Witchblade, Poe's Raven and Red Death, and the Return of Gaiman's Sandman (New Comic Day)

DC and Marvel both greatly disappointed me this week.  Last month, I praised the art in Captain America: Living Legend 1 and this week’s second issue with a new artist doesn’t live up to the first issue’s legend.  While at DC, most of the titles are “Summer Annuals” – a bit late as it is late October – of which Nightwing Annual 1 stands out.  DC’s most notable non-Annual is Damian Son of Batman 1 – but that notability is in its sub-par art – shockingly from the usually more reliable Andy Kubert.  Also, Damian seems to be printed on a lower than usual quality of paper. 

Better picks from the big two include DC’s Sandman Overture 1 by Neil Gaiman and J.H. Williams (Williams’s art can’t actually be called “good” but it has a gritty character that works well with Gaiman’s writing style) and Marvel’s Kick Ass 3 4 and Guardians of the Galaxy 8 (featuring an alternate Thor vs. Thanos cover).  Also from Marvel comes the release of the Thor vs. Thanos TPB.

I should probably also mention Marvel’s Cataclysm 0.1 – I really have nothing to say about it but if you’ve been looking forward to it, there you go…

Over in the rest of comicdom, this week is the week for covers.  IDW’s Danger Girl 2 is out sporting an awesome alternate cosplay photo cover (for subscribers only, but availability may very).  Also, out this week Zenescope – the company were the covers are always the best part of the book – has issues from two Grimm Fairy Tales Presents… mini-series: No Tomorrow and Realm Knights both on issue three, but better still is their non-Grimm title Hit List 2 featuring a femme fatale cover – if possible I recommend variant cover C by Oracle. 

But my favorite cover this week appearing on Witchblade 170 is a retro throwback to 80s Marvel covers.  Very rough and with hard lines even the logo and title information are in that classic Marvel style.  Inside the art is much sharper – a little cartoonish but still lovely to look at.  The story is typical second tier fair.  Looking at lead character Sara Pezzini’s outfit and appearance one could easily dismiss her as another uber-hot but shallow and artistically bankrupt Image heroine but writer Ron Marz and artist Laura Braga bring a much more developed character to the page than one comes to expect from an Image title.  I highly recommend this issue and despite the rather high issue number this is an excellent jumping on point. 

Finally, if a Halloween read is more what you’re looking for this week, Dark Horse provides with Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven and the Masque of the Red Death by Richard Corben who previously adapted works by Poe for Marvel’s Haunt of Horror line.  Corben’s art leaves something to be desired but can lend personality when applied to the right story as was the case with Haunt of Horror. 

But what are you reading this week?  Leave a comment or message me on twitter @nerdisnewcool to let me know. 

Fantomex, Joker’s Daughter, and More (New Comic Day #6)

It’s an interesting week for comics.  Last week, I discussed in detail DC’s Villains Month crossover.  This is the first post VM week and DC’s titles are mostly back to normal.  I mentioned, Joker’s Daughter as being in short supply and DC has been kind enough to send out more copies of the 2D cover version as a reshipment.  I picked it up and it definitely was not worth the wait.  The issues writing by Ann Nocenti – the current writer on Catwoman and co-creator of Marvel character’s Longshot, Mojo, and Typhoid Mary – and art by Georges Jeanty were both minimally acceptable but lacking and parts of the story are pretty far out there. 

Also from DC, Forever Evil 2 hit shelves this week.  Same quality of art and general writing, but remember all that stuff I said about Lex Luthor’s pathos.  Yeah, scratch that, this issue shot it right out the window.  However, a nod to the old Christopher Reeves Superman series in the form of LexCorp Employee Otis was a nice touch, though in the end a bit of a letdown.  One more DC title of note is Scooby Doo 38 for its Elvira homage cover and story.   

Over at Marvel this week are the high recommended Captain America: Living Legend 1 (check me out posing with it on Starbase 21 Tulsa’s facebook page as customer of the week – because awesome) and Fantomex Max 1.  Fantomex is a minor X-Men character (first appearing in New X-Men 128 in 2002), a background of little or no importance to this issue.  Probably the worst four bucks I’ve spent in a comic book shop in awhile. Fantomex Max features atrocious art by Shawn Crystal (best known for his work on Deadpool, Crystal has done better work before and occasionally reaches an expectable passable level here, but rarely) and nearly unreadable dialog and narration by Andrew Hope (who drew two comics and wrote one for a small UK publisher in 1990 before disappearing from the comic world until last year when he popped up at Marvel).  The highlights of this issue include gratuitous shots of heroine Special Agent Rhona Flemyng’s panties on page 9, Fantomex’s sadomasochist/fetish holographic assistant, and an unrealistic and hackneyed story with copious amounts of hyper-unrealistic violence. 

Captain America: Living Legend, however, (which I haven’t read yet, sorry) seems to feature a much more cohesive storyline and the best interior artwork – by Adi Granov  – I saw this week.  Granov is best known for his work on Iron Man, both the series, where he was the artist on the Extremis storyline and the movies, he provided conceptual designs for all three Iron Man films as well as Marvel’s The Avengers.  Originally intended for a 2010 release, the title was delayed due to Granov’s involvement with the Marvel movies and he will not be returning for issues 2-4 of the mini-series. 

I should also mention that Dark Horse Comics recently resurrected their Comics Greatest World title Catalyst: Agents of Change as Catalyst Comix of which issue four is on stands this week.  I’m a huge fan of the CGW line from way back and Catalyst lead character Grace is among my favorite characters (right after X, Ghost, Barb Wire, and Vortex).  I somehow missed this return to the stands until last week, when I noticed the solicitation in Previews for the December issue.  Flipping through the week’s installment, makes me wish I could go back to having overlooked this unfortunate relaunch. 

One last title worth discussing this week, Archie 648 featuring a super-hero parody by legendary comic writer Tom DeFalco with a variant cover by longtime Thor artist Walt Simonson. 

Also, recommended this week are Dynamite’s Lady Rawhide 2 and Dark Horse’s The Star Wars 2 and whatever it was the Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Wonderland: Down the Rabbit Hole 5 (which – admittedly – I primarily like for the covers).

So, that’s what we’re reading here at Nerd Is The New Cool.  What’s on your pull list this week?  Let us know in the comments or hit us up on twitter @nerdisnewcool. 

Until next time,

Nerd Is The New Cool, signing off.

New Comic Day Special DC’s Villain Month Edition

To be honest, I’m not sure exactly what to put here, or at least how to start.  The problem is, this last month DC has been doing what DC and Marvel do best:  a companywide money-grabbing no real point crossover event.  Every title in DC’s New 52 line has been preempted by Villain Month, in which instead of, for example, Batman 23 we get The Joker #1, The Riddler #1, Penguin #1, and Bane #1.  Actually, that’s not exactly correct either.  They are actually The Joker #1 23.1 and The Riddler #1 23.2 … you get the idea. 

