of Mr. Natural #1 1st off eBay. I love finding front cover tells. I still think my tell for a first printing of Bijou Funnies #1 is right on, even though others poo-pooed it as "sloppy press work". I have yet to see a first printing that didn't have the darker red on the front cover, most easily seen in the nose of Nard.

Great info on Robert Williams. I am not a sneakerhead by any means but I had to pick up the Jalepeña & Malfeasance.

Great info on Robert Williams. I am not a sneakerhead by any means but I had to pick up the Jalepeña & Malfeasance.

Nice felix! A little something to look forward to with all the wildfire swirling about.

Cheers to low pressure systems and falling temperatures!

Mr. Natural #1 1st. 43 universal copies in the census; 3 in 8.5; 23 higher

The Lady Speaks. . .Fallout 4 Fail

I finished Dragon Age: Inquistion the other day. I put 99 hours and 29 minutes into that game. I finished the main storyline and then continued to play so I could defeat all 10 high dragons. I believe I finished the main storyline at around 96 hours. It took me an additional three to level up to take down the Highland Ravager, level 23. As Om pointed out, however, I took that dragon down pretty easily so maybe the leveling up wasn’t necessary. The amount of guilt I feel for killing those beautiful dragons is kind of surprising. After all, they’re just pixels on a screen.

Anyway, when I finished DA:I I decided to give Fallout 4 another go. I figured that I’ve beat Syndicate and DA:I since I last played Fallout 4 so obviously my gaming skills have been honed and I’m ready to take it on. Nope. Not even close. I am truly abysmal at that game. I even put it on the easiest level, Very Easy, which warned me that in this mode I woudn’t have access to Legendary creatures. That’s kind of a bummer. In order to play the game I have to play on a basic level but then I won’t even get full access to the game.

One of my biggest frustrations with Fallout 4 is that while you get all the weapons, you don’t get all the ammunition. I found myself battling 6 Super Mutant Brutes and by the time I killed 4 (and used all my Stimpaks) I was down to three Molotov Cocktails. That’s not going to take down two Super Mutant Brutes using high powered laser rifles.

As the picture shows, the Brute is on the lower end of the Super Mutant scale which peaks at Behemoth. Joy.

I had more fun building my settlement and assigning random refugees to work in my corn patch. Which was pretty big because I planted about 35 corn plants for 7 people.

Because of my limitations as a Fallout 4 player the open world aspect of the game wasn’t much fun. Normally I love traversing large maps and exploring new territories. Yes, in Skyrim the sheer size of the map is somewhat daunting and eventually gets a bit dull because all you do is walk, walk, walk. And yes, I could have used horses except I kept killing my horses and that guilt over pixels welled up to the point where I stopped. In DA:I, I never even took advantage of the horse option. Plus, I wasn’t sure if my party would get horses or if only I would.

Along those same lines. . .Dogmeat, my loyal companion. Wandering the map is pretty lonely so having Dogmeat around made it seem a little less so. Just hearing him snuff and bark was soothing. But then he would end up getting himself so injured in battle that I’d hear him whining and I’d either Stimpak him because I couldn’t handle watching him try to get to his feet while crying or I’d leave the room until he recovered enough to join me. Dogmeat doesn’t die, which is almost cruel. He just gets beat down over and over and over again because I’m not very good at this game.

Anyway, because I suck at Fallout 4 exploring was stressful because every darn thing I ran across from mutant dogs to bloatflies to raiders would end up killing me. So frustrating. I like the world of Fallout. I like the game mechanics, for the most part. The fact that much of the gameplay is similar to Skyrim is nice. I enjoyed beating Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas. But Fallout 4 was a giant fail for me.

Luckily, we have a friend (the Chef) who is very interested in Fallout 4 so I gave him my copy. Om was the one who asked me the other day “Do you want to enjoy your summer playing games you like or are you going to stubbornly hold onto this game because you feel like you should?” I had no profound response to that. There is no reason for me to hold onto it. I received the game as a Christmas gift so I had no money invested in it and I have no problem giving it to someone who will enjoy it the way it’s meant to be enjoyed.

I hope to get updates from the Chef about the game as he plays it. What’s next for me? Well, I have an unopened Arkham Knight still waiting for me. And I’m sort or reengaging AC: Unity, although I think I really do hate Arnauld. Dude’s a total spaz. Recently I learned that there’s a DA:II for PS3 so maybe if I find it in the wild for less than $15 I’ll pick it up. But only if I find it for under $15. I promised myself I wouldn’t buy any more games until Dishonored 2 drops in November (not that I’m going to pay full price for it, but that’s the next game on my horizon).

