There must be some bugs running around my little old head. How could I have a Halloween series without at least once mentioning the Misfits?
The granddaddies of horror punk first got together in 1977 in Lodi, New Jersey. Their first album Walk Among Us was released a mere year before they broke up when lead vocalist and founder Glenn Danzig left to form his own group named (surprise) Danzig.
Y'see, what you've got here is 13 songs in a mere 25 minutes. Listening to this album is like watching every late night B-movie ever produced all at the same time while they're being fast forwarded through your ancient VCR.
Death, mayhem, Martians, zombies, werewolves and vampires. Glenn croons and groans his way through tunes that are catchy, fun, and timeless. The first time you get to hear his 'woaah woaah woaahs' being played over brutally sped up 1950's guitar riffs and the pounding drum work indeed. With a day from Halloween, this record deserves a spin.
What is that you say? Don't own a copy. Well, good fortune for you! The whole thing is on Youtube.
This week is what's known as a "fifth" week in the comic book
world, so I expected a pretty short list. As it turns out, both the Big Two and
a few other publishers made some big news this week, perhaps to attract some
All Hollow’s Eve business..? But enough postulating, this Colonel is a reader,
not a retailer!
The Fox #1 (Archie)
This was a last second addition to my stack this week, after hearing Dean
Haspiel on Word Balloon just yesterday. His take on the photojournalist turned
superhero sounded like a breath of fresh air and some much needed levity in a
week that see planets exploding and dead Robins returning. Scripting the series
with Mr. Haspiel is none other than Mark Waid! Waid's Daredevil is coming to an
end soon, but this looks like a neat replacement. The Fox is also an MLJ hero
from 1940, so bonus points for keeping a golden age character relevant.
Sandman Overture #1 (DC)
Neil Gaiman returns to the character that made him a household name to sooo
many comic book fans. This is a prologue to the Sandman series, explaining how
a two-bit warlock was able to imprison Dream in the first place. J.H. Williams
II provides the art for this series, and fans of his work on Batwoman already
know what a great fit he would be for the world of the Endless.
Damien: Son of Batman #1 (DC)
Damien Wayne quickly turned from message board fodder to a beloved addition
to the Batman mythos in Grant Morrison's Batman run. Despite his death in
Batman Inc., he appears to be all grown up here. Just how exactly DC plans on
bringing him back to star in this miniseries by his co-creator Andy Kubert is
beyond me. A parallel Earth? A tale from the Old 52? Who knows?
Saga #15 (Image)
It's been a while since I've checked in with Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona
Staples's series. Despite not mentioning every issue in this here column, Saga
is always a must-buy. One of the best comics on the racks from two of the best
in the business, no doubt. This issue sees our parental protagonists looking a
little more lustful than usual.
Cataclysm #0.1 (Marvel)
If an Ultimate Universe fell in the woods and no one was around to hear it,
does anybody care? I guess you could say I'm morbidly curious about how Brian
Bendis is going to wrap things up for Marvel's once mighty Ultimate line.
Not a bad haul for a fifth week! As always, check this space daily for new
rambling about comic book history and be on the lookout for new episode of the
CoH Podcast! Also, check out Real Men in This Town, a new podcast by Adam Lopez and Seth Pasahow,
allies of the Club of Heroes!
Greetings ghouls, this particular Halloween post concerns a comic book that I just don't hear enough about these days, a series by Gary Whitta and illustrated by Ted Naifeh called Death Jr. It is rare that a comic for children can mesh so well with adults too. In fact, this is the very thing that made Pixar so popular in the past, getting in that niche of honesty that appeals to adults and their parents. Without hesitation, I can say that this series is every bit as good as any Pixar movie.
Hysterically funny with sharp observations concerning suburban life comes this tale about DJ (or Death Junior.) making his way through the world as he tries to win his dad's approval and survive middle school. But DJ isn't the kind of kid to let things get him down, even if houseplants and cats have a tendency to die in his wake. Needless to say, bad stuff ensues as DJ finds himself and his buddies opening a mysterious box at a museum exhibit with unusual consequences as DJ and his friends have to save the day.
Gary Whitta handles this story masterfully. As it was produced for the Death Jr video game, this could have been a tossaway rag, but he carefully constructs a modern fable enjoyable to adults and children alike. Ted Niafeh's art compliments Whitta's pose in a manner that reminds me a bit of the visual stylings of early Tim Burton films like Edward Scissorhands particularly in the way it handles real life lessons about difficult subjects while retaining a sense of kooky fun and optimism.
It's the most fun you'll have reliving your middle school years, so why not give it a try? As always, until next time.
Greetings kiddies, your ol' pal Eerie Evan is back once again. I've got a guilty pleasure this Halloween season, and it's name is the Food Network's Halloween Wars. A bunch of teams consisting of pumpkin carvers, candy pullers and other assorted confectionists duke it out to impress judges with their scariest work. As if this wasn't enough fun, you've got people like Rob Zombie, Tony Todd and Charlaine Harris as guest judges!
So far, I've looked forward to every episode (compared to most of the stuff on basic cable, this is gold) but there isn't much run time left if you want to check it out. October 27th is the final air time, at 8 central. Trust me, (and why wouldn't you?) if you have any interest in cooking at all you should check it out. I've included a Youtube video below with a few choice cuts, should you be so inclined.
Eerie Evan here with yet another Halloween countdown post. From the frost-bitten lands of Sweden, comes Ghost with their debut album Opus Eponymous. When I first encountered Ghost, it was entirely by chance. They were the opening act of a Mastodon/Opeth double header, and I was more excited about seeing the them rather than Ghost. In fact, I'd never heard of them. I didn't expect much, but boy, was I wrong.