This is all kicked off by Forever Evil 1, the first in a 7 issue limited series.  The issue establishes the Crime Syndicate (Earth-3’s villainous alternate versions of the Justice League of America) as the crossover’s main antagonists and sets up Lex Luthor (yes, that Lex Luthor) as a protagonist. 

For a companywide crossover mini-series, the story here is top notch and very acceptable (an acceptable version of an unacceptable thing?).  Luthor remains true to his villainous self while displaying pathos and working as the issues protagonist.  The issues other protagonist, however, an actual hero this time in the form of Nightwing (Richard Grayson, the former Robin, for the uninitiated among us) takes a firm second fiddle to Luthor and in many ways seems a pale imitation to the characters usual portrayal. 

The art in Forever Evil, provided by penciller David Finch and inker Richard Friend, is among the best I’ve seen in the crossover, but the centerpiece a four page wide single panel depicting dozens of DC’s top villains is uninspired and such a letdown as to have been a waste of space in the book.  What should have been a poster worthy entry would have been served just as well by taking up at most (and I’m being generous here) a two page spread.  It is so far beneath the quality level of the rest of the issue as to be jarring, taking me out of the wonder it should have impressed upon me. 

Other week one titles, where to me, largely a waste of paper.  I leafed through several, including The Joker, a title that left me with a bad taste in my mouth and my money still firmly in my wallet.  The art in Joker, was by and large subpar – even in comparison to the above mentioned four page spread – and far undeserving of so pivotal a DC character.  The story itself was of such an awkward nature, that I couldn’t even bring myself to read more than the occasional snippet.   

I have not picked up Darkseid or Ventriloquist preventing me from giving an honest review of either, but I have heard the former was of an enjoyable read and the Gail Simone byline on the latter gives me hope for it. 

Week two presented few titles that caught my eye, of them I picked up Harley Quinn for no other reason than brand loyalty to a classic character of my youth – I did grow up on Batman: The Animated Series after all firmly planting both Quinn and Montoya in my list of favorite Batman characters.  Oh, but had I pasted this train wreck by.  The story – largely a sketchy and convoluted origin – was unimaginative at best.  Harley’s origin was confusing, primarily due to her somewhat unreliable narrator status, with the narrative of it sometimes at odds with the images but more often just not synced up with them, like a badly dubbed Godzilla movie.  Worst was the complete lack of any of the character’s customary psychotic pathos.  Like Hannibal Lector, one usually finds it hard to dislike Harley.  Even when killing people, Quinn is usually a fun yet tragic anti-heroine, never more than one more beating and betrayal by the Joker away from rehabilitation and a life of quiet solace for her past evils.  But always pulled back by a well timed kindness by her puddin’.  This Harley, however, while looking the part of the lost little girl, is presented as unredeemingly evil. The art on this issue’s cover, by Chris Burnham & Nathan Fairbairn, far outshines its interiors by the abysmal Neil Googe. 

Week three brought us several notable titles including Lex Luthor, which in retrospect I really should have picked up instead of the horrendous Eclipso, and The Cheetah, another book I didn’t pick up myself but have heard good things about. 

I have to admit, as much as I hate CWCOs (companywide crossovers), I kinda love CWCOs.  And Eclipso: The Darkness Within will always have a special place in my heart (right next to Marvel’s Infinity Gauntlet and Dark Horse’s not quite companywide Comic’s Greatest World).  Eclipso is among my favorite DC villains.  Over the years, I have forgave DC a lot when it comes to Eclipso: the ongoing series, cancelling the ongoing series, completely forgetting Bruce Gordon in later appearances, Jean Loring.  But this travesty, somehow written by the usually inspired Dan Didio and scribbled by Philip Tan and Jason Paz, is too much.  Bruce Gordon is back-ish.  He is apparently in the witness protection program though cause they’ve mostly changed his name to Gordon Jacobs, otherwise he’s still Bruce…love interest named Mona, solar energy expert, supporting character named Dr. Bennett.  DC appears to have just wanted to bring Gordon back but thought it would be too confusing what with Commish Gordon over in the Batman books.  That irks me.  Either create a new character or use the old one…don’t both while neither.  Add to that terrible art and a lame character redesign and we have the low point of my Villains Month experience. 

 Which brings us to week four, this week.  I had originally planned on grabbing Joker’s Daughter, but it vanished from shelves far too quickly (we’ll talk a bit about that down below in a moment), so instead I was left with Ocean Master.  Oddly, in a week that also included Doomsday, Bane, Killer Croc, and Sinistro, I pick up a book focusing on a character I care little about.  Perhaps this should have been my strategy the whole time. 

This issue, with so-so art by Geraldo Borges and Ruy Jose, was by far the best book I picked up all month.  The character was dark and cold, unmistakably a villain, yet he had the pathos Harley was lacking in her book.  The story was inspired.  It was maybe a little familiar (I’m thinking of the Silver Age Sub-Mariner over at Marvel as a classic example), but still remaining a worthy read in a sea of issues that seemed to be more interested in murdering trees and making money than they were ever interested in entertaining loyal readers and fans. 

Now back to that vanishing from the shelves thing.  As far as I can tell, as a whole, DC drastically under printed these issues.  While I was at my regular comic shop today, at least four sold out, not counting several that were already MIA when I arrived.  I visited another shop to try to pick up the afore mentioned Joker’s Daughter and not a single Villains Month issue was still to be had. I’ve been told the shops are also under stocked as well.  Perhaps this was simple under ordering on the shops’ part, but every shop in the city?  Or perhaps it is merely an accident on the publisher’s part.  But is that an excuse?  To under publish a minor villain would be one thing, but Bane? Joker’s Daughter? Darkseid?  Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but I know of several people with pull lists who didn’t get issues they should have.  Anyway, moving on…

Perhaps this crossover’s biggest sin is the covers: 3D lenticular motion covers.  My main question is why?  The speculator boom of the 90s was full of foil covers, dicut covers, hologram covers, popup centerfolds, and a million other gimmicky wastes of time.  Why restart a trend that only caused its own bust, when collectors – in it for the gimmicks and the hope of turning a profit investing in comics the way you would invest in stocks – realized the new comics were never going to be worth the money old comics are. 

I can understand the business behind a CWCO, trying to get fans to pick up extra issues that month, but this kind of gimmick is insulting to fans – at least this fan – and is self-detrimental to future sales, in my humble opinion. 