But truly, I may just replay DA:I with a totally different character. My last one was a Dalish rogue archer. Maybe I’ll try a mage of some type.

The People’s Holiday

It has been a busy week, though more in life than comic books. The Mr Natch #1 and new Robt Williams Vans drained the Paypal balance, and with my part-time teaching gig winding down at the end of the month, I was considered cancelling my pull list and going back to scavenging off the rack each WED like a n3wb. The IRL Wednesday One. The minimalist in my mind likes that, but I also have been really enjoying buying Moderns in the latest comic boom.

So, I have been working on a more serious job hunt, as I do want to move away from teaching into something that I can leave behind at 5-6pm (and be done with it; aka no grading). A week ago THURS I got the chance to interview with an established 501(3)c for a project manager position with good fringe, which I really thought was more of a long shot.

SUN was Mighty Con Milwaukee. New layout, some real guests- like Larry Hama and James O Barr. Costume contests. It was going to be crazy. My lil picker buddy Jimmy D was setting up with two tables and was bugging me to set up too. It would have been a great show to see it all unfold from behind a $20 table, but I am lazy and already committed invitations to the lady and chef. So we got together later, just after 1pm and headed over. We arrived just before 2pm and there was a line out the door of Serb Hall still! I do not know if they were at capacity and trickling people in, but that’s what it seemed. Groups of 4 or 6 going in at a time. A line. At a local con. At 2pm. Now that is Zeitgeist. We moved through it quickly and I ended up picking a stack of $1 Grendels for the lady (off her new want list), a schweet Spawn Ashley Wood Angela cover ($5), a small stack of 50c readers, and a loose 2004 TMNT Usagi Yojimbo action figure with 2 of 4 weapons ($5).

2004 TMNT Usagi action figure with two wakizushi blades; swivel action so Usagi finishes in his "kill pose"

(Cannot wait to find this MOC in the wild someday)

Spawn #100 Wood variant for $5; great Angela cover

MON hung out with the chef (the lady gave him her copy of Fallout 4), WED was new comic day (3 for the lady- Jem, Assassin’s Creed, & Munchkin), WED afternoon I had a new job offer on the table and so we celebrated with dinner at a local supper club style place. THURS we went to 414 Music (local band feature) for a free show of one of our fave local bands- Soul Low. Met one of my disc gold buddies there and we went over to a club in Walker’s Point (a 99c drink special from 7-15pm; beat the clock) before heading back to our side of town, Brady Street, for another friend’s DJ set. Rowdy! FRI was grading all day and then preparation for the Riverwest 24, a 24-hour bicycle race in traffic through the neighborhoods of Riverwest. While a bicycle race, it is meant to promote community within the neighborhood and it is also a giant party, with street parties continuing throughout the night. AKA The People's Holiday.

I rode with my old college buddy, a local community pastor, the lady and his asst pastor on a “B” team of 4 (four people; four bikes). There are A teams (2-6 ppl; 1 bike); B teams (2-6 ppl; each has own bike); individual (M or F), and Tandem. The ‘suggested route’ is just over 4.6 miles. The route has 4 mandatory checkpoints that you have to hit in order, and get a manifest punched. Punch 1-4 in order along the route and you have completed a lap (approx. 4.6mi). THEN… there are approximately 15 bonus checkpoints that you can hit along (or off) the route at various businesses, parks, & churches. Each bonus checkpoint is worth 4 laps, including one bonus checkpoint (the RW24 tattoo) worth 5pts. Complete all the bonus checkpoints and earn 5 extra laps, or the tattoo, but not both. For our team, the pastor always gets the tattoos (his 5th RW24, our 3rd). For our team… we stick to the community aspect and generally try to keep the manifest on the course as much as possible. Those are our rules. The pastor’s tattoo time was 430AM SAT, so he was going to take some midnight laps and bonus checkpoints, which was perfect as we ended up sleeping 130AM-500AM. Our times to ride ended up being FRI night (as our bikes have lights and we are more experienced) and then SAT morning and SAT afternoon. In 24 hours, we did 27 laps (127.2 miles), 53 bonus laps (12 bonus checkpoints plus the tattoo), for a total of 80, which put us in the 66th percentile for all teams.