Fog machines basked the stage as dim green lights gave an eerie glow to the set. Papa Emeritus I, dressed like an unholy cardinal swung a thurible as he came onto stage. His nameless flock of ghouls shuffled behind him, heads bowed in piety as organ music piped through the speakers. Silently, without saying a word, they took to their instruments, as Emeritus I approached the microphone stand. "Greetings to the Body of Christ...we are Ghost." Emeritus spoke with a voice that sounded like if Vincent Price and the Cryptkeeper had a love child. The yells of the crowd were silenced as Emeritus raised his hands. A nameless ghoul strummed a power chord off of a guitar, another snapped the snare drum twice.
Emeritus leaned in, addressing the audience. We were hooked. "Let us begin our Ritual." Before I left that evening, I purchased both a Ghost shirt and their album. To make a point, I almost never spend money at concerts beyond buying tickets.
Opus Eponymous was my first album purchase in years, and it has a solid place in my collection. Visuals aside, they resemble something like Blue Oyster Occult or Mercyful Fate as far as musical comparisons, but that in itself would be limiting. Instead, I'll just say that they resemble the metal of the late 70s or early 80s during the "Satanic Panic" with driving riffs, catchy choruses and even keyboard work. The vocals have an aetheric, unearthly quality to them (appropriate, given their name!), which is a nice change of pace given the either Death Growly or Screamy kinds of vocals that metal tends to pin itself today with the desire for louder and harsher music.
The production is just right as well, as it's not too quite, but neither is it loud. Instead, it is at a happy medium. I was pleasantly surprised in particular when I could hear the bass. Lyrically, the music displays a songwriter's obsession with Satan, which is something that would annoy me if they weren't self-aware of their image. This is what gives Ghost it's undeniable charm. It knows that it is the music that your mom worried about you listening too when you were growing up. This tongue and cheek wink and a nod to that goat footed horned guyis honestly too funny to take with any seriousness.
What would this LP go perfectly with? Well, if you feel like popping in a copy of Castlevania for the NES, this is your soundtrack to slaying Dracula. If you'd like a change of pace from the current metal trends, Ghost is your ticket. An album link lies below. Until next time kiddies.
Chris flies solo in this episode and talks about some comics and books about comics that he's read recently. He's going to talk to himself anyway, so why not record it! Supergods, Strangers in Paradise, Claremont's X-Men, Starlin's Warlock, and more! Evan will be back next episode for more Marvel history.
Another great week for comics, folks! There are two huge debuts from Image
today and some very interesting stuff coming from the Big Two. Plus, a cartoon
icon of the last decade finally makes the leap into comics.
Justice League #24 (DC)
"The Justice League is DEAD!" Geoff Johns and his pals in the
Crime Syndicate have done the unthinkable. Along with his artistic partner in
crime Ivan Reis, this issue focuses on the Syndicate as they divvy up the world
and begin phase two of their hostile takeover. This issue promises a
confrontation between Shazam baddie Black Adam and the evil Super dude of
Earth-3 Ultraman. While the Trinity War and the first issue of Forever Evil left
me cold so far, I'm interested to see what Johns and Reis do with the CSA.
Samurai Jack #1 (IDW)
Once a staple of my Saturday morning cartoon diet, Samurai Jack now stars
in a brand new series by Skullkicker's Jim Zub and artist Andy Suriano. The
series creator, Gennedy Tartakovsky is involved in the comic as well, and
should be a proper successor to the cartoon with his oversight. How does one of
the most visually stimulating cartoons of the modern era translate to comics
books? I'm eager to find out.
Pretty Deadly #1 (Image)
Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Rios present a Western story that combines
Marquez's magical realism with True Grit. This series follows Death's daughter
on a mission of retribution. DeConnick's work on Captain Marvel and her
previous collaboration with Rios on the Osborn miniseries are solid works and
without the restraints of working for merry Marvel, this comic could be
something really special.
Velvet #1 (Image)
Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting brought Captain America back to the forefront
of the Marvel Universe by injecting the book with lots of wartime and espionage
elements. This new series should be right up your alley if their run on Cap
captured your imagination. Actually, I'd go out on a limb and say this is going
to be a very big deal, so you might be kicking yourself later if you don't get
onboard with issue one.
Superior Spider-Man Team Up #5 (Marvel)
As you've probably heard by now, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man
isn't quite as friendly these days since having his brain switched with the
deadly Doctor Octopus. Doc Ock/Spidey seems to be on the side of the angels for
now, but this issue finds our hero assembling a new Sinister Six. That sound
you hear may just be the other shoe dropping. Chris Yost writes it, Marco
Checchetto draws it, and Paolo Rivera wraps it in a beautiful cover.
Young Avengers #11 (Marvel)
Even if you haven't been following this fantastic series by Kieron Gillen
and Jamie McKelvie, this is a can't-miss issue. I heard on the spoiler
grapevine that something very interesting will be happening with a certain
Young Loki. Loki is set to star in a new series next year and this should be
setting the stage for that, not to mention all the other crazy good stuff that
happens in just about every issue of Young Avengers.
And that's a wrap. Six great books to look for plus new issues of Daredevil
and Sex Criminals (which have been featured previously in this very column).
Stop slacking and run, don't walk, to your LCS of choice and tell 'em the
Colonel sent ya! Also, I recommend checking this space daily for Evan Arnold's
Halloween Countdown, new episodes of the CoH Podcast, and Chris's irreverent
ramblings!