But I’m just me.  I don’t speak for the whole world.  So I ask you, Fanboys, what do you think of the motion covers, of CWCOs in general and in Forever Evil/Villains Month in particular? 

Feel free to give me your humble opinion, or even hit your caps lock and yell at me, in the comments below or on my twitter @nerdisnewcool

Until next time,

Nerd Is The New Cool, signing off.  

Top Ten Super-Hero Films That Should Get Made (But Never Will)

So over on the Black Nerd Comedy Channel on YouTube, Andre Meadows asked his viewers what Super-Hero they would like to see get their own movie (You can watch his video here: 

Be sure to give him a thumbs up and subscribe to his channel.  He’s a pretty funny guy.  Tell him Nerd Is the New Cool sent you). 

So in honor of Black Nerd, here is my list of 10 Super-Heroes (and Teams) that deserve their own feature length film... but aren't going to get one...

10.       Chase (DC Comics) – Chase is kinda DC comics Nick Fury – only young, hot, blonde, female, and sporting a full set of eyes.  Cameron Chase is a DEO (that’s Department of Extranormal Operations for the Newbies) Agent operating primarily in New York, though several of her adventures are in Gotham City and Metropolis (homes of Batman and Superman). Chase is the daughter of murdered Super-Hero Acro-Bat (think the Adam West incarnation of Batman if Eli Roth wrote the final two parter), a former teammate of the Martian Manhunter (then using the name Bronze Wraith).  Her title only lasted about 10 issues, not leaving a lot of source material, but giving a fairly in-depth mythology that could be mined. 

Chase Fan Casting: Jennifer Morrison as Chase, Hugo Weaving as Dr. Trap

9.         Eclipso (DC Comics) – ok, I know what you’re going to say.  Eclipso isn’t a hero, he’s a villain and thus not even eligible by my own title to be given this spot.  My heartfelt and thoroughly thought out response to this honest and constructive criticism on your part:  shut up, it’s my fraking list.  But in all seriousness, Eclipso both in his early lame villain self and as his more resent awesome godlike villainious glory, is a pretty cool villain and one of the better ones to ever headline their own title (he had both a feature in House of Secrets and a self titled book, not to mention helming a couple of miniseries).  He’s cool, he’s inexcusably evil, he’s kinda funny at times, and he’s down right demented at others.  Plus, he’s got a pretty decent supporting cast: Dr. Bruce Gordon, who had a long time Jekyll-and-Hyde connection to Eclipso; Gordon’s fiancé Mona; the Atom’s ex-wife Jean Loring, gone insane and serving as Eclipso’s host; heroes Creeper, Starman, and Lar Gand (Mon-El) all have significant dealings with him.  He could easily be featured as a villain in someone else’s movie, say Green Lantern or even Superman, but to be true to this classic character, he needs to be taken back to his roots and given the reins of his own project. 

Eclipso Fan Casting: Andy Serkis or Michael Emerson would make interesting choices for the Bruce Gordon Eclipso.  Claudia Black as the Jean Loring incarnation

8.         Valiant Heroes (Valiant Comics – some now at Dark Horse) – I’m not sure if I’m calling this a series of individual movies – of which I think X-O, Shadowman, and Rai are all especially good choices for, with Turok and Bloodshot being secondary contenders  – or an ensemble film – my first choices there would be the Malev War or the initial Spider-Alien invasion with Unity being a distant third for an initial outing.  More than anything else on this list, I can’t ever have this film/series.  Magnus, Solar, and Turok aren’t Valiant anymore, the others are drastically different in the “Summer of Valiant” universe.  Aww…but if only…

Valiant Heroes Fan Casting: Chris Hemsworth as X-O (too obvious?), George Takei or Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Harada

7.         Werewolf by Night (Marvel Comics) – ok, Disney, listen up and listen close…non-Super-Hero comics do exist and are cool and should be mined for movie ideas.  Marvel’s titular lycanthrope is just one of several great Marvel Monster titles ripe for the big screen adaptation picking.  The story of Jack Russell – initially told in Marvel Spotlight 2-4, Werewolf by Night 1-43, and five Giant-Sized issues – if full of recognizable Marvel characters including Topez, Moon Knight, Dracula, and Tigra all of whom could be introduced and spun off into their own movies… ok maybe not Topez, but you get my meaning. 

Werewolf by Night Fan Casting: Christian Kane (though I also thought about Taylor Kitsch) as Jack/Werewolf, Amy Aker as Lissa Russell, Timothy Dalton as Dracula

6.         Astro City (currently at DC/Vertigo) – another almost impossible to make film.  A good Astro City film would be on par with Watchmen and The Avengers, but possibly with a bigger cast and more special effects.  Individual films could focus on Samaritan and/or Honor Guard, The Confessor (the “Confession” alien invasion storyline would be a great second or third film), Steeljack’s “Tarnished Angel” storyline, or any of the sundry other unique and familiar characters in the AC universe. 

Astro City Fan Casting: Neal McDonough as The Confessor, Dean Cain as Samaritan, Harry Dean Stanton as Steeljack, Eli Wallach as Mr. Bridwell

5.         X (Dark Horse Comics) – X my personal favorite Dark Horse hero is sorta a cross between Batman and Punisher.  In recent years, his (dare I say) frienemy Ghost has greatly overshadowed him as the ultimate representative of the Comics Greatest World line of comics from Dark Horse – and I would gladly accept a Ghost film as well or instead of an X one – but X remains my favorite.  Of all the ultra violent Batman clones in comics, X has the most grit and the most flair.  Of all the Punisher clones, X is the only, in my humble opinion, to outshine the original.  I would love to see a scuffle between a big screen X and the Pit Bulls – his still violent but much more “good guys” vigilante antagonists – as well as appearances by Monster (with well done Hulk-like CGI or equally good practical Thing-like prosthetics/makeup) and Ghost.  But the main thrust of the film would have to be the gangster Carmine Tango, hitman Gamble, and my favorite X-villain Gretchen the corrupt mayor’s secretary – what can I say, I like bad girls.  Also, success with this film could open up more CGW films: Vortex, Barb Wire (they did? When? Pam Anderson? I don’t recall that…and you say it was a Casablanca rip off? Doesn’t sound like Barb Wire at all…), Titan, Golden City/Catalyst, spin offs for Ghost or Pit Bulls, even a full adaptation of the original Comics Great World mini.