It was so much fun! I did 9 total laps and a bunch of side missions, including canoeing the Milwaukee River, reciting poetry (and painting a rock), creating a limerick, working a kids ride & fitness (leg/arm presses & burpies). Generally, I met my goal of riding 40mi; it was tough to get a clean lap in, but my best time was sub 22 minute lap on my 6th. I did have equipment problems. We had to lean on my lights throughout the night and so they are worn down. My old Lake SPD clipless shoes are totally shot, I had to canoe shoeless because one shoe’s clip was stripped and locked onto the pedal. My seat gave me fits on half a lap, but I took to making sure it was tight and it rode fine after that. So… some new equipment is in order next paycheck- new lights, new shoes, & an updated helmet.

SUN was recovering and finalizing grading; opening up my next online class. MON (today) is more of the same. Plus lunch with former co-workers and then an advance showing of Suicide Squad (I created an acct at wbtickets and entered a code from a local radio station). So the lady and I will check it out to a, no doubt, packed house.

PS >> Binging on Mr. Robot on Amazon Prime (season 1 is free)

PPS >> Suddenly, I am very busy with two online courses and a new job beginning. It is an exciting time, but I think this week I will review my 2016 goals, see how far I have progressed and set my priorities before Wizard World Chicago. It has officially been a year of journaling and it is time for a process-check.

The Lady Speaks. . .Suicide Squad

I guess there may be spoilers, although the movie isn’t really all that tricky nor is it full of surprises. It pretty much progresses as you expect it to. As a matter of fact, all major plot points are laid out within the first 10 minutes or so. So, not surprising.

It is interesting to note that we went to a free showing on a Monday night and the theater was not even full. It was maybe 3/4 full. Compared to Batman v Supes which not only filled one theater but also opened a second theater, this was surprising. Suicide Squad seemed to have more buzz surrounding it and after BvS it seemed like this was going to be a huge movie for DC. Perhaps BvS did more damage to the DCU than I expected. Maybe The Killing Joke’s less than stellar reviews also hurt Suicide Squad. It’s possible that Suicide Squad’s relentless media campaign for the past four months plus the news about the reshoots hurt it. Or maybe it was a Monday night in August.

In one word I would categorize Suicide Squad as. . .forgettable. It’s only been a few hours since I saw it and already it’s fading into memory. I’m not saying it’s bad, it’s just there. Om said it had too much exposition and he’s right. I thought they handled it well, but as he pointed out “Not as good as the first Avengers movie.” And he’s right about that, too.

Not surprisingly Will Smith dominates the movie. Yes, in screen time, but also in terms of just out acting everyone around him. I was surprised how much screen time he had, but then again, when you cast Will Smith—you get Will Smith and all that charisma is not going to play second to anyone, especially not someone like Margot Robbie who’s not a bad actress but she does not have the chops of Smith (at least not yet). I just figured this movie was going to be the Harley/Joker show, which it was in many regards.

I was pretty happy to see four strong women in the movie: Harley, Enchantress, Amanda Wahler, and Katana. Although as the movie goes on Harley’s sick love for the Joker weakens her, Katana says very little and does even less, Amanda Waller becomes cartoonish, and Enchantress ends up a CGI’ed reject from The Mummy. But for a brief shining moment, there were four strong women.

The rest of the Suicide Squad seems like Batman’s substitute Rogue’s Gallery for those nights in Gotham when the heavy hitters are all at a fundraiser for the Scarecrow’s latest drug. Captain Boomerang is possibly the lamest super villain I’ve seen on the big screen and I sat through Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’s Cave Troll. Deadshot is cool, but that’s only because Will Smith is playing him. In a lesser actor’s hands he would have been pretty cliché. Killer Croc. . .well, if you could understand what he’s saying he might be compelling but at least he’s bad in a fight. Diablo is by far the most interesting of the super villains but he’s pretty inactive until the last half hour or so. And there’s one other guy whose name I totally didn’t catch and am too lazy to look up because that’s how much he matters to the film.

Now to Harley, the one everyone cares about. I want to go on record and say I thought Margot Robbie did a good job as Harley.

First, her backstory is too damn long. Almost any Joe 12 Pack on the street knows the Harley/Joker backstory. And then this movie screws it up by doing the 52 reboot version which is just stupid. Their relationship is sick and it bothered me that the movie tried to normalize it as though the Joker doing one or two nice things for Harley erases the domestic violence he’s dished out. The movie definitely tries to convince you that these two are “in love” but it comes across as just squicky because the Joker is incapable of love. He’s more into possessing and corrupting.

There is a wonderful homage to Mad Love that cannot be ignored.

Ultimately, though, Harley does not come across as a Wild Card. She may be more fearless and violent than the Joker (the movie tells us this, we don’t see it. . .ever) but you don’t see it. She veers between being snarky, being crazy, and being goofy. She has some of the more humorous lines in the movie (the others belonging to Will Smith). Yes, she absolutely can handle herself in a fight but anything “wild” she does is because the Joker is pulling the strings. She’s just a sad stripper clown waiting for her Clown Prince. Margot Robbie does a good job with the character, there’s just not that much there. Then again, all I heard anyone talk about were her butt cheeks hanging out of her shorts so I guess in that regard she knocked it out of the park.

This isn’t feminist sour grapes. Literally nearly every man around me laughed at everything she said whether it was funny or not. It was a Pavlovian response to the outfit and nothing more. She could have been reading a phone book and they still would have responded the same way. Robbie herself has gone on record as not being a fan of the Harley costume. (April 26, 2016 independent.co.uk) She is the only character whose body is panned over slowly as she dresses in her costume. (Believe me, there was plenty of man meat in that movie and nary an ab was shown). She is the only character whose butt is framed repeatedly in shot after shot. And Enchantress is wearing virtually nothing and she's still not as sexualized as Harley.

One last thought: when Schumacher reduced Batman to Bat-nipples, the Nerdiverse screamed in outrage. Where is the outrage that Harley, possibly the most iconic complex recent DCU character, is being reduced to hot pants?

The Joker. Not bad. Definitely seemed more Jack Nicholson than Heath Ledger and I liked that. Jared Leto does an excellent job of never really letting you into the Joker’s motivation beyond wanting to be with Harley. Even that gets a bit muddled in their backstory portion of the movie. He’s a dapper gangster.

In conclusion, Suicide Squad does a good job of setting up the Justice League and other movies in the DCU, but ultimately I don’t care if there is a sequel to Suicide Squad or not. Maybe there isn't going to be a sequel since Will Smith swore off sequels after MIB:II which would make him a liar.

Such a tough ask for a collector...

Wearable art.

The Wednesday One for 8/3/16

WED some friends made an impromptu visit and so I had company down at the LCS this week. Nice pulls this week with Paper Girls, Tokyo Ghost, & the Sienkiewicz cover of Rebirth Harley Quinn #1 for $3 just a beauty of a cover.

Quiet week for Marvel; this is a big week for DC Rebirth with Suicide Squad #1 and Harley Quinn #1 hitting the stands as the Suicide Squad movie releases!

All 35 of the Harley Quinn #1 variant covers

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/07/02/all-30-harley-quinn-1-rebirth-retailer-variant-covers-we-could-find/

The lady pulled Dishonored #1 variant (pictured), War Mother (pictured), & Tank Girl #3.

Cannot decide which is cooler between Dishonored & War Mother, but I am giving this week’s Wednesday One to 4001 AD: War Mother #1, the much hyped full debut of a new female character at Valiant. My first Valiant book in decades! I’d like to think that if we only had $4 this week, this is a book we could share.

Plus with Valiant movies still in play, a solid Valiant book could appreciate.

Video game adaptations stay limited on the secondary market.

I picked up both covers for Harley and for Suicide Squad and the latest Walking Dead. Had to go to two different shops as the closest shop had inflated prices on the Sienkiewicz Harley cover and the Conner Suicide Squad book. To be honest, I never really paid attention before, but this shop treats 1:1 variants like a 1:10, which makes no sense. I told them I wasn't happy about it and that they were losing out on me buying two more books because they had inflated the price on books that should be cover, but they didn't seem to care.

Stuff like this reminds me of the days of the Death of Superman, where shops were selling pre-orders on those books and then not honoring them, instead putting the books on the wall with an inflated price tag.

Hey BroJ- Forgive the lateness of my reply. I understand what you are saying... A store can under order and then pull books back for the secondary market. Or anytime the manipulation of the secondary market is egregious. I was fortunate that my LCS was well ordered in Harley & had 4 Seinkiewicz copies.

SO... I am probably going to take the next four weeks off to indulge in my new job, grind two online classes, ride my bike, and pick Wizard World Chicago FRI 8/19.

The Lady will be taking over in the interim, as she will be digging deep into summer.

Keep on trucking! I'll write on the side n come back strong

PS> Cracked my phone screen. First time that's happened.