X Fan Casting: Karl Urban as X, Eliza Dushku as Ghost

4          Micronauts (Marvel Comics) – ok, this movie would be a logistics nightmare, mostly because Marvel doesn’t have license for the Micronauts anymore…some of the characters, but not the team or the main villain… So that’s a big strike against it.  But a big screen adaptation of these little guys would be monumentally big…err… small, I mean.  An adaptation could be made of the Image (or Devil’s Due or Kinetic Underground) title or of the franchise without using any comic company as source material, but Marvel is the classic incarnation and everyone who would flock to this is fans of the Marvel version…add in the Marvel Cinematic Universe non-comic fans and a good cast and this could be a blockbuster.  Done right it could be a holiday season family film money maker or a summer action flick, either way. 

Micronauts Fan Casting: Patrick Warburton as Rann, Adrien Brody as Bug, Colin Salmon as Acroyear

3.         Metal Men (DC Comics) – there are a number of ways that this could be played out.  As a straight action/super-hero movie, as a sci-fi movie, or as a comedy.  It’s very rare that a serious comic works as a comedy on film, but this one might be able to pull it off.  However, I think the best way to go would be as a serious Sci-fi movie.  The Metal Men lend themselves to it so well. They are after all robots, they fight Tohoesque giant monsters, and they are led by a mad scientist.  Don’t even emphasize the comic book source material in the trailers, just treat it like a sci-fi film.  You’re not listening are you Warner Bros.?  You’re going to either not do it or do what you did with Jonah Hex and make it a super-hero movie aren’t you.  I give up…

Metal Men Fan Cast: Pierce Brosnan as Doc Magnus, Charisma Carpenter as Platinum

2.         Man-Thing (Marvel Comics) – No, they haven’t!  But the reason you think they have is the reason they never will.  There was a few years ago a God awful movie called Man-Thing, a terrible horror movie with nothing to do with this comic yet somehow baring its name and the worst application of “based on” ever.  The real Man-Thing is an anti-heroic monster dripping with pathos.  With the right script, a decent FX budget, and the backing of the Marvel Cinematic Universe label, a good film adaptation could be achieved. 

Man-Thing Fan Cast: Josh Brolin as Ted Sallis, Amber Benson as Jennifer Kale, and Stephanie Szostak reprising her role as Ellen Brandt from Iron Man 3

1.         Adam Strange (DC Comics) – the ultimate comic book, sci-fi hero.  He’s been an honorary member of the Justice League and a member of the Forgotten Heroes.  In the Silver Age, he was an A-lister, then he dropped down to the C-list, but since the 52 mini-series, he has had a strong showing as a B-lister.  Kinda like a certain Metal Guy over at Marvel, you know, the one who is the central driving force in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Kinda what DC needs to start its own Cinematic Universe, a strong B-list character who can become a box office A-lister.  DiCaprio has had this project in Development Hell since at least ’09. 

Adam Strange Fan Cast: since DC seems insistent on not casting him as Green Lantern, how about having Nathan Fillon don a red space suit instead as Adam Strange

So there you have it, my Top Ten Comic Book movies we ain’t never gonna see, but should. 

What comic books (whether Super-Hero or elsewise) would you like to see make it to the big screen?  Let me know in the comments or on twitter @NerdIsNewCool

Oh, and by the way #AllisonScag4Cassie (not on the list cause it's still gonna happen!)

Lady Rawhide #1 (New Comic Day #4)

Admittedly, I was never a fan of Topps’s Zorro or its spinoff Lady Rawhide.  Though the latter did have a couple of visuals that improved it over the former, so I was reluctant to pick this first issue/reboot up.  And I should have gone with my gut. 

I did manage to read it all, which is saying something, as the writer Eric Trautmann was a bit long winded and boring in his narrative and his dialog was a cross between hackneyed and cliché. 

But let’s start with the art.  The internals by Milton Estevam were so-so.  Foreground characters, especially Lady Rawhide, are very crisp and clean – except in a flashback sequence, which still looks good and stands as a valid choice thematically – but background characters and scenery are almost added in as an afterthought.  In most cases, they do more to detract from the issue than add to it – many images would look better had Estevam not even bothered. 

Added to this is an almost complete lack of visual differentiation between minor characters, and all the points Estevam earns with his depictions of Lady Rawhide.  Ditko detractors will offer comparison to his inability to draw more than four or five standard character appearances, while his fans will counter with Estevam’s lack of the charm and nostalgia in Ditko’s work.

Worse still, an early establishing image of a train which is treated almost as a character – and a main character at that – is so poorly executed as to be insulting to the art of comic book art. 

Better is the wonderful cover by Joseph Michael Linsner – the color version is good, but the Black and White version is much more stunning.  Linsner’s Lady Rawhide is much different than Estevam’s – most noticeably in her lack of certain super exaggerated, gravity defying assets, in a time long before the necessary advancements had been made in silicone technology to support them. 

My favorite image of the book however is on the inside front cover – a partial picture of Rawhide in gray, white, and red, which is very invocative of what can only be (to my eye at least) a heavy influence from Marvel’s Electra to Lady Rawhide’s character/costume design. 

You may have noticed I’ve spend an inordinate amount of time on the art of this book, this is not by accident, but by design.  As mentioned above, Trautmann’s writing leaves much to be desired.  The pacing is off, things happen more to be and look cool than for a coherent reason, certain actions by our heroine make her seem foolish if not downright stupid, and many other characters behave in incomprehensible ways.  Add to this a page six shocking revel that is so easily seen coming as to be an affront to the reader’s intelligence, especially when it was a neat enough thing stand on its own without the wanted “OMG!” factor. 

Some of Lady Rawhide’s internal dialogue and banter shows the promise of possibly developing into something interesting or at least entertaining, but Trautmann does not quiet hit that mark here. 

2/5 Stars (3/5 if just considering the art)         Excellent Jumping on Point

Rated T for Teen (Western and Adventure Violence, some Language but in Spanish)

Twisted Tales 1 (Reader Copies #2)

Greetings Nerds and Nerdettes and welcome to this week’s exciting edition of Reader Copies.  Today we will be looking at the first issue of Bruce Jones’s classic Tales from the Crypt-esque anthology series Twisted Tales from Pacific Comics (aka PC).

This series is one of my all-time favorite 80s titles, probably is my favorite 80s horror title.  Writer-Creator Jones is one of the modern comic/horror icons.  He first made his bones at Warren writing for Creepy and Eerie.  He also spent time at Marvel writing for Ka-Zar and Conan.  But it is here with Twisted Tales and its sister title Alien Worlds that Jones truly shines. 

This issue, while not the greatest in the anthology’s run, is wonderfully, gorily fun.  This issue, like most of the ones that follow, features four short horror tales all written by Jones. 

The cover, signed JOCO – often attributed to opening story artist Richard Corben – features a big busted blonde bimbo holding a door closed against a horde of ravenous – or possibly horny – undead.  It kinda reminds me of that Evil Dead would have looked like if it had starred Loni Anderson.  This is the artistic high point of this initial issue. 

The four tales inside range in quality from a bland opener to a comical tale about fairy tales come to life.  The bland opener, “Infected” – told in second person which comes off very annoying (second person can be good when done right, but here at least Jones doesn’t pull it off) – concerns a loan collector hooking up with one of the women he came to collect from.  The story features a twist ending – as do many of Jones’s tales – but part of the twist is achieved by not telling the reader something early on that the main character is told.  Already something of a no-no in good viewpoint fiction, made worse by the constant narrative “you.” 

The art in this story is the worst of the lot, almost unforgivingly so.  It features stereotypical depictions of some ethnic characters, odd angles (which it uses to good effect in one scene, but abuses elsewhere), horribly drawn silhouettes, and ridiculous looking monsters.  

The second story, “Out of His Depth,” features a better, yet hackneyed, story of deception, murder, and revenge.  Drawn by Alfredo Alcala, this story features slightly better art than the first, which harkens back to the art of Tales from the Crypt, which works well with this tales that could easily have been lifted from that title. 

The next story is by far the best of this issue, “A Walk in the Woods.”  This tale features a married couple, lost in the German backwoods, travelling through a land of dark fairly tales.  The art, by Bret Blevins, is on par with Alcala’s from the previous story, and works well with the dark yet light hearted tone of the piece. 

The final tale, “All Hallows,” is similar in theme to “Out of His Depth” as it is a undead-return-for-revenge story, but is much darker and more removed from the ironic and moralistic tales of EC’s horror titles, being more disturbing and less forgiving.  True, like the tales of EC, the guilty are here punished, in full and in kind, but perhaps unlike those tales, and unlike in “Out of His Depth” the guilty here was more deserving of forgiveness and life, possibly even more deserving than some of the survivors of this story and of “Infected.”   The art, here by Tim Conrad, may be the best of the four stories, but is somehow lifeless and absent the moodiness of Blevins or the nostalgia of Alcala. 

 The four stories depicted here already show the gore and violence of Jones’s later issues, but it is much less dominate than it will be in future issues.  Also, missing in large part is Jones’s characteristic nudity and sexuality – though both do appear briefly.  In later issues – partly thanks to better art, partly to a more refined since of self – Jones et al, will reach their stride and create one of the best horror anthologies in the history of comics.  The promise of that greatness is here, but still just out of grasp. 

3/5 Stars (Individual stories range from 2 to 4 stars, with the 4s outnumbering the 2s)

Excellent Jumping on Point (Non-sequential anthology)

Not rated but Mature (Sex, Nudity, Violence, Gore, and some Language)

Until next time,

This is Nerd is the New Cool, signing off.  

New Comic Day (Late): Captain Midnight 1

Captain Midnight 1 was recommended to me by the clerk at a local comic shop.  It’s a beautiful piece and it did manage to get me involved with the story.  But that was as far as it went.  I remember there being parts of it that I liked and parts that I didn’t but they are gone now.  In a moment I’ll start flipping through it to find some points to reference, but for now, I can’t remember much that redeems or condemns it, and that alone is after something to condemn it.

The title suffers from all the things that make a modern comic good and all the things that make one bad.  I’m sure that if I’d read the other issues (don’t let the big #1 on the cover fool you, this is far from the beginning of the story.  A recently released issue 0 reprints Captain Midnight’s previous appearances, but I haven’t read it), the complex and largely unexplained back story would make more sense, but as I haven’t there are several gaps in my understanding of things.  Now don’t over read that last bit, I was able to follow the story for what it was, but this isn’t what I’d call a great jumping on point.  Not a big seller for a first issue (again, had a known about issue 0 before things might have been different, so we’ll give that one a slide). 

The hero suffers from Post-Watchmen syndrome.  He is human.  Something I expect my superheroes to be more than.  For example, in the opening WWII-era sequence, Captain Midnight’s actions put a villain in danger.  And Midnight, stands back and lets him die, saying “this isn’t what I wanted…but I wasn’t going to risk my life for a criminal like him.” Can you imagine Spider-Man or Superman saying that? 

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll give Watchmen its due.  It’s a great comic.  So are The Dark Knight Returns and a dozen others of their ilk.  And the modern Hero can be dark and violent.  Wolverine is a wonderful example.  Dark Horse, in fact, has done it very well with several of their characters.  X and Ghost stand out as fine examples to me.  But looking at this comic, I wasn’t expecting gruff and violent.  And maybe that is Joshua Williamson and Fernando Dagnino’s point: a juxtaposed look at the “bright shinny hero” behaving like the dark and mysterious.  A real world guy.  But I ask you do we need another real world guy in comics?  Watchmen, Frank Miller’s Batverse and Sin City, Comics Greatest World, Ultimate Marvel, Astro City (which I openly admit to loving)… What does Captain Midnight add to the genre that these books don’t already fulfill? 

Too many comics nowadays are either staring “heroes” no better than the villains (many worse than the villains of the sixties and seventies.  A good example of this, as pointed out recently to me by my good friend RA Jones, is Henry Pym, a hero, who – among other things – stuck his wife while suffering a mental breakdown; something the character has yet to live down over thirty years later).  I ask again, do we need another violent hero? 

But enough of the bad, what about the good? 

As I said before, the book is beautiful.  The cover art is just that, Art.  The interiors are standard quality, on par with most everything coming out of Marvel and DC, maybe even better than most, though far from the best I’ve seen in the last few years. 

The supporting characters (and villains) stand out more to me than the titular hero (perhaps because he was only on 8 of the 22 pages and on two of those only barely).  The first up is 1940s villain Ivan Shark, he is a very standard Nazi villain, reminiscent of the Red Skull, Vandal Savage, and their kind, but while he is something of a standard baddie, he is well executed and his disappearance from the story is felt.  But the emergence of true big bad Fury Shark shows much promise; she had less screen time than Midnight (four pages) but is far more interesting and memorable.  Finally, Montoya…I mean, Maj. Charlotte Ryan is the standard tough as nails cop soldier.  Charlotte was by far the star of the issue (with 14 pages) and is shaping up to be the reader’s loyal (the character their allegiance is firmly placed with). 

Rounding out the cast are Joyce Ryan (Charlotte’s grandmother) who was one of Midnight’s sidekicks in the 40s, Agent Jones and Officer Rick Marshall (Marshall is Charlotte’s ex-husband) the two main government agents on Midnights trail, and several of Fury Shark’s lackies who could rise to more prominence or simply disappear. 