PPS>> Spent the weekend with my family & saw 5 shooting stars!

Hey BroJ- Forgive the lateness of my reply. I understand what you are saying... A store can under order and then pull books back for the secondary market. Or anytime the manipulation of the secondary market is egregious. I was fortunate that my LCS was well ordered in Harley & had 4 Seinkiewicz copies.

I wish it was a case of underordering, but that wasn't it. This shop sees the word "variant" on the cover, and automatically jacks up the price of that issue even when it's a 1:1 variant and they have the same number of copies of each cover.

I told another local dealer about it (the store where I ended up buying the books that were overpriced at the first store) and he thought it was crazy to do that.

Anyway, have a good time at WW Chicago. I went to a show in New Jersey this past weekend and picked up lots of great books. One seller had a bunch of the Hip Hop variants and eight copies of Outcast #1 1st print (slightly damaged) in his boxes for $1 each. All the dealers at the show had their books priced at $1 or less, so it was my kind of show!

The Lady Speaks. . .What I've Been Watching

Mainly Om and I have been binge-watching Friends and enjoying it greatly.

Om then binge-watched Mr. Robot, a show that on paper I should love, but just couldn't get into. It's about hackers and psychosis and millennial ennui with a not-so-subtle nod to movies like Fight Club and Hackers.

But here's a roundup of what I've been watching as the summer fades and the school year looms on the horizon. First up: Documentaries.

The Real Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

This documentary follows the bizarre story of Robert Elmer Kleason, a man who was on death row in Texas for killing two Mormons with a table saw. In 1977 his conviction was overturned due to an improper search warrant and he left the US for the UK. There he married a woman and their relationship turned violent, spurring her family to do more research on him. He eventually was imprisoned in England in 2001 on gun charges. During his time in prison there, Texas began to rework the 1975 case but Kleason passed in 2003 before he could be extradited.

It's an interesting documentary coming in at a lean 47 minutes, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the movie franchise nor Ed Gein (the Wisconsin serial killer usually attributed as the inspiration for the movies).

NOVA: Bigger than T-Rex 2014

Not only an I a space nerd, but I am a dinosaur nerd, too. This one was fascinating! It deals with a dinosaur called Spinosaurus found mostly in Northern Africa. The environment of Spinosaurus confused paleontologists for years because it was predator heavy with very little record of herbivores. Spinosaurus is bigger than T-Rex by 2-6 meters.

But what made this documentary super cool was the use of digital modeling to create a skeleton from only a few bones. Also the history of this dinosaur was fascinating as it starts with a man named Stromer (German paleontologist whose work was lost during WWII) whose photos provide important information to current paleontologists. From there they go into really cool detailed discussion o f the reverse engineering of the dinosaur.

At 53 minutes, this is a must watch.

Extraterrestrial 2005 (2eps)

Another cool CGI show that picks possible exoplanets that might hold life and then hypothesizes what that life may look like. It sometimes veers too into the cutesy, but I found myself actually caring about these weird lifeforms that probably don't exist and were only digital creations.

However each episode is 47 minutes and I honestly drifted away during the beginning of each episode. Still, cool.

Edge of the Universe 2008 (3eps)

A solid space show from Britain (could not find who produced it). Yes, some of the information is outdated at this point, but there is still good information to be found. I especially liked the second episode on comets and asteroids. The animation shows its age, but I still really dug this one.

Each episode is 48-49 minutes and I binge-watched all three in one afternoon.

The Real Death Star 2001

Despite being 15 years old, this documentary was a home run. Using gamma ray bursts, astronomers have identified what they call real death stars, that is white dwarfs or dead stars. These stars are super dense and destroy matter near them. The concern is that there may be one or more of these death stars in our own solar system.

This one runs 48 minutes.

UFO: The Best Evidence Ever Caught on Tape 1997 (2 eps)

Narrated by Johnathan Frakes (aka Commander Riker from Star Trek: TNG). I should learn not to watch documentaries from pre 2000. Especially "captured" footage docs. Especially especially amateur captured footage docs. The "evidence" is completely inconclusive; however, UFO shows are some of the best because the people believe so devoutly in them. This one trots out the usual array of experts--retired military, ufologists, crop circle experts, photo editing experts, pilots, etc I warn you that this documentary has some of the cheesiest translation voices ever.

I actually didn't even watch the second episode because the first one was so ridiculous. I prefer the National Geographic series The Truth Behind. It covers Druids, The Bermuda Triangle, Aliens, Crystal Skulls, Atlantis, The Devil's Bible, and the Nazca Lines (just to name a few).