Overall, the art – especially at its grandest moments such as Charlotte’s rock climbing scene and the establishing shots of Secret Squadron HQ and the Nazi base at the North Pole – coupled with a somewhat gripping story and a few standout characters, isn’t enough to save the book for me.  Much like a lot of creator owned comics from the 90s, this book is a mediocre story in beautiful packaging. 

2.5/5 stars.                   Average Jumping on Point                  Unrated but Violent

Until next time, Nerd is the New Cool, signing off

New Comic Day (Late): Rocketeer/Spirit

Howdy folks and welcome to the second edition of New Comic Day! That’s right, number 2.  And we are already a day late on the delivery schedule!  Go, Team NitNC!  Actually, if you swung by last week, then you know we are actually 8 days late, since we didn’t even have an edition last week.  That’s right, your old buddy Nerd Is the New Cool is on top of his game this month (year? Decade? Century? Oh, bother!).

Anyway, here in Nerdland, we had a killer storm – well a storm anyway – Tuesday night that kept me up, as well as the wife and our pride and joy the Nerd-Hound.  Mostly it was Nerd-Hound being up that cause the issues, we was scared and clingy and insisted on attention.  Regardless, I overslept on Wednesday and was playing catchup all day.  So, no trip to my Friendly Neighborhood Comic Shop for me.  But I made it today and here we go!!!

This Week’s Star Comic:

The Rocketeer & The Spirit: Pulp Friction 1

That’s right.  You read it correctly.  The Rocketeer!  The Spirit! Together in one blockbuster issue.  This is so awesome...

Such a letdown. 

Don’t get me wrong, it’s good.  Bordering on decent even.  But it has all the elements of better than good – not the least of which is two of the greatest comic book characters of all time.  Beyond that, it’s written by Mark Waid, one of my favorite writers. 

So what went wrong?  Everything.  Paul Smith’s art is passable but it lacks both the crisp style of Dave Stevens and the pulp grit of Will Eisner.  It is very good art, very standard, very average.  I’ve seen worse.  But is “I’ve seen worse” enough? 

Even Waid’s writing is lackluster.  Again, I’ve read worse – in fact, I’ve read worse by Waid (I’m looking at you, Superman: Birthright) – but as a whole, Waid should be a shoe in for better than this, expecially considering this isn’t his first foray into the world of Rocketeer. 

Again I ask, is “I’ve seen worse” enough? Eisner is the legend.  Both in writing and in art.  They named an award after the man.  And Stevens is right behind him as an artist.  Literally.  When I comes to comic art it goes down like this:  Kirby, Ross, Ditko (shut up, Dad!), Steranko, Wrightson, Eisner, Stevens, Sale, Kane (shut up, Dad! – look at that same joke twice in the same sentence, I’m losing my edge already). 

As for the story itself, it is standard summer crossover fair.  Two heroes meet for the first time, naturally have a misunderstanding and fight.  The fight itself is awesome, but I won’t spoil it for you by describing it.  Needless to say, had Eisner or Stevens been sitting at the easel for this one, the fight alone would have been enough to win the book over for me, but Smith’s work left something to be desired and the fight had a less profound impact on me that someone else’s might have.   But please Hollywood, make an adaptation of this comic so I can see that scene in live action 3D! 

Aside from the issues discussed above, the comic was fun and enjoyable.  The classic characters are all here, Bettie Page…er, I mean the Rocketeer’s girlfriend Betty, The Octopus (or rather his hand), Commissioner Dolan and Ellen, Peevy…even Ebony draws and behind the scenes mention.  As I said, the fight between the heroes is classic (a bit cliché but this is a “summer blockbuster crossover” after all).  Ellen and Betty are both at their stereotypically ‘40s dame best. 

Had I had no prior knowledge of the characters, the book would have rated higher, had I bought it which would have been less likely.  As it stands:

3.5/5 stars.  Excellent jumping on point. 

Unrated but nothing too inappropriate so probably around T for Teen. 

            Other Noteworthy Titles This Week

Hunger 1 (Marvel)

Superman Unchained: The Director’s Cut 1 (DC)

Popeye Classics 12 (IDW)

Army of Darkness Hack/Slash 1 (Dynamite/Image)

Warlord of Mars 27 (Dynamite)

Until next time, Nerd Is the New Cool, signing off…

Reader Copies: Welcome and Justice League 1

Welcome, Nerds and Nerdettes, to the first installment of Reader Copies.  In this series, we will be looking back at old comics that can be picked up in back issue usually for someplace between 50 cents and 10 dollars – and it better be a damn good comic if I drop 10 dollars for it!  I will, of course, lean toward Super-Hero comics but other genre may crop up from time to time. 

A “reader copy” by the way is a copy of a comic that is in less than perfect (Mint) shape, driving down its price, but is still in a readable shape – no missing pages/panels, cover usually still attached. 

Justice League 1 (1987)

4/5 Stars          Excellent Jumping On Point              

Justice League was the first renumbering of the long running DC Comics series Justice League of America.  Way back in the Silver Age of Comics, the JLA was comprised of the top DC characters – Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, etc.  – but over the years the ranks began to fill with less and less important heroes – Firestorm, Vibe, and Gypsy to name a few.  Then came the Crisis on Infinite Earths reboot that shut down the history of the DC Universe and let other younger heroes step up – if by younger heroes you mean guys like Captain Marvel and Blue Beetle who had been around almost as long as Superman and Batman. 

Anyway, a couple months after Crisis ended, DC published Legends, which set the tone for the comics of the 80s and 90s.  Heroes were no longer trusted by the masses, they were gruffer and more violent as a hole.  The fun was officially out of comics… for the most part.  There were titles that resisted the darkening of the comic world, and among them was Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis’s run on the Justice League (sometimes called Max’s League or more often Justice League International).

Though this issue isn’t the JL at its greatest, all the key elements are there. Humorous, wisecracking heroes, as flawed and incompetent as they are heroic.  One or two A-listers playing second string to a group of B- and C-listers who steal the spotlight when it isn’t outright given to them.  Several of the classic members are already present: Martian Manhunter, Blue Beetle, Guy Gardner, Oberon.  But most are still issues away. 

Maxwell Lord is at his manipulative devilish here as the backer of the issues villains – a role that will be played well throughout the Giffen and DeMatteis run, but completely miss used later by other authors in the 21^st Century. 

Green Lantern Guy Gardner is the show stopper here – as he often will be in future issues – as the arrogant would be leader of the team.  His interactions with Batman are especially amusing (though they don’t reach their true greatness until issue 5 and the infamous “One Punch” scene). 

The terrorist villains are boring and forgettable – appearing on only about 8 of the issues 25 pages.  They are functional, serving the purpose of establishing Maxwell Lord’s ruthlessness, but the Justice League – even *this* Justice League – deserves better from a premier antagonist, especially in the wake of Legends Darkseid centric storyline. 

Overall, Justice League 1 is a good read, though it can be disappointing, especially if you have already read later issues of the run.  Disappointment aside, I remain very fond of this title and this issue, while not its best, is still leagues above many later Justice League series.  

New Comic Day: Astro City Vol. 3

Welcome to the first exciting installment of New Comic Day a new series here on the Nerd Is the New Cool blog.  For now, we are only going to be publishing this series irregularly – but always on Wednesday – until we can get it fully up and running. 

To start, I’d like to send out special thank my good friend comic book writer and novelist R.A. Jones – as well as everyone at my local comic shop Starbase 21 in Tulsa, OK – and my father.  Without their assistance this blog series may not have come about. 

This Weeks Star Comic: Astro City

I struggled with whether or not to do this in New Comic Day or in Reader’s Copy – mostly because I’m going to focus on last month’s issue rather than today’s issue. 

Issue one: 4/5 stars      Excellent jumping on point.                Rated T for Teen

While last month’s issue has a big number 1 on the cover and this month’s a number 2, Astro City is actually a fairly old title now (we’re not talking Batman or Captain America old – or even Spider-Man old – but it’s been around a little while).  The first issue of Volume 1 came out in 1995 and then to now there have been 60ish more issue over two ongoing titles, one mini- and one maxi-series, and sundry one-shots and stories in other publications.  It has had its high points (Volume 2 ½, and 4-9 collected together as Confession in TPB form) and its low points (I’m looking at you The Dark Age), but overall it has been a very good and loving look at the world of comics – some people refer to it as what it’s like to be a normal person in a super-world, other say it’s what about being a super-hero in the normal world – I try to stay away from that argument. 

All 60ish issues of the series have been written by the same writer (series creator Kurt Busiek), drawn by the same artist (Brent Anderson), and featured covers by the same painter (Alex Ross) and the lot remain in top form here.  Ross’s covers to both issue 1 and 2 are beautiful, though I preferred the variant cover featuring new character Telseth to the standard Honor Guard cover for issue 1 (Honor Guard btw is the Astro Cityverse’s premiere super-hero team – Busiek hates it when you compare Astro City characters to other company’s properties but – think of them as the Justice League/Avengers types.  Telseth, meanwhile, seems to have a bit of a Celestrial thing going on and long time comic readers will definitely notice he has some major Kirbyesque design elements). 

Other new characters to be introduced include The Broken Man and the very annoying American Chibi, but most of the regular Astro City cast at least cameos.  That another warning for new readers Astro City has a large cast of rotating characters and as the series takes place in real time it has nearly 20 years of in-title continuity piled on top of them.  It can be a lot to take in, but Busiek is very good at keeping new readers from being bogged down by too much continuity baggage.  Long time fans will enjoy the references – say to one unnamed character’s (he’s the Confessor) lack of “the protections his predecessor” had – but while new readers may not get them, they tend to take the form of local color and don’t distract from the story. 

I haven’t read today’s issue yet, but look forward to it and greatly enjoyed issue 1.  The back issues or TPBs are not required prerequisites, but would greatly add to new reader’s enjoyment of the rich mythology Busiek has created. 

            Other Noteworthy Titles This Week

DC Comics: Justice League 22 (Start of the Trinity War crossover)

IDW: Judge Dredd Classics 1 (Reprints)

Dynamite Entertainment: Dark Nights 1 (Green Hornet/Shadow crossover)

Top Ten Non-Japanese Kaiju

OK, let’s start by correcting the nomenclature of the title, shall we?  It should actually say “Top Ten Non-Japanese Daikaiju.” Kaiju is the Japanese term for monster (it actually translates as “strange beast”); Daikaiju, meaning “giant Kaiju” is the word for “giant monster,” which will be the subject of this list. American vernacular usually shortens it to "Kaiju," thus the incorrect title above.  

Now, I expect some retaliatory style attacks to me and this list because properly Kaiju films are only Japanese films, and one could argue that this is merely a list of giant monster films.  And one would be right.  This is a list of giant monster films.  And Daikaiju means giant monster, so shut it. 

Also, I have intentionally left off a number of real creatures that could have made this list - notably Dinosaurs and sharks.  Thus, the dinos from Jurassic Park and Bruce from Jaws (who is only arguably “giant”) are unfortunately absent from the list, as is the only literary character I considered the megalodon from the Meg series of novels. 

10. Konga and Gorgo (from the 1961 British films of the same names)

 

Konga and Gorgo are, respectively, knockoffs of King Kong and Godzilla.  They appear in two unrelated films and they were hard to put on this list, but impossible to leave off.  I don’t even know how to begin talking about these films.  They are blatant rip-offs, but also, kinda not.  Both are pretty stupid films and I don’t particularly like either one.  But they typify the King Kong and Godzilla knockoff genre.  There have been literally tens of Kong and Godzilla rip-offs – maybe more – but somehow these stand out as the definitive ones.  Also, Alfred from the Michael Keaton Batman is in Konga, so it’s got that. 

 9.  The Blob (from the 1958 film, its 1972 sequel Beware! The Blob!, a 1988 remake, and a pretty catchy song). 

The Blob is another one that barely made this list.  On the one hand it’s a giant monster movie, but on the other it isn’t.  As a film – a horror film, a sci-fi film, a cult film, a 50s film, a teen film – it would have ranked higher than most of the others on this list.  But as a giant monster, I just couldn’t let it beat out the others.  The blob isn’t a giant insect, or monkey, or lizard, or worm.  It’s a, well a blob.  It is attack of the killer jell-o – and grape jell-o at that.  But it’s still an awesome monster.  Be it the 1958 Steve McQueen star making original, the campy Larry Hagman directed sequel, or the almost-as-good-as-the-original-(how-often-does-that-happen?)-remake staring Shawnee Smith (later of Saw fame), the blob is at once hilariously stupid and oddly terrifying – way to ruin theaters for me, movie!

Also, what monster has a cooler theme song?  Freddy, Jason, Michael, Jaws, ya’ll could take lessons from Jell-o-Boy… “he creeps, he leaps, he slides, he glides…”

8. The Graboids (from the Tremors franchise – 1990, 1996, 2001, 2003-2003, 2004)

OK, I may just not be able to go to my parents’ house every again.  My dad sees that Tremors was only #8 and he’ll disown me.  Lizard, if you’re reading this, congratulations, you get to inherit everything now.  Don’t get me wrong, the Tremors movies are hilariously stupid.  When I first saw the original, I didn’t like it, but it (and they) grew on me.  But I don’t love them.  I really, really like them and we can still be friends, but I just don’t love them. 