Each episode is 44 minutes.

Skyline 2015

I have an interest in the concept of space elevators. I find it fascinating and recently read a really good book called Starclimber that had a space elevator at its core. So the idea is that using some sort of material we don't have yet (probably will be nanotech) we can suspend a cord into the lower orbit and attach a launch platform to it that will be kept in place with a large rock/meteor in geosynchronous orbit is intriguing. Then you just send vehicles up the cord to the launching pad and we save a ton on fuel. Science fiction writers from Niven to Clarke to Robinson have played with this concept in literature. I also knew that every year The Spaceward Foundation holds a contest to see who can develop the materials needed.

Anyway, so when I saw this documentary on Netflix, I was geeked. I was really curious as to what strides had been made and who was doing what. Well, this one disappointed me greatly. It is far more concerned with the human interest side of skyline development and less on what is actually happening. Only the last 15 or so minutes really give you any insight into the contest, the materials, and who wins. The rest is a bunch of drama between failed company owners, financial crisis, etc.

When the description says that someone is harnessing ambitious scientists to lay ground work, I expect to see some actual science and groundwork. At 1 hour 14 minutes, it's not what it advertises.

Non Documentary Offerings

Bojack Horseman

This animated show is fantastic. Yes, it's depressing and existential but it's also hilarious. Watching cynical Bojack navigate a world he desperately wants to be part of but won't let himself enjoy is equal parts agony and hilarity. Plus, this is a world where for some reason human animal hybrids just are. So in the background of a scene you'll notice a photog bird running into a glass window, or raccoons wearing clothing digging in dumpsters, or cat talent agents playing with ball and string while on the phone. Also, the plots can get absurd but never without a core of brutal reality. It's the little things that make it great.

But it's not for the faint hearted. This show is introspective and sometimes hits a little too close to home with its tearing down of pseudo intellectualism and self aggrandizing. I normally don't like Will Arnett but in this role, I'm okay with him. The other voice talent is amazing, too. Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie (Community), Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Kristen Schaal (Bob's Burgers), Patton Oswalt, Maria Bamford, Stanley Tucci, JK Simmons, and so many more lend their talents to this show.

Bojack is a Netflix original. All three seasons are on Netflix at the moment.

Penny Dreadful

Penny Dreadful is a Showtime show so themes can be quite mature.

My love of Victoriana fuels my enjoyment of this show which weaves characters from Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, and Dorian Gray. Actually, The Wolf Man aspect sort of annoys me because that’s more of a 20th century concept (not the ideas of werewolves, mind you, just this particular presentation of it). The costumes are gorgeous.

It does tend to veer into HBO's mentality with "Let's add some gratuitous sex and/or gore because we can," but by the second season that's tamed down quite a bit. Great acting is provided by Eva Green, Timothy Dalton, Josh Hartnett, and Billy Piper plus quite a few others. Sadly, this show was canceled after its third season. Seasons 1 & 2 are on Netflix.

Border Patrol Shows

The two I watched were Australia and Canada. I only watched one episode each and then went into my Netflix viewing history and deleted them lest the algorithm be populated with such shows. I don't know what I expect, but I just felt icky watching these shows. Probably I was thinking back to Alaskan Highway Patrol or Mall Cops. I'm sure if I tried to watch either of those now, I'd feel the same way. Honestly, nothing that dramatic happens. Most people are stopped for bringing in food they didn't declare or for having implausible stories (which I didn't know was a thing, but I guess it is). Anyway, pass.

Wednesday $5 One for 8/10/16

[font:Impact]Gon out

Backson

Bisy backson

Om [/font]

Three books this week with the Wednesday One between All Star Batman #1

and Black Monday Murders #1 The Wednesday One

https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/08/financial-mysticism-turns-deadly-in-the-black-mond.html

Art Ops rounds out the pulls, and truth be told we are both behind in reading that one. I have enjoyed MR ROBOT Season 1 on Amazon Prime and ordered an fsociety Monopoly Man mask and some patches to try and cosplay a Mr. Robot protestor at Wizard World Chicago.

WW Chi is this upcoming FRI for me! We have our reservations at Gibson's for 730pm and we are tempted to stay for the big rock show, since that is FRI night.

I am putting together a pick list for the show and thinking about supplies.

PS >> Not grading anything at WWChi; just picking choice undergrounds and for fun