But as camp, as the backhanded love letter they are to the Atomic Age science fiction/horror movies they mock and belittle and idolize, they are awesome. Not Slither awesome, but awesome.  

7. The Spider (from the 1958 film Earth vs. the Spider)

Maybe my favorite AIP film of all time, The Spider is the quid essential 1950s teenage rock and roll sci-fi/horror movie.  The effects are cheese, the plot is fast and loose, the music is corny and does nothing to advance the plot.  It’s the perfect popcorn and root beer on a Saturday afternoon film from a studio that specialized in popcorn/Saturday afternoon films.

Side note: I also considered Universal's earlier film, Tarantula, but I just like this one so much better and I couldn't justify to myself putting two giant spider's on the list.  And besides Universal did so much better with...

6. The Deadly Mantis (from the 1957 film of the same name)

I love this film.  It came from Universal about a decade after Universal stopped being THE name in horror - and, except for the Black Lagoon films, was their best in the 50s.  A ridiculous premise about a ginormous prehistoric insect frozen in the Arctic that returns to eat people.  That really was all you needed in the 50s to make a movie. Go figure.  

5. The Killer Tomatoes (from the Killer Tomato franchisee – 1978, 1988, 1990, 1990-1991, 1991)

Ok, I admit it, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes may in fact be the dumbest movie ever made.  I have no defense for the movie, the franchisee – which only gets worse as it goes –, the cartoon – which I watched religiously as a child –, or myself for including it on the list.  It’s funny.  It’s stupid – intentionally so.  It’s ridiculous.  It’s cheesy.  But so is Adam West’s Batman.  So is Tremors.  The Killer Tomatoes are the most unrealistic monsters on this list - maybe the most unrealistic monsters ever.  They aren’t scary.  They aren’t poignant.  They aren’t clever or really even that original.  They just are.  And somehow they are awesome and great.  

4. The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (from the 1953 film of the same name)

Based on a Ray Bradbury short story (which he quickly renamed “The Fog Horn” to distance from this loose adaptation), The Beast would later be the basis for the Japanese film Gojira, the Godfather of all Kaiju films.  The Beast has the exact same story as The Deadly Mantis except it’s about a giant lizard instead of a giant insect.  And I know what you’re going to say.  It’s a dinosaur movie – and you’re right, but at the same time, you are most definitely right.  But it is a fictional, made up species of dinosaur and this is my list, so shut up.  And if you think this was breaking any rules then wait 'til you get to…

3. The plethora of “Marvel Monsters” (from the Atomic Age Marvel Comics)

I can hear you know: “Nerd! The Marvel Monsters comics aren’t even movies, they’re comics!” To which I reply “duh.” At what point about or below, did I say this was a list of movie monsters?  So, the Marvel Monsters.  Fin Fang Foom.  Gigantis. Gorgilla. It, the Living Colossus.  And so many more populating the pages of Strange Tales, Tales to Astonish, Tales of Suspense, Journey into Mystery, and more.  I love them all.  Many – but not all – were the creations of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko – those guys who created many of the Marvel Super-Heroes a couple years later.  It’s hard to think of a comic industry without super-heroes but the Marvel Monsters ruled in the decade before the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Avengers, and X-Men hit the scene.  

2.  The Giant Ants (from the 1954 film Them!)

 Them may be the first big bugs in film history.  If they aren’t, they are still definitely the greatest.  The special effects aren’t very good in the post-Lord of the Rings era er...post-Jurassic Park era I mean, post-Star Wars era and the sound effects were never any good.  But Them! is still a compelling and scary movie.  Admirably, it’s more fun than frightening but it still holds its own if you let yourself get sucked into it.  Them are rather silly looking but watching one of Them toss the skeleton of a victim out of the anthill is still a creepy  - if not entirely terrifying - moment.  This may be my favorite giant monster movie of all time.

But if it’s my favorite why is it only number 2? You guessed it, because number 1 can only be…

1. King Kong (from the 1933, 1976, and 2005 films of the same name, as well as countless other appearances)

 

Was there ever any doubt?  RKO made it first and best, Kong holding Fay Wray may be the most iconic image in the entire history of the horror film.   But others have come along as well.  Toho – the home studio of Godzilla – did Kong several times, perhaps more outlandish and ridiculous but still loving and true to character.  Peter Jackson’s more recent version stands as one of the greatest giant monster films of the last few decades.  Kong stands on his own – likely atop the Empire State Building – or some other appropriately magnificent structure - as the American giant monster.  The iconic American monster.  Our national monster.  

So there you have them.  My picks for the Top Ten Non-Japanese Kaiju.  Feel free to let me know in the comments or on my twitter page @nerdisnewcool what giant monsters you think should have made the list and go ahead and argue for Dinos and Sharks if ya want.  I’m always up for a good fight.  But don’t think you and your bombers can beat me.  Everyone knows “it wasn’t the airplanes… it was Beauty killed the Beast.”

Until next time,  Nerd Is the New Cool, signing off

All images above, copyright their respective owners, except when they are not.  All are used to best represent the derivative material and are intended for commentary and identification purposes only not to delude the value of the original material.  Should any copyright owner wish their material removed from this blog, please contact the blogger on twitter @nerdisnewcool and the image will be taken down.   

And We’re Back New Blog Schedule and More!

And we’re back!  So it’s been a few months and I’ve been busy – and by busy I mean lazy.  But now I’m back and the blog is back up and running.  I’m planning on Bringing back my classic Nerdy Top 10s starting this Sunday and then doing a couple other new things throughout the week. 

First up is Reader Copies.  On the first and third Friday of every month, we will be delving into my extensive comic collection to review some classic and not so classic back issues that can be picked up cheaply at your local comic shop. 

Then on the second and fourth Fridays will be The Five Dollar Bin!  I will be reviewing movies that can be found cheaply on DVD in places like the $5 bin at Wal-Mart.  From the campy to the crappy, from cult classics to cinematic masterpieces… ok, probably not any cinematic masterpieces, but I do own all the Puppet Master films!

I will also still be doing the occasional This Nerds Life and of course will continue to double post my Good Reads book reviews on here. 

Finally, I will be adding on New Comic Day, every Wednesday to review the hottest new titles, but that will be coming at a later date.  And I have several other ideas in the works so hopefully we can start posting Nerd is the New Cool daily!

In the meantime, if there are any classic comics or movies you'd like to see me review let me know in the comments below.  

This is Nerd Is the New Cool, signing off until this Sunday. 

P.S. While you're waiting for my triumphant return, if ya just gotta have more nerdy content hop on over to YouTube and check out my good friend Liz Katz's channel.  She's an incredibly funny, talented, and nerdy girl.  And let's face it, she's cute as a button.